Subject: Stomach Survival Thu Feb 09, 2017 5:31 pm
So today, I was thinking about the fate of those tinys who get swallowed in Felarya. How long could they survive in the harsh, acidic environment of the stomach? For the sake of argument, I was mostly thinking of animal giantesses, since on the plants page, it details how long the prey lasts. I'm assuming the prey dies from acids and not lack of air. So, I'd say that they could roughly last about an hour or less depending on if there is any food in there for them to use as a island. Also, would the stomach be empty at first, and acid pumped in, or would the prey have an acid pool when the fell in?
Stabs Moderator
Posts : 1875 Join date : 2009-10-15 Age : 34 Location : The Coil, Miragia
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Thu Feb 09, 2017 6:41 pm
Every time this comes up, we're assured lack of air will get you first.
jedi-explorer Felarya cartographer
Posts : 1474 Join date : 2011-12-06 Age : 36 Location : Fantasy Land ^_^
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Thu Feb 09, 2017 7:34 pm
Yeah I hate to play the part of Dark One here but this subject has been well covered and is even in the FAQs ain't it? Though in new news about stomach acid, I saw an article that said sceintists are working on a a device that can be powered by it to work as a continuous medical sensor I think they said. Personally I'd bet the Government puts it in our pills and doesn't it tell us so they can monitor our thoughts. <.<
Archmage_Bael Mara's snack
Posts : 4158 Join date : 2009-05-05 Age : 35 Location : Shatterock Caldera
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:41 am
This comes up so much haha.
Here's a more realistic, possibly disgusting explanation of how digestion works.
There are three different areas of your body that digest. Your mouth, your stomach, and your small intestine. Your mouth's saliva digests salts and starches to some degree, and detect carbohydrates, proteins, etc. It also deals with mechanical digestion - but due to the predator's sheer size they tend to swallow whole instead of chew (like the majority of nature's creatures. Frogs, sharks in massive chunks, same as wolves. Likely kensha's would swallow a human whole too).
Spoiler:
FYI, the alligator's conicle teeth are meant for catching prey, not tearing it apart, so they swallow food whole as well.
The stomach acid is highly toxic, but it doesn't do any digestion. Let me repeat that because voraphiles everywhere get this wrong. Enzymes do the digestion. These enzymes help to break down proteins into amino acids. The stomach is also always moving, its not constant. The stomach lining also has a very thick layer of mucous. If you are in the stomach of a predator you will be subjected to this - and the enzyme pepsinogen smells awful. There will likely be other food in there as well. The stomach holds food, mainly, but at this point as others have stated, since it is an enclosed place there will be very limited amounts of air. I think there are a few variables to take in mind, but I doubt it will only take 10 minutes. That's a cheerful thought by people who don't want to be around to feel themselves getting digested. By the way, don't touch the pepsin enzyme. I did a lab in biology, we had to wear gloves, if it touches your skin for a short time its extremely dangerous, since your skin is composed of water, protein and fat, it is subject to pepsin.
The small intestine, if you ever live long enough to get there, probably wont be able to digest you as its designed to digest the protein chunks your stomach turns the food into, and digests everything into carbohydrates, sugar, and fats. If you make it into the small intestine, you'll have to deal with bile that is sent from the gall bladder.
If you do survive a stomach, it'd have to be if you are a very skilled mage. Its likely only possible through that function, or through advanced technology of some kind. However, stomachs are rarely empty. If they are, it'd be growling and starving. Your stomach tells you to eat long before it gets to that point, so you'll be in the stomach with food in there as well.
So yeah. A bit more realistic explanation of the stomach, and we hand waive portions of this, but its why the stomach is considered a fatal place here in Felarya. Barring extreme circumstances of course.
felarya_refugee Seasoned adventurer
Posts : 121 Join date : 2017-01-17 Age : 34 Location : Siren Sands Babeh~
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Fri Feb 10, 2017 2:29 pm
Archmage_Bael wrote:
This comes up so much haha.
Here's a more realistic, possibly disgusting explanation of how digestion works.
There are three different areas of your body that digest. Your mouth, your stomach, and your small intestine. Your mouth's saliva digests salts and starches to some degree, and detect carbohydrates, proteins, etc. It also deals with mechanical digestion - but due to the predator's sheer size they tend to swallow whole instead of chew (like the majority of nature's creatures. Frogs, sharks in massive chunks, same as wolves. Likely kensha's would swallow a human whole too).
Spoiler:
FYI, the alligator's conicle teeth are meant for catching prey, not tearing it apart, so they swallow food whole as well.
The stomach acid is highly toxic, but it doesn't do any digestion. Let me repeat that because voraphiles everywhere get this wrong. Enzymes do the digestion. These enzymes help to break down proteins into amino acids. The stomach is also always moving, its not constant. The stomach lining also has a very thick layer of mucous. If you are in the stomach of a predator you will be subjected to this - and the enzyme pepsinogen smells awful. There will likely be other food in there as well. The stomach holds food, mainly, but at this point as others have stated, since it is an enclosed place there will be very limited amounts of air. I think there are a few variables to take in mind, but I doubt it will only take 10 minutes. That's a cheerful thought by people who don't want to be around to feel themselves getting digested. By the way, don't touch the pepsin enzyme. I did a lab in biology, we had to wear gloves, if it touches your skin for a short time its extremely dangerous, since your skin is composed of water, protein and fat, it is subject to pepsin.
The small intestine, if you ever live long enough to get there, probably wont be able to digest you as its designed to digest the protein chunks your stomach turns the food into, and digests everything into carbohydrates, sugar, and fats. If you make it into the small intestine, you'll have to deal with bile that is sent from the gall bladder.
If you do survive a stomach, it'd have to be if you are a very skilled mage. Its likely only possible through that function, or through advanced technology of some kind. However, stomachs are rarely empty. If they are, it'd be growling and starving. Your stomach tells you to eat long before it gets to that point, so you'll be in the stomach with food in there as well.
So yeah. A bit more realistic explanation of the stomach, and we hand waive portions of this, but its why the stomach is considered a fatal place here in Felarya. Barring extreme circumstances of course.
Well that takes the romance out of it doesn't it? This is why Felarya is shown in a cartoon and amusing context in comics and stories perhaps?
Mr. I Marauder of the deep jungle
Posts : 328 Join date : 2013-08-07 Location : Chiilin' on Possios' web
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Fri Jun 02, 2017 3:57 am
I've seen this topic come up in the past before, and yeah, seems pretty much like the same response. Lack of air, exposure to enzymes, and the whole area being sorta demystified. The stomach is definitely a romantic part of the community, but sadly the romance and science doesn't go as hand-in-hand as a lot of people think it does.
DarkOne Survivor
Posts : 967 Join date : 2012-04-27 Age : 39 Location : Smart predators don't reveal their positions
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Fri Jun 02, 2017 8:55 am
Mr. I wrote:
but sadly the romance and science doesn't go as hand-in-hand as a lot of people think it does.
it's almost as if Felarya was meant to be a fantasy setting.
Archmage_Bael Mara's snack
Posts : 4158 Join date : 2009-05-05 Age : 35 Location : Shatterock Caldera
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Sun Jun 04, 2017 1:35 pm
DarkOne wrote:
Mr. I wrote:
but sadly the romance and science doesn't go as hand-in-hand as a lot of people think it does.
it's almost as if Felarya was meant to be a fantasy setting.
Really? That's new to me. I had literally no idea. Here I was treating it like real life this whole time.
Danason Tasty morsel
Posts : 6 Join date : 2017-02-20
Subject: Re: Stomach Survival Mon Jun 05, 2017 4:14 pm
Depends who swallows you I guess. Some predators have stronger stomach acids or faster metabolisims than others. I don't worry about it.
But for fun- a fairy or neko would burn you away faster than a slug girl or mermaid, (who may drown you.)
And then there is Katrika who can delay her digestion and provide air. Could take days if she were so inclined.