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the Dagon Knight4009 Posts
Much has been made of the treatment of gender in Dota 2, as this 76-page topic titled, "Are female heroes too sexualised?" attests. For the most part, those who address the question of gender have taken interest in the game’s female characters. Most notably, comments have been made on the practicality of the clothing worn by female heroes. By contrast, I’m going to try and even things up a bit by taking some time to look at the men* of Dota 2, and how they’re presented.
Today, I’m going to deal with four of the heroes I’ve played the most.
Lion:
I’m going to begin with Lion because, among other things, he was one of the first heroes I played Dota with. Moreover, he’s a character who has undergone a number of design changes since I started playing, some of which say encouraging things about his character.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/nT2Jb.jpg) While it’s not been a flattering transition, it’s nice to see him more confident.
As we can see, there was a time when Lion was quite different to the demon witch we know now. He used to wear his facial hair in a sort of demonic beard. While this helped lend his face some definition, it was never too hard to see what was going on behind it; a beard is no substitute for a jawline. Similarly, his face had before been lent some definition by makeup, with some not-so-subtle kohl/guyliner around his eyes to try and lend his face some character other than “bloated," "warty," and "maggot-like.”
In more recent patches, Lion has grown more comfortable. He’s let himself go a little, with sagging manbreasts replacing the muscular chest he’d sported earlier in the beta… but y’know, that’s okay. If you’re going to walk around topless all day, the most important thing is that you be comfortable about yourself. It's only made more intriguing by his acquisition of nipples in the interim.
Sure, you may be asymmetrical because of your hideous demonoplasty, and you may be a bloated mess, your chin slowly receding into your neck, skin waxy and horrific, but you have your pride. Wear whatever you damn well please, Lion, you’ve got shit to do.
Clothing status: Semi-nude. Cape. Shoulder pads.
Dark Seer:
The Dark Seer is another character somewhat lost in Dota 2. He’s a solid guy all round, but the truth is that he looks just a little strange; he’s from another dimension, and we can’t imagine what standards of beauty he’d be held to in that strange negarealm. So, what do we know about the Dark Seer?
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/PHMMv.jpg) A man who has maintained his own idea of beauty even in another dimension. Admirable.
We know that his skin is purple, his head is pointy, and he is covered in spines. None of these are remarkable on their own; there are plenty of strange-looking creatures in Dota 2. What is remarkable is that the Dark Seer is one of the few male characters to provide commentary on different heroes’ looks, including his own.
Your skull’s roundness offends me.
My beard grows longer.
Hand to face combat! / Slap in the face!
Did my head just get pointier?
So, what do we know about the Dark Seer? That he is obsessed with the pointiness of his own head and length of his beard, indicating that he maintains his own standard of male beauty. More than that, though, he seems almost obsessed with the idea of hitting other heroes in the face... perhaps because he seeks to flatten their noses so that they look more like himself? We may never know, but it could be that the Dark Seer sees himself as a sort of enthusiastic plastic surgeon.
And what about the fact that his clothes leave his nipples exposed? Are these the fashions he clings to from his home dimension? We can only assume so...
Clothing status: Pants (with freaky backwards-knees). Buckles. Gorget. Exposed nipples.
The Faceless Void:
The Faceless Void is an interesting case. If we take it at face value, he’s a robust guy. He’s got a fine looking bony crest thing, healthy purple skin (like the Dark Seer), and a range of strange abilities that allow him to travel backward and forward through time.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7g78o.jpg) Stark, beautiful, horrifically clumsy.
Sure, on the face of things, he has everything going in his favour, but we’re doing our best to look a little deeper here. Consider this; the Faceless Void can use his “backtrack” to shunt his way back and forth through time and space in an effort to dodge incoming attacks, but he never manages to get above a 25% chance to dodge. Why, you ask? Because, while he can turn back time, the Faceless Void is also blind.
Take a closer look at the backtrack icon: ![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/EaybX.png)
That is not the motion of a man dodging an attack. That is a man shying away from having stubbed his toe, or perhaps bumped his head.
The sad irony, of course, is that the faceless void is as perfect a specimen of the male figure as you’re ever likely to encounter. He’s well muscled, but not ridiculously so; he’s a man* who likes to keep in shape, but who sadly cannot see that shape himself. He’s confident enough to wander around semi-nude, but constantly uses his backtrack to avoid the embarrassments he might encounter.
His time travel is his security blanket, the poor dear. It probably doesn’t help that his given name is Darkterror.
Clothing status: Codpiece. Shoulder pads.
Pudge:
Say what you want, Pudge is the kind of guy who has the confidence it takes to just let it all hang out (in this case, “all” includes his skin, muscle, some bones, and various viscera).
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/gBvup.jpg) You know… there’s probably a website somewhere full of people who are really into Pudge.
The truth is that Pudge is probably the man we have to respect most in DotA. He bends to no one, he doesn’t feel the need to kowtow to fashionable expectations of just what it is that a man should wear; he’s comfortable in his horrific, meaty birthday suit, and that’s alright. There’s nothing wrong with a little nudity. Sure, he’s a hook-wielding horror whose primary occupation appears to be cannibalism, but nobody’s perfect.
Make room for Pudge!
Smells good, don’t it?
The difference is that Pudge is happy with who he is. Can you honestly look at that festering, mass of rotting flesh, the corpulent mess waddling along and just decaying everywhere, and tell me that he doesn’t think he’s sexy? Pudge knows exactly what he’s got going on, and I’m sure there are people who are into that sort of thing.
More power to him.
Clothing status: Apron. Flesh of his enemies.
*Some of the characters we’ll look at are “men” by dint of assumption. Who really knows what governs gender wherever the Dark Seer comes from?
 
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3030 Posts
My eyes... I didn't know Dark Seer had nipples lol =x
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8765 Posts
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D:
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the Dagon Knight4009 Posts
On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D:
Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples.
In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples.
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United States22883 Posts
On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples.
*****
We really should be able to 5 star posts like this.
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Australia8532 Posts
On January 08 2013 09:30 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples. ***** We really should be able to 5 star posts like this.
Lol - one of the few moments a Reddit voting system would be useful on TL 
In terms of sexuality, Kunkka or Beastmaster seem to be pretty well ... structured?
Possibility of species relationship between Sven and Void?
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Lalalaland34496 Posts
![[image loading]](http://i1174.photobucket.com/albums/r616/littlegizka/DotA%202%20Models/Windrunner.png)
Is it just me or is her chest really weird.
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United States22883 Posts
On January 08 2013 09:36 bkrow wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:30 Jibba wrote:On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples. ***** We really should be able to 5 star posts like this. Lol - one of the few moments a Reddit voting system would be useful on TL In terms of sexuality, Kunkka or Beastmaster seem to be pretty well ... structured? Possibility of species relationship between Sven and Void?
PA's system is much, much better.
I have to wonder, when Lycanthrope becomes a wolf, what happens to his clothes?
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Katowice25012 Posts
Pudge really doesn't care. Dude isn't even wearing shoes. He's charging into combat without even giving though to how to step over pointy rocks.
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On January 08 2013 09:48 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:36 bkrow wrote:On January 08 2013 09:30 Jibba wrote:On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples. ***** We really should be able to 5 star posts like this. Lol - one of the few moments a Reddit voting system would be useful on TL In terms of sexuality, Kunkka or Beastmaster seem to be pretty well ... structured? Possibility of species relationship between Sven and Void? PA's system is much, much better. I have to wonder, when Lycanthrope becomes a wolf, what happens to his clothes?
Well, he's got a limited number of places to hide them, and we know what his mouth is up to...
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LOL. By god. Why, you ask?
Faceless Void is also blind. That is not the motion of a man dodging an attack.
More the motion of a man stubbing his toe.
LOL this is too good.
<3.
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United States22154 Posts
I am never disappointed by a SirJolt blog
5/5
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sirjolt likes those manboobs
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/8/82/Cookiemonster.gif)
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Lalalaland34496 Posts
Must admit, when I first saw this in the sidebar I thought it would be one of those 'this is why we don't have many girls in dota' things. I was pleasantly surprised.
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Someone should definitely take up Void's psychological crisis and how he moves through time to escape it and make a film out of it. I honestly think it's quite a touching story that needs much more attention than it has.
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On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples.
For the question of Void, it's not where his nipples are, it's when.
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Five out of fucking five.
I wish I had an eighth of the wit of you or dAPhREAk.
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Have the decency to slap a [NSFW] tag on subject matter as hot as Pudge
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On January 08 2013 09:47 Firebolt145 wrote:Is it just me or is her chest really weird.
the model hasnt matched the textures ever. shes really flat
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On January 08 2013 09:47 Firebolt145 wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Is it just me or is her chest really weird.
I saw the OP on the quoted website, and I have to say that for a video game, DotAs boobage is not nearly as bad as others. Also most of the boobs look off center or somewhat not normal for some reason.
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United States11637 Posts
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Haha you're humor is great sirjolt! That detailed picture of pudge will probably haunt me in my sleep though...
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I really like the new DS and pudge
Kinda prefer the old lion
Definitely prefer the old FV
![[image loading]](http://dotabestguides.com/wp-content/imagescache/img4.freestart.hu/images/k/0/179863_716271f1d8.png)
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FuDDx
United States5008 Posts
My wordsmith doth maketh me swoon <3
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ALLEYCAT BLUES50595 Posts
you know, i never understood the idea of having a bare chest and a cape.
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FuDDx
United States5008 Posts
It lets the Elvin women collect water, in special water collection vessels, keeping hands free to slaughter orc scum and replenish your water ...when its raining, or fighting under water falls,........ you know.
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28094 Posts
SirJolt is and will always be my favourite <3
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dota 2 oversexualized? but no one cosplays dota 2 heroes, they do that for another dota game 
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That awkward moment when you realize that Shadow Fiend never had anything on
5/5 for revelation
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On January 08 2013 15:19 FinestHour wrote:dota 2 oversexualized? but no one cosplays dota 2 heroes, they do that for another dota game
The one with cartoon characters, incidentally.
Also, Mirana #1 qt.
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Wait is the OP in that other thread really trying to say that that Death Prophet is too hot? Lol, I dunno but those oversized hands are pretty off-putting.
Also that dark patch coming out of the crotch area on the vengeful spirit is a little unfortunate.
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So, what do we know about the Dark Seer? That he is obsessed with the pointiness of his own head
I'm pretty sure there's something in the lore in regards to pointy head syndrome for Seer (or pehaps it was pyrion flax's guide for him).
Quality post dude, a decent chuckle after a bad day at work
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Needs more storm. That's one handsome devil.
The curious thing about lion is that he was ugly before he was "pretty" and then decided to drop the makeup and go back to his true self.
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omgomgomgomgomg
needs an episode 2 of this please
naix and dazzle maybe?
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the Dagon Knight4009 Posts
On January 08 2013 12:01 wei2coolman wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples. For the question of Void, it's not where his nipples are, it's when.
This is a fantastic observation. Could it be that Void has, in his embarrassment, simple shifted his nipples five minutes into the future?
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This seems really rambling to not much of a conclusion, a bit SenileJolt
Glad it wasn't a "how we can get more girls into esports" blog at least.
Windrunner has always had a weird disconnect between texture and model, the modellers need to fix her
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On January 08 2013 10:51 rabidch wrote:sirjolt likes those manboobs
Can we please stop trying to make this happen? 
Entertaining as usual, SirJolt.
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the Dagon Knight4009 Posts
On January 08 2013 20:42 UltimateHurl wrote:This seems really rambling to not much of a conclusion, a bit SenileJolt
I'm not finished yet. You'll have your conclusion in 96 heroes' time :D
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United Kingdom38257 Posts
On January 08 2013 20:50 SirJolt wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 20:42 UltimateHurl wrote:This seems really rambling to not much of a conclusion, a bit SenileJolt I'm not finished yet. You'll have your conclusion in 96 heroes' time :D
I expect a detailed analysis on Beastmaster's loincloth in the future.
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On January 08 2013 20:50 SirJolt wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 20:42 UltimateHurl wrote:This seems really rambling to not much of a conclusion, a bit SenileJolt I'm not finished yet. You'll have your conclusion in 96 heroes' time :D
Will that happen before or after Half Life 3?
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On January 08 2013 15:19 FinestHour wrote:dota 2 oversexualized? but no one cosplays dota 2 heroes, they do that for another dota game
There was "some" cosplay at Ti2. But nothing spectactular.
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On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples.
Oh man this is one of the best things I've ever read on TL.
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United Kingdom38257 Posts
On January 08 2013 23:15 SilverStar wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 15:19 FinestHour wrote:dota 2 oversexualized? but no one cosplays dota 2 heroes, they do that for another dota game There was "some" cosplay at Ti2. But nothing spectactular.
There definitely are some dota cosplayers out there though
![[image loading]](http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/364/b/0/b053c8411b6cbdd9b88f38fd2e5bbfbb-d5pp3kv.jpg)
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ahahhaa nice blog!!! But but...i have always thought that pudge is a nice lady i know she has a pretty masculine voice and the guy who wrote his lore must have been disorientated by that too.
and since we are on the ladies, just saw this today xD
![[image loading]](http://i46.tinypic.com/2e0r4n5.jpg)
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Pudge takes showing bare skin to next level. 5/5
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Hmm.. Dota 2 females never seemed oversexualized to me. At least in comparison to other games
5/5, really amusing blog hhahaha
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On January 08 2013 09:57 heyoka wrote:
Pudge really doesn't care. Dude isn't even wearing shoes. He's charging into combat without even giving though to how to step over pointy rocks.
Duh ofcourse, you need to buy the boots first...
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On January 09 2013 00:08 BurningSera wrote:ahahhaa nice blog!!! But but...i have always thought that pudge is a nice lady i know she has a pretty masculine voice and the guy who wrote his lore must have been disorientated by that too. and since we are on the ladies, just saw this today xD
yesss, i always though qop was the hottest. dem boobies + sexy voice
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On January 08 2013 23:50 Asha` wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 23:15 SilverStar wrote:On January 08 2013 15:19 FinestHour wrote:dota 2 oversexualized? but no one cosplays dota 2 heroes, they do that for another dota game There was "some" cosplay at Ti2. But nothing spectactular. There definitely are some dota cosplayers out there though -snip-
Wind-runner with an actual bust, 0/10 would not bang.
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Godlike research, science thanks you.
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^ Faceless void is made of balls, that's pretty much official lore.
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On January 08 2013 12:01 wei2coolman wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples. For the question of Void, it's not where his nipples are, it's when.
As great as this blog was, this comment is the highlight of the thread! 
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Ogre Magi, the champion of the nipples. No contest.
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Lalalaland34496 Posts
Chuan in that photo looks like a LOT of things.
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the Dagon Knight4009 Posts
On January 08 2013 12:01 wei2coolman wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples. For the question of Void, it's not where his nipples are, it's when.
Gentlemen, new evidence has come to light:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/DhJoQ.jpg)
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Not sure which is better, the actual post or the comments...
Yeah DotA, with maybe a couple of notable exceptions (hello qop... although I think you're supposed to be hypersexualized) never seemed too too sexualized to me... At least in comparison to that other MOBA game people play.
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On January 09 2013 08:38 SirJolt wrote:Show nested quote +On January 08 2013 12:01 wei2coolman wrote:On January 08 2013 09:21 SirJolt wrote:On January 08 2013 09:19 babylon wrote:
Faceless Void doesn't have nipples ... disappointed. D: Correction: Faceless Void doesn't have nipples on his chest. I don't think we have a qualified extra-temporal biologist on staff to tell us where on his body we'd have to look to find nipples. In the absence of any other direction, would posit that the shoulder pads hide the Void's nipples. For the question of Void, it's not where his nipples are, it's when. Gentlemen, new evidence has come to light:
Is it me, or does this make him look almost happy? What before looked like gritted teeth is now a gentle smile. Amazing what nipples can for a person's look.
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This was a real eye opener. First-class expose. Thumbs up.
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Katowice25012 Posts
A nipple opener, as it were.
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haha I wasn't expecting them to be on his head! I looked at his shoulders first.
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On January 08 2013 09:11 SirJolt wrote:
The Faceless Void is an interesting case. If we take it at face value,
oh, you
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I came here for the man titties.
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Need more eye candy for the ladies, how about shirtless AM?
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On January 09 2013 16:23 ControlMonkey wrote:
Need more eye candy for the ladies, how about shirtless AM?
![[image loading]](http://www.cyborgmatt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Dota2_AM_Splash.jpg)
Done and Done
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Northern Ireland22208 Posts
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Its only a matter of time before this (d)evolves into another one of those "Nada's Body" threads.
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On January 09 2013 21:21 Crissaegrim wrote:
Its only a matter of time before this (d)evolves into another one of those "Nada's Body" threads.
Storm Spirit's body you mean.
Storm > everyone else including QoP
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I read some of the posts of that playdota thread and dear god is that community disgusting. All of a sudden team liquid's forays into misogyny seem quaint in comparison.
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I went to read the link at PlayDota and immediately thought....League of Legends takes this over sexualization of female characters to the extreme. It exists now in Dota, way early in the Beta majority of the female heroes didn't have cleavage showing (Windrunner, Mirana come to mind) and then there was a "Cleavage Buff" patch. All games have to have a touch of this, I feel the amount Valve has put in is good enough.
Also.....them Dark Seer tits. lol good blog SirJolt.
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Surely it has no deeper reason that valve released ALL female heroes very early? Beside medusa, who is being ugly by lore.
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On January 10 2013 04:16 Mafe wrote:
Surely it has no deeper reason that valve released ALL female heroes very early? Beside medusa, who is being ugly by lore.
What do you call very early? TA , PA were very late
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Lalalaland34496 Posts
I guess we have SirJolt to thank for the abomination of a hero we have this week ~
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On January 10 2013 04:35 Qbek wrote:Show nested quote +On January 10 2013 04:16 Mafe wrote:
Surely it has no deeper reason that valve released ALL female heroes very early? Beside medusa, who is being ugly by lore. What do you call very early? TA , PA were very late
Very early in the sense that if you had to choose an order of releases randomly the probably that all those female heroes shown on picture on page 3 would be relesead by now (before the last 16 heroes) is 2.6%.
edit: Think it calculate it wrong and it's more like 8.7%. Still very low.
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On January 09 2013 18:25 Qbek wrote:Show nested quote +On January 09 2013 16:23 ControlMonkey wrote:
Need more eye candy for the ladies, how about shirtless AM? Done and Done
What a lady killer. And by lady, I mean dusa.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yOVPq.png)
![[image loading]](http://www.cyborgmatt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Dota2_LionSplash.jpg)
