HOW TO USE LJ AFTER MAKING YOUR ACCOUNT + HOW TO USE DW + HOW TO USE WINRAR ETC
DID YOU CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL THAT YOU USED TO SIGN UP FOR LJ?
- If yes, good.
- If no, do it now. Go to the email address you used to sign up. Log in your email. Look for the email from LJ. Read it carefully. Do you see a link inside that email message that says you must click it to confirm your email? Do it.
- This is a must because some comms will send you an invite because they do not work on the "click the join button and you're in" system. If your email address is not confirmed, then LJ will block this invite and you will NEVER be a member of that comm.
- You also CANNOT accept such an invite if your email address is not confirmed.
BASICS
- Your LJ homepage aka your personal LJ is always https://yourname.livejournal.com/ (fake name). In my case, my LJ name is casterap. This means my LJ homepage of my personal LJ is always https://casterap.livejournal.com/. So, you now know LJ name and your LJ homepage url.
- Your LJ profile is always your LJ url with /profile behind. What do I mean? Let me use me for an example. My LJ profile is https://casterap.livejournal.com/profile where "Casterap" is my LJ name and "/profile" tells people that this is my profile page of my LJ. Going by this, you should now know what your profile page url is.
- It is a must to know what profile page is and how to get there because some comms tell you information like "what we are about" and "these are our basic rules" at the profile page. This means you MUST read BOTH their profile page as well as their rules post.
- It is a must to know what profile page is and how to get there because some comms tell you if they are open/closed to new members. If they are closed to new members, it means you cannot join. It will there on their profile. Onus is on you find this profile page of the comm you want to join and READ EACH LINE CAREFULLY. Do this by reading aloud to yourself. This will prevent you from skipping lines and claiming that information viewable by everyone is "not there" when you read it. It is there. It's only "not there" to you because you are either blind or inobservant or illterate or too lazy to read.
- Your LJ inbox is something that you must check daily. Why? Because LJ does not send you notifs by emails 9/10 of the time. So, if someone PMs you, 9/10 times you will not know it. Also, if a comm sends you an invite to join, you will not know about it as you never check your LJ inbox.
- Also, LJ has the policy that says "Any comment and private message (PM) is spam if it has urls, links, emails and will be put inside your suspicious messages folder of your LJ inbox. We, at LJ, will not tell you when this happens. It is on you to work this out on your own."
- That is why checking your LJ inbox daily is a must
- Your LJ inbox address is always https://www.livejournal.com/inbox/ and it is ONLY viewable to you when you log in.
- Are you logged into LJ? If yes, good. Are you at your LJ inbox now? If yes, good. Now, look to the left and read all the things there. Do you see "suspicious messages"? If yes, click it. If anyone sends you a PM, comment or invite, 7/10 times it is there. So this is why you must check BOTH your LJ inbox and the suspicious messages folder of said inbox daily.
HOW TO UPLOAD ICONS, AKA THE ICON THAT IS YOU WHEN YOU MAKE COMMENTS.
- Are you logged in to LJ? If yes, good. Are you at your LJ homepage of your personal LJ? If yes, good.
- Look at the top right of the screen. Do you see your LJ name next to a magnifying glass picture?
- Now, open your eyes wide and put your face close to the screen. Do this when you are still focusing on the top right of the screen.
- Do you see that BETWEEN you LJ name and the magnifying glass is a very tiny arrow that is pointing down? move your mouse arrow there
- You will now see a drop down menu. keep your mouse arrow on this menu. make your mouse arrow go down this menu very slowly as you carefully read each line. when you come to "settings", stop. Is your mouse arrow now on "settings"? If yes, click it now.
- If you do this correctly, you will now be at https://www.livejournal.com/manage/settings/
- Read carefully now that you are the "settings" portion. Do you see "userpics"? It is there. Look harder.
- Beside "userpics" are choices like "view my yserpics", "manage my userpics" etc. Click on "manage my userpics"
- Here, you upload icons that will be "you" when you post an entry or when you write a comment on someone else's LJ
- Before you upload icons, make sure they are 100x100. Make sure they are on your computer. Different computers, different systems have different ways of doing this, so I cannot teach you anymore than this. The rest of the "how to upload a userpic" process is up to you.
WHAT ARE THE COMMS I CAN JOIN TO GET SUBS OF A CERTAIN GROUP WITH 5 MEMBERS?
I have been getting many comments like this, but get bashed when I say that I cannot tell you. Let me explain.
This is a harry issue because many subbing comms have these policies:
a) do not name us in any way, be it in full, acronym, abbreviation, url
b) due to (a), we cannot be mentioned at all in any post on any platform, be it publicly viewable (such as the a_ra_shi comm on LJ) or member-locked (like EA for example)
c) we have (a) in place because we do not want to be sued by any Johnny's-related agency or any Japanese TV/radio/cable station
d) the threat from (c) is very real, pockets of fandom such as subbers, raw providers and even people who share images of any Johnny's guy have been served such legal letters before. I can provide proof.
e) because of (a), even public Arashi indexes that tell people "Comm X is a subbing comm" or "Comm U is a raw comm" is not allowed to the point where the subbers will take action against the owner of such an index, resulting in this owner becoming blackballed in fandom as a known rulebreaker. I can provide proof.
f) because of (a), "modern" Arashi indexes are in member-locked comms with difficult joining procedures, these indexes cannot provide any link to the subbers' homepage, these indexes must only name comms by acronym IF AND ONLY IF the subbers allow it (example out of every 25 subbers only 1 allows this), when these subbers are named as ABC for example the owner of the index is forbidden from telling anyone who asks what is the "real" name of the comm and where/how to find it (99% of comms are like this). I can provide proof.
g) all subbing comms also have this policy "you can only recommend me to others by way of mouth through private means such as letters, emails, private message (PM)"
h) because of (g), when I tell you of a comm for example, I become a potential rule breaker in these subbing comms' eyes.
i) this is because under "word of mouth" rule, there is a caveat saying something like "if the person you recommend to my comm breaks the rules, you are responsible for them. when they make any misstep, both you and them will be kicked out and banned permanently from my comm".
j) all the above exists because many subbers also have the rule of "i only want to be known by people who know i exist; if people don't know i exist, i want to keep it that way".
k) comms are like this because of bad experiences again and again with rulebreakers, people who report them to JE, and almost getting sued by JE and/or Japanese TV stations. do not bash for them this, instead ask yourself how you will react if Brad Pitt tried to sue you because your user icon has his face on it? This is what happened to these subbers, only instead of Mr Pitt, it was JE trying to sue them for posting Arashi raws/subs.
For proof of (a) to (k), see https://kakenukero.dreamwidth.org/ and read the entries in the correct order. By this, I mean start reading from the oldest entry until you reach the newest entry.
Things are also more complicated by these facts:
A) comms have complex joining procedures whereby making 1 mistake your application means instant rejection, doing things wrong (e.g. only clicking the join button and doing nothing else) means instant rejection, make too many mistakes in your joining attempts and you are banned from joining because it means you proven that you can neither read nor follow instructions and this makes you are a potential rulebreaker
B) many comms are closed. this means they still post subs for existing members that joined years ago, but new members are not allowed. why? because of rulebreakers who do/say anything to join them only to take their work to post on streaming sites or sell for money. if you come across such a comm, then you must accept your fate that you will not be allowed to join it
C) many comms are dead. this means they were active years ago but not anymore. because of this many of their links are dead and will stay dead for good.
D) some comms only "live" on LJ and some others only "live" on dreamwidth (DW). You will need to make both LJ and DW to have access to subs.
E) some comms have a "I will never reupload anything ever" policy. if you join such a comm, you must never leave a comment saying "the link is dead, please reup." if you do that, you are a rulebreaker and will be kicked out.
F) some comms have strict requirements to make sure you are not a bot, not someone who will sell their work for money, not someone who will put their work on streaming sites. they will do this by checking up on you to see if your LJ/DW made more than 100 comments, has more 10 entries/posts, has active LJ friends, is a member of other comms that are not Arashi/Johnny's fandom related.
G) some comms need you to apply by writing a comment in the correct post as per their instructions AND THEN clicking the join button
H) some comms need you to follow their instructions to the letter when you apply to join, but instead of the join button, you must wait for an LJ/DW invitation letter that will be sent to your LJ/DW inbox
I) because of (H), you need to know where your LJ is, how to use it, how to poke around it, how to check inside all its folders, do all the LJ/DW inbox checking daily because LJ/DW does not always send you notifs of a new message
J) because of (H) and (I), you must accept the invitation within 30 days of the sender giving it to you otherwise it will expire. this is very important to keep in mind because most comms with the "invitation" system have the policy of "if you don't accept the invite when I send it to you, it means you are not serious in joining my comm. you are therefore a rulebreaker and troublemaker. you will be permanently banned from ever joining my comm again".
K) if a comm cannot be joined because it is closed, you must accept that as your fate and not bash me. I say this because this has happened to me before.
L) if a comm is deleted and gone and they do not allow anyone to ever reup their work ever again, , you must accept that as your fate and not bash me. I say this because this has happened to me before.
M) if you become a comm member of subbing comm XYZ (fake name) for example, onus is on you to search that place for files. no one will help you to do this.
Now that I have covered the basics, read this https://winkychan.dreamwidth.org/99228.html
After that, ask yourself these things:
i) have you confirmed the email you used to make a LJ account? If no, do it now because you cannot access/use your LJ inbox or the PM system at all. This means no one can send you a PM, you cannot send a PM, no subber can send you an invite to their comm, you cannot accept said invite, etc.
ii) do you have a DW? if no, make one.
iii) after you make a DW, have you confirmed the email you used to make said account? if no, do it or else the scenario in (i) will happen.
iv) can you use the PM system in LJ? if no, please teach yourself how to do it as seen https://www.livejournal.com/support/faq/305.html
v) do the same thing in (iv) for DW by doing this https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=72
After that, ask people personally in real life, by letter, by PM or email or face-to-face to recommend comms to you. But remember, they are putting themselves at risk, so you must prove yourself to NOT be a rulebreaker and to be completely trustworthy.
WHAT IS INVITATION SYSTEM? HOW WILL I KNOW IF I GET AN INVITATION TO JOIN A COMM?
- Some raw/subbing comms work on the "i will only send you an invite if you write an application in the correct way to show me that you are serious about joining" system.
- This means, you go to their homepage, find their rules/application post, do whatever it says and then you find out the join button is made unclickable.
- This means the mods have disabled it. This allows them more control over who is allowed into their comms.
- So, if you follow what they said you must do in your application, they will read your comment that you left in the correct post. If you meet all their requirements, they will send you an invitation that will EITHER land in your LJ/DW inbox OR in the suspicious messages folder of your LJ/DW inbox. You will NOT get any LJ/Dw notif by email/phone when this happens.
- This is why I keep stressing that you NEED to know how to check your LJ/DW inbox.
- This is why I keep stressing that you NEED to check your LJ/DW inbox daily.
- Comms can take up 1-7 days (if fast) to 2-6 months (if slow) to process your application. They will only send you an invite AFTER you have left a comment correctly and AFTER they have handled your application.
HOW DO I ACCEPT AN INVITE TO JOIN A COMM? I AM SENT ONE BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO?
You have to do these things under the invitation/invite system:
- did you make a correct application in the correct post in subbing comm X?
- if yes, did you check your LJ inbox AND suspicious messages folder of said index?
- if yes, is the invitation to join X in either of those places?
- if yes, did you read the invitation carefully?
- if yes, did you did the option to choose "accept" or "join" (it appears differently for different people)?
- If yes, did you click it?
- if yes, did you get a message AFTER clicking that says something like "you are now a member of comm X" or "you have successfully joined comm X"?
You MUST accept the invite within 30 days of getting it. It will die after that. If you don't accept it within this timeframe, the mods of whatever comm will ban/block you from ever joining their comm again. Why? Because you showed that you are only playing around for fun and not sincere about joining them. If you are serious about being their member, you will make the effort to put in a correct application, you will wait patiently for your an invite, you will check your LJ inbox and all folders in it every day, you will click "join/accept" in the invitation immediately when you get it.
WHAT IS PM?
It means "private message". You get it in your LJ inbox.
WHAT IS LJ?
LJ means "livejournal"
WHAT IS DW?
It is short for "dreamwidth".
WHY DO I NEED A DW?
Some raw and subbing comms are ONLY there. This can be for many reasons such as:
- LJ is banned in their country for political reasons. this can be so bad that even using a VPN is useless and LJ remains blocked/banned for them
- new LJ" aka LJ after 2012 is bad for their health, especially for people with migraines and seizures due to fast moving flickering large white spaces in the new layout.
- they don't agree with the terms/rules of "new LJ" aka LJ after 2012 as these new rules clamp down on civil/personal freedoms.
- they prefer DW for personal reasons as it is more intutive to use.
If you want files that are shared by such comms:
- you need to get a DW because you cannot join these DW-based comms if you do not have a DW account.
- you need to confirm your email address that you used to make your DW by clicking on the link in your email
- you need to confirm your email because some comms work on the "i will only send you an invite if you write an application in the correct way to show me that you are serious about joining" policy. if you don't confirm your address, the mods of such a comm can send a billion invites and you will never get them.
- The invitation process, the "how do I know if I am sent an invite" and "how do I accept an invite when sent one" methods are the as the LJ methods described above.
IT IS TOO DIFFICULT TO USE DW. I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE AN ACCOUNT!
I HAVE A DW BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO USE IT TO JOIN COMMS. HELP!
DW works like LJ pre-2012. For more details about how to make a DW etc, read everything at http://mmestrange.insanejournal.com/4648.html carefully and follow instructions exactly. If you make even 1 wrong step, you will mess up the whole process.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING YOUR ACCOUNT CAPABLE OF SENDING AND RECEIVING PMS ON LJ
To make it easier for you to understand, let me use a fake example. Pretend that you want me to send you a PM but I cannot do this because your account is under "no one can send me PM at all because that's how my settings are" conditions.
If I forcefully try to send you a PM when your LJ account is under the above conditions and settings, I cannot send a PM to your account. I will get an error message that says "this message cannot be sent to [your LJ name] because the recipient has enabled the privacy options for their messages." This happens for many reasons:
a) you didn't confirm your LJ account by email
b) your LJ only allows mutual friends to send PMs
c) your LJ has settings that's something like "no one can PM me ever"
Please check if you confirmed your email when you made your LJ. If you didn't do this, no one can send you a PM ever. How to check?
- are you logged in? if yes, good.
- now go to https://www.livejournal.com/manage/settings/?cat=account
- now look for "Email".
- do you see your email address? if yes, good
- does it say "(validated)" or "confirmed" or something similar. if yes, good. if no, fix it making LJ send you another confirm email, click whatever is in there when it arrives and use this method to check that your account and email are really confirmed.
If you did all that above, you must now change your LJ settings so that others can send you PMs. Do it by following whatever I say below.
Please fix things so that I can send you a PM.:
- are you logged into LJ. if yes, good
- now, go to https://www.livejournal.com/manage/profile/ in new tab
- read carefully and find "Contact Info"
- in that section, look for "LJ User Messaging"
- now, move your eyes right.
- do you see "Receive messages from:"
- if yes, good
- now look at the options under "Receive messages from:"
- choose "registered accounts" or "registered users" or "registered accounts" or something similar. it appears differently for different computers in different countries.
- now go all the way down like bottom of the page or thereabouts. find a button that says "okay" or "save changes" or something along those lines. click it.
- do all the above again but do not click anything. your job here is to make sure it says "receive messages from registered accounts" in the correct sub-section under the correct section.
- if all is as it should be, good. reply here again so that I know I can PM you now and I will do when I am free.
WHAT ARE SOFTSUBS, RAW, HARDSUBS
You need to know the difference between RAW, Softsub, hardsub, mods. Raw means the original Japanese audio with no subs in any language. Hardsub means it has subs in English and these hardsubs are already in the video. So if you play them in your computer, the subs will automatically show up. Softsubs is just a text file. You need to know how to join them to the raw video in order for them to show up on the video when you play it. MODS means owners of the comms.
Some mods use ss to mean "softsubs". Some mods use "hs" to use "hardsubs". But here is the difficult part. Some mods also use "ss" to mean "sendspace", which is a 30-days-only filesharing site. It is your responsibility to READ carefully to understand the context of the sentence and whatever the mods say. When you do that, then and only then will you whether ss means sendspace or softsubs.
HOW TO USE SOFTSUBS AND MAKE IT PLAY IN A VIDEO
The process is very long, so read carefully. Take notes if you must. Please read carefully because I cannot take pictures.
(a) The first thing you should note is file extension. What are file extensions? These are the type of files that you are using. For example, a word document has an extension of .doc or .docx. A notepad document has the extenstion .txt
Video files typically have the following file extensions:
.mkv
.mp4
.avi
.mpg
.asf
.others that are not named here due to time constraints.
All raws and hardsubbed vids can come in any of those formats. Can you see your file extensions? If no, please google how to do this. Different computers have different ways of doing this. Windows also does this differently from Macs.
(b) Do you have Media player classic (mpc)? if no, please find it and install it. It's free at https://www.free-codecs.com/media_player_classic_home_cinema_download.htm
But you need to know if your computer is x86 or x64. Please google to learn how to do this,
Once you know whether your computer is x86 or whatever, you can get the correct version of mpc.
(c) Do you have VLC? If no, find it and install it. It is free. Some hardsub files can ONLY play successfully in VLC. This means the English subtitles will ONLY display in VLC. If you try on another player, you WILL FAIL.
(d) Hardsubs are video files with the subtitles already encoded/fixed INSIDE the video file. This means you download the HARDSUBBED video and you can watch it immediately if you have the right player.
Hardsubbed files are video files, so their file size will be quite large. Their file extension will be .avi, .mp4, .mkv, .mpg
(e) Softsubs are typically MUCH smaller than hardsubbed videos. This is because softsubs are just words in a notepad file. Softsubs are NOT video files. Softsub files typically have the file extensions as follows
.ssa
.srt
.ass
.smi
(f) Because SOFTSUBS are NOT video files, you MUST download the raw file on your own. When subbers only make softsubs, it is your job to somehow find the raw on your own. You MUST do this because you will not get any help. When you have downloaded both the raw file AND the softsubs, you MUST combine them if you want to watch your videos with subtitles.
(g) Why are vids with no subs called "raw"? This is because like raw meat. If you try to eat raw meat, you won't feel too good and you may catch some disease. Likewise, a raw vid has no subs meaning if you don't understand Japanese, you will not know what is going on when you watch the vid. But when a raw video has subs, it's like cooking raw meat. When "raw meat" is "cooked" and you can enjoy it, right? Likewise, when a video has a subs, you can understand it.
(h) How to make your softsubs attach to the raw video so that the subtitles will appear when you play the vid? To do that, you will need the following:
- softsubs you have downloaded
- raw video you have downloaded
- vobsub
(i) Vobsub is the programme you will use to combine the raw video and softsubs. If you don’t have vobsub, search google
(j) First, download and install VobSub. All you have to do after downloading VobSub is to double-click the .exe file and let it install. If there are instructions, follow them carefully. Once you have VobSub installed in your computer, you don't need to manually load vobsub each time you want to view soft subs. However, if you are using a different computer that does not have vobsub installed, you might have to install it there before you can watch the video.
(k) Second, create a file folder on your desktop. Now, put BOTH the softsub file AND the raw file in this new folder you have just created.
(l) Third, make sure BOTH the softsub file and the raw file have the same filename. This is very important. If the file names are different, your softsubs will not appear over the raw video.
(m) In case, you don’t get it, here is an example. Pretend you have downloaded the raw video and softsubs. Pretend that you have put those files into the same new folder on your desktop.
Here is one example of the right vs wrong thing to with softsubs once you have both files in a folder.
WRONG THING TO DO 1
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi
Koukou Kyoushi ep02.smi
CORRECT THING TO DO 1
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.smi
Here is another example of the right vs wrong thing to do with softsubs and raw:
WRONG THING TO DO 2
Make apple pie.mp4
Make Apple pie.English.srt.
CORRECT THING TO DO 2
Make apple pie.mp4
Make apple pie.srt
Look at the "Wrong thing" examples, notice that the file names of both files in the two examples are NOT the same. When this happens, your player cannot find Eng sub because of the file names of your raw video and softsubs are different.
Now, look at the "right thing" examples, notice that the file names of both files in the two examples are EXACTLY the same. When this happens, your player will find the Eng sub and play it at the same time as your raw.
(n) Fourth, If you do the steps above correctly, your raw video and subs should be overlaid automatically when you play it in VLC and media player classic. Just open mpc, drag the video into the player and wait until it plays.
WHAT IS UNZIPPING? WHAT IS ZIPPING? WHAT HAS WINRAR TO DO WITH ZIPPING AND UNZIPPING?
Winrar is used to zip files. Unzipping is the process of taking the file out from winrar. Still don't get it? Let me explain in baby terms
- Imagine the file you want to download is a big pile of 30 t-shirts. Can you carry that pile around in your arms? You can't.
- It would be easier for you to carry them around if they were in a duffel bag with a zip.
- Winrar is the "bag" that I use to put the file into to make it easier for me and you to "carry around".
- So when you download my winrar file, you have taken the bag of t-shirts from me.
- But the bag is zipped shut and you cannot see the shirts.
- If you want to wear one of the shirts I have just given to you, you must open the bag by unzipping it, take a shirt out, try the shirt.
- Unzipping the file from winrar is the same thing. You have to "unzip" it to get to the file (e.g. open the bag by unzipping it), extract the file by right clicking on the mouse and choosing "extract here" (e.g. getting a shirt out from the bag), play the file when unzipping is complete (e.g. give the shirt a flick so that it is unfolded and you can wear it).
WHY I AM "FORCING" YOU TO DO THINGS, GET THINGS, USE THINGS YOU DO NOT WANT
I am NOT forcing you to do/use/get anything. I am not forcing you to update your winrar. I am not forcing you to get HJSplit. I am not forcing you always check file size. I always tell you exactly what is what, but people either don't want to read, can't read, don't want to use their brains, can't use their brains, don't have brains etc. As a result, these people only know how to demand help instead of using google search, instead of using their own initiative, instead of using their brains. As a result, these people only know how to BLAME OTHERS (i.e. they blame me in this case). Let me just give it to you straight. I TELL YOU THINGS AS WARNINGS BECAUSE THERE ARE TIMES IN REAL LIFE WHEN YOU MUST USE YOUR EYES, YOUR BRAIN AND YOUR OBSERVATIONAL SKILLS AT THE SAME TIME. I don't tell you these warnings for fun. I don't tell them to you to "give you more work to do". I don't tell them to you to "waste your time". I don't tell them to you to "make life hell/trouble for you". I don't tell them to you because I "like to see you suffer". I tell them to you BECAUSE THEY ARE WARNINGS. If you do not heed my warnings, you may face trouble and/or difficulties and/or problems doing whatever it is the hell you want to do with your file. When these troubles/problems/difficulties happen, it is because you did not bother to read my warnings to try to prevent your trouble/problem/difficulty from occurring.
WHY THE INSTRUCTIONS, HELP AND WARNINGS ARE ONLY FOR WINDOWS USERS
I only use windows. My machine is windows. I don't use a Mac or Linux or whatever you use. Because I don't have a Mac or Linux or whatever you use, I don't know how to use the thing you use. THINK. Just because you use X doesn't mean every single human in the universe uses X too. It's the same if you like food Y, but it doesn't mean every human in the universe will like food Y too. THINK. ALWAYS THINK. ALWAYS LOOK AT OTHER PERSON'S POINT VIEW.
WHY YOU MUST CHECK FILE SIZE BEFORE AND AFTER DOWNLOAD
You are supposed to use your eyes, brain and observational skills. Make sure you check file size before and after download. Do NOT be lazy and skip this step. This step is NOT me wanting to "give you more work to do" and is NOT me wanting to "make life difficult for you" and is NOT me wanting to "make downloading troublesome for you". I keep saying this but people always tell me that only anal OCD bitches like me do this. This step is necessary because YOUR COMPUTER CAN LIE TO YOU and YOUR INTERNET CAN LIE TO YOU. Never trust your computer. Never trust your internet connection. Your computer can say download completed successfully when the opposite is true. This happens when your 'net dies for a few seconds and then comes back. You won't even notice this has happened, but it occurs more often than you know. When such an incident happens, your computer WILL tell you that download finished successfully when it is MOST CERTAINLY UNTRUE. This even happens if your internet is wonderful and fast and high-tech. This is why you must check file size before and after download.
HOW TO USE HJSPLIT
- First, download HJSplit to join all the split files.
- Make sure you install HJSplit after downloading it.
- Second, download all the split files of your hardsubbed video. Make sure all the split files are of the correct size.
- Third, create a folder on your desktop. Put all the split files of a video in there.
- Fourth, make sure all the split files have the same name or you WILL NOT be able to join them.
- Fifth, after you have made sure all the split files are of the correct size, in the same folder and have the same file name, open the HJSplit programme.
- It is very easy to use. There will be a button somewhere that says “join”.
- Click on that and it should join your file.
- Once the “joining” is complete, HJSplit will tell you.
- Sixth, when joining is complete, check that the file size of the JOINED file is the same as the size of ALL the split files.
- When it is indeed the same, you can close HJSplit, delete the split files and watch your joined video in VLC or whatever player you like.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE SURE ALL HJSPLIT FILES HAVE THE SAME NAME - WRONG THING TO DO EXAMPLE
Pretend you have downloaded all the split files to a hardsubbed video called “Koukou_Kyoushi”. Pretend that you have put those files into the same new folder on your desktop. Pretend you open that folder and you see the following:
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.001
Koukou Kyoushi ep02.avi.002
KoukouKyoushiep02.avi.003
KK.02.avi.004
HJSplit cannot join the file successfully because all the file names of split files are different.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE SURE ALL HJSPLIT FILES HAVE THE SAME NAME - CORRECT THING TO DO EXAMPLE
Pretend you have downloaded all the split files to a hardsubbed video called “Koukou_Kyoushi”. Pretend that you have put those files into the same new folder on your desktop. Pretend you open that folder and you see the following:
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.001
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.002
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.003
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.004
Now that all the files have the same file name, HJSplit can be used.
WHY YOU END UP WITH A CORRUPT FILE AND/OR ERRORS AND/OR FILE THAT IS SMALLER AND/OR FILE THAT IS SHORTER IN DURATION THAN ACTUAL SHOW AFTER JOINING WITH HJSPLIT
- You did not check file size before and after download.
- Checking file size before and after downloading, and then comparing them to make sure they are the same are important steps to take.
- After you have checked file size of all the chunks and made sure they are correct, do simple maths and add the file size. That should be the complete video size.
- So if file has three parts with parts 1 and 2 at 50mb each and file 3 at 20mb, you should have a file that is 120mb when joined.
- Never trust your computer when it says download has completed.
- If you trust your computer and one split part is incomplete, HJSplit will join the file incorrectly or incompletely.
- For example, if a file is split into three parts and part 3 is incomplete, your joining will result in a partial video file because HJSplit will only join parts 1 and 2.
- In another example, if a file is split into three and part 2 is incomplete, HJSplit will only convert part 1 into a video and ignore the rest.
- Do you see why I am so "bitchy" in "forcing" you to check file size?
HOW TO CHECK FILE SIZE
Because there are some people who say they DO NOT know how to check file size before and after download, let me tell you. When you are on ANY download site, READ carefully. Somewhere on that site, you will see the file size. WRITE IT DOWN. When download finishes, go to the folder in your computer where downloads go to. Click the file once with the left mouse button so that it is selected. After that, right click the mouse button on the selected file to get options. After that, choose "properties" and you will get a popup. READ the damn popup carefully and look for file size. Compare this number to number you wrote down from the download site. These two sets of numbers MUST be the same. When they are the same, you will know that download really finished successfully.
WHY YOU MUST ALWAYS UPDATE YOUR WINRAR + WHY YOU MUST ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NEWEST WINRAR INSTALLED
- Make sure you have newest winrar installed.
- I keep saying this but people keep telling me that it's troublesome and only OCD fuckwits do this.
- DO NOT THINK LIKE THIS. I zip files with new winrar.
- If your file is the correct size and you cannot unzip it, it means you are using old winrar.
- When you use old winrar to unzip a file that has been zipped with new winrar, you WILL fail and you WILL get error messages.
- I experienced this A HELL LOT. That is why I always download and install newest winrar on the 1st of each month. You should too.
- Winrar WILL NEVER AUTO UPDATE. You must do it manually each month by downloading it, installing it etc.
- THINK. I beg you to do it.
- Think. You have to update your anti-virus, the drivers in your computers etc too because they will malfunction and/or stop working if you don't do this. You know that, right? If you can do that with drivers and anti-virus, why can't you do it for winrar? Why do you think it's NOT troublesome to update your computer and antivirus, but you suddenly think that updating winrar is troublesome? Do you see the logic here?
WHY YOU CANNOT UNZIP THE WINRAR FILE + WHY YOU GET DIFFERENT ERROR MESSAGES WHEN YOU TRY TO UNZIP WINRAR FILES + WHY YOU FAIL TO UNZIP THE WINRAR FILE
I must say this AGAIN because people did not read anything in this and still ask me, "Why the file can't be unzipped", "How to unzip the file", "Why I get error messages when I unzip", "This post is TLDR, just tell me how to unzip", "Can you unzip the file for me because I cannot do it myself".
- When you cannot unzip a winrar file, this may be due to two reasons: (1) you used older winrar versions to unzip a file that has been zipped with newest winrar, (2) the file is incomplete.
- Condition (1) can only be remedied by getting newest winrar, installing it and then using it to unzip the file.
- Condition (2) occurs when you do NOT check file size before and after downloading. Sometimes your internet can die for a few seconds or more in the middle of downloading. This happens so quickly that you won't even notice that you have been disconnected for a few seconds and then reconnected again. When this happens, your machine will tell you that download has completed when it is most certainly untrue. When you try to unzip a file like that, of course you will fail. Don't trust your computer. Thus, you should (i) check file size before downloading and write down that number you see on the site, (ii) check the file size after download has completed, (iii) compare these numbers to make sure they are the same.
HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEM 1, AKA PROBLEM WITH WINRAR NOT WORKING
- why you can't unzip.
- you are using old winrar.
- i am using newest winrar, and that's what i used to zip the file.
- when file is zipped with new winrar, it cannot be unzipped with old winrar. attempts to do this by force will fail and you will get error messages.
- precise nature of message differs according to yr machine, location etc.
- to remedy this, you need to google winrar, download the newest version is right for your machine, install it etc.
- after doing all that, use new winrar to unzip the file.
HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEM 2, AKA FILE SIZE PROBLEM
- why you can't unzip.
- you put too much trust in your internet and computer, and not enough effort into your observational skills.
- i'm sorry if this offends you, and/or if you find what i am about to say offensive and/or troublesome, but this has to be done.
- Sometimes your computer or internet can die for a few seconds before coming back. this happens so quickly that you won't even notice. when this happens, your machine will say download finished correctly when this is false.
- e.g., you want to download a 100mb file, but your computer or internet says that the download is complete at 70mb becos your net died and then came back in the blink of an eye. the end result is that you have a file less than 100mb in size. This means your file is of an incomplete size. when that happens, no matter how you unzip the files, you will be doomed to failure. this is because your computer is trying to unzip an incomplete file. Because it cannot unzip an incomplete file, the task will fail. you will get error messages.
- to solve this, you will need to NEVER trust your machine and internet, and ALWAYS use your observational skills by doing this:
a) go to file download site and look for the file size. write it down and put it somewhere where you can see. i will call the file size written there X
b) download the file and wait for download to finish
c) when download finishes, go to the part of your machine containing the file.
d) in windows 10, put your mouse arrow on the file. click once to select the file. now right click on the mouse and choose properties so that you can see the file's properties.
e) under the general tab, look for "size". read what it says there. I will call the file size written here Y
f) are X and Y exactly the same?
g) if yes, good. now, unzip with NEWEST winrar and you will succeed in unzipping the file
h) if no, it means your internet and/or machine cocked up. don't believe me? try unzipping and see what happens. you will fail. why did you fail? this is because your internet died and came back, and your machine didn't even register it.
i) when this happens, you have to start from the download stage again.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU PLAY A HARDSUBBED FILE AND YOU DO NOT SEE ANY ENGLISH SUBTITLES AT ALL
Sometimes, you play a hardsub video and no subtitles show up, i.e. you watch the vid and you only hear Japanese audio and only see Japanese words on the screen. This happens because your machines does not have the right tools to "force" the subtitles to show themselves. In more technical terms, you will need the right codec that matches the encoding method, i.e. the correct codec will unlock and play the hardsub encoded in a certain way. Simply put, a VHS tape can only be played in a VCR. Google "VHS tape" and VCR if you do not know what they are. You cannot play a VHS tape in your computer. You cannot use a CD player, DVD player, Blu-ray player, Laser disc player to play your VHS tape. You MUST use a VCR to play the VHS tape. What can you do if the subbing mod tells you that a file is 100% hardsubbed but you do not see any English subtitles on playing the vid? The answer is simple:
- Get media player class (MPC). It is free and it plays almost anything.
- Go to https://www.free-codecs.com/download/media_player_classic_home_cinema.htm and look at the right side of the page for the words "download". click it
- You will now be taken to a new page. Download the file and install it.
- Always go back to the source site to download new updated versions. I do this once a month because the process is not automatic.
- You have to always get the newest updated versions because the latest ones have the newest codecs that can play almost anything.
- Get Video Lan Client (VLC) player. It is free and it plays almost anything.
- Go to https://www.free-codecs.com/download/vlc_media_player.htm
and look at the right side of the page for the words "download". click it
- You will now be taken to a new page. Download the file and install it.
- Always go back to the source site to download new updated versions. I do this once a month because the process is not automatic.
- You have to always get the newest updated versions because the latest ones have the newest codecs that can play almost anything.
- You will NEED BOTH MPC AND VLC. Make sure you get them both. Do it.
- The reason you need both is because sometimes the subtitles in a hardsub vid will ONLY show up when you play it in MPC. This means when you try to play such a hardsub vid on any other programme, you will see NO subtitles at all.
- The reason you need both is because sometimes the subtitles in a hardsub vid will ONLY show up when you play it in VLC. This means when you try to play such a hardsub vid on any other programme, you will see NO subtitles at all.
- The idea is ALWAYS to try playing the hardsub vid on MPC first. If the hardsubs don't show up, then try playing the same vid in VLC.
Originally written: 8 May 2017
Updated: 30 May 2020
- If yes, good.
- If no, do it now. Go to the email address you used to sign up. Log in your email. Look for the email from LJ. Read it carefully. Do you see a link inside that email message that says you must click it to confirm your email? Do it.
- This is a must because some comms will send you an invite because they do not work on the "click the join button and you're in" system. If your email address is not confirmed, then LJ will block this invite and you will NEVER be a member of that comm.
- You also CANNOT accept such an invite if your email address is not confirmed.
BASICS
- Your LJ homepage aka your personal LJ is always https://yourname.livejournal.com/ (fake name). In my case, my LJ name is casterap. This means my LJ homepage of my personal LJ is always https://casterap.livejournal.com/. So, you now know LJ name and your LJ homepage url.
- Your LJ profile is always your LJ url with /profile behind. What do I mean? Let me use me for an example. My LJ profile is https://casterap.livejournal.com/profile where "Casterap" is my LJ name and "/profile" tells people that this is my profile page of my LJ. Going by this, you should now know what your profile page url is.
- It is a must to know what profile page is and how to get there because some comms tell you information like "what we are about" and "these are our basic rules" at the profile page. This means you MUST read BOTH their profile page as well as their rules post.
- It is a must to know what profile page is and how to get there because some comms tell you if they are open/closed to new members. If they are closed to new members, it means you cannot join. It will there on their profile. Onus is on you find this profile page of the comm you want to join and READ EACH LINE CAREFULLY. Do this by reading aloud to yourself. This will prevent you from skipping lines and claiming that information viewable by everyone is "not there" when you read it. It is there. It's only "not there" to you because you are either blind or inobservant or illterate or too lazy to read.
- Your LJ inbox is something that you must check daily. Why? Because LJ does not send you notifs by emails 9/10 of the time. So, if someone PMs you, 9/10 times you will not know it. Also, if a comm sends you an invite to join, you will not know about it as you never check your LJ inbox.
- Also, LJ has the policy that says "Any comment and private message (PM) is spam if it has urls, links, emails and will be put inside your suspicious messages folder of your LJ inbox. We, at LJ, will not tell you when this happens. It is on you to work this out on your own."
- That is why checking your LJ inbox daily is a must
- Your LJ inbox address is always https://www.livejournal.com/inbox/ and it is ONLY viewable to you when you log in.
- Are you logged into LJ? If yes, good. Are you at your LJ inbox now? If yes, good. Now, look to the left and read all the things there. Do you see "suspicious messages"? If yes, click it. If anyone sends you a PM, comment or invite, 7/10 times it is there. So this is why you must check BOTH your LJ inbox and the suspicious messages folder of said inbox daily.
HOW TO UPLOAD ICONS, AKA THE ICON THAT IS YOU WHEN YOU MAKE COMMENTS.
- Are you logged in to LJ? If yes, good. Are you at your LJ homepage of your personal LJ? If yes, good.
- Look at the top right of the screen. Do you see your LJ name next to a magnifying glass picture?
- Now, open your eyes wide and put your face close to the screen. Do this when you are still focusing on the top right of the screen.
- Do you see that BETWEEN you LJ name and the magnifying glass is a very tiny arrow that is pointing down? move your mouse arrow there
- You will now see a drop down menu. keep your mouse arrow on this menu. make your mouse arrow go down this menu very slowly as you carefully read each line. when you come to "settings", stop. Is your mouse arrow now on "settings"? If yes, click it now.
- If you do this correctly, you will now be at https://www.livejournal.com/manage/settings/
- Read carefully now that you are the "settings" portion. Do you see "userpics"? It is there. Look harder.
- Beside "userpics" are choices like "view my yserpics", "manage my userpics" etc. Click on "manage my userpics"
- Here, you upload icons that will be "you" when you post an entry or when you write a comment on someone else's LJ
- Before you upload icons, make sure they are 100x100. Make sure they are on your computer. Different computers, different systems have different ways of doing this, so I cannot teach you anymore than this. The rest of the "how to upload a userpic" process is up to you.
WHAT ARE THE COMMS I CAN JOIN TO GET SUBS OF A CERTAIN GROUP WITH 5 MEMBERS?
I have been getting many comments like this, but get bashed when I say that I cannot tell you. Let me explain.
This is a harry issue because many subbing comms have these policies:
a) do not name us in any way, be it in full, acronym, abbreviation, url
b) due to (a), we cannot be mentioned at all in any post on any platform, be it publicly viewable (such as the a_ra_shi comm on LJ) or member-locked (like EA for example)
c) we have (a) in place because we do not want to be sued by any Johnny's-related agency or any Japanese TV/radio/cable station
d) the threat from (c) is very real, pockets of fandom such as subbers, raw providers and even people who share images of any Johnny's guy have been served such legal letters before. I can provide proof.
e) because of (a), even public Arashi indexes that tell people "Comm X is a subbing comm" or "Comm U is a raw comm" is not allowed to the point where the subbers will take action against the owner of such an index, resulting in this owner becoming blackballed in fandom as a known rulebreaker. I can provide proof.
f) because of (a), "modern" Arashi indexes are in member-locked comms with difficult joining procedures, these indexes cannot provide any link to the subbers' homepage, these indexes must only name comms by acronym IF AND ONLY IF the subbers allow it (example out of every 25 subbers only 1 allows this), when these subbers are named as ABC for example the owner of the index is forbidden from telling anyone who asks what is the "real" name of the comm and where/how to find it (99% of comms are like this). I can provide proof.
g) all subbing comms also have this policy "you can only recommend me to others by way of mouth through private means such as letters, emails, private message (PM)"
h) because of (g), when I tell you of a comm for example, I become a potential rule breaker in these subbing comms' eyes.
i) this is because under "word of mouth" rule, there is a caveat saying something like "if the person you recommend to my comm breaks the rules, you are responsible for them. when they make any misstep, both you and them will be kicked out and banned permanently from my comm".
j) all the above exists because many subbers also have the rule of "i only want to be known by people who know i exist; if people don't know i exist, i want to keep it that way".
k) comms are like this because of bad experiences again and again with rulebreakers, people who report them to JE, and almost getting sued by JE and/or Japanese TV stations. do not bash for them this, instead ask yourself how you will react if Brad Pitt tried to sue you because your user icon has his face on it? This is what happened to these subbers, only instead of Mr Pitt, it was JE trying to sue them for posting Arashi raws/subs.
For proof of (a) to (k), see https://kakenukero.dreamwidth.org/ and read the entries in the correct order. By this, I mean start reading from the oldest entry until you reach the newest entry.
Things are also more complicated by these facts:
A) comms have complex joining procedures whereby making 1 mistake your application means instant rejection, doing things wrong (e.g. only clicking the join button and doing nothing else) means instant rejection, make too many mistakes in your joining attempts and you are banned from joining because it means you proven that you can neither read nor follow instructions and this makes you are a potential rulebreaker
B) many comms are closed. this means they still post subs for existing members that joined years ago, but new members are not allowed. why? because of rulebreakers who do/say anything to join them only to take their work to post on streaming sites or sell for money. if you come across such a comm, then you must accept your fate that you will not be allowed to join it
C) many comms are dead. this means they were active years ago but not anymore. because of this many of their links are dead and will stay dead for good.
D) some comms only "live" on LJ and some others only "live" on dreamwidth (DW). You will need to make both LJ and DW to have access to subs.
E) some comms have a "I will never reupload anything ever" policy. if you join such a comm, you must never leave a comment saying "the link is dead, please reup." if you do that, you are a rulebreaker and will be kicked out.
F) some comms have strict requirements to make sure you are not a bot, not someone who will sell their work for money, not someone who will put their work on streaming sites. they will do this by checking up on you to see if your LJ/DW made more than 100 comments, has more 10 entries/posts, has active LJ friends, is a member of other comms that are not Arashi/Johnny's fandom related.
G) some comms need you to apply by writing a comment in the correct post as per their instructions AND THEN clicking the join button
H) some comms need you to follow their instructions to the letter when you apply to join, but instead of the join button, you must wait for an LJ/DW invitation letter that will be sent to your LJ/DW inbox
I) because of (H), you need to know where your LJ is, how to use it, how to poke around it, how to check inside all its folders, do all the LJ/DW inbox checking daily because LJ/DW does not always send you notifs of a new message
J) because of (H) and (I), you must accept the invitation within 30 days of the sender giving it to you otherwise it will expire. this is very important to keep in mind because most comms with the "invitation" system have the policy of "if you don't accept the invite when I send it to you, it means you are not serious in joining my comm. you are therefore a rulebreaker and troublemaker. you will be permanently banned from ever joining my comm again".
K) if a comm cannot be joined because it is closed, you must accept that as your fate and not bash me. I say this because this has happened to me before.
L) if a comm is deleted and gone and they do not allow anyone to ever reup their work ever again, , you must accept that as your fate and not bash me. I say this because this has happened to me before.
M) if you become a comm member of subbing comm XYZ (fake name) for example, onus is on you to search that place for files. no one will help you to do this.
Now that I have covered the basics, read this https://winkychan.dreamwidth.org/99228.html
After that, ask yourself these things:
i) have you confirmed the email you used to make a LJ account? If no, do it now because you cannot access/use your LJ inbox or the PM system at all. This means no one can send you a PM, you cannot send a PM, no subber can send you an invite to their comm, you cannot accept said invite, etc.
ii) do you have a DW? if no, make one.
iii) after you make a DW, have you confirmed the email you used to make said account? if no, do it or else the scenario in (i) will happen.
iv) can you use the PM system in LJ? if no, please teach yourself how to do it as seen https://www.livejournal.com/support/faq/305.html
v) do the same thing in (iv) for DW by doing this https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=72
After that, ask people personally in real life, by letter, by PM or email or face-to-face to recommend comms to you. But remember, they are putting themselves at risk, so you must prove yourself to NOT be a rulebreaker and to be completely trustworthy.
WHAT IS INVITATION SYSTEM? HOW WILL I KNOW IF I GET AN INVITATION TO JOIN A COMM?
- Some raw/subbing comms work on the "i will only send you an invite if you write an application in the correct way to show me that you are serious about joining" system.
- This means, you go to their homepage, find their rules/application post, do whatever it says and then you find out the join button is made unclickable.
- This means the mods have disabled it. This allows them more control over who is allowed into their comms.
- So, if you follow what they said you must do in your application, they will read your comment that you left in the correct post. If you meet all their requirements, they will send you an invitation that will EITHER land in your LJ/DW inbox OR in the suspicious messages folder of your LJ/DW inbox. You will NOT get any LJ/Dw notif by email/phone when this happens.
- This is why I keep stressing that you NEED to know how to check your LJ/DW inbox.
- This is why I keep stressing that you NEED to check your LJ/DW inbox daily.
- Comms can take up 1-7 days (if fast) to 2-6 months (if slow) to process your application. They will only send you an invite AFTER you have left a comment correctly and AFTER they have handled your application.
HOW DO I ACCEPT AN INVITE TO JOIN A COMM? I AM SENT ONE BUT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO?
You have to do these things under the invitation/invite system:
- did you make a correct application in the correct post in subbing comm X?
- if yes, did you check your LJ inbox AND suspicious messages folder of said index?
- if yes, is the invitation to join X in either of those places?
- if yes, did you read the invitation carefully?
- if yes, did you did the option to choose "accept" or "join" (it appears differently for different people)?
- If yes, did you click it?
- if yes, did you get a message AFTER clicking that says something like "you are now a member of comm X" or "you have successfully joined comm X"?
You MUST accept the invite within 30 days of getting it. It will die after that. If you don't accept it within this timeframe, the mods of whatever comm will ban/block you from ever joining their comm again. Why? Because you showed that you are only playing around for fun and not sincere about joining them. If you are serious about being their member, you will make the effort to put in a correct application, you will wait patiently for your an invite, you will check your LJ inbox and all folders in it every day, you will click "join/accept" in the invitation immediately when you get it.
WHAT IS PM?
It means "private message". You get it in your LJ inbox.
WHAT IS LJ?
LJ means "livejournal"
WHAT IS DW?
It is short for "dreamwidth".
WHY DO I NEED A DW?
Some raw and subbing comms are ONLY there. This can be for many reasons such as:
- LJ is banned in their country for political reasons. this can be so bad that even using a VPN is useless and LJ remains blocked/banned for them
- new LJ" aka LJ after 2012 is bad for their health, especially for people with migraines and seizures due to fast moving flickering large white spaces in the new layout.
- they don't agree with the terms/rules of "new LJ" aka LJ after 2012 as these new rules clamp down on civil/personal freedoms.
- they prefer DW for personal reasons as it is more intutive to use.
If you want files that are shared by such comms:
- you need to get a DW because you cannot join these DW-based comms if you do not have a DW account.
- you need to confirm your email address that you used to make your DW by clicking on the link in your email
- you need to confirm your email because some comms work on the "i will only send you an invite if you write an application in the correct way to show me that you are serious about joining" policy. if you don't confirm your address, the mods of such a comm can send a billion invites and you will never get them.
- The invitation process, the "how do I know if I am sent an invite" and "how do I accept an invite when sent one" methods are the as the LJ methods described above.
IT IS TOO DIFFICULT TO USE DW. I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE AN ACCOUNT!
I HAVE A DW BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO USE IT TO JOIN COMMS. HELP!
DW works like LJ pre-2012. For more details about how to make a DW etc, read everything at http://mmestrange.insanejournal.com/4648.html carefully and follow instructions exactly. If you make even 1 wrong step, you will mess up the whole process.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING YOUR ACCOUNT CAPABLE OF SENDING AND RECEIVING PMS ON LJ
To make it easier for you to understand, let me use a fake example. Pretend that you want me to send you a PM but I cannot do this because your account is under "no one can send me PM at all because that's how my settings are" conditions.
If I forcefully try to send you a PM when your LJ account is under the above conditions and settings, I cannot send a PM to your account. I will get an error message that says "this message cannot be sent to [your LJ name] because the recipient has enabled the privacy options for their messages." This happens for many reasons:
a) you didn't confirm your LJ account by email
b) your LJ only allows mutual friends to send PMs
c) your LJ has settings that's something like "no one can PM me ever"
Please check if you confirmed your email when you made your LJ. If you didn't do this, no one can send you a PM ever. How to check?
- are you logged in? if yes, good.
- now go to https://www.livejournal.com/manage/settings/?cat=account
- now look for "Email".
- do you see your email address? if yes, good
- does it say "(validated)" or "confirmed" or something similar. if yes, good. if no, fix it making LJ send you another confirm email, click whatever is in there when it arrives and use this method to check that your account and email are really confirmed.
If you did all that above, you must now change your LJ settings so that others can send you PMs. Do it by following whatever I say below.
Please fix things so that I can send you a PM.:
- are you logged into LJ. if yes, good
- now, go to https://www.livejournal.com/manage/profile/ in new tab
- read carefully and find "Contact Info"
- in that section, look for "LJ User Messaging"
- now, move your eyes right.
- do you see "Receive messages from:"
- if yes, good
- now look at the options under "Receive messages from:"
- choose "registered accounts" or "registered users" or "registered accounts" or something similar. it appears differently for different computers in different countries.
- now go all the way down like bottom of the page or thereabouts. find a button that says "okay" or "save changes" or something along those lines. click it.
- do all the above again but do not click anything. your job here is to make sure it says "receive messages from registered accounts" in the correct sub-section under the correct section.
- if all is as it should be, good. reply here again so that I know I can PM you now and I will do when I am free.
WHAT ARE SOFTSUBS, RAW, HARDSUBS
You need to know the difference between RAW, Softsub, hardsub, mods. Raw means the original Japanese audio with no subs in any language. Hardsub means it has subs in English and these hardsubs are already in the video. So if you play them in your computer, the subs will automatically show up. Softsubs is just a text file. You need to know how to join them to the raw video in order for them to show up on the video when you play it. MODS means owners of the comms.
Some mods use ss to mean "softsubs". Some mods use "hs" to use "hardsubs". But here is the difficult part. Some mods also use "ss" to mean "sendspace", which is a 30-days-only filesharing site. It is your responsibility to READ carefully to understand the context of the sentence and whatever the mods say. When you do that, then and only then will you whether ss means sendspace or softsubs.
HOW TO USE SOFTSUBS AND MAKE IT PLAY IN A VIDEO
The process is very long, so read carefully. Take notes if you must. Please read carefully because I cannot take pictures.
(a) The first thing you should note is file extension. What are file extensions? These are the type of files that you are using. For example, a word document has an extension of .doc or .docx. A notepad document has the extenstion .txt
Video files typically have the following file extensions:
.mkv
.mp4
.avi
.mpg
.asf
.others that are not named here due to time constraints.
All raws and hardsubbed vids can come in any of those formats. Can you see your file extensions? If no, please google how to do this. Different computers have different ways of doing this. Windows also does this differently from Macs.
(b) Do you have Media player classic (mpc)? if no, please find it and install it. It's free at https://www.free-codecs.com/media_player_classic_home_cinema_download.htm
But you need to know if your computer is x86 or x64. Please google to learn how to do this,
Once you know whether your computer is x86 or whatever, you can get the correct version of mpc.
(c) Do you have VLC? If no, find it and install it. It is free. Some hardsub files can ONLY play successfully in VLC. This means the English subtitles will ONLY display in VLC. If you try on another player, you WILL FAIL.
(d) Hardsubs are video files with the subtitles already encoded/fixed INSIDE the video file. This means you download the HARDSUBBED video and you can watch it immediately if you have the right player.
Hardsubbed files are video files, so their file size will be quite large. Their file extension will be .avi, .mp4, .mkv, .mpg
(e) Softsubs are typically MUCH smaller than hardsubbed videos. This is because softsubs are just words in a notepad file. Softsubs are NOT video files. Softsub files typically have the file extensions as follows
.ssa
.srt
.ass
.smi
(f) Because SOFTSUBS are NOT video files, you MUST download the raw file on your own. When subbers only make softsubs, it is your job to somehow find the raw on your own. You MUST do this because you will not get any help. When you have downloaded both the raw file AND the softsubs, you MUST combine them if you want to watch your videos with subtitles.
(g) Why are vids with no subs called "raw"? This is because like raw meat. If you try to eat raw meat, you won't feel too good and you may catch some disease. Likewise, a raw vid has no subs meaning if you don't understand Japanese, you will not know what is going on when you watch the vid. But when a raw video has subs, it's like cooking raw meat. When "raw meat" is "cooked" and you can enjoy it, right? Likewise, when a video has a subs, you can understand it.
(h) How to make your softsubs attach to the raw video so that the subtitles will appear when you play the vid? To do that, you will need the following:
- softsubs you have downloaded
- raw video you have downloaded
- vobsub
(i) Vobsub is the programme you will use to combine the raw video and softsubs. If you don’t have vobsub, search google
(j) First, download and install VobSub. All you have to do after downloading VobSub is to double-click the .exe file and let it install. If there are instructions, follow them carefully. Once you have VobSub installed in your computer, you don't need to manually load vobsub each time you want to view soft subs. However, if you are using a different computer that does not have vobsub installed, you might have to install it there before you can watch the video.
(k) Second, create a file folder on your desktop. Now, put BOTH the softsub file AND the raw file in this new folder you have just created.
(l) Third, make sure BOTH the softsub file and the raw file have the same filename. This is very important. If the file names are different, your softsubs will not appear over the raw video.
(m) In case, you don’t get it, here is an example. Pretend you have downloaded the raw video and softsubs. Pretend that you have put those files into the same new folder on your desktop.
Here is one example of the right vs wrong thing to with softsubs once you have both files in a folder.
WRONG THING TO DO 1
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi
Koukou Kyoushi ep02.smi
CORRECT THING TO DO 1
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.smi
Here is another example of the right vs wrong thing to do with softsubs and raw:
WRONG THING TO DO 2
Make apple pie.mp4
Make Apple pie.English.srt.
CORRECT THING TO DO 2
Make apple pie.mp4
Make apple pie.srt
Look at the "Wrong thing" examples, notice that the file names of both files in the two examples are NOT the same. When this happens, your player cannot find Eng sub because of the file names of your raw video and softsubs are different.
Now, look at the "right thing" examples, notice that the file names of both files in the two examples are EXACTLY the same. When this happens, your player will find the Eng sub and play it at the same time as your raw.
(n) Fourth, If you do the steps above correctly, your raw video and subs should be overlaid automatically when you play it in VLC and media player classic. Just open mpc, drag the video into the player and wait until it plays.
WHAT IS UNZIPPING? WHAT IS ZIPPING? WHAT HAS WINRAR TO DO WITH ZIPPING AND UNZIPPING?
Winrar is used to zip files. Unzipping is the process of taking the file out from winrar. Still don't get it? Let me explain in baby terms
- Imagine the file you want to download is a big pile of 30 t-shirts. Can you carry that pile around in your arms? You can't.
- It would be easier for you to carry them around if they were in a duffel bag with a zip.
- Winrar is the "bag" that I use to put the file into to make it easier for me and you to "carry around".
- So when you download my winrar file, you have taken the bag of t-shirts from me.
- But the bag is zipped shut and you cannot see the shirts.
- If you want to wear one of the shirts I have just given to you, you must open the bag by unzipping it, take a shirt out, try the shirt.
- Unzipping the file from winrar is the same thing. You have to "unzip" it to get to the file (e.g. open the bag by unzipping it), extract the file by right clicking on the mouse and choosing "extract here" (e.g. getting a shirt out from the bag), play the file when unzipping is complete (e.g. give the shirt a flick so that it is unfolded and you can wear it).
WHY I AM "FORCING" YOU TO DO THINGS, GET THINGS, USE THINGS YOU DO NOT WANT
I am NOT forcing you to do/use/get anything. I am not forcing you to update your winrar. I am not forcing you to get HJSplit. I am not forcing you always check file size. I always tell you exactly what is what, but people either don't want to read, can't read, don't want to use their brains, can't use their brains, don't have brains etc. As a result, these people only know how to demand help instead of using google search, instead of using their own initiative, instead of using their brains. As a result, these people only know how to BLAME OTHERS (i.e. they blame me in this case). Let me just give it to you straight. I TELL YOU THINGS AS WARNINGS BECAUSE THERE ARE TIMES IN REAL LIFE WHEN YOU MUST USE YOUR EYES, YOUR BRAIN AND YOUR OBSERVATIONAL SKILLS AT THE SAME TIME. I don't tell you these warnings for fun. I don't tell them to you to "give you more work to do". I don't tell them to you to "waste your time". I don't tell them to you to "make life hell/trouble for you". I don't tell them to you because I "like to see you suffer". I tell them to you BECAUSE THEY ARE WARNINGS. If you do not heed my warnings, you may face trouble and/or difficulties and/or problems doing whatever it is the hell you want to do with your file. When these troubles/problems/difficulties happen, it is because you did not bother to read my warnings to try to prevent your trouble/problem/difficulty from occurring.
WHY THE INSTRUCTIONS, HELP AND WARNINGS ARE ONLY FOR WINDOWS USERS
I only use windows. My machine is windows. I don't use a Mac or Linux or whatever you use. Because I don't have a Mac or Linux or whatever you use, I don't know how to use the thing you use. THINK. Just because you use X doesn't mean every single human in the universe uses X too. It's the same if you like food Y, but it doesn't mean every human in the universe will like food Y too. THINK. ALWAYS THINK. ALWAYS LOOK AT OTHER PERSON'S POINT VIEW.
WHY YOU MUST CHECK FILE SIZE BEFORE AND AFTER DOWNLOAD
You are supposed to use your eyes, brain and observational skills. Make sure you check file size before and after download. Do NOT be lazy and skip this step. This step is NOT me wanting to "give you more work to do" and is NOT me wanting to "make life difficult for you" and is NOT me wanting to "make downloading troublesome for you". I keep saying this but people always tell me that only anal OCD bitches like me do this. This step is necessary because YOUR COMPUTER CAN LIE TO YOU and YOUR INTERNET CAN LIE TO YOU. Never trust your computer. Never trust your internet connection. Your computer can say download completed successfully when the opposite is true. This happens when your 'net dies for a few seconds and then comes back. You won't even notice this has happened, but it occurs more often than you know. When such an incident happens, your computer WILL tell you that download finished successfully when it is MOST CERTAINLY UNTRUE. This even happens if your internet is wonderful and fast and high-tech. This is why you must check file size before and after download.
HOW TO USE HJSPLIT
- First, download HJSplit to join all the split files.
- Make sure you install HJSplit after downloading it.
- Second, download all the split files of your hardsubbed video. Make sure all the split files are of the correct size.
- Third, create a folder on your desktop. Put all the split files of a video in there.
- Fourth, make sure all the split files have the same name or you WILL NOT be able to join them.
- Fifth, after you have made sure all the split files are of the correct size, in the same folder and have the same file name, open the HJSplit programme.
- It is very easy to use. There will be a button somewhere that says “join”.
- Click on that and it should join your file.
- Once the “joining” is complete, HJSplit will tell you.
- Sixth, when joining is complete, check that the file size of the JOINED file is the same as the size of ALL the split files.
- When it is indeed the same, you can close HJSplit, delete the split files and watch your joined video in VLC or whatever player you like.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE SURE ALL HJSPLIT FILES HAVE THE SAME NAME - WRONG THING TO DO EXAMPLE
Pretend you have downloaded all the split files to a hardsubbed video called “Koukou_Kyoushi”. Pretend that you have put those files into the same new folder on your desktop. Pretend you open that folder and you see the following:
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.001
Koukou Kyoushi ep02.avi.002
KoukouKyoushiep02.avi.003
KK.02.avi.004
HJSplit cannot join the file successfully because all the file names of split files are different.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MAKE SURE ALL HJSPLIT FILES HAVE THE SAME NAME - CORRECT THING TO DO EXAMPLE
Pretend you have downloaded all the split files to a hardsubbed video called “Koukou_Kyoushi”. Pretend that you have put those files into the same new folder on your desktop. Pretend you open that folder and you see the following:
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.001
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.002
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.003
Koukou_Kyoushi_ep02.avi.004
Now that all the files have the same file name, HJSplit can be used.
WHY YOU END UP WITH A CORRUPT FILE AND/OR ERRORS AND/OR FILE THAT IS SMALLER AND/OR FILE THAT IS SHORTER IN DURATION THAN ACTUAL SHOW AFTER JOINING WITH HJSPLIT
- You did not check file size before and after download.
- Checking file size before and after downloading, and then comparing them to make sure they are the same are important steps to take.
- After you have checked file size of all the chunks and made sure they are correct, do simple maths and add the file size. That should be the complete video size.
- So if file has three parts with parts 1 and 2 at 50mb each and file 3 at 20mb, you should have a file that is 120mb when joined.
- Never trust your computer when it says download has completed.
- If you trust your computer and one split part is incomplete, HJSplit will join the file incorrectly or incompletely.
- For example, if a file is split into three parts and part 3 is incomplete, your joining will result in a partial video file because HJSplit will only join parts 1 and 2.
- In another example, if a file is split into three and part 2 is incomplete, HJSplit will only convert part 1 into a video and ignore the rest.
- Do you see why I am so "bitchy" in "forcing" you to check file size?
HOW TO CHECK FILE SIZE
Because there are some people who say they DO NOT know how to check file size before and after download, let me tell you. When you are on ANY download site, READ carefully. Somewhere on that site, you will see the file size. WRITE IT DOWN. When download finishes, go to the folder in your computer where downloads go to. Click the file once with the left mouse button so that it is selected. After that, right click the mouse button on the selected file to get options. After that, choose "properties" and you will get a popup. READ the damn popup carefully and look for file size. Compare this number to number you wrote down from the download site. These two sets of numbers MUST be the same. When they are the same, you will know that download really finished successfully.
WHY YOU MUST ALWAYS UPDATE YOUR WINRAR + WHY YOU MUST ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NEWEST WINRAR INSTALLED
- Make sure you have newest winrar installed.
- I keep saying this but people keep telling me that it's troublesome and only OCD fuckwits do this.
- DO NOT THINK LIKE THIS. I zip files with new winrar.
- If your file is the correct size and you cannot unzip it, it means you are using old winrar.
- When you use old winrar to unzip a file that has been zipped with new winrar, you WILL fail and you WILL get error messages.
- I experienced this A HELL LOT. That is why I always download and install newest winrar on the 1st of each month. You should too.
- Winrar WILL NEVER AUTO UPDATE. You must do it manually each month by downloading it, installing it etc.
- THINK. I beg you to do it.
- Think. You have to update your anti-virus, the drivers in your computers etc too because they will malfunction and/or stop working if you don't do this. You know that, right? If you can do that with drivers and anti-virus, why can't you do it for winrar? Why do you think it's NOT troublesome to update your computer and antivirus, but you suddenly think that updating winrar is troublesome? Do you see the logic here?
WHY YOU CANNOT UNZIP THE WINRAR FILE + WHY YOU GET DIFFERENT ERROR MESSAGES WHEN YOU TRY TO UNZIP WINRAR FILES + WHY YOU FAIL TO UNZIP THE WINRAR FILE
I must say this AGAIN because people did not read anything in this and still ask me, "Why the file can't be unzipped", "How to unzip the file", "Why I get error messages when I unzip", "This post is TLDR, just tell me how to unzip", "Can you unzip the file for me because I cannot do it myself".
- When you cannot unzip a winrar file, this may be due to two reasons: (1) you used older winrar versions to unzip a file that has been zipped with newest winrar, (2) the file is incomplete.
- Condition (1) can only be remedied by getting newest winrar, installing it and then using it to unzip the file.
- Condition (2) occurs when you do NOT check file size before and after downloading. Sometimes your internet can die for a few seconds or more in the middle of downloading. This happens so quickly that you won't even notice that you have been disconnected for a few seconds and then reconnected again. When this happens, your machine will tell you that download has completed when it is most certainly untrue. When you try to unzip a file like that, of course you will fail. Don't trust your computer. Thus, you should (i) check file size before downloading and write down that number you see on the site, (ii) check the file size after download has completed, (iii) compare these numbers to make sure they are the same.
HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEM 1, AKA PROBLEM WITH WINRAR NOT WORKING
- why you can't unzip.
- you are using old winrar.
- i am using newest winrar, and that's what i used to zip the file.
- when file is zipped with new winrar, it cannot be unzipped with old winrar. attempts to do this by force will fail and you will get error messages.
- precise nature of message differs according to yr machine, location etc.
- to remedy this, you need to google winrar, download the newest version is right for your machine, install it etc.
- after doing all that, use new winrar to unzip the file.
HOW TO SOLVE PROBLEM 2, AKA FILE SIZE PROBLEM
- why you can't unzip.
- you put too much trust in your internet and computer, and not enough effort into your observational skills.
- i'm sorry if this offends you, and/or if you find what i am about to say offensive and/or troublesome, but this has to be done.
- Sometimes your computer or internet can die for a few seconds before coming back. this happens so quickly that you won't even notice. when this happens, your machine will say download finished correctly when this is false.
- e.g., you want to download a 100mb file, but your computer or internet says that the download is complete at 70mb becos your net died and then came back in the blink of an eye. the end result is that you have a file less than 100mb in size. This means your file is of an incomplete size. when that happens, no matter how you unzip the files, you will be doomed to failure. this is because your computer is trying to unzip an incomplete file. Because it cannot unzip an incomplete file, the task will fail. you will get error messages.
- to solve this, you will need to NEVER trust your machine and internet, and ALWAYS use your observational skills by doing this:
a) go to file download site and look for the file size. write it down and put it somewhere where you can see. i will call the file size written there X
b) download the file and wait for download to finish
c) when download finishes, go to the part of your machine containing the file.
d) in windows 10, put your mouse arrow on the file. click once to select the file. now right click on the mouse and choose properties so that you can see the file's properties.
e) under the general tab, look for "size". read what it says there. I will call the file size written here Y
f) are X and Y exactly the same?
g) if yes, good. now, unzip with NEWEST winrar and you will succeed in unzipping the file
h) if no, it means your internet and/or machine cocked up. don't believe me? try unzipping and see what happens. you will fail. why did you fail? this is because your internet died and came back, and your machine didn't even register it.
i) when this happens, you have to start from the download stage again.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU PLAY A HARDSUBBED FILE AND YOU DO NOT SEE ANY ENGLISH SUBTITLES AT ALL
Sometimes, you play a hardsub video and no subtitles show up, i.e. you watch the vid and you only hear Japanese audio and only see Japanese words on the screen. This happens because your machines does not have the right tools to "force" the subtitles to show themselves. In more technical terms, you will need the right codec that matches the encoding method, i.e. the correct codec will unlock and play the hardsub encoded in a certain way. Simply put, a VHS tape can only be played in a VCR. Google "VHS tape" and VCR if you do not know what they are. You cannot play a VHS tape in your computer. You cannot use a CD player, DVD player, Blu-ray player, Laser disc player to play your VHS tape. You MUST use a VCR to play the VHS tape. What can you do if the subbing mod tells you that a file is 100% hardsubbed but you do not see any English subtitles on playing the vid? The answer is simple:
- Get media player class (MPC). It is free and it plays almost anything.
- Go to https://www.free-codecs.com/download/media_player_classic_home_cinema.htm and look at the right side of the page for the words "download". click it
- You will now be taken to a new page. Download the file and install it.
- Always go back to the source site to download new updated versions. I do this once a month because the process is not automatic.
- You have to always get the newest updated versions because the latest ones have the newest codecs that can play almost anything.
- Get Video Lan Client (VLC) player. It is free and it plays almost anything.
- Go to https://www.free-codecs.com/download/vlc_media_player.htm
and look at the right side of the page for the words "download". click it
- You will now be taken to a new page. Download the file and install it.
- Always go back to the source site to download new updated versions. I do this once a month because the process is not automatic.
- You have to always get the newest updated versions because the latest ones have the newest codecs that can play almost anything.
- You will NEED BOTH MPC AND VLC. Make sure you get them both. Do it.
- The reason you need both is because sometimes the subtitles in a hardsub vid will ONLY show up when you play it in MPC. This means when you try to play such a hardsub vid on any other programme, you will see NO subtitles at all.
- The reason you need both is because sometimes the subtitles in a hardsub vid will ONLY show up when you play it in VLC. This means when you try to play such a hardsub vid on any other programme, you will see NO subtitles at all.
- The idea is ALWAYS to try playing the hardsub vid on MPC first. If the hardsubs don't show up, then try playing the same vid in VLC.
Originally written: 8 May 2017
Updated: 30 May 2020