#i <3 coding i <3 web development

[j-crow]

they call me the winner

[spieluhrzeit]

am i seriously analysing till's solo project website because i have nothing better to do? yes.

am i starting yet another personal project to redesign the website because while i like it i think it could use a bit more spice? yes.

will i abandon this after like 2 days? probably

am i gonna publish it? no, the original webpage took quite a while to make and if i were to publish my version that would be disrespectful, also idk if i wanna be sued lmaooo

it is very interesting to poke around the code though! especially for the button that appears when you hover over the trailer preview like here which i think is pretty awesome

with vs code and a bit of gumption i can do anything

[r0semultiverse]

Anyone gotten these variations yet? 👀

[ladyinsanity]

Preserving Your DHD Library

Dark Horse Digital is closing up shop and is ending support March 31st.

All purchases through DHD are on a "license the right to read" basis - we do not "own" the books. While they say we have until March 30 to download to our Bookshelf library, the ability to read on the website will only be available "at least through summer".

Well, that's awful.

If you want a way to preserve all your books, detailed instructions under the cut.

As a disclaimer, this may not be legal in all jurisdictions. Use your best judgment. Also, this method does not work for all titles, and has not been updated since 2017.

That said...

How to Download your DHD Library

Step 1: Install Tampermonkey extension via Chrome web store. (If other browser, check Step 1 here.)

Make sure to also enable "Developer mode" in extensions. On Brave you can access it through the Settings - Extensions - Manage Extensions. For Chrome, refer to this video to enable.

Step 2: Copy (CTRL+C) all the code from the Dark Horse Downloader script by oxguy3, under "Code" tab.

Step 3: Click the Tampermonkey extension in your browser and choose "Create a new script."

Delete the default code and Paste (CTRL+V) the script. Then, click File - Save.

Step 4: Log into Dark Horse Digital and go to your Bookshelf. Make sure "Stack by Series" is disabled. You should see something like this image - press "Download" for the title you want to keep.

Step 5: Download will start automatically. When it is done, it should pop up in your Downloads folder as a CBZ file.

CBZ files are basically an archive of all the images from the title. You can use an app like YACReader or CDisplayEx to view like a book.

If you want a more visual explanation, this video on how to bulk download Kindle titles has a similar method.

(And FYI, Amazon is also removing access to download Kindle titles after February 26. Isn't that a fun coincidence. /s)

Anywho, best of luck!

EDIT: I added a step in Step 1 to enable Developer Mode.

[laika290]

ever wonder why spotify/discord/teams desktop apps kind of suck?

i don't do a lot of long form posts but. I realized that so many people aren't aware that a lot of the enshittification of using computers in the past decade or so has a lot to do with embedded webapps becoming so frequently used instead of creating native programs. and boy do i have some thoughts about this.

for those who are not blessed/cursed with computers knowledge Basically most (graphical) programs used to be native programs (ever since we started widely using a graphical interface instead of just a text-based terminal). these are apps that feel like when you open up the settings on your computer, and one of the factors that make windows and mac programs look different (bc they use a different design language!) this was the standard for a long long time - your emails were served to you in a special email application like thunderbird or outlook, your documents were processed in something like microsoft word (again. On your own computer!). same goes for calendars, calculators, spreadsheets, and a whole bunch more - crucially, your computer didn't depend on the internet to do basic things, but being connected to the web was very much an appreciated luxury!

that leads us to the eventual rise of webapps that we are all so painfully familiar with today - gmail dot com/outlook, google docs, google/microsoft calendar, and so on. as html/css/js technology grew beyond just displaying text images and such, it became clear that it could be a lot more convenient to just run programs on some server somewhere, and serve the front end on a web interface for anyone to use. this is really very convenient!!!! it Also means a huge concentration of power (notice how suddenly google is one company providing you the SERVICE) - you're renting instead of owning. which means google is your landlord - the services you use every day are first and foremost means of hitting the year over year profit quota. its a pretty sweet deal to have a free email account in exchange for ads! email accounts used to be paid (simply because the provider had to store your emails somewhere. which takes up storage space which is physical hard drives), but now the standard as of hotmail/yahoo/gmail is to just provide a free service and shove ads in as much as you need to.

webapps can do a lot of things, but they didn't immediately replace software like skype or code editors or music players - software that requires more heavy system interaction or snappy audio/visual responses. in 2013, the electron framework came out - a way of packaging up a bundle of html/css/js into a neat little crossplatform application that could be downloaded and run like any other native application. there were significant upsides to this - web developers could suddenly use their webapp skills to build desktop applications that ran on any computer as long as it could support chrome*! the first applications to be built on electron were the late code editor atom (rest in peace), but soon a whole lot of companies took note! some notable contemporary applications that use electron, or a similar webapp-embedded-in-a-little-chrome as a base are:

microsoft teams

notion

vscode

discord

spotify

anyone! who has paid even a little bit of attention to their computer - especially when using older/budget computers - know just how much having chrome open can slow down your computer (firefox as well to a lesser extent. because its just built better <3)

whenever you have one of these programs open on your computer, it's running in a one-tab chrome browser. there is a whole extra chrome open just to run your discord. if you have discord, spotify, and notion open all at once, along with chrome itself, that's four chromes. needless to say, this uses a LOT of resources to deliver applications that are often much less polished and less integrated with the rest of the operating system. it also means that if you have no internet connection, sometimes the apps straight up do not work, since much of them rely heavily on being connected to their servers, where the heavy lifting is done.

taking this idea to the very furthest is the concept of chromebooks - dinky little laptops that were created to only run a web browser and webapps - simply a vessel to access the google dot com mothership. they have gotten better at running offline android/linux applications, but often the $200 chromebooks that are bought in bulk have almost no processing power of their own - why would you even need it? you have everything you could possibly need in the warm embrace of google!

all in all the average person in the modern age, using computers in the mainstream way, owns very little of their means of computing.

i started this post as a rant about the electron/webapp framework because i think that it sucks and it displaces proper programs. and now ive swiveled into getting pissed off at software services which is in honestly the core issue. and i think things can be better!!!!!!!!!!! but to think about better computing culture one has to imagine living outside of capitalism.

i'm not the one to try to explain permacomputing specifically because there's already wonderful literature ^ but if anything here interested you, read this!!!!!!!!!! there is a beautiful world where computers live for decades and do less but do it well. and you just own it. come frolic with me Okay ? :]

*when i say chrome i technically mean chromium. but functionally it's same thing

[sharptoothed-gaze]

Damn I just finished reading the entire statement from the ex-Qsmp web developer and HOLY SHIT WHAT THE FUCK.

As someone who has fucked around with coding and web design, the conditions that worker had to endure were simply unacceptable.

3 Hours as a deadline for anything relating to coding and design (especially as your first assignment) is almost hard for me to comprehend. It’s so incredibly last minute, and it sounds absolutely anxiety inducing.

In the field of coding, if you fuck up one thing even if everything else is right, whatever you’re working on will simply cease to function. It’s a job that involves a lot of time and effort and it requires you to get things right or else it will all collapse.

I mostly do more superficial design because coding pains me, but I cannot imagine getting less than a 1 day notice before a deadline. And I have always considered /that/ incredibly last minute and a sign of horrible planning and coordination. The fact that I consider a 1 day deadline sucky, should tell you exactly how I feel about a 3 hour deadline.

OH ALSO $5 AN HOUR WHEN YOURE WORKING 60 ON A SINGLE PROJECT WILL NEVER BE OKAY. I HAVE LITERALLY NEVER SEEN A DESIGN JOB AT ANY OFFICIAL CAPACITY PRICED LIKE THAT.

NOT FOR A JOB, NOT FOR AN INTERNSHIP, AND NOT EVEN FOR WHEN I EDITED MY COLLEGE NEWSPAPER.

To any artist that feels like they have to work so incredibly hard for so little:

Fuck that you’re worth more.

[tributedreference]

The Genius that is Killer

So many people on here love Killer. For good reason; he's a good, well-rounded character. But may I do a deep dive as to why you like him? He's relatable. Despite the fact that he is literally just a Sans that had their code hacked to kill everybody, the way he expresses himself is very, ironically, human. He has likes, dislikes, fears, people he wants to protect, he used to have dreams, etc. Personally for me, though, the thing that sells it is his difficulty to feel. It's basically in the core of the human nature to live with some kind of anxiety, and emotional blunting is a symptom of anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression obviously show themselves very differently depending on the person, but the point is still there. Considering everything Killer has gone through, it wouldn't be a stretch to develop these symptoms with his massive amount of Determination worsening the effects they have. Stage 1 is normal, or an attempt to be normal, Stage 2 is the neutrality/numbness/ dissociation that is emotional blunting, and Stage 3 and 4 are the flickers of feeling too much of something after so long. And what's even better is that Killer has himself healthy coping mechanisms. Could be animals or Colour, but he has the outline of a web of support, even if he doesn't know it. Even if a lot of situations Killer finds himself in are over-the-top and have little to do with the real world, the effects they have on him are real, and their relatable. Funny how an empty shell of bones is one of the most human characters in this fandom.

[the-nox-syndicate]

SysNotes devlog 1

Hiya! We're a web developer by trade and we wanted to build ourselves a web-app to manage our system and to get to know each other better. We thought it would be fun to make a sort of a devlog on this blog to show off the development! The working title of this project is SysNotes (but better ideas are welcome!)

What SysNotes is✅:

A place to store profiles of all of our parts

A tool to figure out who is in front

A way to explore our inner world

A private chat similar to PluralKit

A way to combine info about our system with info about our OCs etc as an all-encompassing "brain-world" management system

A personal and tailor-made tool made for our needs

What SysNotes is not❌:

A fronting tracker (we see no need for it in our system)

A social media where users can interact (but we're open to make it so if people are interested)

A public platform that can be used by others (we don't have much experience actually hosting web-apps, but will consider it if there is enough interest!)

An offline app

So if this sounds interesting to you, you can find the first devlog below the cut (it's a long one!):

(I have used word highlighting and emojis as it helps me read large chunks of text, I hope it's alright with y'all!)

Tech stack & setup (feel free to skip if you don't care!)

The project is set up using:

Database: MySQL 8.4.3

Language: PHP 8.3

Framework: Laravel 10 with Breeze (authentication and user accounts) and Livewire 3 (front end integration)

Styling: Tailwind v4

I tried to set up Laragon to easily run the backend, but I ran into issues so I'm just running "php artisan serve" for now and using Laragon to run the DB. Also I'm compiling styles in real time with "npm run dev". Speaking of the DB, I just migrated the default auth tables for now. I will be making app-related DB tables in the next devlog. The awesome thing about Laravel is its Breeze starter kit, which gives you fully functioning authentication and basic account management out of the box, as well as optional Livewire to integrate server-side processing into HTML in the sexiest way. This means that I could get all the boring stuff out of the way with one terminal command. Win!

Styling and layout (for the UI nerds - you can skip this too!)

I changed the default accent color from purple to orange (personal preference) and used an emoji as a placeholder for the logo. I actually kinda like the emoji AS a logo so I might keep it.

Laravel Breeze came with a basic dashboard page, which I expanded with a few containers for the different sections of the page. I made use of the components that come with Breeze to reuse code for buttons etc throughout the code, and made new components as the need arose. Man, I love clean code 😌

I liked the dotted default Laravel page background, so I added it to the dashboard to create the look of a bullet journal. I like the journal-type visuals for this project as it goes with the theme of a notebook/file. I found the code for it here.

I also added some placeholder menu items for the pages that I would like to have in the app - Profile, (Inner) World, Front Decider, and Chat.

i ran into an issue dynamically building Tailwind classes such as class="bg-{{$activeStatus['color']}}-400" - turns out dynamically-created classes aren't supported, even if they're constructed in the component rather than the blade file. You learn something new every day huh…

Also, coming from Tailwind v3, "ps-*" and "pe-*" were confusing to get used to since my muscle memory is "pl-*" and "pr-*" 😂

Feature 1: Profiles page - proof of concept

This is a page where each alter's profiles will be displayed. You can switch between the profiles by clicking on each person's name. The current profile is highlighted in the list using a pale orange colour.

The logic for the profiles functionality uses a Livewire component called Profiles, which loads profile data and passes it into the blade view to be displayed. It also handles logic such as switching between the profiles and formatting data. Currently, the data is hardcoded into the component using an associative array, but I will be converting it to use the database in the next devlog.

New profile (TBC)

You will be able to create new profiles on the same page (this is yet to be implemented). My vision is that the New Alter form will unfold under the button, and fold back up again once the form has been submitted.

Alter name, pronouns, status

The most interesting component here is the status, which is currently set to a hardcoded list of "active", "dormant", and "unknown". However, I envision this to be a customisable list where I can add new statuses to the list from a settings menu (yet to be implemented).

Alter image

I wanted the folder that contained alter images and other assets to be outside of my Laravel project, in the Pictures folder of my operating system. I wanted to do this so that I can back up the assets folder whenever I back up my Pictures folder lol (not for adding/deleting the files - this all happens through the app to maintain data integrity!). However, I learned that Laravel does not support that and it will not be able to see my files because they are external. I found a workaround by using symbolic links (symlinks) 🔗. Basically, they allow to have one folder of identical contents in more than one place. I ran "mklink /D [external path] [internal path]" to create the symlink between my Pictures folder and Laravel's internal assets folder, so that any files that I add to my Pictures folder automatically copy over to Laravel's folder. I changed a couple lines in filesystems.php to point to the symlinked folder:

And I was also getting a "404 file not found" error - I think the issue was because the port wasn't originally specified. I changed the base app URL to the localhost IP address in .env:

…And after all this messing around, it works!

(My Pictures folder)

(My Laravel storage)

(And here is Alice's photo displayed - dw I DO know Ibuki's actual name)

Alter description and history

The description and history fields support HTML, so I can format these fields however I like, and add custom features like tables and bullet point lists.

This is done by using blade's HTML preservation tags "{!! !!}" as opposed to the plain text tags "{{ }}".

(Here I define Alice's description contents)

(And here I insert them into the template)

Traits, likes, dislikes, front triggers

These are saved as separate lists and rendered as fun badges. These will be used in the Front Decider (anyone has a better name for it?? 🤔) tool to help me identify which alter "I" am as it's a big struggle for us. Front Decider will work similar to FlowCharty.

What next?

There's lots more things I want to do with SysNotes! But I will take it one step at a time - here is the plan for the next devlog:

Setting up database tables for the profile data

Adding the "New Profile" form so I can create alters from within the app

Adding ability to edit each field on the profile

I tried my best to explain my work process in a way that wold somewhat make sense to non-coders - if you have any feedback for the future format of these devlogs, let me know!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimers:

I have not used AI in the making of this app and I do NOT support the Vibe Coding mind virus that is currently on the loose. Programming is a form of art, and I will defend manual coding until the day I die.

Any alter data found in the screenshots is dummy data that does not represent our actual system.

I will not be making the code publicly available until it is a bit more fleshed out, this so far is just a trial for a concept I had bouncing around my head over the weekend.

We are SYSCOURSE NEUTRAL! Please don't start fights under this post

[deadflowerssociety]

Clever angel: beauty of knowledge🦢

🍓We live in the world, where pretty face is one of the most influential thing when trying to impress others. Although when it comes to building deeper relationships the one thing that truly matters is knowledge.

Sometimes we might catch ourselves feeling ignorant or insecure about our surroundings when others try to know us better🪷 That’s why I think everybody should increase theirs horizons!

“Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse.”🪼

🍓How to do it tho? In this post I will share with you some useful tips to actually increase your potential and to become the smartest person in the room🪷

1.Expand Your Reading Horizons🪷

Create a reading challenge list that includes:

• A biography of someone you admire

• A book about a country or culture you're curious about

• A piece of classic literature

• A modern science or technology book

• A self-improvement or psychology book

2.Leverage Online Learning🪼

Each month, pick a new skill or topic you want to explore. For instance:

• Sign up for a beginner's course in a language you've always wanted to learn, like Spanish or Japanese.

• Explore a creative writing workshop to enhance your expressive abilities.

• Dive into a web development course to understand the basics of coding.

3. Prioritize Physical Wellness🪷

Incorporate brain-boosting foods into your diet, such as:

• Snacking on walnuts or blueberries during your study or reading time.

• Adding fatty fish like salmon to your meals twice a week.

• Drinking matcha instead of coffee for a gentler caffeine boost and antioxidant benefits.

4. Make Journaling a Habit🪼

Besides daily reflections, include:

• Weekly goals and achievements

• Interesting facts or knowledge you learned that week

• Quotes from books or articles that inspired you

• Personal insights or ideas sparked by your new learnings

5. Embrace Mindfulness Practices🪷

To integrate mindfulness into your routine, try:

• Kicking off your mornings with a brief, 10-minute meditation centered on breathing, to refresh your mind and sharpen focus.

• Embarking on brief, mindful strolls, fully absorbing the sensations and sights around you, to rejuvenate your mind and spark creativity.

🪷Nothing feels as good as knowledge. It helps you show off your brightness and let you see what others can’t see. You can choose whatever topic you are interested in and uncover more secrets of humanity

I would really appreciate if you reblog and like this post🪷 Thank you🪼 stay safe

[digitaldiariescs]

Day 3: Beginning my first ever personal project

I'm honestly getting a little sick of beginning every post with, 'I continued working through the RWD course on freeCodeCamp', because that's pretty much all I do, every single day. And that's what I did today.

However, I started working on a personal project using HTML/CSS! Something that I realised today, as I started planning this project, is that I genuinely have no idea how to apply the knowledge that I've learned through the course. I know how to follow instructions and prompts, but I have no idea how to actually build a responsive web page. But, I think that's going to change as I start working on this project.

I'm trying to be as creative as possible with this project. I'm really going to challenge myself, and I hope this turns out the way I want it to. The main goal is to not take the easy way out with this project. The only way I'll learn is by facing difficulties.

Recently, I've noticed that I've been really struggling with creativity. I used to be an original thinker, but now, it seems as though I have lost the ability to think outside the box. And that is completely unacceptable in my world. Hopefully, this project will spark my creativity, while developing my coding skills.

With that, I shall take your leave and continue scribbling down all my ideas for this project onto my commonplace journal. Yes, my ideas have a real-world, physical home. I encourage you to keep one as well. It's a great way to build a relationship with yourself- bridge the gap between who you are and who you want to be, your thoughts and your feelings.

[sparklecarehospital-archive]

Site revamp devlog 3

FANTASTIC NEWS!!! the pagination code is finished and works flawlessly!!! it took a lot of pulling apart but this new code will work so much better than the horribly inconvenient way comic pages are CURRENTLY navigable through. it took a few tries but it's working now! coolest part about the new code is the only thing i really have to update when adding new pages is adding a new line to one single file. so so so exciting!!! this is a huge deal for me.

i also started my next piece of site development: the transcripts! i'm making the transcripts something i can access site-wide for the purpose of the transcript archive (which will be a later project). this means that the transcripts are being rendered through javascript instead of just being on the static html. if it's being rendered through javascript that means i don't have to copy paste the entire script when i do the archives.

i also finally cleaned up the rest of the comic web page code, so with this and the transcript system, i finally can tackle The Big Scary Beast which is actually making all the pages readable. it's going to be a lot of work and take a lot of time, but the outcome will be very rewarding long-term. i'm feeling pretty satisfied with the progress i'm making!

[izicodes]

Mini React.js Tips #1 | Resources ✨

I thought why not share my React.js (JavaScript library) notes I made when I was studying! I will start from the very beginning with the basics and random notes I made along the way~!

Up first is what you'll need to know to start any basic simple React (+ Vite) project~! 💻

What you'll need:

node.js installed >> click

coding editor - I love Visual Studio Code >> click

basic knowledge of how to use the Terminal

What does the default React project look like?

Step-by-Step Guide

[ 1 ] Create a New Folder: The new folder on your computer e.g. in Desktop, Documents, wherever that will serve as the home for your entire React project.

[ 2 ] Open in your coding editor (will be using VSCode here): Launch Visual Studio Code and navigate to the newly created folder. I normally 'right-click > show more options > Open with Code' on the folder in the File Explorer (Windows).

[ 3 ] Access the Terminal: Open the integrated terminal in your coding editor. On VSCode, it's at the very top, and click 'New Terminal' and it should pop up at the bottom of the editor.

[ 4 ] Create the actual React project: Type the following command to initialize a new React project using Vite, a powerful build tool:

npm create vite@latest

[ 5 ] Name Your Project: Provide a name for your project when prompted.

[ 6 ] Select 'React' as the Framework: Navigate through the options using the arrow keys on your keyboard and choose 'React'.

[ 7 ] Choose JavaScript Variant: Opt for the 'JavaScript' variant when prompted. This is the programming language you'll be using for your React application.

[ 8 ] Navigate to Project Folder: Move into the newly created project folder using the following command:

cd [your project name]

[ 9 ] Install Dependencies: Execute the command below to install the necessary dependencies for your React project (it might take a while):

npm install

[ 10 ] Run the Development Server: Start your development server with the command (the 'Local' link):

npm run dev

[ 11 ] Preview Your Project: Open the link provided in your terminal in your web browser. You're now ready to witness your React project in action!

Congratulations! You've successfully created your first React default project! You can look around the project structure like the folders and files already created for you!

BroCode's 'React Full Course for Free' 2024 >> click

React Official Website >> click

Stay tuned for the other posts I will make on this series #mini react tips~!

[averys-nightmare-zone]

The 14 Fears

this is all a little different from my usual style, but i love the magnus archives with all of my heart so i really wanted to make some collages based around the concepts explored in the podcast. notes on each collage under the cut.

1.) the hunt - i tried to keep this one on task with werewolves and such, but I am a supernatural fan and it has gone terminal so sorry about that.

2.) the eye - based somewhat off of an oc but still very jon coded

3.) the desolation - one of my faves, the colors really just came together

4.) the lonely - i didn't originally have the text on this one, but i think it tied it together in a way my stickers weren't.

5.) the dark - there's not really an artsy reason for the text on this one, i just wanted something to contrast against all of the black

6.) the buried - not many stickers on here, but im really proud of that dirt detail on the bottom

7.) the stranger - yeah i know the stranger in tma is mostly based around circuses, but whenever i think uncanny i think the mandela catalogue

8.) the web - this one gave me the most trouble, as the color scheme was really hard to nail down, i think its one of my weakest.

9.) the end - believe it or not this is one of four death based collages i've done on landing

10.) the corruption - this one was also very hard, not becuase of content matter but because i am deathly afraid of wasps

11.) the vast - i am so autistic about mike crew. no one understands him like i do.

12.) the slaughter - based more off of murder than war, partially because i have an slaughter oc that leans more towards murder and partially because it didn't match the scheme i was going for

13.) the spiral - i think i developed a medical condition making this absolute monstrosity. If you go to my landing page, it moves

14.) the flesh - my absolute fave, this one just came out so well.

[catnipster69]

How to Include Any GIF and Make it Attributed

(When GIF Search Fails)

So, you want to include a cool GIF in your post, but the GIF search can't find it, even when you paste in the blog link. Or it's not the first GIF on the post.

Here's how you can manually attribute any GIF.

This is the code you need to paste in the HTML editor, with the bold values replaced for your GIF:

<div class="npf_row"><figure class="tmblr-full" data-tumblr-attribution="BLOGNAME:EMBEDCODE:TINYURL" data-orig-height="YYY" data-orig-width="XXX"><img src="IMAGELINK" data-orig-height="YYY" data-orig-width="XXX" srcset="IMAGELINK XXXw" sizes="(max-width: XXXpx) 100vw, XXXpx"></figure> </div>

Spoiler alert, my sample GIF code is:

For example:

Original GIF Post

1. I think it's easier to do this at the Archive version of the post. The Dash URL is: https://www.tumblr.com/catnipster69/742522018223865857/episode-10x17-the-werther-project So the Archive URL is: https://catnipster69.tumblr.com/post/742522018223865857/episode-10x17-the-werther-project

BLOGNAME

2. In this case, the blog name is catnipster69.

IMAGELINK

3. Right-click the GIF you want, and choose Inspect (I'm using Firefox on the Mac). The image info is highlighted, including the URL (IMAGELINK) and the Height (YYY) and Width (XXX). Double-click to copy the URL and note the height and width.

The IMAGELINK is: https://64.media.tumblr.com/bb8af2e018bbcae2c9d98a635d62b7f9/a71ee1dc9ce83755-7b/s540x810/22b3f901fc453dcd3ab546e53683059306041997.gifv

YYY is 422

XXX is 540

EMBEDCODE

4. Way up at the top right of the page, click the Embed button:

5. Copy the Embed text into a text editor:

6. The interesting bit is in bold (the EMBEDCODE):

The EMBEDCODE is: zTy22yYiZilmbgDRmty9HA

TINYURL

7. Still on the Embed page, right-click anywhere and choose Inspect (or choose Tools > Browser Tools > Web Developer Tools).

8. In the Search HTML field, search for tmblr.co. This should highlight a big block of gobbledygook:

9. Double-click the block and copy it to a text editor.

10. Search for the tmblr.co URL. The interesting bit is in bold (TINYURL):

The TINYURL is: ZYTx4ifDzzTk8y01

Phew!

Paste the GIF Code in the HTML Editor

11. When creating a new post, change to the HTML editor:

12. Paste in your code:

13. Check the Preview:

Final GIF

[batsplat]

hiiiiiiii i got into f1 last year and have been getting into motogp over the winter and came across your blog and you have so many amazing posts, it's helped make me fall in love with the sport! i am currently working my way through your back catalogue 🫡 and i'm learning a lot! i wanted to ask, what are YOUR favorite ten posts you've made? not the most popular or best for newbies or anything, just your personal top 10, and also why you like them. thank you for all the great work and hope you have an amazing day!

oh that's really nice, hope you're enjoying following the sport and looking forward to the new season! icl this feels like. idk. i am Not really built for saying anything nice about anything i've written. especially since it's not really anything 'creative' like fics or art or whatever, it's just.... meta ig you'd call it in traditional fandoms. i mean it's really just dumb tumblr posts. but well it's such a nice ask so. nyhhh fine

1. the sete post: yeah this one i do still quite like. i haven't properly read it in a while because i'm sure a lot of it would annoy me - less new information i didn't include and more information i theoretically had access to but forgot about... but well. ig it's extensive without being exhaustive. and it's neat that something i really did think would get read by like... two people ended up having such... idk, wide reach is maybe going a bit far. i think it's had an impact beyond the note count though and it did get some people into the rivalry and then others have gone on to post stuff that IS in the mainstream consciousness so it's like. indirect influencer or something. kinda cool! also the last section i do think is actually pretty all right

2. the valentino witchcraft post: idk i do like... working on my writing skills... i think at some point in the relatively near future once key life developments have happened, it's probably going to be a good idea for me to have a blog for professional purposes, and i am a big believer in trying to be interesting in the stuff you write. which, yeah, no shit, but when i read stuff in my field, i often get frustrated at how people can write about fascinating stuff in ways that just feel... rehearsed. idk i just think it's good mental hygiene to sometimes take a bit of a left field approach to things, and this is pretty left field. i did kinda think a grand total of zero people were going to read it so i probably would've cleaned it up a bit more if i'd known slightly more than that would read it. still fun to write

3. the casey/vale similarities post: quick browsing and idt ALL of this is how i'd write it at the present point in time, but it's still the closest i ever got to writing a bit of a thesis statement on that rivalry. which is obviously very dear to me. it clears the 'saying something interesting' bar, which is all i'm really looking for. the best sections are the conspiracy section - the suspicious of structures vs individuals still pretty astute 2 me - as well as the valentino as casey's shadow section. that bit i really like, pseudoscience and all

4. the casey/vale web weave with agassi/sampras words: i had so much fun making it. i love casey/vale as a tennis-coded rivalry, i love agassi/sampras, figuring out how to have the words guide the narrative was a really fun exercise. like everything i do, it probably has too many words, given it's like. supposed to be a web weave. but tbh i don't care. lot of fun Stuff there, like you can kinda hint at conclusions you want the reader to draw through framing without using actual words. but obviously my favourite bit is 'he says i've brought out the best in him but i think he's brought out the worst in me'. obviously agassi meant it in a different way but i'm OBSESSED with that line in a casey/vale context, like idk man it's so true to them and it's soooooo... yeah

5. the jorge/vale 2008-10 post: i don't really like this one, but i respect the effort i made for it. it's the post on this list i spent by far the much work on, kinda a grind compiling the sources and wrestling them into a workable narrative... i kinda got suckered into that one because i made a vague post about how there was obviously a lot of contextual info missing about how those years actually went (including on podcasts from professionals) and i got like half a dozen asks requesting a deep dive essentially. tbh with that one specifically, idt i'd put that much effort into it now because i feel like i didn't have as much a coherent thesis statement as a desire to provide accurate information, but the thing is if you write anything longer it's very unlikely a lot of people will read it, so it's a bit.... eh. fact checking is a fool's errand anyway, it's not really worth it to think that much about how to present facts in a digestible way if you know that's... not what anyone is really here for on this website. still, i do like these posts as writing exercises, and all in all it was good as that

6. the valentino authorial hand post: this is on the opposite end of the spectrum where it's just fun. it's so up my street, like in a way it's a companion to the witchcraft post that takes the mysticism out of it and thinks practically about how valentino went about managing these rivalries. i love sports psychology, i love thinking about tactics and underlying mechanisms for sporting outcomes and all that kind of stuff, i think it's fun picking at stuff that feels like it's almost scripted, too good to be true and just... figuring out where and when valentino created his own luck. very informed by my feelings about tennis, obviously. and crucially clears the 'interesting' bar

7. toxic yuri post: yeahhhhhh again same category, this one's just like. fun. quirky analytical framework. it does work!! and it made me think a bunch about toxic yuri and like... idk i wouldn't go about theorising the genre using motorcycling men but i DO think there's a bit of a gap in the market there, where it's like... what are the actual mechanisms and tropes you usually see in those stories, what do you usually associate with it... i'm obviously a big toxic yuri enjoyer and to me it's a specific genre that's like. not equivalent to just any antagonistic lesbians, like you really want that codependent vicious mean girl-y sauce. you want some gender in there. works for mid noughties motogp what can u say

8. alien pokemon starter post: i LOVE this i think it's so good i think i made five perfect picks. obviously another exercise where you know there's not really a target audience apart from the spirits in your own head, but crucially those are the only beings you've got to please and appease. again, this was fun, i love doing stuff like that and i'm extremely invested in my aliens x pokemon notes in my docs i just like staring into space thinking about it

9. agassi/sampras post: another one where i'm like. okay that did actually migrate over to tennis tumblr so in retrospect i wish that were more tightly edited. but whatever! it's fine! honestly despite people being really lovely in the notes of that one, idt it's particularly good. it's completely carried by the strength of agassi and sampras' own writing about the rivalry, where tbh i'm only doing some very basic guiding of the reader through those flashpoints. i think there's like. one good paragraph in there i wrote, and it's the one on conservatism in tennis. but anyway i have such a long-standing affection for that rivalry i'm really glad i introduced some people to it, very much a passion thing y'know

10. tennis x motogp: a family of posts so i'm not gonna pick one out. the aliens one the sete/vale rivalry one the vale one the current riders one. the middle two are obviously the most extensive... again, super niche, nobody cares about this as much as i do, the valentino one was ofc completely self-indulgent. but i had a lot of fun with it, i have so many thoughts on this and i think it's a great mental exercise to like... translate things between sports like that because it forces you to engage with the sports on a more fundamental level. ughhh i love these they are For Me

anyway. feels kinda weird making this post lol,, i think this year i am starting to do some of this stuff more in my own notes again because... tbh sometimes i think i put a bit too much effort into figuring out how to make something accessible for a mostly imaginary target audience. which is obviously a good writing exercise in communicating clearly!! but sometimes it's also a bit silly. THAT BEING SAID, it's lovely when somebody engages with something more niche - for all my time following this sport pre last year, it's very much been a solitary exercise. which i mostly quite like but sometimes it is nice to chat about this stuff. and obviously reddit isn't exactly the platform for these kinds of essays... this tumblr community also not quite right for it but there probably isn't really a platform where this wouldn't be hopelessly niche and too wordy. probably as close as u can get. have a lovely day anon xx

[morporkian-cryptid]

I’ve finally been able to watch the Lupin III kabuki play, so y’all get a second round of me nerding out, lucky you! (You can go watch it right now, it only costs $30 and you can see it however many times you want until August 18th!)

For context: in December of last year, the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo put on a kabuki adaptation of Lupin the Third.

Following the success of the kabuki play, the company decided to live-stream it in several countries, and make the recording available on-demand for one week.

So yesterday I finally watched the play myself, already having a general idea of the plot and knowing what to expect. Which did nothing to prevent me from going full fangirl on the phone with my sister (who was watching it with me). I have a special interest on Lupin III, and a special interest on premodern Japan and traditional Japanese arts (which is entirely Goemon’s fault btw); what was I supposed to do? Not spend 3 hours losing my entire shit and stimming hard enough for my hands to fall off? Unrealistic tbh.

As a general note, I could not possibly be more impressed at this adaptation.

You have to understand that kabuki is, historically, a popular form of theater, created by and for the masses. It evolved from travelling performers and prostitutes’ dances, was developed in the red light districts, and was attended by poor people, merchants and samurais alike. It has always been bold, colourful, bombastic, dramatic as hell, with as much focus on situational humour and on epic fights and dramatic tales.

And that makes it a perfect media to adapt Lupin the Third into. The unserious, self-derisive tone of Lupin III fits great into kabuki humour, the over-the-top expressions and cartoonish disregard for the laws of physics translate perfectly in choreographed dance-fights, dramatic poses and exaggerated grimaces, the mix of what-the-fuck-esque “are the writers on crack” plots and of genuine emotional scenes and high-stakes fights is shared by many many well-loved historical kabuki plays. The core elements of a Traditional Lupin Plot don’t get in the way of the kabuki art form, and the traditional kabuki conventions don’t limit the very unique identity of Lupin III as a franchise.  

With what little I know about kabuki as an art form (I had watched two plays and done a bit of research before this), it is obvious that a lot of work went into fitting Lupin III into the clear codes of a traditional theater form, and with everything I know about the anime, all the characters are their same old selves, banter and mannerisms and all, and the plot wouldn’t feel out of place in a TV special. The creation of this play clearly had to involve both kabuki experts and writers who love Lupin III, it is obvious from start to finish how much importance was given to both of these facets, and I am genuinely amazed at how well these two groups worked together to make everything work so perfectly. It’s almost as if Lupin III as a franchise was made to be adapted into kabuki. And I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that MP-sensei had used kabuki as an inspiration.

THIS CONTAINS (minor) SPOILERS! Read at your own risks ^^ If you’ve already seen the play, I give cultural and historical background for some scenes.

If you are familiar with Goemon Ishikawa’s background as a character, you’ve probably heard of the kabuki play about his illustrious ancestor, Sanmon Gosan No Kiri . A very famous scene from that play, the Nanzenji Sanmon (Nanzen Temple Gate) scene, is reenacted in the Lupin III play: Goemon appears at the balcony of the temple gate, reciting the famous line from Sanmon Gosan no Kiri. (I have been to that exact temple when I visited Kyoto, climbed up to the balcony on that exact gate, and recited that exact line. I then proceeded to spend half an hour trying to locate the temple graveyard where Goemon Ishikawa is buried. I found it and it was closed.)

I had been warned by Aime who had seen the play live, but I was still entirely unprepared for the fact that THE FUCKING TEMPLE GATE ROSE OUT OF THE STAGE TO REVEAL LUPIN STANDING UNDER IT. Practical special effects in kabuki are absolutely incredible and super creative, and most of them have existed since the Edo era.

Speaking of special effects, there are several revolving stages (the light play in the revolving stages!!! Holy shit!!!!), people coming out of the ground, and Lupin fucking flies off into the ceiling at some point.

In this play, Lupin and Jigen are just starting out as thieves, whereas Goemon is already well known as the greatest thief of his generation. Hence why, for a change, this time it’s Lupin who is constantly trying to find excuses to throw hands with Goemon, as opposed to how it usually goes in the anime.

Lupin’s expressions are PURE GOLD. Kataoka Ainosuke is a fucking genius actor who perfectly nailed Lupin’s “insufferable cartoon monkey” vibe. EVEN HIS VOICE IS PERFECT!!!!!! The video allows for close-ups on his expressions that the live play did not, so I’m lucky to have been able to watch this version.

Speaking of expressions, I must make a small aside to explain that dramatic facial expressions, bombastic poses and colorful costumes are a staple of kabuki (in the same way that subtle shifts of light on masks to represent different emotions are a staple of No theatre). That is the reason Jigen doesn’t wear his signature hat in the play: hiding his face would defeat the entire purpose of a kabuki adaptation and spoil the actor’s performance. I think the costume designers found a very elegant work-around by giving him bangs that almost look like the brim of a hat. (He also carries a straw hat in his hand in the first scene, and occasionally holds it up above his head)

I already made a whole post to nerd out about the incredible costume designs and how they managed to translate the anime designs and Western style of clothing of the characters into traditional Japanese stage costumes, so I won’t do it here again, but HOLY SHIT those costumes are incredibly well thought out, with such a deep attention to detail, and Lupin’s especially blew my mind. 11/10.

Lupin and Goemon started threatening to throw hands, upon which Fujiko appeared, said something along the lines of “I am a beautiful woman, please stop fighting, for my sake”, after which Lupin and Goemon agreed to put off their fight and go their separate way. Several scenes later, Lupin and Goemon finally have their showdown (which I will detail later); it is eventually interrupted by Jigen… who repeats Fujiko’s word’s verbatim, “Please stop fighting, for my sake”, to which Lupin and Goemon reply, I shit you not, “Yes Jigen, we will stop, for you.” I had to take a minute to yell into a pillow about the parallels between Lupin/Fujiko and Lupin/Jigen.

Also, WE’VE GOT ANOTHER FRIGGIN JIGEN EX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think?? unclear. The dude's like, 60 years old.

The showdown!!! The showdown at the waterfall!!!!! First off, the fact that there is an Actual Honest To God Fountain On Stage is still blowing my fucking mind. This is apparently something that has existed in kabuki SINCE THE EDO ERA. Western theater could never. Second of all, not only is there an actual fucking waterfall onstage, the actors GO INTO IT. LUPIN AND GOEMON FOUGHT IN THE WATER. ENDED UP DRENCHED TO THE BONES. ONSTAGE.

The duel scene was prefaced by a shamisen player and a singer reciting a poetic description of the upcoming fight (featuring dragons and cherry blossoms), explaining how epic it was and how the swords clashed etc etc. Then the curtain opens and you get Lupin and Goemon who, yes, have a very dramatic sword fight (like I said, kabuki and bombastic poses and dramatic faces. INCREDIBLE.); they eventually both lose their weapons and devolve into a fist fight, until they finally end up in the waterfall and start splashing water at each other. I love these absolute idiots so much.

After a few minutes, the fight is interrupted by Jigen, and you can just feel the bone-deep tired babysitter energy emanating from him, you can hear how loud he’s thinking “alright boys you’ve had your fun, time to go back to being mature adults, can we go steal things now?”

Also, the fight scenes. Let’s talk about the fight scenes. Kabuki is a type of theater that emerged from dance, and the fight scenes really reflect that – the characters mostly don’t touch, instead they leap around the stage and gesture at each other, but even the stylized movements really translate well what’s happening. THERE WERE CHARACTERS DOING BACKFLIPS ONSTAGE!!! REPEATEDLY!!! Meanwhile Lupin’s just vaguely dodging blows and gesturing away at his opponents. The backflips are incredibly impressive, and also you really get the sense that the Random Antagonists are giving their all in this fight and have to call on all their fighting abilities to take on Lupin, while Lupin simply Does Not Give A Shit and just dodges every blow effortlessly. (picture his no-handed fight with the kidnapper in Part 6 – The Last Bullet and you’ll have a good vision of what I’m talking about.)

Lupin and Jigen STEAL GOEMON. I mean this entirely literally. They drug him, shove him in a box, and make off with the box. With Goemon inside. THEY STOLE A WHOLE-ASS SAMURAI. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!!!

MAMO

GREEN RAISIN MAN IS HERE

NO ONE TOLD ME GREEN RAISIN MAN WOULD BE HERE

HE BREAKS THE FOURTH WALL TO EXPLAIN KABUKI CONVENTIONS TO THE AUDIENCE DURING INTERMISSION

M A M O

Also fourth wall breaking happens on occasions, Lupin tells Jigen he’ll take him to see a kabuki play (which happens to be the other play scheduled at that theater), and Jigen says his favourite kabuki actor is Kataoka Ainosuke, to which Lupin (played by Kataoka Ainosuke) replies “oh I hate him.”

(btw this is somewhat historically accurate. Kabuki was invented in the Edo era, so after the time period this play takes place in; anachronism aside, kabuki actors were the tabloid celebrities of their time, trend setters that people tried to emulate, and the subjects of woodblock prints that fans would collect and trade. So Lupin and Jigen discussing their favourite kabuki actors is entirely believable.)

ALL THE MUSIC THEMES PLAYED ON TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTS. POLICE CHASE SCENE PLAYED TO THE SOUND OF ZENIGATA MARCH ON THE SHAMISEN. LOVE SQUALL ON THE SHAKUHACHI. I NEED THE OST OF THIS PLAY GIVE IT TO ME

There were people in the audience doing Shouts From The Great Beyond!!

Oh and there are aliens. And robots. And alien robots. I realize I forgot to mention this. The play takes place in the 1600s and Goemon’s girlfriend is an alien robot. I could not make this up if I tried. I love this stupid franchise so fucking much ❤

Zenigata throws a giant coin directly at Lupin’s face

Lupin Zenigata impersonation

Both Jigen and Goemon get tied up and I tried very hard not to find this hot (I failed)

Oh and at one point Goemon ends up in a fundoshi and nothing else. With his butt on full display. Onstage. No matter if it’s an anime or a theater play, Goemon-chan always ends up being Mr Fanservice XD

“My girlfriend turned into a sword.” “That’s rough, buddy.”

Fujiko mentioned stealing the Kusanagi (legendary sword from the god Susanoo and one of the three imperial regalia of Japan), and Goemon immediately went “I NEED IT” and fucking legged it, not waiting for the others. Upon which Lupin remarked “Wow, that guy really likes swords.” I fucking love this gigantic nerd. Goemon my beloved <3

There’s one scene where Lupin and Jigen run into Fujiko as she’s participating in an oiran procession through the red light district, Lupin recognizes her and immediately goes “Heeeyyyyyy Fujiko-chaaaaan!!!!! 😃” and you can just see on Fujiko’s face the words “Oh gods no NOT HIM AGAIN” writing themselves in big bold golden letters while she attempts to keep a straight face. Absolutely amazing XD

Goemon and Itohoshi. I am so soft for them. Dear lord they are adorable and they did not deserve all that shit. Please just let them be happy TT (“Gomen” WHAT DO YOU MEAN “GOMEN” JUST STAB ME WITH A SWORD IT WOULD BE LESS PAINFUL)

I don’t know how to explain how cool and funny Zenigata gets, he has his awesome badass moments, and he also gets played like a fiddle by Lupin, and from the way he is played you get the whole “this guy is a bumbling idiot (affectionate)” vibe but also he gets scarily competent at times. And you can see his underwear like half of the time.

Goemon has a resting bitch face the whole way through. AS HE SHOULD

The scene at the end, where all five main characters appear in front of the sea with blue kimonos and paper umbrellas, and introduce themselves, will be recognized by all long-time Lupin fans as a reference to the Red Jacket double episode “Kooki Kabuki” (aka The Mysterious Gang of Five). As it turns out, that scene and in fact the whole double episode was a reference to a kabuki play called “Shiranami Gonin Otoko” (Five Men of the White Waves). According to Wikipedia, “The play is perhaps most famous for the speeches made by Kozō and his compatriots when they dramatically remove their disguises and reveal their true identities.” (I’ve never watched that play, but a recording is available on the same website as the Lupin III kabuki play, so I might watch it soon.)

Please look at the designs on their kimonos on that scene. They’re so cool!!!! Lupin has a rose, a European flower that also features on his rapier (he is the only character to have a European sword rather than a katana). Fujiko has wisteria, which is called fuji in Japanese. Jigen has a kiseru pipe with plumes of smoke and a crescent moon. Goemon has a dragon because he is a Mighty Warrior. And Zenigata has zeni coins and HANDCUFFS ON A STRING!!!! THE AMOUNT OF ATTENTION TO DETAILS IN THE FUCKING COSTUME DESIGNS!!!!!!!!

To my (mild) disappointment, in this version of the scene, Jigen doesn’t describe himself as “onnagirai” like he did in the anime. For those who haven’t seen that Twitter thread floating around on Tumblr, “onnagirai” or “woman hater” is (allegedly) an old Edo-era slang term associated to kabuki and used to designate homosexual men. Yes, Jigen actually called himself “onnagirai”, out-loud, on screen, in a recreation of a kabuki scene, in 1977. (I couldn’t find any reliable source explaining the link between “onnagirai” and homosexuality in five minutes of googling, so take it with a grain of salt, but at least Wikipedia mentions the term and sources it from a 1997 book on homosexuality under the Tokugawa regime.)

All in all an incredible experience, 100/10 would tie up the whole fandom and sit them in front of the screen to watch this play whether they want it or not. Huge huge huge kudos and my eternal thanks to all the people who worked on making this adaptation come to life, they did an incredible job and it is clear from start to finish that this was made by people who love kabuki and who love Lupin the Third.