Not really. Masuku's backround is fairly different. Family is still alive someplace, not a demon, not some super special dohicky, not a mutant, natural martial artist and a police woman.
If you want more detail then well..you'll just have to ask! 
I didn't really look at it that way but your right. Reading mine again I can see I need to add a twist in there that even my hero isnt expecting. As he doesn't know his real reason why he is the way he is, he just thinks he is a freak/ mutant that got his powers because of where his father worked. Now that I think of it however, I need a new twist to it. Thanks. . .
It was actually interesting to think up a human character's backround hat was just naturally....better. No Science, no mutation no nothing, just natural ability and then work a backround up.
It works perfect for the outfit and the supergroup. She IS a normal person! She's just extraordinary in that she works in the SWAT team and is a VERY good martial artist.
We've been on this earth for a looooooooooooooong time... therefor, EVERYTHING is technically a "copy" of stories before it...
What I look for in originality is writing style, and maybe the slight twists to the person's story that are interesting ideas. I don't mind when I read someone's origin and see an old tale I'm reminded of, as long as the story ITSELF is good and I like the characters.
In other words, I'm trying to say don't feel bad if you can't think up an absolutely TOTALLY original origin story... with the origin's they GIVE us that is nigh impossible...
I think The Sly Fox's origin is fairly unique... but then I'm sure if someone else went through they would point out to me "Actually, this happened in 'issue 236' where..."
So have fun, be creative with your chracter, but don't fret if the basic origin behind them feels slightly unoriginal...
Well, it's easier to SAY than do, I know, but hope this helped a bit...
Short version: I was a bad guy who was left to die on the operating table for years, found by a nice old person, and rebuilt as a cyborg who wants to undo his evil past that he no longer remembers.
I think it is origional 
I could be wrong
Simple effective, and alot to build on.
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Short version: I was a bad guy who was left to die on the operating table for years, found by a nice old person, and rebuilt as a cyborg who wants to undo his evil past that he no longer remembers.
I think it is origional I could be wrong
[/ QUOTE ]
PERFECT example! See, it's an original twist to the classic "Evil past, must revenge it!"
Almost like Robo-Cop, but using a BAD guy!
Then as I was reading this I also thought "We can rebuild him... we have the technology!" Heh!
But it's STILL very original, IMHO. Hell, even if the origin was "good cop, killed in line of duty, brought back as a cyborg" as long as the story was original just in the writing style and character choices I would never point a finger and yell: "He stole da Robo-Cop idear!!!" 
The fact that he doesn't even REMEMBER his evil past is a good twist, by the way... would be interesting to watch him if he gets flashbacks as he fights Paragon's badguys...
He knocks the last Family Member out and then suddenly has a flashback to handing the guy he just pummled MONEY in a drug deal!! Very good idea Calash01...
Heck even the "I'm a demon who fights crime!" could be original if the person had some work to it.
Lets see some smartiepants style creativity!
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I know that if you pare it down far enough, most stories can be said to be the same at some level. Heck, most movie themes you can track to a Shakespeare play that has the same core ideas. Just seems that as Ive tried to come up with something unique for the origin of my heroes, all of a sudden Ill think of some real comic character and go Man! Im just copying her/his story!
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And that's perfectly fine, IMHO. All of these well-worn stories are well-worn for a good reason: they work. They satisfy on some basic level. "Avenger of murdered loved ones" may have been done umpteen times before in comics and other literature, but it's a basic and universal motivation that any reader can grasp.
Anyway, a hero is not merely his/her/its origin. Origins only explain how your hero got here. Where the real characterization is -- and the real creative opportunity -- is what that hero does next. How did the hero react to the origin-triggering event? How does the hero's personality color their response to their experiences as a superhero?
For instance, both Batman and the Punisher fall into the "avenger of murdered loved ones" slot, but they reacted to the event differently, and clearly operate very differently as vigilantes (and both are very different avengers from, say, Hamlet). Both Thor and Green Lantern started out as "finder of power-granting object" guys, but they're hardly carbon copes of each other. Heck, the Fantastic Four all had the exact same origin, but are all very different people -- not just because their powers are different, but because they were different people beforehand as well.
So I wouldn't get hung up on the origin. It's only a starting point. My advice is (and I've seen this advice given in PnP RPGs as well), start with something simple and effective as a background, and then let him develop and flesh out as a result of in-game experiences.
Thanks
I did not even think of the Robocop connection until you just posted it. Heh, probably influenced my character and I did not even know it
The flashbacks are definitely in the works. I have started a story about the rescue of Lou that is going to lead into a bad memory that he will not understand.
I think what matters more is what you do with the history you select for your character, not if it is similar to any past events.
In the immortal words of General Disarray:
"Simpsons Did it!"
The Obsidian Shield was an ordinary kid who, while fleeing from Rikti Invaders in the sewers beneath Paragon City, stumbled across the old hideout of the original Obsidian Shield, who was a hero during World War II. Unfortunately that Shield vanished shortly after the war ended, leaving behind several toys in his hideout.
Among those toys were the SHIELD* bracers, which are what gives Roger Drayton the ability change into the Obsidian Shield. Augmenting his strength and stamina, and they also caused the activation of dormant psychic ability (His "Danger Sense", ala, Super Reflexes). So, now he's trying to figure out exactly what happened to his predecessor, while also attempting to follow in his footsteps as a great superhero.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, Roger Drayton is not the best of superheroes.
I posted Chapter One of his origin a while back. I'd like to finish it if I can ever get around to it.
The Stone Titan was a 12 year-old kid who stumbled across a magical artifact in a dumpster he dove into while hiding from some school bullies that were chasing him. The stone had been hidden there earlier by Hellions for safe keeping. When Jesse took it home, he quickly found out that the stone was a lot more than the paper weight he at first took it for. It actually imbued him with the powers of the Norse gods (Think of the Norse version of SHAZAM), transforming him into this massive Viking-looking superhero with the ability to shrug off nearly any blow, and summon up a mighty hammer from the very earth itself with which to smite his foes.
And then there's my Scrapper, The Blue Dervish. He's Claws/Regeneration, and I'm not quite sure about his story yet. As of right now, I'm thinking something along the lines that his mutant power became evident shortly after puberty when his metabolism suddenly shot through the roof. His body began changing and growing rapidly, which resulted in "extra" bones in his arms being grown. These bones turned into claws which he could force out of his arms, and back into them, at will. This also resulted in his body recovering much faster from wounds. Unfortunately this also had a few other problems. Increased reaction times and perception meant that Dervish would speak too fast for people to understand him. That his timing was completely off for the world around him...he was just too fast.
His father, however, knew exactly what his son was going through. I'm thinking that perhaps Dervish' grandfather had a similar case, or maybe his father did. At any rate, Dervish was taken into home schooling away from the other kids, and he was educated in both academics and how to better control his abilities. And soon he managed to control his incredible speed to a point where he could deal with the slower world around him. Of course, once he finished his home schooling, and Paragon City's call went out for new heroes...who better to answer but The Whirling Blue Dervish?
I was also considering that perhaps The Blue Dervish came from the same alternate dimension as The Reichsman and The Amerika Korps. Obviously like we have villains, they would have heroes to battle, and The Blue Dervish could be one such hero. Perhaps the new Portal Corps was back up to their old tricks, or perhaps the alternate dimension found a way to open a new gateway to retrieve their missing champion. However, heroes there managed to chase them down into this dimension, but became trapped here once their mission was completed. Or voluntarily trapped themselves to seal the portal to keep the rest of the Nazi forces from pouring through.
And Jade PRIME...well, he's just testing out a suit of power armor based on Rikti Technology. He helped design it, and actually did not want to test it, but unfortunately he drew the short straw for testing. So, now he's stuck in the suit due to a government contract he signed as a scientist.
Those are all my stories. Not the most original, but at least I don't think any of them were in that list at the start of the thread.
* = Put an asterisk after SHIELD and forgot to include why the asterisk was there. SHIELD stands for Self-adaptive High Intensity Energy Localizing Device. Basically the shield produces energy around the wearer that takes the form of their costume (A suit of black armor and a cowl), and a shield that the user can throw, as well as return to the bracer. By altering the flow of energy he can increase the size of the shield, as well as the shape. But, as it is, Roger's lucky to get the thing to work at all.
Someone told me once that there were only 7 original story arcs. Its how the author crafts the story that makes them unique. If youre trying to find a background for your hero, write what you want as long as you dont plagiarize someone and put forth ones best effort then the story is uniquely yours. Write what you want.
[Warning Official Plug]
You can read Armaiti and the order she belongs background to in the Justice Server Forums under "The History of the Amesha Spentas and Armaiti."
Armaiti
Justice Server
My attempt to prove myself wrong ... Tanda
My characters story in short is this:
She was a research assitsant that helped create the telaportations and regenerations systems that run in the cities hospitals. She got tired of only being able to help the cities heros after the got their butt handed to them. So with the help of the other research assistants they micronized the hospitals technology so that only person can carry and use it. So her job is to keep the cities heros fit while in the field.
- First Responder
I do like this topic! It is a challenge to make something original. Now the funny part is that alot of people are while not blatantly ripping someone off (old twist on old idea) they are being creative! Perfect example, I like to let my 5 year old son make up new characters, he loves the process, and then I type in the story he tells me for the origin. He has not read comics, since he can barely read, and origins he comes up with are on no cartoon I know of him watching. He has almost completely "created" the origins of:
The Hulk (a bomb blew up and instead of getting hurt he got super strong)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (super-slime or a potion turned them super, -many variations on this one)
Thor- (he was a God, and got bored of doing god stuff)
the list goes on.
Now being an avid fan of comics myself, and finding my own preferances, I try and create something that speaks to me, and yet takes on at the very least new twists.
e.g. my main hero Barbarosa
In a nutshell was a great hero, who was able to split himself, parts of him died (long story shorter) and he went nuts. A mutant tried to fix him, and he split into 8 people with fragments of the former. Barbarosa is 1 of the 8 peices and at least 2 of the other peices will be played by my friends. totally different looks and powers. I like heros who fight despite tragedy, who chose to be a servant of the people when they have no reason to be benevolent. Now I'm sure I've missed a comic that duplicates this, or it's too close to a "what if" of Multiple Man. But like my son, I've been creative, even if not original. (but this does not fit neatly in any of the orginal catagories)
Our hero was a promising young athlete, a 7-foot basketball all-star, with a 4.0 grade point average and job offers from bio-tech firms around the world. Loving the game, and knowing that he could always pursue academics later in life, he decided to enter professional sports. Under intense pressure to perform, he struck a deal with the Hellions and purchased a rare experimental steroid to boost his performance on the court.
The drug reacted with his body chemistry with disastrous side effects. Although it allowed him to have increased stamina, and to recover from injuries at an alarming rate, he found that it drastically lowered his intelligence and completely destroyed his ability to learn new concepts.
Without the ability to understand what was happening on the court, and to adapt to changing events around him, his pro career was cut short and his case was highly publicized as a cautionary tale for steroid use.
Taking pity on him, and seeing an opportunity for much needed publicity to help fund his projects, a brilliant research scientist offered the chance to restore his cognitive abilities through a series of experimental therapy sessions. The procedure involved 'forced learning' sessions in which education video would be piped directly to his cerebral cortex. He would essentially be viewing the education material thousands of times (mentally) a minute.
Early treatments were highly successful, restoring much of his intelligence, but in a horrifying series of calamities, the final treatment changed his life forever.
Instead of educational materials being loaded into the equipment, an intern's entire collection of samurai, kung-fu, and Quentin Tarantino films were inadvertenly 'forced' upon him. When the error was discovered, scientists frantically attempted to shut down the machine, hoping to limit the damage... but at that exact moment...
Vahzilok raiders, wanting very much to harvest parts from this enhanced physical specimen attacked the lab. Various superheroes in the area came to the aid of the helpless lab employees, but in the resulting battle all the scientists were killed and the building collapsed, trapping our hero inside... still hooked to the machine... still watching Kill Bill vol. 1 at the rate of a thousand times a minute.
Two days later, when the rubble was cleared, he was found, horribly disfigured, with no identification, astounding skill with a katana, and irretrievably insane. Authorities were unable to identify him, except for medical charts that contained his initials: M.R.E. He was jokingly referred to as Mystery Man.
During the chaos of the Rikti invasion, M.R.E escaped from his padded cell and went on a rampage, seeking Vahzilok zombies wherever he could. Still clinging to his last bit of morality, he functions as a super-powered hero... alas, when he was convinced to register as a super-hero with Paragon City, the names MRE, Mr E, Mister E, and other variations were already taken... he settled for Mr Eman.
Today, he can be found patrolling the streets, katana in hand, a mask to hide his horrible features... and a special place in his dark heart for vengeance against the Vahzilok.
You shouldn't worry to much if your piece is original, although it doesn't hurt.. =P If you feel most things haven been done. Try to do a thought through and well-written story that's just interesting to read.. I can totally watch a movie that's not very original story-wise(take most romantic high-school comedies) but still is executed very well.. ^^
nice! good elements
prize with hidden costs
Thick Irony
failed glimpse of hope
and finally a strained and precarious sense of honor and justice driving him forward. Classic Martyr Hero.
Heres my heros story
I woke up 4 years ago with no memory of my past and strange powers that I cant explain...
NO WAIT!
Im the last known survivor from a distant planet that found that things that my people take as natural are extraordinary here...
NO WAIT!
I used to be a demon/devil/vampire/etc. but now Im a good guy for some reason...
NO WAIT!
My parents (spouse, family, etc) were killed (probably in the Rikti invasion) and now Im here to avenge their death...
NO WAIT!
I was a scientist at a top secret lab working on secret stuff, the lab blew up and now I can do stuff...
NO WAIT!
I found this really weird ancient medallion (crown, armor, etc.) that when I put it on let me do amazing stuff...
*sigh*
I know that if you pare it down far enough, most stories can be said to be the same at some level. Heck, most movie themes you can track to a Shakespeare play that has the same core ideas. Just seems that as Ive tried to come up with something unique for the origin of my heroes, all of a sudden Ill think of some real comic character and go Man! Im just copying her/his story!
Is anyone else having the same problem? Should I just bag the idea of coming up with something truly unique and be satsified with tweaking the story to make it my own?