#ask-lets-teams

l e t  i t  b e

bonus:

oh goodness let’s talk about symbolism with c/h/k

(i can see it now…)

At the far end of the gym, you see a large cage hanging above a wide stage. Below and before it is a spiraling maze of iron bars, almost looking like a prison. You make your way through it, defeating the other trainers to acquire keys to the next room.

At last you reach the stage, staring up at the steel cage in curiosity. A young man donned with a silver trench coat and black slacks calls out to you, confirming you are here for the Region Gym Challenge. He sounds exhausted and bored. As you say yes, a clang rings out, and the cage from above drops onto the hard stage with an ear-pounding shriek. You feel very trapped.

You duel with his specialty: Steel-types. First comes an unexpected warrior; Scizor. It’s light on it’s feet but didn’t take much of a hit to go down. Next is Ferrothorn, a massive wall to you. Third comes Bisharp, one of the strongest you’ve met. Fourth arises Magnezone, the shocking choice. Fifth is the mythical Cobalion. How he got one on his hands, you’ll never know. Sixth and last of all appears the ace in the hole. Lucario, with it’s Mega Stone.

The last fighter falls and the leader admits defeat. While the cage ascends, he tells you that this was the most entertaining fight he had in a while, and happily hands you your prize: the Ingot Badge.

Look closely at this tiny, tiny noodle.

This is the Barbados Threadsnake (Leptotyphlops carlae). It lives on the island of Barbados and nowhere else. A really neat thing about this species (besides the fact that it has no eyes and is completely blind) is that it’s probably the lowest size limit for an adult snake. See, herbivorous lizards can get smaller than this because they eat fruit and leaves- they can nibble at them. But a snake any smaller than this probably couldn’t efficiently take in calories. Their continued survival is a concern, since they seem to be restricted to eastern Barbados… which has no original forests left. Unfortunately, we don’t know a lot about these guys.

One thing we do know is how big they are. They top out at 3.9 inches… and the scientist who discovered this species described them being only as big around as…

wait for it…

a spaghetti noodle.

💉 phobias

(Invasiveness: 3/10)

The pair stared back for a few moments before Tetris replied, “Are you kidding? We went over this before we even made a ‘team’. We’re best friends, and honestly I don’t think we have any conflicting ideals.”