Power User Profile: Gene

Gene makes me consistently laugh, whether he's on the HeroMachine Facebook page or right here on the blog. He's one of the more active and engaging folks we have 'round these parts, and I am delighted we get the chance to know a little more about him in this week's Power User Profile. I give you ... Gene!

1. Online name used in HeroMachine environs: Gene
2. What is the secret origin of that name: It’s my name
3. A photo (or drawing) of you in "real life": It's an old one, but I take more pictures of my wife and kids than I do myself.
   
4. Real name: Gene
5. Real city/state/country: Sacramento Ca.
6. Real job: Computer programming and Support
7. Real age: 44
8. Gender: Male
9. Relationship status (married, single, in a long-term relationship, dating someone, "it's complicated", etc): Married (Over 18 years!)

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10. Online archive of your creations: This is all of the stuff I’ve entered into contests over the years, more or less in order.
11. The best piece of HeroMachine art you've created: I don't really have any pieces I consider 'my best work' but I do have a couple of favorites. Heromachine allows me to visualize for myself, and others, the characters I create for various projects including RPG Games. So to go with one of my oldest, here is Hardware. A character I've played in a number of Superhero RPGs over the years.
    

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12. Favorite all-time geeky movie if any: Star Wars. (And yes, I like the prequels and the EU)
13. Favorite all-time geeky book if any: Dresden Files series
14. Favorite all-time geeky TV show if any: Tough choice between Star Trek TNG and Stargate. But I would also toss in there Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as favorites.
15. Favorite all-time comic book character if any: I really liked Nightcrawler and Wolverine back in the day. (Before it was cool to like Wolverine, so get off my lawn about it 🙂 ). I also always thought Task master was cool.
16. If you could have one super-heroic power in real life, you'd choose: Super Genius! No, not Wile E. Coyote, more like Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Batman. I wanna build awesome gadgets.

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17. In your leisure time you like to: Hang out with the family, Play RPG’s, video games, read.

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18. Character design turn-ons (things you love to see that make for a good design): Using an object for something other than what it is supposed to do. A gun for a hat for example, but making it look good. Not just putting a gun on someones head.
19. Character design turn-offs (things you hate to see that make for a bad design): A bad pose. There are a lot of great pieces in HM for making non standard poses. Sometimes you can pull it off, sometimes you can’t.
20. Best tip for a HeroMachine newbie: Don’t be afraid to take inspiration from some of the ‘pros’ around here. If you see something you like ins another picture, don’t be afraid to use it. That’s one of the reasons Jeff has the contests; to learn from others.
21. Any personal message you'd like to share with the HeroMachine community about Geek Life: Don’t be afraid to show your geekiness. When I was young it really wasn’t that cool. Now a days it’s not too bad. Everyone has a little geek in them. Heck, just go look at the top twenty highest grossing films. Almost all of them are Sci-fi, fantasy, or superhero. So there are certainly a lot of us out there.