#big species euphoria for me

[therianomalocaris]

Trick 'r treat!

ganymede by marc-antoine barrois paris

[ashersbraincell]

Also earlier today I actually WON a staring contest with my cat so. Yay

[markscherz]

Can I ask how you feel about your Tumblr fame?

I get the impression you just made this account for normal casual funsies reasons, but it kinda blew up by happenstance. If that's right, I'm curious if now you feel like it's kind of a more serious thing, where you have an opportunity to sorta act as a science communicator with a reach you otherwise might not?

Or maybe something else? You gonna see if you can somehow leverage your Tumblr fame to get research funding? Deputize us to harass polluters and developers destroying habitats? Crowdsource name ideas for new species?

It's a bit bizarre, in that it has very little real-world-ness to it. I showed my mother the ongoing tumblr celebrity poll, and she was like 'how many people could possibly be interested in frogs?', to which I replied 'well as of today about 46,000 and counting'.

I have always had an unhealthy relationship with fame. I spent most of my teen and young adult life fawning after it, as is I suppose very often the case.

More after the cut…

I always really wanted to be famous, but I was never really interested in changing who I was or what I represented in that pursuit. That is to say, I wanted to be known for what I was already doing, or for things that were already interesting for me, rather than things that might have much higher chances of success but require more effort or be less in line with the things that I am interested in.

I had my first brush with virality in 2012, when a poem I wrote went a little viral (largely thanks to StumbleUpon). I remember the rush of seeing how much attention it was getting, and staying up late to keep refreshing the page as the visitor numbers went up and up and up.

But not long after that, I had some closer encounters with fame and people becoming famous. That was extremely eye-opening. I witnessed first hand how strongly that can affect someone's life, for good and for bad. That experience also made me realise, quite jarringly, that famous people are still just people; that celebrity is something extrinsic to them; that they also wipe their own butts (if they are able); and that in many cases, it is a substantial inconvenience if not downright pain in the ass for them. I think this is why we see so many of the big celebrities having mental health crises or trying to live as much of their lives out of the public eye as possible.

That experience pretty much stifled my desire to achieve fame, and really changed my relationship with it. I should add that I could say much more on this topic, but nothing so coherent or insightful as John and Hank Green, who have given me so much clarity on this topic over the years through their thoughtful commentary on youtube and their podcasts.

Anyway, in spite of the fact that fame itself doesn't really appeal to me anymore, I do still have a problem wherein I quickly became addicted to the microdosing of euphoria associated with every reblog and like and follow. So I put huge efforts into social media in order to try to gain traction in the space that I felt I could really compete in—Very Niche SciComm™—and build up a following.

Tumblr was the first platform where I felt that really succeed; I managed to fight my way to a few thousand followers with a thick queue of regular posts about herpetology and other science. At that time, there was a great community building up in the rudimentary private messaging system—I am still friends with several other tumblr bloggers from that era (none of whom I have ever met in person). From that early time (2013), I think my most successful post was probably this one about germination of 32,000 year old seeds—a post that, as of today, has 836 notes, but at the time felt huge and exhilarating.

As I went through gradschool, I got more and more active on twitter, and less and less active on tumblr (by the time I wound down, I had about 8,000 followers on tumblr). This was partly because of the pornbot takeover on tumblr, which meant I basically could not go on the platform in public or at work, but also because the audience and interactions are just fundamentally different. Twitter had a different kind of vibe and energy than tumblr, and there were real SciComm experts there, who were doing it just completely differently. More importantly, I became more focussed on doing outreach aimed at colleagues, rather than non-experts.

Then, in 2017, I hit headlines for the first time. The description of Geckolepis megalepis made it big on social and traditional media, and I had my first experience with real media attention. I had a flurry of late-night phone-calls with journalists in the US. This was a different animal altogether than the few viral posts I had had until that point. It was extremely stressful, but exhilarating. Then in 2018, our chameleon fluorescence story made similar headlines, and in 2019 the Mini frogs, and in 2021 with gecko fluorescence and the smallest chameleon.

Seeing my name on the BBC News website and in the New York Times and National Geographic—those things have been the most surreal moments of near-fame I have experienced so far. The number of followers on social media is quite difficult to conceptualise, but seeing your own name in a media outlet that you consume regularly, or have grown up with, is more palpable.

In any case, I continued to run with twitter as my main platform for years, because I found the interaction with colleagues and other academics highly stimulating. In 2021, I even posted a twitter thread about a different species of frog from Madagascar every day for the full year. All this work was ultimately greeted with mediocre success; I just crested over 10,000 followers a few months before the Musth takeover. But then the platform became basically unusable. And in the fallout, I came back to tumblr, where, just by chance, I happened to find a post about the Mini frogs and reply to it and it went properly viral and now here we are. In the space of a year, I went from having 8000 followers to having >46,000.

How do I feel about that? It's bonkers. I think it is great that so many people are interested in hearing the Good News about frogs and other creatures. But I also feel like I am not really on the same playing field as most of the others in that poll mentioned above, in that I do not have any of the celebrity that several others have. And I know for a fact that there are fanblogs with far, far larger followings than I have. But perhaps that is the great thing about tumblr; that the playing field is somehow levelled…

What's the point of this ramble? Well, first I guess it is to outline that I have given fame a lot of thought over the years, and I have a long-standing and complicated relationship with it, and take it quite seriously. Second, to illustrate that I have been working on as a science communicator or person in outreach for many years—it has kind of been my social media brand since I started gradschool in 2013. And third, to kind of outline how we got here, because I often feel like you have to know where an arrow has come from in order to figure out which direction it will continue to fly.

You asked if I would somehow try to leverage my tumblr fame to get research funding—I already do that. In fact, my social media activity had a signfiicant role in landing me my current job, and will continue to help me achieve tenure. Outreach is an important part of my job, and funders like it too.

I would love to have the community-building power and tenacity of the brothers Green; Nerdfighteria has achieved some incredible things over the years, and the power of that community is now being seen at an unprecedented scale in their battle for equitable access for tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. But I do not have that in me; this platform is the wrong one for community activation, and my community is still too small for that. Moreover, it is not organised or structured, in the way that I think effective deputisation would require.

As for the crowdsourcing of name ideas, that is currently off the table. I like to try to name things on my own or with my colleauges; it is a very good part of the process. And I have yet to hear a suggestion for a Mini species epithet that I had not already come up with myself, so I am not convinced that this would really augment the experience.

So for now, I hope that the main way I use the platform, and the power that comes with a few thousand followers, will be to spread the Good News about frogs and other wonderful animals, and the other kinds of science happening around us (and occasional other off-topic content). I hope that you are encouraged to explore the world around you, and to do your own reading to find out more about the subjects that interest you. And also I will continue to try to make meme-worthy content, because it does nice, if addictive, things in my brain when I get the clicks.

Thanks for asking, anon, and sorry for the Wall of Text.

[misstycloud]

Just thinking about a darling who loves the idea of aliens and the thought of life somewhere else. But unfortunately their knowledge doesn’t extend beyond the classical little green creatures with big eyes and heads.

An alien of the species X is traveling through hundreds of galaxies and dimensions in search of a perfect mate. They suddenly get the urge to travel in a specific direction.

Eldritch alien: Earth? Is my mate really from such an unadvanced planet?

They decide to land anyway and is unimpressed with what they see. They decide to use their super technology to disguise themself to what is considered an anarage human. They walk around town and believes the trip was a waste of time, until they see darling for the first time.

Their mind is blown. Darling is the cutest thing they’ve ever laid their eyes on! Immediately they feel the pull and start stalking them. They learn everything they can about darling, food preferences, what they like to do for fun, and even what they like in partners.

Imagine the euphoria they feel when they find out darling is into the idea of aliens! Things might be rough in the beginning of taking darling, but things will surely clear up when they tell them they’re not from earth.

-

Darling, woken up by strange sounds outside their house and goes to check it out, even though it’s against every horror movie rule.

As soon as they walk into the kitchen they see a large shadow standing there. Before they manage to get a sound out, the creature pounds on them and keeps them from screaming.

Eldritch alien: shhhh, little mate. Don’t be scared, I’m not here to hurt you.

Darling sensing the large frame and tentacles definitely doesn’t belong to an earthly creature: what are you? What do you want from me?

Eldritch alien: I’m your mate and I’m going to take you away on my ship. As to what I am, I am part of species X, of course. I am what you would call an alien.

Darling: …….. No you’re not.

Eldritch alien: ……?

Darling managing to loosen the aliens grip on them: I’ve seen aliens before in comics, and you certainly doesn’t fit the picture.

Eldritch alien: ????

Darling: I mean, no offense, but look at you. You’re all tentacles and you’re head isn’t that big either too be honest.

Eldritch alien: ??!!

Darling: soooooo, you come from the forest or something?

Eldritch alien having no clue what’s happening: please, I promise I’m an alien *sob sob* I’ll even show you how to suck up cows with my ship.

[rabidf0x]

Just now realizing how much species euphoria wearing big jackets gives me. I feel like I have a thick coat of fur

[theverynothumankai]

I n T r O d U c T i O n P o S t

I’m Kai, also called Malakai. This is my blog for all things Nonhuman. Come join my little side of tumblr. <3

I’m a Polytherian, Polykin, Polylink, Otherfix, Otherhearted, and Fictionflicker/Otherflicker.

Theriotypes: Vancouver Coastal Sea Wolf (also known as Coastal Wolf and Vancouver Island Wolf); Canada Lynx; Red Fox; Nurse Shark; Snow Leopard; Maned Wolf; Norwegian Forest Cat; Coyote; Side-Striped Jackal; Dhole. Kintypes: Dragon (SeaWing/SilkWing Hybrid); Dragon (Night-Light Fury Hybrid); Dark Fey (Forest Type, from Maleficent); Avian (winged humans with tails); Raccoon (gold winged and gold horned); Silver Fox (with big crow-like/themed wings); Angel (shape-shifting, three pairs of wings, comforter of those who are lost). Hearttypes: Whale Shark. Flickertypes: Hylian (from TOTK/BOTW); Orphinki (OC species); Sable; Owl (all). Questioning: Ocelot Theriotype; Manta Ray Theriotype; Orca Whale Theriotype; Maine Coon Cat Theriotype; Jumping Spider Theriotype or Hearttype; Pallas Cat Theriotype; Manta Ray Kintype; Siren Kintype; Dragon Kintype (feathered wings); Mosasaur Theriotype; Blue Whale Theriotype; (Baby) Bongo Theriotype; Kirk’s Dik Dik Theriotype.

More Info On My ‘Types Here.

I’m a PseudoHuman, which means I may appear to be human, but am not.

I’m SunNonhuman, which means my nonhumanity is integrated into my baseline personality. It does not prevent me from having minor fluctuations of mood that feel slightly more animal or slightly less animal. I do not experience mental shifts to my nonhuman types.  I’m Transspecies (more specifically Humanfluid) and Voidpunk, which means I identify as another species (and more specifically have a fluctuating connection to my humanity), and that I’m reclaiming the dehumanization and demonization that I face in the marginalized minorities I’m in, basically I’m reclaiming dehumanization and fully embracing inhumanity/nonhumanity.

I’m Physical Nonhuman, in the way that since I am my ‘types, so is my body (although, I am aware that my body is technically human/human-presenting).

I’m a CladoNonhuman, specifically with my Owl Flickertype. I am all owls, not just one or a few, although I am more so connected to a couple specific species rather than equally to all. My Owl Flickertype comes and goes, it’s been gone for a while but it’s coming back again, and I have no doubt that that will happen again.

My Otherfix identity influences my nonhuman identity overall, by the way! So, a lot of my theriotypes and kintypes are due to hyperfixations (although, remember, they are involuntary and permanent for me!), and then a lot of my flickertypes have been due to hyperfixations (once again, involuntary and the flickertypes come and go).

The reasons/origins of my Nonhumanity is due to a combination of Past Lives, Fate, and Neurodivergency. I believe I was all my ‘types in past lives, and that I only found out about being these things in this life due to my neurodivergency.

I fluctuate between Nonhuman and Human, although am always on some level both, just other times are stronger for one and the other not so much, but overall I mostly refer to myself as just Nonhuman. My soul is a combination of all my ‘types, plus the intruding human soul of this life.

Please only refer to me as Nonhuman and Alterbeing, NOT as Human or Alterhuman.

I do not experience phantom shifts or any sort of shifts, but when I have in the past, it has only been once, very short (a few seconds), and partial. I experience loads of species dysphoria, envy, and sometimes euphoria, though.

I only have very poor gear, two homemade tails, and one mask, and am also currently working on wings. I’m hoping to get more materials to make better masks and tails for myself soon, though.

I do very poor quadrobics, but I adore doing them, especially when I can in public.

Fellow Physical Nonhumans/Alterbeings/Alterhumans, Non-Spiritual Nonhumans/Alterbeings/Alterhumans, and etc. are very welcome here.

I’m very queer. My gender is way too complex, but just imagine it as masculine, genderless, and animalistic, with lots of different aesthetics.

I use He/It/Rot/Void/Mutt/Pup/Teeth/Woof/Bone/Claw/Plant/🐾/🐺/🦝/🌿 pronouns + many more with those themes.

I’m AroAce, Aromantic and Myrsexual (Neuroasexual, Nebulasexual, Merosexual, Placiosexual, Dreadsexual, Acorsexual, Apothisexual, Bellussexual, Rosesexual, Requisexual, and Falsaesthsexual).

I’m Homoalterous (Gay/MLM), Omniqueerplatonic (preference for non-men), Panexteramo, Pansensual, and Panaesthetic.

I’m Ambiamorous with no preference. I’m heavy T4T-leaning. I’m also a Lesboy.

I’m undiagnosed/self-diagnosed (with research)(in the process of getting this all diagnosed) AuDHD, Pure O OCD, APD, SPD, RSD, BDD, ARFID, SAD, PTSD, Trichotillomania, Misophonia, and Dermatillomania.

I’m diagnosed MDD and GAD.

I’m undiagnosed (and in the process of getting it diagnosed as well) PMDD and/or PME.

SH and SI survivor, and in recovery.

I struggle with severe violent and ugly intrusive thoughts (due to my OCD), and have for years. Not as bad as it used to be, but still have some at least once a day.

I consider myself disabled due to my severe executive dysfunction that I’ve had for years, as well as for other reasons.

I also have severe imposter syndrome that I deal with 24/7.

I have special interests (Wings Of Fire, Harry Potter (I really love the marauders), Dragons, and Neurodivergency + Disabilities + Disorders), hyperfixations (current ones are nonhumanity and nonhuman gear), verbal shutdowns, shutdowns and meltdowns, am often in burnout, and mask quite a lot.

I’m in therapy, go every week, and love my therapist so much. /gen

Please use tone tags/indicators when talking to me. They are greatly helpful and appreciated. Thank you!

I’m taken by my lovely long distance mate, @itssiryapsalot @theremixedcreature.

I’m a minor (16-years-old).

I’m Agnostic, spiritual, and do not follow any God or Gods. I believe in past lives, fate, soulmates, twin flames, manifestation, the multiverse, the paranormal, witchcraft, and much more.

I’m a Reality Shifter and have shifted twice to parallel realities. (I’m a safe places for permashifters, respawners, and those who shift to realities where they’re a different race.)

I have one sibling (She/Her), @belles17 @fuckthisclubup. I love her loads, and yes, she is aware that I’m Nonhuman (and is totally chill with it).

My other Nonhuman accounts are: @sirius-the-lonely-angel and @malakaitheyappingwolf.

My Nonhuman Pinterest account is here.

More about me here.

I don’t feel like making a DNI, but my block button is my best friend, so get ready. Obviously, no anti-alterhumans, anti-furries, queerphobes, radqueers and radfems, TERFs, SWERFs, offending MAPs & Paraphiles & etc., sexists, racists, ableists (including those believe in “narcissistic abuse”), and etc. are allowed here. Also, those who are endo/non-traumagenic/etc. systems are safe here, so those against them can leave please.

Full credit to the original creators/owners of the dividers!!!

[crypt-void]

i saw in ur therianthropy day that you have a pack!! could i ask how you went about finding them?

They're just my irl friends :]

I got really lucky with my girlfriend also being an alterhuman. I grew up in a small town where every alternative kid just clung to one another. My group doesn't really call itself a pack, but I see them as my pack. We're like a family. We talk to each other all the time. They don't mind when I act dogish and even join me at times (hence the howling at the moon comment). It also helps that we have a weekly hangout where I can crowd them into my home and just watch over them while they relax. It itches my dog brain just right.

I think community is everything. So if you're looking for a pack, or at least something you consider a pack and you dont want to look online, focus on that. Only one other person in mine is an alterhuman. The rest are humans. Focus on finding people you can be your most authentic self around and encourage them to be themselves. It doesn't have to be a big group. Some packs are just made out of a wolf and their mate. It can just be you and someone you care about.

The most important part of having a pack to me is respect and support. It does wonders for my mental health and gives me so much species euphoria to have such a good support system.

So if you can find some folks in your area who you can trust, and who even if you don't say it explicitly still accept your identity with all of its traits, I think you've got yourself a pack :]

Anyways! A pack is different for everyone, so if you are looking for a pack made up of alterhumans, this post may not have helped, lol. But I hope maybe it gave you something.

[callsign-k9]

I CANT WAIT TO BE ABLE TO GET A COLLAR SOMEONE CONTAIN ME SOMEOME PUT ME BACK IN MY CAGE.

also for you canines that r larger canine breeds, do yall get species euphoria when you cant fit in places? lile when you cant PHYSICALLY fit in? like i lay on my handlers lap ALL THE TIME and hes like "youre big as hell kody get the freak off" and im like YIPPEE!!

[tigergirltail]

TIGER HRT CHAPTER 1 - MONTH MINUS 6 - THE CONSULTATION

The specialest of special thanks to @ayviedoesthings for creating the original Dragon HRT story, and a big shoutout as well to @kaylasartwork, @welldrawnfish, @nyxisart, and @deadeyedfae for their takes on the concept! Every one of you is inspirational, and your work gives me so much second-hand gender euphoria!

NEXT

---

"Miss Alexis, please come in."

I look around as I walk inside. Between the doctor being a balding middle-aged man and the office looking like any generic doctor's office, I'm honestly a little disappointed. I was hoping the infamous source of therian HRT would be a little more… I don't know. Exotic? Unique? I was half expecting the walls to have before and after photographs of clients, but I suppose when it comes down to it, this is a serious medical facility, not a beauty salon. I walk up to the desk and sit down in the chair.

"Now I understand you wish to be a… a tiger?"

I'm unable to suppress my euphoria at the idea, and I start grinning and nodding. "A white tiger! I haven't changed my fursona since I got one, it's about time I start embodying it!"

"Indeed… And I see on your medical history that you are transgender." He mutters under his breath, "Just like all the others…"

I give a little smirk. 'All the others' are the reason I'm here. If this guy is handing out meds that can turn people into dragons or fish or bats, then a tiger should be easy, right? It's a mammal, and not much bigger than a human, relatively speaking. I had even given some thought to the rumoured "Fifteen Minute Shortcut", but when it comes down to it, even if I did have the ungodly pain tolerance to withstand such a rapid transformation of my bone structure and musculature, I… don't really want to do it quickly. Mundane HRT has already been such an absolute gift in terms of euphoria from noticing the slow and gradual changes, I want to keep that up. I want to notice the little things.

"Now I'm afraid there are some requirements to be settled first…"

Oh boy. Here comes the bureaucratic bullshit. Everything that's been put in place to make sure Our Children don't Make A Terrible Mistake. When it comes down to it, bodily autonomy only counts when you're not one of the weirdos. The instant you decide to be capital-d Different, people start falling over themselves trying to talk you out of it.

"First of all, I see that you have been taking human hormone therapy for a little over six months. We do require a full year of human treatment before beginning therian treatments, and I'm afraid that is fully non-negotiable. There are matters of biology that require the body to be a certain degree of… receptive."

I was afraid of this, but at least it's not a deal-killer. Another half-year is bearable, even if I am going to be shaking with anticipation the entire time.

"I also see you have letters from a practicing physician and a social worker, but we do require a second psychologist to be involved in the process."

Okay. Absolute horseshit, but not impossible. All I've got to do is find another social worker or psychologist. And pay them for several months of sessions. And hope they don't decide I'm crazy for wanting to throw away my humanity. I can feel my expression souring…

"It's also required to live as your desired species for at least a year before beginning the process."

"What." I'm leaning forward and glaring at the doctor before I fully realize it. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that, without the… the requisite biology, or the inborn instincts, or the… the habitat!" I let out a frustrated growl. "Am I supposed to fly off to India or Bangladesh or somewhere, and start camping out in the wilderness??"

"Miss Alexis, please, I'm afraid these are… are the requirements set forth by the guidelines of -"

"Guidelines!" I slam a palm down on the desk between us, before letting out a frustrated breath. "Just that… Guidelines. You know, and I know, that a lot of people have come to you already, with a lot more… exotic requests. Flying animals? Aquatic animals? A fucking DRAGON??"

The doctor seems taken aback, maybe he didn't expect this level of resistance.

"What is even the natural habitat of a dragon anyway? Or the diet? Or the behaviours in the wild?? It's a mythical creature for gods' sakes, there's no firm evidence they even existed!!" I stare at him, unblinkingly, with what I dearly hope is a predatory glare. "But I do get it, though. You have to be absolutely sure I won't regret it. Liability, or whatever. …Maybe we just need to know how hard I can BITE."

Something changes in his expression. ...Malice? No, not quite. A sort of… satisfaction, maybe.

It was a test. He wanted to know whether I'd just roll over and accept the impossibility of my quest, or whether I was prepared to fight for it.

Joke's on him, just getting human HRT was such a godsdamned hassle, I already know how to fight.

He adjusts his glasses. "Perhaps there is something I can do for you… Let me get you some forms."

[sunanthrope]

that scene in Wolf Children where the mom gets the landlord or whatever called on her for having dogs but they weren't dogs they were her kids

that scene is real and has happened to my family before

the neighbors were scared because they thought we had a big dog and they called animal control. it was just me. barking

the species euphoria they unknowingly gave me was unmatched

[interstellarsystem]

Nonhumanity Induced Gender Euphoria

Having nonhuman features as a trans person can be so gender affirming, even if complicated in my case. I might be in an AFAB human body, but I'm clearly a male cardinal because my feathers are bright red in headspace. This might not apply to all trans nonhumans of course, but I'm talking about personal experience here.

See, I'm a multifictive of two characters. One is an (arguably non)human-esque guy (Hunter), another is a little red cardinal (Flapjack). I'm in a way, a fusion of both, while having memories of being both separately as well. Not canon to my source, but we became one in our memories.

From my memories of me being Hunter, I was transmasc. I wasn't born as a guy, so I did my best to transition. Complications of circumstances aside, I presented as masculine and overall it was okay. Dysphoria was a bitch but I was managing as best I could with all the other stressors going on in my life.

As Flapjack, I was male and cis. While I was just a bird, I was a magic bird, and one with a different level of thinking and capabilities. I didn't question my gender at all, I was comfortable. I don't think I paid much mind to Hunter's either, if I even knew back then that he/I was not cis.

After we became one person in source... Well, I kept my humanoid form but grew red feathers all over my body, as well as claws, a tail and wings too. My humanoid gender features that I had already didn't change, but I gained the distinctive red feathers of a male cardinal. While that might have made my biological gender more complex, it made me as a whole feel euphoria anyway.

I still feel it here too. Even if I have the same body in headspace and even if my physical body is AFAB again, I still have my red feathers inside. I don't identify wholly as a man and am more xenogender than anything, but I enjoy feeling more masculine and being able to present that way.

I'm not the only one who feels gender euphoria from their kintypes/other nonhuman identities though. It's not the most common thing within our system but it's something we experience enough that it does impact us and how we feel.

A lot of people who have antlers feel validated in their masculine identity, for one big example. Obviously antlers meaning a thing is male depends on the species but for the purpose of feeling euphoria, it doesn't matter too much if you're not sure if you even fit any earthen species.

Some of us feel more validated by being spikier or fluffier or having certain colours or patterns. Things that aren't really applicable to human concepts of gender. Being nonhuman for some people means that they have many more ways to express their gender, and I think that's wonderful.

[sheepish-blog-baaa]

✮ random things that have given me species euphoria lately :3 ✮

making little vocalizations! lately i’ve made a lot of domestic cat and wild boar sounds

the weather has been in perfect condition to do some exploring! i love going out and finding a new grassy field or lakeside to run around in

wearing my beloved fox tail! i’m a big fan of clothing-based gear, and i’d love to get my hooves on some more tails or a pair of horns

(SAFELY) eating greens and fruit still on the plant! i love picking the ripest oranges from my tree or nibbling on basil from my little herb garden

i learned that it’s much easier to float on water in the ocean than in a pool or river. it’s definitely fun and affirming to do while i have sea otter shifts!

when i lay down on my bed or the couch, i sprawl out and rub my face on the soft surface. i know domestic cats do this and i’m curious if any other species do

[dogs-have-fallen]

rambles ahead

i’m sitting in my government class with a teacher-chosen groups with some of the ‘popular’ kids. the rowdy kind that party every weekend. they’re nice kids. listening into their conversation, i really feel my nonhuman side bubble over. i feel like a dog sitting at their ankles looking at whoever is talking, not interacting but absorbing. sometimes i bark out a reply but it’s usually ignored. part of me, of course the human side, is bummed that i’m ignored (though not really, we aren’t friends i don’t expect them to), but the dog side of me loves it. my tail wags thinking about how i’m just a coydog sitting at their feet and listening. looking at them with my big brown eyes 👁️👁️

this blog is mainly about species euphoria, it can come off as a vent or rant about being ignored but that’s not the reason behind posting.

love you critters!

[satancopilotsmytardis]

Do you have any AUs you'd like to rant about? I'm currently stuck at work in the middle of an 11 hour shift and in desperate need of some type fuel to keep me going. There's no food around, Shigadabi seems like an equivalent substance

RIP, that sucks, I'm getting ready for a short 4-hour shift soon, but here you go, may some sex demon Dabi/ assigned feeder Shigaraki AU soothe your pain:

There's a species of sex demons that are an offshoot of succubi/incubi, these demons still feed on sex, but they exclusively sleep with men and people who produce semen as their demonic limitation (whereas succubi/incubi are down for whatever). They have two pairs of wings that more often resemble insects than the bird or bat wings of their cousins. They also produce venom to get their targets in the mood, but they keep producing a slightly different venom from their saliva glands and genitals after they've been fed. This venom, when raw, creates a prolonged euphoria that encourages their victims to come back for more and helps to rejuvenate them more quickly. In fact, consuming that venom can actually help to treat malnutrition, dehydration, and a variety of other health issues. It also, when refined, can make fantastic skin/hair treatments, so it is highly sought after from the medical industry to the cosmetic industry, and many of these demons have gotten themselves very cushy jobs at special facilities made to harvest these fluids.

Shigaraki has gotten a job to be a 'pollinator' since the colloquial term for these demons is "honeybee". He got this job mostly because the pay is insane, but also because Spinner asked him if he would just take it on for a trial period to help with one of their problem demons. (He and Shig tried to date once in college and it did not work out, but they're good friends now, and Spinner needed someone on short notice he knew has a big dick). He's given some basic training which mainly boils down to, fuck the demon until they're incoherent, you know you've done a good job when they start to drool/leak a clear pinkish fluid that smells like sugar. Then put the collection bit in their mouths for them to chew on, and the other container on their genitals, and just stay until they stop purring or tell you to leave. 

He is shown to the room of the bee who he's supposed to be working with, and he's a pretty demon with bright blue eyes, the wings of a firefly, and irregular patches across his skin that glow when his emotions go high. Dabi has been thoroughly unimpressed with the pollinators he's been given so far, and because he hasn't been satisfied, he hasn't given much venom in turn, which is bad because his contract was extremely expensive for this company because he's from a family of exceptional producers. Shigaraki enters the room and they chit-chat for a little while, though Dabi is pretty standoffish, until he finally just says he's hungry and starts pulling at Shigaraki's clothes. 

Not one to let his sub take the lead, Tomura puts Dabi in his place, and dicks him down to the best of his abilities, which is miles above how ever other pollinator treated him (like he was a glass they had to handle with extreme care out of fear of pissing him off or breaking him and making him want to end his contract before the probationary period.) Dabi adores being absolutely dominated and getting fucked that hard and he's gushing by the time Shig is finished with him, purring incoherently and clinging to him and hissing and growling at anyone who comes to try and take him away after Dabi keeps him there for five hours after they've finished. 

He demands that Shig be his only pollinator from now on, and fuck is this little honeybee cute, so Shig accepts. They end up being the best pair at the facility, and that earns Dabi extra perks that he eventually negotiates into a private apartment for the two of them for the remainder of his contract so long as he's producing the best and most venom of any of the other bees. It's not a hard quota to fill when Dabi has more than enough to also give Tomura a taste to keep him fresh and able to go as often as Dabi needs while they're paired together. It's a pretty perfect arrangement as far as either of them are concerned. 

[sol-consort]

TALI!!!!! Also they should give Krogans cats I feel like Krogans would like their vibes

yeah it's very cute to think about Krogans cuddling with cats and being best friends!

But realistically... look at their treatment of pyjaks and varren. Nom nom nom or fighting rings. Cats often steal food from humans, yet we don't go blasting them off with military grade rockets... At least I hope we haven't, someone check the history records rq.

That side mission segment never sat well with me in ME2. Especially after that ME1 Pyjack mission where you have to search for important datadisk stolen by a pyjack, having to abandon the mako so you don't accidentally hurt them, carefully search one after another, doing whatever you can to avoid harming these cute monkey-like animals.

Sure, some krogans do keep them as decently treated pets, but those are rare and few in-between. It's a nurtured habit rather than something ingrained in their nature, krogans used to be in the stone ages before they were forcibly "uplifted" by the salarians. As their society develops and gets comfortable with safety, animal cruelty will become a thing of the past... hopefully.

Currently, krogans haven't been big on animals. Cats wouldn't like Tuchanka either, too much radiation and sand storms. Krogans might find snapping turtles adorable, however.

Hanar hold very high empathy to animals, animal fighting rings, and anything unsavoury are forbidden from all of their planets. Believing in every creature having a soul, etc. Cats would abhor their slimy squishy texture—like how they have mysterious beef with cucumbers—but hanar might find them extremely adorable.

Elcor and cats share the trait of subtle body language and highly complex communication that has to be "watered down" for the other species to understand. I feel like they'd get along, cats would love napping on them, they're a big soft heater to them.

Lastly, a portion of our love of cats comes from them literally infecting us with a brain parasite, Toxoplasma gondii. It's meant for cat-prey to get infected, but humans' immune system is far too strong for it to do any harm besides slight flu symptoms at the early stages of the infection. After that, it remains dormant in our brain. We are a dead-end host, offer zero benefits to the parasite, we were never meant to be its target.

But it slightly increases our dopamine, which is nice.

it still has negative side effects, that's why pregnant women are told not to handle cat litter boxes; the parasite resides in cats' digestive system.

If you see a rat being playful with a cat or running towards them, chances are the parasite is well developed in the rat's brain. That's literally what it does, makes you seek cats.

it's why infected people start noticing their cats smelling nice like "baby powder" and have this urge to smooch their fur. In rats, it makes cat urine smell unbelievably good, so they go running towards it.

It just happened that this behaviour in humans translates into a feeling of love, euphoria, and elation when petting a cat, wanting to pick them up and smoother them in hugs and kisses.

Approximately 30% of the human population have toxoplasmosis, chances are if you ever owned a cat and cuddled, you have it. So yay I'm infected, you probably are too.

That alone might deter any alien species from ever interacting with cats. The "crazy cat lover" effect might amplify in species with weaker immune systems, aka quarians, or simply different proteins structures, aka turians.

But eh, it's probably nothing, Sid—a turian—is shown to love cats lots. Infected humans can't spread the parasite to others either—the infected host needs to die for it to happen. The immune system can't exactly enter the brain, only monitor it from outside the barrier for any signs of danger. So the parasite is kept imprisoned and gets bonked on the head whenever it tries to leave.

Btw cats aren't actually infected by their own parasite, they have sort of a symbiotic relationship with it. Toxoplasma gondii has two life cycles. One starts as they're born inside a cat's bowels, they are harmless and mostly beneficial to their original host.

The second cycle starts after they're thrown out in the litter box. Now they seek a new "prey" host to infect the brains of. Releasing chemicals and slightly altering your perspection of things. Increasing your risk of schizophrenia. Subtle agitation in the eyes.

You can also get it from uncooked meat or unwashed vegetables, so it's not that scary or dire of a parasite. It's just that cats are its most successful symbotic host to this day.

But if your immune system experiences a major failure and shuts down for a prolonged amount of time, the parasite will break from its cage and start spreading.

Congestive faculties start shutting down, eye blindness in some cases, until it eventually kills you.

That's also true with any sort of bacteria or parasite you catch while your immune system is down, it's easy to set a village ablaze with nothing but a single match once the castle walls crash down.

Toxoplasma gondii isn't special; anything can kill you! Without your immune system, you're just a bag of flesh and blood, susceptible to rot and being cannibalised by the air particles themselves.

But don't worry! this is normal for your body... sometimes. Only 43% of the human body is actually...uh human. The rest are foreign bacteria, microbes, fungi, some parasites, and other things that we collect throughout our journey of life. We even trade bacteria with other humans we meet all the time without realising it.

The majority of you—the physical you—is in fact, not you. You—cells you create—are a minority in your own body ecosystem.

Why do you think humans are so deadly to turians? We are a walking swamp, A living breathing extremely diverse bio-ecosystem. A dormant parasite or a two is nothing.

[tinywafflerat]

do y’all (asking therians specifically) get really big species euphoria when you find images of yourself? I don’t know if this is just for me because there’s barely any photos of my ‘type online so I get really excited when there’s new photos. I don’t know 😭