Contest: Design Maldynado’s Next Hat for a Chance to Win Signed Paperbacks

As you may know if you follow my Facebook page, I’ve been mulling over ideas for a new contest. I’ll have some shiny new Conspiracy paperbacks coming my way soon, and I’d like to give away a set of all four books. EE1-4, signed, and (if you wish) personalized.

How can you enter the contest? Help me with a crucial plot element in Book 5:

I need design ideas for Maldynado’s next hat.

I’m afraid his current hat won’t make it through the dirigible crash, and, as team shopper and all-around-charming guy, it’s going to be up to him to venture into the city and acquire stylish new digs for the team, including (naturally) fashionable headgear for himself. As readers know from previous books, Maldynado’s idea of fashionable has occasionally been considered silly by others…

Feel free to get creative!

You don’t have to draw anything (though it would be fun to see some pictures!); you can simply describe your hat idea with words.

Entries can be posted in the comments of this blog post or on my Facebook page. I’ll leave the contest open for two weeks and then pick a winner and incorporate the hat into EE5. The winner will receive the set of paperbacks, and, yes, you can be located anywhere in the world to win.

Thanks!

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85 Responses to Contest: Design Maldynado’s Next Hat for a Chance to Win Signed Paperbacks

  1. Dawn Smoker says:

    I am thinking that it is about time Maldynado got a nice turban that is tastefully striped in alternating red and white silk cloth. It would have a large gaudy “ruby” set in gold on his forehead. And it would need a large red feather sprouting out of the ruby and curling over his back. Naturally he may have to end up sacrificing this gorgeous creation to make bandages, so it could be useful as well decorative. 😉

  2. Cassandra says:

    A yellow snakeskin fedora. Specifically albino burmese python skin which is a creamy white and bright yellow. And I think it would need matching feathers in the band to complete the look.

  3. Amanda r says:

    A deep red hat similar to a cowboy hat shape but fur trimmed on the inside and the under edges and the fur would be white leopdard with the side edges curled up to show off the fur. I can totally see him pulling it off

  4. Shiroi says:

    A bearskin (see Buckingham palace guards for reference) only in a leopard print with large peacock feathers on top for decor 😀

  5. Dedra says:

    I see him in a purple Wellington (think Mad Hatter style) with a red scarf and of course some peacock feathers!

  6. Jane says:

    How about a shako with a plume on it?

    A shako is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with some kind of ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise, and often has a feather, plume (see hackle), or pompon attached at the top.

  7. Leah says:

    A bright yellow and lime green striped hat with peacock feathers everywhere

  8. Michele says:

    A wide-brim (pimp-style) hat covered in fruit.

    “See boss? Stylish AND edible!”

    (I can’t even imagine the looks he’d get….)

  9. Cindy McCune says:

    A hot pink akubra (Australian cowboy hat) with 2 peacock feathers. How outrageous is that?

  10. Candi says:

    I have two suggestions!

    First, a purple, crushed velvet sombrero embroidered with gold thread with a dangling fringe of rainbow-colored thread braided with golden thread. The embroidery around the hat is patterned to depict a large, multicolored bird, with its neck rising off the top of the hat with a twist of velvet making the head and neck. A plum of feathers bobs off the backside; bright red gems make the bird’s eyes.

    Second, a deerstalker created entirely out of silvery flexible metal. A green jewel serves as the button on top. The top of the hat is decorated with a rainbow of enameled butterflies rising off the deerstalker in a spiral as if they were going to fly away. It’s functional as well as stylish, since it provides protection for your noggin while also showing off one’s impeccable choice in headgear.

    Thanks for the game! :o)

  11. Carolyn says:

    Two ideas:

    1) As Maldynado has had all of 20 minutes at the helm of the dirigible, he undoubtedly has earned the right to call himself an “aviator”. I suggest a close-fitting leather cap with goggles, but in a color that will catch the eye (like fuschia).

    2) In his efforts to woo Yara, I hope that we may see our notorious lothario drifting more to the sentimental, romantic side — after all, what is more inspiring to a Cassanova than the Henriette who he cannot win? I see berets of every color in his future.

  12. Cheri says:

    I think I overhead Maldynado say that buckles were “all the rage this year” so I believe he’ll be wearing the suede pilgrim hat with buckle soon: http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-67421776749544_2208_500162884

  13. Nylis says:

    How about a bright blue gunner hat with a fusha feather? Or a black top hat with a clock in it?(hopefuly more to come)

  14. Nylis says:

    Or a white and black zebra striped pirate hat with a bright bunch peacock feathers?

  15. Anna says:

    I think he might feel the need to incorporate a little more practicality into his style now that he’s been through so much with the team. I was thinking he could have a sweeping, feathered hat, full of gold and silver swirls, with a descending set of goggles and glasses. Of course, the whole ensemble would have to be ridiculous and fail in some way or another, properly fitting Maldynado’s characteristic slip-ups. Maybe he’d even have a blade hidden somewhere in the device! I can see him hitting the control panel now!
    “Wow. Let’s see what this one does! Ah, Sicarius, I didn’t mean for that to happen!”

  16. Bright blue bicorne like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicorne, BUT with embroidered traceries in rainbow hues depicting satyrs dancing on the turned up brims.

  17. Anceria says:

    I always loved Fedora hats. My dad and grandpa used to wear them. They are nice! I could see him in a sky blue Fedora hat with red and yellow feathers on the side. I think it would make him look handsome!! LOL!

  18. Mariah Kimble says:

    I don’t know why but always picture him in a purple velvet pimp hat with fur around the brim and a really big feather. I know not really drastic but it is what I always see

  19. Mia S says:

    I love the turban idea! And the aviator idea, he definitely thinks he’s a dirigible captain already.

    I think it should be something military-esque. To annoy his brother. Either shapped like a fatigue hat with lots of faux insignia on it or styled like a Canadian royal mounted police hat in emerald green with black and gold tassels. People with olive skin can pull of vibrant colors.

  20. Janet Lynn Zuk says:

    I think his frustration with no one thinking that he is dangerous or worth increasing his bounty should inspire his next hat incarnation. I was thinking something a little more steampunk seeming. I’m thinking a fedora that matches his eyes, but the band around the edge would have steel fibers laced through it and to decorate a steel peacock feather with a wickedly sharp point. To seem even more dangerous, he could even attach a small dagger as ornament instead with a sheath and everything!

  21. Ann Kniggendorf says:

    given recent adventures, I picture him with an aviator cap, including goggles and a couple of rainbow colored ostrich feathers to curl from his nape above and over his ears. Probably accentuated with wing badges to go on his contrast colored coat. Speaking of color : I believe emerald green will go well with his hair and the gold and mahogany frame of the goggles. Probably in bird or ostrich leather with the feather holes stressed either by a different color like coral red or vermilion or by inlets of sparkling crystals.

  22. Victoria says:

    Two ideas:
    1) A hat with different shades of red (from crimson to bright red) and with a pointed back (think of a cardinal’s head) and… wings on the side!
    Or,
    2) A tall purple hat with a black band that has a curled feather in it, peacock feathers sticking up from the top, and strands of pearls hanging from the top and brim of the hat.

  23. Dawn says:

    A bicorne hat like the one Napoleon wore. It would have a decorative medallion on it, surrounded by a frill. Tucked into the frill (like additional ornamentation) the fancy hilt of a dagger could stick out (looking innocent, but we all know it could be pulled out for instant life-saving action). Fashionable and functional.

  24. Nylis says:

    How about a cowboy(ish) cap with a hidden place for a small gun and the hat can have a bronze(ish) color with a rasor sharp steel peacock feather on it?

  25. Celia says:

    Call me slightly boring, but given the steampunk setting, who would like to see Maldynado in a black top hat and tails, with cream and brass accents? It ties in nicely with Deadly Games, when he was saying that the right person could make brass fashionable. Also…if Maldynado is going to be in formalwear (the top hat just doesn’t GO with anything else and Maldynado is all about the entire outfit!), just perhaps we’d get a chance to see the rest of the team in formalwear? Looking very dashing?

    I’m picturing Books in very plain tails/suit, coming almost slightly undone, like the absent minded professor he still is at heart, and sniping at Maldynado that he can’t believe that Maldynado’s outfit is actually vaguely tasteful. (Because of COURSE Maldynado would be making waves in more than one arena!)

    Basilard would be doing his best to fade into the background, but the cut of the clothes would be showing off his very powerful physique, even as he’s complaining about the fit to Maldynado.

    Askytr would be looking surprisingly grown up, as Maldynado would have taken over his preparations, probably ensuring that the kid is slightly more colorful than the rest of the group, so that he doesn’t stick out quite so much. Also, that there’s nowhere in the outfit Askytr could hide a book!

    And, of course, Sicarius…showing off to advantage in black from head to toe, even managing to stare Maldynado down into getting him a black shirt and bow-tie from the tailor…and having submit in the name of the mission (whatever crazy mission could be concocted to put the team in formalwear), to Maldynado cutting his hair properly for once.

    • Rebekah says:

      Somehow I doubt Sicarius would be willing to go to any formal event, even in disguise. He’d more likely sneak in the back and hide on top of the chandeliers. No doubt This would irk Maldynado immensely. 😉

      • Celia says:

        Wouldn’t it? Now I have the image of Sicarius in tails, crouching on a chandelier like Spiderman.

  26. Mary says:

    I see Maldynado in a Three Musketeers type hat…in a deep shade of purple, with silver braid trim on the edges, a band of silver around the crown, and a couple of large hot pink ostrich feathers adorning the top. I just can’t picture him in anything even half way practical…it would just offend his sense of fashion!

  27. David says:

    The drinking game hat.

    A broad rimmed hat in some outrageous shade of lime green with a series of six to eight scarlet tassels hanging off the brim.

    The hat is sold incomplete as the wearer or player is expected to add the wax sealed corks from various implausibly named and expensive bottles of wine to the tassels as the night wears on.

    Possibly with a indent in the top designed to hold the base of a glass of wine, so Maldynado can win bets for dancing the jig or hornpipe without spilling his wine.

  28. Mallory says:

    I’m picturing his hat to be a forest green fedora hat, with gold piping along the rim. The inside should be lined with brown striped fur!

  29. Alan Saylor says:

    I believe Maldynado belongs to the “anything worth doing is worth over doing” school of thought, and since no hat is complete without a feather, his next hat should be an indian war bonnet. Each feather would be dyed a solid color so that the end effect would be that of a rainbow. Not very useful, but fashionable and tasteful .

  30. Emily Mullaney says:

    I keep thinking a tricorne hat, very similar to this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Louis_XIV_1685_Best.jpg

    Sorry I”m not so good at describing.

  31. Karen B. says:

    Oh this is fun. I have ideas! Depending on the storyline.
    Umbrella hat – complete with netting.
    Or a pith helmet complete with netting.
    Mitre type hat – if he has to steal a costume of a religious person…
    Beefeaters hat
    Fez
    Or if he dresses in female disguise – a wimple – with a color that denotes “a lady of easy virtue”!
    Please don’t put my name in the “hat” for the signed books cause I won last time but I wanted to throw my felt in the ring for ideas 🙂

  32. Rebekah says:

    I like the Bicorne idea. Also the turban would be awesome. The three musketeers hat would be awesome too. The feather would have to be enormous and a ridiculous color.

    Here’s my idea: What about a Spartan- type hat? 🙂 I drew a couple of pictures of them. The color I’m not so sure about, but I’m sure These types of Maldynado-worthy hats come in all sorts of colors. 🙂 here’s the link to my pictures. http://artoflonewolf.blogspot.com/2012/05/picture.html

  33. Carradee says:

    An ermine fur cap, which would be simple except for the edging, which is braided and beaded fringe that’s gem-and-gold-colors.

    The fur, of course, is dyed a tasteful berry (pinkish) “red”—a color that would be called pink if a woman were wearing it, but that is definitively red on such a manly specimen as Maldynado.

    ^_^

  34. Jennifer says:

    I think he should wear a helmet this time. Something with a visor that comes down so he can look completely bad*** but all comes up so we can admire his pretty face:)

  35. Karen says:

    Two ideas:

    1. A wide brimmed calvery style hat (see: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20100614 ) for style. I see it in wine red with black trim and brass accent pieces. Stylish, functional and stays on in a charge regardless of what you are riding.

    2. I can also see him improvising using a bucket (or some other common item) as a helmet after the airship crash. He could wear it into (or in) town as part of a distraction so the rest of the group can do something and in the process start a new fad in hats. Only Maldynado could pull off something like that.

  36. Nelson Suit says:

    So that the hat does not hide any of Maldynado’s nice features what about a hat made with completely transparent, plastic. It is moldable – and can come with a metal mold for a Three Musketeer’s Hat like Mary posted above (I always imagined him in such) or, depending on the mission, it could be remolded into other shapes – including steampunk helmet. Or maybe Maldynado spends time molding the perfect hat himself? Of course, one can imagine certain pranksters (e.g., Books, Basilard, Basilard) remolding the hat into a rubber duck while Maldynado takes a nap …. ;p

  37. Maria says:

    http://ficdn.fashionindie.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/rtemagicc_bollman-140-years-commemorative-hats-front.jpg

    I’m opting for the 1930s style for sleekness. They’ve already kidnapped/rescued the Emperor, so it’s possible this hat will be *noticed* and *remembered* and possibly influence a *statue* – even though we know he’ll have a special hat custom made for that, it doesn’t hurt to leave an impression of what’s to come.

    Because of that, it shouldn’t be fur. I see a creamy, off white velvet as the base. There has been much mention of peacock feathers, but this is Maldynado – what works for others will NEVER do! His hat must be decorated with PIGMY peacock feathers, 5 inches long and gently adhered to the hat by having the edge dipped in a sealant mixed with gold dust. The feathers COVER all but the off white rim of the hat in every orientation, making it blinding in direct sunlight.
    The band is a ribbon of gold silk to accent the feathers, although he bought an iridescent green & blue option for when the mood strikes him.
    He chose the white so that it would stand out against his skin and hair, making his appearance all that much more dramatic.
    It also has the added benefit (?) that anyone standing close to him ends up looking dusted with glitter as well.

  38. I think it’s interesting how many people chose purple. I see him in purple too. But a musketeer hat like this one: http://www.maskworld.com/pix/costumes/replicas/big/MR-200552-musketier-hut-lederhut-leder-musketeer-leather-hat-cavalier-hat.jpg

    Only the hat would be made from sumptuous purple silk (or satin) with silver glittery feathers. Depending on the time of year it could be lined with fur. The band around the outside would be hand-dyed satin ribbon with a diamond buckle.

  39. Emily says:

    Oh, wow.

    I had ideas, and I think between the other options all my good ideas are pretty much covered.

    What about a Renaissance-style hat like this: http://www.dragonwings.net/images/HatMan4986.JPG
    or this: http://heritagecostumes.com/images/products/2408.jpg
    Double-brim floppy hat with feathers. Maybe in some kind of embroidered or jewelled velvet. Not with dyed feathers, though; either naturally colorful feathers, or some kind of classy black or white.

    What about a tassel hanging down the back of the hat (from the center top)? Or a tassel with bells in it?

  40. Rebecca says:

    How about a rastafarian hat with strategically placed feathers. I think he would love the vivid red, green and yellow.

  41. Wendy says:

    So I was thinking that he would look good in a top hat. Maybe a sky blue, (or any color), one with embroiderer or feathers,(how about both?), and make it tall.

    Also how about a headdress? Look up some pictures. Its amazing the different things you can use. Not just a feather one. They use skulls, animal heads, beads, etc.

    Hope this helps get the writing juices going.

  42. Lynne says:

    My mom told me about this contest during dinner and I immediately thought of the following hat. Said hat is hard to describe, and easier to explain how to make.

    Take a pair of silk, ladies victorian bloomers with a thick ruffle on the waist, that go to the mid thigh. Turn them upside down, so that the opening on the hat would be where ones waist normally goes. Take the ruffle off the legs and stuff one leg down the other, then sew them together. This should result in a poof on the top of the hat. Take the end of the poof that is closest to what you want the back of the hat to be and tack it to the seat of the bloomers. This is to prevent the poof from falling down in ones face as you flee. The ruffle should just flop down and give the same sort of appearance that cockatoo feathers do when the birds are irritated. Place on head and you have a very distracting and distinctive hat.

    The color of course would have to be beige. Nevermind. Knowing Maldynado he would never wear a color as mundane as beige. It needs to be ecru.

    As you can imagine, the description of said hat made it very hard to finish dinner.

    • Rebekah says:

      Yara: are those unerwear?

      Maldynado: What? Of course not! My style and resources are far better than that. How anyone could even think to confuse my Superior-styled hat with BLOOMERS is beyond me… the idea.

      (a very indignant Maldynado stalks away as Yara looks on amusingly)
      🙂

      • Lynne says:

        Yep. That was the reaction that happened before they got into the town. It was meant as a joke to mourn the loss of the other hat.

  43. Sandra says:

    So many good ideas! I like the aviator and turban as suggestions but I am going to have to go with military for this one. I picture him in a shako style hat. A shako is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with some kind of ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise, and often has a feather, plume , or pompon attached at the top.
    For Maldynado I see both the feather and the pompom, if fact more than one pompom. The hat itself should be deep purple, the ornamental plate should be extravagent and imperial in design- perhaps in brass while the plumes should be red and the pompoms yellow.

  44. Rhian says:

    This is a bit confusing, sorry, I did do a picture but don’t have anything to put it up on.

    Anyway, my idea was a red leather top hat with copper undertones and slightly turned up edges.

    It has a grammophone box inside with a smallish brass speaker front facing poking out from the left that plays a bawdy turgonian tavern song about the seamstresses daughter stealing all the mens underwear.

    A swath of red-gold silk is tied around the front with the ends dangling down from the back.

    In the top has a brass plate that unscrews to change the records over easily.

    Two pheasant feathers and a Peacock feather stick out from the side with the Grammophone speaker, along with an assortment of fruit and leaves.

    On the other side the wind-up handle can be pulled out for turning (like a jack-in-the-box) and the brim is brass studded too.

    I can just immagine him singing the song while Akstyr snatches a grape of the side.
    “Quit eating my hat!”
    🙂

  45. Catherine says:

    I like the idea of a prototype steampunk hat (drop down goggles, knife, grappling hook, handcuffs…) with bugs to be worked out. I’d imagine something like a construction hat, in gold and silver metal, with some pockets, buckles and a shin strap (that Maldynado refuses to tie because it doesn’t look cool, so the heavy hat tends to slip). Of course, he would add custom decorations such as some silk flowers and a few feathers. I’m sure it would impress Kira, maybe the emperor, and would look good on a statue!

  46. Tim says:

    I believe Maldynado’s hat should be a scarlet red/blue Bicorne (Napolean Bonaparte’s hat). The bottom layer would be scarlet red, with the top layer a deep sapphire blue so the sides that stick up would be scarlet, and the area between the two crests would be sapphire. The piping on the edges would have to be either silver or gold obviously….to keep with the over-the-top theme.

    To finish the hat, there needs to be a plume of ostrich and peacock feathers sprayed at a jaunty angle to one side. Ostrich for length and gariety, peacock for the ability to scream “pay attention to me”.

    For a real garish hat, there could a animal called a “platinum peacock”, whose feathers are colored platinum with “jeweled” eyes. A perfect feather for a distinct hat. A couple of those combined with an ostrich feather would do nicely.

  47. ReGi McClain says:

    http://regimcclain.wordpress.com/?attachment_id=271

    I don’t have facebook, but there’s a picture for you. cowboy-meets-robin-hood shape
    gray velvet
    large pilgrim-style gold buckle
    turqoise-beaded band
    silver fox/gray wolf tail

  48. Catherine says:

    I’m thinking a cap with changeable colorful feathers. In the down position it would be a cap with a sort of a disc of feathers lying down on top (to provide shade and shelter from rain of course!). Then, if you pull on the tassel hanging down from the cap you can raise the feathers like peacock feathers! (If you imagine the cap is the body of the peacock, the feathers slide down to the back and fold up to make a semi-circle of feathers)

  49. Susan B. says:

    Since Maldynado spent time with Sespian, perhaps he will acquire and wear a crown to honor his kidnapped emperor, inadvertently erupting a fashion craze.

  50. This is a great idea for a contest. The creativity of these readers is fantastic. Well done everyone!

  51. Have you seen hatsofmeat.com? Why go to a milliner when you can visit a butcher instead? 🙂

    • Candi says:

      This is completely, fascinatingly disgusting, and yet totally up Maldynado’s alley. Steak top hat, anyone? (*wretch*)

  52. Sonya Desilets says:

    My husband and I worked on this one. I’m sorry if the description’s a bit long, but it just didn’t seem like the sort of hat that could be properly described in just one sentence. 🙂

    There is a certain school of thought that sees something that it likes and decides that, if some of it was good, then more of it would most certainly be better. That being their central tenet, it is a very large school – a grand, overflowing school full of people whose dreams are not so much better or more original than the dreams of others so much as larger and more decked-out in sequins. It stands to reason that, if such a school existed, it would have a uniform. A grand uniform. And if that uniform were to have a hat, it would be a grand hat. A great hat. A glorious hat of weight and height and blinding color. This was not that hat. No – but if that hat had gotten a little tipsy one night and been involved in a drunken orgy with a mad optometrist and one long, hard ostrich plume after another, this is the hat the optometrist would’ve given birth to and quietly deposited on the doorstep of the nearest haberdashery before slinking away and rethinking her life choices.

    It was a paisley hat. A very paisley hat. It was, in fact, not so much patterned as plain yellow, but under dire threat from purple amoebae. From the front, it was all brim – a long, swoop of a brim that rakishly dipped from somewhere above the left ear to somewhere below the chin. This completely obfuscating the right side of the face, some prudent soul had carefully cut out most of the paisley design in the approximate location of the eye, giving the wearer a noticeably amoeba-centric view of the world. The other eye was destined to be fashionable, however, because the hat was festooned with a multitude of monocles in a variety of colors. …Because you never knew when you might need a purple monocle and it would be a shame not to have one handy when the urge struck. The monocles were each attached by a short length of cord, and were designed to fit any imagined situation – from needing to examine the delicate workings of a gearbox to starting fires to wanting to see the exact same thing that you were already looking at, only with more pink.

    The shafts of a nearly uncountable number of plumes provided the support for the hat’s body. They multiplied as the eye was pulled back by the sheer, overwhelming majesty of what must surely have been a menagerie’s worth of plumage, extending a full three feet behind the wearer. Upon closer inspection, additional feathers from various species had been grafted onto the main plumes, creating an improbable and mad impression of a head-borne chimera. Blues, reds, greens, yellows and purples fought for dominance in the furious avian cascade, eventually forcing most viewers to concede that, under certain condition, chaos could rightly be considered a color. Danged hard to find matching accessories for, though.

  53. Lindsay says:

    Thanks for taking the time to come up with all these great ideas, everyone! I’m definitely grinning as I read them. Lots of votes for a bicorne hat of some sort, and then there a number of steampunk-ish aviator-style suggestions too. 🙂

    Favorite color so far seems to be purple. Not everyone can pull off purple, but Maldynado says it’d be no problem…

  54. Lily R says:

    I have an obssession with top hats, so I tried to make a top hat worthy of Maldynado Marblecrest.
    “It was on overly tall bell-shaped, black top hat with a bright silk band of many colors that hung over the brim in the back. A bright gold monocle was fastened onto one side with a chain circling the base of the hat. The feather of some large yellow bird protruded out of the band, the edes tipped in saphire blue. Maldynado’s dark curls were stuffed into the hat, a few loose strands falling into his face. He grinned at Amaranthe’s quirked eyebrow.
    “That’s not conspicuous,” she said with slight exasperation. What else was she expecting?
    “But it is fashionable,” Maldynado winked at her through the monocle.”

  55. Wendy says:

    For something out of the box….

    Swimmers cape
    Sombrero
    A hat that has figures that move and look like some people…. (wouldn’t know who)
    One with wings (that work or not)
    Bird cage for a hat with of course a live bird
    and just for fun….
    balloon hat!

  56. Clare says:

    I see Maldynado in a Cavalier style hat, a deep rich maroon in color. The edge of the broad brim is trimed in a darker maroon band with fine gold thread in a Greek key design running through it. The hat band is woven gold (real not Flash) with diamond chips imbeded in the band creating a halo effect in the right light. There is a long full white plume upon which rests a perfectly beautiful peacock feather. One side of the brim is turned rakishly up and secured with a fine jewel encrusted broach (token of a lady’s appreciation?). Maldynado would doff his magnificent chapeau in a courtly bow, the white plume a whisper above the floor. Of course the thought of Amaranthe using the beautiful plume to dust something does cross his mind.

  57. Gail says:

    Oh wow so many ideas already! I agree with most of them, but thought I should toss something completely different into the pile.

    I’m thinking porcupine quills, a lot of them sticking out, so it looks like a porcupine is sitting on his head. Except this is Maldynado so of course the quills would be dyed some ridiculous color. I can see it being an aviator like cap.

  58. Christian Desilets says:

    This time he had done it – this was unquestionably the hat of a killer. This was a serious, no-nonsense hat for serious no-nonsense people. It was black, low, and sleek, made of the finest brushed velvet and meticulously handcrafted by master millinery artists. It oozed menace, and whispered of blood-soaked deeds carried out by dark men of sinister purpose. This was The Hat. He was vaguely surprised Sicarius didn’t already own one. He added a large, bright pink plume sticking jauntily out of the side. There. Perfect.

  59. Audy says:

    Of all people, Maldynado knows the appeal of a state of partial undress. His next hat should be a turban, fashioned from a monogrammed bath towel. It’s classy (monogrammed! with gold thread!) and sexy (as if he has just stepped from a hot, steamy shower). And maybe we learn his middle name in the process…

  60. Stephine says:

    Since they’ve all just landed in a swamp I think he should kill a crocodile, take the skin into town, and have a hat, belt, and pair of shoes made. It would be a big hit with his lady friends, proving what a virile warrior he is. Hehehe! Ok, so we all know it would really be Sicarius who killed the Crocodile, but would that really stop Mal from taking credit? I think no!

  61. Stephine says:

    Oh, and it would have to be a Fidora with the croc’s teeth in the band, and the feet stitched on to give the effect of them crawling all over his head. Very Fearsome! Who knows, he might start a whole new trend in he capital.

  62. Kendersrule says:

    Well, they’re in wetlands, and I would guess that his despondency from the loss of his previous hat would drive him to fashion a new one almost immoderately, so he could take some of the local vegetation and put it to “good” use. Maybe a lush, green adventurer hat, reminiscent of the pyramid gift shop hats? Stylish* AND blends in to the undergrowth!

    *for a given value of style

  63. Roxanne says:

    A Robin Hood style hat of course!

  64. André Dias says:

    My idea of a hat is something like this: a top hat (like those worn by the high bourgeoisie), but somewhat flattened, yellow, with pink, blue and red stones, glitter, and big feathers in one side. It would also have some silk or something, wrapped at the end.

    Well, this is my take on the hat!

  65. Jim Caughran says:

    Maldonado’s hat This hat would be like a baseball hat in that would have a covering for the head and a bill the head covering would be made of dark blood red feathers the hat would contain on down the back to the shoulders but that part would be white feathers the bill would be coped and look somewhat like bright yellow a raptors beak. Connected from the bill would be 3 types of glasses one would be dark glasses for bright sun or light the second would be magnifying and the third would be like opera glasses as in like telescope. On the front of the hat would be 2 gold E the E would be in the alphabet of the old high noble and the E’s would look a lot look eyes.

  66. Julia says:

    Hey Lindsay! I think a cool hat for Maldonado would be a dark purple (royal color) top hat (but about half of that actual size, so i guess a mini-top hap 😉 ) with a bright blue fancy “M” on the top… of course Maldonado would find a way to get it personalized… It would also have matching blue sparkles on the brim and along the edges. Then and big feather sitting diagonally on the crease in the hat and a sorta “veil” thingy hangy down on the side (made of silk) Both the feather and the “veil” would be the same blue color… 🙂 thanks for reading, and i CANT wait for Emperor’s Edge 5!!!

  67. Julia says:

    Maybe Maldynado should wear a dark green bowler hat (like some have said, because he crashed in a foresty area) with darker green sparkles all around the brim. It could also have some lighter green (different shades), small feathers on it to give it a camoflaugey look. I know this is a little low-key for Maldynado, but they have been through alot in EE 4 😉

  68. Sonya D says:

    1. People are always ready to re-fight the last battle. Having just lost a quick but decisive skirmish with gravity, he’s determined to be better-prepared the next time. Thus, his chapeau of choice in this case is a solid, reliable pith helmet. In this case, though, it is decorated with a scene of hummingbirds in a field of flowers, painted in brilliant blues, greens, and purples; worked over with gold and silver filigree and brightly colored beads; and with a curtain of rich green mosquito netting suspended from the brim. That way, he’ll be ready to blend in in any jewel-toned magical forest glades he should encounter.

  69. Tilly says:

    Hope the contest isn’t closed. :3

    http://i47.tinypic.com/10fuhvp.jpg

  70. Candi says:

    Inspired by a video on today’s NYTimes.com: A very large, very live Angora rabbit draped over his noggin. He could dye it purple and give it a carrot to nibble for panache. (Seriously, check out the preview video for this week’s Sunday magazine. It looks like the editor is wearing an angora bunny. Hilarious.)

  71. Sonya Desilets says:

    Man… I have no idea if the contest is closed or not, but we got busy last weekend and forgot to post these:

    Hat #1: Beyond tactics and sound judgment, the single most important quality in naval officers is the ability to present an image of being unflappably, totally in control. This hat was made with that ideal firmly in mind. In many respects, it was a standard-issue black naval bicorne. However, this hat, unlike its more mundane contemporaries, rested entirely on a large gyroscopic balance within the crown, so as to be always level no matter how much the wearer pitched or swayed. It was made to offer a sailor the image of his or her commander being a fixed, reliable, and immutable point on a turbulent ship. Whether it would in fact do so at sea was unknown, but it certainly tended to impart a strangely unsettled feeling in onlookers on land – most of whom would only gradually become aware that, depending on your point of view, either the hat was staying still while the man moved under it, or the man was staying still and the hat was slowly roaming around his head. It was unnerving. And produced in Maldynado the pronounced desire to fidget.

  72. Sonya Desilets says:

    Hat #2: His new… hat? Let’s just say hat. Hat. Hat. Haaaaat. Hat. Hathathathathathathathat. Huh. It sounds kind of funny after a while, doesn’t it? Anyway, this headborne object mostly consisted of a spiral of gold-plated brass wire that wound through his hair before rising up in a springy cone above his head. Upon this wire were scintillating glass beads interspersed with glossy black feathers, adding luster and texture to his luxurious black curls and, if the proprietor was to be believed, creating a map of the cities of [the kingdom in which they currently find themselves], with the larger beads representing the larger cities and blue seed beads on separate wires tracing out the course of rivers. The cone, on the other hand, held beads representing the stars as they had appeared on the day of the country’s founding. Supposedly, anyway. It’s not like Maldynado had any idea. Springing from this wire framework, on either side, were two miniature standard-bearers. Their long staves ended in stylized clips which had originally held miniature official banners but to which were currently fastened two long purple silk ribbons, hoisted aloft as if being carried into battle.

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