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

Phantom of the Opera by Celine Kim



The Glade by Glenn Porter

 

cat made "pixel art":
(free to use on deviantart.com. Not free to repost/edit).
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Gift art. by cat. character belongs to cornmaized on IG


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My DA ID commission art © Thalliumfire.deviantart.com

 

Look at all those happy people that Marvel have killed of, destroyed the life of, or just don't care about any more!

 

from https://abiogenisis.deviantart.com/


"The Birrin are a sentient hexapod (six limbed) species from a planet approximately the size of Venus. This individual, gaudily attired, lives (and sometimes works) in the tropical regions of their world, bordering the uninhabitably hot equatorial zone many birrin call the 'Kiln'. Low employment, high temperatures and generally harsh conditions mean that narcotic use is high among many of the population here. This birrin, after ending a work cycle and with no further hive duties, uses and deals in most of the local low end narcotics. The three clasped in the beak offer an enjoyable combination of flavours when partaken together. Other mixes are stored in plain view under a strap on the head for sale or later use. As there is no substance control in this region, they can be shown in plain sight. Potentially quite profitable, this individual has found much use for the money brought its way through the sale of longneck cigarettes. Either through trade or purchase, he has adorned himself with plenty of flaunted accessories, include a wrist mounted multimedia device, which feeds headphone cables to the auditory receptors at the tip of the upper two eyestalks; the device was likely traded illegally, or purchased from a wholesale shipment moving from the deep water docks on its way inland. Completing his accoutrements are an old cigarette lighter, a wallet strapped to the forearm, and a few rolls of personally selected drugs to his personal taste bound to his neck."



"Many birrin, being pleasurably susceptible to many of the psychoactive defence compounds found in their planets’ plants, have developed complex rituals around recreational drug use.

The practices are not universally accepted, and many societies have strict controls to reduce their economic impacts. Others embrace them to such an extent that they have become an essential part of the daily ritual, as is the case with the Southern Chey nations: Before and after work many Chey stop at their local smoking bars to partake in a variety of substances both inhaled and ingested. As community focal points, smoking houses are also places for social interactions, and as a way to prepare for, or wind down from, the days’ pressures.

Smoking houses have a long history, this example predating the widespread collapse of birrin society millennia ago. Restored by wealthy locals as civilisation recovered, the interior was painted a calming blue to lend an air of tranquillity. To avoid the smoke damaging their garments, many regulars wear blue smoking suits infused with years of volatile chemical scents."



"Powerful Birrin societies have engaged in space exploration and exploitation for decades, constructing a number of orbital facilities, satellites, and launching several manned interplanetary missions. The critical orbital systems, with their relay of radio and television data, climate monitoring, GPS signal transmission and global defence, form an expensive and vulnerable investment by the major houses.

Maintenance of these systems, and the manning of interplanetary vehicles, is undertaken by a politically independent astronaut corps funded by an investment pool of nations and organisations with interests in space. Paid well, the corps construct, salvage and decommission orbital objects on a contract basis.

Seen here, a technician sets to work repairing damaged internal systems on an orbital antennae. The large impact-hardened diagnostic package has been integrated with the antennas' interface to root out faulty code or hardware for repair or replacement."



"Evolving in sweltering, humid wetlands, preindustrial Birrin found the frozen places of their world among the most forbidding. A hothouse planet, most snowbound regions of Chriirah are restricted to high altitudes and were seldom visited until the advent of lightweight insulated clothing allowed the intrepid to explore these last terrestrial frontiers.

Already rare on Chriirah, the upheaval of The Fall and subsequent global temperate rise has left even fewer permanent snowbound peaks on the planet. The most spectacular of all tower above the inhospitable Kiln desert: the legendary First Mountains.

To climb this ancient range in modern times requires considerable capital and influence; the region lies in the Kiln desert and remains largely lawless where not outright uninhabitable. All supplies have to airlifted or transported overland to establish a base of operations from which climbs can be co-ordinated.

The isolation of the region is twofold: satellite communications post-Fall have been hampered by debris still filling most useful orbits. As such sat-phone services are exceptionally expensive for anyone without a personal stake in the space industry. High-powered radio transmitters and relay stations help climbers maintain contact with both basecamp and one another, but sudden storms and low temperatures can leave climbers cut off and vulnerable.

The First Mountains are littered with spent oxygen bottles and iced radio equipment, but few bodies. Subsequent expeditions often feed on the preserved carcases of other climbers, carrying back choice parts for basecamp meals in celebration of the dead. Those engaged in the feasts would expect nothing less for themselves."



"“A birrin pilot and her ground operator scramble to launch a Loyal Sky strike aircraft in defense of a forward Reclamation base being hammered by insurgent mortars and drones.”

Background

The Kiln, once a semi-habitable region of intense heat and storms on Chriirah, was rendered a baked and heavily eroded wasteland in the aftermath of the fall of an earlier global birrin civilization.

High carbon industry pushed temperatures up around 60-70 degrees C, making average daytime temperatures lethal to unprotected birrin. However, the return of technological civilization has seen renewed interest in the region; ancient cities contain huge quantities of precious metals such as copper, electronics-bound gold, and cultural artifacts for power blocs with the resources to claim them.

Local insurgent groups and other major reclamation efforts have created a constant source of tension in the region and many birrin Houses have deployed military assets to protect their operations.

The Loyal Sky is one such asset; a short-range hybrid electric strike aircraft. To avoid debt with the Carbon Bank, much of the aircraft’s energy is derived from batteries charged at ground stations; an efficient turboshaft engine at the rear maintains battery levels during longer missions but primarily powers the cooling systems for the powerful electric engines. Power cells are distributed throughout the forward fuselage and within the wings, adding weight and placing the COG far forward. Some measure of protection for them is provided by slender internal armor plates.

The primary armament of the Loyal Sky is the nose mounted dual-barreled autocannon, firing down the centerline and passing through the ring-shaped electric motors driving the propellers. A modest munitions load can be carried beneath the fuselage, and an internal magazine of air to surface missiles can destroy hardened or more distant targets.

The single pilot of the Loyal Sky sits within a hardened windowless cocoon, well protected from projectiles or battery fires. The birrin’s four eyes are able to take in information from various directions simultaneously and so all external optical input is fed to a flight helmet from high magnification cameras and targeting systems mounted in front of the landing gear fairings. These cameras move along with the pilot’s eyes and so render the aircraft an extension of the birrin’s sensory system.

The job is hazardous and the Kiln unforgiving, and advanced safety features are incorporated into Kiln rated Loyal Skys. Small optical periscopes allow forward and rear vision in the event of total electrical failure, enough for navigation and landing if the need arises. The lack of a windshield means the pilot can be well protected in the core of the vehicle, and the entire cockpit can in explosively ejected in emergencies. This parachute equipped ejection pod can keep a pilot alive long enough to be extracted by recovery aircraft. Usually."



"Two Birrin fisher-folk ride the wind back to the coast after a mornings' hunting. Marine creatures surf the waves with them, hoping for scraps when the catch is gutted and cleaned.

The boat, a small but strong outrigger yacht, was built by the local tribes to sail relatively close to shore in low tropical seas.

Its frame is built from the tough, plant like stems of local phototrophic organisms which have been pre-stressed into strong curved shapes and bound together under a watertight leather skin. This was then coated with sap and waxes from local plants and animals to further seal it. Inside the cabin, a birrin can rest, as well as store the days' catch. If water does flood the boats' interior, it is not a concern as flotation is provided by bundles of sponge like plant tissue inside the hull."

 

Jeff Wayne's Musical War of the Worlds album artwork:


Horsell Common, by Peter Goodfellow:


Panic in the Streets, by Geoff Taylor:


The Red Weed, by Geoff Taylor:


Parson Nathaniel, by Peter Goodfellow:


Brave New World, by Geoff Taylor:

 

Oh, graet it's Authors-pet (No, not Wolverine, the other Authors-pet. No, not Quentin Quire, the other one. No, not Hope either. I mean AU Young Jean Grey) and Should-stay-dead-the-world-have-moved-on-and-you-will-just-take-the-space-needed-for-new-charactes-to-shine.

 

Ops

 

Do anybody know what the 'White Wolf' Colossus is referring to? To my understanding it is not something you say in Russia

 

http://marvel.wikia.com/wiki/White_Wolf_(Hunter)_(Earth-616)

 

I just don't really like the semi-constant resurrection by authors/editors of dead characters they are nostalgic over/think the fans will be nostalgic over. Also what I have seen do that storyline involve Old Man Logan (who should have stayed in his 'vers) and Kid Cyclops (who I actually like, even if I think the whole "Beast thinks it is a good idea to timetravell and take the O5XM to the future" was a very stuppid idéa) acting like they actually have some kind of history with Old Jean and she is somehow their Jean

I have hard to think a Sibirian farmer's son is calling upon the head of the Wakandan secret police

 

I hear you,as a Marvel fan who stopped any regular reading back in the mid to late 90's I am detached from all of it.