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evolutionsvoid · 10 months

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The depths of the ocean bears many mysteries, some that intrigue the mind and others that chill the soul. Many don't know what to make of such a place, a realm so cold, empty and impossible. At least the deeps of the earth itself can be reached, slowly but surely as the sprawling tunnels bore through ancient flesh and soil. But the abyssal void remains out of man's grasp, for those willing to even entertain such an idea. There are plenty of tales surrounding the deep, but they are born from fantasy and scraps of washed up knowledge. For a realm so inhospitable to flesh and fluid, the Church of Divine Wealth would be quick to deem it outside the divine ways. This world would be labeled as empty as a bottomless pit, not worthy of attention by divinity. For many, it should just remain a gnawing mystery when sailing across the seas, wondering of what lurks far below their ship. However, the things that wash to shore sometimes bear proof that the abyss isn't so empty, that a sort of life exists in that realm of shadow and cold. What to describe these things that drift into the shallows is up to constant debate, with arguments that they are either holy or blasphemous. Their alien appearance and strange bodies sure strike revulsion in some, but what truly unsettles the people are the similarities we see in them.

One of the great mysteries and incredible phenomenon born from the abyss are the Saints, creatures who sheer existence sparks endless debate amongst the churches and priests. These sightings are rare, but each one sends waves through the divine, reigniting the investigation into these bizarre beings and the unknown world they ascend from. Their arrival is heralded by the thrashing of a great leviathan, a massive fish roiling in the shallows of the coast. For a beast of such size, traveling to such thin waters would mean death, but yet it willingly throws itself upon the shores. It will beach itself, laying there as if already dead, but then its great maw shall open wide. Unfurling from the darkness of this yawning throat is a Saint of the Sea, a bizarre insectile creature whose appearance strikes a chord in the devout. Despite the fearsome beast they are attached to, they are calm and careful creatures, their bodies and limbs moving in methodical slowness, as if a statue come to life. Their claws are bent in gestures of holiness, and at times they have been seen gripping tablets and effigies carved from ambergris. While these arrivals are rare, they do appear to have some kind of purpose or intent. As far as one can tell, there is always at least one person in the vicinity of the beach to witness their coming. For those who gaze upon this beached figure, it shall beckon them forth silently, with subtle gestures of their claws and faces. These Saints seek an audience, with seemingly no preference on who witnesses their sermon.

From the tales, those who approach this waiting Saint shall be granted their blessing, sometimes in the form of carved ambergris or in cryptic words that echo in the mind. These aromatic totems are etched with odd symbols and unknown words, a tongue still not yet discovered. What purpose they serve is quite a mystery, but those who receive them and cling to them swear to odd events and fortunes changing their lives. Something comes from these effigies and words, even if one cannot understand them. Claims that they somehow steer one's fate, told by those who's dreams are now cold and dark. For those who are blessed with unspoken words, they will be at a loss at first. Though this message is translated to their tongue by their mortal mind, its meaning and purpose will be quite an enigma. But yet, those who hear them will find them guiding in the most unexpected of times. As if they had been granted a prophecy of their own lives, and now realize that this message was meant for this one single moment. Some have found these words saving, while others have been doomed by them. Are the words of these Saints meant to warn of what is to come, or merely the telling of a story already written?

While the legends of these encounters may excite one on the possibilities of meeting a Saint, a word of caution must be given. There are those who indeed grant blessings to those who draw close to hear, but not all Saints appear to be sworn to peace. Other tales speak of those who reach towards extended claws, to accept a priceless gift of ambergris, only for those talons to snap shut on their flesh. In one horrid moment, the Saint bolts to action and seizes the helpless sheep in its arms. The jaws of the leviathan shall close upon the screaming victim, and its great bulk shall churn through the shallow waters and sand. With the powerful thrashing of its body, it will push itself free of the shore and return to the deep, where all shall descend into the abyss once more. What happens to these stolen victims is up to our imaginations, with some simply believing that the Saint devours them, while others claim that it is for breeding purposes. All that is known is that those taken by these divine claws are never seen again. How these victims are selected, no one knows. There are plenty of guesses on things like purity, intent or allegiance, but so far the tales of those lost bear no discernible pattern. Much like everything else with the Saints, it is a mystery.

Due to their holy appearance and sacred blessings, there are some sects of the church that believe that these creatures are truly divine. The idea that perhaps the abyss bears some kind of connection to the devout, that maybe it is a place meant for those who truly live by the word. The sea is strongly tied to Phlegm, in its calm and emotional ways. Why else does the rhythmic sound of the waves bring peace? What else can be compared to the waters that can be so serene and still one moment, than wrathful the next? These sects do find some connection to the sea, so why should the abyss be any different? To imagine a world of sheer darkness, where endless cold and stifling pressure robs the senses. Yet, in this deprived state, isn't it the perfect state for the mind? To truly meditate in a world where only the mind remains? With these beliefs, there are plenty of priests who see the abyss as an extension of their religion, a holy land where only the truly reverent can go. Thus, the Saints are seen as true saints, and they weave new tales to explain it so.

If there are no answers to the mysteries of the world, than the devout shall take their faith and bend it to fit so. When asked how these divine Saints came to be, there is a myriad of tales to choose from. One popular legend claims that the first Saint came from a holy man who sought peace for his meditations. He wished to ponder upon life's great purpose, but to achieve the perfect state of Eukrasia, he needed absolute silence and stillness. Yet, each time he sat to pray and think, something would bother him and make such a journey impossible. His tale had him traveling to every room in the monastery, but yet each location had a flaw. He would then venture out into the world, hoping to find true peace out there. Yet again, each spot he sat to think in presented a distraction. At last, frustrated to no end by this constant failure, he cast himself into the sea, where he was devoured by a great fish. The tale ends with him in its belly, deep in the abyss, finally having found that true peace and quiet. As the story speaks:

Yunus, Yunus, mercy me

Where can your peace truly be Yunus, Yunus, mind now free

It's in the bowels of the sea

Another tale suggests that the Saints came to be because of the forbidden love between a divine priest and an abyssal creature. As the story goes, this priest was known for his wondrous sermons, and his flock came each holy day to hear him speak. Seeing how much his words meant to his people, he made sure to practice them every day to ensure perfection. The best place for him to ease his mind and test his sermons was upon the beach, where he found peace in the gentle waves and soft sand. Eventually, his pleasing words fell upon the ears of some creature of the deep, who was moved by them. They would come to the shallows to hear him speak, and the priest soon took notice of this strange audience. Rather than be afraid, he was equally moved at how such a strange beast loved his speaking, and thus was encouraged to keep doing so. Every day, he would go to the beach to share his sermon, and the abyssal creature would come to listen. Eventually, the two fell in love, and the priest began to neglect his duties. So caught up in sharing his words with his abyssal lover, that he began to miss his own mass, and the people grew angry. When they discovered him upon the beach with this horrible beast, the church and its flock cast him out and sought to execute him for heresy. It was then he and his lover embraced and fled into the ocean, vanishing into the abyss. The tale says that their children came to be the Saints, whose unknown swings between blessings and violence are from these offspring both caring for the humanity their father loved and despising them for driving him away.

Lastly, another popular story says that the Saints were born from two divine figures who sought to answer the mysteries of the world. However, their quest to learn all came upon a problem when they considered the vast seas. How would they be able to figure it all out, if they couldn't fathom these oceans? And if they committed themselves to the sea, how would they learn of the land? So the two came to an agreement: one of the divine would bind themselves to the earth to learn its secrets, while the other give themself to the ocean so they may explore its depths. Every ten years, the two would meet upon the shore, where their two realms conjoined, and share their new wisdom. This went on for decades, until one day the divine of the sea returned to find their partner missing. They would soon learn that the divine of the earth was killed in a thoughtless act of violence, and the knowledge enraged them. Furious at the corrupt world of man, they returned to the sea, taking their immense knowledge with them and never coming back. What birthed from this event were the many Saints, who still came to land time to time to share knowledge. However, they are all conflicted, torn between enlightening the world of man or condemning it. Those who approach will see what choice these Saints currently settled on..

Which of these are true, if any? To most, it does not matter. The Saints are divine, and blessed be to those who are granted their offerings, and woe to those whose sins doom them to the maw.

Look to the Saints who rest, unharmed, in the jaws of beasts.

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"Saints of the Sea"

Was looking at old pictures and drawings of sea monsters, when I stumbled upon some old depictions of Jonah. Looking closer at a few gave me an ol' "Hmmmm, that looks familiar!"

#monster #creature #isopod #parasite #tongue biter #leviathan #fish #fall of ichor #art #drawing #cymothoa exigua #saint

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darksilvania · 2 years

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PARALOUSE (Bug/Water), SQUAKER (Water) & PARASCYLLA (Bug/Ghost) PARALOUSE (Parasite/Louse/Perilous) is a small bug type pokemon that lives among the corals, it awaits for a fish pokemon with a mout big enough to jump in, where it will eat and replace that pokemon's tongue. Once it has gained enough strenght by weakening its host it will evolve

PARASCYLLA (Parasite/Scylla) the "Mermaid" pokemon. It emerges from its host's mouth, the one it completely fills. At this point its host is competely taken over, becoming PARASCYLLA's new tail. To further keep its "tail" in place, it will stick its lower legs through the fish's gills, securing it in place.

SQUAKER (Squawk/Cracker) is a parrot fish pokemon that inhabits the same coral reef where PARALOUSE can be found, they love to feed on coral using their strong beaks to cut and swallow large chunks of it, which sadly makes it the perfect victim for PARALOUSE. How ever if SQUAKER manages to avoid becoming infected by PARALOUSE it can evolve into the dangerous PARROTEER (Parrot/Privateer)

PARROTEER (Water/Dark) is PARASCYLLA's natural predator, it preys upon PARASCYLLA with extreme prejudice, using its massive size and hard-as-rock head to knock them out, it then uses its bolt cutter-like beak to cut them in half by the waist, feeding only on the upper bug half and leaving the tails to sink to the bottom

PARALOUSE is based on the cymothoa exigua, a type of parasitic isopod that attached to fishes mouths replacing their tongues

PARASCYLLA is based on a twisted version of a mermaid with some inspiration is the Greek monster Scylla, a creature with the upper torso of a woman, but a lower body made out of heads and tails

SQUAKER is based on the Steephead parrotfish and its colors are based on the Scarlet Macaw

PARROTEER is based on the Humphead parrotfish and its colors are based on the Dracula Parrot, as well as being based on a Pirate

PARROTEER hunting and feeding only on PARASCYLLA is a reference to Pirates hunting mermaids as represented in some myths and popular media, like Peter Pan or Pirates of the Caribbean

At the moment, SQUAKER is the only suitable pokemon available in PARALOUSE's habitat for it to attach, but, if more pokemon were avaible it could attach to them as long as they met certain criteria: -Being a Fish (No mammals, reptiles of crustaceans) -Having a big enoug mouth Here are some examples of PARASCYLLA using other fish pokemons as its tail

The only exception to this rule being Gygantamax PARASCYLLA

#Pokemon #fakemon #fake pokemon #fish #isopod #water type #bug type #ghost type #dark type #parrotfish #mermaid #parasite #fish pokemon #scylla #greek mythology #pirate #privateer

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