Sparrow_Hawk

I'm not sure where my concepts come from. It feels like I have a little switch in my mind that I can turn on and -- once it's given me twenty or thirty ideas -- I just flick it off and choose from those.

I posted a thread some time ago where I gave sixty people new character concepts, just based upon their name and astrological sign. When I'm in 'on' mode I could do that all day.

I do keep an active catalog of things that currently interest me (at the moment it's woodblock prints, artwork inspired by the Black Plague and Alexander McQueen's shoe designs), so I suppose I unconsciously draw from that shifting pool.

Goodness, some people really get flustered and riled at the notion of popularity. I say embrace your inner mean girl.

My list. Yes, it's subjective, sentimental and incomplete, but it still rocks.

DragonBerry, Ascendant, Rakescar, Cackle, Night Girl, Jumproot, Heroid, Kelp Plankton, Sidney B, Plasma Steam, Invincibelle, Soaring Valor (and her uppity sidekick), Xad (though I cringe to admit it), Thanatos, Bayani, Paladin, Capt. Starfall, Roxstar, Celtic Bolt, Backyard Boom, Captain Valor, Ms. Independence, Rowr, Inertial, Encharger, Massacre Melanie, The Imperial, Poison, White Geisha.

- Sparrowhawk, who needs a new sig and avatar.

The mechanics don't support the genre which inspired it.

If you want to enjoy RPvP, you basically have two options.

1) Play a powerful concept that's true to the mythology of the print genre - most likely some sort of flying, punching supertank. Embrace that they will suck in PvP and do it anyway. Play with a healthy dose of humility and pluck.

or

2) Look at the powersets that are most successful in PvP and rework your idea of the genre around them. Make those sets workable as a character concept, and swallow your RP dignity a bit. Paragon City's Superman is some stealthy, fire flinging, regenerating, super speedy nutter

Oh, and hello those people who remember me. I'm back!

I agree. Good stuff, but combine these into one post please. You'll find much friendlier feedback that way.

This makes me very sad. I've never been a super-serious PvPer, but I've fought many of the LoL Virtue players and have a been a secret fan of their efforts to represent the server.

Crud!

Well, if you guys are still bopping around Siren's and RV, I'll still be happy to run away screaming from y'all.

That's a wonderful piece Graver and Turkey! Those who made it into the picture should be proud, and very glad that you met your ends so tastefully. It could have been much worse; Thanksgiving tribute worse. Stuffing...everywhere.

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I can't resist any call to design a character:

That's heavy, man.

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Winnah.

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Bold, colorful and, most importantly, it doesn't use the giant afro when a more modest do will do. I like it.

I'm usually not a fan of blaxploitation characters (as they're often the *only* black characters I see), but this costume makes him look like a cheeky badass, and not like a disco clown.

Happy Birthday!

Lovely pic, and I even dig the boots!

Soulie, what's that little visor option on New #3? Is it available for females?

I never imagined myself as a cheerleader, but...

Yay! Go go goooo Lol Virtue! RPvP them to death! Woo!

I fear for our parking lots, Wal-Marts and lovely condo conversions. Keep your grubby green vines off our unfettered consumerism, you evil hippy!

Congratulations!

Just pretend God in the world of City of Heroes has been thrown into the same wacky, pop-culture, flim-flam machine like every other deity (mythological or not).

Shiva has two girlfriends named Lulu who shoot lasers out of their toes, and Buddha has twelve avatars that are forced to perform Oklahoma on public access, every Monday. And God has a beard made out of spun sugar where he keeps his reserve army of battle zebras…and his spare Gideon avatars.

A game based upon comic books can’t be expected to be a forum for serious theology. Seriously.

That said, my character Statuette is an animated idol of Artemis and has been known to act as an avatar from time to time. And I don't know a lick of Greek.

This costume is all about an aura. I suggest sticking with the lighter yellow, making the helmet the coral red of a matchstick head (I know, it's not technically 'burnt' but it's a stronger visual) and then gunning for level 30, so you can get a flaming head aura.

Cute concept by the way.

What a bizarre little outft. I love it.

Nice work Spinomania

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I love that Mighty Lad costume. Nice work!

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Thanks!

This is one of the few costumes I've made that really hit on all cylinders and worked from the get-go. The hardest part was coming up with an appropriate name to go with the look.

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That's a very nice look Ironik. Mighty Lad really shines. It's funny how many tricks there are in the uncommon chest details.

The trick with silver age costumes is communicating a confident simplicity without looking like a cartoon. Choose a single detail – the face, the chest, the legs - and design around it. Keep the rest of the costume unfussy: avoid additional details that cause the eye to jump around, like unnecessary belts, boots, gloves and shoulder pads.

Avoid anything that looks 'cool' right out of the gate. This includes most of the newer tech details and embossed armors. A costume that uses dorky, underutilized elements is more memorable.

Play around with patterns. Try to make them look unfamiliar by using weird combinations.

Pair a bright color with a subtler one. Don’t be afraid to use uncommon hues: oranges, yellows, browns, burgundy and duskier blues. Be very careful with purple – it’s the cartooniest color. Use black sparingly.

As applies to evening wear, when you think you’re done and ready to go out, take one thing off.

I love the new jester sets, and your designs are very nice (especially the green one), but the options peeve me a little too. My corruptor, The Red Minstrel, will no longer be a unique little snowflake with her homemade four corner hat. I used to get tons of compliments: now she'll just look like a participant in a parade.

If they're below 40, they're pretenders!

Comrade is tops. Nice, clean, powerful. Dee Jay is great a well, but the new costume pieces make everything look kind of fad-ish right now. Once everyone and their brother stops abusing the enforcer sets, the charcters that integrate it best will shine.

Normally I don't go for monochrome, but the silver version is more effective. It looks heavier, industrial. The pattern on the bottom is good too, but I'd go with a matte texture for the boots. The lace details pull the eye downward.

I'm not sure I agree with Suichiro on the black accents, but it couldn't hurt to experiment with the dark greys.

Nice costume overall!

The composition of Graver's art is so unusual. I love that he (she?) never follows the standard comic book pose-by-numbers format. He intergrates a character's power portfolio so distinctly and always with a light touch of the macabre.

I really, really want a Doll Face original by Graver.

Turboski, I'm tres jealous.

Hades and Persephone's son, with plant powers? Drug dealer, totally. I'll try to work something up when I get home.

The new one has some interesting elements, but I prefer the original look too. I've always liked it. Spinomania has a point, if a character has a strong design it's best not to change it. Instant recognition is worth a thousand costume slots.