Despite being the main character, at this point in time Nina has been temporarily relegated to something of a backseat. We will likely flesh out her storyline once we have the framework of the plot in place, including the beginning/main conflict and the ending(s). In my experience, this is generally a good way to work on a story, so that is what we are going with. Details will come later.
Therefore, a lot of focus has still been on Caiya and on the antithetical characters he comes across (I wish to call them antagonists, but that doesn't fully do them justice as we tried to make them sympathetic and even good in many ways). The connection that they have to the blight is the main factor influencing their situation, and it generally puts them in a bad spot. When Caiya meets them, they are basically alone and struggling to survive in a cold wasteland - a rather creepy and unsettling place which, while afflicted by the blight, tends to taint those who travel there (many people have committed suicide some time after entering the forest that Caiya's potential friends/allies live in). Ukko, being a strong leader, is one of the few sources of security that they have, and they all consider him a friend. Therefore, they tend to overlook the darker aspects of his personality as well as the questionable things he does.
However, the player ultimately has the choice on who to ally with, and to what extent. This will greatly affect how those with the blight (especially Ukko) treat Caiya and what side of them the player is mostly going to see.
Speaking of which, we have actually fleshed out Ukko significantly since last week (appropriate, given that he is the most important character aside from the two siblings and one of the main factors influencing the player's ending). While I am still not exactly sure how much I want to share, as far as details go, we definitely have established him as a more multifaceted personage.
Ukko's current (and growing) set of talking sprites. We actually still have quite a ways to go with this, as he makes a wide range of different expressions aside from simply aggressive/passive-aggressive. He's honestly probably one of the more dynamic characters in this regard.
Generally speaking, we've developed him as tough, fearless, disciplined, and pretty demanding; however, he is also capable of being extraverted and sociable, something he generally shows when around those he lives with. Regardless of the front he is wearing, though, he's pretty composed and calculated, even when angry, and this can make him a very daunting person to interact with. Most people simply don't know him very well, as he can be very defensive when it comes to anything that would potentially make him vulnerable: for example, we recently decided and expanded upon the idea that Ukko once had a younger sister, a fact that he very rarely, if ever, shares with anyone. While I would rather not give away all the details (again, sorry!), her fate is something that causes him a lot of pain, even if he refuses to acknowledge it.
Ukko (17 years old in this picture), and Louhi (16). As his sibling, Louhi looks a lot like Ukko. However, she does not have the blight, and is generally a more open, optimistic, free-spirit type of a character - in fact, she and Nina share several similarities in terms of their personalities... and, like Nina also, her relationship with her brother undergoes a lot of strain as she grows up for a variety of reasons.
(A quick sketch of Ukko and his sister as slightly younger teenagers.)
At his best, Ukko is a capable ally and a friend to Caiya and the others, and makes choices in their best interests. At his worst, he represents the sort of person - cold, brutal, and emotionally stunted - that Caiya could become in time if he makes certain choices or allows the blight to take control of him.
Aside from Ukko, we are still trying to brainstorm backstory and settings, go through worldbuilding, and develop other characters that Caiya could interact with as a 'party' of sorts to match Nina's. These people will all be NPCs whom you can fight alongside and battle enemies with - and they, in turn, will also have their own traits and personalities.
Ila and Ukiuk, the first set of 'blight' characters we've made (aside from Ukko and Fen). Though they aren't nearly as important as either of the other two, I've had the idea for them for a while now, and we are now beginning to draw them and commit to some designs. Ila is the one on the left - reserved, guarded, and hard to get to know well - while his twin brother, Ukiuk - an enthusiastic and easygoing troublemaker - is on the right. They frequently squabble with each other, much to the amusement of those around them, but they are generally inseparable nonetheless. The two of them have known Ukko since they were 14.
I also made my own, slightly different rendition of Ila, looking somewhat angrier...
even though I can't draw people for the life of me... yeah. Welp, still... go me, I guess? PxLastly, but not least-ly, we've made some additional drawings of Nina, just so that it doesn't seem as though we have completely forgotten about her. She hopefully will make a more prominent appearance in next week's update... since she is the main character, after all.
A quick sketch of Nina with Kalil. Uhhh... ignore his leg, I guess?
(I have no idea what happened there lol)Staring intensely off into the distance. Just because she can.
A chibi that my friend's younger (!) sister contributed to the game. She will likely end up being a lot of help once we start doing animations and sprite-work.
I personally think this piece is very good, especially considering she's only 13! So it'll be nice to have her on the project.