iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 2h

The proliferation of ads on #YouTube lately isn't a platform thing, it's actually on the channel's end. And it's up to creators to go through all their content and manually choose better ad ratios for mid-rolls. We can't choose the ads, but we CAN* choose when they appear. [Read ALTs for details.]

A behind-the-scenes look at my YouTube video monetization settings. This is how many ads there would be on my video if I let YouTube's AI pick the placement and didn't manually trim them down. Each tick on the timeline is an ad, and there are breaks every couple of minutes throughout. Obviously this is a longer video, but ads still tend to be this frequent in short videos too. Which I personally find unacceptable.

Originally, YouTube told creators that "ads wouldn't always play every time", but lately they do, and as such, I think it's important that creators take time to curate ad frequency and placement. Either by trimming down existing ads from the current placements (just click the trash bins on ones you want to delete), or by clicking the "Ad Break" button to ad them somewhere manually.

Ads are also generated where the AI think it detects silence, to try not to interrupt the speaker. So consider putting in actual "ad break" sections when creating the video itself, or for gameplay like me, placing them in spots like loading screens.

Yes, this process takes a couple minutes each time. But honestly, I think we owe it to our audiences.

Meanwhile, this is what an ad-break timeline looks like when it has been manually trimmed down. Where once there was dozens of ad breaks, now there's only a tick about every half hour.

Personally, as a Let's Play / VTuber channel, I've deliberately chosen to put my ad breaks approximately every 30 minutes for story-heavy or engaging segments, and every 60 minutes for rpg grinding or slower ones. Give or take depending on video pace, but never going above that amount. As I feel this is a relatively fair trade-off, and fits the more relaxing "I want to listen to these videos in the background" style of my channel.

(As such, I'd really appreciate it if you'd consider whitelisting my channel if you use a workaround method. Unless I literally have no choice due to copyright claims, I try and make ad breaks on my YouTube videos to feel relatively natural for where they appear, and thus as unobtrusive as possible.)

However, many creators likely don't even realize this feature exists, and as such I think if viewers are getting bombarded by ads, it wouldn't be wrong to **POLITELY** point out that this setting exists. They may not know that their content is becoming borderline unwatchable as a result. It can be found under the "monetization" tab of each video, and is also available while the video is uploading.

YouTube's AI feature also takes a while to sniff out said ad spots, so creators need to remember to un-tick the "Automatic Ad Slots" button, even if they pick the slots manually, or the AI will just later put them all in again.

What the monetization page looks like for a video that has been completely copyright-claimed. The option for ads is listed as "Ineligible", and all options to toggle settings are greyed out.

So this video in particular might be riddled with ads, or it may have none, but I don't really have any good way of knowing. Either way, ad-wise, videos like these are beyond my control. Sorry.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

PC crashed again, but it didn't even generate a crash log this time. It just froze and made a buzzing noise through the mic until I manually hit the reset button. Lost about two hours of HeartGold grinding as a result. Thought updating fixed this, as it didn't happen for a while, but maybe not.

static.klipy.com

Jigglypuff Crying

ALT: Jigglypuff Crying

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The Ratchet & Clank Future series can now supposedly run on RPCS3. I can potentially pick this LP series back up now after a 6 year hiatus, so long as my system is powerful enough to run it. I recorded TOD off of a physical PS3, but it was such a convoluted setup for not great video quality.

A Tweet from the official RPCS3 that reads:
“ALL Ratchet & Clank PS3 games can be played on PC without crashes!
-Tools of Destruction (2007)
- Quest For Booty (2008)
- A Crack In Time (2009)
- All 4 One (2011)
- QForce (2012)
- Into The Nexus (2013)”

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Reposted by AetherNightmare

Pusheen @pusheen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

🍂 🧡

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Socks the Macro Wolf Dad @socksthewolf.com · 26/09/2026

To make it easier, here's a dirty check if your overlay does suffer from regular injection by pasting the attached message into a twitch chat. If your chat overlay no longer has a transparent background and/or reloads (after 1 second or immediately), then it is affected.

gist.github.com

Paste this into your Twitch Chat

Paste this into your Twitch Chat. GitHub Gist: instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

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Reposted by AetherNightmare

Socks the Macro Wolf Dad @socksthewolf.com · 26/09/2026

Okay a tiny thread because people are going to freak out: This exploit in particular takes advantage of a special command that renders images (via attribute escape). If you have an overlay that processes images (most don't) then yes, this is your problem. Overlay must explicitly create img DOM.

A picture of the exploit, using a command that explicitly includes an image file extension, but also would escape out of the src attribute of an image such than an onerror attribute can be added to the img tag. This onerror attribute can run explicit javascript immediately.

Default behavior for most chat widgets is if you have an image it will not attempt to modify image links into actual HTML image tags. Your overlay/overlay service must explicitly be doing this for you.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Starting to have more frequent PC issues. It crashes about once a week now. This latest time when I walked away for a few minutes with nothing really even running (other than my browser just being open). Having a hard time diagnosing from the error code. Wish it would tell you the issue outright.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Almost exactly two years later, and I've finally finished all of Natlan's MSQ. I've still got some world quests to go, and wish to backtrack to fully finish up the playlist, but burnout really hit me at the end. Even though I liked it way more than previous patches. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Oh yeah, I also finished Resident Evil (2002) Remaster as both Jill and Chris in my own time. And I'm about half way though RE0. I also blasted through FF1: Pixel Remaster to 100% in about 12 hours on a night I wasn't feeling good. Though I prefer the GBA Dawn of Souls / PSP Anniversary editions.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

There are so many new game demos I want to play. 🥲 Another Eden Begins, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Withered World, Final Fantasy: Resonance, Flamecraft (played this tabletop with friends), and so many older ones I've STILL yet to find time for too (like FF16, RE2, and Trails in the Sky).

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IAHFY ✦ @iahfy.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Samus & Kirby

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Pretty sure Windows just crashed my PC in an attempt to install a security update. At least, I hope that's all it was.

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chuck 🐦💐 @chuckdrawsthings.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

wtf was that

PANEL 1: a pigeon sits happily eating a cheese sandwich
PANEL 2: the pigeon is struck by a white bolt of lightning. they are jolted into the air and they have lost their colour. the background is black. massive red text overlaying them says "SUDDENLY LOSE INTEREST IN AND MOTIVATION FOR YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBIES"
PANEL 3: back to normal colouring. the pigeon sits, looking traumatised, darkened with smoke. the top of their head sizzles a bit. their sandwich has fallen on the floor. they say "wh..."
PANEL 4: the pigeon flops back, crying out "whyyyyy"

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I'm kind of mixed on the OOT style presentation overall, but Link's outfit is probably meant to be made out of woven grass, vines, and leaves; as the kokiri wouldn't have easy access to cloth fabrics the way most hylians would. It's *supposed* to stand out that he grew up deep in a forest.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Was storming all morning and I had about 6 cups (1420ml) of vanilla yogurt to use up, so I baked three protein muffin loafs. One basic, a white chocolate, and a chocolate peanut butter. Normally I make these into muffins, but I couldn't be bothered. Probably won't make any for a while though lol.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

My journey into 7.0 Snezhnaya begins!🩵🪆❄️ I'm not done with the other regions yet though, so I will be recording them alongside the new zone. It's a tad bonkers for me to organize too, so just check playlists to keep properly organized for each region. #GenshinImpact #LetsPlay youtu.be/F80aVa0ei-s

youtu.be

Genshin Impact ☆ Into the Wind, Into the Frigid North

YouTube video by AetherNightmare

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Beginning my first real journey into Persona 4 with Golden, and I'm going to see if I can finish it before the remake comes out (unlikely lmao, but I can still try). If you're down for a small town murder-mystery jprg, come join me on YouTube or Twitch! 📺👓💛 #Persona4 #VTuber youtu.be/HaRxS8W3G9U

youtu.be

Persona 4 Golden ☆ 1 ☆ A Small Town Mystery In Inaba

YouTube video by AetherNightmare

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

PC updated despite updates being turned off, and then I couldn't even get my second monitor to work without both powering down and unplugging everything. I had just finished editing a video, so I'm not sure if it was a GPU fart or what.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Been having really bad health flares on top of internet outages this week, so I've been taking time to either rest, game for myself, or record offline HeartGold episodes. (Oh, and I forgot to mention, but I did turn off the AI setting for Twitch already when the change dropped, so no worries.)

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

My internet has been out since last night, so I haven't been able to stream or work on stuff. I did end up playing and finishing both main routes of Devil May Cry 2 in my own time though, for some reason. Idk, maybe I just wanted to play something on par with how crappy I've felt this week.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Probably not gonna stream this weekend, as I’ve been sick the past few days. I’m starting to finally recover, but I’ve pretty much been stuck in bed all week. I have so many grind projects finished and ready to go too. 😭

static.klipy.com

Meowth is Sick: Cold, Fever, and Tired

ALT: Meowth is Sick: Cold, Fever, and Tired

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I kind of worry about the proposed "buttonless" PS6 controller as well, because flat or touch surfaces repeatedly being pressed like that (or having to hold your thumb in complete suspension above the pad) can be painful or even damaging to wrist nerves.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Forgot to update here, but I have also started a Johto-only challenge run of Pokemon HeartGold on my channel. This is also the first project I began while using a Vtubing avatar. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I got through the lengthy fish tycoon event. Nine and a half hours later, for just this quest alone. It was a fun idea for an event, and while they gave us more days than usual to finish it...it was still waaaay too long for me. Especially as someone already behind. It also heavily spoiled the MSQ.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Now that I've debuted the Vtuber avatar, you can really tell how incapable of sitting still I am lol. Or just how much I sway to the music. (Though if it's too annoying for people, I could always anchor the model so the body moves less). Anyways, the semi-blind Persona 4 Golden project has begun!

static.klipy.com

Persona 4 Persona 4 Revival

ALT: Persona 4 Persona 4 Revival

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Reposted by AetherNightmare

Argonaut Games @argonautgames.com · 30/07/2026

👑 Announcing Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos 👑 Croc's back... and this time it's personal! He's off to find his long-lost parents, but Baron Dante has other plans. Coming to PS5, PS4, Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Steam & GOG. Wishlist now at argonautgames.com 🐊 #Croc2 #RetroGaming #ClassicGames

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Genshin is having its limited-time summer events atm, and they're taking up the majority of my free time for recording. So sorry if that shuffles things around this week. I might end up streaming the final part of it too, as the gameplay portion seems to be rather grindy.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Interactive stream layout is hopefully now done. (Many hours later lmao. Graphic design is NOT my passion.🥲) I won't be using it for the remainder of Xenoblade: DE or existing Let's Plays for consistency's sake. But I will most likely use it for future projects going forward, along with the VTuber.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Brightest time of the day, usually. The smog has blocked out the sun.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

We've had major air quality issues every summer now from wildfires, but this is probably the worst by far. The air outside is almost unbreathable, even with a mask. You can barely see up the road, and ash is coating everything.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Every time I've tested something with my Vtuber avatar, I've forgotten to turn the transparency on, so the menu is always in the background. I swear I don't see it, even when it's glaringly obvious lmao. Left it on for a brand new LP start, and I'm debating whether to restart or embrace the scuff.😅

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

So I guess it's going to be yet another summer where it's literally only safe to eat fresh produce from my own garden. 😒

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

*Sneaks in a stream anyways because the weather gave me early morning insomnia before the temps got too hot.*

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Videos might be sparse/delayed this week, both due to the (very loud) holiday, and because corn sweat season begins *tonight*. We’re predicting 95-110°F (35-43°C) temps, and 75-95% humidity throughout the whole week. As well as potentially severe storms. I will be summer hibernating as usual. 🔥🌽🍿⛱️

static.klipy.com

Homer Simpson Hides in Cornfield

ALT: Homer Simpson Hides in Cornfield

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

I've been putting off finishing the Outbreak LP for *months* due to the secret boss requirements (and general burnout), only to both defeat and data drain the thing first try, with no issue. I'm both relieved and annoyed lol. Anyways, I can start Quarantine whenever now. Probably after Xenoblade.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

So I didn't realize that the Selenic Chronicles would require 7 IRL server resets between quests. I thought they'd be one a day. So uh...for the sake of continuity, I may need to start Snezhnaya early and have it run simultaneously alongside Nod-Krai to not fall further behind.

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Natalia Prata ~ @nyatche.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Witch Hat Cats~ www.nyatche.com.br #wha #witchhatatelier

cartela de adesivos com os personagens de witch hat atelier como gatinhos! A coco tem o rabo curtinho, richeh é bem peluda com um corte reto, tetia está deitada de barriga pra cima numa nuvem de areia. Também tem o qifrey e olly filhotes correndo juntos. Todos os gatinhos tem suas respectivas capas e chapeus

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

It's pride month, and while I know this video is 4 years old, as someone who is bi-oriented and under the aroace umbrella, Jaiden Animation's video on the topic is still one of the best to date at easily describing my experiences to people who may be new to the labels. youtu.be/qF1DTK4U1AM?...

youtu.be

Being Not Straight

YouTube video by JaidenAnimations

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I suppose this counts as a debut of sorts. Still working some things out, but functional is functional. Took the time to learn some new programs and now I have my own avatar for future streams or videos.

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I have no idea what I'm doing with this whole virtual avatar thing, but I'd like to hope I'm making progress. I have a base body built after a few days, now it's a matter of mapping movement and actually piloting it. Which is uh...a whole other process. 😅

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

At the cost of a whole lot of sleep, I finished Genshin's latest timed story event with a day to spare, and also recorded a big batch of Nod-Krai videos in order to make said event reasonably accessible without constantly tripping over the MSQ.

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yee @yaetsue.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

super unserious witch hat atelier coding camp au because their magic system is similar to coding lol #wha #witchhatatelier #yeedraws

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Neronium @neronium.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Stream was an absolute blast with friends. Thanks for the raid as well @taterchimp.bsky.social I appreciate it. Thanks as well to @aethernightmare.bsky.social , ProfesserSpeedruns, and TheMonkeyCather for being on my team. Was fun to play more Crossworlds with you all. #blutoid #sonic #twitch

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AetherNightmare @aethernightmare.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Please bear with me, I promise I'm still re-editing the Genshin videos. But Inazuma marks the beginning of needing to re-record game audio, and try and balance and piecemeal it all back together, in a manner that's still somewhat presentable. It's not as simple as just cutting segments out anymore.😵‍💫

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