21 - Johnny Ramensky - ThiefThese Days, It Seems Like The Ideal Of The Gentleman Thief Is A Dying Breed.

21 - Johnny Ramensky - Thief These days, it seems like the ideal of the Gentleman Thief is a dying breed. And so we present Johnny Ramensky, Thief-y counterpart to Our Lady of the Rogue Shotgun miss Belle Starr. Johnny here was a career criminal back in Scotland during the early 20th century, and quickly garnered the nickname “Gentle Johnny,” as he never used violence, targetted only businesses, and never resisted arrest. Mr. Ramensky was pretty dang skilled, combining his talent for gymnastics with a knowledge of safecracking that made him a master catburgler of the old school. Johnny further proved his mettle during World War II, when he became -- and this is 100% true -- a parachuting safe-cracking commando. He’d drop below enemy lines, break through Axis defenses, steal their secrets and high-tail it back home. His most amazing caper involved breaking open no fewer than 14 safes in one day, a feat that earned him some impressive commendation. As I mentioned in the Rogue entry, the Thief is the more item-obsessed of the two outlaw-style classes. Thieves specialize in jumping behind the foe’s guard and stealing them blind, sometimes causing damage or status effects at the same time. The line between Thief and Rogue is often a bit thin, just like the line between Robin Hood and common cutpurse, but given Johnny Ramensky’s disavowal of violence and warm regard towards the people who were trying to catch him, I felt Thief was a good fit.

Now that it's November, we can start the 30 Characters challenge properly. Our first contestant is Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, pretty much the grand high llama of the inflexible position. He started out as a soldier and worked his way up to commander, gaining the nickname, “Old Hickory.” In the War of 1812, he led a group of militiamen - really, a group of pirates and slaves and anybody else that could be grabbed off the streets - to victory in the Battle of New Orleans. Really what I am trying to say is that Andy Jackson was kind of a badass, and I’d have nothing but respect for the man if he only hadn’t treated native americans like crap. Aaaand that’s where we get to Old Hickory’s character class. There are some Paladins whose only interest is in serving the greater good. And there are some Paladins who only fight in service of their god. Andrew Jackson would not have been one of those Paladins. Andrew Jackson would have been the kind of Paladin who runs screaming into a group of Goblins, foaming at the mouth. Possibly the phrase, “Inhuman monsters” would be used. Because for all that I love Andy, he really did love holding a grudge.

So after the first couple designs I posted, it occurred to me that I really wasn't flexing much art muscle. That was partially intentional - when I have to do one design every day, I don't want to have to get too involved - but it did bug me. But the other reason for going more complex this time was... Well, this is King Christina of Sweden. She's quite possibly my favorite person ever.

Christina's birth was a bizarre affair. As she was born, the wetnurse declared her to be a boy, which caused no end of embarrassment when it was discovered that she was in fact a girl. Her father basically said screw it, and raised her as a prince, and when Christina eventually rose to the throne, she took the oath of a king, not a queen. She eventually abdicated her throne, but remained a prominent figure, sponsoring many artists and philosophers, and just generally being awesome.

My design of her was heavily influenced by Final Fantasy Tactics, especially Meliadoul. And indeed, the class I imagined for her was one of a Divine Knight, a class known for near game-breaking power, flexibility, and the ability to shatter enemy weapons and armor. Given Christina's absolute inability to be restrained, it seemed appropriate.

More commonly known as the rabble-rousing journalist who whipped the populace into murderous frenzies during the French Revolution, Jean-Paul Marat’s rise to power actually started based on his medical abilities. And indeed, throughout Marat’s life, he constantly believed himself to be working for the betterment of his fellow man, whether they liked it or not. It’s this aspect of Marat’s character that led me to cast him as a White Mage. The White Mage, or Cleric, is generally the go-to magically-based healing class. White Mages seal up wounds and use boosting spells to improve the efficacy of their allies in combat. Jean-Paul Marat was definitely interested in improving the people around him, but his main method was, essentially, to pick a target and point the populace at them. If anything, Marat is a great example of a sickly, manipulative White Mage.

12 - George Washington - Onion Knight One thing that always bugs me about history is the way people talk about it as immutable. With one tiny change in a person’s life, the whole of history could be altered, but people always talk about historical figures as though the things that happened to them were Destiny with a capital D. George Washington is a great example of this. His father died when he was 11 years old, and he inherited his father’s property. If the elder Washington had lived even one or two years longer, little George would have been sent back to England for education. Imagine how different history would have unfolded with a George Washington who was fully loyal to the English crown -- heck, imagine what history would’ve been like if George had been raised by his father rather than his uncle. Similarly, the Onion Knight is all about potential. Sometimes called a Squire or Freelancer, the Onion Knight is usually the first class you receive, and as such, it’s usually pretty crappy. However, if you put a lot of effort into it, the Onion Knight can eventually come out as one of the most powerful classes in the game. So if we’re being totally honest, everybody starts out as a Lv. 1 Onion Knight, able to use only the most basic of equips. It’s with a lot of effort, experience, and luck that we become useful. ^^b

So the next character on my list is actually three characters, which means a lot of extra design work. It also means it's not due until Thursday, which is kind of a big gap. So in the meantime, have some cute to tide you over. ^^b