#creation tool

[a-devious-route]

The more you know:

[FR] J'ai découvert (thanks tiktok) ce petit site bien pratique qui référence des images qui sont libres de droits et/ou maintenant dans le domaine publique!

Je ne crois pas avoir vu beaucoup de gens en parler par ici, mais sharing is caring donc voilà! Si vous chercher des textures/images pour vos créations, je crois que vous allez en avoir pour un bon moment à hoarder le tout et explorer la plateforme!

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[EN] I discovered (thanks tiktok) this handy little site that references images that are royalty-free and/or now in the public domain!

I don't think I've seen many people talking about it around here, but sharing is caring so here you go! If you're looking for textures/images for your creations, I think you'll be hoarding and exploring the platform for a while !

See yah!

[astrhae]

crowley used the metal tool in season 1 to start time, and we learn that he's used it first to start space. to create the stars -- he still remembers how. he still remembers all of heaven's passwords: in the book crowley is described as an optimist because he has the "utter surety... that the universe would look after him". not god, but the universe. and of course he does: he helped create it and he's looking after it, too.

think about it: aziraphale had a sword, but crowley is about to face satan who wants to destroy the world, and crowley's only weapon is a tool of creation

[juniemunie]

[Abandoned by the Lightners, his heart became cracked with hatred.]

Hitting a lil' too close to home?

[ionomycin]

Welcome home

[luetta]

[void-and-virtue]

Lying on the floor in a puddle of my tears and staring blankly at the ceiling as I once again think about all the fucked up, multi-dimensional ways that Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung encompass the god vs creation and deity vs worshipper dynamics

[ray-winters]

I have now turned the Majestic Rep Ride The Cyclone Cast into both Stardew Valley characters as well as Legos. This is how I have spent my weekend. No further questions.

[morallysuperiorlips]

How I Come Up With Compelling and Fun Characters!

Back at you again with another TedTalk.

Coming up with well-rounded characters is my favorite part of the writing process. I like to come up with convoluted plots, so ofc convoluted characters have to follow. While I am someone who is VERY guilty of injecting my own traits/experiences into my characters (because I like to live vicariously through them or use them to cope don't @ me), I try to do that once I've established them as their own people. Because then they just end up being other versions of me, and we don't want that trust me

The adage I like to live by is "when the character feels real to you, they'll feel real to the reader," so I try to go out of my way to know as much as I can about them before I start to put them down on paper.

I know full names, birthdays (down to the hour), exact heights, blood types, favorite colors, foods, etc. and I try to know most of the surface-level things. I'll try to delve a little deeper but I do like to let my characters breathe when I'm writing them because sometimes they do things that make me stare into the camera like I'm on the Office and I want to give them the room to do so because that's like 60% of the process (in my humblest of opinions as a self-taught/ professional hybrid)

When I first started writing my novel, I could tell you off the top of my head that my protagonist, Odette Harmonie Cinq-Mars, was born in the little fictional town of Pendulum Province, France on December 14th, 1997 at 8:16pm, her blood type is AB+, she's 5'0, she's left-handed, and her favorite color is royal purple. I could also tell you she has anger issues, is hyper-observant, is a classically trained singer and dancer, and is kind of cold as a person. That last trait ended up writing most of itself out as she developed, but it's how she started, and I never got much deeper than that until I wrote her.

But, rewinding a little bit, I like to come up with ideas for my characters from tropes and stereotypes. My truest formula for coming up with characters is:

Trope/Archetype

- Some tropey traits

+ Traits you might not normally see in that trope/archetype

+ As many details as possible

+ Putting them in random situations that come to mind and watching them figure it out (even if it might be unrelated to the plot)

+ A little bit of yourself (always optional)

For example:

My "tropiest" character's name is Noel Masse; he was heavily based on the archetype of the peacocky gay theater kid who kinda has a hoe streak. Before you come for my neck, hear me out.

What are traits of this trope I could erase (or heavily modify) for him? From my experience theater kids get kinda cliquey--not all, but some--Noel has his friends, but he's the type who wants to be friends with everyone. He doesn't like to judge unless people give him a reason to. Theater kids might have their heads in the clouds all the time, and Noel airs on the side of keeping himself grounded when he needs to.

What are some odd traits I could add to him? What can I expand on? Noel has severe indecision--he's a theater kid who doesn't know if he wants to be theater kid. He has dedicated his life to being a musical theater star, but he has a calling in mystery solving, coding, and all things tech. This indecision often cripples him, and even seeps into his love life, which leads to some promiscuity~

What are the little details I know about Noel? Noel Coretyn Masse is a natural born witch, born in a little (fictional) city in France called Athamera on September 9th, 1997 at 12:11am. He is 6'0, 175 pounds, blood type O-, ENFP-T, right-handed, his favorite color is royal blue, and he has a gifted vocal octave range (3.8), and is very good at most forms of dance.

What scenarios have I put him in that helped him build? This was actually how I decided he was good with technology and all things coding, hacking, computers, etc. I figured out he was good at this stuff when I needed a character to hack something later on in the story and I threw him into the mix just to see what would happen and it stuck IMMEDIATELY. So, this category can also help build category 2 for sure.

Bits of me? His dedication to the arts and his desire for a large friend group hope I didn't just roast myself lol

DISCLAIMER: I want to make a note for anyone who thinks that this is overkill: yes, it probably is. But, I also want to note that I have been told time and time again that my characterization in my stories is my strongest point. So, clearly I'm doing SOMETHING right here.

I also want to note that this is NOT the "correct" way of coming up with characters. In fact, I don't think there is a "correct" way (as is with most things artistic and creative). This is just MY way of doing things. If you have a way that you come up with characters that works for you, I'd love to hear about it!

[intramoon]

Just my thoughts on InZoi (that no one asked for) ...

I am not a cynic but I am skeptical of any new "life simulation" games. And that's not to say I don't want The Sims to have a competitor, I think EA needs a competitor for The Sims. For the price tag of The Sims, EA needs pressure on them to address their complacency (with game content, the growing issues with paid content, etc). InZoi is far from that. At face value, I think the gameplay is unimpressive. I can understand why people are drawn to an in-depth, hyperrealistic character creation but to what end? The inclusion of AI, even if just for primarly patterns/textures, is an increasingly slippery slope. It's just for patterns ... for now, but how will AI provide shortcuts for the company in the future? That's one of my concerns and I think it's a bit shady for the company to have this feature. Any kind of AI generation has significant environmental impacts and contributes to art theft/the distribution of AI that has burdened the art community. I struggle to find a justifiable reason for the game having AI because I don’t think there is one. If you consider the computer that is needed to run a game with graphics like InZoi, the game isn’t accessible to people with “lower-end”/older PCs. An issue The Sims team had to address with the Sims 4 ie. the change in graphics and the game no longer being open world. I like that more people can play The Sims without needing a PC that is worth thousands of dollars. I keep seeing the comparison of InZoi to GTAV NPCs. As someone who has spent a lot of time playing with friends on GTAV FiveM servers, even those servers have better gameplay than I’ve seen with InZoi. Not to be funny but InZoi reminds me of those invasive 3D p*rn game ads.

The other aspect of InZoi that bothers me a little (maybe a lot) is the stark difference in how “regular” simmers are reacting to InZoi versus how some content creators/custom content creators are reacting. It’s a little frustrating for the people, even if through EA’s allotted 21-day early accesses, who make hundreds if not thousands of dollars off the community aren’t acknowledging let alone addressing the glaring concerns users have about InZoi. It seems many of them are going to brush these concerns aside for the opportunity to mod for the game (a game to me that doesn’t seem to value artists' work) and worse case scenario will jump ship to InZoi if Simblr takes issue with it.

It’s … interesting.

[comrade-slugcat]

Rodimus absolutely shreds on the flamethrowing electric guitar (and is shortly thereafter arrested for several counts of arson)

[sillynpanc]

|Professor Layton and the Mistakes of the Past AU + Short summary of the story|

DISCLAIMER: Please consider this is just an alternate story/universe I'm making, Nothing that happens in this story interferes with the original timeline of the games, so remember that this is all just a fan-made story

This story may also contain spoilers for games released so far, in this case the story begins with the end of "Professor Layton and the Lost Future", but due to problems, Luke continues with Layton (I will go into more detail later)

.

I confess that I am very happy to be announcing this, I have been creating this for a long time, but unfortunately as I posted on Twitter, I ended up losing some things because Twitter was banned here in Brazil

But now that I've created this blog, I can finally get back to creating more stuff about it!

.

A brief summary:

- "In "Professor Layton and the Mistakes of the Past", the esteemed professor and detective Hershel Layton and his faithful assistant Luke Triton are summoned to unravel a mysterious enigma involving the ancient Ashford family. The story begins when Victor Ashford, a member of the prestigious family, requests Layton's assistance to investigate a series of peculiar and unsettling events related to an ancestral artefact of his family

The Ashford mansion, with its elegance and beauty, hides more than it appears. Upon arrival, Layton and Luke encounter a Victor who, though polite and formal, reveals signs of deep concern and emotional burden. As the investigation progresses, they uncover that the artefact may be linked to an ancient curse and the Ashford family's dark secrets

Amidst mysteries, challenging puzzles, and surprising revelations, Layton and Luke must employ their full wit to uncover the truth. They will face challenges that go beyond ordinary riddles and delve into Victor's troubled past, as the truth about the artefact and its influence comes to light." -

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EXTRA‼️

(If you had the patience to read this far, I really appreciate it!

I will soon bring more information about it, and I really hope you like it!)

[pinayelf]

I made these for personal use, but I thought I'd share!

These are tiled image materials for CSP. They're transparent (the color backgrounds in the examples are ones I chose) so you can place them over any color background you'd prefer.

DOWNLOAD HERE (Free)

[flowery-laser-blasts]

Finally finished a sketch based on a convo between @miss-doodle-jester, @theatticdemon and I had about gardening.

The less you know the better.

[simplefoodsmallfarmz]

In the tradition.

When you operate a small farm, stuff happens and ya gotta stop and repair, replace or recycle what’s broken. It’s not always easy and it definitely is a time commitment, however, it still remains a blessing because during the downtime, lessons are learned.

What have you fixed recently?

[offside-the-lines]

Safe Sex Resource

A lot of the time, in our writings online, we don’t always show our characters practicing safe sex (whether for narrative flow or other reasons) and will just add in our author’s notes to practice safe sex in your real life. It can be hard to find good and concise information online so I have compiled this for authors to link in their notes. I recommend everyone take a look, there might be something in here you didn't already know.

This post is largely inspired by @fakejuly who shared a lot of their knowledge and advice from their years in the sw industry, and from my own experience creating curriculums for and teaching sex & relationship education.

I have tried to make it as inclusive as possible, please let me know if you have any feedback. If you spot something I missed, please let me know. I will be updating this periodically. My inbox is also always open if you have any questions/concerns/etc.

Last update: Jan 16, 2024

wrap it up

"Condoms prevent STIs and pregnancy in the vast majority of cases, when used correctly." 

Using a condom correctly and consistently can increase its efficacy from 87% to 98%. Most surveyed individuals are not using it correctly or consistently so make sure you are well-informed. We hear this all the time, but what does “used correctly” actually mean?

Familiarize yourself with the steps.

Using the right size: if it's too big, it can slide off or leak; if it's too small, it can break or come off. Condoms usually come in 5 sizes (there are options like MyONE that have 52 sizes).

Condoms can be damaged by heat. They should be kept somewhere cool (not in wallets, or sat on in back pockets, or kept in your glovebox). They also have an expiry date. 

Sex can also lead to friction (heat) so condoms should be changed between activities and after about 15 minutes of any vigorous activity.

Never double up (i.e. wearing two condoms or using both an external and an internal condom).

Use lube 100% of the time (except oral sex), even if you think you don't need it, even for "lubricated" condoms (the lube mainly stops it sticking to itself). Lube should be applied to the outside, but a drop in the tip of the condom before putting it on is also a good idea.

NEVER use oil-based lube or any type of oil (e.g. lotion, vaseline, coconut oil). Water based lube is the best option. Silicone based lube can be good for sex in water (e.g. shower, pool, bath) or providing more sustaining slip, but be careful near your sex toys (more on this later).

Penetrative partners should hold the base of the condom when they pull out immediately after they ejaculate so the condom doesn't leak or come off as the penis gets flaccid.

For oral sex (vulval or anal), you should use a barrier. You can make one out of a condom. (There are also companies like Loral that make latex “underwear” that have great sensation transfer and are a very good barrier for AFAB individuals).

Sharing sex toys: Most of the sex toy safety recommends "don't share them ever" which unfortunately is impractical for some people.

If more than one person is going to use the toy (within a session or between different sessions), use a condom.

Condoms are often coated in a thin layer of silicone lube. This can react with low-quality silicone toys - there are unlubricated condoms for those - but higher-quality (platinum cured) silicone should be fine. When in doubt, spot test on the base of the toy.

As with above, always use water-based lube. 

Condoms have not been proven to protect you from mold that the toy may be harboring or toxic chemicals from low-quality materials (e.g. jelly toys).

prevention is the best cure

Due to the variable efficacy of condoms, for individuals where pregnancy is a concern, it is recommended to also be using the pill, injection, IUD, etc.

Condoms (internal or external) are the only prevention for STIs. This isn't meant to be stressful - the most common STIs are treatable and often curable (more on this later).

STIs can be transmitted via fluids AND skin contact, so use condoms when you’re engaging in oral sex, hand stuff or sharing sex toys, in addition to penetrative sex.

STIs can be transmissible via any of your fluid membranes, that includes your mouth, throat, nose, and eyes.

Condoms are extremely effective against HIV, and reasonably effective against chlamydia and gonorrhea. Contracting chlamydia and gonorrhea is not the end of the world, it is curable with antibiotics but you can also be asymptomatic.

Condoms aren’t as effective at preventing herpes (symptomatically will manifest as open sores) and HPV (symptomatically will manifest as genital warts). 

Everyone who is able to should get the HPV vaccine, regardless of gender or sexuality. HPV is the most common STI. Most cases resolve on their own within 2 years, but for those that don’t, it can lead to cancers of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus and throat. Almost all cervical cancers are caused by HPV. The vaccine is extremely effective.

Even if you believe you have been safe and are asymptomatic, get tested regularly. At least once a year. (Even if you are in a long term monogamous relationship).

In summary:

Try your best to be safe but in real life, shit happens, so at least stick to these three things: 1) know your safety boundaries prior to sex and don't change them for anybody, 2) talk/ask about STI status before anything begins, and 3) get tested regularly.

CONSENT IS MANDATORY.

Communication is what makes sex good. Talking about sex is sexy. :) 

[catocappuccino]

Looked away for 1 sec and peepaw chess piece appeared on my canvas

Should I be concerned or-?