#big blue octopus

[fishenjoyer1]

Fish of the Day

Today's fish of the day is the day octopus!

The day octopus, also known as the big blue octopus, and scientific name Octopus cyanea is a well known Indopacific cephalopod. Found in the Indian and Pacific ocean, this octopus can be found as far North as Hawaii to as far South as the Solomon islands, and found from the Hawaiian islands to as far East as the Red Sea and East coast of Africa. These octopi in particular are known for their color changing abilities. The name big blue comes from this color changing ability in fact, as sacs of pigments under the skin can be contracted at will to better match the surrounding environment for camouflage, and courting of mates. This color changing can also be used for communication between octopi, transmitting information of predators and prey nearby.

The diet of the octopus is made up of fish, crabs, and mollusks. This octopus in particular is diurnal, spending its time awake and active during the day, as opposed to the majority of other cephalopods of which are nocturnal. Small prey is eaten immediately when hunting, but larger prey ,such as adult crabs, must be taken back to the den of the octopi. The prey taken to this den are then killed, with crabs being killed with a  single venomous bite, and mollusks being killed by strategic drilling into their shells. These shells and hard carapaces are then discarded around the mouth of the den. These dens are regularly constructed and abandoned, with each octopus spending only around 35 days in each den before moving to find another. This is due to the fact that these octopi are heavily predated on by seals (especially monk seals!), whales, eels, and sharks. To protect from these predators, other than the creation and moving of dens, these octopi have the ability to squirt ink at hunters. Concealing the water so they can get away, along with rare cases of them attacking with their sharp beaks.

Breeding and reproduction can take place year round in the day octopus. Once they reach their sexual maturity, at a size of 8cm, with females larger than males, these octopi will search out another octopus. Males will mate with multiple females at a time, attempting to avoid the females cannibalistic tendencies as long as possible. After the mating however, the sucker on the male octopus begins expanding, continuing to do so as the octopi declines and eventually dies. The female however will survive a few months longer, remaining beside her eggs no matter what. She will slowly die for lack of food and exhaustion as she guards over her eggs until they hatch. These eggs hatch into planktonic larvae, which float in the current unable to swim for the first few weeks of their lives. After that they'll survive anywhere from 12-15 months, able to reach a maximum size of 22cm, and living through only one mating season.

That's the day octopus, everyone! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

[pulsethebabyoctopus]

[spiderin-space]

Concepts n things for upcoming fics

[splatoon-character-of-all-time]

Round 3 Side A Match 5: Who's the best character?

[gremlinsbooty]

Megurine Anniversary countdown. (Chinese New Year style since its coming soon) 🎆🏮

This is sort of design if she had a chinese voicebank + symbol of the year when she was released (2009 - Year of the Cow/Ox).

[monicracar]

As usual, I made celebratory art for getting to top 5% big run. This time it is Tardigrizz giving my octo F the reward since I’m playin the game in simplified Chinese. I also made a drawing for my gf @lensinne since this is her first time doing big run using English version

[smiles-ocs]

Sea monsters for Castor and Ronan’s story. A Leviathan, Kraken, and an aspidochelone.

[twipsai]

we are NOT gonna be weird about shiver winning half time by .7% ok? we are NOT gonna be angry about it and we are gonna have FUN because splatfest is supposed to be fun no matter who wins or loses OK

[hazyla]

YES YES

OCTOPUS

First time I finished a crotchet attempt! Want to shout out my sister who is the only reason I could get through a very confusing octopus making tutorial. Turns out yarn size makes a very noticeable difference.

[rxttenfish]

tbh when it comes to the redesign, if the other ROs can have scars, they ABSOLUTELY have some pretty gnarly scars from miranda.

not even because of her being particularly aggressive either! when she came up to land and began to first realize she can actually get close to people and be affectionate with them for the first time in her life, she had no context on how careful she had to be with landfolk or how rough she couldnt be. adding onto that was that her experience with merfolk were restricted to bellanda too, and she had a habit of just... accidentally grabbing too hard or using her claws or teeth carelessly or just moving without fully checking where everyones limbs are. its just the issue that a playbite for merfolk can be serious lacerations in someone else, and it took... a bit.

which is why now miranda is so constantly careful and hyperaware of how delicately she has to touch everything, because she realized Very Abruptly that she was not like all of her new friends.

(honestly the other ROs who did get bit or clawed are basically over it at this point too. like, it was years ago, and even if they were upset in the moment its hard not to see that miranda clearly didnt want to do that when it happened and has since gotten better about it. hence, why none of them are particularly plussed about when miranda does things that freak other people out, like putting their head in her jaws. yeah yeah, theyve been here, theyve done that, if miranda wanted to hurt them she wouldve done it already, nbd.)

(this is also something that didnt actually happen with the others... scott still can get overexcited and needs to be reminded to pay attention to himself, but also he was already well aware of how to control himself and what was safe by virtue of always having lived around a bunch of different monsters. damien too also figured out pretty early on other peoples limits, as hell is much more open to contacting other people than the merkingdom is. vera had the experience of being raised by the squishier people to begin with.)

[mystic-crochet]

Octopi, in many different sizes

Possibly one of the first crochet projects I finished, and I've made quite a few of them

Pattern can be found here

[bandanad33]

What the hell sure tumblr can have my Solace redesign

[atangledfate]

He chose not to respond to Surge though it was obvious he was upset by her desire. But it was her desire, and he couldn't force her to do what she didn't want to do. But he didn't intend to be happy about it and he clearly wanted to be anywhere else but there. He really thought for a moment there, when he saw all those people cheering for her---that she might turn around and change. But he guessed it was to much to ask for.

He kinda winced at her yelling as he was right next to her, and knew you didn't have to yell he figured big moms hearing was 1000x's better then either of them. He gave Rowan a thumbs up as if wishing him luck in his own duty. He turned to Surge finally and shook his head at her with a softer look in his eyes.

" Yea yellin' not needed we are all right here--- but i get it. You got pay backs to give, and all that... just try not to go to wild we need to get everyone off the ship first... "

He winced at the bright light as they exited out of the shadow void and popped up in front of the massive airship. It really put into perspective how BIG she was, but he was just happy to feel the sun and wind on his face--- but was glad to see the ships defenses were down.

" While i'd LOVE to crash it... we should probably just move it away from HQ... a little love tap should do the trick eh Mom? Then you can go back with your kids and Surge and i can handle the rest! "

Sonic was stretching as he waited for Mom to get close enough he could bust his way inside!

" then we take out any clean sweep we see--- save any civilians and find clutch! we'll be done by lunch time! sound good? "

==============================================

Mimic was forced to watch everything unable to move so he'd stopped struggling. Sooner or later these fools would let him free! and when they did he'd kill them both! especially the lemurs! Mimic wanted nothing more then to---what were they doing? what was that? DON'T THEY DARE!!?!

INTERNAL SCREAMING CAME FROM THE OCTOPUS!

"Good, because I'm tired of arguing with you." Surge was tired of a lot of things really, though at least she had enough distractions like finding Clutch and throwing him off the airship while she laughs. Not that it was going to be easy with Sonic around, though wouldn't hurt to try. The tenrec kept her distance from Whisper's Wisps, unsure on her standing with them after todays events. The speedster was on some rocky footing with them by returning that energy, though then all this happened.

Surge just turned her attention to the Mother Wisp. "Yo, let's get this show on the road! I'm ready to crack some fucking heads!" The tenrec just wanted to burn off some steam by this point, and what better than knocking around Clutch's security. They'll make perfect punching bags while looking for her main target of her fury. Though the speedster wouldn't be surprised if things were going crazy on that airship.

"You don't need to yell, I'm right here." The Mother Wisp was already annoyed with the Surge, though kept her opinion to herself. "Children, mother will be back in a moment. Don't worry about the scary man. He isn't going anywhere." She could hold her statis several galaxies over if she had to. Not to mention that lemur was here and was sure her children would swarm Mimic if need be. "Watch your footing."

The Mother Wisp began lifting up the platform Sonic and Surge were on as a large portal opened up far above them. She flew out of it, having to close her eyes for a moment from the brightness of the sun. "I almost forgot why I enjoy the Shadow Void. Does every plant have to have such a bright star?" She wasn't a fan of light, though he attention turned to the airship. "It's rather small."

"They're not shooting at us. Guess the weapons are down, and it's moving course. Maybe you should give it an extra push. What do you think Sonic?" Surge had limited knowledge of this airship, though it used to be one of Eggman's which means someone like Sonic would know all about it and if it was safe to forceable move it.

===========================================================

Rowan decided to lay down, feeling how sore his body was. The lemur looking down to see Shade take a orange marker from his belt. "You want to draw or something?" He never knew that they liked to draw, though they didn't come out of the Shadow Void often.

Shade whistled lowly, their version of mumbling before flying up to Mimic. The Wisp uncapping the marker. "❄︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ♐︎□︎❒︎ ♌︎♏︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♋︎ ♌︎♓︎♑︎ 🙰♏︎❒︎🙵📬︎." They would begin to draw on his face, seeming to be less then pleased with all the trouble he's caused not only for Rowan and Tangle, though also hurting other Wisp's.

[emacrow]

Tim doesn't know how he got here.

Sitting in Aquarium's office, holding a sniffling 4 year old little girl named ellen Nightingale on his lap with her head snuggling against his chest, nibbling on a Whale shaped cookie after all they both got lost.

He only looked away for a moment, and Bruce and the batfam dissappear on him while he was anazyling the heavier coffee choices at one of the Aquarium's coffee places.

Only to come out with a combination coffee that cost him 18 dollars more and nearly instinctly kick a teary eyed 4 year old Ellen that lost her mommy and mistook him as him, clinging to his leg out of the blue.

Apparently, Ellen got distracted by a cart vendor holding cute whale cookies while her mommy was talking to her big brother danta about not biting the birthday girl's older sister even if she being rude and now she lost, and she thought he was mummy and she doesn't know what do than the tears came.

Apparently, mommy looked like Tim only mommy had a bunch of pretty white fluffy in her hair and a lighting dancing on her face, but she extremely pretty and single to was Ellen's babbling about.

8 minutes in, a frantic pretty boy with mainly pepper flowing down salt like short hair came in, a 6 year old boy that look like him but white hair coated mainly piggybacking him that spotted him and Ellen, pointing at her.

"I found her first, i get to have The Death Pepper ice cream now!" Shriek out the 6 year old danta.

"Mommy!"

"Oh, thank ancients! Thank you for bringing her to the office here, mister..?" The supposedly Mummy glance his greenish blue baby-doll eyes at Tim, a strain of Lichtenberg figure spread upward from his neck to the forehead of his face as Ellen leaped into the arms of her mummy.

"Um- Tim Drake, and you are..?" Tim felt his face flush a bit as he stood up to shake hands with him.

"He is mummy, you dumb low-life bottom feeder!" Tiny fist waving as Danta imploded at him.

"Oh, biological speaking, yes. It's hard enough to get them to switch to Daddy, but it stuck onto me. My name is Danny Nightingale, and I appreciate that you found my little girl before I ranshake the entire aquarium like a pirate for buried treasure for her." Danny spoke softly, joking at the end, carefully holding Ellen, who snuggled her face against his chest like she did earlier with Tim.

"Yeah, she cling onto me harder than the octopus from Finding Dory when she thought I was you after I lost my own group." Tim said back, softly joking back while he sipped and choked his coffee as Ellen beamed about how Mister Tim got her two whale cookies with the blue eyes she wanted earlier and quietly failed at mumbling on can they keep him?

"Interesting.. well, she seemed attached to you, and you seem to be reliable enough to distract her from causing mayham. If you ever wanted to babysit for me, you can have my number?" Danny said, pulling out clownfish theme napkin and taking a pen from the office free pen jar.

'Wait, what?' Is what Tim thought to himself after Danny said his goodbyes, Danta sticking his tongue out, and Ellen cutely waving bye-bye as they left.

The napkin he was holding in his hand had an apartment address and a number contact along with a winking face and clumsily childish doodle of snowflakes, fire, and Dory fish next to it.

Bruce and the batfam came in the office seconds later after Tim pocket the contact info.

Might end up with a part 2. Idk yet

[merakiui]

something something eldritch monster azul thoughts.

he’s your childhood friend. you meet him in the woods, huddled in the darkness of a burrow beneath an ancient tree, its roots grotesquely gnarled. it’s pitch-black inside, and when you reach in hoping to find a cute bunny or maybe even a family of frogs you don’t expect the darkness to reach back. it coils around your wrist, an obsidian appendage that’s sticky and frigid to the touch. you gasp and the darkness quickly retreats.

“don’t go! please don’t go. i’m sorry if i scared you,” you say, feeling around for the creature and mourning its disappearance. “i won’t hurt you. come back…” two brilliant blue eyes open to watch you, quietly assessing whether you’re friend or foe.

hesitantly, almost shyly, the tentacle creeps back, searching out your arm. it curls between your fingers, a soft human hand. when you pull, a boy your age comes out from the darkness, covered in grime and cobwebs. you offer him your coat because he isn’t wearing anything, and it’s a cold autumn day. he blinks at you, one eye at a time. you ask him what his name is, but he doesn’t seem to have one. he doesn’t speak, but he understands you when he nods or shakes his head in response to some of your curious questions.

you bring him home, ask your parents if you can keep him. you’ve always wanted to live with a friend. your parents are horrified. “where did you find this boy?” they ask, wrapping him up in a blanket, hurrying to find clothes for him, prepare him some food, get him into the bath. “where are his parents?” you tell them he doesn’t have any—that’s what he told you, or that’s what you’re assuming. your parents think this boy might be lost. they decide to make missing posters for him, ask around the neighborhood, file reports. until someone claims him, he can stay.

you’re ecstatic, happily pulling him all throughout the house to show him around. “this is my room. this is my favorite plushie. you can’t have her, though. she sleeps with me. oh, but you can have this one! it’s an octopus. it’s blue like your eyes. take it.” his arms are full of things you’re giving him. expressionless, he allows you to bring him deeper into the weavings of your life. you share parts of yourself with him. you’re effortlessly kind. a warm presence. he decides he likes you.

later that night, while he sleeps curled on the floor in soft, sea-print pajamas, you dream of the shadow in the burrow. when you ask the darkness its name, it replies: azul.

no one comes forward with any information. days turn into months and then years. you grow up alongside each other. eventually azul learns to speak, to write, to do all the things you can do. his appetite is voracious. you used to giggle when he’d tear into his meals with both hands. it wasn’t until he learned how to feel shame, how to have manners, that he began to utilize his utensils, take small, mindful bites, tamp down his ravenous urges. you learn a lot about him when you sleep. you dream of that burrow a lot, about what resides in it.

he accompanies you to school. the children there make fun of him because he’s weird and different. not like the rest. because he blinks strangely and because he always smells like wet earth and because he acts funny and because he clings to you so much it’s codependent (“ooohh,” the bullies jeer, “(name)’s got a boooooyfriend!” and you fluster like it’s something to be ashamed of—like he’s something to be ashamed of). he wants them all dead, but before he can carry out a swift, spine-snapping execution you’re stopping him. “azul!” you shout, rushing over to him, heaving out great gasps. you’re crying. big globs of salt in your eyes. he can smell it, your fear, your sadness, your panic. very human scents. “stop! you can’t!”

he turns slowly. blood flecks his cheeks and knuckles from where he kicked and punched, from the stone he retrieved in the courtyard, its rough tip poised to gouge out an eye. the bullies look up at him in horror. it’s a different fear from yours. they’re terrified of him. you’re terrified for him.

it’s the first and final time he resorts to violence. the teachers give him an earful. your parents apologize profusely, insist he isn’t usually like this, are willing to compromise with the families of those rotten children, but then they don’t truly know azul. they’re going to make an effort to discipline him better, they say. he’s a good child. honest.

he sits outside the principal’s office, idly swinging his legs.

after that day, the bullies never mess with him again. after that day, he learns how to smile.

- - -

the years trickle by. azul has lived as a human so long that he’s forgotten what he really is. he’s not very strange anymore. he’s learned how to be mostly human, how to camouflage monstrosity with humanity. everything he knows, he’s learned from you.

he doesn’t know how old he is. when you were little, you said he could be your age. he looked it. you told him, “since you don’t know when your birthday is, you can share mine.” so every year that he’s spent with you, he’s aged just like you. the both of you are sixteen when he plants his lips on yours. you’re being naughty, sneakily watching an r18 film. he watches the actors as they wrap around each other. it’s more than an embrace. he asks you what that is, what it means, and you tell him it’s because they love each other. sex is what you do when you love someone.

so he kisses you. it’s just innocent curiosity, a peck that lasts a little too long. you fall backwards on the sofa, shocked, your fingers brushing your mouth, as if you can still feel him there.

“what…was that for?”

“love,” he replies. “isn’t that how it’s done?”

“do you love me, azul?”

“like the humans on TV?”

“that’s different. that’s…romantic. intimate. y-you know…”

he doesn’t.

“then what is this?” he points to his mouth and then yours. “what are we?”

“we’re friends.”

he feels it two years later, when you bring your first boyfriend home and it’s made abundantly clear what he is and what that boy is. he learns there is an important distinction between boyfriend and a boy who is a friend. he’s the latter.

he snoops through your laundry, searching for the ones that smell like that boy. you yell at him, fiercely embarrassed. you smell like him more and more every day. when he was little, he’d climb into your bed for warmth and you’d allow it. not so much anymore now. now you share your bed with another. you tell him he can’t just go through your things or snoop around your room, especially your laundry! it’s not right. he’s your friend. he’s like family to you. azul thinks all of these distinctions are so troublesome.

your boyfriend is troublesome.

- - -

he’s hungry. he needs to eat more to keep his energy up. the human doctors told him it’s because he’s growing. he needs something fleshy, though. he needs a pulsing heart between his teeth, warm, moist gore spattering his maw. he’s not sure what he’s doing when he stands over the mangled corpse on the side of the road, backdropped by towering trees. it’s an unlucky deer. freshly hit. he’s hungry.

so he eats.

azul feels whole when he’s with you, serene, like the world is one piece and all is well. he lies on the grass beside you, peering up at fluffy cumulus clouds. the sky is so blue. “are you going to marry him?” he asks suddenly, and you turn to look at him, utterly baffled.

“n-no way. i’m too young for marriage. b-besides, that’s something you do when you’re really in love.”

“then are you really in love with him?”

“i like him.” you prop yourself up on your elbow and poke his cheek. “we need to get you someone, zuzu. then you’ll understand.”

he highly doubts that.

years ago, he snuffed the violent tempest raging within him for calm seas. gentle. tender. humans like those traits. he wants to be an ideal human for you. it’s harder than he thought. lots of energy.

for you, he’ll do it.

for you, he’ll do anything.

- - -

he stands in the doorway, watching you like you’re one of the humans on TV. he remembers the movie. sex. that’s what you do when you love someone. you told him that. if you love him, why are you also loving someone else?

he still doesn’t understand the complexities of love. his thinking is black-and-white. animalistic instinct. logic that borders survival.

you’re horrified. you yank sheets up and over yourself and your boyfriend, squawk at him to get out, toss a pillow his way. it lands at his feet. he thinks fondly of throwing your boyfriend against the wall and listening to his skull crack.

he leaves. the door shuts behind him.

- - -

“if i was a monster, would you still like me?” he asked once, while you were relaxing on the beach. a vacation to a warmer place in the middle of winter. like migration.

“where’s this coming from?” you peek at him from over the mound of a sandcastle. he digs his feet into the grit, feels it cake between his toes.

“would you?” he presses, pushing deeper until a crab breaks the surface and skitters away. he tracks its frantic departure with his eyes.

“you’re not a monster.”

“but what if i was? pretend for just a moment.”

you stop patting the sand. the misshapen castle is on the verge of collapse. a quaint sea breeze blows between the both of you.

“i’ll always love you, azul. even if you’re a monster.”

“do you promise?”

“i promise.”

you smile at him, and the tension breaks. he allows you to bury his lower half in the sand.

did you mean it? he wants to ask every day after that one. will you really love me when i’m a monster?

- - -

there’s blood everywhere.

at first, you think a bear ripped your boyfriend apart. trampled the campsite and tore him from his tent, all while you were off gathering twigs and sticks for kindling. but it’s not a bear.

you have to choke back your vomit. the smell is so strong it sticks and cloys in your nostrils, on your person. the gruesome scene is burned onto your eyes, your brain. you’re never going to forget this.

there’s a monster in the middle of the campsite. a writhing mass of black. you dry heave; bile climbs up your throat, muffles your scream. you swallow it even though it burns.

the creature turns slowly. it’s…an octopus? you’re not sure what it is, but it’s reaching for you.

you think you should run. it’s going to come after you next. it’s going to kill you, tear you to pieces, feast on the meat of your corpse. it will be a painful death punctuated with sheer agony.

a tentacle wraps gently around your wrist. you’re brought back to that day in the woods, where you pulled a little boy out from his burrow. you remember the dreams, the voice, the shadow. you remember.

“you promised,” he says, and he sounds so hurt. so sad.

“azul…?”

he’s holding you with the only tentacle that isn’t stained red with blood. the only one that’s clean.

“do you love me?” he asks, and the answer sticks in your throat. your boyfriend is in tatters around you, and this creature—the one responsible—is asking if you love him.

you can’t speak, so instead you gather him in your arms and hug him tightly. he’s tense, afraid. you cling to him so he won’t run away.

“of course i do,” you say around a heartbroken sob. you’re also scared and he knows this, but still you show him kindness. you’ve always been so forgiving. “i will always love you. i don’t care what you are. you’re my azul.”

feebly, not wanting to hurt you, he wraps himself around you, every cold, sticky limb. he anchors himself to your warmth just like he did the first day you met.

love is a beautiful, confounding feeling. but for the moment he thinks he understands it.

my azul.

he couldn’t be anything else.

[meltedmush]

I keep thinking about with Bingtopus how his demon mark could be like the rings on a blue ring octopus and just glows before latching onto Shizun and stars crying wanting kisses

Also octopuses can squeeze into Itty bitty places cuz no bones except for their beak so maybe Shizun tries to put him in box or something so they can give him nice surprise but he squeezed out and crawled under the door and big old eyes staring at his present super excited.