[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]
For some reason, the Irionitts were a nightmare for me to try and design, which is hilarious because I only planned for like… maybe two to appear in the entirety of the comic? I had the concept in my head like with the other aliens I drew before them; in this case, short little alien critters with robot heads wearing robes. Yet when it came to actually designing the body structure, nothing felt right.
The top designs are okay, but just didn’t really capture the feel of what I was looking for. I instead tried designing them as they would look completely organic and that lead to a much more appealing look (at least in my opinion). Scales like a lizard but with the lower body of a kangaroo, basically.
But the first robot head design with that new body was… terrifying. I think I accidentally channeled some Five Nights At Freddy’s vibes for it. Instead I worked with the idea of designing a head that actually <i>looks</i> like what their organic head used to, and that treated me way better. The goal was to make them a non-threatening curiosity, which they are in the universe.
The Irionitts are a mysterious race. They tend to quietly go around the universe in robes, only speaking to acquire information and resources. What little is known about them is that they seek out information of all kinds; popular belief is that they’re trying to preserve all knowledge in the universe. They all have organic bodies, yet their heads (and presumably their brains) are robotic. They are reluctant to answer why. Nonetheless, their lack of aggression towards other races and presumed good intentions has gained them a protected status in the universe; causing any harm to them is EXTREMELY taboo, and you’ll be lucky to see the light of day after doing so.
