HOME | DD

Description
I know I've posted Kei's beta design way back when on my now-fanart account, but I didn't find Katou's beta design until recently. I even found little scrap doodles of their subsequent designs over the years, and I felt a little nostalgic going back over them xD; Hence this timeline progression thing

=====

Early 2001 - I had just watched a few episodes of Beyblade, and I didn't know the whole story. But suddenly me and my siblings were talking about OCs – the usual “I think I'd be with Team A/Team B if I were in the Beyblade-verse”. Out pop Kae (I used the actual spelling of my name) Hiwatari, Kai's twin sister, and Tadashi Hiyomura (I kid you not, that's the name scribbled on the paper).
Kei: …I have nothing against the hair. The outfit is... so-so, but if I were on the Russian team, WHAT am I doing not hiding being a girl? The team name is 'Demolition BOYS', you know.
Katou: I would have had the same name as the big bro from the BH6 movie – are you kidding me? The red-and-black shirt is actually kinda cool, though.

Late 2001 – Definitely an 'experimenting with colors' phase, although I can safely say the twins' color palettes were starting to come together, if only just. I forgot Katou's hair was spiky at the top xD;

Kei: Oh wow that color palette is bright, though it'd be interesting to try turtleneck tops again. I still don't understand what was up with my hair.
Katou: ...a dress shirt. A denim dress shirt, from the notes. Although I like the pants and sneakers... give me hoodies or vests any day.

2002 – Back to the dark color palettes! By this time, I knew for sure that Kei preferred boots for footwear; it was the first time I drew her wearing a choker. I think this was the same year I started designing characters for my comic 'Unmei no Kokoro', and... Katou wound up being the would-be antagonist. Funnily enough, his comic-self uses Darkness, so his Beyblade-self would have had a bit beast with the darkness element, like Zeus. Meanwhile, comic! Kei would have had light-based powers, and Beyblade-verse Kei would have had a light-based bit beast.

Katou: Me with darkness-based powers... why wasn't I told about this earlier? Those pants look kinda like Kai's, just less baggy. But at least I'm in a hoodie this time.
Kei: Why do I feel like this version of us would have been rivals at some point?

2004: The twins' comic selves developed differently from them, so... they became separate characters. Their color palettes also began mimicking the bit beasts they'd eventually have – and this year, their story got re-written and they became twins. They also started using the names they have now.

Kei: Gold boots. Seriously?
Katou: Okay, now that looks more my style.

2005: Yep, Kei had hair that was wavy at the bottom (think Tomoyo from CCS) She also started her penchant for leggings and fishnets, which were thrown in because at the time, I was thinking she was something like a ninja. 2006 onward, she uses them now and then, but she traded shuriken and ninjutsu for intel gathering and surveillance with STRIKE. Meanwhile, Katou found the balance in his wardrobe, and his hair became a bit more wavy XD;

Katou: Yep, that's us there.
Kei: Thank god. Talk about a roller-coaster ride of designs...

=====

Sometimes I want to go back in time to see what younger me was thinking That turtleneck dress was on-point, though - wonder what would happen if I drew Kei in it now...

Art, characters (c) FlameWingsDawnslight /darkangel-hikari

Description
I know I've posted Kei's beta design way back when on my now-fanart account, but I didn't find Katou's beta design until recently. I even found little scrap doodles of their subsequent designs over the years, and I felt a little nostalgic going back over them xD; Hence this timeline progression thing

=====

Early 2001 - I had just watched a few episodes of Beyblade, and I didn't know the whole story. But suddenly me and my siblings were talking about OCs – the usual “I think I'd be with Team A/Team B if I were in the Beyblade-verse”. Out pop Kae (I used the actual spelling of my name) Hiwatari, Kai's twin sister, and Tadashi Hiyomura (I kid you not, that's the name scribbled on the paper).
Kei: …I have nothing against the hair. The outfit is... so-so, but if I were on the Russian team, WHAT am I doing not hiding being a girl? The team name is 'Demolition BOYS', you know.
Katou: I would have had the same name as the big bro from the BH6 movie – are you kidding me? The red-and-black shirt is actually kinda cool, though.

Late 2001 – Definitely an 'experimenting with colors' phase, although I can safely say the twins' color palettes were starting to come together, if only just. I forgot Katou's hair was spiky at the top xD;

Kei: Oh wow that color palette is bright, though it'd be interesting to try turtleneck tops again. I still don't understand what was up with my hair.
Katou: ...a dress shirt. A denim dress shirt, from the notes. Although I like the pants and sneakers... give me hoodies or vests any day.

2002 – Back to the dark color palettes! By this time, I knew for sure that Kei preferred boots for footwear; it was the first time I drew her wearing a choker. I think this was the same year I started designing characters for my comic 'Unmei no Kokoro', and... Katou wound up being the would-be antagonist. Funnily enough, his comic-self uses Darkness, so his Beyblade-self would have had a bit beast with the darkness element, like Zeus. Meanwhile, comic! Kei would have had light-based powers, and Beyblade-verse Kei would have had a light-based bit beast.

Katou: Me with darkness-based powers... why wasn't I told about this earlier? Those pants look kinda like Kai's, just less baggy. But at least I'm in a hoodie this time.
Kei: Why do I feel like this version of us would have been rivals at some point?

2004: The twins' comic selves developed differently from them, so... they became separate characters. Their color palettes also began mimicking the bit beasts they'd eventually have – and this year, their story got re-written and they became twins. They also started using the names they have now.

Kei: Gold boots. Seriously?
Katou: Okay, now that looks more my style.

2005: Yep, Kei had hair that was wavy at the bottom (think Tomoyo from CCS) She also started her penchant for leggings and fishnets, which were thrown in because at the time, I was thinking she was something like a ninja. 2006 onward, she uses them now and then, but she traded shuriken and ninjutsu for intel gathering and surveillance with STRIKE. Meanwhile, Katou found the balance in his wardrobe, and his hair became a bit more wavy XD;

Katou: Yep, that's us there.
Kei: Thank god. Talk about a roller-coaster ride of designs...

=====

Sometimes I want to go back in time to see what younger me was thinking That turtleneck dress was on-point, though - wonder what would happen if I drew Kei in it now...

Art, characters (c) FlameWingsDawnslight /darkangel-hikari