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Forums > Home› Costumes and Concepts

Jon's Visual Identification Guide

jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
edited February 2014 in Costumes and Concepts
Okay, I've been threatening to do this for some time, and since a few other people beat me to it, here are my characters. If you don't want to play with my guys, now you know what to look out for. :smile:

Skyfire
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855276924/in/photostream

Born with the ability to manipulate and generate electricity, and balance against the geomagnetic field to fly, in another era he might have been a circus freak, or vivisected to see how his powers worked. In 21st-century Millennium City, however, he put on special tights and set out to fight the forces of evil.

Steely Dan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855288394/in/photostream

Daniel Wachowski found a damaged alien battlesuit while exploring in the forest. It adapted itself to him, and he set out to seek his fortune as a freelance crimefighter. It is still activating newly-repaired systems.

Spider-Bat
Day costume: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855285156/in/photostream
Night costume: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855281390/in/photostream/

While seeking rare spiders in the Amazon, billionaire Peter Wayne was bitten by a rabid radioactive bat and became a little confused...

Happifun Security System X-4
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855270840/in/photostream/

Happifun Toys' robotics division was trying to branch out into commercial security droids. The X-4 prototype had just finished a series of test runs, and was jacked in for recharging, when a massive power surge caused by the Qularr invasion activated its full AI capability. Seeking directives, it linked with the nearest wireless database, SOCRATES, and was programmed with rather more expansive directives regarding patrol areas and miscreants to apprehend. Its self-directed adaptability systems generate new non-lethal weapons on occasion.

Frost Dragon
Tights: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855262834/in/photostream/
Armor: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855260462/in/photostream/

He doesn't really have a backstory yet - I just had a Glacier when I got the Dragon armor bits from Hi-Pan, and discovered they looked kind of cool in his colors, so I bought a rename token.

Captain Americlown
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855258516/in/photostream/

A product of Issmir's "Clowns Not Clones" campaign, he became a lot more fun to run when Flag Speed came out.

Backfire
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855255748/in/photostream/

He originally signed up as a VIPER soldier for their medical and dental plan. Then they decided to stick him in an experimental flame-wielding armor that they couldn't take him out of. He broke free, burning the facility to the ground, and switched sides. Now he takes a special pleasure in defeating VIPER's plans.

Edit: Oh yeah, I almost forgot my oldest character,

HandyMan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/7855269466/in/photostream/

An inveterate inventor, what he builds isn't always what he meant to build. That hasn't stopped him yet, though...
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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Comments

  • ccarmichael07ccarmichael07 Posts: 755 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    You have some very unique concepts here, as well as some fun parodies.

    I particularly liked Happifun X-4. What a cool concept, and very unique!

    I also liked Steely Dan, if only for the name, but also the armor was quite nice.

    Backfire is quite cool, especially his bit of history with Viper.

    But the thing that got my chuckling the most was Captain Americlown. Nice job on the parody. You managed a very "Cap" look, with your own unique twist.

    Good job!

    "You shoot him, I shoot you, I leave both your bodies here and go out for a late night snack.
    I'm thinking maybe pancakes." ~ John Casey
  • sockmunkeysockmunkey Posts: 864 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    Ive always liked your characters. Creative with a huge nod to being fun. Its a refreshing change to vast hoards of evil and grimdark out there. :biggrin:

    Not that I have a problem with dark characters. It just seems much harder to pull off fun well. Nicely done.
  • tharkantharkan Posts: 109 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    All of the ones you wanted to make funny are hilarious. The happyfun one had me roflmao. Just thinking about it makes me laugh.
  • jonesing4jonesing4 Posts: 803 Arc User
    edited August 2012
    Oh man, these are all good, but Backfire... That is exactly how a fire toon should look. Really great job on that one!
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited October 2012
    Since a kind soul gave me the code from an old 30-day card from a CO box, I'm temporarily Gold; as a result, we now have three more Champions for your consideration.

    Dork Knight
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8077502383/in/photostream

    Wayne Bruce was a trainee clown with a small circus - which unfortunately made camp one night between an Argent base and a VIPER Nest. Each side thought the circus was a diversion by the other, and attacked; when the dust cleared, Wayne was the last surviving member of the troupe. He voyaged to the secret Clown Monastery in Baraboo, WI, where he learned the secrets of Clown Fu, then came to Millennium City to avenge his fallen circus friends...

    Wolfwere
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8077496956/in/photostream

    He used to be a wolf, until cursed with lycanthropy from a werewolf bite. Now he's a bizarre half-wolf, half-man.

    Stoner
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8077507767/in/photostream/

    Frank Stone picked up the nickname "Stoner" in junior high, when he was already addicted to alcohol and a variety of drugs. His father pitched him out of the house at the age of 16; Frank took up prostitution in a nearby park to make money for his drugs, which quickly led to his becoming HIV positive. An Argent subsidiary, a biotech firm with an astonishing success record (because before proceeding to government-approved animal trials for new therapies, they'd kidnap some homeless people and try it out on them), captured Frank and several of his acquaintances in order to test an engineered retrovirus intended to repair the damage done to their DNA by the HIV retrovirus. Of the seventeen subjects, sixteen died - and one, Frank, was granted superhuman powers over stone, as well as a rocklike skin (and an immunity to intoxicants of all sorts, poor druggie...). He broke free, and is now trying to rehabilitate his image as the hero Stoner.

    (Side note: Stoner is another of my old PnP Champs characters, once partnered with HandyMan, Mindseye, and Dreamweaver. Also, the Character Creator regards "HIV" as profanity, and won't let you put it into a character's backstory.)
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited October 2012
    And yet one more:

    Pandemic
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8097843573/in/photostream

    Dr. H. Bosch had been studying strange viral molds found in the Atomic Wasteland. Unfortunately, this one turned out to be sentient; it had infected the doctor and absorbed his consciousness into itself before he knew what it was about. He's come to an understanding with its primitive hive-mind, however - he will still permit it to unleash its virulence from time to time, but only on targets he designates. The mold has shaped itself into an approximation of Dr. Bosch's former appearance, although it can decohere into a large puddle of slime for rapid, unnoticed travel (Ooze Tunneling), and done its best to repair his clothes.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • vendincevendince Posts: 238 Arc User
    edited October 2012
    I have to say I like your characters a lot. They're downright amusing. Which is so refreshing compared to some of the grimdark out there.

    Not to mention that they're funny in their own right.

    Heh, reading about Backfire, I do have to wonder if toons who were experimented on by VIPER are common. I have one too.
  • man515drakeman515drake Posts: 182 Arc User
    edited October 2012
    Your wolfwere and my toon Wolfie should get together and fight crime and make a pack as Wolfie is also a wolf bitten by a werewolf. He became a werehuman and decided to fight crime so he could get access to the finer things in life like a roof over his head and good food (Steak in a pepper sauce with all the trimmings tastes better than raw racoon).

    I created him to be the opposite of grimdark so rather than becoming a blood thirsty beast he is slowly becoming more human and has the taste for the finer things in life.

    (by finer things in life I don't mean art and poetry I mean beer, popcorn and football)
    ___________________________________________________
    [SIGPIC]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd175/Fifer71/mandrakesigmark3.jpg[/SIGPIC]
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited October 2012
    And a new one that's lasted long enough to merit addition:

    Dr. Destiny
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8113505044/in/photostream

    Randall W. Destiny, Ph.D. in Applied Thaumaturgy, University of Michigan. Turns out that a doctorate in AT leads only to employment as a costumed hero...

    Edit: I've redone Dr. Destiny as a Freeform - still mostly Mystic, but I added an invisibility spell by way of the Night Warrior power. New costume, too. I'll post a pic soon, promise!
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited October 2012
    Okay, the new versions of Dr. Destiny:

    Ready for action!
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8127040429/in/photostream

    Dr. Randall W. Destiny, adjunct professor of Thaumaturgy, University of Michigan Millennium City:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8127067196/in/photostream
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • vendincevendince Posts: 238 Arc User
    edited October 2012
    Nice one, I like it.
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    On Monday I'll lapse back to Silver for a while, so before it's too late here are my two newest:

    Officer Unfriendly:
    Normal Outfit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8152042540/in/photostream/
    Cold-Weather Gear: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8152021549/in/photostream/
    Riot Gear: http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8152044534/in/photostream/

    Long employed as a police mascot, Officer Friendly had toured elementary schools and county fairs, striving to keep children on the straight and narrow. It had always bothered him that some of those children had gotten superpowers, then gone on to a life of villainy. One day, during one of Millennium City's frequent villain incidents, the mascot was exposed to strange radiations, that gave him the ability to run so fast he actually ignited the air behind himself briefly. The same radiations also began to twist his mind. He dwelt more and more on the number of supervillains in the city. Finally, one day, he set forth to correct this, as the vigilante Officer Unfriendly.

    Star Knight:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/irishwolf/8152023423/in/photostream/

    The last survivor of a race corrupted to their destruction by the Elder Worms, the last Star Knight set off in an experimental starship to warn other worlds. Unfortunately, the drive failed a few years into his journey; adrift in coldsleep, moving at just under the speed of light, his craft sped through the endless night. Eventually, after thousands of years, it approached an inhabited system, with a technological civilization based on its third planet. The ship's automatics tried to bring it in to a landing; remarkably, they did still function well enough to make a controlled crash on Earth's Moon. The last Star Knight awakened from coldsleep, hastily repaired the failing life-support hardware, and configured the ship as a lunar base of operations; he then used the emergency teleport to transfer to the planet's surface. He was shocked to find that the Elder Worms had already arrived here, and doubly shocked to learn that they had met defeat on this world. He has now sworn to fight beside this planet's protectors, to defend the innocent, punish the guilty, and destroy the Elder Worm infestation. Wielding his order's traditional energy sword, he stands as the Star Knight, his true name unpronounceable by Earth's inhabitants...

    Edited to add: One of the interesting things about this character is that I'm trying to build him entirely around the Laser Sword concept. It ain't easy - I finally had to decide that his suit had a protective field generator built into it, giving him Invulnerable (up to three ranks now), so he could survive his encounter with Wayland Talos. Given that and the addition of Lightspeed Dash (to lunge with his energy blade), he soloed Zoe Loft handily. :smile:
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    Okay, time to experiment with this new embedded-picture thing. If it works, I'll stick in a pic of Detroit Iron lately, and possibly even Short Circuit (although I'm still not sure if Shorty's sticking around)...

    lightboxphotostreamOfficerUnfriendly.png

    Officer Unfriendly!
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    Okay, that worked out, so here's a couple more:

    Detroit Iron

    DetroitIron.png

    He first started building his power-armor suit out of wrecked American cars, thus inspiring his name. It never really was all that "super", though, until he was able to incorporate wreckage from the various bits of technology left behind by the Qularr.

    Short Circuit

    ShortCircuit.png

    4' 6" of electrically-charged attitude!
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • d0m1nusdrak3d0m1nusdrak3 Posts: 262 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    I love Star KNights concept, and Happifun Security System X-4 just made me luagh when i saw it XD
    ====================================
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    ====================================
    Dominus Drake Primus Database ,Also @Pyromasher ingame
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    Hi, my name's Jon, and I'm an altaholic.

    Penitent:
    Penitent.png

    Once a slave of Takofanes the Undying, this ancient mage managed to slip his master's bonds during the last Blood Moon, as the arch-lich was distracted by his combat with Millennium City's heroes. He cannot recall his mortal name; his soul weighed down by the sins of centuries under Takofanes' rule, he now wanders the Earth, seeking to atone...

    Notes: The visual effects are the Crown and Coils of Takofanes, of course, and an aura granted by Fire Flight, which appears to be purple for Grimoires. Tempts me to see what Phoenix Flight would look like on him.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited November 2012
    Okay, so after a while Grimoires bore me.

    Inspired by the discussion of what a customizable sidekick might look like, we hereby present:

    Blackwing
    Blackwing.png

    Formerly Blackbird, protege of Spider-Bat, she has moved on to fight crime in her own inimitable style as Blackwing. (Spider-Bat is currently accepting applications for the position of Blackbird; applicant must be at least 13 years of age, athletically inclined, physically capable of performing all tasks related to the position, and preferably emotionally scarred - orphan, abused runaway, that sort of thing.)
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    Disarm
    Disarm.png

    Gilbert Hamilton had volunteered to test a new experimental teleportation device. Whether or not everything came through is kind of a philosophical question - at least two of the scientists involved are certain that his torso and arms will reappear one day. In the meantime, Gil no longer needs to eat or breathe, and his invisible limbs have demonstrated superhuman strength and resistance to damage. He wears gloves to help him keep track of where the ends of his arms are; he wears a helmet because his head sometimes fades in and out as well.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    Costume updates!

    Blackwing:
    Blackwing-1_zps736e5f36.png

    Disarm:
    Disarm-1_zpsda5d107f.png

    Short Circuit:
    ShortCircuit-1_zps6913b384.png
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • decorumfriendsdecorumfriends Posts: 2,811 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    Wow! Haven't dug too deep here, but I really like the latest ones like Short Circuit, Penitent and Blackwing (although I think I like the first set of costumes better). Disarm's a really cool concept, too. Really sharp work!
    'Dec out

    QDSxNpT.png
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited December 2012
    And now the new guy...

    Mr. Science
    MrScience_zpsc800ae0c.png

    In one of a potentially infinite number of parallel worlds, a world sometimes known as Gernsback-2, an inventor managed to open a cross-multiversal portal. In the moments before being attacked by agents of two competing multiversal groups, he managed to dispatch his previously-built robot, Probe Robot XT-157-A, through the portal. Sadly, due to the attack, XT was unable to return to its home; instead, in this new world, it has found employment as a superhero, using its home timeline's super-science to construct the tools needed to bring transhumans to justice.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Got the first part of my Christmas present (a tad delayed, but hey) - a $20 UGC card. Accordingly, I now have two more toons...

    Dr. Chill
    DrChill_zps2aefe644.png

    Dr. Bracken was a world-leading researcher in the field of cryogenics, working for Argent Technologies. He had no idea what sort of company it was, however, until the day his lab was badly damaged during a fight between the city's heroes and Clarence the Mecha-Teddy. He was caught in an exploding cryo-freezer, and found his body permanently altered. He was granted superhuman powers over cold - but at the cost of needing a permanent cryogenic support suit. He was surprised at how eager his company was to help out, until he found out why they wanted to help. He escaped from the ARGENT attack squad they assigned him to, and now has undertaken to make up for all the crimes his work must have facilitated.

    Pursues-the-Unseen
    Pursues-the-Unseen_zps713cabcf.png

    He was an apprentice mage, in a world where Canis sapiens is the dominant life form. His master, Studies-the-Wind, was teaching him to use the Web Between the Worlds to open portals to other places, when the activation of the Harmon Gate disrupted the Web, and drew Pursues-the-Unseen to the Gate's world of origin. Now, Pursues-the-Unseen works to help his new world, while studying its magics and hoping to find the Web Between the Worlds, and his way home...
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    I was first inspired by the Red-and-Green Costume Contest. Wish I'd gotten this far in time, but I was stymied by trying to do his suspenders, which would need to be independently colored, and by the Parka, which looks like a ski parka rather than the war-surplus canvas parka he wears. This is my closest attempt thus far...

    Red Green
    RedGreen_zps252b87ce.png

    Remember, if the heroes don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy. I'm pullin' for you - we're all in this together.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Farhunter
    Farhunter_zpsa1ddbfef.png

    He's hunted everything from the fire wyrms of Aldebaran V to the Jinxian bandersnatchi of Sirius IV. On Sol III, however, he has found the most rewarding prey of all - supervillains.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Pyromantic
    Pyromantic_zps8d82cdc8.png

    The appearance is as close as I can come to myself - none of the hairstyles are quite right, and the Chubby face is more like chipmunk-cheeks than chubby, so I just went with Middle-Aged, but it's not that far off. The initial inspiration came from a costume I designed on my emergency backup account, for Strongarm, but I didn't want to make this toon another Behemoth, so...
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Okay, my autistic son's perseveration on firearms has begun to worry people at his school, so until his perseveration changes I've temporarily deleted Captain Americlown (a Soldier AT, everything he does involves guns). Being the altoholic I am, I promptly replaced him with

    Piqsirpoq
    Piqsirpoq_zps22b18ec8.png

    Once a patrolman with the RCMP, he was involved in a crash while pursuing a criminal suspect in northern Ontario. As he lay dying in a snowbank, Qailertetang, spirit of weather and matron of hunters, came to him, and granted him a fraction of her power that he might continue his hunt of the unjust. The RCMP assigned him to Steelhead Division, giving him his costume and new name (Labrador Inuit for "blizzard"). He's currently on detached duty in Millennium City, pursuant to UNTIL's intel regarding a potential Lemurian invasion.

    He was partly inspired by a discussion of nationalist costume parts in the Suggestions forum; it seems reasonable to me that MC would have a pretty fair influx of Canadian supers, given that Windsor, ON is just across the river to the south.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonesing4jonesing4 Posts: 803 Arc User
    edited January 2013
    Nice! I'm impressed that you tied in several different symbolic elements (maple leaf, bird belt, snowflake gloves) without the costume seeming too busy. It actually looks cohesive altogether.

    I don't know what it is about Canadian supers... I love 'Merica as much as the next guy, but those red-and-white tights are always such a clean and classy look. Works well on this one.

    And kudos for making me have to google the name and pick up a little Inuit info!
  • zedbrightlander1zedbrightlander1 Posts: 3,811 Arc User
    edited February 2013
    jonesing4 wrote: »
    Nice! I'm impressed that you tied in several different symbolic elements (maple leaf, bird belt, snowflake gloves) without the costume seeming too busy. It actually looks cohesive altogether.

    I don't know what it is about Canadian supers... I love 'Merica as much as the next guy, but those red-and-white tights are always such a clean and classy look. Works well on this one.

    And kudos for making me have to google the name and pick up a little Inuit info!

    I thinks it's that it has more white than a typical "USA! USA!" type hero and white makes us think of it as cleaner, I'm guessing. CA, for example, is mostly blue with a bit of red and white. Supes is mostly blue with with a red cape.

    I like it for another reason. I can't help but think of Santa looking at all that red and white. And Santa IS the greatest Superhero ever. Ask any four-year-old. :biggrin:
    ZedBlock-200.jpg
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited March 2013
    Hero
    Hero_zpsc0fe0a1e.png

    He has no idea where he came from. He doesn't know his name - he took his sobriquet from the first thing he heard someone shout to him, when he materialized in RenCen near Defender. All he knows is that he feels a burning need to serve Justice!


    Finesse
    Finesse_zps041e203f.png

    He was once an Olympic fencer, and a professional movie stuntman. Then, for reasons he still doesn't understand, he started gaining superhuman levels of strength and agility, and the ability to generate a bioelectric field along a sword blade to stun others into unconsciousness. This, of course, immediately disqualified him from Olympic competition; and his stunt contracts began to dry up, as some film crews were refusing to work with a "freak". Eventually, he decided the only way left for him to earn a living was from reward money; he designed a costume and became the superhero Finesse!
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited April 2013
    You know something? A simple palette change, and Finesse looks much sharper.

    Finesse_zps3f7fc78f.png
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited May 2013
    404:
    404_zps17dd9f2c.png

    404on_zps2c14834a.png

    ERROR - FILE NOT FOUND

    The person you are searching for does not exist.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited June 2013
    Inspired by someone's attempt in another thread to be sarcastic, may I present to you:

    the Ferrous Gentleman!
    FerrousGentleman_zps96b777c6.png

    Charles Babbage, computing pioneer, designed an armored suit, his "Ferrous Device for the Enforcement of Law". Unfortunately, like his Analytical Engine, the design, brilliant as it was, was impractical given the materials and power sources of his time.

    One hundred and fifty years later, however, his descendant James Babbage uncovered the plans and prototypes Charles had created. Like most of his generation, James had dreamed of joining the ranks of the superheroes; now, with his ancestor's invention, made reality with modern materials and devices, James Babbage would protect Millennium City as the Ferrous Gentleman!
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited July 2013
    Okay, two characters I don't have bios for yet, but they've been fun so far, and one reboot of an old classic.

    First up, we have the Arachnid. AT is the Fist; his costume started off as a blackred, but I fiddled about with it until I found a color combo I liked better.
    Arachnid_zps94730b55.png

    Next is Iron Wing, an Inventor. I always thought mechanical wings made sense for an Inventor...
    IronWing_zps05f44e75.png

    And last but not least, we have the latest version of my famed Super-Soldier, Captain Americlown!
    CaptainAmericlown_zps32ad606e.png
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited August 2013
    Fire Ant:
    FireAnt_zps3d6dd2cb.png

    A communal life form, the gestalt creature known to humans as Fire Ant has pursued the Qularr mothership across the cosmos, seeking vengeance for the Qularr devastation of its/their homeworld. It/they arrived just after an intrepid local hero helped the Champions to plunge the mothership into the river outside Millennium City; knowing that its/their tormentors would still be present on Earth, it/they chose to stay and fight here. It/they has/have developed a degree of fondness for the local dominant life form, as well, although it/they still has/have reservations about the existence of things like Raid, so it/they also seek/s to protect this fledgling race from its own villains, as well.

    Fire Ant riding a Fire Ant:
    FireAntSquared_zpsbb91ca1f.png

    Because let's face it, this is the entire reason I created the character in the first place. :smile:
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • chalupaoffurychalupaoffury Posts: 2,559 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Hey man, you asked for a critique from the old cc hosts? I can give you an honest one. Your ideas are whimsical, and fun. However, you use a lot of the same costume set in many of your concepts, which can be a detriment to you in a cc environment. We tend to look for unexpected combos, or new arrangements. That said? Your looks that I'd have pegged as amazing and win worthy:

    Backfire's slick and well colored. The same tights wouldn't kill him for me, and I like the way you designed his armor.

    Ferrous Gentleman would win every contest I ever hosted if I saw him live. Seriously, enter that in a ton of CCs. It's unique, a solid homage, and a great set of pieces used in a unique manner. The name, as well, calls out what his function and design is supposed to represent, which is fantastic. IMO, he is the high water mark for your designs. Your looks are definitely improving as time goes on, too. I'm fascinated by your homage work, I'd love to see you work that a bit more, and then incorporate your usage of pieces into your normal creations. You seem most inspired when you're turning a creative costume phrase, and I'm actually positive that when you start mixing some of those combos into your more normal concepts? You're gonna spark some magic and be a force to reckon with.

    Solid work all around, man.
    In game, I am @EvilTaco. Happily killing purple gang members since May 2008.
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  • tigerofcachticetigerofcachtice Posts: 552 Arc User
    edited September 2013
    Hi Jon, I saw your post in the thread discussing Costume Contests. IMHO, your strongest CC candidates are:
    jonsills wrote: »
    Pursues-the-Unseen
    Pursues-the-Unseen_zps713cabcf.png

    For a Creature category, this looks very good, nice mix of earthy colours.
    jonsills wrote: »
    Inspired by someone's attempt in another thread to be sarcastic, may I present to you:

    the Ferrous Gentleman!
    FerrousGentleman_zps96b777c6.png

    As per the discussion before the Iris Awards, I think this is great, it's an excellent homage, BUT I still think it'd be even better if it was somehow a standalone. For a Heavy Tech or Steampunk category, I think this would be a strong contender.

    ---

    Just a reminder, CCs are judged usually by categories. Being the Best Fit is more important than being the Best Looking. That said, these 2 look particularly good to mine eye.
    Banner%20Try%20Again.jpg
    More action at Champions Online Comics @ http://co-comics.webs.com
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited October 2013
    I've been grinding Zen for some time. I finally gathered enough to buy the Squall and Tornado Flight. Therefore, may I present...

    Sharknado
    Sharknado_zpsbc444777.png

    Sharknado was a semi-failed attempt to create a shark-based Manimal. The human used as a base for this twisted experiment turned out to have wind powers he didn't even know about; the researcher trying to reproduce the work of Dr. Moreau thought it best to equip the poor legless creature with a set of prosthetic limbs, convince him that this had been the original intent, and let him go play superhero with the other freaks in Millennium City...
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited November 2013
    Here's a better view of Sharknado, slightly modified from the previous version because reasons:

    Sharknado_zpsefa347b1.png

    And the newest addition to my lineup, Toybox:

    Toybox_zps8bf39443.png

    The inventor of ArmorAll, a spray-on substance which can make any surface as resistant to damage as steel. Unfortunately, the only surface it works properly on so far is cardboard; it causes cloth to rot instantly, and won't stick to aluminum. When his backers learned this, they immediately pulled all support for the project. As an inveterate inventor, his immediate response was to develop a few more gadgets, then craft a suit of armor from cardboard and ArmorAll and set out to raise more money for development as the hero Toybox!

    (The parts of his costume not covered by ArmorAll-treated cardboard are made of handwavium, a clothlike substance that causes onlookers to dismiss it as completely unimportant.)
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited December 2013
    This one is mostly FlyingFinn's fault. He shouldn't have written such a brilliant parody of a kid's bio.

    On behalf of the Union of Concerned Superheroes, I present to you DarkDemonKillerBlackBlood!

    darkstand_zpsdd5c8b02.png

    'I was born in dark. I am dark. The dark born me. I don't know why. I will kill to find why dark born me. My powers are dark. My name is DarkDemonKillerBlackBlood. I am not a demonkiller. I am dark demon, dark killer. Behold my powers of DarkKill. Darkdarkdarkdarkdark.'
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • superalfgornsuperalfgorn Posts: 558 Arc User
    edited December 2013
    DarkDemonKillerBlackBlood is such a well made parody! :biggrin:

    And Sharknado is just Awesome!!!
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  • diplomacymandiplomacyman Posts: 88 Arc User
    edited December 2013
    Sharknado_zpsbc444777.png

    I don't care what powers you might have, you see that coming at you run away quickly :biggrin:
    ____________

    Exray's Primus Page
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited December 2013
    Okay, I got tired of Blackwing prancing about with the annoying animation they've given the females when they walk. Ergo, the all-new, all-not-so-very-different Blackwing!

    NewBlackwing_zps7fa94c75.png
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited January 2014
    So, after a time I grew bored with my joke character - but the Scourge AT is still fun to play. Therefore, there came into being Broken Arrow!

    BrokenArrow_zps668b28af.png

    In the wake of Project Sunburst and its associated courts-martial, the comatose were hospitalized, the dead were memorialized, and life went on for the survivors. All were accounted for - or so the Army believed.

    One day at Greenskin Base, lead researcher Dr. Howser found his radiation-detection equipment was giving off an odd, patterned reading. Investigating this oddity, he eventually found that he was communicating with one Corporal Bernard Schlecter, who had thought to have been completely vaporized in the Sunburst blast. Bernie had in fact been converted into a semi-disembodied sapient radiation cloud, and had been struggling for years to find a way to communicate with the world. Howser and his team managed to rig up an experimental radiation containment suit with controls Bernie could interface with; in the process, he also found that he could direct radiation blasts in a number of different ways. He has now returned to Millennium City as the superhero Broken Arrow (US military code for a nuclear-weapon accident).
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • chaoswolf820chaoswolf820 Posts: 756 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    jonsills wrote: »
    I've been grinding Zen for some time. I finally gathered enough to buy the Squall and Tornado Flight. Therefore, may I present...

    Sharknado
    Sharknado_zpsbc444777.png

    Sharknado was a semi-failed attempt to create a shark-based Manimal. The human used as a base for this twisted experiment turned out to have wind powers he didn't even know about; the researcher trying to reproduce the work of Dr. Moreau thought it best to equip the poor legless creature with a set of prosthetic limbs, convince him that this had been the original intent, and let him go play superhero with the other freaks in Millennium City...

    Is Tornado Flight recolorable? I'm thinking of making an Ice-based hero, but Ice Slide is a crappy power... if Tornado is recolorable, I was thinking trying to change it to bluish and refluff it as "calling on the frosty north winds" or somesuch. Hopefully it's not one of those changes-based-on-where-it-gets-activated things like Earth Flight or Tunneling is, because I don't wanna be stuck in Canada all the time just to make sure it looks right... And if it is like those two... well then, I have no idea what thematically-suitable power I could use.
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,334 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    It's probably recolorable if you're Gold. There used to be an aura associated with its passive that would make a passable "cold winds" thing if recolored blue. The dirt around Sharknado in that picture is because I was close to the ground - that kicks in the chance to display dirt and rocks in the whirlwind. Most of the time, though, it's invisible, except on startup and when it changes gears.
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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  • chaoswolf820chaoswolf820 Posts: 756 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    jonsills wrote: »
    It's probably recolorable if you're Gold. There used to be an aura associated with its passive that would make a passable "cold winds" thing if recolored blue. The dirt around Sharknado in that picture is because I was close to the ground - that kicks in the chance to display dirt and rocks in the whirlwind. Most of the time, though, it's invisible, except on startup and when it changes gears.

    I'm Gold, yes. And that's reassuring, to hear the debris isn't location-limited but recolorable.
  • leihngweileihngwei Posts: 143 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    Sorry to break it to ya, but no the debris isn't tintable. I would of liked the rocks to be ice blue for my Glacier alt. :frown:
  • chaoswolf820chaoswolf820 Posts: 756 Arc User
    edited February 2014
    leihngwei wrote: »
    Sorry to break it to ya, but no the debris isn't tintable. I would of liked the rocks to be ice blue for my Glacier alt. :frown:

    well, dammit. I'd already bought it. Wasted.
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