#arachnophobia for ts

[tarot-muses]

on sexual dimorphism & reproduction in xenomorphs

let's start by establishing some facts.

throughout canon, xenomorphs are referred to colloquially as bugs. presumably this is because of their chitinous exoskeletons. however, this metaphor is more than skin deep (pun intended). some of their life cycle is based on that of the tarantula hawk wasp, wherein the wasp incapacitates its prey (arachnids), drags it into its den, and leaves it for new hatchlings to devour. most notably, however, of the insect inspirations, is the parasitoid wasp. its life cycle includes injecting eggs into the bodies of caterpillars, wherein the larvae feed on the internal tissues of the host until they're ready to burst free.

[ cut for length. ]

insects aren't the only source of inspiration for their life cycles, however. we also see aspects of sea life draw in as well. with jellies, we see a stage of development following the larval stage, wherein the jelly forms into what is called a polyp. polyps grow over time and accumulate buds, which then release one at a time from the central structure to become individuals and genetic clones. the parallels here between the polyp stage and the facehugger stage are clear; they both form an intermediary form which distributes the final genetic material which will eventually become the individual.

pivoting from biology, now we need to discuss art history. accounts on the veracity of this claim vary, but many believe that giger was largely inspired form his biomechanical orgy motif following a sexual encounter with two trans woman and some lsd. others claim that the motif arose from trying to cope with recurring sexual nightmares he confided in having to his therapist. regardless, we can all agree that there is something uniquely and particularly sexual about his artwork, which often blurs the lines between what is and is not organic and what is and is not an individual. the concept of connection and the blurring of the lines between the self and other entities, be they mechanical or organic, evokes the feeling of gender fluidity. but perhaps that's my own personal bias. i'll admit to that fully. i would like to believe his art was inspired by trans women obliterating his mind on lsd. that would've been pretty cool.

anyway. all of that was to establish a base line for the following headcanons. they call it cultivating ethos & logos in the biz. i did a bunch of research and what youre abt to read is gonna make sense bc of it. now onto the actual content.

in the canon, we see xenomorph hives arise from single drones. some animals we've observed in nature capable of asexual reproduction are called self-fertilizing hermaphrodites. among these animals in nature, we find such bangers as the mangrove killifish, nematode worms, sea slugs, and earthworms. its actually a pretty common phenomenon, and when it happens, the resultant offspring is a perfect genetic clone of the parent.

other animals which sexually reproduce fall into the following categories: budding, fission, fragmentation, and parthenogenesis, the last of which being the next most likely reproductive cycle for the xenomorph. however, none of these (with the exception of the last), align with their known egg laying trait. so, we must conclude that either the drone xenomorph lays an unfertilized egg which is capable of hatching, or that it internally fertilizes its own egg before laying it.

as such, if xenomorphs have genitals at all, it is like that they they have a seminal appendage capable of fertilization and a reproductive orifice capable of laying eggs. or, alternatively, they have a single cloaca for all reproductive and digestive needs and internal testes which produce semen.

so why have queens at all? where do they come from, if a hive can begin with a single drone?

in ants, queens serve the purpose of hive governance as well as allmother. they are the physical embodiment of the hive. ants, and other hive insects, act in perfect altruism to the hive -- willing to die to preserve the queen. if all else fails, if the queen survives, then the hive hasn't been defeated. she represents an enormous resource, and with the ability to lay many eggs over a period of time, she ensures the hive will never fail.

ants remain the most useful touchstone for the genesis of queens in hives. but bees also can be used as an analogue. both insects provide the intended egg or larva with specific nutrients to ensure that it will develop into a queen. in ants, it's a very high protein diet. xenomorphs are likely the same, since they're known to be carnivorous.

as such, it's likely that even queens have a vestigial seminal appendage in addition to their external female reproductive system. making them also hermaphroditic in at least some sense. though that's largely speculation on behalf of this writer.

yeah. that's all i got for now. sorry it's so long. and sorry i shouldve included more sources but i started running out of steam in the middle im ngl

[januscorner]

Virgil Sanders Stimboard

💜💜💜 💜💜💜 💜💜💜

[confusedasever]

Corrupted Au Virgil🕷️🌩️

Trigger warning: arachnophobia, body horror, multiple eyes

This took 6 hours:’)

Voodoo (name may be subject to change): Virgil doesn’t really remember his past life mainly due to his own repression of his memories he doesn’t WANT to remember. Deeply insecure about his new form, wants to be un-corrupted despite no longer remembering what that was even like. Virgil just knows this is wrong and trusts that Janus and Logan can help him fix this mess. He can see out of all of his “eyes” with varying degrees of quality but heavily relies on sound. He prefers the shadows and can actually be hurt by being in bright lights for too long.

Design: The spider jaw is based heavily off the Spider Demon Father from demon slayer. The perspective is wildly off but eh we’ll get em’ next time

His eyes are based off the puppet design he was given which I adore The hoodie is just his two hoodies stitched together

Why is he corrupted? The heck happened?:

Each side corrupted in a completely unique way and for a different reason. They are representations of concepts and those concepts warped and snapped. Virgil crumbled due to his lack of identity. His anxiety heightened as he was torn between who he is now and who he was then. Resulting in whatever he is now.

The sides are slowly corrupting more and more with Virgil, unfortunately, being a lot more corrupted then others taking on a lot of spider traits (Remus is technically the most corrupted)

The amount of lore I have written for this Au is concerning considering how little I’ve done with it. Up next will probs be Patton or Janus the leaders of the Light and Dark sides:0

[theeviltriplet-fromao3]

Presenting the Patton doodle page!

[heedra]

endermenace replied to your post: being an outdoor butch is biting your tongue and...

�� what’s the fact tho!!!

ok well in that case

you ever been outside at night and shone a light onto the grass or the bushes? you’ve probably seen a lot of little sparkles you thought were water drops, right? and sometimes you’re partially correct, but i have to inform you that if you go out on a dry, dewless night this would still still happen and this is because spiders have tapetum lucidum and what you are actually seeing for the most part is hundreds of little eyes.

[eplovely]

This is bad but eh

I honestly just wanted an excuse to draw Spider!Virgil

So just take it p l e a s e

@thatsthat24

[sleepy-starling]

Spider Virgil for the poor???

He

[delimeful]

In a reverse!Wibar, would that make Patton the human and Virgil the alien?? What alien would Virgil look like, do you think? I'm thinking spider like alien that molts and he has really really pretty molt skins maybe??

i dont have any reverse wibar AUs out (yet) but i do have spider alien!virgil :D i do love the idea of each molt pattern of an alien species being unique to that individual, like human fingerprints!

[the-bluerecluse]

what if, to make sure he could sleep in one night, virgil spawned a nest of spiders in front of the inside of his bedroom door so anyone who came to try and wake him theyd quickly nope out of that

but now hes slept so late the others are worried and are playing rock paper scissors to see who has to brave the spiders to check on him

[cj-can-art]

I absolutely had to draw her after watching the new video. I love her so much.

@thatsthat24 I hope ya like it

[sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes]

What are some phobias/fears that you have (that you are willing to share)?

I'll start

Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), acrophobia (fear of heights), thalassophobia (fear of the ocean), and thanatophobia (fear of death).

[liminal-spaces-au]

And here's my Virgil design! I think I posted it somewhere else as well, and I'd started trying to do a digital version, so I may post that as well

[pontsalin]

Bunch of doodles to make it look like I’m alive

[oldbrooklynsoul]

I am one of 28 young ballerinas with the Bolshoi. Training is hard, but the glory of the soviet culture, and the warmth of my parents… my… parents… makes up for…. no… that’s not right…

I am one of the 28 Black Widow agents with the Red Room. Training is hard, but the glory of the soviet supremacy, and the warmth of my parents…. all my parents…. makes up for… You’ll have to excuse me… / Black Widow Movie Poster Series 7 /10

[starstruck-xavier]

hdfhgjfgdjfgjdgfhd

[ollyollyoxinfree]

Au???

Patton who turns into a spider sometimes, (but doesn’t realize it) sees himself in a creek and freaks out.

His loud screaming wakes up the water spirt of the creek (either Logan or Virgil) and they try to convince him that the spider he sees the creek is him.

(I’m might draw this later but-)