Costume help - heartless

I haven't done one of these in a while, like... In two years or so But I figured I'm so stumped and desperate for ideas I HAVE to ask for help on this one.

With the recent Dominator changes, I made myself a new Dominator, amusingly plagiarising a costume design my mother made. I tell ya, folks - let your parents have a go at the game. They might just give you something you would never have thought of!

So, with stolen costume and an old, old story, I came up with Mathew Landark, a curious villain who commits acts of evil with no malice or sense of satisfaction. After being abducted by a shadowy organisation as a child, Landark went though all manner of emotions - pain, hatred, sadness, ending up in cackling exhilaration when he finally escaped, to the point where he essentially burned himself out, and is now a cold, calculating, emotionless killer.

And I don't have a good alternate costume for him. I have a street clothes variant that I didn't post, which is essentially a short-sleeved open vest over a bare chest with blue baggy jeans. Nothing worth posting a pic of, which is kind of hard to do as I'm at work now. I wanted his original costume to be very simplistic and stylistic, reflecting a man's disconnect with the world and lack of interest in anything not directly necessary. I'm not sure why I went with the big Vegeta shoulders, but it really seemed to finish the chest plate shape. Whatever costume I end up with as a new design, I'm going to want to that same theme.

I'm not really adamant about keeping much. I'm obviously retaining the face and hair, and I'd rather like to retain the boots at least, and probably the gloves if the design permits it, but really nothing other than the head is really all that important. I don't actually have ANY idea what to do with the next costume, so I can't put any restrictions on that. Suit, armour, tights, kilt... OK, maybe not kilt, but just about anything that looks good and would fit an aloof, disconnected person should work.

To append what also may be important, he is a Gravity/Energy Dominator and an unashamed villain. His theme isn't so much evergy as I'd call it kinetics. Telekinetics, to be precise. The ability to lift, shove, push and generally throw people around with concussive force is central to him. I'm not sure how that could possibly relate to costume, which is part of the reason why his original one has nothing to do with his powers, but if it matters, there it is.

I would like to ask for any ideas you guys can come up with. I'd really like it if you could post screenshots of your ideas, but I'll be grateful for explanations of suggestions, as well. I'm really, really stumped so anything you can come up with would be really cool.

Thank you in advance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

I think color is the most important thing you can do to convey your idea. Find very sterile colors, but try to avoid the typical 'emo' look.

For example, the rich purple or red/black combo found on some villain themes would not convey this message. Try to go with some of the colors that are more sterile in nature:

-Gray: The lack of true color.
-Beige: Nothing says sterile than the default color of choice.

Physique:
When I think emotionless cold-blooded killer, I think of the creepy guy from con air that sang you are my sunshine with that girl. As such, you probably want someone more lanky.

Costume planning:

-Don't do the trenchcoat ala dark watcher.
-Long Pants with a blended pattern. Sterile.
-Monstrous bare hands. They won't be too noticeable but will enhance the vicious implications of your cold-blooded killer.
-Buttoned Shirt.
-Avoid busy details at all costs. You want him to stand out against the decorated villains.

My idea would be either the trenchcoat or suit; a white suit/coat with black accents ( belt, gloves, boots, etc ). Very monochrome and practical looking. Mirrored sunglasses would be good if you don't mind modifiying the head that much.

Who else thought Kingdom Hearts? And I haven't even played the game...

I actually panicked it looked like Vegeta when I first made it

I'm keeping my first costume, though. I like it too much. I'm hoping to get to something more "retro" as it were, say older tights super villain costumes (but without the face masks) maybe mixed in with some tech. The tech doesn't actually contribute to the powers of the character, but I just like to have it on anyway

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

Back to front:

[ QUOTE ]

-Don't do the trenchcoat ala dark watcher.
-Long Pants with a blended pattern. Sterile.
-Monstrous bare hands. They won't be too noticeable but will enhance the vicious implications of your cold-blooded killer.
-Buttoned Shirt.
-Avoid busy details at all costs. You want him to stand out against the decorated villains.


[/ QUOTE ]

This sounds almost like a remake of the character. I like the original costume and I'm going to keep it as his original and default and pretty much wear it all the time.

Still, a few points: Monstrous bare hands won't really work, partly because I want to keep the gloves and partly because I don't want the guy to be physically monstrous. A buttoned-up shirt, similarly, isn't really appropriate as I simply don't see Landark bothering to button it up. The one "civilian" costume I have (I'll get you a screenshot as soon as the servers come back up) uses a vest over a bare chest. If I did make another clothes costume, it would have to be similarly dishevelled.

I'm actually looking for someone who's not so much sinister and constantly scheming, so much as someone who drifts through life without any real aim or purpose other than getting through one more day. Not exactly a homeless bum, but pretty much the next best thing. I tend to roleplay characters' responses to contacts in my head when I take missions, and this guy's responses are generally the same one. He'd stand and listen to the briefing with patience, then say "All right." turn around and go do it. "Go kick some puppies." "Sure." "Go kidnap small children." "Whatever." "Go save this woman." "Fine." That sort of thing.

I say "calculating" in the sense that there's a fiercely intelligent mind behind it all that makes sure whatever he commits to, he succeeds in. It's just that this mind doesn't actually CARE about anything beyond basic success and just about basic comfort.

I do agree with your take on details, though - I do want this guy to be simple and stylistic and stand out against all the other detailed, ornate villains who dress to intimidate.

[ QUOTE ]
Physique:
When I think emotionless cold-blooded killer, I think of the creepy guy from con air that sang you are my sunshine with that girl. As such, you probably want someone more lanky.

[/ QUOTE ]

Granted, as a Gravity Dominator, Landark wouldn't really need a strong frame, and indeed his physique is below average, though not by TOO much. However, I don't want to make him so much a creepy old man (I have a creepy little girl to fill that role ) as a somewhat old-style villain without a cause. That's kind of why I gave him the big pointed overexaggerated shoulders to begin with. I'm looking for someone who isn't clearly weird and creepy and scary so much as... Let's call it "the quiet one" that no-body really gets and who doesn't seem to have any discernible goal. In essence, evil not so much because he's malicious as because he's callous.

As well, because one of his overriding themes is "more power." Typically, heroes and villains will have a home, a hideout, a bat cave and so forth, a place where they store what they can't carry and go to when they're not doing anything. Landark isn't like that. The only things that truly matter to him are the things he can carry, and chief among those is power. Becoming stronger, possessing more energy, learning to use his power better and so on and so forth. The things that don't take up any space and don't add up any weight. As such, his being physically fit is more or less necessary, even though it doesn't necessarily make sense for physical fitness to help in controlling Gravity better. It's a visual theme thing. It's also part of making him look outwardly dangerous - a tall tough guy running around shirtless is going to be at least somewhat intimidating, or at the very least unsettling Not that I'd send him running around shirtless, but shirtless under an open vest isn't too much better.

I'll give you a pic of the "clothes" I have in-game. I'm pretty happy with them, though, so I'm going to need to come up with an exceptionally good idea to make another clothes costume.

*edit*
Second costume link. Still need a third one

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

This is uncanny. I honestly, seriously cannot come up with a second on-the-job costume for this guy. I guess part of it has to do with the fact that this wasn't entirely my design, so I don't fully "get" it, but I just got to 30 yesterday, and I'm in the process of getting my third costume slot now. Pretty soon I'll need another costume and I really, seriously have exactly ZERO idea what to do with it.

I guess I could go with a Dr. Animo look from Ben 10's Gator Fest episode, but Zombra will grumble if I give him big robotic gloves

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

Heartless?