#nerd's tag

[nostalgiacriticshitpost]

Another shitty sketch

[markscherz]

Meet the seven new frog species we just named after iconic Star Trek captains!

Artwork by A. Petzold, CC BY-ND 4.0

At the right time of year along rushing streams in the humid rainforests that stretch the length of Madagascar's eastern and northern mountain ridges, otherworldly trills of piercing whistles can be heard.

Are they birds? Insects? Communicator beeps? Tricorder noises?

No, they're little treefrogs!

Boophis janewayae. Photo by M. Vences, CC BY-SA 4.0

Until recently, we thought all of the populations of these little brown frogs across the island were one widespread species, Boophis marojezensis, described in 1994. But genetics in the early 2000s and 2010s showed that there were several species here, not just one.

Now my colleagues and I have shown that they are in fact eight separate species, each with unique calls!

These whistling sounds reminded us so much of Star Trek sound effects that we decided to name the seven new species after Star Trek captains: Boophis kirki, B. picardi, B. janewayae, B. siskoi, B. pikei, B. archeri, and B. burnhamae.

Photos of all new species described by Vences et al. 2024. CC BY-SA 4.0

I subtly and not-so-subtly built some Star Trek references into the paper, but probably the best one is this one:

'Finding these frogs sometimes requires considerable trekking; pursuing strange new calls, to seek out new frogs in new forests; boldly going where no herpetologist has gone before.'

— Vences et al. 2024

There’s a real sense of scientific discovery and exploration here, which we think is in the spirit of Star Trek.

Of course, it doesn't hurt that there are at least two Trekkies amongst the authors (including yours truly). As fans of Star Trek, we are also just pleased to dedicate these new species to the characters who have inspired and entertained us over the decades.

On a personal note, this marks a milestone for me, as it means I have now described over 100 frog species! I am very pleased that the 100th is Captain Janeway's Bright-eyed Frog, Boophis janewayae (if you count them in order of appearance in the paper)—she is probably my favourite captain, and I really love Star Trek: Voyager.

You can read more about the discovery of these new species on my website! You can also read the Open Access paper published in Vertebrate Zoology here.

[artemisyates]

Jon Sims the character that you are, you've got me painting memes now XD

[mildeleef]

Oh man i should be productive and draw things ive been wanting to for weeks

Horse.

GREAT IDEA

[yawnzshit]

glasses are the sluttiest thing a man can wear.

[specialgradefckr]

thinking about bullying nerd!gojo.

shoving him against lockers. punching him in the arm, tripping him whenever he walks past, throwing his textbooks in the trash.

you sneer at him for being a nerd (you're in the same advanced classes), steal his fancy bento box lunches, make him carry your books between classes, even force him to be your errand boy.

he's asking for it, really. with those stupid digimon keychains on his bag -

"how did you know it's digimon?" "shut the fuck up, nerd."

his anime stickers -

"neon genesis evangelion? how can you like that anime? all the characters are so messed up!" "hehe, asuka best girl~"

and how he loaded up his stupid fancy walkman exclusively with anime openings -

"you wanna listen?" "no! hand it over to me or i'm telling the teacher."

nerd!satoru gojo who could very easily fight you off.

even though he's a bean pole (as you frequently point out), he's a lot stronger than you realize - hidden by his long sleeves and sweater vests and loose ("comfortable!") clothing.

oh, he plays weak in front of you. suguru gets a real kick out of it, but you're not any nicer to him.

"satoru, what the hell are you doing? just walk past."

you shoot the goth a scathing glare, "nobody asked you, edgelord freak."

"at least i have a style," suguru bites back. he's more than used to getting looks.

"yeah, and it's shit. fuck off."

"you-"

suguru is about to release an especially pointed remark on your lack of friends, perceived financial status, and general shitty personality that somehow managed to be worse than his idiot best friends', but satoru gives him an absolutely withering glare. icy.

"yeah, suguru," he parrots, "fuck off."

"you shut up!" you snap immediately, "i wasn't done with you!"

suguru doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

this song and dance has been going on for years now, and you're all seniors.

"oh! yeah, of course, sorry," satoru beams at you, "you wanted to study together after school?"

you'd been threatening him to hand over his homework.

suguru supposes, in satoru's deranged mind, oversaturated with media references and calculus formulas, this might sound like a date.

"fine," you snap in exasperation, "however the hell you want to do it. just be there, all right?"

"of course! i'd never let you down!" he's nodding eagerly as you huff, release his collar, and stalk away.

"wait up!" satoru whines, gathering his books and trailing after you like a dumb puppy.

"fucking keep up, nerd, i'm not slowing down for you," you say, as you slow down for him.

for fuck's sake. it's a miracle two people this dense could even meet each other, and somehow, you're both in advanced classes.

if you don't fuck by the end of the school year, suguru thinks he's actually going to die.

[blumineck]

Bows vs Guns: when does it make sense for modern/ sci-fi characters to use guns?

This is just one example! For a longer breakdown (with some bonus history!), check out my YouTube channel.

And don’t forget there are art reference packs now up on Patreon!

[eddievedders]

GOOD OMENS — Chapter 5: The Ball.

[nostalgiacriticshitpost]

Shitty sketches

[catboygirljoker]

so imagine like. you have this coworker. and hes an asshole in general, you dont like him, nobody else likes him. but the relevant thing is that he is just really, really into arthurian legend. very into medieval literature, very into the post-roman anglo saxons, doesnt really strike you as the nerdy type but he knows a lot about it. he spends a bunch of work hours researching allegedly arthurian artifacts, and even pulls rank and convinces one of your other coworkers to also research this stuff (by lying and saying one of the higher-ups wanted it). in fact, he claims his entire motivation for working at this job is that your boss has promised to give him an actual 5th century sword. but it's like. you dont know how much of this to take seriously. it wouldnt be out of character for him to be entirely bullshitting you. so whatever.

and then after you quit and the company falls apart and you think youre never gonna see him again, you find out that your asshole coworker is, actually, Sir Lancelot, and him working at that job was all part of his preparation for the return of the actual King Arthur.

that would be the experience of everybody who was in Organization XIII finding out that Xigbar is Luxu.

[mrbrightxside]

Made more stupid smelltingville club I have more in store dw, make sure to see the surprise at the end [Not Clickbait] ✅️

[baskaromai]

may a respectful, funny and gentle nerd find me

[bingusteaweeb]

I HATE THESE LITTLE FUCKERS URRRRRGGHHHH (totally would not die for them shhhhh)

[kitabearuwu]

A couple of Chaos Theory and Camp Cretaceous doodles I did a while back as requests before the show released

I’d share all of them but I can only put 10 pics lmao

[boobilby]

Team Z.I.T.S (why on gods name would you name your team that idk)

[bobcatmoran]

Thinking about Dungeon Meshi and how it emphasizes that in order to survive, one must consume other lives, whether they be plant, fungi, or animal. And I'm especially thinking about it from a Buddhist point of view, where all life is connected, and how the phrase, "Itatakimasu," a polite form of the "to receive" verb, is a standard Japanese pre-meal ritual. Because to eat is to receive the lives of the organisms that have contributed to your meal, the efforts of the farmers that grew the crops, that raised the animals, the breeding of said crops and animals from generations past. Countless events have happened so that you can eat a slice of pepperoni pizza, or whatever your dinner may be.

It's all part of an infinitely complex web of people, of plants, of animals, which led you to this meal, and "itadakimasu" is an expression of gratitude to all those who have led to this point where you are eating a meal.

And in Dungeon Meshi, this chain is no less, despite the foreign ingredients. The dungeon has its own ecosystem, each piece playing its part. And to consume any of it is to respect its place, to appreciate the sacrifice of life that has led to the nourishment that allows you to continue your own life. And to take more than you need to survive is a crime against this ecosystem.