Firesiders - Rage of the Holder

"The Sword of Spirit." "The Holder." "The Armor". This is what I'm referring to. c:

Action is a big part of the story. Boiling it down to an amusing level, the Firesiders are nothing more than a Super Sentai team. They got their individual color schemes, weapons, summonable costumes, motifs, attitudes and everything. They got combat super powers and beat monsters up with them. I feel like this integral part of the project doesn't show up very much in my gallery, sad to say. I am clearly more comfortable illustrating regular people in stationary poses, but I really want you guys to see more of the "Panoply", aka the Armor. It's an aspect of Firesiders that I'm always so freaking excited about, but avoid drawing much of it due to the sheer difficulty factor. It's akin to designing a whole new batch of six characters, each one with complicated segmentations, powers, architecture styles and... I'm just like R.I.P.

This may be just half a body so far, but it's progress!

Nicknamed after Overmorrow University's revivalist architecture, the Aztec District has a physical influence on Noah's armor. I have a long way to go on finding a plate-folding pattern that is flexible enough, but this looks like it's at least attempting to approach function. Colors have been proving to be a problem since I have this ingrained desire to clownfish color everything I touch, so I'm on the lookout for a happy medium that is natural, yet bold.

Cracks? The Armor does tend to look like that after a bit of punishment, but even its default state is covered in small fractures, an outward sign that the Panoply imprint itself has been shaken at a foundational level and is desperate need of restoration. Until the Firesiders solve that mystery, their armor, although still quite hearty, may be breached and forced to retract if the wearer takes too much damage.

Other than the fact that he's a contrarian, why an ax over the superior design of the 'sword'? Because to Noah, being "the deadliest" isn't what's most important factor in taking control of a situation. An ax is a utility weapon. It's like an extra arm, great for hooking, tripping, stripping weapons from hands, and grappling arms and necks. You are free to strike from odd angles with a good amount of power thanks to the weight clustered at the end. You can get just as much use out of it against obstacles as one would against enemies. Tear down walls, wedge doors closed, pry containers open, swing across fissures, etc. Throwing them is fun too!

Thank you for observing. <3