I decided that Knarrens would be based on birds of prey (or raptors as their called?). They're predatory birds, which works perfectly for them. I based Reflux on a Great Horned Owl! Now that I'm looking at it, he kinda looks like a yeti.
As for the other two designs, they are meant to be his outfit post-Rayman 3. André (somehow) manages to resurrect Reflux. André prepares to get his shit rocked for the complete failure of the plan, but Reflux actually decides to stay and fully side with the Hoodlums! It surprises André to know someone is willing to stay by his side and this and delights him! André makes these clothes as a gift to him :) (also because his last pair was pretty roughed up).
If I were to ever make Reflux's Leptys-empowered form (which I'll probably do down the line as I get better with monster designs), I'd like to imagine it'd dwell closer into an actual appearance of a Great Horned Owl, just EXTREMELY horrifying.
Without a doubt, André is my favorite villain in the entire franchise! He's super fun and amazingly written (well, written and developed the best he could be in when it comes to Rayman), and I have listened to his voice lines WAY more times than I'll admit.
Onto the design! To build on my idea of black lums acting like parasites, I made André look like some bacteria and mold (my main inspiration behind the way I went with the bacteria comes from Pom-Pom Dough Cookie!).
I wanted to build into the western, cowboy style we see from some of the Hoodlums in the game, most specifically the Hoodmonger. Speaking of Hoodlums, I gave him a Hoodlum Form of his own! I HATE how they didn't give André his own look! He's the many bad guys, for god's sake, let him cook! Anyways, he has a very spiky whip with that same dangerous mold on it. It's great for reeling in and infecting lums at the same time! He can also still affect lums with touch, but he'd have to take his gloves off to do that and engage in a very frantic game of tag, which sometimes he's got no time for, no matter how fun.
That's all for now, I'll be doing Monik next to round out our evil trio for Hoodlum Havoc. Though if you're willing to stick around a little longer, I have a line up of André and Reflux below for heights along with some details on their relationship :))
How they met : To keep it short, I'll start right when the scepter was stolen. André escapes the doctors' grasp and rallys his troops to figure out a game plan. A certain black lum would suggest to André that if he stole the scepter and harnessed its powers, they'd easily be able to get rid of Rayman and take over the world. Desperately in need of taking care of Rayman and his new ability, he eagerly accepts the idea and gets to moving.
Meanwhile, Reflux was concocting a plan of his own. Reflux's shining reputation-and more importantly, his pride-had taken a good blow after his loss to a teenager. The Gumsi and the Knarren didn't hesitate to rub that in his face when they soon realized how hilarious it was. In a long line of his worth being laughed at and placed at second best (especially when it came to his "lovely" younger brother), this was the last straw and decided to... give them a taste of their own medicine. The plan was simple : Using the venom of a dangerous plant that grew around there, he'd poison Gumsi. Then, he'd head to the sanctuary, steal the scepter, and take full control over the tribe.
The plan had worked so far, and Gumsi was out cold. Yet when he got there, he was met with a tiny black lum desperately trying to pull the scepter out of the ground, whom he promptly flicked across the room. Though Reflux would soon realize this operation was easier said than done, as André quickly took to his Hoodlum Form and returned the favor. Taking it as an invitation of combact, Reflux sprang into action, and the two engaged in an even bloodier fight than the last. Eventually, their dueling was ended by the shot of a gun, that certain black lum returned and chastised them for their stupidity. They had so much common ground between them. They both wanted power, recognition, all they could ever ask for out of the world, and most importantly, a common enemy. Why fight over something you can both share the rewards from? A diabolical plan that would effectly put the two men against the entire world, yet they agreed, and a truce was made as they took the scepter and left before the second sun could rise.
The general relationship : They claim that they are nothing more than "business partners", but it's quite obvious there's going on behind the scenes.
They fight. A LOT. They'll bicker and fight over the most ridiculous and petty things. Though in the moments they DO get along and come to a common census, they make an INSANELY great team, working in incredible sync. Brains and Brawns, as we like to call it. When they first worked together, they both believed that there was no way their plan was going to work, pinning the blame stubbornness and stupidity of one another when, in fact, they share the same braincell. When the plan actually succeeded and they got the (temporary) power they desired, they had gained what they believed to be a great ounce of respect for each. In reality, it was something MUCH deeper than that.
Sensing the potential in the two, Jano brought the two back from their imprisonment in the Tetris. Still heavily injured from their last battle, they took a moment to recover. It didn't take the two to realize that there was no possible way to escape Jano's grasp unless they wanted to die. They put their grudges aside and tried to get used to what was basically a new version of hell for them. While it would be thrilling for the two to be able to get away from each other, they felt... closure in each other's presence? Like yeah, the last plan went to shit, and now the world REALLY wants us dead, but hey, they couldn't keep us down!
We got a second chance, let's make it everybody else's problem.
And that's what they did (and still do to this day), continued their mishaps and conquest in the hopes that one day the two could be ruling the Glade side-by-side.
Alas, they'll never admit to anyone they'd want the other to rule alongside with them, won't they?
It's been a little bit since I posted, so let's do something about that. I'm planning on making proper character sheets for my AU, but for now, just have some characters. 👍
Some tid bits and notes below! Globox, Murfy, and two more villains (I'm not sure who I'll do) will be next.
• All of these designs are the most current designs, not their design from their debut game. Those other designs will be shown in the sheets!
• I wanted Rayman, Globox, and Murfy to have a Three Musketeers / Bodyguards to the King theme, so their designs have those patterns that the Grand Minimus has in Rayman 3. I also gave him a big bow and a bear hood to lean in to the teddy bear theme that I've had ongoing with his designs.
• For Ly, I recently found out looking through her page on the Raywiki that she is part of a group of people known as the "People of Prhys", wears their clothes, and has a strong motivation to protect them. I then took that concept and RAN with it. The idea is that similar to the Knarrens and the Teensies, these people are the Muse of Poets' creation. The People of Prhys live far off from the rest of the Glade in isolation, and no one is allowed to live their land besides the chosen guardian / leader. Ly was chosen as the next guardian, and thus, I gave her a little more of a royal look. I felt that my last design made her look a little bit too much like Shantae, so I tried to distance away from that.
• Quick briefing over André's design: He's got more of a mechanic / inventor look and less of a person in charge because ever since he made a deal with Jano, he hasn't quite been the one calling the shots. He's still the hoodlum's boss, but now he has a boss himself. He also has cuffs on his arms from his imprisonment in the Tetris.
Now, what I really want to talk about is the ideas I had for André's biology. I didn't like how human he ooked in his previous concepts, so I went for a more bug-like look to fit his wildly gluttonous personality. He's basically a honeypot ant if it had wings. The idea is that the substance in André's abdomen is what I'm going to call "life juice" and he can spray it like spiders do with webs. This life juice then can sprout black lums! However, in order for him to do so, he needs to "feast" to get the energy needed for these creations to come to life, hence why he thirst for plum juice and eats like a pig. All for his hive, so to say.
• As for Reflux, I tried to make his and André 's designs play off each other. André is more manic and hot-headed, while Reflux is more stoic and cold. I made him completely dump his outfit from the original game caude at this point of the story, he has completely declined to side with André. Finally, I gave him a deluxe version of the Hoodmongers boomstick with a little crystal from his original scepter in the middle. This came from the idea that while Knarrens are the closest beings on the Glade to being invincible, they put their souls in these crystals that they then turn into weapons for pit-fighting. If these crystals are hurt, they get hurt; if they break, they die. Jano had to repair Reflux's crystal as it was destroyed in the final battle of Rayman 3.
Ah, what a night... you... your partner in crime... and your arch-nemesis' head on a silver platter as the main course for your lovely dinner... <3
I hope everyone had a splendid Valentines Day! I enjoy days like this, especially when it comes to making celebratory art! I love putting my favorite characters in fun little outfits for the occasion. I just HAD to do André and Reflux for this holiday. They've been in my mind for SO LONG.
