RE: Let's Do the 7th Generation! - SIGN-UPS OPEN
Okay, I'm here, let me get my bearings and I'll address all your concerns.
Scorched Feathers said:
Give it Leaf Storm, it could do with some actual power.
since there are no leaves present in the design, I felt it was too big of a jump. Petal dance was, ultimately, chosen because 2 out of 3 stages had flowers and oddish learns it too (despite not having flowers, like squixie), so I felt it was a valid precedent.
Keeper of Night said:
Caught up now.
Is the squirrel line like Snivy where they have vines coming from their necks? Or no vines at all?
Unless it's like Chespin, knows Vine Whip without reason.
No vines. I considered giving them vine whip and power whip, since they
could use their tails, but... no.
Blui said:
I'm just going to be really honest here. I really don't like the squirrel, it hardly changes though 2 evolutions and doesn't really look like a starter. I think a better way to do it would be to have it develop the crown from above it's eyes and have the tail as a single rolled up green leaf that eventually unrolls and changes into a red carpet.
EDIT: With other changes of course
The crown of acorns was inspired in this picture:
[img width=200 height=]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/SophieAndersonTakethefairfaceofWoman.jpg[/img]
It's a portrait of a fairy. That's where it comes from. Also, many elves in fantasy are pictured wearing tiaras, similar in location to that "crown".
I already gave my explanation for not using a leaf for a tail, it's also not subtle
at all. The grass
could be better drawn, I'll give you that.
As for the "not changes" issue, look at the cyndaquil line. Do they change enough? they actually go through similar bodily changes, in terms of shape. from a compact, small creature, to a longer, sleeker version, and to another.
As an aside, the flower pinning the capes is a callback to the leaf pin the fellowship used in
lord of the rings, it was given to them by galadriel and the forest elves, if I recall correctly. TOLKIEN, ladies!
Keeper of Night said:
I'm not actually a fan of the squirrel either, was not aware this was the finished project.
IMO, the tail should unroll and give it a sort of royal robe.
This is
not the finished design. this is the point where I present it for you to see and take a rest from it to come back later with a fresh perspective.
Turtwig said:
Yeah, the design barely changes at all. It looks like the squirrel just puts more flowers in its tail.. I tried to accept it earlier, though. I thought it was just another rough draft. In its defense, however, it can be very hard to add onto a Pokemon like that. I do like the robe idea.
It's not another rough draft, but it's not the finished design either.
Keeper of Night said:
Found a perfect image for what I was talking about:
Lovely dress. Expensive as f***, too, but that's a
royal dress, darling, a british royal dress. How can that apply to an elven squirrel that fights?
The thing with the robe is, it has to come from the source... my references on elves had them wearing either long robes, crop tops (hence the clean stripe in elvossom's belly) or ranger clothes like these (notice the tiara, collar, small cape and long hair):
[img width=400 height=]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0qDkrG58Psw/TTSjsV2SfgI/AAAAAAAAIRQ/5E8qRuwl41U/s1600/1236760844_1024x768_beautiful-forest-elf.jpg[/img]
I decided to use ranger clothes because I wanted to focus on the speed and agility of elves, and the RPG class of rangers fitted nicely with the battling aspect.
Now, I'm
not discarding the idea of a dress like that, I like it, but consider that this is an elf related to nature... that carries a symbology that it's not only hard to avoid, but it must be followed.
I'll look into the dress angles and see if I can integrate it with the need for speed. I'll also look into the tail. it actually
can be unrolled, and it also comes from the "hair"; it's also wider than I drew it, since the pokemon is supposed to be able to hide under it and surprise attack predators or evildoers.
And that is how you must defend your designs. Justify what you've done and take everyone's observations. None of the big design decisions were made randomly, but they
were changing as the process advanced. I'll see what I can do about what you've pointed out.
