For some inexplicable reason, tentacles are often associated with Evil. (Cthulhu probably started this trend.)
You have tentacled monsters (e.g. the Watcher in the Water in the first LOTR movie), monsters with tentacles (although you gotta admit they're cute in Monsters, Inc.), tentacles that wants to suck out your soul (blaming the elder gods here again), etc.
But where are all the good guys with tentacles, or tentacled heroes, or tentacled familiars? (Someone seriously needs a squid as a familiar.) There's merpeople, sure, and the occasional good octopus (or one would hope), but in high fantasy, urban fantasy, low fantasy, and every other subheading you want to name, there is a decided lack of shininess that is tentacles.
Sci-fi seems to have a bit more tentacle equality (horror, not so much), but still, we don't get nearly enough "heroic tentacles" as we should.
(For a theme song, refer to A Shoggoth on the Roof done by the HPLHS. %-))
Why is this? What do fantasy authors have against tentacles? What did they every do to you
The next time you're about to add a slimy, evil, tentacled monster--consider, does it really need to be dark side?
Tentacled monsters have feelings too. They, uh, just express themselves differently. *makes no mention of soul-sucking this time* Let's hear it for physiological diversity! Add some good tentacles in your work and spread the love. (Soul sucking is optional.)
~Merc
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10 comments:
You want tentacles??? I'll see what i can do during NaNo :o)
When you think about it, a tentacled hero might have some advanges in Science Fiction/SFR.
He/she could man the pilot, navigator and communications consoles simultaneously, while still holding a blaster and cuddling the hero/heroine.
Hmmm, must give this more thought. :)
House 6, I'd love to see what you come up with! %-)
Laurie, yes, exact;y. Just think of all those extra... um... limbs! O:)
Uh-huh. *imagines possibilities*
*washes brain out with soap*
*cackles*
Just embrace it, Laurie . . . so to speak. %-)
*returns to her tentacled winged snake character*
My current WIP has tentacled aliens. They're intelligent, peace-loving and well-meaning. It's a pity they're all set to accidentally destroy the human race if my MC doesn't stop them.
Oh damn. I had a race of creatures with tentacles (of a kind) in a story, and they turned out to be hostile. They even had clusters of mini-tentacles in place of eyes, so you could tell right away they weren't to be trusted. It's a cliche, but I didn't realize it until I read this post. Kudos.
Did the Oankali in Octavia Butler's novels have tentacles, though? I can't remember.
So, it might gratify you to know then that the merpeople in Venus's stories (same world as Mercury's, oddly enough ;)) have telepathic links with cephalopods and train them as familiars.... Yes? :D
Hehe.
~Inky, adorer of cephalopods
Heh, evil tentacles are fine too. I'm for anything tentacled, but yeah, looking for some on the "pro" side, ya know? O:)
*squees* Inky! :D I does want to read that. The DO and I want to do oceanic anthro sometime and I will for sure have lots of tentacles. %-)
~Merc
I've never had anything with tentacles in my story and probably won't. But for the Superman-esque tentacled hero--his kryptonite? Bread crumbs, marinara sauce and a lemon wedge. Sends him squirting his defending ink of justice!
Dammit . . . now I'm craving calamari.
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