If you use Firefox, you can go to the about:config page, search for "media.mediasource.enabled" and double click on it to set it to false. After you restart Firefox, all youtube videos will load entirely even when paused! This also affects other streaming websites :)
go to About:config
find media.mediasource.enabled and toggle it to false
find media.cache_readahead_limit and change it to 9999
find media.cache_resume_threshold and change it to 9999
additionally if you'd prefer mp4 to webm
also in about:config, find:
media.encoder.webm.enabled
media.mediasource.webm.audio.enabled
media.mediasource.webm.enabled
media.webm.enabled
and toggle them all to false
note!
this will limit video to 1080p
and use https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/dont-accept-webp/ to kill WebP
Fuck Google
Not to be a technical writer on main, but I've been bumping into the idea lately that the only reason explaining yourself in more detail never seems to work is because neurotypical people are misunderstanding you on purpose, or because they have short attention spans, or because they just hate listening to you talk – and sure, occasionally that's even true, but most of the time the problem you're running into is more fundamental.
Every time you add more detail, you're running the risk of tripping over a bad assumption on your part about the listener's prior knowledge, or hitting the tipping point where they become overwhelmed with new information (and remember that you don't know which parts of what you're saying will be new information for them), or making a leap of logic that isn't as self-evident as you think it is, or any of a dozen other potential snags which, by definition, you will not see coming until it's too late to correct course.
Basically, every piece of information you add multiplies the odds of you getting blindsided by some vector of misunderstanding you didn't anticipate, even as it addresses the ones you did anticipate. The point of diminishing returns where continuing to elaborate increases the odds of unexpected miscommunication more than it decreases the odds of expected miscommunication is much nearer than you'd like.
The most effective act of communication is not the one which contains the most possible information, but the one which contains the smallest amount of information it possibly can while still getting its point across. It sucks, but it's the reality of the situation. People far more autistic than you have been trying for hundreds of years to invent a way of communicating which doesn't work this way, without success.
All of which is to say that "getting to the damn point" is legitimately a communication skill, not just an accommodation for people who aren't paying attention. If it's any consolation, it's something neurotypical people struggle with just as much as anyone else – if it was easy, technical writers wouldn't have jobs!
...so you're saying that the 200-word RPG thing counts as "developing important life skills"? (For people who aren't intending to make a living writing RPGs, that is.)
I mean, yes. To the extent that exercises like the 200-word RPG challenge have any productive purpose at all, it's to encourage folks to shift focus and work on their skills as an editor and technical writer – and those skills are transferable!
A couple of folks in the notes have asked "what about two-way conversations rather than explanations?" and let me tell you: there's a whole family of overexplaining-related pitfalls that basically boil down to failing to recognise that conversation is a two-way dialogue.
To pose an example, one common type of overexplaining is trying to anticipate what your listener might need clarification about, and to pre-emptively provide that clarification.
How can this go wrong?
Well, for starters, you might guess wrong about where clarification is needed, and now you're talking down to them for no reason. (This can, and often does, tie into bad assumptions on your part about the listener's prior knowledge; see above.)
Worse, you might correctly identify where clarification is needed, but guess wrong about the specific type of clarification your listener needs, which can go wrong in one of two ways. Either they allow that opportunity for dialogue to be closed off, and muddle on without the needed clarification; or they bite the bullet and ask anyway, and now you think they clearly weren't paying attention to what you're saying, because God, you already explained that, and you're too much in your own head to notice that the type of clarification you pre-emptively provided is not the type of clarification they actually need.
And of course, you may not react this way at all, but they may anticipate that you'll think they're not paying attention if they push back, and refrain from asking because they don't want to risk your disapproval.
Paradoxically, in an active dialogue, under-explaining often produces greater clarity than over-explaining, since it leaves the the floor open for the listener to guide you to where they need more information.
(And of course there are dipsticks in the notes reading this whole thing and going "and that's why talking to neurotypicals sucks" like, no, buddy – it's everyone. You think autistic people never feel like they're being treated like an idiot and get pissy about it when you underestimate their prior knowledge? You think people with ADHD never get overwhelmed and shut down when asked to take in too much new information too quickly? Be serious.)
"The philosopher of language Paul Grice introduced the concept in his pragmatic theory:
Make your contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged.[1]: 45
"
I really which this was more widely discussed. There's a pretty good recap of how conversation works and what the (usually unstated) rules are.
It's also how you can make jokes - by intentionally breaking these.
I should make this my art account. Will I? Probably not. It just sits here. I don’t use this account much anymore lol. Mostly reposts for things I’ll find useful later
shot deck is a massive database of film shots searchable by grading, tod, shot type, characters and content! Studying from films really helps improve your values and composition as the shots are usually very carefully constructed! It helps you find ways to maintain realism while still packing mood and narrative into your work!
master paintings! I recommend the orientalists like Jean Leon Gerome in particular their environments had great compositions and throw around a ton of colour and light! I like the modern artists Craig Mullins and Richard Schmid also, as there is so much impressionist lost detail and simplicity yet the environments feel so real.
The 1960s era disney background artists like eyvind earle are a masterclass in stylisation and simplification and make a wonderful choice for studies. (That being said modern disney visdev artists like Nathan Fowkes are just as fantastic to study for the same reason)
architectural photography can be a great resource too- I love to look for work by urbEX people!
thumbnailing and comp studies- trying to break down a photo into as few values as possible and still have it be readable- this really helps train your brain in the relationship between light exposure and local value.
Im begging you if doing it in colour is too hard to start with just do it in black and white!!!!! Greyscale painting is an essential step in learning to paint and understand lighting scenarios!! Colour is hard!!!
there is no substitute for going outside and doing some plein air painting- really looking first hand at how the light effects different materials and objects, how it bounces around, what edges your eye naturally loses in certain lighting scenarios. Just go outside and draw and try to notice stuff.
for characters:
figure studies!!!! from life if you can but if you cant there are a ton of great resources out there- personally I love croquis cafe and posespace, but if you can afford it (and are interested in intense anatomy study) then scott eaton has a site called bodies in motion which is fantaaaastic. I think by now everyone knows nyx and senshistock, I also use a lot of grafit studio photorefs to study more complicated poses!!
Master studies (again). I particularly like to study the work of John Singer Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, Edwin Austin Abbey, Alphonse Mucha (his le pater compositions are out of this world), any of the New Rochelle artists (e.g rockwell, tom lovell, those 1950s illustrators REALLY knew their shit).
I literally have a resin skull on my desk that I've used to do quick studies with different lighting, just 10 mins a day back when I was doing it and it levelled up my skill a lot!.
Material studies are essential to leveling up your character painting!!! Look at fur, look at metal, look at the way something embroidered reflects light vs tooled leather!!
gesture studies! Look at a dynamic pose and see how you can exaggerate the motion in away that captures the sense of movement. This is tricky to start with but its really worthwhile especially when you combine it with other exercises. Mixamo is a cool library to look into for this kind of thing as you can pause and rotate the models in the middle of their actions!
breakdown the work of artists you admire- it's ok to study other living artists (and try to reverse engineer how they are making their decisions) it's a very effective learning tool! Really figure out what it is about that persons workflow you like, and how you might incorporate that element into your own. Obviously, dont post studies of living artists work!
The most important thing is that when you do a study you go into it knowing what you want to learn. Dont try to do everything at once! It's ok to focus on the muscle structure and not give a damn about the gesture. It's ok to focus on the texture of the fur and completely ignore the characters face.
The best way to keep doing studies is to find refs you like- things you are interested in and that capture your imagination! Follow your curiosity and remember that just a tiny little bit a day makes a huge difference.
Gunna take a sec to recommend the tutorials of Devin Korwin. He talks about how to study and how to breakdown art fundamentals in a way that is at once both very advanced but also digestible. I highly recommend his pdfs!
🍖 How to Build a Culture Without Just Inventing Spices and Necklaces
(a worldbuilding roast. with love.)
So. You’re building a fantasy world, and you’ve just invented:
→ Three types of ceremonial jewelry
→ A spice that tastes like cinnamon if it were bitter and cursed
→ A holiday where everyone wears gold and screams at dawn
Cute. But that’s not culture. That’s aesthetics.
And if your worldbuilding is all outfits, dances, and spice blends with vaguely mystical names, your story’s probably going to feel like a cosplay convention held inside a Pinterest board.
Here’s how to fix that—aka: how to build a real, functioning culture that shapes your story, not just its vibes.
─────── ✦ ───────
🔗 Culture Is Built on Power, Not Just Style
Ask yourself:
→ Who’s in charge, and why?
→ Who has land? Who doesn’t?
→ What’s considered taboo, sacred, or punishable by death?
Culture is shaped by who gets to make the rules and who gets crushed by them. That’s where things like religion, family structure, class divisions, gender roles, and social expectations actually come from.
Start there. Not at the embroidery.
─────── ✦ ───────
2.🪓 Culture Comes From Conflict
Did this society evolve peacefully? Was it colonized? Did it colonize? Was it rebuilt after a war? Is it still in one?
→ What was destroyed and mythologized?
→ What do the survivors still whisper about?
→ What do children get taught in school that’s… suspiciously sanitized?
No culture is neutral. Every tradition has a history, and that history should taste like blood, loss, or propaganda.
─────── ✦ ───────
3.🧠 Belief Systems > Customs Lists
Sure, rituals and holidays are cool. But what do people believe about:
→ Death?
→ Love?
→ Time?
→ The natural world?
→ Justice?
Example: A society that believes time is cyclical vs. one that sees time as linear will approach everything—from prison sentences to grief—completely differently.
You don’t need to invent 80 gods. You need to know what those gods mean to the people who pray to them.
─────── ✦ ───────
4.🫀 Culture Controls Behavior (Quietly)
Culture shows up in:
→ What people apologize for
→ What insults cut deepest
→ What people are embarrassed about
→ What’s praised publicly vs. what’s hidden privately
For instance:
→ A culture obsessed with stoicism won’t say “I love you.” They’ll say “Have you eaten?”
→ A culture built on legacy might prioritize ancestor veneration, archival writing, name inheritance.
This stuff? Way more immersive than giving everyone matching earrings.
─────── ✦ ───────
5. 🏠 Culture = Daily Life, Not Just Festivals
Sure, your MC might attend a funeral where people paint their faces blue. But what about:
→ Breakfast routines?
→ How people greet each other on the street?
→ Who cooks, and who eats first?
→ What’s considered “clean” or “proper”?
→ How is parenting handled? Divorce?
Culture is what happens between plot points. It should shape your character’s assumptions, language, fears, and habits—whether or not a festival is going on.
─────── ✦ ───────
6. 💬 Let Your Characters Disagree With Their Own Culture
A culture isn’t a monolith.
Even in deeply traditional societies, people:
→ Rebel
→ Question
→ Break rules
→ Misinterpret laws
→ Mock sacred things
→ Act hypocritically
→ Weaponize or resist what’s expected
Let your characters wrestle with the culture around them. That’s where realism (and tension) lives.
─────── ✦ ───────
7.🧼 Beware the “Pretty = Good” Trap
Worldbuilding gets boring fast when:
→ The protagonist’s homeland is beautiful and pure
→ The enemy’s culture is dark and “barbaric”
→ Every detail just reinforces who the reader should like
You can—and should—challenge the aesthetic hierarchy.
→ Let ugly things be beloved.
→ Let beautiful things be corrupt.
→ Let your MC romanticize their culture and then get disillusioned by it later.
─────── ✦ ───────
📍 TL;DR (but like, spicy):
→ Culture is not food and jewelry.
→ Culture is power, fear, memory, contradiction.
→ Stop inventing spices until you know who starved last winter.
→ Let your world feel lived in, not curated.
The best cultural worldbuilding doesn’t look like a list.
It feels like a system. A pressure. A presence your characters can’t escape—even if they try.
Now go. Build something real. (You can add spices later.)
—rin t.
// writing advice for worldbuilders with rage and range
// thewriteadviceforwriters
Sometimes the problem isn’t your plot. It’s your first 5 pages. Fix it here → 🖤 Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making:
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A gothic prompt pack for writers who love cursed universities, secret societies, and scholarly rot.✎ Write the Darkness ✎A 75-prompt horror
the truly impressive part of this panel was how for an hour, a FULL hour, they talked about writing straight characters like the st8s talk about writing queer characters and they did. not. break. It was the most amazing piece of improv comedy i’ve ever seen.
[image: screenshot of the PodCon 2017 schedule listing for a panel entitled “How to Create Straight Characters”, moderated by Gaby Dunn of Bad With Money with participants Cecil Baldwin of Welcome to Night Vale and Jasika Dunn of Alice Isn’t Dead. (not shown, but identified in the Castbox link for the panel recording: panelist Brie Williams.) the panel description is below:]
So often straight characters are defined by their romantic relationship with someone who is a different gender. How do you keep a story from being overwhelmed by the sexuality of your main character? Is it possible to have a straight character in a story without having a romantic relationship in order to demonstrate their straightness? And how does an LGBTQ storyteller include straight characters while remaining true to their own values and ideals?
GD: Hello, welcome to how to create straight characters. I’m so glad that we are able to get this representation in. You know, it’s important to have an inclusive, ahem, con. I’m- Let’s go down and say who we are and what our credentials are to speak on this topic. Uh, I am Gaby Dunn. Uh, I am the host of Bad with Money. Noted bisexual. Uh, but I have met some straight people and also I like to look at straight memes. If you haven’t checked that out, they’re incredible. Seems like the straights are cheating all the time or trying to figure out if people are cheating. I constantly am like, are they okay? No, the answer is no.
I just heard more news about the uk deciding trans women are being stripped of their rights bit by bit. This time they aren’t allowed to play women’s football. ‘
Because their big strong manly leg muscles kick the ball SOOOOOO much harder and it’s unfair :( sad’
But that’s not true or fair. Biological differences in body composition can’t compensate for the skill and training and time that its taken an athlete to get where they are. This is not about fairness to women. This is about singling out people who are different and pushing them further away.
They are trying to make an ‘us or them’ it’s not going to be Manchester vs Liverpool football. It’s going to be ‘normal’ football vs ‘trans’ football. And that’s ludicrous. It is not cis people vs trans people. It is the wealthy, loud minority that are trying to silence the majority, trying to make us think it’s normal to turn on each other.
The uk isn’t going in all guns blazing like America, but the same things are happening. Immigrants, queer people, when will it be disabled people? When will it be anyone of colour, even if they were born here? When will it be women? When will it be you?
The only ‘us’ is people fighting to protect each other and ‘them’ is those trying to separate us. Don’t be them. Don’t be complicit in breaking a family apart, don’t stand by while people die, don’t stand by while the higher ups try and make it seem like someone else’s existence is a threat to your own. They are trying to change the social order, and it will be exclusionary. People died fighting for you to have rights. Whoever is reading this. Unless you are an able bodied, mentally healthy, white, straight, cisgender man, someone somewhere has died for your rights to exist. They fought tirelessly. Don’t let the propaganda change you. Don’t be complicit. Speak out and make things fair while you still can.
There’s been too much straightness in my life lately. Made me question my sexuality. All these straight people shoving it down our throats, I mean, I’m totally comfortable in my sexuality! If there weren’t so many straight people making such a fuss of being straight, I wouldn’t be having any doubts about my normal, natural gayness. Straightness is a poison, im telling you!
