Artist's commentary
Werehog Forms: Octikal
Hallo,
I thought I'd throw this together to tide you guys over 'till I can get back to my normal computer. Why am I not working on GOTF since I've obviously got access to Photoshop? Well, I need my reference files to do GOTF, which I can't get to. and I'd rather not have to redo half of page whatever-I'm-on-now. And hey, I'm getting lots of writing done!
Anyway, were-Tikal. Not very werehoggish really, but I like the concept a lot. I did a lot of thinking on Tikal's character in GOTF to come to this, and she's turning into a really interesting person; Tikal's actions are governed by her emotions, in sharp contrast to Sonic who stifles his feeling while following his moral senses. She does kind and selfless things because it's what she wants to, not out of a sense of obligation. This means her will is extremely strong, though she is naturally shy when out of her rather limited range of experience. In her werehog form, her selfish side takes over and paired with that will, she's a scary lady. She becomes completely self-absorbed and defensive, which masks her extremely insecure core. She probably uses her knowledge of healing powers to inflict surgically-accurate and deadly attacks on her opponents in combat.
I thought an octopus would work well to illustrate this, as they're very mysterious, unsettling, and inscrutable creatures. Also, the water element ties into her connection with Chaos. Aaaand I really wanted to draw her hair as tentacles.
Enjoy!