So here's something I've been meaning to get out for a while. An aquatic form for Spez, something I realized I wanted upon rediscovering my love of all things hydrated. It's an alternate form, though, so the regular look isn't going anywhere. But as part of all that vast character lore I keep forgetting to properly express, Spez now has the ability to shift into this shape that's much more suited to swimming pretty much automatically, either by being in the water long enough or sometimes just thinking about it enough to get excited for it. Comes with magically assisted water breathing and everything, so there's no (relative) trouble when he inevitably gets stuck in a pool vent or compressed into a sheet by extreme water pressures, either 💦.

Honestly this concept's been in my head for a couple years, I just didn't have the right motivation to make it ✨a real thing✨ until now. But also because of that I think I was able to apply more design elements I wouldn't have the first time around. Like how I was originally gonna go with the usual webbed digits sorta look, even if I didn't exactly care for it (though I like it for the headfins and such). Instead, I pulled a lot of design elements from other kinds of aquatic things, especially Lugias, as I may be using this as an excuse to get my hands (lol) on some BIG FLIPPERS like that. Matter of fact, I think a lot of the design concepts I was applying to this form got passed on to the way I designed Nuri, too. Which is fine, honestly, maybe there's a relation there; Spez' innate TF magic nonsense had to have some kinda design idea to go off too, I figure.

I absolutely intended to have this form ready to do all manner of summer fun activities this year, btw. Beach trips and pool time and all that stuff, intentional or not :v. But, before I properly finalized it I kinda ran into some physical issues that kept me from being able to draw for a while, so all those plans kinda went out the window and I'm only just now getting it out and considered "published" here at the tail end of summer. I mean, I probably could have uploaded what I had during that downtime, but I guess I have a habit of making things more complicated than they need to be, sometimes. Working on that too, honestly.

But anyway, hey, heated pools exist, and time is a fuggin illusion anyway, so there's likely plenty of aquatic funtimes I can have yet, timing be damned. I just hope I'll be able to stay under the water rather than end up floating on top of it 💦.