I'm not Dijeh or Soren, I'm Eirikr and I'm an Idiot Fan Blogger and Controversial Figure. Mostly Shin Megami Tensei. This is a blog primarily powered by user asks and submissions, so don't hesitate to send something my way! However, I will not be able to respond to everything. Sorry!
well, new GoW starting laufey set in a vaguely asian myth inspired place and the writting is definitely MCU inspired. your stroke happened after GoW Ragnarok so you probably dont have that much hate for this than for ragnarok, but at this point, you dont care so
update on the GoW Laufey stuff: apparently it takes places on some "god afterlife" called "Everywhen " i dont know what the gods in the trailer are supposed to be (i think the khornate (thats a warhammer thing sorry) looking one might be agni? idk why agni is there i dont think he's death then again in not that familiar with hinduism or indian religions). well looks like god of war went full on comic book like it wasnt already
lol, you know the score, Craneo.
But correction: My stroke happened because of GoW Ragnarok (that day, I was receiving harassment from the GoWblr community over criticisms I had made of its Odin. It wasn't the sole cause of course, I think the extra stress just was a tipping point for my blood vessels. Go figure, huh?)
Fuck interesting questions, it's time for the dumb questions era. Thought's on bunnies?
Heck yes, this is a wonderful idea. To be honest, since we're currently in another pretty dull interval between SMT mainline games, I would love more asks of this sort (I should probably edit the ask prompt to reflect this). I feel more and more like this blog has, in its lo-ong history, answered almost every possible question about SMT, anyway.
I also want to say today was fantastic. Fair, cool-but-sunny weather, I got to do everything I wanted to do (read and organize the parts for my action figure customs), and my sprain was at a minimal level of pain.
It's funny you should ask about bunnies, since they've been somewhat of a throughline in what I've been reading lately. I just finished Of Mice and Men, and rabbits are constantly on Lennie's mind. And in The Two Towers, Gollum caught some rabbits Sam wants to cook in a stew.
He calls them "coneys," which I've never heard before in reference to rabbits. It's ultimately from the Latin for rabbit, cuniculus.
That said, I don't have much affinity for them. I had a couple bunny plushes as a kid but as far as pets went, I wanted a dog back then. But then I got a cat and the rest is history.
My favorite rabbit story is from as friend who had an (unfixed) male rabbit who could apparently smell wild females from their deck, after which he would deposit giant wads of bunny spooge around their house. Poor guy! I absolutely lost it the first time he told me this story.
I can't even think of a favorite bunny character (maybe Harvey?), so here's Bunnicula.
Hi Eirikr! I need a bit of help involving identifying something from one of Kaneko's Columns. In the one where he is talking about Kamaitachi, he mentions another whirlwind creature from Nagoya, I've had 2 conflicting translations from people who speak japanese, One is calling it Tumuji, the other is calling it Sen, a whirlwind spirit that is said one would get cut if one came in contact with it. I've been trying to research this creature and have come up with nothing, I'm asking as a last resor
Hmm, I thought this was going to be simple, but it's not. But the whirlwind looks like it could be written as either つむじ (tsu-mu-ji) or with the kanji 旋. The reason for the two different renderings (Tsumuji and Sen) is because these are two possible readings of this particular kanji. Given the romaji in the column, it looks like the creature's name is Tsumuji ("Tu" is simply an older, and I would say outdated, way to romanize "Tsu"). Good luck!
How ATLUS Got Dante From Devil May Cry Into Shin Megami Tensei III: NOCTURNE
As I'm sure you can tell from the title, I just finished a video covering the publicly known behind the scenes details surrounding ATLUS and Capcom's collaboration on Nocturne Maniax edition. In my opinion this is a pretty interesting moment in ATLUS history, and I think even fans who are avid readers of staff interviews will learn something new.
Document Transcript
For anyone who requires a transcript to follow along with the reading of the document within the video:
Dante receives a request to "kill a fiend" from a gentleman in a suit who calls himself "Louis Cyphre" and lands in Tokyo, where he is dragged into the "Tokyo Conception". Then, while wandering around Tokyo, Dante encounters the true hero and engages him in a fight to the death in order to "kill the Fiend". However, Dante is convinced through the battle that there is an ulterior motive behind the request, and resolves to set out with the hero to discover the true purpose of the request and, possibly, to carry it out.
"…. I'm always ready to take you down"
Dante had lost his father's inherited magical power after being drawn into the Tokyo Conception. It is the magical power that activates the Devil Trigger and transforms him into a form that maximizes the power of majin [Fiend]. Thus Dante, in such a state, is in the greatest danger. Not satisfied with achieving creation in another world, Beelzebub, the "Tyrant of Chaos," appears in Tokyo, twisting the dimensions in his insatiable pursuit of power.
Beelzebub revived at each attempt, no matter how many times he tried to strike him down. Mentally and physically pushed to the edge of the cliff, Dante's father Sparda's voice rang in his ears.
"…Dante, leap into the chaos.
The true opponent you must defeat is not such a boy, nor such a revolting demon.
It is the fallen angel from the depths of chaos! Now leap in! I'll lend you my power!"
Dante, determined, accompanied Beelzebub to the dimensional hole that Beelzebub had distorted and expanded, and jumped into it himself.
"Boy, I won't let you die. After all, I'm the one who's going to kill you."
Dante was calm, realizing everything.
Throughout his journey with the boy, he learned that the request was for a "Fiend Battle Royal," a trap set by Louis Cyphre, and that by falling into the trap, he learned of the true enemy he was to defeat. In the depths of the converging dimensional hole, Dante activates his Devil Trigger, transforms into his true majin [Fiend] form, and is about to deliver the finishing blow to Beelzebub.
"Let's rock, baby!"
Right after that voice rang out, the dimensional hole was completely sealed, and the protagonist found an "event item (tentative) [menorah/candelabrum]" dropped nearby…
THE TOWER OF KAGUTSUCHI PART 1: I BET IT DOESN'T EVEN SMELL CRAZY IN HERE
TONIGHT, May 31st, 8:00 PM EST/7:00 PM CST, we're barrelling towards the end of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne! Join us as Wu Kong flies us all the way to the top of the tower and we don't fight anyone and everyone eats a big chocolate swirl honey bun for dinner. Tonight!!!
Previous: #1: February 2026, #2: March 2026, #3: April 2026
GENERAL UPDATE
I intended for this issue to contain the second chapter of Grandpa, but my ankle sprain and how annoying/painful that ended up being put the kibosh on that idea. But I do have one juicy morsel this month: the title for the planned collection of Goetia short stories. It will be called Solomon's Tome of Seventy-Two Tales. To be completed some time this lifetime! Please look forward to it, etc.
The next chapter of Grandpa will be published in a special summer supplement of Knowledge Drop, coming next month (…or July or August, which is still summer, ya know! I'm not dragging my feet, I'm enjoying myself). Chapter 2 will be the final "preview" before I just go ahead and finish the entire thing before publishing. It's weird how my mind will try and focus on chapter 2 but then give me good ideas I need to write down for subsequent chapters. So each remaining chapter already has work done for it. I would like to get it done ASAP but being a writer with only one functional hand is a significant handicap.
Oh, speaking of, the Botox was too weak to do anything for me, so now I have to wait yet again for a stronger dose--in July. Bleh! At least June is the consumerist start of the Halloween season....
GROGU'S EXECUTION BY BOX-OFFICE EMBARASSMENT
Watching The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters, I couldn't help but see the movie as an adaptation of a wiki plot synopsis or, alternatively, a collection of those awful trivia posts you see on social media. You know the ones, they feel like they weren't actually created by a living intelligence, sharing irrelevant or patronizing information like "Garazeb Orrelios first appeared in the 2014 animated series Star Wars Rebels and is based on unused concept art for Chewbacca," woven into a narrative. I knew that every character that appeared before me had their own separate Wookieepedia page--and you know, that's fine, even expected, except the unexceptional way the movie handles its characterization, it probably would have been helpful for the other audience members to have been able to click on the links to the wiki during the film--or just have trivia pop ups on the screen in the middle of the movie. Martin Scorsese would love that (oh wait, he's actually in the film, Jon Favreau must have a Marty pee tape or something). It's a movie that probably should have been made half a decade ago if it was going to be made at all. Now in only its second week after release, it has been obliterated at the box office by two low-budget horror movies made by Youtubers, which is kinda funny (no knock, it's good to see new ideas and younger talent winning out over stale franchise fare; Maybe Disney should just release the next Star Wars movie onto Youtube?). All I can say is they really dropped the ball on the movie's viral social media appeal by not including the Grogu conception scene where Yoda and Yaddle act out the lyrics to that one Bloodhound Gang song. It's what George Lucas would have wanted. But I can't be too critical of the movie since I fell for the exact trivia-like reference pulls I was just criticizing. Look, I just think the Amani are neat, okay? They haven't appeared in cinemas since 1983. 10/10 deep pull and thus 10/10 movie, will definitely buy an action figure of one (none have been announced yet, I would know this).
MY GRAND UNIFIED NERD HOBBY
I have been collecting Star Wars action figures since my 13th birthday in 1995 (pictured above), the same birthday where I received Chrono Trigger (seen on the floor to my left), which fated that my free time would largely go down the JRPG path. So to me, Star Wars, action figures, and RPGs have basically been synonymous for decades--they definitely inhabit the same space in my poor, poor brain. But only after SMT did I get the idea that the action figures I was collecting could also be "demons"--and from there, a new perspective on collecting was born. A new Darth Vader figure was no longer just a Darth Vader, it was a level 99 Image of the Dark Hero clan (I debated deleting this sentence). It made the sometimes shameful or embarrassing act of collecting all this plastic much more fun and less about just amassing stuff. Collecting now had purpose behind it. And I could tell stories with my collection and share it with folks!
During college I used action figures as "actors" in movies (now lost) and I thought I could do something similar utilizing my Star Wars collection. But actors need a set/stage--and that's something I've been working on for a long time.
This is my diorama table, ever a work in progress! My grandfather built this for me over 10 years ago, always with the plan of it being for a diorama of sorts. It's 8 feet by 4 feet (2.4m x 1.2m), intended for figures that are approximately 4 inches/10cm tall. I have plenty of figures from my collection that began on that 1995 birthday (too bad all the ones before 2008-ish are crap now). The hard part is getting the buildings and structures to make it look like a dynamic-looking space. But that's what I've been dreaming up (and building with my stepfather, since it's still not something I could do myself [see next section]). I've wanted to have a diorama like this since 1995/6, influenced by the cool looking photoshoots I'd see in magazines and advertisements. I actually drew up plans for a Tatooine diorama back then, but that has no bearing on my current plans, which are in service of an original story (yes, it's my Star Wars fanfiction).
It's in two parts, the first a scenario influenced by, of all things, the Final Fantasy randomizers I got addicted to during COVID. The second is inspired by Shin Megami Tensei--with the potential to be open-ended and a community collaboration*. "What would the apocalypse look like in Star Wars?" I dunno, this whole idea may be the nerdiest shit I've ever done--but also some of the most fun. I figure since I almost died I should get around to doing things I've always wanted to do. For me, it can be summed as "Life is too short to not be creative whenever possible!" I consider this SW fanfiction stuff the detritus/residue from my other, wholly original creative works.
*I actually created my own RPG/tabletop system for Star Wars figures when I was about 13 (so, again, 1995/1996). This system was itself pretty much cribbed from the legendary and influential Decipher Star Wars CCG of the period. One might say I've been huffing that RPG dust for the vast majority of my life.
Here's the beginning of the process of transforming these various cuts of wood into something resembling a 1:18/3.75-inch scale apartment building. It's my design and engineering concept with magnets reinforcing the floors together (though we haven't actually installed them yet)--magnets instead of screws or nails because I want the entire table to be a modular display. Each side of each floor will also be encased by (removable) Plexiglas. The colors were picked to be muted and match those on pieces I already own.
God, this whole thing was written in so many fragments in so many places over so many days, apologies if there is any unintended repetition!
Looks like Persona 6 character art leaked, coming from credible leakers(there’s also been fake AI images sneaked in by some to pass off as legitimate as well)
I'm not going to post them because of the possibility of AI. But what's out there certainly looks like it could be something! There's a possibility we might be finding out soon enough, anyway.
I read some of your posts about demon fan designs, and I'm actually considering doing some myself. I'd like to do some designs for ones that haven't been included yet in the series as well as my own takes on some pre-existing ones for fun. I'm a little new to the Megaten fanbase however, so I'm not super familiar with the overall design philosophy they use for the demons just yet. Aside from reading up on the source material, would you have any suggestions for what makes a solid demon design?
Thank you for asking me this wonderful question, I've been working on the answer the past few days:
You know what? Some kind of guide about how to design an SMT demon effectively is something I should have written many years ago. One could say the blueprint can be found throughout everything I've written since Identity Crisis. Until then, the following few words will have to suffice.
You probably are just expecting me to say "copy the mythological image"--but there's actually much more to it than that. There's also no one "correct" way to do it. This is also not a guide to design exactly like either Kaneko or Doi but a general "SMT" aesthetic, which will hopefully be useful in designing something of your own.
SHAPES/FORMS: "MY BODY IS A CANVAS"
Designing a demon of course requires a first step--an initial spark of inspiration or a blank canvas.
The following Kaneko comment from the Digital Devil Apocalypse interview is perhaps one of the most useful in understanding where to begin, as he describes one of his own design failures:
I noticed that you gave the main gods of each mythology human forms.
Amon Ra, Takemikazuchi, Vishnu…might be a coincidence, but the greatest gods are still difficult to interpret. They are the bodily manifestations of natural disasters, so they’re illustrated similarly to the god Raijin, no matter the belief. They are accompanied by thunder clouds and flashes of lighting. I do have these images in mind, but giving them shape is difficult. I once drew a strange ball with lighting around it and put a face in its middle [Zeus in Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei], then added all kinds of details, but in the end it made me realise the human form is still the best.
Really, this "human form is still the best" guideline is just another way of saying, "keep it simple." Overly-complex, busy/cluttered designs tend not to be part of Kaneko's demon catalog, nor Doi's really--except for certain "horror vacui" details (like those on Amon's arms). This is why the SMT4 guest artist designs clash so much with the rest of that game's Kaneko compendium. Remember that demons are adaptation of concepts and figures from human ideas, much of them very old/ancient. But they have persisted this long precisely because they are relatable and grounded to things we can actually see/understand around us.
FINDING DESIGN RULES BY UNDERSTANDING PATTERNS
A design subject I like almost nearly as much as SMT demons is Star Wars aliens. They have rules (or, rather, patterns) and a general design philosophy very similar to demons that, when followed, makes them subconsciously interesting--but less so when it's not followed (ex. Jar Jar can be empathized with more than Ben Quadinaros). I think this gives them a grounded, believable appearance appropriate for the series' "used universe" aesthetic. And if I may be subjective for a moment, the aliens that appeal to me the most tend to be designed around terrestrial animals, which I think were at their apex in Return of the Jedi. Here are a couple that have always stood out to me.
Amanaman might be the weirdest creature in the original trilogy. He's creepy and alien--but also completely earthly in inspiration. Nicknamed "banana slug" during production, you can immediately see the similarities between one of those and Amanaman when you see a real one. Just add stumpy, twisted legs; gangly arms; and a spooky minimal countenance and you've got the perfect weirdo that will be seen for a total of 10 seconds in the final film.
Yakface/Saelt-Marae (one of the dumbest EU-sourced alien names, in my opinion) is nowhere near as wild as Amanaman. TBH, it likely stands out to me only because the original Yakface action figure has long had prestige and legend attached to it because it's so rare. He was called Yak Face during production but the actual face is so obviously that of a camel's, you wonder how it was confused.
So, if you were to make a Return of the Jedi-style alien for Jabba the Hutt's palace, the pattern to follow would be to choose a living animal to use as a base. As an example, I will go with…a box jellyfish.
So, based on Yakface and Amanaman, you could go two ways with adapting this into an alien: 1. making the jellyfish body the head and the tentacles "hair" or 2. making the jellyfish body the alien body and adding features to it. What would I do? Thankfully, there's an existing SMT example that sorta illustrates what it might look like: Yam.
Here we can see all the above principles in action: a human base body, which you can see is wearing the semi-transparent jellyfish (whether or not it is specifically a box jellyfish doesn't matter, it's close enough for this example) like a helmet. Really, it's practically tokusatsu and could be reasonably worn in live-action as a costume.
DEFINITION
"Definition" is a synonym for "context," but I think is also useful for thinking about limits/boundaries. But where are the context and boundaries from? Obviously, sources/culture. It's an argument I've yammered on about so many times, it's basically a cliche. But think of it this way, instead of designing a demon/god, you were redesigning a classic horror villain. Take Jason Vorhees. He actually has a few looks, though the hockey mask quickly became iconic to the character. But would you give Jason a chainsaw as a weapon? No, because a chainsaw is of course already associated with Leatherface. To do so would be the kind of potential gaffe that would be distracting to a design. There's no rule that says Jason can't have a chainsaw, of course, but it's probably not the best choice.
SIGNIFIERS
Signifiers can just be accessories/accoutrements that visually identify the demon. They're usually aspects from their myth/culture that easily identify them. Honestly, I can think of a lot more of these for Doi than Kaneko. Odin immediately jumps to mind.
He's got the spear, raven, and the fiery "missing" eye. Yep, as much as I think this is an inferior Odin design, it's still undeniably Odin-y.
Additionally, there may be such a thing as an "SMT Signifier" that distinguishes an SMT design from others. Because, being "copyright-free" characters, mythological characters aren't going to belong to anybody but there's still value in making them stylistically distinctive.
This is the impression I got from Doi's commentary on Amabie, where the flesh around her eyes is supposed to be eerie/repulsive, despite hers being a "cute" design. I think this is one of Doi's smartest comments ever, not to mention his Amabie is extremely effective.
SILHOUETTE
Finally, consider the overall silhouette of the design. Is it unique/distinguishable compared to other demons? So many SMT1 gods use a similar base human body as a form, yet they are all distinct thanks to a combination of different poses and signifiers. The human form may be the best approach for many gods, but too many in a lineup with the same base shape will look a bit boring without some variety of accessories or implication of dynamic action appropriate for the demon in question.
Of course, all this advice is mainly for anthropomorphic demons, though I wonder of some of these guidelines might still be useful for designing beasts. That, of course, will be up to you! I hope this is helpful!
THE SCORPION KING: RISE OF THE AKKADIAN FOR THE PLAYSTATION 2 (DUMB GUY DELIGHT)
TONIGHT, May 15th, 9:00 PM EST/8:00 PM CST, we shaking sand out of our JNCOs in Scorpion King! I'm about halfway through the film as of this writing, so I'm looking forward to having appropriate context for America's answer to Hanuman: Boy Warrior. Tonight!!!
Yoshihiro Nishimura’s models of Omoikane, Pluto, Pluto Soldier, and Yaso-Magatsuhi from Shin Megami Tensei IV, plus a smaller alternate angle of each. Just in case, here’s a slightly higher resolution version of Yaso-Magatsuhi than Tumblr will allow.
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