#oarfish mermaid

[shirecorn]

Often mistaken for the much more dangerous sea serpents, massive oarfish mermaids are peaceful but imposing mirror-skinned figures who hang vertically in the open ocean. Their red fins appear colorless and invisible in deeper water, as red light wavelengths cannot penetrate the depths at which they rest and feed.

Just like humans, mermaids come in a variety of body types, proportions, musculature, and fat distribution. In academia, documented mermaids of each species tends to match the appearance of their fish counterpart. But individuals can look like anything.

This oarfish mermaid is a gorgeous example of the principle. The humanoid torso and the start of the fish body have rolls of fatty tissue, but it diminishes as the long tail stretches downward. Inside the torso, the swim bladders will be flexed to account for the extra buoyancy.

Mundane oarfish use their flat bodies reflect the sea around them like a smooth mirror. In order to be seen by other oarfish, they hold their long pelvic fins horizontally out to their sides, forming a cross with their body.

While this individual's shape is less useful for camouflage, the behavior remains. Many modern mermaids use community to fill their needs, and wits to avoid predators. So while different body types can affect hunting fitness, it does not diminishes their functioning within society.

Nor, of course, their beauty.

[good-morels]

I'm uh, late for mermay

[cherrydott]

OARFISH!! Tried my hand at some perspective and bbshshsbd be gentle I'm still practicing lmao additional lighting under cut

I wanna show it better in another sketch of them but their hair is divided w that fin and I Totally blanked on translating that into the hair (now that I look at it again, if I did it again there would be more of a split in the back) bout damn time I added a redhead to my mermverse I say, half these goobers don't even have hair

[packajackalope]

Some Babey Mel cause cute

[tissa-the-artista]

Oar Fish Mermaid

My third and last entry for the 2021 mermay challenge, after that I got burnout.

[fievell]

Oarfish merfolk ~

or just an abyss ponyo really

[starfishart]

HAPPY MER MAY !! have another one of my funky lil oarfish gal

[g0nefischin]

MERSKELES Part 2!

Some new guys based on a few requests, and I also cleaned up the last batch so I threw them in too

Some lore under the cut

So Blue is a dolphin! Very energetic, friendly, and social, just like Blue :> I made him a spinner dolphin in particular because they are a bit smaller than other dolphins, and just like their name they are very acrobatic and spin in the air!

Reaper is a blue ring octopus, I actually was going through a bunch of options for what I wanted to him to be. Thought about doing a box jellyfish for a bit because they also kill things they touch, but I reallllly love octopi so this species won out. Blue ring octopuses are extremely venomous, with enough venom to kill 26 adult humans within minutes, Ouchie.

Geno is an oarfish, a very long fish that lives deep in the twilight zone. I picked an oarfish since they are somewhat of a death omen, rumored to show up before disasters. Since Geno's constantly in a state of death, I thought It would fit. ALSO just as an aesthetic thing I liked the contrast with the red fins against the blue, thought the long fins on their heads really matched his scarf as well.

Last post lore is here if you want an explanation on the bottom guys

[omgnoabsolutelynot]

I realized that I needed to practice drawing fat characters a lot more, so I decided to take a shot at the art prompt list that @fatphobiabusters shared for Fat Liberation Month a while ago! This is the prompt "Merperson" for day one! Shoutout to my partner for suggesting the giant oarfish as the fish part for this guy.

I'm probably going to do this very irregularly during August, but I'll do my best to do something for every day!

[cambriancutie]

[flippingfrogg]

Entrapdak Mermay Again! I have maybe one more idea for them. For now, enjoy this forbidden romance between a mammalian surface dweller and a deep sea i fish!

[i-am-worm]

Inktober 52 2023 - Week 29 - ‘Mermaid’

Oarfish mermaid! This is a second version as I got a big red blob on my first picture, but i may make it into a 'happy accident' mermaid picture, but it'll come later. Until then, have this.

[eeveeextreme]

Midlink pic for mermay!

[packajackalope]

Meet Melanie! Or just Mel. She's an oarfish mermaid I made for a silly with some friends. This is a big woman (8ft tall if she was human), and as strong and physically imposing (and genuinely dangerous if she wants to be) as she is, she really just wants to cause mischief. Oarfish are known as the doomsday fish, but Melanie is not an omen, she is the issue.

[ybkitten]

This isn't Animal Crossing; how did you even get your hands on her?!

[alexcaninnit]

An oarfish merman I made for my friend!