Eternal Fever Dream of the Multiple Realms Theory ~ The Eternal Fever Dream

💘 Gallery of the Competition Arc

This part will likely be expanded on and on as I develop this arc more. Please come back every once in a while to check for new insights!

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I love this arc and what it stands for.
It's an attempt at a Mario Kart 8-inspired arc, featuring new locations based on the game's many courses. To me, it's mostly known for its over-the-top and colorful outfits.
So, I've decided to look at a few of the new outfits, some with pictures, and gush over them because I love them so much.

First up! Sora Kumoriko

I like this one, I really do. I originally intended for Sora to have a 90's look to him-- whether or not I achieved that with his initial outfit is up to your interpretation, but this, I feel, really does that initial intention justice. The multicolored hair, the jacket, the oversized headphones, the skates, the belt, the crop-top... It's just so wonderful.
Mario Kart fans are gonna notice the Electrodrome references in the background of this particular illustration. I wanted to design an outfit that embodied the gorgeous and sparkly "teen night out" feel of Electrodrome, and I think I did it. It being more fun to draw helps with how I feel about it. His usual outfit has too many solid colors for my liking, so it's a bit of a drag to draw. This is good, though.

Next up! Reisen Kanaboshi

This illustration leaves a lot to be desired... It was an attempt. Enough of me sulking over the poor imitation of the previous illustration, since I actually do like this outfit. I managed to forget that I wanted it to have various decals(?) all over it in reference to the advertisements from Mario Kart 8. Just imagine that they're there.
First, I really like her hair. The rainbow streaks are really fun, and they're not too much like I had feared. It's soft and bouncy. The blue and pink streak between her eyes was always intended to be a reference to the 8 in the logo for the Switch version of Mario Kart 8, and it works well with the other streaks, though it's a little too wide for my liking.
The outfit itself is a recolor of the biker outfits that the princesses wear in the Mario Kart series when they're on a bike. Reisen likes to cosplay, so it works well with her. Also, that helmet is a little tight, so whenever she goes to take it off she usually takes her head off instead. It's cute and reminds me of Rottytops from Shantae.
The dangling item-box earrings are super cute. If I had pierced ears, I'd commission someone to make them for me and wear them myself. But considering my finicky body, that might backfire on me, so...

Next up! Moriya Sabakuma

Some people would like this outfit. I certainly enjoy the lavender palette coming back, but something about the outfit itself makes me upset. I want to make drastic new outfits for Moriya (and by extension, Mima) but that'd be out-of-character, so I'm always stuck with her casual outfit as a base. Moriya could really benefit from a red butterfly-themed outfit. Maybe a dress? Anyways,
It's not shown in the illustration, but she's wearing purple shell-shaped kneepads, black leather pants, and some Rocket Boots from Terraria. I'm honestly a fan of the boots, since they add something to her that I really like.
I think the pads are a bit much, I don't know. They're too out-of-place in the sea of greys and blacks that is her outfit. I like the one over her torso. That one can stay.
This one's a "meh" for me. It's a little painful, since I love Moriya so much and this is the arc where I've decided to go all out with character design. Perhaps it'll change sometime soon, but for now it's just...

Next up! Ayako Kanaboshi

No illustration for her, unfortunately. She wears a light orange long-sleeved leotard with a purple star pattern and purple frills, and over it is her satin cape from the Black Hole Prism incident. No ruff collar, surprisingly. She wears white ice skates that go up to her knees, and a miniature top hat! It has a green ribbon! Too cute.
The figure-skater inspirations are a side effect of Ayako being the champion of the Festival Rink only because she's the only person who hangs out there.

Last up! Keita Hanabiko

Such a cute proof-of-concept illustration, as I like to call these. Keita has sailor inspirations this time, which is very fitting for his boyish and childlike demeanor. For mental reference, his outfit is mainly blue and white, with his shirt having orange and white stripes. The fish on his cloak are the same color as the ones in (on?) his hair.

And now, a glimpse into what I go through when designing a character and their outfit; extensive research and the limitations of human memory.

The symbol on his hat is kind of a mystery, if I'm being honest. I initially drew this a while back, so I've long forgotten the significance of it. Taking away the "frame", it looks like it could be an alternative symbol for planet Uranus or Neptune, maybe even Pluto. Considering the nods to Uranus and Neptune with both Keita and his sister, I thought it was an alternative Neptune sign. It also looked like a partially inverted Mercury symbol, if that makes sense. After a lot of digging, even dipping into alchemical symbols as they bleed through to the planetary ones, I still couldn't find anything. It's probably just a stylized inverted anchor that I made on the spot, but it feels too much like an actual astrological symbol to call it that. If any of you recognize it, please tell me.