dragkingandreweldritch

[dragkingandreweldritch]

Ken Sample and his cougar character, origin of the fursona.

From "The Fandom" on YouTube.

[dragkingandreweldritch]

dude, I can't believe I sacrificed so many of my teenage years on the altar of star wars. someone get that kid out of there!!!

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Heinrix i am holding your hand so gently....

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Holds these 3 like dolls and makes them kiss

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Mouthwashing notes/analysis: Intro/Chapter 1

The Tulpar is absent from the game's opening shot. We're never given an external view of the ship, just as we're never given an internal view of the void outside. There's an uncrossable chasm between the system and the surroundings — nothing can enter or exit. The windows are plastic. God is not watching.

There's no destination. Wherever they're going, we're told from the onset that the crew won't arrive.

'I hope this hurts' contrasts with the previous objective information. It's unclear is this line is diegetic.

Mouthwashing establishes its non-linear structure in less than a sentence. This narrative style is unusual in games, which often take advantage of their interactive medium to allow the player influence over the story. Even titles with fixed plotlines cultivate the illusion of choice — we're encouraged to take credit for decisions characters are railroaded down, blurring the divide between player and protagonist. Mouthwashing's ludonarrative is a deconstruction of this relationship. We're told from the onset that our choices won't matter — they were never 'our' choices to begin with.

The Tulpar travels at a physics defying speed (21 AU is equivalent to 180 light-minutes) while the ship's appearance is anything but futuristic. The cockpit is crowded with 1-bit displays and analogue dials, all covered in a thick layer of grime — there's even a fax machine stowed in the corner.

Pony Express' branding harkens back even further. Its 1860's namesake lasted all of 18 months, before the telegraph rendered its disposable riders obsolete.

These aesthetics serve as environmental storytelling — technology advances while capitalism stagnates, falling back on the same tried and tested exploitation.

Although Mouthwashing's gameplay is sparse, it still makes use of its medium. During the first 'decision', the player is trapped in the copilot's chair (a piece of early foreshadowing), the ship's yoke the only point of interaction. The option to 'leave' is openly mocking, but presenting it at all instills a sense of culpability. Unlike book or film, gaming requires constant input. Crashing the Tulpar is an active process. We can't look away. We can only delay the inevitable.

Jimmy shares Pony Express' ethos of collective punishment: his suicide method is designed to take the rest of the Tulpar with him.

'Navigational staff' is plural — both Jimmy and Curly bear responsibility, albeit to drastically different extents.

Anya's face is the first we're shown all game. She's at the heart of the narrative, no matter how hard Jimmy tries to erase her.

In contrast with the rest of the crew, her employee card appears undamaged. Her pain is hidden — her trauma, forced pregnancy and eventual overdose are all internal.

The player is led to believe the 'cartoon horses' stem from Curly's resentment towards Pony Express, but the rest of the imagery contradicts this explanation. The crying baby layered beneath the sirens is the most obvious example; more subtle are the series of unlocked doors.

Polle is used to represent both Anya and her fetus — to Jimmy, the two are interchangeable. He's haunted not by the rape he committed but by its ensuing pregnancy.

Jimmy is outside the cockpit at the moment of impact. He's putting physical distance between himself and his imminent murder-suicide. Evading responsibility until the bitter end.

[dragkingandreweldritch]

I have gripes with booktok for publishing industry reasons but I could give a shit what women are cranking it to. I've seen what dudes jerk off to. May a thousand flowers goon, as far as I'm concerned.

[dragkingandreweldritch]

and you rip it from my hands and you swear it’s all gone

and you rip out all i had just to say that you’ve won

you’ve won

well, now you’ve won

[dragkingandreweldritch]

Spin this wheel to get a word and this wheel to get an animal. Congrats, this is now your new MGS codename.

Reblog with your codename btw I'm curious-

(I'm Acid Cobra)

[dragkingandreweldritch]

hey folks if you have an android phone: google shadow installed a "security app".

I had to go and delete it myself this morning.

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[dragkingandreweldritch]

I CANT BREATHE

[dragkingandreweldritch]

it's kinda funny/weird how the word homeopathy has been transformed into meaning alternative medicine in general. almost like it's been diluted down in meaning. but don't worry! I've heard that makes it stronger and more effective

[dragkingandreweldritch]

"A new study reveals the profound ecological effects of wolves and other large carnivores in Yellowstone National Park, showcasing the cascading effects predators can have on ecosystems. In Yellowstone, this involves wolves and other large carnivores, elk, and willows.

The research, which utilized previously published data from 25 riparian (streamside) sites and collected over a 20 year period, from 2001 to 2020, revealed a remarkable 1,500% increase in willow crown volume along riparian zones [note: riparian means in/around rivers] in northern Yellowstone National Park, driven by the effects on elk due to a restored large carnivore guild following the reintroduction of wolves in 1995–96, and other factors...

Pictured: Upstream view of Blacktail Deer Creek in 2005 and 2021, northern range of Yellowstone National Park.

Trophic cascades, the effects of predators on herbivores and plants, have long been a topic of ecological interest. The study quantifies the strength of this phenomenon for the first time using willow crown volume as a proxy for aboveground biomass, demonstrating a significant three-dimensional recovery of riparian vegetation represented by the growth in both crown area and height of established willows.

The strength of the Yellowstone trophic cascade observed in this study surpasses 82% of strengths presented in a synthesis of global trophic cascade studies, underscoring the strength of Yellowstone's willow recovery process. The authors note that there is considerable variability in the degree of recovery and not all sites are recovering.

Even though riparian areas in the western United States comprise a small portion of the landscape, the study has particular relevance since these areas provide important food resources and habitat for more wildlife species than any other habitat type. These areas also connect upland and aquatic ecosystems and are widely known for their high diversity in species composition, structure, and productivity.

"Our findings emphasize the power of predators as ecosystem architects," said William Ripple. "The restoration of wolves and other large predators has transformed parts of Yellowstone, benefiting not only willows but other woody species such as aspen, alder, and berry-producing shrubs. It's a compelling reminder of how predators, prey, and plants are interconnected in nature."

Pictured: An across channel view in 2005 and 2021 of a downstream reach on Blacktail Deer Creek, northern range of Yellowstone National Park.

Wolves were eradicated and cougars driven to low numbers from Yellowstone National Park by the 1920s. Browsing by elk soon increased, severely damaging the park's woody vegetation, especially in riparian areas. Similar effects were seen in places like Olympic National Park in Washington, and Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada after wolves were lost.

While it's well understood that removing predators can harm ecosystems, less is known about how strongly woody plants and ecosystems recover when predators are restored. Yellowstone offers a rare opportunity to study this effect since few studies worldwide have quantified how much plant life rebounds after large carnivores are restored.

"Our analysis of a long-term data set simply confirmed that ecosystem recovery takes time. In the early years of this trophic cascade, plants were only beginning to grow taller after decades of suppression by elk. But the strength of this recovery, as shown by the dramatic increases in willow crown volume, became increasingly apparent in subsequent years," said Dr. Robert Beschta, an emeritus professor at Oregon State University.

"These improving conditions have created vital habitats for birds and other species, while also enhancing other stream-side conditions."

The research points to the utility of using crown volume of stream-side shrubs as a key metric for evaluating trophic cascade strength, potentially advancing methods for riparian studies in other locations. It also contextualizes the value of predator restoration in fostering biodiversity and ecosystem resilience."

-via Phys.org, February 6, 2025

[dragkingandreweldritch]

this is a controversial opinion and I’m not a gamer but I don’t need my graphics to be that good. I don’t need to see every individual feather on a bird. my poor computer doesn’t deserve to carry that weight either.

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the problem is that I want to know everything in the world but also I can't seem to do my laundry when I'm supposed to, rendering me absolutely useless

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Philip Treacy Fall/Wint 1999

[dragkingandreweldritch]

Something I find incredibly cool is that they’ve found neandertal bone tools made from polished rib bones, and they couldn’t figure out what they were for for the life of them. 

Until, of course, they showed it to a traditional leatherworker and she took one look at it and said “Oh yeah sure that’s a leather burnisher, you use it to close the pores of leather and work oil into the hide to make it waterproof. Mine looks just the same.” 

“Wait you’re still using the exact same fucking thing 50,000 years later???”

“Well, yeah. We’ve tried other things. Metal scratches up and damages the hide. Wood splinters and wears out. Bone lasts forever and gives the best polish. There are new, cheaper plastic ones, but they crack and break after a couple years. A bone polisher is nearly indestructible, and only gets better with age. The more you use a bone polisher the better it works.”

It’s just. 

50,000 years. 50,000. And over that huge arc of time, we’ve been quietly using the exact same thing, unchanged, because we simply haven’t found anything better to do the job.