After spending some time with basic troubleshooting, I was able to confirm some things:
1) the issue seems to be unaffected by browser choice
2) the issue is directly tied to the status of my account, as logging out allows you to see the home page and recent releases without a problem
3) after removing ALL entries from my white list, I am able to see everything as normal
4) ADDING an entry to my white list ensures that ONLY chapters with that tag will appear, with multiple white list tags likewise ensuring that only chapters with ALL white listed tags will appear
5) it seems to be the case that there was no chapter on the site that included all 5 of my white listed tags, which would explain why I was not seeing any recent releases, period
So, in conclusion, it seems as if I might have simply been mistaken on the exact purpose of white listed tags, particularly when used in conjunction with one another? I suppose it might have helped to mention earlier that I had multiple white listed tags, but it honestly took me a while to conclude that I might have just been confused about the whole thing.
On the off-chance that anyone thinks there might still possibly be a technical issue involved, please let me know if there is anything else I can do to confirm or dismiss it.
Thanks for your time and sorry for any hassle I might have caused.
EXTRA: One thing that does still confuse me somewhat, is the fact that the white listed tags did not interfere with the "featured" or "random" chapters, nor recent images or even "most popular of the past 7 days." If this is intentional site design, alright, but it's honestly hard to tell.
last edited at May 21, 2020 11:49PM