Jan 27, 2022
Somehow, when I wasnโt looking, this story reached over 100 likes. Thank you to all who have read and enjoyed the story thus far!
I thought Iโd try to do something fun as a result, and due to that, I figured why not take a trip down memory lane. (Hopefully, this is fun. Otherwise, I just make a really long note to scroll through)
I originally came up with The Nonpareil of Resh sometime in 2016 or 2017. Iโve also enjoyed drawing out my characters as it gives me a quick reference for when I write. (Though the art quality can be questionable) As such, I have pictures of the main six dating from 2017 and another set of them from 2019 in addition to the current versions. I have arranged them into images linked below, and I thought Iโd go through the differences in how they changed over the years.
First up is Gwyn
https://imgur.com/dm59Owq
Youโll notice quite a shift in design as time has gone on. I always wanted him to have some kind of cloak/coat that has reduced in the fabric over the years and changed color over the years. His hair was also blonde, which I changed because it looked similar to another character from a different story of mine.
The little blue square on his 2017 left hand is Mem. In the beginning, I had planned for the Needaimus to be much smaller. Other characters will show that in greater detail. By 2019, I had settled on how they currently are described, and looking back; I think I like the 2019 design of Mem better than the current. Iโm also not sure what I was doing with the clothes under the 2019 cloak. I think I was trying to make it look like a superhero costume, but who can say what was going thru my mind back then.
Following Gwyn is Fiona
https://imgur.com/IclvO90
I guess the first thing to point out is that her design has hardly changed at all through the years. I didnโt even look at old references when drawing the 2021 versions; Fionaโs design has always been a constant in my head.
Youโll notice the large pair of scissors-looking objects on her Needaimus during 2019. At that point, I thought every Needaimus would come with weapons of a sort. Eventually, I dropped this due to it not making sense with the lore I created for the metallic creatures, but you will see some remnants of that idea on characters in the story where it might apply.
Moving from Fiona, next is Odell
https://imgur.com/bmI6d1a
In 2017, Iโm not sure why I thought grey clothes on grey skin was a good idea. Looking back, it doesnโt look that great. Fionaโs arm is getting in the way for the 2019 as I drew that one as a group shot and donโt have individuals for those.
For 2017 and 2019, the Hobusians were pretty similar in body shape to humans; it wasnโt until later, with the interest of trying to make them more distinct, that I shortened their stature and gave them longer arms than usual. You will notice the idea of the โcrownโ was there from the get-go, but it wasnโt until later that I decided to have more fun with it.
Next up is Hal
https://imgur.com/MOdraEv
The first thing to notice is what is meant to be a mechanical left arm on the 2017 and 2019 versions. It probably comes across more as such on the 2019 version. I want to be facetious and say, โdonโt worry about that for now,โ but in actuality, I just forgot about that when I drew the 2021 version. It was always more an aesthetic choice than something for character backstory, so I easily overlooked it on the current version.
I canโt help but notice I had a lot of red lines on his clothes; Iโm not sure what that was about. However, I am a little shocked that I managed to draw pretty much the same hair. I couldnโt remember a mechanical limb, but a hairstyle apparently stuck.
From Hal, we go to Harlan.
https://imgur.com/vn8YZMD
This one might be the most disconnected between the old and current version. I did remember how Harlanโs original design looked; I just always disliked it. It extended beyond her and to the whole Zenotote species as well. They were all green scaly people without many features to distinguish them from one other. Before writing the current version of this story, I completely overhauled the species, taking real word reptiles into accountโmore colors, spikes, and other features like Harlanโs frills on her head. I also opted to change the clothes to something better fit the new Zenotote tastes. Personally, I really like her new design, and the only thing I would change now is just drawing it better.
Youโll also notice how the Needaimus moved from the arm to the leg. There isnโt much meaning to the move; I just had the thought, โwhy would they all attach to arms?โ and decided it might be more interesting if they bonded to other limbs as well.
Last but not least is Rheba
https://imgur.com/I4NR2dI
It took a while for me to settle on what precisely a Bentulousian face looked like. You can see I had the idea that they were covered in short fur, though I couldnโt draw it well, but how exactly the head should look took time. Eventually, I looked at many pictures of different mammals and tried to come up with something from that. Then I drew the current version from strait on, and some of that detail was lost due to a lack of artistic ability. Iโm working on a side view of her head currently.
Initially, all the characters were about the same height, but Rheba grew very tall between the 2017 and 2019 years. Originally it was born from a desire to make the species more distinct from one another, but the change did influence some of her culture, which will be shown in more detail in the future.
Well, that was a bit long. Hopefully, it was a fun read-through.
Once again, thanks to all that have read. We are still very much deep in the current arc, but following that, there will be one more arc (hopefully much shorter), and then they will arrive in Nun.
