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An impulsive adventurer and scientist attempted to take her ill equipped mini sub into some of the deepest reaches of the ocean. In her overzealous enthusiasm she was not properly prepared. The pressure crushed the sub and the adventurer with it.




Basics: The Vampire Squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis, lit. "vampire squid from hell") is a small, deep-sea cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Unique retractile sensory filaments justify the Vampire Squid's placement in its own order: Vampyromorphida (formerly Vampyromorpha), though it shares similarities with both squid and octopuses. As a phylogenetic relict it is the only known surviving member of its order.

At a maximum 30 cm (1 ft) in total length, the Vampire Squid is no threat to humans. Its 15 cm (6 inch) gelatinous body varies in color between velvety jet-black and pale reddish, depending on location and lighting conditions. A webbing of skin connects its eight arms, each lined with rows of fleshy spines or cirri; the inside of this "cloak" is black. Only the distal half (farthest from the body) of the arms have suckers. Its limpid, globular eyes; which appear red or blue, also depending on lighting; are proportionately the largest in the animal kingdom at 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter.

Mature adults have a pair of ear-like fins projecting from the lateral sides of the mantle. These fins serve as the adult's primary means of propulsion: Vampire Squid "fly" through the water by flapping their fins. Their powerful beak-like jaws are as white as ivory. Within the webbing are two pouches wherein the tactile velar filaments are concealed. The filaments are analogous to a true squid's tentacles, extending well past the arms; however, they are a different arm pair than the squid's tentacles. Instead, the filaments are the same pair that were lost by the ancestral octopuses.

The Vampire Squid is covered entirely in light-producing organs called photophores. The animal has great control over the organs, capable of producing disorienting flashes of light for fractions of a second to several minutes in duration. The intensity and size of the photophores can also be modulated. Appearing as small white discs, the photophores are larger and more complex at the tips of the arms and at the base of the two fins, but are absent from the underside of the caped arms. Two larger white areas on top of the head were initially believed to also be photophores, but have turned out to be photoreceptors.

Environment: The Vampire Squid is an extreme example of a deep-sea cephalopod, thought to reside at lightless depths from 600-900 metres (2,000-3,000 feet) or more. Within this region of the world's oceans is a discrete habitat known as the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Within the OMZ oxygen saturation is too low to support aerobic metabolism in most higher organisms. Nonetheless, the Vampire Squid is able to live and breathe normally in the OMZ at oxygen saturations as low as 3%; a feat no other cephalopod, and few other animals, can claim.

In order to cope with life in the suffocating depths, vampire squid have developed several radical adaptations. Of all deep-sea cephalopods, their mass-specific metabolic rate is the lowest. The animals have weak musculature but maintain agility and buoyancy with little effort thanks to sophisticated statocysts (balancing organs akin to a human's inner ear) and ammonium-rich gelatinous tissues closely matching the density of the surrounding seawater.

At the shallower end of the Vampire Squid's vertical range, the view from below is like the sky at twilight: The highly sensitive eyes of deepwater denizens are able to distinguish the silhouettes of other animals moving overhead. To combat this, the vampire squid generates its own bluish light (bioluminescence) in a strategy called counterillumination: The light diffuses the animal's silhouette, effectively "cloaking" its presence from the watchful eyes below. Its own large eyes detect even the faintest of gleams. A pair of photoreceptors are located on top of its head, perhaps alerting the animal to movements above.

Like many deep-sea cephalopods, Vampire Squid lack ink sacs. If threatened, instead of ink, a sticky cloud of bioluminescent mucus containing innumerable orbs of blue light is ejected from the arm tips. This luminous barrage, which may last nearly 10 minutes, is presumably meant to daze would-be predators and allow the Vampire Squid to disappear into the blackness without the need to swim far. The display is made only if the animal is very agitated; regenerating the mucus is costly from a metabolic point of view.

Information taken from Wikipedia

NAME : Algernon "Algie" Michelin
GENDER : Male
AGE : 55
OCCUPATION : Retired Auror
RACE : Human (wizard)
LIKES : Tea, Reading, Writing, the outdoors, teaching, soft things
DISLIKES : Loud commotions, ignorance, intolerance, bullies
LOOKS : Algie is a good looking, middle aged man. Even though he is retired, Algie really isn't very old. He has light brown hair that is graying at the temples and a salt and pepper 5 o'clock shadow the majority of the time. As a retiree he feels no need to dress up unless on a special occasion. He's mostly seen in plain shirts with cardigans along with his standard pair of glasses. The only remarkable things about his appearance are his brilliant emerald colored eyes and a tattoo of a green dragon he has on his chest. This tattoo is rarely seen by anyone but himself.

PERSONALITY : Algie is a very laid back sort of man. His exciting lifestyle as a younger man fulfilled most of his life's goals and so now he is a pretty content sort of fellow. He is very giving, always willing and eager to help. He's very knowledgeable on various different subjects as a learned person would be. He doesn't have a significant other so he has a lot of love to give those in his family. He has seen his share of nightmares in his lifetime and he doesn't do much talking about his time as an Auror. He's quick with a smile and laughs at almost every joke. All around, Algie is just a very nice man.

HISTORY : After an exciting life through his twenties and thirties, Algie settled down. He spent some time teaching, a part time job, and even worked a bit in a book store owned by a friend. Most recently his daughter asked him to come and stay in her home to take care of her children while she went away to search for her missing husband. Algie, happy to spend time with his grandchildren and eager to help in any way, moved into her house where he has been living ever since. His grandsons are growing fast and need less and less attention. While Algie is an experienced and skilled wizard he usually only uses magic for everyday activities. Having spent most of his life with an emphasis on powerful magic, he now just avoids it unless it is a dire situation. He certainly wouldn't be someone you would want to threaten, though he avoids confrontation as much as possible. He may even be a bit of a pushover. He mostly reads and enjoys the garden while taking care of his kitten, Fizzgig.

His kitten is literally a fuzzy lump of cream colored fur with bright blue eyes. She's sort of like a tiny blob of kitten. Chubby.. fluffy.. and sleeps a lot. She's really small and can fit in his pocket.

soon to come!