#sometimes python is just a snake

[duskythesomething]

Cheesecake Banana Pancake 🧀🍰🍌🐍

He's up to 273 grams! For those who don't know, Cheese and I have struggled with taking on appropriately sized meals up until recently, and he's been a lil underweight for his size and age. This will be our second week on correctly sized rats, so fingers crossed!

I finally caught him in the classic Ball Pancake pose after we did our nightly chores together 💛

[scoriarose]

Pinned Post Placeholder - Work in Progress

My girls Intro

Scoria Rose pic/favs/birthday/morph/personality/ name meaning/ prior posts including her Sakura Kurimu pic/favs/birthday/morph/personality/ name meaning/ prior posts including her

F.A.Q

You Cohab your snakes??? Previous Asks

Guides:

Enrichment/Toys (inside their enclosure) Enrichment Activities (outside their enclosure) Foods! (Different foods, what's safe, and what's a sometimes treat) Feeding guides (weight vs feeding amount) Enclosure Necessities (lighting, hides, water ponds, food areas, activity areas, safety considerations, optional aesthetics) Common Enclosure Mistakes (do it for your reptile not your human aesthetics!) Things Every Snake Keeper Should Have (information, medical, equipment) Enclosure and Substrate Types (Pros/Cons) Making a Cool/Wet/Moss Hide Making a baby bin / temp enclosure (for emergencies/vet visits) Help I lost my snake! (What to do when they escape) Scale Rot (how it happens, how to avoid it, what to do if your snake has it) How to communicate TO your snake (how to show you aren't a threat, how to express what you're trying to do) How to understand your snake (reading their body language, and encourage them to "talk" to you to express their wants and needs, "airplane") Choice Based handling & interaction (bonding) When you first get your snake! Dangers to keep away from your snake! (dangerous toys and enclosure dangers, red lights, heat pads, NO THERMOSTAT OR TEMP GUN -_-') Outdated lies and idiot keepers/vets (look out for these and keep your pets safe)

[hauntingmiser]

To be honest I always imagine maruki having two snakes as pets

A Eastern diamondback snake named cookie

And a Yellow Burmese python named snickerdoodle

[hoko-onchi-writes]

SOTR is all over my dash and so far NO ONE has mentioned that guy who’s ADDICTED TO REPTILES. Like when we meet him he’s just been licking toads to get high, then he dumps out a load of snakes and lizards and shit and gives a python to a hissing twelve-year-old horror clone. Side character of all time. Haribo or Mortco or Flongo or whatever the fuck his name was. Oh yeah and he’s Drusilla’s ex-husband and they get back together at the end. Like. There are live snake earrings.

Just to show us how much of a huge fucking upgrade Effie is.

But also! just sometimes you get a batshit crazy idea as a writer and if you’re Suzanne Collins you can stick that into a gotdamn bestseller that people all over the world are absolutely rabid for.

Good job Morpho you made Effie a hero

[arsanatomica]

Most people are aware that reptiles like snakes and lizards have two penises. Together they’re called the Hemipenes.

You would assume that they look identical.

They can... BUT NOT ALWAYS.

Usually they’re slightly different, one smaller or shorter than the other. But sometimes they can look EXTREMELY different.

I don’t know why.

This is one of those things that I see in dissections all the time and can’t seem to find any information for it.

These are from a young reticulated python I skinned last week. Look how different they are! I never see anybody talk about this, and as weird as it is, I personally find this really interesting.

From an anatomical perspective: Why are they so different?

Do reptiles have a handedness when it comes to using their penises? Like, do different individuals prefer one over the other?

Do they have different functions or are meant for different types of females?

Different mating strategies?

Are there variations on the female side where one shape is better than the other?

Could this be something that they’re not born with, but develops later from how they’re using them?

It seems more pronounced in some individuals versus others... why?

And also, this is one of those things you never see it reflected in media, I guess it’s too obscure.

I feel like this is something that the furry community and maybe the fantasy erotica community would be all over if it was more well known and better studied.

Dragon erotica is a HUGE genre on Amazon.

Look….I KNOW there’s a huge population of creature designers and other monster enthusiasts following me.

It’s time you guys stopped sleeping on this.....and not a just for erotic art.

Some animals have penises designed to remove sperm from previous partners, so they have a chance to father the child. Could something like this have a similar function?

Isn’t it possible that there could be different types of sperm being delivered?

Different types of females that need different approaches?

Different offspring types?

[ice-man-goes-bwoah]

Slinky the Snake||Lando Norris x fem!reader

Word count — 924

Summary: Lando’s afraid of snakes. Y/N has a snake. Love’s about compromise, right?

A/n it’s 3:30am and I’m finally over the stomach bug and now I can’t sleep mostly because I’ve slept all day.

The first time Lando stepped into Y/N’s apartment, he was struck by how cozy it felt. Plants hung from the windows, books lined the shelves, and her couch looked so inviting that he immediately imagined sprawling across it.

But then he noticed the terrarium. “Uh… what’s that?” he asked, already feeling a strange mix of curiosity and dread building in his chest.

Y/N, who was halfway to the kitchen, froze. Slowly, she turned back toward him. “Oh, um, that’s Slinky’s home.”

Lando blinked. “Slinky?”

Y/N hesitated, debating whether to dodge the topic or dive right in. Finally, she sighed, crossing the room to lift the lid of the terrarium.

“Slinky’s my snake.”

And there it was—a ball python, small and unassuming, poking his head out from under a log. Lando’s eyes went wide, and before he even realized it, he’d taken several large steps back.

“Wait… you have a snake?”

“Yes,” Y/N said, her tone defensive but calm. “He’s my pet. And before you say anything, he’s harmless.”

Lando’s face was a mix of disbelief and mild horror. “Harmless? That thing eats live mice! How is that harmless?”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “He’s a ball python, Lando. He doesn’t even have venom. He’s basically a noodle with a face.”

“A noodle with a face,” Lando repeated flatly, looking at the snake as though it might launch itself at him at any moment.

“Look, you don’t have to love him,” Y/N said, crossing her arms. “But… you like me, right?”

Lando’s gaze snapped back to her. “Of course I do.”

“Then give Slinky a chance. Please?”

Fifteen minutes later, Lando was sitting stiffly on Y/N’s couch, eyeing the snake now draped over her shoulders like a scarf.

“He’s not gonna bite me, right?” he asked, his voice an octave higher than usual.

“Not unless you smell like a rat,” Y/N teased.

“Not funny, love.”

Y/N chuckled, reaching up to gently stroke Slinky’s head. “Relax. He’s just curious. See? He likes you.”

Slinky was stretching toward Lando, his tongue flicking as if trying to taste the air around him. Lando, meanwhile, had his hands gripping the couch cushions as though they might save him from a sudden snake attack.

“I don’t think ‘like’ is the right word here,” he muttered.

Y/N leaned back, giving Lando some space. “You don’t have to touch him today. Just sit with us for a bit. Baby steps.” Lando nodded, though he wasn’t entirely convinced.

The next time Lando came over, Slinky decided to make himself the star of the show. While Y/N cooked dinner, Lando kept one wary eye on the snake, who was exploring the coffee table. At one point, Slinky nudged Lando’s phone, flicking his tongue against the screen.

“Uh… he’s touching my phone,” Lando called out.

“He’s playing with it,” Y/N replied from the kitchen.

“Playing or trying to eat it?”

Y/N walked in just in time to see Slinky knock the phone off the table. She picked up the snake and laughed. “He’s just being clumsy. He gets like this sometimes.”

Lando watched as Slinky managed to tangle himself in a lamp cord, looking entirely unbothered by his predicament.

“Should we… help him?” Lando asked hesitantly.

Y/N shook her head, untangling the snake with practiced ease. “He’s fine. He’s like a toddler—always getting into trouble but too cute to stay mad at.”

Lando frowned, watching as Slinky made a beeline for Y/N’s arm, curling around her wrist like a bracelet. “Yeah… I’m not seeing the ‘cute’ part yet.”

After weeks of awkward encounters with Slinky, Lando finally decided it was time to face his fear.

“Okay,” he said one evening, standing in Y/N’s living room. “I’m ready to hold him.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “You sure? No pressure.”

“I’m sure,” Lando said, though his hands were already clammy. “Just… don’t laugh if I scream, okay?”

Y/N grinned, gently lifting Slinky from his terrarium and walking over to Lando. “Alright, hold your hands out like this,” she instructed, demonstrating the proper way to support the snake.

Lando mimicked her stance, and she carefully placed Slinky in his hands.

“He’s heavier than I thought,” Lando murmured, his voice tight.

“Yeah, but see? He’s just chilling.”

Slinky curled lazily around Lando’s wrist, flicking his tongue in a gesture that Y/N swore was friendly.

Lando froze for a moment, his eyes locked on the snake. But when nothing bad happened, he exhaled a shaky breath. “Okay… this isn’t so bad. He’s kind of… soft?”

“Exactly!”

Y/N stepped back to snap a picture, and Lando immediately glared at her. “Don’t you dare post that.” Lando says as they settled on the couch, Slinky slithered across Y/N’s lap, eventually draping himself over Lando’s legs as well.

“You know,” Lando said, glancing down at the snake, “he’s not so bad. I think I might even like him.”

Y/N smirked. “Just wait till he tries to hide in your hoodie.”

“One step at a time, love. One step at a time.”

[ducksido]

Can I request a yuu that owns a python for a pet? With Deuce, Ace, Idia and Cater. Yuu treats their python like their own child and even keeps the snake's shed as treasure. Scenario or headcanons please. Keep up the good work and make sure you're okay

General Yuu Headcanons:

Yuu lovingly refers to their python as “my baby,” “my angel,” or sometimes just “sweet noodle.”

The snake lives in a custom enchanted enclosure that mimics their natural habitat, complete with heat lamp charms and illusion spells for humidity.

Yuu keeps every shed skin in a labeled shadow box with dates like, “First full shed in Twisted Wonderland 💖.”

Yuu regularly hand-feeds the python (usually frozen mice defrosted and warmed up), sings to it, and lets it drape around their shoulders like a living scarf during strolls around Ramshackle.

Deuce Spade

At first? Terrified. He tries to be tough but jumps when the python flicks its tongue at him.

“W-Whoa! It’s not poisonous, right?? Wait—venomous! I mean—Yuu?! It’s on your face!!”

Once Yuu explains the python is harmless and even-tempered, Deuce really tries to be brave for their sake.

He starts reading about reptiles so he won’t seem dumb. Ends up knowing a lot about snake biology and even suggests better heating enchantments for the terrarium.

Secretly proud when the python seems to “choose” his lap to curl up on one day. (“Do you think he… likes me??”)

Treats the shed skins like sacred scrolls. Helps Yuu frame them like priceless art.

Ace Trappola

“Okay, but, like… you kiss that thing??”

Teases Yuu constantly about being a “snake parent” but also becomes very protective of the python after spending time with it.

Gets low-key jealous when the snake curls around Yuu but not him.

Tries to “bribe” the snake with warm hands and treats. It tolerates him. He pretends it loves him.

“This is our baby now, right? I’m the cool uncle. Wait—no—I’m the stepdad who earns its trust with snacks.”

Calls the shed skins “reptile receipts” but still helps Yuu clean and mount them. Makes jokes about selling them as “organic fashion accessories.”

Idia Shroud

Immediately fascinated. “Wha—waitwaitwait, is it a ball python? What morph? Can I scan it?”

Scared to touch it at first, but Ortho encourages him. Ends up spending hours watching it in its enclosure like a calming stream.

“It’s like watching a super elegant boss monster just vibe. This is peak NPC pet energy.”

He and Yuu geek out about terrarium enchantments. Helps code a temperature-monitoring glyph system with holographic status alerts.

Finds the shed skin beautiful and saves a digital model of it for art references. Makes a tiny 3D-printed charm out of one and gives it to Yuu.

Let’s Yuu’s python slither around his dark room because he likes how it glows under his gaming setup.

Cater Diamond

“OMG!! Is this your sss-sweet lil danger noodle? 😍”

Takes a million selfies with the python—filters, glitter edits, and all. Posts: “#NRCPetGoals #SnakeParent”

At first a little squeamish, but he sees how much Yuu loves it and warms up fast. Carries the snake around like a model accessory at one point.

Buys it a cute little hat. Yuu: “Cater no.” Cater: “Cater yes.”

Hypes up Yuu constantly for their care. “You treat this snake like a little prince/princess—it's adorable. You’ve got major ‘cool cryptid mom’ vibes.”

Helps Yuu design a memory album with each shed skin preserved next to photos of how the python looked during that time.

[kedreeva]

I didn't know peafowl also have incomplete dominant genes! I mainly know ball python genetics. Question, are there any incomplete dominant genes that are fine/mostly fine in het but cause health issues for the super/homo form? I can think of quite a few like that in ball pythons and a few dangerous genes in other common captive snakes.

The only incomplete dominants we have are white and white eye, where white is the total leucism gene and white eye is... either a form of pale leucism, or more likely a white spotting gene, we don't really know. The actual genome has not been mapped where the public can access it, and the mutations haven't been scientifically identified, so the genetics for them largely goes off of knowledge of genetics in general in combination with practical knowledge of what we see and how it travels and shows in the phenotype.

White shows white flights/throat latch in het form (most of the time, but it CAN be carried completely silently). White eye CAN turn some eye markings white (in the train's eye feathers), and some forms of it also cause "frosting" on the feathers where the color is diluted like it is in cases of pale leucism, where the bird looks like a window with a layer of frost covering it.

Pied is the only supposed dominant, where one copy and two copies looks the same in the phenotype, and (USUALLY) looks different from the wild type buuuuuuut it can also be carried completely silently, even in homozygous form. What people think of as a "pied" bird (by phenotype) is genetically a white/pied het (white and pied are alleles, the pied phenotype results from a bird that has one white and one pied gene).

Neither white nor white eye (nor pied) appear to have any deleterious health effects on the birds, aside from the fact that white feathers break down faster in the sun than dark feathers, so birds with more white tend to look rattier faster. Socially, white birds are sometimes rejected by colored birds, to the point where some hens have been noted to refuse mating from a white male if they can see other, colored males (even if they cannot reach the other males).

There ARE a few mutations associated with health problems. The only one that matches what you are asking about would be charcoal- where het hens can lay eggs, but homo hens do not, and for both sexes het birds do not seem to experience the same feather quality or shortened lifespan issues as homozygous birds.

The other deleterious mutations are "progressive pied" aka vitiligo (which isn't a morph, just an autoimmune issue that shows in the phenotype) which presents with autoimmune issues, and cameo which is OFTEN found with vision problems (which may or may not be directly linked with cameo, but cameo originally presented with birds that went blind a few years after maturity, and this problem was NOT weeded out properly before distribution, so cameos face a LOT higher instance of blindness than any other mutation). Fawn, in Australia, has been noted to face some of the same health complications cameo originally had (and may be or be an allele to cameo, given the similarity in phenotype), which if the mutations end up being the same or alleles may point to it being a problem, but that has yet to be proven or disproven.

There is a new, unnamed mutation in Denmark that causes weak feathers to the point the entire train "wilts" and makes the bird look like it is sopping wet, and it's unknown if the breeder will decide to perpetuate this monstrosity or not, and I don't know if heterozygous birds share that particular complication. Many are hoping the breeder doesn't breed more, but there's nothing anyone can do if he decides to go forward with it, outside of just avoid the mutation. Avoidance of mutations CAN cause a mutation to die out, as it did with Steel in Australia, but it's hard to get the "every mutation is precious and must be preserved" people on board with "some things are better left dead if it's not good for the animal."

[hogwartslegacyreactions2]

Hi!! I absolutely LOVE your writing, you do such an amazing job!! I was wondering, if you have the time and are taking requests, could you do how each character cuddles with MC? Can be platonic or romantic, and I was wondering if you could also add professors. Thank you so much, I hope it's not to much to ask!! Have a great day/night!!❤️

A/N: romantic cuddling for the friends, platonic cuddle/hugs for the professors :3

HLC CUDDLE HEADCANNONS

SEBASTIAN SALLOW: This boy is a snake. Full body wrapped around MC like a python. He won't let go easily, either. But he's warm and gives many kisses, so the entrapment is worth it.

OMINIS GAUNT: Physical touch has rarely led to good things in his life so MC will need to be patient with him. Once their relationship is to the point that he feels safe with them, he cuddles with his hands constantly mapping their body. He will have every part of them committed to memory.

ANNE SALLOW: She likes laying on top of them with her face on their chest. She finds their heartbeat soothing. She also likes hearing it speed up when she's feeling cheeky.

IMELDA REYES: Physical touch isn't one of her love languages, so she doesn't go out of her way to cuddle them. She doesn't reject it, She finds MC's affection cute, but she'll be reading or messing with her wand while she lays there with MC attached.

NATSAI ONAI: She is the big spoon. She must protecc. She whispers all sorts of sweet nothing's while she's holding them and gives little neck kisses.

GARRETH WEASLEY: Cuddling him is dangerous because MC never knows what he'll do. This goof can't help but make MC laugh. He loves hearing it. He'll boop their nose, lick their face, even tickle them for a reaction.

LEANDER PREWETT: Long boi with long limbs. MC is tangled in him with little hope of getting away. He has quite the wingspan, so even if MC is on the other side of the bed, he can just casually reach over and yoink them to his side.

AMIT THAKKAR: Hope MC likes his voice, cause he's a talker. MC is his captive audience and he will go on and on and ON about just about anything. Mostly astronomical topics, but he goes off on tangents.

EVERETT CLOPTON: He's the little spoon. Doesn't matter how tall MC is compared to him. They could be the longest mfer or just a little backpack, he loves them either way. He feels held.

POPPY SWEETING: Smol. Turns into a ball like a little hedgehog. Might get lost in the cushions or blankets, so hold tight. Also a bit of a squirmer, sometimes struggles to get comfortable. She'll settle down eventually.

~~~~

ELEAZAR FIG: Dad. Hugs. Like, sit on the couch under his arm, dad hugs. Warm and comforting and loving. MC will likely fall asleep.

MATILDA WEASLEY: She's not too much of a hugger, but she won't deny one if MC asks. They'll be short but comforting.

CHIYO KOGAWA: She's not much of a hugger but if MC really needs one, she'll oblige. Might be a bit awkward, but she means well.

AESOP SHARP: MC will have to be strategic. First, gain his trust. That's the hard part. Second, catch him in a good mood. Third, MC must ask ONLY when no one else is around. His affection is very private. Fourth, (optional step) liquid luck.

ABRAHAM RONEN: Favorite Uncle vibes. Playful bear hugs that crush ribs and pick MC up off their feet. Best hugs for when MC needs a laugh.

MIRABEL GARLICK: Very much a hugger. MC can hold her as long as they need to. Let all their worries and stress melt away in her genuine embrace.

MUDIWA ONAI: She gives the best Mom hugs MC could ever experience. She'll go so far as to hug MC in her lap and rock them like a child, even if MC is tall.

BAI HOWIN: If MC needs affection, she suggests they seek out mooncalves or puffskiens.

DINAH HECAT: She is more affectionate than she lets on. If MC is stressed and needs a hug, she offers one without prompting.

CUTHBERT BINNS: He's a ghost. Move along.

SATYAVATI SHAH: She's not an affectionate person. MC will get more warmth from a glacier.

PHINEAS NIGELLUS BLACK: If MC knows what's good for them, they won't touch him. Ever.

[rea-grimm]

Naga Shanks

You lived on the edge of the woods where no one could disturb you. You inherited a small cottage from your grandfather who used to live there. It wasn't much, but it was plenty for you. You had everything you needed.

Plus, you had peace and quiet and nothing to disturb you. No annoying people, no thieves, nothing. Just the pleasant sound of the forest and the river that flowed nearby.

You knew there were not exactly human beings living in the forest, but you never encountered any. They too were protective of their privacy and didn't want to be discovered by humans.

Apparently, that didn't apply to all non-human beings. It's been a few years since you lived there. You were walking in the woods, along the river, enjoying a nice summer day.

You stopped when you noticed a red snake's tail disappearing into the stream. You followed it with your eyes to the other side, where a surprise awaited you. The tail widened until you came upon the part where it changed at the waist into a man with red hair. Naga. You stared at him as if you'd seen a mirage.

"This isn't where I'd expect company," he smiled at you, baring his oh-so-sharp snake teeth.

"M-me neither..." you stammered, trying not to let your shock show.

"I'm Shanks," he smiled at you, crossing the creek and offering you his hand.

"Y/N," you introduced yourself and shook his hand.

You had no idea someone cold-blooded could be so warm, and even though he wasn't human and everyone had warned you about such creatures, you felt like you could trust him. Despite the feeling you had that, he could be very dangerous. Maybe even the most dangerous in the forest.

You hung out with him for a while, and he even walked you to the edge of the forest, wondering if he would take you home. You were quite comfortable with him.

From that moment on, you saw more and more of him, and eventually every time you went into the woods or he visited you at your house. You talked about all sorts of things, and you were both curious about each other.

Shanks showed you the beauty of the forest where you had never been before and told you about all his adventures and the other creatures he had met during his travels.

Very soon you two became friends and much more. You didn't see him as a monster like other people but as someone you had a good time with and someone you wanted in your life. And Naga had that too.

One day you walked along a stream until you came to a small waterfall where he had built a small structure in the treetops. He lived there and from his balcony, he had a beautiful view of the waterfall and the trees around.

It was also the day you spent your first night with him. You spent more and more time there until you decided to stay together and live in his house by the waterfall. Of course, you still had your cabin where you spent your winters.

After a while, you tried to start a family, but it was not easy between men and nagas. Maybe that meant you'd never even make it... But that didn't stop you from trying.

One morning you were lying in bed together with Shanks hugging you and his tail coiled around your whole body. The morning was hard for Naga, as you provided the warmth he needed for his own thermoregulation.

He never wanted to get up and always had a thousand and one reasons to stay in bed longer. Plus, you couldn't just push him off of you, as he had much more strength. Sometimes when he was half asleep, he would forget how strong he was, and sometimes when you tried to get out of his grip, his snake body would tighten. Then you felt as if you were a victim being captured by an anaconda or a python trying to squeeze the life out of you.

But tonight, you were disturbed from your dream by something else: crying. Not just any cry, it was a child's cry, a baby's cry. Even Shanks heard it and automatically pulled away from you and looked at you wondering if you heard it too.

You climbed out of bed and went straight to the balcony to see what was going on. Shanks went right outside to take a look. Already from the balcony, you could see a small basket floating down the stream and heading for the waterfall.

"Shanks, over there!" you called to him, but he was already heading for it. Even though the water was cold, he climbed in to save the basket. You made a fire so he could warm himself.

Naga went in and handed you the basket. He was glad for your thoughtfulness and curled up by the fire so that he rested his head on your shoulder.

A baby, barely a few months old, was still crying in the basket. You unwrapped the blanket from it when you realized it was not just any baby. It was a nagy baby. It was a girl with coral-red scales with white spots. She had a fluff of hair on her head as well, with half of her head equally coral red and the other half white like freshly fallen snow.

"Shhh, it's going to be okay," you said gently, taking the baby gently into your arms. Even though it was naga, you didn't mind. The naga stopped crying and the end of its tail wrapped around your hand. The girl opened her large eyes, which were a bright purple colour, and her small hands reached up to your face.

"Looks like she likes you," Shanks smiled, his forked tongue flicking against your cheek in his version of a snake kiss.

"Looks like it," you replied. You and Shanks didn't have to decide for long, because the moment he brought her to your house, you were clear. You kept the baby naga, took her in as your own and named her Uta.

Uta grew up like water and made you happy. You had her as your own and you were her parents. Of course, you let her know she was adopted, but it didn't matter. Maybe it just reinforced the strength of your little family.

Uta was playing outside by the river, where the sun was shining, chasing butterflies and singing. Her voice was like the voice of an angel full of joy. Shanks watched her from the balcony while he sipped rum and basked himself.

You, meanwhile, were cooking dinner and making tea from the herbs that were supposed to help you conceive a naga. Even though you had a red and white naga as your daughter, it didn't stop you from trying. You hoped you could give her a sibling to play with.

"Mmmm, that dinner smells delicious," Shanks turned to you hugged you from behind and nuzzled your neck. "And you smell even better," he muttered and grazed his fangs over your skin. "Completely irresistible..." and his tongue flicked over your skin.

"Wait until Uta falls asleep," you replied, tasting your food. "I'd say it's done, wouldn't you?" and you gave him a taste, too.

"Delicious as always," he replied.

"Perfect. Will you get Uta?" You turned to him.

"Sure," he replied and involuntarily let you go before walking to the balcony and calling out to Uta, who soon joined you.

After dinner, the three of you lay in bed with Uta in the middle, her and Shanks' tails wrapped in a sort of tangle around the three of you. Your unusual little family.

Shanks Masterlist

[kitkatt0430]

Welp, I've been using external methods of auto-backing up my tumblr but it seems like it doesn't do static pages, only posts.

So I guess I'll have some manual backing up to do later

Still, it's better than nothing and I'm using the official tumblr backup process for my smaller blogs so hopefully that'll net the static pages and direct messages too. But. My main - starstruckpurpledragon - 'backed up' officially but was undownloadable; either it failed or it'd download a broken, unusable, 'empty' zip. So *shrugs* I'm sure I'm not the only one who is trying to back up everything at once. Wouldn't be shocked if the rest of the backups are borked too when I try to download their zips.

There are two diff ways I've been externally backing up my tumblr.

TumblThree - This one is relatively straight forward in that you can download it and start backing up immediately. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done. Does not get static pages or your direct message conversations, but your posts, gifs, jpegs, etc are all there. You can back up more than just your own blog(s) if you want to as well.

That said, it dumps all your posts into one of three text files which makes them hard to find. That's why I say it's 'not pretty'. It does have a lot of options in there that are useful for tweaking your download experience and it's not bad for if you're unfamiliar with command line solutions and don't have an interest in learning them. (Which is fair, command line can be annoying if you're not used to it.) There are options for converting the output into nicer html files for each post but I haven't tried them and I suspect they require command line anyway.

I got my blogs backed up using this method as of yesterday but wasn't thrilled with the output. Decided that hey, I'm a software engineer, command line doesn't scare me, I'll try this back up thing another way. Leading to today's successful adventures with:

TumblrUtils - This one does take more work to set up but once it's working it'll back up all your posts in pretty html files by default. It does take some additional doing for video/audio but so does TumblThree so I'll probably look into it more later.

First, you have to download and install python. I promise, the code snake isn't dangerous, it's an incredibly useful scripting language. If you have an interest in learning computer languages, it's not a bad one to know. Installing python should go pretty fast and when it's completed, you'll now be able to run python scripts from the command line/terminal.

Next, you'll want to actually download the TumblrUtils zip file and unzip that somewhere. I stuck mine on an external drive, but basically put it where you've got space and can access it easily.

You'll want to open up the tumblr_backup.py file with a text editor and find line 105, which should look like: ''' API_KEY = '' '''

So here's the hard part. Getting a key to stick in there. Go to the tumblr apps page to 'register' an application - which is the fancy way of saying request an API. Hit the register an application button and, oh joy. A form. With required fields. *sigh* All the url fields can be the same url. It just needs to be a valid one. Ostensibly something that interfaces with tumblr fairly nicely. I have an old wordpress blog, so I used it. The rest of the fields should be pretty self explanatory. Only fill in the required ones. It should be approved instantly if everything is filled in right.

And maybe I'll start figuring out wordpress integration if tumblr doesn't die this year, that'd be interesting. *shrug* I've got too many projects to start a new one now, but I like learning things for the sake of learning them sometimes. So it's on my maybe to do list now.

Anywho, all goes well, you should now have an 'OAuth Consumer Key' which is the API key you want. Copy that, put in between the empty single quotes in the python script, and hit save.

Command line time!

It's fairly simple to do. Open your command line (or terminal), navigate to where the script lives, and then run: ''' tumblr_backup.py <blog_name_here> '''

You can also include options before the blog name but after the script filename if you want to get fancy about things. But just let it sit there running until it backs the whole blog up. It can also handle multiple blogs at once if you want. Big blogs will take hours, small blogs will take a few minutes. Which is about on par with TumblThree too, tbh.

The final result is pretty. Individual html files for every post (backdated to the original post date) and anything you reblogged, theme information, a shiny index file organizing everything. It's really quite nice to dig through. Much like TumbleThree, it does not seem to grab direct message conversations or static pages (non-posts) but again it's better than nothing.

And you can back up other blogs too, so if there are fandom blogs you follow and don't want to lose or friends whose blogs you'd like to hang on to for your own re-reading purposes, that's doable with either of these backup options.

I've backed up basically everything all over again today using this method (my main is still backing up, slow going) and it does appear to take less memory than official backups do. So that's a plus.

Anyway, this was me tossing my hat into the 'how to back up your tumblr' ring. Hope it's useful. :D

[intimidating-fettuccine]

May I request Ben and Hobo Heart with a naga/lamia s/o? Basically a humanoid upper half, and snake lower half. They can stretch their jaw like a snake, and have to deal with shedding their scales about twice a year. Thank you for writing stuff for us!

I'm imagining their snake lower halves as being quite long (15-20+ feet), wanted to clarify that detail, but otherwise I hope you enjoy!

BEN:

Coil around him. Please. Listen, he's already dead so you can't kill him, and he loves to be held as close to his partner as possible, so please, just coil your tail around him and hold him. It brings him so much joy and he probably wants you to cuddle him like that on a daily basis. I feel like he's just really into your snake tail in general. He probably asks to touch it whenever you're sitting together, and his hands will gently stroke along your tail in wonder and amazement at all your scales just fitting together so nicely. When it comes time for shedding season, I feel like he does whatever he can to help you out. He makes sure you're not stressed out so the process is smoother, he probably prepares bath soaks for you so that your tail can relax and get some hydration so that you have an easier time shedding all of that old snake skin. If you ever need any help shedding your skin he offers to help you (especially considering just how much of it you have to shed), and he always thinks it's the most satisfying thing in the world if you can get it to come off in one whole, solid piece. If you'd rather do it by yourself though, he'll sit beside you and rub your shoulders and back comfortingly and support you through it. My BEN actually has a pet ball python named Oliver, so needless to say, he thinks snakes are pretty fucking cool, and you are no exception, even though you're technically only half snake. He's not scared by you or your biology at all and finds you to be incredibly interesting. When you first start dating I feel like he questions you all the time about your biology and what life is like for you, and he is just so drawn to you and he thinks it's so amazing that he's the one lucky enough to date you.

Hobo:

Hobo... Hobo is a little scared of you in the beginning, but it's mostly his prey response, considering you're a predator animal. He's technically related to birds (with his wings and the little chirpy noises he can't help but make sometimes), and as some snakes eat birds, he can't help but naturally be a little scared at the start of your relationship, but he knows you'd never hurt him, and as he grows to love you more and more, he grows to lose the fear he originally had. While he doesn't want you to fully tightly coil around him like BEN would, he does sometimes like it if you loosely coil around him and allow him to cuddle up to your chest. He finds it very comforting to have the added pressure from cuddling with you, and when your tail is loose like that it doesn't trigger any fear instincts in his mind. He's sympathetic with your shedding season, as he has to shed all of his feathers every now and then too, and I feel like you guys would have a mutual agreement where he helps you with shedding your tail and you help him with shedding his wings. When both occur at the same time, you both get a nice little rhythm going and will just sit for an hour or two, talking and laughing together as you go about helping each other, and he really enjoys being able to do this with you. He eventually finds your presence to be very protective and safe, and whenever the two of you go out together he feels much safer because he has you by his side, and he grows to just be so at peace with you, and he grows to love everything about you that he originally was nervous about. You two are an unlikely couple together, but it serves to draw both of you closer together, and it works out very well in the long run.

[libraford]

Hey I love your photos, especially the ones of dancers! They remind me of when I used to drum with a dance studio, we'd go to renfairs and drum for the dancers, it was fun.

I also thought you might find this amusing - the studio had very strict rules for their haflas. No glitter, no fire, and no live animals.

Each rule was there because it had been done by someone.

Ok, buy I can see where each of those rules come from.

Fire is an obvious one, and while palm fire is generally less dangerous than say- fire fans, there is no safe amount of fire if your indoor studio has wood floors and technically you should get the approval of the Fire Marshal before doing anything with an open flame- even candles.

I immediately thought of Zattana Al-Naseem when you mentioned animals because sometimes she brings her dance partner: a 4-foot ball python named Athena. While I trust her to know how to handle a snake, haflas are typically 2 hours long, and the situation can be stressful for any animal.

And glitter...

Heh... glitter...

If you've ever been at a craft store during Xmas, you'll know how fast layers of loose glitter can become a slick surface, and it's a bitch to get out of the floors.

What are these obvious rules necessary?

BECAUSE EVERY DANCER HAS WANTED TO DO ONE OR MORE OF THESE THINGS AND SOMEONES GOTTA DRAW THE LINE.

The troupe I learn from has a piece they do that would be perfect with glitter blown towards the audience. No.

I know at least four dancers that have gone 'ooo fiiiiire' and put some fire stuff in their cart before going 'hold on a second- where am I gonna be able to practice this?'

I have wanted to dance with a snake for decades, but you can't just rent one- that noodle is part of your family and you can't just use her once and then put her back.

You have to tell dancers 'no.'

We are not practical thinkers.

We WILL bring the fire whip.

[omg-snakes]

Ugh my spotted python bit me today. Hes my first snake and I feel bad he’s getting all my newbie mistakes but he’s done really well with handling and this is the first time I just don’t know what happened? I know they don’t bite out of the blue but I had taken him outside and he was very relaxed in my arms with his head on my shoulder, I stepped off the porch so he could feel some sun and made sure to keep his head in the shade and after a few seconds he moves around to the front of me and just slams my lip. Obviously it’s not bad I’m just so frustrated and feel like every step forward has like three back. And maybe he just doesn’t want to be handled that would be ok but he seems so good and happy to explore most of the time. I have looked into choice based handling but he never wants to wake up and come out of his hides during the day but he always is relaxed once he is out.

Aw, I'm so sorry you got tagged. That sounds like it was really jarring. Please don't be discouraged, though. Snake keeping is a journey, not a destination, and though it may feel like you're not making good progress, every experience is an opportunity to learn and grow with your pet.

Spotted pythons are nocturnal, so he may have been startled by the sudden sunshine and warmth and either mistook you for a predator or a snack. Bites are disheartening (and a bite in the face doubly so!) but it's part of snake ownership. We will all take a chomp at some point.

I once had my leucistic Texas rat snake on my lap while I was reading and I guess he fell asleep at some point, and when I moved my arm I must have startled him awake because he freaked out and tagged me out of nowhere. I was shocked and a bit hurt in the moment, and I totally get how you're feeling. It's nobody's fault. These are animals and sometimes they react to stimuli we think are pretty benign in ways we didn't expect!

If you're going to implement choice-based handing, it'll likely only happen after the sun has gone down. It might be good to try to interact on his terms for a while, as late in the day as you can and in low-light situations. He's less likely to be a butt if he's up and active during the part of his natural rhythm when he's most alert.

I mean, imagine having somebody pull you out of bed at 3am and shine a flashlight with the power of the sun at you. Even if it wasn't right in your eyes, you might be a touch irritable!

I hope that the two of you can find some common ground and that you are able to build more confidence as a keeper. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes, as you so quickly forgave him when he bit you. I know spotted pythons are considered a decent beginner species but I've definitely found them more challenging than some of the other options.

At the end of the day you're just two completely different animals trying to understand each other, and that's pretty cool.

[r-aindr0p]

Messy doodle dump of my twst non yuu ocs, there’s two that I havent shown before. Mainly did this to have one approximate ref sheet instead of many scattered here and there.

The ones with no family names are not twisted from any character, just guys

And the python vibin at diasomnia in his uh, own ways

More useless info on some of them :

Jean doesn’t seem to be able to grow his hair nice and long

Knows Verdant and Marius from primary school

He’s a rowdy guy but since he’s at heartslabyul he has been behaving (thanks Riddle)

Yes Leona does absolutely ignore him, Jean’s even more of an annoying cub than cheka mentally sometimes

Aak is probably the tallest student if malleus’ dragon form is not taken into account

His useless talent is he can swallow swords

Has bitten many students for funsies (tweels included)

Is a python, thus, a great swimmer in snake form

Verdant is just a lil guy who is eager to be of service

Marius mainly sneaks out of RSA to check on Verdant since Jean used to pick on the lil snake

Michel is a salty guy, probably not as salty as Rollo but not far

Petty with anyone really

Is a fae, his parents are weirdly obsessed with humans and live in fleur city and do just as them, using magic scarcely.

They wanted their son to have his ears changed to appear human like they did but Michel refused and pursued his studies as a mage.

[nysus-temple]

Apollo & Dionysus [Part 1]

MAN. not sure if i know what i'm doing, they're very complicated and this won't be my only essay about them. But I've been delaying this essay for way too long, to a point in which I was close to crying about it.

Hope you enjoy, in any case, how i give you all the connections, both good and bad, of my favourite god figures from the Greek Folklore.

1. Karneia [Καρνεῖα].

One of Dionysus' main characteristics is how he's depicted with horns. It's part of his identity as a god, it's horns what (according to the Orphic hymns) made him look like Persephone's son. you can't take away his horns and pretend he's still Dionysus. Euripides knew that well.

Apollo, on the other hand, not many are aware that he sometimes was represented with horns, as well ! This festival, held mainly in Sparta, was to honor Apollo (and a couple of other gods but, he was the star of the show).

The reasons for why this festival was held vary; like Pausanias saying it was to calm him down so he wouldn't send a plague.

But, you see, the main reason this festival is mentioned here: the Spartans would stop any military activity to honor a horned Apollo, he resembled Dionysus during that time. And not only that, but he also was related with vines during it, and that's Dionysus sacred plant. Just like the laurel (or bay, i think it's called in English) is the sacred tree of Apollo.

Seeing Apollo with that plant, and harvesting grapes while having horns, has a strong conection to what Dionysus is.

2. Delphi's Oracle.

It's still Apollo's Oracle, wether Dionysus kept it while he was gone at Hyperborea or not. He killed Python, Gaia's big-ass snake, in order to get it.

But.

While Apollo had to leave during the winter time to go to Hyperborea, it was Dionysus OF ALL GODS the one who kept Delphi, and thus, his festivals were celebrated there.

On one side of the main temple, you could see Apollo with his twin sister, Artemis, and his mother, Leto.

And on the other side, it was Dionysus.

Dionysus wasn't related to prophecies, at all. Maenads did shenanigans during the time Apollo wasn't there.

But it's, you know... Interesting, that Apollo's most important oracle was kept by Dionysus during the time that he wasn't there.

With this, you should think "then, they're in good terms, right?" Yeah, well, they're supposed to be, there's nothing stating that they have a bad relationship, it's the other way around, actually !

But the next point... Is gonna leave us all confused.

3. Orpheus.

Or, as i like to call it:

And my favourite part of this essay, gotta say !

Orpheus brought many cults to the Greeks, according to Pausanias. Like the Eleusinian Demeter one, for example. And not to forget, Orphism gets his name from him, as well as the Orphic Hymns, obviously.

But, apparently, besides doing all that, at the end of his life, he claimed to not care about any gods, not even Dionysus, the main figure of Orphism, that weren't Apollo.

And his death was explained in a lost play of Aeschylus, one that two different writers describe; Eratosthenes and Pausanias, so pick your favourite:

P: 1. the maeneads saw Orpheus refusing to worship Dionysus, and killed him.

E: 2. Or, the interesting one: Dionysus saw that Orpheus devoted himself to Apollo and Apollo only, and got... Jealous. Jealous of his devotion to Apollo.

He was the one who started Orphism, the one who wrote many hymns for him. Seeing him being devoted to someone else than him apparently wasn't a good move. In this version he sent the maeneads to kill him, they didn't go for their own will, which makes it more peculiar.

I'm not writting down Ovid's version because it doesn't fucking count.

Plato also says some odd thingy, that "the gods imposed on Orpheus the punishment of dying at the hands of women for not having had the courage to die for love like Alcestis, daughter of Pelias, who had died in the place of her husband Admetus." ... Which, yeah, sure, I guess, whatever you say, buddy. We have to keep in mind Plato's texts are more related to philosophy than anything.

People always say it's Apollo the one who was envious of Dionysus' talents and parties, (for... some reason i guess) specially knowing how he had two of his muses related to him (tragedy and comedy) due to Dionysus being, after all, the god of theatre.

But, surprise ! It was the other way around. Dionysus was jealous of Orpheus' devotion to Apollo. "If you won't devote yourself to me, you won't devote yourself to anyone".

And, well, either because the sources didn't survive or because he wasn't considered his son in these versions, Apollo didn't do anything. In fact, we never see him doing anything towards Dionysus.

So, what now, Nysus? What was their relationship exactly, after all of this?

It's... Complicated !! Okay !!! This needs more research from my part, plus we all should keep in mind that, while all the authors mentioned here were Greek, they were different guys. You always need to keep in mind the place, person, era... All of that, before starting to judge how a dynamic between two gods work.

( If you enjoy my badly-written posts, please consider buying me a kofi ! You're not forced to, though, but please, reblog this post at least if you are gonna leave a like ! 💕 That's what will motivate me to keep working on my essays )