Source of Inspiration
For this blog post, I decided to adapt on an idea I heard about earlier with using paper. Instead of simply folding the paper, I decided to crumple the paper into a tight ball, fold it into fourths or eighths, and then I ripped the paper into tiny shreds or scraps to use as inspiration for my sketches. I felt that adapting off of an idea and making as many random scraps would add to the creativity of the sketches I wished to create.
The image below is a closer zoom on the scraps I used. I would look through the pile and pick through it to rearrange the pile and find face and body details to incorporate into my sketches.
Sketches/Proof of Concept
With my sketches, I liked using the concept of my characters staying as paper scraps. If I wanted to change the basis a bit, I would make them little rock creatures, likely pieces of limestone, granite, etc., that can stack and construct themselves in different ways.
In my sketches, I added lines to parts of my sketches to show where the lines on the paper were, and how it adapted to the shape of my characters. I also sketched a few different drawings for head shapes based on the scrap pieces of paper I used for inspiration. It's very interesting taking an approach like that to use for the sketches, and I felt like my sketches turned out well. I made each character individual and unique in body shape, as that is a characteristic of the "species" and what they can actually do.
Character Background & Game Theory
The Pulpmi (Pulp & Origami) are creatures formed from the discarded paper shreds. Being that they are practically paper beings come to life, they are small in stature and light and thin in weight. Despite the small size and weight, Pulpmi are very ingenuitive and adaptable. Their limbs and bodies can form into different shapes to solve problems in their surrounding environment. One Pulpmi alone can handle some work, but they are much stronger in a group, as they can unite themselves to form different structures. Every Pulpmi is unique, and has their own set of characteristics, from their heads to their bodies, as well as the details on them. One big weakness of the Pulpmi are that they are weak to water, so in any circumstance they can, they tend to avoid water and wet surfaces. Pulpmi become weaker, and it is hard for them to move or complete tasks when wet.
Looking at this from a gameplay aspect, I see the Pulpmi being able to learn and use new abilities as they progress, in the genre of a platform-puzzle game. As you find new paper to either add on to your existing self or to create more Pulpmi for greater team constructs, you can level up how to transform or what to transform into, for example, a small paper airplane to float across a large gap, or hands into small scissors to cut through paper. There are a few different options for it, but nonetheless, I feel this is a cool concept for a playable character, in the veins similar to Pikmin or The Wonderful 101, games that do require teamwork in order to progress.
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