Always Late to the School of Horses

I feel like it's really important to include Spearmaster's scar because it's a consequence of the tragedy of the local group inflicted on an innocent messenger, but it also marks a change in the relationship between Spearmaster and Seven Red Suns. NSH points out that Suns expressed nothing but disgust while developing Spearmaster, but it's after Pebbles tears the pearl out of Spearmaster's chest and leaves them scarred that Suns realizes how much they've come to care about Spearmaster.

It's just one of those things; the scar is a sign that time has passed. The scar is a result of a grievous wound inflicted by Five Pebbles' in his rage, but it also lets us know that the journey is over. Spearmaster and Suns have found peace together despite the circumstances of the local group.

I got in my head the idea that Suns and Spearmaster picked up behaviors from each other without realizing it so I just had to draw them a bunch and ended up experimenting with their designs. I think I'm taken by animal-headed Suns with torpedo-rabbit Spearmaster.

Some design sketches and full canvas below the cut

My wife @kcdodger said it could be really interesting if Suns made Spearmaster's head so distinctly shaped as a means of bringing them closer to Suns in an act of ego/vanity, but now that they're closer, it feels more like a filial similarity. This is based on the idea that Suns used to be much hard and callous before they softened (large in part due to Spearmaster). I think that's so cool tbh, and it's honestly what sold me on animal-faced Suns.

I'm planning on using this Suns design for my Undergrowth AU, because I want to give the iterators more unique head shapes for that.

I'm not sure which from you mean since no one in my header animation has a mouth to make a :o face with. I'm just guessing you mean this one

or this one?

"Friend, there are scavengers watching."