I had decided that if Tarik were to be any Pokemon, it'd be a Lapras, because there aren't many like him anymore and he's sweet and caring and helpful and people try to take advantage of him but he's got a thick shell so he always comes out okay in the end. On PAC, the Pokemon Adventure Challenge community on Tumblr, they were having a merfolk bandwagon going around and I used it as an excuse to draw Tarik as a Lapras.

Drew him with his five articles of faith, seeing as he's a Sikh-analog. His Kesh (uncut hair beneath his dastar), his Kangha (a comb in his hair), his Kara (the iron bracelet), the Kirpan (the dagger around his neck), and the Kaccha (a sort of shorts-like garment that I just made into a loincloth because he has no legs).

Looked up turtles for Lapras and had great fun with this entire picture!

Tarik, art (c) Scott Francis
Pokemon (c) Nintendo