#Yamaneon King

[tyrantisterror]

A Hundred Some New ATOM Kaiju Pt. 3

In this part of the ATOM unfinished kaiju showcase, we're going to focus on a bunch of very similar designs that are all for the same arc: Tyrantor in Love.

In this story, we followed Tyrantor, the son of Tyrantis. It's the 1970's, and the young tyrannopyrodon is finally fully grown and experiencing the mating instinct for the first time. So he descends into the Yamaneon tunnel system in hopes of finding others of his kind.

Early in his journey he runs into two males of his species - Sharp Eye and Blue Brute (the story takes place away from human eyes, so most of the kaiju in it would have names based on what Tyrantor finds notable about them rather than the melodramatic portmanteau names that are standard for ATOM). In sharp contrast to the rivalry that formed between Tyrantis and The Terror, the three young male tyrannopyrodons quickly become friends and decide to explore the tunnels together, figuring it's safer and also will make their scent stronger and easier for others of their kind to follow.

The trio eventually find an enormous cavern filled with other retrosaur kaiju, including more tyrannopyrodons. There is a couple of older adults - Black Queen and Gold King - who have traveled here to shepherd their eldest daughter, Pale Gaze, who like Tyrantor has just reached maturity. They also have a younger son, Sparky, who's pubescent but not quite fully grown, and an adolescent daughter, Small Crown, who is by far the most imperious of the tyrannopyrodons despite her small size and young age.

(Yeah, Black Queen and Gold King lucked out spectacularly as kaiju go, as having this many viable young, all within a few years of each other, is pretty improbable given how kaiju reproduction goes.)

A final four tyrannopyrodons arrive, all female. Largest of them all is Big Quiet, who is uncharacteristically shy and docile for a female of their species. Then there's the punk trio: Gore queen, the de-facto leader, Murder Maw, the most brutal of the three and the one who's been in so many battles that she actually bears scars (again, a rare thing for kaiju given their biology), and finally Bright Hide, who is so named because she has brightly colored scales that are more often sported by male tyrannopyrodons (females tend to have duller color schemes), and who has a dynamic, energetic disposition to match her masculine-by-her-species'-standards color scheme.

All of the tyrannopyrodons in this are *loosely* inspired by various real world tyrannosaurs. To elaborate:

Sharp Eye = Bistahieversor Blue Brute = Daspletosaurus (one of the more robustly built tyrannosaurs) Black Queen = Tarbosaurus (a large Asian tyrannosaur) Gold King = Zhuchengtyrannus (another large Asian tyrannosaur) Pale Gaze = Gorgosaurus (gorgon, gaze, eh?) Sparky = Albertosaurus Small Crown = the now-almost-definitely-proven-to-just-be-a-juvenile-t.rex Nanotyrannus Big Quiet = Nanuqsaurus (polar bear lizard, big pale tyrannopyrodon) Gore Queen = Lythronax (the Gore King) Murder Maw = Teratophoneus (the Murder Monster) Bright Hide, who would at one point be called a "dynamic terror" in the story = Dynamoterror

[virovac]

Kaiju ideas so far for my Austrailian Atom spinoff (if TT does host a story compilation some day like he hopes)

So far

My girl Bajingis and my boy Artilleron

Other than that:

Koala (most developed)

Inhuman shaggy haired humanoid that’s possibly not even a mammal (feels too out there actually now that I think about it, since even I don’t have a plausible origin)

Cane Toad kept captive and poison harvested for use against other kaiju

Several ideas for cattle herding dogs and sheep dogs, could be bad if they end up still protecting herbivore kaiju damaging the environment, but others could be good boys...[maybe an elderly dog could feel reinvigorated by yamaneon]

A minor-scale plant-based kaiju that is a terrifying hivemind that while it doesn’t eat humans, has no problem attacking them if they dare interfere with its growth and can be cunning in making use of human transportation networks to spread its seeds...

edit Another idea

Emu version of King Ghidorah crossed with the Giant Claw

[ask-drakos]

King Crustaceous

Aliases: King Crab, The Tuesday Special

Date Discovered: August 10th, 1955

Place of Origin: Unknown

Notable Stomping Grounds: Area 51

King Crustaceous: Height: 115 feet Head Crab; Mantis Shrimp: Claw Enforcement, Crab One Length: 70 feet

Legs Crab; Hermit Crab: Over Crabpacity, Crab Two Length: 85 feet, claws to shell tip

Right Arm Crab; King Crab: Overkrill, Crab Three Length: 60 feet, claws to shell tip

Left Arm Crab; Pistol Shrimp: High Shrimpact, Crab Four Length: 80 feet, claws to shell tip

Biology: Originally merely a collection of aquarium crustaceans, the amalgamate known as King Crustacean was conceived as an answer to Mecha-Tyrantis – unsatisfied by the ineffectiveness of robot mechs and also the unpredictability of a kaiju cyborg, a still-anonymous mad scientist from an unknown part of the United States set out to create a more integrated cyborg that didn’t rely on programming to be effective. After collecting a mantis shrimp, a hermit crab, a king crab, and a mantis shrimp, it was only some careful Yamaneon application before they had some low-intelligence bases for their superweapon.

         Through means currently unknown, the scientist acquired the details to creating a psychic interface between kaiju and humans otherwise only known to those at Area 51, and implanted them into the four crab kaiju. Matching implants were set into four helmets – helmets worn by psychically inclined youths recruited by the scientist and trained in the arts of mech-piloting. The helmets transmit the desired impulses to the crabs’ brains and muscles, allowing them to function as a coherent whole. When riding in the cockpits attached to each crab’s carapace, each of the pilots can also activate various other cybernetic enhancements, including the massive electromagnets that allow the crabs to assemble into their more formidable, humanoid form.

King Crustaceous’ powers include:

·         Super strength

·         An enhanced healing factor

·         Immunity to radiation

·         Nigh-supernatural reflexes and razor-sharp claws; Claw Enforcement

·         EMP Pulse; Over Crabpacity

·         Vibro-blade claws; Overkrill

·         Cavitation blast; High Shrimpact

·         Personality: Being mind-controlled crabs, King Crustacean themself doesn’t really have much of a personality. However, the psychic connection between them and their pilots has lead to a few quirks being picked up when functioning autonomously in their off-hours – Claw Enforcement will assert itself over the others, High Shrimpact will keep its distance, Overkrill is flighty, and Over Crabpacity is stubborn. Beyond this, though, they all behave as normal examples of their respective species, if you exclude their tolerance of one another.

Their pilots, though, have much more personality. Though their real names and faces are unknown, likely for their own safety as they work with a high profile criminal on a daily basis, they will occasionally make public appearances as their (presumed) pilot personas, in full uniform and all. Though they will readily work with the government and others who need assistance fending off kaiju – occasionally including other kaiju themselves – these young pilots are largely independent and will act according to their own agendas and moralities when they conflict with those of their allies. As such, they are monitored carefully, in a sort of uneasy truce with more official kaiju prevention agents. An unfortunate side effect of this is that many field agents will draw straws to be the one who listens in to King Crustacean’s radio frequencies, and thus to listen to the frequent crab-themed one liners delivered during combat. Some have even begun to refer to this job as ‘crab duty’.

The leader, the mantis shrimp Claw Enforcement’s pilot, makes the overall combat decisions for the team, directing the cyborg as a whole. When in close combat, Claw Enforcement also can use its raptorial claws as weapons, their lightning-quick reflexes and razor sharp edges easily slicing through all but the toughest of kaiju armor. When on its own, Claw Enforcement is only lightly armored, but by far the fastest and most nimble of the crabs, especially when in the water.

The legs and main defense of the mech, the hermit crab Over Crabpacity and its pilot, are determined but stubborn, always willing to see the mission through to the end. Over Crabpacity balances the entire cyborg on its massive claws, their strength and flexibility giving an excellent platform for the rest of the team to base itself on. Both when assembled and when separated, an Electro-Magnetic pulse can be released from the cockpit, jamming electronics outside the cyborg and briefly stunning opposing kaiju. When separated, Over Crabpacity is the slowest crab, but by far the strongest and most durable.

The left arms of the cyborg, the king crab Overkrill, is the close-range combatant, along with their pilot, and are the main weapon when kaiju are within grappling range. The long limbs and dexterous pincers are invaluable when dealing with foes, easily able to grapple and still deal some hits. With the flick of a switch, Overkrill’s two pincer arms can begin vibrating at high speeds, allowing their claws to pierce deep into the hide or shell of a kaiju, or even deflect certain blows dealt. When separated from the others, both Overkrill and its pilot can be indecisive and hesitant to enter the fray, though they can be formidable when they work at it.

The final member and right arms of the cyborg are High Shrimpact, the pistol shrimp and its pilot. The specialized right claw of High Shrimpact can snap shut at extreme speeds, unleashing a blast of highly pressurized air or water that can blast through nearly anything up to two hundred feet away. This is an incredible asset when dealing with more dangerous or flying kaiju, as it allows King Crustacean to keep out of range of most damage, while still dealing damage. Somewhat appropriately, its pilot can also be distant, following orders readily but rarely showing initiative unless driven by extreme circumstances. When on its own, High Shrimpact can easily defend itself and others, but suffers from a lack of creative thinking and can get easily overwhelmed.

@tyrantisterror

[highly-radioactive-nerd]

ATOMIC TIME OF MONSTERS Create a Kaiju Contest Entry 3 Mk-II @tyrantisterror

Monster of the Mine -KING SOLOMON-

After discovering a document from the 19th century describing a cursed diamond mine in the Congo filled with brilliant emeralds, a multinational party of explorers voyaged to Africa to investigate what scientists believed to be an exposed vein of Yamaneon. 

After locating the mine, the expedition discovered a slew of mutant monsters had made the tunnels their home and were ruled by a titanic baboon, who the party christened King Solomon: the master of the mine. The monster had a brutish personality, a quick temper and a fascination with shiny objects. It’s own personal burrow within the mine was filled with crystal Yamaneon, diamonds, and gold. Other monsters craved King Solomon’s hoard and challenged the beast for it, but all were slain. The band of explorers knew the risks but the value of the data was too great. They probed deep into the mines, into Solomon’s very lair  and began collecting the samples of the crystals they had worked so hard to find. All was going well until the greed of one explored cause a small landslide of gold rousing the ape from its slumber. The adventurers ran as fast as they could from the titan and hid in the smallest places they could find, ut the ape was crafty and found them at every turn. All seemed lost until three savage monsters emerged from the depths of the cave system. All the craved Solomon’s glittering hoard and were ready to cooperate to take it from him. The tiny humans were no longer a threat to the ape and a titanic battle ensued.

King Solomon fought valiantly despite the uneven odds, but even a fighter as savage as he could not hold his own against three retrosaurs. Pity (and perhaps the fact that the four giants and their conflict blocked the tunnels that lead to the exit) made the explorers relent and devise a strategy to even the odds. They carefully scaled the tunnel walls and placed strategic explosives, retreated to a safe distance and detonated. Massive boulders and shards of crystal Yamaneon fell from the ceilings, burying one monster alive and distracting the other two long enough for King Solomon to rise to his feet and deal the finishing blows himself.

The expedition hoped to sneak past the victorious simian, but that was not to be. Solomon positioned himself between the league of spelunkers and their freedom, casting down a critical eye. Perhaps the beast was grateful for their assistance, perhaps the crystals that were dislodged by the explosives were enough to replace what the humans stole, but the vicious and greedy King Solomon relented and let the humans go.

The humans had survived their voyage into the world of monsters. They had successfully retrieved the samples of Yamaneon they had voyaged to Africa to find and they had all kept their lives in doing so. but their adventures were not quite over...

--

So first things first: I am not good at mammals. I’m not good at reptiles either, but mammals are even worse for me. So I’m sorry for that. I do like the face a bit though, he’s got kind of a Murasame mask thing going on. Still a pretty Japanese looking monster. I just wanted to make a monster from Africa for this one. I went through a lot of ideas. I though about a Lion or a hippo, which weren’t drawn, but i do have concept art of a crocodilian spinosaur, a retro spinosaur and a wildabeest kaiju, which i will post later., but i settled on going for an ape. It’s perhaps too King Kong, so i tried to obscure it’s species and do some new things with it. It’s hard to tell but the nose has some splashes of bright red and blue on it, to help craft an identity. 

The horns on its head and the plate armor on its wrists are basically hardened skin, or.. keratin, ,I think it’s called? Fingernails. or Rhino horn. They’re studded with Yamaneon, and are a mutation that resulted from the radioactivity.

[quinnred]

@tyrantisterror , ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest

Name: King Bekantan Aliases: Nasalis Gigantis, The Gardener, Monyet Belanda Besar Date of Discovery: 1955 Place of Origin: Borneo Height: 115 feet Notable Stomping Grounds: Borneo, Sabah, Malaysia Abilities: super strength, aura of increased plant growth, seed launchers rooted within tail fur, lazy big slap, can sleep through anything really Description: A gigantic, upright Proboscis Monkey with thick fur, beard, and a "crown" of hair. 

Origin: Nobody is sure how old King Bekantan is, but multiple island nations have spoken of him since before the current kaiju outbreak. Some say that he grew the vegetation of many southeast Asian islands, tending the land with seeds dropped from his fur. Although questionable if he indeed grew the vegetation of the island nations, King Bekantan certainly does toil the lands he'll sit upon to grow food for himself. It is suspected that he may have once been a normal Proboscis Monkey that came in contact with Yamaneon, possibly due to the vegetation and life in general that grows around the material. In some ways he has taken that energy for himself, becoming a walking bringer of Eden....a very slow one. A rumor of sorts has proclaimed that King Bekantan hides a unique species of fruit with peculiar properties (thoughs properties seem to change depending on who you ask) at his resting places, often tempting treasure hunters to seek the monkey. Personality: He has never shown any hostility to any other living thing, kaiju and human alike, simply strolling or sitting down to eat. He'll rarely do anything worth energy, only really attacking if annoyed for long enough. King Bekantan loves to farm, carefully toiling the earth with his hands, then dragging his plant smothered tail across it, allowing all sorts of seeds and spores to populate the land. He has shown signs of some care for smaller living things, though often to shoo them away so they dont interrupt his farming.

[cerothenull]

ATOM Create a Kaiju #4 Onigoro

Name: Onigoro

Aliases: King Oni, Defender of Kyoto

Date Discovered: March 20th 1954

Place of Origin: Lake Biwa Yamaneon tunnels

Notable Stomping Grounds: Lake Biwa, Kyoto, Japan, Typhon Island

Height: 110ft

Biology: Onigoro is a humanoid Kaiju believed to be an Atomically Fossilized member of the primate group that both sasquatches and yetis belong to that lived hidden in Japan for centuries. Possessing the psionic abilities of their cousins their discovery has lead to many stories of Oni and Yokai being attributed to the reclusive creatures. Unlike the more peaceful Yeti and Sasquatches who's psychic abilities cause humans to forget they were ever seen the Oni utilize their abilities to instill fear and panic in intruders to drive them off. This ability is enhanced with Onigoro's size leading him to affect even other Kaiju to make them sloppy during a fight.

Covered in a dense black fur that thins or disappears around the face, hands, and feet where their bright red skin is on display and a pair of short curved horns sprouting from their forehead causes the Kaiju to resemble the Oni demons of old, its temper helping solidify the image. In battle they typically fight using their fists to pummel their foes into submission but they have been often seen using objects as makeshift clubs ranging from ancient trees to telephone poles to even train cars. If a fight drags on too long or their opponent antagonizes him enough he will fly into a berserker rage that makes him dangerous to even the few “allies” he has found among the Kajiu

Originating from the Yamaneon tunnels discovered under Japan where the rest of his kind live Onigoro is unique among for he is the only member of his "tribe" to have undergon atomic fossilization despite their close proximity to the anomalous material. Appearing above ground shortly after Nastadyne and other Japanese Kaiju began to appear he rampaged through the nearby Kyoto before returning to his home near Lake Biwa.

Onigoros kaiju powers include:

Super strength An enhanced healing factor Immunity to radiation Psionic shroud Psionic intimidation                                                                                             Berserker rage

Personality: Onigoro is a prideful Kaiju to say the least, viewing each brawl as a test of his physical might and takes defeat quite hard. Originally a common sight rampaging through Japan his first defeats were at the hands of Nastadyne leaving the kaiju cowed and disheartened for a time.

This defeat lead to the kaiju ape to view the heroic beetle as a rival and sought to fight them several times, each time leading to their repeated defeats. But rather than grow bitter by the defeats Onigoro seemed humbled. In time they started to fight off other Kaiju that appeared to threaten Japan, first in what was likely territorial disputes but eventually going out of their way in search of battles.

In one notable battle that grew out of hand was when the aquatic Osteogre appeared on the beaches of Japan to deposit a damaged human ship and Onigoro happened to be nearby. Challenging the stoic Kaiju with his typical bravado Osteogre ignored his taunts which only served to infuriate the Oni who began to attack. Not one to let an enemy attack her without retaliation Osteogre started to fight back, the stoic hybrid’s armor protecting her from all but the strongest of Onigoro’s attacks. As their battle raged they began to near human population centers and prompted Nastadyne to step in join with the battle as well until Onigoro was driven back to Lake Bima and Osteogre returned to the sea.

It is kept a secret from the public but Onigoro protects a tribe of the red-faced Oni primates that reside in the Yamaneon tunnels beneath Lake Biwa. Kyoto residents, believing the gifts are going to Onigoro himself, leave offerings of food on the edges of his "territory" on the shores of Lake Biwa. He will appear, take the offerings in hand then descend into the tunnels to distribute the offerings to his tribe.

In the events of the Beyonder Invasion Onigoro saw much combat to defend Japan alongside Nastadyne and the other Kaiju he grew to accept as brothers-in-arms. As a sign of their respect the people of Kyoto funded the creation of a large Kanabō to fit the large Kaiju and the Oni King used the weapon to great effect in defending against the alien attackers.

@tyrantisterror

[takingturnsatrandom]

ATOM Create A Kaiju Entry 3: HAMMERBEAK

My third entry into @tyrantisterror ‘s kaiju contest, meet Hammerbeak, King of the Outback after the cut. I know I said I’d space these out over a few days but I’m too hype to push them out. Tune in tomorrow for number 4

Aliases: King of the Outback

Date Discovered: July 7th, 1957.

Place of Origin: Australian Outback

Notable Stomping Grounds: Australian Outback

Height: 100 feet

Length: 140 feet

Biology and Appearance: Naturally occurring cassowaries are intimidating in their own right. Atomically empowered giant cassowaries are expectedly more so. Hammerbeak is a massive bird, his head capped with a signature crest, his beak now much thicker, harder, and flatter, which he brings down with astounding force aided by strengthened neck muscles. His wings have elongated and thickened, now used as forelegs, giving the avian a uniquely quadrupedal loping gate, each wing is also tipped with cruel claws. His legs and feet have become covered in thick scales, and are capable of delivering devastating kicks, and may support the entirety of his weight should he need to strike with his wings. Hammerbeak is also equipped with a long tale, at the end of which is a large bony club that can be swung with frightening speed, power, and accuracy, even able to strike from above like a scorpion sting. He lost an eye to a rival male before his transformation, and now wears the scar as a mark of experience.

Embracing his avian heritage, Hammerbeak uses the anti-gravitational power of Yamaneon to fly, soaring like a bird of prey high above the Outback, diving like a rocket out of the sky.

One other notable feature is a secondary stomach, which Hammerbeak fills by swallowing large quantities of sand that he is then able to spit out in a pressurized blast, serving as a powerful weapon in addition to his powerful strikes

Personality: Hammerbeak is a kaiju with a mean streak. A grizzled, hardened animal, he will not hesitate to dole out lethal force to those that cross him.  He will not seek out combat, but is able to hold his own against just about any other kaiju, even giving some of the fiercest retrosaurs a tough fight.

Though he typically stays in the barren outback, the rare occasions when Hammerbeak wanders into a city can easily be dealt with; with the best course of action being to evacuate the areas in question, and letting the beast pass through without incident. Mostly. Upon seeing his reflection in the windows of large buildings, Hammerbeak will lash out viciously, sometimes destroying the entire building before realizing his mistake.

He has recently been observed displaying behaviors indicating that he is searching for a mate. Fortunately no other suitably sized cassowaries exist for him to breed with.

Hammerbeak has become something of a mascot to Australians, who embrace him as one of their few native kaiju. Occasionally his demeanor is mistaken for lightheartedly grumpy, which has resulted in a fairly high number of tragic accidents. Hammerbeak has “defended” the island-continent on several occasions, but this was almost certainly due to his territorial nature rather than any sense of responsibility. There is a popular children’s movie depicting him as a friend of the New Zealand kiwi kaiju Tekaket, despite the fact that the pair’s last encounter nearly killed both birds. (Note: not gonna write an entry for Tekaket, but I imagine him as a stretched out feathery tube with many rows of bird feet and a toothy beak)

Meta analysis: Bird kaiju! A big old grump from down under, with a little bit of oviraptor, pterosaur and ankylosaur thrown in. Definitely dinosaur inspired rather than retrosaur, but I think (and hope) that he brings an interesting dichotomy in that regard, and would love to see a fight between him and any of the big T rex retros. Name is fairly straightforward. I imagine his movie would be shot with a mixture of stop motion models, people wearing monster leg boots, and a head and neck puppet a la Giant Claw.

[tyrantisterror]

The ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D: Entry Roundup

You’ve been patiently waiting for the results of the ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D, and now... you have to wait a bit longer, but at least you’ve got an entry roundup with lots of sketches and a good bit of feedback for all the entrants!  My goal is to get the finalists illustrated in a week or two, and after that, the grand prize winner will be announced.  But, for now, the official entry roundup!  After the cut:

I should note that while I sketched these in the order they were submitted, my scanner saved the documents with random names, so they’re a bit jumbled.  You know, just in case you’re like me and would get confused noticing that it’s almost in chronological order but with some entries jumbled around.

@bugcthulhu’s Obsideban was designed as a counterpart to Rohobaron - the Black King to Rohobaron’s Red King, if you will.  Or, well, Black Queen in this case, as Obsideban also takes her personality from the “delinquent girl” archetype in Japanese media.  Bug’s designs always ooze personality, and I had a lot of fun translating this big, gnarly retrosaur into my own style.

@toothlessloveshiccup‘s Argonox is the first - but far from the last - monster in this breakdown that brings in a bit of fantasy influence to ATOM’s roster.  A golden-fleeced ram with a vicious streak, this sheep is both treasure and dragon at once.  And while it wasn’t written in the monster’s profile, given the Yamaneon-rich nature of its wool, Argonox might be able to replicate the healing power of the golden fleece too!  A very fun mammalian kaiju and excellent entry.

@highly-radioactive-nerd submitted Gunmetal Jeeves, a robot butler who can gigantomax temporarily create a holographic/hard light version of himself to fight kaiju.  That detail was a late revision added to the entry before the contest’s deadline, made after the creator realized that ATOM allows for some truly ludicrous bullshit, which is something everyone should exploit when making entries for this in my opinion.  Also, this is a robot butler who can size shift.  Revel in its awesome absurdity!

Ultranerd submitted Rajasaurus, a dimetrodon-like synapsid kaiju with electric powers.  His origin specifies that the electric powers are a result of the volatile nature of the Yamaneon deposits he mutated under, which is an interesting idea.  That’s another theme that cropped up a lot in this contest’s entries, actually - people really wanted to play with what Yamaneon can do.

Case in point, @polygonfighter’s Yamaneolith takes the Monolith Monsters homage at the heart of Yamaneon even more apparent.  I like the implication that there is a second mineral-based lifeform at the root of this Yamaneon cluster’s anomalous behavior - a parasite, perhaps?  It brings up some interesting possibilities.

@ariccio50 submitted Kukulkuzana, and damn is this a cool spin on the body plan of my martians.  I made a few changes here and there (splitting its tail into two is probably the biggest one), but tried to keep true to the original design, because holy hell is it gorgeous.  The idea that this is a mountain-dwelling creature is really intriguing to me, as it looks like a sea creature, but at the same time, that flexible and low-slung build WOULD work pretty well in mountains, and it’s just the right mix of plausible weirdness that makes for a fun alien design.

@akitymh submitted Aramzados, a Venusian monster that’s basically an organic hot rod car.  I like the idea of organic machinery being the gimmick for Venusian kaiju, and Aramzado’s does it subtly enough to not feel like that gimmick is the sole thing going for it.  I especially love this monster’s stange, apparently mouth-less blade-beaked face.

@virovac submitted Rurzar and Zar Rider, a Beyonder kaiju and mecha (respecitvely) that were both modified and repurposed by humans reverse engineering Beyonder technology to make, like, a motorcycle-saurus essentially.  It is a delightfully absurd concept, and a very, very detailed one (13 pages of description).  There’s a dark undercurrent beneath the sillyness, though, as this pair show that humanity might still be following the same path as the Beyonders before them.

@dinosaurana brings us Krangor, a humanoid monstrosity of living kelp!  The goal here was to create a Jack Kirby-esque monster dude, complete with the gibberish name and all.  He’s also made out of kelp, which feels very classic 1950′s monster-y despite me not being able to think of any monsters that were explicitly made of kelp.  I love him.

@kiryuthechimera submitted Genkakurah, a psychic retrosaur with some draconic features.  Though his substantial powerset is probably the biggest distinguishing feature of this kaiju (given that most ATOM kaiju pretty much have the same standard powers), what really draws me to him is that reptilian pseudo-beard.  It’s just a fun detail!

@glarnboudin submits Tiratola, and see, there’s that fantasy influence again!  Even more explicitly dragon-y than Kraydi, Tiratola still manages to toe the line between sci-fi and fantasy enough to fit ATOM as is while still cementing its ties to my own slice of fantasy fiction.  Man it’s good I’m doing a Midgaheim book next, huh?

@dragonzzilla submitted Scuttlebutt/Argonautilus, a hermit crab kaiju who lives in/with a hollowed out mecha.  That’s a twist I can’t recall ever hearing before, and the idea of a kaiju and a mecha having an equal partnership that doesn’t involve one being grafted to the other is really intriguing to me.  A very unique concept!

@evolutionsvoid submitted Fleagor, an enormous flea who has no idea what to do with itself now that there’s no creature large enough for it to parasitize.  I love that concept - it takes the core idea of the giant bug kaiju archetype (i.e. unsettling the audience by showing how terrifying small, “insignificant” creatures would be if our sizes were reversed) and really turns it on its head.  The name also plays on the Universal Monsters, who were a huge part of 1950′s pop culture thanks to their movies being re-released in that era, so all and all this one is very on brand for ATOM!

@skarmorysilver submitted Lilacorn, another entry that plays up that Midgaheim/ATOM connection.  Reinterpreting the mythological unicorn as an Cenozoic wooly rhinoceros-inspired monster gives it a very unique look, both in ATOM and in the general world of unicorns, and she has a bad-girl with a heart of gold personality to boot!

dracosaurus-rex submitted Florasaura, a two-headed plant/retrosaur hybrid monster.  I love me some plant monsters, I love me some retrosaurs, and I love me some rhyming the word “flora” with other words that contain similar vowell sounds, so this one has me written all over it!

@downtofragglerock submitted Sauroguana, a delightfully odd flying retrosaur.  There’s a great deal of charm to the original illustration that this sketch doesn’t quite capture - it’s a deceptively simple design with a lot of personality in it, and with those unique leg-wings it really doesn’t need a whole lot of frills to stand out.

Draxi submitted Brakan, an unimpressive burrowing retrosaur kaiju whose mastery of illusions allows it to convince other kaiju it’s actually a big, super-powerful badass that’s the ultimate fighter in the universe.  It’s a delightful parody of the concept of a fan self-insert god-mode character, with a really fun story built into it to boot!

@quinnred submitted O.N.I.A.C., a mysterious cocooned kaiju whose chrysalis has been turned into an organic computer of sorts by the people studying it, and seems to possess a fairly advanced intelligence for a kaiju.  It’s a really bizarre and ominous idea, with built in intrigue given how vague its nature is.  Is it just a kaijufied butterfly/moth who got stuck mid transformation?  A relative of the Mothmanuds?  Something else, perhaps equally alien?  Good story potential here.

shadyserpent submitted Vespilitor, a bat/retrosaur hybrid made by the nefarious Spooks Organization.  A mercurial prankster whose tendency to stir up trouble never crosses the line into maliciousness, he’s the kind of monster who would make a great foil to a lot of ATOM’s cast.  I’d especially like to see him in a prank off with Ahuul - it’d be like Bugs Bunny fighting Daffy Duck, but on a kaiju scale.

@multiversefan submitted the Yamaneon King, a nomadic kaiju whose refusal to settle down causes problems as he stirs up trouble at kaiju sanctuaries all over the globe by showing up unannounced and stirring up the locals.  He was basically designed to be a monster that the kaiju sanctuary initiative would struggle to deal with, which is a good idea for a post-ATOM Volume 2 story conflict.

Sir K submitted Jadeera, a kirin kaiju that can actually forcibly convert most of its body to Yamaneon to enter a dormant, statue-like state in a loose homage to King Shisa.  Though the fantasy elements are far more present than I usually prefer for ATOM kaiju, I think it should be noted they’re pushed that far for a purpose - a theme in Jadeera’s entry, which continues where its creator left off with their submission to the previous ATOM create a kaiju contest (Yokaigon), is that the world of kaiju is more complicated and challenging than many are willing to accept, which is a theme in ATOM itself.  Yokaigon’s more supernatural/occult powers are based on the ghost parascience of my setting, which ATOM has delved into a bit (Pathogen being the big example), so it’s not as out of left field as some might think.

@cerothenull​ brings us our final entry (unless some got lost thanks to tumblr’s shitty tagging system), the flying spider Naeranti.  She’s a kaiju spider who uses silk to make complicate hot-air balloons, more or less, and that’s just delightful.  ATOM could always use more spider-monsters, and with a really unique gimmick backing up a wonderfully distinct look, Naeranti is sure to stand out among her fellow giant arachnids.

Well, that’s the roundup!  In a week (or two, depending on how much my hand cramps) we’ll have the five finalists, and sometime after that, the grand prize winner!

[tyrantisterror]

Here’s my contest entry :

https://multiversefan.tumblr.com/post/655592743231471616/name-yamaneon-king-aliases-the-crystal-creation

Thank you!

[virovac]

Evaluating the competition so far

Acanpetax : An amazing story is implied here, a ruthless killer haunted by the remains of a great hero they slew. Has an interesting reference to heraldry in the form of an amphitere kaiju playing an important role

Megaria: Cool powers. No idea how that sound absorbtion thing would be filling or more than a crumb energywise, (many engineers have dreamed of using sound as a power source, but its like trying squeeze blood from a stone ) but it could possibly be acting to catalyze some other arcane biological process.  I love her so much, it reminds me of the weird Kaiju I made as a kid after reading about crop circles and being inspired by some of the more out there explanations.

Charlotte: Charming and amazing. Love the reference to the infamous king Kong American version about dinosaur hybrids.Also, she reminds me a lot of Burtanus from the Godzilla Dark Horse comics for some reason.

TSUNOKING : Fills a much needed niche. 

Najjuk : Timely, and uses a mammal as a base for a fitting role

GNOMORAN : Kaiju not aging much at all is a big thing of the setting, but it may be metaphor here. Love this cranky jerk who uses self-harm to fight his out of control regeneration abilities.

Scolosurtr: Why is the woman responsible for this thing not in jail? Did I walk onto the early draft script of Godzilla vs Biollante where a mad scientist was creating monsters to fight Godzilla and oddly nobody really cared? Still they have a lot of personality and are adorable.

MR. PRESIDENT : A category all its own. To fit into canon just needs a slight tweek in technobabble as yamaneon can’t exist in a natural state: a cloud of yamaneon dust would work better. Might be too far removed to count as a “kaiju” though.

ROHOBARON : A wonderful dude! Good combination of powers and personality. But I would have thought Area 51 would have been shut down by that point in the timeline.

My entry Nematerror has got some stiff competetion

[tyrantisterror]

ATOM Create A Kaiju Contest Entry List

We’re over two weeks into the ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest with a little under five weeks remaining, and already there are a plethora of amazing entries!  So many, in fact, that I figure it’d be helpful to compile them in a list - both for me and for those of you who are still working on yours and want to check out the competition.

If your entry does not appear on this list and was posted as of 3/16/2017 it was lost in the mail (so to speak).  Please contact me to make sure I’ve seen it.

For those whose entries ARE on the list, know that you are still free to revise your entries before the due date - nothing will be judged until March 16th, so if you think of some important revision you are free to make the change!

The full list of entries is after the cut!

@raffleupagus‘s entries:

Pogo Tomiyama, the giant one-legged gnat

Kaerugon, an enormous heroic toad

@bugcthulhu‘s entries:

Bocagran, a daffy, floating prehistoric salamander

Dreg, a tumorous kaiju driven by its insatiable hunger who sometimes reverts to smaller, pathetic form as a result of its unstable biology

@takingturnsatrandom‘s entries:

Blasteroid, a heroic, human-loving starfish

Sibaun, a mangy coyote monster

Hammerbeak, an axe-faced quadrupedal bird

Vermamand, a colossal flatworm

Herpradon, an amphibious chameleon

@cerothenull‘s entries:

Aiguan: a dragon-like flying retrosaur that adapted to live in the sea rather than fly through the air

Osteogre: an improbable hybrid of aquatic retrosaur and placoderm that vaguely resembles a fish-like humanoid

Scutlgor: a sweet, nurturing centipede

Onigoro: an oni/ogre-like sasquatch kaiju

Ublen, a devilish beast from New Jersey

@skarmorysilver‘s entries:

Julkath, a wooly, sabre-fanged feline

Bamutan, a strange serpentine fish

Oz (and children), a bizarre winged marsupial

Gnashphalt, a toxic sludge monster

@dinosaurana‘s entries

Barusstrakk, a Venusian monster with hammer and sickle-like arms

President Rushmore, a bizarre golem accidntally made out of the sculptures on Mt. Rushmore

@theload‘s entries:

Pengku, a bizarre prehistoric missing link between birds and reptiles

Parakon, a serpentine, sail-finned lizard

@connorricks‘s entries:

Dangalar, a bizarre monster controlled by unseen puppetmasters

Normus, a horrifying fusion of man and beast

@titleknown‘s entries:

Malorel, a crystaline entity partially made of Yamaneon that uses the human Karrol Bishop as its host

Panku, a gooey alien in an egg-shaped robot suit

The Head, a big giant head

Javelarro, a wild pig whose healing factor keeps it going well after the point where it desires death

Playboy Rumble, a hard light playboy bunny

@canadian-tuxedo-mask‘s entries:

X-nertha, a fusion of ground sloth, automobiles, and several ghosts

Captain Sensation, a giant plant-human hybrid with a spicy attack strategy

Malzzang, a wicked wasp woman with an army of smaller wasps at her beck and call

Lance, a mutant possum with the brain of man’s best friend

Pescalagorio, the living sea floor

@highly-radioactive-nerd‘s entries:

Blastra, a strangely familiar burrowing retrosaur

Voce Fortissimo/Sibelisaurus, a duck billed retrosaur with amazing acoustic abilities

King Solomon, a blinged out babboon

Salagara, the extraterrestrial guard lizard

Tutandra, a mummified land-shark-like retrosaur

@glarnboudin‘s entries:

Salikor and Terravia, a long necked sea tyrant and a flying retrosaur (respectively)

Tabboagan, a sledding retrosaur

@akitymh‘s entries:

Kabold, an alien vampire

King Horn, a bizarre alien whose ape-like form only slightly obscures its extraterrestrial anatomy

Rampart, a retrosaur with particularly strange arms

Sevarahz, a pink martian

Awkwas, an amphibious retrosaur

@quinnred‘s entries:

Odinokiy Soldat, a kaijufied and heavily mutated human who is the result of extreme genetic and radioactive experimentation

Papaver Magnus, a walking and possibly thinking poppy bush that can even intoxicate other kaiju

King Benkantan, a massive monkey, but, moreso, a purveyor of fruits

Humarr Petram, a group of massive crustaceans that pretend to be islands to lure in prey

The Slickener, an bizarre monster whose venomous anatomy and unknown origin baffle scientists

@godzillakiryu91‘s entry:

Rayken, a giant gila monster

@bowlofgabe‘s entries:

Clawdia, a pair of conjoined twin crabs who fight with flair for the citizens of Mexico

Eldritch Ed, a pitiable fusion of a astronaut and his animal test subjects that nonetheless became a defender of humanity

@iamthekaijuking‘s entries:

Plume, an affectionate and loving prehistoric bird kaiju

Bubblor, a baby kaiju from another world

Shēnghuó tǎ, an alien kaiju that coincidentally resembles Chinese architecture

Dhyandogen, a rare peaceful Beyonder kaiju

Unit 01, a hybrid of human, plant, and retrosaur

@virovac‘s entries:

Artilleron, a strange herbivorous retrosaur that can fire its gastroliths as though they were cannonballs

Bajingis, a synapsid that is curiously similar in shape to a paleo tyrant retrosaur

Pomogitan, a bizarre furry Venusian

Hagayag, a simian crone

@plebiantologist‘s entries:

Nosferatu, a vampiric hummingbird monster

Dromeo, a lovelorn bee monster that’s better off single

I-am-Fish-Mage’s entries:

Gurt, a hound that is literally an undead vampire

Ignorilla, a psychic sasquatch

@bonelessnerd‘s entries:

Manoamano, an extraterrestrial right hand of doom

Nogad, a living island

Rizablitz, a plastic-skinned size-shifting dog

@polygonfighter‘s entries:

Index, a tar monster with fossilized armor

Volcanus, a bizarre high temperature arthropoid

Sir Kaiju of Vaudeville’s entry:

Torgong, the mole monster

@scatha5‘s entry:

Cervere, the kaiju cat

@cstalli‘s entry:

Trifitan Arum, a group of fairy-like flora

@profcene‘s entry:

Gevlek, a cave hyena

@ask-drakos‘s entry:

Okhalee, a massive songbird

King Crustacean, four crustaceans fused together