#Imago Stage

[angel-oftheday]

The Angel of the Day is...

Insubstantial Angel

From Neon Genesis Evangelion

Requested by Anonymous

[locusfandomtime]

see the fandom has this thing where the hermits are different species and when they’re part animal/mob they’re a hybrid but nobody talks about the even funnier canon lore that they’re all the exact same species. Their species is hermit.

[long post - lots of worldbuilding and speculative biology below]

Jevin looks like a slime, Doc looks like that, most of them look human, but in actuality they’re all just hermits. The only information we have about this is that hermits are shorter than the average player, some references to hobbits, some references to hermits being hardworking, the fact that gem isn’t a hermit and had to wear antlers to pretend to be one, and that’s it.

I love biology and worldbuilding and this is fascinating to me. When you take into account previous seasons and events and throw-away lines this gets even more insane. Grian and Hypno are acknowledged to not have mouths (and even more hermits don’t have them on their skin). Mumbo turned into a potato. Cleo had snake hair at one point. There are a million other weird things I’m forgetting. You could handwave some of this with an explanation like “hermits are shapeshifters” or “hermits are gods” and that is a very valid and fun take but I think it is SO much funnier if these are just normal things that happen in the hermit species, which aren’t fantastical at all and are adaptations with elaborate mechanics and explanations.

Perhaps hermits, similar to bugs, regularly shed their skin (or a process similar to it) and change their appearance. Some insects change colours/appearance due to their environment rather than genetics, ie macleays spectre stick insects can turn lichen colours when raised around lichen. Maybe the hermits shed their skins on a regular basis, including during their adult life, and this allows them to better match their environment- causing physical changes related to what they have been exposed to. This causes potato Mumbo and medusa Cleo and DM Tango and any other example of a specific skin change. For more constant differences in appearance - maybe life cycles could be considered?

this may be the weirdest thing I’ve ever made. For those that don’t know, “n” is the number of chromosomes, where n is the haploid number, so 2n is diploid. Diploid cells are necessary for sexual reproduction. Of course, a lot of these life cycles are centered around reproduction, as is the nature of a life cycle, but in reality the hermits are in no rush and are happy to stay at whatever point of the life cycle they’re at, this is just an outline of the species’ mechanics.

I mean, most of this diagram is conjecture… but I think it is interesting to consider! Jevin especially reminded me a lot of slime mould life cycles so this is heavily inspired off that, but also inspired by bug life cycles as well.

If you want to get even more indepth we can consider the gender roles of hermit society (remember that clip where Grian implied builders were housewives and redstoners were breadwinning husbands?). Perhaps we can get meta and consider respawn an aspect of being a hermit as well - are they able to regenerate after death? What is Cleo’s place in all this, being undead? Is arm thickness, where your arm can either be 3px or 4px wide, an example of sexual dimorphism?

but. well. tldr: the hermits being one species is a very fun idea we should be doing more with, i think

[stars-obsession-pit]

Malformed Imago

Being a halfa isn’t a permanent state. It’s more akin to a chrysalis.

The living body anchors the ghost and vice versa while they continue to develop. Gradually, the two forms will bleed through into each other. The living more dead, and the dead more alive. By the end, there will only be one singular state, perfectly aligned between life and death.

However, that process takes time. Time in which countless things can go wrong.

Normally, such an event would result in the process halting. Being relegated to one “side” of their form or fully dissipating.

But when has Danny ever been normal?

What Danny went through at the hands of the ghost hunters didn’t kill him. Didn’t halt the processes occurring within him. But it did break something.

So when his changes finished, he emerged wrong.

[queenjulia11]

Okay, I’ve been sitting on this one for weeks. If you’d like to read my previous Phineas Thatch thoughts, here you go:

Let’s talk Imago.

This episode really encapsulates the “bureaucracy horror” aspect of Midst more than Sugarcoat or honestly even Inside did. The fact that Phineas incurred the greatest debt of his life as a small helpless child, before he was even officially a part of the system, breaks my fucking heart.

I thought Phineas’ single caenum was going to be due to some grievous mistake, some horrible sin that he had to make up for. Maybe he failed to save someone important to The Trust, something like that. But no.

He was an orphan, scared and alone with no one to guide him. And then, an angel descended from the heavens to give him a second chance.

Except actually: that “angel” was just following orders from people who never actually cared about him, but knew that saving a sweet-looking innocent child from The Delta would do amazing things for their numbers. Let us not forget that Phin comes from a place where the mutated victims of various tearrors go to die, and he looks relatively fine with no obvious mutations or physical differences. Was anyone else saved that day?

And yes, even if the motivations behind this mercy mission were soulless, it accomplished the objective good of saving Phineas. Except actually: they knew they were just pulling him out of the fire and into the frying pan. And they knew there was no way for Phineas to ever repay this kindness because HE SHOULDN’T FUCKING HAVE TO. It’s his LIFE.

How, in this world, does one make up for such a gift? After years of servitude, of saving other children, WHEN is it ever enough?? We know breaking even is possible, it has to be. What would’ve been the more valorous thing to do? Look up at your one chance of survival, stricken with loneliness, hunger, and fear, and say: “thank you very much for the offer, sir, but I’ve got it handled.”

And speaking of, think of how much valor was probably given to SPAHR for such a good deed! The thing that put Phineas in debt for the rest of his life probably did wonders for Jonas Spahr’s career and standard of living. I know he probably wasn’t thinking about that; he was also brainwashed into thinking that more Trustees means more universal good. I think Spahr is a good dude who genuinely did the right thing because it was the right thing, but would he even have thought to go to The Delta if his Concestor hadn’t brought him along? And then Spahr is the one who molded Phineas into the perfect Trustee wonder boy, ultimately breaking his spirit and forcing him to become someone he’s not, regardless of how intentional it was.

There is no other way that this could have gone for Phin, and he had no way of knowing what he was getting into. And now he’s trapped in this endless cycle of never being enough — never being free form a childhood too painful to remember because he was selfish enough to eat the carrot being dangled in front of his face. Really should’ve thought of that before ending up in that situation, huh? Oh, well, get your armor back on. Look on the goddamn bright side!

The only way out is to become in breach. Right back where you started. Holy shit, that’s terrifying.

[adm-starblitzsteel-4305]

Mothra: goji, why is our daughter hanging fron the ceiling?

Godzilla: she was being bad so i put her in air jail

Astra: *dangling* can i come out of air jail now?

Godzilla: NEVER! YOU WILL STAY FOR 2 HOURS AFTER WHAT YOU DID TODAY!

Mothra: What's wrong with you, Astra?

Astra: ...I swam in the ocean with no supervision.

Godzilla: See?! You could've drown out there if it wasn't for Na Kika who saved you!

Astra: Auntie Na Kika says I have gills like you from my carapace! That's why I can breathe underwater!

Godzilla: ...

Astra: If you don't believe it, then ask Auntie!

[witchpassing]

everyone's all "oh, if we accept the Witch's gift and give our daughter in turn as an apprentice, surely she will remember us when her education is complete and her power absolute", and look, realistically, it's just not happening, she'll get eaten or turned inside out or stabbed with a compass or sublimated into butterflies or defenestrated or misplaced or skeletonised or throttled before she so much as turns thirteen, witch reproduction proceeds on the principle of r-selection and statistically speaking your kid is *not* going to be the one who makes it to the imago stage

[ranticore]

bugs big ones from Thera! the transcript for the top image is under the cut below.

There is a big lie in this which is that the caterpillar pictured in the top image is in fact Nettlerove who is a beetle of the species Cryptostenus oculatus. But he is a brood parasite of these caterpillars, and appears almost identical to one prior to pupation. They emerge as imagos earlier than the true butterflies around them, and then eat their defenceless colonymates. Life's rough for insects. i really wanted to draw baby (and young adult) Nettlerove sooo much so that's why it's him.

The Tithe tree is one of the reasons our bugs are so big. These trees are gigantic and their leaves are incredibly nutrient rich, and their huge hollow trunks are perfect for building colonies in. The social behaviour of these caterpillars is based off of Eriogaster lanestris, a moth which has eusocial silk-tent-spinning caterpillars :) Their true 'child' stage (instars 1 and 2) lasts a single spring and summer, while the subsequent instar stages last several years each. At pupation the individual can be up to 14 years old. The kids are basically left in their tent entirely unsupervised, and in fact it's an intentional strategy to have them on a lower branch than the main colony; any terrestrial predator looking for food will hopefully eat the kids first and leave the main colony alone (Life's ROUGH for insects!!).

Because the caterpillars are considered adults post instar 3, the winged form is not called "the adult" it's just the imago.

[Transcript: Neonymphalid Caterpillars

The life cycle of the eusocial caterpillars from the Theran butterfly family Neonymphalidae. At hatching they are roughly 13cm long, and at their largest they grow to be approx. 2m long.

They are considered to be adults at instar stage III. At this stage they enter the mature colony and begin to train into their life-long 'careers'. At instar stage IV they are close to pupating, and will make the trek out to their proving grounds for the final growth spurt as caterpillars. The quest is a difficult overland trek, often the first time any individual has touched the ground, and at its end is a forest that they must set ablaze to liberate the nutrient-rich fruit they need to eat. Eggs are deposited on a lower branch of the Tithe tree beneath the adult colony

Instar stage I: They hatch among peers and immediately form a juvenile colony on their host Tithe branch, a group of up to 100. Together they encase the branch and its leaves in a silken tent. At this stage they do not speak, they only eat.

Instar stage II: They begin to grow their distinguishing bristles but remain in their juvenile colony

Instar stage III: Not all caterpillars will reach this stage, as autumn draws in and the leaves become less numerous. Caterpillars who reach stage III will leave their silk tent and travel up the main trunk of the Tithe tree, entering the large, permanent structure of the adult colony. They now have a pair of more specialised binocular eyes.

Instar IV: They have begun to develop some of their adult facial features, including more complex eyes. This individual is a scribe, using a thorn to write on a wax slate in a frame.

Prior to their journey to the burning forest, a final molt occurs which increases the number of bristles. This will protect them from aerial attacks during the rough journey.

The pupa is laid out in a specialist chamber within the main colony once the caterpillars return home. They hatch when temperatures reach a summer range again.]

[milkyblocky]

cure silk and cure ripple's power-up form, imago mode! i want it to look like a natural evolution of their base form since the imago form represents the final stage of an insect's metamorphosis

[rogloptimist]

AND ALL MY DEVOTION TURNS VIOLENT

when i make one web weave i am physically unable to not make at least three more (credits under cut)

ada limon - the good fight // mads pedersen, tadej pogacar, jonas vingegaard, and wout van aert - stage 16, tour de france 2022 // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 17, tour de france 2022 // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 11, tour de france 2024 // romance - elaine kahn // american sonnet for my past and future assassin - terrance hayes // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 18, tour de france 2022 // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 17, tour de france 2022 // horoscope for the heartbroken - schuyler peck // tadej pogacar and marc soler - stage 17, tour de france 2023 (anne-christine poujoulat, getty images) // vingegaard marches towards tour de france title as pogacar cracks - julien pretot // jonas vingegaard - stage 15, tour de france 2024 (IMAGO) // pogacar wins in high mountains to deal blow to vingegaard and extend tour de france lead - kieran crichard // peripety series - jen mazza // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 7, tour de france 2024 // mabel, episode 28: matryoshka // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 7, tour de france 2024 // it's a circus and we all paid to be here - ashe vernon // the winner's kiss - marie rutkoski // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - podium ceremony, tour de france 2024 // you are the apple - lady lamb // tadej pogacar, brandon mcnulty, and jonas vingegaard - stage 17, tour de france 2022 (gruber images) // i don't smoke - mitski // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 17, tour de france 2022 // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 20, tour de france 2024 (presse sports, belga images) // vingegaard and pogacar 'allies' says former tour de france champion - AFP // 'now we have a fair fight:' pogacar remains bullish despite vingegaard counter-punch at tour de france - andrew hood // the fall - alan stephens foster // vingegaard vows to keep swinging at imperious pogacar: 'we will fight to the end of the tour de france - andy mcgrath // i'm your man - mitski // jonas vingegaard - stage 18, tour de france 2024 (gruber images) // tadej pogacar - stage 18, tour de france 2024 (gruber images) // tadej pogacar and jonas vingegaard - stage 9, tour de france 2024 (getty images)

[l-mop]

Worm arc titles are so cool except when they're not. (worm spoilers) Arc 21 - Imago: Fascinating arc name. Related to the psychology of the characters during the arc, while also referencing a stage of bug development that reflects Taylor's confidence and actions during these chapters. Arc 22 - Cell: taylor is in a cell

[glavilio]

every christmas eve, santa clause visits the house of every good girl and boy to lay his eggs in saucers of stagnant milk. these eggs hatch into gift larvae, feed on cookie particles in the milk's surface microlayer, and by christmas morning, form a chrysalis and pupate into wrapped presents. the final stage of the present's life cycle requires mutualistic interaction with the gift's chosen human recipient. the human partner unwraps the chrysalis and releases the imago present

[crazysodomite]

its easy to care for your pavel grub. but if you treat it too nicely it will never grow up. you have to pressure it to get a job and it will grow limbs (imago stage)

the pavel grub likes to eat vegetables and grasses and leaves. you can give it fruits and berries as a treat. Don't give it candy or sugar. it likes dark and cold environments. it enjoys being hugged and cuddled (but not too much). it will grow into an adult pavel after a few weeks and you can get rid of it

[ranfren-confessions]

If there is one small thing that I really love is the fact that (canon) 25 year old Randal (from Howdie's famous "character through life stages" meme with him) appears to be very similar Luther appearence vise. Not just having the same sharp teeth, long bony fingers, a second set of eyes and, presumably, same height too but also having a pretty similar hairstyle as well. Yes, I took time to compare. Randal's looks more like a moptop rather than a pageboy but nonetheless, very much alike. Same goes to his clothes. It's a little funny how Randal's life cycle can be compared to that of a butterfly: when he was in the larva (current 13-15 year old Randal) and chrysalis (17 years old) stages he looked nothing like his older brother, just as larvas and pupas lack most features their parents have. But just like butterflies once he grew to the imago stage he became what is essentially a carbon copy of the older Ivory appearence vise. It's possible that the style change wasn't even Luther's desire to have everyone look like him, as it's hinted at in LUCID 13. Randal wore his hair long all his life but once the brain matured and the teen rebellion phase ended, he looked at Luther one day and his just subconciously wanted to be more similiar to him, possibly viewing himself as "imperfect". It's all so interesting.

.

[princess-of-the-corner]

On Chrysalis' name... It's overdone. Female insect-themed villain, so she gets named after the pupal stage of the butterflies.

I'll leave aside for once the idea of using the much cooler tumbler because this one is butterfly themed and a tumbler is the pupa of a mosquito... But why not use the proper name for an adult insect, imago? It would work especially better here, as "imago" is also Latin for "ghost", and THIS Butterfly Miraculous user is just that slippery and mysterious.

See on one hand I do love "Imago". Like love the name, also *gestures to the Cortical Cocoon AU which I should really get back to answering that one ask about so sorry*

On the other hand. My love of MLP is laughing at the bug-themed villain who used shapeshiftign powers being named 'Chrysalis'

[joutsummer]

Adrienne Rich + Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France

Contradictions: Tracking Poems, No. 28 ©Adrienne Rich | Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar on Stage 17 of the 2021 Tour de France ©Getty Images | Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar before Stage 18 of the 2022 Tour de France ©Belga/Imago/David Stockman | Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar after Stage 18 of the 2021 Tour de France ©AFP/Getty Images | Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar after Stage 17 of the 2022 Tour de France ©Sirotti | Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar on the podium of the 2022 Tour de France ©Marco Bertorello

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Flatheaded Mayfly - Stenacron sp.

If the many insect species within the order Ephemeroptera were easier to identify simply by looking at pictures, I'd have many species to share here from my trips to Muskoka. Given their lifecycle, water is essential to the development of Mayflies; they inhabit water as hungry nymphs, and skim over the lakes as fleeting sub-adults and adults in search of mates. This genuinely makes cottage country a perfect location to find Mayflies and observe them. Maybe even catch a few if possible... if only to use as fish bait. In any case, when they're not flying out over the lakes, they're being drawn to cottage lights in the dead of night, allowing for some much needed close-ups of their features. What strikes me in particular about this individual is its head and eyes: the head is relatively flat, so much so that the compound eyes practically extend out of the head (akin to flattened protrusions), rather than be fully enclosed onto the head. If this sounds somewhat jumbled, I apologize. A closer look at Picture 4's head should hopefully clarify but I mean. Given these features, my photographs and a few comparisons made to other similar finds within the area, I'm of the opinion that today's find belongs to the family Heptageniidae (Flatheaded Mayflies).

This individual's features are similar to that of Mayflies sorted into the Stenacron genus, so if I were to offer up an identification, I would lean towards Stenacron interpunctatum, but this is just speculation on my part. According to Bugguide, it seems that an identification is nearly impossible unless you can get an accurate look at the Mayfly's mouthparts. However, it may interest you to know that the mandible assessment for identification only applies to the Mayfly Naiads (nymphs). Adult Mayflies meanwhile have vestigial mouthparts, and as a result, they cannot feed; all their energy is spent finding a mate near or over the water. While they do not eat, they can still intake liquids during their imago (adult) stage. Knowing this, identification has become a much greater endeavor than expected, but perhaps a revisit of this specimen using macrophotography would shed some light. Other Stenacron (and similar genera) species must be ruled out, so this cottage insect find will be labelled as "Unidentified" for now. If more conclusive information is found, this post will be updated as soon as possible with the identity of this delicate insect.

Pictures were taken on May 25, 2024 in Muskoka with a Google Pixel 4. Although Mayflies can be a splendid find over lakes as spring gives way to summer, other strange insects also emerge from the water as adults. Perhaps you may see Stoneflies, Alderflies or Fishflies?