Whew! Here is something that has taken much, much longer than I initially thought it would! After first toying with Zael's appearance back in late 2013, I have been engaging in savage internal debate on many details. Somehow I thought that the process of creating a character should be simple and spontaneous, but bringing Zael to life has proven a real exercise in soul-searching.

When I first imagined Zael, I had precious little time to create him. Being new to the community, I wanted to get a reference done as soon as possible, and thankful Tankaa was more than willing to oblige. However, I couldn't really expect for him to make millions of tiny tweaks over the course of weeks until I arrived at perfection, so I ended up putting in some simple details that worked well at the time, knowing I'd probably end up making some changes as I went. During most of last year, Zael did not change much and I even got a full fursuit of him which I was very happy with!

As I met more and more dragons, each with their unique, iconic markings and details however, Zael's incompleteness became more and more apparent. I initially set about adding a lot of details, trim, striping, jewelry, etc...the end result looking okay but cluttered. It was therefore a bit of an uphill battle as I hashed things out, removing some details, only to bring them back, changing and reshaping others, and so on. Perhaps even more daunting was the alignment of Zael's new details with his emerging backstory (a story, perhaps, for another time). Finally, after months of debate, I think I've finally reached a form I'm happy with.

I initially considered getting an artist to redo my reference with the new details, but the amount of debate made the task ultimately unfeasible. Moreover, there was something very...deep about the prospect of drawing my own reference. Even with my limited artistic abilities, I really liked the idea of bring Zael to life one line at a time. Furthermore, the self-creation process really gave me the "tinkering time" I needed. Nevertheless, it took an awfully long time to complete (probably thanks once again to my limited abilities). While the end result may not even approach what a skilled artist could create, I am very happy with the result, and I am hoping to continue using this as my definitive reference for many years to come (though we'll see how that goes!)

I've always really admired furies that devise their characters in one, clear night of introspection, and who ultimately stick with that form. Changing one's character seems a bit of a betrayal somehow: an admission that you didn't spend enough time seeking out that "one true form" but then again, I've seen plenty of furs make adjustments as time goes on without incident. I suppose it's a bit of a debate for the ages, but I'm really going to endeavor keep Zael's form "frozen" from this day forth. (Bets anyone?)

A quick list of the notable changes from my first reference:

• Gold markings below the eyes - an insignia that Zael was not born with, but that appear when he first touched his arcane arts. These markings glow softly whenever Zael uses magic.
• Added snout horn - shrugs I think it just looks cool :)
• Tattoo on the left forearm - a unique marking, denoting his membership to the Night's Reach, a construct that will be described more in a future written work.
• Gold and violet pendant - mostly just decorative but also connected to his arcane abilities (the violet sphere glows when his powers are used)
• Gold earring on right ear fan only - purely decorative (note, Zael has just ONE earring)
• Silver cuffs on the ankles - mostly decorative, but also metaphorically illustrating that his powers and intentions are controlled and disciplined (also, looks quite amusing during inflation)
• Arcane staff - used to focus and amplify Zael's natural abilities, but the sharpened edges and cutter along the inside ridge allow it to double as a melee weapon

NOTE: Zael is shown here in anthrograde, but his true form is actually digigrade - I just do not have the talent to depict this! (Seriously, my attempts at digigrade legs are...laughable.)

While this effort is now complete, I think the next step will be a bit more fun - developing an "adult" reference, showing Zael's endowment and perhaps listing some of his favorite fetishes. And before you ask, yes Zael is still very inflatable, and the adult reference will depict all the delicious ways in which you can pump him up!