characters who design themselves

amika

so obviously while you're designing characters you've got to put some thought into making their costumes meaningful - like, realistically, a wizard might not dress up like a wizard every day, but when you're designing something for an audience it's best to have visual cues and make him look a little wizardy even if he's trying to hide the fact that he is one.

but then i started thinking about how some of these character designs probably went down in the characters' personal histories - i mean, when it comes to really badass suits of armour or what have you, they probably had to go sit down with someone and commission it.

i really want to hear the conversations between the characters who act like they're too cool to care about pointless stuff like fashion, and their armourers, like, the conversations sarevok and dorn had to have at some point - you know sarevok at least didn't just loot that out some ruin. at some point, before his reputation, he probably got way too enthusiastic about wanting a totally rad helmet where he looks out of a demon mouth, and the armourer was just like "ugh, another one of these dipwads. im charging double." meanwhile, dorn is telling some poor frightened dwarf that he needs a skull on his codpiece, and his armourer spends the rest of the discussion trying to steer him away from explaining how it's like, a metaphor.

hm

Buttercheese

I do believe to remember reading a fanfic years ago, with a scene where Sarevok puts on his freshly finished armor for the first time. Something about how it's specifically designed to scare the living poop out of everyone.

Anyway, Edwin is totally part of the club here. He is so narcisistic, I bet he doesn't own a single piece of clothing that doesn't shout "Pompous Arsehole Red Wizard of Thay". Then again, there is a huge market for this line of fashion back in his homeland. You think they got fashion shows and stuff? And star designers? Imagine a Thayan version of Karl Lagerfeld ...

Pohjanmaalainen

Well, Sarevok received deathbringer training that basically teaches how to scare the shit out of enemies.

I would also like to nominate Irenicus, the greatest fan of show wrestling, to the list of people who do not care at all what others think of his choice of garments.

Buttercheese

Pohjanmaalainen said:

I would also like to nominate Irenicus, the greatest fan of show wrestling

Yeah, sure ... show wrestling ... that mus be it ... nothing to do with his dungeon full of torturing equipment, so called "concubines" and clones of his ex-girlfriend.

Pohjanmaalainen

Those are just acts of evil, inspired by his needs and wants to get a soul, a godhood and his former desires that made him feel like a living person back. His manner of dressing might be a part of the torture that is a part of his plan to get all of those things, but that is stretching it I'd say. So only reason I can imagine for him to dress like that is thinking it cool or normal...Helm protect us.

Buttercheese

Man, would I like to share my headcanon about Irenicus now.
But boy, is it completely breaking all of the forum rules.

I'll try to make it rules conform but I warn you, some readers still may find this disturbing:
[spoiler]So, there is this one headcanon I picked up from another fanfic about how Irenicus has ... problems to get things working in the bedroom. That his part of his vendetta against specifically Ellesime, is that the loss of his soul took so much of his "humanity" (elven...manity?), that he lost his ability to love. Including the physical aspect.

See this line:

I... I do not remember your love, Ellesime. I have tried to. I have tried to recreate it, to spark it anew in my memory. But it is gone... a hollow, dead thing. For years, I clung to the memory of it. Then the memory of the memory. And then nothing. The Seldarine took that from me, too. I look upon you and I feel nothing. I remember nothing but you turning your back on me, along with all the others.

The result is, that he enslaves innocent Nymphs, starts cloning his ex, experiments on and tortures other people. The Nymphs call themselves "his concubines". That is just a nicer way to say sex-slave.
And Bhaal knows what kind of specifical things he did to poor Imoen and the others.

Irenicus is a pragmatic man. He would try out pretty much anything to get what he wants. And in this specific case, it's to recreate the feelings he had for Ellesime.
So what does he do? He starts experimenting.
Which ultimately includes some more "unconventional" bedroom practices (if he wasn't into that already, but for that we would need to know what kind of person "Joneleth" was).



Those leatherstraps? That prominent codpiece? Him showing off his muscles like that?
That is straight up fetish gear, which he is wearing to try and boost his sexual drive through his ego.

But hey, that's just a theory.
A Gate theory.
Thanks for reading.

I am sorry for that last joke, I couldn't resist[/spoiler]

abacus

GoT (books mostly - the tv show tones things down) is funny for this too.

For instance, Tywin's battle armour is all red enamel and gold leaf with massive carved lions on the shoulders and helmet... it actually sounds really absurd.

Buttercheese

I do doubt though that Tywin would come up with a design like this himself.
Probably went like this: "Make it look like 'Lannister' but also make it practical."

Pohjanmaalainen

Well, I think there is a mention that he likes to lead from the rear, so it makes sense. You know, like a parade armour, not for real combat but looking good, improving morale by being seen and such.

OlvynChuru

amika said:

so obviously while you're designing characters you've got to put some thought into making their costumes meaningful - like, realistically, a wizard might not dress up like a wizard every day, but when you're designing something for an audience it's best to have visual cues and make him look a little wizardy even if he's trying to hide the fact that he is one.

I disagree. If a wizard was pretending not to be one, he or she wouldn't leave any visual cues. There's no point in taking the robes off if you still have a pointy hat on. That's why I don't think that Kieran Nye in Heart of Winter should have a mage sprite. I also don't think that Sarevok should have his unique sprite when he's at the Ducal Palace. He'd still have heavy armor and a sword, but the Grand Dukes would simply assume that those were ceremonial or symbolic; it would definitely seem a lot less suspicious than a suit of armor that makes his eyes glow.

Buttercheese

Sarevok wearing his Bhaal armor in the palace must have been an oversight or a compromise given the graphical limitations. I personally like to ignore that part, because it's a plothole in my book.
I mean, Sarevok's entire getup is imo a plot hole ... the facial tattoos, the glowing eyes. Nothing about it makes him look trustworthy. One could argue that it's just facepaint, but it's way too elaborate for that.
Maybe he can turn his eye glow off. We don't know.

First of all, he is a charismatic machinator.
His "Heir to the Throne of Bhaal" outfit is his super-villain costume.
He wouldn't wear his costume when trying to make everyone believe that he's the good guy.

Don't get me wrong, I love his look.
But it's quite frankly a tad bit implausible.

mf2112

I think his eyes glow when the lids are closed. When they are open the beams just shoot out and make a hell of a mess.

Jarrakul

I mean, by the time the Ducal Palace happens, Sarevok's already replaced most of the nobles with doppelgangers. I imagine he can get away with looking pretty untrustworthy by that point.

Besides, I'm sure plenty of heroes have worn armor just as evil looking, for no better reason than that it has the most plusses.

Buttercheese

Eeeeh, I don't know.
As a potential duke he still has an image to uphold.

I mean, given, he wants to kill everyone anyway, but something about this still feels off.

Pohjanmaalainen

I can just imagine the scene when he had to explain his getup to the other dukes before CHARNAME walked in. It must have been the bluff roll of the century.

Buttercheese

"Sir, why are you dressed like you are going to some sort of satanistic war ritual."
"Oh, it's actual for my medical condition, the armor stabilizes my back. The spikes are for weight redistribution."

"I am sorry Sir, please proceed."

Pohjanmaalainen

"Traditional sembian for formal occasions"

amika

maybe he corresponded with the dukes by messenger, then showed up and the dukes were just like

yo yo yo yo yo SICKKK ARMOURRR