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Still Making Expies On Deviant Art! Who’s Next?! Previews + Polls!
Yup, I’m still doing this. lol That said, compared to what I had up, I’ve made quite a few new Captain Ersatzes on Deviant Art, and I owe a lot of that to my readers who voted on who they’d like to see me make expies of. I’m still going through the list, but here’s a look at what I’ve posted since I started taking requests…
…BUT, as anyone who has been to my Twitter knows, I’ve still got maybe one or two left to go. Specifically, I decided to go ahead and make counterparts for the Justice League. And, because you guys went ahead and helped me out with this, here’s an early preview…with appropriate music. lol
Zenith Woman, The Blue Bubbler, Cybertaur, Ultimatum, Green Defender, Outrun, and The Stellar Savior
Anyway, with that outta way, there’s another poll I’d like to present. Basically, now that I’ve done a few counterparts of Batman’s rogues gallery, I was wondering which group of villains I should do next. So, by all means, vote below on which rogues gallery you’d like to see expies of next, and we’ll see what happens in a week’s time. Ja né!
Making Captain Ersatzes For Deviant Art? Feedback Needed!
So, as I announced on Deviant Art, I’m planning to make Captain Ersatzes via HeroMachine 3 and posting them online. If you don’t know what a Captain Ersatz is (and you’re too lazy to click on the link to TV Tropes, lol), basically, they’re kind of knock-offs of previous existing characters and properties. And before you point out the general track record of these, lemme point out that BATMAN is technically one of these for Zorro. Plus, it’s not like I’m making money by posting these on Deviant Art. I’m just doing this for funsies.
So, why am I asking for feedback here? Well, specifically, I wanna know which characters you’d like me to make expies of. Also, since Green Defender is sort of Batman with powers, which members of his rogues gallery would you like me to make counterparts of, and just any other ideas, thoughts, suggestions, etc. you might have on the subject. Either way, let me know in the comments below, and be sure to check out my various HeroMachine 3 creations (knock-offs or otherwise) by clicking the link under the image below. Ja né!
All-New Superhero Tales – Meet The Rebooted Heroes of Superhero Tales
So, remember a while back, I decided to make my own superhero stories on deviantArt? I eventually left it because I was dissatisfied with how it turned out, but didn’t wanna get rid of the original stories as I knew I could always look back on them as ways of improving on what went wrong as well as reusing what went right. Well, after a while, I decided to bring the stories back as the rebooted All-New Superhero Tales (and yes, I will admit that’s kind of a friendly nudge at Marvel’s All-New Marvel NOW! label) on FictionPress. There are several stories up already, one of which is in progress. Also, I decided to go with a system similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where the movies came out in phases, with each one ending with an Avengers movie. The same will be true of this, where to start off, there’s a series of stories that will highlight each of the individual heroes of this new universe that’ll culminate with The Hexagon. So, with that said, let’s talk about the rebooted heroes of All-New Superhero Tales. Don’t worry, I’ll try to keep spoilers for their stories as low as possible, but if you’d rather read their stories instead, click here. Also, if you wanna see more art made by the one who drew these, check out Emmybomber’s deviantArt page here. Otherwise, let’s start with…
Starslip
Yeah, remember when she was just Green Defender’s sidekick in the original stories? Not anymore! In the new ‘verse, Cassandra Linda Doyle discovered she could turn hard as steel while being bullied for her love of detective novels and her sexual orientation. Learning that she could change her mass to alter her body’s solidness, Cassie decided to use these powers to help the police combat the mob, taking up the name and costume of The Intangible Starslip, all while being aided by her superhero-loving girlfriend and tech support Olette, her retired detective father Kenneth, and an enthusiastic costume designer named Scotty. Starslip’s powers allow her and anything she’s in contact with to phase through solid matter, turn as hard as the strongest kinds of steel, and fly gracefully through the air. She also possesses adhesive gel throwing stars, made by her father and Scotty, for stopping her opponents in their tracks. Despite all this, she does have some weaknesses. She can’t turn intangible when her body is exposed to extreme cold, and the hotter it is, the harder it is for her to over-solidify. Also, certain tricks she can pull off with these abilities can cause her body to exhaust itself or cramp up in pain. Finally, while this power makes her able to avoid getting hurt in combat, it’s up to Starslip to recognize and respond to threats accordingly, so she can be caught off guard. Still, despite only being a superhero for a short time thus far and having to balance this life with her high school life, she’s already managed to break up mob riots and stop supervillains of varying degrees of power. In the end, Cassie’s greatest attributes are her never-say-die attitude, her developing detective skills, and her close bonds with her friends and family.
Outrun
Originally conceived by David Scanlan, AKA @MerryLandOfAus.
In the original stories on deviantArt, Outrun was a close friend to several other superheroes, until an accident where he was exposed to a supervillain’s superspeed caused him to also become a speedster. In the new rebooted universe, Australian-American scientist Stanley Davidson was trying to unlock the secrets to allowing a human being to travel at the speed of sound. Creating a suit powered by an experimental energy source called Velocitrom, Stanley opted to test the suit himself, and after a series of events, he eventually decided to use the suit to become Outrun, a supersonic superhero with a genius’ IQ level. The suit projects a bio-electric field that protects him and anyone in contact with him from the stresses of superspeed, allowing him to safely travel at speeds of up to Mach 3, though his actual full potential is currently unknown, and if he were to push himself too hard, the field could collapse and his body might literally shatter from the stresses. Also, while the field protects anything inside of it, Outrun must keep constant attention of what’s ahead of him, as he could collide with large objects or run down innocent bystanders. To help assist him in the field, he’s equipped the suit with a headset that comes with a GPS tracking system, can make video and audio calls, can hack and piggyback on radio signals, and has a number of different vision and scanning modes. However, Stanley’s greatest weakness may be his own naivety. While he does possess a genius level IQ, he can at times be seen as too trusting of other people, and sometimes just makes simple mistakes and oversights in judgement. And despite being faster than nearly all of his opponents, if they can predict his moves, it is possible for him to be tripped up. Despite this, Outrun keeps up an optimistic attitude, choosing to believe that humanity’s better side will always win out in the end, and will never stop running as long as he believes in that future.
Green Defender
The first superhero I ever created, Green Defender has gone through a number of changes as I tried to get him just right. In this current version of events, Geoffrey Hicks was a young man living in St. Jean, arguably the worst city in America, working with a scientist, Professor Randal, who was experimenting on an advanced form of electricity known as green voltage. However, tragedy struck when members of the mob came to the scientist’s lab, and an explosion left him dead. Geoff somehow survived the explosion, the green voltage instead having bonded to his nervous system. Finding himself the inheritor of Randal’s second lab, a secret underground bunker for testing the green voltage, Geoffrey took his survivor’s guilt and new powers and channeled them into a life of crime fighting, becoming the Green Defender. GD can use the green voltage focused through his gloves to power various gadgets and equipment kept in his belt, including a cutting laser, explosive throwing discs, a taser, and more. The voltage also increases his stamina, vitality, and reflexes to peak human capability. He also carries an extending steel staff, and a number of tranquilizing feather darts. His mask can also come with various customizable lens, which can grant him night vision, allow him to scan and track energy signatures, and more. The fabric of his cape also comes with shape-memory polymers, which when exposed to the green voltage, reshape the cape to resemble the wings of a bird and allow him to glide. Finally, he has the Emeraptor, a remodeled Honda Fireblade with a green voltage engine, able to reach speeds just about 200 mph. For all of his abilities and equipment, though, the Jade Thunderbird has more than his fair share of vulnerabilities. While he can will his electricity through his gloves, without them, a single touch of his hands could conceivably kill a person. Also, his ability to control the green voltage can waver when he’s angry or under duress, which is a problem due to Geoff’s ever-increasing laundry list of issues. Finally, attempting to use the green voltage when exposed to water can cause it to backfire on him with varying degrees of pain. However, even with these vulnerabilities in place, Green Defender has sworn to protect the innocent of St. Jean, and while he will kill if absolutely necessary, he would just as soon exhaust every other possible solution beforehand. To put it short, Geoffrey Hicks values ALL life, and will not take a life unless it is to protect and there are no other options to do so.
Strix
Originally conceived by Teagan Eschborn, AKA @DorkynProudofIt.
Much like in her previous stories, Strix is actually billionaire bisexual bachelorette Téa Rodden, who in turn is the reincarnation of the Glaucus, Athena’s pet owl. As she possesses a link to the goddess’ near-infinite wisdom and mastery of strategy, she was murdered by a god seeking to take those gifts for themselves. Instead, the Glaucus was brought back to life as a human being, keeping Athena’s gifts out of his reach. Growing up, Téa’s advanced mind landed her family a fortune, but also drew the attention of would-be terrorists looking to hold her ransom. Upon learning the truth of her origins and being granted the full of extent of the abilities given to her by Athena, Téa opted to use her family’s fortune to become Strix, the Athene Avenger, along with the help of her maid/agent/confidant, Marlene Wilson, and tech support and occasional superheroine in her own right, Stella Masters, AKA Cybertaur. In addition to her intelligence and wisdom, Strix gains enhanced strength and agility when exposed to light reflecting off the moon, though these gifts can run out over time, especially during the day. She also has God Vision, allowing her telescopic, microscopic, and x-ray vision, as well as the ability to tell if someone is telling the truth or lies just by keeping eye contact with them. Despite all of these abilities, though, at the end of the day, Strix is only human, and possesses the same weaknesses as one, meaning she is by no stretch of the imagination invulnerable. As such, she had Stella build a powerful suit of armour for her to help combat these weaknesses. It comes equipped with owl bombs, smoke pellets, cutting lasers, a fire and bulletproof cape, and a link to her base of operations, The Nest. On top of all of that, her suit also has jets hidden in the shoulder pads. In short, Strix might potentially be the greatest hero in the world of All-New Superhero Tales, with only one other possible contender.
Cybertaur
I’ve actually been told that Cybertaur is, and I quote, “the hypest shit ever”. XD Anyway, in the rebooted universe, Stella Masters is an African-American ex-marine, who in addition to serving in combat for her country has also gained a wealth of knowledge in cybernetics and computer hacking. Following the loss of her lower legs, she was tasked with constructing and testing a personal walker of soldiers without the use of their legs. The project was eventually cancelled, but Stella got to keep the prototype, which she managed to finish while working for Téa Rodden. As such, she would eventually decide to become Cybertaur, acting both as Strix’s tech support and occasional ally in the field. Cybertaur’s mechanized walking apparatus is linked to Stella’s mind, giving her complete control over it. It can gallop at speeds up to 75 mph, and contains a number of different weapons and gadgets inside it, including a blunt mace used for smacking opponents and breaking walls down. If necessary, though, she is a skilled marksman with a pistol, and is fully prepared to kill. As Cybertaur, she also wears a steel breastplate for protection, and the walker comes with a solid black visor that grants her a better view of the surrounding area. That said, she still has one major weakness: If anything ever goes wrong with her walker, she’ll be all but helpless, though she has more than enough skills to be just as helpful behind the front lines as she is on them. However, what’s worse is that she’s VERY aware of her handicap, and can at times be overly sensitive of it, or worse, will even charge into battle just to prove a point.
Zenith Woman
The Immigrant from the Outer Rim’s story has been slightly adjusted for All-New Superhero Tales. Once again, Zenith Woman is an Oondtryxian, a race of warrior women from a sector of space called the Outer Rim, who use a form of psychokinetic power to enhance their strength and speed to become a peacekeeping force. Born Vyxwyndul, which roughly translates as ‘she who can reach any zenith’, she was separated from her people following an evacuation of a planet that had fallen to the Rizlagon, lizard-like conquerors who have committed murders and other atrocities on a galactic scale. Winding up on Earth through unknown means, well over 200 years away from home, Vyx and her robotic companion, ZUUTS, decide to protect the world from interstellar threats, Vyx disguising herself both as a human named Vicky Wendel, and as the superheroine Zenith Woman. ZW can use her psychokinetic field to amplify her strength to where she can use an 18-wheeler as a flail, endure harsh blows and collisions that would ordinarily critically wound a person of her size and stature, increase her speed to where she can outrun nearly every sort of man-made land vehicle, fly at speeds reaching past Mach 5, and even survive the vacuum of space for up to 10 minutes. When lifting heavy objects, the field will surround them as well, keeping them from crumbling apart in her hands. While she is unable to forcefully read minds, she is able to send telepathic messages to people, usually in the form of telepathy or short images, and can sense thoughts and emotions that are dwelled on with enough force. Vyx also has heightened senses, particularly in that her sight and hearing have a much farther radius than humans. However, Zenith Woman’s most unique, and potentially most powerful, ability is her Vortex Breath, the ability to inhale a vast amount of air before releasing it with enough force to shatter the sound barrier. This does, unfortunately, come complete with a major flaw: After using her Vortex Breath, Vyx is left unable to use her other abilities for a certain period of time, depending on how much she took in. At maximum capacity, she will be left with the physical parameters of an average young woman for approximately one hour, meaning she has to be careful about when she uses it. Also, while her psychokinetic energy field is powerful, it is not invincible. It has limits, and certain enemies with high enough levels of super-strength can plough through it. Finally, just using her psychokinetic field requires concentration, and because the gravity on Earth is much greater than that of most planets on the Outer Rim, she can overtax herself much quicker than she’s used to. To combat this, her costume is weaved with kevlar to protect her, and her cape and gloves are made from titanium/flame-retardant polymers.
Anyway, there will be more than that, but these six will form the upcoming Hexagon. For those worried, don’t, the other two members that originally formed it will be introduced soon enough. Anyway, hope you all give it a read, and feel free to comment what you think of these heroes in the comment section below. Ja né!
Superhero Tales Cast In DC Universe Online
So, like I said, a few things have kept me away from blogging. One of them is DCUO, which I am finally playing, thank you new computer. ^_^ Now, because I’m on via free to play, I only have enough slots for two characters, and I currently only have a single character I’m using. No, it’s not the Green Defender, much as I’d like to. Again, free to play, so I don’t have Electricity powers available. I suppose I could always make him a Gadget user, but I don’t really feel like it at the moment. That said, I DID get screencaps of how the characters would look in DCUO, so here they are before I get to the one I’ve been using since the beginning.
Green Defender in DCUO
Again, here’s Green Defender. I thought it came out pretty well. Of course, the electricity isn’t green, but what can you do. lol
Haphephobia in DCUO
Haphephobia came out alright, I guess. I dunno if his actual abilities are in the game or not, but if they were, that’d be awesome.
Starslip in DCUO
Starslip came out…okay, I guess. I just wish I coulda had the skirt AND the leggings. But it’s alright otherwise. Also, I don’t believe her phasing powers don’t exist in the game, which I get, ‘cuz that would frigging break the game. lol
Wishingstar in DCUO
Wishingstar came out GREAT. When I once redesigned the character, PinkRangerWannabe requested a Hunger Games-style design, and that’s exactly what she got, and that shined through here. ^_^
The Bard in DCUO
I was slightly disappointed with his The Bard came out, but N. Harmonik thought it was awesome, so that’s alright. Also, if I WAS gonna make her in-game, she’d pretty much HAVE to have Sorcery as her powers.
Outrun in DCUO
Love how Outrun came out, with one exception. I wish there was a more transparent visor, as opposed to having to make Outrun look like Cyclops. lol
Jack’d in DCUO
Jack’d, sadly, couldn’t have the pumpkin helmet in the game. That said, I guess he came out alright otherwise. The mask he IS wearing makes him look a bit too much like a Deadpool wannabe, but the rest of the costume looks fine.
Strix in DCUO
Strix looks great. And I actually feel a little bad I didn’t think to create her in the first place, since I could’ve easily made her in-game. But, I didn’t. Still, I’m plenty satisfied with who I created, and that is…
Zenith Woman in DCUO
Decided to change her slightly so that she had Mental powers, just so she had some sort of powers with which to defend herself, and her usual power of ‘doing the Kirby’, as I like to call it, had to be replaced with a Sonic Scream, but not a big deal. Otherwise, she still flies, still has super-strength, and has fought Bane, Circe, Metallo, Lex Luthor, Brother Blood, Sinestro, and many others, and came out alive every time.
Zenith Woman Salutes the Superman Statue
That said, one encounter I wish I’d gotten a shot of was when I fought Bizarro. I last 10 seconds against the guy, and he kicked my ass so hard, even after re-spawning, I coulda sworn I was still feeling it. Probably one of the craziest battles so far was the time I joined the Sentinels of Magic against Brother Blood and his seemingly endless legion of demons. Wasn’t the hardest, but it was just pure insanity the way through.
Zenith Woman, Zatanna, Raven, and Doctor Fate after defeating Brother Blood (and yes, that IS the gooey remains of a demon that Raven’s standing in. LOVELY, eh?)
I’m enjoying the hell outta this game. As PinkRangerWannabe pointed out, this is pretty much my Skyrim. And of course it is, it’s an MMO with superheroes. Also, I would just like to point out, as someone who has done both, the way to play this game is with a gamepad. The keyboard/mouse controls are so awkward. lol
…Okay, funny story here. I decided to have Zenith Woman act all flirty around Batwoman. The very instant I had her do it for the photo op, the female cop standing nearby acted all enamoured with the Dark Knightess as well. XD
I’ve also found myself, in the middle of a mission, stopping whatever I’m doing if I see a character getting crowded by baddies and, and this is admittedly kinda dumb, I will stop on my way to go defeats supervillains to stop ordinary crooks breaking into cars or buildings. I dunno why, I just do. But yeah, if yer playing DCUO and you see a superhero named Zenith Woman fly overhead, stop, and then beat the snot outta some carjacker or something, feel free to say “Hi, Jyger!”
Zenith Woman saving Superman from Metallo
Anyway, lemme know what you think of DC Universe Online and Zenith Woman in the comments below, and I shall see you all later. Ja né!
Zenith Woman Paying Homage To The Greats
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Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Scenes From Superhero Tales (WARNING – SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTING AHEAD)
Well, I WAS gonna save this for the 1 Year Anniversary of my own little brand of superheroes, but I got impatient, so I decided to go ahead with this now and do something different for the 1 Year Anniversary. If you haven’t been reading, Superhero Tales is a series of stories on DeviantArt for my own original superheroes and superheroines, from their perspectives as they go about their lives. There are characters like the Green Defender, a man who is infused with an advanced form of electricity called green voltage, Starslip, a teenage girl who can alter her molecular structure to turn intangible or harder than steel (and recently phased out of her closet), Zenith Woman, a stranded alien from a race of warrior women who protect the universe, and a group of heroes called The Hexagon, which teams Green Defender and Zenith Woman with four of the greatest superheroes in the world.
Green Defender, The Bard, Jack’d, Zenith Woman, Strix, and Outrun
Now, since I like to keep a good sense of humour in the midst of an often-times tragic and scary world, naturally I tend to do so in my writing, and Superhero Tales is no different. And while I get that it can be somewhat egotistical to spend time laughing at my own shtick, sometimes I just write out something so ridiculous that I can’t help myself. Plus, let’s be honest, I’m no stranger to self-promoting, so why not here? So, with all that said, let’s take a look at five of my favourite scenes from my stories, and just so you know, SPOILERS for anyone who hasn’t been reading much of what has happened as of late.
#1 – Jack’s Prayer from The Hexagon #10
Jack’d is kind of an enigma. You never know exactly what he’s going to say or do in situations, he has powers that cannot be logically explained, and he has an irrational fear of monsters from outer space, which is odd for a guy who fights zombies on a regular basis. So, in this scene from The Hexagon #10, as they were fighting alien plant monsters called Botanical Aberrations while speeding around a city in a buggy, THIS was his reaction, as witnessed by The Bard from the back-seat.
“Dear Lord, I am aware of the fact that my powers are likely satanic in some way, shape, or form,” I hear Jack’d pray in the shotgun seat while hurling flash paper fireballs at the worms. “But if you could do me a favour and spare my life, I would be VERY much appreciative!”
There’s just something hilarious to me about a horrific-looking chaos mage praying to God in situations like this. Kinda dark, I guess, but funny nonetheless.
#2 – The AT4W References from Green Defender #4
Say, have I mentioned that I kinda like the show Atop The Fourth Wall? Okay, okay, put the weapons down! Yes, I’ve paid homage to my reviewer role-model, Linkara, and his comic book review show on a number of occasions…and naturally, in a series about superheroes, how could I possibly resist making a reference to him in Green Defender #4? Now, there were actually two in this particular chapter, but this one is my favourite.
It’s been two nights since the Greene murder as I weave between cars on the Emeraptor. The streets have been somewhat quiet, save for a break-in at a corner store and one moron who actually tried to pose as an internet celebrity and get free comic books for his ‘status’. I wouldn’t have even needed to get involved, but I was in the area, and the man was claiming to be armed. Not so much.
And for the record, I have yet to explain where that man purchased his not-so-magic gun. I’m saving that for a DVD exclusive. 😉
#3 – The Bard’s Disliking of Truth or Dare from Starslip #6
Okay, this one might not actually make a ton of sense as to why I find it particularly funny, but just bear with me as we look at this scenario play out before Starslip.
“Well actually, since we got more than two people…” Olette says with an almost evil smirk, pulling out an empty bottle.
“Oh no, NOT Truth or Dare!” Bard cries desperately.
“Oh, come now,” Maple replies, “it should be fun.”
“EVERYTIME I have EVER played Truth or Dare with you, you have dared me to do increasingly embarrassing acts,” Bard accuses. “First it was the hair dye, then it was wearing that horribly extravagant dress, then it was singing Never Gonna Give You Up at that bar when the people there were just BEGGING for an excuse for a fight to break out.”
“We escaped, didn’t we?” Maple reasons as both myself and Olette are ready to die laughing.
Now here’s the reason why: The Bard is actually based heavily off of N. Harmonik, who is also my spellchecker, and I know for a fact that she doesn’t like Truth or Dare fanfics. So yeah, that was actually meant to be a friendly joke directed at her…Also, at some point, I NEEDED to include a Rick Astley reference. It’s like a law.
#4 – The Flirt from Zenith Woman #2
…Y’know what, let’s just let the scene speak for itself, as a rather muscular-looking man hits on Zenith Woman while she’s in civilian disguise and going shopping with The Bard.
“Well, think your friend would mind if we went for a stroll?” the man suggests, and it’s at this point I notice his gaze is quite a bit lower than my face. “Maybe go for a bite to eat?”
“…Oh!” I say as I realise his intent. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe we should be mating at all.”
The man blinks, looking flustered. “Wha-…wai-“
“It’s just, that sort of thing should only be done between two who share a strong bond,” I go on. “Also, while your muscles are a bit bulkier-looking than mine, I’m almost certain that, should we attempt to mate, I would likely break you, and I’m afraid I wouldn’t want that on my conscience.”
The man just looks at me oddly, stepping away slowly. “…A-Alright then…I’ll see you ’round…”
I watch as he leaves, confused, until I hear an odd sound coming from behind me. Turning, I see Robina standing a couple of feet away, and she appears to be trying to keep from laughing.
“…What?” I ask, befuddled.
“…Vyx, you have NO idea how awesome that was,” Robina says, tears forming at the corners of her eyes as she keeps from laughing harder.
There’s just something inherently funny to me about an alien girl interacting with dumbass human men. When you see it happening, you know it won’t end well and you likely know the punch-line to come, but you can’t look away! XD
#5 – The Defender Signal Suggestion from Green Defender #17
I’ve made it pretty clear in the past that Batman is my favourite superhero. As such, much of Green Defender was inspired by Batman. And if you’re wondering, here’s who else inspired him…
However, while I try not to make GD TOO much like Batman, there are some moments where I just can’t help but make tongue-and-cheek references to him, as seen here when he’s meeting Detective Catherine Summers on a rooftop.
I land softly on the roof. I’m about a minute late, but I felt the need to scope out the area to make sure this wasn’t a trap. Standing in the shadows of the roof entrance is Detective Summers, having a cigarette as she waits for me.
“Y’know those are bad for you,” I note as I walk over.
“I hear the same thing about having mass voltage running through your body, but you seem okay,” the Detective replies. “Besides, it’s an e-cigarette. I’m trying to quit.”
“Also, there are better ways to contact people than to stash cellphones in their pockets,” I go on.
“Well, what would you prefer, a giant spotlight with your symbol on it or something?” Summers inquires.
Thinking for a moment, I just shrug. “…Eh, too egotistical…”
And that’s my 5 Favourite Scenes From Superhero Tales. I hope you enjoyed this blatant attention-whoring, and by all means, leave a comment below what you thought, and if you like these, by all means check out Superhero Tales. Ja né!
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The Hexagon – Vote Who Gets In!
So people following me on deviantART might know I have this little series of stories I call Superhero Tales. It started with Green Defender, the tale of a superhuman trained to become a hero who now returns to his corrupted home-town in the wake of tragedy to try to overcome crime and his inner demons. From that spun the story of Starslip, a teenage super-heroine being trained by Green Defender who has to fight the escalating crime in their town while also trying to deal with high school drama at its finest. And now we have The Hexagon, wherein Green Defender’s former mentor, a super-heroine named Strix is organizing a group of superheroes who will provide aid and information to each other in their individual efforts to fight crime and the various forces of evil. In other words, my fictional world‘s Justice League or Avengers type of deal.
Now for the past few months in my stories, I’ve been slowly building up to the point where the team will be assembled. However, at some point, I ran into a problem: I had created so many superheroes with their own unique powers and characteristics that I couldn’t decide on a finalised team for The Hexagon. So I thought I would introduce the characters throughout Green Defender, Starslip, and the first few chapters of The Hexagon, give some insight on their abilities and personalities, then ultimately leave it up to a vote. And that’s exactly what I’ve done.
Now, before I list the characters to vote for, allow me to give very brief descriptions of the cast already in The Hexagon, as well as show the character concepts I created for each on Hero Machine 3.0…
Strix
Created for my girlfriend Teagan, who also came up with the name, Téa Rodden is a billionaire bachelorette. However, don’t think her just a female Batman. While Strix DOES carry a vast array of owl-themed gadgets on her, she also has the power to fly at supersonic speeds and, when exposed to moonlight, gains superhuman strength. She also has enhanced senses, has studied many forms of martial arts, and possesses a vast wisdom and high intelligence. The origins of her powers are a secret she keeps from everyone, including her team-mates. Only her butler, Myron, and her agent, Maylene, know the truth of her origins.
Outrun
Again, Outrun was created for a friend, in this case my good buddy David. Stanley Davidson was originally a classmate and friend of the League of High School Superheroes, but one day a group of criminals able to combine into a burst of light moving at hyperspeed came looking for the teenaged superheroes and came crashing through Stan as he was helping them hide. Instead of killing him, though, this incident gave him their powers, thus creating Outrun, the speedster of the group. Since becoming an adult, he is now one of the founding members of The Hexagon. Stan usually keeps a number of helpful gadgets in his belt, such as a GPS tracker, tracers, plastique, and a multi-part collapsible rifle for firing his plastique and tracers from a long distance. I should note for the record that Outrun will be getting a redesign very soon, with will replace a lot of the grey with yellow, and include a visor over his eyes.
Green Defender
After a lab experiment that claimed the life of his high school science teacher, Geoffrey Hicks was infused with green voltage, a powerful self-replenishing electrical force that is channelled through the hands. Taken in by the League of High School Superheroes, he was taught how to use this power to defend the innocent, and thus the Green Defender was born. Wearing specialized gloves that keeps him from zapping anything he touches, he can also manipulate the green voltage in the form of electrical bursts and, most recently, energy shields. He also keeps a number of gadgets in his belt, like tranquillizer darts, explosive throwing discs, green voltage-powered stun batons, and a grappling gun. He rides his personalised ‘Emeraptor’ motorcycle, and while his cape was originally bullet-proof, the energy shields have made this function pointless, and he’s since upgraded to a para-cape for gliding, which will début soon in his solo stories.
Jack’d
Like something that leaped from a Tim Burton movie, Jack’d, once known simply as Jack, was chosen to be his town’s guardian during an incident where alternate reality zombie versions of the town’s populace started to leak through one by one. As such, he was infused with chaos magic that allows him to harness the power of the elements, at the cost of permanently scorching his entire body. This incident, as well as his constant struggle against the undead, has had a detrimental effect on his mind, but he still remains a good person who fights to protect the innocent. Jack’d has the power to manipulate the forces of fire, electricity, and wind, and can teleport to any location with a shadow over it. His personal weapon is a flail with three spiked balls chained to it, and he also has a bag of tricks that he uses in conjunction with his chaos magic.
There’s also another character that will début last as the sixth member of The Hexagon. Without giving too much away, her name is Zenith Woman (not the watches, leave me alone, lol), and she’ll be the true powerhouse of the team. In the meantime, here are the three I’ve lined up to become the fifth member of The Hexagon. I should note that I have plans for all three in case any of them don’t make it into the team, so don’t feel like you won’t be seeing any of the ones you don’t vote for ever again.
Bard
Created for N. Harmonik, Robina Huang was once just an innocent and kind girl of mixed heritage until she encountered a hero called The Bard, who wielded a magic music case that gave him the power to create any musical instrument he wanted, each armed with its own unique power. After The Bard was gunned down by the mob while protecting her, the case was mystically passed down to Robina as she became the new Bard. She is currently a member of the League of High School Superheroes, though she’s in her last year of high school and will be going on her own afterwards.
Maple
Trained at a young age to be a ninja, Nicole Steele decided to use her craft as a super-heroine. Donning a costume representative of her Canadian heritage, she has become Maple, a ninja so skilled in making herself unseen that even her red and white outfit doesn’t give her away much. Like Bard, she is a member of the League of High School Superheroes about to graduate. Unlike Bard, she is suspicious of the group’s leader and founder, though it seems these concerns are justified. In combat, Maple makes efficient use of her four-foot katana, smoke bombs, and shurikens.
Cybertaur
A good friend and ally of Strix’s, Stella Masters was once known as Brickwall, a super-heroine born with inhuman physical strength and, over the years, acquired an advanced knowledge of cybernetics. However, after an accident cost her the use of her legs, Stella created a horse-like walking apparatus linked to her mind, thus rebranding herself as Cybertaur. Stella generally wields a mace as her weapon of choice, and as Cybertaur, she can gallop at the speed of a cheetah.
So yeah, regardless of who is voted in, the team will have 3 men and 3 women. And yes, I did plan that specifically. I just prefer teams with an even number of members to have a good balance as far as gender goes, as well as a variety of colours (Zenith Woman’s colour scheme will be predominantly red, white, and blue). You can vote below in the comments, in the comments section for The Hexagon #4, or in a poll that I’ll be posting in my fan page on Facebook. Either way, PLEASE vote and/or comment on my work, and we’ll see who gets on the team soon. Ja né!
Outrun Bio
So yeah, here’s another bio for a character in my story, Green Defender. This time, we’ve got a speedster as we look at Outrun, originally thought up by my friend David, who is actually the co-host for Annetto Has A Webshow.
And again, I have to remind you, I can’t draw. At all. Thus, I made the below image with the Hero Machine 3.0 Alpha. Now obviously, this hero is VERY Flash inspired (Barry Allen/Wally West/Bart Allen Flash that is), can’t help it, he’s the most famous superhero with superspeed. There was one request that David had regarding the design, though: No mask. And it’s really simple why: When he’s moving as fast as he does, why bother wearing a mask? No one can see his face anyway. I also gave him a utility belt for different gadgets, which you’ll note just about every one of my heroes has a utility belt or some kind of gadgetry to them. It’s for two reasons, 1) I’m a big Batman fan, and 2) I just feel that even those with superpowers should have something to fall back on in an emergency.
Name: Stanley Davidson
Alias: Outrun
Age: 24
City: Mosswood City
Operates out of: Hidden underground lab under Mosswood City
Bio: Stanley Davidson went to school with many of the members of the League of High School Superheroes, even managing to successfully determine most of their secret identities. During an attack on the school by superhumans with superspeed, known as The Streak, he helped them to hide under the school, only to be caught in the middle of an attack where The Streak phased together into a massive speeding bolt. However, by some miracle, not only did he survive, he was left with their powers and used them to help save the team. Afterwards, he was allowed into the League, and later became a senior member mentoring the younger members until an incident kept secret between a few of the senior members caused him to leave, now operating as a roving ally of Strix’s.
Personality: Stan is usually optimistic, laid back, and easy going outside of superheroing, as he usually needs that time to slow his mind down and relax. He’s generally smart enough to see through deceptions, though his friends still know how to play tricks on him at times. However, he has his moments where he an get upset rather easily, usually when someone is overly stubborn or goes against his set of principles. He’s actually good friends with Green Defender, as the two understand each other and the similar circumstances where they were both made superhumans in accidents that should have killed them, though they can occasionally get on each other’s nerves.
Powers: Outrun, as his name suggests, can run so fast that most people would only see a mere blur, if at all. Because of this, he feels no need to wear a mask. While he can usually suppress sonic-booms, it’s impossible for him to concentrate hard enough to achieve maximum velocity (actual Mach level unknown) and not create a sonic-boom. He can bicycle kick or machine gun punch through stone, steel, and earth with ease. To a living being, his strikes would almost certainly be fatal if he wasn’t holding back on them.
Equipment: Outrun’s belt is equipped with a number of multi-part tools and gadgets that combine together in different ways, including rifles that fire remote detonated plastique, radio transmitters, goop bombs, and EMP charges.
Weaknesses: Because his speed is used primarily through his legs, if he’s unable to move them for whatever reason, he’s completely vulnerable. Also, using his super speed requires a mass amount of concentration to avoid running through walls or into people and/or vehicles. Finally, while he can usually move fast enough that he can barely be seen, this is much harder to accomplish in a small, confined area.
Starslip Bio
Yep, here again with another bio for my fanfic. This time, we’re looking at GD’s partner/pupil and member of the League of High School Superheroes, Starslip.
Once again, because I can’t draw worth a damn, I used Hero Machine 3.0 Alpha to put together an image of Starslip. And yes, I know she’s dressed kind of like Sailor V, that’s kind of the point. It’s mostly for the act of distracting foes. But yeah, this is her finalised costume, but I’m not against changing it later on when she grows older.
Name: Cassie Doyle
Alias: Starslip
Age: 16
City: St. Jean/Mosswood City
Operates out of: An abandoned lab/Mosswood High School
Bio: Roughly around the time when Cassie hit puberty, she discovered she was inherently different from other people. One day during school, while one of her classmates was bullying her, she somehow made her body become super hard, actually hurting the bully as she tried unsuccessfully to beat her up. Very soon, her whole school began spreading rumours that she was a monster, but these rumours ending up attracting the attention of Tina Cade, a billionaire who had created a team of teenaged superhumans to act as superheroes. Moving to a new school in the city of Mosswood, her identity was kept safe and she was mentored and trained by other superhumans to control her powers. It wasn’t long until a holographic training exercise where she phased through a miniature star led to her receiving her superhero alias: Starslip.
Personality: Generally up-beat and witty, she tends to finish off opponents with a pun or joke, though the quality of these can be spotty at times. Despite her usual optimism, she also has a vulnerable and at times easily depressed side. She has something of a teenage crush on her mentor, the Green Defender, which can conflict with her better judgment at times. While she tries her best to follow instruction, she also tends to call people out on something if she feels they’re wrong or making a mistake. Cassie possesses an extremely long streak of good fortune, leading to her team-mates on the League of High School Superheroes referring to her as “The Flukemaster”.
Powers: Starslip has the power to change her own molecular structure. At any given moment, her skin can become hard as stone, her entire body can become intangible, she can increase or decrease her mass however she sees fit, she can defy gravity and fly, and even negate the basic human requirement for oxygen, thus being able to fly through the void of space. Her body also has a highly potent natural defense system that repels most forms of poisoning and illnesses.
Equipment: Her skirt actually houses a number of hidden pockets that house light-weight equipment. She usually comes equipped with specialised heat-seeking darts tweaked to specifically seek out the light and heat signatures given off by fluorescent light tubes.
Weaknesses: Her form altering powers require concentration to maintain. If she loses her focus or isn’t aware of a nearby threat, she can be caught off guard. While she has the power to repel most toxins, some require more time than others, leaving her unable to change her form and become vulnerable.
Green Defender Bio
So for the past little while, I’ve been doing a superhero story on deviantArt called Green Defender. And no, it’s not a comic book, because I can’t draw worth shit. Seriously. Also, I don’t have a PayPal account set up yet, so I can’t hire an artist, and I’m not gonna ask so-shipsahoy to draw an entire web comic just for me. So yeah, it’s just a typed out story. But because I don’t cover all of GD’s backstory right away and because people might be interested to see what he looks like, I thought I’d post a bio here.
Now again, because I can’t draw worth shit, I used Hero Machine 3.0 Alpha to put together an image of Green Defender that I would be satisfied with. Also, I’m aware that the logo is an obvious Nightwing rip, that’s because I couldn’t really find a logo that I was satisfied with, and the one I thought up when I was pretty much the Superman logo with a GD instead of an S, so the Nightwing logo is pretty much a place-holder and I decide on a better logo, kinda like how Power Girl‘s old costume had that hole in the chest.
Name: Geoffrey Hicks
Alias: Green Defender
Age: 25
City: St. Jean
Operates out of: An abandoned lab
Bio: When Geoffrey was 16, he was involved in an accident where his science teacher, Doctor Randal, lost control of an experimental ‘green voltage’ that cost the life of Doctor Randal and infused Geoffrey with the voltage itself. Shortly after, he realised the electricity was sent out through his hands to anything he touched. Deciding to run away from home out of fear of harming his parents, he was soon met by a woman named Tina Cade, a billionaire who works with superhuman youths that enlisted him into a new school to hide his status as a superhuman and made him a part of a team called the League of High School Superheroes. After graduating, he returned to his home-town of St. Jean to see it had fallen on bad times with crime rates increasing drastically. He now takes up the mantle of St. Jean’s only guardian, protecting it from the everyday thugs to mobsters to even menaces like the twisted Haphephobia.
Personality: Geoffrey tends to try and be an optimist in defiance of the things happening around him, regardless of how horrible. However, he does have self confidence issues since he’s just now becoming a solo hero. He has learned as much as he can about science from Doctor Randal’s notes left in his own private laboratory, and has since studied in the ways of the greatest detectives and tacticians in the world. He has trained in Muay Thai kickboxing and Judo. He personally abhors the use of guns and lethal force, believing that even the worst of the worst need to at least be given a chance.
Powers: Geoffrey’s body is empowered by experimental green electricity that is channelled through his hands. By wearing gloves, he keeps it from constantly electrifying anything he touches but can still send out electrical blasts and shields by specifically willing himself to do so. He can also heal his wounds by absorbing standard electricity through his hands.
Equipment: Geoffrey’s utility belt generally contains a number of smoke pellets, tranquillizer darts, and various antidotes and sedatives made to combat the effects of Haphephobia’s often-times toxic touch. He also carries a grappling hook gun as he does not possess the ability to fly. His cape is made of a material that is completely bullet proof.
Weaknesses: While the green voltage is seemingly never ending, using too much of it at a time can be exhausting. Getting wet can overload the electricity in his body and cause harm to him, meaning he can’t go underwater without a dive suit of some sort, and cannot use his powers once underwater.
Jyger's Rant 