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kitasgloves · 5 months ago

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— ♬ NSFW

How about Incubus! DAZAI OSAMU who feeds on the erotic dreams of humans. He would enter a mortal's dream and feed on the sexual energy emitting from their erotic dreams. During the modern age, there were plentiful choices for Dazai to feed on now wet dreams are becoming common among humans. Mostly, he hasn't encountered any complications during his night feeding until he sets his sights on you.

Initially, you seemed like any typical adult human that he can suck sexual energy from during your slumber. You were unsuspecting and an easy target in the incubus' eyes. However, when Dazai sneaks into your bedroom at midnight and spawns inside your dream, he is dumbfounded. Your dream was lackluster and plotless. It made no sense. He huffed, where's the wet dream? What the hell is he going to feed on here?

The following night he makes another attempt, but you had a dreamless sleep, meaning Dazai was stuck in a dark void with nothing to eat. He could just move on and find another human to feed on but he refuses since he finds your lack of wet dreams fascinating. So, Dazai sets on a conquest to find out why.

You raised a brow at the new guy at work. He has a tall stature brown hair and eyes. Everyone at work was charmed by his natural good looks. Yet you can't help but find the man eerie. You could've sworn you could feel him staring at you unblinkingly in the corner of your eye. And how he subtly makes advances at you like touching your arm or leaning his body close to yours when he tries to talk with you. He was horrible at his job and your boss had to appoint you to help him whip into shape.

Dazai couldn't understand why you were frustrated with him. He wasn't sensing any drop of lust from you when he was flirting with you, unlike the rest of your co-workers. While it was easy for him to cast bedroom eyes and send a sensual smirk toward them, you seem indifferent to it all. It seemed like you were immune to anything sexual that it was absurd!

"Ugh, no. You have to fix your text and margin. Make sure there's an appropriate space between the paragraphs..."

You were teaching him how to do a stupid report, Dazai couldn't care less until you leaned forward and placed your hand on top of his as you guided him with the mouse. Your other hand begins to re-type all his grammatical errors while scolding him for writing unprofessional sentences. An incubus' senses are superior to a human's so Dazai can sense all of you. The smell of your skin, the sound of your steady heartbeat, and the touch of your hand on top of his. His eyes trailed down to your lips, all that was missing was the taste of you.

"Did you get all of that? I need a report done by the end of the day"

You told him as you pulled away, he almost whined at the loss of contact. Somehow, the incubus decided to obey you by doing the stupid report. You were pleasantly surprised at how he did well with the report that you had to give him a smile and a lollipop from your desk as a reward.

"You did well, Dazai! Keep it up"

How unusual. Dazai's face felt unnaturally flushed at your encouragement. He decides he likes to see your smile more. He tries to do well with work and gets acquainted with you as friends. The incubus has forgotten his original plan to conjure sexual dreams from you. Dazai seems distracted when you smile and laugh at him. He finds himself craving for your innocent affection. You were so naive and free-spirited that he can't help but want it all for himself.

He does try to woo you like a normal human. He left flowers at your desk, gifted you chocolates during lunch, and he even surprised you with an adorable cat plush toy. Eventually, his hunger catches up to him and he's suddenly reminded of his origin. Dazai temporarily feeds on other humans but somehow he never feels satisfied. Their dreams aren't erotic enough. He needed your sexual dreams. Frustrated, he decided if you can't give him any wet dreams to feast on, he's just gonna force them out of you.

After all, you're merely a human. Humans are weak to the call of the flesh. If he has to fuck the dream version of you so he could eat, he will. Dazai has become desperate at this point. What he wasn't expecting though, as he waited outside of your bedroom door, was the overwhelming smell of lust. It was so sudden that it sent the incubus to his knees. Dazai clutches his chest as his legs wobble. The scent of lust coming from inside your bedroom was overpowering him and it made him drool. Fuck, that smells delectable. He needs a taste of that right now.

When he quietly opens your bedroom door and peeks inside, Dazai's breath comes to a screeching halt. He felt the sweat covering him from all over as he watched your half-naked figure with wide and unblinking eyes. You were sprawled out on your bed with your fingers inside of you, vigorously pumping them in and out while your arousal coated your fingers and stained your bedsheets. Dazai gulped as he watched with greedy eyes. Your hair was all over the place, and your chest heaved out while you let out breathy moans. Fuck, there was no way the incubus wasn't turned on by all of this.

All of that insatiable lust came from you.

Your eyes were shut with your eyebrows knitted, he found it both hot and adorable when you tried to rip an orgasm out of yourself. Dazai examined both your face and your fingers making nasty sounds by fucking your cunt. You were probably ready to sleep, with the way your pajamas were pulled down to your ankles. And no panties too? The drool reaches down Dazai's chin.

Who are you lusting after?

The question made the incubus involuntarily envious. Who pathetic and lucky human have you found attractive? Was his human form not hot enough for you? Dazai snaps out of his thoughts when he hears a high-pitched moan from you. He can tell you're approaching your release. Fuck, he wished he was there to help you. He'll fuck his fingers deep and steal orgasm after orgasm from you. Or he'll use his mouth to eat you out and fuck his tongue deep inside of you. Or he'll ram his cock deep into your cunt and paint your walls with his seed. There are so many possibilities that it makes the incubus delirious.

Your whimpering was getting louder as your back arched like a cat. The scent of lust emitting from you wasn't like anything Dazai had encountered before and it made him lightheaded. Suddenly, you let out a choked sob and throw your head back while your release takes full control of you. Goddamn, you looked beautiful. Your eyes were rolled to the back of your skull, and your body was spasming, and you were screaming.

"Dazai! Oh fuck!—Hngh, Dazai..."

Your orgasm slowly passes and the incubus is motionless. His jaw drops to the floor. He heard that right, didn't he? You called out his name while you came? The revelation sends him into a frenzy as a devilish grin decorates his face. How lucky he was you were lusting after him. At that moment, Dazai realizes that your wet dreams won't be enough for his appetite, he wants the real thing. He wants to bend you in half and pound you senseless. He wants to hear you scream his name until the heavens rumble. He needs to consume you.

You were catching your breath when you heard your bedroom door creak open.

edit: here's part 2 lol

#— ♬ with love; kitasgloves #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd fanfic #bsd smut #bungou stray dogs dazai osamu #bsd dazai osamu #bsd dazai #bsd dazai osamu x reader #bsd dazai x reader #osamu dazai x reader #osamu dazai x you #osamu dazai x y/n #dazai x reader #dazai x you #dazai x y/n #bsd x reader #bsd x you

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wednesdayschildswitchcraft · 12 days ago

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I have a personal headcanon that all of the bats in the batfamily can cook, but to differing degrees.

Alfred: God among Men, high brow and low brow, man lived with post-war rationing and army meals, can also lay out a 5 course gourmet meal of any type of cuisine, only weakness is waffles, just can't get the timing and consistency correct.

Bruce: can cook, but only if he focuses on it, if he gets distracted, he will burn it whatever it is. Will still eat it because he doesn't actually care about taste. Eating is annoying type of autistic

Dick: has a solid 5 to 10 things he can consistently cook well that's mostly just basics with one 'special occasions' meal, otherwise, human garbage disposal that eats mostly carnival foods if left to his own devises.

Jason: solid cook, learned a lot from Alfred, mostly cooks poor/street food type things from around the world, but can elevate it to gourmet if needed. May or may not have worked as a line cook at one point. Prone to using too much rosemary/garlic/paprika according to people with a weaker palette

Tim: the best stoner food ever. 10/10 no notes. Gives line cook energy after 48hrs awake. Also, on the rare occasion he can get his brain out of casework, pastries. It's chemistry but for food with razor-thin margins of error and painstaking attention to detail, so it's like a little treat for himself

Steph: normal basic cooking. Crockpot and casserole supremacy, cookies and basic cakes. Nothing fancy, no frills, has definitely worked as a fry cook at one point.

Cass: learned from Dick, 5-10 basics, and a chili that is deemed a health hazard in 26 of the 48 continental states plus Alaska. Pain is a competition and she is winning.

Damian: Arabic, Nepalese, and Chinese vegetarian dishes, entirely because that's what he wanted to learn to cook.

Duke: All-around solid cook much like Steph, good at soul food and struggle foods, also, incredible sandwiches. Like god-tier homemade subs.

The Fox family: soul food, but kinda bougie. Secret family fried chicken recipe that multiple people would be willing to kill for.

Harper Row: struggle meals. Like condiments and stale crackers turned into something incredible type of magic bs. Cullen has learned some, but Harper is Queen

Babs: jail, puts raisins in the potatoe salad, jello mold bitch. Makes a mean meatloaf, though. Still asked to bring plates and napkins to family potlucks/cookouts

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zanmor · 6 months ago

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Using Your Vote Strategically

Your vote doesn’t matter (probably). Luckily you can make it do a bit more.

Your vote is one of a few hundred million game pieces. Knowing how best to use it requires you to understand your place on the game board. Let’s take a look at that board.

Current polling has the following ten states (yellow on the above map) as highly competitive in this year’s presidential election: Maine, New Jersey, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Virginia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. Realistically those first three have only gone to Democrats since at least 2000 so speculation is more focused on the last seven (and even New Hampshire has been solidly Democrat since it voted for Bush in 2000).

If you’re one of the roughly 37.5 million voters who lives in one of those states, congratulations! Your vote will actually help decide who wins the presidency in November. As such you should probably vote for one of the major parties. To the other 82% of the electorate, it’s time to think a little harder about how you’ll utilize your vote in the fall.

Meanwhile there are 35 states that solidly belong to one of the two parties and that ain’t changing. They’re blue and red on the map above.

These states have only given electoral votes to their respective party since at least 2000 and current polling (according to 270towin.com) shows that they will do that again this year, well beyond any margin of error in the polls. California for instance is currently polling heavily in favor of the Democratic candidate and has voted for a Democratic candidate since 2000. Obviously that’s not about to change. That’s the case with these other 34 states as well. Which means if there’s any way to “throw your vote away” then it’s by blindly tossing it in with the millions of others that will not impact the electoral college or party platforms in any way.

The states where your vote matters least are:

California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Indiana, West Virginia, Alaska, Missouri, Hawaii, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Idaho, Tennessee, Utah, Arkansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Delaware, Washington DC, Rhode Island, and New Mexico.

If you live in one of these states I have no qualms about advising you to vote third party in the general election. It will not change the electoral college outcome. But it can have important benefits you wouldn’t see by simply tossing another ballot on the mountain. I’ll talk below about those benefits. First, the last part of the game board.

The following six states (green on the above map) are technically polling within the margin of error where they could potentially go either way. I personally think it’s unlikely they’ll flip but you can make your own call on that and vote accordingly. If you live in North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, or Colorado, I think you’re likely to get more use from your vote giving it to a third party candidate based on current polling.

As I said above, I don’t expect that third party voting will impact the electoral college outside of those few truly competitive states.

So what does voting third party do?

If enough people vote third party it can do two helpful things: 1. if a party’s candidate receives over 5% of the popular vote then they can get federal matching funds in the next election, helping spread messages currently relegated to the sidelines, and 2. the major parties are more likely to take note of these votes and try to adjust their platforms to grab these voters in later elections. Voting for one of the two major parties doesn’t send any sort of message. What little utility your vote has in that regard is lost.

Voting for a candidate like Jill Stein of the Green Party can accomplish both of the above goals. Her platform is incredibly progressive. Across the board it’s a lot of things that leftists have been clamoring for. It will show establishment Democrats that there is voting support for those policies.

By supporting a third party candidate (not an independent solo candidate) we could see her get 5% of the popular vote and gain federal matching funds in 2028. It’s not about if she would be a good president or if you like her personally—she is not and never will get elected. It’s about hitting that 5% and showing the establishment that if they cater to the folks who like this platform that they can win votes.

Five percent of the 2020 election would have been just under 8 million votes. Four million Californian voters could have voted Green Party and Biden still would have won the state by over a million votes. We can definitely find 4 million votes in the other 40 states that otherwise are unlikely to impact the election. And we should.

#decision 2024 #presidential election #us elections #us politics #vote blue

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mysumeow · 8 months ago

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. . . ꒰ TEMPTING

Warnings: afab body and breasts, reader is referred to with you/your only. PIV unprotected sex, edging, prone bone position, thigh job, pwp (plot what plot). This is sort of a continuation of another smut i posted but you can read this without reading the first one.

Word count: 1.9k

A/N: uhg. lilia. i love him. i love general lilia. thats it that all i have to say.

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ♡ 🌷 . . KOFI | TWST MASTERLIST | PREVIOUS

Whenever a window of opportunity to rest presents itself, you’ll sit on the nearest tree stump or log available, idly watching what happens around you.

You see soldiers' training, sparring, fixing tents, and the general dividing tasks among his subordinates with a stern voice. Lilia’s an example of what being a leader means—not limiting himself to delegating labor, but also lending a hand.

He grabbed the handle of his lithic weapon as he sparred with one soldier; with practiced ease, Lilia unarmed the soldier. The general reprimanded the other fae for losing his footing over a basic movement.

Lilia plans tactics for ambushes furtively, aiming to attack the enemy’s weakness first. Deft and sharp.

Soon, you’d understand that the general isn’t used to docility of any kind. Neither giving nor receiving. A war general shouldn’t allow a margin of error, steps should be given with precision and intent on subduing your adversary.

You recalled your first intimate night with Lilia. You remembered the sensation of him holding back, and even then, he still did a number on your body. You’ve spent enough time with the fae to know that the moment you try to point out any attempt at tenderness on his part, he would deny it.

You couldn’t help but find it endearing. And your curiosity increased the more you wondered about to what extent you could tease him and make him lose his constraints. Lilia’s libido was pretty responsive to what you did or said, so it wouldn’t be difficult to push him in that direction.

The moment the soldiers were already in their tents, you sneaked into the general’s.

“I’m heading to the lake to wash off the dirt,” you said as you entered the tent. You found your fae writing something down on the map splayed across the table.

Lilia acknowledged you with a hum.

You sighed. “I don’t wanna go alone. The woods become frightening the moment there’s no more sunlight, you know.”

Lilia dropped the pencil and looked at you. “A little dirt on your body’s not going to kill you,” he teased.

“You know I can’t sleep like that. I sweated a lot today, too. Baur made me accompany that expedition group to the mountain’s skirt in the morning,” you complained. “I promise it won’t be long.”

You sensed that he was about to give up.

“And someone could sneak up on me and see me naked.”

That was enough argument for the fae to stand up from his chair and rush to tag along with you.

This was your favorite moment of the day, when you could not just finally go to bed but also freshen up with clean water. Even if the temperature might be a bit chilly during the night, the fresh water was welcomed to clean you up from the dirt and sweat that clinged to your skin.

“The water feels nice,” You hummed as you dipped your toes into it. Lilia was more concerned about making sure no one was near, though, his ears flicked at the slightest suspicious sound.

You began undressing in front of him, as you have done many times before. Even with your back turned towards him, you could feel his stare roaming around your flesh.

You carefully entered into the serene lake until the water covered your chest.

“Lilia,” You called out to him again. His gaze returned to you. “Why don’t you join? You look like you need this, too.”

“You said you wouldn’t take long. I still have work to finish.” He crossed his arms, gripping his lithic.

“Just this once,” You almost pouted. “You’ve been busy these past few days. I miss you already. I’ll even help you wash your back.”

You held Lilia’s stare before he, for the second time today, humored you. Soon, his clothes were untidily placed next to yours.

Beaming with joy, you hugged Lilia the instant he was within reach.

“General, your hair’s getting wet,” You hurried to help him fix his hairstyle in a way that the inconvenience would be resolved. “There. All done.”

Lilia grumbled about something meaningless as he allowed you to scrub his back, washing off both dirt and dried blood and uncovering new lacerations he had gained from recent ambushes. You traced them with your fingers, leaning closer to kiss those scars.

You couldn’t see Lilia’s expression, but you did sense his body’s temperature going up.

“Mm, you’re so warm,” You relished the warmth from the fae’s body. Your tits pressed flush against his back, and your hands roamed around his front—feather-like touches teasing his chest and abdomen. You were aware that your words and actions were leading in a certain direction, so before Lilia beat you to it and followed through with it, you pulled away from him. “It’s getting chilly, though. Let’s head back already.”

In the blink of an eye, Lilia gripped your wrist and pulled you towards his chest. Your backside making contact with something hard and hot, nudging in between your thighs.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Hm? I thought the general had work to finish,” You feigned innocence.

“That can wait. Right now, I need to have you.”

“But we’re in a lake! Someone could walk in on us. Let’s head back to the tent,” Ignoring the evident ache in your body, you did your best to deter him. For fun. To test how far you could make him wait. If not for your determination to uncover the fae’s strength, you would’ve conceded.

Under the promise, the general’s complaint had died for the moment.

Once in the tent, you were preparing to go to sleep, until a sudden force pinned you against the bed. A small squeak left you, and the familiar arms squeezing your waist made you understand that your little teasing reaped an interesting reaction from him.

“Lilia—” You tried to gain some balance by trying to prop your torso up with your hands, but the general immobilized you by further pinning your legs against the mattress with his.

“You little tease, you think I wouldn’t notice what you were trying to do?” He brushed away the hair covering your nape to nip at the sensitive skin there. “If you wanted me to rough your body up, you should’ve just asked for it,”

This was what you wanted, although you didn’t imagine it would be this soon. If this little teasing got you to this point, you couldn’t imagine how he would be if you had done more...

One hand slipped under your underwear while his other hand covered your mouth in time before a moan escaped you. With his index and middle fingers, he began rubbing your clit in circular motions.

“I’ve been treating you with so much leniency you’ve forgotten who you’re dealing with,” His breath against your ear made you shiver, and a renewed sense of pleasure overtook your body. “I’ll have to remind you,”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” You managed to whisper, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible but failing with how he played with your sex. Lilia really did know you inside out.

“You were already wet when I slid my hand under your clothes. Don’t try to act coy now,” He seemed to be amused, above all.

You clutched the sheets as you lost yourself in pleasure, your head falling against the pillow and using it to muffle your voice. You barely register Lilia pulling your pajama pants down and off your legs.

The fae grew eager, having a sliver of enough composure left to discard your underwear, but your uncoordinated and trembling body made the task more complicated than needed. Instead, he pushed it to the side, his fingers not once faltering in stimulating you.

A muffled whimper of his name. Not even a second later, Lilia stopped his movements.

“Noo, what’re you doing,” You protested, not expecting him to halt. “I was about to…”

“Aw, you were about to. What a pity,” He mocked you, momentarily freeing your body from his antsy hands to remove his own garments. Once done, you felt him spread your slicked pussy lips with his thumbs, eyeing you up with a satisfied, complacent grin. “You like being treated like this. You have no salvation, do you?”

Despite not being able to deny it, your face burned from embarrassment. Even if Lilia tended to put your pleasure first and holds back from going all out, the change in that tactful demeanor into a meaner one still excited you.

While holding you open still, he grinded his cock between your folds, using both his pre-cum and your arousal to lubricate it. You were growing impatient, and thus, tried to grind back against him to incite him into already giving in.

Lilia rested his weight against your back, his chest flush against it, weighing you down. Lilia dug his fingernails into your flesh, while demanding that you stay still. His fingers went back to playing with your clit, using your sticky inner thighs to pleasure himself.

After what felt like forever, the tip prodded inside, taking his time to stuff you with more of his dick. He pulled back until the just head was in and thrust with more strength. The feeling of Lilia’s warm body embracing yours and his thickness stretching you almost made you forget about holding back your voice.

From the very moment you conceived the idea of teasing him, to Lilia not allowing you to touch yourself or him, the buildup to your orgasm approached faster than what you expected. As if both factors weren’t enough, you were still sensitive over the climax you were robbed of prior moments ago.

You mewled, trying to reach behind you and hold his hand to ground yourself.

Instead, the fae grabbed your arms and pinned them against your back, his pace not stuttering for even a minute.

This was what you wanted—for him to be rougher…and within a couple more smacks of his hips against yours, you came hard around him, broken moans of his name escaping from your bitten lips. Lilia quieted himself by kissing your shoulder the moment he released his cum inside.

Sore and spent, your head collapsed forward against the pillow again. You heard Lilia’s amused chuckle, resting next to you while keeping an arm wrapped around you.

“I wasn’t too rough, right?” He muttered after a while in silence, his eyes inspecting your body. “Does it hurt somewhere?”

“My arms, you gripped me too hard,” You mumbled. “I didn’t notice it at the moment because…it felt nice…”

At your confession, he looked taken back by it before his expression shifted into a relieved one and he chuckled. “I should’ve known you like being treated like that. You are quite keen about my fangs, and I’ve noticed how your body melts when I bite you,”

Before you could fawn over the coy visage that took over his eyes for a split second, it faded away with the same ease it appeared as he turned his head to the other side.

“I love it when you’re trying to be gentle, even if you’re not that great at it,” You teased, your fingers brushing his hair. Lilia grunted, suddenly grumpy about you pointing that out. “But I also enjoy it when you’re rough,”

He humphed, still avoiding facing you. You smiled at him, despite it not being visible to him. You closed your eyes, feeling exhaustion getting to you.

#twst smut #twst x reader #twisted wonderland smut #lilia vanrouge x reader

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skaldish · 8 months ago

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To add onto that last ask abt voting, while I think destroying the system would be beneficial, they're forgetting that there's going to be horrible people participating in the system regardless of our participation and voting for the GOP. How can you destroy a system when a significant chunk of the population is going to enthusiastically participate in it regardless? It's not like Conservative bigots won't vote.

Bruh. Do you know what would happen if you were to destroy the system?

Millions and millions of people will die, starting with the most marginalized and the most vulnerable.

Do you know why? Because the power vacuum left behind by a collapsed government will not stay unoccupied. It will rapidly be filled by whoever is the biggest, nastiest, bloodthirstiest bully on the block.

Why do you think Project 2025 is all about destroying the system? Because the system, again, is the only thing preventing the alt-right from going on an ethnic cleansing spree, killing everyone who doesn't fit their vision of a white ethno-nation.

You will not herald in a golden age of equity by destroying a system that has working checks and balances. You will get a lifetime of stress and living from moment to harrowing moment. You will have to sacrifice getting to be who you are in exchange for becoming a machine for survival.

Anarchy is a beautiful dream, because it's a dream that'll do whatever you want in your mind. It is Intriguing. It is New. It is Different. It looks like a fresh start, a blank canvas...but the error lies in assuming you'll get ANY SAY in how that canvas will get painted. Life is not something we get to shape like that, because it's not something we can control no matter how we organize ourselves. All we can do is figure out how we want to co-habit and co-operate within the ecosystem of all things.

There will always be "bad people" participating in the system, yes, but that's because "bad people" is a construct—bad is a thing we made it up. What's bad in one worldview is good in another. Not only that, everyone is capable of being bad and good, regardless of the morals and values they hold, system or no system.

Additionally, those same bigots who participate in the system now? They will GLADLY participate in a non-system.

Hell, they've got fucking plans for it.

#answered #ffs #politics #humanitarian issues

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dogtoling · 1 month ago

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Biology of Inkfish - Health

Notably, neocephalopods only possess an innate immune system and completely lack an adaptive immune system as seen in most fish - their immune systems are “non-learning”. This means that cephalings do not form immunities to diseases, nor do their immune systems protect them from diseases they have endured before. In comparison to organisms with an adaptive immune system, vaccines are redundant to cephalings, but on the positive side, allergies do not occur.

Common symptoms of disease in inkfish include headaches, changes in ink consistency, ink droughts, duller tentacle colors, muscle weakness, dizziness, wobbly movements and loss of appetite. Excessive ink bleed, low body temperatures, dry skin, fatigue, loss of coordination and general tiredness are also common symptoms of various infections. Sick individuals usually naturally seek out warm or even hot environments, and may spend excessive time in hot showers, underneath heated blankets or even the oven in ill-advised lapses of judgment. Raising the body temperature helps combat infection and beat illness faster, but can exacerbate symptoms of dehydration and be potentially dangerous to the brain and organs if not controlled.

Infections are easily transmitted through fresh ink or skin contact with other inkfish. As a result, infected inkfish are strictly banned from ink sports, as one Turf War with one infected player will almost certainly infect every player coming in contact with the ink.

Cephalings also encounter many conditions that aren’t necessarily caused by bacteria, such as cancers, muscle tears, beak chipping and growth abnormalities. Growth abnormalities may include quickly manifesting issues such as deep-sea gigantism or splitting or malformation of limbs. Abnormalities in limb growth most often occur when a limb is regenerating, but typically pose no risks.

An inkfish in poor health, mental or physical, will often have thin or droopy tentacles, reduced ink production and dull coloring. Some very common causes for these symptoms can be stress, poor mental health, very poor nutrition or disease.

[The same inkfish when healthy (A) and when sick (B) exhibiting some common symptoms of illness. The most prominent symptom of any illness is desaturation of the skin.]

Regenerative Abilities

Cephalings are somewhat famous for their regenerative abilities and overall hardiness. Their bodies are incredibly flexible, and they have no bones - making them very impact-resistant. While they often sustain scratches and wounds thanks to their relatively thin skin, their regenerative abilities make up for many of their shortcomings.

In nature, neocephalopods would often lose limbs, from tips of the limbs to entire arms ripped off. This is a type of injury they are well adapted to, to the point that crown tentacles are even routinely cut off and minced for fashion purposes in the modern day. Wounds on the limbs bleed for a short time until the regenerative process begins; in inkfish, this window is even smaller due to ink bleeding out and helping to block the site of injury. Depending on whether the cephaling is healthy and gets proper sustenance, the limb often grows back in less than a year; in smaller species, it may grow back in even just a few months. Although cephalings can regrow their limbs as many times as they have to, it is quite common for mutations to occur, and the arm may split or grow in a strange shape.

Cephalings can regenerate a lot more than their arms - they can also regenerate parts of their organs, brains, and eyes to a lesser degree. Eyes can regenerate fully from shallow wounds, and partially from deeper wounds, to the point that an almost fully demolished eye can regenerate enough tissue to regain the ability to sense light. Minor brain- and heart injuries can also be regenerated, although with a higher margin of error with larger injuries that are still survivable. Damage to a branchial heart* is typically survivable, and the organs usually heal completely over time.

(* The branchial hearts are paired and are responsible for supplying blood to one gill each. Losing one entirely and surviving on just one gill is generally possible, although the reduced respiration poses some challenges.) Large injuries can still be lethal for cephalings. While losing one or more limbs isn’t particularly dangerous, situations where this happens as an effect of a predator attack often leave the cephaling unable to flee and thus cause them to get eaten. Injury to the systemic heart or the brain is also usually lethal within a short period of time. While they can regenerate limbs and organs, they are vulnerable to damage to the torso and mantle and are likely to perish from wounds that involve chunks being ripped off.

Common Ailments

Various ink infections. There are MANY kinds of infections that are caused when bacteria that really shouldn’t be in there get inside the ink sac. This typically causes atypical ink production and consistency, dizziness, possible body pains and ink droughts. Most ink infections are easily identified and are treated with antibiotics or gel that absorbs into the ink veins.

Ink bleed. A state in which ink bleeds out of the ink sac and the body involuntarily. It’s typically caused by the ink ducts being open involuntarily and abnormally, the body producing too much ink, the ink produced being too runny or a combination of several factors. It is usually a symptom of illness or abnormality of the ink sac.

Ink drought. The opposite of ink bleed. An ink drought is a condition where the ink sac produces much less ink than normal, or even none. It usually leads to issues with the muscles and upright posture due to low ink pressure, and usually leads to problems of the ink vein system and dry skin if left untreated.

Poisoning or Envenomation. The most common cases of poisoning are from contact with poisonous creatures, skin contact with chemicals, or from toxin accumulation in seafood. Symptoms of poisoning vary VERY widely based on the toxin, affected species and the amount of toxin absorbed, ranging from mild discomfort and lightheadedness to paralysis and rapid death.

Hypothermia. Low body temperatures are a very common problem within cephalings, especially during colder months. They can be caused by being in environments that are much too cold or consuming too much cold food or drink. Symptoms include drowsiness, shivering, weakness and lethargy. The treatment is simple and consists of warming up the patient, although this should be done gradually.

Malnutrition. Malnutrition is a bigger issue among cephalings than one would assume, and is often caused by either too little food altogether, or not enough meat being consumed. As a lot of modern street food is mostly carbohydrates and is vegetable-based, the overall consumption of meat can dip very low for some cephalings despite their carnivorous nature. Common symptoms include loss of muscle, tiredness and irritation, lightheadedness, consistent hunger, decreased ink production and stunted growth (typically in juveniles).

Muscle weakness. Issues stemming from muscle weakness are very common in cephalings, especially inkfish, which derive a lot of their stability from ink flow. Since cephalings lack real bones, any excessive weakening of the muscles can result in rapid loss of walking and standing ability. Significant loss of muscle function may result from general long-term inactivity, illness, malnutrition, low ink pressure or low ink levels and is quite common. Even slightly extended periods of inactivity or illness sometimes require people to depend on external mobility aids afterwards, and canes especially are a widely used option for countering muscle weakness both short- and long term. Some inkfish counter significant muscle weakness by abandoning bipedalism altogether and turning to spending most of their time in swim form. Some forms of muscle weakness prevent switching between forms altogether, though this occurs mainly in people who stop switching forms for an extended amount of time.

Ink pressure issues. An inkfish’s ink system pulses ink around at a somewhat consistent rate, keeping up the natural flow. An absence or overabundance of ink, ink infections, illness, stress and anxiety as well as a myriad of other things may cause ink pressure to be higher or lower than normal. High ink pressure typically causes restlessness, stiffness and ink bleed, whereas low ink pressure causes wobbliness and unstable movement, lethargy, muscle pain and reduced stamina.

Beak issues. Cephaling beaks grow slowly but indefinitely and need to routinely be filed down if not naturally worn down. If the beak isn't used enough to naturally even out from use, one may run into beak overgrowth. For most people, mild beak overgrowth isn't an issue, and parts of the beak sticking out of the mouth is generally considered inconsequential. More advanced beak overgrowth can become problematic by digging into parts of the buccal mass and causing infections and making eating difficult. This typically occurs with individuals who have fear regarding beak procedures or healthcare. Other common issues with the beak include beak misalignment and brittleness of the beak.

Radular decay. Radular decay occurs when bits of food are stuck between or under the radular teeth, causing infection, and is more common with plant-based food sources. It is prevented by regular cleaning or brushing of the radula. Mild forms may be limited to radular pain and occasional bleeding, but severe radular decay may require the radula to be removed, which significantly limits a cephaling's diet. For perhaps obvious reasons, radular decay is not of significance for species that have no radula.

Sucker infections. Infections of the suction cups are most prevalent in squid, which have chitinous sucker rings which can trap muck, grime and other particles between the ring and fleshy tissue. Alternatively, hooks or rings can grow incorrectly or overgrow if not maintained and dig into the flesh, causing infection. They occur more commonly in people who regularly use their suckers and get them in contact with different things, but often fly under the radar for people who use their suckers for touch-based things less and thus assume that sucker care is irrelevant. Infections of the sucker usually cause pain, bleeding, dryness and potential shriveling up of the infected suckers, where severe infections can cause individual sucker necrosis and spread to the whole limb. Crown tentacle infections are particularly dangerous in that the infection can easily spread to the brain. In situations where a sucker is badly infected, it is typically precautionary to remove the sucker, a part of the limb or the whole limb, as it is often safer and more convenient to replace an inflamed sucker than it is to wait for infection to subside.

Conditions and Mutations

[Three common limb mutations, the most common types of significant mutation among cephalings. Limb mutations can occur as part of a genetic condition or by chance during regeneration of a limb. With the modern prevalence of tentacle cutting, it is said that up to 40% of limb regenerations involve some form of mutation. Pictured are A. branching, B. anemonism and C. blanking.]

White Beak. The color of the inkfish beak especially varies greatly in its ratio of black and white. While the base of the beak is always pale, ancestral squid and octopus beaks were mostly dark in the exposed area. In modern inkfish, a common mutation makes the beaks almost entirely pale, which also has the effect of them being softer in comparison. In the current day, predominantly white beaks are more common than black beaks are, although the majority of people will have some form of gradient in beak color and hardness. In a big part of the population, this comes with a larger risk factor for beak chipping and limitations for food hardness, though it also reduces the risk of beak overgrowth in comparison to black beaks. Brittle beaks are usually treated primarily with a threshold for maximum food hardness and beak polish to protect the surface of the beak, whereas beak chipping is usually handled by attaching artificial parts to the beak to shield it during regrowth or filing the rest of the beak to be level with the chipped segment. Cracks in a beak can be filled in with a hardening filler substance that conceals the crack and strengthens the beak.

Color Lock. Some cephalings are born without some of their ink sac chemicals, which limits the colors of ink they can mix - some extreme cases are limited to just one color. Aside from the inconvenience of having limited ink colors, the mutation is harmless. In some cases, people may choose to treat color lock by ingesting dyes to color their ink to whatever the situation calls for. Sometimes, color lock can be caused temporarily by a disease or underlying health condition, but permanent color lock is only genetic.

Ink Wither. A condition in which the ink sac produces very little ink, and may stop producing ink completely. It causes permanent ink drought, though ink drought on its own is usually a temporary symptom caused by a myriad of things. Although ink wither usually exists from birth due to unusual development of the ink sac or other related complications, it is sometimes caused when an ink drought caused by other triggers, such as disease, dehydration, bacterial infections or malnutrition, is prolonged and becomes chronic. It is treated mostly through artificial ink refills, ink soak therapy* and external mobility aids due to low ink levels often causing complications with stability.

(*Ink soak therapy is a treatment in which an inkfish bathes in a shallow tub or dish of ink. Prolonged contact with large amounts of ink has been proven to stimulate the body's own ink production, so it is an effective remedy for some instances of ink drought and also helps absorb ink into the system.)

Ink Boom. An opposing condition to ink wither in which the ink sac produces excessive amounts of ink and continues to do so even when full. It usually co-occurs with chronic ink bleed. The severity of the condition determines difficulty of the treatment; in cases of slightly above-average ink production, attention to hydration and sufficient purging of ink throughout the day may be enough to manage the condition, whereas high-producing cases may require constant monitoring and frequent hospital stays. In most affected people, the severity of the condition varies on environmental or other factors and may come in episodes. Ink boom is a condition often developed by long-term ink battlers due to frequent usage of large amounts of ink, but may develop throughout childhood or in adulthood, where it most often develops from substance use or stress. Typical symptoms include comorbid chronic ink bleed, stiffness, swelling under the skin, dehydration, malnutrition and restlessness. Treatments include purging of excess ink to avoid buildup, monitoring hydration and nutrition levels, medications to relax the ink sac or, in extreme cases, removal of the ink sac, which imposes dependence on externally sourced ink but eliminates the root cause. Ink boom sometimes occurs temporarily as a comorbidity to various health complications, and is sometimes a precursor for progressing into ink wither later in life.

Branching. Branching is a state where the limbs split and branch at the ends to form new ones continuously. Branching can be developed at birth, upon which it is typically permanent. A person with branching will typically have their limbs split into two or more growths upon the tip being cut off, or a new branch may start growing out of a non-injured limb arbitrarily. It can affect all the limbs or just some of the limbs, but an inkfish with genetic branching will always develop branches on a limb, even if cut off and regrown, although the size and position of the branching may change and vary. In individuals where only some limbs are affected, cutting off an unaffected limb will typically spread branching to that limb upon regrowth. Consequently, there are many people that are unaware of having the condition due to having no external traits until a limb is first regenerated. Some people may develop temporary branching as a result of stress, or randomly while regenerating a limb. Branches can be removed by cutting off branches and burning the root tissue to prevent regeneration, although this is done primarily for cosmetic reasons due to branching of the limbs being generally inconsequential health-wise.

Anemonism. A common genetic mutation that causes more than the usual amount of limbs to form. In most cases, it manifests in the form of additional crown tentacles, but there are sometimes extra arms or legs. The rarity goes up with the amount of extra limbs present; it is quite common for inkfish to have one or two extra crown tentacles, for example. It differs from branching in that the new limbs originate straight from the body with complete or partially complete muscle groups, rather than branching off from an existing limb. New limbs do not grow in later in life, although the onset depends on the type of anemonism; additional locomotive limbs are present from birth, whereas additional crown tentacles will grow in with the rest of the tentacle crown. Conditions where one or more of the limbs or crown tentacles are absent are considered a subset of anemonism, usually referred to as reverse anemonism.

Blanking. A somewhat rare condition which causes less or no suction cups to form, resulting in greatly reduced amounts of suckers and a signature “blank tentacles” look. It is usually present from birth, although similar effects may occur in regenerated limbs for people without the condition. It affects both the crown tentacles and the graspers; some people may only have a few suckers, some people may have none at all, and it may affect different limbs disproportionately or only affect some of the limbs. It is most noticeable in octolings, although it occurs in all sucker-bearing cephalings. In decapods, it often causes the tentacular clubs to form in unusual shapes or not form at all, and commonly results in oddly shaped or missing sucker rings. People with the condition often have comorbidities affecting the suckers, such as splitting, asymmetry, stunted development of the sucker or dulled chemoreception. For people with blanking, cutting off and regenerating limbs still produces reduced suction cup numbers, and developing other regenerative limb abnormalities is quite common. It is a condition that doesn’t require medical treatment, although people for whom it affects the graspers may benefit from specialized equipment for fingerless species.

General Limb Abnormalities. Extra limbs, missing limbs, extra suckers or missing suckers, limbs with no hand or multiple hands per limb - the list goes on. There is a plethora of limb abnormalities within neocephalopods, and they are not actually that uncommon; roughly one in 5 inkfish has something of the sort at some point of their life. Oftentimes, extra limbs, suckers or arms are at least partially or even fully functional. Many limb abnormalities are permanent and present from birth, while the most common ones can develop at any time, usually resulting from damage to a limb. People with one type of genetic limb abnormality are also likely to have other coexisting conditions; for example, anemonism and blanking often co-occur.

Kraken Syndrome. Kraken Syndrome is a psychological condition where the Kraken response* triggers dangerously easily. This condition occurs when the body is conditioned to frequent Kraken transformations to the point where the brain becomes exponentially more receptive to triggers for Krakening and thus dramatically lowers the threshold for natural Kraken episodes to occur. When this threshold is low enough, the Kraken is triggered abnormally easily and Kraken Syndrome is diagnosed. It is treated mainly with exposure therapy, mood stabilizing medication, depressants and sedatives, and specific medications that induce fatigue or physically weaken the body enough to prevent physical Krakening. It is highly comorbid with anxiety disorders, which also often function as triggers. Kraken Syndrome became widely documented in the late 2010’s, almost uniquely among frequent users of the Kraken special weapon. It is not to be confused with the rare condition where the Kraken form is able to be triggered at will with no psychological effects; this is not a type of Kraken Syndrome as it involves a voluntary transformation as opposed to a lowered threshold for involuntary uncontrolled transformations.

(* The Kraken response occurs with the fight-of-flight response of inkfish and correlates with a threshold of emotional distress that triggers the transformation. During a Kraken transformation, the inkfish becomes aggressive and disoriented, ink production is drastically increased, ink builds in the muscles and tissues increasing the individual's size, and a deimatic display is forced, often creating a high-contrast pattern. It isn't a panic reaction in itself and not all panic reactions inherently lead to a Kraken episode, but some degree of extremely high anxiety and desperation or anger are mandatory for a Kraken to trigger. The threshold that a Kraken triggers tends to vary based on person, but it generally requires an extremely high-stress situation with imminent threat. In general circumstances, the average inkfish will probably Kraken zero to three times in their life.)

[An image detailing the differences between typical emotional agitation required to trigger the Kraken response between unaffected individuals and those with Kraken syndrome. The special charge state is considered the basic state of agitation when special weapons become usable due to increased metabolic rates and high ink production. The Kraken response is typically far above the average person's typical agitation levels and triggers only in extremely dire situations. Usage of the Kraken drug for Turf Wars artificially lowers that threshold for the transformation itself to roughly the same threshold as the special charge state. Frequent transformations under the influence of the drug do not trigger the psychological disorientation and other effects of the Kraken, but they are still generally detected by the body and brain as an emergency situation, which lowers the natural threshold for natural Krakening over a long period of transformations to compensate for frequent threats. This causes an effect where even minor agitation may trigger the brain into a full-blown Kraken transformation in response to a nonexistent threat and is the case for people with Kraken syndrome. High-strung Kraken syndrome is diagnosed when the threshold for Krakening is so low that it co-occurs with the natural special charge state of the individual or even before that emotional threshold.]

Deep-Sea Gigantism. Shortened often to DSG, deep-sea gigantism is a sudden growth spurt caused by high long-term stress levels. It is a defensive response to unfamiliar or threatening life situations, mostly fueled by hormonal changes in the body in the long term. DSG gets its common name due to its prevalence in people moving in or out of the Deepsea, in which case it is often triggered by extreme change in pressure levels, disorientation through change in environment and general stress of moving, which captures a lot of common triggers for the condition. The name isn’t to say that the underground or -water are the only conditions where it occurs; it may occur as a response to any type of long-term stress, anxiety, frequent threatening situations or even some medications. The main symptom of deep-sea gigantism is unnatural, accelerated growth that might be dismissed in the short term and only becomes apparent within the span of months where it becomes clear that the pace is abnormal, and it is common to outgrow the typical size estimates for one’s species under long-term DSG. Other symptoms include increased hunger and appetite, fatigue, rapid muscle gain, headaches and general disorientation. The condition may be self-fueling due to the body directing most of the energy into growth and thus causing potential deficiencies elsewhere. Long-term instances of DSG with significant growth may also cause issues and comorbid conditions to develop due to the growth of the body and the growth of the organs and ink sac often being disproportionate. Deep-sea gigantism differs from regular gigantism in that it is a temporary (albeit often long-lasting) condition that has external triggers as opposed to a permanent condition. It is typically treated with anti-stress medication, eliminating underlying root causes, and limiting energy intake. Short periods of DSG often go entirely unnoticed, but longer periods are highly problematic due to the increase in body size not being reversible.

Hyperchromatophorism. Casually referred to as hi-chrom, it is a type of hyperpigmentation that causes chromatophore amounts in excess and causes the skin to be abnormally brightly colored in adult individuals where chromatophores are typically sparse. It is different from late onset of mature chromatophore sparsening due to the density of chromatophores being drastically higher to begin with. Usually, hyperchromatophorism is present from birth and affects either the whole body or large areas of the body, causing vivid colors and patterns to display across the whole body or areas of the body rather than just the crown tentacles. The intensity of these colors depends on the individual, and the condition may be light and only cause slightly increased saturation in parts of the body, or it can cause the entire body to be a solid color. It is mirrored by hypochromatophorism, which is a partial or complete lack of chromatophores in an area, and is about as common as the former but less noticeable due to mainly being visible in the crown tentacles. Either condition can occur in people without the conditions in areas where skin regenerates, and is quite common with large wounds.

Chronic Ink Bleed. Chronic ink bleed is a condition where excessive amounts of ink seep through the skin and the ink ducts are permanently, or predominantly, open. It is a consistently repeating or constant presence of the ink bleed condition which varies in severity based on whether the ink ducts are permanently open or only frequently open. Chronic ink bleed almost always co-occurs with chronic dehydration, low ink levels, malfunctions of the ink sac and ink system and mobility issues stemming from ink loss. It is usually managed with means that prevent or lessen ink evaporation; absorbent body wear, lotions that clog ink ducts around the skin or other medications that force the ink ducts to close, or alternatively frequent ink refills often administered by portable machines intravenously. Inkfish with chronic ink bleed often fare poorly in areas with dry air. Significant and long-lasting ink bleed is often a symptom of illness, and it may turn chronic after severe episodes of sickness. Chronic ink bleed can be a birth condition or it may develop later in life; late onset is often seen in professional Turf War players. It may also develop as a side effect of medication, unrelated illness, high stress or anxiety levels or hormonal imbalance, although in these cases it is typically reversible.

Color dysfunction. Color dysfunction is a condition where the color-changing skin cells aren’t under conscious control, and cycle colors randomly. It doesn’t apply to dead or inactive chromatophores as the affected cells are alive and active, but the ability to control them is absent, limited, or leads to inaccurate displays. Cephalings with the condition have highly variable skin patterns, from constantly cycling colors in no particular order, spontaneous deactivation or activation of the skin cells, or colors that somewhat correlate with emotion or activity but still have no conscious control. People with color dysfunction may have it across the entire skin, or it may be isolated to specific patches of the body while other areas have controllable pigment cells. It may also develop in areas where skin regenerates for people that do not have it as a pre-existing condition. It is most often present from birth, but sometimes develops later in life in response to stress, brain damage or psychological conditions, where it may be permanent or subside with time. Symptoms also often arise temporarily as a response to drugs, medications or high stress situations. Color dysfunction has a high occurrence rate alongside different psychological conditions and is presumed to be a mismatch of electrical signals in the brain to what is actually displayed on the skin, or overall dysfunction of the center that dictates color change.

Color stasis. Color stasis is a subtype of color dysfunction where the color-changing cells are alive but permanently deactivated involuntarily. It differs from chromatophore atrophy or chromatophore death in that cells are not dead, but deactivated. It is caused by inactivity of the brain center in charge of color change, whether that is due to an absence, partial inactivity or nerve damage to parts of the body or brain. It can be present from birth or develop later, typically due to brain damage or substance abuse. It may also extend to all skin or only be present in select areas or patches of skin. People without the pre-existing condition sometimes develop individual patches of color stasis in areas where skin regenerates.

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