#oldtao

[titansandothers]

Redesigning and working on a reference sheet for my adult Beast Boy. Here’s a snippet.

[titansandothers]

[titansandothers]

Old/Unfinished BBRae Art

I try to limit this sort of thing, but Valentine’s Day was yesterday, so I may as well share some of these.

[titansandothers]

Mad Mod: Poverty, Wealth, and Charity

Mad Mod is a definite rags to riches story. Neil Richards was born during World War II and lived in the slums of East London with his mother while his father fought in the war. His mother had to provide for the two of them, even after the war, as she was left a widow. Neil learned from a young age to survive on very little, entertain himself for free, appreciate what he had, and look forward to the simple things. When he was old enough, Neil did his utmost to help his mother however he could. This began with chores, but became mending clothes and repairing mechanical objects. Being a quick learner with nimble fingers proved beneficial. After graduating school, which he did at a young age, Neil focused on honing his skills further to better make money. His mother passed away only a few years later, leaving him an orphan. The orphanage allowed him to keep a handful of mementos of his parents, but he was left in a worse state than when living with his mother. The building was poorly insulated, food was limited, rules were unreasonable, and punishments were severe. Thankfully, he wasn’t in the orphanage as long as most, soon being adopted by a successful engineer. The engineer knew of Neil’s intelligence and wanted to train him as a prodigy. His new guardian brought him to his home in West London, giving Neil his first day out of poverty. While Neil lived comfortably with ample food, proper heating, indoor plumbing, and quality clothing, his life was far from easy. Not only was he made to study for hours on end, he was tasked with chores, given little time to himself, and was expected to be a perfectly posh well behaved young man for guests. While Neil despised the engineer who adopted him, the man did prove useful in getting his own career started. Using the reputation and knowledge he’d garnered during his time with the man, Neil was able to earn money of his own, ultimately saving enough to open a small tailor shop and ultimately work his way up towards fashion designer. Taking on the brand name of Mad Mod, Neil made a great deal of money with both his fashion and technological advances. Even with the time that has passed, Neil will never forget what it was like to struggle with money. He will never turn his nose up at someone in need for “not working hard enough.” He knows his success wasn’t from hard work alone and, without the experience his old guardian provided, he may not have made it. As such, he is sure to help those in need. When he finally had enough money to do so, Neil tore down the old orphanage in which he and others had suffered, in favor of building a new one with better conditions. Mad Mod is more charitable than most people know. Rebuilding the orphanage was one of the few instances Neil funded something without an alias. More often than not, he tries to separate his name from his donations, not wanting to be seen as trying to boost his own image. He also doesn’t want his money to be the reason he might be seen as a good person. He has ample money to spare and it shouldn’t be a factor in his perceived morality, he feels. One of his unknown charitable actions is a second smaller clothing line disconnected from his name. He uses this brand primarily to donate clothing to assorted charities. While usually in different styles and designed for more physical activity, this clothing is made to Mad Mod’s standards of quality. Less personally involved actions tend to be donating to already established charities or helping new ones get off the ground. He continues to donate to this day.

[titansandothers]

[titansandothers]

[titansandothers]

Mad Mod: Accent

Even with all his years in West London, as well as other countries, Mad Mod still speaks with a thick Cockney accent. This is by choice for a variety of reasons. Neil’s parents spoke with such an accent and he wants to keep their memories alive, as well as remember where he came from. He also speaks like this to show that the “lower class” aren’t inept. What’s more, he dislikes speaking with a more posh accent as it reminds him of his time with his adoptive guardian. The man essentially tried to beat the Cockney out of him and remake him into the perfectly posh, well behaved, smart, and talented prodigy.

[titansandothers]

Here we have adult Beast Boy checking himself out in his mirror. Bonus background minus Beast Boy. He tidies up a bit more when he gets older. He also gets a large non-bunk bed. Here we see part of his collection of movies, music, video games, animal books, comic books, magazines, game guides, gifts from Rita, and the like.