Superhero Pocketa are the worst!

[Michael Hopcroft]

There is a scene in the cult web series RWBY where protagonist Ruby Rose loses her wallet. When it is given back to her, she comments "girl pockets are the worst". Apparently she kept her wallet in a pocket in her skirt as opposed to a purse (which could be swipe more easily).

 

Looking back on that scene, it occurred to be that superheroes might need a place in their costume to keep things like a wallet. After all, there are many situations where a superhero might need a small amount of money (like going to the local hangout bar for supers, or getting a hot dog or a slice of pizza while out and about. This is especially important for heroes like the Flash whose metabolisms are so fast that they need to be fed almost constantly. That said, spandex does not leave much room for a pocket. Not every hero has a utility belt like Batman's which can easily include a place to keep money.

 

So how do you pick a superhero's pocket?

[archer]

When I play, I'm a huge fan of having a utility belt.

 

I suppose without that, my costume would still have some kind of mid-line. I'd have an inconspicuous super-Velcro pocket there sufficiently large for a $100 bill and a couple of twenties. 

 

Honestly, in character, I'd rather wait or break into a vending machine than carry change.

 

As far as picking a superhero's pocket, I'd assume most of them wouldn't carry anything worth having that I couldn't get more easily elsewhere.

[dmjalund]

Superman keeps this sort of thing in his belt buckle

[Tjack]

11 hours ago, dmjalund said:

Superman keeps this sort of thing in his belt buckle

    In the Silver Age he used to compress his Clark Kent clothes down to wafer size and keep them and his glasses in a pouch in his cape. They were treated with a special chemical to keep from wrinkling.  That’s why his suit was always blue, shirts white and his tie red.

    The belt buckle contained his JLA communicator.

           God, I’m a geek.

[DusterBoy]

On 7/26/2020 at 10:22 PM, Tjack said:

    In the Silver Age he used to compress his Clark Kent clothes down to wafer size and keep them and his glasses in a pouch in his cape. They were treated with a special chemical to keep from wrinkling.  That’s why his suit was always blue, shirts white and his tie red.

    The belt buckle contained his JLA communicator.

           God, I’m a geek.

Yes, yes you are. And we love you for it.

*  *. *

 

My character, Blue Streak’s outfit is essentially a mankini with flared shoulders and a solid back. She wears a belt with pouches to carry her EDC gear. 
 

Alternatively, cargo or BDU trousers are an option for superhumans who aren’t wearing costumes that expose the legs.

[Tjack]

2 hours ago, DusterBoy said:

Yes, yes you are. And we love you for it.

*  *. *

   
    And I appreciate it....but the word “love” may be a little strong coming from a guy with a Charles Bronson icon.😜

[DusterBoy]

Hey, at least I didn’t say Wildey loves you.... 😛

 

And as for communicators, secure phones/radios with Bluetooth earpieces are always an option. I keep thinking about a headset which combines scrambled comms, a flip-aside HUD and a miniature video camera. The idea is to be able to let everyone see what you can (a la movies like Aliens) and have data able to be projected into your POV without it being overly distracting. 

[unclevlad]

On 8/1/2020 at 5:18 AM, DusterBoy said:

Alternatively, cargo or BDU trousers are an option for superhumans who aren’t wearing costumes that expose the legs.

 

Or high-tech equivalents to cargo pockets, particularly when the costume has thickness (ie, armor bought IIF).

 

Of course that begs the eternal question...

 

"What does it have in its pocketses!  It found it, it found it, my Precious!!!! Sneaksy Baggins!!!!"

 

(ok the whole thing isn't a quote, but it's close enough)

 

 

[DusterBoy]

Or if you’re running a sufficiently high silver age campaign, you could hand wave some kind of high-tech version of a bag of holding, or anime’s Hammerspace.

[dsatow]

I could see a small pocket on most costumes to hold 1-2 credit cards and a key.  The Avengers ID card I believe was designed by Tony Stark and effectively was validation of Avenger status (Perk membership), A Diamond Level Credit line, and a communicator all rolled into the size and weight of a credit card.  It also had a secret ID and could disguise itself as a student ID or drivers license.

 

I don't remember where I read that originally but this is the Avengers Wiki link.

[DusterBoy]

 Aren’t there load bearing systems where the pockets and/or pouches are attached by Velcro?

 

I have a problem with Velcro because if it gets too hot, the material can warp, losing strength over time, and if it gets too cold, it can become brittle, causing the hooks and eyes to snap.

[archer]

1 hour ago, DusterBoy said:

 Aren’t there load bearing systems where the pockets and/or pouches are attached by Velcro?

 

I have a problem with Velcro because if it gets too hot, the material can warp, losing strength over time, and if it gets too cold, it can become brittle, causing the hooks and eyes to snap.

 

That's why I specified super-Velcro instead of Velcro.  

[Gnome BODY (important!)]

5 hours ago, archer said:

That's why I specified super-Velcro instead of Velcro.

But then you have to deal with it insisting you stick a mask to it so it can maintain its Secret ID, and next thing you know you're demoted to sidekick in a team where the other members are parts of your costume! 

[Greywind]

Pocketwurst?

[Beast]

boots

[unclevlad]

Pym particles.

[archer]

18 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

Pym particles.

 

Watch your entire costume shrink into nothingness.  

 

[dialNforNinja]

Most of the costumes I design either have a utility belt, a regular belt wide enough to be hiding a thin interior pocket like a classic travelers' money belt, some kind of Liefield arm or leg band-o-pouches, or a breastplate to stick a little cargo box on the back of like a Stormtrooper's donut and twinkies. A couple of times I've given a female character a Sailor Moon style butt bow and claimed it's a well-disguised fanny pack, and if worse comes to worst you can just say there's a hidden pocket at the small of the back. I really like the bow-pouch actually, but just try and get a group together who's willing to play a game of magical girls, or even let one person play one in their "serious" game of let's pretend about grown adults who go out in brightly colored pajamas with the underwear on the outside to punch bad guys in the face.

[DusterBoy]

Strange how the mental gymnastics work, isn’t it?

[Scott Ruggels]

On 8/4/2020 at 12:51 PM, DusterBoy said:

 Aren’t there load bearing systems where the pockets and/or pouches are attached by Velcro?

 

I have a problem with Velcro because if it gets too hot, the material can warp, losing strength over time, and if it gets too cold, it can become brittle, causing the hooks and eyes to snap.

That’s why the military went to the MOLLE system as it’s load bearing, modular, endlessly configurable and silent if done up properly. Rob Liefield costumes often have questionably represented MOLLE equipment drawn on them. 

[Scott Ruggels]

I drew a lot of Supers back in the 80’s and 90’s but rarely used  skin tight costumes. Pockets pouches or armor were common. My own characters were mostly some variation of armor. But I would draw anything for $20 bucks back then. 

 

[DusterBoy]

Cool drawings, Scott.

[Scott Ruggels]

14 minutes ago, DusterBoy said:

Cool drawings, Scott.

Thank you. I got better. 😁

[dialNforNinja]

The curse of the artist: Close your eyes for five seconds and look again; you'll always see something you want to change no matter how great anyone else says it is.

[DusterBoy]

On the original topic, how about a smart carpet bag, for the discerning hero or heroine?