recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Nidoran (Female)

I was definitely looking forward to reviewing these oddballs. Before genders were officially introduced to almost all pokemon, the first generation gave us two gender-based variants on ostensibly the same monster, Nidoran, though each was treated as its own separate "species" with its own pokedex number.

The Nidorans are more than just a binary gimmick, though. While sort of rabbit-like in appearance, these critters have hairless, reptilian skin, they're covered in allegedly needle-sharp barbs, and they're *venomous.* They're ground/poison types, their many spines and horns injecting toxins in anything foolish enough to mess with them!
Shine Sprite

Shine Sprites are the chief collectible items in Super Mario 63.

## Description

In the official Mario games, the Shine Sprites' first appearance was in Super Mario Sunshine, wherein they served as guardians of Isle Delfino. They return in Super Mario 63 in the place of Stars and as the main collectible item. They are mostly yellow-coloured, spherical floating ghost-like things that have eyes. There are exceptions though, as the Shine Sprites obtained in the Castle's Backyard and Kamek's Castle have Green and Red colours, respectively. There are a total of 64 Shine Sprites in the game. They also have a wide variety of uses, including opening doors to different levels and bringing light to the Castle. The Shine Sprites gather near a Princess Peach shaped glass (that was broken by Bowser during his invasion). Shine Sprites appear in every course, and even in the castle.

Each Shine Sprite can be obtained only once. The player may collect them again, but they will have a blue colour instead of the regular yellow. The blue ones don't count in the Shine Sprite HUD. Some level descriptions in Bob-omb Battlefield surmise that Shine Sprites can form by collecting Silver Stars and Red Coins.

Not all Shine Sprites are required to "beat" the game. The Final Bowser boss fight can be completed without a required amount of Shine Sprites. However, if the player wants to complete the game 100%, all of them are required (along with Star Coins, as some Shine Sprites can only be unlocked by collecting Star Coins).
Introduction

After you load the game for the first time, the screen will go black and some text will start appearing, telling you details about the storyline.

## A long time ago...

*Mushroom Kingdom was runned by tyrants, torturing and threatening to remain in power.*

*However, an ancient Hero was able to defeat these Tyrants, and lock their magic into a single orb, The **Orb Of Power.***

*The new dynasty of Toadstools, using the **Power of Shine Sprites**, guarded this magic deep in the castle, protecting it from the wrong hands...*

*However, the Orb of Power was eventually forgotten, and it's location was scattered to the winds.*

*Not even the current ruler, Princess Peach, knows that it exists.*

*However, there is one person who does know the Orb of Power exist... but who?*

## Present

An image of Princess Peach's castle is shown, with the screen gliding from the top tower to the entrance, where Toads are talking to each other.

**Toad:** *Mario should be arriving any minute now for his surprise party!*

After that, the screen zooms out, until it reaches a point where it shows a scene of the Mushroom Kingdom (*Tutorial*) stage - then it goes fast to the left until it reaches a pipe. Mario jumps out of the pipe, and the stage begins.
Main Hall

Main Hall with numbers (credit to StrategyWiki)

Inside the Castle: Main Hall is the main Hub that consists of multiple doors and a very dim 1-up Mushroom leading to the "Secret of the Mushroom" stage. It is where the player returns every time they collect a Shine Sprite or exit from a level. The player can also use Rocket FLUDD to blast themselves up to the Top of the Castle, where they can choose to enter Bowser's Castle. Like many others places within the Castle, it also has many Toads that return with more Shine Sprites the player obtains.

## Doors

The Hub consists of multiple doors, all of which transport the player to different rooms.

The two wooden doors (or old doors) lead to the Basement, the upper left door leads to Bob-Omb Battlefield, while the lower leads to Snowman's Land. On the right side, the upper door accesses Shifting Sand Land while the lower door leads to the Tidal Isles Castle Secret Course. The double doors in which the player comes in from Castle Grounds lead back to it.
Sandslash

Sandshrew's evolution, Sandslash, is similarly ambiguous in taxonomy, and it's also just *damn* cool. It still feels a little like an armadillo crossed with a pangolin, but the spines say "hedgehog" or "echidna." It's kind of a chimera of all those weird ground-mammals with scales or spines instead of fur, and it still has some of Sandshrew's cuteness, but it also looks like it could absolutely *slaughter*a guy. Out of everything we've reviewed so far, I feel like Sandslash says "DO NOT F\*\*\* WITH THIS" the hardest, which is impressive considering we've seen a fire breathing dragon, a truck-sized turtle with guns on it and a hornet that could impale three babies at once.
Nidoqueen

"Nidorina" and "Nidorino" finally evolve into "Nidoqueen" and "Nidoking," big bruisers whose ground typing is reflected in their ability to plunge into the earth and burrow. They're among the meanest-looking tetrapods in the original 151, and it's no surprise they were signature pokemon of Giovanni, big boss of Team Rocket.

Now, I said these pokemon don't match up to any particular real-world animal, but they do bear a very striking resemblance to the Toho kaiju, Baragon, and it probably isn't a coincidence. How many other purpleish, fanged, horn-nosed dinosaurs are there with bunny ears? Not only that, but Baragon is also an earthquake-causing burrower. All the Nidorans did was throw venom into the mix!

I'm totally cool with the Nidorans being shameless ripoffs of a minor Godzilla nemesis, but I do have a critique for them. The "venomous needle" aspect is what makes them particularly cool and unique, but we're left to use our imaginations and take their word for it, since they're only actually drawn with a few blunt, rounded-looking horns, and Nidoking's even shrank over time.
Pidgeot (Mega)

So, I definitely wouldn't have expected a mega evolution for this thing. It's freaking HUGE, which is neat I guess, but there are so many more interesting pokemon who more desperately need this kind of boost, aren't there? *Butterfree* is the only one of these first six evolution lines that didn't get a mega form. RUDE.
Fearow

Spearow *really* diverges from Pidgey when it evolves into Fearow, a large, vicious avian that seems to combine aspects of a hawk or falcon with a stork. Its Japanese name is literally just *Onidrill*, which is pretty fearsome. It's basically just meant to be the "mean," killer bird of prey in comparison to Pidgey.
Raticate

Rattata evolves into Raticate, which is just a bigger, fatter, shaggier, ratlier rat, complete with the scaly, wormy tail that makes rats look so cool in the first place.

Raticate, at one time, was also the only pokemon in the game that could learn "Super Fang" and "Hyper Fang," which in Japan were basically known as hatred fang and certain-kill fang. How great is it that these relatively mundane rat pokemon received TWO completely unique and special battle moves? Pretty nasty ones, at that.

Just assuming not everyone here has read my old-ass "pokemon zoology" page, Raticate does have a more specific basis than just "a rat." It's quite obviously patterned more after Myocastor coypus, also called the Coypu or Nutria. This is a particularly large, amphibious rat bred in some countries for both its meat and its cheap fur, better known in Japan than it is in the states.

I'm not just assuming a connection here because of body shape or anything, either; Raticate's own pokedex says it can swim, and that only its hind feet are webbed. This isn't even reflected in Raticate's design at all, but it is a feature almost unique, among rats, to the Coypu.
Pichu

With Pikachu merchandise flying off the shelves world-wide, it was only logical that they take things a step further and introduce a *baby* Pikachu in the second generation, known as *Pichu*, which really is about thirty million degrees more darling. Pikachu looks like a big steaming pile of *barf* next to Pichu. The world was not ready for a tinier, squeakier Pikachu, and it still hasn't fully recovered from Pichu's reign of terror.
Nidoking

"Nidorina" and "Nidorino" finally evolve into "Nidoqueen" and "Nidoking," big bruisers whose ground typing is reflected in their ability to plunge into the earth and burrow. They're among the meanest-looking tetrapods in the original 151, and it's no surprise they were signature pokemon of Giovanni, big boss of Team Rocket.

Now, I said these pokemon don't match up to any particular real-world animal, but they do bear a very striking resemblance to the Toho kaiju, Baragon, and it probably isn't a coincidence. How many other purpleish, fanged, horn-nosed dinosaurs are there with bunny ears? Not only that, but Baragon is also an earthquake-causing burrower. All the Nidorans did was throw venom into the mix!

I'm totally cool with the Nidorans being shameless ripoffs of a minor Godzilla nemesis, but I do have a critique for them. The "venomous needle" aspect is what makes them particularly cool and unique, but we're left to use our imaginations and take their word for it, since they're only actually drawn with a few blunt, rounded-looking horns, and Nidoking's even shrank over time. This earlier Sugimori art is bristling with spines!
Charizard (Mega Y)

Mega evolutions to the rescue, then! Almost, but not quite two decades after Charizard warmed the hearts of a generation, it would earn two possible mega evolutions - one of which is bona-fide dragon type. Fire/flying Mega Charizard "Y" here isn't so lucky, but pretty much preserves everything appealing about regular Charizard. It's just a little sleeker, scalier, basically a solid 20% dragonier, including an extra pair of vestigial wings on its arms. I have to say it's facial structure is also a little less dopey, though the subtle dopiness of Charizard was kind of appealing in itself.
Player Stats

Wouldn't it be great if there was a section in Blastlands that held all of your stats in one place?

Well, that just so happens to exist.
By tapping on the upper left corner from the home screen, you'll open your unique player profile.
This is very much like the standard player profile you'll have seen before, holding all relevant information regarding your lifetime performance to date.

As well as your stats, you can customize your lobby appearance by changing your Dog Tag to any that you have already collected. More on that can be found here.

Your stats here are combined from all FFA and Team Matches played since the creation of your account.
Pidgeot

Aren't these names a little mixed up? Why does it go *Pidgey - Pidgeotto - Pidgeot?* The final evolution should be Pidgeotto. It's the biggest, and therefore it should have the most letters. This and the fact that the design is *almost completely identical* to its predecessor used to confuse the heck out of me.
Vulpix

I am someone who fully appreciates "cute" by both traditional and non-traditional definitions, but a cute mammal on its own doesn't impress me much *conceptually*, so while the concept of a multi-tailed, fire-breathing baby fox has appeal I can understand and Vulpix is the kind of animal I'd carry around like a baby and put comical hats on, it's not something that grabs my active interest *as a pokemon*. Vulpix at least boasts the distinction of being the first non-starter fire type pokemon in the 'dex, and it was about time, wasn't it? Fire has oddly enough been kind of a rare type throughout the series, despite being one of the most basic "elemental" themes and one of your three starter choices.

I guess I'm one to talk, though. **Mortasheen** is approaching 600 monsters as I write this and I have basically none with a fire theme at all. I love some of the weird stuff pokemon does with the type, but for whatever reason, I have a hard time getting *into* fire as a creature motif. I'm not really sure why.

You know what, I'm gonna try and fix that. I'm gonna try to make some fire monsters that I really like. Thanks, Vulpix!
Pikachu

Here he is, folks, *the golden calf* of the Pokemon brand. Pikachu was chosen relatively last-minute to be the "mascot" monster of the series, and twenty years later, the world generally ranges from marginally indifferent to positively sick of the yellow rodent. This is an inevitability for any single character saturating the market to such an extent, so it's hardly pika's *fault*, and they honestly made a pretty good choice here. Pikachu is simple to draw, easy to recognize at a glance, just cute enough - especially in these *blobbier* Sugimori drawings - and *just slightly* weirder than a normal, mundane animal thanks to its cartoon lightning-bolt tail and electrical powers.

It really does feel like the most "marketable" critter in the first generation; a safe bet to gamble so much brand recognition on, and one that ultimately paid off.
Raichu

Raichu, of course, is a lot cooler looking than Pikachu, especially with its more whip-ike tail, but Pikachu's status as the face of the franchise has shoved its own bigger, stronger, final evolution into its shadow. That has to *suck* for Raichu, knowing you're objectively better in every measurable way but that some young punk is going to soak up all the attention instead. Poor Raichu. Raichu was even portrayed as kind of a jerkoff in the anime. Pikachu *didn't even want* to ever be a Raichu.
Pidgeotto

So, here's Pidgeotto, a bigger Pidgey with more radical hair. Despite being named after pigeons in both the English and Japanese versions, this line looks positively nothing at all like an actual pigeon, which used to disappoint me because pigeons have such an interestingly distinct look and tiny, ridiculous heads. This would be rectified later, but I need to stop alluding to pokemon it might take me over a year to get around to.
Cleffa

Like Pikachu, Clefairy was given a pre-evolution in the second generation of games, coinciding with the introduction of actual pokemon *breeding* mechanics. They sort of went hog-wild with these for the Gold and Silver games, but subsequent generations have introduced "baby" pokemon more sparingly or not at all. I could go either way on this, personally. There are pokemon who could still use a "prevo" as we took to calling them just because it doesn't make one damn lick of sense how something like a *Lapras* hatches straight out of an egg, but on the other hand, this is pokemon we're talking about. Why waste a slot for an entire new monster just to rectify a logical gap? I'm glad they don't toss around "babies" so much these days.

Anyway, it's also interesting that the Clefairy line is repeatedly said to come from the moon, or have arrived on our planet from a meteor. Of course, if you ask me, all pokemon are pretty obviously from space. I even got **paid real money once** to posit my pokemon theories. The internet is magical.
Ninetales

When Vulpix evolves into Ninetales, it drops the "cute" in favor of a more mature sort of "elegance." Again, this is something I can take or leave, but I can still *respect.* Many more foxes - and other fire-type canines, fox and non-fox - are yet to come, but most have relatively overwrought and unrealistic designs. The streamlined simplicity of Ninetales is fundamentally pleasant, with a minimal color palette and no extraneous stripes or spikes or doo-dads to break up its form, and best of all, it doesn't have those awkward, angular anime eyes that are so common to other pokemon. These more animal-like eyes look **vastly** better and I really wish they were more standard to the series than those "Dragonball Z" looking ones they like to slap on everything.
Ivysaur

As Ivysaur, the pokemon gets just a tiny bit bigger, taller and more menacing, with bigger fangs and a look of raw determination as its plant begins to sprout. You ever wonder what these things might look like on the inside? Where does the plant aspect end and the animal aspect *really* begin? Are there roots throughout Ivysaur's skeleton and entrails? Does Ivysaur have both animal and plant cells?

At this point, the "horns" turn into more overt mammalian "ears." What IS this creature's taxonomy supposed to be? Frog? Reptile? Reptomammal? Actually, reptomammal sounds about right. This is clearly something from the age of *Dimetrodon.*
Beedrill (Mega)

Now, *Mega* Beedrill, that's more like it! I almost feel bad liking a mega so much more than a first-generation bug, but this one makes the stinger-limbs mesh a whole lot better with the overall design, and its crescent eyes are much closer to those of a real bee or wasp, which in itself is a huge plus for me.
Wartortle

Squirtle's evolved form, Wartortle, is another middle child with only a few devotees, but more thought went into it than you may have initially guessed. The pokedex keeps talking about how its big, furry tail is a "symbol of longevity," and this actually has a sort of folkloric basis:

Minogame are turtles said to acquire flowing, hairy tails of seaweed as they reach hundreds or even thousands of years in age, and multiple depictions of them even have those dog-like ears sported by Wartortle. In reality, of course, a "tail" like this just forms on some turtles from algae buildup, though Wartortle's pokedex makes mention of that, too; that the eldest Wartortle have algae on their shells. Neat!
Arbok

It's a shame those cool reptilian eyes are lost when Ekans evolves, but at least Arbok gains those badass monster-face markings in its hood, an exaggeration of the warning spots an actual king cobra has on its back. Arbok's pokedex mentions that these markings vary from region to region, and for a while, that was even reflected by the games themselves.

The first three generations gave us subtly different Arboks, until the fourth went straight back to the first design. Arbok hasn't been seen with a new face since, and that's too bad, because these days we have pokemon who come with variable markings or color schemes in the same game. There's a butterfly pokemon now whose wings even differ depending on what actual, real part of the world you're playing from, and it would be really cool if they also did that for Arbok.

Anyway, Ekans and Arbok are best known for having been introduced to us as the signature pokemon of Jessie, one of the three lovable main good guy protagonist central heroes who star in The Pocket Monsters Show (check your local cable listings!). We all kind of assumed Jessie and James would hang on to their original pokemon and just keep growing their roster like the nefarious villain, Ash Ketchum, but for some reason they'd eventually just keep cycling them out and never have more than one or two at a time, though they'd at least continue having pokemon like snakes, insects, carnivorous plants and other less cutesy-poo fare.

What was up with Arbok's pronunciation of its name, though? "CHAH-bok?"
Charmeleon

Middle evolutions like Charmeleon are always so overlooked. Caught in a purgatory between cute, marketable baby and fearsome monstrosity, they tend to enjoy smaller, more niche followings. Charmeleon is pretty much just angry, teenaged Charmander with a weird bone on its head, but a lot of people can probably really relate to that, you know?

Out of the entire line, Charmeleon also boasts the best play on words. It's a shame such an excellent portmanteau couldn't have gone to a monster *actually* based on a *chameleon* that breathes fire, though.
Spearow

I do love how many pokemon exist *just* to pad out the biodiversity of the setting. They weren't content to have just one normal-type bird near the start of the game, but threw *Spearow* into the mix among all those *Pidgey.* The designs are very, very close to one another, but Spearow is a bit rarer, and according to the pokedex, it's meaner and more territorial.
Clefable

Changing negligibly when it evolves into *Clefable,* I feel like this line was also intended to be the poster child of the normal type, even if the first pure normal type we encounter is Rattata. Later, however, the clefs' and other pink, globular normal types would be retconned as actual *fairy* types, and I just want to say how grateful I am that our eighteenth and presumably final new type wound up being something as interesting as *fairy* and not the "light" type the fandom kept pushing for as a counterpart to "dark." The two are similar in some fundamental ways, but "fairy" just feels, I dunno, a little more monster-themed, I guess? The much-hypothesized "light" type carried an angelic, holy sort of theme that would have been far more limiting, and while the majority of fairy pokemon are cute and pretty, they've already got their share of spooks and weirdos that never would have fit into "light."

Besides...the counterpart to "dark" is *fighting*. The intention of the two is pretty much closer to "villain" and "hero" types.
Clefairy

Clefairy, as some of you know, was very nearly slated to be the mascot of the franchise and Ash Ketchum's partner in crime, a role that was ultimately handed over to the slightly more memorable Pikachu. This isn't to say that Clefairy is without its merits, of course; it's billed as a "fairy," but it resembles neither what we typically expect a fairy to look like or any particular animal. It's like some entirely made-up genus of globular, pinkish mammaloid, and it's by far not the only one in the game, either.
Igglybuff

These, too, received a rather superfluous "baby" addition in Gold and Silver, *although,* I like the menacing quality of its pinkish eyes, which were outright blood red in its sprites and anime appearances. I feel like this franchise became very conscious of the "accidentally creepy" aspect of something as innocent and watery-eyed as this line, and I'd love to see Wigglytuff get, say, a *dark type* mega evolution.
Jigglypuff

Jigglypuff is both our first and most redundant of Clefairy's apparent kin; another round, pink fairy type with cat-like ears and a little, curly poof of hair. At the same time, however, Jigglypuff is a whole lot weirder than Clefairy, with an inflatable, rubbery balloon-like body and a conceptual emphasis on singing its opponents to sleep. Coupled with its rather more charming facial proportions, Jigglypuff feels kind of like a refinement of Clefairy.

Where Jifflypuff really captured our hearts was its stint in the anime, where the little creep became a running gag for showing up at extremely inopportune moments, singing its heart out, and getting furious when its audience inevitably falls asleep, apparently not understanding the effects of its own voice. This almost got characters killed on multiple occasions, and the terror of the little puffball would subsequently carry over into what an utter bastard it became in Smash Brothers.
Kakuna

Instead, Weedle evolves into Kakuna, accurately resembling a Hymenopteran pupa and a whole lot cooler looking than its counterpart, Metapod. I even thought Kakuna was so cool in my youth that I kept one on my team and *didn't* evolve it. I kept on training a Kakuna with poison sting and harden like it was a badass addition to my team all on its own. I had no concept of the metagame, of strategizing or that some pokemon were inherently less good than others no matter how high their level. It was a simpler and happier time to be a pokemon kid.
Golbat

Unfortunately, this is a pokemon line that sort of steadily declines in uniqueness as it evolves. Both of Zubat's most interesting features are dropped when it evolves into Golbat, acquiring distinct "feet" and a pair of eyes. This is especially tragic considering how cool that massive, gaping mouth looks, and how much cooler it would be entirely by itself. Let me demonstrate:

See? Doesn't that follow logically from Zubat and look totally wicked-rad? Just a big, flying, blind vampire mouth? The whole point of Zubat felt like it was dropping eyes and other superfluous details in favor of its sonar, wings and fangs, which should have been further emphasized as it evolved...and it's not the only interesting quality Golbat neglects, either.

Even with two too many facial features, I loved, LOVED Golbat's bizarre red/blue sprite. The fangs looked scarier, the narrowed eyes looked eerier, and that giant, slimy tongue felt like an especially outstanding new charm point, all ready to scrape open a vessel and lap up some fresh blood, like a proper vampire bat!
Sandshrew

Sandshrew was sort of a "counterpart" to Pikachu in the original games. Both are small, yellow rodents, but one is electric type, and the other is ground type - the *natural enemy* to electric pokemon! Between the two, however, Sandshrew is QUITE a bit cuter, with its big, inky blue eyes and inquisitive, neutral facial expression. The very first animal it brings to mind is an armadillo, and it even rolls into a ball like one, but it has more of a pangolin-like coating of scales than an armadillo's crusty, segmented shell.
Venusaur

Bulbasaur's final form, at least originally, was the formidable Venusaur, looking more than ever like some sort of toad, and its plant now fully blossomed into a scaly, palm-tree-like flower. The plant most of all reminds me of a bromeliad, which is often used as a home by tiny frogs. *How the tables have turned!*
High Races

Most (but not all) of the intelligent people who live on the world of Deinne are aquatic or amphibious creatures who, out of necessity, inhabit the shallower regions, known as the High World. These species are known as the **High Races**, after this fact. They regard themselves as the more civilized beings of the world, though some have more barbaric tendencies than others, and they are no stranger to war. Players are allowed to freely make characters from any of these races.
Profundum Pontum Wiki

This is the informational hub for **Profundum Pontum**, a roleplaying realm played on the "Casual RP" Discord server.

Profundum is currently in its initial assembly stages. A great deal of core information has yet to be written for the setting, and it is not yet ready for play.

## About the Realm

Profundum Pontum takes place on a world that is almost completely covered by an ocean. While the world might once have had lower water levels, that time would have occurred so long ago as to be generally dismissed as myth and unrealistic imagination. Those who cling to land and air are precious few and becoming ever fewer, while a handful of intelligent aquatic and amphibious peoples have risen and developed fully fledged and mature civilizations with long, rich histories.

In Profundum, you can be a member of one of the species of merfolk who dare to depart from the relative safety of the High Worlds to seek out riches, adventure, fame, power, and answers to unanswerable questions. Minor magic known as Aura is a common and mundane force in most underwater societies, akin to how electricity and science is for us, in the real world. Much more powerful magic exists in the open expanse and the depths below it, as well as other places too treacherous for common folk to explore. So do gargantuan, predatory leviathans that could swallow a small city, and truly ancient ruins that hail back to times and places that historians deny ever existed. What will your character discover, and will they survive to tell the tale?
Pokevolutions Wiki

## Welcome to the Wiki

Welcome to the wiki. We’re a collaborative community website about your topic that anyone, including you, can edit. Click the edit button at the top of any page to get started!

## Describe your topic

Write a description about your topic. Let your readers know what your topic is about and add some general information about it.

## Latest activity

Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Add one below!

File:Placeholder
Charizard (Mega X)

It's Mega Charizard *X* that really steals the show, here. A fire/dragon type with blue flames perpetually pouring from its mouth, black instead of orange skin and devilish shoulder horns, it has more of an "evil" dragon vibe to it, like Maleficent's transformation in *Sleeping Beauty*, and pretty much as cool as an otherwise by-the-numbers anime dragon is going to get.

I guess it's also pretty interesting that Mega-X doesn't flap its wings like its two siblings, but just sort of soars like a vulture. Spooky!
Kappa

The **Kappa** are a species of sentient, turtle-like amphibians who are a member of the High Races. They are a highly independent people that largely integrate themselves into and between others' civilizations. They are merchants, bankers, scavengers, salvagers, bounty hunters, and other occupations that rely on self-sufficiency. Kappa are resilient, stern, and private beings that are sometimes plagued by strange, unfounded stereotypes spurred on by their reclusive lifestyle and odd mannerisms.
Nereids

**Nereids** (NEE-ree-ids) are the most populous and common High Race on Deinne. Similar what you and I would consider to be merpeople, nereids are warm-blooded fish people who possess many of the outward features of the Dryfolk from the waist up, but without the mutations. From the waist down, they are closer to fish, or perhaps more accurately, dolphins. They are frequently considered conceited or snobby, as their culture teaches them that they are the perfect creations of their goddess, where others lack such blessings.

## Physiology

Graceful and usually quite beautiful by our standards, nereids have typically slender and fit bodies (though there are exceptions). They are excellent swimmers, thanks to their muscular tails. Otherwise, they are often actually physically weaker than the other High Races, including the Dryfolk.

They are exclusively carnivorous, and possess a mouth full of sharp teeth made for tearing chunks of meat away from a body. They are self-conscious about the appearance of their teeth, and do not present full smiles or bare their teeth in anger unless their emotions are running exceptionally high.

Their arms have long fingers, which end in small, sharp claws that are naturally tipped with a mild neurotoxin that can cause localized pain, muscle paralysis and numbness. While they are not fully immune to this substance, it normally only elicits pain to them; thus, they do not hesitate to use their claws on one another in a scrap. Most nereids can only carry a few dozen pounds with their arms, and instead prefer to use yokes, belly packs, and harnesses to pull heavier things through the water.

Their fingers and armpits are webbed. They have a long dorsal fin which connects to plumage-like fins around their head, and like hair on Dryfolk, it tends to be longer on women than men. The head-plumage flares outward when a nereid is excited, or wishes to appear threatening or bigger than they really are. Conversely, it is slicked back along their bodies when they are swimming, or when they are in a gentle or intimate mood. Men and women alike often have their plumage pierced and wear jewelry in it.

Though they are warm-blooded and mate as aquatic mammals are wont to, nereids lay their fertilized eggs afterward, rather than carrying their offspring to term in the womb. A typical clutch is between two and four eggs.
Theology

## **The Eternal Gods**

Otherwise known as the primordial gods, or the elder gods, they are two entities, who have existed eternally. Durius, depicted as a male, is thought to have been disconnected from the affairs of the universe, finding things to amuse himself with instead. Anrea is depicted as female, and is thought to have created things for his amusement, as well as her own. From aether, Anrea created the universe, replacing void once left there. Durius took pleasure in witnessing this, though he too had a major role in the creation of the universe. Durius was said to have created the stars in the sky, which some believe are simply tears in the universe that led to the aether, which he used to travel between the two planes.

### Anrea, Mother of the Arcane

The goddess of the universe itself, and she who controls the arcane, Anrea is one of the eternal gods. Her ways and teaching are seen as manipulative and cold, she is associated with the night sky, and is said to control fate itself. She attempts to keep herself from being worshipped by the people of Ashgul, remaining a strange force, and keeping herself secretive when interacting with the mortal plane. She sometimes depicted as a puppet master, due to her actions and views on the world: she manipulates small things about the world, being a force of change. An exception of her view is obvious however, as she once had an empire erected in her name, spanning the entire world. It was soon toppled, by one of her own creations, Kertas. After this, she adopted her current philosophy, remaining elusive to the inhabitants of Ashgul.

### Durius, the Jester God

Truly a lazy god, he was simply a witness to all that Anrea did. Not much is known about him, he has been elusive from the beginning, and remains a distant mystery. He is considered a fringe god, and is speculated to control the emotions of mortals. As the story goes: as he saw more and more being created, he grew more and more interest for the mortal plane. He eventually created the magics of enchantment, and is responsible for the many emotions which the inhabitants of Ashgul express. What is known for certain is that he procreated with Anrea to create the High Gods, and that he created the god Caelus, and the goddess Uta, which is where most knowledge of him comes from, aside from the occasional taunts that he flays at humanity.

## **The High Gods**

The first descendants of the Eternal Gods, the high gods have much more intervention in Ashgulia. Birthed from Anrea, children of her and Durius, they have intervened with the mortal plane much more than they ever did.
1-Up Mushroom

1-Up Mushrooms are collectible items in Super Mario 63 that grant the player an extra life upon picking it up.

## Description

1-Up Mushrooms resemble the Mushrooms from the Mario franchise, being green. They are found all throughout the game in different locations. They either appear physically, but Mario can also collect them by collecting 100 Coins. They play the classic 1-Up chime when touching it.

"The Secret of the Mushroom" level is dedicated to 1-Ups. They are scattered all over the level and can be a useful spot for stacking up on extra lives.

When collecting 64 Star Coins, a room filled with 1-Up Mushrooms and multiple blocks containing 100 coins can be accessed. Runouw jokingly calls this the "Mush-room".
Cephaleons

**Cephaleons** are highly intelligent members of the High Races that are essentially giant octopuses with a great deal more, thinner tentacles. Their control over these tentacles allows them to emulate the bodies of other High Races; though they lack arms, legs, or a tail, they will often bunch many of their tentacles together into a single form in those shapes, and can often function passably with them. This race is the oldest sentient and aquatic race in the High World, and they are caretakers to the civilized world's history and knowledge. The other peoples seek them out for solutions to uncommon problems, or when rarely needed and nearly forgotten magic is needed once again. They are hardly saints, however. If anything, their proclivity to mimic others' form gives them to duplicity, for they learn from a young age that the things that they need, desire, and feel are alien to others. How a Cephaleon copes with the disparity between his own, real personality and that of others often defines their moral alignment with other kinds.
Dryfolk

The **Dryfolk** are the closest thing that Deinne has to Humanity. As they can not and do not live in the water, and as their numbers dwindle ever fewer, their status as a member of the High Races is often questioned. Despite this, they have a disproportionate impact on the societies beneath the waves. They command the most advanced technology of all the races, which more than makes up for their lack of ability to make use of Aura or other ocean magicks. They are also slowly being irradiated into extinction, however, due to some long since forgotten global calamity that polluted the entire atmosphere.

There are only a few tens of thousands of Dryfolk still alive, today. Many cling to small settlements on what few tidbits of land still rise above the water, mining the natural resources out of their surroundings and trading it to the other races. Others are pressed into service by the hundreds on gigantic and ancient city-barges, captained by the relatively wealthy few, and which troll the waters of the world seeking to somehow indebt the High Races to them or to otherwise lift up their people as a whole from the doom they seem ever fixed to drift toward.
Altbeckon Highlands

Hills and highlands dominated by huge alpine forests, its altitude making it seem further north than the land to the northwest of it. From the mountains of Eastgrim, in which dwarves terrace farm to get by, to the coastal cliffs of Stokturel and Belvaren, these highlands are a difficult place to strive, but each nation has found their way of adaptation.
Blastoise

The mythological roots are pretty much dropped completely when Wartortle evolves into Blastoise, making the turtles the most inconsistent of the original starters. Bulbasaur progresses through stages of symbiotic plant growth and Charmander evolves from fiery lizard to fiery dragon, but Squirtle grows itself a bigger, fluffier tail and then trades it in for...guns?

Blastoise's water cannons are its key feature, and they raise a lot of questions. They don't look at all organic, so are they metal? Bone? It always looked to me like they could retract into the shell, but I can't recall if we've ever seen that happen.
The 13 Star-Coin Paradox

> "By collecting 13 Star Coins, a Time Paradox appeared; you now have -3 Shine Sprites... Just kidding... Instead, you've unlocked the **Haunted Pack** (Enemies, Tileset, and Song) for the Level Designer."
>
>

This occurs when you get 13 Star Coins. Although there is no time paradox, it is still pretty fun to do this!
Thunderbirds - Volume 16

**Thunderbirds - Volume 16** is a UK VHS release, which features two episodes of the 1960s *Thunderbirds* television programme, and it had first been released by Channel 5 Video in 1990.

## Episodes

1. *Lord Parker’s ‘Oliday*
2. *Give or Take a Million*

## Trivia

* The inlay front cover features artwork by artist Steve Kyte.
* Much like on *Thunderbirds - Volume 15*, the inlay excludes the "Channel 5 Video" logo. This is because "Channel 5 Video" had been renamed to "PolyGram Video", and also that PolyGram Video later produced VHS releases under its own brand name.
* A rarer version of this release contains a new caption, which reads "A Gerry & Sylvia Anderson Production", seen on the inlay's front cover. This is different to the more common "A Gerry Anderson Production" caption, seen on other releases.
Vesfar

## Vesfar, the Northwest

   Vesfar is a region resting to the Northwest, encapsulating the Gulf of Vorus, civilizations like Unwyth and Vorany, separated from the Northern Lands by a the great Apard Mountain Range. Its lands are mildly cold, the climate dictating the forests to be of pine in the northernmost parts, mixing with conifer in the southernmost.

### **Notable Civilizations**

#### Vorany

Historians muse that "Vorany never didn't exist," in reference to its longevity as a political entity. In 495 KS, not long after the founding of the Arbelist Church as an institute, Vorany rose as a small northern princedom. It would stay "Vorany" up into contemporary times, and remains an adamant nation to this day. It once spread its borders to Kaglia, a conquest which would be short lasting, and lead to countless years of conflict between the two nations.

#### Duslandic Kingdoms

A conglomerate of nations, some vaguely linked to a body called the "Duslandic Diet," others unaligned, the Duslandic Kingdoms are simply a term for the collection of places between Vorany and the Northern Lands. Each entity within it is independent from any Duslandic government, of which none exists other than a weak alliance of sorts, nations within it are often much smaller than other nations such as Ardun and Balatonia, and the conflicts of these kingdoms are often confined to the region itself.

#### Unwyth

Between Vesfar and Ayuria lies Unwyth, a blending pot between the two, known for rich trading in the Aspelic Sea and their Gothic architecture which would spread to many places such as Ostenwick in the Duslandic Kingdoms. In 395 KS the kingdom was established, encompassing a large chunk of land and playing a huge role in politics up to its official collapse in 1355 KS.

#### Balatonia

627 KS, a province by the name of "Balaton" which was once part of the Turelian Empire, gained independence after a long and gruesome war. It would cement itself as a power, taking many lands from the Turelian Empire and becoming a great nation and long time competitor to Vorany's great presence.

#### Klenspar

Once a province of Unwyth encompassing a large part of its western lands, in 1343 KS the Minister of Klenspar cut off ties from Vastonne (the capital of Unwyth,) due to its declared inability as a nation to protect its own provinces, in which multiple other provinces of Unwyth joined Klenspar's effort and separated without wartime from Unwyth. Unwyth collapsed in 1355 KS and became the Republic of Anwyth.
Drahni

A diverse region, both in climate and culture. The Dashan mountain range separates the region in half. Jungles dominate much of the southern parts, including the island chain of Nishya, otherwise called the "Low Islands" by the rest of Ashgul. The mainland is home to Pythians (catfolk), Gnomes, and Humankind, with some nations homogeneous in race and others diverse.
Snowman's Land

Snowman's Land is the second course in Super Mario 63 and is unlocked by collecting 3 Shine Sprites. The painting can be accessed by the second door on the left side in the Main Hall of the Castle. The painting room holds a coin block that gives the player an extra life, a Star Coin, and a Toad.

## Environment

Snowman's Land is a frosty area that is one of the few areas in the game where ice is an obstacle. Mario can easily slip on it, which may cause some minor difficulties when playing the course. This area also introduces the 2nd boss of the game: Chief Chilly. Inside Snowman's Land there are multiple directions you can take that loop into each other at the giant snowman. This Area also Introduces to you the Wing Cap in further depth.

## Shine Sprites

Snowman's Land has 5 Shine Sprites. All of them are listed below:

**The Snowman's Head:** *Description in game: "Snowman's Land, as you can tell by the name, is named after the giant snowman here. On such an important landmark must lie a Shine Sprite."*

Mario must head east to find the location of an enormous snowman. The Shine Sprite is at the top of the snowman.

**The Iceblock Maze:** *Description in game: "To the East of Snowman's Land sits a majestic sculpture of ice. But wait! There's a Shine Sprite in it!"*

Mario must head west (in the same direction as he would when confronting Chief Chilly) and jump on some platforms to enter the Iceblock Maze. It consists of transparent blocks that Mario has to carefully navigate in order to reach the Shine Sprite located at the top.

**Chief Chilly:** *Description in game: "Near the Iceblock Maze, Chief Chilly awaits anyone who dares challenge him. Who knows, maybe the reward for beating him is a Shine Sprite."*

Mario must head west and jump on an extensive ice platform above freezing water. To obtain the Shine Sprite, the player must push Chief Chilly into the freezing water 3 times. Falling into the freezing water has the same effects as lava on both Mario and Chief Chilly.

**Red-Coins of the Summit and Skies:** *Description in game: "Somewhere above us floats those 8 maroonish coins. If you collect all of them, then a Shine Sprite appears."*

A Red-Coin Mission where Mario has to gather 8 Red Coins to form a Shine Sprite. They can be found near the spawn point in the skies (using a Wing Cap) and mainly in a section near the Wooden House that is inaccessible. Take the Sling Star to reach the mountain and collect the Red Coins scattered around it.

**The Secret of the Igloo:** *Description in game:* "*Buried deep in the upper mountains of Snowman's Land lies an igloo; it may be small on the outside, but inside, ... well that's a secret."*

Mario must enter the Igloo located near the massive snowman. This challenge involves the use of the Metal Cap and the Invisibility Caps. It is advised to be careful as Metal Mario easily sinks and unlike in Mario 64 he isn't immune to enemy damage. It is advised here to continuously press the X Button (or the Spin Attack) as it makes Mario sink much slower.
Robin

**Robin** is the third episode and the second season on *Better Things* which was aired on September 28, 2017.

## Summary

Sam befriends Robin, a single father. Sam is asked by Robin to go with him for a weekend gateaway to wine country and she leaves her obnoxious, squabbling kids behind as they whine about her. They have a nice time, but things get awkward when Sam requests they have separate rooms at the inn. Robin later apologizes for screwing things up and Sam still seems to like him.

## Cast

### Main

* Pamela Adlon as Sam Fox
* Mikey Madison as Max Fox
* Hannah Alligood as Frankie Fox
* Olivia Edward as Duke Fox
* Celia Imrie as Phyllis

### Guest

* Rebecca Metz as Tressa
* Henry Thomas as Robin
* Tom Kenny as Himself
* Patricia Scanlon as Joy
* Billy West as Himself
* Carlett Martin as Someone (credited as Carlett L. Martin)
* Zedrick Restauro as Waiter

## Trivia

* Tom Kenny and Billy West are their guest appearance.
* Despite being credited Olivia Edward do not appear in this episode.
Eshatu

## **Eshatu, The Great Southern Peninsula**

**Eshatu** is a region in the Southern Lands, a peninsula starting from the latitudinal and longitudinal center of Ashgulia, extending to also encompass the southernmost portions of the mainland. The Asdatu Republic is the geographically largest Eshatun nation, with Mahisu being the smallest.

The region is overwhelmingly Eshatun human, split into multiple ethnic groups. Ituqarian, Ninqarian, and Yaghams (half-Eshatun, half-other) are the largest ethnic groups by population, with a smaller group of Bagean humans, the Inadish. Dwarfkind face racial conflict, and are regarded below Beastfolk in the Eshatun racial caste.

### **Demographics**

#### **Religions**

Mah Belief is the largest religious group in Eshatu, although this religion fragments into different sects. Traditional Mahurmianism is the largest sect, with Mah-Ihurmani coming close as the second largest.