Squid certainly aren't the most interesting of cephalopods to me, but they're incredibly important. They're a major food supply for numberless creatures of the deep, and humans eat quite a few of them as well, particularly of Loligo opalescens, the California Market Squid. You can read more about them here.

Why did I pick L. opalescens for the species inspiring my squid pony, when all the others tended to be big and bold representatives of their orders? I have to admit the reasons were two-fold. First, Opalescens seemed like a pretty name. Second, back in my second semester of college, I had a class in which we had lots and lots of dissections. This was one of the best classes I've taken during my far too long college career and had a lasting impact on me in many ways. One of these was the excitement of getting to dissect a squid, which I was given to understand was a California Market Squid. I thought about the day we were going to dissect squid with great anticipation, and decided to even name the specimen that my lab group was working with. The name that came to me was Gracie.

Imagine my surprise when, upon opening Gracie's mantle, we found a very distinct penis. Oops. Nevertheless, I'd been mentally calling her, er, him, Gracie in my head for many days, and the name stuck.

Recently, a step-brother of mine and his wife had a daughter, who they have named Gracie. I can't help but add "the Squid" to the end of her name every time I think of it or say it. I rather suspect they will not be amused when they find out, but I, at least, get warm fuzzies, because every time I think of their daughter, I think of my wonderful day dissecting Gracie.

Opalescens was known in a former life as Bow Tie. In her new form, she has been rerooted with blue and butterscotch silky hair, which has then been curled into beautiful ringlets. Her symbol is of a rather stylized squid, and she has a silver fish on her magnet hoof and in each eye. Her eyes have been partially repainted yellow, pretty much because I felt like it. Completing her simple, but elegant look is a pearl tiara which also gathers her hair together.