I don't know why is this in my head, but I got an idea that could be fun for angst reasons.
Kinich doesn't dream. At all.
There is really no reason for why I decided on this, it just seems like a neat idea. The only explanation I have is due to Kinich's aspect of mora and his past, he doesn't dream of anything, he has a set goal and works to achieve that goal. He's grounded in reality so much that it affects other aspects as well.
This is an idea for later, but since the new character Mitsuki is a Baku, an idea came to mind that when she tries to eat Kinich's dreams, she finds he doesn't have any. His emotions are sheltered and locked away so tightly, that nothing normal could bring them out again. She doesn't know if this is a good thing or not, because he has them locked down so tight nothing 'normal' could cause them to escape or break out.
I tried to also decode the other's shadows, but for the moment I just had fun with roughly sketching out the shapes. I also left some notes I made while studying their shadows, but I'm gonna say that I used the knowledge by the many analysis I read of their designs in various posts.
Tw: There is no explicit nudity, but there are scars. A lot of cicatrized scars.
Pierrot
We know A LOT of him already: three horns, longer snout, bulkier in shape (he is ranked at the top for raw strength). What I decoded from the shadow we see in Columbina's mirror (shadow that I enhanced to better see the lower half hidden silhouette), his hind legs are also digitigrade, but his feet plants are lower than Harlequin's. Despite everything, I didn't had an easy life in carving out a design for him and I'm quite curious about his canon appearance once it will be out.
In his shadow we can see two damaged shapes in the low part (that I personally just can't see as tails, more as ruined pieces of fabric). This made me think again at the quick scene in Jester's story where Harlequin says "EAT" and we see his elbows are kind of all frayed at the edge, looking very similar as the two frayed edges in Pierrot's shadow. Could it be that they all wear some form of cloaks/clothes? Either way, I decided to still give him two tails, just to balance his forward-leaning form and for coolness points plus a more canine-like effect. It seems like he is the only one that so clearly keeps his long hair, so I kept them as well.
Jester
Oh my, what to say about the ringmaster... We know NOTHING but vague shapes that seem detailed, but are not. I drew him based on pure speculations and vibes.
4 horns yeah, but are they really horns? In the shadows we see them being very long, but horns are also supposed to be hard, so how come in his hat they follow gravity when he is laying on the stage of his show during his performance? If we follow logic, then his long horns should keep the hat firmly in shape. Maybe this means they can also change something about their horns to better adapt it to their hats and then blend in with humans more effectively (theory that I also thought about when I tried to decode Harlequin's horns. His monster horns just cannot fit inside his hat in human form, so there must be something else. Or maybe the creator just took artistic liberties and that's very fair.) Anyway, I'd give them a more root-like texture instead of the segmented looks like the others.
His mask is already kind of clear given the set of horns sticking out of his hair in human form can also be seen unchanged in his monster form profile, so I didn't change much of it in general, just gave him a more ""monstrous"" mouth.
Based on his manipulation power as well as him "holding the threads of the circus as the ringmaster", he gives off spider vibes, so I gave him long, slender legs (also digitigrade since this seems to be the norm) with tarantula feet and claws. In the silhouette we cannot see much, so I tried to translate the legs in something that matches the other monster's digitigrade stance and adding some sort of built-in cape recalling his circus dress forked back piece. I used a lot of his clothes for his design and I am unsure if this was the correct thing to do, but I am quite pleased with the result.
Ticket Taker
Design based on speculations and other people's analysis #2. I have read in a post (that I cannot find it anymore so please comment if you know it so I can properly credit) that he gives off angler fish vibes, or an acquatic predator that patiently deceives his preys with illusions before eating them. I chose to stick with it as a base, as well as an answer by the creator stating that they all cannot swim in deep waters, so we know that despite the vibes, he is not acquatic.
I took a ton of artistic liberties with him and his horn(?) too. He is... quite unreadable, which fits the master of illusions: His half face is covered in scarred tissue. Him being one of the oldest in the group makes me think he collected some more battle scars than the others, worsened by the captivity as I added the chipped away cartilage detail on the forearm ridge due to him being chained. His horn looks more like a mohawk cut than anything, but this is the best idea I could think of atm. In the end I think I still managed to keep that "abyssal fish" look I was aiming for, so I can say I am satisfied with my current take on his monster form.
The Doctor
Avian-like creature, but incapable to fly (as per what I recall stated by the creator). I see him having some big owl claws fitting to sustain his bulky form. I also wanted to have fun with his features, so I have gone crazy with some details. I honestly cannot think of something peculiar for him aside from the obvious features. About his eye color, I don't really understand which is the correct color, cyan or red? Because when we are in his tent his eyes glow red, but in his shadow and in his mask lenses the color is cyan.
I'm not satisfied at all with him, but it's the best I can do for now...
"Strength was the last thing you'd expect in a bag of tricks. Even the strongest can be surprised. The feline gymnast held a lot more power to her than just a charming smile. Before the radio general had noticed the vines snaking around him, his heels were already over his head."
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I'll make a post later with more details about this au idea. Basically, it's what if Nutmeg Tiger served Shadow Milk and Black Sapphire served Burning Spice
Nutmeg Tiger being a gymnast circus tiger who used the plants around her to her advantage (like making tight ropes or portal rings to hop through), and Black Sapphire being a radio general who would command folks with poison and drive them into destruction.
"There are different types of gifts. Some are made to just last long enough for a pleasant moment. Another could be of practical use, and be reused again and again. It doesn't matter which category the gift belongs to, it's the thought behind it that speaks the loudest."
An alt fem form for Shadow Milk, I just know he's got the biggest walk-in closet full of costumes and disguises
Her dress is inspired by the Royal Ballet Swan Lake gowns as is the smaller dancing pose and costume as well as the BellaDonna plant! Bella Donna or Deadly Nightshade is a poisonous berry that looks remarkably like blueberries or elderberries save for its crown of white leaves
Face close-up
She's meant to be easily reminiscent of Shadow Milk himself for little Candy's sake, she's a dancer in plays and shows and being their mother is an easy way of getting away with telling his minions what to do in public
(and sometimes you just wanna feel pretty)
And the initial sketches:
Also wtf possessed him to let Black Sapphire take in a baby?? I like to think it was simply cuteness aggression, baby bats are the cutest but it's kinda funny to think about NGL
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