InHumans, Medusa - Oct 14

Firstly. Today’s talk will involve various spoilers, so quit now…or read ahead. Okay?

Secondly, Marvel’s ‘InHumans’, S1, has arrived at the midway point. And?

And if the first two episodes, (the double whammy, so to speak) were something of an insipid, immature, or etc. waste of time, ‘Medusa’ did not waste any time, (here I’m talking about the episode, not the character), but rather it rushed and forced things – the plot, the dialogue, etc. The adventures of Medusa and Louise, for example, felt forced, and also abbreviated: it might’ve been better for them to bond, (just the two of them) for two episodes, rather than one; as it was, their new friendship just doesn’t feel genuine; the relationship of Black Bolt and Sammy came across as better here, (no insult to Medusa or Louise intended)… SS (Medusa) and Ellen (Louise) did the best that they could, but while the actors’ acting had, well, carried the first two episodes of S1, this time they did not do such a good job, so - yeah.

Conversely, of course, if Medusa and Louise’s bonding felt abrupt and rushed and forced, the relationship between Medusa’s sister Crystal, (Isabelle) and Dave (Chad) feels worse; the presence of Dave’s ex-girlfriend Audrey (Liv) doesn’t help the matter any either: Audrey and Crystal are played by two different actresses, (i.e. Isabelle Cornish and Liv Hewson, duh!), but they are almost never in the same shot together: were they filmed at different times in RL or what? Minds want to know, you know!

(Lockjaw, of course, is adorable, and he is one of the reasons why I am watching ‘InHumans’ in the first place, BTW. No problems with Lockjaw, no sir!)

Therefore, the only plotline that delivered in a realistic, believable and workable manner in this week’s episode is Karnak’s, who apparently had sex with an Earth woman at the end of this week’s episode. (Um). Unfortunately, the woman in question is also a cannabis farmer, an illegal one, and her boss is somewhat crazy – he already killed another of their coworkers and judging by the promo for the next week? He is going after Karnak and Karnak’s new lady friend next. Not good…but from what I hear, Karnak is going to make it at least to the sixth episode of this season, so…we will have to see.

Well, this is all I have for this week’s episode of ‘InHumans’ – see you next time!

The Gifted - rX, Oct 10

…Now about the new episode of ‘Gifted’ from last night… no, no specific details are coming – we have been celebrating Thanksgiving just somewhat too hard last night, so most of specific details are blurry.

(It was not supposed to be this way, but it got out of hand. Sometimes this happens).

‘rX’ was still a good episode, but this is to be expected, as practically all of TV shows are better than AoS is at this point; ‘InHumans’ had to go an extra mile in the wrong direction to acquire a disadvantage against AoS (and ‘Gifted’, and ‘Legion’, and etc.) in this not-a-race, but now that the initial hurdle is over, they are catching it up fast; now their biggest disadvantage is their shortness of S1 – 8 episodes isn’t quite enough to make a good lasting impression, especially with the first two damaged by the IMAX experiment, (and that is essentially one-quarter of the entire S1 – not good), but we’ll see how it works.

‘Gifted’ do not have this problem, and they are already developing for the long haul in a good way – there simply is not anything to complain about, not really. It works, and all you had to do, last night, at least was to enjoy this week’s episode and wait for the next week’s. That is it. Anything else?

Probably not. NCB is now a regular character on AoS, while ‘For Honor’ seems to be intent on introducing various art/drawing styles, (such as cubism and minimalism and etc.) as part of its’ armor design. WTF, and where are they going? FH is a fighting game, kind of, as ‘Injustice’ is, so what is with the new quasi-intellectual twist on it? Seriously, do people care about fauvism anymore, and if they do, do they play games like FH while they are at it? If they do, good for them, if they do not, then FH has a problem – but hey, what does it have to go with ‘Gifted’ and MCU?

…Nothing, so far, so let us take a break for now and rejoin sometime in the future. Until then – good-bye, people!

InHumans, Divided - Oct 7

The third episode of ‘InHumans’ have aired, and… it was good? Even the first two episodes weren’t exactly bad, (more like insipid), and now ‘InHumans’ seem to have gotten over that slump and are working to become a fairly decent TV show, complete with some very interesting action and plot developments. (Of course, Lockjaw also got hurt at the end of ‘Divide’. That sucks. Hopefully, he will get better soon.) So, what is the problem?

One thing that works against ‘InHumans’ is the shortness of the S1 – only 8 episodes or so, whereas AoS has 22 episodes per season, (so far, but still). As a result, it is natural that ‘InHumans’ have picked up speed, but this leads to another problem – where are they going? With AoS, (or any ‘Arrowverse’ shows) it is simple – the characters have to save the world from the latest Big Bad (Hydra, Hive, AIDA, etc.). Yes, this is very much like BtVS, and as their S4 finale has shown, they seem to be seeking direct allusions with BtVS (and AtS), which is kind of sad, because AoS has started as an ‘original’ TV series, and now devolved into a BtVS imitation, (sort of).

In other news, team AoS have hired NCB (Elena Rodriguez/Yo-Yo/Slingshot) as a full-time member. Yay for them! Considering that AoS is facing new opposition on top of the old one, (such as ‘Legion’), this move might be the one to make all the difference in the end. Go NCB!

Back to ‘InHumans’. If AoS plot formula and finale is straightforward and predictable, theirs’ is…also, and kind of less exciting than AoS’ is, too. So far, here the conflict is between Maximus and his allies and the rest of the royal family – will they or won’t they be able to oust Maximus from the throne? It is not a bad plot, but after GoT viewers are not too impressed; so far the series have premiered with fairly solid numbers of viewers and ratings, considering the PR disaster that was the IMAX premiere, yeah – but ‘InHumans’ have persevered.

Unfortunately, at this point – almost the halfway mark – the viewers have remained largely untouched by the InHumans’ political plight; most of them seem to be following the TV show because they are fans of the InHumans’ comic incarnations, and that isn’t the best foundation to build a fan base upon, but…what would you do? ‘InHumans’ have already been bumped by several years, so now they got to show their best – and hope that it will be good enough.

So, see you in the future, everyone! Cheers!

Pathfinder: OB VII - Oct 4

As our journey through the Occult Bestiary goes to the conclusion, here's still another creature from it - a psychic vampire, made from a clown from the Villains Codex. How it looks?

CLOWN CR 9

Human psychic vampire slayer 8

CE Medium undead (augmented humanoid)

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., thoughtsense; Perception +18

DEFENSE

AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 14

hp 126 (8d10+88)

Fort +10, Ref +12, Will +6 (+4 vs. mind reading)

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 10/cold iron and magic; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10, fire 10

Weaknesses psychic vampire weaknesses

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee +1 handaxe +13/+8 (1d6+6/x3) or

           Slam (1d4+6 plus drain psychic energy)

Ranged handaxe +12/+7 (1d6+5/x3)

Special Attacks drain psychic energy (DC 25), possession, sneak attack +2d6, studied target (2^nd, swift action)

Psychic Magic (CL 8^th; Concentration +12)

8 PE—burst of adrenaline (1 PE), haste (3 PE), mental block (2 PE, DC 22), spider climb (2 PE)

STATISTICS

Str 18, Dex 18, Con 0, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 20

Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 24

Feats Alertness (B), Combat Expertise (B), Deceitful, Dodge (B), Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative (B), Iron Will (B), Lightning Reflexes, Toughness, Weapon Focus (handaxe)

Skills Acrobatics 16, Bluff +31, Climb +12, Disguise +23, Intimidate +19, Perception +18, Perform (comedy) +16, Stealth +24 Racial Modifiers +8 Bluff, +8 Perception, +8 Stealth

Languages Common

SQ possess object, slayer talents (bleeding attack +2, combat trick, foil scrutiny, surprise attacks), stalker, track +4

Combat Gear potion of invisibility; Other Gear +1 glamered studded leather, +1 handaxe, handaxes (2), cloak of resistance +1, disguise kit, entertainer’s outfit, 254 gp.

The Gifted: eXposed - Oct 3

…And it came to pass that ‘The Gifted’ TV series premiered earlier this month. Where to begin?

This is the opposite of Marvel’s ‘InHumans’. ‘The Gifted’ are designed to deal, to discuss, to confront and etc. some very specific issues that bother the modern society in RL of our times – namely, the relation between the individual and the state, (i.e., a government of a country, say – USA, as opposed to Canada or Mexico)… Fair enough, and it is still better than what ‘InHumans’ are doing – yes, most of them are in the United States, (the state of Hawaii, to be precise), down on Earth, but they are still detached from Earth – there’s nothing happening down there, most of them, except for Medusa and Black Bolt, but that is a mess in its own right, as I talked about it; the problem is not just in the fact that BB’s take down by Hawaiian police is poorly choreographed, but because it is done by the police (rather than some specialized task force), and then the king of the InHumans is taken to a police district, where he has his mugshot and etc.

Let us think about it for a moment. By now, the InHumans are firmly a part of MCU due to AoS, which has introduced them by the second half of S2, which was several years ago, both in MCU and RL. By now, there are some InHumans on Earth, (whose connection to BB’s and Medusa’s subjects was not discussed yet), and BB has sent Triton to rescue one of them, but Maximus’ minions have intercepted them, and the girl is apparently dead, while Triton has escaped into the ocean…

Rewind and re-examine. As the first two episodes of ‘InHumans’ showed us, the titular characters have several ways of coming and going to Earth – Lockjaw can take them there, (and he’s adorable), or they can use some sort of a sentient stone wall, (another transformed InHuman?) that can also deliver them to our planet. This is a very large suspension of disbelief, and as a new TV show, ‘InHumans’ cannot afford to miscalculate, here.

Yes, ‘InHumans’ is a sci-fi action/adventure TV show about a race of sentient beings that live in a hidden city on the moon…except for those that live down on Earth in Li Shi…or just got transformed after Li Shi fell and their Terragenesis crystals contaminated the fish of Earth…wait. We became sidetracked.

Both ‘InHumans’ and ‘The Gifted’ are sci-fi, action, and adventure shows, but ‘The Gifted’ is trying to related to RL issues and does its’ best to show an analogue to RL USA, (kind of as how ‘Will & Grace’ does, and that is certainly not a sci-fi show). Again, one might argue just how accurate that depiction is from RL terms, but this is still better that what the ‘InHumans’ have done in the series’ premiere – they are seemingly detached from RL or just connected by some tenuous threads… ‘The Gifted’ underwent a much greater effort – and fights that were choreographed much better – when dealing with this sort of thing. Anything else?

The actors of ‘The Gifted’ are just as good as those of ‘InHumans’ and were more inspired by their show; no offence to the cast of ‘InHumans’ – they were the ones who rescued the show, if anyone did – but even they had their limits; the talks between Maximus and Crystal in particular felt flat and uninspired – those two characters may or may not get together, but the actors certainly don’t have any chemistry between them, period.

Conversely, the characters of ‘The Gifted’ have plenty of chemistry between each other, sexual or not, which is good, because it also shows how the actors (of ‘The Gifted’) respect their characters. Otherwise, as AoS has shown, the entire show suffers – and yes, AoS has four full seasons now, and it is going for a fifth (currently), but still. Between ‘The Gifted’, InHumans’, and the upcoming TV versions of ‘The Runaways’ and ‘Cloak & Dagger’, there is no indication that this state of affairs will last…

That is it for now; see you all later!

Pathfinder: OB VI - Oct 2

Getting back to 'Occult Bestiary', here's someone else - a reborn samsaran character, (made from one of the characters from 'NPC Gallery'). How it goes?

MERCENARY HEALER CR 1/2

XP 200

Reborn Samsaran cleric 1

LE Medium humanoid (samsaran)

Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +2

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+6 armor, +1 Dex)

hp 7 (1d8-1)

Fort +3, Ref +1, Will +4

Weaknesses aura transparancy

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.

Melee morningstar –1 (1d8–1)

Ranged light crossbow +2 (1d8/19–20)

Special Attacks channel negative energy 6/day (DC 13, 1d6)

Psychic Magic (CL 1^st; concentration +2)

5 PE—burst of insight (1 PE), detect psychic significance (0 PE), object reading (2 PE), psychic reading (1 PE)

Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st; concentration +3)

5/day—inspiring word (1 round)

Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +3)

1st—cure light wounds, longstride r^D, protection from good

0 (at will)—detect magic, mending, read magic

D Domain spell; Domains Nobility, Travel

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 12, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 17

Base Atk +0; CMB –1; CMD 10

Feats Psychic Sensitivity (B), Weapon Focus (light crossbow)

Skills Appraise +6, Diplomacy +7, Knowledge (religion) +6, Spellcraft +4

Languages Common, Samsaran

SQ aura, +10 base speed from Travel domain, agile feet (5/day), psychic learning

Combat Gearpotion of cure light wounds, tanglefoot bags (2); Other Gear chainmail, light crossbow with 20 bolts, morningstar, silver unholy symbol, 22 gp

Pathfinder: Planes of Power - Oct 1

For a change, here's a creature from the 'Planes of Power' book instead - a griffon, infused with the element of water. How it looks?

element-infused GRIFFON CR 5

XP 1,200

N Large outsider (amphibious, aquatic, native, water)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +14

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +6 natural, –1 size)

hp 42 (5d10+15)

Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4

Defensive Abilities indistinct form, stability

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 80 ft. (average), swim 80 ft.

Melee bite +8 (1d6+7), 2 talons +7 (1d6+7)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 claws +7, 1d4+7), toppling strike

STATISTICS

Str 20, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 7, Wis 11, Cha 10

Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 21 (25 vs. trip)

Feats Iron Will, Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (bite)

Skills Acrobatics +14, Fly +10, Perception +14; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Perception

Languages Aquan (cannot speak), Common (cannot speak)

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate hills

Organization solitary, pair, or pride (6–10)

Treasure incidental