#cirralings

[bloomblanche]

Hi, I made a little edit with my fan species for fun

Hope you guys like it!!

(Original illustration from Haikara Walker)

[andrastes-flaming-arse]

☁️ Little sketch of my Hawke, Cirral :3 ☁️

Let me know if you’d like to see any of my other DA protags :)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Burning of Wallasey Church, Wirral, 1 February 1857 Harold Hopps (1879–1967) Williamson Art Gallery & Museum

* * * *

"The most dangerous psychological mistake is the projection of the shadow onto others; this is the root of almost all conflicts."

~ C.G. Jung

+

“The mentioned ‘particular need’ of theirs (to 'teach others sense and 'put them on the right road') arises in them, in its turn, thanks to another particular property of theirs which is that from the very moment when each of them acquires the capacity of distinguishing between ‘wet’ and ‘dry,’ then, carried away by this attainment, he ceases forever to see and observe his own abnormalities and defects, but sees and observes those same abnormalities and defects in others."

~ Gurdjieff, from 'Beelzebub's Opinion of War' in 'Beeelzebub's Tales to his Grandson'

(Ian Sanders)

[emo-eyemakeup-evildude]

Which oc is more willing to beat Astor half to death if given a million rupees to do it?

A desire and/or willingness to harm Astor is a prerequisite for (most) of my ocs, so in order:

Evia and Hem would commit fraud or perhaps arson to get to beat Astor half to death, and also for the money. Nothing personal, just roommate shit

Acuity would beat Astor half to death for the money. Cecilio, Tuss, Kuviri, Zato, Milas, Cirral, Hildelm, Thorie, Lorin, Lyn, and Camellia (from A Sense of Clarity) would do it for the money, too, but Acuity gets there first

Vala would beat Astor half to death for the visceral pleasure of physically beating Astor (definitely in a totally platonic, no homo kind of way)

Delia and Iddo would each beat him entirely to death for what he did to the library. They didn't even know about the money. (Pre-Calamity they would both refuse, Astor would volunteer to get the money to help the library. They both beat him half to death (Not out of malice (lol) but out of enthusiasm))

Kiaram would (probably) use the money to hire a hitman (like maybe 1% of the money and he pockets the rest. He's entirely in it for the money, he doesn't care enough to actually try that hard to hurt Astor)

Althea would make him soup, the best soup he's ever had in his life, and she would give him Disappointed Mom Face the whole time. (He burns his mouth on the soup. He would give her one million rupees because the Mom Face works that well)

Meli would flirtatiously beat Astor half to death for the money, and then use the money to buy jewelry, and then take him on a date

Valiance would not, for any amount of money

Bonus: Long Road To Ruin Rhoam would beat Astor to death just for the excuse to beat him entirely to death Long Road To Ruin Zelda's Mom would beat Astor half to death for fun, like why people study combat sports. She would then use the money to build an orphanage or buy candy for every child in Hyrule Long Road To Ruin Princess Zelda would [spoiler]

[arlinns]

psst if any of y’all do wow rp i have a new bby void elf who needs some fleshing out and i am down for in game rp or discord or whatever tbh

[ofwraithsandwords]

NPC/location names in most high fantasy games:

The Silver Lord Danforth the Unyeilding The Gray Blight Serpent’s Island

NPC/location names in Elden Ring:

Saint Vhael’isse of the Ascension Cirral, Weaver of the Silken Death The Sarkonian Brume/Zyfatosis Village of the Obstiquean

[teamrundisney]

A quick visit with the characters of honor before jumping into the starting cirrals as runners are just 10 minutes away from race start! #TeamrunDisney #runDisney #WDW10K #DopeyChallenge (at EPCOT) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnEcBD2uP99/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[rollercoaster59]

Cirral with milk

[bloomblanche]

SRL Exploration Team here to make an emergency report!

These funky fellows are starting to pop up all around town! We're not sure what their deal is, but they seem friendly. Who knows? Maybe we'll get more info on these cirralings in the future...

(original image)

...and here's an (unfinished) attempt from a year ago! I'm proud of my progress.

[bloomblanche]

Cirralings

(Splatoon fan species)

Aka: I overanalyzed Raian's design and ended up making a whole species of cirrate octopuses (otherwise known as dumbo octopuses) over it.

(The cover is an edited version of the official White Day 2020 illustration, if anyone's wondering.)

(Also, I'm going to use a lot of synonyms for "cirrate octopus", so here's a little list of what they all mean)

Cirrate octopus: octopus in the suborder "Cirrina" or "Cirrata"

Dumbo octopus: finned octopus (note: every cirrate octopus has fins, so they all classify as dumbos)

Flapjack octopus and Umbrella octopus: octopus from the family "Opisthoteuthidae"

Now, without further ado...

Introduction

I love dumbo octopuses. Who doesn't? With their little ear-fins flapping around as they float majestically through the deep sea, it's hard not to like them. And their rarity only makes them more mysterious and interesting. If they ever were to add a dumbo octopus character in Splatoon, the whole fandom would go crazy for sure. It's a wonder how absent they are from the franchise.

...or are they?

(cue vsauce music)

If you're in the splatband fandom, you probably know who this is. This is Raian (or Orion in the English localization) from the band Chirpy Chips! This creature has been mercilessly occupying my brain for, uh... almost a year now. Help.

But here's the most interesting part about them: they're a flapjack octopus! That's right, they're canon! And they've been right here since Splatoon 1. But... there's one small problem. They don't look like an Octarian at all. This is possibly explained by the fact that cirrate octopuses don't have ink sacs, and Octolings (like Inklings) are primarily composed of ink. That's where my fan species comes in!

They're mostly a product of me over-analyzing Raian's design and adapting it to my style. But then, I started attaching a lot of lore to them, and... boom. Now I've made an entire species over an obscure Splatoon character from an arguably less obscure in-game band. The brainrot made me do it, and I don't regret it in the slightest.

Here's a remastered collection of everything I've posted about them on other platforms!

Design breakdown

(I wanted to provide a closeup of every single element over the course of the post, but I can't because of Tumblr's picture limit. Don't hesitate to go back to the design sheet above if you need to.)

The eyes

When I first saw Raian, I thought they had pitch-black eyes. Turns out they're probably just closed, but I really liked the idea. Since cirrate octopuses live in the deep sea, they'll probably need to see as much light as possible. The Octarians also have this alien theme going on, as with octopuses in general. And with deep-sea creatures often being described as real-life aliens, I figured that I would take this aspect and go all out with it. I'm aiming for a "cute yet vaguely eerie" vibe, and I think the eyes fit very well with that!

However, I do think they would have coloured eyes. Or even irises! Take the Stauroteuthis genus (picture on the right), for example.

The fins

What's a dumbo octopus without its fins? They're always flapping about, so I loved the idea of having them move based on how they're feeling. Despite not giving them any eyebrows, I would still keep the "eyebrow muscles" for the sake of more dynamic facial expressions (like the ones in the introduction picture).

Their bangs are made out of webbing. As for the "antennas" on some haircuts, they're a modified pair of cirri! With the importance of fins, I figured that Cirralings would enjoy having "ear surrogates" for when their ears are hidden.

(or just because they feel like it)

(or not, it's their choice)

also it's cute

To those who don't know: a cirrus is a small hair-like strand that moves a bit like a mini-tentacle. The suborder "Cirrina" is named after those strands, which they most likely use for feeding.

If we go back to Raian's design, there's a problem: despite being a cirrate octopus, they don't have any visible suckers nor cirri. Will we ever know your secrets, mysterious chiptune flapjack???

...so, I came up with something. If we go back to the reference picture under "Design breakdown," the suckers are on the same side as Inklings and they're covered by their cirri. It's a little unusual, but again, it fits with the vibe I'm trying to create.

The swim form

Since many cirrate octopuses live at the bottom of the ocean, I figured that I should keep them adapted enough to sit on the sea floor like they usually do. Those who live in the open ocean probably look more like a traditional octo form.

One thing's for sure: Opisthoteuthidae certainly don't need much stylization with how cartoony they already look.

The hands

Cirrate octopus have a lot more webbing between their tentacles than incirrate ones. Here's a cool way to translate this: webbed fingers and toes!

I'm sorry for telling you to scroll back again, but I'm very proud of how I drew that hand. Look at it. I'm not forcing you, like- you don't have to do it if you don't want to, but. Look.

The teeth

These are just Octoling teeth but flipped and a little different. I also decided to "fuse" the teeth together to better distinguish them from the Octarians.

My main goal with this species is to show how differently they would evolve compared to their surface-dwelling cousins, all while staying similar to each other. I haven't studied biology since secondary 4 (aka 10th year of American high school), though, so please take this with a miniscule grain of salt.

The mask and neck, as well as any other design choice that I haven't explained, are just some elements of Raian's design that kinda just... exist. That doesn't mean they're useless, though. If anything, it makes them look more "cirrate-like."

On a side note, I thought it would be cool to base them around what they're most famous for: their appearances! Given their reputation as "the octopus suborder that makes scientists so happy that one of its species almost got called 'Opisthoteuthis Adorabilis'", I think they have something to be proud of.

Unorganized tidbits of lore

I wanted to illustrate all of these individually, but I'm pretty busy with university. Also, I'm kinda slow at drawing. In the end, I got too impatient and decided to reveal my most developed ideas right then and there.

Cirratians, like most deep sea species, evolved through many miracles. First, the miracle of coming in contact with the crystals. Second, the miracle of evolving on dry land via caves. Third, the miracle of surviving in the harsh, barren underground.

Because of this, they evolved to be drastically different from their surface-dwelling counterparts. Since they don't have ink sacs, their bodies are mainly composed of water. However, they can still be splatted by getting submerged in dense enough liquids such as brine.

Not every cirrate octopus is a Cirraling, as evidenced by the existence of cirrate Octolings. As the name suggests, the latter are Octolings with cirrate ancestry. They almost always inherit the ink bodies of Octarians, but some are born without ink sacs. There are two types of cirrate Octolings: those whose ancestry dates back to the dawn of evolution (often through interbreeding and assimilation) and those whose ancestry is a result of modern Cirro-Octarian contact. Scientists are still researching this odd, prolonged "contact gap".

Similarly to Octarians, they have their own variants born from severed tentacles. Though, due to their different needs, these ones are non-sapient and take the role of cattle and companions. In ancient times, long tentacles were considered a sign of wealth.

They have a traditional dance characterized by slow movements and light, flowing fabric. Skilled dancers will try to make their costumes flow as much as possible without moving too fast. If they did, it would be considered a waste of energy.

Like many deep sea cultures, one of the most important gods they worship is based on ancient whale falls (illustration by @thap34nut ). This large, skeletal god is a symbol of plenty. It is credited as the origin of marine snow and an essential provider of food to their ancestors. In the afterlife, it will grant eternal satiety to those who died of starvation. Meanwhile, it will punish the greedy with eternal hunger. To honour that god, they have a similar holiday to Squidmas colloquially called "the Deepest Gratitudes." The many bone decorations (which are usually painted rock sculptures) are often the source of culture shock to many uninformed outsiders.

Despite their internal shells, Cirralings are very squishy. This allows them to better withstand their highly pressurized environment. However, this also makes them vulnerable: they are notably more prone to bruising than most inkfish. So, they prioritize diplomacy over conflict.

Their natural charisma is known all over the deep sea, and many young Cirralings move to bigger cities in hopes of breaking through the idol industry. They are often stereotyped as charming and polite at best, or two-faced manipulators at worse.

Despite their reputation, they have a certain "shyness" to them. Indeed, most Cirratian cities and settlements are rather isolated. Their conflict-avoidant culture is most likely a result of the competitive, individualistic atmosphere of early deep sea civilization. Since then, however, the "spirit" of humanity and the survivalism of deep sea life managed to blend together more smoothly. Despite their cold and aloof appearance, these modern civilizations are now characterized by a certain sense of unity.

Cirratian society is noted to have a pretty unique atmosphere, even compared to their surrounding cultures. Despite shrouding themselves in mystery, they are warm and welcoming. Despite living simple lives, their social rules are very strict.

Cirralings are significantly less concerned with imitating humans. Their skin tones are rarely human-like, and while dull, they vary a lot in terms of colours. Their fins and tentacles also play a very important role in expressing emotions, sometimes even more than facial expressions. They have gained minor colour-changing abilities from the crystals, though many of them describe the process as "time-consuming and not very instinctive." They specialize more in bioluminescence.

Their eyes vary much less than other humanoids: they are large and dark to absorb as much light as possible. Some may have smaller or lighter irises, but this is rather uncommon. Cirratians come in all shapes and sizes, but their eyes are their most recognizable aspect.

The Cirratians and the Octarians have an odd relationship. They want to understand each other better, as there's potential for solidarity and brotherhood. However, it's hindered by their inherently different values.

Sometimes, Cirralings sneak to the surface in search of resources. They rarely interact with surface dwellers, as both parties would fear each other in the past. In fact, the "glowing-eyed mimic" or "void-eyed mimic" cryptid originated from various Cirraling sightings.

They often come to the surface through bodies of water. For a variety of reasons, some may even wash up on shore. Those who choose to stay will almost always hide their identity, though they have been revealing themselves more and more as the years went by. The events of Octo Expansion lead to a wave of deep sea creatures who immigrated to the surface in search of new opportunities. By then, almost every Cirraling had stopped hiding their identity.

Thank you for your interest❣️

Here's my favourite flapjack pic, for the soul.

[bloomblanche]

Quick Cirraling edit before I go to bed

(Original)

[bloomblanche]

＊✿ It's Melly!! ✿＊

I just realized that I haven't talked about her much on my blog. Time to fix that.

(Text cut for aesthetic purposes)

Bear in mind that she kinda evolved from "splatsona" to "OC who shares a lot of things with me (but not everything!) and still represents me sometimes but is mostly her own character now"

❥ Mélusine (full name Mélusine Larchipel) is 20 years old and goes by she/her. Her height is 166 cm, aka 5'5. She's autistic and pansexual.

❥ She's all academics, no street smarts. She's rather shy, overly polite, and has trouble voicing her opinions (as well as socializing in general). Her enthusiasm and eccentricities regularly slip through the cracks of her demure appearance.

❥ Melly moved to Inkadia around 10 years ago (making her multilingual as a result), but she still hasn't gotten used to everything because she would mostly spend her time inside without interacting much with other people. She's only recently started to open up, and she uses ink sports and tableturf as a way to do so.

❥ Her mom is a surface Octoling, but her dad is a Cirraling (which is my fan species of cirrate octopuses). That makes her half-grimpoteuthis! The reason why it matters is that the top design isn't her true appearance. The bottom one is what she looks like all-natural.

(Older drawings for comparison)

❥ Due to the biological differences of cirrate octopuses, her chromatophores and her ink sac are a bit underdeveloped. It takes roughly 15 minutes of light exposure for her chromatophores to be able to change colour and roughly 30 minutes in darkness for her to revert back to her natural colour.

❥ She's a bit insecure about her differences, so that's why she disguises herself as a regular Octoling. In fact, her hairstyle is meant to make her ears look smaller since she would get teased for them as a kid.

❥ This character is pretty much a metaphor for masking, when you think about it

❥ Now! Being part-dumbo has its perks, such as better night vision, but it also has its downsides. Remember when I said that her ink sac was underdeveloped? Because of that, she has to focus almost all of her gear abilities into ink saving.

❥ And that combined with her being unable to play anything other than brushes means that Melly REALLY sucks at Salmon Run. She sucks so much that her teammates kept complaining, and she ended up getting kicked out of Grizz Co. She doesn't mind it too much, though, because she's happy earning money with turf war and sewing. Not to mention that the whole business looks really shady anyway.

❥ Going back to brush weapons! Melly has a weird obsession with them. She owns all of the available ones on the market and will only listen to Sheldon's rambles if they're about brush weapons (if they aren't, she will immediately zone out)

❥ She's named Mélusine after the fairy from the eponymous myth. Mélusine is a spirit of fresh water who was cursed to become a serpent from the waist down every Saturday. So! Not only does it have a water theme, but it reflects her appearance-changing deal. She likes her full name, and her family uses it on a regular basis. The reason why she mostly goes by "Melly" is because it's easier for her friends to pronounce.

❥ Her favourite band is Chirpy Chips, and her favourite song from them is Shellfie. She's also a big fan of Raian (guess where that came from) and has a celebrity crush on them.

❥ Her favourite show and videogame are called "Magical Mumi Uni-chan" and "Coral Village 2" respectively.

❥ She loves blueberry pies and hates walnuts for their dry aftertaste (macadamia nuts are more up her alley)

❥ She developed emetophobia as a kid after a severe bout of salmonella.

❥ She really likes flowers as well as lolita fashion and does sewing as a hobby.

❥ While not visible in this drawing, she has some webbing between her fingers (which are tainted purple)

❥ Her shoes are punk whites with ruffle socks.

❥ And last but not least: Melly is based on this specific octopus! She's also very interested in the deep sea and likes to search for books about it.

Thank you for your interest!!

Here are some silly gifs

[bloomblanche]

Ok!! New headcanon!

Those who have seen my Cirraling lore thread might remember this god of food and plenty based off of whale falls. It grants eternal satiety to those who died of hunger, and eternal hunger to those who lived greedily.

Well, I'll add more lore to it!

During the mammalian era, whale falls were an essential source of nutrition to the creatures of the deep. Today, only a few proofs that they once existed can be found. Their extinction is actually one of the main reasons why the fauna moved to shallower waters.

Historically, the Whale God would feed the deep sea denizens with its bones (whale falls) and its flesh (marine snow). So, why did the whale falls disappear while the marine snow remained? The answer varies greatly depending on the culture and location of who you're asking.

Some say that the god has no more bones to spare. Some say that it's tired or nearing the end of its life. Others say that it's testing their resilience or punishing them for a major wrongdoing. A rare few say that the snow will end soon, since the god left them long ago.

LOUIE ZONG!! HIS NEWEST VIDEO!!!! IT'S ABOUT DEEP SEA CREATURES!!! WHALE FALLS!! IM GOING INSANE AGAGSHSH RJRJRJRJ!!! THE VIBES!! THE V I B E S!!!!! PERFECT INSPIRATION FOR MY SPLATOON DEEP SEA HEADCANONS!! I AM SO SO HAPPYYYYYYY!!!!! HQHDJRJRI!!