#something something black darker details in jake's armor because he's lived moreso in the shadows

[mrcspectr]

OH YEAH I CAME IN HERE TO SAY SOMETHING RIGHT. so. i just answered an ask about jake on my blog and had an Idea TM. i'm p sure we've talked about how jake at this point largely doesn't do things for himself unless he can reason it out as something for the system as a whole (i.e. cab business, making money for them). And i had a revelation that he probably did that with his clothes, his hat, his facial hair preferences. Told himself it was to make himself look different enough that ppl wouldn't so immediately recognize him as being the "same person" as Marc and Steven. But when he puts on the hat, and his suit, his gloves, when he really looks like him. Like Jake. It's more affirming and comfortable than anything in the world. Thinking about the first time he picked out his own outfit from Marc and Steven's pieces, trying to turn it into something different, something him. The first time he stole bought his own clothes for himself, getting a suit fitted at a tailor, to his liking . brb c r y i n g

Screaming and flailing my hands at you.

Because yeah. The way he dresses is so distinctly different from Marc and Steven. His dress shirt stays cleanly tucked, buttoned up to the neck. His tie's been tightly knotted by a practiced hand. His pants have been tailored, the jacket perfectly fitted to his exact frame. There's nothing sloppy about the way he looks, it's professional without being overly flashy. It's very personal, very Jake. It's such a contrast to Marc's simplistic, monochrome wardrobe, Steven's goofy patterned shirts.

And then there's facets of it that serve a more specific purpose. The gloves, which symbolically create more of a distance but are also practical: he wouldn't leave fingerprints, not in his car, his own weapons, not even anywhere in that hospital. His collar, pulled up high against his neck, and his hat, pulled low over his face. When he walks, he hangs his head a bit, and the two cast a shadow over his features. It's subtle, but intentional.

He protects himself from being seen, but he's also protecting Marc and Steven from being associated with what he does. Jake's a man that lives in their shadows.

It's a theme that I often relate to whether or not he'll end up getting his own armor. Because if he does, and it ends up being the black and white suit like I hope, it's a cool opportunity to incorporate the theme of shadows and darker undertones into that costume.