#— passenger : ceto

[224terminal]

⋆⁺₊ ⋆ ☾ ₊˚. 𓆟｡⋆༄ 𝒸𝑒𝓉𝑜.

a few scattered ramblings about my twst oc!

> her name is ceto and she's an anglerfish mermaid from a very deep, dark depth in the coral sea. her eyes are milky white and aren't very reliable at times, so in human form she doesn't have the best eyesight. she wears prescription color contact lenses because she thinks glasses are troublesome to keep up with. also, she thinks pink eyes are pretty. as soon as she came to the surface, one of the first things she did was cut her hair to match the style of a drowned woman she happened upon when she strayed from her usual depths. it's a jellyfish cut. additionally, her nails are always sharp and manicured, painted in various patterns of hot pink.

> she has sharp, needle-pointed teeth like an anglerfish's. she likes to smile and show off her teeth, but her smiles are a little too eerie and wide most of the time, which unsettles most people. she dresses in a lot of formal business fashion. black and pink is the main color scheme in her wardrobe. she wears a lot of ocean-themed jewelry, but her go-to are the fishbone hair clips which she fashioned from the bones she finds on the sea floor.

> she's very energetic and friendly, if a bit morbidly disturbed at times with her odd sense of humor and textbook knowledge on the strangest, most obscure subjects (which cause most to avoid her), and despite her fearlessly outgoing and curious nature no one seems to know much about her.

> she likes rumors and gossip and will often spread them in passing. for that reason, you should be selective with what you choose to tell her.

> in mer form, she does have an esca like an anglerfish! in human form, it acts as her tonsils (it glows at night). her unique magic is called “bocca della veritá,” and it’s a spell that allows ceto to learn of the afflicted victim's deepest fears, secrets, or insecurities. when someone looks into her open mouth, their reality falls away and is replaced with that of their greatest terror, forcing them to confront things they may not want to confront. ceto doesn't use her um often, but she does like to playfully warn others not to stare at her too much or else they may just open their eyes to a nightmare.

> she is interested in the art of pinning insects and can spend hours poring over textbooks and video essays on the subject. she keeps a journal of dried and pressed flowers and has even tried to collect and pin a few insects of her own. butterflies and fireflies are her favorites.

> despite dressing in formal business attire, she has no interest in business. she just likes the fashion and how she's able to pair it with heels. speaking of heels, she taught herself how to walk in them because it was a challenge many mers-turned-humans struggle with and ceto likes to challenge herself with difficulties like this.

> most of her behaviors are sweet and disarming. it's a tactic she uses to lure others in, whether for friendship or to learn more about them for various reasons. she sometimes wears bright colors against dark suits (such as pins or other jewelry) in hopes that others will take notice and be compelled to approach her.

[voahausa]

Wani kwale-kwale ya kife a karamar hukumar mulkin Jega a jihar Kebbi da ke Arewacin Najeriya a daren Litinin. Rahotanne sun bayyana cewa hatsarin kwale-kwalen mai dauke da mata 10 da matuki, yayi sanadiyyar mutuwar mata 4, yayin da sauran 6 kuma ba'a sami ganinsu ba. Shugaban hukumar ba da agajin gaugawa ta jihar Kebbi, Alhaji Sani Dododo wanda ya tabbatar da haka a zantawarsa da wakilinmu Muhammad Nasir, ya ce za'a ci gaba da lalube domin gano sauran mutanen 6.  Ya bayana cewa da misalign karfe takwas da rabi na daren Litinin ne suka sami labarin da ya tabbatar da afkuwar hadarin. A cewar sa jirgin ya taso ne daga wani gari da ake ce mishi Gehoru.  Kamar yadda Alhaji Sani Dododo  ya shedawa wakilin namu, "nan take aka shiga aikin ceto, kuma an sami gano gwarwakin mata hudu  a locacin da muke ba da wannan rahoto." An alakanta wanna hadari daya afku da abaliyar ruwa sanadiyyar mamakon ruwan sama da ake samu a ‘yan kwanakin nan. Hukumar ba da Agajin Gaggawa ta sha kira ga mutane da su kauracewa hanyar ruwa saboda gudun asarar da ambaliya kan iya hadasawa. Idan za’a iya tunawa tun farkon daminar bana masana yanayi suka ba da sanarwa yiwuwar ruwan sama mai yawa da zai iya haddasa ambaliya mai karfin gaske.  In a related development, Two persons were confirmed dead and another missing after a fishing boat with seven passengers capsized in Ikorodu A wata makamanciyar wannan kuma, an tabbatar da rasuwar mutum biyu sanadiyyar nutsewar wani jirgin ruwan masunta a Ikorodu ta jihar Lagas. Hadarin ya auku ne da misalign karfe bakwai na yammacin Litinin a Offin Ibeshe sa'adda igiyar ruwa mai karfin gaske ta kifar da kwale-kwalen. A bayanin da hukumar sufurin ruwa ta jihar Legas (LASWA) ta bayar, jirgin da ya tashi daga Makoko, ya na dauke da mutum bakwai ciki har da kananan yara biyu. Shugaban hukumar LASWA, Oluwadamilola Emmanuel ya ce dukan fasinjojin ba sa sanye da rigar kariya wato life jacket a locacin da hadarin ya auku. “Inquiries reveal that the fishing boat which was clearly operating outside its fishing capability and therefore not equipped with necessary safety gadgets for passengers ferry operation carried the occupants who are all  related and headed to Offin for a relative’s funeral. Ya ce "binciken da aka yi ya nuna cewa jirgin kamun kifin bai da muhimman na’urorin amfani da kariya ga fashinjojin, domin dukkaninsu ‘yan uwan juna ne danke hanyarsu ta zuwa jana’izar wani dan’uwansu.”           via Voice of America Hausa

[224terminal]

I really like your oc Ceto! Do you have any headcanons for her when she falls in love with someone?

:D thank you!!! i imagine this image is how ceto is when she's in love:

she's just so bad at navigating love, especially on land because her idea of fun courtship is vastly different from human standards and understanding. T_T she's so cutthroat in everything else she does, so confident of herself, but when it comes to love she's so cringefail girlfailure.

since ceto is an anglerfish mer, she's heard of plenty of other anglerfish mer who mate for life and stick together until the end (metaphorically and even literally), but she's not ready for that kind of commitment. so instead she just enjoys the pining stage and the whirlwind that is gradually falling in love with someone. she'll likely never confess, but she prefers falling in and out of love instead of getting into a relationship when she isn't ready or prepared. but she does care immensely when she's in love, whether that's platonically or romantically. she's just a little awkward in how she shows this affection and most of it is always hidden under friendly pretenses.

humans like love letters, but ceto's so bad at writing flowery things and so her love letters read like threats. ;;;; humans like gifts and shiny things, but in the ocean things like dainty fabrics and sugar fall apart. so instead, ceto usually likes to find the prettiest insects and pin them in nice frames. or she fashions all kinds of jewelry out of fish bones! she likes making things, so if she likes you enough you'll definitely get plenty of these gifts when it's a special occasion or a holiday.

[224terminal]

Oh my gosh! I love Ceto so much! If you ever have time and if you’re interested, can you write a short interaction with any or all of the Octatrio? It can be a short snippet! I just want to see Jade (please make it Jade) so bothered and unsettled by her UM! Or have the both of them out in the forest collecting and harvesting their respective hobbies!

Ceto sounds so cute! I love her so much! Can she be my girlfriend? I wouldn’t mind staring into her mouth…

(Ignore that last part hahah, I’m just so in love with her)

Oh gosh! Just realized! Ceto means “sea monster”! Very clever hahahah

- - -

aaaa thank you so much for liking her!!! she's the cutest and the creepiest. <3 she fits right in with the eccentric octavinelle trio. the tags you left on your reblog are also very true!! azul would absolutely capitalize on her um, weaponizing it for his own benefit. she likes to tease everyone by opening her mouth and seeming suggestive about it just to gauge reactions hehe. the twins are her favorite two to subject to this teasing. she's a menace through and through.

and her name does indeed mean "sea monster"! i took inspiration from the greek goddess ceto, who is the goddess of the dangers of the sea and sea monsters. essentially, ceto (my oc) is meant to embody that sort of unnerving fear of the deep sea and all of the horrors it can house.

stare into her mouth as much as you would like. she has many fun (scary) things to show you. <3 and she is everyone's girl-friend. ceto proudly proclaims that, by which she means she's everyone's friend who is a girl. aaaa she's silly and annoying just like jade, which is why he makes for such a good specimen to test her um on.

without further ado, please enjoy this small scenario!!! i think the idea of jade and ceto collecting things for their respective hobbies together is a fun prompt. i imagine they have the sort of relationship where they can tolerate one another on polite and friendly levels, but both know to tread lightly as they are deep-sea predators.

ceto steps across a fallen tree as if it's a tightrope placed precariously high, her arms outstretched to retain a graceful sort of balance. though she had initially come to search the forest for interesting insect specimens, she's done no such thing in the thirty or so minutes she's spent walking beside jade, who keeps his stare trained to the ground in hopes of finding a certain mushroom species. it thrives in this part of the forest, or so he had explained, his mismatched eyes alight with an almost child-like wonder.

she hops down from the tree just as the question leaves her lips: "do you know how many teeth make up an adult human's mouth?"

jade turns to view her with a raised brow. "thirty-two," he replies as if it's easy trivia.

she hums her approval and then taps a manicured fingernail against her cheek. "compared to our mouths, that's not a lot of teeth."

"i suppose not, no."

"that's too bad." she twirls slowly, moving as if acting out steps in a one-partner waltz. it's a strange sort of whimsy that pairs well with the bright musicality in her tone. "many teeth make mincing meals easier!"

jade hums his acknowledgement, flipping through a guidebook for visual reference. ceto peers past him, brows furrowed. they've walked deep enough to have come across all kinds of fungi. she wonders what's so special about this specific species. maybe it's like a butterfly: fluttery and difficult to catch. beautifully fragile. although in jade's case, it's likely prized for its use in a terrarium or a dish and not how pretty it will look pinned to a board. maybe it's the poisonous kind. maybe it's the kind that looks poisonous but is really just innocent. an expert mimic. she can never determine which jade will choose to gather next.

"having lots of teeth is nice. if they break or fall out, we can just grow more. humans only get two sets, so they don't have the luxury of endless teeth."

"it's rather unfortunate, isn't it?"

"very much so!" skipping ahead, ceto falls into step beside him. "it's a shame, really."

jade chuckles. "if i may ask, why have teeth left you so fascinated?"

"i was just thinking. when i open my mouth, most recoil in surprise or fear. but human teeth are beautiful and terrifying all in one, yet no one discusses it as often as they do our teeth. i recently learned that the human jaw is powerful enough to bite through fingers." she feigns a shudder, her voice wavering with faux fright. "humans are scary."

"i would hope so, otherwise they wouldn't be very worthy of the title 'predator' now, would they?"

"no, not really." she folds her arms behind her back, humming once more. her feet deliberately carry her further until she stops, pivots, and stands directly in front of jade. his gait halts, and he looks at her quizzically. "for us, the idea of chewing through finger bones is fry's play. it's not very unsettling."

his eyes narrow.

"and so i've been wondering something lately—with all this talk of teeth and fear." a sharp smile tugs at the corners of her lips. "just what is the jade leech afraid of? because you exist in lots of nightmares, but you don't seem to have a nightmare of your own."

she steps towards him, and he allows it. ceto knows he's not a fool. he could draw his magic pen, use brute strength to force her into submission, but he doesn't. he watches carefully, assessing her every movement. a coward waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"i've considered dozens of phobias and none of them seem to suit you. but i know you're not fearless. no one is. and for someone who can carve the truth from others with a single stare, i'd like to do the same. if you'd be willing to indulge me, that is."

jade smiles thinly, aiming to remain effortlessly composed, but he's looking right into her open maw, right at the alluring luminescence in the back of her throat. and perhaps it's because it delights ceto so that he does it, or perhaps it's simply because he cannot force himself to look away no matter how hard he tries. she's something of a shipwreck: brutal and cruel, yet tragically hypnotic. and were her voice that of a siren's scream or the merry cries of phantom sailors, he would be thoroughly ensorcelled.

"you're too good at masking your anxieties, jade. it's almost unfair."

the forest falls away then, patches of vibrant greenery and beaming sunlight gradually swallowed by an encroaching pitch-black void. ceto's eyes widen with anticipation, flashing a predatory pink.

"so let's find out what your nightmare is together, shall we?"

with a resonating finger snap, darkness descends all at once, leaving jade in a frigid pit of gloom with a lurking horror.