misc geekery

2D

• Piskelapp Pixel art + animation • Krita general digital painting + animation • Gimp image manipulation + painting • MapEditor Level builder (orthogonal, isometric, hexagonal) • Terawell manipulate 3D mannequin as a figure drawing aid (the free version has everything) • Storyboarder Storyboard

3D

• Blender general 3D software (modeling, sculpting, painting, SFX , animation…). • BlockBench low-poly 3D + animation.

Sound Design

• Audacity Audio editor (recording, editing, mixing) • LMMS digital audio workstation (music production, composition, beat-making). • plugins4free audio plugins (work with both audacity and lmms) • Beepcomp chiptune/8-bit/16-bit music synthesizer

Video

>davinciresolve video editing (the free version has everything)

For learning and inspiration

1) Search for: watch TITLE OF WORK free online

2) Scroll to the bottom of results. Click any of the "Complaint" links

3) You will be taken to a long list of links that were removed for copyright infringement. Use the 'find' function to search for the name of the show/movie you were originally searching for. You will get something like this (specifics removed because if you love an illegal streaming site you don't post its url on social media)

4) each of these links is to a website where you can stream shit for free. go to the individual websites and search for your show/movie. you might have to copy-paste a few before you find exactly what you're looking, but the whole process only takes a minute. the speed/quality is usually the same as on netflix/whatever, and they even have subtitles! (make sure to use an adblocker though, these sites are funded by annoying popups)

In conclusion, if you do this often enough you will start recognizing the most dependable websites, and you can just bookmark those instead. (note: this is completely separate from torrenting, which is also a beautiful thing but requires different software and a vpn)

I recommend installing uBlock Origin whenever possible (Adblock Plus is also popular). Also using Firefox, bc they're a nonprofit that gives you privacy and lets you fight ads, while Chrome is owned by Google; they just want to mine your data and sell ads.

How To Block Ads:

for Desktop, click this uBlock Origin link (works with most browsers). install, restart browser, good to go!

for Android, open Firefox and go to "3 dots menu > add-ons > add-on manager > enable uBlock Origin." (this also blocks youtube ads within firefox!). this doesn't work on Chrome, because Chrome hates you, but there are some ad-blocking apps in the play store that will give you varying results.

for iOS, it's trickier, bc Apple also hates you. here are some recommended apps in the app store. (some of them keep premium features behind a paywall, bc again Apple hates you. but there are options.) If those aren't enough, Firefox comes to the rescue again with the Firefox Focus browser app, which includes a powerful built-in adblocker. I can't find specifics, but try clicking the 3 dots menu and fiddling around to customize your preferences.

in conclusion: a combination of Android, Firefox, and uBlock Origin makes for the best browsing experience. But no matter what system/browser combo you use, please install at least one adblocker. you will thank yourself every damn day. it will give you a faster, safer, and much less aggravating experience as a user of the Modern Internet (derogatory)

12ft – Hate paywalls? Try this site out.

My Fridge Food – No idea what to make? Tell this site what ingredients you have on hand and it will give you recipes to cook.

Project Gutenberg – Always ends up on these type of lists and for very good reason. All works that are copyright free in one place.

Ninite – New PC? Install all of your programs in one go with no bloat or unnecessary crap.

Unchecky – Tired of software trying to install additional unwanted programs? This will stop it completely by unchecking the necessary boxes when you install.

Sci-Hub – Research papers galore! Check here before shelling out money. And if it’s not here, try the next link in our list.

LibGen – Lots of free PDFs relate primarily to the sciences.

Zotero – A free and easy to use program to collect, organize, cite and share research.

Car Complaints – Buying a used car? Check out what other owners of the same model have to say about it first.

CamelCamelCamel – Check the historical prices of items on Amazon and set alerts for when prices drop.

Have I Been Pawned – Still the king when it comes to checking if your online accounts have been released in a data breach. Also able to sign up for email alerts if you’ve ever a victim of a breach.

Radio Garden – Think Google Earth but wherever you zoom, you get the radio station of that place.

Just The Recipe – Paste in the url and get just the recipe as a result. No life story or adverts.

Tineye – An Amazing reverse image search tool.

My 90s TV – Simulates 90’s TV using YouTube videos. Also has My80sTV, My70sTV, My60sTV and for the younger ones out there, My00sTV. Lose yourself in nostalgia.

Foto Forensics – Free image analysis tools.

Old Games Download – A repository of games from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Get your fix of nostalgia here.

Online OCR – Convert pictures of text into actual text and output it in the format you need.

Remove Background – An amazingly quick and accurate way to remove backgrounds from your pictures.

Twoseven – Allows you to sync videos from providers such as Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc and watch them with your friends. Ad free and also has the ability to do real time video and text chat.

Terms of Service, Didn’t Read – Get a quick summary of Terms of service plus a privacy rating.

Coolors – Struggling to get a good combination of colors? This site will generate color palettes for you.

This To That – Need to glue two things together? This’ll help.

Photopea – A free online alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Does everything in your browser.

BitWarden – Free open source password manager.

Atlas Obscura – Travelling to a new place? Find out the hidden treasures you should go to with Atlas Obscura.

ID Ransomware – Ever get ransomware on your computer? Use this to see if the virus infecting your pc has been cracked yet or not. Potentially saving you money. You can also sign up for email notifications if your particular problem hasn’t been cracked yet.

Way Back Machine – The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and loads more.

Rome2Rio – Directions from anywhere to anywhere by bus, train, plane, car and ferry.

Splitter – Seperate different audio tracks audio. Allowing you to split out music from the words for example.

myNoise – Gives you beautiful noises to match your mood. Increase your productivity, calm down and need help sleeping? All here for you.

DeepL – Best language translation tool on the web.

Ad Nauseum is an adblocker that stores the ads it blocks and continuously generates fake clicks, fucking with analytics and costing the ad companies money

TrackMeNot automatically does randomly generated searches on a variety of search engines to obscure your real searches and fuck with analytics, and you can set it up to work with anything that has a search bar (including facebook, twitter, amazon, youtube, etc)

WhatCampaign replaces analytics parameters in links with the string “FuckOff”. I thought there was a similar extension that used random strings, but I can’t seem to find it

Privacy Possum is a fork of Privacy Badger with a focus on costing tracking companies as much money as possible, and idk if my limited tech knowledge is enough to understand what it does but the description does say it falsifies some data so that’s good enough for me

Ad Nauseum is an adblocker that stores the ads it blocks and continuously generates fake clicks, fucking with analytics and costing the ad companies money

TrackMeNot automatically does randomly generated searches on a variety of search engines to obscure your real searches and fuck with analytics, and you can set it up to work with anything that has a search bar (including facebook, twitter, amazon, youtube, etc)

WhatCampaign replaces analytics parameters in links with the string “FuckOff”. I thought there was a similar extension that used random strings, but I can’t seem to find it

Privacy Possum is a fork of Privacy Badger with a focus on costing tracking companies as much money as possible, and idk if my limited tech knowledge is enough to understand what it does but the description does say it falsifies some data so that’s good enough for me

This was time-consuming but worth it.

Water Tribe

Northern Water Tribe

Betrothal Necklaces

Yue’s Hair

Yue’s Gown

Arnook’s Jewelry

NWT Hats

NWT Accessories

Avatar Kuruk’s Design

Southern Water Tribe

Hair Loopies

Sokka’s Choker

Sokka’s Water Tribe Weapons

Southern Water Tribe Jackets

Katara & Sokka’s Shoes

Katara & Sokka’s Book 1 Robes

Sokka’s Book 2 Robe

Katara’s Book 2 Robe

Water Tribe Undergarments

Earth Kingdom

Kyoshi Island

Kyoshi Headbands

Kyoshi Makeup

Kyoshi’s Hair & Clothes

Kyoshi Warrior Uniforms

Kyoshi Warrior Weapons

Kyoshi Warrior Martial Arts

Ba Sing Se

Zuko’s Teashop Clothes

Toph’s EK Looks (cause she’s that important)

Toph’s Headband

Toph’s Hairstyle

Toph’s Fancy Dress

Toph’s Sleepwear

The Rest of the Earth Kingdom

The Nomads: Chong

The Nomads: Lily

Aunt Wu’s Headdress

Fire Nation

Zuko’s FN Looks (cause he’s that important)

Zuko’s Book 1 Hair

Blue Spirit Mask

Agni Kai Armbands

Zuko’s Cloak

The Gaang’s FN Looks

FN School Uniforms

Katara’s FN Top

Sokka’s FN Top

Toph’s FN Top

Fisherman Pants

The Rest of the Fire Nation

FN Shoulder Pieces

FN Tiaras

FN Skirts

Mai’s Outfit

Religious Hats

Wedding Dresses

Sun Warrior Pants

Air Nomads

Avatar Relics

this could help so much when i need a reference for a bg but can't find the right image :OOO

ohoho you are in the right blog my love

Anime

Toshokan sensō

Ikoku meiro no croisée

3-gatsu no Lion

Natsume Yuujinchou(This is so good yet so underwatched)

Akatsuki no yona (The anime is like the best thing sp has ever done and yet it is so underated)

91 days

Aoi Bungaku Series

 Bokurano

Donten ni Warau

Drifters

Gugure! Kokkuri-san

Higashi no Eden

Houkago no Pleiades

Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha.

Kamichu!

Kanojo to Kanojo no Neko: Everything Flows

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

Kuzu no honkai

- I’m really passionate about this cause and I will give you this flier if I have to shove it down your throat

- vicious battle over the only left handed desk in the room

- my roommate’s boyfriend is staying over so can I please sleep on your floor

- it’s pouring and my final paper is in my backpack so I guess we’re stuck under this tiny awning together. do you think they’d deliver pizza here

- hey I have to photograph someone for class will you be my model

- hey I have to take someone’s blood pressure for class will you be my victim

- variations of the above

- I know I keep coming to the cookie shop and for some reason it’s always your shift but don’t you dare judge me I need these for my sanity

- all our friends are drunk

- it’s 3 am and I’m still in the library studying for finals and I’m losing my grip on reality and I think I just saw a ghost

- we’re the only two people in this club. what is this club even for

- humans vs zombies (see you can still have your zombie AU, best of both worlds)

- we’re the only people who ever talk in discussions it’s awful

- This awesome professor only has one TA slot and we’re rivals

- I found your USB drive still in the computer

- I thought I was the only one who liked the waffle station in the cafeteria

- You keep reserving the good study room in the corner of the library with the windows

- We’re studying in the library and there are two people very obviously fucking in the stacks and we keep sharing embarrassed glances

- We’re both donating blood in the blood donation van in the quad to get out of the same class

- You decked me in the head while you were playing frisbee golf

- Wait, I actually have a competent lab partner?

- You’re the RA and you’re trying to bust me for having hermit crabs

- You’re baking cookies in the communal kitchen at 3am and I’m angry but also really hungry

- What are you doing at this table at the career fair

- Waiting for office hours

- I’ve been sitting in this seat all semester why did you decide to sit in it today

- Clearly we’re both really uncomfortable at this party

- You peed on my car. You were drunk. I was in the car. There will be hell to pay.

- We started racing up the three flights of stairs to class for some reason and we can’t stop

-we’re always at the fitness center at the same time and end up competing on the treadmill

- Sorry my roommate puked on your shoes

- Can I borrow a dryer sheet? I ran out and the ones in the vending machine give me a rash

-Your school mailbox is right next to mine

-I saw you sneaking captain crunch and cutlery out of the dining hall

-My roommate borrowed your contraband hotpot and managed to set it on fire

-You keep using my preferred shower stall in the floor bathrooms when I’m trying to get ready for class

-My computer crashed and you’re the student worker at the IT center

-we’re both on althetic teams that aren’t as cool as the football team and they give us shit

- You’re part of the guerrilla theater club on campus and crashed my class for a performance

-you’re the fucker who set off the fire alarm with your awful cooking

-I’m the fucker who set off the fire alarm with my awful cooking

-my shower isn’t working can I use yours

-RA mandated floor party

-I couldn’t help but notice you’re watching a show I like instead of studying in the computer lab

-dude your headphones are really loud like I can make out most of Kayne’s lyrics and I’m sitting across the fucking room

-hey the semester’s almost over and I have way too much money on my cafeteria account, do you want anything??? this shit’s just gonna disappear into the college’s pocket otherwise

- I got locked outta the flat and no one’s answering the door–oh you live here too, can you let me in?

- Library book request wars

- Campus mandated fire safety seminar (or SHIT I’m so fucking bored but that dude’s doodling hilarious comics about this crap)

- Getting locked into the department while you both desperately finish your research methodology because the data is due tomorrow

- Archaeologist in-training need’s poor saps volunteers to stand in ditches… FOR SCIENCE! 

- Have to wait extra long at the bus stop at 11pm because the bus is full of fucking drunk ass undergrad… AGAIN

- Eye contact at the grocery store over bargain food because holy shit you’re both dirt fucking broke 

- Need to bum a ride somewhere for research and they’re the only one with a car

- Conducting public surveys for your dissertation and a cutie leaves a cute personal message/phone number on one (you only contact them because you SERIOUSLY need accurate data so your results aren’t fucked but after that is fair game….)

As far as romantic relationships: Sokka loses Yue and twice has to leave Suki for their duty to the greater good. Katara is too overwhelmed with the conflict to invest in a relationship with Aang, and her first romantic feelings towards a boy are transformed into betrayal when Jet lies to her in his pursuit of justice. And even Zuko twice leaves Mai to pursue his “destiny.” And that’s just the kids. The adults are similarly submerged in devastated romance. We see so many single parents throughout the series. Many have lost their partner to the fire nation army. Some have incarcerated partners like Haru’s mother. Enlistment separates partners, too. And even the most dominating force in the world, Firelord Ozai, loses his partner in his desire for power.

Friendships are similarly prevented from blossoming within a culture of domination. Azula is the most evident example, with her friendships founded on obedience rather than mutual affection blowing up in her face. Zuko, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have any friends. Those oppressed by the fire nation establish their friendships in moments of safety, when the threat of violence is temporarily absent. “Do you want to go penguin sledding with me?” That’s the beginning of a friendship. They do not become friends fighting together. That is allyship. Look at The Blue Spirit. Zuko and Aang can fight together for a common cause, but this is not the shape of friendship. Even relationships between different marginalized groups are fraught with tensions founded in the imperial violence they’ve confronted. When Aang visits the Northern Air Temple, he is distraught over the desecration of the temple by the earth kingdom refugees. The violence they’ve each faced puts them in conflict with one another rather than providing a possible sense of kinship. It’s even more complicated when it comes to befriending across the lines of the oppressor and oppressed. Despite their affinity for one another and aligned goals, Zuko and Aang cannot truly establish their friendship until the system of domination is eliminated. Friendship is a dynamic between equals, and ATLA asks whether you can actually be friends across these lines if society refuses to be equitable. Friendships and romance depend not on conflict to deepen them but an active peacefulness.

When people talk about Avatar writing relationships poorly, I think maybe consider that the relationships weren’t actually supposed to be building up in any kind of traditional way in the show. I think ATLA was precisely focused on relationships being broken and sometimes even empty because of conflict. It’s only the last episode that’s meant to show the beginnings of things, the consummation of hope. For the first time there’s the possibility for these relationships to mean something rather than almost inevitably ending in tragedy.

-she talked with war veterans and people with disabilities to accurately depict characters with those backgrounds

-she also researched military corruption extensively

-she fought to bring in more female characters with her editors who opposed it

-she has told her readers that there is no shame in leaving an emotionally toxic situation and you should never feel guilty for it

-she based the situation with the ishvalan people off of a real displaced indigenous group called the ainu people in hokkaido to raise awareness of their situation

-she criticizes the notion of self sacrifice being a noble thing especially since it’s such a prevalent theme in most shonen manga

-she worked on a farm with a lot of hardworking women and wanted her work to reflect just how complex real women can be rather than overdone anime stereotypes

-she has stated that she thinks there is value in not repressing anger in the face of injustice, and she thinks it’s good to use that anger in constructive ways

-she has emphasized in her story that you don’t always have to forgive the people who hurt you

-she worked on and alongside several other manga one shots, illustrations, character designs, anime adaptions, movie adaptions, and light novels all while having three kids over the course of her career

‘my new romance-obsessed friend asked me who my last date was with and i was too embarrassed to say i’ve never been on a date so i blurted your name and it turns out they know you’ au

‘i didn’t want to tell my friend who my real date last night was so i just pointed at a random stranger (you) but now they’re storming over to interrogate you and you’re playing along??? okay’ au

‘a mutual friend tried to introduce us, but we already knew each other from LARPing but we’re both too embarrassed to admit that so i jokingly said we used to date and oh god now our friend wont stop interrogating us about it’ au

‘im egging your house for a dare but your parent is a cop and they’re yelling at me so i told them that you were my ex and you wronged me and now you’re coming outside and please go along with this i don’t want to go to jail’ au

‘my current partner is a huge asshole and i need a reason to break up with them so will you pretend to be my possessive and violent ex’ au

This Cat

“I FOUND A SPECIAL CATTO TODAY AND HER NAME WAS TIMINE (PRONOUNCED TEE-MEE-NE)”