OC Design Talk - Scutum

About This Series:

OC Design Talk is my way of sharing my obsession with character design, as I absolutely love talking about it and the thought process that goes into all of my original characters! I’ll be talking about visual design as well as backstory and personality for the characters, and the general intent behind their concepts. I think this will be a good way to really flesh out the reasoning behind the designs, which should, in turn, provide a greater understanding of the character as a whole, and maybe even the world they occupy as well! So with that, let's get started!

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This is Scutum! He’s the laid-back and optimistic companion to Scorpio.

Unlike most of the other zodiac companions, Scutum is actually a lot more experienced than Scorpio, and served as a mentor to him in his early days as a sign. Sagittarius found the shield in one of the more cavernous corners of the Astral Plane, seemingly left behind after a battle that had long since ended. Thought to be an inanimate object in his shield form, Scutum was gifted to Scorpio to protect himself in his training. Scorpio soon found that Scutum was merely stuck as a shield after years without use, and was able to snap out of it again when fighting alongside him. He can switch between forms at will, but risks getting stuck the longer he stays a shield, especially if he has no one to carry him. The strength of another's spirit around him can usually snap him out of it, but he might need a little assistance in doing so.

Grateful for Scorpio's help, Scutum stuck around, lending his laid-back demeanour to placate many tense situations. And they were tense for a while, as Scorpio had a tough time trusting anyone at that point, not even himself. But, being impervious to pretty much any attack, Scutum did not fear him nor the volatility of his weaponry. He wasn’t phased by Scorpio’s initial aggression either, and did what he could to earn the young scorpion’s trust.

They soon found that Scutum was immune to poison, making him the perfect companion as Scorpio learned to control his powers. Though reluctantly at first, Scorpio would use him as a target practice for his poison barbs and long range attacks. He assists with Scorpio’s duties as an apothecary, knowing as many antidotes as there are poisons.

Over time they developed a strong friendship, and eventually the mentor-student dynamic went both ways. They've learned a lot from each other, and as a result Scutum has no issue with razzing Scorpio when he can. He’s lucky he’s a shield!

When Scorpio is assigned as Cassie’s mentor, Scutum often tags along to provide encouragement where possible. Scorpio isn’t known for his outward displays of emotion after all, and he has to learn as much about being a teacher as Cassie does being his student. Scutum does a lot of good in helping Cassie overcome her fears when tackling some of Scorpio’s more dangerous challenges.

Design wise, Scutum was originally based on a pill bug, as I thought their plates made for a good shield concept. I also made his limbs “flatter” in this version to match the plates.

While I certainly like this design, and I could have made it work after giving it another refinement pass, I found there wasn’t a lot to it concept wise. When I decided to incorporate the symbols into these designs like the main zodiac, a rhinoceros beetle came to mind pretty quickly when incorporating the cross on the shield. Beetles are also known for their armour-esque outer shells, so it worked out in the end. I liked the idea of his horn curving backwards as he changes into a shield, forming the equivalent of a raised metal adornment that a lot of them have. A scutum is a specific kind of large shield that usually has such adornments.

I didn’t want his horn to be too large on his head for this reason, but also because I didn’t want it to be too imposing. A larger horn might have worked for a bolder, more battle-hungry character, but I always pictured Scutum being a pretty level-headed one instead. More “defensive”, if you will, and his rounded or squared-off features make him appear more friendly.

There was a lot of trial and error when it came to his head, as I liked the “flatness” of his initial pill bug design with the plates running down his back, so I came to a decent compromise with the horn. Though not removable, it ended up looking a lot like a helmet, which I think fits well with his armoured look.

I might change his colour scheme later on once I finish the other zodiac companions, but I like where it is for now. It’s based on the look of an ancient scutum that had a red and gold colour scheme. I had to make sure he wasn’t too close to Libra though, who shares a similar scheme but with red as the main colour and gold accents. Scutum’s darkest colour is actually a reddish purple too, perhaps a nod to Scorpio’s attire. I like that they directly contrast but also compliment each other, with Scutum being primarily yellow, and Scorpio being purple. This speaks to their duality not only visually, but in personality as well, which I think strengthens their concepts overall.