Octolopthodium (Octolop)

Origin/ History
As the unceasing crawl of time has slowly crept onwards, children have increasingly felt the need to grow older younger. They have willingly fought to rid themselves of their childhood innocence far before their time and, in doing so, have shed a part of themselves that was never meant to break. At the outset of the very first war, the original Octolop was born from the severed innocence of a child warrior as he watched blood spill and bodies fall for the first time. Since then, every youth who has successfully rid themselves of their innocence before true maturity allows them to be christened “adults” has given rise to an Octolop. These creatures, once born from the loss of something precious, defy the nature of their origin by remaining with their human, taking every opportunity to remind them of the joy, gentle innocence, and childhood wonder that will still and forever be a part of their lives if only they choose to see it and embrace it.

Appearance
Octolopthodiums are an amalgamation of several creatures that have historically held great fascination for children. They possess limbs like those of an octopus that range in color from blue to red depending on their country of origin. These furry tentacles peak out from a sea turtle-like shell, each section of which bears a floral design. From the center section blooms a small garden of flora that differs (once again) depending on the country of origin. The Octolop’s head is like that of a bunny with long flopping ears, soft fluffy cheeks, and large eyes that sparkle as though they contain galaxies within them. They often wear flower crowns upon their brows and are always female.

Attributes
Octolops are magical creatures made of pure innocence, joy, wonder, and childhood imagination. They fly on wispy clouds of glitter and swim through the air using their tentacles as oars. Their life spans are tied to their human because they are quite literally vessels for that human’s discarded innocence. When the human’s soul passes from this life to the next, they take their innocence with them. Octolops are highly observant creatures that have the ability to find joy and wonder in any stage of God’s plan, and they love nothing more than sharing that happiness with their human. They can be great sources of comfort if their human allows themselves to be shown the good in life.

Habitat
Octolops can be found anywhere humans are, but they are more common in areas of great devastation. There was a particularly large outbreak in Japan after WWII. It’s believed that this massive uptick in Octolops inspired the creation of the Kawaii movement. Octolops are invisible to anyone who refuses to embrace joy, and this can even include their human of origin. The less an Octolop’s efforts are acknowledged by their human, the weaker their powers grow. The power surge during outbreaks in truly devastated areas tends to be short-lived as a result.

Diet
Octolops do not require food to live, but they take great pleasure in enjoying a tasty treat every once in a while. Their favorite dishes differ depending on the preferred meal of their human during their formative years. That being said, strawberries are always a favorite.

Strengths

Positivity
Unconditional love
Finding joy
Melting hearts
Comforting wounded souls

Weaknesses

Power is tied to acceptance
Incapable of embracing sorrow, can come off as insensitive to those who don’t understand because they see pain but choose not to let it consume them or their joy

Symbolism
Octolops symbolize joy, childhood innocence, wonder, youthful imagination, hope, and God’s love. They are always there, waiting for people to open their hearts and let them in.

Uses
They are a great source of comfort and help bring good things to be thankful for to their humans’ attention. They are technically spirits and are thus not solid. However, if they sense the need, in the name of comfort they can make themselves feel solid in order to give their humans a proper embrace.

Often Depicted
Octolops are very rarely captured in art given that so few people truly embrace their efforts and thus do not see them. On the rare occasion that an Octolop does appear in art form, they are generally represented by a golden halo of sorts bursting merrily from behind the head of their human as a symbol of radiant joy.