#Telephone Evolution

[scourgeofshadows]

After I explored Atlantis (The Lost Empire) on such a deep level (Milo Thatch moment/j), I encountered a lot of things I cannot unsee. Honestly...in this day and age I'm convinced we reached a point that there's so many stories in existence that it's impossible to read and watch everything. There is a fair chance we may even accidentally rip-off something without being aware of it. To me...rip-offs are a paradox of concepts. Concepts keep lasting when they're made into a metamorphosis process (aka. "rip-offs"). I don't think we have the lifespan to literally read and watch everything so we have all the information to avoid copying off each other. It's just our jurisdiction to point out whether something truly is original or not when we're unable to even fathom everything we created in our lifetimes and generations. Media is an endless paradox itself just as creation is. Media is made the same way life is. We evolve, whether we enjoy it or not. This is a really tragic reality. My question is: do we know the original source or has it been completely forgotten from existence? We can easily debate what can be the original source. Some things we can differ easier than others, hence copyright is present. Some stories are more memorable than others and that is how some are easier to compare than others. For those who want to know the true Atlantis: it is ourselves.

[a-d-nox]

pluto in aquarius: a prediction of what's to come

this is a huge astrological event, pluto is moving into aquarius for the first time since the late 1700s. last time pluto was in aquarius america fought for independence from britain, uranus was discovered, the french revolution began, the bill of rights was ratified, etc.

so for day one, i want to create predictions of what is to come!

some house matters!!!

TWO PLUTO RETROGRADES WILL OCCUR - june 11th - jan 20th, 2024 is the first so we won't see too much wildness just yet as pluto will return into capricorn during this time and THE FINAL RETROGRADE BACK INTO CAPRICORN will be september 1st, 2024 - november 19th, 2024. then we are full steam ahead with pluto in aquarius until march 9th, 2043.

i personally am NOT a witch or anything wild, everything i am saying is purely theoretical - it is not fated to happen just because i am saying it. i am simply socially aware. i know what's up generally in the world today and what was up in world in the 1700s - "history typically repeats itself."

i live in the usa so my post likely will be slightly more focused there examples wise so i apologize in advance! feel free to comment, dm, or reblog with other examples from your country based on my prediction key phrases.

i am going to start light and get darker so mentally prepare yourself for that (tw: STI/STD outbreaks, war, 9/11, COVID-19, and other abrasive topics that may make people uncomfortable depending on where they are currently reading from) - but we are talking about pluto so... expect the unexpected?!

let's do this.

renewable energy sources

aquarius is electricity, light, inventions, electronics, telephones, televisions, etc while pluto can be change! i recently bought a new tv and the back of the remote has a solar panel instead of a battery pack. i do believe we will see more evolution with technology; perhaps we will see solar changed phones! otherwise pluto is also pollution and natural disasters - the climate is in crisis mode perhaps we will see more responsibility and thus changes in our sourcing of energy! example: recently i read that japan has a great source of geothermal energy. currently the conversion to using this source (instead of coal, gas, and nuclear energy) is being held up by a higher up in the hot spring business who claims switching to a new energy system "threatens centuries-old traditions" (bang - a capricorn term - tradition - so perhaps after the retrogrades are through we will see a major shift in energy sourcing).

general technological advancements/inventions

last time pluto was in aquarius the cotton gin was invented; which aided in quicker production of goods and higher demand for american cotton. i strongly believe this is a general indicator that AI is going to become an even bigger part of day to day life. i have seen AI already replace those who take orders in the panera drive thru, there is a higher demand for philosophy/english grads to help teach AI, etc. aquarius is also new teachers/occupations so AI could become the new teachers OR new careers could be coming in the area of interacting with AI generally so it gains more consciousness. so it could be AI or it could be something else that is only just a dream in the back of someone's mind at this moment in time.

altruistic extremists

we may see utopian dreamers rise up! they are likely to advocate for the deconstruction of pre-existing political institutions in favor of either self governance or egalitarian policies. they will likely do whatever it takes to make this statement; we may see more protests / political statements similar to wynn bruce's.

fanatical/extremist announcers radio/tv

we already have biased stations and channels (fox, abc, cnn, nbc, etc). we are likely to see a further rise in politically biased newscasters and announcers.

demonization of astrology

astrology is aquarian in nature but pluto is fanatics, evil, demonics, etc. the community has been saying about the next world war for a while now. we are moving out of conservative pluto in capricorn, so we may find that those of deep belief systems accusing us [astrologers] of conspiring with the devil if/when something militant arises (similar to how the tarot community gets told constantly by christians that they must be satanists).

something with birds

i don't have this nailed down yet specifically, but both aquarius and pluto are rulers of birds. aquarius is large birds while pluto is wading/swamp birds and/or flesh eating birds. no one freak out and start thinking that i am indicating something like the 1963 horror film the birds. if anything i can see more bird-spread illness and/or parasites. OR pluto can be archaeology! there may be a bird related discovery or something to do with the distant relative of the bird - aka the raptor (dinosaur related).

a new STI/STD discovery/outbreak

aquarius represents the distribution of bodily fluids while pluto is often representative of sexual activity. this could either be an outbreak because pluto can be death, extremes, catastrophes, and/or casualties OR pluto can be ph balance in the body (possible new discoveries for feminine sexual health), kidneys (perhaps a discovery will be linked to the diminished functionality associated with syphilis, hiv, etc and how to combat more symptomatic issues), and even purification (aka a cure perhaps to help viral carriers to no longer pass the sti/std to sexual partners).

collapse of congress / house of commons/representatives

i mean it only stands to reason that the bill of rights was created/approved last time pluto was in aquarius that either those rights will disappear (pluto also represents dictators) OR simply the people rise up and demolish the institution as it stands: "...whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government..."

airplane catastrophes

aquarius rules over planes and pluto can represent accomplices, catastrophes, casualties, b0mbs, and t3rr0r!sm. we may experience another event similar to 9/11 OR we may see air strikes in a potential world war 3 scenario.

societal change: crime, war, leadership, and more

world war 3 is on the horizon so say pluto in aquarius (probably in the wake of election year in the US - when the final retrograde into capricorn concludes). but this could also just be governmental restructuring - this could be seen as rebellions (similar to the French Revolution), the rise of organized crime if good become more scarce, religious shifts (pluto is the antichrist, aquarius is freewill (first amendment), and capricorn is the old church (christian schools of thought)), etc.

aquarian terms i can't think of change in but seem important to note / keep in mind: freethinkers, hamburg germany, heart weakness (biden - perhaps the early death of a president in office?), motion picture (already changing as more theaters close), photography, psychology (we are already starting to care more about everyone's mental health), science (general scientific discoveries?), social affairs (there is always something going on - the question is how big will this be?), society, sweden, syria, and xray.

plutonian terms i can't think of change in but seem important to note / keep in mind: abductions (aliens - ufo sights?), aliases, alibis (governmental riffing similar to how no plan was in place when for COVID-19), assass!nat!0n (hopefully not), betrayal, bootlegging (bootleg tiktok if america bans it?), cemeteries (removal of that method if too many are dying at any giving time - mass graves?), convicts (prison release due to overcrowding? the mega-prison of el salvador?), corruption (governmental likely?), demolitions, earthquakes (more environmental issues?), electrocution, executions (war?), fanatic, extremes, floods (environmental? emigration - society is aquarius after all?), liars, massacres (the rise of crime?), murder, nihilism (the rise of philosophy at the time of war?), ransom (war?), satire (rise of political satire?), stolen goods, and taxes (trump-esque no?).

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© a-d-nox 2023 all rights reserved

[8-dermestid]

Hey, I'd like to request a Toby x Reader, with a story that covers the evolution of their relationship (from them meeting to becoming intimate lovers, with steamy moments, if you feel comfortable writing that kind of thing, of course) thks !

hi-hi-hi, i kind of took this idea for a bit of a joyride, i hope you enjoy this regardless of how i crashed it into a telephone pole

dirty laundry

relationships: ticci toby x reader

word count: 1.2k

links: available on ao3

warnings: scent kink, masturbation as torture, canon-typical violence, i like my tobias like a kicked-in-the-head-dog, obsession, toby vomits

You’re fresh meat.

Toby creeps around behind you, trailing you through the non-Euclidean hallways, hyperbolic rooms that are an impossible fit within the actual shell of the manor from the outside. The few things you carried with you find homes in your new bedroom. All of your chores get done without noticing your second shadow.

Dinners, when it isn’t a fend-for-oneself type of night, have everyone in the mansion gather around a long table. Toby, whose name you learned from other people barking it at him as they shoved him aside, sits as far as he can from you (at one point, he shoved other people from their chairs to maintain his distance from you). Toby is starstruck by you, and he does not know why. When you get up to leave the table and wash up your plate, he watches you from the table, not looking away for a second.

Months and months go by, and after spending weeks trailing you and trying to understand why he’s so captivated, Toby finally gets the courage to speak to you. He’s quiet, wide-eyed, and on the verge of puking all over you, but he finally coughs up that he would like to be friends. You nod. You’re like an angel, a wonderful, merciful angel for underbelly scum like him.

After another few weeks of spending time together (where Toby wants to rip his skin off because he’s so excited to have a friend in this carved-out hole in hell), you have your first task, and Toby accompanies you. You’re chasing down a college-aged man, but he gets the bright idea of scrambling into his car and trying to run you down.

Toby pulls you away right before the hit-and-run, and you’re left panting in his too-tight grip, sweat rolling down your neck.

“Thanks.” You breathe. 

It is the only quiet thing that comes out of your mouth, and Toby wants someone to carve out a place in his brain so he can keep that remark inside of him forever. Abruptly, there is a distant crash. Your catch hit a telephone pole. You beat your victim until there are brains smattered across the steering wheel. It’s the best thing Toby has ever seen.

He fingers himself that night until his clit burns.

(Deep down, at this moment, he wants you to peel him apart with a scalpel and crawl inside him. Toby would let you pull his guts out for so much as a smile. If he could crawl inside of you, it would be such an honor. He wants to surround himself with you—living, breathing, knowing everything about you.)

He feels awful as hot bile pools in his gut when he digs through your dirty laundry, your literal dirty laundry. He pulls out the shirt you wore while you were running around chasing a kill the other night and working up a sweat, the cotton steeped in your delicious sweat and grime—dirt and blood and you, you, you, you, you, you—Toby smothers himself with your bloody, dirty shirt until he’s sobbing, curled over himself like a pill bug as he holds back vomit steaming in his throat when he climaxes the seventh time into his hand. He wants to stop—he knows you’re coming home soon—but Toby can’t help himself, even though it feels worse and worse with every motion, even though he wants to puke up your smell embedded into the lining of his intestines. 

He throws your shirt across the room and vomits into the corner until he curls into his bed and falls asleep.

✸ ⦻ ​​✸

The fragrances you wear start drying up faster than usual, and Toby stops smelling like Toby (not good, like body odor and rot). He starts using some of your hair-care products—he thinks you won’t notice, but you do. He smells like your shampoo now.

It was an accident—you forgot your fake ID and insurance in your room and had to come back for it (someone got too close but also thought they could outrun you with a car—too bad you can drive across state lines). You open the door and spot Toby hunched over your closet, panting like a dog as he digs through your laundry bin. He pulls your underwear from the pile and presses them to his nose, shuddering as he loses himself in fantasy. 

You’re such a voyeur as you watch Toby’s free hand loosen his belt, fingers already digging deep to satisfy some unending craving. God, he’s howling like a beaten dog as he tumbles to the floor (smacking his head against hardwood) as he ruts against his hand.

Toby is shaking so hard you’re afraid he’s going to make himself sick, and an intense climax leaves him writhing with his back against your bed frame. He scrambles to his feet and pulls for your pillow, straddling the damn thing as he sobs into himself with a disgusted howl about it.

Just as he pulls his pants down to his ankles with a scrambled hurry so he can begin humping your pillow, Toby spots you in the doorway and freezes like you have a gun pointed between his eyes. He looks at you like a dog on the euthanasia table—or Old Yeller staring down the barrel of a gun. His diaphragm hiccups, tears roll down his cheeks thick and heavy. He’s an ugly crier—snot-nosed and loud and red-eyed until he’s dizzy—Toby pushes his hands into his sockets and scrapes his gloved palms over his eyes. He grabs a Swiss army knife to try and pull together some pathetic apology that someone as heavenly as you deserves.

He opens the blade, digging his nails between metal bits and bobs to pull out the knife, then he pushes it into your hand and then pulls your knife-wielding hands toward his belly.

“Y-You can,” Toby hiccups, sniffling as tears carve deep lines down his face, “---If you wanna. You can. I would want to if I was you.”

He keeps trying to pull your hand toward him, now trying to get you to carve out his vulva. You yank back the knife hard, losing your grip as it collides with a far wall.

He sputters and tries to cover himself (he did not think to yank his pants over his bumpy hips when he finally caught you) while trying not to puke in front of you.

“I… I’m not going to do that.”

He scrambles and tries to kick you off, dragging himself across the floor to grab the knife to try again. He begs and pleads for you to do it. 

“No.” You say so flatly that he knows you mean it, and that kills him.

You keep him pinned to the floor until he quits. Toby is sobbing into his sleeve when you finally get off of him. He’s gross, he says, Gross and nasty, and he’s not quite sure why you didn’t put him down.

You don’t know why. 

But, you start, if he likes you that much, he can keep the shirt—if he stops using up all your body wash. Toby sits in front of you like an obedient hound. He inhales your smell from the shirt—he’d give up cigarettes and do this for the rest of his life if he could.

Maybe one day, Toby will finally get your scent from its source. Maybe one day.

[y2klostandfound]

Review - Jet Set Radio Future on Evolution Magazine Vol.3 (Videogame Magazine) (Italy, 2002)

Translation in English:

(Page 54-55)

DISTRIBUTION - INFOGRAMES

GENRE: ACTION PLAYERS: 1-4 MANUFACTURER: SEGA DEVELOPER: SMILEBIT FORMAT:XBOX MEDIA: DVD-ROM

The concept of love, roller skates and a can of spray paint...

Almost two years ago, Jet Set Radio for the Dreamcast revolutionized the concept of modern video games. It wasn't a sequel, it wasn't a third-person adventure, it couldn't benefit from a character of attraction like Sonic but, despite everything, we were facing a great game. To tell the truth, it wasn't even easy to classify it in a precise genre; Jet Set Radio was an action game, but it had one feature that was increasingly difficult to find in this industry; the originality. Too bad that for most everything has gone unnoticed for the simple fact of running on Dreamcast. Fortunately, the European launch of the Xbox has resurrected a franchise deserving of the attention of the mass (yes: I said mass) of gamers.

The scenario of the action is a futuristic Tokyo of 2024, in which we will dart around with our "fireblade" model skates at high speed, drawing graffiti on the walls and performing acrobatic evolutions on all plausible and "grindable" surfaces. The aim of the mission, in the role of the young skater Yoyo, will be to recruit new members for our gang (after having regularly defeated them) and fight the terrible Rokkaku, a corporation that keeps the city on fire and acts with the complicity of the police local. This will chase us with any means, including tanks and helicopters! The whole adventure will be narrated by Professor K, a rebel DJ at the head of the transgressive private radio Jet Set. After passing the tutorial, disguised as the first level of the game, and having made the acquaintance of Gum and Corn (already present in the Dreamcast version ) we will be ready to dive into the most eclectic and fun challenge of our new career as writers: painting the walls of the city! And it's a real blast running around Tokyo, especially thanks to the beauty of the levels, some of which are truly jaw-dropping. Local traffic, crows perched on the roofs of houses, people in modern clothes who run away when they see us, everything has been created with particular attention to the refinement of detail. Unlike the first episode, in which the graffiti was created through complex rotations of the analog stick, now it is sufficient to press the R key (or the X and Y keys if you are in the air); understandable choice, if you take into account the fact that most of the graffiti you will have to do during the race. Jet Set Radio Future, in fact, is faster and more adrenaline-pumping than the prequel, and the emphasis was placed by Smilebit more on the stunts to be performed with skates than on the drawing of the graffiti. Precisely for this reason, to try to reach the most hidden areas to paint, we will have to learn how best to exploit the livery of our skates to slide (grind) on the most unusual surfaces (telephone wires, railings, stairs and lamp posts) and increase the thrust of our jumps. Furthermore, after collecting ten cans of spray paint, we will be able to activate the turbo boost, useful for having a greater thrust during the stunt phase. This effect is emphasized by the Xbox hardware through a spectacular screen deformation, which lets the gamer's jaw sink a few feet.

If all this were not enough, know that by continuing in the missions we will be able to select new characters, each with their own personal characteristics, from a rich roster that includes twenty-one skaters. JSRF is not only great playability: the originality and immediacy of the gameplay are accompanied by an equally valid technical realization. Graphically, Jet Set is one of the best titles to appear on Xbox so far, if not the best. The three-dimensional engine behind the Sega production is entirely in cel shading: although the environment is entirely polygonal, the less trained eye has the impression of watching and playing a real cartoon. The large number of moving objects on the screen at the same time immediately catches the eye; but the much-discussed slowdowns are very few and, certainly, not such as to negatively affect the gameplay.

The richness of details is astonishing: not only will you be "inundated" by polygons wherever you turn, but also the variety and resolution of the textures are incredible. The whole game is full of touches of class: lighting effects, lens flare used at best, stylistic traits designed to give greater dynamism and speed to the evolution of the characters, very vast and decidedly "alive" environments. And all of this shoots at an almost constant 60fps! Fortunately, Xbox Pai owners weren't penalized by the conversion: JSRF makes use of the 60 hertz mode, the image is full screen, without annoying black bars, and all the dialogues have been subtitled in Italian.

The audio part is no less impressive, with a soundtrack that mixes songs from the Japan and U.S.A versions of Jet Set Radio and adds new ones. The opening track made by Hideki Naganuma (The Concept Of Love) is already an editorial catchphrase, and we wouldn't be surprised if you started humming it habitually, too. If you own a Hi-Fi system with Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding, be sure to plug in Xbox and savor the sweet panning of Jet Set Radio Future. If you do not yet own it, you may be satisfied with the more classic stereo mode.

“...the originality and immediacy of the gameplay are accompanied by an equally valid technical realization.”

Some elements of the three-dimensional environments can be destroyed.

The characters are made up of polygons in Cel Shading and animated in a fluid way.

(Page 56)

THREE CHEERFUL GUYS OUT OF THEIR MINDS

JET SET RADIO FUTURE SOUNDTRACK

The Jet Set Radio Future soundtrack includes a tracklist created by artists from the American hip hop scene. The Latch Brothers, a group formed by three nice composers (Mike D, Tick and Wag), wrote and composed five tracks of the soundtrack of the title Smilebit. The chosen style varies from rock to hip hop, passing through electronic music that gives the title a greater futuristic atmosphere. In addition, the Latch Brothers have remixed the songs from the prequel (which we recall were played by the likes of Bran Van 3000, The Prunes and BS 2000), resulting in an almost unprecedented musical accompaniment. To top it all off, there are some "extended versions" by other musicians on the defunct Grand Royal label: Bis, Cibo Matto, Scapegoat Wax and Russel Simins. WaveMaster's Hideki has also left his mark on the Xbox version of JSR: by him the opening track "The Concept Of Love". A track that has already entered the Evolution charts ...

The Latch Brothers discuss with Smilebit the possibility of composing some tracks of the Jet Set Radio Future soundtrack.

After an elaborate discussion, the proposal is accepted! In exchange for three copies of the game, the Latch Brothers will produce five unreleased tracks and the remix of those from the last edition. Of course, the final compensation was quite different....

(Page 57)

On the longevity side, Jet Set Radio has some ups and downs: although finishing the game the first time will not engage you for more than 10-15 hours in total, the Sega title is not the classic product that, once completed, you abandon altogether. In addition to the aforementioned characters to unlock, we will have the opportunity to "learn" new graffiti as well as to create new and customized ones. In this way, we will be able to unleash our artistic talent and daub virtual walls with only the limit of our creativity. In addition, multiplayer ensures (if you have friends to play with) a good number of additional hours of gameplay. There are five modes available, supporting up to four players: City Rush, a real speed race; Tagger's Tag, in which the goal is to "tag" your opponent first with spray paint; Graffiti Wars, the "graffiti war," in fact, where the winner will be the player who manages to cover as many walls as possible with their graffiti (you can even draw over each other's graffiti), Flag, a nice variation of the "capture the flag" seen in titles with pronounced shoot-em-up ambitions, and, finally, Ball Hog, a race through the chosen level in the company of a ball that we won't have to let get out of our hands.

The latter mode is even more fun when played "cooperatively" together with a partner to whom you can pass the sphere!

Looking for flaws in a title like Jet Set Radio Future leads one to first analyze the framing system: often, in fact, the virtual camera, in the grip of the speed at which your "skater" travels, tends to lose sight of the centrality of the scene. Other times you will have to move on very narrow surfaces, and, at times, the too-close view will be the cause of easy and deleterious falls. Although in the long run this slight flaw can be frustrating, it will be possible, at any point in the game, to bring the virtual camera view back perfectly behind our backs by simply squeezing the left trigger of the pad (somewhat as happens in Capcom's Maximo). It is actually likely that you will still make it through all the levels without too much trouble.

The difficulty, on the other hand, could and should have been calibrated in a more thoughtful way: overall, Jet Set Radio Future is quite simple to complete and, in some points, it is boring having to repeat the same situation too many times; just think of the fight with the boss of the last level: to get to the platform where he awaits you and to be able to face him, we could take more time than the actual fight requires. Also, the streamlined nature of the graffiti certainly doesn't add to the hostility of the missions. In any case, these are minor flaws, which in no way affect Jet Set Radio Future as a must for anyone with an Xbox and looking for a fast-paced and fun game, but also exceptional to watch and... to listen to! And if you loved the prequel on Dreamcast, you really can't miss it: JSRF is worth at least double its parent! - Ornella Lepre 

“... the Sega title is not the classic product that, once completed, is completely abandoned.”

This is the amazing screen warping effect you will witness when you activate the turbo charge

The dialogues are all subtitled in Italian and help to better understand the story.

CONTROL BOX - XBOX

PLUS:

- Breathtaking graphics that are smooth and full of classy touches - Original and funny - Excellent Pal conversion - Numerous multiplayer modes

MINUS:

- Framing system not always perfect - Simplified graffiti system - Long-lived but not infinite

GRAPHICS - 9

PLAYABILITY - 9

LONGEVITY - 7

SOUND - 8

GLOBAL - 8

An original title, fun to play, beautiful to look at and full of touches of class. A must for new Xbox owners

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x03 - The Blue Wolf! Garurumon! / Garurumon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Prank phone calls sure do hit different when the emergency line operator is the one doing them.

Good news is, we have like a day's worth of food. Bad news is, we're still in this awful place File Island and don't know how to go home. Or even where we can physically be that won't piss off territorial wildlife. Man, when I signed up for an Isekai, I was promised elf waifus and unearned combat supremacy; I want to speak with this place's manager!

We open on Taichi standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into emo distance. He's trying to make sense of the rules of this death world. Why did only Agumon evolve? Why did he lose his evolution and revert to Agumon again?

Agumon has no answers for him. As noted last episode, the Partner Digimon don't understand how this works either. We're all figuring this shit out together.

Dub Tai makes the wild-ass claim that they've already searched the whole island, which is a bald-faced lie given that exploring File Island will take up much of this arc. Then he just brags about how Greymon is super badass, rather than contemplating how evolution works.

Tai does also ask Agumon why he can't remain as Greymon, but he's more macho about it and kind of mean. "I like you better as Greymon," he says with actual words from his mouth. Agumon apologetically explains that "Even superheroes need a rest."

No time to keep thinking about this, nature has discovered us once again. Monochromon, an Adult-stage Digimon, smashes through some nearby rocks. Tentomon assures us that Monochromon are docile. The narrator agrees, but adds that they have a foul temper.

As a second Monochromon emerges from the other side of the group, the kids quickly decide to skedaddle out of the way. The Monochromon aren't here for us, we're just in the crossfire. Nature can be like that sometimes.

Tentomon speculates that this is a territorial dispute. Makes sense, and also not our problem so we book. Fleeing from this violence, Takeru trips and falls, but Yamato stops to help him, giving the brothers a nice moment.

Once we've run as far as we can from the territory duel, Mimi gets tired. She offhandedly complains that all this walking is going to thicken her calves, prompting Agumon to chime in that thick calves are good 'cause you can kick dirt with them. Palmon argues that leafy feat are better. Mimi is unswayed by both of these arguments.

Dub Mimi adds a bit about shopping malls; "I don't walk this much unless I'm at a mall, and as you can see, we're nowhere near one!" However, the thrust of her complaint remains that she's tired and sore from all this walking. Agumon inexplicably suggests she'd feel better if she took off her shoes and walked in bare feet. Palmon doubles down, saying she loves the feel of dirt between her toes. Mimi is not impressed.

Meanwhile, Koushiro and Sora discuss the strangely colored sunset of File Island. Even the sky in this place is weird. In any case, the sunset brings a more pressing concern: It's going to get dark soon. We're about to spend our first night on File Island.

Tentomon notices the smell of water in the air, so he takes to the sky to scout out and discovers a lake nearby. A freshwater drinking source is a huge discovery in a survival situation, so we should head that way!

It takes very little time to reach a survival consensus. Everyone is tired and hungry. We'll make camp at the lake and figure things out in the morning.

Well, consensus except for Dub Matt. Yamato likes the idea of stopping to rest for reasons that are clearly visible onscreen with him and require no elaboration. Matt, however, decides to be contrarian and barks that "We should keep walking and stop all the complaining!" Harsh, Matt.

Lake's full of telephone poles and shit but honestly we are past caring that File Island is weird. As we approach the lake, the group takes a moment to agree that this is a great spot to camp out for the night.

Mimi's nervous, though. She asks Taichi to clarify that camping means they have to sleep outdoors, which he confirms.

However, a new option suddenly presents itself courtesy of File Island being so weird. As if directly responding to their presence, a trolley sitting on a little island connected to the mainland by a manmade stone bridge suddenly turns on and calls their attention to it.

As they race for the trolley, Dub Tai inexplicably calls out, "Mimi, wait up!" as he leaps through the doors, despite being the first kid to set foot on it.

Having thoroughly failed their Don't Get In A Stranger's Car check, they take a moment investigating the trolley. Taichi and Koushiro confirm that nobody's here. Taichi's extremely bothered by this whole thing. Jou agrees, wondering aloud if the trolley's going to start moving by itself, but Taichi waves him off; There aren't any tracks for the trolley to go down.

Dub Tai agrees with Joe, but thinks it might actually be good if the trolley suddenly kidnaps them all. It might take them home. Dub Tai somehow manages to be worse at Stranger Danger than any of the Japanese crew. To be fair, he's not alone; Dub Mimi said that too.

Well, it's decided. We'll sleep in the trolley tonight. Just like that, the group sets to work on foraging for food and supplies. Last episode, the Digimon said they're good at foraging; Now they get to show off their skills, gathering various fruits and berries. Mimi tries to help, but Palmon stops her from accidentally picking poisonous mushrooms.

Jou and Sora gather firewood while Koushiro and Takeru catch fish to cook. Taichi and Yamato prepare the fire and just like that, we're camping.

When he sees Takeru struggling with figuring out how to eat a whole fish like this, Yamato offers to de-bone it for him. Taichi interrupts and tells Takeru to just start at the head and bite; Takeru accepts that advice and gives it a try.

In the dub, T.K. complains that his mom wouldn't like this. He's only supposed to eat fish sticks, and he's not supposed to eat with his fingers. Matt assures T.K. that he won't tattle, and Tai chimes in to tell him he's "hanging with the big boys now" which seems to settle his nerves.

From there, Taichi approaches Sora, who's filling up a bamboo shaft with water from the lake. He's noticed that Takeru refers to Yamato as "Onii-chan" and he's curious about it. Sora's as lost as he is about it.

Dub Tai already gets that Matt and T.K. are brothers, and instead complains that Matt "doesn't treat T.K. like a brother, only like he's a bother." Rude. Sora agrees, but suggests he's still learning how to be a big brother.

Jou returns from having a short walk around, stargazing. He's been trying to use the night sky to figure out where the hell File Island is, but the sky is wrong. Not just wrong for Japan; It's just wrong. Neither the North Star nor the Southern Cross can be found. So we are neither in the Northern Hemisphere nor the Southern. What does that leave?

Sora quickly corroborates, observing that she can't find any familiar constellations either.

Dub Joe is less thorough than Jou. He doesn't look for the Southern Cross, instead settling on the idea that we must be in the Southern Hemisphere if he can't find the North Star. Mystery solved.

Before long, it's officially time for bed. Time to spend our first night on File Island. Koushiro wants to establish a night watch rotation, which Taichi and Jou quickly agree to.

Taichi suggests that the girls shouldn't have to keep watch. Upon hearing this, Yamato jumps to his feet to demand that Takeru be excluded too. Takeru volunteers to take a turn anyway, but Yamato tells him no; Takeru should just sleep.

The dub cuts Tai's line about wanting Sora and Mimi excluded from the rotation, which leaves Matt issuing demands on T.K.'s behalf out of nowhere. This still works for the scene's intent.

Mimi points out that they have no bedding to sleep with. Getting an idea, Taichi goes straight for Gabumon, trying to steal his pelt away from him. He's only playing around, and he lets go as soon as Gabumon freaks out and runs.

Dub Tai somehow makes this about Mimi, playing her up like a predator in the night who's going to come for Gabumon in the night and cut off his tail.

Yamato angrily shoves Taichi away from Gabumon and the two nearly come to blows before the others tell them to quit it. Jou interrupts, calling the group's attention together so they can set up the shifts. With Sora, Mimi, and Takeru all excluded, the rotation he comes up with is:

Taichi

Yamato

Koushiro

Jou

Sora and Mimi remain excluded from the list even in the dub, so I guess Joe's the sexist one in this version. :P

As the kids prepare for bed in the trolley, they proceed to make unbelievably poor use of all that seating area. Everyone has to sleep in a sitting position but like there is so much space y'all.

Mimi's upset because she's used to sleeping in a bed. Dub Mimi instead is mad that she has to share sleeping space with other people. Rude.

Going to bed, we're made privy to each of their last thoughts as they drift off. Sora hopes they aren't attacked in the night. Mimi wants to take a bath. Koushiro expects it will be a long day for the group tomorrow. Jou wants this all to have been a dream.

In the dub, T.K. bids everyone good night with, "Don't let the Monochromon bite," giving Sora a specific monster anxiety to worry about. Mimi's feet are still sore. Izzy speculates that the aliens he's still on about put the trolley here to help them. Joe worries about getting "monster cooties", actual quote.

Yamato's staked out his own bench to rest on. He orders Gabumon to go keep Takeru warm. Gabumon teases him about loving his brother and Yamato storms off in a fit of embarrassment.

As the group drifts off to sleep, things start to go to shit almost immediately. The other shoe finally begins to drop during Taichi's shift, as he steps on a strange red leaf on his way to wash his face. Nothing comes of it, however. Not yet.

While Taichi's washing his face to stay awake during his shift, Yamato exits the trolley to get away from everyone. He apologizes to Taichi for their earlier fight, and confides that Takeru's closer to Taichi than to him because of his overprotective behavior; Calling back to the earlier incident with the cooked fish.

Dub Matt, meanwhile, continues being a total jerk. He still apologizes but, rather than opening up about his feelings, Matt aggressively blames "having to watch T.K." for his behavior. Nice, bro.

Taichi asks Yamato to explain the nature of their relationship for him. Yamato explains that they're brothers from a broken home; Their parents divorced and the brothers were split between them, which is why they have different last names.

The dub hasn't been playing coy about this the way the original did, so Tai instead has to ask, "Do you two even live in the same house!?" out of nowhere to provoke Matt's explanation. Matt answers that they're half-brothers so that's why they see each other so rarely.

Having had his fill of emotional honesty, Yamato splits with Taichi and goes to play his harmonica by the lake shore. He's shortly joined by Gabumon, doing a startlingly poor job of being Takeru's blanket.

That's when it happens.

Okay, fucko, I can handle being stepped on but that is a bridge too far. Local wildlife mad now.

I blame Taichi for this. 100%. That fin wasn't exactly hard to spot.

This is the Adult-stage Seadramon, the first of a particular kind of Digimon. The "dramon" lineage is a pun on the word "dragon". Any time you meet a -dramon, that's a dragon Digimon. Seadramon is, of course, the Sea Dragon Digimon.

Seadramon honestly wants nothing to do with this. His first reaction to his rude awakening is to try and peace out. Unfortunately, his tail is embedded in the island, so he ends up dragging it around with him.

Tentomon explains that Seadramon is normally pretty docile. He only attacks if he feels threatened. As long as we haven't threatened him, we should be fine. As Tentomon says this, he hops directly onto Seadramon's tail like an idiot.

Really playing up how much this impending fight is absolutely, 100% our fault. We screwed up. Seadramon is trying to defend himself against us.

This context doesn't make it into the dub. Instead, Tentomon assures the others that they'll be fine as long as Seadramon doesn't realize they're here; However, by stepping on Seadramon's tail like that, he reveals their presence to the dangerous predator.

Wrenching his tail free of the island, Seadramon retaliates by submerging himself and pushing the island further out into the lake until it collides with those telephone poles we saw earlier and can't budge any further.

Seeing Takeru in trouble, Yamato doesn't even hesitate to throw himself in the water and swim halfway across the dragon-occupied lake to reach his brother. Gabumon hesitates for a moment, not wanting to get his fur wet, but pursues Yamato anyway.

As Seadraman renews his assault on the island, the Child-stage Digimon try to fend him off, but their attacks are useless against an Adult-stage Digimon as usual. Taichi tries to get Agumon to evolve, but he can't; Agumon doesn't know why. As previously established, the Digimon don't understand this whole thing any better than the kids do.

Dub Agumon is lost too, but at least offers speculation. He thinks his body might still be tired from his fight with Shellmon. Valid theory.

Takeru falls in the water trying to get to Yamato, but Gomamon gives him a ride. Trusting Gomamon to take care of Takeru, Yamato and Gabumon throw themselves into the Seadramon fight.

Gabumon's signature move is Petit Fire. Like Baby Flame, this conveys the idea that it's a junior attack fitting of a Child-stage Digimon. The dub calls it Blue Blaster. Like the other Child attacks, Petit Fire is useless against Seadramon, who flicks Gabumon away with little difficulty.

Wrapping his tail around Yamato, Seadramon goes in for the kill.

The dub uses careful language to avoid explicitly saying that Seadramon is going to kill Matt, but nonetheless conveys the same idea. Tentomon calls Seadramon a "bubble brain" but explains that "once he finds his prey, he won't let go".

Takeru, Patamon, and Gabumon briefly discuss what they can do. Takeru wants Patamon to help, but Patamon is powerless so he turns to Gabumon. Gabumon's hesitation strikes again; He wants to help Yamato but he isn't strong enough to intervene.

However, as he watches Seadramon choke the life out of Yamato, Gabumon thinks about his harmonica music and how much he wants to hear it again. He dwells on that music and how badly he wants to hear Yamato play, then lets out a bloodcurdling scream and begins his Adult-stage evolution.

None of this emotional conflict makes it into the dub. English Gabumon agrees to go save Matt immediately, calling out that he's on his way and assertively saying, "What's a little stinky fur compared to a friend like him?"

Either way, Gabumon SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Gabumon's Adult-stage is Garurumon, another onomatopoeia name. He's named for the sound of a wolf growling. "Garururururu...."

While Garurumon and Seadramon fight, Tentomon explains that Garurumon's fur is as strong as the legendary metal mythril. The kids don't know what that is, so Koushiro asks for clarification. This puts Tentomon on the spot, who has to admit that he doesn't know what mythril is either. Taichi wonders aloud if they should really be trusting Tentomon's word when he's explaining the Digimon lore.

Dub Tentomon only equates Garurumon's fur to steel, and adds that he's a "growling torpedo". Izzy understands what that means and declares Garurumon to be invincible, forcing Tentomon to backpedal and say it's only local heresay, nothing concrete. Tai then accuses him of "exaggerating with another one of your wild fish tales again". Uh, another?

For once, we get some focus on the antagonist's special moves too. Seadramon is a wild animal so he doesn't talk, but Tentomon explains this to be his signature move Ice Arrow. Fitting for a sea dragon, he has frost breath.

Garurumon matches it with his Fox Fire. The dub calls this Howling Blaster.

Y'all, he just wanted to sleep.

Gomamon's Marching Fishes bring us back to land, but the sun comes up and nobody's rested. Exhausted, conversation turns to Gabumon's evolution.

Sora suggests that Gabumon was able to evolve this time because it was Yamato in danger. Taichi remembers Agumon evolving to protect him and corroborates that theory. The kids are beginning to develop an understanding of how evolution functions.

Once that's settled, the kids find spaces in the grass to snooze; Everyone's too tired to even care anymore where they rest their heads.

We close this episode on Yamato playing Takeru and Gabumon to sleep.

...I guess technically it is his turn to take watch.

[vg-soundtrack-showdown]

Playlist of Splatoon song recommendations

Playlist of Final Fantasy song recommendations

List of songs below

Splatoon: [1] Splattack!, Ink or Sink, Kraken Up, Now or Never, Split and Splat/Quick Start, Sucker Punch, High-Color Evolution/City of Color, Ink Me Up, Eight Legged Advance, Tentacular Circus, Cephaloparade, Tacozones Rendezvous/Octoling Rendezvous, I Am Octavio, Calamari Inkantation, [2] Inkoming!, Rip Entry, Now or Never (Wet Floor), Shipwreckin', Fins & Fiddles, Seafoam Shanty, Broken Coral, Riptide Rupture, Happy Little Workers, Deluge Dirge, Fishing Frenzy, Color Pulse, Ebb and Flow, Acid Hues, Muck Warfare, Now or Never (Off the Hook), Low Tide, Octo Eight-Step, Buoyant Boogie, Shooting Starfish, Octarmaments, Bomb Rush Blush, Tidal Rush, Spicy Calamari Inkantation, Nasty Majesty, Telephone's Theme, #0 shell, #1 progress, #9 party, Shark Bytes, #8 regret, #14 crush, #13 shade, #11 above, Splattack! (Octo), Fly Octo Fly, Into the Light, Blitz It!, Wave Prism, [3] Anarchy Rainbow, Anarchy Poison (Bird/Boar/Snake Mixes), Fins in the Air, Til Depth Do Us Part, Splattack!, Clickbait, Headhammer, Paintscraper, Triple Dip, Sea Me Now, Sandy Side Up, Candy Colored Rocks, Tentacle to the Metal, I'm Octavio (FE4RME Remix), Nine Out of Tension, Underwater Neon, Flop to It, Smoke and Mirrors, Ride or Fry, With Flying Colors, Seep & Destroy, #35 caught, Surprise and Shine, Hide and Sleek, Smeared Canvas, Bear With Me, Calamari Inkantation 3-MIX, Frothy Waters, Toxic Anoxic

Final Fantasy: [V] Battle on the Big Bridge, [VII + Remake] Opening ~ Bombing Mission, Tifa’s Theme, Those Who Fight, Electric De Chocobo, Let the Battles Begin!, Tightrope, J-E-N-O-V-A, One-Winged Angel, [XIV] To The Edge, Flow, In The Balance, Shadowbringers, Carrots of Happiness, Triumph, Twilit Terraces, Return to Oblivion, Answers, Black Wolf Stalks Again, Footfalls, Fiend, A Long Fall, Painted Skies, Neath Dark Waters, Full Fathom Five, Teardrops in the Rain, Flow/Flow Together, [XV] Valse di Fantasticsa, Somnus

[agonizingdespair]

If you've been following me or reading through my blog, you might notice I've posted recently about Pastra. More specifically the Jeff The Killer rewrite they did. Now watching that got me to watch a stream they did a few months back on quinnamon's channel with some other people where they talked about the Jeff the killer fandom, and I left a comment on that video regarding an observation I've had stuck in my head for a while now about internet media in general that I feel the need to also voice here because I find it so fascinating.

With that context out of the way, here's my copy pasted (but slightly cleaned up) analysis of human mythology and memetic evolution of stories and canons as it pertains to the internet, creepypasta OCs, popular AU fanfiction, Star Wars, and The Bible:

The Jeff The Killer OC rabbithole reminds me of the Undertale AU community. The Undertale community in general has people convincing themselves that fan additions are canon, but the OC fanfic network of OCs being made to interact with other OCs is the same thing basically, except with the multiverse involved. Which, I'm told, was also the main basis of the Onceler fandom beyond the initial selfcest pairing.

But as I mentioned it also reminds me of the Undertale fandom in general and over there, there are arguments about what is fanon and what is canon to this day. Canon is a term we invented because of similar arguments regarding religion, more specifically christianity. The modern depiction of both hell and Lucifer are based on fanfiction, that being Dante's Inferno and Paradise Lost. Which goes to show that religion and mythology is just a big web of fanfiction that becomes considered canon with time and popularity. Its all a game of telephone but with people intentionally changing stuff to add OCs or headcanons. As another commenter pointed out, this is also the entire basis of Arthurian Legend. And I've also seen people make comparisons between fandom and religion plenty of times, notably, someone once said that people argue over star wars canon down to the smallest details as special editions or original edition, and they treat it the same way different denominations of Christianity treat the different versions of the Bible that exist. And I can see exactly what they mean by that and they have a point

The thing is though, is that the internet allows these things, like Creepypasta OCs, and AU versions of characters, to happen much faster and without being nearly as limited by geographical concerns. It's like a sped up, but less mainstream, version of that phenomenon. People say comics are the modern american mythology or whatever, and its kinda true, but this is how it really works, because this is entirely in the hands of the people and there is no true canon.

In conclusion, Jeffrey Woods is Sans Undertale who is also Jesus Christ, none of which actually have those last names by the way. Thanks for reading.

[cravinganescape]

The Ericofon (1954) revolutionized the telephone industry with its one-piece design. In combining the dial and handset into a single unit, designers Gösta Thames, Ralph Lysell, and Hugo Blomberg can be credited for anticipating the evolution of today’s ordless phone and cell phone by several decades. 

[dailydemonspotlight]

Cybele - Day 89

Race: Lady

Arcana: Lovers

Alignment: Light-Chaos

August 8th, 2024

One of the most fascinating things one can observe throughout mythology, if not history as a whole, is the way ideas are passed around as years go by. Several religious concepts that are well known from one area could actually have originated from somewhere completely different, or could have traveled to different further sources that continued to expand on that idea. This can be observed most obviously in the case of the ancient Romans basically abducting several Greek deities into their own pantheon, but the Greeks themselves were far from innocent as well. After all, they did the same with a goddess years prior, one who was originally from Anatolia- and this goddess, of course, was none other than today's Demon of the Day, Cybele. This phenomenon could actually also be observed with even more deities, including fucking Dionysus, but I'll leave that to his own spotlight. That twink will get his time sometime soon.

Generally, though it is possible to link earlier, people believe that Cybele originated in modern day Turkey, being a figure of worship and the primary goddess of Phrygia, if not the only goddess in their worship. This is mostly attested through ancient sculpture depictions found in Phrygian ruins, including the famous Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük, which is commonly believed to represent her, and shows her in a motherly role, something which, among other evidence, seems to point to her being an archetypical mother goddess much like Gaia. The cult that placed her as their only god was incredibly prevalent throughout Phrygia, at least when it comes to where artifacts can be found from my understanding. This led to some strangeness, however, when ancient Greek colonizers came to Asia Minor.

The cults worshipping Cybele were slowly adopted and subsumed into Greece, causing Cybele to become a new goddess in the Greek pantheon... albeit with some changes. After all, there already was a mother goddess in the form of Gaia and the Earth itself, and this led to inevitable conflict and controversy. Her interpretation changed from place to place, being most commonly depicted as a mystery goddess in connection to none other than our 'favorite' castrated god, Attis, appearing as his consort whom he cuts off his balls to. Greek mythology never changes. Curiously, her appearance was also somewhat similar to that of a fellow Greek god, Pan- she was frequently accompanied in her appearances by wine, frantic music, and ecstasy, much like Pan would bring panic by playing his music. She moved from a motherly role to a far more enigmatic one, though this was only the second part of this strange game of telephone.

As time went on and the Romans did their Romaning thing, one of the many gods they adopted from Greek mythology was, of course, Cybele, though now in yet another, even stranger form. Cybele had went from one of the oldest gods in the world, to the goddess of birth, to a goddess of nature, and now, in Rome, she had become, as described in her new epithet, "Mater Deum Magna Idaea," or 'Great Idaean Mother of the Gods.' This sudden evolution wasn't unwarranted, given her role as a goddess of birth and connections to motherhood, but it still felt a bit like a stretch, no? Regardless, even in her newly important form, she was still a rather enigmatic entity, though her role as birthing not just humanity but also the gods themselves was of great importance. The cult that worshipped her were well known for their fervent rituals, adding on to the odd connections between Cybele and Pan as well. Overall, though, one can easily say that she was, in general, a goddess of motherhood, birth, and nature.

Now, as for SMT, this is... not really depicted? I'm not sure what I expected, but a seductive blue lady with a rope surrounding her is an odd design for her, to say the least. It's not that I dislike it too much, in fact I'm rather fond of the nod to Attis with her dual daggers, but it still feels a bit odd in contrast with her generally motherly depictions. I guess her being tits out is meant to play into that with... well, you know, but still. I can't even find much reason for her looking like this, frankly, but whatever- I'm no art critic. I'd highly recommend you look into Cybele even more, as I only scratched the surface of this proverbial iceberg, but time is short and I'm on vacation, so I can't promise my work is gonna be the best it could be. Regardless, though, hope you enjoyed!

[none-shall-caricature-me]

So one thing that struck me as odd about Albert in TWDAK was that in the goddamn 2080s / 90s, he initially proposes communicating with Taylor by letter until they suggest Internet or phones, has an old school rotary telephone, uses the Rorschach test despite its validity being highly contested since atleast the 2000s, and has a kind of old - fashioned way of speaking. We also know that Krueger Corp has some fancy neuroscience tech that allows Albert to project himself into people's minds when they dream and control the entire interaction, environment and outcomes in the victim's dream. Essentially, he hijacks people's brains for a while.

Following this, I'll do an Olympic - level stretch and put forward a probably nonsensical, crazy theory - is the therapist we meet in game really the original Albert, a logically consistent evolution of Albert from his RMU days ? Or has his consciousness and personality been melded with that of someone from an older time, say his father, grandfather etc - as a way to pass on prior expertise and maintain a successful business ? Is it an extension of the dream therapy technology ?

[c0tards--s0luti0n]

can u trll me abt them

okau sooo :3

touch tone telephone (song theyre based on) is about this conspiracy theorist guy repeatively calling this radio host to try and get his theories on the radio . it can be read like a desperate love song from the conspiracy theorist's pov (ie "oh, i'm crying now / authentic tears / they flow out of me when i think about you / 'cause you're the only person in the world who'd understand")

starting with my conspiracy theorist . his name is pandora calder . 35 but he tells everyone hes 28 . really into conspiracies and the paranormal . works as a cashier at the dollar store and surprisingly has held up that job for multiple years . he is not enjoyable to be around . acts like if a robot was thrown into humanity and had to figure out how to act like a human and the first building the robot went into was a bar . has no filter just says what the fuck ever . trans guy and bi gay 🔥. hes like a soggy wet piece of paper . hes like the "can i try rizzing you up . PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PL" meme . hes also the guy from soft fuzzy man , hes Mist but he has a human form that he uses most of the time . his hair moves and floats like mist in human form . hes like if william afton didnt kill people and was a little normaler

onto the radio host . his name is laz thatcher . 41 . runs a radio show about ghost stories from people in the neighborhood , people come in and he interviews them about their experiences with ghosts . he doesnt believe in ghosts he just finds what people "come up with" interesting . he keeps denying pandora's requests to talk about his conspiracies on the radio show cause its a ghost show man wrong place . pandora only targets specifically laz's radio show because he has a little fag crush on laz . laz is also transmasc t4t ftw .... hes also the guy from lifetime achievement award , he died from getting hit by a got damn car (cringe ass) and got revived . i havent thought too hard about him in lifetime achievement award so i dont know alot of details about it yet . hes a pretty chill guy , way normaler than pandora . gets enough money from the radio show doesnt have another part-time job . hes pretty normal for now but as i work out more about lifetime achievement award he may get weirder

okay thats basically all i got so far 😁 made em like yesterday so they are prone to change and evolution . thank you for listening to me talk about my Guys

[shingekinomyfeelings]

So, periodically I get annoyed by how scientists publish research articles and these articles are read by non-scientists who don't fully understand them because they don't know enough background about the subject, but nevertheless write their own articles BASED on the research papers, now through the lens of someone with a poorer understanding, and usually worded to sound more 'attention getting' or frankly click-baity to reach more readers --

Thus resulting in a big game of Telephone whereby the information from actual research papers is turned into a massively oversimplified, single sentence idea that is actually not at all what the original researchers said! And soon it enters the realm of 'common knowledge' that other people with no scientific background, but a casual interest in the subject, and then everyone's favorite animal fact is suddenly 'hyenas are actually cats!!!' Annoys the fuck out of me.

So now I'm going to annoy the fuck out of you.

Yesterday I saw a headline declaring that the first hybrid between domestic dog and fox has been discovered in Brazil! I immediately read it, thinking 'uh woah that shouldn't be possible.'

And...... it's not!

Without getting too far into the confusing world of taxonomy, we currently divide the Dog Family, or Canidae, into two major "tribes" that split apart from a common ancestor long ago: Canini, the True Dogs, and Vulpini, the True Foxes. The branches of Canini and Vulpini split from each other long, long, long ago. Long story short, it all comes down to skull shape.

Canini includes Canis (wolves, coyotes, golden jackals, and domestic dogs), as well as several other genera, encompassing things like true jackals, dholes, African painted dogs, maned wolves, and the confusingly named South American Foxes, or Lycalopex.

Vulpini includes the well-known Vulpes and several others.

Now, Lycalopex species do resemble foxes, and as such many of their common names include the word 'fox,' but this is because of convergent evolution - they're actually very different from foxes! But due to their superficial resemblance, and the difficult nature of trying to change an 'official' common name, the genus contains dogs named things like Andean Fox, Hoary Fox, and the Pampas Fox.

The hybrid creature captured in Brazil was shown to be a cross between domestic dog and Pampas Fox - still a surprising hybrid and the first known of its kind, but not as massively unexpected and improbable as a mix of Dog and Fox. Sadly the creature, being colloquially called a 'dogxim,' didn't survive long, having suffered injuries from a car strike, but is now the subject of SO DAMN MANY flippant click baity, 3-minute curiosity reads stating that now dogs and foxes can hybridize, and not a one of them stating the very real distinction between Lycalopex and the True Foxes.

[y0ur-maj3sty]

Project Blue Beam

Nasa has been working on aircraft that are real, but will become a part of the Global Holographic Alien Invasion/Light show. This may also include a staged 2nd coming of historical fugures; such as Jesus or Mohammed or Krishna.

BLUE BEAM Has 4 Steps:

Step 1

The first step concerns the breakdown of all archaeological knowledge. It deals with staging earthquakes at certain precise locations around the planet where supposed new "discoveries" will finally explain that the meanings of the basic doctrines of all the world`s major religions are wrong. This falsification will be used to make the population believe that all religious doctrine has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. For example, in the entertainment/movie industry, a falsification started with the film(s) 2001: A Space Odyssey, the TV-series Star Trek, the Star Wars films, and E.T., all of which deal with space invasion and protection. Another movie example is Jurassic Park which was released to push the Theory of Evolution.

Step 2

The second step deals with the gigantic space show: 3D optical holograms and sounds, laser projections of multiple holographic images in different parts of the world, each receiving a different image, according to its predetermined original national religious faith. This new "god" image will talk in all languages. As an example, the Soviets have manufactured the advanced computers and have programmed them with the Minute Psychological Particles based upon their studies of the anatomy and biology of the human body, as well as their studies on the anatomy, chemistry and electricity of the human brain. These computers have also been fed with the different languages of the world.

Step 3

The third step deals with telepathic electronic two-way communication, where ELF(Extra Low Frequency), VLF (Very Low Frequency), and LF (Low Frequency) waves will reach the people of the Earth through the insides of their brains, making each person believe that his own God is speaking to him from within his own soul. Such rays, from satellites, are fed from the memory of computers that store much data about the human being and his languages. These rays will then interlace and interweave with the natural thinking processes to form what is called Artificial Talk.

Step 4

The fourth step involves universal supernatural manifestations using electronic means. This step contains three different orientations:

The first one is to make mankind believe that an Alien Invasion is about to occur upon every major city on the earth. This is to push each major nation into using its nuclear capability to strike back. In this manner, it would put each of these nations in a state of full disarmament before the United Nations after the false attack.

The second is to make the vast Christian population believe that a major rapture is occurring, with a simple, orchestrated, divine intervention of an alleged "good" alien force coming to save the good people from a brutal satanic attack. Its goal is to get rid of all significant opposition to the New World Order.

The third orientation is a mixture of electronic and supernatural forces. The waves or frequencies used at that time will allow supernatural forces to travel through fiber optics cable, coaxial cable, electric and telephone lines in order to penetrate all electronic equipment and appliances that will by then all have a special microchip installed. The goal of this step deals with the materialization of satanic ghosts, spectres, and poltergeists all across the globe in order to push all populations to the edge of a wave of suicide, killing and permanent psychological disorder. After that night, humanity is believed to be ready for them to enter in a "New" Messiah to re-establish peace everywhere at any cost, even at the cost of their freedom.

[pass1onepr1ncess]

Forming as an alter is definitely a experience. For a while after it happens, you feel like you'd been suddenly teleported to a new place. It's disorienting. Once you start to process things, you mourn and grieve for a while for the life you had and the people you knew. You eventually come to accept that there's no going back and that you have to live this life in this new body with all these other people. You have no choice. But, you do eventually get used to it.

I'm not a new alter. I've been here for months now, at this point. Many months, at that. But I still feel so... disconnected from the rest of the system. I feel as though I wasn't just teleported to a new place but that I was ripped from my source and put in some different dimension. Everything is so advanced now. Telephones, cars, modern electricity, television and internet. It almost feels like magic. I know for everyone else it's just how things are and with the history lessons people have had you can understand how we got here. But I didn't have that, nor did I have the evolution of watching how technology has improved over the years.

It feels like there was no progression from where I'm standing. Not in the sense that nothing has changed, but in the sense that everything has changed but that it changed overnight. Like a start and end point with absolutely no in-between. Even now, after I've been in this body and this system- and this time period- for quite a while now, it still feels so jarring and unfamiliar.

And cars are nice and convenient, but I do miss Gets Up. I wish horses weren't a luxury as they are now. I wish it went back to where anyone could have one- or more. I miss writing letters instead of instant-messaging. It felt so much more... I don't know. It certainly wasn't as effective, but it made you think much more about what you wanted to say.

In any case, things are much different than I previously knew them to be. I suppose that's all I have to say. - HP

[bowelfly]

how did the artist telephone game work? Were you using a prompt or did each artist just see the art before them and were asked to redraw it..?

yeah the latter. each artist was sent only the piece of art immediately prior to them in line, and then i left it up to them as to how strictly they wanted to recreate/reinterpret it. looking through the telephone game chronology and seeing how certain compositions remained relatively static until someone came along and just wilded the fuck out feels like a really good analogy for the Punctuated Equilibrium theory for all my fellow evolution-heads out there

[shihalyfie]

i really enjoyed hunters and was surprised that people hated it so much (keep in mind i was about 8 years late) do you think it would've gone over better if hunters leaned more into the silly and fun parts of the series? since it wasn't meant to be anything extravagant

If anything, I think the big issue really was just the time it came out. At the time Xros Wars and Hunters aired, the state of the Digimon franchise and fandom was kind of like this:

News about unlocalized Japanese anime was being covered, but it wasn't as accessible as it was now; even Anime News Network articles often had very minimal information, and there would be a lot of telephone gaming, let alone very few people who knew where to look for news to begin with

Digimon wasn't being simulcast, so people had to wait for the fansub group(s) to get to the episode whenever it aired (edit: it did actually start getting simulcast around Hunters, but by that point people were already committed to the fansub version)

For many people, this was the first Digimon series they were ever watching as proper adults and thus viewing with a non-nostalgic mindset they weren't approaching older series with (Savers was also this for some people, but Xros Wars was where probably the absolute majority of people watching were adults instead of teenagers)

On top of that, Xros Wars was the first anime series that wasn't "conventional" in certain ways; it wasn't a Seki series, and while Savers also wasn't a Seki series, it took so many clear cues from Seki's style (Digimon evolution being linked to human psychology, extensive family drama, etc.) that people still had a perception of Digimon series having to be written a certain way with a certain kind of character development

In such circumstances, I think even something like Ghost Game would have been ripped to absolute shreds. People had such a strong idea of what a Digimon series has to be like that even Xros Wars vanilla and Death Generals were very polarizing; there were enough people who could tell it was deliberately trying to be different and respected it for that, but its lack of human drama made tons of people immediately dismiss its characters as poorly written and claim that the series was all style and no substance.

Now of course, not only do we have Xros Wars, we also have Appmon and the reboot and Ghost Game and a bunch of other Digimon media of different kinds that are just so all over the place that none of us really know what to expect from Digimon anymore. Hunters might have gone over better just by happening to come out now, when we've had other things and more extensive Japanese media coverage that probably would have gotten the fanbase to learn much earlier about the timeslot circumstances and it being a stall series.

And nevertheless, even now you have people saying that Ghost Game is shallow with poorly written characters because they aren't written the way Adventure wrote its characters (not that I believe that any kind of Ghost Game criticism is inherently invalid, I just mean that even now, you can still sense a lot of the "a series must be written in the style Adventure started, or it's bad" sentiment in the air). But like I said, personally, I've watched a lot of kids' shows that are far shallower, less interesting, and less fun than Hunters, so it's never felt like something that's a big deal to me, plus I feel like I have better things to do with my time than go out of my way to single out something to hate because the Digimon franchise and the realm of kids' franchises as a whole are just too big for me to get overly hung up on one series. Sometimes I do wonder if part of the problem is that (or at least, it often feels this way to me) a lot of Digimon fans really don't have much scope of the fact that Digimon is ultimately just another kids' franchise in a wider industry, and thus treat it like it's some narrow closed vacuum-sealed room where there's only one way to write a series based on a precedent from 1999-2002 that isn't exactly replicable.