Side-Write: Sluggles and You! (Patreon)

I've had mixed feelings about tentacles for a long time. They can be fun as an idea, but often they just feel sort of inert compared to other insertables. Like they don't have much... character? Emotional context? I'm not sure where exactly to pin it, but I knew since early on that I'd want to include tentacles in PWO (and I've been laying the ground work to hopefully keep it possible) but I didn't know how I'd actually make them feel... good? Fun? Exciting?

So for this month's side write, I brainstormed on what kind of creature would bring tentacles to the party, and how I would want it to work and act, and what sort of role I would want it to take in the world. This isn't super polished yet, but this is the first idea that came to mind that stood up to some examination and exploration. I hope you'll find it an interesting exploration of a potential new creature for down the road!

As always, none of this is set in stone or canon or anything. I'm just putting down sketches and ideas for what may yet come to be...

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TOP MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SLUGGLES
-"If you split a sluggle in half, it will form into two sluggles." Please don't do this! Sluggles have distinct internal organs and feel pain just like we do.
-"If a sluggle gets inside you, it takes over your brain." While sluggles do emit chemicals that can affect your mood, they can exert no more control over you than alcohol or any other drug does.
-"If you let a sluggle go, it might grow big enough to be a danger to everyone!" While sluggles do seem to keep growing as long as they're alive, this process takes decades or centuries, and even the oldest sluggles are gentle giants. A single arrow can set a sluggle larger than a building running away!

Here at the Institute for Sluggle Safety And Friendly Encounters, we've been working hard studying sluggles so you can know how to deal with our slimy friends safely! Misleading claims like those above have scared many sluggles away from even the City of Wisdom, which should rightfully be a bastion for all peaceful beings, and if you will take a few moments to read on, we would like to give you a primer on what sluggles really are, how they behave, and what you should expect in interacting with them!

I am Ignatio of Twelve Cranes, the founder and lead researcher of ISSAFE. We are still a small institution, but I believe passionately that many of the people of our fair city could benefit greatly from what sluggles have to offer, and that the sluggle population as a whole needs our help and understanding so that it may flourish. I have personally collected and verified all the information I've laid out below, so please be assured it is the most accurate information available to the city, and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to come and talk to me at the Institute!

Let's talk about sluggles!

The sluggle is a creature that takes many forms over the course of its lifetime, but there are some universal characteristics:
-Sluggles have no eyes or mouth, and where one might expect a face they have two small antennae, similar in appearance to slugs. This is likely where their common name came from.
-The flesh of a sluggle is soft and rubbery, coated with a slime that protects it from debris and lubricates it for sliding through snug spaces. This slime does not come off with water alone, but any soap will clean the slime off easily. Some report the slime to have an unpleasant odor, but sluggles emit bad odors when frightened. A relaxed sluggle has a pleasant, somewhat earthy scent.
-The characteristic tentacles of the sluggle can grow to several times the length of their body, and are very complex organs. Each one is actually hollow, allowing for the ingestion of fluids and food, and is studded with many sensory organs, including myriad sensors for detecting light and heat. While the sluggle does not have eyes as we know them, their actual visual acuity remains unclear, and their understanding of their surroundings can be shocking!

There are several distinct stages of sluggle development. Let's start from the beginning!

1. Larva (0-4 weeks)
Sluggles are born very similar to slugs, save for two long, thin tentacles extending to either side from its "head." Larval sluggles are very vulnerable out in the open. Typically, adult sluggles will carry these children inside them until they find a safe, warm place to deposit them so that they may feed and grow. Sometimes that place is inside whatever orifice they can find on another living being, but if you ever find yourself carrying a larval sluggle that is unwelcome, please come to the Institute! We are developing equipment for the safe extraction and nurturing of these larvae, and it's improving every day! That said, a larval sluggle is generally not dangerous. It feeds off any excess fluids it finds, and will often emit chemicals the host finds soothing and even pleasant. Some people choose to carry sluggles simply because they find it enjoyable.

2. Toddler (4-20 weeks)
Once the sluggle has grown to more than about a foot in length, it will begin developing basic legs. Once these are strong enough to carry it, the toddler will crawl out of its safe haven to explore the world and seek out food for itself. It is still very vulnerable in this state, but it can be quite skittish about being caught out in the open and will usually not stray far from a safe burrow. During this stage, other tentacles begin to develop as sensitive little stubs along its sides and up its back. Toddler sluggles will usually be too big to comfortably fit inside most people, but are also very pleased to snuggle with larger, friendly beings. A toddler sluggle can make for a very affectionate pet if you are trained in how to care for one properly!

3. Puppy (5-24 months)
After it's grown two two or three feet long, a sluggle's second set of legs will start to develop in front of the first. By this point, the back legs will have developed a more defined shape with joints and dry, tough padding under its feet for walking significant distances. Once its front feet develop enough to be useful, it will start to wander for much longer distances and it will be more willing to approach strangers. It still gains most of its sustenance from fluids and insects, but it starts to feed on some vegetation as well. Its second set of tentacles should soon be growing to a useful length, with two above and behind its front shoulders, two above its back haunches, and two on each side that sling low when extended. All of these tentacles tend to shorten to stubs when not in use, but the two extending from its head or neck are always "out." Sluggle puppies are still enthusiastic snugglers and very playful when they feel safe!

4. Dog (2-5 years)
Around the time a sluggle reaches five feet from nose to tail, it starts to develop adult characteristics. At this stage, depending on the environment it's grown up in, it may start developing smooth, tougher, drier spots similar to under its feet on parts of its body that get a lot of friction. In the wild, they tend to build up where they rub against undergrowth, but domestic sluggles seem to develop these pads where they are touched and petted the most, and on the sides they lie down on most. The sluggle also develops sexual characteristics at this point: between its hind legs, a hermaphroditic opening forms, connected to a sort of womb that slowly, continuously produces eggs. The sluggle begins to produce viable eggs immediately, effectively producing copies of itself unless some other genetic material is inserted into its womb. It seems to be able to accept almost any material and mixes it with its own to create altered eggs. When these eggs are ready, the opening can stiffen and extend into a sort of phallus or ovipositor if it finds a willing receptacle to carry them. In this way, a sluggle can accept a donation, mix it with its own, and pass the mixed egg on to another sluggle, potentially creating eggs with three parents, or even more! If the sluggle can't find a good receptacle for its eggs, it will instead impregnate its own tentacles, letting its children hatch inside special sacs inside the bases of its tentacles, where they wait for the parent to find them a good nest. This process seems to be very chaotic and create many unviable eggs or children that won't last long, but the children that do survive can be quite diverse! At this age, sluggles especially need knowledgeable care and training to be manageable in a home. Please make sure to work closely with the Institute if you wish to keep a sluggle that is more than two years of age! Its desires can be difficult to manage without experience!

5. Climber (5-15 years)
Around the time the sluggle has grown to eight feet in length, its tentacles have grown strong enough and tough enough in spots to, in concert, pull the sluggle bodily off the ground. Sluggles at this age grow very interested in climbing into trees and other high places, and tend to develop nests in places hard for most land-based creatures to reach. Their tentacles are also long enough it can be easy for them to seize animals off the ground and pull them up into these nests, whether to mate with them, feed off their juices, or if they're small enough, consume them. This stage can actually be the most dangerous to people wandering in the forests, because it is very easy to walk underneath one without noticing it, and if its grip is firm enough, it can be hard to put up enough of a fight to startle them out of doing what they want with you. Wearing any sort of padding with dull, pointed studs can be very helpful: if you can give the sluggle a few good "pokes" when it's grabbing you, it will drop you quickly in favor of softer company. We are working to post signs around known climber nesting areas to raise awareness and prevent incidents while these friendly but grabby creatures grow!

6. Serpent (15-30? years)
Once a sluggle has grown to around twelve feet in length, it will begin to prove too heavy to climb trees anymore, and indeed few trees will be able to support its weight safely. This forces the sluggle back onto the ground, and it will begin to wander the land far and wide. At this stage, it is the slimmest it will ever be, appearing similar to an incredibly large snake winding its way between tree trunks. Its tentacles begin to show a disparity of sizes, some remaining only a few fingers thick, while others grow thicker than my leg, and others lie somewhere in between. At this stage, the sluggle is large enough to consume even creatures as large as most city denizens, but it does not put up a fight: almost any sort of attack will set it scampering off in search of easier prey. It largely employs pheromones and chemicals through touch and small clouds that soothe and relax those it wishes to interact with so that it can do what it wants without violence. For this reason, it can be wise to bring a bow: a single arrow is more than enough to scare it off without letting it affect you, though blunted tips would be less damaging.

7. Ancient (30+ years)
The sluggle will continue to grow, it seems, without limit. However, at the beginning of this stage, having reached about twenty feet in length, it will begin to grow thicker faster than it grows in length. Their legs grow thicker to support their increasing weight, and they become rather intimidating creatures stomping their way across the plains. Few sluggles live to this age, but they are a majestic sight to see, and there seems to be no clear limit to the size to which they can grow. Gradually, their behavior begins to change as they outgrow most other forms of life. In one report, a woman was consumed by one of an ancient's tentacles, only to be forced into the sac in which it held its young. Many larvae crawled inside her, and she was released into the wild again. I've also gotten multiple reports of people or creatures being attacked by werewolves or other aggressors, only for an Ancient to seize the attacker, douse it in chemicals, and consume it. It seems as though their aversion to violence may extend as far as saving others from it, once they are large enough to do so! There is still much we don't know about these noble beasts, but we do know this: they are, even at their largest, perfectly harmless to anyone with the basic tools to fend them off. A bowshot from a distance or some unpleasantly pointy clothing can deter any sluggle from bothering you. For this reason, ISSAFE recommends treating sluggles, especially of Ancient class, as a protected species, to be treated with care and respect.

If you would like to know more about sluggles, please visit the Institute today! We are open every day, and we have recently opened a small petting zoo with toddler and puppy sluggles! I can personally promise that a sluggle snuggle pile is a singularly relaxing experience, and just the thing to melt all your troubles away after a difficult day. Bring a change of clothes, but showers and towels are provided!

If nothing else, we here at the Institute for Sluggle Safety And Friendly Encounters want you to remember:

Every sluggle ISSAFE!