#but that’s entirely seperate can of worms

[freyito]

ᴅᴇʟʟɪɴɢʀꜝ ⨟ ᴍᴏʀɴɪɴɢꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ

✭ pairing(s): aventurine, dr ratio, boothill, gallagher, sunday, argenti sampo, jing yuan, blade, luocha, jiaoqiu, moze, dan heng, gepard, caelus, welt (seperate) x reader

✩ in which: you wake up next to them.

✧ a/n: for those who have read my works since i first started writing, i made a little masterpost on the mk(1) boys nightly rotuines... i figured id do one for hsr men since my mk hyperfixation died and is buried 6ft under... and i might do one for the hsr men nighttime routines but for now... wakey wakey

✦ taglist: @fffrost, @shinysora

🗒 cw: gn reader, just fluff, not proofread

✎ wc: 3.9k

⎯ Aventurine

Ever the gambler, AVENTURINE even takes a gamble on waking up in the morning. He can set as many alarms as he wants, but he always sleeps in. He finds any excuse to cuddle up next to you and enjoy your warmth for a minute, or even an hour more. He doesn’t mind coming into work late, he always finds a way to slip out of write-ups.

You’ve lost count of how many alarms went off by now, as annoying as it was. Still, despite how important Aventurine was, he’s cuddled up against your back, hands gripping your clothes tightly as if you’d dare to wiggle out of his arms. You could remind him, again and again, that he needs to go, that he has a meeting that day, or a certain deadline, and he’ll just groan and say that his superiors can handle him being gone for another hour or so.

When you do manage to convince him to get up and start the day, he does everything with such reluctance. Forget his rank, forget all of it, he’d much rather spend several more hours in bed with you, even when the sun dips low. He’s slow to put on his uniform, asking you the most mundane of questions, with answers he already knows. He skips out on breakfast at hope, douses himself in that expensive cologne that makes you have to distance yourself until he leaves, and wires you enough money to buy the entire menu from the cafe you mentioned you liked in passing.

⎯ Dr. Ratio

The early bird gets the worm, as they say, and VERITAS is no exception to the saying. Considering work has him busy, he’s thoughtful enough to leave you to sleep, if you are not accustomed to a sleep schedule like his. He tends to wake up early, to give himself enough time to prepare himself for the day. He likes to be thorough, check over his lesson plan for the day, make sure he made no mistakes the day before (although he rarely needs to revise it).

While on the outside, he seems cold and uncaring, on the inside he’s flustering himself with how much he worries about you. He knows he will see you later in the day, when you’ll bring him his lunch, or after his lectures, but some part of leaving just unsettles him. Not that he believes you’d be in danger if you were gone, but more so how you take care of yourself. Of course he knows you’re capable, but some part in him wants to make sure.

So, before he leaves, right when you wake up, he does his best to cook a filling breakfast. Most of the times, Ratio has to put it in some tupperware and save it for later at work, but there are very rare occasions that he gets to enjoy the meal with you. He always makes more– “it was an accident, nothing more,” he’ll say, shaking his head, stoic as ever. But you know it wasn’t– and shovel it onto your plate, it’s his own love language. 

⎯ Boothill

BOOTHILL is an early riser. It’s a habit that was ingrained in him since he was knee high. Granted, he doesn’t need much sleep, and he isn’t around as often as you’d like. He doesn’t stay in one place for long, and he really only swings by your apartment once or twice every month. But that doesn’t mean he’ll sleepover, if only for a night.

Despite the fact that he wakes up even hours before you, he decides to let you sleep. Sometimes he’ll stay in bed as long as you are, soaking in the peaceful sight, one that he’s never afforded himself until you came along. He reaches out ever so tentatively, as if he’ll feel your warm skin underneath his finger tips, but all it earns him is a shudder and your face scrunching. And when you wake up, he’s in such a hurry to pretend he wasn’t watching you sleep, mumbling apologies like he’s disturbed you.

When he’s not watching over you, Boothill enjoys cooking. He might’ve lost his taste and stomach a while ago, but he’s still an excellent chef. For all he can’t eat, he loves cooking. And he believes one of the best ways of waking up is to have a hearty breakfast. While you catch up on your sleep (most likely because he showed up at your apartment late into the night scuffed and bloody(?), acting like nothing happened), he’s making the most heavenly smelling pancakes ever, humming some old country tune to himself. If you dare get up to see what he’s cooking, he shoos you back to bed, tutting and claiming that you’re ruining the surprise, as if he doesn’t do this every time.

⎯ Gallagher

For such a busy man, GALLAGHER tends to sleep a lot. Or perhaps, too little. His schedule is always fluctuating, which means he’s up early and home late. It’s unfair, you think. Most of the time he’ll come home all quiet, settle on a snack, and then sneak into bed, and pull you up close. Half the time he doesn’t even care about his clothes, opting to take off his vest and shirt and throw them on the floor. He’ll worry about the laundry later.

That being said, it’s often a gamble if you’ll see him in the morning or not. He wakes up quite early, and as much as he’d love to spend time with you, cuddle up, and go straight back to sleep, he has to at least look presentable for the next time he’s called in. Most of the time, he accidentally wakes you up when he gets up to shower, but you settle back in quite comfortably. 

Most of the time, he’ll have to leave right after his shower. So he’ll do his best to be quiet as a mouse, sneak in, and press a kiss to your forehead, before starting his day. But on the days he can sleep in, or when he doesn’t have work… he climbs right back into bed. The scent of his body wash rolls over you, in the near-overpowering sandalwood haven it is. He’ll wrap his arm around your waist, pull you impossible closer, and nuzzle into your neck. If you are awake by that time, he urges you to go back to sleep. ‘5 more minutes’, he’ll grumble, and in possibly record speed, he’s out like light. His arm loosens ever so slightly, as he snores away until his thirteenth alarm goes off.

⎯ Sunday

As a stickler for schedules, it’s no surprise that SUNDAY has a strict morning routine. He wakes up at 7 AM system time, 6 AM being too early, and 8 AM being too late. Of course, he encourages you to do the same. You get used to it with time.

He likes to start with a shower, of course. Something intimate with you, yet so normal. He does not mind spending an hour in the shower, but with his station, he cannot. So unfortunately, he has to cut such time short. But he makes sure to soak in every single minute left in the morning with you. A nice breakfast and some tea, as he chats away about his ‘chores’ for the day, what matters he is attending to, whether or not it is a day in the office or out and about. 

Regardless of how busy his day is, Sunday makes sure you know that you are in every waking thought of his. A kiss and a hug at the door, and he’s on his way. You can see some flicker of sorrow as he leaves, as if it is something to grieve over, not being by your side for a minute longer. But alas, to achieve and infinite amount of sundays, he cannot afford to make room in his schedule for more down time. 

⎯ Argenti

ARGENTI never ceases to look as heavenly as ever, even in his sleep. However, he has quite a strict schedule he sticks to, something that manifested when his master started training him. He has quite the strict schedule: wake up early, shower, enjoy his breakfast, and start training, unless he has somewhere to be. 

However, he does allow him so rest days, where he sleeps just a little longer, and allows himself more spare time. Very rarely do you catch him asleep when you wake up, and most mornings when he does ‘sleep in’, you often wake up to him gazing down at you. His head propped up by his hand, hair cascading down his shoulders. He could even miss out on several hours of sleep or perhaps even the entire night, and still look angelic. He greets you with a soft smile and a huff, his fingers brushing against your cheeks, as he waits for you to properly wake up.

And once you’re ready to get up, he’s ready to start the day. Anything you do, he's practically following you around like a lost puppy. When you make breakfast, you're either watching over his shoulder, or he is. He never skips out on a chance to dance in the kitchen, making something that was normally a spectacle regulated, and yet, it still feels as intimate as it does the very first time he pulled you into his arms.

⎯Sampo Koski

SAMPO KOSKI needs his beauty sleep. Granted, his sleeping schedule varies based on his business. Sometimes he needs to rob someone blind in the early hours of the morning, or his clients want to meet way past his bedtime. He’ll huff and puff and complain about it, but he always makes time to curl up in your arms like a poor little stray kitten.

When he is finally free of his dreaded work (his path in life that HE chose), he sleeps in quite late. Most of the time, he wants to enjoy the time he has left with you, pout and complain about how hard his job is (again, a career HE CHOSE). He has a lot to say when he (or you) wake up, only because he’s missed talking casually, and most of all, he’s missed you. His jobs and clients have him acting all proper, putting on some other character than he truly is for his clients. While there are some acts he likes… sometimes he just wants to break character and get his clients to buy whatever piece of junk he’s stolen.

Despite all his yapping, he truly enjoys the time he gets with you, even if most of it is him keeping you in bed. He pulls you up close to his chest if you even dare to move, burying his face in the crook of your neck and muttering pathetic little ‘don’t leave’s and the like. When you look down at him he’s just so tired, his eyebags are somehow seven times darker and he’s lost all that luster in his eyes. But you know he’s putting on an act. When you get up, he’ll be crawling to your side in no time.

⎯ Jing Yuan

Ah, the Dozing General. Who better to wake up with? While JING YUAN has to be up early, he doesn’t skip out on any time that could be spent with you. When his first alarm goes off, he’s quick to snooze it, rolling over and throwing his arm over your waist, pulling you closer. He’s used to waking up this early, of course, but he doesn’t like to miss out on those precious 30 minutes where he’s holding you close, uninterrupted. You’re accustomed to this schedule, as well. Wake up; but not really, spend the next moments cuddling, and then start your day.

As the Divine Foresight, he doesn’t get as much leisure time as he’d like, or days off. He could spend all day in bed, really, spoiling himself (as he sees it) to high heavens. But unfortunately, there is work that needs to be done, and he needs to start his day. And (un)fortunately, he quite enjoys dragging you along. A nice walk in the garden before he truly starts the day is a sign of a peaceful day. With you by his side, half-awake or not.

That being said, he does so because he wishes to spend every possible moment he has with you. His station means his workload will be unpredictable, and while he wishes that all days would be mundane, that wish will never come true. So, spending the first thirty minutes to several hours of his morning with you is what he rewards himself with. A nice meal and a good bath sets him in the right mood, being simply a step away at most in the morning. 

⎯ Blade

BLADE doesn’t sleep well in general. Often times he’s woken up at all hours in the night by things he won’t share– “It’s childish.” is what he says, with a huff. Nightmares. It’s nightmares. He doesn’t have much of a reaction to them anymore, aside from grumbling and complaining quietly, which is normal. As much as he tries to go back to sleep, he simply can’t most of the time, opting to do something to keep his mind and hands busy, as sleep deprived as he is.

You tend to be met with his back when you wake up, tense as ever. When he can’t find something to do, he settles on meditation, which does nothing to calm the voices and ‘vengeance’ that addles his mind. It does too little for him, his mind always circling back to what could have been. The minute you shift in bed, he snaps out of it quickly, looking back at you with his unreadable gaze. 

Most of the time, if you ask him to lay down with you, he will, as long as he doesn’t have an assignment he needs to be on. For all his sharp edges, he’s quite… dull when it comes to you. Perhaps it’s the many years he’s faced that’s made him lose his luster, or simply his own undoing. Yet, somehow, when you pull him in close, he relaxes ever so slightly. Perhaps not all the way, but it’d take you a couple more years to break down his walls completely. You could sleep for another three hours and he’d at least get time to close his eyes and let his mind rest; something he desperately needs.

⎯ Luocha

While LUOCHA’s “work” has him up quite early, well into the AMs. Of course, with all the traveling he’s done, his sleep schedule varies, and it’s not like he gets to spend as much time as he’d like with you, but you tag along all the same. He could be awake at 3AM system time and you’d be sound asleep until 10AM, and somehow, he’d still look as handsome as ever. You’re starting to feel a little jealous.

Still, he makes time to greet you in the morning. Aside from being a merchant, he is, of course, a healer, and he wants to make sure you're sleeping right. And, perhaps to catch up, if he has been gone for a few days. After all, not only does physical health matter, but mental, as well. A quick little chat, maybe some tender touches, and a hearty meal that he’s brought from the markets is quite enough mental stimulation, yes?

Sometimes, it seems he disagrees, choosing to crawl in bed alongside you, even if you chose to wake up properly. He’ll play with your hair, whisper sweet nothings to you, or simply just stare and smile. He doesn’t get to be affectionate often, either, and often that need for human touch culminates, which leads to those impromptu cuddling sessions in the morning.

⎯ Jiaoqiu

As a healer, JIAOQIU wants to make sure you (and him) maintain a normal, healthy sleep schedule. Unless he’s on an emergency call, he tends to wake up at a mostly normal time, between 8-10 AM. Of course, he wakes you up with him, wanting to start his day off right with your pretty face.

He wakes you up oh so sweetly for a man with such a scheming smile. His fingers glide over your skin, pushing your hair behind your ear, using such a sweet voice, one so sweet that it makes your teeth ache. And when you're finally properly awake, he’s all too excited to rush off to the kitchen, like a giddy child. 

Of course, what’s a morning without Jiaoqiu without some breakfast? When you return from your shower, the kitchen is alive with his cooking, the sounds of sizzling and smells of spices (what else?) a delightful concoction. What is he cooking? Ji dan bing, a fulfilling breakfast. While you are the only person he cuts down the spice for, the food still has enough kick to make you make a face. Of course, his plate smells so spicy that it makes you recoil, which earns a chuckle from the Foxian.

⎯ Moze

Most of the time, MOZE sneaks into your shared bed by the morning, seeing as most of his work is carried out during the night. By the time he’s settled in bed, it’s around the time you wake up. It’s a peaceful sight, really. You’re so used to him scowling or simply not emoting, that when you wake up to his face, tranquil as ever, it makes your heart flutter.

Of course, that does not last. He is up within the first couple of seconds you stare too long, easily woken by any simple rustling. The feeling of someone’s eyes on him means one thing: danger. And he unfortunately hasn’t shaken that habit. However, he has grown used to the fact that it’s you staring at him in the morning hours, and thankfully you are spared a knife to your throat.

He jolts awake with a disgruntled groan, his eyes darting over your features, taking in as much information as he can in his hazy mind state, as if he hadn’t seen your face a thousand times over. Once he is satisfied with the fact that it’s you, he lays back down with a huff, before pulling you down with him. You may have the day to start, but he would like at least a couple more moments in bed with you, he’s stubborn that way.

⎯ Dan Heng

With his days off, DAN HENG tends to enjoy lounging. If not lounging, then reading, and if not reading, then cleaning. But most of the time, since you came back from the Xianzhou Loufu, he’s been sleeping in an awful lot. You're often the first to wake up, or at least, the first to get out of bed.

Most of the time, you sleep in with him, happy to get a couple extra minutes to a couple hours more of sleep. It’s a nice moment of peace and quiet after the amount of missions you two have been on, while March and the Trailblazer updates you on what’s happening wherever they are. Still, sometimes sleeping in gets kind of boring. So while Dan Heng catches on some much needed sleep (and alone time), you busy yourself with cleaning around the express, helping Pom-Pom with certain tasks, and even doing your best to cook up some breakfast.

When you bring your expert attempt at pancakes back to you and Dan Heng’s room, he perks up. He goes from sulking to practically beaming (or what you can consider beaming, you get a soft smile nonetheless), and digs in eagerly. It seems like enough to energize him for a couple of days, pushing away what had happened on the Loufu to the furthest reaches of his mind.

⎯ Gepard

GEPARD does not get much time in the mornings with you or himself. As captain of the guard, he has to be up early, and on call whenever the need arises. While it is very rare that he is called to dispatch an issue in the middle of the night, he is often reluctant to simply leave you in the morning. Of course, he won’t wake you for his own selfish reasons, he just simply wishes he could get more time to enjoy your presence in the morning.

As quietly as he tries to move, somehow he always wakes you up, or perhaps that's what your sleep cycle has gotten used to. Oftentimes, you wake up when he’s taking his shower, his soft humming rising over the sound of water. You know he only does this when he believes he is alone or heard, and every single time, you can’t help but think of it as cute. But you won’t tell him you heard it.

Most of the time you stay up so you can say goodbye to Gepard and tell him to have a good day, while he stumbles over excuses that he doesn’t need. He’s adorable in all his fluster, before he finally collects himself with a deep breath. He promises he’ll see you at the end of the day, and that he’ll bring some dinner home from one of your favorite restaurants.

⎯ Caelus

What adventure with CAELUS drag you on next? That’s a constant question that haunts your mind every time an adventure is done. The most sleep you get is on the Express, in between missions. In the morning’s, he wakes up with such determination, it’s almost impressive. He could have the worst sleep of his life and he wakes up raring to go.

Of course, he does his best not to wake you if you aren’t up. In fact, he’ll do his best to be as quiet as possible, sneaking out of the room, and even tip-toeing down the cabins. Like any little movement will wake his precious partner up. However, sometimes, when he’s feeling a little clingy, he’ll cuddle back in bed and pull you really close, refusing to let go unless you need to do something.

On the occasion you guys are out on a mission, he is the complete opposite. He could wake up well into the noon and groan and complain about not getting enough sleep, even if he slept like a baby. Of course, he wants to get on with his adventures, but at the same time, the hotel’s bed is soooo comfy, and he doesn’t want to leave. Which, he’ll keep you there too until he’s fully awake, spooning you and hiding his face in the crook of your neck.

⎯ Welt

On his days off, which seems to be most days now, WELT sleeps in only a little. Mornings with him are nothing short of intimate, simply laying there in each others arms, muttering sweet words. Truth be told, he enjoys these quiet moments, even if they push back the work he has to get done around the Express.

Still, no one's complaining, right? The work he has to get done will get done eventually, and he can spare a couple hours for his beloved. He cherishes every stolen second, as the hours tick away, his fingers trailing over your skin, before cupping your face. Framing his entire world in his palm.

However, you can’t stay in bed forever. Unfortunately, you do have to get up, and start your day. Welt won’t leave your side, though. Not if he can help it, at least. You two share a shower together, some more words, of course, and even cook together afterwards. Pom Pom huffs and puffs about not only Welt, but you being late and taking too long, and how the Express is founded on the structure of the schedule. It’s okay, however, because Pom Pom will be thanking you two for your hard work (sweeping the other cabins, cleaning the windows, and vacuuming the carpet) at the end of the day.

© freyito, 2024 | masterlist | queue | kofi | discord server (16+) | star header by roseschoices DO NOT REPOST AS YOUR OWN OR USE FOR AI/AI CHATBOTS.

[neon-danger]

To be less rude about that anon, I have said quite a few times now that I will not be writing a milk fic

For one thing, it’s against my rules and I expect you as readers to respect that, but also the original creator of the milk fic is just all around Bad.

While I don’t think the actual contents of the milk fic are bad or problematic, I do not want my name associated with the milk fic, the writer, or their reputation.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying that sort of content, and I have absolutely no judgement in that regard, but it’s kinda not cool for people to continue asking after I’ve said no A Few Times Now

Consent is a big thing in a lot of my fics, and I expect you as readers to know that No Means No, not ask again later.

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Nematoda

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Nematoda is a diverse phylum of animals commonly called roundworms or eelworms. Most are free-living and feed on microorganisms, but some are parasitic.

Nematodes are very diverse, but usually appear as small, slender worms. The smallest are microscopic, while the largest free-living species can be up to 5 cm (2 in) long. Some parasitic species can be even longer, reaching up to 8.4 m (27.5 ft) in length! Nematode heads are radially symmetrical and, in many cases, have head-shields radiating outwards around the mouth. The mouth has either three or six lips, which often bear a series of teeth on their inner edges. They have a dense, circular nerve ring which serves as their brain. They are covered in sensory bristles that provide a sense of touch. There are two small pits on the head that likely serve as chemoreceptors. Some aquatic nematodes have eye-spots, but it is unknown if they are actually sensory. They have seperate male and female individuals, with females usually being larger than males, though some species are hermaphroditic. They reproduce sexually, and females have a glandular uterus. They lay eggs, though some species are ovoviviparous. Larvae of free-living nematodes look like smaller adults, though parasitic nematodes usually have more complex life cycles.

Nematodes are perhaps the most successful phylum on Earth. They have adapted to nearly every ecosystem: from marine to freshwater, from soils to trees, from tundra to rainforest, at the tops of mountains, in deserts, in oceanic trenches, and up to 3.6 km (12,000 ft) below the surface of the Earth. They represent 90% of all animals on the ocean floor, and 80% of all individual animals on Earth. They often exceed a million individuals per square meter. This ubiquitous nature means they play a role in every ecosystem, most crucially in polar ecosystems where life is otherwise scarce. Of the parasitic forms, about a third of genera occur as parasites of vertebrates, and about 35 nematode species occur in humans.

Propaganda under the cut:

Nematodes play an important role in the decomposition process, aiding in recycling nutrients.

There are approximately 60 billion nematodes per human inhabiting the Earth’s topsoil. Those are your government assigned topsoil nematodes. Do with them as you wish.

One soil-living nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans (see first image), has had its entire genome sequenced, the developmental fate of every cell determined, and every neuron mapped. They are considered a model organism: a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena.

While some species of nematode are detrimental to agriculture, other species are considered beneficial as they prey on agricultural pests. These species are bred commercially as biological pest control agents which can be used as a much safer, environmentally-friendly alternative to pesticides.

The largest known nematode, Placentonema gigantissima, can reach sizes of up to 8.4 m (27.5 ft) long and 2.5 cm wide. It has been found living as a parasite in the reproductive tract of a sperm whale.

As stated by nematologist Nathan Cobb:

“In short, if all the matter in the universe except the nematodes were swept away, our world would still be dimly recognizable, and if, as disembodied spirits, we could then investigate it, we should find its mountains, hills, vales, rivers, lakes, and oceans represented by a film of nematodes. The location of towns would be decipherable since, for every massing of human beings, there would be a corresponding massing of certain nematodes. Trees would still stand in ghostly rows representing our streets and highways. The location of the various plants and animals would still be decipherable, and, had we sufficient knowledge, in many cases even their species could be determined by an examination of their erstwhile nematode parasites.”

[aeriona]

I literally hit 300 followers while writing this so here you go: Here is a study I've done on the various sapient species of Splatoon! Drawing them all in their entirety would take too much time, so I've stuck to just some hands. besides, it looks cool.

Quick note: Keep in mind that the art i’ve done for each group is a generalisation, there is an ABSURD amount of variation between different species so if you want to use this knowledge for your own stuff then literally go nuts! There are basically no rules!

Anyway, This is a very long and nerdy post, so strap in.

First we have the Cephalopods. This includes Inklings, Octolings and Nautili. (I made seperate sciencey-art posts for each a while ago). These guys are cold-blooded, have no bones, blue blood and suckers on the end of each finger (except nautili, cause they’re weird.) These suckers are quite strong especially in Octolings, which can use them to cling to walls and even ceilings. Squid also have sucker-teeth, these retractable, chitinous rings inside each sucker that vary in length and sharpness between species.

Inkfish (excluding nautili) have 3 main types of skin cells;

Chromatophores, which allows for colour-changing

Iridophores/Leucophores, which gives the skin an iridescent effect

Photophores (some squid only) which can produce a blue glow.

Instead of bones, they have a unique system of muscles called a hydrostatic skeleton, which uses fluid pressure (in this case, ink) as a support structure. Blood is used too, but mostly ink cause they have so much of it (once again except Nautili, as they have no ink at all). This means that these guys are super bendy, they can stretch and contract their limbs and even turn their heads nearly 270 degrees!

Next we have both Cnidarians and Echinoderms. (I've excluded crustaceans cause idk how to draw them lmao sorry). These groups include jellyfish, anemones, sea slugs, snails and urchins.

Similarly to cephalopods, they’re all also cold-blooded and lack bones, instead having similar hydrostatic system for support with varying strength between each class. For example, Anenomes have super robust supports in their legs thanks to calcified rods in the fluid cavity, however jellyfish are extremely floppy as they have extremely weak hydrostatic muscles.

On a side note, Jellyfish and Anenome are also unique, as many species have cnidocytes in their various arms and tentacles. These are cells that when stressed, will inject a venom that varies in strength from a bee-sting to literally killing you.

Urchins are similar, as each finger is tipped with a brittle spine that can not only inject a weak venom but also break off into your skin, leaving behind nasty shards that cut you up from the inside. Fun.

And then there’s Sea Slugs/Snails which are literally the sweetest little people alive, they have no natural weapons at all apart from their poisonous flesh. They don’t even have teeth at all! They’re just slimy little buddies who love you! However, urchins are immune to their poison as they eat them. Sea Slugs are actually an urchin’s ONLY source of food (they get sick/weak eating anything else), and this has resulted in quite a lot of legal and criminal issues. It’s whole other can of worms.

And finally, fish. Fish are actually the ONLY people in the entire Mollusc Era to have proper bones and red blood, literally everyone else has either an exoskeleton or a hydrostatic system, with either blue blood or none at all. Damn fish and their weird joints.

Cartilaginous fish (sharks, manta rays) have cool, rough skin that’s kinda unpleasant to touch, whereas the most of the remaining species fall under the ray-finned fish (basically everything else) category, and they are covered in shiny scales.

Also eel, there is no hand. Because eel. I’m very funny.

And with that, I have concluded. I’ve done a lot of research on this stuff so if you have any questions at all or if you want me to draw some more diagrams/related artwork, please don’t hesitate to shoot me an ask! I love talking about/drawing this stuff so it’s of no inconvenience!

[void-ink-studios]

The Higher Ups in Wrath of the Wishmaster

So, just wanted to dump my brain worms here, and talk about the OC gods that just got introduced in the 3 part instalment of Wrath of the Wishmaster that I posted.

I'd like to introduce the Higher Ups. They're basically the upper management of the pantheon, only answering to The Boss themselves. Their power and rulings override pretty much everyone else, unless the Boss intervenes. They cannot be removed from reality, stripped of their titles, demoted, or even harmed.

You've already met one, the Organizer but there's two others: the Observer and the Judge! So, let's go through their deal one by one.

The Organizer

Let's start with the one y'all have officially met, the Organizer. As the name would imply, she is the goddess in charge of the organization, planning, and paperwork of the entire pantheon. She's the one to deal with write ups, complaints, requests, and record keeping. She has a file on pretty much everything to have ever lived in the multiverse, all perfectly sorted in an infinite records room. She's always super busy. She's also Orbo's direct supervisor, and by extension Scarab's. She's the one who sends the official orders for Auditors to go after rule breakers.

The Observer

The Observer is a rarely seen god, but he works closely with the Organizer. He is in charge of overseeing all activity across the multiverse, particularly with anyone powerful enough to jump between universes, and the other gods. He has seen everything that has ever happened (and rumor says ever will happen) in the multiverse. He hands off this information to the Organizer for storage, and is the primary source of information for sentencing cosmic crimes. He also is the one to confirm or reject complaints and write ups from the Organizer. He commands any and all gods responsible for gathering information within the cosmos.

The Judge

The Judge is the main authority of what is and isn't a cosmic crime. It is them who decides what punishments are delivered to what write ups, who does and does not belong in the Citadel, and is the one to mark individuals as cosmic threats. If someone is marked a target, the information is given to the Organizer to then give the order to Auditors. Of the higher ups, they're the one most often seen, both by mortals and by other gods. It is them you must plead your case to if you're demanding help or mercy from the gods. Unless the Boss intervenes, the Judge can grant or strip any of the lesser gods their title and immortality. They ultimately created the Citadel and the guardians. Not surprisingly, they were a bit salty after the whole Lich fiasco.

Other notes:

Some gods don't directly answer to one of these three. Gods like Prismo and the Cosmic Owl pretty much only answer to the Boss, as it's their power they're tapping into to grant wishes and make dreams prophetic.

All three of the Higher Ups are able to pass down punishment to gods if the transgression is not considered serious. For example, in the last part of Gala of the Gods, if Prismo and Scarab actually did major damage to the Judgement Hall, the Organizer would be sending them straight to the Judge.

Someone on AO3 suggested it and I liked it a lot so I'm including it: The Organizer was kind of Scarab's mentor figure. She was pretty much the only god he really spoke to as he transitioned from mortal to immortal. They stopped talking after Scarab lost his bid for Wishmaster to Prismo. He kind of blamed her for making him think he had a chance when literally everyone else was telling him to not even bother. More on that relationship in the next chapter.

The Observer is terrifying. No one but other Higher Ups talks to the Observer. Even other gods risk going mad by looking upon him.

The Judge is so tired of everyone's bullshit. So is the Organizer tbh. Get them some coffee, dammit.

Golb/Golbetty can technically be considered a Higher Up since their power overrides Prismo's, but Golb is kind of seperate from the cosmic hierarchy. They're a chaotic nightmare, on the same level as the Higher Ups, but not technically one of them.

[matoitech]

the thing abt gurren lagann is that there’s a lot of really intense and typical early 2000s homophobia in it that sucks ass but it feels a little easier to get past nowadays bcuz the director and writer team that made gurren lagann made promare ten years later. which has some things that feel like they exist to directly contrast against gurren lagann and show a much better version of what couldve been. i mean most obviously u have galos entire existence w his appearance and his behavior/the way he talks is kind of this juxtaposition against kamina. where kamina can be this embodiment of toxic masculinity (some of it u can argue is intentional and meant to be read as him being in the wrong, but a lot of it is bcuz it was 2007 and they thought it was funny) galo is a lot more intentional with combatting a lot of that ten years later as another over the top masculine action movie hero kinda guy. but he has shit like 'being normal to women' baked in2 his character so foundationally you only even think about it if youve Seen a gainaxtrigger production with an adult male lead before and you say 'wow, unfortunately that isnt typical.' his attraction to men also isnt treated like a joke, his relationship with lio is another foundational block in promare and taken rly seriously as a huge part of the narrative.

however trigger did not apparently learn anything actually about women (or race but thats a seperate post) in the last decade bcuz that shits still very present in promare. galo being respectful to women isnt a sentiment shared with the people who made the actual movie, probably more bcuz they thought people wouldnt like galo or recognize him as a good person in 2019 if he was weird to women (true but also why didnt it occur to them beyond writing their oc) (its also possible he was 'allowed' to be written as respectful to women bcuz trigger was writing him with the assumption he wasnt attracted to them so surely he would have no 'reason' to be a creep to women which is its own can of worms but thats just a possible branch of speculation based on how fiction written by misogynistic men often views misogyny and gay men)

*this post also doesnt get into the specifics of gurren laganns homophobia and particularly egregious bits of playing into both predatory and transmisogynistic stereotypes at times, particularly with leeroy (good god leeroy is awful), but since promare is a lot better abt this stuff in the first place its not really relevant w comparisons, unless you want to talk about lio and gender nonconformity in 2019 vs 2007 but they’re just not rly on the same league at all

[spiritsong]

21, 22 and 30 for your durge c:

thank you so much!! <3

21. What are 2-3 songs that your Dark Urge would relate to?

You are a hero to me for asking this hahaha I already answered it but this is the perfect excuse to ramble on about more songs 😌 When theorizing or writing about durge!Aune, I choose to characterize the Dark Urge as a mostly seperate entity that exists within her. (I love how there are so many different ways for different players to envision the Urge itself, whether it's an external being or synonymous with your character.) Since waking on the beach, Aune is pretty damn traumatized by her violent thoughts and desires. Her method of coping with it is to seperate her conscious thought from this entity. (Of course, that comes with a whole host of problems as well.) She spends the journey constantly questioning if there really is this malign force inside of her, or if it's just been her the entire time. When she's really lost in the sauce (so to speak lol; sauce in this case being blood), the two internal voices merge together as one. It's interesting because it seems "healthier" in a lot of ways; there's less discord and disconnect going on in her brain, at least until the ecstasy of the moment wears off. (An interesting conversation to be had about responsibility & guilt & exactly how much Durge is bound to their darker desires.) ANYWAAAYS here are some songs that I think encapsulate the above very well:

Honeywell by Clem Turner is what I imagine the Urge telling Aune soon after waking; an introduction of sorts, and a seductive pleading to let the Urge fully integrate with Aune. Mm, here I am to bring Psychosomatic freedom to your head May I be of service, newlywed? See me as a host to all your greatest dreams [...] I may not be of great design but I can offer some advice Keep yourself inside the ride or else you'll lose your mind [...] I may not be of stable mind But I can promise that you're mine Trust my voice inside your head Take me with you instead [...] May I be of use? May I creep into your open hand And bid you take me to the grave? [...] Get it through your pretty head Take me with you instead Forget her, she's gone Forgive me, dear stranger Now, turn me back on

The Culling by Chelsea Wolfe is when the border between Aune and the Urge are less discernible; I picture this as a conversation between the two except you don't know who is talking at any given time. (It's also a pretty good representation of how the Urge talks about/to Astarion.) Dead eyes, I only call you when you’re in my dreams Died too young, the culling then, it was obscene I am depleted by love I am depleted by love I’ll never tell the secrets of my family Bled out, a cult of anonymity The kettle is wheeling, my love Riding on the back of a hell they caused One ear to the ground One eye on the room My tongue on your pulse My finger in your wound Sweet dead eyes, I long to hear you again Sweet dead eyes, I long to see your face Sweet dead eyes, I long for that illustrious hiss Sweet dead eyes, I know you feel it No turning back, only God knows what we're headed for The flowers bloom, the sun rises

All Things Devour by aeseaes is Aune reflecting on the destruction the Urge leaves in its wake. Drying, dusty / Heart beside me Dead streets carving / Bitter bright wings Worms and spiders / Spin inside her Like the story / Make me holy This thing all things devours This thing all things devours Devours This thing, taker / Pollinator Starving flowers / Hear them howling (Yes, this song references Gollum's riddle on time!) I really like this one because it speaks on the inevitability of time, of death and decay — forces that are significant to Aune as a spore druid. But there's an ominous or gloomy quality to the song (to me, anyway). The repetition of "devours"; the significance of "taker"; the mention of "pollinator" is perhaps uplifting, but it is immediately replaced by the image of "'starving' flowers 'howling'". Aune is a servant to life, death, decay, and rebirth, meaning she has a unique outlook on things that others might find upsetting. But the Urge takes and takes and takes and gives nothing in return. There is no rebirth. It's unnatural and disruptive. She doesn't want to be the champion of wanton violence or the bringer of perverse death.

22. What first impression does your Dark Urge give off to strangers?

Scary, off-putting, intimidating, dark, sad. She's always wearing dark, muted colors, if not an outfit of all black. Aune's neutral expression is a scowl or a frown and she doesn't smile or laugh in public (at first, because she doesn't remember how; later, because she thinks it's too vulnerable). She's also got an aura about her that is just straight up unsettling (it's the spores). Most people are either intimidated or frightened of her, but if you move past that and spend five minutes around her, it doesn't take much to realize she's just a sad person/clearly suffering through something. (Aune is our precious little edgelord who is not really an edgelord; she doesn't know how to deal with her BIG feelings is all.)

30. What are your Dark Urge’s intentions/goals after the end of the game?

I'm still in Act Two so I have no idea! 😅 Hopefully there's some peace and happiness in her future...

[corvin-ito]

Another Rain World Dream. Copy pasting the messages i sent to my friend on discord cause i dont want to rewrite it all.

"just woke up from a neat dream i was playing rain world as looks to the moon (wormed off the string) and hanging out with a few of the other iterators outside also, pebbles was def there and i think suns and NSH too. i found this little greetures called "morphflies" which are like larger/fatter batflies that change colors

im pretty sure we were in an area near a collapsed iterator - probably sliver of straw ? cause moon had a Mourning Moment and also may have ended up seperated from the group because she decided to sleepy in a nearby shelter after finding the morphflies. my dream brain was like. the other iterators didnt Expect moon to be going off on her own for this long they thought she'd be gone for like 10 minutes but nope shes spendign the entire cycle somewhere the fuck else and now theyre probably freaking out like wheres moon"

friend: "You know the hyperfixation is strong when you have two related dreams so close to each other"

"YEAH

this one even wholeass looked like rain world gameplay (at least, after moon had her Mourning Moment and started exploring off on her own)

the morphflies were cool as hell though. they had the same color changing shit as what neuron flies do (in fully-functional iterators like Pebbles) there were also Mimic Beetles (which are an unused type of bug (animal) that color change and camoflauge like white lizards)

oh also the morphflies may or may not have been created by an iterator some time long ago according to what moon in my dream said

ive 'played' as 2 different iterators in my dreams now

can i become the rest of them lets see"

[salt-volk]

re "tbh pretty sure anji just lied about the whole "monthlies and customs only take 10% of my workload" bit because there is no way that is true with absolute NOTHING to show for that supposed other 90% like....." 

idk i actually do genuienly believe her (moslty bc 4-6 custom items taking an entire month or even more than 2 days for a 10yr+ professional mostly full time artist just seems impossible to me esp seeing how quickly she does shit on stream & knowing other artists myself haha. no comment on the monthlies since even if they did hold up site progress they cant just be paused as thats the sole revenue for dv so moot to talk abt as an option but id ALSO guess those dont take an entire month or even over a week, esp w how theres always small boring items included w only a few complicated each batch) but like i think was brought up before, i agree the main problem is that all that stuff is one time scheduled release but other content is nearly ALWAYS larger bundles together.

its easier + quicker to do a few art than an entire event. customs are published once their done. but general site content is made dependent on a bunch of other shit ("X item is complete but will have to sit here for month until the other 15 items are done" "Y item is finished but we have to get ahold of our barley functional coder & wait 2 mo. on writing before it can come out"). so stuff like custom queue stays chugging along doing a lil bit here & there while main site content releases are always MASSIVE drops w a bunch of shit all at once to the point that its overwhelming. 

there is plenty to show for the other 90% of time they just dont show it at the right times or in the right way bc they put all the stuff together (OR also could be all their time gose into shit that isnt easily visible like background management work or now that anjis trying to learn code to pick up slack she could be spending more time w that which has no visible site progress). fr we spend all our time waiting around for shit to drop not bc progress isnt actually getting done or bc one thing is takign up all the resources but just bc staff just does not know how to do little teasers or small events or small content resleases.

again this all comes down to management issue & site direction. probaly also a community advisor of sorts. which they lack. but could tell them "you dont have to put these items together or drop them w an update. the users do not care". or "you do not have to waste months coming up w grand vision of new event types multiple times a yr i promise you can just do the same thing & nobody will care" haha

which to be clear this is totally their fault & i dont understand the compulsion to always have to have like 85 new items come out simultaneosly as part of one update instead of just slowly drip feeding to at least help w the illusion & create more of feeling of constant content stream -_- i still dont have all the shit from those last two big updates w the stupid circlets & just gave up bc its to hard to keep track of...

oh worm they releasde new event info while iasw writing this. how much do you wanna bet some of the event content will be stuff that could have been seperated & dropped on its own but was just grouped together? even having the first custom auction w the event... that could have been its own thing tbh. released sooner since is not being held back waiting on a bunch of other shit to complete. have a feeling the mini town could have been out on its own too. lord

[jupiter-reimagined]

so i make an oc. fun. just an.. Adult Man. gave him a name. yay. awesome! ... got... obsessed with him. to the point hes on my mind 24/7. oh no. accidentally made 3 more characters for him to bounce off on. ah fuck. and now i have 4 of them. in their own seperate world. and story. so now im on the verge of researching shit bout guns and cars because my little skrunkles need to have said tools at their disposal. ugh.

theres also ocs number 5 and 6 but we dont count those 2. theyre a different can od worms entirely and forces me to research biology. pain. plus 6 isnt human eithet so lik. disqualified.

and thats the story of how i accidentally made my 1st human ocs. like actually wtf is wrong w me where did i go wrong.

[doxiedreg]

Decided to draw all the fish I have lost so far and name those that didnt have names. I think it helped a little..Keeping fish can be so fucking rough..

Causes of death of each under the cut:

Pandam: First fish to die, cause unknown. Happened like a week after purchasing them and the first group of corys. Kept away from the others while alive and was lethargic. Found him severely injured one morning (i think the pleco or snails might have attacked him in his weakened state) put him seperate in a bucket of water and a few minutes later he was gone. burried him (Like all the other deaths except the shrimp and one of the rasboras) in one of my flower pots.

Lil orange: first was flashing herself against plants and decor, her and lemon were acting strange for a long while before i finally figured out it was worms (caught them hanging out their anusses one night with a flashlight) however the worms had injured her and weakened her too much and eventhough i medicated, she succumbed to them and secondary infections/injuries.

Nuv and Dix: freak accident that im still not sure how it happened. They both ended up lodged between my filter sponges. I found one of them still alive, got them out of the filter and put them back in the water. However they had suffered too much stress and injury and could no longer swim. Put them in the bucket so they could at least die in peace and they passed a few minutes later. Then for a couple of days I noticed that another one was missing. I could only see 8 while it should have been 9 after that death. Then next filter maintenance i found a slimy fleshy heap attached to one of my sponges which i assume used to be the missing rasbora that i must have missed when i found the other one..

Mom shrimp: White ring of death. I assume it was all the waterchanges i did in a short amount of time because of the medication. She had eggs who were already quite developped. I left her in the tank to be eaten by the others so her nutrients could be recycled at least

Lemon and most of her babies: Lemon finally gave birth but most babies were stillborn and then eaten by the other fish. at least 3 fry survived but 2 are now stuck behind the filter with no way for me to get them out of there so they will probably starve to death and i feel absolutely awful about it..but at least one baby is still alive and growing, swimming around the tank grabbing lil food scraps here and there. Tentatively naming them lemon baby

After giving birth, Lemon still remained very swolen. I first thought that maybe she still had some babies inside her but even days later she was still swolen. She developped a dark spot visible under the skin and while at the beginning she could still swim fine, near the end of her life she was constantly at the surface and couldnt swim well. I tried giving her salt baths and while at first she acted more active in the salt water, it didnt really improve her situation. I was thinking of putting her down but didnt have a container to mix the clove oil in yet..then one morning I found her dead, the black spot gone but her insides looking quite red. I suspect the black spot was either a tumor or a cyst filled with blood that then popped and she internally bled out. Im still not entirely sure what caused it, maybe reproductive cancer?? Dont think it was worms again because i didnt see any. she didnt eat or poop from what i could see either.

Loki: The fish i put down with clove oil today. He had been breathing heavily for a long while. He was also paler than the others and less active. He held his fins clamped and was less reactive and seemed to struggle with getting around. When the water was medicated before i didnt see the symptoms improve and the other panda corys are active and looking healthy. And corydoras are very sensitive to salt from what ive read so i couldnt try that route. So…I decided to put him down..when i caught him in the net he struggled like crazy which made it even harder on me. I even thought about letting him go but then he would just continue to slowly waste away..and i didnt want him to suffer. So i put him in the bucket and added the mixed clove oil. he slowed down and then eventually lied on his side, i added another higher dose and then he was gone. Waited 20 minutes to make sure he was really gone and then burried him. I didnt see anything obviously wrong when I examined him before that so its again very hard on me. making me doubt myself.

Keeping fish can be heartbreaking as you cant take them to the vet or even examine them yourself easily since they are so small. So unless it's an obvious external fish disease (like ick or mold) you don't know whats wrong with them and you can only throw general medication at them in hopes it works. I will be okay..I still love my fishtank as I enjoy watching it but it sure is a cause of stress and worries..

Just..had to write that all out. If you read it all, thank you..I just..am trying my best to cope..

[sluttyquarantinetheory]

I constantly strikes me how much people try to argue women's clothing as tools of the patriarchy when that has historically rarely been the case. Bras? A woman made that to not have to fuck with corsets. Mini skirts? Women designed those to feel liberated in their own skin. High heels? We stole them from men because we thought they were cool. Women have consistently and always dressed exactly how they wished and it is odd as hell that people seem to always think that it's about men.

[fourphoenixfeathers]

I hope that means you don't mind more questions about Homestuck AU!

Because I have a few and will likely come up with more as they get answered.

Is anyone else involved (Iridia, Adaman, Kamado, any pokemon, etc)?

Does anyone get to keep godmode powers?

Could Ingo and Emmet maybe fuse and unfuse at will after the whole misadventure (I just thought it would be funny for sibling shenanigans)?

How does entering their worlds go?

What does everyone fight with?

What are all their worlds like?

How do they even play without any computers? Or did Arceus just. Godpowers them some computers?

How does Ei react to becoming Ei (I am assuming the memories of being seperate are kept in this AU)?

Of course i don't mind! I love questions. :>

This is a really long one though, so I'm just gonna plop it under a readmore.

The only people involved in the session are Ingo, Akari, Emmet, and Elesa, with the creation trio + Arceus trying to help through dms. Everyone gets to take their teams with them when they enter, though. I'm replacing the sylladex mechanic with pokemon mechanics. Imps other monsters in the incipisphere fight like pokemon, so "strifes" play out like normal pokemon battles. Although, i am not opposed to arming them with weapons for emergencies... That's something to think about later.

Everyone keeps god mode powers! I see no reason for them not to, and it's gonna be really hilarious when Elesa and Ei show up in Nimbasa with a missing person and powers that rival legendary pokemon. Absolutely wild.

About Ei's status after the whole ordeal... I haven't decided yet. I'm torn between having Arceus separate them so they can fuse at will, and having it be out of Arceus' power to do so. The latter is definitely the more evil option, but I don't know if i can do that to them. However, the first option might invalidate some of Ei's struggles in his journey. For now, prepare for the worst. ::>

I'm sure you already saw it, but for people who haven't, i described the gang's lands in another post here.

Arceus just gives the hisui gang some arclaptops to use. Complete with infinite battery charge.

And lastly, how Ei reacts to being a fusion. That is a huge can of worms and I'm not entirely organized on that front, so I think I want to go into that on a separate post. There is just too much there and I'm sure that I would be zoning out reading this post by now.

[ind1c0lite]

Personally I do like the fact that ISWM!Mark isn't Actor, largely cause IMO Actor has a place and a time for himself as a character, and Space just- isn't that and that's ok! Space doesn't HAVE to fit in with the WKM stuff it can and should be allowed to be its own thing and it's own story with characters that are seperate from WKM

Now obviously there's references/cameos, and Dorene is an entire can of worms I'm curious to eventually hear Marks thoughts about, but I think if people just stopped trying to connect ISWM to everything it'd make the experience just a lil bit better

[iconac]

also i would enjoy more 'ends justify the means' flavored dark side options in kotor. situations that force more 'chaotic good' playstyles to gain ds points. where you must do something terrible or brutal to save someone. and you can either go straight for it or reject it entirely or try to worm your way to a better option before having to accept putting blood on your hands. intent & action being treated as seperate factors into how your morality is built throughout the game.

[romchomp]

nana rewatch notes- episode 24

-hachi immedietely emailing nana after hooking up with takumi vs nana running to her boyfriend in order to feel less lonely (loneliness that comes from the fact that hachi is romantically involved with someone)…it’s the lesbianism for me

-hmm this information about reira is really interesting. in order to showcase her talent, she is required to hide the fact that she’s half american, a pretty significant part of her identity. but SHE doesen’t care whether or not people know. It’s her agents who are the forcing her hide it. her talent is valued above all else. who she is doesn’t matter. she constantly needs to live up to an image that she doesn’t seem to have any desire to live up to.

-guess i can’t ignore that she is in bed with shin any longer. i really wished ai yazawa cut out the entire storyline between reira and shin. it doesn’t add much and usually feels like a method to worm out exposition from reira. reira, who is an incredibly interesting character, ends up being difficult to talk about with nuance since she’s a predator.

-yazawa could’ve leaned on reira’s relationship ren to get a lot of this exposition considering they already both bond over the isolation they feel from their talent.

-however, as this scene is, i’ll say that i dont’t think it’s a coincidence that some of the show’s most communitative conversations come from pillow talk.

-now even nobu is talking about the demon lord. also notice how the characters only buy into the demon lord when they are they are currently avoiding taking responsibility.

-they are so cute

-IM DYING AT THE WAY SHE LOOKS AT HER

-i can’t do this. hachi and nana go their boyfriends in order to avoid confronting how they want more attention from one another.

-VERY interesting that nana is trying to encourage hachi’s relationship with takumi. she really does not like seeing hachi upset. nana doesn’t believe anything she’s saying to hachi, but she wants to for the sake of hachi. she’s like the opposite of junko. meanwhile hachi has been cynical from since she started things with takumi.

-i wasn’t expecting hachi to admit she thought nana was going to despise her lol. hachi admits to feeling foolish for getting mixed up with takumi as well.

-nana ends up saying all the wrong things despite clearly not meaning to. nana thinks that hachi loves takumi DESPITE being a famous musician. but hachi thinks to herself about how once she seperates the status from the person takumi’s toxic behavior is glaringly obvious. nana is pushing her ideals of hachi onto her.

-oh wow. they were all just talking about hachi without her knowing. that would be so humiliating. and what the fuck is wrong with ren? he had no reason to repeat what takumi word for word to nana. and when nana gets upset he says that takumi DIDN’T MEAN ANY RESPECT??? i truly hate men.

-god they really want her to love takumi so they can keep their image of her at bay. and now hachi is filled w/ doubt. maybe she CAN love takumi; maybe there is a small chance of this working out even if it’ll never make her happy; maybe she is fixable.

-nobu going to a 16 yr old for relationship advice

-nana singing rose so that both hachi and nobu can hear her as nobu confesses…

“i need your love, im a broken rose”

-the directing in this scene is so fucking good

-who is speaking the lyrics? and to who? it could be nana to hachi, hachi to nobu, or hachi to nana. then of course nobu to hachi, the clearer parallel.