Graphic Thread
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Hapsburg
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The iculians (Parvohylus erectus, "upright forest small one") are a race of small arboreal amphibians that thrive in a variety of damp environments, having evolved on a pluvial world.
Their homeworld, Iculos, is a terrestrial world with a thick, insulating atmosphere and a hot, humid climate dominated by shallow seas and lush jungles of low-growing mosses and ferns. It is a world of incredible biodiversity, but its fauna is also incredibly dangerous and hostile, growing often to large sizes. For the iculians and their near ancestors, these evolutionary pressures forced them to act very carefully to avoid death. Through this meticulous nature and crafty survival sense, they evolved to be highly efficient, nimble pack hunters, which aided the emergence of complex society. The iculians evolved to be impish amphibian humanoids with large, wide-set eyes providing keen panoramic vision. They are incredibly graceful and have incredible reflexes, but are not typically strong and operate better in groups. Their skin color ranges from dappled grey-green to vibrant primary colors striated with black stripes, depending on lineage and region of origin.
Iculians, like many pseudo-amphibian species, are egg-laying and deposit their egg clutches in water. Fertilization is external, however, unlike most other species. Infant iculians are born in a tadpole-like form, morphing gradually into fully-formed individuals after about a year. They live fast-paced lives with high metabolisms, usually living around two to three decades (consequently, iculians report higher rates of hypertension, anxiety, and stress disorders compared to humans).
The iculians were not a spacefaring race at the time of first contact with the shrikes, and had only just entered a postindustrial period. The shrike Associated Worlds League decided on an uplift policy and offered iculians clientage as pioneers and pathfinders in exchange for space colonies and reservation worlds. In time, the iculians ended their status as a client race and became partners in the formation of the United Suns in the 25th century, and became a common sight.
However, the iculian delegation switched sides near the end of the Great War and sold valuable intelligence to the Terran Empire. In exchange, the iculians retained many of their worlds and colonies as an Autonomous Alien Protectorate.
Iculian culture is rooted in both their homeworld traditions and in the adopted cultural attitudes of the shrikes who technologically uplifted them. As the most successful uplift example in galactic history, iculians display a sense of racial pride rivaled only by humans. Indigenous customs of ancestor veneration, animism, polytheism, and a tribal social model remain strong. They are adept crafters of fine goods, bankers and financial analysts, and skilled explorers.
Lineage is of great importance to iculians. Separate families from different star systems may share a clan name, and consider themselves part of the same kinship group. The iculians struggled with internecine ethnic strife prior to their uplifting; the contextualization of their species amidst a wider galaxy reduced these internal struggles somewhat. Nevertheless, a predilection for bigotry is still a rampant social issue.
Iculian colonies are largely allowed to run themselves, operating under a semi-feudal system of large landowners and country squires.
Pictured are some examples of iculians, with a human in silhouette for comparison. Iculians tend to be around 55-65 cm tall, and weigh around 8 to 12 kilograms.
Their homeworld, Iculos, is a terrestrial world with a thick, insulating atmosphere and a hot, humid climate dominated by shallow seas and lush jungles of low-growing mosses and ferns. It is a world of incredible biodiversity, but its fauna is also incredibly dangerous and hostile, growing often to large sizes. For the iculians and their near ancestors, these evolutionary pressures forced them to act very carefully to avoid death. Through this meticulous nature and crafty survival sense, they evolved to be highly efficient, nimble pack hunters, which aided the emergence of complex society. The iculians evolved to be impish amphibian humanoids with large, wide-set eyes providing keen panoramic vision. They are incredibly graceful and have incredible reflexes, but are not typically strong and operate better in groups. Their skin color ranges from dappled grey-green to vibrant primary colors striated with black stripes, depending on lineage and region of origin.
Iculians, like many pseudo-amphibian species, are egg-laying and deposit their egg clutches in water. Fertilization is external, however, unlike most other species. Infant iculians are born in a tadpole-like form, morphing gradually into fully-formed individuals after about a year. They live fast-paced lives with high metabolisms, usually living around two to three decades (consequently, iculians report higher rates of hypertension, anxiety, and stress disorders compared to humans).
The iculians were not a spacefaring race at the time of first contact with the shrikes, and had only just entered a postindustrial period. The shrike Associated Worlds League decided on an uplift policy and offered iculians clientage as pioneers and pathfinders in exchange for space colonies and reservation worlds. In time, the iculians ended their status as a client race and became partners in the formation of the United Suns in the 25th century, and became a common sight.
However, the iculian delegation switched sides near the end of the Great War and sold valuable intelligence to the Terran Empire. In exchange, the iculians retained many of their worlds and colonies as an Autonomous Alien Protectorate.
Iculian culture is rooted in both their homeworld traditions and in the adopted cultural attitudes of the shrikes who technologically uplifted them. As the most successful uplift example in galactic history, iculians display a sense of racial pride rivaled only by humans. Indigenous customs of ancestor veneration, animism, polytheism, and a tribal social model remain strong. They are adept crafters of fine goods, bankers and financial analysts, and skilled explorers.
Lineage is of great importance to iculians. Separate families from different star systems may share a clan name, and consider themselves part of the same kinship group. The iculians struggled with internecine ethnic strife prior to their uplifting; the contextualization of their species amidst a wider galaxy reduced these internal struggles somewhat. Nevertheless, a predilection for bigotry is still a rampant social issue.
Iculian colonies are largely allowed to run themselves, operating under a semi-feudal system of large landowners and country squires.
Pictured are some examples of iculians, with a human in silhouette for comparison. Iculians tend to be around 55-65 cm tall, and weigh around 8 to 12 kilograms.
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They really remind me of the Galvans from the Ben 10 franchise (which are also basically alien frog people).
From an upcoming mass crossover timeline of mine, which is nearing completion. None of the images are mine; they were found via Google.
Only the words of the timeline themselves can properly describe what these pictures represent...but until then, have fun with trying to guess.
Only the words of the timeline themselves can properly describe what these pictures represent...but until then, have fun with trying to guess.
I can see The Ben 10 inspiration but you've got a very good twist on the galvan aliens
Crossposting from another thread, might fit in here as well, check the quote for context.View attachment 833935
An alternate uniform for a Serbian royal guardsman (just a normal enlisted man, not an officer), for a TL where the first Serbian revolt succeeded. This uniform is essentially a modernization of the revolutionary-era Vožd's Guard that served Karađorđe IOTL (shown below).
The design is meant to fit in around the 1890s-1900 era and is inspired primarily by Austrian uniforms of the time, as I imagine the Serbs would be importing a fair amount of their gear from there or at least that a lot of the industrial mass production of uniforms would be led by Serbs from the Habsburg empire if not even actually done in the empire. These dudes would basically guard royal/princely residences (not 100% decided on whether Serbia would be declared a kingdom by that point ITTL), coronation ceremonies, royal weddings, and the like and generally parade around Belgrade on occasion. They'd probably have a height requirement as well, which shouldn't be terribly difficult for a country with a relatively tall population to supply men for.
To be clear the light color is meant to be white on the actual uniform but is made rendered in a more brownish beige tone to mimic the color palette of illustrations from the time.
Of course I don't imagine Serbia, even with the relatively better position it would be in without the post-1st-revolt Turkish reprisals and with an army stemming from the Austrian-trained Freikorps of Koča's Revolt rather than from peasant militias raised for the second revolt, would be able to make most enlisted mens' uniforms this fancy (granted this itself is far from the fanciest uniform as far as that time period goes). I picture the regular army giving professional soldiers something akin to the simplest US civil war uniform but with a šajkača hat, with a good chunk of conscripts in wartime still serving in peasant clothes and an army jacket. Common soldiers in opanci rather than leather boots would probably be unheard of in the standing army but common in wartime.
And a bit of mood music to go with this image: an old Serbian marching song
View attachment 833935
The Infantry Division was the most widely-used tactical formation in the National Revolutionary Army throughout the war. With around 12-13,000 personnel allocated, the division was capable of holding its own against equivalently sized IJA and CNA formations, while still nimble enough to maneuver around the battlefield.
Prior to the Second Sino-Japanese War, NRA divisions were variable in size, structure, and capability. Some divisions had merely a few hundred soldiers, while others were the size of regiments. No divisions were at full strength, Most lacked artillery and armor, and many were tied to regional warlords. Attempts at reform were undertaken during and immediately after the war, but those were piecemeal and the New Divisions were lacking in combined arms capability. It was only in the 1960s and 70s did the NRA undergo a dramatic, widespread, and thorough reform as the Chongqing government got back on its feet. Buoyed by combat experience gained from the 1960 Chinese Crisis, the NRA underwent a sweeping reform. All divisions were to restructured following a standard, triangular structure, with three maneuver regiments supported by an artillery regiment and smaller supporting assets like armor and engineers. Personnel were assigned from across the country to break regionalist and personal loyalties, but retained their names in an effort to appeal to unit histories.
While the military reform was far more dramatic and effective compared to prior reforms, there still existed differences in equipment between divisions. For example, when the 49th Infantry Division was redirected from the 12th Military Region to participate in the Southern Guangdong Offensive, it had just 28 of the 40 tanks authorized in its tank battalion. Additionally, the division had to use World War 2 era 76mm field guns to bring its artillery complement to full strength.
The introduction of armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and more capable main battle tanks led to some infantry divisions being converted in Mechanized Infantry Divisions. But that's a story for a different day...
Made with Order of Battle Generator https://www.orbatgenerator.com/
A creation I achieved in part with the help of an AI.
It's part of an illustration for a novel I've been trying to write for some time.
It gives me a Venetian vibe for some reason, not sure why.
Italo-Somali space mission patch - part of the ASI (Italian Space Agency) mission "Caligula II". I've not quite thought up the lore for it, but someone suggested it and I thought it was really cool.
Geography Now! SOVIET UNION
From a timeline where the Soviet Union never fell, and is covered on the Geography Now series as a contemporary nation. Though I don't why Germany is "Dusselstein". Shouldn't there be episodes of East Germany and West Germany?
Source
Judging by Serbia and the Tchaikovsky title, this is definitely a shitpost.
Geography Now! SOVIET UNION
From a timeline where the Soviet Union never fell, and is covered on the Geography Now series as a contemporary nation. Though I don't why Germany is "Dusselstein". Shouldn't there be episodes of East Germany and West Germany?
Source
Clearly Dr Doofenshmirtz must be responsible, somehow.
Geography Now! SOVIET UNION
From a timeline where the Soviet Union never fell, and is covered on the Geography Now series as a contemporary nation. Though I don't why Germany is "Dusselstein". Shouldn't there be episodes of East Germany and West Germany?
I saw it on Reddit, and it was interesting but it should've just kept it at the Soviet Union (which was the OP's premise). The rest seems random to me.
Kufic-style font for the Sogdian script.
(Kufic is called "Hiraic" in my timeline Blue Heaven Encompassing Earth because Kufa is still called al-Hira.)
(Kufic is called "Hiraic" in my timeline Blue Heaven Encompassing Earth because Kufa is still called al-Hira.)
Coolness - but is there any chance it could be larger so we don't need to use a magnifying glass to read it?