Use of Character Costumes in Roleplay

[Cyrickain13]

Curious question? Since you all get 10 costumes to equip your characters with do any of you RPer's use them to help tell characters story?

 

Like:

Costume 1: When they first got their powers - Like a teenager type

Costume 2: Their first costume they made.

Costume 3: Their first "real hero/villain" costume

Costume 4: Super Group Costume

Costume 5: "Full Power" Costume

Costume 6: "Ultimate Power" Costume

Costume 7: "Alternate Reality" Costume

Costume 8: "Aged" Costume

Costume 9: "Awards and Lecture" Costume

Costume 10: "Everyday Joe" Costume.

 

These are but examples of the costumes. I don't have a character that has all these 10 costumes like this yet. Just wanted some opinions and maybe see some cool Heroes/Villains.

 

THanks, 

[Coyotedancer]

Mine tend to have their day-to-day "working" outfits (Which is basically spikey Oranbegan armor for the majority of them-), a Just-Some-Average-Civilian street-clothes outfit or two, and maybe a more formal (or informal, depending-) Social Activities look for clubbing and such. Some also have Specialty outfits. Kai has one that's her motorcycle leathers and helmet. Several of the Ordis Chronos time travelers have Nova Primeva Temple Guard uniforms. Bahir has his "Beach Bum" would-be surfer-dude outfit. 

 

Semnai is a little different... She has the usual Oranbegan, Civilian and Formal outfits, plus a very vintage-Emma-Peel style black leather cat-suit. But she has two different copies of each. One with Xhelethe, her red Thorn Blade, and one with a different, mundane sword. Why that one little switch? Because Xhel is also a player character. She's a distinct personality all on her own, has very definite *opinions* and there are just some enemies that she wants no part of being used on. Hydras, for instance. ("They are GROSS!" she says. "I do not want their goop on my blade!"-) She isn't shy about making her objections known, In those cases, Semnai sighs and switches weapons. It's easier than arguing with a cranky demon sword.

[Itsyagirl]

Usually the very first thing I do on a character is run over to Ms Liberty/the Arbiter and set up costume 2 (an outfit for their profession e.g. lab gear for a scientist) and costume 3 (civilian clothes for, say, hanging out in Pocket D). Depending on the concept I might make more while they're free.

[Frozen Burn]

While I am not a roleplayer (and yes, I know this is the Roleplaying section of the forums 🙂 ), for characters that i do come up with a rich concept and background, I will use most, if not all, my costume slots. 

 

I have only one character that has a "progression" like you listed above - my villain corrupter who suffered through a science experiment and each costume is a progression of the armor that was bonded to him.

 

Most others, I use the different costumes for different things like most people would do in their daily life... different daily wear, or something more formal for greeting/meeting big mucky-mucks, or something I don't mind traipsing through a dirty nasty sewer in, or something for attending one of the Universities, or an armored look for fighting more dangerous foes, and the like.  An example of one of my toons, Victorious Star, that I did this with, I posted here: 

 

I also have mutant cat toon that can morph into other large feline animals and all 10 slots are used to transform into a tiger, lion, cougar, panther, lynx, and etc.

 

I have another that is a collection of Victorian Era ghosts bonded together to get revenge on Nemesis and each costume slot is a different ghost (men, women, and children) -- The Spectral Legion.  I posted them all here:  

 

[Nerva]

Most of my costumes, rather than tell a story, are variations on a character.

 

As he initially comes from Praetoria, Tiltowait has Loyalist-themed and Resistance-themed heroic costumes, as well as a villainous-themed costume that would be appropriate for a "Mad Tiltowait" - Tiltowait if he'd never developed a conscience or been properly socialized and was obsessed with destruction for destruction's sake.

 

In Mr. Banefire's case, he's got a subdued business suit for general purposes, a more flamboyant and ostentatious outfit when he needs to make a statement, and a completely inhuman demonic costume that reflects his original form before leaving the Myriad Hells and coming to Primal Earth.  There's also more... risque... appearances, both male and female presenting, for when other forms of persuasion are in order.  Banefire is nothing if not a consummate tempter.  While sex and gender are often malleable concepts for a demon like him, he finds resorting to carnal temptations crude and unbecoming, and so that strategy isn't one he'll use often.

[jkwak]

heavy depends on the character, for exampel in one case its 3 actual costumes using 6 slots because one with the hood up and one with the hood down, and then a swimsuit again using 2 slots one with bathing cap and one without

the last 2 slots are then taken at the moment for a winter variant of an existing costume because its snowing in Atlas....

in other cases i might have a bunch of everyday outfits, or different hero/villain costumes

[Frozen Burn]

7 minutes ago, jkwak said:

heavy depends on the character, for exampel in one case its 3 actual costumes using 6 slots because one with the hood up and one with the hood down, and then a swimsuit again using 2 slots one with bathing cap and one without

the last 2 slots are then taken at the moment for a winter variant of an existing costume because its snowing in Atlas....

in other cases i might have a bunch of everyday outfits, or different hero/villain costumes

 

Great idea for Hood up/down or hat off/on!  Thanks for the tip!

[Six-Six]

I rarely take the time to unlock all slots, and I only RP in my head (for now). So the 6 slots are used for something akin to Frozen Burn's progression: The first is the "normal" usually hoodie + jeans which is what he/she wears when landing in Mercy. Then I have certain milestone levels (depending on the toon's backstory/origin) to change into the next slot... one tech origin starts of normal, then gradually looses limbs and gains augmentations, another mutation origin starts of in T-shirt and jeans and gradually has skin changes and stuff growing/glowing out of his body, and one natural but into tech starts off with mismatched eyesores for gear and ends with a dashing suit worthy of Edna Mode.

[White Cobra]

I am completely addicted to playing “fancy dress” with my characters in the costume creator and at Icon. I think I currently have around 50 in-game versions of Lady Cobra and 4 of Rei, so they have a lot of different looks available, and with added color variations available from SG-mode too.

For Lady Cobra, there are many variations of her heroic costume. She has one set of costumes based around a blue, red, white, golden color scheme like the Thai flag. Another set is pure white/golden to accommodate that some call her the White Cobra instead. Both sets exist in a variety of different versions, such as with/without mask, different types of boots/shoes/heel, different skirts, different tights/bare legs etc. etc. Sometimes she also dresses all in black/dark clothing for missions, so she has a number of different outfits for that as well.

Then a lot of RP interactions actually take place in civilian/secret identity settings, so many costume slots are filled with various “normal” outfits, and again the variation options are practically endless even if outfit of the day is just centered around a basic idea like a black skirt.

Many stories and missions may also involve some sort of disguise or perhaps going to an actual fancy dress party or masquerade, so I try to keep a few costume slots open for that as well.

Typing this I realize that I must make some more Lady Cobras…!

Rei may or may not have a costumed heroic alter ego but will vigorously deny any suggestions or allegations to that effect.

All my other characters tend to have a mix of maybe one or two costumed hero or villain outfits and the rest some variation of street clothes.

[Hardboiled Hero]

I don't actually RP much in game, because that requires other people.. but my "heroic" Arachnos soldier (Wargame) definitely uses different costumes to help tell his story.  He still has the old Arachnos costume, Then he's got his costume that's basically just jeans, a t-shirt, and a trench coat.. and finally he has a "hero" costume, in which he wears a helmet and some bright colored clothing with heroic designs under a black trenchcoat.  This kinda represents his growth from Arachnos soldier to somebody who's just hanging out with heroes and into someone who's starting to do some heroing on their own.

[chase]

Ok, so Tabby's rather unique, since her costume is a bit... nonexistant, but that doesn't mean there aren't different looks.

I have 4 "main" costumes for Tabby

• In the image below "A" is the starndard Tabby.  The purple "shoulder" pad is a jogger's phone caddy.  It also carries her housekeys, her ID, loose change, etc, since one (of many) problems of going with such a simple look is no pockets.   
• In "B", she includes her beat up nylon backpack, because sometimes you gotta carry more than just your basics, like carrying leftover food back from a supergroup recruiting event or your disguise
• In "C"  This is Tabby Incognito.  I have a variant with the tail hidden (tucked down a pant-leg) but to be honest- that thing has a mind of its own and will always find its way out.   The oversized hoodie and jeans are incredibly uncomfortable with her condition, leading her to walk like someone with 2nd-degree all-body sunburn wearing sandpaper underwear, but sometimes Tabby just doesn't want to be noticed.   This costume... doesn't do that, but so far, people are too polite to tell her that.
• "D" is why you always carry your backpack.   Fireballs and fur don't mix, and when they sometimes do, a poof of particles and the smell of singed fur has Tabby checking if certain details are showing through.   If there's a chance they are, she'll grab a teammates cape, maybe a hellions vest, maybe a Lost jacket and wrap it into some sort of cover.

The remaining costumes tend to be variants of these.   They tend to shuffle through what I anticipate needing in a given session.   "C" unhooded and unmasked, for example, or a "singed Tabby" variant for a specific group (Tabby Crey and Carnie Tabby* variants clutter my "saved" costumes). 

 

*Yes, I know, a carnie-tabby really isn't needed, since the carnies live to party and have certainly heard the old Pocket D adage, "It isn't a party until there's naked catgirls on the dancefloor" and so there's really nothing she needs to change to fit in to one of their raves.... kinda disconcerting the way they cheer when she shows up ready to bust 'em,  but...

Edited December 20, 2021 by chase

[Crasical]

I don't strictly adhere to it (Some of my characters are one-costume wonders) but I try to reserve slots for certain zones or organizations; like a Vanguard variant for RWZ stuff and a set of Cimeroran Armor for ITFs. Then some get Midnighter librarian-wear or labcoats for University, or police uniforms for the PPD, or whatever else I feel like showingn their alignment to a particular organization. I think one even has a Mender outfit with brass and leather.

[PeacekeeperKara]

On 1/7/2022 at 12:52 PM, Crasical said:

I don't strictly adhere to it (Some of my characters are one-costume wonders) but I try to reserve slots for certain zones or organizations; like a Vanguard variant for RWZ stuff and a set of Cimeroran Armor for ITFs. Then some get Midnighter librarian-wear or labcoats for University, or police uniforms for the PPD, or whatever else I feel like showingn their alignment to a particular organization. I think one even has a Mender outfit with brass and leather.

This is really my favorite way to go as well. I usually have a core idea of a character and then make variations based on the content I'm playing. 

[Cyrickain13]

So, I am trying to use costumes to tell a story as well. Here is Heat-Spike my farmer and his typical attire. Farms in the battle suit. Attends Guild Meetings and Events in the BOTC uniform and conducts his daily life as a Billionaire Philanthropists