#except instead of the underworld it is the world itself

[iroissleepdeprived]

"Hello, my name is Odysseus, I have found myself in the Underworld and I am now contemplating how I'm going to get out of this situation."

[teeth-cable]

On a subject that I think people have brought up but I wanted to go more in depth.

Hellborn being homophobic makes no sense. Like sinners it does but not for the native species.

Homophobia originates from the a mistranslated bible verse that in its original form condemned pedophilia so like wouldn't the Hellborns know that?

If we are going with the homophobia from the bible so of course Hellborns would be homophobic (even though that makes no sense)... Don't the Hellborns worship Satan? Wouldn't their holybook be different?

Also Succubi exist so that adds a layer of confusion.

We also have a shark demon dressed as a catholic priest... Like if you edited the outfit to look unholy kinda like some of the Murdoc Niccols art in the recent Gorillaz arc then its not a total worldbuilding issue.... But dude is straight up a catholic priest and we know the shark demons are hellborn due to concept art showing hybrids so we cant say its a holdover from life.

Also the typical western wedding we see stems from Queen Victoria and again these are Hellborns they don't know who the fuck she is. It would make more sense to borrow from more ancient wedding traditions.

Also I understand why they made Crim biphobic because it is a real thing that people do experience from parents and Vivziepop is bisexual herself so I understand it being important to the crew but, again it makes no sense unless Crim is a sinner or...

Crim wants biological grandchildren. I mean you have to genderswap Chaz and maybe Millie but then again Millie can stay the same and just have Crim mention how Moxxie used to chase after guys and doesn't like Millie because she's a country bumpkin.

Like the only way I can see homophobia being a thing in Hell if its because people there value blood more than anything. This would actually I think fit well with the Stolitz plot that they are going with. Stolas and Stella were married off to produce a child and we know that you don't have to be blood related to Stolas to use the grimoire as seen with Loona. Rather there was no point in birthing Octavia if the power isn't genetic so the system itself is intentionally flawed. Maybe like you aren't shamed if you have a same sex lover in general if you have a kid already but if you dont then you get shunned. Some people might judge Stolas for sleeping with an imp due to the status alone. If it was a male noble it would be less scandalous. But imagine like the fact Stolas chose an imp over Stella actually makes their entire family look bad.

Like people are gonna speculate on how badly Stella screwed up if her husband chose a peasant over her and that might lead to people wondering why Octavia doesn't have siblings. Depending if Hell is misogynistic or not Stella might be portrayed as at fault for this. Hey at least she has a layer of complexity now instead of being a bimbo.

Succubi and Incubi might be the only exceptions because like their existence is founded on sex.

This all would mean being ace in hell would be interesting to explore.

Now returning to theology

What are Hellborns core tenets?

What the hell happens to Hellborns when they die? Like I think we need this answered soon rather than later because we know sinners get erased by holy weapons but nothing about Hellborns who could die like a normal person. Like they don't have souls... Do they just get erased from existence too? Like everyone has been super confused about this since episode 2 for crying out loud and we have not even a fraction of a hint.

Why did they add the Great Old Ones. Like I know Viv said she was pulling from multiple mythologies... I assume that she meant she would pull from Underworld myths across the world to help out a unique spin on hell because that's a logical assumption and interesting ideas. After all the Hellenism Underworld has a lot of interesting stuff and Tartarus is pretty similiar to the Christian Hell.

But she grabs the great old ones? Look they aren't even a mythology and a lot of stuff H.P. Lovecraft wrote about them usually meant if they were around they were gonna either put the universe into an era of chaos or everyone dies. Like the only Great Old One that could fit in Helluva is Dagon because dude was an actual worshipped god and was mentioned in the bible where his worshippers were demonized.

But like going back to how using the Great Old Ones in Hellaverse is a shitty choice. Like how are you going to fit anyone besides Dagon in a show based off primarily Abrahamic beliefs.

Like there's already a christian apocalypse and The Great Old Ones seem more akin to aliens instead of them probably being demons in Hellaverse. But then you also have to consider the fact the Old Ones power is literally incomprehensible.

Like why does God on the show allow them to stick around when in Judaism He nerfed Levithan because He accidentally made it too powerful.

Like you would have to nerf them significantly which actually takes away from them.

But oh wait Vivziepop added Azathoth the one Great Old One that is so difficult to nerf because it's literally a blackhole/primordial chaos. The only reason it's not destroying stuff is because it's asleep. Like using that one either means your story is probably going to deal with end game shit or set dressing to explain the origin of the others.

Like if Azzy is there does that mean god came from it or did He create it?

Also the Great Old Ones represent concepts of madness and terror yet none of those themes are present in Helluva. Like maybe it could've worked if as they get more clients the imps get exposed to a lot of fucked shit that starts draining them idek.

Like if Vivziepop really really really wanted to pull from another mythos not linked to Abrahamic religion, roman mythology! Like literally Roman Beliefs and Abrahamic Religions have a deeply tied history so it makes since especially since Emperor Constantine made christianity legal which began the erasure of pagan religions and the roman gods even cameod in The Divine Comedy.

Im so confused about the writing decisions

The reason why the worldbuilding makes no sense and we never learn about the imp's culture is because the writers only wanted to make a show about relationship drama. Which is fine if it took place on regular Earth but no, Viv decided she wanted to make a show that takes place in Hell because Hazbin is popular but didn't want to put the effort into writing the worldbuilding so as a cheap cop out they wrote Hell like Earth but now that's biting them in the ass because fans are starting to noticed the human elements like homophobia, jail, rehab, and the mafia makes no sense in Hell.

Imps being homophobic never made sense. Beside the mistranslation of the Bible, Hell is supposed to be the opposite of Heaven. So if Heaven in Viv's version is homophobic then Hell would be the very opposite. Most likely homophobic imps would be outcasted because of their views. Also in Viv's hell being an imp is worse than being gay. The writers are just giving homophobic imps the same writing treatment as the human disguises, they're only an inconvenience or needed for the plot when the writers wants them to be. Crim was already an asshole without being biphobic, he's a misogynist who abused and killed his wife and most likely abused Moxxie when he was young. Those traits are already enough to make him dislikable.

When Viv says she's going to pull from multiple mythologies, what she actually mean is she's not going to do any research, only steal the most interesting parts out of their context, and steal ideas from other writers even if they have no relation to Hell. It's very obvious none of the HB writers did actual research just by how the show characters and Hellborn species barely resemble their demonology counterparts.

One thing to remember about Helluva Boss is this show is not professional despite what the writers and fandom wants you to believe, it is not. Both seasons were unplanned, the writers hate listening to feedback, the show reconned almost everything in Season 2, the writing is inconsistent, and the worldbuilding is just lazy.

Not much else to say about the worldbuilding TBH. Yea it's pretty terrible but from the start the show never plan or will explain more about Hell. It's just best to view this show as someone's poorly written shipping fanfic.

[blueiskewl]

Masterpiece or Hot Mess?

Here Are 7 Bad Paintings by Famous Artists.

Even the most adept of painters can totally miff it.

Ah, the expressive brush strokes of Van Gogh, and oh, Chagall’s dreamy scenes! Celebrated artists throughout history have produced some of the world’s most ravishing works, executed with an unparalleled mastery of light and color, line and space. But let’s face it: they also turned out their share of duds. We’re not talking about paintings intended to capture the grotesquerie of human life, but artworks that evidence clumsy mark-making, questionable choices, or a rudimentary hand. Even the most adept of painters, it seems, have their off days.

Don’t believe? Here are seven artworks by famous artists that will make you question their credentials.

Henri Matisse Portrait of Sarah Stein (1916)

Matisse’s portraits are recognized for their evocative planes that seem to bear out the sitters’ psychological states. But not so much in this work. Part of a double portrait of his patrons, Michael and Sarah Stein, Matisse here has rendered Mrs. Stein sans dimensions, her facial features overly simplified and her neck caught between what seem like giant scissor blades. His vibrant palette is also absent here, save for the light patches he slapped onto Stein’s face. Even the study Matisse did of Stein looks grades better than this completed portrait—just saying.

Edvard Munch Angry Dog (1938–43)

In case you couldn’t tell, Munch did not like this dog. While the Norwegian artist was certainly an animal lover, this pooch, which belonged to his neighbor, was apparently an untamed beast that did not endear itself to Munch. “I have myself many times on dark nights been attacked by it,” he wrote, “even right outside my own house.” Such behavior only slightly excuses this hastily daubed piece of nightmare fuel, in which the titular dog seems not so much angry as ready to escort you to the underworld.

Marc Chagall Hommage à Apollinaire (study) (1911)

Granted, Chagall’s work has tended toward the whimsical and symbolic, but this garish work, a study for his ode to poet Guillaume Apollinaire, is probably best left unseen. While the piece is meant to depict the conjoined bodies of Adam and Eve, it instead captures confused proportions and a gaudily muddled background. To be fair, it is a study, which did pave the way for a stunning avant-garde canvas, so we’ll go easy on this one.

Vincent van Gogh Young Man with Cornflower (1890)

Sorry to break it to you, but Van Gogh produced a handful of real lemons in his day. Our vote, however, must go to his painting of a youth he encountered at Auvers-sur-Oise. Surely, the artist’s intention was to capture the subject’s sunbaked complexion and radiant smile—the “je ne sais quoi of the eternal,” as Van Gogh described it. But what he turned out was a green-eyed, spotty-cheeked, pointy-eared creature, his discolored lips clamping down on a cornflower stem. I don’t know what, indeed.

Georg von Rosen The Sphinx (1887)

Though hardly the most well-known name on this list, Swedish painter Georg von Rosen was recognized toward the end of the 19th century for his finely detailed historical scenes, created in strict academic style. Which makes this 1887 artwork downright baffling. Von Rosen’s portrayal of the mythical critter has the body of a lion and the head of a human female, except the proportions are so out of whack that it distracts from the meticulously drawn work. Seriously, where’s her neck at, Georg?

Pablo Picasso Fillette à la corbeille fleurie (1905)

Put aside, if you can, the grossly asymmetrical power dynamics of a grown man having a child pose in the nude for him, and still, this early Picasso canvas is, well, not his best. The face of the mononymous “Linda” is drawn with some evocative world-weariness, but she’s otherwise clumsily rendered (the work’s one-time owner Gertrude Stein bemoaned the girl was painted with “feet like a monkey”). Not that the circumstances and gaucheness of the painting hurt its market: this hot mess was snapped up for $115 million at Christie’s in 2018.

Rembrandt van Rijn Stone Operation (Allegory of Touch) (c. 1624–25)

At 18, Rembrandt created a series of paintings, each an allegory of one of the five senses. Understandably for a young—but no less gifted—artist, these works don’t reach the level of realism and tenebrism that marked the Dutch master’s later works. Smell and Hearing are forgivable, but Touch, showing a man undergoing a quack operation, is downright cartoonish, from the doctor’s three-fingered hand to the onlooker’s pinhole eye. Surely, the scene is meant to be comical, but not this much of a joke.

By Artnet News.

Top Painting: Vincent van Gogh, Madame Roulin and Her Baby, (1888).

[cogmin213]

Before you say anything, yes his name is "Deceiver" I mean what do you expect to a writer who create im not that kind of talent novel with a name Cruel, Stigma, and Remember?

---

Deceiver is born from the deception of the last Hero and Last Demon King for deceiving the world and going against their will by joining hands

The moment Deceiver became alive, he knew his own existence as the demigod and also the world error

The first thing he did was to find his fathers but they were both dead. his only goal was to find the reincarnation of his father Deon Hart since Demon King are an existence who can't reincarnate

He can find his father easily by knowing the flow of the world and see where his reincarnation ended up with

it took him a lot of courage to approach his father even after 150 years of watching him from afar until he finally took the role as the youngest and the 5th disciple

Raven 'saved' Deceiver from the gate and monster. The little child is cunning and only disguise himself as a young boy for Raven to rescue him

at first it was a coincidence encounter but Deceiver wanted his father attention and been yearning for him

he called him "father" at their first meeting and the rest of the disciple looks weirdly at him because he's the first one to call Raven a father while the rest of them still doesnt have the guts to call him father yet

Raven cherish Deceiver as well as his other disciples. He took care of them with warmth and love as they needed

Raven openly call him with endearment names like "my son, baby, dear" and more cute names even if he feel betrayal from world error

Raven doesnt like world error even if they're demigods. he realize this fact after he notice Deceiver's height is out of normal from ordinary human

as if his height (196cm) is similar to a demon king who is also world error

later when Raven found this fact especially the eyes reveal itself. instead of taking revenge like his previous life as Deon Hart. He choose to disappear from their sight for 10 years

Deceiver was grieving at rejection and started a war against the holy land just to find his father. he even go against any race such as elven territory and directly loot their fairy herbs for their father and even threaten the emperor Ardall of the Empire.

He is banned in Esperanes Kingdom alongside with Raven but he still go inside as he pleases. He doesnt give a shit about law and he even have the underworld at the palm of his hands

He is above the emperor and they can't go against the demigod.

Deceiver truly loves his father and willing to create a world directly for ■■ who is now called Raven as alias since the world cencored the name Deon

Deceiver kept asking Raven why does he abandoned him but Raven only replied he must kill Deceiver since he is the world error. He doesnt like how his father treated him but he still so pure as a child who only wants his father with him

but despite these toxic behaviour between father and child. Raven still allow Deceiver to cuddle him and call him his son. they made a contract as sort of temporary truce in order to live later

The truce is about Deceiver doing more good deeds in the world in order to be accepted by his father more. He isnt bad as the previous world errors.

Deceiver even mention his other father the Demon King to Raven to prove his point his existence as demigod is different just like how the demon king separated his existence with the demons. He just wanted to be accepted by Raven.

Deceiver calls the other disciples as Noona and Hyungnim except to the newest disciple who took the youngest name Dan.

all 5 disciples doesnt like Dan (reincarnation Dan)

Deceiver called Cruel the Guardian Spirit as parasite who keeps sticking up to his father

(Ps. Cruel wants to beat up all his nephews and nieces because they're all little shits who kidnap and threaten their papa to stay with them even if it means breaking Raven's limbs because the children develop a separation issue since Raven left them for 10 years. Though they were already crazy little shits before they got separation issue but it just got worse lmao)

He knew his father very well especially his favorite clothing style and sometimes help him to fix his clothes. Unlike the other disciples, Deceiver isnt affected by the curse to forget Raven since he is a demigod.

[kemetic-dreams]

What the Hell?

Judaism does not have a specific doctrine about the afterlife, but it does have a mystical/Orthodox tradition of describing Gehinnom. Gehinnom is not hell, but originally a grave and in later times a sort of Purgatory where one is judged based on one's life's deeds, or rather, where one becomes fully aware of one's own shortcomings and negative actions during one's life.

The Kabbalah explains it as a "waiting room" (commonly translated as an "entry way") for all souls (not just the wicked). The overwhelming majority of rabbinic thought maintains that people are not in Gehinnom forever; the longest that one can be there is said to be 12 months, however, there has been the occasional noted exception. Some consider it a spiritual forge where the soul is purified for its eventual ascent to Olam Habah (heb. עולם הבא; lit. "The world to come", often viewed as analogous to heaven). This is also mentioned in the Kabbalah, where the soul is described as breaking, like the flame of a candle lighting another: the part of the soul that ascends being pure and the "unfinished" piece being reborn.

According to Jewish teachings, hell is not entirely physical; rather, it can be compared to a very intense feeling of shame. People are ashamed of their misdeeds and this constitutes suffering which makes up for the bad deeds. When one has so deviated from the will of God, one is said to be in Gehinnom. This is not meant to refer to some point in the future, but to the very present moment. The gates of teshuva (return) are said to be always open, and so one can align his will with that of God at any moment. Being out of alignment with God's will is itself a punishment according to the Torah.

Many scholars of Jewish mysticism, particularly of the Kabbalah, describe seven "compartments" or "habitations" of hell, just as they describe seven divisions of heaven. These divisions go by many different names, and the most frequently mentioned are as follows:

Sheol (Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל – "underworld", "Hades"; "grave")

Abaddon (Hebrew: אֲבַדּוֹן – "doom", "perdition")

Be'er Shachat (Hebrew: בְּאֵר שַׁחַת, Be'er Shachath – "pit of corruption")

Tit ha-Yaven (Hebrew: טִיט הַיָוֵן – "clinging mud")

Sha'are Mavet (Hebrew: שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת, Sha'arei Maveth – "gates of death")

Tzalmavet (Hebrew: צַלמָוֶת, Tsalmaveth – "shadow of death")

Gehinnom (Hebrew: גֵיהִנוֹם, Gehinnom – "valley of Hinnom"; "Tartarus", "Purgatory")

Besides those mentioned above, there also exist additional terms that have been often used to either refer to hell in general or to some region of the underworld:

Azazel (Hebrew: עֲזָאזֵל, compd. of ez עֵז: "goat" + azal אָזַל: "to go away" – "goat of departure", "scapegoat"; "entire removal", "damnation")

Dudael (Hebrew: דּוּדָאֵל – lit. "cauldron of God")

Tehom (Hebrew: תְהוֹם – "abyss"; "sea", "deep ocean")

Tophet (Hebrew: תֹּפֶת or תוֹפֶת, Topheth – "fire-place", "place of burning", "place to be spit upon"; "inferno")

Tzoah Rotachat (Hebrew: צוֹאָה רוֹתֵחַת, Tsoah Rothachath – "boiling excrement")

Mashchit (Hebrew: מַשְׁחִית, Mashchith – "destruction", "ruin")

Dumah (Hebrew: דוּמָה – "silence")

Neshiyyah (Hebrew: נְשִׁיָּה – "oblivion", "Limbo")

Bor Shaon (Hebrew: בּוֹר שָׁאוֹן – "cistern of sound")

Eretz Tachtit (Hebrew: אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּית, Erets Tachtith – "lowest earth").

Masak Mavdil (Hebrew: מָסָך מַבְדִּ֔יל, Masak Mabdil – "dividing curtain")

Haguel (Ethiopic: ሀጉለ – "(place of) destruction", "loss", "waste")

Ikisat (Ethiopic: አክይስት – "serpents", "dragons"; "place of future punishment")

Maimonides declares in his 13 principles of faith that the hells of the rabbinic literature were pedagogically motivated inventions to encourage respect of the Torah commandments by mankind, which had been regarded as immature. Instead of being sent to hell, the souls of the wicked would actually get annihilated.

[peony-flowerking7]

Lmk Qiulong Descendants part 2

YEAH MORE OF THESE GUYS! Gotta drop some lore here Qiulong powers are not classified and for that many of these characters can do their own magic, Qiulong just add itself into a mix which can bring dangerous consequences to the user. They can go insane with the power and can't control themselves losing their own identity and the thing that remains is Qiulong itself. Btw the second once I based and reference her outfit on Toph as well as the personality.

Jingyi The fourth descendant of Qiulong, directly born from a demon instead of a mortal, making her a full demon. Jingyi and Shen are the only ones directly born from Qiulong but anyways. She lived a relatively normal life in a village full of peaceful demons and since she did not have any of Qiulong scent, aura or even characteristics, the heavens never knew she was a Qiulong but it actually the first time Qiulong genetic was not strong enough to pass down their genetics so Jingyi was not albino. AND SHE HAD SCALES BECAUSE DEMON REPTILES GENETICS!

Her signature weapon was a rake kind of like Pigsy rake except she use it for plowing the fields and using it to cause some natural disasters. Floods are her greatest strengths but she doesn't know she did that until the end.

Bao The Fifth descendant of Qiulong, A more rough and exciting young woman that basically is if Toph was the Avatar. Bao had control of nature itself cultivating her power and using her disability as an advantage, also she is kind of half blind but covers her eyes to train herself when it comes to using her powers, Bao even met Sun Wukong and his travelling friends and join them for a bit building friendship but having to leave them because she needed to find herself in this world.

Her signature weapons was a metal staff that she use for her blindness and to attack, she made it herself using different materials. Btw Bao and Jingyi were the only ones who use their powers for good but both also do not know of their origin and their end was more of a unfortunate circumstance.

Zhihao The last descendant of Qiulong a young girl turn into a warrior creating conflicts with the heavens, the earth and the underworld wanting everybody to feel her mother wrath to avenge her aunt and cripple the world into devastating despair. Wanting all to feel her sadness a true Qiulong till the end. She was sealed away by a dear friend of hers. In the end Zhihao was the one to prove that Qiulong descendants were never going to change and that was the end of Qiulong legacy.

Her signature weapon was a slingshot and not so fun fact she was the only of her family to ever use the full potential of Qiulong, by that I mean she was able to turn into a full on dragon. A poor unfortunate monster until the very end. Btw her monster dragoness will be half inspired by The Nowhere King.

[edgeanescence]

having some more insane cyrus ramblings, this time about the pokemon he uses in general and not just crobat.

cyrus mains two types of pokemon; dark types and flying types. every pokemon he has on his team is one or the other type, with the exception of honchkrow who is both. when looking at his pokemon team in platinum, its evenly divided between the two types, with no secondary types repeating.

additionally, all of his pokemon hold some level of aggression in their evolution line*.

so what does this tell us?

rather then having an arbitrary mix of pokemon, and given how gamefreak is known to put thought into certain npcs teams, its reasonable to assume that dark/flying and the very common nature tie into cyrus in some way.

hes not a type specialist in the common sense, but he could still hold an affinity for dark/flying type pokemon in the same manner.

additionally, it could match with his personality and goals. hes a dreamer, his goal attempting to transcend what others would call realistic and grounded. flying represents an ascension to godhood that he seeks so badly. he has a strong sense of altruism, but it is severely corrupted by how selfish he is. attempting to remove spirit from the world cannot be done easily though, and thus requires sacrifice. resetting the universe to remove it would result in many lives lost in itself, not including the dangers and morally reprehensible things cyrus was willing to endure for the sake of his goal. and while cyrus mostly keeps his cool, he can have explosive anger as shown in the distortion world. in fact, one could attribute the aggressive nature of his pokemon to his aggressive desire to pursue his goal until the very end.

to share more specific thoughts on his pokemon instead of just the commonalities, i will discuss them in relation to him individually as well. for best comparison, i am using up to dppt pokedex information and summarizing it.

houndoom

introduced in platinum, houndoom is the pokemon that rounds out the balance of dark/flying types on cyrus’ team. they are pack creatures, dividing prey evenly among the pack. however they are also known for ruthless burns that never heal and a terrifying howl that resulted in it being associated with the grim reaper.

i would liken the pack in cyrus’ case to team galactic. the ruthless burns feel symbolic of any trauma he has likely gone through, and how they will never truly heal.

it is fitting that cyrus leads with houndoom for the final fight in the distortion world, given its association with the grim reaper and how giratina is often associated with the devil, leading to the distortion world being related to an underworld of some sort.

after cyrus fights you, he hypothesizes that you might destroy the world for him if you interact with giratina, therefore ‘inheriting his legacy’. obviously destroying the distortion world would lead to the other world collapsing and many deaths. additionally, giratinas music utilizes a flatline effect, only furthering this grim reaper notion that cyrus proposes for both himself and you.

gyarados

evolving made gyarados more vicious and hostile then its pre evo. they are known for causing long lasting destruction, including razing a village and attacking during war. it could destroy an entire city with its power. the rampages last for a whole month at times, no matter the weather.

gyarados is Extremely exemplary of aggression, and fits well with cyrus’s capability for outbursts as seen in the distortion world. the long lasting destruction it causes is reminiscent of the damage cyrus would do to the universe by resetting it, because it likely would never return to how it was.

during the lake bombing section, multiple magikarp are show flopping around the dried up lake. some grunts comment on this, remarking that the magikarp are useless to team galactic. ironically, gyarados evolves from magikarp, and is used by cyrus. gyarados is just another way of further separating cyrus from the team he leads.

crobat

outside of this post i did explaining crobat, it is not exactly measuring up to cyrus’ other pokemon outside of being a flying type. pokedex entries up until dppt talk about it having silent flight and clumsy walking. i believe crobat was chosen more so for its pre evos disposition for the time.

golbat has a brutal track record, practically all of its pokedex entries talk about its very literal bloodthirsty nature. it preys on people and pokemon, even pokemon with very thick hides, and is capable of gorging itself so much that it gets too heavy to fly. as early as red/blue, it lists that golbat will not stop draining the energy of its victim.

in addition, crobat is obtained by high friendship. for purposes of explaining the concept of friendship in pokemon concisely, i feel crobats smash melee trophy sums it up best; “The affection a Golbat has for its Trainer is vital for the evolution process: if a novice Trainer has a Crobat, it shows that he or she cares for Pokémon well.”

crobat is well regarded as the pokemon that proves cyrus a hypocrite because of the friendship requirement. cyrus begins with a golbat, which eventually evolves into crobat.

i believe golbats relation is about cyrus’ persistence as well, considering how it will try to bite no matter what and will remain until it is finished drinking blood. cyrus himself, even with his final defeat in the distortion world, still promises that one day he will win and his vision will be a reality. but eventually that selfish confidence is their own downfall. golbats was with overindulgence, and cyrus’ end was spelled out when he forked over the master ball he couldve used on giratina/allowed you to send out the lake trio in dp.

honchkrow

its a nocturnal pokemon that is seen as a ‘boss’ of other murkrow and summons them at will. the murkrow serve the honchkrow while the honchkrow rarely lifts a feather itself.

since cyrus also owns murkrow at the start of the game, i believe it is fair to mention its pokedex entries as well.

murkrow are said to carry misfortune and ominous occurrences and might lead travelers astray. they frequently are attracted to shiny objects, and will not hesitate to steal things from people.

like houndoom, the group aspect relates to team galactic. cyrus rarely gets involved in matters himself, often leaving his grunts and admins to do all the work.

murkrows ability to lead others astray ties in to cyrus’s manipulation of team galactic and how none of his underlings truly know his goals until the end. cyrus has gotten his team to steal various things, from pokemon to energy.

*honchkrow isnt stated to be aggressive in dppt. however, it is later clarified to be merciless in subsequent titles as early as hgss.

weavile

weavile are cunning pack creatures who carve signs into objects for communication with each other. they are even more devious than their pre evo due to their evolution making them smarter. they typically live in cold regions.

cyrus also owns a sneasel to start with, so like crobat and honchkrow, i think its dex should be mentioned for analysis.

sneasels are repeatedly referred to as vicious, stealing eggs from pokemon nests to eat. they have sharp claws that are good for climbing and attacking foes with. they might jump on prey and rip them apart to kill.

like honchkrow and houndoom, the pack aspect relates to team galactic. weaviles great communication skills feel reflected in cyrus’s speech charisma, and how he was able to get so many people to listen to him. cyrus’s hometown is sunyshore, and while not cold in itself, is in a more cold region.

additionally sneasel repeat a thieving aspect shared with murkrow and crimes committed by galactic. i feel like its viciousness can be likened to the point about gyarados’s destructiveness.

to tie in all their remaining secondary types nicely;

poison to represent how cyrus views emotions as a poison dwelling in us all, and how they are the downfall of all living creatures.

ice for how cyrus has tried to numb himself to any other concept of emotion, and control his own presentation of them.

fire to destroy the world for all the corruption he perceives in it; a purifying flame of his justice.

water to wash away the remains and leave nothing but a clean slate, a perfect, complete world, behind.

[ivaalo]

I have mixed feelings about TotK.

As a game itself, it was so great, it was an experience, it's one of my favorite video game ever.

But as a sequel, I think they could have done so much more.

The reason why I love this game is mostly because it takes the best of BotW and has one of the best story a Zelda game has written.

But when I started to play the game, I noticed a lot of stuff that made me worried. The fast weapon-select-screen is very slow to load, same for the hand powers.

You still have the shrines. Okay I prefer this aesthetic, but it's still a redesign from the previous game. Same for Koroks. There's gotta be a way to upgrade your inventory / hearts / stamina without coping-pasting BotW. The problem with shrines is that you know the result of your efforts before finishing it. And when you know you can cheat the puzzles, it makes it not rewarding at all, no matter if you do it the "intended way" or not.

The dungeons are lazy (level design speaking). It's always like "you have to activate 4 or 5 mechanisms and that's it". In other Zelda games, this would have been the final room, not the whole dungeon. Most of puzzles are skippable, so low satisfaction.

Narration is lazy too. You collect memories. Every cutscene after a boss is the same.

The depths. Why??? Why making a whole new map... with nothing in it??? At first I thought this was gonna be a scary underworld. Like you have all this gloom stuff, and you actually make the scariest shit ever, and you don't. It's just boreland. The only good things to do there is farming, collecting roots of shrines to see their emplacement and that's it. No, I'm not considering the fanservice tunics as a good thing. It's breaking the 4th wall as hell. Nothing rewarding here. Like yeah, I just beat that gloom Gleeok! What do I get? Something an Amiibo could have given me.

The sky is empty too. Maybe there should have been only the land and the sky, without the depths, and this would have been better, since more effort would have been put in the sky islands.

The lore is weird. As much as I love exploring the lore of Zelda games, in this one, I feel like the creators didn't have any idea of how to implement the Zonai here. Like if the Ancien Hero is a Zonai, why are Rauru and Mineru considered the last Zonai? Where is the Sheikah tech? Like even the walls of the Shrine of Resurrection disappears?? We can only theorize that everything Sheikah rose from the earth when needed and went back to the ground once BotW is over, but a simple random line of explanation would be great. Also time span between events??? 100 years from the Calamity is something, 10,000 from the Sheikah gold-age is insanely huge, and it wasn't the first time Ganon woke up. So Zelda travelled like what? 300,000 years ago?? You wouldn't understand the language of someone 300 years ago in your own country, this is just absurd. The ancient Hyrulean text cannot be read, but Zelda can understand Sonia perfectly.

Balancing. The upgrading stuff for your cloths are a copy-paste from the previous game, without balancing in consequence. Lizalfos's tails are rare as hell, and I need 36 of them. In BotW, this wasn't an issue, due to the abundance of Lizalfos and drop rate. This is an issue, in TotK.

Ambiance. This is supposed to be the Cataclysm. Except Yiga or Stal monsters (like BotW), no monster attack you if you don't approach them first. No attack in villages or forts. (Lurelin was already destroyed, and the Bazar was only a mission) Except Gloom hands, no enemy feels threatening. In BotW, the world was dominated by monsters and nothing changed until Link woke up. In this game, monsters are supposed to attack places and make their return, not just lay in Hyrule field waiting to get destroyed.

Other stuff, like if you gotta spend a lot of time in the air, why not having a boost module in your paraglider that you can upgrade, instead of Tulin's power?

Despite all of this rant, I loved this game. I just think they could have done so much more for a sequel, instead of copy-pasting stuffs from BotW. Reminder that this game took 6 years to develop. 7 years for BotW. Except BotW was all original. So yeah, kinda disappointed.

However, I want to say that I love this game with all my heart. The music, the cutscenes, the story, the bosses. It's pure blessing!

It's also bold of Nintendo to not care about the timeline anymore and make the BotW-TotK games separated from the established timeline.

It's hard to rank this game. I enjoyed it more than BotW, but deceptions (and the depth, which was a huge time-consuming chore) makes it so I don't want to replay it soon.

Wind Waker remains unbeatable.

[marine-indie-gal]

Now starting on Egyptian Gods if they appear in the Show besides than Norse and Greek/Roman Gods

Isis

The Egyptian Goddess of Healing, Magic, Fertility, and Life. The Daughter of Geb and Nut, The Sister of Osiris (who she is the Wife to), Set, and Nephthys, and even the Mother of Horus. She was one of the Famous Gods worshiped during the Greek/Roman time period and she was said to protect Kingdoms from Enemies, Govern the Skies and the World, and have more power than Death itself. She also had similar traits towards many other goddesses that she absorbed. When The Earth Deity (Geb) and the Sky Deity (Nut) were madly in love, the Two Siblings (who were Brother and Sister) created their own Children (Two Sons; Osiris and Set, Two Daughters; Isis and Nepthys). But their Father (Shu) separated his Children which explains why we only walk on Land (Earth) because we can’t touch nor feel the Sky. In the Days before Ra retired, she wanted to know Ra’s power so she can be Smart like Him so she wanted to take Ra’s true name for herself. When Ra was sleeping in his Sun Barque, he snoored as he drooled as Isis used it to mixed it with Dust as she creates clay and makes a Cobra out of Ra’s own Drool. She sent out the Cobra to bite Ra as the Chief Egyptian God yelped in pain making Ra sick as the Gods tried to help out their Leader to see if one of them could heal him. None of them helped but when Isis came, she wanted Ra to tell her his own true name so Ra revealed his own true name and gave her great power making Isis the most Powerful Goddess in the Egyptian Pantheon. In the Famous Osiris Myth, when Ra retired as King, Osiris got to took over and ruled over Egypt in Charge and took his Sister (Isis) as his Wife as all the Gods and Mortals gratefully respected Osiris (except for Set, their Brother, for he wanted to be King). When Set invited all the Gods to a Party, he trapped Osiris in a coffin and threw him out to the Sea. Isis had herself out on a Search to look for her Husband and when she found him dead, she tried to look for a way to bring him back but Set chomped off the body parts of their Brother as he scattered them all over Egypt, making Isis to find each and every part of the Body to fix Osiris. Osiris was not fully complete since his Penis was missing meaning he could not rule over Egypt anymore but instead, had to rule over Duat (the Egyptian Underworld). Before Osiris became the God of the Underworld, Isis bore her Husband-Brother their Son (Horus). When Set now got to be in Charge of King, Isis was pregnant with her Child as she hid away from her Jealous Brother leading into the Birth of Horus as her own Son grew up and went on to defeat his Evil Uncle to avenge Osiris’ Death through challenges.

SBSP Universe

Isis is The Egyptian Goddess of Healing, Magic, Fertility, and Life, the Sister of Nepthys, the Wife of Osiris, and even the Mother of Horus. She is the Former Queen of Egypt. She is very quite nice, well-meaning, respectful, as well as patient and forgiving. She loved Osiris since they had been Childhood Friends for a long time ever since they were arranged to become King and Queen of Egypt when they were going to be Future Lovers. Due to being a Powerful Goddess, she is also Quite Clever and Smart. When Ra was poisoned by the Deadly Cobra that Set send out, Set wanted to be the most powerful God in Egypt as he wanted to know his True Name but unfortunately the Power was given to Isis when she healed Ra as the Chief of the Egyptian Gods gave Isis his true name and made her the most powerful Goddess in Egypt. As Osiris got to be in charge as Ruler of Egypt, He and Isis were married and the Two got an Heir together (Horus). But when Set locked his Brother up in a Coffin, he tossed him off the Ocean as the Other Gods wondered where Osiris was when Set claimed himself as the New King, Isis had to go look for Osiris to find her Husband. When she was given for a Job as a Nurse, she disguised herself as an Elderly Mortal as she took care of a Royal Baby but when she was giving the Baby more Power to be an Immortal under the Fire, the Queen freaked out as Isis revealed her true form. She asked the King and Queen to cut down the Tree to get her Husband out of the Coffin. The Coffin revealed that Osiris was dead when she opened it. Isis was extremely heartbroken to find the Man that she loved Dead. She had to look for Spell Books to revive her Husband but Set chomped off many of his Brother’s Body Parts and scattered it all over the Lands of Egypt. Nepthys helped out Isis to find each of the Body Parts of Osiris and sewed it all together as Isis fully revived her Husband with Magic as Osiris was complete. Sadly, their reunion didn’t last that long since Osiris still felt dead as for the last few moments when Osiris spent much quality time with his Son, Horus really missed his Father since Osiris now got to rule over Duat for the Dead, thus, Set still had to take over Egypt. But During the Charge of Set, everything turned bad around Egypt as Set treated a bunch of Mortals and the Other Gods like trash for he had no respect for them and treated everyone like his own Slaves. Isis and Horus moved into a New Home down in the Village in the Mortal Realm where she raised her own Son throughout their New Life as Horus grew up and battle his Evil Uncle through challenges as Horus was now in charge of Egypt after the defeat of Set, making Isis proud as Horus is now currently the King of the Egyptian Pantheon. She does happen to like Neptune and Poseidon and is a Friend to their own Death Brothers' Wives (Proserpina and Persephone).

Sekhmet

The Egyptian Goddess of The Hot Desert Sun, Plague, Chaos, War, and Healing. She is one of the Children of Ra and is often associated with Two Egyptian Goddesses (Bastet and Hathor). She is said to be the Wife of Ptah and even the Mother of Maahes. Sekhmet represents the Wicked Heat of the Sun in the Desert and the Hot Winds of the Desert were linked to her fire breathing as she was said to breathe Fire. Her name means “She who is Powerful” or “the One who loves Ma’at”. She was a Warrior Deity who was a defender of Egypt as Egyptian Soldiers believed that the Lioness Goddess fought along with them during Wars of Egypt. In her Origins, Ra felt losing respect as he grew old throughout the Years so he created Sekhmet from his Eye as The Warrior Goddess hunted down the Men who disrespected the Sun God but her madness was insane as she kept killing the Mortals for Non-Stop as Ra had to do something about it so he poured in Wine mixed with Blood for Sekhmet. Sekhmet drinked all of the Wine as she passed out as Ra emerged her body, creating Two New Goddesses (depending on one version, Bastet and Hathor).

SBSP Universe

Sekhmet is the Egyptian Goddess of The Hot Desert Sun, Plague, Chaos, War, and Healing. She is the Sister of Bastet, the Protector of Egypt, as well as the Wife of Ptah. Sekhmet is very Malicious and Fierce as she hates everyone that is evil around her and would likely destroy anyone who is cruel or disrespectful to the Gods, especially towards Ra. She is mainly devoted to her hunting skills as she does tend to help out Egyptian Warriors. Usually, she’s Ra’s Main Guard but she does tend to remain calm when she’s off on her Job. Ra felt losing respect in all of the Mortals in Egyptian as Men began to make Fun of Ra which caused him to feel pissed off and in order for him to teach the Mortals to respect him again, Ra plugged out his own eye with a mix of Bastet’s fur into the Cauldron which transformed The Lion Goddess (Sekhmet) as he ordered Sekhmet to hunt for those who disrespected Ra as she did on what she was told. But when Sekhmet kept on killing people, this was gone way too far for Ra as she was blinded by bloodlust as the Gods knew that there was something that had to be done and fixed. Osiris begged for Ra not to allow any Gods to harm more people so Ra figured out a perfect plan to stop Sekhmet from losing control. Ra and the Other Gods created Wine mixed with Blood for Her as Sekhmet felt thirsty so she drank all of the Blood Wine causing her to pass out. When Bastet came, Ra told her what happened as he explain that he used some of Bastet’s fur to create a Warrior Goddess because of how the Mortals lost sign in Ra as Bastet had forgiven him as The Cat Goddess became a Sister to the Lioness, thus, Ra had to make both the Two Feline Goddesses blood sisters with his Magic as Sekhmet somehow changed for she was the Wrath to her New Sister’s Patience. When Ra retired, she was no longer his Guard for she was nowadays a Warrior over Egypt along with Bastet. But she did ended up marrying Ptah and became his Wife. She’s not really a fan of Neptune nor Poseidon and she thinks that Poseidon is a way weaker God than Ra. Even though she’s not into the Sea Gods, she does tend to hang out with Other War Deities from Different Pantheons like Mars and Ares.

Thoth

The Egyptian God of Science, Literature, Wisdom, Invention, and the Moon. He is the Consort of Maat and even the Father of Seshat (who is his Female Counterpart). The Greeks identified Him with the Greek God, Hermes. He is mainly depicted as an Ibris but he’s also sometimes depicted as a Baboon rather than a Bird. The Egyptian God was attributed with the invention of writing as he was often worshiped as a Teacher for the Egyptians with Knowledge and Wisdom. He was also a Moon Deity for Egyptians used the Cycles of the Moon to measure time. In Egyptian Myths for how Thoth became associated with the Moon, Ra was extremely both bored and pissed which caused the Earth (Geb) and Sky (Nut) to wonder what was wrong, as Ra relies to Nut that she cannot give birth any day of the Year. Thoth decides to help out the Sky Goddess herself as he gambled himself with the Moon God (Khonsu) in a Game of Senet, to which, He wins better than Khonsu as he was given the Moons to create a Calendar to expand spending his Five New Days to the 360 Days minus the 12 New Moons equals the 348 days where the Moon shines. After Thoth helped out, Ra’s curse was no longer attached to Nut for Nut was free to bore Her Geb’s Children (Osiris, Set, Nepthys, and Isis). During the The Contendings of Horus and Set, Thoth protected Isis during her pregnancy as she was hable gave birth to her own Son (Horus) and healed Horus’ eye which was wounded by his Uncle (Set). He also weighs the hearts of the dead for their judgment in Duat.

SBSP Universe

Thoth is the Egyptian God of Science, Literature, Wisdom, Invention, and the Moon. His Wife is Maat and is the Father of their Daughter, Seshat He is very extremely intelligent, wise, strict, and stern. He mainly focuses on his duties on solving the World’s answers and how to fix problems with his own brain. Being the God of intelligence, he is also a Teacher as those who worship him are helped by his teaching of knowledge and writing. He’s often allergic to stupidity but he does tend to help out others who want to know how to be extremely smart as he speaks out on trivia facts, but he clearly can’t stand anyone’s antics that would irritate him. Thoth is also an Advisor to the Royal Rulers of Egypt and its own Pantheon from Ra to Osiris to Horus. When Set got to rule over Egypt, he mainly didn’t care about the Other Gods for he treated them all badly like they were his own Slaves, even the Gods couldn’t take anymore of his chaotic antics. He also helped out Horus during the Contendings where he healed Horus’ eye after Set wounded it and helped him to outsmart Set during his challenges against his Uncle. When Horus won, he was crowned King as the Gods banished Set to Duat for Punishment where he is currently now an advisor to King Horus and Queen Hathor of Egypt. He would mainly like to outsmart the Other Pantheon Gods like Neptune and Poseidon and would call others out on their nonsense. He also would have interest in Sandy as they could be friends due to their fondness for science. He sometimes wouldn't mind SpongeBob due to his antics but he certainly wouldn’t like Patrick due to his own stupidity.

Heqet

The Egyptian Goddess of Generation, Birth, and Fertility. Said to be a Female Counterpart and the Wife to Khnum. She is mainly associated with Frogs because of fertility and even the flooding of the Nile. She is also said to be the protector of Pregnant Women and she can also create Humanity. Frogs were also associated with a thought of having a vital role in the Egyptian Creation Myth of the World connected to the annual flooding of the River Nile as Frogs would appear as Great Numbers. It has been theorized and rumored that her name came from the Greek Goddess of Witchcraft (Hecate). As a Consort of Khum, they would form the bodies of new children on his potter’s wheel. She is often associated with the final stages of childbirth after the last stages of the Flooding River Nile along with the germination of Corn. She is also said to be a protector of all Women In the Osiris Myth, Heqet helped out Isis by breathing the new life of her Son (Horus) at birth since she was the Goddess of the last months of Birth as he also helped out Osiris so he could breathe life on earth again before quickly becoming the Ruler of Duat.

SBSP Universe

Heqet is The Egyptian Goddess of Generation, Birth, and Fertility and even the Wife of Khnum. She is very Naive, Gullible, Sweet, Shy, and Friendly. She can be a little timid when she tries to be brave as she’s very good at taking care of Babies being the Birth Goddess that she is. She also has the ability to breathe air in and make some of the dead things such as small animals like mice come back to life with her Magic. She is often scared of losing her Job since being a Babysitter of Babies leads her into Random Events of Silly Antics that she instantly gets into. Heqet has a secret crush on Khnum as she has genuine feelings for him as the Two do talk to each other sometimes but Khnum doesn’t really have any romantic feelings for Her since he doesn’t realize she deeply loves him until when Heqet confessed his truth to Him and Khnum accepted Heqet as his own Wife since he really needed a partner on his own to help out the Waters of Egypt. Heqet also tried to help out Osiris to bring him back to life with CPR by the Air that she breathed in through his corpse when Isis brought back her Husband after looking for him. She also helped out Horus during his challenges with Set as Heqet suggested making a prank on Set would fool him. She’s neutral on Neptune but she does happen to like Poseidon despite his Vain Nature, she only likes his Comedic Side that would make her laugh. She could also get along with Patrick very well.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle's Ebony Gate is a female John Wick story with dragon magic set in contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown. Emiko Soong belongs to one of the eight premier magical families of the world. But Emiko never needed any magic. Because she is the Blade of the Soong Clan. Or was. Until she’s drenched in blood in the middle of a market in China, surrounded by bodies and the scent of blood and human waste as a lethal perfume. The Butcher of Beijing now lives a quiet life in San Francisco, importing antiques. But when a shinigami, a god of death itself, calls in a family blood debt, Emiko must recover the Ebony Gate that holds back the hungry ghosts of the Yomi underworld. Or forfeit her soul as the anchor. What's a retired assassin to do but save the City by the Bay from an army of the dead?

Review:

Female John Wick except with dragon magic set in contemporary San Francisco’s Chinatown? HELL YEAH. Emiko Soong is part of one of the eight premier magical families of the world, but unlike many others she isn’t that gifted with magic but rather blades. She became the Blade of the Soong Clan, or rather... she is known as the Butcher of Beijing before she moved to San Francisco. But Emiko is done with that life, she left her clan and broke her blade in an attempt to retire and finally get away from the killing... but when a Talon ( think of it like a blood oath marker that essentially is a debt- once called upon must be answered), is activated and she goes to answer it to save her younger brother who is the heir to the clan from having to deal with it... things are about to get bloody. To her shock Emiko discovers that her mother has given a Talon to a shinigami, a god of death.... and now Emiko finds herself being tasked with finding the Ebony Gate... a doorway that holds back the hungry ghosts of the Yomi Underworld and if she can’t retrieve it she will have to forfeit her soul as the anchor instead. Finding this door is going to be harder than ever and it means that Emiko has to go back to her past career as the Blade and not only try and make new allies but uncover the new enemies who are after the door as well. With her blades, her pet lion, and a ticking clock, Emiko will have to slash her way to uncovering the truth behind why her mother owes a Talon to a Shinigami and what Emiko wants to do with her future. This is the first book in a series and WHAT A RIDE!!! It was non stop action, adventure, and I absolutely adored Emiko so much and BAO!!! (he deserves all the scratches and treats).  I am so excited to see what the next two books bring and where Emiko’s relationship with certain individuals in this book goes, you get to see her open herself up to others and friendship in this book and it was wonderful. The quest was a fun one and the world setting was so interesting!! Definitely give this one a go if you like action fantasy with a bit of a twist and a contemporary setting!

*SPOILER*

Emiko becomes the Sentinal of the city, leaving behind her life as the Blade. She is now coursing with magic from the city. She discovers that her mother made the talon trade to save Emi and her father when she walked into the underworld and the death god brought her back. Emiko also faces her ex, Kamon, a tiger shifter who she broke it off with when she also quite her life as a Blade. They work together in this one and she assumes that he has moved on and is dating Fiona, the next in line as the clan head of the Tran Clan. It is shown that he still really cares and worries about her but she thinks she is not good enough for him and not what he would want as opposed to what Fiona could give him.  Emiko also befriends Freddy ( Fiona’s brother) and Adam ( a human collector who is now protected and claimed under the Soong clan by Emiko). It is hinted that Emiko has a secret Gao ( magic gift) that could destroy the clans if it gets out but we dont find out for sure. Emiko finds out that the Louie clan stole the Ebony Gate and tried to make a power grab and they are also close to having a feud with the Tran clan which will probably occur in the next book. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[shoppncarticles]

Giratina

Giratina fills a role similar to Rayquaza from the previous generation, being the third wheel to the box art Legendaries of Dialga and Palkia. While Dialga and Palkia ruled over Time and Space respectively, Giratina is said to have control over ‘antimatter,’ and watches the world from dark shadows and reflective surfaces. Bearing the Ghost/Dragon typing, Giratina often gets labeled as Pokemon’s interpretation of Satan, or whatever sort of evil afterlife overlord strikes your fancy. Giratina’s black and red colors, and its original location being at the depths of a maze-like labyrinth hidden behind what is effectively a graveyard certainly makes it seem like an apt fit for the role of Old Scratch, but things are a little more complex than that.

Like Dialga and Palkia later got, Giratina too has an Origin Form, though this takes the name more literally, since this is how Giratina looks in its home turf of the Distortion World. You may at first think the Distortion World is some sort of afterlife/underworld interpretation, but instead is said to be a sort of parallel to the real world, and that the two cannot exist without the other. The Distortion World though, is almost entirely absent of life except for strange flora and Giratina itself, and exists as several floating chunks of landmass in a swirling, purple void. Giratina, in its Origin Form, is able to fly through the ‘skies’ of the Distortion World freely.

Giratina is also shown to be quite benevolent despite its title of the Renegade Pokemon. In the series’ lore, Giratina is said to have become so unruly and destructive that Arceus banished it to the Distortion World, which would parallel its satanic connections, but Giratina seems to have learned better over time. When reality is threatened due to Dialga and Palkia being under the control of the nefarious Team Galactic, it’s Giratina that steps in through a shadowy portal and kidnaps the villainous team’s leader to prevent any damage from being done. Though, that’s just the plot of Platinum. Instead, it plays a much more nefarious role in Legends: Arceus where it still holds a grudge against its creator and attempts to gain enough power to confront Arceus directly. Considering Legends: Arceus takes place in ancient history, though, it may just be that Giratina hasn’t been humbled by its exile yet.

With all that backstory out of the way though, let’s talk about Giratina’s design. Personally, I find Giratina to be an incredibly cool Legendary, and quite the nicely unique dragon as far as they go. Its Origin form is obviously the much more interesting subject here, being acclimated to the bizarre environment and physics of its home Distortion World. The wispy, shadowy tendrils that make its ‘wings’ gives it the appearance of having multiple spidery legs, which is great, and its serpentine body helps give it a distinctly unearthly appearance. The gold plating around its head coming together to form a pair of mandibles is great too, accentuating how this thing is much more similar in shape to an arthropod rather than a dragon, which fits its status as a shadow dweller.

Regular Giratina, referred to as its Altered Form, is the form it takes once it's introduced to the main world’s laws of reality. It makes sense, then, that it adapts into a much more standard draconic shape, though it still keeps its shadowy wings and six legs. Giratina, in both forms, has been shown morphing its wings into claws, tipped with those red spikes, which is quite the cool visual. I also like how the gold plating on its head sort of resembles a crown, befitting its role as the ruler of the Distortion World. The gold plating around its neck is also cool in that it resembles a rib cage, which is a nice additional detail for its Ghost typing as well. 

Something else neat is how each Giratina form distributes their stats. They have the same totals, but Altered Form Giratina is much more defensively spread thanks to its bulkier shape, while Origin Giratina is much more offensively designed to match its spikier, more refined appearance. A very smart gameplay reflection of the two designs, if you ask me!

Score: 5/5

Incredibly solid and impressive Legendary design, with interesting history to boot!

[Gen 4 Archive]

[waywardccd2023]

The Best PS-5 Games

The Best PS-5 Games

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Like Origins and Odyssey before it, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla continues the franchise's transformation into an epic, open-world, role-playing game. As Viking warrior Eivor, you sail through 9th century England and stomp everything in your path. Beyond raiding and pillaging, you’ll also build and nurture a settlement, as well as get wrapped up in the larger Assassin’s Creed mythology shenanigans.

hpi spec check free-Enter the registration number of any vehicle, car, motorbike, or lorry and click the check button. You'll get comprehensive and free vehicle information

Astro's Playroom

Astro’s Playroom may be a free PlayStation 5 pack-in title, but it’s still one of the best games on the system. Building upon Team Asobi’s great work on past Astro Bot games, this 3D platformer takes you through PlayStation’s rich history, from a museum dedicated to the PS1 to a demonstration of all the innovative, immersive haptic features you’ll enjoy with the PS5 DualSense controller.

Demon's Souls

Back in 2009, the PS3-exclusive Demon’s Souls birthed an entirely new genre of inscrutable, brutally difficult action-RPGs. Without it, we wouldn’t have Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or the recently released Elden Ring. Now, Bluepoint Games has remade FromSoftware’s original nightmare. Enjoy the same great punishment with a shiny, new coat of PS5 paint.

Death Stranding: 

After severing ties with Konami, Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima let his freak flag truly fly with Death Stranding. This is a game where Norman Reedus carries a baby in a jar to rebuild America by delivering packages and defeating time ghosts. The PS5 Director’s Cut spruces up the graphics, tweaks a few mechanics, and adds new story missions. But we’re really just here for more Mads Mikkelsen.

Deathloop

You know what you’re getting into when you play an Arkane game. Titles like Dishonored and Prey give you fascinating powers that let you creatively approach and disrupt their intricately designed clockwork worlds. Deathloop takes this to the next level. Trapped on an island caught in a time loop, you play as an assassin who must figure out how to murder all your targets in one day. Through repeated runs, you gain the skills and knowledge necessary to make time itself bend to your will.

Devil May Cry 5: 

Devil May Cry invented the “stylish action” genre by letting you slash and shoot your way through hordes of monsters, while looking as cool as possible. This next-gen Devil May Cry 5 upgrade shows why no franchise (except for maybe Bayonetta) does the genre better. Swap between different characters (Dante, Nero, and V), each with their own unique demon-slaying powers. The underworld doesn’t stand a chance.

Ghost of Tsushima: 

Sony returns to its Japanese roots with Ghost of Tsushima, a majestic open-world action-adventure set during the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. Travel through windswept fields pulled straight out of Kurosawa movies. Engage in precise sword duels and stealthy takedowns. This PS5 upgrade even adds an entirely new region, Iki Island, to explore.

God of War Ragnarok

Kratos may be an iconic game hero, but the 2018 God of War reboot miraculously turned the wrathful god into an actual character instead of just an avatar of divine destruction. God of War Ragnarok delivers more of the same as Kratos and his son Atreus face fend off more Norse gods as the end of days approaches. The already stellar combat system gains new depth and creativity, while the vast levels look even more stunning as they're presented as a single take.

[artnrandomness]

Gaz of War: An Invader Zim/God of War Crossover Story-Part 1

So you know that drawing of Gaz Membrane from Invader Zim weilding the Blades of Chaos I made, and that I mentioned this weird idea I was gonna mention in the future?

Well this is it... So get ready to read.

But be aware that this will be split into parts (don't know how many there will be), so this is part one.

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It was another usual day between the alien Irken invader Zim and local reject Dib Membrane on Earth. Zim had a plan to execute, Dib came to stop it and the two were fighting, this time in hand-to-hand combat. In the middle of all this was Dib’s sister, Gaz Membrane, favorite child of their infamous father, who was an uncaring, menacing and angry-when-triggered little girl that cared only for pizza, video games, and to nobody’s knowledge, not even her own, herself.

All that changed however, when Zim’s portal had malfunctioned, sending both him and Dib to various places around the globe, until they eventually fall into an ancient Greek temple, where Zim’s PAK is overwhelmed by purple magic fire it touched, taking control of him and making him wield powerful soul-fueled blades called the Claws of Hades. When Dib finds his enemy like this, he begins to realize that the temple they were in was one dedicated to the Greek god of the underworld, Hades, before being eventually chased down.

Eventually reaching a dead end, he is forced to fight a (literally) haunted Zim, whose clothes have now combined with more Greek attire. Their fight affects the malfunctioning portal, affecting the reality of their universe while sending people from Earth, Irk, in between and beyond into weird scary unstable portals. The fight ends with Dib, wounded to the point where his ribs (except for his heart) were exposed, was able to escape back home through a recently open portal.

When Gaz notices Dib in his wounded state, she is shocked and horrified to see her brother like this. Now normally, she wouldn’t care, but she does for Dib in her own way, only torturing him because she thought he could handle it (as seen and confirmed by Enter the Florpus).

But seeing Dib like this have proved her wrong, much to her horror.

Just as their father, Professor Membrane, had arrived, horrified as well by Dib’s condition, the whole world shook, and for a brief second had turned into a more Greek version of itself before returning to normal. Before anyone could ask what just happened, Zim, out of his disguise, and still under the influence of the purple soul fire, comes out of the portal, hands now fused with the Claws of Hades. He uses those hands to attack Membrane and absorb his soul with them. He then attacks Gaz, but Dib, using the last of his strength, takes the hit and has his soul absorbed instead.

Seeing all of this happen to her family, Dib especially, leaves Gaz heartbroken. This heartbrokenness then turns to rage, as she attacks Zim, causing them both to fall into the same portal where her brother’s murderer emerged, and into an outside Greek arena.

Able to get up after falling, Gaz finds two blades with chains at the end of each handle and was about to fight Zim with them. But then, the effects of the Zim’s unstable portals affect the blades, restoring their power and causing the handle chains to enter Gaz’s wrists, allowing her to wield the fiery power, mastering it, even.

This power was quite a lot to bare, but Gaz, fixated on killing Zim, didn’t care and fought the soul-powered Irken. The battle was fierce and bloody, but Gaz eventually won, using the blades to destroy Zim’s PAK, purging it from the purple fire that overwhelmed it, and them shoving them into his eyes and finally splitting his head in half with them, freeing the growing souls within him. As the Membrane daughter was able to rest, she realized that, while she may have gotten revenge on her family’s killer, his death did not bring them back, much to her sadness, as she felt empty, regretful with how she treated both them and the world and how selfish she was. But before she could wallow in self-pity any longer, the Greek world she was in, along with her own, had collided, causing her to fall into a wormhole where she saw them and it’s people, including the aliens, combine with each other, as she gets knocked unconscious as soon as this wormhole begins to act up.

[the-pjo-analyst]

Chapter 9 - I Am Offered a Quest

Theme of the day: Responsibility

HOW BOUT THAT NEW BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT HUH

I find it kinda wack that some people are like this new pjo book is a MONEY GRAB like Riordan himself didn't basically say exactly that in the announcement 😂 The sole purpose is to promote the show. Like so what. He can TAKE MY MONEY. LET'S GOOO 🤙🏾

I find it absolutely hilarious that after saving the world twice and also being praetor for a hot sec, New Rome is still like no exceptions lmao. I hope after these quests he finally gets some rest 🙏🏾

Now onto Percy’s very first quest!

The chapter starts out with Percy getting some new responsibilities: now that he’s claimed, he gets his own cabin by himself and automatically becomes head counselor, so he can pick his own activities and call lights out whenever he wants, among other responsibilities. Which normally would be great! But in exchange he’s ostracized once more bc of being the son of Poseidon. He finally found a new home within the camp and in cabin 11 yet he’s lost it all. And also now that he’s claimed, Percy is officially offered a quest, which is a HUGE responsibility in itself without considering the fact that he’s going to the underworld to find Zeus’s symbol of power. The kid’s got a lot on his plate lol.

I swear I pick these themes at random and yet so often find the words in the chapters lmao. This time it’s how the gods aren’t held responsible for the actions of a hero. Which is a little wild when heroes are enlisted by gods to do their bidding. This is another issue that comes up throughout the series, because so often do demigods and mortals get punished for the actions of the gods. I mean take Hera and Zeus for example: Hera takes her anger on the women Zeus seduces/rapes and their subsequent children instead of the man himself for being unfaithful. The gods not being held responsible also extends to their children too, how they’re barely in their children’s lives if at all. I mentioned last post that Poseidon is stated to be using Percy for his own benefit when he hasn’t really made any contact with Percy before (I just thought it was at the end of the book! Not the next chapter ahaha) and Percy is justifiably resentful and angry, but he’s also a little happy that Poseidon needs him. The range of emotions that Percy go through at this time is so real though. Because whether or not their birth parent is in their life or not and how they feel about them, often children will still want to be accepted by them. For now, it seems Percy is postponing his judgment.

I don’t think I’ve ever touched upon Percy’s relationship with his step-father but now seems like a good time for it. Since this is a middle school level series, any domestic abuse is heavily sanitized. There’s only small moments like Gabe immediately taking whatever money Percy has for gambling, his neglect of Percy in general, the fact Percy can easily recognize an alcoholic, stuff like that. Gabe obviously doesn’t take much responsibility for Percy despite being the only father figure he’s ever known so far. It’s hard to say whether Sally and Percy suffered any physically abuse, it can certainly be assumed or hc’ed, but idk I’d like to believe that Sally would draw that line when finding someone who could hide Percy’s demigod presence. Maybe that’s just wishful thinking. I really hate that news article though. It’s not surprising that Gabe would throw Percy under the bus, but I can’t believe the journalist would jump onto that and blame a child for a freak accident and his mom’s disappearance. Ugh.

The prophecy vision Percy has of Gabe at his gambling table gave me a thought. The only other time in the pjo series that Percy is present for a prophecy being given is in the Titan’s Curse when the Oracle visits Zoe Nightshade and shows her Artemis in chains. So maybe the visions have to do with the person’s fears or traumas? Gabe and his gambling buddies would certainly fall into one of those. But also like... why give those kinds of visions. What’s their purpose? It’s no wonder some go insane when visiting the Oracle.

The original trio has been brought together! Reading those final few pages of the chapter was so nostalgic 🥹 Like when Grover’s like I won’t let you down and then Percy’s just SO relieved he not only doesn’t have to face this quest alone, but he gets to have his best friend with him makes me SO SOFT. And ofc we can’t forget Annabeth’s very grand entrance and iconic line if you’re going to save the world I’m the best person to keep you from messing up. Like this is such a perfect moment to end an episode. I will go feral when it happens.

Small things:

Percy’s dream is interesting bc it’s basically the same as the one he had at Montauk, but this time the eagle and horse are replaced with the gods themselves, he’s in a clearer location, and the evil voice Kronos actually speaks 👀

The prophecy line you shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend is really fascinating bc it’s not one you call friend. Like this is someone that  genuinely likes and cares about you but betrays you anyway and I will analyze that later

I wonder if the Oracle had moved to see Percy when he arrived bc she sensed that he specifically would fulfill the Great Prophecy or if it was just bc he was a Big Three child and could fulfill it, and thus end her curse

We get the first uses of Seaweed Brain and Wise Girl! <3

Previous: Chapter 8 - We Capture a Flag

Next: Chapter 10 - I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus

[rockislandadultreads]

Book Recommendations: World-Building & Richly Detailed

The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

Charm is a witch, and she is alone. The last of a line of conquered necromantic workers, now confined within the yard of regrown bone trees at Orchard House, and the secrets of their marrow. She is a prisoner, and a survivor. She tends the trees and their clattering fruit for the sake of her children, painstakingly grown and regrown with its fruit: Shame, Justice, Desire, Pride, and Pain. She is a whore, and a madam. The wealthy and powerful of Borenguard come to her house to buy time with the girls who aren't real. Except on Tuesdays, which is when the Emperor himself lays claim to his mistress, Charm herself. But now - Charm is also the only person who can keep an empire together, as the Emperor summons her to his deathbed, and charges her with choosing which of his awful, faithless sons will carry on the empire - by discovering which one is responsible for his own murder. If she does this last thing, she will finally have what has been denied her since the fall of Inshil - her freedom. But she will also be betraying the ghosts past and present that live on within her heart.

Flint and Mirror by John Crowley

As ancient Irish clans fought to preserve their lands and their way of life, the Queen and her generals fought to tame the wild land and make it English. Hugh O'Neill, lord of the North, dubbed Earl of Tyrone by the Queen, is a divided man: the Queen gives to Hugh her love, and her commandments, through a little mirror of obsidian which he can never discard; and the ancient peoples of Ireland arise from their underworld to make Hugh their champion, the token of their vow a chip of flint.

The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge

Cadenza is the City of Words, a city run by poets, its skyline dominated by the steepled towers of its libraries, its heart beating to the stamp and thrum of the printing presses in the Printing Quarter. Carlo Mazzoni, a young wordsmith, arrives at the city gates intent on making his name as the bells ring out with the news of the death of the city’s poet-leader. Instead, he finds himself embroiled with the intrigues of a city in turmoil, the looming prospect of war with their rival Venice ever-present. A war that threatens not only to destroy Cadenza but remove it from history altogether…

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro

England, 1882. In Victorian London, two children with mysterious powers are hunted by a figure of darkness - a man made of smoke. Sixteen-year-old Charlie Ovid, despite a lifetime of brutality, doesn't have a scar on him. His body heals itself, whether he wants it to or not. Marlowe, a foundling from a railway freight car, shines with a strange bluish light. He can melt or mend flesh. When two grizzled detectives are recruited to escort them north to safety, they are forced to confront the nature of difference, and belonging, and the shadowy edges of the monstrous. What follows is a journey from the gaslit streets of London, to an eerie estate outside Edinburgh, where other children with gifts - the Talents - have been gathered. Here, the world of the dead and the world of the living threaten to collide. And as secrets within the Institute unfurl, Marlowe, Charlie, and the rest of the Talents will discover the truth about their abilities, and the nature of the force that is stalking them: that the worst monsters sometimes come bearing the sweetest gifts.

This is the first volume in “The Talents Trilogy.” 

[langdhon]

||| ARC 1 ; erased timeline

Follows show canon. Michael, after learning what his purpose is and getting in touch with the Cooperative while growing more confident in what he is, spends around two years among the people. Incognito, to learn more about the world he hasn’t really seen anything of before. All the while preparing the apocalypse/new world order in the background, preparing the outposts etc. The erased timeline ends with Michael dying but I’ll explore alternate outcomes via interactions. His backstory, however, stays entirely canon. I won’t write him in his teenage years.

! For muses whose universes play around the 70's-2000's I'll use this arc and arc 2, just placed in said time. Nothing changes about him but I adjust the technological advances.

||| ARC 2 ; reset

Takes place post canon. Mallory ran young Michael over with the car, he was clinically dead for a hot minute, then in coma for a while. This way the underworld could believe in his demise and grant Mallory her favors. However, he did indeed survive, having no clue why someone wanted to kill him. He couldn’t go home. Still unaware of what he was and of his purpose, he was 'found' by the Robichaux Academy’s witches. No coincidence. Mallory is at advantage knowing the future that’s bound to come with the antichrist having survived; now it’s upon the coven to try and change his course. They must prevent him from crossing paths with the satanic church and the warlocks. Michael can’t learn who he is supposed to become or how strong he'll be. But due to him being in the world solely for one purpose, the devil will find ways to steer his spawn into the foreseen direction. Wanting to be accepted despite being the chaos in a world full of lies, Michael might have a hard time opposing the witches around Cordelia if he’s come to like them.

He finds out what happened and brought him there. So he takes off and never looks back. He meets the cultists at last, who open his eyes and from thereon he schemes... Of course doesn’t he forget to live in between. This is my default verse, in which he also meets Alice Turner ( ravenskeeper ); main ship for this verse.

||| ARC 3 ; welcome to the Sanctuary

Tied to 1 or 2, assuming Michael succeeded again and everything except the end repeats itself.  From the outposts he picked those he’s deeming worthy to populate the new world. And he took them to the Sanctuary, which is an alien spaceship roughly the size of a city like NY. It’s ‘parked’ by the pacific ocean in an area with comparatively little radiation. But the earth is still not inhabitable for humans and animals for decades at the very least; they’ll live together with a bunch of celebs and, you guess it, aliens ( refer to THIS HEADCANON ). However, this arc simply focuses on a future beyond what the canon material gave us and anyone who interacts with Michael in this arc is automatically assumed to have been chosen for survival by him. I keep this verse devoid of any strict red thread and want it as flexible and open as possible. It’s a new world order and rich and poor don’t exist anymore. And god isn’t here.

||| ARC 4 ; a new Supreme has risen

Completely alternate original timeline. Constance threw Michael out after having had enough of his murderous outbursts. Not knowing where to go, he ended up checking into the Cortez for a temporary stay. Michael learned about the things happening there soon, having a keen sense for all that’s close to death and especially to chaos. Evil. James March is the one who encouraged that helpless boy’s destructive nature that he couldn’t hide from one like James, pushed Michael to become what he is instead of trying to fit in when ‘being your most spoiled self is the best thing you can offer the world’. More and More, Michael forgot about his previous, weak attempts to be good and embraced the darkness. He lived among ghosts. And inevitably ran into Queenie, who’s trapped there, this way learned about the existence of other people with special abilities and that there’s an Academy for them. But just for girls. So there has to be one for boys, too?

Michael started to do some research and found the Hawthorne Academy. Applied, unaware that his father he hadn’t an idea about yet ensured from the background that he could financially afford the attendance. After an aptitude measurement, Michael got accepted. They saw in him the first male Supreme in the history of witches and warlocks due to his wide range of abilities. They pushed him a bit harder than other students, helped him refine his techniques etc, and after initial reluctance, Cordelia let him take the seven wonders test. He passed. Mallory either doesn’t exist in this verse or isn’t a candidate to take Cordelia’s place. Meanwhile, Michael starts to dig into the history of witches/warlocks/magic and so forth, desiring to learn how it can be there’s been no man before him with that power. And he finds answers, which he keeps to himself. However, Cordelia wilts and eventually he assumes his rightful position and leads ... but not only does it change the gender of the new Supreme. This era changes everything.

** This Arc has become my default timeline for tvd universe crossovers

||| Alternate Universe ; the Sandman

Exception to my ‘no fandom AU’s rule’ because it’s easy to fit him there sans stripping him of his origin or tossing him into middle ages etc. Not much about his goals and struggles changes, but his arrival in our planes of existence. He’s Lucifer’s son, or rather creation, would’ve originally appeared like a hideous demon upon ascending from hell if he hadn’t possessed some lonely boy who doesn’t stick out. Tactic. Barely anyone would notice changes in his behavior and such. The boy’s name, you guessed it, is Michael Langdon. That demon sits in his soul like a parasite that slowly but surely takes over and assimilates the poor boy completely. He claims that appearance, the identity, it’s his now. What or who helped him get into that poor guy? Probably Gabriel, which I totally don't take from the Constantine movie. He’s out to overthrow the entire world, likely to ally up with other malignant forces such as demons and rogue nightmares.

NOTE: my muse won’t be assumed to be Lucifer's child, as in, having been born from a sexual encounter, but was simply created by them. Michael does regard them as his father but so do angels and humans address g-d.

||| Alternate Universe ; Lucifer [show]

Michael is Rory's twin brother. They both search for their father, although while she's mad at him for abandoning them, Michael isn't because he just accepted that he might be dead. However, when Chloe dies, Rory's hatred for Lucifer's absence sends her back in time whereas Michael grieves their mother. His sister's power is time travel, obviously. Michael, unable to handle the loss of both mother and time-traveling sister on top of absent father, discovers that he can reverse time and all its events while he himself remains unchanged, which means he simply undoes years and years to the point where Lucifer is still there. Which inevitably means he'll change the past, whereas Rory didn't but solely placed herself in a timeloop. But doing this also had him hit his limits and it'll take years for him to recover that power.

In this AU, Michael doesn't have all those abilities he does in his original canon. He also doesn't plan to end the world, but given that he threatens to change the past, it might become the result. Cosmic balance etc, the scales tipping. As discussed, @multi-royalty's Chloe will be exclusively his mother in said AU.

||| Alternate Universe ; The Boys [show]

It starts with the new timeline. After he got kicked out of home for his outbursts and scaring everyone around him, Michael aimlessly wandered about in search for a place to stay. Not being entirely in control of his powers, he was sooner or later caught by authorities, seized and brought to the Sage Grove Center. Along with the other test subjects he got out when Lamplighter fucked up and Cindy freed everyone. Now he wreaks havoc after having learned to control his abilities during captivity. What nobody knows is that he never had a compound V injection, but was born with all that due to his origin he keeps a secret. His goal to end the world as we know it is deeply anchored in his DNA, so to speak, especially since he learned to connect with his father while locked up in a cell. First thing he needs to do is get rid of any Supes who could try to stop him, not to mention his hatred for the Vought figures due to what was done in the facility. But who knows? If he'd meet supes who also hate the majority Vought-brainwashed foot soldiers, he might find useful allies?

** AU because a crossover using his default arcs won't work. Other difference to canon; he didn't live in L.A. but N.Y. since the Boys plays there mostly. I reduce his powers a little down to superhuman strength, telekinesis, teleportation, he's bulletproof and uses self-revival should he die.

||| Crossovers

Supernatural: With Jack's birth, portals get torn into time and space, because he's considered an anomaly that warps everything around him. Michael is from one of those alternate dimensions those gates lead to, ends up joining the Lucifer from their home-timeline into Sam and Dean's main/original dimension. They're going to fight g-d, right? So Lucifer and Michael sure as hell want to be part of it, especially since they've already turned their own dimension's world into ashes.