I'm posting at least one thing a day, all October long! (I said I would!: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8438014/ See?)

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It's the sixth day of the month, so I'm posting pictures of my sixth character, Accuvier, the whiplash squid. (Check out his folder in my gallery if you aren't familiar!)

Back to the scheme of characters with 'A' names and 'S' species, haha.

Art by Amaranth, my muse and my best friend. <3

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I have always loved aquatic characters. Starting with mermaids, of course, and progressing into any aquatic anthros / semi-anthros / merfolk, when I discovered furry art.

I suppose when I began to see anthro octopus or squid characters here and there, I noticed they were always a bit different - there was no consistent way to take such alien creatures and anthropomorphize them. Some of them weren't too bad, but some where downright wrong, in my opinion. Any design that gave them totally human legs seemed a total waste, why use a species with so many limbs and render them almost entirely useless by replacing them with human legs?

Somewhat to the same extent, I thought totally human arms on octopi or squids seemed like a waste of a perfectly good tentacle. "At least make them boneless or have tentacle-fingers (or even a whole ring of mini-octo-legs instead of a hand) or something!" I would think.

And the question of the beak versus the human mouth always sprang to mind, too. Put the beak on the face, maybe? And have a more.. 'private' hole down in the midst of the tendrils' undersides? Or make it so that the anthro's body all leads up to a tentacle-lined face or head or shoulders, so that the beak can be on the face and in the middle of the legs at the same time?

Who knows!

Regardless, this was my best answer for an anthro squid that is just human enough, while retaining as much proper-squid-ness to not defeat the purpose of having a squid in the first place:
-ring of eight "arms" (as that's the proper term for the octet of octopus or squid limbs we think of as tentacles or legs.. they are _arms_. Weird, right?)
-two true tentacles instead of arms (those super long and slender limbs - his are so long thanks to him being a whiplash squid, known for their exceedingly long tentacles), with the thick hand-like 'spade pads' at the end (known as 'clubs', as far as I know)
-a mouthless face, with beak underneath the ring of 8 'legs.'
-big, black, unknowable, deep-as-the-abyss eyes
-fin ridges over his head, much like the fluttering frill-fins that run alongside a normal squid's cone-shaped head

And he is as obsessed with mermaids as I am. Perhaps even moreso, given that they're real in his world. >__>

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All that aside, back in the middle of the summer of 2012, I had been speaking to Ama about my thoughts on the subject, and when I told her my idea for a villainous squid of this design, she dropped what she was doing (I actually don't know if she did drop anything, I just assume she did because she's always doing SOMETHING), and just.. DREW HIM FOR ME, as if it was nothing. TT____TT I still cannot believe her generosity, and her skill in bringing this idea of mine to life. She's done it again since then, with other characters we have created somewhat together, but this was the first time, and it was an idea that was entirely mine, which she translated with such perfect clarity. It still stands out to me as something amazing, for which I will be forever grateful and eternally indebted to her for. <3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

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Lastly, you HAVE seen him around before, so why did I never post this sublime original picture of him before? Well, he was going to remain secret, given that he will be a key part of a story project Ama and I intend to do, eventually. But, we liked him so much, we put him into other art that has long since been posted in our accounts and other places, so there's no reason to hold this initial flawless gem back at all.

His secrets, though..! Those will remain hidden until the story is out. >:}===<

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Stare, cold as the deep
Unfeeling, unflinching eyes
As black as the depths

Uncannily smooth
Movement, a concert of limbs
Boneless symphony

Grip, blood in the sea
Coiling 'round you everywhere
Inescapable.


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