#Resource post

[boatcats]

Fire Extinguishers

Because this has become a little more relevant to my life lately (**cough**)... let's talk fire extinguishers!

In the US, there are five categories of fire that a fire extinguisher might be designed to put out (other categories or designations may be used elsewhere, which is why this post is unfortunately a bit US-specific). Your local fire department can answer your questions and train you in how to use a fire extinguisher.

A - cloth, wood, paper, and other ordinary materials that might burn.

B - combustible and flammable liquids

C - electrical equipment

D - flammable metals

K - vegetable oils, animal oils, and fats in cooking appliances

Most home fire extinguishers are multi-purpose. They will have the letter designation on them somewhere. There are different types of fire extinguisher that contain different types of extinguishing agent.

For more info on how to use a fire extinguisher, visit:

[miqojak]

On the benchmark, don't forget to go to settings, and set things up how you will want them in the actual game, as well!!

I got a new GPU basically just because this new release was going to ask too much of my older one, and I'm kinda excited for the DLSS feature that I don't think other games I play use (yet). So be sure to go in and adjust things to how you like them - although there's also 'import my settings' as an option!

You won't get as accurate of a reading on things if you don't update the default settings to suit your set-up, after all!

[digimonirl]

It's a sad inevitability that all good things come to an end, including our time with our Digimon. But, every ending is just a chance for a new beginning and with Digimon that means the start of a new growth cycle! Today we're going to be touching on the Digimon life cycle, focusing on how to care for a digitama and what to do while you wait for your partner's new life to begin!

First off, for the newer Tamers in the audience, Digimon do not "die" at the end of a growth cycle. Think of it more like a transformation; the Digimon will shed excess data and surround their Digicore in a hard protective shell while reforming their remaining data into a Stage I form. A Digimon is strictly speaking alive for every step of the process and even if we humans find it useful to assign terms like "brith" and "death" to the process, it's important to keep in mind that Digimon cultures tend to think of it more as a period of rest and rejuvenation rather than a strict end or start to one's life.

Next up we have the tamas themselves! Digitamas, or Digieggs if you prefer, are the natal stage of all Digimon with no real exceptions. Despite looking like the kind of eggs you'd find here on Earth, tamas are actually incredibly durable and require no outside heat to incubate. Fragments of tamas donated for research have been shown to withstand puncture wounds and small caliber fire without so much as a scratch! Lastly, Digitama also display a wide variety of colors and patterns. Patterns seem to be unique to the individual as there is no correlation between the colors displayed on the egg and what species it will hatch into. This is consistent between naturally occurring Digitama and ones that were created via a data composition machine, leading researchers to believe that the color of one's tama is analogous to finger prints in us humans!

"But Lady", I hear you asking, "That's all well and good but how do I care for a Digiegg if they just seem to hatch on their own?". Don't worry friend, there's actually a lot you can do for your partner to help them along in the hatching process! To keep things convenient for mobile readers, I'll be formatting this section into bullet points.

1. Prepare a nest or incubator for the tama: It is true that tamas don't need outside heat to incubate, but a safe environment for both the tama and the resulting newborn is always going to be ideal. Incubators are the high end solution to this, most models being the Digimon equivalent of those backpacks you can buy to carry your pets around in. They're temperature controlled and very easily portable, most actually do have straps to make them into backpacks, so it's hard to argue against getting one. That being said, if you can't afford the steep price tag, a nest will do just fine friend. Bunch up some old blankets and pile them onto a sturdy pillow and your new friend will hatch just as well as one kept in a fancy incubator.

2. Wait: The time it takes for tamas to hatch varies between individuals, and can even vary between an individual Digimon's growth cycles. Some artificial Digitama have been observed hatching in as little as ten minutes, while the longest recorded hatch time for a naturally occurring Digitama was a little under a month! Generally speaking though, most tamas take about three to five days to hatch regardless of their point of origin. Don't be stressed if your friend takes a little longer than usual, you can't rush growth.

3. Be prepared for change: While it is true that most Digimon's Stage I and II forms remain fairly consistent, it is still ultimately as random as digivolution. I've already done a resource post on what to do immediately after a tama hatches so I won't go too in depth here, but it is worth repeating that you should be ready to accept change as it comes and be prepared to help your partner with basic tasks for the few days to weeks it'll take them to reach Stage III again.

4. Last but not least, care for yourself: Even if we know our partners aren't gone forever, waiting for them to hatch can take its toll on us Tamers. It's important to keep yourself busy during this time and to use it to enrich your life away from your partner. I always take time between growth cycles to tidy up around the house and give myself a spa day. I think that having a clean home and a refreshed attitude helps both you and your partner come into this new experience with a better foot forward but you can do whatever will make you happiest! There's no right or wrong way to care for yourself, as long as you put in the effort it'll pay off.

That's all we have for now friends! As always, make sure to send us any questions y'all have on today's post and we'll try to answer them as they come. Good luck, and we hope that y'all's partners hatch soon!

[the-slumberparty]

Resource Post: Writing Prompts

Often times, I like to use prompts both as a way to inspire new ideas and to get old ideas going again. What I like about them is that you don't have to use them literally. You can bend them to fit whatever inspo your looking to spark. I also enjoy the variety that you can find, from starters to dialogue to situational or single world prompts, I find that I can usually find what I need to get myself going.

Below is a collection of links from Tumblr and outside Tumblr that we hope can be useful in your personal writing and in the upcoming slumber party event. Also, feel free to add any links/pages you have bookmarked or use for reference in a reblog!

Happy writing and we'll see you February 5th for the first slumber party event!

Tumblr Prompt Blogs:

Creative Writing Prompts - a collection of prompts but a creator who periodically takes requests for ideas. Please support the creator of these prompts if possible.

FYOTP Prompts - prompts meant for OTP/ships

So Prompt - dialogue prompts for quick inspo.

Writing-prompt-s - creative prompts for AUs and more plot-based ideas

Promptsforyourwhumpfic - just as it says, these prompts are meant for whump/torture fics. Ideas are submitted by followers as well as by the blog creator.

Love me a good prompt - an assortment of prompts ranging from word association, to questions and what-ifs, character prompts, dialogue, and more.

Whumpster Dumpster - another whump blog with ideas for dark writers.

Prompts for the Struggling Author - daily prompts to strike new ideas.

AU Ideas - ideas for creating and writing AUs

Writing Prompts from around the Web:

Writing Prompts: 60 Ideas You Can Use Today - a list of prompts to get you started.

500 Writing Prompts to Help Beat Writer’s Block - a lot of prompts for many different genres.

Once Upon a Picture - visual inspiration with questions to guide creativity.

365 Creative Writing Prompts - A year’s worth of writing prompts to guide a daily habit.

66 Horror Writing Prompts That Are Freaky As Hell - Want to try horror? This article includes explanations of common horror tropes and twists along with prompts.

108 Romance Writing Prompts & Love Story Ideas - Feeling romantic? These ideas include romantic and erotic ideas to start off.

80 Story Prompts From Top Thriller Writers - Want a thrill? Use these prompts along and some inspo from thriller writers to write an exciting story.

[tanith-rhea]

I've just realized that the only movies left on my Gwen Character's List are Absolutely Fabulous and The Personal History of David Copperfield! We're almost there people!

Also, the only series left is Wizards vs Aliens and that is because I'm still downloading her episodes, but it will be added as soon as I have all of them!

[thewandererslibrary]

Reading Club

Hey Wanderers!

We are now hosting a Reading Club on our Discord server!

In these reading clubs we read articles our authors have written and have discussions about them! Each week has a theme that flavors the articles we decide to read.

Can't make it or not on Discord? No worries! We record them and post them to Spotify too! Check our our first reading club here:

This week we read:

Coagulate by retiinas

Do Not Stop for Hitchhikers by UncertaintyCrossing

Mirrorman by minmin

A Disease of the Flesh by Vishardsh

We'll Face the Silence Together by Grendelnacht

Archivist Crossing

[tavtiers]

I would be curious to hear what classpect you’d give Phone Guy from FNAF

I'm afraid I am not familiar enough with this character to classpect them, nor do I have the time to become familiar! That being said, I am happy to provide the resources for you to classpect them yourself.

When I'm classpecting a character, I'll start by matching their personality to a few classes. I use these personality descriptions as a guide.

Think about whether your character seems more passive or more active. Passive classes are guided by others or act for the benefit of others. They are more likely to be kind, but less likely to stand up for themselves. The Passive Classes are: Muse, Sylph, Page, Seer, Heir, Rogue, and Bard. Active classes tell themselves what to do and do so for their own benefit. They are more likely to stand up for themselves, but more likely to be cruel. The Active Classes are: Maid, Knight, Mage, Witch, Thief, Prince, and Lord.

I narrow the class down further by comparing the character to examples from literature and history that the classes are based off of. Here's a quick list (the first group is passive, the second is active):

Muse (masters): Greek Muses, Jesus Sylph (assists): Nymphs, Fairy Godmother Trope Page (utilizes): Squire/Sidekick Trope, King Arthur Seer (knows): Greek Seer, Oracle of Delphi Heir (manipulates): Chosen One Trope, Beowulf Rogue (steals): Rogue, Robin Hood Bard (destroys): Shakespearean fool, Trickster Trope

Maid (assists): Maiden, Joan of Arc Knight (utilizes): Knight, Lancelot Mage (knows): Magician, Merlin Witch (manipulates): Witch, Morgan le Fay Thief (steals): Thief, Blackbeard Prince (destroys): Machiavelli's The Prince, Hamlet Lord (masters): Nobility, God (Christianity)

Aspects are a little more difficult because of how expansive they can be. First, take a look at the personality guide again and narrow it down to a handful, this time focusing on aspects. Afterwards, I find it helpful to look at this description of the denizens for each aspect. It will help you get a better idea of what each aspect encompasses. Look for what themes remind you most of your character! Lastly, take a look at the official aspect descriptions on the Extended Zodiac Page.

Once I think I know a character's classpect, I'll check it against other information about that classpect on the internet and see if what I'm reading reminds me of my character. If you're feeling especially industrious, keep in mind opposites and inverses! Figuring out what your character is not is also a good place to start from. You can use this post as reference for opposites and inverses.

Feel free to peruse my compilation of classpecting information, god tier aesthetics, and characters that I've already classpected! I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Remember that there is no wrong way to classpect a character. Good luck and I hope this helps!

If any of the links not connected to my blog break, the content can be found on my Google Drive.

Official Aspect Descriptions Personality Descriptions Aspect Denizens

[get-back-homeward]

Mad Day Out By Location

Location 1: Thompson House

Location 2: Mercury Theatre

Location 3: Swain’s Lane

Location 4: Old Street

Location 5: St Pancras Church & Gardens

Location 6: Wapping Pier Head

Location 7: Cavendish Dome

[csvent-2]

https://thespecies.directory/ is a directory of species and you can search for specifically ARPGs on it. There's a couple semi-open and open species ARPGs, which'll almost guarantee not having to spend money. @Anon looking for an ARPG that doesn't require you spend money.

Good resource!

[finishwhatyoustarted-event]

Tomorrow is the first #FinishedItFriday of the Finish What You Started 2023 event! Here's a quick guide to making a promo post if you haven't made one before.

Start with your most basic of basic info: Fandom, characters, ship (or gen), and rating.

Then, move into specifics. This includes content tags like genderbend, gore, nsfw, blood, animal death, etc. Ideally, these are at the top of the post and in the tags, for easy filtering and screenreaders. Don't just put them in the tags, as those won't travel with your post.

Include one or two key points that make your piece unique. Tropes, setting, whatever hooks a reader! Here it can even be the whole summary, as there are no character limits to worry about.

For fic, adding a screenshot of the AO3 metatext/info box is great for including more nuanced information (don't forget to add alt text!). I've also seen people set up their promo posts in the format of the AO3 metatext box, with each category as its own line.

And finally the hashtag #IFinishedWhatIStarted2023 so I can find and boost your work! You can also include the general event hashtag (#FinishWhatYouStarted2023) if you want.

What fandom tags you use are up to you, and where you want your work to show up. General practice is fandom, a separate tag for each character, and the ship name or character/character. If it's a special AU, make a tag for it! Your future self may thank you.

Here's a template example for fic:

Cw tag1 tag2 // I finished my Ship (or # ship) fic! Brief summary or title, personalize. Include the fandom name in the body somewhere.

*rating *setting *trope *trope *shocking event from fic Link to fic # fandom #character # character # ship # IFinishedWhatIStarted2023 # tag1 # tag2 # unique AU tag

For art:

CW tag1 tag2 // I'm done with this (#)Ship/Character piece! Title or brief explanation of the piece, setting, or any special focus you want to direct. Include the fandom name somewhere in the text. # fandom # character # character # ship # IFinishedWhatIStarted # tag1 # tag2 # unique AU tag

(don't forget alt text on your art! It can be basic if you want, like "character in place", as long as it's something)

I can add some of that information when I reblog it, but it's good to have in the base post as your promo may reach circles it does not usually. Make sure one or both of the event tags is on the post so I can find and include it! I'll check both every Friday.

"My work isn't good enough for a promo header-" Yes it is. You did it, you finished it. Be proud of that, if nothing else.

[samwisethewitch]

Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group

It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.

Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.

In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.

Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:

Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)

Gardening

Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)

Country/Rural Living:

Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)

"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)

Sewing/Mending:

Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)

Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)

Sustainability/Land Stewardship

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)

Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"

Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.

"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)

These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!

[deoidesign]

A general cane guide for writers and artists (from a cane user, writer, and artist!)

Disclaimer: Though I have been using a cane for 6 years, I am not a doctor, nor am I by any means an expert. This guide is true to my experience, but there are as many ways to use a cane as there are cane users!

This guide will not include: White canes for blindness, crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs as I have no personal experience with these.

This is meant to be a general guide to get you started and avoid some common mishaps/misconceptions in your writing, but you absolutely should continue to do your own research outside of this guide!

This is NOT a medical resource!!! And never tell a real person you think they're using a cane wrong!

The biggest recurring problem I've seen is using the cane on the wrong side. The cane goes on the opposite side of the pain! If your character has even-sided pain or needs it for balance/weakness, then use the cane in the non-dominant hand to keep the dominant hand free. Some cane users also switch sides to give their arm a rest!

A cane takes about 20% of your weight off the opposite leg. It should fit within your natural gait and become something of an extension of your body. If you need more weight off than 20%, then crutches, a walker, or a wheelchair is needed.

Putting more pressure on the cane, using it on the wrong side, or having it at the wrong height can make it less effective, and can cause long term damage to your body from improper pressure and posture. (Hugh Laurie genuinely hurt his body from years of using a cane wrong on House!)

(some people elect to use a cane wrong for their personal situation despite this, everyone is different!)

(an animated GIF of a cane matching the natural walking gait. It turns red when pressure is placed on it.)

When going up and down stairs, there is an ideal standard: You want to use the handrail and the cane at the same time, or prioritize the handrail if it's only on one side. When going up stairs you lead with your good leg and follow with the cane and hurt leg together. When going down stairs you lead with the cane and the bad leg and follow with the good leg!

Realistically though, many people don't move out of the way for cane users to access the railing, many stairs don't have railings, and many are wet, rusty, or generally not ideal to grip.

In these cases, if you have a friend nearby, holding on to them is a good idea. Or, take it one step at a time carefully if you're alone.

Now we come to a very common mistake I see... Using fashion canes for medical use!

(These are 4 broad shapes, but there is INCREDIBLE variation in cane handles. Research heavily what will be best for your character's specific needs!)

The handle is the contact point for all the weight you're putting on your cane, and that pressure is being put onto your hand, wrist, and shoulder. So the shape is very important for long term use!

Knob handles (and very decorative handles) are not used for medical use for this reason. It adds extra stress to the body and can damage your hand to put constant pressure onto these painful shapes.

The weight of a cane is also incredibly important, as a heavier cane will cause wear on your body much faster. When you're using it all day, it gets heavy fast! If your character struggles with weakness, then they won't want a heavy cane if they can help it!

This is also part of why sword canes aren't usually very viable for medical use (along with them usually being knob handles) is that swords are extra weight!

However, a small knife or perhaps a retractable blade hidden within the base might be viable even for weak characters.

Bases have a lot of variability as well, and the modern standard is generally adjustable bases. Adjustable canes are very handy if your character regularly changes shoe height, for instance (gotta keep the height at your hip!)

Canes help on most terrain with their standard base and structure. But for some terrain, you might want a different base, or to forego the cane entirely! This article covers it pretty well.

Many cane users decorate their canes! Stickers are incredibly common, and painting canes is relatively common as well! You'll also see people replacing the standard wrist strap with a personalized one, or even adding a small charm to the ring the strap connects to. (nothing too large, or it gets annoying as the cane is swinging around everywhere)

(my canes, for reference)

If your character uses a cane full time, then they might also have multiple canes that look different aesthetically to match their outfits!

When it comes to practical things outside of the cane, you reasonably only have one hand available while it's being used. Many people will hook their cane onto their arm or let it dangle on the strap (if they have one) while using their cane arm, but it's often significantly less convenient than 2 hands. But, if you need 2 hands, then it's either setting the cane down or letting it hang!

For this reason, optimizing one handed use is ideal! Keeping bags/items on the side of your free hand helps keep your items accessible.

When sitting, the cane either leans against a wall or table, goes under the chair, or hooks onto the back of the chair. (It often falls when hanging off of a chair, in my experience)

When getting up, the user will either use their cane to help them balance/support as they stand, or get up and then grab their cane. This depends on what it's being used for (balance vs pain when walking, for instance!)

That's everything I can think of for now. Thank you for reading my long-but-absolutely-not-comprehensive list of things to keep in mind when writing or drawing a cane user!

Happy disability pride month! Go forth and make more characters use canes!!!

[sentientsky]

just a friendly reminder that, just because slavery was formally "abolished" in the so-called united states* in 1865, enslavement itself is still ongoing in the form of incarceration, which disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous people

(*i say "so-called" because the US is a settler-colonial construction founded on greed, extraction, and white supremacy) recommended readings/resources:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

"How the 13th Amendment Kept Slavery Alive: Perspectives From the Prison Where Slavery Never Ended" by Daniele Selby

"So You're Thinking About Becoming an Abolitionist" by Mariame Kaba

"The Case for Prison Abolition: Ruth Wilson Gilmore on COVID-19, Racial Capitalism & Decarceration" from Democracy Now! [VIDEO]

[digimonirl]

Digimon biology is absolutely fascinating, with individuals being able to evolve and adapt constantly to give them the best chance at survival. But this ability to adapt doesn't stop at digivolution; sometimes a Digimon's most fundamental code will spontaneously alter itself, creating what's called a species variant! Today we're going to look at a few of these variations and see what sets these Digimon apart from their "vanilla" counterparts!

Snow - Snow variants occur when a Digimon not suited to colder climates finds themself in a situation where evolution is not possible, and neither is migration. The most common examples of this variant are SnowAgumon and SnowGoblimon, whose original variants prefer temperate and arid climates respectively. Snow variants are recognizable by their lack of pigmentation and use of ice-based attacks!

Virus - These are the most common type of species variant, and occur when a non-virus species incorporates data from a non-sentient virus into their digicores! Contrary to popular belief, these variants are not more aggressive than their non-virus counterparts as the only thing that really changes is their coloration and typing.

Metal/Platinum - In contrast to the previous entry on this list, this specific type of variation is only found within virus type species! More specifically, this variant is found within the Numemon, Sukamon, and Etemon families. There's actually a lot of debate about whether or not this counts as a variant in the "traditional" sense as several of these Digimon actually digivolve into these new forms, but I went ahead and included them anyway.

Toy - And to round out the list we have the Toy species, of which there are only two! ToyAgumon and its sub-variant, BlackToyAgumon, are the only known Toy Digimon which makes them something of an anomaly. Researchers are unsure exactly what caused this adaptation, but whatever the original mutation was left their code unstable enough to actually allow for further variance. Both of the previously mentioned variants actually have an additional variation called the Clear species, whose bodies are semitransparent!

The amount of variation within Digimon is amazing, and mirrors us in so many ways! People will always be affected by their circumstances, and it's how we adapt to them to survive that makes us who we are. As always, send us any questions y'all have and we hope y'all have a great day!

[the-slumberparty]

Resources for Writing Mob AUs

Writing Tips from @mynotsoawesomescenarios

More Writing Tips from @creativepromptsforwriting

Resources for Writing the Mafia collected by @yoondoze

Mobs from Around the World, source: Wikipedia

More about Various Mob Organizations

[xx-k1tsun3-k1d-xx]

the mobile phone museum is a online museum featuring over 2000 types of old and funky phones that’s amazing for seeing old phones and getting info about them for stuff like writing/art or just because they’re so cool and i love them look at them

behold! some of my favourite silly creatures :3