#fungi divider

[kodaswrld]

haii , may I req mushrooms or forest related dividers? I abs luv ur stuff!! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

hiii, of course u can sweet pea!!

decor creator - requests open - credit if using!!

decor creator - requests open - credit if using pls!!

[everythingisliminal]

You cannot misgender me in any way that matters.

[seabeck]

Red belted conk

[unganseylike]

i was talking to my two friends, who are currently applying to med school, and i had to convince them that insects are animals with like supporting phylogenetic evidence. these are our future doctors.

[drugstorewizard]

Photo dump for the sky and the ground (the DC’s have 100 miles on the Colorado trail and CDT in the Wind River Range)

[azzayofchaos]

Since my other Nether worldbuilding post was received pretty well... I'm back on my bullshit!

This time featuring zoning and biomes of the Neath: Lore below cut

Nether (noun): the formidable hellscape straddling the boundery between the Fragments of the Overworld and Death's Realms.

Derived from Beneath -> Neath -> Neth -> Nether.

The Nether is most easily accessable through outer regions of the nether, regions that are comparatively closed-off, and lacking in biodiversity compared to the Deep Nether where most Neath civilizations are centered.

The Neth is divided into three primary zones, distinguished by altitude and general climates.

The Calfactory Zone: the largest and most iconic of the three, the Calfactory zone is blisteringly hot and bone-dry, it's most prominent features are its abundant seas and lakes of magma, and the massive Supermagmas atriums that are common above the magma. In the largest of these atriums, the ceiling may be so high above as to be completely invisible from the ground, obscured by an ever present smog of toxic vapor and minerals formed in the self-generated micro-climates that are generated from the rising heat of the lava that begins to cool at a higher altitude.  

In the Basalt Deltas and other biomes around the edges of these lakes, massive pillars of rock and crystals bulwark the more-visible ceiling. 

The most common of this zone’s biomes is the Crimson woods, home to hearty thermal-philic fungi and plants that grow on the minerals and vapors of the lakes. Many are carnivorous in their lack of access to water or sunlight, and these forests contain many sub-biomes and ecosystems of flourishing life. 

The Wastes are perhaps the most desolate regions of the Neath, irradiated deserts of red-rock, brimstone, and sharp sand. Even the vast majority of nether-folk avoid these deserts due to the leftover radiation that rots and destroys anything that waits too long. The only forms of life are particularly robust lichens and bacteria that are happy to sit by the boiling pools of sulfur and mud and toxic sludge that dot the landscape. Growing within the rocks themselves are colonies of amorphous fungus, called geocorpus molds, they get their spores into cracks in the soft netherack and slowly feed on it; the ‘rock meat’ is considered a delicacy in nether cuisine. 

The Temperate Zone: Cradled in the heights of the Neath’s atriums and sat below the roof is the temperate zones; the rising heat of the zone below begins to cool and by doing so, distinct weather patterns form within this zone, leaving it, while still sweltering, a cooler though much more humid climate.

The main biome are the luminescent warped-fungal rainforests that collect the high-rising minerals and odd moisture from the lakes. Liquid is actually present here, though, if it’s not safely filtered through the innards of the various plants and fungi, this water is usually aggressively corrosive, and it is best to shelter from the acidic precipitation to avoid chemical burns. The nether folk and ender local to these rainforests are suited to deal with these conditions and the ender especially do not have trouble with the extreme pH of the water here like they would in the overworld. The zone is lit almost exclusively by the biolumincense of the organisms there and have often been described as false-stars.

In the Deep Nether, the ceiling may give way, allowing one to pass onto the plateaus of the Nether Roof and the yawning void above. The bedrock of the nether roof is jagged and layered in huge slabs, sometimes broken up my mazes of pillar-like structures and shallow, thermal pools of crystal-clear liquid. The kind you don't want to touch of course. fogs may hang low to the ground, but when its clear, or above the fog, the entire universe seems to spill out into the sky. The nether roof was culturally significant and a source of much knowledge and inspiration in the early days, but I'll get more into that in a later post 0.0

The Rime Zone: Plunge deep enough and one might find themselves bellow the lava beds. Here, where the heat can't quite penetrate, the temperatures will drop rapidly to sub-zero.

Namely, the Rime Zone is made up of the soul valleys, flat steppes of cinder and clotted sand, you can imagine it almost with the blindness effect, a fog that pools by your feet, and a heavier darkness hanging from the sky, it feels massive and endless and claustrophobic all at once. Frost collects as crystals on the irradiated, soul-soaked barrens, and the bones of the massive nether wyrms lie fossilized, breaking up the landscape. The sands are also split with patches of crazing on the ground and vents of blue fire that spills out and sets the sand ablaze.

These same wryms can be found sometimes, ancient things that dig through sand and soft rocks and the magma lakes, far and few between and treated with both fear and reverence.

And in the deepest pits of the Neath are the glowing frozen lakes that are colloquially and rightfully called the Gates to Death, glowing blue from beneath their surfaces. Indeed, any further down and you pass into limbo, the edge of Death's Realms.

Extra Notes??:

Soul sand/soil is tread on carefully or not at all, is one form of remnants from the apocolyspe. Like the general radiated rubble present through the Nether, it's a fault of nuclear fallout. Unlike other areas of radiation, its also been infused with the souls of those who didn't survive the joining of worlds. That said, unlike soul sand, soul soil is used productively to grow certain nether crops. It’s minerally and magically dense.

This infused quality is also precent in Nether Debris, resulting in a material that takes magic particularly well.

Iron cannot be found in dense veins and crystals like gold or quartz in the nether, but it's a pretty rich mineral a lot of netherack, giving it its ruddy coloring.

Sorry for this massive rant that no one asked for. If you have questions please feel free to send an ask, I may not have an answer yet but I'll certainly come up with one if I can.

I'm also hoping to do a pass on my headcanons about history and culture in the Nether and then we might start talking about character headcanons since this is also an actual AU.

If you read this far, here's some notes on striders and ghast

[deerspherestudios]

Hello hello! I'm Cheea, also known as DeersphereStudios; if you're here for content related to my games on itch.io, you're in the right place! You can expect lore snippets and doodles, behind-the-scenes and other stuff that players might be interested in!

My current ongoing project is Mushroom Oasis, initially submitted for a Yandere Game Jam in 2023. While that's the main focus of this blog, I also occasionally talk about my other one-shot games: Astronought and Lift Your Spirits!

Enjoy your stay! ☕🐰

🔗 LINKS 🔗:

🎮 itch.io ▏ 🎨 Patreon ▏ 🦋 Fan-MO Discord

📖 FAQs 📖: [PLEASE READ BEFORE SENDING AN ASK!]

🔍 MUSHROOM OASIS QnA MASTERLIST 🔎:

❥ [PART 1] Mychael's abilities, romantic/yandere traits and his opinion on kids. ❥ [PART 2] Mychael’s anatomy. ❥ [PART 3] Mychael’s reactions to different MCs. ❥ [PART 4] Mychael's general lore and an AU featuring MindReader!Mychael.

// EXTRAS BELOW:

// TAGS:

✿ mushroom oasis vn/lift your spirits vn/astronought vn = official game tag.

✿ mychael ask/alma ask/atom ask = questions about each character!

✿ fanart, fanfic = (submitted or reblogged) fanworks.

✿ doodles = silly scenarios in sketch form.

✿ light spoilers = posts that imply future updates.

✿ bts = behind the scenes for any current or past projects.

✿ cheea chatter = dev posts, bit random.

✿ jar of fireflies = lovely messages from players that make my day!

✿ happy birthday mychael/alma/atom = special fanart for their special day(s)!

✿ mushroom musings = theories for the Mushroom Oasis game!

✿ poll time = silly and sometimes plot-relevant polls!

// MY GAMES:

beware of toxic fungi. a slow burn yandere vn : itch.io

🍄 Questions about Mychael (ask tag) 🍄 Mychael's character sheet 🍄 Firefly's character sheet 🍄 of mushrooms and men ║ a mychael playlist (Spotify)

trapped in space with a stranger too keen on getting to know you. a short sci-fi horror/romance(??) vn : itch.io

👽 Questions about Atom (ask tag) 👽 Atom's character sheet (coming soon) 👽 Luna's character sheet (coming soon)

are the campus rumors true? short horror/light romance vn : itch.io

👻 Questions about Alma/Vida (ask tag) 👻 Alma/Vida's character sheet (coming soon) 👻 MC's character sheet (coming soon)

✩ Thank you to @/thecutestgrotto and @/plum98 for their lovely dividers!

✩ For my own personal use: the old pinned post.

[unboundprompts]

Could you give me some ideas for currencies and the measurement of time, preferably both in a more dark fantasy setting involved with nature?

Currency and Time Measurement in a Dark Fantasy Setting

-> feel free to edit as you see fit.

Currencies

Leaf Coins: Thin, pressed coins made from the leaves of sacred trees. The type of leaf determines the coin's value, with rarer leaves being more valuable.

Bloodstones: A currency made from dark red gemstones that are said to be formed from the blood of fallen warriors.

Shadowshards: Small, dark crystals that absorb light and shimmer with a ghostly glow. They are collected at dusk and are traded as currency, often used in shadowy dealings. The more shadow a shard absorbs, the higher its worth.

Grave Dirt: A unique form of currency, this is literally dirt taken from sacred burial grounds. It is believed to contain the power of the dead. Merchants trade small pouches of it, and its value increases based on how many souls it has been touched by.

Wyrm Scales: Scales from mythical serpents that once roamed the land. Each scale has a distinct pattern and is highly valued due to its rarity and the protective magic it is said to bestow upon its holder.

Fungal Credits: Small, luminescent fungi that can be harvested at certain times of the year. Their glow indicates their value.

Measurement of Time

Moon Phases: Time is measured in moon phases, with each cycle representing a month. Each phase is associated with different rituals and events in nature, such as the “Blood Moon” for harvest and the “Waning Moon” for reflection and atonement.

Nightfall Cycles: Instead of days, time is counted in cycles of nightfall, where each cycle is divided into periods marked by darkness and light. A cycle may last for varying lengths of time based on seasonal changes, with longer nights in winter.

Sundrop Hours: Each hour is marked by the position of a special sundial that has been enchanted to reflect the essence of the sun. During certain times, the sundial emits a soft glow, indicating a magical time when rituals can be performed.

Eclipses: Significant events are measured by the number of eclipses that have occurred since a pivotal moment in history.

Blood Seasons: Time is divided into seasons based on nature’s cycles and the harvesting of life. For example, “Bloomspring,” “Darksummer,” “Crimsonfall,” and “Frostbite,” with each season lasting as long as it takes for specific plants to grow or animals to thrive.

Night’s Breath: This measures time through the cycles of natural events, such as the sounds of nocturnal creatures or the rustling of leaves in the wind. Each breath is a period marked by significant changes in the environment, like the blooming of nocturnal flowers.

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Okay. This is a pretty big deal in the world of mycology. Historically fungi have been divided up into either parasites that siphon resources from plants, mutualists that cooperate with them, or saprotrophs that break down decaying organic matter (plant and otherwise.) The genus in question, Mycena, has traditionally been made of saprotrophic species feeding on decaying wood.

However, what scientists are observing is Mycena fungi displaying primitive mutualistic behaviors, specifically providing living plants with nitrogen and getting carbon in return from a living partner, or getting to chow down on the plant's remains once deceased. This shows a significant level of adaptability that hasn't been observed in fungi beforehand, though given how much we don't know about fungi there's a good possibility this isn't an unprecedented event.

It doesn't surprise me one bit that we're seeing this in Mycena. These fungi are especially opportunistic; in fact, that mushroom growing out of a frog's skin that we saw a while back was also a Mycena species. Perhaps we need to add bonnet mushrooms to raccoons, dandelions, and other hardy generalists as symbols of scrappy survival in spite of environmental pressures.

[wszczebrzyszynie]

can i hear more about the story & world building of your space mining characters it intrigues me so dearly

thats so sweet. im very happy to hear that! well its a bit hard to explain as it has started as an au for hermitcraft s8 + the life series but me and @makowcy (who co-created this au with me) liked it so much we wanted to make it its own thing? so that it wouldnt be tied to the source material, as we both drifted away from the original series a bit in the past year. So story wise i cannot say anything in much detail as were still unsure about what stays and what gets changed (we havent even thought out all the name changes and design changes yet). if you are really curious there is a year old now au explanation post with the plot timeline and other things that is our baseline, though it might get confusing without knowing the characters? it also might not because space mining always was heavily oc-fied. well any way the general timeline is pretty accurate to what we still have in mind, other things not so much. Well Either Way i did went a bit more in depth into the worldbuilding under the read more! hope its readable

First things first i need to say that its space fantasy, not really a sci fi, because there is very little logical science in it? its not meant to be scientifically accurate in any way; while it started as alternative history, we decided it woudlve been better if it were a differently working world entirely - its similar enough to think its alternative history at first, but the more you know the more you realize its something else! familiar and based on our reality but giving me more freedom and room to be vague

In short: people were able to colonize space in 60s or 70s, taking the cold war-like era divide of the world to the outerspace. the entire story is set about 120+ years after that, in a far away galaxy, in the former eastern colonies, about 20 years or so after the fall of the empire, and the setting is generally based on pre- and early post-1989 Poland (the fall of polish peoples republic and the transformation era); its a poor, heavily corrupted part of the galaxy. Its not really lawless, but it could as well be. but its also very cowboy bebop-y, with more fun retrofuturistic elements and the general bounty hunting aspect of it. bounty hunting itself can be "centralized" (done by the police force) or done by individual, unaffiliated bounty hunters and bounty hunting groups; though everything is in a very grey area. The only other life in the universe has been discovered fairly recently; an unassuming rock-like structure, long dead in its most commonly found form, and more fungi alike when alive. Its hidden deep under different planets surface, and is considered to be the most important discovery of recent era, becoming the most sought-after item in the galaxy, despite how little is still known about it and its potential uses

In more... long; because of the crushing debt towards what can be called "the west" (in a political sense; its space, and even though people have left earth behind, that terminology is still in use) and, hm, interesting politics (introduction of capitalism in a socialist state), the poverty was the highest its been since the post-war, which, mixed with poor politics on many sectors and the terror, ultimately causes the fall of what has been up to that point considered simply "eastern colonies" (i imagine the name to be simple; Srebro or Srebro-Kolonia (Silver/Silver-Colony), as mining is an important aspect of space colonization), creating a new space-state (now called -Kraj (country), not colony, though its unofficial names are many); generally considered "lawless" (though it isnt) and corrupted, whose society was left feeling mostly disillusioned, and who has given up. While the circumstances are very much based on real polish history, in the world space mining there was no real... fanfare, no feeling of winning, because i imagine that worlds space to be... generally "slow and cold" - changes happen slowly, and everything is so vast and big, it takes so much time to organise and even send information, that everything is just kind of... made to be slighly disfunctional all the time. Well either way it all paints a picture of the general society both holding a grudge towards and being wary of the govnerment (past and current), and the west, and everyone else; the feeling of being cheated is everpresent, but life goes on, even if it isnt great, and everyone has to adapt to it.

Its no coincidence that mining is even in the name; it became something culturally important, a meaningful pillar not only of the space-world as a whole, but of this silver state especially. Its kind of bound to happen when its such a big and important sector. Thats also why a lot of the characters, both minor and major, were or are miners, or worked in the industry (the main character is, after all, a mining engineer by education). Its a dangerous job, but also something people take natural pride in.

there are different "levels" to space mining - not all mining colonies and stations are equal (in difficulty, in gear needed, in safety - both because of the planets, but due to inside factors as well; the rise of workplace injury, money cuts, loopholes and pay inequality all predate the fall of the old colony. the politics really were poor), so not all miners experiences are the same, especially since the discovery of whats commonly called in the story a "gwiazdnica" (its normal name being Staryt or more english suited Starite); a rock-like structure in its dead form (and a more plant, maybe fungi-like when alive, though thats a bit of a secret). its very... well hidden, deep inside planets and moons, and very hard to extract, requiring special gear (small mining mechs! the only usage of mechs in the world is for mining). it has been the only living organism found in space. Its... usefulness is still unclear - the giant interest in it lies mostly in its sheer uniqueness as well another living organism, but also in its beautiful appearnance. It looks like the starry sky itself, hence the name.

Since there is no real plant life in space (its either ice, sand, or rock when it comes to "livable" ones) and no natural source of oxygen, people live under domes - some small, more "temporary", usually tied to mining or research work, some giant, almost self sustainable, interconnected on the planets surface. They all can look very different depending on the planet, reason for its construction, age, and all the other factors; some more fleshed-out ones are what me and Aku simply call "sad" ("the orchard"; home planet to some of the characters, known for its giant orchard domes, and therefore the fruits. quite a beautiful place! though that is definitely not its actual name), the "old rosa", (known mostly for its size and its many domes; lots of people live there, and its filled with communal housing - the panelaks, blocks, plattenbau, whatever to call it. Few characters live there! right side of the picture below), the living planet (left side of the picture below; a very important setting in the story. Its an unspecified desert planet, with its only notable construction being an old, long abandoned and very small mining station with a broken dome. It would make it generally unlivable without many costly repairs, if it wasnt for the fact that it naturally has thin but breathable air due to it actually being a starite planet), and, obviously, the earth - similar to ours, but different, the origin of human race, and the planet left behind. Its often talked by spacians in past forms, even though its still alive and there are still people on it (many of them in the character cast as well!); earthians generally tend to recognize each other because of the accent, as space colonies have generally standardized language (think esperanto, or interslavic; a constructed, invented language, typical to the eastern colonies, with little deviations in phonetics; mostly in vocabulary), as well as through one another, as earthians are generally very community-oriented.

Due to the lack of natural plant life, and as a "cultural leftover" from the early days of space colonization, when space travel was still new, scary and extremely hard, people living in space have a different diet from those raised on earth; it mostly consists of various (and i do mean various) pickled foods and dishes made from them, sweet sour and spicy, mushrooms, vegetables like potatoes and beets, and as for meat - mostly pork and poultry.

Some people live on spaceships and space stations instead - either beause of work, lifestyle, or circumstance. Living like this can be a lifelong choice or something temporary, though it is something that requires a lot of work and maintance - i mentioned before that space is "slow and cold", and that coldness factor is an especially dangerous one. Its different from coldness as just a temperature feeling or a state - in the world of space mining, "coldness" is more like an energy, a mass, something more tangible and everpersent, that slowly breaks everything down, including the ships and stations. It feels like it "sinks" into the objects and people, and that coldness takes some getting used to. These space stations are usually pretty well maintained and pretty self sufficient, often being tied to mining industry again, as some on-planet stations arent suitable for living and proper colony creation. Id say the most important characters to the story live on the space ships? Including the main character (space ship below). though that thing is more like... living in the car kind of thing.

Another big and important part of the general culture and life is the "bounty hunting" - as before it predates the fall of the colonies, and exists in two forms, the "centralized" (done by police force) and the independent, individual (done by, well, individuals, and independent bounty hunting groups). Its obviously a political tool, especially with the corruption, though it really can pay well sometimes, and some people do make it their main job. That bounty hunting is an all-universe thing, very much not specific to former eastern colonies. Its generally hard to become a bounty hunter, as it requires a lot of knowledge and work and gear maintance, so the centralized form is much more common. On a similar note - a lot of criminal characters are called "terrorists", even though not all of them have commited actual acts of terrorism. its a political tool again

Well thats a bit long. almost 2k words! hope its all understandable. I tried to keep it to the most interesting/important parts, so there are few things i havent mentioned, especially ones that are less important to the world and more to the story itself. Well either way. peace and love

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: cave fish

Prepare for a deep dive today. Not because I'm going to be more in-depth than usual, but because we're talking about caves. Which are deep. In the ground.... Yeah, you get it. Today is going to be a bit different from my normal WBW posts. Instead of going in depth on a particular species or group of related species I'm going to discuss common adaptations fish evolve to live permanently in caves and then go over a few species I find interesting. Let's get spelunking.

(Image: Typhleotris madagascariensis, a typical cave fish. It is a small fish with an entirely white body and smooth skin where the eyes would be on a normal fish. It is resting on rocky sediment. End ID)

Caves are not an easy place to live. There's no light, limited food, often low oxygen levels, and the threat of collapse or rockfall. Cave-swelling animals (collectively called troglofauna) need a number of special adaptations to survive and there is little room for error. Troglofauna that are strictly aquatic are called stygofauna. Troglofauna and stygofauna can be divided into three groups based on their life history. Troglophiles and stygophiles complete part of their life cycle in caves and part outside of them. A classic example of this is the many species of bat who seasonally inhabit caves to give birth and mate. Trogloxenes and stygoxenes are animals who will visit caves, but do not require time in caves to complete their life cycle. An example trogloxene would be a bear who takes shelter in a cave during winter. Finally, troglobites and stygobites live their entire lives in caves and never leave. The fish I discuss today are stygobites. Because troglobites and stygobites generally will die outside of their caves, they have very little opportunity to disperse. As such, many cave fish species are found only in a single cave or cave system and are entirely dependent on the health of their homes to survive.

(Image: two cave catfish sitting next to each other on a rock. They are white with elongated anal and rear dorsal fins, and no eyes. End ID)

Many cave-dwelling animals develop a set of common adaptations called troglomorphism. Cave water is often high in minerals but low in oxygen and food content. To survive, the fauna develop very slow metabolisms, allowing them to last a long time on limited resources while slowing down movement and other active systems and increasing age. These species are also typically smaller than their epigean (above-ground) relatives, further reducing their energy requirements. Slowed metabolism results in comparatively slow development. Cave species take much longer to mature and reproduce then related epigean species. Many species further decrease their energy consumption by moving as little as possible. Many species of cave fish are able to last long periods of time between meals without negative impacts to their health. They will binge eat whatever they can find and then subsist on fat stores while food is scarce. One test in captivity showed that a Phreatobius cisternarum (cave catfish) could go a while year between meals and stay healthy. Cave species are usually opportunistic generalists as they can't afford to pass up resources. Much of their food will originate outside of the cave, either directly or indirectly. Water flow into caves brings in algae, bacteria, plankton, and other food sources. Other more indirect methods of introducing include bat feces. While the fish may not eat the feces directly, other species may do so and potentially become prey to the cave fish. The feces also introduces nutrients from outside the cave that encourages the growth of other food sources like bacteria, fungi, and planktonic animals.

(Image: Amblyopsis hoosieri, the hoosier cave fish. It is a very simplistic fish with no eyes or scales. End ID)

Life in a cave comes with a different sensory requirement. The complete lack of light makes vision useless. You don't know dark until you've seen cave dark. Fun fact: caves are so dark that sighted people can start hallucinating in them because our brains aren't evolved to handle zero visual stimulus and will start making stuff up to fill that gap. As a result of the utter darkness, many species of cave fish are blind. They either evolve to completely lose their eyes or have the eyes considerably reduced in size and function. Eyes take up a lot of energy to maintain and in caves, there is a lot of selective pressure to get rid of organs that aren't useful there. Despite the blindness, many species retain some form of photosensitivity and will flee from light. Cave species also often lack skin pigmentation. Skin pigment has two primary uses. It protects the skin from ultraviolet light in sunlight, and provides skin coloration that can be used for camouflage, displays, warnings, and so on. In an environment where there is no ultraviolet light and everyone is blind, skin pigment serves no real purpose and is lost. As a result, most cave species are white or translucent. The lack of pigment may be a reason so many species remain photosensitive. Without pigment, they would be highly susceptible to sunburn or skin cancer from ultraviolet light. Caves also have a sound dampening effect that makes hearing less valuable. Reduced eyes and pigmentation is also seen in deep sea fish that live too deep for light to reach. Even those species still use visual curs more than cave fish due to the abundance of bioluminescence in the deep ocean.

(Image: Sinocyclocheilus longicornus, a recently discovered species. It is a fish with translucent skin, revealing the skeleton. It has a long shout with two pairs of barbels. Emerging from the upper back is a horn-like protrusion. End ID)

With vision off the table, cave fish rely on other senses. chemoreception through taste and smell are strongly selected for as traits that can direct cave animals toward food or away from threats. Another sensory system fish have is the lateral line. The Lateral line is an organ system found on each side of a fish where modified skin cells called hair cells detect motion in the water. The lateral line allows fish to sense movement in the water around them, informing them of water flow and the movement of food and threats. Cave fish typically have a well-developed lateral line system that compensates for the lack of vision. Many fish perform displays for various reasons, such as attracting mates. These displays are typically visual, but in cave fish, that isn't an option. Instead, their displays are more focused on moving the water in ways that can be detected by lateral lines. Some species of cave fish maintain additional sensory abilities from their epigean ancestors. An example of this are cave catfish, who retain the barbels and electroreception common to their kind.

(Image: six Phreatichthys andruzzii. They are long, eyeless, white fish. The blood-filled gills are visible through its translucent skin, seen as a large red patch on the head. End ID)

Before moving on to specific species, it should be noted that cave fish is not a taxonomic category. Cave fish come from many different lines of descent and independently evolved similar adaptations to cave conditions. These similar adaptations are seen in most cave fauna, not just fish, and are collectively called troglomorphism. There are about 300 species of cavefish known to science.

Ophisternon candidum, or the blind cave eel, lives in north Australian caves that are connected to the ocean. Because these caves intake salt water, the pools and streams within them can become very salty, resulting in the eels developing a tolerance to a high range of salinity. They are rare, having been spotted under 40 times since 1959, and thus little is known of their lifestyle. We do know they burrow into sediment and secrete mucus to keep those burrows stable. Males seem to build burrows to woo females. They have been bred in captivity for use un laboratories. At up to 40 cm long, they are huge for cave fish and used to hold the record for the largest species known until another species was found that's even bigger.

(Image: an eel with translucent, pink skin, no eyes, and ribs visible through the skin. It looks somewhat like an earthworm. End ID)

The actual largest known cave fish is Neolissochilus pnar, which gets up to 40 cm while being more massive than the eel. They are found in a single cave system 100 meters underground in India. The primary food source in the cave appears to be debris from the nearby forest that is washed into the cave during seasonal flooding. The fish may have been known to locals well before it was scientifically described, as there are stories of white cave fish going back over a century in the region.

(Image: a small fish with no eyes, white skin, and a long snout with barbels on it)

The Alabama cave fish (Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni) may be the rarest species of freshwater fish in the world. They live exclusively in key cave, Alabama, USA and no more than 10 have ever been seen at a time. The population is estimated to be under 100, below the generally accepted minimum viable population for a species of 200. Fittingly enough, this means a species only found in Alabama may be severely inbred. They are believed to be triggered to mate by seasonal flooding and may be mouth brooders. Climate change-caused changes to flooding and toxins leaking into the groundwater from sewers are currently threatening them with extinction.

(Image: a long, white, eyeless fish with an elongated snout. Its skeleton is visible through its skin. End ID)

Typhliasina pearsei, the Mexican blind brotula or dama blanca ciega (blind white lady), lives in the cenotes of the Yucatán peninsula. Cenotes are sinkholes filled with groundwater and the ones in the Yucatán are often connected by underground caves, rivers, and aquifers. The fish are apex predators who eat shrimp and mysids and are known to coexist with other cave fish in part of their range. As with other brotulas, they are a rare example of a bony fish that gives live birth. Because of how interconnected and numerous the cenotes are, this species has one of the largest distributions of all cave fish.

(Image: an eyeless white fish with a long tail and elongated rear dorsal and anal fins. It is next to an orange rock. End ID)

Cryptotora thamicola, the cave angel fish or waterfall climbing cave fish, is the adrenaline junkie of the cave fish world. Most cave fish live in slow-moving or still water, but this daredevil lives in rapids. But just living in rapids isn't extreme enough, these guys climb waterfalls. Their large fins with hooked fin rays let them cling onto the rocks while facing into the current. They then allow food to flow right into their mouths. Unlike other walking fish, the waterfall climbers have a well-developed pelvic girdle and walk in a style very similar to tetrapods, with front and back fins alternating strides. This has made them very interesting to evolutionary biologists studying the transition from fish to tetrapods.

(Image: a typical cave fish with very large pectoral and pelvic fins. End ID)

The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) is an example of a handful of fish species that have a cave form and a non-cave form. Most Mexican tetras are perfectly ordinary tetras, but one population has adapted to cave living and has developed trogomorphic traits. The cave from lack pigment, has tastebuds on its head, lacks eyes, and can store more body fat. While you would expect such radical physiological differences to mean the two populations are different species, they aren't. The two populations are fully capable of producing fertile offspring and do so in the wild. If you've ever seen a cave fish in person, there's a good chance it was one of these as the cave form has entered the pet trade and they do very well in captivity, making them the most studied cave fish.

(Image: the non-cave and cave forms of the Mexican tetra seen next to each other for comparison. The non-cave form is a fairly typical silvery-green fish. The cave form is slightly more robust, white, and eyeless. End ID)

Because most cave fish are found only in a singe cave or cave system, they are fully dependent on the health of that cave. Caves tend to be very stable environments, which results in the inhabitants being pretty bad at adapting to change. Changes in water flow, introduction of new species, and pollutants can seriously harm or wipe out whole species. Many species of cave fish are rated as endangered or critically endangered based on their low populations and vulnerability to change.

[jonasgoonface]

GREEN HELL

image 2: wake up & pack ur shit cause someone in the Green Hell between poland and belarus needs help. 

image 3: gotta hide in the wet bushes from border patrol, but u just navigated an hour thru swamp so it doesn't make a difference at this point. soaked is soaked.

image 4: You don't risk a headlamp in these woods. its slow going but otherwise you'd never notice the blue glow of some fungi. 

image 5: The Folks you meet don't share your language, but indicate razor wire injuries from the crossing. A red light is needed to treat the wounds, and while the rest of the group drinks the tea and trades in their soaked gear, you try to ask why they left home. Only a few recognizable words but you've heard this story before.

image 6: The next day, a local with good knowledge of the Green Hell shows you some choice forest snacks, and on your way home you pass the fence where last night's wet boots dry. This place, and the people of this place give. so. much. The forest isn't naturally a refugee meat grinder, the state had to work really hard to turn it into one.

-----

for the last few years, Poland and Belarus are chewing up people trying to make their way into the EU. maiming, starving, killing, dividing families, and imprisoning whoever doesn't match their criteria for human. Even despite changing out their last ruling party for a gentler liberaler party, Poland has been diligently performing its role in the violence outsourced to them by the rest of Fortress Europe. dedicated anarchists and grupa ganica together with other kooks, punks, sweethearts, locals and internationals have been throwing down against their own kurwa government - on this front and others. i love them hella

[a-snake-makes-moodboards]

Snigglette from the Hatchetfield universe moodboard with fungi and bioluminescent plant inspo

requested by: 🦧 anon!! tysm for the rq, hope you like it!!

[divider creds: @omi-resources]

(all images were found on Google Images, including bg)

song to go with it: 'Tickle-Me Wiggly Jingle' from Black Friday

Reblogs are appreciated, requests are open!!

[ryuzakemo128]

I Am Once Again Average At Best

Pairing: Ex-Fiance! Eddie Munson x Italian Mafia Princess! Female Reader

Content Warnings: Cheating, affair, infidelity, violence, blood, swearing, cursing, arranged marriage.

Words: 1020

Masterlist

Credit for the Template and Dividers: @cafekitsune

Summary:

“I know you don't want to talk to me,” he began, his voice cracking, “but I just had to see you.”

You raised an eyebrow at his remark, you didn't have the luxury of waiting for another excuse, “I'm getting married soon. I don't have the time or the patience for you.”

You were planning to get married for the past six months until it fell through when you found him sleeping with your close friend. You cancelled the wedding, chucking all of his things out of the window. Furthermore, you would not let him ruin everything you built for yourself. Ever. He let his greed ruin everything.

You were in your mushroom shed, where all the mushrooms you grew resided inside. You were happy, at least it what you thought you would be, right? Who would want someone like you, right? A gruesome soul amongst those glistening brighter than you.

A gemstone worth less than ten dollars and even less than a diamond. Why would they want you?

Why would anyone want an amethyst? Only ever worth between $20 to $50. Only worth it if someone couldn’t afford a diamond encased in 18k gold. The worth of a ring crafted what made you, you would have been sold for at least a thousand times.

But here you are, surrounded by the fungi of the earth, the unsung heroes of nature's bounty, feeling worth less than their decomposing counterparts.

You had met him at the flea market, his eyes had sparkled with a mischief you thought was charming.

You had been the one to introduce him to the wonders of the mycological world, showing him the magic of how life could sprout from decay.

But he had never seen the beauty in it, the way you did.

He had never understood true value comes from the soul, not from the price tag.

The shed was your sanctuary now, a place where you could escape the judgmental whispers of the townspeople. You had turned it into a miniature forest, with wooden shelves acting as branches for your fungal friends to grow upon. The air was thick with the earthy scent of life and the faint hint of oyster mushrooms cooking on the stove. It was comforting, a stark contrast to the coldness of the outside world.

When he saw you again, you were buying fabric to make more clothes for you. You weren't going to buy clothes like you used to. He tried to approach you, his eyes pleading, but you turned away, the fabric swishing around your legs like a wall of protection.

You didn't need his apologies or his excuses. You had moved on, found solace in the quiet whispers of the mushroom shed, where your thoughts grew as wild as the fungi themselves.

Your dad was beyond keen on marrying you off to a rival crime family to keep the peace between your clan and theirs. You were the Italian Mafia Princess, the bargaining chip in a game of power and alliances. But when you saw Eddie at the flea market, you felt something you hadn't felt before — a spark of genuine interest.

He was a breath of fresh, non-criminal air in your otherwise suffocating world. You had hoped that with him, you could escape the destiny already laid out for you.

But he decided cheating on you was better than being around you. You shook your head, removing the thought from your skull.

The bell on the door jingled as a customer entered the shop, bringing with them a gust of cool autumn air. You looked up, expecting it to be another regular looking to stock up on their weekly fungi supply, but instead, you were met with the unmistakable presence of Eddie. His hair was dishevelled, his clothes wrinkled, and his eyes…his eyes had lost the spark of mischief, replaced by a desperate sadness.

“I know you don't want to talk to me,” he began, his voice cracking, “but I just had to see you.”

You raised an eyebrow at his remark, you didn't have the luxury of waiting for another excuse, “I'm getting married soon. I don't have the time or the patience for you.”

Eddie’s eyes widened in shock, the colour draining from his face, “What? Who? When?” he stuttered.

“I don't know.” you answered, looking away from his face, his deep brown eyes were enough to make your knees weak in the past. Now all you cared to do was to punch him in the face and make him cry. “It's out of my hands now. And for once, I don’t have to think about the aftermath of someone else’s bad decisions.”

Eddie didn’t know whether to scream at you or tell you to take him back, for the sake of your life being worth more than the shallow graves dug out for those who dared to break your heart in the past. The murders planned, carried out and undergone under the same roof you had grown up in.

Your father is a ruthless man, standing at six feet seven inches tall, dressed in fine suits and rarely seen dressed in anything less than perfection. His eyes bore into Eddie, sizing him up as if he were a piece of meat at a deli counter.

You could almost hear the gears turning in his head, calculating whether he was worth keeping around. But you had made your decision, and it was final. You didn’t need Eddie’s kind of love, not anymore.

You also convinced your father that killing Eddie would bring him nothing in return.

He understood the value of getting something worthwhile in return. Your father banned him from his butcher shops, he wouldn't be allowed near you while you were working in them, at least.

Though your father is more of a girl dad than a boy dad, it meant you were spoiled from the day you were born, and you never asked for much.

Which to him meant you were relatively easy to care for. Easy to make and keep happy, at least until you had fallen in love with Eddie. Now, you were his daughter first and a bargaining chip second.

Your father kept every drawing, art piece, and craft you had ever made, displayed proudly on the walls of his office. He was a man who valued the unspoken bond between a father and daughter, something that Eddie never understood.

[strawberry-flavored-rotting-bugs]

— ᴢ0ᴍʙɪᴇ ɴᴘᴛᴢ !!

Names: Ghoul , Anomaly , Antidote , Banish , Cryptor , Cobweb , Dredge , Ectoplasm , Fracture , Grimace , Grave , Grim , Husk , Hex , Havoc , Junkyard , Lagoon , Ominous , Lilith , Lola , Orpheus , Morrigan , Lethe , Morella , Laverna , Labyrinth , Theta , Hela , Sedna , Nekane . Pronouns: Zo / Zom , Grr / Growl , De / Dead , Ro / Rot , Bi / Bite , Inf / Infect , Fle / Flesh , Cor / Corpse , Fu / Fungi , Vir / Virus , Pla / Plague , Con / Contagious , Hu / Hunger , Br / Brainz , Ter / Terror , Hu / Hunt , Bo / Bones , To / Toxic , Grue / Gruesome , Ni / Night , Ki / Kill , 👻 / 👻s , 💀 / 💀s , 🧠 / 🧠s , 🥀 / 🥀s , 🪦 / 🪦s , 🧪 / 🧪s , ⚠️ / ⚠️s . Titles: The Living Dead , The One Who Lurks , The Undead Biter , The Corpse Who Lives , The Undead Immortal , The Creature Who Roams the Night , The Corpse that Aroused , The Owner of the Tombstone , The Keeper of the Graveyard , Graveyard Wanderer , The Disturbed Dead , The Rotting Flesh , The One Who Rots , Creature of the Night .

DIVIDERS ARE NF2U!!!!

[Plain Text: Zombie Name, Pronoun, and Titles.

Names: Ghoul, Anomaly, Antidote, Banish, Cryptor, Cobweb, Dredge, Ectoplasm, Fracture, Grimace, Grave, Grim, Husk, Hex, Havoc, Junkyard, Lagoon, Ominous, Lilith, Lola, Orpheus, Morrigan, Lethe, Morella, Laverna, Labyrinth, Theta, Hela, Sedna, Nekane.

Pronouns: Zo/Zom, Grr/Growl, De/Dead, Ro/Rot, Bi/Bite, Inf/Infect, Fle/Flesh, Cor/Corpse, Fu/Fungi, Vir/ Virus, Pla/Plague, Con/Contagious, Hu/Hunger, Br/Brainz, Ter/Terror, Hu/Hunt, Bo/Bones, To/Toxic, Grue/Gruesome, Ni/Night, Ki/Kill, 👻/👻s, 💀/💀s, 🧠/🧠s, 🥀/🥀s, 🪦/🪦s, 🧪/🧪s, ⚠️/⚠️s.

Titles: The Living Dead, The One Who Lurks, The Undead Biter, The Corpse Who Lives, The Undead Immortal, The Creature Who Roams the Night, The Corpse that Aroused, The Owner of the Tombstone, The Keeper of the Graveyard, Graveyard Wanderer, The Disturbed Dead, The Rotting Flesh, The One Who Rots, Creature of the Night.

Dividers are not free to use. End of Plain Text.]

[plant-taxonomy-showdown]

I hadn't checked my dates before posting this and apparently the big year for fungi being proposed as a separate kingdom was actually 1969, after Omnivore was published. I can only assume the concept was being talked about in scientific circles before an official publication? But, my extremely non-expert understanding is that people did know about cell walls, and that in general plants had them but some "plants" like mushrooms didn't. They just shoved them all into the same taxonomic box anyways, in spite of the known structural differences.

The point is: just like Pluto used to be considered a planet and is now considered a dwarf planet, what categories people put life forms into changes over time too.

Fun fact in anticipation of the tournament: plants used to be defined as, basically, anything that isn't an animal -- yes, including fungi. When they were split into different kingdoms it was such a big deal there was science fiction written about it!