Character Concept and Costuming

p.richard

p.richard

Scholar
Hey folks.

I got an idea I want to play out and any input would be awesome. I am coming up with a new toon for Alliance that I will be traveling around the nation with. The concept is based on the Māori Warriors, mainly from an episode of Deadliest Warrior I saw, as well as some tribal concepts from African tribes of our past (Zulu and Azande people). The character would be an Ocean Nomad that travels the worlds oceans for great sport and hunt. I am thinking a Shark-Kin with rogue/warrior skills. I am calling him "Mako Riptide", Mako being his clan or family name and Riptide being his personal name.

Now comes the fun part. I need to come up with a costume for this toon. I am thinking of starting off with a body suit and painting it the colors of a mako shark... mainly a darkish gray back and arms with a white belly. I might bend and go with a seablue back and arms with a white belly. Not sure yet. I will most likely need to test the colors first.

Second, I am thinking of wearing a mask with a movable jaw, but for some reason I can't find ANY good masks. I might have a special effects guy make me a reusable one, but he is a bit pricey. Any thoughts?

As for foot ware, I am thinking of long Tabi (or "Ninja boots" lol) that I can paint to match the body suit. As for the "clothing" well... fabric "wraps" around the legs that are movable and combat ready but won't slip off... and perhaps a bunch of pookah shells. Maybe some other tribal clothing. I would like to wear armor but it needs to fit the flow of the costume.

As for weapons, I am thinking Asian and might go with dual Kama, dual kukri or dual ninja-to.

Thoughts? Anyone got ANY idea where I could find some of this stuff? Lol

Paul Iverson
 
There are a lot of mascot companies that also are very helpful in LARP-specific mask and costume requests. In particular, b3mascots.com and magpiebones.com are both very LARP friendly costume makers who can probably work within a budget.

The concept you're working with is pretty neat, though. I'd just make sure to check with your local chapter's race packet for additional notes and flavor about kin in your area, even if you plan on travelling.
 
Bleh on Mascot masks. They are just so silly looking lol. But thank you for that advice. What I am thinking after 30 minutes of costume sketches would be something along the lines of:

http://www.ravendesigngroup.com/images/sharksml1.jpg

However, the mask I just linked is not a move-able piece and doesn't allow for that "real" look I am hoping for. After discussing this with my special fx make up friend he came up with the concept of black out contact lenses (http://www.vampfangs.com/v/vspfiles/pho ... ERA-2T.jpg) the "orc prosthetics" (http://www.lrpstore.com/uploads/images_ ... ge/812.jpg) some gills (no picture I can find) teeth (http://www.makebelievecostume.com/image ... 226GRE.jpg) and a fin for the head (again, no picture as of yet)

With a good makep scheme it might look decent. I won't larp in it until it is perfect though lol. Such is the life of a Haunted House director.

Paul I.
 
I have seen some fairly incredible foam and latex masks running around, if you want yours super-customized. it would probably take quite a while to make it work, though.

As for armour, check out the interesting gear these guys are wearing. An interpretation of the long beaded pieces (both the skirt and the shirt) could be worked into armour conceivably. Also, these pants are pretty awesome, and could be worn beneath the armour. It seems the Azande and the Zulu are big on spear and shield, which could work to your advantage for weapony ideas, although I'd be sure to do a shield with some cool designs on them. That could be some fun costuming in and of itself.

I really like the Zulu leg gear, which could be a cool way to decorate the Tabi to make them fit in better with the costume. The Zulu also seem to go along with an idea of a leather-strap skirt, and I like this neck protection thing. The first won't net you a ton of armour points, but the second, if done right, could work out nicely. Likewise, if you backed the leg decorations in hardened leather, then put lambskin or reeds or something on top, you'd get armour and style.

I think there is a TON you can do with this outfit! You need to come show it off in Seattle or Oregon so we can all see it!! :D I am superstoked for this!
 
Oh, and i love this guy's shield to bits!
 
Funny you mention Seattle and Oregon. I started to LARP back in 1999 with Holly O. her brother Matt and JP. Though JP didn't show up until later when he moved from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. HA! I miss the Northwest super seriously bad.

As for the costume, it is looking more and more like the mask is going to have to be prosthetic pieces rather than a mask, sadly. I mean it is more work which sucks, but will look better if I can get some helpers... Like Tom Bird who just moved out to Oregon lol. I am thinking more and more of becoming a "lizard-kin" over a "shark-kin" but from what I hear, snake-kin and lizard-kin are a dime a dozen. Bleh.

So Shark-kin will stay for now. I found a couple of places for the unitard which I will paint with the "shark pattern". Now I am debating on have dredlocks or not. *ponders* Not so sure if it fits the concept yet.

Paul
 
You could skip the Kin idea and make this char into a Barbarian. It sounds like the concept would float over really well and you could still keep a huge amount of the costume as is with only slight variation: instead of being a "Shark-head" he would be wearing a shark-head; you would, of course, have to make it obvious you're not a Kin, but 'twouldn't be that hard. I don't know if the Race is intrinsic to the character concept, but making him a Barbarian might give you a greater range of costume possibilities.
 
Barbarian... interesting... I never thought about that. When I think of Barbarians I think Norse tribesman in furs. Not Islanders or even African Tribesman. But all of them would be considered Barbarians wouldn't they? My only issue with the "race change" would be the silly superstitions and their hatred towards Celestial magic. Then again, a "Wild Elf" might fit this concept as well... Though I don't think there is such a thing as "Wild Elves" anymore, right? It has been so long since I have played Alliance...

The more I am looking at prosthetics and makeup costs, the more I am not liking this concept... at least as a shark. Lizard/Snake is looking more fun... though another concept is coming to mind... ugh... I will post about that concept later.

Paul Iverson
 
Oh yeah, Barbarians cover any tribal or anmistic culture from the Norse to the aboriginal Australians. You can cram almost every Pre-Agrarian society into the "Barbarian" niche. There are even a few Native Americanesque (very respectful) Barbarians in the Midwest - though they usually go by the moniker, "Tribesman". As for their fear/distrust of Celestial Magic, that can be played many different ways. My personal favorite is that Barbarians think of Star Magic as so powerful as to be taboo for mere mortals - only the most Ancient of Dryads or powerful Totemic Earth Elementals should use it. They see only destruction and woe when "foolish" people indulge in this ancient tool of the Sky; but, when used by their most revered Tribal Shaman it is a conduit to Great Power. Like how most people view Nuclear energy: it's scary and shouldn't be in the hands of idiot-nations, but ¡woah, Nelly!, think of the potential.

As for "Wild Elf", barring Chapter Race Packets, it's just a variation on a 'normal' Elf. I'm pretty sure there is a healthy contingent of Wild Elves in certain chapters, but their stats don't differ from the more generic Elf. That being said, it's still a pretty nifty idea and would still give you the costume flexbility you're looking for.
 
The challenge for me is full immersion. There is nothing more awesome than a great roleplay experience. How you do this is by getting everyone around you to believe. After working at a haunted house for the past 5 years, I have this need to make things perfect for costuming, especially if I am inside of it. Also, looking my best allows me to "act" my best. If I go in with "piss-poor" costuming, I feel... embarrassed. I can thank JP in Oregon for that one. He put into my head all those years ago "What you see is what you get". Meaning if I am going in as an Elf I better have SOMETHING on my ears. If I am a Death Knight with full plate mail and a burning sword then I had better put it all on or find someway to get the look done right.

So back to the Shark-Kin idea... Talking to my special fx friend, he is saying that prosthetics break down and will need to be replaced a lot, especially if I am going to be doing the make up I want over and over again. Also, as a bigger guy, I sweat a lot, which means the latex and foam will break down faster. I don't want to scrap the idea because of something as silly as cost. Which makes me wonder if perhaps I should find an awesome shark makeup job. *ponders*

Though I have to say that the whole Barbarian Idea is pretty much amazing and might make for a good second choice if the shark make up falls through
 
Have you thought of using a leather mask for the mako shark? For my husky I have a leather mask that forms the snout and surrounds the eyes, leaving the rest of the face to be filled in with makeup.
 
Interesting theory for the mask. I should draw up some concepts and see if I can get i can get it to work. Again, my problem with masks is their lack of "realism" when I know I can produce something so much better. *ponders* Though an in game mask over my makeup might hide some of the flaws I am seeing with the makeup and prosthetics...
 
the answer to your problems:

105319224-149x149-0-0_Loftus+Shark+Nose+Mask+Animal+Kingdom+Snout+Hallow.jpg
 
I understand where you are coming from though as far as perfecting the costume, I'm the same way. Always have been with my halloween costumes before I just recently started with LARP. I usually take it upon myself to make most parts of a costume just so they come out exactly the way I wanted them to.

A shark-kin is a difficult task to undertake and my hat is off to you for taking on this challenge. I would love to see pictures of what you come up with.
 
p.richard said:
Funny you mention Seattle and Oregon. I started to LARP back in 1999 with Holly O. her brother Matt and JP. Though JP didn't show up until later when he moved from the Dallas/Fort Worth area. HA! I miss the Northwest super seriously bad.

As for the costume, it is looking more and more like the mask is going to have to be prosthetic pieces rather than a mask, sadly. I mean it is more work which sucks, but will look better if I can get some helpers... Like Tom Bird who just moved out to Oregon lol. I am thinking more and more of becoming a "lizard-kin" over a "shark-kin" but from what I hear, snake-kin and lizard-kin are a dime a dozen. Bleh.

So Shark-kin will stay for now. I found a couple of places for the unitard which I will paint with the "shark pattern". Now I am debating on have dredlocks or not. *ponders* Not so sure if it fits the concept yet.

Paul
Click to expand...

Oh yeah. :D I went to school with Matt for a time, which is how i got into alliance in the first place (through somewhat convoluted means).

Sorry I can't help much with the mask. I do like the leather idea, though. I know some talented leather workers around here, if you want a reference. :)
 
Oh! No! For college. :D We went to Western. Phy-zaks represent, yo! ^_^
 
So turning down the shark costume and going for a barbarian is really the way to go with this one. The makeup is just far to complicated for my budget. Makes me a little sad honestly. If only I had gone to college for Special FX makeup... sigh...
 
Just to provide some advice on fighting style... spear/shield may work thematically, but in practice it doesn't work unless you are part of a pretty dedicated crew. If you will be traveling solo you may want to think about fighting with a longsword/Mace/Axe and shield as opposed to spear. All three of those styles are thematically appropriate to a barbarian (including a Pacific islander themed barbarian), and they are solid fighting styles for a solo character.

Crusading against Spear/Shield since 2005,
Stephen
 
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