Mr. Vaudeville's Gallery

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Hello, fellow Machiners!

Welcome to my little topic. After using heromachine and being a huge fan of all your wonderful creations for years, I finally decided to join the forum!

I’ll be posting my characters here, though I don’t claim to be as good with the program as most of you! I’ll attach my first hero to the next post and get the ball rolling. I look forward to talking with you guys and contributing to your own topics. Hopefully we can even collaborate!

A little note: I tend to write a fair bit of biographical info for my characters. A reaction of “tl;dr” is completely understandable.

On with the show…

[Mr. Vaudeville]

So, here we go…

———————-

Notes: This first hero, Paragon, was inspired by the real life case of a baby born some years ago in Germany with a defective Myostatin gene, which caused his muscles to develop to extraordinary size and essentially gave him super-strength. There’s also a young man from Michigan(?) with a similar condition.

Profile

Alias: Paragon
Legal Name: Chris Petrakis
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Ethnicity: Greco-American
Occupation: Construction worker; Lab-rat; Superhero
Height: 6′ 4″
Body Type: Muscular, Powerful
Hair Colour: Black
Hair Type: Short, Wavy
Eye Colour: Blue
Skin Colour: Olive
Species: Mutant

Powers and Abilities

Powers: Super strength, superhuman endurance/durability.
Details/Limitations: At least as strong as a dozen big men; able to punch through walls, bend metals, lift cars and other reasonably heavy objects. Invulnerable to most hand-to-hand combat and strikes from blunt melee weapons, and takes reduced damage from blades and bullets. His superhuman durability includes resistance to extreme temperature, though this does not include fire or extreme sub-zero temperatures.
Abilities/Skills: Boxing, Wrestling, Shotokan Karate, Krav Maga, first aid, negotiation.
Costume: Fire/water/stab-resistant nano-fibre bodysuit and cowl; fire/bullet-proof nano-fibre cape; ‘rocket’ boots; strength enhancing utility belt.
Weapons: –
Gadgets/Tech: ‘Rocket’ boots allow him to perform superhuman leaps up to three stories high (and land safely); cowl/headgear contains communications equipment, including a multi-band frequency scanner/radio. Utility belt contains basic medical supplies and cable ties/handcuffs.
Physical Weaknesses: Must eat and drink prodigiously to support his mass and maintain energy levels; must regularly visit doctors and scientists to check for health concerns and side-effects of mutation.
Mental/Emotional Weaknesses: Vulnerable to psychic attack.

Personality and Relationships

Primary Traits: Good humoured, jolly, modest, honest, brave.
Likes: Food, wine, women, justice.
Dislikes: Bullies, prejudice, misogyny, olives, journalists.
Habits/Quirks: Constantly eating, generally slow to anger, enjoys heavy drinking sessions, laughing and swapping jokes, but can be very serious and commanding when the situation calls. Would rather not engage in violence or intervene in a situation unless absolutely necessary, and even then dislikes public attention. Known to crush the occasional journalists camera between his hands like a soda can.
Fears: Mad Scientists, anaesthesia, telepaths.
Family: Parents (elderly first generation Greek immigrants), Eva Petrakis (sister).
Romantic Interests: –
Allies: The Jetman, Mantis, The Magician, Overmind, Solara
Affiliations: International Freedom League, United States Sentinels, Society of European Superheroes, Apex Squad, Terran Defence Corps.
Rivals/Nemesis: –
Enemies: The Shadowguard, The Mutant Syndicate, Tau Magi, Church of the Fractured Dawn.

Origin

The son of Greek parents who immigrated to the east coast of North America, Chris was born with a rare genetic condition that altered the structure of his muscles, granting him a kind of super strength. For much of his youth, he was studied in laboratories and hospitals by various scientists and doctors trying to understand and replicate his condition, but his family life was unaffected and he grew up relatively normal and with relative anonymity, taking interest in fitness, boxing, and karate. The studies and tests continued into adulthood, however, searching for the potential side-effects and health problems that could be caused by his condition in later life.

As he grew into a tank of a young man he was quite intoverted, but made friends easily and developed a passion for intimate drinking sessions and bawdy humour, becoming more outgoing over time. He used his unusual strength to great effect working on construction sites and performing manual labour, although he was always careful to keep his full strength a secret. Fortunately for the world, his powers were revealed to the masses when he donned an improvised mask to intervene in the attempted daylight robbery of an armoured car; an event which received considerable media attention.

After initially turning down offers to join the U.S. military, the criminal Mutant Syndicate, the United States Sentinels, the Society of European Superheroes, and Apex Squad – among others – he slowly came to believe that fighting crime would be the best use of his abilities and began operating as a lone vigilante. When The Jetman later asked him to join the fledgling International Freedom League as a founding member, he agreed immediately – although at first he was hesitant to wear the costume designed for him, stating “It looks like a mascot for a cleaning product…”

Since then, Chris has fought crime and threats to humanity as Paragon, the pinnacle man, for the IFL, the USS, the SES, Apex Squad, and the Terran Defence Corps.

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[Mr. Vaudeville]

Notes: Inspired by Yves Rossy, the real life Jetman. I was too lazy and not good enough with the program to create a better Mechsuit at the time. Will update in the distant future, I’m sure.

Profile

Alias: The Jetman
Legal Name: Jerome Järvinen
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Ethnicity: Finnish
Occupation: Former military fighter pilot/test-pilot; CEO; Businessman; Hero
Height: 6′
Body Type: Athletic, Trim
Hair Colour: Blonde
Hair Type: Short, Messy
Eye Colour: Jade Green
Skin Colour: Pale
Species: Human

Powers and Abilities

Powers: Flight, enhanced strength.
Details/Limitations: Standard gear can fly for up to four hours with a top cruising speed of Mach 3 and max altitude of 50,000 feet (comparable to a decent military fighter jet); jetpacks contain a parachute and reserve in case of power failure. Additionally, armoured suit increases strength and provides some physical defence against attack.
Abilities/Skills: Mechanical engineering, fighter pilot training, Systema, Taekwondo, first aid, diplomacy, aerial acrobatics.
Costume: Bulletproof, shock-absorbing exoskeletal armour and helmet – with winged jetpack – over a fire/cold/water-resistant flight suit.
Weapons: Standard gauntlets contain wrist mounted submachine guns (with lethal or non-lethal rounds), tracking-device launcher, EMP grenade launcher, and short range tasers; various attachments include a shotgun arm, a pulse-cannon arm, a railgun arm, wrist mounted missile launchers, wrist mounted ion cannon, an ‘electronic interface’ gauntlet, a ‘disaster relief/construction’ gauntlet, a circular saw gauntlet, shoulder mounted air-to-surface and air-to-air missile launchers.
Gadgets/Tech: Power-armour increases strength and lifting power to beyond human levels; helmet contains communications gear, targeting computer, satellite navigation system, and a dynamic HUD that shows tactical information, altitude, speed, and environmental statistics; hidden waist and thigh compartments contain disposable handcuffs, caltrops, tracking devices, and other small tools.
Physical Weaknesses: Powerless without suit, save for martial arts. Suit itself is vulnerable to certain EMP and EMP-like weapons, and susceptible to freezing up, overheating, or shorting out in extreme environments.
Mental/Emotional Weaknesses: Vulnerable to psychic attack; public identity puts his family and loved ones at risk.

Personality and Relationships

Primary Traits: Charismatic, decisive, dedicated, resourceful, and industrious.
Likes: Technology, cars, productivity, justice.
Dislikes: Organised crime, bureaucracy, traffic.
Habits/Quirks: A natural, intelligent leader and strategist that appears outgoing, quick to smile, and flashy in public, but introspective and thoughtful in private, spending a lot of time tinkering and inventing alone. His dedication and industriousness can often lead to frustration when things don’t move quickly enough or as planned, but he’s learned to cope with this. Deeply loving and quick to smile, he’s always clinical and calculating when it’s time for business.
Fears: Drowning, spiders, leaving or losing his family.
Family: Marko Järvinen (Father), Maria Järvinen (Daughter).
Romantic Interests: Calandra Järvinen (Spouse)
Allies: Paragon, Mantis, The Magician, Overmind, Solara
Affiliations: International Freedom League, Society of European Superheroes, Iron Patrol, Astroforce, Terran Defence Corps.
Rivals/Nemesis: –
Enemies: The Shadowguard, the Mutant Syndicate, Tau Magi, Church of the Fractured Dawn.

Origin

Raised in Finland by his father, a working class auto mechanic from Helsinki, Jerome lost his mother before he was old enough to remember her. A bright, thoughtful child, he developed an early passion for technology, and became a huge fan of Knighthawk, the avian avenger – a popular ‘rocketeer’ like hero whose adventures were serialised in comic books around the world.

Inspired by his father and his hero, he enrolled in the Finnish Air Force and studied mechanical egineering, becoming an accomplished F/A-18 fighter pilot and test pilot. This made his father very proud, and the two continued to have a strong relationship. Seeing how beurocracy and corruption in the political process often bogged down efforts to fight organised crime, he began designing and building his super-suit and jetpack in secret, obtaining funding via a ‘covert military weapons program’ with the permission of his superiors.

Still in his early twenties, he began fighting crime as The Jetman, while continuing to refine and upgrade his suit. After single-handedly causing the violent crime rate in Helsinki to plummet by over 60%, he left the military with honours and joined the Society of European Superheroes, quickly becoming one of Earth’s most prominent, charismatic, and popular defenders over the next few years. During this time, he held short term positions with both the Iron Patrol and Astroforce, married an Italian actress and had a daughter, Maria.

After his real identity was revealed to the world by an unfortunate military intelligence leak, he took steps to hide the identities of his family, and used his newfound fame to take over his fathers auto repair business and transform it into a large, successful engineering corporation, Järvinen Enterprises. He also began to recruit other heroes from around the world to form the International Freedom League, of which he is a core member and de facto leader. Constantly afraid of the risk to his loved ones due to his celebrity status, he goes to great lengths to keep their identities secret from the public, which he manages with relative success.

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[Vengeance]

good start welcome to the forums

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Thanks, Vengeance. I love some of your costume designs!

[Alex King]

I like it, especially The Jetman, reminds me of older cartoons like GI Joe. 🙂

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Thank you, Alex! I appreciate the feedback.

I grew up watching a lot of those ‘Saturday morning cartoons’ like many of us, although they didn’t show much GI Joe here in England, which is a shame. Hopefully the influence of such great shows will show through in my other and future characters, too.

And I have to admit, a fully articulated Jetman action figure with customisable attachments and removable helmet would be the absolute business. Ten year old me would enjoy that for weeks.

[Alex King]

Same here, I grew up with those cartoons; Turtles, Masters Of The Universe, MASK, Transformers, Bravestarr, stuff like that. 🙂 I’m from Germany, GI Joe was called Action Force here and I think it wasn’t very popular in Europe in general.
However, have you maybe thought about creating a 80s influenced action figure toyline here with Heromachine? Because I would love to see that!

[Mr. Vaudeville]

I have fond memories of all of those! I was a huge fan of TMNT and Transformers. I’d forgotten all about MASK, but now that you remind me, it was a great show. The only thing missing from the list is Thundercats!

That’s a great idea, thanks for suggesting it. I’ll add it to my list of projects! It would be a great excuse to go back and revisit all the old cartoons for ‘inspiration’. 😛

 

[Mr. Vaudeville]

 

Profile

Alias: Mantis
Legal Name: Kazuko Haraguchi
Gender: Female
Age: 27
Ethnicity: Japanese American
Occupation: Assassin; Mercenary; Anti-hero.
Height: 5′ 4′
Body Type: Lean, thin
Hair Colour: Black
Hair Type: Long, straight
Eye Colour: Light brown
Skin Colour: Pale
Species: Superhuman

Powers and Abilities

Powers: Infrared and ultraviolet vision, ultrasound detection, almost superhuman agility, dexterity, flexibility, and reflexes.
Details/Limitations: Can hear frequencies of up to 80khz instead of the normal human 20khz, but cannot hear infrasound – below 20hz. Infrared vision works as night vision, ineffective in daylight. Agility/dexterity/flexibility are at absolute peak human levels.
Abilities/Skills: Asassination, gymnastics, martial arts (including Ninjutsu, Taekwondo, Judo, Jujutsu, Aikido, Eskrima, Kendo, Fencing, and Kung Fu), firearms, stealth, infiltration, chemistry, electronic warfare, demolition.
Costume: Lightweight, stab-proof, and impact resistant body armour, gauntlets, and boots; fully fire/water resistant bodysuit; gas mask; utility belt.
Weapons: Twin Kukri knives; Twin Katanas; one wrist-mounted gas canister launcher; wrist-mounted poison dart launchers (two charges per wrist); explosive compounds.
Gadgets/Tech: Guntlets contain grapnel launcher and wire, gas canister launcher and poison dart launchers; utility belt contains powders and chemicals for making explosive compounds, different poison dart and gas canister charges, throwable EMP/signal-jamming devices, disposable handcuffs, caltrops, and other small tools; mask contains communications and listening gear, as well as being a fully functional gas mask that filters chemical gases, smoke, dust, sand, and other environmental hazards.
Physical Weaknesses: Extremely high ultrasound frequencies can cause crippling pain; can be temporarily blinded at night by sudden and intensely bright light shone directly into the eyes.
Mental/Emotional Weaknesses: Vulnerable to psychic attack; prone to ruthless, psychotic anger when taunted about violent past.

Personality and Relationships

Primary Traits: Intuitive, cold, ruthless, sardonic.
Likes: The arts, history, literature, travel.
Dislikes: Con artists, common thieves, flying, ignorant westerners.
Habits/Quirks: Often seen as quiet, emotionless, and aloof, she is deeply distrusting of new people but fiercely loyal once her trust has been won, with a strict code of honour. Her sense of humour is very sarcastic, dark, and cynical, and is displayed most prominently in stressful or combative situations; something which led to her gaining a reputation for having a mean, ‘ice-queen’ personality. She doesn’t talk much unless she has something specific to say, and prefers solitude and working alone to the company of others. Somewhat ashamed and conflicted over her hyper violent past – for which she is trying to atone – she has been known to completely lose her temper when provoked or taunted about her former life and deeds.
Fears: Being used as a pawn or tool, clowns, bats.
Family: Real family deceased, some adoptive family amongst the ODA.
Romantic Interests: –
Allies: Paragon, The Jetman, The Magician, Overmind, Solara
Affiliations: International Freedom League, Indo-Asian Superhuman Assembly. Formerly affiliated with the Order of Divine Assassins and Lawless Earth Network.
Rivals/Nemesis: –
Enemies: The Shadowguard, the Mutant Syndicate, Tau Magi, Church of the Fractured Dawn.

Origin

The only child of an American secretary and a Japanese businessman, Kazuko Haraguchi was orphaned as an infant in a tragic automotive collision and placed up for adoption. She grew to intimidate the other children at her orphanage, possessing a knack for violence which caught the eye of recruitment officers for the secretive Order of Divine Assassins, who brought her into the Asian chapter of the organisation and removed any trace of her existence from public record.

Spending the next ten years being trained in an assortment of martial arts, weapons skills, languages, and the ways of espionage, she completed her first solo mission for the order before her eighteenth birthday. For some time she travelled the globe undertaking contracts for the order, spending enough time in the west to be considered Japanese-American and becoming one of the organisations most ruthless and successful agents.

At around 22 years old, she was contracted to assassinate a corrupt official and his wife, but found she could not bring herself to complete the act upon discovering that the targets had an infant child. Suddenly feeling the pain of her own barely remembered loss, she reneged from the order. The contract was passed on to another agent who attempted the assassination using a chemical gas. Kazuko intervened, donning an old gas mask to rescue the family. Against all odds the rescue was a success, although some of the gas leaked into the mask and caused damage to her eyes and ears, resulting in the powers of infrared/ultraviolet vision and the ability to detect ultrasound.

No longer an Agent for the ODA, she adopted the new alias of Mantis and spent several years as a bodyguard for hire within the Lawless Earth Network. During a contract in Europe, she encountered and was beaten by several members of the Society of European Superheroes. It was at this time she was approached by The Jetman, who – seeing her potential for good – offered her a chance at redemption by joining his fledgling International Freedom League. She accepted, turning away from her life of crime, and even won a place with the Indo-Asian Superhuman Assembly a year later.

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[Anarchangel]

Welcome to the forums!

You’ve got some really nice stuff here.

[Alex King]

Mr. Vaudeville wrote:

I have fond memories of all of those! I was a huge fan of TMNT and Transformers. I’d forgotten all about MASK, but now that you remind me, it was a great show. The only thing missing from the list is Thundercats! That’s a great idea, thanks for suggesting it. I’ll add it to my list of projects! It would be a great excuse to go back and revisit all the old cartoons for ‘inspiration’.

Thundercats, of course! 🙂 Silver Hawks, Starcom, Dino Riders, Galaxy Rangers…so many nice shows back then. 🙂 I’m glad to hear that you like the toyline idea. Mantis also turned out pretty well, I like that ninja-superhero mix.

 

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Anarchangel wrote:

Welcome to the forums! You’ve got some really nice stuff here.

Thank you so much!

 

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Alex King wrote:

Thundercats, of course! Silver Hawks, Starcom, Dino Riders, Galaxy Rangers…so many nice shows back then. I’m glad to hear that you like the toyline idea. Mantis also turned out pretty well, I like that ninja-superhero mix.

And that’s without even starting on the great comic book Superhero shows.

Thanks, dude.

[Mr. Vaudeville]

Notes: I know there are a few things wrong with the image (layering fails, mostly), but I can live with them for now. I found it quite a challenge to describe and categorise his gear, but I think the concept is lots of fun.

Profile

Alias: The Magician
Legal Name: James Locke
Gender: Male
Age: 30
Ethnicity: American
Occupation: Sound/Lighting technician; Gambler; Vigilante; Anti-hero.
Height: 5′ 11′
Body Type: Toned, slim
Hair Colour: Dark brown
Hair Type: Short, straight
Eye Colour: Dark brown
Skin Colour: White/Light tan
Species: Human

Powers and Abilities

Powers: ‘Magic’ (Via technological tricks and gadgets)
Details/Limitations: Uses technology and gadgets to achieve a variety of seemingly magical attacks, abilities, and effects; limited to what he can carry on his person.
Abilities/Skills: Stage magic, pyrotechnics, sound/light engineering, Boxing, Karate, Muay Thai.
Costume: Bulletproof, stab resistant shirt; combat trousers with armour inserts; utility belts; steel-toed boots; fireproof trench coat, mask, and hat; Neckerchief ‘for colour’ .
Weapons: A custom double-barrelled, sawn-off shotgun, modified to fire non-lethal rounds, beanbags, smoke bomb shells, and flash-bang shells; a deck of thin, lightweight ‘throwing knives’ designed to resemble playing cards.
Gadgets/Tech: Wrist mounted fireball launchers/flamethrowers; utility belts contain smoke bombs, flash-bang grenades, handheld holographic projector (for casting ‘illusions’), chemical powders for causing sleep or hallucinations.
Physical Weaknesses: Only slightly above average human strength, speed, and stamina.
Mental/Emotional Weaknesses: Has a habit of gambling and taking chances. Vulnerable to psychic attack.

Personality and Relationships

Primary Traits: Jaded, cynical, cunning, risk-taker, maverick.
Likes: Magic, music, theatre, casinos, poker, technology, science-fiction.
Dislikes: Loansharks, mobsters, sports, mushrooms, the government.
Habits/Quirks: Addicted to gambling, almost always owing lots of money to lots of different people. Often to the first to make a joke or quip with a dry and cynical sense of humour, although he tends to see the worst in humanity and trusts almost nobody, preferring to work as a lone wolf. When on patrol and ‘in character’, he enjoys dramatics and refers to his tricks and attacks as actual magic. He thinks it’s hilarious that some of the criminals he encounters believe he has actual superpowers. Sometimes displays psychopathic tendencies when dealing with criminals – a true vigilante, with no problem using violence to fight violence, and willing to break the law without a second thought to apprehend serious criminals.
Fears: Needles, mild vertigo.
Family: Mother in Atlantic City (may or may not actually exist, but he refers to her a lot in jokes and quips).
Romantic Interests: Lady Luck.
Allies: Paragon, The Jetman, Mantis, Overmind, Solara
Affiliations: International Freedom League, United States Sentinels.
Rivals/Nemesis: Lady Luck, Memnon, The Don
Enemies: The Shadowguard, the Mutant Syndicate, Tau Magi, Church of the Fractured Dawn, certain members of the Lawless Earth Network.

Origin

Born somewhere on the east coast of the United States to young and unstable parents, James led an unremarkable life until he went to college. While studying sound and lighting technology – and with his parents breaking apart – he developed addictions to gambling, fast women, drinking, and recreational drugs. After graduating, he moved to Las Vegas, NV, where he could use his qualifications and further his love of gambling, abandoning his roots.

Throughout his 20’s, he worked as a technician behind the scenes at many of Vegas’ smaller and less prestigious venues, befriending those stage magicians, comedians, singers, and other performers that frequented the same casinos. While he broke the addictions to drink and drugs, the gambling problem only worsened, resulting to him eventually owing money to a few criminal gangs, including the Mutant Syndicate. Able to claw his way back from the brink, he did enjoy some successes – enough to purchase a decent apartment and live reasonably – but he was never truly stable and always ended up back in debt before long.

Late one evening, after a half-decent magic show at mediocre club, James was packing away the sound gear alone backstage, as usual. It was the end of the night, and very few people were still around, when he saw and heard a mugging in progress in the alleyway outside the stage door. He improvised with some stage lights and pyrotechnics to frighten and confuse the attackers, physically beating one of them and causing the rest to flee, saving a couple of young friends from being beaten and robbed. Inspired by his own ‘good deed’ and excited by the thrill of punching a criminal in the face, he came up with the ‘Magician’ persona and decided to become a vigilante.

Spending a large chunk of casino winnings on martial arts lessons and developing his vigilante costume, while stealing a few gadgets from some of the better performers, he turned out to be an excellent crime fighter, if a bit more violent than most. Las Vegas police started to find a lot of criminals beaten, bruised, burned, and handcuffed by the time they arrived at the scene, and reports started to emerge of the ‘Mysterious Magician’ or the ‘Masked Magician’ in the press. In less than a year, he gained the attention of the superhero community at large – who disapproved of his violent methods but were impressed by his results – and joined the United States Sentinels. He was invited to join the IFF another year later, where he is kept on a tight leash.

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