#live html editor | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sinshckled · 1 year ago

Text

★ | * ⋆ - - - – INBOX ! * ﹡ ﹡ ✧ * ☇ ( @nocentis ! )

Suddenly, the walls feel like they’re [ closing ] on him – and Jellal is suddenly much, much too aware of the GRIDS OF METAL that surround him - them. He feels trapped. Not by any binding, nor by any cuffs - but by an all too familiar gaze of hazel. .

Ever since his identity had been ( accidentally ) revealed, the children’s behavior toward him changed drastically - and UNDERSTANDABLY. His disguise was one of their jailers’, but his face is the one of a friend ; ( regardless of how the years had changed it. ) And while his heart fills with fondness at the way Millianna and Sho run to hug his leg & at the awe in Erza’s eyes, it is not enough to dissipate his apprehension. Looking at his younger self has been harder ever since. Jellal knows the child has questions – can SEE IT in his body language, FEEL IT in the weight of his stare, and HEAR IT in his voice. && To these inquiries, he has no wish to answer.

But the ghosts of the past have never failed to catch up to him. WHY WOULD THIS TIME BE ANY DIFFERENT ?

He gets cornered at the end of his “mission”, once the dust has settled back down. When the threat is no more, and they can all breathe a little easier. While checking up on the wounded - taking advantage of the first aid supplies he always carries and knows are scarce within these walls -

He feels a shy tug at his cloak, and turns around to cobalt strands, a familiar marking, and a [ request to talk ].

Right there and then, he knows he cannot run from this anymore.

Alas, even though the Heavenly Body mage had started preparing, as much as he could have, for this discussion to occur - this was him, this had been him, he should know better than anyone what he could ask . . . and yet,

he still finds himself at a LOSS FOR WORDS.

" … "

What is he supposed to say ?

He swallows thickly. His tongue feels HEAVY in his mouth, burdened with the knowledge of the last decades. He knows that child is DOOMED ; from the peek he had gotten in the office, it was only a matter of weeks… days even, perhaps.

These eyes – HEAVENS, he was so small; pale skin upon frail bones, muscles built from years of labor and stolen childhood. He looks so fragile, but his eyes, despite it all, burn alight with a ferocious SPARK ; one that has not shone in his own gaze for a very, very long time.

His fingers crackle with starlight. He tastes an anger the likes of which is foreign to him – old, bygone. He feels an urge to defy the flow of time - to let the stars bring JUDGMENT upon this wretched island, sending this ATROCITY of a R-system crumbling to the ground, and take him - take them, all these poor innocent children, so so very far away from here. & yet he cannot ;

Why here ? Why now ? Why him ? What is he doing here ?

Memories of this time are nothing more than movie sequences in his head now, decades later ; so far away, so distant. This part of him has been laid to rest alongside the WICKEDNESS of his teenage years, and both only ever come back to haunt him as a form of torture. As a result, this child was no more than an ACQUAINTANCE, a figure erased by time, wrath, grief and BLOOD.

But being there, quite literally face to face with his past - it all comes back to him. Flashes triggered by the long-gone architecture of these walls, by the stench of rot sitting heavily across the perimeter, by the crackles of electricity, the whirring of heavy machinery & the haunting sound of children sobbing a few cells further - quietly, by fear of being whipped into silence – He now remembers being that boy. Forcing a smile every single day of his life, for the sake of the young who looked up to him. He would tell stories upon stories, wiping tears while holding his own grief tight on a leash. ( because those stories had been his brother’s, and his mother’s, and the village elder’s, && they had starred his cousin, his neighbor, the shop clerk and the fishermen – and all these people were DEAD, by now BONES buried underneath stone and charred wood and ash. )

... What was HE doing here ?

He thinks he’s struck by all five stages of grief simultaneously.The thoughts crossing his head are a blur. He feels dizzy, knees one gust of wind away from buckling.

Blaming yourself for your own weaknesses is easier when you don’t have the 11 years old version of yourself standing before you.

Looking into your eyes with – one last sliver of hope.

––– How could he ever put the blame of his anger upon him?

HE WAS A CHILD. He was a child.

( It hits him all at once. )

He knows the intricacies of time travel. He knows he doesn’t remember going through this. He knows his younger self will not walk away with an answer, nor with a solution. This is Fiorean history – and it is set in stone.

That doesn’t mean he wants to LIE to him.

( Not when he’s been standing wordlessly for this long. Not when he has let silence stretch so far. Not when the tiny, fragile version of himself is catching on to what it means. Perhaps, if he’d been quicker, it could have been an option. )

And so Jellal does the only thing that, amongst all the possibilities offered to him, feels undoubtedly, irrevocably right.

He closes the distance between them with a few steps and crouches down to meet himself at eye-level. Looks – really looks at him, commits every detail to memory. From the slope of his nose to the tangled, soiled strands of blue decorating from his head ; from to the fainter scars he still sports to the swirls of angry red framing his eyes, pools of sage & amber in his irises. And then he reaches out, wraps his arms around the scrawny frame and gathers him slowly, carefully, in a hug.

He hides him in the crook of his shoulder; gives him a shelter, an adult, where the hastily-built foundations of his mask of strength can crack, if he so wishes.

He lets him be a child once again.

――――― Just for a moment.

━━━ ━━ ━ ╸╺ . * ✰

“ is all this countless suffering for my own good? ”

Later on, shortly after finding his way back in the present, Jellal will ponder this further. The Heavenly Body mage will stand on a beach, amongst speckles of sand, and watch the sun gradually DISAPPEAR beyond the vast sea that once held him [ hostage ] ― painting the sky in shades akin to the burning fire that took everything away from him.

He will think of his younger self - so far away in time, yet now so close in memory.

He will close his eyes, push open the door to his history, rush past the whispers and shadows crawling its walls, and find that child still within him. He will dig him out from the grave he was buried within, and he will give him his SIGHT - his HEARING - his TASTE - his EVERYTHING.

He will let himself feel breeze upon his skin, breathe in the smell of sea salt, taste the freedom of a boundless life.

And when his eyes open again, he will gaze upon that landscape, && he will find it beautiful.

✔ ― ACCEPTING

#nocentis #long post #✦ ʃ — ◜ask box.◞ * ⋆#✦ ʃ — counting stars ; ◜ic.◞ * ⋆#verse tbt.#ooc. * ( this has been. sitting in my drafts. for two weeks. n i have finally completed it )#ooc. * ( sorry for writing u a novel... i was emotionally destroyed )#ooc. * ( also i kinda like. think. that being confronted 2 his child self would be a destabilizing but ultimately healing experience )#ooc. * ( like shit im sorry im glad he feels guilty bc he genuinely ruined lives but babygirl u were also a victim here )#ooc. * ( btw dont mind the links theyre just the songs i was listening to bc i dont use html editor )#ooc. * ( and ctrl + u underline disappears when i post )#ooc. * ( blerghh )#✦ ʃ — a lost soul’s screams inked on paper ; ◜writing.◞ * ⋆#ooc. * ( yeah this is +1k words so i think this counts !!!!!!! )#ooc. * ( double-u key just jumped out of my keyboard this is my sign to stop )#ooc. * ( can u tell i fucking gave up on formatting in the middle of this )

7 notes · View notes

weepingwitch · 1 year ago

Text

i know this means absolutely nothing to most people but basically all of the little web game things I've made recently (angels in automata, hex plant growing game, d.a.n.m.a.k.u., life music, sudoku land, the metroidvania style map editor, etc etc etc) are all entirely self-contained individual client-side html files that can be downloaded and run offline and have literally no libraries or frameworks or dependencies, because i'm an insane woman who enjoys hand coding my input handling and display code from scratch in vanilla js and having it all live in one single html file with the game logic and the page structure and the page style all just living and loving together side by side in a universal format that can be run by any web browser on any devixe. i'll even include image files as base64 data-uri strings just to keep every single asset inside the one file.

26K notes · View notes

cutecipher · 6 months ago

Text

Were Fucked! Please help! Urgent!!! Trans women in danger!

Update! This has been covered! Im leaving on reblogs because we still need help with moving costs but thank you for saving my family

Our landlord at our current place screwed around with our account so our rent bounced so now we have late fees due but critically the money still came out to someone. They are threatening us and idk what to do. We're barely squeaking by trying to make rent for the next place but now we're in the hole $1800 and I don't think landlords have to wait 30 days now. We have about a day. Please help two disabled trans women. I've prototyped a new kind of internet, I'm working on a free html editor and I run an ad free/tracking free tube downloader (y232.live) please help us keep making good shit and stay off the streets. Also @rickybabyboy is our son.

$410/$1800 raised

Venmo: AGIEF

Paypal: [email protected]

Ko-fi:

3K notes · View notes

numbpill · 3 months ago

Text

========================================================

[tutorial: build your own neocities/nekoweb page]

========================================================

a beginner's guide for making your very own home on the indie web—retro, personal, weird, and 100% yours.

this ain’t an average wix, squarespace, or tiktok aesthetic.

we’re talking full html/css with soul and attitude.

[ prerequisites ]

------------------

> an idea

> basic text editor (vscode, notepad++, or even notepad)

> account on https://neocities.org or https://nekoweb.org

> some gifs or tiles you love (dig deep or make your own)

> optional: image host or gif repo (or self-host everything)

[ feeling overwhelmed? read this. ]

-----------------------------------

you do *not* need to know everything.

html is not a mountain. it's a garden.

you plant one tag. then another. then a style. then a button.

you can build your site piece by piece.

and every piece is a portal to somewhere personal.

you are allowed to make broken pages.

you are allowed to use templates.

you are allowed to start over as many times as you want.

this is *your* world. you control the weird.

[ step 1: create an account ]

-----------------------------

> neocities: https://neocities.org

> nekoweb: https://nekoweb.org

this is where you upload your files and see your site live.

[ step 2: your first file - index.html ]

----------------------------------------

make a new file: `index.html`

basic starter:

<html>

<head>

<title>my weird little corner</title>

</head>

<body>

<h1>welcome to the void</h1>

<p>this is my page. it’s strange. like me.</p>

</body>

</html>

> upload to the dashboard

> boom. you’re live at

https://yoursite.neocities.org

or https://nekoweb.org/u/yoursite

[ step 3: add a style sheet - style.css ]

-----------------------------------------

create a file called `style.css` and upload it.

here’s some nostalgic magic:

body {

background: url('tile.gif');

color: lime;

font-family: "Courier New", monospace;

text-shadow: 1px 1px 0 black;

}

img {

image-rendering: pixelated;

}

marquee {

font-size: 20px;

color: magenta;

}

link it in your html and the vibes activate.

[ step 4: decorate it like a haunted usb ]

------------------------------------------

> use <marquee> for chaos scrolls

> embed gifs from https://gifcities.org/

> steal buttons from https://cyber.dabamos.de/88x31/

> set up a guestbook at https://www.smartgb.com/

> loop audio with <audio autoplay loop>

> add fake errors, 90s web lore, random link lists

[ step 5: resources, themes, and comfort ]

------------------------------------------

> templates & layouts: https://numbpilled-themes.tumblr.com

> glitchy gifs & buttons: https://glitchcat.neocities.org/resources

> layout builder: https://sadgrl.online/projects/layout-builder/

> free tiled backgrounds: https://backgrounds.neocities.org/

> beginner html intro: https://www.w3schools.com/html/

> pixel fonts & cyber assets: https://fontstruct.com/

remember:

you don't need to know js. you don't need to be a coder.

you just need a mood, a direction, a dream.

the html will follow.

[ bonus concept: shrine pages ]

-------------------------------

> a page just for one character you love

> a room to house digital fragments of your identity

> embed quotes, music, images like altars

> call it shrine.html and link it from your homepage

[ closing mantra ]

------------------

you are not here to be optimized.

you are not a brand.

you are a ghost inside the machine,

carving your initials into the silicon void.

welcome to Your website.

========================================================

434 notes · View notes

liliesdiary · 4 months ago

Text

➢ Face Of An Angel, Body Of A Porn Star

➢ MASTER LIST

PLAYLIST → Perverted Angel Playlist

SYNOPSIS → Ghostface develops an extreme obsession with you, the infamous porn star named soft angel who so happens to be his classmate. The face of an angel and the body of a porn star.

view in light mode for a better reading experience!

(all endings, multiple parts, dead ends)

➢ [◉°] ⌞ Face Of An Angel ⌝

➢ Angel's Inbox

➢ Dispose Mail?

➢ Wrong Fucking Choice

➢ Chatting With Lovesick Anonymous

➢ Dead End

➢ Keep Chatting With Lovesick Anonymous

➢ Don't Block Him Again.

➢ Lovesick Anonymous Will Remember That

➢ Be My Valentine

➢ Body Of A Porn Star

➢ Living Dove Route

➢ Angel's Inbox

➢ Cancel

➢ Lovesick Doll (coming soon)

➢ Dead Dove Route

➢ Hide In Bathroom

➢ Psycho Killer (coming soon)

🖱️ CLICK TO READ CREDITS & UPDATES 🖱️

જ⁀➴ ♡ recent update! June 20th : hi angels!! I'm sorry that I haven't been updating this series recently, I've been going through writer's block and I've also just been very very busy! but don't worry, lovesick doll and psycho killer are coming very soon and I plan on writing more routes and different little hidden routes/choices throughout the series!! <3

I'm so thankful for all the support and love this fun little series has been getting and I promise that I will continue this series. I'm really glad you guys are loving the interactive choices and different routes! please let me know if there are any routes you would like me to add, I'm very open to suggestions and feedback!

- lily dove <3

જ⁀➴ ♡ most dividers, templates, pngs used in this series were made by: @bernardsbendystraws @nicodefresas @kimjiho1 @dollywons @anitalenia @uncoffins

જ⁀➴ I also used Pinterest for the other dividers, gifs, and templates. I can't find the original creators of some of these templates so if it's yours please let me know so I can credit you! The pink streaming template that says starting soon in the first chapter was made by @moshimochico, I found it on Pinterest <3

જ⁀➴ I used PicsArt as well to create some of the pictures. I use the stickers section of PicsArt to add different things onto the templates and photos I've found from Pinterest or Tumblr.

જ⁀➴ I use Emoji Combos for cute symbols, emoji combos or symbol combos જ⁀➴ key words I use for combos: cute symbols, star symbols, arrows, hearts, divider symbols, coquette, scary/horror symbols

જ⁀➴ I use Lingojam for different fonts, it's a font generator and you can use it for anything! there are a lot of different and unique fonts but I mainly use the fancy or basic ones (you have to scroll a bit to see them)

જ⁀➴ I use bbcode & html text colorizer for the colored text. I only used it for the first chapter for the light faded pink but I do plan on using it more for my future chapters. original tutorial by @hanasnx (can be found in his FAQ) → ✩ bbcode & html text colorizer | follow the prompts -> copy the bottom box aka the "html code" -> go to tumblr on desktop -> create post -> click top right gear for settings -> scroll down to "text editor" to select "html" -> paste your clipboard -> scroll up to the select "html" or "preview" to both edit html and see how it looks after you do.

all parts of this series will be under જ⁀➴ ᴘᴇʀᴠᴇʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ

#જ⁀➴ ᴘᴇʀᴠᴇʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ #જ⁀➴ᡣ𐭩 𝓛𝓲𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓻𝔂 #♡˗ˏ✎ 𝓛𝓲𝓵𝔂 𝓦𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓼 ༝༚༝༚

224 notes · View notes

hemi-demi · 2 months ago

Text

Hey! So I mentioned a while ago that I have a custom workskin to make my Magnus Archives fics with transcripts look more like the transcripts at The Magnus Archives Transcripts Archive, and never got around to showing how. So now I am!

With this workskin, you'll turn transcript fics that look like this:

Into this!

Link to my fic "Just a Rumour" to see the live example, no content warnings in these first two chapters, but rating may eventually change.

Here's how you can apply this to your own fic. Steps are listed below the cut:

1. Make a workskin.

For this step, I'll refer you to the ao3 guide on how to create workskins. Make a new one, or add the following code between the dashes below to your existing skins.

---

#workskin .transcript {

font-family: "Libre Baskerville", Baskerville, "Book Antiqua", Georgia, Times, serif;

color: #586e75;

background: #fdf6e3;

padding: 1em;

width: fit-content;

margin: 0 auto 35px;

font-size: 120%;

}

---

Once you've made your workskin, follow the steps in the included link to add that workskin to the fic you want to apply this style to.

2. Tell the fic where to apply the style

The document above also explains this, but just so you can see the actual steps here:

In your fic, under the html editor view, add

To the front of the text that will be in this format (it may not be the entire fic! You can have it in the middle of regular prose if you like).

At the end of the section that will be in the format, close it off with

</div>

Now just save your draft and confirm that it's working! If it looks off, double check your html, make sure it took and didn't delete itself or isn't misspelled.

And btw, readers who may not like this format can turn it off themselves with the Hide Creator's Style button, so this is optional for readers! It also works well with screen readers as-is.

Enjoy!

#the magnus archives #tma #fanfic #workskin #ao3 workskin #ao3 #transcripts #transcript fic #tutorial

66 notes · View notes

itstwitime · 2 months ago

Text

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

#ventixreader #venti x reader #venti genshin impact #venti #venti fanfic #genshin #genshin impact #long fic #itstwitime #olbersparadox

45 notes · View notes

jellogram · 7 months ago

Text

Ok I am getting asked several times a day about this so I am going to break this down into steps and then pin this post.

How I Got a Job as a Travel Writer (aka the ten steps I took that eventually got me hired in the writing world)

I started writing unpaid for a magazine when I was in high school. I got a leg up because I knew someone whose parent knew the editor of an indie mag and gave me an email address. Unless you are lucky enough to find a connection like that, I suggest reaching out to indie mags and local publications to see if anyone will let you write for them for free.

Got a college degree (cultural anthropology)

Did an unpaid marketing internship one summer in college (it was at night so I could work during the day)

Did all the copywriting and marketing for a club on campus

Graduated in spring 2020, worked a bunch of dead-end jobs

Eventually ended up unemployed and directionless, lived off the government and savings and was generally lost and unhappy.

Decided I wanted a copywriting job but couldn't get hired. Spent months and months applying, never even got an interview.

Saw that several related jobs requested experience in stuff like SEO, html, Google Analytics, and WordPress. Took free online classes to learn those things. Also picked up some copywriting gigs from Upwork on the side to make some money and beef up my portfolio.

To practice WordPress and make myself seem more professional, I started a blog that functioned as a literary journal and published submissions from other young writers.

Found an opening at a copywriting agency and wrote some SEO articles on contract. This didn't pay enough to live on, but it was fun and made my resume way more impressive.

Eventually the agency work dried up and they didn't have any assignments for me, so I went back to Indeed with my new beefed up resume. I saw a job for travel writing and applied. I got hired.

66 notes · View notes

minimalsizeconspiracy · 1 month ago

Text

No-Google (fan)fic writing, Part 5: Obsidian

Storytime

In terms of how long I’ve been using Obsidian, well. Currently, a little more than a week ^^ And I’ll be honest, I’ll probably only use it for writing fic sporadically, because it’s proprietary software and I prefer Open Source (and I also love LaTeX too much, but that’s a different question).

The reason why I decided to give it a try in terms of writing fic was that I’ve been talking with others about moving to Markdown, Obsidian is Markdown-based and I’d been playing around with it in a different context for a while already. So, out of curiosity, I decided I’d try to write a story in Obsidian and see if it could live up to my demands.

Word/Google docs versus Obsidian

Again, Word and Obsidian do not work in the same way. If anything else I have described here so far can be compared to the way Obsidian works, it’s Zettelkasten. The same principle of “one note for one idea/scene/thought” also applies to Obsidian. Also like Zettelkasten, Obsidian relies heavily on connecting these notes by way of links, using tags to categorise/find specific notes and it also has the same feature of using folders for collecting “sub-notes”, which can be used for structuring in the same way the virtual desk is used in Zettelkasten. Actually, I would say that the main difference between those two is that Obsidian uses Markdown and a folder-with-subfolders structure, whereas Zettelkasten has its own file format and relies on XML behind the scenes.

Cost

The personal use version of Obsidian is free, so technically +1 for that. However, Obsidian is not Open Source. It is not free in the same way Writer, LaTeX, Zettelkasten and Markdown (= many MD editors) are free, the code behind it is proprietary. This does not have any impact on the cost, at least not at present, but there is a chance that at some point, the developers might choose to charge for private use of it. I think it’s unlikely, but. Just so you know.

File formats

Unlike Word, however, Obsidian relies on Markdown as its file format and stores every “note” as a separate .md-file in a folder. The “notebook” where all notes are collected is called a “vault” and it’s just one big folder with lots of subfolders. In other words, even if the software is proprietary, the files can be read and used without needing Obsidian itself. Which is really great, because again, it means you have plain text .md-files with your ideas, scenes and stories, and they wil be readable even if Obsidian as an app disappears.

+1 for that!

Features

What you need Obsidian for is the features. And of those, there are many. I’ll save words and say, read about Markdown features like bold, italics etc. here, but I really do want to talk about other features Obsidian offers that plain Markdown with an editor does not.

Firstly, an important feature that I talk about a lot is the export function. AO3 needs either HTML or RTF, fanfiction.net ODT or DOC(X). Obsidian can export to all of these, provided you install the Pandoc plugin. This is not the same as installing Pandoc on your computer; you need to install the plugin in Obsidian itself to use it. But as long as you do, you can export to whatever you like.

Another feature very important for me when I tried Obsidian was whether outcommenting would work (again, I’ve talked about this here). Basically, what that means is that parts of the text are not exported when you export the rest of the note – such as comments to yourself, notes on what you still need to write in a scene or simply – as I use it frequently – stuff you wrote and don’t want to delete, even it doesn’t fit anymore. Much to my delight, it works in Obsidian as well, again because it’s Markdown and it works in Markdown. [text you want outcommented]: # will do the trick.

Lastly, another plugin I would recommend is Smart Typography. It “[c]onverts quotes to curly quotes, dashes to em dashes and periods to ellipses”, as the description says, and that’s really useful if you use a regular keyboard layout to write, where you get the standard ' and ".

Installing both the Pandoc and Smart Typography plugins is easy. Open the Obsidian vault settings (the little wheel you can see in the left lower corner, to the right of “example”, which is the name of the vault), Third-party plugins (which you need to enable) and then browse Community plugins by name and install and enable them. Done.

Now for the most important part: putting together a story.

If you want one big vault containing all of your stories, you need to create “folders” for every story and then store the single notes for that story in that folder. Personally, I prefer to have one vault per story, because I find it a lot easier to focus on working on one story at a time if I don’t have several other stories in the same vault. This, I want to note, is different to how I used Zettelkasten, where I generally had one big Zettelkasten containing all of my stories for a specific fandom. I don’t know why that’s different with Obsidian, it’s just that way.

In any case, the following examples are for when you have one story per vault. In this case, I’ve decided that I’m going to write a story involving the POVs of three different characters. I’m going to keep their respective pieces sorted by character, so I always know who’s talking right now. Every scene where that character is the main narrator gets its own note within the respective character folder.

This, in theory, is no different than what I do with regular Markdown. What is very useful in Obsidian, however, is that Obsidian offers the possibility to “embed” notes in other notes.

And that, in turn, means that just like with Zettelkasten, you can use one note to put together the whole story and move around scenes without ever having to worry that you’ll accidentally delete and lose texts while copypasting.

It works like this: [[name of note]] establishes a link from one note to another (useful if you want to connect different ideas). If you add ! before the brackets, like so: ![[name of note]], it means that the whole text of the linked note will now be embedded in the note with the link. Which will give you this:

And, because you’ve installed the Pandoc plugin, this will now allow you to export the note named “complete story” to HTML, ODT or whatever, and all of the linked notes will be exported into that file. You need to change the order of scenes or move one scene from chapter 1 to chapter 2? Just delete ![[name of note]] in chapter 1 and put it in chapter 2. You can also insert horizontal rules, by the way, which I have done here. These will also be exported.

If you need your story structured in chapters rather than as a whole, the process is analogue: one note per chapter, where you !-link all the scenes that belong to the chapter in question. Then, if you want it as a whole, create a note where you !-link the notes for the single chapters, done. Export at your leisure.

Embeds are hands down in my opinion the best feature Obsidian has. They offer a distinct benefit over other Markdown editors like Ghostwriter, KATE or Notepad++, because Markdown, other than LaTeX, does not come with a feature that would make it easy to include “child files” in a “parent Markdown” file that only includes the header and the child files in the order in which they should appear in the final output document. Thus, none of the three editors I like to use for Markdown can show me the whole story if I decide to create a separate file for each of the scenes, and that is really annoying, because it means that I’m back to cutting and pasting pieces of text from one part of my Markdown document to another. Which in turn increases the probability that I will lose something, and well. See Zettelkasten as to how I feel about that.

So that is definitely an extremely useful feature deserving a big +1 because like with Zettelkasten, it means you can move the order of your chapters and scenes around without running the risk of losing the actual text.

Interface

Something I find quite enjoyable is that there are a lot of “skins” made by the community that can be applied to Obsidian. This is important to me because, as the previous instalments have probably shown, I’m a big fan of simple, clean, customisable interfaces. I’ve tried several of the community-made skins already, and my current favourite is Cyber Glow – but there are also others I’ve found quite nice.

Again, skins can be installed via the wheel/settings button, and just to show it, the below is the vault from above with Cyber Glow enabled.

Syncing

One of the big benefits of Obsidian is that it comes with a syncing service. Yes, you don’t need anything else, you can just create an Obsidian account and your notes will be synced across your devices, even on mobile devices. And file versioning is an option (I’ll get to that in due time). And that is really great, because it’s a one-in-all solution.

If you don’t need or want that, you don’t have to sign up for it. You can also continue syncing your Obsidian vaults with your preferred service (Dropbox, OneDrive, GIT, USB etc.). But you can and it’s at least nice to have the option. Downside: sync is a paid-for service, starting at 4$/month for 1GB of storage. Which isn’t a lot generally, except you’re writing plain-text/Markdown, so your files are Kb-tiny in most cases, and it takes a lot of Kb-sized files to fill up 1GB.

Personally, I will say that I’d much rather pay 4$ a month and know that my stories are not going to be scraped for AI, but it’s really a decision everyone has to make for themselves. Just remember – if you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.

Ease of use for Word/Google doc-users

It’s not intuitive in the same way as moving from Word to LibreOffice Writer is. At least having a look at some Markdown guides (linked over there) is important if you are going to use Obsidian. But as I wrote there already, Markdown takes you about half an hour to learn, if you don’t know it already. And yes, you’ll have to wrap your brain around the concept of “one note = one thought/scene/idea” as well, but honestly? In terms of cost-benefit ratio, Obsidian is probably one of the most rewarding transitions you could make if you’re looking to get away from Word/Google docs. My only gripe with it is really that it’s proprietary software, but otherwise? Definitely recommended.

Read No-Google (fan)fic writing, Part 1: LibreOffice Writer

Read No-Google (fan)fic writing, Part 2: Zettelkasten

Read No-Google (fan)fic writing, Part 3: LaTeχ

Read No-Google (fan)fic writing, Part 4: Markdown

#degoogle #no-google (fan)fic writing #fanfiction #fic writing #fanfic writing #degoogle your fics #degoogle your writing #software recommendations #resources #obsidian

9 notes · View notes

theshipsong · 2 months ago

Text

i have opinions about how we fanfiction for the internet, and i don't mean literary or aesthetic ones: i mean your experience of writing it!

this is just my markdown manifesto again:

there is no reason to tangle with google or microsoft for writing copy that will ultimately be rendered as HTML on ao3 and tumblr!! rich text editors are slow as hell on desktop and mobile, both in performance and how much time you waste formatting, which takes your hands from the keyboard whether physical or touchscreen. most users end up redoing that formatting entirely in their destination site's embedded rich text editor and inevitably miss things anyway!! google docs and microsoft word and their ilk were made for printed documents no matter how much they try to mutate to stay relevant—i'm side-eying google's "paste markdown" here, nevermind gemini and copilot!

commonmark markdown is quick and easy to learn. enable markdown on tumblr and all you have to do to is copy and paste (only on desktop, unfortunately). if you don't bother with headers or dividers, the most you have to do afterwards is add a "read more" cut. ao3 is less perfect; you might have to ctrl+R formatting marks for the plain text editor and annoyingly add forward slashes to end tags, but there's still explicit fidelity to the formatting you defined while writing that the clipboard cannot lose. yes, i know "paste with formatting" exists, but it's not a problem for me because I live like this. in markdown, your writing isn't tied to any website or service; it's really yours.

that said, you still need a markdown editor, and there are several:

obsidian.md (windows/android/mac/iOS/linux): i used this for more than three years for grad school and writing. i still use its android app since i sync my notes with a git repo instead of the cloud. without paying for obsidian sync, you can keep your vault in your desktop icloud or google drive folder so you can access it from your phone. it's a great way to learn a version of markdown and get comfortable with just how lightweight and portable your drafts can be. this is a good fit if you've ever used and liked notion and want to focus on words

@ellipsus-writes (web app in open beta; no mobile app yet but the mobile site is functional): they don't market themselves as a markdown editor and clearly aim to replicate a gdocs/word-like, mouse-dependent formatting experience, but they support markdown! if you feel trapped by google because of file sync and being able to share docs privately, this is one of your best bets. i haven't tried this, but i think exporting your work from ellipsus as a .md file and then pasting it into tumblr is Great option

i haven't tried these extensively/recently but know they're out there:

simplenote (android/iOS/windows/macOS/linux): i used this forever ago and it looks like it's grown a lot!

bear (macOS/iOS only)

and another thing is: i think it's nice to use different programs for different parts of life. i use google docs for work and yes, using their awful markdown support, but it still makes a difference to write my fanfiction somewhere else (in the terminal, because i'm the most annoying person alive)!! compartmentalize beyond different accounts, don't let the bastards get you down

also i'm not gooning for a brand here i personally use neovim

#sailor soapbox more like #markdown #obsidian.md #ellipsus #♃

6 notes · View notes

genericpuff · 2 years ago

Note

How am I supposed to find indie webcomics? I’m up-to-date on a handful of them and love them all but I’m just not sure how to find new ones. Most searches for webcomics lead you to the mainstream sites.

I mean mainstream sites are fine in and of themselves if you're following the series you like there (especially if the creators of those comics are trying to opt into things like Ad Rev), but if you're wanting to find stuff outside of Webtoons and Tapas, here are some other methods to do so:

Random Webcomic - About as unbiased as you can get, literally sends you to the website for a comic it pulls at random. All comics in the roulette are user-submitted so for the most part, they're all still active or at least have live sites. Sometimes you'll find the odd broken link tho ;0

Top Webcomics - A collective of webcomics competing for top spots. Offers plenty of ad space where people advertise their comics whether or not they make it to the top of the voting pool. And has genre listings you can browse if competitive listings aren't your thing.

The Webcomic List - A collection of webcomics submitted by users that are then crawled by the site's bots to check for new updates. It has a list for most recently updated, but also sorts by genre. Definitely one of the most "old school" listings to exist.

SpiderForest - A jury-picked collection of webcomics. Once every year or two they open submissions where people can pitch their new or ongoing comics - if they're picked, they get a special listing and features on the site, and can either have their existing website affiliated with SF branding or have a new site created for them by the staff. It's all non-profit and it mostly serves as a community of creators and readers, they are not a publisher, but they offer a wide variety of titles.

Hiveworks - Similar concept to SpiderForest except they're an actual publisher so they offer even more benefits to their selected creators including print deals and merchandising, but as such they're way harder to get into. Their submissions have been closed for a VERY long time but they offer a wide array of comics that typically appeal to general-audiences (i.e. there are no NSFW comics AFAIK).

GlobalComix - A platform that, while not new anymore, has been making strides in competing with platforms like Webtoons and Tapas. Has a lot of Western-style comics but their library variety has been growing and I'm pretty sure they're planning on releasing an app soon (if they haven't already).

ComicFury - The final frontier of old school early 2000's webcomic platforms. Run by one guy, this site allows for full HTML/CSS customization, domain hosting, and all those fun little things from an era long gone by. The front page sorting is set to "Recently updated" by default so there's no algorithm bullshit, no editors playing favorites, just classic 2000's era reading.

As a final note, the best part about browsing for comics that have their own sites is that they usually include listings of other comics that are similar to their own. Sites like Tamberlane will often have roulettes of other recommended comics that you can sift through.

There are plenty other comic aggregation sites out there too, of course, but these ones should help you get started if you're looking for other platforms and archives that aren't subject to corporate scrubbing or picky algorithms. It helps decentralize the Internet just a little bit more and rejuvenate what made webcomics so amazing in the first place - independent ownership, accessibility, and unapologetic existence.

Enjoy! <3

#comic reading #comic collection #webcomic advice #ama #ask me anything #anon ask me anything #anon ama

100 notes · View notes

tellthemeerkatsitsfine · 6 months ago

Text

Well, I've updated the HTML page:

Here is the new row added to the spreadsheet.

Date: 2024-12-29

Source: The Bugle podcast

Title: John and Andy Answer Your Questions!

Who said it: Listener question (from Sarah - editor's note: I'm Sarah), discussed by Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver

Name for group given: Chocolate Milk Gang

Members listed: Russell Howard, John Oliver, Daniel Kitson, David O'Doherty, Alun Cochrane (Andy Zaltzman reads this membership list from the 2007 Jay Richardson article on The List)

How they were described:

Andy Zaltzman: This comes from Sarah, who asks: "in the early 2000s, Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver were in an international of syndicate of comedians called the Chocolate Milk Gang. John Oliver: What? How is that true? Andy Zaltzman: This was news to me, John. I had to look this up. John Oliver: Chocolate Milk Gang? Andy Zaltzman: The Chocolate Milk Gang. John Oliver: That sounds like a kind of group that robs banks, and leaves chocolate milk in the vaults that once held gold bullions. Andy Zaltzman: Yeah. The only evidence I could find for this was an interview with Russell Howard - John Oliver: Oh, for fuck's sake. There you go, there's your culprit. Andy Zaltzman: Our comedic contemporary. But not our age contemporary, given that he's still, I think, about twenty-one years old. John Oliver: Yeah. Andy Zaltzman: Um, in which he was described as being part of the "Chocolate Milk Gang", which - it didn't mention me, it did mention you, Daniel Kitson, David O'Doherty, and I think Alun Cochrane, as "comedians who have turned away from the hard living, hard drinking lifestyle often associated with stand-up comedy". And were apparently known as the Chocolate Milk Gang. Now, I don't remember this phrase - John Oliver: No. Andy Zaltzman: From, you know, when - I mean, this article must have been at least from twenty years ago. The Chocolate Milk Gang. John Oliver: That feels like a label that has been stuck on us, rather than a label that we concocted ourselves. Also, one of the many reasons I think that that is built on nothing is that I'm not even a fan of chocolate milk, Andy. That would not be my drink of choice at any time. I don't know what the point of chocolate milk is, really. Andy Zaltzman: No. I mean, unless you've got a chocolate cow. I mean, what really is the point of it? Um - I mean, a chocolate mozzarella, I'd be up for that. I could see that working. John Oliver: Would you? Andy Zaltzman: If you get a chocolate buffalo, yeah. It depends on the texture, it's all about the texture. Anyway, and, um: "Accounts of the group's origins," Sarah continues, "tend to differ in specifics, such as who coined its name, whether they drank chocolate milk or milkshakes. Could you provide a definitive explanation? This question has been keeping me awake at night for a number of years," writes Sarah. John Oliver: That, I would - you need to sleep. There's your - I will say, I'm not a fan of chocolate milk, had not heard of this term, I think, like you, Andy, until recently. So, we're both in the clear, as far as I'm concerned. Andy Zaltzman: Right. John Oliver: Now, you've pointed the finger pretty strongly at Russell Howard there. Andy Zaltzman: Yeah. John Oliver: And I think it's incumbent upon him to fucking explain it. I would be not be surprised if that guy guzzled chocolate milk to a medically inadvisable extent. Andy Zaltzman: Yeah. I mean, when we all started comedy, I think he was probably too young to buy alcohol, so that might have been part of it.

I see how the first thing to come up when Zaltzman Googled it was that article from The List. That's the first thing I found too, when I first started searching for this quite a long time ago. And it's so incomprehensible, so fucking weird, making it sound like Russell Howard and his buddies were the first comedians to ever wear a t-shirt, and dropping that "Chocolate Milk Gang" name as though it makes any sense at all. It took me many hours of further research to find any of those other references to it, which further explain.

I think I slightly forgot how absurd the words "Chocolate Milk Gang" sound if you're not used to them. I mean, that's what started me down that rabbit hole in the first place, back then. I saw those words on John Oliver and Russell Howard's Wikipedia pages, put there as though that's a reasonable thing to call people with no explanation, and I thought - I need to know what it means. So I Googled, and the only thing that came up right away was that List article, which made everything even less clear, and then I kept searching, and now, several years later, there's that spreadsheet. But the words sound normal to me now. Zaltzman and Oliver's bewildered reaction reminds me that, if you haven't normalized the words "Chocolate Milk Gang" so much that you frequently use the abbreviation CMG for them, it's a really wild thing for someone to just send you an email about.

They put a lot of blame on Russell Howard there, which makes sense because the article about him is the main thing that comes up when you Google. But that one article (from 2007 - Andy Zaltzman said it must be at least 20 years ago, but it's in fact only about 18 years ago) is one of only two times I've seen Russell Howard mention it. Though the other time was in an article from 2024, so apparently Russell Howard still remembers it now.

However, I still think the Chocolate Milk Gang concept mainly comes from David O'Doherty. He's the person who's referenced it publicly the most often, according to my extensive research. One of the only references that comes from someone outside The Gang itself is from David McSavage, who brings it up while talking shit about David O'Doherty; he frames this gang as consisting of DO'D and his friends. David O'Doherty has referenced the Chocolate Milk Gang by name on three different occasions (a magazine interview from 2008, his ComComPod episode from 2014, and an interview with the Irish Times from 2006), but has also done multiple interviews across many years, in which he's talked in very specific detail about the CMG and its origins, stopping just short of using the actual name. Other people have done this too, but DO'D's done it the most often, I think. He's also got a biography page on his website (that he clearly wrote himself, not just a publicity blurb) the details the CMG origins, despite not quite using the actual CMG name.

So the obvious conclusion, to draw based on the above Bugle podcast transcript, is that I have been a victim of a long-term prank by David O'Doherty, who thought it would be funny to drop a few hints across many years that some comedians went by an absurd name, in case some comedy fan ever does a very deep dive into their history and finds all those clues and actually believes that the most famous political satirist in the world was once a member of something called the Chocolate Milk Gang. Though DO'D first referenced the CMG by name in 2006, so it's a prank that started long before he actually knew how famous John would be.

Not sure how he got his bitter enemy David McSavage in on it - though I think they were once friends (up until right around the time that McSavage talked a bunch of shit about him on a podcast). And Russell Howard. And Dominic Maxwell? And they got it on Wikipedia.

I mean, I'm joking about it being a prank. But I want to know how the term could have been used for so long without Zaltzman or Oliver having even heard of it. That's what surprised me. I was expecting them to say it wasn't really used much, but not to say they'd never heard the words before in their lives. And I would say that maybe they just don't remember much from the 00s, but John Oliver, amazingly, remembered every damn detail of Cowgate correctly. And Andy could pretty accurately describe Zaltzhorse Night.

I mean, that website of DO'D's also has an email address on it. "Hello, why did you lie to Stuart Goldsmith about which terminology Glenn Wool used to call you a fucking nerd in 2002? Thank you for your time, big fan of your work - especially all your stand-up hours that I've had the privilege to see or hear, and the time you took apart a cow in 2003. I also liked the 2006 TV show where you played with a kitten for a bit, and those times in 2006-07-08 when you got locked in an Australian radio station all night with Daniel Kitson and Claudia O'Doherty."

...I won't, I promise. If I wait another few years, maybe someone will explain.

I can't get over the fact that I now have a video of John Oliver telling me to go to sleep. I have affected John Oliver's life. I frantically Googled a bunch of stuff several years ago (and then continued researching it over the next few years), and as a result of that, a few minutes of John Oliver's life were different than they'd have otherwise been. Also, I made Andy Zaltzman laugh. You can hear him properly laughing as he reads the end of my email, where I say it's been keeping me awake at night (I'm... glad they think that was a joke). Fucking delightful. What an amazing outcome with so many more questions than answers.

7 notes · View notes

thevalkyriesshadow · 9 months ago

Text

Writing tag game by @bonecarversbestie !

Describe your writing process from idea to posting/publishing?

My ideas: I'm often inspired by moodboards, pinterest images, writing prompts I see on tumblr, movies and shows I watch...inspiration is everywhere! I also try and write things I'm familiar with or things I have interest in. It makes the research part more entertaining and engaging! Once I get an idea I play out the story in my head for a few days before I'm sure I like the possibilities of the story...if I really like the idea I get right to writing, even if it's a part of a scene or a small intro.

I LOVE THE RESEARCH ASPECT OF WRITING

I know, the boring part, but I learn so many new things and I like my fics to be accurate to a degree...of course at some point I just have to be like "Debbi, it's okay if it's not possible for your character to survive a fifty foot drop -- you're doing it for the angst!!!!!"

Writing/Editing: I keep everything I do to Google docs! I can access it anywhere from my phone and I love the outline tool. As soon as I get an idea, I make a new doc and add the idea or outline.

I will write at home, on the bus, on my break at work, anywhere! I'm shameless so I don't mind writing smut next to strangers on a bus or in a cafe 😅 I like to write a chapter out without really focusing on editing, and if there's a moment where I'm struggling to find a way to phrase or talk about something or a word to use, I just bold that section and keep going. Then I'll go back and edit it.

I'll admit, I'm an awful editor LOL I'll go back through and make sure it makes sense (I like to try and find creative ways to get what's in my head on paper and sometimes it just doesn't sound good LOL)

I only recently had people start reading my stuff before posting and I always feel so bad for the grammar of mine they have to endure (To my beta readers, I love you and you're awesome! 💖)

I just have to remind myself that Stephen King had horrible grammar, but incredible stories. That keeps me going hahaha

Posting/Publishing: I am too lazy to go back through and type in the html, so I just hope and pray my italics make it through while copying it to AO3. So far it's cooperated. I've only had to go back and add in italics two or three times.

I like to promote my stuff with sneak peeks before posting fully, and recently I've been addicted to making playlists on spotify for my fics, little collages for when I post a new chapter on tumblr, creating ways for my readers to engage with the story by letting them choose certain things that happen next.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Both! 😅

Thirty Moments I planned out. I did have a thirty day OTP prompt I had written for merthur back in like 2014 so I followed that and changed it up a bit to go with acotar/gwynriel, and I knew I wanted the prompts to tell a story as they went along rather than them being one-offs so that required planning. That was my most extensive outline. My other outlines are quick little notes, like a basic idea of what's coming next...some times I follow that and some times it derails completely and I go off course!

BB, NH is very much pantsing. I went into it deciding that's how I'd do it because I wanted to try the method and I really like pantsing!

I think it really depends on the fic for me and how much bandwidth I have for the fic.

What do you listen to when you are writing?

Spotify playlists that fit the vibe of the story, or the playlist I created for the fic!

There's also a guy who plays the trumpet in the park I live next to, so sometimes I'll just listen to that as I write 🤣

What’s your drink of choice (while writing)?

I find my best writing happens in the morning so I'll usually have coffee or tea. In the afternoons if I'm writing it's kind of whatever I'm drinking; water, seltzer, wine...I don't have a specific drink I stick to when writing.

Promote yourself! What’s your favourite thing you’ve written?

Um, all of it? hahahaha no but I really loved Thirty Moments Tell A Story. It was my first major (published - I wrote something right after reading ACOSF and it was basically word vomit, but word vomit with potential so I'm currently editing that lol) Gwynriel fic and I loved the themes I explored.

Share a fic of yours that you think is underrated/deserves more love.

I'm going to shamelessly share FOUR of my one shots that deserve more love:

Please...Stay (because I love some angst with a happy ending)

The Priestess Listened (because Azriel just needs someone to listen to him)

Song of the Shadowsinger (what I think happened *HOFAS spoiler* when Azriel returned without TT)

Getaway Car (I got this idea when driving through Philly...it's the wild west in these mean streets)

Do you have any advice for new writers?

From the inspirational words of Shia LaBeouf: JUST DO IT

Seriously. Write the awful stories. Write the ones you can't get out of your head, or the ones that you only gave a minute of thought to. Writing anything helps you to hone your craft and meld it to what you want it to look like.

Try and write a little everyday. Even if it's a sentence, editing, an idea...anything to keep the juices flowing.

Take your time. Don't rush it.

This part is easier said than done, but don't be hard on yourself. Write because you like to do it, not because you're expecting a million hits or comments or kudos.

Talk with other writers and get their advice.

Read, read, read...seeing other writing helps to fuel and inspire yours!

Take breaks and remember to be kind to yourself!

What is a writing style/technique that others do really well that you'd like to get better at?

I like my smut, but I think I could do better at making it less telling and more showing.

Is there a character you were surprised you enjoyed writing as much as you did?

I like writing about the other Valkyries and giving them personalities. I liked writing Azriel’s mother as well!

I also have Balthazar as a beta in my Valkyrie appreciation week fic and I've only written one line for him so far but I'm already entertained by him 🤣

Thank you for tagging me @sadiegirl2021

No pressure tags: @captain-of-the-gwynriel-ship @oristian @shadowsxgwynriel @foreverinelysian

#gwynriel #gwynriel fanfiction #acotar fanfiction #fanfic writers #fanfiction #writers on tumblr

13 notes · View notes