Justin
He was the original, dashing hero of “The Secret of NIMH”, a rogue with
the whimsical allure of a rat-type Robin Hood. His face was that of a
charming fox and his body showed the slinky agility of a cunning weasel.
All these attributes were still what I needed for Justin in my own story.
Another dishonorable mention has to be made for “The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to The Rescue” at this point. While not really having degraded Justin’s design as the sequel had done with so many characters, its depiction of Justin as a rather indecisive leader was still less than flattering.
What I had planned for Justin’s character was something more along the
lines of a conflict of personality rather than a full-blown change in
design.
Justin, as seen later in the story, is battling with the difficulties of his new position as leader of the Rats of NIMH in “NIMH: The Final Experiment”.
Being somewhat of a “nice guy” personality he has come to grips with the difficulty of both wanting to live up to the expectations people have of him as well as trying to make everybody happy. Of course, as everybody knows, neither of these goals ultimately make one a successful leader and having Justin realize this is a major part of my story.
This shows in the way Justin feels forced to don ceremonial robes that
are reminiscent of those seen on Nicodemus in the original movie. The
vain attempt of trying to be like the old leader becomes painfully
apparent this way.
Importantly, I decided that when wearing these robes one should still see that the “real” Justin is only “covered up”. Through the gap in his robes the reader can spot his casual uniform peaking out from underneath the cloak.
Also, the robes themselves were made to look cumbersome and confining to represent how Justin is literally entrapping himself in a role and a self-image that only restricts his true qualities. A final dash to that aspect of futility lies in the robes’ collar, which was intentionally fashioned along the lines of a wizard’s cape. This was supposed to allow an association with themes of “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and underline the fact how desperate Justin tries to be something he is not.
Justin Design by Marcus