I Really Really Mean It Please Write Muslim Characters, It’s Really Not That Daunting literally All

things i wish i had known when i escaped my family household and couldn't ask my parents for help

invest in a good mattress early on. there are many other ends you can save on - sleep is not one of them. this is key to how much energy you'll have throughout the day

you don't need a bedframe but you do need a slatted bed base (even if it's just pallets)

opening a bank account is easy

there's youtube tutorials for everything. how to install your washing machine, how to use tools, fixing stuff around the place. channels like dad, how do i? are a godsend

change energy provider as soon as your old deal runs out. you'll get better offers elsewhere and avoid price gouging

assemble a basic first aid kid at home: painkillers, probiotics, alcohol wipes, bandages, tweezers, antihistamine tablets - anything you might need in a pinch

and an emergency toolkit: flashlight, extra batteries, a utility knife, an adjustable wrench, multi-tool, duct tape

set your fridge to the lowest temperature it can go. the energy consumption is minimal in difference and it'll give you +4/7 days on most foods

off-brand products are almost always the same in quality and taste, if not better, for half the price

coupons will save you a lot of money in the long run

there's no reason to be shy around employees at the bank/laundromat/store; most people will be happy to help

vegetarian diets are generally cheap if you make food from scratch

breakfast is as important as they say

keep track of your budget in a notebook or excel file - e.g. rent, phone and internet bills, food, leisure so you'll have an overlook on your spending over the months

don't gamble

piracy is okay

stealing from big stores and chains is also ethically okay

keep medical bills and pharmacy receipts for tax returns

also, file your tax returns early

take up a hobby that isn't in front of a screen. pottery, music, going for a run every now and then, stuff that'll keep you busy and sane

and most importantly... you're allowed to get the stuff you want. treat yourself to the occasional mundane thing. a good scented candle. a bath bomb. that body lotion that makes you feel like royalty. the good coffee beans.

you're free and you deserve to be happy.

How I draw skin Part 2: DON”T DRAW NATIVE PEOPLE WITH RED SKIN!!!! A tutorial

For the first tutorial on how I draw skin, see the post here.

But seriously, I’ve seen too many drawings of Native characters with literal red/pink skin to count so just in case some of you are having troubles with drawing Native people, I’ve provided a guide for you. Please take my swatches if it helps!! and no more red skinned people, please

Disclaimer: this tutorial is mainly about the artistic depictions of Indigenous Peoples in North America, where the slur and redskin caricature originated, but it would still be racist to draw other non-North/Central/South American Indigenous groups like this so…..don’t.

Edit: please stop telling me about how Native people can be pale, I’m a whitepassing & pale Native myself and nowhere do I say people shouldn’t draw Natives pale at all. The “too light” section is about whitewashing Pocahontas specifically. Don’t whitewash brown characters, but don’t draw Natives red either.

Today’s bird is this Crowned Pigeon

I'm honestly done dealing with people who don't know what they are capable of at their very worst. The people who don't know what they're like when they've been driven to the brink of their sanity and are desperate to do anything at all that would relieve it, anything at all to simply survive.

Desperation makes monsters out of people. It's not nice to aknowledge that, but it does. People who would be capable of so much good, who would breathe grace and virtue with every exhale if they were allowed space to breathe, will bite each others' throats and strangle each other for air when cramped tight enough together with none to go around.

People who have never been pushed to a breaking point will not wrap their head around this. I don't believe they're incapable, simply unwilling. It's easier to look down on struggling people making each others' lives worse and congratulate oneself on "never sinking that low", instead of feeling grateful they've personally never had to make the choice between being virtuous and being alive.

collab with @riverkdraws on how to draw arabs!

as arabs, we see little to no representation in media and when there is, it's often offensive caricatures and stereotypes. we can't fix the world with one art tutorial, but educating more artists will hopefully make a difference.

most importantly: if you have a question about the arab world, or arabic culture, ask an arab!

arabs feel free to add onto this, nonarabs please reblog!

Kai, Klondike, Dakota, and Echo

Spooky DnD monsters, including a Sphinx idea where its all mouth and riddles.