Monthly Archives: November 2013

Our Lady of Mercy

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Nathan

Guanyin is known as the Goddess of Mercy, although since she’s primarily revered in Buddhism she’s technically a bodhisattva instead of a goddess. She’s essentially the Chinese version of Avalokitasvara, the personification of compassion in Indian Buddhism. Avalokitasvara is depicted … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Chinese, Japanese, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mag ik Engels Sprecken?

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Nathan

Black Francis, Live in Nijmegen – A live recording of a show consisting pretty much entirely of stuff from around when Charles Thompson went back to releasing stuff as Black Francis. I won’t say this is my favorite era when … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Belle and Sebastian, Frank Black/Black Francis, Music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

There Goes Salesman, and He’s Sailing High Again

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Nathan

As the holiday season is upon us (retailers can’t even wait for Thanksgiving to end anymore), I thought it might be appropriate to provide a tribute of sorts to the salesmen of the video game world. These merchants often have … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Kid Icarus, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Going on a Hozliday

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Nathan

So, the 2013 issue of Oziana is out now, and I have a story in it. “Jinnicky Saves Christmas” was an idea I came up with around the holidays two years ago. The theme of this issue is described on … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Christmas, Gina Wickwar, Holidays, Jared Davis, Jeff Rester, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic Items, Marcus Mebes, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Phyllis Ann Karr, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Time for Om

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Nathan

Back when newsgroups were still a thing, there were some attempts on the Terry Pratchett fan groups to create a Discworld timeline. I believe this was the result of the discussion, although it only goes up through The Fifth Elephant. … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Discworld, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Shunka Sapa Saved the World

Posted on November 23, 2013 by Nathan

Picture by Stacy Becker I believe it was in my sophomore year of high school that we had to do some research into Native American mythology, and one story that particularly stuck with me was from Lakota lore. The tale … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek Mythology, Mythology, Native American | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kingdom of the Sun

Posted on November 22, 2013 by Nathan

The Emperor’s New Groove – Hey, we’re back into the Disney…well, groove, I suppose. This film was released in December 2000, and I remember when Beth saw a preview and thought it was trying too hard to be nineties-cool. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Humor, Revisiting Disney, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Craziest Trap You’ll Ever See

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Nathan

The Better Mousetrap, by Tom Holt – This one is in the same series as In Your Dreams, but takes place some time later, when J.W. Wells has gone bust and Paul Carpenter and Sophie have retired into their own … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Care of Magical Creatures

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Nathan

One question that I see occasionally is whether all the animals on the Pokémon world are considered Pokémon, or just some of them. This page lists some non-Pokémon animals. For example, the Pokédex entry for a Gastly says it can … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Characters, Harry Potter, Magic, Monsters, Oz, Pokémon, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Patrician Puzzle

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Nathan

Ever since the beginning of the Discworld series, Terry Pratchett has been consistent in saying that the city of Ankh-Morpork is led by a Patrician, an autocrat who lacks the trappings of royalty. The plot of The Truth suggests that … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Discworld, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment