Field Notes

Privacy Policy

The clearest version of what this site stores, what it does not, and the choices you have. Plain language, no dark patterns.

Last updated: June 11, 2026

Dragons & Distractions (“the site,” “we,” “us”) is a small, independent project created by Justin Shank at dragonsanddistractions.com. This page explains what information the site handles and the choices available to you.

If anything here is unclear, you can reach out through the Contact page.

The short version

  • This is a static site hosted on GitHub Pages. There are no user accounts and no on-site comments.
  • The site does not ask for personal information except your email address, and only if you choose to subscribe to the newsletter.
  • Analytics and advertising only run with cookies after you consent, and you can decline.
  • We do not sell your personal information.

Information we collect

Information you give us. The only personal information the site collects directly is your email address, and only if you choose to sign up for the newsletter or shop waitlist. Those forms submit your email to Buttondown, a third-party newsletter service that stores and processes the subscription on our behalf. The shop waitlist uses the same Buttondown list as the general newsletter, so signing up may also send you occasional tools and rituals between deck updates. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email.

Newsletter submissions use rel="noreferrer" so your browser should not send Buttondown the specific page you were reading when you subscribed. Buttondown may still receive the normal request metadata needed to process the signup, and its own privacy policy applies after submission.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, our hosting and any analytics or advertising services you consent to may receive standard technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, and the pages you view. How this is used is described in the sections below.

Cookies and local storage

The site stores two small preferences in your browser’s localStorage. These are not tracking cookies and are not shared with anyone:

  • dd-theme — your low-stim theme choice.
  • dd-consent — whether you have accepted or declined analytics and advertising via the consent banner.

Additional cookies are only set by the third-party analytics and advertising services described below, and only after you consent.

Analytics

With your consent, we load Google Analytics 4 (measurement ID G-4BBWE83NT3) with IP anonymisation, so we can see which pages actually help people. The analytics tag only loads after you click Accept on the consent banner; declining keeps it off. You can reset your choice at any time by clearing dd-consent from your browser’s site storage.

We use Google Consent Mode. Accepting grants analytics storage and loads advertising in non-personalized mode, so ad_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization remain denied — Google shows ads based on the content of the page rather than tracking you across sites.

Advertising

This site is free to use. Advertising is here only to help cover the cost of running it — not to make money from tracking you. We deliberately keep it light and non-personalized, because a calm, low-distraction experience matters more to us than ad revenue.

We use Google AdSense (publisher ID ca-pub-9310837374819126) to display this advertising. To keep things privacy-light, we request non-personalized ads only:

  • Ads are based on the content of the page and general context — not on tracking your activity across other sites or building an advertising profile of you.
  • We run Google Consent Mode with ad_storage, ad_user_data, and ad_personalization denied, so personalized advertising cookies (such as the DoubleClick DART cookie) are not used to personalize ads to you.
  • Google may still receive standard technical information (such as your IP address) to serve and frequency-cap ads and to prevent fraud, acting as our advertising provider.
  • The AdSense tag only loads after you click Accept on the consent banner; declining keeps it off.
  • You can review your ad settings at any time via Google Ads Settings, and learn more at aboutads.info or Your Online Choices.

For more information on how Google uses data when you use our partners’ sites or apps, see Google’s Privacy & Terms.

If we add additional advertising or tracking destinations later, this page and the consent banner will be updated before or at the same time.

How we use information

We use the limited information described above to:

  • send the newsletter you signed up for;
  • understand which pages are helpful, so we can improve the toolkit;
  • display advertising that helps keep the site free, if and when ads are enabled;
  • keep the site working and secure.

We do not sell your personal information.

This site links to and relies on third-party services, including Buttondown (newsletter), Google (analytics and advertising), GitHub Pages (hosting), and external links such as Gumroad, Substack, Buy Me a Coffee, and social platforms. Once you follow a link to, or submit data through, one of these services, that service’s own privacy practices apply. We encourage you to review their policies.

Children’s privacy

This site is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children under 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Your choices

  • Analytics and ads: accept or decline via the consent banner, and change your mind anytime by clearing site storage.
  • Newsletter: unsubscribe using the link in any email.
  • Browser controls: you can block or delete cookies and clear local storage through your browser settings.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights over your personal data (such as access, correction, or deletion). To make a request, contact us using the details below.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site changes. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above, and material changes affecting analytics or advertising will also be reflected in the consent banner.

Contact

Questions about privacy? Reach out via the Contact page or email a689569 [at] gmail [dot] com.

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