#short for hieronymous

[werewolfoffeverswamp]

more sona doodles

[worldhistoryfacts]

The weirdest depiction of the Garden of Eden is Hieronymous Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights. Bosch fills the garden with animals, many of which are exotic (giraffes, elephants being ridden by monkeys) or mythical (unicorns, a dog-eared kangaroo-type-thing). He paints several recognizable and differentiated species of trees. There are strange structures in the background that may be manmade, and a fantastical fountain. A duck reads a book (!) in the lower right-hand corner.

{Buy me a coffee} {WHF} {Medium} {Looking Through the Past}

Much more on the Garden of Eden in art here:

[polish-art-tournament]

paintings* round 1 poll 20

Death and conflagration, central section of the triptych “Disaster” by Adam Chmielowski, c. 1870:

[no propaganda has been submitted]

Pegasus by Wojciech Siudmak:

propaganda: Art you love to see on the cover of a pulp-y scifi book or some rock album cover, this one specific remainds me of Hieronymous Bosch and the surreal animated short film Angel Egg by Mamoru Oshii. The bright yellow and off whites contrast so nice with the black void.

about the artist: He did illustrations for Frank Herbert's Dune!

[battlevann]

spooky HAS to float and be atleast three inches taller than poshe at all times. he's not short, poshe is just unreasonably tall!

gghhhhdhg poshe and spooky thoughts,,,

[katgametable]

The Adventure Zone

Clint, Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy have played a lot of DnD by now. And a fair bit that isn’t DnD.

Their first campaign, Balance, started off slightly ramshackle. Griffin DMs, Travis plays Magnus Ironsides, Clint plays Merle Highchurch and Justin plays Taako, using the then-brand new DnD 5e (2014). After modifying the adventure module Lost Mines of Phandelver, Griffin made a real zinger of a world and campaign. The result, in Justin’s words, was “the story of four idiots who played DnD so hard that they made themselves cry”. I’m pretty sure I did too, and I’m pretty sure you will too. This set of characters – Tres Horny Boys – are also the most frequent attendees at live shows – although I wish they’d give their live show adventures actual names. Balance also includes two adventures by the McElroy’s Maximum Fun Network colleagues, and a special mini-series Imbalance that could potentially set up for a new campaign, but that was quite some time ago and nothing’s happened so probably not. Honestly, the characters earned their retirement.

After finishing Balance, the McElroys decided to experiment a bit to decide what their next campaign would be, so they did three short adventures before deciding which to continue. Commitment was run by Clint using Fate Core and was superhero themed. Amnesty was run by Griffin using Monster of the Week and was a sort of rural folk horror. Then there was Dust, run by Travis using Urban Shadows, and was a supernatural wild west theme. After all three mini-campaigns, they decided to continue with Amnesty. (Note, if you look at the list of episodes, the post-mortem is listed three times, under each of the three campaigns.)

Please be aware that I have yet to listen to Amnesty beyond the experimental mini-campaign, so I’m getting details off a wiki. Justin plays Duck Newton, Travis plays Aubrey Little, and Clint plays Edmund Chicane and Arlo Thacker. Amnesty would also have two shows using its characters.

After Amnesty wrapped, they went back to DnD 5e, this time with Travis DMing for Graduation. This is another campaign I haven’t go to yet, so again this is from a wiki. Griffin plays Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt, Justin plays Master Firbolg, and Clint plays Argo Keene. They are enrolled in a sidekick program at Hieronymous Wiggenstaff’s School for Heroism and Villainy.

Near the end of Graduation is where I discovered Adventure Zone, which is why I haven’t got to Amnesty and Graduation yet; I’ve had to back-listen. My first at-time-of-broadcast season was Ethersea. Ethersea came with a prologue, a five-episode game of The Quiet Year, which tells the tale of settlement from its formation to destruction over the course of a year. The McElroys used that, along with ideas and modifications Griffin devised, to create a predecessor settlement to the main setting, and built the town that would be their characters’ home – an underwater town sheltering from a cataclysm above. The main campaign was DnD 5e with Griffin DMing, Justin playing Amber Gris, Travis playing Devo la Main, and Clint playing Zoox. In my opinion, this is one of the best settings I’ve encountered, and having the players join in making it, all sorts of details from the prologue led to incredibly important elements in the campaign, but…the campaign was a little too rushed. I think it needed another two arcs before the finale. And honestly, I’m still a little confused by the ending. Maybe when I relisten to write it up I’ll understand it better.

Then they did a second season of Dust, although Griffin and Clint made new characters, before launching into their next major campaign: Steeplechase, run by Justin using Blades in the Dark, set in a theme park somewhat inspired by Disney World, except self-enclosed and evil. Griffin played Montrose Pretty, Clint played Emerich Dreadway, and Travis played Beef Punchley. This was a really wild story, with something of a tendency to veer all over the place and certainly great fun to listen to…but they were really, really bad at playing Blades. Blades has a certain format, a certain way it works – the idea is you’re a team of crooks doing scores to steal or whatever, and the game is all going from score to score. While that was the initial set-up, and the first…half or so was indeed formatted as scores, it then ended up much more free-form. So, if you want to know how to play Blades, don’t try to learn from Steeplechase.

After that, another short campaign called Outre Space, using the Marvel Multiverse Role Playing System and a kind of continuation of a comic Clint wrote for Marvel. Then they returned to DnD 5e for TAZ vs Dracula, a romp through public domain in the name of killing the most famous vampire. Griffin DMed, Travis played Crawford “Mutt” Muttner, Clint played Brother Phileaux, and Justin played Lady Godwin. This was one of the weirder games. It didn’t feel all that structured, and it seemed quite a lot like Griffin was just throwing everything in there. It’s definitely fun to try to follow on and see how many references you get. They have also now had four extra adventures, all named after the basis of what they’ll be encountering.

Then they launched straight into Abnimals, a creation of Travis’ in both setting and system. It’s based off Saturday morning cartoons of anthropomorphised animal heroes with impossibly well-defined abs. They’re also aiming to make this campaign a bit more suitable for little ears, and they’re doing a good job so far. Travis is running the game, Griffin is playing Navy Seal, Clint is playing Roger Moore, and Justin is playing Ax-o-Lyle. This is the current campaign, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit. I also managed to fall behind before is started and ended up binging nearly twenty episodes in about three weeks.

In between all these campaigns and mini-campaigns, there have also been a number of shows using a variety of systems. Some of them, like Dadlands, have follow-ups, while others, like Holiday Brawl, are stand-alone.

There are also semi-regular installments of "The The Adventure Zone Zone", basically just them talking about what's been going on in TAZ.

Now, I believe there is in fact more TAZ available than what is listed here, if one was to become a Maximum Fun member. I have not done so yet, because I’m not caught up on the non-exclusive content. If/when I do take the plunge, I will add that content to the list, but be much more sparing in my reviews, to respect the membership requirement.

TAZ has lasted a long while, because the McElroys are very good at being entertaining. They’re not the best people to learn the mechanics from, even when they’re not inventing whole new systems. But what they excel at is using the tools of the game system to tell the stories they want to play with. Using just DnD 5e, they have explored the most entry-level high fantasy world; a magic school; an underwater city and its environs; and a magic-punk city with every character more than 95 years old. They have made the system more versatile than it was ever intended to be, by the simple expedient of “the story comes first”. That’s not throwing away the rules and discarding the dice, that’s making whatever mechanic you need to allow the story to be told. Their many stories speak to their success.

Balance

Episode 1: Here There Be Gerblins Chapter 1

Episode 2: Here There Be Gerblins Chapter 2

Episode 3: Here There Be Gerblins Chapter 3

Episode 4: Here There Be Gerblins Chapter 4

Episode 5: Here There Be Gerblins Chapter 5

Episode 6: Here There Be Gerblins Chapter 6

Episode 7: Moonlighting Chapter 1

Episode 8: Moonlighting Chapter 2

Episode 9: Moonlighting Chapter 3

Episode 10: Murder on the Rockport Limited Chapter 1

Episode 11: Murder on the Rockport Limited Chapter 2

Episode 12: Murder on the Rockport Limited Chapter 3

Episode 13: Murder on the Rockport Limited Chapter 4

Episode 14: Murder on the Rockport Limited Chapter 5

Episode 15: Murder on the Rockport Limited Chapter 6

Episode 16: Murder on the Rockport Limited Chapter 7

Episode 17: Lunar Interlude I: Carnival Chaos

Episode 18: Petals to the Metal Chapter 1

Episode 19: Petals to the Metal Chapter 2

Episode 20: Petals to the Metal Chapter 3

Episode 21: Petals to the Metal Chapter 4

Episode 22: Petals to the Metal Chapter 5

Episode 23: Petals to the Metal Chapter 6

Episode 24: Petals to the Metal Chapter 7

Episode 25: Petals to the Metal Chapter 8

Episode 26: Petals to the Metal Chapter 9

Episode 27: Petals to the Metal Chapter 10

Episode 28: Lunar Interlude II: Internal Affairs

Episode 29: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 1

Episode 30: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 2

Episode 31: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 3

Episode 32: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 4

Episode 33: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 5

Episode 34: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 6

Episode 35: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 7

TTAZZ: Balance 1

Episode 36: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 8

Episode 37: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 9

Episode 38: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 10

Episode 39: The Crystal Kingdom Chapter 11

Episode 40: Lunar Interlude III: Rest & Relaxation

Episode 41: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 1

Episode 42: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 2

Episode 43: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 3

Episode 44: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 4

Episode 45: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 5

Episode 46: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 6

Episode 47: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 7

Episode 48: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 8

Episode 49: The Eleventh Hour Chapter 9

Episode 50: Lunar Interlude IV: The Calm Before The Storm

Episode 51: The Suffering Game Chapter 1

Episode 52: The Suffering Game Chapter 2

Episode 53: The Suffering Game Chapter 3

Episode 54: The Suffering Game Chapter 4

Episode 55: The Suffering Game Chapter 5

Episode 56: The Suffering Game Chapter 6

Episode 57: The Suffering Game Chapter 7

Episode 58: Lunar Interlude V: Reunion Tour Part 1

Episode 59: Lunar Interlude V: Reunion Tour Part 2

TTAZZ: Balance 2

Episode 60: The Stolen Century Chapter 1

Episode 61: The Stolen Century Chapter 2

Episode 62: The Stolen Century Chapter 3

Episode 63: The Stolen Century Chapter 4

Episode 64: The Stolen Century Chapter 5

Episode 65: The Stolen Century Chapter 6

Episode 66: The Stolen Century Chapter 7

Episode 67: Story and Song – Finale Part 1

Episode 68: Story and Song – Finale Part 2

Episode 69: Story and Song – Finale Part 3

The Great Switcheroo of 2015

Return of the Hogsbottom Three

TTAZZ: Balance Finale

The Live Boston Stunt Spectacular

MaxFunCon East Live

Live in Austin

Live in San Diego

Live in Nashville

Candlenight in Tacoma

Live in Dallas

Live in San Francisco

Live in Atlanta

Halloween Special

Candlenights 2018

Live in New Orleans

Live at Emerald City Comic Con

Live in Minneapolis

Live In Seattle

The Zone of Adventure: Imbalance Episode 1

The Zone of Adventure: Imbalance Episode 2

The Zone of Adventure: Imbalance Episode 3

Amnesty

Amnesty Set-Up

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Experiments Post-Mortem

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

Episode 19

Episode 20

Episode 21

Episode 22

Episode 23

Episode 24

TTAZZ: Anmesty

Episode 25

Episode 26

Episode 27

Episode 28

Episode 29

Episode 30

Episode 31

Episode 32

Episode 33

Episode 34

Episode 35

Episode 36

The Ballad of Bigfoot: An Amnesty Story

TTAZZ: Amnesty Wrap-Up

Halloween Special

Graduation

Episode 1: Orientation

Episode 2: It’s (a) Familiar

Episode 3: Pursued By Bear

Episode 4: Four Sidekicks Walk Into A Bar

Episode 5: What’s Yours is Mined

Episode 6: Long Overdue

Episode 7: Secrets, Secrets

Episode 8: Mission: Imp Hospital

Episode 9: Mission: Imp Hospital 2 – Unfinished Business

Episode 10: Dark Arts and Crafts

Episode 11: You Can Call Me Al(thea)

Episode 12: Pop Quiz

Episode 13: Apple for Teacher

Episode 14: Spirit Day

Episode 15: Out of Order

Episode 16: Give Me a Hand

Episode 17: Fire Drill

Episode 18: Field Trip

Episode 19: Creative Writing

Episode 20: Group Assignment

TTAZZ: Graduation

Episode 21: Loose Lips, Sunk Ships

Episode 22: Open and Shut

Episode 23: Between a Rock and a Hell Place

Episode 24: With Frenemies Like This

Episode 25: Burden of Things

Episode 26: Little Gray Cells

Episode 27: Long Way Down

Episode 28: Business Plan

Episode 29: Princi-Pal

Episode 30: Take Your Firbolg to Work Day

Episode 31: High on the HOG

Episode 32: By a Hair(cut)

Episode 33: Open Up a Can of Firbolg

Episode 34: The Ins and Outs of Contract Management

Episode 35: Multiple Choice

Episode 36: Reunions

Episode 37: Investment Opportunities

Episode 38: Finals

TTAZZ: Post-Grad

Ethersea

Prologue I: Our Wasted World

Prologue II: The Cost of Opportunity

Prologue III: The Comfort of Guilt

Prologue IV: The Hierarchy of Terror

Prologue V: The Weight of History

Episode 1: The Gallery Job Part 1

Episode 2: The Gallery Job Part 2

Episode 3: The Gallery Job Part 3

Episode 4: The Gallery Job Part 4

Episode 5: The Gallery Job Part 5

Episode 6

Episode 7: The Infinite Clam Part 1

Episode 8: The Infinite Clam Part 2

Episode 9: The Infinite Clam Part 3

Episode 10: The Infinite Clam Part 4

Episode 11: The Infinite Clam Part 5

Episode 12: The Infinite Clam Part 6

Episode 13

Episode 14: The Abyssal Auction Part 1

Episode 15: The Abyssal Auction Part 2

Episode 16: The Abyssal Auction Part 3

Episode 17: The Abyssal Auction Part 4

Episode 18: The Abyssal Auction Part 5

Episode 19: The Abyssal Auction Part 6

Episode 20

Episode 21

Episode 22: Cambria’s Call Part 1

Episode 23: Cambria’s Call Part 2

Episode 24: Cambria’s Call Part 3

Episode 25: Cambria’s Call Part 4

Episode 26: Cambria’s Call Part 5

Episode 27: Cambria’s Call Part 6

Episode 28: Cambria’s Call Part 7

Episode 29: Cambria’s Call Part 8

Episode 30: Cambria’s Call Part 9

Episode 31: The Menagerie Part 1

Episode 32: The Menagerie Part 2

Episode 33: The Menagerie Part 3

Episode 34: The Menagerie Part 4

Episode 35: The Menagerie Part 5

Episode 36: The Menagerie Part 6

Episode 37

TTAZZ: Ethersea

Episode 38

Episode 39: Benefactor’s Folly Part 1

Episode 40: Benefactor’s Folly Part 2

Episode 41: Benefactor’s Folly Part 3

Episode 42: Benefactor’s Folly Part 4

Episode 43: Benefactor’s Folly Part 5

Episode 44: Finale

TTAZZ Ethersea Wrap-Up

Steeplechase

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

Episode 19

Episode 20

Episode 21

TTAZZ: Steeplechase Mid-season

Episode 22

Episode 23

Episode 24

Episode 25

Episode 26

Episode 27

Episode 28

Episode 29

Episode 30

Episode 31

Episode 32

Episode 33

Episode 34

Episode 35

Episode 36

Episode 37

Episode 38

Episode 39

Episode 40

Episode 41

Episode 42

TTAZZ: Steeplechase Wrap-Up

TAZ vs Dracula

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

Episode 11

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

Episode 19

Episode 20

Episode 21

Episode 22

Episode 23

Episode 24

Episode 25

Episode 26

Episode 27

Episode 28

Episode 29

Episode 30

TTAZZ: vs Dracula Wrap-Up

TAZ vs Moby Dick

TAZ vs The Great Gatsby

TAZ vs Halloween

TAZ vs Romeo vs Juliet

TAZ vs Robin Hood

TAZ vs Hamlet

Abnimals

Episode 1: Bunny Heist

Episode 2: Museum Showdown

Episode 3: Training Day

Episode 4: Theft at the Gala

Episode 5: Stealing Silver

Episode 6: Rogue Robots

Episode 7: Gearing Up

Episode 8: Security Measures

Episode 9: Dry or Die

Episode 10: Taking Out the Trash

Episode 11: Warehouse Wipeout

Episode 12: Loose Eel

Episode 13: Enforcement Infiltration

Episode 14: Hide and Sneak

Episode 15: Covert Cops

Episode 16: Cell Block Wango Bango Tango

Episode 17: Figging Around

Episode 18: Don’t Bank On It

Episode 19: Friendshrimp Along the Way

Episode 20: Breaking In

Episode 21: A Deal with Killdeath

Episode 22: Escape from Governor's Island

Episode 23: A Lair of SCUZZ and Villainy

Episode 24: A Scuzz of Our Own

Episode 25: Grate Expectations

Episode 26: Radical Rescue

Episode 27: A Walrus Among Us

Episode 28: Final Fight

TTAZZ: Abnimals

Commitment

Commitment Set-Up

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Experiments Post-Mortem

Dust

Season 1 Set-Up

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Experiments Post-Mortem

Season 2 Set-Up

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Outre Space

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Specials

Live in San Jose

Hootenanny

Hootenanny: 3tenanny

Hootenanny: 5tenanny

Dadlands

Dadlands 2: Into the Corn Hole

Dadlands 3: FAMLEE Business

Holiday Brawl

Just Us

Just Us 2

Spirit Breakers

Spirit Breakers 2

The Adventure Bone

Sexy Battle Wizards

[coloneljurten]

Mentality as Infection: The Contagious Mindset of the Death Korps of Krieg (spoilers for Dead Men Walking)

I am back again with another excessively long and un-asked for Think Piece about the Death Korps; this time I'm going to be touching on the seemingly infective nature of the Krieg world view, and how it seems to gradually influence those around them for better or worse - though it is invariably the latter in most cases.

Dead Men Walking, written by Steve Lyons - the literary father of the modern Korps - and published in 2010, Dead Men Walking was the first proper piece of literature exploring the Death Korps on a level of character and personality, with previous dives into their Regimental identity being seen in the form of scattered lore entries or editions of Imperial Armour.

The book follows an Imperial world caught in the emergent throes of a Necron Tomb World reawakening, as seen through the eyes of the people swept up in the resulting confusion and anarchy. We follow several characters throughout, watching them change and adapt as the plot unfolds - notably absent from this roster, however, are members of the Death Korps themselves. Several Krieg Regiments come to the defence of Hieronymous Theta, yet none of their myriad members are given the focus of even a single chapter; we meet their Colonels through the eyes of an attached Commissar, and come to see their soldiers from the perspective of a Planetary Defence Force volunteer, but we never hear from the Korpsmen themselves.

It is this presentation of the Death Korps as a separate, inhuman other that provides the driving impetus behind the pervasive nature of their outlook. Throughout the book we are given glimpses of their admittedly short lifestyles; we see the brutality inherent to Krieg training applied to PDF troops utterly unaware of the nature of their new commanders, we even get to see the face of one of their Grenadiers, a face that is described on page 311 as such:

"His pale cheeks were studded with acne, his hair lank and greasy and his purple-rimmed eyes as dead as the lenses that, for the greater part of his life, had concealed them."

So intrinsic to the Krieg identity is their innate anonymity, that even in a moment of surprise at finally seeing the face of one of them, the character of Commissar Costellin cannot help but draw a comparison to the infamous gas masks that define their ranks.

The Death Korps are a blank slate, defined more by the macabre and utilitarian aesthetics of their equipment than by any degrees of humanity that lie beneath; it is this fact that enables those around them to so readily embrace the Krieg mindset, with their morose mentality seeming to overrule the personalities of those that fight and serve alongside them.

Throughout Dead Men Walking the character of Gunthar is one defined by his will to survive at all costs, first so he can be with and express his feelings for the woman he loves, but later just so he can merely live another day. After being subjected to the violent training regimen imposed by their newly-assigned Krieg commanders, and having undertaken a handful of military operations alongside them, it is his unofficial induction into the ranks of the Korps that serves to end the book as a whole: "The fabric felt scratchy against his cheeks and the mask restricted his peripheral vision. Still, there was something almost reassuring about looking at the world like this, through Krieg eyes. It made him feel one step removed from it all, looking in on life but no part of it ... It felt right - and when Gunthar caught sight of his reflection in an unbroken window, it looked right too. it seemed fitting."

Having located and looted the corpse of a Korpsmen on page 412, he spends the bulk of page 413 preparing himself for battle (as detailed above). From his perspective, we see the morbid appeal of the Krieg mentality, and perhaps why it is so infectious to those around them; the combat environments the Death Korps - and thus their allies - find themselves in are ones that leave the mind and soul broken, therefore there is an appeal to their detached mindset, a way of thought where you simply need to act in the moment with no greater effort put into building a lasting future. As Gunthar describes it, shedding his individuality to take up the monotonous mantle of a Korpsmen feels right, perhaps even liberating for his war weary soul.

The attitude of the Death Korps appeals to broken people, because that is what the Death Korps creates; their conduct on and off the battlefield is not one of understanding and sympathy, but of cold calculus - war reduced to a numbers game and nothing more. What Gunthar, and many others in Krieg oriented books (something I will doubtlessly expand on in more lengthy pieces) have found is that the nature of the Death Korps is one of detachment, one that removes the fear and pressure of a complex existence in favour of a simple duty.

it speaks volumes that in the final line of Dead Men Walking, Gunthar, a man who has been running from his duties nearly the entire book, decides to announce with resounding finality one thought: "He was going to be a hero."

[niseag-arts]

How would each of you OCs and your two forgeworlds react to Mac's true nature of being a deamon like warp entity that has supreme tech control that exists on the Noosphere like a sentient spyware/virus?

Also how would the react to mac being an ancestor core? A blackstone fortress? Men of iron? Multiple ships and space hulks? Multiple eldar wraithgaurd? Some void dragon shards?

Given that each of them is loyalist, the short answer is NOT WELL. there is really no other way I can put it, I am afraid, Mac is (as far as I can tell) pretty much the antithesis to each of their believes... While some characters may be able to look past certain aspects, they will then be put off by another aspect. Say Cal for example, would be fine with the warp connection, and might even be able to accept the xeno aspect of things... They would not be able to see past the Men of Iron aspect of Mac once they found that out. Ultimately, each of my OCs would fear Mac, I think, once they find out how much he has going on, and how they respond to it might differ, but none of it is going to be healthy. Vana, Hieronymous, Gliata, most of the upper command of Repleator, (and maybe even Cal to some degree) are likely to attempt to fight Mac until it destroys them. Skylax would...well, let's be honest, his systems would fry before he even had a chance to come to a conclusion. The inhibitors in his brain do not allow him to think of half the things Mac is made up from. Toasty brain soup. Brandarius, Vinci, Rho, and most of the upper command of Aberdeen-6 are likely to aggressively ignore Mac's existence once they find out the full scope of him, knowing that they cannot get rid of him. Depending on previous interactions a very cold diplomatic contact might still be possible. Cal might also fall into this cathegory, depending. Artemis is Mac's best bet at a not-horrendous response, and that is only if this information is drip-fed, not dumped on them in one go. Their loyalty is to the machine god, ultimately, but shocking their worldview too quickly will be met with resistance, which would land them in the first cathegory.

[cranbery]

I have a shameful crush on tom cruise cuz I'm obsessed with short men and people who seem normal at a glance but are enveloped by an incredibly deep darkness in their souls. The "nothing behind the eyes" quote about him isn't true he has so much behind his eyes but it's like straight up hieronymous bosch hell in there

[werewolfoffeverswamp]

new pfp im rebranding as a furry fr

[antifascistblackmetalnetwork]

Morvigor - De Spiegel (full EP, 2024)

For all of its colonial crimes and its important role in imperialist politics nowadays, it's a fact that the Netherlands have been for a long time one of the places where the arts have been the most developed in capitalism. This might be most obvious in the visual arts, with such unavoidables as Rembrandt, Hieronymous Bosch, Vermeer and of course the mighty Van Gogh, but it is also true of other fields, including music and metal - and maybe particularly black metal, as Terzij de Horde, Fluisteraars and Grey Aura, among MANY others, demonstrate. Morvigor, today's feature on our Network, is yet another example, and one that should REALLY be better known - and like the ones we mentioned, they are also rather experimental and atmospheric. There are abrasive post-black crescendos here, sure, but also acoustic passages, clean vocals and melodic passages in a way that is more "proggy" than what the term usually implies, sort of a concoction of Borknagar with newer bands like Gaerea with generous doses of "Dutchness". The cover, painted by artist Frank Stolwijk, is another example of that, and with the lyrics helps bring in even more the listener into this whole aura of existentialism and emotion; indeed, the band christens itself "expressive black metal", and the label really does give an idea of what to listen to here. The only problem is "De spiegel" is it's too short at only two tracks and around 20 minutes, because we really wanted more!

[sepublic]

NEW SHORT GUYS!!!

It’s about King watching TV on a crystal ball when he sees a commercial for Hexside! We get a brief tour of the school by Principal Bump, whose full name is Hieronymous Bump! AKA a reference to Hieronymous Bosch, just like Boscha!

We also get Mattholomule being a total butt monkey, which makes sense from what we’ve seen. In episode 9 he was pretty incompetent and failed to really accomplish anything, with even his HAS leadership tainted by his past record of frauds. Also, Mattholomule gets a bandage with the Healing Track symbol on it!

Also, I can’t tell if the trophy case still has the “Of” cipher when we see it. The intentionally low-res commercial effect makes it hard to see... not that it’d matter at all if it was there or not. But if it was, then we could joke about there just being an “Of” trophy for some reason!

(This makes me wonder- Will these shorts continue to be released daily, and for how long?)

[testudoaubrei-blog]

By now everyone online knows about what Dana Terrace (who is only slightly less outspoken about how Disney sucks then her partner) said on Reddit about the curtailing of The Owl House. Basically, an executive decided that The Owl House didn’t fit his vision for Disney’s brand, and that was that. The show was cut short, without hope of appeal or room for argument. Now, a lot more has been said - about how Disney’s aiming for a younger demographic with the Disney Channel while ending Disney XD and only slowly launching Disney+. By this account, The Owl House fell into a hole in Disney’s target demographics, getting cut short just as Disney+ was getting started. Now, I am sure this is part of it. But I don’t think that is all of it.

One characteristic of the shows for ages 10+ on Disney+ is that they are -really- geared toward star wars and Marvel. They’re franchise shows like various marvel superhero shows, Star Wars Rebels, The Bad Batch, etc. I haven’t seen much room on Disney+ for original content - instead I see a lot of investment in existing franchises that Disney paid a lot of money for. In fact, looking at Disney’s offerings, it seems like Disney is focusing most of its energies for the 10+ demographics on franchise shows, not original IP. Also, these are properties Disney has historically and infamously considered ‘boy’ properties, at least that was the logic cited for the long delay in giving a woman her own Marvel movie.

Now, in this theory, The Owl House simply didn’t have a home in the new Disney -anywhere-. It’s an original show in an original world. Not only that, but a humorously horrifying original world that freely references occultism and is inspired by Pieter Brueghel the Elder and Hieronymous Bosch. It has a young woman of color as its protagonist and a mostly female cast and of course its queer. It centers things that other Disney properties relegate to supporting characters and subtext. This is why it is fun and exciting. But also why it doesn’t fit in with Disney’s homogenized slate of Marvel and Star Wars shows for upper elementary school aged boys.

But there’s a larger point here, about how different kinds of stories, queer and otherwise, (let’s not just talk about ‘representation’, y’all) get told in our capitalist entertainment market. Let’s go back to 2007. It’s the dawn of the YouTube era and the long twilight of the Flash Era. Rickrolling is still a thing, having supplanted tricking people into clicking on a picture of a man’s distended anus. In the years prior, “Rejected” had become the internet’s darling. It was a playfully surreal collection of non-sequiturs strung together by a somewhat distressing meta-narrative, anti-consumerist themes, and its own nightmarish yet compelling dream logic. That January, Nickelodeon released a short that became the next “Rejected” - the short is called “Adventure Time.”

It features a lot of the same absurdist beats that an adolescence of memes from Something Awful, Brad Neely videos and Adult Swim shows had prepared our (probably intoxicated, I was pretty drunk when I saw this) minds for. Absurdly whimsical adventures, campy villains, bizarre magical creature, and narrative logic that seemed dreamed up by Don Hertzfeld - “you’ve been transported back in time, and to Mars!” Everything was executed with a post-ironic sincerity that sold it completely, and it was fucking hilarious, especially if you weren’t sober. It seemed like genius. And then I didn’t hear anything about it for 3+ years.

At the time I didn’t even know that this was a pilot for a new cartoon show, and that Nickoledeon had passed on it. Later, Cartoon Network picked it up, making its art school weirdo creator the showrunner of their new cartoon, a show that seemed like it could unite the sensibilities of the better Adult Swim shows with all-ages content and a dream logic all its own. It was a huge hit. Gigantic. This weirdo internet meme made by people who were probably high and certainly watched by people who were high (as well as by, you know, actual children) grew and grew until it had balloons in Macy’s parade.

This was huge for 3 reasons.

1) It was a truly weird show made by truly weird people with a passionate online fanbase of all ages. Cartoon Network had given a 20-something art school kid the keys to the kingdom and he had made the hit of the decade. It was a risk that worked.

2) Nickelodeon had ‘played it safe’ and passed on this show, basically ending an era of cultural dominance over cable animation (except for Legend of Korra, and they screwed the pooch with scheduling that too).

3) Adventure Time was an intensely collaborative show that gave its creative team tremendous freedom. This let an entire generation of animators get started, and the extended network of their friends and collaborators continues to be influential. New Showrunners today probably have 1 degree of separation from Pendleton Ward.

These 3 factors created a dynamic where the recipe for cartoon success was to give some (possibly queer, probably high) art school grad in their 20’s a budget of millions and tell them to have at it, then just sit back and watch the money roll in. This was the approach that Cartoon Network took with Adventure Time storyboard artist/writer Rebecca Sugar (as well as her collaborator/partner, former webcomic artist Ian Jones-Quartey) and her show Steven Universe, the show that told queer stories in a way that kids shows never had. It was the approach Disney took when they hired Alex Hirsch, Pendleton Ward’s art school buddy, to make a show that was pitched as “Classic Simpsons” meets “The X-Files” meets “Twin Peaks” for 10 year olds - Gravity Falls. It was the approach that Dreamworks took when they hired the youngest ever National Book Award finalist, Nebula nominee and multi-Eisner winner Noelle Stevenson to showrun She-Ra ( to be fair, he didn’t explain at the time he was going to re-imagine a goofy 80’s cartoon as an emotionally wrenching lesbian romance). And in a milder form, it’s the approach Disney took when they accepted the pitch of former Gravity Falls Storyboard Artist Dana Terrace for The Owl House (which was what, ‘cute classic girl-gets-trapped-in-magical-world story but this time the magical world is like a the Hell Panel of Garden of Earthly Delights if the monsters were also adorable?’)

So cutting short the Owl House for this reason (‘not fitting the brand’) feels like it might be the close of an era that perhaps in hindsight was simply a glorious exception to the increasing homogenization of media into only a few mega-franchises. After a decade of taking a chance on weirdos*, the suits are once again retrenching and moving back to tried and true properties guaranteed to provide a sure return on investment. And in a world of vertically -and- horizontally integrated mega-monopolies, a few suits can basically decide what gets produced for the rest of us. It’s like the old days of the Studio System, but with even fewer choices.

And what’s the consequence of that for what kind of stories get told? I already alluded to Star Wars and Marvel having pretty limited ideas of the role that marginalized groups can play in their stories. Oh, we’ll get our girl jedi, and South Asian superheroes, sure. But it will be in a largely white and male-dominated landscape of the larger franchises. It will be representation as dedicated from the top down, like a corporate diversity policy for storytelling, not actual racial justice in entertainment. It can produce good art, don’t get me wrong. But it will produce art at the rate, at the level and according to the comfort level of a few white, straight, cis men and their presumed white, straight, cis audiences. And with all that, it will be painfully straight. We’ve seen just how limited Disney’s support for telling queer stories has been -outside- of The Owl House. I’m not sanguine on how it will look -after- The Owl House. Disney already killed Nimona the movie** (when it was 75% complete). It was ND Stevenson’s first published work, turned into a big budget animated film, including a major gay romance. It will never see the light of day, because budget cuts dictated that Blue Sky, the superfluous 3rd animation studio under the Disney mega-brand, be shuttered as soon as profits moved south.

Queer stories*** aren’t going to get told on the timeline dictated by a few all poweerful cis-het corporate hacks. They’re going to be told in an environment where there’s enough competition that even corporate types feel like they -need- to take risks and try new things. An environment where there’s enough different people calling the shots that one asshole can’t stifle the creative output of 50% of an industry. Where even if a bunch of people say no someone else can say yes. This isn’t to imply that what Rebecca Sugar and ND Stevenson and Dana Terrace did was easy for them. It wasn’t. It sucked, and they got a shit ton of pushback. It impacted all of their shows, and in some cases their mental health. But it was possible, for a while. And now...now I’m not sure it is anymore. And that has me worried for the future of a medium I love.

*Okay it arguably goes back even further to Nickelodeon telling the creator of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac ‘yeah sure, you can have a kid’s show!’, but that didn’t start a trend in the same way.

**Based, of course, on a webcomic, a medium that has basically been killed by the death of the open internet and its replacement by corporate-controlled walled gardens like this hellsite.

***and presumably the stories of other marginizalized groups, but I don’t presume to speak for everyone, and I’m just a white bi dude with some gender stuff going on).

[gayrfalcon]

me, staring off into space: daniel flemings superhero name is motor. thats a name people call him. he 100% actually goes by the word “motor” in some places. people have to stare him in his graphic-design-is-my-passion-lookin helmet and call him motor. as a name. to his face 

[flamingfoxninja]

So I've been thinking a lot about Chaos and what their game is, and what I always circle back to is what they said when Fitzroy refused to kill the prisoner.

"You're no fun."

Think about it, they said that like a pouting child who didn't get their way. They were upset with what Fitzroy did yes, but I think it was more with the method that Fitzroy did it.

Basically, he didn't use his magic.

Since Chaos' introduction, they have obviously been trying to convince Fitzroy to use their magic. To be more free, to be unrestricted and unrestrained with anything. But why? What could they possibly gain with helping Fitzroy from a separate dimension with a problem not directly afflicting them?

Because Chaos is bored.

And it's all because of accounting.

Remember back in episode 2 with the accounting class? Finances became all the rage literally all over for kingdoms to be economically stable and contented lives. And straight straight from the owl's beak, "it was incredibly boring."

Chaos doesn't want that. They don't want order or constraint. You can't make accounting chaotic because the numbers can't lie or be disorderly in that type of math. It's not fun.

And the world agreed.

Bartholemus said this is where the hero/villain system came from, to spice up the lives of the citizens. But at the end of the day it's all an act. Villains aren't allowed to do too much evil, heroes can't divert from their heroism. There is literally a guild in charge to keep everyone in check! That's not chaos, the fights aren't chaotic, it's just an improvisional stuntshow at that point. If the whole world is staged, then the heroes and villains are but actors playing their parts.

So in comes Grey.

Grey fights Hieronymous. True battles of Good and Evil. Real. Dangerous. And Chaotic.

But it didn't go the way Chaos wanted it to. Like they said, Grey is short-sighted. All he cares about is war and victory, and then the story ends. If Grey does take over the material world, all he would do is turn it into hellfire and brimstone, a new hell, and that's it. You just got rid of one stagnant society of accounting with another stagnant society of hell-extention. Granted Hell is Hell, but you can't bounce back from that! You can't just reset the world after it turns to ash, and if you can it will take a Very Long Boring Time.

And so we get Fitzroy.

The half-elf barbarian who was judged and mocked and wasn't able to produce a lick of magic. The perfect canidate for Chaos. Someone who would have validation and desire to use their power. Someone who will cause waves and make a scene wherever he goes. But most of all, someone to make the world back to what it once was.

Chaotic.

Why do you think Fitzroy's dream is him being king? Because of Fitzroy's personality. But why set it where he is is dealing with insurgents? Chaos said it themself, Fitzroy won the civil war. He is victorious. So things should be fine now and forever with him in command. But it's not. Because it never will be. There will always be discontent. There will always be insurgents and rival fractions and revolutions and everything else that can go against an empire. And THAT is what Chaos is after. They need the cycle to continue. Rise and Fall, Build and Rebuild over and over again.

"Kingdoms rose and fell in the span of decades" back before the Age of Accounting.

Back before they were Bored.

[i-am-a-meat-popcicle]

Random Planet headcannons

It’s late. I should be asleep. But I got thoughts. Just a few.

Part of me wants to think that the planets Artemis, Dyonisus, Hermes, Hera, Hestias, and Hephaestus are in the same solar system because the gods that they were named after are all Olympians. It’d make sense to have them all together for that reason. Except I doubt that you can find so many planets in one solar system capable of supporting life, unless everyone has decided to live underground or in some kind of biodome (?) to survive. The other thought is that the planets were being named from the perspective of Earth, or some giant space station between solar systems. That will mean that the planets could be from different solar systems.

I’ll also say that all planets named after greek gods are central planets, as well as others named after major icons in various different religions. A couple of the few acceptations (exceptions? pls help I’m dumb, it’s 3am, and the american educational system has failed me in so many ways) are Aquator, and Hieronymous

Planets named after Titans can be a bit more spotty. It’s more likely that they’re going to be border planets, or close to them.

Planets named after antagonists in major myths or religions are going to be planets with harsh environments. (Planet names like Pandora and Tantalus make me think that they’re planets that have a lot of promise but are ultimately disappointing.)

In the time that Borderlands takes place Earth is considered a dead planet. It’s still somewhat habitable, but it’s treated as though it doesn’t exist. (this is assuming that the borderlands universe takes place in this one (or an offshoot of this one??) and in the far future)

Artemis (Mordecai’s home planet) My brain - for whatever reason- wants to think that Artemis is the most similar to Earth. The planet once acted as a wildlife preserve, and has a bunch of animals that were “rescued” from other planets. Even has some animals from Earth. Unfortunately the ecosystem is half fucked thanks to poorly managed invasive species from other planets and now encourages people to hunt said creatures.

Dionysus (Lilith’s home planet) - For some reason I think mars but with plants and oceans and a decent atmosphere. The planet has a lot of fertile soil and goes through long seasons of spring and fall. Short- but harsh winters and summers. 

Menoetius (Brick’s home planet) - it’s another border planet. Not nearly as bad as Pandora, but it does have limited resources. Arguably there’s more fighting rings on Menoetitus than Pandora thanks to how much money it generates. Dog fights are also very common on Menoetitus. (Mythology bit: I actually looked this up today, but this is too interesting to not include. Menoetitus is a titan, brother to Atlas, Prometheus, and Epimetheus. His name means “Doomed might”, and he is considered the titan of rage, rash action, and human mortality.)

Eden - 5: Most cities on Eden 5 have a mandated curfew. People that break curfew are usually punished harshly, but it’s easy to get out of if your family has enough money. 

[peace0of0art]

He’s rude now guys

[ID: Dark brown and white comic of Fitzroy and Hieronymous Wiggenstaff from the adventure zone. Hieronymous is an older elf with should-length, dark curly hair, dark facial hair, and armor. Fitzroy is a half elf with dark short hair thats slicked up, a small amount of facial hair, freckles, and glasses. In the first panel Hieronymous is facing right saying “Hey Fitzroy?”. In the second panel Fitzroy faces left, smiling, saying “Yeah? Fuck”. The third panel shows Hieronymous again with a shocked expression and hands up saying “Woah! Language!”. The last panel shows fitzroy with a cat face or >:3 expression saying “Yeah, I’m rude now”. End ID]