The giant wasp Vespeza stomped down the road, leaving the city in ruins behind her. Big, strong and all but indestructible, there was no doubt in her mind she was the most powerful creature on Earth, and she loved to show it off.

Nearby a brightly colored caterpillar lay on the ground, shaking with fear. Vespeza was usually indiscriminate with her destruction, but something about this little bug caught her attention. With a laugh she raised her foot high above the trembling caterpillar, gleefully anticipating his brutal fate. But Peeko is more durable than he looks, and his poison-lined spikes aren't just for show. When she stomps that foot down she'll be in for a rude surprise...

The followup can be seen here!

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This amazing commission was done by Bahamutgreen! They just opened up commissions and I highly recommend them!

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Vespeza and Peeko were based off of characters I had come up with for a game I was making about a little guy fighting a big monster that kept growing and growing. I don't think the game itself will pan out (and I have a more important project to work on anyway), though I liked the characters and wanted to see Green's take on them.

Peeko the anthropomorphic caterpillar has traits inspired by those of real world bugs that help them avoid being eaten by predators, namely the poison spikes and enticing colors. I explained the premise to Green and they got it immediately, even suggesting the clever face markings on his head. I enjoy coming up with ways how a small guy might survive an encounter with a huge creature. Having an unlikely but possible means of victory or escape has always been more exciting to me than totally helpless situations.

I don't remember where the wasp idea came from. I recall the burly stinger came from the game where mostly the bottom half of the monster would be shown, so it was a lot more interesting to have something like a large tail near the bottom. It worked out so well in the end! In retrospect I think the "segments" on insects lend themselves well to a more complex design fitting of a macro character, like a Gundam. And I think there may also be something innately intimidating about seeing something usually so small towering above you.

I've commissioned a bunch of characters for various projects over the years but these might be my favorite. I have ideas for other macro characters but after how successful Vespeza was it's got me reconsidering them (maybe they should be bugs instead?). Not sure Peeko is going to be topped though.