For coming up with character names:

Behind the name (my absolute fav)

Allows you to choose the origin of where you want the name to be from, whether you want a more feminine vs masculine vs androgenous name (as voted by users), random surname generator, and clicking on the name gives you important info like if there are any famous people with the same name, where it’s from, how common it is, and how people tend to see it, etc.

You can also search their name database by letter or meaning or origin, so if you know you want a character who has a name/surname that starts with an A from Ireland, there’s a whole list for you to choose from.

Census sites

Especially useful if you’re looking for a name from a specific place and/or time period. Just search “(country) census (year)” and you’ll find a database of real people who lived in that place at that time. No one can ever call your names unrealistic again.

For coming up with place names:

Fantasy name generator

This site can basically come up with any name for any person, place, or thing you might ever need. There are also specific generators for different fandoms if you’re looking to make an OC in an established world.

For finding that one word on the tip of your tongue:

One Look Thesaurus

This is my go-to. Not only can you find synonyms like a regular thesaurus, but you can also describe words like “unhappy smile” or “quiet laugh” to find the more specific word you’re looking for.

For coming up with ideas:

Word cloud

When I need to inspire a new idea, I write down all the things I’m interested in (hauntings, academia, lesbians, etc.) and put them into a word cloud to shuffle them next to each other. Sometimes seeing a concept in a new context can spark new ideas!

WWF Discord

This is my discord channel (shameless plug) for when you need to brainstorm off other people but don’t have anyone irl to talk to. We’re also happy to read and give feedback on writing, answer writing questions, or just chat!

For visualizing places and characters:

Pinterest

Pinterest can at times be a bit too sterile for my tastes, but if you use the right words, you can find more realistic photos of places. For example, adding “aesthetic” after basically any word will bring up a more broad collection of photos to help you flesh out places.

This is also a great way to find photos of people and fashion to help visualize characters. I’m bad at describing clothes, so I usually collect photos of outfits to help me know what my characters are wearing. Searching up “character inspiration” will collect more interesting photos and drawings of people who might not exactly be of our world.

(However, to make Pinterest not show you AI results, you have to go into your settings and check the “reduce AI” box. Luckily, it does mostly work.)

Death to Stock

Like pinterest but completely AI free (hooray!) Only drawback is that you have to pay a monthly subscription (about $20 CAD).

Cosmos

Very similar to pinterest but slightly more "artsy". I'm not super familiar with this one but I believe all the photos are human and you can save them and create collections with a free account.

Dupe Photos

Royalty-free stock image site with very Pinterest-core photos!

Minecraft

If you haven’t built your entire fictional city in Minecraft instead of writing, why not? It’s fun.

The Sims

This one is dual purpose because you can not only create your characters in Create a Sim, but you can design their houses. If you really want to go for it, you can bulldoze all the lots in your town and build your world from scratch.

For checking grammar:

Grammar Girl

Easy to follow definitions and examples, and if you learn better by listening, every article comes with a podcast to follow along with instead.

Grammar Monster

This one is my favourite for checking grammar rules because there’s tons of examples in graphics that helps for any situation.

Reedsy

Among other things, reedsy can connect you to professional editors within your budget.

For writing advice:

One Stop for Writers

This one was recommended from my discord channel and has all sorts of tutorials and resources for the writing craft.

My Blog Directory

Another shameless plug, but if you need writing advice on something specific, you can search through my directory to see if it’s there. If it isn’t, you can always send me an ask about it!

For an alternative to Google Docs:

Ellipsus

Think google docs but without AI. Yay!

Seen a bunch of them around and confused as to how everyone is really good at drawing/graphic design, or have just never thought about it and don't know where to start?

DON'T USE AI!

Generating one image through AI can use between 5 and 50 litres of water depending on complexity. (Edit: I would be remiss to not mention the impact that this has on artists too. AI models are trained on the stolen works of artists on the wider internet. If you're financially able, support your favourite artist by commissioning them to make you a profile pic!) So I wanted to offer some alternatives for those who may not know how else to create a cute, customised image to use as their fandom pfp. Thank you to my friends noxternal, neilistic, maidenrevenge and hwaetwegardena for sharing your links as well.

Here are SIXTEEN OPTIONS for cute profile pics that you can use instead.

NOTES

For consistency, I tried recreating my existing pfp except wearing a blue jumper, jeans, and socks. (Existing pfp made with #5). Where a blue jumper wasn't available, I used black.

Many of these have the option for plus size, male characters, a wide range of skin tones/black hairstyles, medical aids, and the option to cover hair/wear a hijab. Some don't. I've indicated one below that was great for diverse colours and styles, but I can't speak for what is 'good' because I don't know what will represent you. You may need to click through to check and see.

hp_guinevere - https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1742617 This is a really common pfp maker in HP. You'll see this one a lot.

TOON ME - https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1469769 Another common one. This was big a few years ago. Also has a specific plus-sized version

Girl Maker - https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/114808 Another very popular picrew. Lots of outfit options.

Makowka - https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/644129 Note: Has options for some medical aids

Casual & Cozy - https://meiker.io/play/11537/online.html

Cute girl maker - https://meiker.io/play/11490/online.html

dress up, schmess up - https://meiker.io/play/13405/online.html

Black centered picrew - https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1706331 *Note: This one has excellent black & hijab options*

dress up, shmess up 2 - https://www.dolldivine.com/dress-up-schmess-up-2

Fern - https://meiker.io/play/12452/online.html

Frock & Folly - https://meiker.io/play/11472/online.html This one and the one above are both really modern and cute

mimizies picrew - https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/1992727

nyurei's avatar creator - https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/1300090

Perfect Portrait creator - https://meiker.io/play/12103/online.html

arigate witch - https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/480796

elf taking over the world - https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/2260685

Mischief & Mixtapes is a fest focused on prominent characters from the Marauders Era. Moony, Padfoot, Wormtail and Prongs invite you to read along with us as we shine a spotlight on these amazing fics! 

Next up! We’d like to thank @gertrudecc for their work on:

✨Beast of Burden✨

Main Pairing/Characters: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin

Top Three AO3 Tags: Post-Hogwarts, Friends Inspired, Forgiveness

Fest Prompt: Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones

Rating: M

Read it here!

Philippine Frogmouth (Batrachostomus septimus) parents with chick, family Podargidae, order Podargiformes, Sierra Madre, Rizal, Philippines

So I've been working on this for a while now, and I think I'm finally ready to share it. These are some of my favorite Regulus fics that I've read.

This is based on my personal preferences, which means you'll find mostly gen and rare pair fics, canon universe (but not necessarily canon compliant), with morally gray characterizations of Regulus

I grouped them by length and topic and included what the main ships are, if any. There may be other background pairings, past relationships, etc. Some do have M/E ratings, archive warnings, etc., so be sure to check the tags!

under the cut because it's pretty long