Good argument, excellent argument maybe, that griffins/gryphons didn't come from the old fossils:
https://markwitton-com.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-protoceratops-almost-certainly.html
Gist of it is this: all the theories were based on history from like year 700 B.C. onwards, but there is this drawing of a griffin from 4000 B.C. Holy cow:
I guess the counterargument is that since those Protoceratops fossils are so common, somebody saw them 6000 years ago, too.
This awesome French guy's blog thingie:
https://www.laboiteverte.fr/category/savoir/
https://www.laboiteverte.fr/le-magnifique-manuscrit-du-bestiaire-daberdeen-en-haute-resolution/
Pointed to this most excellent bestiary from the middle ages:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary/
Viper or Asp, but it has 2 legs and wings. WTH? So they must have really thought snakes and dragons were related... or the way things were described were as such, or something. See:
The asp has a poisonous bite.
The asp is avoiding the sound of a snake charmer by putting one ear to the ground and putting his tail in the other ear. The snake charmer is protecting himself with a shield and stick.
One annotation in margin: 'as' with stress marks above, referring to the initial for Aspis. The charmer's foot overlaps the frame and the initial, type 2.
And the translation of the page they have is fascinating:
If you are severe by nature, you should moderate your manner in consideration of your married state and set aside your harshness out of regard for your relationship. There is another issue. Do not, O men, seek out someone else's bed, do not plot another liaison. Adultery is a serious sin; it does harm to nature. In the beginning God made two beings, Adam and Eve, that is, man and wife; and he made the woman from the man, that is, from Adam's rib; and he ordered them both to exist in one body and to live in one spirit. Why separate the single body, why divide the single spirit? Adultery happens in nature. The eager embrace of the lamprey and the viper makes the point: it takes place not according to the law of the species but from the heat of lust. Learn, O men, that he who seeks to seduce another man's wife is to be compared with that snake with whom he seeks a relationship. Let him hurry off to the viper, which slithers into his bosom, not by the honest way of truth but the slimy route of inconstant love. He hurries to a woman who recovers her poison as the viper does. For they say that after the task of mating is over, the viper sucks up the poison that it had spat out beforehand. Of the asp The asp, aspis, is so called because it injects poisons with its bite, spreading them throughout the body. For the Greek word for poison is ios, and from this comes the word aspis, because
Google translate makes it funny as an innuendo tho:
Si habes naturalem rigorem, debes temperare eum contempla
translates not to "if you are severe by nature, you should moderate..." but to:
If you have a natural stiffness, you should consider controlling it
Basilisk, only weasels can kill a basilisk. Regulus. Vipers.
As indicated by the text, the male viper spits its seed into the female's mouth. The young gnaw their way out of their mother's side.
The illustration is pricked all over for pouncing. Initials type 2.
.
Pouncing is a method of copying images from one sheet of vellum to another by making a series of tiny prick marks around the required image. The image would be pricked straight through to a sheet below. This would become the template from which several copies could be made without further harm to the original. The pricked sheet would be sprinkled with a very fine dust like charcoal or pumice, which would trickle through the holes producing the required image below. It was a convenient way to duplicate images in a scriptorium where many similar copies of a book were required.
Pouncing detail above.
Three types of serpents, the details are fascinating, the crap they got mixed up is so weird... look at that "crocodile", looks like a damn cow. Look at the head on the tail, that's the limbless lizard thing which can move fwds or backwards they say:
Scitalis has a glittering skin. The Anphivena has two heads, one at each end. The Ydrus lives in the Nile.
Three pictures. The scitalis has a dog's head, wings and two feet. The anphivena is shown with two heads, wings and claws. The ydrus is killing a crocodile by crawling into its mouth and tearing it apart.
In the margin, beside the scitalis text is the sketch of a pointed reptile's wing. Anphivena are in fact limbless lizards, wormlike creatures with rounded head and tail and can move in two directions. This animal is pricked for pouncing. No animal attacks the crocodile in the manner described by the ydrus but the large Nile monitor lizard eats crocodile eggs, and the many types of Nilotic worm crawl in and out of the flesh of dead animals. The word 'ictrie' is written on the body of ydrus. This means icturus or jaundice yellow. Red 'S' and 'A' in the left margin are guides for the initial, type 2.
DRAGON vs ELEPHANT (probably African python they think):
.png)
Serpents. Many are poisonous. The dragon is bigger than all snakes.
The dragon strangles an elephant. The text says the dragon has a crest, small mouth and does not kill with its teeth but with its tail. The illustrator has added massive teeth and wings. The description applies to an African python which can kill deer if not actually elephants by strangulation. Initials type 2.
https://quagkeep.blogspot.com/search/label/DragonLance
Based most of my outfit for renfest on Raistlin's stuff:
Via old medieval art, you can see them draw flowers like that. Fluer de lis. Hell, Fluer must mean flower in French or something, hah.
See top right blue flowers... and on youtube there are some marginal art ones that look 100% like the fluer de lis (aka, the flower of the lily, i have found out). I had always thought it was a stabby axe halbert type shape as a young'un.
Via tapestry website: https://www.redbubble.com/i/tapestry/WEIRD-MEDIEVAL-BESTIARY-MAKING-MUSIC-Dragon-Playing-Flute-Harpist-Rabbit-Snail-Cat-by-BulganLumini/63393066.ODB3H
We were watching something... and it must have been influencing something else. What was it.
LOTR movies? Surely influenced lots, but the kid found something specific. What was it again...?
We did watch the DragonLance cartoon movie recently... but I think it was something else.
UPDATE: Maybe it was...
1. Dragon orb vs. the Palantir Seeing orbs of LOTR. <- yeah I think this was a big one.
2. The Half-elf Tanis... almost like he was the child of Arwen and Aragorn.
3. ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonlance:_Dragons_of_Autumn_Twilight
Details from these UF links. Thanks Uni of Florida for all the good bug science. And so, interesting that they saw them flying over the Gulf of Mexico, 300 meters+ up in the air... so sounds like they could migrate across the ocean if they had to. ???
They started being observed mostly in the US in Texas and Louisiana in 1940, Hardy from Galveston, TX. Not as common in Florida in 1940 I guess (??? see his comments.. widespread in 1940 but tons in Texas and Louisiana... is that the same or not as today). A natural migration, most ppl are guessing. But why then? What changed, what made it possible for them to move that far? Was Mexico wetter near the coast during those decades? Well kept reading and sounds like these things can even fly over the Gulf of Mexico so... ??? Or did people just ignore them till 1940 b/c it was only when cars and lots of highways became a thing, then they became a more noticeable thing? I dunno, when they swarmed in our backyards they were very noticeable. Then again, maybe the grass yard contributed to them... or do they like leaf litter just fine?
And the Florida ppl are finally noticing less of them here in 2023. But I can say, in my state, it's been waaaayyyy less most years for the last 10 years. I can remember one time recently, back yard with kids, where they were swarming. I mean when I was a kid in the 80's, they were massively stuck to the front of our vehicles, very memorable.
https://weather.com/news/climate/news/2023-10-20-florida-lovebugs-fewer-this-year
https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/pestalert/lovebug.htm
https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/lovebug.htm
Quotes below, underlines are mine:
"The lovebug, Plecia nearctica Hardy, is a bibionid fly species that motorists may encounter as a serious nuisance when traveling in southern states. It was first described by Hardy (1940) from Galveston, Texas. At that time he reported it to be widely spread, but more common in Texas and Louisiana than other Gulf Coast states.
...
Within Florida, this fly was first collected in 1949 in Escambia County, the westernmost county of the Florida panhandle. Today, it is found throughout Florida. With numerous variations, it is a widely held myth that University of Florida entomologists introduced this species into Florida. However, Buschman (1976) documented the progressive movement of this fly species around the Gulf Coast into Florida. Research was conducted by University of Florida and U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologists only after the lovebug was well established in Florida.
Thompson (1975) reported over 200 species in the genus Plecia. However, there are only two species of Plecia in the U.S. — Plecia nearctica and Plecia americana Hardy. Their ranges are similar, but Plecia americana extends northeastward to North Carolina and south to Mexico, whereas Plecia nearctica ranges farther south to Costa Rica. Plecia americana is a woodland species that does not seem to be a problem on highways. Before Hardy described the lovebug species as Plecia nearctica, it was known as Plecia bicolor Bellardi (Hetrick 1970a).
Plecia nearctica is established in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the southeastern U.S. (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas). In 2006, this species was reported as far north as Wilmington, North Carolina (Mousseau 2006).
...
The females lay gray, irregularly-shaped eggs in or on the soil surface under partially decayed vegetable matter. Slate-gray larvae are often found in groups beneath decaying vegetation, where moisture is consistent. Factors necessary for larval survival include adequate moisture, partially decayed vegetation (for food), and favorable soil temperatures. Pupation occurs where the larvae develop, with the pupal stage lasting seven to nine days (Hatrick 1970a).
Figure 4. Larva of Plecia nearctica. Color is slate gray, with a darker head. Length of full-grown larva is about 11 to 12 mm.
Figure 5. Larvae of the lovebug, Plecia nearctica Hardy. Photograph by James Castner, University of Florida.
Each of the two Plecia nearctica generations in Florida lasts about four weeks in April-May and August-September. In addition to the two large emergences, this species has been collected in Florida every month of the year except November (Buschman 1976). A more recent study by Cherry and Raid (2000) shows a minor flight peak in December for south Florida that had been previously unrecorded. This later study does not contradict the importance of the two major flight peaks earlier in the year, but does state that in south Florida most of the adults seem to appear in April during the first yearly flight.
Buschman (1976) stated that, throughout its extensive range, Plecia americana has been collected only in April, May, and June, with no evidence of a fall emergence. Thus, Plecia that emerge in the fall are definitely Plecia nearctica. Thompson (1975) added that most of the spring collection dates of Plecia americana in north central Florida are two or three weeks earlier than similar dates for Plecia nearctica.
...
Another March fly (Bibionidae) that may be confused with Plecia neartica is Dilophus sayi Hardy (1966). The behavior of the adults is somewhat similar to that of Plecia nearctica, but Dilophus sayi adults do not congregate on highways. In Florida, Dilophus sayi populations peak from late January through April, but can be observed most of the year beginning with cooler weather in October. Most Florida records are in the peninsula south to Dade County.
Dilophus sayi is smaller than the Plecia spp., and has an all-black body, lacking the reddish color of the thoracic region of Plecia. The males of Dilophus sayi are smaller than the females and have clear wings as opposed to the brown fumose wings of the females.
Dilopus sayi was observed being attracted to recently parked cars in Gainesville, Florida, and to barbecue grills (Denmark and Mead, personal observations). Thornhill (1976a) in studies at Gainesville, Florida stated that aggregates of up to 300 larvae of Dilophus sayi could be found on or near the surface of the soil among the roots of grasses.
...
Hetrick (1970a) studied the biology of Plecia nearctica, and estimated that September 1969 flights reached altitudes of 300 to 450 meters, extended several kilometers over the Gulf of Mexico and covered one-fourth the land area of Florida.
Callahan and Denmark (1973) reported that ambient temperatures above 28°C and visible light at above 20,000 Lux (2000 ft-C) stimulated lovebug flight but not orientation behavior. Lovebugs are attracted to irradiated automobile exhaust fumes (diesel and gasoline) when the ultraviolet light incident over the highway ranges from 0.3 to 0.4 microns (3000 to 4000 angstroms (A)) between 10 AM and 4 PM, with a temperature above 28°C. Hot engines and the vibrations of automobiles apparently contribute to the attraction of lovebugs to highways. Callahan et al. (1985) reported that formaldehyde and heptaldehyde were the two most attractive components of diesel exhaust.
The following description of reproductive behavior was taken largely from Leppla et al. (1974), who reported on a daily rhythmicity of flight, mating, and feeding of lovebugs in the laboratory and in the field, which coincided with the ambient temperature of 19°C and an incident light intensity range of 15,000 to 20,000 Lux (1500-2000 ft-C). Adult males begin hovering between 8:00 to 10:00 AM EDT. Males orient into the wind 0.3 to 0.9 meters above ground level. This behavior tends to cease after 10 AM and a resurgence occurs at 4:00 to 5:00 PM and lasts until about 8:00 PM. Females do nor hover but crawl up vegetation and take flight through the swarm of hovering males. The female is grasped by a male during flight, or while she is on vegetation before flight. Copulating pairs begin dispersal flights around 9 to 11 AM. Individuals may feed alone, or while in copula, on nectar or pollen in the vicinity of the emergence site. There are few or no mating pair flights by afternoon.
...
By using traps, it was determined that most lovebugs emerge from the pupal stage from 6 to 9 PM with a smaller number emerging from 8:00 AM to 12 Noon (Thornhill 1976b). Eclosion from the pupal stage requires about 5.2 hours at 27°C for males and six hours for females. Both sexes become fully sclerotized within two hours. Thornhill (1976b) did not report any positive evidence for the emission of a sex pheromone by either sex during or before copulation. Males hover near their emergence site and use visual and perhaps auditory cues to locate females.
..."
And finally, a 2008 funny 18 wheeler picture from and from:
If you’ve ever driven along the Gulf Coast in love bug season, your car will look something like this.
Source: VehicleSpa.com – 2008
And that last link says:
"The reason the bugs are attracted to the vehicles that give them an early fate is both because of the temperature from the hot engines and the formaldehyde found in gasoline and fumes. The chemical attracts the female because she senses it as an organic safe spot to lay her eggs."
AH HA, so this expert did say it was probably the highways that did it, via that same laymanstermsmedia site:
"Some say the bugs came over in stowaway ships from Central America that were docked in New Orleans, but UF entomologist Norman Leppla told the Gainesville Sun he dismisses that theory because of their short lifespan and delicacy. He believes the expansion has to do with the simultaneous rapid building of roads and highway systems along coastal areas.
After Eisenhower’s federal Interstate Highway System was approved in 1956, the swarms of bugs, according to Leppla, started migrating at a faster rate. Since the older cars had no AC, the bugs that got sucked up into the cars while traveling would pop out at different places along I-10 and start another population somewhere else."
So Angus McBride did a lot of cool looking stuff (LOTR stuff). Who else?
Mostly feels like they nerfed mages/dmg spells in 5e, boo, boo. Less spell slots, less dmg . Fk me, I'm going back to 3.5.
(BTW, I saw Mr. TreantMungle youtube say less spell slots to make level 20 parties more fun, less slow battles. He also said i htink him, that concentration was to avoid so many stacking spell effects which bogged down battles). The sorcerer class really felt like a nerf from 3.5 to 5e, which is what turned me off of ever playing 5e for so long till the kid and the school dnd stuff.
Obviously 5e DnD has higher hitpoints and I think better saves at higher level (correct me if I'm wrong). But just looking at raw damage numbers, some weird things have happened from 2e, 3.5e, to 5e. I'm ignoring "upcasting it at a higher level" which maybe is a slight problem due to Warlocks in 5e always casting at higher and higher levels as they go up in level.
note: getting numbers from 2e's Deck of Wizard Spells book, 3.5e via the dndtools.org site, and 5e via the dndbeyond site... before they start changing to this OneDnD new version stuff.
note2: some older than 2e stuff from https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Creeping_doom
note2: using numbers vs. one target for simplicity.
Fun list: https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/dnd-best-attack-spells
Why is it such a great offensive spell?
From widipedia:
Klaatu (/ˈklɑːtuː/) is a fictional humanoid alien character featured in the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still and its 2008 remake. The character of Klaatu gained popularity, partly due to the iconic phrase "Klaatu barada nikto!" associated with the character.
Character builder links from BlackCitadel:
https://blackcitadelrpg.com/online-character-builders-5e/
Druid spells, this guy's ratings:
https://rpgbot.net/dnd5/characters/classes/druid/spells/#spells-2
Fun difference betw Sorcerer and Wizard, 5e style:
https://www.gamersdecide.com/articles/dnd-sorcerer-vs-wizard
Long slowpaced game, but has its moments. Howsabout the billion pictures of birds and monsters for the Hyrule Compendium? Never thought I'd do it till the youngest started getting interested, now I can't stop... sort of.
And people are building some craaaaazy contraptions:
https://www.reddit.com/r/HyruleEngineering/
You gotta see how creepily it moves:
https://www.reddit.com/r/HyruleEngineering/comments/14vmtzy/i_dont_know_how_to_describe_this/
D&D. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. I could have done for a Conan-style lead, but damn if they didn't do a really good job. Liked it quite a bit for a comedy. I guess I'm getting old, never would have tolerated the goofy tone in my young days. The magic was top-flipping-notch, looked great compared to pretty much anything I've seen to date. Glad they got that right.
Somebody had a video showing like 71 Easter eggs, including named spells. Very nice.
Here is a list of some cool spells they used:
1. Meteor Swarm, def. level 9.
2. Prestidigitation (finger flame, ice finger) ... err, level 0. :)
3. Finger of Death, level 9 I think.
4. Time Stop... wooo, level 9 again.
5. Cone of Cold - what I missed that, in some flashback with horses they say.
6. Chain Lightning - oh yeah.
7. Reverse Gravity - just like the old arcade game, thank you very much.
8. Ring.. um I mean some bracelet (?) of invisibility - nicely frickin' used, yeah.
9. The "portal gun" staff/stick was super cool.
10. Magic Missle - but if that was it, it sure missed, not correct.
11. Animate Object - mr. statue dragon
12. Misty Step - Newer spell (4th ed. invention i think) - misty step, think long range blink, used by bad wizard lich chick Sofina to move out of range and animate the statue.
Oh and man, did they ever do a great job with the Druid's shapeshifting scenes. While apparently breaking lots of lore rules, it was still super fun to watch, I'm good.
Cool monster appearances:
a. Gelatinous Cube
b. Owlbear - cheated if druid they say but i'm cool. The kid reminded that it's the first time he's seen a snowy owl version of one, liked it.
c. black dragon - did the strafe attack nicely in flashback
d. Displacer beast, very nice.
e. Mimic - looked right
I jus Love this fight for some reason. The theme, the funny character, the monster aspect, etc. helps.
Tricks I’ve found:
0.5 Stay far left a lot in first phase
1. Turn into small plane, Move in an upsidedown Capital L motion, back and forth (3 times, eh?) when:
vs. seahorse plus triple-ghosts.
If u do it correctly (pausing a moment i think at biginning and end… as in bottom left and top right), … …ur bottomish left, go to top left… to top middle-ish, back to top left, to bottom left. Repeat a couple times
2. vs. double electric dolphins… move in a circle once per dolphin i think, from
midleft, topleft, top middle, middle middle, down.middle, midleft, repeat. Staying away from far down down, especially when big fish released. Really it is just smallish circles is enough, but…
3. …but if seahorse water spout plus dolphins, then
small plane, big horizontal movements..
midleft to top letf, to pretty far top right,
(down from there ) to pretty far mid right,
swing all way mid left,
repeat
https://x-files.fandom.com/wiki/Tooms/Background_Information
Interesting about Tooms vs. the first episode that he was in called "Squeeze"... Wong and Morgan didn't like the first episode's outcome, they sort of fired the director. The "Tooms" episode was a remake sort of to do it better.
Clarified Morgan, "This was a real chance to correct that part of it and do some of those things that were cut out of the first episode." Nutter offered, "For the second show, they really wanted to make it good."
