#bottom dweller feeder

[shark-of-tha-day]

shark of the day: nurse shark, ginglymostoma cirratum

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nurse sharks are bottom-dwellers from the carpet shark family. nurse sharks usually grow to be about 2.5 metres(8 ft) in length and weigh 90 kg(200lbs). they are typically found in the atlantic ocean in warm, shallow water. nurse sharks are bottom feeders, eating crustaceans, mollusks and occasionally small stingrays. they are nocturnal and sleep during the day in underwater caves, often piled up with other nurse sharks.

[glassboxdiaries]

From Bettas to Guppies: My Honest Take on 'Easy Beginner Fish' for Your Tank!

Today, I'm sharing my experiences with some fish that often come up when you Google search "aquarium fish for beginners." Let's dive in! 🐠👇

Betta fish are one of the most popular in the hobby. 🧡 I’ve kept four of these beauties, each with their own unique personality. Bettas are ideal for solo tanks as small as 5 gallons. But keep an eye out: extensive breeding can lead to health issues in some.

Neon tetras are another beginner favorite! 🌈 Social fish, they love groups of 6-10 and do best in softer water. They’re easygoing but can face issues from mass-breeding. Despite the risks, six of my ten are still thriving after 18 months.

Corydoras are my go-to bottom dwellers. 🐟 I keep Corydoras aeneus, a common variety. They're social, so aim for groups of at least six. For bottom feeders, they’re surprisingly easy to breed—I often find eggs around the tank!

Guppies are colorful and active but can be challenging in soft water. I tried raising pH levels but ultimately had to give mine to a friend in a hard-water area. For beginners, try all-male setups to avoid overpopulation!

Harlequin rasboras are hardy and spawn frequently in my tank! 🌿 They’re social and do well in 15-gallon+ tanks. In my experience, they’re peaceful fish that are beginner-friendly and relatively easy to care for.

White cloud mountain minnows (gold variant) are small but lively! 🐟 They’re great for unheated tanks and need plant cover to feel secure. A social species, I keep eight in a 12-gallon tank, and they’re always active.

Finally, my favorite: Honey Gourami! 🐠 Known for their deep yellow hues, they’re peaceful, beginner-friendly, and great for community tanks. Mine coexist happily with baby cherry shrimp in a 40-gallon planted tank.

Check out my full video for more in-depth breakdowns of each beginner-friendly fish!

[sweetbabymantykes]

Hey I'm building an artificial habitat out of a half-sunken yacht on my property and I've recently caught a dhelmise that I'd love to let access the habitat but I'm not sure how to socialize it with the other pokemon in there. Any tips?

Half sunken yacht on your property?? Dang, must be nice to have the money for yachts and property.

Anyway, Dhelmise is a fairly unflappable pokemon, you could theoretically just plop it down anywhere and it'd be fine, but it's always a good idea to properly socialize your pokemon! Make sure to keep it well-fed while it's still settling in (real marine snow can be hard to source but any aquarium store worth its salt should have 'filter feeder food' made of plankton, that's what you'll want), and if you have any Skrelp or Dragalgae, introduce them first. They tend to get along very well, and wild ones have been known to engage in mutualistic relationships! The Skrelp and Dragalgae provide seaweed and detritus, and in return Dhelmise gives them a safe place to hide and anchor themselves. It's very cool to see for yourself.

Also make sure to keep big pokemon away from it for a while (we're talking, like...twice the size of Dhelmise itself or larger), at least until it knows that these pokemon are friends, not food. It sounds reckless and weird for something to predate on things much bigger than it, but remember, Dhelmise is a seafloor dweller and a ghost/grass type! The most beneficial thing it can do for itself in the wild is cause a whalefall, and it absolutely will if you give it the chance. Don't give it the chance, if it attacks a Wailmer or Wailord in a pod that entire pod will come down on it and everything around it with all the fury of up to thirty very angry, very large whales. I will perhaps leave it at that because I've never seen that kind of destruction and frankly I don't want to.

Anyway, hope the project goes well, do your local biologists a favor and allow them access to your project so they can observe it, there's a lot of undergrads that REALLY want to study the ocean floor but have issues finding ways to really look at it, and Arceus KNOWS we know less about the bottom of the ocean than about the surface of the moon.

[fanfic-enthusiast]

Generous Host (Cotl Fanfic)

"...bottom dweller he was, muck eating prey..." "...sparking gold one day found amongst the dregs, lost by a pirate with many legs..." "...pretty shiny prize for all...... they all want... they all want..." "...they all want... nothing remains... blood washes away in the tide..." "...he waits, waits and then takes... even muck eaters have teeth..." "...there is no help for me now..."

~

Disturbances in the water above rippled down to stir up the silt that made up the ocean floor. Boats and shipping fish travelled in and out of the hidden pier within the lily pads carrying goods to trade and people excited to start new lives in what they hoped was a prosperous land. 

Among the grime of the slimy sea one lone starfish waited, understanding that hiding in the muck was much safer than going where the traders were. He had everything he needed under the docks. Food was easy to find among the muck and sand if you knew where to look. Even clams, mussels and barnacles on days when he was feeling particularly brave. But the real prize of his toils was safety. 

The world above was dangerous and cruel, bishops of pain and suffering ruling over the lands of the old faith with an iron fist. These poor idealist fools didn’t understand what they were getting into as they stepped off their boats with lights in their eyes. Lights that would fade as they witness the starvation of Anura or plagues of Anchordeep. He shuttered at the memories of what he had witnessed and huddled closer to the thick wood of one of the dock poles. 

Yes yes this would suit him just fine. Why would he risk his life? When he had everything he needed. Nothing to gain up there ...right?

Another shift in the water’s above. Looking up he could see a large shipping fish with a tall green man hanging off the side above him. Reaching for the dock while foolishly balancing bags of some kind at the same time. His arms were many but it appears he still had his sea legs. As he reached his balance slipped and one of the many bags he had stacked in his arms tumbled into the water below. Sinking like a stone to the bottom of the bay and landing, not two feet away from the starfish himself. 

The musk swirled in the water around the bag like a halo. And the starfish emerged from the shadow of the dock to step closer to it. Muffled cursing from the sailor above didn’t stop him from picking up the bag from above to observe it. The brown bag was heavy and shifted in his hands as he moved it around, perhaps full of stones. A simple drawstring beaconed him to open and observe the contents within. So... after one last look cast above to find the sailor had stumbled off elsewhere, that's what he did. 

Inside was something the likes of which he had never seen. The small amount of light from the opening of the bag made the contents glitter like stars on a cloudless night. A rainbow of colors hit the dull eyes of the bottom feeder and filled them with new light. Carefully as if he was handling the most delicate porcelain he removed one from the bag. A opalescent gemstone shining in the slim beams of sunlight that made their way to the bottom of the pier. 

Had he not been under water the starfish’s eyes would have filled with tears at its beauty. 

It’s only when another ship pulled into the pier and more people started walking the surface of the dock that he returned to his hiding place in the shadows. Mourning the loss of the shine to the opal’s surface. He returned the gemstone to the bag and took it with him to his abode. To continue to admire his newly acquired treasures. 

~

When not searching for food or hiding away he found himself returning to the light to watch the gemstones sparkle in the sun. Admiring their beauty. 

He knew they held value to the people above, otherwise the sailor wouldn’t have had them to trade and yet, he felt no urgency to return them to their rightful owner. They all had items like this already, why should he give them up when they lost them on their own? Hardly seemed fair. 

He never grew bored of watching the glittery surface shine. It was hard work to keep them polished and free from he same grime he was coated in from living in squalor. Yet he did it to watch the shine return to its surface and admire the majesty of such an item. 

Days turned into weeks and he found himself watching the boats and fish more closely, waiting for more accidents. A stray flash of a shine out of the corner of his eye here lead to a gold coin that slipped from someone’s hand while they handled their money haphazardly. A swim around the pier lead him to find a golden necklace, which held the engraved message ‘to my one and only love.’ A pearl necklace fell into his possession with a pile of woman’s clothing was knocked overboard a ship in the night, from what the starfish refused to guess. More and more shiny trinkets coming to him, gifts from the world above that made his drab life more fulfilled and complete. Something he wouldn’t have even considered looking for until that one fateful day with the many armed sailor. 

He was content to do this forever, accumulate small treasures to be loved and cherished from the forgetfulness of others. Until one day. 

A few small coins, silver and gold fall to the silt below. The starfish grins and swims over to collect as he always did, but instead of silence he hears muffled sounds of distress. His gaze turns upward to see a small head poking over the side and a small hand reaching towards the dark water as if to will the coins back to the surface. This was remorse for the goods lost... sadness in their absence. Even thought it was simply a few coins. 

The starfish didn’t know what came over him, but some unknown feeling compelled him to swim to the surface. Where he meets this child face to face. Their golden eyes were wet with tears and their cheeks were sallow. He pulls coins from his pocket, the ones the child loss and some from his own haul for the day. The both of them are silent as the starfish reaches up with coins in hand to the child. The child’s crying stops and they eye the coins, reaching out to them with hesitance before snatching them quickly and inching back. The hand is withdrawn and the star turns to leave. 

“Thank you...” the voice is a quiet and rasped whisper but it reaches his ears all the same and when the star turns back the golden eyed boy is gone. The dock is empty as if nothing was there. All that remained was the warm feeling in the star’s chest as he returned to the deep. 

~

Weeks passed, the interaction with the golden boy had left his mind, leaving behind a continuous warm feeling that persisted each time the star returned the lost item to those who actually needed it. Items lost out of carelessness or wealth he kept. They wouldn’t be missed. 

The overturned dingy he called a home was starting to feel cramped with his well cared for treasures, but that didn’t deter him. He could always find another wreck to move into. The prospect was exciting and scary. Moving elsewhere away from relative safety. All for what, the sake of a hobby? The old him would have scoffed at the idea. But, he was different now. Waking up was a joy, the day was exciting as he swam the pier. Eager to see what would greet him. It felt as if he had purpose. 

The full moon was high in the sky. A splash hit the water and he swam to see what it was. It was a vase of some kind, that shined in the moonlight beautifully he carefully picked it up to peek inside. Something was inside, not quite sure what it was the star reached inside to grab it. Suddenly the shiny vase was yanked upwards, his hand was stuck in it and so his body was yanked up with it. 

He fought against the pull but whoever had him was strong enough to yank him up with little difficulty. And he was met with the fat red face of a rich trade man. 

“So this is the wretch that's been hoarding goods under our noses.” the star swung in the hand of this trader still stuck and growing more and more panicked. 

“I’ve heard the rumors about you, you dont give everything back so give it here, now! Or ill tear you apart and fish it up myself” He yelled in the star’s face who couldn’t help but shrink away, only to be pulled closer by his stuck hand. 

He couldn't escape, he wasn’t safe, his treasures were in danger, he was in danger. His head raced and he did the only thing he could think of and lashed out, teeth sinking into the fat cheek of the large face in front of him that kept getting in his personal space. 

The man screamed and dropped him to the wooden surface of the dock, the vase around his arm shattering on impact and freeing him. But the scream was cut short, in horror the star watched as the man was overcome by gold, spreading outwards from where his teeth had made contact with his skin. Blood poured from his eyes and open mouth as he fell silent. 

Too scared to move the star stared another moment and a figure he didn't recognize coiled itself around the newly made golden statue. It was formless, dripping gold from its body with two large red eyes and a matching red grin. Two sets of long horns extended out from its head and its many tentacles hauled itself up the body of the former trader to coil round his head. 

“Greetings generous muck eater, keeper of treasures and returner of lost things.” It spoke like many were speaking in unison. “Be not afraid sequestered starlight, I mean you no harm.”

That didn't do much to stop the star’s heart from hammering in his chest but it kept him from bolting back into the sea. 

“Your generosity to the needy has been noted, the greed of this land is many and though given the opportunity despite what little thou had thou chose to give back. Such behavior deserve a reward, we adore such charity.” Their head twists and extends from their perch towards the star, grin widening. “We offer a deal. An offer to thou alone.” 

“...w-what do you want?” He winced at his own voice, cracked and horse with disuse. The creature before him doesn’t seem to mind. 

“We offer a boon, long life, riches and safety. In exchange for thour service to us. We obtain and return riches to the worthy, the needy, the risk takers. All will be welcome. All will be safe. Thou shall be our voice, our ambassador, the host to our parlor of opulence. Should thou agree to these terms.” 

The star looked up at this smiling creature, patiently awaiting his answer and thought back to his life these past couple months. The joy of receiving new shiny items and the warmth of giving items of great meaning back to those who lost them. How farther back his life had been so dull by comparison, coated in slime and silt. This was an opportunity for more, to not just survive as he had been but to prosper, maybe even thrive. 

He turned his head upward to meet the eyes of this creature, this god, who grinned down at him in a way that made him feel like the only one that mattered. The light of optimism filling his eyes as he returned the grin. 

“Yes. I w-will accept your terms.”

“Good. Under our employ thou shall carry be named Midas, a name once belonging to a king of a lavish palace, now re-given to the generous executant of our will. Welcome.” the god reached out and caressed his muck covered face. The newly named Midas leaned into their touch and allowed himself to be lifted into their many arms. 

By daybreak all were gone from the pier, the collection of treasures under the dock, the golden statue of the large trader and the muck covered starfish. But days later, a sign appeared just outside the pier’s entrance, stuck to one of the large lily pads that litter the area. 

‘Mida’s Cave, now open to visitors!’ 

[edandstede]

Every time I think the canyon-dwellers, absolute bottom-feeders of the fucking fandom, can't get any fucking grimmer or more irrational. They prove me wrong. I'm so sorry those ghouls thought that anon stunt was in any way okay or proportionate to your perceived "crime" (of not wanting their blorbo back, wtf?). I hope you're alright and I think it's moral justice in action that their grossness inspired so many fuck you donations. All the best.

thank you! honestly, i was genuinely fucking shocked and that’s after seeing the godawful things they’ve said and done up to now. i still couldn’t believe they’d say that with their chest, it reads like pure satire. i’m grateful to everyone who has donated, especially as a fuck-you to the transphobia. thank you ❤️

[armagodura]

Another little worldbuilding thingie of mine

Colossal spires of engraved metal, ornately framed glass and colorful stone-like material, held up by stable anti-gravity technology, bundled around the space elevators built across the world's equator, connecting them to the orbital ring and bridging the gap between said world’s surface and the void beyond its natural gravity well.

These spires’ many stacked streets, both inside and outside them, flowed out in many whimsical ways, despite their angular shapes considered iconic in the region’s architectural style, bringing forth many details for the eyes to rest at, a beauty borne from both the overall urban composition at large and the many mundane things in the scale of the actual people who lived there, employing the many homes and establishments along the paths and parks.

A canopy of walkways united the spires' stacked streets, and eachother. Equipped with a network of trams and trains, both horizontal and vertical, everything was reliably accessible to all, with the noticeable help of the advancements in body modding making healthy sets of movement body parts available to everyone, letting the remaining walks be feasible.

The upper parts of the city were dedicated to habitation, letting as many denizens as possible have natural sunlight into their homes. Public gardens and stacked farms all feasted upon the light from that world's star as well, bristling with life that then flowed all around the city underneath.

Lower in the canopy were the shops and services for everyone in the spires. Shaded by the many bridges, only dedicated people who didn’t need direct sunlight for their happiness outright lived in there.

Even lower were the industries. Vast computing arrays processing bureaucracy, science or businesses, or foundries and factories turning piles of asteroid mineral or outmoded wares into either refined goods and commodities or pieces for large scale projects. People only exist around there to do work, overseeing and/or operating the machinery.

Nature was not exempt from this system, although some artificial tweaks were placed upon it to keep it convenient. Smaller wildlife capable to climb or fly could be found all around, living their own lives. The cities' design included spots for them to leave their waste, out of the way of the sapient dwellers, with plant life all over the place, tweaked to help sustain the wildlife and beautify the place without overgrowing in harmful ways.

Deep beneath it all, on the floor in the vast gaps between spires was a dark swamp inhabited by larger bottom feeders and sprawling mega-fungi, all nurturing itself from the biologically compatible waste funneled in from the vast canopy above before its stench can get out, leaving behind processed fertile soil that was regularly harvested to nurture the stacked farms, far above.

[roleplay-abiogenesis2]

🐬 my muse is a merperson who just got placed in the aquarium where yours works - Cyno & Nari (diverse-hearts)

Mermaid Prompts! || Always Accepting

@diverse-hearts

When his eyes opened, the first thing that was clear was that he was somewhere different. How deep had his sleep been, for him not to notice? Had there been something in his last meal?

The water was slightly different around his body. Not the kind of different that would be harmful; but its composition had changed. The minerals and particles of sealife within it had changed. The enclosure was new... Though it was hard to say it was better.

Less space, more light from the wall of crystal that separated him from the surface-dwellers. That was new. If up until now the place he'd lived in had allowed him to interact with them only when his head broke through the water above, now there seemed to be a massive window, a transparent wall from which different sets of eyes observed him throughout the day. From a hidden secret in a secluded tank, he'd become a creature to be displayed, it seemed.

Or studied, perhaps. Beyond the glass were many examples of those surface-dwelling things he'd learned to be called 'books'. The people out there left marks on them to pass down knowledge.

Were all those books about him? How interesting could he truly be?

They all walked before the clear barrier, looking different but also quite similar. Wrapped in fabrics that flowed like water plants, but not quite in the same way. The funny limbs at their lower ends never failed to catch his notice, even if they seemed to be trying to hide them under those long green drapes that hung from their waist. Like a second set of hands used to move around, not unlike the bottom-feeders in his enclosure. But they had no claws that he could see. Only fingers like his own.

Creatures so strange. And then, one day, one appeared that was even stranger than most. With protrusions on his head and at the bottom of his back that resembled nothing he'd ever seen before, he appeared before the glass out of nowhere, without warning.

Not that any of his caretakers ever announced anything to him, other than feeding time or the occasional health check.

But today, Cyno was curious enough to not linger at the far side of his space, and swam closer to the opposed glass, to rest one hand against it. He was not afraid. He'd learned long ago these people couldn't reach him or bring him harm.

Instead, he tapped his finger, curious to see how the other would react. Make some funny movements, perhaps.

[cobitoidea]

Not the clearest photos but finally got some of the unknown loach. Experts ID him/her as a possible hemimyzon. I purchased him/her a few years ago from the new LFS that opened up. Mixed in with beaufortia loaches. So far, none like him/her so loach has been the lone species in the hillstream tank. Territorial to the other fish if they go near its rocks. Prefers a meaty diet rather than algae. Hides all the time though so I rarely ever see him/her unless I catch the loach when I drop in food and don’t move, waiting for it to pop out of hiding or I net it out, if I have to move tanks.

[undead-merman]

🧜‍♂️MerMay- The Brothers🧜‍♂️GN Reader- SFW

Lucifer

Appearance

Lucifer has a long black tail with a hint of a royal blue striping on the back. His scales are smooth and small, ganoid shaped and are completely flat. A few black scales are on his face, just at the corner of his eyes giving them a sharper appearance and forming a diamond shape on his forehead. There is one scale slightly out of place on his diamond mark; it's not noticeable unless seen close up.   

His fins are long and flowing and are in the shape of rounded spades. He has a tear on his dorsal fin which goes all the way through the fin and has a scar on his back. His caudal fin is the largest on his body and has a peacock like pattern that can be flushed making the colors go from the normally black with barely visible blue to bright flashy blues, and reds on deep blacks.

His human skin is colored like a great white shark: creamy light skin on his stomach, fading to grey on his back; granting him the ability to countershade and aid in avoiding detection from above and below.

His face exhibits many shark features: broad and round head, small eyes, his mouth is filled with large teeth, and a flat nose.

Daily life

He’s very broody so he prefers the twilight and night hours; being accustomed to swimming in the deep parts of the ocean, too much light hurts his eyes but he also just enjoys the dark endless water with starlight above.

He has a very strict schedule, patrolling his nest, fighting off intruders, meeting up with Diavolo to hunt, clean up his brother's messes, patrol, try to sleep and get interrupted by one of his brothers if not more, and repeat.

He’s a carnivore so he enjoys eating whales, and sharks. He dislikes crabs and lobsters since they’re bottom feeders and he finds the idea of eating them very distasteful. 

He’s meticulous with grooming himself. He’s always sharpening his claws and forever growing teeth, picking them and cleaning them until they gleam in the light and buffing his scales to make them shimmer. 

When alone he enjoys trying to nap amongst a peaceful patch of seagrass. Drifting away slowly as curious little fish swim around him and the plant life softly brushes by with the current. 

He enjoys playing the violin, which surprisingly works, making melodies that haunt divers unfortunate enough to hear.  

Life with you

If you're a morning person you’ll get to see his sleeping unguarded face. He’ll try to wake up with you once he realizes, and within a few weeks he’ll be waking up far before you. He somehow has a built-in clock wired to try and make him wake up before you.

If you're a night person he’s thrilled to share some of the prettiest sights the ocean has to offer when the moon is out. Showing you his favorite spots to enjoy the night in silence. 

He becomes very protective of you and constantly scents you before leaving your side. Rubbing his palms on your cheeks or circling his tail loosely around you before brushing up on you as he swims away. No one will dare come near you if you smell so much like him.

He hates to admit it but he has the natural instinct of him bringing shiny things to you. He won’t even notice it until he pulls your hands in his and suddenly you have a shiny piece of sea glass in your hand. His face heats up if you tease him about it and suddenly he finds a speck on the wall very interesting.

Mammon

Appearance

As golden as gold can look, being actual gold, Mammon has the boldest scales of all the brothers. He’s not sure why they are, they’ve just always been that way and their weight doesn’t seem to be affected. His scales are ctenoid and can cut if he flares his scales and hits you with his tail. He doesn’t have any scales on his face and his skin seems to glow in the morning sun. 

His fins are exactly like that of a long spined sea scorpion with them having large painful spines inside them. Unlike the other fish he has a painful venom that can leave someone reeling in pain for days. It won’t kill but it’ll hurt!

He has two sets of canines that are very noticeable when he opens his mouth to talk. His upper right canine tooth has a gold coating making the tooth look like it’s made of gold. The top pair always hang out of his mouth while the lower one is hidden. 

He has shorter nails more meant for prying than slashing. Though they’re surprisingly well manicured and painted white.

Daily life

100% a morning person. Wakes up all groggy but after brushing his scales he's peppy and ready to start the day.

Mammon hoards his shedded scales, after all they are gold. He puts them in an old vintage submariner foot locker, nearly rotted apart but he sticks random stickers or patches onto it to help keep it together. A lot of the time the brothers will just take the money they are owed from the chest and Mammon whines about it; however, if they're pissed they’ll pluck some scales from him painfully.

His scales get plucked often: by the sea witches to whom he owes a massive debt to, his angry brothers, even Solomon sometimes plucks them off like he’s a pez dispenser. Because of this he sometimes has very sensitive scaleless spots. They grow back within a day but it still hurts.

He joins Lucifer in patrolling their territory. He’s just as protective over his space as Lucifer is, and of course he wants to look out for his younger brothers, but he won’t admit that unless it gives him a chance to use pity points to get out of trouble.

Very particular about his scales. He wants them looking pretty and as bright as they can be. Contrarily, he doesn’t give the same treatment for his hair, calling running his hands through to get the tangles out good enough.

Life with you

If you show concern for his scales he’ll play it off like it doesn’t hurt and it's really just a bother, but it isn’t. If you continue to worry about him or even offer to help patch him up he will become much more protective of you. You treat him so kindly that he doesn’t want that to stop.

If he’s in a bad mood or he gets jealous of someone, he'll grab you and shove his face into your neck and twist till his face is thoroughly buried. He wants to smell you so he can calm down and basically scream at anyone who comes by that you are something very close to Mammon so don't you dare touch.

He’ll try to drag you around to join in his mischief. Joining him in gambling rings or minnow racing. He’ll insist you're a lucky charm, though he just likes your company. He loves to bear hug you if he wins big and he holds you above him in the water with a big smile on his face.

Another victim of random shiny gifts for you. He's more aware of it and brags about how neat it looks even if it's just some old mirror. He’s always trying to play up how amazing his little gifts are.

Leviathan 

Appearance

His tail is very long, much longer than his brothers though it's thinner and has less muscle. His scales are ganoid shaped and colored the same color as his hair with a white underneath. During the night he has bright cyan bioluminescence circles on his sides. His eyes and tongue glowing as well with a very faint glow to his teeth as well. 

He’s embarrassed about it but he has multiple random patches of scales around his face and he thinks it makes him look weird.

His fins are shaped much like a goldfish, even having a round double tail and flowing fins. He is the most delicate looking one. But if he gets angry he transforms into a gigantic sea monster and can cause storms. 

He’s an omnivore so his teeth are small and much like a humans. They fall out if they get damaged but like a shark they’ll always grow back.

His skin is also counter shaded like Lucifer. Though more ashy gray color than his older brother. Unfortunately his bioluminescent colored scales, even though they pulse in brightness, make him much easier to spot. 

Daily life

He’s a night dweller through and through and refuses to swim during daylight hours. He likes to dwell in deeper waters so the light isn’t too much for him; but he mostly likes to stay in his cave and obsess over his washed up anime knicknacks. Making sure to pluck away barnacles and clean the muck off.

Since he’s an omnivore he’ll eat whatever is nearby. He enjoys jellyfish and the deadlier they are to humans the more he likes them. He's unaffected by their venom. Though he’ll enjoy a crab or free swimming fish. 

Leviathan does not like patrolling; he’d much rather leave the scuffling to everyone else so he can focus on more important things, like trying to dry out a keyboard in his open air room. 

His room is open air and inside a cave that can be accessed by a nearby beach. Inside is a shrine to his collection and he’s always fawning over it.

He loves that he matches with his fish friend Henry. They are extremely similar in shape, even having similar tails. He has a fresh water tank inside so Henry doesn’t get too dried up from the salt water. Leviathan can handle both fresh and saltwater so sometimes he hops into the tank to swim near his friend.

He’s very self conscious of his scales, especially the ones on his face so he has to make sure they look nice. His hair has to be styled just right to distract them from his face. He has a habit of pulling his bangs down over his eyes when he’s flustered.  

Life with you

Once he’s bonded with you he is constantly by your side and wanting to spend as much quality time with you as he can. He’ll be trailing you talking about the little curiosities he’s found. He whines about how he wants to go back to his cave but he won’t leave your side.

He’ll show you his collection of nicknacks and if you're able to set up a little television and gamecube he’ll be ecstatically waving his fish tail around like a dog. He’ll constantly beg you to play with him. He wants to CO-OP this game with you!

If he’s feeling cuddly that day he’ll float up to the surface and let you lounge on him and let the waves gently rock you both. He’ll hum old sea shanties he’s heard from sailors long ago as well as some anime songs from a series you enjoy together. 

Expect him to drag you to his spots for finding his little curiosities, he’ll want you to help him scour the area and find more fun items. He’s very happy with whatever you bring and he’ll keep them around his nest.   

Satan 

Appearance 

Satan is built similarly to Lucifer though his scales are more raised and spiny. His tail is a bright shamrock green which shifts to a seafoam green. He has a bunch of scales on the corners of his mouth and completely covers his cheeks.

His fins are long and have a crowntail shape that are tipped a deep black. When he gets angry his fins flare up making him look much, much bigger.

He has a flatter nose and bigger teeth like Lucifer. While they aren’t as sharp they are still dangerous if he’s mad. 

His skin also glows in the bright morning sun and if he’s lounging around he’ll attract nearby small fish to swim around him enjoying the serene glow he has.   

Daily life

He takes a long time waking up, and he’s not a morning person at all. He’s dazed for an hour or so until he’s fully awake, though he’s not much of a night person, more preferring midday.  

He’s currently got the goal of piecing together the world’s true histories. Figuring out what happened to old forgotten cities, lost treasures, and destroyed civilizations. He has a long way to go and he treats this handcrafted book like a child, holding it far above the water.

He explores with random, yet reputable exploration teams. Helping them with identifying relics or gems. He’s earned a reputation for himself by doing this and is often approached to go on expeditions. 

He is another type to patrol around his territory. He does it around midday though and hunts during these. He’s a carnivore and likes tuna and other free swimming fish, but refuses to eat squid and octopi due to how smart they are. He likes to feed nearby ones. Though they aren’t as cute as human world cats.

He’ll go to a human world pier and try to attract the local stray cats with his tail. He’ll leave them little gifts so now all the local cats come to the docks at a certain time to wait for him. He really wants to have a cat but sadly it’s a love that’s not meant to be, they are from two different worlds.    

Life with you

He’ll enjoy taking you on expeditions. Showing you beautiful sunken landscapes very few eyes have seen before. He loves seeing your reactions to sights.

He enjoys learning your hobbies and trying them out with you. He’ll go out of his way to provide an accurate experience to what you're used to since he enjoys learning and experiencing new things, especially now that you're here.

He's another one that loves to rub his smell all over you. He’s just as bad as Mammon, his smell is all over every part he can get to and stinks of “back off, don’t touch” causing others to give you a wide berth.

He’s going to hang off of you every morning. If you're larger than him he shoves his face into your chest and tries to go back to sleep. He looks so different with his sleeping face, he looks peaceful in your arms. But if you're smaller he’ll flop onto you and try to use you as a pillow. He’s surprisingly warm and his underside isn’t as spiny and sharp.

He’ll want to introduce you to his octopi friends. Each one is named after a different sea or famous author. If you agree he’ll be delighted to take you there and let you play with them. Though he might get a bit jealous if you get along with them a bit too much. He won’t show his jealousy though.   

Asmodeus 

Appearance 

He’s the most serine and delicate looking of all his brothers. His thin body has a bright cherry blossom pink tail and has long silky looking fins. His bright scales sparkle and shimmer and have a pearlescence to them. He has perfectly pure white scales patches on his tail as well giving a koi pattern. 

He resembles a butterfly koi but with longer and frankly impractical looking fins. They flow around him weightless and they look like silk in the wind around him. Even his dorsal fin is long and flowing.

He doesn’t have any scales on his face and he looks perfectly human from the waist up. His skin has an angelic like glow and shimmers in the sun. He has a few freckles on his face, chest and elbows. 

He has small pearly white teeth just like a human would, he’s very keen on keeping them perfectly white, just like his white scales, but his canines can extend like a cat flexing their claws.  

Daily life

He wakes up to his internal alarm clock, which is scarily accurate. Bright eyed and bushy tailed from the moment his eyes open. Swimming around and preparing himself for another day, brushing his tail, combing his hair, and cleaning his teeth, all while chatting to whoever will listen.

He is a highly requested entertainer for festivals and celebrations. He’s invited to grand openings, large festivals, and even private birthdays to those who pay him well enough. His dances and singing is the best among his kind and can easily enrapture sailors let alone his own kind. His voice mixed with the way his fins trail behind him like long fans is an easy way to get hypnotized. 

When he’s not booked for a celebration he’s helping Diavolo keep humans away from their city. He uses his voice to entrance anyone he deems a threat and can make them turn and forget why they were out here and what they saw. He doesn’t get into any of the violent stuff. That’s not his style.

If he’s not at home, he is always with someone. He’s like a fairytale princess with a crowd behind him, be they other mers or fish schooling around him. He always has a smile on his face and he’s not very quiet about how much he enjoys attracting an adoring crowd. At home he enjoys a nice relaxing self care session.

When he’s angry his canines poke out he doesn’t notice this habit of his, but it's usually because he’s extremely angry at the time and holds himself back.

He doesn't bother with patrolling and he’s not territorial in the slightest. He’s a lover not a fighter so his big brothers can handle any scary monster.     

Life with you

He’s bringing you to all kinds of festivals and parties as his +1 every time. You’ll be able to experience all the wonders Diavolo’s kingdom has to give and he’s extremely happy to be there with you every single time.

He’ll use his charm to get you whatever you want. Did you want that cute seashell necklace? Or that shark tooth bracelet? He’ll approach the store owner, shake his tail and flirt a bit and it’s his now. Which he immediately hands to you with a huge grin on his face, telling you how well it suits you and how you make that item look even better.

He’s always trying to groom you in any sort of manner. Rubbing your scalp and smoothing your hair with his finger. Trying to rub thick creams into your skin, or rubbing pigment onto your nails to paint them. You're the only one he’ll do this for.

He needs to hold your hand at least 3 times a day and needs a kiss before he goes to sleep and he’ll break into your room if he doesn’t get them all. He’ll act all innocent but he knows exactly what he’s doing. He just likes being a brat so he can cuddle and love you.

He also gets upset if you smell like someone else so he randomly jumps you and cuddles you in his arms rubbing his cheek against yours and rubbing you with his tail and brushing all of his fins against you. If you check you can see his fangs sticking out when he’s jealous. 

If you’re ever feeling down he’ll sing for you. Dance with you, twirling you around as if he’s the moon and you're the earth itself. He gets lost in the dance and by the time you're done you're both embracing and laughing. 

Beelzebub and Belphegor

Appearance

While being twins they couldn’t be more polar opposites. Beelzebub has radiant skin that seems to glow even in the darker parts of the ocean and a long sunset orange tail full of powerful muscles and reaches the longest out of the brothers. His tail is smooth and has a cycloid scale pattern. Belphegor has the shark-like appearance some of his other brothers have. Counter shaded skin, flatter nose. But he seems to absorb the light around him making everything seem much darker than they really are. His tail is medium size and is pretty thin. His tail is a deep eggplant purple with black spots.

Both of them have matching fin shapes, their caudal fin being shaped like a swordtail guppy and the rest of their fins are wide and shaped like fans. Belphegor's fins are mostly black but with the same eggplant purple speckled in. Beelzebub’s are the same sunset orange.

Beelzebub’s face is free of scales but on the sides of his cheeks and around his jawline and down to his shoulders scales are clustered around. They are thick hardy scales making his neck his strongest area besides his tail, but he has a scar just under his chin.

Belphegor has a freckle-like pattern of small scales they scattered all around his face only one or two at a time. They’re much smaller than the ones on his tail.

Belphegor has extremely sharp teeth and while they’re small they’re serrated. Beelzebub has mostly human teeth, though his canines are much bigger and wider, he’s able to crush stones with those teeth.

Daily life

These two have been inseparable since they were young and it's a trend that is clearly there to stay. They may have a different schedule but when they go to rest they rest and sleep in the same nest. 

Beelzebub helps teach the younger mers to fight. He’s been permitted to teach not only the royal guard but other everyday mers. He’s a proud teacher and he’s always trying to come up with ways to help each student of his even on an individual level, but that’s when he’s not eating. 

He’s also the kingdom's best hunter, and a small team is sent out with him every once in a while to hunt down any monsters that come too close to their kingdom. Beelzebub ends up eating the thing before they get back though. The bigger and more ferocious they are, the better they taste. That’s what he says at least.   

Belphegor is the kingdom's most talented astrologist. Unlike his twin brother though, he doesn’t put his skills to much use. He’ll help, maybe, if he’s not tired or if he’s in a good mood, but those chances are slim to none. Instead he’s actually a doctor. 

He’ll laze around in his office and sleep on the table, but when a patient comes in he’s somehow able to look over them once and tell what’s wrong with them. Even his brother’s are confused how he can just wake up, take one look at someone and perfectly diagnose them. 

He also seems to nurse others on an auto pilot. He barely has his eyes open and is able to patch up any wound he can find. Because of his talent yet lack of effort he has earned some ire from his peers. He doesn’t care though as long as he can keep sleeping on the job.

Many other Mer’s have approached him in hopes to become his apprentice but he’s ignored every single one. He’s too lazy to even try. Which many people think is selfish since he’s so skilled. Though he doesn’t care what they say.    

Life with you 

You will always find them not too far from you. Once they grew attached to you they began not moving too far from you. Sometimes they even drag you along with them so you can be near them. Belphegor is guilty of dragging you to his workplace more than Beelzebub, sometimes trying to trick you into keeping everyone busy so he can nap.

Beelzebub just brings you so he can keep an eye on you and give you hugs when he’s feeling a bit stressed. You can tell when he’s getting stressed because the longer part of his tail fin flicks back and forth. If you end up hugging him right when he starts he’ll end up holding you until you ask him to let you go. It always makes him smile if you do that. 

They are both picky about having you sleep in their nest. Belphegor will complain and try to guilt you into their nest if you try to sleep anywhere else and Beelzebub will give you puppy dog eyes. They won’t stop until you agree, and they both coil around you when sleeping.

Beelzebub is very protective of you since he knows how monstrous things can be outside the kingdom so whenever he gets worried about you he pulls you by the hips closer to him. Belphegor simply just gets jealous of others talking to you and will rest his chin on your shoulder and stare at whoever is talking to you. 

If you let him, Beelzebub will groom you. Brushing your hair is a favorite of his. He likes playing with it. If you were to return the favor by polishing his scales or even playing with his hair too he gets left in a great mood for the rest of the day. The smile he gets never leaves his face. 

Belphegor when he’s feeling up to it will show you the stars at night. He’ll let you float on him or next to him and gaze at the bright night sky, untouched by light pollution or blocked by trees. Just the sounds of the open ocean and the two of you. Sometimes he’ll end up like an otter and fall asleep while holding your hand so you don’t float away.  

[fallen-blade]

City Of Secrets Masterlist

Basically this is my original take on the TMNT

Artwork for this fic can be found under the tag; ‘city of secrets art’, as tagged below

Soundtrack

CITY OF SECRETS

1 • City Dwellers

2 • Bottom Feeders

3 • Lost Causes

4 • Dimension Hoppers

5 • Heavy Hitters

1 • City Dwellers

In which the turtles leave the Hidden City for the first time, tasked with the responsibility of solving the city’s missing mutant problem.

They soon find that the underbelly of New York is hiding much more than a few missing mutants. Aliens, robots and an old, vendetta-driven enemy, to be exact.

1 • City Dwellers

Summary: In which the turtles leave the Hidden City for the first time, tasked with the responsibility of solving the city’s missing mutant problem.

They soon find that the underbelly of New York is hiding much more than a few missing mutants. Aliens, robots and an old, vendetta-driven enemy, to be exact.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

A Nice Nurse Shark

Requested by @internetdog06

Yes, it’s true! Sharks can be smooth! The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) defies many shark stereotypes, from their appearance to their demeanor and, yes, the texture of their skin. Although they have a bad reputation among divers for their bite, these sharks are more often slow, shy, and skittish. These traits, combined with its distinctive whiskers, give rise to its other common name: the cat shark.

G. cirratum resides in warm shallow waters, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, and cliff edges. They can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean along the coasts of North America, Central America, South America, and West Africa. Wherever they live they are bottom dwellers; they spend most of their days swimming slowly along the ocean floor or lounging near the reefs. Another stereotype broken: nurse sharks do not need to move continuously to breathe.

Despite their shy nature, the nurse shark’s size can make it an intimidating threat to any other fish-- or people-- that happen to spot it. G. cirratum can be between 3 and 4.5m long and can weigh up to 115 kg. And, yes, their skin is smooth, more like a dolphin’s than a shark’s. Their mouths don’t resemble that of other shark either, lacking the distinctive large, triangular teeth. Rather, they have several rows of smaller fan-shaped serrated teeth in a small, round mouth; best for crushing shellfish and coral. They also make for good defense, primarily against other sharks, curious humans, and occasionally American Alligators.

These sharks are suction feeders, and are able to draw invertebrates and small fish into their mouths from up to 3 cm away. They hunt mainly at night, swimmingly slowly along the ocean floor in search of food. During the day return to a home area to rest with other nurse sharks. Within these groups, also called shivers, they communicate mainly using sound, touch, and electroreception. Their distinctive ‘mustaches’ may be used for the latter two senses, forming a similar role to a cat’s whiskers.

Nurse sharks are territorial, both in their daily resting places and their mating sites. Individuals will return every summer to the same area to reproduce. Males and females with both mate with multiple partners, although males are known to ‘flush out’ competing sperm before copulation to ensure their genetics are the ones passed on, although litters with multiple paternities are common. Males also reinforce social hierarchies by biting both other males and females, which they reinforce within their day-to-day groups. G. cirratum is an ovoviviparous species which means the eggs hatch within the mother, and she give slive birth to about 20 pups after a 5 to 6 month pregnancy. Young cat sharks are spotted, and only grow into their brown coloring when they reach sexual maturity, at around 10 to 20 years old.

Conservation status: The IUCN lists the Nurse Shark as Vunerable. Historically they have been captured for their fins, skin and meat, as well as for the aquarium trade. They are also caught as by-catch in fishing nets. However, the species has several protected habitats along the North and Central American Atlantic coast and is currently being evaluated to better protect its migratory pathways.

Photos

Tchami

Gary Rinaldi

Kent Miller

[sabineelectricheart]

A Beach Day and a Soda Slush

Summary: He might acknowledge that he is hardly the best choice, but he refuses to bow down without a fight.

Rating: T - Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.

Words: 2500

Notes: A man defending your honour... One might find distasteful in real life, but imagination is everything.

For whomever would spend just a little time with Yosuga of the Purple, they would soon figure out that vulnerable was not a state that came naturally to him. That chilling enigmatic smile, the smoke from his pipe, the drugs he sold, everything contributed to a high wall that many would find when trying to make him their acquaintance.

Perhaps this is due to Tsukuyomi’s child-rearing technique, which was hardly conductive to any other result. Perhaps, if he was raised within his own Colour rather than in Yomi squalor, he would have turned out different, but he did not really remember back too far into his early childhood to know, to gauge what sort of man his father was and what sort of man could be birthed from his loins and love.

What he does know, however, is that he is the defender of the people of Yomi, by both appointment and choice. This role demanded him to be tough and show no emotion.

Do not get attached, child. It is easier that way.

Even after he opened his bathhouse, after he had learnt customer service, after he met surface-dwellers and bottom-feeders alike, he found he did not attach himself to many people. Or, perhaps, there just were not too many people around he wanted to cling to. He always had his back up around people. If they did not get to know him, then he did not get to know them and then his heart never got broken.

Until Akaza of the Red delivered his ultimatum, driving some sunlight down into the realm of the dead men walking.

It was all very sudden. There was not really a timeline for their relationship, or when she started coming around. If he was honest, it all started to blend together in his mind. One day he was running herbs into a mortar, and the other he was figuring out how to build a letter box. One day she was not there and the next she was.

Olympia of the White made his chambers, his small pharmacy on the back of a water-trade business, her own reign. He could not fathom anymore not open his blinders and finding her on his bed. His heart breaks if he spends one single day when he cannot have her perched on his lap with her fingers in his purple hair and her sweet voice in his ear.

Yosuga thinks that she is the sweetest girl in the world, and he is certain he is not the only one sharing this opinion. She might be, indeed, too sweet to be hanging around with underground scum like him. Too soft, sweet and all around precious to be hanging around with a guy like him.

This girl, the only sunlight their world still had, knows not where she stands when she walks down that slope. Perhaps Riku of the Blue put best when he said that she might as well be tripping over a loaded gun with every step she took.

Not that Olympia would agree with either of them. No, instead, she would give him those gentle, knowing eyes after she had gathered herself.

I know who you are, Yosuga. Better than yourself.

It was her unwavering love, patience and support of him for exactly who he was that helped him break his own walls down bit by bit. The way she did not mind that his business is messy, with all types of people from different walks of life knocking on his door. Or how she let him rest his head on her chest after a particularly long day, her fingers twisting the loose lock of hair the hung in his face.

Yosuga, quite simply, felt like he would die for her if it came down to it. He was not sure why he would ever find himself that in position, or why his sweet girlfriend, content on spending her nights cuddled on the couch with him or buried between the pages of book, would ever put either of them in that position, but he would go down in flames for his woman.

"Yosuga?" Her voice was soft behind him as he sat at the table at his work station, weighing out bags. “Are you done with work?”

His heart skipped a beat, and he felt like a teenager getting caught with his first bottle of rice wine.

"I am just finishing the last ingredients of this formula, Byakuya. I will not take much longer." He muttered with a clear of his throat as he turned in his chair to see her standing in the doorway, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

"Are we still going for a walk on the beach today?" She inquired, so sugary sweet it was a shock to his system.

It was high summer in the surface and Byakuya has expressed more than once her desire to have a beach day, which he had promised he would give it to her sooner rather than later. There is little that he would not do if she just asked, and some time out in the sun was hardly that much of an imposition.

He felt dizzy, lightheaded with the sight of his girlfriend on a summer dress. The white, silk piece stopped halfway to her knees, showing enough skin on her taut legs to make him salivate. The waist was tied tight with a ribbon, but the chest area was loose, disguising her upper figure. She looked like a gift from Lady Amaterasu, ready for him to unwrap.

Alas, now is not the time for such things.

Yosuga stood up, his work completely forgotten at her question. He had promised her that he would take her to the beach. A simple request, but he preferred to say "low-profile", remain underground and avoid provoking the surface, and the western beach on a sunny summer day seemed like the least low-profile place of all. Yet, she asked, and so he is compelled to do it as she wants.

The man of the Purple nodded. "Yes, of course. We can go now, if you want."

He washed his hands very carefully on the sink he had installed next to his herbs armoire before he reached for her hands. No part of his life, his work, would touch her. No creation birthed from the Purple would ever touch her.

There is also that: the sin of the men of the Purple, which he now carries alone on his shoulders. If his punishment, if his rearing, if his business, if any of that was not enough to disqualify him, he must also reckon with the foolishness of one of his ancestors.

The pharmacist knows very well he does not stand alone after Olympia’s affection. Well, of course, most of the island wants the love and the preference of Lady Olympia’s, as his girlfriend is quick to differentiate, but Byakuya does not find herself short of suitors, either.

Akaza, for one, would be only too glad to make true his conditional of marrying her. The undertaker often follows her with his eye whenever they meet. Riku seemed to mellow out these days under her influence. Even his foster brother, Kuroba himself, had taken to look envious whenever he stopped by for a warm meal.

He still did not know why she chose a life with him, but he took it day by beautiful day.

Byakuya took the small steps forward so her bare toes touched the tips of his shoes, her hands reaching for his to lace their fingers. His hands were larger than hers, but equally as soft. It was warm, and she enjoyed to have this small bodily contact between them.

Yosuga looked down at their feet, passed their hands interlocked, at her little painted toes. It would take him a while to admit out loud that the bright colours she painted her toes made him just a little bit weak. The way she curled her toes against his shins when they were in bed together, or even the gentle way she rubbed the flats of her feet against his own to stay warm at night.

It made him remember he was still alive.

The man of the Purple loathed the beach. It reminded him of what his bathhouse would be if he did not exert as much regulatory control over it as he does: messy, noisy, dirty and bloated with people who had not the slightest clue when to stop their excesses. It reminded him that dirtiness and disorder might not be possible to eliminate, as it only seems to move from one den to the next.

While he found the beach to be absolutely loathsome, he did not seem to notice all of those offences that much when he was with her. Playfully kicking water at her as they walked the shoreline, a soft kiss to her forehead now and then. He was not too fond of large public displays of affection, they seemed of poor taste to him. A kiss to the forehead, or the squeeze of the hand was more than enough.

The looks of the Primary Colour noblemen around them did not go unnoticed by the pharmacist.

Life underground usually fosters keen senses and a hardened sense of reality, and he knew what it meant. He was acutely aware of everything that was going on around them. He knew the toddler at the top of the hill, near the food cart, was going to fall the minute they started to run. He could see it in his brain before it happened. He saw the young girls ahead, and to the left of them, battling over who would go over and pick up ice cream for the others.

In the same manner, he saw the group of noblemen, more than one of them could be called a regular customer of his bathhouse, eyes zeroed in on Yosuga and Olympia slowly walking down the shoreline. He could see their lips moving, but he could not hear anything. He hated them, every last one of them.

"Here. I think that vendor over there has that cold dessert for little kids that you like. Take this, I will be right there." Yosuga grumbled as he reached into his cannister, securely kept around his shoulder, and pulled out a few coins.

"Soda slush is not for little kids, Yosuga." She scoffed. “And I can pay for myself, you know?”

He chuckled at her outrage. “Then buy me a cup and prove it.”

“Fine. It will knock your socks out, you will see!” The white-haired girl accepted his coins with a peck on his cheek before she took off with a run through the sea puddles, salt water splashing up her thighs.

The man of the Purple ran his hand over his chin as he made sure his love far enough away before he turned on his heel and stalked over to the noblemen beneath a beach umbrella, who were cutting a watermelon with their swords.

"...too good for him, though. I met her by the sundial once, a few months ago. She was all alone, and so I approached her. I offered her my assistance, but it seems that she does not know how to recognize a man of good breeding."

The conversation made Yosuga vibrate with unalloyed rage. Byakuya had told him about that day, when she was on her way for a delivery and how some guy had been unruly with her, that he would not leave her alone. He remembered, indeed, very well how insidious he had been, how he had elicited a shiver from his girlfriend, how he made her feel unsafe when she was alone.

"The only way he could have been closer to me is if he had been inside of me. He was creepy."

The bath master clenched his fists as he made the last few steps up to the group of nobles, ready to strike. He pulled his fist back, the blood in his head blocking out any other sounds than the pure rage he felt at the disrespect they were speaking about his girlfriend.

Yosuga pulled his elbow back and connected his fist with the man of the Blue’s jaw, unannounced. Not the fairest punch he has ever doled out, but he did not think that hitting on another man's girlfriend was exactly fair either.

He was not concerned with the consequences, either. Had been a mere Yomi inhabitant, he would certainly be executed by sunset, but he had enough of a capital, monetary or otherwise, to get away with anything, up to and including murder. Those low-lives knew it, and this is why they feared him now.

The man of the Purple might acknowledge that he is hardly the best choice for the Maiden of the White, but he refuses to bow down without a fight. Not to a good man, not to a man he either respected or cared for, and certainly not for some entitled vermin like this one. Only she, and she alone, will ever make him stop his pursuit, and he does not care how many noses he has to punch, how many secrets he has to deal, or how many formulas he has to sell to have and defend his woman.

He was not sure if it was the sheer force of his punch, or the fact that it was unexpected but the noble was knocked off of his feet. Likely, it was a bit of both.

"So, you like hitting on engaged girls? Being persistent?" Yosuga growled as he crouched down in the sand beside the boy, clutching his jaw, pressing even further on the cracks that formed. “You are very lucky we are under Lady Amaterasu’s blessings. If I were you, the next time Lady Olympia secures sunlight for your miserable existence, I would thank her down on my knees.”

He kicked the man on the ribs, for good measure.

"Do not let me catch you underground, or you shall never see another day." He spat as he stood up, glaring at the friends that stood helpless around the man writhing on the ground.

Yosuga walked away from the rich kids with too much time and money to spare, and found Byakuya at the front of the line for ice cream. He let out a deep breath as he wiped off his raw, bloody knuckle on the underside of his shirt.

"Was I taking too long? Sorry, I got stuck behind a bit of a long line." She smiled, blissfully unaware.

The man walked up behind her and gently placed his hand on her hip as not to scare her, while taking a sip of her slush.

“How do you find it now?” Byakuya asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"I love it." He replied softly as he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead.

"See? I told you that slush is not just for kids!"

*_*_*_*_*

Olympia Soirée Masterlist

[tribbetherium]

The Middle Glaciocene: 110 million years post-establishment

Tales of Snails: Marine Gastropods of the Middle Glaciocene

Since the beginning of the age of life at the start of the Early Rodentocene, the hamsters had dominated megafaunal niches on the planet as the ecosystem's sole vertebrate, while the shrish-- swimming crustaceans descended from krill-- have flourished in the oceans with the absence of piscine competitors into shoalers, filter-feeders, burrowers and shark-like predators. But for the past 110 million years another clade in the seas had been slowly but surely rising in prominence: the gastropods.

Descended from a few species of marine snails introduced into the waters of HP-02017, indeed, perhaps accidentally as a few dormant eggs that remained attached to the transplanted coral and algae during the planet's founding period, the colder, nutrient-rich waters of the Glaciocene has given this slowly-growing clade a chance to explode into a diversity unlike anything before. Now the gastropods are found in all of the seas and oceans worldwide, in a stunning variety of forms one would never have assumed from their humble ancestors.

Basal forms akin to conches and whelks are very abundant in the shallow-sea reefs, grazing on corals and algae and in turn being food for a wide range of aquatic fauna. Some lineages independently lost their shells, forming a polyphyletic group of "slugs", with one group, the slugworms, developing brilliant coloration and showy displays in a manner quite akin to Earth's nudibranchs. But more remarkable are another group of these shell-less "slugs" that, instead of creeping along on the sea floor, instead become active swimmers that propel themselves through the water with muscular contractions of a membranous fin-like extension of their foot- the pescopods.

Pescopods, in all their diversity, have avoided competition with the shrish with the help of a key gastropod feature: the rasping radula, or toothed tongue, that allow them to file away at tough food that the shrish are less-equipped to deal with. While most shrish are filter feeders, bottom sievers, or active predators, the pescopods gnaw away at floating vegetation, scavenge on sunken carrion, and feed on corals, sponges and hard-shelled bivalves with the help of their unique mouthpart allowing to rasp, scrape, drill and shave their way into a broad range of niches that are less pressured by the shrish.

Among the diversity of gastropods now colonizing the ocean are a diverse array of snails and slugs that, in the vacancy of many niches in the sea have twisted apart the basic gastropod body plan into forms better filling empty marine invertebrate niches. Shallowskimmers (family Ichthyocochlidae) are among the most widespread of the swimming slug-like forms, gathering near the surfaces of shallow tropical seas to feed on algae and water plants, and flourish in such numbers that certain species of marine predators such as shrarks and cricetaceans have specialized to specifically feed on them. Their bigger cousins, the ribbonslugs (family Lemniscochlidae) drift slowly across the open seas in enormously large numbers filtering out algae in a manner akin to the manta rays of Earth's oceans.

While some species of aquatic gastropods became highly active swimmers, other would become bottom feeders that are sessile, or at least nearly so. Quillnobs (family Pennacochlidae) are one such species: originating from a hard-shelled ancestor, these snails have evolved to fuse themselves to a single spot once mature, never to move again. Anchored to the spot by secreted cement derived from the mucous slime coat of most snails, they extend feathery extensions of their gills to trap drifting algae and zooplankton for nourishment. As they no longer move, they tend to cluster in large groups as to easily find a mate, and at times tend to overwhelm reefs and form entirely new biomes made entirely of these strange, barnacle-like creatures.

Some other bottom feeders would take on forms akin to echinoderms--a clade highly diverse in Earth's oceans, but absent here. The asterisks ( family Stellacochlidae) are one such clade of bottom-dwelling, soft-bodied "slugs" whose foot possesses strong muscular extensions that help them anchor themselves to hard objects on the sea floor or on food sources that they feed on. With small, vestigal eyes that can only detect light and dark, asterisks rely mostly on touch, smell and taste to navigate, feeding on whatever they can find at the ocean floor, including algae, sponges, corals and scavenging sunken carrion of shrish and marine hamsters such as seavers, though some asterisks are active predators of hard-shelled prey such as quillnobs, using a specialized radula to drill right into their shells.

But even basal forms can be downright bizarre in their own ways. Of the basal, unremarkable clade of shell-less slugs is one truly bizarre clade that seems almost like an example of evolution gone wrong: the hermit slugs (family Conchomutoridae). Hermit slugs have, over the years, lost their protective shells. But now they have returned to a lifestyle akin to a typical hard-shelled snail, except that instead of being born with a shell of their own, they instead borrow one. Shells of aforementioned whelk or conch-like species are particular favorites, but they are not especially picky: some use broken-off corals, shed shrish exoskeletons, and even the seed pods of coastal-growing cloverferns that end up in the water. And one genus, in its quest for house-hunting, turned to active predation in order to acquire both a house and an easy meal in one: the homewrecker (Casaklepta spp.) which hunts shelled gastropods, harpooning them with specialized neurotoxins, then gradually eats away all the soft tissues of their unlucky victim, leaving only an empty shell--which the homewrecker then moves right into.

But without a doubt the most fascinating and derived of these marine snails are the notiluses (family Gastrocephalopoda), a group of basally-shelled gastropods that have developed six fleshy arms from the anterior portion of their foot, functioning like grasping arms that they use to move about and capture food. Some of the shelled forms are ammonite-like floaters that feed on small shrish and crustaceans, while others are bottom dwellers that use their arms to clamber about on the sea floor.

This lineage would eventually, during the Therocene, spawn a lineage of shell-less active swimmers with rippling foot-fins convergent with the pescopods-- the skwoids (subclade Cochleoteuthidae), which are even more convergent with Earth cephalopods such as octopi and cuttlefish. However, they are distinct in many ways: their eyes, surprisingly well-developed for a snail, are mounted on retractable stalks, their arms, which only have six instead of a cephalopod's eight or ten, are equipped with a single row of rectangular gripping pads as opposed to round suckers, and instead of a hooked beak, possess toothed radulas that are equipped with harpoon-like ends for spearing their prey.

Skwoids are exclusively carnivorous, feeding on shrish, crustaceans, and other snails such as pescopods, and are found in a wide array of aquatic environments. While most live in the sea, a few have ventured into freshwater, and have colonized rivers and streams as well, with freshwater skwoids typically being very small, measuring at most several inches and feeding on small shrish, aquatic insects, and on rare occasion small swimming pondrats as well. They are in turn prey for many other predators as well: and many species defend themselves by squirting a thick, gooey mucous that forms net-like ropy threads that entangle and confuse enemies and allow them to escape.

But in the deep, chilly regions of the southern Centralic Ocean, in the waters surrounding Peninsulaustra, there lives one species that dwarfs them all: the giant skwoid (Craccinus relasi). This deep-water species thrives on the abundance of massive swarms of aphotic-zone pescopods and shoals of shrish that gather at the nutrient-rich upwellings from the deep currents that are a breeding ground for plankton. In this near-abyssal region, relatively free of the air-breathing marine hamsters, the giant skwoid is free to grow to tremendous sizes, straddling the absolute upper limit for an invertebrate: a body length of up to four meters, coupled with six long arms extending up to an additional eight meters tops off its full length to a whopping twelve meters in the largest specimens, though smaller sizes of eight meters or less, with two-meter bodies, are far more common.

With its powerful arms, immense size, and harpoon-like radula, the giant skwoid is a force to be reckoned with: while generally a placid creature, it is a dangerous quarry for even the largest of the predatory shrish to tackle should it lash out when threatened, and for the majority of its existence during the Late Therocene and Early Glaciocene, the giant skwoid enjoyed a relatively safe existence. But as the cold seas of the Glaciocene favored ever-bigger marine hamsters, reaching sizes unlike anything before, the Middle Glaciocene will soon have the giant skwoid finally meet its match-- in the form of the largest marine predator, and largest hamster yet, to live on the planet of HP-02017.

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

[retro-vgm-revival-hour]

                                  RETRO VGM REVIVAL HOUR:                                            GAMES OF 2021

Last year may not have been a complete improvement over the previous one, if anything, It looks like certain areas of the world are right back at square one with just more precautionary measures to ensure people’s safety in an already hectic world.

In a year where so many things continue to go wrong, video games were pretty much one of the very few Highlights that stood out in 2021.

Providing much needed distractions from everything else that is currently happening in the world around us, Video games enabled us to visit far away places filled with colorful, unique and intriguing characters that made those stressful moments just subside…even if for a mere moment of time.

SO This is why THIS stage of the Retro VGM Revival Hour has chosen the 3 most amazing tracks from the various games released in 2021 to get you excited for what’s to come.

          ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Game – Composer – Title⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1.) Monster Hunter Rise – Reo Uratani, Satoshi Hori & Nao Sato – “Where Wyverns go to Die, Barbarous Beast: Magnamalo (The Chase) & The Invading Tyrant: Bazelgeuse”

2.) Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX – José Ramón García – “Main Theme, Scopaco Cycle & Mt. Kave”

3.) Legend of Mana Remastered – Yoko Shimomura, Ryo Furukawa & Osamu Katsumori – “Hometown of Domina, The Darkness Nova & Pain of the Universe”

4.) Bravely Default II – Yasuo Kamanaka (Revo) – “Battle with Those Learned of the Stars, Sailing & The Bells of Battle Ring Out Again”

5.) Resident Evil Village – Marcin Przybyłowicz & Nao Sato – “Village of Shadows, Acid Rain & The Final Movement”

6.) Deathloop – Tom Salta & Ross Tregenza – “Welcome to Blackreef, Time Flies & Pitch Black”

7.) Little Nightmares II – Tobias Lilja – “One Step/Two Step, Bottom Feeders & Lost In Transmission”

8.) Far Cry 6 – Pedro Bromfman – “Anton, El Este & The Guerrilla”

9.) Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth – PEPOSOFT – “Cavaliere: The Proud Knight, Prologo: Breath of the Labyrinth & Fiamma del Caos: The Cave”

10.) Scarlet Nexus – Hayata Takeda & Masato Nakamura – “Dream In Drive, Faded Bustles: The other & The OSF: Advancing”

11.) The Medium – Akira Yamaoka & Arkadiusz Reikowski – “The Love That Was Lost, It Starts With A Dead Girl & Voices (w/ Vocals by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)”

12.) Tales of Arise – Motoi Sakuraba – “Don't look back (Proceed), Night and Light & Flame of Hope”

13.) Guilty Gear Strive – Daisuke Ishiwatari – “Chase, Calm & The Roar of the Spark (w/ Vocals by Naoki Hashimoto)”

14.) Shin Megami Tensei V – Ryota Kozuka & Toshiki Konishi – “Jouin High School, Battle (humans/demons…and) & Tokyo (Daybreak)”

15.) Lost Judgment – Saori Yoshida & Hidenori Shoji – “Hydra, 1811 & K.O.G”

16.) Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection – Masato Kouda, Kento Hasegawa & Ryuta Hida – “Pick Your Poison, Zone 1 (Execution Grounds) & Zone 2 (Crystanlline City)”

17.) Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Mark Mothersbaugh & Wataru Hokoyama – “Rift Apart, Sweet Home Sargasso & Glitch in the System”

18.) Psychonauts 2 – Peter McConnell – “Psychonauts 2 Title/Prologue, Mal-BIG-ula & Panic Attack”

19.) Mario Golf: Super Rush – Motoi Sakuraba – “Bowser Highlands (Snow), Bonny Greens (Speed Golf) & Bowser Highlands (Lava)”

20.) Neo: The World Ends with You – Takeharu Ishimoto – “The Beginning of a Happy Life, Death Throes & Encounter”

21.) Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy – Richard Jacques – “The Cost of Freedom, Dweller in the Darkness & Gardeners of the Galaxy”

22.) No More Heroes III – Nobuaki Kaneko & Jun Fukuda – “Naomi's Lab, Phantom Skate (Gokko of Itachi) & Awesome Holyday in the Sky (Kimmy Howel/Kimmy Love Theme w/ vocals by Jennifer Hale)”

23.) Metroid Dread – Soshi Abe & Sayako Doi – “Theme of Samus, Quiet Robe & VS. Golzuna”

[hubertspala]

076 - General Glibs

Wharf Town might be the biggest and most prosperous city on the surface of Posterra, bar perhaps the exlusive chrome domes of the City of Brass, but even such sprawling metropolis with hundred of thousands of souls with their standing militia and well renown heroes face regular and constant threat of the more ambitious and influential warbands. For the most part, Mayor Whale dealt with them with economical superiority, creating via diplomacy, threats and bribes an air that every warring faction needs Wharf Town as a source of supplies, weapons, tech, medicine... Just about anything needed for them to continue their fights. A peaceful place where clans, growling and gazing daggers at each other, might stil do their businesses in relative peace of the Concord - a law that ensures that any clan that causes violence within the city walls will be banned from it’s trade and markets. It worked. For the most part. For there is a new enemy to threaten the growing city, coming this time from the depths of the sea - it was not the Great Father and his krakens, it was not the elementals, which were constantly appeased. It was the sentient jellyfish, who had enough of the city pollutions but mostly enough of their vessels claiming dominion over the seas far and wide, cutting the waters with their turbulent engines. Jellies for reasons unknown had access to potent technology and advances machinery - their only issue was that their very bodies were suboptimal for guiding the machines which needed neural pathways to function. And since Jellies have no brains... They had to employ other sea creatures as surrogate pilots for their suits and engines to march to an uneasy war with the traitorous surface dwellers and bottom feeders of the Wharf Town.

[ask-eugene-h-krabs]

What is your views on mermaid man and barnacle boy, Mr. Krabs?

Oi, them blow’ards, eh? Well, strap in, ‘cause that’s a bit o’ a complicated subject fer me.

See, back in th’ 50s er so, Ernie McHale and Tim Parker were just a couple o’ errant humans what done wandered in from up above, an’ thanks ter some cosmic fuckery er somethin’, they ended up wit’ some kind o’ superpowers. Was nice, ‘avin’ th’ two around, helped keep th’ streets clean an’ gave people somethin’ ter believe in, symbols o’ justice er some pie-in-the-sky shite like that. Weren’t harmin’ nobody, plus they were kinda eye candy, so o’ course I took ter em pretty fine.

Then comes th’ 60s, an’ these two meat’eads end up gittin’ themselves a telervision show fer coral’s sake! What a career path, ye might say, from refugees ter crime fighters ter actors! Ye couldn’t say th’ two o’ them weren’t loved nothin’, either, two o’ them ‘ad more screamin’ fans than them four dumb sluts from Liverpool. I remember th’ gals used ter toss them bras up o’er the red carpet line as they passed… ah, bless their ‘earts, was a diff’rent time, nobody understood quite what th’ two o’ them had…

But then comes ‘64, an th’ Gulf o’ Tonkin. Now I don’t mean ter digress too much, but fer ye young folks out there who dinnae know, I gots ter stress: th’ August 4th attacks what got America’s Congress ter sign th’ bill what sent 58,000 GIs ter their deaths an’ killed millions o’ civvies in th’ carnage… it were all a sonar glitch, an’ Lyndon Johnson knew it. I ain’t got a clue what they be teachin’ ya in schools these days, maybe ye all know this by now, but us common folk weren’t clued in at th’ time. Fer all we knew, it were now open war wit’ North Vietnam.

Now, in those days, the Marshall Islands did belong to Uncle Sam, an’ so wit’ Johnson’s resolution, we bottom-feeders down under in Bikini Bottom were part o’ the war, too. Now I could spin ye a tale o’ how I were just a poor feller who got ‘is draft card pulled, an’ got dragged inter a rich man’s war kickin’ an’ screamin’, but I ain’t ‘ere ter bullshit yas. No, I enlisted on me own accord, an’ it were Ernie an’ Tim what convinced me ter do it.

See, though Bikini Bottom weren’t th’ most populous ecosystem, them bastards in th’ beltway figgered they’d git a coupla us gill-breathers ter die in th’ place o’ them red-blooded American boys. So they extended their recruitin’ efforts down inter our briny depths, an’ let any Bottomite jumped up on red-scarin’ rage sign ‘is own death warrant afore jumpin’ em on them steely graveyards.

But thing is, us sea-dwellers cannae give two shits uva sea bear’s tail fin what politics be like on dry land, an’ that made enlistin’ us a moron’s errand. It weren’t goin’ ter be possible ter git more than a handful o’ hormonal sea-hawks ter join their so-called “volunteer navy”, not wit’out some serious properganding. An’ yet, lo an’ behold, down wit’ us salty suckers were a duo o’ humans jus’ like them, feelin’ alienated from their kind an’ itchin’ ter serve their community. It were all one big ado when Ernie an’ Tim, now well-established by them stage names “Mermaid Man” an’ “Barnacle Boy”, announced they’d be leavin’ our lil’ patch o’ Atlantis fer a time ter return ter America as naval cadets. One last season o’ their show were filmed, transparently war properganda if ever there’d been any, an’ then they were off, an’ like th’ school o’ guppies that we were, it became a regular feedin’ frenzy ter follow in their wake trails.

I… don’t want ter get too deep inter what went on in me years o’ service. Sufficer ter say, I came out o’ the fightin’ a changed man, me an’ all me crew were. I don’t look back on th’ time fondly, an’ I don’t make excuses fer what I’d done. When orders ter withdraw came, I’d done enough damage ter meself an’ th’ people o’ that country that I’d’ve been wise ter ‘ave turned me back an’ never look behind, but there’d been one loose end which none o’ us from Bikini Bottom could shake: Ernie an’ Tim, last seen in Saigon, ‘ad never come home.

Disregardin’ orders, me crew an’ I hitched up wit’ some GIs marchin’ inland. I’ll never ferget Saigon, not till me dyin’ day. Fer th’ people trapped inside the city limits, it coulda been th’ end o’ th’ world. It were what little good we could do ter help organize th’ evacuatin’, but all o’ me boys knew our ulterior motives: We ‘ad ter find Mermaid Man an’ Barnacle Boy, they ‘ad ter be alive somewhere.

In those last few days o’ April, durin’ Frequent Wind, it seemed as though all hope were lost. The NVAs ‘ad th’ city surrounded, panic on th’ streets were so bad ye couldn’t pedal a bicycle down th’ block. We’d be ter evacuate on the next helicopter outta th’ city, nothin’ more we could do. Wit’ a ‘eavy ‘eart an’ a ‘eavier conscience, Armor Abs Krabs an’ ‘is crew were ter leave Vietnam fer good.

Then, from o’er th’ raucous yellin’, I ‘eard it. A voice, one which I’d ‘eard night after dreary night on me ship’s projector.  A voice I never thought I’d ‘ear wit’out th’ familiar ‘um o’ film grain.

“Wait!” it cried, “don’t leave! We’re military, just like you!”

It were Ernie, wit’ Tim on ‘is ‘eels.

Th’ look upon th’ once proud Mermaid Man’s face, robbed o’ youth an’ optimism since committin’ it ter film stock, were one o’ abject horror. Barnacle Boy, no more a boy than a shell-shocked man whose soul were thirty years ‘is senior, hustled forward wit’ nae a trace o’ mirth on what ‘ad once been ‘is trademark babyface. Sparin’ not a moment ter greet th’ sea creatures what’d once been their neighbors what’d come all this way ter find em, they clambored inter the helicopter an’ cowered. Tim were near catatonic when we strapped ‘im inter ‘is restraints. Ernie could only rock back an’ force, holding ‘is knees in ‘is arms.

I ne’er knew just ‘ow long th’ two o’ them ‘ad been out there. Officially, there’d been ceasefire from America fer th’ better part o’ two years when Saigon fell. ‘Ad th’ two been separated from their unit an’ left ter wander the jungles all that time? Er ‘ad they’d stayed behind ter fight against th’ orders o’ high command? Though I’d remained a presence in th’ two’s lives fer a time after Vietnam, ‘elpin’ em reacclimate ter civilian life an’ cope wit’ their demons, I never did get straight answers outta them. I learned quickly not ter ask Ernie ‘bout ‘is time on dry land, th’ flashbacks came too fast an’ too cruel fer that man. Tim, I could never bring myself ter ask, not knowin’ what it’d done ter the older man. I’d enjoy not knowin’ what’d wiped th’ smile from th’ Boy Wonder’s face. When each o’ them passed these last few years, me navy buddies an’ I gave em a hero’s goodbye, but ter this day I wonder, I think all o’ us wonder, if they really deserved it.

Anyway, this ol’ man’s let ‘is story git away from ‘im, just look at th’ time. Been ramblin’, I been, an’ I don’t got a clue if I e’er answered yer original question. But then again, I don’t suppose I’d really know meself. It’s like I’d said, it’s a complicated subject, an’ not one I think anyone could say fer sure. All the same, thank ye fer listenin’, an’ I hope ye’ve considered what this ol’ krab ‘as ‘ad ter say.

Now are ye gonna order somethin’, er do I gotta get th’ broom ‘andle again?