This is mainly me cross compiling human trauma techniques, engineering and arachnid physiology, but I’d start with fibers to bridge the exoskeleton breech then secure it with super glue. Wonder if the spider would get high from the fumes?
I’d start with not believing that, seeing as mice have been known to survive terminal velocity falls. And then of course a spider has a rather large surface area for it’s diminutive mass, what with all the long appendages. Also, chitin is quite resilient.
Of course, this all hinges on the question: “how large, is large?”. Did you mean something like the sword spider from DnD? Cause then I’d say it depends on your GM.
No, it’s true. Tarantulas, especially non-arboreal species, are incredibly fragile. A fall from even a moderate height can absolutely kill them. Apparently a drop of three feet can be fatal. Their exoskeleton are quite fragile, especially around their abdomens, and if the abdomen bursts, you’ve got a dying tarantula on your hands. They’re not spiders you can handle without care.
we always have Texas Tan babies running around the house in late winter/early spring. We’ve always let them go outside because they help out with the scorpions.
A phobia of Shelly’s face. Other faces, she’s just mildly uncomfortable around.
Boy. The first time Digit acquires a significant other and they try to kiss, Digit is going to be really nervous. Hopefully not so much so that she loses control of her form, or her faceophobia is going to be very suddenly contagious.
As a male not-jumping-spider, I don’t think I’d ever want to court a female-humanified-jumping-spider. See, Male jumpers can get rather… indiscriminating. If they try and woo a female that belongs to a different species, they’re liable to get eaten. She might still see suitors of other species as “free lunch.”
So as someone not from the US, what exactly is a “Texas Tan”?
Google gives several results, but the one best fitting Shelly’s limited description seems to be this Tarantula: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_anax
Is that the correct one? Cause if so, ya tarantula to the face at 6 years old will give anyone phobia’s.
Yep, that’s the critter. They’re one of the largest spiders in the US, and even a tiny fall will break their body. That aside, they’re a very docile and gentle spider around people, and because of that, they are highly sought after as pets. Basically, they’re big sweeties who look scary as hell.
As someone from the Pacific Northwest part of the US, thank you for looking that up, and asking.
I was wondering how a spider could explode, we don’t have any big enough not to drift a little in the air…
@FairportFan
I thought all New World species can fling hairs.
(To my eternal sorrow, because I already have super sensitive skin, and therefore it seems very unlikely I’ll ever be able to have a T as a pet.)
Great. We have a half-sphinx demigoddess who can demolish city blocks and is an arachnophobe, a shapeshifted hunting spider who is an insecure teenager, and a young teenager who can generate plasma bolts with her bare hands! What a delightfully explosive combination!
” shapeshifted hunting spider who is an insecure teenager ”
Digit’s knowledge and analytical demeanor really don’t strike me as “teenager” at this point. She appears in a teenager-tier body, but her relative mental age and maturity suggest someone at least in the equivalent of their mid-20s, if not 30-something. No matter her Library-enhanced origins, at the age of four plus years (or was it six-ish?) her overall mental maturity could be anything between 20-something and 70-ish. Her empathy ability, as demonstrated today, is well beyond the normal experiences of a normal human teen. She’s able to place herself into Shelly’s mind and psyche to imagine how she herself is perceived by someone who fears her … I’ve rarely (if ever) met someone younger than 25-ish who could do that to this degree.
I continue to look forward very much to exploring exactly who Digit is. She gets more fascinating by the panel.
Well, jumping spiders are already pretty smart. Many of them are capable of spotting prey on a different plant than they are on, studying it to determine what approach to take and how to minimise risk to themseles. Then making their way over to that other plant and specific leaf the prey is on, often losing sight of it for prolonged periods of time in the progress. They have brains that can be summed up as “a couple of neurons” but an attention span of potentially a minute or moreand excellent spatial awareness.
Add in all the magical shenanigans and it’s a little weird Digit hasn’t displayed even greater feats of intelligence already.
That’s VERY similar to how I developed my phobia of spiders. I was 4, and overnighting at my granny’s house…my sleepwalking was much worse then, and I woke up in the hallway, eye-to-eyes with a garden spider/writing spider who had come inside and made a web across the hall. Just horrible.
And my son was fascinated by tarantulas when he was younger, so my friend sent him a moult when her spider outgrew its skin.he was delighted, and it was all I could do not to scream. Even though I KNEW there was no spider in the skin!
I did a little searching, and it does seem that large spiders, such as tarantulas, can indeed break apart when they fall from sufficient heights, and from a trapdoor onto a 6-year old should be sufficiently high.
Now we know!
Um, is that a sphinx power I’ve never heard of: the power to explode spiders on contact.
Large spiders can’t handle drops. Even a short drop can crack their exoskeletons and require IMMEDIATE attention to save them.
Now I’m curious about your apparent spider surgical ability? Tell, please!
This is mainly me cross compiling human trauma techniques, engineering and arachnid physiology, but I’d start with fibers to bridge the exoskeleton breech then secure it with super glue. Wonder if the spider would get high from the fumes?
I’d start with not believing that, seeing as mice have been known to survive terminal velocity falls. And then of course a spider has a rather large surface area for it’s diminutive mass, what with all the long appendages. Also, chitin is quite resilient.
Of course, this all hinges on the question: “how large, is large?”. Did you mean something like the sword spider from DnD? Cause then I’d say it depends on your GM.
@Negatron
No, it’s true. Tarantulas, especially non-arboreal species, are incredibly fragile. A fall from even a moderate height can absolutely kill them. Apparently a drop of three feet can be fatal. Their exoskeleton are quite fragile, especially around their abdomens, and if the abdomen bursts, you’ve got a dying tarantula on your hands. They’re not spiders you can handle without care.
The phobia for each is the perfect reflection of the other’s. They are like a phobia laser, with Monica being the lasing medium!
Gives new meaning to the term, face your fears! *rimshot*
ThankyouladiesandgentlemenI’llbehereallweektipyourwaitertrytheveal
we always have Texas Tan babies running around the house in late winter/early spring. We’ve always let them go outside because they help out with the scorpions.
And now Digit has a phobia too!
A phobia of Shelly’s face. Other faces, she’s just mildly uncomfortable around.
Boy. The first time Digit acquires a significant other and they try to kiss, Digit is going to be really nervous. Hopefully not so much so that she loses control of her form, or her faceophobia is going to be very suddenly contagious.
As a male not-jumping-spider, I don’t think I’d ever want to court a female-humanified-jumping-spider. See, Male jumpers can get rather… indiscriminating. If they try and woo a female that belongs to a different species, they’re liable to get eaten. She might still see suitors of other species as “free lunch.”
So as someone not from the US, what exactly is a “Texas Tan”?
Google gives several results, but the one best fitting Shelly’s limited description seems to be this Tarantula: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_anax
Is that the correct one? Cause if so, ya tarantula to the face at 6 years old will give anyone phobia’s.
Poor tarantula, though! They are not at all well-equipped to handle falls like that.
Yep, that’s the critter. They’re one of the largest spiders in the US, and even a tiny fall will break their body. That aside, they’re a very docile and gentle spider around people, and because of that, they are highly sought after as pets. Basically, they’re big sweeties who look scary as hell.
Except for the one species that can actually shoot its hairs.
As someone from the Pacific Northwest part of the US, thank you for looking that up, and asking.
I was wondering how a spider could explode, we don’t have any big enough not to drift a little in the air…
@FairportFan
I thought all New World species can fling hairs.
(To my eternal sorrow, because I already have super sensitive skin, and therefore it seems very unlikely I’ll ever be able to have a T as a pet.)
This relative wasn’t Phix, was it?
Not when Shelly was six
With Phix you never know.
Nah – Phix was entirely out of Shelly’s dad’s life (and Shelly’s) till Monica brought her to the Library.
Great. We have a half-sphinx demigoddess who can demolish city blocks and is an arachnophobe, a shapeshifted hunting spider who is an insecure teenager, and a young teenager who can generate plasma bolts with her bare hands! What a delightfully explosive combination!
Compared to Momica and the golem girls that’s not so bad. Jin was nutty as a fruitcake with the power to destroy the world.
” shapeshifted hunting spider who is an insecure teenager ”
Digit’s knowledge and analytical demeanor really don’t strike me as “teenager” at this point. She appears in a teenager-tier body, but her relative mental age and maturity suggest someone at least in the equivalent of their mid-20s, if not 30-something. No matter her Library-enhanced origins, at the age of four plus years (or was it six-ish?) her overall mental maturity could be anything between 20-something and 70-ish. Her empathy ability, as demonstrated today, is well beyond the normal experiences of a normal human teen. She’s able to place herself into Shelly’s mind and psyche to imagine how she herself is perceived by someone who fears her … I’ve rarely (if ever) met someone younger than 25-ish who could do that to this degree.
I continue to look forward very much to exploring exactly who Digit is. She gets more fascinating by the panel.
Well, jumping spiders are already pretty smart. Many of them are capable of spotting prey on a different plant than they are on, studying it to determine what approach to take and how to minimise risk to themseles. Then making their way over to that other plant and specific leaf the prey is on, often losing sight of it for prolonged periods of time in the progress. They have brains that can be summed up as “a couple of neurons” but an attention span of potentially a minute or moreand excellent spatial awareness.
Add in all the magical shenanigans and it’s a little weird Digit hasn’t displayed even greater feats of intelligence already.
Paul says 20-equivalent except in knowing how to be human.
That’s VERY similar to how I developed my phobia of spiders. I was 4, and overnighting at my granny’s house…my sleepwalking was much worse then, and I woke up in the hallway, eye-to-eyes with a garden spider/writing spider who had come inside and made a web across the hall. Just horrible.
And my son was fascinated by tarantulas when he was younger, so my friend sent him a moult when her spider outgrew its skin.he was delighted, and it was all I could do not to scream. Even though I KNEW there was no spider in the skin!
I did a little searching, and it does seem that large spiders, such as tarantulas, can indeed break apart when they fall from sufficient heights, and from a trapdoor onto a 6-year old should be sufficiently high.
Ummm…Digit has a whole new level of meaning to the term “in your face.”