#The Face Australia

[sealsdaily]

Today's Sea Lion Is: Critical Hit

[pedgito]

HUGH JACKMAN as DROVER Australia (2008) dir. Baz Luhrman

[herpsandbirds]

Mallee Worm-Lizard (Aprasia inaurita), family Pygopodidae, Northern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Photograph by Jack Bilby

[javelinbk]

Paul McCartney at the Beatles’ press conference in Sydney airport, 11th June 1964

John

George

[justc2world]

This is how I want to hug him 🥺

[bloosemood]

You burn it all like it’s a game.

[loveisinthebat]

orang

[snototter]

The face of a rufous net-casting spider (Asianopis subrufa) in Brisbane, Australia

by Robert Whyte

[witchofthesouls]

I'm going to follow up on the fantasy-horror thoughts to be expanded Transformers, so-

Medical/Biological Horror

I haven't really seen takes about established Cybertronian medical biology and the complications with the "humans into Cybertronians" trope.

Like we see the heavy emphasis on T-cogs across the iterations and how it's deeply connected to independence, identity, and person-hood, so how about an ex-human that lacks a T-cog?

Ironically, T-cogs have a lot of emphasis on that particular organ is similar to human hearts in terms of emotional, cultural, physical, and physical capabilities and significance. Similar to how humans are capable of donating hearts to others, Cybertronians can perform an equivalent procedure with T-cogs. (On a related side note, the phenomenon of 'cellular memory' has to be extremely appalling to the mechanical species. Not in the sense of upcycling parts, but in the sense that the organs, frame, and equipment still retain the echos of the last person to the point that it influences the new body.)

Imagine that once human inside a medbay as the medics tutted and sadly inscribe their new medical file about their new monoformer status. What a shame, they said. They could have been an excellent addition to (insert whatever frame kibble visible that correlates to a function), they said. Poor thing! With that kind of extrasensory equipment, they'll be a walking target, they said.

So that monoformer with no kibble or those visible beastformer traits without the means to completely escape... What. A. Shame.

Until a random Cybertronian sees that monoformer casually wheeling around with heelies. It's easy to wave away as a reinvention of training wheels, but then they notice those heelies disappear back into the monoformer's frame. The ex-human still has no T-cog. Sweat breaks out because said ex-human had done the fucking impossible.

They're paying closer attention now. They're seeing little micro-transformations happening. The subtle signs of a frame shifting to accommodate an area or space, the way fingertips would sharpen too easily with a file or with a raw cut as a tip is used to scrape away at something, the seams expanding and contracting, so something is happening, they just can't tell...

While this can overlap with the body/psychological horror aspect, I say we should take it more extreme. There had been takes with dysphoria, particularly with the play between mechanical parts and human organs, the differences in senses, and if 'sticky sexual interfacing' is part of it, then sexual hardware of both sets.

However, what about acceptance? The exploration of feeling truly at home in your own new skin? Even if it's high-tech and something out of a sci-fi film/video game with a platform that's incomprehensible because you don't understand the language it uses, but guess what? You can download a packet to fully comprehend a new language. You may not be fluent or comfortably at ease with speaking, but you can read and understand what's being said. A possibility of delving into human disabilities that translate into something easily curable or nonexistent or have well-established accommodations in a Cybertronian framework. Something like hormonal disorders or gastrointestinal issues due to upset gut biome would be wiped clean. Poor/limited eyesight can be compensated with a visor that can't be easily removed or taken away or the additional sensors that provide environmental data. Cybertron has a form of sign language with chirolinguistics where communication is done "by stimulating the nervecircuits in the fingers, wrist and palm of their conversational partner. It seems to be fairly common to know at least a little hand." TFWiki page And it pairs well with internal comms that double as cell phones or an unique user on platform where a Cybertronian can live chat or text another.

A massive tradeoff for this kind of comfort? You now have a visible soul.

Think about it, your soul can be directly handled, as in someone can physically go mess with your most distilled sense of self.

Humanity had long debated the existence of it via philosophy, spiritually, scientifically as well. The heart is the most recent popular choice, but major historical contenders had been the stomach and the mind as well as arguments of the soul isn't found in one specific organ but rather the bridge between them.

People swear by souls and the afterlife. There are many myths and legends that involve souls. Even the most doubtful had been deeply raised in a cultural framework of the concept via media usage, figurative speech, religious imagery, and depictions in art.

That has to be the most mind-blowing and deeply unsettling reality a former human must accept.

I see the comparisons of sparkeaters to vampires as they both prey on the living, but the more apt description should be the product of Harry Potter with Dementors as those Dark creatures eat souls.

So this touches on another genre-

Supernatural Horror

Human adaptability combined with the Earth transformation myths/magic would deeply terrify modern Cybertronians as those new cybered beings don't fit the established medical reality they function with.

This can easily tie very well with expanding Cybertronian folklore of otherworldly beings of their version of fae, demons, spirits, or yōkai. Beautiful, terrible beings that mimick Cybertronians too well... unless to look closer: the shadow missing or not matching (can be tied to Unicron), conflicting kibble, EM fields too wild with a chaotic rhythm no one else can match, colors that change to suddenly, a strange wardrobe (made of deaf creatures) that ripples and warps without a breeze, an mechanimal with too much intelligence glittering in its optics...

I'm not even fully delving into the rampant chaos of ex-humans having a host of adaptations suited for tolerating far more ranges of environmental stress and disease-resistance due to the rapid evolution by organic life compared to Cybertronian fauna. Remember, humans are animals. Highly intelligent apex predators that specialize in endurance/persistent pursuit with strong social and communal behaviors, and the cleverness to suit the environment from aquatic to deserts to wetlands to forests to grasslands to tundra. Humanity found ways to not just survive but to thrive in those biomes.

This opens a potential storyline where cybered humans become Cybertron's extremophiles, so that can easily translate into those beings capable of manipulating their own selves to a multitude of frames and shapes.

The example above with the human to monoformer was a show in how transformation mechanisms could be different between the species. If T-cogs are an inherently modern Cybertronian biological trait, then cybered!Earth natives should be either throwbacks or have another approach to it.

And that's the more muted fuckery, but what about straight-up transformations that were deemed unthinkable? Where unnatural formations keep twisting upon themselves, collapsing just to rise higher and higher? The sudden appearance of not one or two extra limbs, but dozens, even hundreds without a sequence as they try to compute how the hell they pull all that mass from nowhere? Armor plating, sure and steady, then turning into a substance that swallows everything and anything as a solid becomes a liquid.

The repression technology may or may not even work as it targets the frame's T-cog. What can it do to a mecha that doesn't have one?

Another aspect overlooked is the animal-human relationship in domestication of wild animals or how communities form symbiotic relationships with different kinds of wild fauna. Combined humanity's collective love for highly dangerous creatures... Wouldn't it be absolutely sick as hell if cyber!human got a sparkeater as their companion? It's still a wild 'animal,' not a fully tame one like a domesticated animal, so they're trying to tedtalk on a human's approach to curating a stable relationship with a predatory species while the rest of the Cybertronians are basically dead-white from sheer fright.

Or on the opposite yet equally delightful spectrum of said exhuman caring for orphaned creatures that reminds them of human pets (like a bunny or a mouse), but those 'cute babies' usually cause massive structural damage to city-states and a known mech-killer. Something like a Scraplet (because, let's be real, deep in your heart, you know a person that would try to keep it as a pet and succeed at it), so their tedtalk about behavioral training, 'reasonable precautions,' and emotional/physical fulfillment is filled with scientists who's curiosity (slightly to completely) overtakes any sense of self-preservation.

[thirdlotusprince3]

Britain: We call that a traumatic event.

Britain, turning to Canada: Not a "typical tuesday."

Britain, to New Zealand: Not "it is what it is."

Britain, to Sealand: Not a "bruh moment"

Britain, turning to America: Not a "major L."

Britain, turning to Australia: And definitely not an "oof lmao."

[forest-fairy777]

hair up or down?

[areawest]

Australian PM referred to ICC for complicity in genocide

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been referred to the International Criminal Court as an accessory of genocide to Gaza, announced this morning.

He's the first leader of a Western nation to be referred to the ICC over complicity in genocide. This could set a precedent for other leaders, such as Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak, to also be referred and potentially face trial.

Sources:

Birchgrove Legal Files Case for Complicity to Genocide to the Hague- International Criminal Court [Media Release] | Birchgrove Legal

Australian PM First Western Leader Referred to ICC as 'Accessory to Genocide in Gaza' (commondreams.org)

Antoinette Lattouf on X: "BREAKING: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been referred to the International Criminal Court as an accessory to genocide in Gaza making him the 1st leader of a Western nation referred to the ICC under Article 15 of the Rome Statute. 100+ Australian lawyers back this move https://t.co/5lQDdbU589" / X (twitter.com)

[goldenstarprincesses]

Arthur is the proud owner of an elderly decrepit King Charles Spaniel dog. No one knows how old it is. There is a debate between his children and Francis about if its immortal or if Arthur just keeps adopting the exact same type of dog. Everyone is kinda scared to ask as this point.

The dog is fucking mean. Will snarl, bite, and pee on anyone who try's to pet or even worse, move it. It tolerates the Kirkland children most of the time, but is known to hate Francis. Francis has done nothing but try to pamper and win over that dog. Still has chewed up multiple designer bags. Known dog lover and super power the United States will turn right around and try again later if he walks in his fathers house and he realizes he's alone with the dog. One time the dog crawled onto his lap and along side being scare to move for the next 5 hours, Alfred was actually positive it was a sign he was dying.

But the worst thing about this, is that Arthur treats that dog better then he ever treated any of his children in their babyhood and youth. Alfred once witness Arthur crawl under the dining room table to spoon feed it homemade dog food. Matt once had to help put the dogs hand-sewn winter jacket and booties on. They all have heard him talk the most sweet musical baby talk to it.

[xxjadeybabyxx]

How do we feel about the new piercing?

[javelinbk]

John Lennon at the Beatles’ press conference in Sydney airport, 11th June 1964

Paul

George

[bellinghamilton]

Pole sitter Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the Press Conference.