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Loonatic's Favorite Raypunk Films: The Classics

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Starbat has already gone over this ground (yeah basically had this same formula) but let me put this a different way. Raypunk may have a lot of inspiration from 1950s scifi, but if I had to only pick one film per decade to see how raypunk arose, these are the films that represent the genre/aesthetic for me and why. Forbidden Planet (1956) Sent to a distant planet to discover the fate of scientific expedition sent twenty years before, Captain J.J. Adams and his crew find that nothing on Altair IV is quite as it seems. The only survivors of the expedition are Dr. Morbius and his daughter, who make the claim that the others were killed by a strange planetary force. Though living in the shadow of such a massacre, the two have lived in the utopia of this isolated place, creating a comfortable existence with their robot butler Robby and studying the secrets of the extinct alien species that once lived there. The knowledge of the ancient Krell could bring about an age of advancement ...

Atreides Mentat Build

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In the Dune universe Mentats are trained from a young age to expand their mental abilities, mastering logic and strategy while operating by a strict ethical code. Since the use of intelligent computers has been banned since the Butlerian Jihad, Mentats fill the need for "human computers", often finding service as advisors to the Houses Major and Minor. So essentially they are the nerdiest characters, which means I must create a Mentat costume build! While they did not wear any particular uniform they were marked by red-stained lips, the results of habitual use of the mental stimulant sapho (pronounced sah-foo). The 1984 film invented this mantra which actually works pretty well in the scope of the Dune universe: It is by will alone I set my mind in motion It is by the juice of sapho the thoughts acquire speed The lips acquire stains The stains become a warning It is by will alone I set my mind in motion There are several Mentats represented in films and even in vi...

Raypunk Comics and Animation

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For me, raypunk is a very visually-grounded genre. I don't so much think about narrative tropes or classic storylines, but rather architecture and costumes. For that reason, it's difficult for me to put together a list of raypunk books. However, it does mean that comics, especially classic space-based comics, are a perfect medium for the genre.  Not only are they are visually-based genre, they also were born from (and continue to thrive on) bright colors, spandex, and a complete disregard for physics. I'm also rolling western animation into this as well, because a lot of the comics I discuss here are also cartoons at some point in their history. Fair warning: I know more DC titles, so a lot of the comics are going to be DC. Adam Strange You know, I've never been a huge Adam Strange fan, but it remains one of the very first things that comes to my mind when I think of the raypunk genre. He's got it all, the rayguns, the jetpack, the brightly colored spandex...

How to make a House Atreides vest

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To serve a noble House of the Landsraad a uniform certainly helps define where yout allegiances lie. And if one is privileged enough serve the Duke Leto Atreides in the height of his influence, a little pomp and circumstance is warranted. Thus I have made some additions and alterations to a basic thrift store vest/waistcoat in order to fit right in with the famed House at the center of the universe's intrigues in Frank Herbert's Dune . And the piece alone... To make this vest I combined some of the key elements of the Atreides uniforms seen in the 1984 film, into a vest that is a bit more like that of a courtier than that of soldier. The colors of Atreides house in the book is green, black, and red. In the 1984 film they actually keep pretty close to that, the some of the Caladan uniforms appear black but are actually a dark green. So I altered and added some details like the buttons, aiguillette, and rank badge. Vest materials -Black elaborate vest wi...