Silverspun Pickups. Yeah. Damn good music!!!

Game of Thrones season 8 episode 3 , Who kills the Night King?

Game of Thrones, season 8 episode 3 was last night. And oh my God it was good!!!  The action, the mood, the music, the finale... oh yeah!

Loved the Melisandre moments, and they were many. Entrance, fire weapons, ... struggling to liht the trench.

The dragons, the carnage of flames on undead. Air battles. Fog of war snow.

Jon Snow’s fighting. Walking past Sam bc it was so tense and world of the living at stake. Got to get to that Night King.

Bran, confident, calm. Planned the whole thing. Orchestrated it all really. Dagger, himself bait, intel of when undead, and undead dragon. Down to the last Theon...

Arya beating ass then on her heels, then sneaking. Very tense. Then, jump attack, oh no....that special move!!!

https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment/news/international-news/article/all-hail-arya-stark-to-turn-up-the-lights-everything-twitterverse-felt-during-game-of-thrones-episode/408883

Conan's foe Xaltotun. Undead and lichlike.

'You _are_ Xaltotun!' cried Orastes. 'You are not dead! You live!'

Free original story, The Hour of the Dragon, to read here: 

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/42243/pg42243.txt

And this page talks about the foe, at least where he appears in the comics I take it:

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/xaltot.htm

Real name: Xaltotun

Identity/Class: Human
(Hyborian
Era) magic user

Occupation: Sorcerer, would-be World Conqueror; former
High Priest of Set


Base of Operations: currently unknown; 

formerly Python, Acheron; Khemi, Stygia; Nemedia; HYBORIAN
ERA

First Appearance: REH's "Hour of the Dragon" from Weird
Tales (1935-1936), 

Powers/Abilities: Xaltotun was a sorcerer of great
knowledge and power. In the time of Acheron, he was perhaps the most powerful
mystic on the planet. His powers were vastly amplified when he used the
Heart of
Ahriman, which enabled him to cause sudden floods,
avalanches, deadly plagues, and other forces of mass death and destruction.
He could cast illusions, generate consciousness-robbing mists, paralyze others
on contact, and animate inanimate objects. His own abilities, however, could
be overcome by another learned mystic in possession of the Heart of
Ahriman.

Xaltotun also held other magic items, such as the Heart of Tammuz, the Hand
of Nergal, a Sleep Crystal, and others.

Weaknesses: One of Xaltotun's weaknesses was the Black
Lotus, a narcotic drug which would rob him of his senses when he enjoyed
its effects.


History: Xaltotun was the High Priest of Set in the
city of Python, in ancient Acheron, @ 13, 000 BC. In that role, many blood
sacrifices were performed on the altar of their snake god.

In Love with Nine Parchments, the game on the Ninitendo Switch

At first glance it looks like Magicka and plays a lot like it. That's a good thing. Takes a while to get used to the dual stick and trigger buttons. But man, I just love this game. Love the colors on the levels, the natural settings, the little details like an owl in a nest that you only see if you walk to the far upper right path on this one mountainous area, or the giant shark that swims by in the background on another level. The characters are funny and cool. The unlocking mechanics are addictive... we just unlocked another so that we now have 3 versions of each character, save Amadeus. Soon, we'll go for the Gilded (Winged) versions!

But yeah, I love the gameplay, and just can't get over how good the whole thing looks. It blows me away every time. It is the only game in recent history where I just can sit still and look at the background and foreground for a good long time instead of just getting bored. What are the crazy seashells that look like ribs? The glowy flowers. The trees and caves and little side buildings with hidden items and stuff... it's just all super cool.

The spells are great too. The "bullet" spells are some of the best AOE effects with the spinning and whatnot, very unique. How cool does the extra mini-fireballs (from that one Marvek skill) look when doing the fire mass spam (what's it called again?)? The purples and pinks on trees that sway in the wind just look damn good. Love it all around, and the kids really like playing coop, which is a blast. Can't really do that on PC with old Magicka, but I'll be cranking up Magicka 2 sooner or later on PS4. 

You definitely get the sense that they love the National Parks in the US, and some other famous international sites. The crazy rock columns for instance look like the type in Devil's Tower in Wyoming. 

Dark Souls - Fun Game After You Get Into It

Dark Souls has some weirdness in the beginnings, but it quickly got fun after I was able to use a variety of weapons just to see what they did. I don't exactly love the fact you don't get a second spell as a pyro for like... days into the game, but if you understand these things you will be surprised how fun the melee is. Normally I find the spell-casting classes more fun in games, but in this game the melee is just that detailed and cool. And this dragon looks pretty cool.

I also really really love the way each area feels unique and the lowly monsters are all actually very deadly if you don't give them respect. And skellies are not the lowbie monsters like in a lot of games... oh boy, no they are not.

The Black Knight was fun the first time I stumbled upon him (umm, one of them I mean). Damn he looks cool.

Books, free books, and Robert E. Howard of Conan

So the public domain is cool. Some free stuff you can read online or on a Kindle or whatever ereader.

The Hour of the Dragon, a free book by Robert E. Howard (written in 1935):

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/42243/42243-h/42243-h.htm

Beowulf:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16328

Others:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=dragon

MYTHS THAT EVERY CHILD SHOULD KNOW seems extra good:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16537/16537-h/16537-h.htm

THE THREE GOLDEN APPLES - (Hawthorne's "Wonder Book")

THE POMEGRANATE SEEDS - (Hawthorne's "Tanglewood Tales")

THE CHIMÆRA - (Hawthorne's "Wonder Book")

THE GOLDEN TOUCH - (Hawthorne's "Wonder Book")

THE GORGON'S HEAD - (Hawthorne's "Wonder Book")

THE DRAGON'S TEETH - (Hawthorne's "Tanglewood Tales")

THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER - (Hawthorne's "Wonder Book")

THE PARADISE OF CHILDREN - (Hawthorne's "Wonder Book")

THE CYCLOPS - (Church's "Stories from Homer")

THE ARGONAUTS - (Kingsley's "Greek Heroes")

THE GIANT BUILDER - ("In Days of Giants")

HOW ODIN LOST HIS EYE - ("In Days of Giants")

THE QUEST OF THE HAMMER - ("In Days of Giants")

THE APPLES OF IDUN - ("In Days of Giants")

THE DEATH OF BALDER - ("Norse Stories")

THE STAR AND THE LILY - (Miss Emerson's "Indian Myths")

Vintage News has some cool Stuff

That comical scream in so many movies, Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark for instance:
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/04/23/wilhelm-scream/?utm_source=penultimate

The laugh track - I think Scooby Doo and a billion sitcoms:
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/15/laugh-track/

Taxidermy and Dr. Seuss. His dad ran a zoo. And... "Young Ted delighted in the animals found there and undoubtedly this would influence his later works. Years later, when Ted was pursuing his love of the arts, his father would send bits of beaks, feathers, and bones to inspire him.

Ted tucked these animal bits into boxes under his bed and, when inspiration struck, would use them to craft Seussian animals in a whimsical blend of taxidermy and fantasy."

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/14/taxidermy-of-dr-seuss/

Weird Irish Potato Famine facts - "How could famine have caused such a dramatic and long-lasting drop in population over such a short period? Unlike other famines, Ireland’s was not caused by a drought, nor by a sudden change in the climate, nor deterioration of the soil. It was caused by a combination of political corruption, religious persecution, and poorly-timed crop disease.":
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/14/irish-population/

Sin-Eaters... not a Harry Potter invention:
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/06/sin-eaters/?utm_source=penultimate

Abracadabra: "Ancient Romans Used the Word “Abracadabra” to Cure Malaria":
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/03/abracadabra/ 

Alien by Giger, or Gargoyle in Paisley, Scotland?

https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/08/15/alien-gargoyle-scotland/

On a 12th century building, but the old gargoyles were redone apparently. It was added in modern times... somebody having a laugh. Dang, I thought we were witnessing something special... too good to be true:

Above the arched doorways of Paisley’s Abbey sits the stone “Alien” which many assume to have been created as an honorable mention of the cult sci-fi film series. Mr. Briss explained to the BBC that they hired stonemasons from an Edinburgh company to make new the gargoyles.

According to tradition, no two gargoyles can be the same, so each is the unique product of the mason’s imagination and personal influences. According to Mr. Briss, the Alien-like gargoyle was the product of one of the stonemasons inventive humor. “I think it was a stonemason having a bit of fun”

Others there:

Monster Blogs

This is cool I bet:

http://themonsterblogofmonsters.tumblr.com

What a great idea, monster costume day in some cool town somewhere:

http://monsterdaygreeley.com/monster-day-greeley-2018-costume-contest/

I really hate Pinterest for not letting me go back and forth with browser buttons. I love Pinterest's saving of picts with about 2 or 3 clicks though.

https://www.pinterest.com/trilodroid/

Bird Box - I dunno about this one

Originally I was going to avoid seeing because I wanted to see "A Quiet Place" first, since this felt a little derivative. But my wife started watching so then I watched it with her. And maybe I was just in the wrong frame of mind, but I really did not enjoy it. Allow me to rant to myself.

The bad. 

1. I was disappointed that the creatures weren't shown. Having seen the leaked ugly baby mask that they were going to use, I am now glad they weren't shown. The drawings were actually awesome, and my favorite part of the movie, go figure.

2. Sandra B. not naming the kids/the kids acting the way they did in that kind of environment/anything to do with the kids was completely and utterly not believable for me.

3. I felt like it was some sort of alien invasion movie for the most part, but if it was that then nothing made any sense at all. The crazy people being happy/underlings. The inability of the creatures to do anything physical like go into a house or whatever.

4. If it had been demons, then stuff would have made sense. It just didn't feel like demons ever to me.

5. Eye CGI. Does not scream demon to me.

6. Leaf CGI. Does not scream demon to me.

7. No real supernatural feel to it, just more like mind-control tech.

8. I called the blind people thing about 30 minutes into the movie, I swear, ask my wife!

9. It felt very annoying watching how helpless everyone was. I guess that was supposed to be the point of the movie, but I just got irritated by it.

10. End of the world stuff is just getting old lately... I mean the last what 10 or 15 years that's almost all we get.


The good.

1. Maybe it was demons. If they were all demons, and this whole thing a religious affair, then yeah, I'm much more on board with it. To me though, it felt anything but that during the actual viewing of the movie. Besides the novel writer guy's speech, it never felt like heaven or hell had anything to do with that universe. Which, by the way, once invisible monsters start walking the streets and destroying human life to that extent, you better believe people would suddenly find religion.

2. The acting was fine with all the big names doing their normal thing as well as they normally do.

3. The drawings. Man I love 'em! Like really. What do we have here... a squidhead, a gas mask skeleton, a skull on a multi-legged creature, ... oh, the white eyed big checkbones monster face is the best, lots of scary teethy maws. All great stuff!

Video Games - Cadash

http://superadventuresingaming.blogspot.com/2012/09/cadash-turbografx-16.html

That probably explains it all. Good ole Cadash!

Straw Godzilla near Fukuoka and Saga

https://lunch-fukuoka.hatenablog.com/entry/wara-sin-gozzira

Godzilla

Can't wait to see the new American Godzilla movie, the one Garth Edwards did was pretty solid.

The size comparison type youtube vidoes has captured the kids' attention greatly lately. Hell, I never knew his versions changed so much... and that new anime on Netflix has him like 3 times the size of the biggest up to date, holy cow! Here's a similar youtube that is a nice summary of G over time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhLxEb6xTfc

G is catlike in grin and countenance, partially due to his original 1954 ears coming back in 1989, pict from 1992. 

Ghidorah, an earlier incarnation. 

Gigan. (Pronounced G-eye-gan or if you live at my house Geeggan).

This Smog Monster, aka Hedorah. 

I appreciated Ready Player One having Mechagodzilla. Having read the book and loved it, I was very worried he wouldn't be in the movie... very satisfying:

Somebody made a nice text list of all the movies.

1 Gojira ( 1954)
2 Godzilla raids again (1955)
3 King Kong vs Godzilla ( 1962)
4 Mothra vs Godzilla  ( 1964)
5 Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
6 Invasion of Astro Monster ( 1965)
7 Godzilla vs. the Sea monster ( 1966)
8 Son of Godzilla ( 1967)
9 Destroy All Monsters ( 1968)
10 All Monsters Attack ( 1969)
11 Godzilla vs. Hedorah ( 1971)
12 Godzilla vs. Gigan ( 1972)
13 Godzilla vs. Megalon ( 1973)
14 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla ( 1974)
15 Terror of Mechagodzilla ( 1975)
16 The Return of Godzilla ( 1984)
17 Godzilla vs. Biollante ( 1989)
18 Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah ( 1991)
19 Godzilla vs. Mothra ( 1992)
20  Godzilla vs. Mecha Godzilla II ( 1993)
21 Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla ( 1994)
22 Godzilla vs. Destoroyah ( 1995)
23 Godzilla ( 1998) - aka Zilla
24 Godzilla 2000: Millennium ( 1999)
25 Godzilla vs. Megaguirus ( 2000)
26 Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah : Giant Monsters all out Attack (2001)
27 Godzilla against  MechaGodzilla ( 2002)
28  Godzilla : TOKYO S.O.S ( 2003)
29 Godzilla: Final Wars ( 2004)
30 Godzilla ( 2014)
31 Shin Godzilla ( 2016)
32 Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters ( 2017) - Netflix
33 Ready Player One ( 2018)
34. Godzilla: City on the Edge of battle (2018) - Netflix
35. Godzilla: Planet Eater (2019) - Netflix
34 Godzilla: King of the Monsters ( 2019)
35 Godzilla vs. Kong ( 2020)

And so IMDB has some craaaaazy random different posters for some of these old G movies. Take 1964's Godzilla vs. Mothra (or The Thing). And whatever could THE THING be? Check out the last few slides... heh, cheeky basts. That's not quite what Mothra looks like, is it?

Or how about the rebranding of Godzilla Raids Again as "Gigantis, The Fire Monster"!

Some G comics from more recent times. Looks pretty good:

And I love these hand drawn details from random places... and especially these Japanese posters with super details hand drawn. We might own the Rodan Vs G. one for the kids' room. ;)