#oh also guppies tend to be fairly developed when they hatch

[thelastspeecher]

(I'm really sorry to send you too many i'm excited, just ignore the ones you don't want.) something about Stan and Angie's first clutch of eggs please?

Some background for folks: in the MerGucket AU, merfolk lay clutches of 40-55 eggs on average.  The reason the clutches are so large is that there’s a fairly low hatching rate.  Usually, only about 7-10 of the eggs actually hatch.  But with clutches between merfolk and a former human, the clutch sizes are smaller and the hatching rate is lower.  There’s also frequently a large gap between hatches for those clutches.  Eggs are laid in a special kind of basket called a guppy basket (because merbabies are called guppies), and once the guppies hatch, they live in the basket until they get too big.  Also, in this AU, Molly, Danny, and Daisy are from the same clutch (Stan and Angie’s first one).  Okay, now I’m done.

Stan swam into the nursery, carrying Molly.  After a long visit from Lute, he and Molly were both ready to sleep.  

“Angie?” Stan called hesitantly.  

“Mm?”  Stan looked over at the corner of the room the guppy basket was kept in.  Like she had been when he checked in three hours ago, Angie was curled around the guppy basket, staring intently at the egg that had yet to hatch.  She reached out a hesitant finger and prodded it, eliciting irate swirls from the unborn guppy inside.

“Angie, babe, I know you’re worried,” Stan said, joining her by the guppy basket.  Angie made another noncommittal noise.  “But it’ll hatch.  It’s still moving, and still warm.”

“When will it hatch, though?” Angie whispered.  Stan didn’t have an answer.  Molly shifted in his arms and made a small smacking sound with her lips.  “Stan, we had twenty-eight eggs in this guppy basket.  Only two were of hatchin’ quality.  And- and it’s been a whole month since Molly hatched.  Will our other guppy ever come out?”

“What did your parents say?  That there were two months between you and Lute hatching, right?”

“Yeah…”

“So this might just be a family thing, or something.”  Angie buried her head in her arms.

“It was such a small clutch, though,” she said quietly.  “And with a really low hatchin’ rate.”

“Hey, you were worried none of ‘em would hatch.  It’ll work out.  You’ll see.  In a couple days, we’ll have two kids.  Not one,” Stan said, kissing her on the cheek.  Molly began to fuss.  “I think our current kid is hungry, though.”  Angie bit her lip.  “I’ll watch the egg while you feed Molly.”

“Thank you, darlin’,” Angie said.  She gave him a kiss and took Molly from him, then left the room.  Stan took up Angie’s watch, his tail idly beating against the gentle currents in the room.  

“All right, here’s the deal, kid,” Stan said quietly.  “You’re stressing your mom way too much.  So you better get outta there soon.  Understand?”  As though it did understand, the guppy inside the egg began to move rapidly.  Stan blinked, surprised.  A tear appeared in the egg’s thin membrane.  A few seconds later, a head popped out.  

It’s a girl.  Stan carefully reached into the basket and picked up his daughter.  She stared at him with wide brown eyes.  There was more movement from the egg.  Stan’s jaw dropped as another guppy clawed its way out of its former home.  No way.  How many are in there?  The second guppy, a girl as well, blinked at him.  

“H-hey,” Stan stammered, scooping her up in his other arm.  She beamed and reached out eagerly to grab at his nose.  Angie swam into the room.

“She’s fed and ready to be put down.  And actually, I think we could all use some…sleep…”  Angie trailed off upon catching sight of the guppies in Stan’s arms.  She gasped.  “Where did those lil ones come from?”

“The egg you laid.”

“What?  It hatched?  Really?”  Angie swam quickly over to Stan.  “Oh, look at ‘em,” she cooed.  “They’re beautiful.  But I wish I was there fer the hatchin’.”

“Eh, wasn’t much different from when Molly hatched.  Except for there being two in the same egg.  That doesn’t seem…normal.”

“Just means they’re twins is all,” Angie said.  She smiled weakly.  “They’re so precious, goodness.”  

“And all I had to do to get them to hatch was threaten ‘em.”

“Stan!”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”  Stan grinned down at his twin daughters.  “But I probably shouldn’t do any more of that.”  The second twin giggled.  “Whattaya think of your sisters, Molly?” Stan asked.  Molly looked over at the other members of her clutch and blinked slowly.   

“I think she likes ‘em,” Angie said.  “So’s long as they don’t hog all of Mom and Dad’s attention, right?” she said in a goofy voice, nuzzling Molly.  Molly chortled and tried to grab fistfuls of Angie’s hair.  

“God, Angie.  We have three kids,” Stan said quietly.  “A couple months ago, we didn’t have any.  Just a bunch of eggs in a basket.”

“Yeah.”  Angie sighed softly.  “But only three guppies out of twenty-eight…”

“I know you were hoping for something like your dad’s parents had,” Stan said, carefully shifting the now sleeping twins in his arms.  “But I like this better.  It’s less chaotic than the clutch of what, sixty?  And how many hatched out of that?”

“Pa’s clutch?  Twenty-one.”

“Yeah, imagine taking care of twenty-one kids all at once.  We really dodged a bullet there.”  Angie smiled at him.  She reached out a webbed hand to stroke the older of the twins.  

“You were convinced that was close to what we’d be stuck with. Fer an embarrassingly long time, by the way.”

“No need to remind me.”

“Yer right, though,” Angie said.  “This is better.  Our three lil girls.”  She gave Stan a kiss on the cheek.  “Let’s put our guppies in the guppy basket, darlin’, and go to bed.  We’ll need our rest, what with havin’ three lil ones and all.”

#fksd because I wrote this in Google Docs the format's a bit screwed whoops #oh also guppies tend to be fairly developed when they hatch #not a LOT but more than human babies #(bro send in as many prompts as you want lol) #MerGucket AU #Stanley Pines #Angie McGucket #Molly Pines #ehhhhh not gonna tag Danny and Daisy they don't even have names in this thing #ficlet #my writing #ask #agent-jaselin #Stangie Family

[nakklepiggy]

BOTW Zora Life Cycle

i put too much thought into this. this is largely headcanon, with information from BOTW and an idea or two from Majora’s Mask!

alright, onward through the 9 stages of the Zora life cycle:

note: the ages I’ve given for each stage are more of an estimate than a “this always happens at this age” thing except for stage 1 to 3! because everybody goes through puberty and matures at a different rate. think of the ages I’ve assigned as being averages, haha.

Stage 1 - Egg (0 days - 1 month) Every Zora’s life begins as an egg; a parent Zora will lay a clutch of two to four soft, jelly-like eggs in a spawning pool and tend to them as they develop. The eggs start off clear but eventually turn opaque as the babies develop, but since the eggs are so delicate it’s very likely that most of a clutch will not actually hatch, even with the best care possible. After one month the surviving eggs, usually one or two, will finally hatch!

Stage 2 - Hatchling/Alevin/”Infant” (1 month - 1 1/2 years) A newborn Zora is called an alevin, though they are colloquially known as hatchlings, levvies (singular: levvy), guppies, or pollywogs. Hatchling Zora somewhat resemble tadpoles, as they did in Majora’s Mask, with a proportionally large rounded head, a less-defined abdomen segment with the signature triple gill-slits on each side, two small head-fins and a long tail which they use to swim. They can breathe both air and water, but have an easier time breathing water at first. Hatchlings also have yolk sacs which they feed off of for their first 3-4 weeks after hatching; this is thought to be a vestigial trait, but it is still a developmental benefit as the yolk contains antibodies from the parent, helping the newborn develop their immune system. By the second month the hatchlings’ yolk sacs are totally depleted, thus they will require regular feeding starting around this time. From this point onward they simply grow larger for about a year and a half, staying in a limbless tadpole-like form but eventually growing to be 1 1/2-2 feet long and undergoing marked proportional changes. Specifically, the head and abdominal segment become larger and more well-defined, also gaining body fat; meanwhile the tail does not grow as quickly, eventually leading to a rounded, chubby, somewhat ball-like shape. This is often called the “ball phase” or colloquially “second egg,” due to the similarity in shape. The onset of this proportional change is a sign that the hatchling is getting ready to undergo metamorphosis.

Stage 3 - Metamorphosis Metamorphosis can be thought of as a young Zora’s first growth spurt, and it is by far the most dramatic change. Taking place over the course of 24 to 48 hours, metamorphosis involves a hatchling in ball phase undergoing a drastic transformation. Prior to metamorphosis hatchlings will gorge themselves and gain body fat in preparation for the massive energy requirement of the process, and Zora parents are encouraged to feed their children more often in the weeks leading up to the event. The changes, roughly in order of occurrence, are: -the tail separates from the lower body, freeing the abdomen and officially becoming the ‘head-tail’ -pigmentation develops on the back and sides of the abdomen -small fins form along the ‘shoulders,’ lower back, and ‘hips’ -as the baby Zora uses energy from its body fat, the reduction of fat around the head reveals the shape of the jaw and neck -similarly, the head-tail shortens and becomes smaller as body fat is repurposed for energy -the arms and legs emerge - these structures began forming gradually during the “ball phase” but were partially fused within the abdominal segment at that time; the young Zora undergoes a partial ‘shedding’ on their belly that removes an outer layer of flexible skin that held the limbs in place as they developed, and then their limbs gradually unfuse - generally the legs unfuse first and then the arms follow -finally, the forearm fins unfuse from the arm mass and unfurl A hatchling is officially considered a toddler when the legs and arms have emerged completely. Most toddlers are 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall from head to foot, but will weigh a little less than their pre-metamorphosis weight due to the consumption of so much body fat.

Stage 4 - Child/”Toddler” (1 1/2 - 40 years) After undergoing metamorphosis the Zora child's growth refocuses towards mental/psychological development than body development. Mental development from 2 years old to 40 years old in a Zora is equivalent to that in Hylians from age 2 to 12. Essentially, Hylian children grow about 3 times faster - and they also grow their bodies, not just their minds! Meanwhile the young Zora will undergo very little change in their body aside from increased hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and the improvement of other senses. They learn how to walk and swim early on in this period and are highly active, though they have low stamina; they’ve got just enough for a short burst of speed or effort, but not enough for extended bouts of running or swimming. Zora children generally start primary school at the age of 20. An in-game example of a Zora in this age range is Laruta, the little girl who hangs out at Mipha’s statue! I’d peg her to be in her early 20s in terms of Zora aging, which puts her mental age/equivalent Hylian age at about 7 years old. just a lil baby. <3 The brothers Tumbo and Keye are also in this stage but they are a little older than Laruta, so they’re probably in their early 30s - equivalent to Hylian 9 year olds.

Stage 5 - Preadolescent/“Preteen” (40 - 45 years) Hylians may have trouble telling child, preadolescent, and adolescent Zoras apart because they all have the same body shape and size; in Zora culture, these differences are denoted more by a child’s mental maturity, their behavior, and their pheromone markers. A preadolescent Zora is akin to an 11 or 12-year-old Hylian in terms of mental maturity and likely has more stamina than a child, but has not yet begun producing adolescent pheromone markers. The “preteen” phase is actually rather short, more of a transitional period between prepubescence and puberty. As such, preteen Zora often have voracious appetites; this is because they need to build up body fat again, since they’re preparing to go into puberty.

Stage 6 - Adolescent/“Teenager” (45 - 60 years) Zora puberty begins around age 45 and is made up of two parts: physical maturity and mental maturity; a Zora is not considered an adult until they have completed both parts, however. Physical and mental maturity start at the same time with changes occurring in a young Zora’s brain chemistry and hormones. The biggest indicator that puberty has begun is the change in a young Zora’s pheromones, and the change in their behavior. Their brains grow more, which results in many of the same emotional and mental woes that Hylian and other peoples’ teenagers experience, and with that they develop their mental maturity further as well. Meanwhile, their physical maturation goes slower; though the body is producing adolescent pheromone markers and hormones, most of the energy is spent on their growing brains rather than the rest of their body. As such this often leads to “teenage” Zora having an awkward “short phase” where they still look fairly young. To the relief of many, they generally get their second growth spurt after about 10 years of mental development. The growth spurt lasts anywhere from 3 to 7 years, though it can take up to 10 years; and it’s this spurt that brings them to full maturity, ability to make babies and all. An in-game example of adolescent Zoras would be Finley, Tula, and Tona (I’m assuming that Tula and Tona are teenagers from the way they act, and the fact that they don’t seem to be actively working). As stated in the game Finley is hasn’t had her growth spurt yet, while Tula and Tona have. Finley is about 54 years old, equivalent to a Hylian 16 year old; while Tula and Tona are around 57-59 years old, equivalent to Hylian 17-18 year olds.

Stage 7 - Young Adult (60 - 85 years) This stage is pretty self-explanatory: now that the Zora has completed both mental and physical maturation, they’ve completed puberty and are now officially an adult, if a young one! At this point they’re ready to take on an apprenticeship, military training, further education, or anything else they’d like to try their hand at. Also, they’re legally allowed to get married and purchase alcohol at the age of 65 (which may be a bummer to any early bloomer Zora who finish puberty at 60 or 61). 60 to 80 year old Zoras are about equivalent to Hylian 18 to 22 year olds at this age. An in-game example of a young adult Zora would be Mipha, before the Great Calamity! She was a bit small for her age, but other than her height she was fully mature by the time she began training with Vah Ruta. I’m going to be totally arbitrary here and say that she was 70 years old when the Calamity struck... my understanding is that Link was 20 years old when the Calamity happened, so they were born 50 years apart but were still in about the ‘same’ stage of their lives! Another example would be Dunma, Rivan’s daughter who guards the entrance to Zora’s Domain with him. She’s probably around 62 at the time that Link first meets her in-game; I have a feeling she was an early bloomer :B

Stage 8a - Common Adult (100+) Another self-explanatory stage is the adult stage for the common Zora; this means any Zora who’s not of Royal blood. This is basically when you’ve gotten out of your early twenties and your body’s mostly stopped growing and you start to realize oh man, I’m actually an adult now. So like, a 100 year old Zora is about equivalent to a 24 year old Hylian or human. Adult Zora are generally more serious than young adults, and they start to hold themselves to those higher standards of speech and etiquette that the Zora are so well-known for. This is also generally when a Zora will settle down to have a family, though some get married and have children earlier. Examples of adult common Zora would be Bazz, Rivan, Gaddison, Laflat, Kodah, etcetera... basically all of the Zora in the Domain who aren’t children, teenagers, oldies, or Royals. To throw out a few ideas I’d say that Bazz, Rivan, and Gaddison are all probably around 145 to 160 years old, having been children/early teenagers when they knew Link. (Rivan’s the baby of the group at 137 years old.)

Stage 8b - Royal Adult (100+) The adult stage for Royal Zoras is slightly different than that for common Zoras, because Royal Zoras undergo additional growth spurts after they hit the age of 100. An evolutionary quirk that was seen as an indicator of greater strength and fertility in ancient times, the Royal Zora’s first additional growth spurt makes them first grow taller than their compatriots, then broader. They end up looking awkwardly skinny with hands and feet too big for their bodies for a while, but they’ll fill out quickly whether with muscle or fat as long as they have access to adequate food (which, being royalty, they usually do). After that growth spurt a Royal Zora will grow more gradually over time until they’re anywhere from 16 to 25 feet tall! The final height of a Royal Zora depends on the individual, of course. The obvious example for a post-growth spurt Royal Zora is Prince Sidon! He is more than 100 years old, as stated in game, and as such is around 10 feet tall - he was closer to 8 feet before his growth spurt. I would peg him at being about 115 years old, which is about equivalent to a 25 or 26-year-old Hylian. It’s not an exact conversion but whatever, he’s a fictional shark man. Speaking of which - Sidon was 15 years old when the Calamity struck, still just a little one, and Mipha was 55 years older than him; if she had survived she would be 170 years old and Super Tall. ...but still maybe shorter than Sidon. hehehe.

Stage 9 - Senior Adult/Old Age (250+) Once a Zora hits 250 years they are officially considered “elderly;” 250 for Zoras is about equivalent to 65 for Hylians/humans, along with the expectation of retirement. The average Zora lifespan is 310 years, but there have been recorded instances of Zoras reaching a natural lifespan of up to 375 years old. It is possible that a Zora’s lifespan could be medically or magically extended, but at that point you’re getting into the sort of “toying with life and death” that more environmentally/socially conscious or pious individuals would object to. King Dorephan is 255 years old, but he is expected to maintain the throne until he dies; on the other hand, Muzu is around 268 but will likely not retire until he feels he’s done all he can to look after the Royal Family. All of the other elderly Zora in the Domain are between 250 and 310 years old, I would say. Dento and Seggin are probably two of the oldest.

WHOOOOO THAT WAS A LOT OF WRITING my head hurts now

#king dorephan #prince sidon #zoras #breath of the wild #legend of zelda #botw #loz #sausage thoughts #headcanon #headcanons #zora #LOOK UPON THIS AND WEEP