Project CBRunway 2: Challenge 4 Voting Thread

[mattbib]

Welcome to the runway!

PLEASE VOTE for the entry you feel best completes the challenge. Voting should not be based solely on art ability. Ultimately, however, voting is completely subjective. Participants may vote for themselves. The designer with the least amount of votes may be eliminated.

CHALLENGE 4: VILLAIN OF THE MONTH

For your fourth challenge you will create and design an original comic book villain named after a month of the year and wearing a costume that evokes that month.

This character may be male or female, powered or unpowered. Remember, you are designing a costume, not a mutated character. The costume may consist of natural or synthetic materials. This costume should reflect the month you choose. You will especially be judged on creativity, originality, and on how well your design evokes the month you choose.

In addition to the standard requirements of the written description, you should include a short synopsis on your character and also address functionality, construction, and durability.

Please vote using the poll, then feel free to make comments or ask questions about this challenge or these designs within this thread.

A warning to all participants and voters:

Multiple registration is against the rules of CBR and this contest and will likely result in at least one of said accounts being banned. And needless to say, anyone involved in the contest caught with multiple registrations will be disqualified for cheating.

[mattbib]

Powers/Origin: The serial killer known as January is a slasher in the superhero community. He's the Michael Myers (no, not Austin Powers, silly!) of the cape and tights set. Legend has it, centuries ago, he lost his true love in the time period of what is now known as January. To get his revenge on his love's killer, he bartered his soul for the weapons he now wields but also got the curse that comes with it. As soon as he used these weapons to kill his target, he became the... thing... he is now.

In the recent decades, he became known only as "January." He doesn't speak and is relentless in the hunt. His weapons can pierce through nearly anything. He uses the spearhead to wound or incapacitate and the scythe to kill. For every murdered victim, a drop of their blood is put into one of the hourglasses (he wears one on each wrist). The blood is transformed into a tiny garnet. For every twelve, January is reborn-- stronger each time (and with a new clean outfit!). Not only does he get physically stronger and more durable, but his skill with his weaponry increases. If exceedingly powerful, he may even gain a couple special abilities, such as giving off a bitterly cold aura, being able to exit and enter anyplace-- regardless of any traps, alarms, locks, or wards, and the ability to see out the other face in the mask. The hourglasses are unbreakable, but can be manually opened to add (or remove) the garnets. Magic can also remove the garnets from their containers restoring January to mere human status.

A surprising twist to the character is that even though he's silent and menacing, he can be reasoned with and has personal morals. When selecting victims, he targets those he feels are living on borrowed time (most often super-beings, adventurers, etc.) or those he feels are at the end of their lives. He will not harm children. However, since he doesn't speak, this is not widely known.

Inspiration: I did my best to not make January look like Two-Face, the Grim Reaper, or Michael Myers. I think I succeeded and I hope you agree. January is named after Janus, the Roman god of doorways. The hourglass and scythe are symbols of Father Time, a figurehead (along with the baby) of new year's day. The alpha and omega (beginning and ending) symbols are used both in the pin holding the cape and in the scythe/spear. January of course, marks the beginning of the new year and the end to the old one-- at least according to the gregorian calendar. I used black and white to symbolize beginning and ending also. The garnet is the birthstone for January and is generally red-- hence the third hue in this costume's color scheme. The belt emblem is not a butterfly-- it's a stylized hourglass. The "sand" is the Roman numeral one (for the first month in the year).

The costume is laid out in such a manner that if a victim were to glance at him, they wouldn't know if he's facing towards them or not. The best way of telling is the hands and feet. That's the main reason for the side cape. That way at least one arm's concealed. I picture some poor victim running like mad to escape him, turning a corner and staring right at the Janus head and screaming only to have January turn around and get to slicin'. I also wanted January to look kind of androgynous and not too powerful-- lulling the super beings he'd be after into a false sense of security.

Hopefully this is apparent, BTW, but the larger head is January facing front and in the full body shot, his head is turned to the side. Just didn't want anyone to think he looks out through the ear or anything. :)

I hope you all enjoy the horror that is January.

[mattbib]

February is the shortest month of the year, but long on debauchery and violence. At least for the jilted, scorned man named only Massacre. Rumored only to be an urban legend, he wreaks havoc during the most chaotic time, Mardi Gras, the one last day of sin and wanton before Lent. His M.O. is one like of a valentine cliche, Cupid, but with a deadly twist. He makes the match and kills them. Usually the male first, and brings his carcass to a unsuspecting female to make the "perfect" match. His usual weapons is his own awesome strength and sometimes beads. His body is unusually perfectly honed to attract victims, and the mask he wears but never takes off only adds to the mystique. Because he only strikes once a year during the most chaotic time of the year, he is never caught and usually restricted to of an urban myth. The only ones that know differently are six feet under.

I wanted to make him extra sexy and use bright colors to make him blend in with the festivites. The mask is made of cold hard ceramic and the feathers are plentiful. He'll show as much skin only to make himself look more attracting and loose, so he wears a mesh top. The boots are leather and the thong is spandex and tight-fitting. The gloves are tipped with feathers as his top. The mask also has a feather headress.

I really had a lot of fun with this one. :D

[mattbib]

M.A.R.C.H.

Origin:
Bill Hawkings was a highly decorated captain in the US army, on his way to bigger and better things when his platoon was caught in an ambush during his 3rd tour in Iraq. Hawkings was taken down by an explosion which destroyed both of his legs, from the knees and down. However, the US army was not willing to give up on him so easily, recognizing his full potential. Hawkings immediately became their first candidate for a new experimental project that would infuse former disabled army troops into specialized designed mech units. Hawkings would be promoted to the M.A.R.C.H. (Massive Assault and Reconnaissance Combat Harness)unit 31, designed especially for soldiers who suffer a loss of both legs. Hawkings was more than glad to sign up for the project to further serve his country. All was going well with the procedure to integrate him into the M.A.R.C.H. unit, until an unexpected glitch occurred. During the process of connecting a sedate Hawkings’ mind to the internal information interface, his mind made a direct connection to the internet, via the wireless stat-comm devices in the ears of the mech. The subconscious mind immediately started sucking in vast amounts of information unwillingly and became overloaded. Hawkings awoke in a crazed, confused state of mind, no longer aware of who he was or whose side he’s suppose to be on. Corruption leaked into his personality from propaganda information found on several independent militant and terrorist sites. Hawkings broke free from the lab in his permanent overzealous state of mind, and has ever since been tracked down in connection to many of these types of organizations, where he feels he belongs. It is believed that the man Hawkings was is permanently lost forever…


Inspiration:
Before getting to choose the month of March, it was one of my top choices to tackle because it’s one of the few months that can also act as an active verb. Marching gives a militaristic impression for the character, so I started with that as an approach to the character. Then I started with the online research regarding the month, and as a pleasant surprise found that in ancient Rome, March was called Martius, so named after Mars, the Roman god of war. That made it easier to go along with the military approach I was conceiving. Ancient Britons originally called the month hyld-monath (meaning loud or stormy), so that made me want to go with a body-mech design for the character – loud and mechanical, which also follows along with the term “March roaring in like a lion…” I also played with the term “March madness” to go with Bill Hawkings lapse of sanity after his accidental mental overload from the internet interface. It also made sense to me to refer to the March Hare from “Alice in Wonderland” , especially after finding out that he also is refered to as the “Mad March Hare” (which is the origin for the saying “Mad as a March hare) and also incorporate that into the actual mech design. I also designated the M.A.R.C.H. unit as 31 to match the 31 days in the month of March.

Design:
I went with the green/brown color combination because in Finnish, the month is called maaliskuu, which originates from maallinen kuu meaning earthy month. So I felt earth colors would work well not only in reflecting this but also the general camoflauge colors used by the military. The mech outfit itself is made of titanium The driver compartment is well cushioned with an experimental shock-absorbing foam covering. Bill Hawkings is outfitted in a armor plated bodysuit that’s interlaced with an electronic mesh underlayer that records all upper body movements made by Hawkings in the driver’s compartment and relayed to the mech upper torso unit for precise movement simulation. The lower extremities/legs is all mechnical based movement and connected directly to Hawkings spinal cord for the most direct informational relay to operate the legs. All of the mech’s movement is enhanced (in the legs) or controlled (in the arms) through it’s a highly sophisticated gravitational field. For the legs, it can help with planting the feet to the ground for extra stability and prevention of being knocked back by outside forces. It can also be reversed for super-enhanced jumping capabilities. For the upper torso, it is used in controlling al the arm movements. The arm segments are all connected with high tensile multithreaded titanium wire. The forearms and hands sections can be extended and retracted via pulley systems within the forearms, which can extend the wires to a maximum of 10 feet. M.A.R.C.H. commonly uses this feature to use the forearm/hands as a wrecking ball. Hawkings also has developed an arrangement of specialized interchangeable forearm sections, including a gattling gun forearm, a battle axe hand, and a flamethrower forearm, for use in different outings. The gravitational field that constantly surrounds Hawkings also acts as a layer of defense against physical forms of attack.

[mattbib]

"April is the cruelest month....."

April has so much more to offer when it comes to your dedicated villain.

April is a somewhat disaster-prone month. Wars start, shootings happen, Hitler was born: it's a month that is ill-omened.

Weatherw-ise (at least in my part of the world) it's a vertiable hodgepodge of craziness. This year we had 70 degree days followed by three inches of snow and then torrential rain and back to sun. And that's over the course of ten days. April showers? April bloody calamities, more like.

When designing April I decided to go deranged. Like April itself, my villain is quite batty and dangerous. April's birthstone is the diamond and so I've made my April quite nearly invulnerable. Not completely invulnerable, but close. And, alas, her ability to resist harm (and the deadening of her sense of touch that comes hand-in-hand with it) has driven her quite mad.

April wanders around looking like she's just been caught in the rain. Her hair, dyed red by the blood of her victims, is always straggly and unstyled. Her makeup- ever so liberally applied every morning- runs in rivers down her face.

Her shirt, the same green as her eyes, is spattered with the blood of the sweet little buds she maniacally dispatches with her trusty knife. Her skirt is fashioned out of the umbrella of her first victim, her imperious Nanny. April is a good girl, however, and always make sure her umbrella skirt and yellow galoshes are sparkly clean, even when the rest of her is soaked in the evidence of her many crimes.

As she kills, April sings "April showers bring May flowers...dear, sweet, tasty, red, little flowers...". She's beyond insane and nearly impossible to catch. Like the weather in April, she's hard to pin down.

You better hope you never run into April when you're out walking in the park.......

[mattbib]

May

This is certainly one of the weirdest characters i've had to design. I had little choice in the month i could pick but it is interesting to be challenged as much as this concept did me.

May is the month of fertility when birds lay eggs, flowers bloom and newborns gaze with innocent eyes into the wide, new world. So how do you make an evil character based on what the month is most associated with, fertility?

Enter May, a spirit of nature who has from the first conception of life on earth fostered nature by stimulating fertility and growth. But man chose another path and disbelieved that nature itself guarded creation through invisible spirits and May and her kin were forgotten. Without their guidance man raped nature and explored artificial means to conceive and abort. Hovering on the brink of Oblivion, somewhere around Nearly Forgotten, May witnessed man perform the most hideous of sins: life without procreation. The process of cloning awoke in May such digust that through her will she escaped from Oblivion into the body of a young woman. The woman, Mae Bannock, was just told her child had died in the womb and in her despair opened herself to May in order to save her child. As May entered the body of the woman the baby was restored to life and May was now in control of their body and ready to cause havoc.

May is a vengefull nature spirit. The baby in her womb will never be born although it is alive. May often uses it as a shield against a hero since surely they can't beat up a pregnant woman. She targets abortion and fertility clinics, destroys clone factories, hunts clones, sows the seeds of fast growing jungle forrests in urban areas, causes spontaneous pregnancies and odd growth spurs and kidnaps children to raise them as an enviromental army.

May commands plants and animals to do her bidding, speeding their growth and controlling their movement. Despite her corrupted nature children are drawn to her as her maternal aura still lingers.
May can cause men and women to feel the urge to .. procreate.
May's most bizarre power can cause spontaneous pregnancies and she can determine what form the offspring takes. This power only works around the month of May.

May's costume is entirely organic woven from living plants which shape to her will. They drape around her like clothes and can from day to day differ in appearance.

[mattbib]

Juno Brigante was a pampered, sheltered celebutante whose parents were too busy making money to take care of her needs beyond the mere material stuff, so she grew up immensely spoiled, wealthy as sin but emotionally neglected.
She dreamed of 2 things: Becoming a big film star and marrying a modern day Prince Charming.

She fell in love with Mark Leibowitz, heir to a powerful law dinasty, and after a lenghty courtship and engagement they finally planned the dream wedding Juno had always wanted.
Unfortunately, Mark got involved in a date-rape scandal involving the daughter of a mobster, and after a circus-like trial, he got acquitted of all charges, which didn't sit well with the mobster.
Thus, he sent a couple of his friends for a special delivery to Juno and Mark's wedding.
The result: 7 dead people,including the groom, and a bride whose sanity fragmented.
Her latent psychic abilities were triggered by the traumatic emotions that the wedding massacre caused.
And June was born,

She has the psychic ability to manipulate, enhance or ellicit emotions in others.
She can "do" any emotion, but she prefers to use only "positive" ones like joy, lust, love, euphoria, ecstasy, pleasure etc.
She simply uses them for evil,

Her gown is smeared with the blood of the people who died on the fateful June day that her dreams were shattered, and she fashioned herself "bracelets" made of thorns.
She then modified her wedding dress to make it some sort of twisted symbol of love, lust and retribution...
She wears a strand of pearls, June's birthstone.

[mattbib]

July

History

Julia Tanya was only a small child on that tragic day. It was the Fourth of July, and her and her family were enjoying watermelon and the fireworks display out on the grass in the park. Suddenly, a squeal filled the sky and her parents gasped in fear. A large fire rocket was heading right at them. They tried to shield their daughter, but it was too late. The rocket hit the ground and exploded. Watermelon went everywhere. Julia's parents were incinerated instantly, but Julia was unharmed. However, the explosion enriched her genome, granting her the ability to generate and control fire and explosions. Plus her body (riddled with watermelon) began producing seeds inside her salivary glands, allowing her to spit them out at blinding speeds.
Broken by the death of her family, Julia grew to hate the world, making it her life goal to destroy the happiness that she was denied by fate.

Personality

July is an extremely fiery and passionate girl. Probably due to her extreme hatred for the hand fate dealt her, as well as the accident that gave her, her powers. When she sets her mind on a goal is exceptionally motivated and driven to accomplishing it, no matter what the cost or consequences.

Powers

-Pyrokinesis/Pyrogensis (as well as creating explosions)
-Production/Splitting of seeds, which can be shot at speeds exceeding 30 mph
-Aura of Influence, causes others to unwillingly obey her suggestions

Costume

-Dress: Watermelon pattern, constantly reminds her of her loss, and the cause of said loss

-Jewelry:
*Bracelets - made of M-80 fireworks
*Necklace - made of cherry bombs

-Satchel: Carries a variety of different pyrotechnics, such as fireworks, firecrackers, rockets.

-Carries around Tornado-500s, fire rockets, plus has several Roman candles strapped to her leg

Her entire costume is made from unstable molecules, which is flame retardant/fire resistant, which allows July to light all of her pyrotechnics at once and explode them without destroying her clothing.

Inspiration

When thinking about July, I tried to brainstorm all the most familiar characteristics/qualities of the month. Immediately I thought of the 4th of July, it being warm, and the birthstone, which is the ruby. So I implemented all of that.

I figured a fiery, pyrokinetic girl would be an excellent choice. Plus a tragic, holiday-related accident causing her current status as a supervillain would be best. Costume-wise, I figured I should integrate a somewhat loose design, that showed a lot of skin, as July is a rather hot month. Plus I integrated the birthstone into her ruby sunglasses, which also are important due to the amount of sun present during the month.

Also, I gave her the watermelon filled backstory and dress because of the prevalence of watermelon during July, especially during the Fourth of July.

[mattbib]

History
A young man, formerly known as Oscar Cesario, was routinely teased as a boy because of his small stature and intellect. A eight grade history course got him interested (obsessed) with the the things of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire. He was particularly intrigued with the life of Julius Cesear but especially with the life of Octavian, Julius Cesear's heir apparent who became the first and arguably the greatest emperor of the Roman Empire who was later named Augustus. When he was being teased/bullied, he'd often fantasize about being Augustus, and ruling a new Roman Empire where he was in charge, and the world would be in his image.
Later on in life, he was offered a scholarship to attend one of the countries most promienent universities, because not only was he a history buff, but he was a excellent science student as well. During a laboratory accident in which he was assisting to help to harness solar energies, he was transformed into a superhuman who was able to harness the fire of the sun itself. His greatest wish had come true, he now had the power to change the world.
However, his mind became distorted during this process and he began to truly believe that he was Augustus reborn and in order to bring forth the new Roman Empire, that this world must be purified...with fire and blood. As August, his mind believes that he is bringing "Pax Romana" (Roman Peace) back to the world, no matter how many must burn through the purifying process. He is dangerous, because he really thinks what he is doing is right. He looks almost like a hero, but he really is a psychotic villian.

Costume
The top half of his outfit is red orange and gold armor. I think of August as extremely hot and warm, so these colors are what came in mind. It also reflects the powers of this character.
His pants are a spandex in the same colors and design.
The cape is inspired by the Romans in that it is toga styled, but dark red to reflect the colors, as well as the royalty that August believes he is. It is fastened by a golden lion's head talisman that represents authority, kingship, etc. Also, the Lion's eyes are made out of peridot which is the August birthstone. Leo, the Lion is also the first Zodiac sign for August.
The belt is more of a sash that gives August more of that authoritarian nature as well as the buckle being made of peridot.
The braclets are inspired by Roman/medieval design as well.
His boots are also made out of leather, and the same gold/orange trim that coincides with the rest of his outfit.

Inspiration
Of course the month itself August is the inspiration behind this character.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wikipieda
August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.

August begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Leo and ends in the sign of Virgo. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Cancer and ends in the constellation of Leo.

This month was originally named Sextilis in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the ancient Roman calendar, which started in March about 750 BC under Romulus. It became the eighth month either when January and February were added to the beginning of the year by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC or when those two months were moved from the end to the beginning of the year by the decemvirs about 450 BC (Roman writers disagree). It was renamed in honor of Augustus in 8 BC because several of the most significant events in his rise to power, culminating in the fall of Alexandria, fell in this month. August originally had 29 days in the Roman Republican calendar, but two days were added to it by Julius Caesar beginning 45 BC giving it its modern total of 31 days. Augustus did not take a day from February when Sextilis was renamed in his honor.

August was named after Octavian who was later named Augustus. It was said that "He subjected the whole wide earth to the rule of the Roman people" After reading about his life, I thought it would be fitting to have a "villian" character who was patterned after him. It is also interesting that the Romans worshipped Augustus as a god after he had died. This adds more to my character's belief that he is August come back to life.It is also a month where there were a lot of countries and people who declared their independence. This also is part of my character who in a sense, has all his insecurities gone, because now he is August, a powerful and confident man. It is also interesting to point out that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened in the month of August. August is definitely explosive which lends more to my fire based character.

His powers include being superstrong to the point of invulernability, able to harness solar and heat energies and flight. The heat energy aspect of his power is important for the month of August because it signifies the hottest month around.

[mattbib]

SEPTEMBER

Tuesday Wednesday Smith is a woman of rich background and elite tastes. As a rich brat she got whatever she wanted and most things on a whim. But whenever something couldn’t be had in a matter of minutes, she hated it. Thus began her doomed career as a runway model. When she was turned down by her first agency she immediately headed into cosmetic surgery to fix her ‘problems’. A new operation followed every rejection. It is possible to say Tuesday is now more plastic than her credit cards. She has become a laughing stock in the fashion and modeling industry and nobody will hire her.

As a form of revenge, Tuesday has started experimental procedures to get herself super powers. Through chemical, medical, and even occult methods, she has tried to become an empowered woman. Her success to this date is only a further unstabling of her mind. She blames the industry for her problems and relishes now instilling fear in them by raiding the elite fashions shows that start in September taking what designs she wants and even occasionally taking designers hostage to create personal clothing for her.

Depending on her current state of mind, Tuesday can be as hot tempered as the last few days of a blazing summer or a cold killer harboring the coming winter climates of winter just as the month of September can do the same.

Tuesday has no super powers but her wealth which is carefully hidden and protected from those that would incarcerate her allows her to buy small armies of men. She often ’rents’ other super-villains to help her on her fashion designing ‘collecting trips’ as she puts them.

Tuesday has no official costume. Like September, she is always changing colors discarding her clothes on a regular basis. (EDIT - I forgot to mention her tinted monocle. It's just for style.)

At this particular time, Tuesday is wearing a red latex business suit buffed to a shine. She has also donned a matching fedora and gloves. Her boots are vinyl. Her button shirt is stark white with no starch in the collar.

Inspiration

I had a lot of trouble trying to decide what to do with September. I definately wanted to stay away from terrorists and 9-11. I considered some back to school villain but that seemed lame. The NFL was another potential choice but drawing up a football villain seemed a little weak and unoriginal. I can't recall when fall fashion shows start but drawing sexy women is always an easy crowd pleaser so I went that route. I tried to combine the weather of September to the mind state of Tuesday. Research of the month September did nothing to inspire me.

And like previous challenges, I tried to avoid this thread like the plague after someone put up the handy link about the months so that I wouldn't be influenced by other peoples' designs.

[mattbib]

October

Real Name: Eve Hallow

Eve Hallow comes from a long line of witches, dating back to at least the Salem witch trials. Every woman in her family has at least some magical power, though just how much and what varies depending upon which month they were born in. Eve has the fortune, both good and bad, to be born of Halloween night, which is why her mother named her after All Hallow's Eve. I say good and bad fortune because it meant Eve was destined for great magical power, but also to become corrupted by that tainted energy.

October's magic slowly increases throughout the year, culminating on October 31. At dawn on November 1, her power drops to its lowest ebb, barely able to perform simple stage magic tricks. At the height of her power, though, she is one of the most powerful witches alive. The superhero community has come to expect her annual rise to power, and try to prepare for it. Every year, she comes up with new surprises, though. She especially enjoys using the themes of Halloween and October to manipulate her foes. She has turned children into real life versions of their costumes, she has turned heroes' costumes against them, she has caused the fall leaves and trees to attack people, and much more. Heroes usually try to contain the damage and hold her off until sunrise on November 1.

Powers: On November 1 she can only do very simple magics. Throughout the year her power slowly builds, ramping up dramatically from October 1 on. On that day, she is the equal of any experienced mage, and by October 31, she is the most powerful witch in the world.

Costume: October's costume features the black and orange typical of the season. Her breasts are covered by a pair of over-sized leaves, but like the rest of the costume, they are made of unstable molecules. It fits her body perfectly. She wears a cape with a pattern of fall leaves on it that attaches to rings on her middle fingers. No matter the time of year, this mystical Autumn Leaf Cloak allows her to change into a sentient pile of brightly colored leaves. She can move in this form by blowing along the ground, and if the wind is with her, she can even fly through the air. She acquired the cloak several years ago to aid in her inevitable escapes on November 1. She also has a skull-covered belt and wristbands, and even little skull earrings, they eyes of which tend to glow with her own when she uses magic. It's not known whether they are merely decoration or if they have powers of their own.

[mattbib]

NOVEMBER, DEFENDER OF THE DEAD

One day five years ago in Mexico on November 2nd , Día de Muertos or the Day of The Dead, upon going to place an offering on the grave of his grandfather he discovered a group of drunken tourists desecrating the graveyard.
He chased them off but the event would stay firmly in his mind for some time.

The man who would become November was a drifter and daydreamer by nature, flitting from one job to another, moving from home to home never settling down, despite being a genius in the field of electronics he was a man without purpose.
Thinking back to the 2nd of November and his encounter in the graveyard he decided there and then to speak up for those who no longer possessed voices ,the dead.
Quitting his most recently acquired job he set about creating a suit that would serve as his tool in his vendetta against his foes.
He worked day and night and created a suit fitted for his horrifying campaigns yet to come.

And so it goes that upon the first minute of the eleventh month November “rises from the grave” to seek out justice for the dead, working tirelessly until the very last second of the month before disappearing for another year.

------------------

I picked November on a whim without knowing much about it but I lucked out as November contains Día de Muertos, The Day of The Dead, a concept I found quite fascinating.

The fact that not only does November contain the Day of The Dead but is referred to in Finnish as marraskuu (meaning Month of The Dead) makes the eleventh month perfect for such a ghoulish character.

November used his genius regarding electronics to create a suit capable of several functions outside the scope of normal human beings.
It is capable of infinitesimally separating the atoms of the wearer bestowing upon them the power of intangibility and allowing it’s wearer to float.
True flight is outside it’s grasp though.

The lumpy bands on his gauntlets and boots, and the belt like piece around his midsection are capable of dispensing thick clouds of gas upon the touch of buttons in the gloves, masking November’s comings and goings even more mysterious and bemusing to his foes.

November dispenses justice with his fists, being an above average practitioner of the martial arts, but when an especially severe grievance has been affronted to the dead he’ll often stop his usual tactics of torturing as many wrong-doers as he can in a month and single out the one main responsible target for a month long tortuous trip where he sets out to frighten them out of their minds and ruin their lives.

The only working one month out of twelve was just a little idea that appealed to me.
I like to think the rest of the year he picks his targets for the coming November and improves his equipment and fighting skills.

His skull helmet conceals his identity but also affords invaluable protection being similar to a motorbike helmet in construction.

I made the costume mostly white in an attempt to evoke a feeling of winter and snow.

His big smile serves not only to creep out his opponents but also hark back to Day of The Dead decorations like candy skulls.
The colored parts on the costume are also part of that theme.

[mattbib]

DECEMBER

December 31st: New Years Eve:

The night cruise was near perfect; dancing, dinner, champagne, and stolen kisses when they thought no one was watching. As the night went on, a French man by the name of Froid decided he'd take a break from all of the excitement and conversation, breathe in some of the fresh arctic air, and practice how he would ask his love to marry him. Nervously he rehearsed the words, and laughed at himself for having too much to drink.

He had just about found the tone he knew he would use to propose when he heard gunfire followed by screams. He listened again to make sure it wasn't just the champagne talking. Sure enough, everyone was soon being marched outside in single file, 7 gunmen following closely behind.

Everyone was already cleaned out; the gunmen had jewels, wallets, necklaces, watches, and whatever else they could get there hands on... The only one left was Froid.

"No!" he choked, as a gunman grabbed him by the throat, and ordered him to turn out his pockets.

"Have some compassion, please! I have worked so hard for this ring and I am to propose to the love of my life! You mustn’t-"

BANG

BANG

The next words Froid mumbled were impossible to understand through his gurgle of blood. He managed to look at his teary-eyed lover and smile before being thrown overboard into the cold, arctic waters. He reached his hand out to her as the boat grew smaller in the distance.

Time went on and no one knew what became of the man, Froid Geler.

But for a heartless, vengeful monster that now walks in his place- time stands still.

In his heart, it will always be December.


Costume and Powers:

I felt the most important part to represent the heart of December is cold. I stayed away from holidays like Chanukah and Christmas because it just didn’t seem to fit a villain to represent Holy Days. Of course, he has all of the classic earmarks of an elemental villain. I wanted his costume to show his lack of humanity by making it all cool colors, and metal. The tubes and metallic really make him seem like more machine than man, and his stance is one of complete menace (take note to the sinister smile). I also decided to make the center of his costume a snowflake design, just to show that it could be badass. As far as powers, he’s about what you’d expect: Can survive extreme cold temperatures, generation/manipulation of moisture and ice through arm cannons, susceptibility to heat and dryness, etc. etc. etc.

[Jaye]

This was the toughest one yet for me to choose a vote.

Pro: Holy crap, May is a spectacular and stunning design. It thrills me every time I look at it! So unique, so eerie. If she was frowning I would be scared. I think May is one of the more difficult ones, and you came through it well. Congratulations, I have no doubt you will do well in this round. The floral accents are just wonderful.

DungeonmasterJim: September is gorgeous. I enjoy the look and the back story. It took me a while to make a decision on this one. Ultimately, I think she doesn't look enough like a villain, and the idea of a frequently changing costume wasn't appealing to me. She does scream September, though, and for that I give you a ton of credit!

atonigunifex: April looks both villain and April. The runny make-up and umbrella skirt rocks my world, as do you. My vote was cast for April.

-Jaye

[Winslow]

Pro's design tapped into my fear of the mystique of women. ;)

Well done everyone. Fun to review the designs. It will be tough to see someone voted out.