So, I work on a farm and with that comes plenty of interesting (and sad) things. One of these things is real life mutations/birth defects [for instance I have seen a two headed kid, and Gastroschisis (Do not look up images - it is when the intestines are on the outside of the body) which I have seen suggested]. Instances as extreme as those are incredibly hard to witness, but also insanely rare. There are many, many, smaller things that can happen that don’t look as bad, or aren’t even visible, but are more common and still have dire consequences.

I have come with one of these issues: the art ideas for it is not as graphic as some other lethals, but I feel that the realness of it, in a way, makes it all the more terrifying. I watched a seemingly perfectly healthy goat kid deteriorate in a matter of days with no clue what could have possibly happened until after he was gone, and his body was examined. This, to me, is one of the most horrifying conditions imaginable, and now I’ve come to share it with you all :)

Twisted Gut (aka, Volvulus caused by Malrotation):

Just as it sounds, malrotation is a condition In Which the gastrointestinal track does not fully rotate as it should while the fetus developing. While this itself is not fatal, it can lead to volvulus, which is where the intestine twists in a way that cuts off the blood supply. The results in humans are not always fatal because of surgical intervention, however in animals it is incredibly hard to detect, and by the time it shows it is often too late. An animal can appear healthy one day, start deteriorating the next, and be dead the third.

For this as a lethal mutation in Lioden, I am going to base the art ideas and splash text off of that goat I mentioned that died to this. I can’t find examples of it occurring in lions, however it has been noted to occur in captive animals, and in multiple cetations.

(Here’s a study done on a group of 18 cetations, both wild and captive. WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS AN IMAGE OF INTESTINES ON THE FOURTH PAGE - https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0300985812465327 )

Here are some (non-graphic) articles about the condition:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441836/

https://iffgd.org/gi-disorders/other-disorders/volvulus/

https://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions/volvulus

So, here’s how I imagine in portrayed within Lioden (it will not be as obvious as some other lethal mutations):

Artwork:
The cub is portrayed as standing. Its legs are all at a wide stance. The ears of the cub are pinned back, and its eyes look foggy. Its mouth is opened in a panting position. The cub’s stomach is bloated, but only towards the rear underbelly. The cub’s ribs can be seen through its pelt. (Twisted gut causes major gas build up and discomfort. The cub will not have eaten for some time.)


Flavor text:
0 Months - At it’s birth, Cub doesn’t seem different than other cubs born to the pride, but as the days pass and Cub refuses to eat, it’s abundantly clear that something is wrong under the surface.

1 Month - With how little it eats, you would think Cub would be far skinnier than its peers. However, it’s belly seems to protrude far more than the norm… Still, the Cub is active and playful.

2 Months - Cub doesn’t run or play with the cubs around it anymore. Instead, it watches blankly from the sides, body too stiff and bloated to keep up. When you’re close you can feel the heat radiating off the tiny cub.

3 Months - Cub hasn’t had a bowel movement in weeks. Even if it could, the poor thing has no food left in its belly to pass.

4 Months - Cub died last night due to being lethally deformed.

(Four months was chosen because that was the age the goat was when he passed. Realistically, all these symptoms would appear within the weeks prior to death. The goat kid showed no signs until it was too late.)


So, yeah! That’s my idea for a Twisted Gut lethal mutation (although I can also imagine it being called Volvulus if we wanted to get more technical). This condition is something that has weighed on my mind for years now, and I wanted to share it with others that are looking to learn more about this category of medical happenings. Strangely, Lioden seemed like the perfect place.

I can fully understand why this mutation wouldn’t be supported: it’s no where near as physically interesting as the lethal mutations we have, but I believe it still packs a punch that could be on par with the others.

If you don’t support, that’s totally fine but I do recommend reading up about this condition with the links I’ve provided, or doing your own research. It’s an interesting and horrifying situation.

If you do support, thank you very much! I love Lioden for being a mixture of realism and fantasy, and this is as real as it gets. If it does get support I’m sure there are many, many changes to be made along the way, but I wanted to give it that first push.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day/night :)

(Apologies for typos, it’s 6am but I’m feeling dedicated lol).