It's certainly a nice change from the 'orphan given a parasite' deal, as well as the fact that he's gigan (though I think it would be better if he had more gigan features, here's some concept art for reference http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/skullgirls/images/e/e7/Gigan.jpg/revision/20140821130012). The part that bugs me however is is how he resented Lab 0 initially, but misses them as a family after waking up. Any particular reason for this? Playstyle is rather unclear in regards to how he plays, considering that part of the point in fighting games is to keep up the pressure. Is he a heavy zoner? Rush down, charger? A bit more of a description would be needed. Regardless, I think this has a degree of potential, but definitely needs refinement.Time to stick my foot in it! Warnings, long Bio.
Hal Thorne & Hapoe!
Lab 0 is the lab that was created to work on shiftier projects. But not all its shift products originated there. Many years back in the Canopy Kingdom, there was a study done by the labs, a study on a special semi-sentient type of plant. This plant was parasitic in nature, but had amazing healing properties on the mortal mind. These plants were dubbed 'Alrauma.' The Alrauma are very rare and come in hundreds of breeds; this large diversity combined with their rarity caused issues in getting the sufficient plants to finish the test. However, it was done, and they were able to obtain a large quantity of Alrauma.
Extracting the medicine proved quite difficult. As the plants were rare, damaging them or destoying them was out o the question. It was difficult enough to create a climate they could grow in. This plant study went on for a number of years, before a dark discovery was made. The Alrauma are best grown...inside a host body. The Alrauma seeds grow slowly and weakly when exposed to sunlight and other elements. Instead, they grow quicker when in darkness and allowed to absorb nutrients and other bacteria from a host body. With this discovery, the research was threatened, but one idea emerged from this: To fuse the Alrauma with a host in order to give said host the healing benefits while still maintaining growth for the plant. Before such an insane idea could be put into effect, the research died down and was made more secretive due to the less morally ideal circumstances. They found a specific strain of the Alrauma that would thrive in a number of environments that matched the body composition of a Human, Dagonian, and multiple types that would thrive within Gigans. In order for this to be successful, however, the seeds would need to be in place early on the child's developement, but late enough that the plant wouldn't leach the child's life away. Thus the plan began. Under the guise of a separate experiment, 10 children, notable homeless, were taken in. There were 5 Gigans, each of wildly varying sizes and upbringing, a singal feral, 2 humans, and 2 Dagonians. These children were young, their ages varying from a barely a year old to as old as 5 years. Amongst this group was the 11 month-old Gigan child Halloway.
Halloway was to young to defend himself, having been displaced from his family due to a mysterious accident he does not remember the details of. However, despite his youth, he was one of 3 participants to survive the experiment, and only 1 of 2 still surviving to this day. Halloway, the feral, and another Gigan of notable size were the only ones to survive the tests, but the other Gigan died shortly after due to the plant leaching all the nutrients from his body, after he stopped taking the supplements necessary to survive.
The experiment was brutal. The seeds of the Alrauma were planted in the split of the brain. The plants were then, during the procedure, forced by another Alrauma already on hand, to begin growing early. These Alrauma grew slowly, but worked their roots into the brains of the children, changing them, becoming a part of them. Over the next 2 years, the Alrauma in the children's heads had rewired the host's brains and thus body to transport necessary nutrient and fluids to their very small, vaguely humanoid bodies that appeared to sprout from the host's head. Those with an Alrauma implanted in their head needed to take nutrient supplements and were constantly hungry, as the Alrauma took quite a large amount of the body's resources from them.
The plant had the desired effect. The children appeared to completely free of all sickness, the powerful plant bolstering their immune system and even granting immunity to diseases that would normally be fatal to them when directly injected. By this point, the research had been moved to Lab 0 entirely, instead of spread among the other labs as it had been. There was a secondary effect, however. Alrauma notably had some sort of almost psychic connection to other plant lifeforms, able to force the plants to grow through mysterious humming-like songs, and this power seemed to be transfered to the hosts, and amplified. The children could now effectively control certain plants and trees to an extent. It was limited by the type of Alrauma and the power of the host, but the discovery was shocking. However, by the time this power had shown itself, there were only the last 3 participants left, and Alrauma had been all but destroyed due to them growing almost exclusively in the area now known as No Man's Land. With that, the children, now young adults, did not have anywhere to go, and were thus adopted amongst Lab 0.
It was not a happy time, however, as Hal and the feral were anxious to leave as soon as possible. The nature of their lives as nothing but experiments weighed down upon them and they grew to resent the Labs. The feral boy ran away, but a tracer imbedded in the back of his neck keeps his location in case they ever need to find the boy, but Hal stayed, against his own feelings and judgement. It was then that the fateful day happened. The destruction of Lab 0. During the maelstrom, he was left to die. Unable to escape, he covered himself in a wall of ivy, and hid out the attack as the others made it out to safety. Good riddance he would have thought. As the event subsided and his conciousness returned, he found the build empty of all other life. Even the plants were not willing to work for him today. A great tragedy had occurred. It was then that he realized how much he thought the family he'd had at Lab 0 meant to him, and he swore revenge, going after the Skull Heart himself. However, he was not destined to play the hero.
A medici goon, scum as he was, had pounced, as they all do, upon the plant boy in New Meridian's back alley's while he was trying to sleep off a hard day of walking and searching. The goon did not know what had hit him, and was cut down with ease. However, Hal had let the man live, but his Alrauma, whom he had named Hapoe, had other ideas. Using the thin, tendrill-like arms, it quickly grabbed the dazed man's head, and used it's powers to kill the man on the spot, turning the tendrils on its 'hands' into spikes instead. However, it didn't end there. The tendrils then twisted and stretched, plowing the through the man's body, pulsing a sickly red. The man's insides, his blood and fluids were drained and his nutrients absorbed. It was horrifying, but at the same time, powerful. The burst of energy from the corpse now flew into him, clouding his mind. Like this, he wouldn't need to worry about Hapoe draining him. He'd be powerful and alive! This though clouded him and stuck with him as he continued on. Slowly, he ran into more and more situations that drew him into conflict with others, often ending in the other one dead and absorbed. It confused him, empowered him. He no longer sought revenge, but a source of infinite sustenance for Hapoe and himself. The Skullgirl.
Where she went, a trail of death and destruction followed. By following her, he would not need to scavenge to survive, but instead just absorb the leftovers from the ensuing carnage. And thus, he began to take out others that came seeking the Skullheart or Skullgirl, drawing himself ever closer to her own lair in an effect to keep tabs on the Skullgirl. He had flown too close to the sun.
I'll probably have a pic of Hal at some point, but to explain some things about Hapoe and Hal outside their bio, spoilered below:
Hapoe is a 'Green Lotus' as it was nicknamed by the scientists. It does not have an official name as Alraumas do not officially exist given their power and rarity. Any instance of an Alrauma being leaked to general public is usually covered up or destroyed.
Hapoe gains sustenance from the materials found in human blood. As such, in addition to the nutrients it needs, it drains a lot of blood from Hal. He's able to allow it to drain corpses for both blood and nutrients to require less of him, creating this negative relationship.
Hapoe is cute little sproute that seems to be coming from Hal's head and has a 'face' that appears to be comprised of a spherical head with two giant white spots used for photosynthesis as an adult, which it is.
Alrauma can make a noise that sounds like humming. They also make litte chirping noises in order to communicate with a host. The humming is what gives them the almost psychic-like powers. Hal can make this same humming noise through Hapoe to use plants in battle.
Hapoe is based off the Hue Poe, fairies that possessed trees where people were executed.
Hal Thorne is a joke on the name Hawthorne and thorns, duh.
Despite being a Gigan, Hal is about the same height as Beowulf, despite only being 21. He also lacks any horns, the protein in his body necessary to grow them going to Hapoe instead. His only feature that could show him as Gigan is his sharp teeth.
Despite his actions, he's a fairly calm and collected individual who prefers his own thoughts to being with others. However, when left ot is own devices, he tends to get radicual ideas and grow to act upon them. Hapoe's influence on his makes this even worse.
Hapoe's rewiring of his brain not only affected the developement and transfer of his body's essential materials, but it also warped his brain. His brain as it is now would be incomprehensible from the normal state. Hapoe can also subtley invoke its will upon Hal. The reason he becomes addicted to the nutrients and blood from corpses is due to Hapoe wanting more and being happy. He's essentially its unknowning slave.
Hal fights with a large stick combosed of hardened wood. The stick has what look like two wooden mandibles on the end, which he uses to crush specially grown nuts that create loud and bright flashes when cracked with enough force. Other than that, he uses seeds in his pocket and the plants in the ground.
Nice character design. I'm quite curious about her backstory and personality. The idea of a mobility focused character is neat too, since the closest is Ms Fortune who's a rushdown character.oh god I've never made an oc before but this thread brought out my urge to finally do it, eh made a random character on the spot her name is Malum Cornua. With the ultimate power of google translate its Latin for "Evil Horns" all I had time to think about was a little story for her. So she's an Ox girl who may not be big in size but sure as hell can pack a punch with her immense strength. As for gameplay style I have no idea but I imagine something like Litchi from blazblue where she is nimble and fancy with her staff. Oh yeah the staff, his name is Noli and he has a metal chompy mouth that can bight ya. My favorite part about her though is her giant skull skirt.
View attachment 8768
Yeah, I was gonna give him some more Gigan-like features. The point was that he isn't the most Gigan-like individual.It's certainly a nice change from the 'orphan given a parasite' deal, as well as the fact that he's gigan (though I think it would be better if he had more gigan features, here's some concept art for reference http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/skullgirls/images/e/e7/Gigan.jpg/revision/20140821130012). The part that bugs me however is is how he resented Lab 0 initially, but misses them as a family after waking up. Any particular reason for this? Playstyle is rather unclear in regards to how he plays, considering that part of the point in fighting games is to keep up the pressure. Is he a heavy zoner? Rush down, charger? A bit more of a description would be needed. Regardless, I think this has a degree of potential, but definitely needs refinement.
That makes more sense; you should probably update him then. While you're at it, you could work on his personality.
I actually really like this character because of his backstory. The only thing that's really missing is his personality which can merge with likes/dislikes. Regardless, I do like this character a lot.Well since everyone else is doing it, I might as well post my OC too. (Sorry if the writing is a bit rough, this is my first OC)
Warning, his biography is very long.
Appearance
HistorySpecies: Gigan
Age: Middle aged, Past his prime
Appearance: Shuten Doji normally stands a bit shorter than Big Band (his level 3 blockbuster allows him to grow to about twice Big Band’s height). Although he is very overweight, he is extremely strong and is able to toss an average sized person around like a ragdoll. His skin is a bright red color and he has wild black hair on his head and face. He sports visible tusks and his head is topped by two large ox-like horns. He does not wear much clothes, save for a tattered striped robe. His body is covered with many scars from the Grand War. He wields a makeshift flail that is composed of the chains that were used to bind him in the past.
Likes/DislikesShuten Doji once lived in what is now a part of No Man’s Land. In his younger years, he was a terrifying and arrogant marauder who terrorized the land. He would demand food and alcohol from any village he approached. If they did not comply to his demands, he would destroy the village and take their supplies by force. He believed that humans were beneath him and that since they could not match his immense power, he had every right to take from them. His rampage continued until one day when his pride finally caught up with him.
Shuten Doji was conducting one of his raids on a small town, demanding that the town present him with all of their livestock and alcohol. Little did he know, the townsfolk heard wind of his arrival and had prepared a plan to trap him. Waiting on the outskirts of the village, Shuten Doji was greeted by a lone old man carrying a small bottle of alcohol. The old man claimed that that solitary bottle was the only thing that the village had to give him. Shuten Doji grew furious at this obvious lie, and quickly snatched the bottle from the old man and downed the drink in one gulp before approaching the village to crush it. Yet before he could smash the first building, he collapsed into a deep slumber.
When Shuten Doji awoke, he noticed that he was unable to move and that he was far smaller than he was supposed to be. It turned out that the old man that he encountered was a powerful magician that hailed from the Chess Kingdom, and the drink that he gave to him was a powerful potion that knocked him out and shifted his size to that of a human. As an added precaution, the magician bound Shuten Doji with magically weighted chains forged by the town blacksmith while he was knocked out. No matter how much the gigan struggled, the chains were always too heavy to lift. He was completely at the mercy of the village who would surely kill him for his crimes. However, just as Shuten Doji was about to accept his fate, the magician presented him with an ultimatum. Stay and die at the hands of the villagers, or work for him to earn his freedom. Shuten Doji accepted the latter and joined the old magician as his prisoner.
Shuten Doji soon found that the old magician had very little in terms of possessions and roamed from village to village on foot, which was a near impossible task for the gigan due to his weighted chains. Shuten Doji loathed the magician for forcing him to walk in his shackles, yet the old man stayed firm with the gigan, saying that he should learn how to walk around like a human. Although the magician kept him bound in chains, the magician treated Shuten Doji fairly and shared the portions of food that he earned in exchange for his deeds as a magician. As the pair hiked from village to village, Shuten Doji would often be forced to stop due to exhaustion. The magician would always wait patiently for the gigan to regain his strength and gave him water upon request. When questioned about his patience, the magician stated that everyone had a duty to help those who were unable to help themselves.
As the weeks traveling with the magician turned to months, the gigan began to feel empathy for the people that they would encounter on their travels. Just like him, the villagers that turned to the magician for help all had their own metaphorical burdens that caused them to feel helpless. Strangely, as Shuten Doji’s empathy towards the humans increased, he felt his shackles grow lighter. He questioned the magician about this, to which he replied that the weight of the chains directly corresponded to the wearer’s selfishness. The magician then revealed to Shuten Doji that in his youth he used his magic to take advantage of people and scam them of their money and property, yet when he was finally caught, he was shown mercy for his crimes. This prompted him to exile himself from the Chess Kingdom and become a wandering figure who only used his powers to help those less fortunate.
As the months turned to years, Shuten Doji took the magician’s words to heart and no longer felt the burden of his chains. Shuten Doji willfully helped the magician as a true assistant and as a true friend. When the magician finally died of old age, Shuten Doji continued his legacy by continuing to protect those who were weak. As Shuten Doji himself grew older, he eventually settled down in a small village and lived a relatively quiet life as their part-time protector. When the Grand War broke out, he protected his village from raiders, using the chains that once bound him as a makeshift flail. After a decade of defending his small village, he thought that he could handle anything that the war threw at him... that is until the devastation caused by Skullgirl Nancy struck. Once again, Shuten Doji felt complete helplessness, this time against the power of the Skullheart. He fought with all of his might, but the skullgirl’s strength far outclassed his own. Although he somehow survived by the skin of his teeth, the land that Shuten Doji vowed to protect was little more than ruin and everyone in it was dead. Shuten Doji wandered the desolate desert that he once called home, a part of him wishing that he had died along with it. He eventually settled down again in the Canopy Kingdom, a tired and battered figure. Although he had originally hoped to retire quietly and live out the remainder of his life in peace, there was a small bit of news that changed his mind. A New Skullgirl has arisen.
GameplayLikes: Alcohol, Food, Proving His Strength, Reading and Writing Poetry
Dislikes: The Oppression of the Weak, The Skullgirl, The Medici Mafia, The Renoir Family, Beowulf, Shellfish
Gameplay InspirationShuten Doji is a tanky character who is great at zoning his opponents with his flail. While not as ranged as Peacock, he can cover a lot of area with his flail specials and keep pressure from afar. His normals are a tad sluggish, yet most of them do deal heavy damage and are able to knock the enemy within flail range.
Some of Shuten Doji’s attacks have a weight effect on his enemies. Opponents struck by his flail attacks become slowed for a few seconds. During this slow’s duration, they also cannot jump as high as they normally could.
Lv. 1 Blockbusters:
QCF+MP+HP Megaton Headbutt:
Shuten Doji charges across the screen horns-first and rams his enemy at full force. He has super armor during this duration. He stops once he makes contact, but his opponent goes flying until they either hit a wall or until they reach the far end of the screen. If the opponent is guarding, the damage will be mitigated, but they will slide half distance. Great for creating distance for his flail attacks. If he misses, he will skid to a halt after a second.
QCB+MP+HP Retribution of the Meek:
Shuten Doji will swing a chain out in front of him and grab an enemy with it. If the chain hits its mark, it will wrap around the opponent and drag him/her quickly toward Shuten Doji, who will then land a devastating uppercut with his free hand. This uppercut will send the enemy flying straight upwards. This attack is a great follow up to his flail attacks. and can be a good lead in for “Hidden Power.”
Lv. 3 Blockbuster:
QCF+MK+HK Hidden Power:
Shuten Doji unleashes his true gigan form and grows to a tremendous size. He becomes noticeably more muscular and his gigan features become more prominent. He also needs to squat down to fit completely in the screen. If the opponent is near him while he’s transforming, they will be damaged and knocked back. He is unable to be grabbed in this form, cannot jump or dash, takes half damage from all attacks, and has super armor. While in this form, all of his attacks change. While in this form, his super meter rapidly depletes much akin to Eliza’s Sekmet form. Once the meter hits zero, he will transform back to normal size. He can also end the transformation early by inputting Hidden Power's command while in gigan form.
Suika Ibuki (Touhou Project), Scorpion (Mortal Kombat), Sugilite (Steven Universe), Ares (Smite), Oni (Japanese Mythology)
Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad you like him. I'll definitely start working on a personality. I was going to originally make a story mode for him where the player would learn about his personality. The story was also going to explain why he disliked both the royal family and the mafia. But by the end it seemed too disjointed so I scrapped it. The Likes/Dislikes category are just some leftovers from stuff in the story mode.
I'm sure there are plenty of different Shuten-Doji, but the one I'm most familiar with was a powerful oni that led a group of other oni that would attack/raid villages. He also really liked to drink, and was decapitated after drinking sake containing some sort of paralyzing drug.
Thank you for the nice feedback! I did heavily base Shuten Doji's history off of the Shuten Doji from Japanese mythology, kinda like how Skullgirls Beowulf was based off of the ancient legend of Beowulf. I love me some mythology.
Wasn't there already a famous character by the name Flint Lockehart? I'm pretty sure there was...I'M CLAIMING COPYRIGHT D:
Lab Zero turned Beowulf into a wrestler and Hrunting into a folding chair. Honestly, creative liberties make this game go 'round. I wouldn't see any issue with doing a few things to edit around Jason's story to fit the Skullgirls universe.okay, I am gonna type up some stuff, but I just wanna know what everyone feels is okay with creative liberties of Jason.
I am gonna keep a lot of his original stuff in his origin, such as being the son of a king and being raised by Chiron, and other things.
but would anyone be against things, like characters such as Atalanta being a part of the Argonauts? or maybe Jason is also an adventurer and not just only looking for the golden fleece?