So... what's with Bastian and his tattoos?

RedSwallow

So, while playing dress-up game with my newest friend I noticed he has quiet a striking tattoo!

I would have never expected Bastian, with that cheerful personality and boisterous voice of his, to paint his body with a tattoo, let alone with such an epic one (I mean, are those dragons?). At first I didn't even understand it was his - I thought maybe they changed the design of Sai Sahan chest piece in the recent update and it's a part of the outfit now.

Didn't progress much with him yet, so I don't know what's up there in his questline, but if this gets an explanation and someone already saw it... Spoil me, please! That's probably the most intriguing thing I've seen in the whole new chapter so far. xD

And if there's nothing at all yet, let's just speculate maybe? I don't know, I don't know what to make of the tattoo at all. It certainly doesn't look like a random design placed there without a reason. I don't think I recall body markings of this level of details in the game.

Kiyakotari

It's actually one of the available in-game collectible body markings. The [Dragonsmoke Body Markings] dropped from the Baandari Pedlar Crown Crates. I agree that it was surprising to see them on this character, considering his behavior and what we know of his backstory as so far revealed. But, hey, people change. It does make some outfits and costumes look out of place on him, though!

Grandchamp1989

I was super surprised lol

He's this good guy but then he takes off his shirt and look like a Japanese Yakuza Gangster XD

ThoughtRaven

It's always either the quiet or cheerful ones with the hidden dark side. No exceptions.

Gylzyn

I was surprised to see these tattoos. Of course, there may be some "story" behind them which I/we haven't seen yet. Even so, I would have preferred them not there or an option to use skins and adornments on companions. Perhaps that will come in the future. At least we can use different outfits.

RaddlemanNumber7

That's a BIG totoo. He's obviously compensating for something that's really small.

Luke_Flamesword

I think that one day he just drunk too much and spent all money for Baandari Pedlar Crown Crates. All he get was trash pots and this tattoo, so he used it to remember "no more crown crates ever". Also this explains why he don't like drinking anymore.

ADarklore

Luke_Flamesword wrote: »

I think that one day he just drunk too much and spent all money for Baandari Pedlar Crown Crates. All he get was trash pots and this tattoo, so he used it to remember "no more crown crates ever". Also this explains why he don't like drinking anymore.

Doesn't like drinking? Then why does he say we need should find a place to grab a drink?

GreenHere

He actually didn't get that tattoo on purpose. He's rather touchy about it, so it's best if you don't ask him what's up with it -- it basically destroyed my Rapport meter progress when I got too nosy and pressed the issue with him. Since I've already alienated him, though, I'll tell you what little of the story he was shouting at me before he stormed off...


That idiot quasi-brother of his, Quistley, got mixed up in some stupid BS one day -- as usual. And the family once again sent poor Bastian to bail him out -- as usual. Turns out Q was sort of being held captive for making some kind of promises he couldn't keep. Bastian had only just arrived to find out what in Oblivion was going on, but apparently the gang mistook him for a rescue party and knocked him out...

Well, the details get pretty fuzzy here. I'm not really sure how tattoos and Q's promises to these goons fit together, but from what I gathered it was like some kind of dare? It wasn't a debt of gold, but some kind of bet to see who could do the most embarrassing or outlandish thing to a stranger? Something like that. Again, Bastian was already getting pretty pissy by this point in the story, so it wasn't exactly making a lot of sense. You know how he struggles to put two words together when he's angry.

Basically, Bastian woke up in an alley somewhere covered in a bunch of... suggestive... tattoos. You know how kids will draw funny "shapes" and writing and whatnot on their friends when they pass out drunk? Well, I guess Bastian got a more permanent version of that treatment. ALL OVER HIS BODY. (I leaned in to try to peer a little more closely at his face, you know, to see if there was any evidence of removed tattoos there too... but he noticed and this REALLY set him off because he thought I was being cruel and insensitive)

In the end, it turned out that the most practical solution was to just get better (and more concealing) tattoos to cover all of the humiliating anatomical references and stuff that the hoodlums had branded onto him. He went with something that he thought would make him look tough and badass, but if you look really close from the right angles you can still sometimes spot a few of the phalluses and fornicating stick figures and whatnot.


Don't tell him I told you, please! He still isn't talking to me, and he'd be real upset to know that I told strangers the story, I imagine...

Elsonso

GreenHere wrote: »

He actually didn't get that tattoo on purpose. He's rather touchy about it, so it's best if you don't ask him what's up with it

@GreenHere ... You should probably Spoiler the rest of that...

khyrkat

Grandchamp1989 wrote: »

I was super surprised lol

He's this good guy but then he takes off his shirt and look like a Japanese Yakuza Gangster XD

You know those big guys with tattoos, long hair, all in leather, scary looking, on their big motorcycles? They have the biggest heart for puppies XD

Danikat

I like when they give characters details like this. It makes them seem more like real people with an actual backstory when they have features, skills or experiences you wouldn't expect from someone like that.

I actually did something similar with my sorcerer. He's older than your typical adventurer (if he was human I'd say mid-late 50's, not sure what the dunmer equivalent is), very quiet and serious and a bit naïve and quite skinny because he's prone to getting wrapped up in his research and forgetting to eat. But he's also got these elaborate gold tattoos all over his body (I forget which design it is exactly). Normally he'd never show them because he thinks its rather immature these days but, well, everyone was young once. (It also came in useful during an awkward incident where he was disguised as a pirate.)

GreenHere

Elsonso wrote: »

GreenHere wrote: »

He actually didn't get that tattoo on purpose. He's rather touchy about it, so it's best if you don't ask him what's up with it

@GreenHere ... You should probably Spoiler the rest of that...

It shouldn't really be necessary, since I made all that up.

I hoped that was obvious, given what's written and the context of the thread; but this being the internet, I suppose I should have known better and put a disclaimer at the bottom or something.

RedSwallow wrote: »

And if there's nothing at all yet, let's just speculate maybe?

Unless you're saying I should do it for comedic effect, or because my post is annoyingly long, or something along those lines? haha

Elsonso

GreenHere wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

GreenHere wrote: »

He actually didn't get that tattoo on purpose. He's rather touchy about it, so it's best if you don't ask him what's up with it

@GreenHere ... You should probably Spoiler the rest of that...

It shouldn't really be necessary, since I made all that up.

I hoped that was obvious, given what's written and the context of the thread; but this being the internet, I suppose I should have known better and put a disclaimer at the bottom or something.

Heh. Ok. I didn't read it, as I did not want any spoilers.

GreenHere

Danikat wrote: »

I like when they give characters details like this. It makes them seem more like real people with an actual backstory when they have features, skills or experiences you wouldn't expect from someone like that.

I actually did something similar with my sorcerer. He's older than your typical adventurer (if he was human I'd say mid-late 50's, not sure what the dunmer equivalent is), very quiet and serious and a bit naïve and quite skinny because he's prone to getting wrapped up in his research and forgetting to eat. But he's also got these elaborate gold tattoos all over his body (I forget which design it is exactly). Normally he'd never show them because he thinks its rather immature these days but, well, everyone was young once. (It also came in useful during an awkward incident where he was disguised as a pirate.)

See, I like your example! That makes a lot of sense, and gives depth to your character in a way that I can wrap my head around. I dig it!

But these "extreme" tattoos (for lack of a better word here) on Bastian just kind of feels incongruous with his personality, without any context or explanation of them. At least to me. Maybe I've just put poor Bastian into too narrow a box in my mind, but the idea I've formed about who he is doesn't really fit with these tattoos he's got. Seems more like something a dev maybe did as more of a goof or something.

I'm not saying I don't like that he has the tattoos, mind you. I think it's cool when characters have quirks, generally. But it'd be nice if there was some context or story for them, or we could ask him about them as we become friends and have conversations and stuff... right? I want more character depth, but slapping on surprising tattoos doesn't really do it for me, personally.

Without any of that, I kind of get the feeling ZOS gave him those tats just so we'd talk about it. :P

GreenHere

Elsonso wrote: »

GreenHere wrote: »

Elsonso wrote: »

GreenHere wrote: »

He actually didn't get that tattoo on purpose. He's rather touchy about it, so it's best if you don't ask him what's up with it

@GreenHere ... You should probably Spoiler the rest of that...

It shouldn't really be necessary, since I made all that up.

I hoped that was obvious, given what's written and the context of the thread; but this being the internet, I suppose I should have known better and put a disclaimer at the bottom or something.

Heh. Ok. I didn't read it, as I did not want any spoilers.

Haha, gotcha. Sorry to trigger the spoiler-fear there; I totally get being wary of strangers on the internet ruining discovering things for yourself!

But I can't help but wonder why you're in a thread like this, if you're wanting to avoid finding out things like that... lol

SammyKhajit

Bastion looks good. He is also a nice, decent person. That’s all that matters. Tattoos and other body markings are kinda extra for this one but certainly add interesting background info.

Elsonso

GreenHere wrote: »

But I can't help but wonder why you're in a thread like this, if you're wanting to avoid finding out things like that... lol

There is a difference between some in-game quest that explains things, and an article released by ZOS or some interview that might also explain things. The latter is not a spoiler, but just something that I missed.

GreenHere

Elsonso wrote: »

GreenHere wrote: »

But I can't help but wonder why you're in a thread like this, if you're wanting to avoid finding out things like that... lol

There is a difference between some in-game quest that explains things, and an article released by ZOS or some interview that might also explain things. The latter is not a spoiler, but just something that I missed.

Fair play

tomofhyrule

I think it's kind of funny that he has a hidden rebel side. Basti's normally so innocent, and then...

I wonder if he has any relation to Dirge Truptor from Dragonhold, since the massive Crown Crate markings aren't used often on NPCs, but he's got them too. Maybe Basti's secretly a part of the Dragonguard? Or he had to join Za'ji's crew to bail Quistley out of something?

I'm slightly annoyed that they really did a good job of setting Bastian up with unavailable things: Short Mussed Wave hairstyle, Ancestral Breton default armor, Dragonsmoke tats (at least those were available to us at one point)...