#electrex

Electrex (Gerbman) Merrimouser is an 11 year old gerbil with a lot of energy to spare. He has many ideas on how he's going to use this energy--he's got a skateboard, a scooter, and a bicycle, and he knows how to use them and maintain them. He can even perform tricks! He's got a bunch of friends that he hangs out with that are into those kinds of sports, so as long as they don't get into trouble, it's time well spent.

Unfortunately, Electrex has a tendency to get into trouble. Whether it's a misadventure he got into by accident, a consequence of a practical joke he pulled, or even just finding himself being the first to face the villain of the day, there's no doubt that whenever shenanigans are happening, it usually involves him. Most instances are usually the type one can look back and laugh on, even if you don't find him taking over the internet to do a stupid meme dance on every screen funny at the time. There are a couple occasions where something horrible did come out of it--such as creating a supervillain from his powers--so Anna is trying to get him to reel back his shenanigans, especially those involving his powers.

However, when you're a young boy with the power of electricity, there's a lot you want to do. Besides shooting lighting from his fingertips, he can convert himself into energy and travel through electric currents, jumpstart various gadgets and power machines, go out in a thunderstorm to catch or even ride lightning, and he even can do a bit of magnetism (though that bit's unrefined and he often accidentally conks himself on the head with a bucket or something). He'll often do a little 'joy buzzer' type of prank to people he meets, which can be a bit annoying.

Despite his youth, he's the one who's had the most practice with his powers--not just in pulling pranks, but in having to navigate around family members with health issues. His parents were sickly, with his mother passing soon after his birth, and his father holding out several more years until he passed too. As he was born with his powers, he often wonders if he caused his mother's death, and if his powers contributed to his dad's worsening health. As fun as his powers are, he does have enough self-control to not hurt people too bad; of course, his adoptive family of fellow supercritters are tough enough to handle him, and when it comes to villains (especially Voltzo, the manifestation of his unchecked power and mischief), he'll have less restraint.

Still, he's no buzzkill, as stated before. He's often the one making jokes (good or bad) to his siblings and friends, and he'll be the one doing most of the roasting of the villains they face. He's also the one who enjoys when the news covers them the most, often asking if they got his good side--though he may object if someone slams them for whatever reason. He does wish from time to time to have a segment on him, covering not just his powers, but his sweet tricks on a skateboard, or how he managed to get a radio working without having to rely on his powers. And maybe pull a harmless joke on the host.

And of course, he often has to clarify to people that the lightning bolt on his chest is NOT a tattoo, it's a birthmark. His mom wouldn't let him get a tattoo at his age.

~~~

So, Electrex was originally created by my brother as an addition to the Super Rodent Squad back when we were kids--though initially he was a hamster named Electroball (clearly meant to be an electric version of Fireball). Since bro has moved on, I've kinda adopted him, and when I revamped the Squad a few years ago, I decided to change his species to gerbil (since I wanted more variety in the team's roster than hamster, mouse, and rabbit), and rename him something that isn't a Pokemon move (or Fireball ripoff).

They live in a world ruled by rodents and other small mammals, living lives and building cities and doing jobs much like our own. However, every century, there is a magical meteor shower that ends up granting random critters superpowers, which no one has been able to explain the how and the why yet. The Squad, either having been directly granted powers or having inherited them from ancestors granted powers in previous centuries, was brought together when a mouse named Anna Merrimouser gained custody over seven superpowered foster children (five of whom are definite orphans), and started to raise them alongside her three biological kids. 

They protect their home city of Gnawpolis, having to fight crime from the most pathetic crooks to the most dangerous of supervillains. They are still a bunch of kids, however, so life can get bumpy between their heroics and their normal lives. 

The Squad consists of these kids:

Apple is the butterfly mouse, who ended up with his mutation when as a toddler he ate a butterfly enchanted by the meteor shower. At age six, he’s a sweet and cheerful little boy who finds science really cool, but is a little shy because his mutation is kind of embarrassing. However, it does have some perks, as he can fly and create gusts of wind (or even tornadoes), perform hypnosis with a flash of his wings, and shoot lasers from his antennae. He, along with younger twin siblings Tootsie and Boots, is the biological son of Anna. 

Destiny is the youngest of the Squad, a five-year-old rat whose origins are a mystery, as she was just found at an orphanage doorstep one night. She’s a charming little princess who love pink and purple, tea parties, ballet, and using her psychic powers to make her toys move with her mind and send telepathic messages to others, sometimes telling them that she wants sweets. She doesn’t like taking off her hat. 

Bita is the oldest of the Squad, at sixteen. Orphaned when a gang attacked her entire family, leaving her the only survivor thanks to her super strength and near invincibility (granted to her by the shower, which also turned her fur pink), she has a major protective streak regarding her new family. Still, as a teenager, she does get annoyed with them, and she’s snarky as all get-go. Sometimes she’d rather rock out with her friends in their band (she sings and plays guitar) or do makeovers or hang out at the mall, but she does enjoy kicking villain butt and joking about how she, a rabbit, is technically not a rodent. 

Fireball is the flaming dwarf hamster. Orphaned when his inborn powers manifested when he had a nightmare and accidentally burned his house down in his sleep, he’s got issues. He once feared his pyrokinesis after that fateful night when he was five, but at thirteen, he’s got the hang of his powers and will liberally use them in a fight. Still, he is the designated grump of the family, and you best leave him alone when he’s contentedly playing his video games, reading comics, or playing chef in the kitchen. He will burn you when startled.

Iceham is a hamster that’s the opposite of Fireball. He’s more stoic and chill, fitting with his ice powers, and his level-headedness typically leads to him leading the Squad. Though fourteen, he’s had to grow up a little too fast after losing his parents. Soon after they were granted powers from the shower, Iceham’s biological brother was consumed by his shadow, taking the name of Darkness and proceeding to off their parents and attempt to get him as well, with Iceham only escaping by freezing him and running away. He usually shies away from doing activities, but he has a friend who’s helping him discover interests in winter sports and art. 

Electrex is a hyperactive gerbil with the classic weird goofiness of eleven-year-old boys. Despite having lost his parents to illness years before, he’s quite cheerful and mischievous, with a love of jokes and pranks, with a favorite being using his electrical powers to be a walking joy buzzer. Born with the powers and a large birthmark on his chest, he seems to be rather proud of who he is, even if the others get annoyed with him--though, sometimes, he’d wish that he’d get attention for the tinkering and skating tricks he does in his calmer moments. 

Katie is the rough-and-tumble tomboy, an eight-year-old athletic chipmunk who’s also got a lot of energy to burn. Born with the powers of shapeshifting and healing hands, she’ll dare to do just about anything. She’s quite the bold smart aleck, and sometimes likes to do business ventures to earn some extra bucks. However, despite her attitude most of the time, she is full of compassion, as she’ll rush to the aid of the injured and heal them. It might be natural healer’s instinct, or she doesn’t like the thought of anyone losing their loved ones like how she lost her parents thanks to a car accident. 

Lucia is an acrobatic squirrel who absolutely loves the great outdoors. The fresh air, the trees to climb, the dirt to feel between her toes, and a creek to splash in make her a happy ten-year-old. With her powers involving light--making her body emit light, cast illusions, and even turn invisible--she’ll even create a show at night and be as creative as she wants. It might have something to do with her biological parents entering her in child pageants and making her a ‘perfect’ little girl to win money, and then locking her up in a small room most of the time to prevent any other influences from ‘tainting’ her (she was extremely lucky to even have been granted her powers the night of the meteor shower). Eventually, someone caught on and she was taken out of her parents’ custody. With Anna, she appreciates the freedom she’s given to explore who she wants to be, despite still having claustrophobia and an aversion to glitter. 

Even though the fact that they’re a bunch of kids gives citizens pause, they have proven more than capable of dealing with extraordinary threats multiple times. 

I have drawn the SRS and posted it here before, but this is a bit of an overhaul where I give them a new art style (the old one... had those black holes for eyes which was kinda creepy), change some species to make it more diverse than just hamster, mouse, and rabbit, and add another character at my sister’s suggestion. I think it turned out well, and they’ve actually been more fun to draw as of late. Heck, I oughta show you the rogues gallery and supporting characters sometime, as I’ve gotten some inspiration for those and they’re fun, too.