#best HTML editors

[removeload-academy]

Top Tools for Best HTML Editors and Online HTML Editor Solutions

HTML editors are essential tools for web developers and designers. They simplify coding by offering features like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and debugging. Whether you're a beginner or a professional, finding the best HTML editors can save time and enhance productivity. With a variety of tools available, it's essential to choose one that fits your skill level and project needs.

At our free online e-learning portal, we aim to make programming accessible to everyone. Our platform offers tutorials written in an easy-to-understand style, ideal for students and beginners. Using live examples, we guide users through learning programming languages, including HTML and CSS, making the entire process engaging and interactive.

Best HTML Editors for Developers

Visual Studio Code (VS Code): VS Code is a popular, free editor packed with features like real-time collaboration, a built-in terminal, and extensive plugins. It supports HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it ideal for web development.

Sublime Text: Known for its speed and efficiency, Sublime Text offers a distraction-free environment with powerful features like split editing and a command palette.

Atom: Atom is an open-source editor with a user-friendly interface. It supports HTML and other languages, allowing seamless customization through packages.

Brackets: Brackets is tailored for front-end developers. It provides a live preview feature that shows changes instantly in the browser, perfect for HTML and CSS projects.

Notepad++: Lightweight and straightforward, Notepad++ is great for beginners who need a basic editor with syntax highlighting and easy navigation.

Benefits of Using Online HTML Editor Tools

If you prefer coding without installations or want to experiment quickly, online HTML editor tools are excellent alternatives. They allow users to code directly in their browser, offering features like live previews and syntax validation.

CodePen: CodePen is a popular online platform for writing and testing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It offers a collaborative environment for developers to share their projects and learn from others.

JSFiddle: JSFiddle is great for testing snippets of HTML and CSS. Its simple interface and instant output make it a favorite for quick experiments.

HTML5 Editor: This tool provides a clutter-free space to write and preview HTML code. It’s perfect for beginners learning to build simple layouts.

Online HTML Editor by TutorialsPoint: This editor combines simplicity with functionality. It’s an excellent choice for beginners to practice HTML, CSS, and JavaScript without installing software.

Our e-learning platform complements these tools by teaching you how to use them effectively. With practical, step-by-step guides, we ensure you can apply what you learn in real-world projects.

Why Choose Our Platform?

We focus on simplifying programming concepts for students and beginners. By using live examples and interactive tutorials, we make learning engaging and practical. Our free tutorials cover HTML, CSS, and other programming languages, guiding you from basics to advanced topics.

Whether you're exploring the best HTML editors or diving into online HTML editor tools, having the right resources makes all the difference. Start your journey with us and unlock the potential of web development today!

[perilegs]

clear + the robot man by northernboys

[camellcat]

I'm combing through the html of my favourite fic rn to make sure all italics are where they're supposed to be. I've already fixed all the spacing inconsistencies that I was able to catch, and am working on correcting all the quotations/apostrophes so that they're all in the same style instead of half straight half curved. so. if anyone ever needed a fic editor I could fucking. I guess I'd do you well

[annefic]

.

[bestzoomalternatives]

Unleash Your Gaming Potential: Discovering the Top VPNs for Gaming

In the ever-expanding world of online gaming, every millisecond counts. Whether you're battling in a fast-paced shooter, strategizing in a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), or exploring vast virtual worlds, a stable and secure internet connection is essential for success. This is where Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) come into play. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best VPN for gaming? Fear not! We're here to guide you through the labyrinth of choices and uncover the Top VPN for Gaming  that will elevate your gaming experience to new heights.

The Role of VPNs in Gaming: A Game-Changer in the Virtual Arena

Before we delve into the world of gaming VPNs, let's take a moment to understand their significance in the gaming realm. VPNs offer several key benefits that can enhance your gaming experience:

Reduced Latency: By connecting to a VPN server closer to the game server, you can minimize latency and enjoy smoother gameplay.

Protection Against DDoS Attacks: VPNs can shield your IP address, protecting you from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks often used by malicious gamers to disrupt your gameplay.

Access to Geo-Restricted Content: Some games or gaming platforms may be region-locked, but with a VPN, you can bypass these restrictions and access content from anywhere in the world.

Enhanced Security: VPNs encrypt your internet connection, preventing hackers from intercepting your data and safeguarding your privacy while gaming.

Now that we've established the importance of VPNs in gaming, let's explore the top contenders in the market.

1. ExpressVPN: The Speed Demon of Gaming VPNs

Bold: ExpressVPN is synonymous with speed, reliability, and top-notch performance, making it a favorite among gamers worldwide.

Blazing-Fast Servers: With servers strategically located around the globe, ExpressVPN ensures lightning-fast speeds and minimal latency for uninterrupted gaming sessions.

Military-Grade Encryption: ExpressVPN employs AES-256 encryption and offers advanced security features like a kill switch and split tunneling to keep your gaming sessions secure and private.

Wide Device Compatibility: Whether you're gaming on PC, console, or mobile device, ExpressVPN offers seamless compatibility across a range of platforms.

24/7 Customer Support: Need assistance? ExpressVPN's dedicated support team is available round-the-clock to address any concerns or technical issues you may encounter.

ExpressVPN is like the Ferrari of gaming VPNs, offering unparalleled speed and performance to fuel your gaming adventures.

2. NordVPN: The Guardian of Your Gaming Realm

Bold: NordVPN combines robust security features, a vast server network, and budget-friendly pricing, making it a formidable choice for gamers seeking maximum protection without breaking the bank.

CyberSec Suite: NordVPN's CyberSec suite blocks ads, malware, and DDoS attacks, ensuring a secure and uninterrupted gaming experience.

Global Server Network: With thousands of servers in numerous countries, NordVPN provides ample options for optimizing your gaming connection and bypassing geo-restrictions.

Dedicated Gaming Servers: NordVPN offers specialized servers optimized for gaming, ensuring low-latency connections and stable performance for online gaming sessions.

User-Friendly Interface: NordVPN's intuitive interface makes it easy to connect to servers and customize your gaming experience with features like automatic server selection and customizable DNS settings.

NordVPN is like the guardian angel of your gaming realm, offering unparalleled protection and peace of mind while you conquer virtual worlds.

3. CyberGhost: The Ghost in the Machine

Bold: CyberGhost combines simplicity, affordability, and advanced features, making it an attractive option for gamers of all levels.

One-Click Connection: CyberGhost's one-click connection feature allows you to instantly connect to the best server for gaming, eliminating the hassle of manual server selection.

Streaming Optimized Servers: With specialized servers optimized for streaming and gaming, CyberGhost ensures smooth and uninterrupted gameplay without buffering or lag.

Strict No-Logs Policy: CyberGhost adheres to a strict no-logs policy, meaning your gaming activities remain private and anonymous.

Simultaneous Device Connections: With CyberGhost, you can connect up to seven devices simultaneously, allowing you to game on multiple platforms without compromising speed or performance.

CyberGhost is like the ghost in the machine, silently protecting your gaming endeavors while you conquer virtual worlds with ease.

Conclusion: Level Up Your Gaming Experience with the Right VPN

In a world where every second counts, choosing the right VPN can make all the difference in your gaming experience. Whether you prioritize speed, security, or affordability, there's a VPN out there that's perfect for you. So why wait? Elevate your gaming experience to new heights with the top VPNs for gaming and embark on a journey of uninterrupted, high-speed gaming bliss. After all, in the virtual arena, victory favors the swift and the secure.

[editboxpro]

Online Code Editor with live preview , online code editor , live code editor

Start Coding with EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor Now!

In the digital age, coding has become an essential skill across various industries, from web development and software engineering to data science and artificial intelligence. EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor with live preview offers a comprehensive solution for developers, students, and coding enthusiasts to write, test, and debug code in real-time. Let’s explore how EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor can empower users to streamline their coding workflow, improve productivity, and bring their coding projects to life.

Unleashing the Power of EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor

EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor is a versatile tool designed to meet the needs of both novice learners and experienced developers. With its intuitive interface, robust features, and live preview functionality, our code editor provides users with a seamless coding experience that fosters creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you’re working on a personal project, collaborating with a team, or learning to code for the first time, EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor offers the flexibility and functionality you need to succeed.

Key Features of EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor

Syntax Highlighting: Enjoy syntax highlighting for a wide range of programming languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Java, and more. Our code editor highlights syntax elements with distinct colors, making it easier to read and understand your code.

Auto-Completion: Accelerate your coding workflow with auto-completion functionality, which suggests code snippets, variables, and function names as you type. Our code editor’s intelligent auto-completion feature helps you write code faster and reduces errors.

Live Preview: Visualize your code changes in real-time with EditBoxPro’s live preview functionality. Our code editor provides a live preview of your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code, allowing you to see how your changes affect the appearance and functionality of your web pages instantly.

Multi-Language Support: Write code in multiple programming languages within the same editor interface. EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor supports a wide range of programming languages, allowing you to work on diverse projects without switching between different tools.

Code Collaboration: Collaborate with team members or peers in real-time with EditBoxPro’s code collaboration feature. Our code editor allows multiple users to edit the same code file simultaneously, facilitating collaboration and teamwork on coding projects.

Version History: Keep track of your code revisions and changes with EditBoxPro’s version history feature. Our code editor automatically saves your code changes and allows you to revert to previous versions if needed, ensuring peace of mind and data integrity.

Advantages of Using EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor

Accessibility: Access EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor from any device with an internet connection, eliminating the need for complex software installations or downloads. Our code editor is accessible via web browsers, making it convenient for users to write code anytime, anywhere.

Ease of Use: Enjoy a user-friendly interface and intuitive controls that make coding accessible to users of all skill levels. EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor is designed with simplicity and usability in mind, allowing users to focus on writing code without distractions.

Real-Time Feedback: Receive instant feedback on your code changes with EditBoxPro’s live preview functionality. Our code editor provides real-time updates, allowing you to test and debug your code efficiently and see the results of your changes instantly.

Learning Resources: Access a wealth of learning resources, tutorials, and documentation to support your coding journey. EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor offers educational content and coding exercises to help users improve their coding skills and master new programming concepts.

Versatility: Use EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor for a wide range of coding projects, including web development, software engineering, data analysis, and more. Our code editor supports multiple programming languages and offers features tailored to various coding tasks and projects.

Conclusion

Elevate your coding experience and unleash your creativity with EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor with live preview. Whether you’re a seasoned developer, student, or coding enthusiast, our code editor provides the tools, features, and resources you need to write, test, and debug code effectively. Experience the power of real-time coding with EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor and take your coding projects to new heights today!

Start Coding with EditBoxPro’s Online Code Editor Now!

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[sugarcoatedmechanic]

((I got onto tumblr to rp but then spent several hours working on a new tumblr theme instead. It’s not even done))

[sabelacarsonsblog]

8 Best HTML & CSS Code Editors for 2023

Boost efficiency & precision in web development with top HTML & CSS code editors. Discover 2023's best tools for seamless coding

[reignpage]

Tutorials for Aesthetics

Hi! Reign here :) this guide is dedicated to teaching you how to make:

a) colour gradient text b) dividers c) pictures with gradients

Now, as a disclaimer, I'm not saying you should have all these things on your posts. Having pretty things won't guarantee a boatload of interactions and aesthetics shouldn't take away from the actual substance of your writing. Many fics do very well without all the glitz and glamour, and indeed simplicity goes a long way.

You should always prioritise clarity, improvement, and conviction in your writings. Don't get caught up in trying to look pretty and definitely don't be copying other creators' aesthetics unless they've given consent for you to do so.

This serves only as a starting off point for exploring styles that suit you.

Another disclaimer is that Canva, since I wrote and posted this, has and might make more changes which will render parts of this guide inapplicable, but the main parts should remain the same. Canva is best used with premium but I understand that not everyone can and is willing to spend money on this. So my advice is to find a different platform and search up tutorials online.

How to get the colour gradient text!

༯ I use stuffbydavid.com

༯ Decide if you want a horizontal gradient/middle gradient/three coloured gradient

༯ Pick your colours + write out the text you'd like to be coloured in the text box

༯ You can see the preview and when you're happy copy all the text in the HTML code box

༯ Go on Tumblr, create a post, click the settings icon of the post, then in the Text Editor function change it from Rich Text to HTML

༯ All your coding will be pasted in the HTML side and they'll appear formatted in the Preview on your Tumblr post

How to make dividers!

༯ I use Canva

༯ Click Create a design

༯ Click Custom size -> for my colour gradient dividers, I use the 3000 x 40 px but you can use whatever sizing you'd like of course -> experiment to your liking

༯ Click the colour wheel to change your background colour

༯ You can do solid colours and use whatever hex code you'd like but to make gradients, scroll through the colour palettes to get to the different kinds of gradient options

༯ From there, you can change the colours of the gradient and adjust to your liking

༯ To download it, click Share, Download, keep it PNG, size 1 and Download for real

༯ On Tumblr, you're going to just drag and drop that downloaded image on the website or if you're on the app, just add it as a picture and adjust it where you'd like it to go on the post

༯ If you were to have drawings like the hearts or croissants for the divider, you'll want to adjust the Custom size, arrange the pictures or elements on the page, and download with a transparent background (it requires a premium subscription unfortunately but if you do the free trial and just make a bunch of banners and dividers before it runs out, you should be good)

༯ A lot of this will involve experimenting for what works for you. There's no cheat code to that, unfortunately. But have fun with it. Don't be afraid to trial and fail -- everyone did at some point

How to add gradient colour to pictures!

༯ Use Canva again

༯ Click Custom size -> 3000 x 800 px (or, again, whatever size you like)

༯ Pick a picture you like -> for manga panels, I like to use Pinterest

༯ Drag that picture onto the blank page and adjust to fit

༯ Click Add Page -> on that page, change the background colour. You can use solid colours or gradient colours, it's the same process as for making gradient dividers

༯ Click the colour page, copy and paste it on your picture

༯ Adjust the transparency of your picture depending on how opaque you'd like the colour to be

༯ Delete the colour page and keep the picture

༯ Then, again, click Share and Download

༯ This is the final product -> you can obviously find better pictures and do whatever colours you'd like, this was just an example

༯ I'm not very tech savvy so if my explaining is terrible, I am so sorry 😭 but hopefully this makes senses and encourages you to experiment and be bolder with your layout!

[egelantier]

PSA: Winterfox/Requires Hate/Benjanun Sriduangkaew/Maria Ying

I'm starting to see recs for Benjanun Sriduangkaew crop up in fandom again, so here's your reminder that Benjanun Sriduangkaew, aka Maria Ying, is actually Winterfox/Requires_Hate, a well-known serial harasser, blackmailer and abuser who decided that the best thing to do with her multimillionaire heiress time and money is to do real and lasting harm to many communities and many writers (especially writers of color) that she saw as rivals.

with how fast things move online right now, I imagine she's banking on people just forgetting everything she pulled: please don't! But even if you won't deny her your attention, at least keep yourself safe and remember that her modus operandi used to be either love bombing people until they let slip something she then blackmailed them with, or literally decades of unhinged harassment.

feel free to share.

original sources:

Mixon report: https://feralsapient.com/?p=889

The letter to Apex editors: https://web.archive.org/web/20170216003240/http://awitin.likhain.net/2017/02/a-letter-to-apex-editors-re-the-intersectional-sff-roundtable/

Zen Cho's report (start here of you never heard of any of this): https://web.archive.org/web/20200808225250/https://zencho.org/being-an-itemised-list-of-disagreements/

*she had once upon a time deleted her blog, hence the Wayback link; but now it's re-uploaded by her here, as she explicitly still stands by her words: https://zencho.org/articles/being-an-itemised-list-of-disagreements/

Rachel Manija Brown's report: https://rachelmanija.dreamwidth.org/1288081.html

[sturnioz]

just a quick lil thing because i've been getting a lot of comments and asks abt the custom colour texts i use to get colours like these;

example text example text example text

i use a bbcode & html text colorizer which can be found [ here ]. to use this properly, it would be best to use the desktop tumblr website.

once clicking the link, it gives you five easy steps to follow through;

1. inserting your text. 2. choosing colour effect (you get to pick between six effects). 3. choosing your preferred colours. 4. adding additional text styles (for ex. font, size, bold, italics). 5. getting your code.

however, when using step five, copy the text in the second box (the one i am pointing at)

once thats copied, go to tumblr, create a post and there should be a settings cog icon on the far right hand side near your blog name.

after clicking that, scroll down until you find the text editor option, and where it says 'rich text', change it to 'html'.

after choosing the html option, make sure you are in the html section (the one that is underlined in red) and paste your copied code from the website. to preview what it would look like if it your post was posted, click the preview option (underlined in blue)

and then you're done.. i hope that helps !!

[ominous-faechild]

Hey how do you do the color gradient thing for your dialog tags?

Assuming you mean these things, I've actually been meaning to make a guide of my own for a while lol.

For one, you can only do this on computer/the website of Tumblr! There's no option to select this stuff on the app.

STEP 1: CREATE A NEW DOC / GO TO SETTINGS

It opens a dropdown menu/whole screen full of options!

From there, select the "text editor" dropdown, which starts as displaying "rich text".

Select "HTML"

And it should change how the entire post looks!

STEP TWO: CHEAT

Yeeeeeaaaaah, so I use a website for this lol

I inserted my colors for faeries (#30853C) and Cloud (#6DC1B4) for my example of "these things" earlier. To make this easier, I most often have two windows open at a time while working on uploading my scripts to Tumblr.

To get colours to insert into the Text Colorizer website, you can use any kind of hex color picker or even this one website I've used to yoink "thematic" colors from photos!

Personally, I've developed a massive library of colors over time for this exact purpose lol. Using my old colors as a "base", I can change it accordingly to the kind of "new color" that I want for a specific character or thing!

(I'll use the website to also make gradients for "in-between" colors lol)

STEP 3: INSERT TEXT / DESIRED COLORS

To make Nova's gradient, I start with #A600D9, my color for Magic, and end with #F56745—their individual color. However, being as it's short, I'll use a quote from them instead lol.

Once you've inserted your text and colors, you will click in the text box I highlighted in red, ctrl+a and ctrl+c to copy it all, and go back over to your new tumblr post tab!

From there, you'll ctrl+v to paste the entirety into the HTML area, which pastes the code into your post!

AND VOILA!

You have gorgeous gradient text!

However, I want to give a fair warning and a bit of advice! If you didn't notice wayyyyyyy back when...

Tumblr warns that this all can break your formatting!

It doesn't do it too often, but take it from someone who does an obscene amount of formatting... it's 100% true.

STEP 4: CHEAT SOME MORE!

For this reason, I personally have a whole separate draft post full of my characters' colors (and names lol) that I use to copy-paste them in from rather than using the "html" text editor on every post!

I mentioned earlier I often have multiple windows open while editing? Here's what that looks like!

Additionally, I'll use a separate tab off on the left (my "current wip post" side) with the "html editor" enabled for me to copy-paste stuff!

(Also here's yet another example of how many colors I have)

Once again, you can ctrl+c these things to paste them into another tumblr post with the correct colors!

And it's ONLY possible to do on the website!!!

EXTRA INFO!

WARNING:

Tumblr will only allow each "paragraph's html to be so many characters long, so you can't have too big of anything in a gradient!

And by "anything"... I mean you really can't have that big of a gradient in general. RIP lol.

It straight-up won't save the post so long as you have that "overflow" in the character block! MAKE SURE YOU'VE FIXED IT, OR YOU CAN AND WILL LOSE ALL PROGRESS ON YOUR POST!

SINGLE-COLOR TIP:

You don't need the website for a single color! If you'd like, you can just change the "color code" within the html editor to change specific colors!

MAKE SURE COLORS CAN WORK ON DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS!

On desktop, you can use shift+p while not on any sort of textbox to change the color pallet! I always do tests to see which colors work best before settling on any!

(Tho, the blue background SPECIFICALLY is nightmarish to work around. So if that's the ONLY thing I can't make work, I often ignore it and let you guys who use it suffer lmao)

(Hopefully this'll give you guys some respect for me and how much I do to make my posts aesthetic af lol)

Also hopefully this all helps???

divider by @cafekitsune

[itstwitime]

© . 𝐎𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐒 PARADOX.

01 — „ sonder “

the realisation that each passerby, each being one passes upon the street has as much significance and complexity as ones self has.

previous | next

word count — 4.8K

a/n in this universe, the archons are explicitly told to destroy khaenri'ah by celestia; failure to comply with their demands would result in the complete and utter inhalation of their respective nations.

also quick thing, tumblr is very much new to me so stuff like html editors and all that are very confusing, this is formatted weirdly because i can't for the life of me figure out how to do the text how it is on google docs,, dont judge me im stupid. this fic is cross posted on ao3 and wattpad, so if you'd like to see how its supposed to be formatted go check it out there!!

When an archon bleeds, the blood that trickles out is transparent.

Transparent, as in, non-existent–abnormalities like this simply cease to exist to the average human. When a dying man begs for salvation, imagining the God he devoted his mortal life to also suffering... it's not exactly the most warming of thoughts, to know his God is suffering in combat too. When a mother loses her kin, to see her God weep alongside her doesn't aid in the cleansing of her tears. It makes things worse.

A God showing mortal emotions goes against the very nature of a “God.”

The people look to an archon they can believe in. The all-mighty Morax, with his fist of iron and heart of gold is adored because he bleeds invisibly. Each gash and wound is taken in silence, with the notion of shame too great of a burden to bear if even a whimper of weakness slips out. 

The tender yet cold archon, Baal, takes her wounds and patches them within the shadows, for a woman with a significantly smaller wound lays just beneath her feet–how could she, so selfishly, tend to the cut that had torn her arm open when a woman with a cheek graze lay right there?

It was a cruel fate. One in which many of the archons were forced to shoulder without even so much as an ask beforehand.

((some of which, never even knowing what an archon is, before their descent—only being handed down a role with naught but a pat on the back and a ‘good luck’ from a palace in the sky.))

Responsibilities, as it were, very much concerned Gods too. But how could the people know this? How could they, devotees, know their archon sobbed himself to sleep? How could they say she was anything but a strong, profound leader? How could they say the Hydro Archon weeped upon her throne, the Dendro Archon lived in shame, the Anemo Archon was afraid of losing people?

They were none the wiser. They look to each of their Gods, hands clasped in prayer, begging and pleading for their own selfish desires; but the Archons wants and needs? Those were an afterthought, at best. 

But, it brings forth another set of questions, puzzle pieces to slap together—would anyone want to hear of their Archons mortal like woes? Would they want to know weakness, know their vulnerability, when it in its self is the very thing they pray to rid themself of?

If the Anemo Archon revealed these things, he knew it would do more harm than good.

After all, who would want to trust a useless God?

((Another slash to Barbatos' shoulder; he stays quiet.))

Who prays to a God that cannot even protect himself?

((He misses. A cut is dashed upon his cheek ))

Who even believes in the Anemo Archon anymore, after his negligence?

((His wing is slashed.))

What a worthless, pathetic excuse of an Archon.

A large cut lodges itself upon his back as he falls.

And, as he falls, one of the last things he sees is the blurred void of nothingness above him. A canvas of never ending black. 

It makes one think, doesn’t it? With not a star in sight, he can’t help but decide even the cosmos are ashamed to call him an archon.

He thinks it’s pathetic to call himself an archon, too.

─── ✦

Isaroth’s palace is always quiet.

It’s not that eerie, jaw clenching, hair pulling silence—it’s the type of serenity one sees within a paradise of sorts, a place that only exists within the confines of fiction. 

Barbatos hates the silence. He thinks it to be bothersome. Silence has haunted him many times throughout the course of his existence; the silence that followed the destruction of Decrabian, the peace that settled upon the land as Durin took his final breath, the moments that followed after his old friends life was drained from his eyes— 

—the harsh patter of water interrupts. It makes a loud splash, droplets spilling outwards toward the crystalline floors.

He really hates the silence.

“Here.” A warm cloth is placed upon his forehead, nibbling away at his migraine, “Close your eyes and stay quiet. For once.”

Not even he can argue with that. 

((In fact, when does he ever argue with her? Barbatos has found it useless to attempt back-talk with the God of Time. You know that one friend who brings up every past wrong-doing of yours in an argument?—that was Isaroth))

Isaroth sighs, occupying the muddle of thoughts within her head to focus on other things. More pressing matters, such as the mess Barbatos had gotten himself into.

How foolish could a God be? Man was foolish, in its very nature—if Adam had not followed Eve so readily into the garden, genesis would’ve taken an extremely different ending. If man did not argue and bicker, then things such as wars and death could mostly be avoided.

But God? God was supposed to advise against foolishness, be the bridge between stupidity and sensibility. 

A message in which the God of Anemo clearly did not receive in time. 

“Drink.” She holds out a glass vial, some strange, bubbly liquid swirling inside.

He does as instructed, carefully taking it from her hands. He brings it up to his nose—the smell is hardly pleasant. “.. What is it?”

“Medicine.”

“I wouldn’t of guessed,” it's his turn to sigh now, downing the beverage in a few gulps; his features scrunch up in distaste, brows knitting together, “Eew.. you couldn’t have concocted anything nicer tasting?”

She grabs the empty bottle, instantly bringing it to the sink. Dirty dishes are not welcome within these walls. “Medicine isn’t supposed to taste nice. You get what you’re given.”

“You couldn’t even make it a little sweeter? for me?” He pouts, whining like a small child.

Her hands itch. “Why would I go out of my way to accommodate such meanile needs? Stay quiet like I told you.”

Despite the obvious distaste within her words, the archon knows they hold no real ill will—

((At least, as far as he’s aware. As far as he hopes, anyway.))

—behind them. Isaroth was a strange God, in the sense she eagerly abided by the concept of tough love. Ever since he’d known her, even back as a wee wind spirit, he’d never known her to be anything but. 

Was it cruel? Just a bit. 

But he knows she only does it because she cares.

He knows she does everything in the way she does, because it’s the only way of showing affection in her mind. Things like hugs and kisses were about as foreign as Inazuma cuisine was to a Sumerian chef, and so on and so fourth. 

After all, she’d usually make him clean up his dishes; so her bending over the sink, scrubbing the excess off his cutlery couldn’t help but curve the corners of his lips into a soft little smirk. 

A few minutes of silence tick by. 

And, again, it’s not that eerie, bone shattering silence. It’s peaceful in a way.

His foot taps against the marble floors, the first glitters of sunlight peeping through the windows. The rag on his forehead gets slicked off, chucking it onto the sofa cushions. His migraine cleared up impeccably quick after that serum. Nothing but a menial little graze remained upon his forehead.

Barbatos lays upon the couch, bandaged up and battered from his earlier rendezvous. He knows he should be irked, frustrated, but a part of him can help but feel… disconnected.  

While he was falling, plummeting to his death, some side of him felt as if it were right. As if, the very notion of the Anemo Archon spiralling to his eventual doom, was something supposed to happen; as if the final thing he were to see would be a black sky of nothing, and no one would object. A star wouldn't twinkle in objection. A God wouldn't call out in disarray, and he certainly wouldn't part his lips to protest.

The Anemo Archon craved death. Death, as in, the natural cycle of cradle to cremation. The ever-going and ever-present slumber that you never wake up from. The end.

When you're immortal, the one thing most humans yearn to escape becomes the very thing you long to welcome with open arms. If it were to come knocking, you'd almost eagerly open your doors and invite it in. 

((After all, who did the Archon have to welcome in any way? He had no friends, no recurring faces within his life... there was Isaroth, sure, but how could one person cure the ache settled in by thousands of years of loss?))

Why did he have to go on, when all those whom he'd loved had passed? His old friend, Guunhildr, Amos… all in which, now rested upon their eternal deathbeds. Why was he the one to carry the burden of grief, when they were allowed to slumber without disruption? It was hardly fair.

He never asked for this. 

The sun claws against his cheek. An orange like glow veils his side, illuminating the scuffs and bruises from his rather eventful night. It was far past eve now, the sun finally clocking in for its early morning shift. The faintest chirping of birds and other such creatures illuminate the once quiet room.

Isaroth potters about as the minutes tick on, occasionally applying a new remedy or handing him a fresh mixture to drink. As she finishes applying new bandages to the gash on his leg, he speaks.

"Hey, how's Seraphine? I remember seeing her when you carried me in here."

She still chugs on with her work, cutting the excess bandages off and moving towards the bin–it's only when she's finished, she replies, "She's fine. Her paws are a little damaged, but nothing a quick time replacement can't fix."

Barbatos pouts. "Why couldn't you have used that with me? Instead of making me drink all those positively poisonous mixtures.."

"Because," She turns to face him, teal eyes thinning, "Time replacements are used for tiny gashes and grazes–I can't pull a new wing from another time-line for you."

Despite himself, that sly little smile still remains on his face. As it most often does. He laughs off her gentle berating, the sound soft, "Isaroth, you wound me. How could I have known it would've sliced half my wing clean off?"

"If you hadn't been so reckless and attempted to fight those monsters, like I told you, you wouldn't have gotten into this mess." She retorts, never missing a beat.

He supposes her words have some semblance of a point forming. 

But how could he just sit back, feign innocence, pretend to unsee the things he so clearly saw? Ever since the Cataclysm had sunk its claws into Teyvat, the effects had very nearly wiped the entirety of each nation. Trails of bodies and blood corrupted and infested the land, stray abyssal energy lurking with vengeance around every corner. 

Large groups of monsters forged from the ruins of the destruction started to infest Teyvat. Beings of pure, unadulterated hate stopping at nothing to take the world down with it. Many innocent lives had been taken from this existence, left as mangled displays of blood and guts next to another similar looking display.

If it weren't for the people's efforts, Teyvat would have crumbled alongside Khaenri'ah. Certainly such a fate one would prefer to avoid.

And if it hadn't been for Barbatos' brave escapade earlier? A young set of lovers would've fallen to the grass, hands interlocked as their organs and guts seeped from the large slash that a beast of this corruption would've sliced across their backs. 

He'd already failed to save enough of his people. He couldn't risk losing anymore.

"I couldn't let them die. They’re people too.”

"You almost died yourself. Are you a God before you’re a human?”

It catches him by surprise. He blinks, dumbfounded, peering to meet her gaze. His aquatic eyes mix with her deeper ones, finding it harder to find his reflection within them.

He knows it's true, and it's that tiny little fact alone that gets him. The fact he lets her get to him, let her have the advantage, break down his perfectly curated walls of iron. Walls so iron-tight, even the people standing right next to them fail to notice their presence. 

Was he a God before he was a human? Was he, a walking concoction of flesh and bones, the complete opposite of what exactly he was? 

He hated the fact she knew how to get at him.

His hands curl into fists, gaze flickering over to allow the morning sun to further cover his face. As if, in some way, it could cleanse him of all his sins. Bask him in the gaze of complete and utter redemption, "That's what an Archon does, is it not? He dies for his people. He puts them first.” 

((It’s spoken in a mocking tone—practically infested with irony.))

"Not this one," She says, turning back round, "This one stays alive for them."

There's an eerie silence. 

Seraphine, Isaroths fox companion from earlier pads in, the jingle of her collar softly tugging away at the silence. She jumps up next to Barbatos, and the Archon responds by doting a few headpats to the little creature. It settles comfortably beside him. 

"You should head into town as soon as you're able." Isaroth comments, switching the topic, "Every day you waste is another day the inevitable creeps closer."

A sigh. He runs his hands through his hair, wincing at the gash upon his forehead, "Mm.. I have an appointment booked with one of the nuns tomorrow."

"Sister Viktoria?"

"Sister Viktoria."

Isaroth nods. "Well, be sure to arrange something by the end of the meeting. If you're able to find a partner quickly, the reproduction process—"

"Reproduction? Isaroth, how crude of you to talk about such a thing so openly..!" Despite the teasing lilt to his voice, an underlying tone of worry couldn't help but fester. Was he entirely opposed to the idea of creating new kin? Somewhat. Did it worry him even more that the entire nation would crumble to its demise if he didn't reproduce?

Extremely.

He could joke and jest about it all he liked, but the inevitable was, well, inevitable—he'd have to find a wife to settle down with and reproduce, else the throne of Anemo would crumble.

After the destruction of Khaenri'ah, a type of prophet had visited him; forged from the hatred and sorrow from the people he’d helped lead to their graves, a curse of sorts was placed upon him.

“If the throne of Anemo does not have a ruler born of his blood, the corruption of the land will infest and turn him into a monster of his own creation; undoubtedly, yes, the Anemo Archon will corrupt and burn down his city if he does not turn down his throne to his next of kin.”

So that was clearly not good. 

In order to actually reproduce said kin, he’d need to find a wife, of course—not even Archons could make babies appear out of thin air. 

It wasn’t exactly how he’d envisioned his post-cataclysm arc to go, but alas. Life never seemed to go how Barbatos would've preferred it to go nowadays.

“You’re going to have to get to it eventually,” Isaroth settles down upon an armchair, legs crossed, “Why not talk about it? You will have to know how to please a woman in the bedroom to produce healthy offspring.”

You know that incredibly awkward conversation you had with your parents about the ‘birds and the bees’? This is exactly what this whole ordeal felt like. But for an Archon who'd existed for around 2200 years or so at this point, it was one of the most shamelessly humiliating things he'd ever experienced.

A loud blush stained his cheeks, his wings fluttering softly, "Okay okay, I get it.. We'll have this talk when I actually find a wife, yeah?"

"Right." She hums, a content smile lining her lips, "I trust you'll do all you can to ensure her and your happiness, Barbatos."

He awkwardly grins at this, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head, "You know I wouldn't do anything less."

The two sit comfortably in silence for the rest of their morning.

─── ✦

The city of Mondstadt is quiet in the morning.

The usual hustle and bustle of its townsfolk cease to only a quiet murmur here and there.  The occasional stall owner may make a slight disturbance as he opens up shop, the lingering sounds of cash being sorted and signs being flipped to signal their opening. 

His feet made a gentle tap against the softened marble. As to avoid unnecessary attention, he’d specifically booked his meeting for extremely early in the morning. The wounds that adorned him had mostly cleared up by now, his half sliced wing puffed up and back to usual.

Isaroth had done an impeccable job of assuring his appearance was up to scratch—after all, in her mind, would his future wife really want to see him looking so.. dishevelled? 

Barbatos sighs at that. The fact he even had to be doing this—at six o’clock in the morning, no less—was a crime in itself. He didn’t want to cruelly shackle down and steal someone's entire future away. He didn’t want to take a woman's dreams, hopes, aspirations so selfishly from her under the pretence it was for the ‘greater good.’

What if the woman he married had no intentions of ever settling down? What if she was a free spirit, a wanderer, a woman who craved to feel the sun upon her skin and the wind running within her hair?

It made him feel a little nauseous. In truth, he had absolutely no idea as to how he’d even go about this whole wife picking process. Isaroth had urged him to speak to a member of the church, and perhaps find a lovely little devotee who would take care of him and their baby.

But did Barbatos really want that? Did he want someone who was dedicated to the idea of him, as a God, and not the actual man behind it? Behind the eons of knowledge and wisdom, beneath it all he was merely a tiny little wind spirit who enjoyed the occasional sliced apple here and there.

These were roles he had to play, parts he had to master for the entertainment of his audience. Forced to perform in a never ending show of excellence, never feeling anything other than what was within his pre-written lines.

It was a pitiful existence.

The fact he even had to stay and watch over his people directly irked him. Freedom, to the God of it, was something his people deserved without exceptions—they had no place within his own affairs, just as he had zero place in theirs.

He wasn’t supposed to directly mingle with his people as Barbatos. It went against everything he’d fought for all those centuries ago.

Another sigh. As he trails up the walkway to the church, he can’t help but notice the work being done upon the roof—as a result of all the destruction, a lot of Mondstadts structures had been heavily damaged. They’d done their best to salvage what they could, but a lot of its most prized structures had been carelessly strewn aside.

The doors to the chapel instantly swing open, a set of sisters eagerly awaiting his arrival. One goes to bow, however the other elbows her slightly.

“Hey, don’t you remember? Barbatos said he doesn’t want us to bow to him.. we need to act normal!” The first girl yells, brows furrowed.

The girl in question silently gasps, a hand coming up to her mouth, “Oh.. oh, archons, you’re right!! Do you think he noticed..?”

The two sisters look towards him, waiting. Watching. 

And in response? He simply smiles, acting as if he was none the wiser, “Good morning, sisters! I trust Mother Viktoria is available as of now?” 

They all nod, excitedly, extending a hand to point him in her general direction. The second girl from earlier speaks, “Yes, she is. She’s just downstairs.. we hope you’re doing okay this lovely morning, Barbatos!”

Another nun perks up, nodding respectfully towards him. “If you need anything, anything at all, don’t be afraid to ask. We’re here to accommodate your needs accordingly.”

“You look very handsome today, Barbatos!” A smaller girl praises, giggling childishly.

“Yes, so handsome.. is that a new hairstyle you’re trying?”

"It looks so pretty! I love your hair!"

Barbatos can’t help but feel special—if you had four pretty ladies doting you with endless affection and praise, how could you not find it charming? 

“My, what lovely company this church has.”  He hums, placing a hand on his hip, “I always knew my followers would show such hospitality! Now, tell me, down the stairs to the left is where Mother Viktoria is, correct?”

The sisters seem to be flattered at his words, their pale cheeks turning a rose red. He can’t help but stifle a laugh—despite his order to treat him like a normal church-goer, their very obvious adoration from him shining through lustrously.  They all nod shyly, confirming the answer to his query.

“She’s in the process of her morning prayers.. but I’m sure she’ll put them on pause to talk to you.”

“Who wouldn’t..?” one whispers.

Said girl was instantly elbowed by her companion.

Barbatos chuckled again, nodding in thanks, "Hehe, it seems I have some super fans here! I'll be sure to catch up with you ladies soon, okay?" Waving goodbye and setting off, he carefully padded his way down into the church’s basement.

The room in itself was dimly lit, only the sickly green fluorescent lights of the ceiling as the only source of light. A large altar of Barbatos stood at the center of the room, various offerings scattered around the statue.

Mother Viktoria, a woman of a frail and short demeanour, sat down upon her knees at an altar—a rosary lay within her hands, whisperings of her daily morning prayers filling Barbatos’ ears. 

“Mother Viktoria,” He interjected, voice careful as to not startle her, “You could’ve saved your prayers till you got to see me in person, hm~? You do have your very own walking altar at your disposal, you know!”

Her eyes widened, shifting her gaze to meet his, “Lord Barbatos, I.. I didn’t see you there. Good morning.” Shifting off her knees, more of her stature came into view. As the head of the church she wore a traditional nun attire, black robes bracketing her frail form. A set of hooded, deep emerald eyes lined her pale complexion, a silk white veil covering what would've been a set of chestnut coloured locks. 

Bowing respectfully, she walked towards a table with a bottle of alcohol,  "Would you like a glass? I've prepared a special offering of Dandelion Wine for you."

As much as he would've loved a little kickstarter to get him going for the day, he knew more than anyone he'd need to be sober and alert during this meeting. He shook his head, politely declining, "No thank you, Sister. Gotta stay sober on the job, you know?"

The other seemed content with this. She sat down upon a nearby table and chairs, Barbatos sitting opposite.  

"So, I see you've come to speak to me about this… prophecy of yours?" She began, speaking carefully–as a woman who'd dedicated her entire life to this God, to be sitting and having such a casual conversation with the object of her worship was truly something.

"Yup! You see, as I mentioned before, for all our powers and abilities, not even archons have the capability to create new life like that.. I initially was going to settle for one of the townsfolk, but a friend of mine suggested I speak to you about choosing one of the sisters."

Viktoria nodded intently. She tapped a wrinkled finger to her chin, thinking, "Oh, well… a lot of my girls would certainly jump at the opportunity to marry an archon. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" 

"A non virgin."

There's a slight pause.

((The only reason he even wanted a woman of this nature due to Isaroth. She'd mentioned how these types of ladies might be easier to 'romance' in the bedroom. With experience comes knowledge, he guessed.))

".. All nuns are virgins, my lord."

"Ah." He blinks, taken aback. Was that really the life they were due to lead? He had no memory of ever mentioning that anywhere in his poems… "Well, I guess in that case.. Do you have any recommendations? Someone who you think would be able to handle the pressure."

This entire thing made him a little sick in his mouth. Treating women like cattle, objects to be auctioned off and sold.. Gods above, he prayed this would end out working in his favour. He prayed it would end up going in their favour, as now he had to take care of a wife and a child too.

He was starting a family of convenience, not just a marriage. He'd have to hold his very own kin within his arms one day, coddle and cradle it to sleep, teach it all he knew of being an archon. Tell them their only purpose of existence was for the betterment of their nation. They were born out of necessity, not need. 

"Well," Her voice tugged him out of his thoughts, aqua eyes flickering up to meet her own. "I have four maidens in mind... Perhaps we could bring back Ludi Harpastum for this? Four potential brides competing for their archons affections. The people of Mondstadt could use something to invest in, too. They all miss the festivals." 

That much was true–his people were trying to return to normal, act as how they were before, but such heavy loss couldn't help but devastate the nation. Festivals like Ludi Harpastum and Windblume had been cancelled the past years, only just starting to be talked about re-starting again among the Knights of Favonius. In fact, they'd even missed this year's Windblume. 

But Ludi Harpastum? It was about a month or so away, so maybe they could move the Harpastum forward? Have it prepared as usual, with the added addition of his whole wife hunting process in the background. They'd wed on the final day, the happy couple taking their first step into married life together.

It wasn't one of the worst ideas he'd ever heard.

In fact, he thinks it might've been one of the best.

To be fair, it was only really Isaroth who was rushing him to find a wife. If this whole festival thing happened, he had around fifteen or so days to actually know the woman before they were wed off. Was it the most ideal time frame? Absolutely not. Would he take that over literally anything else? In a heartbeat, yes. 

"I like it," The corners of his lips curve upwards, "In fact, I think it's great–But would the four be alright with actually marrying and having children with me? I.. I want to make sure they're comfortable, too."

Such a benevolent God. 

Viktoria sighs, crossing her legs, "Hm.. perhaps, but I can't be too sure. Why not offer a reward of sorts? A prize for their compliance."

A prize for their compliance. A reward for offering themselves up to be bred like cattle. 

What on earth have you gotten yourself into now, Barbatos.

"A reward." He repeats, sighing. What on earth would a mortal girl want as a thanks for her future?

Then it hits him.

"Aha, I've got it!–why don't I grant a wish? Anything they want.. Within reason, of course."

Although he couldn't make babies appear from thin air, he could grant wishes. Things such as never ending riches, hair that never thinned, eternal good luck, and so much more. As long as it wasn't anything too extreme, he could make it happen.

Viktoria seems to like this idea. Her smile slightly widens, nodding in agreement, "Perfect. I think that's a wonderful idea, My Lord. I know it would most definitely work on anyone, not just those four girls."

Mother Viktoria couldn't have been more correct. So correct, that a living breathing manifestation of how correct she was appeared.

 The door you were currently eavesdropping behind swung open, sending you toppling flat on your face. Your little wind spirit companion dropped too, a loud jingle filling the room as he smacked the ground.

Both Barbatos and Viktoria gasped, instantly turning toward you. 

"[Name]? What on earth are you doing?!" The poor woman looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

Well, this certainly wasn't good.

How could you possibly explain yourself now?

tag list is open!! ↴

@rainingcecilias

[captdedeyes]

Friendly reminder that Wix.com is an Israeli-based company (& some website builders to look into instead)

I know the BDS movement is not targeting Wix.com specifically (see here for the companies they're currently boycotting) but since Wix originated in Israel as early as 2006, it would be best to drop them as soon as you can.

And while you're at it, you should leave DeviantArt too, since that company is owned by Wix. I deleted my DA account about a year ago not just because of their generative AI debacle but also because of their affiliation with their parent company. And just last month, DA has since shown their SUPPORT for Israel in the middle of Israel actively genociding the Palestinian people 😬

Anyway, I used to use Wix and I stopped using it around the same time that I left DA, but I never closed my Wix account until now. What WAS nice about Wix was how easy it was to build a site with nothing but a drag-and-drop system without any need to code.

So if you're using Wix for your portfolio, your school projects, or for anything else, then where can you go?

Here are some recommendations that you can look into for website builders that you can start for FREE and are NOT tied to a big, corporate entity (below the cut) 👇👇

Carrd.co

This is what I used to build my link hub and my portfolio, so I have the most experience with this platform.

It's highly customizable with a drag-and-drop arrangement system, but it's not as open-ended as Wix. Still though, it's easy to grasp & set up without requiring any coding knowledge. The most "coding" you may ever have to deal with is markdown formatting (carrd provides an on-screen cheatsheet whenever you're editing text!) and section breaks (which is used to define headers, footers, individual pages, sections of a page, etc.) which are EXTREMELY useful.

There's limits to using this site builder for free (max of 2 websites & a max of 100 elements per site), but even then you can get a lot of mileage out of carrd.

mmm.page

This is a VERY funny & charming website builder. The drag-and-drop system is just as open-ended as Wix, but it encourages you to get messy. Hell, you can make it just as messy as the early internet days, except the way you can arrange elements & images allows for more room for creativity.

Straw.page

This is an extremely simple website builder that you can start from scratch, except it's made to be accessible from your phone. As such, the controls are limited and intentionally simple, but I can see this being a decent website builder to start with if all you have is your phone. The other options above are also accessible from your phone, but this one is by far one of the the simplest website builders available.

Hotglue.me

This is also a very simple & rudimentary website builder that allows you to make a webpage from scratch, except it's not as easy to use on a mobile phone.

At a glance, its features are not as robust or easy to pick up like the previous options, but you can still create objects with a simple double click and drag them around, add text, and insert images or embeds.

Mind you, this launched in the 2010s and has likely stayed that way ever since, which means that it may not have support for mobile phone displays, so whether or not you wanna try your hand at building something on there is completely up to you!

Sadgrl's Layout Editor

sadgrl.online is where I gathered most of these no-code site builders! I highly recommend looking through the webmaster links for more website-building info.

This simple site builder is for use on Neocities, which is a website hosting service that you can start using for free. This is the closest thing to building a site that resembles the early internet days, but the sites you can make are also responsive to mobile devices! This can be a good place to start if this kind of thing is your jam and you have little to no coding experience.

Although I will say, even if it sounds daunting at first, learning how to code in HTML and CSS is one of the most liberating experiences that anyone can have, even if you don't come from a website scripting background. It's like cooking a meal for yourself. So if you want to take that route, then I encourage to you at least try it!

Most of these website builders I reviewed were largely done at a glance, so I'm certainly missing out on how deep they can go.

Oh, and of course as always, Free Palestine 🇵🇸

[sun4kiss]

Hihihihi this isn't a request, is like a question, how do you put different colors on the texts? I saw you have pretty colors and I just can't do it bc I just have the 7 predeterminated colors 😭😭😭

Okkk I'll try to teach in an easy way.

it took me a long time to learn because each site i visited said something different and it never worked. in the end, i had to seek help from my brother who graduated in IT😭

I don't know if it's possible to do this through the app because most of the time, I use the website to publish my works

the secret of this is html code.

step by step:

firstly find the color code you want here

now create a new post > configuration button in the top right corner > text editor > change rich text to html

then you will use this code:

<span style="color: #000000"><b>write your text here</b></span>

and... tada! :

memorabilia album of the year.

code that I used

<span style="color: #8B0000"><b>memorabilia album of the year.</b></span>

you can also make a gradient effect. to do this, you will have to change the color of each word or letter, depending on how you want it to look.

like this:

heeseung best all-rounder in kpop

code that i used

<span style="color: #ffefd5"><b>heeseung</b></span>

<span style="color: #ffe4b5"><b>best</b></span>

<span style="color: #ffe4b5"><b>all-rounder</b></span>

<span style="color: #EEE8AA"><b>in</b></span>

<span style="color: #EEE8AA"><b>kpop</b></span> </p>

notice that I added one word at a time and changed the colors in the code? In fact, I'm still learning how to mix colors for a gradient effect, this one didn't look so good but I just wanted to show you how to do it

I hope you understand, with time you'll get the hang of it

when I finally discovered how to change the colors, I spent a whole day just playing with it was so much fun😭

[toskarin]

going on the twine rant again, lads. fair warning.

-

the twine editor is theoretically great software

which is to say, twine editor is far and away the best execution of "a text game maker for people who mostly make text and not games" that presently exists. it's notable for making wholly self-contained (read: does not require interpreter software) text games with functioning mechanics at about the level of code literacy you could feasibly ask from people who brushed off of other more complicated software

this is in large part because the text adventure and IF ecosystem has the same problem as the (similarly insular and incestuous) scorewriting ecosystem: all of the software is made to be used by a group of like 50 people who don't use anything else, so they just settle for whatever exists

twine solves a lot of these problems by simply existing as an html game maker that can automate all of the functions of a gamebook out of the box. the editor has features which (to me) seem to be inspired by scrivener, which is my favourite WYSIWYG writing software for longform fiction on the market (I prefer writing in LaTeX but I can acknowledge that's a habit I picked up and not an endorsement of LaTeX)

that being said, even though there's an obvious utility to being able to prototype out rpgs and such in twine incredibly quickly, I can't really recommend people... use twine for that. because of the problems.

the twine editor is also kind of beautiful for all the ways in which it issoftware designed to torture the user

twine exists with one foot in "games" and one foot in "writing" and this overlap is the totality of its intended use. this space of compromise is still the best that's been made for this specific scene, but it means that edge cases are (at absolute best) operating twine in much the way that someone being hanging onto the edge of a shattered cockpit is operating an airliner

I could go on and on about the specific elements of twine's design that drive me insane, and in how it punishes you both for making too much of a book and for making too much of a game, but there's one problem that kind of sticks out as a simulacrum of this whole issue

by design, twine organises its projects as a story map. this is kind of like the middle point between scrivener's storyboard and a whiteboard, but specialised for use in making text games. this means that each node on it is one screen, called a card, that you can open and edit

doing this opens a window for text input, and the exact contents of this window kind of depend on which format you're writing your story in, but as a rule, you write everything into these sub-windows and that's the game

because twine runs in one window, these cards open more like menus than true windows. you can have one open at a time, and when you need to test something, you close the window and press the button to test the game. simple as

now, for making software, it's helpful to have a versioning function of some sort in case, among other reasons, you fuck something up in a way you don't immediately notice

for writing, you usually want some sort of undo function, in case you accidentally delete something or edit over it

at the intersection of these two, twine does have an undo function. which works differently depending on which version of the editor you're using. in the web version, you get multiple layers of undo. that makes sense.

in the downloaded version, which is the version you have to use if you don't want to use your browser's local storage (?? you shouldn't be doing this) you get

one layer of undo.

in a modern text editor.

that you are expected to write in.

this is on top of the browser-hosted version of twine editor being significantly more stable than the desktop version, so that's obviously the version you're meant to use, which runs in stark contrast to like... how that should work. this should already be raising your blood pressure a little bit if you remember that the browser version of twine saves your project files to your browser's local storage

now, common to both versions is another important feature which seemingly exists to prevent data loss: twine automatically saves your changes when you exit out of a card

this means that, the moment you close a card to go test the changes you just made to your game, they are saved over the previous version of the game with no way to undo them

but there IS a way to get around this without having to write in an entirely separate word processor! several ways even. you can even use the downloaded version if you do this

duplicate the full project every single time you make changes that could necessitate an undo function

make a copy of every card you edit in case you need to revert to it after testing, then remember to delete it afterwards

if you're editing the cards themselves, see option 1, because there is no way to undo deletion of cards in the story map

and like... that's not good. it's kind of the hell machine for killing all human beings, actually

it's also not a problem remotely unique to twine, because this is the kind of thing you see in most niche-specialised software where there isn't really a distinction made between "this is an expected frustration of working on any artistic project" and "this is something completely insane that absolutely should not be the case and isn't tolerated in immediately adjacent comparable creative fields"

twine can be used to make longer projects, but at the point where you're recommending two layers of supporting software that overlap so hard with the editor that they should be redundancies, it becomes clear that the only thing it's really fit-for-purpose to do is non-linear fiction consisting of two or three paragraphs per card

and that's generally not what it's used for! because that sort of thing is almost universally understood as a stepping stone towards using twine for making either longform non-linear fiction or full-featured rpgs

twine could be really useful software, and in fairness it's generally better than the alternatives it supplanted in its niche (people making little interactive poems probably shouldn't be trying to use Inform or TADS), but it really seems like it was designed with as a cursed amulet meant to cause as much grief as possible while being difficult to justify throwing away