Footnote: Psst, This Is My New Blog! Due To Some Technical Issues With The Old One, I Am Rblging The

Footnote: Psst, This is my new blog! Due to some technical issues with the old one, I am rblging the original MMM and CFF posts on this account, as well as continuing the future rambles under this handle from here on!

Media Marvel Monday, #5:

The Sweetest Co-Op I’ve Ever Played Solo, Unravel 2

Ever look through the bargain bin or the used game/movie sections while shopping in your youth, and come across an actual masterpiece? Wonderful experience, especially if you didn’t even know you basically found a diamond ring rifling through the sloppy seconds section. It’s why I love thrift thing so much, not just because I’m a cheap ass, but because finding the hidden gems pennies on the dollar is its own fun kind of scavenger hunt.

And on that note, this one time I was looking through the heavy discount section of the E-shop, and let me tell you,

I found something absolutely beautiful, and even better, it’s a charming ditty you can enjoy with a dear friend, or a special someone if you're looking for a good couch co-op recommendation on short notice, Valentine's day being tomorrow and all ;)

I.... freaking love this game, so much. Everything about it. Playing it, looking at it, keeping the soundtrack in my ears as I meditate or draft things such as this out...

The game follows as the spiritual successor of the first Unravel, an atmospheric, side scrolling, puzzle-platformer that had you navigate a voiceless narrative through control of a "Yarny" (which, in this setting are like lil whimsical fellas made entirely of yarn) through beautiful natural landscapes and an underlying story of love, memories, and adventure. Which each step Yarny takes, his own thread spools out behind him, and puzzle-solving through the level sections revolves around creative uses of this trailing string, whether by use of a lasso to climb heights, to swing over gaps, building tightrope trampolines, pulleys, and a number of other ways of interacting with the world. This builds with and upon the smooth physics in action to bring players an engaging and varied way of progressing without being overly complicated. Though some of the challenges can have their moments of frustration, the game is overall a relaxing and visually more artistic than mechanical experience.

All of this carries over into Unravel's sequel, but now with the added spice of two Yarnies in the spotlight, tethered both physically and seemingly spiritually to each other. From the moment they find each other, a spark forms from their connection, and they share a journey to chase that spark as it brings light back to a world with some growing shadows.

Though you can play through the entire game solo for no less satisfaction and no more difficulty with the puzzles (I did, and I was almost tearing up in delight when I reached the final credits), the soul of a thoughtfully crafted, local co-op experience shines through all of Unravel 2.

Something I also rabidly love about the sequel is that you're actually allowed to customize the look of the yarnys' bodies and color! Not only that, but there's a handful of emotes available to really help your little dudes come to life (Media Marvels is all about the joy from the finer details after all). How many co-ops do YOU have where you and the other player's little creature can hold hands and stare into each other's lil yarn eyes after getting through a tough challenge??

I got so attached to my own pair over my first playthrough that I couldn't help myself but go for a trip to the craft store and, well,

More pics of my sons here, but legit, yarnys are pretty fun and easy to make it turns out.

I seriously don't want to understate the beauty of this game, though. The soundtrack is phenomenal, some literally theater worthy stuff at times, and draws a lot of inspiration from Scandinavian folk sounds, which, I shouldn't even have to really explain how that pairs so well with visuals like this

If this all sounds even remotely interesting to you, it's available on PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch. The switch's version does take a hit to the graphics, but it's not one that I minded much. Also cool how you can do co-op with a pal with one joycon each, no huge need to have two sets. Anyway, I can't stand by this recommendation much harder. I think I'll close this out with a simple Happy early Valentines Day.

Footnote: Hiya! Liked this thing? Well, this is my new blog! Due to legit technical issues with the old one, I will be rblging the original MMM and CFF posts on this account, as well as continuing both lil series!

Creacher Feature Friday 7: So, Wolverine Frogs Are a Thing…

And somehow, the fuzz ain't even close to the weirdest thing about them.

Today we look to the tropics of Central Africa to find the ever-unique Trichobatrachus robustus, or commonly known as the hairy frog, the "horror Frog" (rude) and/or the Wolverine frog. I think for our moment here, I'm gonna stick with Wolverine, because you're gonna agree with me soon that that's the empirically perfect name for these fellas, and let me tell you about some amphibious badasses.

First, this species is a genuine one of a kind, being the singular member of the Trichobatrachus genus.

Second, while they're a mainly terrestrial amphibian, they do return to water specifically to breed and spawn, and it's during that time where an interesting sexual dimorphism reveals itself.

On the left up there, spot the otherwise normal looking female. On the right, check out the male's dermal papillae, extending from the back legs to the flank.

You can guess this is how they earned the common name of "hairy" frog, but I'll have you know not a bit of that fuzz is actually hair at all, or even for looks. What's actually going on here is a super cool adaptation to help the male perform a very important task for the future generation: He remains at the spawning site after mating, so that he can guard the female's eggs until they've safely hatched. Unfortunately, the land dwellers have relatively small lungs not as suited for swimming for so long. While all amphibians can still breathe through their skin, the male wolverine frog grows out these blood-rich papillae to help increase the breathable surface area further for his extended stay in the water. Think of them as functionally very similar to the "feathery" gills of an axolotl.

But wait, it gets SO MUCH BETTER

Cause both sexes of this species have something wicked quite literally up their sleeve. THIS is why they're called the wolverine frog:

"Oh neat so it has claws." NOPE. WRONG. True claws are supposed to be made of keratin, that up there, is bones! Whenever the wolverine frog feels threatened, it can voluntarily break its own toes, disconnecting this spur of bone from the tips in order to force the points to traumatically erupt OUT of the skin. When not in use, these unsettling, dead-space sort of weapons just simply... retract, back into the toe-tips, where the wolverine frog's regenerative abilities can start working on repairing the cartilage and tissue damage. Effectively, though, these metal amphibians can do this as many times as they have to. Imagine instead of carrying blades or pepper spray, we responded to potential attacks by just casually snap-crackle-popping our hands open into a set of finger bone-knives. Hell yeah!

It's also possible this isn't even a dire last resort tactic, since it is theorized that these bone spurs also help assist the frogs in holding onto rock surfaces underwater or when climbing. Certainly a useful trait for the males, but this is universal to their population at large, even including the juvenile wolverine frogs.

IMO, definitely one of the frogs of all time, for sure.

Come back next week and I think I'll spill about a different amphibian I think would make a much better candidate for the name "horror frog" ;> until then, stay bewildered and don't eat any strange fungi.

I do have to admit in retrospect,, that was probably a big part of it as well. And, the purple. And- Character design...vibes... I am a sucker...

“B-but you didn’t even finish watching the last couple of shows you were obsessed with that had sinister adoptive dads!”

“Hehe evil mask man say ‘Subarashi’ a lot.”

ITS SO HOT OUTSIDE

Footnote: Feel like seeing more rambles n' stuff? This is my current blog! Due to some technical issues with the old one, I will be rblging the original MMM and CFF posts on this account, as well as future write-ups!

Creacher Feature Friday 6: I Found a Tragedy and a Rarity in the Ferns 🪺

~Ah, brood parasitism, one of my favorite forms of symbiosis. Brilliant tactic, evolutionarily speaking. Why invest precious resources and time into raising your own offspring, when you can just entirely hijack the parental instincts of another species? The cuckoo bird is one of the most well known and famous examples of this reproductive strategy, never building their own nests, but happy to drop their eggs into the clutches of other birds to raise as their own.

*(fun fact: this is actually the origin of the slang words “cuckold” and “cuck”, from an old French term for the cuckoo bird.)

Today I would, however, love to talk to talk about the brown-headed cowbird, another parasitic avian species, common to the United States.

The reason why is because I found a lucky, incredible sight while watering my Aunt’s ferns once:

If you don’t immediately get why I was so excited when I realized what this was, this is a photo I took of an inactive house finch nest I had been keeping my eyes on last summer.

For some reason every year, they love to set up nests inside the hanging plants. A cowbird must have also decided it seemed like a lovely spot, and left behind one of its own eggs in the nest. Now I didn’t see the brood up close myself until the family had already moved on, and I snapped this picture when the time came to remove the nest, having no idea it had even been parasitized. And what was left behind is evidence of a little-known phenomenon called

Egg capping!

What makes parasitism like the This destructive to the original nest is that one cowbird hatchling usually dooms its adoptive siblings. They grow much faster than their host species and they immediately outcompete the other fledgelings in the nest due to their size for the host parents’ attention and feeding. I think you can see why they need all they can get. Exhibit A:

Another way they have of reducing competition in the nest, it’s been theorized, is to literally prevent their “clutchmates” from hatching at all- by “capping” one of the original eggs with its own eggshell. This is not something that the hatchling does on purpose, but with a little bit of luck, in the fact that they often hatch and develop faster than the hosts, this can happen by pure chance as the shell gets tossled around with the other eggs. And evidently, this is extremely rare to happen under normal circumstances, what with chicks synchronizing their hatching, the parents usually then removing the shells from the nest.

So, it’s a fortunate evolutionary bonus for these home-wrecker cowbirds that this is another way they manage to gum up the works.

An Extra note: though it is potentially upsetting news that Brown-headed cowbirds are detrimental to their host nests, they are still a native and federally protected species in their home range. It is illegal to remove or tamper with their eggs the same way it is illegal to disturb their hosts’, and upon finding a parasitized nest in your yard, remember that it is best to let nature take its course. Cowbirds are still part of this beautiful ecosystem, even if they are mooching free-loaders :)

But, there is a nasty little twist to the story in my nest photos. The cowbird chick probably didn’t find success either. You see… house finches were actually a really poor choice for the mother cowbird who decided to drop her offspring here.

While the majority of local songbirds here (brown headed cowbirds included) require insects in their diet to develop well and strong, house finches are a special exception- they are almost exclusively herbivores. The cowbird that capped this finch egg probably didn’t fare well under its unsuspecting parents, muscling out its competition in vein. I hope those finches have a better run next year, but I am very thankful I got to see some really neat ecology in action, and right outside the front door!

Footnote: Ahoy there! Feel like seeing more crap like this? Here is my current handle! Due to technical issues with the old one, I will be rblging the original MMM and CFF posts on this account, as well as continuing both series!

Creacher Feature Friday 8: So, Trypophobia Toads Are a Thing..

Last week, I recall, we took a glance on over at a frog so bizarre and special, it grew hairy gills on its back legs and broke its own bones to make basically Wolverine claws as a defense mechanism.

Guess what? I know of just the amphibian fit to top that weirdness👏

Full disclosure, though, there was a slight lie in the title of this. This feature does not actually center on a toad at all- it's another frog! A strictly aquatic dwelling one at that; nonetheless, it never stopped the unusual Pipa pipa (actual genus and species name, lol) from landing plenty of misnomer titles such as the Star-fingered toad, the common Surinam toad, and of course, the pipa toad.

P.pipa calls the jungles of the Amazon and much of upper South America as its home, where it lies in wait on the beds of flooded forests and low-flowing streams, ready to ambush the next meal that floats along. Interestingly, they also capture prey through a method known as suction feeding (i.e. slurping in a bunch of water along with the victim in one strong gulp), which is usually more associated with certain kinds of fish than most anurans. Guess when you don't have a tongue for gobbling your food up, you find your own way.

Something more quickly notable about them than their feeding habits is their.. interesting.. appearance.

I guess today also doubles as Flat Fuck Friday

In case you are worried, fear not, this is NOT the result of them being run over by a looney tunes steamroller. Just a natural way of camouflage, hoping you'd pass them by as a boring old brown leaf on the riverbed. And those little eyes are still functional, but for good measure this species also came packing a lateral line system (another fishy smelling trait, likely evolved to suit their lifestyle) down its back to help detect potential prey/predators while it lies flatly at the water's bottom like above.

If that's not enough "I'm not like the other frogs" for you yet, wait until you see them pregnant. I did not stutter. Pipa toads go about reproduction in a convoluted, literally skin crawling way.

To remember what "typical" frog spawning looks like, picture how the male piggybacks onto the female, they both release some gametes together in some pond, bippity-boppity-boop, tadpoles happen and are left to fend for themselves. Sometimes you get the odd parental species with males that might guard the eggs/young for a while, but frogs wholly are usually not the most invested caretakers, especially females.

Well, anything but usual, the pipa toad performs spawning with the twist of adding in a complicated series of acrobatics. As the released eggs are fertilized by the male, the he keeps his hold on his mate and brings the pair into a series of somersaults, where he uses his legs to push and stick the eggs onto her back. From courtship and on, the female's body reacts to this by growing a layer of skin over the developing embryos as they slowly meld into the outside of her body. This skin-covering eventually develops into something of a protective pouch that will shield the growing young all the way through their metaphosis from tadpole to miniature versions of the adult (one per each of those visible chamber holes). And after a long, 4 month gestation, the time finally comes for anywhere from 60-100 toadlets to be "born" and escape from their flesh cage for greener pastures and tasty eats of their own. Just as the beautiful circle of life intended.

Until further notice, this series crowns the PP toads as certainly, the frog of all time.