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IP Pageant Entry:: Food

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OOOkkkayyy I feel some explanation is going to be needed on this picture. 

"Tea! why is Tikah killing that creature!" 

"TEA, HOW is this got anything to do with FOOD?" 
  

Those are some very good questions! With some fortunately very simple answers!

She's grocery shopping :| 

...Yep.. 

Okay let me explain a bit here before more questions come up, when this round came up for the IP pageant with the theme being food I was a bit stumped as to what I wanted to do. I just couldn't see Tikah in a frilly outfit based off some multicolored candy, or any other kind of food like that. It just didn't fit her, frills, lace, anything of the sort just weren't in her character.

You would think that with my obsession with a singular type of herbal drink the first think that would come to my mind would be TEA, but while that did occur to me like the possibilities before it  the idea just, didn't FIT. The more I thought about what I should put her in the more frustrated, and honestly bewildered I became. Taking some time to do some well needed brain storming I got an idea for a bit more.. out there, kind of solution to my problem.

The concept I created being immediately jumping from colorful fruity snacks to well, cannibalism. 
Cause that is just how my lovely brain works with his misfired instructions that get mistaken for creativity. 

You are what you eat right?....Eheh....

A few sketches later, and some concept art created it dawned on me that this was not exactly the kind of art you wanted to submit to a Pageant. Least of all one that is a generally PG to PG-13 group. Alien skulls, and blood wasn't exactly the kind of thing they wanted to display in their groups gallery. So, backtracking from there I was back at step one.

I played with a few more concepts, tried to think of something that would work but once again came up empty handed. 

So left in my lack of inspiration mode I started thinking. 
What exactly is food to people?
In the USA when we say 'Food' we immediately think about grocery stores, plastic covered products, fruits, hamburgers. Each continent has their own concept of what food is, and what first comes to their head. 
In the less modernized areas though the view on this is completely different.

Every place on this planet has had a kind of tribal people settle there before developing into what occupies that area now. Back in the more tribal times people didn't think "Oh I could use some protein I'll go get a McDonald's Whopper", when that craving for some kind of sustenance other then fruits and veges kicked up what they wanted was meat.

Calorie filled nutritious, meat. 

Having a giant kill was a big deal, something they could all partake of, and for the native american Indians, along with other large congregations of tribal beings, nothing went to waste. What they didn't eat was used, bones crafted into hooks or anything else they required. Fur became clothing. Teeth became accessories.  Nothing was thrown away. 

So in a sense this is what that image is.

The beast in itself is the 'food' a native creature to her home planet of Vort often hunted for its tough but high in nutritional needs flesh. Tikah's outfit is based off of the said beast. The horn at her side being a the same kind of beasts tusks as her kill, it being hollowed out and used as a warning instrument for others. Her chest covering upper torso adornment being made of beads, and either teeth or ribs of the said unfortunate creature. Several patches of fur covering portions of her form as well, both being fashionably fabulous and covering her scent from the creature. 

In my headcanon's that I hope to introduce you all to soon at a later date you'll get to see a bit about Tikah's ancestry. Which actually came from a rather tribal history. The idea of putting her in some traditional primitive Vortian clothing was too appealing for me not to do so. 

In the tribes of Vort painting of the skin was a day to day occurrence and something I honestly looked forward to doing on her. Originally I had played with some 'gear' looking illustrations. But they didn't mesh right with the overall image, so after some tweaking I got the designs that you see here. 

Rather toned down from my first idea, so hopefully passable in the group~! 
 
Previous rounds of IP Pageant: 
IP Pageant Entry:: Swimsuit by TheEvilTeaDrinker Tikah Pageant Entry by TheEvilTeaDrinker 

Other images of Tikah:
 I Blame You by TheEvilTeaDrinker There's Work to do! ::Gift by TheEvilTeaDrinker I am Nobodies Pet by TheEvilTeaDrinker Lunch Break by TheEvilTeaDrinker 
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Pucca2000's avatar
This is so amazing! 
I can just picture her talking to someone, going like, "Back in my day, we had to hunt our food, and now you humans here just get your food handed to you in a bag. What's up with that?" 

I couldn't resist. :)