Water ghoul identification (thank you @uncomfortablyghoul for letting me yap about all of this. I hope you enjoy the headcannons I landed on)
Brackish Water Ghouls
(Mist, Chain, Dew)
These are the marsh-dwellers, estuary ghouls, and river-mouth specialists. They're built for environments where the water is constantly changing.
Physically, they tend to be shorter and stockier than other water ghouls. Their tails are shorter but powerful, ending in broad fins that allow for quick bursts of movement and sharp turns. Their gills are larger and more heavily folded to filter water that contains varying levels of salt, silt, and debris.
Colouration tends towards earthy shades. Browns, murky greens, slate greys, and muted yellows are common. Bright colours aren't unheard of, but they're usually small accents rather than dominant patterns.
Their eggs resemble oversized frog or mudskipper eggs: gelatinous clusters attached to submerged roots, rocks, or reeds. They're surprisingly durable despite their appearance.
Chain stands out as an anomaly. Despite belonging to a clade that tends towards shorter builds, he's exceptionally tall. His mudskipper-like features make him less conventionally attractive by water-ghoul standards, but his confidence, strength, and charisma make him incredibly popular regardless.
Dew's body still identifies itself as brackish-water despite his transformation into a fire ghoul. His reproductive system never fully adapted to the change.
Saltwater Ghouls
(Lake, River)
Saltwater ghouls are built for constant motion.
They are generally taller than brackish ghouls, with streamlined bodies designed for endurance swimming. Their fins flow smoothly into their tails rather than forming separate fan-like structures. Every part of their anatomy prioritises efficiency through water.
Their colouration follows the same principle as sharks: darker backs and lighter underbellies. Blues, greys, charcoal blacks, and muted sea-greens are common. Countershading helps conceal them from predators and prey alike.
Unlike freshwater ghouls, they cannot comfortably remain still underwater for extended periods. Their gill structure works most efficiently while moving. During downtime around the Ministry, it's common to find them slowly circling the deepest parts of the lake, swimming lazy laps without even thinking about it.
Their eggs develop inside leathery shark-like egg sacs that are anchored to submerged structures. These sacs are incredibly tough and difficult to damage.
Because they evolved in environments where hatchlings are vulnerable to countless predators, saltwater parents can become intensely protective once a clutch is laid.
Freshwater Ghouls
(Rain, Delta)
Freshwater ghouls are widely considered the most beautiful water-ghoul subspecies.
They possess long, elegant tails and expansive fan fins that ripple behind them like fabric underwater. Their movements are smooth and almost effortless. Even when simply crossing a room, they appear graceful.
Their scales are finer than those of other water ghouls and are often found in muted blues, silvers, pale greens, and soft lavender tones. While not as brightly coloured as some saltwater species, they possess a natural elegance that many find striking.
Freshwater ghouls are uniquely efficient at retaining moisture. They can comfortably spend longer periods away from large bodies of water and require submersion less frequently than their cousins.
Their eggs are soft-shelled and resemble oversized quail eggs. The shells are flexible and slightly squishy, allowing them to absorb moisture from their surroundings during development.
Rain is almost a textbook example of the subspecies. Delta was as well before his transformation.
Regardless of subspecies, water ghouls are extremely territorial when eggs are involved.
A normally friendly water ghoul can become startlingly aggressive if someone approaches their clutch without permission.
One parent is almost always on guard duty. Clutches are rarely left unattended, and shifts between parents are treated with remarkable seriousness.
When a water ghoul mates with a non-water ghoul, the water ghoul typically takes primary responsibility for incubation simply because the eggs require specific aquatic conditions. It's common for them to spend hours partially or fully submerged with the clutch while their mate brings food, keeps watch, or assists with nest maintenance.
The Ministry accommodates this through dedicated aquatic nesting habitats. Deep pools, marsh environments, flowing streams, and sheltered underwater caves allow each subspecies to incubate eggs in conditions that match their natural instincts.
the next part of this will be how Delta and Dewdrop's body changed post transformation :(
