The Sazae-Oni: Lustful Snail Demons

The turban snail is an unique type of gastropods (ex: snails) that are almost found throughout the world with new species being discovered each year. Their unique shells are beautiful toward a marine biologist but, a related yōkai species from Japan will cause shivers up any man's spine. The Sazae-Oni are snail-like demons that are related to both the mermaid and the turban snail. Being an only female species, the Sazae-Oni will mate with any human male during mating seasons. When this yōkai is young, they're born as just a turban snail. After a couple of years until the snail turns thirty years of age, the Sazae-Oni begins to take a mucus covered, humanoid shape until it turns into a full adult. While in the growing stage of the Sazae-Oni's life cycle (which can out live any human), the shell grows to a massive size in which about three individuals can live within it's calcium carbonate shell.

The Sazae-Oni produces a type of mucus that covers it's body to help protect itself from predators by attracting rocks, seaweed, shells, and sand over its body to make the yōkai's flesh taste horrible. During rainy days/nights, this lustful creature exits it's home to search for a mate. After finding a perfect human, the Sazae-Oni will first cover its victim with mucus to help soften the body and to hold him into place while mating. Afterwards, the Sazae-Oni will tear off the testicles for reasons unclear and will eat the body. Out of theory, Monstrologists believe that the Sazae-Oni uses the remaining sperm in the testicles for later fertilization or some believe they are used as trophies of each victim the single Sazae-Oni had taken. Being amphibious, the Sazae-Oni are mainly found in the deep water off the coast during the day and on the beach during the cool air of the night.

The Sazae-Oni in the illustration above is what happens when the yōkai move it's shell to a new location while picking up debris to avoid being eaten by predators. The mucus of the Sazae-Oni is so strong that even their shell can stick to their human sized bodies.

Seven Common Diseases & Illnesses in the World of Monstrology

Both disease and illnesses play a huge role in the world of humans and monsters. Mainly infecting humans, monsters may use an illness to their advantage either in defense or a type of reproduction purposes. Here are seven of the mostly known diseases/illnesses that somebody can contain in the field of Monstrology:

#7-'Mummy Rot': The mummy is a creature quite recognizable in human culture. Being described as a type of "non-infecting" Egyptian zombie wrapped up in white cloth. During the decaying process (before the reanimation), mummy bodies contain a type of fungus which only survives in hot areas of the world such as in deserts or humid jungles. This fungus is known to rot away the flesh of a future mummy before the process of reanimation can begin. Humans can come into contact with this deadly fungus either by touching a supernatural mummy or from anywhere a mummy has lost any of its bandages. If somebody contains 'mummy rot' (which is the fungus that appears on supernatural mummies only), the person will begin to have rashes in the infected area. After a couple of days the infectious area begins to turn black and after a week, the fungus begins to eat away the skin. If untreated, the person will be completely consumed by the fungus. Luckily, this type of disease can be treated with the fungus' only weakness: the cold. Extremely cold water can both stop and kill off the fungus in a matter of two weeks. Though being infectious, an infected person should: A) stay away from other people to not spread the fungus to others, B) turn down the temperature to a safe setting for the cold to stop the growth of the fungus, and finally C) take either three or two cold showers per day until the fungus has completely disappeared from the body.

#6- 'Ghoul Fever': The ghoul is a complex creature in Monstrology. Being mostly related to the same family as goblins and trolls, they have almost the same body build of cave dwelling creatures (even though they're mostly found in graveyards) and are similar toward the Redcap but, have been proven to be also related to the zombie due to its infectious bite. The bite of a ghoul is the main way the species can increase their population (like the zombie). 'Ghoul fever' is what the bite does to any human being. The bite has some sort of virus that attacks the immune system and then increases the body heat in the victim. The fever later kills the victim and the virus reanimates the body then improves the immune system. Ghoul fever is commonly known throughout the world, where ever ghouls are known to live. There is a vaccine that can intercept the virus before it can fully weaken the immune system but, it only works 78% of the time (especially when the victim has a weak immune system already). Though the fever does occur after being given the vaccine, it won't be as deadly as before and the bitten should stay in bed for a couple of days before recovering.

#5- 'Ectoplasmic Overdose' - Though truly harmless, ectoplasm can hurt a human if he/she is exposed to it for a very good chunk of their life. Starting from birth to around their forties or fifties (without any breaks in between) can result in an 'overdose effect'. The ectoplasmic overdose happens to the lazy or hard headed people who know that their is a ghost(s) in their house and won't leave due to the fear that the entities will destroy it or worst. The overdose infects the entire body, including the mind, in which the person will become completely crazy. The first and second signs of ectoplasmic overdose is the skin turns pale and strange mucus exits the body in certain places (the nose, mouth, ears, and anus). The third and fourth signs involves the person becomes too ill and becomes paranoid toward neighbors, friends, and family. Treatment of this supernatural illness involves a hospital visit to clean out the body and to calm the mind (which is the hard part due to getting the person away from the house), then exorcisms to banish the ghosts from your house, and finally take a vacation to get away form your home so the ectoplasm can dry up.

#4- 'Vampire Saliva': Having healing abilities, vampire saliva can be deadly thanks to known diseases such as rabies. When a vampire bites a person, he/she bites into the neck of the victim to lick up the blood as it comes from the wound. After finish drinking, the vampire uses her/his saliva to help heal the victim's wound. Though all humans know that if a vampire bites you, you would become one yourself (either a pure bred which happens when the vampire drinks your body's entire supply of blood or a half breed when the vampire drinks small amounts of your blood). The saliva can carry rabies into your blood stream that would cause the new vampire (or half breed) to become rabid. Though rabies is rare in vampires, it has a one out of four chances that it would happen to somebody in the world. Treatment is easy to contain but, for vampires it costs a lot of money so, if you ever think about becoming one. Ask the vampire before the change to see if he/she has rabies (usually you can tell by aggression).

#3- 'Were-beast Venom': Most were-beasts (werewolves, werebears, werecats, werebats, etc...) are known to have either a strong venom or weak venom that help species reproduce without having sexual reproduction. For example, werewolf venom is mildly high and can most likely infect the strongest of humans who survive an attack. Werebear venom is a decimal higher from werewolf venom and is the strongest of all venom types from each species. The weakest venom known to Monstrologists is the Lobizon (the Argentina werewolf) can only effect young children and people (mainly older adults) with weak immune systems. Were-beast venom have been proven to improve one's natural abilities but, will cause a human to turn into a monster during full moons. Venom from were-beasts have been also proven to cause others of the same family great pain when bitten but, depends on the venom's strength. There is no cure on how to were-beast venom but, research is being conducted to find a way to either control the beast from within or eliminate the venom from the body.

#2- 'Demonic Procession Backlash': Demons are known to process human bodies for purposes of their own fun. Torturing souls and feeding off the depression given off by their victims, the demon is a terrible creature to face. After an exorcism, the victim will be free from the control of a demon but, if more than one demon processes a body, backlash can come into play. After the amounts of exorcisms are complete, the victim will become ill if one or two of the demons which processed the body dies during the banishment. The demon will decay within the body of the human and will cause horrible pain for the victim. Strong demons (example: Satan) can also leave backlashes due to the demon being an entity of darkness. Nausea, vomiting, terrible diarrhea, and many known illnesses can come into play afterwards. If someone has a demonic procession backlash, seek a exorcists or demonologists for help. Drinking holy water is a known cure for this. For a side note, angels can do the same thing but, in a different way but, demonic procession is the most painful between the two.

#1- ' Solanum': Solanum is the name of the virus that comes from zombies. Certain species of zombies such as mummies, juju/voodoo zombies, and the draugr don't have infectious bites but, do infect humans in different ways. Solanum is known to, after being bitten, burrow into the bones of the victim until the virus feels that the host has escaped from the zombie. Afterwards, it goes throughout the body until it reaches the major organs and of course the brain. It then shuts down the organs and kills the victim. During death, Solanum rewires the brain to natural instincts and then reanimates the body to follow the directions of the virus. There is no known cure for solanum except suicide (that cuts off the virus from doing its job) or getting shot in the head as a zombie. There is one way a person can be saved from the bite but, will still turn: X-Solanum. X-Solanum is a mutation of the virus that creates xombies, a zombie with a human conscious. The mutated virus will do the same thing as the original but, will keep the human from losing his/her humanity. Next to that, the human will be improved by the virus to become stronger and faster than a normal zombie. Though extremely rare (1/100 chance of becoming a xombie), the mutated strand and the normal strand of the virus do attack each other in order to halt one or the other opposite strands from multiplying.

The Dingbat: Eat(ing) Lead

The Dingbat is a strange flying creature discovered by the lumberjacks who travelled to the United States in the early nineteenth century. Descriptions state a large bat-like creature (wings, ears, and nose) with a short, feathered body that had a pair of short deer-like antlers on top of the creature's head. Though after further investigation from twentieth century Monstrologists, they discovered that this type of fearsome critter is related to the snipe, another species of bird with antlers on top of it's head. Being related to the snipe, a flightless-antlered bird, the Dingbat is the only species part of the same family tree that could actually fly. The Dingbat doesn't hunt by echolocation but, by a keen sense of vision. Like birds of prey, they can spot a prey source (small mammals and birds) from far above the ground and then could swoop in to capture it. The Dingbats are known to hunt below the canopy though due to larger predators in the open skies above like eagles, hawks, and sometimes juvenile thunderbirds. Dingbats are only found in the northern states, such as the state of Maine, and can also be found in some regions of Canada. Dingbats are becoming threatened due to urbanization and the species can't really adapt well that fit human needs. Some breeding programs have started up in Canada and have successfully been helping the Dingbat make a come back in some regions.
Dingbats are known, by lumberjacks, to capture and eat bullets in midair. Monstrologists are still uncertain why the Dingbat has this strange behavior but, due to being a threatened species. Humans have discovered a way to kill a Dingbat in midair for both a hunting sport and for food. Believe it or not, Dingbat meat is actually delicious even though they both eat bullets and are predators.

The Ittan-momen: The Strangling Specter of Japan

In the Kagoshima Prefecture of Kyushu (Japan), a dangerous Tsukumogami haunts the city of Kagoshima. Resembling a long strip of white cloth in the air, the Ittan-momen attacks its unsuspecting victims by wrapping its body around the victim's head/neck attempting to suffocate. In flight, the Ittan-momen has the appearance of a fluttering piece of cloth, looking to be at the mercy of the wind. Though the Ittan-momen isn't capable of true flight, they do use the wind to gain attitude and glide through the night sky. Being part of the Tsukumogami family (entities that mimic everyday objects used by humans to blend in; yōkai), the Ittan-momen can resemble a strip of white cotton cloth that is actually made of thin cells that mimic cotton. The species cannot bleed due to no circulatory system (other organs are thin and flat) and can only reproduce by tearing a piece of their body that will later both heal and create a new creature. The cranial end of the Ittan-momen resembles a cat with adorable looking, yellow eyes. During the day, the Ittan-momen disguises itself as a piece of white cloth and hide in openings too small/flat for predators to get at them (or humans looking for revenge). Though dangerous, the Ittan-momen main purpose is just to scare its victim into a near death experience to feed of their fear but, can sometimes go overboard by killing a victim either by accident or on purpose.
The illustration above is what an Ittan-momen looks like. Believe it or not, some yōkai species can shape shift to mimic an Ittan-momen and if are cut, blood does spill afterwards which indicates this Ittan-momen isn't a true creature but, a shape shifter in disguise.

The Kurupi: The Unwanted Guaraní Incubus

The women of the Guaraní people of South America (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia) fear one of the world's most unique incubus species: the Kurupi (or Kurupira). The Kurupi is a short, ugly looking creature with wild-looking hair and has the longest reproduction organ in the world of Monstrology. Being able to wrap around the Kurupi's body four or more times, they can rape innocent women from outside the house from the jungle. Being a type of incubus, the Kurupi mainly preys through sexual energy from their victims. Though they are known to eat small mammals but, they do prefer attacking or kidnapping young women to drain life force.

The length of the Kurupi's penis is unknown to Monstrologists because the reproduction organ can stretch to amazing lengths. Failed attempts to record the length of the organ always resulted in it being retracted back into the Kurupi's body. It's known to slither its way through openings (windows, doors, etc...) into houses to drain energy and cause unwanted pregnancies (which later results in an infant Kurupi because this is the only way for it to reproduce due to no females within the species). The Kurupi is an exclusive creature and accidental confrontations are due to a person accidentally stepping on the reproduction organ, being mistaken to be a fallen branch or a moving snake.

In Guaraní Mythology, the first Kurupi is the fifth son of Tau (an evil spirit of the Guaraní people) and Kerana (the daughter of Marangatu).

The Buratsche-ah-llgs: Switzerland’s Disfigured Lake Monster

Switzerland has a total of sixteen lakes larger than six miles within the country's borders. In some, a bizarre, shapeless creature survives within their depths. The Buratsche-ah-Ilgs is similar looking toward a swollen stomach in shape with the exception of having a total of one hundred "eyes" surrounding it's body. The cranial section of the creature has a few tentacles that surround the mouth, that serves the creature to capture and consume any unaware fishes that come too close. The tentacles can also be used for holding onto sunken rocks to anchor the free-drifting creature and can also grab prey from the surface of the water either from a boat or on a drop-off shoreline. The Buratsche-ah-Ilgs' diet is extremely weird because they are both filter feeders (plankton and even small fish) and a carnivore (larger lake creatures and even terrestrial animals including an occasional human) The "eyes" of the Buratsche-ah-Ilgs are unique because only a few of them are actually used for vision. These eyes can see excellently in the darkness of the depths and even on the surface of water on the sunniest day. The other "eyes" are called false eyes. These false eyes have a special purpose: they shoot fires or heated bubbles to help direct the Buratsche-ah-Ilgs in different directions for a means of transportation.

First discovered in Lake Luschersee, many of the Swiss people believed that the Buratsche-ah-Ilgs was a creature released from the supposed gates to Hell into the waters of the lake. Unfortunately, Monstrologists discovered that these creatures have lived in the lake for an extremely long time. The creatures have also been sighted in other lakes surrounding Switzerland but, not as far away then some parts of Austria, Germany, and France that are nearby the original country. To find a Buratsche-ah-Ilgs, look for people who are afraid to fish in the present lake or any grazing animals nearby the shore.

Lake Lünersee (or Lüner) in Austria is believed to be a home to several Buratsche-ah-Ilgs but, it is unknown how these creatures can survive due to human improvement to the environment because Lünersee was risen to 75 meters deep after a dam was built in the year of 1958.