The first character I developed was the protagonist of the series, Dr. Michael Ruwan, an Earth exobiologist who goes on an adventure to stop the Cryp'lar invasion. I wanted to show him as a passionate and overworked man that dedicates himself to his work. This could be done by making his hair a mess and his beard unshaven, while he constantly wears his lab coat. An important aspect of his character is that he will not stop working and has something to prove, meaning that his connection to his work on Earth makes it difficult for him to make the choice to leave and find help.
The Mars military forces are soldiers who accompany Dr. Ruwan on the journey off-world and a ssmall squad of them become the secondary protagonists of the story. I knew that to make them look futuristic, I had to adapt what I already knew from sci-fi media to a more practical approach, which resulted in red armour to help camouflage during missions on Mars. All the parts of the armour are detailed in how they attach to the bodysuit underneath, which makes for an immersive and appealing design.
For the helmets of these soldiers, I took inspiration from many different designs, including adapting real life helmets to science-fiction. The final helmet needed to feel like it would be made by humans, while also suitable for the martian landscape. From the handful of concept designs, the final choice went to the bottom-left helmet, it had necessary features such as re-breathers and a wide visor, as well as a strong visual identity.
The Cryp'lar aliens serve as the antagonists of the story and have a humanoid, yet reptile physiology. They have sharp claws and large muscles for help climbing the mountains of their homeworld, and are a warrior race. However, this species is intelligent and became conquerors of the other four Larian races before reaching out to conquer other species. The body was simple to get right but the head had to strike a balance between vicious and smart. The top-left head became the final Cryp'lar design, while the other two left concepts were to be reused as the Chron'lar species.
The armour for the Cryp'lar showed the culture of their species and was covered in round and sharp edges, with a symbol on the chest denoting the rank of the individual warrior. The helmets were difficult to produce concepts for as they had to be practical enough to fit over the unusual shape of the alien heads. The middle-right concept became the final design as it was the best-looking and the one that made the most sense to wear in a combat situation.
Cryp'lar have military commanders and one of them happens to be the primary antagonist of the series. A veteran warrior known as Kuel'lar Shan was born from a line of proud holy leaders and craves knowledge about the history of his species. He is ruthless and tactical in his approach, which has earned him the flagship of the Cryp'lar fleet known as Before the Seventh Moon. His visual design is covered in scars and he wears the cloak of a fleetmaster, and his helmet is like a crown on his head.
This design is effective in communicating a sense of intimidation and power, as Kuel'lar Shan is covered in spikes and has scars and cracks that tell of his previous victories. His body is taller and bulkier than a standard Cryp'lar soldier and I believe it adds to the viciousness of his appearance. This makes for an effective contrast with his thought-out strategies and cunning tenacity.
The development of characters for the narrative of my project is vast with extensive background detail that helps inform the design of each one. I have ensured that these characters are not just one-dimensional stereotypes, but have deeper motivations for their actions, which raise moral questions throughout the narrative. Each design is unique, practical and serves the story with everything having a purpose. This is important in creating iconic characters that are memorable and relatable.
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