#mantis shrimp sun

[thatmooncake]

Sea critter hangout 🌊

Axolotl Eclipse: @nikolliver

Sea Slug Sun: @aquacomet

Kelpie Jack o Moon: @bloo-the-dragon

Sunshoe Crab: @biggiesnails

Moonshoe Crab: @thatmooncake AKA moi

Mantis Shrimp Sun: @flinxypie

[shadzytarts]

DVghsak the image was too big for Artfight omg

Mantis shrimp sun for @flinxypie !

[nikolliver]

Friendly fire for @flinxypie

he ballin

[elancholia]

The "shrimp colors" meme is part of a long and storied tradition of attributing wonderfully poetic, metaphorically rich, and completely spurious properties to animals and plants. Irises grow from lightning-struck ground, the pelican revives her chicks by drawing blood from her breast with her beak, weasels conceive through the mouth and give birth through the ear canal, the eagle flies up to the sun to burn old age from his eyes, and mantis shrimp see colors we cannot imagine.

It's the kind of thing that fills medieval bestiaries, folk medical traditions, and the writings of Pliny the Elder.

[flinxypie]

@thatmooncake made me do it :U

Peacock Mantis Shrimp Sun

I have a whole backstory on how him and Moonshoe met, okay!

Fun fact: this was supposed to be cell shaded but I keep accidentally painting instead aaaaaaaaa

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: pistol shrimp

Oh snap, it's the snapping shrimp post for Wet Beast Wednesday! Snapping shrimp or pistol shrimp are loud little critters that have evolves a very useful and fascinating tool in their pincers. Let's not waste time and shoot off to learn about these little gunslingers.

(Image: a pistol shrimp. It is a mostly white shrimp with red stripes. One of its claws is considerably larger than the other. It is standing on gravel and next to some seaweed. End ID)

Pistol shrimp are over 1,000 members of the family Alpheidae, which is part of the infraorder Caridea. This means they are true shrimp, not to be confused with superficially similar animals like brine shrimp, mantis shrimp, tadpole shrimp, and prawns. Yeah, I only recently learned that prawns and shrimp aren't a language difference between British English and American English like chips vs fries. They're not even that closely related. As true shrimp, pistol shrimp have two main body parts: the cephalothorax and abdomen, which are composed of 19 body segments. The abdomen forms a flexible tail with a fin on the end. When startled, the fin can rapidly curl under the body, propelling the shrimp backwards. Like other decapods, there are 10 limbs. The front pair of limbs have evolved into claws used to manipulate objects. The claws are the most distinguishing feature of pistol shrimp. They are asymmetrical, with one growing extremely large, over half the size of the body. The big claw has a modified version of the typical pincer. This pincer has an upper claw that can open up at a right angle. Under the claw is a pocket in the lower pincer, into which water flows. The upper pincer then slams down into this pocket, forcing the water out. The pressure of the pincer closing water in the pocket creates a cavitation bubble that is forced away from the claw at up to 26.8 meters per second. This is enough force to seriously wound small animals and hurt larger ones into leaving the shrimp alone. The cavitation bubbles can reach up to 4,427 degrees C (8,000 F) . For comparison, the surface of the sun is about 1,000 decrees (C) hotter. When the bubble pops, it creates a snapping sound that can reach 218 decibels. For comparison, most gunshots max out at around 170 db. This puts pistol shrimp is the running for the loudest ocean animals, with whales being the other main competitors. If that all sounds like a lot, the whole event happens so fast that the heat doesn't have time to affect much and the noise sounds like a moderately loud snap to us. Adults can snap their claws shut with an acceleration of up to 30 meters per second squared and juveniles can do it up to 20 times faster. The whole process takes less than a millisecond. When the cavitation bubble collapses, it can produce light. This is called sonoluminescence and nobody knows how it happens. If a pistol shrimp loses its large claw, the small claw will grow into a new large one while the missing limb will regenerate into a small claw. Adult pistol shrimp average between 3 and 5 cm long.

(Image: a drawing showing the process of a pistol shrimp snapping its claw. In the first panel, the claw is closed. In the second, the upper claw opens at a 90 degree angle, revealing a cavity. In the third panel, the cavity fills with water. In the final panel, the claw is closed again and a jet of water is ejected from the claw. End ID. Source: Wikipedia user Carermyers)

(Gif: black and white, slow-motion video of a pistol shrimp's claw snapping shut and creating a cavitation bubble. End ID. Source)

Pistol shrimp live worldwide, though most species live in tropical or temperate water. There are some cold water species and even freshwater species. Most prefer habitats where they can make burrows and where there are plenty of other animals. Coral reefs, oyster reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove groves are common habitats. Snapping is used for hunting and communication. They typically hide in burrows, waiting for fish or other small animals to pass by. When prey passes, the shrimp will snap to stun or seriously wound the prey, then drag it into the burrow. Some social species actually form eusocial hives with a single queen who produces all offspring. These shrimp are the only known marine eusocial species and all occur within the same genus (Synalpheus), though not every member of that genus is eusocial and eusociality appears to have evolved at least 3 times within that genus. It appears that a reason why only this genus developed eusociality is their larvae do not disperse, instead staying in the same area as the parents. The hives are usually located within sponges. Other social species are not eusocial, but still live together in colonies. Many less social species have formed a symbiotic relationship with gobies. Both species live in burrows, but gobies are bad at digging while the shrimp have poor eyesight. The goby will protect the shrimp while it digs a burrow, then the two live together. They will forage together, with the goby using its superior eyesight to watch for predators and warn the shrimp to get back to the burrow. Pistol shrimp are monogamous, the same pair coming back to mate over and over again (this does not apply to the eusocial species in which only the colony's queen is permitted to mate). The female is only fertile during a short period after molting. The male will stay with the female and protect her during the vulnerable period after mating and some species will remain with each other until the eggs hatch or permanently.

(Image: a eusocial pistol shrimp queen with eggs. Her body is translucent and multiple eggs are attached to her abdomen. The eggs look like translucent balls. The is inside of an orange sponge. End ID)

(Image: a pistol shrimp and goby emerging from a burrow in the sand. The shrimp is a mottled green and white. The body is a bright yellow fish covered with blue spots. End ID)

Pistol shrimp are a major source of noise in the places where they live. If you've ever been swimming and can hear repeated cracking noises, that may have been a bunch of pistol shrimp. Some scientists monitor the level of pistol shrimp noises as a method of monitoring the ecosystem. If the noise level drops, that is an indicator that the local ecosystem is suffering. The noise of the shrimps can get so loud that it actually interferes with sonar and forms of underwater communication. During World War II, members of the navy realized that the shrimp disrupted sonar enough to hide submarines, so they started hiding submarines near reefs with lots of the shrimp to keep them from being found by enemy subs. Weirdly not the only small marine animals to mess with submarines. I'll get the the other major one soon. The largest threats to pistol shrimp come from habitat destruction. Some species of pistol shrimp have entered the pet trade. As coral reefs, seagrass beds, and other habitats are destroyed, the shrimp that rely on them will suffer as well.

Yet another time I get to use one of these cards in a post

(Image: the Weird n' Wild Creatures card featuring pistol shrimp. End ID)

[aroaceleovaldez]

I think we should headcanon Percy as having more weird powers based on actual marine life and similar, just for fun. he spits bioluminescence as a defense mechanism. and also is bioluminescent himself sometimes. he can see shrimp colors. he can breathe through his skin. sometimes if he punches things underwater he briefly creates a bubble hotter than the surface of the sun (real thing that mantis shrimp do). he can echolocate. he can regrow his teeth. he can be frozen solid and thaw out and be fine. he can hibernate in mud. he’s poisonous.

[s3thwrit3sstuff]

❝ Line of Sight ❞

poly!Billy Loomis & Stu Macher X easily distracted!reader | fluff | graphic descriptions of violence

Billy and Stu adore their boyfriend, so they keep an eye on him due to the fact that he has this odd but adorable tendency to get...distracted.

#1, PURPLE FLOWERS "D'you believe in past lives?" Billy paused his rummaging and from behind his locker door he peered at his boyfriend, Stu, who was leaning on the row of lockers beside Billy's. "What type of question is that? Ya' been smoking pot again?" his arms, already sore from last night's activities, pinched as he added the weight of the AP Biology textbook among the binders full of notes. He readjusted his grip, shutting the locker as Stu jerked his chin across the hall. Bumping their shoulders together as he mimicked Stu's pose, Billy's gaze followed Stu's to the windows that lead to the school's front yard. There (Y/N) was, knees tucked under him and backpack forgotten by his side with his face in gentle awe at the flowers that had grown near one of the trees. That would explain why you weren't in the hallways like your boyfriends were. You probably were on your way but caught a glimpse of those purple petals and simply could not resist yourself. "I'm guessing that in his past life, he was a puppy" Stu chuckled. "Small attention span, ya' know? Gnawing on your ankles, trippin' over his widdle paws" Billy cocked a brow, a lopsided grin climbing his face at Stu's curled hands swiping at the air - like a puppy, he says. Billy thinks he looks like a lanky mantis shrimp. "Does he know classes are about to start?" he asked and Stu laughed. "S'he look like he does? Come on, let's collect our puppy and send him on his way" he all but cooed. The taller of the two shouldered open the school doors, wincing as he'd inadvertently put pressure on a cut he'd received - also from last night's endeavours. "What d'you think I was in my past life, Billy boy?" he let the question linger in the air as they came up behind (Y/N), who was none the wiser. He never got his answer, not that he minded, because (Y/N) had turned his attention to the murderous duo with a blinding smile that made the sun burn with jealousy as the winds ushered the clouds away like show curtains - it still paled in comparison to (Y/N)’s beauty.

“Classes are about to start” Billy put his back to the tree whilst Stu plopped himself next to (Y/N). “I know” bemoaned (Y/N) “but I saw these and they just reminded me of you two” he presented them with a mice-sized bouquet of fragile, dusty purple flowers with a deep vinyl colour in the centre, and meekly twirled it between his thumb and pointer fingers.

“We aren’t pretty like some dainty flower” Stu plucked it from (Y/N)’s hold, its petals tickling his boyfriend’s cheek as Stu tucked it by his ear. “But I am?” (Y/N) mused, squinting his eyes at Stu. Billy’s touch, which had always been cold, sent shivers as he placed his hand on (Y/N)’s head; “The prettiest little devil we’ve ever met”

The bell rang but the three boys stayed ever so enamoured with each other, more and more flowers decorating each other.

Everyone paid no mind as purple flowers kept falling from (Y/N) as he moved from class to class - though the nickname flower boy persisted for a few weeks despite how uncreative it was. (Y/N)’s boyfriends thought it was cute.

#2, COOL ROCK

In all honesty, Stu wondered why Billy had chosen this location as a date. He constitutes eating with a good movie, cuddling, making-out, and maybe some bed shaking sex as a good date not taking a walk through the Woodsboro woods.

But, it was nice.

The tests and quizzes…thank fuck this would be the final test for a good while before university rolls in. Well, that is if he aces it.

“Baby” he snaps out from his reveries and turns to see (E/C) coloured eyes with their eyebrows sloped in concern. “You went quiet, everything okay?” Billy halts from ahead, hands shoved in his pockets as he wonders why the two had lagged.

“Yeah, yeah” Stu’s rubs the back of his head and his shoulders droop as (Y/N)’s fingers slip in his hands.

“What’s up?” Billy inquired once they caught up. (Y/N) shakes his head, telling him not to worry too much as he reaches to hold Billy’s hands as well. “He thought he heard something” he soothed them both by rubbing his thumb over their lightly bruised knuckles. “Yeah?” Billy didn’t sound convinced and (Y/N) pursed his lips at him as they made eye-contact.

“Yeah, wolf or something…” Stu continued which made Billy eye him then glance around unsurely. (Y/N) snorted, rolling his eyes. People assumed Billy was the cool headed, suave, Cassanova. Which, to his credit, he was...sometimes. Meanwhile, people assume Stu was the airheaded, frantic, hyperactive comedy relief of your relationship.

They did not know how romantic Stu was, or how smart he was. His extrovertedness along with his bubbly attitude was often mistaken as some sort of weakness - if only they knew how terrifying it was how closely intergrated Ghostface was in Stu’s very soul.

How for Billy, he can hang the robe and mask in the closet. Despite how it peers from the darkness, creaks it open and makes the walls shake from its breathing when it demanded attention.

Stu? The line between him and the mask was a blurred line in the sand that he barely notices. He is Ghostface, with or without the mask.

He’s like…he’s like a…an…a…

There was a twinkle from the corner of (Y/N)’s eyes.

Your boyfriend’s were debating the existence of a wolf and mountain lion hybrid when you spotted the glimmering ‘gem’.

“After this, we’re getting something nice and warm, right?” Stu batted his lashes and Billy nodded, not quite registering the loss of weight and warmth from his left hand as he peeked at the treetops. “Yeah, might be good, it’s getting pretty cold lately” Stu allowed the satisfying crunches of the dead leaves on the forest floor to distract him from (Y/N)’s hand slipping away.

That and Stu’s anxiety of the uncertain future with Billy simultaneously unsure of how to bring the topic up himself. Thankfully, Stu unknowingly made a segway to the conversation for the perfect opening.

“Why’d you even drag us out here, Billy?” Stu whined, kicking a stick out of the way. Billy paused, sighing a bit and moving to bump their shoulders.

“You looked like you were about to damn near cry while staring at your textbook and my head was about to explode anyways, so was our (Y/N)’s. I figured a walk in the woods would help us” Stu realizes that it was more for him because Billy had been silently skimming through some English assignment while (Y/N) had been half-asleep on Stu’s bed. He pressed a kiss to Billy’s jaw, effectively making them pause as he fully held Billy’s face in his hands to kiss him.

He mumbled (Y/N)’s name into the kiss while the corners of his mouth lifting as he grasped Stu’ waist; “(Y/N) also promised me I’d get some kisses from both of my boys if I did as I was asked, he suggested it…” Stu wondered why he stopped midsentence but then he looked around, blood going cold as all he saw was trees and more trees.

“(Y/N)! Baby!” Stu called, interlacing his fingers with Billy as they called out for you. They weren’t too worried about scouring the woods for you as they dredge through here at night often - to evade curious eyes as they carried their equipment around - along with the fact that you couldn’t have possibly been that far.

“(Y/N), come on! Where are you, doll?” Billy called out, retracing their steps down the path as they attempted to spot their darling boyfriend.

“I’m here!” a voice came from behind an overturned tree, the two raced over and blinked owlishly as (Y/N) held up his palm to show them -

“A rock?” Billy brushed his bangs back, holding it in his hand as he turned it around. He even held it up to catch the light, it twinkled shyly under (Y/N)’s lovers gaze.

“It’s a pretty rock! It’s shiny!” he defended as he rose from his knees, dusting the dirt away from his (insert bottom attire).

“You seriously let go of our hands for a rock, baby?” (Y/N) pouted as Stu pulled him into his side, pressing a kiss to his temple all while Billy continued to inspect the rock. “Hey, quit it! I’ve never seen a rock as shiny as that, okay” he huffed, reaching for it while Billy evaded his attempts.

“No, no, answer his question” Billy ‘frowned’ and Stu giggled, “A rock over us?”

“You guys are assholes!” (Y/N) exclaimed making his boyfriends laugh with complete glee.

The shiny rock stayed on Stu’s desk, googly eyes glued on as it weighed down a note that read;

Don’t lose your head over the small stuff. You’ve got this, baby. We love you - (Y/N) + Billy ♡

#3, SHINY KEYS?

In all fairness, (Y/N) thought it was lovely how his boyfriends insist on either one of them holding his hand or both at the same time. But surely, they must not think he was that helpless. Call him crazy but clammy hands was not a cute thing to feel despite how nice of a gesture it was to be holding hands. He’d slipped away a few times, only a few! Nothing bad happened. If anything, most of the time, (Y/N) came back with trinkets!

Well, there was that one time when Stu was hosting a party to let loose and some guy’s cousin from a neighbouring high school had shoot his shot which ended with him getting practically beheaded with a hunting knife by two annoyed Ghostface’s a week or so later.

But, (Y/N) was completely fine!

“I am not that bad” he retorted for the fourth time and Billy simply squeezed their hand and kissed his temple.

“Don’t be a big baby about it”

“Yeah, you saying ya’ don’t like holding hands?” Stu swings their arms together and (Y/N)’s mouth twitches as he fights the urge to smile. “M’not a big baby, I’m a grown man!” a few heads turned towards the trio as they made their way down the street. “Yeah, because grown men yell that they’re grown men” Billy grunted as he was elbowed. “I will castrate you” (Y/N) hissed, “You like my dick too much to do that” he braced himself for another elbow but Stu’s gasp saved him from the wrath of his boyfriend.

“Dude, they opened up an ice cream and waffle place!” Stu tugged his boyfriends across the street, (Y/N) yelping as frantically made sure they weren’t going to become the first hand-holding trio to end up in the ER as some sort of human pretzel’s.

“Jesus, didn’t take long to replace that shitty old man’s shop” Billy muttered with a cruel smirk. The butcher who used to own the shop lot had been a mean asshole who often sold even older cuts of meat for a hefty price. He’d brag his family had practically been the first butchers in Woodsboro and how it was a piece of the town’s history when one bought his product.

You’d think with that as a selling point more people would’ve mourned when he ended up as a corpse, bled-out and hanging from the hook in some pig farmer’s barn. The brutality certaintly shocked everyone but the funeral service held for him had been a dreary affair, with only a handful of people.

“His kid sold it” (Y/N) said as he looked at the menu on the chalkboard sign propped next to the door, “Heard from his grandkid, ya’ know Brandon from theatre?” Billy nodded “Yeah, well, his grandpa was in debt so Brandon’s father decided to sell it”.

“Brandon is related to that geriatric bag of bones?” Stu laughed, clutching his stomach. His boyfriends joined. Well, to be far, the guy was the nicest person you could possibly meet so it was a jarring surprise to know he is related to such a grumpy man.

“Think we did him a favour” Billy curled an arm around (Y/N)’s shoulder with his other placed on his hip. “When Christmas rolls around, I’m betting he’ll get some extra shit out of pity” he continued while Stu moved forward to peek inside the store.

A few familiar faces stuck out to him, they waved in recognition and he glanced at Billy and (Y/N) to gesture for them to head in. Shrrugging, they went along. Stu was the most extroverted - a natural people’s person. It wasn’t unusual for him to be pulled aside to chat with someone. Neither Billy nor (Y/N) minded, especially in this case seeing as they could squeeze in some dessert.

A group of people walked towards the entrance as the three walked in, a gasp of Stu’s name making traffic stop.

Truth be told, Billy had thought he had him leashed to him by his hand alone but by the time the group of school mates had passed through the threshold, he was not there.

Cue the usual song and dance of the lovers heads swivelling and eyes darting to catch a glimpse of (Y/N).

Stu motioned for his friends to wait as he stepped out fully and called out (Y/N)’s name.

“Stu, I’m here!” came the sheepish reply, there he stood in front of a neighbouring store. Their shoulders sagged in relief, lips pursed endearingly as they walked to stand on either side of him.

It was an antique store. Billy swore he could smell it through the display glass, the dust and nostalgia of all sorts of trinkets that were once loved. (Y/N) lifted his hand and pointed to a clever showcase of keys on a string that decorated the top left and rights of the display window. Big, old and clunky but swaying ever so slightly from th ventilation within the store.

They twinkled under the light.

“Puppy,” Stu snickered which earned a head tilt from (Y/N) - it further cemented his claim.

#4, PIZZA

They did it. They fucking did it. They graduated. What better way to celebrate then a date at the new mall?

Stu had outdone his usual parties with the one he had thrown just a few days ago - the three of you were still finding confetti in all sorts of corners in Stu’s house - it was a real Gatsby. Even Billy had found himself dancing in the crowd, feverishly and unabashedly squeezing (Y/N) between Stu and himself.

Now, with that done and over with, it was time for a more private celebration.

(Y/N)’s boyfriends were keeping him in the centre, Stu’s hand around his waist while Billy held a few bags of dorm essentials. Last-minute shopping squeezed into a date, it was usual with the boy’s hectic life and double life.

“That movie sucked” Stu said, “fake blood never looked faker”. (Y/N) rolled his eyes, placing his head on Stu’s shoulder.

“Not everyone’s a murder and horror movie expert, Mr Ghostface” Stu narrowed his eyes at (Y/N)’s teasing tone, grip tightening. He knew what that particular nickname did to his lovers. Billy’s stomach grumbling made their eyes shoot towards his warm face.

“Hungry, baby?” (Y/N) received a sigh and nod. They continued walking as they wondered what they should eat. This mall was huge, and all sorts of restaurants were squeezed into every corner. But that was not where the problem lay.

“Why the fuck would I eat raw fish?” Stu scoffed “We might as well hit the pet store and ate the goldfish”.

“A California roll isn’t as fucking stupid as Italian food made from some American red neck” Billy snapped “I’m the one that’s fucking hungry, I should choose”.

“Nah, no - (Y/N), you choose”

A pause, the escalator they were on continued it’s task of sending the two boys to the upper level with their lover nowhere to be seen.

Unlike the times before, however, calling out your name and retracing their steps did not work. For the first time, they felt cold sweat erupt as they shared a glance. Sure, no real harm could have come to (Y/N), and he was full and well capable of protecting himself. But he was also someone that had walked into a pole, thrice.

“(Y/N)” Billy called out as he and Stu reached the third floor of the mall, nearing the kid’s arcades and all when he finally spotted (Y/N)…

Talking to someone in a brown bear mascot that had a top hat, bow tie and microphone in one of his hands.

“(Y/N)!” he perked up as his boyfriends came into view and waved them over. The man who wore the suit narrowed his eyes at the two, a flash of recognition in his eyes as they came by (Y/N)’s side.

“David, this is Billy and Stu, Billy and Stu, David” Billy paid little attention, just noticing the fact that one of the gloves David was supposed to wear was off and in his hand was a cell phone.

(Y/N)’s name typed down along with his number.

Stu slipped his hands around (Y/N)’s waist, slipping a hand up his shirt which he did little to react too - seemingly used to it.

David’s face fell, expression clear as day despite the shadows of the suit.

“He was talking about this deal they had!” (Y/N) chirped out, showing them the flyer with the establisments name written in a whimsical font.

FREDDY FAZBEAR’S GRAND OPENING!

“How’d you even find this place?” Billy took the flyer, feigning interest as he cocked a brow at David. Who, by the way, realized where he recognized (Y/N) from; he was the boyfriend of Billy Loomis and Stu Macher and he was untouchable.

“While you two were arguing I saw a flyer so I decided to scope around, didn’t think you’d mind considering how serious the discussion of spaghetti and sushi was” he mused, leaning against Billy as he passed the flyer to Stu who had not let his eyes leave the poor part-timer.

“And David…explained the deal?” Stu inquired and (Y/N) nodded “Yeah, we even exchanged our numbers so he’d get us the best seats in the house” he cooed and David shifted uncomfortably as (Y/N)’s boyfriends gazed at him with daggers in their eyes.

“Why the hell would we even eat a kids place with creepy animatronics?” Stu retorted “Let’s bounce, this is laaame”.

There was an edge in Stu’s voice. It often did when he decided to use this sharp-tongued persona - which rarely came out…unless he was particularly annoyed.

(Y/N) rolled his eyes but shrugged and gave David an apology as they eventually walked off to some sushi place.

—

“Woodsboro police department reports the dead body found within the suit of the Freddy Fazbear Pizzaeria mascot is identified to be David Perron. His body was found mutilated and stuffed within the mascot and dragged into the ball pit of the establishment. Authorities are saying this might be the work of the infamous serial killer, Ghostface -“

Stu turns the radio off, (Y/N) squealing as he bounced his knees - effectively making the boy in his lap jump and hold him tighter.

“Stu!” he laughed, the wind in his hair as Billy rested a hand on the back Stu’s headrest. The roof of Billy’s new convertible was down, letting the three lovers feel the blissful breeze and gentle warmth of the California sun.

“Bounce, bounce!” Stu cheered which made Billy peek at the two of them from over the rim of his sunglasses.

“Come on, baby, celebrate!”

“I’m not jumping on your lap in the car! Dumbass!” Stu was no deterred as giggles poured out of (Y/N)’s mouth, his lips attacking (Y/N)’s neck with tongue and teeth.

“The sweater looks better on the floor” Stu purred, hissing sharply as Billy tugged his hair back as he nonchalantly drove with one hand on the wheel. The sweater all three of them were wearing had the logo of the university they’d been accepted into and the one they were making their way towards.

“Billy” Stu whined, the wind muffling it as (Y/N) leaned to kiss Billy and shortly after, turned the radio on. Their favourite song blasted and the lovers rode off, cheering and whooping.

[hetalia-club]

Breaking down America's raw power

I think the best way I can describe how I see Alfred's strength is that of a Mantis Shrimp. Like imagine how strong a Mantis shrimp is but in human size. Never heard of Mantis shrimp? Let me lay it out for you. A mantis Shrimp can throw a punch at 50 miles an hour and when it swings its hand the kinetic force around it makes the water so hot that it boils. The average Mantis shrimp can punch with a force of being hit with 340 lbs of force. Just in one tiny little claw. and that is the average shrimp not one that is seasoned and has been at it awhile the big ones can get u to 1 ft long and the bigger they get the stronger they get. If their punch happens to form a bubble underwater when the bubble pops it is as hot a the surface of the sun. If a human gets punched by one apparently it feels like being shot by a .22. They can easily fracture human bones. People do keep them as pets but they don't make that great of pets because they can shatter aquarium glass.

Now I don't feel like Alfred utilizes this strength very often but that being said I do fully believe he has the strength to punch a hole through someone's chest if he wanted to.

Let's just sort of break it down a little.

Alfred First Discovery:

Has the ability with little to no effort to pick up a full grown bull bison and swing it over its head.

The weight of an average bull bison is 2000 lbs.

Alfred 1940's:

Drug around England car with a single hand for over an hour because he simply wanted to drive it. Again this looks like a Ford model A of some kind and the typical weight for that kind of car in this time period was about 2,500 lbs. Mind you when America finally found England he was not out of breath or even sweating. This was just a regular Tuesday for him.

I think it is just something the Hetalia fandom doesn't really play off of much and everyone just kind of forgets that America is basically a superhero when it comes to strength. I think of him as having One Punch man level strength where he can be as strong as he needs to be for parody's sake.

______________________________________________

I have this theory that the reason that the cold war happened (I am talking Hetalia here not IRL) Is simply because America and Russia were bored. Because I firmly believe America is not alone in having this massive strength though his might be the most intense. I believe Russia has it as well.

We never 'see' it on screen we do get to hear about it from other nations and when Russia was late to a meeting he did tell America that he "Got a raw deal, I had to stop tanks with my bare hands" Everyone was surprised except except America who just said. "Dude that's sick". He wasn't impressed or afraid by it and simply was like "That's a cool way to spend the afternoon". Then in the same instance when they were acting like they were going to get in an actual fight both France and England had to separate then both seeming extremely concerned while doing so like they were trying to prevent a DBZ style fight.

The cold war was just trying to get the two of them not to get into a fist fight because everyone else was afraid what would happen if they did.

There are a couple others who are rumored to have this strength Sweden being one of them. I think Finland said there were a couple more but I can't remember who. Himaruya said before that Italy is extremely powerful but doesn't often show it because he's a 'coward' Now if we think about it, it would be true based on history. He has beaten a lot of powerful nations by himself. Turkey, Spain, Austria, Empire, France, His brother, Hungary-Austria and many others. Italy has historically won more wars than they have lost by a land slide. Epically after they were unified. They were damn near untouchable after that. In fact Italy has lost very few wars and a lot of wars they have fought have ended in a forfeit which there is nothing wrong with understanding when you've lost and throwing in the towel. It's stupider to keep fighting when you're continuing to lose.

_________________________________________________

People seem to think that the UK follows America into battle whenever they go but that's simply not the case if you look up American wars you will see a little green, white and red flag with us even when the UK and Canadian flag isn't there.

I know I'm rambling but I fully believe what I'm saying is true. Maybe starting my HFC poll is sparking it in me thinking just how strong they would actually be.

[kappa-bappa]

This was supposed to be for Mermay, but I got sick towards the end whoops. Anyways Mermay with the Borderlands Sirens but as actual sirens. And yes I’m adding Rhys, I love the Au where he’s secretly a siren like come on.

AU time: Sirens are their own race of mermaids that many people fear due to their powerful nature. They “guard” Eridian found at the bottom of the ocean, so many people try to befriend them in hopes of getting to the previous mineral. My lil thought for this is how Angel came to be. Handsome Jack may have seduced her mother or something along the lines idk

To the fish parts: I started off picking fish that best resembles the Sirens aesthetic but later changed it to which sea creature better matches with their abilities and it was a lot of fun.

Steele - barracuda; I couldn’t find info on her abilities so I just did one that matches her personality and name.

Lilith - fire hawkfish; matches her alias and her color scheme.

Tannis - spotted torpedo; this is where I begin picking fish that matches their abilities. Because she has angel’s tech powers, I picked the spotted torpedo that can shock its prey.

Maya - sea Angel; picked this one due to its cool mucus net it spits out when catching prey and it was the closest thing I could find for her phaselock. Fly high maya

Ava - sea butterfly; same way of hunting as the sea Angel and she has the same abilities so ya.

Angel - glass knifefish; another electric fish but it had a soft color pallet that I thought would match Angel more

Amara - peacock mantis shrimp; these dudes punch with the power of the sun and are known to break fingers and tanks. It was a no brainer picking this guy for Amara and for a flashy little guy I thought he fit Amara’s big personality.

Tyreen - lamprey; she absorbs the life force out of people and this dude is known for sucking the blood out of its prey. It’s right there

Troy - angler fish; the male sticks onto the female and leech off of them I thought it fit perfectly

Rhys - electric eel; I feel like he would have a tech ability similar to Angel so electric eel

I wish I could’ve done more research I think I would find better fishes for them but oh well anyways my borderlands obsession is coming back and I don’t know why enjoy

[starrydust-npc]

Mystery siren #2: Megalograptus Bloodmoon He's ready to do a ✨murder✨ Bloodmoon is the most violent of the primal sirens. If anything his preferred target are humans, which tracks since he was a serial killer when he was turned. The siren who turned him was an unstable one who thought his bloodlust would be a benefit to have around. Needless to say, that siren will come to regret it within months as Bloodmoon would kill them. His already unstable mind was furthered altered after being turned, and now swears there's another voice in his head that 'keeps him company'. Thus his solitary status with no want for a pod. His biggest mass killing on record was when a research team found him resting in a coral reef, mistaking him as a mutant mantis shrimp siren and got too close... the reef was a cloud of blood by the time he was finished and escaped. If anything, he's good at hiding when he needs to lay low. As for YN.... he notices how several other sirens are fond of the human... Which might make them a fun target to mangle. Especially since he has a particular distaste for the trio pod with how they scare off all humans and other sirens away. They ruin his fun! However, he's actually the smallest of the primal sirens alive currently and knows the larger Sun, Moon, and Eclipse can tear him to shreds together. So he'll bide his time, itching to strike and turn the waters red with your blood.

[bracketsoffear]

As I'm a bit bored, I'm gonna assign a sea animal to each fear:

Eye: Barreleye fish (Have green eyes visible from their transparent head that they use to detect camouflaged prey from otherwise unseen depths. Its eyes always lock onto its prey no matter where it faces. Alternatively, just about every single reef fish with eyespots count)

Lonely: 52-Hertz whale (Trying to assign entire species to fears instead of just one case, but I can't just pass this one)

Vast: Blue whale (Don't think I need to explain this one)

Buried: Bobbit worm (Worm that hunts prey by dragging them deep into its underground burrow. A real life version of the Dune worms)

Dark: Stoplight loosejaw (A sea bogeyman; its prey can't see it, but it's adapted to be able to see and follow them in the dark. Plus it's a deep sea fish)

Stranger: Mimic octopus (I could put the anglerfish here, but there's an animal named after its ability to partially mimic the coloration and movements of other animals so yeah)

Spiral: Basket starfish (Seriously, just look at this thing. It's like Gertrude used a starfish instead of Michael to stop the Great Twisting)

Slaughter: Tiger shark (A toss up between this and the humboldt squid, but I remember that tiger sharks eat and attack just about anything they can get their hands (fins?) on)

Hunt: Orca (They strategize hunting tactics in groups, know how to use bait, hunt sharks by turning their own biology against them, and even breach themselves just to get an extra bite. That's how good they are as hunters)

Flesh: Pyura chilensis (People it this thing. Why the fuck does it look so meaty?)

End: Boneworm (Eat the bones of dead whales, fully ending the existence of something as not even their bones remain)

Extinction: Jellyfish (If the ocean fully acidifies yet is still livable, they'd possibly be the only sea animal alive. We did this, we ruined the ocean's biodiversity)

Desolation: Mantis shrimp (Tbh I'm not so sure what else to put here, but they punch so hard that the area around the temporarily heats up to be as hot as the sun's surface and can break about anything. They're also called thumbsplitters by some people because of how painful a punch from them is)

Corruption: Lionfish (Venomous fishes that appear in just about every coral reef around the world as invasive species, assimilating themselves into places that they shouldn't be as if they're naturally part of it)

Web: Cuttlefish (Look at this one using hypnosis to disarm a crab)

.

[animal-of-the-day]

Animal of the day: Peacock Mantis Shrimp!

The peacock mantis shrimp is a species of marine crustacean. They hunt by "punching" their prey at incredibly high speeds (over 50 mph!!).

This "punch" can release so much heat it raises the temperature of the water around it to near those at the surface of the Sun!

They are nicknamed "thumb splitter" because the wounds they inflict often reach the bone.

[random-tail]

Soo this is a simple short of my take on how Orca!Eclipse & Seahorse!Y/N meet. This is just self indulgence & not in anyway ment to b taken seriously.

The Polar Nights (?) Au as well as Orca!Eclipse respectively belong to @naffeclipse

This variety of Seahorse!Y/N is mine.

Feedback is very much appreciated, enjoy.

It was midday as you lay in the sea grass & watch the towering kelp flow too & fro in the current. You hum a low soothing melody that flows just as gently as the dancing vegetation. It is peaceful. No predators larger then yourself dare to hunt in the kelp forest unless they wished to risk getting tangled up in the vine, & being a leafy sea dragon siren. You were perfectly at home. Perfectly content. That is until you spot a pair of the lessor form of your kind. They float along with their tails intertwined so they wouldn’t lose one another. Happily displaying their affection for one another as you (literally) turn green with envy. What you would give to have another to sing with, to wrap your tail around with, to dance with as you great each other in the morning to display your devotion & love. You sigh. The ocean is vast & you highly doubt you will come across another siren like yourself, let alone another siren at all. So you watch in jealously as the two small sea dragons float on by. But you don’t mope for long as your stomach growls, reminding you to eat. So, time for food, the perfect distraction from your loneliness. You sit up from the sea grass & stretch out your lanky body. Your appendages loosing their grass like texture as you move away to start swimming through the kelp.

You swim through the kelp with ease as you stare at the sandy sea bed, searching for a decent meal. The colors of your body & leafy appendages changing naturally to match your environment without you giving much of a thought. Almost as if showing off your innate ability to camouflage & disappear instantly. Suddenly you come to an abrupt halt as you spot what you were searching for. Underneath a rock that stuck out of the sand was hole & after seeing the bright color of its owner. You know exactly what dwells inside. A mantis shrimp. Your mouth starts to water as you imagine feasting on the crustacean despite knowing full well that one punch from the creature can easily break a claw. But brine shrimp were too small for your current appetite & you knew how to hunt the creature so it was fully worth the risk. With the decision decided that mantis shrimp was on the menu, you curl your tail around the base of some towering kelp with the sun at you back. Your body shifts in color to match the kelp & your appendages become completely relaxed. You completely disappear as you relax fully & let your body sway with the kelp. Now you wait.

Being a creature not meant for speed, you’ve learned to be patient & use your camouflage to the fullest extent. Sometimes you wait for hours till the time to strike is perfect & it has always paid off. So know you wait agen, watching the hole before you as well as the dancing shadows of the kelp behind you. Your focus only falters once with the appearance of a sea flower shadow creeping into view as the sun moves. But you quickly ignore it once movement catches your eye. Sand begins to be pushed out of the hole as the mantis shrimp emerges. It stays close to its burrow as it surveys the area. You remain fully relaxed, but ready your claws to lunge & snap the creature. You just need it to be a little further away from its burrow so you can cut it off &-

It had started swimming away from its burrow but suddenly looks tords you. Or more specifically behind you. It then snaps its tail & dives back to its burrow. You flinch then lunge to try & snap its back but you only claw up a fist full of sand. Cursing out loud you watch as it scurries further down into its burrow. You could of snatched it before it got deeper in but you knew better then to risk getting a claw broken. So you slouch & grumble at your lost meal.

After a few second of stewing in your annoyance, you soon begged the question. How did it see you? You glance over yourself to see your camouflage was still that of the kelp tho now slowly shifting to accommodate you closer to the rock & sand. You were perfectly hidden, so how?? That was when movement, or more so the lack there of, catches your eye. The shadows of the kelp behind you flows with the ocean undertow, but one dose not. A sharp flower shaped shadow looms over your own, engulfing your own completely. You gulp when realization hits you. It didn’t get spooked by you, but something behind you. You slowly turn around & look up. There you see it, its flower like head blocks out the sun in an ominous display of its sheer size. You can easily make out its two glowing eyes of ruby & citrine as it stares down at you. It was watching you, but for how long? How long had you been unaware of its haunting presences? Was it hunting you just as you were hunting the mantis? Yet didn’t even need to bother hiding itself for its sheer size could easily overwhelm you.

You weren’t sure how long you remained locked in eye contact with the massive siren. But you instantly felt the color leave your body as its maw splits with a display of sharp teeth.

“Ops.”

The sheer depth of his voice chilled you to the bone, being as deep & as haunting as the open sea above a bottomless trench. Adrenaline finally kicked in as you willed yourself to snap your tail & swim as fast as you could into the kelp & away from the looming predator. You know you can’t out swim the other siren so using your appendages you kick up silt & sand to cloud the water before hooking yourself among a thick cluster of kelp. Hiding yourself instantly you desperately try to calm you speeding heart in fear that it in itself would give you away. You wait, painfully wait, seconds, minutes, house, you weren’t too sure as you remained suspended in your panic. Yet nothing happens. The sand settles back to the ocean floor & you sway with the kelp. The siren didn’t come after you? Curious you peak out from the kelp. You see nothing till you get a glimpse of black & white. Quickly you slip back & pray that he didn’t see you, that is until clouds of sand & sediment float by. You look agen.

The black & white siren was digging his massive claws into the sand & was moving mounds of it aside. He was digging, but for what? You inch out further to get a better look. Then you realize it, he was digging out the mantis shrimp’s burrow. You flinch & yelp, but not because he notices you peeking out.

“Ah happy day. Sorry for disturbing your hunt. Allow me too-"

With out much thinking you snap you tail & grab his arm with both hands. Pulling with all your might to yank it away from the burrow. His ruby & citrine eyes widen with surprise & confusion till the well-known snap of the mantis shrimps punch can be herd. He then looks to see you had just saved his claws from reserving a nasty fracture from the powerful little crustacean. He blinks a few times before returning his attention to you, you have since let go of his arm & had your hand on your chest as you calmed down. But as you run through your own cocktail of emotions you suddenly erupted in a fit of red anger. & your body fully displays it as you get it the face of the looming predator.

“Do you have jellyfish for brains!? You should know better than to reach you claws into a burrow! Specially one belonging to a mantis shrimp!”

He looks at you in your tiny furry with shock, but it soon morphs into something else. Endearment? Swiftly he switches roles as he now leans forward & looms over you with his large toothy grin. Your spark quickly extinguished as you are reminded of how much bigger he is to you. His arm had snaked its way behind you & snatches you by the small of your back. His voice then trills as he looks at you making the waters tremble with his deep purr.

“Forgive me my little snap dragon-"

You raise a brow. Snap dragon?

“I was merely trying to make up for ruining your hunt. I didn’t think you were hunting at the time as I was observing your beauty & how you slipped into that new form so gracefully. Please, allow me to hunt you a meal worthy of your forgiveness.”

He gently drags the knuckle of his free claw down you check before taking your chin. You can’t help but shiver from the intimate touch & become pink in the face. But as he choruses a deep chuckle you soon fined your whole body took on the bashful hue. You yelp in embarrassment & flail your arms to bat his away. You then cross them & huff.

“very well. But I only like shell fish. I can’t eat big fish like you can.”

You nearly choke on the last part as you remember that you yourself could be considered a big fish that he could eat. But he simply smiles & glances down to see you had subconscious anchor yourself by wrapping you tail around his wrist.

“Done"

He swiftly swimming off dragging you with him. But surprisingly you are not dragged for long as his claws delicately cradle your tiny body to his chest. You look up at him. A siren you should be tariffed of was swimming & searching for a meal for you. To make up for the meal he foiled before. Taking in more of his unusual form & mixed colors of black, white, & red. You couldn’t help finding yourself eyes him from head to fluke. As if being aware of your staring, he ever so gently flaunts his power by snapping his tail & barrowing through to the more open waters. You turn flush agen. How could such a striking & powerful siren think your natural camouflage as beautiful? A scrawny little thing like you?

Your thoughts get interrupted when he comes to a stop & you see him looking down. Following his gaze your eyes widen at the site of a group of migrating crabs. He promised you a meal & he sure did deliver as your growling stomach seemed to except the meal before you could even speak. He start to swim tords the crab buffet & you trail off your remaining thoughts before hunger took hold.

He didn’t eat you, he found you food, he thinks you beautiful…

Whelp your not dead. Let’s see what happens.

[broadway-feferi]

Hi friends! Thank you so much for your bay-tience. I am so --EXCIT--ED to share this!! It's tough being an heiress wishing for a kinder world for your people- and I just hope I can give them that someday!

(Cover Art by the lovely caballineToxophallic - go follow them, they're *amazing*!)

(Spoken)

Maybe Eridan's right

Maybe there is something the matter with me

I just don’t see why culling means we have to kill, and not heal

(Sung)

Look at my pets, aren’t they neat?

Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete?

Wouldn’t you think you think I’m the troll, the troll who cares for everything?

Look at my hive, creatures untold

How many cuttlefish can these cages hold?

Looking around here you’d think- shore, she’s got everything.

I’ve got starfish and lobsters aplenty, There’s sea horses and oysters galore

See my mantis shrimps? I’ve got twenty!

But who cares, no big deal- I want more

I wanna see all my subjects thrive

I wanna see, wanna see them happy

Walking around on their- what do they call them again? Fronds?

Killing the weak is just not my jive

To cull should mean to heal and care for

Keeping them all so safe- away from all harm

Up where they walk, up where they run

Up where they stay away from the sun

Wanting to live, wish I could give (them)

A kinder world

It’d be my right, to spend the nights culling the infirm

It’d be my task, no questions asked, to love all the weak

Betcha on land, they’d understand 

Bet they don’t reprimand their moirails

Bright young princess, heir apparent, ready to lead

And ready to show just what I know

I’ll tend all the lowbloods and be so helpful

I’ll serve them truly and redefine what it means to cull

When’s it my turn? Wouldn’t I love?

Love to take over that world up above?

Out of the sea

Wish I could lead

A kinder world

[acn97414]

My friend! Have you ever considered including one of these things in your oceans and pollution AU? They're called Peacock Mantis Shrimp and they punch so hard the water around them boils to the temperature of the sun!

Of course! They are one of the species that always catch my eye. But I'm still thinking about the species in the levels, because I don't want to be too partial to anything, and I also want to show as many species as possible But I guess they might show up if given the chance!