The World You Walk on WORLD & CONCEPT SUMMARY: "WASTELAND TANK GIRLS" (working title) For originality / similarity review 1. PREMISE An alternate world inspired by WWII in which tanks, armored vehicles and APCs do not exist. In their place are "tank girls": huge, heavily armed women born as war machines, each named after and built around a real historical armored vehicle model. They are born as children and grow to full size. Multiple girls of the same model can exist, and people take shifts looking after the young ones. Each girl is as tall as her vehicle is long (about 15 to 30+ feet). They have the personalities of high schoolers, giving a "cute kaiju" tone. Pitch: Pacific Rim, but with women instead of mechs, fighting an enemy army rather than kaiju. The story is told from the Soviet side. 2. FACTIONS - The Red Star (Soviet / Slavic): human-named girls with scary field names on top. Large territory, deep manpower, distant factories. - The Iron Cross (German): efficient and industrial. Girls are designated by number or model and are resentful about it. Hatchery-factories ("Cradles") raise them in cohorts. - The Scrappers (the in-between): crazy-smart salvagers and kitbashers with Greek names. Some can be hired as mercenaries or mechanics, others are hostile. 3. GEOPOLITICS - Germany and the USSR have become the last two superpowers on earth and are at war. - Europe no longer exists as separate nations. It has been replaced by "the Gray": one continuous industrial sprawl of fused cities, smog and factory belts under German control. - Russia has expanded across a large part of Asia (Siberia, Central Asia, Mongolia and much of China and Korea). - Between the two lies a ruined belt called "the Wastes," where the front has ground back and forth. The Scrappers live there. - Long before this war, the Americas and Israel were destroyed by Iraq. The Middle East is largely indifferent to the northern war and acts as a neutral trading region. - Weather: an altered Eurasian climate in which Europe's "dead sun" (smog and permanent overcast) meets Russia's even deader, frozen sun, producing ash storms, freezing fog and mud seasons along the front. - The conflict is framed as a second Cold War: a tense stalemate with brinkmanship, proxy skirmishes and hot flashpoints. 4. CHARACTER ROSTER (30 + 3 drawn characters) Red Star: T-34-85, KV-2, IS-2, SU-152, T-26, BT-7, SU-76M, BM-13 "Katyusha", SU-100, T-35. Also BA-64 "The Stalker" (recon, armored car, medium artillery, radio pack, no armor). Iron Cross: Tiger I, Panther, Tiger II, StuG III, Brummbär, Hummel, Sturmtiger, Maus, Panzer IV, Wespe. Also Panzer II (forearm-mounted propellant-assisted weapon called the "Achilles Nail", earpiece, Iron Cross insignia). Scrappers (original, mythology-named): Kassandra, Talos, Pandora, Cerberus, Sisyphus, Charon, Medea, Icarus, Argus, Minos. Also Dedalus "The Engi" (engineer, wrench, mechanical tool arms). Each girl has a human appearance, personality and a distinct high explosive weapon, and fighting styles vary (rocket forearms, held cannons, back-mounted launchers, calling in artillery). The Models of Warmaiden that you'll Encounter on the Field ☭ The Red Star T-34-85, “Katya” · ~20 ft Personality: Class-rep energy, reliable and cheerful. HE ordnance: 85mm HE-frag. Appearance & fighting style: Practical braid, quilted tanker jacket, headset around her neck. A cannon sits on one shoulder like a pauldron, and she lobs HE over cover with the other arm free. Sloped shoulder plates deflect hits, so she brawls well too. KV-2 · ~22 ft · Open (babysat) Personality: Gentle giant, clumsy, apologizes after every impact. HE ordnance: 152mm howitzer. Appearance & fighting style: Baby-faced, shaggy bob, a coat with sleeves far too long. She wears the howitzer as a huge back-mounted cannon, fires it, gets knocked flat, then says sorry. Slow, but one shot is a disaster. IS-2, “Irina” · ~22 ft Personality: Stoic, terse, deadpan. HE ordnance: 122mm D-25T. Appearance & fighting style: Tall, long dark braid, a heavy fur-lined collar, a scar on her cheek. She plants her feet and fires a rifle-style 122mm from a back hardpoint, and the slow reload is covered by armored slab-gauntlets in melee. SU-152, “Zoya” · ~22 ft Personality: Loud and rowdy, treats every fight like a hunt. HE ordnance: 152mm gun-howitzer. Appearance & fighting style: Wild hair, a fur hunting hat, a permanent grin. She carries the giant gun-howitzer over her shoulder like a hunting rifle, and when it’s empty she swings the barrel as a club. Charges first, asks questions never. T-26, “Nadya” · ~16 ft Personality: Obsolete veteran, scrappy, refuses to retire. HE ordnance: 45mm light HE. Appearance & fighting style: Short and freckled, a patched jacket with faded ribbons, mismatched riveted armor plates. She has forearm-mounted twin machine guns and a hand-sized 45mm cannon. A dirty fighter who relies on experience. BT-7, “Vera” · ~19 ft Personality: Reckless speed demon. HE ordnance: 45mm HE on the move. Appearance & fighting style: Lean, ponytail, racing goggles, wheeled boots (a nod to the BT’s road wheels). She slides in at speed, fires point-blank and is gone before the blast lands. SU-76M · ~16 ft · Open Personality: Quiet, overlooked, always cold. HE ordnance: 76mm HE. Appearance & fighting style: Hooded, wrapped in a scarf, a coat with an open back. She keeps a shoulder-mounted field gun, bazooka-sized, and supports infantry from cover. Hands in her pockets whenever she can. BM-13 “Katyusha,” “Lyuba” · ~22 ft Personality: Theatrical diva. HE ordnance: 132mm rockets. Appearance & fighting style: Stage-flair gloves, a coat with a huge rail rack on her back like organ pipes. She stands still and unleashes a full salvo from the rack, a “hail of rockets,” but she’s helpless in melee and relies on her squad. SU-100 · ~20 ft · Open Personality: Calm, patient, a sniper at heart. HE ordnance: 100mm D-10S. Appearance & fighting style: Narrow eyes, a long coat. She holds a long-barreled 100mm like an anti-materiel rifle and fires from a prone position, and she sits in cover for hours without moving. T-35, “Galina” · ~32 ft Personality: Dramatic, easily distracted, arguing with herself. HE ordnance: 76mm plus two 45mm. Appearance & fighting style: The tallest Soviet. Five small turrets on her shoulders, forearms and back, each with its own targeting and its own opinion. Chaotic and effective at the same time. (Already on file: BA-64 “The Stalker”. Recon, radio pack, no armor, and she mostly calls in the hail of lead.) ✠ The Iron Cross Tiger I · ~21 ft · Open Personality: Proud and arrogant. HE ordnance: 88mm KwK 36. Appearance & fighting style: Platinum hair in a tight cut, an immaculate coat, a straight posture. An 88mm on a rigid shoulder arm, with thick armor skin. A duelist who wins the first shot and tells you about it. Panther, “Greta” · ~23 ft Personality: Elegant perfectionist. HE ordnance: 75mm KwK 42. Appearance & fighting style: Neat braid, sleek sloped plates across her chest and shoulders. She aims a long 75mm like a marksman’s rifle, flat and precise. Hates sloppy work, including her own. Tiger II · ~24 ft · Open Personality: Gloomy and anxious about fuel and breakdowns. HE ordnance: 88mm KwK 43. Appearance & fighting style: Tall and heavy with thick armor, always fidgeting with a fuel can on her back. A cradled 88mm and a huge frame make her tanky, but she’s anxious about every step. StuG III, “Anja” · ~22 ft Personality: Blue-collar, humble, everyone likes her. HE ordnance: 75mm StuK 40. Appearance & fighting style: Short and sturdy, work gloves. Her gun is fixed forward on her forearm and chest, with no turret, so she turns her whole body to aim. A stubborn infantry support girl. Brummbär · ~20 ft · Open Personality: Blunt bruiser. HE ordnance: 150mm StuH 43. Appearance & fighting style: Bulky with a boxy casemate shield across her shoulders, a bear-ear hat. A stubby 150mm hand mortar for bunker-busting at close range. Hummel · ~20 ft · Open Personality: Aloof artillery diva. HE ordnance: 150mm sFH 18. Appearance & fighting style: Hooded cloak, tall boots, always at the back. An ornate howitzer rig worn like a pack. Indirect fire only, guided by her earpiece, and she hates being close to the front. Sturmtiger · ~21 ft · Open Personality: Shy and awkward. HE ordnance: 380mm rocket mortar. Appearance & fighting style: Hides behind a huge boxy casemate coat. A giant rocket-mortar worn like a clumsy backpack cannon. One devastating shot, then she needs a long reload and her crew to help. Maus · ~30 ft · Open Personality: Lonely, soft-spoken, secretly wants hugs. HE ordnance: 128mm plus 75mm coax. Appearance & fighting style: Giant, big soft eyes, sleeves like cannons. Twin arm cannons, tremendous armor, and she barely moves, a walking fortress. Her stomp does as much damage as her guns. Panzer IV · ~20 ft · Open Personality: Dependable older sister, tired but caring. HE ordnance: 75mm KwK 40. Appearance & fighting style: Practical bun, side skirt plates (the Schürzen) that she holds up as shields. A balanced all-rounder who covers for the younger girls. Wespe · ~16 ft · Open Personality: Hot-headed and sarcastic. HE ordnance: 105mm leFH 18. Appearance & fighting style: Small, a wasp-striped armband, and a chassis-sister of Panzer II, so she shares the forearm propellant-assist idea. She fires a light howitzer from the shoulder and scoots away before the counterbattery arrives. (Already on file: Panzer II. Forearm-mounted Achilles Nail rockets, earpiece, and a mood swing involving chlorine.) ⚙ The Scrappers Kassandra · ~21 ft · Rebuilt KV-1 · Hireable Personality: Always right, never believed. HE ordnance: Rocket pods that warn before they hit. Appearance & fighting style: Mismatched plates, a bitter smirk. Fires warning rockets first, then the real ones, and then says “I told you.” Talos · ~24 ft · Tiger hull and KV-2 turret · Hostile Personality: A bronze-minded guardian who circles a territory forever. HE ordnance: 152mm howitzer. Appearance & fighting style: Armor like polished bronze. Patrols tirelessly and punches through walls. Doesn’t talk, just walks. Pandora · ~22 ft · Launcher box · Hireable (don’t open it) Personality: Gleeful gift-giver. HE ordnance: A box of mixed HE rockets, one at random per salvo. Appearance & fighting style: Carries a ribbon-wrapped crate on her back. Every salvo is a surprise, including to her. Cerberus · ~20 ft · Triple-barrel mortar rig · Hostile Personality: Three heads, three moods, rarely agrees with herself. HE ordnance: Three mortar tubes. Appearance & fighting style: Three tubes on her shoulders and back, each fired by a different mood. Terrifying when all three agree. Sisyphus · ~17 ft · Half-track with siege mortar · Hireable Personality: Stubborn and cheerful. HE ordnance: Oversized siege mortar. Appearance & fighting style: Hauls the mortar uphill every day on a wheeled cart harness. Sets up, fires, packs up, repeats. Charon · ~26 ft · Amphibious barge-tank · Hireable (pay first) Personality: Quiet ferrywoman who charges a toll. HE ordnance: Depth-charge-style HE drops. Appearance & fighting style: Long hooded cloak, a barge-pole polearm. Lobs HE charges from a bandolier and drowns anyone who doesn’t pay. Medea · ~19 ft · Spigot-mortar carriage · Hostile Personality: Charming, holds a grudge forever. HE ordnance: Heavy short-range demolition shells. Appearance & fighting style: Elegant, a long coat, a spigot launcher on a forearm. Smiles warmly, fires at point-blank range. Icarus · ~14 ft · Rocket-assisted car · Hireable Personality: Overconfident speed freak. HE ordnance: Rocket-boosted HE charge. Appearance & fighting style: Goggles, a scorched jacket, rocket boots. Launches herself at the target carrying the charge. Flies too close to the sun, regularly. Argus · ~19 ft · Spotter rig with scrap lenses · Hireable Personality: Paranoid, sees everything, sleeps never. HE ordnance: Spotting-fed artillery. Appearance & fighting style: Lenses stitched across her coat and hood like a hundred eyes. Never fires herself, just calls in fire, a bit like BA-64 with more paranoia. Minos · ~23 ft · Tunnel-digger tank · Hostile Personality: Labyrinth-dweller who loves puzzles. HE ordnance: Buried HE charges. Appearance & fighting style: Drill-bit gauntlets, goggles, a soil-caked coat. Digs under the target and detonates from below.