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avatar-saiki · 2 months ago

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The Birth of Paradox

Pt. 2 - The Dawn

Pt. 1

Word Count: 3.2k

Summary: Retelling of the backstory of the OG Obey Me game, but as if I were the author that had created the worlds where the characters reside. This chapter gives a glimpse of the Celestial Realm in the early days before tragedy.

In a world of ever-present serenity and sun, a single dove flitted across the sky, spreading its wings wide and banking toward the right to ride a breeze that rolled through the grassy hills far below as it added its melody to nature’s song. With a quick flick of its tail it tipped down, tucking its wings in as it fell, its shape beginning to morph and shift as wind sailed passed feathers that soon would no longer be. Water began to collect at its snout, encompassing its form fully as it transitioned to that of a shark, swimming through the air and righting itself just as the grass grazed its belly. No sooner had it settled on this form that it began to feel the pull of another, twisting and turning in its cocoon until the water burst, raining down upon the ruby red serpent as it landed upon the grass. It lifted its head and flicked out its tongue, surveying the sky as the grass gave way to the warmest of sands, offering the coziest of places to lay and rest.

The serpent burrowed into the sand with a satisfied hiss, contented though there was no sense of fatigue nor danger as all manner of creatures moved about in similar patterns, taking forms and shapes of all kinds as the world altered around them. Whatever may be needed was provided as naturally as one might intake breath.

Whatever was needed.

A sense known, but not understood. No matter the form, there was always a need within. Breathing in from the air or sea, basking in the sun or finding respite in darkened alcoves below the surface. A need, always a need, for the form itself, but what of the individual that resided inside?

The serpent watched as dolphins danced with butterflies, gleefully sharing in the skies above.

If the need was always provided for, could it truly be called a need? There was never a sense of tension or urgency, not even for the briefest of moments before the need was met. An answer was always there, perhaps even before the question could even be considered.

So then why were these thoughts being considered at all within this simple serpent’s mind?

What did it matter, really?

The snake parted its jaws, mimicking the gesture of a yawn that felt natural and yet unfitting for this form.

Such thoughts could certainly be entertained, but why not enjoy the crispness of the air and the warmth of the all encompassing sun? The breeze that stirred the great tree’s leaves always garnered the loveliest of melodies, why sully it with senseless worries?

That was life, here in this realm. Existence. Consciousness. State of being. However one were to define it, or whatever term it may fit to be one to reside within a realm untouched by time.

Yet therein lies another paradox so accepted without a second breath.

While it was true that time did not touch this realm, it did not respond in the same way for all its inhabitants. Memories of forms lived in worlds unfamiliar, places where cycles existed of day and night. Whispers of desperation and fear echoed deep within the soul, as if to deny the ever-present safety here under the vast canopy of the great tree.

The serpent flicked its tongue once more before rising up and diving headfirst into the sand. A sense of curiosity was fleeting, so indulging in it would be a great boon. It wasn’t uncommon for some fauna to take to the darkness down below, wishing to explore the world hidden from the sun. Within the ground, caverns would open, dotted with glowing crystals to illuminate the way. Some could form in small tunnels, while others expanded so wide one could forget there existed a world above.

But the little beetle was determined to follow its curiosity as far as it would allow, at least until this idle thought would be forgotten once more.

Soon it found one of the roots of the great tree and latched, using it as a guide as it scuttled downward, dirt and rock giving way as it traveled further. Down, down, down, the tunnel weaved and wound, sometimes breaking to reveal large pods of fellow entities exploring the shapes and forms they may take. Curious, the beetle watched, antenna twitching before it morphed into a small house cat and began to scamper further down the root, mimicking the pounces it had witnessed at every bumpy knob along its path.

A warm feeling stirred in its chest and it let out a triumphant chirp, catching an unsuspecting twist within the root, tail flicking in delight. This was fun.

What else could be discovered? What other sensations might stir within its chest?

Further it traversed, with no end to its journey in sight. But, was there meant to be an end? Could the roots extend beyond, even further than it could ever run, just as the sun would always shine?

The desire to know pushed it forward and it sprinted further still, more questions not yet conceived beginning to stir in its mind.

What was this curiosity? Why did it feel so compelled to continue on? Why travel so far, so low, so alone? Was it possible to travel so far it might not return to the sun?

The cat’s pace slowed and it sat upon the root to groom, an instinctual habit unneeded here, but as with all things instinctual and unnecessary, it brought a sense of comfort while it considered its whims.

If perhaps the roots were endless, turning back may be equally fruitless. Perhaps the roots were meant to always lead to the tree eventually, no matter where one may begin their investigation. Or it may be true the roots forever extend, stretching far beyond comprehension allowed. The cat’s tail gave an anxious flick, and it wiped its paw over one of its ears. But, it assured itself, the world was always there to answer wishes, so if one were to desire to return to the surface, surely the path would open up to do so.

It stretched and yawned, shaking loose the strange feelings that made its fur rise. In any case, the cat had already traveled so far, so what was the harm in traveling just a bit further?

Emboldened, the cat scampered down further, racing without slowing until the root began to hum, soft vibrations resonating under its paws. It was strange. A new sensation, yet somehow familiar. Something was here. Something—

In a rush the tunnel expanded into a darkened cave, the root shaking violently as the cat scrambled to catch hold. It failed and fell, landing in a soft puff of dust down below. Puzzled with fur stood on end, it looked up at the root that now held still. Nothing had occurred like that before. Did the land reject it? The root stretched up above and disappeared around the bend of the cavern, seemingly still nowhere near its end.

The cat placed its paws on one of the walls, confused why it did not yield or give it a foothold to climb up. It sat back, staring up at the root again. The strangeness of this cavern did little to sway the sense of newness and mystery, and the cat lowered down to sniff the dirt. All seemed as it always was, so why was this cavern different than the rest?

As it sniffed, the vibrations returned and the rocks began to hum. The cat froze, cocking one ear to listen and digging its claws into the dirt, feeling the vibrations deep within its bones.

There was something here.

Something… not part of the tree.

The cat returned to the form of a serpent, following the vibrations felt against its belly and leaving the root behind. It was clear now that it wasn’t the tree that hummed, but something deeper.

Now even the rocks below no longer gave way, feeling rather solid whenever its snout brushed against them. Frustrated, the serpent slithered and backtracked, seeking openings that would bring it closer to the source. If the world was no longer adapting, what did that mean? Was this the end it had been seeking?

Eventually even the smallest of snakes was too large to fit through the cracks hidden away, and the beetle scuttled its way along the rock, stubbornly searching for a way in. When it found one it wriggled its way inside, feeling oddly claustrophobic, but it carried on. No matter its shape, the world had never been so…

Suffocating.

Just as the strangeness of that sentiment hit its mind, the bizarre sense of relief that followed as the world opened up again was enough to take hold of its senses, such an intensity of elation struck to its core that it took a moment to understand what was before it now.

The humming was louder now, small rocks and pebbles dancing within the small cave. The beetle looked up overhead and felt comforted to see the roots still visible, but they almost seemed to grow as if to avoid this area. Strange. Though, it couldn’t deny this little pocket of space felt… different.

Cautiously, the cat returned and padded around the small space, pawing at the ground without much thought or direction, merely experimenting with the rocks that danced to their own haunting tune. There was nothing here that hadn’t been seen before. Dirt. Rocks. Roots. Yet it felt more.

Unsatisfied, the cat shifted into a mole and struck its claws against the dirt. If the world would no longer give, then it would dig. It hadn’t come this far to leave now, and even if there was nothing to be found, it would make sure it was so. Even if the experience was odd, the mole’s claws made quick work of the singing dirt, the vibrations tickling its paws almost as if to taunt it for its exploration. Maybe there truly was nothing. The vibrations could be yet another part of the tree, a way for it to breathe much like the way lungs might take in—

Its claws struck something hard and unyielding, bright colors flashing in its mind as the heavy vibrations rattled through its arm and resonated deep in its chest. Startled, it pulled back and looked at its paws, one still shaking from where it had touched… something.

Something… strange.

New.

Unfamiliar.

Something… unknown.

—————

Up upon the surface, a hill rose to meet a deer that strode forward, its grassy greens brushing along the deer’s legs as it waded through the brush, regal and serene. Once it reached the top of the hill, it paused and bowed its head in greeting toward a lion that dozed in the sun. The lion did little to acknowledge it, but soon after a peacock flew by, landing just shy of the pair. With a flutter of feathers, it drew itself up proud and tall, growing broader as tail feathers vanished and joints morphed, and what was once avian becoming humanoid, a flurry of a crown of blue feathers giving way to the darkest of ebony hair.

The man stood, capturing the deer in a scarlet gaze as he waited while it too mimicked the fluidity of shape, taking the form of a human and raising his hand in greeting. Then they both looked to the lion, whose amber eyes watched them with a disgruntled flick of its tail.

“Are you not going to join us, Michael?” The former peacock asked, mild annoyance gracing his tone. “Considering you’re the one that asked us here, I would think you’d deign to tell us what it is you wanted to discuss.”

The lion merely chuffed and closed its eyes, heavy tail thumping in the grass in response.

“We could try a lion’s speech?” Suggested the deer with a small, tentative smile as he reached to rub his neck. “Though… I don’t know how nuanced a conversation that would be.”

“I don’t see the point,” The peacock said, already turning his back to the lion. “If there’s nothing to discuss, there’s no reason to stay.”

“We could still enjoy the view together,” The deer said with a fond smile, eyes drifting up to admire a school of rainbow colored fish swimming in a stream up above. “It’s not often we have the opportunity, especially lately.”

“I don’t have time for that,” quipped the peacock, already striding down the hill. “Sit here all you like, but I have better things to do.”

“Time,” huffed a low, gravelly voice that gave the peacock pause. “What do you know of time?”

The peacock turned to see that the lion had finally risen, shaking free of its mane in a shock of blonde hair, claws drawing back to soft manicured nails until it too stood before them in the form of a human. His face turned to one of disgust, looking at his own hands. “Such a weak form, isn’t it?”

“It can be,” the deer agreed, looking at his own hands. “But from what I’ve observed, they can be rather strong as well.”

The lion scoffed and turned up his nose. “I don’t know why you even bother watching.”

“I don’t either,” the deer said with a laugh, “other than I enjoy it sometimes. Some of the things they do can be rather clever.”

The deer’s musings seemed to fall on deaf ears, for the lion’s nose wrinkled and he looked about to say something more, but the peacock spoke first.

“What is this about, Michael?”

“This,” he gestured toward the deer. “This Is what it’s about. Ever since Belphegor found that crystal, it’s done nothing but cause problems. Problems I’m surprised neither you nor Simeon seem to recognize.”

“Problems?” the deer named Simeon repeated with a tilt of his head. “Problems in what way?” He smiled again. “I rather enjoy the crystal, it’s so fascinating. Every time I look at it, it shows me a new vision of worlds I’d never imagined before.”

Michael sneered and looked to the peacock again. “I’d expect you to see reason, but I can see you’re just as lost as the rest. Don’t pretend you don’t look, given you’re aware of ‘time’.”

“I do, once every so often,” the peacock said, unashamedly as he crossed his arms. “More so to understand what it is that Belphie and the others see. What of it?”

Michael looked between the two of them, then forced out a sigh. “I don’t understand why anyone would enjoy looking at what that crystal brings. What it wants us to see. Do you not realize it? Have you not seen? How evil that thing is?”

“Evil?” echoed Simeon, the word unfamiliar in both word and mind.

Michael shot him a tired, withering look. “You haven’t been looking in the right places if you still do not see it.”

“Do you mean the creatures that feed upon others?” Asked the peacock, his expression neutral. “Such as wolves that hunt the sheep or lions that prey upon the young?”

Michael’s lip curled, knowing that was meant to get a rise from him for his more favored form. “That is only part of it,” he hissed. “Such repulsive images reflect upon its planes, how can any of you stand to look at such things?”

“Well…” Simeon reached to touch his neck again, smile soft and a bit sheepish. “I can’t explain it, but in some ways… seeing those things makes things… make sense? After all, we may take many of those forms ourselves. Could it be we’re connected to the images in some way?”

“No,” Michael said, immediately refusing the thought. “Absolutely not. I wouldn’t dare even dream of such a thing.”

“It is possible,” said the peacock, looking out across the fields and skies filled with so many creatures of varying kinds. “It could be our past, or even our future. This world may shape around us and our needs now, but what we see in the crystal isn’t like that. If it’s not where we come from, maybe it’s a warning?”

“Oh,” Simeon murmured, following his gaze as his voice quieted. “I hadn’t thought of that. I don’t know how I feel about that.”

“This is precisely why I advised Belphegor put it back the moment he brought it to the surface,” Michael said with a low growl. “But no one would listen to me! And if that weren’t enough,” he looked down at his hands again, disgust contorting his face and voice. “Now he’s become fixated on these… these… things. Such wretched things. Disgusting. Awful. Vile creatures.” He clenched his fists tightly, nails biting his palms. “They’re the worst of the lot that I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s a bit harsh,” Simeon said, offering a small laugh that was quickly subdued the moment Michael glared at him again.

“You only confirm once again that you haven’t seen what I’ve seen,” Michael growled. “These… what are they called?”

“Humans,” supplied the peacock.

“Humans.” Repeated Michael with scathing disdain. “They’re unlike any other. Not only do they consume all that’s around them, but they even seem set on destroying themselves and each other. It’s idiotic.” He pointed a finger at the peacock. “Lucifer, I warned you before, nothing good will come from whatever it is we glean from that crystal. Destroy it, bury it, I don’t care but the longer we look the more we’ll become corrupted.”

“I think you’re being a little overdramatic,” said Simeon, reaching out to touch his wrist and lower his arm. “We don’t even know what these visions are, where they came from, or if the images we see even truly exist at all. The crystal may have existed long before any of us, and it has yet to affect any of us even if we are aware of it now. The tree provides all we need, and whatever it is that causes the creatures we see to harm each other doesn’t occur within us.” He placed a hand on his chest, offering a smile to soothe Michael’s temper. “If if they look like a form we may take, they aren’t us and we are not them.”

“You’re the one that suggested we could be connected in some way,” muttered Lucifer, and Simeon let out a small laugh.

“I did, didn’t I? Well, who knows,” he said with a shrug. “In any case, it isn’t us now, is it?”

“So far as we know, yes,” Lucifer agreed, then glanced at Michael. Have you finished, or was there more you wished to say?”

Michael had clenched his fist at his side, his jaw tight as he glanced at Simeon, then Lucifer, then averted his eyes with a forceful sigh. “You’re going to ignore my warning again, aren’t you?”

“No, not ignoring,” Lucifer said, turning his back to him once again. “I will take it into consideration as I always have, but for the time being I still believe there is value to what we see. I will work with the others to discuss what we observe in the event it could be related to our past or potential future, and remain aware it could be detrimental to those who gaze.” He glanced over his shoulder, “Whatever the crystal is or wherever it may have come from, the fact remains it has been found and it has something to give us. Does the world not provide all that we need?”

Michael growled under his breath and turned away briskly, departing down the hill’s opposite side.

“Do as you like. I won’t warn you a third time.”

#obeymeshallwedate #obey me #obey me lucifer #obey me belphegor #obey me simeon #obey me michael #fanfic #the birth of paradox

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eeveeas123 · 1 year ago

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My final thoughts on Pokémon Scarlet & Violet…

Incredible! I felt like it was one of the best games I’ve ever played! There are many things that caught my attention:

Clothes weren’t restricted by gender

The characters. Arven’s motivation, both before and after Mabosstiff was saved, was inspiring! Team Star’s members were awesome too because even though they were definitely odd in different ways, they never let each other down in friendship. Some people say Nemona actually lacks character but that’s not true for me! She just represents the bulk of Pokémon games, battles! Kieran going from super shy and hiding behind Carmine to having more confidence (Not without “Bumps” in the road to get there, of course). Overall, I loved the personality these guys have! I felt a connection with many of these people

Music. Kieran’s first battle theme took number one on my personal chart! I also enjoyed the Tera Raid Theme, Gym Leader theme and so on! Some themes were also emotional, I’d get lost in them pretty easily but not everything can be cheerful all the time, even Pokémon tunes

The stories/plot. So “Twisty”, I’m not saying I enjoyed learning the fact that Arven’s parent died in bad incident but if anything, it made the story more interesting and mature. The Team Star storyline makes me cry at certain parts (Even after playing through SV 4+ times). Plus it’s a very relatable issue, bullying as well as being misunderstood. But they worked hard to help the poor students despite them also being victims. I’ll admit there wasn’t much extremely new about the Victory Road plot but that’s because they knew at least one thing shouldn’t be changed, battling and the earning badge system (It’s just something the majority are used to)

The Pokémon species. Fidough? Oh. My. Lord! Such a clever idea and the Paradox forms were very mysterious and cool since they resemble older Pokémon… Ogerpon was adorable and we finally have a dolphin species in Finizen/Palafin! Lechonk as the first Pokémon you can catch was nice! (Pigs are one of my favourite animals). I think this particular batch of new Pokémon felt very fresh

The open world approach. You could basically go anywhere you wanted by the game’s end, also, three maps!? (Paldea, Kitakami & The Terrarium). I loved how free it felt

The classes. Probably not the most popular opinion but I loved the school classes in the academy. It was a great way to learn facts you might not think about otherwise (I wouldn’t have looked up the odds of critical hits unless it was necessary, good to know though!)

That’s all I’ve thought about for now, maybe I’ll write more soon (Also, if they come out with Scarlet 2 & Violet 2 soon like they did for BW I’ll probably faint with happiness! But it looks unlikely…)

#eeveeas123 #pokémon #pokémon games #pokémon sv #pokémon scarlet and violet #scarlet and violet #pokemon scarlet and violet #pokémon gen 9 #pokemon

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celestiall0tus · 2 years ago

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How the Kwamis work in my AUs

As per an ask, I want to go over how I've reworked the kwamis in my AUs. In general, they primarily function the same, but I'll get into those deviations here as well. Now, let's begin:

General:

The kwamis received a massive overhaul. No longer are they creatures to be contained and kept in check. They are divine entities that have their own autonomy and freedom. Their concepts have been reworked to feel more like actual abstract concepts rather than their powers, like Illusion or Teleportation. The kwamis, once their jewels are activated, are bound to the person and cannot be removed by anyone aside from the holder. Furthermore, there are 27 main kwamis that I use that come with a pair. The paired kwamis function as opposites, yin and yang. Paired kwamis can cancel out the others powers, working as a balance. When paired holders come in contact, they will neutralize the use of each other's powers. I.e. if the freedom holds connection, freedom cannot teleport and connections can't communicate telepathically. The opposites are also immune to the effects of the other. I.e. sorrow uses their sadness aura, joy is unaffected. The exception to this ruleset is the five remaining kwamis of this set of 27. These five have no counter and can swing either way depending on the hearts of mortals. I.e. Health being able to either cure or inflict diseases depending on a person's heart and agenda.

The kwamis, and their pairs and new concepts, are as followed.

Ladybug and Black Cat - Creation and Destruction

Bee and Spider - Devotion and Betrayal

Mouse and Pig - Perception and Ignorance

Fox and Lynx - Deception and Honesty (the most paradoxical pairing)

Dog and Rooster - Love and Animosity

Bat and Tiger - Fear and Valor

Ant and Goat - Drudgery and Revelry (Ant changes to the horse in Salvation)

Monkey and Raven - Joy and Sorrow

Horse and Rabbit - Freedom and Connection (Freedom does change quite frequently through my AUs along with Intuition)

Wolf and Owl - Intuition and Knowledge (Like Freedom, Intuition changes)

Bull and Koala - Determination and Lethargy

Cow and Swan - Body and Soul

Cicada and Chameleon - Reality and Imagination

Dolphin and Seal - Memory and Oblivion

Robin and Dove - Genesis and Destiny

Shark and Bear - Time and Space

Finally, the set of five:

Snake - Health/Life

Turtle - Protection

Butterfly - Transformation

Peacock - Beauty

Dragon - Nature

List of weapons here

Lastly, each pair possesses a Miracle power that must be used with the other half willingly. I.e Creation can create anything permanent, only after Destruction has destroyed something of equal value to be created. Or Connection can broadcast a message that transcends language and distance with the assistance of Freedom.

Now, the powers work differently based on the AU. So, let's dive into that:

Miraculous AU:

The first AU I started and is still ongoing. This is full of experimental ideas that not all carried over to the other AUs. I will explain them and give a brief why they didn't carry over:

The holders would get stronger the more they used their powers and the stronger the bond was with their kwami. It works for this AU, as there is an essence of time to allow this. In the others, the stakes are higher, so the systems work differently. It is also integral to the story as the bonds with the kwamis have plot relevance, especially with Papillon and later Lord Bug.

The kwamis fall into one of three categories based of their concepts: Defensive, Combative, Hybrid. I honestly don't know what I was thinking or why it seemed like it was a good idea at the time, but it is extremely flawed. Essentially, kwamis would offer special protections or skills the closer they were with their holders. I.e. the ladybug holder couldn't be hurt, but wasn't good at fighting while the black cat holder excelled in combat, but was a glass cannon. It is a messy system and didn't carry over.

Greater and lesser powers. So, the powers in this AU were to gauge what would work, carry over, and figure out what was OP. While powers have changed, the system did too later on. In this AU, you have holders with three sets of powers. Lesser powers they can use more freely while greater powers were limited to one use per transformation until they were stronger. The third power was their miracle power, the Miraculous. The Miraculous stayed the same, but the system of lesser and greater powers changed.

The holders and their kwamis and powers (lesser then greater) are as followed:

Ladybug - Marinette - Creation and Good Luck Aura (Lucky Charm)

Black Cat - Adrien - Destruction and Black Luck Aura (Cataclysm)

Bee - Chloe - Charm and Bless

Spider - Zoe - Betrayal Inducement and Bond Destruction

Mouse - Juleka - Omni Senses and Perception Manipulation

Pig - Amelie (Initally) - Ignorance and Defiance (Ignore)

Fox - Lila - Illusions and Shapeshifting

Lynx - Marc - Truth Detection and Axiom

Dog - Sabrina - Love Inducement and Indomitable Love

Rooster - Felix - Hatred/Anger inducement and Berserk

Bat - Mylene - Fear Inducement and Terror Constructs

Tiger - Kim - Courage inducement and Clout (just like the show)

Ant - N/A

Goat - Ondine - Sin Inducement and Anarchy

Monkey - Bridgette - Joy Inducement and Euphoria

Raven - Nathaniel - Sorrow Inducement and Incorporeal

Horse - Alix - Teleportation and Defiance

Rabbit - Rose - Telepathy and Connections (threats of fate)

Wolf - Alya - Tracking and Clairvoyance

Owl - Max - TBA

Bull -Ivan - Hope Inducement and Indomitable Will

Koala - N/A

Finally, the set of five:

Snake - Luka - Cure and Rejuvenation

Turtle - Nino - Shield Generation and Invincible

Butterfly - Gabriel - Wither and Transform

Peacock - Nathalie - Beauty Manipulation and Mesmerize

Dragon - Kagami - Form shift (has for elemental forms to shift between to control the elements.)

Alright, next!

Salvation - Game of Gods and Men:

Here's where the deviations and changes begin. Salvation introduces the concept of Holders and Avatars with different rules for each.

Holders are what you get in the show. Has to transform to use powers, active their powers through a phrase, and overall limited. They have one power to use as many times as they want, but typically a lesser power.

Avatars are demigods. They are the mortals that consumed (yes, I said consumed) the essence of the kwami, i.e. the kwami itself. Providing they survive the ordeal, they are forever changed. Their bodies are essentially dead save for their still beating heart. They don't need food, sleep, breath, and are sterilized. They cannot fall ill to mundane diseases nor killed by worldly means. The only way to kill an Avatar is by another Avatar's powers or weapons (unless you are the turtle). With all the powers that they gain, they gain access to an unleashed form that is their true form. A mix of human and kwami, their Avatar forms, but only once they've mantled their concepts and stay true to their concepts.

Avatars gain three additional powers, giving them four. While there is no technical limit, there is. Each Avatar has a pool of power they can draw from. If they tap it out before resting or eating, then they will draw on their own life force. Should an Avatar do this, it will shorten their lifespan until they die. Furthermore, an Avatar that truly embodies their consumed concept can achieve their Avatar form. While in this form, they gain two more powers, but only while in this form.

The Holders and Avatars are as followed:

Ladybug - Luka- Creation

Black Cat - Kagami - Destruction

Bee - Marinette (Avatar) - Bond Creation, Bless, Command, Devotion Empowerment (in Avatar mode) Authority and Domination

Spider - Nathalie (Avatar) - Treachery Inducement, Bond Destruction, Psychological Intuition, and Teachery Empowerment (in Avatar mode) Will Breaker and Killer Instincts.

Mouse - Alya (Avatar) - Omni Senses, Perception Manipulation, Clarity, and Hyper Awareness (in Avatar mode) Astral Vision and Divination

Pig - N/A

Fox - Marc - Illusions

Lynx - Lila - Truth Compulsion

Dog - Nathaniel - Indomitable Love

Rooster - Audrey - Berserk

Bat - Felix (Avatar) - Fear Inducement, Phobia Creation, Fear Empowerment, and Terror Constructs (in Avatar mode) Submission and Nemesis Form

Tiger - Alix - Clout (just like the show)

Ant - Tomoe - Command

Goat - Nino - Sin Inducement

Monkey - Kim - Joy Inducement

Raven - Anarka - Sorrow Inducement

White Cat - Adrien - Teleportation

Rabbit - Rose - Telepathy

Deer - Sabrina - Tracking

Owl - Zoe (Avatar) - Story Mimicry, Memory Reading, Instant Learning, and Hyper Mind (in Avatar mode) Fathomless Mind and Omniscience

Bull - Chloe (Holder then Avatar) - Hope Inducement (Holder & Avatar power), Hope Empowerment, Stampede, and Indomitable Will (in Avatar mode) Self-Resurrection and Lifeless Continuation

Koala - Sabine - Tranquility

Finally, the set of five:

Snake - Juleka - Healing

Turtle - Bridgette (Avatar) - Shield Generation, Invincibility, Fortification Creation, and Hyper Evasion (in Avatar mode) Counter and Decay

Butterfly - Colt (Avatar) - Mutation Inducement, Mental Manipulation, Construct Creation, and Transmutation (in Avatar mode) Amalgamation and Reconfiguration

Peacock - Gabriel - Mesmerize

Dragon - Mylene - Form shift (has four elemental forms to shift between to control the elements.)

Next!

Absolution:

The system is kept simple in this one. Each holder gets one passive power that is either always active or they can use an unlimited amount of times while they get a primary power they can use a handful of times.

The cast is also smaller. Here they are and their powers:

Ladybug - Marinette - Creation

Black Cat - Adrien - Destruction

Bee - Chloe - Empower and Command

Mouse - Juleka - Omni Senses and Perception Manipulation

Fox - Lila - Illusions and Shapeshifting

Wolf - Alix - Teleportation and Defiance

Rabbit - Rose - Telepathy and Connections (threats of fate)

Deer - Alya - Tracking and Clairvoyance

Ox - Ondine - Indomitable Strength and Invincibility

Snake - Luka - Cure and Rejuvenation

Turtle - Nino - Shield Generation and Invincible

Butterfly - Nathalie - Transmutation and Mental Manipulation

Rooster - Nathaniel - Anger Inducement and Berserk

Raven - Marc - Sorrow Inducement and Incorporeal

Next!

Paradise:

Took me long enough to get this damn one sorted through, but it finally took off. The system of Paradise borrows from an aspect of Salvation, namely the Avatars. They have one power they can use as many times as they like, but there is a drawback. They will first go through the kwamis power reserves, and after that should they use their powers, they draw on their own life.

The holders are:

Ladybug - Marinette - Creation

Black Cat - Zoe - Destruction

Bee - Chloe - Bond Creation

Spider - Felix - Bond Destruction

Mouse - Nathalie - Tracking (perception edition)

Pig - Alix - Ignore

Dog - Sabrina - Love Constructs

Rooster - Juleka - Berserk

Tiger - Nino - Clout

Bat - Rose - Fear Augmentation

Goat - Luka - Anarchy

Rabbit - Mylene - Threads of Connection

Butterfly - Emilie - Transmutation

Peacock - Amelie - Beauty Manipulation

Turtle - Gabriel - Shield Generation

Snake - Adrien - Healing

Dragon - Kagami - Nature Manipulation minus fire

Swan - Ondine - Soul Reading

Cow - Kim - Golem Creation

Next!

Amaranthine:

So, yeah, this one. No activation phrases needed for powers, strong variations of the powers that make them like gods, and seemingly unlimited use. However, should the holders sustain enough damage or has used all the power reserves of the kwami, they'll de-transform and pass out from the strain.

Furthermore! There is a concept within this AU known as Soulbound. This is soulmates for kwamis. Kwamis can become soulbound with mortal souls they have been with in different incarnations of that mortal's life. This level of a bond between kwami and mortal allows for both to feel, experience, and think as one. And, yes, Marinette and Longg are soulbound. And if you think it's a massive advantage, you are right, but also oh so wrong.

Holders are:

Ladybug - Chloe - Creation

Black Cat - Zoe - Destruction

Fox - Alya - Illusions

Dragon - Marinette - Nature Manipulation

Snake - Luka - Wound Inducement

Butterfly - TBA (I ain't revealing this until they show up in the story. So, if you know, congrats. You get a cookie and politely asked to keep your mouth shut) - Transmutation

Next!

Separate Worlds:

This system is basically Absolution but the passive is something that is always active and not a power to use while their primary power is an actual power that can be used an unlimited amount of times, but are severely limited in what they can do.

Holders are as followed:

Peacock - Juleka - Absolute Beauty and Mesmerization

Dragon - Rose - Being Reworked

Turtle - Mylene - Invincibility and Fortification Generation

Butterfly - Adrien - TBA and Transmutation

Snake - TBA

Mouse - Alya - Omnisenses and Imperceivable

Owl - Alix - Passive Learning and Knowledge Replication

Ladybug - Marinette - Good Luck Aura and Object Creation

Fox - Nathalie - TBA and Illusions

Dog - Felix - Indomitable Love and Love Constructs

Next!

Court of Miracles:

I will at the very least explain how things work here, but that's all you'll get for now. In essence, there are no Miraculous jewels. Rather, the kwamis blessed mortals with powers, effectively turning those mortals into demigods. These blessings would have been passed through the generations to the modern day. With the weakening blessings and connections to the kwamis, there are three classifications to the demigods:

Lowborn

Midborn

Highborn

Lowborns have the weakest of connections usually having a single power. Midborn have stronger connections and possess some animal characteristics of their families kwami and posses 2-3 powers. Meanwhile Highborns have the closest connection, possessing the most animal and kwami traits among having the most powers at 4-5. Amongst the Highborns there are the Elites that can transform into man beasts, which is Juleka's Naga form.

The, uh, "Holders":

Marc – Cicada of Reality – Lowborn – Reality Warping

Nathaniel – Chameleon of Imagination – Midborn – Imagination Projection, Imaginary Constructs, Inducement

Marinette – Ladybug of Creation – Highborn – Omnifabrication, Omnireplication, Object Creation, Absolute Creativity

Felix Fathom – Black Cat of Destruction – Highborn – Omnicide, Disintegration, Destructive Energy, Erasure

Jalil – Shark of Time – Midborn – Accelerate/Slow/Stop Time, Chrono Vision

Alix – Bear of Space – Midborn – Create/Delete Spaces, Teleport

Aeon – Robin of Genesis – Midborn – Beginning Dominance, Origin Creation

Mireille – Dove of Destiny – Lowborn – Absolute Cancel

Mylene – Dragon of Nature – Midborn – Natural Disaster Manipulation, Environment manipulation, Absolute Control of Nature

Juleka/Luka – Snake of Life – Highborn (Juleka)/Lowborn (Luka) – Healing (Luka)/ Healing, Life Creation, Death Inducement, Disease manipulation, Resurrection (Juleka)

Adrien – Peacock of Beauty – Highborn – Absolute Beauty, Beauty Inducement, Shapeshifting, Siren Song, Mesmerizing Presence

Zoe – Butterfly of Transformation – Lowborn – Transmutation

Socqueline – Turtle of Protection – Midborn – Shield Generation, Fortification Generation

Kim – Cow of Body – Lowborn – Golem Creation

Ondine – Swan of Soul – Lowborn – Soul Reading

Nathalie – Dolphin of Memory – Highborn – Enhanced Memory, Memory Creation, Memory Implantation, Memory Reading

Veronique – Seal of Oblivion – Highborn – Memory Erasure, Memory Suppression, Identity Erasure, Paramnesia

Lila – Fox of Deception – Midborn – Illusions, Shapeshifting

Nora – Lynx of Truth – Lowborn – Truth Sense

Chloe – Bee of Devotion – Midborn – Suggestion, Bless

Manon – Spider of Betrayal – Midborn – Bond Destruction, Betrayal Inducement

Max – Owl of Knowledge – Midborn – Encyclopedic Knowledge, Knowledge Projection, Knowledge Absorption

Alya – Wolf of Intuition – Lowborn – Supernatural Tracking

Jessica – Mouse of Perception – Midborn – Self Perception Manipulation, Enhanced Sense

Chris – Pig of Ignorance – Lowborn – Ignore

Ali – Horse of Freedom – Highborn – Defiance, Teleportation, Weakness Removal, Clear Mind

Rose – Rabbit of Connection – Highborn – Telepathy, Connection Sight, Bond Creation, Omni-Communication

Fei Wu – Tiger of Valor – Highborn – Indomitable Courage, Courage Inducement, Clout, Courage constructs

Nino – Bat of Fear – Midborn – Terror Form, Phobia Creation, Terror Constructs

Sabrina – Dog of Love – Lowborn – Empathic

Aurore – Rooster of Animosity – Midborn – Rage Inducement, Berserk

Bridgette – Monkey of Delight – Midborn – Joy Inducement, Lightside View

Delmar – Raven of Sorrow – Lowborn – Sorrow Inducement

Ivan – Ox of Determination – Lowborn – Brute Force

Kagami – Koala of Lethargy – Highborn – Sleep, Serenity, Dream Walk, Combat Negation

Penny – Ant of Drudgery – Midborn – Drone Creation, Supertasking, Supernatural Stamina

Jagged – Goat of Revelry – Highborn – Sin Inducement, Revel, Anarchy Inducement, Ecstasy

Next!

All That Remained:

So, this variation of the system is a mix of canon show and canon movie. They get one use of their powers (minus Tomoe, but that's a story thing) with one power per (with Tomoe an exception) but once they use it, they won't de-transform after X amount of minutes.

The holders are as follows:

Ladybug - Marc - Creation

Black Cat - Felix - Destruction

Bee - Sabrina - Command

Spider - N/A

Mouse - Juleka - Perception Manipulation

Pig - N/A

Fox - Lila - Illusions

Lynx - N/A

Dog - Chloe - Love Constructs

Rooster - Ivan - Berserk

Bat - Tomoe- TBA

Tiger - Adrien - Clout

Ant - N/A

Goat - Nino - Anarchy

Monkey - Kim - Joy Inducement

Raven - N/A

Horse - Alix - Teleportation

Rabbit - Rose - Telepathy

Wolf - Alya - Tracking

Owl - Max - TBA

Bull -Kagami - Stampede

Koala - N/A

Snake - Luka - Rejuvenation

Turtle - Socqueline - Shield Generation

Butterfly - Nathalie- Transmutation

Peacock - Emilie- Mesmerize

Dragon - Mylene- Form shift (has for elemental forms to shift between to control the elements.)

Cicada - Marinette - Power Replication

Chameleon - Nathaniel - Imagination Manifestion

Swan - Zoe - Astral Projection

Cow - Ondine - Golem Creation

Dolphin - Amelie - Memory Recall

Next!

Siren's Song:

I had a change of heart with this one, mostly because I want to have some real fun with this one. This system will mirror Amaranthine's system with the using powers as many times as they want, but once they start drawing on their own life, they will de-transform and pass out from the strain.

The holders:

Ladybug - Kagami - Creation

Black Cat - Ivan - Destruction

Peacock - TBA - Siren Song

Bee - Mylene - Empower

Fox - Luka - Illusions

Butterfly - Marinette - Iridescent

Swan - Rose - Venus

Raven - Adrien - TBA

Chameleon - Tomoe - Grandeur

Cow - Gabriel - TBA

Of Virtue and Sin

The kwamis come in vials of tattoo ink (well, the essence of their powers, making them more like blessings/curses). The "holder" has the ink tattooed into the skin and the process, like Salvation's Avatars, can kill because of the sheer pain of having the living essence of a literal god tattooed onto mortal flesh. Those that survival can only be killed by overexertion of powers or by another "holder".

The "holders" get two powers they can use freely, and an ultimate power. This ultimate power can only be used when they "transform" a la venom style. This form and the power with it are extremely taxing on the holder. They can only maintain the form for so long, but are unstoppable in it. Once they use their ultimate, they immediately de-transform.

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dustedmagazine · 1 year ago

Text

Phillip Greenlief & Scott Amendola — Stay With It (Clean Feed)

Photo by Lenny Gonzales

If the name of this record represents advice given to oneself, saxophonist/clarinetist Phillip Greenlief and drummer Scott Amendola have definitely followed instructions. Both residents of the Bay area, they’ve been working together for 30 years, sometimes in larger ensembles but also as a duo. Thus, while between them they’ve played with Fred Frith, Nels Cline, Mike Patton, Susan Alcorn and members of ROVA, their shared partnership is also one of their most enduring creative endeavors.

The rapport fostered by lengthy collaboration gives Stay With It an air of effortlessness. Take “Eloquent Turbulence,” for example. Greenlief’s Bb clarinet lines float over Amendola’s spare brushes-on-snare accompaniment, involved their intricate development, but when the drummer inserts a sudden shift to kick drum and toms, he’s right with him, switching tone and texture to match. Amendola shifts again to a stew of electronic twists and sizzling static, and Greenlief knows just what to do, burrowing into the maelstrom and coming back up with dolphin-like grace.

Amendola’s real-time electronics figure more prominently on “Microfiche,” setting up a continuously morphing back-of-the-workshop clatter. Paradoxically, Greenlief’s tenor sax feels more idiomatically post-bop, tracing adroit, vinegary shapes in close proximity. He seems to sense the implied rhythms inside Amendola’s abstracted commotion and find sure footing upon their traces. And then they come together, long tones combining with transistorized stutters like woven cloth.

“Farfalle Alle En Mare” takes things even farther out. The effects on Amendola’s metal percussion make each strike squiggle, as though a deejay had snatched it out of the air, pressed it into vinyl, and then rocked the record back and forth on the turntable. Greenlief responds with striated, breathy sounds that are as ultra-natural as Amendola’s are transformed, but are nonetheless so un-reed-like that I checked the sleeve to see if he was playing trumpet. For music like this to work, the duo have to have a common aesthetic that informs their responses, a shared sense of what wrong-ish sounds go right together.

Bill Meyer

#phillip greenlief #scott amendola #stay with it #clean feed #bill meyer #albumreview #dusted magazine #jazz #free jazz

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bethanythebogwitch · 2 years ago

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It's been a long time coming, but we have reached the end of the series where I examine the real-life inspirations for every non-fish aquatic Pokémon. Today, I’ll be going over those introduced in gen IX. For previous entries in this series see gen I part 1, gen I part 2, gen II, gen III, gen IV, gen V, gen VI, gen VII, and gen VIII. To see my previous series where I covered the inspirations for all fish Pokémon see here. I’m saving starters and legendaries/mythicals for their own series. I will be including two paradox Pokémon even though we technically don’t know if they’re aquatic (we never see them in their natural habitats) to keep this post from being too short. Also if you’re looking for Clodsire, check the gen II entry.

Paldea gave us many things, one of them being the end of the tadpole trio. Like Poliwag and Tympole before it, Tadbulb is a tadpole, the larval form of a frog. It’s also a lightbulb.

(image: a tadpole)

Bellibolt is an adult frog that is also an avocado. Specifically, it is a halved avocado with its belly organ being the pit.

(image: a halved avacado)

Speaking of its belly organ, that is based off of a plasma globe, a common toy that looks like a ball filled with electricity arcing off of a smaller, inner ball.

(image: a plasma ball, the king of children's science museums)

Bellibolt’s eye-like organs are a form of defensive mimicry. Eyespots, fake eyes, are used by many species as ways of deterring predation, often by making it look as though it has already spotted a potential ambush predator or by making it seem like part of a much larger animal. Bellibolt’s eyespots are likely a reference to the Cuyaba dwarf frog, which has large eyespots on its rear. The frog’s eyespots can release poison while Bellibolt’s can release electricity.

(image: the behind of a Cuyaba dwarf frog with its eyespots visible. I will restrain myself from making any crude jokes)

Finizen and Palafin are dolphins and I’m honestly surprised it took 9 generations to get a dolphin Pokémon. They seem to be based primarily on the bottlenose dolphin as its pretty much the default dolphin in pop culture. Picture a dolphin in your head, that’s a bottlenose. It also draws inspiration from the striped dolphin, as both have a stripe going down their sides.

(image: a striped dolphin jumping from the water)

Finizen also drawn from dolphin behavior as they are very curious and playful. The bubble ring they play with is a direct reference to real dolphins blowing bubbles to amuse themselves. When it evolves into Palafin it adds superhero to the dolphin influence. Zero form Palafin looks almost identical to Finizen, but it is actually a hero hiding amongst the citizens, ready to put on its costume and save the day. It needing to switch out to become its hero form is reference to the trope of superheroes needing to get into a hiding spot to switch into their costume incognito. Think Clark Kent ducking into a phone booth to change into Superman.

(image: a comic panel of Clark Kent using a phone booth to get into his Superman costume)

The superhero gimmick may also be a reference to stories of wild dolphins saving people who are drowning or being threatened by sharks. It is primarily based on western superheroes, though some of its design elements are suggestive of sentai heroes. Its shiny form being black references orcas as well as the hero turning to a villain or getting a darker redesign. Think Spider-man’s black costume period. I’m not entirely sure how dolphin + superhero resulted in possibly the ugliest Pokémon design in the history of the franchise. It’s a shame because I really love the concept, I just wish it’s design didn’t suck Stunky ass. Besides superheroes, Palafin’s humanoid hero form draws from the boto encantado, a legend from around the amazon river of river dolphins who can take on the form of humans to come on shore and engage in partying and seducing humans.

(image: artwork of a bota encantado in human and dolphin forms. source)

I swear I once read a similar legend where the resulting human form only had one leg, but I couldn’t find any references to it so I may be mixing up completely different legends. The one leg would fit since Palafin stands on its tail.

The first of our paradox Pokémon is Iron Bundle and I don’t really have much to say about it. It’s just a robotic Delibird. I feel like the future paradox Pokémon in general and very uninspired designs, with Iron Valiant being the only one that’s not just a robot version of a present Pokémon. As a Delibird variant, it is based on a penguin. I may specifically be a rockhopper penguin due to the spikey ruffs of feathers on its head.

(image: a yassified rockhopper penguin)

The other big inspiration for Delibird is Santa Claus, being a red and white jolly fellow that carries around a sack full of presents. The bird with a bundle aspect might also reference the popular image of storks delivering babies. Iron bundle adds some more references to winter activities and toys. Its head can pop off like a jack-in-the-box and its tail seems to be a snow globe. The tail could also be an artificial snow maker machine. Its feet look like skis and could be either water skis or snow skis. If its tail is a snow maker, the snow skis probably fit better.

Walking Wake is an interesting one as it’s allegedly the ancestor of Suicune, a Pokémon that magically created by Ho-oh instead of being a natural creature. This confused me until I came across the fan theory that none of the paradox Pokémon are actually from the past/future. Rather the terastal crystals of area zero have the ability to warp reality based on people’s wishes. An example of this is the crystals allowing the AI professor to be created despite that kind of technology not existing in the Pokémon world. In this theory, the crystals created the paradox Pokémon in response to the professor’s expectations of what past/future Pokémon would look like. This would also explain why the Pokedex entries all describe the paradox Pokémon as being similar to creatures from rumors or a National Enquirer style conspiracy magazine. The professor being familiar with these accounts would shape their expectations of what past/future Pokémon would be like and therefore how the crystals created the paradox Pokémon. This explains why a unique, artificial being like Suicune (and with the new announcements, Raikou) could have an ancestor. It’s just someone’s idea of what a prehistoric Suicune would be like brought to life. Walking Wake looks like Suicune combined with a therapod dinosaur. Its ability to walk on water comes from the original Suicune, but also from a basilisk lizard. These lizards can run on the surface of the water for short time periods thanks to their speed and very broad feet, an ability that has granted then the nickname “Jesus lizard”. Basilisks also run on only their hind legs when running on water, fitting with Walking Wake being a biped.

(image: a basalisk lizard running on water)

Its twin tails both have a wave shape and come out from behind and at an angle. This makes them look a lot like the wake left behind by a boat.

(image: a boat wake as seen from above)

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a-student-out-of-time · 7 months ago

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The way I see it, the higher the intelligence of a animal, the greater the duality of compassion and cruelty. Animals with very low cognition just act on instinct, nothing more, nothing less. But with animals such as primates, parrots, dolphins and yes humans, they are capable of acts of great compassion and great cruelty.

Indeed. It's a paradoxical aspect of humanity as well; they judge themselves evil for acts that, by all accounts, are perfectly natural and even seem to be the exception among them.

Fools believe war and slavery were invented by man. Ants have been enslaving each other for millions of years, while chimpanzees will declare war on other tribes and fight with no compassion or restraint.

Over one-fifth of all meerkat deaths are caused by other meerkats. They are the most vicious of the mammals.

Those who believe the natural order is peace and tranquility are the most sheltered away from it.

#danganronpa #sdr2 #super danganronpa 2 #gundham tanaka #a student out of time #DR #Dianthus Memory arc

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foxymoxynoona · 10 months ago

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https://www.tumblr.com/foxymoxynoona/748500449838170112/damn-im-so-slow-and-feel-like-a-late-bloomer

OooOh, let me rant to you about my songs for your story one more ask and I’ll stop, I swear! 🤣. You really have NO idea that I can name the songs and scores I’d marked and embed to every single chapter of your FLUX, lmao. Yeah, I’m that kind of person! I really understand why “Phases” resonated in your writing and I also like this type of songs singing the saddest thing but still edging us with a cheerful melody. I love the paradox of the way it gives us a yearning part and also cheer us up in lyrics at the same time.

As for me, I’d pick this indie song “Anaheim” by NIKI for those angstiest chapters we all know about which I think it kinda radiates the same tone of voice as Phases. It really fitted SO SO well in Sasha’s POV and her mental state after that. I personally think Nicole is a wordsmith like you but as a songwriter and a singer 😂 she’s super great at creating emotional depth in her music. “Oceans & Engines” is living proof of one of the saddest songs around today! (especially, the live version) This one is partially for both JK and Sasha too. That’s the Grammy song for me. If you or other anons have this kind of music, please jump straight to giving me recommendations. I CRAVE IT. I CRAVE PAIN (from arts 🥹).

And for M M, of course, I did enjoy it! I finished chap 10 a week after I sent you an ask, hehehe. Now to tune in to whatever you will bestow to us all. I don’t mind if the story will get angstier and lengthier cause that’s what I’m here for and I’ll be reading the hell out of it so happily as always.

Anyway, welcome back from vacation, and also happy belated birthday to you! (I just saw you talked to anons.) 🫶🫶

Taking notes of all music recs. I don't know if I still have a soundtrack link on my blog, back in the day I got lots of song recommendations for the Secret Song Series and even a couple folks put together full playlists. If Tumblr's search function works at all I think you can find them on my blog under music recs or soundtrack. So I appreciat the additions!!

I think that this story is like a dolphin jumping in and out of the water and Flux was like a whale making one giant leap and crash. Those are my story summaries. 🤣 We won't be angst free but diffeernt! It's hard to be patient reading all these reader comments analyzing their relationship. Someone just give me the hours in the day to listen to the music and finish up the next chapter!!!

And thank you for the belated birthday wishes! My husband got me all BTS stuff LOL but none of it has arrived in the mail yet so it's like my birthday drags out :)

#asks #anonymous #secret song series #personal

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the-best-url-on-this-site · 2 years ago

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Are the People Vegetarian?

I'm gonna keep a running list of Are The People (and Holly specifically) Vegetarian? Broken up into different categories: "Yes, the people as a whole do not eat meat", "Yes, Holly does not eat meat", "Holly does not eat meat, but others do", and "Holly eats meat". This list will be updated and edited as i reread. If someone wants to reread Eternity Code that would be minecraft epic of you because I'm not rereading it i don't wanna.

Yes, everyone:

""No," said Opal, "You're sitting on the animals. As i told you, i am human now and this is what humans do, skin animals for their own comfort. Isn't that right, Master Fowl?"" (Opal, 172)

In time paradox its mentioned that animal fat blocks magic (don't think about that too hard. Eion there's animal fat. In the fairies. They. Sigh.)

"Opal rose from her seat and fixed herself a light salad from the buffet" (Opal, 172) (i know this doesn't say she Doesn't eat meat but it's worth noting)

"Mulch's lips rippled at the sight of the fur covered chairs. Repulsive." (Opal, 298). (Also mulch- what??? You literally bit a dog in half once and ate it but you're worried about fur? You eat things alive!)

Yes, Holly:

(Holly asks for dolphin meat in an attempt to upset Juliet) (Artemis Fowl, page unknown at the moment)

"Holly began to squirm when she noticed what she was sitting on. "Fur! You animal!"" (Opal, 172)

No, just Holly:

(a semi-popular fast food place that serves (low quality) burgers that are explicitly made of some kind of meat. Trouble finds these undesirable, but it's implied to be because they are rubbery, not because they are meat.) (Arctic incident, page unknown at the moment)

There's a seafood restaurant behind a toilet. Doodah Day smuggles shellfish into it. This is, however, illegal. I don't remember why though (don't remember what book)

An idiom used a few times involves a snail being sucked out of its shell

Demons eat meat, N°1 prefers his cooked (colony, page unknown)

Worth mentioning Mulch i guess, he is repeatedly shown to eat meat. Bugs are mentioned to be an essential part of a dwarfs diet (good for their teeth) (whole series, bug tidbit in book 1)

No, not even Holly:

(Holly asks for dolphin meat? Im pretty sure she was joking to upset Juliet but like?) (Artemis Fowl, page unknown at the moment)

If you have instances of any of these categories, absolutely let me know in the notes! I'll edit this post as more piles up from the notes and the reread I'm doing currently!

#artemis fowl #holly short #artemis fowl meta #i think?

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miguel-manbemel · 11 months ago

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Sanders Sides photocomics of the year 2024 (April-June)

April

Remus Is Upset (April 1, 2024)

Spite and Ambition (April 2, 2024)

Stress Outlets (April 3, 2024)

A New Baby's Coming (April 4, 2024)

For the Rest of my Life (April 5, 2024)

Hero Senses (April 6, 2024)

Is That a Telescope (April 7, 2024)

Giving Flowers (April 8, 2024)

Hippity, Hoppity (April 9, 2024)

The Paradox (April 10, 2024)

They're Hiding Something (April 11, 2024)

The Two Gatekeepers (April 12, 2024)

Face Down (April 13, 2024)

Think Positively (April 14, 2024)

Pigeons (April 14, 2024)

Why Sleep (April 16, 2024)

If Patton Was the Imposter (April 17, 2024)

Patton's New Book (April 18, 2024)

No More Humble Opinion (April 19, 2024)

Dis Dis (April 20, 2024)

I Never Brag (April 21, 2024)

Is This an Incorrect Quote? (April 22, 2024)

Logan Trying Slang (April 23, 2024)

Next Plan (April 24, 2024)

Virgil In His Sleep (April 25, 2024)

The Snake of Love (April 26, 2024)

Fairytale Wedding (April 27, 2024)

Here Comes a Janus Thought (April 28, 2024)

20 Questions (April 29, 2024)

Virgil Sent Home (April 30, 2024)

May

Put Them in a Boat (May 1, 2024)

Is This Going to Be Dangerous? (May 2, 2024)

Can I Be Frank? (May 3, 2024)

Get Accepted, They Said (May 4, 2024)

Nothing to Eat (May 5, 2024)

I Can Never Tell (May 6, 2024)

Emotional Jumper Cables (May 7, 2024)

We Must Teach Them How to Cook (May 8, 2024)

I Can't Believe It! (May 9, 2024)

The Calculator (May 10, 2024)

I'm Immortal (May 11, 2024)

Koalas (May 12, 2024)

Virgil's Honest Truth (May 13, 2024)

I'm Not Drunk (May 14, 2024)

It's More Romantic (May 15, 2024)

The Taste of Lava (May 16, 2024)

The Doubt (May 17, 2024)

Dunno If He'll Notice (May 18, 2024)

69 (May 19, 2024)

Getting Life In Order (May 20, 2024)

What Is Sleep (May 21, 2024)

Could I Borrow Him Forever? (May 22, 2024)

The Greatest Lovers in History (May 23, 2024)

What Happened Upstairs? (May 24, 2024)

I'm Cold (May 25, 2024)

Where's my Mace? (May 26, 2024)

A Million Things to Do (May 27, 2024)

That's My Opinion (May 28, 2024)

10 Things I Hate (May 29, 2024)

Good Morning (May 30, 2024)

My Heart Beats Loudly (May 31, 2024)

June

Don't Toy With Me (June 1, 2024)

Where Is Patton? (June 2, 2024)

The Fridge (June 3, 2024)

When I'm Around Roman (June 4, 2024)

Odyssey (June 5, 2024)

Alphabetical Plans (June 6, 2024)

Don't Tell Anyone (June 7, 2024)

The Letter Puzzle (June 8, 2024)

Knowing Protocol (June 9, 2024)

Something Weird (June 10, 2024)

You're Too Flirty (June 11, 2024)

Siblings (June 12, 2024)

Love Is Pointless (June 13, 2024)

My Favorite Kind of Science (June 14, 2024)

The Gaslighter Joke (June 15, 2024)

Sun Is Up (June 16, 2024)

Please, Don't, Patton (June 17, 2024)

Aphrodite or not Aphrodite (June 18, 2024)

Trust Me (June 19, 2024)

We Had Fun (June 20, 2024)

The Calendar (June 21, 2024)

Virgil Chose Dare (June 22, 2024)

If I Said It (June 23, 2024)

Breaking Logan Bad (June 24, 2024)

The Toy in the Cereal (June 25, 2024)

Reverse Psychology (June 27, 2024)

A Thing With Spiders (June 27, 2024)

While I'm Gone (June 28, 2024)

Dolphins (June 29, 2024)

Don't Wait for Me (June 30, 2024)

RETURN TO MASTER POST

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blizzardstarx · 11 months ago

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Pontalo Continent AU Information

HydroWings full information (mostly based on the SeaWing wiki page)!

HydroWings, also known as sea/ocean dragons to humans (like the SeaWings) are the ancestors of the SeaWings and are a Pontalonian dragon tribe that currently live in their deepest palace Atlantis, in the waters near the (unnamed, but not a dragon continent) continent ShapeWing Queen Paradox fled to after the Great ShapeWing Genocide. Currently, they are ruled by Queen Dolphin, daugher of Paradox and Shape/HydroWing hybrid, and King Tiger Shark. They speak an ancient version of Aquatic and the Pontalonian dragon language.

The HydroWings fled to Atlantis after a BloodWing-controlled royal named Bull Shark caused The Great Royal HydroWing Massacre, the HydroWings realizing the full threat of the BloodWings. Only a few royals survived, including the current King Tiger Shark, prince at the time, who stopped Bull Shark.

Description:

Like their descendants, they are slightly shorter than the other tribes, with long, compact bodies and short legs. HydroWings have curved horns, a slender, curved snout, and two long barbels on the underside of their jaw. They can have forked or unforked tongues. They have huge webbed spines along their foreheads to the tips of their tails, as well as on their chests and backs of their legs, connected to their belly and tail. HydroWings have webbed talons with hooked claws, as well as long, powerful tails, with a fish tail that rapidly accelerates them through the water. They have gills on the sides of their necks that allow them to breathe underwater, although they can go deeper than SeaWings. HydroWings can also have darker striped/sea creature markings (like tiger shark stripes, orca, spots, etc.)

They usually have scale colors in shades of blues, greens, and grays. Although on some rare cases, purple, and pink scales, wings, or horns. Also, some HydroWings can have black spirals/stripe patterns like the SeaWing Nautilus. They usually have shades of blue or green eyes, and rarely purple.

HydroWings have glowing luminescent scales/stripes along their faces, bodies, and wings. All HydroWings have glowing spirals on the edges and starburst markings on the undersides of their wings, which royal SeaWings inherited, as they are the closest descendants to the HydroWings. However, non-royal Hydrowings have fainter markings.

HydroWing eggs are usually dark blue or green, and like SeaWing eggs, heavy, especially before they hatch.

Diet:

HydroWings eat fish, squid, whales, octopi, turtles, crabs, sea birds, clams, lobsters, sharks, dolphins, and sea snails. They can prepare soup, stew, roasted seagull, sushi, sashimi, and a variety of drinks.

Abilities:

They are able to manipulate water, have excellent night vision, gills, and can use their fish tails to create huge waves or to hit opponents. Burns and other physical wounds can be healed with ocean water, like SeaWings.

They use their bioluminescent stripes to converse underwater in an ancient form of Aquatic, as well as attract partners.

HydroWings dehydrate faster than SeaWings, and get driven mad faster, having no control over their state.

Animus magic:

Animus HydroWings are quite common, as animus blood is in the royal SeaWing bloodline. Most HydroWings don’t use their powers, and they aren’t very controlled closely, as most HydroWings are animus dragons.

Society:

HydroWings are considered intelligent and creative, and members have jobs like carving, weaving, hunting, gardening, dragonet caretaking, pearl-diving, and enlisting in the army. Writers also write scrolls.

Like the SeaWing council, there is a HydroWing council that meets regularly, consisting of the most trusted HydroWings and the remaining royals.

They can keep pets like squids, seahorses, sea dragons, cuttlefish, and turtles.

Names:

Usually they are named after shark and dolphin species, but some can be named after sea wildlife, shades of blue, gemstones, aquatic anatomies, or oceanic phenomena.

Trivia:

Compared to the SeaWings’ average 180 bioluminescent scales, Hydrowings have around 240.

They love sushi and sashimi!

They use toothpaste like the SeaWings in Darkstalker’s time.

#blizz’s nonsense #blizz's art #Pontalo!!!#wings of fire #wof #wings of fire au #wof au #wings of fire art #wof art #wings of fire oc #wof oc #oc #art

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year ago

Text

By: Richard Dawkins

Published: Feb 29, 2024

This Article is an excerpt from, The Blind Watchmaker Chapter 2, “Good Design”.

Natural selection is the blind watchmaker, blind because it does not see ahead, does not plan consequences, has no purpose in view. Yet the living results of natural selection overwhelmingly impress us with the appearance of design as if by a master watchmaker, impress us with the illusion of design and planning. The purpose of this book is to resolve this paradox to the satisfaction of the reader, and the purpose of this chapter is further to impress the reader with the power of the illusion of design. We shall look at a particular example and shall conclude that, when it comes to complexity and beauty of design, Paley hardly even began to state the case.

We may say that a living body or organ is well designed if it has attributes that an intelligent and knowledgeable engineer might have built into it in order to achieve some sensible purpose, such as flying, swimming, seeing, eating, reproducing, or more generally promoting the survival and replication of the organism’s genes. It is not necessary to suppose that the design of a body or organ is the best that an engineer could conceive of. Often the best that one engineer can do is, in any case, exceeded by the best that another engineer can do, especially another who lives later in the history of technology. But any engineer can recognize an object that has been designed, even poorly designed, for a purpose, and he can usually work out what that purpose is just by looking at the structure of the object. In Chapter 1 we bothered ourselves mostly with philosophical aspects. In this chapter, I shall develop a particular factual example that I believe would impress any engineer, namely sonar (‘radar’) in bats. In explaining each point, I shall begin by posing a problem that the living machine faces; then I shall consider possible solutions to the problem that a sensible engineer might consider; I shall finally come to the solution that nature has actually adopted. This one example is, of course, just for illustration. If an engineer is impressed by bats, he will be impressed by countless other examples of living design.

Bats have a problem: how to find their way around in the dark. They hunt at night, and cannot use light to help them find prey and avoid obstacles. You might say that if this is a problem it is a problem of their own making, a problem that they could avoid simply by changing their habits and hunting by day. But the daytime economy is already heavily exploited by other creatures such as birds. Given that there is a living to be made at night, and given that alternative daytime trades are thoroughly occupied, natural selection has favoured bats that make a go of the night-hunting trade. It is probable, by the way, that the nocturnal trades go way back in the ancestry of all us mammals. In the time when the dinosaurs dominated the daytime economy, our mammalian ancestors probably only managed to survive at all because they found ways of scraping a living at night. Only after the mysterious mass extinction of the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago were our ancestors able to emerge into the daylight in any substantial numbers.

Returning to bats, they have an engineering problem: how to find their way and find their prey in the absence of light. Bats are not the only creatures to face this difficulty today. Obviously the night-flying insects that they prey on must find their way about somehow. Deep-sea fish and whales have little or no light by day or by night, because the sun’s rays cannot penetrate far below the surface. Fish and dolphins that live in extremely muddy water cannot see because, although there is light, it is obstructed and scattered by the dirt in the water. Plenty of other modern animals make their living in conditions where seeing is difficult or impossible.

Given the question of how to manoeuvre in the dark, what solutions might an engineer consider? The first one that might occur to him is to manufacture light, to use a lantern or a searchlight. Fireflies and some fish (usually with the help of bacteria) have the power to manufacture their own light, but the process seems to consume a large amount of energy. Fireflies use their light for attracting mates. This doesn’t require prohibitively much energy: a male’s tiny pinprick can be seen by a female from some distance on a dark night, since her eyes are exposed directly to the light source itself. Using light to find one’s own way around requires vastly more energy, since the eyes have to detect the tiny fraction of the light that bounces off each part of the scene. The light source must therefore be immensely brighter if it is to be used as a headlight to illuminate the path, than if it is to be used as a signal to others. Anyway, whether or not the reason is the energy expense, it seems to be the case that, with the possible exception of some weird deepsea fish, no animal apart from man uses manufactured light to find its way about.

What else might the engineer think of? Well, blind humans sometimes seem to have an uncanny sense of obstacles in their path. It has been given the name ‘facial vision’, because blind people have reported that it feels a bit like the sense of touch, on the face. One report tells of a totally blind boy who could ride his tricycle at a good speed round the block near his home, using ‘facial vision’. Experiments showed that, in fact, ‘facial vision’ is nothing to do with touch or the front of the face, although the sensation may be referred to the front of the face, like the referred pain in a phantom (severed) limb. The sensation of ‘facial vision’, it turns out, really goes in through the ears. The blind people, without even being aware of the fact, are actually using echoes, of their own footsteps and other sounds, to sense the presence of obstacles. Before this was discovered, engineers had already built instruments to exploit the principle, for example to measure the depth of the sea under a ship. After this technique had been invented, it was only a matter of time before weapons designers adapted it for the detection of submarines. Both sides in the Second World War relied heavily on these devices, under such code names as Asdic (British) and Sonar (American), as well as the similar technology of Radar (American) or RDF (British), which uses radio echoes rather than sound echoes.

The Sonar and Radar pioneers didn’t know it then, but all the world now knows that bats, or rather natural selection working on bats, had perfected the system tens of millions of years earlier, and their ‘radar’ achieves feats of detection and navigation that would strike an engineer dumb with admiration. It is technically incorrect to talk about bat ‘radar’, since they do not use radio waves. It is sonar. But the underlying mathematical theories of radar and sonar are very similar, and much of our scientific understanding of the details of what bats are doing has come from applying radar theory to them. The American zoologist Donald Griffin, who was largely responsible for the discovery of sonar in bats, coined the term ‘echolocation’ to cover both sonar and radar, whether used by animals or by human instruments. In practice, the word seems to be used mostly to refer to animal sonar.

It is misleading to speak of bats as though they were all the same. It is as though we were to speak of dogs, lions, weasels, bears, hyenas, pandas and otters all in one breath, just because they are all carnivores. Different groups of bats use sonar in radically different ways, and they seem to have ‘invented’ it separately and independently, just as the British, Germans and Americans all independently developed radar. Not all bats use echolocation. The Old World tropical fruit bats have good vision, and most of them use only their eyes for finding their way around. One or two species of fruit bats, however, for instance Rousettus, are capable of finding their way around in total darkness where eyes, however good, must be powerless. They are using sonar, but it is a cruder kind of sonar than is used by the smaller bats with which we, in temperate regions, are familiar. Rousettus clicks its tongue loudly and rhythmically as it flies, and navigates by measuring the time interval between each click and its echo. A good proportion of Rousettus’s clicks are clearly audible to us (which by definition makes them sound rather than ultrasound: ultrasound is just the same as sound except that it is too high for humans to hear).

In theory, the higher the pitch of a sound, the better it is for accurate sonar. This is because low-pitched sounds have long wavelengths which cannot resolve the difference between closely spaced objects. All other things being equal therefore, a missile that used echoes for its guidance system would ideally produce very high-pitched sounds. Most bats do, indeed, use extremely high-pitched sounds, far too high for humans to hear — ultrasound. Unlike Rousettus, which can see very well and which uses unmodified relatively low-pitched sounds to do a modest amount of echolocation to supplement its good vision, the smaller bats appear to be technically highly advanced echo-machines. They have tiny eyes which, in most cases, probably can’t see much. They live in a world of echoes, and probably their brains can use echoes to do something akin to ‘seeing’ images, although it is next to impossible for us to ‘visualize’ what those images might be like. The noises that they produce are not just slightly too high for humans to hear, like a kind of super dog whistle. In many cases they are vastly higher than the highest note anybody has heard or can imagine. It is fortunate that we can’t hear them, incidentally, for they are immensely powerful and would be deafeningly loud if we could hear them, and impossible to sleep through.

These bats are like miniature spy planes, bristling with sophisticated instrumentation. Their brains are delicately tuned packages of miniaturized electronic wizardry, programmed with the elaborate software necessary to decode a world of echoes in real time. Their faces are often distorted into gargoyle shapes that appear hideous to us until we see them for what they are, exquisitely fashioned instruments for beaming ultrasound in desired directions.

Although we can’t hear the ultrasound pulses of these bats directly, we can get some idea of what is going on by means of a translating machine or ‘bat-detector’. This receives the pulses through a special ultrasonic microphone, and turns each pulse into an audible click or tone which we can hear through headphones. If we take such a ‘bat-detector’ out to a clearing where a bat is feeding, we shall hear when each bat pulse is emitted, although we cannot hear what the pulses really ‘sound’ like. If our bat is Myotis, one of the common little brown bats, we shall hear a chuntering of clicks at a rate of about 10 per second as the bat cruises about on a routine mission. This is about the rate of a standard teleprinter, or a Bren machine gun.

Presumably the bat’s image of the world in which it is cruising is being updated 10 times per second. Our own visual image appears to be continuously updated as long as our eyes are open. We can see what it might be like to have an intermittently updated world image, by using a stroboscope at night. This is sometimes done at discotheques, and it produces some dramatic effects. A dancing person appears as a succession of frozen statuesque attitudes. Obviously, the faster we set the strobe, the more the image corresponds to normal ‘continuous’ vision. Stroboscopic vision ‘sampling’ at the bat’s cruising rate of about 10 samples per second would be nearly as good as normal ‘continuous’ vision for some ordinary purposes, though not for catching a ball or an insect.

This is just the sampling rate of a bat on a routine cruising flight. When a little brown bat detects an insect and starts to move in on an interception course, its click rate goes up. Faster than a machine gun, it can reach peak rates of 200 pulses per second as the bat finally closes in on the moving target. To mimic this, we should have to speed up our stroboscope so that its flashes came twice as fast as the cycles of mains electricity, which are not noticed in a fluorescent strip light. Obviously we have no trouble in performing all our normal visual functions, even playing squash or pingpong, in a visual world ‘pulsed’ at such a high frequency. If we may imagine bat brains as building up an image of the world analogous to our visual images, the pulse rate alone seems to suggest that the bat’s echo image might be at least as detailed and ‘continuous’ as our visual image. Of course, there may be other reasons why it is not so detailed as our visual image.

If bats are capable of boosting their sampling rates to 200 pulses per second, why don’t they keep this up all the time? Since they evidently have a rate control ‘knob’ on their ‘stroboscope’, why don’t they turn it permanently to maximum, thereby keeping their perception of the world at its most acute, all the time, to meet any emergency? One reason is that these high rates are suitable only for near targets. If a pulse follows too hard on the heels of its predecessor it gets mixed up with the echo of its predecessor returning from a distant target. Even if this weren’t so, there would probably be good economic reasons for not keeping up the maximum pulse rate all the time. It must be costly producing loud ultrasonic pulses, costly in energy, costly in wear and tear on voice and ears, perhaps costly in computer time. A brain that is processing 200 distinct echoes per second might not find surplus capacity for thinking about anything else. Even the ticking-over rate of about 10 pulses per second is probably quite costly, but much less so than the maximum rate of 200 per second. An individual bat that boosted its tick-over rate would pay an additional price in energy, etc., which would not be justified by the increased sonar acuity. When the only moving object in the immediate vicinity is the bat itself, the apparent world is sufficiently similar in successive tenths of seconds that it need not be sampled more frequently than this. When the salient vicinity includes another moving object, particularly a flying insect twisting and turning and diving in a desperate attempt to shake off its pursuer, the extra benefit to the bat of increasing its sample rate more than justifies the increased cost. Of course, the considerations of cost and benefit in this paragraph are all surmise, but something like this almost certainly must be going on.

The engineer who sets about designing an efficient sonar or radar device soon comes up against a problem resulting from the need to make the pulses extremely loud. They have to be loud because when a sound is broadcast its wavefront advances as an ever-expanding sphere. The intensity of the sound is distributed and, in a sense, ‘diluted’ over the whole surface of the sphere. The surface area of any sphere is proportional to the radius squared. The intensity of the sound at any particular point on the sphere therefore decreases, not in proportion to the distance (the radius) but in proportion to the square of the distance from the sound source, as the wavefront advances and the sphere swells. This means that the sound gets quieter pretty fast, as it travels away from its source, in this case the bat.

When this diluted sound hits an object, say a fly, it bounces off the fly. This reflected sound now, in its turn, radiates away from the fly in an expanding spherical wavefront. For the same reason as in the case of the original sound, it decays as the square of the distance from the fly. By the time the echo reaches the bat again, the decay in its intensity is proportional, not to the distance of the fly from the bat, not even to the square of that distance, but to something more like the square of the square — the fourth power, of the distance. This means that it is very very quiet indeed. The problem can be partially overcome if the bat beams the sound by means of the equivalent of a megaphone, but only if it already knows the direction of the target. In any case, if the bat is to receive any reasonable echo at all from a distant target, the outgoing squeak as it leaves the bat must be very loud indeed, and the instrument that detects the echo, the ear, must be highly sensitive to very quiet sounds — the echoes. Bat cries, as we have seen, are indeed often very loud, and their ears are very sensitive.

Now here is the problem that would strike the engineer trying to design a bat-like machine. If the microphone, or ear, is as sensitive as all that, it is in grave danger of being seriously damaged by its own enormously loud outgoing pulse of sound. It is no good trying to combat the problem by making the sounds quieter, for then the echoes would be too quiet to hear. And it is no good trying to combat that by making the microphone (‘ear’) more sensitive, since this would only make it more vulnerable to being damaged by the, albeit now slightly quieter, outgoing sounds! It is a dilemma inherent in the dramatic difference in intensity between outgoing sound and returning echo, a difference that is inexorably imposed by the laws of physics.

What other solution might occur to the engineer? When an analogous problem struck the designers of radar in the Second World War, they hit upon a solution which they called ‘send/receive’ radar. The radar signals were sent out in necessarily very powerful pulses, which might have damaged the highly sensitive aerials (American ‘antennas’) waiting for the faint returning echoes. The ‘send/receive’ circuit temporarily disconnected the receiving aerial just before the outgoing pulse was about to be emitted, then switched the aerial on again in time to receive the echo.

Bats developed ‘send/receive’ switching technology long long ago, probably millions of years before our ancestors came down from the trees. It works as follows. In bat ears, as in ours, sound is transmitted from the eardrum to the microphonic, sound-sensitive cells by means of a bridge of three tiny bones known (in Latin) as the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup, because of their shape. The mounting and hinging of these three bones, by the way, is exactly as a hi-fi engineer might have designed it to serve a necessary ‘impedance-matching’ function, but that is another story. What matters here is that some bats have well-developed muscles attached to the stirrup and to the hammer. When these muscles are contracted the bones don’t transmit sound so efficiently — it is as though you muted a microphone by jamming your thumb against the vibrating diaphragm. The bat is able to use these muscles to switch its ears off temporarily. The muscles contract immediately before the bat emits each outgoing pulse, thereby switching the ears off so that they are not damaged by the loud pulse. Then they relax so that the ear returns to maximal sensitivity just in time for the returning echo. This send/receive switching system works only if split-second accuracy in timing is maintained. The bat called Tadarida is capable of alternately contracting and relaxing its switching muscles 50 times per second, keeping in perfect synchrony with the machine gun-like pulses of ultrasound. It is a formidable feat of timing, comparable to a clever trick that was used in some fighter planes during the First World War. Their machine guns fired ‘through’ the propeller, the timing being carefully synchronized with the rotation of the propeller so that the bullets always passed between the blades and never shot them off.

The next problem that might occur to our engineer is the following. If the sonar device is measuring the distance of targets by measuring the duration of silence between the emission of a sound and its returning echo — the method which Rousettus, indeed, seems to be using — the sounds would seem to have to be very brief, staccato pulses. A long drawn-out sound would still be going on when the echo returned, and, even if partially muffled by send/receive muscles, would get in the way of detecting the echo. Ideally, it would seem, bat pulses should be very brief indeed. But the briefer a sound is, the more difficult it is to make it energetic enough to produce a decent echo. We seem to have another unfortunate trade-off imposed by the laws of physics. Two solutions might occur to ingenious engineers, indeed did occur to them when they encountered the same problem, again in the analogous case of radar. Which of the two solutions is preferable depends on whether it is more important to measure range (how far away an object is from the instrument) or velocity (how fast the object is moving relative to the instrument). The first solution is that known to radar engineers as ‘chirp radar’.

We can think of radar signals as a series of pulses, but each pulse has a so-called carrier frequency. This is analogous to the ‘pitch’ of a pulse of sound or ultrasound. Bat cries, as we have seen, have a pulse-repetition rate in the tens or hundreds per second. Each one of those pulses has a carrier frequency of tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of cycles per second. Each pulse, in other words, is a high-pitched shriek. Similarly, each pulse of radar is a ‘shriek’ of radio waves, with a high carrier frequency. The special feature of chirp radar is that it does not have a fixed carrier frequency during each shriek. Rather, the carrier frequency swoops up or down about an octave. If you think of it as its sound equivalent, each radar emission can be thought of as a swooping wolf-whistle. The advantage of chirp radar, as opposed to the fixed pitch pulse, is the following. It doesn’t matter if the original chirp is still going on when the echo returns. They won’t be confused with each other. This is because the echo being detected at any given moment will be a reflection of an earlier part of the chirp, and will therefore have a different pitch.

Human radar designers have made good use of this ingenious technique. Is there any evidence that bats have ‘discovered’ it too, just as they did the send/receive system? Well, as a matter of fact, numerous species of bats do produce cries that sweep down, usually through about an octave, during each cry. These wolf-whistle cries are known as frequency modulated (FM). They appear to be just what would be required to exploit the ‘chirp radar’ technique. However, the evidence so far suggests that bats are using the technique, not to distinguish an echo from the original sound that produced it, but for the more subtle task of distinguishing echoes from other echoes. A bat lives in a world of echoes from near objects, distant objects and objects at all intermediate distances. It has to sort these echoes out from each other. If it gives downward-swooping, wolf-whistle chirps, the sorting is neatly done by pitch. When an echo from a distant object finally arrives back at the bat, it will be an ‘older’ echo than an echo that is simultaneously arriving back from a near object. It will therefore be of higher pitch. When the bat is faced with clashing echoes from several objects, it can apply the rule of thumb: higher pitch means farther away.

The second clever idea that might occur to the engineer, especially one interested in measuring the speed of a moving target, is to exploit what physicists call the Doppler Shift. This may be called the ‘ambulance effect’ because its most familiar manifestation is the sudden drop in pitch of an ambulance’s siren as it speeds past the listener. The Doppler Shift occurs whenever a source of sound (or light or any other kind of wave) and a receiver of that sound move relative to one another. It is easiest to think of the sound source as motionless and the listener as moving. Assume that the siren on a factory roof is wailing continuously, all on one note. The sound is broadcast outwards as a series of waves. The waves can’t be seen, because they are waves of air pressure. If they could be seen they would resemble the concentric circles spreading outwards when we throw pebbles into the middle of a still pond. Imagine that a series of pebbles is being dropped in quick succession into the middle of a pond, so that waves are continuously radiating out from the middle. If we moor a tiny toy boat at some fixed point in the pond, the boat will bob up and down rhythmically as the waves pass under it. The frequency with which the boat bobs is analogous to the pitch of a sound. Now suppose that the boat, instead of being moored, is steaming across the pond, in the general direction of the centre from which the wave circles are originating. It will still bob up and down as it hits the successive wavefronts. But now the frequency with which it hits waves will be higher, since it is travelling towards the source of the waves. It will bob up and down at a higher rate. On the other hand, when it has passed the source of the waves and is travelling away the other side, the frequency with which it bobs up and down will obviously go down.

For the same reason, if we ride fast on a (preferably quiet) motorbike past a wailing factory siren, when we are approaching the factory the pitch will be raised: our ears are, in effect, gobbling up the waves at a faster rate than they would if we just sat still. By the same kind of argument, when our motorbike has passed the factory and is moving away from it, the pitch will be lowered. If we stop moving we shall hear the pitch of the siren as it actually is, intermediate between the two Doppler-shifted pitches. It follows that if we know the exact pitch of the siren, it is theoretically possible to work out how fast we are moving towards or away from it simply by listening to the apparent pitch and comparing it with the known ‘true’ pitch.

The same principle works when the sound source is moving and the listener is still. That is why it works for ambulances. It is rather implausibly said that Christian Doppler himself demonstrated his effect by hiring a brass band to play on an open railway truck as it rushed past his amazed audience. It is relative motion that matters, and as far as the Doppler Effect is concerned it doesn’t matter whether we consider the sound source to be moving past the ear, or the ear moving past the sound source. If two trains pass in opposite directions, each travelling at 125 m.p.h., a passenger in one train will hear the whistle of the other train swoop down through a particularly dramatic Doppler shift, since the relative velocity is 250 m.p.h.

The Doppler Effect is used in police radar speed-traps for motorists. A static instrument beams radar signals down a road. The radar waves bounce back off the cars that approach, and are registered by the receiving apparatus. The faster a car is moving, the higher is the Doppler shift in frequency. By comparing the outgoing frequency with the frequency of the returning echo the police, or rather their automatic instrument, can calculate the speed of each car. If the police can exploit the technique for measuring the speed of road hogs, dare we hope to find that bats use it for measuring the speed of insect prey?

The answer is yes. The small bats known as horseshoe bats have long been known to emit long, fixed-pitch hoots rather than staccato clicks or descending wolf-whistles. When I say long, I mean long by bat standards. The ‘hoots’ are still less than a tenth of a second long. And there is often a ‘wolf-whistle’ tacked onto the end of each hoot, as we shall see. Imagine, first, a horseshoe bat giving out a continuous hum of ultrasound as it flies fast towards a still object, like a tree. The wavefronts will hit the tree at an accelerated rate because of the movement of the bat towards the tree. If a microphone were concealed in the tree, it would ‘hear’ the sound Dopplershifted upwards in pitch because of the movement of the bat. There isn’t a microphone in the tree, but the echo reflected back from the tree will be Doppler-shifted upwards in pitch in this way. Now, as the echo wavefronts stream back from the tree towards the approaching bat, the bat is still moving fast towards them. Therefore there is a further Doppler shift upwards in the bat’s perception of the pitch of the echo. The movement of the bat leads to a kind of double Doppler shift, whose magnitude is a precise indication of the velocity of the bat relative to the tree. By comparing the pitch of its cry with the pitch of the returning echo, therefore, the bat (or rather its on-board computer in the brain) could, in theory, calculate how fast it was moving towards the tree. This wouldn’t tell the bat how far away the tree was, but it might still be very useful information, nevertheless.

If the object reflecting the echoes were not a static tree but a moving insect, the Doppler consequences would be more complicated, but the bat could still calculate the velocity of relative motion between itself and its target, obviously just the kind of information a sophisticated guided missile like a hunting bat needs. Actually some bats play a trick that is more interesting than simply emitting hoots of constant pitch and measuring the pitch of the returning echoes. They carefully adjust the pitch of the outgoing hoots, in such a way as to keep the pitch of the echo constant after it has been Doppler-shifted. As they speed towards a moving insect, the pitch of their cries is constantly changing, continuously hunting for just the pitch needed to keep the returning echoes at a fixed pitch. This ingenious trick keeps the echo at the pitch to which their ears are maximally sensitive — important since the echoes are so faint. They can then obtain the necessary information for their Doppler calculations, by monitoring the pitch at which they are obliged to hoot in order to achieve the fixed-pitch echo. I don’t know whether man-made devices, either sonar or radar, use this subtle trick. But on the principle that most clever ideas in this field seem to have been developed first by bats, I don’t mind betting that the answer is yes.

It is only to be expected that these two rather different techniques, the Doppler shift technique and the ‘chirp radar’ technique, would be useful for different special purposes. Some groups of bats specialize in one of them, some in the other. Some groups seem to try to get the best of both worlds, tacking an FM ‘wolf-whistle’ onto the end (or sometimes the beginning) of a long, constant-frequency ‘hoot’. Another curious trick of horseshoe bats concerns movements of their outer ear flaps. Unlike other bats, horseshoe bats move their outer ear flaps in fast alternating forward and backward sweeps. It is conceivable that this additional rapid movement of the listening surface relative to the target causes useful modulations in the Doppler shift, modulations that supply additional information. When the ear is flapping towards the target, the apparent velocity of movement towards the target goes up. When it is flapping away from the target, the reverse happens. The bat’s brain ‘knows’ the direction of flapping of each ear, and in principle could make the necessary calculations to exploit the information.

Possibly the most difficult problem of all that bats face is the danger of inadvertent ‘jamming’ by the cries of other bats. Human experimenters have found it surprisingly difficult to put bats off their stride by playing loud artificial ultrasound at them. With hindsight one might have predicted this. Bats must have come to terms with the jamming-avoidance problem long ago. Many species of bats roost in enormous aggregations, in caves that must be a deafening babel of ultrasound and echoes, yet the bats can still fly rapidly about the cave, avoiding the walls and each other in total darkness. How does a bat keep track of its own echoes, and avoid being misled by the echoes of others? The first solution that might occur to an engineer is some sort of frequency coding: each bat might have its own private frequency, just like separate radio stations. To some extent this may happen, but it is by no means the whole story.

How bats avoid being jammed by other bats is not well understood, but an interesting clue comes from experiments on trying to put bats off. It turns out that you can actively deceive some bats if you play back to them their own cries with an artificial delay. Give them, in other words, false echoes of their own cries. It is even possible, by carefully controlling the electronic apparatus delaying the false echo, to make the bats attempt to land on a ‘phantom’ ledge. I suppose it is the bat equivalent of looking at the world through a lens.

It seems that bats may be using something that we could call a ‘strangeness filter’. Each successive echo from a bat’s own cries produces a picture of the world that makes sense in terms of the previous picture of the world built up with earlier echoes. If the bat’s brain hears an echo from another bat’s cry, and attempts to incorporate it into the picture of the world that it has previously built up, it will make no sense. It will appear as though objects in the world have suddenly jumped in various random directions. Objects in the real world do not behave in such a crazy way, so the brain can safely filter out the apparent echo as background noise. If a human experimenter feeds the bat artificially delayed or accelerated ‘echoes’ of its own cries, the false echoes will make sense in terms of the world picture that the bat has previously built up. The false echoes are accepted by the strangeness filter because they are plausible in the context of the previous echoes. They cause objects to seem to shift in position by only a small amount, which is what objects plausibly can be expected to do in the real world. The bat’s brain relies upon the assumption that the world portrayed by any one echo pulse will be either the same as the world portrayed by previous pulses, or only slightly different: the insect being tracked may have moved a little, for instance.

There is a well-known paper by the philosopher Thomas Nagel called ‘What is it like to be a bat?’. The paper is not so much about bats as about the philosophical problem of imagining what it is ‘like’ to be anything that we are not. The reason a bat is a particularly telling example for a philosopher, however, is that the experiences of an echolocating bat are assumed to be peculiarly alien and different from our own. If you want to share a bat’s experience, it is almost certainly grossly misleading to go into a cave, shout or bang two spoons together, consciously time the delay before you hear the echo, and calculate from this how far the wall must be.

That is no more what it is like to be a bat than the following is a good picture of what it is like to see colour: use an instrument to measure the wavelength of the light that is entering your eye: if it is long, you are seeing red, if it is short you are seeing violet or blue. It happens to be a physical fact that the light that we call red has a longer wavelength than the light that we call blue. Different wavelengths switch on the red-sensitive and the blue-sensitive photocells in our retinas. But there is no trace of the concept of wavelength in our subjective sensation of the colours. Nothing about ‘what it is like’ to see blue or red tells us which light has the longer wavelength. If it matters (it usually doesn’t), we just have to remember it, or (what I always do) look it up in a book. Similarly, a bat perceives the position of an insect using what we call echoes. But the bat surely no more thinks in terms of delays of echoes when it perceives an insect, than we think in terms of wavelengths when we perceive blue or red.

Indeed, if I were forced to try the impossible, to imagine what it is like to be a bat, I would guess that echolocating, for them, might be rather like seeing for us. We are such thoroughly visual animals that we hardly realize what a complicated business seeing is. Objects are ‘out there’, and we think that we ‘see’ them out there. But I suspect that really our percept is an elaborate computer model in the brain, constructed on the basis of information coming from out there, but transformed in the head into a form in which that information can be used. Wavelength differences in the light out there become coded as ‘colour’ differences in the computer model in the head. Shape and other attributes are encoded in the same kind of way, encoded into a form that is convenient to handle. The sensation of seeing is, for us, very different from the sensation of hearing, but this cannot be directly due to the physical differences between light and sound. Both light and sound are, after all, translated by the respective sense organs into the same kind of nerve impulses. It is impossible to tell, from the physical attributes of a nerve impulse, whether it is conveying information about light, about sound or about smell. The reason the sensation of seeing is so different from the sensation of hearing and the sensation of smelling is that the brain finds it convenient to use different kinds of internal model of the visual world, the world of sound and the world of smell. It is because we internally use our visual information and our sound information in different ways and for different purposes that the sensations of seeing and hearing are so different. It is not directly because of the physical differences between light and sound.

But a bat uses its sound information for very much the same kind of purpose as we use our visual information. It uses sound to perceive, and continuously update its perception of, the position of objects in threedimensional space, just as we use light. The type of internal computer model that it needs, therefore, is one suitable for the internal representation of the changing positions of objects in three-dimensional space. My point is that the form that an animal’s subjective experience takes will be a property of the internal computer model. That model will be designed, in evolution, for its suitability for useful internal representation, irrespective of the physical stimuli that come to it from outside. Bats and we need the same kind of internal model for representing the position of objects in threedimensional space. The fact that bats construct their internal model with the aid of echoes, while we construct ours with the aid of light, is irrelevant. That outside information is, in any case, translated into the same kind of nerve impulses on its way to the brain.

My conjecture, therefore, is that bats ‘see’ in much the same way as we do, even though the physical medium by which the world ‘out there’ is translated into nerve impulses is so different — ultrasound rather than light. Bats may even use the sensations that we call colour for their own purposes, to represent differences in the world out there that have nothing to do with the physics of wavelength, but which play a functional role, for the bat, similar to the role that colours play to us. Perhaps male bats have body surfaces that are subtly textured so that the echoes that bounce off them are perceived by females as gorgeously coloured, the sound equivalent of the nuptial plumage of a bird of paradise. I don’t mean this just as some vague metaphor. It is possible that the subjective sensation experienced by a female bat when she perceives a male really is, say, bright red: the same sensation as I experience when I see a flamingo. Or, at least, the bat’s sensation of her mate may be no more different from my visual sensation of a flamingo, than my visual sensation of a flamingo is different from a flamingo’s visual sensation of a flamingo.

Donald Griffin tells a story of what happened when he and his colleague Robert Galambos first reported to an astonished conference of zoologists in 1940 their new discovery of the facts of bat echolocation. One distinguished scientist was so indignantly incredulous that

he seized Galambos by the shoulders and shook him while complaining that we could not possibly mean such an outrageous suggestion. Radar and sonar were still highly classified developments in military technology, and the notion that bats might do anything even remotely analogous to the latest triumphs of electronic engineering struck most people as not only implausible but emotionally repugnant.

It is easy to sympathize with the distinguished sceptic. There is something very human in his reluctance to believe. And that, really, says it: human is precisely what it is. It is precisely because our own human senses are not capable of doing what bats do that we find it hard to believe. Because we can only understand it at a level of artificial instrumentation, and mathematical calculations on paper, we find it hard to imagine a little animal doing it in its head. Yet the mathematical calculations that would be necessary to explain the principles of vision are just as complex and difficult, and nobody has ever had any difficulty in believing that little animals can see. The reason for this double standard in our scepticism is, quite simply, that we can see and we can’t echolocate.

I can imagine some other world in which a conference of learned, and totally blind, bat-like creatures is flabbergasted to be told of animals called humans that are actually capable of using the newly discovered inaudible rays called ‘light’, still the subject of top-secret military development, for finding their way about. These otherwise humble humans are almost totally deaf (well, they can hear after a fashion and even utter a few ponderously slow, deep drawling growls, but they only use these sounds for rudimentary purposes like communicating with each other; they don’t seem capable of using them to detect even the most massive objects). They have, instead, highly specialized organs called ‘eyes’ for exploiting ‘light’ rays. The sun is the main source of light rays, and humans, remarkably, manage to exploit the complex echoes that bounce off objects when light rays from the sun hit them. They have an ingenious device called a ‘lens’, whose shape appears to be mathematically calculated so that it bends these silent rays in such a way that there is an exact one-to-one mapping between objects in the world and an ‘image’ on a sheet of cells called the ‘retina’. These retinal cells are capable, in some mysterious way, of rendering the light ‘audible’ (one might say), and they relay their information to the brain. Our mathematicians have shown that it is theoretically possible, by doing the right highly complex calculations, to navigate safely through the world using these light rays, just as effectively as one can in the ordinary way using ultrasound — in some respects even more effectively! But who would have thought that a humble human could do these calculations?

Echo-sounding by bats is just one of the thousands of examples that I could have chosen to make the point about good design. Animals give the appearance of having been designed by a theoretically sophisticated and practically ingenious physicist or engineer, but there is no suggestion that the bats themselves know or understand the theory in the same sense as a physicist understands it. The bat should be thought of as analogous to the police radar trapping instrument, not to the person who designed that instrument. The designer of the police radar speed-meter understood the theory of the Doppler Effect, and expressed this understanding in mathematical equations, explicitly written out on paper. The designer’s understanding is embodied in the design of the instrument, but the instrument itself does not understand how it works. The instrument contains electronic components, which are wired up so that they automatically compare two radar frequencies and convert the result into convenient units — miles per hour. The computation involved is complicated, but well within the powers of a small box of modern electronic components wired up in the proper way. Of course, a sophisticated conscious brain did the wiring up (or at least designed the wiring diagram), but no conscious brain is involved in the moment-to-moment working of the box.

Our experience of electronic technology prepares us to accept the idea that unconscious machinery can behave as if it understands complex mathematical ideas. This idea is directly transferable to the workings of living machinery. A bat is a machine, whose internal electronics are so wired up that its wing muscles cause it to home in on insects, as an unconscious guided missile homes in on an aeroplane. So far our intuition, derived from technology, is correct. But our experience of technology also prepares us to see the mind of a conscious and purposeful designer in the genesis of sophisticated machinery. It is this second intuition that is wrong in the case of living machinery. In the case of living machinery, the ‘designer’ is unconscious natural selection, the blind watchmaker.

I hope that the reader is as awestruck as I am, and as William Paley would have been, by these bat stories. My aim has been in one respect identical to Paley’s aim. I do not want the reader to underestimate the prodigious works of nature and the problems we face in explaining them. Echolocation in bats, although unknown in Paley’s time, would have served his purpose just as well as any of his examples. Paley rammed home his argument by multiplying up his examples. He went right through the body, from head to toe, showing how every part, every last detail, was like the interior of a beautifully fashioned watch. In many ways I should like to do the same, for there are wonderful stories to be told, and I love storytelling. But there is really no need to multiply examples. One or two will do. The hypothesis that can explain bat navigation is a good candidate for explaining anything in the world of life, and if Paley’s explanation for any one of his examples was wrong we can’t make it right by multiplying up examples. His hypothesis was that living watches were literally designed and built by a master watchmaker. Our modern hypothesis is that the job was done in gradual evolutionary stages by natural selection.

Nowadays theologians aren’t quite so straightforward as Paley. They don’t point to complex living mechanisms and say that they are selfevidently designed by a creator, just like a watch. But there is a tendency to point to them and say ‘It is impossible to believe’ that such complexity, or such perfection, could have evolved by natural selection. Whenever I read such a remark, I always feel like writing ‘Speak for yourself’ in the margin. There are numerous examples (I counted 35 in one chapter) in a recent book called The Probability of God by the Bishop of Birmingham, Hugh Montefiore. I shall use this book for all my examples in the rest of this chapter, because it is a sincere and honest attempt, by a reputable and educated writer, to bring natural theology up to date. When I say honest, I mean honest. Unlike some of his theological colleagues, Bishop Montefiore is not afraid to state that the question of whether God exists is a definite question of fact. He has no truck with shifty evasions such as ‘Christianity is a way of life. The question of God’s existence is eliminated: it is a mirage created by the illusions of realism’. Parts of his book are about physics and cosmology, and I am not competent to comment on those except to note that he seems to have used genuine physicists as his authorities. Would that he had done the same in the biological parts. Unfortunately, he preferred here to consult the works of Arthur Koestler, Fred Hoyle, Gordon Rattray-Taylor and Karl Popper! The Bishop believes in evolution, but cannot believe that natural selection is an adequate explanation for the course that evolution has taken (partly because, like many others, he sadly misunderstands natural selection to be ‘random’ and ‘meaningless’).

He makes heavy use of what may be called the Argument from Personal Incredulity. In the course of one chapter we find the following phrases, in this order:

… there seems no explanation on Darwinian grounds … It is no easier to explain … It is hard to understand … It is not easy to understand … It is equally difficult to explain … I do not find it easy to comprehend … I do not find it easy to see … I find it hard to understand … it does not seem feasible to explain … I cannot see how … neo-Darwinism seems inadequate to explain many of the complexities of animal behaviour … it is not easy to comprehend how such behaviour could have evolved solely through natural selection … It is impossible … How could an organ so complex evolve? … It is not easy to see … It is difficult to see …

The Argument from Personal Incredulity is an extremely weak argument, as Darwin himself noted. In some cases it is based upon simple ignorance. For instance, one of the facts that the Bishop finds it difficult to understand is the white colour of polar bears.

As for camouflage, this is not always easily explicable on neo-Darwinian premises. If polar bears are dominant in the Arctic, then there would seem to have been no need for them to evolve a white-coloured form of camouflage.

This should be translated:

I personally, off the top of my head sitting in my study, never having visited the Arctic, never having seen a polar bear in the wild, and having been educated in classical literature and theology, have not so far managed to think of a reason why polar bears might benefit from being white.

In this particular case, the assumption being made is that only animals that are preyed upon need camouflage. What is overlooked is that predators also benefit from being concealed from their prey. Polar bears stalk seals resting on the ice. If the seal sees the bear coming from far-enough away, it can escape. I suspect that, if he imagines a dark grizzly bear trying to stalk seals over the snow, the Bishop will immediately see the answer to his problem.

The polar bear argument turned out to be almost too easy to demolish but, in an important sense, this is not the point. Even if the foremost authority in the world can’t explain some remarkable biological phenomenon, this doesn’t mean that it is inexplicable. Plenty of mysteries have lasted for centuries and finally yielded to explanation. For what it is worth, most modern biologists wouldn’t find it difficult to explain every one of the Bishop’s 35 examples in terms of the theory of natural selection, although not all of them are quite as easy as the polar bears. But we aren’t testing human ingenuity. Even if we found one example that we couldn’t explain, we should hesitate to draw any grandiose conclusions from the fact of our own inability. Darwin himself was very clear on this point.

There are more serious versions of the argument from personal incredulity, versions which do not rest simply upon ignorance or lack of ingenuity. One form of the argument makes direct use of the extreme sense of wonder which we all feel when confronted with highly complicated machinery, like the detailed perfection of the echolocation equipment of bats. The implication is that it is somehow self-evident that anything so wonderful as this could not possibly have evolved by natural selection. The Bishop quotes, with approval, G. Bennett on spider webs:

It is impossible for one who has watched the work for many hours to have any doubt that neither the present spiders of this species nor their ancestors were ever the architects of the web or that it could conceivably have been produced step by step through random variation; it would be as absurd to suppose that the intricate and exact proportions of the Parthenon were produced by piling together bits of marble.

It is not impossible at all. That is exactly what I firmly believe, and I have some experience of spiders and their webs.

The Bishop goes on to the human eye, asking rhetorically, and with the implication that there is no answer, ‘How could an organ so complex evolve?’ This is not an argument, it is simply an affirmation of incredulity. The underlying basis for the intuitive incredulity that we all are tempted to feel about what Darwin called organs of extreme perfection and complication is, I think, twofold. First we have no intuitive grasp of the immensities of time available for evolutionary change. Most sceptics about natural selection are prepared to accept that it can bring about minor changes like the dark coloration that has evolved in various species of moth since the industrial revolution. But, having accepted this, they then point out how small a change this is. As the Bishop underlines, the dark moth is not a new species. I agree that this is a small change, no match for the evolution of the eye, or of echolocation. But equally, the moths only took a hundred years to make their change. One hundred years seems like a long time to us, because it is longer than our lifetime. But to a geologist it is about a thousand times shorter than he can ordinarily measure!

Eyes don’t fossilize, so we don’t know how long our type of eye took to evolve its present complexity and perfection from nothing, but the time available is several hundred million years. Think, by way of comparison, of the change that man has wrought in a much shorter time by genetic selection of dogs. In a few hundreds, or at most thousands, of years we have gone from wolf to Pekinese, Bulldog, Chihuahua and Saint Bernard. Ah, but they are still dogs aren’t they? They haven’t turned into a different ‘kind’ of animal? Yes, if it comforts you to play with words like that, you can call them all dogs. But just think about the time involved. Let’s represent the total time it took to evolve all these breeds of dog from a wolf, by one ordinary walking pace. Then, on the same scale, how far would you have to walk, in order to get back to Lucy and her kind, the earliest human fossils that unequivocally walked upright? The answer is about 2 miles. And how far would you have to walk, in order to get back to the start of evolution on Earth? The answer is that you would have to slog it out all the way from London to Baghdad. Think of the total quantity of change involved in going from wolf to Chihuahua, and then multiply it up by the number of walking paces between London and Baghdad. This will give some intuitive idea of the amount of change that we can expect in real natural evolution.

The second basis for our natural incredulity about the evolution of very complex organs like human eyes and bat ears is an intuitive application of probability theory. Bishop Montefiore quotes C. E. Raven on cuckoos. These lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, which then act as unwitting foster parents. Like so many biological adaptations, that of the cuckoo is not single but multiple. Several different facts about cuckoos fit them to their parasitic way of life. For instance, the mother has the habit of laying in other birds’ nests, and the baby has the habit of throwing the host’s own chicks out of the nest. Both habits help the cuckoo succeed in its parasitic life. Raven goes on:

It will be seen that each one of this sequence of conditions is essential for the success of the whole. Yet each by itself is useless. The whole opus perfectum must have been achieved simultaneously. The odds against the random occurrence of such a series of coincidences are, as we have already stated, astronomical.

Arguments such as this are in principle more respectable than the argument based on sheer, naked incredulity. Measuring the statistical improbability of a suggestion is the right way to go about assessing its believability. Indeed, it is a method that we shall use in this book several times. But you have to do it right! There are two things wrong with the argument put by Raven. First, there is the familiar, and I have to say rather irritating, confusion of natural selection with ‘randomness’. Mutation is random; natural selection is the very opposite of random. Second, it just isn’t true that ‘each by itself is useless’. It isn’t true that the whole perfect work must have been achieved simultaneously. It isn’t true that each part is essential for the success of the whole. A simple, rudimentary, half-cocked eye/ear/echolocation system/cuckoo parasitism system, etc., is better than none at all. Without an eye you are totally blind. With half an eye you may at least be able to detect the general direction of a predator’s movement, even if you can’t focus a clear image. And this may make all the difference between life and death. These matters will be taken up again in more detail in the next two chapters.

#Richard Dawkins #The Blind Watchmaker #watchmaker fallacy #appeal to design #argument from design #teleological argument #intelligent design #creationism #evolution #religion is a mental illness

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