TWST Physical Headcanons
Savanaclaw Edition
CW: Some NSFW headcanons but most of them are just scientific I swear - not necessarily in a sexual way (aside from Jacks tbh).
A/N: This was genuinely so fun, and I legit learnt a lot about these animals. The hyoid bone is now my favourite in the entire body (because it’s the only one I’ve actually looked into lmao… I’m a humanities student through and through I do not care for science).
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Leona Kingscholar
⤷ fur in various places - such as a bit around his thighs, down his shoulders, near the bottom of his back (surrounding his tail), on his crotch and on the back of his neck. The fur on his shoulders and the back of his neck are his hackles, using muscle contractions to make it fluff up (not as prominent as dogs) in an expression of dominance or arousal.
⤷ spiky tongue - aka papillae, which are sharp spines that cover the tongue to tear flesh off of bones, scrape dirt and parasites from fur, and spread saliva for hydration or to cool down. They’re made of a central core of connective tissue and small blood vessels, covered by a layer of epithelial cells. It feels like sandpaper, and if used (licked) on human skin it can tear away the surface layer in a few licks. (Also contain taste buds I believe).
⤷ eye-contact - okay not necessarily a physical headcanon, but his deathly stare that quite a few characters (Grim lmao) have mentioned is because it expresses aggression and dominance. Due to Leona’s strive for power, he’s constantly trying to establish his dominance over other students and even teachers. This is why he constantly has such harsh eye contact. However, there have been times where he’s accidentally initiated a challenge with somebody else after misinterpreting their direct eye contact back. One time Floyd thought they were having a staring competition. Leona went to beat him up and was very confused when Floyd was so offended.
⤷ ALSO he can’t purr - I know a lot of people like to headcanon that he purrs, and honestly I do too sometimes cause it’s cute lmao. BUT, lions can’t purr. Because they can roar. Little fun fact, if a type of big/little cat can roar, it can’t purr, and vice versa. It’s because the hyoid bone (located between the chin and larynx) is made of a more flexible cartilage and ligament structure than a cat’s fully ossified (bony) hyoid bone. The flexible hyoid bone in lions gives the larynx enough movement to produce a powerful roar, whereas a small cat’s fully ossified bone allows for the vibrations necessary for a purr. (Why mountain lions can purr but not roar, etc.)
NSFW
This is gonna come off as weird but I legit did research into lions mating behaviour because of him and it was actually interesting (I feel like a freak I’m gonna be completely honest it was weird)
⤷ barbed dick - aka penile spines (small backward barbs made of hard protein called keratin) that stimulate ovulation in females through tearing at the uterus walls. Ouch I know. It’s also to remove previously inseminated rival male's sperm and thereby minimise sperm competition.
bonus: he also bites during the deed A LOT (something lions do to maintain control).
Ruggie Buccha
⤷ major slouch - hyena's have a sloping back, however because Ruggie is mostly human I imagine he has a pretty bad slouch and/or scoliosis due to his hyena lineage/traits.
⤷ long arms - Hyenas also have longer front legs with shorter hind legs, so Ruggie is overall pretty disproportionate by human standards.
⤷ spiky tongue - like lions, hyenas also have papillae (sharp, backwards spines) on their tongues. Hyenas have multiple types of papillae on their tongues, including numerous filiform papillae, which are adapted for scraping and rasping, along with fewer fungiform papillae for taste and some conical papillae. The filiform papillae are particularly long and sharp, especially on the root, allowing them to efficiently strip meat from bones. Like lions, in a few licks they can strip the surface level skin off of humans, and if gone for longer they can take the flesh.
⤷ fur in various places - such as a bit around his thighs and calfs, down his shoulders, near the bottom of his back (surrounding his tail), on his crotch and on the back of his neck. The fur on his shoulders and the back of his neck are his hackles, using muscle contractions to make it raise in an expression of dominance or fear.
⤷ very vocal - yes, he has an insane laugh. But, the famous hyena 'laugh' isn't actually a sign of joy. So while Ruggie does sound psychotic while laughing, he'll also makes that crazy cackle sound when he's irritated, distressed and overly excited. Not to mention it's incredibly loud (can be heard up to 12.8 km away). He also makes a 'whoop' sound when trying to find someone, particularly Leona in recent times. While Leona typically ignores him, he understands why Ruggie does it and doesn't generally mind. His cackle sound does piss him off at times though.
NSFW (mildly)
⤷ (extra) very vocal - hyena's make a giggle/chuckle noise when excited (especially around mating time). I'm just gonna put that there and let your imagination go to work. (Ruggie is very embarrassed by it).
Jack Howl
While the breed of wolf Jack is isn't specified and there are theories to which character he's based on, I went under the assumption he's an arctic wolf due to his thick white fur/tail, and the fact he's from shaftlands which has a lot of snow and cold climate
⤷ has A LOT of fur - due to the cold climate where he grew up, as well as the fact (arctic) wolves typically have thick fur to regulate body temperature, he has a lot of fur scattered over his body. Including up his arms, down his legs, on his crotch, down his back (especially around his bushy tail), and around his shoulders and neck. The fur around his shoulders and the back of his neck are his hackles, raised through muscle contractions to make him seem even bigger when he's scared, stressed, excited or aggressive. He lowkey can't survive at the savanaclaw dorm which is based in a hot deserted area.
⤷ spiky tongue - like lions and hyenas, wolves also have papillae on their tongues. Wolves have different types of papillae, which have different functions. Such as helping to strip meat from bones, facilitating the movement of food, and helping with removing loose fur and parasites during grooming.
looking further, I'm very unsure after researching, but from what I can tell a wolf tongue doesn't have as much risk of harm than a felines/lions. While they do have papillae (I think?), getting licked by a wolf can cause skin irritation and discomfort, but not injury like a lions.
⤷ very calloused hands - it's a mix of the fact Jack works out so much, and also that arctic wolves have large, padded paws for grip on ice and snow. While his hands aren't padded like a wolfs, they did callous very easily for similar reasons.
⤷ sheds SO much - during spring, his fur sheds vigorously so he's not burning alive under it all. He has several de-shedding brushes everywhere; his bathroom, bag, pockets, bedroom, even making his friends have some at their places because he sheds so much.
Bonus: I love it when part-animal characters have the legs of the animal, and I could imagine if Jack was in a very snowy environment, it would be more practical for him to have the hind legs of a wolf with padded paws than human legs. but anatomically I don't know how well that would work in practice, the idea of it is just cool.
NSFW
⤷ guys... you know what I'm gonna put here... he knots.
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Also I’m not a scientist or anything, I got all this information off of Google and articles so if anything’s just false you can correct me 👌
What a tongue with papillae looks like (on a lion, then a hyena cause I couldn't find a good photo of a wolf):
A formulation of some of my research (and some memes I made lmao):