Thank you so much for your input so far regarding the redesign of one of our main characters. Getting your impressions on each of the avatars helped up see we were on the right track.
So, based on the votes so far, these are the three top options. We’ve added more details for a more finalized look (more line-work, finished eyes and Altaire’s signature eyebrow scar).
We’ve also included shots of Altaire’s apartment (and office) to help paint a better picture of what kind of man he is...
As evident by his lack of décor, Altaire doesn’t have many possessions and lives quite spartanly. He’s always chosen practicality over comfort, so he makes due with what he has with no complaint.
Though Altaire finished high-school with decent grades, he opted to forgo college and focused on making an earning instead. He kept himself afloat by doing odd jobs here and there. The extra money he earned, he sent to his best friend Sam to help with her college tuition and living expenses after her family cut ties with her (unable to accept her gender identity).
Realizing he had a knack for investigating and encouraged by his friends Joyce and Sam, Altaire set up his own private eye agency.
Though at first glance Altaire may seem aloof and even a bit unapproachable, he is actually a kind and giving man. He believes in karma: what you give is what you get. As such, he makes it a point to do gestures for other people, especially kind people, but he does so silently and selflessly; never expecting anything in return.
Of course, this means he tends to take cases that involve a lot of effort and little reward. In fact, most of his clients tend to pay for his services by trading food, services or even handmade goods.
Despite Sam’s insistence that he ought to keep his pro-bono cases to a minimum if he doesn’t want to end up living on the streets, Altaire has never been able to turn away someone in need. That is not to say he can survive on thankful gestures alone…
Though he loathes to do so, when he’s struggling financially, he takes jobs from shady sources. He’s careful never to cross the line and do something outright illegal, but that’s only due to the crafty exploitation of loopholes in Ivanta law’s … and he knows it.
Since these jobs tend to involve physical altercations, his congenial insensitivity (his inability to feel pain) has become quite handy and has built him a reputation as “a man who gets things done”. However, the absence of pain doesn’t mean he can’t get hurt, so checking his body for wounds has become part of his routine.
Karma: what you give is what you get.
Ends justify the means so he’s not above stepping outside the law to ensure the people he cares about are protected.
He’s quite superstitious.
He blames himself for his brother’s suffering and therefore believes he doesn’t deserve happiness.
Candy heals all ailments.
Easily embarrassed: he tends to go quiet when he becomes embarrassed, which only makes it even more obvious.
Awkward: he’s so unused to someone doing something for him, that he struggles to properly convey his gratefulness.
Sweet tooth: he tends to find comfort in candy and, thus, always keeps a bag of sweets available.
Protective: Altaire has two women in his life he considers family, Joyce (who started out as a client but has since become something of a mother figure) and Sam (childhood friend whom he considers a sister). They are so important to him, than when they call, he drops everything to go to their aid… even when he knows that 5 times out of 6 those “life and death situations” involves killing a bug or fixing something around their house.
Loyal: If you’ve gained his trust, he’ll never betray you.
Level-headed: he knows when to remain objective and doesn’t lose his cool.
Patient: he knows when to press and when to pull back and wait.
Kind: if someone who he considers innocent needs help, he’ll quietly help expecting nothing in return.
Gentle: despite his appearance, he treats people gently, almost afraid he’ll hurt them unintentionally. This is partly because he doesn’t quite understand what physical pain is.
Flexibility: he doesn’t let his pride get in the way of getting the job done.
Street smarts: he knows how to get things done even if his budget is limited.
Emotionally detached: when it comes to certain situations (or certain people), he’s unmovable and will do what needs to be done, even if he has to step outside the law to do so.
Lone-wolf: he’s so used to being on his own, he doesn’t know how to play as part of a team.
Trust-issues: he’s slow to trust people and even slower to rely on them.
Harsh self-judgement: he holds himself accountable when things go south.
Creature of habit: he struggles to cope with change.
Clumsy: His congenial insensitivity means he tends to get physically hurt on a daily basis. His height also causes him to bang his head a lot (he forgets to duck when stepping through low threshold houses).
Low self-worth: he tends to take unnecessary risks, almost as if he’s looking for punishment in the form of bruises, sprains and cuts. Altaire believes other peoples’ life are worth more than his.
BTW, guys, if this post gets at least 60 re-blogs, then our artist (@romansigh) has offered to do a CG of Altaire (with a bit of fan-service) for your visual pleasure. So please help us reach the goal!
