#◤ resource

[halfbit]

hey! this is chance & here’s this week’s prompt. what websites or resources do you use while you write or develop a character/story? what do you think of them and would you recommend them?

hiya chance! thanks for the ask! also i went way too detailedwith this one again, sorry adsajfhdks.

i included links to every resource i listed that is either free or freemium, aside from one's that are on most people's computers by default.

i've tried out a lot of different stuff over the years — i don't have wi-fi so i have strong preference for offline programs and tools! so the majority of these are kept on your computer.

my main tool right now is obsidian — prior to that i used quoll writer, joplin, and plain old notepad (yeah...) though, and i haven't finished transferring and reformatting everything yet ^^. i only reopen quoll now though to look at my old notes. i highly recommend obsidian, it's so much fun once you figure it out and highly responsive. quoll is useful too but i had some issues with it, including the occasional lost content, random crash, and just general slowness.

i use obsidian for keeping all of my brainstorming together, backing up my discord rambles, outlining plots, and organizing my worldbuilding and character profiles. i also sometimes write short stories or little one-off scenes in it.

a sample of my obsidian setup for serpent's quest + a different obsidian setup i have for another project that is. a bit too cheesy and embarrassing to share.

i do dabble in conlanging for serpent's quest! originally i kept all my words in a notepad file, but i ended up downloading polyglot to help keep things organized and make it easy to generate new vocabulary offline! i keep formatted notes on my conlangs in libre office (which is also what i use to write my longer stuff). i also use polyglot to generate names and organize their meanings/origins when i'm stuck!

my polyglot system for names specificially!

on occasion i use twine, but usually for specific things like family trees, timelines, or connecting my universe together. however i recently figured out how to do this with obsidian too so i'm probably gonna move that part over to obsidian as well (obsidian is great yall)

a section of one of my family trees done in twine

some adjacent resources i use include:

clip studio + concepts + physical sketchbook for art & visual brainstorming. i also designed the conlang script in clip studio. i find concepts is really useful for getting rough visual ideas out quickly, although it runs a bit slow on my computer. it's a lot less polished than clip studio, but that kind of takes the pressure off and makes it easier to just experiment. it's like using ms paint but with slightly better tools.

some rough ideas i drafted using concepts!

sometimes i also use it for "hand-written" digital notes, which is super helpful for brainstorming ideas

-

allusion + pureref for visual references. you could definitely use these to store moodboards too if you wanted to have some inspiration on screen while you write or brainstorm, although i haven't done that myself though. also might be good for reference images of the setting, so you know what the place looks like. pureref lets you keep things on the screen, whereas allusion allows you to create custom tags and folders for your reference images, making it easy to find them and plop them into pureref when you need them.

this is my allusion set up! i mostly got it because i had way too many references for pureref to keep up with, i still need to go through and tag everything properly, but if you're just gonna use it for keeping moodboards or character sheets organized i think it can be super useful (and offline!)

websites i use when developing things or generating inspiration include tvtropes, wikipedia, findmypast (for old newspapers) and ofc youtube and tumblr.

when i'm developing a story or character, i like to go through tv tropes and see the different archetypes and how different works have subverted or played them straight. i almost always walk away with an idea i want to explore or flip on its head.

wikipedia is great to use as a starting point. i usually try to go through the sources and see if i can find more in depth stuff that way, or use the names it mentions to see if i can get more. i also use it to check if my names make sense if i'm pulling them from a real culture. i tend not to worry as much about the meaning being accurate, i'm more concerned with whether it makes sense for a 40 year old to be named dillian. so i usually double check the wikipedia page for a name and look at the notable people with that name, what country they're from, and what years they were born in.

i found findmypast while i was doing research for adigore, but i can see it being immensely useful (and very entertaining) for general research. it has an immense amount of newspapers you can read and search by keywords. you can't access all of them, but you can access enough that it doesn't really matter.

with youtube i love it for more casual idea acquisition! i'll sometimes listen to videos about worldbuilding or writing in the background during work. i definitely prefer it as a well of ideas or worldbuilding zone rather than a "writing advice" corner, all of these things are hugely influenced by one's own opinions, but i think you can still walk away with some cool stuff regardless (or a better idea of what doesn't work for you!)

here's a few specific channels i've been enjoying lately.

the grungeon master - explores and questions fantasy tropes and ideas, usually done in the context of d&d, but i've found the discussions to be highly transferrable to general fantasy as well

kaz rowe - modern and medieval history, culture and historical misconceptions, a gold mine if you're doing any type of writing at all regarding the victorian period as well, and also just entertaining in general. often explores media (especially queer) in a historical and cultural context too!

localscriptman - from the perspective of a screenwriter, i've found the writing advice to be very helpful especially if you sometimes need more bluntly delivered ideas. this won't be for everyone but i feel like if it is for you it'll just work.

and for tumblr well, it's all of yall! sharing cool stuff, and stumbling upon cool blogs and the recommendations they give. a treasure trove of resources and knowledge! thank you.

god why did this get so long. why did i spend so much time on this. i could have just done a bulletpoint list. i am so good at answering simple questions. aaaaaa haha </3

[midwinterhunt]

hot artists don't gatekeep

I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard

Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.

Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.

Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.

Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.

SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.

SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.

Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.

Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.

Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.

Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.

Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.

[4ft10tvlandfangirl]

About Gaza Funds

Edit (19/9/2024) & important note:

Gaza Funds has stopped taking new submissions but they have over 500 vetted fundraisers to cycle through.

I never expected this post to be liked and reblogged this much but I'm thankful to everyone and extremely hopeful that these fundraisers have been getting much needed attention and help as a result.

Gaza funds is most active on Twitter if you want them to amplify a post that's the best place to tag them.

[unforth]

Y'all I know that when so-called AI generates ridiculous results it's hilarious and I find it as funny as the next guy but I NEED y'all to remember that every single time an AI answer is generated it uses 5x as much energy as a conventional websearch and burns through 10 ml of water. FOR EVERY ANSWER. Each big llm is equal to 300,000 kiligrams of carbon dioxide emissions.

LLMs are killing the environment, and when we generate answers for the lolz we're still contributing to it.

Stop using it. Stop using it for a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g. We need to kill it.

Sources:

[magnus-rhymes-with-swagness]

hey reminder that connecting humanity is extremely low on esims rn and desperately needs esim donations and also that there are a lot of cool things you can get in exchange for a donation

[varilien]

am i blanchin?

girl we blanchin!!

HI HIII happy birthday to everyone's favorite mystery twins!! how did they grow up so fast!!!!

Palestine: Funds | Action | eSims | Info Sudan Resources | Congo Resources

[prompt-heaven]

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

[persephinae]

://www.dreamstime.com/ ://www.freepik.com/ ://www.craiyon.com/ ://stock.adobe.com/ ://storybird.ai/ ://www.dinosaur.org/ ://pngtree.com/ ://creator.nightcafe.studio/ ://www.123rf.com/ ://lumenor.ai/ ://neural.love/ ://www.vecteezy.com/ ://openart.ai/ ://www.artpal.com/ ://generativeai.pub/ ://promptbase.com/

Block these sites in your uBlock Origin so you won't see that shit in your searches

[la7ma-mafrooma]

Keep talking about Palestine!

[iniro]

HII my character & shape design tips PDF is now available! ^_^ hope you enjoy !!

BUY HERE or HERE

[daylane]

Free resource for artists and designers!!

I made a website where artists and designers can get color palette inspo from fire hydrants I've 3D scanned all over the US

Some of my favorites:

There are about 100 hydrants so far and I'm continuing to add more all the time

Public infrastructure is sexy, baby!!!!!! Pass it on!!

dayroselane.com/hydrants

[ruhua-langblr]

Duolingo Sucks, Now What?: A Guide

Now that the quality of Duolingo has fallen (even more) due to AI and people are more willing to make the jump here are just some alternative apps and what languages they have:

"I just want an identical experience to DL"

Busuu (Languages: Spanish, Japanese, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Korean)

"I want a good audio-based app"

Language Transfer (Languages: French, Swahili, Italian, Greek, German, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, English for Spanish Speakers)

"I want a good audio-based app and money's no object"

Pimsleur (Literally so many languages)

Glossika (Also a lot of languages, but minority languages are free)

*anecdote: I borrowed my brother's Japanese Pimsleur CD as a kid and I still remember how to say the weather is nice over a decade later. You can find the CDs at libraries and "other" places I'm sure.

"I have a pretty neat library card"

Mango (Languages: So many and the endangered/Indigenous courses are free even if you don't have a library that has a partnership with Mango)

Transparent Language: (Languages: THE MOST! Also the one that has the widest variety of African languages! Perhaps the most diverse in ESL and learning a foreign language not in English)

"I want SRS flashcards and have an android"

AnkiDroid: (Theoretically all languages, pre-made decks can be found easily)

"I want SRS flashcards and I have an iphone"

AnkiApp: It's almost as good as AnkiDroid and free compared to the official Anki app for iphone

"I don't mind ads and just want to learn Korean"

lingory

"I want an app made for Mandarin that's BETTER than DL and has multiple languages to learn Mandarin in"

ChineseSkill (You can use their older version of the course for free)

"I don't like any of these apps you mentioned already, give me one more"

Bunpo: (Languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Mandarin)

[junglejim4322]

Something that I have noticed is I know almost nobody my age that goes to a food pantry. I know people who regularly run out of money for food and in general have to eat an unsuitable diet because that’s what they can afford and they still don’t go to a food bank, im not sure if it’s because they’re embarrassed or maybe if you didn’t grow up going you don’t know much about it but if you’re financially struggling I really recommend it. And look into other options for food assistance too like community fridges and gardens and other programs that can assist you, where I live Salvation Army pays for an allotted amount of grocery delivery for low income people every month, in the summer farmers take excess produce to the library to be taken by anyone who needs it, etc. There are a LOT of resources for free food that you can look into especially if you are literally not eating because of your financial situation

[momosane]

Marcelat Sakobi of Democratic Republic of Congo, at the end of the women’s round of 32 boxing match against Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova, made a strong gesture to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in the DR Congo by placing her hand in front of her mouth and pointing two fingers at her temple.

Resources for Congo:

Friends of Congo

Panzi Foundation

War Child

CammeDRCongo

Genocide Watch

A guide to the decades-long conflict in DR Congo

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Industrial mining of cobalt and copper for rechargeable batteries is leading to grievous human rights abuses.

An explanation thread from 2019.

Books on Congo.

Films for peace in the DRC.

Feel free to let me know of other resources to add.

[hopeontheoceanshore]

"I didn't choose to leave [Gaza]. My grandfather did not choose to leave Gaza. We were kicked out and we could not return. My house is still in Gaza."

Olympian swimmer Valerie Tarazi, originally from Gaza, blasting those trying to erase her Palestinian identity.

🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸

follow for more Olympic updates 🤍🇵🇸

[eggyolkperona3000]

Master doc that contains different resources and support for many countries including Palestine, Congo, Haiti, Hawai’i, etc ((the creator is underneath the link))

Link to the tweet: https://x.com/seaweedlagoon/status/1772449954046279818?s=46&t=s8SsfXh2OjpNRAj1OBxwqg