the gay fish got to me

happy pride month to the queer Pixar characters that were repressed by straight white censorship

So The Change of the sea monster in Luca (2021) was based off of the ability of cephalopods to change their color, meaning that it is done by iridescent cells calls chromatophors contrasting and expanding. This also means that sea monsters don’t actually possess melanocytes or have the ability to produce melanin, which is what is responsible for human and other mammal coloration. As “tanning” is melanocytes overproducing melanin to defend against sun damage, this means that they can’t tan or be tan, which then raises the question “well how do they protect themselves from the sun?” And, surprisingly, that question has a fairly simple answer: they make their own sunscreen, a chemical compound called “gadusol.” Interestingly, gadusol is more common with non-pelagic or sedentary fish, such as sponges or zebrafish. And this means that, despite what their complexions may suggest, Luca Paguro is less likely to sunburn than Alberto, as he is primarily base—

I hear your “Luca Paguro, being a nerd, has really high grades and is considered amongst the best students in his school” and I raise you:

YALL WILL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT I JUST UNCOVERED FROM THE DEPTHS OF THE INTERNET