and how the hell did you get here?
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Sand Tufas
You could be forgiven for thinking that the otherworldly rock formations in these pictures come from another planet, or from a sci-fi movie perhaps. But they’re actually called sand tufas and they come from right here on earth.
A tufa is a peculiar form of calcium carbonate, and they’re created when calcium-bearing freshwater springs well up through alkaline lake water (which is rich in carbonates). The carbonate and calcium combine and, over centuries, these elements form unusual spires, towering columns, and strange cauliflower-shaped mounds which can reach heights of up to nine metres (30ft). Tufas can only form underwater, and they’re only exposed when lakes are drained or dry out over many years. Check out this collection of pictures compiled by Bored Panda to see these curious formations for yourself.
Via + image credits
seriously, fuck the false dichotomy between Science and The Arts. as if capital-S Science isn’t an art that requires creativity, perseverance, patience, and skilled observation. as if The Arts don’t require rigor, discipline, practice, and attention to detail. as if both aren’t cultural structures that stand on foundations of sexist, racist, capitalist hierarchy. as if they both can’t be used for purposes of enrichment and revolution. i am so fucking over this idea of presenting science and art as opposites, when they have so much more in common than people think.
↖️ This User is Staying Up Passed Midnight New Years Eve to Watch 2016 FUCKING DIE
My mom has done something incredible.
I want to tell you guys a story.
A few years ago, I came out to my mom the morning after my senior prom. She was surprised, then quiet, then asked what my real orientation was. I said, “I have no idea, but I like this one girl.” She was a little confused, but she kissed me and said, “As long as she makes you happy.” For the next few weeks, she asked a lot of questions: when did I realize? What was my new girlfriend’s orientation? What was the word for this or that? I WAS happy, right?
Fast forward about two years. My mom sits me down and tells me that she needs my help with her next book. She’s been writing middle-grade girls’ books (like, 9-14 range) since I was eight, and she says she has an idea that she really, really wants to get right. It follows the plot of Romeo and Juliet, she says, and the main character is a twelve-year-old girl realizing she has a crush on another girl when they put on the play for English class.
Fast forward another year to now. STAR-CROSSED is about to come out, and it is absolutely amazing.
My mom has poured her heart and soul into making sure this is a positive thing for kids to read. I’ve been reading and editing and helping with this book since its first draft and I’ve been, metaphorically and sometimes literally bouncing up and down on my heels, waiting to be able to tell people about it. It’s beyond sweet, and there’s a ton of Shakespeare and humor and goofy preteen drama and twelve-year-old girls flirting and Star Wars jokes and a glossary of Shakespearean insults in the back (yes, really), and it’s just so fun and positive and smart and I want to show it to every kid I know.
This book is for LGBT kids, written by a mom who has asked questions and done her research and tried as hard as she possibly could to make her own queer kid feel safe and loved and valid, and it REALLY shows. Mattie (the cutie on the left) and Gemma (the cutie on the right) are given space to learn about themselves, and ultimately they don’t have to figure themselves out right away or come out to everyone at once or choose a label. They’re kids. It’s okay to still be figuring things out. It’s okay.
Fun facts:
My mom said from the beginning she wanted both girls on the cover to make it clear what the book was about; then when they got the final artwork and Mattie’s hair was short, my mom wrote back and asked the artist to do the hair over to make it as obvious as possible that Mattie is a girl.
When a few people started buzzing about Mattie being the youngest bisexual protagonist they’ve seen, she went back and changed passages to confirm that Mattie likes boys and girls.
When I asked for a happier and less ambiguous ending scene, she set Mattie and Gemma up on a frigging date.
It comes out on March 14, 2017. Please join me in GETTING HYPE FOR STAR-CROSSED <3
Shout out 2 trans kids who have to deal with hearing their birth name & being called the wrong pronouns this holiday season stay strong
It can happen here.
It can happen here.
It can happen here.
Reblog if you support Tracer's relationship with Emily
One of my favorite phrases my Creative Writing professor had for when you’re writing fantasy is ‘giving your story a Flux Capacitor’.
Because it’s not real, it doesn’t exist. But the way it’s thrown into Back to the Future, at no point does it throw the audience off or suspend any more disbelief than time travel would. You believe Doc when he says he created the Flux Capacitor - the thing that makes time travel possible, because the universe never questions him.
So it essentially means like, there are going to be elements to your universe that are just not gonna make any sense, even if you set up a whole system based on it. And the only way to make it work is completely own it. You cannot second-guess your system or else the reader will too. You can give it the strangest explanation, but write it like you own it.
help me out guys. reblog this, like this. for every note, everything is pushed back a day for him. I need your help. he doesn’t believe it’s possible to help him. but it’s entirely possible, especially with your help. I know these are so sporadic and cliché to an extent along with becoming so popular on here, but please. I appreciate every single note
1. Game Making Tools
[no coding required]
construct 2
gamemaker studio
stencyl
clickteam fusion
[some coding required]
unity
unreal engine
[more info]
…more game making tools
showcase of games that were created with these tools
2. Graphics
[create your own graphics]
photoshop
gimp
piskel
pixlr
…more graphics programs
[download graphics]
opengameart.org
[create your own models]
3ds max
maya
blender
…more 3d modeling programs
3. Sound & Music
[create own sounds]
bfxr
audacity
…more sound/music creation software
[download sounds/music]
freesound.org
incompetech.com
…more royalty free sounds/music
4. Distribution
[upload your game]
dropbox
indiedb
itch.io
gamejolt
newgrounds (only flash/html5/unity games possible)
kongregate (only flash/html5/unity games possible)
…more distribution options
info:
creategames.tumblr.com by @PixelProspector
icons by font awesome
http://www.sciencealert.com/that-thing-the-standing-rock-protesters-were-afraid-of-just-happened#.WFGkSOPoxYd.facebook #nodapl
SO YOU WANNA DRAW CATS AND DOGS BUT THOSE PESKY SNOOTS GET IN THE WAY
Here’s a hopefully helpful tutorial on how to draw them from memory but it also helps to understand and break down how to see their structure when you use reference!
Remember, it’s always best to learn the anatomy of an animal first before trying to stylize it. This way you know the rules and can choose which ones to break!
Please do not repost this tutorial or any images from it. Permission will not be granted. You may post a link to this post instead to help spread it from the original source.
Reblog if you think it’s okay to platonically say “I Love You” to your friends
Sometimes I feel like unhinging my jaw & screaming at the entrenched establishment “HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO EXPLAIN THAT WE ARE ALL BROKE?” Because 9 times out of 10, when a “millennial” does something weird, untraditional, or otherwise confusing to previous generations, the core reason is because we’re broke, thus the old ways are not accessible to us, so we’re using new stopgaps and alternatives. An “obsession” with phones/social media? It’s a cheap way to socially connect when many of us are pressed for time due to work or can’t afford to go out. A fixation on food? It’s the last comfort splurge we can feasibly afford, when vacations and the like are not an optipn. A resistance to large life milestone acquisitions? Can’t afford houses, cars, raising children. Weird craft/homebrew/DIY hobbies? Trying to save money, or spin some profit in whatever way can be managed. Widespread cynicism, anxiety and depression? We literally have to take up group fundraising collections for things like emergency expenses, rent and medical care. We’re broke and it’s slowly driving us bananas.
everybody is accountable for the fate of the people of aleppo at this hour. time is blood. call your russian and iranian embassies to voice your opposition to the bombings. call your congressional representative and ask them to support the end to the genocide. call your parliamentary representative and ask them to support the end to the genocide. organize protests and rallies and sit-ins. stay informed and inform those around you. listen to actual syrians speaking as they fight for their lives inside aleppo (not assadist propagandists). aleppo doesn’t truly “fall” until everybody in the world falls silent on the massacre. syrians’ desperate pleas for freedom and democracy are still viable until everybody in the world forgets about us. this extermination continues until the international community takes accountability for its continuing allowance and support for assad + collaborators’ actions. every single person’s voice counts. if the martyrs’ cries for freedom are not kept alive, they will have died in vain.
An Aleppo ceasefire agreement has been reached but not before people sent heartbreaking goodbye messages
Guys, Direct Relief (directrelief.org) is one of the highest-rated charities with 99% of donated money going directly to their programs. As I’m sure you’ve heard, Aleppo is about to be completely destroyed. DO is assisting with the Syrian Refugee Crisis and can use all the help they can get. If you are in a position to donate, please do so.
Whether or not you can donate, please reblog.
“What can I do to help Syria?”
Well, after educating yourself and advocating for the rights of the Syrian people in their fight for freedom against a brutal dictatorship as well as naming and holding accountable those who aid the Assad regime such as Iran, Hezbollah and Russia among others, *breathes*, you can help by donating to any of the organisations/groups listed below.
These groups mainly help on the ground in Syria providing aid; be it medical or psychological as well as food and clothes to those in need.
SAMS Foundation: the foundation works with Syrian American health care professionals and operates 106 medical facilities throughout Syria
Doctors Without Borders (also known as MSF): the organisation provides front-line medical treatment as well as providing drugs, medical supplies and equipment
Questscope: the organisation’s work is mostly centered on providing immediate trauma support and psychosocial counseling
Save the Children: the organisation is on the ground in Syria and in refugee communities providing children and their families with warm clothes, shelters, clean water and emergency care
Syrian Civil Defense (also known as The White Helmets): they are about 3,000 neutral, impartial and humanitarian Syrian volunteers who operate as first responders in rebel-held areas across the country. They were recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Karam Foundation: the organisations is focused on educational opportunities for Syrian children, currently raising funds to rebuild schools in Syria.
NuDay Syria: the organisation’s mission focuses on bringing housing and food to displaced families with single mothers or wounded family members. They are especially concerned with the lack of safe shelter and living for single mothers with daughters.
Hand in Hand for Syria: the organisation provides aid including food, clothing, water, sanitation and crucial medical assistance
According to the United Nations, there are almost 14 million Syrian refugees around the world (so far) in need of humanitarian aid. The groups below are mainly focused on helping Syrian refugees:
Migrant Offshore Aid Station: this charity exists to save children like Alan Kurdi, with a fleet of rescue boats patrolling the Mediterranean to save migrants lost at sea.
Refugees Welcome: dubbed as a kind of “Airbnb for refugees” this German nonprofit matches people with spare rooms with refugees in need of housing. If you don’t have a spare bed in Germany.
The Worldwide Tribe in Calais: a group of social activists documenting stories in the Calais migrant camp, they also raise relief funds.
Small Projects Istanbul: the initiative provides classes and cultural enrichment and scholarships to Syrian children in Turkey.
International Medical Corps: they run a service center for Syrian refugees that provides medical care, classes and job training.
Medical Teams International: the organisation focuses on health and dental care for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Mercy Corps: the group provides direct aid to Syrian refugees in the form of food and supplies, and by increasing access to clean water and sanitation, shelters, and safe spaces and activities for children
Shelterbox: the group has been providing emergency shelter and supplies to families affected by the Syrian crisis in Iraq Kurdistan, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, including clothing, stoves and, water filters.
UNICEF: the UN agency focuses on assisting Syrian children by providing healthcare, nutrition, immunization, water and sanitation, and classes.
Oxfam: the nonprofit provides aid to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan such as clean water, sanitation services, and hygiene education to help ward of cholera and other intestinal diseases.
Yes, donating won’t stop barrel bombs from falling on besieged civilian areas (that comes by being vocal about Assad’s crimes) but it can definitely help create a start.
How to do “extra” facial expressions!
Drawing basic facial expressions is not the hardest. Most people can draw a sad face, a happy face, angry etc., but making more multidimensional expressions is more of a challenge. I have gotten a lot of compliments on how I draw facial expressions, (specifically “angsty ones”) telling me that they are very dramatic and well… expressive! And there are actually only a few things I think about when I draw faces that take them to the next level, so I thought i’d illustrate them all here!
SUPER IMPORTANT TIP BEFORE WE START: Look at your own face when you draw faces. Even making the face when you are drawing (you don’t even have to look at it), will give you some sense of how the face muscles pull and where things fold and stretch, because you can feel it. You are the best reference when it comes to facial expressions!
Angles
Draw the head in an angle that matches the expressions you want to make. It is not a requirement, but is going to add to the effect.
Symmetry vs asymmetry
A face is rarely symmetric. Unless the face the character is making is 100 % relaxed or even dissociating, the eyebrows, mouth and facial muscles will have different placements of their respective side. This image shows the dramatic impact asymmetry has on a face:
That’s the difference between a smile and a smirk!
The first one’s like “oh yeah?” and the second is like “oH YEAH??”
The “balloon squishing principle”
This is something I did subconsciously, and I didn’t know about until I made this tutorial. And this principle goes hand in hand with an asymmetric face. Basically, if you squish one part of the face, you need to even out the empty space by “inflating” the other part of the face so that it doesn’t appear shrunken. The picture hopefully explains it:
Teeth
Don’t forget to add the gum when the mouth is open to its full potential!
Squinting and folding
Adding folds around the eyes when a character is squinting makes a HUGE difference. It makes a smile more genuine and a growl more intimidating. Adding folds to the face in general makes your characters more lifelike and ‘visually relatable’. Like, they look human, and less plastic or fake.
and so on..
Pupils and irises
The placement of the iris and pupil in relation to the eyelids is very important! The less of the white you see, the more relaxed the character is.
And then of course eyebrows and eyes go hand in hand!
Gestures, spitting, sweating…
Adding more elements than just a face is key to making the character actually look like they are feeling what you want them to feel. Just the tiniest sweat drop adds to their anxiety, spitting adds frustration to their rage, slouching shoulders, waving hands, a double chin, extreme angles, the list goes on! Add whatever and see what kind of impact it makes! Does it do the trick? Great! Add it!
Over exaggeration!!
Remember that you can almost always exaggerate more. Don’t be afraid to do draw “too much” because you’re just experimenting. See what works and what doesn’t. What do you like to exaggerate?
Now that you know some theory, it’s time to practice!
Practicing!!
The 25 Essential Expressions (a classic! I’ve done it multiple times)
And the one I do when I’m bored:
Fill a page with circles and fill them in with different expressions. Try and exaggerate as much as you can!
This is mostly for experimenting. They are quicker to draw than complete faces, but the same rules should apply!
And that’s about it!
I don’t know if I covered everything in this tutorial, since some things might be obvious for me, and this post perhaps only scratches the surface. So feel free to send me a message if you want an explanation about something more in depth! Thank you for reading! And now DRAW!!! ✨🎨