#this is just the goopy part i didn't even TOUCH on the bones ugh

[mad-c1oud]

i love your essay responses hmmm prompt : tell us more details about how slime or slime hybrids work to you i love your portrayal of it !

ANON LETS FUCKIN GOOOOO (full essay under the cut)

*cracks my knuckles* so, q!charlie is a freshwater slime

i mentioned this briefly in immi when charlie was making an offhand comment to étoiles during bathroom cleanup #1, about shriveling up like a raisin if you get him near salt. it had been meant as a joke at the time but there is some truth to it. charlie and salt aren't really friends

i like to think all slimes have some "biological base" that determiners their homes/habitats/groups. Like how some critters are better suited for hot vs cold environments. Slimes function the same way but the emphasis is on water. The two main differences are freshwater slimes and saltwater slimes. there are more niche subgroups under that but the divide that truly matters is this one.

Saltwater slimes are based in the ocean and attached biomes, like (salt) marshes and some hot springs, salt lakes, and estuaries. Even a few select caves depending on salt deposits that form. think of them like saltwater fish wise. salt slimes that live in separate biomes can still mix and merge due to their similar biology. they're compatible basically. I haven't given as much thought as freshwater unfortunately but thry are creatures :3. They are a little more cool color, like a turquoise green. their colors can vary

freshwater are more common even when oceans make up more of the earth, but since they only surface in ocean-adjacent biomes, it's a little more rare to see them. Freshwater are everywhere since they thrive in every other water biomes that isn't freezing cold. Rivers, swamps, lakes, ponds, caves. you name it. They tend to split off into their little subgroups depending on aye where they were 'created' or lived and adapted, but like with salt, they are compatible and mixable with any other freshwater slimes. they are a brighter, more yellow green in color with several variations.

Salt and fresh cannot "mix", ever. they are not compatible. This is not a sex thing or a behavior thing, they are literally unable to physically mix due to their different biologies. Salt threatens to draw water from fresh and fresh threatens to bloat salt. Think of saltwater fish unable to live in freshwater, it's the same for slimes and their habitats and who they can merge with. osmotic stress kinda thing. That's what charlie meant by the salt affecting his slime and how he functioned.

Charlie is particular is freshwater, specifically of the cave variety. I make his backstory rlly sad and emphasis his time in the caves, crowded and cramped. He likes cold, damp environments because of where he was raised, but when he escaped his family he learned to love the open air too, particularly small ponds and anything a little cool. still, he retreats to the depths at times, unable to squash the instincts. running away to the cave after the election dinner for example. He fell in love with the cavern and home CodaFlippa came from though it was just another facade, a mockery of his old home.

Eggxile is a small island situation, so charlie has surrounded himself in a saltwater biome. further isolating himself since he could never truly fit in with any nearby slimes if there were any. :)

Charlie likes colder bodies of water due to the cave aspect of his biology and his skin is cold to the touch. He'll get more melty the hotter it gets and has to avoid hot springs or he will dissolve :(

Fresh slimes when exposed to saltwater will lose elasticity and shrink some, they also get "sea sick" if left in too long hehe. Salt slimes when exposed to freshwater will bloat and lose structure, and will similarly get sick. think hyper- and hypotension. Neither will necessarily die if left in either environment for a while, but they will continue to deteriorate if actively submerged nd yeah, will eventually "suffocate or drown". It's not pleasant and the reason why they have naturally become two separate groups.

all this makes relationships fun too, like imagining a friendship between him and foolish who I hc as thriving in saltwater oceans. they make it work and use it to annoy each other.

IAHHHHHHHHHH I HAVE SOOOOO MANY THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SAVE MEEE im stopping here before i end up spoiling something i don't even realize lmao

if you made it this far hi :3, thank you for listening. feel free to yell into my inbox if you have questions or other ideas!!! I love world building lmao