[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Another set of designs that I had a blast working on! Notably, there’s a pair of cameos prepped here – Riiser in the bottom center, and the McElroys bottom right. Adapting real people for my story is a fun challenge.

I also made a specific effort to work out some of the NPCs Leon and Luca would end up talking to during the “interview” section of the comic. Most of the others are borrowed from another background fodder page. I’m gonna make use of every asset I make for this heckin’ story!!!

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

(Originally drawn around August 2019)

Looking back, I like how these all turned out (at least in their final incarnations), but I was drawing most of them during a summer vacation where I was EXTREMELY SICK, and just wasn’t feeling it. Still, it did lead to some concepts I really like. The Health And Safety (HAS) Officer in particular is one I like; instead of traditional police, KttFF has professionals trained in community-first conflict resolution and in providing aid to those who need it. Even in the rare instances of things getting heated, they don’t carry anything lethal for ending fights. Most have different specialties, though all are trained in at least a few core medical treatments for emergencies.

I felt kind of iffy about the Japanese-style merchant character, and ultimately decided against including him. I don’t know, something about him just didn’t feel like it’d read right, even if he was only in the background

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

A detail that doesn’t often get explored in (what little there is of) solarpunk media is the question of “What are the winters like?” Solarpunk often has a lot of visual focus, and winter can often be considered a bit drab, since a lot of the nature elements that bring the life to a green city aren’t as apparent.

While some more hardy or genetically-engineered plants may keep spots of green, the real visual feast comes from the lights that fill up the town. Don’t worry, the joy of the stars isn’t lost thanks to some clever design-work. We probably won’t be exploring much of the winter in KttFF, since it takes place in April, but it’s still fun to think of.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Despite how much brainpower it takes to create these environments, it’s easily one of my favorite parts of developing the comic. This is where the real magic happens in terms of developing this world’s identity. This is where I found out what works, and what doesn’t.

This particular set, I’m not all that impressed with, if I’m being honest. I’d wager this one didn’t use many references for inspiration, and it leads to designs that are pretty simplistic and kind of lifeless. Some of the most bare-essential building blocks are being set up, but the pure, unbridled inspiration that fuels the finality of their creation isn’t quite there.

But we /will/ get there.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

The Orb-Its concept was actually one of the earliest of the series, one that serves as a summation for the solarpunk elements of the comic. Open to all, customizable, free to use, and encourages people to get out and explore. Naturally, ships are still a thing; there’s still a need to transport large quantities of goods or leave the planet (which Orb-Its can’t safely do), but these Orb-It stations are one of the major backbones for future society!

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

The Plakzaken are probably one of my favorite alien designs I’ve come up with. I lumped together a ton of plant aspects to come up with their final concept, and it provides such a fantastic degree of variety for a suitably alien creature.

Like the rest of the aliens in KttFF, the Plakzaken aren’t ultimately a huge influence on the story, but there’s no way I’d have been able to resist including a plant-alien in a solarpunk comic.

[This is being posted as part of the hiatus for KttFF’s second chapter. The comic will resume with CHAPTER 3 on August 24th, 2023]

Since we got a name for them, /technically/ at the end of the Chapter 2 Intermission, I figure there’s no longer a need to hide it! Everyone say hello to the PARADOX BUBBLES! Don’t worry if they freak you out; you won’t remember them. 🙂

I did some explorations of how exactly I want to imagine them interacting with their environments. I obviously kept the major aspects of them seeming to “burn” anything that comes in contact with them, as well as them clustering together. I wonder what /other/ things the bubbles are capable of? :3c

As an extra bonus, have some nice flora. I’m honestly not too proud of how the plant life here came out, but I’m sure I’ve made up for it elsewhere in the comic!