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Character Contest 60 – Revamp 2.0
Sebastian’s original Son of Thor was a fantasy warrior. I have had the idea for a Norse demi-god character in my meta-verse for some time. It was Sebastian’s version with the scar over the eye that finalized my character’s direction.
Gabriel Dunderson has yet to make it into my “official” meta-verse. Dieties and mythological creatures add a dimension of power that goes beyond the levels of my meta-verse. If I continue his development, Gabriel will most likely be in a separate “mytho-verse.” Not happy with his blind eye. At the time, there was no separate iris in the Eyes items. Work with what you have, ya know.
Sebastian’s Son of Thor:
The Atomic Punk’s Gabriel Dunderson: The Son of Thor
Close-up:
Backstory:
Gabriel Dunderson’s earliest memories are those of his stepfather. An evil man who beat his mother to death. He would have killed the 8-year old Gabriel, too, if the police had not busted down the door and emptied their pistols into the raging alcoholic. A beer bottle had shattered Gabriel’s right eye socket. His biological father nowhere to be found, the scarred child was placed in foster care.As he grew older, Gabriel suffered from waking nightmares and hallucinations. They caused him to have panic attacks and violent outbursts. So bad that his foster parents consented to heavy sedatives and psychotropic drugs. Still, Gabriel would whisper of “trolls” and “demons” that he would see in the corner of his blind eye.
Gabriel decided to run away. At age 13, he jumped on a Greyhound from Madison, Wisconsin, to Saint Paul, Minnesota. He was staying at a homeless shelter when a day labor recruiter came for workers. It was obvious that Gabriel was not the 18 year-old pictured on his foster brother’s Driver’s License. The recruiter only smiled and put the nervous kid to work.
Soon, Gabriel found himself in demand. He worked tirelessly. What would take two, even three men, a full day, the young Swede could do in less than four hours. The day labor recruiter, Sylvia “Siffy” Eklund, gave him a cell phone so she could call as soon as a job became available. She would even let him have afternoons off with pay.
It would have been an agreeable situation except Gabriel was no longer taking the nightmare-surpressing drugs. For the most part, he was able to control his anti-social tendencies. He would go to the library or walk aimlessly for hours after his short work days.
Then the blackouts began. Some mornings, Gabriel would wake in a park under a tree. Others, in a motel room surrounded by dozens of empty beer cans. Which he could not explain as Gabriel swears that he never drinks. Nor does he ever reek of alcohol.
Gabriel once again started to see “trolls” and “demons”. One night, he encountered what appeared to be a “frost giant.” Angry at the hallucination, Gabriel charged the monster in the middle of the street. Only to wake up in the hospital three days later.
Before the Saint Paul Police could get to Dunderson to show him pictures of an ice cream van that had been torn asunder, Sylvia took him to the Greyhound station. She handed him a boarding pass to a “special job” in Las Vegas, Nevada. What she did not tell Gabriel was that the driver he assaulted was dealing drugs from his ice cream van. Nor did she mention the other times that Gabriel had blacked out. In waking sleep, he had put other pushers, rapists, and child abusers in the hospital.
Now 20 years-old, Gabriel still works for the day labor outfit. He even sees Siffy now and then. She calls with “special jobs” across the country. When the job is done, it is on the Greyhound to the next one.
He still sees the demons. He still loses days. Gabriel occasionally wakes up in a hospital. Sometimes hundreds of miles from the job site. When he does, Siffy is there to take him to the bus depot before the police arrive.
Dunderson is not a naïve child. However, he trusts Siffy. As if the work she gives him is leading him to his destiny. The monsters that he sees are growing larger and stronger… but so is Gabriel.
Character Contest 61 – Aries
My sign of the Zodiac. One of the few moments where I fit in “first.” My Chinese Zodiac is “Year of the Ox.” My Aztec / Mayan is “Year of the Rabbit.” April is the fourth month. The number four in Japanese is “yon” or “shi.” “Shi” has an association with death. The ancient Roman traditions of spring planting (Ceres), the founding of Rome herself (Parilia), and a salute to grapes which would become wine in fall. April 16th is “National Stress Awareness Day.” The day that Bat Masterson was gunned down in Dodge City. Lots of ups and downs during these days.
I share some famous birthdays on April 16th (for example, Charlie Chaplin). I enjoy Chaplin’s work because I am a huge fan of early cinema and matinees. Most movies from the 1920s and 1930s are heavy into the industrial themes and futurism. How the generation was bearing witness to not just wonders in entertainment but a fast-paced revolution in manufacturing and machinery. The visions and warnings of Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Mary Shelley, Bram Stroker; Movies like Metropolis, Golem, Nosferatu; The coming of Lon Chaney, Bela Legosi, Boris Karloff…
Anyway… Charlie Chaplin, April 16th. Same date as my birthday. He is somewhat of a controversial figure in Old Hollywood having been black-balled under a cloud of communist sympathy. Which is why I think his feature Modern Times is an all-inclusive representation.
The premise is that Charlie Chaplin is a glove-hand, care-free tramp who finds himself working in a factory. He is out of his element having to toil in a machine rather than an idyllic shop. In his day, it must have been very terse avant-garde social commentary with self-deprecating laughter from all in attendance. In my version, he is over-whelmed not just by the wheels of progress but what they have wrought. Oh, for simpler times…
Charlie Chaplin Modern Times
Close-up
Thanks, and willkommen to HeroMachine, mayday. And thank you, Vampyrist.
Character Contest 61 – Aries
Another April 16th birthday: Basketball legend and Hall-of-Famer Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. In this design, I re-created a scene from Bruce Lee’s Game of Death. A rather poor, haphazard design, but it was all for fun. Kind of ironic, though. Because if you watch the scene, Kareem is just as awkward in motion as he is in my HeroMachine homage.
Kareem-Abdul Jabbar is also famous for his role as Captain Roger Murdoch in the classic movie Airplane. I recommend both movies. Especially to those who hate martial arts and comedies. After seeing these two films, you will most likely hate the genres even more, you killjoys.
Game of Death
Character Design Contest One Hundred!
Winston and Bakawk. No story, just a guy walking his dog.
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Character Contest 61 – Aries
The classic sheep pun. Can’t blame the guy, though. Someone just stole his car.
Gone in 60 Seconds
Character Contest 61 – Aries
“Aries are champions of lost causes and last-ditch resistance.”
Overdid the dirt pattern. I used wrinkles as battle damage, like blows had chipped away the red paint.
Thermopylae
Character Contest 61 – Aries
Mars is the ruling planet of Aries. “Mars Ultor” is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Ares. Mars is not necessarily the god of war. He is the Avenger. Literally, one who fights to right wrongs and seeks justice not simply attacks or conquers. A very different manifestation from “might makes right” but a deity of law (though by modern standards, still very savage).
I added the “swirly” Pattern to my Mars Ultor to give the design a sort of off-setting artistic Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” appeal. That was supposed to be more than a pilot and her mech; rather, a piece of art and culture. It was a stretch. Personally, I like the result. One of my favorite creations.
Mars Ultor
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Character Contest 61 – Aries
Final entry (and another April 16th birthday): Detective Mancini. The legendary composer and conductor Henry Mancini who scored many movies, television shows, and various other pop culture productions. Some of his most famous work was for “The Pink Panther” movies. He also wrote the theme for “Peter Gunn.” Don’t forget “Baby Elephant Walk.”
I tried to incorporate all of these elements of 1950s Beat culture, 1960s spyworks, and 1970s chic. Another personal favorite.
Detective Mancini
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Thanks, livewyre.
One more April 16th birthday to mention, but I did not create a character for him. Peter Garrett, lead singer of Midnight Oil turned statesman. Midnight Oil is one of my favorite bands of all time.
Character Contest 62 – Fantasy Warrior
Design a straight-forward Fantasy Warrior using standard Items. Nothing too flashy or crazy with all the masking and Zypping and hoyvenglaven!
A female barbarian
A goblin general
Character Contest 63 – Taurus
Continuing the Zodiac with Los Angeles gang banger “El Toro”:
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