I'm literally just saving stuff here.
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Berrysrefblog - For My Reference - Tumblr Blog
Hello! So I was wondering about something with your Twitch Livestreams. This’ll probably sound silly but I noticed you had an icon that displayed song titles for the music being played and wanted to know how you did that? I’ve been looking all over and so far have found nothing for it. Thank you in advance if you’re able to respond!
It's the banner used by COTL to display happenings in the Cult!
Here's the banner:
When I have the banner in my stream overlay, (above all other layers) I add spotify or my personal desktop music as screenshare, shrink the visible screen to just fit around the player portion that displays the name + artist, and then put it over the banner so it's easy to read.
(For Streamlabs) To put your music player over the image, go to capture image and select whatever music player you use (I use spotify or my desktop) Select new source, (might have to click the tab at bottom of the window), select music player. THEN hold down 'ALT' as you select the captured screen, and you can crop the window that way around the player, then drag over the banner or whatever image you use.) This tutorial shows with a webcam but it works with everything.
As for my streams, I took the banner and drew symbols around it so it's a little more animated whenever I have my 'break' or 'starting soon' screen up. It's not what I used for displaying music, but if anyone wants to use that here it is!
Warm-Ups for Writers
I discovered a little while ago, trying to launch back into my writing, that the words just wouldn’t flow. It had been a while since I’d written in this project, and even though I had read the previous chapter to catch up and reviewed my outline, something was missing.
A warm-up is extremely important for writers because it gets the words flowing again before they have to mean anything.
Here is a quick list of warm-ups for writers to use!
Write a short scene (3-4 paragraphs) using only visual description. No sounds, no smells, no touches, only what you see is happening.
Write a short scene like the exercise above using any of the other senses. (Also a great way to practice writing imagery!)
Put your favorite playlist on shuffle and write a bit of flash fiction based on the first three songs that pop up. (Use the duration of these songs as well, so you don’t get too caught up.)
Introduce a new character from the PoV of three different characters.
Write a one-page letter from one character to another, from yourself to a character, etc.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write a story from a single sentence prompt. (Here’s a website of 99 to start you off.)
Write a monologue from any antagonist describing their plans, motivations, etc.
Create the most ridiculous character you can think of.
Write an interview of your characters reacting to what just happened in your story.
Write a quick AU about how different the story would be if one decision was different.
Create a character from a song.
Imagine your favorite character from your story acting in your favorite movie or TV show.
Write a short scene in three different emotions of your choice.
Imagine three of your characters living in the real world and build a little bit of life within this universe. Think of jobs, favorite food, favorite music genre, dream vacation, etc.
Re-write a short scene (that already exists) but now, it takes place within and follows a specific decade aesthetic.
These are some of the ones that I’ve done before that have worked for me! I have two big pieces of advice when it comes to warm-ups:
Try not to let yourself get caught up in the warm-up. Anything longer than 15 minutes is likely a little superfluous.
Once a warm-up is done, let it be. Don’t edit it or try to build off of it for another warm-up; you want these ideas and words to be new ones every time.
And that’s it! Happy writing!
By the way, you can improve your executive function. You can literally build it like a muscle.
Yes, even if you're neurodivergent. I don't have ADHD, but it is allegedly a thing with ADHD as well. And I am autistic, and after a bunch of nerve damage (severe enough that I was basically housebound for 6 months), I had to completely rebuild my ability to get my brain to Do Things from what felt like nearly scratch.
This is specifically from ADDitude magazine, so written specifically for ADHD (and while focused in large part on kids, also definitely includes adults and adult activities):
Here's a link on this for autism (though as an editor wow did that title need an editor lol):
Resources on this aren't great because they're mainly aimed at neurotypical therapists or parents of neurdivergent children. There's worksheets you can do that help a lot too or thought work you can do to sort of build the neuro-infrastructure for tasks.
But a lot of the stuff is just like. fun. Pulling from both the first article and my own experience:
Play games or video games where you have to make a lot of decisions. Literally go make a ton of picrews or do online dress-up dolls if you like. It helped me.
Art, especially forms of art that require patience, planning ahead, or in contrast improvisation
Listening to longform storytelling without visuals, e.g. just listening regularly to audiobooks or narrative podcasts, etc.
Meditation
Martial arts
Sports in general
Board games like chess or Catan (I actually found a big list of what board games are good for building what executive functioning skills here)
Woodworking
Cooking
If you're bad at time management play games or video games with a bunch of timers
Things can be easier. You do not have to be stuck forever.
saw a video that was like “everybody comment what you did today so we can see how everyone experienced something different” and the comments have me tearing up on this train. what the fuckkkk. the human experience
Cashmere Cape, ca. 1912
Reville & Rossiter Ltd.
via Vintage Martini
If you ever are self-publishing or illustrating a paperback, an absolutely essential tool is this page, which gives you the exact pixel count of a book spine based on its page count, and/or a template you can use for the correct width/height ratio.
Want to fanbind? Need davy boards/book boards and low on funds? I have an excellent hack for you:
Repurpose shitty books
"But!!!" You may say, "no book is shitty! All human experiences are worth putting to paper!"
You're right! But, also, Counterpoint:
I went to my local thrift shop and got these for the low price of $5 for all 10. ("Getting into politics?" The lovely ladies behind the counter asked me. "In a manner of speaking," I replied.)
Once I got home, it was easy to turn them into this, their component parts:
("Please stop saying you're skinning them," my partner begged. Too late!)
[EDIT TO ADD: Here's a guide! Also on my tumblr. Also - when thrifting, bring a piece of paper folded or cut into the minimum size you need for boards: this way you can make sure you're getting big enough material!]
While these are just book boards, diligent deconstruction can even yield headbands, I'm pretty sure - I'll report back on my next trial run. [EDIT TO ADD: yup, you can!]
I cannot overstate the delight I have in giving these covers new life for binding fanfiction, particularly the queer kind.
Happy binding!
I'm autistic and I currently feel like shit checklist
Hi there. Are you autistic? Do you currently feel like shit and don't know why? Try this checklist to see if you can Fix The Problem!
When was the last time you used the bathroom? If you answered "I don't know" or "at least 3 hours ago", go now!
Do you need a drink? Go get one if you don't have one in front of you.
When was the last time you ate? If you haven't eaten yet today, consider eating A Meal, or perhaps A Snack. Something is better than nothing, eat whatever you feel able to!
Is there something in your immediate surroundings that is bothering you? If the light is too bright, turn it off. If there is an annoying sound, make the sound stop or reduce your ability to hear it (earplugs, headphones, etc.). If your clothes are bothering you, change them.
Is your space messy? Pick one area of your room and clean it up as best you can. Clean your whole room if you have the energy!
When was the last time you did An Activity? Scrolling on social media doesn't count. Try actively doing something fun! Play a game you like, read a book, make something, or go for a walk.
When was the last time you Spoke to a Person? Consider talking to a person you like if it has been a while.
How long has it been since you did something Special Interest related? Make some time to do that today. Infodump to a friend, have a nice long research session, look at related images or gifs, make art about it, whatever works best for you!
Try stimming actively! Put on some music and dance, spin in circles, go to the park and use the swings!
If you still feel like shit after trying all of these things, you might be tired or sick. Go to bed early and get some rest. Hopefully you will feel better tomorrow!
Hope that helps :)
Excellent tutorial to drawing cubby body types
“Some chubby guide for y’all!”
Source: paggiart on twitter
Here's a pair of pants I've been modifying!!! The pants were thrifted from goodwill I believe, the patches on the pockets were from a pair of shorts I got from the same store and I painted a sun on the knee ☀️
I still have to decorate the back and I want to add a patch underneath one of the pockets :)
PSA to all historical fiction/fantasy writers:
A SEAMSTRESS, in a historical sense, is someone whose job is sewing. Just sewing. The main skill involved here is going to be putting the needle into an out of the fabric. They’re usually considered unskilled workers, because everyone can sew, right? (Note: yes, just about everyone could sew historically. And I mean everyone.) They’re usually going to be making either clothes that aren’t fitted (like shirts or shifts or petticoats) or things more along the lines of linens (bedsheets, handkerchiefs, napkins, ect.). Now, a decent number of people would make these things at home, especially in more rural areas, since they don’t take a ton of practice, but they’re also often available ready-made so it’s not an uncommon job. Nowadays it just means someone whose job is to sew things in general, but this was not the case historically. Calling a dressmaker a seamstress would be like asking a portrait painter to paint your house
A DRESSMAKER (or mantua maker before the early 1800s) makes clothing though the skill of draping (which is when you don’t use as many patterns and more drape the fabric over the person’s body to fit it and pin from there (although they did start using more patterns in the early 19th century). They’re usually going to work exclusively for women, since menswear is rarely made through this method (could be different in a fantasy world though). Sometimes you also see them called “gown makers”, especially if they were men (like tailors advertising that that could do both. Mantua-maker was a very feminized term, like seamstress. You wouldn’t really call a man that historically). This is a pretty new trade; it only really sprung up in the later 1600s, when the mantua dress came into fashion (hence the name).
TAILORS make clothing by using the method of patterning: they take measurements and use those measurements to draw out a 2D pattern that is then sewed up into the 3D item of clothing (unlike the dressmakers, who drape the item as a 3D piece of clothing originally). They usually did menswear, but also plenty of pieces of womenswear, especially things made similarly to menswear: riding habits, overcoats, the like. Before the dressmaking trade split off (for very interesting reason I suggest looking into. Basically new fashion required new methods that tailors thought were beneath them), tailors made everyone’s clothes. And also it was not uncommon for them to alter clothes (dressmakers did this too). Staymakers are a sort of subsect of tailors that made corsets or stays (which are made with tailoring methods but most of the time in urban areas a staymaker could find enough work so just do stays, although most tailors could and would make them).
Tailors and dressmakers are both skilled workers. Those aren’t skills that most people could do at home. Fitted things like dresses and jackets and things would probably be made professionally and for the wearer even by the working class (with some exceptions of course). Making all clothes at home didn’t really become a thing until the mid Victorian era.
And then of course there are other trades that involve the skill of sewing, such as millinery (not just hats, historically they did all kinds of women’s accessories), trimming for hatmaking (putting on the hat and and binding and things), glovemaking (self explanatory) and such.
TLDR: seamstress, dressmaker, and tailor are three very different jobs with different skills and levels of prestige. Don’t use them interchangeably and for the love of all that is holy please don’t call someone a seamstress when they’re a dressmaker
my recipe for drawing hands!
(small note that this is a shortcut that is more abt style and ease than anatomical accuracy. it helps to take time to really properly study hands, makes it easier to bend the rules a bit like this and have it still look good!!)
(learn rules b4 u break them or whatevah)
I got a laptop with Windows 11 for an IT course so I can get certified, and doing the first time device set-up for it made me want to commit unspeakable violence
Windows 11 should not exist, no one should use it for any reason, it puts ads in the file explorer and has made it so file searches are also web searches and this cannot be turned off except through registry editing. Whoever is responsible for those decisions should be killed, full stop.
Switch to linux, it's free and it's good.
Links to my free sewing patterns! - big manta ray - smaller manta ray - monster friend (those monsters with horns I’ve been making lately, but without horns) - pie slice - Fred, the Fish of Minimal Effort - tiny cat (aka Jiji) - mini mothman - whale shark/donut whale shark - juggling frog/toad (aka my smallest, simplest frog pattern of the three I’ve made) - large frog - tiny hedgehog - minecraft bee - minecraft zombie - blorbo - Strawberry Hearts quilt pattern - starfish - little octopus
artist tips
don’t save as jpeg
I don't really ever use Tumblr for advertising. But so many of the questions that come in about writing and plotting are answered in much more depth in my Masterclass. (Yes, you have to pay. They have also been answered here on Tumblr and over on my blog for free, but you will have to find them.)
It's been one of the most popular Masterclasses since its release in 2019, and these days I get to hear from people who published books and blame me, which is nice.
So consider this a rare commercial, mostly because it may actually make life easier for some of you.
I’ve teased it. You’ve waited. I’ve procrastinated. You’ve probably forgotten all about it.
But now, finally, I’m here with my solarpunk resources masterpost!
YouTube Channels:
Andrewism
The Solarpunk Scene
Solarpunk Life
Solarpunk Station
Our Changing Climate
Podcasts:
The Joy Report
How To Save A Planet
Demand Utopia
Solarpunk Presents
Outrage and Optimisim
From What If To What Next
Solarpunk Now
Idealistically
The Extinction Rebellion Podcast
The Landworkers' Radio
Wilder
What Could Possibly Go Right?
Frontiers of Commoning
The War on Cars
The Rewild Podcast
Books (Fiction):
Ursula K. Le Guin: The Left Hand of Darkness The Dispossessed The Word for World is Forest
Becky Chambers: A Psalm for the Wild-Built A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
Phoebe Wagner: When We Hold Each Other Up
Phoebe Wagner, Bronte Christopher Wieland: Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation
Brenda J. Pierson: Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology
Gerson Lodi-Ribeiro: Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World
Justine Norton-Kertson: Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology
Sim Kern: The Free People’s Village
Ruthanna Emrys: A Half-Built Garden
Sarina Ulibarri: Glass & Gardens
Books (Non-fiction):
Murray Bookchin: The Ecology of Freedom
George Monbiot: Feral
Miles Olson: Unlearn, Rewild
Mark Shepard: Restoration Agriculture
Kristin Ohlson: The Soil Will Save Us
Rowan Hooper: How To Spend A Trillion Dollars
Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing: The Mushroom At The End of The World
Kimberly Nicholas: Under The Sky We Make
Robin Wall Kimmerer: Braiding Sweetgrass
David Miller: Solved
Ayana Johnson, Katharine Wilkinson: All We Can Save
Jonathan Safran Foer: We Are The Weather
Colin Tudge: Six Steps Back To The Land
Edward Wilson: Half-Earth
Natalie Fee: How To Save The World For Free
Kaden Hogan: Humans of Climate Change
Rebecca Huntley: How To Talk About Climate Change In A Way That Makes A Difference
Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac: The Future We Choose
Jonathon Porritt: Hope In Hell
Paul Hawken: Regeneration
Mark Maslin: How To Save Our Planet
Katherine Hayhoe: Saving Us
Jimmy Dunson: Building Power While The Lights Are Out
Paul Raekstad, Sofa Saio Gradin: Prefigurative Politics
Andreas Malm: How To Blow Up A Pipeline
Phoebe Wagner, Bronte Christopher Wieland: Almanac For The Anthropocene
Chris Turner: How To Be A Climate Optimist
William MacAskill: What We Owe To The Future
Mikaela Loach: It's Not That Radical
Miles Richardson: Reconnection
David Harvey: Spaces of Hope Rebel Cities
Eric Holthaus: The Future Earth
Zahra Biabani: Climate Optimism
David Ehrenfeld: Becoming Good Ancestors
Stephen Gliessman: Agroecology
Chris Carlsson: Nowtopia
Jon Alexander: Citizens
Leah Thomas: The Intersectional Environmentalist
Greta Thunberg: The Climate Book
Jen Bendell, Rupert Read: Deep Adaptation
Seth Godin: The Carbon Almanac
Jane Goodall: The Book of Hope
Vandana Shiva: Agroecology and Regenerative Agriculture
Amitav Ghosh: The Great Derangement
Minouche Shafik: What We Owe To Each Other
Dieter Helm: Net Zero
Chris Goodall: What We Need To Do Now
Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac
Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Stephanie Foote: The Cambridge Companion To The Environmental Humanities
Bella Lack: The Children of The Anthropocene
Hannah Ritchie: Not The End of The World
Chris Turner: How To Be A Climate Optimist
Kim Stanley Robinson: Ministry For The Future
Fiona Mathews, Tim Kendall: Black Ops & Beaver Bombing
Jeff Goodell: The Water Will Come
Lynne Jones: Sorry For The Inconvenience But This Is An Emergency
Helen Crist: Abundant Earth
Sam Bentley: Good News, Planet Earth!
Timothy Beal: When Time Is Short
Andrew Boyd: I Want A Better Catastrophe
Kristen R. Ghodsee: Everyday Utopia
Elizabeth Cripps: What Climate Justice Means & Why We Should Care
Kylie Flanagan: Climate Resilience
Chris Johnstone, Joanna Macy: Active Hope
Mark Engler: This is an Uprising
Anne Therese Gennari: The Climate Optimist Handbook
Magazines:
Solarpunk Magazine
Positive News
Resurgence & Ecologist
Ethical Consumer
Films (Fiction):
How To Blow Up A Pipeline
The End We Start From
Woman At War
Black Panther
Star Trek
Tomorrowland
Films (Documentary):
2040: How We Can Save The Planet
The People vs Big Oil
Wild Isles
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
Generation Green New Deal
Video Games:
Terra Nil
Animal Crossing
Gilded Shadows
Anno 2070
Stardew Valley
RPGs:
Solarpunk Futures
Perfect Storm
Advocacy Groups:
A22 Network
Extinction Rebellion
Greenpeace
Friends of The Earth
Apps:
Ethy
Sojo
BackMarket
Depop
Vinted
Olio
Buy Nothing
Too Good To Go
Websites:
European Co-housing
UK Co-housing
US Co-housing
Brought By Bike (connects you with zero-carbon delivery goods)
ClimateBase (find a sustainable career)
Environmentjob (ditto)
Businesses (🤢):
Ethical Superstore
Hodmedods
Fairtransport/Sail Cargo Alliance
Let me know if you think there’s anything I’ve missed!
Just to make a point, every time I finished a panel of this I would export it as a PNG on the perceptual setting and use it as a color reference for the next panel
IT'S BAD
PLEASE CHECK YOUR COLOR SETTINGS
EDIT: If you're still having problems, it might help to switch from "Save/Save as" to "Export (as a) Single Layer". Just. Make SURE the box labeled "Expression Color" is set to RGB. I've been messing with this all day, and it looks like this combination of settings will allow exported PNGs to maintain their colors perfectly. To you. So far both Discord and Toyhouse still only display desaturated images and I cannot for the life of me figure out why
Ive said this before but swear the biggest skill to learn as an adult is how to resist high-pressure sales tactics. You do NOT have to answer questions with anything other than "Sorry I'm not interested." No matter how nice they are or no matter how many follow up questions they ask or even how agitated they get when you stand your ground. Just keep saying I'm not interested. Don't answer their questions. Don't give them an opening to try to push back on your reasons. Be a fucking brick wall of I'm not interested.
how to grow the fuck up
got a couple of questions on ig about how i choose colors and i spent way too long putting these together so!! here’s a small color picking guide 🎨✨
hopefully this’ll be helpful to someone, but really i think the most important thing is having fun and experimenting to find what you like best!
Femme Fatale Guide: Products & Services Worth The Splurge
Fashion:
A great couple of bras in black/nude (your best skin-toned shade)
Comfortable, breathable, and seamless underwear
Outerwear (Coats, jackets, blazers)
The perfect pair of jeans
An LBD that works from day to night
Comfortable, sturdy, sleek, and timeless footwear (a versatile black boot, a black heel, white sneaker, and a black flat/loafer/sandal)
A timeless and versatile crossbody or shoulder bag (a larger one for the daytime/work or school and a smaller one for nighttime/events)
One or two well-made classic jewelry item(s)
A conversation-starting item or accessory
Beauty:
Sunscreen
Any skincare/skin cosmetic products that are game-changers for you
A quality hair brush, comb, and hair towel
Your signature scent
A quality razor/hair removal product
Vitamin C/Retinol serums
Reliable hair tools and sturdy nail tools
A quality hair heat protectant/scalp cleansing or conditioning spray
Makeup brushes and beauty tool cleaners
Home:
Lamps/lighting
Couch/desk chair
Everything for your bed: Bed frame, mattress/sheets/pillows, etc.
Knives
Dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe dishes & cups you love
A full-length mirror
Vacuum
Storage solutions/cedar blocks or moth balls
Quality holders for everything: Paper towels, shower storage, hooks, mailbox/key bowls
Name brand paper products/household cleaners
Electric toothbrush & Waterpik
Sound-proof headphones/Airpods
MacBook Air
Health & Wellness:
High-quality lettuce and/or sprouts
Organic frozen fruits and vegetables (if fresh is too pricey)
BPA-free canned goods
Potassium bromate & glyphosate-free grain products
Snacks free of artificial colors
Quality coffee
An at-home massage tool/heating pad
Fur products for skin/hair removal
Vitamin C/Retinol serums
Quality running shoes
Anything that goes near your vulva or into the vagina: Sex toys, lube, condoms, toy cleaners, pads/tampons/menstrual cups, cleansing wipes, etc.
A yoga mat, resistance band, and a pair of small ankle weights
Spotify subscription
Books and audiobooks
Services:
Therapy
A top-tier haircut
House cleaning (even if it's only once every couple of months)
Top-tier hair removal/brow maintenance services of your choice
Best doctors, dentists, OB/GYN, and dermatologists you can get
At least one personal training/styling session in your life
Professional/Social:
Ownership of the domain for your full legal/professional name and/or business name
A CPA/bookkeeper/fiduciary financial advisor
Automation workflow/content management system software
A lawyer for contract review/LLC services
Personalized stationery/"Thank You" cards
Memorable client gifting for the holidays/milestone successes
Niche skill-based certifications (Google, AWS, Hubspot, etc.) or courses made by trusted professionals in your field
Subscriptions in world-leading and industry-authority digital publications
a god and his vassal