#primate bracket

[primate-tournament]

🦍The primate tournament list of candidates has been finalised! Polls will start going up soon!🦧

Thank you to everyone who submitted a species! Here is the full written list:

Basal primates (non-simian primates, including Strepsirrhini and Tarsiiformes)

†Notharctus (Notharctus tenebrosus)

Calabar angwantibo (Arctocebus calabarensis)

West African potto (Perodicticus potto)

Red slender loris (Loris tardigradus)

Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis)

Pygmy slow loris (Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus)

Senegal bushbaby (Galago senegalensis)

Brown greater galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus)

Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)

Verreaux’s sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi)

†Archaeoindris (Archaeoindris fontoynontii)

†Megaladapis (Megaladapis madagascariensis)

Madame berthe’s mouse lemur (Microcebus berthae)

Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)

Philippine tarsier (Carlito syrichta)

Pygmy tarsier (Tarsius pumilus)

New world monkeys (Platyrrhini)

Wied’s marmoset (Callithrix kuhlii)

Goeldi’s marmoset (Callimico goeldii)

Bearded emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens)

Golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas)

Panamanian white-faced capuchin (Cebus imitator)

Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii)

Gray-bellied night monkey (Aotus lemurinus)

Bald uakari (Cacajao calvus)

Madidi titi monkey (Plecturocebus aureipalatii)

Atlantic titi monkey (Callicebus personatus)

Black bearded saki (Chiropotes satanas)

White-faced saki (Pithecia pithecia)

Colombian red howler (Alouatta seniculus)

Brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus)

Northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus)

Yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda)

Old world monkeys (Cercopithecidae)

Mantled guereza (Colobus guereza)

Zanzibar red colobus (Piliocolobus kirkii)

Nepal gray langur (Semnopithecus schistaceus)

Silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatux)

Golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus)

Red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus)

Collared mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus)

Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata)

Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)

Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas)

Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)

Gelada (Theropithecus gelada)

Common patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas)

Bale mountains vervet (Chlorocebus djamdjamensis)

De brazza’s monkey (Cercopithecus neglectus)

Apes (Hominoidea)

Lar gibbon (Hylobates lar)

Pileated gibbon (Hylobates pileatus)

Kloss’s gibbon (Hylobates klossii)

Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys)

Siamang (symphalangus syndactylus)

†Junzi (Junzi imperialis)

Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

†Gigantopithecus (Gigantopithecus blacki)

†Dryopithecus (Dryopithecus fontani)

Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

Bonobo (Pan paniscus)

†Australopithecus (Australopithecus afarensis)

†Panranthropus (Panranthropus boisei)

†Flores hobbit (Homo floresiensis)

†Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis)

The first set of polls will go up as soon as I have finished writing the descriptions! In the meantime, I would appreciate if you could share this tournament around- it won’t be much of a tournament if there aren’t that many people voting! In going down the research rabbit hole I’ve found so many interesting species and stories, and I promise learning about them here will be worth your time!

#primate bracket #tournament #tumblr tournament #poll #polls #primate #primates #extinct primates #biology #animals #zoology #please let me know if I made a mistake anywhere!

[dragonpropaganda]

The Architecture of Rain World: Layers of History

A major theme in Rain World's world design that often goes overlooked is the theme of, as James Primate, the level designer, composer and writer calls it, "Layers of History." This is about how the places in the game feel lived-in, and as though they have been built over each other. Here's what he said on the matter as far back as 2014!

The best example of this is Subterranean, the final area of the base game and a climax of the theme. Subterranean is pretty cleanly slpit vertically, there's the modern subway built over the ancient ruins, which are themselves built over the primordial ruins of the depths. Piercing through these layers is Filtration System, a high tech intrusion that cuts through the ground and visibly drills through the ceiling of the depths.

Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets, the friendly local ghost, tells the player of the "bones of forgotten civilisations, heaped like so many sticks," highlighting this theme of layering as one of the first impressions the player gets of Subterranean. Barely minutes later, the player enters the room SB_H02, where the modern train lines crumble away into a cavern filled with older ruins, which themselves are invaded by the head machines seen prior in outskirts and farm arrays, some of which appear to have been installed destructively into the ruins, some breaking through floors.

These layers flow into each other, highlighting each other's decrepit state.

The filtration system, most likely the latest "layer," is always set apart from the spaces around it. At its top, the train tunnels give way to a vast chasm, where filtration system stands as a tower over the trains, while at the bottom in depths, it penetrates the ceiling of the temple, a destructive presence. (it's also a parallel to the way the leg does something similar in memory crypts, subterranean is full of callbacks like that!)

Filtration system is an interesting kind of transition, in that it is much later and more advanced than both of the areas it cuts between. This is a really interesting choice from James! It would be more "natural" to transition smoothly from the caves of upper subterranean to the depths, but by putting filtration system in between, the two are clearly demarcated as separate. The difference in era becomes palpable, the player has truly found something different and strange.

Depths itself is, obviously, the oldest layer not only of subterranean but of the game itself. The architecture of Depths has little to do with the rest of the game around it, it's a clear sign of the forgotten civilisations that our friend Two Sprouts, Twelve Brackets showed us, there's not actually that much to say about it itself, it's mostly about how it interacts with the other layers of subterranean.

That said, Subterranean is far from the only case of the theme of layers of history. It's present as soon as the player starts the game!

The very first room of the game, SU_C04, is seemingly a cave. It is below the surface, the shapes of it are distinctly amorphous rather than geometric. (well. kind of, it doesn't do a very good job of hiding the tile grid with its 45 degree angles.)

But let's take a closer look, shall we?

See that ground? it's made of bricks. The entire cave area of outskirts is characterised by this, the "chaotic stone" masonry asset is mixed with brickwork, unlike the surface ruins which are mostly stone. This, seemingly, is an inversion of common sense! The caves are bricks and the buildings are stone. This is not, however, a strange and unique aspect but a recurring motif.

This occurs enough in the game for it to be clearly intentional, but why would materials such as bricks be used in otherwise natural looking terrain?

The answer lies in the "Layers of History" theme. This is in fact, something that happens in real life, and it's called a tell

To be specific, a tell is a kind of mound formed by settlements building over the ruins of previous iterations of themselves. Centuries of rubble and detritus form until a hill grows from the city. Cities such as Troy and Jericho are famous examples. The connections to the layers of history theme are pretty clear here, I think. Cities growing, then dying, then becoming the bedrock of the next city. The ground, then, is made of bricks, because the ground is the rubble of past buildings. The bones of forgotten civilisations, heaped like so many sticks!

#rain world #rainworld #rain world lore #rainworld lore #rw lore #rw #subterranean my beloved #thank you to videocult for making the first survival game themed around stratigraphy and new york city rats #i would've gone on for another paragraph about how OE relates to this but like. #that's dlc stuff #and i still think of the dlc stuff as modded content lol #better to keep it separate #also this analysis is not comprehensive! the layers of history stuff is common throughout #there's farm arrays there's the relationship between shaded citadel and five pebbles there's the stuff buried under garbage wastes #so much more #unfortunately i do not have much energy lol

[spinnysocks]

saw a poll of which animal you'd choose to be reincarnated as and i wanted to create a broader range of options that included more families & organisms! so:

the ( ) brackets are for anyone who's not sure which species comes under each classification.

please feel free to specify in the tags, and please reblog for a larger sample size! <3

#pity for only 12 options #would have made a “multiple” option but it would have been the majority #gotta pick your FAVOURITE!! #i am predicting: a majority in canine feline and plant fungi #we'll see how it goes! #poll #tumblr polls #polls #animals #organisms #species #canine #feline #ungulate #mammals #birds #reptiles #amphibians #insects #bugs #arachnids #fish #shark #marine mammals #plants #fungi #mushrooms #canines #felines #spinny stuff

[cloud-somersault]

I really enjoy your backstory, like lmk's is still my favorite simply because the mountain breakup scene and the voice actors performance haunts my dreams, but if it didnt mean losing that i would want your backstory to be the canon one. Like macaque's punishment is oof, and the fact wukong was hoping all that time for macaque to save him- even using his gift ouch. It hurts in the best ways

WHAT this is such a nice compliment WHAT???? Also you're so valid, I love the mountain scene .. everyone talks about Macaque's lines there but Wukong's pur frustration and "everything I did was for US!" fucks me up every time.

But wow, that's really the only reason?? You mean, if I hired voice actors to do the mirror scene you'd change your mind LMAO

But seriously, thank you! I know you said you still prefer canon, but if even one person likes my au more than canon (other than myself) I'd say the fic is a success!

I mean, it already is but like. It's make me personally happy

You're not the first to say Macaque's punishment was especially brutal. I actually meant to talk about that in the podcast, but I forgot 😩 but it was really the fact that he ran away and that he's in the same strength bracket as Wukong. plus he's a celestial primate. They didn't want to take any chances (and neither Heaven nor Hell knows how celestial primates work)

Wukong using the eternal night is sad...I'm glad I was able to convey how heartbroken and scared he was. And why he's SO FURIOUS when he sees Macaque again after being trapped in a nightmare. Like you're kinda seeing how, from both sides, things went south so quickly. Wukong still did a murder but we can better understand why now.

#ask #anon #constellations fic

[sketching-shark]

Haha wow it’s a weird thing to be a western enthusiast of cool mythological primates like the Monkey King and Hanuman and to see a general love of assorted simians in this corner of the world now only to then study some of the history of western opinions of the creatures and be hit with info like this:

“...the reputation of simia had taken a decisive turn for the worse with the advent of Christianity. Patristic writers, familiar with the pejorative meaning of the epithet ‘ape’ in classical literature, applied the term to all the enemies of Christ, whether pagan, apostate, heretic, or infidel. Even more damaging is the interpretation of the animals in the Physiologus, which brackets the ape with the wild ass (onager) and asserts that both represent the devil (simius…diabuli personam accepit)…The ape, moreover, bears a physical resemblance to the evil one.”

-W.H, Janson, Apes and Ape Lore in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

#sun wukong #monkey king #w.h. janson #hanuman #monkeys #apes #primates #imagine thinking a primate represents the devil #you don't like monkey? ee ee oo oo? #still #yeah that association was the backdrop for a lot of really heinous actions towards primates and humans alike

[yourlocaltrashpandaxoxo]

Punch Out Women's Bracket OCs (Major Circuit)

The boys have had their turn, now it's time for the ladies! They're back and better than ever! Name: Min Bong-Cha Age: 25 Height: 5'4 Weight: 122lbs Nationality: Korean Position: #3 Major Circuit Record: 15-4 (10 KO) Stance: Southpaw (Left-Handed) "Bong-Cha is a respectful and very talented young woman who's boxing skills are very impressive for someone who's only at the end of the Major Circuit. She's also a massive stickler for rules, however, and is very strict about sticking to her routines and training regiments. She could actually go beyond her current position but she'd rather keep her placement out of sheer humbleness" Name: Princess Primate/Nina Age: Late 20s Height: 6'2 Weight: 153lbs Nationality: ??? Position: #2 Major Circuit Record: 12-6 (8 KO) Stance: Southpaw (Left-Handed) "A brave jungle warrior who was raised by a 'tribe' of apes, monkeys and gorillas when she was a young girl, Nina's entire life story sounds like something out of an urban myth. Nobody is quite sure HOW she managed to survive as long as she did in the deep jungle but it sharpened her into a decent fighter with a mischievous tendency of tossing banana peels into the ring to watch her opponent slip around" Name: Destiny Diamondback/Layaali Anour Bayoumi Age: 29 Height: 5'11 Weight: 136lbs Nationality: Arabian Position: #1 Major Circuit Record: 14-6 (4 KO) Stance: Orthodox (Right-Handed) "This talented young magician was gifted her amazing magical qualities at birth thanks to an unusual gemstone being fused to her stomach. She's capable of levitation, teleportation, non-corporeal cloning and, her specialty, hypnotism. She'll attempt to charm her opponents like a snake while allowing her slithery companions to try and bite at them while they're in a state of bliss... Ideally, have a snake bite kit handy if you're going into the ring with her" Name: Senorita Caliente/Sofia Valentina Age: 32 Height: 5'11 Weight: 151lbs Nationality: Mexican-Spanish Position: Major Circuit Champion Record: 15-10 (7 KO) Stance: Orthodox (Right-Handed) "A gorgeous, flirty and slightly hypnotic young lady, Sofia is eye candy for all who have the pleasure of being in her presence and isn't shy to show off a little skin for her mostly male-dominated audience. When she isn't boxing, she's either waitressing at her parents' restaurant or performing as a burlesque dancer before coming back home to her lovely girlfriend. You'll feel a severe case of heartburn after stepping in the ring with her"

#punch out #punch out oc #min bong cha #princess primate #destiny diamondback #senorita caliente #major circuit girls #(MAJOR GIRLIES ARE HERE)

[primate-showdown]

sorry for the moment, but I'm working on making each one of the 4 brackets equally fit. I don't want to randomize it as it might lead to something like (Well know and quite beloved primate) vs (Primate that I included because it looks cool and deserves love)

[girlz-kissing]

I wonder if I made a "best primate" bracket, how far it would actually go

[news2023]

Phylogenetic bracketing suggests some dinosaurs' neuron density was equal to that of modern primates

Phylogenetic bracketing suggests some dinosaurs’ neuron density was equal to that of modern primates

Neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel, with Vanderbilt University, has shaken up the paleontology community with a study she conducted that resulted in evidence of some dinosaurs having neuron density in their brains equal to that of some modern primates. Source: Phylogenetic bracketing suggests some dinosaurs’ neuron density was equal to that of modern primates

View On WordPress

[sbatj]

we got the bracket track on the way but for now the announcers gonna let you know what the fucks going on in this clusterfuck

BONZUS 2st - new friend new buddy

looks like geromy brought in our announcer since fuck if i can be bothered to use the gaster voice and halfass an explanation for that

- invasive software like spyware and adware, and being watched (windows 10, somebodys watching me, most mobile games cause lets face it that shit tends to be full of ads) - donald glover (community, childish gambino, ) - the colors purple and yellow (its been so long, yellow is a mellow color, dawn of the first phase: facing a terrible fate) - primates and iconic poses/characters recognizable from a specific pose (dk rap, ssj4 gogeta theme, freddy freaker, do the mario)

Childish Gambino - Bonfire (Donald Glover) BonziBUDDY TTS (Spyware/Adware, Purple, Primates)

also since im probably not posting a track with these guys render on the standard background at least not for a while heres what that thumbnaild probably look like

#sbatj #sweet bro and tourney jeff #sweet bro and hella jeff #new friend new buddy #geromy #bonzibuddy #homestuck au #the note desolation plays #mashup tourney #loreposting #bracket #muisc

[puffinbutton14]

A new Bayesian Adaptive Randomized Period Two Multicenter Test associated with Bevacizumab without or with Palbociclib in grown-ups with Recurrent Glioblastoma

In particular, just about all Three sufferers along with Smartphone together with powerful DTH reactions stood a median Operating-system regarding 717 days and nights. Conclusions: The particular initial of WT1-specific defense responses simply by DC/WT1-I/ 2 along with radiation could possibly be related to illness balance throughout sophisticated pancreatic cancer malignancy. (D) 2014 AACR.Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate, DHEAS, include the most abundant steroid hormones in primates, providing a large tank involving precursors for your production of androgens. DHEAS amounts decline with age in adult humans as well as nonhuman primates, compelling it's thought being a biomarker associated with senescence. However, the actual components to blame for this particular age-related decrease as well as connection to processing continue to be elusive. These studies looked at DHEAS concentrations of mit within partly digested biological materials so that you can decide age-related changes in captive Japan macaques, as well as to appraise the possible influence of seasonality. The individuals were 30 female Japoneses macaques (Two weeks in order to 18 years-old) situated #Link# outdoors within interpersonal organizations with the Primate Study Commence. We all collected three undigested samples from each and every canine in the mating season (March to be able to December) and three additional trials from ladies in the non-breeding time of year (May well to 06). The particular hormone imbalances concentrations ended up established employing compound immunoassay. DHEAS awareness ended up being in a negative way related as we grow older, but all of us would not discover a significant difference involving mating and also non-breeding conditions. Neonatal macaques experienced the highest DHEAS amounts of most age brackets. We propose that will increased neonatal DHEAS is possibly a deposits from baby adrenal release and that, as with people, it might assist in neurobiological development. (H) 2013 Elsevier Inc. Almost all rights set-aside.Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) may be more successful as being a cytoprotective molecule #Link# , and contains been demonstrated in order to have to put out cardioprotective effects in both high blood pressure levels and heart failure hypertrophy. Nevertheless, the precise system with the cardioprotective aftereffect of HO-1 features not fully elucidated. Using the natriuretic peptide method (NPS) as a key participant in aerobic homeostasis and tissues characteristics, all of us searched for to check the result associated with large nutritional sodium treatment throughout genetic #Link# models of HO-1 term, along with assessed the actual term in the NPS inside the left ventricle (LV), to ascertain when the results of modified HO-1 term may be due for you to changed levels of the NPS. Age-matched 12-week aged male HO-1 knockout (HO-1(-/-)) as well as HO-1 cardiomyocyte-specific transgenic overexpressing (HO-1(Tg)) rats were treated with either normal salt (NS; Zero.8%) or even large sodium (HS; 7.0%) chow 5 weeks. LV mRNA appearance was firm making use of quantitative real-time PCR. ANP peptide stage has been calculated within the LV and plasma tv's using radioimmunoassay, along with LV cyclic 3'-5' guanosine monophosphate amount ended up being calculated using an compound immunoassay system. HO-1(-/-) raised on HS diet program got significantly larger still left ventricle-to-body weight ratio (LV/BW) when compared with HO-1(+/+) rodents provided NS diet.

#Palbociclib #Venetoclax #Apilimod

[primate-tournament]

Primate tournament: final round

Bearded emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens)

This tiny, tiny tamarin is found in the wet forests where Brazil and Peru border each other. They eat fruit, flowers, fungus, and tree sap- but they’re apparently too lazy to dig their own holes in trees, so they wait for a different species to do it for them. And, of course, they have those magnificent moustaches.

Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

These large tree-dwelling apes are found only on the island of Borneo. They are highly sexually dimorphic, with older males growing large cheek flanges. They eat fruits, leaves, flowers, bark, honey, small animals like insects, spider webs, fungus, and soil. They build complex nests to sleep in, and have been observed using leafy makeshift ‘umbrellas’, sticks to obtain foods like ants, and leaves to hold spiny fruits.

#primate bracket #tournament #tumblr tournament #poll #polls #primates

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Chained

Rated: M.

Jaskier takes a date to a visiting circus and ends up rescuing a witcher. Warnings for canon typical language, and a more medieval approach to what was included in a circus.

Partly inspired by my rereading of "Freakshow: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit" by Robert Bogdan (1988) and "Spectacle of Deformity: Freak Shows and Modern British Culture" by Nadja Durbach (2009), thus the word "freakish" is used in the context of the spectacle presented.

Jaskier didn't much like the circus. The “oohs” and “aahhs” of the crowd felt contrite and the prevailing smell of animal dung, human odour and tar made his stomach roil. But the young debutante on his arm promised quite the whirlwind romance, with her ruby painted lips and dazzling sea foam eyes. Anthea. She was a stunning little starlet with the sweetest soprano, and she would sound ever so beautiful in the throes of passion. The things he did for love.

Jaskier took a deep breath of relatively fresh air as they walked through the Gate of Heirarch, dug deep to find the liquid amber courage still warm in his belly, and plastered on his most charming smile.

The front of house greeted them at the flap of the tent, his outdated ruff spotted with yellow sweat, mutton chops greased down over his face. “Welcome, welcome, sire, to the greatest show on the Continent,” the slimy chap proclaimed.

“A claim lofty enough to be touched by the gods. Let us hope they give you their blessing,” Jaskier said airily, and Anthea elbowed him with a soft giggle.

The front of house offered his most beguiling smile, his eyes almost coal black. “I assure you, sire, our performers are one of a kind.”

A young porter dressed in a threadbare scarlet doublet and hose showed them to the private box Jaskier had purchased. (Such a beautiful woman required a little extra effort, and greater privacy may assist in convincing her into his embrace a little sooner).

“I heard they have a witcher,” Anthea whispered, as if the general din of noise wouldn't drown her out even at a normal volume. Jaskier allowed his date that moment of wistful wonder before he patted her elbow.

“Hyperbole and rumour, I assure you. A living Witcher hasn't been spotted in some sixty years. They died out long before you were a twinkle in your father's eye.”

“Well, we'll see,” she replied, dismissive, and Jaskier sensed that he would have to agree with her next five claims to curry back a little favour, no matter how bland and inaccurate. Thankfully, he didn't have to entertain conversation for long, for the stage crew dimmed the bracketed torches and the ringmaster stepped into the light.

“Esteemed gentlemen, beautiful ladies,” the man tipped his cap to the nearest such lady with a wiggle of the eyebrows, aiming for charm and achieving an uncomfortable degree of lechery instead. “We, of the Temerian Tumblers, welcome you to our humble show. We ask that you keep your hands inside the stalls at all times for we are about to introduce you to some of the wildest creatures, the most wondrous performers, fearless acrobats and stunning beauties...”

Jaskier felt his interest drifting. He watched Anthea from the corner of his eye and pondered over the first verse of the ballad he would dedicate to her hidden depths. A substantial amount of creative license would be necessary, but needs must to maintain his reputation.

The show started with a pair of twin acrobats swooping through the air from a trapeze, performing flips and turns, defying gravity to the awe of the audience. A contortionist twisted through hoops of decreasing sizes, a fire-eater spat flames over the heads of the crowd, woolly mammoths rolled out on huge balls, with parrots opening cans and primates juggling clubs. Anthea was enraptured, grasping onto the railing at the front of the booth. In his travels, Jaskier had seen many things. Exotic, fantastical, mysterious. The show felt like a pale imitation of his lived adventures across the Continent. Such was the life of a man living a double existence.

The ringmaster started wheeling out the freakish and macabre; a bearded lady with three breasts, a set of dwarven twins attached at the hip, an elf with mottled skin like that of a leopard who scampered around like a beast. Jaskier felt a stab of disgust as the crowd jeered and “ooh-ed" at each poor creature that was presented to them.

“And now, the spectacle you have been waiting for,” the ringmaster bellowed. “A true rarity. A beast of unnatural magic and the evil machinations of scheming sorcerers...”

Jaskier leaned forward. Anthea cast him a smug glance that he ignored.

“I, your humble servant, present to thee, the terrifying, the beastly, White Wolf!”

The crowd collectively held its breath as an orchestral howl swept the arena, echoed by the voices of every porter and performer in the rafters. Dozens of hands banged drums and wooden beams, accompanying a cacophany of growls and snarls, building the expectation of the horrified audience. Heavy chains clanked in the tunnel, metal scraped on the floor as the creature dragged itself into the open. There was the crack of a whip in the air, and a hoarse shout of pain. Jaskier leaned so far forward he almost fell from the booth.

The creature that staggered into the lights of the ring was thin and haggard. His long white hair was tangled, his face covered in a matted beard. His body was emaciated and scarred, muscles wasted where they had once been lean and strong. This poor, pathetic thing couldn't be a witcher of fable. It was but a man. A man beaten and bruised by handlers who circled with whips and sticks. A woman below them shrieked before fainting theatrically, but Jaskier only rolled his eyes. Paid performer, no doubt.

“Fear not, dear guests. We have the beast well contained. We shall get him to demonstrate the power of the mutagens in his system, but no one shall be harmed.”

They shoved the witcher into the centre of the ring and one of the handlers passed the ringmaster a small box. Jaskier couldn't hear what the ringmaster demanded if the hollow creature that struggled to stand under the glaring lights, but the witcher must have been too slow, because seconds later he was on his knees, his hands at his neck. There was a heavy collar there and the witcher's entire body went rigid as the ringmaster gripped the box harder.

When the spasms of pain ended, the witcher lifted his hand and sent flames billowing into the air. What followed was a pitiful display of the Witcher's strength. He shattered a huge rock with telekinetic force and then lifted one of equal size on to his back; “the strength of ten men,” the ringmaster bellowed, and the crowd murmured their approval. The witcher trapped a pack of stray dogs in purple tendrils and deflected the stones hurled from the rafters with a golden shield.

Jaskier couldn't believe his eyes, but his heart ached. He'd read countless historical accounts of Witchers and their feats. They were capable of staggering bravery and protected thousands from the most ferocious beasts. True heroes of old, and yet here was one reduced to a mere shadow.

Whatever the final feat was intended to be, the Witcher could not do it. He staggered and then fell when the collar around his neck sent shocks of agony through his body. The ringmaster seethed and bellowed, but the Witcher collapsed under the weight of the chains on his wrists and ankles. The handlers appeared to drag him away. “The great White Wolf, ladies and gentlemen.” The crowd applauded as the ringmaster bowed, inviting his performers out with a sweep of the arm. Anthea leapt to her feet. Jaskier left the booth without a word.

***

Jaskier managed to get ahead of the crowd at first, but soon he was joined by throngs of gawkers pouring out to observe some of the wild beasts in their cages. Jaskier inspected each one he passed; lions, tigers, monsters and birds. But no Witcher. He circled around the tent and headed towards the staging area behind the tent, where the performers would gather in preparation. It was there he found his target.

The Witcher was sprawled on his side in the mud, new bruises on his naked ribs, his hose torn. The ringmaster stood over him, flanked by his thugs. “It's such a shame,” the man said. “I thought we'd get a few more shows out of him.”

“E’s done, guv. Death of the spirit. Death of the body follows soon after,” one of the handlers murmured. “Could always sell him to that matron like we did the other.”

“No, the novelty of that one was its huge endowment, its physicality, and its health. This one's a husk. We'll get more for its corpse if we trade it with the university.” The ringmaster sighed and swept a hand over his eyes theatrically. “Put it out of its misery.”

Jaskier pushed through the canvas barrier. “Wait! Hold up there, my good man.”

Three grimy faces turned towards him, and the ringmaster paused by the entry to the domed tent. “This area is out of bounds to the public. Full of dangerous beasts, you see.”

“Ahh, yes,” Jaskier plastered on his most winning smile, “he looks truly terrifying, dangerous. But I couldn't help but overhear that you intend to dispose of him.”

“Sometimes creatures expire. Age, injury. It's part of the industry,” the ringmaster said, guarded. “I assure you it will be done in the most humane manner.”

“And you intend to sell his body?”

“What is it you want, sir?” The title had taken on a disparaging tone, but Jaskier was not easily ruffled.

“I wish to purchase him from you. Alive, you understand. Exactly,” Jaskier fluttered his hands over the Witcher's body, “as he is. And, in payment, I offer my signet ring. Real sapphire gems, solid gold.”

The ringmaster turned, arms folded across his chest. Jaskier knee that look. Pursed lips, high eyebrows. The man was going to try and bargain him up. “Low price for our prize dog. Whets my appetite. Two hundred Crowns, and the ring.”

Jaskier laughed; a hollow, arrogant bark that he usually reserved for Valdo Marx. “My dear man. Your prize dog is half dead. He might expire before I can get him back to my residence. You will take the ring, and I won't pen a memorable little ditty about the Terrible Temerian Tumblers, their bearded lady wearing a wig 'pon her face, your dwarven twins tied together with rope.”

The ringmaster scowled. “No one would believe you.”

“I have dismantled reputations far greater than yours. Jaskier the Bard, at your service.”

Recognition passed over the ringmaster's face. His cronies may be illiterate, but he had probably read Jaskier's most recent poem about the weak chinned Count of Vizima and the impotence of the a local merchant who had prized his reputation with the fairer sex. Bard was a rather modest title for what Jaskier had achieved; he had used his sizable fortune to open every door possible, and his name was known in halls and ballrooms from Kovir to Ebbing.

“You take him as he is. We'll throw in his cage, the control device. Not fit for another beast anyway.”

“Most obliged,” Jaskier said, smiling tightly. “I will leave my address with your fine assistants here. I expect him to be delivered alive. No more bruises, no more wounds. My man will meet yours at the gates.”

Jaskier pulled an embossed business card from his doublet and passed it to the ringmaster with his signet ring. A life purchased for such a trifle. It left a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but neither he nor the Witcher could afford any hesitation. They shook hands to seal the deal and Jaskier afforded one more glance at the Witcher and saw him gazing back, golden eyes swimming with hopeless pain.

It was difficult to leave after that, but Jaskier knew he had to walk away with his back straight and his emotions in check. Anthea was long gone. There would be an angry letter sent to his address about abandoning a lady in the wilds of Novigrad, but he would ignore it. His mind was now fully occupied by the Witcher, with his haunted yellow eyes.

***

Zoltan met the couriers at the gates as Jaskier had said. The dwarf peered into the stinking cage with a wrinkled nose, and then guided them up the short gravel path to the stables. They passed Zoltan the device and showed him how to use it; the Witcher thrashed weakly in pain and fell unconscious. “Yes, thank ye, that'll be all,” the dwarf snapped, holding the black box gingerly between finger and thumb.

Jaskier had bought some odd things in the past. A cursed music box that reduced everyone who heard its song to tears, a colourful parrot that had escaped within an hour of arrival (its descendents could be spotted in the rafters of Heirarch Square), ancient statues and woven tapestries. He was a collector of oddities, but this was the first time he had bought a human. It left an ill feeling in Zoltan's chest.

When he opened the cage door, the Witcher didn't move. His eyes were closed, his emaciated body limp, and Zoltan had no trouble gathering him up and carrying him inside. The chains were heavier than the man they were attached to.

Jaskier had cleared a guest room and there was already a warm bath waiting for their new arrival. “I'll need t' get 'n 'ammer 'n chisel for these chains,” Zoltan said, depositing his reeking passenger on the rug before the fire. “Not sure about the collar. If magic's involved, we may need a mage."

“Yes, yes,” Jaskier said, leaving his post by the window. “Go get your tools. Freya's arse, he looks worse in the firelight than he did in the mud. Smells something awful.”

“Aye, he's got lice and ticks too,” Zoltan murmured. “Don't be gettin' too close lest you fancy delousin' with him.”

Jaskier watched Zoltan leave before he crouched down at the Witcher's side. He wanted to touch him, this living legend. He would be lying if he denied the well of fear in his stomach; he hadn't really thought this far ahead. The Witcher had shattered boulders with the power of his magic, had bound and choked wild dogs. Jaskier was a mere twig in comparison. “Who are you?” Jaskier wondered aloud, reaching out to brush the Witcher’s grey hair from his face.

The Witcher's eyes snapped open and Jaskier fell back with a squawk of terror. He wasn't the only one caught by surprise. The Witcher, barely strong enough to lift his head, clawed at the rug and then the floor, dragging himself to the corner of the room. The chains scraped on the floorboards and every movement looked like agony, but Jaskier was too afraid to intercept. He had brought this wounded creature into his residence, and now he was completely out of his depth. The Witcher gathered his thin limbs to his chest and turned his face away, making his body as small as possible.

“Hey, it's alright,” Jaskier said, hesitant. “We're not going to hurt you. You have my word. My--my associate, he'll get those chains off and there's a nice bath, and--and then, perhaps, some food?”

The Witcher didn't look up. His shoulders stayed hunched, his fingers curled to fists. Jaskier reached out only to see the man flinch as if he sensed his proximity. Zoltan appeared moments later, hammer and chisel in his hands, and grimaced. “Ahh, he's awake, woulda been better fer him to be unconscious fer this bit.”

“They’re not embedded...”

“Aye, maybe not, but look at the skin. Must be red raw under there, every blow's gonna shake him.”

“Well, he can't stay in them,” Jaskier said, suddenly feeling more than a little helpless. “Just... Do what you need to do. We'll go from there.”

“A'right, Witcher, easy now.” Zoltan approached slowly, but the Witcher did nothing more than shirk away further. When the dwarf lined his chisel up at the hinge of the ankle cuff, Jaskier held his breath. The first blow made the Witcher shout, frail limbs quaking, but he didn't lash out to defend himself. How broken must he be to not fight back? To accept whatever pain they wished to inflict?

It took three blows to remove each ankle cuff. By the time Zoltan reached for the Witcher's wrist, he was unconscious again and Jaskier moved forward to hold his arms up until the chains had fallen away. “What are we going to do?” Jaskier murmured, big blue eyes lifting to Zoltan, hoping the dwarf could whip out a solution as he always did.

Zoltan sighed, tugging thoughtfully on his beard. “First stage is a bath. Then... No idea.”

This was going to be harder than Jaskier thought.

#geraskier #Jaskier #Geralt #Geralt of Rivia #canon au #geralt/jaskier #geralt x jaskier #wip #to be continued #rated m #rawrkinwrites

[doorbloggr]

Friday 23/7/21 - Stem-Birds and Derived Fish

Velociraptor, a stem-bird and a derived fish, Emily Willoughby

Phylogeny is a term used to describe the study of evolutionary history of various living things. You may have seen as a younger student that evolution could be described as a straight line leading to what we have today, but the truth is the tree of life twists and divides, and human beings are only just the latest thing on our specific branch.

When discussing how things are related to one another, there are various terms you can use to bracket related groups together, and because a lot of these terms are vague, you can get really creative with how wide you make the brackets.

The two terms I wanna discuss today are "stem" and "derived". If something is a stem-group, that means it branched off the tree of life earlier, and shares older ancestors with the focus group. If something is derived, that means that it is closer to the end of its specific branch on the evolutionary tree of life.

Let's use some examples.

Stem-Birds

Confusciornis is what scientists describe as a stem-bird. It is part of a group called the Avialans, which are all dinosaurs closer related to sparrows than to dromeosaurs. Confusciornis was not a true bird, it still had teeth in its beak, and clawed wings.

Confusciornis, Kevin Yan

It is a stem-bird, because in tree terms, it is closer to the trunk than to the actual branch birds were on. But we don't need to be that exclusive with our definitions.

If stem-birds refers to something thats almost a bird, let's broaden that to include the raptors. Velociraptor is a stem-bird, they shared a common ancestor. Tyrannosaurus was a stem-bird, and although it is further up the tree, they branched off fairly recently in evolutionary terms.

A group of loosely related Stem-birds, Douglas Henderson

And if we get silly with it enough, Diplodocus was a stem-bird, since Sauropods are closer related to birds than they were to most plant eating dinosaurs. You could keep going and say Pterodactylus was a stem-bird, but if you wanna be serious, most scientists stop the definition at dromeosaurs. But that's what happens when phylogeny is vague enough.

Archosaur Phylogenetic Tree; the red line representing the line leading to birds. If the definition is vague enough, anything branching from the line could technically be a stem-bird.

Derived Fish

Theres this issue with Phylogenetic Bracketing, (giving a name to a group of related organisms) where a lot of names for animal groups do not include all descendants. Clades (a group of living things) can be monophyletic, paraphyletic, or polyphyletic.

I'll give simple examples here. Birds are a monophyletic group. Everything we call a bird shares a common ancestor. Fish are a paraphyletic group. There are some things derived from Fish, e.g. amphibians, that we don't call fish. Worms are a polyphyletic group, because the worm body plan came from many different groups and many aren't even remotely closely related.

Back to "derived" now. We don't have to adhere strictly to every clade rule, because we can use the word "derived" to describe groups outside a paraphyletic bracket.

Cladogram of all land vertebrates, Reptiles highlighted by the green circle.

The term reptile is often used to group snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and sometimes dinosaurs. But often, birds are left out of that group. We can say that birds are derived (advanced) dinosaurs, and therefore derived reptiles.

Tiktaliik, Liam Elward

As mentioned above, fish is a potentially ridiculously huge clade because every animal with a back bone is descended from fish. Tiktaliik was a very derived lobe-finned fish, related to coelacanths and lung-fish, and scientists think that animals related to Tiktaliik led to land animals with four legs, the tetrapods. So let's see how far we can stretch this definition of derived fish...

Acanthostega, Raúl Martín; Dimetrodon, Highdarktemplar (deviantart); Purgatorius, Patrick Lynch

Acanthostega was an early amphibeon descended from Tiktaliik or its relatives. So let's say that amphibians are derived fish. Amphibians gave rise to early mammal relatives such as Dimetrodon. So stem-mammals are derived fish. Mammals evolved during the time of the dinosaurs, and had split into the beginnings of modern groups at the time; Purgatorius was a stem-primate that lived at the same time as Tyrannosaurs. So primates are derived-fish. And why not make the final leap. Primates gave rise to the current dominant species on Earth, Homo sapiens.

Fish Phylogenetic Tree

Humans are derived fish.

Phylogeny is vague and can get very silly.

#blog #blogpost #palaeontology #phylogeny #cladistics #birds #dinosaurs #fish #science #biology #evolution

[westsidebooksdenver]

Always fun to read past predictions of the future. Spoiler: Our friend Sir George Thomson was very, very wrong.

[commentary in brackets]

"The future will see, I think, men's brains [💁‍♂️🧠] released from a tangle of hindrances that come from wrongly sorted impressions or barriers [🚧] that have been set up. Whether it will be done by physical action [🤜🧠], by feeding in perhaps electrical impulses of the right kind [⚡️🧠], or more subtly by an extension to earliest youth of the methods of the psychiatrist [👶🧠👨‍⚕️], is anybody's guess. When brains have reached the natural limit, and probably before then, it will become possible to produce better ones by selected mutations [<<<🧠🧠🧠]. Most mutations are harmful [🧟‍♂️], but if none improved the brain we should still be primitive primates [🦧], not to say jellyfish [🐙], and it seems most unlikely that the limit of the possible has been reached.

There is no reason to anticipate that anything irreparable will go wrong with the earth [🌍] physically for many millions of years, and are there not other planets and other stars [🪐✨]? It is difficult to exterminate a species once well established [🦖🦕🦤??], and man's best efforts to kill himself are unlikely to be more successful than those of the plague bacillus or the influenza virus. Even with the present brains [🧠🧠🧠] of intelligent people Man [💁‍♂️] may expect a glorious future [🤦‍♂️]. Who will dare to set limits to what he may reach as his brain [🧠] improves? The future is not foreseeable!"

Indeed, Sir George, it is not.

At least these vintage book covers are great.

www.westsidebooks.com

#books #used books #bookstore #used bookstore #westsidebooksdenver #denver #colorado #booksellers #vintage books #science books #old books #bad predictions of the future #dinosaurs #paleontology #birds

[synapsid-taxonomy]

Is it true that many non-mammalian synapsids could see more colours than most modern mammals? Also, would it be possible for certain proto-mammals to produce hair with more a varied range of colours like green?

Tetrachromatic vision seems to be the ancestral state for tetrapods, so based off phylogenetic bracketing synapsids would have also started out with tetrachromatic vision. It’s thought that mammals became dichromats during a nocturnal phase of their evolution. What’s really interesting is that monotremes are dichromats, but they may have lost color vision independently from other mammals - the SWS2 color pigment is lost in therians, but monotremes lost the SWS1 pigment instead.

As for green hair: the potential coloration of hair is more tied to its structure than color vision. In tetrapods, green coloration is usually caused by either structural color or a mixture of structural coloration and carotenoid-based pigments. This can happen in skin, scales, or feathers. Mammal hairs are colored only by melanins (which produce reds, browns, oranges, yellows, grays, and blacks), and are unable to produce new structural colors (beyond the iridescence of golden moles). The closest mammal hair could probably get to green is the olive-ish color of some primates.

If you wanted to get really speculative, there is another way to produce green coloration in tetrapods. Some birds, such as turacos, color their feathers green through copper-based pigments called turacoverdins. While it’s not impossible that an extinct synapsid lineage could have convergently evolved a similar pigment, we have no evidence that coloring mammal hair with any pigment other than melanin is even possible.