Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

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Jabroniville
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Shvaughn Erin

Post by Jabroniville »

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I guess in the future, kneeing someone square in the balls is an appropriately-romantic response to the gesture of a gift.

SHVAUGHN ERIN (Sean Erin)
Created By:
Paul Levitz & Jim Sherman
First Appearance: Superboy & The Legion of Super-Heroes #241 (July 1978)
Home Planet: Earth
Origin of Powers: No Powers
Eras: Original & Reboot
Relationships: Element Lad
Role: Cop Ally, Normal-Person Girlfriend, People's-Eye-View Character
PL 6 (88)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 2 (+5)
Expertise (Science Police Officer) 6 (+9)
Insight 3 (+5)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Stealth 2 (+6)
Technology 2 (+5)
Vehicles 1 (+6)

Advantages:
Benefit (Science Police Officer), Equipment 9 (Science Police Equipment- Fliers, Blasters, etc.), Ranged Attack 1

Equipment:
"Blaster Pistol" Blast 6 (12)
(plus all the other stuff listed in DC Universe)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Blaster Pistol +6 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Relationship (Jan Arrah- Element Lad)- At first they are co-workers, with Element Lad merely being the friendliest Legionnaire to her. But soon they fall deeply in love.
Secret (Sean Erin)- Born male but identifying as female, Sean Erin takes ProFem to become a woman to win Element Lad's love. He later points out that he loves her IN SPITE of the ProFem, not because of it.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 6 (88)

-Shvaughn Erin (about the weirdest name EVER... but actually a REAL name!) is the Science Police liaison to the Legion, there mainly to crush on, and later hook up with, Element Lad, a clear Levitz favourite during his run on the book. Erin & Jan had a ton of cute moments just in the few trades I've read featuring them (including one where duty keeps them apart right until the very end, when they do the classic '80s-style "THEY ARE TOTALLY DOING IT AFTER THIS PANEL RIGHT HERE" moment (this was before comics showed things like Batman & Catwoman have freaky fursuiter sex on-panel).

-Later revelations in the Rubberface Era (what I call Giffen's run, because HOLY CRAP does his art-style get weird- he often switches between Perez-Lite & Rubberface Mode in mid-series!) would show that Shvaughn was Transgender, which was rather ahead-of-the-curve for comics (always a hotbed for socially-liberal stuff like that, really), and taking something called "Profem" to remain biologically female. It's kind of an odd look at how that would be in the future- like, they can build FLIGHT RINGS that communicate for light years of distance, but you gotta take regular pills to look female? Like they can't just surgery you into whatever you want to look like, regardless of how complicated it is?

-Element Lad more or less accepts this, and is like "I'm in love with YOU, not your sex", making him a higher number on the Kinsey scale than many dudes (though that curly hair shoulda been a clue. Just saying). She eventually became Science Police Chief of Earth post-War between Earth & the Dominators, but then continuity got rebooted and she ended up a side-character who never hooked up with the Reboot version's Jan. Shvaughn has not appeared in either Threeboot nor anything set after Infinite Crisis.

-PL 6 is always pretty good for Elite Cops in a superhero setting- enough to be better than the common PL 4 Mooks, but not enough to join a full-blown superhero team. I've actually pretty much read Shvaughn doing nothing physical or combat-related in three Trades' worth of Legion stuff- she just fawns over Jan the whole time. In essence, she's more of a "People's Eye View" sort of character. The "DC Universe" DCA book includes a bunch of Science Police Equipment which you could use- I'd rather not just plagiarize all their stuff, because I don't know what they have otherwise. Also, I find it weird that in ONE THOUSAND YEARS, police have barely more-advanced equipment. But then, if the cops were competent, we wouldn't have superhero stories then, would we?
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon May 30, 2022 1:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Thunder! Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Bladewind wrote: Tue Apr 24, 2018 3:02 pm Hey Bats and Jab, do either of you remember the version of Comet from the Angel Supergirl's series - another "Earth Born Angel" of cold IIRC.
Had the ability to transform into this superpowered semi-equine being in power armor, that was actually a girl as a human.

Yes. Power over love and ice.

They even went full pegasaur with it.

*** shudders ***
I DEFINITELY remember one issue, and it confirmed my already-established bias that DC was "Dumb and Confusing". I was totally weirded out by this Pegasus/Centaur/Horseman who could suddenly turn into a lady. I also recall the the character criticizing Supergirl for not being "open" to a lesbian relationship, but it's been too long for me to remember any specifics.
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Batgirl III
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by Batgirl III »

I guess in the future, kneeing someone square in the balls is an appropriately-romantic response to the gesture of a gift.
It’s called foreplay, Jab.
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MacynSnow
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by MacynSnow »

Batgirl III wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 1:54 am
I guess in the future, kneeing someone square in the balls is an appropriately-romantic response to the gesture of a gift.
It’s called foreplay, Jab.
Doesn't it depend on how hard you hit if it's either foreplay or Assault with Intent? ;)
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Spam
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by Spam »

I'd have so say my wife seems to agree with Batgirl on this one, no matter how many times I tell her otherwise.

... and she wonders why I don't get her flowers as often as I used to.
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Batgirl III
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by Batgirl III »

MacynSnow wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 2:16 am
Batgirl III wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 1:54 am
I guess in the future, kneeing someone square in the balls is an appropriately-romantic response to the gesture of a gift.
It’s called foreplay, Jab.
Doesn't it depend on how hard you hit if it's either foreplay or Assault with Intent? ;)
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by Hoid »

As to ProFem being in pill form, I imagine that, yes, more permanent methods of gender-switching are available, just Shvaughn couldn’t afford those on her salary and her insurance. ProFem was an affordable alternative.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by MacynSnow »

Hoid wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:09 am As to ProFem being in pill form, I imagine that, yes, more permanent methods of gender-switching are available, just Shvaughn couldn’t afford those on her salary and her insurance. ProFem was an affordable alternative.
Don't tell me in the future your a door to door Pharmaceutical salesman Hoid! What about our shared dream of being Time Traveling Space Pirates?!
Jabroniville
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Monstress

Post by Jabroniville »

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You know you're ugly when you're an eight-foot-tall muscular woman with an inhuman skin color and EVEN I don't lust after you!

---

"When we took over Legion, Monstress was deeply unpopular. We'd regularly get letters and posts demanding we bump her off. We actually liked her, and through 'Legion Lost' we did our best to make her an appealing, interesting character. When she died, tragically, at the end of 'Lost,' people were suddenly upset!"
-Dan Abnett


MONSTRESS (Candi Pyponte-Le Parc III)
Created By:
Tom Peyer, Tom McCraw & Lee Moder
First Appearance: The Legion of Super-Heroes #82 (July 1996)
Home Planet: Xanthu
Origin of Powers: Proximity to a Gene-Bomb
Eras: Reboot Only
Relationships: Element Lad (flirtation)
Role: Powerhouse, The Only Ugly Girl in the Future
PL 10 (129)
STRENGTH
12 STAMINA 12 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Expertise (Space Hero) 2 (+3)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 4 (+5)
Insight 3 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+7)
Perception 3 (+4)
Persuasion 4 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Diehard, Equipment 10 (Legion Gear), Fast Grab, Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
Super-Strength 5 (Feats: Groundstrike) [11]
Impervious Toughness 7 [7]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

Equipment:
"Legion Gear"
"Telepathic Ear Plug" Comprehend 3 (Languages) (6)

"Legion Flight Ring"
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 7 (Hot, Cold, Vacuum, Pressure, Radiation, Suffocation 2) (7)
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) (2)
Communication 5 (Flaws: Fifth Rank is only towards Legionnaires) (18)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +12 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +12, Will +5

Complications:
Prejudice (Resembles the Khunds)
Relationship (Element Lad)- Monstress cares for Jan.

Total: Abilities: 72 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 20 / Defenses: 10 (129)

-Monstress is another CLASSIC example of the age-old problem in comics: it tends to sexualize female characters to the point of self-parody, but whenever someone goes out on a limb and tries to CHANGE that by making an uglier female character, the fanbase ultimately turns on it and the character fails. Pantha of the Teen Titans suffered a similar fate- The problem is, men and women both want to identify with characters they're reading, but only MEN get into the whole "ugly body but still gets the hottie" kind of thing. Women typically UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES want to identify with someone who's hideously deformed and monstrous, no matter how nice the character is, or how handsome her boyfriend. It's part of why every Archie Comics woman is built like a supermodel, despite being teenagers written for a primarily female audience (the other part is all the artists being perverted grown men :)). Men can get off with power fantasies playing The Hulk or The Thing, but girls just don't seem to have that side, for the most part. Society values beauty in women and has for as long as we've been writing stuff down- it's just kind of how it is.

-Even I kind of hated Monstress, just from looking at her. Goofy giant monster-chick with a cloying personality. She doesn't just look ugly- she looks DUMB. But they DID go out of their way to make her seem like a sweet, good-natured "big sister" to the team, and I have no doubt that the exact same character, done as a super-hot She-Hulk giant type, would have been a HUGE success on the Legion book. It's sexist, but that's just the way things are. But because she was ugly, the fans HATED her (a ton of fan-based stuff except for Hero History has gone out and said she's the most-despised member of the team sometimes), and she was casually murdered by an evil Element Lad, never to reappear, being a Legion footnote.

-Monstress was the pampered daughter of a Xanthuan industrialist, but gained powers in a Hulk-like way- a gene-altering bomb, set off by a protester disgusted by the conditions of the factory, went off near her. She joins a small group of rival heroes to the Legion, but asks to join after they team up against Mordru- she's accepted, and is altered by Element Lad from green to orange, probably to avoid certain comparisons to certain Marvel characters. She appears in the Legion Lost book, and has a bit of a thing with Element Lad- she cares for him, but he eventually goes mad and kills her.

-A pretty generic PL 9.5 Brick, Monstress is a low-level super-heavyweight (I have no idea how strong she really is, but she was unlikely a MAJOR-league ass-kicker) with a Flight Ring, actually ascending to Paragon territory like alot of Legion powerhouses. I nearly went with ranks of Growth, but she was really only shown as a couple feet taller than the child-like "Archie Comics"-drawn Legionnaires of the day, so she's just Thing-lite.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon May 30, 2022 1:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
MacynSnow
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by MacynSnow »

I personally had no problem with her(though i do think they went a little overboard with her personality),but i can understand why some readers did.
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Re: Monstress

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:39 am -A pretty generic PL 9.5 Brick, Monstress is a low-level super-heavyweight (I have no idea how strong she really is, but she was unlikely a MAJOR-league ass-kicker) with a Flight Ring, actually ascending to Paragon territory like alot of Legion powerhouses. I nearly went with ranks of Growth, but she was really only shown as a couple feet taller than the child-like "Archie Comics"-drawn Legionnaires of the day, so she's just Thing-lite.
You can achieve that with 1 rank of Permanent Growth; that's used for a Bigfoot-esque character in Hero High who looks roughly the size of this fine lady.
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Ken
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Re: Monstress

Post by Ken »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:39 am ImageImageImageImage

and I have no doubt that the exact same character, done as a super-hot She-Hulk giant type, would have been a HUGE success on the Legion book.
Actually, she looks a LOT like a feminised version of the Hulk. In fact I suspect that the reason she changed from green to orange was to make her appear less like the Hulk in drag.

It also reminds me a lot of the version of the Hulk-in-drag we see here The main difference is that Monstress actually has a Hulk shaped head:
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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by Jabroniville »

mmmm.... muscular She-Hulk...

The human-shaped head and slightly less bulky hands, plus the more narrow shoulders...

... What? I KNOW IT CAN'T BE JUST ME!!!
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by Woodclaw »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 5:07 am mmmm.... muscular She-Hulk...

The human-shaped head and slightly less bulky hands, plus the more narrow shoulders...

... What? I KNOW IT CAN'T BE JUST ME!!!
No, it's not just you.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Brainiac 5! White Witch! Kinetix! Supergirl! Element Lad!)

Post by Bladewind »

So she went from feminized Hulk to humanized She-Thing?

I was staunchly in the hate the character camp. I found that they were trying too hard to show Monstress as still being "ladylike" (whatever that's supposed to mean) while still being powerful and empowered. (Neither concept of which I take any issue, it just felt like a parody of itself in a series that was already cheesie.)
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