#and it was alive during the jurassic period

[thedegu]

Thanks to @fishbeholder for letting me know about Hox genes.  After this paragraph is an in-universe description of dragons, all real-world locations described in the text are equivalent of not direct 1:1 comparisons; for Reath, I’m using our world as a map and outline but many of the details are vastly different.

Dragons have a mutated Hox Gene causing them to have an extra set of small limbs. This mutation happened sometime during the early Jurassic era; these limbs were originally only used for mating displays. Though in one species found in Southeast Asia, these fins evolved into tools for gliding. This arboreal species was much smaller than those we know and recognize as dragons today.  This was the only draconic species that survived the  K-T extinction event.

With the skies open after the extinction of non-fay pterosaurs, the niche of flight was available for anyone willing to grab it first.

Yes, birds got there first by just a few million years,  but they never really grew much use for magic, generally preferring more mundane means of flight. The only species within the class that bear any major magic ability are harpies, sirens, phoenix, and Rocks. So Dragons fully embraced the niche of massive magical flyers.

During the Pleistocene, with the explosion of megafauna, the growth of dragons followed. This period is where the only major split of the draconic class happened. With the early semi-aquatic forest-dwelling smooth Dragons moving into rockier, flatter terrain and deeper seas: The mountain-dwelling horned dragons, the forest-dwelling sail dragons, and the fully aquatic finned dragons were born.

During this time, there was an intriguing mammalian upstart in Africa who grew a deep coevolution with dragons were born.  Maybe you've heard of these two-legged hairless apes.  While the interactions between early humans and dragons are challenging to study, it is known that humans and dragons hunted the same prey and lived in the same regions. Many traditions say Dragons taught humans magic, speech, and how to make fire.

Though it is known that dragons and humans must have been able to find some sort of truce. Early humans had no way of defending themselves against dragons, but entire generations of humans could be born, reproduce, and die in the time it takes for a single dragon egg to hatch and reach sexual maturity. So while any one-on-one fight with a dragon would easily defeat any human, the death of a single dragon, especially young dragons, could devastate the entire population. But we found peace

Dragons are deeply magical creatures, and without this magic, they would not be able to function at all; their bodies are too heavy for their bones to carry them, let alone fly.  They also simply cannot live off of consumed calories alone, their hibernation periods being used to take in, filter, and store magical energy inside their bodies like batteries for their animated periods

While it is unknown if dragons were the ones to teach humans basic magic, it is known that humans taught dragons refined spellcasting.  Only a handful of species are known to purposely and consciously manipulate the magic around them rather ten passively using it as a means of predation or defense. In other words, true spellcasting. Dragons are also the only known species, outside of humans, to not take their magic through the filter of Fairy; instead, they directly manipulate the magic from the magical plane.  

This leads us to today; dragons are our collaborators, an equivalent to humans, if not surpassing us. Another species that is considered to be a person amongst us fay and sephlopods.  While dragons as a species live very different lives to us, you may be surprised to meet one on the street or have one as a coworker, they are rare; with only a few thousand alive today, and only a fraction of those living outside their suspended animation but they are people, our peers, and living history. Though we may need to return to the amniotes to find our common ancestor, I am happy to call dragons brethren.”

- Prof. Julian Corzo 

Space Magazine, October issue 2012

#thoughts #dragons #fantasy #fantasy biology #speculative zoology #speculative biology #unreality #this dosent even mention that dragons are simultaneous hermaphrodites #or that thier horns sails and colorations are still used for mating displays even today #the writing demon got me on this one #i was just going to do a quick continuing thoughts from my previous post but then started writing in the voice of a researcher #then i just leaned into it #so enjoy #tanks again @fishbeholder!

[goji-pilled]

i like the fact that its called jurassic park and jurassic world meanwhile a good chunk of the most famous creatures from the series did not live during the jurassic

like the compys from the movie did, but the novel ones were procompsognathus and not compsognathus and lived during the triassic

tyrannosaurus rex, baryonyx, spinosaurus, triceratops, mosasaurus, velociraptor were all alive during various parts of the cretaceous period lol

[ammonitetheseaserpent]

LOOOOORRREEE TIME

Celestial Bodies And Magic

- The sun, moon and stars are all powerful sources of magic, which they radiate out around them. Reaching the Earth’s surface, the sun’s magic gives rise to life, and the moon’s magic allows deceased life forms to live on as spirits.

- The stars are too far away from earth for their magic to reach the planets. Fortunately, being between the sun and moon (in a way) - and thus, able to be reached by both celestial bodies’ magic - allowed the stars to form a group of ambassadors, powerful Emissaries that could reach the earth themselves.

- The combination of life magic and spirit magic made the Emissaries beings that are neither alive nor dead. They can interact with the physical world the way living beings can, but they’re definitely not organic - kinda made of magic, in a way - and they’re pretty close to immortal. They also each take the form of a different family of animals.

- By far the youngest of the Emissaries (and the cat one) is a being called Orion, who shares a lot of the views of their siblings, but also holds a genuine curiosity about mortals and a desire to make friends.

Great Cats

- In prehistory (particularly the Jurassic Period-Pleistocene Epoch), the large, powerful and dominant species were also powerful magic users and lived long lives. However, the Emissaries would eradicate these species each time it was feared they were becoming too powerful.

- Then in the Pleistocene there were the Great Cats, which were the pinnacle of felines and are remembered best for the skills they passed down to their modern cousins. This is when the Emissaries finally decided to wipe out powerful innate magic among Earth species altogether. Taking advantage of the fact that humans were starting to chop down these species' populations via hunting, they joined in, as well as placing curses on the Earth so that no powerful magic would come from beings on its surface again.

- During this massacre, one of the Great Cats in particular hid his only son to prevent any harm from coming to him. He also turned on Orion, who (unbeknownst to him) was only there to play with the Great Cats, and banished them from the physical realm with a powerful spell, leaving him only able to appear in shadows.

#the owl house #the owl house au #toh au #the wing clowder au #warriors #warrior cats #warrior cats au #orion the emissary

[clonewarsarchives]

RISE OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS (#118, JUL 2010)

 Eagle-eyed viewers of the second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars might have noticed some cool Easter Eggs and fascinating trivia. Star Wars Insider takes a look at some of the best!

Holocron Heist

Holocron first appeared in the comic series Dark Empire, published in 1991-1992 by Dark Horse Comics.

Cargo of Doom

This episode features “Kaybur memory crystal”. The initial drafts of the screenplay of A New Hope featured the Kyber crystal: a Force-focusing artifact. Although written out of subsequent drafts, a version of this idea appeared in the novel Splinter of the Mind’s eye as the Kaiburr crystal.

Children of the Force

The mobile over the Gungan toddler’s cot includes a colo clawfish and a sando aqua monster. These underwater beasts can be seen during the journey through the planet’s core sequence in Episode I.

Senate Spy

This episode revisits many environments seen in the live action movies. Padme’s apartment (Episode III), the senate corridor (Episode II) and rotunda chambers (Episode I), the Jedi Council war room (Episode III) and entrance gates (Episode III), and Cato Neimoidia (Episode III) all feature.

Landing at Point Rain

Anakin and Ahsoka are said to have arrived from an engagement near Dorin. According to the Expanded Universe, this is the homewrold of the Kel Dor, Plo Koon’s species.

Weapons Factory                              

The nose-art on Luminara’s gunship has a clone trooper giving Count Dooku a kick!

Legacy of Terror

This is the second Star Wars story to feature zombies in 2009. The first was the horror novel Death Troopers release by Del Rey in October.

Brain Invaders

Mace Windu’s efforts on Dantooine and Kit Fisto’s knowledge of Ord Cestus are two minor nods to the Expanded Universe. During the first Clone Wars micro-series Mace fights a droid army on the plains of Dantooine, and the novel The Cestus Deception features the grinning Jedi Master, Kit Fisto!

Grievous Intrigue          

According to the 2003 book, Inside the World of Attack of the Clones, Eeth Koth died in a gunship crash on Geonosis. Fans of this Jedi were delighted that he appears alive and well in this episode.

The Deserter

Respected film editor Rober Dalva directed this episode. His many credits as editor include Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo—both directed by classic trilogy art director Joe Johnston.

Lightsaber Lost

When Ahsoka is researching underworld thieves, a mugshot of Brea Tonnika, one of the Tonnika sisters seen in the cantina in Episode IV, appears on the monitor.

The Mandalore Plot

The elongated shape of the Mandalorian helmets in this episode was inspired by the Boba Fett animation model used in the making of The Star Wars Holiday Special.

Voyage of Temptation

Anakin, noticing Obi-Wan’s anxiety over his reunion with the Duchess while ascending in a turbolift, recalls the scene in Attack of the Clones in which the younger Jedi is teased by his mentor.

Duchess of Mandalore

Deputy Minister Jerec’s description of the tumultuous time on Mandalore as “a period of civil war” echoes the original title crawl from A New Hope.

Senate Murders

Mon Mothma, a character seen in Episode III and VI, was produced as an animation model for this episode, though the air order of The Clone Wars had her appear in “Duchess of Mandalore” first.

Cat and Mouse

Chronologically, this episode precedes all the others that have been broadcast thus far. “Cat and Mouse” is followed by Season One’s “The Hidden Enemy” and then The Clone Wars feature film.

Bounty Hunters

The episode begins with an unusual title card, specifically mentioning Akira Kurosawa, an influential film director admired by George Lucas. The original Star Wars was very much inspired by the works of Kurosawa, particularly the 1958 movie The Hidden Fortress.

The Zillo Beast

When the Zillo Beast first surfaces, it tramples a clone trooper who emits a distinctive scream. That sound effect is affectionately called “the Wilhelm”. It’s a decades0old audio recording that has become a pet sound effect to many sound editors and appears in all the Star Wars features.

The Zillo Beast Strikes Back

The droids tending to the Zillo Beast include re-purposed heavy labor droids first seen in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

Death Trap

Admiral Kilian was named after Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ concept artist Kilian Plunkett.

R2 Come Home

Plo Koon mentions the Hydian Way, a navigational hyperspace route that was created in the Expanded Universe.

Lethal Trackdown

Hondo Ohnaka’s cluttered office and desk are inspired by Dave Filoni’s cluttered workspace.

#season 2 #insider #i118

[denimbex1986]

'Since 1898, war films have been a genre unto themselves. The films look back and attempt to tell stories, real or otherwise, that make us consider the horrors that existed during their particular time. 1998 gave us Stephen Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, a definitive look at World War II through the eyes of a small unit sent to find and bring back a soldier behind enemy lines. It was hailed as the quintessential war movie.

But 25 years later, does it hold up? And what has come since that may be considered even better?

What Makes Saving Private Ryan So Beloved?

The film was praised for its accuracy, specifically its opening scene depicting the taking of Normandy Beach. It is an epic film with stunning visuals that created a stir due to walkouts by veterans, as the film’s accuracy caused traumatic flashbacks. However, despite this, these same veterans praised the movie as it portrayed their experiences in the most realistic way possible.

Saving Private Ryan also touched on the human side of a ragtag group of soldiers attempting to hold it together in the face of such overwhelming odds. This scenario had been played out before, but the film was able to reinvigorate the trope in a way that many saw as a fresh take.

Often, this type of film shows these men have already made it through certain battles. Saving Private Ryan showed us the survivors of Normandy. When the film’s plot begins moving forward, we have already seen these men go through the hellish fires that killed so many of their fellow soldiers. We root for them simply because they lived.

It is also a look into the duality of war and its overall meanings. These films are often ruminations on life and mortality, but Saving Private Ryan gives us the dichotomy of soldiers being sent into battle simply to find a single soldier and bring him home alive. These men are risking all of their lives, with some of them dying, only to find a single soldier who has no desire to go home.

It is the typical look at man’s inhumanity to man and the horrors of World War II but with the added twist of showing the military’s eagerness to save face regardless of who has to die to do it. Saving Private Ryan means that his mother will not have lost all of her children, but it comes at the expense of everyone else’s.

The film was a huge success, became required viewing for any moviegoer at the time, and lives on as one of the greatest war films and even one of the greatest films period, of all time.

What Subsequent Films Have Learned

Since the film came out, we have seen huge shifts in how the world works. Continued wars in the Middle East, the impact of September 11, 2001, and rising global tensions have led to a variety of impactful war films. We have seen a wider array of war films, including those focusing on individuals (The Hurt Locker) and others attempting to handle much larger, real-world events (Dunkirk).

These films have one thing in common. They all follow in the footsteps of Saving Private Ryan. This means that, much like Spielberg’s other opus, Jurassic Park, directors have a new high bar to achieve. The main issue has become realism. For many viewers, visuals are just as important as the stories themselves. This means that directors are finding new techniques to make a more realistic version of what people have come to expect from other everyday films.

Comparing Saving Private Ryan to Oppenheimer

The most recent movie about WWII is the 2023 film Oppenheimer. The film is different from Saving Private Ryan in the sense that it shows a different side of the war. It is all the things that its predecessor is not. Where Saving Private Ryan showed the impact of war on the battle-hardened troops, Oppenheimer is a deep dive into the home front and the scientists who worked tirelessly to end the war in one enormous shot.

It is also indicative of the times. We have come to a place where audiences want their heroes to be real and muddled. They want main characters with flaws and want to watch them fall and succeed. Saving Private Ryan gave us the grunts with good intentions who fight the good fight with the zeal of those who we are told are heroes. Oppenheimer presents us with a man whose overarching brilliance is seen as a tool he must use to bring absolute devastation.

We are told to support our country and support our troops. Saving Private Ryan, though a partial indictment, was also a rah-rah war film. We whoop and holler when they blow a bridge or take a hill. But with Oppenheimer, we understand that this is a man who changed the world on a literal atomic level and created something that should never have been created. Or should it?

We, as the audience, are told how this man justified his actions to himself and others while realizing what he did had a terrible cost. Is he a hero? Is he a villain? Does he deserve a distinction?

Oppenheimer is the film that appeals to current audiences because they want realism, biographical stories, and the ability to question their reality. Saving Private Ryan appealed to audiences because we had a pre-9/11 view of war and heroics. We wanted battles and good guys. We wanted to see the GIs fight the good fight. And it gave us what we wanted. But times have changed, and though it remains an amazing film, its influence may outlive its usefulness.'

#Oppenheimer #Christopher Nolan #Dunkirk #Saving Private Ryan #Steven Spielberg #The Hurt Locker

[rwnhunit3]

DINOSAURS

[primary research]

Dinosaurs lived around 66 million years ago in a time period known as the Mesozoic Era. The Mesozoic era was divided into three periods: the Triassic, the Jurassic and Cretaceous. During the 174 million years that the dinosaurs existed the world had begun to change greatly; when the dinosaurs had evolved onto the earth in the Triassic period they roamed the supercontinent named as Pangaea however when an Asteroid hit in the Cretaceous period the continents were shifted to approximately where they are today.

[primary research]

Although there isn’t any physical images of dinosaurs alive we identify them by their fossils which are dug up either intentionally or unintentionally. This often happens when a living organism is buried by sediment such as sand or silt shortly after it dies which keeps them preserved for millions of years. Preserved dinosaur marks and bones are prehistoric evidence that dinosaurs existed. Scientists that specialise in fossils use these key bits of evidence to tell us what dinosaurs looked like, how long ago they lived, what they ate, etc.

[secondary research]

1987-1988

This image is a tail of a sauropod dinosaur which was found in the Sahara desert in Niger on a joint exhibition by the natural history museum and Kingston polytechnic (now known as Kingston university).

[secondary research]

Example of rocks from the age in which dinosaurs lived.

palaeontologists or “dinosaur hunters” don’t just go searching anywhere for fossils many hours of well throughout research goes into finding dinosaur fossils. When palaeontologists are out hoping to find fossils they look for rocks of the right age so they know that they might consist of dinosaur fossils this is done by looking at a geological map where these rocks have been seen appearing. Rocks can naturally erode to reveal fossils meaning scientists don’t always have to dig for fossils.

Harvard referencing:

Bainbridge, D. (2022) in Paleontology: An illustrated history. S.l.: Princetown University Press.

Dinosaur bones (no date) American Museum of Natural History. Available at: https://www.amnh.org/dinosaurs/dinosaur-bones (Accessed: March 8, 2023).

Frozen in time (1999). Washington DC: National Geographic Society.

Geggel, L. (2021) A brief history of dinosaurs, LiveScience. Purch. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/3945-history-dinosaurs.html (Accessed: March 8, 2023).

How are dinosaur fossils formed? (no date) Natural History Museum. Available at: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-are-fossils-formed.html (Accessed: March 8, 2023).

How to find dinosaur fossils (no date) Natural History Museum. Available at: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-find-a-dinosaur.html (Accessed: March 8, 2023).

OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations) (no date) GCSE Natural History - what is natural history?, GCSE Natural History - What is Natural History? Available at: https://teach.ocr.org.uk/what-is-natural-history (Accessed: March 8, 2023).

What is a fossil? (2020) Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety. Available at: https://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/What-is-a-fossil-1661.aspx (Accessed: March 8, 2023).

[ask-cloverfield]

Odd how Godzilla is constantly made to try and resemble a dinosaur when the original film only said it was an animal from the jurassic period

#godzilla #they describe godzilla as an intermediate species from when a marine reptile evolved into a terrestrial reptile #and it was alive during the jurassic period #this sounds way more aggressive than I mean it to but it is just a fun little detail

[lannasroleplaymemes]

Out Of Context Sentence Starters from my Own Roleplays

Adjust as necessary.

“It’s puppy birth blood! It’s happy blood!”

“I still think he was a K-Pop star. I’m going to try and look him up.”

“ I’d honestly rather be in a gun fight than do retail.”

“Just promise me you have blackmail on those two already. For my own personal reassurance.”

"Yes, they’re legal. No, I didn’t do this myself. Feel free to examine it, but there may be bugs.”

“ She only comes ‘round when she’s unhappy or frustrated. So how about I go ruin her life more?”

“STOP SHOUTING. SOMEONE’S GONNA HEAR.”

“I just saw them talking! They weren’t doing shit in public!”

“Oh, no. A bard.”

“Bro, she looks like Ariana Grande!”

“I am as glorious as the day I was born.”

"Listen, if you see a man around here wearing a grey coat and an ugly tweed hat, push him in the river for me."

“ I asked for his name, not his origin story. “

“Well, I guess you had better not die before you do anything worth putting in your obituary, then.”

“...You didn’t warn me you were going to be indecent.”

“All this information just lets me know that I want to be cremated when I’m gone. “

“...The T-Rex wasn’t even alive during the Jurassic period. Amateurs.”

“Do I look good in this shade of red?”

“Dad’s just mad I ain’t a ginger like him.”

“ I apologize for being a terrible escort so far.”

“The hell you creeping around for?”

“ Welcome to -- why do you have a cat with you?”

“Why did you all go quiet when I came in?”

“But just because you said that, I feel like being petty today.”

"Are you this flippant with all your clients, or am I just special?"

“She stole your shoes? What? Why?”

“Well you’re not getting into my bedroom that easy, buddy.”

“ I want to anihilate anything that brings him joy and then fuck him until he cries.”

“She said that soft pinks were the color of female oppression.”

“Since we’re both wimps, I say we stay away from horror.”

“Well, I see why he was assasinated then.“

“Yeah, yeah, but I’ll have lots of fans so you’ll have to work extra hard to remain the number one fan!”

“Oh, am I being threatened?”

“ Holy shit, this is the best dream ever. “

“ I’m gonna fuckin’ throw my lunch. “

“Just talking to you is using up a lot of my courage.”

“This was a very good plan in theory,  but now you’ve fucked yourself.“

“Sometimes a simple life is way better than what a lot of people are trying to achieve.”

“You know, I’ve never played Xbox.”

“ I need a trip to Disneyland.“

“WHAT?! FUCK! YOU WEE MINX! I TOLD YOU!”

“ I’ve got a good feeling that the stars are gonna align for you.”

“Time to make like a banana and get the fuck outta here!“

“What if I like being choked?”

“ You are even more sexy this close-up.”

“I thought I saw a UFO once, but it was just a hot-air balloon in the distance. I was very disappointed.”

“You have an arrow in your shoulder!”

“Turn around, do a twirl! Pose!”

“ I almost feel like the main character in a video game."

“ His accent is out of control…”

“Wow. Betrayal.”

“That sounds like a you problem.”

“How can I not take it personal?”

#rp meme #type: sentence #emo: funny #rel: friends #emo: flirt

[smylealong]

Dearc Sgiathanach

Some of you might have seen the news of “the largest pterosaur ever” or some variation of that doing rounds on various social media platforms. The statement is both true and false at the same time, and I will explain why.

Pterosaurs were the first vertebrate to have evolved powered flight. They appear abruptly in the fossil record in the Triassic period and from there on proceeded to evolve into a variety of shapes and sizes before dying out in the k-pg mass extinction which wiped out the dinosaurs as well. Like birds, pterosaurs, too, had very light bones and paper-thin bone walls, a feature that doesn’t lend well to fossilization. Therefore, finding a complete pterosaur fossil is extremely rare.

The newly identified species, Dearc sgiathanach (pronounced jark ski-an-ach), meaning “winged reptile” in Gaelic, belonged to the family ‘Ramphorhynchidae’ and lived during the Middle Jurassic approximately 170 million years ago. It is said to have achieved a wingspan around 2.5m to 3m (8.2 feet to 9.8 feet). That would make it a very large flying creature indeed, rivalling the wingspan of the Andean Condor which stands at 2.7m -3.04m (8.9 feet -10 feet). This specimen is also the most complete specimen found in Scotland, answering several questions in the pterosaur’s evolutionary history that arose from the paucity of fossils. This makes the discovery of Dearc sgiathanach a significant one globally.

However, this isn’t the biggest pterosaur ever. That credit goes to an animal from the Late Cretaceous (68-66 million years ago), called Quetzalcoatlus. Standing as tall as a giraffe, Quetzalcoatlus had a wingspan of about 10.9m (36 feet). To make a comparison for scale, Dearc sgiathanach was about as big as a King size mattress while Quetzalcoatlus was about as large as a two-seater airplane. There is a possibility that Hatzegopteryx, an Azhdarchid found in the Hatzeg island was about as big or bigger than Quetzalcoatlus, but there are not enough fossils of the animal to establish the fact.

In summation, what this means is that while Dearc sgiathanach was indeed a big pterosaur, it was by no means the biggest ever. However, it was the largest flying creature when it was alive, making it the biggest known JURASSIC pterosaur. It is also one of the most complete fossils of Pterosaurs ever found.

Illustration: Natalia Jagielska

Postcranial skeleton and dentition of Dearc sgiathanach. From Jagielska et al., 2022

#dearc sgiathanach #Paleo Nerd

[carnegiemuseumnaturalhistory]

Mesozoic Monthly: Dreadnoughtus

Last January, we started out hopeful for 2020, but unfortunately it ended up being a very difficult year for almost everyone. After an equally challenging start to 2021, I think it is safe to say our attitudes toward this year are more guarded, but nonetheless brave. We know that more hard times might be approaching, but if we could make it through 2020, we can make it through its successor. It is in this spirit that this edition of Mesozoic Monthly features Dreadnoughtus schrani, a colossal sauropod dinosaur whose genus name literally means “fearer of nothing.”

Dreadnoughtus has many connections to Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH). Starting in 2005, a team that included CMNH’s own Dr. Matt Lamanna collected the only known fossil skeletons of the ginormous species in Santa Cruz Province of southern Patagonia, Argentina. Matt was also one of the authors of the paper that officially named the beast in 2014. Furthermore, many of the bones were scientifically prepared by staff and volunteers in the museum’s on-exhibit fossil lab, PaleoLab. Preparation involves freeing the fossils from the rock in which they were preserved (called matrix) using special tools, and then gluing/reinforcing the fossils back together as needed. Next time you visit CMNH, make sure to take a peek in PaleoLab to see our preparators in action!

CMNH Scientific Preparator Dan Pickering carefully removes rock from a gigantic cervical vertebra (neck bone) of Dreadnoughtus, ca. 2012. The top of the vertebra is projecting toward the viewer; the front is toward the left of the image. Photo courtesy Matt Lamanna.

Sauropod dinosaurs such as Dreadnoughtus are easily recognized by their frequently huge size, long necks, and long tails. CMNH’s Dinosaurs in Their Time (DITT) exhibition features real fossil skeletons of three different sauropods: Camarasaurus, Apatosaurus, and Diplodocus. Brachiosaurus, one of the stars of Jurassic Park, is also a sauropod, and is featured in the mural in the Jurassic Period atrium in DITT.

Dreadnoughtus belongs to a group of sauropods called titanosaurs that lived during the following Cretaceous Period, largely in the Southern Hemisphere. Titanosaurs have many interesting features that make them unique, such as simplified front feet with very few bones, extra-wide shoulders and hips, and even (in some species) bony plates called osteoderms embedded in the skin. However, as their name implies, titanosaurs’ primary claim to fame is their generally titanic size. Many titanosaurs were absolutely enormous – the smallest members of the group, such as Magyarosaurus, were outliers likely produced by insular dwarfism, a phenomenon in which typically large-bodied animals evolve smaller sizes that are more sustainable in geographically restricted habitats such as islands. Magyarosaurus lived in what’s now the Transylvania region of Romania, which was part of an island at the end of the Cretaceous. In contrast, Dreadnoughtus, which lived in prehistoric South America, was not restricted by an island habitat, and grew to an estimated 85 feet (26 meters) long. And, based on studies of the microscopic internal structure of its bones, it’s possible that the already-immense name-bearing specimen wasn’t even done growing before it died!

When you’re 85 feet long from head to tail, you tend to dwarf everything around you! I bet you didn’t even notice the two 13-foot-long Talenkauen santacrucensis at the bottom right – ornithischian dinosaurs that lived alongside Dreadnoughtus in the ~75-million-year-old ecosystem of southern Argentina’s Cerro Fortaleza Formation. This digital painting of Dreadnoughtus and company is by artist Charles Nye, used with permission. You can find more of his art under the name @thepaintpaddock on Instagram and Twitter!

As you can imagine, it’s very hard to determine how much a dinosaur would have weighed when it was alive, especially for a dinosaur as large as Dreadnoughtus! Although multiple methods for calculating the weight of an extinct animal have been proposed, one of the most commonly employed techniques is volumetric mass estimation. Paleontologists using this method work with typically incomplete skeletons to first estimate how much of each type of tissue (like muscle or fat) covered the skeleton; afterward, they calculate how much each tissue type (including bone) weighed. It’s a difficult, somewhat speculative process that can result in different researchers producing wildly different estimates for the same animal’s weight. Estimates for Dreadnoughtushave been anywhere between 24.4 and 65.4 US tons (22.1 and 59.3 metric tons), but the most recent estimate was 54.0 US tons (49 metric tons). For comparison, a typical school bus weighs around 12.5 US tons (11.3 metric tons)! Clearly, no matter how you estimate it, Dreadnoughtus was a massive animal.

It’s notoriously hard to find complete sauropod skeletons – because their bodies and bones were so large, they tended to break apart and to be at least partially destroyed before they could be buried and preserved. The holotype, or name-bearing, specimen of Dreadnoughtus is among the most complete giant titanosaur skeletons ever found. This reconstruction by scientific illustrator Lindsay Wright (a former volunteer here at CMNH) shows which bones of this titanosaur have been discovered (in white).

Gargantuan size has its drawbacks, but it also brings enormous benefits. It takes an absurd amount of resources to grow this large and power the organs needed to support life. However, if enough food is present to sustain this growth, predators are no longer an issue. Not even the largest meat-eating dinosaurs could pose a threat to something as large as an adult Dreadnoughtus. The only chances predators had to taste this sauropod were to hunt it when it was a small juvenile or to scavenge it when it was dead or dying. That seems to be what happened, too, because teeth of carnivorous dinosaurs were found scattered around the fossils.

So, as we continue our journey through 2021, let us think of ourselves like the unassailable Dreadnoughtus: the challenges of 2020 helped us to grow tremendously resilient, and the trials coming our way will not fracture our resolve. Times may be hard, but we are gigantic dinosaurs with no natural predators. We can do this.

Lindsay Kastroll is a volunteer and paleontology student working in the Section of Vertebrate Paleontology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Museum staff, volunteers, and interns are encouraged to blog about their unique experiences and knowledge gained from working at the museum.

#Carnegie Museum of Natural History #Dreadnoughtus #Titanosaur #Dinosaurs #Paleontology #Mesozoic

[365days365movies]

April 8, 2021: Swiss Army Man (2016) (Recap: Part One)

Don’t think about the Boy who Lived.

Daniel Radcliffe is a talented actor with a wider range than he’s given credit for. He’s been working since childhood, and has picked up quite a lot over time. While most famous for...a certain role that will go unnamed...he famously started his stage career in 2007 with the musical Equus, and that later progressed to How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, and Endgame.

Meanwhile, he also made appearances of television in varied roles, live-action and animated. He started his career in an adaptation of David Copperfield in 1999, voiced a character on The Simpsons three separate times, hosted Saturday Night Live in 2012, and also currently has an excellent role in the anthology series Miracle Workers.

And MEANWHILE, he also had quite the robust film career, especially after...the role which shall not be named. There were a few films made during that time period, like December Boys and The Woman in Black, but most of his time was understandably taken up, as was his public image. That, of course, ends in 2011. The first time I saw him in a role outside he who shall not be named was in the film Kill Your Darlings, about the collegiate career and romance in the life of famous gay poet Allen Ginsburg. It was very good!

The same year, 2013, he starred in Horns, a unique fantasy film that I considered watching for Fantasy March. His film career would be full of ups (The F Word, Trainwreck, Lost in London) and downs (Victor Frankenstein, Now You See Me 2, Playmobil: the Movie oh God REALLY JESUS). And right in the middle of those came one of his most famous weird roles. And that’s today’s focus. And I’ve been wanting to watch it for YEARS. And while we’re talking about him, let’s talk about this film’s other star: Paul Dano.

Dano’s career also began young, and in the opposite way to Radcliffe’s: in theatre first. After a stint on Broadway at the age of 12 (GODDAMN) in Inherit the Wind, as well as several other productions, he transitioned to film in 2000, around the same time that Radcliffe started as well. Eventually, he gained acclaim with his role in Little Miss Sunshine, and then...anybody else in the mood for a milkshake right about now?

Yeah, I haven’t seen that movie, but I really should this year. Consider it on my list...at some point. I’ll figure it out. Anyway, Dano’s role in There Will Be Blood only increased his acclaim, and found him acting in a number of indie films. Dano’s definitely not a blockbuster guy, but that’s not to say that he completely avoids them either. He’s been in Knight and Day, Cowboys and Aliens, and Looper, which all fall under that category. And except for the last one...they aren’t especially good, either. 

But again, he was also in 12 Years a Slave, Okja, Wildlife, Where the Wild Things Are, and Meek’s Cutoff, and all of those were critically acclaimed, and some almost reached blockbuster status themselves. So I don’t really know how to feel about his upcoming role as...the Riddler.

Yeah, we’ll see, but I’m holding my breath. Dano’s great, and I love the Riddler, but...I dunno. Like I said, we’ll see. But in the meantime, that’s enough navel-gazing. Let’s watch Swiss Army Man! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

We begin at sea. If you have thalassophobia, this is already terrifying for you. After seeing many plastics floating on the ocean, covered in written messages, we make our way to a deserted island, where Hank Thompson (Paul Dano) is committing suicide after being stranded there for so long.

However, as he does, he spies someone lying on the beach. The rope snaps, and Hank runs over to greet the body, hoping that he isn’t dead. Unfortunately, after a very loud burst of flatulence, it’s pretty damn clear that this is a dead body. And yes, this is Daniel Radcliffe, but I’ll introduce him formerly when the time comes.

Hank’s sad that the guy isn’t alive, but still speaks to him about his hopes and dreams in the past. He’d always wanted a life of parties and friends and love, and imagined that he’d see that kind of life in a flash before he died. Instead, he only saw the body, who responds with yet another fart. But with that, Hank goes back to trying to hang himself. 

And as he does...the body keeps interrupting with its INSANE gas. Like, it’s so bad that the body keeps shaking as if it were alive. The body washes into the sea, and its flatulence begins to propel it away from the shore. Hank sees this, and he uses the humming he was doing to make the Intro Song, which is strangely mesmerizing? Like, literally soundtrack-worthy, I’m not kidding. He also grabs a piece of his noose, uses it to grab onto the body, and rides it as the farts propel them both far away from the beach. It’s absolutely absurd...and kind of great. And then the titles play.

Hank wakes up on the short of a different island, or possible a larger land mass, and is overjoyed by the change in scenery. He shouts his name to the world, and credits the body with his rescue. No longer stranded in the Pacific, as far as we know, he tries to use his phone, to no avail. He decides to head out and look for help, grabbing a bag of Cheetos that washed up alongside them, bids the body farewell...and then comes back for it.

Carrying the farting body on his back (and kind of treating him as if he’s alive), he wanders through the forest to find help. He wonders if the gas is the result of decomposition (likely, if excessive), or if its the body’s soul leaving it. Either way, the trudge forward. They settle in a cave for the night, as it rains heavily outside. As Hank is want to do, he hums to himself, and shares more of his personal life with the body, as he sings to it. And yeah, I’ve been linking to these songs, because the soundtrack is genuinely fascinating to me.

Morning comes, and Hank awakes to a raccoon prying at the body, which he subsequently chases for food. In his desperation for food and water, he’s once again about to leave the body in the cave, but notices it leaking copious amounts of water from its mouth, which it had collected from the cave walls overnight. And yes...he drinks it. Which is absolutely disgusting when you think about it, which I now choose NOT to.

In the process, Hank squeezes the body for more water, and air escapes his mouth in such a way that it sounds like it’s speaking a name: Manny (Daniel Radcliffe). From that, Hank gets the body to speak his name and a simple greeting, but grows frustrated from the inability of the body to speak properly. This leads to him being a bit abusive towards him, reminding him unfavorably of his own father. Ooh, character revelations, me like.

Anyway, he apologizes to Manny for treating him that way...and Manny responds. Which FREAKS HANK THE FUCK OUT, understandably, and he punches Manny and flees the cave. As he comes back, Manny is indeed speaking outright, which is either a miracle or Hank just straight-up hallucinating. Either way, Hank asks Manny to try and remember his past life, but all he can get is the vague recollection of the Jurassic Park theme song. But Manny can’t remember the movie itself, which is when Hank says the most correct line ever said in all of film.

You’re goddamn right. Anyway, from, there, Hank tries to teach Manny about the ways of the world, and the nature of life and death. And the resulting conversation is absolutely fuckin’ ridiculous, and I love it all. Through the process, Manny learns about the world, and Hank asks him to help get home.

In the process, Manny inadvertently insults Hank, causing to walk off and once again look for help, only to eat poison berries and throw up for a sec. The two reunite, and their conversation turns to the topic of sex. See, there are some magazines in the cave that they’re in, which prompts some questions about women, sex, and love. To both of their surprise, this conversation causes Manny’s heart to beat! Spurred on, Hank continues, and Manny’s heart appears to reawaken...as does his penis. That’s a link to the soundtrack, I promise.

Hank and Manny both freak out, as his little Manny seems to have a mind (and motility) of its own. But in the ever absurd nature of this movie’s premise, this too has a secondary function: it’s a compass. Yup. And that prompts the next step of their journey, which is full of a conversation about fetishes and masturbation. Yeah, Hank’s surprised about that, too.

This leads to a conversation about his parents, as well as somewhat traumatic parts of his childhood, including his mother’s premature death. This makes Hank upset, and he lashes out at Manny, who briefly returns to being dead until Hank apologizes. As they go on, however, they encounter another denizen of the forest: a bear. This causes the two to fall off a cliff, and causes Hank’s phone to fall out of his pocket and turn on, allowing Manny to see the picture of a girl on his background.

Manny’s enraptured by the picture, and constantly asks to see her again, as Hank continues to struggle for food. The problem is that Hank needs to conserve the power on the phone, but Manny asks if Hank can dress up as the girl in order to help him remember, and bring him back to life to help save them both. He does so reluctantly, but Manny calls him beautiful, to which Hank reacts positively. This not only helps Manny come to life a little more, but also leads Hank to shave to look more convincing for Manny...and possibly for Hank, too.

As these two engage on a fake date and create a fake bus (while Manny listens to a fake self-sung cover of Cotton Eye Joe that I’m putting on my playlist), this is a good time to mention the one thing I know about this movie...maybe. I don’t quite remember where I heard this, but I have heard that this film is possibly a commentary on the transgender experience, or at the very least that Hank is transgender, but hasn’t come to terms with that as of yet. Now, I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I have heard that, and I’m definitely interested to see if that’s the direction this goes. This scene definitely seems to somewhat confirm this theory. Also, I will say (as I have said before when watching The Danish Girl), I’m a straight dude of the cissexual sort, so this is in NO WAY in my wheelhouse, but I still figured I’d mention it.

We’re also at the halfway point now, so this would seem like a good time to pause for Part 2! See you there!

#swiss army man #daniel scheinert #daniel kwan #daniel scheinert and daniel kwan #the daniels #daniel radcliffe #paul dano #mary elizabeth winstead #comedy april #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365days365movies #365 movies a year #moviegifs #tusernyx #userpayel #usermike

[thelotusthief]

“…The T-Rex wasn’t even alive during the Jurassic period. Amateurs.” [ Sho! ]

Out of context starters

"Huh. And here I thought the only thing you knew about was math and being wrong."

#zettatrixs

[thecoffeeisblack]

Final for my illustration of Compsognathus longipes attempting to seize the day along with a little Anurognathus ammoni for it's lunch.

Both animals lived roughly 150.8 million years ago during the Late Jurassic period in what would eventually become the Solnhofen Limestone Formation in Bavaria. When they were alive the area was dotted with lagoons separated from the ocean by reefs. There were many other species of fish, pterosaurs, icthyosaurs, and dinosaurs. One of the more famous dinosaurs in the area was Archaeopoteryx lithographica, it's fossils later found in the limestone that now remains.

Compsognathus was one of the more common theropod dinosaurs discovered in the area, though it measured only about a meter in length and wouldn't have posed much of a threat to the larger animals inhabiting the area, but it would have been the perfect size to go after the tiny pterosaur known as Anurognathus, itself only measuring a little over a foot from wing-tip to wing-tip. Both animals had huge eyes for their size, most and were most likely more active at night, and while Anurognathus was likely a fast flyer, Compsognathus is thought to have also been very quick on it's feet, able to easily catch up with anything foolish enough to have dropped down to ground level.

#compsognathus #anurognathus #blackandwhite #Pen and Ink #educational #naturalhistory #theropod #jurassic #dino #dinoart #dinosaur #dinosaurart #pterosaur #paleo #paleoart #paleontology #sciart #science #illustration #illustrationart #art #artist #digitalart #digitalillustration #maine #maineart #newengland #newenglandart #artistsontumblr

[antazya]

Sci-Tech NEWS of the Day - 31 JULY 2021, 2142 Hours IST

1) 📷📷 HALO Infinite campaign spoilers have leaked. Spoilers for Halo Infinte’s main campaign are leaking online following the launch of the game’s first technical preview. 343 Industries' Joseph Staten flagged the leak on Twitter, confirming that the team “unintentionally included a small number of Halo Infinite campaign files in the tech preview build” and that “unfortunately, these files contain spoilers.” 2) 📷📷 Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 classic live photos surface ahead of launch. Samsung is largely anticipated to launch new foldable phones and new wearables at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on August 11. 91Mobiles, citing an anonymous source, shared live photos of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. The wearable has a round dial and is seen to have a Black and Silver finish. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is likely to feature a physical bezel and two buttons on the right edge for navigation and power on/off. I am waiting so eagerly as if I can afford this.😜 3) 📷📷 Google launches new Google meet Web app. Google has launched a new standalone web application for Google Meet. The web app also known as the Progressive web app has all the features of the Google Meet app, but this is strictly for the web. You no longer have to type the URL or go to Gmail to start a meeting on Google Meet, you can simply download the application on your laptop, computer, or MacBook and use it. Finally!!!! 4) 📷📷 ZTE Axon 30 5G with an under-display camera set to launch globally in September. ZTE has launched its Axon 30 5G smartphone in China, which sports a new generation of under-display cameras. According to ZTE, the new generation technology ensures better synchronization between the front camera and the conventional display area, and a more natural transition between them, which is important if someone wants to get the best selfies. I guess we are going to see a hell lot of innovation this time. 5) 📷📷 World's first commercial re-programmable satellite blast into space. The world's first commercial fully re-programmable satellite lifted off from the Kourou space center in French Guiana on Friday on board an Ariane 5 rocket, ushering in a new era of more flexible communications. 6) 📷📷 Apple iPhone 14 Pro could sport a titanium body. According to Mashable, a report by JP Morgan Chase suggests that Apple plans to equip the Pro models in its iPhone 14 line-up, likely coming next year, with a titanium alloy chassis. This would be a first for the iPhone since previously Apple used aluminum and stainless steel for their devices. Titanium is harder and more resistant to scratches, more resistant to corrosion, and lighter than stainless steel. Meanwhile, the prices are gonna go skyrocketing. Shuuuuuuuuuu 7) 📷📷 Twitter announces a bug-bounty program to find biases in AI algorithms. Microblogging giant Twitter has announced a bug bounty program meant to find algorithmic bias in its artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. The company is offering rewards worth up to $3,500 for identifying biases in its image cropping algorithm, an effort that Twitter had announced back in May. 8) 📷📷 International Space Station thrown out of control by a misfire of Russian module: NASA The International Space Station (ISS) was thrown briefly out of control on Thursday when jet thrusters of a newly arrived Russian research module inadvertently fired a few hours after it was docked to the orbiting outpost, NASA officials said. 9) 📷📷 Scientists discover 'Sea of fossils' buried under alive 200 Million years ago, located in Pompeii. Scientists have discovered thousands of fossils buried alive in the ocean almost 200 million years ago. Neville Hollingworth described the site located at the bottom of a quarry in England’s Cotswold Hills as a ‘Jurassic Pompeii’, which was destroyed due to Mount Vesuvius's volcanic eruption in 79 AD. OOH LA LA!! 10) 📷📷 The University of Texas at Austin: Bird brains left other dinosaurs behind. Research on a newly

discovered bird fossil led by The University of Texas at Austin found that a unique brain shape may be why the ancestors of living birds survived the mass extinction that claimed all other known dinosaurs. A fossil skull of Ichthyornis, a bird that lived 70 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous Period. Credit: Christopher Torres / The University of Texas at Austin “Living birds have brains more complex than any known animals except mammals,” said lead investigator Christopher Torres.

#tech #technology #gaming #video games #news

[posthumanwanderings]

well folks, the PHW Sega Saturn devotional posts for its 25th anniversary month is coming to a close soon. I hope to have provided enough reasons why the Saturn should be remembered and held up with better regard and not let the Genesis and Dreamcast steal the spotlight every time people hear ‘Sega’. the mentality at the times that every new game had to have cutting edge 3D was shortsighted and underestimated even by Sega of America themselves. there were people like my brother, friends at the time and of course myself who rejoiced having 2D arcade perfect ports within the comfort of home like all the Capcom, SNK and Sunsoft offerings, and we only got a small fraction of these ports while Japan knew what was up. and when Saturn developers did do 3D right (as with Bulk Slash, Virtual On, Panzer Dragoon series and Burning Rangers) it was and still looks impressive but only with the right setup. so something as simple as not having an S-video cord was probably detrimental and the first year releases for Saturn were no doubt lackluster (to this day I hate Clockwork Night... how you go from cool guy Sonic to a skinny mustached dweeb like that for your console’s icon). well can’t change the past, so I’ll keep doing what I do to make the best of it. and as much as I dislike the mini-console fad, Saturn library might benefit from it since so many people slept on it (or straight up not even alive) when the best games didn’t cost a fortune like they do now. that is, if they get the emulation 100% right... we’ll see.

me @ me for not asking for Saturn Bomberman one Christmas:

for June I’m gonna focus on the Sega arcade games during this same time period (1994-1998) and why it was yet another big shame these games couldn’t be ported to Saturn (or Dreamcast with no graphical losses). Golden Axe: The Duel and Sonic The Fighters would’ve brought the Genesis crowd back on board. would’ve also loved to see the Jurassic Park light-gun games (or the more rare Rail Chase ones) on either console, or an expanded Top Skater / Sega Water Ski etc. anyways, keep staying safe fam, and let me know if there’s something I haven’t been posting much that you’d like me to get back to throwing down on here. my mind is always in a million places but with a lil nudge I’ll get some focus going ;) PEACE LOVE & SEGA

#ending the month appropriately playing the final 4 saturn games released here #sega saturn #text #sega model 2

[bigskydreaming]

thehollowprince said: And I also stand by the opinion that they could have just done a solo run of the O5 X-Men starting a new timeline with the information they got from the future.

thehollowprince said: Its not like Marvel doesn’t constantly do AUs and retcons

OMG Josh you have no idea how bad I wanted this. They could’ve done SO MUCH with that concept. Letting the 05 keep their foreknowledge and the world they could have created with that?

They could’ve averted the initial Krakoan mission and saved Darwin, Gabe, Petra and Sway in the first place. They could have all been X-Men from their Day One, Scott and Alex would have actually gotten to KNOW their brother and Gabe quite possibly would never have gone full Dark Side despite the writers apparently now seeming obsessed with the idea there’s just something innately bad within Gabe that’s always destined to bear fruit at some point, ugh, whatever, like who do you think you are, Kant?

They could’ve recruited the Giant Size X-Men lineup earlier, and saved John Proudstar, who side by side with his brother Jamie, are a force to be reckoned with. 

They could have convinced Pietro and Wanda to join them instead of the Avengers and been like no but seriously that way lies nothing but shitty storylines and bad decisions that will be blamed on you by your teammates despite the fact that any and all of the bad decisions that were ACTUALLY yours could have been averted if any of your teammates were capable of functioning as an actual support system. Come join us. We have actual support systems, except for the times when we don’t, but we recruited Deadpool to break the fourth wall and he and Logan are currently cutting through the ranks of every writer who would write as hating and fighting each other instead of being a loving fucking family goddammit.

Jean could have faced the Phoenix head-on when the time for that came, using her knowledge of the future not to fear an inevitable death, but rather to know she had nothing TO fear, that the power to not control this force, but just be ONE with it, with no NEED to control it or be controlled by it, a symbiotic union, two beings in harmony deciding on courses of action together. The Phoenix’s innate powers and prerogative of rebirth and destruction tempered by Jean’s mercy, aimed and focused by Jean’s reason, the double-edged sword that is fire capable of warming homes or destroying them completely combined with Jean’s conscience guiding it to use its power for the former rather than the latter.

They could have stopped the Legacy Virus from getting out and killing millions as well as spared us from migraines induced by an AIDS metaphor so shitty at being a metaphor most people forget it was literally written to be an AIDS metaphor.

The body swap would never have happened and Kwannon could have joined the X-Men as a full member from the time she was introduced, rather than dragged along in the wake of Betsy’s tangled storylines for a couple decades.

They could have stopped Fitzroy from killing the Hellions. Hell, if they train Illyana early enough and have her mentored by Wanda who is perfectly fucking competent when left to her own devices, then like, maybe they can even take a jaunt to the future to save Fitzroy from dying in the first place and being resurrected with no soul. Not gonna lie, ever since then I’ve kinda been seriously interested in what the hell would a hero version of Trevor freaking Fitzroy even BE like, y’know? Call it morbid fascination, but like. I kinda want it, guys. LOL.

Add to that note, they could have taken another jaunt to the future and rescued Rachel from being made into a Hound by Ahab. Through the power of some convoluted plot tangle I just made up for convenience, Scott still ends up in a relationship with Maddy briefly, in one of those self-fulfilling prophecy type things where he went into it with the full intention of just averting the future and saving Maddy from her fate as the Goblyn Queen, but somehow ended up in a love triangle with a very alive Jean and Maddy who is fully informed of Sinister’s shenanigans and quite displeased with that asshole, and look, I don’t know how all of this goes exactly, but let’s cut to the chase, my only real endgame with this is making sure that Nate’s born properly, saved from Apocalypse and the techno-virus by the combined efforts of Scott, Maddy and Jean as well as Uncles Warren, Bobby and Hank, and Jean calls up the Phoenix through some psychic bond or whatever and is like hey girl, can I hit you up for a loan real quick? Got some losers that need toasting. 

And in this AU the Phoenix totally has her back, and one brief cosmic power-up and gratuitous Sailor Moon transformation later, Jean glows and intones some epic one-liners with appropriate gravitas, and then just punts both Apocalypse and Sinister to the far side of the universe, never to be seen or heard from again. They like, hit a black hole on the way there I guess. It was very sad. Violin strings may commence with the requiem. Okay that’s enough, they can stop now.

So then through the plot contrivances of fuck you, I said so, Scott and Maddy ultimately part amicably and Scott and Jean get back together and the three of them civilly co-parent both baby Nate and Rachel, as Maddy keeps the healing powers she gained as Anodine and stays with the X-Men for her own reasons.

The telepaths are all better trained by the expertise Jean gained in her powers while in the future, so the next time the Shadow King comes bumming around looking to cause chaos, Betsy, Emma and Jean just look at each other and laugh and say nuh-uh before psychically squishing him into a marble.

Warren never becomes Archangel. Onslaught isn’t a thing. They make nice with Magneto and say okay you may have a couple points, let’s discuss. Bishop arrives in the past for reasons totally unrelated to his original story, has no traitor to seek out among the X-Men, and thus he and Gambit end up besties in complete defiance of that stupid fucking story and because I just think they’re neat together. Yes I said neat. Gambit and Bishop are just neat. Deal with it. 

Bishop still hates that Fitzroy guy though, he’s like, I don’t even know what it is about that guy, he just rubs me the wrong way, even though Fitzroy is not evil here and has always done good with his powers, which are channeled through a device Forge made him that lets him just absorb life force from a wide range around him, spread out and diluted enough that its like, the grass feels weird for a second, like whoa what even was that, and then its over. Actually, y’know what, scratch that. Fitzroy’s powers are stupid and unnecessary the way they are now anyway, so fuck it, this Fitzroy doesn’t need life force or whatever, he’s just a dude who makes time portals. He’s like Illyana with green hair and that ugly goatee. Hey I said this Fitzroy was non-evil, not that he was perfect.

Bobby’s out and proud since he was sixteen, and with actual competence and proficiency with his powers, which make him a Literal Unkillable Gay Icon, he’s an inspiration to LGBTQ+ teens everywhere and inspires other gay, bi and trans heroes to come out. He’s a big brother figure to all the baby gays that later join the X-Men, like, Rictor comes to him for advice back during the time equivalent to early X-Factor, when Rictor’s a trying-too-hard sixteen year old who thought college age Bobby was like the coolest, which is valid, because X-Factor Bobby was like A+ Bobby characterization and deserves more reads. 

So Rictor comes out earlier as well, and by the time they even meet Shatterstar, instead of a slow burn friends to roommates to lovers scenario, Rictor takes one look at the love of his life and wastes no time coming out swinging with an absolutely terrible pick up line. Look, I said his big brother figure Bobby was out and proud in this AU, not that he magically had a better sense of humor. Some things just don’t change, y’know? Luckily, Shatterstar is a weirdo, and thus he finds terrible pick-up lines charming. At least when its Rictor saying them. They walk off for a first date, already practically hand in hand, voices fading into the distance as Rictor asks “By the way, have you met Dazzler yet? According to Bobby, apparently she’s your mom. That Longshot dude with the mullet over there is your dad I guess. We should go say hi.”

Hank gets an assistant hand-picked by the rest of the original X-Men, and who has one job and one job only. To follow him around and observe all his experiments, and he has veto power over experiments that People With IQs As High As Yours Should Know Better But I Guess You’ve Got Reed Richards Syndrome.

Hank’s like, “Hmm, if I built a time machine I could go back to the Jurassic Period and observe whether my theory of - “

Hank’s assistant: “Veto.”

“Damn. Okay I was also thinking of making a deep space communicator that can reach into the farthest reaches of space beyond any known civilization and just say hi, y’know? See if anyone’s out there.”

“Veto.”

“If I combine these genetically modified antibodies here with this strain of of DNA from - “

“Veto.”

“Well Forge built this device that does this to mutant powers but I think I can make it do - “

“Veto.”

“These nanobots I - “

“VETO,”

“Honestly, at this point I think you’re just saying that just because you like saying it.”

“Dr. McCoy, I promise you, I’m really, really not.”

Logan finds out about his future clan of stabby children, and seeks them out. He rescues Daken from Romulus, somebody stabs that loser with the immortal-killing sword, I don’t even care who, and after a few tense months of Logan trying too hard, he and Daken eventually bond over how hockey just isn’t violent enough. If you’re going to make a sport all about hitting each other, just really go for it or don’t even bother, y’know? Logan claps him on the shoulder and sniffs. That’s my boy. Then they find and rescue Laura and Gabby and take a road trip to Earth 1610 to pick up Jimmy. They have a house on campus, and new students walking by it are used to hearing loud growling and even howls. They were assured during orientation that that’s nothing to worry about, it just means the House of Snikt are watching a game and are rooting for opposing sides. 

Emma’s recruited practically the day they get back. She’s only just started at the Hellfire Club and has only done a tiny bit of Evil when Warren schedules an appointment with her, and then he, Scott and Jean make a better pitch than Shaw and his ilk could ever match. They’ve been to the future. Come join with us and we’ll give you an all access pass to memories detailing exactly what’s going to happen in these particular areas and many more. All you have to do is ask. Oh and also please don’t seduce any married teammates. Its bad form. To be honest, I don’t think it’ll be an issue because Deadpool assures us Morrison has been taken care of, and don’t worry if that makes no sense to you, its a head-scratcher for us to. Just roll with it. 

Nate ages normally here so its not like he ends up besties with forty year old Wade, but the latter having his own plot-contrived knowledge of the future because He’s Just Like That, decides that he won’t be denied at least SOME kind of bond with The Bestie That Wasn’t. He becomes Nate’s official babysitter. Well, not official, seeing as how Scott, Jean and Maddy don’t hire him and are very clear that their son is not to be left alone with this man at any time, he is a terrible influence and he keeps giving our kid guns. But then Wade just shows up anytime they’re out because he just has a sixth sense for Making Trouble, and he terrifies away whatever babysitter’s there and greets the returning and exasperated parents with a cheery wave. 

“I know what you’re going to say, but don’t worry, we didn’t do anything dangerous or against the law. All we did today was I taught him to make bombs, but we were very careful, we wore safety goggles and really, they were very little bombs. Not even anything atomic. I honestly don’t think any of them could have even blown up this whole house, and I’ve been meaning to say, I’m not impressed with the structural integrity of this place. Couldn’t you have picked something with a sturdier foundation? Its like you don’t even expect random space mercenaries to attack your place out of the blue every other month. Have any of you even read a single issue of your own comics?”

Scott’s jaw twitches Ominously. Wade starts gathering up his things. Jean rubs her forehead wearily.

“Wade, what do you even think ‘dangerous’ means?”

Wade pauses and cocks his head. Gives it a solid twenty seconds of thought. Then he shrugs. 

“I don’t know actually. Don’t think I’ve ever really thought about it. I always figured it was just one of those things people just say. Like, ‘oh, it looks like rain today,’ even if they’re not a forecaster and have no real meteorological credentials to speak of. ‘Oh, this mission will be dangerous,’ and I don’t even have to use up all my ammo and I only get shot twice. Y’know?”

“Leave,” Scott says. More like intones. House shakes a little bit but that might just be Wade’s imagination. Its very active.

“Leaving!” He says hastily. He jumps through the closed window and then teleports away amid the falling shower of broken glass. Why didn’t he do that while he was still inside the room? No one knows. Not even Wade knows. Why did the chicken cross the road? Who the fuck cares, now is it Original Recipe or Crispy?

Scott, Jean and Maddy search the house while Nate angelically claims they won’t find anything, Wade doesn’t even bring him cool stuff anymore cuz he knows you’ll just take it.

Maddy finds a high-tech laser space gun under a floorboard in the closet. She holds it up with one eyebrow raised pointedly. Scott and Jean flank her and their own eyebrows raise in solidarity. Well Jean’s does. Scott’s probably does but its hard to tell sometimes. Depends on what glasses or visor he’s wearing.

“That was already there,” Nate tries. Most powerful telepath and telekinetic in the world, but the kid can’t lie for shit. There’s not much point in trying when one of your moms is the freaking Phoenix, and that’s a skill that takes practice he just doesn’t have. 

The three sets of parental eyebrows make a V, judgingly.

“One month of no video games or TV?” Okay, so terrible liar but quick on his feet. At least he knows when he’s beat and jumps straight to trying to shape his own punishment proactively.

“Two months. And no flying lessons either,” Jean says. “And don’t pout at me, young man. You know the rules. No weapons inside the house unless your grandpa Corsair is visitng and we’re too tired to fight him on keeping knives under his pillow. This is a Do As We Say, Not As We Do house. Deal with it. Now, this is going with the others and you can have it back when you’re eighteen.”

It would have been three months, but Jean and Maddy caught a telepathic sniff from Scott. He’s just so proud of his kid thinking so tactically. He’s growing up so fast. Both women mentally roll their eyes. Why is he like this.

“I don’t see what the big deal is anyway,” Nate sulks. “Its just a stupid laser gun. I mean, Uncle Gabe blew up our last house with his brain.” 

“Yes and it was an accident and he feels absolutely terrible about that which is why we’re not going to bring it up when he and Armando come visit this weekend, right?”

“You can have my full compliance for two weeks off my sentence.”

“Or we can have your full compliance or two weeks will be added to your sentence,” Maddy says.

“You guys suck,” declares the ten year old vessel of near unlimited psychic might. He goes to his room, stomping all the way up the stairs so his grievances can be heard even by the House of Snikt next door. Course, they’ve already been listening to the whole thing with their enhanced hearing. There was nothing good on TV. Jimmy made popcorn and chewed with his mouth open just to piss off Daken. 

‘The second Father leaves the room, I am going to stab you in such a slow healing place you’ll still be bleeding at bed time.’ Daken mouths at his little brother from another universe. Jimmy scrunches his face in confusion. 

‘What?’ He mouths back. He’s terrible at reading lips. Or anything that isn’t skateboarding, really. And yet Father’s so happy that ‘at least one of my kids is content with stupid normal stuff and doesn’t go around drawing cover fire just because a mission is going so well its boring and they haven’t even gotten to pop their claws out yet.’

“That’s only because you’ve coddled him. He’s barely ever even been shot at. Just the one time on vacation in Majipoor and he wasn’t even the target, the assassin was aiming for me. If you would just let me take him on a proper outing to gain some real experience - “

“Not gonna happen.” Logan shuts that down real quick.

“Really Father, just look at him. He has zero situational awareness. I’ve been glaring a hole in the back of his head for a full minute now and he has no idea. That could just as easily be an actual laser scope, you know. He’s a disgrace to the whole family.”

“Daken, we’ve been over this,” Logan says firmly. “You have your sisters to bond with over gratuitous violence. Leave your brother alone. I don’t want anyone traumatizing him until trauma finds him all on its own. It’ll happen sooner or later, he’s as much a part of this family as anyone and that means its as good as done already, so there’s no need to hurry it along. If later on he decides he’s got a taste for it, you can take him on all the outings to get shot at that you want. But he’s gotta figure it out for himself first, and he doesn’t need his big brother being the one who introduces him to all that. He idolizes you, you know.”

Daken scoffs. He can’t even get the brat to chew with his mouth closed.

“He cut his hair from that style he liked so much, just because you hated it so much,” Logan says obliviously. Daken nods like he’s conceding the argument and hastens from the room while he can still keep his mouth shut. It won’t benefit anyone at this point to tell their father that Jimmy really only cut his hair because Daken told him he would set it on fire if he didn’t. 

Ugh, families are the worst. Don’t even get him started on Laura stealing some of his clothes to wear without asking. And then has the gall to yell back at him when he yells “Silk! Its the finest cut of silk! Does that mean nothing to you?” at her.

“Oh get over it. Its not like I asked for killer robots to interrupt my date.”

“Of course they were going to interrupt your date with that Julian boy. I keep telling you, he’s a magnet for trouble. I can tell. I’m one too, remember?”

“Fine, whatever, you’re right and I should just expect every date with Julian from now until the end of time to end with fire and disaster.”

“Well now you’re being melodramatic. There’s no way that boy makes it past twenty five. He doesn’t even have a healing factor.”

“Why do you hate him so much anyway? If you’d just give him a chance - “

“What are you talking about? I give him a chance every single time he’s here and I don’t kill him.”

“Ugh, I can’t even talk to you when you’re like this. You always do this, you just decide on something and then you commit to that like the fate of the world depends on you standing firm on what’s usually a completely arbitrary decision in the first place!”

Daken sniffs. “I can assure you, there’s absolutely nothing arbitrary about my disdain for the Keller boy.”

“His name is Julian,” Laura enunciates with a glare.

“I don’t care,” Daken enunciates with an expression of lofty superiority.

“You two are so dumb,” Gabby says from the end of the hallway. They both turn identical glares on her. They’d noticed her arrive several minutes ago but they weren’t about to be distracted from their battle of wills. “Laura, you know Daken isn’t actually going to kill Julian. He doesn’t do that anymore except for really bad people sometimes and he just talks about stabbing people or killing them cuz he thinks he’s funny and then he gets all pissy because nobody ever gets that he doesn’t really mean it. He doesn’t even hate Julian and he used to be fine with him before he started dating you, its just he doesn’t think he’s good enough for you.”

Daken frowns at the petite would-be peacemaker. Meddlesome toddler. “What are you even babbling about? None of that is remotely true.”

Gabby rolls her eyes up at her brother from her much lower height. She taps the side of her nose with emphasis. “You do know we all have the same abilities to smell and analyze scents as you do, right? And you know everything you can tell from peoples’ scent, right? Of course I’m right, I can smell it as clear as anything and so can Jimmy and Dad and we actually all know this and talk about it all the time, and its why Dad never actually gets mad at you for talking about killing people because he can smell you’re saying it just cuz you’re used to saying it but really you’re too marshmallowy on the inside now to do half the stuff you claim you’re gonna do. Hate to break it to you bro, but you’re a closet softie and you’ve been made. The nose doesn’t lie. Only reason Laura doesn’t know it is because you piss her off like its your favorite hobby and its probably impossible for her to smell anything beyond her own scent of Royally Pissed Off.”

Ugh. Meddlesome insightful toddler. Who asked for her intervention anyway? Daken crosses his arms in a way that’s decidedly aloof and not at all sulking.

Laura’s staring at their sister assessingly. “That’s really what you think is going on? And Jimmy and Dad think so too? You’re not just saying all that?”

Gabby bats her eyes up at them. “Would I lie to you?”

“Yes,” Laura says without missing a beat.

“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Daken says dryly, right on her heels.

“For the sake of a candy bar,” Laura adds, because that really did happen.

“Or just boredom, because god forbid you pick up another hobby that isn’t just Chaos.”

“This from the guy who only has fun when there’s blood and bullets flying about,” Gabby fires back from a position of petite petulance.

Daken smirks down at her. “Didn’t you just say I don’t really mean it when I say all of that?”

Gabby narrows her eyes. “Touché. My own words thrown back at me. I am undone.”

“Yes, well - “

Daken’s cut off as Jimmy chooses that moment to walk past them down the hallway to the bathroom. He’s laughing and shaking his head.

“You guys are both so dumb. She plays you like this all the time, and you never see it.”

“Silence, mortal!” Gabby thunders at their brother menacingly. The effect is somewhat diminished by the fact that she can’t hit a baritone note to save her life.

“No, I’m interested in hearing what he has to say,” Daken says coolly. “For once. This is a moment without precedent and one unlikely to occur again, so let’s explore it a bit.”

Jimmy sighs and shakes his head without ever losing that amused smirk. “Had to tack on that last part, didn’t you. Just couldn’t help yourself.”

“I am a faithful student of the Truth,” Daken says, matching his brother smirk for smirk.

“The point, Jimmy?” Laura prods aggressively before that can erupt into a wholly separate thing she wants no part of.

“Oh, right.” He shrugs nonchalantly. “Its kinda her thing with you two when you get like this. You pick a fight with Laura, Laura gets pissed off and succumbs to the family curse of Tunnel Vision at the Worst Possible Time, and you both go back and forth endlessly and like you have all the time in the world for your stupid tete a tete, because on account of you both being practically unkillable and immortal, you kinda do and you know it. And then whenever she gets bored of listening to you two, Gabby swoops in and draws both of your attention until you’re both so focused on being annoyed with her you don’t even realize you’re actually side by side agreeing with each other, and she keeps it up just long enough til she’s sure she can just say she’s bored now and just leave the room, leaving you both annoyed and frustrated by a fight you can’t even claim to have won because she really just kinda...left, in the middle of it, and you’re so focused on that, you’ve totally forgotten to be pissed at each other. And by the time you do remember, like, the moment has passed and peace has been returned to the kingdom. Or at least as peaceful as this place ever gets.”

Daken stares at his mistake of a brother in the hopes that if he stalled long enough, his senses would arrive at a different conclusion. But nope. Scents don’t lie, unlike baby sis, apparently. He’s telling the truth. And Daken really does not....care for that conclusion.

Gabby stamps her foot and glares up at their brother.

“You are such a tattletale. I am providing a service, by keeping this family free of these two constantly at each others throats, and how is that service repaid? With betrayal! I hate you, you’re dead to me. Never speak to me again or at least not until I’ve stopped being mad at you, but that could be like ten years or something, I don’t even know right now.”

She draws up to her full height and squares her shoulders as she thunders this Mighty Mouse style at the still laughing Jimmy. Then, seeing she’d yet to make a dent in his armor of amusement and he was failing to take her pronouncement seriously, she punctuated her declaration by spitting on their brother’s shoe. Daken’s eyebrows shoot up again, this time in amusement of his own. Gabby then spins around on her heel and stalks off down the hallway, muttering more dire threats under her breath as she goes, the sound of them nonetheless carrying clearly to three siblings with enhanced hearing of their own. And apparently, little sis could be quite creative. Who knew she’d been hiding such talent?

Jimmy barely even notices; he’s still staring down at his shoe.

“Dude, you spit on me! That’s so not cool.”

“Some things need to be expressed so strongly, mere words will not suffice,” Daken says loftily, savoring a slightly renewed sense of superiority.

One quickly dashed, of course, because apparently he just can’t have anything.

“Bold words from the seventy year old who needed the sixteen year old to clue him in he’s being regularly manipulated by the twelve year old,” Jimmy fires back. As a return volley, its obnoxiously effective, and Daken’s still grinding his teeth and searching for an adequate rejoinder as Jimmy just grins even wider and then strolls off down the hallway as well. Whistling either an absolutely hideous song or else proof that he’s absolutely hideous at whistling. Tough call. With him it could be either.

Daken and Laura both stare after him in silence as he rounds the corner and disappears, leaving only the lingering scent of smugness in his wake. Daken hates the scent of smugness. It has a particularly....cloying feel to it. Well not his of course. But everyone else’s, especially little brothers? Acrid is the only word adequate for that.

“Sometimes I really do want to stab him. Just a little bit. And I’m not even lying,” Daken says. Laura just nods, her own nose scrunched up in distaste as well.

“Honestly? Me too.”

Brother and sister enjoy the rare moment of solidarity.

“You know what’s really bugging me?” Laura says suddenly, still staring off down the hallway. Daken turns an inquiring eye on her, prompting elucidation. She frowns.

“Where the hell did he learn a phrase like tete a tete? I mean. Its Jimmy.”

Daken does know what she means, and frowns as the nagging awareness of that leaps from his sister to himself like memetic chain lightning.

“And he used it correctly. That’s....unexpected.”

“Sometimes I wonder if maybe he’s not as completely airheaded as he pretends, and the fact that he’s got everyone so convinced of that actually means he’s running circles around the rest of us,” Laura says. She shrugs. “Of course, then I have to question everything and who has that kind of time and also the very idea of genius mastermind Jimmy disturbs me on a deeply visceral level. So then I just. Stop doing that.”

Daken nods and sighs. “Sometimes, that’s all you can do.”

“Okay, this is annoying. I kinda still want to fight, but now fighting with you feels kinda anticlimactic. Ugh, siblings are the worst,” Laura declares with a glower. “They ruin everything.”

“On that, we can agree. With allowances for temporary occasions of some of them being bearable,” Daken says. “Some.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve never said to me, big brother,” Laura says lightly. Daken swiftly scowls but she holds up a hand to forestall any rebuttal. “Sorry, don’t mean to ruin the moment. I’m thinking about how else we can put all that frustrated energy to good use. Wanna go pick a fight with the Summers’ kids?”

A slow smile spreads across Daken’s face. “Well now. Finally, a family outing I can get behind. I believe that’s precisely what we need right now. Care to lead the way?”

He still hates her boyfriend, of course, but he supposes he can let that be. 

For now, at least.