quadripedal banescale time 💥

first hatzegopteryx impressions:

-the whole fucking servers are full of them. everywhere you go are these giant monsters.

-their roar vocalization actually sounds like a scream, and it also heavily reminds me of the maip mod and i mean that in the best way possible.

im only at adolesecent still but the hatz's scream is already creepy as hell, and i can only imagine how freaky it must be for juvis when its like dark and foggy and you just hear it scream from above 😭😭

10/10

-the start is rough as hell, juvi stage doesnt have many abilities available yet and takes ages to reach the speed required for flight but it gets significantly better at adolesecent

-this thing is a rough flyer in general. which like. makes sense. the actual animal was assumed to be a ground hunter and also was fucking tall. like about the height of a giraffe. and it was heavy. and in game an adol hatz is as tall as an adult thal lmfao while sub-adult/adult hatzs are taller than rexes

it just kinda sucks a lot when you try to fly up and the hatz is like "meh lemme sink bro" perhaps itll get better with practice

-theyre also not nearly as squishy as thals, which again, makes sense given the size difference but its not like super loaded in the health/def department its still a pterosaur afterall

-this thing turns QUICK like that might just be op in pvp

overall i had a fun time and will see how it goes

Fell Beasts

This chapter about a Nazgul and his fell beast is requiring far more physics and engineering than I had ever imagined.

Like how does the fell beast lift off... does it take a running start, does it use its legs and wings to leap into the air from a crouching position, how long is its back, what would be the best way for the saddle to attach, etc.

In the film trilogy and most artistic depictions, the fell beasts have two legs and bat-like, leathery wings. I believe that they are technically considered wyverns, as compared to a dragon, which is commonly held to have four legs, at least in heraldry.

I have been watching the How to Train Your Dragon series, in hopes it will help me.

Some helpful links...

IMAGINE DRAGONS... FLYING

An Anatomy for Aviation https://www.snipettemag.com/an-anatomy-for-aviation/

How Dragons Fly: When Biology Trumps Physics https://medium.com/applaudience/how-dragons-fly-when-biology-trumps-physics-ca1f3036ed7c

Could Game of Thrones’ Dragons Really Fly? https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/503967/could-game-throness-dragons-really-fly-we-asked-some-experts

ACTUAL PREHISTORIC FLYING CREATURES

How Were Pterosaurs Adapted for Flight? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erwczioi9us

The Biggest Thing That Ever Flew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scAp-fncp64

Pterodactyl https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterodactylus

Pterosaur https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterosaur

Quetzalcoatlus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus

SADDLE IDEAS FOR FELL BEASTS

The Nazgul would need a secure saddle to keep in their seats when being buffeted by high speed winds. I’m imagining them as using jousting style saddles, with the high pommel and cantle (front and back).

Medieval European Saddles http://www.seatsofempire.com/medieval.html

Medieval Saddles and Equipment http://www.americanmilitarysaddle.com/medieval.html

Historic Saddles (Reproduction Jousting Saddles) https://www.facebook.com/Historic-Saddles-196370330437647/

If the fell beast has a long back, it could be possible to have a saddle that could seat two people, like this camel saddle. (Shown with two people riding around 3:10)

https://youtu.be/Z1N3xb89N9c

The Art of Saddling a Camel (more pictures of unique saddles) https://www.aramcoworld.com/Articles/November-2018/The-Art-of-Saddling-A-Camel

The Late Rodentocene: 20 million years post-establishment

Bats All, Folks: The Ratbats

The absence of birds as airborne competition has greatly encouraged the development of powered flight in the gliding kiterats of the Middle Rodentocene. As of the Late Rodentocene, these flying hamsters have expanded in great success, and their ability to fly has allowed them to colonize every continent, and by 20 million years PE, over a thousand species of ratbats are extant, filling nearly every niche imaginable.

Many of the more primitive and basal forms are insectivores, adapted for catching bugs midair. Some larger species of the basal lineages have become hawk-like predators, such as the wingsels (Mustelovolaticus spp.), which specialize on small, ground-dwelling prey such as jerryboas and furbils.

However, others have diverged into new and unusual behavioral niches as they became increasingly specialized into other lifestyles. Some, such as the nightflyers (Noctinyctomys spp.) retain their insectivorous diet, but instead avoid competition with their other relatives by being most active at night and Beta-twilight, feasting on the buffet of nocturnal insects. Others have included new supplements to their diet, such as the blue birbbat (Cyanoptera lagocephalus), which feeds mostly on insects but also includes nectar in its diet, its long bristly tongue adapted for probing bugs out of their nests also being surprisingly well-suited for penetrating flowers to reach its sweet prize, and acting as an important pollinator in the process.

The ratbats thrive in dense forest too, where smaller species take advantage of the abundance of seeds, fruit and insects in the treetops. Some, such as the nutcrackers (Pterosciurus spp.) feed mostly on seeds and fruit, which brings them into partial competition with the arboreal squizzels and spunkmunks: but one competition that they can also alleviate due to their ability to catch flying insects out of the reach of their non-flighted rivals. Others specialize on feeding on wood-boring insects, such as the woodchippers (Xyloclastes spp.), which gnaw through bark with their incisors to reach deep into trees to feed on burrowing grubs, and also take advantage of the sugary sap that flows when they chew on the inner wood.

And as larger creatures begin to evolve in the Late Rodentocene, some ratbats have become large-scale scavengers as well, such as the mountain hawckal (Cynopteramys alpinus), a condor-like scavenger that nests on clifftops and searches out carrion of cavybaras and bumbaas that have been left behind by ground-dwelling predators. With a wingspan of over six feet the hawckal is a less agile flyer, and instead soars for long distances riding on air currents to conserve energy.

But though they closely converge upon birds in flight and in niches, the ratbats are anatomically and behaviorally very different. For one, they are quadrupedal on the ground, running on all fours with their wings, which bear two clawed fingers possessing paw-like toe pads, and to take off they utilize a vaulting launch similar to that of pterosaurs, pushing up with their front limbs to launch themselves into the sky.

Like all mammals, ratbats give live birth and nurse their young on milk. As pregnancy adds extra weight and makes flying difficult, this favored the formation of pair bonds, allowing the male to forage for food while the expectant female stays in the nest, and once the young are born the responsibility of defending them goes to the father, with the mother foraging for food and returning only to nurse the young. In some species, communal nests of related individuals are formed, with multiple mated pairs caring for each others' young and cooperatively defending them until the young are weaned and strong enough to fly on their own.

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

Vertebrate Wings, PART 3: Flight

Return to main post + TOC >>HERE<<

Flight TOC

  Basic Flight Theory

  Bird vs. Bat vs. Pterosaur

  Aspect Ratio and Wing Loading

  Special Cases: Hoverers

Basic Flight Theory

I will openly admit here and now, I’m not well-versed in physics. I apologize if this section is a bit disorganized, since I’ll be stitching together others’ more comprehensible flight descriptions/explanations.

This first bit is from a kind follower, Rahjital, who sent us this quick explanation of flight theory a while back (sadly the images they added no longer seem to be working, so I tried to find fitting images as substitutes):

The first step to learn how lift works is to debunk the popular explanation of how lift forces are created, called the Equal Transit Time theory. The reasoning is that air flowing around the wing splits into two streams, one of which has to travel over the wing and another which travels below it. Due to the shape of the wing, the upper stream has to move faster to cover the same distance. This difference in velocities generates a difference in pressure and therefore lift.

However, what happens if you fly upside down?

The upper side of your wing points towards the ground, and so does the lift force. I would have said you’d fall like a rock, but the fall would actually be faster since your wings would drag you down. We all know that’s not how flight works, though, so how is lift actually created?

All you need to do is tilt the wings a bit. Seriously, I’m not kidding. No need for a specialized wing shape, as the majority of people seems to believe. (although it helps.) Why? Let me explain:

There are two phenomena causing lift to be created:

1. As air flows around the wing, its direction changes downwards and it leaves the back edge of the wing moving slightly more down. Mister Newton tells us that every action has its reaction, so if the air moves down, our wing has to rise.

2. Due to the tilting, the air flowing on the underside of the wing ends up colliding with it and slowing down, raising the pressure. On the other hand, the air flowing over the wings goes upwards because it has to get over the raised front edge, but as it can’t get back down immediately, it ends up travelling in an arc over the wing. This forms a small ‘pocket’ of low pressure straight above the top surface of the wings. These two fields of pressure then generate additional lift. (this is similar to how the Equal Transit Time theory states lift is generated, but with a very different reason, and not as important as the theory states it to be).

Next time you are traveling in a car, try reaching out of the window with your arm when going reasonably fast. As long as you keep your hand parallel to the ground, not much is going to happen, but once you tilt it even a little, the wind is going to push it up. (or down, depending on which direction you tilted it.) That’s it - your hand is generating enough lift to hit the frame of the car window. Just imagine how much lift does a properly built wing get in a similar situation.

The tilt I am talking about the entire time here is called the angle of attack, often abbreviated just AOA. The greater the angle of attack is, the more lift is generated, but the more drag there is, too. For airplanes, the AOA is negligible from an artist’s perspective, but for winged creatures, this is far more of a concern.

Therefore, the flight theory rule #1 is: Whenever you draw a flying creature, always make its wings slightly inclined. It wouldn’t be able to fly otherwise.

~~end quote~~

Bird vs. Bat vs. Pterosaur

This first bit will be borrowed from Koryos’ article “Bat Flight Versus Bird Flight” (which I highly suggest reading in-full for a deeper explanation). Fair warning though—from the short explanation they give of basic flight/lift, it seems they do believe (at least at the time of writing the article) in the now-defunct Equal Transit Time Theory, though their points on bird vs. bat flight are still valid otherwise:

If you look closely at the above gif, you’ll notice that at several points during flight, the bat actually bends its fingers, which dramatically changes the shape of its wings. Birds do not have joints in their feathers, so they cannot do this.

....

Flexible joints are not all the bat has in its arsenal. Its actual bones are flexible, due to a lack of calcium in its diet. This means that they deform and reform their shape during flight.

Birds minimize air resistance by rotating their primaries during their upstroke, allowing air to slip between the feathers. Bats, with solid membranes, can’t do this- so they have an even finer means of control. There are lines of muscle present within the bat’s wing membrane that can actually change the stiffness and malleability of its skin. You can see them quite clearly under the skin of our entangled bat friend.

This is a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), by the way.

These muscles allow the bat to make their membranes flexible during their upstroke to decrease resistance, yet stiff during their downstroke in order to provide lift. It also allows them to change the camber (angle) of their wings on a whim!

This slow-mo video really displays just how incredibly flexible bat wings are.

Bat wings are also covered by millions of tiny, hyper-sensitive hairs that allow the bat to sense air currents and adjust accordingly.

So what does all this control do for the bat?

Well, for one thing, it means they’re not limited by symmetry. Bird wings will almost always mirror each other in shape, while bats may form two different wings shapes at the same time, allowing them to perform some crazy aerial acrobatics. Some insect-eating bats will actually grab an insect by wrapping one wing around it midflight (don’t believe me? You can see it in the beginning of this video!) and then get the insect in their mouth all in a split second, while still flying.

Now, in terms of speed, birds can generally outpace bats. But in terms of maneuverability, bats can fly circles around birds.

The fact that bats’ bones, unlike those of birds, aren’t hollow, and that their skin is heavier than feathers might seem like a disadvantage- but it isn’t. Birds have much more mass in the center of their body than they do in their wings; by contrast, bats have more mass distributed through each wing (12-20% per wing). This means that bats can actually push off their own mass to do things like flip, spin, roll, etc. No bird can stop midflight and flip over to land upside-down, but bats can.

Because they have such fine control over their airfoil shape, bats can also generate lift using less energy than birds. Remember when I talked about minimizing surface area during the upstroke and maximizing it during the downstroke? Bats can bend their fingers and ‘crumple’ their wings as they raise them, conserving energy. Think of it like opening and closing an umbrella. While birds can pull their feathers together more tightly, they can’t exactly clench them like fists.

Decreasing energy costs is good in any situation, but particularly for fliers. It takes a lot of energy to fly. In this case, bats can outcompete both birds and insects for energy efficiency- one study found that nectar-feeding bats, though the largest in size, expended the least energy hovering when compared to both moths and hummingbirds.

~~end quote~~

As for pterosaurs, I’ll leave it up to Mike Habib’s article “Feathers vs Membranes”:

The structure and efficiency of pterosaur wings is obviously not known in as much detail as those of birds or bats, for the simple reason that no living representatives of pterosaurs are available for study.  However, soft tissue preservation in pterosaurs does give some critical information about their wing morphology, and the overall shape and structure of the wing can be used (along with first principles from aerodynamics) to estimate efficiency and performance.

…((I’ll just be pasting the basic findings, but please read the full article if you’re interested in specifics))…

Now, for some punchlines...

Based on the structural information above, we might expect the following regarding pterosaurs and birds:

- Pterosaurs would have a base advantage in terms of maneuverability and slow flight competency.

- Pterosaurs would also have had an advantage in terms of soaring capability and efficiency

- Pterosaurs would have been better suited to the evolution of large sizes (though this was affected more by differences in takeoff - see earlier posts about pterosaur launch).

- Birds will perform a bit better as mid-sized, broad-winged morphs (because they can use slotted wing tips and span reduction).

- Birds would have an advantage in steep climb-out after takeoff at small body sizes (because they can work with shorter wings and engage them earlier).  This might pre-dispose them to burst launch morphologies/ecologies.

~~end quote~~

(other articles by Habib about Pterosaur anatomy and flight can be found here and here, for anyone interested)

When Exdraghunt linked us this information about pterosaur wings, it was in relation to a question about pterosaur keels and why they differed from bird keels. Exdraghunt suggested this might be due to pterosaur preference for soaring compared to bird flapping. However, plenty of inland pterosaurs could have been flappers, so I think the shallowness is more likely caused by their muscular setup compared to birds, discussed in more detail in the Basic Anatomy section.

Aspect Ratio and Wing Loading

Now that we have a basic understanding of the different modes of vertebrate flight, we can get to the fun stuff—wing diversity! Believe it or not, my friends, wing shapes and sizes can drastically effect an animal’s flight style.

Aspect ratio is the ratio of length to width in a wing, where high ratio indicates narrow wings, and low ratio indicates wide wings.

Loading is the ratio of body weight to wing size, where low loading = large wings + small weight, and high loading = small wings + large weight.

Measuring these two aspects against each other helps us determine different flight styles.

For a short n’ sweet rundown:

1)      Long, narrow wings (low loading, high ratio)= gliding, low speed

 2)      Long, wide wings (low loading, low ratio)= soaring

 3)      Short, wide wings (high loading, low ratio)= high acceleration (burst speed), maneuverability

 4)      Short, narrow wings (high loading, high ratio)= high speed

Though there are other aspects of wing shape to take into account as well.

(via^)

Pointedness refers to a wing tip’s position on the leading edge; IE- is the longest point of the wing further back behind the leading edge (A, round), or does the longest point lie along the leading edge (B, pointed)?. Rounder wings increase thrust, and lend towards greater maneuverability-- particularly in short/wide wings. Pointed wings reduce drag on the air (which increases speed), particularly in short wings, and can make for smoother flight.

Convexity refers to the acuteness of a wingtip; IE- is the shape of the wingtip curved relatively inwards (C, concave) or outwards (D, convex)? Concave wings are better suited for constant high speed. Convex wings create more lift, so are ideal for slow flying and increase acceleration.

Measuring these two aspects against each other gives us another fun chart of wing types.

(via^)

And let’s not forget that slotted wings—those whose primary remiges have notches which create gaps between these feathers—reduce drag and tend to be found in wide (low ratio) wings.

Put all these aspects and little details together, and you can observe some very unique flight patterns. Most ornithologists tend to organize wings into 4 different types, as shown below.

Though I personally like to use a few more types as organization (list via):

  1) Marine soarers are birds that fly for long periods over the open ocean and have very high aspect-ratio wings and average or low wing loading that reduce the energetic cost of flight. Birds in this category include the albatrosses (Procellariiformes).

  2) Divers/swimmers are birds with medium to high aspect ratios and high wing loading, including murres, loons, grebes, scoters, mergansers, ducks, and swans. These birds fly rapidly, but with limited maneuverability, characteristics useful for birds that often fly long distances (e.g., during migration or to feeding areas) and take-off and land on water where precise maneuverability is not as important.

  3) Aerial hunters are birds with high aspect-ratio wings and low wing loading, a combination permitting rapid flight and excellent maneuverability. Aerial hunters include swallows and martins (Passeriformes), swifts (Apodiformes), nightjars (Caprimulgiformes), Swallow-tailed Kites (Falconiformes), frigatebirds (Fregatidae), terns (Sterninae), some falcons (e.g., hobbies and Eleonora’s Falcon), and tropicbirds (Phaethontidae).

  4) Soarers/coursers include birds with low aspect ratios and low wing loading, characteristics that allow relatively large birds to either soar or fly just above the vegetation in open habitats in search of prey. Birds in the soaring category include hawks and eagles (Falconiformes), vultures, condors, and storks (Ciconiiformes), and cranes (Gruiformes). Coursing birds include some owls (e.g., Barn Owl and Short-eared Owl; Strigiformes) and harriers (Falconiformes).

  5) Short-burst fliers are birds with low aspect ratios and high wing loading that fly infrequently and only for short distances. Birds in this category include those in the orders Galliformes (e.g., turkeys, pheasants, quail, grouse, and megapodes) and Tinamiformes (tinamous).

  6) Hoverers are birds capable of flying in one position without wind and have high aspect ratios and, surprisingly, high wing loading. The high aspect ratio reduces the energetic cost of flight, whereas the high wing loading permits relatively fast, agile flight (Rayner 1998). The only true hoverers are the hummingbirds (Apodiformes).

~~end quote~~

I don’t have an outside source to verify this observation, but I’ve found that a longer “hand” section and shorter arm generally correlate with high-speed flight, while a shorter “hand” and longer arm correlates to low-speed gliding. I can only assume this may be due to a shorter arm section being easier to flap rapidly, but again, this is conjecture.

While much of this information is bird-specific, I was able to scrounge up a graph of bat aspect ratios and loading, so I can only assume these concepts similarly apply to bat flight.

(via^)

There sadly seems to be much less information available on bat wing/flight diversity…

As for pterosaur wing diversity, exdraghunt sent in some great input (as well as that chart of different bat wings featured above~):

There actually is a fair amount of wing diversity among pterosaurs, and it fairly closely parallels that in birds. (Though they do not reach the extreme variety in shapes that birds do, due to the limitations in variety of “arm+wing finger” combos)

One of the most extreme examples is Nyctosaurus gracilis, a long-distance marine soarer, similar to albatrosses. They have very long, thin wings (and also lost their other wing fingers, presumably because they came on land rarely)

Other species of pterosaur, like insect eaters (which need short, broad wings for manuverability) or over-land fliers would’ve had different wing shapes.

Some of this difference was achieved by varying the ratio between “arm” and “wing finger” lengths. You’ll notice that smaller, earlier “Rhamphorhynchoids” (the top half, with the long tails) tended towards  short arms vs long wing fingers. While larger, later Pterodactyloid species developed longer arms in relationships to the wing finger. (Especially in the wrist)

Wing shape silhouettes, by Mark Witton. (Not to scale, obvs.)

~~end quote~~

Special Cases: Hoverers

Hoverers such as hummingbirds are special cases in the world of vertebrate flight, because much of their lifestyle and physiology mimics that of insects-- including their flight.

The basic rules of flight theory discussed above won’t exactly apply to these guys, because air doesn’t travel over their wings in the same way it does in other vertebrate flyers. Take a look at this post and compare the animations between the hummingbird, goose, and bat. What exactly is unique about the hummingbird animation compared to the other two?

A few things-- for one, hummingbirds don’t have nearly as many points of wing articulation during flight. If you look closely, you’ll see there’s no bend at the elbow or wrist for a hummingbird; they move their whole arm in a completely stiff, figure-8 pattern. Such high-speed flapping can’t handle that much articulation.

Why a figure-8? Here’s the thing-- hummingbirds don’t technically have an upstroke they have to account for. Every stroke of their wings is a downstroke because when they pull their wings back, the topside of their wings tilts down and also pushes against the air as a “downstroke”. Thus, there’s never a gap between downstrokes-- they’re always efficiently pushing down against the air.

This is also why, unlike most every other flying vertebrate, their flight is more vertical than horizontal. In order to properly swing their wings in a figure-8 motion, they have to tilt their bodies up.

While hovering flight is cool as hell, it comes with a lot of restrictions; mainly, hoverers are always small. The energetic restrictions required for hovering are so incredibly high that bodies much bigger than a hummingbird wouldn’t be able to consume enough energy to make up for hovering. Plus, hoverers tend to live right on the edge of starvation because what energy they do manage to consume is used up so quickly.

If you do want to integrate hovering into your dragons, consider making it a secondary form of flight that they can only keep up for short bursts, rather than their primary mode of flight. Unless you’re ready to give your dragon a lot of physiological restrictions, which is cool too.

-Mod Spiral

Evolution tells us we might be the only intelligent life in the universe

by Nick Longrich

NASA

Are we alone in the universe? It comes down to whether intelligence is a probable outcome of natural selection, or an improbable fluke. By definition, probable events occur frequently, improbable events occur rarely – or once. Our evolutionary history shows that many key adaptations – not just intelligence, but complex animals, complex cells, photosynthesis, and life itself – were unique, one-off events, and therefore highly improbable. Our evolution may have been like winning the lottery … only far less likely.

The universe is astonishingly vast. The Milky Way has more than 100 billion stars, and there are over a trillion galaxies in the visible universe, the tiny fraction of the universe we can see. Even if habitable worlds are rare, their sheer number – there are as many planets as stars, maybe more – suggests lots of life is out there. So where is everyone? This is the Fermi paradox. The universe is large, and old, with time and room for intelligence to evolve, but there’s no evidence of it.

Could intelligence simply be unlikely to evolve? Unfortunately, we can’t study extraterrestrial life to answer this question. But we can study some 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history, looking at where evolution repeats itself, or doesn’t.

Evolution sometimes repeats, with different species independently converging on similar outcomes. If evolution frequently repeats itself, then our evolution might be probable, even inevitable.

The wolf-like thylacine. Wikipedia

And striking examples of convergent evolution do exist. Australia’s extinct, marsupial thylacine had a kangaroo-like pouch but otherwise looked like a wolf, despite evolving from a different mammal lineage. There are also marsupial moles, marsupial anteaters and marsupial flying squirrels. Remarkably, Australia’s entire evolutionary history, with mammals diversifying after the dinosaur extinction, parallels other continents.

Other striking cases of convergence include dolphins and extinct ichthyosaurs, which evolved similar shapes to glide through the water, and birds, bats and pterosaurs, which convergently evolved flight.

Squid eye. PLoS Biology

We also see convergence in individual organs. Eyes evolved not just in vertebrates, but in arthropods, octopi, worms and jellyfish. Vertebrates, arthropods, octopi and worms independently invented jaws. Legs evolved convergently in the arthropods, octopi and four kinds of fish (tetrapods, frogfish, skates, mudskippers).

Here’s the catch. All this convergence happened within one lineage, the Eumetazoa. Eumetazoans are complex animals with symmetry, mouths, guts, muscles, a nervous system. Different eumetazoans evolved similar solutions to similar problems, but the complex body plan that made it all possible is unique. Complex animals evolved once in life’s history, suggesting they’re improbable.

Surprisingly, many critical events in our evolutionary history are unique and, probably, improbable. One is the bony skeleton of vertebrates, which let large animals move onto land. The complex, eukaryotic cells that all animals and plants are built from, containing nuclei and mitochondria, evolved only once. Sex evolved just once. Photosynthesis, which increased the energy available to life and produced oxygen, is a one-off. For that matter, so is human-level intelligence. There are marsupial wolves and moles, but no marsupial humans.

The vertebrate skeleton is unique. Smithsonian Institution

There are places where evolution repeats, and places where it doesn’t. If we only look for convergence, it creates confirmation bias. Convergence seems to be the rule, and our evolution looks probable. But when you look for non-convergence, it’s everywhere, and critical, complex adaptations seem to be the least repeatable, and therefore improbable.

What’s more, these events depended on one another. Humans couldn’t evolve until fish evolved bones that let them crawl onto land. Bones couldn’t evolve until complex animals appeared. Complex animals needed complex cells, and complex cells needed oxygen, made by photosynthesis. None of this happens without the evolution of life, a singular event among singular events. All organisms come from a single ancestor; as far as we can tell, life only happened once.

Curiously, all this takes a surprisingly long time. Photosynthesis evolved 1.5 billion years after the Earth’s formation, complex cells after 2.7 billion years, complex animals after 4 billion years, and human intelligence 4.5 billion years after the Earth formed. That these innovations are so useful but took so long to evolve implies that they’re exceedingly improbable.

An unlikely series of events

These one-off innovations, critical flukes, may create a chain of evolutionary bottlenecks or filters. If so, our evolution wasn’t like winning the lottery. It was like winning the lottery again, and again, and again. On other worlds, these critical adaptations might have evolved too late for intelligence to emerge before their suns went nova, or not at all.

Imagine that intelligence depends on a chain of seven unlikely innovations – the origin of life, photosynthesis, complex cells, sex, complex animals, skeletons and intelligence itself – each with a 10% chance of evolving. The odds of evolving intelligence become one in 10 million.

Photosynthesis, another unique adaptation. Nick Longrich

But complex adaptations might be even less likely. Photosynthesis required a series of adaptations in proteins, pigments and membranes. Eumetazoan animals required multiple anatomical innovations (nerves, muscles, mouths and so on). So maybe each of these seven key innovations evolve just 1% of the time. If so, intelligence will evolve on just 1 in 100 trillion habitable worlds. If habitable worlds are rare, then we might be the only intelligent life in the galaxy, or even the visible universe.

And yet, we’re here. That must count for something, right? If evolution gets lucky one in 100 trillion times, what are the odds we happen to be on a planet where it happened? Actually, the odds of being on that improbable world are 100%, because we couldn’t have this conversation on a world where photosynthesis, complex cells, or animals didn’t evolve. That’s the anthropic principle: Earth’s history must have allowed intelligent life to evolve, or we wouldn’t be here to ponder it.

Intelligence seems to depend on a chain of improbable events. But given the vast number of planets, then like an infinite number of monkeys pounding on an infinite number of typewriters to write Hamlet, it’s bound to evolve somewhere. The improbable result was us.

About The Author:

Nick Longrich is a Senior Lecturer in Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Bath

This article has been republished from our content partners over at The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

Courtship, Part 1

The requested fic for @thegreatbaryonyxreef is complete! I’ve broken it into two pieces. Welcome to the first piece! Read carefully.

Summary: This chapter is clean, but this is a smut fic. This first part does discuss the mating habits of their species, but nothing dirty happens yet. Anyway, Rodan feels confident that his courtship to Ghidorah is going well and he feels it’s time for them to take their relationship to the next level. This unfortunately brings inevitable conflict between the brothers.

Warning: This chapter contains the death of a dragon and San trying desperately to convince his brothers to let him get laid. Enjoy!

PART 1

The courtship seemed to be going really well. At least Rodan thought so.

Flying over the coastline, wings trailing smoke and ember behind him, the bird was searching intently for his intended prey. Today was going to be a big day for him and his partner. Rodan woke up early this morning with the restless instinct within him, one that he recognized. It was time to take the big leap of faith into the next step of their relationship. He's been courting Ghidorah for some time now and the dragon has been taking his advances well. Sure, there were a couple of rough-patches near the start. He wasn't sure if the alien understood what was going on at first, and he still remembered how alarmed they looked when he tried to perform the aerial courtship dance with them. That was pretty funny, he'll admit, but they seem to have caught on fast. They didn't reject him; they didn't attack him and chase him off like one would do a rejected suitor.

The bonding period has been going smoothly for the most part as well. Yeah, there were things he had to learn along the way, mostly about what they liked and didn't like in their new partner relationship.

For example, he learned very quickly that while San and Ichi seemed to enjoy being groomed and nuzzled and loved on, Ni did not like physical contact at all. Rodan couldn't so much as brush up against him without getting snarled at and bitten. Not that Rodan expected anything less from him, to be honest; he noticed the right head didn't like it when his brothers gave him the same attention and he shouldn't expect to be treated any differently. He can respect those set boundaries.

Although that does bring to question how the right head is going to handle today. If all goes well, there's going to be physical contact going on, but perhaps when he understands the situation, he'll be more receptive to the idea?

That bridge will be crossed when they get to it...

For now, he had to focus on getting the right gift. He's always hunted breakfast for them, catching whales from the ocean to present them as gifts. The idea behind feeding his partner was to show that he was an amazing hunter, and would make for an excellent mate that would keep them and their chicks well-fed and taken care of. Rodan doubted they could even have chicks, given Ghidorah's alien nature, but instinct is instinct. Even if it was impossible, he needed no encouragement to jump at any opportunity to prove that he was awesome! Because he was.

Ghidorah would always accept his courtship gifts without fail, or rather, the left head did. Now that Rodan thought about it, he doesn't recall really seeing the other two heads eat anything before, except maybe the occasional human. But such a tiny snack could hardly be enough! San, on the other hand, ate a lot. He liked to lick things and showed particular excitement whenever Rodan brought them something new. It seemed to him that it was San's job to feed the body. That, or it was just his adorably curious nature at work. Either way, the hydra's acceptance of his gifts gave the pterosaur confidence that today will go well!

He had to make sure his gift was extra special though. He can't just bring back another whale or something. It had to wow them, impress them so much that there would be no question on his abilities as a mate! They would want him on the spot! And he knew just the thing, as he allowed a smirk to grow on his beak. He's been searching the coast for a while, eyes sharp for the distinctive shape of his target. He only had a limited time to do this, Ghidorah always setting a curfew for his hunts that he dared not defy. Not just that, but his prey had a schedule as well. With the sun's approach, they would absorb its energy and then disappear into the depths of the ocean never to resurface until the next morning.

If that happened, Rodan would've lost his chance.

He stayed high above the sea, sharp eyes scanning the shores and the rocky outcrops. He flew fast, covering a lot of ground that he knew to be the prime territory of his target, and it was some hundred miles away when he spotted that distinctive shape.

Long sinuous body. Short cumbersome legs. A finned tail snaking out behind it as it laid on the shore, shifting clumsily and sluggishly every now and again for a better spot. The sun has yet to peek over the horizon, and his prey was preparing for the morning sunbathe, unaware that it's been singled out. Why be cautious, right? Any real predator to its species was practically extinct at this point. Imagine how unlucky it must've been, then; that Rodan, the last of his kind, would cross paths with it. The rivalry between their species was legendary, both preying upon the other with only the circumstances to decide which would claim victory. A victory his mate lost so many years ago, and a victory he will now claim.

His new partner deserved the best, and the best they will receive.

Angling his wings as he circled, he plotted his best approach. It's been so long since he's last hunted these creatures and he can't afford to mess up. A mistake could cost him his life. Luckily, instincts were there to guide him and he had every advantage on his side. If he can land that initial blow successfully, it should be a piece of cake from there.

Coming in from behind, he readied his talons as he swooped, flaring his wings as the last second seemed to slow down. The sea serpent spotted him and began to turn to face him. The move was a fraction of a second too late as Rodan's claws closed onto the back of its long neck. At once, the aquatic Nope Rope writhed and Rodan can feel a vibration through him as it let out a concentrated ultrasonic blast. But out of the water, it wasn't nearly as effective a weapon as it should've been. In fact, it was downright useless.

Keeping his wings opened for balance, Rodan leaned down to bite into the back of its head, sever its spine. But his claws weren't quite in the right position to fully subdue the creature and it managed to twist its head around to snap at him. It snarled and hissed with a ferocity to match Ni's. Rodan tried to shift his grip and in doing so, the creature wriggled free.

At once, it flared up the fin along its back and reared up on its hind legs, poised like a cobra to strike as it hissed explosively. It knew it was in a very bad situation; it hasn't gotten a chance to sun itself and its energy to fight back was low. The best it can do is bluff and try to intimidate its opponent into backing off. To find something easier to eat.

It might've worked if this was for something as trivial as breakfast, but it wasn't. Rodan wasn't backing down, flaring his wings and having the glow edging his wings flash and dim, shaking his flight fingers to vibrate his wings. Trying to distract his prey's attention away from his main body. The serpent wasn't falling for it and it struck for his face. The pterosaur threw himself back, and brought his wings down. The wind brought by this action kicked up sand as he jumped, offering him an advantage as he landed on the serpent. Claws sink into its scales around the mid-neck region, drawing blood and earning another snarl.

Its long body thrashed violently, and tried to coil around his body as best it could. Its claws slashed at him, leaving marks on his armor and it managed to twist around to bite into his leg.

Its bite wasn't nearly as powerful as Ghidorah's, but it still managed to draw some blood. Even if it had the energy, the odds still wouldn't be in its favor right now. On land, it had to rely on brute force, which was not its strong suit. Wrapping a coil in the right spot was its only real chance. But if it can get into the water, it can stun the pterosaur with a sonic blast and holding him under until he drowned. It knew that would work because it's done it before...

Right now though, it may prove difficult as the panicked serpent let go and began trying to drag them both towards the ocean. The sand beneath offered no real purchase, however Rodan didn't want to risk it. He tried to take off to drag it inland, but this in turn was not made easy for him as the large snake thrashed violently, managing to curl itself up enough to swing its body onto his wing and weighing it down enough to throw the pterosaur off-balance.

They landed clumsily and the serpent tried to take this advantage while it still can. It threw more coils around its predator, who responded by keeping his wings flared open. This prevented the snake from getting a good wrap around his body. But Rodan noticed the strength in its coils has gotten weaker. It was tiring. The bird dug his talons in deeper, eyes scanning his prey intently. He tried to find where its head was, it was the only way to end this quickly. He can feel its claws gripping him, its heavy coils on his wings weighing him down. But he can't tire yet. If he lowered his wings, then his prey would be able to wrap around him properly and constrict him! Too much was on the line to give up!

He found the head, and when the creature saw his eyes lock with its own, it snarled again. Rodan was undeterred as his beak opened and he lunged to finish this with a vicious shriek...

-

Oh, their slave is back.

The hydra glanced up at the bird from where they rested as he came in for a landing nearby. They were expecting another whale, but something else met their eyes instead. There was something big in his mouth, much larger than the usual prey he would catch. It was dragging on the ground as he pulled it over to them, allowing them a closer look. It vaguely resembled what would happen if the severed head of their kind tried to grow more neck and a tail instead of a proper body. It lacked wings, had four stubby legs with webbed clawed feet and a finned tail. Clearly aquatic. Its scales caught the light of the low morning sun, gleaming with the same luster as their own with various shades of blue instead of gold. Its appearance was bordering on the uncanny valley to them, but as usual San showed the most interest in the new item.

He was the only one that would actually eat whatever it is their slave brought back to them. Not at all to be polite, as he also had a tendency to take food whilst the bird was eating it, but only because he was so curious to know every taste of whatever items the natives considered edible.

Their slave did a bobbing gesture with his head. They still didn't know what it meant, but he seemed to use it when offering the food to them. San didn't even wait for the gesture to finish before he snatched it from the bird's beak. He didn't need permission from their own servant to take his food; it tasted better when he stole it from him anyway!

As San began to eat his weird earth food, Ichi and Ni resumed their proper feeding by sunning themselves, spreading their wings along the ground where they laid as they absorbed the star's rays. What they didn't expect was the slave to hop in front of them. Ni growled at him in annoyance, but Ichi watched silently as the bird began moving strangely.

Was he… dancing?

The trio blinked at him, San pausing mid-bite to stare curiously at what the funny slave was doing. He was making very precise movements with his wings, fanning them out and shaking them as the glowing edges grew brighter. Smoke and embers trailed from him as he would hop around and continue flashing his wings at them. Occasionally, he would lower his head with his wings framing his crests as if to show them off. With his mouth still on the food, San glanced up at his brothers as if looking for some cue on how he was supposed to react to this. Ni's growls have faded into silence and Ichi just regarded the pterosaur with an unreadable face. San looked back at the fire pest, hesitantly finishing the rest of the bite and resuming his meal as he watched.

Breakfast and a show? Neat.

The slave was inching closer to them as he moved, particularly towards San's side, no doubt wary of Ni's temper. San again stopped eating with a piece of flesh dangling from his jaws as he watched the slave sidle up to him, finishing the weird dance(?) with a bow. He glanced up at them, as if waiting for a response.

They gave him none. Even if they wanted to play along with their slave's odd little games, what were they supposed to do here?

San just kept eating.

This and their lack of immediate rejection seemed to have been enough, and their slave made an odd cooing sound as he began nibbling at San's scales. Oh, this was grooming. Something they recognized. The bird would do this with San or Ichi on a regular basis; it was odd being groomed by someone that wasn't their brother but not something either of them complained about. San actually found it kinda funny and even relaxing at times. And with their slave back to acting in a familiar fashion, Ichi returned his attention to basking. Ni was glaring at San; as usual, he was not pleased with how his little brother was doing nothing to push the pest away. He was just too focused on eating that weird mutated Ghidorah-head.

Letting out a snort, Ni reached over and bit San hard enough to draw blood and while his sibling cried out, he tried to pull the carcass away from his brother. San gave a whine and clamped his jaws into the body and tugged back, not wanting to give up his treat. Ichi let out a breath from his nose but otherwise ignored his brothers. His mind was instead pre-occupied with planning the day's activities. Probably fly more inland, away from the coast. Seek out another insect settlement. There were so many, it was guaranteed to be a fun time.

Ghidorah didn't care to notice that their slave was still cooing gentle songs as he shuffled closer, continuing to preen San's neck although the dragon was distracted playing an unwanted game of Tug-of-War with his older brother. Ichi felt a wing on their left shoulder and he glanced over to see that it was just their slave propping himself up to reach over San towards him. The bird start grooming his neck in turn. The eldest let out another huff from his nose and resumed his train of thought.

Then it happened.

In one smooth motion, Rodan moved to climb onto Ghidorah's back, wings flaring slightly to keep balance and beak gently grabbing a mouthful of golden scales to better his stability. It was a very swift motion, but Ghidorah's instincts were just as fast to flare up. Being grabbed from behind in such a fashion can only mean one thing to those instincts: someone was attempting to mount them.

The first move to initiate a courtship battle.

The hydra doesn't even think through any of their actions. They immediately threw their wings down to jump up into the air. They feel the grip on them loosen with a cry of surprise and Ni made no hesitation in biting onto one of the wings and throwing their opponent to the ground. They were still driven by pure instinct to follow this ritual combat, pinning a foot onto the exposed underside of their opponent, pushing for a very specific spot. With not a second to waste, lest they lose their advantage, Ichi lunged downward with jaws open right for-

"SHIT!" came the panicked scream of their opponent.

His teeth close on air just inches from the loser's skin. Wait, what? Where were the hemipenes? Their foot was pushing the right spot to force them out, expose them to get ripped off and devoured. It was the way of their courtship. Although the Ghidorah species are hermaphrodites, and both could impregnate each other, neither party wanted to be burdened with eggs. This reluctance necessitated this ritual combat, meant to ensure that one of them was going to bear the burden by ridding them temporarily of their male organs and leaving only the female parts. The victor, in the act of devouring the severed parts, was given extra energy. Much needed for the long, exhaustive process of copulation.

But here, there was nothing. Nothing to complete the courtship battle with. It throws off their instinct, enough for them to regain their senses and realize a very important detail.

This wasn't another Ghidorah seeking to engage in courtship. This was their slave.

Well, no wonder there's nothing there. This little punk had no balls, much less the rest of the package.

The bird looked terrified, as he rightfully should be. What gave him the gall to pull a stunt like that? Ni was already furious and wanting to rip the idiot to shreds! But the instinct was still there, persisting even through the hiccup. They clearly won, even without the pre-copulation meal, and they should have their prize.

Unlike Ni, San was very much a slave to these instincts. Being the youngest, he always had the least amount of self-control when it came to courtship matters; lust long forgotten was reawakened from the false courtship battle and he wanted this mating. He swamped both his brothers' neurons with his desires, trying to sway them to let him have this. It's been millions of years since they last crossed paths with another fully-mature Ghidorah. Millions of years since their last mating. This slave was obviously trying to mate with them; why else would he pull something like this? So, while the opportunity is there, why not take advantage?

Ni turned to snarl at his youngest sibling. The thought of mating with their slave, a creature utterly inferior to them, disgusted him and he had no qualms in sharing that. They shouldn't waste their time or energy trying to procreate with such a weak disgrace, whose species doesn't even come close to reaching the majesty of their own kind. He would sooner mate with whatever the hell it was that Rodan brought to feed them. At least that thing had SOME mutated, bootleg resemblance to their own kind!

Ichi was silent through this, staring down at their slave. He can feel San's neurons continue to flood lust onto him, his sibling even throwing in memories of their last copulation. Trying to remind him how amazing it felt. And Ichi admits, it was amazing. But Ni brought up a valid point as well; this was their slave, a lowly little pest that's only alive for as long as he was useful. A toy...

A toy to do whatever we pleased with, San pressed, purring heavily. Including this. We're here to have fun, right?

Ni was so close to just biting San right now, get him to stop flooding him with these sensations as if he didn't already have enough. But knowing the state San's currently in, he'd probably enjoy getting bitten. So he snorted and turned his full attention to Ichi. His alpha was unmoving, just staring down at their pinned slave. Thinking hard. Ichi was always the most logical one, preferring to use reason rather than emotion. If he can just fight this stupid instinct until it fades from lack of indulgence, then this nonsense will be over.

At least, that's what Ni thought...

-

Everything was going so smoothly, only to go downhill so fast.

Rodan at first didn't understand what he did wrong. He performed everything perfectly, -if he did say so himself, he fuckin' nailed it-, and he looked for all the signs of receptiveness. Ghidorah accepted his pre-mating gift, so eagerly that they didn't even wait for him to finish the first move of the offering dance. Rodan took that enthusiasm as a plus, as it showed they were in a good mood to set the stage. They watched him perform a full-on mating dance; all the while, they gave no rejection, and continued to eat his gift. He gave San and Ichi the pre-mating groom, to which they showed acceptance by San continuing to eat and Ichi doing nothing to shoo him off.

In fact, they liked his gift so much, Ni and San began fighting over it! It was a huge boost to his confidence knowing they were taking things so well. But when he attempted to mount them for the actual mating, reassuring them with comforting coos, everything fell apart too fast for him to comprehend. Before he knew it, he's pinned with Ichi making a terrifying lunge for his groin. Thank goodness no actual harm was done there!

But what was that all about?

As he laid there, staring with wide eyes at the hydra, he mentally berated himself. He gave in to following his instincts, neglecting once more that Ghidorah was an alien. They probably thought he was attacking them and responded accordingly. But what else did he have if not his instincts? He only got this far in earning their trust and love as a partner because of those instincts. Really, it's just a matter of figuring out which ones his partner responded to well and which they didn't. Until then, he'd have to suffer the consequences.

Ichi was already making a deep threatening rumble and Rodan braced himself for another attack.

-

The rumbling continued to rise from their chest all the way up Ichi's throat, with San eagerly joining in. Ni's frustration grew tenfold. They weren't seriously doing this!

He bit Ichi hard and shook viciously, trying to snap him out of it and stop their stupid little serenade attempt. Yes, the instinct was powerful and amount of pure lust coursing through their veins was difficult to ignore. But they had to be stronger than that, to keep their heads level! This was a waste of time, and if they can just-

Ichi immediately turned on him and bit hard in return, ripping him off and pushing him onto the ground. Ni struggled and snarled, objecting more than he usually does, although it was pointless as Ichi pinned him with their wings and growled in his ear.

"This is my body, remember that?" he hissed firmly. "I can do as I please with it. You and Brother San may be allowed to speak your piece, but do not dare make the mistake in thinking the final decision is yours. If I wish to mate, then I will do so with whomever I choose. Both of you are just along for the ride, nothing more. Understand me?" Ni made another attempt to snap at his brother, but it only earned another harsh bite clamping onto his muzzle, pushing him back down. Completely subdued, the right head quieted his snarls and fell still.

He knew arguing further was useless at this point. Ichi’s already been lost in the fog.

"Fine," Ni hissed back softly through gritted teeth. "If you want to waste our energy on this damn pest, then go ahead. Just don't expect me to get involved."

Letting out a huff, Ichi let go of Ni's snout, giving him a power-groom just to drill in his point. Ni snarled again, but did nothing to resist. When the alpha head pulled away and the wings lifted off from him, Ni rose slowly, shaking himself off. He refused to look at any of them, grumbling.

Ichi returned his attention back to their slave, who has righted himself and was staring at them. His eyes trailed along the bird's body, scrutinizing him. He was small, much smaller than the normal Ghidorah mate that they were used to, but they could make it work. 

Their species was well known for being adaptable, after all...

END OF PART 1 Part two contains the NSFW section. It will contain their mating and the conflict between Ichi and Ni escalates dangerously because of it. If you’re feeling brave to read my first and thus cringey attempts at this stuff, click upon this link. If the link isn’t clickable, then refresh the page, because I’m editing it in right now lol.

Oct 5 Iacon Library Movie Night - Blue’s Clues

As planned, Prowl and various guests got drunk and watched Blue’s Clues. It was a blast. They did a very poor job of figuring out what Blue wanted.

There was a lot of talk about everyone’s new mysteriously-acquired Pokémon. Somebody who looked suspiciously a lot like Smokescreen (spoilers: it was a Smokescreen) bemoaned the fact that he didn’t have one.

Mixmaster’s drinks were a big hit. You go, Mixmaster.

The two most important facts of reality realized at tonight’s programming:

Toes are feet fingers.

Merry-go-rounds are sideways ferris wheels.

Today verdigrisprowl 7:55 pm *Prowl had kidnapped every moderately comfy chair he could find in the library and dragged them into the room with the projector set up. They're moderately comfy, but they're still library furniture.* verdigrisprowl 7:56 pm *there's also a table with a bunch of cans of engex and three mystery jugs of mystery fluids.* *and sorry the library looks kind of like an under construction warehouse. it's because it used to be a warehouse, and it's presently under construction.* *... Prowl is a very minimalist host.* Chaifootsteps 7:58 pm *It's not a real party until the mystery fluids come out*. verdigrisprowl 7:59 pm *you can thank mixmaster for the mystery fluids. they're exactly what you think they are.* *assuming that what you think they are is "strong" and "nasty"* opatoes 7:59 pm /Smokescreen is poking his helm in. He's not really used to going to movie nights, and isn't even completely sure this is the right place, but there are drinks! And that's enough for him. He's quietly going over to take a cup of mystery fluids./ verdigrisprowl 7:59 pm *oh! people are arriving! Prowl should say something host-like.* NoodlesAtNight 7:59 pm *Soundwave does not bridge into the room, primarily because he doesn't NEED to bridge into the room. He was already in the library, poking through what little is there. He just asks which room Prowl borrowed, heads that way, and strides in. Where's the second comfiest looking chair? That one's for him.* verdigrisprowl 7:59 pm Hello. *nailed it.* opatoes 8:00 pm Hello. ... This *is* a movie night, correct? NoodlesAtNight 8:00 pm *The drinks, alas, are not.* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:00 pm *the dragon is scooting in through an... unusual entrance. because she doesn't have a passport. and she's tiny. shhhhh. don't mind the sneaky dragon.* verdigrisprowl 8:00 pm Well. Not movie so much as TV, but yes. Darkscream 8:00 pm *Peers around the door frame to make sure she got the right spot. Moving around with her wingspan made things tricky. Spotting Prowl among the set up, she smiled and moved on inside. Her height hopefully not causing an issue on the way on. Being tall was a real bugger for buildings not designed for flight models.* verdigrisprowl 8:00 pm We sit in chairs and watch the screens, so. Same thing. opatoes 8:01 pm Good, good. That is what I came for. And-the chairs can be moved wherever, as well? verdigrisprowl 8:01 pm *the library is welcoming of all sizes* Oh. Hello. *not a person he expected. does helping rescue someone make you friends?* Chaifootsteps 8:01 pm Hello. *That was polite, wasn't? He feels justified in snagging a cup of that mystery fluid. It's Blues Clues, he'll probably need it*. verdigrisprowl 8:01 pm As long as you aren't deliberately blocking the screen or the doors. Swervester 8:02 pm Hello friends I have arrived and I come bearing snacks because I heard this was a mystery and no mystery is complete without snacks. verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm *... he should probably keep standing while people arrive, should he?* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:02 pm *HAS NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON OR WHERE HE IS BUT HE IS HERE NOW* HI verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm Oh! Good. You can add them to the table. *points at the table of engex cans and mystery fluids.* Darkscream 8:02 pm *Waves* Hey, Prowl. *Maybe? Darkscream did owe Prowl for getting her wing out in relatively one piece, so...* verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm *points at Swoop* No shouting. This is a library. NoodlesAtNight 8:02 pm *Settling into his seat and watching everyone else who's coming in? Yes. Yes, he is. It's always strange not being a host. But relaxing. Much less stress. Ahh.* Swervester 8:02 pm [he will do exacty that.] opatoes 8:02 pm Understandable. /Smokescreen is taking a chair, and is taking a seat as close to the screen as he can without blocking too much./ MedicalMurdersaurus 8:02 pm Kehehehh what?? verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm No shouting inside libraries. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:03 pm PFF verdigrisprowl 8:03 pm *that was a loud HI and Prowl won't have any of it.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:03 pm Me Swoop am a PTEROSAUR Everything loud Always SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:03 pm *since Whirl's not here and Soundwave is, someone is going to climb up the back of his chair.* Hello, Soundwave! verdigrisprowl 8:03 pm So either pretend not to be a pterosaur for the duration of the event, or I'm bridging you out. No shouting. opatoes 8:03 pm /Wait, he heard Swerve. He is going straight over to Swerve, both to take a few snacks and greet the mech./ You. Swervester 8:04 pm //speaking of snacks i have popcorn and it's lime flavored???? opatoes 8:04 pm ((limecorn Swervester 8:04 pm Oh hey you. verdigrisprowl 8:04 pm Right. Is, uh—is this everyone? I think First Aid and Blaster expressed interest. But they might have just been acknowledging that I spoke, so. opatoes 8:04 pm You. We need to train more. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:04 pm Keehaha! You pretend not to be a car first! verdigrisprowl 8:04 pm Okay: I'm not a car. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:05 pm kehehehhehhh NoodlesAtNight 8:05 pm *Soundwave twists to see the dragon and nods.* [[Greetings. Interesting change of pace, hmm?]] Swervester 8:05 pm Sure, we can train some more. Come by later. verdigrisprowl 8:05 pm *turns to Soundwave and says, very personally, especially for him:* Hello. opatoes 8:05 pm I would love to. I could provide a few of my own brews for you to try and critique. Darkscream 8:05 pm *There are more mechs here than she was expecting. Popular Prowl. Since she didn't really "know" anyone, just going to go peer at the snacktable. Curiosity getting the better of her for the "mystery liquid" because pfft* NoodlesAtNight 8:06 pm *Soundwave dips his helm.* [[Hello, Prowl.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:06 pm *has only seen libraries in movies and has all of zero idea what is happening, but there are people so he might as well wander around* verdigrisprowl 8:06 pm Oh! The jugs. Uh, left to right, they get stronger. The middle one is carbonated. The others... I honestly have no idea what's in them. The right one is pitch black? That's about all I know. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:06 pm *bounces around to whoever happens to look the most unguarded right now* verdigrisprowl 8:06 pm Mixmaster made them. That's your recommendation and your warning. opatoes 8:06 pm ... /Smokescreen is looking over. So THAT'S the host's name. Good to know./ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:07 pm *settles into a loaf* It's going to be another police thing, like the human ham show, right? opatoes 8:07 pm ... Human Ham Show? verdigrisprowl 8:07 pm Not police. Amateur detective, solving domestic mysteries. opatoes 8:07 pm ... Was that Hamtaro? Chaifootsteps 8:07 pm *Stops sipping...shrugs and keeps sipping*. verdigrisprowl 8:07 pm ... I suppose he MIGHT be police. *that's the spirit, Arcee.* Darkscream 8:08 pm Really? *Going to grab one of them then and peer inside at the liquid inside. Debating trying it if no one else had yet* NoodlesAtNight 8:08 pm [[No, no. It was the Bat human's city. The Gotham.]] Swervester 8:08 pm [Swerve's going to go for broke and be brave. Time to drink the pitch blsck stuff] verdigrisprowl 8:08 pm Okay! I don't know who else is coming, if anyone, so I'm going to—go ahead and get started. If everyone's ready? *looks around* NoodlesAtNight 8:08 pm *Nods.* opatoes 8:08 pm /Smokescreen is grabbing one last cube, this time mixing is with some of each of the three mystery jugs./ MedicalMurdersaurus 8:08 pm *wanders up to watch Swerve drink tar* *awesome* verdigrisprowl 8:08 pm *the triple mixture produces a puff of pink-green smoke* NoodlesAtNight 8:09 pm *Ah. Is that--?* [[Arcee? Good to see you again.]] *It's been some time.* Swervester 8:09 pm Hi Swoop. opatoes 8:09 pm /Finally sitting down, VERY close to the screen without blocking it./ MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm Hi 😆 Darkscream 8:09 pm *Snickers* Well that happened Swervester 8:09 pm Huh. This isn't too bad. Kind of deadly, probably. But it's ok. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm Cool : > verdigrisprowl 8:09 pm *he heard a yes and no nos, he's going to start.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm Us can FIRE it :V SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:09 pm *the dragon churrs* Ah, right. Well, detective work sounds really interesting! And less stressful than watching corrupt humans. verdigrisprowl 8:09 pm No fire. Darkscream 8:09 pm *Shrugs and takes a sip* Try pha-.... zon... MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm *makes explosion gestures* Swervester 8:10 pm No fire inside. opatoes 8:10 pm Oh! An apple tree! I've grown similar trees. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:10 pm ((OH MY GOD IT WAS MUTED THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T HEAR THE CHAT FRIGGIN BROWSER)) MedicalMurdersaurus 8:10 pm Boring Swervester 8:10 pm Oh, a kingdom?> verdigrisprowl 8:10 pm You're going to find this show very boring, Swoop. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:10 pm Show? *finally notices that there is a thing playing* NoodlesAtNight 8:10 pm [[The canine is Earth royalty?]] [[She lives very simply.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:10 pm *doubles over in UPROARIOUS laughter* Darkscream 8:10 pm *Immediately looks at the giant screen* Oh my spark opatoes 8:10 pm Are there any felines in this show? Chaifootsteps 8:11 pm Why's her face shaped like that? Swervester 8:11 pm Wait, can dogs be royalty? Darkscream 8:11 pm *Covering her mouth to stifle laughter* opatoes 8:11 pm Of course they can! Chaifootsteps 8:11 pm GAH. opatoes 8:11 pm ... That is not what I was imagining. verdigrisprowl 8:11 pm *he pushes a chair up against Soundwave's chair, goes over to the drink table to grab himself an engex can, and sits next to Soundwave.* Swervester 8:11 pm A cat! MedicalMurdersaurus 8:11 pm KAHAHHAH! THIS show for BABIES! KAHA! Baaaaaaaabies! Kahahhahh NoodlesAtNight 8:11 pm [[King Horse looks nothing like a horse at all.]] opatoes 8:11 pm !!! Cat. Kitten. /His doorwings are wiggling, and he's leaning in. A cat! There's a cat! Good show./ verdigrisprowl 8:11 pm No, no, she's not royalty. They're... er... roleplaying? Swervester 8:12 pm Oh. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:12 pm *said with all the enthusiasm of someone who is definitely not a baby* Darkscream 8:12 pm I didn't know we were watching Blue's Clues. I was expecting Scooby Doo. Chaifootsteps 8:12 pm Isn't that a grown human? NoodlesAtNight 8:12 pm *Offers another headbob. Pleasure to share the general vicinity with you.* opatoes 8:12 pm ... Is this Laputa? verdigrisprowl 8:12 pm Yes, baby humans are much smaller. And can't talk or walk nearly as well. NoodlesAtNight 8:12 pm [[He thinks so. It is difficult to tell without other humans around.]] Chaifootsteps 8:12 pm *...Looks at his cup of fuel suspiciously*. Swervester 8:12 pm I didn't know humans had so many sentient objects in their homes. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:12 pm Does the human have abnormally large eyes, or is that just my perception? opatoes 8:13 pm ... Are most objects actually sentient? verdigrisprowl 8:13 pm Right. So—the premise is, the dog gives her friend three clues, and he uses them to figure out what she wants. Because she can't talk. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:13 pm *covers his mouth as he slides to the floor to sit in his gigglefit* Swervester 8:13 pm Well, that makes sense. Though, I wonder why she can't talk if everything else can? verdigrisprowl 8:13 pm The fun part is trying to figure it out before him. NoodlesAtNight 8:13 pm [[They're also very musical.]] [[As you can hear.]] verdigrisprowl 8:13 pm She can make other vocalizations, so she's not completely mute. It might be a mouth injury or brain damage. verdigrisprowl 8:14 pm She makes herself known anyway and he's very patient in trying to understand her. opatoes 8:14 pm /He's glancing at his seat, before putting the thought away. If it's sentient, it can't speak./ Prowl- Prowl, correct? Does the Periwinkle character play a significant role? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:14 pm She might be young, too. Some hatchlings talk much later than others. *her. it's her.* Swervester 8:14 pm Maybe she never learned? Protoforms have problems like that sometimes, where language data packs don't intergrate properly. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:14 pm Her Carly do Blue's Clues with Daniel. Him Daniel a baaaaby. Chaifootsteps 8:14 pm ...The clue's somebody's wetware? Darkscream 8:15 pm *Takes a sip of the Mixmaster mix. Not the worst thing ever. It tasted... like burnt rubber. Grinning at everyone trying to figure out Blue.* opatoes 8:15 pm That seems very, very vague ... Catapult them. NoodlesAtNight 8:15 pm [[Are they a Seeker?]] verdigrisprowl 8:15 pm Not that I recall, but I only remember Blue and..... Sssteam. opatoes 8:15 pm !! verdigrisprowl 8:15 pm ... I was drunk the last time I watched this. *and he plans to be drunk again tonight.* Darkscream 8:15 pm Steve, Prowl. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:15 pm Soundwave! Swervester 8:15 pm [snickers]\ verdigrisprowl 8:15 pm Stebe. NoodlesAtNight 8:15 pm [[Hmm?]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:15 pm Us watch something with GUTS opatoes 8:15 pm Cat! Again. Chaifootsteps 8:15 pm Organic filth. Nice. NoodlesAtNight 8:15 pm [[Oh, Primus. Greyfaces.]] Darkscream 8:16 pm Steee-vvvv opatoes 8:16 pm Why would you step in the mud Swervester 8:16 pm Isn't there a genericon named Steve? Darkscream 8:16 pm *trying to help Prowl out* NoodlesAtNight 8:16 pm [[There are at least 80 of them.]] verdigrisprowl 8:16 pm Sieve. NoodlesAtNight 8:16 pm [[...Where he is from, at least.]] Chaifootsteps 8:16 pm Stove. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:16 pm Sleeve? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:16 pm Steve! verdigrisprowl 8:16 pm *to Swerve* ... Is that common? How common? Do they just never learn at all? NoodlesAtNight 8:16 pm *prints 'praise heqet' on his screen* Darkscream 8:16 pm Close enough, Prowl. Swoop got it. opatoes 8:16 pm ... Are we supposed to imitate him? verdigrisprowl 8:17 pm Stove. *thank you Arcee* NoodlesAtNight 8:17 pm [[Feel free.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:17 pm Praise Heqet! *that's Whirl's thing, right?* opatoes 8:17 pm I don't particularly want to. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:17 pm ((dangit slendy u beat me)) MedicalMurdersaurus 8:17 pm Ribbit ribbit verdigrisprowl 8:17 pm I'm going to say no. I'm not into roleplay. opatoes 8:17 pm That cat is the star opatoes 8:18 pm A mole to dig under! Oh. Chaifootsteps 8:18 pm I feel like my last neural circuit's dying. Darkscream 8:18 pm *Small snickering* Swervester 8:18 pm Uncommon. We talk to them, since it helps them integrate the packets. But if they don't hear Neocybex enough it can hinder the integration. That happens then they need to redownload language data when they're finished developing, same way they'd download any other language. NoodlesAtNight 8:18 pm *The Constructicons picked this one and he knows it.* verdigrisprowl 8:18 pm *he's correct* Swervester 8:18 pm So for the two weeks they have no real communication skills. opatoes 8:18 pm I want a magical cat friend. NoodlesAtNight 8:18 pm [[Please, do not die. Only Swoop is equipped with medic kills.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:19 pm *the dragon is extremely confused but she's having fun. it's a good time.* NoodlesAtNight 8:19 pm ((....i realize i meant skills but tbh that's more accurate)) verdigrisprowl 8:19 pm ... Are there any cases where they never worn? Where they can understand but not speak? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:19 pm *perks up at his name* Hi Chaifootsteps 8:19 pm ((fhdspihdfgf)) MedicalMurdersaurus 8:19 pm ((medic kills works fo r him 😀 )) Me Swoop can melt EVERYONE opatoes 8:19 pm But if I were the sun, I would burn the screen. Chaifootsteps 8:19 pm ((Swoop got his medical degree in Nicaragua.)) Swervester 8:19 pm Well, not unheard of, yeah. We've had a couple who just... never downloaded the packets. That got more common during the days hot spots started fading for good. NoodlesAtNight 8:19 pm [[Begone, ice.]] opatoes 8:20 pm I tire of Horace. Darkscream 8:20 pm ! SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:20 pm But I like the ice. Chaifootsteps 8:20 pm Stop yelling. Swervester 8:20 pm That's uhh. Y'know. Motor mouth? Deliberate programming flaw for hot spots. verdigrisprowl 8:20 pm ... Did they just undo all the progress they made toward the castle? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:20 pm This show dumb. Us Dinobots have king for REAL. Him Grimlock not pretend king stuff. Swervester 8:20 pm I think they did opatoes 8:20 pm They did. I think they forgot about Horace. Swervester 8:20 pm Tat's a really advanced letter. opatoes 8:20 pm ... What if they had received an angry letter from Horace. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:21 pm Oh! Human bitlets! *she keeps using that word instead of hatchlings for non-dragon babies. it's becoming a habit. whoops.* Darkscream 8:21 pm That's an adorable pun. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:21 pm Dinobots live in CAVE for real too NoodlesAtNight 8:21 pm [[...That seems anticlimactic.]] Chaifootsteps 8:21 pm That was a terrible game. verdigrisprowl 8:21 pm They found what they were looking for. NoodlesAtNight 8:21 pm [[One expects a cache of fantastic weapons at the very least.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:21 pm Them fight. That more fun! opatoes 8:21 pm ... Couldn't they imagine a ladder to the castle? Swervester 8:21 pm I mean, their quest was more successful than ours. opatoes 8:21 pm They have already shown the power of imagination. Darkscream 8:21 pm *not sure which is funnier, the mechs here or the show* verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm ... How did she put a paw print on a sound wave? Swervester 8:22 pm ... [leans over to look at Soundwave's frame] verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm *... also looks at soundwave* NoodlesAtNight 8:22 pm *Flicks a hand at Swerve.* [[The /screen./]] verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm *leeeeeeans over* Swervester 8:22 pm [laughs] verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm *puts a hand on soundwave's arm* NoodlesAtNight 8:22 pm *...Turns to look at Prowl. What is he...?* opatoes 8:23 pm Picklock it. verdigrisprowl 8:23 pm *solemnly* You're a clue now. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:23 pm Punch Her opatoes 8:23 pm Do not! Swervester 8:23 pm [snickers] NoodlesAtNight 8:23 pm [[He feels very important.]] opatoes 8:23 pm Do not punch the cat. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:23 pm No key then kehehh NoodlesAtNight 8:23 pm *places a paw print on his visor and huffs.* Chaifootsteps 8:23 pm Ska... verdigrisprowl 8:23 pm Pff. Chaifootsteps 8:23 pm *Gives up and just drinks more deeply* Swervester 8:23 pm Skadoo verdigrisprowl 8:23 pm *he might already be the slightest bit drunk.* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:23 pm *the dragon has to try really hard not to touch him with her paws. she'll be good. she'll be good. no touch.* Swervester 8:23 pm Kingdom of blue or Flu? opatoes 8:24 pm Oh. Rhyming. NoodlesAtNight 8:24 pm *Oh, go on. Prowl already is. And he does not mind dragon paws.* opatoes 8:24 pm Riddle! MedicalMurdersaurus 8:24 pm Kick Him in the FACE opatoes 8:24 pm Of course I will. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:24 pm Take stuff WIN SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:24 pm *the gentlest bap* opatoes 8:24 pm If you harm a cat, I will harm you. NoodlesAtNight 8:24 pm [[Where is the Nygma human when he's neede-- ??]] Swervester 8:24 pm A worm? opatoes 8:24 pm Snail Darkscream 8:24 pm *Looks at Swoop* NoodlesAtNight 8:24 pm *Looks up at the dragon.* [[Did you need something?]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:24 pm *looks back with a grin* opatoes 8:24 pm Or a worm. A snake verdigrisprowl 8:24 pm What's a worm? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:24 pm They said you had a pawprint on you. *wiggles her paws* NoodlesAtNight 8:25 pm [[A worm is a snake that lives in the dirt.]] Swervester 8:25 pm I think worm is a earth qanimal verdigrisprowl 8:25 pm Oh. Swervester 8:25 pm Yeah opatoes 8:25 pm They are legless... Creatures that feed on dirt and help to provide nutrients to the soil. They are useful for plants. Darkscream 8:25 pm I forgot how much Dinobot planning was can it be punched, bitten, or hit with a flamethrower. Swervester 8:25 pm A dragon SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:25 pm A me! Or a cousin. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:25 pm Us Dinobots BEST at do stuff : > opatoes 8:26 pm What show is this? NoodlesAtNight 8:26 pm [[Are you very fond of keys?]] opatoes 8:26 pm Tree! SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:26 pm They are shiny. verdigrisprowl 8:26 pm *he has no removed his hand from Soundwave yet* NoodlesAtNight 8:26 pm [[Hmm. He will remember that.]] Darkscream 8:26 pm I've had the bite marks on my wing to be proof enough of that. *Laughs* opatoes 8:26 pm Well- not all trees lose their leaves in the fall, but certain ones do. verdigrisprowl 8:26 pm *... leans slightly closer. there are two chair arms between them. that's not stopping him.* Swervester 8:26 pm But what if a tree doesn't lose leaves in the fall? NoodlesAtNight 8:26 pm *Glances back down at the hand. ... He wonders. And leans back.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:26 pm Yah, Dinobot bite wings *waggles his own* lots Cause weak opatoes 8:26 pm Many don't. Some have needle-like leaves that will never lose all of their leaves. Swervester 8:27 pm Why doesn't he climb? He's tall NoodlesAtNight 8:27 pm @P: [[You've gotten into the drinks early?]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:27 pm *laughs* Oh! That's a [untranslated dragon warble]! They don't usually fly, though. opatoes 8:27 pm Steve is a food a Fool. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:27 pm They do like riddles. opatoes 8:27 pm A fool, I mean. Wind Swervester 8:27 pm There's a lot of riddles here verdigrisprowl 8:27 pm @S «I sampled the middle stuff. ... Before I knew it was carbonated.» opatoes 8:27 pm ... What is a kite SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:27 pm They also are highly fond of mathematics. verdigrisprowl 8:27 pm @S «It's kicking in.» NoodlesAtNight 8:27 pm @P: [[...Do you intend to have more?]] Swervester 8:27 pm [he's gonna finish his drink] verdigrisprowl 8:28 pm @S «I AM having more.» NoodlesAtNight 8:28 pm [[...What has mathematics to do with riddles?]] opatoes 8:28 pm Some riddles are math-based! verdigrisprowl 8:28 pm The best riddles are math-based. Darkscream 8:28 pm Your wings are tougher than mine at least, Swoop. *chuckles* Chaifootsteps 8:28 pm *Oh yeah, he's feeling whatever was in that drink*. opatoes 8:28 pm ... Wait. Do you enjoy riddles, Prowl? verdigrisprowl 8:29 pm Only occasionally. But when I do, they have math. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:29 pm *leans forward until he rolls onto his forearms and then stretches up in a handstand* opatoes 8:29 pm Hm. Swervester 8:29 pm This guy draws better than me MedicalMurdersaurus 8:29 pm Me Swoop am VERY VERY tough kehhheh NoodlesAtNight 8:29 pm @P: [[In that case: Given what he knows of your tastes, and before you have too much to permit asking - if you would like to go to his apartment afterward, it will be open.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:29 pm And strong And upsideDOWN SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:29 pm *the dragon shrugs her wings a little* They get, er, what's the word... Easily mentally understimulated? So they have to do a lot of logic puzzles and similar, or they get neurotic. Both math and riddles require thinking. verdigrisprowl 8:29 pm ... Okay. So. They're getting to a... castle in the sky. And the clues are a person, a ssSOUNDWAVE. *HE JUST GOT THAT MESSAGE.* ... AND A Pair of shoes. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:29 pm The Eaten used them purely for manual labor. What a surprise. *that's not... really... a laugh.* NoodlesAtNight 8:30 pm *Huffs.* Darkscream 8:30 pm *Tempted. Walks over toward Swoop to lightly tap at his pedes while he was upside down.* Very impressive, Swoop. verdigrisprowl 8:30 pm @S «... Yes.» opatoes 8:30 pm ... I do not understand this. NoodlesAtNight 8:30 pm [[He would offer levitating on sound, but he does not think shoes are necessary.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:30 pm *try it, he's a stronk boy* Yah, Me Swoop know. Chaifootsteps 8:30 pm Don't tell me what I am. Swervester 8:30 pm [frowns] A tall Soundwave? opatoes 8:30 pm Oh. A giant! NoodlesAtNight 8:30 pm [[Yes, they are large shoes.]] verdigrisprowl 8:30 pm ... The shoes provide a sense of scale? NoodlesAtNight 8:31 pm [[A marching band me-- oh.]] Swervester 8:31 pm But. Wait Wait, how are they going to become giants? Darkscream 8:31 pm *Nudged Swoop to see if he'd tilt.* Swervester 8:31 pm Do they have a giant ray? verdigrisprowl 8:31 pm Well, they ARE roleplaying. Swervester 8:31 pm OH, good point verdigrisprowl 8:31 pm They can just... roleplay being giants? Chaifootsteps 8:31 pm Horace is already dead by now. opatoes 8:31 pm Is that how roleplaying works? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:31 pm *has enough brothers to be far sturdier than that, snickering* That all You GOT? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:31 pm Maybe they're going to go somewhere where everyone is smaller than they are. NoodlesAtNight 8:31 pm [[He does seem lifeless.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:32 pm I must say, it was always extremely annoying when the Cousins would do that, though. NoodlesAtNight 8:32 pm [[They,]] *pointing at the screen,* [[might be giants.]] Swervester 8:32 pm Then why bother unlocking the gate if you're gonna walk over it NoodlesAtNight 8:32 pm [[But their musical repertoire is limited.]] verdigrisprowl 8:32 pm From what I understand, when you roleplay, you pretend to be something that you aren't and to do things you're not doing. So. Yes? Darkscream 8:32 pm Well I don't want Prowl to kick us out, Swoop. *Looks up. How high is the ceiling?* Chaifootsteps 8:32 pm ....*Snickers.* *He just gets that one, barely* NoodlesAtNight 8:33 pm *Appreciates that someone is knowledgeable enough to have caught his nonsense.* Swervester 8:33 pm MAn they finished their quest waaaay faster than we did. verdigrisprowl 8:33 pm *didn't get it* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:33 pm *no she's not dancing in place. yes she is.* verdigrisprowl 8:33 pm To be fair, most of their quest was pretend. Which helps. NoodlesAtNight 8:33 pm [[So go on a shorter quest next time. Smaller goals.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:33 pm *tilts himself off balance enough to get the momentum he needs to roll straight back up into an upright perch* Me Swoop don't CARE what Him Prowl think kehheheh! Want to fight me? : > Chaifootsteps 8:33 pm No, no I can't. You don't know me, Steve. Slag off. verdigrisprowl 8:33 pm ... Wait, "did"? Swervester 8:33 pm Are doing? What is time? Darkscream 8:33 pm [Magenta!] Swervester 8:33 pm Though yeah, I guess technically we did fulfill our goal. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:34 pm ((oh yeah this is the next guy whatshisface)) verdigrisprowl 8:34 pm ... Did you finish— You found /Cyberutopia/? NoodlesAtNight 8:34 pm *Soundwave's spines twitch. Waves appear on his visor, one on top and one below.* [[...This is a new human. The voices differ.]] Chaifootsteps 8:34 pm Where'd the other one go? Swervester 8:34 pm Er. Well. For a given definition of Cyberutopia verdigrisprowl 8:34 pm ... WHAT given definition? Darkscream 8:35 pm I am *Extremely* tempted to say yes, Swoop. *Grins at the Dinobot* opatoes 8:35 pm Prowl. Do you know much about animals on Earth? NoodlesAtNight 8:35 pm ((GROSS)) opatoes 8:35 pm There is nothing in that bowl. Swervester 8:35 pm If it turns out the Knights ended up on a planet where they got euthanized because it was a medical facility that made you think you were in whatever place you wanted to be while you died. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:35 pm *grins back and puffs up his plating in case it's go time* Swervester 8:35 pm Turns out the Matrix map led to a planet called Mederi. Medari? Mederi? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:35 pm To be fair, I think the duck is dead as well. NoodlesAtNight 8:35 pm [[...He's sorry, if it turns out /what/.]] verdigrisprowl 8:36 pm ... The Knights were EUTHANIZED?! Swervester 8:36 pm I think they were sick? Rathet and First Aid could explain that better, they understoof the medical jargon better. But the planet they went to ended up being a medical facility. verdigrisprowl 8:36 pm ......... *facepalms* *both hand facepalm* Chaifootsteps 8:36 pm Please don't tell me he's gonna keep the duck with him the whole time. verdigrisprowl 8:37 pm *slides down in his chair* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:37 pm *oh goddess, is Prowl dying? looks over in concern* verdigrisprowl 8:37 pm How are we going to put Megatron on trial now... Darkscream 8:37 pm *Still has Mixmaster's "drink" in one servo. Going to boop Swoop in the beak with a smile. Not paying attention to the ohhellno stuff going on over with Prowl* Swervester 8:37 pm Sorry, I'm bad at this and also a lot of the whole "Finishing the quest" thing was overshadowed by rifts in the universe. verdigrisprowl 8:38 pm *SLAMS HANDS ON ARMRESTS* Grimlock. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:38 pm GRIMLOCK :V opatoes 8:38 pm ... Megatron is on trial? Chaifootsteps 8:38 pm Blue, you're not helping the song. You're making it worse. Your face is wrong. NoodlesAtNight 8:38 pm *Startles. Both feelers whip out and crackle. What? Grimlock? What? Where's the threat?* Darkscream 8:38 pm *Almost jumps* What about Grimlock? verdigrisprowl 8:38 pm She's doing her best. *jumps at the feelers* Hi. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:38 pm Where Him Grimlock??? Swervester 8:38 pm What aout Grim? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:39 pm *the dragon has no idea what the hell is going on but she gets to her feet, puffs up, and SNARLS. she'll protect her friend! and his boyfriend!* NoodlesAtNight 8:39 pm *A good dragon.* verdigrisprowl 8:39 pm *points at... who spoke? Points at one of the people who spoke.* In one universe, Grimlock is a Knight of Cybertron. HE wasn't euthanized. Swervester 8:39 pm Wait, really? verdigrisprowl 8:39 pm He can judge Megatron. Who is on trial. Or was. It's on hold. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:39 pm Him Grimlock not a KNIGHT. Him KING. Swervester 8:39 pm That's kinda wild. verdigrisprowl 8:39 pm Different Grimlock. Chaifootsteps 8:40 pm Wait, who killed the knights? *Did...did he? That seems reasonable*. NoodlesAtNight 8:40 pm *Oh. They're just - talking about a Grimlock. All right. He'll pull the feelers back in. But not before patting the dragon. It's fine.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:40 pm Me Swoop want to meet different Grimlock! :V SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:40 pm *yay! a soundwave pat! more cherished than any churn full of butter! she'll settle down and loaf up again.* Darkscream 8:41 pm *That notebook is disturbing* Oh. Alright then. No Swoop in that universe, but there is a two headed dragon. Swervester 8:41 pm I can probably answer questions more coherently later about the quest when I'm not slightly drunk on whatever this drink is. NoodlesAtNight 8:41 pm [[The Grimlock the Prime punched into submission? And yes, who killed - er, euthanized - the knights?]] verdigrisprowl 8:41 pm I can get you the recipe. NoodlesAtNight 8:41 pm [[Lockdown?]] verdigrisprowl 8:41 pm I can't get you the recipe. I can get Mixmaster to get you the recipe. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:41 pm *is DELIGHTED by everything he is hearing* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:42 pm Is the dragon alright? Having two heads can be very troublesome. Most hatchlings like that don't survive, or if they do they don't thrive... MedicalMurdersaurus 8:42 pm Me Swoop want to see Optimus and GRIMLOCK fight! Me want to see DRAGON! verdigrisprowl 8:42 pm *POINTS AT THE SCREEN* Police officers ARE rescuers. *he's delighted. He is full of delight.* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:42 pm *excuse her. dragon. right here. what the hell, swoop.* Swervester 8:42 pm I didn't know pigs could climb. opatoes 8:43 pm How do you- can you lose numbers? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:43 pm *is not known for his ability to pay attention or clearly articulate himself* verdigrisprowl 8:43 pm *GIVES SWERVE AN EXTREMELY OFFENDED LOOK* opatoes 8:43 pm ... Do I still have numbers on my wings? Darkscream 8:43 pm *Laughs and turns back to Swoop* Maybe that should be an event for a movie night. All the Autobots except Optimus backed up when Grimlock came out roaring. opatoes 8:43 pm A ball. To throw at anyone who may harm you. verdigrisprowl 8:43 pm *he has completely and utterly misinterpreted Swerve* opatoes 8:43 pm Oh. Yeah. They don't have headlights. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:43 pm *that's entirely fair and valid. and she's a smaller, fluffier dragon than he probably expects, either.* Swervester 8:43 pm [confused look] What NoodlesAtNight 8:43 pm *Soundwave supposes by the lack of answer that he was right. He turns to Arcee.* [[Probably Lockdown. He was euthanizing the other Cybertronians in the facetaking verse.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:44 pm YAH! That sound AWESOME verdigrisprowl 8:44 pm *opens mouth.* ... *shuts mouth. frowns harder.* Swervester 8:44 pm Did I say something weird? verdigrisprowl 8:45 pm *turns back to screen. grumpily mutters,* I can climb. opatoes 8:45 pm Stargazing! Swervester 8:45 pm [confused sound] I was talking about the pig? opatoes 8:45 pm You can create constellations! Swervester 8:45 pm The one in the tree they were rescuing MedicalMurdersaurus 8:46 pm *HONKS in response to the song and then laughs at himself* opatoes 8:46 pm I want a gift. Chaifootsteps 8:46 pm I would not like mail. opatoes 8:46 pm Imagine if you had to do this every time you received a comm or message from someone. Darkscream 8:46 pm *Taps her chin* Oh wait! Swoop! There were baby Dinobots in the Tyran verse. I think one might of been a little Swoop, but I'm not sure. Same place Grimlock ate an entire car. opatoes 8:46 pm What a painful existence Steve lives. verdigrisprowl 8:46 pm ... THAT was a—? Ohhhhhh. NoodlesAtNight 8:46 pm [[Perish the thought.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:46 pm Me Swoop not a BABY :V NoodlesAtNight 8:47 pm *SITS UP* Chaifootsteps 8:47 pm Where's its parents? Swervester 8:47 pm [considers, looking down into his drink] I think I need another drink before I can imagine Soundwave doing the mail song. verdigrisprowl 8:47 pm *SITS UP WITH. clings to arm.* NoodlesAtNight 8:47 pm [[This monkey is not to be trusted, fleshling!]] Darkscream 8:47 pm I mean there were baby Dinobots there, not that you are one. verdigrisprowl 8:47 pm Maybe it was— Maybe it was a— Maybe it's— opatoes 8:47 pm Swerve. Imagine it. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:47 pm ...I think the monkey is also dead, frankly. verdigrisprowl 8:47 pm It's not glass. NoodlesAtNight 8:47 pm *Settles his hand on Prowl's.* Chaifootsteps 8:47 pm Yeah! The monkey probably did something to his parents. *Drinks*. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:47 pm oH. Okay. Swervester 8:47 pm I can't Smoke. I need more to drink first. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:47 pm Cause. Me Swoop not a baby. *nods* opatoes 8:47 pm Periwinkle!! Yes! NoodlesAtNight 8:48 pm [[He has seen documentaries about murderous talking monkeys and apes. Their parents are likely dissected. And used for whatever nefarious purposes the banana has in mind.]] opatoes 8:48 pm ... Periwinkle deserves better. NoodlesAtNight 8:48 pm [[Even if it is not glass, it likely reports in.]] opatoes 8:48 pm Me Chaifootsteps 8:48 pm Why doesn't Periwinkle have a home or real toys? Swervester 8:48 pm What's a banana opatoes 8:48 pm That is me. NoodlesAtNight 8:48 pm *POINTS* [[Octopus.]] verdigrisprowl 8:49 pm ... Do bananas have the capacity to report in? opatoes 8:49 pm Let me be your friend, Periwinkle. verdigrisprowl 8:49 pm Stave doesn't love Periwinkle. opatoes 8:49 pm I can provide an actual bed. Darkscream 8:49 pm *Chuckles* Nope, not a baby. It'd be no fun to fight you if that was the case, Swoop opatoes 8:49 pm ... Where is Stave located? NoodlesAtNight 8:49 pm [[He does not know. It is better to assume they can.]] Swervester 8:49 pm I think he left and got replaced by a new human SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:49 pm *the dragon is trying really hard not to make a face, but she's making a face* I like the earth octopi better. That one was... unnerving. opatoes 8:49 pm ... What? No, that is the same human. They have the same hair NoodlesAtNight 8:49 pm [[He agrees. Octopi are superior.]] Chaifootsteps 8:50 pm Better than doctors who look at you like that. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:50 pm *bobbles his head agreably* You tell EVERYONE. Then them know Me Swoop grooown up. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:50 pm ...Isopods inferior? verdigrisprowl 8:50 pm ... I drank too much. The room is wiggly. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:50 pm *she's trying, please support that* verdigrisprowl 8:50 pm *looks around* Oh, no, hold on, that was the show. NoodlesAtNight 8:50 pm [[It is a visual effect. You are fine.]] *pat pat* opatoes 8:50 pm That's my garden!! NoodlesAtNight 8:50 pm [[...What is an isopod?]] Chaifootsteps 8:50 pm Periwinkle's not allowed to have real medical care either. opatoes 8:50 pm That is one of my bushes! Periwinkle please- what? verdigrisprowl 8:50 pm *......... leans into patting* opatoes 8:50 pm ... Periwinkle and me used to share something in common. NoodlesAtNight 8:51 pm [[Poor Periwinkle. They deserve better companions.]] Swervester 8:51 pm This cat's best friend is a paper plate with a face drawn on it. I need to take it home opatoes 8:51 pm They do! Cats deserve good treatment. NoodlesAtNight 8:51 pm [[Someone should.]] opatoes 8:51 pm No! I'm taking Periwinkle home. Darkscream 8:51 pm Hey Swoop, would you be insulted if I called you adorable? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:51 pm Yah verdigrisprowl 8:51 pm You already have eleven Magnem—hey! *turns to the room at large, he has an important announcement* NoodlesAtNight 8:51 pm [[Either they are very large or that is a very small planet.]] verdigrisprowl 8:51 pm I have a Magnemite. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:51 pm Me Swoop not adorable. Me Swoop KILL people! : > Swervester 8:51 pm [snrks] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:52 pm ...Like the lobster? Lives underwater, has legs, is presumably delicious? They look a lot like some of the life native to my planet, so I know about them. Hatchlings have a bad habit of playing with them instead of eating them. You can bat them around and they roll up! It's fun. opatoes 8:52 pm Wait- you do? Where did you find the magnemite? What are its EVs? Its IVs? What is its nature? Swervester 8:52 pm Uh Chaifootsteps 8:52 pm A Magnemite's a Pokemon, right? Swervester 8:52 pm Yes opatoes 8:52 pm Yes! It evolves into Magneton. Swervester 8:52 pm We won't be evolving them. opatoes 8:52 pm It is an electric and steel type pokemon- no? Why not? It makes them far more powerful. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:52 pm Ours are brighter colored, though. And more patterned. Earth isopods just look gray. It's sad. verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm Yes. It is. *points to the guy that looks kind of like but clearly isn't Smokescreen.* I have no idea what you just asked. Except for where I found it. It was on my balcony. NoodlesAtNight 8:53 pm [[Hm. Octopuses still sound better.]] verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm And no, it's not evolving. Ever. Period. It's going to be free. Darkscream 8:53 pm That you do. And if I had you coming at me with that intent I would probably book it the other way. *Sets a servo on her hip* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:53 pm Octopuses apparently think, so I will agree with you. Isopods are food. opatoes 8:53 pm Hm. Are you interested in this pokemon? I could introduce you to the meta. Chaifootsteps 8:53 pm Good! That's the way it should be. verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm Becoming a gestalt is terrible and I'm never going to let that happen to it. opatoes 8:53 pm What moves does the Magnemite know? ... Fair enough, I suppose magnemite looks better aesthetically. Swervester 8:53 pm Well, the ones I have keep shocking bots. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:53 pm *bounces excitedly* YAH! Me Swoop am very very good FLIER! And BITE!! verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm *moves? moves?? moves???* ... It does a figure eight when it's confused. opatoes 8:54 pm ... That's not quite what I mean. May I sit near you? I have a datapad- if I describe some actions, would you know if they ever performed the actions? Darkscream 8:54 pm *Casually to Prowl* Magnemite are Electric-types, you know.

*To Swoop and laughs* Easy Swoop! Don't get us kicked out. verdigrisprowl 8:54 pm Uh, yes. But I'm still sitting next to Soundwave. I'm not leaving Soundwave. You'll have to sit on the other side. opatoes 8:55 pm That is fine. I do not want to take Soundwave's position, or sit on him. verdigrisprowl 8:55 pm /I/ want to sit on him. opatoes 8:55 pm ... verdigrisprowl 8:55 pm *guess who's officially drunk.* Swervester 8:55 pm [coughs into drink] opatoes 8:55 pm Um. Chaifootsteps 8:55 pm ...That's...actually cute. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:55 pm Me Swoop *bounces* don't! Care! Keheheh! Us Dinobots do what! Us! Want! Kehaha! SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:56 pm *d'aw. Soundwave's boyfriend Prowl is cute.* opatoes 8:56 pm /Smokescreen is moving his chair to sit to the other side of Prowl./ You found it in the wild, so we can cross out moves by breeding, and you likely didn't teach it any TMs. NoodlesAtNight 8:56 pm ((I LOOKED AWAY FOR TWO MINUTES)) verdigrisprowl 8:56 pm What's a TM? opatoes 8:56 pm A Technical Machine. It can be used to teach your pokemon new moves. verdigrisprowl 8:57 pm Magnemite is a technical machine. Swervester 8:57 pm He means attacks. Humans make them fight in their universe. NoodlesAtNight 8:57 pm *Does not know what the appropriate thing to do here is, so he will simply uncross his legs in case Prowl decides to go through with that for a better sitting surface.* opatoes 8:57 pm No, no, not like that. Darkscream 8:57 pm Would you stop bouncing if I offered you a snack? *Half listening to the Pokemon conversation* opatoes 8:57 pm They are specific CDs meant to teach moves. ... I believe they are discs, in any case. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:57 pm NAH! *giggles and makes a point to jump a little higher* Me Swoop like UP! opatoes 8:57 pm I'm not sure how they work, I have never had a real Pokemon- may I see your magnemite? Not now, necessarily, but eventually. verdigrisprowl 8:57 pm Magnemite is a 3D disk. opatoes 8:58 pm ... Really? I assumed they would be more of a sphere. verdigrisprowl 8:58 pm Yes. It's 3D to make it a sphere. Normal disks are 2D. opatoes 8:58 pm Fair enough. I mean more of a flat, near-two dimensional disc. verdigrisprowl 8:58 pm *he made a joke. it's terrible. Darkscream 8:58 pm *Watching Swoop in amusement* Let me go put my drink down and I'll be right back, Swoop. Chaifootsteps 8:58 pm Yay, the good one's back. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:59 pm *wiggles* NoodlesAtNight 8:59 pm [[He did not think he would hear you say that.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:59 pm *it's not appropriate to inform someone that their bonded is cute. it's extremely not appropriate to inform someone of that when you are known to be unattached. Drunk Prowl is extremely endearing, in a "I want to take it home and hug it and protect it" way.* opatoes 8:59 pm Prowl- okay. Has your magnemite ever made supersonic sound waves? verdigrisprowl 8:59 pm Supersonic what? *... looks at Soundwave?* Swervester 8:59 pm Actual soundwaves, or like. Super fast tiiny Soundwave Chaifootsteps 8:59 pm Why would she? She already has one. Darkscream 9:00 pm *Goes to the drink table to set her half drunk sludge. It wasn't awful. Pauses to look at the little "couch" of chairs. Raises an optic ridge at them.* opatoes 9:00 pm an actual soundwave- not the bot. ... Not that you do not exist, Soundwave. NoodlesAtNight 9:00 pm [[He hasn't been super fast and tiny in years.]] verdigrisprowl 9:00 pm ... A sound wave can't be supersonic. Chaifootsteps 9:00 pm And then just throw the paper on the floor. Swervester 9:00 pm Wait, that was a thing for you once? verdigrisprowl 9:00 pm Supersonic things are faster than the speed of sound. By definition, the speed that a sound wave moves IS the speed of sound. opatoes 9:00 pm ... It does sound contradictory That can be removed from the potential list, then. opatoes 9:01 pm In the source material, that is how the move is described, but- I suppose it is physically impossible. NoodlesAtNight 9:01 pm [[You really need our help today cleaning up.]] *Glance at Swerve.* [[And yes. It was. Horrible. He never wants to be three inches tall again.]] *Quite seriously* [[It took ages to travel anywhere.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:01 pm *hops up and sits on the back of a chair with his feet resting on the seat* Swervester 9:01 pm Ha. Yeah I can imagine that tiny would be terrible. opatoes 9:01 pm Has magnemite ever charged at anyone with their entire frame? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:02 pm *the dragon looks around at the everything sized for beings not her* ...Is there a small crane I can use to help clean up? NoodlesAtNight 9:02 pm [[Hook is not here.]] Darkscream 9:02 pm *Glances at Swoop. Strong chair. Really wants to join the Pokemon conversation, but /Swoop/. Wings flick. They were pretty busy already. Continues her way back over to the Dinobot* Comfortable? verdigrisprowl 9:03 pm ... Is it possible to charge with only part of its frame? Swervester 9:03 pm //that is an atrocious way to store yarn and it's guaranteed to be in a knot when he tries to use it opatoes 9:03 pm ... Heh. I suppose there isn't enough of it to avoid any non-full body tackles. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:03 pm A me-sized small crane. With me-sized controls. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:03 pm NAH! Chairs suck, kehehhehhh! opatoes 9:03 pm I suppose it could perhaps use its magnets as a weapon? NoodlesAtNight 9:03 pm [[Not that he has seen.]] verdigrisprowl 9:04 pm It's destroyed so many things with its magnets. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:04 pm It's going to be very hard for me to help clean, then. Maybe I'll just wipe the table or something. Swervester 9:04 pm Maybe we just need some pokedexes. verdigrisprowl 9:04 pm I told it it can only eat me because it kept eating all our belongings. opatoes 9:04 pm Really? Perhaps- is it looking for enrichment? I know animals might destroy items looking for enrichment, but I can imagine a pokemon might as well. verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm No, just fuel. opatoes 9:05 pm ... You are capable of speaking to it? That is what they can do in real life? verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm ... Yes? It talks. Darkscream 9:05 pm *Shakes her helm in amusement* Swoop, silly Dinobot. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:05 pm Me Swoop am comedian : > verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm Its grammar is weird. I keep getting the nouns and adjectives backwards. NoodlesAtNight 9:05 pm ((....am i the only one who wonders what the props are made of/how this is done)) verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm Technically they're not adjectives. They're just more nouns. Chaifootsteps 9:06 pm ((Nope.)) Darkscream 9:06 pm [Probably a blend of CGI and flat foam maybe?] verdigrisprowl 9:06 pm ((same)) Swervester 9:06 pm //i always thought it was cardboard and paper cut uots on a green screen tbh verdigrisprowl 9:06 pm ((it might be flash?)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:06 pm ((it's puppet animation, isn't it? so it might be very careful hand positioning)) MedicalMurdersaurus 9:06 pm ((I'd assume something similar to flash. It looks like cut paper but it isn't. I want to say South Park moved to flash after a bit.)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:07 pm ((flash isn't the software for puppet animation like south park. there's something else devoted entirely to stuff like that)) opatoes 9:07 pm I have- I have never seen that in games, like- /Smokescreen is pulling up his datapad, and pulling up an emulated Pokemon game, getting a magnemite in amie, playing a bit of the sound effect the magnemite makes./ Does that sound like anything, or no? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:07 pm ((flash /can/ do it but it's not the best puppet animation software out there)) verdigrisprowl 9:07 pm The human postal systems are very impressive. I admire the human postal systems. Darkscream 9:07 pm *Going to steal the armrest of the chair Swoop. Using her wings to playfully bap his behind her* Know any good jokes then? Swervester 9:07 pm Oh hey you have one of the games. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:08 pm ((I lot of big studios used to have their own in-house software but it's shifting more to using commercially available stuff now cause they are good and it saves training time.)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:08 pm ((well what the fuck it's done in maya)) verdigrisprowl 9:08 pm *leans over to look* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:08 pm ((south park is anyways)) ((seriously, what the fuck)) verdigrisprowl 9:08 pm Oh, yeah, that's—that's basically, "hey." opatoes 9:08 pm /He is holding the datapad closer so Prowl can take a look, petting the magnemite in-game to produce more sounds./ Really? What about that? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:08 pm YAH! *smacks her with his wing* verdigrisprowl 9:08 pm It's an "I acknowledge your existence" sound. The first one I mean. verdigrisprowl 9:09 pm That one means "happy." Like, literally, the word "happy." SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:09 pm ((blue's clues was the first animated program to utilize adobe after effects according to the internet)) ((which makes a lot of sense, really)) Swervester 9:09 pm //lmao verdigrisprowl 9:09 pm ((CUTTING EDGE)) MedicalMurdersaurus 9:09 pm ((After effects makes sense with all the compositing)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:09 pm ((that would be the proper software)) ((god I can't fucking get over the fact that south park uses MAYA of all things)) Swervester 9:09 pm Maybe she wants a doll SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:09 pm ((why the fuck)) ((it's a 3D animation software why would you use it for 2D animation)) verdigrisprowl 9:10 pm ... Maybe she wants to sew a button on clothing. Darkscream 9:10 pm *Grins back. Wing pap* Know this one? What do you call a man with no arms and no legs on the floor? opatoes 9:10 pm That is understandable. What about- /This time, Smokescreen feeds the magnemite a pokepuff!/ Thank you for but-assisting, this is very interesting. What is this? Chaifootsteps 9:10 pm Maybe she wants to sew buttons onto someone's eyes. *He's seen movies*. NoodlesAtNight 9:10 pm [[She doesn't /look/ like the other mother.]] opatoes 9:10 pm ... /Finally looks up at the screen again./ This is- this seems blurrier than before. Is this a lower quality video? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:10 pm WHAT? kehehhh *smacks back with dinoforce* NoodlesAtNight 9:10 pm [[Oh no. Pun paintings.]] verdigrisprowl 9:11 pm *looks at the screen.* ... I thought it was because I'm drunk. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:11 pm ...Puntings? *the dragon winces. that was bad, by her standards* Sorry. Chaifootsteps 9:11 pm *Snerk* Darkscream 9:11 pm Mat. *Okay ow. That one hurt a bit* opatoes 9:11 pm No, no- it looks blurry to me as well, and I am relatively sober. Swervester 9:11 pm He loses his dog a lot NoodlesAtNight 9:11 pm *Leans back to look at the dragon.* [[Two extra tinsel fish and a gram of silver.]] opatoes 9:11 pm /His vision is also horrible, but still./ NoodlesAtNight 9:11 pm *That's the price for subjecting him to that.* verdigrisprowl 9:11 pm Huh. *looks back down* Play the thingy again, I wasn't listening. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:11 pm That's entirely fair. opatoes 9:11 pm /Feeds the magnemite another pokepuff./ MedicalMurdersaurus 9:11 pm KAHAHAHAHHA MAT Nice MedicalMurdersaurus 9:12 pm That GOOD joke! : > NoodlesAtNight 9:12 pm [[RUN.]] verdigrisprowl 9:12 pm That's a—er—yummy sound. Mine says that when it's about to go eat something. *looks at the screen. BANANAS.* Chaifootsteps 9:12 pm ((Oh god I remember this part. It always made me want cake.)) opatoes 9:12 pm ((I HEAR THAT AMIE Swervester 9:12 pm Don't pu bananas in cake Darkscream 9:12 pm Want to hear another one? [BANANA CAKE] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:13 pm YAH! Me Swoop want AAAAAAAAALLL the jokes : > opatoes 9:13 pm ((wait thats me i didnt realize the video played verdigrisprowl 9:13 pm ... They can be hunted and eated. Eaten. NoodlesAtNight 9:13 pm [[Vile.]] verdigrisprowl 9:13 pm No. No. No it's good. You can defeat them. NoodlesAtNight 9:13 pm [[He has never been happier not to have a mouth.]] Swervester 9:13 pm Steve you JUST read the recipe verdigrisprowl 9:13 pm *confused look* You h... *WAIT HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT.* Chaifootsteps 9:14 pm Steve's got a couple of things wrong with him. verdigrisprowl 9:14 pm He's letting the audience help. He's nice. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:14 pm ...Is that a clothing? In the baking ingredients? NoodlesAtNight 9:14 pm *Slow turn to watch Prowl. He heard that.* opatoes 9:14 pm Prowl- could we test one more thing? Can you understand other pokemon? Or do magnemite have their own language? /This time, he's pulling up a skitty, playing with it again./ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:14 pm Absolutely disgusting. How could you have such an unclean baking surface. Where are your standards. NoodlesAtNight 9:14 pm *He's gonna stay watching for a second. Make sure he doesn't finish the sentence.* Darkscream 9:14 pm *Dinobot bonding with bad jokes* A dog with three legs walked into a bar. Sits down and tells the bartender, "I'm looking for the man who shot my pa[w]." SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:15 pm *the dragon will continue to loudly rant about poor sanitary conditions* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:15 pm *ERUPTS in laughter* opatoes 9:15 pm just add a gross of eggs NoodlesAtNight 9:15 pm [[A cup. Obviously.]] *Said while looking at Prowl* verdigrisprowl 9:15 pm *he's not. he's got his mouth closed now. sorry soundwave.* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:15 pm PAW That GOOD joke NoodlesAtNight 9:15 pm *...It seems safe. He'll go back to leaning and watching the screen.* Swervester 9:15 pm Where did all the sugar go in the bowl verdigrisprowl 9:16 pm *oh question new creature.* ... That's a different thing. NoodlesAtNight 9:16 pm ((i love that the sugar and baking soda are blatantly recognizable brands but not)) Darkscream 9:16 pm *Bad puns galore* Hey Swoop. A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?" SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:16 pm Did. Did they just put someone's bodily fluids in the food WITHOUT sterilizing them first? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:16 pm ((I love the dash of salt being literally part of a character)) NoodlesAtNight 9:17 pm [[Cannibals.]] opatoes 9:17 pm Oh, okay, so they have different languages. How did you learn to understand them? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:17 pm That's terrible! Diseases spread that way! You should always sterilize corpses before eating them! verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm Maybe he was just carrying it. Swervester 9:17 pm [snorts[ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:17 pm It came from inside him. verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm By listening to it talk until it made sense. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:17 pm *laughs SO HARD that he wobbles off balance and CRASH down goes the chair, tossing an enthusiastic swoop to the floor* verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm *POINTS* He wants to sew buttons on socks. NoodlesAtNight 9:17 pm *GETS IT* [[Puppets!]] Swervester 9:17 pm SHE WANTS TO MAKE A PUPPET verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm No. Wait. He's not the one who wants to, he's helping HER to— what? opatoes 9:18 pm Fair enough. ... Would it be acceptable to exchange comm information? I would love to see your magnemite in-person. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:18 pm Oh, puppets! She /is/ a bit- a hatchling! Darkscream 9:18 pm *Small yelp. Since she was on the chair, she went down too. Ooof!* verdigrisprowl 9:18 pm Okay. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:18 pm *literally rolls on the ground laughing* verdigrisprowl 9:18 pm *completely fails to offer comm information* NoodlesAtNight 9:18 pm [[Puppets, Prowl. You place them over your feeler, or - hand, he supposes - and make them speak in other me-- other fleshling's voices.]] verdigrisprowl 9:18 pm ... But that's a sock. It goes on feet. Darkscream 9:19 pm *Sits up, flicking her wings, and looks at Swoop with a wide smile* opatoes 9:19 pm I can also provide you with mine- I have this theoretical information about Pokemon that may be interesting to share. NoodlesAtNight 9:19 pm [[A human foot is simply a hand with short fingers.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:19 pm *the dragon puts one of her paws in Puppet Position and starts speaking in a high-pitched voice* Hello hatchlings! Today we're here to talk about ~biting people.~ Did you know that it's rude to bite others? *okay she has to stop now* NoodlesAtNight 9:19 pm *Looks up at the dragon.* [[He wouldn't know.]] verdigrisprowl 9:19 pm ............... It IS a hand with short fingers. verdigrisprowl 9:20 pm *this is whispered with complete awe.* Swervester 9:20 pm Os that a legitimate teaching tactic for baby dragons? Chaifootsteps 9:20 pm ...It beeps. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:20 pm *kicks his feet in the air* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:20 pm It is a legitimate teaching tactic for normal hatchlings who talk instead of attacking the puppet. I /hated/ that Eaten-sent thing. verdigrisprowl 9:20 pm *solemnly* You're very smart. NoodlesAtNight 9:20 pm *A small seated bow* [[Thank you very much.]] Swervester 9:21 pm He needs to sew them on! verdigrisprowl 9:21 pm That's what I like about you. NoodlesAtNight 9:21 pm *....He misses his hollowed out Megatron head.* verdigrisprowl 9:21 pm It's one of the things I like about you. I like a lot of things about you. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:21 pm *Soundwave is hilarious but she cannot give him the laughter he deserves because she's being bitter right now* Darkscream 9:21 pm *Pats Swoop on his chest once she wasn't going to get hit by his kicking.* Guess I found a Dinobot weakness. Bad jokes. *Laughs* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:21 pm *sprawls out on the floor* Me Swoop like jokes : > NoodlesAtNight 9:22 pm *Well. If they're being blatant - and he assumes that's fine; Prowl would have known how he gets when drunk - then...* [[And he likes many things about you as well.]] Chaifootsteps 9:22 pm The puppet's cursed. Good job, Steve. NoodlesAtNight 9:22 pm [[The puppet looks fine to him. If oddly proportioned.]] Swervester 9:22 pm I can't believe he made a cursed puppet. Chaifootsteps 9:22 pm It looks as fine as anything else in that house, so... Darkscream 9:22 pm Good thing no one minds your howling laughing, Swoop. I've always got more. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:22 pm As long as it doesn't condescendingly remind me to speak, it's not cursed. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:23 pm Me Swoop a pterosaur : > Loud loud verdigrisprowl 9:23 pm *oh no now he's flustered.* Swervester 9:23 pm I just realized this entire universe is inside a book Chaifootsteps 9:23 pm .....*His processor's blown*. verdigrisprowl 9:23 pm *slowly puts hands over mouth.* NoodlesAtNight 9:23 pm *Who would want an IGLOO* *How cold* opatoes 9:23 pm ... /Smokescreen isn't sure if he should scoot away or if that would draw attention to those two./ opatoes 9:24 pm /Sticking with playing pokemon for now./ Darkscream 9:24 pm Might be the loudest of the Dinobots, Swoop. Unless it's Grimlock roaring. NoodlesAtNight 9:24 pm *Casually snaps a shot of Prowl hiding his mouth.* [[Good. At least the canine has some sense.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:24 pm Igloos are fun, though. NoodlesAtNight 9:24 pm [[It looks like the boxy Bumblebee.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:24 pm *CAWS* Chaifootsteps 9:24 pm Hey, it does. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:24 pm keehee Darkscream 9:24 pm *Bet it's a car* verdigrisprowl 9:25 pm *mumble mumble* youresonice Darkscream 9:25 pm Okay /now/ you're the loudest Dinobot NoodlesAtNight 9:25 pm *Prowl, you're killing him. It's his turn to be flustered now. Itty bitty light brightening.* [[...Thank you.]] verdigrisprowl 9:26 pm yrwlcm Swervester 9:26 pm [downs another glass] NoodlesAtNight 9:26 pm [[If the table is an island, then the notebook is buried treasure, he assumes.]] *Leans harder.* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:26 pm Yah. Me Swoop very very loud. Him Slag PUNCH kehehhehe cause loud when Him sleep. : > Chaifootsteps 9:27 pm I like the salt. Darkscream 9:27 pm *Laughs* Swoop, you should let your brothers sleep. Bad dinobot [Paprika!] Swervester 9:27 pm HE's too salty. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:27 pm Me Swoop am a bad Dinobot : > Uhh Am bad AND Dinobot : > MedicalMurdersaurus 9:28 pm Not bad at Dinobot! verdigrisprowl 9:28 pm *tries to lean on Soundwave through the armrests* opatoes 9:28 pm Snowball? verdigrisprowl 9:29 pm This is an extremely creative household. Darkscream 9:29 pm You're one of the first Dinobots, so you're a good Dinobot. And quite the lethal one in the air! Given you're the only flyer. NoodlesAtNight 9:29 pm @P: [[You won't get much closer with the arms in the way. Not comfortably.]] *He doesn't want Prowl to hurt his back.* ((i swear to god i thought it said bubble butt for a second and was liek WHAT)) verdigrisprowl 9:29 pm @S «I know.» *mournfully* opatoes 9:29 pm ((OH NO Chaifootsteps 9:29 pm ((PFFFT)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:30 pm *Soundwave and Prowl are extremely cute send help* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:30 pm Lethal means kill people : > opatoes 9:30 pm I was thinking a tire pile, however. verdigrisprowl 9:30 pm I know this one. opatoes 9:30 pm ... They needed it to snow? verdigrisprowl 9:30 pm They need a giant to help them reach the ice cream in the sky. ... That's not a giant. opatoes 9:31 pm Heh- that would be a decent continuity nod. verdigrisprowl 9:31 pm I guess they don't have buttons shaped like giants. Darkscream 9:31 pm Yup. *Leans back against Swoop if he didn't mind* Even if not kills, no Seeker liked getting chased down by a fierce Swoop. opatoes 9:31 pm Why not? verdigrisprowl 9:31 pm *points at the salt shaker* Minus looked like that for a little bit. NoodlesAtNight 9:31 pm [[...Did she rattle?]] Darkscream 9:31 pm [Mr. Salt is having NONE OF THIS] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:32 pm *was built without anything resembling personal space* Kee hee! *is all flattered by the idea of horrified seekers* Swervester 9:32 pm Why didn't he just draw the rest of the image verdigrisprowl 9:32 pm I don't know. I didn't shake her. opatoes 9:32 pm It looks like a sealed envelope Darkscream 9:32 pm [dropofbloodonsnowkekekeke] opatoes 9:32 pm A wax sealed envelope. Swervester 9:32 pm What's his deal with snow SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:32 pm Snow is nice! opatoes 9:32 pm Snow destroys plants and is awful. verdigrisprowl 9:32 pm Maybe he likes snow. NoodlesAtNight 9:33 pm [[That is probably for the best. ... How is she?]] verdigrisprowl 9:33 pm ... I haven't heard since they finished growing. But she made it to adulthood. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:33 pm T-rex??? Darkscream 9:33 pm *Good. Then she's going to lounge on Swoop. Comfortable Dinobot. Happy chirping* The kids were looking at the clouds? NoodlesAtNight 9:34 pm [[He wonders if she remembers you.]] [[Have you considered checking on her?]] verdigrisprowl 9:34 pm Yes. opatoes 9:34 pm It is all round things... Oh! A snowman? Periwinkle!!!! MedicalMurdersaurus 9:34 pm DINOSAUR :V verdigrisprowl 9:34 pm *he hasn't done it. but he's considered it.* opatoes 9:34 pm Where is this show located? Swervester 9:35 pm In a book NoodlesAtNight 9:35 pm *So he gathered by the lack of additional information.* verdigrisprowl 9:35 pm In a book. Darkscream 9:35 pm *Laughs* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:35 pm *optics widen and then he cackles* opatoes 9:35 pm Wow. Jurassic world looks amazing. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:35 pm Why is one bit- one hatchling outside, and one hatchling inside? Chaifootsteps 9:35 pm Periwinkle still doesn't have a home. opatoes 9:35 pm I will give Periwinkle a home. NoodlesAtNight 9:35 pm ((....catbox)) verdigrisprowl 9:35 pm I understand the little shaky man. opatoes 9:35 pm I have a greenhouse, and I will give periwinkle the best home. verdigrisprowl 9:35 pm Pretending things is hard. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:35 pm ((slendy no)) opatoes 9:36 pm ... Periwinkle, that is too vague. Chaifootsteps 9:36 pm How to hallucinate. opatoes 9:36 pm ... A lake? Chaifootsteps 9:36 pm "I see a home that loves me." Swervester 9:36 pm A beach NoodlesAtNight 9:36 pm *Oh, his spark. Why, Arcee.* verdigrisprowl 9:36 pm *looks at Arcee. That's the saddest thing ever.* opatoes 9:36 pm ...... Chaifootsteps 9:36 pm *You're all welcome*. opatoes 9:37 pm /He's pulling his legs to his chest. Poor Periwinkle./ NoodlesAtNight 9:37 pm ((i'm feeling mr. salt on this particular exercise)) Darkscream 9:37 pm *Nyeeeeh* Swervester 9:37 pm //lmao verdigrisprowl 9:37 pm ... You can stay here. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:37 pm I mean. It's not like Arcee's wrong. opatoes 9:37 pm My garden! MedicalMurdersaurus 9:37 pm Dinobot island verdigrisprowl 9:37 pm *didn't realize Arcee was being the cat.* opatoes 9:37 pm Hmph. My garden looks better. Swervester 9:38 pm Does he see anything NoodlesAtNight 9:38 pm ((aw. i was kinda hoping mr. salt couldn't)) opatoes 9:38 pm ((same Chaifootsteps 9:39 pm *Mumbles something appreciate. He was, but Prowl's not exactly wrong*. Swervester 9:39 pm HE's too salty to have imagination Darkscream 9:39 pm *Tilts her helm back* You ever go to Dinobot Island, Swoop? Chaifootsteps 9:39 pm ((Nope, people who see the world differently are Wrong and Awful.)) opatoes 9:39 pm I want to ride a ferris wheel. ... Though, perhaps not one that moves vertically MedicalMurdersaurus 9:40 pm YAH! Us live there. That why DINOBOT island kehhehhe. Us there for uhhhhhhhhhhhh while. And then Decepticon broke island and Us Dnobots go back to cave. verdigrisprowl 9:40 pm ... That's a merry-go-round. opatoes 9:40 pm ... That's what they are called? Swervester 9:40 pm ....Shit, you're right Darkscream 9:40 pm [flyyying] Swervester 9:40 pm Horizontal ferris wheels are just merry go rounds Darkscream 9:40 pm Aw, sorry to hear that Swoop. *Pats* Swervester 9:40 pm Why did I not realize it MedicalMurdersaurus 9:41 pm *shrugs and looks nonplussed* Whatever : > NoodlesAtNight 9:41 pm *It is his turn to be impressed. That'd never occurred to him* [[Very clever of you.]] opatoes 9:41 pm A bunny? A kitty with a bobtail!! Darkscream 9:41 pm I think you're the most casual mech I've ever met, Swoop. Chaifootsteps 9:41 pm Blue wants to splice animals. opatoes 9:41 pm I want a cat friend. Blue has is too good. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:42 pm Casual? verdigrisprowl 9:42 pm *got called clever. covers mouth again* Darkscream 9:42 pm Maybe not the right word choice. Not quite carefree? Just easy going maybe NoodlesAtNight 9:42 pm *...Thinks the button picture looks like Shockwave's face.* *Isn't going to say that.* verdigrisprowl 9:42 pm *mumbles* I see a button. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:43 pm Oh! Kay. Me Swoop not care about lots of stuff! Kehhehhehhe. opatoes 9:44 pm Periwinkle? NoodlesAtNight 9:44 pm [[That is fine, he thinks.]] opatoes 9:44 pm Isn't that periwinkle's home Darkscream 9:44 pm *Grins* You love jokes and fighting though. opatoes 9:44 pm I want to sit in a box. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:44 pm YAH! verdigrisprowl 9:44 pm That box is shaped differently. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:44 pm And fly and Her Bird! verdigrisprowl 9:44 pm Space ship! Swervester 9:44 pm Ya opatoes 9:45 pm That's true. I was too hopeful. verdigrisprowl 9:45 pm I got it. Darkscream 9:45 pm Bird? Who Bird? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:45 pm BIRD! *points to Soundwave* Her Laserbeak : > NoodlesAtNight 9:45 pm *Leans forward. This doesn't look anything like the Nemesis.* [[...Maybe it's the Ark.]] opatoes 9:45 pm That reminds me of my escape pod. verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((SHIT i just realized there was an alert sitting in the corner of two people asking to come in and i didn't see them ;;)) Darkscream 9:46 pm Oh! *Laughs* I see Swervester 9:46 pm //rip NoodlesAtNight 9:46 pm ((oh nooooo let them in)) verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((i did but they're not here, since they were trying... an hour and a half ago...)) NoodlesAtNight 9:46 pm ((oh nooooooooo)) verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((is there a way to set the thing to like, ding at me when somebody's trying to come in?)) opatoes 9:46 pm ((azxcvbnm,mn bv riiip NoodlesAtNight 9:46 pm ((it's supposed to....)) verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((because i don't notice the stupid tiny dot)) verdigrisprowl 9:47 pm ((well. it doesn't.)) opatoes 9:47 pm ((it usually gives a box notification- not even doing that? verdigrisprowl 9:47 pm ((i found the setting and turned it on)) opatoes 9:47 pm ((huh, i didnt know there was a setting to turn on for that verdigrisprowl 9:48 pm ((ugh fuck when i do that the chat beeps at me too)) ((that's annoying)) opatoes 9:48 pm ((oh no Swervester 9:48 pm Does she want to turn the box into a car verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm *new guest* Hi! Hello. *waves* beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm *waves back* Swervester 9:49 pm Hey Aid verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm *he's rather quite a lot drunk right now.* beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm Hey Swerve! *oh boy he's never seen drunk Prowl before* verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm There's snacks! *points at the snack table.* There's engex and danger jugs. opatoes 9:49 pm /Looking at the stranger, a little cautious, but a bit curious./ beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm Oh wow thanks! NoodlesAtNight 9:49 pm *Huffs softly. Danger jugs.* verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm Mixmaster sent the danger jugs. beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm Danger jugs.. Swervester 9:49 pm [gets himself another danger drink honestly] Chaifootsteps 9:49 pm The danger jugs are *good.* Swervester 9:49 pm They are. beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm What's..in them? Swervester 9:49 pm Who knows But it's good. beeeeeeeeee 9:50 pm Suspicious, but accepted opatoes 9:50 pm Is there a limit to how many drinks an individual can take? verdigrisprowl 9:50 pm There's carbonation in the middle one and there's black in the right one. They get worse from left to right. beeeeeeeeee 9:50 pm ..huh NoodlesAtNight 9:50 pm [[He encourages you all to have the helpings he cannot.]] *And also because he's hoping more mechs will start babbling* beeeeeeeeee 9:50 pm *we do not need drunk aid here nope* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:50 pm It's king Horse! Darkscream 9:50 pm *Casual wave to the new mechs. Content by Swoop. Comfy Dinobot* verdigrisprowl 9:51 pm ... I feel like I should say yes but I don't know what an appropriate limit is. Don't get so drunk I'd have to arrest you when you leave. beeeeeeeeee 9:51 pm Noted Swervester 9:51 pm Sounds like a good compromise Chaifootsteps 9:51 pm *Well, when he puts it like that, he's just gonna go get another Black. Very unsteadily*. opatoes 9:51 pm ... Would I be able to take the remains home? High grade is important for recharging. beeeeeeeeee 9:51 pm //kelpy this is making me think of the fact that your aid tag is energon juice or smth like that Swervester 9:51 pm //it is verdigrisprowl 9:51 pm No it's not. Swervester 9:52 pm //i still love energon juice as the aid tag beeeeeeeeee 9:52 pm //its accurate opatoes 9:52 pm For me, it assists. verdigrisprowl 9:52 pm That's probably not healthy. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:52 pm If you need to get intoxicated to sleep you should see a doctor. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:52 pm ((I'm pooped. I'm going to hit the hay. Swoop can sleep or we can just assume he'd eventually try to burn a book lol)) opatoes 9:52 pm I am fine. NoodlesAtNight 9:52 pm ((sleep well!)) opatoes 9:52 pm I am dating a doctor. Chaifootsteps 9:52 pm ((G'night!)) verdigrisprowl 9:52 pm ((the books are datapads, that would be impressive)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:52 pm You should see a doctor medically. Swervester 9:53 pm Do y'all think Steve's a furry? [sips drink slowly] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:53 pm Probably not the one you're dating. Swervester 9:53 pm //night swoop MedicalMurdersaurus 9:53 pm ((he can burn people, a datapad is nothing)) beeeeeeeeee 9:53 pm ajkls;df swerve Chaifootsteps 9:53 pm ... What's a furry? opatoes 9:53 pm I did, just- last year, maybe? verdigrisprowl 9:53 pm He doesn't look furry. Swervester 9:53 pm I'm just ASKING Aid SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:53 pm /I'm/ furry. beeeeeeeeee 9:53 pm I mean i knoW NoodlesAtNight 9:53 pm [[Is it a monkey.]] verdigrisprowl 9:53 pm Tarantulas is furry. opatoes 9:53 pm Tarantulas? Swervester 9:53 pm That's uh. Not exactly what I mean. THough I guess he'd count Chaifootsteps 9:53 pm So Stove is...Tarantulas? Darkscream 9:54 pm [nightswoop if not late] opatoes 9:54 pm /He's imagining Prowl being just like Steve and having particular animal friends./ NoodlesAtNight 9:54 pm [[Ah. She wishes to turn the box into Astrotrain.]] verdigrisprowl 9:54 pm No. No. He doesn't do as much science. NoodlesAtNight 9:54 pm [[The third clue is high grade. He's calling it.]] Swervester 9:54 pm Oh so train, not a car. verdigrisprowl 9:54 pm Oh! So it's a rocket AND a train. I get it. Swervester 9:54 pm I thought car. opatoes 9:54 pm ... /He's grabbing a couple cubes of high grade, and is sitting down again, to help himself to the first drink./ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:54 pm I feel like the third clue to summon astrotrain would be highly inappropriate for hatchlings. opatoes 9:55 pm Heh- it would, wouldn't it? verdigrisprowl 9:55 pm I need to talk to Astrotrain. NoodlesAtNight 9:55 pm [[He can think of worse clues to summon Astrotrain with.]] Darkscream 9:55 pm *Going to HUP up and go get her unfinished Mixmaster sludge. Maybe just chill by the table since Swoop passed out on her.* Swervester 9:55 pm His ability to bridge between universes is interesting. It involves a lot of dancing. beeeeeeeeee 9:55 pm I like that skadoo is a verb NoodlesAtNight 9:55 pm [[It is. He's tempted to look into it himself.]] opatoes 9:55 pm I would like to be held by Astrotrain. NoodlesAtNight 9:56 pm [[The energon usage would be much lower.]] Swervester 9:56 pm That's not much runway Steve SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:56 pm I wish I could do that. Bridges are nice, but they're hard to maintain in my universe. And there's always the fear that it'll cut out when I'm halfway through. verdigrisprowl 9:56 pm Do you want to bridge like that, Soundwave. opatoes 9:57 pm With a sled. NoodlesAtNight 9:57 pm [[He could.]] Chaifootsteps 9:57 pm Snow my aft. That hill's made of salt. NoodlesAtNight 9:57 pm *...Reminds himself to plant a tracker on the dragon.* opatoes 9:57 pm Mr. Salt has been occupied. Swervester 9:57 pm He's almost the height of the stairs. Chaifootsteps 9:57 pm *For some reason, snickers into his danger jug at that* NoodlesAtNight 9:58 pm @P: [[...You mentioned wanting a different seat earlier. Nothing is stopping you, you know.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:58 pm *given what her pocket dimension actually does with bridges, he might not like the results* opatoes 9:58 pm Escalator! Oh. NoodlesAtNight 9:58 pm [[Escalators have stairs. They ARE stairs.]] opatoes 9:58 pm ... verdigrisprowl 9:58 pm @S «Yes. Something is stopping me.» Swervester 9:58 pm They're magic stairs. verdigrisprowl 9:58 pm @S «My present lack of physical coordination.» SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:58 pm Elevator! A space elevator? opatoes 9:58 pm I simply misremembered the word. Swervester 9:59 pm What kind of delivery guy is trapped in a tower? NoodlesAtNight 9:59 pm @P: [[Ah. That is fair.]] *Pause. ... He might regret this, but--* [[Would you like assistance?]] opatoes 9:59 pm ... Isn't a delivery service supposed to make things convenient for you? NoodlesAtNight 9:59 pm [[Rapunzel with a post office job?]] verdigrisprowl 9:59 pm @S «Yes.» SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:59 pm Everyone has to do something, I suppose. opatoes 10:00 pm ... Post office jobs sound enjoyable. verdigrisprowl 10:00 pm ... Roller coaster! opatoes 10:00 pm A train? A train in a very hilly place? Oh. verdigrisprowl 10:00 pm Roller coaster. Swervester 10:00 pm Oooh NoodlesAtNight 10:00 pm *Stretches his feelers out to the side. Feel free to clamber over, use them for walking stability, or just be picked up and plopped down as desired.* opatoes 10:00 pm Good work, Prowl. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:00 pm Why are they going to space in a roller coaster? verdigrisprowl 10:00 pm Yes. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:01 pm That seems. Bad? Unpleasant? Arduous? verdigrisprowl 10:01 pm *looks at feelers.* ... *holds feelers?* Chaifootsteps 10:01 pm *Again, he's laughing*. NoodlesAtNight 10:01 pm *...Sloooowly lifts?* verdigrisprowl 10:01 pm *STARTLED FLAIL* opatoes 10:01 pm ... delivery guy said frag work NoodlesAtNight 10:01 pm [[They'll need to gather a lot of speed if that's what they're doing to get to space.]] *Quickly sets down.* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:01 pm *this is vastly more entertaining than the video. drunk prowl is precious and needs her protection.* Chaifootsteps 10:01 pm They don't plan on making it home. opatoes 10:02 pm That is relatable. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:02 pm Maybe their new home will be in space. opatoes 10:02 pm I did nothing and you know it, Stork. Darkscream 10:03 pm *Glances down at her drink. Well in her quietness apparently she drank the entire thing* . . . whoops Chaifootsteps 10:03 pm *Everything's funny to him right now* NoodlesAtNight 10:03 pm @P: [[...Perhaps you should crawl across and onto his lap. That seems easier. He can support you with them.]] verdigrisprowl 10:04 pm *looks dubiously at the armrests* @S «That seems unlikely.» opatoes 10:04 pm /He's setting his own empty cube down, and pulling the second cube, full of the third danger drink./ NoodlesAtNight 10:04 pm @P: [[The alternatives are walking or being lifted. With notice, this time.]] verdigrisprowl 10:04 pm ((oh we saw this one, hold on)) NoodlesAtNight 10:04 pm [[...Didn't we--]] opatoes 10:05 pm it all loops SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:05 pm ((the dragon is gonna have to tap out. thanks for the movie, prowl! you'll never learn that she doesn't have a passport.)) opatoes 10:05 pm it never ends NoodlesAtNight 10:05 pm ((he's so proud of you, rulebreaking dragon)) Chaifootsteps 10:05 pm Primus, I thought we were trapped in a loop. verdigrisprowl 10:05 pm *FLAILS OUT OF SEAT* *goes to the projector to change videos* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:05 pm ((she's tiny and no one can catch her breaking the law)) opatoes 10:05 pm I have accepted my fate long ago. verdigrisprowl 10:05 pm *he will save the day* opatoes 10:05 pm Thank you, Prowl. NoodlesAtNight 10:05 pm *Oh, sweet Primus. Yeah, he's not letting go.* verdigrisprowl 10:05 pm ((so scandalous)) opatoes 10:05 pm ... Bugs! Oh, bugs! I have to fight bugs often, due to my garden- but luckily, one of my new plants can handle them well. NoodlesAtNight 10:05 pm [[If he sees ONE ROACH.]] Darkscream 10:06 pm *Slightly startled by Prowl. Well that happened* verdigrisprowl 10:06 pm Sorry! Sorry. I didn't check the playlist. opatoes 10:06 pm Do you have a roach issue, Soundwave? Chaifootsteps 10:06 pm Blue stirs up a hornet's nest. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:06 pm ((good night everyone! have fun! I will leave you with the knowledge that I talked to Whirlmun and they said "Heqet Bless")) Darkscream 10:06 pm Uh... Prowl, are you alright? verdigrisprowl 10:06 pm ((good)) Yes. I'm fine. I had to change the video. NoodlesAtNight 10:06 pm [[Not an issue. Merely an army.]] opatoes 10:06 pm Send your roaches to my garden. I have a plant companion that enjoys insects- oh. ... Do you enjoy having an army? Swervester 10:07 pm Bad pun opatoes 10:07 pm Ladybug!! NoodlesAtNight 10:07 pm [[...Not particularly.]] opatoes 10:07 pm Ladybird! verdigrisprowl 10:07 pm *very carefully weaves his way back over to chairs* opatoes 10:07 pm ... As I said, you are free to send them to my garden. I have a friend that loves insects. Darkscream 10:07 pm If you say so... You scrambled out of that chair so far. *Leans back against the table.* verdigrisprowl 10:07 pm *... sits on Soundwave* NoodlesAtNight 10:07 pm [[No, no. He'll keep them. He has - plans for th--]] *...Casually wraps his arms around.* [For them.]] opatoes 10:08 pm ... Very well. If you ever have traitors, I have a mission you can give them. verdigrisprowl 10:08 pm *sits sideways and pulls knees up.* Darkscream 10:08 pm [rabbit is DCing me, so sorry for double DS] NoodlesAtNight 10:08 pm [[And let you find out the secrets of his roachly kingdom? Never.]] ((bad rabbit!)) verdigrisprowl 10:08 pm ((spontaneous doppelganger)) opatoes 10:08 pm I have no interests in your kingdom. I want my plants to eat. Darkscream 10:08 pm [It always does this to me. I had THREE of me once] NoodlesAtNight 10:08 pm *Ah. A comfortable companion this is. He's pleased.* verdigrisprowl 10:09 pm He's bad at hearing the word "clue." Swervester 10:09 pm Maybe he's heard of hearing? verdigrisprowl 10:09 pm Why is the plane broken? Chaifootsteps 10:09 pm *He's too plastered to care what they're doing, let alone board the train of thought to desperately missing his Prowl*. NoodlesAtNight 10:09 pm [[So find them emus. Or whatever it is your plant eats.]] opatoes 10:10 pm They generally do have food. For whatever reason, they attract flies often. I was simply offering if you ever needed to remove a traitor. Periwinkle!! I want to pet a cat NoodlesAtNight 10:10 pm [[You do not deserve Periwinkle's bug hunting skills.]] Chaifootsteps 10:10 pm Periwinkle's out looking for food people left on the ground. opatoes 10:10 pm Periwinkle deserves only the best!! ... NoodlesAtNight 10:10 pm [[Eat it, Periwinkle. Grow strong and leave them.]] opatoes 10:10 pm That is understandable, but upsetting. ... I want to eat that bug. NoodlesAtNight 10:11 pm [[And he assumes Sideswipe sat on the plane.]] verdigrisprowl 10:11 pm Why does he let one blue dog live inside but makes the other blue dog live outside? Darkscream 10:11 pm Hmm... Bye kickback opatoes 10:11 pm That is a cat! And it is cruel fate. opatoes 10:12 pm ... oh. i didn't realize they were asking us I thought they all just didn't know and were being silent NoodlesAtNight 10:12 pm [[It searches for secrets.]] [[The best ones are underground.]] Darkscream 10:12 pm This is making me miss Insecticons. verdigrisprowl 10:12 pm *cat? cat. skeptical squint.* *TENSES UP. Insecticons.* NoodlesAtNight 10:12 pm *Squeezes tighter. No Insecticons here.* verdigrisprowl 10:13 pm *... quietly squeezes a hand over the back of his neck.* opatoes 10:13 pm Insecticons? Do those still exist? verdigrisprowl 10:13 pm No. Swervester 10:13 pm I only know the Bobs. opatoes 10:13 pm Ah. Okay. Swervester 10:13 pm Stick bug? opatoes 10:13 pm Being a stick. verdigrisprowl 10:13 pm They're all dead. opatoes 10:13 pm ... They went extinct? opatoes 10:14 pm How? Darkscream 10:14 pm *Pauses before she could answer. Glances at Prowl and Soundwave. Frowning.* verdigrisprowl 10:14 pm *shrug.* opatoes 10:14 pm Fair enough. ... Have you seen any bug type pokemon? Those are pleasant. NoodlesAtNight 10:15 pm *...He already had a green crayon. Why did he put it away.* verdigrisprowl 10:15 pm I've only seen Magnemite. Swervester 10:15 pm I haven't had any come through either. opatoes 10:15 pm Oh- well, seeing any Pokemon is lucky. I want a Pokemon. Chaifootsteps 10:15 pm I've got two now. opatoes 10:15 pm !! You have Pokemon, as well? verdigrisprowl 10:16 pm Do you have a Magnemite? opatoes 10:16 pm Why does everyone get a Pokemon but me? Not in real life. Darkscream 10:16 pm What's this now about Pokemon and Magnemite? *Had been elsewhere* Chaifootsteps 10:16 pm No, but I've got a Doublade. And a Keldeo. NoodlesAtNight 10:16 pm *NOPE NOPE NOPE* verdigrisprowl 10:16 pm I don't know what those are. opatoes 10:16 pm Doublade! Swervester 10:16 pm Yes, I have the 11 Magnemite Prowl gave me and one someone else gave me. opatoes 10:16 pm And a keldeo? NoodlesAtNight 10:16 pm [[They're horrible enough as is. Did they need to hiss?]] opatoes 10:16 pm May I come home with you, er- /He doesn't remember anyone's names./ verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm What are horrible? NoodlesAtNight 10:17 pm [[Roaches.]] verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm Oh. opatoes 10:17 pm Inferno. verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm That's no way to talk about your subjects. Chaifootsteps 10:17 pm Also a Mantine, technically. opatoes 10:17 pm No. verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm I don't know what that is, either. opatoes 10:18 pm Please- please let me come home with you. /He's gesturing at Arcee./ verdigrisprowl 10:18 pm It's a red button! Swervester 10:18 pm Did this ant forget how to find food Chaifootsteps 10:18 pm Have we even met? opatoes 10:18 pm I suppose not- but I will not be in the way. I simply wish to see if I could find a Pokemon. opatoes 10:19 pm ... It is okay if I cannot, but- if you see any catlike Pokemon, would I be able to trade something in exchange? NoodlesAtNight 10:19 pm [[Roaches that are not his subjects. Obviously, his roaches are useful spies.]] Swervester 10:19 pm //etgrbdgfv it makes me so mad they gave her a mouth when her mandibles exist NoodlesAtNight 10:19 pm [[Or will be, soon.]] verdigrisprowl 10:19 pm ((double mouth)) Darkscream 10:19 pm [*screm at rabbit*] Swervester 10:20 pm //WHY WERE THOSE ANTS NOT LARVAE NoodlesAtNight 10:20 pm [[Laserbeak's room.]] Swervester 10:20 pm Looks like it Chaifootsteps 10:20 pm Doublade doesn't like strangers and Keldeo's still settling in. But if I see any cats, sure. verdigrisprowl 10:20 pm There's food in there she hasn't eaten? Chaifootsteps 10:20 pm Could always ask the anons. opatoes 10:20 pm The Lord! Anons don't always like me. Chaifootsteps 10:21 pm Anons seem dangerous. opatoes 10:21 pm They are. They occasionally give me puzzles, though. Swervester 10:21 pm Bee hive? NoodlesAtNight 10:21 pm [[Quite a bit. Her storage is the second largest behind the second floor's main stockpile.]] Swervester 10:21 pm Oh Butterfly is her favorite bug opatoes 10:21 pm I wish to be bundled up like that. Swervester 10:21 pm Or a moth Darkscream 10:22 pm *Ruffles her wings. Mumbles a bit* I want to see the Magnemite.. *[Rabbit blepped out and I couldn't respond in time]* opatoes 10:22 pm A moth! verdigrisprowl 10:22 pm ... How many people want to see the Magnemite? Swervester 10:22 pm Butterfly then. opatoes 10:22 pm I do. Chaifootsteps 10:23 pm I do. opatoes 10:23 pm Could I give your magnemite a gift? NoodlesAtNight 10:23 pm [[He will have to stick to videos.]] verdigrisprowl 10:23 pm Oh. Yes. Okay. Darkscream 10:23 pm I haven't seen one in years. Cute ones. verdigrisprowl 10:24 pm It's very cute. I love it. *he says this with a complete deadpan, but trust him okay.* Darkscream 10:24 pm Did you give them a name? *Not arguing. Magnemite ARE cute* Swervester 10:24 pm They're the objectively best pokemon verdigrisprowl 10:24 pm ... Its name is Magnemite. opatoes 10:24 pm It is a cute pokemon. opatoes 10:25 pm Does it ever Shock you? verdigrisprowl 10:25 pm Well. Technically its name is Magnemite gamma with a little G because I had to give the Magnemite different names on the paperwork to tell them apart. I skipped Zeta. verdigrisprowl 10:26 pm Okay—the next one is going to be the last one. Okay? Okay. NoodlesAtNight 10:26 pm *Nods.* [[...The clouds. Were the clouds shaped like--?]] verdigrisprowl 10:26 pm Yes! Sometimes it shocks me when I bother it. Darkscream 10:26 pm *Chuckles* I hope it's not too presumptuous, but I'd love to see Magnemite one day, Prowl. opatoes 10:26 pm Oh! Perhaps it knows thunder shock, then. How often do you feed it electricity? verdigrisprowl 10:27 pm There's no thunder. It's too small to make thunder. opatoes 10:27 pm Fair enough. verdigrisprowl 10:27 pm Um... all the time. opatoes 10:27 pm ... That is fair. It must be a fairly active Pokemon. opatoes 10:28 pm ... Also, could I show you two more Pokemon on my Datapad? To see if you can understand them. verdigrisprowl 10:28 pm Okay. *leans over to look* opatoes 10:29 pm /He's going through his bank, before pulling out a magnezone and magnemite. He's starting with the Magnezone, opening the application./ Does that sound like anything, language-wise? NoodlesAtNight 10:29 pm *He had no idea Sidetable was such an excellent musician.* verdigrisprowl 10:29 pm No! *puts hand over datapad. Push. That's going away.* opatoes 10:29 pm ... Sorry. Swervester 10:29 pm [makes a noise[ Darkscream 10:30 pm *Mind if she's just leaning on a nearby chair? Not going to get in Prowl's personal space. Glances at the nearby Smokescreen then blinks at Prowl's antics.* Erm... Did I miss something; again NoodlesAtNight 10:30 pm [[Magnezones. Miserable things.]] opatoes 10:30 pm Is it- I don't entirely understand the issue, but I apologize- perhaps we can try with a different electric type pokemon? verdigrisprowl 10:30 pm *nothing that Prowl plans to elaborate on.* beeeeeeeeee 10:30 pm ((welp my sister is demanding Attention which is valid since she did drive 6 hours to see us lmao so i'll talk to yall later!!)) NoodlesAtNight 10:30 pm ((seeya!)) Swervester 10:30 pm //have fun verdigrisprowl 10:30 pm ((gnight! thanks for coming)) opatoes 10:30 pm ((Awww nini! beeeeeeeeee 10:31 pm ((night!)) opatoes 10:31 pm Perhaps electric type pokemon have a similar language? Have you seen a Pikachu before? Swervester 10:31 pm IS BLUE HAVING A BABY verdigrisprowl 10:31 pm ... Peek atchyou. No. Chaifootsteps 10:31 pm Somehow. opatoes 10:31 pm One word. Pi-KAchu. /He's imitating a pikachu now, before pulling out a pikachu in amie./ opatoes 10:32 pm Does this pokemon sound like anything? Darkscream 10:32 pm *Hrms and doesn't ask further on that topic. Leans down on the empty chair she picked* Cute. verdigrisprowl 10:33 pm ... It sounds like an animal. *what's it supposed to sound like* opatoes 10:33 pm ... So, not like a language in particular? Thank you for the test. I would love to do a few additional tests for a few different types of Pokemon, but it is a bit late. verdigrisprowl 10:33 pm Shouldn't an earth clock be able to count to sixty? opatoes 10:33 pm /He wants to show Prowl every single Pokemon./ verdigrisprowl 10:34 pm *Magnemite is literally the only Pokémon that Prowl is interested in.* opatoes 10:34 pm /Aw./ verdigrisprowl 10:34 pm It might be a language. I haven't heard enough to understand it. Swervester 10:34 pm So what does your Magnemite call you, anyway? verdigrisprowl 10:34 pm Boss. Chaifootsteps 10:34 pm That's cute. Swervester 10:35 pm Huh. They call me dinner. opatoes 10:35 pm Boss? verdigrisprowl 10:35 pm *technically the word best translates as "trainer," but same connotation from a Magnemite's perspective* Darkscream 10:35 pm Prowl... Have you tried talking to it through the electricity you feed it? *Was listening to that part.* opatoes 10:35 pm You do look a bit like a snack, Swerve. verdigrisprowl 10:36 pm No, I just talk to it in its language. Swervester 10:36 pm I do not! opatoes 10:36 pm Mmm. Snack. Swervester 10:36 pm ...Well. NoodlesAtNight 10:36 pm [[You would to Ravage.]] Swervester 10:36 pm [huffs] Chaifootsteps 10:36 pm Boooo! opatoes 10:36 pm .... Does Ravage exist in this universe? Swervester 10:36 pm I'm not for eating. opatoes 10:36 pm I- I don't mean eating in that- frag. verdigrisprowl 10:36 pm Yes. Darkscream 10:37 pm As in.. *See if she gets this right...* Maaaa Mag Mii Mii Miiite? [letmebedumb] verdigrisprowl 10:37 pm Your accent is terrible. Swervester 10:37 pm Skadoo is a world Chaifootsteps 10:37 pm *Takes a long drink*. I'm not really in love with Aileron. Where's my doodle about that? verdigrisprowl 10:38 pm You're too............ wiggly. opatoes 10:38 pm an accident verdigrisprowl 10:38 pm Who's Aileron? NoodlesAtNight 10:38 pm [[Who's Aileron? Why do they think you are?]] Chaifootsteps 10:39 pm The only friend I've got left and the best I'm ever gonna do. Swervester 10:39 pm Oh. verdigrisprowl 10:40 pm *... mumbles something vague about being Arcee's friend.* Chaifootsteps 10:40 pm *Looks up at Prowl, blinking dizzily*. Huh? NoodlesAtNight 10:40 pm [[Hm. You strike him as more tolerable than most. He doubts someone you do not love is the best you have in store.]] verdigrisprowl 10:41 pm *oh no wait he has some actual advice* Hey. One time, I was with somebody I didn't love who was the only friend I had and the best I was ever going to do. Chaoit 10:41 pm -just going to make his way in now, more distracted with the area than anything- Chaifootsteps 10:41 pm How did that turn out? opatoes 10:41 pm /Smokescreen's getting up to grab another drink, swaying, and leaning against the table to keep his balance./ verdigrisprowl 10:41 pm I was miserable all the time. Then we broke up. And since then, I've done better. Darkscream 10:42 pm Wiggly? Hrm. *Tries again with less 'wiggly' if she could. This was actually fun to try even if she sounded absurd to others* Mite Mag Mag Mi Mi. verdigrisprowl 10:42 pm And—I was miserable alone, but less miserable than I was with him. opatoes 10:42 pm paprika being a baby?

Chaifootsteps 8:01 pm Hello. *That was polite, wasn't? He feels justified in snagging a cup of that mystery fluid. It's Blues Clues, he'll probably need it*. verdigrisprowl 8:01 pm As long as you aren't deliberately blocking the screen or the doors. Swervester 8:02 pm Hello friends I have arrived and I come bearing snacks because I heard this was a mystery and no mystery is complete without snacks. verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm *... he should probably keep standing while people arrive, should he?* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:02 pm *HAS NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON OR WHERE HE IS BUT HE IS HERE NOW* HI verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm Oh! Good. You can add them to the table. *points at the table of engex cans and mystery fluids.* Darkscream 8:02 pm *Waves* Hey, Prowl. *Maybe? Darkscream did owe Prowl for getting her wing out in relatively one piece, so...* verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm *points at Swoop* No shouting. This is a library. NoodlesAtNight 8:02 pm *Settling into his seat and watching everyone else who's coming in? Yes. Yes, he is. It's always strange not being a host. But relaxing. Much less stress. Ahh.* Swervester 8:02 pm [he will do exacty that.] opatoes 8:02 pm Understandable. /Smokescreen is taking a chair, and is taking a seat as close to the screen as he can without blocking too much./ MedicalMurdersaurus 8:02 pm Kehehehh what?? verdigrisprowl 8:02 pm No shouting inside libraries. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:03 pm PFF verdigrisprowl 8:03 pm *that was a loud HI and Prowl won't have any of it.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:03 pm Me Swoop am a PTEROSAUR Everything loud Always SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:03 pm *since Whirl's not here and Soundwave is, someone is going to climb up the back of his chair.* Hello, Soundwave! verdigrisprowl 8:03 pm So either pretend not to be a pterosaur for the duration of the event, or I'm bridging you out. No shouting. opatoes 8:03 pm /Wait, he heard Swerve. He is going straight over to Swerve, both to take a few snacks and greet the mech./ You. Swervester 8:04 pm //speaking of snacks i have popcorn and it's lime flavored???? opatoes 8:04 pm ((limecorn Swervester 8:04 pm Oh hey you. verdigrisprowl 8:04 pm Right. Is, uh—is this everyone? I think First Aid and Blaster expressed interest. But they might have just been acknowledging that I spoke, so. opatoes 8:04 pm You. We need to train more. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:04 pm Keehaha! You pretend not to be a car first! verdigrisprowl 8:04 pm Okay: I'm not a car. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:05 pm kehehehhehhh NoodlesAtNight 8:05 pm *Soundwave twists to see the dragon and nods.* [[Greetings. Interesting change of pace, hmm?]] Swervester 8:05 pm Sure, we can train some more. Come by later. verdigrisprowl 8:05 pm *turns to Soundwave and says, very personally, especially for him:* Hello. opatoes 8:05 pm I would love to. I could provide a few of my own brews for you to try and critique. Darkscream 8:05 pm *There are more mechs here than she was expecting. Popular Prowl. Since she didn't really "know" anyone, just going to go peer at the snacktable. Curiosity getting the better of her for the "mystery liquid" because pfft* NoodlesAtNight 8:06 pm *Soundwave dips his helm.* [[Hello, Prowl.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:06 pm *has only seen libraries in movies and has all of zero idea what is happening, but there are people so he might as well wander around* verdigrisprowl 8:06 pm Oh! The jugs. Uh, left to right, they get stronger. The middle one is carbonated. The others... I honestly have no idea what's in them. The right one is pitch black? That's about all I know. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:06 pm *bounces around to whoever happens to look the most unguarded right now* verdigrisprowl 8:06 pm Mixmaster made them. That's your recommendation and your warning. opatoes 8:06 pm ... /Smokescreen is looking over. So THAT'S the host's name. Good to know./ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:07 pm *settles into a loaf* It's going to be another police thing, like the human ham show, right? opatoes 8:07 pm ... Human Ham Show? verdigrisprowl 8:07 pm Not police. Amateur detective, solving domestic mysteries. opatoes 8:07 pm ... Was that Hamtaro? Chaifootsteps 8:07 pm *Stops sipping...shrugs and keeps sipping*. verdigrisprowl 8:07 pm ... I suppose he MIGHT be police. *that's the spirit, Arcee.* Darkscream 8:08 pm Really? *Going to grab one of them then and peer inside at the liquid inside. Debating trying it if no one else had yet* NoodlesAtNight 8:08 pm [[No, no. It was the Bat human's city. The Gotham.]] Swervester 8:08 pm [Swerve's going to go for broke and be brave. Time to drink the pitch blsck stuff] verdigrisprowl 8:08 pm Okay! I don't know who else is coming, if anyone, so I'm going to—go ahead and get started. If everyone's ready? *looks around* NoodlesAtNight 8:08 pm *Nods.* opatoes 8:08 pm /Smokescreen is grabbing one last cube, this time mixing is with some of each of the three mystery jugs./ MedicalMurdersaurus 8:08 pm *wanders up to watch Swerve drink tar* *awesome* verdigrisprowl 8:08 pm *the triple mixture produces a puff of pink-green smoke* NoodlesAtNight 8:09 pm *Ah. Is that--?* [[Arcee? Good to see you again.]] *It's been some time.* Swervester 8:09 pm Hi Swoop. opatoes 8:09 pm /Finally sitting down, VERY close to the screen without blocking it./ MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm Hi 😆 Darkscream 8:09 pm *Snickers* Well that happened Swervester 8:09 pm Huh. This isn't too bad. Kind of deadly, probably. But it's ok. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm Cool : > verdigrisprowl 8:09 pm *he heard a yes and no nos, he's going to start.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm Us can FIRE it :V SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:09 pm *the dragon churrs* Ah, right. Well, detective work sounds really interesting! And less stressful than watching corrupt humans. verdigrisprowl 8:09 pm No fire. Darkscream 8:09 pm *Shrugs and takes a sip* Try pha-.... zon... MedicalMurdersaurus 8:09 pm *makes explosion gestures* Swervester 8:10 pm No fire inside. opatoes 8:10 pm Oh! An apple tree! I've grown similar trees. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:10 pm ((OH MY GOD IT WAS MUTED THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T HEAR THE CHAT FRIGGIN BROWSER)) MedicalMurdersaurus 8:10 pm Boring Swervester 8:10 pm Oh, a kingdom?> verdigrisprowl 8:10 pm You're going to find this show very boring, Swoop. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:10 pm Show? *finally notices that there is a thing playing* NoodlesAtNight 8:10 pm [[The canine is Earth royalty?]] [[She lives very simply.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:10 pm *doubles over in UPROARIOUS laughter* Darkscream 8:10 pm *Immediately looks at the giant screen* Oh my spark opatoes 8:10 pm Are there any felines in this show? Chaifootsteps 8:11 pm Why's her face shaped like that? Swervester 8:11 pm Wait, can dogs be royalty? Darkscream 8:11 pm *Covering her mouth to stifle laughter* opatoes 8:11 pm Of course they can! Chaifootsteps 8:11 pm GAH. opatoes 8:11 pm ... That is not what I was imagining. verdigrisprowl 8:11 pm *he pushes a chair up against Soundwave's chair, goes over to the drink table to grab himself an engex can, and sits next to Soundwave.* Swervester 8:11 pm A cat! MedicalMurdersaurus 8:11 pm KAHAHHAH! THIS show for BABIES! KAHA! Baaaaaaaabies! Kahahhahh NoodlesAtNight 8:11 pm [[King Horse looks nothing like a horse at all.]] opatoes 8:11 pm !!! Cat. Kitten. /His doorwings are wiggling, and he's leaning in. A cat! There's a cat! Good show./ verdigrisprowl 8:11 pm No, no, she's not royalty. They're... er... roleplaying? Swervester 8:12 pm Oh. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:12 pm *said with all the enthusiasm of someone who is definitely not a baby* Darkscream 8:12 pm I didn't know we were watching Blue's Clues. I was expecting Scooby Doo. Chaifootsteps 8:12 pm Isn't that a grown human? NoodlesAtNight 8:12 pm *Offers another headbob. Pleasure to share the general vicinity with you.* opatoes 8:12 pm ... Is this Laputa? verdigrisprowl 8:12 pm Yes, baby humans are much smaller. And can't talk or walk nearly as well. NoodlesAtNight 8:12 pm [[He thinks so. It is difficult to tell without other humans around.]] Chaifootsteps 8:12 pm *...Looks at his cup of fuel suspiciously*. Swervester 8:12 pm I didn't know humans had so many sentient objects in their homes. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:12 pm Does the human have abnormally large eyes, or is that just my perception? opatoes 8:13 pm ... Are most objects actually sentient? verdigrisprowl 8:13 pm Right. So—the premise is, the dog gives her friend three clues, and he uses them to figure out what she wants. Because she can't talk. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:13 pm *covers his mouth as he slides to the floor to sit in his gigglefit* Swervester 8:13 pm Well, that makes sense. Though, I wonder why she can't talk if everything else can? verdigrisprowl 8:13 pm The fun part is trying to figure it out before him. NoodlesAtNight 8:13 pm [[They're also very musical.]] [[As you can hear.]] verdigrisprowl 8:13 pm She can make other vocalizations, so she's not completely mute. It might be a mouth injury or brain damage. verdigrisprowl 8:14 pm She makes herself known anyway and he's very patient in trying to understand her. opatoes 8:14 pm /He's glancing at his seat, before putting the thought away. If it's sentient, it can't speak./ Prowl- Prowl, correct? Does the Periwinkle character play a significant role? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:14 pm She might be young, too. Some hatchlings talk much later than others. *her. it's her.* Swervester 8:14 pm Maybe she never learned? Protoforms have problems like that sometimes, where language data packs don't intergrate properly. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:14 pm Her Carly do Blue's Clues with Daniel. Him Daniel a baaaaby. Chaifootsteps 8:14 pm ...The clue's somebody's wetware? Darkscream 8:15 pm *Takes a sip of the Mixmaster mix. Not the worst thing ever. It tasted... like burnt rubber. Grinning at everyone trying to figure out Blue.* opatoes 8:15 pm That seems very, very vague ... Catapult them. NoodlesAtNight 8:15 pm [[Are they a Seeker?]] verdigrisprowl 8:15 pm Not that I recall, but I only remember Blue and..... Sssteam. opatoes 8:15 pm !! verdigrisprowl 8:15 pm ... I was drunk the last time I watched this. *and he plans to be drunk again tonight.* Darkscream 8:15 pm Steve, Prowl. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:15 pm Soundwave! Swervester 8:15 pm [snickers]\ verdigrisprowl 8:15 pm Stebe. NoodlesAtNight 8:15 pm [[Hmm?]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:15 pm Us watch something with GUTS opatoes 8:15 pm Cat! Again. Chaifootsteps 8:15 pm Organic filth. Nice. NoodlesAtNight 8:15 pm [[Oh, Primus. Greyfaces.]] Darkscream 8:16 pm Steee-vvvv opatoes 8:16 pm Why would you step in the mud Swervester 8:16 pm Isn't there a genericon named Steve? Darkscream 8:16 pm *trying to help Prowl out* NoodlesAtNight 8:16 pm [[There are at least 80 of them.]] verdigrisprowl 8:16 pm Sieve. NoodlesAtNight 8:16 pm [[...Where he is from, at least.]] Chaifootsteps 8:16 pm Stove. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:16 pm Sleeve? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:16 pm Steve! verdigrisprowl 8:16 pm *to Swerve* ... Is that common? How common? Do they just never learn at all? NoodlesAtNight 8:16 pm *prints 'praise heqet' on his screen* Darkscream 8:16 pm Close enough, Prowl. Swoop got it. opatoes 8:16 pm ... Are we supposed to imitate him? verdigrisprowl 8:17 pm Stove. *thank you Arcee* NoodlesAtNight 8:17 pm [[Feel free.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:17 pm Praise Heqet! *that's Whirl's thing, right?* opatoes 8:17 pm I don't particularly want to. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:17 pm ((dangit slendy u beat me)) MedicalMurdersaurus 8:17 pm Ribbit ribbit verdigrisprowl 8:17 pm I'm going to say no. I'm not into roleplay. opatoes 8:17 pm That cat is the star opatoes 8:18 pm A mole to dig under! Oh. Chaifootsteps 8:18 pm I feel like my last neural circuit's dying. Darkscream 8:18 pm *Small snickering* Swervester 8:18 pm Uncommon. We talk to them, since it helps them integrate the packets. But if they don't hear Neocybex enough it can hinder the integration. That happens then they need to redownload language data when they're finished developing, same way they'd download any other language. NoodlesAtNight 8:18 pm *The Constructicons picked this one and he knows it.* verdigrisprowl 8:18 pm *he's correct* Swervester 8:18 pm So for the two weeks they have no real communication skills. opatoes 8:18 pm I want a magical cat friend. NoodlesAtNight 8:18 pm [[Please, do not die. Only Swoop is equipped with medic kills.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:19 pm *the dragon is extremely confused but she's having fun. it's a good time.* NoodlesAtNight 8:19 pm ((....i realize i meant skills but tbh that's more accurate)) verdigrisprowl 8:19 pm ... Are there any cases where they never worn? Where they can understand but not speak? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:19 pm *perks up at his name* Hi Chaifootsteps 8:19 pm ((fhdspihdfgf)) MedicalMurdersaurus 8:19 pm ((medic kills works fo r him 😀 )) Me Swoop can melt EVERYONE opatoes 8:19 pm But if I were the sun, I would burn the screen. Chaifootsteps 8:19 pm ((Swoop got his medical degree in Nicaragua.)) Swervester 8:19 pm Well, not unheard of, yeah. We've had a couple who just... never downloaded the packets. That got more common during the days hot spots started fading for good. NoodlesAtNight 8:19 pm [[Begone, ice.]] opatoes 8:20 pm I tire of Horace. Darkscream 8:20 pm ! SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:20 pm But I like the ice. Chaifootsteps 8:20 pm Stop yelling. Swervester 8:20 pm That's uhh. Y'know. Motor mouth? Deliberate programming flaw for hot spots. verdigrisprowl 8:20 pm ... Did they just undo all the progress they made toward the castle? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:20 pm This show dumb. Us Dinobots have king for REAL. Him Grimlock not pretend king stuff. Swervester 8:20 pm I think they did opatoes 8:20 pm They did. I think they forgot about Horace. Swervester 8:20 pm Tat's a really advanced letter. opatoes 8:20 pm ... What if they had received an angry letter from Horace. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:21 pm Oh! Human bitlets! *she keeps using that word instead of hatchlings for non-dragon babies. it's becoming a habit. whoops.* Darkscream 8:21 pm That's an adorable pun. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:21 pm Dinobots live in CAVE for real too NoodlesAtNight 8:21 pm [[...That seems anticlimactic.]] Chaifootsteps 8:21 pm That was a terrible game. verdigrisprowl 8:21 pm They found what they were looking for. NoodlesAtNight 8:21 pm [[One expects a cache of fantastic weapons at the very least.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:21 pm Them fight. That more fun! opatoes 8:21 pm ... Couldn't they imagine a ladder to the castle? Swervester 8:21 pm I mean, their quest was more successful than ours. opatoes 8:21 pm They have already shown the power of imagination. Darkscream 8:21 pm *not sure which is funnier, the mechs here or the show* verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm ... How did she put a paw print on a sound wave? Swervester 8:22 pm ... [leans over to look at Soundwave's frame] verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm *... also looks at soundwave* NoodlesAtNight 8:22 pm *Flicks a hand at Swerve.* [[The /screen./]] verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm *leeeeeeans over* Swervester 8:22 pm [laughs] verdigrisprowl 8:22 pm *puts a hand on soundwave's arm* NoodlesAtNight 8:22 pm *...Turns to look at Prowl. What is he...?* opatoes 8:23 pm Picklock it. verdigrisprowl 8:23 pm *solemnly* You're a clue now. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:23 pm Punch Her opatoes 8:23 pm Do not! Swervester 8:23 pm [snickers] NoodlesAtNight 8:23 pm [[He feels very important.]] opatoes 8:23 pm Do not punch the cat. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:23 pm No key then kehehh NoodlesAtNight 8:23 pm *places a paw print on his visor and huffs.* Chaifootsteps 8:23 pm Ska... verdigrisprowl 8:23 pm Pff. Chaifootsteps 8:23 pm *Gives up and just drinks more deeply* Swervester 8:23 pm Skadoo verdigrisprowl 8:23 pm *he might already be the slightest bit drunk.* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:23 pm *the dragon has to try really hard not to touch him with her paws. she'll be good. she'll be good. no touch.* Swervester 8:23 pm Kingdom of blue or Flu? opatoes 8:24 pm Oh. Rhyming. NoodlesAtNight 8:24 pm *Oh, go on. Prowl already is. And he does not mind dragon paws.* opatoes 8:24 pm Riddle! MedicalMurdersaurus 8:24 pm Kick Him in the FACE opatoes 8:24 pm Of course I will. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:24 pm Take stuff WIN SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:24 pm *the gentlest bap* opatoes 8:24 pm If you harm a cat, I will harm you. NoodlesAtNight 8:24 pm [[Where is the Nygma human when he's neede-- ??]] Swervester 8:24 pm A worm? opatoes 8:24 pm Snail Darkscream 8:24 pm *Looks at Swoop* NoodlesAtNight 8:24 pm *Looks up at the dragon.* [[Did you need something?]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:24 pm *looks back with a grin* opatoes 8:24 pm Or a worm. A snake verdigrisprowl 8:24 pm What's a worm? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:24 pm They said you had a pawprint on you. *wiggles her paws* NoodlesAtNight 8:25 pm [[A worm is a snake that lives in the dirt.]] Swervester 8:25 pm I think worm is a earth qanimal verdigrisprowl 8:25 pm Oh. Swervester 8:25 pm Yeah opatoes 8:25 pm They are legless... Creatures that feed on dirt and help to provide nutrients to the soil. They are useful for plants. Darkscream 8:25 pm I forgot how much Dinobot planning was can it be punched, bitten, or hit with a flamethrower. Swervester 8:25 pm A dragon SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:25 pm A me! Or a cousin. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:25 pm Us Dinobots BEST at do stuff : > opatoes 8:26 pm What show is this? NoodlesAtNight 8:26 pm [[Are you very fond of keys?]] opatoes 8:26 pm Tree! SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:26 pm They are shiny. verdigrisprowl 8:26 pm *he has no removed his hand from Soundwave yet* NoodlesAtNight 8:26 pm [[Hmm. He will remember that.]] Darkscream 8:26 pm I've had the bite marks on my wing to be proof enough of that. *Laughs* opatoes 8:26 pm Well- not all trees lose their leaves in the fall, but certain ones do. verdigrisprowl 8:26 pm *... leans slightly closer. there are two chair arms between them. that's not stopping him.* Swervester 8:26 pm But what if a tree doesn't lose leaves in the fall? NoodlesAtNight 8:26 pm *Glances back down at the hand. ... He wonders. And leans back.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:26 pm Yah, Dinobot bite wings *waggles his own* lots Cause weak opatoes 8:26 pm Many don't. Some have needle-like leaves that will never lose all of their leaves. Swervester 8:27 pm Why doesn't he climb? He's tall NoodlesAtNight 8:27 pm @P: [[You've gotten into the drinks early?]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:27 pm *laughs* Oh! That's a [untranslated dragon warble]! They don't usually fly, though. opatoes 8:27 pm Steve is a food a Fool. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:27 pm They do like riddles. opatoes 8:27 pm A fool, I mean. Wind Swervester 8:27 pm There's a lot of riddles here verdigrisprowl 8:27 pm @S «I sampled the middle stuff. ... Before I knew it was carbonated.» opatoes 8:27 pm ... What is a kite SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:27 pm They also are highly fond of mathematics. verdigrisprowl 8:27 pm @S «It's kicking in.» NoodlesAtNight 8:27 pm @P: [[...Do you intend to have more?]] Swervester 8:27 pm [he's gonna finish his drink] verdigrisprowl 8:28 pm @S «I AM having more.» NoodlesAtNight 8:28 pm [[...What has mathematics to do with riddles?]] opatoes 8:28 pm Some riddles are math-based! verdigrisprowl 8:28 pm The best riddles are math-based. Darkscream 8:28 pm Your wings are tougher than mine at least, Swoop. *chuckles* Chaifootsteps 8:28 pm *Oh yeah, he's feeling whatever was in that drink*. opatoes 8:28 pm ... Wait. Do you enjoy riddles, Prowl? verdigrisprowl 8:29 pm Only occasionally. But when I do, they have math. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:29 pm *leans forward until he rolls onto his forearms and then stretches up in a handstand* opatoes 8:29 pm Hm. Swervester 8:29 pm This guy draws better than me MedicalMurdersaurus 8:29 pm Me Swoop am VERY VERY tough kehhheh NoodlesAtNight 8:29 pm @P: [[In that case: Given what he knows of your tastes, and before you have too much to permit asking - if you would like to go to his apartment afterward, it will be open.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:29 pm And strong And upsideDOWN SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:29 pm *the dragon shrugs her wings a little* They get, er, what's the word... Easily mentally understimulated? So they have to do a lot of logic puzzles and similar, or they get neurotic. Both math and riddles require thinking. verdigrisprowl 8:29 pm ... Okay. So. They're getting to a... castle in the sky. And the clues are a person, a ssSOUNDWAVE. *HE JUST GOT THAT MESSAGE.* ... AND A Pair of shoes. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:29 pm The Eaten used them purely for manual labor. What a surprise. *that's not... really... a laugh.* NoodlesAtNight 8:30 pm *Huffs.* Darkscream 8:30 pm *Tempted. Walks over toward Swoop to lightly tap at his pedes while he was upside down.* Very impressive, Swoop. verdigrisprowl 8:30 pm @S «... Yes.» opatoes 8:30 pm ... I do not understand this. NoodlesAtNight 8:30 pm [[He would offer levitating on sound, but he does not think shoes are necessary.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:30 pm *try it, he's a stronk boy* Yah, Me Swoop know. Chaifootsteps 8:30 pm Don't tell me what I am. Swervester 8:30 pm [frowns] A tall Soundwave? opatoes 8:30 pm Oh. A giant! NoodlesAtNight 8:30 pm [[Yes, they are large shoes.]] verdigrisprowl 8:30 pm ... The shoes provide a sense of scale? NoodlesAtNight 8:31 pm [[A marching band me-- oh.]] Swervester 8:31 pm But. Wait Wait, how are they going to become giants? Darkscream 8:31 pm *Nudged Swoop to see if he'd tilt.* Swervester 8:31 pm Do they have a giant ray? verdigrisprowl 8:31 pm Well, they ARE roleplaying. Swervester 8:31 pm OH, good point verdigrisprowl 8:31 pm They can just... roleplay being giants? Chaifootsteps 8:31 pm Horace is already dead by now. opatoes 8:31 pm Is that how roleplaying works? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:31 pm *has enough brothers to be far sturdier than that, snickering* That all You GOT? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:31 pm Maybe they're going to go somewhere where everyone is smaller than they are. NoodlesAtNight 8:31 pm [[He does seem lifeless.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:32 pm I must say, it was always extremely annoying when the Cousins would do that, though. NoodlesAtNight 8:32 pm [[They,]] *pointing at the screen,* [[might be giants.]] Swervester 8:32 pm Then why bother unlocking the gate if you're gonna walk over it NoodlesAtNight 8:32 pm [[But their musical repertoire is limited.]] verdigrisprowl 8:32 pm From what I understand, when you roleplay, you pretend to be something that you aren't and to do things you're not doing. So. Yes? Darkscream 8:32 pm Well I don't want Prowl to kick us out, Swoop. *Looks up. How high is the ceiling?* Chaifootsteps 8:32 pm ....*Snickers.* *He just gets that one, barely* NoodlesAtNight 8:33 pm *Appreciates that someone is knowledgeable enough to have caught his nonsense.* Swervester 8:33 pm MAn they finished their quest waaaay faster than we did. verdigrisprowl 8:33 pm *didn't get it* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:33 pm *no she's not dancing in place. yes she is.* verdigrisprowl 8:33 pm To be fair, most of their quest was pretend. Which helps. NoodlesAtNight 8:33 pm [[So go on a shorter quest next time. Smaller goals.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:33 pm *tilts himself off balance enough to get the momentum he needs to roll straight back up into an upright perch* Me Swoop don't CARE what Him Prowl think kehheheh! Want to fight me? : > Chaifootsteps 8:33 pm No, no I can't. You don't know me, Steve. Slag off. verdigrisprowl 8:33 pm ... Wait, "did"? Swervester 8:33 pm Are doing? What is time? Darkscream 8:33 pm [Magenta!] Swervester 8:33 pm Though yeah, I guess technically we did fulfill our goal. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:34 pm ((oh yeah this is the next guy whatshisface)) verdigrisprowl 8:34 pm ... Did you finish— You found /Cyberutopia/? NoodlesAtNight 8:34 pm *Soundwave's spines twitch. Waves appear on his visor, one on top and one below.* [[...This is a new human. The voices differ.]] Chaifootsteps 8:34 pm Where'd the other one go? Swervester 8:34 pm Er. Well. For a given definition of Cyberutopia verdigrisprowl 8:34 pm ... WHAT given definition? Darkscream 8:35 pm I am *Extremely* tempted to say yes, Swoop. *Grins at the Dinobot* opatoes 8:35 pm Prowl. Do you know much about animals on Earth? NoodlesAtNight 8:35 pm ((GROSS)) opatoes 8:35 pm There is nothing in that bowl. Swervester 8:35 pm If it turns out the Knights ended up on a planet where they got euthanized because it was a medical facility that made you think you were in whatever place you wanted to be while you died. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:35 pm *grins back and puffs up his plating in case it's go time* Swervester 8:35 pm Turns out the Matrix map led to a planet called Mederi. Medari? Mederi? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:35 pm To be fair, I think the duck is dead as well. NoodlesAtNight 8:35 pm [[...He's sorry, if it turns out /what/.]] verdigrisprowl 8:36 pm ... The Knights were EUTHANIZED?! Swervester 8:36 pm I think they were sick? Rathet and First Aid could explain that better, they understoof the medical jargon better. But the planet they went to ended up being a medical facility. verdigrisprowl 8:36 pm ......... *facepalms* *both hand facepalm* Chaifootsteps 8:36 pm Please don't tell me he's gonna keep the duck with him the whole time. verdigrisprowl 8:37 pm *slides down in his chair* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:37 pm *oh goddess, is Prowl dying? looks over in concern* verdigrisprowl 8:37 pm How are we going to put Megatron on trial now... Darkscream 8:37 pm *Still has Mixmaster's "drink" in one servo. Going to boop Swoop in the beak with a smile. Not paying attention to the ohhellno stuff going on over with Prowl* Swervester 8:37 pm Sorry, I'm bad at this and also a lot of the whole "Finishing the quest" thing was overshadowed by rifts in the universe. verdigrisprowl 8:38 pm *SLAMS HANDS ON ARMRESTS* Grimlock. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:38 pm GRIMLOCK :V opatoes 8:38 pm ... Megatron is on trial? Chaifootsteps 8:38 pm Blue, you're not helping the song. You're making it worse. Your face is wrong. NoodlesAtNight 8:38 pm *Startles. Both feelers whip out and crackle. What? Grimlock? What? Where's the threat?* Darkscream 8:38 pm *Almost jumps* What about Grimlock? verdigrisprowl 8:38 pm She's doing her best. *jumps at the feelers* Hi. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:38 pm Where Him Grimlock??? Swervester 8:38 pm What aout Grim? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:39 pm *the dragon has no idea what the hell is going on but she gets to her feet, puffs up, and SNARLS. she'll protect her friend! and his boyfriend!* NoodlesAtNight 8:39 pm *A good dragon.* verdigrisprowl 8:39 pm *points at... who spoke? Points at one of the people who spoke.* In one universe, Grimlock is a Knight of Cybertron. HE wasn't euthanized. Swervester 8:39 pm Wait, really? verdigrisprowl 8:39 pm He can judge Megatron. Who is on trial. Or was. It's on hold. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:39 pm Him Grimlock not a KNIGHT. Him KING. Swervester 8:39 pm That's kinda wild. verdigrisprowl 8:39 pm Different Grimlock. Chaifootsteps 8:40 pm Wait, who killed the knights? *Did...did he? That seems reasonable*. NoodlesAtNight 8:40 pm *Oh. They're just - talking about a Grimlock. All right. He'll pull the feelers back in. But not before patting the dragon. It's fine.* MedicalMurdersaurus 8:40 pm Me Swoop want to meet different Grimlock! :V SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:40 pm *yay! a soundwave pat! more cherished than any churn full of butter! she'll settle down and loaf up again.* Darkscream 8:41 pm *That notebook is disturbing* Oh. Alright then. No Swoop in that universe, but there is a two headed dragon. Swervester 8:41 pm I can probably answer questions more coherently later about the quest when I'm not slightly drunk on whatever this drink is. NoodlesAtNight 8:41 pm [[The Grimlock the Prime punched into submission? And yes, who killed - er, euthanized - the knights?]] verdigrisprowl 8:41 pm I can get you the recipe. NoodlesAtNight 8:41 pm [[Lockdown?]] verdigrisprowl 8:41 pm I can't get you the recipe. I can get Mixmaster to get you the recipe. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:41 pm *is DELIGHTED by everything he is hearing* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:42 pm Is the dragon alright? Having two heads can be very troublesome. Most hatchlings like that don't survive, or if they do they don't thrive... MedicalMurdersaurus 8:42 pm Me Swoop want to see Optimus and GRIMLOCK fight! Me want to see DRAGON! verdigrisprowl 8:42 pm *POINTS AT THE SCREEN* Police officers ARE rescuers. *he's delighted. He is full of delight.* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:42 pm *excuse her. dragon. right here. what the hell, swoop.* Swervester 8:42 pm I didn't know pigs could climb. opatoes 8:43 pm How do you- can you lose numbers? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:43 pm *is not known for his ability to pay attention or clearly articulate himself* verdigrisprowl 8:43 pm *GIVES SWERVE AN EXTREMELY OFFENDED LOOK* opatoes 8:43 pm ... Do I still have numbers on my wings? Darkscream 8:43 pm *Laughs and turns back to Swoop* Maybe that should be an event for a movie night. All the Autobots except Optimus backed up when Grimlock came out roaring. opatoes 8:43 pm A ball. To throw at anyone who may harm you. verdigrisprowl 8:43 pm *he has completely and utterly misinterpreted Swerve* opatoes 8:43 pm Oh. Yeah. They don't have headlights. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:43 pm *that's entirely fair and valid. and she's a smaller, fluffier dragon than he probably expects, either.* Swervester 8:43 pm [confused look] What NoodlesAtNight 8:43 pm *Soundwave supposes by the lack of answer that he was right. He turns to Arcee.* [[Probably Lockdown. He was euthanizing the other Cybertronians in the facetaking verse.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:44 pm YAH! That sound AWESOME verdigrisprowl 8:44 pm *opens mouth.* ... *shuts mouth. frowns harder.* Swervester 8:44 pm Did I say something weird? verdigrisprowl 8:45 pm *turns back to screen. grumpily mutters,* I can climb. opatoes 8:45 pm Stargazing! Swervester 8:45 pm [confused sound] I was talking about the pig? opatoes 8:45 pm You can create constellations! Swervester 8:45 pm The one in the tree they were rescuing MedicalMurdersaurus 8:46 pm *HONKS in response to the song and then laughs at himself* opatoes 8:46 pm I want a gift. Chaifootsteps 8:46 pm I would not like mail. opatoes 8:46 pm Imagine if you had to do this every time you received a comm or message from someone. Darkscream 8:46 pm *Taps her chin* Oh wait! Swoop! There were baby Dinobots in the Tyran verse. I think one might of been a little Swoop, but I'm not sure. Same place Grimlock ate an entire car. opatoes 8:46 pm What a painful existence Steve lives. verdigrisprowl 8:46 pm ... THAT was a—? Ohhhhhh. NoodlesAtNight 8:46 pm [[Perish the thought.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 8:46 pm Me Swoop not a BABY :V NoodlesAtNight 8:47 pm *SITS UP* Chaifootsteps 8:47 pm Where's its parents? Swervester 8:47 pm [considers, looking down into his drink] I think I need another drink before I can imagine Soundwave doing the mail song. verdigrisprowl 8:47 pm *SITS UP WITH. clings to arm.* NoodlesAtNight 8:47 pm [[This monkey is not to be trusted, fleshling!]] Darkscream 8:47 pm I mean there were baby Dinobots there, not that you are one. verdigrisprowl 8:47 pm Maybe it was— Maybe it was a— Maybe it's— opatoes 8:47 pm Swerve. Imagine it. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:47 pm ...I think the monkey is also dead, frankly. verdigrisprowl 8:47 pm It's not glass. NoodlesAtNight 8:47 pm *Settles his hand on Prowl's.* Chaifootsteps 8:47 pm Yeah! The monkey probably did something to his parents. *Drinks*. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:47 pm oH. Okay. Swervester 8:47 pm I can't Smoke. I need more to drink first. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:47 pm Cause. Me Swoop not a baby. *nods* opatoes 8:47 pm Periwinkle!! Yes! NoodlesAtNight 8:48 pm [[He has seen documentaries about murderous talking monkeys and apes. Their parents are likely dissected. And used for whatever nefarious purposes the banana has in mind.]] opatoes 8:48 pm ... Periwinkle deserves better. NoodlesAtNight 8:48 pm [[Even if it is not glass, it likely reports in.]] opatoes 8:48 pm Me Chaifootsteps 8:48 pm Why doesn't Periwinkle have a home or real toys? Swervester 8:48 pm What's a banana opatoes 8:48 pm That is me. NoodlesAtNight 8:48 pm *POINTS* [[Octopus.]] verdigrisprowl 8:49 pm ... Do bananas have the capacity to report in? opatoes 8:49 pm Let me be your friend, Periwinkle. verdigrisprowl 8:49 pm Stave doesn't love Periwinkle. opatoes 8:49 pm I can provide an actual bed. Darkscream 8:49 pm *Chuckles* Nope, not a baby. It'd be no fun to fight you if that was the case, Swoop opatoes 8:49 pm ... Where is Stave located? NoodlesAtNight 8:49 pm [[He does not know. It is better to assume they can.]] Swervester 8:49 pm I think he left and got replaced by a new human SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:49 pm *the dragon is trying really hard not to make a face, but she's making a face* I like the earth octopi better. That one was... unnerving. opatoes 8:49 pm ... What? No, that is the same human. They have the same hair NoodlesAtNight 8:49 pm [[He agrees. Octopi are superior.]] Chaifootsteps 8:50 pm Better than doctors who look at you like that. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:50 pm *bobbles his head agreably* You tell EVERYONE. Then them know Me Swoop grooown up. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:50 pm ...Isopods inferior? verdigrisprowl 8:50 pm ... I drank too much. The room is wiggly. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:50 pm *she's trying, please support that* verdigrisprowl 8:50 pm *looks around* Oh, no, hold on, that was the show. NoodlesAtNight 8:50 pm [[It is a visual effect. You are fine.]] *pat pat* opatoes 8:50 pm That's my garden!! NoodlesAtNight 8:50 pm [[...What is an isopod?]] Chaifootsteps 8:50 pm Periwinkle's not allowed to have real medical care either. opatoes 8:50 pm That is one of my bushes! Periwinkle please- what? verdigrisprowl 8:50 pm *......... leans into patting* opatoes 8:50 pm ... Periwinkle and me used to share something in common. NoodlesAtNight 8:51 pm [[Poor Periwinkle. They deserve better companions.]] Swervester 8:51 pm This cat's best friend is a paper plate with a face drawn on it. I need to take it home opatoes 8:51 pm They do! Cats deserve good treatment. NoodlesAtNight 8:51 pm [[Someone should.]] opatoes 8:51 pm No! I'm taking Periwinkle home. Darkscream 8:51 pm Hey Swoop, would you be insulted if I called you adorable? MedicalMurdersaurus 8:51 pm Yah verdigrisprowl 8:51 pm You already have eleven Magnem—hey! *turns to the room at large, he has an important announcement* NoodlesAtNight 8:51 pm [[Either they are very large or that is a very small planet.]] verdigrisprowl 8:51 pm I have a Magnemite. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:51 pm Me Swoop not adorable. Me Swoop KILL people! : > Swervester 8:51 pm [snrks] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:52 pm ...Like the lobster? Lives underwater, has legs, is presumably delicious? They look a lot like some of the life native to my planet, so I know about them. Hatchlings have a bad habit of playing with them instead of eating them. You can bat them around and they roll up! It's fun. opatoes 8:52 pm Wait- you do? Where did you find the magnemite? What are its EVs? Its IVs? What is its nature? Swervester 8:52 pm Uh Chaifootsteps 8:52 pm A Magnemite's a Pokemon, right? Swervester 8:52 pm Yes opatoes 8:52 pm Yes! It evolves into Magneton. Swervester 8:52 pm We won't be evolving them. opatoes 8:52 pm It is an electric and steel type pokemon- no? Why not? It makes them far more powerful. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:52 pm Ours are brighter colored, though. And more patterned. Earth isopods just look gray. It's sad. verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm Yes. It is. *points to the guy that looks kind of like but clearly isn't Smokescreen.* I have no idea what you just asked. Except for where I found it. It was on my balcony. NoodlesAtNight 8:53 pm [[Hm. Octopuses still sound better.]] verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm And no, it's not evolving. Ever. Period. It's going to be free. Darkscream 8:53 pm That you do. And if I had you coming at me with that intent I would probably book it the other way. *Sets a servo on her hip* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:53 pm Octopuses apparently think, so I will agree with you. Isopods are food. opatoes 8:53 pm Hm. Are you interested in this pokemon? I could introduce you to the meta. Chaifootsteps 8:53 pm Good! That's the way it should be. verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm Becoming a gestalt is terrible and I'm never going to let that happen to it. opatoes 8:53 pm What moves does the Magnemite know? ... Fair enough, I suppose magnemite looks better aesthetically. Swervester 8:53 pm Well, the ones I have keep shocking bots. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:53 pm *bounces excitedly* YAH! Me Swoop am very very good FLIER! And BITE!! verdigrisprowl 8:53 pm *moves? moves?? moves???* ... It does a figure eight when it's confused. opatoes 8:54 pm ... That's not quite what I mean. May I sit near you? I have a datapad- if I describe some actions, would you know if they ever performed the actions? Darkscream 8:54 pm *Casually to Prowl* Magnemite are Electric-types, you know.

*To Swoop and laughs* Easy Swoop! Don't get us kicked out. verdigrisprowl 8:54 pm Uh, yes. But I'm still sitting next to Soundwave. I'm not leaving Soundwave. You'll have to sit on the other side. opatoes 8:55 pm That is fine. I do not want to take Soundwave's position, or sit on him. verdigrisprowl 8:55 pm /I/ want to sit on him. opatoes 8:55 pm ... verdigrisprowl 8:55 pm *guess who's officially drunk.* Swervester 8:55 pm [coughs into drink] opatoes 8:55 pm Um. Chaifootsteps 8:55 pm ...That's...actually cute. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:55 pm Me Swoop *bounces* don't! Care! Keheheh! Us Dinobots do what! Us! Want! Kehaha! SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:56 pm *d'aw. Soundwave's boyfriend Prowl is cute.* opatoes 8:56 pm /Smokescreen is moving his chair to sit to the other side of Prowl./ You found it in the wild, so we can cross out moves by breeding, and you likely didn't teach it any TMs. NoodlesAtNight 8:56 pm ((I LOOKED AWAY FOR TWO MINUTES)) verdigrisprowl 8:56 pm What's a TM? opatoes 8:56 pm A Technical Machine. It can be used to teach your pokemon new moves. verdigrisprowl 8:57 pm Magnemite is a technical machine. Swervester 8:57 pm He means attacks. Humans make them fight in their universe. NoodlesAtNight 8:57 pm *Does not know what the appropriate thing to do here is, so he will simply uncross his legs in case Prowl decides to go through with that for a better sitting surface.* opatoes 8:57 pm No, no, not like that. Darkscream 8:57 pm Would you stop bouncing if I offered you a snack? *Half listening to the Pokemon conversation* opatoes 8:57 pm They are specific CDs meant to teach moves. ... I believe they are discs, in any case. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:57 pm NAH! *giggles and makes a point to jump a little higher* Me Swoop like UP! opatoes 8:57 pm I'm not sure how they work, I have never had a real Pokemon- may I see your magnemite? Not now, necessarily, but eventually. verdigrisprowl 8:57 pm Magnemite is a 3D disk. opatoes 8:58 pm ... Really? I assumed they would be more of a sphere. verdigrisprowl 8:58 pm Yes. It's 3D to make it a sphere. Normal disks are 2D. opatoes 8:58 pm Fair enough. I mean more of a flat, near-two dimensional disc. verdigrisprowl 8:58 pm *he made a joke. it's terrible. Darkscream 8:58 pm *Watching Swoop in amusement* Let me go put my drink down and I'll be right back, Swoop. Chaifootsteps 8:58 pm Yay, the good one's back. MedicalMurdersaurus 8:59 pm *wiggles* NoodlesAtNight 8:59 pm [[He did not think he would hear you say that.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 8:59 pm *it's not appropriate to inform someone that their bonded is cute. it's extremely not appropriate to inform someone of that when you are known to be unattached. Drunk Prowl is extremely endearing, in a "I want to take it home and hug it and protect it" way.* opatoes 8:59 pm Prowl- okay. Has your magnemite ever made supersonic sound waves? verdigrisprowl 8:59 pm Supersonic what? *... looks at Soundwave?* Swervester 8:59 pm Actual soundwaves, or like. Super fast tiiny Soundwave Chaifootsteps 8:59 pm Why would she? She already has one. Darkscream 9:00 pm *Goes to the drink table to set her half drunk sludge. It wasn't awful. Pauses to look at the little "couch" of chairs. Raises an optic ridge at them.* opatoes 9:00 pm an actual soundwave- not the bot. ... Not that you do not exist, Soundwave. NoodlesAtNight 9:00 pm [[He hasn't been super fast and tiny in years.]] verdigrisprowl 9:00 pm ... A sound wave can't be supersonic. Chaifootsteps 9:00 pm And then just throw the paper on the floor. Swervester 9:00 pm Wait, that was a thing for you once? verdigrisprowl 9:00 pm Supersonic things are faster than the speed of sound. By definition, the speed that a sound wave moves IS the speed of sound. opatoes 9:00 pm ... It does sound contradictory That can be removed from the potential list, then. opatoes 9:01 pm In the source material, that is how the move is described, but- I suppose it is physically impossible. NoodlesAtNight 9:01 pm [[You really need our help today cleaning up.]] *Glance at Swerve.* [[And yes. It was. Horrible. He never wants to be three inches tall again.]] *Quite seriously* [[It took ages to travel anywhere.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:01 pm *hops up and sits on the back of a chair with his feet resting on the seat* Swervester 9:01 pm Ha. Yeah I can imagine that tiny would be terrible. opatoes 9:01 pm Has magnemite ever charged at anyone with their entire frame? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:02 pm *the dragon looks around at the everything sized for beings not her* ...Is there a small crane I can use to help clean up? NoodlesAtNight 9:02 pm [[Hook is not here.]] Darkscream 9:02 pm *Glances at Swoop. Strong chair. Really wants to join the Pokemon conversation, but /Swoop/. Wings flick. They were pretty busy already. Continues her way back over to the Dinobot* Comfortable? verdigrisprowl 9:03 pm ... Is it possible to charge with only part of its frame? Swervester 9:03 pm //that is an atrocious way to store yarn and it's guaranteed to be in a knot when he tries to use it opatoes 9:03 pm ... Heh. I suppose there isn't enough of it to avoid any non-full body tackles. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:03 pm A me-sized small crane. With me-sized controls. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:03 pm NAH! Chairs suck, kehehhehhh! opatoes 9:03 pm I suppose it could perhaps use its magnets as a weapon? NoodlesAtNight 9:03 pm [[Not that he has seen.]] verdigrisprowl 9:04 pm It's destroyed so many things with its magnets. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:04 pm It's going to be very hard for me to help clean, then. Maybe I'll just wipe the table or something. Swervester 9:04 pm Maybe we just need some pokedexes. verdigrisprowl 9:04 pm I told it it can only eat me because it kept eating all our belongings. opatoes 9:04 pm Really? Perhaps- is it looking for enrichment? I know animals might destroy items looking for enrichment, but I can imagine a pokemon might as well. verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm No, just fuel. opatoes 9:05 pm ... You are capable of speaking to it? That is what they can do in real life? verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm ... Yes? It talks. Darkscream 9:05 pm *Shakes her helm in amusement* Swoop, silly Dinobot. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:05 pm Me Swoop am comedian : > verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm Its grammar is weird. I keep getting the nouns and adjectives backwards. NoodlesAtNight 9:05 pm ((....am i the only one who wonders what the props are made of/how this is done)) verdigrisprowl 9:05 pm Technically they're not adjectives. They're just more nouns. Chaifootsteps 9:06 pm ((Nope.)) Darkscream 9:06 pm [Probably a blend of CGI and flat foam maybe?] verdigrisprowl 9:06 pm ((same)) Swervester 9:06 pm //i always thought it was cardboard and paper cut uots on a green screen tbh verdigrisprowl 9:06 pm ((it might be flash?)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:06 pm ((it's puppet animation, isn't it? so it might be very careful hand positioning)) MedicalMurdersaurus 9:06 pm ((I'd assume something similar to flash. It looks like cut paper but it isn't. I want to say South Park moved to flash after a bit.)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:07 pm ((flash isn't the software for puppet animation like south park. there's something else devoted entirely to stuff like that)) opatoes 9:07 pm I have- I have never seen that in games, like- /Smokescreen is pulling up his datapad, and pulling up an emulated Pokemon game, getting a magnemite in amie, playing a bit of the sound effect the magnemite makes./ Does that sound like anything, or no? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:07 pm ((flash /can/ do it but it's not the best puppet animation software out there)) verdigrisprowl 9:07 pm The human postal systems are very impressive. I admire the human postal systems. Darkscream 9:07 pm *Going to steal the armrest of the chair Swoop. Using her wings to playfully bap his behind her* Know any good jokes then? Swervester 9:07 pm Oh hey you have one of the games. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:08 pm ((I lot of big studios used to have their own in-house software but it's shifting more to using commercially available stuff now cause they are good and it saves training time.)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:08 pm ((well what the fuck it's done in maya)) verdigrisprowl 9:08 pm *leans over to look* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:08 pm ((south park is anyways)) ((seriously, what the fuck)) verdigrisprowl 9:08 pm Oh, yeah, that's—that's basically, "hey." opatoes 9:08 pm /He is holding the datapad closer so Prowl can take a look, petting the magnemite in-game to produce more sounds./ Really? What about that? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:08 pm YAH! *smacks her with his wing* verdigrisprowl 9:08 pm It's an "I acknowledge your existence" sound. The first one I mean. verdigrisprowl 9:09 pm That one means "happy." Like, literally, the word "happy." SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:09 pm ((blue's clues was the first animated program to utilize adobe after effects according to the internet)) ((which makes a lot of sense, really)) Swervester 9:09 pm //lmao verdigrisprowl 9:09 pm ((CUTTING EDGE)) MedicalMurdersaurus 9:09 pm ((After effects makes sense with all the compositing)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:09 pm ((that would be the proper software)) ((god I can't fucking get over the fact that south park uses MAYA of all things)) Swervester 9:09 pm Maybe she wants a doll SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:09 pm ((why the fuck)) ((it's a 3D animation software why would you use it for 2D animation)) verdigrisprowl 9:10 pm ... Maybe she wants to sew a button on clothing. Darkscream 9:10 pm *Grins back. Wing pap* Know this one? What do you call a man with no arms and no legs on the floor? opatoes 9:10 pm That is understandable. What about- /This time, Smokescreen feeds the magnemite a pokepuff!/ Thank you for but-assisting, this is very interesting. What is this? Chaifootsteps 9:10 pm Maybe she wants to sew buttons onto someone's eyes. *He's seen movies*. NoodlesAtNight 9:10 pm [[She doesn't /look/ like the other mother.]] opatoes 9:10 pm ... /Finally looks up at the screen again./ This is- this seems blurrier than before. Is this a lower quality video? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:10 pm WHAT? kehehhh *smacks back with dinoforce* NoodlesAtNight 9:10 pm [[Oh no. Pun paintings.]] verdigrisprowl 9:11 pm *looks at the screen.* ... I thought it was because I'm drunk. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:11 pm ...Puntings? *the dragon winces. that was bad, by her standards* Sorry. Chaifootsteps 9:11 pm *Snerk* Darkscream 9:11 pm Mat. *Okay ow. That one hurt a bit* opatoes 9:11 pm No, no- it looks blurry to me as well, and I am relatively sober. Swervester 9:11 pm He loses his dog a lot NoodlesAtNight 9:11 pm *Leans back to look at the dragon.* [[Two extra tinsel fish and a gram of silver.]] opatoes 9:11 pm /His vision is also horrible, but still./ NoodlesAtNight 9:11 pm *That's the price for subjecting him to that.* verdigrisprowl 9:11 pm Huh. *looks back down* Play the thingy again, I wasn't listening. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:11 pm That's entirely fair. opatoes 9:11 pm /Feeds the magnemite another pokepuff./ MedicalMurdersaurus 9:11 pm KAHAHAHAHHA MAT Nice MedicalMurdersaurus 9:12 pm That GOOD joke! : > NoodlesAtNight 9:12 pm [[RUN.]] verdigrisprowl 9:12 pm That's a—er—yummy sound. Mine says that when it's about to go eat something. *looks at the screen. BANANAS.* Chaifootsteps 9:12 pm ((Oh god I remember this part. It always made me want cake.)) opatoes 9:12 pm ((I HEAR THAT AMIE Swervester 9:12 pm Don't pu bananas in cake Darkscream 9:12 pm Want to hear another one? [BANANA CAKE] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:13 pm YAH! Me Swoop want AAAAAAAAALLL the jokes : > opatoes 9:13 pm ((wait thats me i didnt realize the video played verdigrisprowl 9:13 pm ... They can be hunted and eated. Eaten. NoodlesAtNight 9:13 pm [[Vile.]] verdigrisprowl 9:13 pm No. No. No it's good. You can defeat them. NoodlesAtNight 9:13 pm [[He has never been happier not to have a mouth.]] Swervester 9:13 pm Steve you JUST read the recipe verdigrisprowl 9:13 pm *confused look* You h... *WAIT HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT.* Chaifootsteps 9:14 pm Steve's got a couple of things wrong with him. verdigrisprowl 9:14 pm He's letting the audience help. He's nice. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:14 pm ...Is that a clothing? In the baking ingredients? NoodlesAtNight 9:14 pm *Slow turn to watch Prowl. He heard that.* opatoes 9:14 pm Prowl- could we test one more thing? Can you understand other pokemon? Or do magnemite have their own language? /This time, he's pulling up a skitty, playing with it again./ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:14 pm Absolutely disgusting. How could you have such an unclean baking surface. Where are your standards. NoodlesAtNight 9:14 pm *He's gonna stay watching for a second. Make sure he doesn't finish the sentence.* Darkscream 9:14 pm *Dinobot bonding with bad jokes* A dog with three legs walked into a bar. Sits down and tells the bartender, "I'm looking for the man who shot my pa[w]." SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:15 pm *the dragon will continue to loudly rant about poor sanitary conditions* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:15 pm *ERUPTS in laughter* opatoes 9:15 pm just add a gross of eggs NoodlesAtNight 9:15 pm [[A cup. Obviously.]] *Said while looking at Prowl* verdigrisprowl 9:15 pm *he's not. he's got his mouth closed now. sorry soundwave.* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:15 pm PAW That GOOD joke NoodlesAtNight 9:15 pm *...It seems safe. He'll go back to leaning and watching the screen.* Swervester 9:15 pm Where did all the sugar go in the bowl verdigrisprowl 9:16 pm *oh question new creature.* ... That's a different thing. NoodlesAtNight 9:16 pm ((i love that the sugar and baking soda are blatantly recognizable brands but not)) Darkscream 9:16 pm *Bad puns galore* Hey Swoop. A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?" SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:16 pm Did. Did they just put someone's bodily fluids in the food WITHOUT sterilizing them first? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:16 pm ((I love the dash of salt being literally part of a character)) NoodlesAtNight 9:17 pm [[Cannibals.]] opatoes 9:17 pm Oh, okay, so they have different languages. How did you learn to understand them? SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:17 pm That's terrible! Diseases spread that way! You should always sterilize corpses before eating them! verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm Maybe he was just carrying it. Swervester 9:17 pm [snorts[ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:17 pm It came from inside him. verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm By listening to it talk until it made sense. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:17 pm *laughs SO HARD that he wobbles off balance and CRASH down goes the chair, tossing an enthusiastic swoop to the floor* verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm *POINTS* He wants to sew buttons on socks. NoodlesAtNight 9:17 pm *GETS IT* [[Puppets!]] Swervester 9:17 pm SHE WANTS TO MAKE A PUPPET verdigrisprowl 9:17 pm No. Wait. He's not the one who wants to, he's helping HER to— what? opatoes 9:18 pm Fair enough. ... Would it be acceptable to exchange comm information? I would love to see your magnemite in-person. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:18 pm Oh, puppets! She /is/ a bit- a hatchling! Darkscream 9:18 pm *Small yelp. Since she was on the chair, she went down too. Ooof!* verdigrisprowl 9:18 pm Okay. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:18 pm *literally rolls on the ground laughing* verdigrisprowl 9:18 pm *completely fails to offer comm information* NoodlesAtNight 9:18 pm [[Puppets, Prowl. You place them over your feeler, or - hand, he supposes - and make them speak in other me-- other fleshling's voices.]] verdigrisprowl 9:18 pm ... But that's a sock. It goes on feet. Darkscream 9:19 pm *Sits up, flicking her wings, and looks at Swoop with a wide smile* opatoes 9:19 pm I can also provide you with mine- I have this theoretical information about Pokemon that may be interesting to share. NoodlesAtNight 9:19 pm [[A human foot is simply a hand with short fingers.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:19 pm *the dragon puts one of her paws in Puppet Position and starts speaking in a high-pitched voice* Hello hatchlings! Today we're here to talk about ~biting people.~ Did you know that it's rude to bite others? *okay she has to stop now* NoodlesAtNight 9:19 pm *Looks up at the dragon.* [[He wouldn't know.]] verdigrisprowl 9:19 pm ............... It IS a hand with short fingers. verdigrisprowl 9:20 pm *this is whispered with complete awe.* Swervester 9:20 pm Os that a legitimate teaching tactic for baby dragons? Chaifootsteps 9:20 pm ...It beeps. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:20 pm *kicks his feet in the air* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:20 pm It is a legitimate teaching tactic for normal hatchlings who talk instead of attacking the puppet. I /hated/ that Eaten-sent thing. verdigrisprowl 9:20 pm *solemnly* You're very smart. NoodlesAtNight 9:20 pm *A small seated bow* [[Thank you very much.]] Swervester 9:21 pm He needs to sew them on! verdigrisprowl 9:21 pm That's what I like about you. NoodlesAtNight 9:21 pm *....He misses his hollowed out Megatron head.* verdigrisprowl 9:21 pm It's one of the things I like about you. I like a lot of things about you. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:21 pm *Soundwave is hilarious but she cannot give him the laughter he deserves because she's being bitter right now* Darkscream 9:21 pm *Pats Swoop on his chest once she wasn't going to get hit by his kicking.* Guess I found a Dinobot weakness. Bad jokes. *Laughs* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:21 pm *sprawls out on the floor* Me Swoop like jokes : > NoodlesAtNight 9:22 pm *Well. If they're being blatant - and he assumes that's fine; Prowl would have known how he gets when drunk - then...* [[And he likes many things about you as well.]] Chaifootsteps 9:22 pm The puppet's cursed. Good job, Steve. NoodlesAtNight 9:22 pm [[The puppet looks fine to him. If oddly proportioned.]] Swervester 9:22 pm I can't believe he made a cursed puppet. Chaifootsteps 9:22 pm It looks as fine as anything else in that house, so... Darkscream 9:22 pm Good thing no one minds your howling laughing, Swoop. I've always got more. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:22 pm As long as it doesn't condescendingly remind me to speak, it's not cursed. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:23 pm Me Swoop a pterosaur : > Loud loud verdigrisprowl 9:23 pm *oh no now he's flustered.* Swervester 9:23 pm I just realized this entire universe is inside a book Chaifootsteps 9:23 pm .....*His processor's blown*. verdigrisprowl 9:23 pm *slowly puts hands over mouth.* NoodlesAtNight 9:23 pm *Who would want an IGLOO* *How cold* opatoes 9:23 pm ... /Smokescreen isn't sure if he should scoot away or if that would draw attention to those two./ opatoes 9:24 pm /Sticking with playing pokemon for now./ Darkscream 9:24 pm Might be the loudest of the Dinobots, Swoop. Unless it's Grimlock roaring. NoodlesAtNight 9:24 pm *Casually snaps a shot of Prowl hiding his mouth.* [[Good. At least the canine has some sense.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:24 pm Igloos are fun, though. NoodlesAtNight 9:24 pm [[It looks like the boxy Bumblebee.]] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:24 pm *CAWS* Chaifootsteps 9:24 pm Hey, it does. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:24 pm keehee Darkscream 9:24 pm *Bet it's a car* verdigrisprowl 9:25 pm *mumble mumble* youresonice Darkscream 9:25 pm Okay /now/ you're the loudest Dinobot NoodlesAtNight 9:25 pm *Prowl, you're killing him. It's his turn to be flustered now. Itty bitty light brightening.* [[...Thank you.]] verdigrisprowl 9:26 pm yrwlcm Swervester 9:26 pm [downs another glass] NoodlesAtNight 9:26 pm [[If the table is an island, then the notebook is buried treasure, he assumes.]] *Leans harder.* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:26 pm Yah. Me Swoop very very loud. Him Slag PUNCH kehehhehe cause loud when Him sleep. : > Chaifootsteps 9:27 pm I like the salt. Darkscream 9:27 pm *Laughs* Swoop, you should let your brothers sleep. Bad dinobot [Paprika!] Swervester 9:27 pm HE's too salty. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:27 pm Me Swoop am a bad Dinobot : > Uhh Am bad AND Dinobot : > MedicalMurdersaurus 9:28 pm Not bad at Dinobot! verdigrisprowl 9:28 pm *tries to lean on Soundwave through the armrests* opatoes 9:28 pm Snowball? verdigrisprowl 9:29 pm This is an extremely creative household. Darkscream 9:29 pm You're one of the first Dinobots, so you're a good Dinobot. And quite the lethal one in the air! Given you're the only flyer. NoodlesAtNight 9:29 pm @P: [[You won't get much closer with the arms in the way. Not comfortably.]] *He doesn't want Prowl to hurt his back.* ((i swear to god i thought it said bubble butt for a second and was liek WHAT)) verdigrisprowl 9:29 pm @S «I know.» *mournfully* opatoes 9:29 pm ((OH NO Chaifootsteps 9:29 pm ((PFFFT)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:30 pm *Soundwave and Prowl are extremely cute send help* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:30 pm Lethal means kill people : > opatoes 9:30 pm I was thinking a tire pile, however. verdigrisprowl 9:30 pm I know this one. opatoes 9:30 pm ... They needed it to snow? verdigrisprowl 9:30 pm They need a giant to help them reach the ice cream in the sky. ... That's not a giant. opatoes 9:31 pm Heh- that would be a decent continuity nod. verdigrisprowl 9:31 pm I guess they don't have buttons shaped like giants. Darkscream 9:31 pm Yup. *Leans back against Swoop if he didn't mind* Even if not kills, no Seeker liked getting chased down by a fierce Swoop. opatoes 9:31 pm Why not? verdigrisprowl 9:31 pm *points at the salt shaker* Minus looked like that for a little bit. NoodlesAtNight 9:31 pm [[...Did she rattle?]] Darkscream 9:31 pm [Mr. Salt is having NONE OF THIS] MedicalMurdersaurus 9:32 pm *was built without anything resembling personal space* Kee hee! *is all flattered by the idea of horrified seekers* Swervester 9:32 pm Why didn't he just draw the rest of the image verdigrisprowl 9:32 pm I don't know. I didn't shake her. opatoes 9:32 pm It looks like a sealed envelope Darkscream 9:32 pm [dropofbloodonsnowkekekeke] opatoes 9:32 pm A wax sealed envelope. Swervester 9:32 pm What's his deal with snow SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:32 pm Snow is nice! opatoes 9:32 pm Snow destroys plants and is awful. verdigrisprowl 9:32 pm Maybe he likes snow. NoodlesAtNight 9:33 pm [[That is probably for the best. ... How is she?]] verdigrisprowl 9:33 pm ... I haven't heard since they finished growing. But she made it to adulthood. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:33 pm T-rex??? Darkscream 9:33 pm *Good. Then she's going to lounge on Swoop. Comfortable Dinobot. Happy chirping* The kids were looking at the clouds? NoodlesAtNight 9:34 pm [[He wonders if she remembers you.]] [[Have you considered checking on her?]] verdigrisprowl 9:34 pm Yes. opatoes 9:34 pm It is all round things... Oh! A snowman? Periwinkle!!!! MedicalMurdersaurus 9:34 pm DINOSAUR :V verdigrisprowl 9:34 pm *he hasn't done it. but he's considered it.* opatoes 9:34 pm Where is this show located? Swervester 9:35 pm In a book NoodlesAtNight 9:35 pm *So he gathered by the lack of additional information.* verdigrisprowl 9:35 pm In a book. Darkscream 9:35 pm *Laughs* MedicalMurdersaurus 9:35 pm *optics widen and then he cackles* opatoes 9:35 pm Wow. Jurassic world looks amazing. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:35 pm Why is one bit- one hatchling outside, and one hatchling inside? Chaifootsteps 9:35 pm Periwinkle still doesn't have a home. opatoes 9:35 pm I will give Periwinkle a home. NoodlesAtNight 9:35 pm ((....catbox)) verdigrisprowl 9:35 pm I understand the little shaky man. opatoes 9:35 pm I have a greenhouse, and I will give periwinkle the best home. verdigrisprowl 9:35 pm Pretending things is hard. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:35 pm ((slendy no)) opatoes 9:36 pm ... Periwinkle, that is too vague. Chaifootsteps 9:36 pm How to hallucinate. opatoes 9:36 pm ... A lake? Chaifootsteps 9:36 pm "I see a home that loves me." Swervester 9:36 pm A beach NoodlesAtNight 9:36 pm *Oh, his spark. Why, Arcee.* verdigrisprowl 9:36 pm *looks at Arcee. That's the saddest thing ever.* opatoes 9:36 pm ...... Chaifootsteps 9:36 pm *You're all welcome*. opatoes 9:37 pm /He's pulling his legs to his chest. Poor Periwinkle./ NoodlesAtNight 9:37 pm ((i'm feeling mr. salt on this particular exercise)) Darkscream 9:37 pm *Nyeeeeh* Swervester 9:37 pm //lmao verdigrisprowl 9:37 pm ... You can stay here. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:37 pm I mean. It's not like Arcee's wrong. opatoes 9:37 pm My garden! MedicalMurdersaurus 9:37 pm Dinobot island verdigrisprowl 9:37 pm *didn't realize Arcee was being the cat.* opatoes 9:37 pm Hmph. My garden looks better. Swervester 9:38 pm Does he see anything NoodlesAtNight 9:38 pm ((aw. i was kinda hoping mr. salt couldn't)) opatoes 9:38 pm ((same Chaifootsteps 9:39 pm *Mumbles something appreciate. He was, but Prowl's not exactly wrong*. Swervester 9:39 pm HE's too salty to have imagination Darkscream 9:39 pm *Tilts her helm back* You ever go to Dinobot Island, Swoop? Chaifootsteps 9:39 pm ((Nope, people who see the world differently are Wrong and Awful.)) opatoes 9:39 pm I want to ride a ferris wheel. ... Though, perhaps not one that moves vertically MedicalMurdersaurus 9:40 pm YAH! Us live there. That why DINOBOT island kehhehhe. Us there for uhhhhhhhhhhhh while. And then Decepticon broke island and Us Dnobots go back to cave. verdigrisprowl 9:40 pm ... That's a merry-go-round. opatoes 9:40 pm ... That's what they are called? Swervester 9:40 pm ....Shit, you're right Darkscream 9:40 pm [flyyying] Swervester 9:40 pm Horizontal ferris wheels are just merry go rounds Darkscream 9:40 pm Aw, sorry to hear that Swoop. *Pats* Swervester 9:40 pm Why did I not realize it MedicalMurdersaurus 9:41 pm *shrugs and looks nonplussed* Whatever : > NoodlesAtNight 9:41 pm *It is his turn to be impressed. That'd never occurred to him* [[Very clever of you.]] opatoes 9:41 pm A bunny? A kitty with a bobtail!! Darkscream 9:41 pm I think you're the most casual mech I've ever met, Swoop. Chaifootsteps 9:41 pm Blue wants to splice animals. opatoes 9:41 pm I want a cat friend. Blue has is too good. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:42 pm Casual? verdigrisprowl 9:42 pm *got called clever. covers mouth again* Darkscream 9:42 pm Maybe not the right word choice. Not quite carefree? Just easy going maybe NoodlesAtNight 9:42 pm *...Thinks the button picture looks like Shockwave's face.* *Isn't going to say that.* verdigrisprowl 9:42 pm *mumbles* I see a button. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:43 pm Oh! Kay. Me Swoop not care about lots of stuff! Kehhehhehhe. opatoes 9:44 pm Periwinkle? NoodlesAtNight 9:44 pm [[That is fine, he thinks.]] opatoes 9:44 pm Isn't that periwinkle's home Darkscream 9:44 pm *Grins* You love jokes and fighting though. opatoes 9:44 pm I want to sit in a box. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:44 pm YAH! verdigrisprowl 9:44 pm That box is shaped differently. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:44 pm And fly and Her Bird! verdigrisprowl 9:44 pm Space ship! Swervester 9:44 pm Ya opatoes 9:45 pm That's true. I was too hopeful. verdigrisprowl 9:45 pm I got it. Darkscream 9:45 pm Bird? Who Bird? MedicalMurdersaurus 9:45 pm BIRD! *points to Soundwave* Her Laserbeak : > NoodlesAtNight 9:45 pm *Leans forward. This doesn't look anything like the Nemesis.* [[...Maybe it's the Ark.]] opatoes 9:45 pm That reminds me of my escape pod. verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((SHIT i just realized there was an alert sitting in the corner of two people asking to come in and i didn't see them ;;)) Darkscream 9:46 pm Oh! *Laughs* I see Swervester 9:46 pm //rip NoodlesAtNight 9:46 pm ((oh nooooo let them in)) verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((i did but they're not here, since they were trying... an hour and a half ago...)) NoodlesAtNight 9:46 pm ((oh nooooooooo)) verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((is there a way to set the thing to like, ding at me when somebody's trying to come in?)) opatoes 9:46 pm ((azxcvbnm,mn bv riiip NoodlesAtNight 9:46 pm ((it's supposed to....)) verdigrisprowl 9:46 pm ((because i don't notice the stupid tiny dot)) verdigrisprowl 9:47 pm ((well. it doesn't.)) opatoes 9:47 pm ((it usually gives a box notification- not even doing that? verdigrisprowl 9:47 pm ((i found the setting and turned it on)) opatoes 9:47 pm ((huh, i didnt know there was a setting to turn on for that verdigrisprowl 9:48 pm ((ugh fuck when i do that the chat beeps at me too)) ((that's annoying)) opatoes 9:48 pm ((oh no Swervester 9:48 pm Does she want to turn the box into a car verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm *new guest* Hi! Hello. *waves* beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm *waves back* Swervester 9:49 pm Hey Aid verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm *he's rather quite a lot drunk right now.* beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm Hey Swerve! *oh boy he's never seen drunk Prowl before* verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm There's snacks! *points at the snack table.* There's engex and danger jugs. opatoes 9:49 pm /Looking at the stranger, a little cautious, but a bit curious./ beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm Oh wow thanks! NoodlesAtNight 9:49 pm *Huffs softly. Danger jugs.* verdigrisprowl 9:49 pm Mixmaster sent the danger jugs. beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm Danger jugs.. Swervester 9:49 pm [gets himself another danger drink honestly] Chaifootsteps 9:49 pm The danger jugs are *good.* Swervester 9:49 pm They are. beeeeeeeeee 9:49 pm What's..in them? Swervester 9:49 pm Who knows But it's good. beeeeeeeeee 9:50 pm Suspicious, but accepted opatoes 9:50 pm Is there a limit to how many drinks an individual can take? verdigrisprowl 9:50 pm There's carbonation in the middle one and there's black in the right one. They get worse from left to right. beeeeeeeeee 9:50 pm ..huh NoodlesAtNight 9:50 pm [[He encourages you all to have the helpings he cannot.]] *And also because he's hoping more mechs will start babbling* beeeeeeeeee 9:50 pm *we do not need drunk aid here nope* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:50 pm It's king Horse! Darkscream 9:50 pm *Casual wave to the new mechs. Content by Swoop. Comfy Dinobot* verdigrisprowl 9:51 pm ... I feel like I should say yes but I don't know what an appropriate limit is. Don't get so drunk I'd have to arrest you when you leave. beeeeeeeeee 9:51 pm Noted Swervester 9:51 pm Sounds like a good compromise Chaifootsteps 9:51 pm *Well, when he puts it like that, he's just gonna go get another Black. Very unsteadily*. opatoes 9:51 pm ... Would I be able to take the remains home? High grade is important for recharging. beeeeeeeeee 9:51 pm //kelpy this is making me think of the fact that your aid tag is energon juice or smth like that Swervester 9:51 pm //it is verdigrisprowl 9:51 pm No it's not. Swervester 9:52 pm //i still love energon juice as the aid tag beeeeeeeeee 9:52 pm //its accurate opatoes 9:52 pm For me, it assists. verdigrisprowl 9:52 pm That's probably not healthy. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:52 pm If you need to get intoxicated to sleep you should see a doctor. MedicalMurdersaurus 9:52 pm ((I'm pooped. I'm going to hit the hay. Swoop can sleep or we can just assume he'd eventually try to burn a book lol)) opatoes 9:52 pm I am fine. NoodlesAtNight 9:52 pm ((sleep well!)) opatoes 9:52 pm I am dating a doctor. Chaifootsteps 9:52 pm ((G'night!)) verdigrisprowl 9:52 pm ((the books are datapads, that would be impressive)) SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:52 pm You should see a doctor medically. Swervester 9:53 pm Do y'all think Steve's a furry? [sips drink slowly] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:53 pm Probably not the one you're dating. Swervester 9:53 pm //night swoop MedicalMurdersaurus 9:53 pm ((he can burn people, a datapad is nothing)) beeeeeeeeee 9:53 pm ajkls;df swerve Chaifootsteps 9:53 pm ... What's a furry? opatoes 9:53 pm I did, just- last year, maybe? verdigrisprowl 9:53 pm He doesn't look furry. Swervester 9:53 pm I'm just ASKING Aid SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:53 pm /I'm/ furry. beeeeeeeeee 9:53 pm I mean i knoW NoodlesAtNight 9:53 pm [[Is it a monkey.]] verdigrisprowl 9:53 pm Tarantulas is furry. opatoes 9:53 pm Tarantulas? Swervester 9:53 pm That's uh. Not exactly what I mean. THough I guess he'd count Chaifootsteps 9:53 pm So Stove is...Tarantulas? Darkscream 9:54 pm [nightswoop if not late] opatoes 9:54 pm /He's imagining Prowl being just like Steve and having particular animal friends./ NoodlesAtNight 9:54 pm [[Ah. She wishes to turn the box into Astrotrain.]] verdigrisprowl 9:54 pm No. No. He doesn't do as much science. NoodlesAtNight 9:54 pm [[The third clue is high grade. He's calling it.]] Swervester 9:54 pm Oh so train, not a car. verdigrisprowl 9:54 pm Oh! So it's a rocket AND a train. I get it. Swervester 9:54 pm I thought car. opatoes 9:54 pm ... /He's grabbing a couple cubes of high grade, and is sitting down again, to help himself to the first drink./ SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:54 pm I feel like the third clue to summon astrotrain would be highly inappropriate for hatchlings. opatoes 9:55 pm Heh- it would, wouldn't it? verdigrisprowl 9:55 pm I need to talk to Astrotrain. NoodlesAtNight 9:55 pm [[He can think of worse clues to summon Astrotrain with.]] Darkscream 9:55 pm *Going to HUP up and go get her unfinished Mixmaster sludge. Maybe just chill by the table since Swoop passed out on her.* Swervester 9:55 pm His ability to bridge between universes is interesting. It involves a lot of dancing. beeeeeeeeee 9:55 pm I like that skadoo is a verb NoodlesAtNight 9:55 pm [[It is. He's tempted to look into it himself.]] opatoes 9:55 pm I would like to be held by Astrotrain. NoodlesAtNight 9:56 pm [[The energon usage would be much lower.]] Swervester 9:56 pm That's not much runway Steve SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:56 pm I wish I could do that. Bridges are nice, but they're hard to maintain in my universe. And there's always the fear that it'll cut out when I'm halfway through. verdigrisprowl 9:56 pm Do you want to bridge like that, Soundwave. opatoes 9:57 pm With a sled. NoodlesAtNight 9:57 pm [[He could.]] Chaifootsteps 9:57 pm Snow my aft. That hill's made of salt. NoodlesAtNight 9:57 pm *...Reminds himself to plant a tracker on the dragon.* opatoes 9:57 pm Mr. Salt has been occupied. Swervester 9:57 pm He's almost the height of the stairs. Chaifootsteps 9:57 pm *For some reason, snickers into his danger jug at that* NoodlesAtNight 9:58 pm @P: [[...You mentioned wanting a different seat earlier. Nothing is stopping you, you know.]] SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:58 pm *given what her pocket dimension actually does with bridges, he might not like the results* opatoes 9:58 pm Escalator! Oh. NoodlesAtNight 9:58 pm [[Escalators have stairs. They ARE stairs.]] opatoes 9:58 pm ... verdigrisprowl 9:58 pm @S «Yes. Something is stopping me.» Swervester 9:58 pm They're magic stairs. verdigrisprowl 9:58 pm @S «My present lack of physical coordination.» SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:58 pm Elevator! A space elevator? opatoes 9:58 pm I simply misremembered the word. Swervester 9:59 pm What kind of delivery guy is trapped in a tower? NoodlesAtNight 9:59 pm @P: [[Ah. That is fair.]] *Pause. ... He might regret this, but--* [[Would you like assistance?]] opatoes 9:59 pm ... Isn't a delivery service supposed to make things convenient for you? NoodlesAtNight 9:59 pm [[Rapunzel with a post office job?]] verdigrisprowl 9:59 pm @S «Yes.» SpecsTheSpectralDragon 9:59 pm Everyone has to do something, I suppose. opatoes 10:00 pm ... Post office jobs sound enjoyable. verdigrisprowl 10:00 pm ... Roller coaster! opatoes 10:00 pm A train? A train in a very hilly place? Oh. verdigrisprowl 10:00 pm Roller coaster. Swervester 10:00 pm Oooh NoodlesAtNight 10:00 pm *Stretches his feelers out to the side. Feel free to clamber over, use them for walking stability, or just be picked up and plopped down as desired.* opatoes 10:00 pm Good work, Prowl. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:00 pm Why are they going to space in a roller coaster? verdigrisprowl 10:00 pm Yes. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:01 pm That seems. Bad? Unpleasant? Arduous? verdigrisprowl 10:01 pm *looks at feelers.* ... *holds feelers?* Chaifootsteps 10:01 pm *Again, he's laughing*. NoodlesAtNight 10:01 pm *...Sloooowly lifts?* verdigrisprowl 10:01 pm *STARTLED FLAIL* opatoes 10:01 pm ... delivery guy said frag work NoodlesAtNight 10:01 pm [[They'll need to gather a lot of speed if that's what they're doing to get to space.]] *Quickly sets down.* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:01 pm *this is vastly more entertaining than the video. drunk prowl is precious and needs her protection.* Chaifootsteps 10:01 pm They don't plan on making it home. opatoes 10:02 pm That is relatable. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:02 pm Maybe their new home will be in space. opatoes 10:02 pm I did nothing and you know it, Stork. Darkscream 10:03 pm *Glances down at her drink. Well in her quietness apparently she drank the entire thing* . . . whoops Chaifootsteps 10:03 pm *Everything's funny to him right now* NoodlesAtNight 10:03 pm @P: [[...Perhaps you should crawl across and onto his lap. That seems easier. He can support you with them.]] verdigrisprowl 10:04 pm *looks dubiously at the armrests* @S «That seems unlikely.» opatoes 10:04 pm /He's setting his own empty cube down, and pulling the second cube, full of the third danger drink./ NoodlesAtNight 10:04 pm @P: [[The alternatives are walking or being lifted. With notice, this time.]] verdigrisprowl 10:04 pm ((oh we saw this one, hold on)) NoodlesAtNight 10:04 pm [[...Didn't we--]] opatoes 10:05 pm it all loops SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:05 pm ((the dragon is gonna have to tap out. thanks for the movie, prowl! you'll never learn that she doesn't have a passport.)) opatoes 10:05 pm it never ends NoodlesAtNight 10:05 pm ((he's so proud of you, rulebreaking dragon)) Chaifootsteps 10:05 pm Primus, I thought we were trapped in a loop. verdigrisprowl 10:05 pm *FLAILS OUT OF SEAT* *goes to the projector to change videos* SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:05 pm ((she's tiny and no one can catch her breaking the law)) opatoes 10:05 pm I have accepted my fate long ago. verdigrisprowl 10:05 pm *he will save the day* opatoes 10:05 pm Thank you, Prowl. NoodlesAtNight 10:05 pm *Oh, sweet Primus. Yeah, he's not letting go.* verdigrisprowl 10:05 pm ((so scandalous)) opatoes 10:05 pm ... Bugs! Oh, bugs! I have to fight bugs often, due to my garden- but luckily, one of my new plants can handle them well. NoodlesAtNight 10:05 pm [[If he sees ONE ROACH.]] Darkscream 10:06 pm *Slightly startled by Prowl. Well that happened* verdigrisprowl 10:06 pm Sorry! Sorry. I didn't check the playlist. opatoes 10:06 pm Do you have a roach issue, Soundwave? Chaifootsteps 10:06 pm Blue stirs up a hornet's nest. SpecsTheSpectralDragon 10:06 pm ((good night everyone! have fun! I will leave you with the knowledge that I talked to Whirlmun and they said "Heqet Bless")) Darkscream 10:06 pm Uh... Prowl, are you alright? verdigrisprowl 10:06 pm ((good)) Yes. I'm fine. I had to change the video. NoodlesAtNight 10:06 pm [[Not an issue. Merely an army.]] opatoes 10:06 pm Send your roaches to my garden. I have a plant companion that enjoys insects- oh. ... Do you enjoy having an army? Swervester 10:07 pm Bad pun opatoes 10:07 pm Ladybug!! NoodlesAtNight 10:07 pm [[...Not particularly.]] opatoes 10:07 pm Ladybird! verdigrisprowl 10:07 pm *very carefully weaves his way back over to chairs* opatoes 10:07 pm ... As I said, you are free to send them to my garden. I have a friend that loves insects. Darkscream 10:07 pm If you say so... You scrambled out of that chair so far. *Leans back against the table.* verdigrisprowl 10:07 pm *... sits on Soundwave* NoodlesAtNight 10:07 pm [[No, no. He'll keep them. He has - plans for th--]] *...Casually wraps his arms around.* [For them.]] opatoes 10:08 pm ... Very well. If you ever have traitors, I have a mission you can give them. verdigrisprowl 10:08 pm *sits sideways and pulls knees up.* Darkscream 10:08 pm [rabbit is DCing me, so sorry for double DS] NoodlesAtNight 10:08 pm [[And let you find out the secrets of his roachly kingdom? Never.]] ((bad rabbit!)) verdigrisprowl 10:08 pm ((spontaneous doppelganger)) opatoes 10:08 pm I have no interests in your kingdom. I want my plants to eat. Darkscream 10:08 pm [It always does this to me. I had THREE of me once] NoodlesAtNight 10:08 pm *Ah. A comfortable companion this is. He's pleased.* verdigrisprowl 10:09 pm He's bad at hearing the word "clue." Swervester 10:09 pm Maybe he's heard of hearing? verdigrisprowl 10:09 pm Why is the plane broken? Chaifootsteps 10:09 pm *He's too plastered to care what they're doing, let alone board the train of thought to desperately missing his Prowl*. NoodlesAtNight 10:09 pm [[So find them emus. Or whatever it is your plant eats.]] opatoes 10:10 pm They generally do have food. For whatever reason, they attract flies often. I was simply offering if you ever needed to remove a traitor. Periwinkle!! I want to pet a cat NoodlesAtNight 10:10 pm [[You do not deserve Periwinkle's bug hunting skills.]] Chaifootsteps 10:10 pm Periwinkle's out looking for food people left on the ground. opatoes 10:10 pm Periwinkle deserves only the best!! ... NoodlesAtNight 10:10 pm [[Eat it, Periwinkle. Grow strong and leave them.]] opatoes 10:10 pm That is understandable, but upsetting. ... I want to eat that bug. NoodlesAtNight 10:11 pm [[And he assumes Sideswipe sat on the plane.]] verdigrisprowl 10:11 pm Why does he let one blue dog live inside but makes the other blue dog live outside? Darkscream 10:11 pm Hmm... Bye kickback opatoes 10:11 pm That is a cat! And it is cruel fate. opatoes 10:12 pm ... oh. i didn't realize they were asking us I thought they all just didn't know and were being silent NoodlesAtNight 10:12 pm [[It searches for secrets.]] [[The best ones are underground.]] Darkscream 10:12 pm This is making me miss Insecticons. verdigrisprowl 10:12 pm *cat? cat. skeptical squint.* *TENSES UP. Insecticons.* NoodlesAtNight 10:12 pm *Squeezes tighter. No Insecticons here.* verdigrisprowl 10:13 pm *... quietly squeezes a hand over the back of his neck.* opatoes 10:13 pm Insecticons? Do those still exist? verdigrisprowl 10:13 pm No. Swervester 10:13 pm I only know the Bobs. opatoes 10:13 pm Ah. Okay. Swervester 10:13 pm Stick bug? opatoes 10:13 pm Being a stick. verdigrisprowl 10:13 pm They're all dead. opatoes 10:13 pm ... They went extinct? opatoes 10:14 pm How? Darkscream 10:14 pm *Pauses before she could answer. Glances at Prowl and Soundwave. Frowning.* verdigrisprowl 10:14 pm *shrug.* opatoes 10:14 pm Fair enough. ... Have you seen any bug type pokemon? Those are pleasant. NoodlesAtNight 10:15 pm *...He already had a green crayon. Why did he put it away.* verdigrisprowl 10:15 pm I've only seen Magnemite. Swervester 10:15 pm I haven't had any come through either. opatoes 10:15 pm Oh- well, seeing any Pokemon is lucky. I want a Pokemon. Chaifootsteps 10:15 pm I've got two now. opatoes 10:15 pm !! You have Pokemon, as well? verdigrisprowl 10:16 pm Do you have a Magnemite? opatoes 10:16 pm Why does everyone get a Pokemon but me? Not in real life. Darkscream 10:16 pm What's this now about Pokemon and Magnemite? *Had been elsewhere* Chaifootsteps 10:16 pm No, but I've got a Doublade. And a Keldeo. NoodlesAtNight 10:16 pm *NOPE NOPE NOPE* verdigrisprowl 10:16 pm I don't know what those are. opatoes 10:16 pm Doublade! Swervester 10:16 pm Yes, I have the 11 Magnemite Prowl gave me and one someone else gave me. opatoes 10:16 pm And a keldeo? NoodlesAtNight 10:16 pm [[They're horrible enough as is. Did they need to hiss?]] opatoes 10:16 pm May I come home with you, er- /He doesn't remember anyone's names./ verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm What are horrible? NoodlesAtNight 10:17 pm [[Roaches.]] verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm Oh. opatoes 10:17 pm Inferno. verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm That's no way to talk about your subjects. Chaifootsteps 10:17 pm Also a Mantine, technically. opatoes 10:17 pm No. verdigrisprowl 10:17 pm I don't know what that is, either. opatoes 10:18 pm Please- please let me come home with you. /He's gesturing at Arcee./ verdigrisprowl 10:18 pm It's a red button! Swervester 10:18 pm Did this ant forget how to find food Chaifootsteps 10:18 pm Have we even met? opatoes 10:18 pm I suppose not- but I will not be in the way. I simply wish to see if I could find a Pokemon. opatoes 10:19 pm ... It is okay if I cannot, but- if you see any catlike Pokemon, would I be able to trade something in exchange? NoodlesAtNight 10:19 pm [[Roaches that are not his subjects. Obviously, his roaches are useful spies.]] Swervester 10:19 pm //etgrbdgfv it makes me so mad they gave her a mouth when her mandibles exist NoodlesAtNight 10:19 pm [[Or will be, soon.]] verdigrisprowl 10:19 pm ((double mouth)) Darkscream 10:19 pm [*screm at rabbit*] Swervester 10:20 pm //WHY WERE THOSE ANTS NOT LARVAE NoodlesAtNight 10:20 pm [[Laserbeak's room.]] Swervester 10:20 pm Looks like it Chaifootsteps 10:20 pm Doublade doesn't like strangers and Keldeo's still settling in. But if I see any cats, sure. verdigrisprowl 10:20 pm There's food in there she hasn't eaten? Chaifootsteps 10:20 pm Could always ask the anons. opatoes 10:20 pm The Lord! Anons don't always like me. Chaifootsteps 10:21 pm Anons seem dangerous. opatoes 10:21 pm They are. They occasionally give me puzzles, though. Swervester 10:21 pm Bee hive? NoodlesAtNight 10:21 pm [[Quite a bit. Her storage is the second largest behind the second floor's main stockpile.]] Swervester 10:21 pm Oh Butterfly is her favorite bug opatoes 10:21 pm I wish to be bundled up like that. Swervester 10:21 pm Or a moth Darkscream 10:22 pm *Ruffles her wings. Mumbles a bit* I want to see the Magnemite.. *[Rabbit blepped out and I couldn't respond in time]* opatoes 10:22 pm A moth! verdigrisprowl 10:22 pm ... How many people want to see the Magnemite? Swervester 10:22 pm Butterfly then. opatoes 10:22 pm I do. Chaifootsteps 10:23 pm I do. opatoes 10:23 pm Could I give your magnemite a gift? NoodlesAtNight 10:23 pm [[He will have to stick to videos.]] verdigrisprowl 10:23 pm Oh. Yes. Okay. Darkscream 10:23 pm I haven't seen one in years. Cute ones. verdigrisprowl 10:24 pm It's very cute. I love it. *he says this with a complete deadpan, but trust him okay.* Darkscream 10:24 pm Did you give them a name? *Not arguing. Magnemite ARE cute* Swervester 10:24 pm They're the objectively best pokemon verdigrisprowl 10:24 pm ... Its name is Magnemite. opatoes 10:24 pm It is a cute pokemon. opatoes 10:25 pm Does it ever Shock you? verdigrisprowl 10:25 pm Well. Technically its name is Magnemite gamma with a little G because I had to give the Magnemite different names on the paperwork to tell them apart. I skipped Zeta. verdigrisprowl 10:26 pm Okay—the next one is going to be the last one. Okay? Okay. NoodlesAtNight 10:26 pm *Nods.* [[...The clouds. Were the clouds shaped like--?]] verdigrisprowl 10:26 pm Yes! Sometimes it shocks me when I bother it. Darkscream 10:26 pm *Chuckles* I hope it's not too presumptuous, but I'd love to see Magnemite one day, Prowl. opatoes 10:26 pm Oh! Perhaps it knows thunder shock, then. How often do you feed it electricity? verdigrisprowl 10:27 pm There's no thunder. It's too small to make thunder. opatoes 10:27 pm Fair enough. verdigrisprowl 10:27 pm Um... all the time. opatoes 10:27 pm ... That is fair. It must be a fairly active Pokemon. opatoes 10:28 pm ... Also, could I show you two more Pokemon on my Datapad? To see if you can understand them. verdigrisprowl 10:28 pm Okay. *leans over to look* opatoes 10:29 pm /He's going through his bank, before pulling out a magnezone and magnemite. He's starting with the Magnezone, opening the application./ Does that sound like anything, language-wise? NoodlesAtNight 10:29 pm *He had no idea Sidetable was such an excellent musician.* verdigrisprowl 10:29 pm No! *puts hand over datapad. Push. That's going away.* opatoes 10:29 pm ... Sorry. Swervester 10:29 pm [makes a noise[ Darkscream 10:30 pm *Mind if she's just leaning on a nearby chair? Not going to get in Prowl's personal space. Glances at the nearby Smokescreen then blinks at Prowl's antics.* Erm... Did I miss something; again NoodlesAtNight 10:30 pm [[Magnezones. Miserable things.]] opatoes 10:30 pm Is it- I don't entirely understand the issue, but I apologize- perhaps we can try with a different electric type pokemon? verdigrisprowl 10:30 pm *nothing that Prowl plans to elaborate on.* beeeeeeeeee 10:30 pm ((welp my sister is demanding Attention which is valid since she did drive 6 hours to see us lmao so i'll talk to yall later!!)) NoodlesAtNight 10:30 pm ((seeya!)) Swervester 10:30 pm //have fun verdigrisprowl 10:30 pm ((gnight! thanks for coming)) opatoes 10:30 pm ((Awww nini! beeeeeeeeee 10:31 pm ((night!)) opatoes 10:31 pm Perhaps electric type pokemon have a similar language? Have you seen a Pikachu before? Swervester 10:31 pm IS BLUE HAVING A BABY verdigrisprowl 10:31 pm ... Peek atchyou. No. Chaifootsteps 10:31 pm Somehow. opatoes 10:31 pm One word. Pi-KAchu. /He's imitating a pikachu now, before pulling out a pikachu in amie./ opatoes 10:32 pm Does this pokemon sound like anything? Darkscream 10:32 pm *Hrms and doesn't ask further on that topic. Leans down on the empty chair she picked* Cute. verdigrisprowl 10:33 pm ... It sounds like an animal. *what's it supposed to sound like* opatoes 10:33 pm ... So, not like a language in particular? Thank you for the test. I would love to do a few additional tests for a few different types of Pokemon, but it is a bit late. verdigrisprowl 10:33 pm Shouldn't an earth clock be able to count to sixty? opatoes 10:33 pm /He wants to show Prowl every single Pokemon./ verdigrisprowl 10:34 pm *Magnemite is literally the only Pokémon that Prowl is interested in.* opatoes 10:34 pm /Aw./ verdigrisprowl 10:34 pm It might be a language. I haven't heard enough to understand it. Swervester 10:34 pm So what does your Magnemite call you, anyway? verdigrisprowl 10:34 pm Boss. Chaifootsteps 10:34 pm That's cute. Swervester 10:35 pm Huh. They call me dinner. opatoes 10:35 pm Boss? verdigrisprowl 10:35 pm *technically the word best translates as "trainer," but same connotation from a Magnemite's perspective* Darkscream 10:35 pm Prowl... Have you tried talking to it through the electricity you feed it? *Was listening to that part.* opatoes 10:35 pm You do look a bit like a snack, Swerve. verdigrisprowl 10:36 pm No, I just talk to it in its language. Swervester 10:36 pm I do not! opatoes 10:36 pm Mmm. Snack. Swervester 10:36 pm ...Well. NoodlesAtNight 10:36 pm [[You would to Ravage.]] Swervester 10:36 pm [huffs] Chaifootsteps 10:36 pm Boooo! opatoes 10:36 pm .... Does Ravage exist in this universe? Swervester 10:36 pm I'm not for eating. opatoes 10:36 pm I- I don't mean eating in that- frag. verdigrisprowl 10:36 pm Yes. Darkscream 10:37 pm As in.. *See if she gets this right...* Maaaa Mag Mii Mii Miiite? [letmebedumb] verdigrisprowl 10:37 pm Your accent is terrible. Swervester 10:37 pm Skadoo is a world Chaifootsteps 10:37 pm *Takes a long drink*. I'm not really in love with Aileron. Where's my doodle about that? verdigrisprowl 10:38 pm You're too............ wiggly. opatoes 10:38 pm an accident verdigrisprowl 10:38 pm Who's Aileron? NoodlesAtNight 10:38 pm [[Who's Aileron? Why do they think you are?]] Chaifootsteps 10:39 pm The only friend I've got left and the best I'm ever gonna do. Swervester 10:39 pm Oh. verdigrisprowl 10:40 pm *... mumbles something vague about being Arcee's friend.* Chaifootsteps 10:40 pm *Looks up at Prowl, blinking dizzily*. Huh? NoodlesAtNight 10:40 pm [[Hm. You strike him as more tolerable than most. He doubts someone you do not love is the best you have in store.]] verdigrisprowl 10:41 pm *oh no wait he has some actual advice* Hey. One time, I was with somebody I didn't love who was the only friend I had and the best I was ever going to do. Chaoit 10:41 pm -just going to make his way in now, more distracted with the area than anything- Chaifootsteps 10:41 pm How did that turn out? opatoes 10:41 pm /Smokescreen's getting up to grab another drink, swaying, and leaning against the table to keep his balance./ verdigrisprowl 10:41 pm I was miserable all the time. Then we broke up. And since then, I've done better. Darkscream 10:42 pm Wiggly? Hrm. *Tries again with less 'wiggly' if she could. This was actually fun to try even if she sounded absurd to others* Mite Mag Mag Mi Mi. verdigrisprowl 10:42 pm And—I was miserable alone, but less miserable than I was with him. opatoes 10:42 pm paprika being a baby? Chaifootsteps 10:42 pm *He sags, digesting this. He's just sober enough that he'll remember it tomorrow*. ...I miss your alternate. Swervester 10:42 pm I like friends. We can be friends. verdigrisprowl 10:42 pm I miss your alternate. Chaifootsteps 10:42 pm I'm sorry. verdigrisprowl 10:43 pm Thanks. *beat* Why? opatoes 10:43 pm bot sleeps. opatoes 10:44 pm Bot makes new puzzles. H- how does pail ... are they having another opatoes 10:45 pm mr salt confirmed to [REDACTED] Swervester 10:45 pm Will it be named Cinnamon Chaifootsteps 10:45 pm I don't know. I don't know where we went wrong. I wish it didn't happen in your universe too. I'm just sorry. Chaoit 10:45 pm I missed everything, didn't i? verdigrisprowl 10:46 pm ((SHIT i keep not seeing people asking to come in)) Darkscream 10:46 pm [the alert system on rabbit is poor af Chaoit 10:46 pm ((nah, that's fine, rabbit is butts verdigrisprowl 10:47 pm Yes, you did. Sorry. opatoes 10:47 pm So, Prowl. You enjoy these kind of mysteries as well as math, correct? Chaoit 10:47 pm That's fine. I did get a bit lost CliffJuuumper 10:48 pm Hey verdigrisprowl 10:48 pm *waves to... is that Cliffjumper? That looks like Cliffjumper. Hi. Prowl's drunk and on somebody else's lap.* Hello. Swervester 10:48 pm [swerve waves] Darkscream 10:48 pm *Just as a note: Primus finds the drunken Prowl on Soundwave's lap hilarious and adorable. Shhh. There is no amused ping.* verdigrisprowl 10:49 pm *to Arcee.* We could be with each other? Whatever happened in your universe and my universe didn't happen in... er... our... cross-universe. CliffJuuumper 10:49 pm *that's a new sight gut hey at least hes having fun.* So where should I sit? verdigrisprowl 10:49 pm Anywhere you want. ... Also, we just finished. Sorry. Chaoit 10:49 pm ((and now I have to go opatoes 10:49 pm ((aaaa nini! Chaoit 10:50 pm ((byyyye verdigrisprowl 10:50 pm But there are drinks. *points at the table with cans of engex and three mysterious jugs.* Mixmaster provided the big ones. They're possibly dangerous. Darkscream 10:50 pm Two jugs. I drank one... verdigrisprowl 10:50 pm And everyone has to leave in twenty minutes. But the drinks are free, so there's that. opatoes 10:50 pm Fair enough- I have a recommendation before I leave, however, if you ever want to watch something. verdigrisprowl 10:51 pm What? opatoes 10:51 pm I watched it with Knock Oot a long time ago- it was this math crime detective show. It was called- er. verdigrisprowl 10:51 pm *those are three of Prowl's favorite words* CliffJuuumper 10:51 pm That's alright i ain't great at mysteries anyway. *Oh well he can least grab some drinks for the road* Chaifootsteps 10:51 pm *To Prowl*. That's true. It didn't... opatoes 10:51 pm Mathnet, that was it. It's a very enjoyable series. NoodlesAtNight 10:51 pm ((if the next word out of your mouth is mathn-- YES)) verdigrisprowl 10:51 pm We got most of the mysteries wrong. Swervester 10:51 pm //lmao verdigrisprowl 10:51 pm I'll look for it. Swervester 10:51 pm But we had a good time. opatoes 10:52 pm I think you would enjoy it! I certainly enjoyed it. opatoes 10:53 pm ((i have this one playlist open with like... every episode adxfcvbn Swervester 10:53 pm Do they do math crimes or crimes against math verdigrisprowl 10:54 pm Crimes against math are the worst kind of crimes, with the exception of crimes against people. NoodlesAtNight 10:54 pm ((YOU BEST SHARE OOC i loved that show)) CliffJuuumper 10:54 pm *Takes a sip of one of the mystery drinks* maybe next time I guess. verdigrisprowl 10:54 pm And/or any crime Shockwave has ever committed. opatoes 10:54 pm They solve crimes with math! The criminals commit crimes, but if you use math, you can generally follow their trail. verdigrisprowl 10:54 pm That's how real crimes work. Swervester 10:55 pm Oh. I didn't know that. Darkscream 10:55 pm *Going to head on out since she feels somewhat awkward on being the mech out* Prowl, this was a nice open call. And tell Mixmaster his drink... wasn't terrible. It's /great/ if it can make me crash on the way out. opatoes 10:55 pm I suppose so- you have to examine the data and find some kind of connection, from what I understand. Swervester 10:55 pm I thought real crimes involved like. following people and cool labs and stuff. I guess earth dramas aren't so good at being accurate. NoodlesAtNight 10:55 pm *Twists to look at Darkscream and nods to them. Goodnight, fellow ex-Con.* Darkscream 10:56 pm *Gives Soundwave a wave. Night Soundwave. Maybe some other time they could chat* NoodlesAtNight 10:56 pm *Perhaps!* opatoes 10:57 pm I am going to head home. I have a personal project to finish, but- /He's going to grab a few cubes to bring home with it./ Thank you for the entertainment, Prowl. verdigrisprowl 10:57 pm They involve that too. And a lot of math. *waves at... that person he saved one time.* Bye. verdigrisprowl 10:58 pm *and that person whose name he also didn't get but who looks like smokescreen.* Bye. opatoes 10:58 pm Goodbye. Swervester 10:58 pm I probably shouldn't leave Rodimus in charge of the bar much longer, he's been texting me for the last ten minutes about something. Probably should have put Bluestreak in charge. [one last drink for the road because that stuff's good] Night Prowl. Swervester 10:59 pm Night Soundwave, everyone else. Darkscream 10:59 pm

verdigrisprowl 10:59 pm Night Swindle. *to be fair, he gets that wrong when he's sober, too* CliffJuuumper 10:59 pm Well since everyone else is going i probably should as well. NoodlesAtNight 10:59 pm [[Goodnight, Swerve.]] CliffJuuumper 11:00 pm Well since everyone else is going i probably should as well. Thanks for the booz, sorry i missed everything verdigrisprowl 11:00 pm Take some drinks. I really don't need these many cans of cheap engex. NoodlesAtNight 11:00 pm [[And... hmm.]] *He's not sure who the little red one is.* [[You.]] Swervester 11:00 pm [splutters but waves to Soundwave and heads out with a couple cans] Chaifootsteps 11:00 pm I should probably head out too. *He rises, nearly faceplants, and rights himself*. Thanks for the baby human mystery show, Prowl. And...the everything else. verdigrisprowl 11:01 pm You're welcome. Bye. *should probably say something more substantive than that* *definitely does not think to do that, at all* Chaifootsteps 11:02 pm *It's Prowl. He would never expect it*. verdigrisprowl 11:02 pm *it's nice when people don't expect more from him than he's actually inclined to do* Chaifootsteps 11:02 pm *It's nice to have expectations about how little to expect. He misses that too*. Chaifootsteps 11:03 pm *And off he totters*. verdigrisprowl 11:04 pm *okay, he's got to wobble his way upright. There's a room to clean.* NoodlesAtNight 11:04 pm *Soundwave lets go of him so he can.* verdigrisprowl 11:04 pm *this is mainly going to consist of grabbing random cans and jugs, popping his hood, and dropping them in his chest* NoodlesAtNight 11:04 pm [[Let him help. It will go faster.]] verdigrisprowl 11:04 pm Okay. verdigrisprowl 11:05 pm We can leave the chairs here. I've decided this. They're the library's problem now. NoodlesAtNight 11:05 pm [[...He can move those, if you aren't stable enough to try. He has four arms - in a sense.]] verdigrisprowl 11:06 pm No. There's a lot and they go all over the library. NoodlesAtNight 11:06 pm [[...As long as you are sure the library will not be upset that you have not returned them.]] verdigrisprowl 11:06 pm They are. The library's problem. /Technically/, I never took them away. NoodlesAtNight 11:06 pm *Just helps pick up cans and whatnot* NoodlesAtNight 11:07 pm [[He - hmm. That's fair.]] *Prowl gets somewhat rule-bendy when he's drunk, he's noticed.* verdigrisprowl 11:07 pm *the letter, if not the spirit, of the law.* NoodlesAtNight 11:07 pm *That is absolutely fine by this loophole artist.* verdigrisprowl 11:07 pm *also he wants to go get laid* NoodlesAtNight 11:08 pm *...An even better motivation! He'll pick things up faster. It's a little strange stowing them in Prowl, but whatever. Prowl can throw them out when they go to his apartment.* verdigrisprowl 11:09 pm ... Do you drink? I've never seen you drink. I don't know if that's because you don't or just because when I'm usually around you you're pretending you don't have a mouth. NoodlesAtNight 11:10 pm [[He drinks regular fuel. He tends to avoid high grade. It makes it harder for him to filter out the things he hears. And he tends to be bitter. He's told it's unpleasant for everyone else.]] verdigrisprowl 11:11 pm Oh. That's too bad. NoodlesAtNight 11:11 pm [[...Every now and then he finds a reason to break that rule. But it's rare.]] verdigrisprowl 11:12 pm Okay. I'm ready. *apparently, "i'm ready" is cue for "i'm about to wrap my arms around you and then attempt to wrap my legs around you"* *... unless soundwave catches him, he's probably just gonna slide to the floor* NoodlesAtNight 11:12 pm [[He'll handle the bridge.]] *After temporarily blanking out any cameras in the are--WHOOP* [[Someone's affectionate.]] *Will absolutely catch him. And hoist him back up properly.* verdigrisprowl 11:13 pm Yes. Wait. You mean me right? Yes. Or is it you? I hope it's you. NoodlesAtNight 11:13 pm [[Himself too. But definitely you.]] verdigrisprowl 11:14 pm Yes. I am. *and just to prove it—again—have a nuzzle.* NoodlesAtNight 11:15 pm *Soundwave absolutely takes that cue to return it. Maybe even a faint hum from his engines.* [[Come. Show him how much, o Prince of Police and Pi.]] NoodlesAtNight 11:16 pm *Stepping backward into the bridge.* verdigrisprowl 11:16 pm ... What kind of kingdom is that? *and off they go* NoodlesAtNight 11:16 pm [[His very favorite.]] *And they're gone.*

Secret Base reviews: Pteranodon

Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

I sometimes like to think about what discovering Pteranodon must have felt like. What, exactly, is the reference frame for a fish-eating flying reptile with a 20’ wingspan? The biggest dinosaurs might have been mind-bogglingly huge, but at least they weren’t expected to do an aircraft impression. The largest flying bird on the planet, the wandering albatross, is barely half the size of an adult Pteranodon. They’re hard enough to picture even if you’ve grown up on palaeontology books; imagine the shock you’d feel if you were surprised by one.

It’s very possible that the palaeontologists who first unearthed Pterandon in the western United States didn’t think much about this sort of thing. They were, after all, engaged in a war. Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh were the two lead men of 19th-century American fossil hunting, each striving to outdo the other in discovering as many dinosaurs and dinosaur-adjacent critters as possible and each entirely willing to bribe and steal their way to preeminence. This ended unhappily for both Cope and Marsh — conducting a palaeontological war is expensive business — but it did bequeath an enormous quantity of information to science.

For the record, Pterandon was first described by Marsh’s camp. But Cope found it too. In fact, if you’re in the right areas and looking at the right rocks, it’s hard not to find Pteranodon specimens: there have been more than a thousand of discoveries made in the last century or so. Why are these fossils so common?

It’s partly to do with lifestyle. Due to the mechanics of fossilisation, creatures that live in or over the sea have a much higher chance of being preserved, and Pteranodon’s main diet was fish from the Western Interior Seaway, a shallow sea which covered much of the present United States about 70 million years ago. It’s also partly to do with abundance. There were a lot of Pteranodon about back then.

One of the species they shared the coasts with, incidentally, was a smaller pterosaur called Nyctosaurus. I bring up Nyctosaurus mostly so that we can all share a laugh at its ridiculous head.

Tim Evanson / CC BY-SA

When I was a kid, Pteranodon had lost a little of its lustre. The discovery of of Quetzalcoatlus and the rest of the azhdarchids meant that Pterandon lost its status as the largest-known pterosaur, and more recent research into azhdarchid hunting behaviour has cast some of them — particularly Hatzegopteryx — as giraffes that a) could fly and b) would happily eat you. Seriously, look at this thing. It’s HORRIBLE:

Anyway, let’s put aside the fascinating developments in pterosaur research and return to the late 20th century, which decided to cast Pteranodon as a surface skimmer, using its long beak to snatch fish from the surface, all while remaining on the wing. This is a feeding behaviour seen in modern day birds (e.g. skimmers, which are aptly named). Skimmers are cool, of course, but not spectacular. And an unspectacular Pteranodon is a sad Pteranodon.

Fortunately, in the last few years Pteranodon seems to have gotten far more spectacular, mostly because their proposed feeding behaviour has changed. As scientists have gotten better at understanding pterosaur flight, they’re realised that the reason Pteranodon has had been cast as a skimmer — specifically the belief that it wouldn’t have been able to take off from a swimming position — no longer hold. So it did something else. What?

I think the most exciting proposal is that Pteranodon behaved like a gannet. Y’all are familiar with gannets, I hope. If not, you should be, because they might be the most awesome bird on the planet. They’re not particularly big or scary or anything like that. The cool thing about gannets is how they hunt.

Gannets drop out of the sky in perfect diving form, hitting the surface of the water at 100 mph or so and using their momentum to catch fish well below the surface. This is quite difficult to do without dying on impact (this is, in fact, a not-uncommon cause of gannet mortality), and their whole body is built for hitting the sea, with specialised nostrils, shock absorbers, etc. etc.

Cool though those adaptations are, the best thing about gannets is that they hunt in flocks. A flock of feeding gannets is an absolutely apocalyptic show, with stream upon stream of bird-missiles plummeting into the sea. Here’s a video from off the coast of Scotland:

Gannets diving off Noss, #Shetland - always an amazing spectacle for guests to witness on our spring and summer trips. Many thanks to the @TheMousaBoat1 crew. @VisitScotland @PromoteShetland @SeabirdCentre pic.twitter.com/9YtErddX5j

— Shetland Wildlife (@ShetlandWild) May 29, 2018

Anyhow. Gannets. They’re cool. What would make them even cooler? If they were the size of small aircraft. If a flock of gannets hunting looks apocalyptic now, imagine them on the scale of Pteranodon. It would look like the end of the world.

Is the Pteranodon-as-diver hypothesis likely? I’m not a pterosaur biomechanicist, so I don’t really know. But it does seem at least vaguely plausible in a hand-wavey sort of way, and since it is both vaguely plausible and extremely cool I think that’s good enough for the verdict. Pteranodons: very good.

9

Humans May Be the Only Intelligent Life in the Universe, If Evolution Has Anything to Say

Humans May Be the Only Intelligent Life in the Universe, If Evolution Has Anything to Say

Are we alone in the universe? It comes down to whether intelligence is a probable outcome of natural selection, or an improbable fluke. By definition, probable events occur frequently, improbable events occur rarely — or once. Our evolutionary history shows that many key adaptations — not just intelligence, but complex animals, complex cells, photosynthesis, and life itself — were unique, one-off events, and therefore highly improbable. Our evolution may have been like winning the lottery … only far less likely. The universe is astonishingly vast. The Milky Way has more than 100 billion stars, and there are over a trillion galaxies in the visible universe, the tiny fraction of the universe we can see. Even if habitable worlds are rare, their sheer number — there are as many planets as stars, maybe more — suggests lots of life is out there. So where is everyone? This is the Fermi paradox. The universe is large, and old, with time and room for intelligence to evolve, but there's no evidence of it. Could intelligence simply be unlikely to evolve? Unfortunately, we can't study extraterrestrial life to answer this question. But we can study some 4.5 billion years of Earth's history, looking at where evolution repeats itself, or doesn't. Related: From Big Bang to Present: Snapshots of Our Universe Through Time Evolution sometimes repeats, with different species independently converging on similar outcomes. If evolution frequently repeats itself, then our evolution might be probable, even inevitable. And striking examples of convergent evolution do exist. Australia's extinct, marsupial thylacine had a kangaroo-like pouch but otherwise looked like a wolf, despite evolving from a different mammal lineage. There are also marsupial moles, marsupial anteaters and marsupial flying squirrels. Remarkably, Australia's entire evolutionary history, with mammals diversifying after the dinosaur extinction, parallels other continents. Other striking cases of convergence include dolphins and extinct ichthyosaurs, which evolved similar shapes to glide through the water, and birds, bats and pterosaurs, which convergently evolved flight. We also see convergence in individual organs. Eyes evolved not just in vertebrates, but in arthropods, octopi, worms and jellyfish. Vertebrates, arthropods, octopi and worms independently invented jaws. Legs evolved convergently in the arthropods, octopi and four kinds of fish (tetrapods, frogfish, skates, mudskippers). Here's the catch. All this convergence happened within one lineage, the Eumetazoa. Eumetazoans are complex animals with symmetry, mouths, guts, muscles, a nervous system. Different eumetazoans evolved similar solutions to similar problems, but the complex body plan that made it all possible is unique. Complex animals evolved once in life's history, suggesting they're improbable. Related: 13 Ways to Hunt Intelligent Aliens Surprisingly, many critical events in our evolutionary history are unique and, probably, improbable. One is the bony skeleton of vertebrates, which let large animals move onto land. The complex, eukaryotic cells that all animals and plants are built from, containing nuclei and mitochondria, evolved only once. Sex evolved just once. Photosynthesis, which increased the energy available to life and produced oxygen, is a one-off. For that matter, so is human-level intelligence. There are marsupial wolves and moles, but no marsupial humans. There are places where evolution repeats, and places where it doesn't. If we only look for convergence, it creates confirmation bias. Convergence seems to be the rule, and our evolution looks probable. But when you look for non-convergence, it's everywhere, and critical, complex adaptations seem to be the least repeatable, and therefore improbable. What's more, these events depended on one another. Humans couldn't evolve until fish evolved bones that let them crawl onto land. Bones couldn't evolve until complex animals appeared. Complex animals needed complex cells, and complex cells needed oxygen, made by photosynthesis. None of this happens without the evolution of life, a singular event among singular events. All organisms come from a single ancestor; as far as we can tell, life only happened once. Curiously, all this takes a surprisingly long time. Photosynthesis evolved 1.5 billion years after the Earth's formation, complex cells after 2.7 billion years, complex animals after 4 billion years, and human intelligence 4.5 billion years after the Earth formed. That these innovations are so useful but took so long to evolve implies that they're exceedingly improbable. An unlikely series of events These one-off innovations, critical flukes, may create a chain of evolutionary bottlenecks or filters. If so, our evolution wasn't like winning the lottery. It was like winning the lottery again, and again, and again. On other worlds, these critical adaptations might have evolved too late for intelligence to emerge before their suns went nova, or not at all. Related: Greetings, Earthlings! 8 Ways Aliens Could Contact Us Imagine that intelligence depends on a chain of seven unlikely innovations — the origin of life, photosynthesis, complex cells, sex, complex animals, skeletons and intelligence itself — each with a 10% chance of evolving. The odds of evolving intelligence become one in 10 million. But complex adaptations might be even less likely. Photosynthesis required a series of adaptations in proteins, pigments and membranes. Eumetazoan animals required multiple anatomical innovations (nerves, muscles, mouths and so on). So maybe each of these seven key innovations evolve just 1% of the time. If so, intelligence will evolve on just 1 in 100 trillion habitable worlds. If habitable worlds are rare, then we might be the only intelligent life in the galaxy, or even the visible universe. And yet, we're here. That must count for something, right? If evolution gets lucky one in 100 trillion times, what are the odds we happen to be on a planet where it happened? Actually, the odds of being on that improbable world are 100%, because we couldn't have this conversation on a world where photosynthesis, complex cells, or animals didn't evolve. That's the anthropic principle: Earth's history must have allowed intelligent life to evolve, or we wouldn't be here to ponder it. Intelligence seems to depend on a chain of improbable events. But given the vast number of planets, then like an infinite number of monkeys pounding on an infinite number of typewriters to write Hamlet, it's bound to evolve somewhere. The improbable result was us. This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

https://ift.tt/385COJ4 . Foreign Articles December 02, 2019 at 04:09AM

Worldbuilding, A Confluence of Storms : The world of Asum

On a world who’s surface is 90% water and no continents, island clusters dot the blue of the oceans. On these islands live people, human and other, who must learn to share the limited space or die. And they all need to share the waters with the cephalopod-folk who command the blue realm.

(please ignore the terrible quality of this image...)

Consequences of the geography

What to say about Asum? Well, most of the ‘action’ in the story will be taking place on that cluster of islands in the lower right corner. That’s Aidorai (eye-door-eye), currently the most influential ‘nation’ on Asum. But, I’m going too fast, lets look a bit wider for now...

As we can see, not a lot of land to be had on Asum. This has direct consequences on the wildlife of the planet, most of which is either migratory or well-adapted to its home islands. Both flight and swimming are the most common travel forms, with only humans (and some species of arachnids) building ships for transportation. But by far the lifeform that has taken the most to travel and water is fungi. Some of the smaller islands are actually colonies of lots of kinds of fungus and slime molds working in concert to keep themselves together and attached to some island or rocks. Once they become too large, they break away from the islands and simply drift out to sea, releasing spores into the winds to breed as far as possible. Should they encounter land again, they might get a chance to grab on to new territory. This is undesirable to most islanders as they might disrupt the ecosystems of their islands, so most are diverted away from them. But not before they first explore these ‘floaters’ for potentially useful strains of fungus that could be repurposed in a controlled manner. Materials made by fungi is actually the Asumian equivalent to plastic, mouldable and in many cases strong and capable of floating. This makes it an ideal building material for ships and permanent buildings (few as they are). Imagine entire ships and buildings grown in one piece!

The other immediate consequence to the lack of land is that the weather can become monstrous in its power, with storms being true disasters no matter where they go or how small they start out as. Islands with tall mountains or volcanos are therefore prized as much-needed higher ground to escape the storms and tsunamis that hit the coasts, and hit them hard. During a storm, and by mutual agreement by all peoples, any and all ships are welcomed and their crews evacuated towards the mountains. Magic helps a great deal in protecting and transporting the ships themselves to somewhere relatively safe, but the people always get priority. This has essentially become a kind of universally recognized naval law, one where hospitality is a must, or have other people see you as untrustworthy and hurt your trading options (not to mention being denied the same courtesy when you need it...)

Also rare and precious on Asum is fresh water, and it can be viciously fought over by everybody except the Havisiai (have-ih-see-eye)more on these later). Fresh water is actually the most common source of conflict on Asum between human peoples, with everybody sending out ships to retrieve pieces of icebergs that float of towards the equator from the poles. Wars have been fought to settle claims over particularly large chunks and who gets to have them, and various kinds of magics have been invented to preserve them as intact as possible until they can be dragged to an island and broken up for distribution. Competitions over these being as fierce as they are, it has also motivated the creation of a great variety of ship shapes and sizes, as well as strategies to lay claim and gather the icebergs. Some choose lots of small and fast ships while others a few large and intimidating ones. They are as myriad as the people who make them. This may very well be considered Asum’s most popular ‘sport’, the testing of ships against each other...

The Peoples

I mentioned earlier the existence of many peoples, including non-human ones. Asum is an amazing world that has not one or two but four separate sapient species.

-Humans, no different from us save perhaps for much bigger lungs and the chests to go with them (for swimming and diving, holding the breath for longer), better night vision and the occasional partially webbed digits.

-The Havisiai: sapient cephalopods, with six tentacles, 3 genders and a visual-color language that is a pleasure to see even with no understanding. They are also very touchy-feely and have a tendency to taste people to get to know them, as well as having no sense of personal space or knowing when not to talk about any given person’s bodily processes (which they find fascinating and revealing about people). They are more solitary than humans but social enough to cooperate in hunting and building underwater shelters from predators. Their tool-use is rudimentary, but their mastery over water with magic makes them both formidable allies or enemies at sea and makes tool use rather superfluous. They call themselves ‘the Unseen Seers’ (a reference to their camouflage abilities), but are very flattered but the name the people of Aidorai have given them : ‘Havisiai’ means ‘Honored Beautiful People’ in Aidor.

-The Blue Sailors: These are sapient pterosaurs, nomadic/migratory and very chatty. As their name suggests, they are very blue, mostly stemming from their diet on a particular kind of clam that produces a blue pigment. Slightly larger than humans and Havisiai, they are in near-constant travel save for their breeding seasons which they spend on the same island cluster every year (on the map above, on the right above Aidorai, the smaller cluster). Although hey prefer cliffs, they can walk on flat ground perfectly fine on four limbs, and they manipulate objects with their feet and mouth while balancing on their wing-arms. They also have little us for tools but very much appreciate the ones humans give them, especially for grooming as it compliments their own magic-use well. They are very social and have connections between most of their families across the globe. Coordinating between them to avoid overcrowding small islands is a necessity, particularly when human populations are added to the equation. Their willingness to communicate means they can also be asked to send messages between humans, and ‘courier’ is their favorite outsourced job to humans. Their travels sometimes puts them in conflict with the final sapients of Asum....

-The ‘Dragons’ : These are not McCaffrey’ dragons. They do not breathe fire, though they do know how to start them. Nope, these are a kind of giant sharovipteryx, who speak in a combination of sign and whistle-and-clicks language and fly on four wings (their legs are their biggest wings). Communication with them on cordial terms is very recent for humans as they initially only paid attention to the sounds, but since then has improved greatly. They are the largest of the sapients and there aren’t that many of them. They occasionally clash with the Blue Sailors over space on the same island clusters, but since their breeding season is not the same as theirs, these are relatively minor. Unlike the Blue Sailors, who are blue because of their diet, the dragons have a limited chameleon-like ability to control their coloration with pigments in  their scales/skin. Some albinistic individuals lack this ability however, which makes them very visible during hunting and travel, and makes them vulnerable to solar radiation (sunburns and cancers because of it, ow!). The best way to get a dragon to like you is to offer one of the pink individuals some body-paint to cover themselves up with. They will love you all the more if you give it to them in a way where they can apply it to themselves without help. The most common is a water skin filled with paint and tipped at the opening with a sponge for easy smudging. Being that there aren't that many dragons, if you help one, others will hear about it and probably think well of you. No one is sure how capable they are with magic, but most stories about them depict them as very proficient. Only time will tell... 

Its gotten late now, so I’m gonna stop here and continue tomorrow with my favorite subject in the context of Asum : magic! and how it works! bwahahaha!

--luwianskies

The Giant Claw

This is exactly the kind of movie that makes MSTies think fondly of our favourite show.  It’s got Jeff Morrow from This Island Earth, Mara Corday from The Black Scorpion, Morris Ankrum from Rocketship XM, Robert Shayne from The Indestructible Man, a Portentious 50's Narrator who likes to ramble, and a monster you won't believe even after you've seen it.  I was hoping it would be picked up for Season 11... maybe it'll make Season 12.  I can just hear the guys singing the title along to the opening music sting, or whining but I made sandwiches! on behalf of the female lead.

Some object as big as a battleship is buzzing around North America, destroying airplanes wherever it goes!  First it's a search plane over the Arctic, then a transport on its way to New York, then a plane full of men who attempt to parachute to safety, but don't quite make it. Whatever it is it can be glimpsed as it passes, but doesn't show up on radar.  Talk of flying saucers abounds, but eventually engineer Mitch MacAfee and mathematician Sally Caldwell discover the horrible truth: it's a giant anti-matter bird from another galaxy! Even worse, it has come to Earth to nest – we must destroy it before its eggs can hatch, but how do we do that when its antimatter shield annihilates any bullets, rockets, or missiles we can fire at it?

You will find quite a few reviews of this movie online and nearly all of them will focus on the same thing: the monster.  And I will admit up front, The Giant Claw's monster deserves every word of incredulous derision that has ever been heaped on it.  It is ridiculous.  Imagine The Muppet Show doing a sketch involving a none-too-bright vulture.  Picture what the vulture puppet would look like.  That is the monster from The Giant Claw. Godzilla would have laughed at it.  It has bulging eyes and a tuft of hair on the top of its head.  It has a ridge down its back like a dragon and I think its call is just somebody yelling “squaaawwwwk!” into a microphone.  It has teeth. Its feathers look like the whole puppet was shipped across the country in a box full of newspaper and nobody bothered to straighten up its plumage.

In short, it looks like this:

Where was that bad boy in your Gargantuan Panoply, eh, Jonah?

You may have heard the story about how the company originally contracted to do the effects just pocketed the money and ran off, leaving the production company to buy themselves a bird from a shady company in Mexico for whatever they could scrounge from their couch cushions.  You may have heard that the actors had no idea what the monster looked like until they saw the movie for themselves at the premiere, whereupon they snuck out of the theatre and went to go drink the humiliation away.  I have no idea if any of these things are true, but they're such well-trodden ground that I don't feel like going over them again.  Instead I will talk about the non-monster parts – because frankly, those are pretty hilarious, too.

For starters, there's another thing a lot of reviews talk about: the narrator.  Like The Beast of Yucca Flats or The Atomic Brain, The Giant Claw has an intermittent narrator who doesn't always make a whole lot of sense.  In fact, the opening scene, in which Mitch becomes the first to sight the bird during a test flight, only to be accused of playing a practical joke when it doesn't show up on any radar, is entirely narrated.  This is very odd, since this is the part of the movie where we ought to be meeting the characters and establishing the conflict.  You would expect it to be the part where it's most important to show us things rather than telling us – telling can happen later when we have some frame of reference for what we've been told.

I can't imagine any halfway-capable writer doing this intentionally, and the writers of The Giant Claw (Paul Gangelin and Samuel Newman) do seem to have been at least halfway-capable.  They both had fairly long careers, Newman writing for television and Gangelin penning, among other things, one of the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies.  The dialogue in The Giant Claw is awful, including such fantastical down points as 'follow the pattern', the mesonic atom, and 'get me my pants, will you, General?', but the story is linear enough and follows the standard monster-movie beats: first sighting, rising action, supersitious yokel connects the creature with some local legend, the military is useless, all-out destruction, and finally the world is saved by technobabble bullshit.  It's never great (in fact it's barely mediocre), but it's functional – except for that truly abysmal beginning.  I can only imagine that something must have happened, like they ran out of time or money and simply could not shoot the opening of the movie properly.

The narrator also has a favourite word, which quickly becomes the whole movie's favourite word: battleship. I think The Giant Claw uses the word battleship more than the actual movie Battleship. Whenever the narrator wants to tell us that the bird is big, he calls it as big as a battleship. Mitch MacAfee describes it as big as a battleship. Sally and the skeptical military brass derisively call it his flying battleship. The word is used so many times, it actually starts to do that thing where it stops meaning anything and becomes a mere noise.  Az bigazza baddle shipp.

When the movie tries to talk about science, what comes out of the characters' mouths is very nearly complete gobbledegook, with a few physics words thrown in to try to sound plausible.  It rarely even reaches a Star Trek level of scientific accuracy, except in one notable case, where it is very much better than Star Trek. Remember the episode The Alternative Factor, in which a guy is travelling between matter and anti-matter universes?  Spock does explain that when matter and anti-matter meet, they annihilate each other, but the writers totally failed to understand how this works.  They seemed to think that a person must meet his or her own duplicate in order to annihilate, whereas in the real universe any proton can annihilate with any anti-proton, any electron with any positron.  This is how it works in The Giant Claw, as the bird's antimatter force field destroys all the matter it encounters.

The movie also throws a couple of surprising bones to the idea of the bird as an alien. Talking about the feather he's examined, staff scientist Dr. Noymann notes that he calls it a feather because it looks like one and appears to be functionally analagous, but this is not strictly accurate, any more than it would be accurate to call a pterosaur’s pycnofibres 'hair' just because they serve the same insulating purpose.  There is also a scene in which Sally and Mitch discuss whether the bird eats, and conclude that it somehow draws energy from the vehicles it destroys, but not through internal digestion.  When so many films assume that extraterrestrial life will both look and function like Earth life, it's nice to see even a bad movie note that we can't take this for granted.

Although there are exceptions, like Reptilicus or Starcrash, I've generally found that the best bad movies are those that really are earnestly trying to say something even if they don't succeed.  A lot of reviewers seem to think The Giant Claw is a fairly empty movie as well as a hilariously terrible one, but I'm not so sure that's the case.  Rather than just being about a giant buzzard and some extremely crummy models, this is a movie about science, about seeking a rational explanation, about eliminating the impossible to settle on the merely improbable, and about how when things don't make sense it probably means you're on the verge of an important discovery.

When the bird is first sighted, people try to write it off as a practical joke on Mitch's part, because who ever heard of a bird az bigazza baddle shipp that doesn't show up on radar?  Even when it's clear something weird is going on, people complain it doesn't make sense: Sally lists possible alternate causes for the airplane accidents that keep happening but dismisses them all, and one of the military men grouses that MacAfee might as well tell him that 'black is white and two plus two equals six'.  The characters make progress not by dismissing the events, or by blaming paranormal phenomena like flying saucers, but by studying the evidence.  The photos from Sally's weather balloons and the shed feather tell Dr. Noymann that it is a bird, that it comes from space, and that it uses anti-matter for defense.

Never mind that these conclusions are way sillier than flying saucers and that the 'science' that supports them is bullshit.  The point is that you need to have the facts before you can move from them to how to deal with the situation.  Once they know what the bird is and what it's made of, things like the ineffectiveness of traditional weapons and the radar invisibility make sense (at least in the world of the movie) and Mitch and Sally can use their knowledge of physics and mathematics to come up with a plan that works.

In the real world, a lot of scientific progress happens when things don't seem to make sense.  Einstein couldn't reconcile the speed of light predicted by Maxwell's equations with the structure of space as predicted by Newton, and out of this seeming contradiction came relativity.  Nowadays science has a similar problem with the incompatibility of relativity and quantum mechanics, but scientists know from experience that this means there's a better theory out there that we just haven't found yet.  When the world doesn't seem to make sense, it's actually just telling you to dig a little deeper, because the next layer down will blow your mind.

Not bad for a movie about a giant anti-matter bird from another galaxy.

How do you draw folded bat wings? I tried to look up references but it looks so dark and such a mess that I can't figure out what's going on. All my dragons have their wings sticking out and I want them to relax and fold their wings, but I can't figure it out.

first, know that having a good grasp on wing anatomy is the first step, so I rec checkin out my crash-course on vertebrate wings, if u need it. I’ll try to summarize some of the more relevant points when necessary here, tho

that said, real-life folded bat wings are actually a lot messier than u might expect, as bat bones/joints are SUPER-duper flexible

tho this may also be a consequence of their legs/hips being right there, splayed out where the ends of their fingers fold up, and other body types prolly wouldn’t require that particular zig-zig crinkling of the fingertips

I also doubt that that level of flexibility would even be available in the bones/joints of dragons as large as horses, or even just dogs, though I could be wrong about that

either way, I’ll give you some examples of how I approach folded bat wings in my designs

so here we’ve got a standard folded bat wing. note that the LOWER arm is the most visible portion of the the arm anatomy-- the lower arm pulls up over the upper arm, and the fingers curl up under both arm sections 

the “tightness” of the folding can vary, depending on the look you want. real-life bats obviously have CRAZY flexible wrists, and can tuck their fingers snug up against their arms/bodies all the way down. and I’m sure you could pull the wrist up a lil closer to the shoulder if need be. however, I believe the position as I’ve drawn-- with the lower arm hanging a bit down towards the front of the body, and the fingers loosely tucking in-- could be a perfectly comfortable, relaxed position for folded bat-dragon wings. this is especially considering that bat wings would be located more towards the midline/sides of the torso rather than right up near the spine like birds, meaning gravity would pull on them a bit more easily, possibly lending to this loose pose. BUT that also depends on the exact wing muscle configuration-- wings generally have pretty good ‘locking’ mechanisms when tucked closed, so tighter tucking is a perfectly reasonable possibility

I will note that wings ought not to be tucked up on top of the back. even bird wings located closer to the spine don’t rest their wrists above the shoulders-- the wings still hang to the sides, with the wrists held near the front of the body

I can’t imagine that pulling the wings back constantly is very comfortable, much less a position that affords the wing muscles any rest

tho the elbows would prolly need to be pulled next to or above the hips a bit, so the elbows don’t interfere with hind leg movement

on that note, also notice the anatomical proportions of the wings and how they affect the look of the folded wing. the upper arm of a wing will ALWAYS be shorter than the lower arm, so when they’re folded up, the wrist will stick out in front of the shoulder. usually even in front of the front limb shoulders, depending on the size of the wings (I think I drew these wings a bit small in comparison to body size, but we’ll just pretend this guy ain’t a particularly strong flyer)

the finger proportions are actually very similar to human fingers, in that the sections closest to the wrist are longest/thickest, while the sections closer to the tips are shorter/thinner. this means that when the fingers fold up, the bases will have long sections without joints, while the tips will be able to curl quite tightly, which you may be able to visualize more precisely here

the bend back under the arm at the 3rd joint may, admittedly, be a bit too sharp even by bat standards, so the fingers may still need to follow the line of the body

but I still think the fingers should be able to curl up under the arm just fine, honestly

now, while it’s important to know the underlying structures here, also note that certain parts of the folded wing (like fingertips) simply won’t be visible due to the membrane

and this is where folded wings get tricky-- not only is it hard to keep track of what’s covered up, but also what sections are connected to one another! hopefully the above diagram helps you visualize how the membrane lays over the overall arm structure at least, but being able to follow membrane connections in different positions takes a bit of familiarizing with overall wing anatomy

(also note that for ease of seeing the base anatomy, I’m not adding in most of the membrane wrinkles I usually would. just keep in mind that bat membranes are embedded w/ a lotta lil tendons that help scrunch up the membrane and hold the wings steady)

I will at least point out one particular section of membrane that trips folks up a lot

here, it’s important to remember that the back edge of the membrane (specifically the plagiopatagium section), connecting back onto the body, is ALSO connected to the back of the arm AND the pinkie finger. thus, we must keep in mind the flow of this section of membrane in the folded wing. note that it may very well cover up part of the visible finger(s) (particularly the pinkie) just before they tuck underneath the arm, as I’ve shown above

now, something fun about bat wings is that they’ve got ROTATION in their wrists! so, unlike birds, you can give yourself some freedom in how many of the fingers are visible, when folded up

I WILL say, though, that real-life bats seem to go for the latter folding, more reminiscent of a bird folding their wrist sideways next to their lower arm rather than curling the wrist underneath the lower arm. but, again, bats have way more leeway in wrist flexion, so I think any of these wrist positions are perfectly possible for a bat-winged dragon

and this flexion will also be affected by the kinda palm you give your wings. while many dragon artists give their dragons humanoid palms, real-life bats don’t actually have palms-- the metacarpals that make up our palms are actually the base bones of bat wing fingers. thus, bats just have a tiny connection area of carpals to connect fingers to arm, allowing for a frankly crazy range of flexion. while I’m not sure about how exactly a palm might affect flight, I don’t think they’re necessarily a problem so long as they’re downsized (palms proportionally the size of human palms compared to the arm would be WAY too heavy/thick for flight..) and retrofit for flight in shape (think about oncoming air currents and what parts of the palm would need to be more/less stabilized or aerodynamically shaped)

also note that, if the wing has a thumb and it’s visible, then the front edge membrane (propatagium) is gonna attach to it

like so (depending on the exact position of the thumb, of course)

now, I know some dragon artists like to curl the tips of the fingers up over the elbows, like this

and like, sure, the tips may be visible past the back edge of the membrane, if you go for the finger-tuck where the fingers follow the line of the body. or if the fingertips aren’t typically bat-like, but are stiffer and incapable of comfortably curling up. I’m specifically thinking of designs with faux-feather cartilage, or those with pterosaur-like fans of cartilage fibers across the membrane, leading to more bird-like folding

but idk, this desire to pull the fingertips up over the membrane THAT far seems uncomfortable and unnecessary? like, I really don’t understand why a dragon wouldn’t simply tuck their fingertips up against their body, following underneath the membrane, as a bat does. if anyone wants to argue me this point, I’m willing to hear it out tho

so, I know that was a lot of hyper-specific info, but if you step back for a minute and just take in the overall look of a folded bat wing, it turns out folded bat wings are WAY easier than most ppl realize!

truly, so many people overthink like, where the fingertips end up, or how the membrane overlays the arm. but once you understand how it all fits together, you can condense the look of it into basic shapes like this

and you can add or subtract detail depending on your style, how defined you want the arm to be from the membrane, how wrinkly/detailed you want the membrane, etc.

hope this helps!

-Mod Spiral

Burning Man 1999 | Bob Stahl archives

Tomales Bay Explorers Club, Burning Man 1999

Flying Dinosaurs

Bob Stahl

Trapped in a World they never made... the land that Time forgot!

The Playa is the Playground of The Giants! Pterosaurs patrol the seas of the Primordium!

Doggie Dinosaurs installation in the Wheel of Time

Homage to the ridiculous, the enigmatic... three 24-foot wingspan pterosaurs, at 1:30 in the Primordium of the Wheel of Time. The final installation differed from the original concept, which had been to create a more interactive piece that participants could climb upon and operate, giving the rider a sense of oneness with the powerful prehistoric creatures that once haunted the inland seas and islands of ancient Nevada.

Instead, an idea germinated -- to reflect upon the past times of Burning Man itself, using beloved images from years gone by. Doggie Diner heads once stood like sphinxes on the desert floor, 1960's American advertising art salvaged from San Francisco's own past by John Law, mysteriously become cultural icons among Bay Areans. Readers of the Zippy the Pinhead comic know the Dog as the silent statue before which Zippy confesses his dark thoughts.

The Dog is, in fact, a jewel in my own memory. I grew up a few blocks from a former Doggie Diner on Geary Street, where as a youngster I went for French fries after swimming in the nearby public pool in the summertime.

Our icon, our hero, in my pterosaurs metamorphosed into mythic chimerae, genetically sampled from fossilized memories and grafted onto the present. Is the Dog the icon, or the man who brought him to life? I have no answer to this, because the idea overtook me completely. The icon itself, with its Mona Lisa smile, begged representation.

Among the Theme Camps which have spored from dozens to hundreds, among the busy art cars and luminescent costumes, fire displays and pounding rhythms, the famous dog heads were quiet guardians, soaring and watching over all the craziness. Come and reflect, confess your dark thoughts, they beckoned.

This was also, coincidentally, an experiment with kinetic shade structures. The weathervanes, bolted to car axle shafts and mounted on wood poles dug into the ground, tracked the wind very well, and resisted blowing apart in big winds (a prototype -- see pic at bottom of page -- resisted damage from July 4th to the end of August).

Around the support poles I put five-foot-long, pink straw-stuffed canvas pillows shaped like hot dogs, for people stopping by the piece to use as a resting place from which to view the Man and the other installations in the Wheel of Time.

Packed up and ready to burn

Flaming out

Yonder Gypsy wagons, car bed, CWU domes

Charlie Gadekan, giant running canvas, Illumination Village

Michael Christian, Orbit One

"What magnetism drew these quaking ruined creatures into this orbit?"

Pirate Jenny, Ship of Desires

Seemen, Butchertown, Mark Perez, Kal Spelletich, Johnny On It, Bill Carson at Butchertown

Hovercraft

Hovercraft taking off out near 2:00 on the last day of the event. Note the people holding the ropes, ready to sling the craft off onto the playa. Made from upside-down inflatable raft, plywood, and a squirrel-cage fan. It worked! (Unkown artists, but I'd love to give them credit here.)

Seemen, Butchertown, Mark Perez, Kal Spelletich, Johnny On It, Bill Carson

Rocking DPW cleanup crew accepting sacks of garbage at the gate -- one sack of your wettest garbage, please, only if you can't take it with you -- extra food and water accepted for the cleanup crew

After the Event

Water Woman, fished out of Fly Geyser... a tangle of rotting plywood and rusty wire, paint flaking into the water, basically a water hazard... two weekends after the Burn, propped it up, spent hours laminating scraps of wood around the plywood limbs to give some real womanly fullness to the wraith-like figure, and... we burned it, of course.

Two small victories for me... watching the ridiculous pissing woman go up in smoke... and, with tears streaming down, watching the remnants of Mauricia's beautiful cafe artwork from last year parade around the burn in an impromptu DPW puppet show... the last of the friendly alien figures and jumping sheep... at last in the flames... a flaming sacrifice to dissolve all the bitterness... you had to be there...

---------------------------------------------- 1999 Burning Man Artwork & Theme Camp Proposal Last revision 07-10-1999 Previous: 1996, 1997, and 1998 ---------------------------------------------- (Combined) Artwork & Theme Camp Questionnaire ---------------------------------------------- General description: Trapped in a World they never made... the land that Time forgot... Flying Dinosaurs! represents the world of the first vertebrates to achieve flight. Pterosaurs (Greek for Winged Lizards) evolved contemporaneously with the Dinosaurs in the late Triassic era, 225 million years ago, and thrived for 140 million years. Pterosaurs patrolled the ancient seas of Nevada in search of aquatic food, much as the pelicans of Pyramid Lake in the present day. The primary installation is a Pteranodon with a 30-foot wingspan. Pivoting about a central support, like a weather vane, it will swing around to face the wind direction, beating its wings over the primordial sea. Participants can climb aboard and operate the articulated wings of the Pteranodon, beating them up and down as if to rise from the playa. The installation also pays tribute to Leonardo da Vinci's attempts to conceptualize mechanical flight in his sketches and writings, ideas which lay dormant for 400 years until flight became a reality. The installation is planned for the Primordium sector of the Wheel of Time. Roving Pterosaur kites and a sail-driven dinosaur on wheels may also appear.

If we can manage to make these from non-noxious fabrics and materials (rather than nylon & fiberglass) we may want to burn them late Saturday night, after parading them around on high sticks. Art-car and air-space requirements of the project will be followed. If we get really ambitious, we may build a **large** wooden dinosaur on wheels. Supersaurus, for instance, was estimated to be 130 feet long. Maybe next year... I've applied for registration for this as a Theme Camp (near 02:00 Neptune) near CWU and Yonder Camp. Plan is to fly the kites a few hundred feet out onto the open playa. We don't need to be along the Esplanade, but we need playa access, so we want to be along the last eastward spoke, at 02:00. The camp will have a hangar-like tent for working on and displaying the pieces. Questionnaire: What will the they look like? sort of a hybrid of Leonardo da Vinci & Dr. Seuss What will your camp look like? absolute prehistoric wreckage What is your theme camp or village called? Tomales Bay Explorers Club Are you interested in placement in: [required] a loud area x a quiet area center camp How many people will be participating? 10 You will arrive on the playa on what day ? Monday, August 30th Have you been to Burning Man in the past? x Yes No How many times? 3 to 5 Have you participated in a project before? x Yes No If you have, doing what? Free Mass Shower Center Camp structures Fly Ranch remodeling Water Events DPW Pedal Camp logistics What was the project's name? Free Mass Shower ('96), Windy City ('97), Free Mass Shower ('98) Were you mapped or informal? x mapped informal Who was the contact person? Bob Stahl; Karl Beckmann in '96 Will you have sound amplification? Yes x No How many (if any) generators will you bring? 1 How many large vehicles (RVs, trucks, buses) do you expect to have? 0 How many smaller vehicles? 6 Are you building a stage? Yes x No Briefly describe your visual environment / Describe your art installation in as much detail as possible (Approximate size, materials and technology being used, movable parts, etc.): - see http://home.pacbell.net/burn1999..htm - 100' diameter space for stationary Ptterosaur installation on the Wheel of Time; piece will cover a circular area 50' diameter, and should have additional viewing space around it - couple hundred feet of open space neeeded to fly kites on open playa - flock of up to 10 Pterosaur kites, fllying all day (wind permitting) - handmade; width 8' to 20' - will attempt to use canvas & wood - may use synthetics & fiberglas, in whhich case kites won't be burned - will fly on appx. 200' of rope, usingg screw anchors to tie down - anchors and ropes will be flagged at ground level - tentative: full wood scale model on wwheels of another dinosaur or two - 50' x 100' space for camp Describe your interactive element: Imagine being a tiny primitive mammal from ancient times, stalked by giant flying reptiles casting grim shadows upon a flat expanse. I expect that the sight of a minion of Pterosaurs will strike particularly primal chords in the psyche of onlookers. Briefly describe your concept and theme: Flying Dinosaurs! This will be as much an art installation as a theme camp, but I expect to be building, repairing, and displaying dinosaur kites (and tentatively other dinosaur stuff) on the street frontage. Location: near 02:00 Neptune. Will fly kites on open playa. Briefly describe how you intend to clean up after the burn: Probably just camping gear & kites to be picked up; if we build a bigger wood dinosaur, it will be burned late Saturday night at the Man. After the burn, we'll clean up our camp and help rake ashes and debris elsewhere. Are there other groups you need to be placed near? Cultural Workers Union Yonder Camp (near 02:00 Neptune) What is you website address (if any)? http://www.sirius.com/~bobstahl/burn1999.htm Would you like your project to be listed on the web site? x Yes No If yes, describe your project in two brief sentences: The Tomales Bay Explorers Club presents...Flying Dinosaurs! Trapped in a world they never made... the land that TIME forgot... the Playa is the Playground of The Giants! contact name: Bob Stahl email address: [email protected] home phone: 415-648-0997 message phone: 415-663-1651 fax: xxxxxxxxxxxx address: Bob Stahl PO Box 690 Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Origami Christmas Tree http://christmas.origami-kids.net/christmas-tree/origami-christmas-tree.htm

Your Guide to Creating an beautiful Origami Christmas Tree

Christmas without doubt is one of the most awaited and wonderful times of the year. The singing and dancing activities, gifts and decorations, not only excite and thrill the kids, but the adults too. Not only the companiens, hotel and center comercial but the house too are decorated wonderfully with lights and other decorative items during this time. If you are looking for some unique ideas regarding Christmas decorations for your house, this article will tell you how to decorate your home beautifully this Christmas season, without making too much of expenses, how to do it? The solution is to fold a beautiful Origami Christmas Tree

. How to make an origami christmas tree

Learn how to make some of the greatest origami Christmas trees with these easy to follow instructions. There are many kinds of xmas tree you can fold, some were created by different artists and other classic models, you will see that there are a variety and all models are really extraordinary and very nice.

This is a fun project for kids , children and adults alike. These origami models also are excellent as an ornament in Christmas for the decoration of our homes, and if you make one very beautiful, you can use it as a very personal gift for your friends or relatives. If you want to know how to make a Cristmas tree, please follow the instructions that are explained in detail in each post articles, just scroll down to browse through and click in the model that you like to make!

Simple Origami Christmas Tree Origami Christmas Tree by Makoto Yamaguchi Origami Fir by Shizuo Saito Abete 3 by Francesco Guarnieri Christmas Tree by Sanja Srbljinovic Cucek

Albero di Natale di piramidi – Christmas Tree of Pyramids Christmas Tree for Kids Christmas Tree by Jo Nakashima Bialbero di Natale – Double Christmas Tree by Francesco Guarnieri Abete 2 – Fir Tree 2 by Francesco Guarnieri

Simple Origami-Kirigami Christmas Tree Christmas Tree – Origami Tree by Jo Nakashima

Some of the instructions make small, flat, models suitable for homemade greeting cards or for use as ornaments. Some of the instructions are for 3D trees: these tend to be large enough to be table-top decorations. Some of the models can be made into large structures 5′ or higher. However, for these very large models, the type of paper you use will be critical. The larger the paper, the heavier it is and the more likely it will collapse due to its own weight. Large origami models will need to be supported so it doesn’t topple over when someone touches it.

. Christmas Decorations Cheapest in the World

For the the lovers of the Craft and Origami, we bring you a selection of different designs of Christmas Tree Origami, with their diagrams, photos, step-by-step explanations or Youtube Videos, so you will not have any problem in folding them. You can call this topic as “the Christmas decorations cheapest in the world,” because to make the Xmas Trees, you only need a simple sheet of paper. All Artificial Christmas Trees shown here are relatively easy to do, and as we have just mentioned, the only thing you need is a piece of paper and wanted to learn how to make the little tres. If you want to make origami christmas tree ornaments then read the “Origami Christmas Decorating Ideas” Section.

. Displaying the Christmas Tree

Index of Categories [hide] ► Home ► Christmas Tree ► Christmas Decoration ► Origami Santa ► Gifts Ideas ► Shop A craftsperson can use many different types of products to exhibit this model. Placing the origami model in a display case, such as a glass display case, can help keep it from getting crushed or dusty. Choosing a location for the case can be tricky because it should not receive the glare of direct sunlight, otherwise the tree’s paper can fade. Putting the origami model on a display stand is another possibility. The individual may want to store the craft in an empty snow globe, which is an imaginative choice and helps keep dust and dirt away from the sculpture. Resting the tre on a small mirror provides a reflective benefit that is eye-catching.

Shoppers can use eBay to find excellent deals, learn how to craft origami holiday decorations, and locate high-quality products that can help them construct unique Christmas ornaments. The buyer can type an item’s name in the website’s search box and receive results quickly. After researching which types of products are helpful for an origami project, the consumer can refine the search by clicking on the page’s magnifying glass and taking a shortcut to limit the search. The respected art of origami requires a good deal of paper folding. This feature makes an origami xmas tree model look unique and stand apart from many traditional holiday ornaments.

. The Christmas Tree of the The American Museum Natural History

Christmas Tree OrigamiThe American Museum Natural History in New York since last 30 years erected a Chrismas Tree which is every year adorned with different Origami shapes like birds, turtles, lobsters, dinosaurs and crabs. The different shapes created held people spell bound. The people with special liking and inclination toward creativity can try their hand on origami with the help of books available for the beginners. The books available are the complete guide with proper instructions and several diagrams to help you out.

THE MAKING OF THE ORIGAMI HOLIDAY TREE Early each year, as the days begin to get a bit longer and the first signs of spring crop up in Central Park, Ros Joyce and Talo Kawasaki, volunteers from OrigamiUSA and the designers of the Museum’s Origami Holiday Tree start planning for the year ahead.

They begin combing the Museum’s halls in search of inspiration—going from floor to floor to decide on a perfect theme and to find just the right exhibits to re-create as origami models on the tree.

With a theme in place, in April the team is ready for action. Lists of models are compiled, paper of many colors and textures is purchased, and volunteers—both children and adults—are enlisted from all over the world and as far away as Japan to fold the intricately complex models—some of which can take days or even weeks to perfect. Eventually, the volunteers create hundreds of new models.

After months of folding, in late September the origami pieces begin arriving at the Museum, where the nonprofit OrigamiUSA is housed, just in time for Joyce and Kawasaki to sift through the archives to see which additional models they will need to fill out the tree. The Origami Holiday Tree has been a feature of the Museum’s winter season for more than 40 years; with more than four decades of origami neatly stashed in ten large boxes there is no shortage to the selection.

Some of the highlights include a forty-year-old model of a pterosaur, an extinct vertebrate that was the first to evolve powered flight folded for one of the first origami trees in the early 1970s; a ferocious saber-tooth tiger, and a giant star mobile made up of more than 30 smaller pieces that decorates the top of the tree.

Once the model selections have been made Joyce and Kawasaki begin finalizing the arrangement and their sketches for the tree. “Ultimately we look at the color, size, and texture,” Joyce explains. “We sketch to see how the models are going to fit together to give the tree depth and shape.”

With the final decisions made, after nearly a year of preparation, Joyce, Kawasaki, and the team have only four days to decorate the 13-foot tree before the crowds begin lining up the Monday before Thanksgiving. “It’s a long process but it’s a labor of love,” Joyce says. “In the end it’s all worth it to see the kids and adults light up when they see the tree year after year.”

. History

Origami Cristmas Tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine, or fir or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. Originally a Celtic custom, the Chridtmas Tree developed in early modern Germany (where it is today called Weihnachtsbaum or Christbaum) with predecessors that can be traced to the 16th and possibly 15th century, in which devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes. It acquired popularity beyond Germany during the second half of the 19th century, at first among the upper classes. The tree was traditionally decorated with edibles such as apples, nuts, or other foods. In the 18th century, it began to be illuminated by candles which were ultimately replaced by Christmas lights after the advent of electrification. Today, there is a wide variety of traditional ornaments, such as garland, tinsel, and candy canes. An angel or star might be placed at the top of the tree to represent the archangel Gabriel or the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity.

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Were the scaly T. rex paintings of the 90s right after all?

Well, I have to admit it. It was tempting to draw large tyrannosaurs with a heavy coat of feathers. It proved VERY tempting. But I stuck to my guns and held out on it. Why? I wasn't convinced the evidence would favor it. I had already seen pictures of skin impressions attributed to the neck and chest of T. rex, and they were scaly. But this wasn't published and therefore people were casting doubt on it (I wonder if they did the same when Yutyrannus photos showed feathers, before it was formally published and described?). Now some may ask what I have against feathered tyrannosaurids, since that is the new orthodoxy in much of paleo-art (just as lizard-like restorations were orthodoxy in the time of Knight and Burian). The answer is actually: nothing. But when talking about giant tyrannosaurids there was no actual evidence of feathered skin. Not only that, but being roughly 1.5 times the length of the still taxonomically controversial Yutyrannus, the largest T. rexes at 12 meters were over twice the mass, and in addition they were living in a time with warmer global temperatures and increased SO2 and volcanic activity. I maintained for years that if T. rex had any feathers as an adult, they would probably be in very limited areas, for display. Something that big would not need them for insulation, and as a warm-blooded predator in the Maastrichtian epoch with rising global temperatures, it would likely overheat with a heavy coat of downy insulation feather, and obviously had no use for long-quilled flight feathers. Now we have a paper just out confirming that big tyrannosaurids were probably scaly over the majority if not all of their body surface - and that feathers were lost relatively early in the evolution of true Tyrannosauridae. rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.or… And this isn't some fringe paper in a fake journal by creationists or BANDits. It's Royal Society, and Phil Currie, Bob Bakker, Darren Tanke and Pete Larson are all among the co-authors. You don't get more solid in credentials than that. I don't even think Jack Horner would take issue with their scaly conclusion, given his historically conservative approach to dinosaur biomechanics and metabolism.

Interestingly, not only are the skin impressions scaly, but the scales are tiny. Bead-like, almost. So most likely these are from a softer part of the body, possibly the undersides, but due to decomposition the skin may have become desiccated or detached, and rolled around to the dorsal portions of the body, which are apparently the positions in which the skin impressions were found. Now I can imagine some people having nightmares over their entire post-dotcom idea of a poofy T. rex being overturned. So what does this really mean for the big picture of tyrannosaurs? Does it suddenly mean they were cold-blooded overgrown alligators? NO. Warm-bloodedness is not dependent on feathers or fur, especially not at those sizes. Does it mean that they were unrelated to birds and we need to rip up the theropod family tree? NO. The paper states that the tyrannosaur lineage lost their feathers, not that they never had them. Does it mean that all the old pre-Bakker images of sluggish tail-dragging T. rexes were correct? NO and no. These certainly weren't the only unfeathered tyrannosaurs ever drawn or painted, and definitely not the most anatomically informed (Burian was even famous for notlooking at fossils or estimating proportions). There's no reason to throw out 40 years of gathered evidence of warm-blooded, fast-growing bone texture in tyrannosaurs. Tyrannosaurs were still active, fast, warm-blooded hunters. They just weren't drowning in feathers at 40 feet long.   But this doesn't mean that I favor Jurassic Park's ugly monsters either. And simply favoring scaly T. rexes doesn't make you some obsessive JP fanboy. It simply means you listen to the evidence - several scaly impressions in 5 different tyrannosaur genera, and not one feathery impression from any of them. Interestingly, none of these impressions match the big, bulky crocodile-like scales and heavy wrinkles in the Jurassic Park T. rex. Yet I already see and hear some hurt naysayers claiming that everyone who questions the unproven notion of T. rex feathers is somehow a Jurassic Park fan with an agenda who hates feathers. It couldn't be further from the truth. I was never a big fan of the Jurassic Park franchise, and even now the scale evidence doesn't support their big alligator-like scales or heavy baggy wrinkles on their T. rexes. What's more, the JP 'rexes had obvious errors in their facial appearance, including the lumpy 'gator-like orbital horns and huge triangular jugals, and the "cutout" sections of the lower jaw that they fit into... As if somehow having any overlap of the upper jaw around the lower was a sin to Spielberg, as if they had to close perfectly interlocked like a crocodile. We know that the scale impressions show much smaller and finer scales than anything in the JP franchise. My reasons for questioning the idea of giant 8-ton tyrannosaurs being feathered have nothing to do with a hollywood movie. And everything to do with (a) the evidence, and (b) the simple fact that they were giant 8-ton tyrannosaurs in a rapidly warming Hell Creek climate. So they did have scales over several parts of the body, and the scales in the hip area indicate it's highly likely the torso was scaly as well. You just don't see scaly hips in any feathered creature, even flightless birds have feathers on the hips and tail (or what's left of it). Of course this doesn't change anything about dinosaurs that we know either had feathers or were likely to have them - like dromaeosaurids ("raptors"), ornithomimids, oviraptorids, caegnathids, etc. A scaly tyrannosaur doesn't negate these animals being feathered, nor does it have any effect on feathered specimens of controversial species sometimes labeled as basal tyrannosauroids, but which may not be (i.e. Yutyrannus). In fact, the paper's argument is that tyrannosaurids evolved from small feathered ancestors, but likely later lost the feathers as they evolved into giant top-tier predators.

In that case, knowing that the scales were very small, and nothing like the baggly wrinkles and 'gator scutes in Jurassic Park, we can now ask: what is the most accurate T. reximage, based on these scale impressions? It would obviously have to be something post-70s, when Bakker and the Dinosaur Renaissance were gaining steam, and anatomical accuracy really began to matter.

You might say Greg Paul's version. And you'd have a point. Though many of the visible scales here look a good deal larger than the ones in the impressions, not all the scales are visible, and some patches on the underside look like a good place for much finer scales. If the rest of the body was covered in similar, if somewhat larger scales, you would likely have the smooth, tight, and only lightly wrinkled skin you get on Greg Paul dinosaurs.

T. rex pair by Greg Paul. 1988. Based on the AMNH specimen. Used for educational purposes only.

However, Brian Franczak's slightly less "vacsuit" version is another contender:

Brian Franczak's T. rex and Edmontosaurus. 1991. Used for educational purposes only.

There's not much surface detail in Franczak, aside from a few veins and light wrinkles. That's just the style. But overall the anatomy looks solid here and the skin smooth enough that those tiny scales in the impressions would be right at home. The legs are a bit more bulky here, but still not like in JP. The head looks oversized in the far left animal, but that's just a perspective trick for dramatic effect. Another great rendition of accurate, fine-grained T. rex skin is in Larry Felder's painting of a juvenile 'rex, which was the cover image for the book In the Presence of Dinosaurs. You can almost feel this is a real live animal breathing next to you. The scales struck most people as too tiny, the skin too smooth and "cute" - but after seeing these skin impressions with some scales only a couple of millimeters wide, it's hard not to wonder if Felder had some kind of sixth sense for these things.

Larry Felder's young T. rex from the book cover. Not based on a particular specimen. Educational purposes only.

But if you were to ask me which painting of T. rex looks the most like the actual textures and scale shapes in the skin impressions, I'd have to give it to this long-forgotten gem:

T. rex by Dave Marrs. Apparently based on the Wankel/MOR specimen. Used for educational purposes only.

Now I don't know how many of you are familiar with Dave Marrs' work. He did a large number of paintings for the TV series PaleoWorld in the 90s, which is where I was first introduced to the art of Greg Paul, Brian Franczak, Mark Hallett, David Peters and many others (back then Peters was solidly popular as an artist, and followed the best cutting-edge science of the day, almost like a second Greg Paul - and there wasn't anything too unusual about his paleo-images at that time, even the pterosaurs). Marrs also did some unrelated images for a series of Jurassic Park trading cards, which were largely concept art for the movies. Apparently Marrs got into legal hot water when he closely copied a number of images from Paul and Peters, robbing both to pay himself and not getting permission to copy copyrighted images. Some of these "re-skinned" copies were also featured in PaleoWorld, most notoriously his Estemmenosuchus, which was a ripoff of Peters' original. But, it must be emphasized, not everything Marrs did was a fraud. He also had many original paintings and no doubt he proved his skill as an artist. Probably his best painting was the one above of a blue T. rexwith relatively thin, basal lips and some VERY detailed scalework. The facial scales are a bit on the large side, but those on the underside of the neck are downright tiny. And this matches the look of the skin impressions almost perfectly. Now given, there are some flaws with the oversized teeth and the jaw proportions, but some of this is due to perspective distortion and stylistically it's a very good painting. And if the skin impressions are any clue, this is easily the most accurate skin in a T. rex painting. Too bad more isn't known about this image, it really does stick with you. From a distance, some vintage "Dinosaur Renaissance" paintings, like Greg Paul's Daspletosaurus, even did away with extensive scale texturing on the majority of the skin altogether, leaving it to the viewer to imagine what those tiniest of scales looked like up close.

Daspletosaurus by Greg Paul. Based on holotype CMN 8506. Updated version with revised supinated hands. Used for educational purposes only.

Now in the future someone might find skin impressions in other parts of the body of a tyrannosaurid, that indicate the presence of feathers. But so far there are none, and 100% of the few rare skin imprints found of tyrannosaurs thus far, are scaly. The trend to put feathers on tyrannosaurs was always a speculative one, with no actual tyrannosaur evidence to back it up, the closest analogues used being only distantly related and much smaller theropods like Guanlong, Dilong, the maniraptora, and the possibly non-tyrannosauroid Yutyrannus, whose size has often been overestimated. The new paper shows that the five best-known tyrannosaurid genera were scaly over at least several parts of the body, and it's unusual to have feathers limited only to the torso or other regions lacking skin impressions. Even flightless birds today don't have naked hips or tails. Which brings up an important thought - perhaps the scaly but nevertheless sleek and hot-blooded "Dinosaur Renaissance" T. rexes of the '80s and '90s are not so far off the mark after all. Aside from the pronated hand postures common to that era, they pretty much got it right.

Were the scaly T. rex paintings of the 90s right after all? published first on http://paleoking.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default