#calling all the monsters: {mobile posts}

[mercsandmonsters]

I’m raising $6,000 until 10/09/2024 for Miniature Service Horse. Can you help?

Hey, everyone. This is my fundraiser but on PayPal. I don't think I'll be using GoFundMe anymore.

[mercsandmonsters-archived]

Girl Happy is one of my favorite Elvis movies. I'm hoping Elvis feels bonita because he looks bonita. I do not own this video. I got it off of Instagram, but I forgot where I got it from.

[haunted-doodles]

not really the type who likes posting their ocs much but here's a Nim :}

[bogleech]

I stopped in goodwill yesterday and found the three best things I've ever found in one goodwill.

First of all this was $5, I don't know what we're gonna do with it but could you pass up a deal like that?? No

Second of all this 1990's "paper magic" brand Halloween decoration, a hard plastic vampire demon monster head with e baber wings, pretty rare! I've never seen this one in person, but I have had its counterpart for ages:

Notice the rotten skull version has boglin arms. Literally the same mold and material as boglins, presumably from buy up extra stock from Mattel maybe?? The bat one's wings are the same unique boglin rubber, too.

But more importantly a HUGE BAG OF VINTAGE JIGGLY RUBBER BUGS. These are VALUABLE. These are from the 50s and 60s. This bag would actually be worth over a hundred dollars to the jiggler hobby. That is what it's called.

This beautiful spider is Ben Cooper brand, and I own two others from the series, a scorpion and a totally different "spider" if that's even what it is, here they are for comparison:

I'm out of image uploads for a single post on mobile but maybe I'll make a bogleech.com post out of the rest of the bugs. There's a lot I could say about them.

[niuniente]

Death-Head's Deal #30 "The Same Man"

Unfortunately, Tumblr has now restricted images to 30 only in all posts. This means that DHDs will only be available on Tumblr in this spread format, whether it can be read on a mobile or not (BOOO).

I have updated this as original one comic form as well as I have been able to. Read the full comic, like it should be, here.

-------

Read this update on Webtoons for better quality!

Overall, read Death-Head's Deal on Webtoons for the the best quality and right format. You don't need app or an account (but Webtoons will ask your age). All Tumblr updates can be found here.

The song Aldwulf is singing is a real Finnish summoning spell for a monster hitman called Surma. In the panel where he asks what we will give to Surma, he sings Surma's lullaby and the audience replies with the real items Surma wants once summoned.

Since Aldwulf is a necromancer from a game, I thought it would be fitting if Death-Head's Aldwulf was in this comic a death metal singer.

[soylent-crocodile]

Chiropterex (Monster)

(artist unknown)

(Back in the distant era of the early 10s, my family got Netflix as a novelty. Nowadays streaming has consumed film and television like a rabid beast, but back then, my brother and I found a little British show called Primeval. Weaned on BBC nature documentaries from a young age, this was an exciting new spin on Walking with Dinosaurs, and we loved it.

The future predator is no question the most iconic creature of the series, a future bat that is both inspired by earlier spec evo and has gone on to inspire many other monster designs, including the earlier moorkutlot. It seems only fitting it be translated to Pathfinder.

By the way, I'm abandoning the proposed evolutionary history the later seasons provide- that these actually evolved to eat humans in a post-apocalyptic cityscape- and make them what I think is most obvious to me.)

CR3 TN Medium Animal HD5

Chiropterex are an aberrant species of roughly wolf-sized terrestrial bat, an arboreal, nocturnal apex predator of the islands it calls home, where no other land mammals have reached. They live in small family groups of about four to six members, typically consisting of a mated pair, a nest of about six children, a few children of previous years who stay around to help, and maybe one or two aunts or uncles. Typically, however, they hunt alone, feeding on seabirds and large moa-like ratites who evolved alongside them. These family groups keep in contact with each other using echolocation, and if a lone hunter runs into a struggle, it will call on the dissembled family to help.

Chiropterex are notorious man-eaters, and many a shipwrecked crew has met its end at a family of ravenous land bats. Many peoples of island cultures consider chiropterex to be evil spirits, and indeed there is at least one island where the magic of The Abyss has infected the local population of these predatory beasts.

Some outsiders have tried to domesticate chiropterex, or at the very least use them as weapons. They are a tempting subject of domestication; they are mobile, intelligent, fast-growing and have large clutch sizes, but all attempts so far have ended disastrously.

Chiropterex Companions

Starting Statistics: AC: +4 Size: Small Speed: 30ft, Climb 30ft Attacks: Bite (1d3), 2 Claw (1d4) Ability Scores: Str:10 Dex:22 Con:8 Int:2 Wis:12 Cha:7 Special Qualities: Blind, Blindsight 90ft, Scent Lv 4 Advancement: Size: Medium Attacks: Bite (1d4), 2 Claw (1d6) Ability Scores: Str +4 Dex -2 Con +2 Special Qualities: Flurry of Strikes

This hunched over creature has long, clawed arms and a bulbous head that ends in a short, needle-toothed mouth.

Misc- CR3 TN Medium Animal HD5 Init:+5 Senses: Perception:+6 Blind, Blindsight 90ft, Scent Stats- Str:14(+2) Dex:20(+5) Con:10(+0) Int:2(-4) Wis:12(+2) Cha:7(-2) BAB:+3 Space:5ft Reach:5ft Defense- HP:25(5d8) AC:19(+5 Dex, +4 Natural) Fort:+4 Ref:+9 Will:+3 CMD:21 Immunity: Gaze and other visual effects Weakness: Vulnerability to Sonic  Offense- Bite +5(1d4+2, 18-20/x2), 2 Claw +5(1d6+2) CMB:+6 Speed:30ft, Climb 30ft Special Attacks: Pounce, Flurry of Strikes +3/+3/+3/+3(1d6+2) Feats- Dodge, Mobility Skills- +11 Climb, +10 Stealth, +6 Perception(+8 Racial to Climb) Special Qualities- Flurry of Strikes Ecology- Environment- Forest, Urban (Warm) Languages- None Organization- Solitary, Family (2-4 Chiropterex, 6-8 Young Chiropterex) Treasure- None Special Abilities- Blindsight (Ex)- A chiropterex’s blindsight is echolocation-based; it cannot sense within areas of Silence or similar spells. Flurry of Strikes (Ex)- A chiropterex may, as a full-round action, give a flurry of stabbing strikes from its claws. It makes four Claw attacks at a -2 penalty each. 

[tiredkiwilol]

okie time to scream about the latest lu update!!

one thing u wanted to point out first is that when sky said that there was some mail, he raised three letters rather than the four he was given. i’m going to make an educated guess and say that one of the letters were for him. (from who? i have absolutely no clue. sun? maybe?) this is still supporting my idea that the next hyrule they end up in will be sky’s and they’ll meet his friends.

next i wanted to talk about the more pressing issue. ✨warriors✨ because we all know he’s gonna snap soon.

most of the time in the past few comics warriors and time have been co leading the group, with time being the main leader. however, wars is a captain in his hyrule and has been disappointed in the way a few links (cough wild cough twilight) have been acting, directly calling out a few people because of it. however, i don’t think that he’ll blow up. this past update time has begun to transfer back into his role as the main leader, shouldering some of the pressure on warriors. i do however think that warriors is going to have a serious talk with wild and maybe twilight soon after this.

next i wanted to address the fact that originally, the lizalfos wanted to attack warriors with his weapon first, as revenge from when the captain had attacked him. the only reason twilight was hurt instead was because he had chased the shadow and injured him. (also look at the panel with warriors and sky looking all cool, two knights i will always love) so i’m mainly wondering if wars is still a target for the lizalfos.

then there’s the talk about not holding back anymore. clearly they all have their own fair share of items and power (as proven by the december art) i think then there will be a lot more time for maybe the downfall duo to shine. they were focused on a lot when they were talking about stronger monsters, and they’re probably used to them considering they come from the downfall timeline. legend obviously has a lot of items and power from his adventures and if i’m not mistaken hyrule carries the entire triforce right now. he’s also proven to be incredibly powerful with his spells (when he healed twilight). so yeah, im very excited to see them all at their full power.

also, godslayer sky, godslayer sky, godslayer sky, godslayer sky

the only other time we saw him this angry was when wild broke fi (see first picture)

okay, there’s more i want to talk about, but i’ll need to make a separate post for that because i hit the picture limit on mobile so…

all art credit goes to the amazing @/linkeduniverse!!

[wordsandrobots]

Huh. Actually -- since I'm stuff home sick and my brain refuses to shut up and let me sleep -- apropos of reblogging @superhelltubedotsys' post citing Barbatos Lupus Rex's status as a werewolf Gundam, I'm now thinking about the significance that has within Iron-Blooded Orphans (some spoilers follow).

Because Barbatos the demon has no association with wolves in the Ars Goetia. The nearest applicable part is "He giveth understanding of the singing of Birds, and of the Voices of other creatures, such as the barking of Dogs", which is fitting for Mikazuki and plays into the comparison between mobile armour Hashmal and a bird, but pointedly does not imply 'appears as a giant fuck-off wolf monster with a knife-tail'. That description would seem more appropriately applied to Amon, the immediately prior demon, number seven: "He appeareth like a Wolf with a Serpent’s tail, vomiting out of his mouth flames of fire . . ."

But of course, Gundam Barbatos' steady revision towards the Lupus Rex form is a drift away from its initial design. Exactly how much influence the Ars Goetia descriptions had on the Gundam project and how much they were just used as a naming convention is a little up in the air. Some do seem to be applicable (Zagan being a 'bull with gryphon wings', Flauros switching between the forms of a leopard and a man, etc.). Others . . . well, Bael is supposed to appear as either a toad, a cat, or a man, or all three at once, and while that has some applicability to McGillis' whole deal, it's not really a match for Gundam Bael's angelic form. Nor do the Gundam's abilities evoke demon!Bael's power to render someone invisible. However, I think we can safely conclude that, in-universe at least, the goetic demons are only pertinent to the Gundams' initial appearances and capabilities.

Barbatos' revisions throughout Season 1 are instead a gradual cannibalisation of various different sources of technology and weapons to get it back into fighting shape (Teiwaz technically restores it to its original appearance, but that doesn't last past the Dort arc; thereafter, we're back to bolting on any spare armour going). Barbatos Lupus then represents a significant step towards redefining it in line with the Chief's goal of creating an 'ultimate' version based on Mika's battle data, with Barbatos Lupus Rex being the end-point for that progression.

Put simply, Barbatos gradually becomes more and more tailored to Mikazuki, specifically. To digress for a moment, this forms a big part of my reasoning that Mika being able to use the katana properly at the climax of Season 1 represents the influence of Barbatos' original pilot; after this, he ditches that kind of weapon entirely. Even while fighting Hashmal, he reaches for the biggest club available (technically, a broad-sword, but so ridiculously huge nobody could call it a precision weapon). It's another interesting detail that Mika can't beat Ein in their final face-off by fighting like himself, which comes back around again as the back half of Season 2 kicks into gear.

Anyway, my point is this: being a werewolf is not inherently part of Barbatos' deal. Rather it represents Mikazuki's growing influence -- as you might thematically expect for a union with a character named after the moon (crescent moon, specifically, though I can't imagine the association wasn't intended given Tekkadan are wolf-coded in the text). And that's fascinating because as I've written about before, Barbatos and Mikazuki are the most blatant example of a devil's bargain in the show. The kid literally sells and arm and a leg (and an eye) for the power Barbatos can give him. And yet, the bestial aspects Barbatos takes on are rooted in Mika.

There's an echo of Gundam Wing's 'Gundams are a curse' refrain in IBO. These machines bring bad luck to everyone who pilots them, as a function of representing humanity subsumed by war. The inherent gamble of the Alaya-Vijnana, the overwhelming nature of the conflict they were built to end, the fact Gundams are never sufficient on their own to change the world -- it forms an unspoken counter-argument to McGillis' zealous faith in their status as symbols of transformation that is actually very in keeping with the demonological tradition from which they take their names. What they offer is costly and potentially damning, while also largely illusory when it comes to anything other than utter destruction. Indeed, Mikazuki is a living testament to how 'cursed' their pilots are.

It just happens that he was able to curse Barbatos back.

Because that's what Barbatos Lupus Rex is, isn't it? Put side by side with its original form, this is a clear degradation of a proud warrior into a savage beast. The same design elements persist, of course, yet by the end, it's near impossible to picture Barbatos as an elegant fighter making precision strikes with a honed sword. It has become a true berserker, tearing into its opponents with teeth and claws (well, claws and knife tail). As Tekkadan in general tend to, Mikazuki strips away the affectations of nobility and 'honourable' warfare in favour of brutal reality.

The detail of the Lupus Rex form merging parts of a mobile armour into a Gundam only heightens this. Weapons are weapons, whoever they serve and whatever guise they wear. Mikazuki is always honest about that. His awed response to Hashmal is of a piece with how easily he fits within Barbatos. He sees himself as equivalent to them -- has, in fact, constructed his entire identity around being so.

Thus, the lycanthropy he inflicts on Barbatos is of a kind that merely reveals the truth lurking under the skin. It was always an instrument of devastation. Now it looks the part.

[astoundingbeyondbelief]

Kaiju Week in Review (February 11-17, 2024)

Warner Bros. unfurled the second trailer for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which seems to be going over much better than the first. There are multiple glimpses of the ice Titan Shimo throughout, and an even briefer look at Mothra reflected in Jia's eye. (My favorite shot, of course, is Kong decking Skar King as he's holding out Suko like a wriggling shield.) The rough shots from trailer #1 still look rough, but at least the new footage is more impressive.

The new issue of Empire (how fitting) has a short article on GxK—the big revelation there is that Godzilla Evolved is pink simply because that's director Adam Wingard's favorite color. Collaborations are also popping up. Circle K is offering a movie-branded sandwich, chocolate bar, and Froster drinks/cups. Godzilla and a seriously wizened Kong are also entering the mobile game Lords Mobile.

I don't know much about Oscar politicking, but Takashi Yamazaki's strategy of bringing a model Godzilla with him everywhere he goes seems like a winner. Both appear in the "class photo" taken of all the nominees at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon. At the same event, Yamazaki and Godzilla met with Steven Spielberg, who told Yamazaki he had seen Godzilla Minus One three times. Posting their photo together on Twitter, Yamazaki said he had "met God."

Toho's English Godzilla YouTube channel also uploaded a six-minute video on Minus One's VFX, with a focus on the various ways the production was able to shave off costs. Officially translated behind-the-scenes featurettes for Toho Godzilla films are a rarity, a sign of how badly they want that little gold statue. It's worth watching just for Yamazaki scooting his chair around the office.

Shout! Factory's onslaught of old Toei tokusatsu films on its streaming service turned out to be a prelude to offering them all on disc. The Classic Tokusatsu Collection Blu-ray set includes Planet Prince (1959; called Prince of Space), Invasion of the Neptune Men (1961), Watari the Ninja Boy (1966), The Golden Bat (1966; called Golden Ninja), Magic Serpent (1966; called Dragon Showdown) , Ninja Scope (1969), and Terror Beneath the Sea (1966). None have ever been released on English-friendly Blu-ray before; some haven't even made it to DVD. The set is $70 and limited to 2,500 copies.

Major caveats seem to accompany every English-language release of vintage tokusatsu these days, and unfortunately this set's no exception. Despite the existence of English dubs for at least some of these films (two of them riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000), only Terror Beneath the Sea is dubbed; the rest are Japanese-only. And the dubbed Prince of Space well-known to MiSTies was actually an amalgamation of Toei's two Planet Prince films, only the first of which is present here. (Even the first film seems like it's going to be in upscaled standard-def, going off the streaming version.) No special features in the production description either, although one person who got the set early reports that at least one trailer is included (for Invasion of the Neptune Men).

IDW has announced still another Godzilla miniseries, Godzilla: Skate or Die. First-issue description:

It's Australian skater punks versus Varan and the King of the Monsters in this thrilling debut issue by writer/artist Louie Joyce (A Fistful of Pain)! Four years ago, four best friends and die-hard skaters found the perfect location for a DIY skatepark. After months of hard work, they created the world’s sickest spot that they could enjoy for the rest of their lives… That is, until the ferocious Varan appeared in the middle of central Australia and started making a beeline for their beloved park. Why is Varan on a rampage? Why did Godzilla just appear off the coast? What does their beloved skate spot have to do with this? And most importantly…what are these punks willing to do to save it?

Sounds like there's a lot of author appeal here, as Joyce is Australian and calls the tale "inspired by all the amazing DIY spots I've had the privilege of skating[.]" And a meaty role for Varan is a pleasant surprise.

Perhaps inspired by the success of Troll on Netflix, we've got another Scandinavia giant monster movie on the way. Kraken will be directed by Pal Oie (Dark Woods) from a script by Vilde Eide. No cast yet, but here are the plot details divulged by The Hollywood Reporter:

[T]he thriller will follow Johanne, a marine biologist who encounters several strange occurrences while researching a fjord, including the brutal deaths of two local teenagers. “At the bottom of Norway’s deepest fjord rests a mythical monster as large as a mountain, with a myriad of arms ready to crush and devour anything they can grab,” the film’s synopsis reads.

Krakens are certainly having a moment in giant monster stories right now, between Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and the three that somehow wound up connected to the Monsterverse. (To wit: Na Kika was originally called Kraken, the unnamed antagonist of Skull Island bore the same name internally, and the guardian of Atlantis in the Justice League crossover comic is a Kraken as well.) This seems like a more back-to-basics approach.

[fandomtrumpshate]

Unlisted fandom challenge!

Since our numbers post earlier today, we've had more than 30 signups, including write-ins for 2 more fandoms, bringing the total of unlisted fandoms to 155 ... for now ...

At the top of the list we have a 3-way tie for 1st, a 5-way tie for 2nd, and a 6-way tie for third ...

5 Danny Phantom

5 For All Mankind

5 Yu Yu Hakusho

4 Ace Attorney

4 Ted Lasso

4 Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison

4 Stanley Parable

4 Tortall

3 Greek Mythology/Religion

3 Bungo Stray Dogs

3 Call of Duty

3 Dragon Ball

3 Realm of the Elderlings - Robin Hobb

3 Mummy (1999 franchise)

A single sign up could change all that ...

The rest below a cut for length -

2 Alan Wake/Remedyverse

2 Ghosts (TV)

2 Buffyverse

2 Cosmere

2 CSI

2 Detective Conan

2 Dracula

2 Dune

2 Firefly

2 Formula 1 RPF

2 Glee

2 Guardian (2018)

2 HBO War

2 Hermitcraft/The Life Series SMP

2 Imperial Radch Series

2 Mob Psycho 100

2 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury

2 Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint

2 Persona Series: 3-5

2 Professional Wrestling

2 Riverdale

2 Saw

2 Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab

2 Slow Horses

2 Stormlight Archive

2 Bear (TV)

2 Empyrean - Rebecca Yarros

2 Folk of the Air (Holly Black)

2 Radiant Emperor Series

2 Undertale

2 Venture Bros

2 Voltron

2 Wolf Pack

1 1670

1 a league of their own (TV series)

1 A Plague Tale (Videogame Series)

1 Adventure Zone: Balance

1 Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across 8th Dimension

1 Adventures of Tintin

1 American Gods

1 Among Us

1 Artful Dodger

1 Bendy (and The Ink Machine/Dark Revival)

1 Billabong - Mary Grant Bruce

1 Bioshock 1&2

1 Blue Beetle

1 Breakfast With Scot

1 Bunny - Mona Awad

1 Buzzfeed Unsolved/Watcher Entertainment RPF

1 Cabin Pressure

1 Cats the musical

1 Charlie's Angels (2019)

1 Cherry Magic

1 Chronicles of Narnia

1 Cobra Kai

1 Coffee Talk (Video Game)

1 Criminal Minds

1 Death Note

1 Dexter

1 Dice Punks (podcast)

1 Digimon

1 Dimension 20

1 Discworld - Terry Pratchett

1 Divergent

1 Donten ni Warau / Laughing Under the Clouds

1 Dungeons and Daddies (podcast)

1 Fallout Video Game (Bethesda)

1 Falsettos

1 Fargo FX

1 Farscape

1 Fire Emblem (4-10, 13, 14, 16)

1 Five Nights at Freddy's

1 Friends at the Table

1 Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

1 Good Place

1 Grantchester

1 Green Creek

1 Greenhollow Series - Emily Tesh

1 Grey's Anatomy

1 Grimm

1 Gundam (see below for details)

1 Hatchetfield

1 Hawaii 5.0

1 Hello From The Hallowoods

1 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

1 Hollows - Kim Harrison

1 Honkai Star Rail

1 Horizon Zero Dawn

1 Horror

1 Inception

1 Inspector Morse

1 IT (Movies - Muschietti)

1 Jeff Satur - music videos

1 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

1 Julie and the Phantoms

1 Last Kingdom

1 Law and Order

1 Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Garth Nix

1 Legend of the Galactic Heroes

1 Live Free or Die Hard (Die Hard 4)

1 London Spy

1 Lunar Chronicles

1 Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic

1 Magnificent Seven

1 Mechanisms

1 Mrs. Davis

1 My Little Pony

1 Nancy Drew (CW Series)

1 Narcos (TV)

1 Nine Worlds Series - Victoria Goddard

1 NU: Carnival

1 Omori

1 One Direction

1 Orphan Black

1 Outlast

1 Pacific Rim

1 Pairing (Casey McQuiston)

1 Re-Animator

1 Saint of Steel

1 Sex Education (TV)

1 Shadow Campaigns - Django Wexler

1 Simon Snow Series

1 Skins (UK)

1 Slam Dunk

1 South Park

1 Starry Musical

1 Succession

1 Super Sentai

1 Sweeney Todd

1 Team Starkid

1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

1 Terror (TV 2018)

1 Three of Hearts

1 Tin Can Bros

1 Tower of God

1 True Detective

1 Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold

1 Wayfarers (Becky Chambers)

1 Westworld (TV)

1 Yellowjackets

1 Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

[mercsandmonsters]

I feel guilty, and I feel like I made a poor decision by booking my flight and hotel for my audition for "America's Got Talent." My friends, here on Tumblr and in real life, and my therapist all think it's a good idea, but I'm having second thoughts. Especially since I used most of my benefits. My parents are worried about the money for me. I want to cry. I feel so bad.

[mercsandmonsters-archived]

Someone in the Graceland Insiders Facebook group posted this, and I hope they get enough signatures and donations to help.

[familiaralien]

Giant monster tamer megathread

Decided for the sake of education and my own neurodiversity to make a post including every video game series or stand alone title I know of that focuses on creature capturing competitions that isn't Pokemon.

One big exception: the game has to be a reasonably playable state. So no games that are effectively or literally lost media (like Micromon) or games that only playable state is currently a short demo (like Bestieball). With that in mind here we go:

Digimon

This one is pretty obvious. While more of a multimedia franchise it has tons of games to its IP. The one that probably would appeal most to Pokenerds is Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and its sequel as they're turned based RPGs with a monster capture mechanic.

Monster Rancher

Another one I think a lot of folks have heard about or least millennials would remember. I haven't personally played any of these titles myself but from what I gather they're raising sims with tournament combat. For a while their availability was mostly limited to emulation but Monster Rancher 1 and 2 have been ported to modern systems like the Switch.

Yo-kai Watch

A mid 2010s franchise that had a whole lot of initial success in Japan. Its an RPG series that doesn't take itself very seriously with cute and goofy monster design based on the Japanese folklore creatures called... well yokai. Has real time combat instead of turn based and more luck based capturing mechanics than Pokemon.

Palworld

Brand new game that's only in its alpha release as of now. Its effectively a parody of Pokemon where you're stuck trying to survive in the wilderness so you must build a base and farm resources to survive. Game did have some initial controversy due to some of its designs stepping a little TOO close to being outright ripoffs of existing designs. Also you can capture and enslave humans which may not vibe with some folks.

Temtem

Basically Pokemon meets a MMO lite. The game can be played mostly as single player campaign but does unfortunately still require a constant internet connection. Battles are turned based but 2 versus 2.

Shin Megami Tensei

What could be consider the original monster tamer game. The series is aimed at a somewhat older audience and the plots tend to be more philosophical then like "gotta be the best *insert title here* ever". Focuses a lot on fusing monsters as well as trying to convince them to join you. You actually battle alongside your monsters.

Dragon Quest Monsters

Monster Capturing mechanics do exist in the mainline DQ games as well (at least since DQ5 I think?) but its these games have them as the main gameplay. Much like SMT it focuses on fusing monsters as one of the main ways to expand your library off available species.

Nexomon

Franchise that started its life as a mobile game but has since gotten ports to other systems. Its very similar to Pokemon in terms of creature designs and combat but the worldbuilding is quite different as is its tone being a lot more comedic.

Coromon

Indie game with visuals similar to Pokemon Black and White. Its story was originally kinda so-so and its ending pretty abrupt but its since gotten a free patch that smoothed that out quite a bit. Also has a sorta unique "shiny" system where alternate colors are associated with higher potential which can actually be altered once. Also has a built in randomizer and "nuzlocke" mode.

Cassette Beasts

A pretty recent indie game. Unlike all the others you don't capture or hatch monsters but rather record them to transform into them yourself. Battles are always between you and a companion which there are multiple to befriend throughout your journey (including a dog!). Has some really interesting quirks with its type chart that adds a lot of extra depth. Will soon be releasing a mutiplayer update for anyone that's into that kind of thing.

Monster Crown

A game with visual based on the Gameboy era. It has some pretty fascinating breeding mechanics and a somewhat darker tone than Pokemon. WARNING: DO NOT GET THE SWITCH PORT! For whatever reason its especially glitchy and I have genuinely gotten entire save files ruined by game breaking bugs (such as my player character getting stuck in walls or clipping out of a bounds). As far as I'm aware the PC version is not nearly as much as a mess though.

Monster Sanctuary

Monster collecting meets metroidvania. Has a really fun skill tree type move learning system that allows for quite a bit of strategy. Also the monster designs are way less Pokemon and more inspired by traditional roleplay monsters (so there's like Goblins and stuff). My only gripe with the game is how you get monsters involves getting specific scores in battle which makes getting 1 of each monster way more tedious than it needed to be.

Fossil Fighters

Franchise is maybe dead since there hasn't been a new entry in it since the 3DS but its still easy enough to these games. Anyway this series involve reviving dinosaurs (and some other ancient animals) into new lifeforms called vivosaur and using them in 3 on 3 combat. Vivosaurs are obtained with a fossil digging minigame which is kinda neat.

Spectrobes

Another franchise that's been pretty dead for a while (it last entry was on the Wii). Spectrobes has a more sci fi like setting with its monsters being aliens you revive from fossils. Combat is real time and you participate alongside a couple of your monsters. I'm btw describing only the first game because I haven't played either sequel!

Evocreo

Mobile only monster game with a style similar to Pokemon Black and White not unlike Coromon mentioned above. Has a lot of focus on split path evolution. The devs are apparently going to release a sequel soon but its been in development hell for years so I'll come back and edit this if that actually happens.

Monster Hunter Stories

I have not played nor watched gameplay of this one so I can't really describe it that deeply all I know is its a spinoff of Monster Hunter involving befriending and using the titular monsters in combat.

Telefang

Its sad this game series is most famous for being badly translated and repackaged as a Pokemon game. Anyway these are Japanese only titles though fan translations exist. The gimmick of this game is that you call monsters up on your cellphone to get them over to participate in combat. This series this sprout out when cellphones were consider newfangled and hip so it makes sense.

Anode Heart

Pretty sure this one is PC only. Takes some inspiration from the Digimon World games and is semi open world. Sadly this one I don't know much about outside of that though it does have a free demo on Steam for anyone that wants to try it for themselves.

Ooblets

Extremely wholesome monster catching and farming game. Battles are actually dancing competitions instead of violent confrontations and monsters are recruited simply by beating them in a fight. Thing is monsters will only fight you if you offer them their favourite food so that's where strategy comes in.

Moonstone Island

I know very little about this one except its also a monster catching and farming game. I've heard that its really good though and I believe its PC only right now but has a planned Switch port.

Timenet

Probably the most obscure ass monster tamer on this entire list. This is a Japanese exclusive set of Gameboy games featuring very cute monster designs... and Hello Kitty. Yes Sanrio made a monster tamer back in the late 90s. I only learned this even existed after scrolling down a comment section on a random YouTube video.

Abomi Nation

I'm mostly excluding roguelike games due to most having nothing but battles an 0 plot but this one does actually has a story! You play as the actual monster as you make your way through somewhat randomly generated maps with lots of other randomized elements. The game allows for a lot of customization including turning off permadeath if you're not a fan of that. The visual style is a bit crude but its still a pretty cute game.

Jade Concoon

Another somewhat obscure entry but at least this one got an English release. Anyway its an old RPG for the PSX with monster capturing and a very fascinating monster fusing mechanic that uses an algorithm to determine the appearance of the fusion. The player character can also participate in battle and the plot is very complex. The game also has a sequel on the PS2 but I know even less about that one.

Robopon

Now if you thought Palworld was bordering on some copyright infringement this game is basically nothing but "Pokemon but the designs are robots". Still worth bringing up I think!

Ni No Kuni

Not sure how I got to mentioning several obscure titles and somehow didn't mention something that really isn't. Ni No Kuni is real time battles between you and 2 party members. You can both battle as the actual human characters or switch into a monster. Wrath of the White Witch's visual style in particular is very whimsical and even has some animated cutscene done by Studio Ghibli. I haven't played any other game in the franchise.

Siralim

I haven't played any entry in this series yet (there's apparently 4 games + a spinoff) but from reading up on the most recent entry these are basically procedurally generated dungeon crawlers with an insane level of depth. The story is apparently not that great but the games themselves apparently also make fun of it so it seems its an intentional dev choice. Battles are 6 on 6 and there's over 1000 monsters to collect.

Disc Creatures

A monster tamer with a visual style similar to the Gameboy and Gameboy Color. It has 3 on 3 combat. Impressively I'm pretty sure it was developed by just one person in the RPG Maker engine (I'm honestly surprised this is the first indie game made with ya know... an engine meant for turned based RPGs).

Monster Harvest

A Dungeon crawler mixed with farming. Its a bit shorter than anything else I've mentioned here and its a bit glitchy but its a cute little game worth picking up on sale at the least. Notably also only about a 1/3 of the monster in the game are combative with the rest being either used for farming resources or as mounts.

Loomian Legacy

A Roblox monster tamer.... yes there's 2 of those in this (I could even have added 3 but I think one is in still a pretty early state). Pretty sure this started as a Pokemon fangame and become its own thing later. It has your typical 1 on 1 turn based combat and all that. I think its free to play and there's like several hours of content on it so maybe worth a gander.

Tales of Tonorio

Pretty sure this is the same basic deal as Loomian (Roblox game, started as a Pokemon fan game, etc etc) though its has its own world building and creature designs since I'm pretty sure its made by a completely different team.

So yeah that's all of them I can think of right now. If I learn of others and/or there's new releases I may expand this.

PS: There is almost certainly numerous typoes in this. This post is way longer than anything else I've ever made on Tumblr so I can't be arse to fix them you're just going to have to deal!

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Franchise Idea: Nickelodeon Kingdoms

What you're seeing right now is actually real.

This is the official title card for an online Nickelodeon game called Nick Kingdoms, released back in 2014.

The premise of that game is that it's set in a fantasy world where various Nickelodeon shows (specifically those from the Nicktoons line-up) co-exist as separate kingdoms.

As you could tell by the title card, you can see various Nickelodeon from around that time being completely redesigned from this whole new universe!

SpongeBob looks like a pirate captain.

The Breadwinners look like they're part of a biker gang.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles look rightfully like they came from feudal Japan.

Bloom looks like she came right out of a fairytale world.

And Sanjay and Craig look like absolute party animals.

And after stumbling upon this after nearly a decade, I couldn't help but think....

Or more importantly, why didn't Nick do more with this game.

All the shows you see represented here were the only ones that were.

After 2014, they never updated the game, most likely because it's a online game that can only be accessed through the Nickelodeon website.

And it really sucks because it would've been cool to see them add other notable Nick shows to this world.

And since I'm bored and I have nothing better to do today, I thought of the idea of Nickelodeon bringing this forgotten game back from the dead.

But not as a mobile game or even a video game, but instead as an entire franchise.

It would kind be like how Disney has multiple franchises under their belts involving their original animated films like The Disney Princesses and Disney Villains.

It would be cool to see a company like Nickelodeon having a entire franchise based around their huge catalog of IPs....

Which I don't think they've ever done before.

Sure the IPs themselves are basically franchises in their own rights, but Nick hasn't had a franchise that used them all together.

Anyway, sit back and grab a snack and follow me as I take you all on a journey through the new and improved world of.....

Nickelodeon Kingdoms!

For this post, I'm gonna list some shows (both notable and virtually obscure) from the Nicktoons line-up and share how they would be represented as kingdoms for this franchise.

As for the ones that were already in the game, they would be expand on a bit.

SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob's kingdom in the original game was presented as sort of a pirate-themed version of the Bikini Bottom. For this franchise, the pirate theming would be ever stronger here. In fact, SpongeBob's kingdom would be based in a part of the ocean filled with tropical islands that are brimming with pirates, both human and aquatic. SpongeBob's kingdom would draw heavy influence from The Caribbean, specifically during the Golden Age of Piracy.

The Fairly Oddparents: The Fairly Oddparents' kingdom would be presented as a mixture between Dimmsdale and Fairy World. It's architecture would be a mixture between fantastical and modern, it would be inhabited by humans, fairies and other fantasy creatures, and it would based high up in the clouds.

Rugrats: The Rugrats' kingdom would be a presented as a prehistoric metropolis in the veins of The Flintstones. The prehistoric theming would be a reference to Reptar. The land the kingdom is based in would be surrounded by various environments commonly found in prehistoric-themed media: grasslands, jungles, swamps, lagoons, volcanic mountains, polar regions, and bone-filled wastelands.

Ren and Stimpy: Ren and Stimpy's kingdom would be city heavily inspired by various locations in Canada. This would serve as a reference to the duo's famous role as Canadian Kilted Yaksmen.

Aaahh, Real Monsters!: The Real Monsters' kingdom would be presented as a junkyard city inhabited by monsters.

Angry Beavers: The Angry Beavers' kingdom would be presented as a forest-themed metropolis inhabited by slightly anthropomorphic forest animals.

Hey Arnold!: Hey Arnold's kingdom would be presented a urban metropolis with a heavy sports-theming. This would be a nod to the fact that in the show, one of Arnold and his friends favorite passtime was playing sports.

Jimmy Neutron: Jimmy Neutron's kingdom would be presented as a floating futuristic version of Retroville (smack-dabbed in the atmosphere) with a 1950s theming. This would be a perfect combination of the many out-of-this-world adventures Jimmy and his friends have gone on, and the 50s-styled town they live in.

The Wild Thornberrys: The Wild Thornberrys' kingdom would be presented as being themed around colonial Africa....but minus the problematic elements. The land would be presented with a colonial town, multiple tribal villages, and landscapes like savannahs, jungles, swamps, and deserts. Admittedly, coming up with a kingdom based around the Wild Thornberrys was a pretty tricky concept since the family travels all over the world. But one of the many locations they've traveled to, I believe Africa has been the one they've visited the most, so I felt like that would be best place to based the kingdom around. As for the colonial theming, I felt it would help give the kingdom a safari theme to fit perfectly with the show.

Rocket Power: Rocket Power's kingdom would be a mixture between the California seaside-town Ocean Shores and Hawaii. I feel like having the kingdom be a mix between California surf culture and Polynesian culture would be perfect for a kingdom based around Rocket Power, given that the latter has played a major part in a show.

Invader Zim: Invader Zim's kingdom would literally just be an Irken version of the City that the show mostly takes place in. Essentially it would be best of both worlds. Yeah, I don't really have much to say to this place.

ChalkZone: ChalkZone's kingdom is basically just ChalkZone, except it's also inhabited by regular humans.

My Life as a Teenage Robot: My Life as a a Teenage Robot's kingdom would be a futuristic version of Tremorton. Yeah....I pretty much made the town that was sort of anti-robotic into a futuristic community. Talk about ironic.

Danny Phantom: Danny Phantom's kingdom would presented as creepy, gothic version of Amity Park, surrounded like various haunted lands. These lands would be inhabited by ghosts and other supernatural creatures, and have environments themed around the major ghost that reside there. Like a savage jungle for Skulker, an Arabian-style kingdom and desert for Desiree, a 1950s-style town for Johnny 13 and Sidney Poindexter, etc.

Avatar: I don't even need to explain this one.

El Tigre: El Tigre's kingdom would be a version of Miracle City that's a mixture between colonial and Mesoamerican Mexico. Giving that show has presented architecture from both eras of Mexican eras (especially the latter), I felt a even more extreme combination of both would be perfect for a kingdom based on the show.

Back at the Barnyard: Back at the Barnyard's kingdom would be presented as a rural country town akin to the ones found in the American Southwest and Deep South, inhabited by humans and talking farm animals ala Bojack Horseman. Yeah, that's kind of about it.

Tak and the Power of Juju: I don't even need to explain this one either.

The Mighty B: The Mighty B's kingdom would be a bee-themed version of San Francisco. Basically imagine the bee city from the Bee Movie and that's what you got.

Fanboy and Chum Chum: Fanboy and Chum Chum's kingdom would be an icy version of Galaxy Hills, as a nod to the show's well-known (and only) superhero, Man-Arctica.

T.U.F.F. Puppy: T.U.F.F. Puppy's kingdom would be basically Petropolis mixed with Zootopia. Please don't sue me Disney.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The TMNT's kingdom in the game was presented as metropolis that was a mixture between New York City and feudal Japan. And yeah, that theming would still be present.

Sanjay and Craig: Sanjay and Craig's kingdom in the game was presented as a version of Lundgren, but with a heavy focus on partying with stuff like amusement parks and music concerts. And just the TMNT kingdom, that theming would still be present.

Breadwinners: The Breadwinners' kingdom in the game was essentially Pondgea....but the same as it was in the show. But this time, the kingdom would be presented as a chain of various islands based around aquatic ecosystems like swamps, bayous, forests, rainforests, etc.

Harvey Beaks: Harvey Beaks' kingdom would essentially be the Bigbark Woods, but with a fantasy twist to it. Imagine Knothole from the Archie Sonic comics and that's what you got.

Well that's all for now!

I know I left some major Nicktoons out like Rocko's Modern Life and The Loud House, but that's because I couldn't quite think of what their kingdoms would be like.

If you have any idea or suggestions on what their kingdoms should be like, let me know in the comments.

[routeunlocked]

Mobile Otome Recommendations

Hi, everyone! I've gotten into otome in the recent years. I got my start with mobile games, so I thought it'd be fun to talk about some of my favorites as my first recommendations post on this blog. If you have questions or other recommendations, let me know.

MYSTIC MESSENGER

Mystic Messenger has a chatroom setting with many beloved characters of the RFA (Rika's Fundraising Association). MC finds a phone with the RFA app installed, ultimately leading to MC's position as party coordinator. There's more than meets the eye with the organization and the founder's history, however.

Unsurprisingly, this is the game that sparked my interest in otome. I felt the chatroom playstyle was very unique and a relatable way of getting to know the characters. It's fun to get calls from them occasionally too. The characterization and plot are so enjoyable, it's almost heartbreaking each route ends after 11 days. I could easily spend months on each of these character's routes.

As much as I love that it works in real time, it can be difficult to play with a busy schedule. It's also heavy with the triggering/dark content the more you play, so make sure that's something you're comfortable with before picking it up.

Features: Chatroom, routes, calls, real time, dark content.

WANNABE CHALLENGE

MC is a model who has always faced misfortune in her life. She never expects anything good to happen. Some of her memories are also missing, including her history with the goblins, but they're there to protect her. Will her luck turn around as she suddenly finds herself living with four men and competing in the Wannabe Challenge?

I started playing this one more recently and I am in love with it. My only regret is not starting sooner. The blend of historical, modern, and fantasy is well done. The characters are so lovable, I'm not sure I can pick a favorite. The MC is pretty sassy too, which I'm fond of. The Wannabe Challenge itself is based on Instagram, so it's cool to see what characters post while having the opportunity to respond and make your own posts. There's also a dress up and gacha aspect to the game, if you're a fan of that.

The only downside I think is the difficulty of the photoshoot challenges, requiring you to have specific stats. You'll want to upgrade your cameras and cards wisely. On the bright side, the game is generous with free gems and occasionally allowing you to use a random SSR to help succeed.

Features: Instagram, text messaging, gacha, optional ads for free resources, dress up, challenges, affection levels, unlockable stories.

ARCANA TWILIGHT

The Summoner enters an unfamiliar world, filled with sorcery. Their presence seems to bring more chaos and mystery than ever expected. Why do they have a special ability? What is it they see in their mind's eye? What about them attracts danger?

I feel like Arcana Twilight is a very underrated game. I've thoroughly enjoyed the story and getting to know the cast of characters. Their dynamics never fail to entertain. I also appreciate that the cast is 19+ despite this being a magic school setting. Constellations, magic, and monsters are all my taste.

The challenges can be difficult in this game as well. You have to battle between chapters which gets increasingly challenging as you go. Pay attention to elements and leveling your cards.

Features: Gacha, challenges, affection levels, ads for resources, text messaging, unlockable stories.

LOVEBRUSH CHRONICLES

The MC is an artist during her first year at a university. She has special skills, resulting in her finding herself in different worlds. There are some familiar faces there too...

I was very excited to hear about an English release for this game. I thought the art was gorgeous when I first stumbled across it, and I still feel that way. They have an amazing voice cast too. I like the idea of being able to explore different worlds/universes and seeing the roles each of the love interests play. I'm looking forward to diving deeper and seeing what other worlds get released.

Much like the others listed above, there is a combat feature in the game requiring you to focus on your cards/leveling. Thankfully, you can bring support from other players into battle which may be the difference between success and failure.

Features: Routes, social media posts, affection points, gacha, combat, alternate universes, friend support.

THE SSUM

MC uses a dating app to find their "special someone." Based on initial answers, MC is paired with one of the love interests on the app. A relationship is built up over a long period of time. But is there more to the app than meets the eye?

I feel like it comes full circle to have a Cheritz game on my phone again. I'm a sucker for their games (Dandelion and Nameless included), so I had to check this one out too. I've only done June's route at the moment, but I adored every moment of it. I like that I can set it up based on my real life schedule and there aren't consequences for missing chats. I also like the ties to Mystic Messenger. If you're missing the charm of Mystic Messenger, you may want to check this one out to satisfy the nostalgia.

There are some other features on the app, but I'm mostly focused on the story. It is still fun to check out planets and posts by other players though. This game will require a lot of patience as the other routes span 200+ days. Parts of spoken conversations and some photos will also be hidden unless you pay a monthly fee, but it will not prevent you from enjoying the story if you choose to play for free.

Features: Chatroom, dating app profiles, planet exploration, community posts, optional monthly fees, real time, calls, routes (that can all be played at the same time).

[aster-spiral-30]

I can’t find the post now (this site has such a bad mobile interface) —but I briefly saw something along the lines of:

“I want the unrepentant sociopath villain character (Alastor) to start caring about the people he wants to hurt & backstab. Found family will cure this bloodthirsty sadistic monster!”

How embarrassing.

Nah bitch, I want him to be stabbed with an Angel Spear so hard that the tip of it emerges from either his ass or his mouth.

Doomguy would gladly do it.

And one more thing.

I hate that this monster is now considered “asexual & aromantic representation.”

The sadistic serial killer, the cannibal, and the slave owner (of Husk) who gets hard from broadcasting people screaming from being tortured to death.

Viv clearly wanted to tick off some BS diversity boxes by claiming that he’s asexual and it shows.

All known serial killers have/had a serious sexual hang-up, and it manifests into violence, perversion. They HATE women.

Jeffrey Dahmer was the rare exception because he killed men & teenage boys— but the sexual violence was still there.

Another rare exception sort of was Richard “The Iceman” Kuklinski . He really liked to beat his wife & kids, threatened to murder them, all while doing a side hustle of killing people for The Mob. The sick fuck.

Back to Hazbin Hotel-

Alastor manipulates Charlie into making a deal with him so he can backstab her later on. The first thing he does in the Pilot is threaten another woman, Vaggie, who has every reason to fear and distrust him. …He wouldn’t give Rosie the time of day if she wasn’t a cannibal from the early 20th century.

Fuck you if you call him an “ace icon.”

“But it’s Hell!” That’s not an argument.