#saints row los carnales

[danthepest]

Ever wondered what the music was in the Homeland Security cutscene? The one where Angelo and Victor kill the Saints grunts? Well here you go.

[iiilovebeam]

I finished this finally

[whoredmode]

if you’ve been keeping up with some of my posts lately you know i’ve recently been working on what i’ve called the torque DLC, and i wanted to do some concept sketches for stuff. i’ll just copy the original pitch under the cut, but basically my idea is a sr1 DLC where you play as torque a few years before the actual events of sr1. here’s most of the major characters in it + some very messy concepts for torque’s apartment, which would obviously act as his base in the game. 

my new pitch for another sr1 DLC. takes place a few years pre-sr1, probably around 2003 or so. you play as torque (“the cooler”) essentially doing odd jobs against the backdrop of growing tensions within stilwater. the work includes: his typical bouncer job at TnA—this involves gameplay similar to what would’ve been in the cancelled “the cooler” game (the game itself would be in third person however i could see there being a first person/third person mode you could toggle for this gameplay specifically); doing hit jobs and similar for the lopez brothers, occasionally accompanied by victor; and general fetch quest type stuff for characters like al (the owner of TnA), anteros, and luz.  the game itself would have a much more down-to-earth and serious tone to match torque’s demeanor. the story would also almost exclusively take place at night since that’s when torque works. there would be a heavy emphasis on character relationships and how torque became so connected to this city and its people despite not actually being from the area originally. cameos would include the obvious and aforementioned carnales, luz, and anteros, but also a few smaller cameos by a rookie troy and tanya.

anyway it basically sets the stage for torque’s position in my canon. it introduces what would eventually become his longstanding friendship with luz, his dynamic with anteros, as well as how he is so intwined in stilwater itself. i have some more specific ideas for things like important story missions but i’ll cut myself off here. by all means feel free to ask me about it tho! i'm literally always happy to talk about torque and pre-sr1 stilwater LMAO

[and-its-with-one-l-bitch]

Some very rough Los Carnales Tito designs inspired by @masschase and @whoredmode 's Rollerz Casey and Vice Kings Anteros!

[santo-ileso-archives]

“𝔄𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩𝔬, you promised we'd go shopping in 𝒮𝒶𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝐼𝓁𝑒𝓈𝑜!”💃🏻🛍️

[cheezvt]

Tonight, we settle the score and see if it's The Carnales or Los Carnales, because it can't be both. Come watch the Saints Row stream!

[thefellomen]

Saints Row | The Boss & Johnny Gat + Vibing near fire

[confettitowns]

2020/2015 Luz from Los Carnales 

[classicsinga]

Rowbember 2020 - 25. Dealer

A glimpse at Velvet's work during her days with Los Carnales back in the 70s.

[danthepest]

Imagine being one of the Saints grunts/wannabes when the Boss joined up. You’ve been with the crew for a while and Julius is finally ready to take the fight to the other gangs. Then this nobody shows up and ends up beating the tar out of the ones who were supposed to canonize them.

So whatever, Johnny kicked ass too. So what. They’re still on the same level as you. Hell, even below you because they just joined. You keep reminding them to step up and who they represent. Then you hear how they’re getting the gang rerspect from various pimps, dealers, hijackers and crime lords.

B-but whatever, they still need to prove themselves useful in the fight against the VKs, LC and WRs. And before your very eyes, this newbie overtakes you and becomes to the go-to person for Dex, Lin and Johnny because they get shit done. It doesn’t take long before they go from being #2 for the lieutenants to being Julius’ #2 and then finally, actually running the gang. All without saying a word.

This mute motherfucker literally appeared out of nowhere, took out the gangs and is now leading yours. And it scares you. You can’t tell what they’re feeling or thinking. their body count and trail of destruction speaks volumes. Gone is your bravado, replaced with fear and doubt of your place in the gang. You start kissing up to them because you know you’re fucked if they turn their sights on you.

[nocturnofshadow]

Sound off, fellow Saints Row fans

With SR5 on Volition's main burner and slated for an info dump later this year, I figure this might be a good time to stir the fandom pot. How many of y'all would like to see/be part of an active RP server for the series?

This has been an idea I've been playing with for a while now, and I want to make sure there's an interest before I kick this off officially.

So! Anyone interested, sound off in the notes!

A few key points, to give y'all an idea what to expect:

-Paragraph style default/recommended. As a writer- and RP-scener myself, I find this style of RP the most satisfying and engaging. Multi-para isnt expected but equal effort will be, as a courtesy to all players.

-Multi-role/Multi-faction. The server will cater primarily to SR 1-3. IV will have its own little section if there’s enough demand, given it's more player vs aliens and not exactly faction-based. This means that you can stretch your legs into more than just the Saints. You want to roll with Los Carnales and fuck up some VK ops, or be a Luchadore and smack down some Saints? This is the place to really stretch your creative legs.

-Reward System. These are plans for the future, if and when the server really takes off, but how fucking satisfying would it be to see your OC rise through the ranks of their gang? Active (and sometimes ballsy) roleplay will net you attention from your superiors, with potential for promotion. With events, this means you can call the shots with your Boss (or, if you're particularly good, potentially take the mantle of Gang Boss for yourself).

-Social networking. Whether you're roleplaying or just hanging out in chat to gush about how much you love the games, this is meant to be a central hub for fans of the series. You're bound to make friends (even if you're real fuckin shy like me lmao), and that's the biggest plus to this server.

[whoredmode]

A DUBIOUSLY ACCURATE HISTORY OF STILWATER (& STEELPORT)

So if it’s not obvious by the obnoxiously long post I’ve made talking about the musical history of Stilwater, I’m fascinated by the worldbuilding of Saints Row. And in my quest of learning more about the setting of the series, I’ve pieced together my own headcanons on the general history of the city…and its cousin, Steelport. I’ve spent the last several days going over canonical histories of both cities, primarily Stilwater as it was my original goal, and put together my own ideas of how I think the cities developed prior to the start of the games in 2006. Some of this is based on actual canon evidence, other stuff is just my own conclusions. 

CANON TIMELINE

1783

Knight Plaza is founded, predating the founding of Stilwater itself

1787

Pennsylvania becomes a state

Unspecified year in the 1800s

Stilwater founded

1827

Steelport founded

1837

Michigan becomes a state

1940

Stilwater builds a new sewer system

Post-1940: An earthquake strikes Stilwater

1947

Sunset Park is built in Steelport

1970s

Vice Kings VS Los Carnales. Assumedly mid-to-late 70s into early 80s

1977: Stilwater is voted the most family-friendly city

MAPPING THINGS OUT

So it’s never exactly stated where Stilwater and Steelport are located comparatively. We know they’re in the Rust Belt, and Stilwater is expressly stated to be in Michigan. I’m inclined to say the cities are fairly close to each other (Stilwater in Michigan while Steelport is probably closer to Pennsylvania), probably several hours by car, if only because of similarities in industry, aesthetics, and even a few moments in-game. It can be fairly easily implied that the cities are within several hours driving distance of each other (my guesstimate is 7-8 hours away by car); especially given that in the beginning of SRTT they are able to land in Steelport so quickly despite assumedly not even being in the plane for more than an hour before they blow it up. 

TIMING THINGS OUT

The Stilwater Church is a gothic style church, assumedly a product of the gothic revival in the mid-1800s. Given that Steelport was founded in 1827, I’d say Stilwater was founded around this time as well, potentially ~1830. It was an unused territory for several years and did not get further development until after Michigan’s statehood was granted in 1837. 

I believe, given the architecture of Old Stilwater and the architecture of older buildings in Steelport, that both cities had a huge economic boom starting in the 1920s and had a period of growth and expansion. I’d say things were looking up for Stilwater going into the 1940s and 50s, but the earthquake sent the city into a really bad place economically. Worth noting that Steelport did not seem to be affected by the earthquake or tremors, which allowed it to continue to prosper while Stilwater tried to pick up its broken pieces.

Let’s go back a little into the 1800s, after Stilwater’s founding. I believe some time in the late 1830s/early 1840s, private railways were laid nearby to Stilwater, but the area itself would not get connected to the mainland of Michigan by rails until around the 1850s. Initially it was being used as a place for manufacturing, but wealthy people with railroad money saw the potential for a resort area. We’ll get into that in a moment.

Stilwater clearly had some manufacturing business as evidenced by the factories and boatyards, but I don’t think it ever reached the level of industry as Steelport did. Steelport also had the advantage of being founded a few years earlier. We know canonically that Stilwater has a steel factory and an oil refinery. I believe the steel factory is a minimill specifically, given its small size and the junkyard nearby; this means it uses scrap metal in its steel production. I’d date the mill around the 1890s but with several updates through the years until it was ultimately shut down. The oil refinery was probably built around the 1950s or 60s given its look, though it still appears to be somewhat operational? You can still see plumes coming out of the towers.

I know the Carnales own it, but I don't think they're necessarily refining oil or even using it as a cover for something; I think they’re getting profits from it and protecting it. From what I can tell the oil refinery may be the only factory still in actual operation, as the steel mill is just being used for the Carnales’ arms dealing. 

So where does that leave Old Stilwater’s actual primary industry? If it’s not steel factories like Steelport, and the oil refinery didn’t come into being until around the mid-20th century, what did the city do? All throughout Stilwater there’s old, decommissioned railway tracks.

Parts of them were obviously meant for more general transportation of products, as evidenced by the tracks near the factories, but others follow the slightly newer, raised tracks of the transit system. This implies that at one point, Stilwater had a need for moving people into and out of the city. Given that the tracks also led to a nice hotel at one point (the hotel underground in SR2), there was clearly a market for people getting around to some sort of entertainment and/or hospitality.

Which leads me to my theory/headcanon/whatever that Stilwater, starting in the late 1800s and into the early 20th century, had a nice trolley park and was known mostly for its entertainment. This became its primary source of revenue. 

For starters, all throughout SR2, there is talk about returning Stilwater to former glory, and tourism is obviously its most booming industry at that point in the series, so this seems to imply that it was known for tourism at one point. Stilwater itself has such a heavy emphasis on pleasure in the first two games, so it feels as if that’s always been a part of itself. Even just the fact that a record label was able to start and flourish there says that there is an entertainment scene in Stilwater and it’s a core part of its identity. Not to mention it being voted a family-friendly city in the late 70s, a point where it looked as if it might’ve started to recover from its post-earthquake troubles, further implies that there was a family-friendly image it kinda had. I think the idea of it being a trolley park in the late 1800s and into the 1900s makes a lot of sense. Stilwater itself is quite picturesque, and trolley parks began because of the rise in popularity of picnics. Families and friends went out to the nice waterside area of Stilwater, and suddenly there’s a need for more direct lines into and out of the area; next thing you know there’s new entertainment being constructed so more and more people want to come in. This all follows a pretty clear line in terms of what’s in Stilwater.

Trolley parks went out of fashion with the rise of amusement parks in the 1920s, and though Stilwater doesn’t have an amusement park, I believe Stilwater went in the direction of building venues for things like cabaret, bars, and brothels. It ended up leaning more heavily on adult entertainment, which makes sense given how it looks at the start of the series. Stilwater became synonymous with pleasure, even if it was starting to shy away from the more all-ages entertainment it had in the 19th century.  

So by the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Stilwater was an extremely popular destination. It had great entertainment, beautiful hotels, and easy access to sex, drugs, and alcohol. All of this caught the attention of the Carnales, probably around the late 40s, and by the 1950s they began to have a hand in many of the institutions of Stilwater. 

One thing that caught my attention was a radio ad in SR1 in which Hughes says that his parents moved to Stilwater 50 years ago (so around 1956) and that, at the time, Stilwater was still a lively place. If we’re to assume the earthquake was the beginning of the end of Stilwater, we can easily guess that the earthquake either happened later that same year, or a year afterwards. With that in mind, around 1956-57, a huge earthquake hits Stilwater, razing most of the city. The place is in shambles, both physically and economically. That said, the Carnales are still expecting things like payments for their business, but now many people are unable to comply, having lost their means of income. In turn, the Carnales became a much larger, even more intimidating presence in Stilwater all throughout the rest of the 50s and 60s. 

Presumably at some point in the 1960s, a cult begins to form. People were seeking guidance and safety in the wake of such a huge natural disaster, and thus Philosotology began to take form. It stays relatively in the background for most of its life, but throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s more and more people join, especially those in places of power. I won’t get too into the development of Philosotology, as this is about the more general history of Stilwater, but I would be remiss to not mention it. The point being, by the 80s and 90s, they’re running things from behind the scenes, to the point they’re just a staple of Stilwater come modern day.

As we move through the 20th century, the progression of the canon story takes form. In the 70s, Julius Little and Benjamin King—sick of the Carnales presence in Stilwater—decide to take back the city. So throughout the 70s, the Vice Kings and the Carnales fight, with the Vice Kings ultimately coming out on top. In the late 70s and early 80s, it seems as if Stilwater might return to former glory, as the birth of Kingdom Come Records helped revitalize the arts and music scene of the city. 

However, the economy of Stilwater does not recover. Generations of Stilwaterians have been hurt by decades of poverty, of negligence by those in power, and it is not the thriving coastal city it was in the early-to-mid 20th century. Obviously, these factors (and many more) contribute to how the events of the first game begin. 

A QUICK TANGENT ABOUT STEELPORT

So where does Steelport fit into all of this? I mentioned it at the start, so surely I must have something to say. 

Steelport was founded in 1827 in Pennsylvania. It was an industrial city, full of steel factories, and it stayed that way for many years. The city steadily grew over several decades, and around the turn of the century, a large number of people from Europe moved to Steelport for work. And it was around this time that the organized crime syndicates of Europe were beginning to take hold in Steelport. 

Fast forward to the 1970s. Phillipe Loren, a high-ranking member of the Syndicate in Belgium, had ties to several of the gangs that were now in Steelport, so he goes to the city himself to see if it’s worth a US expansion. Seemingly pleased, Loren uses his status to begin doing more work with the gangs in Steelport. By the late 80s, Loren had become head of the Syndicate.

It was also around this time in the 70s that I believe Steelport began to essentially fill the hole that was left after Stilwater was destroyed by the earthquake. There was a need for places like hotels, brothels, and casinos in this area of the Rust Belt—and Steelport, being flush with cash, was able to fill that demand. In Steelport’s later years, it became more of an icon of sin and pleasure, perhaps even more than Stilwater was. It was bigger and flashier. But despite its hedonistic charm, Steelport was not exactly heading in a great direction by the 90s. 

Similarly to Stilwater, it fell on hard times economically, with many areas falling into disrepair. Many of these areas are still like this even into the modern day as poverty is still a very large issue within Steelport, though as usual is not a topic of concern for those in charge. Thus, the Syndicate very easily continues to spread its control. By the 2000s, Loren and the Syndicate are running the city. 

Getting a little ahead of my timeline, but worth talking about real quick: in 2011, Loren gets into contact with Maero about arms deals and potential expansion into Stilwater. At this point, Loren was already in bed with Ultor so to speak, but this was his first contact with one of the other gangs. Obviously this deal is hurt by the Saints, but that will only come back to bite them in a few years. 

CONCLUSION

I wanted to write some grand conclusion about all this, but to be honest my eyes are starting to glaze over from hours of running around in the first two games, reading documents on my computer, and scribbling four pages of written notes. I read some official Michigan documents on the history of the railway system in the state. I’ve never even been. What am I going to do with this knowledge now.

Stilwater is interesting and was worth a deep dive into the potential history of the area. I used to be the teaching assistant for a class on worldbuilding in college, so this type of shit is just super fascinating to me. And Stilwater has so many bits of scattered information that I really wanted to try to piece everything together in a mostly coherent way. It’s just a setting I really love for some personal reasons, and I just thought I’d give writing its history a shot. Perhaps in some ways like a love letter to the fictional city, or maybe just as a way to fill my long weekend. Who knows.

[saints-flow-family]

Rosa

One of the lieutenants of our Saints Row Family. Former member of Los Carnales, then changed gangs by the end of the first instalment thanks to Tommy and Lee. Will give out her proper backstory in her next picture! But we’re back ya’ll!

- Mod Tommy

[kikidewynter]

[zerkj0]

o fuk yah edgy art

[thetwobosses]

@antivanbrandy and I were talking about Troy’s goatee in SR1 and how he’d probably look babyfaced if he shaved and so I made a super quick edit of some concept art I found online (because I’m too unskilled to do a good edit of a screenshot)

Also you’d think concept art would help better explain what the fuck is going on with his hair but NOPE. How does it stay that way