#249: Redcap

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING ART AND STORY ARE A BIT FRIGHTENING AND INTENSE. IF YOU ARE UNDER 12 OR JUST EASILY SPOOKED, I SUGGEST YOU SCROLL ON DOWN TO SOME OF THE OTHER POSTS. PARTICULARLY THAT FABULOUS VAMP DOWN THERE AT #247.
     Okay, now that that bit of caution is out of the way, time for my new character: Redcap! I don't expect all of you to coincidentally be experts on English Border Folklore--or to, you know, spontaneously search mythical creatures on Google for inspiration like yours truly--so I'll catch you up to speed. Redcaps are murderous dwarves/goblins/elves/fairies/gosh knows what else, depending on who you ask, that are said to have hung out in abandoned castles on the England-Scotland border. They sprint like caffeinated cheetahs, and if you decide to step foot on their turf, you have about a .78 percent chance of not meeting a pikestaffy demise. Also, they apparently dye their namesake caps with the blood of their prey, so . . . alrighty then. Well, these little monstrosities just so happen to have a modern day counterpart roaming around JC-Verse England. He definitely isn't into the whole blood-dyeing notion, but as far as agility/killing levels go, the redcap title is well-earned. After taking part in a massive breakout at Facility-7, a high-security lockup for dangerous Fantastical Lifeforms located outside London, this former prisoner decided to put his psychotic skillset to bad use under a new persona, ripped right from a creepy old wives' tale. Equipped with a rusty mask that blends all too seamlessly with his real mug, as well as a noticeable level-up from a pikestaff, the nutcase currently known as Redcap spends his time taking on the prey with the biggest bounties placed on their heads, as well as whoever he feels deserves it, such as our old chum Ultimate Hyde. A resounding squat is known about where he got his enhanced speed, or about pretty much anything else regarding him, but at least one thing is for certain: with him, you'd be hard-pressed to find where the monster ends and the person begins--assuming that point exists. (PS, shout-out to the various comic book characters that offered bits of inspiration for this fellow. Now, you guys go get all that blood-dyeing and pikestaffing out of your head for the night. Listen to some "Rainbow Connection" or something, I think you need it.)

( . . . And yes, that is a blood-spattered Jack Skellington antenna topper on the end of his ultra-pike. There had to be something to lighten up this post a little bit.)

NICODEMUS AND THE TRUTHHUNTERS (or "The Unexpected Virtue of Troller's Guilt")

     Howdy! Hello! Guten Tag and greetings to all. Sorry to anybody who was hoping that this would be a new character, but I took 5 from all that noise to bring you something a bit different today. Presenting Nicodemus and the Truthhunters! I have a bit of an infatuation with all that "lost media" jazz. I love cartoon and general pop culture, and I have a fierce love/hate dynamic with mysteries and conspiracies of the interwebs. I see this as a nice middle met between the two. So, starting a few months ago, I thought I was gonna be a real Sly Cooper and somehow prank the internet by starting the rumor of a 2002 Cartoon Network show called "Nicodemus and the Truthhunters" that featured the Illuminati, and was scrapped in production due the real Illuminati getting ticked off at the show's portrayal. (Don't judge me. Web theorists believe more absurd things, I can confirm.) Months past by and I finally got around to making a faux-concept poster for the thing and . . . I ended up liking the way it turned out too much to use it simply for chat room tinfoiler fuel. Plus, in the end, I did feel troller's guilt. I didn't want to get poor speculators' hopes up too high over nothing if I actually managed to pull it off. And thus, I've decided to put it to good use on the blog. Hopefully it was worth all this blabbing. PS, just so I don't totally confuse you all, I'm including a summary of the series below the picture. If you have any other questions I don't answer in said summary, feel free to comment and ask!

    Nicodemus, a young resident at the Abadene Family Institute for the Orphans, has always been fascinated with mysteries. Without nearly any information about where he came from, he practically is one. But after he is targeted and left for dead outside the Institute by a pair of menacing strangers, it's the truth that saves him. Nicodemus is rescued by the Truthhunters, a group of investigative adventurers set out to uncover the secrets of the world around us. Made up of the enigmatic Mr. Kratcher, his bright teen daughter Lisa, and Poing, a flying alien and warrior, the team takes a liking to Nic, and decides that whoever those strangers were targeting him, he is best off under their protection. Excited--and a bit frightened--by the possibility of what is to come, Nicodemus joins the Truthhunters as they do their duty taking on odd conspiracies, investigating strange places and getting ever closer to unraveling the biggest mysteries out there. But if they keep digging, could the truth be too frightening to believe?

JACOB'S CHARACTERZ! FAN ART REDESIGN: SUPERMAN

     Helping those in need is a great way to take part in society, friends. And as far as I'm concerned, after what ol' Zacky Snydz has done to him over the past few years, Superman is someone in need. So, I've decided to do my civil duty and contribute a decent, more traditional redesign of his Kryptonian garb. Here's hoping that we can all do our parts and work together towards a better cimematic tomorrow for our buddy Supes. Completely Irrelevant Guy approves this message:

Dang, this man is irrelevant. Look at how irrelevant he is!

#248: Bennorin and Mallarin: The Universal Forces

CLICK TO ENLARGE

     Alrighty. I've finally made it over the proverbial mountain of hardcore year-end testing. I've seen Civil War and had my spirits rejuvenated by Spidey's awesomeness. I am officially ready to get back into the groove of regular blogging. I would've gotten this post done earlier, but I had to wait on acquiring some paint to properly bespatter these characters into existence. Presenting Bennorin and Mallarin! The creation of the universe is a pretty open-ended deal. Witnesses are kinda MIA so far, and the closest we can come by are those dinosaur fellows. You can try getting something out of them, but they don't seem like the type to chat as of late. This is the same way with the JC-Verse's conception, and while there have been many proposed answers throughout the history of JC-Earth (my nifty new term for the JC-Verse's version of planet Earth, just so you know), the native folks of the Chauwá Starsystem have come up with a pretty eliquent genesis tale of their own. Here's an English translation. *ahem*
    There was a being by the name of Bennorin. He is known to the living as Good. Bennorin was simply a cloud amongst the stars of space: he was large, and jovial, and above all, passionate about creating. He had nothing but time on his hands, and tons of space, so naturally, as an artist, he used both as his mediums. Time and space. He also created something called matter, which he spawned into being in the forms of all sorts of things, including all shapes and sizes of creatures. Bennorin was happy, and with no other force more powerful than him to set boundaries upon him, he had total creative control. Until Mallarin showed up. Another large cloud, rigid, clawed, yet prideful in the way he glided through space. They spoke.

Who are you? said Bennorin.
Your ignorance humors me, scoffed Mallarin. I am Mallarin. But I am known to them as Evil.
You are known to the creatures?
I was created by the creatures, silly being, Mallarin said. I grew in their hearts like algae and, as time went on, consumed many of them. Their birth may be yours, Bennorin, but their lives are mine.
Bennorin said nothing.
Enough of that. I am here to fight you. To challenge you. I am strong, and healthy now from feeding on your weakened ones. I am ready for complete control!
Bennorin continued to hover in silence. He nodded.
Okay then. We may fight. But not with physical blows. With souls. Let us fight for the souls of the creatures. They are my young, but now you say they are yours. Let us see who is right.

. . . And with that, they began. They fought, and fought, and fought, an endless dual for the living and their souls. Why has such a determined Mallarin not won to this day? This is because Mallarin thinks he can win; his goal is to do just this. He is prideful, and hungry for control. Bennorin already has control, and has since the beginning. It is barely anything to him. He doesn't even wish to win. He wishes to protect. To keep his creatures safe from darkness. He loves his creations, and this is why he fights Mallarin, and will for as long as time goes on.

Phew. I can't speak on how accurate this popular little extraterrestrial fable is to how the JC-Verse really got its start, but it's definitely my personal favorite explanation so far. PS, special thanks to my all-knowing, planet-hopping compadre, ol' #100 himself Doug for lending me a short English rendition of the tale from his personal inventory of intergalactic tchotchkes. In case anyone was wondering, he's doing dandy these days. Taking up an anti-gravity tai chi class, doing Sunday bowling with his buddies from the 4th Dimension, etc. Over a century old and still in fine fettle, gotta love the guy.

#247: Spectacula

     Just so you know, guys, I am currently working on about two animations for your consumption. No spoilers, but one actually has words. That's right. We're moving on up. To the east side. But until I finish one of those puppies, here's a new character: Spectacula! There's a lot of fuss over vampires in the JC-Verse. Maybe its something about that stark juxtaposition of glamour and desire to mercilessly feed on unsuspecting prey, or maybe it's just that things that came from Europe are naturally better (examples include the hamburger and Benedict Cumberbatch). Well, whatever the reason, vamps have managed to mantain their very "in" status in JC-Verse pop culture for quite the while, so much so as to often trigger massive style trends - see "emo" - and stay in favor even through the Stephanie Meyer incident. But of all the prominent vamps out there, one is arguably the most known, most influential, and most likely to have this wiped from the web if I don't make him the center of this post. And that, dear readers, is Spectacula. First having hit the runway in the '90s, when humanoid, kung-fu-practicing turtles made a vampire model a pretty tame idea by comparison, Spectacula was probably the first openly-bloodsucking celeb in the mainstream eye. With his exotic Transylvanian appearance and, um, eclectic style, people couldn't seem to get enough of this guy. With companies jumping at the chance to have the fanged fashionista sport their designs, soon he became a household name, and he still is today. Spectacula always knows what to do, and when to do it in order to resurge in relevance again and again, and he feeds on the attention like a pint of O positive. PS, if anyone's wondering why I keep putting his name in italics, it means it's being whispered. Pretty positive it's an unspoken rule in the JC-Verse that you have to whisper his name with alluring flare whenever you say it.

HARK! MONOTONE!

     Real quick. I figured that I should post the pre-color version of ol' Rallister due to the fact it looks, in my and the personal focus group that is my mother's opinion, pretty nifty. Enjoy! Now if you 'scuse me, I must return to the heat of battle on Agar.io. War waits for no man.

#247: Rallister the Reptilian

     Howdy, mortals. I don't think I have anything clever or particularly noteworthy to share with you about my own life as of late. But I feel I need something here to meet that nasty interlude quota, so on behalf of my sister, here's a picture of a shiba inu:

That enough substance for you? Okay, onto the character. Ladies and gents, Rallister the Reptilian! You know, in 2015, a university study showed that world domination is the most common choice of diabolical schemes among villains. You didn't know? Well, that's because I made that up. But still, world dom is a pretty unstoppable strategy for a bad guy -- and few pull it off with as much efficiency and undeniable suave-ocity as the JC-Verse's own Rallister the Reptilian. Born from an alien-brand experimentation program that set up shop in my very own Southern California, Rallister was once just a simple lizard specimen you'd see doing those weird push-up things on your driveway. But after only a couple weeks of rapid development following being exposed to who-knows-what, the king-sized lab rat of a reptile already had matching brains-and-brawn big enough to escape the place, and leave it and its crew in a, um, not-to-stellar condition. Won't go into the deets in case any of you are as big a wussy as I. So what did he do after? Well, he spiffied up, gave himself a good ol' name of his own choosing, and looked out at us humans. And that's when he decided that planet Earth could use a change of management. So, with an extravagantly evil agenda on his mind and a calm and cold demeanor to match his bloodstream, Rallister the Reptilian has spent the last year quietly taking out as many pivotal people in the system as he can, and as scary as it is, it's only a matter of time until he reaches the top. And when he does, I think it'll be safe to say 10 points to Slytherin. I mean, for reals here, people, he should practically be their house mascot.

#246: Superior Sebaster: Ruler of TrueTerra

(Shout out to Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns Batman for initially inspiring this guy's bold-logo'd, bulky look.)

    I know it's necessary, but school leading up to a big test is kind of like an alien parasite. It latches onto you, drains you of life and energy, and reanimates what's left of you to do the cruel exercises it so desires. But thankfully, I am close to prying it from my skull with a mighty crowbar. And that crowbar's name is Friday. So, with the weekend almost upon us, I am finally given some time to sit down and post a fellow I wanted to have posted by Monday. Ladies and gentlemen, my newest character: Superio Sebaster! For every nutjob in existence, there are at the least 10 other nutjobs to act as his/her followers. This seems like a fitting place for a Trump joke, but I feel the Orange One is a bit old hat in the chuckles department at this point. Anyway, this rule of nutjobbery applies nontheless to the JC-Verse, and one shining example is Superior Sebaster of TrueTerra. While most of the population welcomed Fantastical Lifeforms like Zowie and the Juppies when they arrived, hardcore religious man Sebaster saw them as a plague on mankind. He believed that this planet was intended for us warm-blooded homo sapiens and us alone, and that such a forthcoming of odd otherworldy creatures occuring here was a sign of something bad. Like, the end of the world as we know it. And he was not feeling fine. *baddum crash* (Anyone? No? Okay then). Well, wrathful and ready to react, he slapped on a fancy blue tactical uniform, took to an uninhabited island off the West Coast, and set up shop. He proclaimed the place TrueTerra, a home for those who wish to follow him in maintaining a "pure" human society with him as its "Superior", or leader. Sure enough, a whole busload of fellow paranoia peeps joined him, and the society of TrueTerra is now a serious thing in the JC-Verse, sometimes even going volatile and sending small "Terran" task forces out to spread their message and exterminate high-profile FLs. Man. Some pretty heavy stuff. Cue Doc Brown: