Saint Crow - 1st of the Radio Kings & Post Apocalyptic Warlord. King's Currency: Wasteland Salvaged Records, Turntable, and Speakers MEGAPOST!!!

I think the best solution to perimeter defense would be to take a page out of medieval times and build small, fortified villages or hamlets and take refuge behind the walls at night and work in the fields by day.

The best way to patrol and keep the fields safe by day would likely through watchtowers and patrols on horseback. Horses incidentally, would become very, very valuable. If you live in a cold area as I do, wood burning stoves would be in high demand.  And yeah...you want both MD's and veterinarians in your group.  Of course, the guys in the watchtowers should have high-powered rifles (if they can't have machine guns) and the patrols, be they on horse or foot would need to be armed as well. Reconnaissance, intel gathering and emergency planning would also be essential to survival.

Having said all these things though, it's worth noting that the native tribes that populated the St-Lawrence Valley, essentially where I live, survived in North America for millennia without the modern tools and conveniences we have today. The Iroquoian tribes that lived around here lived in long houses made of wood and bark, had to resort to open fires for cooking and warmth, and lived off the land.  But we just don't have the skills and knowledge they once did, and neither to their descendants.

skywalkersaga wrote:Ahhh wow, I am soooooooooooooooo incredibly in love with this!!! Not enough words to express!! This is the kind of content I am here for. The lifelong miniature enthusiast in me is thrilled by pretty much every single thing about this. ESPECIALLY those tiny LPs..... I NEED ME SOME OF THOSE OMG. :3

Thanks so much Skywalkersaga!!  Really glad you're enjoying.  I'm such a big fan of miniatures too, and at a point I just started needing to build some environments.  Granted 1/6 is THE WORST for it, since it ends up being so huge.  I keep seeing gorgeous dioramas in small scales and thinking "I bet I could do something like that in 1/6..."  Madness!

And so glad you dig the records!  I need to continue to grow Saint Crow's record collection.  I'd say I should start taking album requests, but almost all were made with records I own.  It's really easy to find cover art, but can be really hard to find good images of the backs of albums.  Thankfully, I usually pick up all my favorites on vinyl, so I have a lot to draw from.  The stickers on the records are photographed from the actual record stickers on most of these, and for that Cramps record, I used the actual record art, which is different from the CD release.

Stryker & PhotogsBlog -

1st off, so glad you guys like the staircase!  I wish I could take credit for the idea, but someone far more clever beat me to it, and I just adapted to 1/6.  It was genuinely a fun project to do though.

2nd, PhotogsBlog, thanks for the heads up on Life Without People.  I'll probably do an episode or two, and get all I need out of it.  And maybe I'll cherry pick a few episodes to watch my favorite landmarks decay.  It's funny that you'd say "it's not pretty" in relation to places like Chernobyl.  I have such a deep and intense love for all the photos people take of abandoned places reclaimed by nature.  Places like Chernobyl (and the nearby Pripyat amusement park) or Japan's Hashima Island are so achingly beautiful to me.  

3nd, Stryker, too serious!?  But discussions on apocalypse plans are the most fun!!!  I am really glad that this thread ended up here.  And at least for me, I end up thinking a lot about the logistics of these things when I'm putting together figures and dioramas.  The Radio Kings is meant to be way over the top with some pretty fantastical and sci-fi elements (The Scut are borderline supernatural) but I definitely aim for a certain level of believability, at least with this type of stuff.  Discussions like this are really helpful too, as I'm always testing and questioning the believability of my ideas.

Stryker and PhotogsBlog, I think you guys are totally right.  Building a community is key to survival, and a some sort of fortified farm situation definitely sounds like the only sane way to survive.

Unfortunately, sane has no place in the world of the Radio Kings, and things definitely went down the darker path.  Since their apocalypse was so heavily caused by environmental factors, farming became a way harder option.  Chaos ruled everywhere, and people fought for what they could scavenge, and when there weren't any more scraps, often cannibalism.  The populations severely and rapidly diminished.  People did find ways to grow things, either through new agricultural advancements or some sort of hydroponic greenhouses.  But they'd usually just get taken over by whatever warlord was in power in that area at the time.  Most survivors either became monsters or slaves.  Eventually, things settled into some equilibrium, and I'd imagine it mostly to be a number of spread out fiefdom's with a lot of empty space in between.  And the good are rare.  There's a lot more nuance than that, but those are kinda the broad strokes.  

One of the cool things about setting it a ways in the future is that it is such a different world.  Very empty, with these clusters of madness that are as close to civilization as it gets.  Our world feels like ancient history, a mysterious civilization that rose to incredible heights and destroyed itself.  There's been technological progress and some form of industrialization, but under the stranglehold of dictators and warlords.  Strange cultures took form, like the nomadic Scut, who are a post-apocalyptic tribal culture that have adapted to living in the harsh environment.  Weird cults appear and latch on to misinterpreted pieces of old found culture.  Genre-wise, It's almost fantasy, drawn over the bones of our world.

Glad you found the conversation interesting, Rev. I was beginning to worry we may have been hijacking your thread, or putting too dark of a spin on your really cool world you’ve created.

Stryker2011 wrote:Glad you found the conversation interesting, Rev. I was beginning to worry we may have been hijacking your thread, or putting too dark of a spin on your really cool world you’ve created.

Not at all! It's the perfect discussion for this thread. I fully encourage anyone to chime in on their apocalypse plan, or their approach to apocalyptic fiction.

Funny, I was worried I was the one with way too dark and cynical a take on the apocalypse! I honestly really enjoy the nitty-gritty of puzzling out how it would all go down, and how to survive. And the least glamorous is probably the most logical. But I think it's really dependent on what the cause of the collapse of civilization is. Is it a pandemic? Usually the survivors are the scientists or medical personnel who have access to somewhere to seal them off from whatever's causing it. Of course they may try to save friends and family, and will need muscle to help with a lot. Not to mention the levels of paranoia if you have some sort of fast spreading and fatal illness. The Zombie apocalypse? The Walking Dead (the comic especially, I couldn't stick with the show) does a great job of exploring how communities could grow up and thrive dealing with the undead. That show Jericho from a few years ago was actually pretty interesting for their take on a farming town whose location (along with some other circumstances) left them in a unique position in a country wide nuclear attack. It's really a shame it didn't continue, as it had some really interesting ideas.

I've also thought about it before from the perspective of, what if someone had some advance notice? Could they not only have a stocked bunker (or community of bunkers) but could they start gathering people with unique skills that would thrive in this situation. Are there unconventional technological ways to approach it? Solar/wind/hydroelectric energy sources. I've read about some crazy advances in hydroponic farming, and growing crops in warehouses in urban environments. I agree that the average person is pretty screwed, but it might be outliers who have the best chance. People with unique access, knowledge, or skill sets. There are people WAY smarter than me who would approach things from a perspective I couldn't even imagine. Or being lucky enough to be in some advantageous position. PhotogsBlog, your characters scenario is a perfect example of timing giving your crew a unique advantage. I'm curious, have you puzzled out the cause of your story's apocalypse?

All the things you guys mentioned are actually way better approaches to a story taking place when everything goes down. My scenario would be terrible to read or watch, and way too hopeless and bleak. Evil basically wins for a 100 years. But so many years later, it's a great rock bottom starting point for a character to come in to.

Interesting discussion.

I adore post-apocalyptic settings, whether realistic or fantasy versions. That said, as with all my fiction, my preference is for dark, but with a heavy dose of Romanticism. : ) Of course, I can appreciate the appeal of exploring things in a highly realistic manner that draws on actual survivalist knowledge and what we know of history and pre-history (and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading things like 'The World Without Us', which was a thought-experiment that sounds similar to the video that was recommended above; along with another post-apocalyptic story I encountered recently, entitled 'Station Eleven', which was absolutely haunting), and have spent a great deal of time thinking about how such a thing would pan out in 'real life'.

But at the same time, I also think that a post-apocalyptic world can be a wonderful fictional setting in which one can simply tell a good story, explore some fascinating themes (such as freedom, mortality, 'what is civilization', etc,), and even just as a way to provide a backdrop for some excellent character studies -- and for those purposes, hyper-realism isn't always a necessary, or even desirable, approach.

When it comes to realism vs. fantasy in this genre, what is rather more irksome to me is when a story *claims* to be a 'gritty' and 'realistic' take on such a scenario, but actually is anything but. I much prefer a fun and unapologetically fantastical post-apocalyptic story like Mad Max: Fury Road than, say, something that makes a false pretense at 'gritty realism'. :p

skywalkersaga wrote:Interesting discussion.

I adore post-apocalyptic settings, whether realistic or fantasy versions. That said, as with all my fiction, my preference is for dark, but with a heavy dose of Romanticism. : ) Of course, I can appreciate the appeal of exploring things in a highly realistic manner that draws on actual survivalist knowledge and what we know of history and pre-history (and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading things like 'The World Without Us', which was a thought-experiment that sounds similar to the video that was recommended above; along with another post-apocalyptic story I encountered recently, entitled 'Station Eleven', which was absolutely haunting), and have spent a great deal of time thinking about how such a thing would pan out in 'real life'.

But at the same time, I also think that a post-apocalyptic world can be a wonderful fictional setting in which one can simply tell a good story, explore some fascinating themes (such as freedom, mortality, 'what is civilization', etc,), and even just as a way to provide a backdrop for some excellent character studies -- and for those purposes, hyper-realism isn't always a necessary, or even desirable, approach.

When it comes to realism vs. fantasy in this genre, what is rather more irksome to me is when a story *claims* to be a 'gritty' and 'realistic' take on such a scenario, but actually is anything but. I much prefer a fun and unapologetically fantastical post-apocalyptic story like Mad Max: Fury Road than, say, something that makes a false pretense at 'gritty realism'. :p

I'll have to check out The World Without Us too, and definitely need to look into Station Eleven!  My tastes usually run along those same lines.  

Yeah, I agree 100% that the post apocalyptic setting really is just in service of the story you want to tell, and the themes you want to explore. And there's a lot you can get away with omitting and leaving to the imagination.  But too big a leap in logic can be really break your immersion.  I'm not overly critical, but there have been so many shows I've enjoyed, until something happens that just makes me scream "Come on! That could never happen that way!"  The Radio Kings world has a ton of really out-there concepts and fantastical elements, but I still feel the need to maintain a believability within that world.  I'm far more comfortable with a story that bends the laws of physics than logic.  Fury road was glorious madness, but it never felt felt like there was anything that didn't work in the context of that world.  And Radio Kings is definitely in that realm of of over-the-top insanity.  

I'm always re-examining my own concepts, trying to break them, so I can make them stronger, and I welcome the chance to look at it from someone else's perspective. I want there to be a strong and believable logic, at least to how the world works.  I know I don't have the knowledge to make it completely unimpeachable, but my logic needs to stand up to at least some gentle prodding.

You might want to check out Richard Matheson’s book “I Am Legend”. There have been 3 film interpretations, but none of them followed the book that well. That last one with Will Smith (despite a great performance by him), sucked horribly if you know the book. Stephen King cites it as the book that got him interested in writing Horror novels.

Stryker2011 wrote:You might want to check out Richard Matheson’s book “I Am Legend”. There have been 3 film interpretations, but none of them followed the book that well. That last one with Will Smith (despite a great performance by him), sucked horribly if you know the book. Stephen King cites it as the book that got him interested in writing Horror novels.

I remember reading it years back! Really heartbreaking stuff, and the twist at the end (and the reason for the title) is magnificent. And I remember being really excited by the trailer for the Will Smith movie and then really disappointed after seeing it too. I had never heard that about Steven King though!

ReverendSpooky wrote:
Yeah, I agree 100% that the post apocalyptic setting really is just in service of the story you want to tell, and the themes you want to explore. And there's a lot you can get away with omitting and leaving to the imagination.  But too big a leap in logic can be really break your immersion.  I'm not overly critical, but there have been so many shows I've enjoyed, until something happens that just makes me scream "Come on! That could never happen that way!"  

Totally agree -- it's definitely crucial that the story has internal consistency, regardless of the precise nature of the setting. And jumping off from that, I also get really frustrated when character arcs are cut short and not allowed to have any resolution (sad, happy, or otherwise), just in the name of (so-called) 'realism' -- such as in the case of , ah, certain tv shows that shall remain nameless, who tend to build up various characters only to them kill them off for shock value, and then, when criticized for it, say 'but it's more 'realistic' this way!!' And I just roll my eyes, and think...ok...but earlier in the show other characters survived a wound or a scenario that would not have been realistic survivable, so no, it's not 'realistic' in that case, it's just lazy writing, and thus is the kind of thing that takes me out of the story just as much as any other leap in logic. ;p

LOL, sorry for the rant . *heaves sigh*.  

And regarding your own post-apocalyptic verse -- I greatly admire your dedication and incredible imagination when it comes to the whole concept and execution. It may have echoes of things like Mad Max, but it is still very unique. The 'Radio Punk' aesthetic is just brilliant. I'm reminded of yet another novel I read recently, entitled 'All The Light We Cannot See', which is not a post-apocalyptic tale, but rather a story set during WWII, and it really drives home the theme of how crucial radio was to the era, and how it could be used as tool for (and by) both 'good' and 'evil'.

Anyhoo, thank you for sharing this world with us, it's extremely inspirational. : )


And thank you @Stryker for the rec -- I had never really checked out that story since I'd only ever heard lukewarm things about the movie version, but it's no surprise that the book is better!

skywalkersaga wrote:

ReverendSpooky wrote:
Yeah, I agree 100% that the post apocalyptic setting really is just in service of the story you want to tell, and the themes you want to explore. And there's a lot you can get away with omitting and leaving to the imagination.  But too big a leap in logic can be really break your immersion.  I'm not overly critical, but there have been so many shows I've enjoyed, until something happens that just makes me scream "Come on! That could never happen that way!"  

Totally agree -- it's definitely crucial that the story has internal consistency, regardless of the precise nature of the setting. And jumping off from that, I also get really frustrated when character arcs are cut short and not allowed to have any resolution (sad, happy, or otherwise), just in the name of (so-called) 'realism' -- such as in the case of , ah, certain tv shows that shall remain nameless, who tend to build up various characters only to them kill them off for shock value, and then, when criticized for it, say 'but it's more 'realistic' this way!!' And I just roll my eyes, and think...ok...but earlier in the show other characters survived a wound or a scenario that would not have been realistic survivable, so no, it's not 'realistic' in that case, it's just lazy writing, and thus is the kind of thing that takes me out of the story just as much as any other leap in logic. ;p

LOL, sorry for the rant . *heaves sigh*.  

And regarding your own post-apocalyptic verse -- I greatly admire your dedication and incredible imagination when it comes to the whole concept and execution. It may have echoes of things like Mad Max, but it is still very unique. The 'Radio Punk' aesthetic is just brilliant. I'm reminded of yet another novel I read recently, entitled 'All The Light We Cannot See', which is not a post-apocalyptic tale, but rather a story set during WWII, and it really drives home the theme of how crucial radio was to the era, and how it could be used as tool for (and by) both 'good' and 'evil'.

Anyhoo, thank you for sharing this world with us, it's extremely inspirational. : )

I get exactly what you mean!  Totally a frustration of mine too.  It's ironic, because a writer uses the excuse of "realism" but the fact that it's done for shock value makes it feel all the more like the hand of the writer influencing events for just that reason.  

And really glad you're enjoying!  The Mad Max influence is something I wear proudly, but I'm glad you see the unique quirks and charms of my world too (although it probably owes as much to Pump Up the Volume ). I'm an absolute addict to rock and roll, so the idea of it's rediscovery in the ruins of civilization is pure love for me.  

I'll have to look into All The Light We Cannot See too.

There is a good book called "After the End"
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/aftertheend/

It is written by a gaming company but it contains lots of hard facts and data. It is written from a perspective that makes it perfect for writers and movie makers.

Damn it took me an hour to catch up but what a fantastically interesting turn to this thread!!! I don't even know where to begin lol (before I forget, that staircase is absolutely stunning)

While I totally agree that characters and stories should be built not only by the context, post apocalyptic or not, I gotta confess in that specific genre I still like when the story meets or gives an opportunity to understand the apocalypse that preceeded. But I absolutely agree that a story cannot only depend on that environment, just as characters must have some inner consistency out of the events (I really hate when characters are blank pages that seems to only live what is told in the story, I much prefer to have characters with a deep background, making them more ambivalent and less simple to like or dislike)

As for the post-ap itself, I found the "i am legend" pretty poor except for the visuals, the hunting sequence in a decayed manhattan was beautiful... My favorite post apocalyptic world imagery will always be Twelve Monkeys, Terry Gilliam's signature works perfectly, and the snowy destroyed new york is gorgeous (sadly there are not enough sequences about it)

In another style I really enjoyed the "Book of Eli" for its visuals and costumes/outfits.

Talking novel/books reference, I have read many, I would defnitely suggest "Ravage" from the french novelist René Barjavel, the story is about the fall and rebirth of the city of Paris experienced through various characters, the apocalypse being a simple power cut on a continental scale that erases all bank acounts and all IDs, makes all vehicles and planes fall from the sky in a futuristic world where mankind totally depends on machines...

Another extremely good french novel is "Malevil", from Robert Merle, a very early post-ap survival novel, with very interesting descriptions of a world brought back to middle age, once again through the eyes of a group of different individuals that have to surpass their differences to bring back civilization. It cleverly questions the choice of nomadism/sedentarism, the position of men and women in a new born society...

"Dr Bloodmoney" was also very good from the famous Philip K Dick, I really enjoyed how each character had a very strong background and position that are totally reversed after the nuclear apocalypse.

shazzdan wrote:There is a good book called "After the End"
http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/aftertheend/

It is written by a gaming company but it contains lots of hard facts and data. It is written from a perspective that makes it perfect for writers and movie makers.

Appreciate the recommendation on the Gurps book!  Sounds like a solid resource for post-apocalyptic fiction, and I'll take the help where I can get it.

blackpool wrote:Damn it took me an hour to catch up but what a fantastically interesting turn to this thread!!! I don't even know where to begin lol (before I forget, that staircase is absolutely stunning)

While I totally agree that characters and stories should be built not only by the context, post apocalyptic or not, I gotta confess in that specific genre I still like when the story meets or gives an opportunity to understand the apocalypse that preceeded. But I absolutely agree that a story cannot only depend on that environment, just as characters must have some inner consistency out of the events (I really hate when characters are blank pages that seems to only live what is told in the story, I much prefer to have characters with a deep background, making them more ambivalent and less simple to like or dislike)

As for the post-ap itself, I found the "i am legend" pretty poor except for the visuals, the hunting sequence in a decayed manhattan was beautiful... My favorite post apocalyptic world imagery will always be Twelve Monkeys, Terry Gilliam's signature works perfectly, and the snowy destroyed new york is gorgeous (sadly there are not enough sequences about it)

In another style I really enjoyed the "Book of Eli" for its visuals and costumes/outfits.

Talking novel/books reference, I have read many, I would defnitely suggest "Ravage" from the french novelist René Barjavel, the story is about the fall and rebirth of the city of Paris experienced through various characters, the apocalypse being a simple power cut on a continental scale that erases all bank acounts and all IDs, makes all vehicles and planes fall from the sky in a futuristic world where mankind totally depends on machines...

Another extremely good french novel is "Malevil", from Robert Merle, a very early post-ap survival novel, with very interesting descriptions of a world brought back to middle age, once again through the eyes of a group of different individuals that have to surpass their differences to bring back civilization. It cleverly questions the choice of nomadism/sedentarism, the position of men and women in a new born society...

"Dr Bloodmoney" was also very good from the famous Philip K Dick, I really enjoyed how each character had a very strong background and position that are totally reversed after the nuclear apocalypse.

More love for the stairs!!!  I'm so happy that they've been so well received!  And thanks so much man.

This really is a fun rabbit hole to have gone down!  And while I agree with Peaches that  sometimes the apocalypse is just a great backdrop for the meat of the story,  I personally am with you in that I prefer when the cause of the apocalyptic future plays into the themes of the story.  In the case of Radio Kings, it's about creating a horrible future caused by unbridled greed, selfishness, and shortsightedness, and then creating characters that hopefully can build something contrary to that out of the ashes.  It's definitely a case where the "why" of things is very important, not to mention how it shapes the struggles the characters deal with.  And I'm totally with you that in the end, good characters are what really carry it.

And ugh, I swear, everything Terry Gillian touches is beautiful.  And I am long overdue on seeing Book of Eli.  Both French novels you mentioned sound like really fresh and fascinating takes on the apocalypse, and worth a reading.  The concept of nomadism vs sedentarism in an apocalyptic setting is something I'm really interested to read about.  I'll have to see if there's an English translation of either.  And I'd never heard of that Philip K Dick story, although I've admittedly only scratched the surface of his work.  If nothing else, I'm jealous as hell that he beat me to the name Dr Bloodmoney, because that's pure apocalyptic poetry.

ReverendSpooky wrote:

This really is a fun rabbit hole to have gone down!  And while I agree with Peaches that  sometimes the apocalypse is just a great backdrop for the meat of the story,  I personally am with you in that I prefer when the cause of the apocalyptic future plays into the themes of the story.  In the case of Radio Kings, it's about creating a horrible future caused by unbridled greed, selfishness, and shortsightedness, and then creating characters that hopefully can build something contrary to that out of the ashes.  It's definitely a case where the "why" of things is very important, not to mention how it shapes the struggles the characters deal with.  And I'm totally with you that in the end, good characters are what really carry it.

And ugh, I swear, everything Terry Gillian touches is beautiful.  And I am long overdue on seeing Book of Eli.  Both French novels you mentioned sound like really fresh and fascinating takes on the apocalypse, and worth a reading.  The concept of nomadism vs sedentarism in an apocalyptic setting is something I'm really interested to read about.  I'll have to see if there's an English translation of either.  And I'd never heard of that Philip K Dick story, although I've admittedly only scratched the surface of his work.  If nothing else, I'm jealous as hell that he beat me to the name Dr Bloodmoney, because that's pure apocalyptic poetry.

One of the great fun things about apocalyptic themes is how broad a canvas you have to paint your story. There is no one single model for apocalyptic scenarios, though I find the ones that involve things like giant asteroids or things beyond human ability to control are unsatisfying in the sense that the moral message about man destroying the Earth is entirely absent. In any case, every single movie I've seen involving a giant asteroid, we somehow avert complete disaster and mostly survive.

There is also no one model for what the aftermath will look like.. or how complete the breakdown of civilization is. Having studied both apocalyptic fiction, survivalists (now called preppers) and the problems with surviving a global cataclysm, I've come to the conclusion that there isn't much purpose in the idea of outliving the human race without also trying to rebuild civilization, and hopefully not making the same mistakes we made the first time. Civilization however requires order and stability, and order requires law, and hard men and women to enforce it. So, post apocalyptic stories that focus on these themes, will have a lot in common with the good old American Western and the every present theme of bringing order to the untamed West. Maybe that why the backstory to my collection has the characters in the American southwest somewhere. In building it, I was hoping to emulate the style of the old TV series Rat Patrol to some extent, but found looking at my first figure and her dress and equipment, that she reminded me a lot of the mercenary leaders in the 1968 classic "Dark of The Sun, and decided to keep pursuing that look. And if the back story to the group's survival mostly involves being in the right place at the right time when the brown stuff hits the fan, (aka not being at the wrong place at the wrong time) the main story should focus on their efforts to protect and rebuild civilization as an organized and disciplined body, despite its unusual composition.

This is a fascinating discussion…


Spooks, your work is always such a jaw-dropping spectacle.  That staircase is a sensational, spiraling masterwork - and those photos belong in a magazine, sincerely.  


I do dig the premise for your Radio Kings.  It’s going to take me some time to catch up on your stories, but it’ll be time well spent, surely and most enjoyably.  

Meanwhile, in a word: Superlative.  


And while I love the discussion that I’ve been reading here, please continue to go your own way with regard to details, won’t you?  Although the genre seems ever-available, far-reaching and quite fetching (and my own theme is rather pseudo-post-apocalyptic, although fantasy, as well); all the examples of such seem to serve the point that it is perhaps becoming a weary one, with so much singular reiteration.  Your concepts are so fresh; perhaps, at least in part, because you’re not directly thinking about what constitutes the genre, so much as you are running with imagination.  Therein is virtue, and invaluable quality.  

Badass.

Amazing, my daughter follows a photographer who takes pictures of abandoned places, and I think they must use post processing, but your work here reminds me of their pictures

OMG ! The spiral staircase is a Masterwork Thanks for showing !

Ephiane wrote:OMG ! The spiral staircase is a Masterwork Thanks for showing !

So glad you dig the staircase!

Peaches wrote:Amazing, my daughter follows a photographer who takes pictures of abandoned places, and I think they must use post processing, but your work here reminds me of their pictures

I'm obsessed with abandoned places, and I think that goes hand in hand with my love of post-apocalyptic fiction.  As a kid there were a bunch of abandoned factories by my father's house that we used to play in, and in my teen years, we snuck into an abandoned asylum outside of Philadelphia.  It's way harder to do today, and people seem to take it way more seriously (at least in the area where I live), but these are some of my fondest memories and I miss being able to explore places like that.  You'll have to as  along the photographer's name.  Sounds like it'd make good inspiration.  And I post process the hell out of a lot of my photos too, to get the look I want.

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:

ReverendSpooky wrote:

This really is a fun rabbit hole to have gone down!  And while I agree with Peaches that  sometimes the apocalypse is just a great backdrop for the meat of the story,  I personally am with you in that I prefer when the cause of the apocalyptic future plays into the themes of the story.  In the case of Radio Kings, it's about creating a horrible future caused by unbridled greed, selfishness, and shortsightedness, and then creating characters that hopefully can build something contrary to that out of the ashes.  It's definitely a case where the "why" of things is very important, not to mention how it shapes the struggles the characters deal with.  And I'm totally with you that in the end, good characters are what really carry it.

And ugh, I swear, everything Terry Gillian touches is beautiful.  And I am long overdue on seeing Book of Eli.  Both French novels you mentioned sound like really fresh and fascinating takes on the apocalypse, and worth a reading.  The concept of nomadism vs sedentarism in an apocalyptic setting is something I'm really interested to read about.  I'll have to see if there's an English translation of either.  And I'd never heard of that Philip K Dick story, although I've admittedly only scratched the surface of his work.  If nothing else, I'm jealous as hell that he beat me to the name Dr Bloodmoney, because that's pure apocalyptic poetry.

One of the great fun things about apocalyptic themes is how broad a canvas you have to paint your story.  There is no one single model for apocalyptic scenarios, though I find the ones that involve things like giant asteroids or things beyond human ability to control are unsatisfying in the sense that the moral message about man destroying the Earth is entirely absent. In any case, every single movie I've seen involving a giant asteroid, we somehow avert complete disaster and mostly survive.

There is also no one model for what the aftermath will look like.. or how complete the breakdown of civilization is.  Having studied both apocalyptic fiction, survivalists (now called preppers) and the problems with surviving a global cataclysm, I've come to the conclusion that there isn't much purpose in the idea of outliving the human race without also trying to rebuild civilization, and hopefully not making the same mistakes we made the first time.  Civilization however requires order and stability, and order requires law, and hard men and women to enforce it. So, post apocalyptic stories that focus on these themes, will have a lot in common with the good old American Western and the every present theme of bringing order to the untamed West.  Maybe that why the backstory to my collection has the characters in the American southwest somewhere.  In building it, I was hoping to emulate the style of the old TV series Rat Patrol to some extent, but found looking at my first figure and her dress and equipment, that she reminded me a lot of the mercenary leaders in the 1968 classic "Dark of The Sun, and decided to keep pursuing that look.  And if the back story to the group's survival mostly involves being in the right place at the right time when the brown stuff hits the fan, (aka not being at the wrong place at the wrong time) the main story should focus on their efforts to protect and rebuild civilization as an organized and disciplined body, despite its unusual composition.

I completely agree, and prefer the apocalypses we've caused, largely for the message that goes along with it.  I love your comparison to classic westerns, and 100% agree that they appeal for a lot of the same reasons.  There's something about the freedom from the confines of society, and the allure of a world that's still wild, and the romanticism of, as you put it, the hard men and women carving out their place in it.  

It's funny, Saint Crow is really a reluctant hero, and his motivations are not entirely altruistic.  He's a bit monsterous himself, and kinda thrives in the chaos of the wasteland.  But as he starts carving out a place, he's almost blindsided by the sense of responsibility that goes with it, and there's an impulse to just take off that he's always grappling with.  

I think it really illustrates your point about the diversity of stories that work so well in this type of setting.

PureEnergy wrote:This is a fascinating discussion…


Spooks, your work is always such a jaw-dropping spectacle.  That staircase is a sensational, spiraling masterwork - and those photos belong in a magazine, sincerely.  


I do dig the premise for your Radio Kings.  It’s going to take me some time to catch up on your stories, but it’ll be time well spent, surely and most enjoyably.  

Meanwhile, in a word: Superlative.  


And while I love the discussion that I’ve been reading here, please continue to go your own way with regard to details, won’t you?  Although the genre seems ever-available, far-reaching and quite fetching (and my own theme is rather pseudo-post-apocalyptic, although fantasy, as well); all the examples of such seem to serve the point that it is perhaps becoming a weary one, with so much singular reiteration.  Your concepts are so fresh; perhaps, at least in part, because you’re not directly thinking about what constitutes the genre, so much as you are running with imagination.  Therein is virtue, and invaluable quality.  

Badass.

Thank you so much PureEnergy!  I love discussing all the ins and outs of the genre, and I am always trying to test my ideas against other concepts, to make sure they hold up.  The Radio Kings really did come from me wanting to do some sort of post-apocalyptic figure, but NEEDING to find my own fresh angle on the genre.  And everything I build is visually predicated on first the concepts and backstories.  I wish I could say I wasn't thinking about the genre, but truthfully, a lot came from dissecting it, and actively trying to look for ways to subvert the conventions of it, about how it HASN'T been approached before. Heroes who are, in certain ways, as mad as the villians, and actually love and thrive in the brutal anarchic wastelands.  So the one thing I can guarantee, is that the Radio kings will always stay true to to it's own bent vision.

[quote="ReverendSpooky"]

I completely agree, and prefer the apocalypses we've caused, largely for the message that goes along with it.  I love your comparison to classic westerns, and 100% agree that they appeal for a lot of the same reasons.  There's something about the freedom from the confines of society, and the allure of a world that's still wild, and the romanticism of, as you put it, the hard men and women carving out their place in it.  

It's funny, Saint Crow is really a reluctant hero, and his motivations are not entirely altruistic.  He's a bit monsterous himself, and kinda thrives in the chaos of the wasteland.  But as he starts carving out a place, he's almost blindsided by the sense of responsibility that goes with it, and there's an impulse to just take off that he's always grappling with.  

I think it really illustrates your point about the diversity of stories that work so well in this type of setting.

[quote=

"In "The Searchers," which is arguably the greatest western of all times, John Wayne (Ethan) is very much that sort of character. He is a strange sort of character who is absolutely essential to the taming and civilizing of the West, but frankly very much out of place within civilization itself. He does some pretty bad things too in pursuit of his kidnapped niece, and for most of the film plans to kill her rather than let her grow up to be the wife of some Comanche brave. In the end, his responsibilities, to society and his kin overwhelm his also and instead o killing her, he brings her home. The final scene is the most telling of the film, where Ethan hands Debbie off to her now foster parents, and instead of joining everyone indoors as one might expect, he stands in the doorway for a moment, looks in, finally smiles and turns around without word walking off into the Monument Valley landscape. I've analyzed this film and this scene for decades and come to the conclusion it was the only sensible ending to the film. I'm quite sure that when they made Mad Max, and more particularly, "The Road Warrior," Ethan Edwards must have been on their minds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvfIsbhIQLA

ReverendSpooky wrote:Thank you so much PureEnergy!  I love discussing all the ins and outs of the genre, and I am always trying to test my ideas against other concepts, to make sure they hold up.  The Radio Kings really did come from me wanting to do some sort of post-apocalyptic figure, but NEEDING to find my own fresh angle on the genre.  And everything I build is visually predicated on first the concepts and backstories.  I wish I could say I wasn't thinking about the genre, but truthfully, a lot came from dissecting it, and actively trying to look for ways to subvert the conventions of it, about how it HASN'T been approached before. Heroes who are, in certain ways, as mad as the villains, and actually love and thrive in the brutal anarchic wastelands.  So the one thing I can guarantee, is that the Radio kings will always stay true to to it's own bent vision.

Always my pleasure to view and comment on your fantastic work, Spooks.  


With regard to genre, I completely understand your point, and I have to agree that the climate is so saturated, as it were, with convention, that any relevant acknowledgement of such a setting simply cannot entirely discount the already thorough coverage of the milieu.

I appreciate your approach in taking such into consideration and then seeking new inroads to the subject; it differs somewhat from my own method, which is perhaps more free-form with regard to leading with imagination, regardless of genre-oriented archetypes, and rather rejecting those labels.  

I would believe that our objectives are similar, nonetheless.  I only wish that I could say the same about the quality of our art, LOL - but you remain leagues beyond, and I say such with sincerest admiration.


TPB, as concept or theme, “Man vs. Nature” - or, in a collective sense (many men vs. Nature and thus, vying against each other for her bounty which is perceived as limited or scarce) - is much older than the Westerns of which you speak.  There can be no question that similarities there abound, but such is rather elemental, I should think.  Whether it’s the untamed American West, an obliterated society scrambling for survival, castaways on an island, or colonizing and “terraforming” another planet; certain situational conflicts are to be unambiguously anticipated - and perhaps, therefore, inevitable.  

Also, realistic characters have always been beyond the two-dimensional, white-or-black-hat portrayal - in truthful representation to man’s inherent complexity; shades of gray, per se.  Or as Walt Whitman had put it, "I contain multitudes..."


I suppose that my point here is that, given the degree of unavoidable similarity of circumstances, themselves; the challenge of originality truly depends upon one’s vision for that which has not been so predetermined by situation - but rather, the conceptualization of new responses and new situations…  

Just pondering aloud.  

[quote="

Also, realistic characters have always been beyond the two-dimensional, white-or-black-hat portrayal - in truthful representation to man’s inherent complexity; shades of gray, per se.  Or as Walt Whitman had put it, "I contain multitudes..."


I suppose that my point here is that, given the degree of unavoidable similarity of circumstances, themselves; the challenge of originality truly depends upon one’s vision for that which has not been so predetermined by situation - but rather, the conceptualization of new responses and new situations…  

Just pondering aloud.   [/quote]


There are only so many apocalyptic scenarios we can think of; Nuclear war, alien invasion, asteroid strike, global warming and or global resource depletion, plague, zombies, scientific experiment gone awry, massive coronal ejection from the sun, rise of the machines.....

But all of these really only serve a purpose, which is create a setting for the protagonists of our stories to live or die by. At the end of the day, we can only milk the cause of the disaster so far and it's the interactions between the humans, be they the heroes or villains of the story or both that give depth to the story. An asteroid crashing into the Earth, a nuclear weapon exploding over your home city, a plague....these things have no feelings, no thoughts. Simply destructive power without a purpose and indifferent to what lies in its path. So regardless of the originality of the concept, if indeed such a thing still exists, what makes a story enjoyable would be the quality of it's characters.

My personal favorite PA stories are either hundreds of civil wars on a global scale, or multiple EMP attacks that wipe out anything and everything run by electricity.

Stryker2011 wrote:My personal favorite PA stories are either hundreds of civil wars on a global scale, or multiple EMP attacks that wipe out anything and everything run by electricity.

In the case of the first, we are talking about a gradual descent into chaos, in the case of the second, all the lights going out at once.  Both have potential as backgrounds. In my Kamiko Takahara DAZ 3D stories, it's pretty much a case of the first, including the United States which breaks into complete anarchy right around a constitutional crisis in 2019.  Kamiko is an American woman of Japanese ancestry, who some say is watched over by the kami--her name translates into "Little Goddess"--who ends up right in the middle of it. She has a knack for finding her way into chaotic situations, plus the luck of the devil.  I am planning to try to make a Kamiko figure and integrate her into my current 1/6th scale story line, but without the excessive eroticism of my DAZ stories.  I've ordered a head that looks sort of like her and then I have to cut the hair to match her bob-style haircut and do a few other things.  If I succeed, she'll eventually become a part of my pin-up patrol.

ThePhotogsBlog wrote:There are only so many apocalyptic scenarios we can think of; Nuclear war, alien invasion, asteroid strike, global warming and or global resource depletion, plague, zombies, scientific experiment gone awry, massive coronal ejection from the sun, rise of the machines.....

But all of these really only serve a purpose, which is create a setting for the protagonists of our stories to live or die by. At the end of the day, we can only milk the cause of the disaster so far and it's the interactions between the humans, be they the heroes or villains of the story or both that give depth to the story. An asteroid crashing into the Earth, a nuclear weapon exploding over your home city, a plague....these things have no feelings, no thoughts. Simply destructive power without a purpose and indifferent to what lies in its path.  So regardless of the originality of the concept, if indeed such a thing still exists, what makes a story enjoyable would be the quality of it's characters.

Well, that’s rather my point - however, I do believe that there is yet room for originality, although it often seems discarded for the sake of expedience; what constitutes the genre is perhaps not as limited as the several scenarios that you’ve mentioned, but rather, the relatively original ones have not yet been proposed...  

And I wholly agree that it’s thoughtful development of quality characters that truly distinguishes any story, regardless of genre.  

In any event, your story sounds intriguing, TPB.


Stryker, Isn’t it unsettling to consider how reliant we’ve become upon technology, that something like an electromagnetic hiccup could quite literally, ultimately, wipe out all of humanity?  

Indeed, such were never an issue with which 19th century settlers had to contend.  All these scenarios seem indicative of an entirely new era in which we find ourselves currently upon the doorstep...

Telltale fears of a world shifting amidst tremendous transition...

I keep going back to this diorama as it's serving as inspiration for one I want to create myself detailing as section of Alex and the Pin-Up patrol's nuclear missile silo bunker. It's having all the little details that make it come to life and you've certainly done that here. It has just what it needs in detail; no more, no less. Enough to think it could be a real living space, but not so much as to detract us from the figures and their interactions which are all masterfully posed. Bravo!

Wow! as a lead character and protagonist this guy is just amazing! Not only is he kitted out for anything he may come across in this broken world, but he also has a kick ass pad and two lovely ladies to keep him company! I love all the small details, the records are a really touch!
Everything about this post is spot on. This world you have created for your figures to live in is just breath taking!

ReverendSpooky wrote:But I think it's really dependent on what the cause of the collapse of civilization is.  Is it a pandemic?  

Could you ever have imagined, when you tapped out these lines on your keyboard in January 2019, that one year later just such a pandemic would be unleashed upon the world?

ReverendSpooky wrote:In the case of Radio Kings, it's about creating a horrible future caused by unbridled greed, selfishness, and shortsightedness, and then creating characters that hopefully can build something contrary to that out of the ashes.  

Your "fictional" story, unfortunately, eerily parallels current world events. Like a handful of Sci-Fi (I know, I know, it's SF now...) authors of the past – Clarke, Heinlein, Gibson, Bradbury – it appears that your predictions regarding the near-term future may be all too terrifyingly accurate, with your themes mirroring exactly what is happening in the world right now, today.

And here I intended merely to ask you about the 1/6 scale records, but after reading through the entire post and the follow-up comments... I may not sleep well tonight.