Skunk Kin - Tumblr Posts

Hello Skunk Alterhumans of Tumblr 💛

A while back, a close friend of mine had brought up the question of how much those of us who are the same species have in common. It got me thinking, I have the privilege of knowing several other skunks online after a long time of not knowing any (mostly due to my own fears of interacting with everyone online). While I don't agree with skunks being owned as pets, I went looking into skunk behavior a bit more to see if I could find traits that specifically reminded me of my skunk friends, which is where I stumbled across this article;

https://indianaskunkrescue.com/personalities-of-skunks-read-before-you-get-a-skunk 

What interested me most was the talk about their "...personalities not showing until September or October". At first it struck me funny- 'Of course we have personality and our own behavioral quirks outside of those months!', but then I got thinking of how greatly my mood is affected by the changing of the seasons. It made me wonder if any other skunk alterhumans (or alterhumans in general, don't be afraid to chime in 💛) experience this phenomenon of your mood and the way you present yourself as a person changing through each month? Also let me know if you're a "sweet skunk" or "not nice skunk" lmao, that part of the article had me cackling.

Advice! On Autumn Burrowing Urges

We are heading into autumn now, and the burrowing urges are STRONG. I'm sure my other skunk therian friends will agree on this. Your hands are supposed to be digging through the rich soil. Your eyes should be searching for the best shelter- the seasons are changing, and this autumn I plan to share some ways I indulge in burrowing urges;

Gardening is a great way to feed into your burrowing habits. Don't be afraid to embrace getting your hands dirty! Dig your hands deep into the soil, bare palmed even! You don't even have to be planting anything, if you can just embrace being so close to the earth, you will satisfy these instincts, I can guarantee you.

Feeling the need to hide your body in a closely confined space? Need to feel like you're taking shelter, that the very walls of your burrow are holding you together? Well, I got the perfect remedy! Gather all of your blankets, your pillows, your Miku Hatsune body pillow- everything is going with you. Where are you going, you ask? You're going to that one space in the house that you feel safest. You know, the space in the back of your closet.

Under your bed, with your beloved pet cat.

That little nook near the windowsill.

In that dug out space under the house. It's all going there, because you're going to deck it out and make it your very own burrow. Get creative with it too, drag all the stuff (and people) you love into one cramped space because it's not  a house, it's a HOME. Remember, one of the main perks of having a burrow is having a place to hide. They'll never find you, until you want them to find you 💛

Lastly, and this one may seem a tad odd, is that if you throw the blanket up over your head while in bed, it can help you feel as if you're covered, that you are safe. It's the same feelings you would get if you had dug yourself a nice burrow near some shrubs. Most importantly, it takes nearly no effort. I've been doing it since I was a child, laying facedown in bed with the blankets over my head. I recommend it, for sure

These are little things that may help you feel more comfortable this fall, and through the winter, especially when we start feeling topor coming on. If you have any other helpful suggestions on how you deal with burrowing urges, feel free to share! I know I would absolutely love some pointers 💛

In Regards to Spraying

As Skunks, we avoid talking about our urge to spray because it's what everyone first expects of us. We snuff out our fires, we try to be as docile and unthreatening as possible, because no one wants to be labeled as "trigger happy". I would be lying though, if I said there weren't times where my fear got my blood running backwards, and the anger boiled over until my tail was hiking up in an arc over my head.

 The most common way this has happened for me is unwanted advances. Comments being made about my body, people getting far too close- but I'm sure whatever the scenario was, we all felt it. The feeling of, "Keep fucking with me, and see what happens" And then, when we stomp down in warning, it all comes crashing down on us because what do they do? They laugh. They laugh because they don't understand our body language, all they see is just a grown woman  throwing a tantrum, and then that dawning realization hits that you never had the moves to back up your threat. 

I know how helpless that can feel, and I'm sorry to all my alterhuman friends who have found themselves so woefully unprepared in those situations. You don't have to rework your fight or flight instincts, just to stay alive though. Don't let people steal your fire, just to save yourself the pain of being mocked, because you can be powerful and you deserve better.