P.E.R.C. Presents: The Great Makeover - The Vindicators

Here are my entries! My global is @Nic Mercy

Vindicator: Ms. Liberty


Why: I wanted to stay true to the patriotic feel of her original costume but give it a more modern style. As a martial artist, this costume gives Jessica more freedom of movement, showcases the Vindicators logo, and still keeps some of that feel from her original costume. The mask and hairstyle stayed but her facial expression changed to give her a more serious look, especially given what happened to her mother, Statesman and Sister Psyche. Jessica is a woman of today and women aren't as worried about showing a little skin these days as they were in the past. We replaced her skirt with some pants since skirts don't always allow for as much ease of movement when you need to kick a criminal in the face. While I personally would have kept the Liberty Belt for her costume, since it isn't available in the creator I went with the next best thing, the gunslinger sans bullets belt. The overall palette is basically the same as her original costume but darker, grungier, more serious.

From Jessica's perspective, it was time to cast off the trappings of the old and step boldly into the new reality of a world without Statesman. Jessica felt the need to toughen her image so she'd be taken more seriously by both villains and her fellow heroes. Caring less about modesty, Jessica decided to bring a little sexy back with her new look but kept it close enough to her iconic costume that she's still easily recognizable.

Vindicator: Woodsman


Why: I tried to stay true to Woodsman's original costume but give it a more modern touch up. I liked him in a helm so decided to use one in this costume as well. As a being of nature, I wanted to showcase the raw power of life he commands by giving him some glowy accents. His palette doesn't really vary much from his original costume except there's a bit more green that gives him a vibrancy he lacked. The bark of a tree was the concept I was going for with his leggings with some of that "power of life" glow I mentioned before. I felt the ram horns on the helm gave a nod to the stag horns on his original costume. I went with the steel bracers, belt accent and chest strap ring to give that steel from his helm more solidity within the costume.

From Woodsman's perspective, with Numina's help he is once again part of the living world, and in that world, nature is constantly growing, changing and evolving and so should he. Drawing on the essence of the forests in Eden, he girds himself with armor of tough bark infused with the essence of life. To give tribute to the wildlife he adorns his new helm with hand carved ram horns fashioned from fallen branches. His upper torso remains bare to the elements to keep him close to nature but the leather straps from animals he's hunted bind the leather shoulder coverings he now sports give him some measure of protection.

Vindicator: Mynx


Why: Poor Mynx never had a very elaborate costume to begin with so she's probably the one that varies most from her original outfit. For Mynx we kept her hair and ears but changed her face to a similar choice of her Praetorian counterpart, Bobcat, since it seemed more "feline." Like Ms. Liberty I wanted to give Mynx the opportunity to show some skin so her upper body is less covered but still has a rough and tumble kind of vibe. I figured the spiked collar also worked toward that end as well so I added that. I chose the monstrous hands option to give her natural feline claws and the fingerless gloves left those claws out to play. I added some dull gold accenting to the costume to break up her original palette a bit.

From Mynx's perspective, After undergoing some experimental gene therapy to try and restore some of her original human physiology while retaining her feline abilities Mynx decided it was time for a new costume. And while she'd never admit it, her new look took some inspiration from Bobcat. Mynx saw how comfortable Bobcat was with her sexuality and wanted to embrace that trait within herself. She also felt a bit out of date with all these new heroes on the scene sporting more elaborate and memorable costumes and felt it was time to get up to speed. Her new look is still comfortable and leaves her limber and ready to move in an instant yet has a more playful look that not only gets her attention but potentially distracts foes or causes them to underestimate the threat she represents.

Vindicator: Valkyrie


Why: While not as simplistic as Mynx's original costume, Valkyrie's original costume shows its age. As a warrior empowered by high tech weaponry from another dimension I felt it was time to give her an upgrade! Valkyrie's entire original palette basically consisted of various shades of yellow. I wanted to pay a small nod to that but really add some warmth in the tones and add another color which ended up being the dullish brick red I chose. I liked her original Winged Faceplate but went with the higher res wing detail from the Valkyrie set and used a simple fact texture to make it connect with the rest of the armor. The rich gold and brick red work nicely together and the warmer yellow glow gives Valkyrie a more modern armored warrior style.

From Valkyrie's perspective, with greater foes and greater challenges ahead a warrior must be prepared to adapt. Valkyrie saw the need to adapt to world as it is now and returned to Warrior Earth. With Battle Maiden gone, it was easy to find warriors to help her upgrade her armor and weaponry. With a fresh infusion of nanites, her armor evolved into its current form and supercharged with more raw power, Valkyrie feels ready to take on the coming challenges in this new world without Statesman.

Note: This is not an official entry since it is only one character and it is not a current Vindicator.

But since he had at one time been a member, I thought he deserved a new look, too.

I give you...

Malaise

Oh, snap!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow City of Heroes is a game about freedom of expression and variety of experiences far more so than it is about representing any one theme, topic or genre.

Okay so here we go. For my first set of eight, the idea is that, with the Freedom Phalanx on the decline, the Vindicators step up and become the premier heroes of Paragon City, redoubling their dedication to justice and heroism even in the face of tragedy and betrayal. They're moving out of the shadows, sidekicks no longer, and ready to take their turn in the spotlight.

Global @Blood Spectre

So with any team, I tend to start first with the leader, and so today we'll be looking at Ms. Liberty first.


As you can see, what I did here was combined the little bit of Girl Next Door image that Ms Liberty has always had with a classic Silver Age Captain America sort of a look, to create a costume that's sharp, memorable, and almost so clean it's cheesy. She's got a replica of Statesman's cape slung over one shoulder and buckled on with a star shaped clasp. The "fat stripe" pattern on her legs allowed me to complete the stars and stripes look without making her look like a candy cane or a stand in for Where's Waldo. In general I was hoping for a clean, bold image, and I hope that comes across.

Next I moved on to Valkyrie, and boy did she need some help!

Now in Valkyrie's regular costume, one is struck with a garish amount of gold and brown as well as a rather bulky, blocky shapeless sillhouette which is offputting as well. That said, the gold armor is very much a part of her character, and so it would not do to scrap it entirely. What I have done instead is replace the bulkier armored top with a slimmer design that is built up in armor with chest and shoulder details, allowing Valkyrie to look well protected while avoiding the shapeless torso the bulkier chest options of the past left her stuck with. The Valkyrie set was all but tailor made from this, and so I borrowed from it heavily, as well as from other newer tech armor sets. Additionally, I highlighted her suit in a sort of a cold, icey blue, like the Nordic sky, which helps to break up all the gold and looks very sharp. I likewise added the high tech winged jetpack, to allow her to fly like her namesake while still keeping a sleek, high tech profile. Finally, and in many ways most importantly, Valkyrie's spear is at the center of her powers, and yet she doesn't use it. Instead she used a broadsword that really has nothing to do with her character at all. With the addition of Staff melee, she can finally become the character she was always meant to be. I chose this broad bladed War Staff because it was the only one that looked believably high tech and didn't also look like a toy in her big armored gauntlets.

For my third choice, I did The Woodsman, who I didn't even realize was on this team. Did he take Malaise's spot? He wasn't in the comics, as far as I recall? Well whatever, he's a cool character with a neat costume, so it was fun to put my own spin on it.


Now, unlike most of the team, Woodsman's original costume is actually pretty sweet. Improving on that would be a tall order, but here's my best shot. We don't really have a sweet rack of antlers like the devs gave the Woodsman model, but the organic armor horns are a good stand in. I put this in with the dreads and head scarf as well as the scruffy, wispy beard to give him a sort of a Forest King of the Music Festival vibe. The costume uses verdant greens, earthy browns, and stark white colors to convey Woodsman's connection to the seasons, the natural world, and the cycle of life and death. As a ghost, death is always close at hand, as symbolised by the skulls on his shoulder, but as a champion of the natural world, life springs from his feet, as shown by the verdant path aura.

Fourthly, I moved on to another character in desperate need of a make over; Luminary.


In a lot of ways Luminary has the same problem as Valkyrie, from a pallette perspective. It's an issue zero costume without a lot of detail to catch the eye, and a very limited range of colors. What I have done in this case, is to update her body to use the new reflective metallic type, and added apporopriate high tech details. Most notably, I put as many of the glowing loops on her as I could, because I wanted to make the name Luminary as synonymous with glowing light in the game as it is in the dictionary. So Luminary is lit up all over. I added the electric pattern on her body and legs in a slightly greener yellow because of the two tone effect this has on the lights from her hands and eyes. Finally, the new clockwork have given us awesome robot faces, and it would just be kind of a waste not to upgrade her in that fashion.

Number 5! Over half way done now. Let's take a look at.... Swan!


Hoo boy. Swan. This one wasn't easy. Swan's costume has been a punchline in almost every regular team I have been a part of. Even the guys writing Who Will Die have gotten in on the joke. Now, for starters, we know that if you use white on the tights pattern, it just ends up looking sheer and naked. So instead, I used textured cloths so I could mainly put her in white and have her still look dressed. I took a lot of my inspiration from Raven (of Teen Titan's fame), and decided to put Swan in a low hood that showed a lot of skin from the front, but preserved modesty in motion. I did my best to keep her full face out of the camera (because faces look kind of dumb under these hoods, IMO), put bold pink and red highlights to break up the monochrome, and added some pointed gloves and the Justice boots to make the whole thing Superhero chic.

Next up; Mynx!


More than any other character in this project, my Mynx stays closest to her original costume. I upgraded her from the Tights texture to the bodysuit so she looks a lot less, you know, nude. I also added a heavy studded belt to break up the uniformity, as well as putting the toy kitten on her shoulder. Also I upgraded her claws to laser claws, because yeah, laser claws are awesome. Finally, I knew the changes I had made would look best on a model in motion, so all the poses here come from the power editor, showing what Mynx will look like as she moves and fights, and while I am slightly concerned about the damage she does to her spine in the second image, I think in general she turned out looking about perfect.

Next,let's try a heroic take on the least heroic seeming hero in the game; Infernal!



Of course, Infernal is the dark and brooding type. He is not supposed to look heroic or noble. He's the team's dark knight, the bad cop to their good ones. Keeping this in mind I put his armor in much darker tones. Like with Valkyrie, I avoided the chunkier chest armors, and started with a slimmer top and built it up with existing textures, to allow Infernal to retain a muscular sillhouette.

And last but not least, Aurora Borealis! Yes at this time of year, yes at this altitude, yes in the middle of the afternoon, and no you can't see it! Oh, okay you can see it.



So now, the thought with Aurora here is to evoke the northern lights of her namesake. Aurora Borealis can occur in a number of colors, of course, but my favorite images have always been this otherworldly blue and orange blend that every movie cover in history has tried to recapture. So that is what I tried to evoke with Aurora's costume, that and her tremendous psychic powers, which I think the eye make up and the head piece really enforce.

My second entry is a themed entry featuring four vindicators: Aurora Borealis, Luminary, Woodsman, and Valkyrie.

Background: After the war with the Battalion, the Vindicators are emotionally and physically shaken. Still, with the help of many new heroes, the war was won. With the Freedom Phalanx back on their feet and more heroes than ever, the city seems to be relatively safe. Knowing each of the Vindicator's specific conditions (which will be covered when their redesigns are shown), the United Nations asks Aurora Scott to lead a team of Vindicators to work in space and stop more extraterrestrial threats from occurring. Luminary, Valkyrie, Aurora, and Woodsman accept. Mynx chooses to stay at home, Ms. Liberty is needed because of her status as an important incarnate hero, Infernal's tie to demons is stronger on Earth, and Swan wants to continue searching for her parents.

Aurora Scott (Aurora Borealis)





Why: In the war with the Battalion, the Primal Earth version of Calvin Scott regrettably lost his life. Aurora's mentor and husband were now both dead. She accepted the UN's offer and went into space. No longer needing a secret identity, but keeping her husband's surname, Aurora is known as Aurora Scott. Aurora has since become an expert in reading extraterrestrial thoughts. With cutting edge alien fashion, she infiltrates civilizations and builds her way up through their society, finds their leaders, and subtly reads their minds to find out if they plan to attack Earth or other friendly planets. In addition, she leads the team. ((Aurora's costume change is about infiltrating civilizations socially and getting information through her powers. She wears a metallic dress along with pieces from the retro sci-fi set to emphasize alien fashion. The color green is featured prominently as a tribute to Sister Psyche. I wanted to show Aurora both at a time of loss, but also on top. She's leading this team, and she does it well.))

Luminary





Why: Luminary did well in the war with the Battalion. She went into space to assist her friends, as the young heroes of Paragon had many mentors, but her friends needed her. She is upgraded with alien technology. She can now speak many different alien languages and is the team's diplomatic expert. Still, she can hold her own in a fight. ((Luminary's costume was designed to look high-tech, alien, and friendly. She is meant to be more synthetic human, but still robotic. Still, she is supposed to give off the impression that she can do well in combat. The front view shown is an example of how she would look in combat.))

Biosphere (Woodsman)





Why: Woodsman's spirit was captured in the war with the Battalion. They managed to restore his physical form with their advanced technology, restoring him so they could torture him for information. He was inside a Battalion ecosystem for so long that his nature powers interacted with this new form of nature and adapting his form. In his new, alien form, he found himself unable to become a human. He used his new powers to escape. With nothing to lose, Woodsman accepted the UN's offer and went on the space mission. He found that he must be kept in a containment suit to keep life to the new alien-plant form he took. Interacting with other ecosystems outside of the suit changed him, making him more like theirs, but he cannot adapt to an ecosystem he has already adapted to. This means he cannot change back to his human form. Woodsman renamed himself Biosphere because of his preservation of an ecosystem. He can recreate his current ecosystem, so he helps the team by growing plants on planets whose ecosystems have declined, boosting Earth-other planet relations. ((I wanted someone to appear alien, and I wanted to emphasize the plant side of Woodsman. Remembering Woodsman's connection to nature, I thought, in space, would he have a connection to the nature on other planets. I went with that theme, emphasizing the plant on his head, and using the retro sci-fi pieces as a containment suit. The green accents are to feel plant-like and to be chlorophyll pulsing through him.))

Valkyrie





Why: Valkyrie was also captured by the Battalion. They manipulated her nanites with their advanced tech, upgrading them and trying to take them over. They succeeded in an upgrade, and made the nanites control Valkyrie much more than before. She was completely bonded, but was rescued before the Battalion were able to convert the nanites to their side. Feeling more alien than ever, Valkyrie agreed to join the space team. Stronger than ever before, she leads the attack charge when diplomacy is not enough. She is the tactician and the strongest member of the space team. Her nanites now upgrade regularly when interfacing with alien tech, but she must use a respirator to remain a breathing human being. ((I wanted to show Valkyrie stronger but completely taken over by the nanites. I kept the gold armor, but underneath and on her skin is blue representing the nanites. I added some black to her armor, and used the respirator to further emphasize her being taken over. Still, she is supposed to look strong and move forward.))

Global: @Steampunkette, of course.

Having looked through the thread I've witnessed some incredible costumes. Some of them updates that I would do to most of the Vindicators. But I didn't see the kind of update that I, personally, would give to Liberty. So here are a couple of ideas.


Why: In the wake of Statesman's passing it is time to put away childish things, and grow up. Ask any woman anywhere; when the time comes to make a big change one of the first things to go is one's hairstyle. Cutting and restyling one's hair completely changes who they appear to be. It changes their daily routine and it changes how one sees the world, sometimes quite literally. Ms. Liberty, feeling the weight of legacy upon her shoulders, shifts her style to something new and engaging. Gone is the girlish skirt and turned down boots. It is time to get serious about fighting, and she steps up to the plate with boots a bit more suited to hard kicks, and ditches the restrictive skirt.

Alternatively:

Why: Many of the same reasons as the first, but with a more Conservative bent, Liberty grabs a little leather armor to stand between her and the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Hard-knuckled gloves add to her strikes and elbow pads give her a new weapon. Street Justice Liberty is ready to emulate Statesman while remaining herself.

Either way: It's time for her to step up.

And since I have to make 4 costume redesigns in order to qualify, I've mocked up Swan and Luminary


Why: In the wake of the Praetorian War, several design flaws in the last Luminary model were made readily apparent. As a means of rectifying these matters, Luminary, with the assistance of both Positron and Citadel, has developed for herself a new chassis, based in part on the designs of Praetor Keyes's Clockwork and the armor of the Imperial Defense Force. Stronger, more flexible, and able to take a beating, the new Luminary Chassis boasts a Zero Point energy core, a new energy discharge matrix, and structural reinforcement to important systems. Along with a slight bit of flair, added for Luminary's aesthetic benefit.


Why: In the wake of the Praetorian War and the death of Statesman, Swan decided to incorporate symbols of her mourning into her costume, Black Gloves, Black Boots, and other darkened accents also compliment her costume design well. And, much like Liberty, a hair cut was in order. (Inspired by, or dare I say stolen from, Seldom. I think it is the best redesign of Swan and have incorporated it into my "Redesign" in the hopes that it wins, one way or the other!)

-Rachel-

Global: @Bru’ Tal

Overall Theme: This go around I decided to just do an “as is” group make-over. My own challenge was to make them one cohesive unit, a true Super Group by City of Heroes standards. And in that frame of mind, they needed to have similar costumes (SG Uniform!), instead of a large group of individuals who may perhaps all have the same decoder ring or wrist communicator & show up at the same fight. So, they all have the same relatively base uniform: A deep dark blue with an off white accent. I am using the new Body Suit with Armor Pads where I can, and adjusting where things need to be different, specialized. The accents are what personalize them. Most accents will be gold and a deep red / crimson. The overall palette now has a sort of “red, white, and blue… with gold” look. Some in the group will keep their “flair” as to what defines them. They are now sleek and modern, cutting edge, and a bit “Ultimate.” Each person still holds their own individuality, but bends to the overall will and look of the group.

Vindicator: Ms. Liberty



Why: I wanted Liberty to start us off and show us the look. A leader is confident, strong, and motivational. She walks out sleeveless with armor strapped to her arms and hands, a sleek boot and an individualized mid section and belt in red. Her hair shorter and mask the same, she steps into the forefront of the group, ready to lead into battle.

Vindicator: Aurora Borealis



Why: Aurora livens up her look with fresh hair and steps in line with the SG uniform and remnants of her past look. The rings turned gold and are on her arms, forearms and ankles. A white bodice helps to individualize her also as a lean towards her old “all white” look. A dash of red in the belt for contrast and Aurora is ready to go to war.

Vindicator: Luminary



Why: Putting clothes on a robot is a human thing. It’s not practical and serves no purpose. Already gold, Luminary has been upgraded her arms and belt giving off the red accent. Her torso is still a nice glowing metallic gold now infused with the SG blue. She is as capable as ever and enters the fight not as the weird golden robot, but as a visual part of the team.

Vindicator: Valkyrie



Why: Valkyrie starts with the SG under layer and then adds mounds of armor in her trademark yellow (now gold.) Tech and metallic’s encase her as she prepares for battle. Heavy golds wrapped in brilliant crimson accent not only her own look, but reflect that of the group as well.

Vindicator: Infernal



Why: Infernal joins the group much like Valkyrie has, base SG with additions galore. He switches up the color pallet, the prominent red a throw back to his previous costume. The use of the new Tech Knight set allows him to be unique but not so completely out there that he doesn’t fit within the SG uniform parameters. Finally, Infernal looks to be part of the bigger group, he now looks like he belongs.

Vindicator: Mynx



Why: Mynx breaks out of the “worst costume ever made” category and gladly joins the rest of the team. The CoT under shirt is a nod to her former tiger stripes, and the solid body gives her new life as a force, not just the “odd looking striped catgirl.” A good day at the salon reveals her inner mynx to match her outer Mynx. Ready to pounce on the next challenge, Mynx has finally found her spot at the table.

Vindicator: Swan



Why: Swan presented a big issue within the SG paramaters. She is all white and loads of skin showing. Swan takes the most advantage of the SG look, but keeps it classy and in the same realm of the others. Her base outfit still works, she has now covered it with her white. Tall, long legged boots stretch her white from toe to mid thigh. Her feathered cape tones down the blue while keeping her naked shoulders covered. Showing more skin than the others, she also completes the look with matching long armed gloves in white, and a bodice to help bring her back to her elegance and grace (also noted in the fine lace across her chest.)

Vindicator: Woodsman



Why: Obviously the hardest to put into this SG outfit was Woodsman. We’ll just look over the spectral part for now, this isn’t story time. He is full bodied again and ready to help the team. His base SG blue’s are layered with what needs to come from Woodsman, a deep rich connection to nature & to the earth. We do that with the robe and the organic accents. We allow him to be modern but not get lost in it. He still embodies his nature protecting self without completely giving up on looking like part of the team.

I like any of them where poor Swan gets to wear pants, but that last set is especially nice, Bru Tal.

Global Handle: @Kay Parfait

Overall Objective: My main goal was to keep the integrity of each original Vindicator's costume while giving each one a more updated, current feel to match their name and background story. Additionally, with recent game lore events affecting Aurora Borealis and Ms. Liberty, those events were taken into account when redesigning their looks.

Vindicator: Aurora Borealis



Why: With a name like Aurora Borealis, you would think there would be more of a color palette than just white; so I added in the purples, pinks, and greens. Aurora also has psychic powers, so I wanted to give her a more magical look to reflect that with the pink aura. I added in the sci-fi rings to help mimic her old look. I also implemented a bit of Sister Psyche's costume overlay into the design because of her and Aurora's connection, and for mourning Psyche's death.

Vindicator: Infernal







Why: I tried to keep Infernal's medieval look, but with some of the more current costume pieces. I gave him the organic wings instead of demon wings, used a lot of chain mail pieces, then used a more current looking armor.

Vindicator: Luminary



Why: Luminary was essentially a plain looking gold robot. With the clockwork robot pieces it makes her look more like a robot rather than walking metal. I also used the control chest piece to help accentuate her being a robot. Additionally, I gave her the star belt to help reflect the name 'Luminary'. To top it off, she shoots out binary from her eyes!

Vindicator: Ms. Liberty



Why: I kept a bit of Ms. Liberty's old look to help keep her identity of being 'Ms Liberty', but added touches of Statesman for her to honor his death.

Vindicator: Mynx







Why: I updated Mynx with a lot of the organic armor pieces, thinking that after a lot of time had passed, her body had mutated further from Crey experimentation. I made her face look a bit more cat-like and feral to help reflect that.

Vindicator: Swan



Why: Swan...nothing more needs to be said about her old look. Let's move on to a more classy and elegant look that still makes her look sexy; as well as try and reflect the name of 'Swan'.

Vindicator: Valkyrie



Why: Valkyrie has a whole costume set named after her! It would stand to reason that she would want to model it. I tried to incorporate other pieces in as well to break it up a bit. I thought the justice armored top fit in well with the Vindicators chest detail logo.

Vindicator: Woodsman



Why: The old Woodsman really didn't look like much of a Woodsman besides his two unique costume pieces (the fur around his neck and the antler helm). I wanted to make his overall appearance to look more like a Woodsman, and a little more wild/feral looking.

My global is @Magenta Bolt naturally.

Aurora Borealis
My take on Auoroa is showing the signs of maturity over time. I wanted her to get the natural progression from the little kid stuck with Psyche in her head to growing into her own woman. I took cues from Mother Mayhem design although the opposite spectrum of the black to the white tint showing Hope and Light.



Infernal
My take on Infernal was keeping with his basic design of warrior demon king but giving him updated pieces. Going with a lot of metallic based skulls and chainmail armor while keeping his demon tail and wings and horns. I took his demon form trying to burst through him in the look with the smoldering eye aura.



Luminary
My take on Luminary is almost just like an upgrade to a computer. Using Praetorian technology and basic Clockwork blueprints they designed a new chasis for her. With increased strength and speed using this new form she also is wirelessly connected into the PPD through binary code being sent to her databank, hence the classic green binary coding in her eyes.



Ms. Liberty
My take on Ms. Liberty was a focus on a retro look. With Statesman gone she felt a more silver-age iconic look was in order to be a new symbol for freedom and justice in Paragon. Lots of blues with stars and of course red and white stripes compliment her tribute to Statesman with warrior helmet.



Mynx
My take on Mynx was a more feral look. With the ongoing mutations to her body from the Crey experimentations moving her further from her humanity. Completely covering her body in white and black striped fur and increasing her feline facial apperance.



Swan
My take on Swan was to make her look more classy then trashy. More regal looking with a contrast of white and black colors like a traditional swan. Using wing pieces to represent her namesake and a cape made of real feathers finish the design.



Valkyrie
My take on Valkyrie was simply an armor upgrade. She already had a very classic gladiator look to her I wanted to move that a step further with more visually impressive armor as well as the Roman Crest on her head.



Woodsman
I actually had two ideas for Woodsman so here the first is just an updated look to his original design. In keeping with the antler and earthy design with dirtied leather pants, barbarian type boots and gloves, and a leather belted sash.



Child of Eden (Woodsman 2)
The second take I had on Woodsman was bringing him back into Mortal form. With the surge of refugees from Praetoria needing help The Vindicators were in the thick of things helping as many as they could. One such child was saved from the clutches of Devouring Earth but was worse for ware. Mortally wounded and slipping out of conciousness, the Woodsman used his soul to breathe new life into the child merging with the body of the boy. Granting the child the powers of mother earth herself and giving Woodsman a reborn sense of humanity.

With all my entries, I tried to stay true to the character as presented in game and what little I know of the lore, but give them all a makeover that is slightly more modern.

Global Handle: @Mionas

Vindicator: Ms. Liberty

Why: With Ms. Liberty, I wanted to go with solid colors instead of the current fades from red to blue. And since she now represents the game's archetypical patriotic character, I went the red,white, blue theme with gold added in to incorporate her blond hair with her overall theme. She's also now in charge of the major Lv50 TF, so I wanted to give her costume a more battle-ready motif with a simple body armor concept.

Vindicator: Aurora Borealis

Why: Aurora was an attempt to just modernize her current costume but at the same time not lose the nature of the costume either. I wanted an open costume with skin, so I chose one of the wedding costumes for its openess, but also for the added texture given it that makes it stand out against her darker skin. Since her original costume is really white with white accents, I wanted to give her accents that remained light in tone, but also reflected the nature of her name as well. So doing an image search for auroras, I chose light colors that showed up most often in the search and still matched well with her costume and skin tone.

Vindicator: Infernal

Why: With Infernal I decided to try to bring out his power concept into his new look. I went with leather pieces for their traditional uses in areas of high heat, with accents in firey orange. I also gave him a few accent pieces to emphasize his demon summoning side, showing off a belt of skulls and bone colored shoulder spikes to match the horns on his helmet.

Vindicator: Luminary

Why: For Luminary I wanted a sleek looking modern robotic body. While I chose the Praetorian clockwork pieces for the updated robotic look, but I didn't want the gap in the lower torso. So I chose a chest piece that didn't cover up the upper torso, and provided a somewhat riveted appearance to go with the robotic look. I also kept the golden colors and gave her more accented areas in white compared to the light design of the current model.

Vindicator: Mynx

Why: Coming up with a costume for Mynx actually gave me a bit of trouble, and I tossed out several concepts before I was happy. I finally went with an updated look to her tights for a base, using the newer tiger stripes. On top of that I went with a light leather armor around her core and for her arms and legs. I chose a dark purple to give a new accent to the outfit overall, and to also bring a closer integration to the contrast her hair gave. The only piece I would really like to switch out is the belt buckle, and would put in her classic M buckle.

Vindicator: Swan

Why: In Swan I really just wanted to modernize her look without compromising her femininity. I also wanted to give her costume some accent as well over the white on white appearance of the current model. So I chose gold as a subtle accent to the white to keep with the swanlike coloring, and chose the outfit that allowed a modicum of skin to show through. I went with the feathery cape to match her currently back detail, and added the gold accent along with it.

Global Handle: @StormVyxen

Why? Ms. Liberty gave her Vindicators the task of updating their looks. They were starting to play a larger role in the protection of Paragon City, and felt that it was makeover time. Instead of mandating a theme, she told each Vindicator to design a costume that reflected their personalities.

Aurora Borealis ~ Aurora was showing more of her own personality after playing host to Shalice Tilman's psyche. She's caught wind of her Praetorian self, and, as a result, is growing more and more fond of the color purple. She still maintains the utmost respect for the sacrifice Shalice has made and pays homage to that in the outfit she wears to help protect Paragon City in its time of need.



Luminary ~ As Luminary's new role as Fashion Consultant grows, she's decided she likes the new robotic fashions of late and has dabbled with a new outfit for herself. Once the appropriate pieces were created, and assembled she was sold on this "costuming" thing all the heroes were fixated with.



Swan ~ Swan was given an ultimatum by Ms. Liberty. "Put some #%$^ clothes on! I'm sick of heroes complaining that you look like you're parading around in your birthday suit and some feathers!" And so Swan put some #%$^ clothes on.



Valkyrie ~ Valkyrie was glad at the chance to update her look. She was getting tired of wearing the same boring outfit day in and day out for *mumble mumble* years. She was learning to come to terms with the nanotechnology inside her and created an outfit that took advantage of that fact.




Infernal ~ Infernal decided to try a slightly new look, he was intrigued by some new costume bits he spotted over at Icon. After a brief consultation with Serge, he found a look he was happy with.




Woodsman ~ The Woodsman wasn't quite sure how to interpret this request by Ms. Liberty. Changing outfits isn't something that one who is ethereal thinks about on a regular basis. But to satisfy her request, he found an outfit he was happy with, and liked the headpiece he found. But Woodsman wasn't going to admit that to Ms. Liberty.




Mynx ~ Mynx had caught wind of Bobcat's little party over in Studio 55, and was instantly struck with the idea that she could create an outfit that was better than Bobcat's and be sultry, not trampy. She was Mynx after all, and had much better standards than that Bobcat chick.




Ms. Liberty ~ Having given this particular task to her Vindicators, Ms. Liberty was going to set an example and follow in her comrades' footsteps and create a new look as well. She adopted a more traditional red, white and blue color scheme in memory of her grandfather, as well as a subtle nod to the memory of Sister Psyche.

Global Handle: @StormVyxen (My two entries have been split into two posts due to length of each, this is the second entry. Whew.)

Why? It's almost the Halloween season in Paragon City, the time where all the ghosts and creepies decide to come out and play havoc with the fine heroes that keep Paragon City safe and sound. In anticipation of this, Ms. Liberty has decided to hold an early Halloween party where each member of the Vindicators draws a name out of a hat and must reinvent and wear a costume for their fellow Vindicator, whose name they have drawn. Ms. Liberty's commentary is described below.


Luminary's Interpretation of Valkyrie ~ Bless her heart, Luminary really tried to create a look for Valkyrie, she really did. But it's clear she struggled a bit, and by a bit, I mean a lot. I think Luminary took a traditional meaning of the word Valkyrie and attempted a costume based off of that. It's hard to tell, but I applaude her efforts and her costume. Now I only hope Valerie likes it.




Infernal's Interpretation of Woodsman ~ I was shocked when Infernal drew Woodsman's name. They're the polar opposites of each other, though it was amusing to see Infernal squirm because he was dressed in leaves he picked up in Talos Island.



Woodsman's Interpretation of Luminary ~ Another interesting pairing. Woodsman's so... earthy, and Luminary's so... techy. I think the Woodsman did an excellent job with the task he was given.




Mynx's Interpretation of Aurora Borealis ~ We move on to Mynx's intepretation of Aurora's costume. I think Mynx had way too much fun with this, you can see it in the costume. I still can't quite picture Aurora with a tail, but Mynx wouldn't cover the tail, even if it meant Aurora temporarily was a "cat girl."




Aurora Borealis as Swan ~ You know what makes me happy about this? It's something that resembles clothing for Swan!!! When the heroes of the city notice Swan's interesting choice in attire, then it's gotta change. I really do like what Aurora did here, it has an ethereal charm that I like.



Valkyrie as Ms. Lib ~ I like this, I really, really like this. This is something I'd wear in a heartbeat, minus the nanotech bits Valkyrie added. Thanks Valerie!




Swan As Infernal ~ Another shocking pair. I'm impressed with what Swan came up with here. It's so Swan, and yet it's distinctly Infernal.




Ms. Liberty's Interpretation of Mynx ~ Lest I forget, I also participated in this costume festivities. I drew Mynx's name, and I hope she likes my costume. I wanted to do something fun, but still captured her personality. The hardest part for me is wearing this tail and cat ears. Mynx had better appreciate this. Just sayin'.

All the entries look awesome!

Today is the last day!

Good luck everybody!

Just curious as I couldnt seem to find it in the original post... whats the turn around on the judging? As in the when will we know, will you post it here, dates, etc, etc, etc...

Just curious so I can be sure to check out the post and see how it all went down!

Thanks for putting it on, it was loads of fun!

My final set, just before the end of the last day.

This set contains four Vindicators, it is my second costume for each. (Infernal, Mynx, Swan, and Liberty)

The theme is these four Vindicators in an alternate world evolved off of magic instead of technology. The United States no longer exist, although they used to. The government, led by Stefan Ritcher, mandates use on magic. Certain types of magic are illegal, and some are considered owned by the government. Some resist the magical government because they believe it is unjust. Others believe science is more powerful than magic and wish to assert it as the true power. The Vindicators have slightly adjusted ages in this universe.

Madame Elliot (Swan)





Why: In this universe, Lena Elliot is the head magician for the government. Her lucky powers have gotten her this position. This version of Swan is slightly older and more experienced. She can perform many magical tasks. ((Swan's costume incorporates her usual white, along with golden accents to represent luck. She is a powerful, sophisticated player in this universe, and her costume represents that.))

Experiment 615 (Mynx)





Why: In this universe, Mynx is Crey's Experiment 615. She was an individual born with no magical power and no money, so she could get nowhere in the world. Crey, an anti-magic resistance group, trained her and upgraded her with feline assets. She is a covert agent for Crey, assassinating powerful magicians and stealing important items. ((I thought it would be interesting to create a Mynx working FOR Crey as a twist. I made her an assassin, so her clothes are dark and easy to move in for stealth. Her cat features are more punctuated, as she was willingly experimented on multiple times.))

K'Varr (Infernal)





Why: In this universe, K'Varr uses illegal demon summoning magic. Delving in this type of magic has made him a demon-like creature himself. Wearing powerful demon armor, he attempts to subvert the oppressive government with his own type of magic. Unfortunately, he is slowly being corrupted by his power, and he is now trying to take down the government for demonic purposes. ((K'Varr is made to look more demon-like. I kept an armor feel but used many different armor pieces, incorporating the Elemental Order Set. I thought it was important to see his face to really show the transformation.))

Freedom (Ms. Liberty)





Why: In this universe, Jessica is slightly younger. She is one of the last members of a resistance to the oppressive government. The resistance was founded by this universes' versions of Statesman and Hero 1. She uses the late Hero 1's sword Excalibur, along with her late mother's Girdle of Hera, to fight the government. These "incarnate" artifacts are considered property of the government, and they will stop at nothing to get back. She is mentored by the "surviving" founding resistance member, Belladona Vetarino, whose soul is tethered to the resistance after she died in its first stages. Jessica uses the name Freedom to inspire hope, and wears the colors of her former country to remember the past. ((This version of Jessica is a younger, runaway type. She is meant to look like she has been living on the streets. I used an American look, but replaced her gold accents with black as I thought it was more fitting, and added a mystical symbol to make her feel more magical.))

Alrighty! The submission period for the contest is now over. All winners will be announced here in this thread (possibly others) by the end of the month!

Thanks to everyone who participated.

This has been my favorite contest since my time with CoH began, and that includes all player and official contests. The submissions were all excellent, and I really enjoyed seeing not just redesigns but player comments on why they made the choices they did. I wish I could have participated myself; maybe next time! Good luck to everyone, and thanks to P.E.R.C. for putting this on.

I really dig GreyScribe's re-imagining of the characters.

They are much darker, to reflect what the characters and the universe as a whole have gone through lately. The new names are great as well.

Global Handle: @American Valor

Vindicator: [Ms Liberty]




Why: Because she is carrying the sword Excalibure from Hero One and it has attuned itself to her and the world is in great peril with the coming storm...



I know the entry is late, however I still wanted to submit it and support the contest, thank you for taking the time to contuine the great work.

Valor