I think its high time I post what resembles the closest thing to me having a Self MOC. Aside from Mototaur, he’s probably my most famous(and infamous) MOC I have. He’s been awarded a Daily Deviation on Deviantart(A special honor where your piece is featured at the footer and other special sections of the site for everyone to see for a day).
Matteo also is the star of a comic series I do called [Bionicle MOCkery][1]. You can read it in its entirety on DA as well.
Matteo is the MOC that you see in all my icons and banners on every site with the exception for Deviantart, where I use icons made by my friend Greg to represent “3rdeye88” which is where I first used that username. Everywhere else though, its Matteo. He is also one of the MOCs I’ve worked on the most. He’s had several versions with about three or four main versions. Since building him in 2011 I’ve been tweaking things here and there. For the most part I’m very happy with his designs. I’d just like to maybe change colors around to make it look more like he’s wearing articles of clothing. Other than that there isn’t much I’d change on him.
I also make it a point to keep Hero Factory and any element newer than 2010 off of him).
Here are the “main photos” of Matteo. This is him with all his accessories in a fairly standard pose.
His accessories include:
- Cane
- Messenger Bag(containing bottle, vial and syringe)
- Belt
- Knife(on Belt)
- Pockets built into legs
- Pocket Watch
- Bat Pendant
- Goggles(formerly)
- Lantern
And while I don’t consider them “accessories” per say, his mask is worn like a real mask using white rubber band elements that hold his mask onto is face. His Skall shield hat is held on with a 3 long friction pin, so its not really a “true hat”, and then his cape is held in place by a chain, so it is like the mask, it is worn like the real deal.
**
Bio
(heavily sumerized)**
Matteo is an immortal being born of a race of people similar to the Atlantians or to a lesser degree, the Asgardians. They had magical abilities and structures that to anyone else seemed like magic, but they understood it as technology. While not born immortal they became so through rituals
Before Matteo came of age to initiate in the grueling process that transformed them into immortal being, which sometimes killed the initiate if they weren’t strong enough, his race of people were attack and fell victims to genocide by invading conquerors. The great city state fell into ruins and his people became endangered. He was able to escape but now he was doomed to live the life of a mortal man, same as any other man in the world.
It was customary that those of the right class granted the right of immortality would engage the perilous procedure in their 20’s-30’s. However Matteo wasn’t old enough yet. Escaping on his own and being picked up by a traveler and whisked away to a foreign land he then had to embark on journey to locate not just another one of his kind, but one who knew how to perform the ritual. It took him till the age of 50 before he found someone and became immortal. Matteo opted to be forever frozen in the body of an older man than to live a mortal life.
After this journey Matteo spent the next couple hundred years traveling all over the world to study different forms of martial arts, medicine, potion brewing and other crafts and trades. He tried learning powerful forms of magic as well, but magic often times comes from whithin and being immortal meant everything was amplified beyond control. This unfortunately meant that he has done great harm to a lot of people unintentionally. In fact, he burnt down an entire village killing everyone in it when trying to learn pyromancy and being overwhelmed by the fire.
It was because of this that Matteo focused on the arts of medicines, became an apothecary and took up the garb of the plague doctor to help the sick. After all, typical diseases and ailnesses did not affect him. You see, becoming immortal not only ceased his aging, but gave him “extra human” abilities. Take the ability of an Olympic runner, fighter, and strong man, put them into the body of a man in his 50’s with bad posture and you have Matteo. While not “super powered” Matteo is deceptively strong, fast and has more stamina than one would think. Looks are very deceiving with Matteo.
Aside from the medicine studies, Matteo also focused heavily on martial arts. He can’t have full control over magic but that still doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a good many tricks up his sleeves(quite literally). Matteo can’t control fire, but he does have command over smoke. His main weapon is to draw blood from his body in the form of smoke, and they materialize as wrist blades. As seen here.
he can also form his “Blood Letters” into a short Sword.
These methods are more for serious threats. When dealing with not so serious threats, like bullies, petrol gards or thieve, he’ll resort to using his knife or just plain old roughing them up.
Here are just the weapons.
In the grand scheme of things Matteo isn’t actually that powerful. he has a few physical abilities and advantages beyond that of a human being, but considering there are super powered beings his world he doesn’t stack up quite so well. The thing that makes Matteo so dangerious is his vast wealth of knowledge and skills. When you’ve had thousands of years to travel the world and learn. You pick up a few tricks along the way. In this way, Matteo resembles something of a wizard. You can’t quite tell what’s going on with them.
Plague Doctor Series
While I didn’t know it when I first built Matteo, he would be the first in a new series, that actually became my first Non-bionicle Centric story line/universe. I currently have four other MOCs in this story line.
There’s Sir Richard Alastair-one of Matteo’s closest friends and allies amongst the plague doctor order. He is a man resembling British origins(the story takes place in a fictional landscape), and is a fisticuffs boxer as a means of combatant.
Alexander Wilhelm A vile little man resembling someone of German descent around the time of World War I. This despicable little man became an ally of Matteo’s during his darker days when he had strayed from his path of well doing and repentance after the loss of his first wife. His Wife’s death was devastating and it drove Matteo into an age of self serving, back stabbing and suffering. Running with the fiends and villains of the time. Matteo met a man named Cog(AKA Alexander Wilhelm). This wretched creep kept himself alive using dark ritualistic voodoo magic where he would swap his soul with that of his son. It was only possible to do this with blood relatives. So Cog would go around fathering children where ever he could. And when ever it came time to get himself a new body, one of his many sons would be his next victim. Through this method, he has kept himself alive for centuries.
Cog is a paranoid tinkerer and mathematician. He builds all sorts of contraptions and weapons, including the suit he wears that completely seals him off from the outside world. It filters his air and keeps him cool or heated inside at all times. Unknown to Matteo, Cog is a descendent of one of the prominent Conquistadors that sacked Matteo’s homeland and took it form themselves. There’s a lot Matteo doesn’t know about Cog that wouldn’t bode well with him. But in those days, Matteo was only interested in anyone who served his purposes and didn’t get in his way.
Hyde/Autumnales This mysterious scar crow is a spirit. He presides over the harvest seasons and is responsible for keeping the harvests and labors of men in balance with nature. Those who live off the land without taking more than is needed or abusing nature are bid favor from Autumnales. For farmers, if Hyde was seen in their fields on a sunny day, this was an omen of good harvest the next year. And it is said that craftsmen who’s goods randomly came up missing are thought to be good omens, as they were of the finest quality and sampled by the spirit. However, those who’s ways were wicked and pillaged and poisoned the land were dealt with. If Hyde was seen on a cloudy or stormy day it did not mean well. This was usually Hyde’s way of warning them, and it typically did the trick. Though if his visit wasn’t enough to deter the wrong doer then hyde would summon evil spirits to this person as Hyde is a very passive aggressive being. To those he favored he warded away spirits and paid them compliments by taking a wheel of cheese or a flagon wine. To those on his bad side he’d summon spirits who would poison their crops, kill off their herds, and even kill family members. In this way Autumnales kept balance in the lands he presided over.
To those attuned to the super natural and could see spirits, Hyde could often be seen strolling the hilly country sides with goods like bread, cheese and barrels of wine in hand, under arm or slung over his shoulder. Hyde was a very friendly mischievous fellow. In fact, that is how he got to be known as “Hyde” as he often liked to play hide and seek and would hide belongings from those he interacted with. He was a rather silent character to, only ever saying “oooooooo” in a high pitched voice. Though this non-threatening “ooo” became a dark ominous moan on those stormy night visits. Other than when having to enforce balance in the world, there wasn’t a mean threatening thing about hyde. Those he interacted with were thought to be blessed with good fortune and considered to be top craftsmen ans Hyde appreciated the finest of quality in life. As a spirit of the harvest, Hyde probably thought that the things taken from the land should be used rightly and used well.
Matteo was one of the few beings around that Hyde would visit with some frequency. Matteo always had something new or something found for hyde to enjoy, and enjoy them he would. When Matteo fell into his period of darkness Hyde distanced himself from Matteo. Though eventually it was Hyde that turned Matteo back from his evil ways and returned Matteo to being a good man trying to do well in the world. After this period of time Matteo returned to his home land, which had become a bustling center of trade in the world, and became a merchant, and Hyde/Autumnales became a regular visitor again.
Here’s the whole Gang.
Matteo-nette While he isn’t canon. I might try and make it so at some point. It was made for a contest on Deviantart a while back. The story goes that Matteo tried to fight this scrap monster spider queen and ended up becoming her puppet play thing, controlled by her spider silk and turned into a marionette until she was killed. In Bionicle MOCkery he’s just a derpy doppelganger of Matteo
Fan Art
Matteo is one of my most popular MOCs within the MOCing community. In fact the response to him has been so overwhelming its flattering. Matteo officially has his own swag.
He has numerious drawings.
Two Drawings from this person
<
Two Drawings by this other person. In Fact, Matteo was one of the main characters in this artists comic/story called [Witching Hour][2] which became a large basis for Matteo’s back story.
Matteo having Tea with rather strange company
And honestly there’s other drawings but you get the idea. Lotsa people have drawn Matteo
Then It gets even better…
Matteo has his own Sculpture
AND HIS OWN PLUSHIE MADE BY MY GIRLFRIEND! This little gem of adorableness was hand stitched, sew and needle felted by my girlfriend as a combined Christmas and belated birthday present since she couldn’t finish him in time for that. She mailed it to me and I remember when I opened. It was a surprise but she told me in a note it was a “Birthmas” present. Which is funny because her birthday is the 22nd of December so she’s used to getting those. Anywho, what’s so awesome about him is she made him the way she drew him to. There’s a link to her and her artwork in the Deviation these photos click through to. There you can see the many drawing she’s done of Matteo and more pictures and other good stuff. Honestly its just a good idea to follow me on DA. That’s the central hub of anything I do.
**PHEW!!!**That was a lot and took a looooooooong time to write. If anyone read all of that you have my sincerest gratitude and admiration. Matteo is my favorite MOC, most well developed, most featured MOC and he’s gotten a lot of love, both from me in working on the MOC itself and his character/back story, and from other people who just seem to love him. The amazing thing about him is he fits in just about any role. Good, bad, main character, supporting character, love interest, he’s a very versatile character. And the really cool thing, is that if I could get everyone to sigh on and agree to a few things, he could be in everyone’s story line and it all be canon cause he’s immortal. It could just take place at different times and places.
My Unofficial Self MOC
Matteo is my unofficial Self MOC because I always kinda thought the concept of a self MOC was stupid. Especially when people would make multiple ones. So this is as close as it gets for me. He wasn’t built to be my self MOC, he just kinda became one. Matteo is who I aspire to be really, a man of many tricks trades and crafts, pursuing skill and knowledge to better one’s self. I know I’m no saint, I could very much be a bad person if I knew I’d get away with the consequences. But I also strive to be good to. A lot of me went into who Matteo is and I hope that has shown. Comments, faves, likes shares and any other support is greatly appreciated. Thank you sincerely for taking the time to read and view any of this.
[1]: Plague-Doc-Matteo - Hobbyist, Traditional Artist | DeviantArt
[2]: Acyrotin - Student, Digital Artist | DeviantArt