Text Play: Pokemon Xenoverse #43

Hello, and welcome to back to the Eldiw region! This is entry number 43 in my Text Play of Pokémon Xenoverse!

Last time, we started making our way through the Shyleon Temple...until we ran into a big ol' roadblock in the form of these big golden boulders. So, how do we get past this? Now, before we begin, as is tradition, I am warning you that I will be spoiling this game.

As such, I highly recommend that you download the game and play it through yourself first. You can do so here. And now, on with the show!

So, we're stuck. That's basically where we're at now. Stuck behind some big ol' boulders.

Yeah, those ones. Now, I tried to figure out myself how to get past those big golden boulders. And I can't do it.

Yeah. I looked up the Temple in the game's wiki, and its entry doesn't reveal anything, either! How am I supposed to get through this?! Well, I did some experimenting, and I managed to figure it out.

Here's how you do it. See how in that last screenshot, I have my player character in front of a golden boulder that is behind a column? Well, that was the solution! Use Kaiserium H to push that boulder to here.

Now, go up to this boulder behind this column. It's a bit hard to see, but it's peeking out from it.

Now push it to the right, completely behind the other column, like this.

Now just go up to this boulder here.

Push this boulder to the right, and you are through! 

Alright! We can move forward! We head downwards, and there's some stairs, but we have to battle this Sentinel to get past.

By Arceus, I wish there was a Porygon Center here. That would be so handy right now, even though they do charge for their healing services. Anyway, the Sentinel thinks we're treasure hunters. Grave robbers. Looters. That kind of thing.

Right, right. We aren't here for that, after all. We're just trying to help Ruta. But I don't think the Sentinel will listen to us or even believe us, so it's battle time.

(Sentinel) Vaisenen
1st Pokémon: Kadabra (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Harrowk.
2nd Pokémon: Vileplume (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Trishout.

With him out of the way, we can go further into the temple now. Once we go down the staircase, we end up here.

This seems like an important room. If we talk to the man in the blue hat, he'll offer to take us to the entrance. Presumably so we can go back to the village and get healed up. A tempting offer, but we've gone too far to go back now. Besides, I still got lots of Potions. But if we go ahead, we find something very special.

A Porygon Center. Finally, a Porygon Center! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Looks like we don't need to go all the way back after all. And this one...is actually free! Yeah! It's free! You don't have to pay to use this one!

Once we go past the Porygon Center, we find ourselves encountering an Alakazam...and a barrier of blue flames.

Is the Alakazam causing this? I mean, they do have great intelligence and psychic powers. I can imagine an Alakazam making these flames. I mean, Alakazams can learn Fire Punch, so maybe that's where the fire here is coming from? Maybe it's an illusion created by Alakazam's psychic powers? I don't know.

Either way, we have a big problem: We can't go through it. Well, it's fire, so of course trying to run through flames is a very bad idea. So, how do we go forward? Well, if you look up at the screenshot, you can see that off to the sides of the Porygon Center are halls that lead to other rooms. If we try to go to the left, a voice stops us.

"Disguising their faces in the blue", huh? Well, let me ask you all this. What do people use to disguise their faces? The answer is simple: a mask.

It makes perfect sense. This is the Shyleon Temple. A Shyleon looks like a lizard that wears a mask. If we go to the right hall, the voice says the same thing, only instead of blue, it will only allow us to enter if we wear a red mask. So, we're going to need to find a pair of masks to get into these side rooms. Yeah, we've got to backtrack.

Luckily, the man in the blue hat will take us back to the entrance of the Temple. One we reenter the Temple, we go down the stairs at the entrance area to this room. 

Last time I was in this room (in entry #42), we did not fight these three Sentinels. I wanted to get through the temple quickly. So, I'll try facing them. You have to talk to the Sentinels to initiate battles with them. I'll start with the one on the left. His name is Wamuu.

Sentinel (Wamuu)
1st Pokémon: Sigilyph (Lv. 45) - Defeated by Harrowk.

Wamuu notes after the battle that it was the first really satisfying one he had in a while. Dude, I took down your Sigilyph with one blast of Spark! Whatever. Next is the one in the middle: Esidisi.

Sentinel (Esidisi)
1st Pokémon: Shiinotic (Lv. 45) - Defeated by Trishout.

With him done, that leaves one left: the Sentinel on the right. His name is Kars, and I'm gonna knock him and his Pokemon to Mars...wait, Kars?! He says we won't get the mask. Yeah, right.

Sentinel (Kars)
1st Pokémon: Scizor (Lv. 46) - Defeated by Trishout.

When we beat him, he laments that it's not possible for him to lose. He is the Ultimate Sentinel! He is the mightiest-!

When we defeat the Sentinels, we get the Shyleon Mask. In particular, the Red one. Once we go down to the next floor, I wandered into the line of sight of this Sentinel. 

Yup, time to fight him. Kudos to him for the tough guy talk.

Sentinel (Atl)
1st Pokémon: Xatu (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Harrowk
2nd Pokémon: Exeggutor (Lv. 43) - Defeated by Trishout

He was the only real obstacle in that room besides the wild Pokémon that run around here. When we go down to the next floor, we end up back into the shrine. Go behind it and interact with the wall behind it, like this.

This is what it tells us:

What is holding up the sky in this room will only responds to the presence of a mask, deep red in color.

Yeah, its that red Shyleon Mask we got. Choose the "It's the Shyleon Mask" option. The screen briefly flashes white, and the text changes.

Bringing back the roof of the sky to its order, you will disguise your face in the blue.

Then each of the four numbered pillars briefly flashes blue: 4, 1, 2, 3. You're then asked the number order...4-1-2-3. Then the pillars flash blue again: 3-3-2-2-1. Finally, they flash in the following order: 1-2-3-4-3-1-2-4-4.

The temple rumbles. Everything briefly goes black. And then this happens.

Yup, we got the Blue Shyleon Mask. I'm seriously beginning to wonder if helping Ruta is worth all of this. And that is where we're going to have to stop for this month. I am sorry, I've been a busy man with real life this month. Join me next time when we continue our epic adventures through the Shyleon Temple, making Lara Croft and Indiana Jones...facepalm hard. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time! 

International Tiger Day

 Happy International Tiger Day!

What is International Tiger Day? Well, this day was first celebrated in 2010 after it was discovered that there were less than 3,000 tigers left in the wild. This day is a day to raise awareness for the need for conservation of these majestic animals. In honor of this day, I want to show off some cool facts about these critters, courtesy of FactRetriever:

1. Tigers are the biggest cats on Earth.

Out of all the species of big cats on Earth, the tiger is the biggest. The Siberian tiger is the largest of all the tigers, and they can weigh up to nearly 700 pounds.

2. Tigers are expert leapers.

An adult male tiger can leap distances up to 9 yards and can also jump up to 5 yards vertically. 

3. Tigers like to sleep.

Tigers in the wild can sleep up to 18 hours a day. They take their naptimes very seriously.

4. Tigers are old.

The earliest tiger fossils are 2 million years old. Yup. The tiger has been with us for a long time.

5. Tigers love swimming.

Tigers are an oddity among cats. Most cats don't like water. But tigers? Love it. They're talented swimmers. The Sumerian tiger is especially talented at swimming, thanks to its webbed feet.

6. Tigers like sharing.

When tigers hunt, they'll share their kills with other tigers, and even take turns eating. 

7. Tiger spit kills germs.

A tiger's saliva has antiseptic properties. Which is handy as tigers treat wounds by licking them.

8. Tiger stripes are'nt just on the fur.

A tiger is known for its stripes. The stripes aren't just on the fur, they're also on the skin. And speaking of tiger stripes...

9. Every tiger's stripe pattern is unique.

You know how humans tend to all have unique fingerprints? Well, the same is true for tigers. No two tigers have the same stripe pattern. And different species of tigers have different amounts of stripes. The South China tiger has the least, and the Sumatran tiger has the most. 

10. Tigers are not African.

For some reason, pop culture likes to say that tigers come from Africa. But that's not true. No species of tiger hails from Africa. Tigers actually hail from Southeast Asia. In fact, India and Bangladesh consider them their national animal. Korean mythology portrays the tiger as a defender against evil spirits and a bringer of good luck. In Chinese mythology, the tiger is one of the animals in its zodiac, and in Imperial China, it was seen as a personification of war. 

And there's some ten interesting facts about the tiger. International Tiger Day is especially important as the tiger is in a lot of danger. All six known tiger species are endangered, mainly because of habitat destruction and poaching. Tigers are beautiful animals, and we should do what we can to help protect them. 

Thor #386 (December 1987)

Since the introduction of the Marvel Universe version of Thor back in the 1960s, he's had many adventures. Served as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, protected both his birth home of Asgard and adopted home of Midgard from many a threat. However, Thor's running around the Marvel Universe has opened up one question: does this mean that other pantheons exist as well besides the Norse one?

The comics' answer to the question has been a resounding "Yes". Most notably, Thor's book saw the introduction of Hercules/Herakles, and from there, the other members of the Greco-Roman pantheon. The comic we're looking at here is also a meeting between gods. This time, Thor is going to say hello to the Celtic pantheon in a Thor run that I consider criminally underrated. How did that meeting go? Let's find out in Thor #386!

The cover is a Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding piece. It's pretty awesome. It depicts Thor clashing with another god (don't worry, you'll get informed about Big Red here). And in a nice Silver Age-style touch, there's a little blurb on the corner saying "When Warriors Clash!" And that's what we'll get here.

"When Warriors Clash!" 
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Penciler: Ron Frenz
Inker: Brett Breeding
Colorist: Paul Becton
Letterer: John Workman Jr.
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco

The story begins with a new threat to our Asgardian hero: Targo the Troll. He has a small razor. It's sharp. And he knows how to use it. And how will this troll prove to be such a great threat to our man, a god who has defeated and slain many a monster in his time?

"You're lucky I'm sober today."

Yes, Targo is...a barber!

And his nefarious plan? Shave off Thor's mighty beard!

Ha ha. Well, the Warriors Three have decided that it's time for Thor to get back to his old clean-shaven look. You see, he originally grew it out to cover up some facial scarring that Hela (Norse Goddess of the Underworld) gave him by smacking him with her Hand of Glory. But since his face got healed up in Thor #382, he no longer needs it. Even though the beard makes him look rather dignified, Thor has groused how itchy it is. Targo shaves off Thor's beard...and he looks like his old handsome self again. 

With that done, Thor has to return to Midgard, aka Earth. He is one its sworn protectors, after all. He's been away a while. I can imagine he has a lot of e-mails to catch up on. Fandral asks Thor to stay a little longer. A monster has been rumored to be terrorizing the northern counties of Asgard. He and the other Warriors Three are going to check it out. As long as Thor is here, he can come along as well, if he wants to. Thor's all for it. One last adventure with his pals? He's all for it!

Meanwhile, Balder the Brave, the new ruler of Asgard (that's a whole thing), is alerted to a new danger by his grand vizier. He shows Balder a screen that depicts the remains of the Rainbow Bridge after its destruction in Thor #351. Since then, Asgard's been...drifting through its dimension like driftwood floating on a gentle river. However, that's caused a whole new set of problems for Asgard. 

What kind of problems, you may ask? Oh, just your average bit of geological upheaval caused by Asgard drifting through the universe untethered. Balder doesn't see it as that much of a problem. After all, the vizier's magics have been able to keep them quelled so far. But that's not the biggest problem.

The vizier has also discovered that there are dimensional rifts popping up all over Asgard. These rifts are gateways to alternate universes. Something could end up stumbling through them...or an Asgardian may end up lost in another dimension. As if to prove the vizier's point, a strange black cat is seen watching the vizier and Balder converse. The cat then leaves through one of the said portals...and then we learn this cat was no ordinary fuzzy feline.

"The Egyptian pantheon had raging Selina Kyle envy."

I wonder if this character was inspired by Isis. Anyway, she reports to her master that the Asgardians are aware of the rifts, implying they're intentional. And who is her master?

"I deserve to be on a GQ cover. Look at me! I'm beautiful!"

Meet Set (or Seth as he is called here), the Egyptian God of Death. Basically, he's the Goth Kid of the Egyptian pantheon. In real life mythology, he's the god of violence, deserts, disorder, and foreigners. 

Seth is not worried about it. After all, as far as he's concerned, that knowledge won't help the Asgardians. Egyptian Catwoman did a good job, so Seth rewards her by...turning her to dust.

Dude, I get that death is your purview and all, but you had a cat woman who used as a spy. I think she would have been handy to keep around. I mean, nothing indicated that she was incompetent or bad at her job. Heck, based on this, we can say she was good at her job. Why dispose of a perfectly useful minion like that?!

This is Thor's book, so let's look in on him and the Warriors Three, shall we? They find a wrecked farmhouse, indicating a monster was in the area. The three hear a scream, and Thor flies off with his hammer to check it out. And he finds the monster.

"WHERE MY MONEY, WOMAN?!"

Boy, that is an ugly mothertrucker. But Thor is not intimidated by ugliness. He tries to give the monster a taste of hammer time, but it's as tough as it is ugly. The monster leaps at Thor, only to vanish in a mystic portal. With that out of the way, Thor checks on the young woman the monster was attacking. Unfortunately, her injuries are too severe, and she dies in his arms, calling for Thor to avenge her and her family.

Thor intends to do that, following the creature into the portal on his own.

Thor finds that the portal has led him to Avalon, home of the Celtic Gods. They and the Asgardians have had a long-standing feud. He finds another wrecked village, and more death and destruction greet him. This makes Thor more determined to bring the beast down. After all, these villagers may have been of Avalon, but they were still innocent people. It's then that he encounters a group of angry Celts.

"Boy, Celtic tax collectors are pushy."

Naturally, they think Thor did this. Thor is innocent, but he's not willing to let these men execute him for a crime he did not commit. He knocks the Celts away, and one of their gods has come to intervene.

"My name is Leir! And I love to fight!"

Meet Leir, the Lord of Lightning and the God of the Spear. He's presumably based on the Celtic mythological sea god Lir. Leir thinks Thor butchered this village, which is not true. The two Thunder Gods end up fighting. Thor has no real desire to do so, as Leir is just defending his people. However, Thor is aware that the Celts have a reputation for treachery, so the monster that attacked Asgard could have been sent by them, and this is all just a fake-out on Leir's part. 

However, during the fight, Leir himself also questions if Thor really did destroy the Avalon village and slaughter its inhabitants. After all, he seems to come off as a noble warrior. But he is still Asgardian, and Leir cannot take Thor's word completely seriously because of that. The two continue their brawl. 

Back in Asgard, the Warriors Three argue over what do to next. Fandral sees the portal closing and wants to warn Thor. Volstagg refuses as he said Thor told them to wait here. Hogun is all basically "Screw this, I'm going in!" and leaps into the portal. 

It takes him to Avalon, where he sees Thor and Leir duking it out. He spots the monster and calls out to them about it. Leir doesn't believe it at first until he sees it attack more villagers. The three then go attack the monster. They manage to badly wound it, and it flees through the closing portal. Hogun and Thor go in hot pursuit, Leir telling them he and Thor can finish their fight another time. Thor and Leir are left having a sort of mutual respect for each other. The two Asgardians emerge from the portal, finding that Fandral and Volstagg have taken care of the beast.

A few hours later, Thor prepares to finally return to Earth. Balder bids him farewell. Asgard will miss him, but Earth still needs its God of Thunder. Thor uses his hammer to create a magic vortex that will take him back to Earth. He vanishes as the vizier screams to stop him. He's discovered that Asgard and Earth are no longer in contact. As such, Thor's just sent himself...into space.

"Why didn't I bring my spacesuit?!"

Thor is mighty, but even he still needs to breathe. Could this be the end of our man? Well, not really. But we'll have to wait until the next issue to find out how he survives this.

I enjoyed this issue. It's always fun seeing Marvel tackle other pantheons beyond the Norse ones. Leir and Thor's meeting uses the classic formula of "two characters fight then team-up against another threat", but it works. Tropes Are Not Bad, after all. I also enjoyed the interplay between the Warriors Three and Thor. You really get the impression that these guys have been friends for a very long time. I also like Ron Frenz's art. While at this point, he's not quite channeling Jack Kirby like he will later on, this is still great to look at. 

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Thor Epic Collection Vol. 16: War of the Pantheons. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time! 

World Whale and Dolphin Day

 Happy World Whale and Dolphin Day!

What is World Whale and Dolphin Day? Well, on July 23, 1986, this day was declared by the International Whaling Commission. This declaration also came with an international ban on whaling, helping end two centuries of the killing of whales. Whales still do face threats in this day and age, on this day, I thought to help raise awareness of whales and dolphins by showing some cool facts courtesy of NOAA: 

1. Blue whales have the biggest hearts of any known animal.

Blue whales are among the biggest animals on Earth. As such, it makes sense that they would have rather large organs. A blue whale's heart can weigh over 1,000 pounds. Yeah, try lifting one of those blood-pumpers!

2. Dolphins can swim very fast.

Dall's porpoises are among the fastest swimmers among their fellow cetaceans. They can reach speeds of 34 miles per hour for small distances. They are potentially to sea creatures what cheetahs are to land animals. Pretty cool.

3. Dolphins are intelligent.

Dolphins are among the most intelligent species of animals on Earth. Various species of dolphins and whales have been observed coming up with strategies to help catch their prey for lunch. One example is some bottlenose dolphins living in Australia use basket sponges to protect their beaks while they forage on the seabed. Humpback whales corral plankton and small fish near the surface of the water using a trick called "Bubble net feeding". This trick lets them swallow a whole lot of their prey whole.

4. Whales and Dolphins once lived on land.

Fossil records have shown that in the distant past, whales and dolphins once lived on land, before evolving into the aquatic creatures we know today. It's why whales and dolphins have blowholes. You see, like humans, whales and dolphins can't breathe underwater. When they move through the water, they're holding their breath. Blowholes allow them to take breaths. 

5. Whales could help combat climate change.

How? Well, during a great whale's life, their bodies accumulate carbon. When a whale dies, its body sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Depending on the whale's lifespan, it can accumulate as much as 33 tons of carbon on average. And when it sinks, it keeps the carbon out of the atmosphere for centuries. Great whales' bodies are better than trees at absorbing carbon. It's one reason why preserving these creatures is so important. 

6. Dolphins swallow their prey whole.

Dolphins do have teeth, but unlike humans, they don't use them to chew their food. The teeth are actually used to help grip prey so that dolphins can swallow them whole safely. 

So, yeah! Dolphins and whales are fascinating and important critters. 

World Brain Day

 Happy World Brain Day, everyone!

This day was established by the World Federation of Neurology, as it was founded on this day in 1957. It's an organization comprised of various neurologists from around the world. The Federation is dedicated to research and education about the importance of keeping your brain healthy. After all, the brain is the body's control center.

It's the most important organ in the human body, as without it, the body cannot do anything. The heart can't pump blood. The lungs can't take in air. The brain encapsulates who and what we are. So yeah, take good care of your brain, and enjoy this Brain Day! See you next time!