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shadelight

@dragonsandspaceships / dragonsandspaceships.tumblr.com

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biggest-gaudiest-patronuses

Windcatchers are fascinating.

Also called wind towers and wind scoops, windcatchers have been used in North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years to provide natural ventilation & passive cooling. They fell out of popularity after the introduction of HVAC systems, but are now experiencing a revival because they’re so practical and cost-effective. Here’s how they work:

Not only are they an engineering masterpiece–they’re gorgeous

Windcatchers rely on local weather instead of the electric grid, making them affordable, reliable, and eco-friendly. they’re a terrific example of how vernacular and traditional architecture is often more suited to its environment–and more livable–than modern polite architecture. 

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biggest-gaudiest-patronuses

Windcatcher Facts™

  • The wooden rods protruding from the sides serve a variety of purposes. They stabilize and strengthen the structure, serve as scaffolding [1], and can be used to mount cloth and re-direct airflow [2].
  • Windcatchers vary greatly in design, and are tailored to individual building sites. The location’s airflow direction will determine the windcatcher’s shape, and the number and direction of its openings. (Windcatchers can be uni-directional, bi-directional, or multi-directional [3].)
  • The way the air flows through a wind tower is determined both by local conditions and by its cross-section design. Internal walls divide the tower in order to influence the way air passes through the building (see diagram) 
  • Windcatchers can be much smaller than the examples shown above! More modest structures like the one below can provide affordable ventilation to smaller buildings. 
  • Windcatchers can also be used to provide subterranean cooling, by ventilating underground structures, or evaporative cooling when used in conjunction with qanats (underground water chanels) or indoor bodies of water.

Due to the high cost and heavy CO2 emissions of electric air conditioning, windcatchers are receiving renewed interest. Specifically, architects are researching ways that windcatcher technology can be improved and adapted to modern times [4]. Long-standing issues with traditional wind towers include performance problems such as air short circuiting, and practical issues such as the ingress of dust, insects and small animals. New concept designs are emerging all the time, and some have already been built, and are being used in cities and universities throughout the Middle East.

In conclusion, be excited about windcatchers!

ko-fi / paypal

#architecture
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drsloppysawbonesmd
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moodboardmix

‘Skylines,’ New York, United States,

Lissoni Casal Ribeiro for Skyhive 2020 skycraper Challenge

Inspired by nature, the concept proposes a complete, self-sufficient ecosystem. the multi-use tower collects rainwater and gathers energy from the sun and the wind, transforming it from its tensioned cables into electricity to be used by inhabitants.

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canariesarchive-blog

HELLO I JUST FOUND THE BEST FUCKING WEBSITE FOR WORKING ON CHARACTERS AND WORLD BUILDING YEET FUCKERS SEE YOU IN 8 YEARS

If you have been struggling with world building and finding a way to keep track of everything PLEASE GOD LOOK AT NOTEBOOK.AI

Notebook.ai has different categories for different things:

And then once you make something each category has different questions for you to answer about your world:

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This website is literally a blessing

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reii-the-rad

BLESS THIS BEAUTIFUL WEBSITE

#references#fuQ ueue
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thekhooll-deactivated20210705
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archatlas

Paarman Treehouse in Constantia

Four cylindrical towers are elevated on stilts to create this retreat in Cape Town, which was designed by local studio Malan Vorster to offer views among the trees. Four cylindrical towers raised above the ground on stilts extend from each side four-storey-high Paarman Treehouse, each offering large windows to take advantage of views in different directions.Battens of red cedar wrap the building, with larger gaps around the windows and tighter spacing to provide privacy for the residence.

#architecture#fuQ ueue
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the-clappyxd
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ancwritingresources

Resource: How to Write a Mermaid

Mermaids are probably one of the oldest but still relevant fantasy tropes out there. Tumblr, for one, is a hotspot for mermaid tales, art, writing–you name it. But before you add your mermaid story to the shelves, here are some important resources to help you understand and reinvent the mermaid (and avoid the tropes, stereotypes, and pitfalls along the way). 

Doing Your Research: 

Get To Writing:

#worldbuilding
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necrofuturism
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yteicosanievilew
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youtube Swordman standing up to gender roles

while you were living under gender roles, i studied the blade

Men are on average more muscular than women and can wield heavier weapons more easily, so it’s a practical advantage for the woman to prefer the rapier and the man to prefer the longsword. Gender roles? I’d rather win than try to “rebel for rebellion’s sake” and lose.

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yiffmaster

surprise both swords were used in totally different time periods for totally different purposes and this is a joke post no one cares

Not to mention long sword vs. rapier. The rapier has more speed and precision then the long sword. The long sword is crazy heavy for a hand held weapon and would quickly die.

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necromatador

Several Of The Above Points Are Shit-Wrong And I’m Going To Tell You Why: A Point By Point Dissection By Me

Point 1: “Both swords were used in totally different time periods for totally different purposes.”

Partially right.  A rapier is indeed suited to a different fighting style than a longsword.  The slender, blade with a highly developed tip makes the rapier an amazing thrusting weapon, designed to pierce through the holes in chainmail or the seams between plates.  They can be used to cut, but their primary focus is to thrust.  A longsword, however, has a much thicker and heavier blade as well as a longer hilt that gives it the ability to be wielded in one OR two hands (it’s often referred to as a ‘hand-and-a-half’ sword because of this) enabling it the leverage and strength to cut (or bash, but that’s far less ideal as it could damage the blade) far more easily.

Rapier:

Longsword: 

HOWEVER, there was at the very least a large period of overlap in the uses of longswords and rapiers.  The difference in their utility (besides cutting vs thrusting, the longsword was largely a military weapon and the rapier was largely a civilian weapon and for dueling) saw to it that they could coexist.  The longsword as we know it has been found to date back at least to the 14th century, if not earlier and was used in sporting duels and tournaments up until the 16th if not the 17th century (though its military use ended long before its sport use did).  The rapier was first created (or at least first recognized by scholars as being created) around 1500 in Spain.  Even if we take only the centuries during which they saw the most use (longsword = 14th-16th cent. and rapier = 16th-17th cent.) there was still a whole century of overlap.

Sources: 

Point 2: Rapiers are lighter than Longswords (and also the point that longswords are “crazy heavy for a hand-held weapon”).

This is wrong.  Rapiers are, on average, around 2-ish lbs (1kg).  Longswords are also, on average, around 2-ish lbs (1kg).  This is for your STANDARD LONGSWORD, a hand-and-a-half sword that can comfortably be wielded in either one or two hands.  Of course, both can reach higher or lower weights, but the top of the weight range for them tends to be around 4 lbs.  The heavy fuckers you’re probably referring to are true 2-handed swords, such as the montante or the zweihander.  Even then, they don’t get too much above 7 or 8 lbs.  You know what weighs around 7 or 8 lbs usually?  Most newborn babies.

(in order top to bottom: a 1-handed sword, a longsword, a montante)

For reference, other hand-held weapons?  Shotguns run between 5 and 8 or more lbs.  An M60 machine gun?  Around 23 lbs.  Handguns are between 2-4 lbs.

So yes, a longsword is heavy…when you’re comparing it to, like, a knife or to not wielding anything.

Sources: 

Point 3: Larger weapons are slower.

No

they

REALLY

aren’t.  

That’s a video-game-ism so that 1) you don’t feel like shit when you get wrecked by an opponent wielding a fuck-off huge sword and 2) they don’t have to program in proper form, technique, and handling of said sword.

Point 4: “Women can’t wield longswords.”

Really now?

(Have some more videos because tumblr won’t let me embed any more.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3o5sFI56V8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nzpvVuSwc0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bE4v6e6iss

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naamahdarling

Thank you. Longswords just aren’t that heavy. They really are not. A good one balances in the hand and feels almost effortless to hold. They are a real pleasure to handle and I think everyone should get the chance to do so at least once just to understand what I mean. Shitty wallhangers are fuckoff heavy, but that’s because they are made from crappy materials, are not properly shaped/tapered, are too thick, are poorly balanced so they feel even heavier than they are, and were never actually intended to be *used*.

#weapons#fuQ ueue
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queenofantiva
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berrybird-blog1

Helpful things for action writers to remember

  • Sticking a landing will royally fuck up your joints and possibly shatter your ankles, depending on how high you’re jumping/falling from. There’s a very good reason free-runners dive and roll. 
  • Hand-to-hand fights usually only last a matter of seconds, sometimes a few minutes. It’s exhausting work and unless you have a lot of training and history with hand-to-hand combat, you’re going to tire out really fast. 
  • Arrows are very effective and you can’t just yank them out without doing a lot of damage. Most of the time the head of the arrow will break off inside the body if you try pulling it out, and arrows are built to pierce deep. An arrow wound demands medical attention. 
  • Throwing your opponent across the room is really not all that smart. You’re giving them the chance to get up and run away. Unless you’re trying to put distance between you so you can shoot them or something, don’t throw them. 
  • Everyone has something called a “flinch response” when they fight. This is pretty much the brain’s way of telling you “get the fuck out of here or we’re gonna die.” Experienced fighters have trained to suppress this. Think about how long your character has been fighting. A character in a fist fight for the first time is going to take a few hits before their survival instinct kicks in and they start hitting back. A character in a fist fight for the eighth time that week is going to respond a little differently. 
  • ADRENALINE WORKS AGAINST YOU WHEN YOU FIGHT. THIS IS IMPORTANT. A lot of times people think that adrenaline will kick in and give you some badass fighting skills, but it’s actually the opposite. Adrenaline is what tires you out in a battle and it also affects the fighter’s efficacy - meaning it makes them shaky and inaccurate, and overall they lose about 60% of their fighting skill because their brain is focusing on not dying. Adrenaline keeps you alive, it doesn’t give you the skill to pull off a perfect roundhouse kick to the opponent’s face. 
  • Swords WILL bend or break if you hit something hard enough. They also dull easily and take a lot of maintenance. In reality, someone who fights with a sword would have to have to repair or replace it constantly.
  • Fights get messy. There’s blood and sweat everywhere, and that will make it hard to hold your weapon or get a good grip on someone. 
  • A serious battle also smells horrible. There’s lots of sweat, but also the smell of urine and feces. After someone dies, their bowels and bladder empty. There might also be some questionable things on the ground which can be very psychologically traumatizing. Remember to think about all of the character’s senses when they’re in a fight. Everything WILL affect them in some way. 
  • If your sword is sharpened down to a fine edge, the rest of the blade can’t go through the cut you make. You’ll just end up putting a tiny, shallow scratch in the surface of whatever you strike, and you could probably break your sword. 
  • ARCHERS ARE STRONG TOO. Have you ever drawn a bow? It takes a lot of strength, especially when you’re shooting a bow with a higher draw weight. Draw weight basically means “the amount of force you have to use to pull this sucker back enough to fire it.” To give you an idea of how that works, here’s a helpful link to tell you about finding bow sizes and draw weights for your characters.  (CLICK ME)
  • If an archer has to use a bow they’re not used to, it will probably throw them off a little until they’ve done a few practice shots with it and figured out its draw weight and stability. 
  • People bleed. If they get punched in the face, they’ll probably get a bloody nose. If they get stabbed or cut somehow, they’ll bleed accordingly. And if they’ve been fighting for a while, they’ve got a LOT of blood rushing around to provide them with oxygen. They’re going to bleed a lot. 
  • Here’s a link to a chart to show you how much blood a person can lose without dying. (CLICK ME) 
  • If you want a more in-depth medical chart, try this one. (CLICK ME)

Hopefully this helps someone out there. If you reblog, feel free to add more tips for writers or correct anything I’ve gotten wrong here. 

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ave-aria

How to apply Writing techniques for action scenes:

- Short sentences. Choppy. One action, then another. When there’s a lull in the fight, take a moment, using longer phrases to analyze the situation–then dive back in. Snap, snap, snap. - Same thing with words - short, simple, and strong in the thick of battle. Save the longer syllables for elsewhere. - Characters do not dwell on things when they are in the heat of the moment. They will get punched in the face. Focus on actions, not thoughts. - Go back and cut out as many adverbs as possible. - No seriously, if there’s ever a time to use the strongest verbs in your vocabulary - Bellow, thrash, heave, shriek, snarl, splinter, bolt, hurtle, crumble, shatter, charge, raze - it’s now. - Don’t forget your other senses. People might not even be sure what they saw during a fight, but they always know how they felt. - Taste: Dry mouth, salt from sweat, copper tang from blood, etc - Smell: OP nailed it - Touch: Headache, sore muscles, tense muscles, exhaustion, blood pounding. Bruised knuckles/bowstring fingers. Injuries that ache and pulse, sting and flare white hot with pain. - Pain will stay with a character. Even if it’s minor. - Sound and sight might blur or sharpen depending on the character and their experience/exhaustion. Colors and quick movements will catch the eye. Loud sounds or noises from behind may serve as a fighter’s only alert before an attack. - If something unexpected happens, shifting the character’s whole attention to that thing will shift the Audience’s attention, too. - Aftermath. This is where the details resurface, the characters pick up things they cast aside during the fight, both literally and metaphorically. Fights are chaotic, fast paced, and self-centered. Characters know only their self, their goals, what’s in their way, and the quickest way around those threats. The aftermath is when people can regain their emotions, their relationships, their rationality/introspection, and anything else they couldn’t afford to think or feel while their lives were on the line.

Do everything you can to keep the fight here and now. Maximize the physical, minimize the theoretical. Keep things immediate - no theories or what ifs.

If writing a strategist, who needs to think ahead, try this: keep strategy to before-and-after fights. Lay out plans in calm periods, try to guess what enemies are thinking or what they will do. During combat, however, the character should think about his options, enemies, and terrain in immediate terms; that is, in shapes and direction. (Large enemy rushing me; dive left, circle around / Scaffolding on fire, pool below me / two foes helping each other, separate them.)

Lastly, after writing, read it aloud. Anyplace your tongue catches up on a fast moving scene, edit. Smooth action scenes rarely come on the first try.

#weapons
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ghostparties
“These baobab trees on Madagascar are up to 800 years old,” writes Your Shot member Marsel van Oosten. Locally known as “mother of the forest,” the baobab forms a micro-ecosystem of its own, supporting life for both animals and humans, van Oosten says. “Old hollow baobabs are a home to snakes, bats, bush babies, bees, and sometimes even humans. More importantly, the tree is an important source of water—it can store up to 4,000 liters of water in its trunk. For Africa, it is literally the tree of life.”
- via National Geographic
#flora
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thekhooll-deactivated20210705
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archatlas

MAD’s Harbin Opera House Iwan Baan

Some beautiful new images of the Harbin Opera House after a snowstorm that spotlight the architects vision of a building designed in response to the force and spirit of the northern city’s untamed wilderness and frigid climate. Appearing as if sculpted by wind and water, the building seamlessly blends in with nature and the topography—a transfusion of local identity, art, and culture.  “We envision Harbin Opera House as a cultural center of the future – a tremendous performance venue, as well as a dramatic public space that embodies the integration of human, art and the city identity, while synergistically blending with the surrounding nature” ~Ma Yansong

#architecture
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butterflyinthewell

Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language

We are always told to use body language in our writing. Sometimes, it’s easier said than written. I decided to create these cheat sheets to help you show a character’s state of mind. Obviously, a character may exhibit a number of these behaviours. For example, he may be shocked and angry, or shocked and happy. Use these combinations as needed.

by Amanda Patterson

Source: writerswrite.co.za
#writing
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