Discussion: chainmail

All that work on the chainmail just to wear it UNDER the green shirt?!

Ah, but attractive nubile women, eager to experience the mail fully, will have to approach him and stroke the shirt to feel the metal links through the fabric. So clever, this fellow is. One of the women will probably be named Zelda.

(But she's right, you could have just made mail sleeves and sewed them to the shirt.)

It is true that the efforts seem misguided given the low visibility of the chain mail. To put this in context, consider that I have wanted to build this costume for over six years, since my first significant exposure to Link in ~ 2004. My goal was to create as good a costume as was reasonable and one consistent with the character. While I could have constructed small chain mail segments and sewed them on, it would be inconsistent with the character; it would be cheating.

I also wanted to make as much of it myself as possible while maintaining consistency; defining the precise tradeoff between accuracy and making the equipment myself is difficult. I purchased the shield, sword, and several of the leather components, for example, because I didn't think I could make credible versions of them myself and because their costs were not unreasonable.

The quintessential armaments of Link are the sword and shield. Given that Link has access to hammerspace to store his goods, I eschewed the accessories like bow and arrow, boomerang, bombs, and so on.

I should point out that I now have a fully functional chain mail tunic that I can wear for any purposes I see fit, including subsequent costumes. The construction is sturdy; I expect that the shirt will last at least ten years if properly maintained. Since it is made of stainless steel, I do not anticipate much corrosion. The shirt is tailored to my body, so it will give me incentive to not change shape.

While authenticity, not attention, was my primary goal, it is surprising how many "attractive nubile women" have sought to feel the chain mail through my shirt.

;-)

I can see the temptation. Good thinking.

since my first significant exposure to Link in ~ 2004

How is it possible that your first significant exposure to Link was in ~2004? What were you doing in the 90s?

I thought I was much less of a nerd than you, but this concerns me.

I knew of him, but I didn't play a Zelda game until The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past for an SNES emulator on my PC in college. I have since played some of Wind Waker and watched someone play Twilight Princess, but my main exposure is actually via Super Smash Brothers. I haven't played many video games; my motivation for Link is my admiration for his archetypal character rather than personal experience.

Have you thought about renting out your chainmail? It sounds like there just could be a market for it...

maybe you could lend it to cristina and melissa so they can offer their guests protection from Rosie, the devil/nice on the inside cat

How do you know that Link has mail under the whole shirt, and not just the sleeve bits? Hmm?

Re: Swampfox - note that while the chain mail will stop even the most potent blades, it is essentially no defense against the wiles of cowgirls. For that, you can only pray for swift death (or long life?).

Re: JJ; I suppose I cannot prove that, though it would seem rather useless against Ganondorf to wear purely aesthetic armor.