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[heptolab]

Heptopods in...???

Zepht and I were discussing some ideas with others on the Lab Discord server.

This was the result.

If you know, you know. ^^;

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Heptopods in...???

Zepht and I were discussing some ideas with others on the Lab Discord server.

This was the result.

If you know, you know. ^^;

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Meet the Heptocrew: The Heptful Seven

I told you to keep an eye on this bunch!

While I’m on a roll with explaining some things that heptos get up to in their life, I thought I introduce you to the seven heptos you recently saw in our latest discovery!

We'll start from the top left and work our way down. Ready to meet some of the crew? (Note: this is a long post!)

Starting with Lily, the latest out of this group to be discovered! She's a stealth heptopod, and she appears to have a... flower at the tip of her tail that can open and close on command? She's been described as having a shy but happy personality, and according to our lab reports was found sneaking around the Lab before we eventually discovered her! Those stealth heptos really can just blend in, huh?

Next up, Ramuterasu (or just Ramu) who is a strength heptopod and is the only one of his kind out of this group. You can probably see in the above group photo that with his big tails, he can use it as a major air advantage, being able to launch himself like a spring high into the air. Otherwise, our records describe him as a pretty chill heptopod who's just happy to hang out with others like him!

In the middle of the group is Amber, a stealth heptopod with very squibble-like hair! I'm not actually how I describe her hair, it's either wavy or squiggly, I can't really tell but what I can tell you is that she's a very friendly hepto with a cheery personality who just brings a smile to everyone's face! She's also not afraid to use her tail to an advantage as seen above, even if it doesn't reach as high as Ramu's.

At the bottom left is Ivy, another stealth heptopod. She's pretty chilled-out like Ramu, keeping her style to what she sees to fit her most for the day! She's also not afraid to have a little fun here and there, and participate on any shenanigans that the group also happens to participate in (yes, even if it's slightly brushing away the idea of playing a game that could possibly end the world). Did I mention that heptopods are shenanigan causers?

Next to Ivy is Zepht, the stealth heptopod you probably recognise! He's probably the most chaotic of the group next to Hyla, always thinking up of some shenanigans for the group to get involved in. Getting the group into a lobby that probably breaks the team size rules was his idea after all!

The blue one is a stealth heptopod we'll call V, as they would like to keep their true name a secret. That said, a tiny heptopod with a tiny name doesn't shy from a big personality, down to the tail which is probably the same length as the rest of their body if I had to guess. They even have a tiny crest poking out from the crown they're wearing, isn't it silly? In a good way, of course! ^^;

And finally, there's Hyla! It's as if green stealth heptopods are the ones who cause the shenanigans around this group. As for Hyla, she has an upbeat and energetic personality that may go a bit too over sometimes, but otherwise just hangs out with this group to have fun and also encourage others to join in. After all, what's a friendship group without the fun?

Whew, we've finally reached the end and I've realised that's a lot of heptopods in one post... so I think I'll leave it here for now! Tune in next time as we continue to meet the rest of the heptocrew! Until then!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Oh no.

A Splatacular Scene: Heptopods in Splatoon

Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that we found some of our heptos lurking in Minecraft? Well, it seems as of late they've picked up yet another hobby: being on top of the turf!

(Credit: Zepht | Also featuring Ivy, V, Amber, Ramu, Lily & Hyla)

Huh... that's odd, there's only seven heptopods instead of a normal group of eight in a match (as if the group count matches the appendage count of heptos or something)... is this bunch of chaotic beings bending the rules of the game? Surely not!

Well, some researchers think they would absolutely be capable of that as well and makes them perfect candidates for a game session scenario that they seem to be working on but I'm not so sure of the details myself... time will tell, I suppose!

This bunch seemed to form up recently with shared interests: they were all heptopods, they liked Splatoon and they liked those squishy sea creatures that we call octopuses. Who knows, maybe you'll see this group more often doing things together, so keep an eye out!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

A Splatacular Scene: Heptopods in Splatoon

Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that we found some of our heptos lurking in Minecraft? Well, it seems as of late they've picked up yet another hobby: being on top of the turf!

(Credit: Zepht | Also featuring Ivy, V, Amber, Ramu, Lily & Hyla)

Huh... that's odd, there's only seven heptopods instead of a normal group of eight in a match (as if the group count matches the appendage count of heptos or something)... is this bunch of chaotic beings bending the rules of the game? Surely not!

Well, some researchers think they would absolutely be capable of that as well and makes them perfect candidates for a game session scenario that they seem to be working on but I'm not so sure of the details myself... time will tell, I suppose!

This bunch seemed to form up recently with shared interests: they were all heptopods, they liked Splatoon and they liked those squishy sea creatures that we call octopuses. Who knows, maybe you'll see this group more often doing things together, so keep an eye out!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Breaking News: Heptopods in Minecraft!

Continuing our search of heptopods in virtual spaces, one of our Lab Research Volunteers made an exciting discovery!

So far, we know the heptos of Amber, Roid and Zepht have made appearances within the game, with perhaps more to be discovered! Interestingly, Zepht's hepto seems to have limbs that extrude past normal Minecraft player proportions...

...how does that work? Some things are left better unanswered, I suppose!

We continue to look around every medium possible in our quest to find out where heptos have appeared in modern day! Who knows, maybe the next time we find a hepto, it'd be in a popular webcomic that had its 15th anniversary not long ago...

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Bones? What of them?

A common issue that we've heard from our Lab Volunteers (of those who are still human) is a common complaint.

Bones suck.

Even though bones provide the core structure of the human body, they seem to cause the most amount of pain in the fact that their bones limit their flexibility, even causing distressing amounts of pain when stressed to their limits. Back pains are an issue after all for many of our clients.

Heptopods, however, have no bones. None of them. This isn't surprising though, considering that their octopus relatives are also boneless - with the only limiting factor on where they can fit being their beak. But how do heptopods stand on ground and mimic human anatomy without the same bones that humans have?

Well, heptos are able to condense their internal muscle tissue to give themselves an endoskeleton so they can stand upright - both on ground, and in water. They can also do the same with their ears and tail, although muscle tissue tends to be less in those areas to allow for some jiggle room. What's a tail if it doesn't swing around like a hazard?

There are so many more traits to being a hepto which we'll continue to share over time, but if you're sick of your bones as much as our Lab Volunteers are, why not contribute to some heptophecy? There have been instances where our humans morph into heptopods after all...

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Bioluminescence - Science Behind The Hepto Glow

As much as we love octopuses here at the Heptopod Research lab, we found that many octopuses that we've looked at are pretty plain. Some octopuses however display bioluminescent features, which basically makes them glow in the dark!

The below photo of an octopus does not glow. We just think it's cute.

Heptopods on the other hand seem to display significant bioluminescent features, down to almost their whole body! It usually tends to be the suction cups, eyes, mouth and parts of a heptopod's pattern that glow the most.

The below photos of three heptopods - Hyla, Lyla & Amber - do indeed glow.

Notably, the shoes that Hyla & Lyla wear also glow, but that's not part of their bioluminescence - rather, a "fashion feature".

It's believed that while the display of bioluminescence continues to depend on each individual heptopod, theories suggest that these features have been used to communicate over long distances, or to be able to distinguish members in the darkness even better. The latter theory is quite interesting as heptopods don't have trouble with seeing in the dark...

We're confident that many - if not all - heptos are capable of displaying these bioluminescent features. If you were to ask me, they all make for an awesome deep-sea light show!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Breaking News: Heptopods in VRChat!

You heard correctly: we've discovered that heptopods do indeed exist within the world of VRChat!

[Image Credit: Zepht]

While winding down after an exhausting day, our Laboratory Head Zepht found his discovered heptopod roaming around the world! Apparently this discovery involved programming a blender, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

A great day for us indeed at the Lab and heptopodkind! Who knows, there could be more heptos in VRChat that we are yet to discover!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

WHAT IS THE FUCKING POINT

[heptolab]

You are not immune to heptopod propaganda. Become hepto.

Like my art? Consider commissioning me, or leaving a tip on Ko-fi!

[heptolab]

Meet Zepht - one of the Researchers at the Lab!

Hope you're having a heptoful start to 2024! We thought to start the year with an exclusive interview with one of the staff here at the Lab.

Zepht is our Laboratory Head and is in charge of discovering new heptopods, and everything about them!

---

Who are you and what's your role/profession? What do you do in this role?

Hi, I'm Zepht and I am an artist and programmer, dabbling in game design! I just also really enjoy making things, whether digital, physical or even written.

But more importantly, I am a scientist at the Heptopod Research Lab, studying the history, anatomy and behaviour of these wonderful specimens.

So many people have been fascinated by the discovery of a new anthropomorphic octopus species. As the head researcher, what can you tell us about this new discovery?

While heptopods have been known about in passing for a while, proper research has never been conducted on this ever less elusive species. We are hoping to bring a better understanding of these cephalopods to the public's perception!

We know that these "heptopods" come in three types. Can you briefly describe each one and their unique traits?

The three main distinctions of heptopod sub-classifications have derived from how the species historically had to adapt to different environments. The three main clans that were formed by the evolution into more societal patterns are the Clans of Covert, Impact and Artisan. Distinctly, each of these lineages has a different layout of its 7 limbs.

Heptopods of the Covert lineage tend to have finer control over their natural abilities of mimicry and bioluminescence, allowing them fluid control over their bodies' appearance.

Heptopods of the Impact lineage tend to have much better ability in physical prowess and martial arts, making the most of the densely packed muscles in their twin tails.

Heptopods of the Artisan lineage tend to be much more refined in craftsmanship, and wielding ink based composites between their 4 arms.

There seems to be a lot of heptopods that we know of in existence! What have you gathered by their presence?

I think we are living in a great time where we can interact and learn so much about the Heptopod species as a whole, but also listen to the individual and unique stories each one has to offer.

Of course, we know that heptopods have actually been in existence for a while - we just only found out about them recently. What can you tell us about their history?

The heptopod species is a distant relative of the octopods we know today. It is believed to have stemmed from a small population taking refuge in a sprawling undersea network that was secluded from the rest of the world for many centuries until relatively recent history.

The population thrived in this environment and settled in distant corners from one another. As the many generations passed, each of these split populations took on advantageous forms to become apex predators in their habitats, eventually forming societies that would one day start to clash with each other.

Each of the three clans used their unique skill sets in combat against one another, as they fought for space and resources. We have limited knowledge on these conflicts so far, or how they resolved, but that is something we are hoping to learn more about eventually.

But what we know for certain is that at one point, the Suctucalix Chambers opened up to the outside world again. The Heptopod species has spread far and wide,adapting to a lot more environments and setting up many settlements around the globe.

We know that the lab has started experimenting regarding matching humans with heptopods. Can you tell us more about this experiment?

The Heptopod Research Lab has been self funding a project, where human volunteers quantise preferable traits they would like to see in themselves given the assumption they were to be a heptopod. Surprisingly enough, following through with this process has ended up with a very high ratio of heptopods being found, matching said traits to a high degree of accuracy. 

That being said, finding the human subjects after the process completion has been posing some difficulties...

Each heptopod seems to be so unique and individual! What heptopod characteristics make this possible?

The heptopod species simply has a plethora of physical features, abilities and characteristics that vary across individuals. That’s on top of the 3 clans a heptopod can originate from. Heptopods come in all sorts of:

Heights

Proportions

Colours

Patterns

Personalities

Form preferences

Skill sets

Clothing preferences

Quantising preferable traits has a lot of wiggle room, and our staff can offer suggestions of characteristics to explore.

We've seen that some heptopods have the ability to mimic other animals around them. What can you tell us about this phenomenon?

The mimicry phenomenon in heptopods is very clearly derivative of the natural behaviours they evolved to dissuade predators and confuse prey. It is believed that it may also have been used for communication purposes too, especially in conjunction with their bioluminescence.

Mimicry is actually a tactic employed by many other cephalopods, so encountering it in this species isn’t all too surprising. Nowadays, modern heptopods are still found using it, whether it be for survival, mischief, a light source, socialising or just general comfort of the self.

The heptopods look very human-like, similar to some other anthropomorphic creatures we've seen. What makes them stand out? I've noticed that heptopods have suction cups on their ‘hands’ and ‘feet’...

Heptopods do have suction cups on their arms and legs, with more on their tentacle ears and tails too. These can have some great grip strength, which can make up for the entire lack of rigid bones in their body!

The only bones in a heptopod are the beaks, which can resemble a set of fanged teeth. The species can stand upright by compacting areas of muscle into pseudo-bones. This even allows them to stretch or ‘melt down’ when relaxed and I think that’s a pretty noteworthy feature!.

That's all the questions we have for you, but is there anything else that you'd like to add?

I encourage anyone who wants to be involved in the research to think about what sort of heptopod they could be. Each individual in the study gets given an illustration of their assigned heptopod appearance, but this can also be done DIY by anyone who wants to participate, the species is open to all!

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Thinking about it now, I should probably get interviewed - I've had so many enquiries, but I'm just so busy being the Lab Coordinator and working on our reachout program to get volunteers involved with our research - but maybe you might hear from me soon!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskorce

[heptolab]

Hot off the Press: Modern Colonies

We've got some breakthrough research to share this time around - and it's to do with the present day!

Recently, colonies and communities of heptopods with all mixes have been discovered - whether that be with other heptos, humans or otherwise.

Interestingly, heptos who are welcomed within human communities have been observed to be very proficient in learning their language and mimicking their speech; while heptos who mix with other heptos don't always seem to be made entirely out of one hepto race.

This has certainly made us excited that heptopods are able to mix with other races, as that hasn't been the case during their early years in the Suctucalix Chambers. But more importantly, it's made us scrambling to find a heptopod living amongst a human colony - something we thought we'd never see!

There's a lot more to talk about that we'd take ages writing this post - so as always, you'll find our latest research on our website. Speak soon!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Still not sold? Have a look at our testimonials!

"It really helped me get in touch with a part of myself that I wasn't sure how to engage with."

"A chill experience, very open & responsive to feedback about adapting & customizing designs."

"...for those who do like it, they REALLY seem to like it! Must say I’m quite fond of it myself!"

"I’d never thought that I would like this sort of thing, but my friend encouraged me to be one and I can’t thank them enough for doing so!"

"It's so cool, I can't even begin to describe it."

We're really short on volunteers (because they all keep disappearing, we PROMISE we're getting to the bottom of it) so we'd really love your help to continue our research!

Our Biggest Breakthrough: Human to Heptopod Matching

At the Heptopod Research Lab, we’ve been ramping up our recruitment drive after a breakthrough discovery!

With the help of our volunteers, we’ve been able to match one’s traits to a heptopod to a high degree of accuracy. This has undoubtedly contributed to the number of heptopods that we have discovered! We call this Human-to-Heptopod Matching.

The process is easy. We approach one of our volunteers and we get them to list down their preferred traits if they were to be a heptopod. Utilising these notes, we get straight to matching their preferences to a heptopod, which only takes us about two weeks! However, in some cases, once we’ve completed the process, we’re unable to locate the volunteer in question afterwards. We’re not too sure why that is for now…

We assure all our prospective volunteers that the risks are minimal and the likelihood of this happening to you is almost zero. So, if you’re willing to help us in our research and find more heptopods, we’d love your assistance!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Our Biggest Breakthrough: Human to Heptopod Matching

At the Heptopod Research Lab, we’ve been ramping up our recruitment drive after a breakthrough discovery!

With the help of our volunteers, we’ve been able to match one’s traits to a heptopod to a high degree of accuracy. This has undoubtedly contributed to the number of heptopods that we have discovered! We call this Human-to-Heptopod Matching.

The process is easy. We approach one of our volunteers and we get them to list down their preferred traits if they were to be a heptopod. Utilising these notes, we get straight to matching their preferences to a heptopod, which only takes us about two weeks! However, in some cases, once we’ve completed the process, we’re unable to locate the volunteer in question afterwards. We’re not too sure why that is for now…

We assure all our prospective volunteers that the risks are minimal and the likelihood of this happening to you is almost zero. So, if you’re willing to help us in our research and find more heptopods, we’d love your assistance!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

A Delve Into the Clans

So far, we know of three distinct clans of the Heptopod, each having unique features that make each clan stand out - and we thought we'd brief you on the details!

The Clan of Covert

Heptopods from this clan seem to specialise in stealth, with many appearing to have:

two ears,

two arms,

two legs,

and one tail.

These heptopods have been observed to effortlessly mimic animals around them, helping blend in with others. That's not to say that heptopods from other clans can mimic as well, but that those who were born from Covert seem to be very proficient in the practice.

The Clan of Impact

Heptopods from this clan seem to specialise in strength, with many appearing to have:

one ear,

two arms,

two legs,

and two tails.

Many heptopods born from Impact have been observed to use these tail pairs to an advantage, whether that be propelling themselves further for an attack or using them as an anchor for the rest of their body.

The Clan of Artisan

Heptopods from this clan seem to specialise in dexterity, with many appearing to have:

one ear,

four arms,

two legs,

and no tail.

Unfortunately, the Lab has been unable to track down a heptopod that displays these features - but from the research we've done so far, we know that those born from Artisan tend to lack in basic heptopod features, such as a tail. However, these heptopods make up for it by using their additional arms to efficiently craft tools that can be used to their advantage.

Anomalies

These heptopods don't seem to come from a specific clan. Rather, they possess the features of a heptopod but don't fit within the boundaries of any clans stated above.

Some have been observed to have tentacle legs, with others having triplet-tails. Hence, they're given the label of an anomaly to distinguish the features that make them stand out from the three clans combined. We've still got some research to do, though.

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We continue to research these clans further, including the history behind them. We found that while these clans may cooperate now, history used to be that they used to be against each other in a legendary fight - but we're still investigating this new detail, so stay tuned!

🐙 Hyla, Heptopod Research Taskforce

[heptolab]

Introducing: The Latest from the Heptopod Research Lab!

Hey there! Hyla here, reporting from the Research Taskforce for the Heptopod Research Lab! You can see all our work here.

You're probably wondering what our research entails. We'll get straight to the point: we recently discovered a unique species derived from the octopus, with two particular distinctions:

they have seven limbs, compared to the normal eight of an octopus,

and that these cephalopod-like creatures possess anthromorphic features, with many resembling those of a human.

We've named these creatures heptopods, from the fact that they have seven limbs rather than eight - but here at the lab, we just call them heptos! They've got unique features compared to other anthromorphic creatures: for example, some have the ability to mimic other animals around them, while others have two tails to propel themselves further for stronger attacks.

This is just a sample of what we've found so far - but as we continue to research these newly-discovered species, we'll be posting updates about our latest findings on this Tumblr blog - so stay tuned for the latest!

🐙 Hyla, Hepto Research Taskforce