Author Notes - Avast, belay, hurrah for more forsaken single-membered families. You know, I do complain about them sometimes, but in reality I should take them as a blessing since they make for nice breaks between the big families.
I severely underestimated the size of this project. I mean, it shouldn't be that long compared to my Luigi's Mansion story, but it's still gonna be big. Then again, the format kinda forces a large size.
FLOBBLER FAMILY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asterquid
Order: Bubillosida
EMILY'S PERSONAL NOTES
I-I can't with some of these family names. Look, the 'Crushblat' family was strange enough, but… FLOBBER family? I mean, I can't exactly argue with that name. It's incredibly fitting. Doesn't mean I have to like it, though. Oh wait, it's actually the 'Flobbler' family? That… isn't much better. And all these single-membered families are beginning to annoy me.
When it comes to the hilariously-named Waddlepuss itself, though, I really like this guy! I mean, this thing shoots BUBBLES. BUB. BLES. What's there not to love! Yeah, it kinda sucks when you get stuck in one of them, but the ride is so much fun (if kinda scary) that I can't get mad at it. And it's only doing that to protect its little babies! I don't have any kids of my own yet - though I've got some nieces and nephews who I adore - but I would love to defend them with BUBBLES! … I'm not sure how effective that would be against any real threat, though.
I like bubbles, in case you can't tell. They remind me of when our oldest sister Ida would get out the bubble maker, and the rest of us would run around trying to pop as many as possible. We stopped when Ida left for college, because apparently we were 'all too old for it now'. I'm sure they really did want to do it, but just missed Ida too much. … I wanna go back home now.
PHYSICAL APPEARANCES
The only known member of this family, the Opisteuthidae iaciobulla (Waddlepus), has an odd appearance that can best be described as an octopus mixed with a starfish. It is purple almost entirely, aside from the white areas around its face and lined across the bottom of its body and around its eyes. The eyes are green and have hour-glass-shaped pupils in the middle. Its whole back is covered with big yellow pores, from which bubbles can emerge.
HABITAT
The Waddlepus is found primarily in water, as one would expect from a creature bearing a resemblance to two aquatic animals. It prefers smaller ponds in flower-filled gardens, but can also be located in underground pools or around tropical beaches. It is not restricted to water, however, and can venture out to nearby patches of land for a limited amount of time. If it remains out of the water for any longer than a single day, failing to retreat to the water at night, it may dry out and perish.
DIET AND DEFENCES
Like most species of starfish, Waddlepuses are primarily carnivorous. They only eat at night, preferring to sleep during the day though they remain on high alert for predators. The bubbles it is well-known for spewing actually aid little in its hunting methods. When it encounters prey - usually consisting of slow-moving animals such as snails and sea sponges, though can also include carrion - it will expel its stomach out through its mouth and use enzymes to digest its target.
The bubbles they are known for firing from their pores is, contrary to popular belief, not used for hunting. It makes no attempt to eat whatever is caught in their bubbles, likely due to how this method of defence usually results in the prey simply being washed away by the water or carried elsewhere by the wind. They are actually used strictly for self-defence. When predators approach, it puffs up its back to make itself look bigger and spews these bubbles rapid fire from its pores, distracting the potential predator and making it much harder to attack.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Waddlepuses are solitary creatures, preferring to remain strictly on their own and not bother with other members of their species. If two species happen to interact, it often ends with them shooting bubbles at each other as a minor annoyance. However, groups of Waddlepuses have been found gathering around places loaded with potential prey, and these groups come together at the same time at the end of every year.
COURTING AND CHILDREARING
Breeding season is the only time, outside of annual feeding frenzies, that groups of Waddlepuses will gather. Once a year, they all return to where they hatched and proceed to breed as a massive group. The bubbles from the pores are used to transport their genetic material into the air, where the bubbles will pop and spread the material everywhere. Fertilised eggs will fall to the sea floor, and male Waddlepuses will head back home. Many of them will not survive the trip back.
The females stay behind to defend the eggs until they hatch, spewing out bubbles at a pace so quick that it is best described as 'spamming'. When the offspring hatch, the mothers will remain until they are capable of creating their own bubbles, as this ability is not granted at birth and will only develop after several weeks. They will return to their homes and many of the offspring will travel down their own paths to seek independence.
OTHER NOTES
There is some debate over what the plural version of 'Waddlepus' is. 'Waddlepuses', 'Waddlepi', and 'Waddlepodes' are all common options. All three are equally valid, no matter what know-it-alls may try to claim.
NOTES FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS
Waddlepus -
When other creatures draw near, it emits bubbles from nozzles on its outer covering. The bubbles don't last long, but you can hit them with Pikmin to pop them early. Though the bubbles trap creatures, it doesn't seem interested in eating its catches. Maybe this is its idea of play? If so, it can be a dangerous game for its playmates. - Alph
I admit it, I'm guilty of getting caught in their bubbles deliberately. I love floating in the air, getting a bird's-eye view of this planet. Hang on... Ugh. Alph wanted to tell me the KopPad already does that for us. He has no sense of romance! - Brittany
The worst this thing can do is jail you inside one of the bubbles it spews from the holes all over it. Which is pretty bad, since unlike a regular cell, I need help from outside to escape. - Captain Charlie (Emily's Notes - Hang on, what? There's a story behind this one.)
Author Notes - Gotta love how 'octopus' has multiple ways to be spelt/pronounced as plural. And how some people like to be in your face about which one is 'correct' when, from what I know, it's a 'toh-may-toe verus toh-mah-toe' situation.
Next time, we-! Oh dear f***ing god, it's the Groinks...
