#supremely excellent goblins

[goldenwitherphoenix13]

A long post is under the cut, but I think we, as a fandom, moved on far too quickly from the endings of empires smp season 2.

Almost everyone got a happy ending.

Fwhip resigned from the role of the Goblin king.

Joel accended to true God hood.

Sausage grew old in sanctuary and raised Hermes to be an interdimentional warrior.

Gem finished Dawn and chose to stay in Hermitcraft because it was the best choice.

Katherine cured the curse plaguing her land.

Joey got to go on all sorts of adventures after defeating his arch-nemesis Skeletron.

Pix, while not finishing his work, got to tell the story of the ancient ruins.

Lizzie created a fully functioning city of animals to live as they want.

Shelby became one of the most powerful witches and got that date with Katherine.

Scott went off into the sunset with Owen to discover new lands and treasures to steal.

Heck, even Oli got out of debt, even if he ended up accidentally time travelling.

And while False never uploaded her finale, we can easily infer that she continued to expand her empire and make her name for herself.

Who did I miss?

Sheriff Jimmy.

The sheriff, who all the other emperors abandoned. The sheriff, nearly loosing his own identity to a joke. The sheriff, who lost his town to the fae.

Let's not forget Jimmy never left tumble town willingly. He was booted out when the fae corrupted his lands, spreading it throughout his home. He and the old sheriff, Roswell, made the best of a bad situation. I mean, what else can they do? Fight the fae? Fae are powerful creature. Not to be messed with. Fighting them is a one-way ticket to death if they don't decide to hold you a prisoner in their realm.

Jimmy also never got the chance to say goodbye to anyone. Everyone had already left him behind. Joel had accended without saying goodbye to his supposed best bud. Sausage never thought to check in on tumble town. There was no final passing of words—just a note from Fwhip.

And, let's not forget this big bit of information, the thing that still grinds my gears about empires season 2. He is the only villain of season 2 who got no closure, redemption or apology. Shelby was uncorrupted and saved. Sausage supreme was fused into Sausages soul. Skeletron was killed by Katherine, Joey and Shelby. They all got an end to their villainy, wether through being saved or killed.

Jimmy got nothing.

His ending was, in multiple ways, left unfinished. He was still bitter towards the emperors. He was still lacking any human respect. He wasn't given any apology or forgiveness. He was forced out of his home by powerful creatures, trying his best to make good of the darkness left to him.

But it's not all darkness. This isn't a bad ending. I think this end has an underlying subtext not even Jimmy planned for. Something I've seen almost no one talking about.

The sheriff walked away from a toxic environment.

Now is an excellent time to remind you that this is all about the characters. Not the actual content creators. Got it? Good.

Let's be honest. None of the characters in Empires Season 2 were 100% innocent besides maybe Katherine. Some were thieves. Some were filled with pride, some made dubious choices, and some were even a little corrupt. And Jimmy isn't an exception. He was a lil bit dishonest with power sometimes and a lil bit prideful in his name. But the sheriff wasn't evil at first. He still did things to help people. He helped Katherine arrest Joey for theft. He did his best to follow the rules, and he actively sought to stop those committing crimes and try to understand the issue at hand, like with Shelby. And his reward. Constant teasing and mockery.

Everyone, including his allies, still made fun of him. Even his best bud said things behind his back. And this is what made him snap. Not the jokes, but that no one, not even his allies, seemed to show any human decency to him.

And he never got an apology or a moment to put them in their place to tell them that they have done goofed. The sheriff was barely given a chance to build, hardly a chance to breathe. He knows he probably couldn't take them in a fight, but they didn't even give him a chance to talk. They made him sit there and take it like he had no choice.

The sheriff instead chose to walk away. Everyone had left him behind. And with the threat of the fae above him, he decided that the best course of action was to leave the toxic lands behind. Lands full of pranks and mistakes that would only ever remind him of his negative attributes.

The sheriff stayed with the one person who ever showed him any sliver of true friendship—the old sheriff. The old sheriff helped reverse the effects of the lore potion with an unnamed potion he found at Shelbys. He helped Jimmy defend the town from a raid. He stayed with him through thick and thin. Sure, he isn't the best influence, but he's better than the world around them.

Ultimately, Jimmy's finale wasn't the good ending like everyone else's. Villains rarely ever get those. Instead, it's a bittersweet goodbye from the two sheriffs off to find a new home far away to the lands of one that brought sorrow, even if at least one of them has some anger issues to work through.

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-09-09

It was Bandcamp Friday last friday so those go up front:

Listening: First up God's Country by Chat Pile which I cannot remember why I found it but is extremely noisy metal. Blunt, to the point.

A Dog A Deer A Seal by Hit Bargain has featured on a Monday before but now I actually bought the album, here's the title track. Very modern-style rock.

The Envoy by Gavlina Rayna Russom, her first solo album after leaving LCD Soundsystem, soundscape electronic and voice based on The Left Hand of Darkness.

Cyberspace Database by Fornax Void, sort of the evil mirror dimension version of Businessfunk which now that I think about it has never come up on here? Incredible. Anyway a sort of fantasy soundscape for a cyberspace environment. Huge album too, like 50 songs.

Alright back to our regularly scheduled programming

Watching: New! Dynamo! Dreams! from Ian Hubert,

This is the first time we're back at what was started in Ep1 so there is in fact some kind of plot, although the series remains supremely vibes-based. Excellent extensive rampaging robotaxi sequence. Dynamo Dreams is mostly about the props and atmosphere.

Reading: Finished The Tyrant Baru Cormorant after a brief lapse in reading. It's got problems! I really like a lot of it but it keeps on pausing the book to tell us about the blogs and wikipedia pages Seth Dickinson has been reading. Have you heard of Euler's Formula? What about the evolutionary argument for homosexuality? Yo did you hear about plants that avert scurvy? I am going to tell you about these in a boringly straightforward didactic way for the next 200 pages while occasionally progressing the plot.

Things I like: There is a very real sense of trying to balance everyone's schemes. Despite the fantasy communication techniques there's a lot of hidden information that gets used well, and the vibe of Baru's person-blindness is felt heavily but by anyone trying to make a plan run smoothly. Baru gets so messed up over the course of these books and it works to demonstrate how she's taking herself to pieces to make this work.

When Baru is actually doing her thing you can ignore the sort of awkward frankensteined nature of the world around her, but when explicit attention is drawn to it it quickly starts to fall apart, and the introduction of the Lightning Cult has me worried that this will only get more severe. Seth Dickinson seemingly cannot do Greg Egan, but they can do the rest of the Baru Cormorant pretty solidly.

Also more Skin Horse. Only to about 2012 so far.

Making: Some abortive soldering projects, hampered by my lack of good quality solder, I only have pure tin/copper blend in pretty coarse gauge, you want something finer and with a little silver for this.

Started working through some Control Theory lectures to brush up on that because I'm also working through some ROS tutorials, I want to make my robotics projects more broadly useful and integrating ROS/microROS might go a long way to helping that.

Playing: Ash and Adam's Gobsmacked, an early access roguelite arena combat goblin game that came out recently. Big focus on mobility, you can run and jump and glide around levels while taking out a bunch of robots. Still pretty finicky, controls are on the slippier side so on the plus side "high skill ceiling" but also "uncontrollable".

A touch of Minecraft, poking at Modrinth mod manager rather than my usual manual mod installation because I was unwilling to spend time figuring out how some of the new mods interact. I really do want to stick with a world long enough to do something interesting sometime.

Tools and Equipment: I set up Tailscale to link my server with my devices when they're in the field, using a headscale node running on my cloud server. It's really nice once you have all the basics sorted out, works smoothly. Worth a look if you want to securely access your home network while on the go.

[lanaevyssmoved]

helloooo Afhiri sounds SO lovely. can you tell me more about how they feel at the start of act 1 about her predicament with the tadpoles, her companions, etc etc if you want!!

it might be cruel to say that they're pretty damn simple . actually no its not ive decided theyre pretty damn simple. literally wakes up and has a panic attack because where is flute?? where flute?? WHERE. FLU TE? flute was no where to be seen (depression). a very sad clown exploring this ship literally with minimum interest because flute :( flute :( this is a child who has lost their autistic hyperfixation toy.

lae'zel is hot. the sword scene is hot. hiri has immediate gay panic and forgets flute for 2 whole seconds. asks lae'zel if seen flute. lae'zel doesn't even know what a flute is.. smh. sticks around because was told to. does whats told (for now........ ominous.) so to start lae'zel is literally party lead this clown is NOT a protagonist (for now...... no im not making that joke twice)

SHADOWHEART IS HOT... absolutely ignores lae'zel to free shadowheart. literally dumbass tries to pull the door off. lae'zel ends up being the one like "maybe u should look around if u INSIST on saving this HALF ELF." frees shadowheart :) oh my god you have an autistic hyperfixation too?? your rock is so cool!!!!!!!

the flute is not rescued. please F's in chat for the lost flute of afhiri's childhood. her father made her that flute and it's DEAD. AND THERE WASN'T EVEN TIME FOR A FUNERAL.

the first thing they do after hoarding all of the fish on the beach like a little goblin creature is find gale's portal. shiny. Oh My God is that an arm without a body? that is Soooo cool...... high fives. they free him of course!!! used bard Magicks to calm that shit down and free the silly man. she finds him SOOO silly. he is such a silly little guy. his lil expressions and hand movements are SO funny. she wants to get acting classes from him so she can be just as funny and then she'll rank up in Clown. she's sure of it. (he is a clown to her. a truly excellent clown. there's real talent..........)

after that she gets knife throat by astarion :( not very nice of you :( i would have given you money if u wanted :( oh not a robbery? OH WE'RE WORM BUDDIES? friendship acquired :) they genuinely don't have any more thoughts rly at the start because he is mean and she doesn't understand its mean and looks at him stupidly like a dog who cannot understand the new word u just said. tilts head :)

their friendship stat is SO high all of a sudden. this clown has had NO friends their entire damn life (weirdo coded) and suddenly they've got SOOO many best friends oh my god they're so excited for the campfire stories hehee :)

next is oh my godd its the hot. gi..gi... Girlfriend? :) no its gith u stupid clown. get pied. ANYWAY tells the tieflings some absolute BULLSHITERY. this clown is So good at lying (this is a positive. their moral code is kinda messy.) and frees lae'zel :) shadowheart doesn't trust lae'zel but how can you Not when she's Also Green? I'm Green? You're Green? Da Ba Dee

after that its oh my god is that A GOBLIN? never seen a goblin before. finds them extremely cute. they're also kind of green (positive). and A WARG? can i PET IT? No? It'll eat me? bite off my hand? chew up my suit? this is supreme sadness. wait- flute still gone. that's supreme sadness. ALSO WYLL IS FUN!!!! wyll gives her fairytale hero prince vibes and is absolutely fascinated and thinks as a bard should sing of his tale because hes so cool (please don't trust them. they will make him sound like a fool.)

hearing about the spooky scary teeth-ling from wyll is super!! exciting!!!! a devil?? fought in devil war?? fire?? death?? epic story . we must find out more (not to kill. to talk to. must have some REALLY COOL STORIES!!!) very easy to convince wyll not to kil- OH MY GOD HOT?? HOT? ?? literally hot. this is the most Supreme Gay Panic. afhiri never thought about girls (or boys) like this before. none of the Lads give the Panik.. but these girls are a little too much (fainting vibes) also karlach is so fun :) daydreams about karlach throwing her like a javelin into battle

the tadpole though :/ they don't know!! everyone keeps saying. bad! evil! bad! removal! death! kill! and they're like :/ idk guys.. worms are kinda cute. u ever seen a worm do a lil wiggle on some mud? its so cool.. i wish i was a worm..... everyone is concerned. do not trust them with decisions (they trust them with decisions. they are All stupid.) they name the worm. the worm is named little buddy. it's not creative. it's not a name. but this is Little Buddy and she talks to her little buddy sometimes. she even wrote it a song. (she doesn't consume more little buddies. that's weird.. this is HER little buddy and those are OTHER little buddies. there's only one little buddy for her....)

extra: GUARDIAN. oooohhhhh my god .. never seen someone soooooo CLOWN. (this is false. guardian looks nothing like a clown. theyre projecting HARD. guardian plays along because this is clearly going to work better than being Hot and Mysterious). trust them explicitly (reminder: not smart), treats like another Best Friend like the squad. gets sad they don't ever join them in camp for her performances. does private performances sometimes :)

DOUBLE EXTRA: the possession.. of Flute 2.

a daring tale of (gale takes some of the squads money and buys them a flute. cannot bare to see the sad puppy dog eyes any longer.) AN INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE OF PERIL AND DANGER... THERE WAS GNOLLS AND GOBLINS AND MAYBE A BEHOLDER!!!!! gale.. an incredibly brave adventurer.. this is going in his next song

[itstimetodrew]

Can we get more NWH Goblin thoughts?

Can you?? CAN YOU???

yeah I always want to talk about him :)

I guess I will just...expand on my feelings of why I do and don't like him in the movie lol

SO!! I think there's a big difference between a choice being "out of character" versus a choice just being a different path for a character. I think his character makes sense, it's just less compelling to me personally. The conflict for him in the new movie is cool because it's about him (Normie hehe) realizing he doesn't have any say in this partnership. It's gone too far but he can't stop it. The thing he thought would help him gain control has instead taken it from him. Sad!

The downside to that though is now the movie just takes a black-and-white approach to 'Norman is good and the Goblin is bad' which is just...idk it's boring for me, sorry. Like I don't disagree with the themes that everyone deserves help, and even if you offer help that doesn't mean they will accept it or go along with what you think is right for them. But this is also where the complaints pop up from people who think this movie is too sympathetic about a power-hungry guy who makes his money off supplying weapons to the military and like...they aren't wrong lol

And while I like that whole 'out of control' aspect, him not having any personal stakes isn't as interesting. Like okay sure, he wants power, but why here? The MCU world is so much larger, he's a small fish in a big pond now instead of a big fish in the small pond that his original world is. Like I guess to try and fix it a bit you could have Norman/Goblin trying to get home because he wants to bring that tech back to his world where he'd get an even stronger foothold with it. Could further complicate the conflict of some villains wanting to go back while others want to stay...idk

And the family aspect isn't there either. A lot of OG Norman/Goblin's fixation on Peter/Spider-Man is out of misplaced paternal feelings be he has an actual son right there that he's ignoring lmao. I think one issue with the handling of multiverse stuff in these movies is they try to take a shortcut of 'well they're enemies because they're Spider-Man and the Green Goblin' but I need more! They just kinda keep the theme of Goblin trying to be an influence on New Peter without that underlying relationship to explain why it would even matter to him. I won't discount the justification of 'it doesn't have to make sense, he's being irrational' because sure, I do love a 'because I want to' self-sabotaging villain, but it's still a pretty half-assed excuse 😭

On that note, another drawback I see with the trend of franchises bringing back old characters is that they have to straddle a line of reminding viewers of The Thing Before but not being SO prominent they overshadow The Thing Now (imo this also happened with Pokemon at the end rip). It usually leaves the targeted fans coming back for nostalgia still unsatisfied anyway. Some reference is thrown out, or there's a hint of some interesting new take on an old idea, but that isn't what they're trying to market right now so it's not pursued. I'm still annoyed we got a fight scene of OG Spider-Man vs Green Goblin to the filming stage but by the final movie it's cut and they don't exchange a single word. 😒 The defense I usually see is 'that would be too much fanservice, move on from those characters' as if this isn't Fanservice: We Know You Can't Move on From These Characters - The Movie smh (and we had time for that stupid meme line AGH!)

OKAY now I'm complaining too much uhhh more good things lol I like his new little junk food habit. That's cute! :3 This would have killed in 2013...memes of this dude with little donuts and burritos everywhere...I want to see this self-important man asking high schoolers to explain what a crunchwrap supreme is and then making himself sick after downing 4 back-to-back. AND THE DILF SHIP!!! Yeah. Yeah that was an excellent development. I love their dynamic of 'SHUT UP I HATE YOU I HOPE YOU DIE AGAIN 🤬' vs 'huh??🥺..I thought we were friends...😢💔' swapping sides. It made me write like 30 years of lore in my head for them... 😔 (<- me, burdened and crazed with copious old man yaoi thoughts and lore for comic book movies)

Long story short he's gonna be the same case as my other favorite characters. Wish he was getting new material. Except I don't wish that because I don't think it would be very good. But I miss him so much. I will instead find satisfaction making stories in my mind and pouring over the bits of characterization I have from decades ago...my one true skill, my passion!! 💪

[gobbodev]

POST EGX WRAP UP

So now that EGX is over and I’m slightly less sick and bed bound, I’ve written a lil blog post about how EGX went for Supremely Excellent Goblins! (and me, Gracie, specifically).

For those that don’t know, EGX is the largest gaming convention in the UK. Held in the NEC in Birmingham, each year it attracts about 70,000 people over 4 days! Woo!

It was a simply incredible experience, over 250 people came in person and played our demo! 

(above are some of the afformentioned kickass people) We recieved an absolutely incredible response from people, including our industry peers such as the awesome Tommy Refenes from Team Meat, who gave us some valuable advice and feedback. 

Having never gone to such a convention to exhibit work before, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. I worked with my team for such a long time, working late nights and early mornings to make sure this demo was as close to perfect as we could get it (even still requiring an emergency bug fix session after the first day. It is incredible what people will try and do to your game lol).

Heres what I would advise any other indie devs heading to their first public convention/public showing of their project:

Be prepared for fairly extreme negative feedback. Not everyone is gonna love your game, which is obvious! However, not everyone is gonna be polite about that. Honestly, we received about 98% positive feedback from people, but the first person that played the demo absolutely hated it and was not shy about that fact. That utterly crushed me and made the first day a lot harder than it needed to be. Have thick skin and have faith in what you’ve made, but don’t be blind to it. Honestly, the negative feedback is going to be what helps you the most in the end, so take it with a “Thank you!”, even if it leaves you feeling a little shitty.  

Bring hand sanitiser and wet wipes. The filthy unwashed masses are, unsurprisingly, filthy and unwashed. Jokes aside though, not everyone at a convention understands basic hygiene (just being brutally honest) and you’ll probably need to degunk your kit at some point.

Bring stuff to give out to people! People LOVE stickers, badges, postcards etc - and it means free advertising for your game, and a lot of people will play just to walk away with a cute sticker or a cool badge. Dead Pixels 2 was displaying behind us and they were giving special shiny badges to people that played the whole demo and you bet your ass people were coming round multiple times. 

Don’t be scared to invite people to play your game! If you see people umming and awwing around your stand, invite them over to play. Give em a hello and a quick introduction and they might just walk away as a newly converted fan.

Bring! Business! Cards! You will meet industry types there and you will need to give them some way to remember your details. I met over 70 different industry folks while I was there, and the only reason I can remember that is because I got business cards (and gave cards to) all of them! 

Thank people that give you feedback or who talk about your game on social media! This is such a simple but easy thing to forget. Journalists, streamers, lets players and even the average joe are your best friend. They took the time to play your game and give you feedback, take a few seconds to thank em <3 

Support your fellow devs! If you have time, visit their stands, play their games. Get numbers, twitters, badges, stickers. Make friends! These people are your peers and they love what you do as much as you do, and we all gotta stick together, y’know? I made some amazing friends while at EGX and meeting them was honestly my top highlight!

Lastly, expect the unexpected. Why? Cuz at this EGX, while displaying my first video game, I met the man who inspired me to take up game design to begin with: Lorne Lanning.

Yes, thats me, in the shirt (with our sound designer in the red hoodie). Standing mere feet away from my childhood hero and creator of my all time favourite game series. Did I cry like a fucking baby after he wished me luck and gave me a hug? Yes. Yes I did. A lot.

Thats all from me for now, I gotta go chug a bunch of cough medicine and nap, but I want to thank everyone that came to see us at EGX and to everyone that worked with me to make it possible to begin with. Love ya <3

[inventors-fair]

Landslide Victory: Regional contest winners!

Congratulations to @azathoth-the-bored, @gollumni and @dabudder for winning this week's contest!

Let me tell you, this was a rough one for narrowing things down. In the end, I took the cards that, even though they might not have been my mechanical favorites, they did everything right in terms of proper wording, appropriate flavoring, balance, and game feel. That's the only way—because lord knows I'm gonna be gushing a fair amount this week. With some of these runners/judge picks, there's so much to love. Regardless!

@azathoth-the-bored — Urborg Trawler

With Vehicles becoming a part of day-to-day Magic, I love when they show up appropriately on various worlds, and this is no exception. Weatherlight did some awesome Vehicle shenanigans, and now here we are on the island of Urborg with a fantastic Dominarian-flavored boat. I can definitely see what this is doing in the world, and it feels perfectly appropriate. Someone crews through the muck on a muck cruise, and you get your bodies and/or treasure! Totally gets the trawling mood. The flavor text referencing Skulltown... Skulltown, c'mon, Wizards. Anyway. I kinda like how the dockhand is passing off the responsibility. It makes Urborg seem alive, gives it a dynamic. It's subtle but effective for me!

Mechanically, of course, this is an excellent card for this world. Now that Dominaria has its share of artifact-y Historic stuff going for it (or, well, that's what I associate with it), you can play this card as a historic enabler, to get back your other cards, and the expenditure of mana means that you can't immediately abuse it in limited. Later in the game for a sacrifice-y midrange type of deck, it's supremely strong; recursion always is, but you're tempering the recursion with choice. And THAT is excellent card design.

@gollumni — Bassomer Busker

I find myself surprised with this card in a way that's equally enthralling and frustrating. The thing is, it's a perfectly adequate limited card. You have a 2/2 for 3 that doesn't really do anything without Treasures, but you can make it fairly large and swing in and make combat math a touch harder. Or you can use it to crew bigger vehicles, I suppose? There are limited applications in the really powerful environment that New Capenna created. I don't know how much this card would be played, honestly, but I'll say that it feels like it belongs.

So maybe that's it. I want to be ambivalent about this card and I can't. What's the art direction here? Personally, I'm imagining a wild virtuoso that's getting the respected smirks from one side of the crowd and uncomfortable glances from another, with a deco guitar and a tarnished suit and a singing voice like the steam pipes around them. Or maybe an upturned drum set, maybe even a backing raccoon, a small crowd. It's a breath in a world of steel. Giving them money makes them stronger, and that's all there needs to be. I know this contest left a lot of open mechanical space, and I respect the simplicity of your choices, and how they succeeded in making a card that feels...warm. It feels like home in the city.

@dabudder — Skyfang Fall // Skyfang Crevasse

Also in terms of simple mechanics, I'm shocked to see that this kind of specific effect hasn't been done yet. Pinging equal to land ETBs? I mean, you have funny moments like the kind where Scapeshift can slam into a creature, but there were only five cards in ZNR that put land cards directly onto the battlefield, so chances are this is mostly going to be a pinger that's designed for funny shenanigans in other formats. Is that fine? Yeah, I mean, it's fine, it's probably not gonna be in the same set as Spikefield Hazard but this is a contest of concepts and conceptually it's great. The DFC lands were all radically awesome. Also, capitalize the 'a' in 'add' or I'm going to cry.

I like the relationship and the feeling that Nakkem brings to the world. They're a goblin on a mission! The mission is to save your butt so that they get paid. This human's slippage is a misstep but that's all right. There's a minor character here with a minor impact, and once again, the feeling of 'this place is dangerous but kind of fun' comes into the forefront. We really hadn't seen a place like Zendikar before when it first came out, and here's the thing: even though it's an Adventure World, what other "Adventure" worlds were there before it in fantasy? Zendikar is tropical, untamed, a continent of angels and goblins, a living place. What else compares? And getting back into the slices of that world is really what this is about.

More to come! Thank you all for your entries.

@abelzumi

[ravnicaforgoblins]

Ravnica for Goblins

The Azorius Senate

History: Founded by Azor I, the Sphinx responsible for writing a majority of the original Guildpact, the Azorius Senate had a big part in organizing Ravnica’s government and maintain it to this day. Theirs is the most complete history, as its members are scrupulous about keeping records. Recording and preserving history is a core tenet of the Azorius Senate, not just for themselves, but for all of Ravnica. As a result, if you need to find a book or a piece of information about the past, the Azorius should have it. Criminal records, personnel files, building blueprints, personal histories; it’s all here. It’s just a matter of getting to it.

Organization: More than any other Guild, the Azorius Senate is meticulously organized. Its three Columns are represented on the Guild’s symbol:

The Sova Column (judges, arbitrators, legal aides, librarians, lawyers, etc) are in charge of making rulings in legal disputes. They decide what’s legal, what isn’t legal, and provide mediation for tough calls. Their word is final and carries serious weight.

The Jelenn Column (scribes, elocuters, notaries, lawmakers, legislators, researchers, messengers, etc) write the laws. Every member dreams of one day adding a new law they’ve written to the Guildpact. Their knowledge of Ravnica’s laws is second to none.

The Lyev Column (lawmages, hieromancers, arrestors, nullmages, investigators, enforcers, soldiers, etc) uphold the laws. They patrol streets, issuing warnings, carrying out warrants, making arrests, and function as eyes & ears on the streets. They are equipped for the job of detaining, pacifying, or incapacitating lawbreakers from any Guild.

Alignment Spectrum: Azorius are lawful if nothing else. The Guildpact is the single most powerful magic on the plane of Ravnica and the Azorius’ knowledge of it is unmatched by that of any other Guild. Laws are literally the source of their power, so having any other alignment can be a serious hindrance to an Azorius member. Ideally, the Azorius are Lawful Neutral, concerned with enforcing the laws as written, with no favoritism for anyone. Lawful Good are those who want to use the law to make life better for others because they believe in it. Hero cops, basically. Lawful Evil are those who use the law to their own means. Dirty cops, basically. Thing is, as long as an Azorius has the law on their side, their Guild will back them up. There may be repercussions, however.

Signature Elements: Since Guildpact magic is as powerful as it is, Azorius don’t have many other requirements besides a strong commitment to carrying it out. Azroius is largely populated by humans, as well as a good number of Vedalken, and their fair share of Giants. Being primarily booksmart, Azorius are very likely to have high Intelligence. They wear white & blue uniforms based on their rank & position, have notebooks & writing implements on them at all times, ride horses or griffins, and standard issue armor & weapons for those out on the streets. Azorius magic is law magic and typically takes the form of runes, symbols, floating letters, and glowing bonds/chains. It is firm & iron-clad, but always more focused on detainment than injury. That said, a 4′11″ Azorius can stop a rampaging 25ft tall Simic Krasis with a word and a piece of paper. That’s not just metaphor, I literally mean a piece of paper and clear annunciation can have that much magical power. Combat-wise, Azorius prefer weaponry that discourages unlawful behavior, such as spears, shields, and hammers. It only hurts if you insist on fighting. Magically, Azorius prefer to nullify threats with spells like Command, Hold Person, and especially Counterspell. Take away a mage’s spells and they might as well be a normal civilian.

Your Role in Ravnica: Patrol the streets, research the Guildpact, follow your orders, and above all, maintain order. That last one is the single most important aspect of being an Azorius, but it doesn’t have to be as constricting as it sounds. “Order” in Ravnica has a different meaning than it does on other planes. If a Rakdos troupe is putting on a disturbing knife display involving blood magic at one of their venues, your job is not to stop the show. Your job is to make sure it doesn’t get out of control and spill out into the streets. The status quo is balance, not utopia. If a Guild is building up an army, your job is surveillance, if a Guild is overstepping their boundaries, your job is to put them back in their place. If a threat to the city or its inhabitants emerges, your job is to neutralize it.

Your Territory: Within the Tenth District, the Azorius are most heavily focused in the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Districts. 1st District, being central within the city and home of the Guildpact, is patrolled most regularly. 2nd District, being the site of the Azorius Guildhall New Prahv, has the highest concentration of Azorius in the entire city. Not just patrols, but living quarters, barracks, airship stations, stables, legal offices, as well as prison compounds. It is among the most heavily guarded & fortified structures on the plane. The 5th District contains Prism University, Ravnica’s most highly esteemed educational college, as well as the Ismeri Library, the largest collection of knowledge & information in the city. While not strictly Azorius, the Library is generally filled with lawmages, researchers, students, and bibliophiles, all commonplace amongst the Senate.

Your Guildhall: New Prahv is the single largest building in Ravnica. A trifecta of titanic pillars towers atop a fortress prison nearly a mile wide and a thousand feet tall. It is an impenetrable reminder of the Azorius’ presence within the city. It’s not particularly subtle, but that’s very much the point. Azorius might be annoying out on the streets, but here they are absolute.

Your Guildmaster: The Azorius Senate has been through many Guildmasters, some longer than others. Like many real governments, most of the Guildmasters have been elected to the position based on legal merit/standing as opposed to physical strength. Most have been human (Konstantin I-II, Leonos I-II, Lucian I-III, Augustin I-IV, Lavinia I), with one Vedalken (Dovin Baan) and a couple of Sphinx (Azor I and Isperia). Their role is to issue final judgements, much like a supreme court judge, as well as to oversee the operations of every branch of the Senate. It is exceedingly rare for them to leave their posts, and almost unthinkable to see them out on the streets or in a fight.

Why You’re Awesome: Azorius know a lot. Not just about their own Guild, but about every Guild. To them, knowing literally is half the battle. The Azorius Senate are that one kid in class who actually reads the textbook and raises the collective average of the rest of the class by at least one letter grade. Not only that, but you have one of the largest & most impressive arsenals on the plane backing you up. Your job is to maintain order in a city with Psycho Murder Clowns, make no mistake, Azorius are built to hold fast against any threat, no matter how big. Paladins, Clerics, Wizards, Bards, Airships, Giants, and Griffins. Azorius are best equipped for dealing with threats that rely on only their strongest skill. Thugs, berserkers, raiders, beasts, etc who can excel at physical combat but dump Intelligence or Wisdom stats. Wizards and Sorcerers with massive repertoires of spells at their disposal but no backup plan for having every spell countered or nullified. Seeing the expressions on these individuals’ faces when they realize they don’t have a contingency for such situations is priceless.

Why You’re Problematic: To call the Azorius unpopular is a bit of an understatement. The general consensus about them among the other Guilds ranges from pity to annoyance to outright hatred. The Azorius are unyielding and non-negotiable, and read way too many gods-damn books. There’s also the matter of Ravnica’s own legal system being your greatest weapon as well as your greatest hindrance. Part of your job is to record all crimes you see, jaywalking through illegal detonation of a Purple Wurm, and there are utter mountains of paperwork attached to report. In addition, your Guild moves at what could generously be called a snail’s pace, requiring any major changes or decisions to go all the way up the ladder before any action is made. Worse, many of the other Guilds know this, and have learned how to subvert and dodge legal ramifications over the millennia. Orzhov specialize in finding creative loopholes in specific laws, whereas your job is more of a broad understanding of them. Last, but almost certainly not least, the Azorius Senate strives to be the pinnacle of law & order within the city, but the system is far from perfect. Mistakes are made, and the consequences can be alarming. Azorius strive towards a Greater Good mindset, and some of their actions in pursuit of this have been downright unforgivable.

Myths: You're boring.

You have a stick up your ass that could crack an Orc skull.

Laws are stupid and you’re stupid for following them.

You are required to be a Rules Lawyer.

You can’t do anything in a real fight.

You have to play a high Intelligence character.

No one likes you.

Reality: You’re dependable.

They’ll thank you for keeping notes someday.

Law Magic is the strongest on this plane, only a few Guilds actually learn it.

Lawmages specialize in rules, Arresters specialize in enforcement.

Your warhammer isn’t for show.

You only have to be smart enough to know who you can hit and who you can’t.

You didn’t join this Guild to be popular.

[kohei-speaks]

[Image text:

“kohei does not play

favorites you guys are just

bad at counting yo”

-ririkisoma - resident cryptid

10:09 Haiku Log

“Somehow my skills in

Math have lead me to excel

In a right brain thing”

-misplacedgamer - Goblin Supreme

Haiku Log

“codi please love me

i only want to be yours

you are my soulmate”

- izukus left shoe (codi)

End image text]

Courtesy of @rikusoma @collisiondiscourse @misplacedgamer

[elgaberino-mcoc]

MCOC Wishlist Blog Character Spotlight KNULL

by Marco “Prophet of Knull” Garcia ed. Other Gabe

BACKGROUND

Knull is an ancient malevolent deity whose existence predates the universe itself, and was originally content to drift through the endless abyss that existed before time.

He used his weapon, the Necrosword, to combat the Celestials who disturbed his darkness. With this sword Knull severed the head of a Celestial. That head is now Knowhere, a popularly-known Marvel location and a battle zone in the Marvel Contest of Champions Battlerealm.

Wanting an army, Knull then constructed the aliens we all know, love, and sometimes hate, the Klyntar race of gooey symbiotic aliens.¹ Later, after a debacle with the Mighty Thor, the symbiotes rebelled against their “God” and trapped him on a desolate planet, later known as Klyntar. There the God of Symbiotes waits and plans his escape, hoping to one day lay waste and bring Darkness to the universe.

“The End is near. God is coming….”  

Editor’s note: the next several sections are designed to familiarize the reader with Knull’s worthiness to be featured in a video game, compared with the myriad other Marvel characters from whom Kabam could choose.

POPULARITY

Technically, Knull has been around since 2013, and appeared in Thor: God of Thunder Vol.1 #6 by Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic, as he was a shadowed figure from whom Gorr the God Butcher steals All-Black the Necrosword.

He was then revealed by name by his creators in Venom Vol. 4 #3 by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman in 2018. 

Knull has had huge fan buzz around him since his inception and his name is only getting bigger. Despite fewer than a dozen appearances initially, Knull headlined the King in Black line-wide event that began in December 2020, from the minds of Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman. 

Editor’s note: Arguably named after Knull, the King in Black initial release was considered critically to be a high-stakes situation, due to the perceived hype. Its comics made regular appearances in bestseller lists after the event launched, suggesting the Knull name and story, in conjunction with the strength of his creators’ reputations, was strong enough to sell books. Overall the King in Black arc has also gotten good critical reviews. 

KNULL AS MATERIAL FOR OUR MARVEL GAME

Editor’s note: these character spotlights usually explore several factors to determine whether it is reasonable to expect Kabam to seriously consider the character as a candidate for addition to Marvel Contest of Champions. Among these factors are inclusion in other similarly-marketed games, mainstreaming in comics and other media, mentions in MCOC lore, Kabam conversation, or community rumors, and pure hype among summoners.

OTHER MARVEL GAMES

Knull has been featured in other games already: first in the Spider-Man Unlimited mobile app,² then in Marvel Future Fight. In Marvel Puzzle Quest, Knull was originally only part of the backstory description of the playable Prophet Carnage character, but was eventually released in his own right in May 2021.

KNULL AND THE BATTLEREALM

Arguably no direct mention of Knull has happened in either [Marvel Contest of Champions or Marvel Realm of Champions], but it can be said he was alluded to in the motion comic that accompanied the release of Cosmic Ghost Rider and Red Goblin in October 2020.

Then, when story mode Act 7 was released in December 2020, this dialogue was revealed, which has been strongly speculated to be a reference to Knull.

CLAIM TO FAME: KNULL IN OTHER MEDIA

Knull has not enjoyed a reference in any Marvel Cinematic Universe content to date. Hel has only been mentioned in the Disney XD cartoon Spider-Man: Maximum Venom with a retelling loosely based on his comic book origins. 

UNIQUE WAYS KNULL COULD FIT INTO THE MCOC META

Knull could be a massive boost (editor’s note: synergy hub) to many Symbiote champions or champions in general. I see him as a Cosmic [based on what I was told by co-creator Ryan Stegman], with massive damage. Being the creator of symbiotes, Knull could outfit any [non-#Symbiote] champ with a “Klyntar symbiote” of their own to enhance their kit or base numbers. He could also operate with #Symbiote champs similarly to the way Apocalypse enhances Mutant champs. He could also work as a counter to Symbiotes or anyone who would have ever been bonded to a Klyntar before in canon, which would include most of the Spider-Fam!

Knull’s kit could alternately introduce a #Codex tag to add to certain non-#Spiderverse Hero champs who have famously bonded to symbiotes (paging Red Hulk or even Deadpool).³

A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN?

No mention of Knull ever came out of the Kabam team or anyone related to MCOC. Then again, Kabam never likes to tease big-name additions like Knull would be. Mid-September 2021, one data miner claimed that Knull is forthcoming.

WHAT DO SUMMONERS THINK?

Summoners seem to dig Knull. He was the winner of the first Tournament  of Battlerealm Future, March Addness 2020, which was co-hosted by MCOC Wishlist creator Other MCOC Gabe and Unofficial MCOC Podcast veteran UMCOC Deacon on Twitter. The tournament pitted hundreds of characters against one another for votes from Summoners expressing who they would prefer to enter Marvel Contest of Champions. He cleaned house throughout most of the tournament, earning his addition to the MCOC Wishlist, where he has risen into the top 50 most wanted champions.

Due to recent ramblings by the author, and the introduction of Red Goblin to Marvel Contest of Champions, people have warmed up to the idea that Knull might actually be coming to the contest. (Even community-renowned comics expert CTMCOC agrees!)

Once below rank 250 on the MCOC Wishlist, Knull now stands as the #31 most-wanted champ, with over 550 Summoner upvotes as of this writing. 

KNULL: CHAMPION BUILD IDEAS

PROBABLE CLASS

As mentioned above, Knull is a canonically cosmic entity or deity who purports to predate the universe itself. This forms a strong case for the MCOC Cosmic class of champions.

POSSIBLE ABILITIES

Like many Cosmic champs’ builds, I can see his relying on many Active Buffs with massive damage and defensive potential due to Symbiotic Armor. Perhaps as Knull collects Codices, he gets stronger and this mechanic could be used in game as persistent charges. The more Codices he gathers, the more potent his Buffs could become. He could utilize Fury, Aptitude, Armor, Cruelty, Precision, and other critical-damage-enhancing Buffs. Bleed and Armor Break Debuffs are likely as Knull breaks down his enemies with bloodthirsty ferocity.

POSSIBLE SYNERGIES

Knull's status as the God of the Klyntar could enhance all #Symbiote champions just as Apocalypse does for Mutants.

Venom could get a unique synergy called “Daddy Issues,” allowing Venom a 2% attack boost for every Buff converted on his sp2 but as passive Fury stacks. I imagine Carnage with something like a “Prophet of Knull” Synergy allowing 95% resistance to incinerate effects, allowing him to heal from Incinerates, since Carnage has no weakness to fire when he is operating as Knull’s prophet in the comics.

Knull could also be built to spend Persistent Charges to enhance #Symbiote champions in order to increase their stats and enhance their buffs.

It would also be clever to have a Synergy with Void called “Knull and Void” allowing Void access to a non-stacking Armor Break Debuff, such as on his Heavy Attack. More debuffs for Void would be devastating. 

Knull could also enjoy a basic “Enemies” synergy with Thor and Silver Surfer. A great champ to release in conjunction with Knull would be Gorr the God-Butcher, a notable Thor villain, played by Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder, and the other best-known wielder of All-Black the Necrosword.

•.•.•

Editor’s note: this concludes Marco’s commentary and notes on Knull as a potential champion. Anyone tracking the conversation about future champs knows that the name of Knull comes up frequently among Summoners, and his rise in every voting event in the community tends to support the notion he is greatly demanded by Summoners and would make an excellent addition to the game.

This article was originally drafted almost entirely in late 2020, and has been dug up and completed in September 2021 after MCOC Trucos released a purportedly datamined leak suggesting Knull “is Coming” to Marvel Contest of Champions in October 2021. -OG

________

NOTES 1. The Klyntar alien race is most popularly represented by Venom, and his fellow Klyntar aliens Carnage, Scream, and the other names associated with their stories of superhuman symbiosis and “Venomization.”  2. Spider-Man Unlimited was well ahead of the curve announcing Knull for a video game in 2018. It got there by virtue of attempting to release almost every noteworthy Spider- and symbiote character as playable video game characters. Knull was not yet a character most people would consider important for gaming. 3. A codex (pl. codices) is the term for the biological traces a Klyntar symbiote leaves in its host’s system after separating from that host.

[templepurohit]

Story of Kala Bhairav - Kala bhairava was a mendicant(beggar) with a begging bowl in hand. the begging bowl was not just any vessel. it was the skull of brahma's fifth head. lord shiva cut it off to humble brahma and vishnu. So here goes the story: Brahmâ and Vishnu were disputing with each other for the status of supreme God and appealed to the testimony of the four Vedas, which unanimously proclaimed Rudra-Shiva as the Ultimate Truth of the Universe. But the disputants were unable to accept that Rudra, endowed with so many revolting symbols of impurity and degradation, could be identical with the Absolute Reality of Brahman. Brahmâ laughed scornfully: "How could the Brahman, free of all attachment, lustily sport with his wife in the company of his troop of deformed churn-goblins (pramatha)?" However, Rudra's supremacy was finally reconfirmed by the esoteric sound-syllable, Omkâra, quintessence of the Veda and most condensed symbol of Brahman, who pointed out that Shiva's wife is not adventitious to her husband but on the contrary embodies his own blissful essence. Just then an immense pillar of flame manifested itself in their midst, within which was recognized the towering figure of the three-eyed Rudra bearing his trident, serpents and crescent moon. But the fifth head of Brahmâ taunted him: "I know who you are, Rudra, whom I created from my forehead. Take refuge with me and I will protect you, my son!" Overflowing with anger, Shiva created a blazing Bhairava in human form, addressing this Kâlabhairava as "Lord of Time-Death" (kâla) for he shone like the god of Death: "You are called Bhairava because you are of terrifying features and are capable of supporting the universe. You are called Kâla-Bhairava, for even Time-Death is terrified of you." He ordered him to chastise Brahmâ, promising him in return eternal suzerainty over his city of Kâshî (Vârânasî), the cremation-ground of the Hindu universe, where final emancipation is assured. In a trice, Bhairava ripped off Brahmâ's guilty head with the nail of his left thumb. Seeing this, the terrified Vishnu eulogized Shiva and devotedly recited his sacred hymns, followed in this by the repentant Brahmâ. Thereby they gained his protection by realizing and acknowledging the supreme reality of Shiva. The severed head immediately stuck to Bhairava's hand, where it remained in the form of the skull, destined to serve as his insatiable begging-bowl.Enjoining him to honor Vishnu and Brahmâ, Shiva then directed Bhairava to roam the world in this beggarly condition to atone for the sin of Brahmanicide. "Show to the world the rite of expiation for removing the sin of Brahmanicide. Beg for alms by resorting to the penitential rite of the skull (kapâlavrata)." Creating a maiden renowned as 'Brahmanicide' (brahmahatyâ), Shiva instructed her to relentlessly follow Bhairava everywhere until he reached the holy city of Kâshî to which she would have no access. Observing the Kâpâlika rite with skull in hand and pursued by the terrible Brahmahatyâ, Bhairava sported freely, laughing, singing and dancing with his goblin horde (pramathas). Stealing more than the hearts of all women, even the chaste wives of the Seven Vedic Sages (sapta-rshi) as he passed through the Daru forest, the erotic ascetic arrived at Vishnu's door to seek redemption only to find his entry barred by the guard, Vishvaksena. Spearing the latter and heaving the corpse of this Brahman on his shoulder, he pressed before Vishnu with outstretched begging-bowl. Vishnu split his own forehead-vein (see pic 2) but the out-flowing blood, the only suitable offering, could not fill the skull though it flowed for eons. When Vishnu then tried to dissuade Brahmahatyâ from tormenting Bhairava, the criminal observed that "beggars are not intoxicated by the alms they receive as (are others) by drinking the wine of worldly honor." Vishnu venerated him as the Supreme Being, untainted by sins like Brahmanicide, and acknowledged that his dependence and degradation were a mere fancy. Before leaving joyously to beg elsewhere, Bhairava reciprocated by recognizing Vishnu as his foremost disciple and acknowledged the latter's status as "grantor of boons to all the gods." On arriving at Kâshî, Brahmahatyâ sank into the nether-world, and the holy ground on which the skull fell, freeing Bhairava from his Brahmanicide, came to be known as Kapâlamocana. It was on the eighth day (ashtamî) in the dark (waning moon) half of the month of Mârgashîrsha that Lord Shiva manifested himself as Bhairava. Ever since, by performing ablution at Kapâlamocana one is rid of even the worst sin of brahmanicide (brahmahatyâ); and whosoever fasts on this day (Bhairavâshtamî) in front of Kâlabhairava (temple at Kâshî) and stays awake at night is freed from great sins. The original Kâla Bhairava temple was located on the banks of the Kapâlamocana Tîrtha itself, in the Omkâreshvara area north of Maidâgin in Vâranasî, where Bhairava remained as the 'Sin-Eater' (Pâpa-Bhakshana) par excellence to devour the accumulated sins of devotees and pilgrims. If the pilgrims to Kâshî do not fear death there, this would be because their pilgrimage to the Mahâshmashâna is conceived on the ritual model of Bhairava's own arrival at Kâshî for absolution from his terrible sin and his subsequent establishment there. The paradox of Bhairava's scapegoat function even after his 'purification' can be explained as a 'lawful irregularity' resulting from the two opposing valorizations, diachronically disjoined in the myth, of his transgressive essence; it matches the complementary paradox of the pure Kâshî-Vishvanâtha himself being identified esoterically with the impure criminal Bhairava. https://ift.tt/3b1JCdD

[ngakpakonchokdorjetsondonmystic]

Distinguishing the Provisional from the Definitive in the Context of Mahamudra

A Vajra song of Milarepa

"Right here in this world, Jambudvipa, the Victor’s realm There is one renowned as being a second Buddha On the victory banner of teachings that do not set He is like the crowning jewel at the very top Respected by all and worthy of offerings; The melodious sound of his rippling flag of fame Reverberates in every direction around Is this not the lord and accomplished master Maitripa? There is one who served at his lotus feet with respect And drank in full draughts the quintessential elixir The mahamudra, the crowning point of view, This put him in touch with reality plain and simple He perfectly brought all excellent qualities forth And was not defiled by any fault at all; A sugata emanation in human form That greatest of beings, lord Marpa, taught like this. However appearances might appear outside Not realized are delusory projections Clinging to objects, this is what ties you down For those who know, they’re illusory appearance For them what appear to be objects are mind’s best friends; In the end, in fact, there is no such thing as appearance And being unborn Dharmakaya is utterly pure He taught of its purity as the unborn Dharmakaya. The workings of mental consciousness inside Not realized are ignorance itself This is the root of all karma and all affliction If realized is self-awareness wisdom Here is where positive qualities spring full-blown; In the end, in fact, there is no such thing as wisdom Let phenomena go as far as they go and no more this is as far as they go and no more, he said. This skandha of form compulsively taken on Not realized is four elements making a body Sickness and suffering, this is what comes of that If realized it’s a deity’s union body. Reversing the common assumption you entertain; In the end, in fact, there is no such thing as a body It’s as rarefied as a cloud-free sky, he taught Is pure as a cloud-free sky is what he taught. Apparitions of male and female demons and ghouls For as long as your guise has not been seen through are maras, Obstacle-makers who nothing but trouble spell. When your guise is seen through, your obstructers are Dharmapalas, A hotbed of siddhis of such a variety; In the end, in fact, there are neither gods nor goblins let concepts go as far as they go and no more, this is as far as they go and no more, he said. In the ultimate yana, to put it in general terms, Through the anuttarayoga of secret mantra When a dhatu condensation with nadi aligns The forms of spirits are seen outside, he taught. Not knowing those self-expressions are not what they seem But thinking they’re real will get you precisely nowhere There was a time confusion made my head spin Knowing no better I built a nest of delusion Taking gods that help and spirits that harm as true But now through the jetsun siddha’s guidance so kind I see stopping samsara and winning nirvana won’t do, I’ve caught on that whatever appears is mahamudra! Through realizing delusion to have no ground The water moon of awareness shines unblurred The sun of luminosity free of clouds Lights up the darkness of ignorance out to its brink. My spinning head of confusion spins no more A glimmer of basic being glows within How precious now the idea of seeing a ghost It reveals the unborn source, how strange and amazing! Look straight at the essence of this present moment of mind. Let go and relax. Looking again and again at the mind that cannot be looked at unseeable reality is seen vividly, just as it is. Cutting through all doubts about whether it is or it is not may we unmistakedly recognize our own face. By the power of this virtue may all sentient beings perfect the accumulations of merit and wisdom and from this merit and wisdom may they attain the two dimensions of genuine enlightenment. By the power of the unchanging mountain of the Buddhas body may all be auspicious By the power of the Buddha’s enlightened speech, endowed with sixty qualities may all be auspicious By the power of the Buddha’s mind, unstained and free from extremes may all be auspicious By the power of the enlightened Body, Speech and Mind of the Victorious Ones may all be auspicious. May this place be filled with happiness and excellence during the day May this place be filled with happiness and excellence at night May this place be filled with happiness and excellence at noon May it always be filled with happiness and excellence by the power of the three Rare and Supreme Ones may all be auspicious"

[dndeed]

Critical Role Miniature Rollout C2E52

With Andrew Harshman

An archive and review of the minis used on Critical Role.

I don’t know about you folks, but I’m totally sold on a moorbounder mount. 500 gold? Sign me up!

Don your disguises and snap your toes, we’re bound for the moor, it’s time for Critical Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 2 Episode 52!

The List

Mats by Mars: Shattered Soil

Dungeons and Dragons Condition Markers by thelukec

Dwarven Forge Barrel

Dwarven Forge Stone Ruins Add-On Pack

Dwarven Forge Caverns Deep Assorted Pieces

Dwarven Forge Caverns Stalagmite Pack

Dwarven Forge Caverns

Tabletop Props Tent Accessories

Steamforged Games Critical Role Miniatures

Prototype Steamforged Games Critical Role Miniatures

Axe N Shield Single Flyer Risers - Clear Mithril

Custom Lollipop Spiritual Weapon

Desert of Desolation #32 Rot Scarab Swarm

Monster Menagerie 2 #031 Worg

Savage Encounters #28 Rat Swarm

Miniature Skull

The Monsters

Shoosuvas Monster Menagerie 2 #031 Worg

When this mini hit the table I thought these creatures were literal worgs. Which had some interesting connotations given their relationship to goblins and their ability to speak the goblin language. But no, these are shoosuvas, of which no minis exist. This is a grand choice for a shoosuva stand-in. It doesn’t have the spines and scorpion tail, but it has the right general shape and size. 

This is a good miniature. The sculpt resolution and sculpt detailing look pretty sharp. This could have ended up being a regular ol’ giant wolf (like in previous editions), but it has a distinctly 5E worg appearance.

The Nonhuman Animals

Rat Swarms Savage Encounters #28 Rat Swarm Mini image sourced from minisgallery.com

There exist numerous rat swarm figures from numerous manufacturers. This particular miniature has one of the better sculpts with one of the least effective paint jobs. Examining this swarm closely, each individual rat is distinct and identifiable.The detail is quite high but the simplistic paint does little to highlight those details. The paint really lets the figure down.

I quickly counted/estimated the number of individual rats on the rat swam mini and the individual beetles on Caduceus’s beetle swarm mini. There are roughly the same number of rats and beetles. I like to imagine the two opposing swarms pairing off into separate one on one single combats. What a cute bit of blood sport! 

The Terrain

Moorbounder Puppy Mill Dwarven Forge Barrel, Dwarven Forge Stone Ruins Add-On Pack, Dwarven Forge Caverns Deep Assorted Pieces, Dwarven Forge Caverns, Dwarven Forge Caverns Stalagmite Pack, and Miniature Skull

Crit Role with the supremely legit Dwarvenforge hookup, nice! Loads of great current DF gear here but also quite a bit of unreleased Caverns Deep terrain. The cavern entrance among other chunks of this build are part of the latest DF Kickstarter which is not due to deliver until June of 2019. Exciting stuff.

The mini camera shows a skull in frame numerous times. I was unable to definitively identify this skull, but here are some brand options for DM skull seekers: Tiny Furniture, Secret Weapon, Lady Sabelle, and Games Workshop. I wonder how literal we the audience are to take this skull. It looks very humanoid. What’s Zolth up to down here? I think we are meant to interpret this skull as a feline skull from a moorbounder. I’m a tad bummed that no one rolled some investigation regarding the bone fragments. I could have gone for a true crime beast city subplot. Could have called it Xhorhas Xherial.

Closing Remarks and Predictions

I’m very interested to see what Matthew Mercer goes with for the moorbounder mounts. If I were to hazard a prediction, I would expect to see some lightly modified displacer beast or shimerae figures, both of which are pretty swampy and panthery. If we see the kamadan figures again from episode 38 I’ll be most disappointed, it’s a truly atrocious figure. All three of these choices are cheap and readily available online, making them excellent mod options. Quite a few choices, which will it be? We’ll soon find out!

#criticalroleminiaturerollout

[incarnaiton14]

శ్రీ మదగ్ని మహాపురాణము - 79 / Agni Maha Purana - 79

🌹. శ్రీ మదగ్ని మహాపురాణము - 79 / Agni Maha Purana - 79 🌹 ✍️. పుల్లెల శ్రీరామచంద్రుడు ప్రథమ సంపుటము, అధ్యాయము - 27 సేకరణ : ప్రసాద్ భరద్వాజ శ్రీ గణేశాయ నమః ఓం నమో భగవతే వాసుదేవాయ. 🌻. దీక్షా విధి - 5 🌻

గర్భాధానమును, జాతకర్మను, భోగమును, లయమును, ఆ అగ్నియందే ఎనిమిది హోమములు చేసి, పిమ్మట శుద్ధహోమము చేవలెను.

పండితుడు, జ్ఞానయోగముచేత ఆ పరమున పరమాత్మయందు విలీనముచేసి, బంధ విముక్తడై జీవుడు సుద్ధము, జ్ఞానస్వరూపము, నిర్వికారము, పరమానందరూపము అగు పరమాత్మయందు ఆనందము పొందు చున్నట్లు భావింపవలెను.

పిమ్మట పూర్ణాహుతి ఇవ్వవలెను. ఈ విధముగా దీక్ష పూర్తియగును.

దీక్షా-హోమ-విలయముల కుపయుక్తములగు ప్రయోగమంత్రములను చెప్పెదను. ''ఓం యం భూతాని విశుద్ధం హుం ఫట్‌'' అను మంత్రముచే తాడనమును, వియోజనమును చేయవలెను.

''ఓం యం భూతాన్యాపాతయే7హమ్‌'' అను మంత్రముచే ఆదానము చేయవలెను. ప్రకృతితో యోజనము చేయు మంత్రమును వినుము, 'ఓం యం భూతాని పుంశ్చాహో'' అనునది ప్రయోజన మంత్రము.

హోమ మంత్రమును, పిమ్మట పూర్ణాహుతి మంత్రమును చెప్పెను- ''ఓం భూతాని సంహర స్వాహా'' అనునది హోమమంత్రము ''ఓం శ్రీం ఓం నమోభగవతే వాసుదేవాయ వౌషట్‌'' అనునది పూర్ణాహుతి మంత్రము. పూర్ణాహుత్యనంతరము తత్త్వమునందు శిష్యుని సాధించవలెను. ఈ విధముగా బుధుడు క్రమముగ సర్వతత్త్వ సంశోధనము చేయవలెను.

నమః అనునది అంతమునందుగల ఆయా తత్త్వముల బీజములతో తాడనాది పూర్వకముగా తత్త్వసంశోధనము చేయవలెను. 'ఓం వాం కర్మేన్ద్రియాణి నమః' 'ఓం దేం బుద్ధీన్ద్రియాణి నమః' ఇత్యాది విధమున చేయవలెను. తాడనాది ప్రయోగము 'యం' బీజముతో చేసినట్లె చేయవలెను.

సశేషం....

🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹

🌹 Agni Maha Purana - 79 🌹 ✍️ N. Gangadharan 📚. Prasad Bharadwaj Chapter 27 🌻 Mode of performing the initiation rite - 5 🌻

44. After offering eight oblations each (in favour) of (Garbādhāna[7], Jātakarma[8], enjoyment and dissolution, he should offer them for purification.

45. The preceptor should take up pure materials and bring together the two excellent principles in order in such a way they are not broken.

46. Then the soul, freed from fetters is immersed in the supreme soul in the supreme undecaying position.

47. A learned person has to think of the peaceful, supreme, blissful, pure intellect and offer the completing oblation. Thus ends the (rite of) initiation.

48. I shall describe the mystic syllables for the application with which the oblation (relating to) the initiation is closely associated:

Oṃ, Yaṃ, the goblins, the pure huṃ, phaṭ. By this one should strike and separate the two.

49. Oṃ, Yaṃ, I destroy the goblins. After having seized this (syllable) (you) hear (the mode of) yoking it with the nature. Oṃ, aṃ, the goblins and the males. I shall describe the mystic syllable for the oblation as well as the final oblation.

50. Oṃ, destroy the goblins; oblations. Oṃ, aṃ, Oṃ, salutations to the Lord Vāsudeva, vauṣaṭ. After the final oblation the disciple has to be accomplished. In this way the wise man has to purify the principles.

51. Ending with (the word) salutation and with the basic syllable sva and preceded by beating (one has to say) Oṃ, vāṃ, the organs of action, Oṃ, deṃ, the organs of intellect (sense). With the syllable yam similar beating etc. are done.

Continues....

🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹 🌹

[gobbodev]

Mind your fingers!

[inkyardpress]

Your 2018 YA Fantasy Guide, part 1

There’s no denying it: we’ve seen some excellent YA fantasies already this year, and the genre continues to top our TBR piles month after month. With a handful of fantasy blockbusters still to come before the year is even halfway over, we wanted to give you a quick guide to the books we’ve loved so far in 2018 and what we just can’t wait to read next! Here’s the best of 2018, part one:

January

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

The Cruel Prince is out now from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Zenith by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings

Most know Androma Racella as the Bloody Baroness, a powerful mercenary whose reign of terror stretches across the Mirabel Galaxy. To those aboard her glass starship, Marauder, however, she's just Andi, their friend and fearless leader.

But when a routine mission goes awry, the Marauder's all-girl crew is tested as they find themselves in a treacherous situation and at the mercy of a sadistic bounty hunter from Andi's past.

Meanwhile, across the galaxy, a ruthless ruler waits in the shadows of the planet Xen Ptera, biding her time to exact revenge for the destruction of her people. The pieces of her deadly plan are about to fall into place, unleashing a plot that will tear Mirabel in two.

Andi and her crew embark on a dangerous, soul-testing journey that could restore order to their ship or just as easily start a war that will devour worlds. As the Marauder hurtles toward the unknown, and Mirabel hangs in the balance, the only certainty is that in a galaxy run on lies and illusion, no one can be trusted.

Zenith is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.

The Hazel Wood is out now from Flatiron Books. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

February

Everlife by Gena Showalter

At seventeen years old, Tenley “Ten” Lockwood had to make the ultimate choice—where to live after she died. Loyalty to her selected realm has not wavered…until now. She is out of time. Sacrifices must be made, and a terrible price must be paid. But is she too late?

As the Everlife descends into darkness, a single truth becomes clear: Troika and Myriad must unite—or perish. In order to bring sworn enemies together, Ten must enter forbidden territory…and destroy the powerful Prince of Ravens. But there’s only one way inside—bonding with Killian Flynn, a deadly rival who sets her blood aflame.

When nothing goes as planned and betrayal leads to the edge of utter defeat, Ten and Killian will have to rebuild trust from the ashes of their hearts. Victory seems impossible, the odds stacked against them. In the end, how far will they be willing to go for the sake of their realms and the Everlife?

The entire Everlife series is out now! Add Everlife to your Goodreads shelf!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

The Belles is out now from Disney-Hyperion. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Cadaver & Queen by Alisa Kwitney

When Lizzie Lavenza enrolled at Ingold as its first female medical student, she knew she wouldn't have an easy time. From class demands to being an outsider among her male cohorts, she'll have to go above and beyond to prove herself. So when she stumbles across what appears to be a faulty Bio-mechanical—one of the mechanized cadavers created to service the school—she jumps at the chance to fix it and get ahead in the program.

Only this Bio-mechanical isn't like the others. Where they are usually empty-minded and perfectly obedient, this one seems to have thoughts, feelings…and self-awareness.

Soon Lizzie realizes that it is Victor Frankenstein—a former student who died under mysterious circumstances. Victor, it seems, still has a spark of human intelligence inside him, along with memories of things he discovered before his untimely death…and a suspicion that he was murdered to keep that information from getting out. Suddenly Lizzie finds herself intertwined in dark secrets and sabotage that put her life, and the lives of Victor and their friends, in danger. But Lizzie's determined to succeed—even if that means fighting an enemy who threatens the entire British Empire.

Cadaver & Queen is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones

Six months after the end of Wintersong, Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. Although she is determined to look forward and not behind, life in the world above is not as easy as Liesl had hoped. Her younger brother Josef is cold, distant, and withdrawn, while Liesl can’t forget the austere young man she left beneath the earth, and the music he inspired in her.

When troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be. What will it take to break the old laws once and for all? What is the true meaning of sacrifice when the fate of the world—or the ones Liesl loves—is in her hands?

Shadowsong is out now from Disney-Hyperion. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

March

Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?

Restore Me is out now from HarperCollins. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy. 

Children of Blood and Bone is out now from Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow, where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters’ return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo, or save herself.

The Wicked Deep is out now from Simon Pulse. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

April

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…and secrets hide in every shadow.

Enne Salta was raised as a proper young lady, and no lady would willingly visit New Reynes, the so-called City of Sin. But when her mother goes missing, Enne must leave her finishing school—and her reputation—behind to follow her mother’s trail to the city where no one survives uncorrupted.

Frightened and alone, her only lead is a name: Levi Glaisyer. Unfortunately, Levi is not the gentleman she expected—he’s a street lord and a con man. Levi is also only one payment away from cleaning up a rapidly unraveling investment scam, so he doesn't have time to investigate a woman leading a dangerous double life. Enne's offer of compensation, however, could be the solution to all his problems.

Their search for clues leads them through glamorous casinos, illicit cabarets and into the clutches of a ruthless mafia donna. As Enne unearths an impossible secret about her past, Levi's enemies catch up to them, ensnaring him in a vicious execution game where the players always lose. To save him, Enne will need to surrender herself to the city… And she’ll need to play.

Ace of Shades is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems. 

Dread Nation is out now from Balzer + Bray. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

The Diminished by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson

In the Alskad Empire, nearly all are born with a twin, two halves to form one whole…yet some face the world alone.

The singleborn

A rare few are singleborn in each generation, and therefore given the right to rule by the gods and goddesses. Bo Trousillion is one of these few, born into the royal line and destined to rule. Though he has been chosen to succeed his great-aunt, Queen Runa, as the leader of the Alskad Empire, Bo has never felt equal to the grand future before him.

The diminished

When one twin dies, the other usually follows, unable to face the world without their other half. Those who survive are considered diminished, doomed to succumb to the violent grief that inevitably destroys everyone whose twin has died. Such is the fate of Vi Abernathy, whose twin sister died in infancy. Raised by the anchorites of the temple after her family cast her off, Vi has spent her whole life scheming for a way to escape and live out what's left of her life in peace.

As their sixteenth birthdays approach, Bo and Vi face very different futures—one a life of luxury as the heir to the throne, the other years of backbreaking work as a temple servant. But a long-held secret and the fate of the empire are destined to bring them together in a way they never could have imagined.

The Diminished is out now. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Inferno by Julie Kagawa

Ember Hill has learned a shocking truth about herself: she is the blood of the Elder Wyrm, the ancient dragon who leads Talon and who is on the verge of world domination. With the Order of St. George destroyed, Ember, Riley and Garret journey to the Amazon jungle in search of one who might hold the key to take down the Elder Wyrm and Talon. If they can survive the encounter. Meanwhile, Ember's brother, Dante, will travel to China with a message for the last Eastern dragons: join Talon or die. With the stakes rising and the Elder Wyrm declaring war, time is running out for the rogues and any dragon not allied with Talon. 

The final battle approaches. And if Talon is victorious, the world will burn.

Inferno, the fiery conclusion to the Talon Saga, is out April 24. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

May

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

Victory comes at a price.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all…starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power…for all will be tested, but not all will survive.

War Storm is out May 15 from HarperTeen. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Furyborn by Claire Legrand

When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.

A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable—until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.

As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world—and of each other. 

Furyborn is out May 22 from Sourcebooks. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.

Legendary is out May 29 from Flatiron Books. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

June

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

Beyond the Empire and within it, the threat of war looms ever larger.

The Blood Shrike, Helene Aquilla, is assailed on all sides. Emperor Marcus, haunted by his past, grows increasingly unstable, while the Commandant capitalizes on his madness to bolster her own power. As Helene searches for a way to hold back the approaching darkness, her sister’s life and the lives of all those in the Empire hang in the balance.

Far to the east, Laia of Serra knows the fate of the world lies not in the machinations of the Martial court, but in stopping the Nightbringer. But while hunting for a way to bring him down, Laia faces unexpected threats from those she hoped would aid her, and is drawn into a battle she never thought she’d have to fight.

And in the land between the living and the dead, Elias Veturius has given up his freedom to serve as Soul Catcher. But in doing so, he has vowed himself to an ancient power that will stop at nothing to ensure Elias’s devotion—even at the cost of his humanity.

A Reaper at the Gates is out June 12 from Razorbill. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

Dawn of Legends by Eleanor Herman

Prince Alexander of Macedon has battled both men and monsters, but his final war will determine his fate…and the future of mankind. While Macedon’s enemies close in from all corners of the earth, Alexander must fulfill one last prophecy that dictates only he—and he alone—can ensure humanity’s survival against the age of the deadly Spirit Eaters.

As the threads of fate draw Alexander closer to his destiny, an exiled queen will meet a runaway princess, a young sorceress will set the final path of her heart and generals will choose their final battles. Before the light of victory can shine, enemies must become allies, Death must be tamed and hearts must break.

Who will rise and who will die? All is revealed in the epic finale to New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman’s rich and fantastical Blood of Gods and Royals series. 

Dawn of Legends, the final installment in the Blood of Gods and Royals series, is out June 26. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman

Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings. These are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries.

Fifteen bestselling and acclaimed authors reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Compiled by We Need Diverse Books’s Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, the authors included in this exquisite collection are: Renee Ahdieh, Sona Charaipotra, Preeti Chhibber, Roshani Chokshi, Aliette de Bodard, Melissa de la Cruz, Julie Kagawa, Rahul Kanakia, Lori M. Lee, E. C. Myers, Cindy Pon, Aisha Saeed, Shveta Thakrar, and Alyssa Wong.

A mountain loses her heart. Two sisters transform into birds to escape captivity. A young man learns the true meaning of sacrifice. A young woman takes up her mother’s mantle and leads the dead to their final resting place. From fantasy to science fiction to contemporary, from romance to tales of revenge, these stories will beguile readers from start to finish. For fans of Neil Gaiman’s Unnatural Creatures and Ameriie’s New York Times–bestselling Because You Love to Hate Me. 

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is out June 26 from Greenwillow Books. Add it to your Goodreads shelf!

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[eddycurrents]

For the week of 11 September 2017

Just one favourite this week: Ninjak #0 by Matt Kindt and Francis Portela (with MJ Kim, Khari Evans, Roberto de la Torre, Sija Hong, and Juan José Ryp). Published by Valiant.

Ninjak #0 provides a capstone to Matt Kindt’s run with the character, giving both an encapsulation of Ninjak’s history to date and one final mission to propel the series further into a more in-depth exploration into the Ninja Programme and legacy, before handing the character off to Christos Gage and Tomás Giorello for their new Ninja-K series.

I very much like how Kindt plays with time in this story. After firing an arrow on the first page in the present, the book’s pages are bisected by that arrow’s path, with the top telling of the events immediately leading up to that first page--illustrated by Francis Portela--and the bottom offering snippet’s of Ninjak’s history--illustrated by MJ Kim, Khari Evans, Roberto de la Torre, Sija Hong, and Juan José Ryp. (You can see an example above). It’s an interesting and effective way of delivering a lot of simultaneous information and narrative at once and I was particularly impressed by everyone involved.

As time on the top converges with the arrow, the structure reverts to a standard one timeframe narrative as it leads into a teaser for the new Ninja-K series from Gage and Giorello.

Like with the previous recent zero issue offerings for Bloodshot Reborn and Divinity, this serves as an excellent primer for people interested in the character and in jumping into the Valiant Universe.

Quick Bits:

All New Wolverine #24 wraps up the “Hive” arc guest-starring the Guardians of the Galaxy and Leonard Kirk’s tenure as artist on the series. This arc was fun, with Tom Taylor delivering some very nice and heartfelt interactions between Laura and Gabby, as well as continuing to present some strong characterization with Rocket and Groot.

| Published by Marvel

Amazing Spider-Man #32 is a single issue story of Norman Osborn trying to reclaim his Green Goblin persona. It’s an interesting look into Osborn’s drive and potential, with some absolutely beautiful artwork form Greg Smallwood & Jordie Bellaire.

| Published by Marvel

Birthright #26 provides a jumping on point as it begins a new story-arc. It’s fairly exposition heavy, but Joshua Williamson still makes it feel interesting, even to old readers since there’s a bit of a shift since the last issue. As always Andrei Bressan’s art is beautiful.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Deadpool #36 is a transitional issue from Deadpool working for “Stevil” Hydra Cap and the forthcoming Despicable Deadpool, closing out some old plot threads and sending off the remaining supporting characters, while setting up Wade’s new status quo of reluctantly working for Stryfe. As usual Gerry Duggan mixes in humour while ultimately making Deadpool a tragic figure. 

| Published by Marvel 

Doctor Strange & The Sorcerers Supreme #12 is a fitting send-off to a series that still feels gone to soon. From Javier Rodriguez to this issue’s Nathan Stockman, the series has been great artistically, and this issue’s sideways widescreen format is well appreciated. Robbie Thompson also brings it back full circle to how this excursion started in last year’s Doctor Strange Annual by closing on the “Not So” Ancient One’s journey.

| Published by Marvel

Grass Kings #7 is still an inscrutable beauty. Part crime drama, part mystery, part family drama, part treatise on loyalty and community in an extremely independent society, Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins have something special here. This issue adds another layer to the problems that they’ve been having with Cargill, while more explicitly breaking open the mystery of a potential serial killer and giving us some more details on what happened in Bruce’s past that led him to coming home to the Grass Kingdom.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Gwenpool, The Unbelievable #20 is going to mess with your head. In a good way.

| Published by Marvel

Hulk #10 brings Mariko Tamaki’s second story-arc to a conclusion. I can’t say I enjoyed it as much as I did the first, but there have still been some entertaining moments. The character interaction between Jen and Patsy being particularly strong. 

Also, like the previous issue, the art shift part way through detracts. Both artists, Julian Lopez and Francesco Gaston, are good, but their styles kind of clash. Lopez uses a thick line and somewhat realistic style similar to Jesus Saiz, whereas Gaston has a thinner line and a bit more angular, stylized character composition--much like Georges Duarte, who started this arc. 

| Published by Marvel

Kill or Be Killed #12 pushes Dylan further into darkness, even without his little demon friends whispering not-so-sweet nothings into his ears. As always, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are creating a compelling, nuanced story month in and month out. There’s also some good development in Dylan and Kira’s relationship, but, as per the original dissolution, I’m expecting the other shoe to drop sometime soon. 

| Published by Image

Mech Cadet Yu #2 brings Yu and his adopted Robo back to the Sky Academy, where he’s officially accepted as one of the cadets. The story beats are pretty standard coming of age, living through adversity by being a fish out of water, ruffling the feathers of the establishment-type thing, but Greg Pak never allows it to feel old. Yu and his Robo are just too likeable characters to not enjoy seeing their advancement and acceptance. It also helps that Takeshi Miyazawa’s artwork is wonderful. 

Despite not being published under one of their more all-ages imprints like Boom! Box or kaboom!, this series remains something that I think that kids would get a lot of enjoyment out of as well.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Old Man Logan #28 is a work of art. I don’t know who made a pact with the devil in order to consistently get this level of artwork out of Mike Deodato Jr., but whatever they did since at least the Jeff Lemire Thanos series, Deodato has been producing some of the most beautiful, thoughtful, and compelling work of his career. He’s been a great artist for more than twenty-five years in the industry, but his work lately has been absolutely next level. His shading, page layouts, character designs & staging, and panel transitions are practically a masterclass on the art form.

| Published by Marvel

Pestilence #4 unveils some secrets as we head towards the conclusion. This has been a fairly bloody and brutal tale of knights vs. zombies from Frank Tieri and Oleg Okenev and it’s not letting up. It delivers a nice satisfying crunch.

| Published by Aftershock

Redlands #2 jumps the series ahead to modern day, fleshing out the sisters’ characters and the world that they live in, having pretty much taken over Redlands, Florida following the bloodbath back in ‘77. We’re still left a lot of details out, but we’re given a better look at some of the things going on, as a game of murderous cat and mouse between the sisters and an unknown potential blackmailer unfolds. Jordie Bellaire and Vanessa Del Rey are creating something interesting here and I’m definitely hooked to see what happens next.

| Published by Image

Retcon #1 is...something, I’m not really sure what. Interesting, though, certainly, and something I’ll continue to read for a bit. Ostensibly this is about a team of supernatural beings working for the government, but the interview in the back and the title suggest something else. If anything, the artwork from Toby Cypress is worth the price of admission alone. Still not sure what to think of the story.

| Published by Image

Sacred Creatures #3 again challenges me to decide whether or not I like Pablo Raimondi’s mix of traditional comics art with photography. I’m leaning towards yes.

| Published by Image

Secret Warriors #6 kicks off a two-part arc with the members of the Warriors back on their own. The bulk of the issue is devoted to Daisy tracking down who murdered Coulson and it leads to some humorous exchanges. Who would have known that life model decoys are anatomically correct?

| Published by Marvel

Spy Seal #2 feels even more like a European funny animal book than the first issue. To me it feels like Rich Tommaso is doing a take on something like Tin Tin, but with an anthropomorphic seal, and it’s just wonderful.

| Published by Image

Transformers: Lost Light #9 gives a kind of closure, or at least a transition, to the Natuica/Velocity/Skids character and story arcs. It’s kind of bittersweet when you consider the implications and I expect that James Roberts will undoubtedly revisit this somewhere in the future. Also, the reveal of who the “Grand Architect” is at the end of this issue is pretty epic.

| Published by IDW

Uncanny Avengers #27 is a pretty straight-forward conclusion to the team’s confrontation with Graviton. It’s mostly action, but there are some character moments cementing that this team can still work together fairly effectively. The artwork from Sean Izaakse again is very nice.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Babyteeth #4, Black Science #31, Clue #4, Curse Words #8, The Damned: Ill-Gotten #4, Defenders #5, Dread Gods #2, First Strike #3, Genius: Cartel #2, Ghost Station Zero #2, Harrow County #25, Hellboy & BPRD - 1955: Occult Intelligence #1, InSEXts #13, Jane, Lumberjanes #42, Mage: The Hero Denied #2, The Realm #1, Riverdale #6, Rocket #5, Rose #6, Runaways #1, The Shadow #2, Shadows on the Grave #8, Slam!: Next Jam #1, The Sovereigns #5, The Spirit: The Corpse Makers #4, Star Wars #36, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #12, TMNT Universe #14, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #24, Venomverse #2, War for the Planet of the Apes #3, Weapon X #8, Winnebago Graveyard #4, X-Men Blue #11

Recommended Collections: Britannia - Vol. 2: We Who Are About to Die, Elektra: Always Bet on Red, Kingpin: Born Against, Saucer Country, TMNT - Vol. 17: Desperate Measures

d. emerson eddy believes that uptown funk is going to give it to you. Don’t believe him? Just watch.