Hi-res Mortasheen and notes: Hoaxidermy
Added 2021-02-21 14:27:49 +0000 UTCThe idea for this monster was something that pretends to be dead and rotting, which is a popular tactic in nature; many animals pretend to be dead as a defense mechanism, while many plants imitate carrion to attract pollinating insects.
Hoaxidermy does both, but also lures scavengers that can become its prey!
The very first thing I knew I wanted in this design was that it shouldn't simply be an animal that looks dead; that would just come off as some kind of zombie.
The various carrion-mimicking plants often tend to have abstract shapes, resembling no particular animal, but with colors, textures and cavities evocative of dead and gaping meat. I drew inspiration from this as well as from the way a hog-nosed snake looks when it plays dead, and also borrowed a bit from an illustration of a hard, blue-grey cyst in the "Hara no Mushi."
With its fuzzy, swollen body and naked, pink, slimy tail, Hoaxidermy is also meant to resemble a bit of roadkill opossum combined with earthworm, while its scaly blue surface adds some fish and reptile elements.
