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Xenovember 2013: 2nd concepts sketchdump

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I've been spending more time developing these guys. Still nothing set in stone, but I like how they're shaping up. The following are my thoughts through the development process as I've gotten from the starting point to now:

• I like the idea of a society that developed robotics to preserve their dead, and now all of them eventually get their brains and memories digitized so they'll live forever as robots. Then, after eons of overpopulation and boredom, the robotic members of the species decided immortality is too boring, and they started raiding and pillaging the rest of space for fun. Presently, they serve as the species' military force.

• I just love the idea of a bunch of crazy-awesome robot grandpas waging interstellar war. It's really awesome now that I'm thinking it over. I'm going to call these roboticized veterans "Immortals", mostly as a nod to ancient Persia, but it makes sense. I can't get the dialogue out of my head now. I can just imagine a bunch of crotchety old war robots snarking mid-combat like Statler and Waldorf. "Back in my day, we didn't have fancy teleporters and planet-blower-upper-guns. We had to exterminate all life with a rock and a stick. You whipper snappers have it too easy, I tell ya!" I've got to look up some Ratchet & Clank scenes with Cronk and Zephyr now. They'll be a good jumping off point for this.

• I think I'm shooting for, mood-wise, the sexiness of Mass Effect races, the fun of Ratchet & Clank races, and the intensity of Halo races. I want them to be able to be funny, sexy (the living members of the species, at least), and awesome at any given point. I don't mind the Planet of Hats trope so much as I mind a species getting pigeonholed into a limited role and identity by bad design.

• I should start focusing on the biology of the living members of the race. With an over-reliance on their elders doing all the fighting, I think they'd otherwise be weaker, slimmer, and have less of a trend towards warrior-ness. Given their reliance on immortality and robots-after-death, I really want them to be a spiritual people. Heavy doses of religion, and their entire government will likely be a theocracy led by the elderly, spiritual elite. I guess I don't want them to be all zealous warmongering, though. It's been done to death by Halo. Since the catalyst for the Immortals being dicks to everyone is boredom with immortality, I think the core religion should be more about patience, temperance, and peace among neighbors. A fun divide might actually be how this species actually follows the tenets of their faith absolutely, and any interaction with humans might show them disgusted with how cavalier we are with religion these days. I should try not to make them too in-the-right, though. I don't want space elves with these ones.

• I should probably think of a name. Google Translate gave me "thriskos" as a Greek word meaning pious or devout, and I like the sound of it. Thriskans? Thriscians? Thriscoids? I'll keep it in mind. "Thrisk" will definitely be the core of the species name, though.

• I think I want their primary color to be royal yellow. Soft and serene, but representing nobility, enlightenment, or divinity. I might make them shorter than the average human. I've been browsing a lot of DA, especially Rikona's work (she's awesome! visit her superior gallery this instant!), I'm more than likely going to make their females slender and curvy. More than likely mammals, or something similar so I can give them tig ol' bitties. I'll likely be going back to Rikona's page for inspiration, since I've got some ideas in my noggin based on some of her designs. I definitely want to work on drawing humanoid alien figures, and I've fallen for her style. 

• Right now I might go with pale flesh, maybe different races ranging from dull grey to ghostly snow white. I like the idea of giving them luminescent red or pink blushes on the sides of their eyes. Feels distinctive for them. I'm feeling pointed ears, too, but I don't know why. Three fingers and three toes, since these guys will definitely maintain some quarian influences. Speaking of which, I think my go-to influence combination at this point is the quarians (Mass Effect), the Covenant (Halo), and the robot pirates from Ratchet & Clank. I'm definitely going to play up the quirks and humor of the Immortals, while also painting them as bored killing machines. I don't want zealous faith to be a reason why they go to war, but again the dangers of boredom mixing with power and a nothing-left-to-lose mentality turning the Immortals into a faction of loose-cannon space brigands out for a good time to spice up their eternal lives, at the expense of everyone else.

• I'm trending more towards "thriscoids". It becomes more fun to say every time I say it. I'll keep at it.

That's it, I guess. This is by no means the final page of development, and I plan to make at least one a week before November's over. While the above was fun to draw, expect major changes in the style and form of these aliens as Xenovember continues. I'm growing more and more partial to making them all very ornate and opulent with their clothing, armor, and architecture. A very baroque species, I guess. I'll probably focus on designing their homeworld, culture, and religion in time for the next update. Hope you guys like how it's coming along.
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