Written by DragonLoverHere
The year of 2013 has brought about a whole crop of new artists to the CS artist team, all which have proven to be fabulous in their work and novel in ideas. Saikiyo is one of these chosen few into the guest stream, also an oekaki moderator, and though her list is still extremely small in the archive her footprint has a deep resonation already. Perhaps her most popular and show stopping creation thus far is the August 2013 store pets.
Heavily edited and as gorgeous as any other, the litter has a deep theme in Japanese culture, with one being Chinese in ideas. Common traits include a curled, extremely long and fluffy tail, long ears, and an edited fur line about the head giving it a ‘hooded’ appearance. However the most notable is the unique face that each possesses, fashioned after Japanese theater style masks. And these edits are only the beginning of the deep rigor placed into them individually. “All in all, these dogs are amazingly well designed. They are my favorites and will be cherished for as long as I stay on CS. I will most likely not trade them, not even for my ultimate dreamies!” says user Pika Girl.
To start, let’s look at the one oddball of the litter, the Chinese based outcome. Mousewhisker, one of those interviewed, was herself confused by certain aspects of the outcome. “I don't understand why it's face looks like a Japanese Kanji... And what do the pearls represent? It's just a little confusing for me.” Hopefully, some well found research and insight form the artist can shed light upon the true depth to these creations. The mask is carefully designed like a kitsune’s face, the coloration simple and reminiscent of a dog breed from the region known commonly as the Chow Chow (though the artist says it was more fox based). In classic luck, red strings drape across the whole body of the outcome and twist the legs and tail gracefully. Another reason for the strings of red is that in several mangas the creator read, there is a small myth at play that lovers and future lovers had invisible red threads on their pinkie fingers. On these strings are tied jade beads and a single large jade coin, another deep symbol in the culture showing beauty, grace, and purity that dates as far back and 5000 BCE in usage. Though different, it was not to be outdone or overpowering of its littermates.
An outcome with similar twining of strands about its body was one with a soft green coloration. These strands featured many large dark, round prayer beads also in a necklace and even one sliding onto the tail. This is also the only of the litter to possess any sort of piercing. The idea in these beads, she says, budded from a manga she read, Shaman King, where a character used prayer beads. In the same manga, another character controlled the dead and wore a spell tag on their face, giving inspiration for the mask design with the single paper and symbol on it, also giving it the name of the Spirit outcome.
The manga Mushishi provided inspiration for the beautiful but slightly creepy black outcome. When one looks closer at the seemingly random lighter spots across the legs and tail, you can find the shape of bamboo shoots in water color or ink. The gossamer look is only added to by the orbs of light ‘magic’ dancing about the outcome, mysterious and eerily tranquil. The mask, however, reminds one of a smug looking white tiger, and thus is part of the source for the unpleasant feeling some get when they look at the outcome.
The final and perhaps most easy to interpret is the sakura tree outcome, more commonly known to some as the cherry blossom or wind chime outcome. One of the most commonly seen symbols in anime, the sakura also stands for the Japanese spring and is commonly associated with peace and beauty. The fabulous pink and brown coloration and the stenciled cherry blossom on the mid back all bring this concept to life, as did the more cheerful disposition of the mask. The special edits were lesser but nonetheless intriguing and complementary to the design. A small blossom is tucked behind one ear, with petals sent into flight by a breeze. In direct quote from Saikiyo in the August discussion thread, “The Japanese wind chime (inspired by Naruto and Pokemon) is tied with a thick rope that's used on sacred trees, inspired from Inuyasha.”
While the set can be called graceful, novel and unique, not everyone is the biggest fan. One of the interviewed, Yoyce, voiced a distaste that follows: “I have mixed feelings. Despite being very well made, I can't call them my favourites. I do adore some of their features… but the masks and hidden under them flat faces instead of normal dog snouts is something I don't like. They look a bit creepy this way in my opinion...” It can easily be said the facial edits were what make the litter the most bizarre CS has set eyes on. Unlike all other dog base adopts, this single litter has been the first with no snout whatsoever and just a flat face.
As user Pinkdragonwings writes, “I would love to see some more spooky store pets released in the future. These were done very beautifully without being too scary for anyone. (I hope anyway!)” I’m sure many users out there, despite the creeps and chills, find the pets a novelty and true collector’s item. So here’s to those fabulous pooches as they make their way into line with the others of the archives!
by CalicoWolf » Tue Jan 31, 2012 11:52 am 
