how do the sharks in your universe deal with parasites like ommatokoita and copepods?
Oh, that's a very specific question hehe
Well, they developed arms, so naturally they got rid of the parasites with their bare hands. The parasites developed new tactics like attaching themselves to parts of the body that the sharkfolk probably couldn't reach. But then a sense of community blossomed, so they got rid of each other's parasites until they finally invented natural repellents to apply to their skin.
As they adapted to the surface of the sea, they never came into contact with these parasites again, but they found other problems to deal with on the surface, mainly related to fungi ~
In relation to the Ommatokoita, the civilization who have Greenland Sharks as their original ancestors, known as "Longevians", probably had a cultural and spiritual connection with this parasite. They believed that allowing themselves to be blinded by the parasite throughout their lives gave rise to new senses that perceived a hidden reality, saying that they could see the 'essence' of life forms and thus discover whether they were mentally or physically ill. With the rise to the surface of the sea and the arrival of the modern age, this slowly became folklore and the tradition was lost.
The parasite that specifically affected the ancient Longevian sharkfolk has never been found in the wild again, only a few remain alive living in the eyes of elders who are more than five centuries old, probably extinguished by the abandonment of the practice.
I wrote some more details in the alt text of the illustrations if you want to check ~ I hope you enjoy! 🦈✨
I wanted to thank whoever asked this question! I've been stuck with art for a few days due to my declining mental health and this has inspired me to draw a little again! I will answer the other previous questions soon ~
never let anyone tell you that trawling through mediocre victorian poetry isn't worth it. we just happened upon an absolute BANGER of a worm poem. go read it or else 🪱🪱🪱
I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard
Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.
Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.
Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.
Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.
SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.
SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.
Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.
Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.
Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.
Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.
Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.
Not all of The Rules Of The Internet (origin of Rule 34 and, less remembered, Rules 50 (A Crossover, no matter how improbable, will eventually happen in Fan Art, Fan Fiction, or official release material, often through fanfiction of it) and 63 (For every given male character, there is a female version of that character (and vice-versa). And there is always porn of that character.) has aged well, but always remember a few other rules (boiled down to the basic meaning):
Rule 11: No matter how much you love debating, keep in mind that no one on the internet debates. Instead they mock your intelligence as well as your parents. (Never assume any “debate” is done in good faith if you have any reason to believe otherwise)
Rule 13: Anything you say can and will be turned into something else (someone somewhere will maliciously twist your words)
Rule 14: Do not argue with trolls—it means they win. (Don’t Feed The Trolls, block em and go, you don’t owe them shit)
Rule 33: Lurk more—it's never enough. (If you don’t know, don’t speak up. Internet version of “better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and confirm it”)
Rule 39: CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL. (Classic memes never truly go out of style, someone will appreciate it…)
Rule 40: EVEN WITH CRUISE CONTROL YOU STILL HAVE TO STEER (…but you can always go overboard, mix it up every once in a while)
Rule 49: No matter what it is, it is somebody's fetish. (Self explanatory, but in more modern times a reminder to be wary of people asking for things you don’t possibly believe could be a fetish)
Rule 62: It has been cracked and pirated. You can find anything if you look long enough. (Keep Circulating The Tapes, and ask any tech savvy friends if they know a guy)