AyeeJ's Site

General Thoughts

The tail end of this week I’ve been working mostly on character design and visualisation — which, to be completely honest, is not something I’ve studied, and not something I think I’m particularly good at. But there’s only one way to get better, and that’s just by doing it, so here we are. I focused on two characters: the Level 2 trap-maker/farmhand named Elya, and a later priestess character named Ysolde. Neither design is final, but I wanted to document the thought process behind what I’ve got so far.

Character: Elya

Elya’s the character you meet in Level 2. I started with her because I felt like she’d be the easiest to get a handle on — I resonate with her the most. She was originally heavily inspired by Malon from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’ve always liked that archetype — the grounded farm girl — but I wanted Elya to feel more versatile. She’s still a farmhand, yes, but she’s also capable of going on an adventure.

So I made design choices with that practicality in mind. For example: no skirt. She wears jeans, because she rides horses and works outside. Yeah, women have historically ridden in skirts — but that’s not what I’m going for. She’s not a fancy rider. She’s a worker. Jeans just made sense.

Same goes for the hair. Originally I gave her space buns (because I love space buns and I will include them on a character eventually, mark my words), but they felt out of place. Braids felt more grounded, more practical — something I do if I am back working on the farm.

I also debated giving her tattoos. I think tattoos are a cool way to tell a story visually — but I couldn’t justify them for her. Most farmers I’ve known are scared of needles. So I’ve got two versions of her: one with tattoos, one without. I’ll probably stick with the no-tattoo version unless I come up with a solid narrative reason for them.

She also wears an apron, because obviously she wouldn’t want to get her clothes filthy, and a sleeveless shirt — partly because I think if you’re strong, you should show off the guns, but mostly because sleeves get in the way. She’s got freckles from being out in the sun a lot, and she’ll be quite tan when I get to colouring. The boots are kind of fantasy-style, a bit impractical with the heel, but they look cool and I like them. Let me have that one.

I haven’t really done a close-up of her face yet. Compared to the next character (Ysolde), Elya’s facial design is still a bit up in the air. What I do know is that she’s strong. I’m thinking Rhea Ripley kind of strong. Her initial design was a lot more “pretty farm girl,” with a big ponytail and a more typical fantasy look, but it just didn’t feel right. I wanted her to feel like someone who made sense — someone whose design actually reflected her life.

She’s also got scars (she works with trees, traps, and sharp tools — it comes with the territory), and even though the game likely won’t show close-ups of her hands, I imagine they’d be calloused and rough. Details like that matter to me, even if they’re invisible.

Also — shout out to my wonderful friend who suggested the bear trap hanging off her hip. It’s such a great addition. It’s visually distinctive, fits her role as a trap maker, and makes her silhouette easier to recognise. I don’t know if that’s how you’re supposed to do character design, but it works for me.

Character: Ysolde

Ysolde is a priestess-type character — the third character you meet. Her design brought up a lot of questions for me around the world’s religion, which I haven’t sorted out yet. Please don’t ask. I’m trying to figure out how to make it clear that she’s devout without turning the main character into “The Chosen One” or some kind of prophesied hero. That’s not what I’m going for. The main character is just… someone who does what others won’t. That’s it.

Maybe there’ll be some dialogue between her and another NPC where she’s questioned about her faith — maybe her god is dead, or silent, or maybe she’s still worshipping something out of routine. I don’t know yet. Still working through that.

Her visual design leans very heavily into modesty. I see so many fantasy priestesses designed to be hypersexual — always half-naked or draped in something sheer. I didn’t want that. I like the idea of her being deeply committed to her faith — and in a lot of real-world religions, that means covering up. I wanted that represented here. So she’s very covered. More than I would ever be personally. But I think it works for her.

I also know exactly what I want her face to look like. She has a long, straight nose. I can’t explain why — it just feels right. In fact, everything about her design is long: long sleeves, long dress, long hair (though most of it’s covered), long silhouette. All of the shapes I associate with her are rectangles and lines. I don’t have a deep reason for that — it’s just the visual language that feels right.

She’s got a hood, and the only real visible part of her hair is at the front. I gave her three beads around her neck as a placeholder for a holy symbol — though I have no idea yet what the religion’s iconography looks like. That’ll come later, when I flesh out the story more.

It’s tricky — I don’t want the religion in this game to feel like a copy of any real-world belief system, but I also don’t want it to feel hollow. I just want anyone to be able to play this game and not feel like I’m pushing any specific religion, or that their own beliefs are being ignored or misrepresented. It’s a delicate balance. One I’ll need to keep thinking about.

Final Notes

I’ve watermarked all the images because I’m tired of AI scraping them and turning them into weird knockoff garbage. I’m not a professional artist, I’m not selling these designs, and I don’t mind if people use them for inspiration — but don’t claim them as your own. That’s all I ask.