#hepto

Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago that we found some of our heptos lurking in Minecraft? Well, it seems as of late they've picked up yet another hobby: being on top of the turf!

(Credit: Zepht | Also featuring Ivy, V, Amber, Ramu, Lily & Hyla)

Huh... that's odd, there's only seven heptopods instead of a normal group of eight in a match (as if the group count matches the appendage count of heptos or something)... is this bunch of chaotic beings bending the rules of the game? Surely not!

Well, some researchers think they would absolutely be capable of that as well and makes them perfect candidates for a game session scenario that they seem to be working on but I'm not so sure of the details myself... time will tell, I suppose!

This bunch seemed to form up recently with shared interests: they were all heptopods, they liked Splatoon and they liked those squishy sea creatures that we call octopuses. Who knows, maybe you'll see this group more often doing things together, so keep an eye out!

Zepht and I were discussing some ideas with others on the Lab Discord server.

This was the result.

If you know, you know. ^^;

Hey there! Hyla here, reporting from the Research Taskforce for the Heptopod Research Lab! You can see all our work here.

You're probably wondering what our research entails. We'll get straight to the point: we recently discovered a unique species derived from the octopus, with two particular distinctions:

they have seven limbs, compared to the normal eight of an octopus,

and that these cephalopod-like creatures possess anthromorphic features, with many resembling those of a human.

We've named these creatures heptopods, from the fact that they have seven limbs rather than eight - but here at the lab, we just call them heptos! They've got unique features compared to other anthromorphic creatures: for example, some have the ability to mimic other animals around them, while others have two tails to propel themselves further for stronger attacks.

This is just a sample of what we've found so far - but as we continue to research these newly-discovered species, we'll be posting updates about our latest findings on this Tumblr blog - so stay tuned for the latest!

I told you to keep an eye on this bunch!

While I’m on a roll with explaining some things that heptos get up to in their life, I thought I introduce you to the seven heptos you recently saw in our latest discovery!

We'll start from the top left and work our way down. Ready to meet some of the crew? (Note: this is a long post!)

Starting with Lily, the latest out of this group to be discovered! She's a stealth heptopod, and she appears to have a... flower at the tip of her tail that can open and close on command? She's been described as having a shy but happy personality, and according to our lab reports was found sneaking around the Lab before we eventually discovered her! Those stealth heptos really can just blend in, huh?

Next up, Ramuterasu (or just Ramu) who is a strength heptopod and is the only one of his kind out of this group. You can probably see in the above group photo that with his big tails, he can use it as a major air advantage, being able to launch himself like a spring high into the air. Otherwise, our records describe him as a pretty chill heptopod who's just happy to hang out with others like him!

In the middle of the group is Amber, a stealth heptopod with very squibble-like hair! I'm not actually how I describe her hair, it's either wavy or squiggly, I can't really tell but what I can tell you is that she's a very friendly hepto with a cheery personality who just brings a smile to everyone's face! She's also not afraid to use her tail to an advantage as seen above, even if it doesn't reach as high as Ramu's.

At the bottom left is Ivy, another stealth heptopod. She's pretty chilled-out like Ramu, keeping her style to what she sees to fit her most for the day! She's also not afraid to have a little fun here and there, and participate on any shenanigans that the group also happens to participate in (yes, even if it's slightly brushing away the idea of playing a game that could possibly end the world). Did I mention that heptopods are shenanigan causers?

Next to Ivy is Zepht, the stealth heptopod you probably recognise! He's probably the most chaotic of the group next to Hyla, always thinking up of some shenanigans for the group to get involved in. Getting the group into a lobby that probably breaks the team size rules was his idea after all!

The blue one is a stealth heptopod we'll call V, as they would like to keep their true name a secret. That said, a tiny heptopod with a tiny name doesn't shy from a big personality, down to the tail which is probably the same length as the rest of their body if I had to guess. They even have a tiny crest poking out from the crown they're wearing, isn't it silly? In a good way, of course! ^^;

And finally, there's Hyla! It's as if green stealth heptopods are the ones who cause the shenanigans around this group. As for Hyla, she has an upbeat and energetic personality that may go a bit too over sometimes, but otherwise just hangs out with this group to have fun and also encourage others to join in. After all, what's a friendship group without the fun?

Whew, we've finally reached the end and I've realised that's a lot of heptopods in one post... so I think I'll leave it here for now! Tune in next time as we continue to meet the rest of the heptocrew! Until then!

Continuing our search of heptopods in virtual spaces, one of our Lab Research Volunteers made an exciting discovery!

So far, we know the heptos of Amber, Roid and Zepht have made appearances within the game, with perhaps more to be discovered! Interestingly, Zepht's hepto seems to have limbs that extrude past normal Minecraft player proportions...

...how does that work? Some things are left better unanswered, I suppose!

We continue to look around every medium possible in our quest to find out where heptos have appeared in modern day! Who knows, maybe the next time we find a hepto, it'd be in a popular webcomic that had its 15th anniversary not long ago...

At the Heptopod Research Lab, we’ve been ramping up our recruitment drive after a breakthrough discovery!

With the help of our volunteers, we’ve been able to match one’s traits to a heptopod to a high degree of accuracy. This has undoubtedly contributed to the number of heptopods that we have discovered! We call this Human-to-Heptopod Matching.

The process is easy. We approach one of our volunteers and we get them to list down their preferred traits if they were to be a heptopod. Utilising these notes, we get straight to matching their preferences to a heptopod, which only takes us about two weeks! However, in some cases, once we’ve completed the process, we’re unable to locate the volunteer in question afterwards. We’re not too sure why that is for now…

We assure all our prospective volunteers that the risks are minimal and the likelihood of this happening to you is almost zero. So, if you’re willing to help us in our research and find more heptopods, we’d love your assistance!

A common issue that we've heard from our Lab Volunteers (of those who are still human) is a common complaint.

Bones suck.

Even though bones provide the core structure of the human body, they seem to cause the most amount of pain in the fact that their bones limit their flexibility, even causing distressing amounts of pain when stressed to their limits. Back pains are an issue after all for many of our clients.

Heptopods, however, have no bones. None of them. This isn't surprising though, considering that their octopus relatives are also boneless - with the only limiting factor on where they can fit being their beak. But how do heptopods stand on ground and mimic human anatomy without the same bones that humans have?

Well, heptos are able to condense their internal muscle tissue to give themselves an endoskeleton so they can stand upright - both on ground, and in water. They can also do the same with their ears and tail, although muscle tissue tends to be less in those areas to allow for some jiggle room. What's a tail if it doesn't swing around like a hazard?

There are so many more traits to being a hepto which we'll continue to share over time, but if you're sick of your bones as much as our Lab Volunteers are, why not contribute to some heptophecy? There have been instances where our humans morph into heptopods after all...

As much as we love octopuses here at the Heptopod Research lab, we found that many octopuses that we've looked at are pretty plain. Some octopuses however display bioluminescent features, which basically makes them glow in the dark!

The below photo of an octopus does not glow. We just think it's cute.

Heptopods on the other hand seem to display significant bioluminescent features, down to almost their whole body! It usually tends to be the suction cups, eyes, mouth and parts of a heptopod's pattern that glow the most.

The below photos of three heptopods - Hyla, Lyla & Amber - do indeed glow.

Notably, the shoes that Hyla & Lyla wear also glow, but that's not part of their bioluminescence - rather, a "fashion feature".

It's believed that while the display of bioluminescence continues to depend on each individual heptopod, theories suggest that these features have been used to communicate over long distances, or to be able to distinguish members in the darkness even better. The latter theory is quite interesting as heptopods don't have trouble with seeing in the dark...

We're confident that many - if not all - heptos are capable of displaying these bioluminescent features. If you were to ask me, they all make for an awesome deep-sea light show!