This guy is my stage 1 entry for the 2024 Creature Collab.

The flavor text:

CRABASHFUL

All too aware of their exposed soft abdomen which is a treat for predators small and large, Crabashful spend every waking hour stealthily searching for something - anything - to carry around as protection. Their genetic background is incredibly adaptable, which means that the development of a single Crabashful can be redirected into countless paths depending on what it chooses to cover its abdomen with. Aside from the physical and chemical traits of the object, Crabashful can also be influenced by the past owners, or "memory" of their newfound armor, a process that is not yet fully understood by scientists.

I intentionally wanted to come up with a design that could be built on easily by other users, and the idea of a hermit-crab-like critter that evolves by covering its abdomen with a random object came to me almost instantly. There's certainly countless directions it can go, which is why it made sense in the context of the collab. I really like the astonished facial expression and strong, bright colors - it's not a style I often use but dare I say it looks pretty good.

I contributed two stage 2 designs to the collab as well, and I intend to do two stage 3s as well, so I'll be posting those later on.