#study of strix

[oblivionlotus]

//aside from lazy mistakes... I'm quite happy with this. Behold, Leto's Strix form! Zoom in for fuzzy details.

...I can't draw trees or wings well, which is why I hid one behind a shitty tree I gave no shading to. Totally gave her that neck turn owls do, its official.

[oblivionlotus]

STRIX MASTERPOST

So I’ve decided to include more details here regarding my canon on the Strix creature and will continue to add to this where necessary:

- the digestive system is more hardy; the lining of the oesophagus, stomach, and bowels are thicker and more robust so to manage the consumption of bones which may well puncture them, and the acids within the stomach and saliva are faster-acting and stronger so to handle things a human should not eat under normal circumstance

- an abundance of platelets, lymphocytes, and white blood cells are present for the immune system, which can be released much faster than normal. A cessation in creating as much red blood cells, and the cells are altered to a degree so that the very framework has changed to an AB type

- an external skeleton exists, made of collagen fibres, for speed and flexible movement: the weight of Leto’s entire body is lightened to a maximum

- a higher brain mass that makes up much of whatever weight is to be felt, which increases the spatial ability as well as adrenaline production, now ready to be released rapidly as needed

- the eyes have an equal distribution of rods and cones to form a reflective tissue layer for the retina, and the ear canals are sensitive enough so to aid automatic reflex

- the mandible jaw is separated into a quadrate bone whose tendons, ligaments, and muscles have increased elasticity and strength; a female Strix’s bite, however, is still small when compared to that of an adult male Strix

- molars and pre-molars of the upper and lower jaw are paired and modified in such a way as to allow their large sharp edges to pass by each other in a shearing fashion

- at will there can come forth from beneath the gums a set of fangs through a thin veil of blood; curved, their edges serrated, and large enough to cover over the natural, human teeth like shields

- the sleep of such a creature during daytime hours is always a deep one, in which the body slows its metabolism and natural functions down to a barely functioning state; a short hibernation period is possible due to this, following a gorging of food beforehand; sleep is possibly the weakest state for a Strix to be in

- regular food and drink is indigestible; the body will seek to purge such things as soon as possible; regular food and drink can not possibly contain enough protein, iron, and so forth for the body to be nourished

- infection of a human is caused by continued biting and drinking over a long period of time; the dna within a Strix’s saliva attacks the human blood; exchanging blood rapidly increases the chance of infection and the time it would take for a human to change

- the Strix’s dna at its very core is intelligent to a degree; it is parasitic and seeks to infect so to increase; it is comparable to rabies in that it looks to take over the host and introduces to its host a strong need to bite; when it does finally corrupt its host’s brain and destroy it, it will then begin changing it’s dead host to a Strix, reviving them when its job is complete; the brain then awakens and resumes control over the body; because the Strix requires blood and flesh, the parasite in their altered dna continues its job of infecting others

- this parasite that lingers will “communicate” with the Strix through thought interruption; if a Strix places itself in danger, for example, strong thoughts and feelings of retreat will occur amidst their own, attempting to force the Strix to flee and survive

- the owl-like guise of a Strix is like a glamour: feathers, wings, claws, and feathery “horns” for eyebrows sprout from beneath the skin and cover the body (including clothing) while the skeleton liquefies and transforms where needed; the guise “melts” away quickly, seeming to be sucked back into the skin; colouring varies between Striges but most are pale-coloured; they can carry prey while flying but not anyone or anything large and heavy

-the feathers of this guise are velvety soft, the wings large, and the primary feathers have a comb-like edge; all this combines to make the creature’s flight as silent as possible

- a part of Leto’s weaknesses as a Strix is that she suffers with far-sightedness (hyperopia): she can see distant objects clearly, but objects nearby are blurry and unfocused. She will find it hard to make out the features of your face and decipher your movements if you are close to her, and will have to rely on voice tone, posture, or auras to know for sure what you are communicating.

- Leto is disgusted by death. She cannot stand to be around the remains of her victims or corpses in general. The smell is too strong for her. Thus, she will kill in secluded places a good deal away from her current nest as opposed to killing/eating where she sleeps, which is considered her one safe place. This is a part of her animal instinct

- not only does she crave blood but she has a love of tasting others’ sweat, as it contains minerals (sodium and potassium) proteins, hormones, and larger molecules like glucose, lactate, and cortisol

- due to her animal instincts, Leto has a ‘scent memory’; she will easily recognize a person or their presence just by their scent. By scent, I mean preferred perfumes etc but also that individual, biological scent all people possess.If she is particularly close to someone, she will take comfort from their scent and form loose attachments to articles soaked in their scent (like clothes or bed sheets). She will particularly enjoy smelling their necks and underarms, and even nuzzle or lick these areas.

- Leto is infertile. This is not a result of her becoming a Strix but rather a result of her long life. All females are born with as many ‘eggs’ in her ovaries as she will need for an average lifetime, though this can vary from woman to woman; Leto is technically in her 70’s and thus, her ovaries have long been devoid of eggs.

- she has an innate need to bite even those she adores; this is done playfully and carefully so as not to cause harm. It is another way of expressing affection and she fully welcomes being bitten in return from such people. A part of it is sexual thrill, as biting, where a Strix is concerned, is considered a means of marking their favorite people as “theirs” and also a form of foreplay

- Striges are very territorial about those they feel affection towards and the area surrounding their nests; they will often fight to the death if another Strix lingers too long

[oblivionlotus]

hc

Lost Boys/Girls are often compared to cats - in particular stray cats  - by those who know enough of them, and not just for their reflexes or grace. They each keep their territories fiercely and have favourite families to visit, but they love to roam and will come and go as they desire. They will arrive exactly when they want to, returning as though they had never been away; and depart exactly when they want to, as though they do not hold much affection at all. They have a pride in them for self-appearance, a need to be well-presented, and can only stand so much physical affection for a certain time... yet they do crave it, just on their terms. They like the luxuries of warmth, soft things, and good food, but adore adventuring in the wild world with only grass for their pillow. They are mischievous and playful, almost arrogant in the way they can toy and stalk around, but they cannot stand being toyed with. They do not respect boundaries, physical or otherwise, but expect their own to be respected. They sleep a lot, being comparable to nocturnal animals, and are ever curious. They will fight viciously if they must, but are fragile in structure.

[oblivionlotus]

Leto is as vulnerable to scarring as a human after serious injury. The only significant difference is that the healing stage will be more physically taxing for Leto than it would be for a human.

Basically, scars form when the body grows new layers of fibrous skin to replace damaged tissue. It's usually a slow process, depending on the area, and we as humans barely notice it. It just happens as we go about our lives. It's a naturally occurring feat of biology that requires no conscious effort.

For Leto, though, their quick regenerate ability hastens the process at the expense of a lot of energy. it is a conscious effort on Cronus' part to repair and replace tissue as fast as possible. The more damage there is, the more energy is needed. Leto will be fatigued and ravenous during recovery, which in turn makes them irritable. They will prey exclusively on weaker targets and perceive unweakened targets as a threat.

[oblivionlotus]

Like a regular owl, a Strix has small, backward-facing spines at the back of their tongues and covering the roof of their mouths. These spines (or barbs) aid in stripping meat from bone, drinking liquid, and grooming, as a Strix will not only preen their plumage with their beak but also use their tongue as a brush. These spines are present even when a Strix is in human form.

Leto has a rough tongue. Pass it on.

[oblivionlotus]

Reminder that since the Strix virus is passed on through either blood or saliva, every sloppy kiss with Leto exposes you to it. Stagger your kissing sessions or else enjoy being infected beyond all hope.

[oblivionlotus]

//I know the whole "immortality changes people" cliche is done to death, but let's face facts for a minute here. Regarding Leto's case, let's substitute the word death for trauma since that's exactly what waking up after dying would be like. Also, take into account the chaos they had witnessed in the weeks before.

Trauma does change people - it has a psychological effect on the areas of the brain that process stress, fear, emotions, and behaviour. No one goes through trauma and comes out the same person afterwards. The recovery process differs from person to person, but scars on the psyche will remain.

During Leto's recovery period, they had to adjust to an entirely new lifestyle and cognitive developments. Their thought patterns changed alongside their moral compass, becoming more animalistic than human. They had to accept that they must remain "dead" to their loved ones and that all their human ambitions could no longer be met - in fact, they found they couldn't relate to who they were anymore. Perhaps worst of all, they had to deal with accepting they would never have closure for their suffering.

Upon recovering to the best of their ability (and likely just dismissing a few things instead of facing them), they could finally take stock of their new sense of self. They could, without peers or loved ones to consider, be the person they couldn't be in life due to social norms. Their changed psyche inspired several fresh elements of their newly formed personality and encouraged not only detachment from the human world but also a feeling of liberty - of being above all laws. They had evolved beyond the person that had been Patrick Hale, merged with the essence of Cronus, and set about designing a new life that suited them.

In summary, trauma can be the death of one's former self and the birth of another personality, a change neither asked for or planned. The cliche can be forgiven when you break it down.

[oblivionlotus]

If someone is ill with a viral sickness (flu or bad cold for example), you know the wonderful thing that happens with their white blood cells? They multiply in count in the blood stream for the time it takes to fight back the infection. Therefore, ill people are super delicious for Leto. If a healthy human is like a yummy steak, an ill person is like a Sunday roast dinner with all the trimmings plus gravy.

Unlike typical monsters, Leto does not have the ability to smell when a human is ill, they can only taste it or do as we all do and pick it up from a person’s voice or appearance. So it’s always a nice surprise if a victim is ill. A very seriously ill person however does not taste nice at all (I’m talking like terminally ill) and by the time Leto tastes that, it’s far too late to leave the person be. Ingesting this sort of blood (it’s a dying stream, lacking the average cells) would be the equivalent of drinking a weight loss shake, aka disgusting & not fully nutritious, but too much of it can make Leto ill for a time.