good god, what goes on

Fifty feet away a tall skinny teenager was leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette and watching him. He looked about Quentin’s age. He wore a button-down shirt with a sharp collar and very thin, very pale pink stripes. He didn’t look at Quentin, just dragged on his cigarette and exhaled into the summer air. The heat didn’t seem to bother him.

Magical Moment at Fallen Leaf Lake, 2015.

The envelopes were thick and made of the coarse bleached-white paper the centaurs made. On the first his name was written in an elegant calligraphic handwriting that Quentin recognized as Eliot’s. His vision swam; he had to sit down. Inside it was a note. It was rolled around the flattened, dehydrated remains of what was once a single Merit Ultra Light cigarette, and it read as follows:

DEAR Q,

HELL OF A THING GETTING YOU OUT OF THAT DUNGEON. RICHARD SHOWED UP, FINALLY, FOR WHICH I SUPPOSE WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL, THOUGH G-D KNOWS HE DOESN’T MAKE IT EASY. WE WANTED TO STAY, Q, BUT IT WAS HARD, AND GETTING HARDER EVERY DAY. THE CENTAURS SAID IT WASN’T WORKING. BUT IF YOU’RE READING THIS THEN YOU WOKE UP AFTER ALL. I’M SORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING. I KNOW YOU ARE TOO. I KNOW I SAID I DIDN’T NEED A FAMILY TO BECOME WHO I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, BUT IT TURNED OUT THAT I DID. AND IT WAS YOU.

WE’LL MEET AGAIN.

—E

Oh hey, it's Skype a Scientist again, here to fund science education projects with COOL ART.

Introducing SHRIMP CITY!

Look cool as hell in while talking about shrimp science with your friends.

For example: 🦐 Mantis Shrimp (who punch so fast they create pressure voids in the water that collapse to produce shockwaves, heat, and even a flash of light!) 🦐 Pistol Shrimp (Instead of a punch, pistol shrimp create their shockwaves using the snap of their claws!) 🦐 Hermit Crabs (who aren't "true" crabs, but Shrimp City is an inclusive town) 🦐Yeti Crabs (who live in Shrimp City's sister city, Hydrothermal Ventopolis, where they grow bacteria on their hairy arms that they lick off for a snack!) 🦐 Insects (who are not shrimps per se, but did you know recent research suggests that insects group with the crustaceans?? You may have heard that shrimps is bugs, but nay… bugs is shrimp).

These shirts were designed by Philly designer The 666 Cat!

What kind of science education are you funding by buying a shirt, you ask? Well, lots of stuff, but here's a recent example:

Here's a mural all about local biodiversity that we painted in collaboration with a Philly public elementary school with local artist NDA!

We got the kids from the school to help us paint it and everything! These projects are educational and cute as hell.

The pre-order for shirts closes TOMORROW so if you want to get a teeny tiny one or a 3-4 XL one, the time is right now, people.

fuck you, goodnight