Iaculus
@iaculus.bsky.social
Again, I feel like Norwegian Wood had the cheat code here because the topic and themes were perfectly suited to an ambiguous, bittersweet anticlimax where the protagonist has maybe learned to cope with the unresolvable. It's just that Murakami doesn't seem to know how to do much else.
January 13, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Again, I feel like Norwegian Wood had the cheat code here because the topic and themes were perfectly suited to an ambiguous, bittersweet anticlimax where the protagonist has maybe learned to cope with the unresolvable. It's just that Murakami doesn't seem to know how to do much else.
I think it worked for Norwegian Wood, but only because of the very specific subject matter (Japan's suicide epidemic). His main problem is that he can't shift gears.
January 13, 2026 at 4:16 PM
I think it worked for Norwegian Wood, but only because of the very specific subject matter (Japan's suicide epidemic). His main problem is that he can't shift gears.
You can make a plausible argument that Skaven are Tolkeinian orcs whereas regular Warhammer orcs are the D&D version.
January 13, 2026 at 3:49 PM
You can make a plausible argument that Skaven are Tolkeinian orcs whereas regular Warhammer orcs are the D&D version.
... I think it's supposed to be a Crusader thing as part of the whole 'deus vult' Islamophobic far right business. So still the same racist, fascist signalling, just not necessarily to 1930s Germany specifically.
January 13, 2026 at 9:31 AM
... I think it's supposed to be a Crusader thing as part of the whole 'deus vult' Islamophobic far right business. So still the same racist, fascist signalling, just not necessarily to 1930s Germany specifically.
I mean, it's built for a higher mystic purpose, but it's still fundamentally the same sort of extradimensional living statue made by the same people.
January 13, 2026 at 9:24 AM
I mean, it's built for a higher mystic purpose, but it's still fundamentally the same sort of extradimensional living statue made by the same people.
IIRC, the Xephon is just an unusual Dolem, so it probably sings in the exact same way that its sisters do.
January 13, 2026 at 9:22 AM
IIRC, the Xephon is just an unusual Dolem, so it probably sings in the exact same way that its sisters do.
Speaking of ultrasleek CG designs, the Martian Kataphraktoi from Aldnoah Zero are also neat.
January 13, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Speaking of ultrasleek CG designs, the Martian Kataphraktoi from Aldnoah Zero are also neat.
The Zearth from Bokurano. Creepy and iconic. m.youtube.com/watch?v=-okZ...
bokurano oppening (uninstall)
YouTube video by pedrodarkerland
m.youtube.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:07 AM
The Zearth from Bokurano. Creepy and iconic. m.youtube.com/watch?v=-okZ...
Technically, it might have. It just took twenty-three years.
January 13, 2026 at 2:04 AM
Technically, it might have. It just took twenty-three years.
Though speaking of Chaos Warriors being neat, this lore titbit is delightful:
January 13, 2026 at 1:07 AM
Though speaking of Chaos Warriors being neat, this lore titbit is delightful:
You'll see renegade Imperial and Bretonnian knights who've merged with their armour, Kurgan steppe warriors who've traded the souls of hundreds for a suit of Chaos Dwarf gromril, and shirtless Norscan berserkers with skin harder than steel.
January 13, 2026 at 1:05 AM
You'll see renegade Imperial and Bretonnian knights who've merged with their armour, Kurgan steppe warriors who've traded the souls of hundreds for a suit of Chaos Dwarf gromril, and shirtless Norscan berserkers with skin harder than steel.
Some of them do. The whole point of being a Warrior of Chaos is that there are a whole bunch of different routes to becoming a hulking bruiser with supernaturally effective weapons and armour. It's a deliberately broad category. Hell, some of them don't even wear armour in the conventional sense.
January 13, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Some of them do. The whole point of being a Warrior of Chaos is that there are a whole bunch of different routes to becoming a hulking bruiser with supernaturally effective weapons and armour. It's a deliberately broad category. Hell, some of them don't even wear armour in the conventional sense.
You could put in some spicy work there with the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and the generational clash between the more respectable, assimilated 90s Japanese toons and the grungy criminal underclass of the 80s OVA scene.
January 12, 2026 at 10:23 PM
You could put in some spicy work there with the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, and the generational clash between the more respectable, assimilated 90s Japanese toons and the grungy criminal underclass of the 80s OVA scene.
Reminds me of how Evelyn from ZZZ got the Internet absolutely howling.
January 12, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Reminds me of how Evelyn from ZZZ got the Internet absolutely howling.
I suspect that much of the actual difference is in which novel/comic authors write more for which setting. Bill King and Kim Newman are significantly hornier writers than Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill.
January 12, 2026 at 7:24 PM
I suspect that much of the actual difference is in which novel/comic authors write more for which setting. Bill King and Kim Newman are significantly hornier writers than Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill.
Happens slightly more often in Imperial Guard books. Ibram Gaunt and his Ghosts get laid surprisingly often, and Ciaphas Cain very obviously has a highly active sex life which we only hear so little about because his memoirs are edited by his widow.
January 12, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Happens slightly more often in Imperial Guard books. Ibram Gaunt and his Ghosts get laid surprisingly often, and Ciaphas Cain very obviously has a highly active sex life which we only hear so little about because his memoirs are edited by his widow.
For the record, Fleming's real-life firearms advisor, Major Boothroyd (later fictionalised as Q), was not a fan of silencers, seeing them as causing too much reduction in stopping power for too little reduction in volume.
January 12, 2026 at 4:29 PM
For the record, Fleming's real-life firearms advisor, Major Boothroyd (later fictionalised as Q), was not a fan of silencers, seeing them as causing too much reduction in stopping power for too little reduction in volume.
This one's interesting because it may be a reference to the Bond novels. In those, James Bond used a Beretta (and later a Walther) for when things were quiet, and a big Smith and Wesson revolver for when things were loud (and for when he wanted to snipe someone at range and didn't have a rifle).
January 12, 2026 at 4:23 PM
This one's interesting because it may be a reference to the Bond novels. In those, James Bond used a Beretta (and later a Walther) for when things were quiet, and a big Smith and Wesson revolver for when things were loud (and for when he wanted to snipe someone at range and didn't have a rifle).
Also, the guy who did the murder is a veteran firearms instructor. This is what the end result of DHS training looks like.
January 12, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Also, the guy who did the murder is a veteran firearms instructor. This is what the end result of DHS training looks like.
By Whorm Loathsom rules, this means he's a principled, professional, and intelligent journalist who unfortunately happens to be working for the wrong people.
January 11, 2026 at 11:21 PM
By Whorm Loathsom rules, this means he's a principled, professional, and intelligent journalist who unfortunately happens to be working for the wrong people.
Ironically, Felix is probably better at paying his own way.
January 11, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Ironically, Felix is probably better at paying his own way.
Seriously, it seems like every other week, there's an MP scandal that would get someone in an entry-level office job fired in nanoseconds.
January 11, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Seriously, it seems like every other week, there's an MP scandal that would get someone in an entry-level office job fired in nanoseconds.
'Professionalism' is too often a racist/sexist dogwhistle, especially when describing the hilariously unprofessional working culture of the House of Commons. Taking it on trust that MPs take their jobs seriously demonstrably does not work.
January 11, 2026 at 2:14 PM
'Professionalism' is too often a racist/sexist dogwhistle, especially when describing the hilariously unprofessional working culture of the House of Commons. Taking it on trust that MPs take their jobs seriously demonstrably does not work.
MPs (who would be governing both the candidates and the actual electoral choice) are significantly less diverse than the general population. This is a well-established fact. It also creates a feedback loop as a less diverse leadership influences less diverse parliamentary candidate selection.
January 11, 2026 at 2:12 PM
MPs (who would be governing both the candidates and the actual electoral choice) are significantly less diverse than the general population. This is a well-established fact. It also creates a feedback loop as a less diverse leadership influences less diverse parliamentary candidate selection.