Mermatron, bah! A cute name, so that sailors won't be afraid of what lurks in the dark depths. It's she that makes the fishmen, she that leads them them, cares for them, protects them. She's big as a tuna, smart as dolphin, & uglier than a cheap dockside harlot. Mermatron, more like hag-fish... Instinct: to grow its brood

• Defend its children
• Turn the tides (literally) against them
• Infect them with a bite
• Lavish them with twisted affection

It's not the blood-flecked lips or rotten-seaweed stench that makes them so horrible. It's the unblinking eyes, dozens of them, staring up at you from the dark waters. And the knowing, that all you are could be lost behind those lifeless eyes, black eyes, like doll's eyes. Instinct: to school together

• Seek the shelter of the water
• Go into a feeding frenzy
• Show it was once a man