JCC [Image heavy]A thread for art: See note on page 776

https://www.deviantart.com/drachenmagier/art/Creature-858847144

 

As a student of the Russian language can I say that that their missuse of kyrilian letters are notable, for exemple "я" is nor a funny looking "r", it's pronounced "ja"

 

darthpandanl: Project 941 Typhoon class Submarine

https://www.deviantart.com/darthpandanl/art/Project-941-Typhoon-class-Submarine-602456935

 

https://www.deviantart.com/vsqs/art/Happy-Halloween-859773215



https://www.deviantart.com/valhahazred/art/Happy-Halloween-from-the-66th-Century-859718976

Spoiler

While the Tsan-Chan have the Parting of the Veils, with the second falling around our Halloween, it's not a particularly exciting holiday. Ran (the giant history nerd that he is) looked up some pre-collapse traditions at Little Pnakotus and found one from the late Colonial Era that seemed fun!

So have a wonderful Halloween from Khane, Ylissa, Guhkka, Ran, Espiritu and Xauni!

 

PizzaPupperRoni: The Three Caballeros Halloween Eve

https://www.deviantart.com/pizzapupperroni/art/The-Three-Caballeros-Halloween-Eve-770598155

 

https://www.deviantart.com/valhahazred/art/Cryptid-Mythos-Water-monsters-855311215

Spoiler

The fifth in a series exploring the popular modern folklore of cryptozoology and what Mythos forces may have inspired it.


Water monsters

If any cryptid is discovered to literally exist, precisely as described by legend and folk-lore, it will probably be a water monster. The ocean is a big place and it's easy to believe we could miss a large animal in the lightless depths.

That said, the physical evidence for sea serpents is just as dubious as it is for any other cryptid, with a lack of clear photos and any biomaterial turning up inconclusive at best and known animals or hoaxes at worst.


Water Horse

Typified by its relatively stocky build and a horse-like head with a mane and/or short horns. Water horses once seemed ubiquitous amongst sea and lake monsters but have been largely replaced outside of a few stubborn hold outs, such as the Loch Oich monster.


Plesiosauroid

Relic plesiosaurs are definitely one of the most iconic cryptids, with their humped back, four diamond shaped flippers and curving swan-like neck. Funnily enough, paleontologists do not think that prehistoric plesiosaurs could lift their necks at an angle like that. Either their modern descendents evolved to more easily stretch out of the water or the plesiosauroids are actually a completely different animal exhibiting parallel evolution.

Or they’re the ghosts of sauropods.


Super Eel

These immense serpents are common sights amongst sea monsters although they range wildly in detail. Super eels have been described as literally just giant eels or similar fish, elongated crocodilian reptiles and something like a basilosaurus.


Many-finned

Described as a long serpentine creature with a segmented armored hide, a dozen fins and in at least one sighting, a walrus-like head. A similar serpent with a distinctly arthropod appearance known as the con rít (centipede) has been sighted in the waters around vietnam.


Not all sightings can be neatly classified however.

A serpent sighted in Cape Sable, Nova Scotia in 1976 was certainly an odd one. It is said that it was built like a 50 foot sea horse, with greyish snake-like skin covered in barnacles. The strangest part was its head, which witnesses described as something like a crocodile's but tusked and having huge bloodshot red eyes that projected out of the skull on stalks!


Kaunuzoth, the glowing thing of Moore Lake

Members of Glaaki's slug-like species can be found in freshwater lakes all over the world, resting from their interdimensional journeys. Kaunuzoth is one such entity, albeit a particularly strange one.

Something really has been seen in the Moore Lake Reservoir. In 1968 a trio of youths (known only as Michael, Richard and Cindy) were having a midnight fish at the side of the lake. Around 2 in the morning one of the fishers noticed a red glow in the water about a quarter mile away before it disappeared. At first they remained unconcerned but suddenly all the night noises ceased and they noticed the glow was back, only 30 feet from the dock. They claimed that the red glow they noticed was a pair of eyes, set in a white crocodilian skull. But what really scared them is that there was something else out there, something huge that loomed in the darkness behind those glowing red eyes. As the crocodile-like head surged towards the dock they raced back to their car and fled the area, leaving their supplies behind. As they looked behind, they noticed the red glow filling the water around their abandoned dock. The local police investigated, although they found nothing but the remains of what seemed to be a feast of raw horned trout.

Other people have seen the red glowing eyes or were plunged into a stifling silence but nobody has reported seeing the huge thing in the darkness since.


Bokrug, the Great Water Lizard

Bokrug is one of the small gods, a native to Earth’s Dreamlands. Bokrug was once a greater and more active god but when his people, the Thunn'ha of Ib, were destroyed he was made lesser for it. He spent 1000 years gathering strength for his final revenge against the perpetrators and nearly spent the last of himself in their destruction.

Now he sleeps at the bottom of his lake, with only the shades of Ib to keep him company. Very little could persuade him to come to the waking world but there are a few things that could awaken his ire enough to make the trip.

The Covington family are old, old money. Descended from british nobility, their family has traditionally lived in a palatial estate in the english countryside and they want for nothing. Lately however, their fortunes appear to have changed. The Covingtons are dropping like flies and the servant staff has fled. Rumours abound of ghostly figures seen wandering their land and a serpent has been seen in the nearby lake, each time coinciding with the death of a Covington. Lord Covington is desperate for this to stop and has spared no expense in bringing all manner of Investigator to the estate.

However, he hides a secret from those who would help; in the secret history of their family they came from a city called Sarnath in the country of Mnar, a place that has never appeared on any map of any age. They fled some ancient disaster with the treasures of that land and used it to buy their nobility. Their ancestors sent forward a warning, to stay far from water, to fear the Great Lizard and to anoint the “shard of Ib” with blood every 10 years. Lord Covington never believed that superstitious twaddle and when his father died a decade ago, he sold the stupid thing on auction.


Chaugnar-Spawn

One of the more out-there theories hanging over the loch ness monster is that it is in fact a swimming elephant, either having escaped from a zoo in the 1930s or perhaps even stranger, a hidden species of pachyderm native to western Europe. Perhaps they’re on to something?

While not at all elephants, the vampiric entities known as the Chaugnar-Spawn do closely resemble them and share some anatomical features. Just like an elephant the Chaugnar-Spawn can use their trunks as a snorkel while swimming!

The advancement of humanity has driven the Chaugnar-Spawn out of their traditional hunting grounds, into deep woods and jungles and more insidiously, beneath the waters of the world. So much of human civilization is located on the shore it is very convenient for a semi-aquatic predator looking to snatch some easy prey.


Byatis

The serpent bearded Byatis, 3rd god of divination. Lore of Byatis is widespread but light on detail, with only the 3rd volume of the Revelations of Glaaki having any real information.

In regards to its supposed relation to Cthulhu and the Star Spawn, human authors were actually more accurate than they usually are in claiming such things. While Byatis is neither a star spawn itself or any kind of “water elemental” it is a member of another species that calls the stellar corona of Xoth home. It came to Earth with them, hitching a ride as the remora does the shark.

Byatis is adept at a form of astral projection that is massively disruptive to local subspace conditions, awakening spirits and drawing residual psychic impressions (also known as a stone-tape haunting) from both past and future. Its projections can even manifest in a smaller, ectoplasmic form in these zones, the spidery toad-like spirit giving rise to the legend of the Berkeley Toad.


Yith-Parrallel Aquaform

Although their technology often resembled it, the Yith did not have much use for magic. In their eyes the whims of greater powers can't compare to the reliability of rune circuitry, psychic metal and atomic power. Things changed when the time came that the Polypous Ones broke free of their ancient prison to war against the Yith. Some radical thinkers (not coincidentally many of them deemed unworthy of braincasting forward in time) turned to the occult lore so far only recorded for historical posterity. With the aid of an unknown entity (or entities) these Yith escaped sideways onto another earth, one where the Elder Things never landed, where the Polypous Ones were never born and the biosphere grew independent of the Shoggothim.

Now they are back in this instance of Earth. Perhaps they have been for millennia, watching and waiting. But for what? Are they merely following in the footsteps of the ancient Yith and observing for anthropological purposes, or is the presence of their aquatic spies a sign of some more nefarious goal?

\\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//

Wow, that felt like it took a million years to write! Turns out there aren’t that many fun conspiracies around sea serpents for me to bounce off of.

Also, I’ve been addicted to Among Us!

https://www.deviantart.com/valhahazred/art/Among-Us-855491925



https://www.deviantart.com/valhahazred/art/The-Horror-from-the-Hills-855863821

Spoiler

Chaugnar Faugn is an ancient being who came to Earth from distant outer stars over 200 million years ago. It came for the pulses of life it felt, of a type it could use to perpetuate itself forever. When Chaugnar Faugn landed, the Elder Things attempted to drive it offworld but even the might of the shoggoth paled in comparison. It ravaged unopposed, gorging and bloating itself like a tick on the rich bounty of Earth. It uplifted squirming muck dwellers to be its caretakers before entering a stuporous state, settling like a statue atop its vast stores of stolen essence.

Now it only wakens when it grows hungry, its servants and spawn ready to fill it back to brimming with living blood.

https://www.deviantart.com/valhahazred/art/Strange-Aeons-Cosmology-857314599

Spoiler

It's difficult for a three dimensional mind to conceive of the full sweep of reality. So much of it occupies the same physical spaces, twisted up in higher or lower dimensions, separated by quantum veils, out of phase and just plain invisible to our ordinary senses.


Hyperspace is a blinding void, nearly empty of matter but filled with scintillating light. It is omni-present throughout the multiverse, enclosing and interpenetrating all other realities. Despite encompassing so much, hyperspace is smaller than any measurable segment of spacetime and can be used as a shortcut between two points in real-space.


Curved spacetime does not simply refer to our own universe, but all the parallel and alternative universes that exist in superposition with each other. While all of curved spacetime exists in parallel with itself, it also seems to float like soap bubbles in the ectoplasmic seas of Yog-Sothoth. In places where the veil between worlds is thin, stars can become stained with subspatial matter, turning the signature green or silvery white of burning ectoplasm. These are known as "Xothic'' stars, after the infamous home-star of the Cthulhu.


Beneath space are the Etheric Currents, flows of ectoplasm that stretch up into the gravity wells of ordinary matter and root the ley lines of every world. It is this ethereal vapour that beings such as the Mi-go and Byakhee flap against, propelling them through vacuum on gossamer wings.


Among the tangled strands of the Etheric Currents are the Dreamlands. Formed from the friction between space and subspace and shaped with psychokinetic energy from mortal Dreamers, these worlds are often temporary, fleeting things, lasting only a single night. Sometimes they get reinforced, however. A Dreamer returns night after night and other Dreamers find their way, adding their own Dreams. Eventually such a Dreamland becomes its own self-sustaining demiverse, more and more real with every Dreamer who travels there.


The Subspace Boundary is what separates real-space from the totality of subspace. The boundary is not something that material entities have much difficulty passing through, provided they have the perception to notice what lies Beyond. For ectoplasmic beings however, it may as well be the event horizon of a black hole. Only the most powerful and determined can make it through unaided.


Just beneath the skin of the boundary is the Matter Shadow of the universe. It is a mirror of the space above, although a somewhat inaccurate one. Only the oldest and sturdiest of mortal construction transitions to the spectral reality and even then it appears strangely warped and twisted. This shadow realm is home to a vast ecology of things that float and flop around and through material reality, imperceptible to all those that cannot see Beyond.


The Netherealms refers to a thick layer of ectoplasm that has a very high level of spiritual activity. The ghosts of mortals form here and either carve out worlds for themselves or press upwards in an attempt to pierce the veil back to the living world. Mortals aren’t the only spirits as the Netherealms are the perfect habitat for countless forms of ectobionic life and subspatial Ancient Powers.


Yog-Sothoth mines immeasurable amounts of data from each Universe to which it is connected. This information is stored in impossibly vast wells of hyperdense ectoplasma. In the parlance of the occultist this is referred to as the Akashic Record. It is possible for Astral travelers to cast themselves down into the Akashic Record and learn anything that has ever been known by a sentient mind, although it is difficult and hazardous to do so.


Yog-Sothoth’s very consciousness is tied to the Akashic Records, as without them it would know nothing. Without them it would be no more capable of thought and interaction than the blind, dumb and sleeping Azathoth.


All of our curved space-time is both contained within Yog-Sothoth and spreads out above it. Yog-Sothoth serves as a sort of atmosphere for reality, keeping harmful entities and cosmic energies from Outside from damaging the fragile universes within.


Do not go Outside. It is a realm of infinite madness that no mortal mind can safely process.


Curved spacetime is not the only possible set of universal continua, as there also exist the resonant spaces of the gulf of S'gluo and the hazardous angular space. They have their own Outer Gods, Tru'nembra and Tindalos protecting them from the hazards of the Nameless Mist.

https://www.deviantart.com/valhahazred/art/Othuyeg-857699873

Spoiler

Othuyeg is an obscure Ancient Power, known only to a small cult in the midwestern united states and those who've read their bible, "The Black Book of the Skull".

It dwells deep beneath the earth in the ruins of the Seven Cities of Gold, scavenging the ancient mechanisms of the Muvian cities. It trades knowledge and power for raw materials, samples of technology, sacrifice and service, all in hopes of one day building a Gateway to Andromeda. Othuyeg wishes to open the way for Zathog, Lord of a Billion Suns, Godking of the Zarr, to extend its rule to this galaxy in exchange for some unknown boon.

It's almost pitiable that the Pnakotic Manuscripts make no mention of the Zarr or their conquering king at any point in the Litany of Earth. The Gate is never built and Othuyeg stays in its hole poking at scrap until the sun burns out.

https://www.deviantart.com/valhahazred/art/An-Exploration-of-Ghosts-in-the-Cthulhu-Mythos-859350496

Spoiler

Souls

Before we examine ghosts and the many forms they take, we must first define the soul. Known as the “astral information shadow (AIS)” to those who take a more material view of the phenomenon, the soul is a parallel memory imprint stored within the akashic layers of subspace. Every part of a person is recorded from mental development to cessation of self and stored eternally in the akashic library. An astral conduit connects the individual and their soul self through the pineal eye and is responsible for the transmission of data.

The soul is the means through which Yog-Sothoth perceives the multiverse and through Yog-Sothoth the multiverse has a single shared “oversoul”.


Ghosts

The term “ghost” commonly refers to spirits in the image of a diseased person. To be more accurate, a ghost is the ectoplasmic manifestation of an astral information shadow projecting into physical space. The exact mechanism that changes an AIS from a passive recording to a self-aware entity is unknown.

Most ghosts require a weak point in the fabric of reality to cross over, such as a convergence in astral currents, the gaps worn by other spirits and even the astral conduits of the living. A manifested ghost never fully leaves subspace, instead the ectoplasmic form serves as an avatar for the soul still within the akashic layers.

Ghosts may also be created or summoned by practitioners on the material plane through the use of various rituals and tools, such as the Silver Key or Essential Salts.

The form of a ghost is highly dependent on both their psychokinetic weight and on their own self-image. A ghost with neither will not be able to reproduce their living appearance with accuracy. Without frequent reinforcement a ghost's appearance will change over time, altering to fit their new perceptions and prone to subconscious self-caricature.

Most ghosts don't have any kind of conscious control over their forms but that is far from universal. A ghost that learns to control its own form can become a potent shapeshifter.


Non-human spirits

Humans are far from the only mortal beings to have a soul. Any ontological being of sufficient complexity to be of worth to Yog-Sothoth will have an information shadow and therefore have the potential to become ghosts.

It is also worth noting that many spectral entities were never “alive” in the first place. Countless individual consciousnesses and even entire species have been born out of nothing but random fluctuations in sub-dimensional energy states interacting with ectoplasm.


Ectoplasm

Ectoplasm is the matter of subspace, most frequently appearing in the material world as a thick slime, vaporous ooze or as a strangely coherent fog. Even solid ectoplasm has a strange plasticity to it.

It has a very weak interaction with gravity but can absorb phenomenal amounts of energy. This is the reason for the cold spots and battery drainage commonly reported in relation to spiritual activity.

Contrary to popular belief, ectoplasm actually does interact with physical matter. When a ghost passes through a solid object it's actually moving “around” it by partially retreating back into subspace.


Auras

Ghosts are frequently luminous, as their ectoplasm releases their stored energy as light. However they are often accompanied by far more dangerous radiance, the Aura of the subspace realms they are projecting from.

Auras are also known as T(illingast) Radiation, after Crawford Tillinghast, the “mad” scientist who discovered how to harness them in the 1930s. Aura at first appears to be an intense ultraviolet light but rapidly expands into other, less definable colours with continued exposure. This is a result of the pineal eye opening, leading to increased subspatial perception. In high enough doses it can even cause a full awakening to the Beyond.

Intense, long term exposure to T-rays has a more pronounced mutagenic effect and can lead to a horrible corruptive death as the body overloads on subspatial energy. Ghosts rarely emit enough T-rays to cause more than a slight sensitivity to further spiritual encounters but it is important to keep in mind nonetheless.


Sothic Energy

There is a paranormal energy field that suffuses subspace and extends into realspace through astral cords. It is known by many names; Sothic Energy, Psychokinetic Energy, Magic, Psi, and even simply as “Power”. Whatever you call it, it reacts to thought and through Sign and Ritual can be guided into creating all manner of esoteric effects. There is some speculation that the PKE field is an energy state of Yog-Sothoth, acting unconsciously but directed by the minds within it.

Whatever PKE’s properties, what is important to this discussion is that spirits can use this energy to form their ghostly bodies and project them back beyond the veil. Not all ghosts are created equally and the level of PKE they can manipulate varies across individuals. Because ghosts need so much PKE to manifest and hold their ectoplasmic forms together, they have an exponentially higher PKE field than a living being or even other forms of ectoplasmic entity.

Those who study ghosts place them on a seven point Psychokinetic Energy Category scale. Class 1 to 3 are partial manifestations, capable of little more than intermittent visibility. Class 4 ghosts tend to be fully formed and have a limited ability to affect the material world. Class 5 and up can be very powerful, capable of manifesting at will and altering the world around them with all manner of psychokinetic effects.


Classifying spiritual entities

Terminology

Anchored – An entity that is tied to a single location within defined boundaries.

Animating – Entities capable of entering and moving physical objects.

Corporeal – A spirit with an unusually tangible form. Most ectoplasmic constructs are gaseous masses held together with PKE and thus easily disrupted by physical objects. This is not the case for Corporeal entities.

Ethereal – An intangible spirit with no ability to manipulate physical reality. These entities are stuck in the fringes of subspace and are not fully present. A potential witness usually needs to already have some sensitivity to subspace phenomenon to even glimpse an Ethereal spirit.

Free – Entities capable of moving without regard to physical or spiritual boundaries.

Full-torso – A humanoid ghost with a full body, including arms and legs. Most ghosts are indistinct below the chest.

Inhabiting – An entity bound to an object.

Possessor – An entity that can enter a living host and influence or control their actions.

Repeater – A haunt characterised by repeated behavior, often but not always a sign of a residual haunting.

Residual – Also known as stone tape hauntings and pseudo-ghosts, a residual spirit is one where past (or more rarely future) events have been burned into the psychic ether and repeat without change under the right circumstances. If the ghost can react to outside stimuli, it is instead an anchored-repeating entity.

Sarchromatic – An ectoplasmic entity emitting a high degree of auric radiation. Characterized by unrecognizable colours and a dizzying change in perception.

Shadow – a ghost that is composed of negatively charged ectoplasm. They appear in the material world as light sucking voids in vague silhouette.

Telekinetic – Entities capable of projecting their PKE at range and exerting force without ectoplasmic contact.

Vapour – A particularly ill-defined ectoplasmic form.


Common types of spirit

Aeiirii and Saiitii – Elemental spirits that not only animate and possess, they are able to infect solid physical matter in order to anchor themselves in our reality. The Aeiirii are limited by volume and density but the Saiitii are able to spread their influence much further, if not infinitely. They are only slightly visible when manifesting in this universal layer, appearing as faint blots of darkness and an oily sheen on infested matter. Once present only destruction by high energy matter (fire, plasma) can break their grasp on space-time.

Beyonders – A subspacial ecology that exists in the universal layers just beneath the subspace boundary in what is commonly referred to as “The Beyond”. The most common beyonders resemble jellyfish and long, many-winged insects.

Deadite – A warped and partially ectoplasmic host seized by certain strains of demonic possession.

Demon – A malevolent non-human spiritual being. Note that while many versions of Hell exist in the nightmare realms of Dream any “demon” born of them is likely to be as material as any small god of earth.

Devourers/Ectovores – Predatory Elementals that have developed a preference for the particular ectopattern and energies of ghosts. They normally dwell deep in the netherealms, carving twisted mazes their ghostly prey have difficulty escaping. Sometimes they can be drawn to the living world by particularly intense hauntings.

Doppelganger/Fetch – There is nothing stopping a soul from becoming self aware prior to cessation of the physical self, although it is significantly less common. When this occurs the ghost sometimes become resentful of their living selves and may even begin to sabotage them.

Elemental/Ectobion – Entities native to subspace. They are completely unrelated to human (or any other mortal) souls. They are not avatars and being “internal” to Yog-Sothoth makes them beneath its notice.

Faerie/Little People/Good Neighbors/etc. – The elemental beings native to Deep Dendo. They are sometimes also known as “the Voor” in certain occult circles although this is likely a misinterpretation of ancient Hyperborean lore.

Grudge – Revenge is a common motive for a spirit to return to the world of the living but some have been treated so poorly in life that they become particularly dark and violent ghosts. While Gruges can sometimes be laid to rest by the resolution of their vengeance, they are just as likely to continue their vendetta against any living person that catches their attention. The ectoplasm of a Grudge is curiously thick and dark, resembling tar.

Orbs – The faintest physical manifestation possible, orbs are shapeless blobs of low-energy ectoplasm and usually aren't even visible to the naked eye. Orbs encompass at least 99% of all spiritual activity but are still relatively rare. Most reports of Orb activity are mistaken, with illuminated dust particles and reflections being the most common sources.

Poltergeist – A psychokinetic energy vortex. Poltergeists have no agency or intelligence of their own but they can attach themselves to a human and act upon their subconscious thoughts. Poltergeists don't tend to last very long outside of subspace and burn out after a few months.

Projection – Some occult practitioners can transfer their consciousness into their astral selves and use it to travel through subspace and physical reality as a ghost would.

Shade – A ghost with a poor connection to its source life. They are usually free-roaming vapours of class 2 or 3 and are characterized by particularly aimless behavior.

Tulpa – An ectoplasmic entity that takes form through the interaction of the netherealms, the dreamworld and a disciplined psychokinetic or occult practitioner. Although Tulpa can appear human and even like a specific person, they are never the result of an active soul and cannot be classified as ghosts.

Visions – A very short lived ghost that usually appears to loved ones soon after the death of their physical selves.

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An essay on how ghosts work in my version of the Cthulhu Mythos, just in time for spoopy season!

 

TheDragonOfDoom: Nessie

https://www.deviantart.com/thedragonofdoom/art/Nessie-Commission-772583778

 

https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Landscapes/Autumn.html

 

Louieville-XXIII: Highlander

https://www.deviantart.com/louieville-xxiii/art/Highlander-34291545

 

https://www.deviantart.com/art-bat/art/20201029-Autumn-Deer-859787442

 

https://framingpainting.com/painting/cresheim_glen_wissahickon_autumn-10514.html

 

"Ramirez: Space Spaniard Sensei
Subsequently retconned 40K background including Christian resonance PLUS Sean Connery playing an Egyptian dressed as a Spaniard in dated 80s cult movie EQUALS this:

Spoiler

I didnt read the Realm of Chaos books until many years after their release but I heard about the Sensei characters, essentially champions of a fifth Chaos power /the Emperor/the toe-curlingly named “Star Child”. At the time I suspected that they might be rubbish.


A different Starchild.

I finally got my hands on the RoC books in 2000 or so and I did indeed find that the Sensei Jesus-meets-Highlander concept was more than a bit dodgy. So I didnt really think about the 40K Sensei much since.

Hmmm. Not convinced.

Fast forward almost a decade and a half and Sensei enthusiasm on both the Leadplague and the Leadpile blogs had me re-examining my Sensei standpoint. I now think that playing a skirmish 40K game with a Jesus-meets-Highlander theme is a good idea, so I painted this model. The circle of hypocrisy is complete.



Sensei enthusiasm has led to a plan for a “Quickening” multi-player scenario to be played at the Bring Out Your Lead 2014 event in August. As games that have entire matching Queen albums dont come around very often, I decided to take part and get a Sensei model ready. Pushing the obvious Highlander references centre-stage, my immortal sensei is based heavily on a Sean Connerys Ramirez character from the original Highlander movie.



Except its Ramirez “in space” that is. And except Ramirez doesnt look like he did in the second Highlander movie when the character actually went into space either. He looks like he did in 1541, except he has had some cheesy sci-fi trappings added, like a glowing tube on his sword, a bionic eye and a robotic floating skull wearing a feathered hat. So its probably not really supposed to be the same guy, just a rather obvious homage to him and an opportunity to do bad Sean Connery impersonations.

Spoiler

The model is the old Warhammer Quest Imperial Noble miniature that Just John was able to provide at a moments notice, while the hat and feathers – crucial for the appropriate look for the servo skull – were supplied just as quickly by Mr Saturday. Thank you gents, we are greater than the sum of our parts.

Spoiler

The painting was straightforward. If the model was supposed to represent a generic Imperial noble in spaaace I would have approached the palette quite differently. But it wasnt, so I didnt. The figure had to be an obvious reference to the movie character, so I tried to stick to the palette as seen in the images shown.

Spoiler

A little artistic licence was applied as although close, the miniature isnt an exact match for the movie character. I also didnt want to try to paint a spray of peacock feathers, so I tried to give a vague scent-of-a-peacock vibe by using the appropriate colours instead. So the cloak ended up green and all of the “eyes” on the model ended up blue.

Spoiler

The finished paint job ended up brighter than the one on the movie, with the finished model being brighter than most things that I paint and covering a full rainbow of colour. Its in keeping with the dandy, popinjay stylings of Ramirez in the movie I think, but its a very 1990s sort of GW paint scheme in some respects, which isnt always a good thing.

Spoiler

Ramirez is also quite well suited for use as an actual “Rogue Trader” character (and the idea of attached the floating hatstand/servo-skull came directly from a Rogue Trader conversion on Tales from the Maelstrom in fact) as well as a Sensei. I have a couple of models lined up for Rogue Trader duties already, but Ramirez will do admirably as a stand-in if required."

 

CerberusLives: Draco

https://www.deviantart.com/cerberuslives/art/Draco-341320448

 

https://www.deviantart.com/green-mamba/art/M106-Magik-838002220

Spoiler

Magik
Real Name: Illyana Rasputina
First Appearance: Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975)

The baby sister of the X-Men member Piotr Rasputin, aka Colossus, Illyana Rasputina's unexplained disappearance years back was the reason he had come to Xavier in the first place. She had gone out for a walk on the family farm and just disappeared without a trace. Believing that she may have been a mutant like he was, Piotr sought out Charles Xavier to find her. It was not until some years later did she suddenly appear as a blip on Cerebro, back at the abandoned Rasputin farm. Now a teenager, she did not resemble the sweet girl Piotr once knew, physically nor mentally. Lashing out in fear, she conjured a metaphysical sword from the ether and attacked her brother until she managed to calm down, saying her gambit with someone called "Belasco" had worked. She had escaped limbo.

Taking her back to Xavier's school, they determined that Illyana's mutant abilities allowed her to pass through another plane of existence that she called "limbo" with what she called "stepping discs." Theoretically she could use them to travel through space and even time itself, but when her mutant power first manifested as a child she was trapped in limbo by a person she called "Belasco." She had spent years in limbo and gained her freedom after undergoing the ritual of the "Darkchylde." Illyana claimed she had split her soul atwain and allowed the dark energies of limbo into her being, allowing her to wield the power of limbo in unearthly ways and conjure a sword crafted from her soul fragment that had been cut from her.

This all seemed hard to believe, but the sword she could manifest and the dark energies she controlled were definitely not mutant in origin. To help her acclimate to the world once again she was enrolled in Xavier's school, but left at the first chance she got to enroll in Emma Frost's combat training school called the Academy of Tomorrow to hone her abilities. Assigned to "Class N" as its captain under her chosen call sign of "Magik," she gave the class its nickname--The New Mutants.

----

Thanks to her sometimes downright bloodthirsty ways she's been reprimanded by the academy more than a few times, but her combat skills are undeniable and her eldritch abilities uncanny. The more limbo energy she calls upon the more her body is covered in metaphysical darkened armor, and she has to see to it that the darkness never fully envelopes her.

So really there's a lot of story to properly set up Magik, so I had a lot of ground to cover there, but really in broad strokes she's basically what you'd expect out of her. Colossus's sister who gets warped away to Limbo and comes out a sorceress. The timing is different and she does not age up considerably in a few seconds or anything. But really beyond that, she's just Magik, the soulsword wielding magic user of the New Mutants (and maybe the X-Men proper eventually). I gave more insight into Emma Frost's combat training academy, taking its name from the Ultimate comics. It's split into multiple classes, so there's like a New Mutants class and a Generation X class among others. They each have their own teacher, but I'll leave who the New Mutants' teacher is a secret for now.

Design wise I decided to base her on her more modern X-Men era design instead of her more simplistic New Mutants look. They're both iconic as heck for the character, I just went with the one that is more unique to her. I redesigned it to be a little more modest and less ridiculous but in the meantime also made it more punky/gothy looking, with the torn stockings and the fishnet undershirt. "Good girl gone bad" is basically what I was going for. At least on one half of her design--the other, I decided to make her fully armored left arm be my interpretation of the magic armor that appears on her body when she uses her abilities, so it's gross and demonic looking, with veins that are creeping around her, like it's this living force. The weird head wing things are also part of this (I don't think they've ever been explained in the comics). The soulsword too takes its overall look from the modern design but altered to match the armor I've designed.

https://www.deviantart.com/green-mamba/art/M107-Dazzler-838932596

Spoiler

Dazzler
Real Name: Alison Blaire
First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #130 (February 1980)

A popular albeit controversial pop singer, Alison Blaire, stage name "Dazzler," was well known for her catchy music and flashy fashion. But if there was any one singular thing Dazzler was most known for, it was being one of the most famous mutants in the world. Born with the ability to transform sound waves into light, Dazzler's stage productions were always lavish affairs where she used her mutant abilities to perform some of the most extravagant light shows imaginable. But for as many die hard fans Dazzler had, she seemed to have just as many detractors, and some of those were violent.

As if just being a mutant was not bad enough for some people, Dazzler was open about her mutant origins and a very outspoken proponent for mutant rights. Because of this she often had government agencies breathing down her neck to cancel her shows after threats, but Dazzler considered spreading her message of mutant acceptance to be an important one and always rebuffed them. It was when one threat by an anti-mutant hate group called the "Friends of Humanity" turned into an actual attack on a concert of hers did she befriend the X-Men, who arrived just in time to save the starlet from a bomb and protect her fans and audience. For their part in saving her, Dazzler promoted the teams efforts publicly and privately donated to Xavier's school, and the X-Men in kind named her an honorary X-Men member.

----

Not every X-Men member appreciated naming her an honorary member, calling it a shameless publicity stunt, but it's all for a good cause. Of course it's always possible she finds herself fighting by their side in the future anyway.

I saw potential in Dazzler as less of an active member of the X-Men and more like a part of my greater world building. So instead of being someone who's a more counter culture type of singer or someone hiding their mutant identity I thought it would be fun if she was part of the mainstream, someone other mutants around the world could look up to as a role model, someone who's mutant and proud. So as such I'm not closing the door on the possibility of her being a real X-Men member but my interpretation as is she's a lover, not a fighter.

For her design I basically took her classic "Disco Dazzler" look and transformed it into something akin to a modern pop singer might wear at a flashy concert. I think I based the actual outfit on something either Lady Gaga or Katy Perry wore once but I can't recall which and I can't find the source either (not like I'm big into modern popular music to begin with). But she's flashy and incredibly glamorous. The texture of her outfit is intentionally designed to resemble a mirror ball to reference her disco roots, with some rainbow refractions in the white to make her connection to light more obvious. I also changed her race up partially as a reference to her original unused concept as black woman before the failed Bo Derek led Dazzler movie influenced her design (no, I'm not lying, that was going to be a real thing).

https://www.deviantart.com/green-mamba/art/M108-Bishop-839894383

Spoiler

Bishop
Real Name: Lucas Bishop
First Appearance: The Uncanny X-Men #282 (November 1991)

Nathan Summers, also known as Cable, was not the only inter-temporal traveler that the X-Men had encountered. Not long after Cable had formulated his X-Force did another time traveler come looking for him. His name was Lucas Bishop, a mutant with the ability to absorb and rechannel limited amounts of energy, and he had come to specifically stop Cable. Bishop understood the need to stop En Sabah Nur, but Bishop knew that Cable's plan to do so resulted in the world going down another horrible path. For in his efforts to slow Apocalypse's takeover, Cable would have allowed time for the planet's natural defense mechanism to awaken to their full potential: a mutant so terrifying that humanity saw no choice but to turn to turn to measures so drastic that they ended the world on their own.

Bishop was from this possible future. In his world, Apocalypse had been destroyed by this mutant, and in turn humanity turned to the Sentinel program to defend itself. An arms race developed, and the Sentinels became smarter and more powerful to the point that they upended society completely, and by the time the Master Mold came online the world was doomed. Sentinels turned on humanity and destroyed them and mutants alike. Bishop was one of the last remaining people on the planet, a former "hound" that hunted other mutants until the Sentinels deemed him redundant and attempted to eliminate him. As a last ditch effort, Bishop was one of a small cadre that was sent through stitches in time to try to prevent these days of future past.

----

With both Cable and Bishop trying to tug the timeline in their own ways the people of Earth will have to find a way to thread that needle, I guess. Bishop's gun he's holding here is specifically made from Sentinel parts, so if it looks a little familiar that's why.

I said in my Cable entry that I'm trying to keep the alternate timelines down to a minimum, so a lot of them are being consolidated. Much like how Cable's future was consolidated with Age of Apocalypse, Bishop's timeline in my project is merged with Days of Future Past. Though this is of course not an original idea, as the X-Men animated show did it first. So you can kind of think of my Bishop's role as somewhat similar, some hard-edged dude from the future who's time traveling plots incur headaches in the audience. Or something. He's Bishop.

I also decided to have Days of Future Past be directly connected to Cable preventing the Age of Apocalypse, as I thought it would introduce an interesting dilemma.

Design wise he's pretty close to being a pretty straight interpretation of Bishop for my universe. The Sentinel tech gun was something I thought would be a cool way to tie him to his timeline visually. I also elected to give him red eyes, like he did in the movie. His red ascot/scarf thing was a major sticking point to me, as I didn't want to cover his face at all and have you miss any of his attitude, and an ascot just looked silly. So I managed to work it into a bit of underarmor or something, and his overshirt has a really odd collar design, giving the illusion of a red scarf there.

Beyond that, I dunno. Like I said, he's Bishop.

https://www.deviantart.com/green-mamba/art/M109-Dark-Phoenix-840774358

Spoiler

Dark Phoenix
First Appearance (as Dark Phoenix): The Uncanny X-Men #134 (June 1980)

After awakening to her newfound powers as Phoenix, longtime X-Men member Jean Grey began having strange visions and dreams. Images of life, images of death, of a great flaming bird seeding the universe with life. Of towering interlopers that had perverted this balance and tampered with the life on seeded worlds to twist it to their own whims. That as the interlopers' first one awoke, so too would the cosmic phoenix's last one arise to quell it. If need be, the world would burn so that a new one, free of this corruption, could rise from its ashes. These disturbing visions were kept a secret between Jean and Charles Xavier as they tried to decipher what they meant.

But when the time of En Sabah Nur's awakening was upon them, Jean Grey's eyes were opened to the truth. The door to the White Hot Room was now open, and she could see the Phoenix on the other side. Jean was the Phoenix's chosen vessel, the arbiter of life and the planet's natural defense system. Meeting Apocalypse and his Horsemen in battle, the Dark Phoenix annihilated the first one, scorching miles of land on the planet as the people of Earth watched in horror, the very fabric of reality warping around Jean's new form. Her power spent and her purpose complete, the Phoenix left Jean Grey's body and left her comatose, leaving a terrified planet to pick up the pieces and determine what future mutants had in this world if this was the power they were capable of.

----

Would this be the only time the Dark Phoenix appeared? Well, phoenixes do have a tendency to rise again...

Basically fear of the Dark Phoenix is what causes Days of Future Past, if you've followed this after Bishop's entry, but it appears their reality has already started down that path now. In this entry I got to touch on some more of the broad cosmology and lore I've been working out for my universe, for which the Phoenix Force is a central figure. I guess you could say that Apocalypse being destroyed by Jean is similar to the film. I liked the idea of these two major mutants being archenemies of each other, even if they didn't have much to do with each other in the original source comics.

For her design, I decided I wanted her to be more primeval and terrifying instead of just a red version of her Phoenix look. So instead of wearing a costume, her entire form has been transfigured, her body has turned blood red with some sort of cosmic star pattern. And she's vaguely translucent--you can just barely make out her skeleton. The gloves and boots take the form of this cosmic fire. The phoenix symbol on her chest has exploded into this enormous bird emblem, whose flaming tail takes the form of her yellow tassel belt thing. And her face being shrouded in shadow is something I based on how the Dark Phoenix is sometimes drawn in silhouette--I thought it made her creepier and more unknowable. Like Jean is gone, there is only Pheonix type of thing.

https://www.deviantart.com/green-mamba/art/M026-Iceman-736416651

Spoiler

Iceman
Real Name: Bobby Drake
First Appearance: The X-Men #1 (September 1963)

The youngest member of the original X-Men team, Xavier took special interest in Bobby's mutant ability to control the ambient temperature of water, up to and including water vapor from the air, allowing him to create and manipulate ice from seemingly thin air. Bobby was first enrolled in Xavier's institute only as a student at first, but it was his powers' high level of potential that caused Xavier to bring him aboard his secret team, call sign "Iceman." Unfortunately this insight into his potential gave Bobby a bit of an inflated ego and his first true mission as a full fledged member of the team was their fated mission on Krakoa--it was Bobby's overconfidence that got the team trapped, forcing the second X-Men team to be formed for the rescue operation.

Following this everyone, including Bobby (to his own chagrin) realized it would be best for him to stay enrolled in school and only join the team again proper when he graduated and had a better control of his powers and ego.

----

Of course Bobby wouldn't be without some adventures of his own during this period (maybe he became an amazing friend of a certain webhead for a bit?) but he eventually comes into his own as a major member of the X-Men team.

He's another character who already appeared in my Spider-man Amazing Friends picture, so you should be sort of familiar with his look--though I changed him up just a little bit since then, with the shaggier hair and the necklace and stuff. I decided to lean on his Ultimate design some, mostly because I think his standard design is rather unremarkable, the bandana breaks up his form. I also gave him pants because he's otherwise naked and I am generally trying to avoid just giving characters barbie and ken doll anatomy--naked is naked. Overall I kind of wanted to give him a sort of Californian surfer dude type of look to him, which is a fun contrast to his ice powers.

Might have one more character this week, might not, we'll see how it goes.

--*UPDATED JULY 14, 2020*--

Since I updated Phoenix, Beast, and Angel, it was only natural that I had to get around to giving Iceman a new look. By and large it's not a huge reimagining, it's the same basic idea. But rather than some boring pants I instead have him wearing a wetsuit that's half off, draped along his back, to further connect him to this kind of surfer look I was going for. The inside of his wetsuit was colored red to match one of his more recent looks that I kinda like. Still kept his bandana. I also made him look more ethnically pacific islander, just for something different.

See the original here: i.imgur.com/wP9C53G.png

https://www.deviantart.com/green-mamba/art/M045-Kitty-Pryde-757376710

Spoiler

Kitty Pryde
First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #129 (January 1980)

A mutant teenager with the ability to phase through solid objects, Katherine "Kitty" Pryde's parents were supportive of her daughter's mutant status but were afraid that the society she lived in would not be, and had her enrolled in Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. But while the enrollment was strictly academic, Kitty found she couldn't really focus on her studies, not while knowing the X-Men were jetting out of the campus in their Blackbird every week to go on some grand adventure! Making up her mind, Kitty approached Xavier about joining the team, but cautious after the difficulties with other young students in the team's roster, Xavier rebuked her, for the time being at least.

But that wouldn't stop Kitty Pryde! She studied the layout of the campus and mansion and used her phasing abilities to sneak about, gathering supplies and intelligence on the X-Men's next mission. When the time came, Kitty secretly boarded the X-Men's Blackbird, intent on showing them just how much of an asset she could be. It turned out to be a mission involving rescuing a mutant from Magneto's Brotherhood, and the Brotherhood proved to be more than a match for the X-Men, the duty falling to Kitty to save them. They were quite surprised when she came to their rescue, and as thanks, Xavier relented and allowed Kitty to begin training as a junior X-Men member.

----

Of course she would then move on to being a regular and central figure in the X-Men's roster, though she has difficulty settling on a call sign, jumping from "Sprite," to "Ariel," to "Shadowcat." The other members kinda gave up remembering what code name she was onto this time around and just refer to her by her real name.

Had to round out these four character entries with one more central X-Men member. If you've followed my Spider-man project, you should recognize that Kitty Pryde, using this same basic design, already appeared in my "Amazing Friends & Allies" Extra. Kitty's had a lot of looks throughout the years, but I think her standard black and yellow X-Men uniform with the pointed shoulders is her most well remembered, so that's the angle I went for here. I decided to make her uniform into a jacket as kind of a call back to her jacket from the iconic "PROFESSOR XAVIER IS A JERK" page from Uncanny X-Men #168, the "V" pattern mimicking her standard uniform. Maybe it's a standard issue "trainee" jacket?

That's it for now.

--*UPDATED JULY 16, 2020*--

Another X-Men character update for this week. I decided to update Kitty Pryde for two reasons--one to update her proportions, and two to give her a more distinct look. I wanted to make her look more like a proper X-Men member instead of just what she looked like as a hanger on, so I used her X-Men Evolution design as a base, I thought the mix of indigo and yellow was pretty distinct looking. I like to imagine that the suit and shoes she's wearing help with her powers somehow, like give her greater control over how damaging they are to electronics, or something. I dunno. If you want you can consider her previous look still canon, like it could be what she wore while she was still a probationary member, and this new look is her proper X-Men uniform.

See the original here: i.imgur.com/7CZGUmQ.png

 

http://art-now-and-then.blogspot.com/2014/10/famous-fall-foliage.html

 

https://www.deviantart.com/scottcohn/art/Rachel-Summers-Redesign-858111570



https://www.deviantart.com/scottcohn/art/Buried-Alien-Redesign-858883425

Spoiler

"Buried Alien" showed up in Quasar #17 in the 80's with amnesia after Barry Allen died in Crisis On Infinite Earths. He showed up twice in Quasar, both stories drawn by my best buds Mike Manley and John Heebink.

Check out his easter eggs here- www.cbr.com/comic-book-easter-…

https://www.deviantart.com/scottcohn/art/Dazzler-Redesign-859511274



https://www.deviantart.com/dristin007/art/Dragonman-About-A-Girl-858358911

Spoiler

Dragonman from Marvel comics has been a villain, a hero, a champion, and a caretaker. However, his most redeeming qualify has to be his fondness for the Avenger, Komodo. Enjoy.

https://www.deviantart.com/lucianovecchio/art/Justice-857968476



https://www.deviantart.com/lucianovecchio/art/Revanche-858262360

Spoiler

REVANCHE
Kwannon in Betsy´s body, 90s style.

 

https://framingpainting.com/painting/maya_eventov_colours_of_autumn-8489.html

 

https://www.deviantart.com/james-gf/art/Yara-Flor-the-new-Wonder-Woman-859401178



https://www.deviantart.com/nightshade475/art/MangaDCU-Lightning-Strikes-2-859095532

Spoiler

Returning to the human lightning elemental (former) android and his empowered sisters! This image shows them a bit older as Jenn is a full time Justice Society member, Jeff has joined the Justice League and Anissa is still working with the Outsiders.

Lightning Strikes 1: www.deviantart.com/nightshade4…



White Lightning: Jennifer Pierce



Jennifer disenrolled from the Justice League: Kohai mentorship program, but was recruited by the members of the Justice Society to assist in an endeavor involving the time traveling Adam Marvel and afterwards work with those heroes to further develop her control over her powers as well as learn how to conduct herself in the field as a superhero. She will become friends with the heroes closer in age to her, Stargirl and Cyclone; the latter of which she considers a cousin, due to her connection to her Uncle Red (Tornado). I wanted to try to update her design to more resemble the actress who plays her on the CW show, China Anne McClaine. I started out with changing her hair, as I felt it was a natural development, as well as reminiscent of one of the styles used on the show. I also found an image online that was a redesign of her hero identity of Lighting, and since the majority of the costume was white, I decided to incorporate elements of it.





Black Lightning: Jefferson Pierce



Jeff and his family have completely integrated into their lives in a suburb of Komakaitoshi, Japan called, Furitochi (Freeland). Lynn and the girls have accepted him and even Gambi into their family. Lynn maintains their biological and emotional health, while Gambi monitors their activities in the field and keeps them supplied with gear and tech. Black Lightning joined the Justice League when he wanted to secure adequate training for his sisters. Even after they opted out of the program, he remained and would later become the Sempai instructor for new Justice League: Kohai member, Static. Nothing really new here, outside of the fact that it’s the first time I’ve shown Black Lighting in his human form with his hood up.





Black Thunder: Anissa Pierce



Anissa no longer harbors any resentment towards Black Lightning for the loss of her father and brother. She shows this in her act of referring to him by the name Jefferson. Anissa has started attending University as well as Furitochi Senmon Gakkō (Community college) and has moved in to off campus housing with Grace Choi. She splits her time between taking classes, assistant teaching at the school where her sister goes and her super heroic exploits with The Outsiders.



* Special training schools and community colleges (senmon gakkō (専門学校) in Japanese) are two-year specialist schools that offer advanced courses for vocational careers that require upper-secondary school completion. Specialized training colleges are not regulated by MEXT. These institutions are less competitive and simpler to enroll in than a university. These institutions awarded an associate degree or a "Diploma" after 2 years of study and an "Advanced Diploma" after three years. People holding a diploma are eligible to transfer to a four-year university and people holding an advanced diploma are eligible to enter a graduate school. A number of special training school and community colleges have created a dual education philosophy to which where students are able to take classes at a university and a special training school at the same time. Educational programs are organized through a timetable where a student can attend classes at a special training school in the morning and a university in the afternoon. Using this approach, a student can learn a variety of subjects at a university and gain vocational skills simultaneously at a special training school. Upon graduation, both the bachelor's degree awarded by the university and the associate degree or diploma awarded by the special training school are granted at the same time.

https://www.deviantart.com/drumsoftheserpent/art/Darkseid-and-Orion-Father-and-Son-859018279



https://www.deviantart.com/jerrycarr/art/Wonder-Woman-Day-2020-858925990



https://www.deviantart.com/lucianovecchio/art/Yara-Flor-Wonder-Woman-858375996

 

https://www.deviantart.com/krazykrow/art/Spinnerette-Issue-13-5-722802600

 

http://www.paintingwithastroke.com/product/aspens-in-the-autumn

 

by the way of