You would think it would be easy to find non-sexy reference images of spider-people hybrids, wouldn’t you? Because, well, spiders. Spiders.

You’d be wrong.

Some of you out there in internet land want to do the nasty (so nasty) with spider ladies, and it shows.

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This one is apparently a character from a popular anime, because variations of it show up everywhere.

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Including cosplay.

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If I could stop to talk seriously with you perverts for a second, you really need to think your fantasies through a little better. Because look at where the…uh…business end…of the…consummation…would take place.

You’re going to get it bitten off, dudes.

By a spider.

Is that the fantasy? Castration by spider-girl?

*Shakes head in bewilderment.*

And if you think it’s only dudes out there getting their arachnid perv on, think again.

Some ladies are clearly into the smouldering spider-abs. So, so many spider-abs.

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Really, Saga had it right.

If we ever meet spider aliens sometime in the distant future, squeamishness be damned, we’ll be trying to shag them in short order.

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(Panels from the Saga comic, which, coincidentally, is a brilliant space opera/fantasy/family drama series that everyone should check it out. That happens to feature a spider person. And she really isn’t the weirdest character in the comic.)

Humanity – bringing unrelenting thirst to every corner of the galaxy.

Ok, but this point you might be wondering – Gareth, how the hell did we get onto this topic? Why are you googling sexy spidertaurs?

(Fair warning for the squeemish, this is your last chance to stop scrolling down. It gets less sexy from here on out, and more ick.)

Well, I wasn’t exactly looking for spiders with bedroom eyes, friends.

What I’ve been doing, in preparation for commissioning art in the future, is building mood boards for the various card sets/alignments (which correspond to cults alignments with specific eldritch powers) in Cults.

These are useful reference points for artists, to illustrate what I’m imagining for the cards and other art. A picture says a thousand words, etc.

I wasn’t planning to reveal any the details on the card sets yet, but screw it, I’m not a AAA company that needs to keep my cards close to my chest in preparation for a big PR push, I doubt dropping some details now will hurt.

(Just keep in mind it’s all WIP and may change as I hammer out details and iterate on the design – System Crash, for example, went through multiple revisions to the core plot and characters).

So one of the factions in Cults is the The Crawling Host – a cult worshiping a monstrous alien insect hive, showing their devotion by hosting said insects in their flesh and spreading the infection to others.

You might be thinking, “Uh, Gareth, I thought Cults was a Lovecraft thing?”

As I said in a previous post, yes, but also no. It’s inspired by Lovecraft and the broader genre of cosmic horror, but it isn’t a straight-up copy of HP’s Mythos.

Of the 4 factions, 2 are pretty direct references to Lovecraft’s creations, and 2 (including The Host) draw more from other influences. I want each faction to feel like its own distinct flavour of Horrifying Doom descending on the world, its own unique theme.

If all four factions were just variations of tentacle abominations, they would feel pretty samey.

In the case of The Crawling Host, my primary inspiration is the comic book Regression, which was interesting and creepy and very much about bugs and body horror.

Particularly creepy if, like me, bugs and spiders give you the heeby-jeebies.

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*Shudder*

So what I was actually looking for, when I stumbled over all the sexy spider people, was references for abominations with an insect flavour.

Like so:

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Rest assured, fans of Eldritch Abominations, you’re in good hands. Cults is going to respectful of Cosmic Horror canon.

There’s not going to be any romancing Sexy Cthulhu or some shit.

If this is what you’re here for, you perverts, you need to jog on. There’s going to be none of this.

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Not even a cheat code to unlock a secret Sexy Cthulhu end-scene. Nada.

Really, is there nothing sacred (or profane) that humanity won’t turn into filth?

Sadly, it seems not.

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I am, of course, just having a bit of fun here, friends. I’ve been online for a loooong time, no manifestation of Rule 34 can shock me anymore. Certainly not sexy spider people.

I mean, we all grew up with D&D’s Driders and Drow, right?

And, of course, the endearing appeal of combining alluring human figures with spiders in art and myth is the delicious frisson created by the juxtaposition of sexy and creepy imagery, the same frisson that gives the works of HR Giger their alien allure.

And there’s also the appeal of “dangerous” female sexuality for men (and some women, I’m sure), as embodied by the Black Widow character archetype, the sexy woman who men are dying to get in bed with, but might literally die if they got in bed with.

So yeah, all just a bit of fun. 😉

And sexy spider ladies? Pfffft, old hat. Sexy snail ladies are where it’s really at, bros. Look at those eye stalks!

– Gareth out