*SPOILERS* Who is this? *SPOILERS*

Originally Posted by SlickRiptide

You know, color scheme aside, I'm curious about what the construction of this uniform says about it.




Why, for instance, is it two pieces connected by belts, semi-permanently? In the back, the straps are sewn onto each belt and reinforced. In the front,they're riveted below and laced through some kind of buckle on top. The front straps can be adjusted or disconnected entirely if desired, but they can't be removed altogether. For some reason, the pants and the jacket are designed to be utilized together despite forces that might theoretically be pulling them apart.

It's a lot of trouble to go through for something that's simply a fashion statement about short jackets.

The various belts and buckles are not purely decorative. While the whalebone under her breasts seems a little gratuitous, the rest of it is all functional, even if the way it follows her body contours is a little unrealistic. (They could be sewn onto the uniform rather than lying loose on it.)

The belts on her arms, shoulders, and chest support that backpack doohickey and the "exhaust pipes" that extend from it. It's a little interesting trying to imagine the joints where those pipes interface to the backpack, given that she needs to be able to move her arms freely and stretch or hunch her back or basically rotate her body beyond a two-dimensional plane. Those pipes must be very flexible for a design like that to have a prayer of working at all, let alone being comfortable enough to wear for an extended period of time.

It's hard to imagine it as a jetpack of the conventional sort, because the presumed heat of the jet would cook her bare backside. I suppose it could be a thrust device of some sort where the thrust is supplied via the "exhaust tubes". She'd have an interesting time controlling it by positioning her arms, and heaven help her if it accidentally ignited...

Well, I suppose we'll find out in due time. Whatever it is, it seems that it's operation would be the most likely explanation for both the long sleeves on the jacket and the requirement that the pants and the jacket be tethered together to avoid their embarrassing separation.

The bare midriff may be more than a fashion statement. It may be that it makes dressing and undressing a lot easier, when you can put on the pants first, with the jacket lying on the floor or a chair, and then don the jacket and strap in, so to speak with the front straps.

The facial junk would even make some sense if it was a flight device and those weird facial attachments turned out to be some kind of retractable flight goggles.

An interesting note - the HUD combat aura would fit perfectly into the space inside of her "mask".

Originally Posted by SlickRiptide

You know, color scheme aside, I'm curious about what the construction of this uniform says about it.

Originally Posted by BrandX

It's an antigravity tech backpack, that allows flgiht without the use of rocket fuel!

Or it's a hammerspace backpack!

Originally Posted by Golden Girl

Where did you see her flying? She disapepared the moment the fight started

Originally Posted by Codewalker

I had to demorecord and edit it, since Group Fly didn't work on her when I tried it. Would have been funny to see the Phalanx all hovering around in their little pow-wow though.

Most flight packs automatically kick in when the user is flying. See also: Goldbrickers / Sky Raiders Halloween costume.

Now, it's possible that she has a special flight power with a unique effect for it, but it's probably just decorative.

Originally Posted by BrandX

Or it's armor in case someone wants to shoot her in the back!

Originally Posted by Chyron HR

"Ha ha, I have a cool backpack and you don't."

Originally Posted by Codewalker

I had to demorecord and edit it, since Group Fly didn't work on her when I tried it. Would have been funny to see the Phalanx all hovering around in their little pow-wow though.

Most flight packs automatically kick in when the user is flying. See also: Goldbrickers / Sky Raiders Halloween costume.

Now, it's possible that she has a special flight power with a unique effect for it, but it's probably just decorative.

Originally Posted by Zombie Man

What is the name of her backpack? In fact, what's the name of her outfit?

Originally Posted by Codewalker

It's the "Penelope" backpack.

The whole costume is custom for her, not a single piece shared with players. The rest of the Phalanx is jealous.

Originally Posted by Codewalker

It's the "Penelope" backpack.

The whole costume is custom for her, not a single piece shared with players. The rest of the Phalanx is jealous.

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

Remember the multi-month "Funeral for a Friend" storyline that followed the Death of Superman? For me, that was the part of the story that had the most impact. I was thinking of that and the "Wake" storyline in Sandman when I drew this.

As the permanance of Statesman's death sinks in, devs and players alike will eulogize and commemorate in their own way. This is how I chose to do it.

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

regarding the tech pack and what it does: think Cyclops' visor or Banshee's rig in X-men: First Class. Penny's new rig both focuses and intensifies her already formidable psychic powers, and visually, it gives us something different and new, beyond the normal Jean Grey/Sister Psyche template.

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

Penny's story will begin to unfold in the near future, so I'm not going to touch that with a 30' pole, but in the meantime, here're a couple of design notes about the costume, which I think will help answer some of your questions:

--the costume color palette (red, white, and blue), and it's distribution across her figure were very carefully chosen to fit the character as we know her and to acknowledge where the lore's taking us in the future. As some of you correctly guessed, the palette does tie back to her original, civilian colors.

--simultaneously, it's meant to emphasize the 'good guy' colors (red and white) already established throughout Paragon (e.g. the Freedom Phalanx logo and the uniforms of organized hero groups like Longbow and Hero Corps.)

--and of course, red/white/blue is the classic American color palette. Not an accident.

--black is a neutral color that always looks cool, but it's de-emphasized here because it doesn't have any special meaning in the lore (unlike red and white) and because black tends to look both grim and mature, neither of which would be a good fit on Penny. She's a young gun, so light, bright, and more traditionally saturated super-hero colors are the best fit for her character.

--regarding the tech pack and what it does: think Cyclops' visor or Banshee's rig in X-men: First Class. Penny's new rig both focuses and intensifies her already formidable psychic powers, and visually, it gives us something different and new, beyond the normal Jean Grey/Sister Psyche template.

I could get way, WAY more specific and tell you why every rivet and strap is where it is, but I think I'd rather do that later, when you can see the actual concept art.

It's fun to watch you guys get this deep into costume design.

Originally Posted by Oathbound

Can we get the reason for the exposed belly?

That's really the only headscratcher for me. It just feels really incongruous with the rest of the costume.

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

--regarding the tech pack and what it does: think Cyclops' visor or Banshee's rig in X-men: First Class. Penny's new rig both focuses and intensifies her already formidable psychic powers, and visually, it gives us something different and new, beyond the normal Jean Grey/Sister Psyche template.

Originally Posted by Oathbound

Can we get the reason for the exposed belly?

Originally Posted by SlickRiptide

You know, color scheme aside, I'm curious about what the construction of this uniform says about it.




It's hard to imagine it as a jetpack of the conventional sort, because the presumed heat of the jet would cook her bare backside. I suppose it could be a thrust device of some sort where the thrust is supplied via the "exhaust tubes". She'd have an interesting time controlling it by positioning her arms, and heaven help her if it accidentally ignited...

The facial junk would even make some sense if it was a flight device and those weird facial attachments turned out to be some kind of retractable flight goggles..

Originally Posted by Noble Savage

Sure. This is a young woman with a flair for fashion, so while the rest of her uniform communicates "superhero" and "modern tech," I wanted her outfit to include a couple of touches that reflect her youth. A bare midriff and the punky haircut hit exactly that note for me, and I can imagine a girl like Penny making those kinds of choices for herself. Take away either of those notes, and the design becomes pretty stodgy and standard issue--not young or girly enough for this character.

Bottom line, this is a battle-ready, functional design that 'means business,' but it also has character and tells us a little about the young woman who wears it.

Originally Posted by Johnny_Butane

...
If I was you, on the next unique costume I design, I'd put a random and unexplained symbol/marking on it, just to watch people go nuts speculating on the significance.