Fantasist's Scroll

And, yes, that’s pronounced like the peanut butter by all right-minded geeks.

Because that’s how the creator said it! Okay, that’s all a joke, because he didn’t actually care that much about how anyone said it, according to an interview I read. Though, I suspect he might appreciate having gotten royalties on the file format. The really big deal about GIFs, in case you were really bored on a Friday and looking for an internet history lesson, is that the specification included provisions for animation. So, basically, these little guys were the first way we really shared video on the internet, back when the internet was CompuServe and other “walled garden” sites.

Flash forward to today, though, and artists have done some spectacular things with the format, like wavegrower and his amazing animated GIFs. Go take a look and just prepare to waste your entire day being mezmerized by the beauty of his psychadelic moving images.
Stunning. Seriously, just stunning.
And, a pretty fun way to waste time on a Friday when you’re reading blogs instead of working.

This post originally appeared on Use Your Words.

More generated maps to inspire your imagination.

Back in May, I wrote about some procedurally generated fantasy maps. Well, really they were small atlases, but randomly created by software, including all the names and travelogues. For whatever reason, these days, I find myself thinking about cities. Cities in the future. Cities in the past. But, especially, fantasy cities.
I’ve invested a fair amount of money in Profantasy Software’s mapping package over the years. (That link, by the way, IS an affiliate link!) But, I’ll be honest; I’m lazy. That software is fantastic and will create the most amazing maps, but, honestly, my imagination has gotten soft and flabby, and my creative imagination is even worse than that. It’s terrible. But, there’s good news!
Now, someone from the same happy group of programmers and creatives that made the Uncharted Atlas, has created the Medieval Fantasy City Generator!
You basically have four choices; small town, large town, small city or large city. That’s it. But, it’s also pretty much all you need.
Here’s an example of what it can create.

https://www.fantasist.net/images/RandomCity.png

(Incidentally, this came to my attention by way of The Map Room Blog, which is worth checking out if you’re into maps.)