#striker the mantis shrimp

[kiwipineappleparasol]

Even More Sonic AU Design scribbles ... (more like the characters all standing the exact same way) Notes Below:

Meropis is in the Sol Dimension in this AU -- considering how Prevalent the Ocean and Pirates and Royalty is there and all . Feels Fitting -- plus means there's More Characters in Blaze's World

Gave them all Shoes and Gloves as I think Sonic Characters look Odd without them . Changed Coral and Pearly's dresses for my Rules as well -- I ended up liking them Quite a bit . Not sure about Razor however . All three have Gils on different parts of their body -- mostly where it wouldn't look Cluttered and would be Clear .

Only Notable Change about Striker is that he's Shrimp Size . Meanwhile Echo got an Entire Overhaul to fit my No Full Outfit rules . Made her more Pink as well as Supposedly pink dolphins are a Thing.

I like the Open Jacket of Pre-reboot Sally's, but combined it with the Gloves and Shoes of Reboot Sally . Nicole went through the Millionth Design Tweak .

Combined elements of Vector's Boom and Riders design ... a bit Inspired by my Friend's Post as well

Cheese I made into a Hero Chao -- although perhaps he shouldn't be Evolved . I just feel a Hero Chao is much more befitting of Cream than a Neutral One.

Vanilla's cape thing -- which, By the Way, was a Pain to figure out, not sure if it looks Good even now -- has a Hood . In general I imagine her with more Mysterious Energy with some interest in ... the occult? For lack of a better term .

[adokle]

A lady-in-waiting from Soleanna, a manservant from the Golden Hive Colony, and a Shrimp. Along with food that they may have some regional opinions on maybe.

[disabled-battlekukku]

Caught myself thinking about how much Post-SGW Archie and Sonic Forces had affected Sonic character design for the worst

[thepariahcontinuum]

So.... I'm the idiot who said they weren't gonna write an Alt!Power Taylor fic.

And then I had an idea for one which gives Taylor a power that's a Trump Rating/Bud of Shadow Stalker's Shard.

AND THEN I also had a second idea, which is literally built around the idea of Alt!Power Taylors.

So, I do the "Worm OC creator asks" thing semi-regularly and one of the early asks for that led to a character I've never done anything with that I dubbed "Taylor Alpha" a Taylor who doesn't have Eidolon's power as such, but functions in a similar way because there are plenty of powers Taylor could have Triggered with in order to escape the locker....Taylor Alpha has all of them, all at once.

This would have her being the villain of an "Into the Taylor-Verse" type story, being kept at bay by a collection of other Taylors

Canon, Earth Bet Taylor....But after the end of Worm; so she's missing a hand and de-powered, using her experience to organise and marshal a collection of other Taylors.

Name pending. The Slasher-Villain Shadow Stalker Bud Taylor from the other alt!Power fic. With Trump/Master/Stranger/Shaker ratings

"Mantis Shrimp" a Changer/Brute/Striker Taylor, not a million miles removed from Lung in how her powers work....She grew chitinous, carapace knuckle-dusters over her hands and just punched her way out of the locker....I imagine this Taylor actually made it as a Hero.

"Assassin Bug" a Breaker/Mover Taylor who disintegrates into swarms of bugs and can also use nearby bugs to reform herself if injured, probably closest to Skitter in terms of how they use their powers.

Name pending. A Tinker Taylor who specialises in trash (Kinda like the titular OC of the Fic Racoon Knight by Bee_Jpeg, which is worth a read) who tinkered her way out of the locker and then proceeded to beat the trio with Nunchucks made out of two coke cans held together with centipedes.

"Trashfire" a Blaster Taylor who literally levelled part of Winslow by incinerating the locker, everything it was filled with and everything around it.

[riverdrifter]

Fisherman's Log: 8/21/2023

Uhh, hi! You probably don't know this, but I've been working on a long retrospective of Pikmin 4 as I play through the game. That was intended to be my first post on this blog. However, I quickly realized something: writing my thoughts about a game without exhaustively journaling my experience while playing it is excruciating. I grew up playing games for an audience, be it my mom watching me play some obscure Wii game, or me liveposting my playthrough of said game to whomever I was talking to on the Warrior Cats forums at the time. So, to remedy this, I'm going to be posting more hands-on "stream of consciousness"-type logs while I'm playing something. And what better to start with than a game I play very regularly: Creatures of the Deep.

A friend put me onto this quirky little game, knowing my propensity for fish and other aquatic creatures. It's been a fun little way to relax throughout my day, while also engaging my completionist hubris. I will confess: the reason I was iffy on posting journal entries alongside retrospectives is because I was feeling a bit of sunk cost fallacy. After all, if I've already completed a good bit of the game, why start now? But I'm nipping that in the bud. So! I'm going to catalogue my progress up until this point, then get into my daily session.

🗺️ Location Progress

Legend ⦾ Common ◈ Rare ✧ Epic ☆ Legendary

Please note that any inconsistent capitalization or spelling is just me noting things down exactly as the games have them written.

🏝️ Paradise Island 🏝️

41% | Discoveries: 36/37

🐟 Fish - 12/12 ⦾ Bluefish - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Blue Trevally - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Bonefish - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Clownfish - ★★☆☆☆ ◈ Green Humphead Parrotfish - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Largetooth Flounder - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Longtail Tuna - ★★☆☆☆ ✧ Pacific Footballfish - ★☆☆☆☆ ✧ Pelagic Stingray - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Snubnose Pompano - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Spot-fin Porcupinefish - ★★★☆☆ ◈ White Tuna - ★☆☆☆☆

🦐 Creatures - 5/5 ⦾ Flower Tube Sea Anemone - ★★★☆☆ ◈ Mimic Octopus - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Peacock Mantis Shrimp - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Red Starfish - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Sand Striker - ★★☆☆☆

🗑️ Trash - 19/19 • Can • Can Fish • Chest With A Skull • Chips • Empty Bottle • Flip Flops • Gear • Kelp Leaf • Key With A Skull • Mask • Message In A Bottle • Old Phone • Pinacolada Drink • Plastic Bag • Plastic Bottle • Rubber Duck • Sea Weed • Straw Hat • Wilson Ball

🏕️ Great Lakes 🏕️

41% | Discoveries: 62/63

🐟 Fish - 23/24 ⦾ Alewife - ★★★☆☆ ✧ American Eel - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Bloater - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Brook Trout - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Brown Trout - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Channel Catfish - ★★★☆☆ ◈ Chinook Salmon - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Coho Salmon - ★★★☆☆ ◈ Flathead Catfish - ★★☆☆☆ ✧ Goldfish - ★☆☆☆☆ ✧ Lake Sturgeon - UNCAUGHT ◈ Lake Trout - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Largemouth Bass - ★☆☆☆☆ ✧ Longnose Gar - ★☆☆☆☆ ◈ Muskie - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Pink Salmon - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Redear Sunfish - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Round Whitefish - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Sea Lamprey - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Smallmouth Bass - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Walleye - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ White Bass - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ White Crappie - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Yellow Perch - ★★★☆☆

🦐 Creatures - 9/9 ⦾ Beaver - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Bullfrog - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Chinese Mystery Snail - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Common Musk Turtle - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ North American River Otter - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Quagga Mussels - ★★★☆☆ ◈ Queen Snake - ★★☆☆☆

🗑️ Trash - 29/29 • Al'Capone Hat • Arrow • Baseball Hat • Beaver Hat • Beverage can • Boom Floppy Disc • Can Soup • Chip Bag • Cobra Sunglasses • Colorful Headdress • Concrete Shoe • Fish Can • Glass Bottle with XXX Sign • Green floppy disc • Grey Casette • Hot Dog • Meat Can • Mouse Glove • Old Branch • Old Tire • Pipe • Plastic Bottle • Toxic Barrel • Treasure chest • Vegetable Can • Video Cassette • Vinyl Record • Wilted leaf

🌅 Costa Rica 🌅

27% | Discoveries: 41/62

I've elected to not list the undiscovered entries in Costa Rica and any future locations, as I prefer to go into newer areas as blindly as possible. For the Great Lakes, I already know the one fish I don't have is that damn sturgeon. I'd rather leave the rest up to mystery though.

🐟 Fish - 16/22 ⦾ Barracuda - ★★★☆☆ ◈ Blue Marlin - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Broomtail Grouper - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Cubera Snapper - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Dorado - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Jack Crevalle - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Pompano - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Roosterfish - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Sierra Mackerel - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Snook - ★★☆☆☆ ◈ Striped Marlin - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Tarpon - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Tripletail - ★★★☆☆ ⦾ Wahoo - ★☆☆☆☆ ✧ Whitetip Shark - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Yellowfin Tuna - ★★☆☆☆

🦐 Creatures - 7/9 ◈ American Crocodile - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Brown Sea Cucumber - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Nudibranch - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Olive Ridley Sea Turtle - ★☆☆☆☆ ⦾ Pacific Land Crab - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Pink Jellyfish - ★★☆☆☆ ⦾ Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake - ★★☆☆☆

🗑️ Trash - 18/30 • Anchor • Bicycle Frame • Bikini Top • Bottle Santa Maria • Broken coral • Chip Bag • Coconut • Costa Rican Vase • Fish Can • Flipper • Oil Barrel • Orange Cassette • Palm Leaf • Scuba Diver Mask • Surfboard • Volcanic Rock • Watermelon Vinyl Record • White Bottle

🏅 Achievements Board

Fish Catcher ★★☆☆☆ 156/500

Explorer of Sea Creatures ★★☆☆☆ 21/40

Recycling Master ★★☆☆☆ 390/500

Trash Catcher ★★☆☆☆ 66/100

Days in the Game ★☆☆☆☆ 23/50

Master Reeler ★★☆☆☆ 7/50 My fucking white whale.

Monster Hunter ★☆☆☆☆ 1/10

Monster Collector ★☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Tournament Lover ☆☆☆☆☆ 0/5 Please don't make me use social functions I am just a humble fisherman

🎣 Fish Tank

I may very well make a spreadsheet for this in the future like some sort of deranged lunatic, but for now I just want to play the damn game so have some pictures.

I'm not sure what else to note. That I haven't bought any character customization yet? That all my stats are 1 except for Luck, which is 2? God forbid, my lure stats?? I don't know, but I'm done cataloguing! Now let's get into what you came here for!!

🗒️ Gameplay Log

📋 Info Board - 4 reel in a row Reward: +2 gems - Catch 5 x Brook Trout Reward: +500 coins - Catch 3 x American Eel Reward: +3 gems

Those gems are so, so valuable, so you know I'll be gunning for those. Although it does mean that I have to remember to play at night if I want to do that eel task. Those are kind of a pain in the ass... I should probably spend some time grinding garbage so that I can get Temporary Luck for eel time.

Well, first thing's first: off to Paradise Island to collect wood and see who our quest NPC is! As it turns out, Sir Joseph Bellywise is waiting for us, with a request for 3 Largetooth Flounder. That should hopefully synergize well with my consecutive reeling task.

I end up getting both tasks done without too much trouble, although I did break my reel chain and I don't want to talk about it. I handed in my three shittiest flounders for a nice 407 gold. I spend the rest of my visit hanging out in the Garbage Patch so that I can take home a full inventory and work towards that Temporary Luck. Once home, I quickly deposit two wood in the next section of the fish tank; that's where I'm focusing my efforts right now, as I've not found myself filling up the item storage yet. But with that, it's Great Lakes time!

Our daily NPC for this area is Mike "Lock" Smith, who just tells me to go fuck myself and that he's looking for someone more experienced. I'm level 7, what the hell do you want from me?! I also encounter some stress early on in the form of Sea Lampreys; the game doesn't recognize this, but I the player know that they're an invasive species, so morally I will not throw them back in to save bag space. Which means I may have to spend more gold going back to free up some slots.

...Or my rod could break and make us have to go back anyway. Neat. I'll plan ahead and go for the cheaper Garbage Grabber Rod; it shouldn't impede my catching too much, and I want to be able to hit a 50 cleanup streak by nightfall. The rest of the Brook Trout search is a cakewalk, but I swear the longer I know my reel streak is, the more scarcely I breathe during the hooking sequence. This is in spite of me purposefully not checking the number because I know it'll psych me out.

While I'm trying to catch one more thing to bring home, I wonder about the internal formula the game must use to calculate rod wear. I know for a fact different rods have different strengths, and I imagine that fish weight must factor in somehow, because some fish will be too strong and will pull the line out of range and break free. Does player strength get taken into account? I see people on the Discord saying that they still lose fish even at 8 or so strength. I don't know. Food for thought.

With the Brook Trout task now complete, I'm able to deposit a two-star into the fish tank, as well as adding some more wood onto the Alaska pile. Seeing as how I've not unlocked that area yet, building that section of the fish tank is not a priority. But I do need something to do with all that wood.

Since our final daily task is locked to nighttime, and I'm writing this at 3:15 pm, that means our last stop for now is Costa Rica! I'll be honest, this map is so huge, I don't even end up finding all the daily wood half the time, and I don't exactly bother. It's just sooo much effort to comb through all that water... based on the size progression so far, I can only imagine Alaska will be downright nightmarish.

I immediately eat my words and find two wood floating right next to each other.

While it's a nice bonus for sure, this still leaves me in the dark on who and where our Daily Slut Encounter is. I eventually give up and bring home some dudes for the tank: a Tarpon, a Jack Crevalle, and a Pompano, all sadly one star. The Tarpon has just the most delightfully smug little face swimming around in there.

I returned to Costa Rica to try and find some new trash, and only on my last bag slot did I snag something new: the Ship Bell from Santa Maria. It's only on the way back that I finally find the NPC. It's Sir Joseph Bellywise again, this time wanting 110 lbs of fish for a party tomorrow. I can do that! After I go drop off this trash run. Self-reminder: he is west of the Spanish Shipwreck. Trash payouts barely make up for the price of coming back, but I need it.

Aand it turns out the task's payout was barely worth the trip anyway! 95 coins for 110 pounds of fish? That is straight up daylight robbery. Anyway, after brutally murdering my reel streak, I don't feel like playing anymore, so I'll resume this entry tonight when it's eel time. I place a one-star Broomtail Grouper face-down and end my turn.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞

Touching base again past midnight, and holy shit, I was actually able to do it! While I was waiting for my T gel to dry, not only did I snag 3 American Eels and claim the gem prize, but I also caught the Lake Sturgeon (2 stars, straight to the fish tank) and got 5 more gems from Aneta Angler for completing the area! I also slapped a 2-star American Eel and a 1-star Flathead Catfish into the fish tank for good measure. With time left on my Temporary Luck, I set out for the Great Depths of Costa Rica.

And I sure reaped the benefits! I brought home a 2-star Barracuda, a 2-star Wahoo to replace the one in my fish tank, a 2-star Nurse Shark, a 1-star Hammerhead Shark, and a 1-star Whitetip Shark. In other news, I need to do wrist stretches now. I also got myself a new creature discovery in the Red-Ringed Clinging Crab; all in all, this netted me another Aneta Angler prize, with her giving me 5 Rare Bait for my efforts. The payout for this trip wasn't spectacular, but it'll be worth it in the future.

... And dear God, to ride out the last of my Temporary Luck, I hit the middle north of Paradise Island, as that's where other anglers on the Discord had been reporting Shredder sightings for tonight. And whaddya know! I actually caught the fucker first try! This got me two stars in the Monster Collector achievement, and I can finally go talk to Cap'n Slappy and finish out the main area quest. I also level up, getting 2,800 coins in all between that and the quest reward. ...Tapping the level-up turns out to be a major mistake, as I was planning on going to sleep, but now I have an hour of temporary luck. e.e I spend my singular stat point on Strength, boosting it to 2; I've been searching for a lot of large targets, and every time a fish breaks free, I lose a bit of my awake time for the day.

Well, I'm not one to waste Temporary Luck now that I'm journaling my grind, so back to Costa Rica it is. I can't tell if this is just copium on my part, but I swear there is an immediate, noticeable difference in how easy it is to control the reel bar when battling a fish that engages the minigame now that I've leveled up my Strength. Either that or I'm getting better at the game, which is also true, but I swear that bar is just steadier. Honestly, I was considering getting a Monster Rod, but I've been doing so well with just the Carbon Rod that it feels unnecessary at this point.

I'm glad to announce that I got even more new discoveries before bed: the Pacific Sailfish (2 stars) and the Bull Shark (also 2 stars). I was trying for the Black Marlin for a bit, but with a sliver of Temporary Luck left, I decided to call it quits because I was getting too eepy. Still, I'd say that was a relentlessly productive day of fishing.

This was really fun to journal! The verb tenses are all over the place, and punctuation is real funky; this certainly isn't editor's portfolio material. But I think it's something I'd like to do more often! I like writing more than I give myself credit for. Hopefully the next post will be much shorter!

[fyeahsonicthehedgehog]

[our-tom-stuff]

Band Geeks: Sonic Edition

Abyss: Okay, new theory... Maybe we should play so quietly, no one can hear us...

Captain Shellbreaker: Well, maybe we wouldn't sound so bad if some people didn't try to play with a big, metal claw!

Captain Striker: What did you say, punk?!

Captain Shellbreaker: BIG, METAL. CLAW!

Captain Striker: Well, these claws ain't for just blastin' badniks!

Captain Shellbreaker: Bring it on, old man! Bring it on!

Coral: No, people. Let's be smart and bring it off.

Blade: Oh, so now the talking orange is gonna preach to us!

[robotnikholmescomicblog]

Captain Striker the Mantis Shrimp is kinda a jerk, but I guess it comes from the fact that Coral’s Chao is the only one making the barrier around the city function. And he’s not the only one who’s mad at her, as we’ll soon see throughout the issue.

Also, that’s Echo the Dolphin. Yeah, I know the name is a clear reference to the Sega game of the same name. She’ll be more important later!

[royalreef]

@abracafockyou​ / @shakesinshake​ inquired:  🐶 may I ask for either striker or any oc on this blog you might like? Muses as Merfolk - (Very Selectively) Accepting

(( I think Striker would be best suited as one of the “Vampire” merfolk, which I’ve written about before here! I need to go back over their information again, as some isn’t quite up-to-date anymore, since I rehash and refine my lore a lot. Other parts are still accurate : heterodont dentition with larger pointed teeth at the front for grabbing and broader cusped teeth towards the back for slicing, slit pupils, dull colors that are often dappled, more equal tail flukes, fused earfins, their history compared to other merfolk, and so on. The same goes for them having relatively small settlements that easily end up wiped off the map due to some royal’s own personal wishes or plans that they just ended up in the way of.

That said, one thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned here before is the fact that they’re actually fairly commonly employed by Merkingdom royals for less savory jobs. The reason is two part — no one cares if one of them ends up in trouble or goes missing entirely, and they aren’t exactly in a position to say no to any royals that might position them for jobs. Even with anyone less than that royal, saying no to what they’re asking is highly taboo and often enforced via not-so-subtle taking care of anyone who refuses them, but when you struggle to survive or last through a system that ultimately wants you and your community dead, well... There’s seldom any other options. If a royal were to, say, put a hit out for someone they were married to due to failing to fulfill their duties and their image, then... A jrh’yhwa’t wouldn’t really have many other options, unless they had some way to pull rank on the royal.

It’s also not unlikely that a royal might arm their hitman with whatever they need for the job, potentially using their own resources to ensure it gets done right.

“Guns” for merfolk hold little in common with our conception of the weapon, and it’s a poor translation for what accounts far moreso for a portable cannon. Projectile weapons are hard to come by underwater. Even when you do find them, they’re often inaccurate, or just don’t work at all, and merfolk are universally fairly good at absorbing shock. Most of the reason why common weapons are bladed are just due to how much easier they are to produce as well as how much more effective they are in hurting another merfolk. So, merfolk “guns” are far closer in operation to how a mantis shrimp’s claw works, capable of launching a super-heated bubble that can blow a hole in the side of whatever you aim it at. For this, they’re remarkably hard to come by, often needing various connections alongside permits and someone to petition in the court system that you can have such a thing. For this, any single “gun” often ends up highly custom-made for their owner to begin with, as anyone who has rank enough to have one often has the same resources and a personal desire to tailor it to their liking.

Wide-brim hats are very much just a very unusual aesthetic choice underwater.

[kamenrideryeets]

IT IS FINISHED.

Behold, in all his glory, the best Sonic OC design I could muster through putting all my effort into MS Paint.

After some time mentioning him only by name, and in rants, he graces us with his presence.

I give you...

Impact the Shrimp.

Drawing this guy and discussing him with Sontumb advanced him a lot from where I started out with him. His character and background have advanced quite a bit; sort of a filler character when I first made him, he’s now the self-proclaimed “sheriff” of the seaside town he calls home. (He usually wears a cowboy hat, vest and bandana. I’ll add those later.)

In addition, although he’s physically 99% mantis shrimp, he’s actually part pistol shrimp (to explain his claws and a bit of his color scheme.) His design was obviously mainly based on Captain Striker, albeit adding my own twists through developed claws, bang-like antennae, a bit of Jewel-style shell, brighter colors, and FLUFF FIBERS on his limbs.

Oh yeah and another thing.

I realized, with the advancements I’ve made to his character, he’s now perfect for Knuckles.

(He looks pretty young but he’s actually 17. He blames it on his freckles.)

[thedurvin]

Apparently the Sonic the Hedgehog comics have a mantis-shrimp character named Captain Striker, but thanks to the ridiculous art style he looks like a noseless maroon rabbit with horns

[raymondmccullers]

How mantis shrimp make sense of the world

A new study provides insight into how the small brains of mantis shrimp – fierce predators with keen vision that are among the fastest strikers in the animal kingdom – are able to make sense of a breathtaking amount of visual input. How mantis shrimp make sense of the world syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.blogspot.com/

[thatssorue]

How mantis shrimp make sense of the world

A new study provides insight into how the small brains of mantis shrimp - fierce predators with keen vision that are among the fastest strikers in the animal kingdom - are able to make sense of a breathtaking amount of visual input. from Nature's Incredible! https://ift.tt/2OH2y5D via Nature & Insects

[ruggerorespigo]

How mantis shrimp make sense of the world

A new study provides insight into how the small brains of mantis shrimp - fierce predators with keen vision that are among the fastest strikers in the animal kingdom - are able to make sense of a breathtaking amount of visual input. Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/11/191125145544.htm

[unsung-heroesofmobius]

Jerard took in the scenery, marvelling at the rapidly cobbled together architecture. On land, they might’ve been easily taken apart, though here, it seemed that the water was doing a good job at keeping these buildings together. And this was just the start. They just made these, at most, a month ago. 

He would take interest in seeing these people develop.

He, Zapper, and Geoffrey were on their way to he castle, or what was supposed to be a castle. He had offered to go ahead with the skunk while Antoine and Bunnie got their affairs in order to join them. Once they arrived at the castle gates, he noticed the G.U.N. soldier in full scuba gear, waving to them as he got close. 

Though they were stopped by the guards. Gerard raised a brow at the dolphin, who glared at him before speaking. “Who are you, and why do you have air charms?”

Jerard let himself float as he smirked. “It’ll be explained soon enough. I wasn’t supposed to enter yet anyway until our escorts arrived.”

“Escorts? We were not informed.” The dolphin retorted, though her attention would be drawn to the rest of the party arriving, Razor leading Antoine, Bunnie, and the two droids.

The shark waved to the guards. “These people want to speak with the King and Queen. They’re representatives of the Republic of Acorn on the surface.”

“So many diplomats?” She questioned. “It seems excessive.”

Bunnie interjected. “We didn’t expect to find a kingdom down here. It’s impromptu.” She started to explain, when the doors opened for the lead guard to exit.

The Mantis Shrimp glared at the crew. “More surface dwellers. What purpose do you claim to have being here.”

“They say they’re diplomats.” The dolphin relayed the information. The mantis shrimp scrutinised the group. His eye settled on Razor.

“Of course it would be you who led these people here, Razor. What are you planning?”

“Nothing at all. You’re the only one being paranoid, Striker. These people just want to talk. Is that too much to ask?”

Striker growled. “You may be in Coral’s good graces, but if you overstep your bounds, you’ll find your self-appointed title of guardian can just as easily be stripped.”

This made Razor flinch. He didn’t dare speak after that. Jerard stepped up. “You just need two or three people as diplomats. How about you let me, the skunk, the rabbit, and my droid to come in. The rest wait outside, as hostages if you prefer.”

“LE WHAT?”

Though this did get Striker’s attention. “You’re turning over the rest of your people as hostages, just to get an audience with the Royals? How sickening.”

“It beats the alternative, bug. I could just as easily break in and demand what I want, but I’m trying to be diplomatic and I’m giving you an option that gives you the advantage. So what do you say?”

“Don’t we get a say in this?” Bunnie retorted. “Why are we doin’ things this way? We ain’t got nothin’ ta hide.”

“Because we also don’t have time to argue. Those air charms have limited time and we’re already on their bad side. Appeasement is our quickest and most peaceful route to getting an audience.”

“You’re smart.” Striker commented.

“More like Practical.”

[ol-razzle-dazazzle]

I have another random story idea and it revolves around a mantis shrimp girl who can't use her hands because mantis shrimp strikers basically obliterate anything they touch. Basically she's forced as a mercenary into a gang because she's timid and is absolutely terrified of hurting people. She's been conditioned to think that she can't live a 'normal' life because of her hands And one day she meets this huge ass spider crab girl with these long ass legs when she was hesitating to act on one of her orders to investigate 'the giant squid', a mysterious person who is out to get everybody. She basically freaks the hell out at the thought of failure that the crab girl takes her into custody and the crab girl is actually a policewoman specialising in cases that aren't tackled by most officers (she also hides her legs in a poofy hecking trench coat so she isn't spotted as well but she's still tall.) The two slowly become gfs and all that good stuff but there is one reason I made this sorry up. Because the crab girl is part of the CRABineri