No, I Don't Know

I don't really have an explanation for how I ended up here. Blame TV Tropes if you must.



Explanation (as far as such things can be explained, anyway...): Apparently, the character who attacked the other (and sorta takes the place of "PC") has time-stopping powers, like the character Dio Brando from Jojo's Bizarre Adventures. And stopping time, throwing knives, and then dropping steamrollers on people like so-



-is Dio Brando's memetic signature move.

Who knows why, beyond the obvious "dropping steamrollers on people is kinda funny" aspect?

-Signing off.

Kamen Rider Shiny Bling Mask

So recent Kamen Rider series have been pretty... inventive when it comes to their designs, with a guy whose power is to have the powers of other Kamen Riders, a guy that's actually two guys more or less split down the middle (...kinda), a guy who has varying modes based on combining three parts in different ways, and a guy who's wearing astronaut-based armor, has devices that let him put tools on his arms and legs, and who is assisted by robots that transform into food. This is not a bad thing.

Then comes the new upcoming Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider... Wizard. Who is presumably a wizard.



What's most notable about this is that, with a rather simplified design compared to his immediate predecessors, he manages to be just a bit goofier anyway. Why?

Well, he wears a ring that looks like his mask...


...and he also has a belt buckle (which you can't properly see in the screenshot, but you can kind of make out the edge of the pattern there) with a hand shape on it.

And for some reason I have an easier time buying all the silly toyetic stuff.

-Signing off.

Invid's Guide to the Star Wars Universe: Alien Species (#48)

(Note: The entry for "Iskalonian" has been excluded because it's a society native to a planet, which I've talked about on numerous previous occasions.)

471. Iotrans. Iotrans are a bunch of militaristic guys; at least half of their population tends to be in their military at any given time. While many supported the Galactic Empire because of its military might, others preferred the Republic, as it was proven to be stable over long periods of time.

Rating: 3/5. Can I mention how happy I am that the militaristic guys aren't being portrayed as idiots because they're militaristic?

472. Ipharian-Da'Lor. Ipharian-Da'Lor have a name that's super annoying to type, mainly because it's too long. They have snake-tail-below-the-waist type bodies, and retractable spikes at the ends of their tails. Supposedly, it's also customary for them to cover their faces.

Rating: 4/5, though this may be because it's been too long since there was last an interesting physiognomy on an alien here.

473. Iphigini. The Iphigini tried to help mediate between the Diamala and the Issori (the Diamala have been mentioned as part of the extremely important in terms of how often it gets mentioned Caamas document crisis, and the Issori get mentioned later in this very article), but didn't do so well at it.

Apparently, they have "craggy" faces and "melodious" voices, and some may wear their lip-beards braided.

Rating: 3/5, even as a fairly minimal thing. Connections, people-it's good to make them in your fictional universe.

474. Iridonians. The Iridonians are known as crazies who might attack anybody once their warrior groove comes on. We don't know what they look like because of their big helmets. They may or may not be related to the Zabraks, who live on Iridonia. Also, in their primary appearance, they got their name misspelled.

Rating: 2/5, only because it's hypothetically possible that this means that the Zabraks, who are known as "pacifistic" in the present, were once crazy berserkers (because the appearance of the Iridonian in question was thousands of years before the movies).

475. Irrukiine. Irrukiine appear to be huge wolfman-ish four-armed savages, and apparently they were corrupted by Sith magics into crazies who would attack nearly anything in sight and devour them.

Rock on.

Rating: 3/5. Sometimes you just need some oddball killer natives corrupted by ancient evil.

476. Ishi Tib. Ishi Tib are amphibious guys whose hat is being obsessive-compulsive accountants and organizers. They are also known for tearing people limb from limb with tooth and nail.

They also look rather interesting.

Rating: 4/5. I like traits that most people would find contradictory being mushed together.

477. Ishori. Ishori have "horn-tipped fists." This sounds pretty cool. They apparently have a tendency to get agitated when trying to debate and being unable to think rationally about things. This caused them to get a little crazy during the Caamas document crisis.

Rating: 3/5. A little generous, perhaps.

478. Iskalloni. Apparently, the Iskalloni built prostheses and cybernetic limbs and stuff and created lots of nasty byproducts... somehow, and so they kidnapped and enslaved lots of people, especially humans (for no apparent particular reasons), to do their dirty work for them.

Rating: 1/5. They don't even have a sensical reason for any of that.

479. Issori. Apparently, the Issori have a complicated system of determining how to breed based on socioeconomic factors, and anyone who is conceived who doesn't meet certain standards gets treated as an animal and killed.

Rating: 2/5. Interesting concept. Also horrible.

480. Isticians. Isticians were mutated by radiation bombardment of their homeworld, Istic II, and so varied a lot in size and color relative to most species. The Empire declared them nonsapient so that they could be hunted as animals. There's no information on what happened to them.

Rating: 1/5. Sad, and also a poor grasp of biology.

-Signing off.

Considerably Tamer Than My Usual Taste In Nature Video Clips

I swear, these things look like they're made of plastic.



With little Christmas light-style LEDs or something on them.

-Signing off.

He Once Broke a Sun With That

I think perhaps the best thing I have to share about this is a wonderful YouTube comment on the video: "End of the world? (EXPLETIVE) THAT NOISE, I'VE GOT A GIANT HAMMER."



It's an oddly symbolic moment, really, since GaoGaiGar was specifically created to be a response to Evangelion.

-Signing off.

Filmation Presents: Bravestarr the Legend (#4)

Enjoy this much-delayed post after the jump. (If you want to refresh your memories, the previous posts are here, here, and here.)

And Then One Day the Tick Had a Mustache

It is possible that The Tick is not the best cartoon ever.



However, I find it rather unlikely.

Especially since that mustache turned out to be a body-hopping, follicle-invading parasitic Cold War bioweapon.

-Signing off.

Obligatory Unsettling Nature Post

I was busy uploading far too many pictures for an upcoming (and much-overdue) post, and I thought, "Hm, it seems like I'm missing something I usually do so far... Oh yeah!"



It probably says something about me that I don't find these caterpillars "weird." Changing their diets to other insects? What's weird about that? What's weird are the ones that seem to think they're actually spiders and use their silk in large volumes to help them capture their prey in various ways (my favorite is one I read about years ago that used its silk as a shelter against its aggressive, fast-moving and numerous prey, only popping out to pick off one and then retreat), although even they aren't that weird.

-Signing off.

Invid's Guide to the Star Wars Universe: Alien Species (#47)

(Note: I excluded an entry, "Ingoian," on the basis of it being a cultural group.)

461. Iktotchi. Iktotchi are beings with huge horns, so big that they're rather silly. (Their large size at the base of the horn is what I'm referring to-I'm pretty sure that the horns are about as thick as their wrists, and bulls have horns that are maybe half that thick. Bulls are much larger animals than the Iktotchi.) Their most defining trait in terms of their psychological profile is that it's common for them to have precognition, which makes other races dislike and mistreat them for being creepy. They're well-represented in the ranks of the Jedi, at least during the days of the Old Republic. Their precognition caused them to withdraw from the Old Republic just in time to avoid contact with the Empire, and they existed in total isolation during the Empire's reign, with the Emperor content to ignore them.

Apparently, they have fat fingers that limit their dexterity. ...All of them? Even the skinny ones? Don't you think that's an odd place to store your fat, and wouldn't it be a disadvantage when it came to natural selection? Huh.

Rating: 2/5. Fat fingers, guys? Really?

462. Ilosians. Apparently the Ilosians had spread to hundreds of worlds before the Hutts descended on them and enslaved most of them; they were treated better than other Hutt "client" species because they were good with technology. They later became victims of the Yuuzhan Vong, suffering "great losses." Whether any remain is unstated.

Poor saps.

Rating: 2/5, pity point rules apply.

463. Ilwizzt. Ilwizzt can have "mahogany" skin, and speak through trunks with a buzzing accent. Apparently, at least one Ilwizzt lived on a planet conquered by the Ssi-ruuk late in the reign of the Empire. (The Empire not only tolerated this, but claimed the Rebel Alliance had been responsible, and were courting the Ssi-ruuk in hopes of technological exchange. When I get to talking about the Ssi-ruuk, you'll see why this is a bad thing, especially since the Ssi-ruuk are among the many precursors in the Expanded Universe fiction to the Yuuzhan Vong.)

Rating: 2/5, because we only see one but that one's existence creates some flavor and texture rather than do nothing.

464. Imbats. Imbats are known for "size and cruelty," but "not their intelligence." You guys... In this case, they get a little more specific and add "tall as trees," but... what kind of trees? Young trees, old trees, bristlecone pines, giant redwoods...? The big trees from Endor?

Never mind. They apparently have huge legs and grasping toes.

Rating: 2/5. I think this is the most 2/5 ratings I've handed out in a single article (it's kind of the least common rating, I'm pretty sure), and it's in a row. Will the Star Wars galaxy maintain this trend?

465. Immolanoids. Apparently, they combust. This caused them to be used in an advertisement for a cool beverage/ice-based snack of some kind, as such events would leave those near the event overheated.

That's kind of sick (although it's one of those cases where I wonder if they're actually a species or not).

Rating: 2/5. Gasp! The streak continues!

466. Imyni. Apparently, they were recruited in historical times by someone who had been doublecrossed by somebody else to lure the doublecrossers into a trap on their primitive world; the trap turned into an all-out melee between way too many parties shortly thereafter.

Rating: 2/5. The story is a bit interesting (only a bit, though) but I don't feel like recounting it in more detail.

467. Imzig. They're described as having "large eyebrows, unlike humans." ...Never seen anybody with a beetlebrow, then?

What makes it worse is that I look at the picture and I see a Star Trek rubber forehead alien.

Rating: 1/5. No thanks. Hey, the streak got broken.

468. Inchichtok. In a much too long and convoluted (and worse, rather boring) story about hyperspace route exploration, the Inchichtok are involved in the journey in this most satisfying fashion:

This journey ended abruptly, however, when they discovered the Inchichtok, who proceeded to kill them.

Thank you, Inchichtok.

Rating: 2/5. Hm... The streak just skipped a spot?

469. Indexers. They apparently have crystalline eyes and lack bones. They also have at least five trunks through which they speak and which have fine tendrils of some sort at the end.

Rating: 3/5. Yay for getting out of the doldrums with interesting descriptions!

470. Inleshat. Hey, more members of the ol' Iskalonian School. Apparently, they're the dominant members of the School, can hear sound underwater over vast distances, and are at least a little amphibious by virtue of being able to come out of water enough to know that they have poor vision in such circumstances.

Rating: 3/5. They sound like they're also a smidgen obnoxious, but I'm willing to forgive them that.

-Signing off.

Everybody Digs Giant Robots

Or so the theme of Megas XLR would have one believe.



NOTE: The Department of Motor Vehicles does not dig giant robots.



(The thing getting smashed is the DMV, though this is an imagine spot. It is funny because people hate the DMV.)

-Signing off.

MUSIC

Argh, I said weeks ago that I'd continue that BraveStarr series, and I'm still not quite ready to.

In the meantime, enjoy this video which seems to be built from GaoGaiGar's series intro song and animation that may be an official thing, but I'm not sure.



Also, look here for an interesting musical experience.

-Signing off.

I Assume They Mean "Tarantino"

I can't think of any other explanation. (Note: Questionable content.)



(As always, when my embeds are too small, you could go to the main page for it.)

-Signing off.

Invid's Guide to the Star Wars Universe: Alien Species (#46)

451. Hummingbirds. ...Seriously? Sapient hummingbirds?

And the description doesn't indicate anything about them as being not, well, just hummingbirds? (Other than possibly the fact that one was apparently a podracer...)

Pass.

Rating: 2/5. It's incredibly lazy (they didn't even come up with an actual name? Come on!), although I've got to give them credit for picking hummingbirds, which are at least a bit unusual.

452. Huraloks. Huraloks are apparently a race of huge jerks who are known for being pirates. They're long-lived (~300 year range), and apparently they're so nasty that they won't come together to mate until their species is in danger of extinction.

...Wow.

Rating: 2/5. I don't like races who are nasty for the sake of being nasty, but that detail on their reproductive habits pushes it so over the top that I can't help but admire the gumption of whatever goofball came up with it.

453. Hutlarians. Apparently, their homeworld is harsh, and they have a reputation for toughness and are often seen as professional soldiers.

Rating: 2/5. Really pretty generic; they get a point for having a name that amuses me. They're from Hutlar. Ha ha. Speaking of which, "hut" means that the next entry must be the...

454. Hutts. I've often decried the planet of hats characterization of entire Star Wars species in this series. I'm not going to do it here, however, even though the Hutts are one of the greatest examples of "well, they're all crimebosses because the first one we saw was" thinking.

Why am I forgiving it? Because it's been justified in a way that makes some sense. The Hutts survived the death of their home system's sun, which they had worshipped as a god. Having done so, they came to the conclusion that they were now the gods. It's not that the Hutts are all crime bosses, it's that the Hutts don't view the laws and morality of others as applying to them. They also once ruled an empire, which only adds to the logic involved.

Also, did you know that the Hutts are 1) highly resistant to blaster fire and most other forms of assault (the exception seems to be being garroted by a big chain, though there are claims that Jabba got overexcited and had a heart attack... right...), 2) exceedingly difficult to poison, 3) they can reach a thousand years in age, and 4) are hermaphrodites?

Well, they are.

Rating: 4/5. Hutts help make great stories.

455. Hyallp. They're... apparently arthropods/insectoids. One was an assassin.

Rating: 2/5, purely for the interesting name.

456. Hysalrians. Hysalrians are apparently natives of Dagobah (what, again?), and appear to be rather large beings with four arms and four eyes as well as snake-bodied below the waist.

In a serious continuity-snarly bit, one canonically trained Yoda in the ways of the Force on Dagobah hundreds of years ago, but Yoda also canonically never visited Dagobah until he got old. Argh.

Rating: 4/5. I get a headache trying to figure out what's going on with their status, but they're cool-looking enough for me to approve.

457. Icarii. The Icarii were "near-humans" who the Empire decided to exterminate, apparently because they were darned tough (the only thing guaranteed to kill one was cutting its brain in half). This spawned an expression that one had to kill an Icarii seven times.

Rating: 2/5. Eh, I don't know. There's things to like and to dislike here.

458. Ice demons. At least one ice demon lived on Endor, where it was killed by the Ewok shaman Logray by magically melting ice onto it; said ice refroze because the ice demon was cold, and it killed him. Yes, killed.

Logray's hardcore, you see.

Rating: 2/5. Ice demon got owned.

459. Iceheads. More Ewoks cartoon-related species. Get outta here, ya bums.

Rating: 1/5. They're too dorky-looking for my tastes.

460. Ierians. "Near humans from Ieria."

Rating: 1/5. Not caring from this blog.

-Signing off.

Next They'll Perfect Mind Control

Learning about critters that can do this kind of thing is... unsettling.



What will nature come up with next, huh?

-Signing off.

Apologies and Epic Music

I apologize for missing Friday without warning; it was the weekend of my sister's favorite convention, and I had to drive her around a few times, and I forgot to do something when I had an opportunity to.

So here's "Power of Desire," which has the best harmonica solo (no, I mean it!) in the history of music as an apology.



It's also just generally a great performance by Masaaki Endoh, who is possibly my favorite musician alive (and in-universe in the GaoGaiGar series was played by Mic Sounders the 13th, who once played a song on a suspension bridge).

-Signing off.

Short Book Review: Leo Geo

This is one of those comics a fan of comics as a medium should be aware of.

This review has an image that shows a bit of why: Structurally, Leo Geo is one of those Scott McCloud-type experimental comics. You need to reorient the book several times to read it (and change the structural order you read pages in), but it's incredibly natural and intuitive.

Despite the simplistic design of the titular character, the art alone would also be worth the read. The story is a strange mix of fantasy, science facts, and things that honestly don't make sense (though in a "I'm willing to ignore that because this is sufficiently fun" way) that... well, let's just say it's not really that much of a story, but it does what it needs to, which is give the artist an excuse to do cool and fun stuff and crack the occasional remarkably straight-faced joke.

"I can't (let the underground civilization invade the surface)! There's too much good solid science going on up there!" (Emphasis mine.)

Seriously.

-Signing off.

Invid's Guide to the Star Wars Universe: Alien Species (#45)

441. Hoovers. Hoovers are small beings with elephant-like trunks who are apparently poorly known. One existed in Jabba's palace as the Hutt's "pet," but unbeknownst to most, he was a skilled technician and would suck the blood of the palace's other inhabitants at night.

Holy cheese, how many vampires were in that darned place? (There was an Anzati there too.)

Rating: 4/5. Tiny blood-sucking elephant-faced aliens are hilarious.

442. Horansi. Horansi are sapient big cats. Even though they're apparently bipedal, they still look like "normal" Earth big cats, which is perhaps mildly unrealistic, but a nice touch (although apparently the females still have humanlike bosoms... wha?).

They apparently have a rigidly enforced caste system, and believe that it is all that stands between them and the horrible strife that they suffered in their history.

Rating: 2/5. At first, it sounded good, but some of the strange details take away from them.

443. Horobians. They're from Horob, and were only beginning industrialization around the time period of the original movies.

Y'know, sometime I'd like to see a civilization that industrialized oddly, such as still custom-crafting all their parts even though they've obtained advanced technology or something, limiting their production until they finally meet a group that had invented the assembly line and standardization. How realistic that'd be is a bit questionable, perhaps, but it'd be more interesting than the simplistic "technology level" thing people always do.

Which has nothing to do with these guys, because I've said all I have to say on them.

Rating: 1/5.

444. Hortek. Hortek are moderately telepathic reptilian predators who are described as "humanoid." If you look at the page picture, you'll see one of the many reasons why I hate that term.

But I'm not going to hold it against them, or against Ejagga Pakkpekatt, the awesomely named exemplar of the species, because they're reasonably cool and aren't depicted as evil reptiles.

Rating: 4/5. That is all.

445. Houk. Houk are big, heavy, and strong, moreso than Wookiees in at least some cases, and apparently have a reputation for bad tempers. They have corrupt, untrustworthy governments (just like everybody else in that regard, huh?), a large number of colony worlds (over thirty), and surprisingly are known for being indirect and deceitful in personal confrontations despite their big brutishness, their tempers apparently being less explosive and more pressure boiler (though I admit that's a bit of an inference on my part).

Hey, there's a neat detail.

Rating: 4/5. A better than average big angry brute race. How nice.

446. Howler Tree People. The Howler Tree People apparently communicate in an ultrasonic range and can cause severe headaches in members of other races; their language is also apparently so difficult it generally requires a team of translators to hold a conversation with them.

Rating: 3/5. All things considered, there ought to be more guys who are that hard to communicate with.

447. Hrakians. Hrakians are near-humans from Hraki.

Rating: 1/5. Next.

448. Hrasskis. Apparently, they have large, veiny air sacs on their backs. They also believe in succession by seniority, and that taking one's turn in seniority is the highest of honors.

Is it bad that this description immediately made me think of a terminally ill Hrasskis who bumps off his seniors to get to the top before he dies?

Rating: 3/5. Interesting feature (even if it's only a single minor one) and interesting societal wrinkle.

449. Huloons. The Huloons are one of many groups shafted by the Hutts; their homeworld was turned into a big nature preserve by the Hutts, and the majority of the Huloons were killed to make space for it. Huloon survivors who escaped offworld apparently try to make pilgrimages back to their homeworld, but the Hutts generally catch them and torture them for entertainment purposes.

Gee whiz, nice guys, those Hutts.

Rating: 3/5. I suspect they got some pity points.

450. Humans. Aw, look at that huge article. It figures stinkin' humans would get such a big article, doesn't it?

I'll give 'em this, human females are attractive. That's about the only redeeming feature of the lot of 'em.

Rating: 0/5. ...I kid, I kid. It's just silly to rate us as an alien species, but it had to be done.

-Signing off.

And Now I'll Talk Abo-STOP EVERYTHING NEW TRANSFORMERS GAME TRAILER!

It's not quite as [grawlixing grawlixed] awesome as the last big trailer, but it's still pretty awesome.



...Though I think I could have done without Metroplex talking. That's kinda dorky.

-Signing off.

That's A Big Snail

For reference, most adult housecats aren't quite that big.



And it figures that it'd eat other snails; it's a snail-eat-snail world out there. (Yes, I went there, especially since it's not the only snail I've heard of eating other snails. Just be glad I didn't go here again.)

Also, ha ha look at the funny hermit crabs.

-Signing off.

Perhaps Not Literally, But When You Consider He Was In a Kid's Show...

...calling Negaduck "the most evil character ever," it's surprisingly appropriate.



"Shot on sight... skinned alive on sight... burned to ash on sight..." Yes, this guy is certainly kid-friendly, huh?

He's basically an anthropomorphic duck version of the Joker, only less jovial and more murderous. Too bad for him that he's stuck in a cartoon where killing people is really darned hard.

(And good for everyone else, of course.)

-Signing off.