So, first things first, what I wanted to look for was for some creature that could be attributed to the Ground-typing, and den animals are among the more earth-based critters, no? After that, I needed something that could justify a hit-and-run strategy, a pivot role for Doom Desire. And something immediateòy crossed my mind:
weasel war dance.
✷ Baby weasel showing the typical hit-and-run technique (animated GIF, over 500 kB)
With the Ground-typing and pivot role in mind, it was now time to design the weasel. As I was looking for something to reference the Steel-typing and its connection to Doom Desire, I've looked into an element that would encompass both:
an astrolabe.
"An astrolabe is an elaborate inclinometer, historically used by astronomers and navigators to measure the altitude above the horizon of a celestial body, day or night. It can be used to identify stars or planets, to determine local latitude given local time (and vice versa), to survey, or to triangulate."
As a result, many designs came out of it.
1st Draft, The Floatzel Lookalike (over 500 kB)
2nd Draft, The Circus Weasel (over 500 kB)
Though, they didn't look much like Ground-types anymore, so the switch was made to something more earth-based, with the rings of the weasel being more akin to planetary rings.
3rd Draft, Planet Weasel (over 500 kB)
Miscellaneous Designs based on Quicksilver
However, once Levitate won the pool and due to feedback of the rings not really clicking with the weasel, I have decided to change element, and switched from an astrolabe to the comet theme, in order to maintain the cosmic element (for Doom Desire) while also maintaining the Steel-type (as comets are made of strong material, subtly referencing Steel) and granting it the ability to be airborne (since, y'know, comets can be seen in the sky). As such, the first comet weasel was born (warning, image is over 500 kB).
This design, however, still lacked something to make it look more Ground-typed and to justify Levitate. As such, it was time to take another step, and thanks to Falchion I got just the element I needed: the
Kamaitachi!
"Kamaitachi (kama = sickle, itachi = weasel) is a Japanese yōkai often told about in the Kōshin'etsu region, and can also refer to the strange events that this creature causes. They appear riding on dust devils, and they cut people using the nails on both their hands that are like sickles. One would receive a sharp, painless wound.
In the Shin'etsu region, a kamaitachi is said to be the work of an evil god, and there is a folk belief that one would encounter calamity by stepping on a calendar. It is counted among one of the seven mysteries of Echigo.
Japanese weasels, known as itachi, are seen as disconcerting animals and bringers of ill omens for the particular brand of magic that yokai weasels perform. Like most animals-turned-yokai, they possess shape-shifting abilities in addition to a number of magical powers."
A devilish and powerful yokai that rides dust devils and it's said to bring calamity in some way? And it takes the shape of a weasel with scythes? What's not to love about it?
With this in mind, it was now time to tackle this aspect, by merging the original comet design with sand and scythes. This was the final version during the pre-stats phase. The sand had a more wisp-like appearance to reference its yokai origins, while the tails referenced the comet trails of a... well, comet. :p
But then, the stats were defined, and the CAP gained high HP and Defenses and a low Speed. As such, it was time to rethink things through, and I decided to add a mane around the weasel's neck. The reasoning is simple: the mane would act as a protection and reduce damage, while also mirroring the head of a comet. The initial result was this...
Which, after many works in polishing and tweaking, became the design that it is today. Also, the mane works with Bulletproof, too, as it essentially acts like a Kevlar jacket. And what does Kevlar do? Why, it
stops bullets, of course.
Here's how my original Astrolabe Weasel has become the newest Comet Kamaitachi.
