One of the biggest challenges in creating The Underground is the inclusion of real world facts. Sure, we create a pretty fantastic universe, with vivid creatures and constructs wrought from imagination; but it is the core of real fact that keeps the story anchored to something tangible. It’s what gives our artistic licenses credibility. It’s what sets us apart. One aspect of the real world that we really cannot waiver on is scale, specifically the relative size of each of our creatures and their various surroundings. We refer to this concept as our Insect Benchmarks.
The Insect Benchmarks (or Size Benchmarks) help to keep all the inhabitants of The Underground in proper proportion with each other. The same can be said with regards to everyday objects thatt our characters may encounter. How does one of the Zealots Elite compare to a pencil? Could Styx leap from the ground to a bottle cap, or would this require more of a climb? To put these objects into quick perspective we came up with our benchmark template. A clear piece of plastic, on which I’ve drawn the silhouettes of a couple insects. By holding this template in front of an object and snapping a picture, we can see how the average bug would compare to it. The inserted picture shows the template help in front of a white card so the silhouettes can be seen clearly.
Embarking on this portion of our research has clearly given us a different perspective on the inhabitants of The Underground, and what their world feels like. It is a world within our own, yet at times it may appear to be somewhere far away. Our continued dedication to the benchmark concept is what builds the credibility of the universe, and the consistency of its inhabitants. Stay tuned for more on this topic as we’ll be uploading benchmark photos to our Facebook page. It’s what we do to look at the world through a bug’s eye.
