I was looking over my other pictures for Jadeclaw and really like the siamese cat servants for the tigress picture. So I put them to work in this one helping the ram with his armor and clothing. The lamp is highly inspired by those nifty lamps carried around during the rooftop chase in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the ram's sleeves are plainly from Princess Mononoke (just got the DVD and saw it again, geh, it's such luscious eye candy *swoon*) Anyway, the ram himself is pretty straightforward. It's not clear if he's getting dressed or undressed. Or to what end; battle? ceremony? bed, bath or sex? All of the above?
The inspiration for this might be obvious; I was watching the boob tube the other night with Scruffy and, in a round about way, he made the observation of how easy the character of Bruce Wayne has it, and can afford to run around in tights doling out Batman's vigilante justice with millions of dollars in his coffers and the world at his fingertips, etc. and at the time, I was casting about for what to do for the picture of the rat noble and it really just seemed too perfect and fitting. Much analysis has been written about Batman as liturature, and particularly about the romaticism of the kind of intense and focused self-righteousness that can only really be realized when you have everything in life and the luxury to not neccesarily worry about the consequences of your actions. Similarly, I envisioned this rat fellow as typically well off like the other nobles, though perhaps not willing to be simply idly rich or empowered. It's likely very easy for this fellow to feel that due to his breeding and education, his superior physical and mental qualities from training and upbringing, make him more than suitable to actually know and actively do what's best for the common peasantry, saving the ignorant lower classes from themselves. On some level, his heart is in the right place and I can imagine him having some interactions that are positive, perhaps with the kirin and foxes, but his motivations are as ultimately rooted in arrogance and elitism as any snakes ;^) Here he is shown responding to some signal of trouble, preparing to brave a night's muddy rain and bear the White Man's Burden, so to speak. Attending him is a siamese feline, ready with a robe in case he catches a sniffle or something like that.
I was told that while the other critters are to be anthropomorphic, the snake is just supposed to be a snake. Which makes some sort of sense to me since it's really pretty hard to map "snake" onto "human" and have it still come across as snake and not lizard or some other generic reptile creature. Anyway. This was sort of fun; figuring out "costuming" and such. I figured a wealthy, powerful snake would highlight both by posing for its portrait with symbols of its status, money and jewelry and knots. The money is self-explanatory, the "rings" and knots are only slightly deeper since it means the snake is important enough to have these things done for him. He can't eat with the jewelry on, but he obviously can't put it on or take it off himself, either. And he can't tie knots in string or knot a ribbon around himself. I tend to think of the wealthy influential snakes surrounding and adorning themselves with various bodyrings and knots of silk string, etc. The snakes are exquisite manipulators by neccessity. Here's one curled around a fan and posing before some coins. Rather dashing, ne?
The thing about tigers for me is stripes! And the thing about civilization is that most folk don't walk around naked enough to show something like striping. So to get around that, I showed this image of the lady at her bath, being tended to by a litter of siamese cats. They are supposed to be vauge and nondescript in comparison to the central figure, and i'll color them with washy pastels and the background as well. Although she isn't wearing much of anything, I think she still conveys the right air of poise and authority.