#modern cryptids

[modern-cryptids]

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The title above the comic reads 'morel'. In the first panel, the mushroom from the prior comic is revealed to have a long body clothed in muddy overalls and has two paw like feet that are also dirty. She looks tired. She says, "thanks for digging me out." There is a little arrow pointing to him that says 'dirty'. The second panel has Alphie concernedly asking, "how'd you end up in the mud, kid?" He replies, "was put there", while fretting. The two of them walk off together. Alphie says, "I'm Alphie." The mushroom says, "Morel." Alphie replies, "c'mon, Morel, I know a good river to put you in next."

[bestiarium]

Sky rods [modern cryptid]

Sky rods (or air rods, or sky fish) are a great example of a modern-day folklore creature, or a cryptid. Supposedly, these creatures are mysterious elongate animals that are occasionally captured on film but cannot be seen by the naked eye. They move at incredible speeds and live in the higher layers of the atmosphere. These creatures are supposedly between 10 and 90 cm long. The rods appear on old film footage, both home-made films and actual movies, but the actors and other people who were present always denied seeing them. Cryptozoologists immediately theorized that the bodies of these creatures are made from an unknown biological substance that is not visible to human eyes, but can be caught on camera.

In reality, they are an optical phenomenon produced when a flying insect (usually a moth) moves at high speed when filmed, giving the impression that a rod-shaped creature with propeller-like extensions (the wing tips of the insect) is moving around. These extensions are often described as undulating fins.

In 2005, the existence of the rods was disproved by the Tonghua Zhenguo Pharmaceutical Company in China: the researchers confirmed the presence of the rods with camera footage and capturing them with very fine nets. No aliens or supernatural jellyfish could be found in the nets, but they caught plenty of flying insects.

The third image shows the sky rods as they appear in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. I really love it when authors give us a pseudo-biological explanation of fictional creatures and cryptids like this. The rods inspired a number of fictional creatures like these ones, including Castlevania enemies for example.

Regardless, there are still conspiracy theorists who claim that the rods are real animals, some even claim that they come from outer space or that they are native to the sun. There are also theories that they are not biological at all, but tiny spaceships. Others claim that SOME of the rods were obviously flying insects caught on camera, but others were genuine sky rods. It’s all nonsense of course, but it’s fun to think about.

Sources:

https://non-aliencreatures.fandom.com/wiki/Flying_Rod https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_(optical_phenomenon) https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Air_Rods

(image source 1: cryptidz.fandom.com) (image source 2: Chr-ali3 on Deviantart) (image source 3: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean)

Yes, this post is technically a Jojo reference. 

[magestone]

Encounter Log #1: An Excerpt

And then there’s the matter of Nimue: huntress of many names, bearer of one infamous sword. 

I did not expect to find the Lady of the Lake at the bottom of a small bog-pond bastard, chiefly notable for its leopard frog population and year-round swarms of gnats and gnat-like beings. But she, like so many, seems to have fallen on hard times. 

At first meeting I was awestruck, of course, like anyone when meeting a celebrity of such high caliber. She was gracious, and radiant (figuratively); an all-around pleasure to speak to.

Then the second time I found her a bit smothering. Pent-up, perhaps. The next few times I fear I brushed her off a little coldly, not wanting to hear yet another embittered retelling of the same old legends, and the taps ran nothing but silt for days. When I drove to the gas station to get a gallon of water, I found the road leading home had inexplicably flooded as well, although it hadn’t otherwise rained since Encounter 0. 

Anyway, I’ve been avoiding walking towards the pond now (even if I miss the tadpoles) and the Crows have been bringing pearls instead of the usual tiny stones. It’s a welcome change in pace: they have a certain iridescence to them that outshines most beauties. 

[silvandar]

Old timey translations:

Lifelong bachelor = gay

Spinster = lesbian

Often walked alone on windswept moors = cryptid

Wintered in the mountains = furry cryptid

[greanbeansfordinner]

modern cryptids: two

[modern-cryptids]

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The title above the comic strip reads 'a new species'. The first panel depicts Alphie hunched down looking at a large mushroom on the ground beneath a big tree. They have a mushroom field guide open and look confused, saying '?? this one isn't in the field guide..." The next panel has Alphie getting extremely startled as the mushroom opens its eyes and looks up at them, saying 'hi'.

[modern-cryptids]

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ID: The title to the left reads 'how did you end up in the woods, kid?'. There's a sequence of 3 Morels splashing around in an implied stream to get clean. She says, "it was real dark last night and I got lost. guess I fell in a hole or somethin. now I'm here". The next panel he's out of the river and dripping wet. He says "can I come with you for a bit?" Alphie is making a fire in the last panel and says, "sure sure sure - tomorrow I go into town, okay?"

[modern-cryptids]

Camping tip #1: maybe don't eat random stuff you find off the ground

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[ID: Title at top reads 'alphie origins: plant, possibly?'. In the first panel Alphie is walking among birch trees with bark patterns that resemble eyes. Below the panel reads 'betula papyrifera (paper birch)'. In the second panel Alphie is looking at some succulents that look like bloodshot eyes. They hold a bottle of eyedrops and say "Eyedrops, anyone?". Below the panel reads 'conophytum wittebergense (living pebble)'. The third panel has Alphie throwing a berry from a plant that looks like eyes into their mouth to eat it. The text below reads 'actaea pachypoda (doll's eyes)'. Outside the panels on the right side, Alphie is leaning against one of the birch trees from panel 1 and puking.]