The following may be integrated back into the wiki at some point. An old "talk" page discussed the evolution of Gray Champion suits.
John's Outfits
Old Englishman
Debut: Of Angels and Icicles
There is little noteworthy anything to say of this. This was John's civilian outfit, around the time he found himself on his way to a new life in Lynn, as the Order of the Oraphim was founded, and the monarchy in England had no use for him.
In real life, this look for John was first drafted in 2017, for purposes of his backstory.
Man of Lynn
Debut: Of Angels and Icicles
The Man of Lynn outfit was John's default appearance during his life in Colonial Massachusets. There is little else about it that is noteworthy.
In real life, this look for John was first drafted in 2013, for purposes of his backstory.
Professor Mike Edwards
Debut: Freedom's Apparition
John was able to hide himself briefly, by becoming a tour guide for Hea's museum. Knowing firsthand about history and literature of the 17th century, only the vocal and beard similarities to John Domeck betrayed eventually to anyone that "Professor Mike Edwards" wasn't quite who he said he was. John's secret identity as a modern history professor had a short-lived tenure.
In real life, this look for John was first drafted in 2011.
Confederate Hybrid
Debut: Freedom's Apparition
John of course begins his journey in 2012 in his old outfit from the 17th century. After Hea Pang and Kyle Medsor's family assist him, he gets a high-tech black body glove to wear that augments his new abilities. This gets covered up by gray pants, a gray overcoat, a black-and-blue cape, some Puritan-era belt and scabbord for his sword Fishkiller, dark blue gloves and boots, a gray Pilgrim hat, and his signature black face mask with the yellow square "Eyes of Judgment" on it, with a slit to let his beard through.
This look comes to be his default superhero outfit, the Confederate Hybrid. This is because it is a fusion of Puritan and Confederate soldier styles into a single costume, created by Hea kitbashing together the look. It's slightly modified, and more practical, than the de-facto true 17th-century fashion he once sported. However, the evolution of his suit is still possible, given Hea's guiding principle in having John adopt the Gray Champion mantle: the words of Hawthorne himself on the matter:
But none could make reply. The fathers of the people, those of four-score years and upwards, were disturbed, deeming it strange that they should forget one of such evident authority, whom they must have known in their early days, the associate of Winthrop and all the old Councillors, giving laws, and making prayers, and leading them against the savage.
The elderly men ought to have remembered him, too, with locks as gray in their youth, as their own were now. And the young! How could he have passed so utterly from their memories--that hoary sire, the relic of long departed times, whose awful benediction had surely been bestowed on their uncovered heads, in childhood? [1]
Long story short, the Gray Champion's newest mantle, during the fourth turning of his calling, will always appear with fashion sense that's at minimum a few decades behind the population he arrives in. The general benchmark is 80 years, in keeping with Strauss-Howe generational theory.
However, John was plucked from the 17th century. Merging his Puritan fashion sense with that of a Confederate soldier, when the parts were spare parts from a history museum, was the most reasonable compromise.
Variants of Confederate Hybrid not only helped John deal with Eric Andro, and with Eqquibus; but were there for him in dealing with Blackveil, Chillingworth, Brackett, Hibbins, Korsicht and minions, and all of Terry Beliah and Halal Affadidah's goons sent after John. He also utilized this after joining the Sodality Western Militia. The Confederate Hybrid suit is the one most associated with John.
Confederate Hybrid is the Gray Champion suit that has been associated with John Domeck since September of 2001 in real life.
Homeless Militant
Debut: Shaken Dust
This "hobo" outfit was kitbashed together by John during the events of Shaken Dust. His Confederate Hybrid outfit was in storage, along with Fishkiller, as Hea was getting ready to move to Arkansas.
Being the most modern of John's hero outfits, Homeless Militant bears only the mask and body glove in common with the Confederate Hybrid. The outer garments are modern gray jackets and jeans, allowing him to appear like a homeless vagrant bearing the same spirit as the Confederate-Puritan Hybrid, but sporting a different look. This outfit also forced John to practice his shooting range gun training, as opposed to trying to rely entirely on Fishkiller to solve his problems.
Once out of bullets, John had to improvise some new sword weapons. However, he also had to learn to rely less on his electric field manipulation, as the power grid became sparse in Boston after Brackett and Hibbins aided Affadidah. Easy teleportation became difficult without a consistent electrical grid to fall back on, forcing John to have to scout his way about Boston the old fashioned way. He still had his enhanced strength and healing, levitation, invisibility, intangibility, and other phantomimicry powers. But without lightning bolts and fast travel, John found being a Gray Chmpion to Bostonians harder than ever.
John passed the test, however, in freeing Hea and Tina. Once in Jonesboro, however, he had to revert to his Confederate Hybrid and Fishkiller arrangement to defeat Brackett.
In real life, this look for John was first drafted in 2017. It was known he'd need an outfit modification as early as December of 2015; but this design didn't arrive until two years later.
Scandium Phantom
Debut: Sodality: Vindication
The Scandium Phantom was an upgrade made by Malestrom Industries, which sought to allow John to have improved resistance to "Tug" tech. It wouldn't have been able to help him against the one that the Chrome Kite eventually put around Arkansas; but it ensured that lesser Tug devices wouldn't be able to trap him while he went to Italy to thwart Rappaccini's evil plans, along with the rest of Team Spaghetti Liberation.
Anticipating that her being a political hot item would complicate matters, Dolly saw writing on the wall for her continued tenure of being able to be the Earwig full time. She knew that the time would come that she'd be too preoccupied with other business to be active in duty as the Earwig, so she bestowed partial Earwig tech on the two she trusted most with it: Candi and John.
Therefore, Candi was permitted an upgrade from Ciem to the Vanadium Centipede, although Candi only got to use the Vanadium Centipede armors a handful of times. John was given the Scandium Phantom outfit, though it was eventually destroyed in the Second Great Battle for Dephinapolis. This resulted in John reverting to the Confederate Hybrid once more.
In real life, this look for John was first drafted in 2015.
Roy's outfits
Roy Bernald arrived some time shortly after Arkansas was captured by the Chrome Kite. It wasn't long before John took Roy under his wing, seeing it as a sign from God that Roy was destined to eventually be John's replacement as official bearer of the Gray Champion mantle.
Gray Doughboy
Having come from the fields of WWI, Roy was destined to be a very different sort of Gray Champion. He tried to adapt his combat experience at first, as the Gray Doughboy. However, that name was no longer taken seriously in the 21st century, as the term "doughboy" had become too closely associated with the Pillsbury Doughboy. Roy's love of horses - particularly his steed Fellertooth (named after John and Orenda's long-deceased pet wolf Fellerfang) - resulted in Roy abandoning the Doughboy outfit.
Gray Rancher
The Sodality Western Militia had to scout the western territories reconquered from Netheel, in order to minimize Hebbleskin revivalist and Chrome Kite agent activity. They had a variety of safehouses set up for them in a network, and found the safest way to travel was often on horseback - reverting to 19th-century methods of doing almost everything.
Roy modified his attire accordingly, and his Gray Champion variant reflected more of a "wild west cowboy" influence as a result. The "Gray Rancher" identity was born.
References
- Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Gray Champion." ''Twice-Told Tales''. 1837.
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