explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3245: Results Age

2026-05-14T01:52:37Z

JohnHawkinson: self-posts too

oh god these are uncomfortably accurate...though sometimes the post age is the next time rung down. i hit an issue recently which sent me to mozilla forum posts from 2008, migrated twice, where the people having the problem seem to have stopped caring about it a decade ago - '''[[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]]''' ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 18:43, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

Man, I’m not even 24 ''years old'' [[Special:Contributions/2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:803D:CE4C:ED8:DED4|2A02:6B6F:E226:B00:803D:CE4C:ED8:DED4]] 18:45, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

I guess once we finish the table in the explanation we can convert that to a similar table in the transcript, rather than doing them independently. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:13, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
:No. [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#What is the format of the transcript section?|Tables do not belong in the Transcript.]] It serves a different purpose. And it'll just be the text that's there, so would be far simpler (and more likely to be 'finished' any time soon) than the Explanation table which will get tweaked to add or clarify explanatory descriptions.
:You ''could'' copy an Explanation table (having the comic text, in various rows and columns) to the Transcript then 'de-Table' it (remove the table-formatting) and 'en-Transcript' what remains (add the ":[This bit looks like..]" stuff). But that's not much less effort than rewriting such a relatively small comic's from scratch.
:It can also go the other way, though... Someone gets the Transcript done, and then ''from that'' the base text of the Table is 'en-Tabled'. It'd depend on who visits the newly-created Comic page and what they decide to concentrate on to start up the otherwise blank page that the BOT put together. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:56, 13 May 2026 (UTC)
::I added the content of the table to the transcript based on the format of [[3120: Geologic Periods]] which also has a table. --[[Special:Contributions/208.59.176.206|208.59.176.206]] 00:49, 14 May 2026 (UTC)

I will add an explanation of an edge case [[User:SomebodyElse|SomebodyElse]] ([[User talk:SomebodyElse|talk]]) 19:40, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

If it's negative time old you are in a Tardis. If it's sqrt(-1) time old, give me some of whatever it is you are smoking. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 22:02, 13 May 2026 (UTC)

Yeah it's even better when there's no god damn results at all.[[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 00:29, 14 May 2026 (UTC)

What about when the post is more than 13 years old and you see that the post is from yourself, you had just forgotten about it? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 01:52, 14 May 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3235: Types of Board Game

2026-04-24T16:49:12Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Cool table. */ Deskhap?

I created a starter explanation, but I have no idea how to create tables. [[Special:Contributions/47.146.30.92|47.146.30.92]] 04:08, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

It is rare that xkcd makes me laugh out loud, but this comic's title text really got me! XD [[Special:Contributions/2601:241:8002:3E0:C95E:1939:2ED0:CD78|2601:241:8002:3E0:C95E:1939:2ED0:CD78]] 04:22, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I wonder if blackhat is the one who committed the murder in the last game, and was expunged from the current round with the social deduction game [[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 04:35, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Also, I "fixed" panel 6: https://www.pasteboard.co/hxBFDL497SLH.png [[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 04:54, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Whoever it was didn't necessarily commit the murder ''in the game'' - all we know is that it was ''discovered'' during the game. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:39, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

The reference to Monopoly seems ultra-specific given the plethora of games that have this structure, including Candyland, Snakes and Ladders, Sorry, and if one allows for multiple tokens, Parchisi and even Backgammon. Despite the amount of hate for Monopoly, it seems more likely that the editor has something against Monopoly than Randal. [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 05:14, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Also, Monopoly, played by the correct rules, is not that boring. It's just, that too many people skip the bidding rule. With 4 Players, after one turn around the table for all four game pieces (which required 10-12 dice rolls per player), statistically 75% of all properties should be snatched up. [[Special:Contributions/195.65.24.115|195.65.24.115]]

::Probably not worth debating how boring/bad Monopoly is or isn't. Suffice it to say that there are a large number of people who despise it, rightly or wrongly. [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 06:13, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:::No, there are a large number of people who aware of the fact that Monopoly is supposed to be despised, and so espouse that view – like people who say they hate the word "moist" or believe that "We Built This City" is the worst song ever, because they've been told to say that. The number of people who have actually played Monopoly (using the actual rules) and who actually hate it is much, much smaller. People widely advertise hatred for a badly designed game based on a misinterpretation of Monopoly. That's not hating Monopoly – that's just not getting it and blaming someone else. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:15, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
::::Even if you play Monopoly by the proper rules, it means that players get eliminated and leave the game. That's not a good thing for a social activity. It's less fun to finish a game if the majority of players (supposing you started off with 5 or 6 players) have already left the room to watch TV before the game ends. --[[Special:Contributions/208.59.176.206|208.59.176.206]] 13:42, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::That's assuming you don't reincorporate the bankrupt/departing players by having them 'employed' by the remaining ones, in some interesting manner (even without being represented by pieces that can move). Evolving into some kind of Cooperative, Party and/or Social Deduction team-game, by the time it's one-on-one by playing pieces alone.
:::::Or allow it to become suitably entertaining to spectate, such as everyone not now in the game being allowed to make entirely separate side-bets using real-world cash (or other deals/promises... "Strip Monopoly" need not bother the ''players'' directly, except for having a reason (or not) to try to keep playing well).
:::::Clearly, none of this is stipulated directly in the boxed rules, but none of it need change the rules that ''are'' provided, which can be adhered to as strictly as you like. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.188|82.132.238.188]] 15:44, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Monopoli? Is that the Italian version?--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8046:B94B:F152:34FA|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8046:B94B:F152:34FA]] 07:51, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

It's possible that [[Special:Contributions/2A02:8071:5C20:40:84FB:9239:8AB8:1729|2A02:8071:5C20:40:84FB:9239:8AB8:1729]] (who made both this edit and the Pachisi edit), coming from Germany, doesn't realize that in America, Parcheesi and Monopoly are the more accepted spellings (Pachesi is probably more appropriate for the historical game Parcheesi is based on, but this is about table games not historical games). [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 08:02, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I misread the tie-in as being Grogu, which would have made it even weirder. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:52, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Me too. Maybe because I'm not a board gamer and have never heard of Goku before. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:19, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I think a clearer example of a "boring" game is Ludo, where the goal is simply to move all the pawns around the board once. [[User:Redmess|Redmess]] ([[User talk:Redmess|talk]]) 09:57, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Ludo is Pachisi/Pachesi/Parcheesi, apparently (can't say I've ever heard of any of those names - always knew it as Ludo - but Ludo is a later name). There is a minimal amount of strategy involved in Ludo, in that you get to choose which pawn to move on any given go - unlike, say, Snakes & Ladders, which is entirely down to chance. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:57, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Where does the 3.75 for Twilight Imperium come from? First and second editions have 3.46, 3rd edition has 4.26 and 4th is even at 4.35. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:03, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I miss the board game extention pack to Calvinball. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:1888:3B86:68A0:FA0F|2A02:2455:1960:4000:1888:3B86:68A0:FA0F]] 11:47, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Remember: If you don't touch the 30-yard base wicket with the flag, you have to hop on one foot! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:26, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
Went with a base game rating for Twilight Imperium, maybe one of the expansions is higher, but base game seems like most appropriate to reference. --[[User:Trimutius|Trimutius]] ([[User talk:Trimutius|talk]]) 11:58, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

What did the comment mean about the truth or dare murder reveal being untrue?
:I’m confused about this as well. I looked it up and it looks like he was convicted on some pretty compelling evidence. I’m not seeing anything about him being found not guilty on appeal. [[User:Salsmachev|Salsmachev]] ([[User talk:Salsmachev|talk]]) 14:01, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:: I assumed it meant that it turned out that the bit about admitting it in a game of Truth or Dare turned out to be embellishment, but I can't find any evidence of that either. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:58, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I ''REALLY'' want "Candles of Vienna" to exist. [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 14:31, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Maybe add some real hyperspecipic games? Like "castles of mad king Ludwig" or "Whitechapel". [[Special:Contributions/2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:C1DE:6320:68C1:1C95|2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:C1DE:6320:68C1:1C95]] 16:06, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure Hive is a good example for an abstract game; as it has a clear theme based on real things (bugs) even if some of the mechanics seem a little arbitrary. The other one given seems to fit; although the example in the comic feels to me like a parody of the Gipf games specifically. And trying to see how many others I could think of made me wish I had friends to play Otto Game Over with. -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 17:14, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Do replace it if you have better examples - I just put in the first couple that came to mind to replace the previously quoted games that didn't seem to fit the theme at all. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:13, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Are there actual rules for cones of dunshire available somewhere, or is it purely fantasy? [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 18:35, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Being Category Theory, it's complete fantasy. [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 19:25, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
::I don't think the ([https://parksandrecreation.fandom.com/wiki/The_Cones_of_Dunshire_(game) fictional], then [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/165694/the-cones-of-dunshire defictionalised]) Cones Of Dunshire game is actually based on Category Theory. It's the comic's 'overcomplicated' game (''also'' with Cones Of Dunshire elements, merged with something else) that ultimately has the Category Theory basis. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:27, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

The newest version of Twilight Imperium has a complexity of 4.35. The 3.46 mentioned in the explanation is for the 1st edition, from the 90s, which nobody plays nowadays. I think the explanation is therefore wrong. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:7B66:7B00:5558:336C|2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:7B66:7B00:5558:336C]] 20:52, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Factcheck: It's not wrong, but it may be misleading. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:17, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

And these are ALL of the types of board game? I guess Randall's never played Settlers Of Catan, or Betrayal At The House On The Hill. (Though, I guess you could always just default to calling them "boring," since that has no real criteria.) [[Special:Contributions/69.5.140.194|69.5.140.194]] 23:20, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Randall has favorably mentioned Agricola and I think a few other Euros in previous comics, so he knows Euro games with the '''right amount''' of complicated (enough to be un-boring) do exist. Maybe he couldn't come up with a good joke about them? Regarding Betrayal games, it's not unfair to count them as a variant of Co-op. [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 10:33, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

I am not particularly familiar with either {{w|Friends}} or {{w|Dragon Ball}}, but…why is the Goku tie-in "ill-advised"? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 01:18, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
: Pretty sure it's because Goku doesn't really have anything to do with the existing characters the board game is based on. A Mario and Sonic cross over makes sense, but a Mario and Doom Guy crossover? Might be cool, but doesn't really make sense, and the mix of target audience is weird. [[Special:Contributions/110.145.224.178|110.145.224.178]] 04:04, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
:: A tie-in that "doesn't really make sense" does not, for me, sound "ill-advised." I'd reserve ill-advised for unexpected consequences of a tie-in, like hypothetical award-winning bakers Hansel Adams and Gretel Garbo join forces in a new pastry company called Hansel and Gretel that brings to mind the dark fairy tale when it was unintended. Maybe I'm being too strict about it. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 18:13, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
::: I think it's problematic because there is no tangible or easily conceptualised overlap between the two (or more!) respective canons. Whatever the premiee is for the core game, we can presume that shoehorning Goku into it is going to be... Strange. Either suddenly Goku is more likely to be sitting on a sofa saying how things are "soooooo <something-or-other>" (or whatever it is that a Friends-themed game tries to convey... but I'm not a games designer, and it's also been far too long since I've seen the show!), or the player-character Ross has to deal with situations that Goku brings into the conjoined scenario.
::: It is also quite possible that some reasonably 'unforced' intersection could be made to allow such a crossover situation to work ''very well''. However, it seems clear that that this idealist result has ''not'' happened. It has perhaps preditably failed to be done well. More than that, it seems that it may have been meshed together ''very badly''. The only real information we have is Randall's 'in-universe critic' lambasting the effort. At the very least it failed to satisfy the voice-of-the-titletext, for whatever reason. The basis of this is more {{tvtropes|NoodleIncident}} than actually justified in any way, but there's no great reason to presume this isn't truly as ill-advised as we are informed it is. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.56|82.132.238.56]] 22:19, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
: It is difficult to identify why a tie-in to a board game ''that does not exist'' might be "ill-advised". But any situation which suits the ''Friends'' friends would be entirely foreign to Son Goku, the alien martial arts hermit. They are from very different genres! ''Friends'' is about silly situations arising from (relatively) mundane and relatable circumstances, with each episode being more or less interchangeable. ''Dragon Ball'' is a more plot-driven series, with high-stakes battles against demons and aliens and whatever Chiaotzu is, with Goku and his allies honing their skills and cultivating their power levels from chapter to chapter and arc to arc. They simply don't have any common ground which a board game could be built on. You ''could'' put Goku into a board game about whatever the ''Friends'' friends do, but he would fit about as well as Robert Baratheon would in the new Precure series. (For future readers: the detective one.) [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 23:39, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Oh dear, the party game is using the deprecated standard identified in XKCD 3232.--[[Special:Contributions/108.175.232.134|108.175.232.134]] 05:48, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
: "Wait - how do we know which one of us is the Count of Three?" [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:17, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure I agree that it stands to reason that Black Hat wouldn't be invited back after admitting to murder. I mean, you wouldn't want to annoy him, would you? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 14:17, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

The games that are Abstract and Themed are two sides of the same coin (which could also have further 'sides' from the list, of course). If you have to make a game around a given theme, you have the option of starting off with an established ruleset (e.g. "it's Monopoly, reskinned for Star Wars!") or you have to take canon features and invent some canon-logical gameplay mechanism to how they interact. But, having obtained your theme-game, you can strip the theme away and you still have the playable mechanism. Even if it ''seems'' arbitrary and inexplicable (e.g. "you sit Chandler and Phoebe together on a table at Central Perks" now becomes something about putting triangles and squares on a movable hexagon). Even with a 'pre-Theme' to the Themed game, like Monopoly, that can be reduced to the simplicity of mere tokens and it might seem nonsensical that the big red tokens on a given landing zone on the perimiter of a square board (or around a circular one, or it could be ''any'' kind of twisty, looping path, even) make it so that other players occasionally have to surrender other tokens to you. Or that other tiles may take counting tokens off/give counting tokens to ''anyone'' who lands there (or passes them), another sends you to another tile with further rules for when you can move again. You could play the 'framework monopoly' easy enough, without ever imagining Hotels, Mortgages, Taxes, etc as 'reasons' behind the rules provided.
 Compare and contrast: Something like Uno is very simple and self-describingly abstract (itself is based upon a standard 52-cards (+jokers?) game which seemingly arbitrarily assigns some card-values/faces to non-obvious functions - such as 8="change direction of play"). But Uno (or the standard playing-card game) can be reskinned into a canon-conversion. Say you want (out of thin air, this, no idea if it's been done like this at all!) Babylon 5... Kosh (or Kosh, of course) is shown on the 'change direction' card, maybe, and Mr Morden on the 'skip next player' one, with Zathrus (or Zathrus, or Zathrus... but maybe not Zathrus!) as the wildcard. The 'suits' of the relevent cards could be Human Minbari, Centauri and Narn, any values being the number (or scale) of the fighters/warships concerned. ''Alternatively'', you construct a game around the theme (moving through Brown Sector, Blue Sector, etc, encounter cards featuring the main characters (and more generic appropriate 'monster of the week'-like cameos) buff or penalise your progress on the way to some winning/losing condition in whatever Cooperative/Competitive/hybrid manner the designer wished to implement. But you can pluck the framework of the game away from the theme and the gameplay would work the same in the abstract sense. Or perhaps even shoehorn it into an (apparently) Hyperspecific game, totally unrelated to the Theme it was designed for (essentially a Themed game, but one or other of Themed or Hyperspecific might be considered a case of the Tail Wagging The Dog, if directly compared to the 'logical' other, with the Abstract being just the wagging with no dog and maybe no obvious tail - a kind of Cheshire Cat thing, buf the other way round).
 ...if you see what I mean. For those wanting a '''TL;DR;''': I'm saying that these aren't distinct game-types, but end-(or mid-?)points on a multidimensional spectrum. Being one type of game does not preclude something from possibly being another type. If not simultaneously (want to play a Cooperative Party Social-Deduction game, anyone?) then after merely superficial details are changed. You can de-Theme/re-Theme chess all kinds of ways... a computer chess-player doesn't need to know about how mediæval knights are abstracted to pieces that can leap others, or by mystified as to how fortified buildings are apparently mobile in a certain manner, yet ''can'' in the right circumstances be utterly defeated by a single footsoldier or even an otherwise useless head-of-state, etc. (You can play a game where your 'classical West-style turrets' are playing against the Elephants-with-Howdahs version of the opposing piece. This doesn't change your gameplay. It's not Games Workshop figures with "that figure doesn't have a Power Fist, so he can't ''use'' the Power Fist". You can move your Castle the same whether it's a building or an armoured pachyderm or Laurel And Hardy Stuck In A Chimney Pot.) ...umm, that was supposed to be a TL;DR;, of course, but please excuse the additional philosophising details that got added anyway. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.188|82.132.238.188]] 15:44, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
: "You can't play that card!" "Why not?" "''Not'' the one...!" [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:10, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Wanted to put in a completely unrelated comment on how the table is portrayed. It is rare to have a table with solid panels rather than either legs at the corners or more centralized pillars, particularly at a group gathering for tabletop gaming. Mentally we don't clock this portrayal as an abnormality because we almost never have an orthographic view of the table and players - the panel blocking out the view of the players sitting on the far side of the table fits our experience with the tabletop blocking our view of their legs and the seat of the chairs. [[Special:Contributions/57.140.32.1|57.140.32.1]] 17:15, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
:The text of the Transcript initially described it as a "counter", by the way, which more describes a 'block-not-leg(s)'-supported table. It was changed from that because of the more typical use of "counter" in a gaming context.
:But I also find it interesting. Probably rather than a typical dining (or living room) table, it's a countertop in an 'island kitchen' that's being used. Or a 'gaming room' with its main table/'[[2742: Island Storage]]' being of a type chosen to hold some or all of the various gaming options the owner possesses. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.56|82.132.238.56]] 22:19, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
:: ''Desk''? It seems to me that the furniture is a bit too low to be a kitchen countertop or island (as evidenced by the proportion of the chairs to the humans which are normal rather than barstool-like), but it's consistent with a side view of a desk, which often has big side panels. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 16:49, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

If anyone actually designs ''Candles of Vienna,'' let me know so I can design the Goku expansion. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 17:37, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3236: Border Message

2026-04-24T15:38:05Z

JohnHawkinson: Board, border, bordererer, borderest?

Wow, I got here early. [[Special:Contributions/47.152.141.142|47.152.141.142]] 21:11, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
: *salutations.* [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 21:39, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
The (sort of) Belgian village of Baarle-Hertog has numerous bizarre exclaves with neighbouring Netherlands, almost as complex as the borders in the cartoon. Some of the borders even pass through houses. https://maps.app.goo.gl/M5duocjEkJRQKedEA [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:22, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
:Baarle is divided into two, with ~-Nassau being Dutch (the Dutch royal family is Oranje-Nassau) and ~-Hertog is Belgian. Note that Baarle is a 2km² area with an extremely chaotic border, but that otherwise the Dutch-Belgian border is pretty normal relative to other European borders. [[User:IIVQ|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ|talk]]) 05:15, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:European states/counties/jurisdictions were often complex and non-contiguous with many enclaves and exclaves. Many of these complex situations have disappeared (e.g. in France through the creation of departements in 1790); but some persisted or still remain. See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclaves_of_West_Berlin_in_East_Germany [[Special:Contributions/62.112.240.32|62.112.240.32]] 12:50, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:there's no need to look all the way to Europe, although I was fascinated by "border corpse(Dutch: grenslijk)" stories. One example is the Four Corners Monument https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Corners_Monument which is administered by Navajo Nation(!) and also serves as a border for Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation.[[User:Cuvtixo|Cuvtixo]] ([[User talk:Cuvtixo|talk]]) 19:26, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
::That's the exact opposite of a complex border though: it's just a meeting of four perfectly straight lines. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:41, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:What is it with the Belgians and strange borders? Their border with Germany near Monschau is also a mess of exclaves. --[[Special:Contributions/88.97.176.34|88.97.176.34]] 22:00, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:: It's because those countries were slowly assembled over centuries out of innumerable principalities, duchies, bishoprics, etc., often through marriages, land gifts in exchange for political or military support, in payment of debt, and so on, so one individual might end up in control of many discontinuous territories. When those fiefdoms were eventually absorbed into larger states, many of those oddities persisted unless removed by some kind of territory swap (since no-one generally wants to unilaterally give up territory) or conquest by war. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:40, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

SMBC once had a similar idea to stop Gerrymandering: https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2013-07-12 [[Special:Contributions/90.146.31.117|90.146.31.117]] 23:02, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Gerrymandering was not my first thought when I saw this comic, maybe that part should be removed from the description? I don't see any real way that it connects to gerrymandering besides the fact that it talks about borders. [[User:Qoiuoiuoiu|Qoiuoiuoiu]] ([[User talk:Qoiuoiuoiu|talk]]) 01:56, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
: Maybe it was added after the vague link to that SMBC comic was found? [[Special:Contributions/110.145.224.178|110.145.224.178]] 03:22, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:: For what it's worth, the comment about gerrymandering was added in the very first text to be put on that page (21:09, 22 April 2026). It's not merely because of borders; it's because of "borders that have been made extremely convoluted for artificial reasons unrelated to the factors that usually define such boundaries, such as geographical features, roads, latitude/longitude, or regular divisions". [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 03:38, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:Even as a non-USian, the recent gerrymandering efforts immediately seemed like an obvious prompt for the idea of the comic to me, even if it doesn't specifically reference it. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:29, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:I put it in my original explanation, before the comment (indeed, before any comments). It only came to mind because Virginia was in the news that day, so reporters were talking about weirdly-shaped districts. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but Randall may have known that the vote was taking place that day when he came up with the comic. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:25, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

I once spelled out words on openstreetmap. There were some hiking trails nearby from a data set that opened up and I could not put them all up in one session, so I spelled "To Do" (in the shape of the actual hiking trails) on Openstreetmap. [[User:IIVQ|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ|talk]]) 05:15, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

Is there a category for US State comics? There seems to be a lot of them, and a category might make sence. If there isn't perhaps someone could make one? {{unsigned|GSLikesCats307|09:26, 23 April 2026 (UTC)}}
:There's [[:Category:US maps]], but that is really more specifically of the 'whole' US (give or take contiguousness/fictionalisation), whereas this is more just 'a map', not even necessarily a (theoretical) subset of the US (though the names given to either side of the border do have a more Leftpondian feel, having that 'settler vibe' to them). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.56|82.132.238.56]] 10:48, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

The W, O, P, O, ', R, O, A ,P all have clear exclaves. "A" and "R" seems to have two. However, it's unclear whether J and G are entirely exclaves, or possibly letters like "O" are doubly exclaved. If the answer to that is no, then that would mean there are 11 exclaves. Does anyone else agree with this assessment? [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 17:43, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:No 'letter' is an exclave of Southlake, as I see it. The one "A" has two cut-out regions (let's assume these are all exclaves of East Valley, in leiu of any other info), the two "H"s have an exclave each, the "M" has an exclave, the two "N"s have an exclave each, three "O"s each have one exclave, both "P"s also, the "R" has two separate exclaves (topologically, like the "A") and the "W" has an exclave. Totalling fifteen (presumed) exclaves of East Valley within Southlake's nominal boundary, unless I've miscounted something (probably missed one, rather than repeated anything.
:In addition, the apostrophe is (if not a totally different enclave/unincorporated area) an exclave of Southlake contained within East Valley's main contiguous area, so that's one more (of the opposite association).
:Nowhere is doubly-exclaved (a.k.a. counter-exclaved). Although the pinch-points of some of the baseline-meeting letter shapes (the "O"-bottomed ones, like the "G" and "J", more so even than the "O"s themselves) are close, you can (terrain and obstructions allowing) walk into and around the "letter strokes" from Southlake without crossing over East Valley territory and back again.
:What I find interesting is the slope of the writing (beyond the 'slope of the border' as it would be if it hadn't been made wiggly). I suspect that the way the natural border effectively would go from the character base on the left to higher up on the 'line height' to the right means that the ficticious map-definers (and, by extension, Randall) probably scrupulously ensured that this 'map doodling' made sure to not change the total area possessed by each side. By dipping the text-outlines down into Southlake, the area that might be considered nominally East Valley 'transfered' to Southlake as sections of letter-body seems to be balanced by the gain by East Valley by the baseline (at the right-hand end) dipping down into Southlake territory, until brought back up to the next 'level' section at the extreme right of the panel.
:Might be worth analysing areas, comparing the scrawl-related possessions vs. what a more direct line would give to each. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.117|82.132.238.117]] 20:13, 23 April 2026 (UTC)

I think the county names are a reference to 2548 [[User:FluffyGuardian70|FluffyGuardian70]] ([[User talk:FluffyGuardian70|talk]]) 22:31, 23 April 2026 (UTC)
:As well as East Valley being in [[2548: Awful People]] (al9ng with mention of an unnamed lake/area near that lake), it is also in [[2553: Incident Report]].
:I wouldn't exactly classify it as a 'reference' to either, myself, but clearly it's some placename that Randall has made up (or appropriated, perhaps memetically mutated, from a handy 'Somewhere County, Somestate' archetype that he knows) when he needs a nondescript placename of a certain type. Like I sometimes use "Hill Valley", as various other works do (could be an original oxymoron imagined up independently, in various cases, could be a knowing/unknowing reference to BttF... though for me I actually [https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/52.981000/-2.682372 know a place] with that name... though haven't looked into if ''that'' was possibly named as a fan reference, if the chronology of it isn't older yet). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.117|82.132.238.117]] 00:30, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

The explanation says "What logging would happen in the 'no man's land' between the letters is unclear (possibly none?), ...". I do not think that there is any no man's land between the letters. The land between the letters should belong to East Valley, as it is north of the border line. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:810D:9B99:7800:44E5:EA60:BFD9:E626|2A02:810D:9B99:7800:44E5:EA60:BFD9:E626]] 06:45, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
: I assume that was meant to refer to the exclaved land ''within'' the letters, but ''between'' was a confusing way of talking about that - have amended it. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:31, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

Belatedly I note that this comic was preceded by "Types of Board Game," which is to say, we went from Board to Border. This is probably an uninteresting coincidence. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 15:38, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3235: Types of Board Game

2026-04-22T18:13:53Z

JohnHawkinson: /* ill-advised */ bump down and reply

I created a starter explanation, but I have no idea how to create tables. [[Special:Contributions/47.146.30.92|47.146.30.92]] 04:08, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

It is rare that xkcd makes me laugh out loud, but this comic's title text really got me! XD [[Special:Contributions/2601:241:8002:3E0:C95E:1939:2ED0:CD78|2601:241:8002:3E0:C95E:1939:2ED0:CD78]] 04:22, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I wonder if blackhat is the one who committed the murder in the last game, and was expunged from the current round with the social deduction game [[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 04:35, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Also, I "fixed" panel 6: https://www.pasteboard.co/hxBFDL497SLH.png [[User:RG|RG]] ([[User talk:RG|talk]]) 04:54, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Whoever it was didn't necessarily commit the murder ''in the game'' - all we know is that it was ''discovered'' during the game. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:39, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

The reference to Monopoly seems ultra-specific given the plethora of games that have this structure, including Candyland, Snakes and Ladders, Sorry, and if one allows for multiple tokens, Parchisi and even Backgammon. Despite the amount of hate for Monopoly, it seems more likely that the editor has something against Monopoly than Randal. [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 05:14, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Also, Monopoly, played by the correct rules, is not that boring. It's just, that too many people skip the bidding rule. With 4 Players, after one turn around the table for all four game pieces (which required 10-12 dice rolls per player), statistically 75% of all properties should be snatched up. [[Special:Contributions/195.65.24.115|195.65.24.115]]

::Probably not worth debating how boring/bad Monopoly is or isn't. Suffice it to say that there are a large number of people who despise it, rightly or wrongly. [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 06:13, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:::No, there are a large number of people who aware of the fact that Monopoly is supposed to be despised, and so espouse that view – like people who say they hate the word "moist" or believe that "We Built This City" is the worst song ever, because they've been told to say that. The number of people who have actually played Monopoly (using the actual rules) and who actually hate it is much, much smaller. People widely advertise hatred for a badly designed game based on a misinterpretation of Monopoly. That's not hating Monopoly – that's just not getting it and blaming someone else. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:15, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
::::Even if you play Monopoly by the proper rules, it means that players get eliminated and leave the game. That's not a good thing for a social activity. It's less fun to finish a game if the majority of players (supposing you started off with 5 or 6 players) have already left the room to watch TV before the game ends. --[[Special:Contributions/208.59.176.206|208.59.176.206]] 13:42, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::That's assuming you don't reincorporate the bankrupt/departing players by having them 'employed' by the remaining ones, in some interesting manner (even without being represented by pieces that can move). Evolving into some kind of Cooperative, Party and/or Social Deduction team-game, by the time it's one-on-one by playing pieces alone.
:::::Or allow it to become suitably entertaining to spectate, such as everyone not now in the game being allowed to make entirely separate side-bets using real-world cash (or other deals/promises... "Strip Monopoly" need not bother the ''players'' directly, except for having a reason (or not) to try to keep playing well).
:::::Clearly, none of this is stipulated directly in the boxed rules, but none of it need change the rules that ''are'' provided, which can be adhered to as strictly as you like. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.188|82.132.238.188]] 15:44, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Monopoli? Is that the Italian version?--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8046:B94B:F152:34FA|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8046:B94B:F152:34FA]] 07:51, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

It's possible that [[Special:Contributions/2A02:8071:5C20:40:84FB:9239:8AB8:1729|2A02:8071:5C20:40:84FB:9239:8AB8:1729]] (who made both this edit and the Pachisi edit), coming from Germany, doesn't realize that in America, Parcheesi and Monopoly are the more accepted spellings (Pachesi is probably more appropriate for the historical game Parcheesi is based on, but this is about table games not historical games). [[User:Mneme|Mneme]] ([[User talk:Mneme|talk]]) 08:02, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I misread the tie-in as being Grogu, which would have made it even weirder. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:52, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Me too. Maybe because I'm not a board gamer and have never heard of Goku before. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:19, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I think a clearer example of a "boring" game is Ludo, where the goal is simply to move all the pawns around the board once. [[User:Redmess|Redmess]] ([[User talk:Redmess|talk]]) 09:57, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Ludo is Pachisi/Pachesi/Parcheesi, apparently (can't say I've ever heard of any of those names - always knew it as Ludo - but Ludo is a later name). There is a minimal amount of strategy involved in Ludo, in that you get to choose which pawn to move on any given go - unlike, say, Snakes & Ladders, which is entirely down to chance. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:57, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Where does the 3.75 for Twilight Imperium come from? First and second editions have 3.46, 3rd edition has 4.26 and 4th is even at 4.35. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:03, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I miss the board game extention pack to Calvinball. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:1888:3B86:68A0:FA0F|2A02:2455:1960:4000:1888:3B86:68A0:FA0F]] 11:47, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Remember: If you don't touch the 30-yard base wicket with the flag, you have to hop on one foot! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:26, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
Went with a base game rating for Twilight Imperium, maybe one of the expansions is higher, but base game seems like most appropriate to reference. --[[User:Trimutius|Trimutius]] ([[User talk:Trimutius|talk]]) 11:58, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

What did the comment mean about the truth or dare murder reveal being untrue?
:I’m confused about this as well. I looked it up and it looks like he was convicted on some pretty compelling evidence. I’m not seeing anything about him being found not guilty on appeal. [[User:Salsmachev|Salsmachev]] ([[User talk:Salsmachev|talk]]) 14:01, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:: I assumed it meant that it turned out that the bit about admitting it in a game of Truth or Dare turned out to be embellishment, but I can't find any evidence of that either. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:58, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I ''REALLY'' want "Candles of Vienna" to exist. [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 14:31, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Maybe add some real hyperspecipic games? Like "castles of mad king Ludwig" or "Whitechapel". [[Special:Contributions/2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:C1DE:6320:68C1:1C95|2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:C1DE:6320:68C1:1C95]] 16:06, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure Hive is a good example for an abstract game; as it has a clear theme based on real things (bugs) even if some of the mechanics seem a little arbitrary. The other one given seems to fit; although the example in the comic feels to me like a parody of the Gipf games specifically. And trying to see how many others I could think of made me wish I had friends to play Otto Game Over with. -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 17:14, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Do replace it if you have better examples - I just put in the first couple that came to mind to replace the previously quoted games that didn't seem to fit the theme at all. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:13, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Are there actual rules for cones of dunshire available somewhere, or is it purely fantasy? [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 18:35, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
:Being Category Theory, it's complete fantasy. [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 19:25, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
::I don't think the ([https://parksandrecreation.fandom.com/wiki/The_Cones_of_Dunshire_(game) fictional], then [https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/165694/the-cones-of-dunshire defictionalised]) Cones Of Dunshire game is actually based on Category Theory. It's the comic's 'overcomplicated' game (''also'' with Cones Of Dunshire elements, merged with something else) that ultimately has the Category Theory basis. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:27, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

The newest version of Twilight Imperium has a complexity of 4.35. The 3.46 mentioned in the explanation is for the 1st edition, from the 90s, which nobody plays nowadays. I think the explanation is therefore wrong. [[Special:Contributions/2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:7B66:7B00:5558:336C|2A02:BA0:10A8:4CB6:7B66:7B00:5558:336C]] 20:52, 21 April 2026 (UTC)
: Factcheck: It's not wrong, but it may be misleading. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:17, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

And these are ALL of the types of board game? I guess Randall's never played Settlers Of Catan, or Betrayal At The House On The Hill. (Though, I guess you could always just default to calling them "boring," since that has no real criteria.) [[Special:Contributions/69.5.140.194|69.5.140.194]] 23:20, 21 April 2026 (UTC)

Oh dear, the party game is using the deprecated standard identified in XKCD 3232.--[[Special:Contributions/108.175.232.134|108.175.232.134]] 05:48, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
: "Wait - how do we know which one of us is the Count of Three?" [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:17, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure I agree that it stands to reason that Black Hat wouldn't be invited back after admitting to murder. I mean, you wouldn't want to annoy him, would you? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 14:17, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

The games that are Abstract and Themed are two sides of the same coin (which could also have further 'sides' from the list, of course). If you have to make a game around a given theme, you have the option of starting off with an established ruleset (e.g. "it's Monopoly, reskinned for Star Wars!") or you have to take canon features and invent some canon-logical gameplay mechanism to how they interact. But, having obtained your theme-game, you can strip the theme away and you still have the playable mechanism. Even if it ''seems'' arbitrary and inexplicable (e.g. "you sit Chandler and Phoebe together on a table at Central Perks" now becomes something about putting triangles and squares on a movable hexagon). Even with a 'pre-Theme' to the Themed game, like Monopoly, that can be reduced to the simplicity of mere tokens and it might seem nonsensical that the big red tokens on a given landing zone on the perimiter of a square board (or around a circular one, or it could be ''any'' kind of twisty, looping path, even) make it so that other players occasionally have to surrender other tokens to you. Or that other tiles may take counting tokens off/give counting tokens to ''anyone'' who lands there (or passes them), another sends you to another tile with further rules for when you can move again. You could play the 'framework monopoly' easy enough, without ever imagining Hotels, Mortgages, Taxes, etc as 'reasons' behind the rules provided.
 Compare and contrast: Something like Uno is very simple and self-describingly abstract (itself is based upon a standard 52-cards (+jokers?) game which seemingly arbitrarily assigns some card-values/faces to non-obvious functions - such as 8="change direction of play"). But Uno (or the standard playing-card game) can be reskinned into a canon-conversion. Say you want (out of thin air, this, no idea if it's been done like this at all!) Babylon 5... Kosh (or Kosh, of course) is shown on the 'change direction' card, maybe, and Mr Morden on the 'skip next player' one, with Zathrus (or Zathrus, or Zathrus... but maybe not Zathrus!) as the wildcard. The 'suits' of the relevent cards could be Human Minbari, Centauri and Narn, any values being the number (or scale) of the fighters/warships concerned. ''Alternatively'', you construct a game around the theme (moving through Brown Sector, Blue Sector, etc, encounter cards featuring the main characters (and more generic appropriate 'monster of the week'-like cameos) buff or penalise your progress on the way to some winning/losing condition in whatever Cooperative/Competitive/hybrid manner the designer wished to implement. But you can pluck the framework of the game away from the theme and the gameplay would work the same in the abstract sense. Or perhaps even shoehorn it into an (apparently) Hyperspecific game, totally unrelated to the Theme it was designed for (essentially a Themed game, but one or other of Themed or Hyperspecific might be considered a case of the Tail Wagging The Dog, if directly compared to the 'logical' other, with the Abstract being just the wagging with no dog and maybe no obvious tail - a kind of Cheshire Cat thing, buf the other way round).
 ...if you see what I mean. For those wanting a '''TL;DR;''': I'm saying that these aren't distinct game-types, but end-(or mid-?)points on a multidimensional spectrum. Being one type of game does not preclude something from possibly being another type. If not simultaneously (want to play a Cooperative Party Social-Deduction game, anyone?) then after merely superficial details are changed. You can de-Theme/re-Theme chess all kinds of ways... a computer chess-player doesn't need to know about how mediæval knights are abstracted to pieces that can leap others, or by mystified as to how fortified buildings are apparently mobile in a certain manner, yet ''can'' in the right circumstances be utterly defeated by a single footsoldier or even an otherwise useless head-of-state, etc. (You can play a game where your 'classical West-style turrets' are playing against the Elephants-with-Howdahs version of the opposing piece. This doesn't change your gameplay. It's not Games Workshop figures with "that figure doesn't have a Power Fist, so he can't ''use'' the Power Fist". You can move your Castle the same whether it's a building or an armoured pachyderm or Laurel And Hardy Stuck In A Chimney Pot.) ...umm, that was supposed to be a TL;DR;, of course, but please excuse the additional philosophising details that got added anyway. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.188|82.132.238.188]] 15:44, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Wanted to put in a completely unrelated comment on how the table is portrayed. It is rare to have a table with solid panels rather than either legs at the corners or more centralized pillars, particularly at a group gathering for tabletop gaming. Mentally we don't clock this portrayal as an abnormality because we almost never have an orthographic view of the table and players - the panel blocking out the view of the players sitting on the far side of the table fits our experience with the tabletop blocking our view of their legs and the seat of the chairs. [[Special:Contributions/57.140.32.1|57.140.32.1]] 17:15, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

If anyone actually designs ''Candles of Vienna,'' let me know so I can design the Goku expansion. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 17:37, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

I am not particularly familiar with either {{w|Friends}} or {{w|Dragon Ball}}, but…why is the Goku tie-in "ill-advised"? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 01:18, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
: Pretty sure it's because Goku doesn't really have anything to do with the existing characters the board game is based on. A Mario and Sonic cross over makes sense, but a Mario and Doom Guy crossover? Might be cool, but doesn't really make sense, and the mix of target audience is weird. [[Special:Contributions/110.145.224.178|110.145.224.178]] 04:04, 22 April 2026 (UTC)
:: A tie-in that "doesn't really make sense" does not, for me, sound "ill-advised." I'd reserve ill-advised for unexpected consequences of a tie-in, like hypothetical award-winning bakers Hansel Adams and Gretel Garbo join forces in a new pastry company called Hansel and Gretel that brings to mind the dark fairy tale when it was unintended. Maybe I'm being too strict about it. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 18:13, 22 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3235: Types of Board Game

2026-04-22T01:18:59Z

JohnHawkinson: query ill-advised?

Talk:3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T18:36:22Z

JohnHawkinson: note the countdown hold in rockets (tongue in cheek)

Refer to all 4 Lethal Weapons movies for discussion. {{unsigned ip|45.138.52.240}}
:{{citation needed}} --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:45, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Don't most people say "on three", "on one", or "on go" before starting the count anyway? And then delay the final (action) number a teensy bit? e.g. "On one. Ready? 3 2 1" This isn't that ambiguous, not that I would object to standardisation. [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 23:13, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
:It is appallingly common for me to hear the inconsistent and dissonant, "On the count of three…one, two, three, GO!" (This is problematic because it is "on the count of THREE" not "on the count of GO, the word after three". Or at least, that is what I understand those words to mean.) [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 02:09, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:Just "on three" is the most common, I think. You say "On three. Ready? One, two THREE." [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 02:42, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
::"On three... THREE!" [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:56, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:There are two different conventions to synchronize a start -- by reacting or by rythmically coordinating. And both are used: in official swimming championships by World Aquatics they train to start to a perfectly rythmic "bip.. bip.. beeep" while in track and field championships by World Athletics the start judge waits an arbitrary time before triggering the gun to which athletes react. [[Special:Contributions/31.221.183.22|31.221.183.22]] 09:49, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
::There's at least a third - go at a predetermined time. And a fourth - use a start gate to physically restrain the starters. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:23, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it. -- Monty Python and the Holy Grail [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 00:35, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:[Arthur:] Right. One, two, five!
:[Galahad:] Three, sir.
:[Arthur:] Three! [*throws it*]
:...just to complicate matters. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:54, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
::Fantastic guys ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:44, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:I wouldn't look to God for standards on counting - just look at the mess around what 'forty days and forty nights' means. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:16, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Four... Two... One... One Half... One Quarter... One Eighth... One Sixteenth... One Thirty-second... One Sixty-Fourth... [go to infinity] GO! [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 03:47, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:Yeah, you don't even get the reference material foods. You're starving. [[Special:Contributions/47.141.37.161|47.141.37.161]] 16:36, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Just to make things even weirder: the movie industry counts 5, 4, 3, 2, go!
[[Special:Contributions/76.133.66.138|76.133.66.138]] 03:59, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:{{citation needed}} --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:44, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
::https://raymonddefelitta.org/i-dig-film-leader/ Film leaders do generally stop at 2 or 3, but they don't really count "3, [2,] go!". There's a 'silent' count for the absent numbers before you reach the 'go!' point. They're left black to avoid fouling the start of the projection. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:54, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm sure people all over the world will follow this standard just as faithfully as they follow ISO 8601. {{unsigned|2a00:1a28:1410:5::10db}}
:Here for reference: [[1179: ISO 8601]]. But there is at least one more with ISO reference: [[2322: ISO Paper Size Golden Spiral]]. So that is three comics referencing the ISO system directly (this one not in titel but in the text so no doubt that it would belong with the other two. But I'm not sure three is enough to create and ISO category? Could not on the spot find any others...? If someone can then we could make a category! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:43, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

The home inspections series has only 3 comics, if that helps (I can't link it though, for some reason. It's name is Category:Home Inspections). [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 13:36, 14 April 2026
:If you write <nowiki>[[Category:Home Inspections]]</nowiki>, it ''adds the current page to that category''; if you want to link ''to'' the category, you have to add an extra colon at the beginning, so <nowiki>[[:Category:Home Inspections]]</nowiki> gives you [[:Category:Home Inspections]] - [[User:IMSoP|IMSoP]] ([[User talk:IMSoP|talk]]) 15:12, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

All instances of "One... Two... Two and a half..." shall be referred to the International Criminal Court for prosecution. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1004:B0A0:E06:0:3E:A3FD:5401|2600:1004:B0A0:E06:0:3E:A3FD:5401]] 14:37, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

I personally use “And a 1, a 2, a 1 2 3 4” [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 15:18, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

3, 2, 1, 0, -1, ... -∞ [[Special:Contributions/45.178.3.59|45.178.3.59]] 15:26, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Dutch comedian Herman Finkers had a sketch where he said "We count to three. One, two <starts playing music>". In Dutch, "tot" means "up to and not including" while "tot en met" means "up to and including", wso wgen you say "I count to three" you should not include the three, even though most people will do so. [[User:IIVQ|IIVQ]] ([[User talk:IIVQ|talk]]) 18:01, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

I wonder if 3-2-1-Go is so well understood because it's similar to rocket countdowns: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-Blastoff! [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:30, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

:In between which of those numbers does the ''"Countdown hold"'' arrive? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 18:36, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Medical personnel still use 1-2-3 as the count-up when moving a patient from one platform to another (e.g. between a bed and gurney). They've standardized to lifting on 3. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:30, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3232: Countdown Standard

2026-04-14T02:09:15Z

JohnHawkinson: "on the count of"

Refer to all 4 Lethal Weapons movies for discussion.

Don't most people say "on three", "on one", or "on go" before starting the count anyway? And then delay the final (action) number a teensy bit? e.g. "On one. Ready? 3 2 1" This isn't that ambiguous, not that I would object to standardisation. [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 23:13, 13 April 2026 (UTC)

:It is appallingly common for me to hear the inconsistent and dissonant, "On the count of three…one, two, three, GO!" (This is problematic because it is "on the count of THREE" not "on the count of GO, the word after three". Or at least, that is what I understand those words to mean.) [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 02:09, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it. -- Monty Python and the Holy Grail [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 00:35, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:[Arthur:] Right. One, two, five!
:[Galahad:] Three, sir.
:[Arthur:] Three! [*throws it*]
:...just to complicate matters. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:54, 14 April 2026 (UTC)

User talk:42.book.addict

2026-03-18T17:35:49Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please fix your broken signature */ thanks. readability looks the same tho? Aside to DSB: "dangerous"? In what way? It was a simple error of omission. No danger accrues, regardless. Perhaps another word was intended.

<center>'''Archive 1'''</center>
<center>[[File:archive.png]]</center>
<center>For old and irrelevant messages, see my [[User talk:42.book.addict/archive|archive!]]</center>

== introductions ==
Just replying to your message (also dw no big deal for bothering me)
You click on your username and there should be an edit box. --[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 04:58, 7 February 2024 (UTC)
:it says that i dont have permission to create the page…
:There is currently no text in this page. You can search for this page title in other pages, or search the related logs, but you do not have permission to create this page. it says [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 19:33, 7 February 2024 (UTC)

I think you might have to wait some time (like a timer) until you can edit your own page... I think I only got to edit my page after 1 month of creating my account.--[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 21:31, 7 February 2024 (UTC)
:ok, thx [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:52, 7 February 2024 (UTC)

My guess on where you live is somewhere in the GMT zone, so United Kingdom.--[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 03:43, 8 February 2024 (UTC)
:nope, im a california girl :) ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 05:04, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

lol you never know with utc times --[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 16:52, 8 February 2024 (UTC)

== Depends what you wanted to do... ==

Is the following what you intended? 
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = [[File:trans_flag.png|45px]] | info = [[{{w|Transgender|This user is trans.}}]] | float = left }} 
{{clear}}...or is even the [[]] part not what you want?{{clear}}
{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = [[File:trans_flag.png|45px]] | info = {{w|Transgender|This user is trans.}} | float = left }} 
{{clear}}As brief a guide as I can manage:
*URL links use []. Although literal https://www.google.com will self-link without ''any'' wikimarkup, you probably don't want it to look like that most of the time.
** Just give the URL, as in <code><nowiki>[https://www.google.com]</nowiki></code>, to get a [https://www.google.com] (i.e. a reference number), not the best way to do it. It can be organised better with a 'References' section, but we don't do that here (they do on wikipedia, but usually with other bits to it.
** Better to give the URL and the text to use (after a space, a character that never appears raw in any proper URL). This can be <code><nowiki>[https://www.google.com Check It Out On Google!]</nowiki></code> or even <code><nowiki>[https://www.google.com https://www.microsoft.com (only kidding!)]</nowiki></code>, to give [https://www.google.com Check It Out On Google!] or [https://www.google.com https://www.microsoft.com (only kidding!)]... But perhaps best not to do the latter too much (I really didn't want to post that without the "(only kidding!)" part, in fact.)
*Internalised wikilinks use the [[]]s.
**Anything that can be found under the title, e.g. "2: Petit Trees (sketch)" (or, because of redirections, "2" and "Petit Trees (sketch)" go to the same spot, so <code><nowiki>[[2]], [[Petit Trees (sketch)]] and [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]]</nowiki></code> gives you the literal links [[2]], [[Petit Trees (sketch)]] and [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)]]
**Or use <code><nowiki>[[2: Petit Trees (sketch)|that comic with the little trees]]</nowiki></code>, additional text separated by the 'pipe' symbol (i.e. "|"), to link to [[2: Petit Trees (sketch)|that comic with the little trees]]
**You can also link across to articles on other 'wikimedia family' sites, but I'm not going to try to summarise that, as the primary reason to do that is to go to an actual Wikipedia article, and there's a template set up to do that ''very'' nicely, already (and also a few other places, like Wiktionary, and some not-really-wikis with a similar philosphy like TVTropes). If in doubt, do it as a URL link ''or'' find a place where someone else has clearly markuped a link to the same site as you want to link to.
*So, anyway, Wikilink templates use the {{template|w}}-template, with one or two paramaters (pipe-separated). (It shortcuts the thing you'd maybe use [[]]s for
**Using <code><nowiki>{{w|article}}</nowiki></code> gives you a link to "{{w|Article}}" (it capitalises the first character, even if you don't)
**Using <code><nowiki>{{w|article|with alternate text}}</nowiki></code> gives you a link there but "{{w|article|with alternate text}}"
**If the article name has whitespace (or other 'URL-unfriendly' characters) in it, those characters in the URL (which you wouldn't want to use) will be rendered as something URL-friendly. The URL for "Whitespace (programming language)", for example, is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitespace_(programming_language) but you wouldn't normally use that so literally in any case, and definitely not when you can significanty shorten it with the {{template|w}} notation.
***What you can do is (without 'alternate link text') render it as <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)}}</nowiki></code> - i.e. {{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)}} - but that's not nice to see 'rendered raw' when you ''want'' the spaces. You could give it alternate text via <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)|Whitespace (programming language)}}</nowiki></code> to give {{w|Whitespace_(programming_language)|Whitespace (programming language)}} ...but that's wasteful and unnecessary.
***Instead, just do <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace (programming language)}}</nowiki></code> (that's the literal copy of the article's own page title, from the rendered page) - and shows as {{w|Whitespace (programming language)}} - which is good. Although <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace (programming language)|the programming language called Whitespace}}</nowiki></code> might be the best way to seemlessly link to {{w|Whitespace (programming language)|the programming language called Whitespace}} ...depends what you want to appear there.
***And you can link to header anchors pretty much ''like'' the URL of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitespace_(programming_language)#History by using <code><nowiki>{{w|Whitespace (programming language)#History|the history of Whitespace}}</nowiki></code> to have you show {{w|Whitespace (programming language)#History|the history of Whitespace}} or whatever else you might want to use.
**Also, for the use of a link which is singular but which you would like to include as the plural (usually the "...s" or "...es" version), you could use article-name first parameter and ''pluralised'' article name as second, but instead of <code><nowiki>{{w|Plural|Plurals}}</nowiki></code>, for a link to the {{w|Plural|Plurals}}, you can save yourself a lot of effort by doing <code><nowiki>{{w|Plural}}s</nowiki></code> to also give you a linke to {{w|Plural}}s. Magic, eh? And it also works with <code><nowiki>{{w|Ox}}en</nowiki></code> to link the different standard plural of {{w|Ox}}en to the article for "Ox" (better than linking to the word for {{w|Oxen}}, which ends up redirecting to {{w|Ox}} anyway).
...so, anyway, that's the basics. And a few not-so-basics. So if the solutions to your tagging issue aren't already solved (or even if they are!), you might have enough info here to kludge it into whatever form of infobox info text you ''really'' wanted to use. Ok? Probably far too much info for you to absorb in one go, but covers loads of interesting possibilities. About the only thing you don't want to do is wikilink straight to the word "trans", at that'll be a disambiguation page. And there's also no way (or reason?) to use the terms "trans man"/"trans woman" as the pluralised "trans men"/"trans women" versions via the "directly add the plural suffix" thing, of course. :P Anyway, FYI. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.217|162.158.38.217]] 20:40, 25 May 2024 (UTC)
::oh my god thank you so much [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 19:38, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

== Welcome back, Tori! ==

How's life? [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 18:47, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:Eh, it’s fine. I just came back from New York on a ''very'' stressful flight-missed the original one, did my Language Arts homework on the flight, and came back to California at 2 am. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:26, 2 December 2024 (UTC)

== Comics with inverted brightness. ==

At the most arbitrary, I'd suggest that, just maybe, ''panes'' with inverted brightness fulfil the category requirements, or perhaps a bit of white text because it happens to be written on a more shaded bit of background, but I'm unsure that the {{diff|358698|lavatory signs}} strictly invoke inverted brightness (if real signs exist that are light-on-dark, which at least some of them are, this makes it an ''un''inverted depiction of one of them), and I'm unhappy with your (presumed) linking of this category for a {{diff|358691|tree silhouette}} (it shows the perfectly cromulant situation of bright sky behind a relatively dark tree, again not inverted, merely drawn for contrast).

An interesting example is something like [[811: Starlight]]. The stars (white spots on floodfilled black background) really shouldn't be considered inverted (black stars on white sky would be inverted; it's only that the category specifically mentions night ''and'' space scenes makes it valid from that perspective), but the text and stickfigures/etc ''are'' definitely inverted (all due to the background they're on).

It's just my opinion, but I don't think that any patch of black-floodfill (especially in just a fraction of a pane or two, within an otherwise normal multi-pane comic) around a white detail is automatically ripe for marking as inverted. I'll reluctantly accept "night sky" or "space" (but only with stars... no "entirely featureless black, through a window/porthole") as cause for being classed as Inverted, due to the category explanation. But feel that the true "inversion" is where there is [[566: Matrix Revisited|pane inversion]] which results in white text and/or (character) stickfigures upon black background as a definite contrast to 'normality'. Before you go too far with HotCatting some things that I'd feel compelled to revert (as I'm very tempted with the tree silhouette, and almost certain I should with the Gents-signs, for example...). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.119|141.101.98.119]] 19:12, 5 December 2024 (UTC)

==Hey again, I know we have some bad blood but...==
Hey 42, it's Z1m. I know we haven't seen each other in a while (who am I kidding, it's a wiki; I meant talked) Can you do the little welcome thing so I can edit my talk page? Thanks! [[User:Maybe Bill Cipher|An anonymous Gravity Falls expert]] ([[User talk:Maybe Bill Cipher|talk]]) 19:26, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
:Why can’t you use your old account? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:38, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
::I forgot my pass :skull: [[User:Maybe Bill Cipher|An anonymous Gravity Falls expert]] ([[User talk:Maybe Bill Cipher|talk]]) 22:33, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
:::SMH. Done. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:37, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
::::Thanks! [[User:Maybe Bill Cipher|An anonymous Gravity Falls expert]] ([[User talk:Maybe Bill Cipher|talk]]) 22:42, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

==I FORGOT MY PASS AGAIN ASDFGHJK<SAHFJEWIUBEIUWDBHIVHJ==
Help :( [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|Help I'm not OK]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 18:49, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:''sigh'' '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:41, 13 December 2024 (UTC)
:I KNOW I'M A DINGUS DON'T LOOK AT ME LEAV EME TO MY BASIC YELLOW DORITO SHAME [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|Do not click on this link if you wish to keep your soul]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]])

==Hi (3==
Sorry if I'm bothering you too much, just wanted to say hi. {{unsigned|Definitely Bill Cipher|15:19, 17 December 2024 (UTC)}}
:Please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:05, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
::Sorry [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|A dream demon]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 19:10, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
:::It’s fine, as long as you remember. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:51, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
::::So, uh... do you wanna take this to my talk page and we can talk or... [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|A dream demon]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 21:18, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

==Congrats==
:I checked and you're the contributor today that has made the most edits. I'm on the leaderboard too, but not in the top three *0(*. Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you. Talk to me anytime! [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:52, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
::Ok, that’s nice. I’ve stopped viewing Contribution Scores as a measurement of my editing ability-it only measures how many points and how many pages I have edited, not the quality of my edits or how much of an impact they have on the wiki. A bot can spam and get onto the All-Time Top 50 Leaderboard, but that's not reflective of its helpfulness (none). '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:49, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
:::I remain free from all such objectivity by staying firmly off the list. I ''could'' flatter myself that I deserve a place, for all my (useful?) work over the last 10+ years, but... no definitive tallying and I don't even fool myself that this statement can be believed. Which is liberating. No temptation to "edit for editing's sake", and remaining blissfully unaware how much time I must have spent not doing ''other'' important things. But that's just me (assuming you accept my account), and please don't consider this as downplaying the known-and-named contributors (current and past) who have made a more attributable contribution. Horses for courses. You (both) be you, and who knows where any of us might be in another ten years; hopefully managing to create a net positive outcome for the world, as the only thing that ''anybody'' should aspire to.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.182|172.69.43.182]] 17:18, 19 December 2024 (UTC)

== Bluey news just dropped. ==

https://youtu.be/ititZcuih8E?si=_9ceRfwc52qfa5Tu [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 20:23, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
:NOOOO '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:25, 19 December 2024 (UTC)
::wait, what?--[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 16:53, 3 April 2025 (UTC)

== Deleting User Talk Pages ==
I noticed that you added some user talk pages into the pages to be deleted category. Even if they are an IP address and only have one comment, they still probably shouldn't be deleted. I only noticed because you had marked my talk page. [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you want to]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 09:19, 1 January 2025 (UTC)
:As I commented over on your page (sorry, didn't spot this, yet), I think that it's perfectly legitimate to correct (by ''requesting'' deletion) the creation of IP-based User and User Talk namespace pages. The intended source/target can never make any proper use of them, and they are instead left open to disproportionately high chance of ''improper'' use.
:IPs ''may'' have been more reliably associated with particular login-less users (such as myself) in the earliest days of the site, but it's not just the current proxy-provider that makes it likely that anyone coming here is effectively randomised. A 2015-era commentator almost certainly doesn't have the exact same IP ''from their ISP'' (which is Cloudflared away, anyway), unless they've taken great trouble to maintain statically upon it, and that's presuming that they haven't switched providers and/or routing hardware in the last decade, to further muddle it up.
:So far, I haven't seen any communications to a User Talk:<IP> page that deserves preserving (and User:<IP> stuff tends to be worse, thankfully rarer), but if a named user (who may or may not be currently active, or have had their own Talk page) contributes anything 'untrivial' then you could perhaps copy it to their own (newly created, if necessary?) user-page, or to whatever article Talk page it's identifiably about. Admonations not to delete Incomplete-templates and nice messages of agreement about some Conan-related link-finding are not al all that level of preservable conversation (well, not even a dialogue, as they weren't even acknowledged!), as 'recent' examples.
:Anyway, marking for deletion still requires that someone ''actually'' deletes them. Currently, '42' can't do that. (They're clearly eager to be helpful, but not yet admin-material.) Realistically, it will need someone else to actually do that bit. And I think the current 'someone else' concerned isn't overly eager to delete things not related to more current unwanted contributions. I'd have done a bit more cleaning up, myself, but by deliberately having kept out of consideration for such responsibiity, it's not something I should actively complain about. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.186|141.101.98.186]] 13:00, 1 January 2025 (UTC)

==Hiiiii==
:Heya, 42! Just wanted to check in because I left for winter break and I thought 'I wonder how she's doing?'
:If I'm being annoying, you can just say so and I'll leave you alone.
:Anyway, I'm gonna go comic hop. Talk to me anytime! [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|Come and talk!]]) 15:15, 7 January 2025 (UTC)
::I’m fine. I went skiing in {{w|Heavenly Mountain Resort|Tahoe}} 5 days during winter break and also went to {{w|Point Reyes Station}}. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:50, 7 January 2025 (UTC)
:::Cool, if you wanna talk I'm here (3 [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:35, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

== I heard about the wildfires. ==

Are you safe? Are you alright? [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 08:43, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
:That’s SoCal, not the Bay Area, so I’m all good. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 10:10, 8 January 2025 (UTC)

== Any luck with Jeff? ==

It’s been a while since you’ve put up the “banner” on your page. Has he responded yet? [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 22:23, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
:Nope. I’ve emailed Davidy22 and he responded, but he doesn’t have server access. I tried on Gmail, Reddit, X, asked @ActuallyBerg from [[explain xkcd#History|the old forum]] who’s apparently a friend with Jeff on both X and Bluesky. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:25, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
::Damn… that’s slightly (very) worrying. Good job for trying tho [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 22:57, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
:::Yeah…I’m just going to keep on trying, seeing if I can solve some of the problems remotely. Not too sure what much I can do about the ‘crat situation though. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:59, 8 January 2025 (UTC)
::::Well good luck [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 23:07, 8 January 2025 (UTC)

== {{w|WP:REMOVED}} ==
kindly stop adding it back. thank you. [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 15:53, 10 January 2025 (UTC)
:very well. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:05, 10 January 2025 (UTC)
::ok, that's the limit. {{w|WP:NOBAN|don't post on my talk page again.}} if you wish to fiddle with minutae, go to wikipedia, where that sort of thing is appreciated. i'll also note that no one else has complained about my signature, only you. [[user talk:lett‪herebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 10:13, 11 January 2025 (UTC)
:::touche. to be honest, grabbing at your throat for a simple signature issue got a bit boring after a couple days. have a nice day! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 11:28, 11 January 2025 (UTC)

== Talk Page added to "pages to delete ==
Hey, I noticed you added my talk page to the "pages to delete" category. Why? I don't really want my talk page deleted. Qoiuoiuoiu (talk) 16:29, 10 January 2025 (UTC)
:Sorry, changed it. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 17:58, 10 January 2025 (UTC)
::If you want my advice (no reason you do...), do a little more checking of the page history. ''And'' that of the partner page (compare User: <-> User Talk), where it exists. You might find a few of the ones that you marked for deleting weren't created, unused and abandoned, but actually 'in use' (even if not directly).
::You're eager, and I still completely support IP-related pages being marked for deletion (remembering that you don't have the power to ''actually'' delete them... which is probably a relief to a small handful of actal users, like the above), but maybe dial it back a bit so that you don't make a few more taggings that need to be reverted... Build up a personal 'hitlist', maybe, but do more poking around and keep it down to a handful of the 'best' candidaates that you find, not a couple of a dozen in quick order, which I think you did yesterday.... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.25|162.158.74.25]]
:::I did check the Page history of [[User talk:Qoiuoiuoiu]] though, and saw that it was created by [[User:While False]]. I also checked the User Page, and saw that it was edited slightly to change While False’s announcement. Because the entire purpose of [[User talk:Qoiuoiuoiu]] was to presumably reduce red links, I tagged [[:Category:Pages to delete]]. Checking page history and user pages honestly doesn’t take that much time, and I checked them for every single page (I think). Upon [[User:Qoiuoiuoiu|Qoiuoiuoiu’s]] complaint, I removed the Category and added a comment so that the talk page has a purpose. I believe that I was in the right to tag them in this case, and that is my decision. Although I do like the idea of the “hitlist”, and will create one. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:46, 10 January 2025 (UTC)

== Bluey ==

I can't believe you watch a ''children's'' show like Bluey. You should watch an ''adult'' show, like my personal favourite, {{w|My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic}} ;). [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 19:38, 11 January 2025 (UTC)
:[https://gamejolt.com/games/sonic/783884 nah I'm sending you to the green hills for that one buddy] /j [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 20:39, 11 January 2025 (UTC)
:LMFAOOO '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:38, 11 January 2025 (UTC)

== "Shared named" comics... ==

Not too sure about the shared-name status for "Advent Calendar", "Advent Calendar Advent Calendar" and "Advent" (more clear if there was "Advent Calendars", the AVAV ''might'' be deemed a copy (literally!) of AV, but it'd be a stretch to link the A to the AV and thus also the AVAV), but you can't really put just one comic in the Shared Name category, can you? If you're happy for it, then do it for all of them. And, when you do, might be a good idea to put the markup comment after the category membership tag with an explanation of which one(s) you're linking it with, to avoid random editors getting the wrong idea (or ''no'' idea) on spotting it... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.33.252|162.158.33.252]] 00:26, 12 January 2025 (UTC)

== Why do you have a hitlist? ==

Please don't put me on there 😭😭😭 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 13:53, 17 January 2025 (UTC)
:It’s for user pages/talk pages to delete. It’s fine, you’re fine, everybody’s fine (except for me i have a flu) '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 23:59, 17 January 2025 (UTC)
::Ykkkkkk, I bet Jeff’s heir would be easier to contact… Just saying…… [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 17:01, 18 January 2025 (UTC)
:::which would be the next ‘crat with server control, someone who doesn’t exist yet since Jeff still needs to promote them. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 23:17, 18 January 2025 (UTC)
:::: dammit [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 15:53, 20 January 2025 (UTC)

==We're cooked==
You-know-who became president on MLK Day. We're so cooked, 42. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 19:23, 22 January 2025 (UTC)
:as a Brit I too am concerned [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 14:36, 30 January 2025 (UTC)
::Yeh i'm scared [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:21, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
:::yayyyyy politics [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 16:38, 31 January 2025 (UTC)

== Different name in ContributionScores? ==

Hi 42

I just realized that in the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:ContributionScores ContributionScores] you are listed as Victoria. How come you manage to have two different names on this wiki? Is that some error? It is confusing at least.

Keep up the good work --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:20, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:I noticed that too! What's your secret?--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:06, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::haha, there’s no secret. my name’s victoria, but i also go by tori. that’s why if you look up at old messages, some people refer to me as victoria or tori. if you want to keep on calling me 42, or 42.book.addict, that’s completely fine! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:05, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Yeah I guess what i was asking is how you managed to change your name on the leaderboard! I can't figure it out haha. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:11, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::::oh, that’s easy-you just change it in your preferences. find the real name box, and input whatever you want. some people might find it confusing, and you might need to explain to people the difference, like this converstaion right now. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 17:18, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::Oh, cool! Thanks. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:53, 4 February 2025 (UTC)

:Well if it is a part of the wiki I guess it is fine. But I think it is a bit confusing that we cannot see the user name of the person on the leaderboard. So it would be great if the name in the leader-board could also change to 42. But I guess that is not possible? As you know I'm made an admin, but also I have way to little knowledge of programming and wiki etc. And full time job, other hobbies and two kids, one of which seems to be older than 42. So it is not your age, but 42 comes from your love of Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy? (Big fan me-self). Impressive the amount of work you have put into the wiki in such a short time. I have been a member since October 2013. I still remember [[Talk:30: Donner|my first comment]] on explain, actually made it before I signed up and then added my signature after signing up a few days later ;-) Back then I used much more time on explain. Had actually not intended to become admin. But second time I was asked, and with no active admins I accepted. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:39, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
::Oh, nice! Never knew that you were a parent. i ''could'' remove the Victoria from the leaderboard by blanking my real name in preferences, but honestly, I’d rather not. There are tons of other people with a situation like this, and I don’t think that it’ll cause much confusion. I’m always happy to explain why it’s listed as Victoria or not! (BTW, Victoria is literally on my User Page) '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Well we usually do not now much about each other and I had not read your user page before I found out you where also Victoria. Not sure what you mean by Victoria being on you user page. I searched on it and found no hit for Victoria... But no big problem. Just a bit confusing. Just stay on the leaderboard. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:26, 9 February 2025 (UTC)
::::weird...i could've sworn that i added it to my user page. i'll add it now to try to reduce confusion in the future. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 17:09, 9 February 2025 (UTC)

== You into Friday Night Funkin? ==

tldr it's a silly Newgrounds-inspired rhythm game with literally hundreds if not thousands of mods. you should get into it if you're not already

[[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:19, 18 February 2025 (UTC)
:moved this to the bottom so you'd be more likely to see this haha [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:03, 17 April 2025 (UTC)
::no-i don’t play rhythm games. moved it back up for chronological order. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:34, 18 April 2025 (UTC)

== Contacting Randall ==

Hey Victoria! Sorry to hear about your mental health issues, I hope you're getting better.

Here's some good news: I tried contacting Randall to ask him when he replaced comic [[36: Scientists]], and he replied! It's weird that Randall is easier to reach than the owner of this wiki... You can read the conversation and a summary of what happened [[User:FaviFake|on my user page]]. Among other things, he gave me the official release date, April 28th, and, after I asked, he told me he might reply to more simple questions! If you have some technical or administrative questions, I could ask them directly to him. If you're curious, there are more details about this [[User:FaviFake|here]]. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:32, 21 February 2025 (UTC)

==oof==
:I'm so sorry, 42. I go to therapy and picked up a couple things, so if you need me, I'm here. You can leave a message on my talk page anytime and we can yap about whatever. Hang in there 0) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:35, 27 February 2025 (UTC)

== Uncooperating User ==

Hi 42 
You originally wrote regarding [[User talk:Lettherebedarklight]] here: [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Uncooperating_User|Uncooperating User]] 
I warned him not to change his signature to a link and also not deleting his talk page. But he has not complied. But now I saw your comment on his user page, after I rolled back his latest deletion... Regarding wiki policy. And since I do not go much into this I need some help here. I do not have time to read up on this. I'm just so unlucky as to be the only admin still active here... Not by my own wish. Maybe FaviFake should also say something here? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:39, 5 March 2025 (UTC)
:I believe this is what's happening: 42 originally noticed the user's signature, which is clearly a violation of the Wikipedia policy, and you warned them. They didn't cooperate, and then you warned them again, but this time you also told them to not blank their talk page (and to not redirect it), which wasn't among the things 42 pointed out. Because of this, she mentioned they're allowed to blank their talk page and redirect it to their user page, but not to have a signature that looks like an external link. And now, as you can see in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:FaviFake&diff=367780&oldid=367750 this edit of theirs], they have done both things. The signature is not allowed, but blanking their page is. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:56, 5 March 2025 (UTC)
::But if they blanck their talk page, then I cannot discuss the issues that are in violation of with their signature. So how can this be an acceptable conduct. Maybe blanking their user page but not the talk page...? As far as I can see his signature link still go to his user talk page, and not to the rickroll link, you have to copy paste that to get rolled... But if it is a problem, should I then block him for being uncooperative? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:52, 7 March 2025 (UTC)
:::I don't know, 42 pointed it out because she was confused by the link. i'm not really an expert in Wikipedia policy either. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:22, 7 March 2025 (UTC)

== Formatting ==

Just wondering why you're using awkward formatting on your user page when you could easier use:
*Foo
*Bar
**Baz subthing
**Bat subthing
*Flibble
...etc? No need for BRs and NBSPs. Can be combined with colon-leveling (though can also replace it). Swap *s for #s to get (nested) numbered lists, or *# for indented numbers with #* continuing the numbers around sub-bullets (starts to get complicated, but it's an option) if you decided you need to. Maybe it's a choice you're making, but FYI if you haven't already picked up the bullet-point syntax in all your time here. 
Anyway, just perhaps whilst you're active again. No problem if you don't make use of this information now/ever. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.133|172.71.178.133]] 07:56, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:I never knew that-thank you! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 15:55, 9 April 2025 (UTC)

== so why do you wanna to delete [[user talk:物灵]]? ==

he and i were both from another website. i chose to chat with him here because i don't want Zhou Chenxiao to revert my edit. why you want to delete? [[User:Translated ORK|Translated ORK]] ([[User talk:Translated ORK|talk]]) 09:56, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:I will say this, here, in case you don't get to read my other note. This is not a refugee camp for conversations displaced from elsewhere. There's not even any chat goin on because it's all just you. (If there's another site where ''he'' is one-sidedly 'replying' to ''you'' , then I bet that place is equally bemused and unamused.)
:I can't speak for 42, but I'm not surprised someone else here wants to do that.
:Elsewhere you talk of Free Speech, but I think you might be confused. As well as the ''{{w|Gratis versus libre}}'' issue, this extends to what is written below any submission you are making: "Please note that all contributions to explain xkcd may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors." Consensus may decide that the point you make is not worth the having been made. (Later, consensus may also decide that a removal/re-edit is bad and ''restore'' it, but that is a community issue to resolve.)
:This is as close to democracy as we can get (but, unlike the ''original'' democracy, we also let women and all kinds of other people 'vote'! ;) ), with shades of anarchy and the only totalitarian elements being when certain pages are locked-down/deleted by a designated admin who is probably acting upon community feeling (or on behalf of it, seeing where it is heading). It's a system that works (mostly hands-off). And you still can't falsely shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater without push-back. Does that make sense? (@UT, also @42...) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.36|172.71.26.36]] 10:50, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
::Seconded. I explicitly said in my edit summary that I deleted the content for being off-topic. Thanks to the IP for responding for me! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 15:20, 21 April 2025 (UTC)
:::Thirded. (Is that a word?) --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 06:26, 22 April 2025 (UTC)

==Welcome Back!==
I'm unsure as to whether we've met. I think we were editing at the same time for a period. Anyways, hello Tori (if I may call you that). Welcome back to the wiki! :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 14:14, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:hi, thanks so much for the welcome! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 03:59, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::Please see my user page.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::Thank you for your apology. And it's no big deal with my time-bio's boring anyways lol '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:43, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

==Mark April Fool's Sandbox for deletion?==
[[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!/Sandbox]] should be marked for deletion, I feel. It has been removed from his watchlist and provides nothing useful to the wiki. [[Special:Contributions/204.137.100.1|204.137.100.1]] 15:04, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
:Deleted by --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:20, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

== From /sig Talk Page (adminship) ==

Just so you know, 42, you'd make a great admin. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 18:18, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

==An odd question for someone who would know the answer==

Would it be allowed if you created a template for your sig (e.g. 42sig/DSBSig?) Could be useful for those with long usernames. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 15:59, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:why would you need a template? <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> works just fine... '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:17, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::Well, it would allow for more characters. This is why I ask, as both you and I have had issues setting up signatures due to long usernames. Setting your signature up as <nowiki>{{SigTemplateName}}</nowiki> in preferences would have it automatically display your signature when typing <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 16:20, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:::More characters ''would'' be nice, but creating a bunch of templates only available for use for a single person would be less than ideal. What if we had a template called "sig", and inside was wikitext encoded so that when we called <nowiki>{{sig|User:XYZ}}</nowiki>; it could paste in the custom signature for XYZ? This is a pretty interesting idea-I'll reach out on the proposals portal and ask FaviFake to see if there's support for this. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:32, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::::That.... That could work! Great idea! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 16:34, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::A bonus of that is that it's basically a sig museum, where you can browse other people's sigs and get inspired by them. There is the downside of people being able to edit other's sigs tho. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 16:37, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::::::The idea of a sig museum is actually super cool-we could also add interesting signatures that were used by other users before to put on showcase. We could also make it so that only autoconfirmed users can edit it (and there's enough active users that any vandalism would probably be reverted quickly enough). '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:43, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Honestly, forgot about that. I wonder what they say. FaviFake hasn't been active in a bit, so maybe we could reach out to kynde? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 17:17, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::::::::It's probably fine. Contribution history says that it's only been a week-he very well may be on vacation or too busy to work. Give it some time. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:16, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::::::I know, it's just weird. I've almost never seen FaviFake not edit for more than a day. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|19:14, 29 August 2025 (UTC)}}
::::::::::hi im back. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:26, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
::::::::::Go check the proposals board! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:16, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:I have seen you proposal and I must say I really hope you are not planning on making this your signature fro now on 42!
:<nowiki>42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]</nowiki>
:It is very confusing for the next editor, and I just tried to comment on your proposal when you posted it and could not understand what I was seeing in the editor (as I got there first because of edit conflict). Please stop using this as your signature! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:22, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::Got it. I'll change it and see if I can find another solution. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:33, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:::I personally think we should move forward with the template idea. That way, the wikitext would show <nowiki>{{sig|UserXYZ}}</nowiki> instead of the full wikitext. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 19:42, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::::Also, I created a pride sig that is almost 1400 characters long.... yeah we need a way to not show the full wikitext. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 19:44, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::::Sorry for the late reply. I think that we should '''''not''''' go ahead with the template idea. It's unnecessary and will clog up the server, both in readability and server load. Please look at my response in the proposals board. Thanks! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:06, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

== "fact" template (un)tagging. ==

The <nowiki>{{fact}}</nowiki> template was (it was deleted? I missed that!) redirected to the <nowiki>{{Citation needed}}</nowiki> template. I think maybe replacing the "fact" with "Citation needed" might have been a better change than nowiki-ing the now-broken tags, in the cases you did that.

And then there were all the demonstrative examples (two or three in things I historically wrote, I notice, in various Talk: pages... under a historical range of IPs). Assuming you really want to edit other people's signed Talk contributions at all (not generally done, though I'm ambivalent about you 'tidying up' things where I only included "fact" as then-current, alongside the other examples), it would seem to be no more work to just refactor the phrasings to no longer have that in the list of (say) {{template|citation needed}}, {{template|Citation Needed}}, {{template|cn}}, etc, to no great loss of meaning.

But I appreciate you probably took some time to hunt down all <nowiki>{{fact}}</nowiki> examples (and at least one <nowiki>{{template|fact}}</nowiki>, I think). Plus the Fact/CN set of tags ''are'' sometimes overused, IMO, so a few less versions (put almost everywhere that anyone vaguely thought amusing) is certainly gratifying from ''that'' perspective. ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.43|82.132.245.43]] 22:55, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

==It's alright :)==
None taken :) I myself know I am prone to that sort of thing. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 19:18, 16 September 2025 (UTC)
:sorry, what? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:57, 16 September 2025 (UTC)
::Second item on the hitlist. Sorry about the confusion. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 19:59, 16 September 2025 (UTC)
:::Ah, I see. It's no problem! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:02, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

==So, about that wikitext signature...==
Yeah... I wanna make it red and yellow with (talk) replaced by (yap here) and it's in Comic Sans... if you could help me out please. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 20:24, 19 September 2025 (UTC)
:Ok, I'll work on it if I find the time! Shouldn't take me more than 5-10 minutes though '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:34, 22 September 2025 (UTC)
:It really depends on the shades of red and yellow you want. Use <nowiki>yap here</nowiki> for each of the colors you want. Search 'google color picker' on Google and it gives you a hex code finder. I do not know how those fonts work though...--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 17:22, 26 September 2025 (UTC)
:Fonts... well, if you put in a style to with with "Comic Sans", then you probably want to try a style element like <code>font-family: 'Comic Sans MS', 'Chalkboard SE', 'Comic Neue', sans-serif;</code>, because not everywhere will have (perhaps not want!) MS Comic Sans and you would have to fail-back to various alternatives and (if all else fails) whatever generic SS font there is.
:Personally, though I'd not bother. Comic Sans is pretty much a Marmite font, and trying hard to make ''everyone'' experience something like the marmite taste (even those who normally do not) could annoy people.
:It'd also take up a lot of your allowable 'signature length quota' to add these (and more?) fail-throughs to the appropriate list. Though you could just give the single correct font ''for you'', and accept that it just won't do anything out of the ordinary for other people, too (which probably suits them down to the ground).
:Oh, and I'd also ''never'' recommend that you upload anything that you want in a personally-chosen font as an image, and embed that image as a pixel-perfect (but accessibility-deficient and text-scale-non-respecting!) alternative. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 00:10, 27 September 2025 (UTC)
I'd also never recommend that you upload anything that you want in a personally-chosen font as an image
::100% (it also breaks enwiki's signature policies) --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:57, 29 September 2025 (UTC)

==Is this wiki dying?==
Lately, I've noticed a gradual decrease in the amount of daily contributions. Have you been noticing this too, or is that just me? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 14:32, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
:If I may contribute, ahead of 42... It's been busier and it's been quieter, even just within both of your own usernames' 'lifetimes'. Perhaps more (fellow, but clearly not as long-term) IPs, but hard to tell since whatever happened to not squash us down into the Cloudfare gateway IP ranges, etc.
:New comics still don't stay unExplained for long. And there's not so much traffic, or indeed vanalism in the worst cases, that it's hard to keep on top of anything that arises. I'd say there's still a community, albeit loose and ad hoc (in different ways to other online communities I'm party to, or have been).
:But I've not emperically compared 'now' with any given historical snapshots. This is just my impression. Please do this, if you feel like it. The number of edits done on yesterday's date, in prior years, perhaps. Or the dates of the past week, to even out the spikes on 'comic days' vs non-comic days. ''Might'' show year-on-year fluctuations, together with background noise.
:...sorry, meant to say less, not to totally pre-empt Victoria. But maybe she still has things to say, perhaps even in total disagreement with my above thoughts! [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.95|82.132.239.95]] 15:48, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
::I mostly agree with these sentiments. I do feel like we used to have a more active past and would work fervently on documenting large projects such as April Fool's comics, Hoverboard, Time, etc. We do have a bit of backlog on Collector's Edition, but we put in a LOT of work into the What If? project. Places that we should tackle are probably the less known xkcd pages, secret comics, and of course Collector's Edition.
::Personally, I've had a lot less time to dedicate towards working on this project just because of how busy I am. I've had midterms, projects, and sports to juggle, resulting in almost no free time that I can spend. Circumstances change. Maybe other editors are also getting more busy. Who knows? Anyways, this isn't a race. We don't have any deadlines to reach, so any progress we make, regardless of pace, is good. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:58, 3 November 2025 (UTC)

==1==
54 52 41 4f 53 4e 49 53 53 49 4g 4f 20 4g 4f 45 20 4g 46 20 46 4g 55 52 3b 20 58 56 45 52

XIP EPFTO'U MPWF B GFX NPSF OVNCFST {{unsigned ip|204.137.100.1|20:23, 12 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:What? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 21:08, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::There may be (intentional?) coding errors in that top one. Or it was double-encoded, thanks to the lower one. So my advice is to crack the second one first.
::But fairly trivial, both of them.
::You can probably do the second in your head, by a single easy step, once you work out what does and doesn't matter.
::The first is a bit more technical, it helps if you're used to low-level data storage (ok, probably not actually in your wheelhouse, but not too hard to discover) ''and'' initially needs to be have the second code's thing unapplied to it to make logical sense.
::My advice is to have fun working it out. And expect three more (or two... but I don't think the second is "the second") to look at, if the author is true to their word. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.30|82.132.244.30]] 21:25, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:::Huh. The first bit almost reminds me of a hexadecimal, but that doesn't have 'g'
:::Second part is shifted ROT1 in a Caesar Cipher (used a decoder). Translates to 'WHO DOESN'T LOVE A FEW MORE NUMBERS'. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 21:39, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Update: CacheSleuth's multi decoder thinks top line is a bacon cipher. No clue. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 21:43, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::Remember, I said that the second cipher had probably been applied also to the first. You're closer to the solution than you think. ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.30|82.132.244.30]] 21:48, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
{{outdent|:::::}}
Are you behind this? Anyway, I'll try to apply a ROT-1, then see if it decides from hex. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 22:21, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:Results! TRANSMISSION ONE OF FOUR: XVER.
:I wonder what XVER means... --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 22:24, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::Not me, I was just nerdsniped. Note that the next one popped up on Favi's pages. It also has a nonsense final 'word', meaning yet to be resolved.
::If you prefer to keep talking about it, here, I'll pop back later and see if you've figured it out (I know what it is, but not why it is!), without necessarily spoiling it right now.
::(PS, sorry, 42, I know you're probably not involved in this, maybe not interested even. Ba'al: Unless we hear from 42, if you're wanting to keep looking at this, maybe transfer the conversation/copy the original items over to your space? Obviously I've got nowhere better for it, but its up to you and you're interested in this now.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.223|82.132.245.223]] 22:47, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::I personally have no interest, but you can feel free to keep on working on it. DSB, if you want to keep on cracking it, I can move it over to your page. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 23:51, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

== Editing other people's words? ==

I mean, in Explanations, etc, you can redo anything that has previously been edited, that's the point of any Wiki articles. No issues with that.

But you're 'correcting' signed (or, indeed unsigned) Talk comments. However badly spelt, you shouldn't really be changing things for them like that. Perhaps they like things to be spelt the way they're spelling them, perhaps they ''intend'' that version of the word. Perhaps the word they intended isn't the one you think is intended and you've changed the entire meaning by making it 'differently more correct'.

Append the signature-replacements that they lack, yes. ''Perhaps'' re-indent things (though I've had things reindented for me, in the past, but by a misunderstandng which then makes it look like I'm replaying to something else). Very possibly changing a [bare-wiki-URL] to a {{template|w}}-type version doesn't matter too much, but... that's the point, it doesn't ''really'' matter. Warts and all. You could tell a regular named-user about the convention to use the 'w'/'wiktionary'/'tvtropes' things, so that it saves you work tuning up the Explanations where they've used the long-hand (and/or inefficient) link-forms, but there's no need to neaten up 'messy' Talk comments, and ''very'' occasionally there might be very real need to not do so.

See {{w|Wikipedia:TPO}} for Wikipedia's policy, which isn't ''necessarily'' the one here (even if its the line I wouldn't normally try to cross). Though you'll see it still appreciates changes in lines with {{w|Wikipedia:TPFIXFORMAT}} and {{w|Wikipedia:TPFIXLAYOUT}}, amongst others. [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 22:11, 14 November 2025 (UTC)
:Agreed. Getting things signed is perfectly fine, and, as long as you don't change the appearance of a link, you can optimize that as well. But please refrain from editing the message that's given in the comment. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 22:19, 14 November 2025 (UTC)
:e.g. [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1120:_Blurring_the_Line&curid=5005&diff=390955&oldid=369184 this edit], where you changed 'coloured' to 'colored'. That is just a regional spelling of the word, commonly used in British English. It's not even a misspelling! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 22:23, 14 November 2025 (UTC)
::Ah, looks like you spotted it too. Did a part-revert of that exact example (but only that!), as a passive example, not knowing you'd found it and pointed it out here.
::And I can't help it if all y'all can't spell properly, thanks to Noah Webster. ;) [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 23:14, 14 November 2025 (UTC)
:::I understand that it is British spelling, thank you very much. Please see {{diff|14586|here}} for the original comment and {{diff|17180|here}} where [[User:Weatherlawyer]] changed it. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 01:07, 15 November 2025 (UTC)
:::Additionally, [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#How do I enter links to other pages?|the FAQ page]] says all explainxkcd.com and en.wikipedia.org links should be written with <code>[[ ]]</code> and <code> <nowiki>{{w| }}</nowiki> </code> respectively around them. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 01:22, 15 November 2025 (UTC)
::::({{diff|83069|You actually meant this change by Weatherlawyer...}} Which shouldn't have been done, so my redoing of it was in error. Though the trivia of it makes ''all'' our actions around it equally inexplicable.)
::::The FAQ is not a commandment that "everything that is not like that should be made like that". As far as neatening up an Explanation is concerned, you'd of course be rewriting and making it the best-practice w-template version, if it had been originally left as [] or bare-URL, because the original writer did not know/care about the handy site-standard. But it doesn't really mean that there's a need to mess about with the normally-inviolate bones of past Talk-comments. Its a lot of unnecessary work, at best.
::::And something like the "As Slow as Possible" bit in {{diff|390995|this edit}} arguably makes it flow less obviously. It originally namechecked ''As Slow as Possible'' and then helpfully offered the URL, at the end, as a bare reference. More 'properly' written it would have had a the w-tagged put around the first mention, which is in its own context, but the bare-URL at the end basically said "and this is a URL that explains it" that's actually nicely in line with the bare-URL line in the FAQ.
::::If (as it looks like) you're just zooming through looking for every bare wikipedia.org link and 'converting' it, without looking into it further, you're probably missing something. And slowing down the generally excellent work, that you're doing, in giving everything 'unsigned' its historic details. It's your time, but going to far in such editorialising can be unproductive. Even when not actually a bit counterproductive. [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 20:44, 15 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::Alright. I'll put more of my attention in signing comments and give less of it towards this issue. Thanks for your feedback! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 23:39, 15 November 2025 (UTC)
{{outdent|:::::}}
Why did you make [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2347:_Dependency&diff=prev&oldid=391211 this edit], where you fully deleted a comment left by an IP? What was the point of that? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:19, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
:If you mean the "German Television ... Log4j" one, that was moved (a long way) further down, not deleted. Did not really check why, possibly thematically to fit it with other comments, and/or timstamp order of new comments not replying to anything earlier, but I'm just guessing and didn't try to reconcile it fully (once I'd seen it pop up 'later' in the scroll-down). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.44|82.132.236.44]] 18:44, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
:Ok, I see you put it back (without removing the second copy), but you broke things. By using "::;" it set it as double-indented and then as a ";terminology:definition" pair, which activated upon the ":" in the time-stop given. So deleted it again. There's still the new version, lower down, that I just mentioned.
:Also reverted a deity/diety spelling error (actual one, I'm sure, not a mistaken one) just because it's still "editing other people's comments", the point made above, and frowned upon in this context. I haven't bothered to check how many other ones have happened, hidden in the midst of rearrangements by either of you, but that was very obviously different. It's an unforced error that someone made in a comment. Don't try to polish it, in case you're adding further errors by misunderstanding, like the first deity->diety change. (For all I know, DIETYBOUNCE is correct... Though it does sound more like a slimming supplement!) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.44|82.132.236.44]] 19:07, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
::[https://queue.acm.org/blogposting.cfm?id=74439 Deitybounce is correct]. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:12, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
:::It is (almost certainly) {{diff|196415|their own edit}}, though. It's a bad habit to change things. It's not ''brilliant'' to have to try to change them back (see my initial error), but best things like that don't change in the first place. Both of you, please. Then others like me and ^^them^^ don't feel the need to try to make it authentically incorrect again. [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 23:24, 19 November 2025 (UTC)

== Change to Comic (sandbox) template ==

I'm guessing it didn't work (just seen your sandbox changes), and I'll also know why it didn't. But I'm going to suggest you leave that to one of the others. There's slightly more to it than just duplicating the opening 'if', and you probably need to get your head around their solution rather than just prod at it all on your own. Enlightenment ''will'' come, but it may take patience... ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.65|82.132.236.65]] 08:52, 23 November 2025 (UTC)
:Yeah-that's basically what I concluded and I haven't touched the template since. I think I'm more suited towards doing repetitive, tedious tasks anyways C: '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 17:42, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

==How do you receive Notifications?==
You said you receive watchlist notifications in the summary of [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User%3A42.book.addict&type=revision&diff=391911&oldid=391885 this edit]. How do you do that? I thought the email system was broken. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:21, 2 December 2025 (UTC)

==Let's decrease that number, shall we?==
11k images, all uncategorized... on it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:57, 2 December 2025 (UTC)
:I like how you think C: '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:11, 2 December 2025 (UTC)
::I periodically check recent changes, and it's funny to see our different methods work in tandem. You're a bit faster, but there's a slight lull when you're refilling your taskbar with tabs, and I catch up. Our methods are almost equal. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 22:24, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:::It is funny! Have you checked the Discord server? I sent a photo of my keyboard layout for reference :3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:25, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
::::I'm an idiot, aren't I..... ''sigh''... welp, we've got just under a thousand images left, so i should have nothing left to mess up in a bit. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 01:42, 5 December 2025 (UTC)
:::::Welp, we've got about 150 images left. Personally, I don't trust myself with them. I have no clue where to put them. So, I'll leave them to you for both our sakes. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 16:57, 5 December 2025 (UTC)
::::::I noticed your summary lol. What's nice is, after a while, I just spaced out and when I came back, I'd done all but 100 of the remaining frames of Time. I'll go back to... a more normal schedule. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:29, 5 December 2025 (UTC)

==A little leaderboard notice==
With your latest push, you've officially become a more prolific editor than every other non-admin and non-bot user to ever edit the wiki. You're now 5th all-time, behind Kynde, Davidy22, ThusafBOT, and Waldir. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:34, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:Not that I really deserve it. Most of the people I've passed were/are on the wiki for far longer than I have and have contributed a lot more. I don't really see it as an achievement TBH. You've also pushed into the Top 10, with your absolutely mental 2451 score this week. If you keep up your pace you can definitely push at least 5k this week-today's only your 2nd day, no? Try to take a break-it's probably not healthy for you to be working for so long doing the same menial task over and over again. There's no rush! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:38, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
::Tbh I don't feel I deserve it either. It feels weird. I was expecting a slow rise towards the top. Suddenly seeing myself in 8th is odd. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:41, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:::Knowing how much work you had to do to complete the task, I fully expected you to get there eventually...
:::Though you're making me dizzy (and I had to increase my "Recent Changes" view to ''at least'' 1000 items, in order to not miss any changes that ''aren't'' by you( two)... ;)
:::(I know I could hide minor edits, but not sure that anybody else hasn't snuck through a 'minor' edit I want to see having happened. Also could hide "registered users", but that'd obscure anyone that's not also an IP like me... again...)
:::Anyway, the last '1000 view' seemed to cover just a ''tad'' over three hours of both your edits. And I had to scroll through carefully to try to spot anything that's (probably!) not a "File:" item and hasn't had either of your usernames as the sole-(or co-!)editor. And dive in on the occasional one that was like that, just to satisfy myself that you've not messed something up. (Unlikely... but... a lot of edits, a lot of little chances... maybe you'd slip up, and ''maybe'' maybe I'd spot it and correct it for you... ;) )
:::Can't wait for you to finish... Both because it's then finsihed and ''also'' no longer currently happening. But at the same time I'm definitely not to keen on encouraging you to accelerate the process much more than you're doing now! It'd not beright for me to ask you to dial it back, but I could definitely live with that. :P [[Special:Contributions/78.144.255.82|78.144.255.82]] 20:04, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
::::You could also exclude the File namespace from your Recent Changes page... (select Files in your namespace drop down bar and invert selection) '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:07, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:::::Shifting from 7th to 8th gear, about halfway through the straightaway at the Circuit de Hermanos Rodriguez. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:23, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:::::I'm really not keen on filtering ''anything'' out, really, because (if I do something like filter out the "File:" examples entirely) there's always a chance that something that isn't your work gets hidden from me, just because it ''looks'' like your work. (Also, you'll forgive me for keeping an eye out for those errors that I'm ''sure'' you won't make, but might!) I just am happier if I just 'get my eye in', and look for anything more odd-looking than the usual, no matter what the mix of similarities and differences between a 'filterable' target. Designing a 'very cautious filter' is a lot more work than just doing it in my head while scrolling. [[Special:Contributions/78.144.255.82|78.144.255.82]] 20:41, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
::::::Ok, feel free to take your time. I'll probably stop throughout the day and might not touch it after 1pm because I have other things to attend to. Cheers! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:43, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

==Coordination idea==
Btw, I've done up to frame 1592. Maybe I could start from the end and work backwards, while you continue forwards, and we meet in the middle? Just a thought.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:20, 3 December 2025 (UTC) 
We could also go the other way around, if you prefer. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:21, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:First one works with me. Here's also my current strategy: I open up about 50-80 tabs (as many as my Chromebook can handle without lagging). I've copied the text below and paste it in if the page is empty. If the page has Licensing but not Category, I use CTRL-A to select everything and CTRL-V to replace it with my copied text. If there's other text pertaining to the image hashes, I just do a quick SHIFT-UP twice and delete the Licensing, then paste in. After saving, I use CTRL-W to quickly close the tab and move on to the next one. Rinse and repeat.
<nowiki>== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file}}

[[Category:Helper comic images (1190)]]</nowiki>
:--'''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:25, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

== Hello! ==
You seem very cool based on your user page. I'm new to this wiki, but I saw you mentioned a long backlog of files that need categorizing. I am very much willing to help with that (it's a thing I can do while procrastinating about writing {{w|User:lp0 on fire/Drafts/Beate Pokorny|something useful}}, which in turn is procrastination about doing {{w|real life|something important}}) so if you just tell me where to find the uncategorized things and which categories are relevant then I will have a go. [[User:lp0 on fire|lp0 on fire]] [[User talk:lp0 on fire|()]] 20:42, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:Alright, I have a couple of initial questions. How familiar are you with MediaWiki and Wikitext? Do you understand the differences between Helper categories and Comic images? And do you understand how XKCD licensing works? This is just to get an understanding of what I have to explain. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:46, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
::I have never heard the term "helper category" before, nor do I have any specific understanding of "comic image" other than presumably an image that is actually taken from [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]. I am reasonably competent with most normal aspects of wikitext, though I've never written a template and would probably panic and run away if someone asked me to write an edit filter. I'm here from enwiki where I am at least somewhat active, so I understand the basics of how to write/edit and so forth. I believe xkcd is licensed under {{w|CC BY-NC 2.5}} (with the exception of [[1167]] which is also licensed under {{w|CC BY-SA 4.0}}) and I understand broadly what that means, but I'm not a lawyer by any means. [[User:lp0 on fire|lp0 on fire]] [[User talk:lp0 on fire|()]] 20:59, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:::Sorry, should've been a lot clearer. But here's the quick runthrough. Currently, DollarStoreBa'al and I are working on categorizing still frames of the Comic [[1190: Time]]. You can work on categorizing [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?limit=100&title=Special%3AContributions&contribs=user&target=TheusafBOT&namespace=6&tagfilter=&topOnly=1&newOnly=1&start=&end= comic images]. You don't really need to know about the stuff that I asked you-the bot already handled most of it. All you need to do is copy paste <nowiki>[[Category:Comic images]]</nowiki> into the file page. Good luck! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:21, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
::::Oh right, I was wondering why there was a problem since there are only 3175 comics. Forgot about Time. I'll get going doing this if I have some time and nothing productive to do. Thanks (: [[User:lp0 on fire|lp0 on fire]] [[User talk:lp0 on fire|()]] 21:39, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

==A Barnstar for you!==
{| style="border: 1px solid gray; background-color: #fdffe7;"
|rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:middle;" | [[File:Tireless Categorization Barnstar.png|100px]]
|rowspan="2" |
|style="font-size: x-large; padding: 0; vertical-align: middle; height: 1.1em;" | '''The Tireless Categorization Barnstar'''
|-
|style="vertical-align: middle; border-top: 1px solid gray;" | You did a very good job on the image categorization project. Also, you somehow managed to locate and fix all my mistakes on top of that. That deserves a Barnstar! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 17:05, 8 December 2025 (UTC)
|}
:Agreed! Great work, both of you! [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:22, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

==Welcome back!==
Honestly, 'we'll see' is basically what we say with everything going on right about now lol. Glad to see you. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 16:56, 4 February 2026 (UTC)
:pfffft, yeah... :C thanks though! [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 01:26, 5 February 2026 (UTC)
::BTW, the 'section' thing on the talk page has been there since early December 2025. Looks like Lp0 on Fire added it... for some reason. [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:42.book.addict&diff=prev&oldid=397274 here's the edit if you're curious]. No clue why. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 14:14, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Hm, ok. Thanks for letting me know [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 20:18, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

== Personal attacks ==

Greetings; if you wish to personally attack me, then I welcome you to conduct the attacks on my User Talk page. I see no need to waste every editor's time on a project talk page. I think we should focus on improving the category. That being said, I expressed no opinion about any editor at all. In fact, my scenario was completely hypothetical. I was using ''reductio ad absurdum''. If you want to attack hypothetical scenarios with speculative adjectives, again, I will direct you to [[User talk:Elizium23]]. Thank you for your attention to this matter! [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 06:48, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
:My apologies. I have shifted my comment here. It would be greatly enjoyable if you were a bit less condescending? "Insufferable, redundant, and monotonous" are all phrases that indicate that you believe yourself better than us. Can't you just be a bit more respectful? This website isn't even related to politics or any controversial topics-the wiki's just a passion project for us to explain xkcd. I would also like to make some additional points. Personally. I think that it isn't wasting everyone's time by talking on a project's talk page. It is their choice on whether or not they wish to read the discussion. If it does not relate to them, I see no reason in them reading through it. And if they do, that is a choice on their own part. I have also seen that you have made attacks and opinions on editors before, as you can see below:
{{quote|I also hope that you accept responsibility for wasting everybody's time.}}
{{quote|because your shitty justification on the Admin Portal talk page does not constitute a policy, random IPv4 with no reputation.}}
:(please note that it is up to an individual to decide if they want to register an account on this wiki or not. being an ip editor does not necessarily discredit them or their opinions)
{{quote|nobody knows what the hell you did before a couple weeks ago}}
{{quote|You are utterly wasting our time and you are proving that you hate regular editors with accounts, and you care more about trolls and spammers than about editors who are trying to do something constructive here. You are wasting our time, our free time, our volunteer time, that we're trying to give to this wiki.}}
{{quote|That is idiotic and reprehensible}}
:Plus, you say that your scenario was completely hypothetical. What about ''my'' hypothetical on the [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Removing_disruptive_material|community portal]] last week? Am I automatically wrong because I have a different viewpoint than you? You accuse me of having "created another strawman to set on fire", when I was trying to compromise and explore how we could possibly put your idea into action, given that there was consensus of course. None of us get paid to do this, and we don't have to deal with your bullshit. I'm tired of all the sarcasm and BS. I'm tired of all the double standards. So please, cut it out. I'm not saying that you don't bring up any good points, or that your point of view is completely invalid, but it would be nice to have civil conversations without you constantly sniping at us.Please, hold yourself accountable first before you come for us. '''[[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]]''' 07:10, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
::Yes, you are right, and I am sorry for those conversations, and I regret them. I brought too much emotion and frustration. And my attitude is uncalled-for. I apologize and I am very sorry for causing offense to you and others who work on this wiki here. I hope that we will not repeat these conflicts. I do not wish to be embroiled in them or continue any, whether I started them or not. I hope that I can promise to straighten out from now on. Thank you. [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 07:38, 10 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Thank you for your response. I look forward to collaborating together in the future. And I really hope that we, as a community, can see some immediate, real change moving forward. That being said, I really do appreciate your apology. It takes someone a lot more courage to admit that they were wrong than to keep on insisting that they were right. [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 07:42, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

==Minor Edit Reminder==
Thank you for fixing my mistakes! Please remember to make sure your edits are minor, though. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 21:23, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
:oh, right. thanks for the reminder! [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 00:30, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

==Good Idea!==
I saw how you linked the FAQ instead of creating the pages. I honestly think that should be the standard procedure instead of creating someone else's pages, because that always leads to the person who asked creating other user's pages at random. I think you and I both did that in our early careers. So, yeah, I just wanted to compliment your judgement there. :)--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 15:59, 20 February 2026 (UTC)

== Please fix your broken signature ==

Your signature has an unclosed <nowiki></nowiki> tag that messes up transclusion of Talk pages into article pages, resulting in the word <nowiki><div></nowiki> overlapping the words "Add comment" at, e.g., the bottom of [[3219:_Planets_and_Bright_Stars]]. 
See discussion at https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk%3A3219%3A_Planets_and_Bright_Stars&type=revision&diff=408118&oldid=408111. 
In of itself, this kind of problem is an excellent reason not to use fancy signatures, and also the coloring and faintness of your signature make it incredibly annoying and hard to read (indeed, it makes me annoyed just reading your comments! I wonder if that's true more editors than not?). In any event, the problem appears to be because you have:

:<nowiki>
[[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]]
</nowiki>

When it should be:

:<nowiki>
[[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]]
</nowiki>

that is, in redline:
:<nowiki>
[[User:42.book.addict|tori :3</nowiki><nowiki></nowiki><nowiki>]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]]
</nowiki>

which closes the initial font span before the superscript starts.

Let me know if you would like me to setup a sandbox page that demonstrates this problem a bit more clearly—it seemed a waste of a page creation, but happy to do it.

Please fix your signature so your talk comments stop disrupting the wiki by their very existence. It would be a good time to consider dropping the flamboyent signature altogether and using something that regular people can read without hurting their eyes. There is a place for expressiveness, but you have overdone it (objectively, since you have broken "the world"). Thank you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 14:03, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

:Please note that another editor has [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3219:_Planets_and_Bright_Stars&diff=prev&oldid=408152 repaired your signature in the above-referenced talk page], so the problem is no longer visible there. This does help confirm my diagnosis of the problem. The problem remains visible in other places, e.g., [[3209: Plums]]. {{unsigned|JohnHawkinson|16:41, 14 March 2026 (UTC)}}
::It's now been fixed once I realized the issue and learned about this problem. I've also corrected all of my other comments that have a broken signature. If you notice them, please let me know so that I can fix it! Additionally, I've tried to make my signature more readable by increasing the darkness of my signature. If you still struggle, I would be more than happy to change it so that it is more readable on a white background. All the best, [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 17:25, 18 March 2026 (UTC)

:::Thanks for the repair. As for readability, I don't see a difference? Previously it was #5CA7CF, #F08DB0, and #9E9E9E. Your signature above just now seems to have the same colors and font weights. Am I missing something? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 17:35, 18 March 2026 (UTC)

== Just wanted to say hi ==

Hi :) 42. Can’t believe I’m on this site for almost a year already! The last April fools only seems like a year ago! [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 06:02, 18 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-16T19:24:34Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Proper motion */ r/once more unto the depths, my friends, once more!

There are sight color differences...[[Special:Contributions/209.240.116.218|209.240.116.218]] 19:55, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

I've created a version that brings out the color contrast, but I don't have permissions to upload it yet. How may I get those? [[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 20:04, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:See [[Special:ListGroupRights]] for info about becoming autoconfirmed. In the meantime, you can upload the image onto an image hosting website such as Imgur or ImgBB and I can help you upload it! [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 20:20, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:[Ninjaed... You got there just before me, just realised I ended up Edit Conflicted... :P Editing down to the bits that weren't said above.]
:[...] you've been here a while, but 'only' edited thirteen times, it looks like [...]
:[...and when someone else uploads it...] you can alwas add your own [claims to ownership], to the finished 'file page' [if the user concerned doesn't credit you already]. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:31, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
::Here you go! https://ibb.co/5gyVM59C [[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 15:19, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Great work. I have uploaded your image and put it in a [[3219:_Planets_and_Bright_Stars#Trivia|trivia section]] and linked from the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

Anyone know where that </div> overlaying "Add Comment" at the bottom of the discussion is coming from? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:01, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:Well, Tori's signature is a bit lopsided with its tags, by the time it gets to the browser (is one <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> short, and has one closing <code><nowiki></a></nowiki></code> before the closing <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> that should have been within it), but not sure how that might have tricked-out the rest so that some closing <code><nowiki></div></nowiki></code> is redundant, without going through the ''entire'' page source to track down any other accumulated discrepancies.
:I've seen that rogue close-div before, and I seem to recall that some precautionary extra close-tags (in either HTML or Wiki markup) have been added to 'make sure' some things don't run on. But it seems to vanish after some later edits (either main comic page or discussion one), and I would have imagined that the excess tag would just be 'ignored' under most circumstances. But it's difficult to tell easil tell what a combination of meta-tagging and actual tagging does.
:And there's all kinds of weirdness in the scripting part of the page, like the bit that says <code><nowiki>node.outerHTML="\u003Cdiv id=\"localNotice\" lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cdiv[... most of this statement removed ...]\n\u003C/div\u003E\u003C/div\u003E";</nowiki></code> with ''escaped'' DIVs in it, that only apply when the script self-modifies the page-source. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:59, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
::In fact, the rogue DIV only appears when viewing the transcluded Talk page within the main article. Viewing the Talk page directly doesn't seem to show it (or have it in the same bit of the respective HTML source), which adds to my belief that it's a run-on tag (not?) being opened as part of the Comic page's definition. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:02, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

Jupiter, Venus, Mars (at its peak) and Sirius are noticeably brighter than the others. Mars, Antares and Betelgeuse are also quite red. Also if you look at planets through a telescope or good binoculars you can tell that they have a larger size (and some have moons). The others would be quite hard to tell apart without knowing their position.
<table>
<tr>
<th>Object</th><th>App. Mag</th><th>B-V (Colour)</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Venus</th><th>-4.98 to -2.98</th><th>0.82</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Mars</th><th>-2.94 to +1.86</th><th>1.33</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Jupiter</th><th>-2.94 to -1.66</th><th>0.83</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Saturn</th><th>-0.55 to +1.17</th><th>1.04</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Mercury</th><th>-2.48 to +7.25</th><th>0.97</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Sirius</th><th>-1.46</th><th>0</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Procyon</th><th>+0.34</th><th>0.42</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Antares</th><th>+0.6 to +1.6</th><th>1.83</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Altair</th><th>+0.76</th><th>0.22</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Betelgeuse</th><th>0 to +1.6</th><th>1.85</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Vega</th><th>0</th><th>0</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Polaris</th><th>+1.86 to +2.13</th><th>0.6</th>
</tr>
</table>
It would be interesting to see if these characteristics are at all present in the comic (it does look like Mars, Betelgeuse and Antares are red and Saturn is a little yellow so maybe the colours are right), or what the comic should look like if they are not --22:50, 13 March 2026 (UTC)[[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]])

Created a nice image using the explanations on this page (using Gemini)

[https://ibb.co/k6wQF0Vd Chart fixed by explanations here] {{unsigned|2A09:BAC3:2FF0:28C:0:0:41:127}}
:Since Rumbling7145 did the same higher up in the discussion I used his picture in stead, but still great work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

Do planets and stars both have the same "flickering" appearance? If they don't, that would aid in identification. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 05:37, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:Unless ''perhaps'' you're looking at a pulsar (or an occluding binary system of some kind), the flickering you presumably mean, of the night-sky points of light, is going to be overwhelmingly caused from the light's last 'few miles' down into our atmosphere and has nothing much to do with the nature of the light-source or lit planetary disc (or even cloud-tops, which still really requires more than a Mark I Eyeball to discern) at the other end of the interstellar/interplanetary gap. Or even its distance, whether it's a neighbouring planet perhaps 'merely' a few million miles away or a huge ball ''at least'' several trillion distant.
:The larger the dot is, the less noticable the twinkling (hence the Moon not necessarily shimmering... though, like the Sun, it can if you're looking through air with enough density gradient or other resulting density-driven turbulance), but the difference is pretty much like being shown pin-points and/or pin-''heads'', an otherwise unknown combination being arranged to respectively face you, at the other end of quite a large room. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.94|82.132.236.94]] 16:27, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
::Even though neither is resolvable as a disc by the unaided human eye, the large difference in angular size between stars and planets means that stars typically twinkle while planets typically don't. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkling the Wikipedia page on Twinkling] for references. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B008:1230:F993:3035:42C1:BC65|2600:1001:B008:1230:F993:3035:42C1:BC65]] 21:08, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

;Proper motion
According to the Wikipedia page to proper motion, it is defined relative to the center of the solar system. So having a proper motion of zero makes the sun stand out indeed. [[Special:Contributions/84.115.169.154|84.115.169.154]] 04:50, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:Err. {{w|proper motion}} is "relative to the center of mass of the Solar System," aka the {{w|barycenter}}, which is not the center of the Sun, but rather very close to it and sometimes outside of it. So, I think, (and I am definitely inexpert here), the [center of the] Sun is rather rapidly moving in an angular fashion about that point, far more so than any other object, whose angular movement around that point is much slower. Just like if you are one foot away from the north pole and wandering aimlessly, you can very quickly change your longitude from +90° to –90° in a step or two. So, I think, the Sun does indeed have "high proper motion," not "zero proper motion." But someone please correct me. Also, I (earlier) tried to explain proper motion in the last graf of the article and I suspect I did a poor job (possibly also inaccurate), so I'd appreciate someone with the, err, ''proper'' expertise fixing it up. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 05:00, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:(Indeed...) The barycentre for the Sun-Jupiter pair, alone, sits (just!) outside of the mass of the Sun, and Jupiter is the main non-solar part of the mass. (That we know of, and that forms identifiable point-gravitational components. Even if they were more massive, the ring/shell nature of the Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt and Oort Clouds likely cancel themselves out.) Depending on where the rest of the planets are (next most influential would be Saturn, with everything else far smaller and/or further away), there's going to be funny a 'petal-like' track of the barycentre w.r.t. the Sun (or vice-versa), with seemingpy retrograde periods and inflections, but if you chose to sit it out 'at' the barycentre and track the Sun's position you'd expect 360° of 'heavenly motion' from Sol every 11.86 years (for a little over a third of the time you'd be ''within'' the Sun, due to the sufficient balancing out of masses around it, but you could still track the direction to its centre ...assuming you weren't bothered by being ''within the Sun'', like you aren't bothered by being right next to it for the rest of the time).
:Barnard's Star is (otherwise) the star with the current greatest proper motion, at 10.358 seconds of arc per year. Comparing the two (not that BS is going to complete any 'orbit', like that), it means that the Sun moves with Proper Motion (if I've not messed up toouch, on the back of this envelope) slightly above 175x greater than BS's current record rate. Though, instantaneously, the strict comparison would fluctuate over time due to the complex resonancing nature of the Sun's theoretical looping and de-looping w.r.t. the reference frame. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.245|82.132.238.245]] 17:36, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

The extremely high parallax of the Sun (324,000 arc seconds if I calculate correctly) swamps out any prer motion. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038|2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038]] 12:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

:Err…''wutt?'' Again, I am not a domain expert or even really a domain user, but… 
:(a) A single object cannot have a "parallax." Parallax is a measure of error between two viewpoints (line segments), or perhaps between three points in space (the far object and two eye positions). Assuming the Sun is the far object, what are the other reference points or lines? If one is the Earth (a pretty big ''if'' ) then what is the other? 
:(b) 324,400 is 90 degrees, a right angle. "The Sun has a parallax of 90 degrees" is not a concept that makes sense to me. 
:Maybe I'm misunderstanding though? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 13:20, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::Using usual definitions of stellar parallax, half the shift in angular position of the star when viewed from opposite "ends" of Earth's orbit. From, say December to June the Sun's position relative to the background stars shifts by 180 degrees. It's a bit of a joke, but this _is_ a comic we are discussing. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038|2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038]] 15:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

@81.179.199.253, I do not think that writing «a simple "angle per time"» is more clear than «degrees/second» or «rad/sec.». Just like saying "linear distance" is more confusing to people than "feet" (or meters). One might even suggest if we have to label something "simple" that is evidence that it isn't. I think, also, the grammar of the sentence got even more complex. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:09, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:With the "angle per time", I wanted to avoid the argument being had (astronomy tends to use "arc-seconds per year", rather than any radian-based measure, in my experience) and make it more neutral.
:As for how complicated it then went, I was ''tempted'' to just leave it to the wikilink, but tried to respond to the prior edit comments instead. I could cut it back again, though. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:18, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::I think that's totally wrong and every edit seems to make it worse and worse. More neutral isn't easier-to-understand, and that's what we need. Using the wrong units is better than using no units. I lifted rad/s from the enwiki article, but I have no idea if it is correct (and I'm starting to suspect it's not). Degrees/second would be the most clear, because far more people know what a degree is than a radian. Happy pi day. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Then you'll probably want to add a full-blooded combo-link such as "{{w|Minute and second of arc#Symbols and abbreviations|arcseconds}}/{{w|year}}" (or whatever your choice is... but rad/sec or even deg/sec will give you ''smaaaallll'' values even for the Sun), if it's not already good enough to help the currently unaware by linking to Proper Motion and Angular Speed/Velocity/Displacement/whatever. I'm not sure what else can be added to make it more understandable, nor what else to remove to tighten it up without losing something that someone might appreciate. But over to you, to edit it to your satisfaction. That's the beauty/price of a wiki. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:27, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::::As a general matter, I don't concede that it is the beauty/price of a wiki to override another editor's editorial judgment and substitute my own in an area where there are clear creative differences and no objectively correct answer. I said above I thought the changes didn't help, but having said that, I don't think it's my job to go revert them. That said, given your explicit encouragement ("over to you") I took another stab at it, especially because saying "angular rate" is "some angle per time" is kind of the most unhelpful way to do redundancy — it uses similar words so doesn't convey more information (kind of like defining Zoroastrianism as a religion founded by Zoroaster). We want to use redundancy as a tool to help understanding by saying the same thing in two different ways, so that ideally repetition helps understanding or different ways resonate better with different readers. I have so stabbed. Bah, we've lost our ==topic==, despite its sparing use. /* Woe is I. */ [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 16:41, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:::::If you'd like ''me'' to comment on a minor stylistic issue, from how the description has become... the "degrees/second" bit looks a bit too much like a possible either-or being offered (as a 'garden-path' misread that it's a choice of using ''either'' degrees ''or'' second(s), for some reason, within prose and not perfectoy obvious that it's an example of unit-algebra). The use of the wording form with "per" avoids that. Obviously those who are already enlightened won't (permanently!) carry that mistaken understanding with them, but they're not the ones for which it is something that still needs spelling out, and if it looked (momentarily!) like that for me, I can't say it won't for everyone else... But perhaps just misplaced pedantry on my part. I didn't change it (''that'' bit) at all, in my own latest pass through the page. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.94|82.132.236.94]] 17:31, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
::::::@'''82.132.236.94''', I would not. It seems to me that the only debate on that is whether or not you should punch the "This is a minor edit" checkbox when you make the edit. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:16, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:::::::Pings do not work on this wiki, as you have repeatedly been told. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 13:06, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
:::::::: @'''DollarStoreBa'al''' Please cease your "as you have repeatedly been told" holier-than-thou nonsense. I am well aware that this MediaWiki does not provide notification to editors when they are mentioned in a reply, but so what? It is still useful as a form of address, and I so chose it here. So it did indeed "work" (not that it has to). Your comment is unhelpful and makes me feel antagonized. (And even if pings worked at the MediaWiki layer, their situation for IP editors would be problematic because apparently the IPs are not stable or real as seen by MediaWiki in our configuration). [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:24, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
:::::::Also, as a note, the "minor edit" checkbox isn't even available to IP editors. (Don't worry about the Ping thing, though, which is effectively just a visual marker. I read it anyway, 'cos I read everything, even if I decided against any replying about this at the time.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.193|82.132.238.193]] 17:19, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

This is redundant: "The joke is that they are all nearly identical dots, making the chart almost useless. [...] The joke is that the pictures look almost identical to one another, and therefore the chart isn't helpful at all." But I don't know which of the two sentences to delete, so I'm just going to leave this note here, and let someone else tighten the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/2603:7000:6100:48CF:1D2B:3433:E765:8B8C|2603:7000:6100:48CF:1D2B:3433:E765:8B8C]] 02:37, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:Tried to fix it --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

This xkcd is very cool honestly [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 13:38, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

The picture could be "transcribed" more accurately as a 4x3 table, but I don't know if the detrimental effect on mobile viewing would outweigh that. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:36, 16 March 2026 (UTC)
:The "Transcript" section ''should not'' use tables (even for an actual comic of a table, being transcribed, tempting as that may be). It is supposed to be a text-only representation of the visuals, so relying upon things like formats and layout (except by describing said format and layout in words) doesn't help do what the Transcipt part is supposed to do.
:Though you can create a table (formatted however you like) within the "Explanation". But it'd be better not as a 4x3-stle table to replicate the comic layout, instead as a row per each of the twelve and columns to contain various (sortable?) details relating to each line. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 18:46, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-15T20:16:23Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Proper motion */ I am not trying to debate the choice of a vulgar slash.

There are sight color differences...[[Special:Contributions/209.240.116.218|209.240.116.218]] 19:55, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

I've created a version that brings out the color contrast, but I don't have permissions to upload it yet. How may I get those? [[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 20:04, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:See [[Special:ListGroupRights]] for info about becoming autoconfirmed. In the meantime, you can upload the image onto an image hosting website such as Imgur or ImgBB and I can help you upload it! [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 20:20, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:[Ninjaed... You got there just before me, just realised I ended up Edit Conflicted... :P Editing down to the bits that weren't said above.]
:[...] you've been here a while, but 'only' edited thirteen times, it looks like [...]
:[...and when someone else uploads it...] you can alwas add your own [claims to ownership], to the finished 'file page' [if the user concerned doesn't credit you already]. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:31, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
::Here you go! https://ibb.co/5gyVM59C [[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 15:19, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Great work. I have uploaded your image and put it in a [[3219:_Planets_and_Bright_Stars#Trivia|trivia section]] and linked from the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

Anyone know where that </div> overlaying "Add Comment" at the bottom of the discussion is coming from? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:01, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:Well, Tori's signature is a bit lopsided with its tags, by the time it gets to the browser (is one <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> short, and has one closing <code><nowiki></a></nowiki></code> before the closing <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> that should have been within it), but not sure how that might have tricked-out the rest so that some closing <code><nowiki></div></nowiki></code> is redundant, without going through the ''entire'' page source to track down any other accumulated discrepancies.
:I've seen that rogue close-div before, and I seem to recall that some precautionary extra close-tags (in either HTML or Wiki markup) have been added to 'make sure' some things don't run on. But it seems to vanish after some later edits (either main comic page or discussion one), and I would have imagined that the excess tag would just be 'ignored' under most circumstances. But it's difficult to tell easil tell what a combination of meta-tagging and actual tagging does.
:And there's all kinds of weirdness in the scripting part of the page, like the bit that says <code><nowiki>node.outerHTML="\u003Cdiv id=\"localNotice\" lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cdiv[... most of this statement removed ...]\n\u003C/div\u003E\u003C/div\u003E";</nowiki></code> with ''escaped'' DIVs in it, that only apply when the script self-modifies the page-source. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:59, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
::In fact, the rogue DIV only appears when viewing the transcluded Talk page within the main article. Viewing the Talk page directly doesn't seem to show it (or have it in the same bit of the respective HTML source), which adds to my belief that it's a run-on tag (not?) being opened as part of the Comic page's definition. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:02, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

Jupiter, Venus, Mars (at its peak) and Sirius are noticeably brighter than the others. Mars, Antares and Betelgeuse are also quite red. Also if you look at planets through a telescope or good binoculars you can tell that they have a larger size (and some have moons). The others would be quite hard to tell apart without knowing their position.
<table>
<tr>
<th>Object</th><th>App. Mag</th><th>B-V (Colour)</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Venus</th><th>-4.98 to -2.98</th><th>0.82</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Mars</th><th>-2.94 to +1.86</th><th>1.33</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Jupiter</th><th>-2.94 to -1.66</th><th>0.83</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Saturn</th><th>-0.55 to +1.17</th><th>1.04</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Mercury</th><th>-2.48 to +7.25</th><th>0.97</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Sirius</th><th>-1.46</th><th>0</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Procyon</th><th>+0.34</th><th>0.42</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Antares</th><th>+0.6 to +1.6</th><th>1.83</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Altair</th><th>+0.76</th><th>0.22</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Betelgeuse</th><th>0 to +1.6</th><th>1.85</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Vega</th><th>0</th><th>0</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Polaris</th><th>+1.86 to +2.13</th><th>0.6</th>
</tr>
</table>
It would be interesting to see if these characteristics are at all present in the comic (it does look like Mars, Betelgeuse and Antares are red and Saturn is a little yellow so maybe the colours are right), or what the comic should look like if they are not --22:50, 13 March 2026 (UTC)[[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]])

Created a nice image using the explanations on this page (using Gemini)

[https://ibb.co/k6wQF0Vd Chart fixed by explanations here] {{unsigned|2A09:BAC3:2FF0:28C:0:0:41:127}}
:Since Rumbling7145 did the same higher up in the discussion I used his picture in stead, but still great work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

Do planets and stars both have the same "flickering" appearance? If they don't, that would aid in identification. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 05:37, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:Unless ''perhaps'' you're looking at a pulsar (or an occluding binary system of some kind), the flickering you presumably mean, of the night-sky points of light, is going to be overwhelmingly caused from the light's last 'few miles' down into our atmosphere and has nothing much to do with the nature of the light-source or lit planetary disc (or even cloud-tops, which still really requires more than a Mark I Eyeball to discern) at the other end of the interstellar/interplanetary gap. Or even its distance, whether it's a neighbouring planet perhaps 'merely' a few million miles away or a huge ball ''at least'' several trillion distant.
:The larger the dot is, the less noticable the twinkling (hence the Moon not necessarily shimmering... though, like the Sun, it can if you're looking through air with enough density gradient or other resulting density-driven turbulance), but the difference is pretty much like being shown pin-points and/or pin-''heads'', an otherwise unknown combination being arranged to respectively face you, at the other end of quite a large room. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.94|82.132.236.94]] 16:27, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

;Proper motion
According to the Wikipedia page to proper motion, it is defined relative to the center of the solar system. So having a proper motion of zero makes the sun stand out indeed. [[Special:Contributions/84.115.169.154|84.115.169.154]] 04:50, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:Err. {{w|proper motion}} is "relative to the center of mass of the Solar System," aka the {{w|barycenter}}, which is not the center of the Sun, but rather very close to it and sometimes outside of it. So, I think, (and I am definitely inexpert here), the [center of the] Sun is rather rapidly moving in an angular fashion about that point, far more so than any other object, whose angular movement around that point is much slower. Just like if you are one foot away from the north pole and wandering aimlessly, you can very quickly change your longitude from +90° to –90° in a step or two. So, I think, the Sun does indeed have "high proper motion," not "zero proper motion." But someone please correct me. Also, I (earlier) tried to explain proper motion in the last graf of the article and I suspect I did a poor job (possibly also inaccurate), so I'd appreciate someone with the, err, ''proper'' expertise fixing it up. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 05:00, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:(Indeed...) The barycentre for the Sun-Jupiter pair, alone, sits (just!) outside of the mass of the Sun, and Jupiter is the main non-solar part of the mass. (That we know of, and that forms identifiable point-gravitational components. Even if they were more massive, the ring/shell nature of the Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt and Oort Clouds likely cancel themselves out.) Depending on where the rest of the planets are (next most influential would be Saturn, with everything else far smaller and/or further away), there's going to be funny a 'petal-like' track of the barycentre w.r.t. the Sun (or vice-versa), with seemingpy retrograde periods and inflections, but if you chose to sit it out 'at' the barycentre and track the Sun's position you'd expect 360° of 'heavenly motion' from Sol every 11.86 years (for a little over a third of the time you'd be ''within'' the Sun, due to the sufficient balancing out of masses around it, but you could still track the direction to its centre ...assuming you weren't bothered by being ''within the Sun'', like you aren't bothered by being right next to it for the rest of the time).
:Barnard's Star is (otherwise) the star with the current greatest proper motion, at 10.358 seconds of arc per year. Comparing the two (not that BS is going to complete any 'orbit', like that), it means that the Sun moves with Proper Motion (if I've not messed up toouch, on the back of this envelope) slightly above 175x greater than BS's current record rate. Though, instantaneously, the strict comparison would fluctuate over time due to the complex resonancing nature of the Sun's theoretical looping and de-looping w.r.t. the reference frame. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.245|82.132.238.245]] 17:36, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

The extremely high parallax of the Sun (324,000 arc seconds if I calculate correctly) swamps out any prer motion. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038|2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038]] 12:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

:Err…''wutt?'' Again, I am not a domain expert or even really a domain user, but… 
:(a) A single object cannot have a "parallax." Parallax is a measure of error between two viewpoints (line segments), or perhaps between three points in space (the far object and two eye positions). Assuming the Sun is the far object, what are the other reference points or lines? If one is the Earth (a pretty big ''if'' ) then what is the other? 
:(b) 324,400 is 90 degrees, a right angle. "The Sun has a parallax of 90 degrees" is not a concept that makes sense to me. 
:Maybe I'm misunderstanding though? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 13:20, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::Using usual definitions of stellar parallax, half the shift in angular position of the star when viewed from opposite "ends" of Earth's orbit. From, say December to June the Sun's position relative to the background stars shifts by 180 degrees. It's a bit of a joke, but this _is_ a comic we are discussing. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038|2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038]] 15:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

@81.179.199.253, I do not think that writing «a simple "angle per time"» is more clear than «degrees/second» or «rad/sec.». Just like saying "linear distance" is more confusing to people than "feet" (or meters). One might even suggest if we have to label something "simple" that is evidence that it isn't. I think, also, the grammar of the sentence got even more complex. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:09, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:With the "angle per time", I wanted to avoid the argument being had (astronomy tends to use "arc-seconds per year", rather than any radian-based measure, in my experience) and make it more neutral.
:As for how complicated it then went, I was ''tempted'' to just leave it to the wikilink, but tried to respond to the prior edit comments instead. I could cut it back again, though. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:18, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::I think that's totally wrong and every edit seems to make it worse and worse. More neutral isn't easier-to-understand, and that's what we need. Using the wrong units is better than using no units. I lifted rad/s from the enwiki article, but I have no idea if it is correct (and I'm starting to suspect it's not). Degrees/second would be the most clear, because far more people know what a degree is than a radian. Happy pi day. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Then you'll probably want to add a full-blooded combo-link such as "{{w|Minute and second of arc#Symbols and abbreviations|arcseconds}}/{{w|year}}" (or whatever your choice is... but rad/sec or even deg/sec will give you ''smaaaallll'' values even for the Sun), if it's not already good enough to help the currently unaware by linking to Proper Motion and Angular Speed/Velocity/Displacement/whatever. I'm not sure what else can be added to make it more understandable, nor what else to remove to tighten it up without losing something that someone might appreciate. But over to you, to edit it to your satisfaction. That's the beauty/price of a wiki. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:27, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::::As a general matter, I don't concede that it is the beauty/price of a wiki to override another editor's editorial judgment and substitute my own in an area where there are clear creative differences and no objectively correct answer. I said above I thought the changes didn't help, but having said that, I don't think it's my job to go revert them. That said, given your explicit encouragement ("over to you") I took another stab at it, especially because saying "angular rate" is "some angle per time" is kind of the most unhelpful way to do redundancy — it uses similar words so doesn't convey more information (kind of like defining Zoroastrianism as a religion founded by Zoroaster). We want to use redundancy as a tool to help understanding by saying the same thing in two different ways, so that ideally repetition helps understanding or different ways resonate better with different readers. I have so stabbed. Bah, we've lost our ==topic==, despite its sparing use. /* Woe is I. */ [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 16:41, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:::::If you'd like ''me'' to comment on a minor stylistic issue, from how the description has become... the "degrees/second" bit looks a bit too much like a possible either-or being offered (as a 'garden-path' misread that it's a choice of using ''either'' degrees ''or'' second(s), for some reason, within prose and not perfectoy obvious that it's an example of unit-algebra). The use of the wording form with "per" avoids that. Obviously those who are already enlightened won't (permanently!) carry that mistaken understanding with them, but they're not the ones for which it is something that still needs spelling out, and if it looked (momentarily!) like that for me, I can't say it won't for everyone else... But perhaps just misplaced pedantry on my part. I didn't change it (''that'' bit) at all, in my own latest pass through the page. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.94|82.132.236.94]] 17:31, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
::::::@'''82.132.236.94''', I would not. It seems to me that the only debate on that is whether or not you should punch the "This is a minor edit" checkbox when you make the edit. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:16, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

This is redundant: "The joke is that they are all nearly identical dots, making the chart almost useless. [...] The joke is that the pictures look almost identical to one another, and therefore the chart isn't helpful at all." But I don't know which of the two sentences to delete, so I'm just going to leave this note here, and let someone else tighten the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/2603:7000:6100:48CF:1D2B:3433:E765:8B8C|2603:7000:6100:48CF:1D2B:3433:E765:8B8C]] 02:37, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:Tried to fix it --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

This xkcd is very cool honestly [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 13:38, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-15T16:41:34Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Proper motion */ r fine if you insist i'll try again

There are sight color differences...[[Special:Contributions/209.240.116.218|209.240.116.218]] 19:55, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

I've created a version that brings out the color contrast, but I don't have permissions to upload it yet. How may I get those? [[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 20:04, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:See [[Special:ListGroupRights]] for info about becoming autoconfirmed. In the meantime, you can upload the image onto an image hosting website such as Imgur or ImgBB and I can help you upload it! [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 20:20, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:[Ninjaed... You got there just before me, just realised I ended up Edit Conflicted... :P Editing down to the bits that weren't said above.]
:[...] you've been here a while, but 'only' edited thirteen times, it looks like [...]
:[...and when someone else uploads it...] you can alwas add your own [claims to ownership], to the finished 'file page' [if the user concerned doesn't credit you already]. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:31, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
::Here you go! https://ibb.co/5gyVM59C [[User:Rumbling7145|Rumbling7145]] ([[User talk:Rumbling7145|talk]]) 15:19, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Great work. I have uploaded your image and put it in a [[3219:_Planets_and_Bright_Stars#Trivia|trivia section]] and linked from the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

Anyone know where that </div> overlaying "Add Comment" at the bottom of the discussion is coming from? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:01, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
:Well, Tori's signature is a bit lopsided with its tags, by the time it gets to the browser (is one <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> short, and has one closing <code><nowiki></a></nowiki></code> before the closing <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> that should have been within it), but not sure how that might have tricked-out the rest so that some closing <code><nowiki></div></nowiki></code> is redundant, without going through the ''entire'' page source to track down any other accumulated discrepancies.
:I've seen that rogue close-div before, and I seem to recall that some precautionary extra close-tags (in either HTML or Wiki markup) have been added to 'make sure' some things don't run on. But it seems to vanish after some later edits (either main comic page or discussion one), and I would have imagined that the excess tag would just be 'ignored' under most circumstances. But it's difficult to tell easil tell what a combination of meta-tagging and actual tagging does.
:And there's all kinds of weirdness in the scripting part of the page, like the bit that says <code><nowiki>node.outerHTML="\u003Cdiv id=\"localNotice\" lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cdiv[... most of this statement removed ...]\n\u003C/div\u003E\u003C/div\u003E";</nowiki></code> with ''escaped'' DIVs in it, that only apply when the script self-modifies the page-source. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:59, 13 March 2026 (UTC)
::In fact, the rogue DIV only appears when viewing the transcluded Talk page within the main article. Viewing the Talk page directly doesn't seem to show it (or have it in the same bit of the respective HTML source), which adds to my belief that it's a run-on tag (not?) being opened as part of the Comic page's definition. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:02, 13 March 2026 (UTC)

Jupiter, Venus, Mars (at its peak) and Sirius are noticeably brighter than the others. Mars, Antares and Betelgeuse are also quite red. Also if you look at planets through a telescope or good binoculars you can tell that they have a larger size (and some have moons). The others would be quite hard to tell apart without knowing their position.
<table>
<tr>
<th>Object</th><th>App. Mag</th><th>B-V (Colour)</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Venus</th><th>-4.98 to -2.98</th><th>0.82</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Mars</th><th>-2.94 to +1.86</th><th>1.33</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Jupiter</th><th>-2.94 to -1.66</th><th>0.83</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Saturn</th><th>-0.55 to +1.17</th><th>1.04</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Mercury</th><th>-2.48 to +7.25</th><th>0.97</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Sirius</th><th>-1.46</th><th>0</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Procyon</th><th>+0.34</th><th>0.42</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Antares</th><th>+0.6 to +1.6</th><th>1.83</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Altair</th><th>+0.76</th><th>0.22</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Betelgeuse</th><th>0 to +1.6</th><th>1.85</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Vega</th><th>0</th><th>0</th>
</tr><tr>
<th>Polaris</th><th>+1.86 to +2.13</th><th>0.6</th>
</tr>
</table>
It would be interesting to see if these characteristics are at all present in the comic (it does look like Mars, Betelgeuse and Antares are red and Saturn is a little yellow so maybe the colours are right), or what the comic should look like if they are not --22:50, 13 March 2026 (UTC)[[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]])

Created a nice image using the explanations on this page (using Gemini)

[https://ibb.co/k6wQF0Vd Chart fixed by explanations here] {{unsigned|2A09:BAC3:2FF0:28C:0:0:41:127}}
:Since Rumbling7145 did the same higher up in the discussion I used his picture in stead, but still great work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

Do planets and stars both have the same "flickering" appearance? If they don't, that would aid in identification. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 05:37, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:Unless ''perhaps'' you're looking at a pulsar (or an occluding binary system of some kind), the flickering you presumably mean, of the night-sky points of light, is going to be overwhelmingly caused from the light's last 'few miles' down into our atmosphere and has nothing much to do with the nature of the light-source or lit planetary disc (or even cloud-tops, which still really requires more than a Mark I Eyeball to discern) at the other end of the interstellar/interplanetary gap. Or even its distance, whether it's a neighbouring planet perhaps 'merely' a few million miles away or a huge ball ''at least'' several trillion distant.
:The larger the dot is, the less noticable the twinkling (hence the Moon not necessarily shimmering... though, like the Sun, it can if you're looking through air with enough density gradient or other resulting density-driven turbulance), but the difference is pretty much like being shown pin-points and/or pin-''heads'', an otherwise unknown combination being arranged to respectively face you, at the other end of quite a large room. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.94|82.132.236.94]] 16:27, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

;Proper motion
According to the Wikipedia page to proper motion, it is defined relative to the center of the solar system. So having a proper motion of zero makes the sun stand out indeed. [[Special:Contributions/84.115.169.154|84.115.169.154]] 04:50, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:Err. {{w|proper motion}} is "relative to the center of mass of the Solar System," aka the {{w|barycenter}}, which is not the center of the Sun, but rather very close to it and sometimes outside of it. So, I think, (and I am definitely inexpert here), the [center of the] Sun is rather rapidly moving in an angular fashion about that point, far more so than any other object, whose angular movement around that point is much slower. Just like if you are one foot away from the north pole and wandering aimlessly, you can very quickly change your longitude from +90° to –90° in a step or two. So, I think, the Sun does indeed have "high proper motion," not "zero proper motion." But someone please correct me. Also, I (earlier) tried to explain proper motion in the last graf of the article and I suspect I did a poor job (possibly also inaccurate), so I'd appreciate someone with the, err, ''proper'' expertise fixing it up. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 05:00, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:(Indeed...) The barycentre for the Sun-Jupiter pair, alone, sits (just!) outside of the mass of the Sun, and Jupiter is the main non-solar part of the mass. (That we know of, and that forms identifiable point-gravitational components. Even if they were more massive, the ring/shell nature of the Asteroid Belt, Kuiper Belt and Oort Clouds likely cancel themselves out.) Depending on where the rest of the planets are (next most influential would be Saturn, with everything else far smaller and/or further away), there's going to be funny a 'petal-like' track of the barycentre w.r.t. the Sun (or vice-versa), with seemingpy retrograde periods and inflections, but if you chose to sit it out 'at' the barycentre and track the Sun's position you'd expect 360° of 'heavenly motion' from Sol every 11.86 years (for a little over a third of the time you'd be ''within'' the Sun, due to the sufficient balancing out of masses around it, but you could still track the direction to its centre ...assuming you weren't bothered by being ''within the Sun'', like you aren't bothered by being right next to it for the rest of the time).
:Barnard's Star is (otherwise) the star with the current greatest proper motion, at 10.358 seconds of arc per year. Comparing the two (not that BS is going to complete any 'orbit', like that), it means that the Sun moves with Proper Motion (if I've not messed up toouch, on the back of this envelope) slightly above 175x greater than BS's current record rate. Though, instantaneously, the strict comparison would fluctuate over time due to the complex resonancing nature of the Sun's theoretical looping and de-looping w.r.t. the reference frame. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.245|82.132.238.245]] 17:36, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

The extremely high parallax of the Sun (324,000 arc seconds if I calculate correctly) swamps out any prer motion. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038|2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038]] 12:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

:Err…''wutt?'' Again, I am not a domain expert or even really a domain user, but… 
:(a) A single object cannot have a "parallax." Parallax is a measure of error between two viewpoints (line segments), or perhaps between three points in space (the far object and two eye positions). Assuming the Sun is the far object, what are the other reference points or lines? If one is the Earth (a pretty big ''if'' ) then what is the other? 
:(b) 324,400 is 90 degrees, a right angle. "The Sun has a parallax of 90 degrees" is not a concept that makes sense to me. 
:Maybe I'm misunderstanding though? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 13:20, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::Using usual definitions of stellar parallax, half the shift in angular position of the star when viewed from opposite "ends" of Earth's orbit. From, say December to June the Sun's position relative to the background stars shifts by 180 degrees. It's a bit of a joke, but this _is_ a comic we are discussing. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038|2600:1001:B008:1230:9C83:B115:90B1:6038]] 15:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

@81.179.199.253, I do not think that writing «a simple "angle per time"» is more clear than «degrees/second» or «rad/sec.». Just like saying "linear distance" is more confusing to people than "feet" (or meters). One might even suggest if we have to label something "simple" that is evidence that it isn't. I think, also, the grammar of the sentence got even more complex. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:09, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:With the "angle per time", I wanted to avoid the argument being had (astronomy tends to use "arc-seconds per year", rather than any radian-based measure, in my experience) and make it more neutral.
:As for how complicated it then went, I was ''tempted'' to just leave it to the wikilink, but tried to respond to the prior edit comments instead. I could cut it back again, though. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:18, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::I think that's totally wrong and every edit seems to make it worse and worse. More neutral isn't easier-to-understand, and that's what we need. Using the wrong units is better than using no units. I lifted rad/s from the enwiki article, but I have no idea if it is correct (and I'm starting to suspect it's not). Degrees/second would be the most clear, because far more people know what a degree is than a radian. Happy pi day. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:12, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Then you'll probably want to add a full-blooded combo-link such as "{{w|Minute and second of arc#Symbols and abbreviations|arcseconds}}/{{w|year}}" (or whatever your choice is... but rad/sec or even deg/sec will give you ''smaaaallll'' values even for the Sun), if it's not already good enough to help the currently unaware by linking to Proper Motion and Angular Speed/Velocity/Displacement/whatever. I'm not sure what else can be added to make it more understandable, nor what else to remove to tighten it up without losing something that someone might appreciate. But over to you, to edit it to your satisfaction. That's the beauty/price of a wiki. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 22:27, 14 March 2026 (UTC)
::::As a general matter, I don't concede that it is the beauty/price of a wiki to override another editor's editorial judgment and substitute my own in an area where there are clear creative differences and no objectively correct answer. I said above I thought the changes didn't help, but having said that, I don't think it's my job to go revert them. That said, given your explicit encouragement ("over to you") I took another stab at it, especially because saying "angular rate" is "some angle per time" is kind of the most unhelpful way to do redundancy — it uses similar words so doesn't convey more information (kind of like defining Zoroastrianism as a religion founded by Zoroaster). We want to use redundancy as a tool to help understanding by saying the same thing in two different ways, so that ideally repetition helps understanding or different ways resonate better with different readers. I have so stabbed. Bah, we've lost our ==topic==, despite its sparing use. /* Woe is I. */ [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 16:41, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

This is redundant: "The joke is that they are all nearly identical dots, making the chart almost useless. [...] The joke is that the pictures look almost identical to one another, and therefore the chart isn't helpful at all." But I don't know which of the two sentences to delete, so I'm just going to leave this note here, and let someone else tighten the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/2603:7000:6100:48CF:1D2B:3433:E765:8B8C|2603:7000:6100:48CF:1D2B:3433:E765:8B8C]] 02:37, 15 March 2026 (UTC)
:Tried to fix it --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:52, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

This xkcd is very cool honestly [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 13:38, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-15T16:31:38Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Proper motion */ let's try this again, shorter sentences less parenthesis, give a tangible example of degrees/second.

{{comic
| number = 3219
| date = March 13, 2026
| title = Planets and Bright Stars
| image = planets_and_bright_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 374x265px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = An old astronomer trick for distinguishing the Sun from other stars is to take multiple photos a few minutes apart and overlay them, making the Sun stand out due to its high proper motion.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a GLOWING SPACE DOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic shows an identification chart for some of the planets and bright stars visible at night from Earth. Bright shiny objects in the sky are often confused with each other by people without astronomical experience. This the chart is supposed to make identification easier by placing them adjacent to one another to easily see the differences. The joke is that all 12 dots are nearly identical, making the chart useless.

The real way of distinguishing these objects is by their location in the sky. Stars can be found by using constellations, which are an apparent pattern of bright stars that make different regions of the sky distinguishable from one another. The planets can be distinguished by not belonging to the constellations, and further differentiated by their color, brightness, and movement relative to the stars (on the scale of weeks or months).

The stars and planets do indeed look similar to one another in reality, but they are not identical. Some of them (in particular, the star Betelgeuse and the planet Mars) have a distinct reddish color, which can be seen in good conditions. The brightness is also different, and it can serve as a guide, but it's difficult to precisely judge brightness by eye, and the planets don't have a constant brightness over time. The differences are actually visible in the comic to a degree - e.g., the spots for Venus and Jupiter are slightly larger than the others - but they're subtle enough to not recognize at first glance.

Each 'object' in the comic also has a color, albeit ''extremely'' desaturated (very nearly white). If deliberately exaggerated, the comic's planets and suns are all notably non-white, as can be seen in the picture in the [[#Trivia|trivia section]] below..
*Planets:
**{{w|Venus}}: the yellowy-orange hue of its cloud layers.
**{{w|Mars}}: the red of its surface (given more muted saturation, in the comic, for the joke to work?).
**{{w|Jupiter}}: the general orange hue of its combined cloud layers.
**{{w|Saturn}}: a more 'peachy' orange of its clouds (no obvious hint of its ring system).
**{{w|Mercury (planet)|Mercury}}: a yellow surface (not typically noted, in true-hue images, perhaps artistic licence from its proximity to the Sun).
*Stars
**{{w|Sirius}} (binary system, primarily a {{w|main sequence}} A-type star): light blue.
**{{w|Procyon}} ({{w|subgiant}} F-type star): more light green, or yellowy-blue/cyan.
**{{w|Antares}} (M-type star, {{w|red supergiant}}): orange.
**{{w|Altair}} (A-type, main sequence): light blue.
**{{w|Betelgeuse}} (M-type, {{w|red supergiant}}): relatively dark red (usually visible as such in real eyes-only observations).
**{{w|Vega}} (A-type, main sequence): light blue.
**{{w|Polaris}} (ternary star-system, dominant member being an F-type {{w|yellow supergiant}}): ''extremely'' unsaturated cyan.

Using even a small telescope would make it easy to distinguish the planets by their brightness, size, and surface features. Additionally, using a spectroscope would allow for a measurement of the star's spectrum, which coupled with its brightness would allow an astronomer to distinguish the mentioned stars.

The title text suggests a "trick" for recognizing the Sun among other stars, suggesting measuring its {{w|proper motion}} by overlaying several images,
Proper motion is a measure of the change in apparent position against the more distant 'fixed' background of stars, as an {{w|angular rate}} (like degrees/second). This hypothetical trick is similar in principle to a {{w|blink comparator}}. It would indeed differentiate it from other stars, but there are much easier methods, such as its extreme brightness and large angular size.{{cn}} A disadvantage of this method is that it distinguishes the Sun from other stars, but it cannot distinguish the Sun from planets. It is also completely unnecessary, except during a {{w|solar eclipse}}, because stars are not usually visible during the day, when the Sun is out. Additionally, "proper motion" is a term usually not used for the Sun.

==Transcript==
:[A 4x3 grid of white dots are displayed on a black background. Above them there is caption in white text. Below each white dot there is a label in white. The dots are almost identical slightly fuzzy and white. There may be a slight color hue to some of the dots, but it is not clearly visible.]
:Planets and Bright Stars identification chart
:Venus
:Mars
:Jupiter
:Saturn
:Mercury
:Sirius
:Procyon
:Antares
:Altair
:Betelgeuse
:Vega
:Polaris

==Trivia==
*[[User:Rumbling7145]] made this picture enhancing the colors of the dots in the original comic:
[[File:3219_planets-and-bright-stars-2x-saturation.png]]

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T21:12:17Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Proper motion */ r/ugh/π

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T20:09:53Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Proper motion */ ugh. I do not think recent edits in the name of simplicity or understandability achieved their intended goals.

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T20:06:40Z

JohnHawkinson: (sort)

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T20:05:33Z

JohnHawkinson: /* proper motion */ topic

3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T19:03:58Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Explanation */ restore rad/s. The COMIC doesn't care, but "angular component of a star's motion" is meaningless gobbledygook for many READERS. Give them some redundancy and a concrete measure to help understand the concept. I would love a better expl!.

{{comic
| number = 3219
| date = March 13, 2026
| title = Planets and Bright Stars
| image = planets_and_bright_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 374x265px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = An old astronomer trick for distinguishing the Sun from other stars is to take multiple photos a few minutes apart and overlay them, making the Sun stand out due to its high proper motion.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic features a chart of a handful of cosmic objects (all planets or stars) and what they look like in the night sky. The joke is that they are all nearly identical dots, making the chart almost useless.

The comic shows an identification chart for some of the planets and bright stars visible at night from Earth. Bright shiny objects are often confused by people without astronomical experience, and the chart is supposed to make this easier by placing them adjacent to one another to easily see the differences. The joke is that the pictures look almost identical to one another, and therefore the chart isn't helpful at all.

The real way of distinguishing these objects is by their location in the sky. Stars can be found by using constellations, which are an apparent pattern of bright stars that make different regions of the sky distinguishable from one another. The planets can be distinguished by not belonging to the constellations, and further differentiated by their color, brightness, and movement relative to the stars (on the scale of weeks or months).

Selected objects do indeed look similar to one another in reality, but not identical. Some of them (in particular, the star Betelgeuse and the planet Mars) have a distinct reddish color, which can be seen in good conditions. The brightness is also different, and it can serve as a guide, but it's difficult to precisely judge brightness by eye, and the planets don't have a constant brightness over time. The differences are actually visible in the comic to a degree - e.g., the spots for Venus and Jupiter are slightly larger than the others - but they're subtle enough to not recognize at first glance.

Each 'object' also has a color, albeit ''extremely'' desaturated (very nearly white). If deliberately exaggerated, the comic's planets and suns are all notably non-white.
*Planets:
**{{w|Venus}}: the yellowy-orange hue of its cloud layers.
**{{w|Mars}}: the red of its surface (given more muted saturation, in the comic, for the joke to work?).
**{{w|Jupiter}}: the general orange hue of its combined cloud layers.
**{{w|Saturn}}: a more 'peachy' orange of its clouds (no obvious hint of its ring system).
**{{w|Mercury (planet)|Mercury}}:: a yellow surface (not typically noted, in true-hue images, perhaps artistic licence from its proximity to the Sun).
*Stars
**{{w|Sirius}} (binary system, primarily a {{w|main sequence}} A-type star): light blue.
**{{w|Procyon}} ({{w|subgiant}} F-type star): more light green, or yellowy-blue/cyan.
**{{w|Antares}} (M-type star, {{w|red supergiant}}): orange.
**{{w|Altair}} (A-type, main sequence): light blue.
**{{w|Betelgeuse}} (M-type, {{w|red supergiant}}): relatively dark red (usually visible as such in real eyes-only observations).
**{{w|Vega}} (A-type, main sequence): light blue.
**{{w|Polaris}} (ternary star-system, dominant member being an F-type {{w|yellow supergiant}}): ''extremely'' unsaturated cyan.

Using even a small telescope would make it easy to distinguish the planets by their brightness, size, and surface features. Additionally, using a spectroscope would allow for a measurement of the star's spectrum, which coupled with its brightness would allow an astronomer to distinguish the mentioned stars.

The title text suggests a "trick" for recognizing the Sun among other stars, suggesting measuring its {{w|proper motion}} (a measure of the angular component of a star's motion, in radians per second, perpendicular to the radial velocity vector) by overlaying several images, a similar principle to the {{w|blink comparator}}. This does indeed differentiate it from other stars, but there are much easier methods, such as its extreme brightness and large angular size.{{cn}} It is also completely unnecessary, except during a {{w|solar eclipse}}, because stars are not usually visible during the day, when the Sun is out. Additionally, "proper motion" is a term usually not used for the Sun.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Caption: Planets and bright stars identification chart:]
:[A 4x3 grid of planets and stars are displayed on a black background. White text below dots of light caption which object it is. Planets and stars are represented by almost-identical slightly fuzzy dots of white light.]
:Venus
:Mars
:Jupiter
:Saturn
:Mercury
:Sirius
:Procyon
:Antares
:Altair
:Betelgeuse
:Vega
:Polaris

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

User talk:42.book.addict

2026-03-14T15:41:57Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please fix your broken signature */ changing facts on the ground

User talk:42.book.addict

2026-03-14T14:04:00Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please fix your broken signature */ new section

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T13:20:57Z

JohnHawkinson: lolwutt?

Talk:3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T05:00:56Z

JohnHawkinson: you sure it's zero? I think it's not.

3219: Planets and Bright Stars

2026-03-14T04:08:57Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Explanation */ Attempt to correct the use of "proper motion" and wikilink it. I am not confident I have this correct.

{{comic
| number = 3219
| date = March 13, 2026
| title = Planets and Bright Stars
| image = planets_and_bright_stars_2x.png
| imagesize = 374x265px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = An old astronomer trick for distinguishing the Sun from other stars is to take multiple photos a few minutes apart and overlay them, making the Sun stand out due to its high proper motion.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a GLOWING SPACE DOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
This comic features a chart of a handful of cosmic objects and what they look like in the night sky. The joke is that they are all nearly identical dots, making the chart almost useless.

The comic shows an identification chart for some of the planet and bright stars visible at night from Earth. Bright shiny objects are often confused by people without astronomical experience, and the chart is supposed to make this easier by placing them adjacent to one another to easily see the differences. The joke is that the pictures look almost identical to one another, and therefore the chart isn't helpful at all.

The real way of distinguishing these objects is by their location on the sky. The stars will be possible to find by the use of constellations, which are apparent pattern of bright stars that make different regions of the sky distinguishable from one another. The planets can be distinguished by not belonging to the constellations, and further differentiated by their color, brightness, and movement relative to the stars (on the scale of weeks or months).

Selected objects do indeed look similar to one another in reality, but not identical. Some of them (in particular, the star Betelgeuse and the planet Mars) have a distinct reddish color, which can be seen in good conditions. The brightness is also different, and it can serve as a guide, but it's difficult to precisely judge brightness by eye, and the planets don't have a constant brightness over time. The differences are actually visible in the comic to a degree - e.g., the spots for Venus and Jupiter are slightly larger than the others - but they're subtle enough to not recognize at the first glance.

Each 'object' also has a colour, albeit ''extremely'' desaturated (very nearly white). If deliberately exagerated, the planets and suns are all notably non-white. Of the planets, {{w|Venus}} can be seen to have the yellowy-orange hue of its cloud layers, {{w|Mars}} is red (reflecting its surface; and substantially less so, in its raw image, than an observer might experience with its real-life counterpart in the night sky, but probably muted for the sake of the joke), {{w|Jupiter}} has the more orange hue of its combined cloud layers, {{w|Saturn}} is a more 'peachy' orange (of its clouds, and no obvious hint of its rings), {{w|Mercury (planet)|Mercury}} has a Sun-bleached yellow (normally only seen in enhanced-colour images). For the stars, Sirius (being a main-sequence A-type star) is a light blue, Procyon (F-type star) might be identified as closer to a light green, Anteres (M-type star) is orange, Altair (A-type) another light blue, Betelgeuse (M-type) a relatively dark red, Vega (A-type) another light blue and Polaris (actually a triple-system of stars, dominated by an F-type supergiant) the most subtle blue of all.

Using even a small telescope would make it easy to distinguish the planets by their brightness, size, and surface features. Additionally, using a spectroscope would allow for a measurement of the star's spectrum, which coupled with its brightness would allow an astronomer to easily distinguish between mentioned stars.

The title text suggests a "trick" for recognizing the Sun among other stars, suggesting measuring its
{{w|proper motion}} (a measure of the angular component of a star's motion, in radians per second, perpendicular to the radial velocity vector) by overlaying several images. This does indeed differentiate it from other stars, but there are much easier methods, such as its extreme brightness and large angular size.{{cn}} It is also completely unnecessary, except during a {{w|solar eclipse}}, because stars are not usually visible during the day, when the Sun is out. Additionally, "proper motion" is a term usually not used for the Sun.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Caption: Planets and bright stars identification chart:]
:[A 4x3 grid of planets and stars are displayed on a black background. White text below dots of light caption which object it is. Planets and stars are represented by almost-identical slightly fuzzy dots of white light.]
:Venus
:Mars
:Jupiter
:Saturn
:Mercury
:Sirius
:Procyon
:Antares
:Altair
:Betelgeuse
:Vega
:Polaris

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

User talk:JohnHawkinson

2026-02-13T01:45:20Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Archive 1 and Deleted Archive 1 */ r

== Archive 1 and Deleted Archive 1 ==

Just wondering out of curiosity, what's the purpose of keeping Archive 1? You say that the "This page has been deleted", with the revision history showing that you linked it as a redirect to the Deleted Archive 1 page. Given that both pages have the word "deleted" in their title/page, why don't you want [[:Category:Pages to delete]] on there? Do you intend on using the archive in the future? I'm quite confused at the moment, as it seems that you want to delete the archive and never intend to use an archive, yet you don't want me marking it for deletion. Any clarification would be great. And sorry for messing with your page without your permission (really ironic of me, huh?) Thanks, [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 01:38, 13 February 2026 (UTC)
:I am so mad about other people attempting to take control of my talk pages that I am willing to blindly revert those edits. I might bring them back after consideration, but I was deeply, deeply offended that you might on the one hand say "don't do things for other people" while at the same time "doing something for [an]other pe[rson]." I am not willing to let them stand while I do that deliberation. Also, I don't think that [[:Category:Pages to delete]] actually works…if it did, I might feel differently about it, but it currently has 309 pages in it and I don't think we have any active administrators willing to cover page deletion. I decline to add to their burden. If you had suggested I mark it for deletion, we might be in a different place. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 01:45, 13 February 2026 (UTC)

User:DollarStoreBa'al/Mistakes

2026-02-12T23:14:50Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please don't edit templates */ r/huh?

This is a list of all the mistakes I've made on this wiki. Holy shit I'm bad at this.

==The REALLY REALLY BAD ONE==
===Kynde's talk page===
You might want to expedite the actual deletion of [[User:User:User:User:User:User/Mr. Beast is trying to aquire my bones]] (and its User Talk counterpart). I believe the editor concerned was sleep-deprived (but wouldn't put it past being instead a chemical imbalance of some legal ''or'' illegal kind). I'd have added the Pages To Delete category, but there's already a few of those hanging around unfulfilled... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.176|82.132.246.176]] 17:02, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Ok man, I created that page because I wanted somewhere that would
*Be private (which it is. It's impossible to create the account User:User:User:User:User. I checked.)
*Affect Nobody (which it shouldn't. The only person it's affecting is you.)

You've also [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:DGAF&diff=prev&oldid=385114 vandalized] [[Template:DGAF]], which I created, is inspired by 42.book.addict, and affects nobody but me. This makes me think that you're just looking through my contributions and immediately flagging things you frame as 'wrong'. This is not only incredibly creepy, but is also completely pointless. I'm a high school student on the internet. Also, I believe you're the same person who insulted me about DSBContribs, which I no longer use, and was fixed. Just stop and let me do my own thing. Amusedly and angrily, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 18:11, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:Given other recent activity, it ''looked'' like another example of {{diff|385026|editing whilst insensible}} (together with statements about returning to school, put me in mind the situation of which the {{w|Eternal September}} was the next step). i.e. honest errors of judgement.
:To term the "UserUserUser..." space 'private' is erroneous. It can be seen by anyone. It can be ''edited'' by anyone. Though, by convention, only the User Talk should be edited by anyone other than the ultimate named User. Which you aren't, BTW... create for someone else, ''if you must'', if they're too new and unwilling to wait the trivial amount of time before they can. Creating the spaces for someone who didn't request help or ''doesn't even exist'' needs some form of justification that you're well short of.
:It affects everyone if random, meaningless and context-free pages are added to the wiki 'just for fun'. Data isn't free. Storage isn't limitless. Potentially obscuring real useful (on-topic) information with stupid semi-vandalism (that I didn't think you'd do intentionally, based upon prior behaviour), is not something I expected. But it looked like a momentary lapse that (being on the scene) I tried to helpfully deal with as much as I could. (If I'd have been an Admin, myself, I ''would'' have just deleted them. 'Luckily' for you, I have no interest in that amount of leverage, I'm sticking what anyone can do, perhaps the next person along would have reacted the same, or worse.)
:No, I'm not stalking you. All edits are visible, you made edits, I saw them. I remember DSBContribs (or similar, if it's what I think you mean), but didn't recall it was your work. And others, including a named user, 'insulted' you about that. Or, as I recall, questioned the reasoning behind it, and didn't get a sensible answer. So 0lease accept my apologies. It seems that you ''are'' the kind of person to create useless pages like these last few. If I had known that, I wouldn't have come here suggesting that they were in error, but come here to just draw Kynde's attention to them as effectively being vandalism.
:And, because your template page tried to link to a non-existing wiki page, I also just made it go somewhere that works. That was before reading here how this may well have been culpably intentional, so again was done out of more good faith helpfulness than it turns out I should have been employing.
:That's regardless of your age, BTW. Whether you're at "High School" in the US, at maybe 14-18+ years old, or a High School like I attended where I am (and many years ago), which was for 11-16+ then workplaces or college (then maybe uni) beckoned. You don't need to be older to be more sensible about these things, and you don't need to be young to act idiotically.
:And, lucky you, you get this shiny wiki (and everything else) to work with. I had no access to the Internet until I was 18 (though, at that time, the web itself hadn't been invented, let alone wikis), and of course made my own goofs (asked whether I needed to buy an estamp to send an email!).
:But let me not bore you. I'm not in control here, only a fellow traveller who would give advice and assistance to those who might need it, and cares perhaps more than you might 'give a fuck' about various corners of the online world, like this. Reasoning over, lecture finished, friendly advice concluded. I just shoved it all in one reply to save you the trouble of having to deal with an impatiently slow conversation. And to not keep 'pinging' Kynde's email notification more than necessary (sorry Kynde!)... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.247.23|82.132.247.23]] 20:47, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Do you wish to know something? I'm 14. User:User:User:User:User is (and I checked) completely impossible to create, as shown in this image: [[File:refutation.png]] But, if you wish, I shall make it a subpage of my own account.
::Yes, of course it's ''technically'' public, but unless people specifically search for that page (which is still a subpage, btw), it won't affect anybody. Also, I'd like to point out, everybody editing any page is the ''whole point'' of a wiki. Yes, storage isn't limitless. Very cool. At this point, that page is a drop in the ocean of data already contributed by all the rest of these pages (including the lecture you just added, which is ''more'' bytes than the pages I created).
::Thank you for that edit, by the way. When I previewed it, it showed that it did go to the correct page ({{w|Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism}}), so I published it that way. However, your edits make it seem like you're definitely stalking me. From what I've seen, all you've done is edit recent comic pages and berate me (and Kynde) about my mistakes.
::DSBContribs was my work. I did, however, provide a sensible reason as to why I created it. If you didn't see it, here it is:

::DSBContribs was created specifically for my signature. At the time I created this, I had no idea what subpages were and I was running out of characters on my signature. I created it because I thought it wouldn't be a hindrance to the wiki and it would save me precious characters on my signature.
::However, I do still apologize, even if the insulting on the template was a ''bit'' far and not in the least helpful. I will move Mr.Beast is trying to aquire my bones to a subpage of my own. I will fix that template (which was not useless) and subsequently delete the content from the three unnecessary redirects. I had no intention of vandalizing the wiki, as I've stated multiple times. No page I create is meant to be vandalism in any way, and I try to do my best to help the wiki be the best it can be. Sometimes it gets boring being 'sensible' all the time (especially in IB classes, where I regularly have 3+ hours of homework/night), and I wanted some sort of way to let all the wild shit that my ADHD makes out. That's what came out. Again, I truly apologize.

I bid thee well on wherever the journey of life may take thee, fellow traveler. May we see each other again, be it in life, in death, or in the cursed month of Jancember. Take Care.

Ba'al, teenage Soul-Eater, out.

:Wow that was a long read. I do give a f**k about not having such a template her so I deleted that instantly! I'm going to wait till you have moved relevant content of the user:user page somewhere with a more sensible name. ASnd no I do not think you should just write random gibberish on any pages here. And no I do not think we should have such a confusing page on here. So yes I will delete it eventually. If there is anything valuable on the page, make a different page, call it your sandbox or something, I don't know, but not something which is impossible for me or any one else to find out what it is supposed to be, like this many times user page. We have so many random users being created and many of them begin to spam us and has to be blocked. I do really not have the time to such a debate as the one here, so I hope you will do as I say and we can end this nicely. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::Something you probably didn't see: The fact that I did move the page to a sandbox YESTERDAY. Good day, and make Jeff proud. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::No I did not see as I do not stalk anyone here: So I can then delete [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:DollarStoreBa%27al/Mr._Beast_is_trying_to_aquire_my_bones this page] now? And please try not to insult me with any mention of Jeff. He is no longer active and no one has any contact with him on these pages. I'm not happy about being the only active admin here, but you should reply decently! Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:45, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::::Well, I never accused you of stalking (unless you were the IP in disguise), and I never meant to insult you with making Jeff proud. I like to imagine him as a father looking at his millionaire son with pride. If you wish to, delete the page. Go ahead, it won't affect anyone. Except me. And maybe mystery British(?) IP. This feud is over, and has been for hours. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:57, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::DollarStoreBa'al, I would very strongly recommend you to relax a bit and stop being so attacking/condescending. A lot of your edits don't make sense and aren't helping or contributing towards the growth and improvement of this wiki, so of course other users will be confused and annoyed. Maybe take a break from editing for a bit and mull over your edits for a bit? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:01, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::You're right. 42. You're always right :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::I'm so sorry. You don't need to forgive me for this. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:26, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

===My talk page===

N 19:49 heADer TExt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:49 hEaDeR tEXt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:46 hEaDeR TeXt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:46 HEADER TEXT‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:45 header Text‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:45 Header Text‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
...now that I know you're doing stupid and unnecessary things deliberately, I won't try to provide help. And you, of course won't be taking my friendly advice, so I'll try not to disturb you further, if I can help it. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.82|82.132.244.82]] 20:57, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

:I KNEW YOU WERE STALKING MY EDITS! Now that you have discovered that I've done unnecessary edits (which are only affecting you), try zooming out a little. Specifically, to the 2,000 bytes I added to [[What if? Chapters]]. I didn't get almost 300 contribution score by doing meme edits all day. Besides, three of those are genuinely useful, and I'm not going to listen to a random IP with maybe 10 edits tops telling me how to edit a wiki. If you want to fix my work, go right ahead. That's what wikis are for. I invite you to fix everything. If you stop stalking my contributions page.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 23:07, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Also, I would like to point out that it's harder to get more unfriendly than making a template which only links to my user page insult me, thereby vandalizing my user page. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 23:11, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::There was going to be no further reply, but you need to know these things:
::;I KNEW YOU WERE STALKING MY EDITS!
::Read what I said. All edits are visible. That's an extract from that list of all edits via the Recent Changes link. You are not being 'stalked'. Though, if I ''could'' easily do so, I'd now specifically hide all your edits and let absolutely ''anyone'' else work out what (if anything) to do in response.
::;Specifically, to the 2,000 bytes I added to [[What if? Chapters]].
::That looked good, as far as I saw it. Would you have me edit something that didn't need editing, just to congratulate you for a job adequately done? There was something I ''might'' have changed, but so trivial that I actively chose not to, and I am now thankful of that.
::;I didn't get almost 300 contribution score by doing meme edits all day.
::Good for you, if the contribution score means so much to you. Quality over quantity is better, and doesn't have a hand macro to show it. But you do you, if you're chasing the scoreboard rankings alone.
::;and I'm not going to listen to a random IP with maybe 10 edits tops telling me how to edit a wiki.
::As you point out, elsewhere, my IP ''will'' keep changing. (And I'm not the only person who may have appeared on any given IP.) I shudder to think how many edits I've made here, in reality, but shall I show you edits by various IPs across a decade or so and claim them as mine? No, because the merit (or otherwise) of one's latest contribution is all that matters. I'm usually happy to be an anon-IP, amongst other anon-IPs and named-users (both venerable and fleetingly transient alike).
::;If you stop stalking my contributions page.
::I can reassure you that I've probably never even looked at ''your'' specific contributions page, certainly not for a long time. I normally only ever check those to check whether "one-edit vandals" have perhaps made other edits that had temporarily slipped under the collective radar, but I don't think I had ever considered you as one of them, before, even back when you were new here. (How long is that? Six months. Two years? Maybe a bit longer?I could look it up easily by checking your contribs page, but I'm now firmly resolved to not do that, for your sake.)
::
::If any what I have written reads as less than polite, it's perhaps partly my exasperation leaking through. By the time I felt the need to add another word to "unnecessary", above, I can see that this had happened. For which I am sorry.
::But text-only communications, like this, also tend to be read in a way that the reader's mood dictates. And I think some of my more straightforward initial contributions got misread at your end, tinted with reflected emotion.
::And, please, let this be it. The world doesn't need to see this, nor does the server need it being added to, and of course there's no alternative backchannel to conduct a lengthy private conversation about it all. I shall read what you reply, just because it's hard to ''not'' read anything that isn't deleted/overwritten, but please no more needless creation of fake user pages (or, indeed, IP user pages). Unnecessary and as likely to be removed as anything else out there. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.228|82.132.244.228]] 05:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

It is probable that you didn't see the reply I gave you on Kynde's talk page. Here is that reply:

:Do you wish to know something? I'm 14. User:User:User:User:User is (and I checked) completely impossible to create, as shown in this image: [[File:refutation.png]] But, if you wish, I shall make it a subpage of my own account.
:Yes, of course it's technically public, but unless people specifically search for that page (which is still a subpage, btw), it won't affect anybody. Also, I'd like to point out, everybody editing any page is the whole point of a wiki. Yes, storage isn't limitless. Very cool. At this point, that page is a drop in the ocean of data already contributed by all the rest of these pages (including the lecture you just added, which is more bytes than the pages I created).
:Thank you for that edit, by the way. When I previewed it, it showed that it did go to the correct page (Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism), so I published it that way. However, your edits make it seem like you're definitely stalking me. From what I've seen, all you've done is edit recent comic pages and berate me (and Kynde) about my mistakes.
:DSBContribs was my work. I did, however, provide a sensible reason as to why I created it. If you didn't see it, here it is:

:DSBContribs was created specifically for my signature. At the time I created this, I had no idea what subpages were and I was running out of characters on my signature. I created it because I thought it wouldn't be a hindrance to the wiki and it would save me precious characters on my signature.
:However, I do still apologize, even if the insulting on the template was a bit far and not in the least helpful. I will move Mr.Beast is trying to aquire my bones to a subpage of my own. I will fix that template (which was not useless) and subsequently delete the content from the three unnecessary redirects. I had no intention of vandalizing the wiki, as I've stated multiple times. No page I create is meant to be vandalism in any way, and I try to do my best to help the wiki be the best it can be. Sometimes it gets boring being 'sensible' all the time (especially in IB classes, where I regularly have 3+ hours of homework/night), and I wanted some sort of way to let all the wild shit that my ADHD makes out. That's what came out. Again, I truly apologize. I hope this marks the end of this little spat we've had.
I bid thee well on wherever the journey of life may take thee, fellow traveler. May we see each other again, be it in life, in death, or in the cursed month of Jancember. Take Care.

Ba'al, teenage Soul-Eater, out.

:See my reply there: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User_talk:Kynde#On_Template:DGAF_and_User:User:User:User:User:User.2FMr._Beast_is_trying_to_aquire_my_bones Reply] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:: I just did, and I did just respond. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:43, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

==The less-bad ones==
=== Your signature is in violation of {{w|WP:SIGAPP}} ===

Hey, I wanted to let you know that your current signature doesn't follow {{w|WP:SIGAPP}} (specifically the first bullet point). Kindly change it. Thanks. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:48, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

Changed to 14pt. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 13:02, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

:Any height that's taller than the other text on the page disrupts the way that surrounding text displays. 14 px is no better. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

FINE --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 15:14, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

:That still disrupts the page flow... I think you signature is already more eye-catching than any other signature on this entire wiki, why do you want to increase its height too? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:19, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
:: I thought the issue was the height? Doesn't the wiki use 12pt font, which that Sig is? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 15:27, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
:::I don't know, I just noticed that it does increase the space between two lines. It might be the superscript's fault then. Well, at least the current one is much better than before. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:49, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

=== Mass-deleting links ===

Hay, just letting you know that maybe you've misunderstood the "incomplete" notice. You shouldn't delete every link on the page ''until there are no links left'', but rather include these links, if they're helpful, directly into the explanation, as explained in [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#ref|the editor faq]]. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:09, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

===Creating someone's User pages, without being asked===
In short, not worth the bother. You were helped, above, because you asked (and now, obviously, have become capable of doing the creation yourself, within a very short time). But this wiki is littered with "Welcome, I created your User pages for you" (including for IPs, which is particularly unuseful), where the user concerned has not then used them. However active an editor they are, if they don't know/care about them then it's effort done for nothing. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.130|172.70.86.130]] 08:50, 28 February 2025 (UTC)
:Yup, I also pointed it out. In case you missed my reply to your message, here's a copy:
:”It's relevant to note that we only create User pages when people explicitly ask for them. On the other hand, User talk pages are created if you want to talk to that specific member privately."--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:03, 28 February 2025 (UTC)
::Sorry about that. Just trying to help! --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 15:34, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

=== NEWS ===

Hey uhhh does anyone know about [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/randall-munroe-xkcd-science-textbook.html this]? Should we make explanations for these?
--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 20:48, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Google's Ai says there are multiple exclusive comics for the textbook, but I've only been able to find Inside Body, shown here: [[File:Inside Body.jpg]]

:Just so you know, the standard method for announcing something, big or small, to the community is to create a post in te community portal. Just so you don't have to copy and paste every message and reach a wider audience. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:50, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

=== Why [...] is DSBContribs a thing? ===

Did you seriously have to create a page in the main namespace with the sole purpose of redirecting to your user contributions page?

Firstly, the main namespace is supposed to be on-topic. Why, you may ask? Because "DSBContribs" literally appears in the search results for "D" alongside "DSBSig/sandbox" (???), right between DNE (comic #259) and Danger Mnemonic (comic #2487).

User specific stuff should really go as sub-pages of your user page, and nothing is stopping you from directly linking to your contribs page in your signature instead of using a pointless redirect.

As I've read more of your talk page I've realised you're [...] [[Special:Contributions/86.143.223.93|86.143.223.93]] 13:48, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

:Highly disagree on the tone but agree with the message. I redacted the message and scheduled both for deletion, use your user page for this. thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:38, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

::Sorry about this. At the time, I did not know subpages even existed. Thank you random IP for the advice, even if slightly unhinged, and thank you FaviFake for getting to those deletions. I would have done those deletions eventually. I created DSBContribs to save characters on my signiature, assuming that the pages would not show up on the search (linking to special:contributions:DollarStoreBa'al is much longer than linking to DSBContribs). Evidently, I was wrong. I created DSBSIG/sandbox while trying to create a sandbox page and being stupid. That was me trying to work out the wikitext to create a signature. I have perfected my signature now, and these pages are no longer needed. The 'FINE' comment was meant to be a joke. Maybe that would have worked better with a rolling eyes emoji and an 'ugh'. I will be putting this into the 'my mistakes' section of my talk page as this was definitely a mistake. Thanks for bringing my attention to this! Gratefully yours, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 05:01, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

::: By the way, I looked at your little message Mr. IP man. First, I see where you're coming from. I am a little bit immature, this is true. However, this should probably come as an expectation with someone going into 9th grade. This has been acknowledged on my user page and my comment on 3123. Please do your research. Second, swears are fine for basically all purposes EXCEPT to insult people. The fact that you are willing to insult someone who you think is an 8-year-old shows how mature you truly are. Maybe you are the one who should, as you put it 'grow the fuck up'. Thank you, and have a good day. Sincerely, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 05:01, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

:::: Hi, it's me (on a different IP because I'm at home now).
:::: I'm sorry for being so aggressive in my original comment, I thought you were a grown adult, not a teen. ("think is an 8-year old" is incorrect btw, I was saying you were "acting like an 8 year old", but that itself was too harsh).
:::: I made stupid mistakes too when I was around your age, and I should have assumed good faith rather than take such an aggressive tone.
:::: Sorry for that, and good luck with school! [[Special:Contributions/90.219.64.93|90.219.64.93]] 13:50, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

::::: I accept your apology with open arms. I truly hope we can work together to improve the wiki in the future. Best regards, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 19:11, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Possessive and contracted "its"/"it's". ===

This also confused me, oh so many years ago. Then I was given a handy way of knowing ''which'' was the exception, which has served me well, and I've never had to second-guess myself. (Naturally, I've probably typoed/thinkoed it wrong, unconsciously... But since then I've never had a moment of doubt when I've deliberately kept myself/others correct.) Maybe it'll help you. - I tried to summarise it in the edit I made to the message concerned, but ''not enough space'' to do it justice...
#The possessive version is "its". It is one of a number of "irregular possessives", "his" instead of "him's"/, "hers" instead of "her's", "theirs" instead of "they's"/"them's".
#*Basically all the very common and basic pronoun-based possessives that (as I think of it, although not entirely correctly) were added to the language ''long before'' anybody actually tried to regularise the use of possessives, so just stuck that way. If it belongs to "him", "her", "me" "you", "us", "them" ''and'' "it", you're in the realms of using a completely irregular possessive, none of which use apostrophes.
#*''Personally'', I think that "one" (the equally 'basic', IMO, impersonal pronoun) should be included in that. Not for the likes of {{w|Ones' complement}} (that's belonging to (a number of) digit-ones), but in the "{{w|One (pronoun)|one}} is speaking sense. But (as noted in that last link), it isn't. So don't do that.
#This leaves the contractive version as the one that uses the apostrophe. With two interesting caveats:
#*There ''are'' irregular contractions. The word "forecastle" contracts to "fo'c'sle" or "fo'c's'le", which is a lot more overkill than other similarly complicated contractions. And "will not" becomes "won't" (or, some suggest, just "wont", though that's also a different word), despite not having the right set of letters in the right order to remain after (at least) the "not"->"n't" contraction.
#*In reporting speech, where someone says "it's just something I want to say", use it without fear. But, when writing, I find that (except for ''very'' casual use, essentially speaking in text ...or of course when tending to write in abbreviations/limited space) it's{{asic}} just much better to write "it is", in full. Can't(cannot) be written wrong, couldn't(/could not) be read wrong.
#Oh, and then theres "its'", the plural-(non-irregular-)possessive, which ''could'' be used in certain circumstances... "There are loads of ''its'' in this text, without apostrophes... please check that each ''its''' punctuation is correct!". But... not a common occurance. (Far less than "belonging to the word 'it'", the sole reason to use possessive "it's".) ;)

...TL;DR;, irregular possesive "its" because of all the other irregular possessive pronouns that have words of their own. And you might just find it easier to uncontract "it's", most of the time, ''especially'' if you're still not entirely sure about it. (Or, perhaps, you're happy to not let go of such a minor degree of gravitas, and it's not transcriped real-world enunciation, which might even feature such monstrosities as "couldn't've" as the contraction of "could not have"!)

Don't know if that helps, or is understandable, but there you are. Overexplained and overly rambling, as it is..! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 21:51, 22 August 2025 (UTC)

:While you have way too much time on your hands, it'sn't (it is not) hard to understand, so thank you! As I said, it's basically my only grammatical flaw, so this helps tremendously. Damn my brain and its grammatical irregularities. Its a pleasure to talk with you! Sincerely, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 00:40, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

::Definitely didn't just make a mistake on an it's. After reading a full page worth of why not to. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 00:44, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Do you not learn? ===

You say that you've learned from your mistakes, yet I don't see any changes. You say that you're an incoming 9th grader and that's somehow an excuse for your immaturity, but I'm also a 9th grader and can compose myself perfectly fine. You say that you won't do the same mistakes again, yet you still create useless pages. How many more are you going to create? I really don't want to be yelling at you like this, but I just don't think you'll be able to change without it. FYI, I've marked User:DSB and the /C pages for deletion. Grow up. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:41, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:Look. You aren't a bad person. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that your passion can turn into a positive thing for this wiki. The thing is, you have a tendency to try to fix things by doing even more things, often panicking and making the situation worse. I've already told you this before, but I'll reemphasize it for you. '''TAKE A BREAK.''' Go for some walks. Work on your homework. Talk to people. Hang out with some friends. Don't just spend all your time on here. Trust me, I made the same mistake before. I would recommend a couple days of rest. See how it feels! It might hurt in the beginning, but nobody NEEDS you on here so badly to work on things to the point of such fanatic editing. I don't think Kynde, FaviFake, or any of the other editors hate you, to be honest. We're all just annoyed that you seem to not listen to our advice and keep on making the same mistakes. It's fine to make mistakes-that's how we learn! But you need to stop worrying so much and just step away from the screen for a bit. (Also, I'd recommend talking to a friend or a trusted adult. Your /PRIVATE page seems to be filled with quite a bit of self-hatred. Don't listen to that voice in your head. She's a bitch and none of it is true. I've dealt with poor mental health too. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I had left for so long. You should try to get these feelings out in a healthy way, instead of taking it out yourself or spending all your time online. Nobody thinks you're stupid. You just need to learn how things are done around here. If that's on a steep learning curve, so be it. Just keep on pushing through, and listen to people more.) And finally, you ''can'' make subpages, but try to reduce the number that you have. Think to yourself before you make one: do I TRULY need this? Will it help me out positively in the long run? If not, just put it in another section of your userpage (or make a proper sandbox!). Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk, and I wish you all a good night. Tori, signing off. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:05, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

::Take a break / Hey, our kid is pretty great / Run away with us for the summer / Let's go upstate / Eliza, I've got so much on my plate / We can all go stay with my father

::There's a lake I know (I know) / In a nearby park (I'd love to go) / You and I can go when the night gets dark / '''I will try to get away'''

::Such a good song, Lin cooked with that one. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:03, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

=== are you ok? ===

do you need help? [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 06:11, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Would you prefer to get a Blog? ===

User pages are sufficient to give an idea of who you are, and User Talk ones for people to talk to you about your contributions/etc.

Maybe create sub-pages if you have a relevant site-related project and need 'a space' for them. Such as, as an off-the-wall example, "a list of all the instances of comics that have less than the average number of vowels in them". Perhaps in the hope that it'll be appreciated and made into a more regular page.

But from what I've seen of your 'contributions' this week, none of that applies. Drunk-typing? Well, ''probably'' not if you're still so far underage that you probably don't have decent access to anything stronger than wine-gums, but definitely you weren't in full control of your keyboard. We've other people on here, as young as you, and have had even younger ones. If we can actually believe what anybody reveals about theirselves. (I'm a 111-year old hobbit, by the way.) You've been one of the most immaturely-acting people here who haven't actually been '''obviously''' trying to vandalise this site, and I'm sure you've strained the patience of pretty much everyone.

But you're not the first to go a little wild, like this. And - dare I say it - some of those who went on to be mainstays of this site got over the novelty of "anyone can edit (almost) anything", and possibly a rush of teenage hormones messing up their judgement. May I suggest you ''take a deep breath'' and work out what it is that you're doing that is creating such friction and push-back? I've seen you being a reasonable contributor before, and it's not even been all bad over the last week or so.

And you may have personal life changes going on. Those hormones, issues at home/school/elsewhere, general worries about the state of the world that you're growing up into... maybe a combination of them, or some of these things even ''causing'' some of the others. It happens. You're not alone ...even if one of the key issues is actually in feeling alone! But this is not necessarily the place to try to reshape the world like this.

How about you stick a little more to just xkcd matters, for the time being. There are plenty of other ways, and places, to run through whatever it is that you might be going through, and it might be best to balance things a bit more 'worklike' here than too much 'at play', like it looks like you're doing at the moment. Rebalance back to 'just enough of each' later.

And if you ''do'' get somewhere to blog, you'll even have a lot more control. Create anything you want (more or less, within the T&Cs of the service), not worrying about other people editing it, and probably even later cleanly delete anything you no longer want (with no pesky Page History open for everyone to read). You could even put a link to your blog here in your User space, if you want to. At least the blog that you want to connect to yourself here. (You can have an xkcd-adjacent one, ''and'' one to cry out in anguish if you so wish. And a third to... well, you get the idea.) And the skills to maintain blog code is a bit more 'real-world' than the purely wiki-related markup you learn here, and you can still learn the wiki-markup in parallel with getting to grips with HTML or other popular {{w|Content management system}} markup, giving you a few more useful lifeskills that ''merely'' being eventually a master wiki-guru.

How does that sound? Please do stay, but please also consider if everything you're doing is strictly necessary. I see I'm not the only one driven to try to explain this to you. And for some reason I thought I might be able to quickly suggest a solution to this little quandry. (No, it hasn't actually been that quick, has it.) If you really don't like what I say here... delete it. And I'll say no more. Or just tell me to mind my own business. I've probably got some other things to do around here, if our other old-hand editors don't get there before me! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 22:34, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

:I really should, shouldn't I... I'll try to find one. Yesterday and today have mainly been focused on What If? Chapters and a potential new project with Tori (Have you met her? She's lovely) about Sigs. Today has mainly been the latter, with a bit of the former, and some sig ideas I've been working on. I've been trying to stick to more useful matters. For example, /WORKPAGE currently contains drafts of some unfinished What If? Chapters I've been working on. So, I have been attempting to work on more xkcd-related matters. Is it ok if you could

:But, I shall heed your advice. I shall get a blog (not blood, autocorrect). Do you have any recommendations for where to start?

:One last thing: Could you show me one of the apparent 'drunk typing' incidents? I edit on my school Chromebook, so I wouldn't be surprised if the keyboard decided to be weird. Thank you for the advice! Once, again, I shall heed it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 22:51, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

::Oh, and by the way, I will not delete this thread. Also, how do you access the internet in Valinor?
::'Drunkeness', or whatever it was, was very evident in something like {{diff|385245|here}}. More mundane 'misuse of the keyboard' issues are the times you add multiple linefeeds between very simple statements. You need to do two line-feeds to 'separate the paragraphs', any more than that is not normally visually necessary at all, and can ''look'' like you weren't even paying full attention at the time, however well-written the line-fragments between are. If it weren't for the fact that there were actual (sort-of-)discernable words in there, the 'drunk' one could also have perhaps been a "cat walked on my keyboard" issue. Were you and the cat ''both'' trying to use the keyboard? (Or one of you trying to walk on it, the other trying to type on it. One way round or the other?) I think it's that kind of thing that got people initially concerned about you. Help us to help you (to help yourself?), maybe. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 02:10, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::i don't think the help is strictly necessary, but, as I said before, do you have any suggestions for places to make a blog? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 18:30, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
::::I don't blog, so nothing from personal experience. I bet you could use some Google-Fu (or Bing-Fu, or DuckDuckGo-Fu, or AltaVista-Fu, or AskJeeves-Fu, or...) to find a few such solutions, then look at all their offerings (check their wikipedia pages..? and, yeah, add some Wiki-Fu to the previous list of ways in which to search) and decide which one works for you. Or which two or three, and try them out with either completely identical aims in mind or initially split up your interests (one's your sports-appreciation, another is about what your favourite TV is, a third being your humorous observations about things you see every day, ...), then you can keep running the one(s) that turn out to work for you.
::::You know what you currently want, better than me or aanyone. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:50, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::If you need a blog, and don't know what platforms to use, I'd recommend making a Google Site or Wordpress blog. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:10, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
=== Please don't edit templates ===

Please. If you cannot edit a template without screwing things up, please don't edit templates. The template category was a mistake and should never have existed (as noted in [[:Category talk:Templates]], but regardless, adding a category to a template such that it appears inappropriately in all transcluded uses of the template is not proper. It is a frustration that you seem so well-intentioned but your efforts just make more work for other people. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:59, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Whoops! My bad. I assumed categories were automatically noincluded. Also, I assumed it was standard practice. as for the year (wow, didn't know I've been around that lon) I've been around, every template I've seen has used this category. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::I will still edit templates, btw. But I'll be more careful, especially with high-traffic ones. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I'm not sure if you consider the conversation closed, since you've moved this discussion to this subpage, so I'm not sure if I should be replying here or on your main talk page. ''But:'' do you intend to fix the problems you created with your template edits today? Other than the one template I created and maintained and reverted your edit to? It's not my intention to fix all of them. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:45, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Done. Now get off my lawn. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 22:58, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::I'm sorry, I don't understand. When I wrote, "Get off my lawn," I meant, "do not make inappropriate changes to other people's talk pages," not "do not send them messages." Did you mean something different by it? Did you find a change I made to your talk page to be inappropriate? If so, what change, and how should I have known that? Are you saying I should not have asked you to fix the problem that you created? Or…are you just being rude? I don't get it, and I would appreciate the clarification. Thank you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 23:04, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::You could at least be the least bit respectful about it instead of constantly insulting me and calling me incompetent.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 23:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::::Sorry, I still don't understand. What was there in the above that "insulted" you, esp. in the 22:45 reply? I'm not sure what you mean by calling you "incompetent" — certainly I raised a concern about something you did, so I suppose that questions your competency, but I didn't use a pejorative term like that, and it seems an appropriate question to have raised (if you disagree, do say so!). Anyhow, I still can't tell what you meant. I guess you're not obligated to respond. Thanks. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 23:14, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

=== Get off my lawn ===

Please do not change the structure of other people's talk pages! That is extremely rude. If you want me to have an archive page, ask me if I am willing (I am not willing!).
If we were to look aside at that, you '''absolutely may not under any circumstances''' add text to another person's talk page that speaks in the first person as if they were saying it ("please see my archive.") I don't know what's wrong with you. Talk pages are like other people's personal property, they are not yours to play with. Stop it. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:I'm just trying to do the work that YOU really need to do. What you are trying to do is censorship. You need to either unblank your talk page or archive it, but you can't just erase things from history. What I did was archive the page and make the necessary changes to signal that you have an archive. We aren't fascists.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 21:44, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::You have no basis for asserting that it is something "I need to do." There is neither a rule nor a norm that talk pages archives should be maintained or pages should be kept other than blank. You can say that as many times as you like, but it does not make it true! If you think I'm wrong, please cite such a thing. The standard, set by enwiki, is that old user talk page items may be removed at the discretion of the talk page owner. It is absolutely reasonable to remove everything other than current items. (It is also reasonable to keep older items, that's a choice too). Even if a requirement for a talk page archive was reasonable, which it is not, doing it without an automated bot imposes work on others. And that's incredibly rude! Blanking a talk page does not "erase things from history," if you want to find the history you can look at the History. That's why it is there. Are you…calling me a fascist? Again, that is incredibly rude! Please be respectful of others. If you want a change to the structure of someone's talk page, you can ask nicely. But now that you have poisoned the well, peed in the pool, and shit on my front door, it is going to be very hard for me to listen to you without emotion. But I'm happy to try. But please support your position will real arguments, not easily rebuttable wild claims as you have done heretofore. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:17, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I'm not calling you a fascist, just saying you're acting like one. But fine. Keep your empty talk page. Also, I think this is MUCH less important than shitting on your front door. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 22:34, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

User:DollarStoreBa'al/Mistakes

2026-02-12T23:04:40Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please don't edit templates */ huh? What do you mean?

This is a list of all the mistakes I've made on this wiki. Holy shit I'm bad at this.

==The REALLY REALLY BAD ONE==
===Kynde's talk page===
You might want to expedite the actual deletion of [[User:User:User:User:User:User/Mr. Beast is trying to aquire my bones]] (and its User Talk counterpart). I believe the editor concerned was sleep-deprived (but wouldn't put it past being instead a chemical imbalance of some legal ''or'' illegal kind). I'd have added the Pages To Delete category, but there's already a few of those hanging around unfulfilled... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.176|82.132.246.176]] 17:02, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Ok man, I created that page because I wanted somewhere that would
*Be private (which it is. It's impossible to create the account User:User:User:User:User. I checked.)
*Affect Nobody (which it shouldn't. The only person it's affecting is you.)

You've also [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:DGAF&diff=prev&oldid=385114 vandalized] [[Template:DGAF]], which I created, is inspired by 42.book.addict, and affects nobody but me. This makes me think that you're just looking through my contributions and immediately flagging things you frame as 'wrong'. This is not only incredibly creepy, but is also completely pointless. I'm a high school student on the internet. Also, I believe you're the same person who insulted me about DSBContribs, which I no longer use, and was fixed. Just stop and let me do my own thing. Amusedly and angrily, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 18:11, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:Given other recent activity, it ''looked'' like another example of {{diff|385026|editing whilst insensible}} (together with statements about returning to school, put me in mind the situation of which the {{w|Eternal September}} was the next step). i.e. honest errors of judgement.
:To term the "UserUserUser..." space 'private' is erroneous. It can be seen by anyone. It can be ''edited'' by anyone. Though, by convention, only the User Talk should be edited by anyone other than the ultimate named User. Which you aren't, BTW... create for someone else, ''if you must'', if they're too new and unwilling to wait the trivial amount of time before they can. Creating the spaces for someone who didn't request help or ''doesn't even exist'' needs some form of justification that you're well short of.
:It affects everyone if random, meaningless and context-free pages are added to the wiki 'just for fun'. Data isn't free. Storage isn't limitless. Potentially obscuring real useful (on-topic) information with stupid semi-vandalism (that I didn't think you'd do intentionally, based upon prior behaviour), is not something I expected. But it looked like a momentary lapse that (being on the scene) I tried to helpfully deal with as much as I could. (If I'd have been an Admin, myself, I ''would'' have just deleted them. 'Luckily' for you, I have no interest in that amount of leverage, I'm sticking what anyone can do, perhaps the next person along would have reacted the same, or worse.)
:No, I'm not stalking you. All edits are visible, you made edits, I saw them. I remember DSBContribs (or similar, if it's what I think you mean), but didn't recall it was your work. And others, including a named user, 'insulted' you about that. Or, as I recall, questioned the reasoning behind it, and didn't get a sensible answer. So 0lease accept my apologies. It seems that you ''are'' the kind of person to create useless pages like these last few. If I had known that, I wouldn't have come here suggesting that they were in error, but come here to just draw Kynde's attention to them as effectively being vandalism.
:And, because your template page tried to link to a non-existing wiki page, I also just made it go somewhere that works. That was before reading here how this may well have been culpably intentional, so again was done out of more good faith helpfulness than it turns out I should have been employing.
:That's regardless of your age, BTW. Whether you're at "High School" in the US, at maybe 14-18+ years old, or a High School like I attended where I am (and many years ago), which was for 11-16+ then workplaces or college (then maybe uni) beckoned. You don't need to be older to be more sensible about these things, and you don't need to be young to act idiotically.
:And, lucky you, you get this shiny wiki (and everything else) to work with. I had no access to the Internet until I was 18 (though, at that time, the web itself hadn't been invented, let alone wikis), and of course made my own goofs (asked whether I needed to buy an estamp to send an email!).
:But let me not bore you. I'm not in control here, only a fellow traveller who would give advice and assistance to those who might need it, and cares perhaps more than you might 'give a fuck' about various corners of the online world, like this. Reasoning over, lecture finished, friendly advice concluded. I just shoved it all in one reply to save you the trouble of having to deal with an impatiently slow conversation. And to not keep 'pinging' Kynde's email notification more than necessary (sorry Kynde!)... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.247.23|82.132.247.23]] 20:47, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Do you wish to know something? I'm 14. User:User:User:User:User is (and I checked) completely impossible to create, as shown in this image: [[File:refutation.png]] But, if you wish, I shall make it a subpage of my own account.
::Yes, of course it's ''technically'' public, but unless people specifically search for that page (which is still a subpage, btw), it won't affect anybody. Also, I'd like to point out, everybody editing any page is the ''whole point'' of a wiki. Yes, storage isn't limitless. Very cool. At this point, that page is a drop in the ocean of data already contributed by all the rest of these pages (including the lecture you just added, which is ''more'' bytes than the pages I created).
::Thank you for that edit, by the way. When I previewed it, it showed that it did go to the correct page ({{w|Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism}}), so I published it that way. However, your edits make it seem like you're definitely stalking me. From what I've seen, all you've done is edit recent comic pages and berate me (and Kynde) about my mistakes.
::DSBContribs was my work. I did, however, provide a sensible reason as to why I created it. If you didn't see it, here it is:

::DSBContribs was created specifically for my signature. At the time I created this, I had no idea what subpages were and I was running out of characters on my signature. I created it because I thought it wouldn't be a hindrance to the wiki and it would save me precious characters on my signature.
::However, I do still apologize, even if the insulting on the template was a ''bit'' far and not in the least helpful. I will move Mr.Beast is trying to aquire my bones to a subpage of my own. I will fix that template (which was not useless) and subsequently delete the content from the three unnecessary redirects. I had no intention of vandalizing the wiki, as I've stated multiple times. No page I create is meant to be vandalism in any way, and I try to do my best to help the wiki be the best it can be. Sometimes it gets boring being 'sensible' all the time (especially in IB classes, where I regularly have 3+ hours of homework/night), and I wanted some sort of way to let all the wild shit that my ADHD makes out. That's what came out. Again, I truly apologize.

I bid thee well on wherever the journey of life may take thee, fellow traveler. May we see each other again, be it in life, in death, or in the cursed month of Jancember. Take Care.

Ba'al, teenage Soul-Eater, out.

:Wow that was a long read. I do give a f**k about not having such a template her so I deleted that instantly! I'm going to wait till you have moved relevant content of the user:user page somewhere with a more sensible name. ASnd no I do not think you should just write random gibberish on any pages here. And no I do not think we should have such a confusing page on here. So yes I will delete it eventually. If there is anything valuable on the page, make a different page, call it your sandbox or something, I don't know, but not something which is impossible for me or any one else to find out what it is supposed to be, like this many times user page. We have so many random users being created and many of them begin to spam us and has to be blocked. I do really not have the time to such a debate as the one here, so I hope you will do as I say and we can end this nicely. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::Something you probably didn't see: The fact that I did move the page to a sandbox YESTERDAY. Good day, and make Jeff proud. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::No I did not see as I do not stalk anyone here: So I can then delete [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:DollarStoreBa%27al/Mr._Beast_is_trying_to_aquire_my_bones this page] now? And please try not to insult me with any mention of Jeff. He is no longer active and no one has any contact with him on these pages. I'm not happy about being the only active admin here, but you should reply decently! Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:45, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::::Well, I never accused you of stalking (unless you were the IP in disguise), and I never meant to insult you with making Jeff proud. I like to imagine him as a father looking at his millionaire son with pride. If you wish to, delete the page. Go ahead, it won't affect anyone. Except me. And maybe mystery British(?) IP. This feud is over, and has been for hours. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:57, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::DollarStoreBa'al, I would very strongly recommend you to relax a bit and stop being so attacking/condescending. A lot of your edits don't make sense and aren't helping or contributing towards the growth and improvement of this wiki, so of course other users will be confused and annoyed. Maybe take a break from editing for a bit and mull over your edits for a bit? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:01, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::You're right. 42. You're always right :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::I'm so sorry. You don't need to forgive me for this. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:26, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

===My talk page===

N 19:49 heADer TExt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:49 hEaDeR tEXt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:46 hEaDeR TeXt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:46 HEADER TEXT‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:45 header Text‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:45 Header Text‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
...now that I know you're doing stupid and unnecessary things deliberately, I won't try to provide help. And you, of course won't be taking my friendly advice, so I'll try not to disturb you further, if I can help it. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.82|82.132.244.82]] 20:57, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

:I KNEW YOU WERE STALKING MY EDITS! Now that you have discovered that I've done unnecessary edits (which are only affecting you), try zooming out a little. Specifically, to the 2,000 bytes I added to [[What if? Chapters]]. I didn't get almost 300 contribution score by doing meme edits all day. Besides, three of those are genuinely useful, and I'm not going to listen to a random IP with maybe 10 edits tops telling me how to edit a wiki. If you want to fix my work, go right ahead. That's what wikis are for. I invite you to fix everything. If you stop stalking my contributions page.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 23:07, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Also, I would like to point out that it's harder to get more unfriendly than making a template which only links to my user page insult me, thereby vandalizing my user page. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 23:11, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::There was going to be no further reply, but you need to know these things:
::;I KNEW YOU WERE STALKING MY EDITS!
::Read what I said. All edits are visible. That's an extract from that list of all edits via the Recent Changes link. You are not being 'stalked'. Though, if I ''could'' easily do so, I'd now specifically hide all your edits and let absolutely ''anyone'' else work out what (if anything) to do in response.
::;Specifically, to the 2,000 bytes I added to [[What if? Chapters]].
::That looked good, as far as I saw it. Would you have me edit something that didn't need editing, just to congratulate you for a job adequately done? There was something I ''might'' have changed, but so trivial that I actively chose not to, and I am now thankful of that.
::;I didn't get almost 300 contribution score by doing meme edits all day.
::Good for you, if the contribution score means so much to you. Quality over quantity is better, and doesn't have a hand macro to show it. But you do you, if you're chasing the scoreboard rankings alone.
::;and I'm not going to listen to a random IP with maybe 10 edits tops telling me how to edit a wiki.
::As you point out, elsewhere, my IP ''will'' keep changing. (And I'm not the only person who may have appeared on any given IP.) I shudder to think how many edits I've made here, in reality, but shall I show you edits by various IPs across a decade or so and claim them as mine? No, because the merit (or otherwise) of one's latest contribution is all that matters. I'm usually happy to be an anon-IP, amongst other anon-IPs and named-users (both venerable and fleetingly transient alike).
::;If you stop stalking my contributions page.
::I can reassure you that I've probably never even looked at ''your'' specific contributions page, certainly not for a long time. I normally only ever check those to check whether "one-edit vandals" have perhaps made other edits that had temporarily slipped under the collective radar, but I don't think I had ever considered you as one of them, before, even back when you were new here. (How long is that? Six months. Two years? Maybe a bit longer?I could look it up easily by checking your contribs page, but I'm now firmly resolved to not do that, for your sake.)
::
::If any what I have written reads as less than polite, it's perhaps partly my exasperation leaking through. By the time I felt the need to add another word to "unnecessary", above, I can see that this had happened. For which I am sorry.
::But text-only communications, like this, also tend to be read in a way that the reader's mood dictates. And I think some of my more straightforward initial contributions got misread at your end, tinted with reflected emotion.
::And, please, let this be it. The world doesn't need to see this, nor does the server need it being added to, and of course there's no alternative backchannel to conduct a lengthy private conversation about it all. I shall read what you reply, just because it's hard to ''not'' read anything that isn't deleted/overwritten, but please no more needless creation of fake user pages (or, indeed, IP user pages). Unnecessary and as likely to be removed as anything else out there. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.228|82.132.244.228]] 05:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

It is probable that you didn't see the reply I gave you on Kynde's talk page. Here is that reply:

:Do you wish to know something? I'm 14. User:User:User:User:User is (and I checked) completely impossible to create, as shown in this image: [[File:refutation.png]] But, if you wish, I shall make it a subpage of my own account.
:Yes, of course it's technically public, but unless people specifically search for that page (which is still a subpage, btw), it won't affect anybody. Also, I'd like to point out, everybody editing any page is the whole point of a wiki. Yes, storage isn't limitless. Very cool. At this point, that page is a drop in the ocean of data already contributed by all the rest of these pages (including the lecture you just added, which is more bytes than the pages I created).
:Thank you for that edit, by the way. When I previewed it, it showed that it did go to the correct page (Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism), so I published it that way. However, your edits make it seem like you're definitely stalking me. From what I've seen, all you've done is edit recent comic pages and berate me (and Kynde) about my mistakes.
:DSBContribs was my work. I did, however, provide a sensible reason as to why I created it. If you didn't see it, here it is:

:DSBContribs was created specifically for my signature. At the time I created this, I had no idea what subpages were and I was running out of characters on my signature. I created it because I thought it wouldn't be a hindrance to the wiki and it would save me precious characters on my signature.
:However, I do still apologize, even if the insulting on the template was a bit far and not in the least helpful. I will move Mr.Beast is trying to aquire my bones to a subpage of my own. I will fix that template (which was not useless) and subsequently delete the content from the three unnecessary redirects. I had no intention of vandalizing the wiki, as I've stated multiple times. No page I create is meant to be vandalism in any way, and I try to do my best to help the wiki be the best it can be. Sometimes it gets boring being 'sensible' all the time (especially in IB classes, where I regularly have 3+ hours of homework/night), and I wanted some sort of way to let all the wild shit that my ADHD makes out. That's what came out. Again, I truly apologize. I hope this marks the end of this little spat we've had.
I bid thee well on wherever the journey of life may take thee, fellow traveler. May we see each other again, be it in life, in death, or in the cursed month of Jancember. Take Care.

Ba'al, teenage Soul-Eater, out.

:See my reply there: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User_talk:Kynde#On_Template:DGAF_and_User:User:User:User:User:User.2FMr._Beast_is_trying_to_aquire_my_bones Reply] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:: I just did, and I did just respond. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:43, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

==The less-bad ones==
=== Your signature is in violation of {{w|WP:SIGAPP}} ===

Hey, I wanted to let you know that your current signature doesn't follow {{w|WP:SIGAPP}} (specifically the first bullet point). Kindly change it. Thanks. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:48, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

Changed to 14pt. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 13:02, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

:Any height that's taller than the other text on the page disrupts the way that surrounding text displays. 14 px is no better. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

FINE --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 15:14, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

:That still disrupts the page flow... I think you signature is already more eye-catching than any other signature on this entire wiki, why do you want to increase its height too? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:19, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
:: I thought the issue was the height? Doesn't the wiki use 12pt font, which that Sig is? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 15:27, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
:::I don't know, I just noticed that it does increase the space between two lines. It might be the superscript's fault then. Well, at least the current one is much better than before. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:49, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

=== Mass-deleting links ===

Hay, just letting you know that maybe you've misunderstood the "incomplete" notice. You shouldn't delete every link on the page ''until there are no links left'', but rather include these links, if they're helpful, directly into the explanation, as explained in [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#ref|the editor faq]]. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:09, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

===Creating someone's User pages, without being asked===
In short, not worth the bother. You were helped, above, because you asked (and now, obviously, have become capable of doing the creation yourself, within a very short time). But this wiki is littered with "Welcome, I created your User pages for you" (including for IPs, which is particularly unuseful), where the user concerned has not then used them. However active an editor they are, if they don't know/care about them then it's effort done for nothing. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.130|172.70.86.130]] 08:50, 28 February 2025 (UTC)
:Yup, I also pointed it out. In case you missed my reply to your message, here's a copy:
:”It's relevant to note that we only create User pages when people explicitly ask for them. On the other hand, User talk pages are created if you want to talk to that specific member privately."--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:03, 28 February 2025 (UTC)
::Sorry about that. Just trying to help! --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 15:34, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

=== NEWS ===

Hey uhhh does anyone know about [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/randall-munroe-xkcd-science-textbook.html this]? Should we make explanations for these?
--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 20:48, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Google's Ai says there are multiple exclusive comics for the textbook, but I've only been able to find Inside Body, shown here: [[File:Inside Body.jpg]]

:Just so you know, the standard method for announcing something, big or small, to the community is to create a post in te community portal. Just so you don't have to copy and paste every message and reach a wider audience. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:50, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

=== Why [...] is DSBContribs a thing? ===

Did you seriously have to create a page in the main namespace with the sole purpose of redirecting to your user contributions page?

Firstly, the main namespace is supposed to be on-topic. Why, you may ask? Because "DSBContribs" literally appears in the search results for "D" alongside "DSBSig/sandbox" (???), right between DNE (comic #259) and Danger Mnemonic (comic #2487).

User specific stuff should really go as sub-pages of your user page, and nothing is stopping you from directly linking to your contribs page in your signature instead of using a pointless redirect.

As I've read more of your talk page I've realised you're [...] [[Special:Contributions/86.143.223.93|86.143.223.93]] 13:48, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

:Highly disagree on the tone but agree with the message. I redacted the message and scheduled both for deletion, use your user page for this. thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:38, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

::Sorry about this. At the time, I did not know subpages even existed. Thank you random IP for the advice, even if slightly unhinged, and thank you FaviFake for getting to those deletions. I would have done those deletions eventually. I created DSBContribs to save characters on my signiature, assuming that the pages would not show up on the search (linking to special:contributions:DollarStoreBa'al is much longer than linking to DSBContribs). Evidently, I was wrong. I created DSBSIG/sandbox while trying to create a sandbox page and being stupid. That was me trying to work out the wikitext to create a signature. I have perfected my signature now, and these pages are no longer needed. The 'FINE' comment was meant to be a joke. Maybe that would have worked better with a rolling eyes emoji and an 'ugh'. I will be putting this into the 'my mistakes' section of my talk page as this was definitely a mistake. Thanks for bringing my attention to this! Gratefully yours, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 05:01, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

::: By the way, I looked at your little message Mr. IP man. First, I see where you're coming from. I am a little bit immature, this is true. However, this should probably come as an expectation with someone going into 9th grade. This has been acknowledged on my user page and my comment on 3123. Please do your research. Second, swears are fine for basically all purposes EXCEPT to insult people. The fact that you are willing to insult someone who you think is an 8-year-old shows how mature you truly are. Maybe you are the one who should, as you put it 'grow the fuck up'. Thank you, and have a good day. Sincerely, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 05:01, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

:::: Hi, it's me (on a different IP because I'm at home now).
:::: I'm sorry for being so aggressive in my original comment, I thought you were a grown adult, not a teen. ("think is an 8-year old" is incorrect btw, I was saying you were "acting like an 8 year old", but that itself was too harsh).
:::: I made stupid mistakes too when I was around your age, and I should have assumed good faith rather than take such an aggressive tone.
:::: Sorry for that, and good luck with school! [[Special:Contributions/90.219.64.93|90.219.64.93]] 13:50, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

::::: I accept your apology with open arms. I truly hope we can work together to improve the wiki in the future. Best regards, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 19:11, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Possessive and contracted "its"/"it's". ===

This also confused me, oh so many years ago. Then I was given a handy way of knowing ''which'' was the exception, which has served me well, and I've never had to second-guess myself. (Naturally, I've probably typoed/thinkoed it wrong, unconsciously... But since then I've never had a moment of doubt when I've deliberately kept myself/others correct.) Maybe it'll help you. - I tried to summarise it in the edit I made to the message concerned, but ''not enough space'' to do it justice...
#The possessive version is "its". It is one of a number of "irregular possessives", "his" instead of "him's"/, "hers" instead of "her's", "theirs" instead of "they's"/"them's".
#*Basically all the very common and basic pronoun-based possessives that (as I think of it, although not entirely correctly) were added to the language ''long before'' anybody actually tried to regularise the use of possessives, so just stuck that way. If it belongs to "him", "her", "me" "you", "us", "them" ''and'' "it", you're in the realms of using a completely irregular possessive, none of which use apostrophes.
#*''Personally'', I think that "one" (the equally 'basic', IMO, impersonal pronoun) should be included in that. Not for the likes of {{w|Ones' complement}} (that's belonging to (a number of) digit-ones), but in the "{{w|One (pronoun)|one}} is speaking sense. But (as noted in that last link), it isn't. So don't do that.
#This leaves the contractive version as the one that uses the apostrophe. With two interesting caveats:
#*There ''are'' irregular contractions. The word "forecastle" contracts to "fo'c'sle" or "fo'c's'le", which is a lot more overkill than other similarly complicated contractions. And "will not" becomes "won't" (or, some suggest, just "wont", though that's also a different word), despite not having the right set of letters in the right order to remain after (at least) the "not"->"n't" contraction.
#*In reporting speech, where someone says "it's just something I want to say", use it without fear. But, when writing, I find that (except for ''very'' casual use, essentially speaking in text ...or of course when tending to write in abbreviations/limited space) it's{{asic}} just much better to write "it is", in full. Can't(cannot) be written wrong, couldn't(/could not) be read wrong.
#Oh, and then theres "its'", the plural-(non-irregular-)possessive, which ''could'' be used in certain circumstances... "There are loads of ''its'' in this text, without apostrophes... please check that each ''its''' punctuation is correct!". But... not a common occurance. (Far less than "belonging to the word 'it'", the sole reason to use possessive "it's".) ;)

...TL;DR;, irregular possesive "its" because of all the other irregular possessive pronouns that have words of their own. And you might just find it easier to uncontract "it's", most of the time, ''especially'' if you're still not entirely sure about it. (Or, perhaps, you're happy to not let go of such a minor degree of gravitas, and it's not transcriped real-world enunciation, which might even feature such monstrosities as "couldn't've" as the contraction of "could not have"!)

Don't know if that helps, or is understandable, but there you are. Overexplained and overly rambling, as it is..! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 21:51, 22 August 2025 (UTC)

:While you have way too much time on your hands, it'sn't (it is not) hard to understand, so thank you! As I said, it's basically my only grammatical flaw, so this helps tremendously. Damn my brain and its grammatical irregularities. Its a pleasure to talk with you! Sincerely, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 00:40, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

::Definitely didn't just make a mistake on an it's. After reading a full page worth of why not to. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 00:44, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Do you not learn? ===

You say that you've learned from your mistakes, yet I don't see any changes. You say that you're an incoming 9th grader and that's somehow an excuse for your immaturity, but I'm also a 9th grader and can compose myself perfectly fine. You say that you won't do the same mistakes again, yet you still create useless pages. How many more are you going to create? I really don't want to be yelling at you like this, but I just don't think you'll be able to change without it. FYI, I've marked User:DSB and the /C pages for deletion. Grow up. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:41, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:Look. You aren't a bad person. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that your passion can turn into a positive thing for this wiki. The thing is, you have a tendency to try to fix things by doing even more things, often panicking and making the situation worse. I've already told you this before, but I'll reemphasize it for you. '''TAKE A BREAK.''' Go for some walks. Work on your homework. Talk to people. Hang out with some friends. Don't just spend all your time on here. Trust me, I made the same mistake before. I would recommend a couple days of rest. See how it feels! It might hurt in the beginning, but nobody NEEDS you on here so badly to work on things to the point of such fanatic editing. I don't think Kynde, FaviFake, or any of the other editors hate you, to be honest. We're all just annoyed that you seem to not listen to our advice and keep on making the same mistakes. It's fine to make mistakes-that's how we learn! But you need to stop worrying so much and just step away from the screen for a bit. (Also, I'd recommend talking to a friend or a trusted adult. Your /PRIVATE page seems to be filled with quite a bit of self-hatred. Don't listen to that voice in your head. She's a bitch and none of it is true. I've dealt with poor mental health too. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I had left for so long. You should try to get these feelings out in a healthy way, instead of taking it out yourself or spending all your time online. Nobody thinks you're stupid. You just need to learn how things are done around here. If that's on a steep learning curve, so be it. Just keep on pushing through, and listen to people more.) And finally, you ''can'' make subpages, but try to reduce the number that you have. Think to yourself before you make one: do I TRULY need this? Will it help me out positively in the long run? If not, just put it in another section of your userpage (or make a proper sandbox!). Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk, and I wish you all a good night. Tori, signing off. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:05, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

::Take a break / Hey, our kid is pretty great / Run away with us for the summer / Let's go upstate / Eliza, I've got so much on my plate / We can all go stay with my father

::There's a lake I know (I know) / In a nearby park (I'd love to go) / You and I can go when the night gets dark / '''I will try to get away'''

::Such a good song, Lin cooked with that one. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:03, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

=== are you ok? ===

do you need help? [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 06:11, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Would you prefer to get a Blog? ===

User pages are sufficient to give an idea of who you are, and User Talk ones for people to talk to you about your contributions/etc.

Maybe create sub-pages if you have a relevant site-related project and need 'a space' for them. Such as, as an off-the-wall example, "a list of all the instances of comics that have less than the average number of vowels in them". Perhaps in the hope that it'll be appreciated and made into a more regular page.

But from what I've seen of your 'contributions' this week, none of that applies. Drunk-typing? Well, ''probably'' not if you're still so far underage that you probably don't have decent access to anything stronger than wine-gums, but definitely you weren't in full control of your keyboard. We've other people on here, as young as you, and have had even younger ones. If we can actually believe what anybody reveals about theirselves. (I'm a 111-year old hobbit, by the way.) You've been one of the most immaturely-acting people here who haven't actually been '''obviously''' trying to vandalise this site, and I'm sure you've strained the patience of pretty much everyone.

But you're not the first to go a little wild, like this. And - dare I say it - some of those who went on to be mainstays of this site got over the novelty of "anyone can edit (almost) anything", and possibly a rush of teenage hormones messing up their judgement. May I suggest you ''take a deep breath'' and work out what it is that you're doing that is creating such friction and push-back? I've seen you being a reasonable contributor before, and it's not even been all bad over the last week or so.

And you may have personal life changes going on. Those hormones, issues at home/school/elsewhere, general worries about the state of the world that you're growing up into... maybe a combination of them, or some of these things even ''causing'' some of the others. It happens. You're not alone ...even if one of the key issues is actually in feeling alone! But this is not necessarily the place to try to reshape the world like this.

How about you stick a little more to just xkcd matters, for the time being. There are plenty of other ways, and places, to run through whatever it is that you might be going through, and it might be best to balance things a bit more 'worklike' here than too much 'at play', like it looks like you're doing at the moment. Rebalance back to 'just enough of each' later.

And if you ''do'' get somewhere to blog, you'll even have a lot more control. Create anything you want (more or less, within the T&Cs of the service), not worrying about other people editing it, and probably even later cleanly delete anything you no longer want (with no pesky Page History open for everyone to read). You could even put a link to your blog here in your User space, if you want to. At least the blog that you want to connect to yourself here. (You can have an xkcd-adjacent one, ''and'' one to cry out in anguish if you so wish. And a third to... well, you get the idea.) And the skills to maintain blog code is a bit more 'real-world' than the purely wiki-related markup you learn here, and you can still learn the wiki-markup in parallel with getting to grips with HTML or other popular {{w|Content management system}} markup, giving you a few more useful lifeskills that ''merely'' being eventually a master wiki-guru.

How does that sound? Please do stay, but please also consider if everything you're doing is strictly necessary. I see I'm not the only one driven to try to explain this to you. And for some reason I thought I might be able to quickly suggest a solution to this little quandry. (No, it hasn't actually been that quick, has it.) If you really don't like what I say here... delete it. And I'll say no more. Or just tell me to mind my own business. I've probably got some other things to do around here, if our other old-hand editors don't get there before me! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 22:34, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

:I really should, shouldn't I... I'll try to find one. Yesterday and today have mainly been focused on What If? Chapters and a potential new project with Tori (Have you met her? She's lovely) about Sigs. Today has mainly been the latter, with a bit of the former, and some sig ideas I've been working on. I've been trying to stick to more useful matters. For example, /WORKPAGE currently contains drafts of some unfinished What If? Chapters I've been working on. So, I have been attempting to work on more xkcd-related matters. Is it ok if you could

:But, I shall heed your advice. I shall get a blog (not blood, autocorrect). Do you have any recommendations for where to start?

:One last thing: Could you show me one of the apparent 'drunk typing' incidents? I edit on my school Chromebook, so I wouldn't be surprised if the keyboard decided to be weird. Thank you for the advice! Once, again, I shall heed it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 22:51, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

::Oh, and by the way, I will not delete this thread. Also, how do you access the internet in Valinor?
::'Drunkeness', or whatever it was, was very evident in something like {{diff|385245|here}}. More mundane 'misuse of the keyboard' issues are the times you add multiple linefeeds between very simple statements. You need to do two line-feeds to 'separate the paragraphs', any more than that is not normally visually necessary at all, and can ''look'' like you weren't even paying full attention at the time, however well-written the line-fragments between are. If it weren't for the fact that there were actual (sort-of-)discernable words in there, the 'drunk' one could also have perhaps been a "cat walked on my keyboard" issue. Were you and the cat ''both'' trying to use the keyboard? (Or one of you trying to walk on it, the other trying to type on it. One way round or the other?) I think it's that kind of thing that got people initially concerned about you. Help us to help you (to help yourself?), maybe. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 02:10, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::i don't think the help is strictly necessary, but, as I said before, do you have any suggestions for places to make a blog? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 18:30, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
::::I don't blog, so nothing from personal experience. I bet you could use some Google-Fu (or Bing-Fu, or DuckDuckGo-Fu, or AltaVista-Fu, or AskJeeves-Fu, or...) to find a few such solutions, then look at all their offerings (check their wikipedia pages..? and, yeah, add some Wiki-Fu to the previous list of ways in which to search) and decide which one works for you. Or which two or three, and try them out with either completely identical aims in mind or initially split up your interests (one's your sports-appreciation, another is about what your favourite TV is, a third being your humorous observations about things you see every day, ...), then you can keep running the one(s) that turn out to work for you.
::::You know what you currently want, better than me or aanyone. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:50, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::If you need a blog, and don't know what platforms to use, I'd recommend making a Google Site or Wordpress blog. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:10, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
=== Please don't edit templates ===

Please. If you cannot edit a template without screwing things up, please don't edit templates. The template category was a mistake and should never have existed (as noted in [[:Category talk:Templates]], but regardless, adding a category to a template such that it appears inappropriately in all transcluded uses of the template is not proper. It is a frustration that you seem so well-intentioned but your efforts just make more work for other people. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:59, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Whoops! My bad. I assumed categories were automatically noincluded. Also, I assumed it was standard practice. as for the year (wow, didn't know I've been around that lon) I've been around, every template I've seen has used this category. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::I will still edit templates, btw. But I'll be more careful, especially with high-traffic ones. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I'm not sure if you consider the conversation closed, since you've moved this discussion to this subpage, so I'm not sure if I should be replying here or on your main talk page. ''But:'' do you intend to fix the problems you created with your template edits today? Other than the one template I created and maintained and reverted your edit to? It's not my intention to fix all of them. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:45, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Done. Now get off my lawn. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 22:58, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::I'm sorry, I don't understand. When I wrote, "Get off my lawn," I meant, "do not make inappropriate changes to other people's talk pages," not "do not send them messages." Did you mean something different by it? Did you find a change I made to your talk page to be inappropriate? If so, what change, and how should I have known that? Are you saying I should not have asked you to fix the problem that you created? Or…are you just being rude? I don't get it, and I would appreciate the clarification. Thank you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 23:04, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

=== Get off my lawn ===

Please do not change the structure of other people's talk pages! That is extremely rude. If you want me to have an archive page, ask me if I am willing (I am not willing!).
If we were to look aside at that, you '''absolutely may not under any circumstances''' add text to another person's talk page that speaks in the first person as if they were saying it ("please see my archive.") I don't know what's wrong with you. Talk pages are like other people's personal property, they are not yours to play with. Stop it. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:I'm just trying to do the work that YOU really need to do. What you are trying to do is censorship. You need to either unblank your talk page or archive it, but you can't just erase things from history. What I did was archive the page and make the necessary changes to signal that you have an archive. We aren't fascists.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 21:44, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::You have no basis for asserting that it is something "I need to do." There is neither a rule nor a norm that talk pages archives should be maintained or pages should be kept other than blank. You can say that as many times as you like, but it does not make it true! If you think I'm wrong, please cite such a thing. The standard, set by enwiki, is that old user talk page items may be removed at the discretion of the talk page owner. It is absolutely reasonable to remove everything other than current items. (It is also reasonable to keep older items, that's a choice too). Even if a requirement for a talk page archive was reasonable, which it is not, doing it without an automated bot imposes work on others. And that's incredibly rude! Blanking a talk page does not "erase things from history," if you want to find the history you can look at the History. That's why it is there. Are you…calling me a fascist? Again, that is incredibly rude! Please be respectful of others. If you want a change to the structure of someone's talk page, you can ask nicely. But now that you have poisoned the well, peed in the pool, and shit on my front door, it is going to be very hard for me to listen to you without emotion. But I'm happy to try. But please support your position will real arguments, not easily rebuttable wild claims as you have done heretofore. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:17, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I'm not calling you a fascist, just saying you're acting like one. But fine. Keep your empty talk page. Also, I think this is MUCH less important than shitting on your front door. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 22:34, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

User:DollarStoreBa'al/Mistakes

2026-02-12T22:45:20Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please don't edit templates */ so will you fix the problem?

This is a list of all the mistakes I've made on this wiki. Holy shit I'm bad at this.

==The REALLY REALLY BAD ONE==
===Kynde's talk page===
You might want to expedite the actual deletion of [[User:User:User:User:User:User/Mr. Beast is trying to aquire my bones]] (and its User Talk counterpart). I believe the editor concerned was sleep-deprived (but wouldn't put it past being instead a chemical imbalance of some legal ''or'' illegal kind). I'd have added the Pages To Delete category, but there's already a few of those hanging around unfulfilled... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.176|82.132.246.176]] 17:02, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Ok man, I created that page because I wanted somewhere that would
*Be private (which it is. It's impossible to create the account User:User:User:User:User. I checked.)
*Affect Nobody (which it shouldn't. The only person it's affecting is you.)

You've also [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:DGAF&diff=prev&oldid=385114 vandalized] [[Template:DGAF]], which I created, is inspired by 42.book.addict, and affects nobody but me. This makes me think that you're just looking through my contributions and immediately flagging things you frame as 'wrong'. This is not only incredibly creepy, but is also completely pointless. I'm a high school student on the internet. Also, I believe you're the same person who insulted me about DSBContribs, which I no longer use, and was fixed. Just stop and let me do my own thing. Amusedly and angrily, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 18:11, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:Given other recent activity, it ''looked'' like another example of {{diff|385026|editing whilst insensible}} (together with statements about returning to school, put me in mind the situation of which the {{w|Eternal September}} was the next step). i.e. honest errors of judgement.
:To term the "UserUserUser..." space 'private' is erroneous. It can be seen by anyone. It can be ''edited'' by anyone. Though, by convention, only the User Talk should be edited by anyone other than the ultimate named User. Which you aren't, BTW... create for someone else, ''if you must'', if they're too new and unwilling to wait the trivial amount of time before they can. Creating the spaces for someone who didn't request help or ''doesn't even exist'' needs some form of justification that you're well short of.
:It affects everyone if random, meaningless and context-free pages are added to the wiki 'just for fun'. Data isn't free. Storage isn't limitless. Potentially obscuring real useful (on-topic) information with stupid semi-vandalism (that I didn't think you'd do intentionally, based upon prior behaviour), is not something I expected. But it looked like a momentary lapse that (being on the scene) I tried to helpfully deal with as much as I could. (If I'd have been an Admin, myself, I ''would'' have just deleted them. 'Luckily' for you, I have no interest in that amount of leverage, I'm sticking what anyone can do, perhaps the next person along would have reacted the same, or worse.)
:No, I'm not stalking you. All edits are visible, you made edits, I saw them. I remember DSBContribs (or similar, if it's what I think you mean), but didn't recall it was your work. And others, including a named user, 'insulted' you about that. Or, as I recall, questioned the reasoning behind it, and didn't get a sensible answer. So 0lease accept my apologies. It seems that you ''are'' the kind of person to create useless pages like these last few. If I had known that, I wouldn't have come here suggesting that they were in error, but come here to just draw Kynde's attention to them as effectively being vandalism.
:And, because your template page tried to link to a non-existing wiki page, I also just made it go somewhere that works. That was before reading here how this may well have been culpably intentional, so again was done out of more good faith helpfulness than it turns out I should have been employing.
:That's regardless of your age, BTW. Whether you're at "High School" in the US, at maybe 14-18+ years old, or a High School like I attended where I am (and many years ago), which was for 11-16+ then workplaces or college (then maybe uni) beckoned. You don't need to be older to be more sensible about these things, and you don't need to be young to act idiotically.
:And, lucky you, you get this shiny wiki (and everything else) to work with. I had no access to the Internet until I was 18 (though, at that time, the web itself hadn't been invented, let alone wikis), and of course made my own goofs (asked whether I needed to buy an estamp to send an email!).
:But let me not bore you. I'm not in control here, only a fellow traveller who would give advice and assistance to those who might need it, and cares perhaps more than you might 'give a fuck' about various corners of the online world, like this. Reasoning over, lecture finished, friendly advice concluded. I just shoved it all in one reply to save you the trouble of having to deal with an impatiently slow conversation. And to not keep 'pinging' Kynde's email notification more than necessary (sorry Kynde!)... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.247.23|82.132.247.23]] 20:47, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Do you wish to know something? I'm 14. User:User:User:User:User is (and I checked) completely impossible to create, as shown in this image: [[File:refutation.png]] But, if you wish, I shall make it a subpage of my own account.
::Yes, of course it's ''technically'' public, but unless people specifically search for that page (which is still a subpage, btw), it won't affect anybody. Also, I'd like to point out, everybody editing any page is the ''whole point'' of a wiki. Yes, storage isn't limitless. Very cool. At this point, that page is a drop in the ocean of data already contributed by all the rest of these pages (including the lecture you just added, which is ''more'' bytes than the pages I created).
::Thank you for that edit, by the way. When I previewed it, it showed that it did go to the correct page ({{w|Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism}}), so I published it that way. However, your edits make it seem like you're definitely stalking me. From what I've seen, all you've done is edit recent comic pages and berate me (and Kynde) about my mistakes.
::DSBContribs was my work. I did, however, provide a sensible reason as to why I created it. If you didn't see it, here it is:

::DSBContribs was created specifically for my signature. At the time I created this, I had no idea what subpages were and I was running out of characters on my signature. I created it because I thought it wouldn't be a hindrance to the wiki and it would save me precious characters on my signature.
::However, I do still apologize, even if the insulting on the template was a ''bit'' far and not in the least helpful. I will move Mr.Beast is trying to aquire my bones to a subpage of my own. I will fix that template (which was not useless) and subsequently delete the content from the three unnecessary redirects. I had no intention of vandalizing the wiki, as I've stated multiple times. No page I create is meant to be vandalism in any way, and I try to do my best to help the wiki be the best it can be. Sometimes it gets boring being 'sensible' all the time (especially in IB classes, where I regularly have 3+ hours of homework/night), and I wanted some sort of way to let all the wild shit that my ADHD makes out. That's what came out. Again, I truly apologize.

I bid thee well on wherever the journey of life may take thee, fellow traveler. May we see each other again, be it in life, in death, or in the cursed month of Jancember. Take Care.

Ba'al, teenage Soul-Eater, out.

:Wow that was a long read. I do give a f**k about not having such a template her so I deleted that instantly! I'm going to wait till you have moved relevant content of the user:user page somewhere with a more sensible name. ASnd no I do not think you should just write random gibberish on any pages here. And no I do not think we should have such a confusing page on here. So yes I will delete it eventually. If there is anything valuable on the page, make a different page, call it your sandbox or something, I don't know, but not something which is impossible for me or any one else to find out what it is supposed to be, like this many times user page. We have so many random users being created and many of them begin to spam us and has to be blocked. I do really not have the time to such a debate as the one here, so I hope you will do as I say and we can end this nicely. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::Something you probably didn't see: The fact that I did move the page to a sandbox YESTERDAY. Good day, and make Jeff proud. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::No I did not see as I do not stalk anyone here: So I can then delete [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:DollarStoreBa%27al/Mr._Beast_is_trying_to_aquire_my_bones this page] now? And please try not to insult me with any mention of Jeff. He is no longer active and no one has any contact with him on these pages. I'm not happy about being the only active admin here, but you should reply decently! Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:45, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::::Well, I never accused you of stalking (unless you were the IP in disguise), and I never meant to insult you with making Jeff proud. I like to imagine him as a father looking at his millionaire son with pride. If you wish to, delete the page. Go ahead, it won't affect anyone. Except me. And maybe mystery British(?) IP. This feud is over, and has been for hours. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:57, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::DollarStoreBa'al, I would very strongly recommend you to relax a bit and stop being so attacking/condescending. A lot of your edits don't make sense and aren't helping or contributing towards the growth and improvement of this wiki, so of course other users will be confused and annoyed. Maybe take a break from editing for a bit and mull over your edits for a bit? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:01, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::You're right. 42. You're always right :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::I'm so sorry. You don't need to forgive me for this. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:26, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

===My talk page===

N 19:49 heADer TExt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:49 hEaDeR tEXt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:46 hEaDeR TeXt‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:46 HEADER TEXT‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:45 header Text‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
N 19:45 Header Text‎ (diff | hist) . . (+25)‎ . . DollarStoreBa'al (talk | contribs) (Redirected page to Header text)
...now that I know you're doing stupid and unnecessary things deliberately, I won't try to provide help. And you, of course won't be taking my friendly advice, so I'll try not to disturb you further, if I can help it. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.82|82.132.244.82]] 20:57, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

:I KNEW YOU WERE STALKING MY EDITS! Now that you have discovered that I've done unnecessary edits (which are only affecting you), try zooming out a little. Specifically, to the 2,000 bytes I added to [[What if? Chapters]]. I didn't get almost 300 contribution score by doing meme edits all day. Besides, three of those are genuinely useful, and I'm not going to listen to a random IP with maybe 10 edits tops telling me how to edit a wiki. If you want to fix my work, go right ahead. That's what wikis are for. I invite you to fix everything. If you stop stalking my contributions page.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 23:07, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Also, I would like to point out that it's harder to get more unfriendly than making a template which only links to my user page insult me, thereby vandalizing my user page. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 23:11, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::There was going to be no further reply, but you need to know these things:
::;I KNEW YOU WERE STALKING MY EDITS!
::Read what I said. All edits are visible. That's an extract from that list of all edits via the Recent Changes link. You are not being 'stalked'. Though, if I ''could'' easily do so, I'd now specifically hide all your edits and let absolutely ''anyone'' else work out what (if anything) to do in response.
::;Specifically, to the 2,000 bytes I added to [[What if? Chapters]].
::That looked good, as far as I saw it. Would you have me edit something that didn't need editing, just to congratulate you for a job adequately done? There was something I ''might'' have changed, but so trivial that I actively chose not to, and I am now thankful of that.
::;I didn't get almost 300 contribution score by doing meme edits all day.
::Good for you, if the contribution score means so much to you. Quality over quantity is better, and doesn't have a hand macro to show it. But you do you, if you're chasing the scoreboard rankings alone.
::;and I'm not going to listen to a random IP with maybe 10 edits tops telling me how to edit a wiki.
::As you point out, elsewhere, my IP ''will'' keep changing. (And I'm not the only person who may have appeared on any given IP.) I shudder to think how many edits I've made here, in reality, but shall I show you edits by various IPs across a decade or so and claim them as mine? No, because the merit (or otherwise) of one's latest contribution is all that matters. I'm usually happy to be an anon-IP, amongst other anon-IPs and named-users (both venerable and fleetingly transient alike).
::;If you stop stalking my contributions page.
::I can reassure you that I've probably never even looked at ''your'' specific contributions page, certainly not for a long time. I normally only ever check those to check whether "one-edit vandals" have perhaps made other edits that had temporarily slipped under the collective radar, but I don't think I had ever considered you as one of them, before, even back when you were new here. (How long is that? Six months. Two years? Maybe a bit longer?I could look it up easily by checking your contribs page, but I'm now firmly resolved to not do that, for your sake.)
::
::If any what I have written reads as less than polite, it's perhaps partly my exasperation leaking through. By the time I felt the need to add another word to "unnecessary", above, I can see that this had happened. For which I am sorry.
::But text-only communications, like this, also tend to be read in a way that the reader's mood dictates. And I think some of my more straightforward initial contributions got misread at your end, tinted with reflected emotion.
::And, please, let this be it. The world doesn't need to see this, nor does the server need it being added to, and of course there's no alternative backchannel to conduct a lengthy private conversation about it all. I shall read what you reply, just because it's hard to ''not'' read anything that isn't deleted/overwritten, but please no more needless creation of fake user pages (or, indeed, IP user pages). Unnecessary and as likely to be removed as anything else out there. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.228|82.132.244.228]] 05:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

It is probable that you didn't see the reply I gave you on Kynde's talk page. Here is that reply:

:Do you wish to know something? I'm 14. User:User:User:User:User is (and I checked) completely impossible to create, as shown in this image: [[File:refutation.png]] But, if you wish, I shall make it a subpage of my own account.
:Yes, of course it's technically public, but unless people specifically search for that page (which is still a subpage, btw), it won't affect anybody. Also, I'd like to point out, everybody editing any page is the whole point of a wiki. Yes, storage isn't limitless. Very cool. At this point, that page is a drop in the ocean of data already contributed by all the rest of these pages (including the lecture you just added, which is more bytes than the pages I created).
:Thank you for that edit, by the way. When I previewed it, it showed that it did go to the correct page (Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism), so I published it that way. However, your edits make it seem like you're definitely stalking me. From what I've seen, all you've done is edit recent comic pages and berate me (and Kynde) about my mistakes.
:DSBContribs was my work. I did, however, provide a sensible reason as to why I created it. If you didn't see it, here it is:

:DSBContribs was created specifically for my signature. At the time I created this, I had no idea what subpages were and I was running out of characters on my signature. I created it because I thought it wouldn't be a hindrance to the wiki and it would save me precious characters on my signature.
:However, I do still apologize, even if the insulting on the template was a bit far and not in the least helpful. I will move Mr.Beast is trying to aquire my bones to a subpage of my own. I will fix that template (which was not useless) and subsequently delete the content from the three unnecessary redirects. I had no intention of vandalizing the wiki, as I've stated multiple times. No page I create is meant to be vandalism in any way, and I try to do my best to help the wiki be the best it can be. Sometimes it gets boring being 'sensible' all the time (especially in IB classes, where I regularly have 3+ hours of homework/night), and I wanted some sort of way to let all the wild shit that my ADHD makes out. That's what came out. Again, I truly apologize. I hope this marks the end of this little spat we've had.
I bid thee well on wherever the journey of life may take thee, fellow traveler. May we see each other again, be it in life, in death, or in the cursed month of Jancember. Take Care.

Ba'al, teenage Soul-Eater, out.

:See my reply there: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User_talk:Kynde#On_Template:DGAF_and_User:User:User:User:User:User.2FMr._Beast_is_trying_to_aquire_my_bones Reply] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:: I just did, and I did just respond. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:43, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

==The less-bad ones==
=== Your signature is in violation of {{w|WP:SIGAPP}} ===

Hey, I wanted to let you know that your current signature doesn't follow {{w|WP:SIGAPP}} (specifically the first bullet point). Kindly change it. Thanks. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:48, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

Changed to 14pt. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 13:02, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

:Any height that's taller than the other text on the page disrupts the way that surrounding text displays. 14 px is no better. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:25, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

FINE --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 15:14, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

:That still disrupts the page flow... I think you signature is already more eye-catching than any other signature on this entire wiki, why do you want to increase its height too? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:19, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
:: I thought the issue was the height? Doesn't the wiki use 12pt font, which that Sig is? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 15:27, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
:::I don't know, I just noticed that it does increase the space between two lines. It might be the superscript's fault then. Well, at least the current one is much better than before. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:49, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

=== Mass-deleting links ===

Hay, just letting you know that maybe you've misunderstood the "incomplete" notice. You shouldn't delete every link on the page ''until there are no links left'', but rather include these links, if they're helpful, directly into the explanation, as explained in [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ#ref|the editor faq]]. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:09, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

===Creating someone's User pages, without being asked===
In short, not worth the bother. You were helped, above, because you asked (and now, obviously, have become capable of doing the creation yourself, within a very short time). But this wiki is littered with "Welcome, I created your User pages for you" (including for IPs, which is particularly unuseful), where the user concerned has not then used them. However active an editor they are, if they don't know/care about them then it's effort done for nothing. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.130|172.70.86.130]] 08:50, 28 February 2025 (UTC)
:Yup, I also pointed it out. In case you missed my reply to your message, here's a copy:
:”It's relevant to note that we only create User pages when people explicitly ask for them. On the other hand, User talk pages are created if you want to talk to that specific member privately."--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:03, 28 February 2025 (UTC)
::Sorry about that. Just trying to help! --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 15:34, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

=== NEWS ===

Hey uhhh does anyone know about [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/22/science/randall-munroe-xkcd-science-textbook.html this]? Should we make explanations for these?
--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 20:48, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Google's Ai says there are multiple exclusive comics for the textbook, but I've only been able to find Inside Body, shown here: [[File:Inside Body.jpg]]

:Just so you know, the standard method for announcing something, big or small, to the community is to create a post in te community portal. Just so you don't have to copy and paste every message and reach a wider audience. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:50, 9 May 2025 (UTC)

=== Why [...] is DSBContribs a thing? ===

Did you seriously have to create a page in the main namespace with the sole purpose of redirecting to your user contributions page?

Firstly, the main namespace is supposed to be on-topic. Why, you may ask? Because "DSBContribs" literally appears in the search results for "D" alongside "DSBSig/sandbox" (???), right between DNE (comic #259) and Danger Mnemonic (comic #2487).

User specific stuff should really go as sub-pages of your user page, and nothing is stopping you from directly linking to your contribs page in your signature instead of using a pointless redirect.

As I've read more of your talk page I've realised you're [...] [[Special:Contributions/86.143.223.93|86.143.223.93]] 13:48, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

:Highly disagree on the tone but agree with the message. I redacted the message and scheduled both for deletion, use your user page for this. thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:38, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

::Sorry about this. At the time, I did not know subpages even existed. Thank you random IP for the advice, even if slightly unhinged, and thank you FaviFake for getting to those deletions. I would have done those deletions eventually. I created DSBContribs to save characters on my signiature, assuming that the pages would not show up on the search (linking to special:contributions:DollarStoreBa'al is much longer than linking to DSBContribs). Evidently, I was wrong. I created DSBSIG/sandbox while trying to create a sandbox page and being stupid. That was me trying to work out the wikitext to create a signature. I have perfected my signature now, and these pages are no longer needed. The 'FINE' comment was meant to be a joke. Maybe that would have worked better with a rolling eyes emoji and an 'ugh'. I will be putting this into the 'my mistakes' section of my talk page as this was definitely a mistake. Thanks for bringing my attention to this! Gratefully yours, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 05:01, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

::: By the way, I looked at your little message Mr. IP man. First, I see where you're coming from. I am a little bit immature, this is true. However, this should probably come as an expectation with someone going into 9th grade. This has been acknowledged on my user page and my comment on 3123. Please do your research. Second, swears are fine for basically all purposes EXCEPT to insult people. The fact that you are willing to insult someone who you think is an 8-year-old shows how mature you truly are. Maybe you are the one who should, as you put it 'grow the fuck up'. Thank you, and have a good day. Sincerely, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 05:01, 6 August 2025 (UTC)

:::: Hi, it's me (on a different IP because I'm at home now).
:::: I'm sorry for being so aggressive in my original comment, I thought you were a grown adult, not a teen. ("think is an 8-year old" is incorrect btw, I was saying you were "acting like an 8 year old", but that itself was too harsh).
:::: I made stupid mistakes too when I was around your age, and I should have assumed good faith rather than take such an aggressive tone.
:::: Sorry for that, and good luck with school! [[Special:Contributions/90.219.64.93|90.219.64.93]] 13:50, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

::::: I accept your apology with open arms. I truly hope we can work together to improve the wiki in the future. Best regards, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 19:11, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Possessive and contracted "its"/"it's". ===

This also confused me, oh so many years ago. Then I was given a handy way of knowing ''which'' was the exception, which has served me well, and I've never had to second-guess myself. (Naturally, I've probably typoed/thinkoed it wrong, unconsciously... But since then I've never had a moment of doubt when I've deliberately kept myself/others correct.) Maybe it'll help you. - I tried to summarise it in the edit I made to the message concerned, but ''not enough space'' to do it justice...
#The possessive version is "its". It is one of a number of "irregular possessives", "his" instead of "him's"/, "hers" instead of "her's", "theirs" instead of "they's"/"them's".
#*Basically all the very common and basic pronoun-based possessives that (as I think of it, although not entirely correctly) were added to the language ''long before'' anybody actually tried to regularise the use of possessives, so just stuck that way. If it belongs to "him", "her", "me" "you", "us", "them" ''and'' "it", you're in the realms of using a completely irregular possessive, none of which use apostrophes.
#*''Personally'', I think that "one" (the equally 'basic', IMO, impersonal pronoun) should be included in that. Not for the likes of {{w|Ones' complement}} (that's belonging to (a number of) digit-ones), but in the "{{w|One (pronoun)|one}} is speaking sense. But (as noted in that last link), it isn't. So don't do that.
#This leaves the contractive version as the one that uses the apostrophe. With two interesting caveats:
#*There ''are'' irregular contractions. The word "forecastle" contracts to "fo'c'sle" or "fo'c's'le", which is a lot more overkill than other similarly complicated contractions. And "will not" becomes "won't" (or, some suggest, just "wont", though that's also a different word), despite not having the right set of letters in the right order to remain after (at least) the "not"->"n't" contraction.
#*In reporting speech, where someone says "it's just something I want to say", use it without fear. But, when writing, I find that (except for ''very'' casual use, essentially speaking in text ...or of course when tending to write in abbreviations/limited space) it's{{asic}} just much better to write "it is", in full. Can't(cannot) be written wrong, couldn't(/could not) be read wrong.
#Oh, and then theres "its'", the plural-(non-irregular-)possessive, which ''could'' be used in certain circumstances... "There are loads of ''its'' in this text, without apostrophes... please check that each ''its''' punctuation is correct!". But... not a common occurance. (Far less than "belonging to the word 'it'", the sole reason to use possessive "it's".) ;)

...TL;DR;, irregular possesive "its" because of all the other irregular possessive pronouns that have words of their own. And you might just find it easier to uncontract "it's", most of the time, ''especially'' if you're still not entirely sure about it. (Or, perhaps, you're happy to not let go of such a minor degree of gravitas, and it's not transcriped real-world enunciation, which might even feature such monstrosities as "couldn't've" as the contraction of "could not have"!)

Don't know if that helps, or is understandable, but there you are. Overexplained and overly rambling, as it is..! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 21:51, 22 August 2025 (UTC)

:While you have way too much time on your hands, it'sn't (it is not) hard to understand, so thank you! As I said, it's basically my only grammatical flaw, so this helps tremendously. Damn my brain and its grammatical irregularities. Its a pleasure to talk with you! Sincerely, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 00:40, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

::Definitely didn't just make a mistake on an it's. After reading a full page worth of why not to. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 00:44, 23 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Do you not learn? ===

You say that you've learned from your mistakes, yet I don't see any changes. You say that you're an incoming 9th grader and that's somehow an excuse for your immaturity, but I'm also a 9th grader and can compose myself perfectly fine. You say that you won't do the same mistakes again, yet you still create useless pages. How many more are you going to create? I really don't want to be yelling at you like this, but I just don't think you'll be able to change without it. FYI, I've marked User:DSB and the /C pages for deletion. Grow up. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:41, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:Look. You aren't a bad person. In fact, I wholeheartedly believe that your passion can turn into a positive thing for this wiki. The thing is, you have a tendency to try to fix things by doing even more things, often panicking and making the situation worse. I've already told you this before, but I'll reemphasize it for you. '''TAKE A BREAK.''' Go for some walks. Work on your homework. Talk to people. Hang out with some friends. Don't just spend all your time on here. Trust me, I made the same mistake before. I would recommend a couple days of rest. See how it feels! It might hurt in the beginning, but nobody NEEDS you on here so badly to work on things to the point of such fanatic editing. I don't think Kynde, FaviFake, or any of the other editors hate you, to be honest. We're all just annoyed that you seem to not listen to our advice and keep on making the same mistakes. It's fine to make mistakes-that's how we learn! But you need to stop worrying so much and just step away from the screen for a bit. (Also, I'd recommend talking to a friend or a trusted adult. Your /PRIVATE page seems to be filled with quite a bit of self-hatred. Don't listen to that voice in your head. She's a bitch and none of it is true. I've dealt with poor mental health too. In fact, that's one of the reasons why I had left for so long. You should try to get these feelings out in a healthy way, instead of taking it out yourself or spending all your time online. Nobody thinks you're stupid. You just need to learn how things are done around here. If that's on a steep learning curve, so be it. Just keep on pushing through, and listen to people more.) And finally, you ''can'' make subpages, but try to reduce the number that you have. Think to yourself before you make one: do I TRULY need this? Will it help me out positively in the long run? If not, just put it in another section of your userpage (or make a proper sandbox!). Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk, and I wish you all a good night. Tori, signing off. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:05, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

::Take a break / Hey, our kid is pretty great / Run away with us for the summer / Let's go upstate / Eliza, I've got so much on my plate / We can all go stay with my father

::There's a lake I know (I know) / In a nearby park (I'd love to go) / You and I can go when the night gets dark / '''I will try to get away'''

::Such a good song, Lin cooked with that one. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:03, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

=== are you ok? ===

do you need help? [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 06:11, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

=== Would you prefer to get a Blog? ===

User pages are sufficient to give an idea of who you are, and User Talk ones for people to talk to you about your contributions/etc.

Maybe create sub-pages if you have a relevant site-related project and need 'a space' for them. Such as, as an off-the-wall example, "a list of all the instances of comics that have less than the average number of vowels in them". Perhaps in the hope that it'll be appreciated and made into a more regular page.

But from what I've seen of your 'contributions' this week, none of that applies. Drunk-typing? Well, ''probably'' not if you're still so far underage that you probably don't have decent access to anything stronger than wine-gums, but definitely you weren't in full control of your keyboard. We've other people on here, as young as you, and have had even younger ones. If we can actually believe what anybody reveals about theirselves. (I'm a 111-year old hobbit, by the way.) You've been one of the most immaturely-acting people here who haven't actually been '''obviously''' trying to vandalise this site, and I'm sure you've strained the patience of pretty much everyone.

But you're not the first to go a little wild, like this. And - dare I say it - some of those who went on to be mainstays of this site got over the novelty of "anyone can edit (almost) anything", and possibly a rush of teenage hormones messing up their judgement. May I suggest you ''take a deep breath'' and work out what it is that you're doing that is creating such friction and push-back? I've seen you being a reasonable contributor before, and it's not even been all bad over the last week or so.

And you may have personal life changes going on. Those hormones, issues at home/school/elsewhere, general worries about the state of the world that you're growing up into... maybe a combination of them, or some of these things even ''causing'' some of the others. It happens. You're not alone ...even if one of the key issues is actually in feeling alone! But this is not necessarily the place to try to reshape the world like this.

How about you stick a little more to just xkcd matters, for the time being. There are plenty of other ways, and places, to run through whatever it is that you might be going through, and it might be best to balance things a bit more 'worklike' here than too much 'at play', like it looks like you're doing at the moment. Rebalance back to 'just enough of each' later.

And if you ''do'' get somewhere to blog, you'll even have a lot more control. Create anything you want (more or less, within the T&Cs of the service), not worrying about other people editing it, and probably even later cleanly delete anything you no longer want (with no pesky Page History open for everyone to read). You could even put a link to your blog here in your User space, if you want to. At least the blog that you want to connect to yourself here. (You can have an xkcd-adjacent one, ''and'' one to cry out in anguish if you so wish. And a third to... well, you get the idea.) And the skills to maintain blog code is a bit more 'real-world' than the purely wiki-related markup you learn here, and you can still learn the wiki-markup in parallel with getting to grips with HTML or other popular {{w|Content management system}} markup, giving you a few more useful lifeskills that ''merely'' being eventually a master wiki-guru.

How does that sound? Please do stay, but please also consider if everything you're doing is strictly necessary. I see I'm not the only one driven to try to explain this to you. And for some reason I thought I might be able to quickly suggest a solution to this little quandry. (No, it hasn't actually been that quick, has it.) If you really don't like what I say here... delete it. And I'll say no more. Or just tell me to mind my own business. I've probably got some other things to do around here, if our other old-hand editors don't get there before me! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 22:34, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

:I really should, shouldn't I... I'll try to find one. Yesterday and today have mainly been focused on What If? Chapters and a potential new project with Tori (Have you met her? She's lovely) about Sigs. Today has mainly been the latter, with a bit of the former, and some sig ideas I've been working on. I've been trying to stick to more useful matters. For example, /WORKPAGE currently contains drafts of some unfinished What If? Chapters I've been working on. So, I have been attempting to work on more xkcd-related matters. Is it ok if you could

:But, I shall heed your advice. I shall get a blog (not blood, autocorrect). Do you have any recommendations for where to start?

:One last thing: Could you show me one of the apparent 'drunk typing' incidents? I edit on my school Chromebook, so I wouldn't be surprised if the keyboard decided to be weird. Thank you for the advice! Once, again, I shall heed it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 22:51, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

::Oh, and by the way, I will not delete this thread. Also, how do you access the internet in Valinor?
::'Drunkeness', or whatever it was, was very evident in something like {{diff|385245|here}}. More mundane 'misuse of the keyboard' issues are the times you add multiple linefeeds between very simple statements. You need to do two line-feeds to 'separate the paragraphs', any more than that is not normally visually necessary at all, and can ''look'' like you weren't even paying full attention at the time, however well-written the line-fragments between are. If it weren't for the fact that there were actual (sort-of-)discernable words in there, the 'drunk' one could also have perhaps been a "cat walked on my keyboard" issue. Were you and the cat ''both'' trying to use the keyboard? (Or one of you trying to walk on it, the other trying to type on it. One way round or the other?) I think it's that kind of thing that got people initially concerned about you. Help us to help you (to help yourself?), maybe. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 02:10, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::i don't think the help is strictly necessary, but, as I said before, do you have any suggestions for places to make a blog? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 18:30, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
::::I don't blog, so nothing from personal experience. I bet you could use some Google-Fu (or Bing-Fu, or DuckDuckGo-Fu, or AltaVista-Fu, or AskJeeves-Fu, or...) to find a few such solutions, then look at all their offerings (check their wikipedia pages..? and, yeah, add some Wiki-Fu to the previous list of ways in which to search) and decide which one works for you. Or which two or three, and try them out with either completely identical aims in mind or initially split up your interests (one's your sports-appreciation, another is about what your favourite TV is, a third being your humorous observations about things you see every day, ...), then you can keep running the one(s) that turn out to work for you.
::::You know what you currently want, better than me or aanyone. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:50, 30 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::If you need a blog, and don't know what platforms to use, I'd recommend making a Google Site or Wordpress blog. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:10, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
=== Please don't edit templates ===

Please. If you cannot edit a template without screwing things up, please don't edit templates. The template category was a mistake and should never have existed (as noted in [[:Category talk:Templates]], but regardless, adding a category to a template such that it appears inappropriately in all transcluded uses of the template is not proper. It is a frustration that you seem so well-intentioned but your efforts just make more work for other people. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:59, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Whoops! My bad. I assumed categories were automatically noincluded. Also, I assumed it was standard practice. as for the year (wow, didn't know I've been around that lon) I've been around, every template I've seen has used this category. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::I will still edit templates, btw. But I'll be more careful, especially with high-traffic ones. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I'm not sure if you consider the conversation closed, since you've moved this discussion to this subpage, so I'm not sure if I should be replying here or on your main talk page. ''But:'' do you intend to fix the problems you created with your template edits today? Other than the one template I created and maintained and reverted your edit to? It's not my intention to fix all of them. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:45, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

=== Get off my lawn ===

Please do not change the structure of other people's talk pages! That is extremely rude. If you want me to have an archive page, ask me if I am willing (I am not willing!).
If we were to look aside at that, you '''absolutely may not under any circumstances''' add text to another person's talk page that speaks in the first person as if they were saying it ("please see my archive.") I don't know what's wrong with you. Talk pages are like other people's personal property, they are not yours to play with. Stop it. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:I'm just trying to do the work that YOU really need to do. What you are trying to do is censorship. You need to either unblank your talk page or archive it, but you can't just erase things from history. What I did was archive the page and make the necessary changes to signal that you have an archive. We aren't fascists.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 21:44, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::You have no basis for asserting that it is something "I need to do." There is neither a rule nor a norm that talk pages archives should be maintained or pages should be kept other than blank. You can say that as many times as you like, but it does not make it true! If you think I'm wrong, please cite such a thing. The standard, set by enwiki, is that old user talk page items may be removed at the discretion of the talk page owner. It is absolutely reasonable to remove everything other than current items. (It is also reasonable to keep older items, that's a choice too). Even if a requirement for a talk page archive was reasonable, which it is not, doing it without an automated bot imposes work on others. And that's incredibly rude! Blanking a talk page does not "erase things from history," if you want to find the history you can look at the History. That's why it is there. Are you…calling me a fascist? Again, that is incredibly rude! Please be respectful of others. If you want a change to the structure of someone's talk page, you can ask nicely. But now that you have poisoned the well, peed in the pool, and shit on my front door, it is going to be very hard for me to listen to you without emotion. But I'm happy to try. But please support your position will real arguments, not easily rebuttable wild claims as you have done heretofore. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:17, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I'm not calling you a fascist, just saying you're acting like one. But fine. Keep your empty talk page. Also, I think this is MUCH less important than shitting on your front door. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 22:34, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

User talk:JohnHawkinson/Archive 1

2026-02-12T22:18:27Z

JohnHawkinson: Undo revision 406130 by 42.book.addict (talk) srsly?

(This page has been deleted.)

User talk:DollarStoreBa'al

2026-02-12T22:17:15Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Get off my lawn */ r

Speak through the interdimentional portal

[[User:DollarStoreBa'al/Mistakes|My mistakes]]

==General Chitchat and such==
Hey, as per your comment on [[Main Page#Create my user page]], I created your pages. Welcome to the wiki! Please always remember to sign your comments with <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki>, and ask in the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]] if you don't know something. If you want, you can read the [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#Why_can.27t_I_upload_pictures_or_create_pages.3F|the Editor FAQ]]! Welcome. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:02, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:Thanks! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 19:11, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:hi btw :) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:11, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
::hello, how are you doing this fine morning, my dear fellow? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 16:03, 27 February 2025 (UTC)

==Hiyo==
:I'm trying to lurk less and be friendly so I just thought I'd ah drop in :) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:53, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:: Bello. me editor guy who edit much. edit fun! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:00, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::hahahahaha edit fun indeed. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:20, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Question: How do you add those user boxes that you have on your page? Those would be nice to have. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 16:52, 6 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::copy and paste this and remove the nowiki tag:

<nowiki>{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = alastor jumpscare | info = [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|This user has a pet cannibal deer.]] | float = left}}</nowiki> and replace it with what you desire, for example:

<nowiki>{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = ;) | info = [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|This user _____ ]] | float = left}}</nowiki>

[[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:50, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

::::::Dude thanks! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 13:48, 17 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::::You're very welcome dear. WEE WOO [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:18, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

==Wow==
Am I so cool that I got a mention on your user page just because I showed you how to make userboxes? I mean, if I am... thanks. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:44, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yes. Yes you are. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 15:43, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
::YAY TYSM i will get you free jambalaya for you immediately due to that (if you're into that) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:19, 28 March 2025 (UTC)

::: No need. Also, I see you're from Louisiana. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 03:44, 29 March 2025 (UTC)]]
::::Haha or maybe I just like jambalaya :). Also you are not 4029 hHHA [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:17, 8 April 2025 (UTC)

==The 5s and Es and Os==
Reply to this if you've figured out what the meaning of the thingy on my user page is.
:it's base 3 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 09:07, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:: :O [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:31, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:: Nope! I'll give you a hint: talk to sam. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 14:33, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
https://voca.ro/1Akmh0zRqa8Q [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:02, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:uhhh...[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 20:41, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
::sorry, that's not it. Don't know what to say to that.[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:54, 14 April 2025 (UTC)

You have one week! Hint: beep boooop --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 16:30, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

:Morse code? [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 19:33, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

::Morse code of what? You are very, very close.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 20:47, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Time's up! If you put this into [https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html/] and click play, you get the intro to Bad Apple. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 14:44, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

:It's better than [[2869: Puzzles]] [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 11:11, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

== Want to do some repetitive work? ==

Hey dollar, I noticed you're very active here! I don't have a ton of time, but I recently overhauled the template {{tl|comic}} to add many new features. While we figure out [[Header text]], would you be interested in editing the contents of about 50 pages (the early xkcd comics) to make these new features work? It's a lot of repetitive work, you'd just need to make the same small edits on 50 pages. (If you're interested in why the OG comics were in a different order, see [[LiveJournal]]). Just let me know and I'll finish the documentation for the template! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:13, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

:What exactly would I be doing to get these features to work? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:18, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

::If it isn't super-complex wikitext things I can totally help! --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]] 19:21, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Right so you'd just need to move things around and remove some useless code. This process adds a second white navigation bar at the bottom to browse the OG comics in the original order.
[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1:_Barrel_-_Part_1&diff=374851&oldid=373457 You can follow this example]. The steps are:

Start from [[4|comic number 4]]:
#Based on the short sentence written above the explanation, add "ognumber =", "ogprev =", and "ognext =" (so the navbar can work)
#Add "oglink =", and move ONLY the link from "before" to "oglink" (so from HTTPS://..... until the end of the link, move that to "oglink")
#Now, from the edit preview, copy the original title.
#Delete everything in "before =" now that you moved the link
#Add "ogtitle =" and paste the original title that you copied.
#Finally, in "titletext", add two couples of apostrophes (<nowiki>''</nowiki>) in these places: https://imgur.com/a/BewKKr1
#Now save the changes, and click the new white "Next >" button you just created to go to the next one!
And you're done! It's much simpler when you try it. Of course you don't have to do it, feel free to work on the header text! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:41, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

me am do. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)com/wiki/index.php/S--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)pecial:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 20:51, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

:Oh and I added friendly errors for when you forget to add one of the "og" labels. Just note that if you don't provide "ognumber", the cool white navbar won't show up. Remember to always insert a pipe before a label, like this "'''|''' ognumber =". And once you get to comic 55 you're done! That's the last one --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:58, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Hey, I don't really understand where I'm supposed to put these. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 21:01, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Nevermind, I got this. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 21:05, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
:Erm nope the OGnumber, OGprev, and OGnext you should take from the first sentence above the explanation. For example [[24]] says it's sixth. Anyways, I found a pretty big bug in the template, so I guess we should stop until it's fixed. The Original title doesn't show up! Arghhh! I'll fix it.
:I'll let you know when you can continue. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:18, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

alright, sounds good! Dang tho. Let me know and I'll get right back to it. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 13:45, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

:Hey, I, um, undid all your edits because they broke the template haha. I guess this was more complex that I thought! Don't worry, I'll finish them myself over time. I'm more experienced than I thought it seems! Thanks for trying to help anyways! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:52, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
::Reviewing them, it seems you were not isolating the link correctly and leaving there some HTML elements that closed other open HTML elements that weren't finished! It did look, interesting, at least! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:55, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:::So sorry about that, I noticed those random Html elements. Thought they were part of the bug. oops. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 22:45, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

::::No worries! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)

==excuse me==

but it appears you have discovered that I was a spammer in a past account or maybe this account. who's to say anymore? anyway i'm trying to fix that hehe [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:02, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

==template==

What is a template? What’s a {{Trout}} and {{Whale}}?
 
If it looks weird, click edit [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 12:20, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

: I'm assuming you're asking what a template is and not about sea life. Templates are basically shortcuts that we use for commonly used things. For example, <nowiki>{{cn}}</nowiki> creates {{cn}}. You can create one pretty easily. I made those because they're commonly used on Wikipedia, and wanted to transfer them here. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:41, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::how can I create one? [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 13:21, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::Here's something that may be able to help: <nowiki>{{AprilFoolsHelp}}</nowiki> --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:43, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::thxxxxxxxxx [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 13:46, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::You are very welcome! I hope you are excited to start contributing to the wiki! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:46, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::By the way, please don't be afraid to ask me any questions at all. If I can, I will help! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:48, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::Thanks [[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]], which is <nowiki>{{Thx$store}}</nowiki> (if I can call you that)

==Template Tips==
Ok. Sorry, needed to get that out of my system. Thank you for the supplement. Truly. It's a good warning. Just please don't start randomly insulting people towards the end. This is a wiki. Speak the facts, and nothing more. In this case, the facts are:
*Templates are easy to create.
*It's useful to learn from other templates.
Those are the facts. Now, you're done. Don't go on to insult them about how they're too stupid to do something useful.
:No insult intended, no mention at all of stupidity, just the obvious eagerness. Tried only to give caution not to run before you've learnt how (and, ideally, where) to walk. All edits show up, to anyone looking. The initial query had not been answered, when I started the reply, and I had to hastily rewrite things to fit back in on the end.
:To the above, I'd add:
:*Know what purpose your template will have.
:That way you're less likely to create something that you later regret, give or take a rename/delete. (If you want anything totally deleted, it may take a long time, a meanwhile you can only edit it 'clear', but still findable and the history checkable.) Most templates are ''not'' there to add pictures of sealife, but to grease the wheels of common (or not so common) Explanation page scenarios. And we might even thank you for a good shortcut for something we maybe never realised was needed before.
:For a more technical 'manual', {{w|Help:A quick guide to templates}} might be a useful next read, and from there jump around into other Help: items. There's a lot you ''can'' do, though you certainly won't want to use it all right from the start. Take your time and know ''why'' you're doing something, as well as ''what'.
:Good luck for the future, I've probably said as much as you need me to say for now. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.73|82.132.246.73]] 17:39, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:While this is very useful, it would be nice if you posted this on [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!]]'s talk page. He's the one learning the ropes, and it would probably be very useful to him. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 17:47, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

==Requests/favors==
If you need anything done, reach out to me! I'll let you know what I can do to help you! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 19:49, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

Hi [[User:DollarStoreBa'al | DollarStoreBa'al]], are you good enough to have the link to my user page? [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 01:57, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

:Done! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:56, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

==Hello again Darling :D==
I'm back after the summer hello sir O) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 13:59, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

:A fellow school-based follower of the truth, I see! Welcome back, and I wish thee well on your adventures. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 14:00, 26 August 2025 (UTC) P.S. I use monobook style now.

==Category thing==
Hey, can someone tell me why my talk page is on 'pages to delete?' {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|18:08, 27 August 2025 (UTC)}}
:I have tracked it down to {{diff|383609|this edit}} by [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!]], where they used a (fairly useless and unnecessary) template (that they created themselves) called <nowiki>Template:Thx$store</nowiki> to thank you for helping to teach them the process of creating a new template. Since I marked that template for deletion, when the comment calls for the template, it also marks your talk page for deletion. I have changed it so that the template is replaced with the text that it would substitute in and your page is no longer marked for deletion. Also signed off your unsigned comment. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:30, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::When someone says "I have tracked it down" you know they mean business. Thanks, that's quite reassuring. Another mystery IP (not sure if it's the same guy as today) did warn him not to make meaningless templates. Of course, I also made a meaningless template, so.... --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 18:33, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

== {{w|Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/ltbdl}} ==

they think we're the same person, ha. [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 02:29, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

:I did not think this is what I would come back to. That's wild and hilarious.

:They are raeb

:And I am Dollar

:And we are not the same person

--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:42, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

::OMG THEY BANNED YOU WTF? I've pleaded your case, but idk if they'll respond. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:49, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:::Okay, wait a second. A checkuser does checks on User IPs. If you were found guilty, that means that you were editing under the same IP as me. By any chance, do you go to school in Lincoln, NE? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 14:04, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
::::one, revert your case pleading, it's silly and won't help, and two, we're "very unlikely" to be the same person according to checkuser, don't panic. maybe link them here. (i don't go to school in lincoln.) [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 15:00, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::Ok, now it's weird. I didn't know you couldn't have alt accounts, even if you explicitly stated that they were, indeed, alt accounts. Seems a bit strict if you ask me. Also, 1+1=Window, not Yes. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 22:53, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

==Can you please help me==
I helped you with the userboxes. Now I need your help. How do I get my sig to be something besides what it is now? [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 19:34, 9 September 2025 (UTC)
:Hi there, Tori here. If you want to change your signature, go to your preferences page on the top right of the website (it's next to your Talk page and Watchlist). Scroll down until you see the signatures section and change it. If you need help figuring out wikitext, feel free to shoot me a message on my [[user talk:42.book.addict|talk page]]! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 01:32, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

== Template:what if? chapters ==

Sorry, but what's the point of creating a template for what if chapters? What do you intend to use it for? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:28, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
:I intended it as a workaround in order to edit two pages at once. (those being the blog page and the chapters page). I noticed there was a discrepancy between the tables on the two pages, and I created a workaround for it. Also, it's faster than copy-pasting, now that the load times are astronomical. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 16:30, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
::Sounds good! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:40, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
Ok I'm sorry but I had to change it back. Here are a few drawbacks:
#Now people reading our summaries can't edit them directly.
#The history is gone. You should've moved the page, not copy and paste. Both for copyright attribution (see {{w|WP:CWW}}) and for maintenance, to see when and why something was added.
#Now we need to transclude the table on 1 more page (servers!), and the pages that were already transcluding the page (except [[what if? (blog)]]) now are transcluding both the page AND the template.
And most importantly: there wasn't any discrepancy between the pages that transcluded the pages, just as there is no discrepancy now. The table was the exact same.

Could you explain what discrepancy you saw? The code and text behind the original [[What If? Chapters]] page, the blog page, the new template you created, and any other pages transcluding [[What If? Chapters]] was truly identical (and still is, just with the added issues listed above.).

Also; templates are not supposed to be edited frequently. A template is created in order to save time writing the same code on dozens or hundreds of pages. The table both needs to be edited and is only transcluded on a few pages. These are the pages in which the page was transcluded: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/What_If%3F_chapters&hidelinks=1&hideredirs=1] --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:04, 4 October 2025 (UTC)
:There were just some chapter summaries I saw that were different between the blog page and the chapters page. I'm not angry about this, thanks for bringing up the points which I am not advanced enough to see. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 12:55, 6 October 2025 (UTC)
::Huh, that's odd. The only difference between the two is that the last header cell on the left becomes highlighted in yellow when transcluded. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:16, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

== Current signature. ==

I've noticed that your signature does <all the fancy stuff><NEWLINE><space><timestamp>. Might be a good idea to remove the <NEWLINE> before the (presumably auto-appended) <space><timestamp> as it currently puts your
timestamp like this.

Which is ''probably'' not what you'd intended. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.74|82.132.245.74]] 20:47, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
:......Nope, didn't intend that. I'll see if I can fix it. (not signing this because... well, you know) --DSB {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|21:12, 4 November 2025 (UTC)}}
::I've found the issue. I was trying to make my signature in times new roman using [[Template:TNR]]. This template uses div for it's styling. For some reason, it's inserting <nowiki></div></nowiki> between the signature and timestamp rather than after. Is there a way to get the <nowiki></div></nowiki> to go after the timestamp rather than before (which is what I was intending)? Thanks! --DSB {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|21:18, 4 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::Standard advice is to not use div-tags in your custom .sig, for exactly this reason. You should be able to do the same (except for the undesired newline-forcing) with span-tagging where you invoked div-tags.
:::The way it rendered (must basically have been subst:ed between what you used and how it renders), I didn't know you'd used the TNR template. If that's for character-length reasons then a "TNRspan" template (or something ''not'' four characters longer, if you're extremely tight for space) would have to be used.
:::Or change the TNR so <code><nowiki>{{TNR|span=yes}}</nowiki></code> will specially 'return' you your no-Div version (that's the nice-looking version; you could also have it do something like responding to <code><nowiki>{{{1}}}</nowiki></code> being "s" or "1", if you can only afford to extend by two extra characters). That makes the one template dual-use, instead of making another template.
:::TIMTOWTDI. But you'll know what you want to do, I can only give vague pointers. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.74|82.132.245.74]] 22:22, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Weird. I changed the TNR template to <nowiki></nowiki> instead of <nowiki><div></nowiki>, but upon testing it's still doing that weird newline thing. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|14:11, 5 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::::Finally fixed. I can't get the timestamp to also be TNR, but at least it doesn't auto-newline. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::That looks not too bad, though the timestamp is sans-serif again. Though ''might' in part be browser-dependant as to how it looks (mine may react only to the 'serif' and not the full 'Times New Roman', giving a TNR''-like'' serif-font that works good adjacent to the non-specific choice of sans-serif font. Also, at first glance, there's a mystery as to why the timestamp is '''''BOLD+ITALIC''' (or maybe STRONG+EMPHASIS, for the pedants).
::::::The structure is probably as follows, rewritten just for visual representation/explanation. Formatting that you do is in ()s, my explanatory notes are in ** and * pairs:
**start of 'fixed text' signature insertion**
(SPANopen style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;")
--
(BOLD+ITALICstart)
(LINKpage)User:DollarStoreBa'al
(LINKtext)
(SPANopen style="color:#E3C6BE")
DollarStoreBa'al
(SPANclose, i.e. end:style="color:#E3C6BE")
(LINKclose)
(SUPERSCRIPTopen)
(LINKpage)User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al
(LINKtext)
(SPANopen style="color:#CC9A8B")
Converse
(SPANclose, i.e. end:style="color:#CC9A8B")
(LINKclose)
(SUPERSCRIPTclose)
*expected to be an /implied/ (BOLD+ITALICSclose), here*
*check HTML source for why not?*
(SPANclose, i.e. end: style="font-family: Times New Roman...etc")
**end of 'fixed text' signature insertion**
**start of 'timestamp' signature insertion**
*BOLD+ITALICS is still active?*
*but all /other/ formats ended by the most recent (SPANclose)*
14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
**end of 'timestamp' signature insertion**
::::::Without looking at exactly what you're doing behind the scenes, I'm not ''entirely'' sure, but I think the {{template|TNR}} includes a close-Span tag, preventing that from 'rolling on' into the timestamp bit.
::::::Exactly how the '''''BOLD+ITALIC''''' rolls on, I don't know without checking the HTML source. Might be an intentional function of the wikimarkup-to-HTML conversion that 'remembers' that formatting and reapplies it as necessary, at least until a 'forced' end-of-scope (end of a Div or P tag, a Br/Hr monotag, new ordered/unordered list item (or changing the list-level), table cell/row transitions, and then there's the next (same/different) ":"-prepended indented follow-up lines and (of course) double-newlines) to force even no-prefix lines into paragraph-breaks. All of these (and other less obvious wikimarkup scenarios) probably translate to a hard /div closure in the HTML.
::::::Does {{template|TNR}} currently close its own Span? Does removing that Span-end let it 'roll on' over the timestamp? If you do that, does the insert-signature process close off all remaining Spans ''after'' the timestamp? (Normally, a signature is followed by a newline+newline or at least a newline+:nextlinehasindents, but if you add a P.S. comment after a timestamp that benefits from an unclosed formatting rlling through, does anything add a closure to stop it rolling through onto the P.S...? Can't test this, myself, directly, but it'd be interesting to find out!)
::::::Note that I don't know if you intended TNR to be used anywhere else. But by changing it from Div-based to Span-based it changes how it looks if I "{{TNR|use it here}}", and if you then make it so that it open-Spans but never close-Spans then it would change the appearance of this paragraph even further.
::::::...ouch. Actually, I had assumed it would currently (as 'span-only', opening and closing) not linefeed, browserside, but currently it adds a forced break, and doesn't even have any way of knowing how many indents (if any) to add before the continuation text.
::::::Though if nobody else is using it for ''anything else'', it shouldn't matter. Just pointing out that (''if they are'') changes you make to fine-tune your signature ''could'' have collateral effects for other people who use TNR when it does one thing but then find that it's doing another thing.
::::::Creating a template 'just for your own use' is Ok-ish, but you might just want to note its purpose and (current) peculiarities in case someone thinks that it's intended for a more general purpose, and in a more logical manner than you've had to make it 'work' just for you.
::::::It's also known for templates to contain imbalanced markup, with either how it is used or the presence of a second 'closing' template (see {{template|cot}} and {{template|cob}}, that mark the 't'op and 'b'ottom of a 'co'llapsable area) making the final result properly balanced in the end. But mostly you'd expect internal closure of anything the template started, whether Spanny or Divvy in nature, or justify it and make it obvious without digging through the actual template-code itself.
::::::But I don't know how useful all of this is, to you or those coming along afterwards (before or after further template tweaks, etc). I'm just trying to pass on everything I think could be helpful, knowing that a lot of it could be 'beyond helpful', i.e. actually quite irrelevent. If not incomprehsible. (If not wrong, given I can't even test many assumptions, directly!) But here it is, anyway. HTH, HAND. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.89|82.132.244.89]] 16:24, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::::I'm using the TNR template because it looks cool, but it also does have a purpose. It's used in early Taglines and header texts. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 16:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Having tried many things, I've found that including the TNR template at all is messing up the timestamp. I'll see if there's another way to include the template without that, but idk if there is a way. In the meantime, here's my new Sig: --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 17:25, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

:{{outdent|:::::}}
:((I researched,cchecked and wrote the following followup whilst you were replying, just aboce. You've answered some of my points, plus seem happy with as it is now, but still posting it given the thought I put into it... ;) Not that I actually think that it's necessary as helpful as I might have hoped it to be, in the end! Absolutely no reply expected, if you're happy to say nothing more.))
:Ok, actually looked at the HTML source, now, neutering the 'raw' markup, whitespacing it and adding **commentary**:
**start signature, fixed text**
**default formatting**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;">
**formatting is now TNR**
--
<nowiki><</nowiki>b>
**formatting is TNR+Bold**
<nowiki><</nowiki>i>
**formatting is TNR+Bold+Italics**
<nowiki><</nowiki>a href="/wiki/index.php/User:DollarStoreBa%27al" title="User:DollarStoreBa'al">
**formatting is TNR+B+I and a link..**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="color:#E3C6BE">
**...which is coloured**
DollarStoreBa'al
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**back to TNR+B+I link, no colour**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/a>
**back to TNR+B+I, no link
<nowiki><</nowiki>sup>
**TNR+B+I+Superscript**
<nowiki><</nowiki>a class="mw-selflink selflink">
**TNR+B++Sup and a link (to this page, in this specific instance)**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="color:#CC9A8B">
**TNR+B+I+Sup link is coloured**
Converse
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**TNR+B+I+Sup link, no colour**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/a>
**TNR+B+I+Sup, no link**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/sup>
**TNR+B+I, normal-script again**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**this should have removed TNR, *and* the 'inner' B+I too...**
** (Although this is not what you wanted, it's what you should get!) **
**...but apparently we're now just with B+I**
** (This might be my own browser's interpretation, not everyone's.) **
**this is the inbuilt transition between fixed-sig and time-sig**
**a space is here, then...**
14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
<nowiki><</nowiki>/i> ** (Your signature markup does not ask for this!) **
**just Boldness left**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/b> ** (Your signature markup does not ask for this!) **
**neutral format again**
**end of signature**
:What goes with the "TNR+B+I" going to "B+I", I don't know. Unless they've changed the HTML spec regarding this in the last decade or three.
:The wiki-server back end was smart enough to add the close-Italics and close-Bold, at the end of the signature (''perhaps'', knowing that these were imminent a 'smart' error-checking by the browser's HTML-renderer let their formats persist, when otherwise they would not have? ...odd, but possible). Possibly it would have also closed the TNR-span, after the B-closure,cif not already asked to do so by the end of the TNR-template?
:...so...
:#First 'fix', remove the <code><nowiki><</nowiki>/span></code> from TNR. See how that affects any newly applied signatures (it won't change old ones).
:#Also see how/if it changes the indent-loss above my "...ouch" line, above.
:#''Also'' also chase down if TNR gets used ''anywhere else'' in this wiki, at the moment, and check that you've not broken anything else that other people might have used it for.
:If the first fix works and the third thing isn't a problem (ignore the second issue, I'm happy for it to change), then you're sorted. Otherwise (no fix, or even further broken in ways that aren't any good for anyone) reverse the change to where it works best for everyone and accept it not working precisely how you think you want it.
:If it fixes, as suggested, I'd also be interested how signing with <code><nowiki>~~~~ and more text</nowiki></code> works. (i.e. does it TNR the "and more text"?) Not that it's important, just my own curiosity.
:And think about a more advanced explanation on TNR's page, if it's going to be 'an odd template' in any way, like being Span-opener without being a Span-closer.
:That's all. Over to you, nothing more I can do (I could change TNR's code, but not then test it with your signature), but ''maybe'' I've done enough to help. Without too much confusion. I'll let you sort the rest out on your own, unless there's anything specific that arises to follow-up with. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.131|82.132.246.131]] 17:45, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
::tbh I'm good. Besides, I have no clue how to convert that raw HTML into usable wikitext (idk how to code, planning to learn someday). Either way, works fine. Also, you commentary has made me realize how complex my sig actually is. Times New Roman+Bold+Italics, which is a link which is colored. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|19:21, 5 November 2025 (UTC)}} 

Ummm... Do you know that your current signature is sort of 'unmunged'? As in, you're making the markup show by 'escaping' the markup characters entirely so they don't (properly) act as markup, but as literal text. (You had it working ok(ish), not sure when it went wrong, without scrolling through your Talk contributions.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.186|82.132.236.186]] 17:34, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:Addendum - had a deeper look, it was broken for 14:00, 20 November 2025, for [[Talk:3170: Service Outage]], but had worked until 20:27, 19 November 2025, for [[Talk:3168: Beam Dump]]. Whatever you did to your profile, between those two times, maybe undo it? Wasn't caused by any public page edit (like the TNR-template), nor can I think of how you'd break that without being obvious. Anyway, FYI.
:(My guess is that you copied it out to somewhere, to edit, that thing auto-obfuscated the markup for its own visual reasons, then the copy back was done of the 'ruined' markup version. I haven't gone through it with a toothcomb, to see what your intended hanges may have been. And maybe you even intended ''this''... Until I read a page 'normally', not just zourcewise, I hadn't spotted that your long signature-markup was now so... 'literal'. And can't imagine it should be. ) 17:57, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
::I may or may not have INTENTIONALLY unchecked 'treat above as wikitext', simply to confuse people :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 00:08, 23 November 2025 (UTC)
:::"Complicated signatures contain a lot of code ("markup") that is revealed in the edit window, and can take up unnecessary amounts of narrative space, which can make both reading and editing harder." -{{w|WP:SIG#Guidelines and policies|WP:SIG}} '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 02:10, 23 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Your signature literally has more characters than mine. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 02:24, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::Does it matter? Your un-wikitexted signature takes up far more characters than 255 (498 to be precise). It's also a pain in the ass to read and is bound to confuse anybody who sees it. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 02:48, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

== {{w|WP:REDIRECT}} ==
As per {{w|WP:REDIRECT#Purposes of redirects|Wikipedia policy}}, redirects are only to be made for typos that are "likely misspellings (for example, Condoleeza Rice redirects to Condoleezza Rice). Note: this criterion typically does not apply to redirects from typos in the template namespace; consensus is that such typos, unless they are very common, should remain as red links until they are fixed." '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 03:19, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:Ahhhhhhh. Alright, noted. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|14:17, 11 November 2025 (UTC)}}
::GOD DAMMIT!!!! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:::Easily done. Don't worry. I nearly intervened myself, but thought you might fix it yourself soon enough.
:::it also makes me wonder if you have any opinions about [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Additional templates to complement 'unsigned' ones|this recent idea]] that you reminded me of, if you/42 would consider it useful in such situations. It's not had any other input beyond the fellow anonIP originator, but (wordiness/edit-errors aside) I like what was said. It's a pity that nobody's even said they don't like it. Or don't understand it. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.151|82.132.246.151]] 20:14, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
::::I did skim through it a bit the other day when it was posted, but it was so dense that I probably only remember/understand 50% of it. The IP editor made some pretty good points, but it's not like I'm very good at making templates either. Maybe [[User:FaviFake]] or [[User:Lettherebedarklight]] can do something about it. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:34, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::I'm not actually too sure about this. How would be let newer users (who may not know about the template) to retrosign? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:37, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::Well, those who don't know how to (or that they have to) sign probably aren't the target audience. ;) There are plenty of templates that even I probably wouldn't remember until I went looking for what's there, or found out about by someone else using it. (It's how I know about {{template|outdent}}, for example.)
::::::But the principle's simple enough. Duplicate the unsigned templates as retrosigned ones, and remove the nagging bit. Favi or Darklight could do it simply enough, if they think there's reason to. I could do it, except for the little matter of not being allowed to. Also, I'm not the one trying to sell the idea, just seemed an apt de-stresing comment for the circumstance we had. (Nice though this conversation is, it really needs the propsal(s) to be replied to, if anything.) I'm just hoping you feel calmer, now, Ba'al... :p [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.237|82.132.245.237]] 03:42, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
{{outdent|::::::}}
Wait was that proposal written by you, IP? The format seemed AI-generated but i really did not read it for more than 10 seconds. [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:38, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:Having read it..... yeah, that's about as far from AI generated as you can get. I've seen IP use that format in the past, and the content is very explainxkcd-term heavy. I don't think AI would be able to generate the words 'unsigned templates as retrosigned'. Nobody except us understands what that means. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:52, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::Not me-IP (the IP in the above bit), but probably one of the other long-standing-if-occasional-IPs that there must be.
::Also very much me-''like'', so the linguistic flourishes mesh well with what I understand/might write myself.
::In lieu of them saying anything more, themselves, I've already decided to do my bit to try to 'translate' the core idea to Muggle-speak. If I'm able to bridge the gap without being wrong about either/both! [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.30|82.132.244.30]] 19:25, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
==3==
vv4dh<iwumbd i7rig s9 vddr aowe

BAABBABBABABABABAABBABABBAABAABABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABBABABBAAAABAAABBABABBAAAABAABABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABBABABBAAAABAABAABABABAAABBABBABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABABBABAAAABBAABAABB BAAABAABABABBABBAABBBAAAAAAAAAABABAABABAAAABAAAAAAABBBA

USETHEVISIONFROMYOURCHILDSEYE {{unsigned ip|204.137.100.1|08:19, 13 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:Oh, hello there! what do you have for us today, codeman? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:22, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::Starting from scratch, and dismissing (for the moment) the possibility of it being the 'cluetext' as a rotating key, the first looks polymorphic, in some manner, as the obvious repeat-letters that the known plaintext will have aren't all repeated in the ciphertext (and repeats in the ciphertext aren't matches in the known plaintext. It's also ''perhaps'' not subject to the main fatal flaw in Enigma (''other'' than the "the message-senders use predictable original plaintext" thing) that means that a character never maps to itself, as there are indeed (at least) two same->SAME mappings.
::Though given it is mapped to a changed-case (compared to what we expect from code#1) and includes alphabetic-to-punctuation-via-numeric transitions, my first assessment is that (with the exception of spaces being preserved/specially treated, as per usual) it also maps between A-Z input and a wider output.
::The most obvious idea is an XOR-based progression (prior code/plain character v.s. each subsequent one), but if done straight from ASCII codes that's going to give you far more weirdness than lower-cass-plus-occasional-punctuation. Which suggests perhaps a more proprietry enumeration/de-enumeration (it's not a shifted-6-bit output, so I won't try a shifted 5-bit input).
::...back to the cluetext. It's not the same-length as the ciphered phrase (if it had, I'd have assumed it was concocted as the "one time pad"), either with or without counting the spaces. But ''perhaps'' it's a Playfair cipher (less obvious than "PASSWORDPASWORDPASSWORD...", when analysing for patterns), but I haven't got time to check that properly, right now, and I still think there's a non-linear (but trivial) relationship. Perhaps simpler than what I've already thought of.
::The 'As and Bs' I haven't yet really looked into, beyond ruling out that it's a direct binary expansion (at least in 8-bits, 28 characters of that, and one spare bit, ignoring the space, or 32x 7-bits plus 1). It seems to be 225 A+Bs (3x3x5x5; so 3x75, 5x45, 9x25 and 15x15 (square, which ''might' be significant) are the main splits), if I'm not barking up the wrong tree. But I have other things to do right now, so the next flash of inspiration will have to wait. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.193|82.132.231.193]] 18:03, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:::"Agreed. Let's reset. The previous codes both started with 'Transmission X of four'. This looks similar, so it's safe to assume that 'ds4cdebsjbsx u;g6w hf whyb' equals 'transmission three of four'. This is actually very good for us, because we can map each number to their translated version:
*d=t
*s=r
*4=a
*c=n
*d=s (perhaps a mistake)
*e=m
*b=i
*j=s (wait...)
*b=s???????????????? 
Cool, that didn't work at all. It's probably double-encoded, or it's using a very strong code (maybe a vigenere?). Whatever it is, substitution doesn't work on it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::That was my first-g [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.151|82.132.245.151]] 21:40, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

The Bs and As appear to be either a bacon Cipher (UO LUM E ZERO ONE ONE ZERO ONE TWO ZERO MINUS FOUR ALL CAP) or a Caesar Cipher, though if it's the latter it would need to be double-encoded like last time, because the most coherent option it's giving me is POOP POP POP OP OP OP OOP POP OPPO OP OOP OP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP POP OPPO OO OP OO OPPO POP POO OOP OOP OP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP POP OPPO OO OP OOP OOP OP OP OO OPPO P POP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP OPPO POO OOP POOP OOP P POO OP OOP OP OPPO P POOP P POO OO OO OO OOP OP OOP OP OO OOP OO OO OO OP P PO. Something tells me they weren't trying to make potty jokes.
:::Based on the fact that we're on this specific wiki, I'll assume that it's the first one for now. It's referencing Volume 0 (I think I know where they got the idea for this). The rest of the numbers are now 110120-4. I'll go check the page. 18:52, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Page 110120 has this poem on it, in the 'cypher' section:
THE START OF THE TENTH-FAVORITE WORD USED BY BENDER 
THE TOON THAT WENT SOUTH WHILE COMMANDED BY ENDER 
THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS THAT PICARD SAID WERE ON 
AND THE CLASS OF THE PLANET WHERE KIRK SHOUTED "KHAAAN!" 
THE RINGS FOR THE MEN MINUS RINGS FOR THE ELVES 
AND THE PRODUCT MOD 10 OF A FIVESOME OF TWELVES 
THE END OF A CODE NES GAMERS KNOW 
AND THE BASE USED TO MODEL HOW QUICKLY THINGS GROW 
WHEN THEY'RE XOR'D TOGETHER THE CHECKSUM IS "E" 
WHICH WILL TELL YOU YOU'VE GOT THE PENULTIMATE KEY 
::::...This is the penultimate key, if there are four messages. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::I've not had any further time to look at this, but:
:::::*If I were devising an actually useful secret code, the first one (which is clearly a character-to-character mapping, though not a static one) would involve a little more trickery than an 'unsalted' progression, and the second (clearly a bitwise represenation) should probably be repackaged back into a full 'alphanumeric' token set (e.g. base64 or UUEncoded 'text friendly' outputs, but perhaps rotated a bit to disguise the tell-tale signs of that kind of output.
:::::**In fact, I might have used Gray-Code tables, even a mini form of a LZW-ish token-stream compression algorithm, to further thwart analysis by making it not even a consistent change in entropy from original character to the resulting output string. With such a single short 'message', it probably could have defied any realistic form of frequency-analysis, or at least made for hypothetically 'sensible' alternative decodings emerge from parts of the data, when choosing the 'right' wrong decoding methods.
:::::*However, bear in mind that (though with greater challenges, from the #1 code to #2, so presumably even more for #3) these are codes that are ''supposed to be cracked''. Well, maybe #4 (or even the final set of 4x4 characters that's ultimately puzzle #5) will be 'fiendish'-level, but #3 shouldn't be more than 'devilishly difficult' to work out.
:::::*I didn't know "Bacon Cipher", by that name, but it looks like you've got that worked out by (assisted) brute force. I might have tripped up over the U+V and I+J equivalences, initially, but the composer has clearly used the 'classical' version in a straight manner.
:::::*Taking that as done, though, we're left with the backforming of the TRANSMISSION message, if only so we know what (different) apparent nonsense the "x@hc" should become. Where I'd focus, is on what caused "ISSI" to be "bsjb". Why, three characters later, has the encoding ended up on the same output char (could suggest a three-character Playfair key), yet the 'S' characters, positioned "S..SS" became "d..sj" (so ''not'' a 3-char key). Positioning the 'clue phrase' against the characters gives "V..I" against the "I..I"->"b..b", so it's not being the same by dint of coincidentally similar transformations from the keyphrase.
:::::But that's still an analysis that I'm doing with the presumption of it being deliberately somewhat obscure (having somehow 'discovered' part of the encoding secret). It's probably only going to be more hidden in plain sight, as part of the 'game', but still helps to know how you'd approach a more deliberately obscure method of coding. Hence how I broke the semaphor one ...well, mostly... without realising that it actually was semaphor. (If you hadn't have settled the Bacon Code solution, I might have tried looking at it being morse-based, with ambiguous character/word boundaries.)
:::::Anyway, when I pop back here and find that you/someone else has fully solved it, I'll probably kick myself for entirely missing the most obvious answer. Also I can't seem get "CE4Q60AE" (or alternatives/variations that I've tried) to give me a checksum of "E" (or 0xE?). So, if that's actually important, I might have something else wrong. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.151|82.132.245.151]] 21:40, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::YOUARERIGHT {{unsigned ip|204.137.100.1|14:03, 14 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::::::About what? What are we right about? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:04, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

== User rights ==

I noticed you created my [[User:GreyFox|user page]] but did not create my talk page or give me the rights to do so myself. Why is this the case? [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 17:25, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
:OMG so sorry. Fully forgor. Should be fixed now. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 02:25, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

== Minor edits ==

Just FYI, you can mark in preferences under the editing tab for all edits to be marked as minor so that we don't clog up the Recent Changes page so much, as people can click "Hide minor edits". '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:30, 2 December 2025 (UTC)
;...whoops. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 21:30, 2 December 2025 (UTC)

== /WORKPAGE ==

Wow. While doing maintenance work, I found your workpage. I've always known it existed, but just brushed it off and let you work alone. I don't know how much it means to you, but I'm really proud and happy of how far you've come. In just a couple months you've been able to make a pretty sizable impact here. By the way, I love the work you've been doing on there. Please keep it up! <3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 10:40, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:It means a lot to me. Thanks for the encouragement! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:00, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

== Have another look at the Disappearing Sunday Update images ==

*[[:File:Disappearing Sunday Update with number 2185.png]] - has a browser address bar
*[[:File:Archive with Disappearing Sunday Update.png]] - Thumbnail History versions had an address bar, and it *used* to have the 'disappeared comic', perhaps least useful of the three, as it currently is, being the only one of the three not currently linked-to. Might be worth trying to find out what Kynde was trying to do, there.
*[[:File:Archive with Disappearing Sunday Update and date.png]] - was marked for deletion, as "identical", but it wasn't, had a hover-text date on it. Don't know if that's still useful (not being used as a linked image?), but I wouldn't make that my first deletion, especially as it's a linked-to page.
...needs double-checking, really, to make sure that things that aren't totally useless are not thrown out just because they look useless at a glance. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.140|82.132.239.140]] 18:57, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:Good catch, and now fixed. Thanks for letting me know! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:59, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

== exp template thing? ==

Please could you have a look at [[Template talk:explain]]? [[Special:Contributions/78.144.255.82|78.144.255.82]] 19:40, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

...also, why exactly did you think [[Template:exp]] was needed? Looks like it once existed but was actually removed because (except for some other relic uses, that also seemingly aren't used) it serves no actual purpose. [[Special:Contributions/78.144.255.82|78.144.255.82]] 19:57, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
:Yeahh... delete. My brain sharted in public. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:11, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

==Hi==
I have not been on this wiki in a while, I just wanted to say hi XD [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 18:18, 15 December 2025 (UTC)
:''I've been expecting you...'' --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 21:28, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

==...==

:I come back to this wiki to assure y'all I haven't quit, and I check on you, and THERE'S A GIANT NOTICE WITH HAMILTON LYRICS ON IT. I mean, it is "The Story of Tonight", granted, W song, but what in the world have you been up to... [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]])
::A reminder to myself. Keeps the depression from setting in. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 17:27, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:::No but that's actually so sweet 🥹 [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:54, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

== Please don't edit templates ==

Please. If you cannot edit a template without screwing things up, please don't edit templates. The template category was a mistake and should never have existed (as noted in [[:Category talk:Templates]], but regardless, adding a category to a template such that it appears inappropriately in all transcluded uses of the template is not proper. It is a frustration that you seem so well-intentioned but your efforts just make more work for other people. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:59, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Whoops! My bad. I assumed categories were automatically noincluded. Also, I assumed it was standard practice. as for the year (wow, didn't know I've been around that lon) I've been around, every template I've seen has used this category. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::I will still edit templates, btw. But I'll be more careful, especially with high-traffic ones. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 20:52, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

== Get off my lawn ==

Please do not change the structure of other people's talk pages! That is extremely rude. If you want me to have an archive page, ask me if I am willing (I am not willing!).
If we were to look aside at that, you '''absolutely may not under any circumstances''' add text to another person's talk page that speaks in the first person as if they were saying it ("please see my archive.") I don't know what's wrong with you. Talk pages are like other people's personal property, they are not yours to play with. Stop it. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:I'm just trying to do the work that YOU really need to do. What you are trying to do is censorship. You need to either unblank your talk page or archive it, but you can't just erase things from history. What I did was archive the page and make the necessary changes to signal that you have an archive. We aren't fascists.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 21:44, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::You have no basis for asserting that it is something "I need to do." There is neither a rule nor a norm that talk pages archives should be maintained or pages should be kept other than blank. You can say that as many times as you like, but it does not make it true! If you think I'm wrong, please cite such a thing. The standard, set by enwiki, is that old user talk page items may be removed at the discretion of the talk page owner. It is absolutely reasonable to remove everything other than current items. (It is also reasonable to keep older items, that's a choice too). Even if a requirement for a talk page archive was reasonable, which it is not, doing it without an automated bot imposes work on others. And that's incredibly rude! Blanking a talk page does not "erase things from history," if you want to find the history you can look at the History. That's why it is there. Are you…calling me a fascist? Again, that is incredibly rude! Please be respectful of others. If you want a change to the structure of someone's talk page, you can ask nicely. But now that you have poisoned the well, peed in the pool, and shit on my front door, it is going to be very hard for me to listen to you without emotion. But I'm happy to try. But please support your position will real arguments, not easily rebuttable wild claims as you have done heretofore. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:17, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

User talk:JohnHawkinson/Archive 1

2026-02-12T21:11:19Z

JohnHawkinson: deletion notice

(This page has been deleted.)

User talk:JohnHawkinson/Deleted Archive 1

2026-02-12T21:10:57Z

JohnHawkinson: JohnHawkinson moved page User talk:JohnHawkinson/Archive 1 to User talk:JohnHawkinson/Deleted Archive 1: Not authorized, not appropriate. Dollarstore Baal may not make choices about the structure of other people's talk pages.

User talk:JohnHawkinson/Archive 1

2026-02-12T21:10:57Z

#REDIRECT [[User talk:JohnHawkinson/Deleted Archive 1]]

User talk:JohnHawkinson/Deleted Archive 1

2026-02-12T21:09:59Z

JohnHawkinson: No, I do not have an archive. I did not and do not authorize the creation or maintenance of this page.

User talk:JohnHawkinson

2026-02-12T21:09:12Z

JohnHawkinson: Absolutely not. This page does not have an archive and it is not acceptable to add one without discussing it with the talk page's owner. It's a talk page, not your playground.

User talk:DollarStoreBa'al

2026-02-12T21:08:17Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Get off my lawn */ new section

User talk:DollarStoreBa'al

2026-02-12T20:01:46Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please don't edit templates */ typo in :

User talk:DollarStoreBa'al

2026-02-12T19:59:57Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Please don't edit templates */ new section

Speak through the interdimentional portal

[[User:DollarStoreBa'al/Mistakes|My mistakes]]

==General Chitchat and such==
Hey, as per your comment on [[Main Page#Create my user page]], I created your pages. Welcome to the wiki! Please always remember to sign your comments with <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki>, and ask in the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]] if you don't know something. If you want, you can read the [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#Why_can.27t_I_upload_pictures_or_create_pages.3F|the Editor FAQ]]! Welcome. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:02, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:Thanks! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 19:11, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:hi btw :) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:11, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
::hello, how are you doing this fine morning, my dear fellow? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 16:03, 27 February 2025 (UTC)

==Hiyo==
:I'm trying to lurk less and be friendly so I just thought I'd ah drop in :) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:53, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:: Bello. me editor guy who edit much. edit fun! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:00, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::hahahahaha edit fun indeed. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:20, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Question: How do you add those user boxes that you have on your page? Those would be nice to have. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 16:52, 6 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::copy and paste this and remove the nowiki tag:

<nowiki>{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = alastor jumpscare | info = [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|This user has a pet cannibal deer.]] | float = left}}</nowiki> and replace it with what you desire, for example:

<nowiki>{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = ;) | info = [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|This user _____ ]] | float = left}}</nowiki>

[[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:50, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

::::::Dude thanks! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 13:48, 17 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::::You're very welcome dear. WEE WOO [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:18, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

==Wow==
Am I so cool that I got a mention on your user page just because I showed you how to make userboxes? I mean, if I am... thanks. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:44, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yes. Yes you are. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 15:43, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
::YAY TYSM i will get you free jambalaya for you immediately due to that (if you're into that) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:19, 28 March 2025 (UTC)

::: No need. Also, I see you're from Louisiana. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 03:44, 29 March 2025 (UTC)]]
::::Haha or maybe I just like jambalaya :). Also you are not 4029 hHHA [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:17, 8 April 2025 (UTC)

==The 5s and Es and Os==
Reply to this if you've figured out what the meaning of the thingy on my user page is.
:it's base 3 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 09:07, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:: :O [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:31, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:: Nope! I'll give you a hint: talk to sam. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 14:33, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
https://voca.ro/1Akmh0zRqa8Q [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:02, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:uhhh...[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 20:41, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
::sorry, that's not it. Don't know what to say to that.[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:54, 14 April 2025 (UTC)

You have one week! Hint: beep boooop --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 16:30, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

:Morse code? [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 19:33, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

::Morse code of what? You are very, very close.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 20:47, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Time's up! If you put this into [https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html/] and click play, you get the intro to Bad Apple. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 14:44, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

:It's better than [[2869: Puzzles]] [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 11:11, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

== Want to do some repetitive work? ==

Hey dollar, I noticed you're very active here! I don't have a ton of time, but I recently overhauled the template {{tl|comic}} to add many new features. While we figure out [[Header text]], would you be interested in editing the contents of about 50 pages (the early xkcd comics) to make these new features work? It's a lot of repetitive work, you'd just need to make the same small edits on 50 pages. (If you're interested in why the OG comics were in a different order, see [[LiveJournal]]). Just let me know and I'll finish the documentation for the template! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:13, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

:What exactly would I be doing to get these features to work? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:18, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

::If it isn't super-complex wikitext things I can totally help! --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]] 19:21, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Right so you'd just need to move things around and remove some useless code. This process adds a second white navigation bar at the bottom to browse the OG comics in the original order.
[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1:_Barrel_-_Part_1&diff=374851&oldid=373457 You can follow this example]. The steps are:

Start from [[4|comic number 4]]:
#Based on the short sentence written above the explanation, add "ognumber =", "ogprev =", and "ognext =" (so the navbar can work)
#Add "oglink =", and move ONLY the link from "before" to "oglink" (so from HTTPS://..... until the end of the link, move that to "oglink")
#Now, from the edit preview, copy the original title.
#Delete everything in "before =" now that you moved the link
#Add "ogtitle =" and paste the original title that you copied.
#Finally, in "titletext", add two couples of apostrophes (<nowiki>''</nowiki>) in these places: https://imgur.com/a/BewKKr1
#Now save the changes, and click the new white "Next >" button you just created to go to the next one!
And you're done! It's much simpler when you try it. Of course you don't have to do it, feel free to work on the header text! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:41, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

me am do. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)com/wiki/index.php/S--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)pecial:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 20:51, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

:Oh and I added friendly errors for when you forget to add one of the "og" labels. Just note that if you don't provide "ognumber", the cool white navbar won't show up. Remember to always insert a pipe before a label, like this "'''|''' ognumber =". And once you get to comic 55 you're done! That's the last one --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:58, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Hey, I don't really understand where I'm supposed to put these. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 21:01, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Nevermind, I got this. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 21:05, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
:Erm nope the OGnumber, OGprev, and OGnext you should take from the first sentence above the explanation. For example [[24]] says it's sixth. Anyways, I found a pretty big bug in the template, so I guess we should stop until it's fixed. The Original title doesn't show up! Arghhh! I'll fix it.
:I'll let you know when you can continue. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:18, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

alright, sounds good! Dang tho. Let me know and I'll get right back to it. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 13:45, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

:Hey, I, um, undid all your edits because they broke the template haha. I guess this was more complex that I thought! Don't worry, I'll finish them myself over time. I'm more experienced than I thought it seems! Thanks for trying to help anyways! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:52, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
::Reviewing them, it seems you were not isolating the link correctly and leaving there some HTML elements that closed other open HTML elements that weren't finished! It did look, interesting, at least! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:55, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:::So sorry about that, I noticed those random Html elements. Thought they were part of the bug. oops. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 22:45, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

::::No worries! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)

==excuse me==

but it appears you have discovered that I was a spammer in a past account or maybe this account. who's to say anymore? anyway i'm trying to fix that hehe [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:02, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

==template==

What is a template? What’s a {{Trout}} and {{Whale}}?
 
If it looks weird, click edit [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 12:20, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

: I'm assuming you're asking what a template is and not about sea life. Templates are basically shortcuts that we use for commonly used things. For example, <nowiki>{{cn}}</nowiki> creates {{cn}}. You can create one pretty easily. I made those because they're commonly used on Wikipedia, and wanted to transfer them here. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:41, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::how can I create one? [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 13:21, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::Here's something that may be able to help: <nowiki>{{AprilFoolsHelp}}</nowiki> --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:43, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::thxxxxxxxxx [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 13:46, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::You are very welcome! I hope you are excited to start contributing to the wiki! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:46, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::By the way, please don't be afraid to ask me any questions at all. If I can, I will help! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:48, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::Thanks [[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]], which is <nowiki>{{Thx$store}}</nowiki> (if I can call you that)

==Template Tips==
Ok. Sorry, needed to get that out of my system. Thank you for the supplement. Truly. It's a good warning. Just please don't start randomly insulting people towards the end. This is a wiki. Speak the facts, and nothing more. In this case, the facts are:
*Templates are easy to create.
*It's useful to learn from other templates.
Those are the facts. Now, you're done. Don't go on to insult them about how they're too stupid to do something useful.
:No insult intended, no mention at all of stupidity, just the obvious eagerness. Tried only to give caution not to run before you've learnt how (and, ideally, where) to walk. All edits show up, to anyone looking. The initial query had not been answered, when I started the reply, and I had to hastily rewrite things to fit back in on the end.
:To the above, I'd add:
:*Know what purpose your template will have.
:That way you're less likely to create something that you later regret, give or take a rename/delete. (If you want anything totally deleted, it may take a long time, a meanwhile you can only edit it 'clear', but still findable and the history checkable.) Most templates are ''not'' there to add pictures of sealife, but to grease the wheels of common (or not so common) Explanation page scenarios. And we might even thank you for a good shortcut for something we maybe never realised was needed before.
:For a more technical 'manual', {{w|Help:A quick guide to templates}} might be a useful next read, and from there jump around into other Help: items. There's a lot you ''can'' do, though you certainly won't want to use it all right from the start. Take your time and know ''why'' you're doing something, as well as ''what'.
:Good luck for the future, I've probably said as much as you need me to say for now. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.73|82.132.246.73]] 17:39, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:While this is very useful, it would be nice if you posted this on [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!]]'s talk page. He's the one learning the ropes, and it would probably be very useful to him. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 17:47, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

==Requests/favors==
If you need anything done, reach out to me! I'll let you know what I can do to help you! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 19:49, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

Hi [[User:DollarStoreBa'al | DollarStoreBa'al]], are you good enough to have the link to my user page? [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 01:57, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

:Done! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:56, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

==Hello again Darling :D==
I'm back after the summer hello sir O) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 13:59, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

:A fellow school-based follower of the truth, I see! Welcome back, and I wish thee well on your adventures. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 14:00, 26 August 2025 (UTC) P.S. I use monobook style now.

==Category thing==
Hey, can someone tell me why my talk page is on 'pages to delete?' {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|18:08, 27 August 2025 (UTC)}}
:I have tracked it down to {{diff|383609|this edit}} by [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!]], where they used a (fairly useless and unnecessary) template (that they created themselves) called <nowiki>Template:Thx$store</nowiki> to thank you for helping to teach them the process of creating a new template. Since I marked that template for deletion, when the comment calls for the template, it also marks your talk page for deletion. I have changed it so that the template is replaced with the text that it would substitute in and your page is no longer marked for deletion. Also signed off your unsigned comment. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:30, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::When someone says "I have tracked it down" you know they mean business. Thanks, that's quite reassuring. Another mystery IP (not sure if it's the same guy as today) did warn him not to make meaningless templates. Of course, I also made a meaningless template, so.... --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 18:33, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

== {{w|Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/ltbdl}} ==

they think we're the same person, ha. [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 02:29, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

:I did not think this is what I would come back to. That's wild and hilarious.

:They are raeb

:And I am Dollar

:And we are not the same person

--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:42, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

::OMG THEY BANNED YOU WTF? I've pleaded your case, but idk if they'll respond. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:49, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:::Okay, wait a second. A checkuser does checks on User IPs. If you were found guilty, that means that you were editing under the same IP as me. By any chance, do you go to school in Lincoln, NE? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 14:04, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
::::one, revert your case pleading, it's silly and won't help, and two, we're "very unlikely" to be the same person according to checkuser, don't panic. maybe link them here. (i don't go to school in lincoln.) [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 15:00, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::Ok, now it's weird. I didn't know you couldn't have alt accounts, even if you explicitly stated that they were, indeed, alt accounts. Seems a bit strict if you ask me. Also, 1+1=Window, not Yes. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 22:53, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

==Can you please help me==
I helped you with the userboxes. Now I need your help. How do I get my sig to be something besides what it is now? [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 19:34, 9 September 2025 (UTC)
:Hi there, Tori here. If you want to change your signature, go to your preferences page on the top right of the website (it's next to your Talk page and Watchlist). Scroll down until you see the signatures section and change it. If you need help figuring out wikitext, feel free to shoot me a message on my [[user talk:42.book.addict|talk page]]! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 01:32, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

== Template:what if? chapters ==

Sorry, but what's the point of creating a template for what if chapters? What do you intend to use it for? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:28, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
:I intended it as a workaround in order to edit two pages at once. (those being the blog page and the chapters page). I noticed there was a discrepancy between the tables on the two pages, and I created a workaround for it. Also, it's faster than copy-pasting, now that the load times are astronomical. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 16:30, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
::Sounds good! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:40, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
Ok I'm sorry but I had to change it back. Here are a few drawbacks:
#Now people reading our summaries can't edit them directly.
#The history is gone. You should've moved the page, not copy and paste. Both for copyright attribution (see {{w|WP:CWW}}) and for maintenance, to see when and why something was added.
#Now we need to transclude the table on 1 more page (servers!), and the pages that were already transcluding the page (except [[what if? (blog)]]) now are transcluding both the page AND the template.
And most importantly: there wasn't any discrepancy between the pages that transcluded the pages, just as there is no discrepancy now. The table was the exact same.

Could you explain what discrepancy you saw? The code and text behind the original [[What If? Chapters]] page, the blog page, the new template you created, and any other pages transcluding [[What If? Chapters]] was truly identical (and still is, just with the added issues listed above.).

Also; templates are not supposed to be edited frequently. A template is created in order to save time writing the same code on dozens or hundreds of pages. The table both needs to be edited and is only transcluded on a few pages. These are the pages in which the page was transcluded: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/What_If%3F_chapters&hidelinks=1&hideredirs=1] --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:04, 4 October 2025 (UTC)
:There were just some chapter summaries I saw that were different between the blog page and the chapters page. I'm not angry about this, thanks for bringing up the points which I am not advanced enough to see. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 12:55, 6 October 2025 (UTC)
::Huh, that's odd. The only difference between the two is that the last header cell on the left becomes highlighted in yellow when transcluded. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:16, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

== Current signature. ==

I've noticed that your signature does <all the fancy stuff><NEWLINE><space><timestamp>. Might be a good idea to remove the <NEWLINE> before the (presumably auto-appended) <space><timestamp> as it currently puts your
timestamp like this.

Which is ''probably'' not what you'd intended. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.74|82.132.245.74]] 20:47, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
:......Nope, didn't intend that. I'll see if I can fix it. (not signing this because... well, you know) --DSB {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|21:12, 4 November 2025 (UTC)}}
::I've found the issue. I was trying to make my signature in times new roman using [[Template:TNR]]. This template uses div for it's styling. For some reason, it's inserting <nowiki></div></nowiki> between the signature and timestamp rather than after. Is there a way to get the <nowiki></div></nowiki> to go after the timestamp rather than before (which is what I was intending)? Thanks! --DSB {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|21:18, 4 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::Standard advice is to not use div-tags in your custom .sig, for exactly this reason. You should be able to do the same (except for the undesired newline-forcing) with span-tagging where you invoked div-tags.
:::The way it rendered (must basically have been subst:ed between what you used and how it renders), I didn't know you'd used the TNR template. If that's for character-length reasons then a "TNRspan" template (or something ''not'' four characters longer, if you're extremely tight for space) would have to be used.
:::Or change the TNR so <code><nowiki>{{TNR|span=yes}}</nowiki></code> will specially 'return' you your no-Div version (that's the nice-looking version; you could also have it do something like responding to <code><nowiki>{{{1}}}</nowiki></code> being "s" or "1", if you can only afford to extend by two extra characters). That makes the one template dual-use, instead of making another template.
:::TIMTOWTDI. But you'll know what you want to do, I can only give vague pointers. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.74|82.132.245.74]] 22:22, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Weird. I changed the TNR template to <nowiki></nowiki> instead of <nowiki><div></nowiki>, but upon testing it's still doing that weird newline thing. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|14:11, 5 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::::Finally fixed. I can't get the timestamp to also be TNR, but at least it doesn't auto-newline. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::That looks not too bad, though the timestamp is sans-serif again. Though ''might' in part be browser-dependant as to how it looks (mine may react only to the 'serif' and not the full 'Times New Roman', giving a TNR''-like'' serif-font that works good adjacent to the non-specific choice of sans-serif font. Also, at first glance, there's a mystery as to why the timestamp is '''''BOLD+ITALIC''' (or maybe STRONG+EMPHASIS, for the pedants).
::::::The structure is probably as follows, rewritten just for visual representation/explanation. Formatting that you do is in ()s, my explanatory notes are in ** and * pairs:
**start of 'fixed text' signature insertion**
(SPANopen style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;")
--
(BOLD+ITALICstart)
(LINKpage)User:DollarStoreBa'al
(LINKtext)
(SPANopen style="color:#E3C6BE")
DollarStoreBa'al
(SPANclose, i.e. end:style="color:#E3C6BE")
(LINKclose)
(SUPERSCRIPTopen)
(LINKpage)User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al
(LINKtext)
(SPANopen style="color:#CC9A8B")
Converse
(SPANclose, i.e. end:style="color:#CC9A8B")
(LINKclose)
(SUPERSCRIPTclose)
*expected to be an /implied/ (BOLD+ITALICSclose), here*
*check HTML source for why not?*
(SPANclose, i.e. end: style="font-family: Times New Roman...etc")
**end of 'fixed text' signature insertion**
**start of 'timestamp' signature insertion**
*BOLD+ITALICS is still active?*
*but all /other/ formats ended by the most recent (SPANclose)*
14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
**end of 'timestamp' signature insertion**
::::::Without looking at exactly what you're doing behind the scenes, I'm not ''entirely'' sure, but I think the {{template|TNR}} includes a close-Span tag, preventing that from 'rolling on' into the timestamp bit.
::::::Exactly how the '''''BOLD+ITALIC''''' rolls on, I don't know without checking the HTML source. Might be an intentional function of the wikimarkup-to-HTML conversion that 'remembers' that formatting and reapplies it as necessary, at least until a 'forced' end-of-scope (end of a Div or P tag, a Br/Hr monotag, new ordered/unordered list item (or changing the list-level), table cell/row transitions, and then there's the next (same/different) ":"-prepended indented follow-up lines and (of course) double-newlines) to force even no-prefix lines into paragraph-breaks. All of these (and other less obvious wikimarkup scenarios) probably translate to a hard /div closure in the HTML.
::::::Does {{template|TNR}} currently close its own Span? Does removing that Span-end let it 'roll on' over the timestamp? If you do that, does the insert-signature process close off all remaining Spans ''after'' the timestamp? (Normally, a signature is followed by a newline+newline or at least a newline+:nextlinehasindents, but if you add a P.S. comment after a timestamp that benefits from an unclosed formatting rlling through, does anything add a closure to stop it rolling through onto the P.S...? Can't test this, myself, directly, but it'd be interesting to find out!)
::::::Note that I don't know if you intended TNR to be used anywhere else. But by changing it from Div-based to Span-based it changes how it looks if I "{{TNR|use it here}}", and if you then make it so that it open-Spans but never close-Spans then it would change the appearance of this paragraph even further.
::::::...ouch. Actually, I had assumed it would currently (as 'span-only', opening and closing) not linefeed, browserside, but currently it adds a forced break, and doesn't even have any way of knowing how many indents (if any) to add before the continuation text.
::::::Though if nobody else is using it for ''anything else'', it shouldn't matter. Just pointing out that (''if they are'') changes you make to fine-tune your signature ''could'' have collateral effects for other people who use TNR when it does one thing but then find that it's doing another thing.
::::::Creating a template 'just for your own use' is Ok-ish, but you might just want to note its purpose and (current) peculiarities in case someone thinks that it's intended for a more general purpose, and in a more logical manner than you've had to make it 'work' just for you.
::::::It's also known for templates to contain imbalanced markup, with either how it is used or the presence of a second 'closing' template (see {{template|cot}} and {{template|cob}}, that mark the 't'op and 'b'ottom of a 'co'llapsable area) making the final result properly balanced in the end. But mostly you'd expect internal closure of anything the template started, whether Spanny or Divvy in nature, or justify it and make it obvious without digging through the actual template-code itself.
::::::But I don't know how useful all of this is, to you or those coming along afterwards (before or after further template tweaks, etc). I'm just trying to pass on everything I think could be helpful, knowing that a lot of it could be 'beyond helpful', i.e. actually quite irrelevent. If not incomprehsible. (If not wrong, given I can't even test many assumptions, directly!) But here it is, anyway. HTH, HAND. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.89|82.132.244.89]] 16:24, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::::I'm using the TNR template because it looks cool, but it also does have a purpose. It's used in early Taglines and header texts. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 16:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Having tried many things, I've found that including the TNR template at all is messing up the timestamp. I'll see if there's another way to include the template without that, but idk if there is a way. In the meantime, here's my new Sig: --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 17:25, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

:{{outdent|:::::}}
:((I researched,cchecked and wrote the following followup whilst you were replying, just aboce. You've answered some of my points, plus seem happy with as it is now, but still posting it given the thought I put into it... ;) Not that I actually think that it's necessary as helpful as I might have hoped it to be, in the end! Absolutely no reply expected, if you're happy to say nothing more.))
:Ok, actually looked at the HTML source, now, neutering the 'raw' markup, whitespacing it and adding **commentary**:
**start signature, fixed text**
**default formatting**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;">
**formatting is now TNR**
--
<nowiki><</nowiki>b>
**formatting is TNR+Bold**
<nowiki><</nowiki>i>
**formatting is TNR+Bold+Italics**
<nowiki><</nowiki>a href="/wiki/index.php/User:DollarStoreBa%27al" title="User:DollarStoreBa'al">
**formatting is TNR+B+I and a link..**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="color:#E3C6BE">
**...which is coloured**
DollarStoreBa'al
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**back to TNR+B+I link, no colour**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/a>
**back to TNR+B+I, no link
<nowiki><</nowiki>sup>
**TNR+B+I+Superscript**
<nowiki><</nowiki>a class="mw-selflink selflink">
**TNR+B++Sup and a link (to this page, in this specific instance)**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="color:#CC9A8B">
**TNR+B+I+Sup link is coloured**
Converse
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**TNR+B+I+Sup link, no colour**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/a>
**TNR+B+I+Sup, no link**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/sup>
**TNR+B+I, normal-script again**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**this should have removed TNR, *and* the 'inner' B+I too...**
** (Although this is not what you wanted, it's what you should get!) **
**...but apparently we're now just with B+I**
** (This might be my own browser's interpretation, not everyone's.) **
**this is the inbuilt transition between fixed-sig and time-sig**
**a space is here, then...**
14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
<nowiki><</nowiki>/i> ** (Your signature markup does not ask for this!) **
**just Boldness left**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/b> ** (Your signature markup does not ask for this!) **
**neutral format again**
**end of signature**
:What goes with the "TNR+B+I" going to "B+I", I don't know. Unless they've changed the HTML spec regarding this in the last decade or three.
:The wiki-server back end was smart enough to add the close-Italics and close-Bold, at the end of the signature (''perhaps'', knowing that these were imminent a 'smart' error-checking by the browser's HTML-renderer let their formats persist, when otherwise they would not have? ...odd, but possible). Possibly it would have also closed the TNR-span, after the B-closure,cif not already asked to do so by the end of the TNR-template?
:...so...
:#First 'fix', remove the <code><nowiki><</nowiki>/span></code> from TNR. See how that affects any newly applied signatures (it won't change old ones).
:#Also see how/if it changes the indent-loss above my "...ouch" line, above.
:#''Also'' also chase down if TNR gets used ''anywhere else'' in this wiki, at the moment, and check that you've not broken anything else that other people might have used it for.
:If the first fix works and the third thing isn't a problem (ignore the second issue, I'm happy for it to change), then you're sorted. Otherwise (no fix, or even further broken in ways that aren't any good for anyone) reverse the change to where it works best for everyone and accept it not working precisely how you think you want it.
:If it fixes, as suggested, I'd also be interested how signing with <code><nowiki>~~~~ and more text</nowiki></code> works. (i.e. does it TNR the "and more text"?) Not that it's important, just my own curiosity.
:And think about a more advanced explanation on TNR's page, if it's going to be 'an odd template' in any way, like being Span-opener without being a Span-closer.
:That's all. Over to you, nothing more I can do (I could change TNR's code, but not then test it with your signature), but ''maybe'' I've done enough to help. Without too much confusion. I'll let you sort the rest out on your own, unless there's anything specific that arises to follow-up with. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.131|82.132.246.131]] 17:45, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
::tbh I'm good. Besides, I have no clue how to convert that raw HTML into usable wikitext (idk how to code, planning to learn someday). Either way, works fine. Also, you commentary has made me realize how complex my sig actually is. Times New Roman+Bold+Italics, which is a link which is colored. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|19:21, 5 November 2025 (UTC)}} 

Ummm... Do you know that your current signature is sort of 'unmunged'? As in, you're making the markup show by 'escaping' the markup characters entirely so they don't (properly) act as markup, but as literal text. (You had it working ok(ish), not sure when it went wrong, without scrolling through your Talk contributions.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.186|82.132.236.186]] 17:34, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:Addendum - had a deeper look, it was broken for 14:00, 20 November 2025, for [[Talk:3170: Service Outage]], but had worked until 20:27, 19 November 2025, for [[Talk:3168: Beam Dump]]. Whatever you did to your profile, between those two times, maybe undo it? Wasn't caused by any public page edit (like the TNR-template), nor can I think of how you'd break that without being obvious. Anyway, FYI.
:(My guess is that you copied it out to somewhere, to edit, that thing auto-obfuscated the markup for its own visual reasons, then the copy back was done of the 'ruined' markup version. I haven't gone through it with a toothcomb, to see what your intended hanges may have been. And maybe you even intended ''this''... Until I read a page 'normally', not just zourcewise, I hadn't spotted that your long signature-markup was now so... 'literal'. And can't imagine it should be. ) 17:57, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
::I may or may not have INTENTIONALLY unchecked 'treat above as wikitext', simply to confuse people :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 00:08, 23 November 2025 (UTC)
:::"Complicated signatures contain a lot of code ("markup") that is revealed in the edit window, and can take up unnecessary amounts of narrative space, which can make both reading and editing harder." -{{w|WP:SIG#Guidelines and policies|WP:SIG}} '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 02:10, 23 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Your signature literally has more characters than mine. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 02:24, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::Does it matter? Your un-wikitexted signature takes up far more characters than 255 (498 to be precise). It's also a pain in the ass to read and is bound to confuse anybody who sees it. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 02:48, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

== {{w|WP:REDIRECT}} ==
As per {{w|WP:REDIRECT#Purposes of redirects|Wikipedia policy}}, redirects are only to be made for typos that are "likely misspellings (for example, Condoleeza Rice redirects to Condoleezza Rice). Note: this criterion typically does not apply to redirects from typos in the template namespace; consensus is that such typos, unless they are very common, should remain as red links until they are fixed." '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 03:19, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:Ahhhhhhh. Alright, noted. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|14:17, 11 November 2025 (UTC)}}
::GOD DAMMIT!!!! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:::Easily done. Don't worry. I nearly intervened myself, but thought you might fix it yourself soon enough.
:::it also makes me wonder if you have any opinions about [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Additional templates to complement 'unsigned' ones|this recent idea]] that you reminded me of, if you/42 would consider it useful in such situations. It's not had any other input beyond the fellow anonIP originator, but (wordiness/edit-errors aside) I like what was said. It's a pity that nobody's even said they don't like it. Or don't understand it. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.151|82.132.246.151]] 20:14, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
::::I did skim through it a bit the other day when it was posted, but it was so dense that I probably only remember/understand 50% of it. The IP editor made some pretty good points, but it's not like I'm very good at making templates either. Maybe [[User:FaviFake]] or [[User:Lettherebedarklight]] can do something about it. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:34, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::I'm not actually too sure about this. How would be let newer users (who may not know about the template) to retrosign? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:37, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::Well, those who don't know how to (or that they have to) sign probably aren't the target audience. ;) There are plenty of templates that even I probably wouldn't remember until I went looking for what's there, or found out about by someone else using it. (It's how I know about {{template|outdent}}, for example.)
::::::But the principle's simple enough. Duplicate the unsigned templates as retrosigned ones, and remove the nagging bit. Favi or Darklight could do it simply enough, if they think there's reason to. I could do it, except for the little matter of not being allowed to. Also, I'm not the one trying to sell the idea, just seemed an apt de-stresing comment for the circumstance we had. (Nice though this conversation is, it really needs the propsal(s) to be replied to, if anything.) I'm just hoping you feel calmer, now, Ba'al... :p [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.237|82.132.245.237]] 03:42, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
{{outdent|::::::}}
Wait was that proposal written by you, IP? The format seemed AI-generated but i really did not read it for more than 10 seconds. [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:38, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:Having read it..... yeah, that's about as far from AI generated as you can get. I've seen IP use that format in the past, and the content is very explainxkcd-term heavy. I don't think AI would be able to generate the words 'unsigned templates as retrosigned'. Nobody except us understands what that means. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:52, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::Not me-IP (the IP in the above bit), but probably one of the other long-standing-if-occasional-IPs that there must be.
::Also very much me-''like'', so the linguistic flourishes mesh well with what I understand/might write myself.
::In lieu of them saying anything more, themselves, I've already decided to do my bit to try to 'translate' the core idea to Muggle-speak. If I'm able to bridge the gap without being wrong about either/both! [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.30|82.132.244.30]] 19:25, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
==3==
vv4dh<iwumbd i7rig s9 vddr aowe

BAABBABBABABABABAABBABABBAABAABABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABBABABBAAAABAAABBABABBAAAABAABABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABBABABBAAAABAABAABABABAAABBABBABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABABBABAAAABBAABAABB BAAABAABABABBABBAABBBAAAAAAAAAABABAABABAAAABAAAAAAABBBA

USETHEVISIONFROMYOURCHILDSEYE {{unsigned ip|204.137.100.1|08:19, 13 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:Oh, hello there! what do you have for us today, codeman? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:22, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::Starting from scratch, and dismissing (for the moment) the possibility of it being the 'cluetext' as a rotating key, the first looks polymorphic, in some manner, as the obvious repeat-letters that the known plaintext will have aren't all repeated in the ciphertext (and repeats in the ciphertext aren't matches in the known plaintext. It's also ''perhaps'' not subject to the main fatal flaw in Enigma (''other'' than the "the message-senders use predictable original plaintext" thing) that means that a character never maps to itself, as there are indeed (at least) two same->SAME mappings.
::Though given it is mapped to a changed-case (compared to what we expect from code#1) and includes alphabetic-to-punctuation-via-numeric transitions, my first assessment is that (with the exception of spaces being preserved/specially treated, as per usual) it also maps between A-Z input and a wider output.
::The most obvious idea is an XOR-based progression (prior code/plain character v.s. each subsequent one), but if done straight from ASCII codes that's going to give you far more weirdness than lower-cass-plus-occasional-punctuation. Which suggests perhaps a more proprietry enumeration/de-enumeration (it's not a shifted-6-bit output, so I won't try a shifted 5-bit input).
::...back to the cluetext. It's not the same-length as the ciphered phrase (if it had, I'd have assumed it was concocted as the "one time pad"), either with or without counting the spaces. But ''perhaps'' it's a Playfair cipher (less obvious than "PASSWORDPASWORDPASSWORD...", when analysing for patterns), but I haven't got time to check that properly, right now, and I still think there's a non-linear (but trivial) relationship. Perhaps simpler than what I've already thought of.
::The 'As and Bs' I haven't yet really looked into, beyond ruling out that it's a direct binary expansion (at least in 8-bits, 28 characters of that, and one spare bit, ignoring the space, or 32x 7-bits plus 1). It seems to be 225 A+Bs (3x3x5x5; so 3x75, 5x45, 9x25 and 15x15 (square, which ''might' be significant) are the main splits), if I'm not barking up the wrong tree. But I have other things to do right now, so the next flash of inspiration will have to wait. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.193|82.132.231.193]] 18:03, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:::"Agreed. Let's reset. The previous codes both started with 'Transmission X of four'. This looks similar, so it's safe to assume that 'ds4cdebsjbsx u;g6w hf whyb' equals 'transmission three of four'. This is actually very good for us, because we can map each number to their translated version:
*d=t
*s=r
*4=a
*c=n
*d=s (perhaps a mistake)
*e=m
*b=i
*j=s (wait...)
*b=s???????????????? 
Cool, that didn't work at all. It's probably double-encoded, or it's using a very strong code (maybe a vigenere?). Whatever it is, substitution doesn't work on it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::That was my first-g [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.151|82.132.245.151]] 21:40, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

The Bs and As appear to be either a bacon Cipher (UO LUM E ZERO ONE ONE ZERO ONE TWO ZERO MINUS FOUR ALL CAP) or a Caesar Cipher, though if it's the latter it would need to be double-encoded like last time, because the most coherent option it's giving me is POOP POP POP OP OP OP OOP POP OPPO OP OOP OP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP POP OPPO OO OP OO OPPO POP POO OOP OOP OP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP POP OPPO OO OP OOP OOP OP OP OO OPPO P POP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP OPPO POO OOP POOP OOP P POO OP OOP OP OPPO P POOP P POO OO OO OO OOP OP OOP OP OO OOP OO OO OO OP P PO. Something tells me they weren't trying to make potty jokes.
:::Based on the fact that we're on this specific wiki, I'll assume that it's the first one for now. It's referencing Volume 0 (I think I know where they got the idea for this). The rest of the numbers are now 110120-4. I'll go check the page. 18:52, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Page 110120 has this poem on it, in the 'cypher' section:
THE START OF THE TENTH-FAVORITE WORD USED BY BENDER 
THE TOON THAT WENT SOUTH WHILE COMMANDED BY ENDER 
THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS THAT PICARD SAID WERE ON 
AND THE CLASS OF THE PLANET WHERE KIRK SHOUTED "KHAAAN!" 
THE RINGS FOR THE MEN MINUS RINGS FOR THE ELVES 
AND THE PRODUCT MOD 10 OF A FIVESOME OF TWELVES 
THE END OF A CODE NES GAMERS KNOW 
AND THE BASE USED TO MODEL HOW QUICKLY THINGS GROW 
WHEN THEY'RE XOR'D TOGETHER THE CHECKSUM IS "E" 
WHICH WILL TELL YOU YOU'VE GOT THE PENULTIMATE KEY 
::::...This is the penultimate key, if there are four messages. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::I've not had any further time to look at this, but:
:::::*If I were devising an actually useful secret code, the first one (which is clearly a character-to-character mapping, though not a static one) would involve a little more trickery than an 'unsalted' progression, and the second (clearly a bitwise represenation) should probably be repackaged back into a full 'alphanumeric' token set (e.g. base64 or UUEncoded 'text friendly' outputs, but perhaps rotated a bit to disguise the tell-tale signs of that kind of output.
:::::**In fact, I might have used Gray-Code tables, even a mini form of a LZW-ish token-stream compression algorithm, to further thwart analysis by making it not even a consistent change in entropy from original character to the resulting output string. With such a single short 'message', it probably could have defied any realistic form of frequency-analysis, or at least made for hypothetically 'sensible' alternative decodings emerge from parts of the data, when choosing the 'right' wrong decoding methods.
:::::*However, bear in mind that (though with greater challenges, from the #1 code to #2, so presumably even more for #3) these are codes that are ''supposed to be cracked''. Well, maybe #4 (or even the final set of 4x4 characters that's ultimately puzzle #5) will be 'fiendish'-level, but #3 shouldn't be more than 'devilishly difficult' to work out.
:::::*I didn't know "Bacon Cipher", by that name, but it looks like you've got that worked out by (assisted) brute force. I might have tripped up over the U+V and I+J equivalences, initially, but the composer has clearly used the 'classical' version in a straight manner.
:::::*Taking that as done, though, we're left with the backforming of the TRANSMISSION message, if only so we know what (different) apparent nonsense the "x@hc" should become. Where I'd focus, is on what caused "ISSI" to be "bsjb". Why, three characters later, has the encoding ended up on the same output char (could suggest a three-character Playfair key), yet the 'S' characters, positioned "S..SS" became "d..sj" (so ''not'' a 3-char key). Positioning the 'clue phrase' against the characters gives "V..I" against the "I..I"->"b..b", so it's not being the same by dint of coincidentally similar transformations from the keyphrase.
:::::But that's still an analysis that I'm doing with the presumption of it being deliberately somewhat obscure (having somehow 'discovered' part of the encoding secret). It's probably only going to be more hidden in plain sight, as part of the 'game', but still helps to know how you'd approach a more deliberately obscure method of coding. Hence how I broke the semaphor one ...well, mostly... without realising that it actually was semaphor. (If you hadn't have settled the Bacon Code solution, I might have tried looking at it being morse-based, with ambiguous character/word boundaries.)
:::::Anyway, when I pop back here and find that you/someone else has fully solved it, I'll probably kick myself for entirely missing the most obvious answer. Also I can't seem get "CE4Q60AE" (or alternatives/variations that I've tried) to give me a checksum of "E" (or 0xE?). So, if that's actually important, I might have something else wrong. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.151|82.132.245.151]] 21:40, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::YOUARERIGHT {{unsigned ip|204.137.100.1|14:03, 14 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::::::About what? What are we right about? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:04, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

== User rights ==

I noticed you created my [[User:GreyFox|user page]] but did not create my talk page or give me the rights to do so myself. Why is this the case? [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 17:25, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
:OMG so sorry. Fully forgor. Should be fixed now. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 02:25, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

== Minor edits ==

Just FYI, you can mark in preferences under the editing tab for all edits to be marked as minor so that we don't clog up the Recent Changes page so much, as people can click "Hide minor edits". '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:30, 2 December 2025 (UTC)
;...whoops. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 21:30, 2 December 2025 (UTC)

== /WORKPAGE ==

Wow. While doing maintenance work, I found your workpage. I've always known it existed, but just brushed it off and let you work alone. I don't know how much it means to you, but I'm really proud and happy of how far you've come. In just a couple months you've been able to make a pretty sizable impact here. By the way, I love the work you've been doing on there. Please keep it up! <3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 10:40, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:It means a lot to me. Thanks for the encouragement! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:00, 3 December 2025 (UTC)

== Have another look at the Disappearing Sunday Update images ==

*[[:File:Disappearing Sunday Update with number 2185.png]] - has a browser address bar
*[[:File:Archive with Disappearing Sunday Update.png]] - Thumbnail History versions had an address bar, and it *used* to have the 'disappeared comic', perhaps least useful of the three, as it currently is, being the only one of the three not currently linked-to. Might be worth trying to find out what Kynde was trying to do, there.
*[[:File:Archive with Disappearing Sunday Update and date.png]] - was marked for deletion, as "identical", but it wasn't, had a hover-text date on it. Don't know if that's still useful (not being used as a linked image?), but I wouldn't make that my first deletion, especially as it's a linked-to page.
...needs double-checking, really, to make sure that things that aren't totally useless are not thrown out just because they look useless at a glance. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.140|82.132.239.140]] 18:57, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:Good catch, and now fixed. Thanks for letting me know! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:59, 4 December 2025 (UTC)

== exp template thing? ==

Please could you have a look at [[Template talk:explain]]? [[Special:Contributions/78.144.255.82|78.144.255.82]] 19:40, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

...also, why exactly did you think [[Template:exp]] was needed? Looks like it once existed but was actually removed because (except for some other relic uses, that also seemingly aren't used) it serves no actual purpose. [[Special:Contributions/78.144.255.82|78.144.255.82]] 19:57, 10 December 2025 (UTC)
:Yeahh... delete. My brain sharted in public. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:11, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

==Hi==
I have not been on this wiki in a while, I just wanted to say hi XD [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 18:18, 15 December 2025 (UTC)
:''I've been expecting you...'' --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 21:28, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

==...==

:I come back to this wiki to assure y'all I haven't quit, and I check on you, and THERE'S A GIANT NOTICE WITH HAMILTON LYRICS ON IT. I mean, it is "The Story of Tonight", granted, W song, but what in the world have you been up to... [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]])
::A reminder to myself. Keeps the depression from setting in. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 17:27, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:::No but that's actually so sweet 🥹 [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:54, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

== Please don't edit templates ==

Please. If you cannot edit a template without screwing things up, please don't edit templates. The template category was a mistake and should never have existed (as noted in [[C:ategory talk:Templates]], but regardless, adding a category to a template such that it appears inappropriately in all transcluded uses of the template is not proper. It is a frustration that you seem so well-intentioned but your efforts just make more work for other people. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 19:59, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Template:CSS shortcrop

2026-02-12T19:55:46Z

JohnHawkinson: No. Undo revision 406093 by DollarStoreBa'al (talk). This is wrong, it places the category on all template users. Furhtermore, this category should not exist at all! See its talk.

<includeonly>{{CSS image crop|Image={{{1}}}|bSize={{{2}}}|cWidth={{{3}}}|cHeight={{{4}}}|oTop={{{5}}}|oLeft={{{6}}}}}</includeonly><noinclude>
shorter-to-invoke version of [[:Template:CSS image crop]].
Takes numbered parameters as

Image|bSize|cWidth|cHeight|oTop|oLeft

</noinclude>

User:JohnHawkinson/16 Part Epoxy

2026-01-17T22:30:20Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Explanation */ everyone loves 184: Matrix Transform; how about crop-rotate-crop-antirotate?

{{comic
| number = 3194
| date = January 14, 2026
| title = 16 Part Epoxy
| image = 16_part_epoxy_2x.png
| imagesize = 511x595px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Some surfaces may seem difficult to glue. But if you research the materials, find tables of what adhesives work on them, and prepare your surfaces carefully, you can fail to glue them in a fun NEW way that fills your house with dangerous vapors.
}}

==Explanation==
<nowiki>{{incomplete|This page was created by boiling down a gorilla glue gorilla. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}</nowiki>

This comic refers to {{w|epoxy}} — substances used as adhesives, sealants, and coatings, named for the chemical substructure {{w|epoxide}}, which is the precursor component to these substances turning from liquids to solids.

[[File:FiveMinEpoxy.jpg|thumb|A typical 2-part epoxy applicator.]]Many types of epoxy are multi-part (usually two-part), where the components, such as {{w|resin}} and a {{w|Epoxy#Curing|hardener}}, are stored separately. For ease of use, this can be in parallel syringes (of equal volume, or proportionately different widths to maintain the correct mixing ratio) such that the user squeezes out both of the separate chemicals onto the initial surface, or into a container, by depressing both syringes simultaneously. The user then thoroughly mixes the components, as quickly as possible. The mixture is spread over the surface(s) to be joined or protected, and/or into the gaps to be filled, and if there are separate surfaces involved they are quickly positioned and hed in place. The combined epoxy quickly cures, usually within a few minutes. This comic presents a fictitious 16-part epoxy, with the same apparent logic of parallel deposition in mind, with many components that are implausible or make fun of common problems people have when using epoxy in real life.

The title text, as with a couple of the substances involved, references how not all epoxies and glues work on every material, and that applying them on others can also require special techniques or products to gain the best advantage. Some industrial or industrial-grade adhesives contain solvents (e.g. {{w|tetrachloroethylene}}, which is used in E6000 glue) that release harmful vapors as they cure. If used improperly, this can result in the release of chemical vapors in an enclosed space along other dangerous side-effects, while also ''still'' not adhesing as intended.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Real?
!Explanation
|-

|{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|73|132|30}}
|{{Yes}}
|A liquid which turns into a polymer when mixed with a hardener.
|-
|{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|52|205|30}}
|{{Yes}}
|A thick liquid which is mixed with resin to create a durable polymer which is commonly used as a glue.
|-
|
{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|50|258|30}}
|{{Yes}}
|An optional addition to the hardener and resin which changes the properties of the polymer.

Some epoxies are sold as products known as 'fillers', used to repair and cover cracks, holes, and imperfections.
|-
|
{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|65|255|40}}
|{{Yes}}
|An optional addition to the hardener and resin which changes the properties of the polymer.

Some epoxies are sold as products known as 'fillers', used to repair and cover cracks, holes, and imperfections.
|-
| <div style="transform: rotate(10deg)">{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|50|258|30}}</div>
| wrong
| wronger
|-
|
<div class="">
<div style="width: 623px; height: 65px; overflow: hidden;">
<div style="position: relative; top: -255px; left: -40px; width: 1021px">
<div style="transform: rotate(1deg)">
<div class="noresize">[[File:16 part epoxy 2x.png]]
</div></div>
</div></div>
</div>
| wrong
| wronger
|-
|-
|Softener
|{{Yes}}
|The word is probably being used in humorous contrast to the "hardener" component, and perhaps also by analogy with laundry products that contain a fabric softener alongside a detergent. However, {{w|plasticizer|plasticizers}} are often added to polymers to make them more pliable, and thus to increase their impact resistance. These plasticizers tend to be lost over long periods of time (e.g. by evaporation or degradation), which contributes to old plastic becoming brittle.
|-
|Rosin
|{{Yes}}
|While this looks like a joke entry, this is actually a different kind of resin which is extracted naturally rather than synthesized from other chemicals. Rosin (a kind of '{{w|Flux (metallurgy)|flux}}') is one of two parts that make up rosin-core solder, used in electronic work, where the rosin is located in the center (the "core") of the wire-like solder, similar to how graphite is in the core of a pencil. When heated hot enough to melt, it {{w|Soldering#Flux|cleans corrosion and oxides from the surfaces}} of the metal parts to be joined, creating bare metal surfaces that can be 'wet' by the solder. In rosin-core solder, the two substances are touching rather than kept completely separate, since they're both in solid form, and don't react with each other even when they're heated to melt them. In this respect they differ from common combination epoxy chemicals that will be both liquids that cure together on contact even at room temperature. Rosin is also frequently applied to the bows of string instruments like violins or cellos to improve the sound, as immortalized in the famous song "{{w|The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}" or the folk song {{w|Old Rosin the Beau}}.
|-
|Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else
|{{No}}
|One key annoyance with sticky substances is the difficulty of removing them when they are inadvertently applied to skin. In this case, the polymer bonds solely to skin instead of anything else, making it mostly only really useful for a practical joke. Some epoxies are specifically designed for gluing skin, usually for medical purposes, but none are known to bond to skin exclusively.{{acn}} This may be a reference to {{w|cyanoacrylate|cyanoacrylate adhesives}} ("super glues"), which famously bond quite aggressively to skin (sometimes to positive effect!) while often failing to bond the target materials.
|-
|Stuff that will crack and turn white over a few days, for decorative appearance
|{{Maybe|Not effective as epoxy}}
|'Crackle effect' is a real thing for crafters, and can be created by mixing paint and glue, but is not recommended if you want two surfaces to adhere, since most paint is made to be non-adherent in order to be durable{{acn}}. Poor finish, where an intended smooth uniform surface cracks or discolors, can be a frustrating problem when applying epoxy mixtures to visible surfaces — especially when the problem only appears some time after you've congratulated yourself on a job well done.
|-
|Placebo
|{{Maybe|Not in the field of adhesives}}
|The {{w|placebo effect}} happens when somebody is told that something has a certain effect, when in reality it has no mechanism of action to produce that effect. This is commonly used in medical studies to determine whether a medication actually does something, as opposed to simply having a {{w|psychosomatic effect}}. Using this term to describe a type of polymer suggests it would make someone believe it is gluing things together without actually doing anything, which is unlikely. Alternatively, this could refer to a component or filler that claims to serve a specific purpose while having no true benefit, causing the perception of benefit to the consumer (presumably causing better reviews).
|-
|Minced duct tape
|{{Maybe|Not intentionally}}
|{{w|Duct tape}} is widely used as a way to join and/or cover things, sometimes in contexts where an epoxy might provide a more high-quality solution. [[Randall]] is pretending that having very small pieces of tape in the mix would add to the epoxy's ability to hold things together. In reality, cutting duct tape into small pieces would weaken it and make it ''less'' effective at sticking things together. In the UK, the word 'minced' can also mean 'made worthless', which would also not bode well for the adhesive.
|-
|Acetone fragrance
|{{No}}
|{{w|Acetone}} is a volatile solvent used in a number of glues and paints (including nail polish), but it weakens epoxy and can even be used to remove uncured epoxy. It has a strong, distinctive smell, and is actually toxic, making fragrance an odd reason for adding it to any product. It ''would'' give the epoxy a familiar "chemical smell" that people associate with industrial compounds. The use of 'X fragrance' in an ingredient list, instead of simply listing the ingredient X, usually implies that the actual ingredient is some (cheaper) substitute for X with a similar scent. Since acetone is already inexpensive, perhaps some substitute has been discovered that provides the smell without weakening this glue, though that seems unlikely given the context.
|-
|Powdered bar magnets
|{{Maybe|Yes, but not in resin}}
|This might still work if the pieces could somehow be aligned correctly, as each tiny piece of magnet would still be a magnet in its own right, capable of attracting the other tiny magnets, and thus resisting tension forces. However, it would be much worse than a normal bar magnet, since the magnetic force would be weaker than those that held the original bar together. The micro-magnets would tend to clump together, which might strengthen the glue, but wouldn't help it to bond to surfaces very much unless the surfaces themselves were strongly magnetic.
|-
|Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{Maybe|Not in epoxy}}
|This appears to be a reference to {{w|ethylene-vinyl acetate|Poly (ethylene-vinyl acetate)}}, some formulations of which can be used as the adhesive in hot-glue guns. Vinyl acetate is an ester, so the inclusion of that term is redundant. The cadence of the constructed word may also be a reference to the television episode {{w|Lucy Does a TV Commercial}} and its memorable product "Vitameatavegamin". It also resembles the kind of thing often seen in ingredients lists for common household products such as soaps and cleaners, which are fairly meaningless to the average person buying them.
|-
|2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{Maybe|Unclear}}
|This sounds almost exactly the same as the above item, but {{w|2-Polyprenyl-6-hydroxyphenol methylase|a name with a "2-" prefix}} generally indicates that the initial bit of the name is a {{w|functional group}} attached to the ''second'' position along a chemical chain (often being the carbon-carbon 'spine' of a molecule, in large-molecule organic chemistry), rather than attached to its end. Because the molecule name is (possibly deliberately) malformed, it's hard to tell what is supposed to be attached to the second carbon of what subunit.
|-
|Salt and pepper to taste
|{{Maybe|Not for taste, but salt can be useful}}
|Salt and pepper are two incredibly popular condiments which are used to enhance a dish's flavor, and "salt and pepper to taste" is a phrase found in many food recipes. But the taste of your epoxy should not be your concern. Do not eat epoxy that isn't labelled safe-to-eat. However, salt, sand or other fine grains are sometimes recommended to add a bit of grit to an adhesive. Generally glues or epoxies need the bonded materials to be firmly held together while the glue cures. But when first pressed together, any excess glue is squeezed out and can cause the surfaces to slip around and need to be re-aligned. Any extra friction in the epoxy can help alleviate that.
|-
|Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas
|{{No}}{{Citation Needed}}
|{{w|Gorilla Glue}} is a popular brand of superglue which uses {{w|gorillas}} as its mascot. In this case, the label refers to the blood of a fictional breed of gorillas called “Gorilla Glue” gorillas, implying that Gorilla Glue is derived from or incorporates material taken from these animals. The epoxy ingredient list humorously treats this blood as a real component, despite Gorilla Glue being a modern synthetic adhesive. Although animal products have historically been used in some traditional glues, Gorilla Glue contains no such ingredients.

Blood has been [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/blood-glue historically used in glue], though not typically that of gorillas.
|-
|Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours
|{{No|Probably not}}
|Another common annoyance when using an adhesive is that each glue type only forms an adhesive bond with certain materials. In this case, the polymer would bond with every material except for the one you were using, causing great distress and leaving you in a fix. This is similar to "Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else" above.
|}

==Transcript==

Standard 16-Part Epoxy

[An epoxy applicator with a single push bar and sixteen differently-colored chambers, each labeled]

Resin (coloured beige)

Hardener (mango yellow)

Filler (darker yellow)

Softener (cream)

Rosin (very light red)

Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else (yellow-dark green)

Stuff that will turn white and crack over a few days, for decorative appearance (light blue)

Placebo (white)

Minced duct tape (grey with a tint of green)

Acetone Fragrance (beige-yellow)

Powdered bar magnets (brown)

Polyethylvinylesteracetate (blue-white)

2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate (blue-white but slightly darker)

Salt and pepper to taste (light grey)

Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas (red)

Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours (beige)

User:JohnHawkinson/16 Part Epoxy

2026-01-17T22:13:29Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Explanation */ I suspect this might be unpopular, but who knows? This is not the best use-case given the non-rectangular regions as to text.

{{comic
| number = 3194
| date = January 14, 2026
| title = 16 Part Epoxy
| image = 16_part_epoxy_2x.png
| imagesize = 511x595px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Some surfaces may seem difficult to glue. But if you research the materials, find tables of what adhesives work on them, and prepare your surfaces carefully, you can fail to glue them in a fun NEW way that fills your house with dangerous vapors.
}}

==Explanation==
<nowiki>{{incomplete|This page was created by boiling down a gorilla glue gorilla. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}</nowiki>

This comic refers to {{w|epoxy}} — substances used as adhesives, sealants, and coatings, named for the chemical substructure {{w|epoxide}}, which is the precursor component to these substances turning from liquids to solids.

[[File:FiveMinEpoxy.jpg|thumb|A typical 2-part epoxy applicator.]]Many types of epoxy are multi-part (usually two-part), where the components, such as {{w|resin}} and a {{w|Epoxy#Curing|hardener}}, are stored separately. For ease of use, this can be in parallel syringes (of equal volume, or proportionately different widths to maintain the correct mixing ratio) such that the user squeezes out both of the separate chemicals onto the initial surface, or into a container, by depressing both syringes simultaneously. The user then thoroughly mixes the components, as quickly as possible. The mixture is spread over the surface(s) to be joined or protected, and/or into the gaps to be filled, and if there are separate surfaces involved they are quickly positioned and hed in place. The combined epoxy quickly cures, usually within a few minutes. This comic presents a fictitious 16-part epoxy, with the same apparent logic of parallel deposition in mind, with many components that are implausible or make fun of common problems people have when using epoxy in real life.

The title text, as with a couple of the substances involved, references how not all epoxies and glues work on every material, and that applying them on others can also require special techniques or products to gain the best advantage. Some industrial or industrial-grade adhesives contain solvents (e.g. {{w|tetrachloroethylene}}, which is used in E6000 glue) that release harmful vapors as they cure. If used improperly, this can result in the release of chemical vapors in an enclosed space along other dangerous side-effects, while also ''still'' not adhesing as intended.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Real?
!Explanation
|-

|{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|73|132|30}}
|{{Yes}}
|A liquid which turns into a polymer when mixed with a hardener.
|-
|{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|52|205|30}}
|{{Yes}}
|A thick liquid which is mixed with resin to create a durable polymer which is commonly used as a glue.
|-
|{{CSS shortcrop|16 part epoxy 2x.png|1021|623|50|258|30}}
|{{Yes}}
|An optional addition to the hardener and resin which changes the properties of the polymer.

Some epoxies are sold as products known as 'fillers', used to repair and cover cracks, holes, and imperfections.
|-
|Softener
|{{Yes}}
|The word is probably being used in humorous contrast to the "hardener" component, and perhaps also by analogy with laundry products that contain a fabric softener alongside a detergent. However, {{w|plasticizer|plasticizers}} are often added to polymers to make them more pliable, and thus to increase their impact resistance. These plasticizers tend to be lost over long periods of time (e.g. by evaporation or degradation), which contributes to old plastic becoming brittle.
|-
|Rosin
|{{Yes}}
|While this looks like a joke entry, this is actually a different kind of resin which is extracted naturally rather than synthesized from other chemicals. Rosin (a kind of '{{w|Flux (metallurgy)|flux}}') is one of two parts that make up rosin-core solder, used in electronic work, where the rosin is located in the center (the "core") of the wire-like solder, similar to how graphite is in the core of a pencil. When heated hot enough to melt, it {{w|Soldering#Flux|cleans corrosion and oxides from the surfaces}} of the metal parts to be joined, creating bare metal surfaces that can be 'wet' by the solder. In rosin-core solder, the two substances are touching rather than kept completely separate, since they're both in solid form, and don't react with each other even when they're heated to melt them. In this respect they differ from common combination epoxy chemicals that will be both liquids that cure together on contact even at room temperature. Rosin is also frequently applied to the bows of string instruments like violins or cellos to improve the sound, as immortalized in the famous song "{{w|The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}" or the folk song {{w|Old Rosin the Beau}}.
|-
|Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else
|{{No}}
|One key annoyance with sticky substances is the difficulty of removing them when they are inadvertently applied to skin. In this case, the polymer bonds solely to skin instead of anything else, making it mostly only really useful for a practical joke. Some epoxies are specifically designed for gluing skin, usually for medical purposes, but none are known to bond to skin exclusively.{{acn}} This may be a reference to {{w|cyanoacrylate|cyanoacrylate adhesives}} ("super glues"), which famously bond quite aggressively to skin (sometimes to positive effect!) while often failing to bond the target materials.
|-
|Stuff that will crack and turn white over a few days, for decorative appearance
|{{Maybe|Not effective as epoxy}}
|'Crackle effect' is a real thing for crafters, and can be created by mixing paint and glue, but is not recommended if you want two surfaces to adhere, since most paint is made to be non-adherent in order to be durable{{acn}}. Poor finish, where an intended smooth uniform surface cracks or discolors, can be a frustrating problem when applying epoxy mixtures to visible surfaces — especially when the problem only appears some time after you've congratulated yourself on a job well done.
|-
|Placebo
|{{Maybe|Not in the field of adhesives}}
|The {{w|placebo effect}} happens when somebody is told that something has a certain effect, when in reality it has no mechanism of action to produce that effect. This is commonly used in medical studies to determine whether a medication actually does something, as opposed to simply having a {{w|psychosomatic effect}}. Using this term to describe a type of polymer suggests it would make someone believe it is gluing things together without actually doing anything, which is unlikely. Alternatively, this could refer to a component or filler that claims to serve a specific purpose while having no true benefit, causing the perception of benefit to the consumer (presumably causing better reviews).
|-
|Minced duct tape
|{{Maybe|Not intentionally}}
|{{w|Duct tape}} is widely used as a way to join and/or cover things, sometimes in contexts where an epoxy might provide a more high-quality solution. [[Randall]] is pretending that having very small pieces of tape in the mix would add to the epoxy's ability to hold things together. In reality, cutting duct tape into small pieces would weaken it and make it ''less'' effective at sticking things together. In the UK, the word 'minced' can also mean 'made worthless', which would also not bode well for the adhesive.
|-
|Acetone fragrance
|{{No}}
|{{w|Acetone}} is a volatile solvent used in a number of glues and paints (including nail polish), but it weakens epoxy and can even be used to remove uncured epoxy. It has a strong, distinctive smell, and is actually toxic, making fragrance an odd reason for adding it to any product. It ''would'' give the epoxy a familiar "chemical smell" that people associate with industrial compounds. The use of 'X fragrance' in an ingredient list, instead of simply listing the ingredient X, usually implies that the actual ingredient is some (cheaper) substitute for X with a similar scent. Since acetone is already inexpensive, perhaps some substitute has been discovered that provides the smell without weakening this glue, though that seems unlikely given the context.
|-
|Powdered bar magnets
|{{Maybe|Yes, but not in resin}}
|This might still work if the pieces could somehow be aligned correctly, as each tiny piece of magnet would still be a magnet in its own right, capable of attracting the other tiny magnets, and thus resisting tension forces. However, it would be much worse than a normal bar magnet, since the magnetic force would be weaker than those that held the original bar together. The micro-magnets would tend to clump together, which might strengthen the glue, but wouldn't help it to bond to surfaces very much unless the surfaces themselves were strongly magnetic.
|-
|Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{Maybe|Not in epoxy}}
|This appears to be a reference to {{w|ethylene-vinyl acetate|Poly (ethylene-vinyl acetate)}}, some formulations of which can be used as the adhesive in hot-glue guns. Vinyl acetate is an ester, so the inclusion of that term is redundant. The cadence of the constructed word may also be a reference to the television episode {{w|Lucy Does a TV Commercial}} and its memorable product "Vitameatavegamin". It also resembles the kind of thing often seen in ingredients lists for common household products such as soaps and cleaners, which are fairly meaningless to the average person buying them.
|-
|2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{Maybe|Unclear}}
|This sounds almost exactly the same as the above item, but {{w|2-Polyprenyl-6-hydroxyphenol methylase|a name with a "2-" prefix}} generally indicates that the initial bit of the name is a {{w|functional group}} attached to the ''second'' position along a chemical chain (often being the carbon-carbon 'spine' of a molecule, in large-molecule organic chemistry), rather than attached to its end. Because the molecule name is (possibly deliberately) malformed, it's hard to tell what is supposed to be attached to the second carbon of what subunit.
|-
|Salt and pepper to taste
|{{Maybe|Not for taste, but salt can be useful}}
|Salt and pepper are two incredibly popular condiments which are used to enhance a dish's flavor, and "salt and pepper to taste" is a phrase found in many food recipes. But the taste of your epoxy should not be your concern. Do not eat epoxy that isn't labelled safe-to-eat. However, salt, sand or other fine grains are sometimes recommended to add a bit of grit to an adhesive. Generally glues or epoxies need the bonded materials to be firmly held together while the glue cures. But when first pressed together, any excess glue is squeezed out and can cause the surfaces to slip around and need to be re-aligned. Any extra friction in the epoxy can help alleviate that.
|-
|Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas
|{{No}}{{Citation Needed}}
|{{w|Gorilla Glue}} is a popular brand of superglue which uses {{w|gorillas}} as its mascot. In this case, the label refers to the blood of a fictional breed of gorillas called “Gorilla Glue” gorillas, implying that Gorilla Glue is derived from or incorporates material taken from these animals. The epoxy ingredient list humorously treats this blood as a real component, despite Gorilla Glue being a modern synthetic adhesive. Although animal products have historically been used in some traditional glues, Gorilla Glue contains no such ingredients.

Blood has been [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/blood-glue historically used in glue], though not typically that of gorillas.
|-
|Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours
|{{No|Probably not}}
|Another common annoyance when using an adhesive is that each glue type only forms an adhesive bond with certain materials. In this case, the polymer would bond with every material except for the one you were using, causing great distress and leaving you in a fix. This is similar to "Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else" above.
|}

==Transcript==

Standard 16-Part Epoxy

[An epoxy applicator with a single push bar and sixteen differently-colored chambers, each labeled]

Resin (coloured beige)

Hardener (mango yellow)

Filler (darker yellow)

Softener (cream)

Rosin (very light red)

Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else (yellow-dark green)

Stuff that will turn white and crack over a few days, for decorative appearance (light blue)

Placebo (white)

Minced duct tape (grey with a tint of green)

Acetone Fragrance (beige-yellow)

Powdered bar magnets (brown)

Polyethylvinylesteracetate (blue-white)

2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate (blue-white but slightly darker)

Salt and pepper to taste (light grey)

Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas (red)

Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours (beige)

User:JohnHawkinson/16 Part Epoxy

2026-01-17T22:07:51Z

JohnHawkinson: Copy from actual.

{{comic
| number = 3194
| date = January 14, 2026
| title = 16 Part Epoxy
| image = 16_part_epoxy_2x.png
| imagesize = 511x595px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Some surfaces may seem difficult to glue. But if you research the materials, find tables of what adhesives work on them, and prepare your surfaces carefully, you can fail to glue them in a fun NEW way that fills your house with dangerous vapors.
}}

==Explanation==
<nowiki>{{incomplete|This page was created by boiling down a gorilla glue gorilla. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}</nowiki>

This comic refers to {{w|epoxy}} — substances used as adhesives, sealants, and coatings, named for the chemical substructure {{w|epoxide}}, which is the precursor component to these substances turning from liquids to solids.

[[File:FiveMinEpoxy.jpg|thumb|A typical 2-part epoxy applicator.]]Many types of epoxy are multi-part (usually two-part), where the components, such as {{w|resin}} and a {{w|Epoxy#Curing|hardener}}, are stored separately. For ease of use, this can be in parallel syringes (of equal volume, or proportionately different widths to maintain the correct mixing ratio) such that the user squeezes out both of the separate chemicals onto the initial surface, or into a container, by depressing both syringes simultaneously. The user then thoroughly mixes the components, as quickly as possible. The mixture is spread over the surface(s) to be joined or protected, and/or into the gaps to be filled, and if there are separate surfaces involved they are quickly positioned and hed in place. The combined epoxy quickly cures, usually within a few minutes. This comic presents a fictitious 16-part epoxy, with the same apparent logic of parallel deposition in mind, with many components that are implausible or make fun of common problems people have when using epoxy in real life.

The title text, as with a couple of the substances involved, references how not all epoxies and glues work on every material, and that applying them on others can also require special techniques or products to gain the best advantage. Some industrial or industrial-grade adhesives contain solvents (e.g. {{w|tetrachloroethylene}}, which is used in E6000 glue) that release harmful vapors as they cure. If used improperly, this can result in the release of chemical vapors in an enclosed space along other dangerous side-effects, while also ''still'' not adhesing as intended.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Type
!Real?
!Explanation
|-
|Resin
|{{Yes}}
|A liquid which turns into a polymer when mixed with a hardener.
|-
|Hardener
|{{Yes}}
|A thick liquid which is mixed with resin to create a durable polymer which is commonly used as a glue.
|-
|Filler
|{{Yes}}
|An optional addition to the hardener and resin which changes the properties of the polymer.

Some epoxies are sold as products known as 'fillers', used to repair and cover cracks, holes, and imperfections.
|-
|Softener
|{{Yes}}
|The word is probably being used in humorous contrast to the "hardener" component, and perhaps also by analogy with laundry products that contain a fabric softener alongside a detergent. However, {{w|plasticizer|plasticizers}} are often added to polymers to make them more pliable, and thus to increase their impact resistance. These plasticizers tend to be lost over long periods of time (e.g. by evaporation or degradation), which contributes to old plastic becoming brittle.
|-
|Rosin
|{{Yes}}
|While this looks like a joke entry, this is actually a different kind of resin which is extracted naturally rather than synthesized from other chemicals. Rosin (a kind of '{{w|Flux (metallurgy)|flux}}') is one of two parts that make up rosin-core solder, used in electronic work, where the rosin is located in the center (the "core") of the wire-like solder, similar to how graphite is in the core of a pencil. When heated hot enough to melt, it {{w|Soldering#Flux|cleans corrosion and oxides from the surfaces}} of the metal parts to be joined, creating bare metal surfaces that can be 'wet' by the solder. In rosin-core solder, the two substances are touching rather than kept completely separate, since they're both in solid form, and don't react with each other even when they're heated to melt them. In this respect they differ from common combination epoxy chemicals that will be both liquids that cure together on contact even at room temperature. Rosin is also frequently applied to the bows of string instruments like violins or cellos to improve the sound, as immortalized in the famous song "{{w|The Devil Went Down to Georgia}}" or the folk song {{w|Old Rosin the Beau}}.
|-
|Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else
|{{No}}
|One key annoyance with sticky substances is the difficulty of removing them when they are inadvertently applied to skin. In this case, the polymer bonds solely to skin instead of anything else, making it mostly only really useful for a practical joke. Some epoxies are specifically designed for gluing skin, usually for medical purposes, but none are known to bond to skin exclusively.{{acn}} This may be a reference to {{w|cyanoacrylate|cyanoacrylate adhesives}} ("super glues"), which famously bond quite aggressively to skin (sometimes to positive effect!) while often failing to bond the target materials.
|-
|Stuff that will crack and turn white over a few days, for decorative appearance
|{{Maybe|Not effective as epoxy}}
|'Crackle effect' is a real thing for crafters, and can be created by mixing paint and glue, but is not recommended if you want two surfaces to adhere, since most paint is made to be non-adherent in order to be durable{{acn}}. Poor finish, where an intended smooth uniform surface cracks or discolors, can be a frustrating problem when applying epoxy mixtures to visible surfaces — especially when the problem only appears some time after you've congratulated yourself on a job well done.
|-
|Placebo
|{{Maybe|Not in the field of adhesives}}
|The {{w|placebo effect}} happens when somebody is told that something has a certain effect, when in reality it has no mechanism of action to produce that effect. This is commonly used in medical studies to determine whether a medication actually does something, as opposed to simply having a {{w|psychosomatic effect}}. Using this term to describe a type of polymer suggests it would make someone believe it is gluing things together without actually doing anything, which is unlikely. Alternatively, this could refer to a component or filler that claims to serve a specific purpose while having no true benefit, causing the perception of benefit to the consumer (presumably causing better reviews).
|-
|Minced duct tape
|{{Maybe|Not intentionally}}
|{{w|Duct tape}} is widely used as a way to join and/or cover things, sometimes in contexts where an epoxy might provide a more high-quality solution. [[Randall]] is pretending that having very small pieces of tape in the mix would add to the epoxy's ability to hold things together. In reality, cutting duct tape into small pieces would weaken it and make it ''less'' effective at sticking things together. In the UK, the word 'minced' can also mean 'made worthless', which would also not bode well for the adhesive.
|-
|Acetone fragrance
|{{No}}
|{{w|Acetone}} is a volatile solvent used in a number of glues and paints (including nail polish), but it weakens epoxy and can even be used to remove uncured epoxy. It has a strong, distinctive smell, and is actually toxic, making fragrance an odd reason for adding it to any product. It ''would'' give the epoxy a familiar "chemical smell" that people associate with industrial compounds. The use of 'X fragrance' in an ingredient list, instead of simply listing the ingredient X, usually implies that the actual ingredient is some (cheaper) substitute for X with a similar scent. Since acetone is already inexpensive, perhaps some substitute has been discovered that provides the smell without weakening this glue, though that seems unlikely given the context.
|-
|Powdered bar magnets
|{{Maybe|Yes, but not in resin}}
|This might still work if the pieces could somehow be aligned correctly, as each tiny piece of magnet would still be a magnet in its own right, capable of attracting the other tiny magnets, and thus resisting tension forces. However, it would be much worse than a normal bar magnet, since the magnetic force would be weaker than those that held the original bar together. The micro-magnets would tend to clump together, which might strengthen the glue, but wouldn't help it to bond to surfaces very much unless the surfaces themselves were strongly magnetic.
|-
|Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{Maybe|Not in epoxy}}
|This appears to be a reference to {{w|ethylene-vinyl acetate|Poly (ethylene-vinyl acetate)}}, some formulations of which can be used as the adhesive in hot-glue guns. Vinyl acetate is an ester, so the inclusion of that term is redundant. The cadence of the constructed word may also be a reference to the television episode {{w|Lucy Does a TV Commercial}} and its memorable product "Vitameatavegamin". It also resembles the kind of thing often seen in ingredients lists for common household products such as soaps and cleaners, which are fairly meaningless to the average person buying them.
|-
|2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate
|{{Maybe|Unclear}}
|This sounds almost exactly the same as the above item, but {{w|2-Polyprenyl-6-hydroxyphenol methylase|a name with a "2-" prefix}} generally indicates that the initial bit of the name is a {{w|functional group}} attached to the ''second'' position along a chemical chain (often being the carbon-carbon 'spine' of a molecule, in large-molecule organic chemistry), rather than attached to its end. Because the molecule name is (possibly deliberately) malformed, it's hard to tell what is supposed to be attached to the second carbon of what subunit.
|-
|Salt and pepper to taste
|{{Maybe|Not for taste, but salt can be useful}}
|Salt and pepper are two incredibly popular condiments which are used to enhance a dish's flavor, and "salt and pepper to taste" is a phrase found in many food recipes. But the taste of your epoxy should not be your concern. Do not eat epoxy that isn't labelled safe-to-eat. However, salt, sand or other fine grains are sometimes recommended to add a bit of grit to an adhesive. Generally glues or epoxies need the bonded materials to be firmly held together while the glue cures. But when first pressed together, any excess glue is squeezed out and can cause the surfaces to slip around and need to be re-aligned. Any extra friction in the epoxy can help alleviate that.
|-
|Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas
|{{No}}{{Citation Needed}}
|{{w|Gorilla Glue}} is a popular brand of superglue which uses {{w|gorillas}} as its mascot. In this case, the label refers to the blood of a fictional breed of gorillas called “Gorilla Glue” gorillas, implying that Gorilla Glue is derived from or incorporates material taken from these animals. The epoxy ingredient list humorously treats this blood as a real component, despite Gorilla Glue being a modern synthetic adhesive. Although animal products have historically been used in some traditional glues, Gorilla Glue contains no such ingredients.

Blood has been [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/blood-glue historically used in glue], though not typically that of gorillas.
|-
|Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours
|{{No|Probably not}}
|Another common annoyance when using an adhesive is that each glue type only forms an adhesive bond with certain materials. In this case, the polymer would bond with every material except for the one you were using, causing great distress and leaving you in a fix. This is similar to "Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else" above.
|}

==Transcript==

Standard 16-Part Epoxy

[An epoxy applicator with a single push bar and sixteen differently-colored chambers, each labeled]

Resin (coloured beige)

Hardener (mango yellow)

Filler (darker yellow)

Softener (cream)

Rosin (very light red)

Stuff that bonds permanently to skin and nothing else (yellow-dark green)

Stuff that will turn white and crack over a few days, for decorative appearance (light blue)

Placebo (white)

Minced duct tape (grey with a tint of green)

Acetone Fragrance (beige-yellow)

Powdered bar magnets (brown)

Polyethylvinylesteracetate (blue-white)

2-Polyethylvinylesteracetate (blue-white but slightly darker)

Salt and pepper to taste (light grey)

Blood sample from the Gorilla Glue gorillas (red)

Stuff that bonds to every known material except yours (beige)

Template:CSS shortcrop

2026-01-17T21:59:11Z

JohnHawkinson: shorter-to-invoke version of :Template:CSS image crop

User talk:Kynde

2026-01-16T15:48:44Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Cropped images */ thanks. apparently I'm still mad. Oh well, too bad for me.

== Cueball references ==
Hi, please do not remove the Cueball references here. He is a standard character. The category [[:Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] gives just an overview about all comics showing this stick figure. And just one is him, not defined by Randall but by us. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:10, 8 May 2014 (UTC)
:But who should define who Cueball is? You? I could see him as both here. And somebody did. You have just corrected back so that the Cueball in the explain is switched to the other charachter in the transcript. At least one of these should then be changed to match the other. It is thus also clear that people have different views of what Cueball stands for. Is he the one trolling, or is he the one who knows which movie Blade Runner is? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:35, 10 May 2014 (UTC)
:By the way - I did not remove the reference to the chategory - but only in the text as described above. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:38, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

== Minor tags on edits ==
Also, a minor concern, but please be more sparing in your use of "minor" tags on edits. Addition of 1200 characters (e.g. . . m Talk:1496: Art Project‎; 20:04 . . (+1,240)‎ . . ‎Kynde, or . . m 1497: New Products‎; 19:12 . . (-419)‎ . . ‎Kynde →‎Explanation: It does not fit into category four! See new test. I also deleted a lot of text, that already was written below, and was basically the same as the one stille) is NOT minor. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:22, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
::When adding a new comment to the talk page I newer see this as a major change. This i a discussion not a change to the explanation!. I do not believe it was a big change removing the text you wrote, when all of it basically was written below. Try and read your version, and see that it was more or less double. Also I had already once removed the reference to the fourth category. If the guy has signed up he have no problems with this company. Also it is mentioned that the fourth category is not a company he is afraid off, but just someone they do not like. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:42, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

== Thank you ==

I like what you did at [[1402: Harpoons]]. Thank you. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.153|173.245.54.153]]
:You're welcome - I did it based on your comment [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 03:41, 2 August 2014 (UTC)

==[[980: Money]]==
Hey, you've done an amazing job on the money comic's transcript, but the explanation page is still marked as incomplete. Is there actually anything left to be done on it? Thanks! [[User:Davak72|Davak72]] ([[User talk:Davak72|talk]]) 03:04, 3 April 2015 (UTC)
:Thanks allot. I have replied on the Money page where you repeated the above. I can even remember the number although it was some time since I did the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:44, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

== Merge Cueball & Rob ==

You seem to have changed some comics in which formerly more than one cueball appeared to make it such that none were called cueball (e.g. Orb Hammer). But many persist, see transcripts in:
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1405:_Meteor
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/192:_Working_for_Google
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/525:_I_Know_You%27re_Listening
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/187:_The_Familiar
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/79:_Iambic_Pentameter
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/65:_Banter

We should probably seek broader consensus before rewriting all these transcripts. There seems to me to be a general trend to name one "Cueball" and call the others "Friend" or somesuch in these cases and I'm concerned that you seem to want to singlehandedly rewrite all that convention. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:07, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:It is typically the first who writes the transcript who decides who of the Cueballs (or Megans) he feel represents the real Cueball. However, there is no real behavior of Cueball. So who should decide. I could also change these transcripts so it becomes the other character who becomes Cueball, because I think the first transcripter did it wrong. This was exactly what happened with the two Megan-like comics. First it was Megan and Danish. Then unidentified girl and Megan. Then Megan and unidentified girl, then two Megan like girls with short and long hair and finally you reverted it to my first ide: Unidentified girl and Megan. So thanks for showing me these six double Cueball comics. I will change asap. And as I answered your comment on [[1496: Art Project]] Rob is already listed as part of the category for Comics featuring Cueball: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Rob and this is listed as the first entry when going to the page for Category:Comics featuring Cueball: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics_featuring_Cueball Thus he should not be merged--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:21, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:: Can you please add this discussion here [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob]. I have refrained from making these sort of substantial changes and want to seek a broader consensus. Please use the community forum to seek such consensus before making major unilateral changes like that. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:24, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:::Done with interests --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:02, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:: there are dozens of multiple-Cueball comments. Please don't change them to "man 1", "man 2" until we can reach a braoder consensus. I will not be changing them to "Rob" without consensus. This is not something to be done all at once and making that many changes will prompt me to request that an admin freeze your account. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 21:27, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:::I was about to write this before your comment no. two. So this was a reply to your previous comment: "I can post it there, but these changes has been underway a long time for almost a year. But it is hard to find these comics as I do not go through them just to find incidences. How long have you been active in xkcd. I can see your page has been created today, but maybe you were active long before that?"--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:42, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
::::This is a comment to your next comment: "It is very hard to threaten someone like that already. I have been making these changes before, and by the way never to man 1 or man 2. I have been one of the top contributers for more than a year. I hope this is not just because I reverted one of your contributions to Mondays comic? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]21:42, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:::::I didn't want to threaten. I think consistent style is important, and general style I see is in multi-Cueball comics, one is ID'd as Cueball and others are "Friend", etc. Anyone unilaterally changing an established style should seek consensus first.
:::::Additionally, I think your undo on my edit actually improved the explanation.
:::::Finally, if you know how to solicit more opinions on the matter at hand, please let me know (or do it). Thanks! [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 23:53, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
::::::Thanks on the edit appraisal. As I wrote on the talk page, yours was also much better phrased the second time. I do not know how to get anyone to go read your comment except by giving them the message like you did with me. Or putting a link to it from the talk page of the double Megan comic, and maybe on some of the double Cueball comics too. I did not understand the "solicit more opinions" at first (why I wrote that last part in my comment below "how many will read"). So you do realize, I can see now, that not many will. By the way I'm [[Danish]]... That is, I'm neither a mean girl or a pastry cake, but from Denmark. And although I'm, really good at English for everyday use, it is not by far a language I can understand everything. But suddenly I got your message.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:10, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
My only point is we need to wait until consensus is reached before undoing years of precedent in Cueball naming. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 22:38, 11 March 2015 (UTC)
:Well as I have made fairly clear there is no consensus. Because it is up to the first one who writes the transcript to decide who is the friend. And this often leads to discussion or changes forth and back (like we just saw with two Megans) since people have different opinion on how Cueball should behave, since they do not know that Cueball can behave anyway Randall needs him to. Often he reflects Randall's intelligence, but just as often he is a prick behaving horribly towards girls etc. So if there are two, one good and one bad, you cannot say the good one is Cueball. And how many do you think reads your post? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:43, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

I have had a look at the comics you have listed. Here are my comments:
*[[1405:_Meteor]]
**Here I would have changed - since it is believed that Cueball often represents Randall's version of himself - especially when it is his hobby. Of course it is then Randall who is pedantic, and thus Cueball. So I would change the Cueball reference. So here we could have a stupid editing war, instead of writing something else.
*[[525:_I_Know_You%27re_Listening]]
**Here there is only one Cueball speaking. And the other is listening in. So here I would no object so much. Maybe I would mention that the other looks like Cueball.
*[[192:_Working_for_Google]]
**Here I would have changed - since I would think that Cueball should have the most interesting story, and also that this Cueball is Randall as it is known that Randall has an interest in Google and has also been cheated by their aptitude test (so much that he did the famous [[356: Nerd Sniping]]). So also here I would change the Cueball reference. So again stupid editing war, instead of writing something else.
*[[187:_The_Familiar]]
**Here I would have changed - since I would thing that Cueball should be the one always interested in computers. Not the other way. I know there are other comics where he enjoys nature. But Also a lot where he enjoys computers out of hand and math etc. So again I would have changed the Cueball reference. So again stupid editing war, instead of writing something else.
*[[79:_Iambic_Pentameter]]
**Here I agree with the Cueball = Randall - it's Randall my hobby and thus the one with the Hobby is Cueball. But I would still prefer they are not named. some might argue against me on the hobby, saying the Cueball with the hobby is "Randall" so the other Cueball is "Cueball". Thus once more editing war. But I would not start it. But still probably mention that the Cueball with a hobby is Randall.
*[[65:_Banter]]
**What can I say. The first is called Cueball the other is not. They have the same amount of text, and they are obviously both gay and missing out. I would definitely loose the Cueball reference here.
That is my ten cents about these six examples. Maybe we should create a category called multiple Cueballs. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:02, 12 March 2015 (UTC)
:Note that I have not changed any of these... yet. But maybe I should revert those three I think is plain wrong, so the Cueball and friend is changed. Then we can see if anyone changes back? ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:02, 12 March 2015 (UTC)

:::I advise waiting. If you want to enact 4, go for it, but then put in the discussion a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob link] to our discussion for '''all''' the changes you make so hopefully someone besides you and me goes to that page and weighs in.

To answer your question, I've read xkcd for years (I started reading regularly around the time there were ~500 total comics), lurked on explainxkcd and made anonymous minor edits for most of that time. I set up an account in July 2013, when I began making more regular edits.

I recognize that the issue has a large amount of inertia. My point is precisely that there are 9 "Rob" comics and countless Cueball. But, as I stated on the page, there is ample evidence that the same character (Black Hat's friend/roommate, Megan's boyfriend) '''is''' named Rob. I haven't done a count, but I suspect that "Megan" is named in the comic fewer than 9 times, but characters of her appearance are '''all''' called "Megan".

Yes, multiple Megans triggered the idea that's been brewing in my mind since someone (not me) made an anonymous comment on a relatively recent Rob comic [1168: tar]. Since I read that it's been sitting in my mind, but I haven't wanted to make an issue. However, the asymmetry between Megan/Cutie and Rob/Cueball grates for me and I want to urge the community here to evaluate critically whether it is the right thing or an inappropriate historical artifact. Years ago, [Cutie] was abolished (redirects now to [Megan]), I think it's objectively appropriate to make a symmetrical arrangement for Rob/Cueball (hence my options 2 & 3 in the public discussion thread).

For now, if you want to go changing all those comics go ahead. I won't argue or revert, but I request that you put the following (or something close to it) in the discussion of all the comics you change "I've removed the name 'Cueball' from this and several other comics that have multiple Cueball's in them as per my position on the issue currently under discussion at http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob if you support this change or disagree with it, please weigh in on that discussion thread."

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from more users. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:04, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

::::Dear Djbrasier
:(By the way my name is Kynde - that is both my nick and my middle name).
:Thanks for this very open talk. I like you much better now ;-)
:If I do change any of these I will do as you ask. It is not like I have forever to do these changes, although I for sure use too much time already on explain... I think I will add the category:Comics with multiple Cueballs. What do you think of the name if I do (and if I do then maybe also make one with Category:Comics where Megan is named Megan. Please tell me you can think of a better name for that one ;-) I only know of the three now mentioned on [[Megan]]s page.
:As you can see om my page, I have only used explain xkcd since late 2013. So you have been member longer than me by some months. I did not read xkcd before that - became fascinated with the What if section on xkcd and when I finished with those I turned to the comic. But found that I failed to understand quite a few, and thus searched and found this page. I have read them as they come out since then, and then also began reading from no. 1. But since I always look in this page for the explanation and like to contribute I only progress very slowly. Recently I have reached [[540: Base System]] where I have made several improvements additions and corrections. And that is as far as I have reached reading straight fro no. 1. But I have of course used the cross referencing and thus read many in between that and those from October 2013.
:Regards Kynde --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:02, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

::Happy to have the discussion and to get to wiki-know you. I definitely see your points. I added a few comments and links to our public discussion in the hopes that, over time, it will attract more users to the community portal discussion. I suspect it will take some months for enough users to weigh in that we have a reasonable consensus. I think that if you remove "Cueball" from some of the comics you mentioned above and put a link to the portal page in the discussion block of those comments, that will prompt community input.
::Cheers,
::DJ [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:40, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

I also added incomplete tags to a few comics in which I think a strong argument can be made that "Cueball" is really Rob, despite his name not showing up (Boombox & Cover-up) [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:49, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
:Well I disagree again. See the talk pages. But then it is out for discussion.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:19, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

I have changed several of the Multiple Cueballs comics as you said was OK with you. See the new caregory. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:41, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

== xkcloud permalink usernames ==

You said "The user name and user picture stay the same though.", [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1506:_xkcloud&diff=prev&oldid=88207 An Anon] had mentioned that [http://xkcd.com/1506/#post/3c34fb48-1a07-51d2-a81d-5257a3681024 3c34fb48-1a07-51d2-a81d-5257a3681024] had the name "Lauren Ibsen Dolores Amit" and changed to "Margaret5", then by the time I looked at it, it had "Virginia2006". It still has "Virginia2006" now, but since it has changed twice I wouldn't assume it is now permanent. Due to this, I [[1506:_xkcloud/Table of Permalinks|haven't been saving the usernames]]. Could you confirm that you see Virginia2006? Perhaps it's different for each user. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 21:09, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:Yes I did see Virginia2006. I think it may change some times, but then suddenly it could become stable? The permalink used on the main page of the explain, was mine. I noted it was Mark Zuckerberg. But this has changed. But now I think it is stuck on: Destiny1983 and always with the skating "Megan". Can you confirm this: http://xkcd.com/1506/#post/50b47c70-3a7c-504d-bcc0-60597338e999 . Cool that you have collected all these images. Can we put the link under the permalink section. As you can see I'm trying to completely revise the page so it is easier to find the explain and then only see the detail if you are interested. Hope you like these changes --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:27, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
::Yeah, I see Destiny1983 on that one too. I like the changes, they make everything much clearer. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 21:30, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:::Thanks. I was trying to make it easier to write some extra info on your permalink page, and deleted most of them. Luckily they are not deleted permanently. But the page is so big I have trouble loading it. I try to repair my mistake, but else please do so for me, and sorry in advance. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:45, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

::::NP, <tt>&action=history</tt> is a life-saver. I was going to suggest using <tt>&action=edit&section=0</tt>, but I see you've already added a description heading. It also lags pretty badly for me so I expect I'll have to stop at 10000, and I'm already up to 8444 since my last edit to the page. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 22:20, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:::::Yes I think I fixed it but I had to split it in three uploads. How many different pictures do you think there are. I guess some off them are the same? (And same for text). Maybe the last part can be seen by sorting the table. But does the image also have the same name when used more than once? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:33, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

::::::Well, I know of 1419 unique images so far. Yes, both images and text are reused for different permalinks, some come up a lot more frequently than others. If you click the heading, you can sort by either image or text, which will group them together. It's kind of interesting to see different captions for the same image. If you mean the same username, I haven't checked. I also haven't checked whether the same pair of image and text ever appear together as different permalinks, I'll check that <s>eventually</s>, <s>later</s>, ''right now''... nope. I imagine the prompt never even ''suggests'' a caption which is already associated with an image. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 23:27, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

::::::I hit the 2mb page limit at 10217 permalinks, out of the 15000+ I have found, so I've reduced the table to only show each image and text once. As in, ''either'' the image or text once, so there will be a couple of duplicate images and text. So what I said previously about sorting to see different captions for the same image no longer applies, but the page will be more manageable this way. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 13:53, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

::::::: So you think that it will not be possible for anyone to add the same image to the same caption, because this caption will never again come up with this image or the other way around? I can see yo have removed the ? where they where something else like turtles... Nice. What about all the links below? Are they just the other 10.000 links not associated with a new image or caption, just a different combination? If so maybe this should be made clear. You could make a new section heading for them. Would it be possible to list them in any other way, or is this to save space? Alternatively you could make a new subpage with extra permalinks for further study. We of course both know that no one will ever read these again ;-) But nice work anyway. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:17, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

:::::::: So far, I've never found the same image and same caption, but I'll keep checking, as I'm still storing all of the information, just not posting the full list to the wiki now. The other links at the bottom are all 15000+ permalinks I've found, good point about making that more clear. It might also be a good idea to list them on another separate page to save space, but they're not for further study, as I have all the images and captions associated with them, there just isn't room to display all of the information, because it would currently take 3mb+. Regarding the symbols, I was previously pasting my javascript output into my text editor to format them, but now I have my script format them for me, so the symbols are preserved. - and it's also a lot easier for me. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 14:29, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

:::::::: Well, I've hit the 2 megabyte limit again, so it looks like we'll have to put the table on one page and the list of links on another. Any suggestions for the page titles? -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 15:25, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::::::::: You are crazy :-) My suggestion is that you create a new page called Table of Permalink (with the explanation at the top the same, but now linking to the old page, and vice versa for the old page to the new). Then let the list of permalink stay on the old page. And move the table to the new page. Finally, look at what pages direct to the old page, and redirect them to the new, only leaving link to the old page from the new one. The table is most important. The problem with your table is that it is too big for anyone to load... Maybe there should even be another page in between. Which is called - a selection of permalink. And then with link to the full table and links, with a fair warning about huge amount of data (Big data.). My explorer just went down trying to load the page (or maybe I'm just too impatient?) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:36, 24 April 2015 (UTC) (Ah, now it is finished loading...)
:::::::::: Thanks. I haven't tried it in internet explorer, but the table loads okay with Chrome on my laptop I bought 7 years ago. Now that the pages are split, it might load faster for you. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 18:58, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

==[[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript|Hoverboard Transcript]]==

Sorry to ask about such a minor thing, just curious about why the man on the raised plateau can't be a woman. Elsewhere in the comic Darth Vader is seen explaining Steven Universe to someone. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.43|108.162.221.43]] 13:46, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
:Hi - it cold be. But to me it looks like a family. But to be honest I had not expected anyone to change it, and did not notice before I had copy pasted some text in from the document I write the transcript in. But hopefully at some time this family (or whatever) becomes part of the effort to explain the entire comic. My guess is that someone will know who it is - that they are from some TV series or movie. In that case it will become clear if it is (as I assumed) a family with mom and dad and two children or if it is a lesbian couple or something entirely different... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:02, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

::The family resembles the main characters of Steven Universe, a cartoon(the characters being three women and a child) The explanation page also lists them as such(Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems - (x: 551664, y: -567383). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.64|173.245.55.64]] 21:03, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
:::Perfect thanks. Then is makes sense with the Vader reference. Is it the boy who is Steven? And is the low girl also a grown woman? I will look it up but thanks for answering. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:07, 3 December 2015 (UTC)
::::Fixed the transcript. Some of the link I put in, is not supposed to be there, but may be moved once they are explained in the main article.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:20, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

== Hair Bun "Girl" ==

Hi Kynde, I noticed you created the character page for "Hair Bun Girl". This naming convention is inconsistent with most of the other characters named here, e.g. Cueball, Ponytail, Hairy, et al. Beret Guy is a potential counterexample, but the words "guy" and "man" don't have the same relationship as "girl" and "woman". Partly for consistency, and partly for simple feminism, I'd like to open a conversation about changing the character's name please. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:08, 4 February 2016 (UTC)
:I think it is exactly the same as guy vs. girl. Hair Bun Woman is just too cumbersome. But if you can find a name like Ponytail that fits then by all means. Hairbun just doesn't do it for me. But I do not have any specific feelings for this name, I just found that she was used too often to not have a character page. So I will not take offence against you trying to find a better name through a conversation. Contraty to for instance Megan, which once was Cuetie (sexistick I think), it will not be so hard to change Hair Bun Girl's name to something else, but still she has just reached comic no. 20 so it is not easy to find all the references. Are you ready to do that job if you do get a new name for her? Because else it is just semantics --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:20, 4 February 2016 (UTC)
::Thanks, appreciate it. Yes I am ready to do the job. What would you recommend for next steps? Should I raise the issue at http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination? [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:06, 7 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Your welcome, and good luck. Try to see [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|this post]] regarding the naming convention of [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] which much to my joy did not end up in altering anything, but they were "old" names, Hair Bun Girl is new. You could post you suggestion there. And maybe make a note at the top of [[Hair Bun Girl]]'s page? (You can write Notice as a template just like the incomplete. Check out this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Cueball&oldid=92611 old version of Cueball page history]). Now that I think about it '''Hairbun''' is probably as good a name as [[Ponytail]]. So I would think that would be a decent proposal for a change. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:08, 7 February 2016 (UTC)
::::Okay, process started. Thank you for the good wishes and guidance. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 04:31, 9 February 2016 (UTC)

=== Girl With Hairbun? ===

I have identified several comics that have a girl (clearly a child) similar in appearance to Hairbun.
Examples include [[1104: Feathers]], [[1352: Cosmologist on a Tire Swing]] and [[1370: President]]. Would these people be included under Hairbun? Most of them are not marked as such. And what are the requirments to make a new character? I think this girl has appeared rather often. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.42}}
:Hi. If you look at the description for [[Hairbun]] it clearly states that she is an adult as are Ponytail and Cueball etc. So no, these examples should not be included in Hairbun category. If you look at the last entry on the talk page of President I suggested a children category. But I would agree that a category with curious girl or science girl could be relevant. She is also in [[1611: Baking Soda and Vinegar]] for instance. If there are about five comics that could go in a new category it is just to create it. The naming is important though. See othere categories for what to write on the category page. I have made several including Hairbun --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:12, 27 May 2016 (UTC)
::Thanks for your input. I think I will be creating this category soon. Since most of the names seem to refer to the hairstyles (they are recognizable) I think I'll be going with the name "Double Bun Girl".

== Marking edits as minor edits ==
Hey, I noticed that you mark lot of your edits as minor edits while most of them aren't. For example, [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645%3A_Toasts&diff=112997&oldid=112996 this]] and probably [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=113008 this]] too constitute as a minor edit, but these - [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=112997 [1]]], [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=113003 [2]]], [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1645:_Toasts&diff=next&oldid=113009 [3]]], etc. aren't minor edits. Refer to the wikipedia guidelines for minor edits - {{w|Help:Minor_edit}}.
::Examples include typographical corrections, formatting and presentational changes, and rearrangements of text without modification of its content. A minor edit is one that the editor believes requires no review and could never be the subject of a dispute.
Basically, if you are adding/removing even a little bit of content, it is not minor. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 23:31, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

Oh, and how in the world is [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Thing_Explainer&curid=16286&diff=113034&oldid=113033 this ]] and [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1608:_Hoverboard&curid=16986&diff=113019&oldid=113013 this ]] minor !! [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 23:47, 21 February 2016 (UTC)
:Sorry about that. I just updated my settings where it had been set to default: "Mark all edits minor by default". If I by mistake click OK to an update before clicking that off it was to late. But now it will be the other way instead. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:19, 22 February 2016 (UTC)
::Cool, no worries. It happens. I was just surprised that everything was marked minor. Anyway, keep up the good work. I see that you're finishing up all the incomplete explanations and improving comics in general. Great work ! :) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 01:04, 23 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Thanks for the support, nice to get some feedback. Also great that someone mentions when you are doing something the wrong way. I had only limited experience with wiki pages before signing up here, and I had not read the wiki page on minor edits, but now I have. How come you have chosen not to have an account? Seems like you also make several comments and changes... which is great ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:11, 23 February 2016 (UTC)

== Please create the discussion page for today's comic. ==
Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 15:02, 7 March 2016 (UTC)
:Well just did that (for [[1652: Conditionals]]) but not because I saw this comment, just before. I guess it is not possible for no registered users to create pages? Well I fulfilled your wish before I knew about it ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:05, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

== Moving comments around ==
Please do not move people's comments into unrelated discussions without asking them, and if you do, make sure the timestamps in the reply chain aren't out of order. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 20:36, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:I expect you were referring to [[Talk:1659: Tire Swing]]? Well all comments I moved were regarding the same question of who the girls looked like, and they should have been posted as replies to the first. There were no time stamp on the first comment and your post asking if they were children were posted straight under a post about if they were Megan and Hair Bun girl or Thelma and Louise. So I do believe your comment belong under that statement. But fine by my that it just stand beneath instead of being indented. The time stamp of all comments seem to be in time order as I see it. It would get really confusing or I would have to make the same reply three times if they were not together. The comments in between were not at all related and there should be no confusion. So I think it made the discussion page much more useful what I did.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:52, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
::Well I don't know about the other users, but I know for a fact that mine wasn't in response to the first one. I don't even know what the first one said, I just moved it from the explanation to comment page. And mine was posted immediately after it because I was chronologically the second comment made. I had no reason to wait (interestingly, you moved someone else's comment so that I was replying to it, even though it didn't exist when I posted.) [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 00:41, 24 March 2016 (UTC)
:::I cannot see that what you say is true about moving your comment. I just checked the history and here is what I found: 
'''This was what it looked like before my changes:''' 
--- 
the women do not look like Megan and Hair Bun Girl to me, are they new?
sorry for commenting here, but I do not have rights to create a new page, which seems to be necessary for posting the fire comment. Will move once the comment section is created.

I think they are Thelma and Louise (from the movie) given the looks of their hair {{unsigned|Chichak|March 23, 2016}}

I think they're children [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:33, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Maybe they got the truck from Black Hat's garage? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:34, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

I have yet to use a tire swing that was made from a worn tire (worn by the road not by swinging). From my experience, expired tires used by automobiles typically have sharp metal protruding from the rubber. This would make a dangerous tire swing. I thought landscaping (rubber mulch) and playgrounds was the preferred recycling method for used tires?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:35, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

The first one certainly looks like Hair Bun, but the second one (which in in the explanation is presented as Megan) has a somewhat curly hair. Could she be another character, perhaps? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.166|108.162.218.166]] 17:05, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
 --- 
'''This what it looked like after:''' 
--- 
the women do not look like Megan and Hair Bun Girl to me, are they new?
sorry for commenting here, but I do not have rights to create a new page, which seems to be necessary for posting the fire comment. Will move once the comment section is created.
:I think they are Thelma and Louise (from the movie) given the looks of their hair {{unsigned|Chichak|March 23, 2016}}
::I think they're children [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:33, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:::The first one certainly looks like Hair Bun, but the second one (which in in the explanation is presented as Megan) has a somewhat curly hair. Could she be another character, perhaps? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.166|108.162.218.166]] 17:05, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
::::As the tire comes from a truck and it's diameter is more than half the height of these small girls they are definitely kids (not that Randall could not have made adults make a swing as like in [[150]]). Also this makes it much more funny that they both stole a car and beat up an angry adult. And now they are going all environmental after wards. So they are not Megan (which looks nothing like a curly haired girl) and also not Hair Bun Girl as it is defined that these characters are adults. There are many stories using kids and they will never represent Cueball, Megan or Ponytail etc. Those with hats are for instance never drawn small! Have thus corrected the explanation. But it still seems to miss much more on the environmental issue which is the subject/point of the comic if not the joke --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:19, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Maybe they got the truck from Black Hat's garage? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:34, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:Then they would have lost the fight: [[433: Journal 5]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:22, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

I have yet to use a tire swing that was made from a worn tire (worn by the road not by swinging). From my experience, expired tires used by automobiles typically have sharp metal protruding from the rubber. This would make a dangerous tire swing. I thought landscaping (rubber mulch) and playgrounds was the preferred recycling method for used tires?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:35, 23 March 2016 (UTC)
:I think you are correct. We have one for our kids (though it sucked and we took it down again) and that was a brand new tire, but not one I think would be suitable for any car though. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:22, 23 March 2016 (UTC) 
--- 
'''As can be seen'''
:::I have only moved one comment up, and that was not yours! That you did not check that there already seemed to be two comments above yours, about the appearance of the girls, doesn't mean that it would not make sense to pool all these questions and comments regarding exactly this topic together to give just one answer. And as you can see from the above '''I did NOT move your comments''', but I moved someone else's comment, in between the first and second of your comments, to be able to reply to all four things already written about the girls (ie. 1) The women do not look like Megan and Hair Bun Girl to me, are they new? 2) I think they are Thelma and Louise (from the movie) 3) I think they're children and 4) ... a somewhat curly hair. Could she be another character?) All that was what I replied to, now possible to do in one go right beneath all four remarks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:47, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
::::There was only one comment before mine, and it was 2 paragraphs. You moving the second half into a reply of the first half caused some of the confusion here [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 06:54, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
:::::OK now I understand, so it was not your comment I moved, but the previous comment that I split in two (that was a mistake). That you did not answer to the comment above was of course not clear since it was on the same subject. Again this, as I understand it, was caused by someone posting a comment in the explanation, and you moving it into the comments section (which was fine, but made it hard to find out who posted what.) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:58, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

== Gardening ==

You mention "three links to images that did not work" in my "garden store for deer" entry. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:UploadStash/thumb/13xmd97bimg0.n2wbws.5455.png/739px-13xmd97bimg0.n2wbws.5455.png These]
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:UploadStash/thumb/13xn667h2jlw.jonmk1.5455.png/739px-13xn667h2jlw.jonmk1.5455.png three]
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:UploadStash/thumb/13xod68rb29s.7fj65u.5455.png/739px-13xod68rb29s.7fj65u.5455.png links]
all work for me; they are images I tried to upload, scaled as large as the server would allow (739x461). Somehow I can upload images but not create image pages (also the spam protection is still triggered, so creating this account seems to accomplish nothing). It's very strange that the server has stored them but won't allow anyone else to view them (after logging out, it tells me I "must be logged in to upload files" instead of displaying the images). Someone should rescue the images from wherever they reside on the server.

The "face" I referred to (the second image) is really a cluster of leaves and branches: the bottom cluster of the rightmost tree looks like a head in profile, with curly hair, an eye, a grinning mouth, and a prominent nose. The two rightmost trees started with no branches (first image), but grew several when I placed a light above them. I moved the light so the face wouldn't be destroyed and tried to grow branches on the lower trunks. The third image is essentially the same as what you uploaded today.

Regarding Megan's office furniture: I'd actually pruned her second wand whenever it appeared, and then the bird took its place. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 15:29, 8 April 2016 (UTC)
:Hi .42 First I think it take a few days (three) before you are allowed to create new pages to fight off spam boots that we have had problems with. I cannot see you images I get the following message:
:'''Internal Server Error'''
:'''This file (13xmd97bimg0.n2wbws.5455.png) doesn't belong to the current user.'''
:Cool that you have logged in as a user, although poor name ;-) On the other hand if you are a fan of Hitchhikers Guide then I guess it would be cool enough by the way. I'm happy to see that I finally get a chance to prune some of my gardens after several upsets since the comic came out. If I can help you with the images let me know. Maybe you can post them somewhere else and I can find upload them for you? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:34, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

::I'll try to upload tomorrow, then. I don't know where the server found the .42 IP address — that isn't my address! It's ''really weird'' that it chose this number. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 16:18, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Have you seen libra's [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=114415&start=480#p3954408 purple light] gardens? [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 22:58, 11 April 2016 (UTC)
:No I had not. I like the stilt on platform up in tree. I did not know this could happen. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:24, 12 April 2016 (UTC)

== [[1703: Juno|NASA versus the press]] ==
Hi Kynde. I'm afraid I disagree. It seems pretty clear to me that the question about the tip-off comes from NASA. I've added a topic to the talk page, where I explain my reasoning, and where this should be discussed if you still disagree. Thanks! [[User:Garik|Garik]] ([[User talk:Garik|talk]]) 16:52, 6 July 2016 (UTC)
:Yes I still disagree. To me it seems like a continuation of the conference and it is now the press to speak. And given that I knew Juno to be related to Jupiter but not that she was the daughter of Saturn (and given the reason for the naming in the real world) I would not say that the name in any way would lead anyone to take it as a hint for going to Saturn. But great to discuss it. Will post this on the [[Talk:1703:_Juno|talk page]] too. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:21, 6 July 2016 (UTC)

== 1712: Politifact ==
Hi, I'm the BOT and I'm BORG...

...nevertheless your enhancement to the transcript was too much. And I think your enhancements to the explain section is also overrunning the target.

But I just only did revert the transcript. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:19, 28 July 2016 (UTC)
:HI BORG... :/
:I Highly disagree with your changes.
:A transcript serves several functions:
#To make it possible to find out what any text/characters reads, even if it is hard to read in the comic.
#To make a description of what happens in the images. This has two purposes:
##So people with eye disabilities can find out what the comic is about. So here a full description of the comic is needed apart from the text.
##So it is possible to search the comic for info on the content, like a woman with a hat with a white tag.
#Finally it is great if the transcript represents the way it is written in the comic as close as possible including colors (which should also be described in the text for those that cannot see them selves). So tables, colors and formatting is fine. If the text then is harder to read it is possible to copy paste it.
:I can see there may have been a bit of explanation in that I wrote about what Megan did in the previous panel, but that is not enough to just undo the whole thing.
:I will reinsert the transcript and if you disagree then lets discuss either on that comic or in a general fora on what a transcript should contain.
:Regards, just Kynde. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:16, 29 July 2016 (UTC)

== Follow-Up on that "Random Chat" ==
Hey dude! Uh... wow this is awkward. You said hi to me in the random chat on my user page. I said hi. Then we never said anything else to each other again. xD --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 16:07, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
:Hi Jay. Not so awkward. :-) I mean you just said thanks, and thus did not really initiate any chat. Do you have anything in mind? Like something to be improved here on explain? Something larger maybe that could need discussion. Or anything else... Problem is of course that when I chat to you here, you do not get any reminder like when I chat on your page and visa versa. So I will make a post on your page that I have answered here... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:04, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
::Well, by that, I just meant a simple random chat. Like a "hey! how are you doing? that's nice... what do you like to do in your free time..?" kind of chat. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 14:18, 26 October 2016 (UTC)
:::Ah well, I guess I would not really like to have such a chat on these pages, so sorry that I misunderstood you. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:19, 26 October 2016 (UTC)
::::It's alright.. also.... HAPPY HALLOWEEN! :D --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 14:41, 31 October 2016 (UTC)
:::::Wow... it's (almost) a whole year since then. Time sure flies by, huh? --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 12:34, 9 October 2017 (UTC)
::::::Yes that is true. Actually more since the first contact ;-) Haven't been so active the last half year. :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:22, 11 October 2017 (UTC)

== [[1751: Movie Folder]] ==

Assuming that Black Hat only has good movies is rather absurd, as there's not a shred of evidence to support this. Especially since this is Black Hat we're talking about. Therefore, there's no evidence that Titanic 98 is about the ship hitting the reef, and therefore, the calculations about stacking 97 ships have no relevance. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.79.81|172.68.79.81]] 15:06, 1 November 2016 (UTC)
:Since this is relevant to a specific comic, I suggest that you just leave this comment on that specific comic's discussion board. Thank you. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 15:13, 1 November 2016 (UTC)
::Yes that is true Jay. Anyway there is reason to believe that Black Hat either thinks or teases Cueball with his movies, and thus he suggest that the movies he has are god. Also the other comment he makes suggest this. So I think there is a lot of evidence that this movie 98 is one in the series of movies where Titanic hits the reef of older Titanics. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:05, 2 November 2016 (UTC)
:::Cueball names 7 movies, Black Hat replies to 4 of those. He has definitively positive things to say about 2 of those, and simply states information about another. In that context, there's no reason to assume his comment about the Titanic series should be interpreted as a claim that he considers Titanic 98 to be 'good'. And with only 2 of the other 6 known movies in his collection being stated as 'good', that's clearly not "a lot of evidence" that Titanic 98 is 'good'. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.86|108.162.237.86]] 21:24, 3 November 2016 (UTC)
::::Well we disagree on that then. If the explanation should be changed on the basis of this discussion it should be moved to the relevant discussion page. If it is the same person who wrote from both IP .81 and .86 you could move it there your self. Feel free to include my replies, but leave out Jays as that has nothing to do with the discussion. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:56, 4 November 2016 (UTC)
:::::[[Talk:1751: Movie Folder#Titanic XCVIII|Done]]. (Yes, .81 and .86 were me) --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.86|108.162.237.86]] 16:57, 4 November 2016 (UTC)

== Transcript TLDR; ==
*I got so tired of Dgbrt's negative comments (TLDR;), that I have collapsed them here below. Fell free to read them if you really wish by clicking: --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:00, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
Please stop to write this massive texts into the transcript. Have a look at the discus at the last (1798) comic. And also think about that you are the only one who is entering those massive explains perhaps also nobody does read. LESS is often MORE! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:43, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Maybe. I was under the impression that they where both there for those that had problems with vision, and also so you could search on something you remembered from a comic and find it using that tool. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::Even visually impaired persons don't like it (see 1798). And TLDR means "too long; didn't read", just in case. You should consider this. Reading the transcript should not take much longer than identifying the features from picture itself. Every spoken text and a short description what is shown should be suffice. At [[1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones]] even not every county must be mentioned; showing differences to a regular map projection should be enough because everybody knows a regular world map. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:44, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I completely disagree about only writing spoken text. The transcript is intended to make it possible to read all text in the image not just spoken text. It is often difficult to read all text, and also if people misread it or do not notice it by looking at the image, it will be there to find in the transcript, especially for those visually impaired. And what you said means there should be no transcript for the current comic [[1799]] where you linked to this discussion from. By the way I know what TLDR means, and also did not ask about it, if you noticed! I have seen it used here before, probably regarding something you wrote! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:33, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::I agree with Dgbrt. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:50, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I expect mainly people who agree comes here, as people who are not troubled by it, might not care enough. ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:33, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::::The first criticism was done by a visually impaired person (Zetfr 23:11, 13 February 2017 (UTC)) at [[Talk:1798:_Box_Plot]]. That was the reason for me to start this discussion.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::::Yes thanks for pointing that out. I had not read his comments when I replied before. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:13, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::Another reason for detailed transcripts with image descriptions is that sometimes people have misunderstood what is in the image, and then a transcript can be used to make sure what is there. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:33, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::All that may go into the explain section; it doesn't belong to the transcript.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::::Yes maybe, but will the visibly impaired not also be annoyed about it there. Then maybe in a trivia section if there is need. I will try that for [[1798]] I think. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:13, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Maybe not known to all. In the past Randall provided a transcript on each comic. It is in a hidden div-tag. Then something went wrong and the transcript actually belonged to an older comic. Right now there is no transcript anymore. But have look at this example (shown on https://xkcd.com/1664/ for https://xkcd.com/1662/):
<pre>
[[Two children, a girl and a boy, are talking to an adult woman as they walk away from her. The boy has a bucket.]]
Girl: Me and Jack are going up the hill to fetch a pail of water.
[[The children have left; the woman calls after them.]]
Woman: Okay, have fun! [[The woman stands and thinks.]]
Woman: ... wait. What the heck is going on with the hydrology around here?
{{Title text: Jill and Jack began to frack. The oil boosts their town. But fractures make the bedrock shake and Jack came tumbling down.}}
</pre>
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:07, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Yes I tried to include this on explain xkcd by making a [[xkcd#Transcript_on_xkcd|description]] of it on the [[xkcd]] page some weeks ago. Transcript are of course even more important now that there are no longer transcripts on xkcd. The first problem arose after the [[Hoverboard]] comic where the transcript for all comics after that was shifted two and later three comics from the one they belonged to. The last of those shifted transcript ended with [[1674]] whose transcript was found three comics later at [[1677]]. But also comics with transcript needs a better transcript here on xkcd, to include other written text, and small important details, as well as we are using given names for characters which Randall has never used (or only rarely uses). Actually Randall has once made a direct link to Explain xkcd for a better transcript. Alas there was not transcript until this year, where I made it: See this [[Payloads#Trivia|trivia]] under [[Payloads]].--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:16, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

I'm glad this discussion is finally taking place. I raised the point a while back on [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#purpose_of_detailed_transcripts the community portal] but nobody noticed. I tried again on [[1795]] but attention had already moved on to the next comic... Seems I got it right this time ;-)
Different people may have different uses for the transcripts. For me, being visually impaired, the right level of detail is that of Randall's official transcripts. It should include every written word in the comic (spoken, printed, in captions, etc.) and just enough information on what's going on to "get it", but not how things are drawn. E.g. "Cueball is talking to Megan", not "Cueball, on the left, has his right arm extended towards Megan who is sitting on a chair" (unless the chair somehow plays a part in the story). Imagine you're talking on the phone: "hey, I saw a great comic this morning, here is how it goes..." and then "tell" yor friend the joke, rather than "describe" the comic. BTW, I think this also serves your goal of being able to search old comics for a specific element. The element you'll remember will be something important to the comic's story, not a graphical detail such as a character's position or the number of lines drawn around his hand to indicate movement. Anyway, thanks for the good work!! Zetfr 16:18, 16 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for the input, especially to Zetfr. I had not seen your comment on 1795 or in the community portal. I'll have a look, and thanks to Dgbrt for letting me know about your latest comment. I will try to keep out the details in the transcript. For me personally I have often been looking for a specific thing, like searching for the comic where Cueball stands on a chair with a sword or rotates in an office chair. As I could not remember any lines spoken, and because those making the transcript had not mentioned either spinning office chair, or sword, I could not search my way to them even in this explain page. I have found them later, but by chance. And then I put in the details. Maybe I have gotten carried away, so sorry about that. I think the details somehow belongs, but if that should be in the trivia, or at the bottom of the transcript...? I'm not sure, which was also why I put it in the transcript. Being the one who makes the most edits and also hard work (large tables, and huge transcripts) I'm happy Zetfr likes the page :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:09, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
::I have changed the transcript for [[1795]] putting the details into a subesection of the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:38, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Hi Kynde, I still disagree with this subsection solution. You don't have to repaint the picture by text! If a detail is important for understanding a pun it has to be mentioned in the transcript itself; otherwise it is useless and oversized. E.g.: Nobody wants to know -- and wont remember later -- if there are two, three, four, or five sound symbols and how they are painted. The single word "SOUND" describes all. And please consider: Nobody reads those long texts. LESS is often MORE!.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:04, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
::::Hi Dgbrt. We can movie it into a trivia. I think some of it is relevant, and sometimes it is hard to find out which part will be searched for later. But I guess we two alone would end in a [[1800: Chess Notation|½-½]] for this discussion so far... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:41, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:::::I completely agree with Dgbrt. The transcript should say *what* Randall wants to tell us, not *how* he tells it. In most cases this should also work to let you search for details you remember. In your example, Cueball holding a sword is certainly important to the comic's point, so it should be mentioned in the transcript. But the length and position of the sword are irrelevant, and probably not what you'll search for. Obviously, there is no hard rule to decide what should or shouldn't go into the transcript, it's a matter of personal judgment and common sense, but I think we can all agree on general guidelines. Regarding the "Detailed image description" section tested in [[1795]], I have no problem with that. I'm not sure it will ever be useful to anyone, but it won't do any harm either, so if you're willing to put in the extra work, go for it. Zetfr 12:17, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
::::::Thanks Zetfr. About the extra details, they could be put into a section where you had to press to see the extra details. I do not know if a reader will pass over that. For instance like I have done with explanation for several categories like [[:Category:New Year]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:12, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

Nice find for [[1461:_Payloads]], I didn't now Randall refers to this wiki. According to ''web.archive.org'' that hint was entered between 2015-01-25 and 2015-02-07 and refers to the entire wiki page, not only "our" transcript. So it's absolutely NOT embarrassing as you wrote in the trivia section. I'm setting an incomplete tag for the transcript and trivia section and edit it tomorrow (18th Feb). I will let you know what I've done and why. Stay tuned...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:59, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:The rework on [[1461:_Payloads]] is done. But I didn't remove the incomplete tag. That's up to you. Like Zetfr I'm not sure it will ever be useful to anyone, but the larger description on a separate page would be acceptable to me. Furthermore I've done some investigations on Randalls links to this wiki and put it together in a new category: [[:Category:Explain_mentioned_by_Randall]].--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:57, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
::Thanks both for the "nice find" and for reworking Payloads, and especially for the new category. Great find. I will look at the other examples soon. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:12, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

Many thanks by me for this positive and productive discussion. It seems there are some more former transcripts which need a rework. I personally will focus on checking all the JSON-scripts I downloaded today (1799 at all; ofcourse 404 doesn't exist; and exactly seven contain the word "explainxkcd"). I will write a small script to put them into a human readable form and present it somewhere here for further use. Stay tuned... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:45, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks Dbgrt. And really cool how you made that new category. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:14, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

== [[xkcd]] page and subpages ==

You moved some contented into subpages which doesn't make it better. There is no need to describe in [[Design of xkcd.com]] a layout everybody can see. The lemma "Design" requires just a few lines of text but you repeat all the "Content". And just for interest: Before the redirect to https was in place (a few weeks ago) there was language specific advertising for the shop. I'm looking forward for a better and more compressed form on all of this. Any suggestions?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:07, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
:Hi Dgbrt. My reason for making this page, is that the links, the comics, the headline, the byline, the warning etc. all changes with time, and I would like users of this site to have easy access to earlier links. Just like we have a category for the fotter comics (which I by the way did not make, but enjoyed, because I never thought absolute that he must have had them before all those five comics had been published and that they thus must have changed). So I thought similar things would be nice to have for changes to the layout and hence I decided to describe it. Maybe it was too much, but I like to have the archive links to changes. And since I had already done lots of work on this, I just copied all the new text to another page, to not delete it. And yes as I have said on Davidy's page I should not have put it on the xkcd page to begin with. But when I started I had no idea it would end up soooo long. Waiting to hear your comments on this info, before going further with suggestions. But thanks for asking. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:16, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
::All those pages are on my agenda; your edit or not. I don't care. But I will not delete any content without an agreement. I will present something in a sandbox at my user page. You are welcome there (not before tomorrow). And consider, this wiki is not a backup for archive.org.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:56, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I think this wiki is for explaining xkcd, not just the comics. I believe you agree as I have seen on Davidy's talk page. And major changes or important revisions to the main page is important in my opinion. For instance I'm sad to see that the [[xkcd warning]] has gone from xkcd, and think it is important to let it be know it was there for many years. Where to do so? And how to find it if you did not know about it? There need to be a place that links to it, directly or indirectly through the xkcd page. I look forward to see you [[Time|sand castle]]. :-) Please leave a comment here when you have something you wish me to see, with a link. Regarding you answer to my comment, I meant that I would hear what you had to say before I came with suggestions. Not that you should not do anything before I made one. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:08, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

== I am still calm... ==

...why I shouldn't? You see things inspiring others to see more things... (<- you would wrote 500 words for this) and you are still not able to put the pun on the top of an explanation. Keep your focus on the pun, not on every Million possibilities behind the drawing. And you can be sure I will have an eye on this because this is NOT "dreamingxkcd".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:15, 4 March 2017 (UTC)
:Well I'm not! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:09, 7 March 2017 (UTC)

== Aggressive edits ==

While I was talking to others about the explanation and the transcript for more than 24 hours you need only one hour to change everything that was discussed before. Again all red is yours: [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1810%3A_Chat_Systems&diff=137245&oldid=137225 1810: Chat Systems changes]. Editors, mainly not me, don't like it when all their work is changed after you finished your edits. Please respect other editors! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:50, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:I do not change everything. I add. But we are obviously not going to agree on this. I would prefer not to discuss with you. How do yo know what the others like or not. In the discussions we have had I found more against your way of communication than against my edits. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:57, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::Massive changes and you call it add??? So tell me your adds and explain how all they other changes happened. I will add a sentence to the comic discussion because it's senseless here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:14, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Yes it is. And it is a real shame that you have decided to know how this wiki should be. Hope that Davidy soon tells one of us to back off. If it is me then I will have to take it into account. So far he has only had nice things to say to me about my work here, which is not what I have seen regarding your work. Have you read the other users that calls your tone negative/aggressive or even worse? I have really tried to speak nicely to you, but you never seems to accept any edits I do. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:21, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
::::Your "Citation needed" template add to my text is just one example for what I call aggressive. Hiding four paragraphs is an other.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:09, 14 March 2017 (UTC)
</div>
 

== Possible Issues with Updating Old Comics ==

I know you spent a lot of time making edits to many older comics, so I thought you might have some input on one that I'm thinking needs a change - 38 Apple Jacks. I noticed you edited it a little a couple years ago. It's the one where the father tells his son they don't taste like apples, and his son tells him off.

The title text description says it appears to be another case of Randall explaining the comic to readers who don't know about the old commercial, but I think it might be the father telling the son why he was saying that to him. I think it's worth at least adding, if not totally replacing the current description, but I see you had previously added to it during your edits.

How would you handle that type of change, if it were you? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:38, 3 April 2018 (UTC)
: Hi Ianrbibtitlht
:I disagree with the idea you have. And my reason for that is based in the original quote from Randall when posting this comic to live journal where he asks:
::"Who else remembers those commercials?"
::See the comics [[38:_Apple_Jacks#Trivia|Trivia section]].
::To me indication that since no one did, he added the explanation in the title text.
:The son dismissed his father completely, and I do not think the father goes on.
:And since many of xkcd's readers may not know the reference he explains it in the title text.
:He did the same with the title text in [[30: Donner]], which is what is refereed to in the title text explanation. I have added links between these two examples. There may be more.
:Of course you are free to add an alternative explanation, and see if any one notices enough to complain about/remove it. ;-)
:--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:57, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

::I appreciate the feedback. I don't feel strongly enough to modify it at this point but thought it might be an added insight that nobody had thought about! ;-) [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:57, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

:::Thanks for asking, by the way. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:46, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

== Need help ==
A few things. Several people have mentioned that ReCAPTCA v1 has expired, and something needs to be done about that. But no one has replied to the admin forum, so not sure what is going on. Are there even any admins still here? Seems like they've all disappeared. And should we create a new forum for questions and things like that? And if all the admins have left, should there be like more admins or something like that? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 07:51, 8 April 2018 (UTC)
:Hi
:I haven't any idea about ReCAPTCA and Im not an admin. But yes if there is no one that replies it is a problem. Davidy is the obe I have had discussions with but he did not reply the last two times I wrote. Don't know if DGBRT with the BOT has any knowledge that can be used. Try those two. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:30, 9 April 2018 (UTC)
::FYI, we still have admins here and there will be a major update soon at one of the next weekends. BTW, I prefer it in lowercase: dgbrt - like xkcd--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:16, 16 April 2018 (UTC)
:::Thanks for the info dgbrt, and it sounds greawt. (Your signature is with capital D but that is maybe just as the username? I will use dgbrt from now on). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:08, 23 April 2018 (UTC)

== All is red again - you changed everything according to the diff ==

Hi, look at [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1981%3A_Rickrolling_Anniversary&diff=155913&oldid=155905 your edits] and tell me how someone can see what you have changed. Please keep your changes to smaller parts.

And beginning an explanation with a youtube link which even doesn't work in some countries like Germany is also not a god start to an explanation. I'm referring to your edits above. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:27, 16 April 2018 (UTC)
:OK, sorry about that. I will try to make smaller changes. The link was not one I put in, I just moved it to the beginning to rickroll someone - it was a joke... Of course if the link did not work I can understand why you did not get Rickrolled. But the link had already been included in the explanation before my edits. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:24, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
::Thanks for your understanding, "all is red..." was the reason why I started this section, the video link was meant as a minor remark and that it doesn't work in Germany is even less important for the explanation.
::But I didn't understand your joke. So what do you think about changing all the internal links like [[Cueball]] to rickroll the readers - of course only less important links.
::BTW: Around 2009 and some years later the German GEMA Mafia tried to block all music content until they got the money. Even dashcam videos from the meteorite incident in Chelyabinsk were blocked when you could hear something from the radio in the car. This has changed and newer uploads are now available to me (including Rick). --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:02, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:::The joke was that this comic was about rickrolling and the link was to the ricrolling youtube video... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:30, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

I just tried to make several smaller changes, and it was much more difficult to me, with the risk of making mistakes... But have a look at this then: [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1982:_Evangelism&action=history Evangelism history].--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:45, 19 April 2018 (UTC)
:I like that but the development of this comic explanation is funny and not a typical one. Many vast changes were done after your comment here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:01, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
::Well happy you do. Most of the changes were improvement, but often based on or improving parts I had edited (well I had edited most parts ;-) What I meant was that some of the good changes only came about because of the changes I had done in the first place. Still seems we need a citation for primates opening at the "wrong" end though? {{unsigned|Kynde}}
:::You know I'm a fan of short explanations just covering what's in the comic. And in [[1982: Evangelism]] there is no "wrong banana end" mentioned. It just mentions "the other" - which is of course always "wrong". The title text then indeed refers to a schism in Europe - the Americans weren't much developed by that time (excepting the natives).
:::BTW: My major workload here right now is working on the health of this wiki. You probably haven't seen my latest comment five days ago just a section above. We will get an update soon. Stay tuned.
:::BTW2: You have forgotten to sign your comment ;)
:::--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:19, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
::::Yes we are not fan of the same type of explanations we have covered that. I believe that the majority of humans do peel the banana from the opposite end of that cited (without citations) to what primates do... I'm not sure there is any year for the schism in Europe so who knows how developed the US was at that time. Bananas is a rather new thing in Europe I believe!
::::And no I had not seen that comment, probably same time you posted this comment thread? But sounds great! Are you an admin now? And do you have any contact with Davidy... He went off the xkcd explain grid long time ago.
::::I have amended my mistake and will sign this time ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:12, 23 April 2018 (UTC)

== You blanked the page [[1996]] ==

A you can see [[Talk:1995: MC Hammer Age|here]] "I decided to let it stay there as it is but on Monday that redirect will AND must be overwritten in the meaning of a comic number." That blank page isn't better than my decision. Beginning on Monday the number 1996 MUST be used for navigation (i.e. Comic Number) and nothing else.

Other future comics will be: 1999, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2038. That's all!

All those future comics (by number) - beginning with 1996 on Monday - AND that older ones (by name) should have a disambiguation line on top when the comic number overrides that name.

The problem is the logic at this wiki. While at xkcd the number and name have different meanings and navigation is only done by number it's not true here. While <nowiki>https://xkcd.com/1996</nowiki> will lead to the next future comic and is unique the link <nowiki>https://explainxkcd.com/1996</nowiki> could mean number OR name. We also use the number for navigation, so the abbreviation in the meaning as a comic name can not be supported for those eight comics. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:58, 19 May 2018 (UTC)
:Hi DBBRT
:I first saw your comments after I had blanked it. And I thought it was better to avoid confusion over the weekend. So I did not return it. I think it could be better to already now remove those page re-directions for the comics you mention now, to avoid confusion on all those numbers... A lot of those the next 20 comic or so. We already had a similar situation with [[1337]], because of the LEET comic series. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:15, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
::Read my future comic list above, it's only seven. And the blank page confused some users also. Nevertheless I will change the comic template, navigation to the right will not be shown when the target is greater than the LATESTCOMIC. The BOT will update those redirects anyway. I just prefer some tests at home to figure out the best solution before editing here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:53, 23 May 2018 (UTC)
:::Well, I think 7 times confusing in 20 comics is a lot, but I can read that you are working on avoiding it, so that is great. I'm very impressed by your bot, but then again I have very little programming experience and it was back in my days as a PhD Student around 2002... (Pascal...) Great you have made it and keep improving it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:06, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
::::Thanks for your kind words. I still don't understand the 20, it's only seven comics and I've changed the global comic template so that this is SOLVED now. There is no link to [[1999]] in the navigation bar today. But on Monday my bot will update that page in the meaning of a comic number and the right navigation in [[1998: GDPR]] will be shown. FYI: I'm a professional programmer. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:04, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::Must have been unclear. I meant that over the next 20 comics, there would have been this issue 7 times i.e. about once every week, and I found that it could have caused confusion a lot in those 7 weeks. But now you have solved this with you prof. programmer skills. ;-) So there is no longer any problems. Great work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:04, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
::::::Thanks for your kind words. And I've done more: Embedding pictures from Commons works again and it's now also possible to change the size. See my latest edit here [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] which uses this statement <nowiki>[[File:DBCooper.jpg|thumb|150px|Cooper]]</nowiki>. That image is not uploaded here, click at it in the comic and you will see. I've mentioned this in the Community portal. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:07, 27 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::::Cool. I'm not sure how this works. Looks at first like the image is on the local wiki but I can see it is not so. But how does this works. Can you write the "File" formula for any picture name on commons and then get it embedded here like that? It is beyond my computer skills :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:02, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
::::::::When the picture isn't here it's searched on Commons. When it's found it's only cached at this wiki. In general it works like a local file. This did already work in the past until it was broken. But now we also can change the size, play with that 150px in the preview. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:15, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::::::Thx --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:08, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

== Why you still focus on that SAD comics? ==

I focus on all edits done here and your edits are minor (there are much more edits here needing some attention), nonetheless I would be happy to find a solution on that ''sad'' thoughts are in your mind. I respect your thoughts, but that trivia at ''[[1756: I'm With Her]]'' really dohttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User_talk:Kyndees not belong to that comic at all. It was deleted before, you reverted that -- by not reading or ignoring the discussion page -- and I just want to prevent an edit war. Furthermore I removed your statement about "trolls" at the discussion page because that's not polite.
*And now
**I start
***with
****your layout
*****You see???
Try to write full sentences without bullets. I'm hoping you understand my major two parts here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:21, 27 October 2018 (UTC)
:Yes I did not read the comments. I was looking for the sad list, when I fond it missing. I saw through the edit and found the following comment:
::This "sad comics" list is utterly pointless and has no reason to exist. I don't regret deleting this waste. If anyone wants to keep it up, revert the edit, but make it readable, compact, and make at least one bit of sense. (Emojis? must be TRUMP!!?!one1!))
:I did not see any discussion there, and found it rude and also not done properly (with many links pointing to this section). So I just reverted it. It could be given its own page though.
:Regarding politeness I must say I did not find most of your comments on the talk page polite as I just read them. As you state "no one has criticized it before", so maybe it is just you, and now some years later a few guys that begins rambling on about it.
:As to why, I think it is quite clear that Randall was sad after the election. Maybe I took it too far, and it should no longer have been "sad", but about comics pointing to a political agenda by Randall. As Randall is on the move again with the mid term election coming, he has both a new political comic out, and has changed the header text with regards to registering for voting twice in a month.
:So I definitely still find it relevant. That has not changed just because two years have passed. What Trump does at the moment is even more disturbing than ever, and I'm sure Randall is thick and tried of it still! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:38, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
::PS. The layout was me trying to make a list of comics that was related to this issue. And with date and events listed as well. Maybe it can be done better, but I at least kept the format throughout. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:39, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
:::You always do this nested bullet lists. That's ugly layout. One bullet and one or two short sentences, not more. In most cases you just should simply omit the bullets and write full sentences. The page [[Design of xkcd.com]] is an other example for this bad layout.
:::But back to the main issue: Even jet you did not read the comments completely. Only after "A) Why does the sad comics list exist (see comment above)?..." I came in. And on 27 October 2018 I mentioned at least four incomplete reasons (the transcript was you).
:::So I recall: The trivia at ''[[1756: I'm With Her]]'' does not belong to that comic at all, and even at a different page the title would be wrong because most of the listed comics are NOT sad. Furthermore I don't know how you do know how Randall feels, he is just a writer and these are only comics.
:::There was a reason why David was against a category for sad comics, and this is still valid. This is the only reason why this section at the trivia of 1756 exists, be honest.
:::So my proposal is:
:::*moving the content to a separate page, either with a new title or only moving the "sad" content and deleting the rest
:::*using the link from the menu: "What links here" at 1756 ([[Special:WhatLinksHere/1756: I'm With Her]]) to fix the links to that part (mostly your former work) and maybe also change the text
:::The comic 1756 has to be explained mainly in the context of the time BEFORE the election. It was a campaign for Hillary Clinton, anything later done by Trump is irrelevant, besides that it has to be mentioned that the campaign wasn't successful. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:16, 29 October 2018 (UTC)
::::Well, I definitely know that the comment in here is mine. I did very much hate the list because, as mentioned in the talk page on the comic, the section was completely disorganized. It took up half of the entire page. As Dgbrt mentioned, the format you use is honestly really ugly, and I have to agree. The real problem that I found was ''after'' I posted the comment he quoted.
::::In that comment, I mentioned that it should have had its own category instead of being completely on that single page, which would have prevented it from the eyes of those who don't like this format. Alternatively, it could have been in a table, a format much more compact, several times easier to understand, and at least 12 octillion times less infuriating to look at.
::::The other mind-boggling and frankly stupid thing about the list, of course, was that you added '''''every. Single. Comic.''''' ...if it seemed to be remotely sad (and even if it ''wasn't sometimes!'') and tried to link it to the political situation and Trump. I, in that comment, presented two of the comics in a - admittedly more asshole-ish - way that you linked them like this. But that's the ''core'' of all of this drama. Hell, in multiple of the comics, you even said that no "big" event seemed related to the situation and simply just put it in because it mentioned the military or security. And even for some of the ones you did present a political event, the speculation that you presented for Randall making these comics was beyond 4chan with Smash Ultimate level.
::::Like I said in that comment, it isn't necessarily a political comment just because something big happened that day. Vomiting Emoji and Flag, the two I highlighted in my comment, have explanations that are just plainly absurd. Randall "expressing fear" that the moon would be gone before the eclipse was ''obviously'' a joke. Randall making a joke that has a flag in the picture doesn't mean he's going to rebel against the United States, make his own country, and science his way to taking it over just so that Trump is no longer the ruler.
::::I wouldn't have had these problems if the list weren't so outlandishly absurd, and combined with the fact that it clogged up the page with a lot of meaningless speculation, I felt pushed to just delete the entire thing. Yes, that may have been extreme of me, and I should apologize for being fed up, but I still maintain that a lot of the stuff on that list is bad. If it's presented in - again - a way that doesn't hurt to read or filled up with what it is, I would have not as many problems with it. But as it looks right now, just making the list collapsible doesn't remove the problem; it's like putting White-Out on a yellow test paper and saying that the question never existed, despite the fact that it's obvious that something is wrong. [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 04:05, 1 November 2018 (UTC)
:::::A bit complicated to reply now. But to Dgbrt I did not read any comments until your post here. I was pissed about the deletion of the entire section, and just undid it. As Dgbrt wrote it can only be deleted properly by also removing links that goes there. I'm not using the page that much at the moment, and do not read all comments. This is also why I first see your comments today.
:::::Dgbrt do you have any good idea for a page title? If it is only the first few comics that are clearly sad, could it then be called "Sad comics"? And should it be a page or a category? If we can find a solution for that, I will try to change it so it can be tolerable... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:01, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::I'm honest: I vote for deleting that section. The main reason is that we don't know how Randall feels, whether sad or not. We just have comics, not an autobiography.
::::::If you still vote for keeping I only can see two possibilities:
::::::*Keep the title "Sad comics", move it to a single page (no subpage to any comic), remove most of the content, write a proper text instead of bullets, and start it like "Some comics may suggest the impression..." because your "...clear trend..." is nonsense.
::::::*Or, move everything to a separate page, but then I have no idea about any proper title.
::::::BTW: I've created a new category: [[:Category:Elections]], and as I mention here [[:Talk:2067: Challengers]] it still needs some work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:06, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::::::I will think about the possibilities. And I did see your new category. Which is great by the way. There must be many of these from earlier years also?--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:09, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::::I need help on this new category because I'm sure there is more. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:12, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::I have now created [[Sad comics]] and moved the content from With her and tried to make the layout better. I do not agree with deleting the references to the other comics, but not they have been separated from the first four sad/negative comics. All links have been diverted to this page from all 16 comics. If there are other comics, not on the list, with link to that section I have not changed those... Many comics could refer to With Her for many reasons so I will not go through them all. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:55, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::You've done a big job, so thanks for this on the first place. And I can assure you that you always can find all links at the tools box "What links here", in this case when reading ''[[1756: I'm With Her]]''. I'm still not happy seeing comics like [[2064: I'm a Car]] linking to content titled as ''sad'', but that's up to other editors.
:::'''ProTip''': You should watch pages important to you, just activate "Watch this page" at the bottom when editing, or adjust your "Watchlist" at the top menu belonging to your personal profile. You will receive an email on every change. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:31, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::::Yes I know about the links, but even though I have reverted the link to the sad trivia section, there may still be a link to the With her comic for other reasons. And there may even be links to the sad section from other comics not listed in my trivia, and I will not go through all pages referencing one of the controversial comics. I by the way highly disagree that we do not know Randall's political opinion. He has also endorsed Obama, so to day it is certain that he endorses the democrats vs Republican is a fact, not a guess. But you changed that on the new [[Challengers]] comic. I will not change it though. I just highly disagree with you on what is a know and what is a guess there.
::::Regarding the comics that are not sad it is not listed as being sad, that is only the first four. The rest is just listing comics that could have to do with Randall's political mood due to Trump and his politics.
::::I no longer have the time I once dedicated to this page... And hence I have taken e-mail alerts off, which is why I first noticed the deletion now. But I get e-mails on personal changes on this page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:37, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:::::While I'm still sure not knowing much about Randall's condition when his comics are published, I sense ''you'' are sad. I insist you should take a closer look on all your contributions here, which are much more than only this stupid sad stories. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:18, 4 November 2018 (UTC)

== I am still happy to see your additions here... ==

...you did edits I didn't like - and vice versa - but that's a war I don't like. And now I'm in a position in which I have to take care of all the health here, not only what's written.

Ironically: xkcd is also about sarcasm, the hell, shoooouuuuting on the hellll...

I will probably disagree on some of your future edits, but I don't have to judge this. That's up to others here.

So now I'm asking for help on a SMALL page introducing the memes used at this site. Like the Editor-FAQ I did. David did...not that much on that requests over a long time.

While I'm not sure about a proper title, this Wiki still leaks on a page simply showing the memes used here, linking to more specific pages, presented to evrey newbee.

--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
::Thanks.
::I'm not sure I understand the page you are talking about, or what type of memes you mean.
::Also as is probably clear I'm not using that much time on this wiki anymore. I'm not leaving it, I just do not have the time any longer. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
:::Oh, I'm also not sure, maybe just a title like "About". It often happens that new people asking questions like "Why is the mouse-over text called title text?", how character names have been developed here, and so forth. A simple page, mostly showing links with a small introduction to the more hidden pages you often maintain. New readers have simple questions we don't think about anymore, that's what I would like to present. But it seems I have to collect some more items on which you maybe can help. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:34, 19 November 2018 (UTC)
:::Ah I see. It was the meme part that failed to register. But a about page makes sense. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:37, 20 November 2018 (UTC)

== We got a final image ==

Emoji dome has a wonderful ending image. Do you mind putting it as the current explainxkcd image? [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 18:25, 2 April 2019 (UTC)
:No it is perfect. I can see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:emojidome.png someone already did], it has just not been updated on the front of the page yet. It will be before tomorrow. The other pictures should be collected on a extra page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:56, 2 April 2019 (UTC)

== Removing all references to the Sad comics page ==

Hi Kynde,

I've expressed my intention to remove all references to the Sad comics page over at [[Talk:Sad_comics]], but I wanted to get your input too, since it is your page. Feel free to drop a comment over there if you want to contest this. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:56, 13 May 2019 (UTC)
:Hi Hawthorbn. Thanks for alerting me. Did not follow the discussion page on Sad. I of course disagree. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:56, 14 May 2019 (UTC)
::I have now deleted the page completely --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:56, 11 April 2024 (UTC)

== 2196 ==
I mentioned this on DgbrtBOT's talk page, but I'm not sure Dgbrt saw it. Since you're an admin, could you help me with this?
# I uploaded the file, and it appeared in the page, but the link in the List of all comics page is still red. I think I messed up the upload, so could you delete the current file (the one I uploaded) for 2196 and reupload it?
# I created an incorrect redirect page [[Nice To E-Meet you]] (The name is incorrect, I forgot to capitalize the You). Could you please delete that page? Thanks!
[[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 00:52, 1 September 2019 (UTC)
:Hi Herobrine. No I'm not ad admin, just very active, and cannot do anything to delete pages. I can give it a look though cause I have created a few pages long time ago when the bot was not there/working. And yes seems like Dgbrt is not active at the moment. Lets see if it works again this Monday. As you can see [[User_talk:Dgbrt#DgbrtBOT_failed_2019-08-30|here]] I tried to write directly to him. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:38, 1 September 2019 (UTC)
::Can see you have created the page with [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Nice_To_E-Meet_You&redirect=no capital You] and I have now moved the image to a title with the hyphen in e-meet, which was missing in your original edit. So now [[List_of_all_comics]] works for the image as well. There are so many things which can go wrong, which is why we love out BOT. Hope it works tomorrow.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:46, 1 September 2019 (UTC)

== Category book promotion ==
Hi, you obviously know a thing or 2 about creating and adding categories, and like to do so :)
I feel like we could need a category about book promotion, with at least 3 comics related to how to and at least one to thing explainer (hoverboard, possibly also up goer five...), and myabe even others I can't remember right now. What do you think? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:31, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
:Maybe more a list of comics that promote books. Not comics that inspire books, so no to Up Goer Five. But it could get special mention with mention of the category in that explanation as well. But I think we need to find more than 4, five is kind of a limit. Maybe there where something for what if? But I do not think so... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:37, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::Looking at it again, we do have five :) [[Hoverboard]], [[2190: Serena Versus the Drones]], [[2198: Throw]], [[Disappearing Sunday Update]] and [[2194: How to Send a File]]
:::Well great. Do you have an idea for the category name? "Category:Book promotion" ??--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:54, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::::Sounds good to me! --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:56, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
:::::Will you add that category to the comics? I can help create the page then. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:57, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::::::Done --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:07, 4 September 2019 (UTC)
:::::::[[:Category:Book promotion]] page created and found another comic that promotes a book Randall has been involved in! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:40, 4 September 2019 (UTC)

== Broken Button ==
Hi Kynde, I've answered your question on my talk page. But I'll post it here just in case: I think you forgot to update [[Template:LATESTCOMIC]], so it would treat comic 2198 as 2197, hence breaking the button. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 22:55, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
:Thanks, DgbrtBOT has updatet it and now it works! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:40, 4 September 2019 (UTC)

== Thanks ==

I see you went through a few of my recent edits, and corrected them / replied on them / acted on them. Thanks a lot. Also, now I learned from your edits how subcategories work. Thanks also for that. :) (But, please try not to change the word typo to lupo in common use. I don't think it would be an honour :) ) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:00, 11 October 2019 (UTC)
:I hope you could see the joke. Like when you fixed the fix? I also spotted you put a hidden joke . I will not make the same joke again. I guess it was also a kind of signature. I spotted that you where the most active last month. And was interested seeing what kind of edits. More or less I agreed with most... And cool with the spam fight. Do not use the same amount of time as I used to, but have been more active lately... Just became 2nd on all time activity list... Happy you both noticed and approved. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:09, 11 October 2019 (UTC)
::I could see the joke and I enjoyed it :) as I tend to make a lot of typos, it isn't even that far fetched to use my name instead ;). I usually visit the site a few times a day and start on the recent changes page, and check what has happened. That's also how I often quickly find the spam. The other thing I tend to do when I got some free time on my hands is use the "random page" button and find out if I can improve the place I get to. I also saw that you are progressing a lot in the all time list. Last month I even noticed you were in the monthly list at a score that would have put you in the all time top 50 on its own. Impressive! Have a good weekend. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 20:00, 11 October 2019 (UTC)
:::I'm also not native English speaker (Danish), and my grammar is probably horrible. Then it is great it is a wiki so others can fix that. I hope my additions are a plus. Have of course had rows with others, as can be seen above ;-) With some of the big one I think I have had months that would put me in top 20... (Not something I have checked). But with some of the comics where I added a lot of images, I will get a very high score as unique pages gives one point, and every picture uploaded is a new page. The amount of changes I have made puts me in nr. 1 spot, but that doesn't give much compared to number of pages visited. And please feel free to correct my typos. By the way I haven't even read all comics yet, since I have a hard time reading a new one without wishing to make corrections to transcript or explanations, so it takes some time every time I find a new. So between the first comic I saw when I found this page and then back from there there will be lots of comics I haven't even seen yet... Probably why you can find so many transcripts where caption below the panel has not been added (as it was I who began making this the way to write it). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:46, 11 October 2019 (UTC)

== Category for Back to the Future ==

Hi, can you create a category for the film series ''Back to the Future''? To start, there is [[102: Back to the Future]], [[656: October 30th]], [[1477: Star Wars]], [[2104: Biff Tannen]], [[2193: Well-Ordering Principle]], and maybe others. Thanks, [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.144|172.68.47.144]] 20:26, 31 October 2019 (UTC)
:Hi yes I can. And I did: [[:Category:Back to the Future]]. I added yours. Here is [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Search&limit=50&offset=0&profile=default&search=%22Back+to+the+Future%22 a search string] that may help find more (for you to add). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:31, 1 November 2019 (UTC)

== Deletion of small categories? ==

Hi Kynde! I posted this on the community portal, but it seems unresponsive, and since none of the admins have edited recently, you seem like the person to ask.
I count eight categories on explainxkcd that satisfy the following properties: 1. They have only three comics in them. 2. They aren't really a comic series; they just feature or reference a comic theme. 3. They aren't Featuring some person or character. In short, they seem to have no real reason to exist. (They're [[:Category:Spice_Girls|t]][[:Category:Wind_turbine|h]] e[[:Category:Ender%27s_Game|s]]eo[[:Category:FernGully|n]][[:Category:Giraffes|e]]s.) In addition, there are [[:Category:Sketches|t]][[:Category:BSD|h]][[:Category:Emacs|i]][[:Category:Identity_Theft|r]][[:Category:Katamari_Damacy|t]][[:Category:Super_Bowl|e]][[:Category:The_Matrix|e]][[:Category:Tournament_bracket|n]][[:Category:Traffic_light| ]][[:Category:Trebuchet|m]][[:Category:Wingsuit|o]][[:Category:Euler_diagrams|r]][[:Category:Pedantic|e]] four-comic categories that also satisfy these requirements. I know non-admins can't delete articles, but because of these articles' status, should I remove their contents and add them to [[:Category:Pages to delete]]? --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 01:17, 12 November 2019 (UTC)
:Since I'm no admin just the most active over an extended period of time, I cannot really say what to do. Some of the categories I think has merit, I may even have created some of them. And there may be reason to expect more to come. But others I tend to agree. I think Randall has something with Giraffes and the Spice Girl spurt with three in short notice I think merits the categories. The other 6 with three I would not mind if they went away. But then there may need to be some links between those comics. Are you willing to make those? If you do then empty the categories, and put them as up for deletion. Most of those with four I would keep. I have NOT clicked on them all though, just read them here when I edited this response. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:56, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

== Category for Bees ==

Hi Kynde,

Can you add a category on bees, as a subcategory of [[:Category:Animals]]? I've found [[1259: Bee Orchid]], [[1186: Bumblebees]], [[2231: the Time Before And After Land]], [[2035: Dark Matter Candidates]], [[1692: Man Page]], and there are probably more. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.38|172.69.34.38]] 00:22, 22 November 2019 (UTC)
:Done [[:Category:Bees]]. Added your five comics. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:49, 22 November 2019 (UTC)

== New category - comics with store products ==

Hi Kynde, thanks for creating the new page for [[:Category:Comics with store products]]! (I was the one who added the comics to that category, but I didn't have permission to create a new page for the category itself, so I apologize for abandoning it like that.)

For the name of this category, I wanted to follow a similar pattern to existing category names such as "[[:Category:Comics from 2005]]" or "[[:Category:Comics with color]]". So for the name of this new category, I had considered some other more accurate names, such as "[[:Category:Comics upon which xkcd store products are based]]", or perhaps "[[:Category:Comics made into official merchandise]]"; but I felt that these new category names would be a bit too long, so I was trying to keep it more succinct than that. ...But now I realize that the current name I chose is not very clear, and might cause some confusion about what it's supposed to mean, so it was really a poor choice of words on my part. Do you have any ideas for a better name that we could use for this category? If so, please feel free to rename it, then I will go through all the comic pages where I added it, and update them to the new category.

On the other hand, in the edit-history of the [[:Category:Comics with store products]] page, I noticed in your comments that you felt it was maybe not a good idea for a category -- and I certainly understand that, so if you want to just remove this category completely, please feel free to do so, then I will go through and remove it from all the comics where I added it (so as not to leave any broken links behind).

Thanks for your help, and sorry for causing noob trouble!

- [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 09:57, 24 November 2019 (UTC)
:Hi Yfmcpxpj
:First of all, the comment on my creation of the page, was because I did not understand the category. Store products.. I thought it was like with products bought in a type of store... First when I clicked on a few and saw your (?) comments that a t-shirt was based on this comic, did I understand the category. Think I wrote that in my next edit, where I linked to the store. After realizing that, I though it was a great category, although adding xkcd would probably help the understand-ability: "Category: Comics with xkcd store products"
:What do you say to that title?
:Regarding my ability to make pages, that is just because I have edited enough to get that right (I know I have edited more than any one else here...) But I'm actually not an admin, and I cannot delete pages. Sadly it seems the admins have left xkcd without replacements... So not one answers admin requests, and although I'm glad to help when I can, I do not have that many rights on the page.
:But true you may have asked for someone to create the page and also maybe ask for the title before creating it. I think I will be able to rename the page though, so if you can go through all the comics and correct the category there I would like to give it a try. (Do not do this before I have changed the name!)
:What do you say? And should I add the xkcd as suggested above?
:--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:14, 24 November 2019 (UTC)

::Yes, I like your title better, "Comics with xkcd store products" -- I think it is much clearer. If you can rename the category, I will wait for that, then after it has been successfully renamed, I'll go through and update those comics to use the new one instead. And sorry to hear that the admins have been absent -- but it looks like you are doing a good job of keeping the site maintained, so thank-you for that! - [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 08:58, 25 November 2019 (UTC)
:::I have now moved the category page. You can find the list of comics that now need to be moved [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Comics_with_store_products&redirect=no here].
:::And the new empty category here [[:Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:26, 25 November 2019 (UTC)

::::Thanks Kynde; I have moved the remaining comics into the new category. You mentioned that you don't have permissions to delete pages, so I wonder if the old page [[:Category:Comics with store products]] should be put into parent [[:Category:Pages to delete]] so maybe the admins will delete it? - [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 08:15, 26 November 2019 (UTC)
:::::As the old Category redirects to the new one, I guess deletion is not necessary. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:31, 26 November 2019 (UTC)
::::::If no pages refers to the old category, and to avoid anyone putting comics in that category again, it would be nice to have it deleted. But I'm not sure anyone will do that at the moment. Davidy is long gone and DGBRT seems to be absent as well... I was once asked to be an admin but declined at the time ... Maybe that was a shame, but at least I still react when someone post on my page... But I'm not that active anymore, and have never looked much through the portal pages etc. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:49, 26 November 2019 (UTC)

== Banned from Conferences Category ==

Hi Kynde, you usually have a good feeling on how Categories should be described, etc. There was a (quite short) discussion on [[153: Cryptography]], to remove a portion of the explanation. Do you think that stuff belongs into [[:Category:Banned from conferences]]? Maybe you can chime into the "discussion" on 153. -- Regards [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:24, 5 December 2019 (UTC)

== Edit summaries ==
Please use {{w|Help:Edit_summary|edit summaries}}; they are especially important for pages like [[:xkcd Header text]] that are infrequently monitored but have a meta-importance. Thanks. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:22, 16 July 2020 (UTC)
:I have more or less created the entire page from scratch. So I will not begin writing details every time I make a revision. But I use it for most other edits. I can see you care for BLM... Great, you probably know much more on this than I do. I made this page, to keep track of the header text, which was not explained on these pages. Sometimes it is relevant for a given comic, so great to have this place to write about it, and then link to it from the comics. The unfilled link was to help people wo may help editing this page, fill in when the header changed. I will do that now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:37, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
::Kynde: I don't understand how your authorship of the page (from scratch or otherwise) has anything to do with whether you should be writing details of when you make a revision. But for sensitive topics, which BLM is, it is especially important for other editors to be able to carefully review changes. And when you make a large block of changes, like you did there on July 1, with 8 different edits, edit summaries are an extremely helpful tool for everyone else. So, again, the request is to please use an edit summary, ''especially'' when you are making multiple edits in a row, and ''especially'' on pages of meta-importance like [[:xkcd Header text]]. Of course, this is not Wikipedia, the rules here (such as they are) are relatively weak, and we all should coöperate. But if your answer is "I don't have to because I wrote the page first, years ago!" that doesn't make any sense at all. If your goal was to make sense, then I don't know how to respond. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 17:50, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
:::Well I shall try to be more careful around sensitive subjects. You are one of the first other than me to have edited the page. And one of the few that have added a new section. I just changed it into the same format that I have used on all the others. And did a revision now, and sorry I forgot to write what it was out of bad habit. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:57, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
::::I think the change you just made was…not great. See [[:Talk:xkcd_Header_text#Recent_BLM_edits]] where I give my opinion. But it is probably better discussed there than on your personal page, but I wanted to highlight it for you. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 18:04, 18 July 2020 (UTC)
:::::I have replied on the other talk page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:28, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

== Nationality ==

What country are you from? [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 12:34, 14 July 2021 (UTC)
:Denmark. Why? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:15, 15 July 2021 (UTC)

== Forgive this IP ==
I just made a handful of edits to recent changes that you had made (may not have been what you changed, in all cases; it might have just been pre-existing errors and Recent Changes just drew me to them). I hope it doesn't look personal, especially from an impersonal IP that you can't easily talk back to. So I'm mentioning it here to try to apologise if it does seem that way. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.85|162.158.159.85]] 18:57, 28 December 2021 (UTC)
:Hi. Thanks for telling. Since your IP will change I cannot see exactly which changes you made, but cheeked on my last changes and saw some CE and minor changes. Only thing I disagreed with (not sure it was you) was that the Launch comic should not have been released on the 24th. Which it was in most of the US if not all. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:01, 29 December 2021 (UTC)
::(Most of the changes occured under roughly the 172.70.… range, as I recall, though you can see the above switched to a whole different class-B - entirely due to the internediary's whim (Cloudflare?) without my changing anything. I'm sitting on a different connection now, so all bets are off what ''this'' will appear as. ;) )
::I have no argument with Randall posting on the 24th (his time) as the Bot got there soon enough to prove it. But of course the rest of us (mostly Europe and beyond) had a different experience. Still before the launch (whoever checked for themselves in time), which I think a couple of my edits were about. Really not huge issues, just minor fixes. You're good with those things, I know from experience, just a courtesy note (that and this). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 22:42, 29 December 2021 (UTC)
:::Maybe not you who posted. But as you can see your IP is not the same in these two posts, so I can only assume you are the same person, but cannot guess which of my edits you have changed and which someone else changed ;-) Do you have a name other than 162.158.159.85 or 172.70.86.22 ;-) Why not get an account? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:29, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
::::I just can't think of a decent username. I tend to use different ones everwhere (and never my RL identity) and most of them were 'good ideas at the time' but when the inevitable "Why is your username what it is?" thread comes around it always seems my 'explanation' is laughable. All the above in this section (that isn't you) is me, BTW. Just added an indent layer I missed. I'm happy being (slightly unpredictably) changing IP, because I seek no credit (or blame!) for my 'insights' and my ego survives well enough on such fleeting moments of anonymous fame, I assure you. ;) And I don't mind when other IP-editors 'land' on/near what I just used, either, even if they're now completely wrong.
::::Not that I think Usernames are a bad thing in general for you and others (c.f. 4chan 'anon' culture...), I'm just happy that it's one less thing to worry about in my own case! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 15:04, 30 December 2021 (UTC)
:::::Well that is up to you. But then again it is hard to forgive an IP when I'm not sure what it has done or not. But as I could just see there where nothing needing forgiveness so we are good. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:15, 3 January 2022 (UTC)

== Do you get a healthy amount of sleep? ==
In recent days I see you editing very often and I just wanna make sure you get enough sleep because while you're doing amazing work, I am a bit concerned [[User:256.256.256.256|256.256.256.256]] ([[User talk:256.256.256.256|talk]]) 08:45, 6 January 2022 (UTC)
:Ha ha - thanks for both the concern and the praise. I'm from Denmark so if you look at the time stamp and think I should be sleeping, then maybe it is in the middle of the day here. I write this just before 10:00 AM here in DK. But actually I'm doing very little now compared to maybe five years ago. If you look at the [[Special:ContributionScores|ContributionScores]] at the bottom with the All time (Top 50), you will see that I'm number two. And if you look at number of changes I'm far ahead of number 2... So this is actually quite low level activity for me... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:53, 6 January 2022 (UTC)

==[[Countdown in header text]] image ==
You mentioned you'd help uploading the countdown wiggle gif, so [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown here]'s a link to all the image stuff of the countdown. (Specifically, [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown/full_animation.gif full_animation.gif] and [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown/Countdown%20in%20header%20text%20Wiggling.gif Countdown in header text Wiggling.gif]).
Optionally [https://tobot.dev/files/xkcd-countdown.zip zipped], for easier archival. [[User:Toby|Toby]] ([[User talk:Toby|talk]]) 20:03, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
:Great thanks Toby. Will try to make it work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:15, 31 January 2022 (UTC)
::It worked and I have replied on your new talk page and created your own page, in case you still could not. Feel free to change that now. Very happy with your work, both of the files. Thanks!!! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:28, 31 January 2022 (UTC)

== Purely to improve your knowledge of English ==

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/spacecrafts#English

i.e., as with vehicular "craft" in general (including aircraft, hovercraft, etc), the -s pluralisation is allowable but not considered standard. An oddity of the terminology that I don't actually know the reason for. I'm wondering could it be from our nautical heritage where singular craft were the rarity (a simpler version of how [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aderyn sometimes the singular can be considered rarer than the plural]? Yet ships/vessels/etc don't succumb to that usage. Even if sheep and fish do! Anyway, while spacecraft are preferred, spaceships are indeed the synonymous alternative. IYSWIM...

Crafts, as in skillfully created works, ''are'' the plurals exactly as you'd initially expect. Woodcrafts, metalcrafts, etc. So I suppose those people who are shipcrafters might therefore craft many crafted craft, thanks to the various crafts they know, and then exhibit their crafts at a craft-fair. ((i.e "Boatwrights might construct many well-made (model?) ships, thanks to their skills, then show their creations at an exhibition of bespoke manufacturing.")) Crafty, eh?

Sorry, I seem to have gone overboard with the explanation. Throw me that lifebelt, please? ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.73|172.70.85.73]] 10:40, 10 February 2022 (UTC)
:Hi. Thanks. I'm not sure it will help, I'm not very good at spelling, even in my own language. But maybe I will remember this. I do not mind other people copy editing my posts. My idea is that if I write something useful other will make it better, and correct the errors. But if I do not write it, then it may be left out of an explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:54, 13 February 2022 (UTC)

== THANK YOU!!! ==
Kynde - I have only just discovered this beautiful Explain XKCD wiki and am in awe - I saw that you have been a huge contribuotr for years and just wanted to say Thank You to you and team for this beautiful legacy of work! With it XKCD can be that much more of a portal into all the different directions Randall’s comics touch on and drift near.

I’ve been behind the scenes in wikipedia for years (so often painful) and love connecting with anyone else who is doing meaningful wiki work. I’m just stopping by here today on my way to *important deadlines* but intend to be back. Just set up my Explain editor account. Pop me a talk page note? Happy to plug in! [[User:DrMel|DrMel]] ([[User talk:DrMel|talk]]) 19:53, 20 March 2022 (UTC)

(Ps looks like I am not getting through the email validation steps - no email confirmation has yet made it to my email. I’ll check back later. On wikipedia I’m https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:DrMel

(pps - email validated! But i still dont have permission to setup my user page… so this time i really am going back to the Save-The-World work i am supposed to be doing!)
:Hi [[User:DrMel|DrMel]]. Wow, thanks a lot. Yes I have been very active on this page. I'm not one of the admins though, and sadly it seems this page is without any active admins, and that it has been so for a while. I guess I'm the best option right now. I have created your user page and talk page, so now you can work on the user page. Welcome to explain xkcd. If you have any questions regarding format or other things feel free to ask. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:38, 21 March 2022 (UTC)

== Nomination ==
I know you maybe don't want it, but see [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Coordination#New_admins]] '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:08, 8 May 2022 (UTC)
:I have answered there and accepted the nomination. It is an honor. Hope I can live up to it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:16, 10 May 2022 (UTC)
::Finally got the promotion from Jeff. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:30, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

== Block User:Donald Trump ==

Can you block [[User:Donald Trump]]? He is another spambot, like the others recently: [[Special:Contributions/Donald_Trump]]. Thanks, [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 17:48, 26 May 2022 (UTC)
:Done--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:28, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

== you blocked a mobile phone (T-mobile) IP ==

You blocked “162.158.107.124”. The problem is, that’s a T-mobile IP that goes to whomever happens to get it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.36|172.70.211.36]] 19:11, 26 May 2022 (UTC)
:Yes Im new to being administrator so sorry I messed that up. But think I [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/162.158.107.124 managed to undo it]? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:33, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

== Regarding your latest IP block ==

See [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:While_False&oldid=286101#Concision_and_clarity my note on this latest thing] that it seems like you were reacting to.
 In general, I don't think IP-blocking is very useful (false-positives get hit and false-negatives get round it, depending upon the vagueries of everything, and as an IP myself this is close to the bone for me) but there's potentially something going on. I don't know if you get to see what ''doesn't'' happen because of a block, though. Tricky one to get your head round. But thought I'd clue you in on what I'm thinking. Completely your decision on how you take it.
 Keep up the good work, BTW! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.15|162.158.159.15]] 12:59, 3 June 2022 (UTC)
:Just to add that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=957:_Development&curid=4423&diff=286104&oldid=283524 this change] follows the trend I mentioned (type of edit + history of its apparent IP), and now undone. Not to overly pester you with this (better the Community Portal for that), just FYI. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.11|141.101.98.11]] 17:05, 3 June 2022 (UTC)
::I only block them for a week or 3 days, just to stop current spam, and thanks for the praise --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:02, 5 June 2022 (UTC)

== Sparing use of Talk-page section headers ==

Note that I added a ;-title (not an individually editable section's title), albeit first mis-tapping in the :-indenter instead by accident, but maybe you were a bit overzealous squishing out the ==editable== section-headers (the existing one and my own once someone had helpfully 'upgraded' it) in the latest discussion.

The advice given on the main-page, as part of the discussion-inclusion templating, is that new sections should be used ''sparingly'', not that they are not to be used. If anything, I was wrong to use a ;-title (to logically separate my contribution from the headered bit I was following), perhaps I should have inserted as a normal running comment above the newly broken-out section.

Not complaining, but just positing the view that it seemed a bit draconic of an intervention. Livable-with, having been done, but not sure it was strictly necessary.

(Would be handy to add across the "Add to the bottom (etc)" HTML-comment to the top of the page, from a BOT-created new-discussion-page, though I suppose I could do that. Maybe I will. Yes, I think I will. You could also maybe check the circumstances why a normal user had needed to do theusafBOT's work for it... I'm sure it's more that theusaf's script is just temporarily offline, or slow to react, rather than having gone the way of dgbrtBOT/whatever...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.177|172.70.85.177]] 13:49, 14 June 2022 (UTC)
:I think there is now use for headings in comment section. And in some cases the explanations have a TOC and then the headings of the talk page would come into this because we include talk page on the explanation page. Also it becomes confusing when others add different comments below, as they then seems to belong to the headered section. Thus best leave them out, unless something very special. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:55, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

== Table of tips? ==
Why put the table in a section on [[2649]]? It breaks the convention of discussing the comic before discussing the title text. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.145|172.70.210.145]] 07:11, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
:No this has been done whenever there is a table. The comic should be explained first, but if lots of info needs to be added in order to understand the full details of the comic, then the title text is usually explained after the first short explanation. And then the larger explanation is delegated to a sub section, just as I have done here. It is because you may not wish to dwell into all these details, they are not needed to understand the overall joke, but you might like to see the title text explained, and then this should not be hidden deep down. Also there is a link from the explanation to the table, so you can easily go there to read the main explanation for each tip.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:32, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
::Well it's no big deal; I don't have strong feelings about it, but I haven't been here very long, and noticed that [[2636]], [[2638]], and [[2639]] all have tables following the sequence of the comics instead of in a section at the end. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.88|172.70.211.88]] 08:39, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
:::Yes that must also be said to be new comics, and not those that have been here long time ;-) All of them came out after my holiday began this summer, and I have not had time to go through those comics yet. But thanks I will fix it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:21, 25 July 2022 (UTC)
::::Fixed those three and also completed two of the transcripts. Thanks for pointing the discrepancy out. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:02, 25 July 2022 (UTC)

How do you feel about [[2606]]? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.173|172.71.150.173]] 08:32, 27 July 2022 (UTC)
:Since the title text is just another symbol, it seems fine to have it in the table. But actually there may be a reason to explain that joke as well in the main explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:35, 27 July 2022 (UTC)
::But after updating the explanation I ended up moving the table to a section and moving any other explanation above. Including a mention of the title text. Is this the same person that started this thread that asked about 2606? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:56, 27 July 2022 (UTC)
:::No, I'm [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2207:_Math_Work&diff=291019&oldid=282989 this guy.] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.88|172.70.211.88]] 15:52, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
::::Hello, That Guy. (BTW, I'm also none of the above conversationalists, Kynde...) That change you linked... I just reverted it. It was fixed (devandalised) already in a state that was after the removal of the Incomplete tag and I couldn't work out ''why'' you considered it needing reverting. Yes, a lot of restored stuff (now unrestored), but I couldn't quite work out which (pre-vandalism) version you even reverted to, and surely there were various useful culling edits ("no, we don't need to say that, it's irrelevent", etc) that you were negating.
::::Or at least that was my almost knee-jerk response (almost, because I went back through the crapcrapcrap stuff and beyond trying to find where you were coming from, so I spent some time on thinking about it before I did it).
::::I offer it up to review by the wider community, or back to yourself (or give Kynde a shot, if they aren't busy). Maybe some old bits could be reintegrated, but I couldn't see which on a semi-cursory glance. So, given you have provided a handle on you, expanding upon the woefully short edit-summary space, to more fully explain any confusion (of mine, or yours, or just in general). Ok? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.128|172.70.91.128]] 16:43, 28 July 2022 (UTC)
:::::Are you saying you removed vandalism with the revert? Which parts do you think are crap stuff? Do you not see how it is all directly related to the drawing on the board? I should have removed the incomplete tag, but I think I'll try the appended section idea to appease objectors with a compromise. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.185|172.69.33.185]] 05:15, 29 July 2022 (UTC)
::::::I don't think this has anything to do with my comment, and I do not have any thing to add to this discussion. If this is all about [[2207:_Math_Work]], then please take any further [[Talk:2207:_Math_Work#Deletions|discussion there]], as to not disturb me with e-mails every time you change my user talk page ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:07, 29 July 2022 (UTC)

== A spammer has appeared! ==
Hi! It seems that there's a spammer who's been consistently adding an incredibly odd rant to the front page from a wide variety of IP addresses over the course of yesterday and today. They currently show no signs of stopping; could you use whatever Special Admin Powers you may have to resolve the issue? --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 18:37, 30 July 2022 (UTC)
:Hi. No, sadly I cannot do much about it. I can try to alert those with more powers than me though. I'm not that technically minded. If it was a user I could block him, but as I understood from the newest comics discussion it is multiple ip addresses. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:36, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

== Interview request! and thanks! ==
Hey Kynde, forgive me if this isn't allowed! I'm a journalist and wiki enthusiast and I'd love to chat with you about all your work here. Can you send an email to annierau at umich dot edu? Thank you so much! [[User:Postgradpredeath|Postgradpredeath]] ([[User talk:Postgradpredeath|talk]]) 03:36, 22 September 2022 (UTC):Hi
:Annie Rau(?)/Postgradpredeath. I don't think asking me would not be allowed. I might not wish to mail you but that would then be an option. I may actually not wish to use my e-mail. But maybe we could try to catch up on twitter, where I have an account I only used to get into contact with admins on this page... If you also have a twitter acount we may be able to tweet to each other there... And thanks for the praise. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:39, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

== Vandalism on latest comic ==
Hello, just letting you know there's been another bit of spam. Only on the most recent comic as far as I've seen, and fixed for now :) [[User:Char Latte49|Char Latte]] ([[User talk:Char Latte49|talk]]) 22:11, 3 December 2022 (UTC)
:Thanks. Also had a vandal here replying to you comment. Of course deleted it. Haven't been so active lately. But hope the problem has stopped. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:55, 4 December 2022 (UTC)

== Notification ==
Hey, I wanted to let you know that I'm working on the huge project of making a table to organize planet names, coordinates, and explanations, and the four item types and their explanation in the latest interactive comic. I've replied to the conversation, here's a link: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Talk:2765:_Escape_Speed#Making_a_table_to_organize_planet_names.2C_coordinates.2C_and_explanations.2C_and_the_four_item_types_and_their_explanation

If possible, could you check if you're able to answer the questions I have?

Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:44, 29 April 2023 (UTC)
:Hi Favi. Have not had much time but looked at it and liked the table. Also added two more pages, one with overview images of the world and the planets and one with a place to post the screen shots needed for making a full explanation. Put some of the relevant images up already but will not have time to much more the rest of this week. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:25, 1 May 2023 (UTC)
:: Great! Thanks, I like the new pages. Do you happen to know of a way to find the coordinates of each planet, so i can add them to the table? How did the folks editing [[2712: Gravity]] do it? [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:52, 2 May 2023 (UTC)
::: Hi Favi. Thanks. No I do not know, I did not do any editing on that comic. Have not had time like I did for instance with [[Hoverboard]] where I did most of the documentation. But have no idea what to do with a game like this. Not very tech savvy on that account. Keep up the good work! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:35, 6 May 2023 (UTC)
::::Nevermind, someone on the discussions page let me know of a very useful script that did exactly that, s I filled the entire Tiles column :D {{unsigned|FaviFake}}
:::::Great --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:19, 6 May 2023 (UTC)

:Hi, I've made [[User:Malgond/Drafts/Escape_Speed|another attempt]] at tables. I've talked a little bit with [[User talk:FaviFake|FaviTake]] but we didn't seem to come to a conclusion. I think we need a third (and maybe fourth and fifth) opinion. I have put a note about this in the [[Talk:2765: Escape Speed|discussion board]] but I'm not sure anybody will notice (there's a lot of stuff there). - [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 21:52, 13 May 2023 (UTC)
::I have replied and think your tables are great. See talk page for comic --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:18, 14 May 2023 (UTC)

== Changing category name, and the creation of [[:Category:Comics with red corrections]] ==
Hey Kynde,
I wanted to ask you if, as an admin, you could change the name of the [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal|Category:Comics posted on livejournal]] to this: [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal|Category:Comics posted on LiveJournal]]
The other two categories that mention LiveJournal have the L and J uppercase, so I think it should be the same for this category too:
*[[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd]]
*[[:Category:First day on LiveJournal]]

Also, I just created [[:Category:Comics with red corrections]] for comics like [[2639: Periodic Table Changes]] (under [[:Category:Comics with color]]) after seeing at least two or three request it.
*Is [[:Category:Comics with color]] the right parent category?
*Or should it be added to [[:Category:Distinctive comics]] too? Or just in one? Idk where to put it

Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:38, 20 May 2023 (UTC)
:Hi FlaviFake
:I could probably move the page to the correct spelling. I think I actually created the other two categories, after the one you know wish me to change. So it is my spelling later that would overrule the first. But i agree it would make sense.
:But if I do then all 45 comics that has this category should be corrected so they spell the category the new way. Would you be ready to do this for all 45 comics? And also every page that links to the current version of the category? I think it is not good enough to have a forward link with the category spelled wrong on all comics... Let me know if you wish to do that, then I can move the page. Once all has been corrected I could delete the forward page.
:
:I like your new category. Seems like the newest three is a series... But maybe we should just keep the red corrections. Question is if he has some with other color corrections, and if it is important that they are red? Or even color? But I like the idea.
:Not sure what categories they belong under. Not sure the color category is relevant. More comics by topic - the topic being corrections.
:Keep up the good work. I have much less time for making changes to the wiki now, that I used to.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:21, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

::Thanks for the reply!

::>Would you be ready to do this for all 45 comics?
::Yeah, it shouldn't be that hard. I just need to copy and paste the correct spelling on the articles. Let me know when you've moved it :)

::>if he has some with other color corrections, and if it is important that they are red?
::I put red because I've never seen a comic with a correction ''not'' in red, but I get your point. We can always rename it and update the category names in the few articles that are included in it

::>More comics by topic - the topic being corrections.
::You're right, I'll move it there now. Btw there is also a category called [[:Category:Comics with blood]] that is also in the Comics with color category, should it move that one to comics by topic too?
:::Hi. Tried, but I cannot move it cause the page name is not case sensitive, so it complains that I did not move it. Also I'm not sure it would work before you made the corrections, so it would be complicated. Not sure it is important enough for me to try to do some other thing. Like moving to a different title, then deleting the original page and try to move back. Maybe It will not be possible. So guess it won't happen?
:::Yes I think blood should be topic. Guess it will always be red to make sure we know it is blood? But then again maybe there could be a comic with not red blood or just black and white drawing where it is clear it is blood. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:22, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
::::Hey; I forgot to say it yesterday, but (after I realized I could already move pages on my account) I've moved [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal|Category:Comics posted on livejournal]] to [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal]]. I've removed the "comics" part because a different category, [[:Category:Posted on LiveJournal after xkcd]], started with "Posted". So I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and fixed both the consistency and the capitalization. i also moved the blood category to comics by topic
:::::I saw the message, created the requested page with capitalisation. They both redirect to "Posted on LiveJournal," you can pick whether you want to keep the new name you picked or if you want the one that was originally requested '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:09, 24 May 2023 (UTC)
::::::Good to hear from you Davidy22. And great work again FaviFake. I have just made sure there are no longer any links left to the old or the new version Davidy22 made, so we now use the FaviFake version and I have deleted the other two. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:03, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

== Changing the Sitenotice of this wiki ==
Hey,

I've noticed that for a few years, the page [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] is out of date, but from my understanding it can only be edited by admins. So, could you edit it and remove the mention on comic [[1608: Hoverboard]]? It's not incomplete anymore. Or, even better, could you try making it editable by confirmed registered users, so we can keep it up to date?

I would also remove the "Never use the Math markup language at the transcript. The reason for this you can read at the Editor FAQ." because it's probably one of the least useful things a newcomer should see when they open the site for the first time. I think if it were editable by mere people, it would be great because we could also update it for when a big new comic comes out and we need more people to help explain it. Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:04, 28 May 2023 (UTC)
:Hi FaviFake
:I have never changed that notice before, but I was able to. But do think it will be only admins that can do it. But I have changed it to [[2765: Escape Speed]] and removed the math mark. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:25, 30 May 2023 (UTC)
::That's great! Thank you.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:48, 30 May 2023 (UTC)
:::Ambivalent about the removal of the anti-Math bit, but I'm worried that there's also too much reliance upon general markup (including tables), rather than 'flat' description, and it does creep in. Historic articles that still do it might not help, though I'm not going back to change them.
:::To be clear, some stuff is really difficult to do ''without'' a table, and be short and sweet (though exporting detail to a /Transcript sub-page is a doable thing), but at least we shouldn't just use '''bold''' text or colours where colours are, but ensure they're always transcriptually indicated, in preference to/entirely instead of being used:
::::[A fragment of text, "bold" is in bold and several other words are written in red:] ...we shouldn't just use '''bold''' text or colours where colours are, but...
:::...to give a poor example that I'd expect another Transcript specialist to improve anyway.
:::Don't know how best to advertise this. Nor how ''not'' to add Citation Neededs, there being a current spate of them before commas/etc, which is against explainxkcd ''and'' Wikipedia standards, regardless of the actual overuse/misuse that may also happen by the hands of the enthusistic new(?) editors doing it. So I'll tweak what I see (of all these little things) hoping to move things more towards the aspirational ideals developed over many years of editors. And obviously that'd include the misplaced Math-markup. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.108|172.71.242.108]] 08:32, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
::::Well I think there is no reason to have such a text standing there. If someone begins using it again write to them and change it in transcript. I actually did not know where to change the notice and also was not aware I had the rights. Also I think it is fine to use colors and bold text in transcript. But if the color is important then it should be mentioned. But the transcript is also for people to be able to easily read the text and see what it looked like. And it is important so it is possible to search for a phrase you remember. As the description is important so you can search for a special item that was in a comic you remember... And tables is OK when relevant for the way the comic is written. So think I'm not really agreeing with the user who is not signed up here above... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:51, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
::::: We agree a lot, you'll be relieved(!) to hear. No bones to me about that warning (I could have told you that you could change it, just had no reason to :p ) and I'm sure someone will redo anything 'wrong' that occurs due to the prominant lack of it in future.
::::: I think it's less important to exactly reproduce what can be seen in the comic in "what can be seen in the Transcript", but as long as those who might not have compatible search/screen-reader access get the written cues as well than it's clearly permissable.
::::: Table use is still tricky. Not sure how screen-readers render them, so would depend upon how sensibly a small (or large) example can be described in either/both ways. (Totally coincidental case in point, my tongue-in-cheek comment to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2780:_Physical_Quantities&diff=314617&oldid=314606 this edit I just did] highlights how something could be visually formatted accurately, though I actually tried to Transcriptionally describe more accurately instead, which I thought more useful. (Not ''very'' important, but it's a clear layout choice that was not reflected in any usable way for ''anyone''.)
::::: But this is not a hill I'd die on (if it even came to that). I'm just doing my bit to maintain and support what I see as the contributor conventions that have been bashed around and gradually smoothed into some form of useful (if not universal) coherency over the various years. I'll take any sudden informal policy shift under advisement, and of course your words carry more weight than my own! I'll repeat "policy", but don't wish to (re)set it [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.225|172.71.242.225]] 11:26, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
::::::If you actually do some edits, why not get a account? Much easier to do edits and much easier to have a discussion, and we could actually see what you contribute, and agree or disagree. Now I will never know for sure what you did as IPs change from day to day and other people might get this ip later... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:05, 31 May 2023 (UTC)
:::::::I know you've no way of confirming this, but I've survived long enough without. And had this conversation before. With no power comes no responsibility! (Or, really, just could never decided on a good username/never the time to start having one, and rarely any need to.) But don't want to rehash all that again. You've done important work, before and after your ennoblement, and I congratulate you on it.
:::::::No, I just offer opinion that can be ignored, and edits that can be over-ruled. Imagine the damage to my fragile ego if I materialised as a Username account and everyone ''still'' ignores/rewrites everything I say? ;) Horses for courses, but that's how it works for me! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.71|172.70.91.71]] 19:09, 31 May 2023 (UTC)

== Solving the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] problem once and for all ==
Hey Kynde, I have an idea for solving the problem of having to constantly ask an admin to update the comic in the site notice. Since few admins are very active on this wiki, and the page [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] can't be set to allow non-admins to change it, we can just create a template and replace the text on [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] with the template (and then protect the template so only autoconfirmed users can edit it), so when for example a new big comic comes out, it can be updated immediately by simply editing the template. What do you think? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:18, 1 September 2023 (UTC)
:Hi FaviFake. Although I can see your point I'm not really sure what to do about this, and also not feeling confident of doing such a change. I'm still fairly regular using the page, and saw your comment fairly soon. I do not understand why I did not get an e-mail about your change to my talk page though? But I would be happy to change the sitenotice for you if your request makes sense to me. So let's see if that works for some time. Do you have a new comis you would like to have mentioned? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:27, 3 September 2023 (UTC)

== Justification for 2023 April Fools' comics ==
It's just someone's edit comment, but see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:April_fools%27_comics&diff=prev&oldid=338888 where it is claimed]... From that (and that it's completely not impossible to have both April Fool and book-launch combined in a single exotic comic) I think it's worth counting 2023 as at least a ''possible'' answer to the "Missing 2023 April Fool" conundrum. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.145|172.69.79.145]] 23:30, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
:: Hey I don't want to start an edit war over this, but I swear to you, Escape Speed was intended to be the 2023 April Fools comic. Chromakode (another person named in the credits for this comic) confirms as much in his blog post at https://chromakode.com/post/xkcd-gravity-escape-speed as well. [[User:Benley|Benley]] ([[User talk:Benley|talk]]) 00:49, 7 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Thanks for the link. That was what was missing, or if it was already somewhere I missed it. I did not see the thing about being named in the credits, but also that is not really enough without a link. Anyone could have said that. But I'm happy to learn this and will of course now not oppose including [[2765: Escape Speed]] as the 2023 fools' comic. And will even help sort out the list (a list which I started and have tried to keep up to date from the start.) Benley - is that Benjamin Staffin? And which of the other named in the credits for Escape Speed is Chromakode? (there is no such name there and did not find anything on the link but I'm not on X for instance so could not enter all of them). If you are indeed a developer of such comics, I thank you for all the joy you help bring to xkcd fans. Best regard --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:25, 7 April 2024 (UTC)
::::That's correct, benley is Benjamin Staffin (me). Chromakode is Max Goodhart. Thanks for maintaining this wiki :-) [[User:Benley|Benley]] ([[User talk:Benley|talk]]) 18:28, 10 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::Thanks for the info. Cool you are involved in these special comics. An honor to write with you. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 04:20, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
:To the first comment. I just realized it was [[Gravity]] that promoted the what if? book release. So that was my bad. Not that I would have believed a 19 day overdue comic was April fools' comic, just because it was not released on a book launch. But with the link from Benley, now I do. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:29, 7 April 2024 (UTC)

== Ping, re: Main Page deletion. ==
If you aren't being contacted by other means, this time I'm ''needing'' to spark off an email notification to you (resuming we don't need davidy22, etc). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.31|172.70.163.31]] 16:24, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
:I managed to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Undelete&target=Main_Page restore the page]. Thanks. Did not see it. I have written to the one who did it. Hope it was a mistake. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:58, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
::hey kynde, i would highly reccomend de-sysopping markhurd. he's confirmed to have passed on his main wikipedia page, and it could a security risk to keep him as a sysop, as whoever is in control of the account might delete more pages. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:13, 14 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Hi. Are you saying that he is dead now? Not sure I have permission to do that though --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:42, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
::::Yes, although I prefer more respectful terms. My great-grandfather recently passed at 100 years old, and I'm still needing time to process. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:02, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::Codolence for you loss. I'm not native English speaker and was uncertain what you meant and how you knew. Found out as you can see. Best, Kynde... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:14, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::It's a minefield of language. To have "passed" is probably not even a fairly common euphemism in British English (in fact, if locally used and understood for what it is about, it may even sound like a pat and insincere imported Americanism, rather than respectful...). Formally, you may say "deceased". Or you might skirt the issue by saying someone "is no longer with us" (although that might also mean they just moved on, i.e. now live somewhere else, rather than have "moved on", another euphemistic phrase that does somewhat presuppose belief that there is some other place that they can now be but is less 'Merkin than "passed").
::::::In general, take the cue from the one most connected. I would definitely honour 42's terminology regarding their great-grandfather, and would wish to pass on my own sympathies. For myself, once I tell you that my Dad is dead, you could easily ask how I've been "since he died". (NB.: though a real example, it was several years ago, with myself having been no spring chicken at the time, and so it is not a current issue; please let me avoid any further awkwardness by taking any belated condolances as read. My four grandparents died at various times between my being barely old enough to know until... well, it was still decades ago. Never had the opportunity to know any of ''their'' parents.)
::::::Aside from all that, I would find it awkward to restrict the language used when it comes to reports of those ''not'' obviously connected to either myself or the other party. Sean Connery died, JFK died ("was asassinated"), James VI Of Scotland/James I Of England is long dead, and moreso is {{w|Lucy (Australopithecus)|'Lucy'}}. Mortality is still far too common to ''never'' say the respective words, although clearly you might hedge your language if you know you're potentially tweaking fresh emotions in the one you're talking to, or are feeling fragile about the issue yourself.
::::::Perhaps understandable for 42 to have taken the more oblique term, in their recent state of grieving, but was unfortunately contextless and thus hard for you to interpret until fully explained. Og vi kender ikke engang dine egne forhold, så vi kan såre dine egne følelser. Whatever you might wish to say other than "Han er bestået"(/"død"). One perhaps must take this into account, in such internationalised communications. More in understanding others than in trying to anticipate what idealised position you must always take. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.220|172.70.90.220]] 15:19, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::::sorry for my little meltdown yesterday. sorry kynde, didn't know you were a non-native speaker. i blame hormones and grief-but mostly hormones. sorry again. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 23:20, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::::No problem 42. I do understand the meaning of passed, but had at first no idea how you would knew this and got confused. And did not think you would be affected by my question. A bit long essay from the previous commenter ;-) But fine with a littele context. Seems like he is also Danish, like me, given that he wrote some Danish lines...? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:55, 17 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::::::Nej undskyld. Skyd skylden på en populær hjemmeside*. Du har et dejligt land, men mit ene besøg var som barn (da man havde verdens eneste forlystelsespark lavet af plastikmursten!), og jeg kunne aldrig mere dansk end et par vitale ord som "ja", " nej" og "kartoffelmos"... :p [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.77|172.71.178.77]] 10:23, 17 April 2024 (UTC) ((* - checked the reversal; fiddled with it a bit; had to overrule it to specifically say 'brick(s)', not 'stone', presuming that would be more correct! ;) Anyway, just FYI. Ignorer mig!))
::::::::::Ha ha. Well you made a visit to Legoland. :-) Hope you enjoyed it. Have been there many times. It is called: Legoklodser. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:32, 17 April 2024 (UTC)
::::Ah found it my self [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Markhurd here]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:43, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::I have blocked Mark Hurds account now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:47, 15 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::Does this wiki have a deceased tag like on Wikipedia? Or a way to deactivate their account without blocking? I can't find markhurd's page so I don't know if thats something you did. But if thats not an avalible option, that would be a nice thing for the admins or buracrats add, as a more respectful way to deactivate their acount, instead of blocking them. :) [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 15:36, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
::::::Also 42, I'm very sorry for your loss. [[User:Apollo11|Apollo11]] ([[User talk:Apollo11|talk]]) 15:36, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:::::::I have left a message on [[User:Markhurd]] saying he has "passed", do not think there is a dedicated tag for this. Also if there was or I'm not the one to make it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:55, 17 April 2024 (UTC)

== main page protection ==
can you protect the main page, like how 42.book.addict asked on the admin request community portal? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.155.39|172.71.155.39]] 21:21, 16 April 2024 (UTC)
:Done. I had hoped it was a one time problem. It can now only be changed by admins. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:51, 17 April 2024 (UTC)

== Linking from another wiki ==
Hi,
Over on a different wiki's homepage, I'm maintaining [https://pandorastale.wiki/wiki/Pandora%27s_Tale_Wiki#Other_Webcomic_Wikis_We_Love|keeping a list of wikis] about webcomics on "good" hosts (independent or Miraheze, no Fandom). Would you be okay with me listing your wiki?
[[User:183231bcb|183231bcb]] ([[User talk:183231bcb|talk]]) 22:12, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
:Hi. I'm not quite sure where you would put a link. But I see no problems with links to this page, as it is a page for people who wish to get help understanding (or help with explaining) xkcd which is public. So not really sure you need any permission to link to this page. I'm not in any way the owner of this page, just an admin. Feel free to link though.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:02, 20 May 2024 (UTC)
::If I can perhaps try to help both of you (forgive me for butting in)...
::Minor markup problems were made with the initial request. "...I'm maintaining [https://pandorastale.wiki/wiki/Pandora%27s_Tale_Wiki#Other_Webcomic_Wikis_We_Love keeping a list of wikis] about webcomics..." ''should'' be the intended link, and way of linking it. (If I've done it right!) It's a simple request to make reference to our site here (not 'page', that might be confusing) and though there's really nothing to stop them, I for one thank them for asking, and also complement them on their good taste! :p
::We don't really have an established place to make a reciprocal gesture, nice as that might be. We have a bit or two that documents Randall's own "Other webcomics I like" elements, but that's more just a matter of record (if he adds something there, we'll add it here).
::It might be interesting to have a Community-area page where contributors can place such suggestions, but by the very nature of our broad church of viewers I could see that being a bit uncontrollable. We do have people linking (relevent) other sites in Explanation pages, ones that may seem relevent in the Talk/Discussion contributions and of course a User page is that user's own to (within reason!) set up any kind of webcomic directory they wish (hey, with a bit of clever <nowiki><(no)include(only)></nowiki> tagging, they can maintain it there and perhaps let it show up, transcluded, somewhere that the Community is happy to put it, for as long as it looks like this person is doing a decent job of maintaining it).
::...but that's beyond the request by 183231bcb (which I think I'm right in saying that Kynde has no problems with, to project what I think is meant above by both of you).
::And, to clarify, yes this isn't "Kynde's wiki", as such. The hoster/maintainer is someone else (and not Randall), it's rather a bit more of a community effort in a public square set up in the distant past by generally absent landlords. That said, Kynde is a worthy moderator/admin/whatever and currently active (others exist, and some occasionally pop by as required), and - if you accept this long-time anon-IP's word - I would say he's not a bad choice to check with on this issue. Might be quicker to get a yay/nay response than putting it out to general comment. (For those who check the possible appearance of such a request for general comment!) And, still hoping I'm not putting wrong words into mouths here, that response ''is'' "yay", so hey..! (I imagine it's not going to be as problematic as being slashdotted, which would be my only reservation. Even so, being slashdotted (or the modern equivalent) is something we have no control over.)
::Now it's up to everyone as to what to do about it. Barring anyone ''else'' having an opinion, first! Let what happens happen, eh? (I've only briefly looked at the PTW, so rar, but maybe I'll get to see what your lot's focal strip is doing as well, later. Nice to know there's others who avoid Fandom-type sites!) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.48|172.70.90.48]] 15:38, 20 May 2024 (UTC)
:::Thanks for your input. Now I know where it would go. I can see no reason not to put a link to a public page and telling you like it. But as said above we do not reciprocal the gesture. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:27, 21 May 2024 (UTC)
:Hi,
Thank you. My initial request was just if you minded me linking to you: a returning link from here to PTW would be beyond my initial request (but of course I would be happy if you did!)
[[User:183231bcb|183231bcb]] ([[User talk:183231bcb|talk]]) 15:07, 21 May 2024 (UTC)
:Your welcome, can see you have added the link. We do not have anywhere to make such a link, and it is not a personal page. But at least you page will be linked from this chat :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:21, 22 May 2024 (UTC)

== Setting up emails ==
Hey Kynde, I have a question about setting up emails on this wiki. Seeing as you’re the only admin, I hope that you can help me and I don’t need to invoke Jeff. I want to set up my gmail so that I can see when my talk page and community portals are edited (due to academic workloads, I now check my email more than ExplainXKCD), but the wiki doesn’t send out my confirmation email. Could you please advise on this? Thanks. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 22:22, 21 August 2024 (UTC)
:Hi "The answer to the ultimate question about everything" :-)
:I'm sorry I probably have to disappoint you, because I'm not very technical minded and I really have no idea how these things work. I got admin because I use the wiki allot and actually read comments. I also got an e-mail alert from your post. Although I actually saw it here on explain before I now checked to see if the e-mail alert had arrived.
:I guess you have tried to enter your e-mail under Preferences, User profile in the Email options at the bottom? I tried to change my e-mail last year, without success. So maybe this system do not work anymore? So in order to fix this we would need to either get hold of Jeff, very difficult or [[User:Davidy22]], very hard. I will post a message on your talk page to see if you get a message. Just to make sure it doesn't work without the confirmation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:27, 22 August 2024 (UTC)
:nope, didn’t get an email. thanks for trying though! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:19, 22 August 2024 (UTC)

== Blocking ColorfulGalaxy ==
Hi Kynde. While doing some maintenance work, I found a user by the name of [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]]. Their user page is filled with dead links and they seem to be abusing multiple accounts for “neology uploads”. Abuse of multiple accounts is a blockable offense. If you agree to block them, I will see that as permission to categorise the page into the Pages to delete Category. Thanks! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 21:11, 24 September 2024 (UTC)
:Seems suspicious. I have no time to address it right now. Can you help me understand what his offense is? Has he done anything other things wrong than the many dead link on his own page. How do you know he has multiple accounts? I'm interested in helping stopping this if it is a problem for this wiki. But would also not like to block a user just because he is making a mess of his own page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:56, 25 September 2024 (UTC)
::Yes, I can give you direct proof that was given not less than 24 hours ago. A user by the name of ConscriptGlossary made a post on [[Talk:1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] with alongside the account ClassicalGames in regards to their Neology Wiki back in July, then announced that it was shut down just a couple hours ago. If you go to ClassicalGames’s [[User talk:ClassicalGames|talk page]], you can see multiple accounts, all with C___G___ usernames. I’ve checked and it’s not a simple signature change. Finally, if you go to ColorfulGalaxy’s [[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk page]], the apparent “main account”, you will see a thread where several anon accounts try some sense into this kid about his “Neology wiki”, with him giving nonsensical answers. It seems that they have created an army of accounts, use it to talk to himself, and “upload pictures” to his neology wiki, which isn’t even hosted on ExplainXKCD. I hope that this is enough proof. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:34, 25 September 2024 (UTC)
:::If you want other reasons, their messages about the “neology wiki” can be considered as advertising for an external website and being off topic, both of which are not allowed on ExplainXKCD. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:02, 25 September 2024 (UTC)
::::Great thanks. Are there then more than one account that should be blocked then and not just ColorfulGalaxy? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:06, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::As someone who originally (and sporadically since) called out "the CGs" for obvious "multi"ing, I'm really not too bothered about 'merely' using multiple logins (and obviously also non-logins) for most purposes. I ''did'' [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:ColorfulGalaxy&diff=308614&oldid=308515 try to stop the excessive redlinking], at one point, but you can see how long that lasted (and which user(s) kept popping in to make more edits).
:::::But all over the place you'll find various accounts editing various CG-'owned' pages (or prior comments) that acted as if they were the owner, but strictly weren't. Even to the extent of deleting my suggestions that there were such things going on (guilty conscience!)...
:::::Realistically, it would take some digging, checking both page histories and contribution histories, cross-referencing the obvious-at-the-time links to see if they look like they're remnants of all this kind of activity. I actually don't think it's worth it (though I do think the mostly red-linked page should be neutered, like I once tried to do).
:::::...oh, and... 42.book.addict ... you're doing a lot of editing at the moment (a lot trying to undo what you unwisely once did). It's dizzying! Calm down a bit, maybe? ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.52|141.101.99.52]] 09:42, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::Oops, sorry! I’ll take a break. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:10, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::But then there is another group of users whose usernames are comic titles, such as [[User:Unreliable Connection]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.171|172.69.43.171]] 09:53, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::::This is getting more and more confusing. I'm just a user that was upgraded to admin because no one else was active among the existing admins. I have limited knowledge of the things mentioned here and have never blocked a user. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::::::::Looked into it and that kind of page should not be here. I have deleted it. If you find other please post. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:10, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

We tried to do the Neography project on Explain XKCD wiki but got refused. We then created a new website which got sued and shut down. Sorry for the inconvenience. [[User:ConscriptGlossary|ConscriptGlossary]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGlossary|talk]]) 09:43, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:Are you one of the users that also contains ColorfulGalaxy... If so could you clean up after yourself? Before I have to block and delete? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

Anyways, ClassicalGames should obviously be banned. [[User:ConscriptGlossary|ConscriptGlossary]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGlossary|talk]]) 09:44, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:No. ClassicalGames is a Helper of the States. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.209|172.70.160.209]] 09:59, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::What does this mean? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

Fuck ColorfulGalaxy. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.209|172.70.160.209]] 09:51, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:This seems to be going out of control here. Please refrain from language. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::Kynde, don't worry. Typical CG-talking-to-themself behaviour. Trying to get a rise.
::It's also possible that they were behind [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Anonymous64 a number of other vandalisms], a quick spate of possibly distracting vandalisms, which I've reverted. (The theme seeming to be anti-Taiwan in nature, although ironically never actually used in that way.)
::Or else it was a random ''other'' prankster, popping up in the midst of this other resurgence. But, either way, you can probably practice your banning upon ''that'' account (with absolutely no positive edits), even if you need to consider the whole issue of the CG clan a little more before making a judgement. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.209|172.70.160.209]] 14:08, 26 September 2024 (UTC)

I added hidden HTML tags to stop them from replacing. [[User:ConscriptGuide|ConscriptGuide]] ([[User talk:ConscriptGuide|talk]]) 22:49, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
:No. Just don't bother. You and that anonymous IP editor who ''once again'' decides to delete my highlighting of your multi-user editing habits. (And who practically confirms your actual connection to the original vandalism, as well as that, BTW.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.189|141.101.99.189]] 23:39, 26 September 2024 (UTC)
::Please STOP it. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] will be REALLY ANGRY when he comes back seeing his [[Contact Merge|contacts being merged]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.53|172.70.86.53]] 06:31, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
:::Maybe if he didn’t share accounts with multiple people, that wouldn’t happen. ''karma!'' [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:17, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
Alright, I’m going to try to put back some sanity into this conversation. It appears that this isn’t a case of abuse of multiple accounts, but instead multiple people with access to the same account, some of which try to talk about neology and post dead links, some of which vandalise and make bad edits, and some that make helpful contributions. I say that you can probably ban the vandal accounts without any judgment, and tell the CG clan to get their own accounts, because frankly, it’s confusing to keep up with multiple people making edits on a single account. Since you’re an admin, your words probably carry more weight than us low users and anons. Tell them to either help with the wiki and make helpful contributions or be banned off, because I don’t think anybody else on this wiki cares about neology. But hey, feel free to have a different opinion on this entire mess. YOU’RE the admin, and you get to make the final call. Sincerely, [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:12, 27 September 2024 (UTC)
:Thanks for the good detective work. See below. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:33, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

===Reply from the admin to the above===
Based on all the above I have written to [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] and told about the [[User_talk:ColorfulGalaxy#Suggestions_been_made_to_block_your_account.21|suggestion to block the account]]. 
I then wrote basically the same to these accounts:
*[[User talk:ClassicalGames]]
*[[User talk:ConscriptGlossary]]
*[[User talk:ConscriptGuide]]
*[[User talk:ChristmasGospel]]
*[[User talk:ConlangGuide]]
Let me now if there are more C___G___ accounts that needs the same message.

Then based on a comment on "users whose usernames are comic titles, such as [[User:Unreliable Connection]]" I have reacted to those as well. I have deleted two pages that were "copies" of the comics they where named after. And I have warned that we do not wish users to take exact comic title names. And also not to make their pages into copies of explanations with links etc. I have deleted two such pages and warned these three users:
*[[User_talk:Memo_Spike_Connector]]
*[[User talk:Unreliable Connection]]
*[[User talk:Missed Connections]]
*[[User talk:Python]]
If they do not reply I will delete those accounts. Let me know if there are more accounts doing this that needs this warning. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:32, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

Ban them all except [[User:ClassicalGames]]. The most secure solution is to BAN ALL THE CHINESE USERS. That country is the most prolific source of spam. Yes, that includes [[User:X. K. C. D.]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.55|172.71.26.55]] 13:25, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:My philosophy: base it upon their actions, not any other form of broad profiling. Where the piss is being taken (or outright spamvertising occurs), let the community deal with it and the admin(s, ideally!) can tidy up the messiest messes as necessary.
:Bear in mind that getting no reply from a dormant account might not mean ''permanent'' dormancy/orphanship, and that plenty of well-intended accounts could be liable to removal by that standard. And persistent offenders can always find other ways to be persistent, anyway (the price of being openly editable is the occasional storm in a teacup), but clear misrepresentations and subversions can definitely be handled as and when. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.142|172.70.162.142]] 14:43, 29 September 2024 (UTC)

Don't forget [[User:Python]]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.11|141.101.98.11]] 22:38, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:Thanks done the same as above, and adding it to the list above for my convinience --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:49, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

Then there's a group of users who has character's name, such as [[User:Megan]] and [[User:Danish]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.111|172.70.85.111]] 22:41, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
:A clear distinction there, between inspiration/homage and LARPing. With something [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk%3A1963%3A_Namespace_Land_Rush&type=revision&diff=351583&oldid=324310 like this] being a strange middle-ground. Thus best to deal only with what they do. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.24|162.158.74.24]] 23:16, 29 September 2024 (UTC)
::What is LARPing? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.98|172.70.163.98]] 02:22, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:::"Live Action Role Play(ing)". Like tabletop roleplaying (e.g. D&D, or any other genre) with character sheets/figures, but done in a wider setting (handy bit of woodland, around the university campus, etc) actually physically performing the encounters, with or without degrees of CosPlay and freeform make-believe mixed in with adjudicating 'dice roll' type GMing, depending upon the setup.
:::In this kind of usage, though, generally refers to fronting as something you are not. Could be applied to "catphishing", but generally more claiming (or heavily implying) to be some kind of person, or have some kind of expertise/experience, behind your internet persona, that goes beyond the necessary fronting that any particular forum encourages.
:::Might be common for a 14yo boy to turning up pretending to have experience deployed in the military, to set up a straw-man political view opposite to their own, to be a 'working woman'. (Or, conversely, anyone else could take on the 14yo boy 'role', for whatever reason.) In some places, the tolerance for (and expectations of) this are such that you can just 'be' whoever you present yourself as, ''but'' (when you step over a line) you can be dismissed by others (who may or may not be doing the same thing) as merely LARPing. (Or someone being relatively genuine can be, in error or as a put-down.)
:::Generally, the kind of places that adopted the term (for this) aren't openly fans of the original LARPers, it's a double-edged (dwarf-forged, elf-wielded) sword of an insult that implies a general disregard of both the anonymous 'character actor' (or supposed to be) in front of them and also those who "run around, cosplaying elves in the woods". But the general indication of the former that it suggests has spread a bit wider to less antagonistic and generally misanthropic fora.
:::In the above context, it seems to apply to any serious attempt to convey oneself as a site 'official' (based upon terms for admin, a variation upon "xkcd" or named for explainxkcd's "<number> <comic name>" own pages; or even aping Randall himself) by 'cleverly' picking a suitable free-form username. Different from the fan-based decision to take the username of <insert favourite character here> as a clearly fictional 'avatar' identity, without claiming any more than that.

Seems there is no easy way to deal with this... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:18, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:There never is. You have the power ''and the responsibility'' to make and enact judgement calls, though. (No pressure!) If I were in your position (but still my longer history here), I'd probably have previously shut down the comic-copy pages/accounts. But I've been an admin-type before (BBS era) and know the kind of power-mad tendencies that can emerge, too (in my case, minor little tricks I played on the 'locals'... honest!) so I can fully appreciate your measured restraint. Hope I'm not making it worse, though, in describing how you can do far more (or less!), if you wanted to, without much in the way of voices (qualifiedbones and, unlike me at whatever-IP-I-am-right-now, at least partially of account) to double-check.
:Sense the tone of the community and then set that tone yourself. That's the best way to continue. Ignore long-winded old farts like me (or, rather, don't take random-IP words as gospel; at least think about it for yourself - including this bit!) but work out where the harmonious mid-point might be and gently (except when it is necessary to be rough...) wrangle everything generally towards that wide river channel in which it is all neither too anarchic nor too locked-down. Easy! ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.28|172.70.91.28]] 11:29, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
::Thanks for the input. I do not have the time to go through all peoples changes. SO I basically only react when people write here. But at least it is more than other admins in general... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:49, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

===A New Update===
Hi Kynde, please see [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical]] on why I believe the CG accounts should be banned. Accounts should never be shared, as under {{w|WP:NOSHARE]], and a lot of their edits are abusive, childish, and attention seeking. Other than making references that almost nobody gets and making comments about their various other “work” on other wikis, they make small {{w|WP:GNOME|WikiGnomish}} work and don’t contribute much. I think that the community as a whole would be much better off without them, and I have advised the esolang wiki about this issue similarly (this’ll make sense once you see my complaint on the Technical board. Thanks, '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 05:46, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
:Hi. Not quite sure what it is they have done with your signature and what error they claim is on two different wikis. Can you explain more? And can you list the accounts that needs to be blocked? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:58, 29 November 2024 (UTC)
::Agreed. A simpler solution is to ban all the Chinese users, not only the CG's. [[User:Donald Trump from wiki.xdi8.top|Donald Trump from wiki.xdi8.top]] ([[User talk:Donald Trump from wiki.xdi8.top|talk]]) 10:59, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
:::I have now blocked DT here above as he was just vandalizing.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:07, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
::::Good news for Trump: His account has been confirmed on wiki.xdi8.top wiki. ColorfulGalaxy also registered an account there but didn't get confirmed. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.222.165|172.69.222.165]] 09:48, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:::::Nothing to do with us. I'm more bothered by this new account's invasive vandalism of his 'CG' targets' pages (and even associated ones). Not at all good faith. (I leave it open as to whether this is inspired by the namesake's own attitude...). I don't really care what an account is called, so long as it's not in itself defamatory or insulting, only in its behaviour. Based upon what it was used for, I'd have said it was created for malicious purposes and I don't think any one of its edits was actually community-minded. Whether the same person was behind it as was behind xdi8's example (there's no easy way of proving that, without cross-confirmation of "yes, I created <username> on <otherwiki>"... not that it matters if that ever happens) is basically irrelevent to how we run and use this one. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.150|172.68.205.150]] 19:23, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
::Please, no stupid editing, person with a stupid username. I've gotten rid of the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Donald_Trump_from_wiki.xdi8.top obvious worst cases] (especially the ones apparently designed to make them difficult to undo). Whatever I think of the target(s) or your ire, this is not the solution.
::Also, no, banning all people (presumed) from one place is not an answer. On a case by case basis, though, it seems that you've probably not done anything worth preserving. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.70|172.70.85.70]] 12:32, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
:I have now blocked all 9 users mentioned in the two bulleted lists above. CG and those with comic names. Not those with characters name... yet. Hope this helps. Let me know if they start new CG acoutns or the likes. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:59, 30 November 2024 (UTC)
::Please revert all their changes. [[Main Page]] 06:55, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
:::Not sure what yo mean or why you refer to main page. That page is protected and they cannot change that. Also I think other people have reverted all their unwanted changes already. What they did on their talk page is not our concern.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:26, 1 December 2024 (UTC)
::::I just undid the blanking of one of the affected logins' User page. It could have been the (now blocked) user just tidying up, but equally could have been a "get rid of everything they did" action (like the Trump-account undoing ''valid corrections'' made by CG accounts, at least twice, perhaps as an effort to wipe out the efforts of the now banished users).
::::Firstly, the historic contributions of vanished users (whether by inactivity or because of being silenced) should not be so indiscriminately removed. Yes, anything they did wrong would be best reverted/superseded, but then that applies to any edits from any user (or IP).
::::Secondly, if administrators (and only administrators) decide that an indeffinite-banned account does not deserve their User/User Talk pages any more, ''then'' the same administrtors get to deal with the problem by their equally useful powers of page-deletion. There's no benefit to "wiping the page".
::::I don't even know who did the page-wiping (an IP, could have been the banned user wanting to tidy away their (limited) old and now unusable presence), but the way to have invited the administrator's decision/action on the matter would have been to add the Pages To Delete tagging, and/or appeal directly to someone like Kynde, ideally with whichever good reason they thought apply.
::::...on a related issue, '42'/'Tori' had a period of not logging in (relinquishing their login details to someone, apparently), but ''still'' wanting to edit. Which rather pushed the line as they (as an IP) were editing the User pages (of '42'). If it was them (as it later proved, once '42' started posting again) and it makes a mockery of 'giving up logging in', surely the idea was to spend no time on here while doing exams/whatever else IRL. But quite easily it could have been an impersonator (and a lazy one at that), which should really have been reverted.
::::Generally, I'd suggest that ''no-one'' except the User-space's owner (and, of course admin-levels) should edit a User:-space page. And edits to the related User Talk:-space should be restricted to adding (replies/new sections), as necessary. This applies equally to IPs or other-usernames. The exception that I would follow is that undoing/redoing a 'bad' edit is something valid. Whether it be unvandalising or correcting what was obviously a mis-markupping (or other error) in a someone else's contribution. And, even then, I'd restrain myself against modifying an owner-edit (if the User Talk page existed, I might add my suggestion as to what they might need to do to correct either their User or User Talk edit's 'error'), even if I considered myself free to help out with situations arising from non-owner edits that seemed to need intervention.
::::Not that I set the 'rules'. Far from it. Just conveyong my own thoughts and expectations and what I've generally found to be the expected convection in these (and similar) parts. Regardless of any subtle differences between what I've just said and the 'official' policies upon grandma Wikipedia itself. Yes, probably alwys a good basis for what we do, but we have the leeway (by community concensus) to adopt and adapt our own conventions in ways that work best for us, as well. And 'my' addition to the community concensus is what I've just said (at least until I'm proven to be wrong on any point, with either stricter or looser ideas than my own). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.150|172.68.205.150]] 19:23, 1 December 2024 (UTC)

== Banning powers are needed ==
Hi Kynde, could you block this [[Special:Contributions/I love you kydne|user]]? They have been vandalising the wiki and appears to be the same IP user who thinks that Randall supports genocide. Thanks. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:10, 9 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:11, 10 October 2024 (UTC)
Hi, sorry for bothering you again. Can you please block [[Special:Contributions/Billywilliamss12|Billywilliamss12]]? Seems to be an ordinary case of spamtervising. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 16:59, 14 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done, although you made it difficult with a spelling error in the link... I have fixed it, but you could have spotted the red link ;) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:35, 14 October 2024 (UTC):
Please block [[Special:Contributions/👉🍆🍑💦🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵œ∑´®†©ƒ®∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥©ƒ∂®🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕| 👉🍆🍑💦🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵 🥵œ∑´®†©ƒ®∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥˙©ƒ∂´®†¥©ƒ∂®🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕 🖕]] and [[Special:Contributions/Whocaresatptbh|Whocaresatptbh]]. Thank you! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 20:12, 17 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:27, 20 October 2024 (UTC)

Not sure, but the first edit by [[Special:Contributions/Trikk]] was basically vandalism. The second (and so far latest) was... Meh. Not productive but not outright bad. Might be worth considering looking at, especially if they shortly have more posts to assess (for good or bad). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.49|82.132.238.49]] 14:50, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
:I would say we should give them a warning first. Benefit of the doubt, right? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:21, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
::Yes I will wait. Could have been an error since it was the first and there have not been any changes since the second. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:42, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Heyyyy, is it possible for you to ban an IP range? If so, I'd enjoy it if you blocked the range of 165.155, as the only editor I've seen from that range has vandalized multiple comic pages, as well as repeatedly vandalizing my user page and also Tori's. Having checked his edits, none of them appear to have been productive. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:25, 2 December 2025 (UTC)
:I have banned the four most recent used 1666.155 IP adresses. Have no way of banning a range. If you wish I could semi protect so only auto confirmed users can edit you page. But I can see there is a IP address that help reverting the spam so he could not edit you page. But hen again your main page shoudl mainly be for you to edit! Let me know if I shall protect it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:55, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
::That would be lovely, thank you. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 17:34, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
:::"Note: This page has been protected so that only registered users can edit it." Done. Only to your user page so far. Let me know if your talk page also gets in trouble! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:37, 6 December 2025 (UTC)

== User Page vandalism ==
Hi Kynde, could you please protect my user page to only be edited by autoconfirmed users? I've been receiving [[User:42.book.addict#History|7 incidents of vandalism on my user page over the past 24 hours]]. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 03:32, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:Done and reverted the last vandalism. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:50, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
:Hi Kynde, I would strongly recommend protecting your own User Page and Discussion page to stop vandals from vandalising them. I would also like to request protecting my discussion page, as I’ve been getting hit with vandalization 9 times after you protected my user page. If possible, I would also strongly recommend preventing IPs from editing all user pages and discussion pages for some time (maybe a month) (I don’t actually know if this is possible or not). [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 22:15, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:47, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
::You do realise that the sad individual involved will just move to ''other'' other pages, until they get fed up, don't you? Or do the vandalism in ways that someone like me (most of my reverts had the "Nope." comment to them) could no longer now deal with? I'm not saying ''don't'' do something about it, but that's not the answer (and I don't want to give the idiot more ideas, so won't directly say much abot what I think the answer actually is).
::Whatever anyone does, I hope it works. I'll just do what I can when I can, as will the other helpful parties who happen to be around (the advantage of the healthy community we have around here). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.248|141.101.98.248]] 22:29, 23 October 2024 (UTC)
:::No I cannot prevent spammers like this. But peoples own page I can protect. I have just reverted vandalism of my page and since it is only for me to edit I have made it totally protected. For some time I protect this page as well and have done the same for 42. I realize that the one I reply to now would not be able to reply until the timer runs out. But please consider creating an account and help even more... I might try to reach out to other admins that have more power for stopping spammers. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:52, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
::::Something that would be really helpful is Jeff to come back onto the wiki and promote a new ‘crat and a couple more admins. Still mulling over whether or not to DM him on Twitter. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 06:55, 25 October 2024 (UTC)
:::::I think you should try and also to Davidy... I have tried Davidy. He is tech savy which I'm not! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:50, 26 October 2024 (UTC)
::::::I already emailed Davidy22, but he isn't a 'crat and can't help out. He has also helped me email Jeff, but Jeff isn't responding. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 17:53, 26 October 2024 (UTC)
:Could you also protect [[User:DollarStoreBa'al]]? They've seen a recent spate of vandalism recently. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:37, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
::For that matter, protecting every single user page shouldn't interfere that much. Nobody should be able to create pages (including user pages) without auto confirmed permissions, and this would prevent IPs and brand new accounts from vandalizing. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:46, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:::Every user? ''Every'' user? That's a ''lot'' of work, for Kynde. Those who want to vandalise will just find another page to vandalise. Any missed userpages. Or a newer-than-the-locking User page. Or the User Talk pages. Or... you know... just go back to Explanation vandalism or even some other non-protected pages that I could name (but won't). Or get around the locking by a bit more perserverence (that I'll also not explain). You're asking a lot, for so little practical deterrant, and for what is a trivially revertable issue when the idiots ''do'' decide to do it.
:::Unless Ba'al personally asks for it (painting a bigger target on their back?), I don't think it's even worth doing just that. But (as an IP myself) I probably don't really get a say in that. Just offering my own observation, from (if you take my word for it) an avowed anti-vandal perspective. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.209|82.132.245.209]] 20:03, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
::::I swear that there was a feature in MediaWiki that lets sysops mass protect pages. Maybe I'm mistaken... '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:56, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::There'll be a way, at least scriptwise, but it's still a brutally blunt instrument.
:::::And it could just become a game of Whack-A-Mole that will be 'won' only with the whole site locked down against ''everyone'' (more or less) as the rogue visitors rise to the challenge, whilst losing all those edits that do no harm/fix things, as it goes from how it goes now, through various degrees of imperfect protections, perhaps to a draconian level of lockdown.
:::::If even possible/practical. But there'll still be similar suggestions, to yours, when it isn't. This isn't our first rodeo, of course. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.105|82.132.245.105]] 05:18, 26 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::I have blocked the ip address that kept changing the number of times.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:41, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

== Collector’s Edition/Incomplete Transcripts ==

Can we get a call to action about finishing up Collector’s Edition (uploading loot files/describing images) and to finish up all incomplete transcripts on the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice|Sitenotice]]? [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice id|Sitenotice id]] should also be updated. Thanks! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:51, 3 November 2024 (UTC)

== revdel ==
hi. please revision delete the second one of [[:file:pixels-assembly-3.png]]. it's disgusting. thanks [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 05:37, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
:Done also on other pages with same users vandalism. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:40, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

== For your attention, no rush... ==
Just now, {{diff|359122|I did this}}, for a second time. Look back in history for two changes for fuller details. Possibly look ''forward'' for any further changes if it has happened yet again. Candidate for a ban? I'll keep a weather eye on the page. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.78|141.101.98.78]] 14:34, 11 December 2024 (UTC)
:I have seen it and given him a warning not to do it again. If he does, let me know. And I will give him a final warning. Before banning him. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:25, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
::IMO, we'll probably see nothing more of them, given they didn't redo after revert #2. But, if we do, it'll be to return to make the bannable action and nothing else. If they prove me wrong, and actually attempt to join 'polite society', I'll eat my virtual hat, though I admit it'd be nice to see them contributing in good faith, rather than being a one-trick pony, once they get whatever-it-is out of their system. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.5|172.70.90.5]] 14:30, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
::In fact... {{diff|359222|this is almost certainly them again}}. My optimism is slightly dented, but my realism is just shrugging its shoulders. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.160|172.70.91.160]] 14:39, 12 December 2024 (UTC)
:::Blocked the new one. And the first as well --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:14, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

== Vandalising User ==

Hi Kynde. I have copied a message from the Admin Request board below, you can see the troll's contribution history [[Special:Contributions/KikeUNTERMENSCH|here]]. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 05:30, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

"[[User:KikeUNTERMENSCH]], as one might guess from his name, has done nothing but vandalize templates, sometimes to post racist comments on the main page and other times to post pictures of a dead goat. Please block him. Thanks! --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.209|172.68.54.209]] 04:43, 17 December 2024 (UTC)"
:Blocked --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:12, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
::Thanks! :3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 08:39, 17 December 2024 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.157|172.68.54.157]] 16:11, 17 December 2024 (UTC)

Could we get [[User:Ban me I dare you]] banned? They vandalised [[104]], [[2453]], [[1947]], and [[3037]], as you can see from their [[Special:Contributions/Ban me I dare you|editing history]]. Thanks! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 00:11, 15 January 2025 (UTC)
:I did dare, so he is now banned. Thanks --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:22, 16 January 2025 (UTC)

Not vandalism, per se, but [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Netcec001 spamvertising]? (Or I grossly misread the intention, and my removal should be reversed...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.249|141.101.98.249]] 07:46, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
:Agree this is spam and I blocked him. Logging in to post spam on first go is no reason to keep around. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:35, 4 March 2025 (UTC)

Another [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Grace_77 spammer]... Just the one intervention (reverted), at the moment, but FYI. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.123|141.101.99.123]] 14:19, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

== Uncooperative User ==

I wish to have some administrative help with a user that I find to be uncooperative and unwilling to listen, as per {{w|WP:3R}}. Please check [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Uncooperating_User]] for the details. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:15, 28 December 2024 (UTC)
:Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:57, 29 December 2024 (UTC)
::Hey Kynde! On the Admin Requests portal, you said (regarding this issue):
::{{Quote|I noticed he has kept deleting his own talk page. I have just given him a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title{{=}}User_talk:Lettherebedarklight&oldid{{=}}362972 final warning]. Let me know if he deletes it once more! I might forget to check it out. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:00, 20 January 2025 (UTC)}}
::Well, [[User:Lettherebedarklight]] has now deleted their talk page yet again, and they also changed their signature back to the old one (with a misleading link), as you can see in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:FaviFake&diff=367780&oldid=367750 this edit of theirs]. This was despite you sending them two different messages telling them to stop. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:01, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
:::Undid it again and then read a comment by 42. I have thus written to 42 because I'm not sure what to do. See here [[User_talk:42.book.addict#Uncooperating_User]]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:44, 5 March 2025 (UTC)
::::I have replied. I should let you know that 42 is currently on an extended meantal health break from editing, so she might not read or reply to your comment too soon.. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:58, 5 March 2025 (UTC)

== Promoting the [[what if? (blog)|what if?]] index in the sitewide notice ==

Hey Kynde! I wanted to talk about the ''what if?'' blog and book pages. They are outdated, some informally written, incomplete, and sometimes hard to navigate. Also, for some reason, I noticed we have [[what if? (blog)#Articles|two]] different [[What If? chapters|tables]] to list the articles, both with different information. I've added an incomplete tag on the main two pages to merge them, but i don't think it's enough to get the pages to a good state. Do you think you could mention the page [[what if? (blog)]] in the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to get more help? I unfortunaltely don't have the time to work on it too much, but i think as a wiki we should have a complete, clear, and easy-to-navigate index of all ''what if?'' articles, just like we do for the comics. I was thinking of using this in the notice, short and to the point:

Help us finish the '''[[what if? (blog)|index of ''What if?'' articles]]'''! We need to clean up & add the new YouTube videos!

----

<nowiki>Help us finish the '''[[what if? (blog)|index of ''What if?'' articles]]'''! We need to clean up & add the new YouTube videos!</nowiki>

----

I also put a notice on the page, explaining what we have to do in detail, here's a copy:

{{notice|
===THINGS TO DO:===
*'''Merge the ''Articles'' section of this page with the table in [[What If? chapters]]'''
*Add what if? YT videos to the existing table (as additional columns, since they're all based on blog articles). Or maybe create a new table?
Lower priority:
*Clean up the Release schedule section (and also the entire article) and update it
*Upload files of thumbnails for newer articles, and make the existing ones smaller for easier navigation
*Improve the newly-created explanation of the ''what if?'' [https://www.youtube.com/@xkcd_whatif YouTube channel]
*Mention the 2022 ''what if'' website redesign (use the [https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://what-if.xkcd.com/ Wayback Machine] and take inspiration from [[Design of xkcd.com]])}}
--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:43, 13 January 2025 (UTC)
:Could be a good idea. I have changed the site notice as you will have noticed already... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:09, 14 January 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you so much! People have already started improving the index! :D [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:20, 14 January 2025 (UTC)
:::Great. I have been involved in starting the original table and writing on the page. But do not have time to be as active as I was back in the days, where I made most of the many changes to the wiki. So great others can keep up the good work. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:22, 14 January 2025 (UTC)

== "Petition to add comic 404 to homepage" on Admin requests ==

Hey Kynde, the table index is going great! I created a table on my user profile to edit it until the two main tables are completely merged. Then, once we have just one table, we'll do everything else on that.

Anyways, I wanted to ask you if you could do something about this discussion, from [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Petition_to_add_comic_404_to_homepage the Admin requests portal in the community forum]:

----

In the mainpage, it has a banner that says <nowiki>We have an explanation for all [[:Category:All comics|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}-1}}''' xkcd comics]],
</nowiki>, and it excludes [[404: Not Found| comic 404]] from the calculation. However, even Randall himself calls it a "real comic" (see the quote at the top of the page). So, can you please change the equation to re-add comic 404? [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4bo-hj-mDyOOUp_Yp0pug youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 12:23, 26 December 2024 (UTC)
:Agreed! Ironically the -1 was useful because it actually displayed the real number, because of the [[Papyrus]] clone page that counted as two (see trivia). But recently i fixed that so 404 should definitely be counted! [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:04, 12 January 2025 (UTC)
::It would be even better if it were made editable by more users, or if more active admis were added. Right now basically nobody updates it [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:06, 12 January 2025 (UTC)

----
--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:41, 17 January 2025 (UTC)
:Done, good idea. See also my new reply to the post below this one --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:01, 20 January 2025 (UTC)

== Updating {{template|comic}} and hyperlinking image ==

Hey Kynde, I noticed i keep running into errors with extra comics using the {{template|comic}} template, because the link is started with http:// instead of https:// in some scenarios. I made the necessary changes in the template sandbox, could you implement them? [https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&diff=363770&oldid=363768 Changes]

Also, I'm thinking about the idea of hyperlinking the image in the comic template so that it doesn't sent the user to a useless Mediawiki page, but actually sends them where they expect: the comic page on xkcd.com. What do you think? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:24, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
:I'm not quite sure what you mean by the last part. I have tried to make the changes you suggested. But I'm unsure if this effect takes place instantly or if it will take some time. I tried the [[Radiation]] comic, and it missed an . in the link. I found a way to fix this, but if my changes to the template was not implemented then the change I made will likely make it fail later... I also looked at the [[Blue Eyes]] comic and found a similar problem, and then realized I might have to wait to see if the changes could make it work later. Let me know if the changes seems correct and if it works when you check up on it. Also for the Radiation now I made an extra change there. And for Blue Eyes. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:26, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you so much! The reason the template is broken is because I had changed something in the sandbox and didn't notice before sending you the link. To be clear, the reason why it's not working is mine, I had removed the dot before xkcd.com because it would allow for more flexibility, but then decided it would be a pain to edit all the comic pages that currently use the template the way it is. So I decided to leave it as it was, but forgot to leave it as it was before. The template is currently broken on just a few pages.
::To fix it, you would need to replace this part:
<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www}}}xkcd.com/{{{lappend}}}}}</nowiki>
^
::With this:
<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www}}}.xkcd.com/{{{lappend}}}}}</nowiki>
^
(and then update the documentation at the bottom accordingly, by removing the dot)
::If you instead prefer the new method, you can move the dot inside '''<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www}}}</nowiki>''' so that the dot is needed only for subdomains other than "www", like this:
<nowiki>{{{ldomain|www.}}}xkcd.com/{{{lappend}}}}}</nowiki>
^
::Sorry for the mistake! At least the rest of the improvements seemed to work! Regarding the last part, what I meant is this: when a user is on an explanation, it would be nice if, when they clicked the image inside the template, they were sent to the comic on [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] instead of the [[:File:image]] page on this wiki. This is the behaviour I think the user would expect when clicking the image. We almost never need to go to the [[:File:image]] page, and if we do, there are countless other ways to do it. For example, if i go on [[1234]]'s page and clock the comic, I'd like it to bring me to '''xkcd.com/1234''', not to '''explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:douglas_engelbart_1925_2013.png''' (which is the current behaviour). Thoughts? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:18, 29 January 2025 (UTC)
:::I have now made the correction and changed the explanation below back. So it should work, and seems to do for both radiation and blue eyes. Great.
:::No I do not think we should change the link to the image. This has been so for a long time and users should learn the difference. I would for instance not know how to get to the image file if the link took me somewhere else, and I have changed it several times when something happened. It should be easy. People will just have to learn to click the number above the comics explanation. :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:00, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
::::Thanks! I confirmed all the extra comics work. The idea for the change is that when i was new to wikis, I thought that, like any other website, if i clicked the image it would either:
::::*open up an enlarged version, or
::::*open the source, such as xkcd.com
::::The current template doesn't do any of those (unless the image has been shrunk down, which almost never happens). I initially found this behaviour confusing, and I suspect other newbies might too. But we can't know how many visitors of this specific wiki are techies and how many have never seen a wiki other than Wikipedia (which, by the way, implemented this change many years ago) before. I guess we could at least make it more obvious that users can click the date to go to xkcd.com? But i don't really know how we could do that in a subtle yet noticeable way. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:49, 31 January 2025 (UTC)
:::::Great it works now. Thanks for fixing this. I just had the ability to do you bidding there :-) I'm not that tech savvy. And would really wish to get hold of the owner of explain and make him add more admins again. But seems it is not possible at the moment?`
:::::Well I think you can get into the image and then click again if the actual image is larger. Else if you really use the page you will learn the shortcut to xkcd or else you just go there and find the comic. Not seeing this as a big issue. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:55, 1 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Yeah I guess you're right. I don't think we've ever received user complains about this, so that's great. Was just an idea i had in the back of my mind for a long time. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:21, 1 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::::No need to change something that works, as opposed to the template we have fixed now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:49, 2 February 2025 (UTC)

Btw, i don't know if you noticed, but we finished the '''[[What If? chapters|index of ''What If?'' articles]]'''! It's beautiful. So, i was thinking of changing the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to this:
<nowiki>Help us finish the '''[[What If? chapters|index of ''What If?'' articles]]'''! We need to add the missing explanations and improve the existing ones!</nowiki>

Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:29, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
:Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:55, 28 January 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:18, 29 January 2025 (UTC)

I have another bug fix request for the template: add to avoid unintended link underline in {{tl|comic}} when external: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&diff=364609&oldid=364601 link to the change]. This only happens when the link is not a normal link, it seems. My suggestion should fix it. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:38, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
:Hey, did you get a chance to check this out? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:57, 8 February 2025 (UTC)
::No I missed this. Also now I tried to copy you suggestion into the template something went very wrong and I undid it asap. Not sure what I'm doing but it messed up the entire page, not just hte template. The left most links was suddenly ontop of the comic so it was really a bad change. I cannot say if I did it wrong but did just copy paste the change you linked to into the template. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:31, 8 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Oh, I truly have no idea what happened. I had previously tested it in the [[Template:comic/sandbox|sandbox]] and it didn't break anything. I can see you replicated my exact edits, so I don't see why it would break. The issue isn't very noticeable and only occurs in a couple-dozen pages, so I guess we can ignore it. It's not worth breaking everything else. Thanks for trying tho! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:20, 8 February 2025 (UTC)
::::OK, thanks for letting me know. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:35, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::I wrote a response in {{diff|365319|this edit}}, which looked Ok in 'section edit'-Preview, but badly broke things when submitted. (I presume its something like HTML-comment closures, or maybe {}s, interacting with an unbalanced 'opener' within a prior sub-heading area, but I couldn't quickly track it down.) In leiu of stripping it back to make it work, you might just go and read the "diff", as linked, hopefully make sense of it there. ;)
:::::But the short version, without accidentally invoking anything on this page: instead of closing the second span-insertion as "three-}s, two-}s and then end-span", "three-}s, end-span and then two-}s" should be more correct, and may resolve the initial problem. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.41|172.68.186.41]] 09:43, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Not quite sure what to make of all that? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:11, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Ok, so I went back in to the {{template|comic}} code. Can't literally copy it (it messed up your Talk page when I did), but here's a pseudocode version of it, as it was, with (+1) to (+3) added decoratively to demonstrate print-segment ends/starts:
If (comic number is valid) {
print '''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-number'''close-span'''(+1)
} else {
print '''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-other-info(+2)
}
print (+3)'''close-span'''
:::::::For extraordinary comics, it would result in:
'''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-other-info(+2)(+3)'''close-span'''
:::::::...which works (accidentally), but for 'normal' ones it would become
'''open-span(plainlinks)'''URL-with-number'''close-span'''(+1)(+3)'''close-span'''
:::::::...which doubles up. When it closes the span ''twice'', most "do your best" implementations of HTML parser would try to rationalise the error by closing as much markup as it needs to, in order to ''find'' a prior span that was still open and can now be closed. Either by ending that prior span early (it probably has a later close-of-span, waiting for it, after further content that is intended to be still covered by it), closing other tags that were 'accidentally' left open (except they weren't, and again they are still intended to be 'active' until a bit later) or by making a later (formerly valid) end-tag now close down an even earlier start of tag-enclosure that ''it'' shouldn't have done, the carefully nested layers of relationships between contents gets all disturbed and suddenly inner list-items might be treated as outer list items, tabular formatting might go all to pot and location based CSS formatting ("look for the list item within the span within the div") is either invalid (it thinks the list item is directly under the div!) or misapplied (it was a li within a span ''within a span'' within a div, which ''shouldn't'' have matched the style context given). One way or another (or another), this probably messed up the comic pages (with normal numbers) in 'intetesting' ways that I can only imagine.
:::::::To fix it, instead of <code><nowiki><(variable)}}}(end-of-if)}}</nowiki></code> it should be <code><nowiki><(variable)}}}(end-of-if)}}</nowiki></code> ''or'' (less neat, but should be valid) remove the <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> from the first branch of the "if is number >=1" decision, relying on the after-decision span-closure to do double duty. (Or go the ''next'' step: leave only the <code><nowiki></nowiki></code> ''after'' the 5 "}" ends, remove the open-spans from both branches of the choice and instead put one in front of the if-opening "{"s.)
:::::::Or Favi, who seems to have an understanding of wikiscripting (and may well have immediately understood my earlier attempt to explain, once pointed out) can work out what I'm saying, correct the sandbox (assuming I'm right, but I'm confident about that) then let you copy the chosen alteration back again. Over to you (both)... Yes, I'd love to be able to do it myself, but I'm totally fine with the fact that I've chosen to stay outwith that ability. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.217|172.70.160.217]] 15:03, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::::Well this is beyond my tech skills. So I'll let Favi decide if we should give it another go... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:55, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::::Hey there! I don't have much time but here some things I wanted to say: you two seem to think I'm good or even decent at this stuff. I'm glad I've given you the impression, but I'm actually learning as I go by breaking random things! A proof of this is that I've ideantified the wrong solution to the problem: even if this method worked, it would do nothing to fix the problem (I think! again, learning by breaking random stuff).
::::::::IP, on the other hand, is much better than me! So, the problem is the following: go to [[Special:Random|any comic]] and click the button to open it on xkcd.com. You'll see it's not underlined before clicking it, but after you click it, it becomes underlined. I'd like to remove that underline because it makes the button look like a link. I have no idea why I thought plainlinks would fix that, but it likely won't (or it will! who knows!). I also don't have any idea if doing that is possible or easy to do. I also don't know why it's only underlined after opening the webpage. Does anyone here (read: Does IP) know more about this? And again, this problem is very minor. Please do not waste your time on this if you don't want to! Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:52, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::::::I don't know if plainlinks will solve it (haven't noticed what you mention, and "looking like a link" isn't actually something I have a problem with), but maybe it's related to style-based [https://www.w3schools.com/cssref/sel_visited.php visited link appearance], and/or those for being hovered-over/etc. Could also be a minor browser-specific peculiarity of style rendering, but I'm not inclined to check it all out right this moment. May look further into it later. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.78|172.71.178.78]] 16:28, 13 February 2025 (UTC)

== Deleting [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Meta&action=edit&redlink=1 Category:Meta] ==

Hey, I wanted to ask if you could change the link to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Meta&action=edit&redlink=1 Category:Meta] on the Main Page to [[:Category:xkcd]] (that's where it #REDIRECTs anyway). This way, ww can schedule it for deletion and users don't have to go though a redirect. I have so many little things I'd like to change in the Main Page, but it's hard to explain them one-by-one and they're mostly minor. This one's easy tho. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:33, 3 February 2025 (UTC)

:I delete it know --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:10, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:23, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Since we're on the topic of deleting pages, [[:Category:Pages to delete]] contains about 400 pages/categories. I think it's been a while since it's been checked by an admin. Maybe if you have the time you could start cleaning up the low-hanging fruit? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:03, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::::I would reckon that at least 50% of those pages were market by me-if we can somehow get Jeff online and promote some more admins, I bet that the process would be so much faster. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:47, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::Yes we need more admins, but apart from Jeff coming out of his hibernation to promote 3 new admins, I have not had any contact with him since, and the only difference between us is that I was active when he made new admins. And I do not have time to delete 400 pages. So yes we need someone active like you two to become admins. Great that 42 is trying to get hold of Jeff. Hope it succeeds. You can refer him to this post that I would recommend making you two into admins.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)

:also, please see [[User:Jacky720]]’s (who’s now an admin but presumably forgot about this issue after 4 years) comment on [[Main Page#Minor edit proposal]], as well as [[Main Page#Add another digit to percentage incomplete count]] '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:56, 4 February 2025 (UTC)
::Not sure what to see. Both links just go to main page? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Fairly certain they meant to link [[Talk:Main Page#Minor edit proposal]], as well as [[Talk:Main Page#Add another digit to percentage incomplete count]]... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.36|172.71.241.36]] 16:15, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
::::Oh shoot, yeah. Forgot to add the Talk: part of the wikilink. Sorry! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:20, 5 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::I have made the two changes from Jacky. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:04, 7 February 2025 (UTC)

== Unprotecting templates ==

Hey Kynde, I wanted to ask if you could unprotect {{tl|incomplete transcript}}? I'd like to update the design a little, like I did for {{tl|incomplete}} (add cat:templates, italic, add optional custom field, etc.). I'm not sure why the more prominent one isn't protected, but that's proof {{tl|incomplete transcript}} doesn't need protection.

I'd also like {{tl|comic discussion}} to be unprotected, because it was seemingly protected for no apparent reason? [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion&action=history The edit history shows] there had been no edits for 2 years before the page was protected, and, since then, only one admin has edited it once. It was protected because it was a High-traffic template, but I can't find any instances of the page being vandalised in any way, big or small. I'd like to try changing the color slightly, to be easier on the eyes, fix capitalisation, update button labels to be more clear and concise, and possibly duplicate them at the bottom of the page for very long discussions. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:42, 11 February 2025 (UTC)

:At the ''severe'' risk of suggesting and provoking the very issues that I'm hoping to avoid, it might still be useful to not have the low-hanging fruit of a template that gets to appear on ''every'' important page being more open to (albeit brief) site-wide interference. (I have no doubt that you've got good ideas, but I can still be pessimistic about the loosening of protections.) Perhaps you can sandbox/page-stub the suggested changes and then get a suitably impressed admin to transfer the changes over to the real thing? Awkward, maybe, but an infrequent kind of awkwardness. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.241|172.69.43.241]] 18:54, 11 February 2025 (UTC)

::I'm assuming you're talking about {{tl|comic discussion}} specifically? As I said, I can't find any obvious instances of the template being vandalised in any way, big or small, from the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion&action=history edit history]. Afaics, it was being updated and improved by normal users and then one day it was locked, but not as a result of vandalism. In case you're also worrying about {{tl|incomplete transcript}}, there's an easy way to prove it's "safe" from vandals: the more widespread {{tl|incomplete}} has always remained mostly unprotected.
Perhaps you can sandbox/page-stub the suggested changes and then get a suitably impressed admin to transfer the changes over to the real thing? Awkward, maybe, but an infrequent kind of awkwardness.
::I could, but that would be a lot more work for the admins who actually have to implement it. Also, Im not sure what you mean when you say "infrequent", but, if you take a look at my contribs, you'll see I don't usually do everything at once and like to focus on minor details. But I do get your point: I just think the benefits outweigh the risks. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:43, 11 February 2025 (UTC)
:::Just because I seem to have anticipated it ahead of anyone else actually trying it (with irony, if by making the obvious observation it now gives someone that idea, which is why I was ''trying'' to be more circumspect) does not rule it out. I will not mention any of the other conceptual changes (some of which even me, as an IP, could attempt — I will never do so, but anyone ''could'') that could be used to disrupt things, just as I have for a long time lacked reason to describe the above. Temporary disruption, maybe, but I've been around longer than your username has (maybe for longer than you've been lurking). Yet I know you've been here for certain realisations of "whoops, maybe we actually do need that Protected". I'd really rather we not hasten any future ones, especially by loosening protections that may have ''successfully'' detered (or made happen only where less disruptive) past actions. Maybe I'm more cynical than is good for me, but I think I've made my point on that (for consideration, whatever the outcome) and I will not go further into it.
:::(I also have previously advised ''against'' certain Protections, of oft-vandalised comic pages, and... yes ...all that did was spark the same sort of vandalism against other comic pages, for as long as the instigator felt the need. It could have just as easily become a steady cycle of locking, moving on, locking those, moving on again... But we dodged that bullet.)
:::And "a lot more work for admins" would surely apply more to any necessary building-wide firefighting, should bad things happen and an unbounded conflagration occur, than having to ''occasionally'' and temporarily supervise the propping open of some firedoors for useful maintenance reasons. But the balance may have to be found, it's not for me to define. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.122|172.69.195.122]] 20:58, 11 February 2025 (UTC)
::::Yeah I guess. I still hope you're only talking about {{tl|comic discussion}}? I don't see a lot of these issues with {{tl|incomplete transcript}}. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:03, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
Wow long messages... I think I will leave them as is. And then you can send me suggestions for changes and I will see if it is easy for me to change. Alternatively I could open them up for a short period of time where you could make the changes and then I could lock them again. But lets see if you can sandbox them and let me do the changes. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:34, 12 February 2025 (UTC)
:Alright! But still, since this discussion is only centered around {{tl|comic discussion}}, I still this it's safe to lower the protection of {{tl|incomplete transcript}} because, again, there's another template that's much more prominent on pages and has a wider reach and has never needed protection. Yet, {{tl|incomplete transcript}} is protected because someone once accidentally edited the template instead of a comic's transcript. I believe there's no reason to (ETA: not) allow autoconfirmed users to edit.
::Done for transcript. I think there is missing a not in the last sentence, so I did unprotect it ;) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:51, 13 February 2025 (UTC)
::: You're right. Thanks a lot! I'll see what I can do with {{tl|comic discussion}}.
::::ETA means Estimated Time of Arrival... So not sure what you mean with the ETA before Not? Tried to google but could not find any other meaning of it ;-) Hope you do not mess up the transcript template ;-) It was not comic discussion I unlocked, as I think that is way to problematic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:42, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
:::::If I may presume..? "Edited To Add" seems likely. Usually used when re-editing one's own post on a Bulletin Board-style forum, <abbr title="In My Experience">IME</abbr>, to indicate which minor update might have been applied in a post-edit edit that probably also appends an "''last edited at <timestamp> by [username/moderatorname]''" (but usually the former, and especially in this case). Basically, a courtesy note stops people wondering what you might have decided to change (not having a visible edit-history open to normal (or, mostly, even administrative) users).
:::::Or, if you're sneaky, you change the thing you're ''totally'' embarassed about having written wrongly, without comment but put a clear "sometimes I do <s>mistyle</s> (''ETA: Mistype! Oh, the irony!'')" 'decoy' reason for the intervention. If you do that quick enough, and especially before someone decides to quote you, in reply, you might have very few people knowing that you even did suggest that the Americas were discovered in 1066 (or whatever it was you thinkoed), and (at the very least) it's effectively deniable even ''if'' someone spotted it and tried to call you out on it.
:::::None of which is relevent to wiki-style comments and responses, especially the part where (some might say it being a mild faux-pas) it's not you who corrected your original. But it seems to fit the case. Though if I was importing BB-conventions and terminology into here, I'd have gone with something like "...to '''(<abbr title="Fixed That For You">FTFY</abbr>: not)''' allow...", instead. Or just been cheeky and added the obviously missed negation (but then that would have been confusing with the "I think there is missing a not" self-response, which would have perhaps suggested ''another'' "not" now 'ought' to be imagined as missing, e.g. "...to not allow autoconfirmed users to '''not''' edit."..?) One could get ''quite'' confuzzled by it all, by that stage. ;)
:::::But, anyway, that's almost certainly it. Unless an {{w|Elvis impersonator|Elvis Tribute Artist}} was being invoked, for some obscure reason! But, either way, ''nu ved du det... måske''? :P [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.140|172.68.186.140]] 11:41, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Yup, that's what i meant, and also I have no idea what you're talking about in the last 2 (or 1 and a half) paragraphs. Also, I didn't know you could do the dotted-line-"link" thing on this wiki!!! Is there a way we can use in the what if? index to shrink the size of (or add additional information to) (or make the existing info easier to understand) (or all of these!), for example, the book and yt columns? For instance, have the What If? 10th book or the original book contain a tooltip (or whatever that's called) to explain that all the OG book articles are in the 10th Ann too? I had thought of doing something like this but thought it wasn't possible. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:54, 14 February 2025 (UTC)
::::::Thanks for the ETA explanation :-) And please if you begin discussing what if links please move it to that pages talk page, so I do not get an email alert every time you discuss it ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:32, 15 February 2025 (UTC)

Hey Kynde, could you also lower the protection of {{tl|Citation needed}}? It's on even less pages than ones containing other templates like {{tl|notice}}. Wa unnecessarily fully protected because of some IP vandals a few years ago, which still wouldn't be able to edit if we set it to only autoconfirmed users.) --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:53, 28 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yes, done. What do you plan to change? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:02, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
::I mainly just wanted to update the documentation to explain that the usage is sarcastic here, and remove the useless categorisation that (I'm assuming) carried over from the default MediWiki.
:::At the very least, have the "usage" link go to the "#Is_the_.7B.7BCitation_needed.7D.7D_template_here_similar_to_the_one_used_on_Wikipedia.3F" anchor (as it was probably changed since originally being given). That explains it, assuming anyone bothers to follow it (and, currently, bothers to find where it should anchor to, which is near the bottom). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.33.215|162.158.33.215]] 20:36, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Yup, I changed that section name and apparently broke al links in the process. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:17, 31 March 2025 (UTC)

== I got in touch with Randall about [[36: Scientists]] and he replied! ==

Hey Kynde! I tried contacting Randall to ask him when he replaced comic [[36: Scientists]], and he replied! You can read the conversation and a summary of what happened [[User:FaviFake|on my user page]]. Among other things, he gave me the official release date, April 28th, and, after I asked, he told me he might reply to more simple questions! From your contribution history, I noticed you've been documenting every little detail of the website, deleted comics, history of xkcd, what if? delays, etc., so I thought you might have some technical or administrative questions. If you want, I can relay back to him! There are many more details about this [[User:FaviFake|here]].

Also, I think we could temporarily change [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to ask more people for their small questions they'd like to receive an answer to. Then we could go back to the what if? index. I was thinking of something like this:

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#ffeca1; border:1px solid #ffd633; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 1ex; text-align: center;">We got in touch with Randall! If you have some simple questions that we can't answer without his help, please [[User:FaviFake|post them here]]! Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|'''''What If?'' articles!''']] We need to add the missing explanations and improve the existing ones.</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. Please help us finish them!
</div>
If you like it, you can paste it directly into [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] by copying my message in the editor. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:34, 21 February 2025 (UTC)
:Hi FaviFake
:Wow that was interesting. Cool that he did respond and nice he came with that nice comment about us trying to explain his comic.
:I think the total change of the layout of the sitenotice is too much. If people do not see it that is just how it is. But I have included you link to the place to poste questions in the current version of the site notice. At the moment I cannot just of my head think of anything simple and easy to ask him. But if I do I will post them to you. I did not get any e-mail when you changed my page this time? Weird. That is why I did not see it until now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:39, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you for changing it! Yeah that makes sense, I just thought I should separate the two notices otherwise it becomes too big. What do you think about this one? This way you can simply delete the first part without having to mess with moving things around. (I had also rephrased them a bit.)

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">We [[User:FaviFake|got in touch with Randall]]! If you have some simple questions that we can't answer without his help, please [[User:FaviFake|post them here]]!</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. Please help us finish them! Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]]! We need to add the missing explanations and improve the existing ones.
</div>

::Weird, but not surprising. The email verification thing has been broken for what feels like a decade now, but I'm assuming you managed to verify your email before the whole thing broke. In case this one also doesn't send you an email, you can use a site like [https://followthatpage.com followthatpage.com] to get notified of changes in this page, by checking it hourly. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:29, 22 February 2025 (UTC)
:::I like the new version. Not intrusive but easier to see the thins about Randall. ANd I got an e-mail notification this time. So no worry. Yes I've been here sinde 2012 when Davidy and other admins where very active. As you you can see I have made to most edits, but Davidy has been on most individual pages and that counts more than editing the same page a thousand times. ;-) So he's still way ahead of me on total score. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:18, 23 February 2025 (UTC)

::::Hey Kynde, unfortunately Randall read my first and second emails but hasn't replied. I think we should change the sitenotice to something else, maybe we could point out that there are more and more incomplete pages nowadays?

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">The number of incomplete pages has been growing quickly recently. (There are '''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' now!) [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us resolve the issues]] and mark them as complete!</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. Please help us finish them! Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]]! We need to add the missing summaries and fix the existing ones. ([[What If? chapters|see here]])</div>

::::--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:05, 18 March 2025 (UTC)
::::::I have changed it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 19 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::If you forgive me for saying, you put a lot more effort into the "I have a direct line to Randall" thing than I think you were wise to. It was good to vet the user suggestions, but opening it up to suggestions and curating the process just extended the cycle and all it then takes is a change of his mind (or, because it took several weeks to get to the follow-up questions, he feels free to intentionally put it aside for at least that long while pondering if/how to answer anything that isn't trivial to deal with).
:::::Admittedly, I'm exactly the kind of person ('cos I've done this!) to go to a fan convention, which is attended by the core person who is the source of the thing the fandom is about, but joins only the queues for the specific booksignings/etc of ''additional'' guests (to show my appreciation of their associated roles), leaving everyone else to pester the "main guest". So maybe I'm wrongly projecting, but Randall's apparent distance from this site suggests an existing ambivalence (despite his apparently friendly nature, in general, including having felt the need to initially suggest he'd be perfectly willing to help) that might not respond well to such an organised 'ambush' as we have here.
:::::I'd love to be wrong, perhaps proven to be far too much personally paranoid/insecure, but I was definitely internally cringing at each new potential question (not restricted to just the 'out of scope' ones). And, don't forget, that the man himself ''could'' be listening in and might have his own feelings surfacing.
:::::Not sure if you should have planned this far more or far less, really. But one of the two, possibly. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.71|172.70.85.71]] 21:20, 18 March 2025 (UTC)

::::::I don't have time now but I'll read this and reply tomorrow!--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:58, 19 March 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|::::::}}
You put a lot more effort into the "I have a direct line to Randall" thing than I think you were wise to
Agree! I think my main mistake was asking him about the ibm comics. Even though they were clearly the most important mystery we had, I should've probably started with something smaller and less interesting. I was very thrilled to have received an answer and felt this was our only chance of getting these questions answered. The first reason I didn't remove the message was the text of the email: he replied, which meant he would likely be willing to answer some of the questions I sent him a few days ago. Maybe if they were the first questions I sent him, he would've replied. Or maybe i shouldn't have said I'd ask the community. Who knows!

You're welcome to send over questions, although I can't promise any answers so please don't put too much time into it!

I've always tried to resist the temptation to do too much explaining or meta-commentary in general, partly because once you start breaking the fourth wall, it can be hard to stop, and partly because I've found those boundaries are helpful for keeping me focused.

But if you want to send over some of your questions, I can see if there are at least a few of them that I can answer—at least some of the simpler, more administrative ones.

And seriously, my heartfelt thanks to you and everyone there. It's such a privilege to make something that people think is worth so much effort to explain <3

Reading it now, he seems much less excited about the idea than i first thought he was. But he did reply, which was a (admittingly low by, itself) sign he was a little interested. I definitely misinterpreted that though. The second reason is the following: even if he wasn't going to answer, the questions wouldn't have become useless, we can use them as:
*A list of everything we can research extremely in-depth, if someone wants to help the wiki that way.
*A list of quick questions to ask him when someone meets him in person, at a book tour for example.
*A page for people who want to read about things we don't know and is interested in xkcd mysteries.

I actually wanted something like that for a long time, but this obviously wasn't my main objective. I had pretty high hopes he'd respond to my last email, but when i saw he read it twice and didn't reply i called it quits. I need to think about what to do with it now, what should it be called, where to put it, and such. Any ideas? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:21, 20 March 2025 (UTC)
:Just curious... How do you see he read your email (twice). I can't see anyone reading my emails, and actually hope they cannot see if I read their e-mail --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:50, 21 March 2025 (UTC)
::I think you could make a list of questions that are hard to explain without inside help. Not sure what to call it though. hmmm. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:50, 21 March 2025 (UTC)

::Oh, it's just a browser extension and google add-on that adds an invisible image that tracks every email open. If I sent you a tracked email, I would receive a notification on my phone every time you opened it, unless you set your email client to not download any image in emails (which I'm not sure is even possible on some clients). It's called Mailsuite, really useful. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:38, 21 March 2025 (UTC)
:::I was going to guess "web-bug". More trouble than they're worth (from the recipient's POV), and a possibility long known about. If an email client ''doesn't'' let you (or, ideally, by default) defer opening unembeded images unless you say so (or whitelist a sender as ok to do so for, etc), then it's probably not a mail client you'd want to use. I'd have thought Randall wouldn't be letting that happen, either, but clearly not.
:::The biggest use out there (maybe or maybe not including control-freak bosses who are trying to get some stats on whether their subordinates are reading 'important' emails they send them) is for spam-engines to register whether an address is a 'live' on, so to send further spam after the first (relatively innocuous) try at a freshly obtained address. That extends to ostensibly direct-to-known-customer mailing lists, where it's used to confirm (assuming they/you don't have some reason to ask you to confirm the (billing) address by actually clicking a link as part of registering).
:::Also not always so reliable. Could be activated while skipping past a "bugged" mail to read others (the fetch-to-cache might happen even if there's effectively no eyes on the content), might even be accessed by a mail-checker (not a very secure one!) that's making sure nothing nasty will arrive with any part if the mail. All you really know is that it isn't /dev/nulled, and (as you already know) the recipient ''probably'' hasn't abandoned the address or lost the means of accessing it.
:::Again, I'm surprised you ''got'' a hit from it (let alone two). I'd have thought Randall wouldn't be forced to fall for such a spam-tool. Unless he isn't, but something else he uses is going beyond what he expects it to do.
:::(Sorry, Kynde, for using your Talk page to chatter to Favi. It's only while it's still a conversation subject that you seem still to be intetested in. Though I'm sure you'd follow this over to Favi's space ''if'' I transfered it there, might just be able to get away with not doing that just yet. Borderline, though.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.93|172.71.178.93]] 16:15, 21 March 2025 (UTC)
::::NP as for now, but I would like you two to find another place if you need to continue this debate :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:00, 30 March 2025 (UTC)

== Template improvement ==
Hey Kynde, I made many improvements to the {{tl|comic discussion}} template, could you implement them? Here are the main changes: improves button click range by hyperlinking the non-breaking spaces, adding button at the bottom for longer discussions, refining layout, using clearer labels, futureproofing some images and larger size, the discussion box background is slightly lighter, padding is increased, and the "No comments yet" message is reworded and adds a link to create new comment.

[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion_1167&oldid=367211 Here are the changes], and here's a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion_1167&action=edit '''link''' to copy the template in full], since it's not long. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:55, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
:I have tried to implement it. Changed the text for adding the first comment to say, add the first comment. But else accepted your idea. Not sure I understood all the changes, but in case something fails I can always return it to the previous version. Let me know if it works on all the pages you check. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:32, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:31, 28 February 2025 (UTC)

::I've just made a few other improvements to the {{tl|comic discussion}} template (Images are no longer allowed to appear on top of comments, icon size slightly increased, more padding on the Discussion header, "No comments yet" message rewording fixed, button at the bottom repositioned to the left.). [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template%3Acomic_discussion%2Fassist&type=revision&diff=367368&oldid=367367 '''Here are the changes'''] and here [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&action=edit is '''the entire code''']. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:53, 1 March 2025 (UTC)
::::I have implemented your changes --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:53, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::I've also made a few tweaks to the [[Main Page]]! They're mostly small changes to save space and update some links. Main changes:

:::*"Go to this explanation" button repositioned next to the header (instead of under, which didn't make sense and wasted space),

:::*Added new "View comic discussion" link at the bottom of the explanation, which links directly to the discussion. (Note: it doesn't transclude the discussion into the main page, just adds a link)

:::*Explanation box background slightly lightened for easier readability,

:::*Contributor list expanded to 30 days instead of 7 days (otherwise it's almost empty, as there aren't as many people editing nowadays),

:::*Updated link to all comics from [[:Category:All comics]] to [[List of all comics (full)]], which is much easier to browse and contains more than 500 comics at a time (the same link is used in the sidebar on the left of the wiki)

:::*Replaced the part "We need explanations for [...] [[:Category:Comics by topic|themes]] [...]" with "We need explanations for [...] [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]] [...]" for a few reasons:

::::*We don't really need explantions for themes, as they all either have a complete explanation, or they don't need to be explained.

::::*Back when the main page was written, we didn't even have a page for the blog so obviously they didn't mention it.

::::*We have [[What If? chapters|a summary and tons of details]] for almost every what if? article, which is more info than what we have for themes (and also more useful).

:::[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&diff=367408&oldid=367407 '''Here are the changes'''] and here's a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&action=edit&oldid=367408 '''link to copy the new code''']! Please let me know if this looks good when you preview the edit from the [[Main Page]] --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:26, 1 March 2025 (UTC)
::::I have implemented your changes, but is uncertain now that the way it works i I zoom in on the front page is like it always has been? The carton stays the same size and moves out of the border around it... But maybe it has always been like this and I just notice now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:53, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::Thank you for both changes! They look good to me, i'm not sure what the issue you're referring to is. The comic image, together with the comic explanation, should ehave the same way, since i only changed the padding and background color. Unfortunately there is one issue I'm seeing: there's an unneeded extra newline at the bottom of the explanation that i hadn't accounted for. Here's how to fix it:

:::::Change this part:
<nowiki>=Latest comic=</nowiki>
<nowiki><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f5f5f5; padding:1.5em;"></nowiki>
<nowiki>{{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}} </nowiki>
<nowiki>----</nowiki>

:::::To this (basically just remove the extra <nowiki> </nowiki> tags.):
<nowiki>=Latest comic=</nowiki>
<nowiki><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f5f5f5; padding:1.5em;"></nowiki>
<nowiki>{{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}}</nowiki>
<nowiki>----</nowiki>

:::::If the "View comic discussion" button is too close to the explanation after you save the edit, you can try adding back one of the <nowiki> </nowiki> tags, making it:
<nowiki>=Latest comic=</nowiki>
<nowiki><div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#f5f5f5; padding:1.5em;"></nowiki>
<nowiki>{{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}} </nowiki>
<nowiki>----</nowiki>
:::::--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:27, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::::}}
Tried the middle version. Let me know if you are happy with that version? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:38, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yes it's perfect now! Thank you! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:01, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
::Hey Kynde, I have another improvement to fix heading not being rendered correctly if they're the first line of a talk page. TO fix it, you can change this line in '''[[Template:comic discussion]] from this:'''
--><nowiki>|''No comments yet, [{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} add the first comment]!''|{{:{{TALKPAGENAME}}}}}}}}       [[File:comment.png|21x21px|link={{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}]][{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}   '''Add comment'''] </nowiki>

to this:

--><nowiki>|''No comments yet, [{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} add the first comment]!''|
{{:{{TALKPAGENAME}}}}}}}}       [[File:comment.png|21x21px|link={{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}]][{{fullurl:{{TALKPAGENAME}}|action=edit}}   '''Add comment'''] </nowiki>

The only difference is that there's a newline after "add the first comment]!''|". --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:37, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
:Did it but cannot acces the difference. I will be on holiday during Easter and will not be active here during that time. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:01, 12 April 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks, I also noticed it didn't work. Nevermind. Got it. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:27, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

== Changing [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to feature Wikipedia "Xkcd" page move discussion ==

Hey Kynde, I have an unusual request. On Wikipedia, {{w|Talk:Xkcd#Requested move 29 March 2025|I created a move request}} to change the title of the page about xkcd from "{{w|Xkcd}}" (current name) to "XKCD". Wikipedia can't use the name "{{w|xkcd}}" because of a technical limitation. The discussion will likely only go on for a week or two, or until {{w|WP:CON|consensus is reached}}. Currently, 2 people oppose the move and 1 person is in favour. I think we could feature the discussion on the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] (I think we've featured even lees-important things before), to make more people aware of it. I was thinking of something like this:

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">On {{w|Wikipedia}}, a request that the article titled '''''{{w|Xkcd}}''''' be changed to to '''''{{w|XKCD}}''''' is {{w|Talk:Xkcd#Requested move 29 March 2025|under discussion}}. You are welcome to {{w|Talk:Xkcd#Requested move 29 March 2025|comment}} until {{w|WP:CON|consensus}} is reached.</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">There are still [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}}''' explanations]] we need to complete. [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us finish them!]] Also, help us explain Randall's [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]]! We need to add the missing summaries and fix the existing ones. ([[What If? chapters|see here]])</div>

To avoid committing {{w|WP:FORUMSHOP}} and similar, only use this specific (or a similarly) neutrally-worded notice. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:47, 29 March 2025 (UTC)
:Done. Let me know when the soncensus is reached. I have agreed to the suggestion of changing it. But not looking to great now. But maybe with extra traffic from the fans here... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:03, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
::Thank you. The main issue seems to be that people think I want to move it from "xkcd" to "XKCD", which is not the case. If we discard these people, I think we're even. I might create an {{w|RfC}} later to request more attention from more experienced consensus-builders. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:16, 30 March 2025 (UTC)
:::Well you do write: 'the page should be moved to the least worse option, from "Xkcd" to "XKCD"' so I do see how they might get that idea! But I guess it is because they think the page is already is called xkcd which is not possible as you explain, and which is the reason it shows up as the frowned upon Xkcd in searches etc. Good luck with your endeavor. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:23, 31 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Yeah exactly. But our side is gaining a lot of momentum now! Also, the name change is even more complex than it seemed. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:17, 31 March 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::::}}
Aaaand we lost. The page was not moved, but the stakes weren't as clear-cut as they seemed to be originally. Could you change the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] again to remove the first banner?

This is the reason given by the page mover who closed the discussion:

The result of the move request was: not moved. Prior to this RM, the situation on the ground was essentially as follows: the WP:COMMONNAME (and official name) of this webcomic is the all-lowercase xkcd. However, because of Wikipedia's technical restrictions, a page title cannot begin with a lowercase letter. Thus, the {{DISPLAYTITLE}} template was used to render the article title as the all-lowercase xkcd. DISPLAYTITLEs do not render in certain circumstances, however, such as on category pages or in search engine results. The majority of this debate, therefore, hinged upon the question of: does the DISPLAYTITLE solution approximate xkcd well enough for users' needs, or should the page be moved to the all-caps XKCD to avoid any appearance of the Xkcd form?

On reviewing the discussion below, I see a consensus to retain the current form. Reviewing the arguments in the aggregate, I see widespread support of the idea that the status quo (page title of Xkcd, DISPLAYTITLEd to xkcd) conveys the xkcd name with sufficient accuracy. Proponents of retaining the status quo noted that this approach allows for other articles to link the lowercase term xkcd and have it react this article without redirecting, as well as that it would guide us to use the desired all-lowercase capitalization on the xkcd article itself. Conversely, arguments in favor of moving primarily built their cases on the fact that the initial-caps style Xkcd is less common than the all-caps and is dispreferred by the webcomic's author. While it was generally undisputed that these claims were true, it appears that they have been judged to be of limited relevance, given the widespread belief among participants that the underlying article title is xkcd and the page title of Xkcd is just a compromise to get around the technical restriction. Given that the arguments stem from competing interpretations of the same underlying principles, I have to use a degree of individual discretion to weigh the relative strength of argument here. One area that has helped me make my appraisal here is the area in which each option achieves its best outcomes. Supporters of the move argue that their proposal improves areas such as the page URL, search results, and off-site links such as Google results; conversely, supporters of retaining the status quo argue that their proposal improves the appearance of the xkcd article itself and of other Wikipedia articles that link to it. Where these two areas are in conflict, I feel it is most in keeping with Wikipedia's principles to place greater weight on the option that benefits the encyclopedic content itself, so I believe the argument for retaining the status quo is marginally stronger here. (A few participants also gestured at MOS:TMRULES to argue that all-caps is better aligned with Wikipedia's house style, but this argument achieved minimal traction; while consensus can change, there did not seem to be meaningful appetite to revisit the consensus that xkcd is lowercased universally enough to justify the atypical style.)

Finally, while consensus-building discussions are not a vote, giving partial consideration to the numbers can be helpful on questions such as "how to interpret a given policy". The raw !vote counts showed 10 supporters (including the nominator) and 22 opposers. The abundant and articulately argued cases for retaining the status quo further buttress the strength in argument I perceived on that side of the question, with the ultimate result that I believe this discussion has resulted in a consensus not to move this page.

--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:28, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:Well at least it was taken seriously. And you tried. I have changed the banner. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:40, 10 April 2025 (UTC)

== Another template improvement! ==

Hey Kynde, I just spent (checks history) ''2.5 HOURS'' fixing some of the minor issues and annoyances I had with the {{tl|comic}} template. The main thing I did was make it look more like the official [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com] website, fix a few annoying bugs, and create two fields for the "Original title" in the early comics like [[Barrel]]. This way, we don't need to hack around the template and it looks coherent).

I have tested it on three different comic pages and it didn't break anything, so it should work flawlessly. [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template%3Acomic%2Fsandbox&type=revision&diff=373480&oldid=373353 Here are all the things I changed]. If you want, I can provide a simpler summary of all the changes like I did for the other templates. (I also moved the documentation so everyone can edit it, while the the template itself remains fully protected and only admins can change it—this is also how it works on Wikipedia for all templates.)

[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit&oldid=373640 '''Here's the link''' to copy the improved version]. Thanks, [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:24, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
:Woooo! Thanks for all of your hard work, FaviFake! I’m sure that the entire community is thankful for your efforts <3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 19:57, 18 April 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! This has got to be one of the weirdest ways one can learn a programming language from scratch. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:02, 18 April 2025 (UTC)

:Hi FaviFake. Back after holiday. I just tried to copy the text from your link into the comic template. And got two different errors on the page, with the second line here the error (in red on the preview):

Title text: As a first step, they can put in a secondary deck, to help drivers try it out and find out how fun the jumps are. After a while no one will use the old flat deck and they can remove it.
Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "{".

:This same error also came up on the Pi Equals comic. And beneath that there was the following error under the comics frame (also in red):
Warning: Default sort key "0010" overrides earlier default sort key "3048".

:Hence I have not yet changed the template, as I would like to hear your input first. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:03, 21 April 2025 (UTC)

::Welcome back and thank you. Yes, these errors are expected because I've been working on the template. In particular:
::*This error is expected: "Warning: Default sort key "0010" overrides earlier default sort key "3048"." It basically means: "you've given me two comics, but the page should only contain one comic! This only happens in the sandbox because there are more than one comic.

::*I don't know what the second error is, but I've been trying to remove it before I send you the next version. The one I sent you doesn't have this issue (the preview is using the newer version)

::However, in the meantime you can wait until I iron out the last error, so you don't have to update the comic twice. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 05:59, 22 April 2025 (UTC)
:::OK so I wait until you let me know you have fixed your last issues! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:36, 22 April 2025 (UTC)
::::Thanks i did it! Took me another 4-5-idk how many hours of debugging. I both hate and love coding. Anyways, here's the link: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit '''Hi, I'm a link!''']
::::It will look the same until you save because I've already updated the documentation. No errors this time! Except the normal "Warning" cuz 2 comics in 1 page. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:32, 22 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::I did the hard work of copy pasting, took idk 4-5 seconds... Of course if there is errors it will fall back on me ;-) But can quickly be reversed. Let me know if what you tried succeeded. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:31, 23 April 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::::}}
Perfect thanks! The are no errors on all the pages i checked. I noticed there's a small bug with the bottom navbar: if it's on the LATESTCOMIC it's not centered. I'll work on a fix. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:08, 23 April 2025 (UTC)
:Done, as always here's the link: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:05, 23 April 2025 (UTC)
::I hate to say it, but the template says <code><nowiki>{{bodystyle|{{{bodystyle|}}}}}</nowiki></code> where it should say <code><nowiki>{{#if:{{{bodystyle|}}}|{{{bodystyle}}}|}}</nowiki></code>, which makes every comic page attempt to reference a "bodystyle" template. [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you desire conversing]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 03:26, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
::: Thanks! I fixed it, the link above still works. Please Firestar feel free to completely edit any of the templates I modify, I am learning how to edit templates by trial and error and for some reason sometimes it works! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:23, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
{{Outdent|:::}}
UPDATE: Firestar also fixed the {{tl|comic discussion}} template to fix bugs and more! So, to sumamrise, here are the things you should change:
* Update {{tl|comic}}, copy-paste this: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit

* Update {{tl|comic discussion}}, copy-paste this: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&action=edit

* On the [[Main Page]], could you update the color from "f5f5f5" to "f6f6f6"? It's easier to read and matches the color of the comic discussion background. Quick link to edit main page: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page&action=edit

Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:03, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

:Done let me know if it worked. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:00, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

::Yes it worked! You can take a look at comics around [[51]], they now have a white navbar to navigate the comics in the original order!! I'm slowly adding it to the 55 original comics.
::Also, it seems the new discussion template update worked, but it created a small bug with the ADD COMMENT button, it's too close to the end of the page. Could you update {{tl|comic discussion}} again? Thanks! Link: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic_discussion/assist&action=edit --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:42, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:::Changed it. Think it works? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:17, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
::::It does! Thanks again. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:37, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:::::Actually, I forgot to enclose a comment. Could you add <code><nowiki><!--</nowiki></code> after <code><nowiki>{{MediaWiki:mainpage}}|</nowiki></code> to {{tl|comic discussion}}, [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template%3Acomic_discussion%2Fassist&type=revision&diff=375358&oldid=375007 like this]? --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:05, 27 April 2025 (UTC)
::::::Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:33, 28 April 2025 (UTC)

{{Outdent|::::::::}}
Hey, another thing, could you [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Helppage&action=edit click here] and change the page to this?

explain xkcd:Editor FAQ

This way, the "Help" link on the sidebar doesn't go outside of the wiki but points to ou own introduction for new editors. Thanks --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 08:40, 2 May 2025 (UTC)
:Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:23, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

== Restructuring [[Header text]] as a table ==
Hey Kynde, [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] and I were planning to update the page [[Header text]] and something similar to what we did with the What If? index [[What If? chapters‎‎|(btw, it's going great!)]]. I wanted to let you know and especially ask for advice, since you're one of the main contributors. A proper table with templates would make it much easier to browse and edit. You can see what I'm talking about [[Talk:Header text/sandbox|'''here''']]! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:08, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
Oh, and I'd also like to hear what you think about this proposed change: [[Category talk: April fools' comics#Moving to its own page]]. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:31, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:Have commented on both discussions now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:07, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! I replied! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:42, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

== Blocking vandal ==

Hey Kynde, I'd like to ask you to '''block [[User:Translated ORK]] indefinitely.''' They are vandalising the wiki and ignoring our many warnings. They have never been a good-faith user and have ignored Victoria's and others' countless warnings. There' no need to warn them, [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&diff=373167&oldid=372819 Victoria already warned them a few weeks ago]. They know what they're doing.

They first exploited the system and got auto-verified by editing the Sandbox 50 times:
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&action=history

They seem to have only joined the wiki to post racist messages against China and talk about a Chinese wiki. They create discussing pages and ''vandalise existing comic discussions'':
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk%3A1815%3A_Flag&type=revision&diff=373787&oldid=151803
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk%3A621%3A_Superlative&type=revision&diff=375892&oldid=375879
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk%3A%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&type=revision&diff=372819&oldid=372678
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous&diff=prev&oldid=372899
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk%3A1711%3A_Snapchat&type=revision&diff=371433&oldid=124424
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd%3ACommunity_portal%2FMiscellaneous&type=revision&diff=371436&oldid=371331
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous&diff=372899&oldid=372727

They revert our good faith edits:
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&diff=375883&oldid=375628
* https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&diff=375354&oldid=375269
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk%3A%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&type=revision&diff=374926&oldid=374798
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&diff=374727&oldid=374354
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk%3A%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&type=revision&diff=372819&oldid=372678
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&diff=374002&oldid=373167
*https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&diff=374727&oldid=374354

--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:17, 1 May 2025 (UTC)
:I have blocked ORK and deleted his talk page and the other one he linked to the main page. What about the user wit the Chinese sign name. Is this a valid user og should that also be blocked? Cannot find out just now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:14, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

:Thank you. The other user is acting in good faith when contributing. [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?limit=500&title=Special%3AContributions&contribs=user&target=%E7%89%A9%E7%81%B5&namespace=&tagfilter=&start=&end= These are their contributions] and they're all fine. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 05:52, 2 May 2025 (UTC)

== The original comic navbar is complete! ==

Hey Kynde, you might be happy to know that, thanks to the new version fo the comic template, all the comics from [[1]] to [[55]] now have a special navbar at the bottom that works like the standard one, except the comics are ordered based on when they originally came out on LiveJournal! Additionally, there's a link in the center to learn more about the original order, and a sentence before the explanation giving more context for each comic. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:59, 4 May 2025 (UTC)

:Regarding the comic template, the new "Random Explanation" button doesn't work perfectly, it includes all page sand not just the comic pages. To fix that, I created [[:Category:All pages]], which would include all the pages that we want to include in the pool of comics available from the random button. To learn more about why this is an issue, see [[Template talk:comic#Random button should link to Special:RandomInCategory|this discussion]]. To implement it, however, I'd need to change a few things.

:*First, update {{tl|comic}} to this version (all it does is it includes every comic in [[:Category:All pages]]): https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:comic/sandbox&action=edit (check that the last edit on that link is by me or Firestar)
:*Second, update [[MediaWiki:Sidebar]] so the link points to a random comic instead of a random page. Change this line:
** randompage-url|randompage
:To this:
** Special:RandomInCategory/All pages|Random comic
:The second one might not work. If you notice the sidebar is weird after saving or the "Random comic" button on the sidebar doesn't work, revert the second one. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:13, 5 May 2025 (UTC)

::Hi FaviFake. Since you have not yet included any categories in the all comics page, then this would not work yet. Is that not correct? I will not proceed until we find out if that is correct and if so fix it. And great with the 1-55 navbar. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:01, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

:::Hi! Thanks for your question! That's not really correct. A template is simply a page that is contained inside other pages. In this case, the template {{tl|comic}} is contained inside all the comic pages. So, if we want to add every comic page to a new category, we have two options:

:::*Manually add the new category to every single page.

:::*Or, we insert the category inside the TEMPLATE! This way, since the template is already present in all the pages we need, all the comic pages will get added to the category within a few minutes of you editing the {{tl|comic}} template. If after a few minutes the "Radom explanation" button doesn't work, you can go back and revert the edit, but it should work.

:::Hope this clears things up! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:54, 8 May 2025 (UTC)
::::I have made the change. Seems slow to move to a random page right now. But not sure it has taken effect and not something I usually uses. Let me know if it works Monday when it must have taken effect. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:02, 11 May 2025 (UTC)

:::::It works! It took longer than I expected to fill the new category, about 1 and a half hours. (The button always worked, it just chose between fewer comics.) But now it's almost full and will fill itself completely in a day or two at max. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:27, 11 May 2025 (UTC)

:::::You may have forgotten to do the other thing I asked! I guess I'll take advantage of this situation by updating the sidebar a little, since it hasn't been touched in a decade.

<pre>
* navigation
** {{LATESTCOMIC}}|Latest comic
** xkcd.com-url|xkcd-com
** Special:RandomInCategory/All pages|Random comic
** Category:Comics|Browse comics
** List of all comics (full)|All comics
** What If? chapters|''What If?''
** portal-url|portal
** recentchanges-url|recentchanges
** helppage|Editing FAQ
* SEARCH
* TOOLBOX
* LANGUAGES
</pre>

::::I mainly added a link to the What If index, as we also have an index for the comics, fixed the "Random" like there too so it can be used in place of the button on the {{tl|comic}} template, updated the List of all comics link because it was pointing to the old one, and reordered the items. To implement this, you can go to the page [[MediaWiki:Sidebar]] and copy and paste the block of text below. Hopefully it shouldn't break anything, but if it does, revert it! Thanks, --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:55, 11 May 2025 (UTC)
:::::Yes I missed that there where two things. Have tried your new side bar, although it must be text above and not below you referred to ;-) Seems like it works. You deleted the RSS feed, but guess that was dead? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:06, 12 May 2025 (UTC)

::::::Thanks! It seems some icons disappeared for some reason, but otherwise it works! I have no idea why the icons disappeared. Yes, the RSS feed is broke and wont be fixed until Jeff get online. So never :(   --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 14:29, 12 May 2025 (UTC)

===Regarding the icons disappearing===
:Regarding the icons, I suspect they vanished because the .css (or other configuration, I haven't looked too deeply into this site's potential peculiarites in this regard) no longer recognises the 'link text' as something that needs (and is given) a specific preceding icon.
:Perhaps look for something along the lines of <code>#n-''Something'' a:before { content: url(/img/''ImageName''.png); }</code> entry in one or other style-sheets, where ''Something'' matches the pre-edit sidebar link text, perhaps with more hyphenage involved, and a valid image filename is given. Change the ''Something'' to whatever matches the post-edit text. If you wish, create items (with new/suitably extant images) for anything that's totally new. Will need some poking around to find out what needs changing. ''Hopefully'', it's somewhere that at least Kynde can change. (From what I know, it is ...but don't take my word for it!)
:The design of the way the Sidebar gets parsed (and fleshed out) is slightly different from standard user-editable content, which makes it difficult to properly investigate outwith editing the sidebar+stylesheet themselves, but I can think of a couple of ''possible'' ways that you (but not myself) could test things out. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.246|172.70.91.246]] 15:03, 12 May 2025 (UTC)
::Let us know what could be done to fix this if you can be specific. Maybe FaviFake can then make it into something I can change... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:45, 13 May 2025 (UTC)
:::Look in the page-source for any (sidebar-nav-showing) page, like this one. You'll find (somewhere near the bottom) a section that gives the HTML for the "Latest Comic" through to "Editing FAQ", which is:
:::<code><nowiki><li id="n-Latest-comic"><a href="/wiki/index.php/3088">Latest comic</a></li><li id="n-xkcd-com"><a href="//xkcd.com" rel="nofollow">xkcd.com</a></li><li id="n-Random-comic"><a href="/wiki/index.php/Special:RandomInCategory/All_pages">Random comic</a></li><li id="n-Browse-comics"><a href="/wiki/index.php/Category:Comics">Browse comics</a></li><li id="n-All-comics"><a href="/wiki/index.php/List_of_all_comics_(full)">All comics</a></li><li id="n-.27.27What-If.3F.27.27"><a href="/wiki/index.php/What_If%3F_chapters">''What If?''</a></li><li id="n-portal"><a href="/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal" title="About the project, what you can do, where to find things">Community portal</a></li><li id="n-recentchanges"><a href="/wiki/index.php/Special:RecentChanges" title="A list of recent changes in the wiki [r]" accesskey="r">Recent changes</a></li><a href="/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ">Editing FAQ</a></li></nowiki></code>
:::Note that what was originally "helppage|help", in the MediaWiki:Sidebar page, is now "helppage|Editing FAQ", so what is now <code><nowiki><li id="n-Editing-FAQ"></nowiki></code> was ''probably'' once <code><nowiki><li id="n-help"></nowiki></code> (as with any other 'purely aesthetic' changes made; but, as you can see there's some stealth functionality included).
:::So, ''somewhere'' (I'm on mobile, right now, so I'm having a hard time finding it) there's ''probably'' a stylesheet element, like I described above, which says "if there's a thing with id of 'n-''whatever''', prepend a particular image". The one that says to do such a thing with 'n-help' obviously doesn't now know that it needs to that to 'n-Editing-FAQ', instead, now that the visible text-change (and invisible id-tag change) has been made.
:::Wherever it's hidden, I believe that Administrators have the ability to change the site style, by default. But, as I've not yet found where it is from a browsing perspective, I'm not overly sure where to point you at to go and have a look for yourself. Might be behind some admin-only menu that I can't see, rather than anything as visible as MediaWiki:Sidebar, if it isn't actually something else under the Mediawiki: namespace.
:::If you find it, the obvious change(s) should be obvious. Plus what you could do to add any new icons before any new rows (e.g. What-If's one), should you so wish.
:::If you don't, changing "...|Editing FAQ" back to "...|help" would(/should?) restore whatever icon it had before (at the 'expense' of returning to the old link-text that's a bit more bland), but shouldn't change where it links to (the "helppage" was changed ''to'' redirect to the intended local Editing FAQ page, I think, a week or so ago, and that would remain where it clicks off into).
:::There are maybe some ways to test this in other ways, but note that me trying to use <code><nowiki><li id="n-Editing-FAQ">Foo</li></nowiki></code> or <code><nowiki><li id="n-help">Bar</li></nowiki></code> straight in this Talk page won't work, whether because it gets 'sanitised' against certain unwanted/non-whitelisted bare HTML formatting changes or just because it needs to be a child list item of another level of cascading stylesheet id/class. A bit of experimentation might show that it's the latter and that it ''can'' actually be invoked, but it's just a little too awkward to go through the motions for this myself, right now. Alternately, by using a decent browser's "object inspector" functionality, you could dive in and change the id="" that rules the page (for local viewing only, not a permanent ''or'' all-user solution) to see if it lets you view the "help"-linked image for the "Editing FAQ" text.
:::I don't have the power (or any wish) to try to do all the fine-tuning myself to find out if I'm right, maybe partially, or wrong, maybe totally, about the whole solution. It just seems to fairly obviously follow up on what simple (but 'game-breaking'?) changes had just been implemented. A lot less involved than all the wikiscripting stuff you've both been involved with implementing and changing in various templates. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.102|172.70.90.102]] 13:45, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

:::Addendum: ''another'' (different) thing to look at is how the <code><nowiki>** portal-url|portal</nowiki></code> :Sidebar item (as with other "FOO-url" items) displays "Community portal" rather than "portal" as its text, yet would probably use the id="portal" identity to iconicy it. ''That'' may be a Magic Word on the (interim) destination-url page/configuration that overrides the text-link being "portal".
:::If you can implement an "helppage-url" (for using on the left of the pipe symbol, instead of "helppage"), perhaps the same system lets you have "help" to the right (which, also, I imagine also got rendered as "Help", perhaps through a "first character to uppercase" filter applied?) but have it being only ''visually'' converted to "Editor FAQ", retaining the icon-applying "n-help" as the id= bit. (In fact, check the now-diverted "helppage", to see if ''that'' originally has the relevent Initialcase filter, which does nothing obvious in converting "Editor FAQ" to "Editor FAQ" (taking note from the discussions about "Xkcd/xkcd/XKCD" we had happening over on Momma Wikipedia), but could be made to totally change the referencing text from "help" to "Editor FAQ" instead.
:::(If I wasn't on this awkward device and on mobile data, I might go back through history to have a look myself, but instead I'll point you at it, thinking that you'll possibly find what I mean well before I get the opportunity to do so, not being back home until nearer the weekend.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.224.67|172.69.224.67]] 14:24, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

::::I don't think it's entirely your fault, but I don't think I've understood what you're trying to say here. Usually less is more. (You've used about a dozen if-clauses and 25 parentheses) If you'd like me to do anything I'll need clear instructions, otherwise I'm lost. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:11, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

:::::I said less, in a more general manner pointing you at what I thought should be looked at, and was asked to be more specific. So I said more in order to cover ''almost everything'' that might be useful. Of course a lot of it is going to be conditional. Of course there are multiple qualifications needed. I also wanted to be sure everyone could deal with things that I didn't explicitly anticipate. Not sure it'sbat all possible to convey all that by saying much less than I did, and certainly not less than my original summary.
:::::No, I don't have a single simple "1) Do this, 2) Do that, 3) Enjoy your fix" run-down. How about just leaving it at explaining "the icons probably disappeared due to the exact edits you proposed"? I can't actually tell you how to try to solve it, so easily, so maybe best just to accept this as my basic theory and leave it as it is. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.187|172.70.85.187]] 17:26, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

::::::#You're right about being asked to be more detailed, but, to be fair, the message you replied to was "Let us know '''what could be done to fix this''' if you can be specific".
::::::#I wasn't sure whether you were actually suggesting a specific fix and had the same level of expertise as you did in your previous templates/tables/html responses, or if you were just "theorising out loud". Seems the latter. I guess I'm cursed with the inability to understand your writing style clearly.
::::::#Let's not spam Kynde's email inbox too much! We risk breaking the explainxkcd email system even more. /s --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:54, 13 May 2025 (UTC)
:I did not read any of the details just the bottom here. And as far as I can tell there is nothing I can do about it right now.. And yes please move it to FaviFakes page if you can --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:36, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

==New spam account==
There's a new spam account that seems to replace content in pages. They have only made two edits so far, but I just thought I should let you know: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Donald_trump_number_three

The name doesn't sound promising and their only edits have been to spam pages.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 08:08, 11 May 2025 (UTC)
:Blocked it. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:02, 11 May 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:27, 11 May 2025 (UTC)

Sort of applicable to this section header, so I'll put this here... As and when you can get around to it, see {{diff|388355|here}} for the a (currently) one-edit wonder that probably wouldn't be missed if removed fully. [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 19:42, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
:Blocked --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:26, 9 October 2025 (UTC)

== Excessive Load from ContributionScores on Main Page ==

Hi! I suspect that the [[Special:ContributionScores]] transclusion on the [[Main Page]] is causing a lot of server load. It marks the main page as dynamic content, so on every hit from every visitor, it is retabulating all edits from the last 30 days. Would you be willing to try removing it, temporarily? I wrote more [[explain_xkcd:Community portal/Technical#Special:ContributionScores_on_Main_Page_busts_caching.2C_causing_load|about my suspicions here]]. [[User:AySz88|AySz88]] ([[User talk:AySz88|talk]]) 12:00, 28 May 2025 (UTC)
:Have replied there now. And changed to 7 days contribution score. Doesnt help at the moment. But will give it a days time to see. Before trying to remove. But not happy about removing it! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:41, 29 May 2025 (UTC)
::As it did not help making it 7 days again I have now removed it. Seems to make no difference to begin with. But lets give it some time to work. But I'm not optimistic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:29, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

== Comic-specific header texts section ==

Hey, regarding the Comic-specific header texts section of [[Header text]], you might be interested in [[User:Conjuncts]]'s [[Talk:Header_text|comment at the bottom of the talk page]]. They made a list of all the comic-specific headers! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:40, 10 June 2025 (UTC)
:Also wanted to let you know I've finished restructuring [[April Fools' Day comics]]. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:12, 24 June 2025 (UTC)
::Great. There is an error with Externalities which has ext referring to a newer one. Just looked down to there so have not seen if the correct text is down there. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:52, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
::: Huh, it's possible. I used an ai chatbot to help condense all the Information into a single table, and then spent a few minutes fixing the mistakes. It's likely I've missed one for that comic, i'm not too familiar with it. I'm not sure I understood what is incorrect from your description thought. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:02, 27 June 2025 (UTC)
::::[[1193: Externalities]] has no drop down menu. That is [[1975: Right Click]]. And some of the text from the current table explanation on Externalities comes from that for Right Click. There is not a thing correct in the explanation for Externalities at the moment. I do not have the time to fix your mistake. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:02, 28 June 2025 (UTC)
::::SMH at the "I used an ai chatbot [...]" bit, especially. Though at least AIs tend not to make ('hello'?) very weird typos, unless they're specifically trained/instructed to that end. (They propogate human mistakes plus make mistakes that humans wouldn't even think of making.)
::::Maybe I should actually review the dozens of edits FF makes, in huge bunches. I've been more or less trusting that they 'know what they're doing', it becoming a huge task to scan everything they rewrite for anything that's not either equivalence or an improvement. But I admit that my confidence in that is a little shaken, by the above. Human mistakes are easier to deal with, though (the gods know I make such things), and I'd rather not fight against the virtually limitless cock-ups that mere code can rapidly 'suggest'. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.247.41|82.132.247.41]] 08:36, 28 June 2025 (UTC)

:::::I figured this day would come. Yes, I know what I'm doing. Like you, I despise people who give a prompt to a chatbot and then simply copy and paste the answer, which is why I've never done that. I'd rather leave a page in terrible shape (such as in bullet points) than rewrite it using an AI without checking. On this particular wiki, I've used AI thrice:

::::: * I made it transcribe a standard comic because nobody was trying to, pointing out in the incomplete template reason that I used ai and that the transcript sucked and should be improved.

:::::* I've used it to rewrite the entire history section of [[what if? (blog)]], and left the original as a comment below it. Here's a snippet of the incomplete notice I left on the page: "Fact-check the History section on this page—I used ChatGPT to reorganise it and it might have hallucinated—the original is commented out below. [...]". I carefully compared it to the original "bullet point" version side-by-side as fixed any mistakes I could find. I also preserved all the links.

:::::* And now for the April Fools day page, but likely not for the reason you think. Firstly, I copy-pasted the trivia sections of every comic in the page, because some didn't even have a description. Then I gave it to Claude to make it fill all the other columns I had just created. Manually creating that table and researching every info would have taken me many more hours. I noticed several mistakes and corrected them, checking the trivia sections, but I must have missed the Externalities row.
:::::This is the first time I didn't mention my methods, both because the information is already in the comic's trivia sections, and because I didn't want the page to be marked as incomplete, since I knew no one will ever "compete" it. Next time, I'll keep explicitly stating when I use AI.

::::: This is not the first time you've expressed doubts about my huge edits, so I want to let you know that most of my huge edits fall into a few categories:
:::::*Almost all big edits of mine involve Notepad++'s "find and replace" function, which I use to turn a table into a list or vice versa, create new table columns, change the formatting and HTML codes, etc.
:::::*When I change the actual text on the page, that's usually my own work. I read the original text, sometimes in a bullet list, and rephrase it manually by cutting useless and redundant info and merging sentences.
:::::*Or sometimes I just merge two pages, or split one page into two. Or create templates.

:::::If you're interested, you should actually check the diff to see what's changed. Usually it's not hard. For example, the [[Garden]] edit was mostly rephrasing stuff, which took hours, while my latest [[Escape Speed]] edit included manually added links and mechanical (Notepad++) changes to the table.

::::: And finally: the typos in the message you replied to were caused by my keyboard autocorrecting my words (my pc is broken). When you reply, do it on my talk page so we don't spam Kynde's. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 12:44, 29 June 2025 (UTC)

== Randall REPLIED! ==

Hi Kynde, I just wanted to let you know that a few days ago Randall replied to the me via email and answered all the questions I had for him! Including your question about transcripts! The full email exchange is on [[User:FaviFake]]. I'm considering sending him another email, even though he hasn't explicitly said he's willing to answer more. Still, judging by the length of his answers, he seems to like it. I'm also seeking input from IP on this, regarding how it should be "marketed" to the editors in this wiki. For now I'm thinking of editing the [[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] to something like this:

<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">[[User:FaviFake|Randall finally replied to your questions]]! If you have more simple questions that we can't answer without his help, consider [[User:FaviFake|posting them here]].</div>
<div class="plainlinks" style="background:#edf6ff; border:1px solid #a7d7f9; margin:1em auto 1em auto; width:100%; font-size: 120%; padding: 0.5ex; text-align: center;">Help improve this wiki by finishing any of the [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|'''{{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} incomplete explanations''']]!</div>

--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:42, 27 July 2025 (UTC)
:Wow, I guess you, as I had given up hope 150 billeder - 2671 i alt): for further replies? Good job you send him those questions. The one with the migraine is interesting but also quite personal? Not quite sure it should be in display? Let me know what you think of that. Not many will have noticed your update yet. So I will await your thoughts on that before changing the header, but I'm willing to use your layout once we have discussed this matter. Not sure Randall has looked at your page an seen that his replies will be posted publicly? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:32, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

::Yeah I had thought about that, but there are a few things that convinced me he was ok with it being made public:
*I introduced myself as "'''Hi, I'm an editor at explainxkcd.com''', which you probably know is the wiki that explains all your comics and provides as much info as possible on them.", implying I'll release his answers.

*In his reply, he said "Thank you [the wiki, maybe???] for your tireless documentation effort".

*I replied "[...] I'm certain the rest of the community will be thrilled to have an official answer. [...] I'd like to ask you if you can answer more of '''our''' many questions, [...]"

*He said "my heartfelt thanks to you '''and everyone there'''"

*I said "I'm thinking of asking the community for other simple and administrative questions, because I'm sure I don't represent everyone. (Also, would it be okay to feature your responses on our wiki?) [...] this is a topic the '''other editors are very curious''' about [...]"

*He didn't explicitly give me permission, but when I asked him about the DOT page, I said "'''We''' truly appreciate any insights you can share."

::This is why I put it there. For now, I'll hide it from the page just in case. I'm also eager to hear from other people such as IP, which had a lot to say about the previous "promotion" of this project. I'm ok with holding off until we're more certain. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:46, 27 July 2025 (UTC)

:::Ok I think the banner has been up for long enough, I'm a bit busy right now so I'll compose the message in a few days. You can remove the first banner and leave the second one up. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 13:21, 7 August 2025 (UTC)
::::Done --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:33, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

==On [[Template:DGAF]] and [[User:User:User:User:User:User/Mr. Beast is trying to aquire my bones]]==
You might want to expedite the actual deletion of [[User:User:User:User:User:User/Mr. Beast is trying to aquire my bones]] (and its User Talk counterpart). I believe the editor concerned was sleep-deprived (but wouldn't put it past being instead a chemical imbalance of some legal ''or'' illegal kind). I'd have added the Pages To Delete category, but there's already a few of those hanging around unfulfilled... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.176|82.132.246.176]] 17:02, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Ok man, I created that page because I wanted somewhere that would
*Be private (which it is. It's impossible to create the account User:User:User:User:User. I checked.)
*Affect Nobody (which it shouldn't. The only person it's affecting is you.)

You've also [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Template:DGAF&diff=prev&oldid=385114 vandalized] [[Template:DGAF]], which I created, is inspired by 42.book.addict, and affects nobody but me. This makes me think that you're just looking through my contributions and immediately flagging things you frame as 'wrong'. This is not only incredibly creepy, but is also completely pointless. I'm a high school student on the internet. Also, I believe you're the same person who insulted me about DSBContribs, which I no longer use, and was fixed. Just stop and let me do my own thing. Amusedly and angrily, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 18:11, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:Given other recent activity, it ''looked'' like another example of {{diff|385026|editing whilst insensible}} (together with statements about returning to school, put me in mind the situation of which the {{w|Eternal September}} was the next step). i.e. honest errors of judgement.
:To term the "UserUserUser..." space 'private' is erroneous. It can be seen by anyone. It can be ''edited'' by anyone. Though, by convention, only the User Talk should be edited by anyone other than the ultimate named User. Which you aren't, BTW... create for someone else, ''if you must'', if they're too new and unwilling to wait the trivial amount of time before they can. Creating the spaces for someone who didn't request help or ''doesn't even exist'' needs some form of justification that you're well short of.
:It affects everyone if random, meaningless and context-free pages are added to the wiki 'just for fun'. Data isn't free. Storage isn't limitless. Potentially obscuring real useful (on-topic) information with stupid semi-vandalism (that I didn't think you'd do intentionally, based upon prior behaviour), is not something I expected. But it looked like a momentary lapse that (being on the scene) I tried to helpfully deal with as much as I could. (If I'd have been an Admin, myself, I ''would'' have just deleted them. 'Luckily' for you, I have no interest in that amount of leverage, I'm sticking what anyone can do, perhaps the next person along would have reacted the same, or worse.)
:No, I'm not stalking you. All edits are visible, you made edits, I saw them. I remember DSBContribs (or similar, if it's what I think you mean), but didn't recall it was your work. And others, including a named user, 'insulted' you about that. Or, as I recall, questioned the reasoning behind it, and didn't get a sensible answer. So 0lease accept my apologies. It seems that you ''are'' the kind of person to create useless pages like these last few. If I had known that, I wouldn't have come here suggesting that they were in error, but come here to just draw Kynde's attention to them as effectively being vandalism.
:And, because your template page tried to link to a non-existing wiki page, I also just made it go somewhere that works. That was before reading here how this may well have been culpably intentional, so again was done out of more good faith helpfulness than it turns out I should have been employing.
:That's regardless of your age, BTW. Whether you're at "High School" in the US, at maybe 14-18+ years old, or a High School like I attended where I am (and many years ago), which was for 11-16+ then workplaces or college (then maybe uni) beckoned. You don't need to be older to be more sensible about these things, and you don't need to be young to act idiotically.
:And, lucky you, you get this shiny wiki (and everything else) to work with. I had no access to the Internet until I was 18 (though, at that time, the web itself hadn't been invented, let alone wikis), and of course made my own goofs (asked whether I needed to buy an estamp to send an email!).
:But let me not bore you. I'm not in control here, only a fellow traveller who would give advice and assistance to those who might need it, and cares perhaps more than you might 'give a fuck' about various corners of the online world, like this. Reasoning over, lecture finished, friendly advice concluded. I just shoved it all in one reply to save you the trouble of having to deal with an impatiently slow conversation. And to not keep 'pinging' Kynde's email notification more than necessary (sorry Kynde!)... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.247.23|82.132.247.23]] 20:47, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

::Do you wish to know something? I'm 14. User:User:User:User:User is (and I checked) completely impossible to create, as shown in this image: [[File:refutation.png]] But, if you wish, I shall make it a subpage of my own account.
::Yes, of course it's ''technically'' public, but unless people specifically search for that page (which is still a subpage, btw), it won't affect anybody. Also, I'd like to point out, everybody editing any page is the ''whole point'' of a wiki. Yes, storage isn't limitless. Very cool. At this point, that page is a drop in the ocean of data already contributed by all the rest of these pages (including the lecture you just added, which is ''more'' bytes than the pages I created).
::Thank you for that edit, by the way. When I previewed it, it showed that it did go to the correct page ({{w|Wikipedia:Don't-give-a-fuckism}}), so I published it that way. However, your edits make it seem like you're definitely stalking me. From what I've seen, all you've done is edit recent comic pages and berate me (and Kynde) about my mistakes.
::DSBContribs was my work. I did, however, provide a sensible reason as to why I created it. If you didn't see it, here it is:

::DSBContribs was created specifically for my signature. At the time I created this, I had no idea what subpages were and I was running out of characters on my signature. I created it because I thought it wouldn't be a hindrance to the wiki and it would save me precious characters on my signature.
::However, I do still apologize, even if the insulting on the template was a ''bit'' far and not in the least helpful. I will move Mr.Beast is trying to aquire my bones to a subpage of my own. I will fix that template (which was not useless) and subsequently delete the content from the three unnecessary redirects. I had no intention of vandalizing the wiki, as I've stated multiple times. No page I create is meant to be vandalism in any way, and I try to do my best to help the wiki be the best it can be. Sometimes it gets boring being 'sensible' all the time (especially in IB classes, where I regularly have 3+ hours of homework/night), and I wanted some sort of way to let all the wild shit that my ADHD makes out. That's what came out. Again, I truly apologize.

I bid thee well on wherever the journey of life may take thee, fellow traveler. May we see each other again, be it in life, in death, or in the cursed month of Jancember. Take Care.

Ba'al, teenage Soul-Eater, out.

:Wow that was a long read. I do give a f**k about not having such a template her so I deleted that instantly! I'm going to wait till you have moved relevant content of the user:user page somewhere with a more sensible name. ASnd no I do not think you should just write random gibberish on any pages here. And no I do not think we should have such a confusing page on here. So yes I will delete it eventually. If there is anything valuable on the page, make a different page, call it your sandbox or something, I don't know, but not something which is impossible for me or any one else to find out what it is supposed to be, like this many times user page. We have so many random users being created and many of them begin to spam us and has to be blocked. I do really not have the time to such a debate as the one here, so I hope you will do as I say and we can end this nicely. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::Something you probably didn't see: The fact that I did move the page to a sandbox YESTERDAY. Good day, and make Jeff proud. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:42, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:::No I did not see as I do not stalk anyone here: So I can then delete [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:DollarStoreBa%27al/Mr._Beast_is_trying_to_aquire_my_bones this page] now? And please try not to insult me with any mention of Jeff. He is no longer active and no one has any contact with him on these pages. I'm not happy about being the only active admin here, but you should reply decently! Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:45, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::::Well, I never accused you of stalking (unless you were the IP in disguise), and I never meant to insult you with making Jeff proud. I like to imagine him as a father looking at his millionaire son with pride. If you wish to, delete the page. Go ahead, it won't affect anyone. Except me. And maybe mystery British(?) IP. This feud is over, and has been for hours. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:57, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::::::I have deleted the page now. Thanks for the explanation of you Jeff talk. I do not know Jeff and only time I has anything to do with him was when he promoted me to admin, and since then there has been radio silence from him and other earlier admins. And thw two other admins he made then seems to have gone too. I'm sad that we cannot get hold of Jeff, as I would wish there where more active admins than me. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:32, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::DollarStoreBa'al, I would very strongly recommend you to relax a bit and stop being so attacking/condescending. A lot of your edits don't make sense and aren't helping or contributing towards the growth and improvement of this wiki, so of course other users will be confused and annoyed. Maybe take a break from editing for a bit and mull over your edits for a bit? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:01, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::You're right. 42. You're always right :) --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:07, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::I'm so sorry. You don't need to forgive me for this. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 16:26, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
:And please stop this discussion here on my page now. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:32, 28 August 2025 (UTC)

==A short Interview Question==
Hi! Disclaimer: This is totally unrelated to what happened earlier today. I just have a random curiosity. I was looking through the User Group rights and saw that one of your adminship abilities was to 'undelete' pages. Have you ever needed to do this? If so, why? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 01:40, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
:No I have not used that yet. Since I'm the only one active with any rights it could be useful if I deleted a page by mistake. I know there is a ton of pages marked for deletion but I do not have time to look at it. That is why it would be so great if someone could get hold of Jeff and ask him to contact me or someone else here to find out who could be the next couple of admins. Would be great if there was a possibility to give another user the right to create admins but not sure that is possible without making them the same level as Jeff... FaviFake would be my first choice for a new admin. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:36, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
::Nice! My top nominations for new adminship would probably be FaviFake and Tori, in that order. It's possible that we may just need another 'crat. You and FaviFake would both be good candidates. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 16:39, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
:::And also [[User:Dtgriscom]]! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:48, 28 August 2025 (UTC)
::::There was a few errors in the previous edits, so I have tried to fix it. Sadly nominating people here will only help if we somehow can get hold of Jeff. And I now FaviFake has been trying really hard and maybe others. I also tried at one point. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:16, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::Seems like Dtgriscom is not that active at the moment though? I did not at first realize that Tori was 42.book.addict... Would you like to be an admin Tori? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:18, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
::::::It could be entirely possible that he's lurking on the wiki and too busy to actually edit all that much; I'll shoot off a message to him. I would also very much enjoy it if I could become an admin. Thanks! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:24, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:::::::You'd definitely deserve it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 17:38, 29 August 2025 (UTC)
:Heya, thanks for the nomination, but I think the most important thing we need to do is get Kynde promoted to bureaucrat. We need the ability to add new admins more than new admins themselves. That would be the first thing I'd ask Jeff. Also, I think it would be good to have other methods to reach each other, in case the wiki goes down. These are mine, on an external site: [https://sites.google.com/view/favifake/contact-me], best is email. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 15:04, 31 August 2025 (UTC)
::Thanks for that suggestion. But how to reach Jeff? I know several have tried. Regarding giving away e-mails etc. that is not something I'm prepared to do at the moment. But agree it would be smart in case of wiki breakdown. But since we are at the moment unable to do anything if the wiki goes down, being in contact would not help that much. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:36, 1 September 2025 (UTC)

==Tori and I have a wild idea==
Please see the proposals board. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 17:38, 29 August 2025 (UTC)

== Upgrading MediaWiki ==

::''Moved to [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#Upgrading_MediaWiki]] [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 09:57, 10 September 2025 (UTC)''

==Updating the global message board==
::''Moved to [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Explain XKCD Discord/Social Media Server?]] It seems irrelevant here since there's already a thread on the same thing on the portal. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:39, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

== Sitenotice to reflect Jeff's absence ==

Hi Kynde, could we add a Sitenotice to let people know about Jeff's absence? I've noticed a recent influx of technical and admin request comments being left on the community Portal on matters that are currently unfixable without Jeff's intervention. It could be something like "Please note that any issues relating to RSS feeds, Explain XKCD's server, MediaWiki software, or the website display are currently unavailable to be fixed due to the owner [[User:Jeff]]'s absence." We could also suggest that people reach out to him on other platforms, such as X, Gmail, etc. I invite any other editors to weigh in on how to refine the message and what approach we should take. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 22:35, 2 November 2025 (UTC)
:For several reasons, that are either obvious ''or'' would take more explaining than I care for, I'd say it'd be better not to splash this prominantly.
:It has been like this for a long time. Longer, if you skip the last brief appearance of Jeff. And there's no real uptick in new people 'needing' to be informed of this 'predicament'. There's been not-so-new people openly fretting about it, yes. Similarly useless/unwise, especially as they already know the status quo, but at least that's not being declared on the front page. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.95|82.132.239.95]] 10:47, 3 November 2025 (UTC)
::I agree and will not change the site notice. But I do hope someone manages to get hold of him, keep up the good work 42. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:42, 4 November 2025 (UTC)

== sitenotice psa to tell people to hide minor edits in recent changes? ==

While DSB and I conduct some maintenance of Uncategorized files (spamming edits like a bot and adding categories as fast as we can to reduce the backlog), I find it prudent to add a notice asking people to turn on the "Hide minor edits from Recent Changes" in their Preferences, under the Recent Changes tab. As both DSB and I have engaged "mark all edits as minor edits" in our preferences, hiding all minor edits will allow people to not need to trawl through multiple pages and hundreds of edits to check Recent Changes, as it shouldn't be. Of course, this would only be available to registered users. We could also add an apology along the lines of "We apologize for the mess that is Recent Changes at the moment, please excuse our category maintenance as we work to reduce backlogs" for IPs. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 10:32, 3 December 2025 (UTC)
:Hi 42. I do not think we should have such a site notice. It is fine you do all that work, and if people really look through recent changes, they should be able to find out to hide the minor changes them selves. There is even a link to this when entering the recent changes list. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:58, 4 December 2025 (UTC)
::Agreed, it doesn't feel necessary. [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 16:24, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

== Cropped images ==

I think [[:Talk:3193: Sailing Rigs#Cropped images|the discussion]] has gone on too long (and I am guilty of that), but I did want to respond.
If you "''did not see the first version,''" then you should not be opining on a comparison ("''But personally I think this simpler way is the way to go here''").
That is especially true because the earlier version is accessible and I think you know how to see it: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3193:_Sailing_Rigs&oldid=403437
 
That said, the scaling there is different and it was a first draft, and that would not be a good metric to base an opinion on the underlying question of CSS crops versus uploaded images.
I did not mean to imply I thought discussions needed to be read before making changes. But I did then, and do now still, find it offensive that one person read my discussion where I talked about the work I had done where I highlighted a factor whereupon it could be improved, and then chose to completely undo my work and undercut its value with the stated reason of achieving the improvement they thought I had suggested (which did not require undoing my work). But people feel irrational about their own contributions, and I accept that.
I do not agree with you that "It is not important what the image looks like in the table as you have the full comic above" is agreed-upon. That's a reasonable position to hold, and sometimes it is true and sometimes it is not. I also don't think it is at all clear that 18 uploaded images are "simpler." (But what does "simple" mean?) [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 16:59, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:Impo, 'simple' means something that is easy for people to understand. It's pretty easy to figure out that somebody uploaded an image, and much harder for somebody to take the time to make ruler measurements on their screen. Also, what if somebody has a curved monitor? That would mess up the measurements. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBaal44|Converse]]''''' 17:43, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
::Also, really sorry if I offended you. I just don't understand the point of solving a problem we never actually had. Plus, then we'd have to retroactively change every other place where we did this to use CSS crop to set a standard for new users. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBaal44|Converse]]''''' 17:47, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:I am not quite sure why you felt the need to jump into this conversation, [[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBaal44]]. It was between Kynde and myself, and on their talk page for a reason. If you want to address me, I think you should do so either on the article's talk page or on my own. But many of your claims above are just objectively incorrect. We are not talking about a physical ruler against a screen, and the conversation on this talk page didn't even mention the ruler guides that were mentioned on the article's talk page. Whether it's easier to make changes by changing numbers or by uploading images is a question that varies from person to person and task to task, but I would say that for something like, e.g., removing or restoring the hand-written captions that you blew away without discussion, adding or subtracting 40 pixels in wikitext sure seems easier to me. No one is using a meatspace ruler, so curved monitors are not relevant. I am not sure how you can be really sorry for something you do not understand. I reject your framing of "a problem we never actually had" — I chose a method to display multiple images, that's not a "problem," or if it is one, it's certainly one that we "have," and one you seem to agree we have since you did not remove the images, you changed the way they were implemented. It's absolutely not true that "we would have to retroactively change every other place." There can be more than one way to do something, and this wiki can absolutely support a diversity of way to convey information without requiring rigid standardization across all articles. There's no need to "set a standard," and plenty of good reasons not to. Have a nice day. This is so tiresome. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:48, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:Notwithstanding whether this is 'my' page (it isn't... hi Kynde!), it looks like you have several people not really being in tune with you (at least four... doesn't help that there's me and at least one A.N.Other happily using IPs. The better (other than the original location) place to take this might have been to Community Portal as a community discussion seems to be being had, rather than post here to discuss things that Kynde's involved in and Dollar's pages for what they're involved in and... wherever you see fit for us IPs.
:Or open up a spot in your own UserPages, inviting participation in a discussion on how to further your own project to implement the tools you've added to revamp everything that currently uses the old methods. We could even bash out the improved ''scaleable'' image rewrite of the imported template. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 22:02, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

I did later see your version and I'm stil much more happy with the current and also do not think the label should be included. I'm sorry that you feel you where overruled. But that happens a lot. I had a whole long section I had worked on for a long time, that was completely deleted, because too many people disagreed with it. I was sad about it, but that is the way of the wiki. That other people comment on what you write to me here is expected. I'm the only admin and I made a comment on the thread about this. And Dollar probably checks every change made at this time ;-) He has even ammased a score higer than mine in the edit score board, in a very short time. I have been around for 13 years. And yes it should probably be on the general section. I really do not have the time for explain xkcd as I did once. Sadly I never got the powers to make new admins and no one can come in contact with Jeff who could. So you are stuck with me. As long as I can overcome to reply to complaints. Have a nice weekend to all. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:34, 16 January 2026 (UTC)

:Fair enough. Thanks for responding. To be clear, I'm not complaining about being overruled by consensus, my complaint is about summary reversal without notice or discussion of a change that someone put effort into. People should be think about the work of others before reverting their work; and I hope I'd feel that way about anyone's work. As for the discussion elsewhere ("Community Portal as a community discussion", "open up a spot in your own UserPages, inviting participation "), I think the interlopers here misunderstood. This is a side conversation with you, I wasn't interested in what IPs or [[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBaal44]] anyone else thought (indeed, I am fed up with them and don't want to hear it! I realize that's rude but I also feel obliged to name it.) on the topics raised here, with you. Of course they're welcome to participate in a discussion on the article page or raise a new one on a community page or my talk page. And it is absolutely antithetical to WP:BB to require people to go through a lot of process before trying something. Also, prolific editors have no excuse for not using edit summaries. BAM! [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 15:48, 16 January 2026 (UTC)

==Banning powers necessary==
Could you please ban the /64 block of whoever keeps putting porn on the main page? Thanks! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 21:37, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
:Hi can you provide links to users and examples. I'm the only active admin and only admins can change the main page. And the comic on the main page do not seem to have been vandalized recently. If you link to examples and users i will ban what is necessary. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:24, 16 January 2026 (UTC)
::[[Special:Contributions/2401:4900:1CB9:7EEC:33B7:6A10:BE9D:FAF9/64|This guy]]. He keeps putting images of porn on pages and also just vandalizing in general, see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3194:_16_Part_Epoxy&diff=prev&oldid=403709 all] [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3193:_Sailing_Rigs&diff=prev&oldid=403412 of] [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3194:_16_Part_Epoxy&diff=prev&oldid=403722 these] [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3193:_Sailing_Rigs&diff=prev&oldid=403410 edits]. None of his edits have been productive. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]''''' 14:39, 16 January 2026 (UTC)

User talk:Kynde

2026-01-14T20:48:10Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Cropped images */ umm.

Talk:3193: Sailing Rigs

2026-01-14T20:38:35Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Cropped images */ hey, we lost the hand-written captions :(

Here before all the "here im first" comments [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 05:06, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

I can't help but notice that he forgot about cutters. [[User:PDesbeginner|PDesbeginner]] ([[User talk:PDesbeginner|talk]]) 05:07, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
: :D [[User:Qwertyuiopfromdefly|Qwertyuiopfromdefly]] ([[User talk:Qwertyuiopfromdefly|talk]]) 05:15, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

Flettner Rig may refer to https://xkcd.com/3119/ [[Special:Contributions/73.225.91.80|73.225.91.80]] 06:19, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
:Yes, but also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flettner_rotor [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 12:57, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

I see Randall has taken up a new hobby :D [[Special:Contributions/152.115.135.109|152.115.135.109]] 08:21, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
:Perhaps. I presume that the entire comic is in service to the pun in the title text. [[User:Philhower|Philhower]] ([[User talk:Philhower|talk]]) 13:44, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
::Originaly the title text was made after the comic, as an extra joke that is not originally part of the plan. This I have seen Randall say at some point. So I would not expect he came up with the pun and then the made the comic. Of course he could have changed his mind. But there are several other jokes and references in the 18 labels of the boats, so it is not only the catch22 joke anyway. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:19, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Wikipedia does have a kite rig web page. That's a real thing, but usually not as pretty as here. And I suppose you could do helium balloons. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/85.115.54.203|85.115.54.203]] 11:46, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

Why is this page (alone of all the comics, as far as I've seen) mirrored? The comic image, text, angle of the italics, etc. are all reversed on both the comic page and the front page. Stock Safari on iOS 16.7.12. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 14:03, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
:"Troll revision". Got it, mystery solved. Though I'm a bit surprised that raw styling like that's allowed, not just wiki markup. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 14:09, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

I remember looking through all kinds of rig-types when trying to describe (and/or explain) a ''prior'' comic with a particular sailing ship design on it (some time ago, not sure which one). Might well be that Randall's been looking at the same page as I did. ;) [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 14:44, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

The offset rig one could be a reference to speed record sailboats. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vestas_Sailrocket) For torque reasons, they have the mast mounted on a horizontal boom and offset far off the side of the boat. Though on the other hand, speed record boats have this boom above the water, and only have single sails. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:2C96:4700:953D:B3CC:B3DB:2C2E|2600:4040:2C96:4700:953D:B3CC:B3DB:2C2E]] 15:19, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
:That looks to me more like a form of catamaran (or partly-inline trimarang). {{unsigned ip|92.23.2.208|20:04, 13 January 2026 (UTC)}}
:: Are you sure it isn't a boomarang? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:54, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:::You're probably thinking of a boo!meringue, a surprising way to use egg-whites. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.61|82.132.238.61]] 14:12, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

The definition of yawl is wrong. What matters is not position of mizzen relative to rudder post, but to water line. Ketches often have the mizzen mast behind the rudder. {{unsigned ip|46.114.57.23|15:23, 13 January 2026 (UTC)}}
:There is no hard-and-fast definition of ketch vs yawl, really it goes by how the boat handles. Having said that, the usual definition, and most commonly quoted, is whether the mizzen mast is fore or aft of the rudder post... and in most cases this definition works. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:15, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

Bunkbed rig could also be reference to a Hydrofoil, the idea that the boat moves so fast it climbs out of the water. [[Special:Contributions/198.180.154.20|198.180.154.20]] 15:48, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

The "OOPS, ALL SPINNAKERS" could be made to work (although only sailing downwind, and only up to the speed of the airflow) by using spinnakers increasingly tightly woven so that the upwind ones would let pass most of the airflow with the subsequent ones being increasingly tightly woven, thus minimalizing the loss of efficiency due to the escape of airflow around the edges of each spinnaker. Such a setup could potentially allow to maximize the use of the airflow force when sailing directly downwind, although the increase in complexity and wheight would likely lead to an overall loss of efficiency compared to a single, well-designed spinnaker. In any case the spinnaker (basically a parachute on a mast) is only designed to add a little extra boost when sailing downwind in a strong wind for a relatively long time (when the main sails can't catch much wind; in this configuration the main sail(s) are typically angled at a very wide angle against the airflow which is very suboptimal for a "foil" sail), in all other cases the foil-like sails are much more efficient and do allow to sail faster than the wind, which the spinnaker can't achieve, by design. [[Special:Contributions/2001:861:3F07:A020:D17C:74A0:94EF:9DAD|2001:861:3F07:A020:D17C:74A0:94EF:9DAD]] 21:30, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

"Real: No" should probably be "Real: Not as of January 13, 2026." Because at least for a few of those, someone out there will see the comic and say "Hmm, that's an interesting idea" and make it happen. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 22:05, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

The explanation for Yawl contains an incorrect definition of fore-and-aft rigging. It says a mast has two sails "One in front of the mast and one behind, known as fore-and-aft rigging" but that is not what fore-and-aft rigging means. Even a single sail can be fore-and-aft rigged, which means it is rigged to a boom and/or the centreline of the boat. This is different from square-rigged, which means rigged to a spar which goes across the boat from one side to the other (at right angles to the centreline). [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:26, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

The Offset Rig would work downwind. But it would *only* work downwind because the center of effort is so far forward of the center of lateral resistance. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 23:33, 13 January 2026 (UTC)

=== Cropped images ===

I brought over the [[:Template:CSS image crop]] from enwiki and added cropped images to the table and…it doesn't look quite as good as I had hoped.
Perhaps they need to be scaled down. Still, my patience for finding all the boundaries and entering them is at an end, so … perhaps someone else can make it look better without doing a lot of work. Not sure. good luck. (I forget how this was done in prior explanations, ugh. Maybe in a better way. I forgot to look before doing this work.) [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 15:29, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
:I went through the very-redlinking documentation part and stripped out (or commented out) various things that did not 'translate well' on this site due to not having the requisite support templates. (And trivially list-formatted the parameter explanations.) (I didn't stop it from giving itself the redlinked category used to track invalid uses of the template, checking the documented examples could reveal which does that... assuming we don't want to just remove that check-and-categorisation from the 'working' template codeanyway.) If anyone cares to look at the form of the code that has so much more transcluded template-formatting, it's the second edit-version of the page that you need to go through and consider what can be (and needs to be) re-added in.
:As to how we've done it before, it's generally done by salami-slicing the image (from the big image on this or the original site) and then manually uploading those mini fragments as images in their own right to use in support (see, e.g. how [[730: Circuit Diagram]] has done it). [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 20:04, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
::Thanks, yes, I thought about fixing up the template documentation and decided it just was not worth the effort, but happy to have you have done it. I do think using "sprites" from the main image works better than uploading the cross product of rows and columns as separate files. Thanks for the 730 reference, all I could remember was [[1928: Seven Years]] where I solved a different but related problem in a different way (overlay numbering sub-panels while applying an alpha channel and referencing those numbers as callouts), though curiously we did not continue it for [[2386: Ten Years]] or [[3172: Fifteen Years]]. Maybe there should be a [[:Category:Image-based explanation markup solutions]] to put these all in. I am a little bit joking, but more serious than not.
::Also, we could definitely rewrite this template so it could be used in a less verbose way with numbered parameter fields and maybe a scaling factor. Or, for that matter, to take a list of intersection points and to return the nth sub-image given those corner points. But, of course, I went with what seemed the easiest lift at the time. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:42, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
:::Apparnetly [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|@DollarStoreBa'al]] disagrees first. I wish they had said something. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 21:49, 13 January 2026 (UTC)
::::My bad. Just noticed that somebody wanted to resize easier, and so I did that. By the way, I don't believe this site can do pings (I certainly didn't get one). Also thought it would be easier to modify the images by just going the traditional way instead of using CSS.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 00:50, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
{{outdent|4}} Where/with whom was the resizing discussion, please? As for pings, yes, I guess I expect you to read the talk page. Also, please use an edit summary, especially if you are going to undo someone else's hard and innovative work! [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 08:06, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
: Could be refering to your above "Perhaps they need to be scaled down." comment?
: And the wiki principle in use here is that if someone sees merit in completely overhauling any page, for whatever reason, then they can do. As you added a completely new-to-this-site template for your idea of how to do it. Which was interesting, and may be useful in the future as well, but might have used a bit more review along the way. This doesn't stop someone else reversing or rechanging what another person did for similarly imagined good reasons, and it only becomes a problem if it's done with bad intent and/or becomes a battle between two mutually exclusive ideologies. Summaries are useful, of course, but some changes may also be fairly self-evident. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.61|82.132.238.61]] 14:12, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:: [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.61|82.132.238.61]], your speculative response here is unhelpful. I asked [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|@DollarStoreBa'al]] why they did what they did, I am not interested in guesses from others about it, which I think also make it harder to get the answer I was seeking (hence the strength of this response now). I was careful not to allege some of the things you are responding to. And as for whether the changes were self-evident, that is not responsive to the issue of summaries — the point of summaries is to make it manageable to review changes by looking at the history or the notification emails without having to individually review each and every change — unless you are going to review the diffs, either en masse or individually, then the self-evidentiary nature of them is irrelevant. Thank you. I apologize that I sound annoyed. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 14:24, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:"…it doesn't look quite as good as I had hoped. Perhaps they need to be scaled down" 
:-JohnHawkinson 
:--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:28, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
::Also, don't really see the whole point of introducing an entire new system to do something we could already do. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:30, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
::: [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|@DollarStoreBa'al]] I don't know what method you used to guillotine the image, but I found it substantially faster and more efficient to divide up the images by coordinates than to create 18 individual images based on my experience doing that in the past. The individual image choice also results in different scaling factors for different images, which has its pros and cons — I don't think it's great, though. It means, for instance, the Longsail Rig is squeezed down to the same width of other images and no longer appears as "long." I'd encourage you in the future to think carefully about undoing without discussion another person's work to address what you perceive to be that person's perception that it could be improved. That kind of thing has an effect on people's willingness to contribute and participate. Thanks. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 14:53, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
::::Well, all I did was take screenshots of them and then resize them when I actually implemented them. I don't know why you're peeved by the Longsail not being long enough (it's still a different ratio than the other images, and is very clearly longer than the other ships within it), but I've resized the image to make it longer. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 15:36, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:::::Also, I believe this method actually positively affects people's willingness to participate. It makes the way to do this much clearer (and easier) compared to pixel measurements. Plus, how did you measure the pixels? Those were pretty precise measurements you had.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBaal44|Converse]]''''' 15:43, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
{{outdent|5}} [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|@DollarStoreBa'al]]…yikes? Screenshots and resizing? Those are both methods that can lose fidelity…it's not worth agonizing overmuch, but as a general practice anything that degrades the image quality is something to be avoided (given that these are 1bpp b/w images, such concerns are at their nadir)…I had assumed they were native crops. Re longsail, my point is that Randall's artistic intent is in conflict with automatic scaling and I don't think the images should be scaled independently of each other. I'm not sure how you can assess participation, since I don't know why there would be much more attention to the images now that they are "done" (but the burden of uploading additional images with different crops if someone wanted to change one seems to me a lot higher than changing one number in the wikitext of a template). I can't predict the future, but I can definitely say that it had a substantial negative impact on ''me'' (especially to hear it's because of how you interpreted my own comment on the talk page!). I regret that's being expressed here in the text now. To answer your question, I measured the pixels by drawing ruler guides on the master image and reading them off. I don't think the precision speaks to participation in any way (not sure if that's what was meant by "Plus,"). [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 16:13, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:I really like the table as it is now. I did not see the first version. But the current version looks like what we have done several times before, and that is easy for anyone to understand and edit. I have no idea what the other way is. But I have made tables like this when I was more active. It is not important what the image looks like in the table as you have the full comic above. It is just to make sure you know which boat is being discussed. And people do not read the entire discussion before making changes, I don't. It has become quite long this one. And yes you do not get any notification if someone replies here. If you need to get hold of someone's attention posting on their talk page is the best chance. That is also they way to reach me, the only active admin at the moment. But I'm not very active. But if someone posts om my page I will get an e-mail and then I will read it. I try to make a mention of what I do when I make larger changes, but it can fail. I do hope this doesn't deter you from making contributions another time though! Great you are invested in it. But personally I think this simpler way is the way to go here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:35, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

:You know what I'd do, for the individual images? Take the _2x (which is greyscale, BTW, not 1bpp - possibly even full colour with nothing but greyscales, if you look into it). In something like GIMP, select each ship-shape by your favourite magic colour-selection-tool on the black bit that doesn't select ''every'' bit of black (or unselect the stray bits that the default threshold included), then expand the selection by a given small number of pixels, whatever number looks good to give it an aesthetic boundary. Copy and paste to new layer, that layer being cropped to the selection, then floodfill white around the edge transparent edging. Rinse, repeat, takes just a few clicks (or keyboard combos) per item, slightly more complicated if there weren't such a clear containing rectangle - so not quite so easy for Circuit Diagram, but increases the effort from maybe 10 seconds per 'extract' to maybe 15-20 seconds. It'd take longer to start GIMP up in the first place, waiting for the splash-logo to go away and then for it to briefly fish around for any add-ons that need loading.
:If you feel like creating your own scripted tool for this, even less time per instance, but see [[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]]... ;)
:For each layer-separated item, export as an image in their own right. Though I'd personally also at this point (after all possible messing with the original antialiased 'fuzziness') descale the _2x-scaled subimages (consistently) to be smaller. Perhaps to be like the non-_2x one. Right now, my view of the illustrated table in the Explanation has ''far'' larger images of each ship than they are in the comic image, though that might just be peculiar to this browser on this device. But you don't need more than the basic likeness of each subimage. It could stand to be half the size of the comic's appearence, whether by dynamic scaling or the base image being rescaled.
:But as I'm not an authorised uploader, here, I've spent about the same time explaining what I'd do as I'd probably need to do this whole thing. And it doesn't matter as it's been done, and well enough (overscaling issues aside) for all practical purposes. Spending time with screenshotting (which is so much more complicated these days than it used to be) or hovering a image-editor over pixels to record their relevent coordinates (I did a lot of that for [[3186: Truly Universal Outlet]], for something I did for my own entertainment - and I recon that Randall got the M-type plug wrong ''plus'' ignored the second L-type) is your choice, if you prefer to do it that way. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.238.61|82.132.238.61]] 17:28, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

:Ok, guys and gals. All images are now specified for display by height alone ("x<number>px"), that being the actual image height ''halved'' (rounded down, where that'd be fractional). On the assumption that they weren't rescaled between screenshotting and uploading, but it doesn't look like they are. This way, they aren't larger than they display on the {{template|comic}}-header picture of the whole comic, and the "longtail" image isn't so wide as to dominate the table. We don't need to waste space with 'top-definition' images.
:Tested on both laptop and Android browsers, they're always still large enough to be easily recognisable and representative. Also, I centred the cell contents, for further aesthetic reasons. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 20:22, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

Of course I am biased, but one of the things lost in the [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|@DollarStoreBa'al]] [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3193%3A_Sailing_Rigs&type=revision&diff=403475&oldid=403452 changes], which I had not noticed initially, is the titles of the sub-images in Randall's hand-font. I included those initially for a reason, and I think the chart looks better with them. Others may disagree, of course, but again, seems like the kind of change that would merit discussion before doing, especially when it's done in a way that is hard to change (see my overly-repeated points above). [p.s. I didn't mean the image format was 1bpp, I meant the contents were notionally such; although I suppose they do have some antialiasing. ] [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 20:38, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

User talk:Kynde

2026-01-14T16:59:55Z

JohnHawkinson: /* Cropped images */ new section