# Meso Refsheet Description

## Physical

### Species

Meso Stormskunk is a striped skunk (m. mephitis).

He's meant to be a representation of severe weather, as indicated both on radar and in the field.

His design also includes some nods to my interests and hobbies as of 2025. I am aware that this may evolve over time and necessitate updates down the road or even new characters entirely.

### Colors

* Deep (storm) gray (assume this color if none is specified where you're drawing)
* Verdant green
* Amber
* Red
* White
* Brown/sepia
* Muddy Pink (approximately #724c42)

### Head

This is difficult to describe, but the head shape of a real skunk is sort of conelike. It's similar to a possum's in that way. For Meso's design, I'd like him to have a little hint of a snout. Think most mustelids, like weasels, martens (or even red pandas). 
He has rounded cheeks and is fairly friend-shaped, usually with a happy, but confident expression. There should be a hint of cheek floof (see "soft-dogs_julan_ref_sfw_smaller.png" and "Kusai_forKayiko_by_celesse.png" and the face shape of @ritualneo.bsky.social for inspiration)
His irises are amber in color. 
His eyebrows are appoximately the same as on a natural skunk (eyebrows.jpg; eyebrowshape-nosecolor.jpg) and should be just a lighter gray than his base coat.
His ears are generally rounded and not excessively prominent (earshape-nosecolor.png)
The color of his nose and inside of ears is kind of a muddy pink, like natural skunks' (approximately #724c42, but feel free to play with it until it's cute)
Meso has a forehead stripe, similar to a natural skunk's but is an unsteady wedge shape, reminiscent of a depiction of a tornado.
Atop his head, there is what appears to be a supercell as would be seen on a radar screen. 
    At this point, it is unclear whether that supercell shape should be colored with reflectivity or velocity colors. - [November update: Most likely will want to use velocity coloring]
    Reflectivity coloring: green around the edges, a thinner amber band toward the inside, encapsulating a red core. This entire shape would stretch and taper down the back of his head, and terminate with a hook echo above the diverging stripes on his back. (On a fursuit, the entire supercell would be on the head, and the tail+hook would be on the neck floof)
    Velocity coloring: Red and green half-and-half quazi-symmetrically. Viewing him head-on, green would be on the right and red on the left. The divide between these colors would make sort of a 'swoop' going down the back of his head (think old Pepsi logo) and taper as it got toward the base of his neck, but in the place of a hook echo would be a velocity couplet (see reference images).
    
### Torso

Like on a natural striped skunk, Meso has a sort of wishbone-shaped stripe pattern going down his back, extending on to his tail.
These shall be represented as squall lines as seen on radar (squalline.png). Details of the squall line may be simplified in comparison to the reference.
Again, it is still unclear whether the stripes are reflectivity colored or velocity (I'm leaning toward reflectivity) - [November update: Yes, reflectivity]
    Reflectivity coloring: Thin, wavy green leading edge (toward his sides), thin, wavy amber edge directly behind, blobs of mostly connected red in the core, behind that is slightly thicker amber coloring until a large trailing edge of green facing toward his spine.
Unlike most natural skunks, Meso has either white or light gray countershading on his belly. This starts at the base of his neck and makes roughly an elliptical shape down his torso, terminating in the crotch area. This countershading may take on a cloudlike shape rather than a strictly elliptical shape.
Meso is a SFW character (at least for the time being) and as such, no genitalia shall be visible on the reference sheet. Floof in that area is OK.

### Arms

Meso is slim with somewhat defined musculature. (see "Kusai_for_kayiko_bycelesse.png for body style")
Midway down his forearms the storm gray abruptly becomes white, again with the classic Pepsi logo or Crayola wavy shape.
Between his elbow and the color change are hailstones (it's meant to look like hail is piling up). The stones closest to the color change line are largest (golf ball sized) with the stones nearest his elbow being smallest (pea-sized).
Some tufts of fur should be depicted around his elbows

### Paws

Skunks have 5 digits, and Meso is no exception. 
The white coloration from his forearms extend to his paws.
His "beans" look like coffee beans. They should resemble peaberries at a full-city+ roast level, including the line down the center (see Beans_Tranz_Extra_bold_600x.webp)
His front paw pads look similar to a cat's and can either be the same color as the coffee beans or muddy pink. (skunk-handpaw.png)
His claws are crimson..? (If not crimson, then black)

### Legs

Meso has a digitigrade stance
There should be some tufts of fur at each of the joints in his legs.
Produced from his countershade 'cloud' shall be two lightning bolts; one for each leg. 
These lightning bolts should be of a semi-realistic shape (thin, white, angular, and branching) (lightning-bolt.jpg; lightning-scaled.jpeg)
The bolts travel down his thighs and begin branching below the knee. They continue all the way down to his feet, increasingly branching as they go.
It should be noted on the refhseet that the pattern of this lightning does not need to be consistent between renditions. In fact, it's encouraged to get creative with how the lightning is drawn each time.
(Lore: Meso's lightning pattern appears different each time it's observed. Nobody has watched it change (including Meso himself) but each separate time it is perceived, it is in a new arrangement.)

### Feet

Skunks have somewhat small feet relative to their bodies.
His beans there are also of the coffee variety. 
The large, center pawpad extends back further on his foot than most other quadruped animals. (skunk-tracks.jpg)
Claws here are crimson..? too. (otherwise black)
((Paws > Maws ;3))

### Tail

Skunks have large, proud, excessively floofy tails!
The striped wishbone pattern continues down the length of the tail. (tail.jpg; raised-tail.jpg; https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WOCO9A0ztBc)
The fur on the left fringe of his tail is red, and on the right fringe is green.
Just interior of the fringe is a layer of white.
Majority of the tail remains storm gray. (see reference)
At the tip, where the colors meet, there may be another velocity couplet.
Meso's tail position matches his expression.
    Excitement is indicated with an arched tail position (shagpoke_skunktail.jpg)
    Fear is indicated with a straight-up pointed tail (instinctual, since you know what skunks are famous for)
    Neutral, it just kinda hangs there.
    In art, his tail may be quite large/would drag on the floor if it's in its neutral position
    (for future fursuit purposes, it's noted that I don't want a floor-dragger)
When Meso sits, he may often hold his tail in his lap, mostly so it doesn't get stepped on, but also it's soft and fluffy, and it's just kinda cozy to have there.

### Logo

As a nod to my retro computing hobby, his name on badges, etc. should be written in all capital, 3-D block letters, reminiscent of the MS-DOS 6 logo. (Msdoslogo.jpg)
  If you can figure out how to inter-link the letters like in the DOS logo, go ahead, but that's not necessary.
Each letter should be a different color, but I have not determined those colors yet.
The "O" can either be represented as the letter "O" but with an amber, cartoon-style lightning bolt crossing through it, or in certain typefaces, a slashed "0".

## Lore

### Origin

This is probably a bit on the nose, but for now, Meso was born in a den on the KILN WSR-88D forecast office and radar site during a severe weather outbreak.
As a kit, he was intesely fearful of severe weather and would be distracted and anxious during any kind of storm, but especially in windy weather.
As he grew older, he tackled this fear by learning more about how weather works and became known in his circles as the skunk to ask if someone needed to make plans around the weather.
In adulthood, he became interested in storm chasing, but has still never done so. His excuse is "Have you seen how many skunks get hit on those roads? People don't pay attention out there!"

### Personality

Meso is a happy, friendly guy. He looks for the silver lining in any situation and will point it out whenever his friends are venting or unhappy about something, even when it may be inappropriate (toxic positivity?).
If you get him started on one of his interests, he'll talk your ear off about it. 

#### Likes
* Severe weather
* Spending time outside
* Coffee
* Giving presentations
* Old technology
* Hugs, pets, and cuddles

#### Dislikes
* Wind (ironically)
* Ketchup
* Negativity
* Bad smells (also ironically)
