#kull warrior

[fitsofgloom]

Led By A Savage Queen: Lana Clarkson as the Amazonion Warrior Queen Amathea/Athalia. Clarkson essayed indomitable heroines in an entertaining quartet of Roger Corman-produced Sword & Sorcery flicks in the '80s. I loved comics like "Savage Sword of Conan," "Kull The Conqueror," "Red Sonja," and "Beowulf" as a kid, and Clarkson then and now strikes me as leaping straight out of their pages, tall, proud, and very forceful in the fight scenes.

[msvblight]

Thinking about the setting I worked on with a friend, and another of my favourite species.

They're known as The Hegemony, mosy because that's what their society is called.

They are, overall, large four-armed acid-spitting alligator people.

Originally they were the pets of an ancient and highly advanced species that all died out. The Hegemony took their technology and grew from it, believing that everything in the universe was intended for them. Therefore they have set out in a fanatical conquest of the galaxy to appropriate technology and take territory thst they believe they have a divine right to.

The only reason why they aren't a threat is because they had the cosmic misfortune to have the Kull stand between them and the rest of the galaxy.

So whenever they embark on a new "Glorious crusade" they run into a couple of Kull ships thst give them a swift kick up the cloaca and send them packing.

Hegemony society is divided into three genetically distinct castes:

- Ruling Caste: the inbred rulers of their society, they are scrawny and deformed due to centuries of inbreeding for "genetic purity" but they have pheromonal influence over the other two castes. Acting as a combination of child-kings and fanatical preists preaching dominance over the galaxy.

- Warrior Caste: 8 foot tall and bulky with immense muscles the warrior caste are the main fighting force. Brutal and tough they are one of the few things that can challenge a Kull in hand to hand combat. They acid they cam spray is able to melt rock.

- Worker Caste: diminutive and scrawny, they are extremely intelligent with a natural understanding of advanced engineering, physics and all sorts of things. However they are used for all things from manual labour to ship-building and research. However they have been bred to have an extreme flight response - so they are docule and obedienct, if not very skittish. The acid they spray is more like a strong vinegar, unpleasant if it gets in your eyes but overall harmless.

[arduousfanfare]

Thesis Statement: Blizzard wrote itself into a corner with Diablo 4 and are now trying to reconnect the dots to past games/lore.

Spoilers For: Diablo, Daiblo 2, Diablo 3, Diablo Immortal, Diablo 4. Pedantically discussing the larger pieces.

On a personal level what isn't considered spoilers, to me, is facts that are instantly found on any wiki, general lore in the basic of searches. Including game information, art, etc.

For Context: In Diablo 4: Season 3, Season of the Construct is led by Zoltun Kulle. Diablo 4 takes place 50 years after the DLC of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. Diablo Immortal is supposed to put the gap between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. Between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 it's 20 years. Between Diablo 1 and Diablo 2 it's 2 years.

The Focus: Game World Maps, expanding the world created in December 1996 with every iteration except Diablo 4 can be both good and bad.

The Problem: How each game ends, tying into the world "transformation" but poorly in the sense as with each iteration creates more disconnect.

And now without further ado...

In the beginning there was a town. It was cursed. The NPCS are few and far between but all serve specific purposes as you descend down into the darkness of the blighted church.

The roots heavily inspired by a table top game, Dungeons & Dragons. A lone hero fighitng to defeat the evil that has poisoned them. As the years go on this basic format warps significantly. There is no world map at this point. There is 3 character classes without limitations on what items and skills they can develop. The player can choose what points to invest in their basic stats and skills to invest in as well as some items will provide their own skills.

In Diablo 2 you are in a hodgepodge camp with other survivors. Two look familiar but not exactly. If you do look it up from Diablo 1 the Warrior, Rogue, Sorcerer are Prince Aiden [Becomes the Dark Wonderer and brings the blight of Diablo to the rest of the world], Jazreth [Becomes Diablo 2 Villain the Summoner], and Moreina [Becomes Blood Raven formerly of the Sisterhood of the Sightless Eye]. The town of Tristram has fallen a second time and a familiar face joins the journey through the lands through an ACT structure. That is the only way to orient the world. The world if Procedurally Generated while the Camps is what orient and grounds the player.

The player can choose between multiple classes this go around with more unique basses, skill trees, basic backstories. All NPCs proceed to comment on whatever you choose. Continuing to give purpose in every step as to why the player is here.

Each ACT has a completely different Tileset, with different color enemies of similar statures mixed with new ones to continue to test your mettle against. As you progress it does feel like you are traveling the world.

Lore Point:

The End of Diablo 2: The World Stone is destroyed and exposes Sanctuary more to Heaven and Hell. Wrapping up key stories like the Barbarian Tribes being scattered without purpose after losing the stone.

Everything serves a significant purpose and is extremely detailed.

These trappings are what forms a style that people continue to enjoy today in other games based on this format of using a town to ground the player in the world. Path of Exile taking advantage of this format.

In Diablo 3 you choose your class, you are a traveler who make their way to New Tristram, talk to a Familiar NPC, meet the real Protagonist of the game, retread old enemies and plot points. You do Travel the World, you do have an ACT structure tied to the World Map. You see Sanctuary for what it is. A super continent.

You do get to visit Islands and Heaven/Hell through portals. It all comes together in an established thing.

Lore Point:

Diablo Immortal: Uses the same map and locations as Diablo 3. Continuing to bridge the game between 2 and 3.

The End of Diablo 3: You kill Diablo, trapping him with the other Evils into the Black Soulstone.

The End of Diablo 3; Reaper of Souls: Malthael shatters the Black Soulstone, the 7 Evils are released into the world, the final prophecy of Adria comes true.

Your Player Character is now a retconned child of the Nephalem, you do have a background but again it doesn't play into any significant story beat as you are not the Hero of this story. You are more of a witness.

With all that being said, laid out, established...

[On one hand, this could've been the reset that this franchise needed. This could've been a great leap forward with deepening every piece in a new but familiar space. This could've been Diablo's WoW moment. It hasn't been. This is Diablo Casual.]

In Diablo 4 you are a lost person who tries to weather the storm only to stumble into the cult of Lilith and start the journey to understand her reawakening. Only to find out you're not the Hero of this Story either and you can skip the campaign by making 1 character, get past the cutscene and forget about it. You don't have to play it at all. Which means you can get right into killing demons and getting that sweet loot.

Arguably the actual Campaign is so poorly written and with how it "ends" on a cliffhanger of the real Main Character sailing away... Its mind numbing when the entire game world has been this one significant space and islands dotting around it. Heaven/Hell accessed by Portals but Heaven is silent. Hell is developed a little more interestingly but its not enough.

The Main Antagonist of the game Lilith is devolved into a cartoon villain. There was an opportunity to present these legendary characters into a more moral grey light, possibly adding real rpg components and pushing the story forward in a significant way. None of this happens.

The map is a super continent. Each significant town is a main hub with smaller places spread out. None of the previous locations are mentioned. The character classes are back to basics with only 5 without a knight type. There are distinct tile sets but the enemies are reused/recolored like Diablo 2. There are some enemies who represent classes from Diablo 3, like cultish Zakarum and the monks. But there is no grounding. There is no roots. There is no reason.

Overall the disconnect is surreal. Even more so with "story themes" [in the clinical loosest meaning] being put into Seasons and Zoltun Kulle being hunted for in season 3. It feels out of left field. It could've been tied in better with previous game mentioned Horadrim, deepening how this continent has deep dark roots to previous games. That just like trying to renovate an old house the bones will remember what was lurking there. People have in ancient times rebuilt cities on top of the same points like the city of Troy. Each iteration pancaked on top the next to do in theory better. Building its history.

I understand this is a new game in an established franchise. I understand they wanted to go back to darker, gritty roots that feel more reminiscent of Diablo 1. I understand they took almost every axed feature of Diablo 3 and put it into Diablo 4. Dedicated PvP areas, Paragon Boards, deeper but simpler character creation with builds. Wanting to provide an easier point of entry into this. I understand not everyone really cares about Lore. I understand the first two games were made by essentially the same people/team and then the next two/three games by different people. I understand that even if the original creators had stayed on it wouldn't have made any difference and its just mental conjecture.

I don't understand the why. I can't even figure out if its the execution of these ideas that's bothering me the most or whoever is allowed to write it hasn't put in the work about it. I'm not saying we need the original team back on this because that's a boring argument. I'm saying there is no cohesive structure. No one seemingly at the wheel making these decisions in a significant way that would further the story of this particular game.

It all feels out of left field. Not disappointment. Just disconnected.

Is asking more from a Billion Dollar AAA company too much? Some would say yes. I wouldn't say so. Expectations is a loaded word. Everyone has their own biases and I wouldn't mind a Diablo MMO. But perhaps Blizzard has been clouded too long with WoW. There is so much potential but it continues to feel wasted.

[ankoku-teion]

Dioraden: Nations - Lakhessa

The kingdom of Lakhessa is the successor to the realm of Vitessa. Near the end of the 5th age the Underdark and its residents chose to reconnect with the material plane. One of the first to do so was a Drow Necromancer called Lakhessi, in the year 962.

Prior to Lakhessi’s arrival, Vitessa was ruled by a dark magician who enslaved many creatures to be his labour force, most notably the Orcs and Goblins (See the entry on Vitessa for more information).

In the year 964 the dread necromancer Lakhessi arrived in the southern border region with her small horde of undead. The border between Vitessa and Ebrela had always been a vague one, the line on the map more of a suggestion than a fact. Many clans lived in that border region, evading enslavement from the north and death from the south, and serving as a useful buffer from invasion in either direction. rather than continue to the north Lakhessa began to meet with various warlords and clan chiefs, most notably Rorq Bone-crusher, the young war-chief of the Iron Tooth orc clan, at the time the strongest of the 7 orc clans in the region. Rorq became her chief general and trusted advisor, as well as the great-chief of the Yedish Mafiko, the confederation of the 7 orcish tribes.

Her other generals were similarly the leaders of tribes or confederations with whom she forged various pacts. Zurkidal, the Hobgoblin Warlord, Barnak, the bugbear Boss of the White Stone clan, and head of the Pact of 3 (an alliance between the 3 mixed-race clans near the coast), and the goblins Wrogz and Droq, of the Hill Clans and HornFoot tribe, respectively. (the first being a confederation of inter-related goblin tribes living in the foothills to the east, the second being a large and powerful tribe of goblins living in the mountains proper, ostracised by the other groups for their cannibalism and brutality.)

The forging of this great alliance took another 2 years and a great deal of negotiating to settle a thousand squabbles between the many clans. When, in the year 966, they were at last ready to go to war, the word was sent out to every slave in the kingdom, “war is coming, freedom is coming, your brothers are coming.” On the same day that the allied clans made their first attack, eleven separate slave revolts broke out across Vitessa. The Battle of Southwall, the first engagement of the war, ended with only 10 deaths. most of the slaves abandoned their work and joined Lakhessi’s army. the small force of warriors protecting the town were quickly subdued and all but one of them defected. Their leader was beheaded along with nine overseers, the bodies raised from the dead to march at the front of the army.

Every battle from there onwards bar the last followed a similar path. Before the battler the Lakhessan forces would offer clemency and freedom to all who did not fight. Most of the Vitessan forces would desert, and the rest would rebel. There was very little real fighting to be had.

the Battle of the Black Tower was a different matter. The tower was heavily fortified, the only true fortress in the entire kingdom. Its guards were not simple slaves, but Kull, brainwashed orcs that had been surgically and magically augmented. The battle was long and bloody, but after more than a week of battle the Kull were overrun by superior numbers and killed. The dark mage who had ruled was unceremoniously thrown from the ramparts and killed.

The entire war took only 3 months.

The Ebrelans took advantage of that time. Marching as far as they dared into the now largely abandoned border region. There they built a 200-mile-long border wall. Initially a simple palisade wall, but they quickly began to re-enforce it with spiked ditches, covered traps, and later, squat stone towers.

Buoyed up by their previous successes, the Lakhessan army marched south against the Ebrelans wall in order to reclaim their lost homes. This proved to be a far harder task than expected. the combined forces were not trained in the military tactics of a large-scale battle, relying instead on the simpler methods of inter-clan conflicts that they had used for generations, so-called hatchet wars. These  hatchet wars would usually involve 2 forces clashing and withdrawing repeatedly until one side it routed and flees, these conflicts would be short and relatively bloodless battles focused more on the honour of those fighting than on territorial gains or capturing prisoners.

This attitude carried over into the rebellion as the battles were mostly a show of strength with very little real conflict as the opposing forces would repeatedly break before the armies clashed. These battles did little in the way of providing real combat experience. The final conflict, the battle of Black Tower provided some limited experience of siege warfare but was incredibly one-sided with only 20 Krull against more than a thousand orcs and goblinoids.

The Ebrelan army on the other hand was a professional force with years of experience in both open battle and siege warfare. Their positions, increasingly heavily fortified and well-guarded by traps.

The first attempt on the wall came in 967. The Lakhessan army had collected around a small village by the name of Jandaq in the foothills of the blue mountains a days walk form the wall. This point was chosen for 2 reasons: 1) the thick forest cover meant a large force could approach the wall closer before being seen. 2) the difficult terrain had slowed construction, meaning the wall here was a simple wooden palisade with a ditch, rather than the larger stone walls further west.

the first charge consisted of 250 men, a mixed force of 80 White Fang Orcs and 30 Bugbears and 20 hobgoblins from the White Stone Clan and 120 goblins from assorted clans. much of this force was taken out by spiked pit traps before even reaching the wall and most of the bugbears were taken out by archers. Those forces that did reach the wall were brutally slaughtered by spearmen as they attempted to cross the trench, very few made it over the wall and those that did found themselves surrounded and outmatched. Of the 250 that set off, only 20 came back alive on the first day.

Over the coming month, every second day would see a fresh assault against the wall with new tactics, but always with a heavy death toll. The newly crowned Queen Lakhessa would raise the fallen as undead and add them to the next assault. Towards the end of the month a breach was at last made by bundling a skeletal goblin

she promised freedom to the enslaved races in exchange for loyalty, and with their help overthrew the old mage and installed herself as queen.

Under her Rule, the kingdom that now bares her name became a sanctuary for all those monstrous races that are oppressed by the Vathic faith. Many goblinoid and orcish clans live safely there under the condition that their dead belong to the Queen. Fields, mines and forges are all worked by the shuffling undead of those races, kept carefully under control.

[troblsomtwins829]

Finally Finished Reading the Design Bibles

I took a lot of notes, and while I do, unfortunately, have to keep my blog spoiler-free for my friend (who has not played 3 yet, but we're working through it) I did want to share some highlights!

Ring on Jak's chest noted to be an "Eco Ring" that channels and holds eco force, which it odd because the Warrior is the only other person that uses rings in their design.

Gameplay note: Lurkers are specifically told to only deal with anyone who strays too far from the village. meaning the village isn't a target at all. Just realized this whole thing is in comic sans

Samos the sage is noted to be a "Scholar" of Green Eco. Skin has taken on green skin after years of exposure. Elements of his design suggest a harmony and closeness with nature rather than the noted potential corruption the human body would inflict upon it.

Kiera wants to be a sage. She also likes investigating precursor technology. These are two conflicting desires that any normal youth would have, however her noted interest in tech and building is more utilized than any eco knowledge.

Samos clearly has no problems with her pursuing this path.

Piercings and tattoos exist in the time of TPL The Warrior wears Three (3) rings, pauldrons, vambraces, and leg guards. Has a similar wrapping style in his arms and wrists to Jak, and is, more or less, the only other person that seems armed and prepared for any form of combat. His hair is also green. Being defeated by Kull was a huge his to his pride. Encountering Jak and Daxter may likely have inspired him to learn form his failure and continue onward

Willard and Gordy are the only other characters with names. Names may be attributed to those in close relationships, whereas strangers or acquaintances use reserved titles exclusively

The gambler made a bet the Warrior would outlast the lurkers and lost. That's why he's poor now.

Mosquito design justified by the utilization of the snoot as a literal bloodsucking eco-eater. Design bible notates the functions of a robot for planet-creation, however the design is distinctly more battle/war based.

Overworld concept art is vibrant and much more elaborate than the prints can give off. Overhead shots give great detail on the overall look of the world, likely able to be pieced together to make a semi-cohesive map.

Personal note: Love the inclusion of stylizing the trees to keep everything on-theme Precursor temple in concept art leaves less that it was built into the mountain and more that it fell and then settled there

Jak's hair is barely up to the Warrior's shoulder.

Renegade Jak is not much taller than his younger self. Notably bulked out in some areas, but also painfully thin despite it. Could be chocked up to the dramatic style change between TPL and Renegade. May need to superimpose over feet vs head to get full scale of actual growth, if I really want to work that angle (I do not)

gets new goggles! Those are different ones entirely!

"Dark Jak is INVINCIBLE!" lol, okay fam. 'Dark Jak' taking an intense physical toll on the body makes sense, given the transformation is due to the over-abundance of dark eco in his system. Dark Jak may act as a release of excess energy as much as a dissociative defense mechanism.

Young samos definitely smokes weed. Sig apparently wears a size 18 boot. (13 inches from toe to heel) Vin wears a bowtie

Torn's Facial tattoos are asymmetrical. Both in concept and on model. (I will never draw them that way)

Torn still has many connections with the KG besides Ashelin. Left the Baron's forces for explained reasons, and wants to take the baron down for those aforementioned reasons.

Ashelin started in the KG as a recruit and "fought her way up the ranks to become a commander." Loyal to a fault, still in contact with Torn even after his desertion.

Note: The only known KG commanders are Erol and Ashelin, with Torn being a former commander himself. These two are the only ones that have unique armour tailored to their position and style. Erol with the racing suit, and Ashelin with a more "horse girl" style. Neither contain any colour consistency between them, suggesting that customized armour is a perk to being at the literal top of the military hierarchy.

All Krimson Guards have tattoos to show their loyalty to the city. Models are all copy-pasted, but it's reasonable to assume they earn/get more when ascending ranks or branching into specialized units.

Design note: Torn has a tall torso, Vin has droopy ears, and is taller than Jak

Mar's own legend has contradictory accounts of weither he died. Precursor stone was attached to his sword. Interesting design choice.

Jak is roughtly tit-height to a Rapid-Gunner Metalhead

racing vehicles are designed with a slimmer, almost body-width footprint utilizing aerodynamics and rudders over the fish design of Kiera's original model. Additionally, riders sit feet-forward in a slouched, almost laying position that puts strain on their neck to continue looking forward. Neither model displayed in the design bible have more than one rudder for mobility, which is understandable considering the high-speeds they reach. that can't be good on your back, though.

HAVEN IS PLACED THREE HUNDRED YEARS IN THE FUTURE. PERFECT. THIS IS THE FKING CONFIRMATION I NEEDED. world concept art shows land outside of haven's walls, and even more, ruined walls, beyond. small areas that look to either be stations or small inhabited areas denote life outside of the city is not only possible, but likely. The Pumping Station is NOT misty island, nor is it geyser rock. based on foliage alone, may be adjacent to the forbidden jungle.

Sewers were MASSIVE in concept. filled with metal-heads, and winding enough to get lost in easily. Would have made a great quick getaway point if there were multiple access points throughout the city Haven Forest is a sacred place, filled with stone effigy's and an offering stand in front of The Tree. A wall may have been intended to be grafitti'd

Stone carvings depicting Mar's legend would be a wonderful touch, if incorporated.

Mar buried at the crotch of a precursor robot behind a MASSIVE door that perfectly illustrates the force required to have protected the city from Metalheads. Port was intended to be a more bustling area, complete with actual BOATS. and common areas! I would have loved to see these get modeled into the game, they'd be spectacular.

The stadium was clearly the favoured child. Drill platform is one of many, sees regular activity during the day.

If Daxter's two feet tall, and each bar is a foot, Jak is Five Feet tall.

Baron Praxis is even bigger than Sig. But still shorter than the Warrior. Kiera and Jak are roughly the same height Onin's outfit is basically the ugly nike shirt Tess is Taller than Jak. Erol is shorter than Ashelin.

Jak continues to wear wrappings up to his elbows despite not strictly needing to. Other concept has his forearms free. Headcanon explanation: Hates looking at his scars, so he covers them up to avoid it being seen or asked about.

There is not explanation for the Precursors. I fking LOVE it.

Every wastelander is designed with their hair either put up or cut short to prevent it from getting in the way. Every one has a a design with a pauldron of some kind, and while their clothing isn't entirely practical, it looks light and airy enough to provide protection from at least the sun.

return of the precursor robot

the proto-names for all of the cars feature animal names! Which, while cute, clearly did not last to the final phase.

"Wastelanders love their off-road vehicles" Sir, THERE IS NO ROAD

lol, kg segway

Precursor ship is fking HUUUUGE

The planet is noted to be "unfinished"

Huge variety of flora and fauna in the wasteland. Despite being a desert, it boasts its own ecosystem of a variety of cacti and also fully fledged trees. Concept art suggests that people are able to tame and mount large desert lizards to traverse the sands (nomadic tribes, likely)

Just from the concepts alone, i can tell the entirety of the wasteland was meant to be much larger and more elaborate than the one we ended up with. More diverse life, maybe less marauders, potentially mounts outside of Spargus, the oasis is an entire area unto itself and in the game it's just a puddle. There is so much more love and care in the crafting of the ideas and concepts of this game that sadly got left to the wayside from either time or money constraints. Haven is in ruins, New areas previously unknown have been uncovered, and there's an entire world out there that has yet to be explored in full. Were this game made today, and given the time needed to make sure it was well-produced and as elaborate as they wanted, it'd easily give Nintendo's LoZ a run for its money.

[maddyaddy]

Excerpt From A Short Story I've Been Writing Over 2 or so Years

The first strangler was scarcely through the door, before Kull leapt from his bed. Kalervo was likewise roused, but he was too late and too weak — men often are, but it is alright nonetheless. In any case, Kull swept his legs forwards, then used his hips to bring himself up to a sitting position, then jumped into action.

He lunged for the strangler’s head. The strangler, having expected a ram in the bush, instead got a wolf in the field, awake and canny, alert to an attempt to murder him. In any case, the poor bastard kicked and heaved, but Högni’s Bane took its debt. That was the first of four to die, that baleful day.

Battle — any battle is ineffable, listener. You cannot imagine it, even if you have experienced it. Kull knew this full well, as he set out sweeping the house for more. The Ukkosvärd hungered beyond its fill.

The skin tags betrayed the next.

“Kull — “ Kalervo cried out to no avail. “You must calm yourself! Lad, it’s not worth — “ The next warrior had what they called sisu, back in the day. He stood and fought, faced his fate with pride and dignity. A big man, broad-chested and big-hearted. Torbjorn the Thread-Cutter, from the lands to the west. He struck back when he heard his partner’s death, aiming a low kick towards Kull’s oncoming knees, below the belt.

“KULL!” Kalervo was begging for restraint. He was not heard, before the end.

Kull was inchoate in rage, roaring and screaming his hate. His world as he saw it was a whirl of motion, one movement quite quickly, fluidly flowing into the next. He kneed back, then stepped forth to deliver a high slash towards his foe’s chest. That terrible sword, made in sin, with the old magicks, cut the thread of the Thread-Cutter.

The third and final strangler was more cowardly. Snakebite, they called him, appropriately. He had stuck back while the others went ahead. Now, as Thread-Cutter fell, Snake nocked an arrow. His vain-hope, his ambition was to kill Kull in the confusion and chaos of battle.

Kull whirled about on the balls of his feet. He willed his words law, as a shaman. Snakebite’s perception froze. Then, it was over — or so Kalervo thought.

“Look what you’ve done, now. The place is a mess.” He shook his head, then shrugged. “Ah, well. Couldn’t be helped —” He was cut off by Högni’s Bane. Kull looked down at the short space between them, and then he turned as the fire in the house’s hearth roared. Then to Kalervo’s face, betrayed, for no good reason at all.

He grabbed the sheath and put the blade away. Then, he hung his head in his hands. Kullervo whined, like a horse whines, out of an unconscious ache. So much, so fast. That was his curse. Oh, cursed be those that think last, act first.

Kullervo, he realized, was the crooked child, raised in poor fashion. His first father, he had run from, out of fear. His second, his true father, he had killed out of anger. A child that has been in fear is, often, a creature that will fear or should be angry.

[shree3redranger]

Vandal Savage, King Kull, Ra’s al Ghul Lex Luthor, Alexander Luthor Sr/Jr./Mazahs/Alexis/Alexandra Megistus Aqua-Mariner, Amalgam Namor, Aquaman 1,000,000 and Dead KingAtlan/Sea King/Arion/Thanatos/Kordax/The Thirst; Ocean Master Black Manta Astarte/Veronica Cale Theana, Paula/Gerta von Gunther, Bruna-Brunhilde, Gudra/Gundra, Deva, Dark Angel, Grail (Barda/Bekka/Maxima), Queen of Fables, Crow Children Gargareans, Mythlands-Cosmopolitan, Multiethnic/Omniethnic Black Adam/Sivana (scientifically copy Shazam's magic lightning), Osiris, Neron, Despero Red King Berceuse Armies of Sand(wo)men/Dr. Destinies/Red Kings Insect Queen Bee Symbeasts Wonder Woman kicks Batman's butt every time they fight because that's what happens when a normal person goes against a super of that caliber with no kryptonite factor, of course they also have similar tactical mindsets or at least fighting skills and with her superior abilities she obviously has the advantage, she will use diplomacy before resulting to violence and even lethal force if absolutely necessary, she is more powerful than Superman and has better gadgets than Batman Supes has a job and a boss, Bats has a butler and is the boss of one of the world's largest corporations, Supes may have his fortress of alien tech, Bats has even more cool stuff, Supes pines for one woman, Bats has a harem of fetish femmefatales who pine for him You can only call Waller a villain in that she'll sacrifice the one for the many, she has a moral line and whether you agree with her or not it does not move, she's made Bats back down and acknowledge she has a point the CSA the Justice Lords Antimatter Earth-3 Pocket Dimension Alexander Luthor/Mazahs/Doc Savage/Edison Rex/Axel Brass (Century Babies)/Xanatos (copy Ultimate Archmage familiar Stee/Iron Clan/Thailog shock troops)/Hank Scorpio/Oliver Warbucks-self-made man, never lost the common touch and never forgot where he came from, felt strongly that business owners had a responsibility to treat their employees fairly and had an equally great hatred of corruption I always imagined nanotech like Spawn or the Darklings, Matrix, Satin Satan Girl, Nighflame, Scorch/Fernus (succubi/nymphs) , Belinda Zee, Supra/Ultra/Ubergirl, Superior Girl, Divine, Nuclear Men, Bizarros-stronger, Smarter, faster, tougher, better looking than Supes, Ms. Gsptlsnz, OMACS, Warsuits Luthor's power armor, Havokoids, Warmaker 1s, Alphina Brainiacs Indigo, enhanced Doomsday clones (Steel/Cyborg Superman/Eradicator, Tactile TK), Doomslayer, Superdoom, World Killers, Paragon, Vartox, Amazo Rao's familiars- Flamebird and Nightwing Angelus Warriors: combined Shadowflamewing/Imperium of Mankind Double psyber Eagle egg/sunstone; Rao (god of the sun), Cythonna (goddess of ice) Yuda (goddess of the moon), Telle (god of wisdom), Mordo (god of strength), and Lorra (goddess of beauty) Familiars- Wolves, Scratch-9-Gyrinx-Sabretooth/Witch familiar/pharaoh-Alley-Kat-Abra (Sleen),Ravens (American Eagle), Monkey, Winged Unicorn, Gryphon, (Black, White, Gray, Rainbow) Phoenix, Phaethon and Savitar, the sun dogs (dragons-insect to cat to Kaiju sized)- born out of Solaris' own nuclear furnace, and heir to his hydrogen-fueled power and fury Octus, the eight-dimensional cephalopod - from the bottom of the seas of neptune. While it is impossible for creatures limited to a three-dimensional perception of the universe to fully understand his powers, his weird limpet grenades have proven to be most effective weapons. Wormhole - unfathomable denizens of the black gulfs between stars, with the ability to bend space and time to his command Flashpoint/Epsilon: Magog, Tokyo Rose- Mystic martial arts (Darklings from Darkness (as well as symbiote/Super-Adaptoid/Demogoglin) like giant robots and monsters like Kaiju as well as cyborg demonic ninjas and Samurais/Huntsclan/Snake Eyes, Mirabai, Manotaur, XXX like 666-Judge Dread-Judge Dredd and Death/Mortis, NIL-8, Americommando-Major Glory Stormwatch/Meritocracy/Protectorate: Mr. Majestic, Midnighter, Century Babies amalgam-Doc Savage, Jenny Quarx-Mystechnician, King of Cities/Wyld, John Lynch/TAO Prime/Elven Manchester Black-Telekinesis telepathy, symbiote/symbeast(s)-(Darkness/Angelus/Witchblade/Spawn), magic club, magic hat from which can pull anything; Manchester Black Americanitis John Smith- shirt with American flag and baseball bat-Shine/Bright Knight-Shade, Angelus etc Billy Butcher; Good Homelander/Major Glory-The Boys coat etc., Becky Butcher, Greg D. Mallory, Tommy Monaghan- Ace of Winchesters, Jesse Custer-Preacher, Max Damage Buck “Buffaloman” Storm- modern/future mystic Pecos Bill lasers/Super Chief/Black Bison/Flying Fox/Manitou Raven/Silver Deer/(Winged Bison belt like winged golden ram fleece-Olympian-flocks/herds of buffalotaurs)Forge/Black Condor/Nightwolf/Chief Thunder/Turok/Bravestarr/Blackstar Rodeo Paladin alternative Batman cowboy Punisher/spliced with Terraman/Deadshot/Jonah Hex/King Faraday/Slam Bradley/Tommy Monaghan/Terry Sloan/Matches Malone/Lefty Knox Thrax Von Brighthammer- Brighthammer Living Saint/Sage Illuminatus Inquisitor/Rogue Trader Dirk Torch-Axel Brass (Century Babies/Mystechnician)/Oliver Warbucks/Richard Henry Benson Dollarmation Starcloak Bruno Godkiller- Thundragoria, Neo-Primordia-life began on Earth avoid White Martians' ancient experiments so like Kryptonians plus inherit white plasma on par with Starheart/Shazam's magic lightning, Vartox/Amazo/Paragon I ship Tim and Steph, Cassandra Cain with Connor Hawke Damian with Lian Sin or age appropriate Carrie Kelly David gave Cass plenty of emotional support and positive reinforcement however shooting her until she learned to get out of the way and preventing her from learning language so that segment of her brain would read bodies instead qualify as abuse under any definition imaginable Of course Bruce can go from paternal figure second only to Jonathan Kent himself to a monster who does things like lock Dick in the Batcave and force him catch and eat rats to survive in three issues depending on who's writing him On the other hand men like him don't define the world in terms of right and wrong but strong and weak he made Cassandra strong thus to some extent he's a decent human being Slade's wife Adeline Kane may be Bruce's cousin, Kathy Kane of Spyral, Kate Kane new Batwoman wealthy military family one of Gotham's founding families along with Waynes, Elliots, and Cobblepots, Powers Thorne/Falcone/Maroni/Blockbuster/Cobblepot/Manheim I imagine Jonathan Kent like Hub McCann from Secondhand Lions can take on four guys a quarter of his age, unarmed and still beat them "I'm Hub McCann. I've fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I've seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I've won and lost a dozen fortunes, KILLED MANY MEN and loved only one woman with a passion a FLEA like you could never begin to understand. That's who I am. NOW, GO HOME, BOY!" Lori Luthor Simon Valentine Darklings-symbiotes/Super-Adaptoids/Demogoblin Asteroid M(s)-Krakoa mysterium- Savageland(s) Danger (Zero-Techno-organic-Technoarchy Phalanx Barbuda Builders Most of the heroes consider Fury a good guy because the thought of him being a villain is too terrifying you will never be as bada$$ as this World War II vet from New York's Hell's Kitchen Fury started fighting the Nazis with his band of brothers the Howling Commandos first before moving onto more esoteric foes of humanity It was sometime between moving to work for the CIA and fighting a hate-ray powered clone of Adolf Hitler alongside a walking pile of rocks that Fury realized that when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. And thus has followed a several decade long Crowning Moment Of Awesome Why he is cooler than you will ever be: He has a Flying Car, he parks this Flying Car in his Flying Base filled with Life Model Decoys and psychic spies, he's fought radioactive robots in space, he's chased a warlord to another dimension to fight psychic duels with his literal Eyepatch of Power, he's hunted Godzilla he is a Badass Normal feared by Nigh Invulnerable beings, he is feared by Nigh Invulnerable beings because he has demonstrated the "nigh" portion by killing several, he never looks at explosions, he does, however ride motorcycles through explosions while shirtless and Dual Wielding Laser Pistols, he is literally ageless, he once willingly turned himself into an Eldritch Abomination to save reality, he's beaten up Adolf Hitler on more than one occasion Captain America Cyclops and Black Panther are Marvel's Batmen Bats even says Cap would be beat him though it would take a long time Master of the World, Leader/Maestro, Kang Doctor Doom White Wolf/Man-Ape/Killmonger (K'Liluna), Mandarin Baron Mordo Demonicus, Tomi Shishido-The Hand, Apocalypse- Weapon Infinity/Super Skrulls all cool X-Men villains, Azazel Selene Sebastian Shaw Sinister,clones of Madelyn Pryor (Goblyn Queen) (Karasu and Sojobo-Tengu) Margali Szardos Amanda Sefton (Scarlet Witch Storm and Agatha Harkness are Earth's High Priestess together,Homo novissima Sublime/Arkea, Cassandra Nova Neo, Children of the Vault, Romulus Onslaught Pandemic Vargas High Evolutionary Kingpin- The Owl/Count Nefaria/Mr. Negative/The Hood HydraCap- Wolfgang von Strucker/Zemo/Viper, Hive/Kraken/Scorpio- Nick Fury's clones Master Man/Warrior Woman/Baron Blood Bricklemoore twins Maybe Dracula Vampire Kingdom on the Moon Drakulon Arkon Foreigner Sentry/Taskmaster super soldier serum The Celestials are why we have mutants and other things don't just kill humans but sometimes give them powers, they made the Eternals also Namor- He's a mutant as well why he has wings on his ankles Atlantis Pietro-Crystal-Attilan-Inhumans- take command of Kree Intergalactic Empire Charles Xavier-Lilandra- Command of Shi'ar Intergalactic Empire (Kid Omega/Zen Gunnery) Storm-Black Panther-Wakanda (Techno Organic Jungle Intergalactic Empire) Monster Island- Archipelagos off Japan and Bermuda Triangle connect through vast passageways all across the earth through the Earth hordes of giant monsters commanded by Mole Man

[maybeitsalive]

Oh, may I interest you in the novella The Shadow Kingdom?

It’s written by Bob Howard, better known as the daddy of Conan the Barbarian. This novella is about his ancestor Kull, a barbarian who’s just become king and everyone’s uncomfortable about that, him included. Fortunately, there’s a mysterious warrior who hates him but is still willing to help, coming into his room by the balcony in a night like a very manly-man Romeo, giving him a bracelet for protection, fighting by this side etc etc, and they’re basically married for the rest of the Kull series. In a very manly-man way. I don’t know how interested by low-fantasy you are, but I think you’ll find plenty of things that make you tick.

Also it’s public domain and a 1 hour-read.

toxic hypermasculine media my beloved

[spockvarietyhour]

Stargate Atlantis “Phantoms”

[marvelman901]

Conan the Barbarian 22 (1973) . Written by Roy Thomas Penciled by Barry Smith Inked by DN Adkins . This was a reprint of the original Conan the Barbarian story. . #marvel #comics #conanthebarbarian #barbarian #70s #conan #shaman #magic #monster #danadkins #barrysmith #roythomas #war #warrior #kingkull #kull #tara https://www.instagram.com/p/CFQ8ebiBLbf/?igshid=1odjujg08ekf9

[random-thought-depository]

Yeah, I remember watching that episode where Anubis is about to invade Earth and thinking "dude, it's getting a bit ridiculous at this point, you're in the opening phase of a full-scale alien invasion, trying to keep it secret at this point is completely counterproductive, you need to start informing FEMA, first responders, etc. that the world is being bombed and invaded by space aliens, you need to start telling the regular military what a Jaffa is and what a Kull warrior is and what their capabilities are, etc., all these people will be able to handle this situation much better if they know what they're facing."

i think by the time the whole UN security council and several other major NATO governments know about the aliens, and the stargate program itself is under international oversight, and you’re building and launching an honest-to-god international space fleet to explore the galaxy and defend Earth, the whole secrecy thing seems kind of pointless. especially devoting whole episodes to keeping up the masquerade. would’ve made a lot more sense (and made the earth-based episodes more interesting) if they’d gone public in season 8 instead of just trying to keep the status quo

[cosplaytutorial]

Hi! I'm planning on cosplaying as an Anubis Kull Warrior from Stargate SG1 at some point and the suit of the costume has a grey pattern on it that is kind of intricate and I was wondering if you had any advice about how to create the pattern on the fabric, thank you

Hello there!

This is a job for screenprinting. I would see if anyone has created a vector for the pattern (or if you are able to copy it from reference images), since the pattern on the shirt and on the pants appears to be largely the same, just at different scale and arranged differently.

Screenprinting is the easiest way to get this level of detail in a design like this, and is likely how the original costume was created. This is a fairly simple and comprehensive tutorial on how to go about the process.

I hope that helps! Good luck :]

—Fabrickind / Q&A Staff

[natalieironside]

I finished all your books a couple months ago and loved them! Do you have any reccomendations for books similar to them?

Literally cannot recommend Margaret Killjoy and Ursula Le Guin enough. If you like my stuff, you'll love theirs; they're like real authors

My two biggest literary inspirations for TLGS were Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, and generally the works of Edward Abbey. Roadside Picnic is some of the best sci fi I've ever read and I recommend it to everybody. Ed is....well, Ed is culturally important and a very good storyteller but he was also rather racist and sexist so his work is a "grain of salt" type deal. The Ed books that most closely resemble the "vibe" of TLGS are The Brave Cowboy and Good News.

If you liked the Nameless Queen stuff then I recommend playing Diablo 2 and watching Xena Warrior Princess as well as reading entirely too much dubious pulp fantasy. Bob Howard's Kull stories loomed large in my mind when I was coming up with that stuff.

[merv606]

Daniel is so exquisite i bet in an arranged marriage au a Prince Terry would be like 'ugh i gotta marry some punk prince i don't know and is younger than me' then sees a picture of his betrothed and is all 'saddle the horses we have a wedding to prepare people!!!"

like sleeping beauty or the swan princess lmao. oh no i have to watch those again now.

Okay so - rubs temples - JESUS CHRIST YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW FERAL ARRANGED MARRIAGE TERRY AND DANIEL MAKE ME!!!

I have sat on this because I can’t answer this without just wanting to sob in the corner!

Okay but Terry as some Lord or Prince and Daniel is the offering for whatever - Terry to protect their village - maybe they owe back taxes 😂 or maybe he’s royalty himself - WHO CARES!

All arranged marriages lead back to Lord Terry Silver which lead to Daniel being gifted to Terry or Daniel as a spoil of war because Terry is a great warrior mmmhmmm

And then my mind just becomes a fever haze of all these AU ideas warring for supremacy (whispers: and none can win)

And it all started with a GIF of TIG from Kull The Conqueror (nabbed a pic off Google)

Which my mind immediately went to this Daniel sitting around the same fire

Which was Ralph when he was 22ish mind you.

So to me, those two together look like them being brought together for the first time / Terry seeing his soon to be husband and Daniel seeing his soon to be husband for the first time.

Instant attraction - Daniel the coy look (more reserved - he’s a boy of good breeding after all but hems intrigued) but Terry is much more obvious in his desire - doesn’t even want to put on the blindfold to be robbed of even a second of being able to stare at Daniel.

But then the fact Terry looks so rough there - this could be an AU where he’s some brutish war lord - highly feared throughout the lands - and Daniel is a good boy of breeding who is gifted to Terry when Terrys army invaded or he offers himself up so Terry won’t invade - just so so many AUS

😭

I have to stop before this becomes extremely extremely NSFW or incoherent ramblings, a mad descent into the depths of horny hell.

Also / Daniel is exquisite and Terry would 💯 not be expecting that and would want to tap that immediately (and often)

And I have to go lie down 😵‍💫😵‍💫

[mysg1spacemonkey]

Death knell

C’mere in Death Knell.

[bonnicula]

Goddamn I Love Axe Babes And Mighty Thews

Mainstream tastes in fantasy art have evolved and changed a lot since the genre's inception. And while Fantasy Realism serves up believable and historically plausible worlds and MMO Chique distributes huge pauldrons and huge glowing swords but for me oh my lord there is nothing quite like the campy and audacious realms of the classic fantasy novel covers and sword and sandal comic books. This shit hit my brain at an early age when I learned that my library's fantasy section was FULL of pulpy novels with these just buckwild covers with glorious barbarian asses and titties fully out I'm talking weird misty vistas with a big monster starring big butts and beautiful thighs and dudes holding swords looking all solemn and sultry warrior goddesses looking like the goddamn blueprint of everything I wanted to be since I first found an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel in my impressionable youth.

I'm talking BUTTS

I'm talking THIGHS

I'm talking the fascination with bondage and the homoerotic posing in life and death struggles with a rampaging beast

I'm talking bad bitches with swords and axes looking fucking delicious

I love the muscular men with their exposed thighs barely covered by a tattered loin cloth in a life and death struggle with a big snake. I love the sensuous sorceresses draped on thrones like leopards. I love the buxom barbarian ladies with monstrous battleaxes and chainmail bikinis goddamnit. I love Conan and Kull and Red Sonja all oiled up and ready to wrestle. I don't have bigger point here or anything. This is just my little personal love letter to the gloriously campy pinup sword and sorcery style. And I'm sure there are lots of artists still keeping this style alive and well (send them to me). I do yearn for a modern resurgence that strips the noxious racism and sexism out of the old tropes. It would mean that we could have more diverse and beautiful bodies displayed in their full fantastical glory. Lord knows the representation was fucking abysmal in the classic entries. For the love of god give me every body type and skin tone in all its gloriousness. Give me a transfem Amazon Queen chopping through some evil fucking skeletons with her dick and titties ineffectively covered by insufficient tattered leather. Give me lovingly depicted big hairy bears reclining in sensuous repose before the throne of the Dread Conqueror Twink. Give me everything, as long as it's got a battleaxe and is wearing furry boots.