This initially started out as a redraw of this particular piece: www.furaffinity.net/view/17810…

Then I remembered the particular period in my life I had drawn it, what it was initially intended to become, and who that particular variation was intrinsically associated with. I quickly came to the conclusion that while it would still be a test to see if I had improved--despite the fact this is only my second full body after 8-9 years of doing nothing--it would be another way for me to reclaim what had been taken from me so long ago.

While the head shot I did of a particular character a ways back was intended for the same thing, it was not as meaningful to me when compared to this species, whom have been around since '06 and gone through a number of evolutions.

The last time I had been happy with my Natavathi was around the time of the abusive relationship I had been in, and as can be surmised from that pre-amble, the full body linked above was intended to be a counterpart to my ex-fiancés own piece that never came to fruition. Because of it, I had revamped the Natavathi into something unrecognizable from what they originally were, excluding the key feature of the domed head/single "eye" gem, hoping it would pull me away from that time and allow me an escape.

In reality it did the opposite and only now have I felt comfortable trying my hand at them again.

This go-around I've combined features from every variation of the Natavathi that I could while also adding some bits that wouldn't necessarily make sense for an organic entities natural evolution--given they're a synthetic. They display features and attributes from a variety of Natavathi types, though I have not yet concluded if this is due to divergent evolution, if the species formed clans in wildly varying climes and formed physiological traits suitable to those regions before they all came together, or something else.

Whichever it may be, the Natavathi only exist as synthetic entities with their organic counterparts long extinct due to circumstances wildly outside of their control. While this was originally intended to be a prevalent plot point, it's also allowed me to have a reason for why the other versions existed in the form they did and explain why they no longer do, so that I may divorce myself from that time in my life and, by extension, finally heal from it. Although therapy has certainly done wonders for my mental health, I never felt like I was able to truly let go until I did something important and meaningful through my art and a species that is dear to my heart.

Another plot-relevant tidbit as well as a way to be true to myself, the scarring on their chest is from them physically clawing away that which was not true to their being. Although they could have easily repaired the damage to their faux skin, they've chosen to retain it as a reminder of where they've come from and how far in life they've gone.

After this goes up, I'm going to upload a side-by-side comparison into scraps.