I noticed something about RAR-
Are the things on their wrists supposed to represent something akin to shackles? Is this meant to mean anything in particular?/curious
Yeah!! They're meant to resemble Shackles, as if they were Imprisoned. This symbolizes how they feel "trapped" as well as a sort of "punishment" for their actions.
There's also meant to be a subtle resemblance to Guardian... chains (?), though the significance of that motif may need to be reworked... generally, the idea is that Guardians seem to be revered by certain people as exceptional beings or something to look up to, as well as beings with some influence or knowledge over the Cycle. They're very mysterious, so I guess some people kind of mythologized them.
The gold bracelets are also something present in NCTG's design, though I don't think I was considering their symbolic significance much at the time. They're also not part of Jade's vision as they weren't present in NCTG's "1.0" ref. I'm pretty sure I added them because I wanted them to have jewelry to feel more refined and decorated and cooler.
Those ideas still apply, of course, but retroactively I think they serve to highlight the distinction between NCTG and RAR: first, decorative jewelry with weight that is solid but not cumbersome, and then, fancy shackles !!!
as an aside, the shackle around their neck is also sort of mirror in NCTG's design with the clasp that connects to their neck. I think they prefer to have their neck protected, even if it restricts them. This dichotomy between Security and Restriction is fun to play with.
thanks for the ask!! I enjoy trying to make my characters' designs meaningful. To be honest, I feel like RAR's design could use another revision (i am not sold on the athleisure aesthetic and I feel like there has to be a better way to execute the bottom half of their design. also I like the feather-mimicking pattern but I tend to forget how to draw it without a ref so that might be worth consideration...)
