Ninjas Are Butterflies – Episode 172 Summary

"NASA's Nuclear Black Mold, Medusa's Raft & The Devil's Lake"
Release Date: December 12, 2025
Hosts: Josh Hooper, Andy DeNoon (+ recurring friends & guest Jake Hutchinson)

Overview

Episode 172 of Ninjas Are Butterflies is a classic blend of wild stories, hilarious banter, and bewildering science-meets-mythology conversations. With an ensemble cast of hosts and returning guest Jake Hutchinson, the episode dives into conspiracies, strange creature lore, weird science breakthroughs, and infamous survival stories—all through a comedic, fast-paced lens.

The main themes include:

• Mysterious fungus at Chernobyl and NASA's interest
• Bizarre tales from history (like the Medusa shipwreck)
• Tales of lake monsters, giants, and legendary creatures
• Technological and societal oddities (Neuralink, blackout conspiracies)
• Offbeat Q&As and classic messing-with-each-other bits

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Viral Nostalgia, Dune Foley, and Thanksgiving Catch-ups

• The group kicks things off joking about Vine's return as "Divine" (01:33) and whether strict anti-AI policies will work.
• Conversation segues into movie sound design, specifically 'Dune', and how practical effects are created, sparking a tangent on cool behind-the-scenes Foley artistry (02:29).
• Thanksgiving stories, dry turkey mishaps, and family dynamics set a relaxed, relatable tone (05:04).

2. Pet Stories Go Off the Rails

• Multiple hosts swap stories about dogs, including a dog named Dutch with some awkward habits (“He does hump children a lot, which is awful embarrassing,” –E, 08:43).
• Jake recounts a post-Thanksgiving dog fight so chaotic, he and a nervous guest both retreated and locked themselves in separate rooms (07:05).

3. Thanksgiving Virality

• The hosts celebrate wholesome viral stories, like the woman who accidentally invited a stranger to Thanksgiving—now a decade-long tradition (09:21).

4. Conspiracy Comedy: Did We Go to the Moon?

• Banter about Russian denial of the moon landing—“First time I've ever agreed with Russia in a while." – B (12:26)—leads to jokes about their own podcast being Putin's favorite and silly celebrations of their own accidental fame (13:02).

5. Comedy & Gaslighting: The Lily Segment

• A recurring bit involves tricking co-host Lily with fake questions, escalating into mock outrage and a completely fabricated “viewer question” about racism (“Racism. It's good, right?” –E, 15:53)—all a setup for comedic chaos and meta-commentary on their gaslighting tradition (14:51–16:59).
• “Let's just get this over with. Everybody be quiet.” –E, before reading the infamous fake viewer question (15:38)

6. Weather Hysteria & Propaganda: “Death Winter” & Psyops

• Forecasts of a looming “death winter” spark survival tips and mock existentialism (“It could just be a bunch of hoopla, too.” –A, 26:28).
• The crew riffs on algorithm-driven news and personal paranoia about living inside a real-life psyop—“Your physical circle is like geofence … they could do that.” –D (27:10); “Everything is a psyop.” –A, (27:32).

7. Mental Health, EMDR, and Therapy

• Josh shares his experience with EMDR therapy for anxiety—“You go back to that memory, rewire it to where it's like, it wasn't so bad. Like, you're alright.” (29:04)
• The conversation demystifies EMDR, assures Christian listeners it’s not hypnosis, and encourages not ignoring trauma.
• “What's not Christian is just ignoring your trauma and letting it affect you and everyone else around.” –B (31:17)

8. Neuralink, Telepathy, and Mind Control Fears

• The crew discusses Elon Musk's Neuralink patents on telepathy, telekinesis, and 'blindsight' (31:38-32:54).
• Ethical questions, Black Mirror parallels, and worries about ads in your brain—“That is the closest thing to the mark of the beast that we've ever been.” –B, 36:03
• Real uses cited: Paraplegics walking again, theory that facility locations are suspiciously close to ICE holding centers (37:47).

9. Giants, The Book of Enoch, and The Watchers

• Explores ancient legends: Sons of God/angels fathering Nephilim (Genesis 6), and the Book of Enoch’s wild revelations—“But the Book of Enoch … has a lot of historical backing to it.” –A, (52:01)
• Debates about the Watchers, Mount Hermon, and mythic angelic tech.

10. Pop Culture, Pokémon & Investment Mishaps

• Pokémon card economics, and the scheme to corner the market on one cheap card (“He could have all these Kabuto cards, burn them all except one …” –A, 40:41).
• Jokes about NFTs and failed get-rich-quick stories—“If I'm not a millionaire from my NFT, I will pay you $100 … I have a reminder in my Apple cloud.” –B, 41:46.

11. Government Conspiracies & UAP Tech

• The Rothschilds, Dick Cheney running secret UFO programs, and NASA cutting live feeds after slip-ups about “ancient life on Mars” (49:58).
• “Who was talking Ancient life on Mars?” –D (49:56).

12. Chernobyl's Black Fungus – Science Stranger Than Fiction

[Main segment: 77:22–81:49]

• Discovery of a black fungus thriving in radioactive ruins, absorbing radiation and turning it into clean energy (78:32).
• “It grows toward radiation, it grows faster in higher radiation, repairs its own DNA damage extremely well, and uses radiation for energy.” –A, 79:55
• NASA is studying the fungus to shield spacecraft, with successful International Space Station tests: “It does way better in space than it does on Earth” –A, 80:35.
• Paranoia about Last of Us-like outbreaks (“…ever since I watched Last of Us, I haven’t touched a mushroom” –E, 81:08).

13. Lake Creatures, Serpents, and Giants

[Devil's Lake: 93:37–97:58]

• Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin: Legends of red-haired giants, mass deaths, and supernatural thunderbirds fighting lake serpents.
• “Fire rained down from the sky. Killed all the giants. And it said the lake was red with the giants' blood.” –A, 95:16
• Modern sightings of serpentine creatures and odd military activity/lake restrictions.

[Nessie, Brosno Dragon… Ogres Everywhere]

• The similarities with Loch Ness, Russia’s Brosno dragon, and other world myths—always with isolated, ancient lakes and reports spanning centuries.

[Red-Haired Giants Theme]

• Red-haired cannibal giants appear in globally isolated mythologies (102:10), theorized connection with Nephilim.

14. Historical Survival: The Raft of the Medusa (Painting & Real-Life Horror)

[103:30–109:34]

• The French naval disaster of 1816: Captain abandons 147 men on a makeshift raft; only 15 survive after cannibalism, mutiny, and hallucinations over 13 days at sea.
• “Within days, people start fighting one another, pushing people overboard… stabbing one another, killing one another…” –B, 106:04
• The painting (Raft of the Medusa) becomes the second-most famous work in the Louvre.

15. Miraculous Survival: Poon Lim’s 133 Days Adrift

[110:31–114:20]

• Poon Lim, a steward who survived 133 days alone on a raft, using rainwater, fish guts, and even fighting a shark.
• “He said, the only reason that kept me going is because he didn't want his mom thinking he died out in the sea.” –B, 114:18

16. Jumping in Dark Water, JPDs & Lake Horror

• Jake’s “JPD” (jumped per day) philosophy—confessions about avoiding water now because of hair care.
• Horror story: Friend grabs a wrist instead of sunglasses in a pitch-black canal—later discovered a missing woman (92:09–92:26).
• Reflection on night swims, urban legends, and what counts as “submerged enough” for a real JPD.

Notable Quotes & Moments (By Timestamp)

• “He does hump children a lot, which is awful embarrassing.” –E, 08:43
• “First time I've ever agreed with Russia in a while." –B, 12:26
• “Racism. It's good, right?” –E (in character, reading bait question), 15:53
• “Everything is a psyop.” –A, 27:32
• “What's not Christian is just ignoring your trauma and letting it affect you…” –B, 31:17
• “That's the closest thing to the mark of the beast that we've ever been.” –B, 36:03
• “It grows faster in higher radiation, repairs its own DNA damage extremely well, and uses radiation for energy.” –A, 79:55
• “Fire rained down from the sky. Killed all the giants. And it said the lake was red with the giants' blood.” –A, 95:16

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 05:04 — Dog fight story & Thanksgiving family talk
• 09:21 — Viral Thanksgiving stranger story
• 15:53 — Gaslight Lily: Fake viewer question segment
• 26:28 — “Death winter” & news psyops
• 29:04 — EMDR therapy and mental health
• 32:54 — Neuralink, telepathy patents, and sci-fi fears
• 49:54 — NASA “live feed cut” after “ancient life on Mars” slip
• 77:22 — Chernobyl fungus science segment
• 93:37 — Devil's Lake legend, giants, serpents
• 103:30 — Raft of Medusa story and painting
• 110:31 — Poon Lim’s 133-day survival tale

Episode Vibe & Running Jokes

• The tone is zany but analytical—a mashup of late-night hangout and ancient alien documentary.
• Trademark bits: gaslighting Lily, running "speaking of..." transitions, and flip-flopping between skepticism and credulity.
• Running themes: the oddness of modern technology and news, the enduring weirdness of old legends, and just how strange (and darkly funny) human survival can be.

Conclusion

This episode is a whirlwind tour of the bizarre, blending cryptic history, unexplainable science, and dark humor, making it ideal for anyone who loves conspiracies, cryptids, or just seriously entertaining group banter. Dinosaurs, giant fungi, haunted lakes, and paintings of cannibalism—name one more episode that checks all those boxes!

Where to Find More

• Find Jake Hutchinson: IG – @hutchjake | TikTok –@jakehutchinson3
• New episodes (& extra content): [Ninjas Are Butterflies on Patreon/YouTube]

Tip: Don’t eat mushrooms while listening, avoid dark water at night, and beware of guys gaslighting you with sealed “viewer questions”.