Green Phoenix - Building Better Backstories VI

I am back from HarmonyCon and I am ready to talk some shit about A Song of Ice & Fire, the (hopefully) ongoing fantasy series by George R.R. Martin. Those of you who are not of the reading disposition may know this series better through its television adaptation, Game of Thrones.

Now everyone and their mother has given an opinion on the final season of Game of Thrones and how much of a fucking catastrophe it truly was; an opinion that I agree with and thus feel I have little to nothing to contribute towards. But what some people may not know is that I actually think that there is an element of the George R.R. Martin's world that is born from the author's own mind that I actually think was a major missed opportunity and a failing on his part.

My problem stems from the Ironborn, the Viking inspired pirate civilization that lives on the barren rocks to the West of Westeros. Considered primitive and inherently untrustworthy, our most present viewpoint of Ironborn culture for most of the series stems exclusively from Theon Greyjoy, who is a prisoner (ward) of House Stark following a massive failed Independence movement perpetrated by Theon's father.

Theon's story soon expands to include several other characters that shift the focus of the story towards the selection of a new Ironborn king, which leads to Theon's uncle usurping his sister's position and placing both of them in potentially dangerous political waters, with implications that Euron Greyjoy has something very magical and dark going on in the background. In the books, this storyline has yet to be fully actualized; but the TV series did precisely dick-all with most if not all of the Ironborn plot (a fate seemingly shared by the Dornish).

But I think that there actually was a storyline that Martin could've made had he recontextualized Balon Greyjoy's independence movement and the general relationship between the Ironborn, their own history, and the Iron Throne as a whole. One that could've helped to build conflict between the Westeros as a whole and feed indirectly into the larger plot involving the Others.

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Ghost Ranger - My Top 5 Power Rangers' Bases

This is a strange list I'm sure. What I mean by bases are the places that the Rangers and their mentors go in order to conduct their Ranger business. These are come in all sorts of different forms from secret secure locations to the top of a Pizza restaurant. So, just for fun, click "read more" and let's count down my top 5 favorite Power Rangers Bases or Headquarters.

Cheap Cheevos #6 - Tournament Edition

The humble fighting game. The cure for us people that want to beat up our annoying co-workers, the evil authority, and clowns, without wanting to go to jail or sentenced to death by hanging. The fighting game genre is also what keeps us insano crazies relaxed. Okay, it's also a pretty fun gaming genre in it's own right. If you love this genre, this action packed issue is right up your Fighting Street. This week we dedicate Cheap Cheevos to fighting games. Guess what? There are some pretty high profile series in this list and maybe a dodge game that no one has heard of included as well. It's one of my favorite genres and I am proud to present you these five fighters with easy to unlock achievements/trophies. (Click on "Read More" to read the full article).

Ghost Ranger - Top 5 UltraZords

 

Please ignore the pink arm and Dragonzord chest

Typically, an Ultrazord is given to the combination of 7 or more Zords, although they sometimes have different names like Gigazords. These machines exist simply to be the Rangers big super power houses that drastically overpower most monsters and are often a mystery as to why the Rangers don't use them for the start of giant battles. Regardless of filler writing, click "read more" let's countdown my top 5 favorites.

HCG: Nintendo Happy Fun Time (Nintendo Direct Feb 9, 2022)

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Green Phoenix - 8 Fantastic Fantasy Villains

It is my genuine pleasure to see the first countdown of 2022 be centered around a subject that I was immensely enthusiastic to see explored and discussed. I absolutely adore villains in fantasy and science fiction. I love discussing them, their strange foibles, complex plots, and thematic backgrounds. Through villains, we can see a vast variety of eclectic personalities and wonderfully eccentric scenery-chewing. Villains often get to have the best scenes in their respective movies and, as a result, my generation seems to have always had a strong connection to the villains we grew up with.

This week will focus on the fantasy side of villainy, but rest assured that the science fiction villains countdown will be coming towards the end of next month, to help keep everything spread out. Also, I would like to note that next week will be my routine health week, where I take a week off from article releases to focus on my own personal health and well-being. I will be using that week to travel to Texas with a friend and attend HarmonyCon 2022.

I'm super excited and you will be able to hopefully get a few updates and interesting conversations on my Patreon account. You can also follow me @TheBronyCritic on Twitter, where I may post pictures of cool things I see while I spend my first time in Texas and on a plane (so excited!).

But that's next week. We are in this week now and we will jump right into my countdown on some of my favorite villains from various fantasy IPs. 

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Ghost Ranger - Power Rangers - Bottom 5 Least Liked Zords

 

Well, now that I am done counting down my favorite Zords, I may as well talk about my least favorite. Technically a worst list, but I can't think of any Zords I actively dislike, so there was no way I could do this for each color like my favorites. So, pressing myself hard, I will count down my bottom 5 least liked Zords. Any type of Zord or group of Zords is fair game this time, so click "read more" and let's get started.

Cheap Cheevos #5 - For Adults Only Edition. (Language NSFW) (Safe Images)

Dump the kids off at the grandparents because it's a special edition of Cheap Cheevos. This time, only for the grown-ups. We're taking a dive into the easy and sleazy pool with games full of boobs, butts, thrusting, humongous knobs, money-hungry slots, vibrations, and easy to get achievements. So let's get scratching!.. Wait, that's for after you've read this issue. (Click on "Read More" to read the full article.)

Sonic Unleashed Summer Stream. Night 1 | 4/2/22 | Twitch Repeat | Retrokaiser

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HCG: This Yamcha isn't Dead Enough (Sonic The Hedgehog 8-bit Game Gear)

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Sonic Adventure 2 Battle! Summer Stream. Night 5 | 25/1/22 | Twitch Stream Replay | Retrokaiser

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Green Phoenix - Questionable Content Review

 

It's certainly been quite a long time since I released a review of some form of literary work, that being my 1634: The Bavarian Crisis review from September 10th, 2021. So with 2022 now well underway, I feel it is far passed time to look at yet another piece of literature, though today's work will be a little different than my usual fair.

After all, Webcomics aren't usually categorized, in my experience, along the same lines as other forms of literary media. Whether this is due to classism philosophies within literary circles or the tendency of webcomics to explore concepts in a much more free-form and subversive ways than paper and published comics is something that I will leave up to others to debate. What is not up for debate is that among all the webcomics I read, there is one particular series that I have adored for years for its willingness to explore complex topics and create long-form character and relationship driven plot lines that would make a daytime soap opera blush.

The fact that this series has also managed to continue on a routine schedule since 2003, in a genre that sees most comics go under after two or three years, only makes Questionable Content by Jeph Jacques all the more extraordinary and absolutely worth examining more closely to see just what it is about this webcomics that makes it so easy to be drawn in.

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Degrees of Separation Co-Op with Mathyno Part 3 | 3/2/22 | Twitch Repeat | Retrokaiser

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Ghost Ranger - Top 5 Red Ranger Zords

 

Time for the Red Rangers' Zords. One might think the leader would always get the stand out Zord, and sometimes times they do. But, surprisingly, there are a lot of re-used concepts for Zords among seasons and that can be off putting when trying to compare them. From T-Rex's to birds and way too many borgs. Granted, this is more of a problem for countdowns like this and not necessarily the individual seasons. But, risks were clearly kept to a minimum for the Red Rangers. Save the lone warrior Zords for 6th and Extra Ranger I supposed; whom are not allowed on this list. Regardless, click "read more" and let's begin the countdown.