Gleefully Disregarding Copyright Laws

[Thunder Glove]

Many of my characters started with the thought "I want to play a character with a powerset like 'X'" (where 'X' was some existing superhero or even non-superheroic character)

BluePulse (Elec/Elec/Mu Blaster) was a bad take on one of my tabletop characters (he should really have been a MA/SR/Mu Scrapper, but side-switching didn't exist when I created him, and I didn't know about Epic/Patron pools yet anyway).

Dr. Bodog (Robot/Storm/Mace MM) and Thunder Glove (Elec/Invuln/Energy Brute) were takes on Dr. Sivana and Black Adam (though TG eventually got his own backstory).  Gravity Hold (Gravity/Elec Dominator) started out as Sinestro.  Ms. Stungun (Energy/Energy/Energy Brute) was an evil Ms. Marvel (in her classic Silver Age costume, no less, but with an "evil" color scheme - instead of heroic reds and blues, I used greens and purples).

When the shutdown was announced, as a mild form of protest, I made alternate costumes for each of those characters based on the original (so Bodog got a Dr. Sivana costume, Thunder Glove got a Black Adam costume, and Gravity Hold got both a classic Sinestro costume and a Green Lantern costume), and I'd walk around in them.  Never got generic'd, because by then I don't think the GMs really cared.

Not all my characters were based on existing characters.  Some I just started with a powerset or powerset combination I wanted to play.  Sgt. Greenstone was my first Tanker, because I wanted to try Stone/Stone. Diamond Clarity was my final Dominator, because I wanted to try Earth/Ice (she was originally Earth/Earth, but I wanted more ranged attacks in her secondary, so I rerolled her).

And then some just slipped over the line on their own.  Dark Eidolon (Staff/Dark Brute) was another case of "I want to try out these powersets" and wasn't intended to be based on anyone, but while I was struggling with a costume, I looked to the Internet for inspiration, and there was Wraith, so jet-black skin and a trenchcoat it was.

Of course, in my saved-but-unused pile I have lots of copyrighted costumes, from well-known characters like Superman, Batman, and the entire Marvel Family, to obscure characters like the Whizzer, the Black Terror, the Golden Age Blue Beetle (with the chainmail armor), and even advertising mascot Captain Tootsie.  I never planned to use them, but I just made the costumes to see whether I could.  (And CoH's costume creator was so good, nine times out of ten, I could)

Sadly, no pictures.

[healix]

I created Jane Reid, the Lone Ranger's daughter....
https://i.imgur.com/FZQmELp.jpg

and the daughter of Zorro...
https://i.imgur.com/KzY7aen.jpg

and a tribute to Cherize Theron's portayal of Aeon
https://i.imgur.com/eKYsg1d.jpg

also had a 'beastmaster' named Dara. (No Codo and Podo, however LOL)

[downix]

My wife had "River Tam" for almost 6 years.

[Kuriositys Kat]

My wife had "River Tam" for almost 6 years.

/em salute

That is just awesome.  I once teamed with  a tank by the name of "Bahzell"  he had been playing for over a year and I was the FIRST person to get who his character was.  Being a David Weber fan helped.

[mrultimate]

I had toons inspired by the works of C.S. Lewis. A fire/fire blaster named DawnTreader, A female Crab Spider named Malacandra and a female Broadsword/Regen scrapper named Perelandra. I was going to use Wormwood but someone beat me to it.

[Megajoule]

VERB
(That's what's happenin'!)

[Ultraamann]

I'd just continue on my never-ending quest to nail down the Golden Age JSA.

https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Atom.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Batman.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/BlackCanary.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/DoctorFate.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/DoctorMid-Nite.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Flash.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/GreenLantern.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Hawkman.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Hourman.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/JohnnyThunder.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/MisterTerrific.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Sandman.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Spectre.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Starman.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Superman.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/Wildcat.jpg
https://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y71/Ultraamann/WonderWoman.jpg

Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman I could never really get to where I liked them, and I never quite worked out how to make a satisfactory Thunderbolt for Johnny Thunder.

[Starhammer]

I had PINNACLE set aside for making COBRA characters. Most were intentionally based on original action figure or comic book appearance, but I tweaked a few, did a few "upgraded versions" and made a few customs.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/528926_3987384076590_832386878_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/544548_3987384196593_1614448159_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/304792_3987384596603_2037276137_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/484627_3987384956612_1264747592_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/225656_2146145886786_8300060_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/246422_3856246678237_58105131_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/215141_2146145646780_4071433_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/251791_2146146286796_248146_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/185405_2146146766808_1455231_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/182147_3856411442356_634387389_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/555811_3856411202350_310750460_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/226121_2146145486776_7881304_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/252951_2146146526802_6278367_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/229656_2146146646805_479637_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/252581_2146147166818_1719018_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/539477_3856247518258_652464839_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/205891_2179650164372_2543025_n.jpg
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/248426_2146145966788_2173476_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/198806_2146146126792_2316125_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/216606_2146146206794_5003304_n.jpg
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/282016_2146147406824_7757271_n.jpg

There's more variants, as well as the customs on my FB photoalbum: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2146145446775.123019.1040433906&type=3

[Kyriani]

Since beta/launch I had:

Jem - Technology Controller - Illusion/Radiation/Primal (all her costumes used color schemes from actual outfits from the 80's show!)

https://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/jem.jpghttps://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/jem-2.jpghttps://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/jemgoldcostume1.jpghttps://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/JemCOH.jpg

Nic - Mutant Dominator - Psi/Psi/Psi (He's basically my interpretation of what I'd be like as a "Phoenix" character. I used my own first name for his to avoid weird spellings or genercizing)

https://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/nicphoenix5.jpghttps://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/nicphoenix4.jpghttps://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/nicphoenix3.jpghttps://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/NicMercy/nicphoenix2.jpg

Out of all my characters those are the only ones that were in any danger of copyright infringement... Jem most of all. I never had an issue with her though. Her back story placed her as Jacqui Pacheco, the daughter of the original Jem (Jerrica Benton) and longtime love interest Rio Pacheco. But I always got tells from people about much like they liked my character and no one ever reported me in all these years. Nic was less obvious especially since he's not female or red haired. He's more of a fantasy fulfillment character for myself :) But I did not wear the iconic green costume often just out of fear of being genericed.

[johnrobey]

Dear Kyriani (and everyone else too), Thank you for sharing those images and stories.  The Jean Grey/Phoenix archetype fantasy makes a lot of sense and definitely has strong appeal for a lot of us.  Your version as Nic is KEWLNESS Incarnate!  I'm wondering whether you to took Nic to the "dark side" (e.g. Fall of a Hero) then back via Redemption?

One of my perhaps gleeful disregards of copyright as a rarely played lowbie I played solo when up with insomnia (like tonight); I named my homage toon "Stephen Warlock" (Mind Control/Empathy with LOTS of powerset color customization) and dressed him as closely as I could to Marvel's Doctor Strange.   By the Vishanti, he really glowed and looked magical in darkened warehouses and layer-cake caves; of course he levitated too.    8)

My fave homage character tho wasn't from comicbooks.  One of my many personal heroes I haven't met is Judith Martin, whose persona is likely known to most of you as Miss Manners (she writes lovely books about etiquette in the postmodern era and I believe still has a column), so my homage toon to her I named Miz Manners (Ice Control/Empathy) since she could freeze with a look or even turn a cold shoulder, or else heal with her warmth (eep, maybe I'm misremembering but I don't think I gave her Thermal but Empathy.)  Sorry, I'm not good (read: able) to upload images but she dressed in an elegant teal bolero with fancy white lace trim and an even fancier hairdo.  She also would have gotten to max level, but I'd created and mostly parked her on a server I rarely played.  Ah well, so many books, so few men, or something like that.   ;)

[Kyriani]

Dear Kyriani (and everyone else too), Thank you for sharing those images and stories.  The Jean Grey/Phoenix archetype fantasy makes a lot of sense and definitely has strong appeal for a lot of us.  Your version as Nic is KEWLNESS Incarnate!  I'm wondering whether you to took Nic to the "dark side" (e.g. Fall of a Hero) then back via Redemption?

One of my perhaps gleeful disregards of copyright as a rarely played lowbie I played solo when up with insomnia (like tonight); I named my homage toon "Stephen Warlock" (Mind Control/Empathy with LOTS of powerset color customization) and dressed him as closely as I could to Marvel's Doctor Strange.   By the Vishanti, he really glowed and looked magical in darkened warehouses and layer-cake caves; of course he levitated too.    8)

My fave homage character tho wasn't from comicbooks.  One of my many personal heroes I haven't met is Judith Martin, whose persona is likely known to most of you as Miss Manners (she writes lovely books about etiquette in the postmodern era and I believe still has a column), so my homage toon to her I named Miz Manners (Ice Control/Empathy) since she could freeze with a look or even turn a cold shoulder, or else heal with her warmth (eep, maybe I'm misremembering but I don't think I gave her Thermal but Empathy.)  Sorry, I'm not good (read: able) to upload images but she dressed in an elegant teal bolero with fancy white lace trim and an even fancier hairdo.  She also would have gotten to max level, but I'd created and mostly parked her on a server I rarely played.  Ah well, so many books, so few men, or something like that.   ;)

I never actually went villain on Nic, though I intended to briefly just to unlock the patrons. I would have likely worked that into his back story in a very "dark phoenix-esque" way. :)

[AlphaFerret]

Lol, I had a whole stable of "marvelous" toons....the S'up Mariner, Naymore, Fe Phist, Iron-Mannequin, and Hong Khonshu E.  Not to mention the immortal Marko Macleod, along with the redemption seeking pop star Careless Whisper.  Good times....

[Brightfires]

Not quite the same thing as many of you guys' characters... But three of my Elysion were named Tamino, Pamina and Papageno (after characters from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute).  I also had Rosenkavalier. 8)

[Kistulot]

I sort of had a reverse wherein the character that was ages ago inspired by Jubilee and taken in a wildly different direction was thought to be an homage toon... because Silver Girl was taken on Virtue so I had to choose another name, and nabbed Argent Girl instead.

I'd never even heard of Argent... wondered how many people thought that when I found out.

[Taceus Jiwede]

Twilight Sparkle - Magic Corrupter - Kinetics/Energy Blast
Fluttershy - Natural Mastermind - Beast Master/Nature Affinity
Rainbow Dash - Natural Scrapper - Martial Arts/Super Reflexes

My brother and his friends actually had characters with these names.  Fluttershy was spelled exactly the same but the other ones were done a little smarter.  Rainbow - and Twilight Sparkleys.  Still in the clear violation of copyright laws, but they never got changed.

I actually had a Invul/Fire tank that was named Flaming D-bag and it took a good 5-6 months before they generized me.  I told them it stood for Flaming Dufflebag in the email reply back.  So they changed it to that lol.

[Minotaur]

I actually had a Invul/Fire tank that was named Flaming D-bag and it took a good 5-6 months before they generized me.  I told them it stood for Flaming Dufflebag in the email reply back.  So they changed it to that lol.

A friend had a toon called Cupid Stunt for about 4 years before it was generic'd. The thing that astounded most Americans was that it was actually a knockoff of a creation of the late great Kenny Everett from his prime time TV show in the 80s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkqxagJglaI, not the best one of these but the first one I found in decent quality, the cardboard cutout "she" performs alongside is the 80s UK main chatshow host of the day).

I also ran across Buckaroo Banzai who apparently had existed for the whole 8+ years of CoH's existence.

The two I had generic'd were Debbie does Talos, and The pocket rocket which is entirely innocent in the UK and I got back on appeal.

[johnrobey]

ROFLMAO! over all the brilliant and silly names, as well as re-reading (re-viewing?) Ultraamann's JSA Golden Age costumes.  (Note: just because I find them impressive does not negate the possibility that I'm easily impressed.)  I especially chuckled over the Mozart toon (tune?) character names from The Magic Flute; Flaming Dufflebag LOL and awww that they wouldn't let you keep Debbie Does Talos  ;D - which seems quite in-line for PG-13/Teen wherein "Beavis & Butthead" is over the heads of little tykes and the rest of us just don't care.  LOL, I guess that at 52, I find "the pocket rocket" even in the U.S. innocuous - tho I suppose someone somewhere could take a Freudian view to practically everything; e.g., the Victorians who found it necessary to cover and dress table legs simply for being "legs" - now that's kinky! (imo)

[Minotaur]

LOL, I guess that at 52, I find "the pocket rocket" even in the U.S. innocuous

Google it and you'll see why they generic'd it.

It is completely innocent in the UK and indeed has been used by sportsmen as a nickname (boxer Wayne McCullough being one).

[Golden Ace]

I created Jane Reid, the Lone Ranger's daughter....
https://i.imgur.com/FZQmELp.jpg

lol I made the same character, but was the sister of John, not the daughter.

[johnrobey]

Google it and you'll see why they generic'd it.

It is completely innocent in the UK and indeed has been used by sportsmen as a nickname (boxer Wayne McCullough being one).

Most of the 1st page Google page refers to motorcycles, etc. and even camping equipment tho LOL yeah i see what Amazon.com is selling under this name.  Oh well; someone out there is having fun and we must put a stop to it immediately!   :P