moon stalker - design concept // august MOTM // sfw? (Patreon)

ok so! i have previously designed a lady of the blood moon, which made references to incan and mayan myths about a jaguar eating the full moon. for this design, on the other hand, i was inspired by moon rabbit folklore.

i already knew that many east asian countries see a rabbit in the shadows of the moon's surface. this jade hare uses a mortar to make herbal medicine for ascended heroes, the elixir of life for the moon goddess chang'e, or mooncakes for the mid-autumn festival.

but while doing research for this design i also learned about moon rabbits in indigenous american folklore. there's a cree tale of a crane flying a rabbit to the moon, while an aztec story tells of a deity throwing a rabbit at the moon to humble the lunar god. like chang'e, the mayan lunar goddess is also accompanied by a rabbit. another interesting parallel is that a rabbit volunteers itself to be eaten by a hungry deity in both buddhist and aztec stories, but is spared and honoured with its image on the moon's surface.

in reference to these legends, i gave this character some hare features -- primarily his ears, short fluffy tail, and soft little peets. however, he's a moon -stalker-, which evokes something more fearsome and formidable than a rabbit. that's why he's so big and buff, and why he has fangs and claws.

moreover, he should have the energy of a cryptid stalking the night, so i wanted to give him some eerie and creepy feature too. that's why i added the long, segmented "extra arms" that look a bit like insect legs, sprouting from his back. i imagine they give off a soft clicky noise when they move, like dry weeds snapping in the wind. these insectoid "arms" look like stone carved into cloudy shapes, with a full moon on each claw. more specifically, i based their colours on pale mutton-fat jade, in reference to the jade hare of chinese myth and art. (but i also kept moonstone and the classic cream cheese colour of moon sand in mind.)

clouds also adorn his body, where they drift and billow across his night sky skin. little stars dot his limbs instead of freckles and moles, and a full yellow moon shines from over his heart. in all, his colour palette is that of a brightly moonlit night, with much contrast and a soft shimmer.

// art + character © me.