#These of course arent all the small mammals out there.. just the ones i can remember offhand

[thereissomethingunderthestairs]

Lesser known small mammals (or mammals whenever i bring up people have no idea what im talking about)

Quoll ..a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia that spends most of the day sleeping in its dens. there have been 111 recorded events of quolls eating human remains (x) (pictured here is a spotted-tail quoll)

Numbat..an insectivorous marsupial from Australia that is diurnal (or is primarily active during the day). unlike other mammals that primarily eat termites, they have a jaw with 50 very small teeth. they live in tree hollows and block the openings with the thick hide of their rump

Hyrax ..a small thickset herbivorous mammal that is more closely related to elephants and sea cows than pikas and marmots. theyre found in africa, and they have rubbery paw pads that help them climb up rocks (this is a rock hyrax)

Solenodon... a venomous, insectivorous little mammal that is easily provoked into a frenzy of squeaking and biting. it uses echolocation to compensate for its poor eyesight, and females have two teats almost located on its backside (above is a cuban solenodon)

Sengi (elephant shrews (or better known as the get a look at the snout species))...is another insectivore that is more closely related to elephants than true shrews. they live in southern Africa and have relatively large brains for their size (a respectable 11 inches) (this is a black and rufous sengi)

Tenrec..omnivorous little mammal that lives in land, sea, underground, and in trees. there are many different subspecies of tenrec that can look like hedgehogs, opossums, rats, and shrews (this is one is a lowland streaked tenrec from madagascar)

#i was going to include binturongs but compared to all the other guys its much larger #So i decided to just keep the list about small weird mammals #These of course arent all the small mammals out there.. just the ones i can remember offhand #mammalia #long post #quoll #spotted-tail quoll #marsupials #tenrec #streaked tenrec #elephant shrew #sengi #solenodon #cuban solenodon #hyrax #numbat #mammals #biology #zoology #animal facts

[terrortomato]

AUTISTICLY INFODUMPING ABOUT CROCODILES AND THE PICK 2 MEME

Absolutely livid at how underestimated crocodiles are in that pick two meme. You absolute fucking dumbshits think 10,000 rats, literally a species that survives mostly by excessive breeding and typically serves the purpose of being food for predators higher in the food chain, are going to suddenly become ravenous bloodthirsty tyrants and skin their prey alive with their shitty little front teeth that usually leave a little scratch, can defeat 10 crocodiles, an undefeated, armored apex predator species of 80 fucking million years. You would probably have more luck sending 100 horses to fight them you absolute fucking fridge temperature IQ brainlets.

Crocodiles are intelligent, tactical and cooperative hunters just as much as the lions and wolves on the list of options. They have extremely high aggression so they're perfect for a combat situation unlike the 10,000 rats or even the grizzly bears that people seem to fall for. Depending on when theyve had their breeding season, you may get the pick of the strongest dominant males, the survivors of the culling of breeding competitors. Around the breeding season of Crocs, male crocs tend to go absolutely fucking beast mode and achieve some really insane hunts. They're far less likely to retreat but they still properly evaluate their prey. They typically only retreat when theyve run out of stamina.

They're generally speedy on land but only for short distances, this is ofc because their hunting style is more stealth and surprise oriented - the speed is used for the final lunge. That being said, if this is some kind of battle royale then inevitably a crocodiles opponent will have to attack, it doesnt need to run at all, it can just wait stealthily like it normally does. Obviously if the battle is taking place near or on a body of water then all other opponents are done for. They can swim at about 20kmh effortlessly and for very long periods of time. The crocodiles preferred technique is maiming their prey and drowning them while ripping them apart all in one swift movement so obviously a body of water adds a massive advantage. Theres no out-swimming a crocodile and theres a very low chance of survival for pretty much every mammal.

On the topic of speed, despite their bulky appearance, they're extremely agile in close combat. Often once their opponent is close, their battle ends quick in the crocodiles favor because they can use the weight of their tails to whip their heads behind them should a predator attack from behind.

Also, saltwater crocodiles grow up to like 2,200 lbs. While this takes a toll on their stamina on land, it massively contributes to their superior ability to wrestle their prey. By catching their prey in their jaws and throwing their weight around, they rip their prey into chunks and crush its bones. They can also throw their weight around when galloping on land to help gain momentum, increasing their speed similarly to how a rabbit runs.

Crocodiles only have 24 teeth. Their only purpose is to grip prey and they do that extremely well, even if the prey is barely in their mouth. Crocodiles dont chew their food, they crush it with their jaws and rip it apart as mentioned above. I should probably also mention that THEY HAVE THE STRONGEST BITE OUT OF ANY LIVING BEING ON THE PLANET! Thats right! Stronger than a hippopotamus. That's approximately 3,700 lbs per square inch of force in just one bite, sometimes even more if it's a big saltie lad.

They have extremely strong bones structures on it's back called osteoderms on top of their dermal armor. THIS CAN MAKE THEM PARTIALLY BULLETPROOF!! Of course, whether its effective against bullets depends on the caliber of gun, the distance its shot from and where the shot lands on the croc. That being said, almost everywhere except its belly is covered in strong dermal armour. To get a clean shot, you need to have a high caliber gun, be relatively close (risky) and you can only one shot it if its exposing its belly or the side of its neck... which is not going to happen if its focused on you and not something above it. The hunter in this situation would definitely want to distract it with bait so they can sneak up close and get the shot.

The main challenges to the crocodile in this situation would be the 50 eagles. The odds are balanced out mostly in numbers here. A potential weak spot for the crocodiles here are the eyes. If the eagles were to go for the eyes, that would obviously be extremely risky given how close it is to the jaw. Not only that but Crocodiles can hold their breath underwater for an hour. Theres a chance that crocodiles could hold their own against eagle attacks for long enough before eventually landing bites on all 50 eagles. Itd be a lengthy, monumental task for only 10 of them though. With the eagles strength in numbers, one could lure the crocodile to jump up from water or land while other eagles could then attack its exposed belly. If this battle takes place on land, they could slash around the crocodiles throats. The numbers here lead more likely to an eagle victory, but a crocodile victory is not impossible.

I've seen some people claim that crocodiles are the weaker option because they're so close to the ground that you can just jump over them. This absolutely hysterical because you're jumping directly into their line of fire! Try to jump over a crocodile headed towards you and you're basically doing all of the work for them. But yeah sure dude! Why not shoot your shot :)

Now I think most people have come to the reasonable conclusion that almost every animal would probably die in this situation and the winner wouldnt be clear at all. Its true that it would mostly just be a loss for everyone. Crocodiles arent exempt from that likelihood. The 10,000 rats are obviously going to have more survivors however they provide absolutely no attack or defense capabilities so they're a useless option if you're picking a team to defend you. Also crocodiles can live up to 100 years old whereas rats live up to about 4 years. Should this battle take place over many years, the crocodiles would probably just live off eating the rats after the other predator species are taken down, making it the clear winner over the rats. Theres absolutely nothing a rat can do to harm a crocodile given how strong the dermal armour of a croc is. All rats can do is run away.

As for the rest, 10 is a very generous number of crocodiles given that you're only offered 1 human, 15 wolves, 7 bulls, 5 gorillas, all significantly weaker animals that the crocodiles could wipe the floor with in the animal kingdom.

The grizzlys normally would be a challenge but because the OP of the pick 2 meme underestimated crocs, we have 10 crocs and 3 bears. A swift bite to the leg of a bear and a heavy throw to the ground for it to be attacked by another crocodile would have the bears finished in minutes. The claws of the bear, blunt or sharp would be a tickle on a crocs armor. Normally blunt bear claw can crush skulls in a single blow. This wouldnt work on a crocodile anywhere near as effectively as crocodiles have an exoskeleton and one of the sturdiest skulls in the animal kingdom. A bear bite is weak as shit compared to crocs and it would be weak against a croc as well for reasons I just stated. A bear wouldnt want to get their head too close to a croc anyway because itd give the croc an opportunity for a single-bite kill around the skull and neck. Granted the bears are faster on land but they're not particularly agile in close combat. Usually this isnt an issue in the bears habitat but in the case of a crocodile, theyll get caught by those quick jaws. These poor bastards have to fight each other anyway in this scenario so the crocodiles would conserves energy by waiting for the bears to get close. In terms of temperament, grizzlies wouldnt go near crocs unless the crocs were actively threatening them. Even then, a heavy tail whip could stun a grizzly and some degree of hesitation or even a retreat. From the perspective of some massive hungry crocs however, 3 grizzly bears might look appetizing and with the unwavering gameness of locked-jaw male crocs, the bears would be fucked.

The 4 lions would be an even bigger challenge because lions are even faster than bears. Both are apex predators of their habitats so normally, it would all come down to who's habitat they're fighting on. That being said, theres been many records of large male nile crocs confronting entire packs of lions on land and coming out on top. And once again, the OP underestimated crocodiles. We have 10 crocodiles and 4 lions. The crocs clearly clap the lions here.

Overall, the strength is determined by how many encounter each other + whether or not the animals are injured or starved + the strength and defense of each animal. That being said its fucking ASTOUNDING to me that barely anyone picks the APEX PREDATOR FOR TENS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS, COMPLETELY UNEVOLVED SINCE, PERFECTED IN THE ART OF HUNTING AND STILL LOW RISK OF EXTINCTION over 10,000 small, defenseless, lower in the food chain animals that dont attack in the way people are hypothetically strategizing and are easy food for every other animal listed.

#crocodiles #pick 2 meme #pick two meme #infodumping #idk what to tag this im just baffled #are people really stupid or am i just slowly losing it #anyway the top pick would be crocs and eagles #actuallyautistic

[damienthepious]

okay so yeah i managed another thing, smol and honestly just setup bUT- STILL

Striation (chapter 1)

[ao3] [ch 2]

Rating: Explicit

Fandom: The Penumbra Podcast

Relationship: Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla, Lord Arum/Rilla

Characters: Rilla, Lord Arum, Sir Damien

Additional Tags: Second Citadel, Lizard Kissin’ Tuesday, Established Relationship, Massage, Science Shenanigans, Gentleness, (look chapter 1 is just a lot of gentle touching), (but chapter two is going to be pwp), (fair fucking warning. fair warning about the fucking.), (we just. arent' there YET.), (so i don't know how to TAG the fucking yet because. i haven't written it lmao)

Fic Summary: Arum sees something that the humans don't. This discovery leads to quite a bit of science, and quite a bit of touching.

Chapter Notes: Google Blaschko's lines, they're REALLY COOL, and the idea of Arum being able to see them hit me like a truck. Shoutout to @skunkoon for the initial idea and subsequent discord yelling about the subject!! This is rated Explicit because it is ABSOLUTELY going to pwp town in chapter two, but this chapter is entirely devoid of sexytimes. please enjoy the gentle.... happy lizard kissin'..... OwO

~

"Saints," Rilla groans as she stretches her hands high above her head, joints popping audibly. "Alright, so maybe I overdid it a little rearranging the mints."

"Your back?" Arum inquires, lifting his snout from his tea and tilting his head.

"Shoulders, mostly," she says, rolling them with a grimace. "I should've stopped when I got them all up and saved the replanting for tomorrow."

"Stubborn," Arum says fondly, and Rilla scowls. "Come here, then. Sit for a moment. You've more than earned a bit of rest."

Rilla considers that for a moment, glancing back towards the other sections of the greenhouse Arum has agreed to let her dig her hands into, organizationally speaking, but she feels her neck twinge when she looks and she relents pretty quickly. She sighs as she sinks to sit beside the lizard on the thick-woven blanket he's laid out, and he moves his tea and small stack of books aside to make room for her.

"Did you have fun watching me, then?" she asks with a raise of her brow, and she grins hard when Arum sputters indignantly.

"I- did no such thing. I was quite engrossed with my own business, I'll have you know, far too busy with-"

"Your pile of unopened books?"

Arum snaps his teeth together, but after a breath his posture softens and he rolls his eyes, presumably at himself.

"You always move with such distinct purpose," he admits, gesturing with one clawed hand. "It is admittedly difficult to look away, particularly when you are so deeply engaged with a project."

"Did you forget about your tea, too?"

"It tastes just as well when cooled," the monster hedges.

Rilla snorts a laugh, then winces as her shoulders twinge to remind her the kind of abuse she's put them under today.

Arum tilts his head again, concern on his face, and then he reaches a hand out. "Here. Closer, little doctor. Let someone else do the caretaking for once."

That offer is simultaneously amusing and tempting enough that Rilla lets Arum's hands snake around her waist, maneuvering to rearrange the both of them, shifting so that Rilla is seated in front of Arum with her back to his chest. When he's done moving them he doesn't pull his hands away, though, or hug her from behind like she's half-expecting. He runs all four palms up her back (she bites her lip, inhales sharply) and then he starts to massage, slowly and carefully kneading the tension out of her shoulders.

"Mm… yeah, okay, that actually feels really nice," Rilla says, leaning back into Arum's hands as the second set shifts outward to draw gentle, deliberate claws down the skin of her arms, caressing up and down in a slow rhythm.

Rilla closes her eyes with a sigh, and then the exhale slips into a low groan as Arum's hands find a particularly tender spot, and it feels too damn good for her to really mind the mild chuckle that Arum gives at her expense.

The hands on her shoulders roam, working slowly through different points of stiffness and soreness, and his other two hands draw claws down from the tops of her biceps nearly to her wrists and then back up, an even and unceasing caress.

"You keep doing the same pattern with your claws," Rilla notices in a murmur, and Arum's claws draw down again, slow and certain as his other hands continue to knead into her shoulders. "It's starting to feel kinda tingly."

"I'm simply following the lines," Arum replies mildly, and Rilla can feel him shrug behind her. "Is "tingly" a… good feeling, then?"

"In this case, yes," she says, and then she glances over her shoulder. "Hang on though- what do you mean, lines?"

"The stripes down your arms," Arum says, his tone factual and unbothered, though his words make less than no sense.

"Uh," she says, pulling forward enough that she can turn meet his eyes properly again, "what are you talking about?"

Arum raises an an eyebrow. "Your… stripes? Obviously."

Rilla looks down at her own skin, at the place on her hand where Arum had been steadily and rhythmically drawing his claws, but her skin stays exactly as un-striped as she's always known it to be. "I don't have a clue what you could mean."

Arum's brow furrows now, and he leans closer again. "Your stripes, you ridiculous creature. You have them nearly everywhere on your body." He traces his claws along her arm in wavering lines, and the contact tickles her hair and, well, it feels nice, of course, but as far as Rilla can see he's tracing a pattern that simply doesn't exist. "There," he says stubbornly.

"Not there," she says flatly. "Are you messing with me?"

Arum pulls his head back, and then he scowls. "Are you messing with me?" he retorts. "There," he says again, and then he draws his fingertips over her shoulder in an arc. "And there." Then across her stomach beneath her short top, and Rilla suppresses a laugh as her stomach jumps at the unexpected contact.

"I don't have stripes," Rilla insists, shaking her head. "Damien!" she calls, and the poet makes a questioning sound from the the other side of the greenhouse a half-moment before his head appears around the trunk of the Everdead. "Damien. I don't have-" she narrows her eyes at the lizard as his scowl deepens, "stripes, right?"

Damien blinks. "Stripes?"

Arum's tail curls in the air, the tip flicking irritably. "The repetition is becoming intolerable. The lines on your skin, you infuriating mammals. You both have them. What is the issue, here?"

Damien's lip curls into a bemused smile as he steps closer. "You know I hate to disagree with you, my lily-"

Arum snorts.

"But so far as I can see, neither myself nor our Rilla are patterned in such a way."

Arum growls, but as he's opening his mouth to argue further Rilla snaps her fingers.

"So far as you can see," she repeats, dawning realization in her voice, and Damien purses his lips to bury a delighted smile as Rilla practically vibrates with excitement. "Oh, duh, of course. Arum- you're seeing something that we can't. We already knew your vision works differently from ours, I mean, you can basically see in pitch black, but this must be something that human eyes can't pick up on!"

Arum pauses for a moment, his frill fluttering by his neck as he visibly struggles between the urge to continue arguing and the urge to preen at his superiority.

"Okay," Rilla says. "Okay. I like this theory." She claps her hands, rubs them together with a toothy grin, and then turns her gleeful gaze on Arum. "D'you wanna try to figure out exactly what it is you're seeing? I don't know why humans would have stripes, but I'm going to figure it out, and this seems like a really fun first step."

Damien watches the pair of them with a smile he clearly can't help, and Arum stares at Rilla with his lips parted, clearly too overwhelmed by her enthusiasm to remember to protest.

#elle's fanfic #the penumbra podcast #second citadel #rad bouquet #lizard kissin' tuesday #lord arum #amaryllis of exile #sir damien #E Y E Z O O M #holds hand out *feehdbahk ples*

[zenosanalytic]

House of X #1: The Complications of Trees

Ok so, with that Intro Out of the Way, Here’s me talking abt the intro image of House of X #1 for 1500 words :| :| :|

For Context:

Father and Mother

Ok let’s get into it. The central image of page 1 is of 3 pillars of light pouring into the cavern from above, triangulating a Tree of Roots. Right off the bat this is Chthonic: “Chthonic”(pronounced thahnik, tho if you wanna sneak a barely perceptiple “ch” at the front of it, I’ll respect you u_u) means “of the underworld” or, less ominously, “subterranean”, and here we are not only literally in a cavern, but dealing with a tree made out of the subterranean PARTS of a tree; its roots. Strange eye-like fuschia circles seem to look on from the cavern walls, pupil-less, insectile, and, to me, especially reminiscent of the eyes of the Ohmu from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. For comparison:

Strange orange chrysalis-fruit grow at the bottom of the root tree(whether from it or placed near it isn’t clear). From these chrysalises hatch the X Men, beginning with Scott and Jean, to be welcomed by Xavier.

There are clear mythic elements to this image. Representing the X Men first with Scott and Jean, the prototypical m/f couple of the series, is an obvs reference to Adam and Eve. Having Xavier standing above them, looking on, welcoming them to life within a plant-space, a garden, obvsl casts him in the position of God, The Father, in the abrahimic creation myth and suggests his responsibility for this event, even though they are hatching from the eggs(?) growing on the tree, and not being made by him directly.

It isn’t only abrahimic, though; those Chthonic elements again. Gaia, the Greek Mother-Earth, was at once human and Earth; her anatomy analogized to physical geography. Caverns are enclosed interior spaces; wombs are enclosed interior spaces; caverns are wombs. Xavier’s costume furthers the Chthonic connection through oblique reference to other subterranean Greek deities: he is dressed is a form-fitting black jumpsuit. I cant speak to how Hades was colored in the classical era, but in the modern day he is typically depicted in blacks, dark-greys, and dark or grey blues, matching Prof X’s costume here. This visual connection to Hades goes further(though I can see this one being unintentional; Plouton’s epithets arent exactly common knowledge): X wears what looks to be a portable version of Cerebro which completely covers his eyes. A common Epithet for Hades/Plouton is “The Unseen One”; Xavier’s SEEMING sightlessness calls this to mind without being a direct reference, or undermining the larger visual(which his being invisible would certainly do). And we could take that further to an even more oblique, even subtextual, play with inversion&paradox, with resolution of opposites, with things being both themselves and their negation: Sightless, Xavier Sees; Seen, he is Unseeable. The Chthonic staging and symbolism, pairing Xavier with this environment, strengthens the Hades connection(Hades is the “Lord of the Underworld”, Xavier is in an Underworld place, in a “Lordly” position), and conversely the parallels are strengthened further by knowledge of Hades/Plouton’s Marriages. Originally he was husband to Demeter, variously etymologized as Mother of the House or “Great/Rye/Divine/Earth Mother”, seen in the subterranean setting, and then Persephone, a Goddess of Spring, Harvest, and Vegetal Fertility, which we see in the seeming-birth-giving tree. And the mythic symbolism of THAT goes further still, given how common humans and animals growing from plants are in myths all over the world. The image is layered in creation-myth, birth-imagery, and the supernatural or superhuman(the last bits resonating, obvsl, with the XMen’s own history&mythology). This works on both an immediate and meta level; not only is this scene taking place within the context of the story Hickman and his team are trying to tell, but it also takes place at the beginning of a reboot of the XMen franchise; in a literal meta sense, this scene is a “rebirth” of The XMen into this new “Dawn of X” era.

Returning to the cavern(but staying with Greek myth, cuz I’m predictable), it potentially presents another mythic aspect, though this is PROBABLY an idiosyncratic read and not intentional. Caverns are dark places; literally the epitome of darkness in the mythic Greek sense through Erebus(non-night darkness, the darkness of deep shadows or caverns), the husband-son of Nyx(Night). Erebus is more than just the son or the husband of Nyx, however; Nyx created Erebus from herself, by herself. In a real sense, Erebus is, simultaneously, apart from Night and a part of Night; Himself and Herself, Darkness and, at the same time, Night writ small. Coincidentally(and apropos for this story), within some Orphic traditions Nyx is tasked with ensuring the passage of divine leadership from one generation to another, and choosing who will lead.  Which leads us to...

Ambiguity

Ambiguity cuts through all of this, undermining the notion of clear oppositions; clear beginnings and clear endings. Xavier, small and masculine on the first page, is on the second towering and in a classically feminine pose(I’ve seen this in dance and modeling approx a BILLION times, but I dont know the name of it, and I cant seem to land on a search phrase that’ll get me decent stills of it. If anyone does, or can point me to an instance of it, I’d appreciate having the name so I could search & plop some comparison images in here) which combines with the conflation of his will, the Tree, and the birth above to present him as ambiguously mother and father. While possibly unintentional the same is repeated for the cave itself through the Erebus connection: an underground womb, it is Feminine; a “place of darkness”, of Erebus, it is Masculine.  And of course in the earth is where ppl are buried; a place both of birth, and death. Likewise a tree’s roots usually take nutrients from the earth, feeding on decay and decomposition, yet here they do the opposite “fruiting” the X-Men from themselves like moths from a cocoon.

There’s a particularly interesting depiction of X in this two-page spread that, at first glance, is symbolically masculine but, on further thought, I think its very masculinity works to play into this thematic ambiguity. On page 1 a tiny erect person stands before the Tree on a large mound, dwarfed by the uterine tree dominating the cavern&scene. The masculine symbolism of that figure in its context is obvious. However that context also subtly subvert it through a pun. Obvsl I go LOOKING for puns, so maybe this is a wholly idiosyncratic read of it, but part of why the tiny figure reads as masculine despite its lack of definition is the pun in “mound” being popular vernacular for vagina(more specifically the vagina’s external features, and most specifically the mons pubis/mons venus). So the first image we have of Xavier(though we aren’t SURE it’s him yet, or if it’s a man) is of him as a tiny man on a mound; symbolically atop a vagina :| A popular vernacular phrase for the clitoris is “a small man in a boat” with the “boat” also being this anatomic context :| :| Visually, Xavier is a Clit :| :| :| Again: Masculine and Feminine combined rather than opposed, and it goes all the way down(yes this wording is both awkward AND intentional u_u u_u).

His ambiguity crystalizes and embodies the general ambiguity of the scene: eggs that are chrysalises; new-born adults; a Tree that is only roots, birth underground in a place of burial, Light in a Dark Place, and mammals born through insect-imagery by a tree. This last image, the central action of the two pages(beyond the plants-fruiting-animals stuff mentioned before), contains so much ambiguity just on its own: Plants typically possess both ”male” and “female” parts(neither of which honestly mirror the animal counterparts for which the words were coined); the XMen “hatch” from chrysalises but chrysalises arent eggs they’re a stage in transition from one form to the next; they are human, but the process of their “birth”, with its eggs and cocoons “fruiting” from a plant, is everything BUT mammalian and human. 

This ambiguity extends to the moral realm. Large, bald heads, masks and helmets, eggs, sightless or hidden eyes, dark colors --especially black and purple(the fuschia circles, but also some lighting effects)--, gender ambiguity, pod-people; all of these are also conventional signs of the nefarious and villainous. While we know the X Men and Xavier as heroes, and while the event is presented as unquestionably mythic perhaps even miraculous, the moral quality of it, and of Xavier’s wider actions, isn’t clear. But again this is an ambiguity of inclusion rather than one of either/or; it merges the masculine and feminine, rejecting the boundaries set between them, rather than asking which is which. So I take this moral ambiguity similarly; not as a question “is Xavier right or wrong?” but as suggesting there are both morally “right” and morally “wrong” elements to these events(and to the comic series proper), existing side-by-side.

All of this ties into the theme of cycles, and from there into repetition and rebirth. A Cycle has phases which can seem to be in opposition(day and night, for instance) but which are actually part of a larger whole, leading one to the other. Death and Life are one such seeming opposition; living things die, an end for them, but that end feeds other living things. Life feeds from itself through death, to perpetuate itself in new beginnings. Appropriately this ties back into the mythic elements: the best guess as to what the Eleusinian Mysteries --dedicated to the Chthonic deities Demeter, Persephone, and Plouton-- were about was the descent, stay, and ascent of Persephone to and from Hades; in other words the cycle of life, death, and new life(though there doesn’t seem to be agreement over whether this was new life or an afterlife in the scholarship. Given the much under-discussed, and under-recorded, Greek belief in reincarnation, it could have easily been either).

All of which raises a central question: Is Xavier Banging that Tree :| (I kid, I kid! What can I say but: Comedy demands  -___-)

#HoXPoX #House of X #HoX 1 #Charles Xavier #The X Men #Hickman et al #Greek Myth #Abrahimic Myth #analytic posts

[lunationgeckos]

(1/2) Hey! Thank you SO much for that long reply! It’s really comforting to know that there are definitely people who struggle with this issue too. I originally took her to the vet because she hadn’t eaten for a month and I was a bit concerned. I assumed she was just ovulating but the vet told me she would have to lay the eggs she was carrying. I called them today and let them know she has still not laid them. They said they should go ahead and do the surgery while she’s still strong so there

(2/2) will be a better chance of survival. The thing about my vets is the act like they have all the information on everything and have never informed me if they have a lapse in education. So I assume they know what they’re doing? But I’m still worried. I’m hopping she’ll just lay the eggs before her surgery next week so this whole thing can be done.

From the way this is phrased, I’m going to assume that your vet is an all species or mammal vet who takes other species less frequently?  I’m not about to decry a vet, but I will say that they are people and can be fallible in things they aren’t as experienced in.  The entire field of medicine is sometimes, unfortunately, ruled by educated guesses and what you read on paper.  This happens in human medicine frequently and that’s for doctors who only have to be studied on a single organism!  

Not all vets will defer to others, either.  They may feel that they really do know what they’re doing or have done it a time or two and feel confident in their practice.  I don’t want to keep making leaps of logic here.  I’ve probably made my point.  Here’s the thing.  On paper, a female that looks like she has eggs.  Hasn’t eaten in a month?  That could be going by the book, and of course anyone who doesn’t deal with reptiles much often thinks, ‘My god, not eaten in four weeks!’  When it can be very natural for a reptile.  I’ve even talked to vets who are surprised by that because they are mammal focused.  That’s what they see every day.  It’s not their fault at all.  

And while it is absolutely true that doing surgery early while they’re still strong enough is paramount, with major surgery there still needs to be a level of certainty that it’s absolutely necessary.  The first vet who treated Nalani didn’t know that you had to stitch their skin back a certain way or risk it never starting to heal.  Those are just things in the small details.  Is this vet not reevaulating your girl?  Did she have new symptoms?  Did they ask? 

But didn’t you say in the other ask that she still had something of an appetite?  When is the last time she ate?  Is she losing weight quickly?  Is she showing any signs of discomfort?  If she’s eating, is she still going to the bathroom normally?  Is she managing to pass even just urates?  

What did the vet use to diagnose these eggs?  Did they take x-rays?  Did you get to see that or take them home/get them emailed?  You could consult another vet with those possibly.  

If you’ve taken pictures of her during this ordeal, compare earlier pictures to her most recent to see if she’s looking lots thinner.  I’d be happy to take a look at pictures of the girl, too. But I’m no professional.   

Again, I’m not personally a vet and am not going to outright say your vet is wrong.  But if they aren’t at least an avian specialist, and they don’t deal with reptiles on at least a semi-regular basis, I would ask if there are any specialists they know of in the area that they could point you to.  

Or if you’re nervous about that, see if you can find a reptile or avian vet that does come up in your searches online, even if they’re a bit of a ways off and ask if they know of anyone closer by.  When I moved here I did tons of searches and didn’t manage to come up with much, so I went by what some local people said.  

But once this blew up and I actually found a reptile specialist vet, well they had a whole list of names because they knew of one another, if not knew each other personally.  These are in a fairly large square mile radius and the one vet referred to them all by first name.  Vets in an area usually know one another pretty darn well, in my experience.  The ‘vet community’ always seems pretty tight knit to me, and frankly if they don’t know other vets, I’d kinda wonder about that.  

The specialist I found was semi-retired and had given up his specialist practice, which is why I hadn’t been able to search up his name before  I only found his name when I did a specific search for the small city that my nephew lives in, called them, and asked if they knew of anyone further out.  None of these vets had come up in searches for the metro area alone.  

By all means, if your girl sounds like my story did, then it’s probably time for surgery.  But if she’s eating some, going to the bathroom pretty normally, is still plump/holding her weight, and still seems the same as always, just get a second opinion.  Looking around on forum posts in the last two months as I have, I’ve seen people who had surgeries SCHEDULED with their vet, get told to go get a second opinion only to find out that the first vet had mistaken fat pads for eggs.  It can happen.  

I don’t want to get your hopes up that nothing is wrong, here, but you just want to be sure.  Two full weeks truly eggbound would be quite a while.  Your girl should be showing some sign of distress by now, I would think, even if it’s just the bloating and fast weight loss.  

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