As long as ConQuest has existed as a serious project, Monti has been part of it. They've gone through some fairly drastic changes since the original concept though.

Originally I was going for "weird little sarcastic elf fella" with Monti. A sidekick to Vaius who really only offered up snark and technology based aid when needed. Old Monti really only existed as a device to move parts of the plot along and offer comedy relief, not as a character with actual motivation and that's just boring. These days Monti is a proper deuteragonist and I adore what I've done with them.

Design wise, some elements have stayed the same through everything. The build, the hair, the mechanical arm, the self modifications, the many pocketed skirt. But I realized that the color scheme of black and greys was as boring as the previous lack of personality. I needed a palette that would not only work well with Monti's mechanical parts, but would look good in contrast with Vaius once they eventually met up. Sometimes color design is as simple as going with complementary colors. The warmer colors pop just the way I need them too.

Good lord. I hate that old robot arm design though. I love it, but I hate it. The original concept for Monti's arm was going to involve the circular shoulder piece being a multi-purpose storage device. Lights, lasers, tools, and god knows what else would've been able to come out of it. But making a comic helps you realize that simpler is better. Multiple bits of tubing and wiring are going to be pain to draw over and over again. Same goes for the notched design of the shoulder piece. Now, if there's ever anyone that creates awesome fan art down the line and they want to take the time to craft a ridiculously detailed robot arm with all the bells and whistles I will absolutely adore them. But for now, I've got a story to progress and an internal voice of perfectionism to perpetually cockblock.