Rhodochrosite - N`Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari Manganese Field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Cobaltoan Dolomite - Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region, Namibia

I'm pretty new here, and I don't actually know much about dinosaurs (just followed this blog because it seemed really cool and interesting) so could you explain what shrink-wrapped means?

Of course! See, modern animals have a lot of muscles, fat, fluff, etc, and end up looking very little like their actual skeleton. For example, look at how much fluff owls have:

(Source)

However, lots of palaeoartists completely ignore this! They basically stretch skin over the bones and call it a day. One especially bad example that was featured on @palaeofail is this poor pterosaur:

It barely has room for its digestive system. It’s definitely missing the air sac system that allows it to breathe. It’s got virtually no muscles on the arms - how does it fly?? - on the head (no wonder its mouth is open. It has no jaw muscles to close it!), on the torso (it needs to flap), or on the legs (walking) It doesn’t have any fat at all, so it’s definitely starving (maybe because it can’t fly or close its moth?). The skin is much too thin; you can see all of the bones and its wing membranes should be much, much thicker. And it’s missing the hair-like pycnofibres that should be covering its body!

Many palaeoartists have started to strike back at this by drawing modern animals like we might draw them if we found their bones:

(Source)

[House cat]

(Source)

Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)

          → Empress Phoenix’s Wardrobe

My Name Is Cow: Masterpost(?)

(The first few stanzas covered by i-ddpej here.)

my name is Cow, and wen its nite, or wen the moon is shiyning brite, and all the men haf gon to bed - i stay up late.

i lik the bred.

my name is Dog, and wen its tea, i hope they giv sum foode to me - i hope they shair befor its gon - they never do.

i dont get non.

my name is Cow, and this is tru - my caynine frend, its up to yu. so just be brayve and smart insted - and be like me.

i lik the bred.

(Bridge, dividing original content from fan content: First Of All How Dare You)

my name is Cat no cares have i be it sun or moone that lytes the sky by night i prowl by day i stretch i salute u, Cow

u bold old wretch

O clevr Cat Who roams the barn I promys you I men no harm As yor a friend With stelthy tred I invyte you

To lik sum bred.

I am the bred With yeast I ryse Mine amber crust Doth pleas thyn eys

The cow and cat Whos tongues delit Upon my crust Both noon and nite

Are easy stop’d By dor and slat Perhaps the baker Noes not that?

Partisan Carried by the Bodyguard of Louis XIV (1638–1715, reigned from 1643)

Dated: circa 1678–1709

Sword cutler: inscription probably refers to Bonaventure Ravoisie (French, Paris, recorded 1678–1709)

Culture: French, Paris

Medium: steel, gold, wood, textile

Measurements: overall length 94 1/8 inches (239 cm); length of head 22 9/16 inches (57.3 cm); width of head 6 ½ inches (16.5 cm)

Inscription: decoration on this partisan features a sunburst surmounted by Louis XIV’s motto, NEC PLURIBUS IMPAR (Not equaled by many); inscribed along the curved lower edge on both sides of the blade: RAVOISIE FOVRBISSEVR DV ROY A PARIS

Provenance: Ex coll.: de Dino

This partisan, along with two like it also in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection (acc. nos. 14.25.454, 04.3.64), are thought to have been carried by the Gardes de la Manche (literally, “guards of the sleeve,” indicating their close proximity to the king), an elite unit of the bodyguard of Louis XIV.

This example (along with 04.3.64) bears the king’ motto and sunburst above the crowned arms of France and Navarre, which are encircled by the collars of the royal orders of the Holy Spirit and Saint Michael. It is inscribed RAVOISIE FOVRBISSEVR DV ROY A PARIS, probably referring to Bonaventure Ravoisie, a royal cutler recorded between 1678 and 1709.

The other partisan (14.25.454) is from a small group designed by Jean Bérain the Elder (1637–1711) for the marriage of Louis’s niece Marie-Louise d'rléans to Carlos II of Spain in 1679. The decoration features a sunburst surmounted by the king’s motto, ‘NEC PLURIBUS IMPAR’ (’not equalled by many’). Beneath, the sun god Apollo is being crowned with laurel by the winged figure of Fame. The sunburst and Apollo were favourite symbols of Louis XIV, the self-styled Sun King.

Source: Copyright © 2016 The Metropolitan Museum of Art

turnaround of wk 3 magical girl

inspired by the fox from this story http://happydorid.tumblr.com/post/53015460330/whee-im-dizzy-from-working-on-this

Malachite - Banat Mountains, Caras-Severin County, Romania

Taking full advantage of the rainbows my skylight makes 😍✨