Aethersworn backing

Aethersworn is a science fantasy series inspired by iranian mythology with LGBT themes. It centers around the crew of the titular ship, as they retrieve an artifact sought after for destruction by the sun shah, who believes its ending will bring about the end of all suffering. Yet, it is a religious relic, and the crew won’t give up without a fight.

Is thus Paradise worth it?

Follow the indiegogo campaign; rewards and funding begin at 15 September 2026: https://www.indiegogo.com/…/carlos-albuquerque/aethersworn

The Flying Squirrel Barrier

Another post by an idea by Pennycuick, the “flying squirrel barrier” is a hypothetical limitation to gliding mammals. Basically, a gliding mammal can only specialize so much until adaptations for aerial locomotion limit their abilities to climb. This has historically been used to explain why bats and volaticotheres are the only flying mammals despiste gliding having evolved multiple times.

A recent study studied the aerodynamics of several gliding mammals and found that colugos occupy an in-between state, above the barrier but still unable to develop powered flight, which may be an additional barrier.

In general, this relies on the assumption flight evolved from gliding. The basalmost bat Onychonycteris finneyi does have proportions similar to gliding mammals, and another study proposed that a denser atmosphere in the Eocene allowed this barrier to be crossed. These two studies thus paint a picture that gliding animals are limited by a barrier very rarely crossed and thus there are few “in between” states between gliding and flying.

I’m not fully convinced that flight evolved from gliding, as bat flight has alternatively been suggested to develop from fluttering. Fluttering is a rare enough behaviour that it would explain why flying is rare in tetrapods while gliding isn’t, and is seen with sifakas and likely the ancestors of birds, pterosaurs and other archosaurian flyers like Microraptor.

Ultimately, more tests are needed.

Coyote vs ACME review

After enduring countless failures by ACME products, Wile E. Coyote decides to hire a lawyer to make a formal legal complain against the corporation. In the process, a dark secret is revealed…

The animation and live action incorporation is almost seamless. True, most of the animal is cel-shaded CGI, but there are legitimate moments of true 2D animation and it’s faultless all the same.

The humor is par excellance, as is the drama. There is an undercurrent of toons being second class citizens, which make the entertaining villains also genuinely insidious at times. What better way than to criticise the company that nearly buried this movie?

A very strong recommendation.

What if birds were originally bats?

Hypothetical proto-bird patagia model from Your Dinosaurs Are Wrong.

It’s been a while since I talked about flight in dinosaurs, and discussions on it go increasingly polarizing on whereas it was developed once and lost multiple times or if birds are just one product of many flight developments. I myself find easily swooned by either argument, so here’s something less controversial.

In Modelling the Flying Bird, C.J. Pennycuick proposes that the patagia seen in modern birds are the remnants of a full bat-like wing that degenerated over time. This would make the ancestral flying dinosaurs more in line with other flying and gliding vertebrates that usually start with patagia, only to be an unique case where the patagia is replaced by another airfoil.

This hypothesis is perhaps vindicated in the discovery of membranous winged scansoriopterygids, which depending on the study are either basal avialans, basal oviraptorosaurs or ancestral maniraptors, putting them in a basal position in relation to dinosaurs with feathered wings. We now know Caudipteryx is secondarily flightless, so the idea of volant ancestral oviraptorosaurs is particularly tempting with their discovery.

I myself doubt this model, however, as there is no other case of flying vertebrates replacing their patagia with other structures. Unambiguously flightless dinosaurs like Psittacosaurus also have patagia, so the development of patagia in bird wings and the more extensive patagia of scansoriopterygids could just have simply developed from a plesiomorphic smaller patagium.

As always, awaiting future discoveries.

Dimorphodon plots with soaring birds for some reason

Dimorphodon soaring by John Conway.

A recent-ish paper (seriously, it came out right after my birthday and I’m so sorry for not having covered it until now) showcases that we have still a lot to learn about pterosaur wing shapes. Case in point, Dimorphodon, which by all means was a robust animal and a poor flyer, plots with dynamic soaring birds like albatrosses in the data.

Pterosaurs traditionally have been interpreted as having less variety in wing shapes due to possessing a sole wing finger as opposed to the multiple ones of bats or the wing feathers of birds. But as the study showcases, pterosaurs had vastly varied wing shapes that plot oddly compared to modern flyers, and so odd results like soaring Dimorphodon occur.

It is a quite somber reminder we know very little of prehistoric biomechanics, even in a group as studied as pterosaurs.

On the eclipse

Just as Wi dipped into the horizon

His spouse blocked him,

His light a crescent

In mockery of the swallowing moon.

All birds flew to the west,

As if spurred by the union,

Light and dark mixing and waxing.

A terrible end of a day this could be,

But the darkness is natural to this time.

As the dark of the moon is replaced

By the shadow of the earth,

The continuum of blackness

Urges forth a new world.

I, shaman, claim this world as mine,

For it reforms in a manner dear

To me.

And so the moon exchanges with the earth,

And a new world is born.

Maxxie LaWow Drag Super-Shero review

A gay barista looking for love finds himself connected to an alien wig, which grants him superpowers. Will he confess his feelings to his favcourite customer or get killed by rabid aliens?

The plot is a bit by the numbers, but it’s nice to see an LGBT work of this magnitude. It’s in some ways reminescent of Super Drags, but way less horny.

Unfortunately the animation is stilted and there’s minimal shading, making this look a bit cheap. Still, the plot is the main thing carrying this movie.

A warm recommendation.

Alley Cats review

This series is about a group of cats that do, well, what cats do. And beside that, argue and complain all the way.

It has a very Brittish “arguing with the boys” atmosphere, which probably isn’t surprising given who’s behind this show. This can be a strength, as sometimes there are genuinely good comebacks, but in a lot of times it comes across as boring.

The animation is alright. It has a simplicity seen in adult animated shows but the character designs at least aren’t repulsive (most of the time).

A tepid recommendation.

Welcome is beatiful a Avatar story

Inspired by a comment in the trailer for Seven Havens

Work Text:

Pavi and Nisha were playing pai sho when suddenly a time rift appeared and out of it came……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………KORRA AND ASAMI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“hOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?” Pavi asked askingly?

“It is none of your business” Korra said, “We have established a new timeline. You must die so I can be the only Avatar!”

“Nu uh I’m the Avatar now!” said Pavi, “You fucked up the world so it’s my turn!”

“Pitiful child” Korra used bloodbending to grasp Pavi’s neck, “You are Indian, but I’m Ameridian so I’m the superior Indian.”

Nisha prepared to attack by throwing rocks but Asami kissed every single one of them so they fell in love with her.

“Attack my rock pets!” and they did, killing Nisha.

“Noooooooooo KORRA YOU WILL PAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” said Pavi.

Pavi entered the Avatar state and so did Korra. They threw rocks at each other then water and fire, but they dodged every blow. Korra then used airbending to remove the air from Pavi’s lungs and killed her, making her the only Avatar again.

“Oh my love you did it!” moaned Asami lovingly.

They kissed, then they went to fix and storms and shit that was affecting the world. Everyone applauded.

“Please forgive us for hating you Korra!” said the people.

“No” Korra said, killing everyone.

And so Korra and Asami lived happily ever after while Nisha and Pavi burned in hell like the crispy little dykes they were.

The end.

Jaadugar review

This anime is about a young girl that begins as a slave in medieval Iran, before ascending in one of earth’s greatest empires.

The animation is phenomenal, being very fluid and no visible lines. If not for the facial proportions you wouldn’t even be able to identify this as an anime.

The historical cultures portrayed are very well researched, and have depth to them, being able to portray dark topics like slavery without demonizing them.

A great recommendation.