6 INCH: SKULLBUSTER

Skullbuster is a character from the GI Joe comic. I didn't know of him because I was out of GI Joe at the time. I didn't know what a Range Viper was until after 2002 when people kind of explained what they were. Part of the DiC GI Joe cartoon after Sunbow was fired, yes. Weird dudes with skull heads, yes. Kinda creepy, yes. What blue and yellow have to do with wilderness survival is beyond me. I've looked up the character a few times but forget who he is. I kinda only knew of the character from GI Joe: The Collectible Card Game! Therefore, Skullbuster is a blank slate for me.

Why is he even in the Zedd Universe?

When I was copying Mr Winchester's custom whom I call Red 5 in my universe, he said that the bodies had come from the HISS Strike Team 3-pack from the GI Joe Classified toyline. (The head was from a Star War figure) After making Red 5 I was left with 2 bodies, 3 heads, and random parts and accessories. I put this one together best I could and was bewildered why the parts aren't more universal with the figures. I've probably gotten accustomed to Marauder Task Force which are easily customizable. To make the story short, I created this neat looking dude just to have; he didn't have a place in the Zedd Universe. Yet.

Coming up with the idea of the 7 Orochi (it's a Dynasty Warriors thing, for those in the know), I needed 3 more members to join the 4 Horsemen (7 Orochi is the evolution of the 4 Horsemen; add 3 characters). Red 5 needed a home so he became an instant member. This skull guy, might as well add him in. I remembered there was a dude called Skullbuster so why not add him too? (The last position, I still don't know who to use and it's been over a year) 

I'd prefer to discuss Skullbuster the toy over Skullbuster the character as I see fit. In this case, the two kind of go together because I needed a reason for him being (based on me not knowing who he was other than a name). For the most part, whatever was written about him, I've thrown out the door. These are his main aspects:

-Former Range Viper. Not a particular good one, but retains enough survival skills to, uh, survive

-A free spirit in Cobra; a character but no real position

-Loves guns. Not weapons, guns. He doesn't know cannons, missiles, artillery, silent weapons, etc. He prefers automatic rifles of all sorts. He doesn't have knowledge of the rifles he uses; Skullbuster simply likes what he likes. In terms of his place with the 7 Orochi, he's the crazy gun-toting warrior. A bit like Marvel's Cable who runs around with an array of guns. He could care less what they are and what they do, as long as they shoot and take out bad guys. Or good guys.

-Not particularly intelligent.

The figure itself, I like. Not because I made him, it's just that he looks kinda neat. Like he's a functional trooper that one would want to play with. The head mold is made creepier due to the colors Hasbro used for the figure. He hasn't been written yet which I suppose, I should work on vignettes for the 7 Orochi project to get the ball rolling. I have a few single photos of him, but nothing is telling about him. 

 6 INCH: DR MINDBENDER

Dr Mindbender was not a desirable figure when I was a kid. Not in the least bit. The Marvel comic book written by Larry Hama didn't really do anything for me. The cartoon got use out of him but there wasn't any aspect that screamed, "you must buy him". I only had him in possession during the Theme Years because GI Joe was all about 2-packs and Mindbender showed up in some of them. Yet, who he was sunk in far enough that I accepted him as a part of the toyline and Cobra. Who would have thought, that years later, I would have sought a Mindbender figure out to customize and use for diostories? Even to a degree that he was being hunted by GI Joe, Cobra, and other entities and agencies of the world?

At some point, I accepted him. As I wrote him, I started to have fun with the equivalent of a mad scientist. I have a short diostory series called Zedd Talk (a goof on Ted Talk). Though he is a wanted man, he continues to do what he wants to do. Cobra is so big, he's able to hide within it; hence why the 4 Horsemen even exist. They are doing thing that Cobra Commander doesn't know about. For those they they command (or control), they have no reason to question the orders. The 4 Horsemen are all ranking officers, even if they aren't equal in rank.

In the Zedd Universe, Dr Mindbender doesn't run around without a shirt but with suspenders and tights. He's more formal than that. To create that look, which at least the Valor vs Venom version allowed, I had seen some potential ideas on BBTS through their Monster Force figures. In particular, their Dracula figure. It was my 1st entry into an unknown toyline for me. It took a bit of effort to get things right; I hadn't dremel'd out heads before. Carved larger holes for small scale figures, yes. But this was new territory. I hadn't planned on doing customs of 6 inch figures due to cost. Alas, Red 5 and Mindbender were created in the end.

Unfortunately, the final look for Mindbender comes off wrong to me. It's workable but it's probably in my head that he looks like a butler. I think once I start writing the 4 Horsemen story, the visuals will work. I hope. To note, Mindbender isn't one I photograph often but he's referenced frequently in the diostories after a certain point. Part of his story is that he created a food forest for Cobra. In doing so, he learned the technology of terra-forming. Achieving both these feats come from after-effects of the psychic motivator implanted him decades earlier (that would be acknowledgement of Cobra La, believe it or not!). The demented doctor is a lot of fun to write. Which makes the physical form of him fun to have around.

 6 INCH: CRYSTAL BALL

Crystal Ball is unknown territory for me. As a kid, I remember not being interested in him. GI Joe to me was supposed to be a military thing and by the time this guy showed up, I felt Hasbro was losing their way. That might be why when Falcon and Tunnel Rat showed up, it was like, "YES!" Crystal Ball, I knew almost nothing about but I think I learned at some point, Stephen King had written the character as himself or as his kid. Either way, Stephen King had a hand with this guy's creation. I had no use for someone like him.

Years later, like over 30 years later, Hasbro decided to bring this guy back for their GI Joe: Classified line. He got no love during the theme years nor the 25th Anniversary. Then bam, here he is. What I find fascinating is that Hasbro managed to take some very niche and/or ugly characters (well, the original toys were nothing like what we have now) and make them look good. Crystal Ball got treatment that made him not only look good, but interesting. That latter part, it probably had to do more with the accessories he came with.

My interest in him is rather odd. The entire Classified line, my interest in it is odd. A lot of figures (and characters, the two are often coupled together), I wouldn't have ever gone near as a kid. As an adult during the theme years, I was kind of stuck getting some of them because they came in two packs. Mindbender is a prime example of someone whom I wouldn't have ever bought but he came with Beach Head. I don't care what the original cartoon did with him. I think it was later, in the 2000s animated movies, I actually learned to kind of like the guy. His role in the original animated movie wasn't bad either. Oops, this is supposed to be about Crystal Ball.

So the toy version looked neat. I don't know how he ever became a contender as a figure for me to buy. I may have been cruising Amazon as I often do and the figure kept showing up. I also may have been thinking of writing a story centering around a group of Cobra operatives who were doing nefarious things to people. When I was piecing the team together, I probably already had Major Bludd at that point, I was thinking of who would be a good fit. Mindbender already had a presence in the Zedd Universe. Of the choices from Classified, I realized Crystal Ball had a lot of potential. His rival, in terms of figures, would have been Interrogator. Something about Crystal Ball was more exotic and would be a better fit.

However, that classic look had to go. I didn't want him to look like a freak that lived in a cave. A fortune teller, maybe. But like Mindbender, I wanted him to have a more refined, snobby, if not stuffy look. Now, I had already taken remote interest in the Operation: Monster Force toyline, exampled by Mr William Winchester whom had done some wonderful photography with the figures. As I looked through the offerings on Big Bad Toy Store, I found options that would work great for Dr Mindbender and... Crystal Ball. Or at least I thought so (and I'm still coming to terms with Crystal Ball's look).

The Mr Legacy figure from Monster Force looked really interesting to me. I also liked the character of Mr Legacy. While I was working on the Devil Dogs stories, I was formulating the 4 Horsemen (as well as 7 Orochi, a Star Wars story, some vignettes, random singles photography, etc), I was waiting for Mr Legacy to be released. It was a long wait and kind of awkward. I was starting to push the 4 Horsemen project but didn't want to reveal Crystal Ball as a character because I wanted to have the figure made first. When I got the figure, well, I took the head off, sanded out Crystal Ball's head and made things all work.

Then I saw how he visually looked. Which is okay, I guess. The head looks a bit eccentric for the body, in my opinion. It's either the fangs or the eye make up on Crystal Ball that throws it off a bit. Also, and this is for sure, the light colors of the figure don't match the rest of the crew. The Mr Legacy figure also could have used a jacket. Back to the drawing board? Haven't decided yet. I've joked, when I've photographed everyone together, that Crystal Ball is the one guy that doesn't fit in with the band. In a different type of analogy, it would be like the drummer Chuck Biscuits in Danzig. 3 gnarly black-haired dude and 1 blonde guy. Jeff Hanneman, the lone blonde dude in Slayer with 3 other black-haired dudes. Maybe like Scott Ian of Anthrax as the bald dude amongst 4 bandmates with long hair. Crystal Ball, in his light colored outfit, stands out that much. To the point that I'm not sure how to use him if he goes out in the field. I think he, like Mindbender, will be staying on base to do their thing rather than go out with the troops and mess with them.

I haven't written Crystal Ball's character yet. In ways, I haven't written Interrogator's either. It'll be interesting to see how they differ. Both are manipulators of the mind and each use their own techniques and tools. I think Crystal Ball relies more on theatrics, drugs, mesmorization, and holograms while Interrogator uses actual psychology. I know for sure, Interrogator looks creepy, especially the small-scale version I made of him. Crystal Ball looks more akin to a guidance counselor which might be a ploy on his part to get the subject to believe and trust in him more. I think of him now as maybe he's a bit Dr Crane-ish (Nolan's Batman series). Looks fairly normal but not really. It's the unwritten that makes him fun for me. 

 6 INCH: DAWN MORENO

I know almost nothing of the character Dawn "Snake Eyes" Moreno. I have the understanding that Snake Eyes is dead and she's taken the name. A disciple? Alternate universe? No idea. I just know, she looks really cool. Again, the black and red colors strike again!

I'm a visual person. Not just action figures. Cars, video games, cartoons (or animation/animated shows), flower arrangements, etc. I like what I like. This Hasbro Classified figure is utterly awesome looking. Functional is another matter and that's something that would be covered in a review, which isn't the purpose of what I'm writing about.

In the Zedd Universe, she is an open book. I will not be calling her Snake Eyes, although, I haven't thought of a name. She hangs with the figures on the dresser which are all bad guys. I've considered making her a villain but I have no story for her. Like the Lego Movie's Emmett's brain, it's completely empty. Sadly, I have no plans for her. Sometimes, when I do photoshoots, things form as I work with the figures. That's kind of what I'm counting on here. Unfortunately, I find her hard to use. It has to do with the design of the figure. The long hair and the double scabbards for the swords don't work well together with the visored head. (The unmasked head works but it's not as cool looking) Also, I wish Hasbro gave her a bit more gear. Usually, they like to load the ninja up. She has no daggers or knives or whatever else ninja carry around. I'd love to do more photos with her, but my creativity with her is low to non-existent. Moreno was a blind pre-order from Amazon meaning, she was a just a cool looking figure that I had nothing invested in. There are a few other purchases like that. For example, the Marvel Rivals: Moon Knight. No ideas what to do with him, just looked cool.

And the theme word of my 6 inch collection? COOL

 6 INCH: RED 5 (CUSTOM)

This custom figure is heavily based on a figure that a friend did. Red 5, as I call him, is one of my favorite figures. When Mr. Winchester made him, I really liked the look. I thought it was an official figure but it was revealed it was a custom. In short order, I set out to make one for myself. I think there are some small variances between his and mine, but don't remember the specifics.

While I made the figure just for the cool visual look of him, I hadn't many thoughts of who or what he was. The head says to me it's more robotic than cybernetic. The body says it's human, perhaps even android, but not cybernetic (ie; cybernetically augmented human). I've had a lot of time to think on the character and not coming up with a lot of specifics. I did decide this:

-Was a member of a Viper squad called Red Squad

-The name is from Star Wars, but has nothing to do with Star Wars

-He is a bounty hunter (but remains a Cobra operative)

-Had extensive work done to him; not sure if he is an android w/ a human consciousness. That would be moving into Battlestar Galactica territory which is kind of where I want to go. That over Robocop where Red 5 has a human brain in that head

-Very stiff personality; mission oriented

-Red 5 is a member of the 7 Orochi; the project after the 4 Horsemen story.

-Red Squad was one of the 4 Horsemen's pet projects that didn't go well. Red 5 is the surviving member

-Knife is missing. Will be a story point

-Uses a Robocop gun. Made by Gridiron Studios. The gun itself has always been a favorite of mine ever since I saw Robocop. I don't even care for Robocop or the movie, I just like the gun!

What's interesting to note. I have a bunch of figures on the dresser. Mostly it's so they are easy to grab when I go on a photoshoot. I find that several of the figures are black and red. I love this figure. I don't know if it's because Winchester designed it, he explained how to build it (along with the recipe), and/or the fact that his photos of him are fantastic and I oddly believe I can reproduce the coolness to them.

 6 Inch Figures: Major Bludd

Up until about 2002, when Hasbro relaunched the GI Joe toyline with the Joe vs Cobra theme, ask me who my favorite GI Joes were, the answer would have been quick and easy. Falcon and Tunnel Rat. Top 2. Be it as a kid or a 20-something adult, those two were favorites in both physical toy and their character per the file card. Enter the internet age of websites that had discussion boards, I'd learn a lot about GI Joe but also make a distinction between toy, comic character, toy character, file card, etc. I had figures I liked; characters from cartoon or comic, I never really invested in. Aware of and used for my stories or to base my own characterizations off of, yes. Old favorites included: Flash, Tripwire, Torpedo, Repeater, Muskrat, Hawk v2, and many others. Notice in this paragraph, no mention of the bad guys. 

What I knew of Major Bludd came from cartoon, comic, and file card and obviously, the toy.

The original release of Major Bludd, it was what it was. I got him just because. He wasn't anything exciting to me other than he had a molded-straight arm (supposed to be cybernetic or something), eyepatch, and a rocket pistol for his weapon. As a kid, that made it kind of awkward to use him because I was one of those that never exchanged weapons between figures and didn't diverge from what came in the package (or artwork). Even to this day (skip to modern times), I still can't Bludd with an automatic rifle. Or a sniper rifle. Only a pistol. Very hard for me to break that mentality; only worse getting older. There is a 'however' here...

The Hasbro made, GI Joe Classified Major Bludd is pretty damn good. Backtrack for a moment here. Major Bludd, as a figure, won me over with Hasbro short-lived Direct To Consumer (DTC) line. This line focused on GI Joe and was their way to get rid of the stock that was reserved for the theme Robot Rebellion which didn't quite pan out right for the small Joes. (Long story: Robot Rebellion was to be the next theme after Valor vs Venom. It starred Overkill and his different robot minions, errrrr, warriors. The good guy side included one particularly new character of Major Barrage who would lead the charge. Things got changed and Robot Rebellion got wrapped up in the Sigma 6 theme. It wasn't lost as the 1st 5 eps of Sigma 6 was the planned Robot Rebellion. I admit, I never watched Sigma 6 after that, but I understand the focus changed after Robot Rebellion finished and truly became the adventures of Sigma 6. The cartoon and the small toyline didn't quite see eye to eye. Another indicator of the small scale Robot Rebellion line was the 6-pack that had Overkill and a bunch of BATs.) 

Back to the topic, the DTC line had Major Bludd. Hasbro made him look really cool. He had a removable helmet, a neat scarf, just a bunch of updates to him. Did he retain the fake arm? Hard to say; I think it looked like a regular arm. All that matters is that I became a bit of a fan of him. Or at least, a stronger interest. (Major Bludd did get his own diostory; Deadly Poets Society. He tried to start his own army which didn't go down well.)

The Classified Major Bludd is terrific. I tried the line 3 different times (4?) and finally succumbed to it. There's no denying that, for the most part, the figures look good. The figure retains enough classic elements to make him Major Bludd. The removable helmet is a nice touch, the upgrade on the eyepatch is a nice addition, and his sidearm is perfect. I'm sure fans could point out other great aspects of the figure. For me, the figure acts as a vehicle for my own creativity in terms of photography, written stories, and visual stories. Major Bludd, after all, is part of the 4 Horsemen group. That's a story still waiting to be properly written.

For me, if I really like the figure, it'll be the subject of my photography. As in, I'll want to use him all the time. I find it's often a mix of the figure itself (visuals, articulation, can I pose them), the characterization as I can write them, and several other aspects.

This 8in collection, it's all figures that I really like (uh, I think so at least). Major Bludd is one of the top figures. Top 5? Top 10? Never thought hard about it, but I instinctively reach for him when I want to go out and take photos. Thing is, I have all these other figures and I have to refrain from using him.

 Demon Hunters: 4 Horsemen/7 Orochi projects

I've been thinking quite a bit lately of how to make these two projects work. It was only recently that I realized that with how slow Vol 1: World Eaters is being written that I needed to push the 4 Horsemen project forward. The premise was that these 4 Cobra officers would come into town and mess things up usually through different forms of manipulation and strong-arming. I forgot what the specific analogy was besides the Winchester brothers from Supernatural. In terms of the tv show, the brothers ride into town and solve the problem of the day. However, the other side of that story is that they tend to wreak havoc when they come in and a lot of innocents die. The 4 Horsemen would ride into town and while everything goes to hell because of their plans, there is more scheming involved. I didn't quite know how to write that all up. Visually, I saw the 4 of them riding into town all in Ford Mustangs (I personally think it would be 2000s models but not opposed to classic 60s versions. The problem here is, what do I see them actually in. And I can't see Dr Mindbender or Crystal Ball actually driving a car!)

A few months ago (or earlier this year), I realized because of who the Horsemen represent, I could see them 'using' military squads to do their bidding. Now, the Horsemen are classically written as Death, Pestilence, Famine, and War. When I did some light research on them, I came across very liberal (or modern) takes on them which I hate to admit, I'm playing around with.

For example, Pestilence has to do with sickness. The modern take spoke of Pestilence not just as a physical manifestation, but a mental one. I'm playing with the idea that the Horsemen are targeting military squads that are slightly mental. Enough that Crystal Ball can 'poison' their mind even more through all his means (Interrogator could do the same but their techniques are different. Crystal Ball seems more suited for the 'horror' side of things whereas Interrogator would feel like you are watching a spy thriller or something. To have both on the Horsemen or Orochi would be redundant to me and to put an Interrogator together to how I see fit, probably would be a pain in the ass.) Crystal Ball could work his magic; making them more violent, impatient, etc. The Devil Dogs (Vol 1 main characters) will be one of their 'experiments'. 

Experiments are how the Horsemen see their subjects. What the Horsemen do to these people, it's for their own interest and satisfaction, not so much a political statement or giving Cobra more power (though, it ends up being that way most of the time). The story of the Horsemen is still being worked on. They'll take a squad under their wing and they'll do their bidding but it's not obvious why. Lady Obitus is the representation of Death. It's not just about killing people; she actually doesn't have interest doing it herself. It's the act of death that she finds fascinating. I think it was written in the latest vignette, she wants to know why there is an unaccounted 21 grams when the body dies. She believes it is the human soul leaving the body. She wants to know what it is. Why it happens. Where does it go? And she certainly wants to see the light leave the body. This will be covered lightly in Vol1: Devil Dogs: Story 4: FATES WARNING.

Somewhere in all this, the Horsemen evolved into the 7 Orochi. The simplest explanation is that the group gains 3 members. One of them is an entity called Red 5. Here is where I came up with a story for the Horsemen; whether it's THE story, I'm not sure. 

Red 5 is the 5th member of a Cobra squad; I haven't figured out if they were a special squad or just regular old Vipers. The 4 Horsemen get their fangs in them (hee hee) and this 5-man squad does what they tell them to do. They have no reason to question it because these are all Cobra officers of some sort. When Major Bludd gives you a mission, you do it. Cuz certainly, he represents Cobra's best interests and it must be under Cobra Commander's order, yes??? This squad, the Red Squad (insert placeholder name), well, things don't go well of them in the end. Red 5 is the surviving member and he becomes an experiment of Dr Mindbender (give or take Overkill). 

I haven't decided if the Red Squad failure occurs before the Horsemen put the Devil Dogs (and their subsequent squad name) through a series of missions or after. It could be simultaneous which means, the 4 Horsemen have all sorts of plans going on at once. By deciding to go with, basically a Red 5 origin story, this relaxes my plotting/planning/anxiety of creating a new military squad for the Horsemen storyline. If I went with a regular military crew, it'd be some random Marauder Task Force squad. Keeping it within Cobra makes sense. In fact, I believe I have 5 MTF'd Vipers that I can use for visual/physical representation.

I admit, I still don't know what Red 5 is. I was thinking about it when on a drive to Ritzville today (2 hr round trip; let's me think). I was thinking cyborg but not entirely sure I want to go that route. Just how deep on the cyborg scale does he go? And where do I make my line between cybernetic augmentation and actual cyborg? I've got some ideas but none feel very strong. However, I like the idea of the Viper Red Squad being the Horsemen's play toys. 

4 Horsemen:

Death - Lady Obitus

War - Major Bludd

Pestilence - Crystal Ball

Famine - Dr Mindbender

 Metallica - Master of Puppets

It's no secret that I'm not that much of a fan of Metallica anymore. Been that way for years. I don't know if I lost interest, outgrew them, etc. I have select tracks I do like from Black, Load, and Reload. But in terms of studio albums, nothing beyond. (Garage Inc and S&M are kind of outliers to me) I think it's safe to say, the albums I listen to are Puppets and Justice. Having played bass and guitar (and grew up playing piano), I had fun playing Metallica tunes cuz frankly, they were fairly easy. 

But why those two and not Kill 'em All and/or Ride the Lightning?

For me, a lot of it has to do with sound. I love the sound of the Black album. I feel Bob Rock (producer) did good on them. Gave them a metal sound, but I would learn later, the thrashiness and complicated riffs disappeared. Still, the Black tour showed/proved that the thicker sound (I call it 'thicker') works for the old stuff. What gets me on Kill is James young voice! Same with Ride, plus, there are some stinkers on there that I don't care for.

What's interesting to note, my 'faves' on Masters tended to move around. I remember really like Leper Messiah and Orion. But neither were pushed by the band, instead they seemed to favor the title track (duh), Battery and Sanitarium, which as a high schooler, I didn't really care. At least at first. Later, I'd learn to like Sanitarium but it helped that a friend had his preferences and at times, showed me the light. I think I was in my 30s when I came to the realization that Battery is an awesome tune. It's got the energy and aggression that equals Slayer and (later) Pantera. It's possible that things were going on in my life where Battery sounded attractive finally. And it's also possible that my guitar playing was (finally) evolving. 

Another track I preferred as kid was Disposable Heroes. In the end, the only track I really don't care for is Damage Inc.

I hate to be part of the crowd that says Master is their best album. The gatekeepers like to bicker over their 1st 3 albums. They seem to respect Justice but those old farts are all about Cliff Burton over Jason Newsted. Where I'm a Newsted fan and just accept that Cliff was the bass player. He did his thing. That's probably an entirely different topic I won't bother to babble about. (No offense to the late Cliff Burton)

I still don't quite know what it is about Master of Puppets that I ended up liking it. When I was getting into metal in middle school (coming from a few years of punk), Metallica wasn't what I was expecting. It's hard for me to explain what I thought metal was supposed to sound like. I was listening to it in the car when driving around a couple weeks ago and I was thinking, "this album is quite good".

 Devil Dogs Story 4

Finally got back to working on the story. I finished #3 a few weeks ago and had started #4 immediately. I actually have a rough draft for the 1st 'act'. It's fast and quick. The rest of the story, I'm at a bit of a crossroads. #4 serves as the end of the Devil Dogs phase (their story will continue under a different squad name; War Hounds). I had ideas on how I wanted to tell the next scene, but it's where to go with it all. I have a plot, it's the finer details of whether I want to go certain routes. I'm still formulating a lot of ideas too because in some ways, I have to set the stage for War Hounds #1. I'm hoping I can write it out and it'll all come together.

This kind of brings up something I've kinda been reading about studio-made tv shows and movies. That a lot of the story/script are written on the spot. Like, the writer or writers just bust it out in a short time. But I can't help question of the editing, rewriting, and revision processes involved. How many times have we heard that a scene is written on the spot? Is that how creativity works for some people in the entertainment industry?

Yet here we have other writers who can take a lot of time to work things through. Hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc. The things that I ponder...

*Firenado and Trainwreck*

 Demon Hunters Project: What is it?

I haven't explained what the Demon Hunters project is.

The Demon Hunters is a Marauder Task Force military squad that takes out really bad bad guys. The crew is made up for 2 primary soldiers; Lt Rocker and Sgt Hunter. They hunt down the baddest of the bad. If they can't take them down on their own, they call the rest of their team. However, the real story isn't about the hunters, it's about the entities they are after.

Originally, it was just going to be 1 group to focus on. When I decided to add 2 more entities for down the road, it changed how I had to look at the project. The breakdown of the project got very technical. I admit, it's ugly looking and sounding.

The 1st theme was based Warhammer 40k's World Eaters. As the premise of each story tells, it's not about the people that are remembered, but the name. Or title. I decided to have some fun with the 40k universe, creating a prequel that has very little to do with modern day 40k. 

In the future, there is only war.

 

 

The future is dark. The future is grim. The future is violent.

The universe only has war.

 

For centuries it was believed that people don’t exist forever. Philosophical types believe that the human spirit can be eternal in the form of energy.

 

Humans are not legends or myths. The names and titles become legends and myths. These transcend the ages.

This is the story of a group of soldiers whose name became bigger than them. Their group would be remembered millennia later…

 

To do this, I chose the World Eaters. I simply think they are neat and the Chaos chapters of mutated, manipulated, demented Space Marines are fun! It doesn't help that my Facebook feed when it pertains to JoyToy product, is often 40k stuff (or 30k but I'm not going there) and their World Eaters figures are very nice. This part of Demon Hunters starts with the Devil Dogs. They later become the War Hounds and finally evolve into the World Eaters. It is a series of stories.

Naming convention-wise, it reads like this:
Demon Hunters
Vol 1: World Eaters
Phase 1: Devil Dogs
Phase 2: War Hounds
Phase 3: World Eaters

Vol 2: The 4 Horsemen

Vol 3: 7 Orochi

The 4 Horsemen takes Cobra operatives who are doing outside of the usual fare. They are noticed by the powers that be and the Demon Hunters are sent after them. The story is what the 4 Horsemen are doing and to a degree, why.

7 Orochi is the evolution of the 4 Horsemen in that 3 more members join up. I haven't decided if they will be all Cobra. I might branch out. It's been months and I still don't know who member #7 is.

 Accomplishments (I finished something!)

I'm one of those type of creative artists that comes up with ideas and plans but has a hard time finishing them. That said, last week, I finished a Devil Dogs story called FOR THE GREATER GOOD OF GOD. This would be story #3 under the Devil Dogs phase of the Demon Hunters project. It took longer than I wanted. Finishing it was an accomplishment, something I don't give myself credit for usually because I have a lot of things in my mind. In terms of the Devil Dogs stories, I was thinking of #4 and how to wrap up the phase and to transition to the next phase of their evolution: War Hounds.

To get technical, Demon Hunters Vol1 is a mouthful. I didn't see any other way on how to do break it down because it's that complicated. Well, it's probably not but it's multi-layered! That aside, I'm working through #4 which will be called FATES WARNING. Yes, that is an Iron Maiden song title. Yes, I have a habit of using their song titles for stories.

The other story I finished last week (or was it the week before), was a vignette (short diostory) for Demon Hunters Vol2: The 4 Horsemen (shortened, 4 Horsemen or 4H). The visual shorts are out-of-sequence prequels to the 4 Horsemen story. It will not be a series of stories like the World Eaters (which follows the adventures of the Devil Dogs). It will be a self-contained story but the 4 Horsemen, to a degree, show up in Vol1 in a preliminary way. That part of the Demon Hunters project deserves it's own blog post or 2. 

In the end, I finished up #3 which took a life of its own. In fact, that lil story starts to set up for Vol3: 7 Orochi. Vol2 and Vol3 are closely related.

Wait, what ARE the Demon Hunters?

Who writes a story about a squad who hunts demons but doesn't actually tell their story?!?

Almost better not to ask! (okay, the 2 primary Demon Hunter characters make a cameo in FOR THE GREATER OF GOOD only to introduce them and indicate what the future holds for the Devil Dogs. They won't get story time until Phase 3 when they are tasked with the hunt!)

At the moment, I don't have plans for a 4 Horsemen #4 vignette. Focusing on Devil Dogs #4.

*Lt Rocker. Leader of the Demon Hunters squad. 1 of 2 of the primary members*

 Action Figures: War of the Scales

I was just thinking about the scale issues that people have when it comes to action figures. When GI Joe released the Classified line back around 2020 (woo hoo, pre-covid!), I wasn't overly excited. I think it had more to do with price point than the increase in product size. At the same time, things weren't looking pretty for the 1:18 Joes; be it 3.75" or 4" or whatever Hasbro felt like making them. I remember trying a few of the figures out near the beginning. A lot of it had to do whether it had the same magic feel as the 8in Sigma 6 figures that Hasbro produced in 2005. Those things were fun and they were different.

I think I started with Snake Eyes, Scarlet, and Roadblock. I liked the updated look. Scarlet and Roadblock were fine. I actually liked the bulkiness of Roadblock. That was one big block of plastic and oddly, I felt it moreso w/ the Classifieds than I ever did with Sigma6. My disappointment was with Snake Eyes. Now, let's get this straight, I've bought this damn figure at least 3x. 1st time, I noticed that the chest piece was loose/wobbly (remember Big Hero6 when Hiro is putting his robot into the fight cage and it just flops around?) and the hands were so frakkin' stiff, I couldn't get the gun or sword in them. The 'use hot water to temporarily loosen them' is a bs solution because as a photographer, I'm not carrying a thermos of hot water with me outside, on a photoshoot, just to loosen up the hands. I love the Snake Eyes design. As a hobby artist who has done fan GI Joe stuff, coming up with a Snake Eyes design that I feel is good, acceptable, or something I can deal with, is incredibly hard cuz he's been made so many times. Thing is, those Classifieds still have hand issues. They also have stiff/locked joint issues too which bewilders me cuz that never happened in the 80s or even the 2000s (Theme Years!!!).

That aside, I realized that with Sima6, I didn't get held back by a scale change. I bought what I liked. I made stories with those 8in figures. I did photos with those 8in figures. I made memories with Kody with those 8in figures (gal's son; it was a common point between the two of us. Music, skateboarding, light sabers, GI Joe toys) because he was pretty much all in it. I'd buy doubles so he could have his own and we could do our thing with them. Eventually, that all went away and to move the story forward, I was at Boeing when I got into imports. In which, scale wasn't an issue cuz I wanted what I wanted. Be it cool-looking, weird, or that's just how things were. I have Kamen Rider figures in 2 different sizes. I bought SH Figuarts Power Rangers (movie outfits) which were awesome and so much better than the junk mass released for the stores.

These days, it feels like there are tons of gourmet toy companies out there. As far as I can tell, they are all good. 6in is the current trend but like 4in, these companies are stretching the sizes. Some seem to doing 6.2in. One is doing 7in. 4in makers are even pushing up, which is really weird to me. I've pretty much made peace with GI Joe Classified. 

I see it like this.

I am not a toy collector. That saves a huge headache right there. I see posts on FB from the collector side of things and their rants towards every lil thing and detail. Some I can understand but others, it's like, "ha! good thing I'm not a hardcore collector!" I prefer that the product I buy has a use. Stimulates the creativity. Never been much of the type to just put on a shelf for dust to gather on it. I'd be far more the type to create dioramas on a shelving unit to show stuff off.

I am not a completionist. This one is tough because it's easy to get into this situation. I don't need all the Classified Dreadnoks to satisfy myself. In this particular case, I've been trying to fight it pretty hard. But I admit, they do look good. It'd be nice to have the Z family and the 3 original noks plus a Thrasher (if they ever make him). I have the family and I kind of fell in that trap. However, I do like Zandar, Zarana, and Zanya in general. Speaking of the GI Joe O-13, that's another matter. The figures look good. It's hard not to want them all and end up with all of them. It's probably a good thing I'm not a hard Warhammer 40k fan and completionist cuz that would suck!

I buy what I think is neat. I buy what makes the Zedd Universe deeper. It's about the creativity and the stories to tell. Therefore, I don't feel I should be held back by scale. It's about fun. People probably forget that.

*Red 5. Unused image from 4 Horsemen: Vignette 3*

 Thinking...

When I started this Demon Hunters project, the plan was for a series of fast-paced, short stories following a Marauder Task Force squad called the Devil Dogs. Over a short period of time, they would evolve into the most hunted rogue squad in the world. They'll have also have changed their name twice, not to elude the good guys, but because each stage they attained. The end name would be World Eaters and that name would become legendary.

I had writer's block for some time on this one. A week or two ago, I figured out a go-around. That 'revelation' led me thinking of how I'm doing this entire project. The initial focus was, as stated, short and fast stories. Writing the current chapter, I realized that this is the perfect vehicle to build the Zedd Universe. Why in this project as opposed to the GI Joe stories I'm rewriting (from the existing diostories)? Because the GI Joe stories are very narrow in focus and doesn't really build the world. But with Demon Hunters, it's a chance to do a lot of stuff that I couldn't tell/push/explain/explore in the GI Joe diostories (or written stories in which, only TRANSFORMATIONS has been finished). It's a fascinating thing to me to realize this. The chapter I'm writing is actually fun. It's different, slightly dorky, definitely unusual but it explains a lot. It also helps flesh out the Andromeda Quest project that I never got underway (because that was turning into a massive entity that I didn't have time or money to do).

For those not familiar with the Demon Hunters project, here's the premise:

*physical representation of Devil Dogs (in toy form, duh)*

 Demon Hunters, 4 Horsemen, and Star Wars 7-9 Projects

I'm one of those guys that love coming up with projects, but horrible at seeing them through.

These 3 projects are often on my mind. I tend to do a lot of thinking in terms of them. Fill my mind with something, right?

I've been taking photos of the 4 Horsemen and doing some 1-page vignettes, but nothing canon-hard. I'm thinking of changing that and how I do the project. But let's back up for a moment to discuss Demon Hunters.

Demon Hunters is currently suffering writer's block. I think I found a way to get around it about a week ago but haven't put pen to paper yet. While I know in my head, it occurred to me (again), that the Demon Hunter story with the Devil Dogs is a 3-tier story. Meaning, the team will change names as time progresses. What I realized is, this project is going to get long. Not so much bigger, just longer. It's not just the Devil Dogs stories I have to get through, it's the 2 iterations afterwards. I'm not a fast writer so it could take years to get through the Devil Dogs stories. I plan on 10 or less short stories!

The plan was, near the end of the run, the 4 Horsemen aspect would come in. I'm deciding now, that's a bad idea. The 4 Horsemen need to be told at the same time. Because the Horsemen have a hand in what happens to the Devil Dogs. So I'm going to start working the 4 Horsemen story which I'm realizing now is going to be a bit bigger than I had thought it'd be. Which is fine, I'm still figuring out how I want to tell the story.

At the moment, I have photos I took last week for another 4-Horsemen vignette. I've decided that these are designed to start, lay the ground, and move the story forward in a visual fashion. It also gives me a reason to go outside and work on photography skills and well, just get outside.

The Star Wars project is still going. The chapters are all introductory to the main characters. I admit, I didn't think most of it through so having not figured out the finer details is slowing me down.

Until then, here's a raw image of an upcoming 4-Horsemen page. Major Bludd & Lady Obitus.

 

I got something to say...

I hate to say this triggers me. But something about it bugs me and I'm not sure what it is. Maybe I'm just in denial and this is truth.

But.

When I got back into GI Joe in 2002 with the Joe Vs Cobra themed toys, my love and fascination with it was with the modern. It was with the current. For me, this meme implies the old. The past. It's a nostalgia thing, yes. But I'm not attached. However, GI Joe as a toy brand is a childhood entity. What GI Joe did for me as an adult (other than meet people, have good times in the discussion boards, etc) was give me a vehicle for creativity. It started with photography and that's only because I saw others doing it. It never occurred to me as a kid to take photos of my toys (that had to do with how I grew up and the era). From photographic singles of my GI Joe toys, it led to telling visual stories and even some art stuff. My toy interests meandered and evolved since 2002. I may not be doing visual stories (as much) but I'm writing stories. 

Btw, this image has been circulating lately. I pulled it from Checkpoint Alpha on Facebook.

 Trying new things...

Haven't been able to work on much for the last week or so.

I'm working on a lil photo project, nothing spectacular. As I was getting the photos ready to work on, well, people who know me know that I've been creating diostories for over 20 years. Around 5 years ago, I backed way off. To the point that I don't do them anymore. I do some very small projects (which oddly still take a lot of time).

Now, to get to the point, when I do the photos, I add all dialogue/text/etc onto the actual image. That means, all the text (w/ boxes, word balloons, etc) are on the photo itself (and not usually saved as layers; it's fully merged into 1 image) and it is all within the constraints of the photo. This is my anal thing. But I'm working a 3-photo page and I'm thinking a bit more outside the box. Or I'm trying to be flexible even if it'll be a headache in terms of file naming. I'm considering trying some of the text so that it breaks the photo's borders. It's something I know of doing, but my 'style' isn't like that. I think it's worth a try. My thinking behind it is, the text doesn't have to be constrained to the image itself.

To note, when I started diostories, they were done as a slide show. I learned early on, clicking NEXT for each image to get the story could be a long and tedius endeavor for the readers. 100 images were too much but it was also really hard to tell a story in that fashion. At some point, I realized I could make a large canvas (page) and put the finished images on it like a comic book. That's kind of how "diostories" became "diocomics". Once I realized I could do this, it really opened my mind and the stories got better. I also was shooting 2-3x as many photos for it and per chapter for a story were usually between 180-225 images. As for chapter length, it varied. I set a goal at 25 pages. Due to how long a single chapter was taking to produce, I moved to comic book-length chapters. Which I admit, I'm not really sure if the standard is 22 pages or 23 pages. By the time I decided to do 20-page chapters, a lot had happened in life and I moved to writing stories instead. Photography in general, was no longer a priority. I still do photoshoots but nowhere near as often as 10-15 yrs ago. And for the record, I'm procrastinating on a bunch of household chores too. Here, have a random image that has nothing to do with the post. Dr Mindbender! I'm still working on 4 Horsemen/7 Orochi. Just a hint, if this is how I'm envisioning Mindbender, then how might some of the others look? (Okay, I'll play fair. Some don't get any changes. Crystal Ball, however, is waiting for a new body.)

 Star Wars Ep7

A few weeks ago, I started toying around with the idea of writing Star Wars ep7-9 as how I saw fit. I had some vague ideas. I also had random ideas. Decent and good are subjective and entirely another matter! That said, I talked to a few people about things; bounced ideas off them and asked for basic information. That all said, I posted on FB I was gonna put other stuff on hold (ie; writer's block) and start this project. 

So far, it's been harder to write than I thought. There's a lot to the universe; more than any one person can handle. As I've told people, I'm doing more chatting and looking up information (and asking questions to Google and live humans) than writing. Now, to note, I'm horrible at creating titles and coming up with names. This morning, I googled Star Wars Name Generator. Hopefully, it might help a tad. 

The focus of this particular post goes back to the research I did on measurement units that Star Wars uses. Not just land measurements, but space measurements. I don't feel like bugging Mr. Horn tonight so I'm writing everything out here. Basically, I was learning about speed and distance. Parsecs, light speed, hyperdrive, etc. Tonight, my inquiry was sensor range. I used a regular Original Trilogy (OT) Star Destroyer as the basis as to how far their sensors can, uh, sense. I had already learned (and I'm rounding #s a bit here) how many KM are in a Parsec (because Star Wars uses metric). At the moment, I have a "rebel" ship on a deep space mission where the sector is largely unexplored. I needed an idea of how far their sensors can reach. Just because I found out a rough number for the sensor range doesn't mean I knew what that mean in terms of parsecs. I'm attaching a screenshot of the AI answer Google used. (no comment on the AI inquiry, it's automatic) I want to say, "all that matters in the end is that the sensors can't see a parsec away" but based on the numbers, that statement wouldn't make any sense. I mean, our satellites on Earth have to be pretty big to see light years away. Since a parsec is 3.26 light years away (per Star Wars lore), uh, the ships don't have radar dishes that big on them, they can't sense that far away. The ship in question, I haven't decided how far away they can see. 

Currently, the crew is talking about how dark the space is because there are few solar systems. They are leaving signal buoys so they can find their way back. They will end up finding a few things, I just needed an idea of how far away their destination will be. Who would have thought I'd do a bit of research for a fan-based story???

Btw... the beginning of the prologue is like this (it's not set in stone and will be reworked after the episode is written. It is very rough, but you get to see the Episode title):

 Sony PSP: Taking care of the PSP

I've made random posts about my PSP on FB but figured, it's time to move the rambling over here for a moment. I feel, times have really changed in terms of our portable technology. I'm not referring or focusing on cd and cassette players or boom boxes. Rather, cell phones (aka mobile phones for early adopters, right?) and portable game systems, especially the PSP (and maybe the Sega Gamegear).

Remember, eons ago, when we, as the consumer would protect our newly bought mobile devices? Those old Nokia phones and the plastic pouch-like thing we'd put it in? Now, I don't remember how much phones were back in 1998/1999 when they started gaining in popularity. To me, it wasn't a thing but it ended up a trend I joined in. I wasn't against it, just didn't see the point of needing a phone on me when not at home. Someone wants to get ahold of me? Leave a message. At some point, a certain someone felt it necessary I have one.

According to Google, the Sony PSP was released in the US in 2005. Cell phone technology was still pretty early; I don't think touch screen was quite a thing.

Now, the PSP was definitely an amped up version of whatever Nintendo Gameboy model was available. Google sez the MSRP on the PSP was $250. That's for just the system and I've no idea if they had bundles upon release. There were, in the end. The point here, $250 was a pretty good chunk of money for a portable system for any gamer out there. There were plenty of accessories to go with it and in the end, a wonderful slew of games and movies. What I'm getting at here, I bought a case for it. I believe the intent was to protect the thing from getting scratched.

Do we remember how much we cared about our portable device getting scratched???

Like, we took great care of our phones back then. They weren't a throw-away item (yet). And the PSP, I'm pretty sure, beat any cell phone price at that time.

I look at this case and wonder, was it really necessary? To keep the PSP safe, yes. Who knows if a cat would attack it or knock it off the desk. Drop a quarter on it, might scratch or crack the screen, right? That'd be $250 down the hole! I did find the case useful for holding 2 games (I always kept one in the PSP so 3 total) and it was a good protective container for it. Now, there's a protective lens in the case and I'm not sure what it's supposed to represent. Trying to play the PSP in the case, doesn't work cuz the shoulder buttons are difficult to reach. But I think the case used to be able to be propped up like a pyramid so you could watch a movie. Unfortunately, the lil plastic/rubber pieces that would keep it from sliding on the desk are long worn out.

Anyway, I like to think I take great care of my PSP (and Vita when I owned one). I was very paranoid about anything happening to the screen. I also tend to take care of my phone. Not the best I can, but I've had this thing for a few years. While it's been dropped a few times, it's managed to escape permanent harm. (knock on wood)

Ah, the old days.

MTF: Demon Hunter 3: Which way to go?

Currently in the writing of the story, the Demon Hunters have found their target. I'm at a crossroads of how to write it up.

Do they see the enemy so they have a clue what they are facing? Visual references would include how SG-1/Atlantis did things, Starship Troopers seeing the bugs for the 1st time, etc

Or do I keep the creatures a secret so when they run into them, there's a better chance of the reaction from the team? Doom, Alien(s), Predator, etc

Decisions, decisions. 

I'll probably do 2 versions and see how it flows.

Demon Hunters - Lt Rocker

 MTF: DEMON HUNTERS: #3

I'm kind of taking a lil break from the story. Or at least, it feels like it. I pushed on #2 and the VS: Beach Head vs Zandar stories then dove right into Demon Hunters 3. Part of the idea, in my mind, was that the stories were going to be short and fast. Nothing too deep. But as I wrote #2 (and to an extent VS: Storm Shadow vs Helix), I found myself creating and connecting various aspects of the Zedd Universe, which is most of the fun (in my mind). Demon Hunters 3 brings in the Andromeda Quest project. It's really weird cuz the project is unwritten, but I showed the very 1st few pages of what the 1st story was going to be like. I fully admit, it's based heavily on Stargate: SG-1. It was supposed to be a short, fast, episodic diocomic. But just the few pages I did took a lot of time. It doesn't look like it, but that all took a few weeks (posted on Facebook). In Demon Hunters 3, the Devil Dogs are sent to New Micronia. This is their first time and for the reader (since the project was never written), it's their first time too. What's weird is... If I ever write the Andromeda project, well, how much will I have screwed things up by going forward x-amount of years? It's hard for me on how much to reveal about the project in the story. Because a lot of it happens 'off screen'.

For example, GI Joe continues to battle the Tyranids on this random planet in the Andromeda Galaxy (this is based on the story TRANSFORMATIONS). Eventually, they meet the Microman race (aka Micronians) and they become allies and eradicate the scout force of Tyranids who were just eating up the planet (not dominating it in this instance). There's no official story for that. Or that the Micronians rebuild the Cobra's Anaconda Research Facility on Earth to stablize the gateway (Micronians called it a 'gateway'. Earthlings called it a 'portal'. It's a play on the Chappa'ai vs Stargate terminology from SG-1.) There's also no story for when the Marauder Task Force takes over, the creation of the Off-world Teams, how people ended up on the teams, etc. There is a GI Joe diocomic that introduced OT1 in which, 1 or 2 members get knocked off. (That leads to Lt Falcon and Bombstrike coming aboard and becoming OT1 which is where the Andromeda stories really start; several years already into it.)

It's a lot of fun to write #3. What's fun is I'm finally exploring the Andromeda project. Plus, the Devil Dogs meet the Demon Hunters (who'll be showing up real soon as a regulars) and OT1. Fun little connection but it won't be the main aspect of the Devil Dogs stories. If I can get my act together, the Devil Dogs stories should be wrapping up soon and then they can evolve into the team called The War Hounds. Still working out the details on that, but it's close. Assuming I can remember what I'm doing.

To note, and this is part of today's blog, my writing on this one is much tighter than the last 4 stories? 5 stories? I went through chapters 1-4 the last few days (me taking a break is not writing, the editing/revising/rework is another matter) and for once, I didn't have to write in my notebook, entire sections to add into the chapters. Rather, the edits were minor enough to do on the hard copies (i edit on hard copies, not on computer). I don't know how it happened. It's not like I had grand plans before writing. It just seems to flow better. Maybe the stories written before were good practice on getting my mind better focused.

*raw image of Blitzkrieg and Razor of the Devil Dogs meeting the Demon Hunters, Rocker and Hunter*