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cannedpickledpeaches · 1 month

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Insert Your Name: Side Story 1

Mafia!Jade Leech x Mafia!Reader

Link to series masterlist!

Notes and TW: First side story is Jade's perspective of when they first met. This one mentions extortion. Please enjoy!

Tags: @guava-enjoyer @itszzmoon @twstsandturns @myteacupisempty @rou-luxe @chikitasmol @night-shadowblood-writes2 @haveneulalie @owodi

Jade honestly didn’t think humans were all that. Certainly, they had a fascinating physiology and diverse cultures that were completely different from his own. Their behaviours were fun to observe from a good distance away, camouflaged among the blue-green waves. But his interest was like that of a researcher studying rats in a lab.

Stupid land-dwellers, he jeered at them in his head. They wouldn’t last a second in the sea. In the deep, they’d be rent from limb to limb, outsmarted and outmaneuvered by us merfolk in every way. No matter how his interest grew, it always stemmed from a place where he considered himself superior to them.

Even when the waves tossed him onto dry sand, he considered himself superior to the group of human boys that gathered in curiosity. So what if he couldn’t move? That was only because he didn’t have legs. If he had legs—no. Better yet, if they were all in the sea, he’d be the one laughing. He’d make them all beg.

When that human child came and chased them all away, he looked at you in contempt. So what if you made those human boys cry and bleed? So could he. If only they were in reach. You probably felt that he was indebted to you for that. As if! How could he be indebted to a human for doing something he was perfectly capable of accomplishing himself? You were just an inferior human. If he dragged you beneath the waves, even you’d fall under his claws and razor-sharp teeth. Or you’d asphyxiate in a slow stream of bubbles. Or you’d crumble up like the soda cans he’s seen littered on the beach under the weight of tonnes of water.

Bottom line was: he didn’t owe a weak, inferior human like you anything.

Despite that, he thanked you. Politeness was a mask and being underestimated was his armour. He only needed your help to return to the sea, and then he’d once again be superior to you in every single way.

But what was this? You had the arrogance to demand money from him. This was not a uniquely human trait—he’d seen merfolk pander to his parents as well—but the way you said those words utterly infuriated him. A measly human child looking down at him, physically and metaphorically, with indifferent eyes. He wouldn’t accept it.

Just as he made an excuse to refuse your demand, you snatched something from him. The sturgeon scales. The ones he won with his brother. Something like that—a physical representation of his bond with Floyd—the reward he gained from fighting alongside his twin—the symbol of good luck under the sea—

How dare you steal that from him.

“Give that back. You will regret it if you do not.”

He vaguely registered his claws digging into the sand, his teeth baring in the way he knew would intimidate the fish and merchildren back in the deep. If it could scare sea-dwellers, a human would cower at the sight. They don’t even have sharp spines to defend themselves.

Still, your eyes remained indifferent. As if he was barely even on your radar. Him! Jade Leech, known for his unsettling schemes and fearsome fighting skills! Future heir to the Leech Mafia! Clearly, you had no idea who he was on top of being an idiot. If you knew and had a modicum of sense, you would’ve been shaking in your shoes.

“What is this?”

You didn’t even know what sturgeon scales were. What a fool indeed. Anger surged through his body. But he didn’t throw a tantrum. That was Floyd’s way of expressing anger, and he isn’t Floyd. He’s Jade Leech, and Jade Leech hides behind a mask of politeness until the day he enacts revenge. Besides, he still needed your help getting back in the water.

Despite his praiseworthy restraint, you extorted him. You didn’t know your place. He decided, then. Without a shadow of a doubt, he’d make sure to ruin you.

His luck couldn’t be any worse. Floyd saw the whole thing transpire and teased him all the way home. He was already irritable, and now he had to put up with being mocked by his own mirror image. It was fine. He could bear it. His top priority wasn’t Floyd’s taunts, but rather what he’d tell his parents. One hundred thaumarks was hardly anything to bat an eye at for his family. For a middle-schooler, though, it was quite the sum. He’d need to fabricate an innocent, plausible story that would convince his parents to at least lend him the money—

“Mama! You wouldn’t believe what happened today. Jade got extorted by some human runt. Wasn’t even as tall as our tails are long!”

Floyd and his big mouth. Jade glared daggers as his twin cheerfully regaled their mother with the riveting tale of his blunder. He had to salvage this situation somehow.

“Hm, what are you talking about?” He consciously relaxed his shoulders and fixed his face into a pleasant smile. “There’s no need to lie to our mother. The two of us didn’t see a single human today—”

“Oooh, you’re embarrassed!” Floyd swam circles above his head. “Hah, look atcha pretendin’ nothin’ happened!”

In the end, he couldn’t fool his mother. He wasn’t sure how she’d react. Would she scold him? He was the victim in this situation. Following that logic, his mother should’ve been on his side and punished that human, right?

She did neither. Instead, she smiled and patted his hair.

“Jade, my sweet. We all get careless sometimes, and these things happen. It isn’t your fault.” Gentle eyes, smile as sweet as honey. For a split second, he thought she’d take care of it for him. He should’ve known better. “But it’s your responsibility to fix it for slipping up in the first place. Give it your best.”

She had no intention of helping him. His father would not step in, either. That was the way their household operated—losses of any kind were handled by the person who caused the loss, regardless of reasons or circumstances. Though young, he was not exempt from those rules. His parents spoiled him and Floyd, but there were certain areas where they were strict and refused to budge. He would have to learn to solve his own problems. Under the sea, waiting for help was not always an option—his parents made sure to make that clear to him.

Even so, Jade wasn’t worried. He had no shortage of blackmail against his peers. You weren’t the only person who knew how extortion worked. By that very evening, he had already collected the required amount. The only assistance he got from his parents was when he handed his father a bag full of coins and received a hundred-thaumark bill in return. As he anchored himself by twisting his tail around the leg of his father’s desk, he watched his father count the loose change and wondered how he’d make you cry. It would have to be a long operation. He’d first have to gain your trust, build it up for ages, then shatter it when you were as close as possible . . . .

“Good effort, Jade.” Mr. Leech patted his head and put the change away. “Passing marks for your quick solution.”

He blinked. “Only passing?”

“Yes. Why do you think that is?”

So his solution wasn’t perfect. He mulled it over, frowning into his hand. The goal was to accrue one hundred thaumarks, and he hit that goal without much trouble. What more was there to consider? Perhaps the issue was that he created a sense of animosity and resentment against him, which jeopardized his usual attempts at staying unnoticed. But that was easily solved by instilling fear into the ones he extorted. Besides, he didn’t mind if a few people hated him.

“I can’t think of a reason.”

“That’s alright. You’re still young, after all. I’ll tell you.” Mr. Leech’s eyes curved into a smile. “The problem with your method is that it isn’t sustainable.”

Those words bothered him all through the night until the next day, when he returned to that shore to meet you. Floyd tagged along, chattering away, but Jade only answered with absent hums and affirmations. Why would his method need to be sustainable? This was a one-time payment. Going forward, he’d someday put you in his debt. He didn’t have any intention of giving you anymore money, even if he’d earn it back.

That was, until he hoisted himself up on the rocks on the beach and the money exchanged hands. He wonders to this day if you remember the way you looked when you crouched by the shore. You must have tumbled into a bush or gotten into another fight, one that you’d long forgotten. Your socks had picked up burs, your sweater scuffed, a branch sticking out of a hole in the shoulder. Even surrounded by the early spring snow, the broken branch sported fresh budding leaves. The glimpse into foliage beyond what he could see from his usual haunt in the waves captivated him.

You stared at the bill in your hand and mumbled something about needing more money for your mother’s medication. At that moment, he understood why his father emphasized sustainability. He boldly suggested that he’d pay you to bring him interesting souvenirs from land. For that, he’d need a steady source of income. He’d think about that later. His ultimate goal for all this was to make you cry, after all, and get some fun items from land as a bonus.

What he didn’t expect was to grow so fond of you that he’d no longer mind being in your debt forever.

#twisted wonderland #disney twst #jade leech #twst jade #twst x reader #twst fanfic #jade leech x reader #mafia au

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styllwaters · 1 year

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Very simple Sea Crawler evolution chart!

Explanation of their history under the cut ;]

Crawlers began as very simple organisms that bear some slight resemblance to Earth's bristle worms. They were purely aquatic and lived within ‘disks’ - enormous structures of colonial organisms very similar to coral. They provided the worms with shelter, and the worms defended their homes from invaders in return.

The early crawlers would go on to evolve alongside the disks as part of their symbiotic relationship. The disks required sunlight in order for the algae, which also lived inside them, to perform photosynthesis. Disks would often merge with others of their kind to form even bigger structures, and compete with each other for light. Eventually their height breached the ocean's surface, and large swaths of ‘land’ were formed from their wide area. The crawlers could walk on the flat canopies of the disks, developing an amphibious lifestyle as their fins became legs. At this stage, some populations migrated to the shorelines, evolving into a shore-dwelling subspecies. These varieties became more lean and agile to travel easier on land, dug burrows into sand instead of disks, and excavated caves. Their colouration also became duller in order to camouflage better.

Meanwhile, the remaining marine colonies grew exponentially with reefs spanning for hundreds of kilometres. This led to bigger competition and bigger predators; in response, the crawlers evolved to be more larger and smarter. They used their mouths to create tools to defend their homes and capture prey. When predators attacked the exposed surface of the disks, they would work together to fight them off, becoming more social and strategic.

Eventually, as their intelligence grew, the crawlers dominated the reefs. They would alter their disks and shape them into complex dwellings, which became cities. Different reef communities would form alliances, trade resources and share knowledge. They would reunite with the shore-dwellers. Some went to war. Technology advanced, nations spread beyond the reefs, conquered the land and sea, and voila, Qhuava's one and only sapient species.

#first big post in a while!!#speculative biology #speculative evolution #sea crawlers #spec bio #spec evo #aliens #speculative zoology #sophonts #original species #my art #art #now that i have this out of the way i can focus on their technology and cities #vivere 44 #v44 #worldbuilding #xenobiology

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valve3nthusiast · 5 months

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Octomer Ratchet is so good. I can imagine any chromatophores he might have going wild while pursuing Drift, if he has any natural camouflage abilities.

Perhaps he plays a game with Drift, hiding among coral and rock formations in order to "sneak up" on him, his usual brights reds and whites distorting to match their environment-- Maybe arousal causes some colour changing as well?

IDK I just really like the idea of Ratchet changing colour (or at least hues) like a mood ring lmao maybe it even frustrates him a bit, like oh no my fucking chromatophores are going to give away this huge crush I have -- he might try to hide in corals or swirl up a bunch of sand with his tentacles initially

If Drift is a land dweller, then maybe they figure out Ratchet is interested in him by studying how Ratch's colours change, and what patterns/colours only appear when Drift is around...

...and maybe Ratchet's attempts at hiding/playing hide and seek (lol) are mistaken for aggression at first, because they don't know why he's doing it

and then they guess it's some kind of broody behaviour, like maybe he's trying to defend a nest or egg clutch that he doesn't really have?? Because Ratchet's grumpy but not usually aggressive and it's weird behaviour from him as far as they're aware. So then he gets a little pity from the facility staff but it's hilarious because he does want to Do It but all the guessing isn't quite right. Like yes it's about Doin It and Eventual Eggs but not in the way they think. Communication Issues lol

"stop giving me extra companion fish out of pity and just give me Drift, do you not see my cream and burgundy-red colouring, is this somehow not clear enough? Oh god here he comes, sand sand sand I need more sand why is this coral so small" no it is not clear to them, Ratchet. lmaooo

Anyway this is earthstellar but Tumblr will only let me send asks from my main blog and not my TF blog lol so ayyy just wanted to say, loving this mer AU situation 🐙💖

This is such a good concept,,, besotted Ratchet accidentally telling on himself with his own colors is genius. Also blushy Ratchet is adorable <3

Hmm a really clear concept just came to me... Security guard Drift at the marine research facility, Ratchet is the only mer there who constantly avoids him, so he just disappointedly assumes he gives Ratchet bad vibes

One night when he's on a skeleton shift, he passes by Ratchet's tank and suddenly notices that something is fucked up with the filtration pumps (or whatever I don't know how aquariums work)

He immediately makes an emergency call to the aquarium techs who are at home. They tell him to get Ratchet moved till someone arrives to fix it. So he's hesitantly going up to the tank like, "hey buddy I know you dont like me, but I gotta pull you out of here for a bit, it's not safe" Ratchet quickly pulls himself right into Drifts arms... and now he's carrying a big squirming octomer. Drift's pretty surprised, but he brushes it off as Ratchet wanting out of his tank

When Drift finally gets to the temporary tank he expects Ratchet to jump from his arms and signal for him to basically fuck off... instead, he goes to put Ratchet down, only to get pulled into the tank with him. Now he's sitting in chest high water, pinned by a heavy wiggling octomer in his lap

For Ratchet, life is good 😎👍

Drift, meanwhile, is mentally repeating "don't get hard" like a mantra, while a purring Ratchet's tentacles caress every inch of his plating. Since it was the middle of the night, they have to wait a good bit for someone who can fix the pumps to get there and make Ratchet's tank safe again...

Maybe, as the hours go on, Ratchet gets a bit friskier... or maybe he just leaves it at intimate exploration, because he's too busy watching Drift whimper and twitch underneath his tentacles <3

#sorry this strayed a bit from your ask but the concept gripped me and would not let go #valveplug #mine #dratchet #drift #ratchet #merformers #3nthusiasts inbox

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riveracheron · 1 year

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fine. here it is. nytw loredump go.

there are no gods and there is no magic. nytw is not a timeloop like the other shows are thought of. it’s one and done.

there are godlike powerful people, but they can definitely die.

many scared workers and angry surface-dwellers call hades and persephone gods because of their power and influence on the broken world.

hermes + the fates are called gods not because they’re powerful- they’re quite weak, actually, in terms of influence compared to the shit hades has his hands in; they’re just. a little wild and unpredictable. their status is more of a town urban-legend kinda thing.

hermes is a drifter just like orpheus and so are the fates, though they take part time work as hades’ loose cannons of rebellion busters + assassins. hard to control, but deadly and efficient. (mostly). pay isn’t great but hey, it’s work and status, and they get to travel to the surface and unwind when not working, so.

nor were there gods ever. the names are just that. names. whatever they mean in ancient greek is taken into account - eurydice was not named after the mythological figure, her name just means “true judgement” or whatever

names are in ancient languages as a way of retaining the past. in the impending apocalypse, europe was the first to sink - many people fled to the americas. the surface settlement where hadestown takes place are descended from greeks who settled down in appalachia. it’s been many generations since, and the only thing reminiscent of the old home are the names. it’s been so long that not even older people like hades can remember what it was.

a new dialect developed, too - english with a distinct, almost southern twang, no matter where in the country one lives. comes with a bunch of new terms. @roukabi has some great slang words that i love !! there’s also a few bits of greek and latin in there too.

in that vein, there isn’t many geological or biome differences across the country. the south cooled down and the north warmed up, leading to a large expanse of space that is all the same. the only slight differences come in elevation- but even then. it’s only just that the mountains are where all the mining communities are.

state borders have been abolished and so has any central government. it’s all just. nature on the land that used to be the usa. nobody can remember the united states either.

the only modicum of stability is hadestown and any kinda local leader or folk hero. but, considering the personality of the surface dwellers we know, mutual anarchy is often preferable.

people are generally kind, and if they aren’t, alcohol makes them kinder. drinking is very much a communal, cultural thing.

so is music. almost everyone knows how to play an instrument. it’s not uncommon to see large groups of vagabonds sitting on the plains with moonshine and a guitar in every hand.

because of the prevalence of metal and the success of the mining industry, jewelry is quite common and cheap and almost insignificant. even the poorest of people will often have silver or brass jewelry.

color is what’s most coveted. special presents would be woven bracelets in blue and red, or a bright green sweater. it’s intimate and personal to give someone a colorful gift.

they are often heirloom or coveted items, so giving someone a colorful thing is seen as very personal and intimate - shows you are willing to let go of something so important all for a person. these are gifts usually saved for lovers, close friends, and family.

because of how impractical bright standout pieces of clothing can be (dye is expensive, hard to camouflage in bright pink so whatever you’re hunting can see you) - wearing colorful clothing is a sign of rebellion. it means you are not giving into the system and making the choices it wants. you don’t care about the way it beats you. you are making your life harder in order to express yourself, be free, and wear something beautiful, and that is admirable to a culture that adores freedom and art above all else.

hadestown? doesn’t fly there.

some of these can fit broadway but i just thought. hey. nytw is the one In My Brain so it’s nytw. i do think the gods are magic in bway tho

#hadestown #hadestown nytw #hadestown headcanon #attie talks #attie scratches

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hplovecraftmuseum · 9 months

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It's certainly intriguing that Lovecraft chose the octopus as an inspiration for the most famed of his cosmic entities. Great Cthulhu is often interpreted as more animal than humanoid in nature. Perhaps because he was discribed as unclothed ( nudity has often been considered one of the primary elements separating humankind from animals in human history) he seems more potentially a marauding monster than intellectually gifted God/ priest. Nonetheless we might conclude that Great Cthulhu, who inhabits a mighty city now sunken at the bottom of earth's Pacific Ocean, and is able to communicate telepathically with humans while there, is a highly intelligent if dangerously oblivious to humanity in general. Although some will argue otherwise, Lovecraft never tells us exactly who or what is responsible for the entombment of the 'squid/ dragon' and the rest of his 'cosmic octopi' minions. Also surprising to some casual readers is the idea that Cthulhu and his followers are 'land creatures' and not originally ocean dwellers by nature. Today we are more aware of the extraordinary intelligence and remarkable abilities of the various types of octopus species to almost instantly change hue and texture, camouflage their body colors, alter shapes, and squeeze through the tiniest of cracks in order to pursue prey and escape predators. The NETFLIX series, MY OCTOPUS TEACHER, explored the remarkable relationship between a man and an octopus. Also of interest is the book pictured below which explores alternatives of consciousness beyond the human type. Following in the footsteps of Poe, Lovecraft's fiction was remarkable for the way it delved the depths of the human mind and the manifestations of madness in the face of unearthly realities. (Exhibit 397)

#my octopus teacher #lovecraft #great cthulhu

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scribble-dribble-writes · 1 year

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Loveless - (23)

<<<Prev Next>>>

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Word Count: 1900

Warnings: none

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Chapter 23

She wanted to be alone. So she dove into the water, never having felt feelings this viscerally before, she didn’t have the privilege or the right. Luck never seemed to be on her side, pushing her from one fight to the other. The reef welcomed her like a mother would, with the corals stretching wide as though it were out stretched arms. Colours swirled around her, a remnant of home, here she could be who she was without an excuse. Here she could cry and never have anyone see it or hear it. This was her domain, where things had a certain degree of control. Unlike life on land, that swayed and changed with the wind or sun. She thrived in brutal weather, in the eye of a storm. But for the tempest she was, her heart was begging for one soft glance from him, It felt like a crime, an unforgivable sin, to be near him. Even more so now having known his history and his situation, her yearning of any kind was pointless.

She felt the bile resurge in her stomach, disgusted with herself for wanting, for desiring and this is what you get with hoping, you turn weak and pathetic with stars in your eyes. She screamed, a gorge of bubbles escaping her mouth, water engulfing the sound. She knew life was unfair, so when anything good turned up, it was a trap, a lure to pull her in to hurt her deeply. The rejection that comes from having reached out cuts even deeper, making you remember it in the late hours of the night. She didn’t like her lion fins anymore, her chip on her shoulder now a reminder of him.

He was too soft, he could never handle someone like her. She straightened her back, her eyes resetting to their siren lids. A woman who knows her worth is the most formidable creature on this planet, he could never have a sway with her. The scales were never in her favour, the imbalance, the unfairness, she wanted to crush the world to the ground. She raised her spear, swimming around to find a barren area. She propelled herself, taking aim, beginning to swim towards a target in the distance. The tip of her spear ready to sink in, like fangs. The flames beginning to burn, the dot ahead of her holding the image of the world.

But as the target grew bigger, her mind drew pictures of him. His smile. His eyes. His kids. His home. She pulled herself to a stop, her flames dozed by the remembrance of his cool touch. She lowered her weapon, defeated. She had only heard of the stories, the invaders, the fear, the pain, all of it. She only knew of it from Namor’s retelling, from his paintings, from his point of view and it was enough to warrant growing up with a hate for something she did not witness herself. That it was easy to use and blame everything but based on her first interaction, her own emotions she experienced with having dealt with a surface dweller, someone who was from the very place she swore to destroy. She had a shift within her, she didn’t want to harbor vengeance in her heart anymore, she wanted to make room for something else. “Sister.”, she heard Namor, turning to see him swim up to her.

“You left half way through the meeting.”, he approached her. Her mannerisms very different to what it had been usually.

“Is everything ok?”, he asked entering her zone cautiously.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”, she asked evading his question. Her usual gesture, a cold shoulder. With everyone else, the coldness would keep them away but not with him. He saw her grow up, so whatever camouflage she tried to hide behind, it wouldn’t work. She swam towards an empty spot amidst the corals, her mere presence shooing away the small fish like she was a predator.

“No, it just seems like you’re angry.”, he followed her, taking a seat on a protruding rock.

She envied him, he had his purpose set and everything in life navigated in a way he wanted it to. All his deals were struck well, people were receptive to him. Unlike her, they scatter at the sight of her, like she was a monster the sea gurgled up. Her fierceness too sharp to get close, so they admire her from afar. She caught his gaze, as he tried to understand, he was reaching out. But she only knew best to attack. To bare out her teeth, spread out her fins, the ability to lash out her basic mode of survival.

“Not everyone’s like you.”, she furrowed her brows, the cold water couldn’t control the anger she felt within.

“Having it so easy.”, she looked into the abyss, the same melancholy that even he can’t understand.

“The Wakandans tolerate you, you’ve got the princess to like you”, her tongue sharp like a spear, knowing well these words we’re going to sink into his skin.

“Everything is going your way.”, she bit the inner corner of her lip. Angry, with herself, for being unable to fit in. For being remarkably different, that for someone who had a plan and loved stability. All this change was too much to comprehend.

“So I don’t expect you to understand.”, she shrugged her shoulder. As much as she could never understand his life entirely, he could never begin to understand how it had been for her. To be by his side, to hide in his shadow, for people to revel in his grandeur that in the end she will never be known. But the only difference was, she never admired his position or the power he held. She loved being by his side, but it hurt when people never looked at anything beyond him. He was the star and she was anything but. She was the darkness that held him. In all her pain, his hope shined through.

“Ah”, he nodded his head as he walked to take up the spot next to her. He sat down staring at the sunlight that filtered from above, through the soft waves.

“Yes I’m having the time of my life.”, he admitted but it didn’t hold any significant value in the way he said it. She turned to him, confused, that her accusations and brutal words were met with acceptance.

“Watching her suffer because of my actions.”, his shoulders slumped and it was when she saw through the weight he carried, so that it would not spill over to her or anyone else. Her heart ached, she and Namor were well off being alone. And yet they found themselves here, broken and vulnerable.

She sighed, regretting her phrase of words. “I’m sorry.”, she took a deep breath. She was never like this, her attacks were precise on targeted opponents, now she was a squid squirting her messy ink on everything and everyone. Her baggage from within clouding the water, making it difficult to fight through it.

“I didn’t meant it, what I said.”, she told him to which he gave her a tired smile. “I know.”, he nudged her shoulder. The fishes were back, swimming around them, the waters now calmer than what it had been.

“You know you can confide in me.”, he said softly. “You’re not alone.”, he placed his hand on her shoulder, the mere solace of a safe space, it unwound her strings.

“You already carry so much.”, she looked at him. Even if she were crying he wouldn’t know. “I don’t want you worrying about me.”, she folded her arms.

“I always worry about you, sister. Even without the mantle, even without everything else. I will always worry about you.”, he pulled her in, for her to lean her head on his shoulder.

“That’s what family is for.”, he said and she looped her arm around his.

“It’s this fight.”, she searched for words but ultimately the truth was, “I don’t know what I want anymore.”, she admitted finally.

“You must feel happy about that.”, she said chuckling dryly. But again, in the moments he could wield his superiority, he didn’t.

“No.”, he responded. His reaction much sober to his past reactions and the confusion on his face conveyed that he was in the same boat as well.

“How did we end up like this?”, she sighed to which she saw his eyes light up, looking at the beauty around them.

“My whole life, I sought to protect this.”, he waved at their surroundings.

“But I had been so engrossed in it, that I never sat to enjoy it.”, he looked away but an absent minded smile grew on his lips.

“But when I saw Talokan through her eyes, the way she sees my people and strives to protect them.”, he stopped. His gaze turning to her.

“For the first time in centuries, we have been shown goodness.”, he laughed, joy taking over his mannerisms. She smiled quizzically, although he continued to bear the same burden, now he looked free and light.

“How do you do it?”, she asked instantly, curious.

“Process your emotions.”, she thought of the agent’s gaze as he searched for her in the crowd.

“Accept the kindness”, her mind replaying his voice, beautiful. She needed to know the secret to the ease of moving on.

“How do you reciprocate it?”, she asked finally.

He turned to her, “I try to be kinder to myself.”, he raised his eyebrows trying to reiterate a point he had been making all her life. The person she was incredibly brutal with was, herself.

He turned away, his expression growing sober and hopeful. “I try to believe that I too can deserve happiness.”, he said slowly.

He let it hang amidst the bubbles and she let her heart sink with him. All the time she had pressured him for a fight, criticising him for his decisions, urging him to give more, when he was just like her, working through life. Maybe this is how she begins to understand it, to practice it, to lead with the feeling that blooms in the pit of her heart.

She clasped his shoulder. “You do, brother.”, she told him. He smiled as he tilted his head as though he remembered something.

“The war you’ve been asking for, it has found us.”, he told her. She had lived for this moment much like himself, when she would join him in battle, but her chest only tightened anxiously. The peace that she had witnessed for the past few months seemed like a precious entity to lose again.

“Yes I heard.”, she nodded.

She fidgeted with the edge of her dress, unsure on whether she could share with him, these growing feelings. He hated the colonizers. If she were to tell him, she knew he would combust in disgust and shame. She wanted a career change, she will protect Talokan but will put her incessant desire for war to rest.

"But I don’t want to destroy it anymore.", she told him to which a small smile was beginning to form on his face.

"I can’t destroy someone’s home.", She paused not telling him the truth, instead for it to linger in the silence to understand his thoughts. But whatever the scenario, she knew he will not be tolerant of it. His eyes found hers, with a sense of knowing. As through if he heard it, he would rain down the suns fury to cast her out of the sea. But when she looked at him, there was a sense of knowing.

"He is a good man.", Namor dipped his head. This wasn't now she thought it would go.

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Namor himself is a Romora shipper haha

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@mazune @lilsadb-itch

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zaynes-ocs · 11 months

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11, 19, 27, 45 for Alexander? I want to learn more about our fish boy! [@solar-ships]

Absolutely our fish boy is dearly beloved ahhshshshs thank you so much for asking!!~

Original ask game here

11. If someone was impresonating them, what could friends or family do to determine the difference?

Thats a really interesting question, and as for alexander, ironically I think it would be the fact that he would give up trying to convince you because the impersonation is too good, hes a real “wow they do me better than i do myself… i dont think i’ll succeed” and he’ll quietly mope in a corner because hes so shy and awkward he honestly might not even try, he’d just accept his fate.

19. What would they do if they were stuck in a room with a person theymve been avoiding

Ultimate camouflage. They would find a shadowy corner and turn their back towards the person and turn out his bioluminescence. Essentially the same tactic he uses to avoid predators while swimming, though unfortunately for this socially awkward fish, it doesn’t exactly work on more intelligent species.

27. Whats the worst gift they ever recieved, how did they respond?

One of the nuns at his church once gave him a rock she believed to be a geode (it was just a regular rock) but of course his mother raised him with manners, so he thanked her anyways and promptly hid the rock and came back with an actual geode he found and thanked her for the gift. She doesnt know the truth.

45. Whats something unimportant/frivolous they hate passionately?

I dont think theres anything like that that alexander truly hates per-se, but he very much dislikes the fact that on land inns dont have rooms and pathways specialized for sea-folk. He cannot fathom that in a realm of magic, the people on land dont have more ramps and underwater sleeping quarters. Stairs and laddders have been his nemesis since day 1 on the surface, and he refuses to let them win. He’d much rather sleep in the water than the odd pile of cotton that land dwellers call “beds”

#ocs #my ocs #dnd ocs #Alexander #dnd #oc ask game #ask game answers #thank you for asking!!!#okay yeah that last one #stairs. he hates stairs #to be fair hes not used to walking and uses his staff oretty heavily #having a thick tail for swimming isnt much help either

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stargummiez · 2 years

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Ramone turned rougue away from his home city in the jungle. He decided it'd be best for him after an incident occurs which left his father with lacerations across his face and arm. Ramone has been helping a Ocenox (a water dragon of sorts) knowing full well Veverdes (his kind) don't get along too good. Ramone doesn't let the bias of his clan make decisions tho and takes Maria , an Ocenox, in while she is on the run. Ramones father discovers this and runs away from his father, Terde, but not before kicking some ass snd taking off

Ocenox can't fly very well and mostly depend on mud or loose rocks/gravel to slide around on land at great speed

Thankfully living in the rainforest wet grass and muddy slopes work perfectly for a slippery ride that gets them away fast enough and into safety

Veverdes are meant for the jungle envioment being nimble and excellent flyers and great at camouflage but work better in larger numbers since they are the smallest kind

Ramones kind does not have upper arms and uses their tail and wings to hold themselves up. Thus us because similar to Ocenox they thrash their pray around, but whereas Ocenox do it polar pear pr sea lion style Ververdes do it crocodillian like by locking in to your limbs with the hole in their south and thrashing around til it rips off

The other kind I have thoight of a name for, but all in all they are desert dwellers and can only glide as their scales are so thick they are not very arodynamic and quite heavy. They have barbed cactus like tails and venom in their teeth(only females).

The final kind is a recent addition they dont have a name either, but they live underground and are completely blind. However, they possess extremely gifted sensory abilities and tunnels their way through the ground. Some of the best trappers since they can make the ground around you sink or caves in by tunneling around it. Needless to say if that happens and you can't fly you're as good as done for

I'm also working in variations of the four. Like Vervedes who live in oak forests, oceanox who live in warm rivers and lakes, deserts who roam great tundra, and crawler ground ones who live and climb mountains using their tails to tap against the side of a mountain to tell how structurally sound it is

#oc lore #my ocs art #oc stuff

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howuart · 2 years

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oh no I was thinking what if lloyd has a fear response when startled by the ninja? like kai with the staff of elements tried to kill him, Zane's tried to kill him. who else? that's off the top of my head.

so like he has a fear of like everything around him he just doesn't want to show/tell anyone about it.

#lloyd montgomery garmadon #lloyd #lloyd garmadon #ninjago lloyd #headcanon #ninjago #ice emperor zane #ice emperor #zane #zane julien #evil zane #evil kai #kai #kai smith #kai jiang #fruit ninja #camouflaged land dwellers

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almostaccurateninjagoquotes · 2 years

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Wu: WHY IS THE MONASTERY ON FIRE?

Kai: A dragon sneezed.

Cole: I tried to light a cigar with a flame thrower.

Jay: Dropped my latest mix tape.

Wu: Zane, please tell me what happened.

Zane: Um. [flashback to Cole and Jay arguing with Kai that it was impossible to light a fire extinguisher on fire]

Zane: I don’t remember.

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homebrew-and-heroism · 2 years

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Vespyr

“From the mouth of the cavern, one may have expected some angry bear, or a troll or giant of some kind enraged that our party had found its lair. Instead, there came the flapping of leathery wings, louder than any natural creature but far softer than those of a dragon or demon. As we raised our weapons, the flapping ceased, and a strange, furred creature alit upon the stone before us.

She was small, hunched over from the weight of the years on her back, but her blank eyes seemed to glint with excitement as her large ears flicked in our direction. A smile broke her broad face, showing off glinting fangs, and she spread her winged arms welcomingly.“

—Aban’zi, ‘The Caverns Below Karthe’

While many think of the Underdark as the only expansive spread of caves home to underground-dwelling races, the land of Karthe has its own network of ancient, abandoned mines and naturally-formed tunnels and caverns. This area is known as the Below, and many strange folk inhabit its recesses. The ones most commonly encountered, however, are those who emerge from the Below to hunt upon the surface.

The vespyrs are exactly that. Dwelling in dark caverns near the surface, they are the ones who venture out to gather anything they need upon the surface each night. They are humanoid, with black and grey skin, and have short brown or black fur covering much of their body, besides their hands, feet, and face. They have large ears and great, leathery wings that connect to their torso under their arms, from their wrists to their waists.

The vespyrs may have existed under Karthe for millenia, but their existence became commonly known near the end of the First Era, and their full integration into surface society only came about after the Second Era began.

Above and Below

Vespyrs have large wings with which to travel the skies of the surface, and keen ears so sensitive, they can use echolocation to track even the best-camouflaged prey. In addition, their favourite foods are found on the surface, from sweet fruits to delicious animals.

Vespyr society was quick to take advantage of their ability to thrive on the surface, and will often hunt or scavenge more than they need in order to trade with the other inhabitants of the Below. Some more greedy vespyrs will even descend on caravans in the night, spiriting away whatever supplies and trinkets they can get away with to trade with their eager customers.

Blood and Nectar

Vespyrs have a large variety of unique traits between colonies, but their diets are easily the most defining difference. While they are similar enough that they are technically omnivorous, most vespyrs have evolved to require nutrients from mostly herbivorous diets or carnivorous diets, and have taken to being called the nectyr vespyrs or hyma vespyrs, respectively.

In greener areas of Karthe, the nectyr vespyrs make their homes, enjoying a mostly plant-based diet. Any meal that does not include some type of berry as a main course is considered incomplete, and colonies will often set up an area with the express purpose of collecting the juices of berries to turn into drinks and quick snacks.

Where the fauna of the land is more appealing, the hyma vespyrs are eager to settle in. Blood is rich with the nutrients they need, but they see no need to waste the meat of their prey as well, bringing it home to snack on. They prefer rare meats, and if an outsider is treated to their cuisine, they may find that blood stew isn’t named such because of the colour alone.

Traders of the Caverns

When the surface dwellers sought community with them, the vespyrs once again demonstrated their opportunistic nature by providing the same services to their newest customers. As such, it is hard to tell if the vespyrs have any exports of their own, or if their entire economy is purely based on trading things for more value than they spent to acquire them.

Despite their shrewd business practices, vespyr traders are among the most trustworthy out there. If you feel that one had swindled you, then you usually have only yourself to blame. Nothing excites them more than someone willing to haggle, and so they will often set their prices loftily, but by and large they will never make false claims about their products, nor will they insist on an exorbitant price. If you can manage to track the same trader down, they will give you a full refund if you are not satisfied with the trade, but they are more than confident that their products are worth exactly what you were willing to spend on it.

Vespyr Names

One thing that vespyr society can hold as purely their own is their history. They are extremely proud of their family history, and parents will often name their children after renowned ancestors. Unfortunately, this does sometimes result in a line of vespyrs being named the same name as their parents, either inherited from the same ancestor or inherited from the sheer amount of ancestors that shared that name. As such, they differentiate themselves with the name of their colony, as well as incorporating their area of expertise into their identity.

Masculine Names: Alcard, Claude, Drach, Ferdinand, Louis, Vlane

Feminine Names: Ambrose, Arthene, Clauine, Drinne, Victra, Yvonne

Colony Names: Coal-dust, Gem-eyes, Sharp-talon, Blood-touched, Root-perch

Defining Names: of Harvests, the Miner, the Haggler, who Swoops in the Night, giving Magic, Dwarf-friend, with Swift Sword, the Warrior

Vespyr Traits

The unique living situations of vespyrs grant them an array of unique traits and abilities to give them an edge, both in the Below and on the Surface.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma and Wisdom scores each increase by 1.

Age. Vespyrs mature at a slightly faster rate than humans, being considered adults by the age of 15. Nectyr vespyrs will often live to the age of 100, whereas hyma vespyrs will usually only make it to 90.

Alignment. Vespyr society is built upon the honour system, and those that stray from it often find their communal ties strained at best. As such, they tend towards lawful alignments, but put little stock in ones’ morality so long as they follow the rules.

Size. Vespyrs stand about level with dwarves, if slightly taller on average. In contrast, however, they usually weigh 70-80 pounds. Your size is medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Flight. You have a flying speed of 40 feet. If you are wearing medium armour, this speed decreases to 30, and if you are wearing heavy armour, it decreases to 25. In addition, while flying, you cannot make complex hand movements, such as attacks or somatic elements for spells, and you cannot benefit from a shield.

Darkvision. You have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Echolocation. You have blindsight up to 60 feet, and can extend this to 100 feet as an action. This effect does not go through solid material. You cannot use this trait while you are Deafened.

Fine-tuned ears. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing. However, due to your overly sensitive hearing, you are vulnerable to thunder damage.

Market Tactics. You have proficiency with your choice of the Persuasion or Insight skills.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Undercommon, and one standard language of your choice. In addition, you can communicate simple messages to other vespyr using a series of ultrasonic squeaks and clicks.

Subrace. Two main subraces of vespyr populate the Below: Nectyr vespyrs and hyma vespyrs. Choose one of these subraces.

Nectyr

The nectyr vespyrs enjoy a diet of mostly fruits, and spend most of their time on the surface scavenging, rather than hunting. As such, they have a few unique traits to allow them to better forage in the forests.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Scavenger. You gain proficiency with the Investigation and Survival skills.

Fangs. Your fanged bite is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Hyma

The hyma vespyrs prefer blood, but enjoy rare meats as well. Far more territorial and physical than nectyr vespyrs, they possess abilities that give them a slight edge against their foes and their prey.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Frightful Shriek. As an action, you can emit a piercing shriek to stun your enemies. Choose a target that can hear you within 30 feet of you. That target must make a Constitution saving throw equal to 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Constitution modifier or be stunned until the end of its next turn.

Once you’ve used this trait, you cannot use it again until you have finished a long rest.

Fangs. Your fanged bite is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

#d&d homebrew #d&d #d&d 5e #d&d 5e homebrew #dungeons and dragons #homebrew #jadeclyff #d&d homebrew races #d&d races #bats #vespyr

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squid-slenderman · 1 month

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I am Squid. He/they/it. 13'10", thanks for asking. Magic anons are fine. I came from the ocean. And that is my home.

I eat meat. I prefer seafood. But I certainly don't mind a good steak.

Collect my fish. (I'm hungry.) Also, collect all this darn trash. You land dwellers made it, not me. And it's not quite fair for me to have to deal with it.

A squid (pl.: squid) is a mollusc with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting these criteria. Like all other cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, and a mantle. They are mainly soft-bodied, like octopuses, but have a small internal skeleton in the form of a rod-like gladius or pen, made of chitin.

Squid diverged from other cephalopods during the Jurassic and occupy a similar role to teleost fish as open water predators of similar size and behaviour. They play an important role in the open water food web. The two long tentacles are used to grab prey and the eight arms to hold and control it. The beak then cuts the food into suitable size chunks for swallowing. Squid are rapid swimmers, moving by jet propulsion, and largely locate their prey by sight. They are among the most intelligent of invertebrates, with groups of Humboldt squid having been observed hunting cooperatively. They are preyed on by sharks, other fish, sea birds, seals and cetaceans, particularly sperm whales.

Squid can change colour for camouflage and signalling. Some species are bioluminescent, using their light for counter-illumination camouflage, while many species can eject a cloud of ink to distract predators.

Squid are used for human consumption with commercial fisheries in Japan, the Mediterranean, the southwestern Atlantic, the eastern Pacific and elsewhere. They are used in cuisines around the world, often known as "calamari". Squid have featured in literature since classical times, especially in tales of giant squid and sea monsters.

Squid are members of the class Cephalopoda, subclass Coleoidea. The squid orders Myopsida and Oegopsida are in the superorder Decapodiformes (from the Greek for "ten-legged"). Two other orders of decapodiform cephalopods are also called squid, although they are taxonomically distinct from squids and differ recognizably in their gross anatomical features. They are the bobtail squid of order Sepiolida and the ram's horn squid of the monotypic order Spirulida. The vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), however, is more closely related to the octopus than to any squid.[2]

The cladogram, not fully resolved, is based on Sanchez et al., 2018.[2] Their molecular phylogeny used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA marker sequences; they comment that a robust phylogeny "has proven very challenging to obtain". If it is accepted that Sepiidae cuttlefish are a kind of squid, then the squids, excluding the vampire squid, form a clade as illustrated.[2] Orders are shown in boldface; all the families not included in those orders are in the paraphyletic order "Oegopsida", except Sepiadariidae and Sepiidae that are in the paraphyletic order "Sepiida",

Crown coleoids (the common ancestor of octopuses and squid) diverged in the late Paleozoic (Mississippian), according to fossils of Syllipsimopodi, an early relative of vampire squids and octopuses.[3] True squid diverged during the Jurassic, but many squid families appeared in or after the Cretaceous.[4] Both the coleoids and the teleost fish were involved in much adaptive radiation at this time, and the two modern groups resemble each other in size, ecology, habitat, morphology and behaviour, however some fish moved into fresh water while the coleoids remained in marine environments.[5]

The ancestral coleoid was probably nautiloid-like with a strait septate shell that became immersed in the mantle and was used for buoyancy control. Four lines diverged from this, Spirulida (with one living member), the cuttlefishes, the squids and the octopuses. Squid have differentiated from the ancestral mollusc such that the body plan has been condensed antero-posteriorly and extended dorso-ventrally. What may have been the foot of the ancestor is modified into a complex set of appendages around the mouth. The sense organs are highly developed and include advanced eyes similar to those of vertebrates.[5]

The ancestral shell has been lost, with only an internal gladius, or pen, remaining. The pen, made of a chitin-like material,[5][6] is a feather-shaped internal structure that supports the squid's mantle and serves as a site for muscle attachment. The cuttlebone or sepion of the Sepiidae is calcareous and appears to have evolved afresh in the Tertiary.[7]

Squid are soft-bodied molluscs whose forms evolved to adopt an active predatory lifestyle. The head and foot of the squid are at one end of a long body, and this end is functionally anterior, leading the animal as it moves through the water. A set of eight arms and two distinctive tentacles surround the mouth; each appendage takes the form of a muscular hydrostat and is flexible and prehensile, usually bearing disc-like suckers.[5]

The suckers may lie directly on the arm or be stalked. Their rims are stiffened with chitin and may contain minute toothlike denticles. These features, as well as strong musculature, and a small ganglion beneath each sucker to allow individual control, provide a very powerful adhesion to grip prey. Hooks are present on the arms and tentacles in some species, but their function is unclear.[8] The two tentacles are much longer than the arms and are retractile. Suckers are limited to the spatulate tip of the tentacle, known as the manus.[5]

In the mature male, the outer half of one of the left arms is hectocotylised – and ends in a copulatory pad rather than suckers. This is used for depositing a spermatophore inside the mantle cavity of a female. A ventral part of the foot has been converted into a funnel through which water exits the mantle cavity.[5]

The main body mass is enclosed in the mantle, which has a swimming fin along each side. These fins are not the main source of locomotion in most species. The mantle wall is heavily muscled and internal. The visceral mass, which is covered by a thin, membranous epidermis, forms a cone-shaped posterior region known as the "visceral hump". The mollusc shell is reduced to an internal, longitudinal chitinous "pen" in the functionally dorsal part of the animal; the pen acts to stiffen the squid and provides attachments for muscles.[5]

On the functionally ventral part of the body is an opening to the mantle cavity, which contains the gills (ctenidia) and openings from the excretory, digestive and reproductive systems. An inhalant siphon behind the funnel draws water into the mantle cavity via a valve. The squid uses the funnel for locomotion via precise jet propulsion.[9] In this form of locomotion, water is sucked into the mantle cavity and expelled out of the funnel in a fast, strong jet. The direction of travel is varied by the orientation of the funnel.[5] Squid are strong swimmers and certain species can "fly" for short distances out of the water.[10]

Squid make use of different kinds of camouflage, namely active camouflage for background matching (in shallow water) and counter-illumination. This helps to protect them from their predators and allows them to approach their prey.[11][12]

The skin is covered in controllable chromatophores of different colours, enabling the squid to match its coloration to its surroundings.[11][13] The play of colours may in addition distract prey from the squid's approaching tentacles.[14] The skin also contains light reflectors called iridophores and leucophores that, when activated, in milliseconds create changeable skin patterns of polarized light.[15][16] Such skin camouflage may serve various functions, such as communication with nearby squid, prey detection, navigation, and orientation during hunting or seeking shelter.[15] Neural control of the iridophores enabling rapid changes in skin iridescence appears to be regulated by a cholinergic process affecting reflectin proteins.[16]

Some mesopelagic squid such as the firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans) and the midwater squid (Abralia veranyi) use counter-illumination camouflage, generating light to match the downwelling light from the ocean surface.[12][17][18] This creates the effect of countershading, making the underside lighter than the upperside.[12]

Counter-illumination is also used by the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes), which has symbiotic bacteria (Aliivibrio fischeri) that produce light to help the squid avoid nocturnal predators.[19] This light shines through the squid's skin on its underside and is generated by a large and complex two-lobed light organ inside the squid's mantle cavity. From there, it escapes downwards, some of it travelling directly, some coming off a reflector at the top of the organ (dorsal side). Below there is a kind of iris, which has branches (diverticula) of its ink sac, with a lens below that; both the reflector and lens are derived from mesoderm. The squid controls light production by changing the shape of its iris or adjusting the strength of yellow filters on its underside, which presumably change the balance of wavelengths emitted.[17] Light production shows a correlation with intensity of down-welling light, but it is about one third as bright; the squid can track repeated changes in brightness. Because the Hawaiian bobtail squid hides in sand during the day to avoid predators, it does not use counter-illumination during daylight hours.[17]

Squid distract attacking predators by ejecting a cloud of ink, giving themselves an opportunity to escape.[20][21] The ink gland and its associated ink sac empties into the rectum close to the anus, allowing the squid to rapidly discharge black ink into the mantle cavity and surrounding water.[8] The ink is a suspension of melanin particles and quickly disperses to form a dark cloud that obscures the escape manoeuvres of the squid. Predatory fish may also be deterred by the alkaloid nature of the discharge which may interfere with their chemoreceptors.[5]

Cephalopods have the most highly developed nervous systems among invertebrates. Squids have a complex brain in the form of a nerve ring encircling the oesophagus, enclosed in a cartilaginous cranium. Paired cerebral ganglia above the oesophagus receive sensory information from the eyes and statocysts, and further ganglia below control the muscles of the mouth, foot, mantle and viscera. Giant axons up to 1 mm (0.04 in) in diameter convey nerve messages with great rapidity to the circular muscles of the mantle wall, allowing a synchronous, powerful contraction and maximum speed in the jet propulsion system.[5]

The paired eyes, on either side of the head, are housed in capsules fused to the cranium. Their structure is very similar to that of a fish eye, with a globular lens that has a depth of focus from 3 cm (1.2 in) to infinity. The image is focused by changing the position of the lens, as in a camera or telescope, rather than changing the shape of the lens, as in the human eye. Squid adjust to changes in light intensity by expanding and contracting the slit-shaped pupil.[5] Deep sea squids in the family Histioteuthidae have eyes of two different types and orientation. The large left eye is tubular in shape and looks upwards, presumably searching for the silhouettes of animals higher in the water column. The normally-shaped right eye points forwards and downwards to detect prey.[22]

The statocysts are involved in maintaining balance and are analogous to the inner ear of fish. They are housed in cartilaginous capsules on either side of the cranium. They provide the squid with information on its body position in relation to gravity, its orientation, acceleration and rotation, and are able to perceive incoming vibrations. Without the statocysts, the squid cannot maintain equilibrium.[5] Squid appear to have limited hearing,[23] but the head and arms bear lines of hair-cells that are weakly sensitive to water movements and changes in pressure, and are analogous in function to the lateral line system of fish.[5]

The sexes are separate in squid, with a single gonad in the posterior part of the body. Fertilisation is external and usually takes place in the mantle cavity of the female. The male has a testis from which sperm pass into a single gonoduct where they are rolled together into a long bundle, or spermatophore. The gonoduct is elongated into a "penis" that extends into the mantle cavity and through which spermatophores are ejected. In shallow water species, the penis is short, and the spermatophore is removed from the mantle cavity by a tentacle of the male, which is specially adapted for the purpose and known as a hectocotylus, and placed inside the mantle cavity of the female during mating.[5]

The female has a large translucent ovary, situated towards the posterior of the visceral mass. From here, eggs travel along the gonocoel, where there are a pair of white nidamental glands, which lie anterior to the gills. Also present are red-spotted accessory nidamental glands containing symbiotic bacteria; both organs are associated with nutrient manufacture and forming shells for the eggs. The gonocoel enters the mantle cavity at the gonopore, and in some species, receptacles for storing spermatophores are located nearby, in the mantle wall.[5]

In shallow-water species of the continental shelf and epipelagic or mesopelagic zones, it is frequently one or both of arm pair IV of males that are modified into hectocotyli.[24] However, most deep-sea squid lack hectocotyl arms and have longer penises; Ancistrocheiridae and Cranchiinae are exceptions.[25] Giant squid of the genus Architeuthis are unusual in that they possess both a large penis and modified arm tips, although whether the latter are used for spermatophore transfer is uncertain.[25] Penis elongation has been observed in the deep-water species Onykia ingens; when erect, the penis may be as long as the mantle, head, and arms combined.[25][26] As such, deep-water squid have the greatest known penis length relative to body size of all mobile animals, second in the entire animal kingdom only to certain sessile barnacles.[25]

Like all cephalopods, squids are predators and have complex digestive systems. The mouth is equipped with a sharp, horny beak mainly made of chitin and cross-linked proteins,[27] which is used to kill and tear prey into manageable pieces. The beak is very robust, but does not contain minerals, unlike the teeth and jaws of many other organisms; the cross-linked proteins are histidine- and glycine-rich and give the beak a stiffness and hardness greater than most equivalent synthetic organic materials.[28] The stomachs of captured whales often have indigestible squid beaks inside. The mouth contains the radula, the rough tongue common to all molluscs except bivalvia, which is equipped with multiple rows of teeth.[5] In some species, toxic saliva helps to control large prey; when subdued, the food can be torn in pieces by the beak, moved to the oesophagus by the radula, and swallowed.[29]

The food bolus is moved along the gut by waves of muscular contractions (peristalsis). The long oesophagus leads to a muscular stomach roughly in the middle of the visceral mass. The digestive gland, which is equivalent to a vertebrate liver, diverticulates here, as does the pancreas, and both of these empty into the caecum, a pouch-shaped sac where most of the absorption of nutrients takes place.[5] Indigestible food can be passed directly from the stomach to the rectum where it joins the flow from the caecum and is voided through the anus into the mantle cavity.[5] Cephalopods are short-lived, and in mature squid, priority is given to reproduction;[30] the female Onychoteuthis banksii for example, sheds its feeding tentacles on reaching maturity, and becomes flaccid and weak after spawning.[31][32]

The squid mantle cavity is a seawater-filled sac containing three hearts and other organs supporting circulation, respiration, and excretion.[33] Squid have a main systemic heart that pumps blood around the body as part of the general circulatory system, and two branchial hearts. The systemic heart consists of three chambers, a lower ventricle and two upper atria, all of which can contract to propel the blood. The branchial hearts pump blood specifically to the gills for oxygenation, before returning it to the systemic heart.[33] The blood contains the copper-rich protein hemocyanin, which is used for oxygen transport at low ocean temperatures and low oxygen concentrations, and makes the oxygenated blood a deep, blue color.[33] As systemic blood returns via two vena cavae to the branchial hearts, excretion of urine, carbon dioxide, and waste solutes occurs through outpockets (called nephridial appendages) in the vena cavae walls that enable gas exchange and excretion via the mantle cavity seawater.[33]

Unlike nautiloids and cuttlefish which have gas-filled chambers inside their shells which provide buoyancy, and octopuses which live near and rest on the seabed and do not require to be buoyant, many squid have a fluid-filled receptacle, equivalent to the swim bladder of a fish, in the coelom or connective tissue. This reservoir acts as a chemical buoyancy chamber, with the heavy metallic cations typical of seawater replaced by low molecular-weight ammonium ions, a product of excretion. The small difference in density provides a small contribution to buoyancy per unit volume, so the mechanism requires a large buoyancy chamber to be effective. Since the chamber is filled with liquid, it has the advantage over a swim bladder of not changing significantly in volume with pressure. Glass squids in the family Cranchiidae for example, have an enormous transparent coelom containing ammonium ions and occupying about two-thirds the volume of the animal, allowing it to float at the required depth. About half of the 28 families of squid use this mechanism to solve their buoyancy issues.[5] The family Bathyteuthidae get their buoyancy from an oily substance found in their liver and around their mantle and head.[34]

The majority of squid are no more than 60 cm (24 in) long, although the giant squid may reach 13 m (43 ft).[35] The smallest species are probably the benthic pygmy squids Idiosepius, which grow to a mantle length of 10 to 18 mm (0.4 to 0.7 in), and have short bodies and stubby arms.[36]

In 1978, sharp, curved claws on the suction cups of squid tentacles cut up the rubber coating on the hull of the USS Stein. The size suggested the largest squid known at the time.[37]

In 2003, a large specimen of an abundant[38] but poorly understood species, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni (the colossal squid), was discovered. This species may grow to 10 m (33 ft) in length, making it the largest invertebrate.[39] In February 2007, a New Zealand fishing vessel caught the largest squid ever documented, weighing 495 kg (1,091 lb) and measuring around 10 m (33 ft) off the coast of Antarctica.[40] Dissection showed that the eyes, used to detect prey in the deep Southern Ocean, exceeded the size of footballs; these may be among the largest eyes ever to exist in the animal kingdom.[41]

The eggs of squid are large for a mollusc, containing a large amount of yolk to nourish the embryo as it develops directly, without an intervening veliger larval stage. The embryo grows as a disc of cells on top of the yolk. During the gastrulation stage, the margins of the disc grow to surround the yolk, forming a yolk sac, which eventually forms part of the animal's gut. The dorsal side of the disc grows upwards and forms the embryo, with a shell gland on its dorsal surface, gills, mantle and eyes. The arms and funnel develop as part of the foot on the ventral side of the disc. The arms later migrate upwards, coming to form a ring around the funnel and mouth. The yolk is gradually absorbed as the embryo grows. Some juvenile squid live higher in the water column than do adults. Squids tend to be short-lived; Loligo for example lives from one to three years according to species, typically dying soon after spawning.[5]

In a well-studied bioluminescent species, the Hawaiian bobtail squid, a special light organ in the squid's mantle is rapidly colonized with Aliivibrio fischeri bacteria within hours of hatching. This light-organ colonization requires this particular bacterial species for a symbiotic relationship; no colonization occurs in the absence of A. fischeri.[19] Colonization occurs in a horizontal manner, such that the hosts acquires its bacterial partners from the environment. The symbiosis is obligate for the squid, but facultative for the bacteria. Once the bacteria enter the squid, they colonize interior epithelial cells in the light organ, living in crypts with complex microvilli protrusions. The bacteria also interact with hemocytes, macrophage-like blood cells that migrate between epithelial cells, but the mechanism and function of this process is not well understood. Bioluminescence reaches its highest levels during the early evening hours and bottoms out before dawn; this occurs because at the end of each day, the contents of the squid's crypts are expelled into the surrounding environment.[42] Approximately 95% of the bacteria are voided each morning before the bacterial population builds up again by nightfall.[17]

Squid can move about in several different ways. Slow movement is achieved by a gentle undulation of the muscular lateral fins on either side of the trunk which drives the animal forward. A more common means of locomotion providing sustained movement is achieved using jetting, during which contraction of the muscular wall of the mantle cavity provides jet propulsion.[5]

Slow jetting is used for ordinary locomotion, and ventilation of the gills is achieved at the same time. The circular muscles in the mantle wall contract; this causes the inhalant valve to close, the exhalant valve to open and the mantle edge to lock tightly around the head. Water is forced out through the funnel which is pointed in the opposite direction to the required direction of travel. The inhalant phase is initiated by the relaxation of the circular muscles causes them to stretch, the connective tissue in the mantle wall recoils elastically, the mantle cavity expands causing the inhalant valve to open, the exhalant valve to close and water to flow into the cavity. This cycle of exhalation and inhalation is repeated to provide continuous locomotion.[5]

Fast jetting is an escape response. In this form of locomotion, radial muscles in the mantle wall are involved as well as circular ones, making it possible to hyper-inflate the mantle cavity with a larger volume of water than during slow jetting. On contraction, water flows out with great force, the funnel always being pointed anteriorly, and travel is backwards. During this means of locomotion, some squid exit the water in a similar way to flying fish, gliding through the air for up to 50 m (160 ft), and occasionally ending up on the decks of ships.[5]

Squid are carnivores, and, with their strong arms and suckers, can overwhelm relatively large animals efficiently. Prey is identified by sight or by touch, grabbed by the tentacles which can be shot out with great rapidity, brought back to within reach of the arms, and held by the hooks and suckers on their surface.[43] In some species, the squid's saliva contains toxins which act to subdue the prey. These are injected into its bloodstream when the prey is bitten, along with vasodilators and chemicals to stimulate the heart, and quickly circulate to all parts of its body.[5] The deep sea squid Taningia danae has been filmed releasing blinding flashes of light from large photophores on its arms to illuminate and disorientate potential prey.[44]

Although squid can catch large prey, the mouth is relatively small, and the food must be cut into pieces by the chitinous beak with its powerful muscles before being swallowed. The radula is located in the buccal cavity and has multiple rows of tiny teeth that draw the food backwards and grind it in pieces.[5] The deep sea squid Mastigoteuthis has the whole length of its whip-like tentacles covered with tiny suckers; it probably catches small organisms in the same way that flypaper traps flies. The tentacles of some bathypelagic squids bear photophores which may bring food within its reach by attracting prey.[43]

Squid are among the most intelligent invertebrates. For example, groups of Humboldt squid hunt cooperatively, spiralling up through the water at night and coordinating their vertical and horizontal movements while foraging.[45]

Courtship in squid takes place in the open water and involves the male selecting a female, the female responding, and the transfer by the male of spermatophores to the female. In many instances, the male may display to identify himself to the female and drive off any potential competitors.[46] Elaborate changes in body patterning take place in some species in both agonistic and courtship behaviour. The Caribbean reef squid (Sepioteuthis sepioidea), for example, employs a complex array of colour changes during courtship and social interactions and has a range of about 16 body patterns in its repertoire.[47]

The pair adopt a head-to-head position, and "jaw locking" may take place, in a similar manner to that adopted by some cichlid fish.[48] The heterodactylus of the male is used to transfer the spermatophore and deposit it in the female's mantle cavity in the position appropriate for the species; this may be adjacent to the gonopore or in a seminal receptacle.[5]

The sperm may be used immediately or may be stored. As the eggs pass down the oviduct, they are wrapped in a gelatinous coating, before continuing to the mantle cavity, where they are fertilised. In Loligo, further coatings are added by the nidimental glands in the walls of the cavity and the eggs leave through a funnel formed by the arms. The female attaches them to the substrate in strings or groups, the coating layers swelling and hardening after contact with sea water. Loligo sometimes forms breeding aggregations which may create a "community pile" of egg strings. Some pelagic and deep sea squid do not attach their egg masses, which float freely.[5]

Squid mostly have an annual life cycle, growing fast and dying soon after spawning. The diet changes as they grow but mostly consists of large zooplankton and small nekton. In Antarctica for example, krill is the main constituent of the diet, with other food items being amphipods, other small crustaceans, and large arrow worms. Fish are also eaten, and some squid are cannibalistic.[49]

As well as occupying a key role in the food chain, squid are an important prey for predators including sharks, sea birds, seals and whales. Juvenile squid provide part of the diet for worms and small fish. When researchers studied the contents of the stomachs of elephant seals in South Georgia, they found 96% squid by weight.[50] In a single day, a sperm whale can eat 700 to 800 squid,[50] and a Risso's dolphin entangled in a net in the Mediterranean was found to have eaten angel clubhook squid, umbrella squid, reverse jewel squid and European flying squid, all identifiable from their indigestible beaks.[51] Ornithoteuthis volatilis, a common squid from the tropical Indo-Pacific, is predated by yellowfin tuna, longnose lancetfish, common dolphinfish and swordfish, the tiger shark, the scalloped hammerhead shark and the smooth hammerhead shark. Sperm whales also hunt this species extensively as does the brown fur seal.[52] In the Southern Ocean, penguins and wandering albatrosses are major predators of Gonatus antarcticus.[53]

Giant squid have featured as monsters of the deep since classical times. Giant squid were described by Aristotle (4th century BC) in his History of Animals[54] and Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) in his Natural History.[55][56] The Gorgon of Greek mythology may have been inspired by squid or octopus, the animal itself representing the severed head of Medusa, the beak as the protruding tongue and fangs, and its tentacles as the snakes.[57] The six-headed sea monster of the Odyssey, Scylla, may have had a similar origin. The Nordic legend of the kraken may also have derived from sightings of large cephalopods.[58]

In literature, H. G. Wells' short story "The Sea Raiders" featured a man-eating squid species Haploteuthis ferox.[59] The science fiction writer Jules Verne told a tale of a kraken-like monster in his 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.[58]

Squid form a major food resource and are used in cuisines around the world, notably in Japan where it is eaten as ika sōmen, sliced into vermicelli-like strips; as sashimi; and as tempura.[60] Three species of Loligo are used in large quantities, L. vulgaris in the Mediterranean (known as Calamar in Spanish, Calamaro in Italian); L. forbesii in the Northeast Atlantic; and L. pealei on the American East Coast.[60] Among the Ommastrephidae, Todarodes pacificus is the main commercial species, harvested in large quantities across the North Pacific in Canada, Japan and China.[60]

In English-speaking countries, squid as food is often called calamari, adopted from Italian into English in the 17th century.[61] Squid are found abundantly in certain areas, and provide large catches for fisheries. The body can be stuffed whole, cut into flat pieces, or sliced into rings. The arms, tentacles, and ink are also edible; the only parts not eaten are the beak and gladius (pen). Squid is a good food source for zinc and manganese, and high in copper,[62] selenium, vitamin B12, and riboflavin.[63]

According to the FAO, the cephalopod catch for 2002 was 3,173,272 tonnes (6.995867×109 lb). Of this, 2,189,206 tonnes, or 75.8 percent, was squid.[64] The following table lists squid species fishery catches that exceeded 10,000 tonnes (22,000,000 lb) in 2002.

Prototype chromatophores that mimic the squid's adaptive camouflage have been made by Bristol University researchers using an electroactive dielectric elastomer, a flexible "smart" material that changes its colour and texture in response to electrical signals. The researchers state that their goal is to create an artificial skin that provides rapid active camouflage.[65]

The squid giant axon inspired Otto Schmitt to develop a comparator circuit with hysteresis now called the Schmitt trigger, replicating the axon's propagation of nerve impulses.[66]

(Did I just paste the entire Wikipedia article on squids here? Yes. Do I know why? No.)

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