The colors in this photograph by Stephen Strange are simply fantastic, and the hard edged lines make it almost appear as if the octopus is a tattoo that has begun to crawl out of her skin. The effect is hypnotic.

TheBrideWearsBlack (NSFW) [Artist’s Site] : Deviant Art : Thanks to Steve and Katy!

Featured prominently amongst this collection of Russian criminals and their tattoos is this menacing gentleman, his shoulder adorned with tentacles. It was only moments after this picture was taken that he leapt at the photographer, viciously beating him to death with his cat.

Russian Criminal Tattoos [English Russia]

Strange coincidences and eerie alignments this Tuesday morning. Steve Scott is a London based animation director and illustrator who also, apparently, has some sort of telepathic ability that has allowed him to lick the collective brain of Ectomo. This piece, entitled The Society of Victorian Mutants is as close as I believe I’ve seen to summing up the fetishes of Ectoplasmosis’s hive-mind in their entirety.

We don’t think it goes to far to say that Ectomo and Steve -if we may be so bold- should, and shall, be Best Friends Forever and we can hang out and do each other’s make-up and talk about tentacles and Cthulhu. We are sure of this, surer than anything in our entire, short lives. Make haste and hit up his site for an impressive collection of moustaches, Victorian fashion, robots, and pin-ups. Also, could you to pass him this note: “Do you like Ectomo? Circle one: Yes No”

Steve Scott [Artist’s Site] : Thanks, Bira!

Ever wanted to have a tentacle arm? Do you and the little lady (or little man) have a hankering for some hentai inspired role-playing? Gaia Online (insert 4chan memery) has you covered, then, with this offering of suction-cup bedecked, polyester goodness.

Tentacle Arm [Gaia Online Store] : Kotaku : Thanks to Ninja-bot and Chris Ferstad!

Yuji Moriguchi continues the tradition pioneered by Katsushika Hokusai with his modern, ukiyo-e styled illustrations, many of which, of course, feature cephalopods. From left to right: Early Afternoon Affair, Veranda, and Tide.

Yuji Moriguchi’s Erotic Fantasies [PingMag]

Four Red Bulls, twenty hours, and a bag of squid chips later, it is done. The very first Ectoplamosis print broadside is ready for distribution.

But soft, ye say, what in blazes am I talking about? I’ll let Warren Ellis, Big Daddy to Ectomo’s Little Sister, explain:

The broadside has a centuries-long history as a device for disseminating news and ideas. I mean, flyers go up on the web to be printed off, sure. But it’s not quite the same thing. Getting an idea, or a piece of writing, on a single sheet and saying, yes, print this off, copy it and distribute it wherever you like — that’d be interesting.

In short, a single-page guerilla publication, distributed by xerox and zealous reader in coffee shops, cubicle farms, club bathrooms, 24-hour greasy spoon diners, on telephone poles, shoved under windshield wipers, wiped under windshield shovers, safety-pinned on unsuspecting hobos, and fluttering in a comet tail behind us, wherever we may roam.

The first episode of ECTOPLASMOSIS! is offered in three editions:

• US Letter 8.5 x 11″ one-side printed sheet: broadside1_standard_final.pdf
• 8.5 x 11″ borderless, all the way to the EDGE, man! For people with printers who can handle “borderless” printing: broadside1_borderless_final.pdf
• Eurotrash A4 8.3 x 11.7″, for our international clientele: broadside1_a4_final.pdf

This broadside is formatted specifically for easy printing and xeroxing, and features original artwork, an updated version of my famous Toxoplasmosis article, vintage illustrations, and an octobee coloring contest! Those of you who wish to curry our excellent favor, print and distribute with zest and enthusiasm! You will be rewarded in this life, and the next.

Stay tuned for more information about the coloring contest, a distribution contest, and other blunt mutterings from Brownlee.

Just a reminder that you’ve got until Cthursday to enter our latest Cthulhu Contest Giveaway. This week’s theme is the best Lovecraft/Ectomeme mash-up. We’ve got six strong entries so far, so the odds are still good. Enter here!

Also, previous Cthursday Contest winners? Our slavishly unpaid intern (my Mom) reports that all Cthulhus are in the mail as of Friday and should take 3-5 days for delivery. God help you if you don’t send us a picture of you and your new Cthulhus.