Web Wonders
Marvels that are what the internet is all about.
PCNY Distribution Station / a lovely little tool that emulates a now defunct in-person distribution station for event pokemon during generation 2 (gold, silver, crystal). you can receive the pokemon by uploading your own save files! cycles through events based on their original distribution period, but can also be prompted to emulate any event that occurred during the station's lifetime.
Public Domain Image Archive / GIGANTIC collection of vintage images that have lost their copyright: a total free-for-all. boasts a really cool "infinite view" feature that lets you drag through an infinite wall of odd & beautiful old art.
The 'Shroom / a surprisingly extensive monthly newsletter maintaned by members of the Super Mario Wiki. i'm a big fan of the in-universe "Fake News" section. it's packed with sooo many creative explorations and expansions of the Mario universe.
Web Design Museum / an exhibition of old web designs. i used this site extensively while researching the skeumorphic design of early ios apps i took heavy inspiration from in designing this site.
Online Utility
Tools yeehaw
Avatar Cropper / an interface for cropping icons. provides previews for Discord.
Cobalt / a web-based downloading tool for ripping video and/or audio off of various sites. compatible with most major social network sites. simple, great for quick downloads. for something more robust, try JDownloader.
Exotic Animal Photo Reference Repository / provides very clear photography of animals meant for art reference. pretty limited as of now, but beats wading through the slop of modern search engines. also see x6ud's project.
Free Media Heck Yeah / a good jumping off point of the "yar-har" variety.
JDownloader / a powerful download manager that lets you download files from a wide variety of file hosting platforms. has quality and format options depending on the host. can batch download, bypass paywalls, solve CAPTCHAs...
Jellyfin / an open-source, superior alternative to Plex. it's a media server, your own personal Netflix or Spotify or whatever. the base version offers plenty of customization, and beyond that there are lots and lots of plugins.
x6ud's Animal Photo Art Reference / generates animal photos matching the rotation of a skull model, allowing for precision references. tons of species to choose from, too!
Virtual Vitality
this is just stuff that has worked for me. DYOR, or put all your faith in Dr. Vanillian, PHD in "just trust me bro".
Constructive Rest / i haven't gone too deep down the Alexander Method rabbit hole, but i employ Constructive Rest as a daily practice to reset my posture. it chills me out instantly undoes my nerd neck.
Trauma Release Exercises / so the theory goes that most animals avoid all of the downsides of built up stress, despite regular touches with death itself, by tremoring away all of the pent up adrenaline. young children are hard wired to do this, but this is unlearned as you get older. whether you buy that or not, all i know is that employing the excercise in the linked video brings me into the moment like nothing else. i've realized keeping my hips moving immediately after a traumatic event helps to keep it from being internalized.