SQUID BIOLOGY

Thank you!

I'll answer this out of character since... well, humans are extinct. Which sort of pertains into my answer- it depends on the situation!

How would YOU feel if an intelligent, sapient velociraptor showed up one day? Is it random? Did humans bring this dinosaur back on purpose? Did YOU travel back in time? All of these situations would garner very different reactions.

Same with an inkling seeing a human. If they EXPECTED to see the human (time travel, bringing it back from the dead, etc) they'd probably be excited. If it was random, they'd probably be pretty scared or concerned- humans are extinct, and seeing a live one means something is very wrong!

Also, humans don't have superior technology. Inkling are, at least, equal to humans in terms of technology- if not more advanced. They managed to essentially recreate all human technology from things they'd found, which is why a lot of the tech is very similar- and how they managed to advance so quickly, where humans took millions of years to achieve sapience. We had to invent the tools- inklings just had to figure out how to use them!

(Ooc I'm having so much trouble figuring out how to draw them....)

Oh yeah, all the time. Depending on the kid, some use things like plushies they can roll around with and bite safely, while some use more... durable things. Silicone, certain ropes, and leather are all common options.

They do, but they're quite rare. Most are custom-made, since inkfish... very rarely permanently lose limbs. But custom made ones are just like any others, really!

A lot.

Though it depends on the activity- inkfish constantly produce ink, though most times, it's just enough to fill their ink sac and provide stability. However, during times of high adrenaline (such as turf wars), ink is produced at a much, much higher rate. This is because, a few thousand years ago, "high adrenaline" meant "YOU MIGHT DIE"- so ink was produced for self defense.

However, because inkfish always want more, bigger, and cooler, they found a way to stimulate ink production artificially. Certain chemicals, if injected or ingested, cause you to produce a frankly insane amount of adrenaline, and thus, ink.

Of course, that is really taxing on your body. Like... almost dangerously so. But inklings thought it was so cool anyway.

So that's where limiters come in.

After a set amount of time/ink produced, most weapon kits will dispense to you a small tablet (or, for some more serious players, injected directly into you) which essentially puts your ink sac into overdrive. The limiter prevents you from just... taking a bunch of them. It's like an automatic pet food dispenser. It's just enough for it to be useful, but not overly taxing on your body, letting you 'rest' in between.

This is what allows special to create so much ink.

Some illegal rings that break the limiter or allow unlimited use of these drugs will find their players become exhausted or even hospitalized after a while- with potentially permenant damage to the ink sac.

Depends on the culture and the situation, really.

A few cultures regard swim form entirely as taboo or risque, as you appear "naked". Some think it's rude when you're talking to someone, as you have much more limited facial expressions. Most think it's fine, just situational.

The rapid shifting in and out is (in cultures where swim form is fine in public), oftentimes very situational. It's usually regarded as an act of extreme emotion- like how some people just need to wiggle or move when they get really happy, or excited, or even frustrated.

In the times where it's clearly friendly/excited, because of the mimic nature of squids, others often join in. This is usually called a party, or squid party, and is fine!

Doing so after you've killed someone or defeated them, however, is often regarded as a taunt, and extremely rude- a way to say "haha I'm happy cus I beat you!!!"

Or is it different?

As far as I know, squiddymelons don't produce ink? They uh... kinda react to ink to sort of match the color if ink is sprayed on it. Something about being porous and absorbing some of the chemical composition? I'm not sure, I just ate them as a kid.

Olive has no idea either, because "I'm a biologist, not a botanist".

Of course!

Though many octolings prefer not to get their tentacles cut because of fear of pain, there's a lot of options. There's a variety of substances to help numb areas and reduce bleeding when they're cut.

For use at-home, oftentimes a mix of a tourniquet and numbing gel is used. Cinching the tentacle above where you're going to cut it reduces bleeding, and the gel reduces pain.

Doing it professionally, however, is often preferred. They tend to have higher quality gel, as well as injections. Gel is usually done first, to mask the pain of injection- a formula that even further numbs and also helps prevent bleeding, often only available with a license, and not done at home.

Yes, inkfish can get tattoos!

The tattooing is done with special made tattoo ink, not inkfish ink. Inkfish ink dissolves too easily, and if you use another inkfish's ink, your body might react badly to it.

Pretty much. 2-5% is the rough estimate of those with some sort of sociopathy or psychopathy (not to be confused with psychosis). This is pretty consistent among most sapient species.