Monthly Archives: August 2018

Gated Communities

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Nathan

As if Gamergate wasn’t bad enough, now there’s Comicsgate as well, because people suck. And both of these supposed movements have people using these terms to refer to themselves, despite the fact that using “gate” in the names of scandals … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Conspiracy Theories, Gender, Prejudice, Star Trek, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Dictionary of Ozian Marriage

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Nathan

There was a discussion on marriages in Oz at this year’s OzCon International, partially inspired by how The Tin Woodman of Oz includes two seemingly bad marriages. Mrs. Yoop is glad her brutal, uncouth husband, who used to kick her … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Characters, Economics, Families, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Relationships, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

This Matrimony Is Full of Holes!

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Nathan

I seem to recall reading that the phrase “sanctity of marriage” wasn’t used until fairly recently, and was pretty much just a response to how marriage is changing in our society. That must not be entirely true, because a quick … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Christianity, Economics, Families, Greek Mythology, History, Judaism, Mythology, Relationships, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Moving to a Magical Monarchy

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Nathan

Happy birthday, Ozma! It seems common among Oz fans to consider Ozma to be, in a way, our monarch, and Oz as a place we’d like to escape to someday if it were at all possible. C. Warren Hollister’s essay … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Politics, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kirby and the Dreamstalk

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Nathan

I like Kirby, but I haven’t actually played that many Kirby games. I remember seeing my brother play Kirby’s Adventure for the NES some years ago. I got Kirby: Triple Deluxe for the 3DS for Christmas, and started playing it … Continue reading →

Posted in Kirby, Monsters, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tin Hands Are Ku-Klip’s Workshop

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Nathan

So, I’m back from OzCon International, which was pretty Oz-some. It’s kind of disappointing that it’s over, but nice to get home again. When I first started going to Oz conventions, it was often one of the few chances I … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Cartoons, Characters, Eric Shanower, Feminism, Games, History, Humor, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Live Shows, Music, Oz, Oz Authors, Rachel Cosgrove Payes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ding Dong, the Demon Is Dead

Posted on August 9, 2018 by Nathan

Hey, I finally beat Rhapthorne in Dragon Quest VIII! I leveled up a little more, but I think a lot of it was luck. After you kill the Dark Lord (SPOILERS, obviously), there’s an ending sequence where Empyrea takes you … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragon Quest, Magic, Monsters, Names, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Koschei Deal

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Nathan

Her Majesty’s Wizard, by Christopher Stasheff – I saw this book on a list of recommendations somewhere, and I didn’t realize at the time that the author had just died in June. This is the first book of the Wizard … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Catholicism, Christianity, Diana Wynne Jones, Fairy Tales, History, Magic, Mythology, Nursery Rhymes, october daye, Religion, Russian, seanan mcguire, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rhapthorne Session

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Nathan

I’ve tried several times, but still haven’t managed to beat Rhapthorne, the final boss in Dragon Quest VIII. At least I’m pretty sure this is the final battle (not counting post-game bonus content); I already beat him once in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Dragon Quest, Focus on the Foes, Magic, Monsters, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

As Many Questions As I Dare

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Nathan

It’s only a little over a week before I leave for OzCon, and the theme this year is The Tin Woodman of Oz. I took another look at the book a few months ago, and here I’m just going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Atticus Gannaway, Characters, Jared Davis, L. Frank Baum, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments