Archive for November 16th, 2011
#16 Swift
He’s vicious, has quick acceleration and phenomenal balance, which add up to one serious warrior!
Bah! Just kidding. Swift is a goofball. Always ready for that beer after the game and a few chuckles, this creature is great for the team moral!
#16 The Hare-oscopist
The Hare-oscopist is an unusual augmented animal hybrid. He escaped the medical experimentation facility to find he had an unusual clairvoyance which he parlayed into a meager living writing Horoscopes for the local news paper… hey it’s a gig, and they don’t ask him to come in to the office. Which is important when you are an odd crystal encrusted rabbit with the ability to levitate… just sayin’.
#13 The Hunter
A member of Venus’ aristocracy poses beside his prize: a large, pre-terraform land beetle. Very few of them are left, and they rarely venture very far out of their burrows, as the thinner atmosphere is threatening to all but the toughest specimens. At this point in time Venus is in a transition state, with the atmosphere being replaced progressively with a mix more favourable to humans, causing the death of most of it’s previous ecosystems. Some of the indigenous life has managed to survive and adapt, to varying success, yet innumerable species are lost forever. Rumours of a conservationist movement abounded in the early 50s’, but these have yet to be validated. Venusian flora is in great demand for interior decorating, due to it’s extravagance and ephemeral appeal, despite requiring great amounts of care and resources to maintain the pressurized atmosphere bells it requires.
In the background one can see the ubiquitous atmospheric conversion machines. They constantly absorb the sulfuric acid from the air, aiding the other terraforming installations.
Also apparently the Venusian aristocracy is French.
#16 Autumn Wind
Autumn Wind
Born into a legacy of a super-enhanced family, Autumn Wind was expected to live up to the clan name of strength, honor, and legend. Through her developing years, she was raised to carry the torch as a revered American hero, and stand as the living spirit of the Autumn. She made her family proud as an honest, loyal, and optimistic young woman. But as she grew into maturity she began noticing the flaws in her family: her super-powered criminal uncle who is kept out of the papers, the way the family runs the monopoly on crime fighting in the city, the villains who sometimes disappear without ever seeing the court of law. This young lady has to start answering questions about the importance of true justice and the importance of true family loyalty.
Day 13 Craig ‘The Mustache’ Bailey
Afflicted with abnormal facial hair, Craig earned his nickname from merciless classmates. He was introduced to cage fighting as a form of venting his growing aggression. Now a tournament champ, he delivers beatings to anyone who dares call him ‘Mustache’.
His obsesion with being hairless extends to his wife.
10# Heroic Hound
Hello hello cyber world. I hope everybody is doing good out there. it been awhile for me and I’m alittle behind but I will get back on track. this character is inspired from a cartoon show I use to watch when I was little call Under Dog. Underdog was so cool. To me, under dog was the first hip hop cartoon show cause he was rhyming every time he talk and he was doing drugs to become strong, Awesome. Well, if I had my cartoon show, I would call him Heroic Hound. Not only would he take pills to become strong he’ll shoot up as well, in between his paws, lol. Enjoy everybody. One….
#16 Rusty and “Shiny” Shane Toledo
Universe/Storyline: The Band
Universe details: In the isolated city of Crescent where these characters live, superpowers spring from close encounters with death. Only people born in the city can gain these powers, and since this is a relatively new settlement, the first generation of people born there are just starting to show signs of super-fication. This means mostly kids and teens. Of the teens, Camille, Max, Amelia, Walter, and Rin decide to team up and form a band. They take it upon themselves to realizes that everyone deserves to be informed about the city’s unique predicament, they try to reach every kid in the city at once by putting on a live concert.
Besides the fact that they’re identical twins of age 13, these two have little to nothing in common.
Rusty was born first. He was named for his copper red-brown hair. He despises the infantile associations with the name but embraces it nonetheless. His brother Shane was born moments later, with the same copper red-brown hair, but his parents didn’t name him based on that. Recently Shane has started dying his hair black and calling himself Shiny.
The best way to sum up the personalities of these two is by comparing them to one manic-depressive individual. Shiny is the manic and Rusty is the depressive. While Shiny is bouncing off the walls, getting excited or angry, and just emoting to an absurd extent, Rusty is cowering in the corner, trying to drown out Shiny’s noise with a pillow over his head. The two brothers do not get along.
Rusty and Shiny don’t have any superpowers. They missed out on the concert, Rusty being too depressed and Shiny having fallen into a coma-like sleep that follows an intense day of hyperactivity. When Shiny wakes up to the chaos of the Powers Riots, he decides that he’s going to participate. He gathers up all of the sharp and shiny weapons he can find in the kitchen and sets out to start his own faction of non-superpowered individuals called The Vigilantes. However, no self-respecting teen even a year older than Shiny will join him, so The Vigilantes ends up being composed of a bunch of imaginative kids. To The Band, The Vigilantes are more of a nuisance than a threat.
Shiny and his new friends plague Rusty, hardly allowing him any time alone or peace and quiet. When he overhears what The Vigilantes are planning, he decides to go to The Band and share what he knows in exchange for sanctuary.
#16- Butch McClusky
Forget all you read in History books: Butch McClusky was THE first man in space. But you haven’t heard of him because NASA lost contact with him after his ship got caught in an unexpected comet’s gravity. He’s been lost for 60 years now, and he will return in some 20 years, having aged only 20 years, riding the same old tincan spacecraft he left Earth with, and thinking himself a hero.
Things will have changed quite a lot, though: when he boasts being the original inspiration for Flash Gordon, kids just won’t know what he’s talking about, and his tech skills will be totally outdated and useless. He will, however, receive compensation from the government, and spend his time telling his old- timer stories to anyone willing to hear and hitting on girls half his age.
And no, he hasn’t changed clothes in the last 80 years. Go figure.
#11 Wind Shear (aka stage name: Wyndsong)
Wind Shear : neovidual abilities : complete control over air currents at tornado/hurricane strength levels , intangibility at will, invisibility at will.
Aliases :Â stage name: Wyndsong
Wind Shear is an intergalactic singing celebrity using the stage name “Wyndsongâ€. Being one of the most famous singers in hundreds of galaxies she credits the talent of her voice to her neovidual ability of influencing the air current through her lungs and voice box with complete control while instantaneously phasing & solidifying choice sections of those organs at will. Wind Shear is able to achieve notes and pitches that no other can match due to those abilities. The uniqueness in her sound, and being able to sing in thousands of intergalactic languages, has won her interstellar acclaim.
Wind Shear is also a public and proud neovidual heroine and adventurer. She is respected for the good she has done in these areas. Through this activity she has encountered the hero Moonwill, and is quite fond of him. The feeling is mutual. Wind Shear will become a deeply important aspect in Moonwill’s life and those around him in ways he is not yet aware of.
#10 Althea
This is the 3rd character in a story I’m tossing around about an oppressively matriarchal culture. Because unlike many feminists would like to believe, men aren’t the only ones capable of despotism, oppression, delusions of grandeur, and warmongering.
Coming from a House of such renown and stature as House Bear, Althea knew that it was hard to get an honest assessment of her person. But she prided herself in being a realist, a trait which her grandmother Tante Nameh put a lot of emphasis on. And so, realistically she could say that she was beautiful, but that beauty didn’t amount to much outside of brood mares. She could say that she was passionate, but many in her family used that as more of a criticism than a compliment.
What she would not say out loud was that she believed herself to be shrewd and a good judge of character, even though she was still, by all standards, quite young for an adult. Like her grandmother she could cut to the quick of a matter, disregarding details which were unimportant and merely served as distractions. People’s machinations did not slow her down, she had the skill of assessing not only what was being said, but the reasons why the speaker would say them and the things they would prefer not to mention.
She had been sitting in chambers at what council meetings she could for years, and had found that her reactions and decisions mirrored closely that of the women whom she most looked up to. Tante Nameh had even been willing to take her in confidence, noticing (as little ever escaped her notice) the diligence with which Althea attended all affairs of state, paying attention to every detail so as not to miss those little cues that people so often betrayed themselves with.
This was the main reason why she would not disclose quite how aware she was of the world around her. Best to leave others underestimating her, judging her a careless prankster, they gave so much more away to her than they ever did in her grandmother’s presence, and this information had proved useful for her Tante more than once. And in this, she knew that one of her shortcomings was most likely arrogance, even though she always behaved in a demure and humble manner.
She had another fault. One she knew and did her best to hide. And most likely failed at keeping from her Tante, who had eyes in every corner of the world the Mother Sun shone upon. She was weak with boys and men. This was a critical flaw, she knew it, but she was powerless to it. She would have liked to pretend that it was due to some deeper observations on her part, but she had long suspected that it had far more to do with the heat between her legs.
She craved their attention in an unseemly way. She yearned for the day she might be a Chief, with a fistful of strong bucks answering to her, bowing down to her. She fantasized of moments where her wisdom earned their honest respect and her canny support earned their undying loyalty. She could picture herself asking a pit boss what his thoughts on the matter might be, could picture the hush that would fall in the room as she made show of carefully listening to what the man would have to say. Wether or not he would have useful things to add was nowhere near as important as the affection it would engender in those who served her.
Embarrassing as those thoughts might have been, they paled in comparison to her other flights of fancy. She would find herself wondering, at the most inappropriate moments, what it would feel like to be touched by this man’s calloused hands, or what it would feel like to run her hand down that other man’s well-muscled arm. She would catch herself almost panting at the thought of their heat and weight pressing in upon her as they lost control and she let them.
Which was the stupidest thing to do, she knew, but her mind would go there anyway, disregarding all the warnings she had heard her entire life about how dangerous a man became when he was allowed to unleash his passion on a woman. She wanted it. That was the sum of it. She craved a strong and dangerous man to call her own the same way some of her sisters craved drink or smoke. Her fatal flaw. And one which she suspected Tante Nameh was more aware of than she let on. She could feel the woman breathing down her back, she could almost feel the swish of a whip in the woman’s hands, and Althea hoped that whatever Tante had in mind would finally break this spirit horse which ran wild within her.
#16 Frank the Frowner
Frank the Frowner is a miserable person. He sits at his cubicle in the office all day and complains about everything. He even complains about how much time he spends complaining.
#15 Colonel D. B. Huxley
Colonel Huxley is in command of the 2nd MEF (Marine Expeditionary Force) brigade. His command and control suit allows him to maneuver his four thousand marines. The projector drone that floats over his head creates holo-interfaces, communicates with orbital ships, and allows for precision artillery strikes. In essence, the Colonel wears a mobile HQ.
Day 15: El Asesinos de las Almas
In some faiths there is a belief that humans have spirit animals. An animal that follows them through life, it will accompany their compliment to death as well. Acting as the leader, the spirit animal takes the soul to rest. But sometimes the souls are restless and go rogue. Depending on the person, the animal could be a rabid dog, or posoinous rat, but sometimes it is bigger game.
The larger the animal, the more distorted the beast, that is when el asesinos de las almas steps in. An expert at stealth and big game hunting, this is swift reaper that will cleave the unruly monster from the world of the living.
#14 Wildflower
A regional sheriff, renowned for being incorruptible and a total hardass. She favors her fists over pistols, and her big dumb dragon over any human.
Geela Clutch
If being a three and half foot tall space gnome wasn’t whimsical enough, Geela Clutch takes whimsy a bit farther. Geela was attending an Ardorian boarding school for girls when she met up with Hanzle and Finch. When the New Empyrean Order came to shut down the school for harboring fugitives, (The Gradians) Geela and a large portion of the school left with the two scouts. Now Geela aids the intrepid duo in their search for a new home world.
#9 Riff, the Punk Rooster
I'm playin at the silo tonight you should come check it out.
Riff is a pretty badass rooster. He doesn’t take shit from anyone. Fuck you, farmer, I’ll crow whenever the fuck I want.
#8 Derek Russel
You're never truly alone.
Derek Russel likes to sit on a wall in the park, bringing some bread to feed the birds. He doesn’t really have much friends and never got along with people, but the birds don’t judge him.
#7 Ghost of Yesterday’s Past
Maaaaaaan. TGIF waaaasssss goooooddddd.
The ghost of yesterday’s past likes to hang around and moan about how things used to be.
#16 – Mesara
For more about some of the characters mentioned above, you can check out the following links!
- Minister Khefir (#4)
- Chancellor Hasal (#2)
- General Asom (#11)
#9 The Sky Bandit Beatrix Sprawling
In this day & age, everyone is taking to the skies with planes & all manner of airships. Why should bandits & highwaymen be much different? With the help of her trusty pressure pack Ol’ Gus, The Skybandit Sprawling spends most of her days up in the stratosphere, sticking up any rich, unfortunate soul that enters her airspace. As far as sky bandits go however, pray Beatrix’s the one holding you up. She lives by a series of codes, & she wouldn’t hurt anyone unless she was really forced to hurt them.
Still, it’s best to just hand over your valuables as quickly as possible, as not to test her.
—-
Since the character I labeled as steampunk the other day wasn’t really that steampunk, here’s something more traditionally in that vein. Though I guess it’s more of a Last Exile/’Dieselpunk’ sort of thing I’m thinking here. The thing I had on my list of jump off ideas was Dieselpunk Aviatrix. Whatever it’s still anachronistic. That propane tank cappuccino machine looking thing’s supposed to be her jetpack. It’s set up to either work like a sled or as a back pack. And the red stuff on her arms were supposed to be tattoos, because it bugs me sometimes that ‘punk’ is part of word but never really paid much mind to. I also made her chunkier for two reasons. Firstly, the variety. I felt like the other girls I was drawing were all pretty close to one shape. And second, I felt for her particular case, it kind of helped give her that old-timey, Rosie the Riveter, up-&-at’em kind of attitude. I think I drew the arms too long, & I’m not entirely happy with the rocket pack, but I do like the detail on the head (goggles/scarf) & how the hair came out.
Two more. Hopefully I can maybe do another one tonight.
Since I’ve got you here, check out Morgan Jeske’s tumblr. He’s an all-around cool dude with great taste. He’s doing his own 30 Characters & posting them on his tumblr. He’s in much better shape than me at the moment, giving you a half month’s worth of characters to go check out. Go now! It’s some awesome stuff.
#16-Rosa Snap
Rosa Snap is the Luchadora no one wants to meet in the ring. She has been the women’s champion for as long as anyone can remember. Never defeated, never pinned. Rosa lives up to her name by snapping anyone who gets in her way in half. Don’t mess with Rosa or you will submit.
#8 The Duke of Brixton
Courageous acts made him legendary. And after saving the King’s only son, a medieval peasant named Henry, with extraordinary abilities far beyond that of common men, was given the honorary title of Duke of Brixton. That title, along with flight, superstrength, & nigh-invulnerability has been passed down from generation to generation ever since. They’ve always stood to protect England & to protect the crown. Nowadays, the threats are even bigger, but the Duke is always at the ready.
The current duke, Simon, has carried the title since 1981. Before that, he was just a kid, listening to ska, wanting nothing to do with his family’s wealth or status. He rebelled against authority, having no intention of ever becoming it. That was until his father died while selflessly thwarting a nuclear blast over Sheffield. It stirred something in the young punk. It was then that he buckled down, realizing that being Duke wasn’t only an obligation, but a symbol of national pride. And in his day, Simon came to be regarded as one of the greatest Dukes in history. He fought terrorists & supervillains. He stopped his own nuclear attacks, & even an alien invasion or two. This also put him directly in the public eye. He had a series of PSA’s with the BBC, he used his likeness to endorse special superscience projects throughout the UK, Hollywood movies based on his exploits, & for a time, his own line of organic yogurts. In the late eighties, he even became a tabloid fixture, sparking a relationship with his then Cold War rival Zavtra, whom he later married & divorced.
More recently, Simon’s fallen out of the limelight. A single father, for a time, he put off superheroics to raise his & Zavtra’s daughter, Alina. When he was ready to come back, the world was different. An influx of other superheroes meant less crises to go around; usually it’d be averted by the time he got there. More than anything these days, The Duke uses his celebrity & pretty substantial means to forward scientific & humanitarian projects at fundraisers & charity dinners, feeling there’s more than one way to be a hero. This, of course does nothing to help the popular belief that he’s too old & washed up to be saving the day. The thing is, he’d retire in a second if his now-grown, & awfully rebellious daughter was ready to assume her inevitable role as the first ‘Duchess of Brixton’. But it seems she’d much rather party & tear up half of London in her own drunken escapades than gear up & save the world. Secretly, Simon can relate. At the same time, he remembers the jarring incident that woke him up, & only hopes Alina pulls herself together before she’s forced to.
—-
Earlier this year, I had an idea for an Entervoid character. She was an entitled, bratty party girl who just happened to be the daughter of superheroes. She was sort of the black sheep & fodder for the tabloids. I started developing her but not much into the family she came from. The furthest I got was that they were a long line of superhumans going far back into the middle ages in the UK, & as a reward for their heroic actions, at some point received an honorary title & were famed protectors of the realm ever since. That was about as far as I got before I got distracted & started doing something else. So here’s her dad. But frankly, if I were to do another void character, I’m thinking right now it’d probably be Glorious Sentai Gokaider Red, my first character from this year. Probably because I think this family has a lot of story to explore, more than you could probably show in character battles.
There of course is no Brixton title in British Heraldry. Figured it was best to make one up as opposed to stepping on a real duke or something. I went with Brixton simply because of the Clash song (& why there’s also maybe a little bit of Paul Simonon going on in the face). Originally, I was just planning to make him look like an upper class, well-yet-casually dressed Englishman in a suit. But I thought that might be a cop out. So I started to work on something that might be his Hero suit, intending it to be something you’d see in like an X-men movie or Wildstorm book from the late nineties/early oughts. Ultimately I’m not super thrilled with it because I don’t think it gets the point across. What I really I wanted, was to kind of give the idea that he’s been a bit vestigial & out of touch, & the last time he was a big deal was that Oasis/Spice Girls sort of era. Oh & he’s supposed to be levitating, not standing on tip toes. It might look a little strange without a point of reference. And again, I’ll give it a proper color job if I ever have the time, but that’s looking less & less likely.
Sorry, that all got a little verbose.
#10 Bashful Ghost
He’s a bashful ghost who wears a pumpkin on his head, he lives in the local cemetery. Part of my growing Garlic Pal universe i’m working on.
#16 – Jesque – Bloodthirsty Voodoo Doll
How could she leave me here? She knows I hate the sun. It so hot, I think my stuffing is melting. It’s been hours. I think she’s forgotten me. Feel myself getting weaker. What is that thing coming toward me? Shoo. Go away. I am a mighty voodoo doll and I will make your heart explode or your feet fall off or, what else was I supposed to be able to do? Â
Oh, yes, I will make your speen rupture! That is what her father always says when he is lifting a water condenser or something heavy. So Jenel says that is one of my powers too. Making spleens rupture. Whew. It’s going away. Think pleasant thoughts, she’ll be here soon.Â
Night. I have never been out at night. I am not sure I like it any more than the day. Jenel is usually tucking me in and telling me stories about The People and I used to ignore them. Now I would give anything for one. What’s that sound? Is it another animal? It’s huge and its reaching for me…Â
“What is it?”
“I think its a humie.”
“Stupid. They say ‘human’. Besides it’s too small to be a humie.”
“Are you sure? I have trouble with language. Humies are awful small.”
“Does it look like a humie? Does it smell like a humie?”
“Yes it does, it has one head, two eyes, two arms and two legs. And it does smell like a humie, too.”
Get your finger out of my eye, you clumsy oaf. Those buttons are very rare, thank you.Â
“Let me smell. Hmm. I think your right.”
Stop that, get your nose off of my head.Â
“Do you think they will miss it?”
“Of course they will. We will keep it safe until they come back.”
Oh, my. What is this terrible creature? Why is it lying down and clutching me? That sure does feel nice. Oh, wait, ouch, squeezing me too hard. I can’t believe the things I have to go through for that girl. What is that smell?Â
* * *
“I can’t believe you have me out here looking for your doll.”
“Please, daddy, I know I lost Jesque at the watering hole.”
“Okay, we still have a bit to do before the festival, so I need to get back.”
“I promise, if Jesque is not here, I will help you with whatever needs doing.”
“Fair enough.”
Beast! Wake up. I hear my girl Jenel. Get up, I tell you. I will rupture your innards this instant.Â
They see the creature lying down curled up in a ball, near the watering hole. It’s large, even from this distance, its size is stunning. Tucked in its arms is the small voodoo doll. The most amazing thing is it has two heads, sitting on top of its wide and powerful chest.
“Daddy, I see Jesque.” Jenel runs toward the creature heedless to any concerns except for her doll.
“Jenel, stop!” He raises his rifle that he never leaves home without. Karis III was not a planet you traveled unarmed. Having lived here for many years, they were familiar with most of the animals but not all. This was something he had never seen. It’s movements were slow and deliberate. His finger hovered over the trigger. He hoped he was making the right decision.
“Get up.” A hand smacks the other still sleeping head. “I smell humies. And boomsticks.”
Opening its eyes, the second head, was closer to the ground. “Look at that, its a tiny humie. And she is saying something. I wonder what it is? She is holding out her hand…”
She is saying give me back you dolt. I belong to her. I knew she would come and get me. Release me this instant.Â
“Do you see the second humie with the boomstick?”
It’s her father. He’ll fix this, right now. Yes, shoot this beast so I can come home. I have been out here all night.Â
“Oh, there’s another? See I told you they would come back for their kin. Just like we would do.”
“So give their kin back and let’s go.” The giant turning over and rising slowly to its knees, hands the doll back to the girl, Jenel.
She hugs it fiercely and reaches out to touch the hand of the giant. “Thank you.” Looking at the voodoo doll, she holds him out “Tell the nice giant, thank you, Jesque.”
I will not. Just look at them, two heads, scary eyes, rock-hard skin. And did you notice that smell? What’s there to be nice to?Â
“I’m sorry. He has bad manners. He is a reformed voodoo doll. He still thinks rupturing spleens is good. He still has anger issues. I thank you in his place.”
Letting go of the giant’s finger. She turns and runs back to her father. He hugs her and warily backs away.
“What were you thinking girl? You could have been killed.”
“They seemed real nice. How come we have never seen one before?”
“Maybe they are very private.”
“We should do something nice for them.”
“We will talk about this when we get home.”
The giant gathers up its belongings, fills its water skin and sets off toward its home in the nearby mountains.
“Not so different from us.”
“Nope. Except for that one head.”
“I know. How do they handle the loneliness?”
“I can’t imagine.”
Spleen Rupturing Time © Thaddeus Howze 2011. All Rights Reserved [@ebonstorm]
About the Art: Joan Coleman is a diverse medium artist. Sketch, art, painting and fabric are all mediums she creates fantastic works of art. Her voodoo doll was perfect for the idea I had of reforming a voodoo doll from his ideas of spleen rupturing toward a kinder and gentler nature, and his ultimate failure.
#16 Gabriella Bane
The leader of the army for the “Arcanum Society”. Â One of the ‘factions’ in my future setting.
#30Characters Chatter…