#what it is to be tiny

[littleflorablr]

Have you recently taken charge of a freshly-shrunken tiny? You may have noticed that your little one is having trouble adapting to their new size. Lots of people have talked about the square-cube law, but here are some lesser-known things they may have trouble adjusting to:

Walking You probably know that things fall at the same rate regardless of how heavy they are. And you've probably noticed that your tiny's head is a lot closer to the ground than yours is. But did you realize that that means they hit the ground a lot faster? A tiny below a certain size is unlikely to ever react fast enough to catch themself if they trip. Some will even be unable to get their leg forward quickly enough to walk, although they may be able to take advantage of square-cube muscle facts to bounce like a lunar astronaut instead.

Breathing Did you know that smaller lungs hold less air? It sounds obvious, but you may not have realized the consequences for a tiny. Many methods of shrinking don't reduce the number of cells in a body, so a lot of shrunken people still need the same amount of oxygen - but they can't pull it into their body nearly as fast. People who already had breathing problems, like asthmatics or smokers, can be in real trouble if they don't get back to a bigger size. Even those without breathing trouble can find themselves getting worn out easily - that's got less to do with losing muscle strength than you might think! Smaller lungs also can't blow air out with as much force, so your tiny speaks a lot quieter than they used to. Keep a close ear out until both you and they are familiar with their new range.

Eating and drinking Have you ever looked at a tiny person's teeth? They're really small! Even biting down hard, it may be impossible to pierce through some barriers. Make sure your tiny has access to food they can fit in their mouths, and be careful of things like bread crusts and fruit skins. Also, food seasonings tend to be a problem for a lot of little people: someone the size of a Barbie might end up with a mouthful of nothing but paprika and another mouthful that's totally unseasoned, even where a big person eating from the same spot wouldn't notice anything. A lot of smaller tinies can have trouble with surface tension in their water. Embarrassing as it might be, they may have more luck drinking from a container they can put their whole head into. Alternately, moving water is less tense, so providing some kind of stream or drip to drink from can be helpful.

[qiinamii]

one braincell transfer (divided by four)

[soapbbox]

A Quintesson attack leaves Megatron in need of repairs.

Let’s pretend this takes place early where Megatron isn’t incredibly paranoid about back stabbing (Starscream) yet

[littleflorablr]

I believe the Norton books - I want to say specifically The Borrowers Afield, but don't quote me on that - mention that borrowers' hands and feet are proportionately a little larger than humans', which could translate to improved gripping ability.

Incidentally, if you want to, I'd be interested in seeing the scope of the vitamin D examination post expanded; it recently occurred to me that most house borrowers are unlikely to get much access to protein or fresh produce, due to those being refrigerated and/or bulky

We already know the borrowers’ size puts them at a slight disadvantage when it comes to survival, but how does their size positively impact them? (scientific/biology answer)

Hi everyone! This post is going to be a little continuation of the previous post I did about borrowers’ fall damage. If you haven’t read it, I recommend checking it out (here)! In this post, I will talk about some scientifically proven advantages that borrowers have. BTW word count is like 1000.

Throughout all the borrower stories I have read, I have found some interesting constants: borrowers heal quicker than humans, recover from illness faster than humans, are genetically faster and stronger relative to their body mass, need little to no vitamin D to survive, etc. In fact, the original book by Mary Norton and a few of its adaptations mention a peculiar “borrower sense” that Arrietty and Pod Clock seem to have, which allows them to sense humans before they appear. However, scientific backing and evidence is rarely provided. Here, I will evaluate the legitimacy of many borrower conceptions.

1. Superhuman agility, durability, and strength

Borrowers tend to be depicted as having the superhuman ability to climb up structures relatively the height of skyscrapers with no sweat, but does this have to do with the muscle they built up over time, or does the answer lie in their genetics and body make-up? My non-proven scientific hypothesis is that both of these answers are correct. While yes, the fact that borrowers spend their entire lives exercising definitely plays a role in their off-the-charts abilities, there is also a not-so-talked-about genetic and biology explanation for this, the first reason tying back to my previous physics post.

I explained earlier that bone strength relative to body mass is greater for borrowers than it is for humans, because bone strength is determined by cross-sectional area (length squared) and body mass is determined by volume (length cubed). Therefore, body mass decreases faster than bone strength. This same idea can also be applied to muscle tissue, meaning borrowers’ muscles become stronger relative to their body mass as borrowers are scaled down. For example: a borrower 1/18th the height of a human would have 1/(18x18)th the bone strength and muscle strength, and 1/(18x18x18)th the body mass. This means they are relatively 18 times more durable and stronger than humans. Bone strength correlates to durability and muscle strength correlates to strength. This concept also explains why ants are able to lift 50x their body weight.

This increase in muscle strength, other than increasing borrower’s raw strength, will also allow borrowers to jump higher and move more quickly.

More reasons why real-life borrowers would be comparatively way faster than humans has to do with shorter neural distances, less inertia, and relativity to size. First, the distance between the borrower’s brain to their hand, foot, legs, etc is way smaller than it is for humans. This means that their brain is incredibly more efficient when it comes to sending signals to parts of the body, increasing borrowers’ reflexes and coordination. Also, their legs would be able to move faster because muscle contraction time is less. Muscles work by contracting, and smaller animals’ muscles are able to contract faster relative to their body size because their muscle fibers are shorter and therefore electrical signals and chemical reactions move through them more quickly.

To explain how less inertia helps borrowers move faster, lets reflect on the most basic physics principle: force = mass x acceleration. Mass and acceleration are inversely proportional, therefore someone with a smaller mass needs less force to reach the same acceleration. To put it simply, a greater inertia makes it harder for somebody to overcome momentum. Because borrowers have almost no inertia compared to humans (body mass is directly proportional to inertia), they would have to put in almost no force to accelerate quickly, take sharp turns without losing balance, stop quickly, and jump high. This is because they are able to overcome momentum very easily. Think about how squirrels or mice are able to dart around very quickly.

Almost done! Lastly, I just wanted to mention genetics. While strength and speed are greatly impacted by someone’s own exercise routine and diet, the genetic lottery can also have a say in someone’s athleticism. For example, the way somebody’s fat is distributed after they eat and the efficiency of their metabolism are often hereditary traits. I would assume that after generations upon generations of training in the walls, staying in great physical shape, and an unhealthy/unreliable diet has led borrowers to perfect their metabolism within their genes to suit their needs. I believe they would have a very slow metabolism so they could store their energy for longer and go longer without eating. I also believe their borrower’s fat would naturally be stored in places on their body to keep them warm, for example their joints.

Fun fact: the odd haircut poodles are famous for is a result of competitive swimming. Poodles were often raced in the water, so they were shaved all the way down to make them faster. However, people kept the fluff on their joints to keep poodles warm while leaving the smallest amount of fur as possible.

Okay, I got a little off topic but do with that information as you will. In conclusion, borrowers should be scientifically faster, stronger, more durable, and more agile than humans (comparatively). Imagine a borrower darting around on the floor in a blur, or jumping onto areas taller than them and off ledges ten times their height. I hope this was as interesting to you as it was to me! I appreciate everyone who took the time to read this it makes me feel super good when people like the same stuff as me. If you want to learn more borrower science, please vote below on what I should research next:

[monstermonger]

Napping under a blanket of cherry blossom petals…

Itty Bitty Spring Dragon Stickers ♡

[truuskn]

he's so cute and sillyyy 😫 my goood, look at him, just look at him!! how do we even have the nerve to pump his life with angst? my dude deserves to be happy 24/7

[bl00dalchemist]

El Narutito....

[biarthurpendragon]

rewatching merlin is like: here's the softest most joyful person you've met. watch as the universe slowly breaks him down and forces him to lose all of his happiness, but still smile away softly so his best friend doesn't know...

[iwasbored777]

Gerald let Maria and Shadow spend time together. He saw that Shadow won't hurt her and he let them be friends. This is so important. He called them "kids" and also when he says "they want to take Shadow away from us" - he cared about Shadow too and realized that he is just a kid just like his granddaughter. Gerald was definitely a good grandpa and a good guy before Maria got killed.

[littleflorablr]

So how do we accommodate for tinies who need ongoing medications? The ones with depression or diabetes, the trans ones, the ones with heart conditions...

In a world where tinies and bigs have openly coexisted for a while, it's reasonable to suppose that the dosages (and formulas, perhaps) have been worked out and can be obtained. But what if it's not that? If someone just shrinks one day, what happens then? Assuming they don't magically get their bodies fixed in the process... do they have to deal with suddenly going off of all their medications, in addition to the conditions they were to treat in the first place? Do they chip off pieces of pills and hope that it's pretty close to the right amount? What about insulin and other injected medications - nobody makes needles any but the biggest tinies can conveniently use, and they'd have the same dosage issues...

[weedle-testaburger]

don't worry i don't actually thirst over any of these characters (they lied)

[poorlemons]

His hands are great space fillers.

[majinbangus]

Not being used to the princess treatment or being taken care of. You're not one to rely on others, so when you get in a relationship with Soap, you don't realize how independent you are, relying on yourself to do things, not going to him for emotional needs. Sometimes, even taking care of physical ones on your own because you don't want to bother him or seem clingy.

He gets upset, naturally.

You don't let him open doors for you, nor do you let him pull out your chair at the dinner table. If you're sick, you insist on sleeping in the guest bedroom and taking care of yourself until the illness has passed. When you're on your period, he's excited to give you anything you need, but then you don't ask him for ice cream, or chocolate, you don't even ask for cuddles??

Not to forget the times when you didn't wake him up to help take care of you because you didn't want to 'disturb his sleep'. Fuck his sleep, he could've gotten that later, he would've loved to have a sleepy fuck with you. It almost feels like a betrayal that you snuck away to the guest room to get yourself off. If you'd asked, he would've happily taken care of you.

He needs to feel needed. Needs you to need him. Wants you to need him. Has he not shown you that he can provide? That he can take care of you?

But then think about finally giving in, and slowly letting him take care of you. He breaks down your walls, coaxes you into accepting his help, spoils you with affection. Peeling away that hard shell, and revealing that soft underbelly that didn't know how much it wanted and needed to be treated so sweetly.

It's a process, but Soap will get you used to the princess treatment. You don't have to be so strong all the time. He'll give you what you need if you give him the chance.

("I just don't want to be needy."

"Hen, I'd give anything for you to be needy. Let me take care of you.")

[that1notetaker]

Get in loser, we're enjoying the joy and whimsy of life (and death) AKA what if I thought I lost you. What if I thought I took you from myself but we were given a second chance.

[newttxt]

ive been putting off drawing doffy for so long, but i had to draw cora, so… might as well bite the metaphorical lead bullet :/

[nocek]

I watched Deadpool and Wolverine yesterday and I just had to XDDD

beware the SPOILERS! I mean not really but better to be on safe side ;)