Saturday, June 16, 2012

AXIOM.01 Character Intros

Time for some more info on the cast of AXIOM.01! Lots of character details and more pictures under the jump cut below.

AXIOM.01 chibi characters


MC/Christie - the player character

 

AXIOM.01 - MC (Christie)
Christie is a smart, analytically-minded girl who’s more interested in finishing her books than finding a date for prom. She's pretty down-to-earth and doesn't care much about her appearance or romance. A devoted mystery nerd, she has trouble fitting in with others and gets nervous in social situations.

Though Christie believes all supernatural things can be explained with rationality and logic, and that the truth must be found at any cost, her convictions that may be challenged by the events to come.

Although the main character (MC)’s default name is Christie (for obvious reasons), you can rename her whatever you want in the game. She was originally a generic player character without a defined personality or appearance (mostly since I was lazy and thought doing a sprite set for her would be too much work). I’m glad we put in the extra effort, though, because I quite like how she turned out.

I hope for Christie to be seen as a “strong” female character, even without having the action girl or spitfire personality traits usually associated with “strong” girls. Christie’s strength comes from her smarts, independence, and perseverance in finding the truth. All qualities of a good detective, of course.

AXIOM.01 - Christie


Sylvia Hayes - the fearless best friend

 

AXIOM.01 - Sylvia Hayes

Christie's strong-willed, competitive best friend who is her opposite in most every way. She likes to drags Christie along with her crazy schemes and set her up with guys, much to Christie's annoyance.

Despite being a very confident, courageous person, Sylvia has a secret fear of ghosts and is rather superstitious.



As Christie’s foil, Sylvia is much more of your typical fearless action girl, and has no qualms about speaking her mind or getting physical. However, Sylvia can also be rather girly and superficially ditzy, especially when it comes to boys. Since Christie’s more interested in looking for clues than for love, Sylvia takes it upon herself to play matchmaker with some rather questionable methods.

I think Sylvia’s a lot of fun to write, as she’s always ready to snark at people and do crazy things. Though she teases Christie a lot and they have pretty different views, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re best friends. Though even then, perhaps Sylvia doesn’t tell her everything…

AXIOM.01 - Sylvia


Cody Armstrong - the estranged childhood friend

 

The friendly Student Council President whose playful attitude belies his leadership skills. He’s also Christie's former childhood friend, though “something” in the past caused them to drift apart.

While Cody acts lighthearted about most things, you sometimes get the feeling he knows more than he lets on. Perhaps the reason he jokes around so much is to deflect attention from deeper feelings…or is that giving this dense guy too much credit?

Out of all the guys, Cody’s probably stuck closest to our original idea for him. He’s the funny, happy-go-lucky guy who gets along with everybody – either because people genuinely like hanging out with him, or because he’s too dense to take offense when they don’t. Despite being our designated glasses guy, Cody’s rather airheaded and isn’t particularly booksmart. Or maybe that’s just what he wants you to think, haha - he is the Student Council President, after all.

Cody and Christie used to be very close friends, but lost that connection as they grew up. It’s a bit sad, but maybe something many people can relate to – a more realistic version of the childhood friend archetype, perhaps. It’s up to the player to decide whether to reconnect with Cody, as well as to figure out what drove them apart in the first place.

AXIOM.01 - Cody


Remy Tran - the ostracized transfer student


AXIOM.01 - Remy Tran

An odd friendless boy who recently transferred to your school, supposedly after being expelled from a prestigious private academy. Though he’s brilliant at his studies, he’s the subject of many creepy rumors and doesn’t trust anyone.

As a result, he spends most of his time alone reading. It makes him an impressive storehouse for all sorts of facts and skills, but you wonder why he’s so determined to isolate himself. Perhaps he's hiding something important...

While Cody’s personality has changed the least from his original conception, Remy’s has probably changed the most. I think Remy was originally supposed to be a sweet, shy nerd, but he’s no longer either of those things. Well, he’s still a nerd, but a rather prickly, misanthropic one who doesn’t open up to others unless he has something to geek out about with them. A “tsundork,” if you will.

I quite like the dynamic that Remy can have with Christie. All great detectives need a rival, and, once he opens up, Remy comes closest to fulfilling that role for her. Whether or not he turns out to be a friendly rival or an antagonistic one will depend on the player’s choices.

AXIOM.01 - Remy


Viktor Sagan - the mysterious school idol


AXIOM.01 - Viktor Sagan

An aloof, mysterious guy with a cool reputation. Despite his current popularity, you suspect he may be a former delinquent. Sagan rarely talks or gives any insight into his true agenda, making him the biggest wildcard in the events that follow.

Has a penchant for holing up in strange places, such as the tops of buildings, and feeding seabirds. Sylvia has a huge crush on him, but you’re not sure if he can be trusted.


Sagan is supposed to be the “cool” guy, though Christie has a bad impression of him from when they first met and doesn’t get why he’s so popular. However, since Sylvia has a crush on Sagan, Christie initially wants to “investigate” him for Sylvia’s sake. This has the opportunity to turn into a love triangle, which I usually dislike, but, eh, we’ll see what happens.

Despite having the fewest lines and expressions of all the guys, Sagan’s scenes are somehow always the longest. Perhaps they’re more descriptive and action-oriented? Apropos of nothing, I must say I’m fond of ponytails, so I like drawing Sagan’s. It can’t be seen when he’s facing directly forward, though, so I need to practice drawing profile and ¾ views, haha.

AXIOM.01 - Sagan

2 comments:

  1. Calling dibs on Remy! /shot

    No, but seriously, you have a great cast - everyone seems likeable and fleshed out, I can't wait to learn more about them!

    The art is also so cute ;u; I'm especially fond of the colouring and shading - it looks so professional!

    Keep up the good work and Godspeed! xD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aaah, a comment! Thanks so much, Veniae! I'm grinning so hard right now. xD

      Haha, I was just telling my friend that I thought Remy would be the most popular character. She told me he seemed a bit evil, hahaha. I guess we'll see!

      Really happy you like the art! I never know where to put shading, so I'm glad it comes off okay. ^^; I'm super glad everyone seems likable, too. I like all my characters, obviously, so I want other people to, too. :D

      Delete