#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.