Eirikr's Personal Canon

Let’s face it, Tumblr sucks as an archive. A shame, as there have been some good questions and discussions over the years and it would be a shame for them to be lost forever to the ether. So what better way to protest the ephemeral nature of Internet content than to make my own archive? 

Below are links to just about every major thing I've written online, including website articles, Tumblr asks, etc. It will be updated periodically as warranted! Right now consider it a work-in-progress (formatting is a little rough), but all the links should be live.

LATEST UPDATE: 4/1/18! The latest additions are in boldface. 

The Obvious Stuff

Let's get these out of the way.  

• My Tumblr — My soapbox. Currently filled with more asks than soap.
• My Twitter — I mostly use it for retweeting Japanese stuff I find.
• The "Cu Chulainn" tag on Talking Time — Almost a decade's worth of SMT threads.
• Kaneko's Crib Notes — So there's this guy named Kaneko and he sometimes lays his influences bare...

The BIG Articles

100% genuine. Feels redundant listing them here when they live on this same blog, but you gotta be comprehensive.  

• Shin Megami Tensei's Identity Crisis Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3 | Follow up about J&W in Pt 3 — You probably already know what this is.
• My Personal SMT Identity Crisis — Peek behind the curtain into the making of SMT's IC. 
• Nocturnal Revelations: The Legacy of Shin Megami Tensei's First Localization Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3 — Apparently I enjoy writing three-part articles. And wishing the four Chinese holy beasts used their correct Chinese names. 
• Mizuki, Master of Mysteries — A Robert Stack attack.  
• Mystery demon extras #1: Penanggal — Forgot I even wrote this and it was initially unpopular so I didn't write any others. Can't even remember what it even goes into that the main article didn't cover. Deserves a pity click, don't you think? 
• The Odin one 

My Hardcore Gaming 101 articles

• Vagrant Story | Other articles — From the good old days, when I still cared about being fluent in video games.

My Giant Bomb contributions

• Top Ten Genital Demons in Shin Megami Tensei | Other lists — Raising awareness of penises and vaginas in games since 2009.
• Strange Journey review | Shin Megami Tensei IV review | Other reviews — "Hey Persona-loving crowd, Atlus makes other games, too" -Me, to a brick wall.
• Cu Chulainn | Demon | Other wiki contributions — Many a featured wiki article!

Commentary/Analysis:

• Zoroastrian demons and insectile wings — Patterns in demon design.
• The true identity of Nebiros — Is SMT's Nebiros from the Goetia or somewhere else?
  
• Morax and the Importance of Gesturing — Subtlety in art and demon design.
• Whither ‘Girimekhala’? —  What do scholars have to say about Mara's elephant?
  
• Ophiocephallic: The Convoluted True Story of Mishaguji — Mishaguji in the record of ancient Japanese religion.
• The Mystery of 魔 — Why some Japanese terms may not be intended to be interpreted literally. 
• Mara’s Design Has Become a Distraction — PENIS
• Why SMTIV’s archangels do not vibe with Biblical tradition or SMT’s design rules — As stated.
• Demons I Wanna See: George, Icarus, Gingerbread Man — A short series that could have gone somewhere, but didn't. Ah well.
• Shin Manga Tensei  —  Short bit on Isabeau's shortcomings as a character; was reworked and became part of Identity Crisis Pt. 3.
• The SMTIV Callback Compendium — A collab between Soren and me.
• Secrets of the SMT Trading Card Game — Follow-up: Closer looks at some cards — A topic almost undocumented in English, the SMT TCG has some very interesting remasterings of early Kaneko artwork. 
• The Angel Experiment | Follow-up with results — Eight different looking angels, one group bible study. Would actual Christians really believe that SMT4's archangels are "canon"?
• Final Examined — Soren and I comment on SMT4F/A's pre-release media. Dated now, but it might be funny to see how wrong we were! 
• Why I won't be writing a follow-up to SMT's IC | Follow-up: How parts of IC were prophetic | Further follow-up: Anon notices changes in Japan's pop culture over two decades — I'm no Nostradamus, but I'm not the only one to notice or predict changes in the content of Japan's cultural exports.
• Why SMT4A's YHVH 2 isn't meant to be the Demiurge — I mean, we know that for sure now, but...
• The adventure continues — Months later...
• The adventure keeps going — We are ALL the Demiurge.
• The adventure never ends — Gaston's Michael's spear does not say "archon" as in Gnostic archon!
• A source for Mokoi! — Actually a submission by atmariderjojo.
• Orcus/Horkos Infodump — This little piggy became a gate to Hell, and that's where everything went. With plenty of evidence, I make a case for who they actually represent and why "Horkos" probably has nothing to do with either.
• "Alciel's" true name found — Yep, it's Ar...wait, I can't just give it away!
• Queen Mab, the composite figure — Enough with the composites, SMT! 
• Plotholes shall reign forever and ever | Follow-up — Hallelujah's name gives glory to ignorance of etymologies. 
• Reuniting with Nocturne — Some observations on Nocturne after playing it for the first time in almost 10 years.   
• Atlus: What Happened? — Early April 2017 may be the period historians mark as the final stage of Atlus' transition from small "punk" dev to faceless corporate entity. 
• Review of Kaneko Works IV — A lower standard, but not a poor standard.
• A Deep, Strange Week — After a stressful DC excursion with Japanese folks, comments on Strange Journey Redux content seemed like the real vacation. 
• Somewhat, Prime Minister — The Demi-fiend just hates prime ministers. They ain't got no edge!
• SMT4A English ver. commentary — It's amazing how understanding everything makes it all so much worse! 
• Demon foreshadowing in SMT4A — A great, easily overlooked detail.  
• "Shin Megami Tensei - very bad": 2004 impressions of Nocturne from a Christian forum — Satanic Panic 2.0. 
• Dx2: The Heretic — Mobile game localization foibles that lead to proof that Atlus' sources for myth information are as musty as 8-track tapes.  

Non-SMT:

• Better Dogether — The weird history of Castlevania's Dogether. 
• Ovaltine-Stained — I figured out the script used in Bloodstained's early campaign.
• Star Wars and the Magic of Myth — Life prepped me for myths. 
• Thoughts on The Force Awakens — I've actually grown fonder of it since writing this.
• Mastema haunting a house — He also loves potato chips, apparently. 
• Teardrops Are Falling — What I thought of Devilman: Crybaby. 
• Go Nagai's demiurgical diarrhea — It can happen to anyone!
• What is Jesus' Achilles heel? — According to Jewish folklore. The answer may shock you!

Random photos and photosets

• The “angel” Gabriel — Perfect for a nativity scene.
• “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” — What an egomaniac!
• Japanese custom goods #1 — Custom figures!
• Japanese custom goods #2 — Norn clocks and iPhone Samurai gauntlets!
• Dual-wielding brothers — Of course, the dumbest thing ever has my single highest note count.
• Holy Ghost in DeSu2 — What exactly is that thing?
• TURN IT OFF — Some dork took his SNES out on the road on a misty night.
• The Kaneko phallus collage — This is when I officially became an artist.
• Shin Megami Tensei X Prime Time TV — The SMT crossover possibilities are endless...
• KANEKO ALIVE — Kaneko spotted by a former Atlus employee in May '15.
• Otakon Dealer's Room Simulator 2015 — Sheer indulgence in nostalgia.
• My unofficial Shin Megami Tensei IV Final review — Ew, dog breath!
• Ejaculating Sea Cucumbers — The new SMT standard.
• The Cait Sith "holy grail" figure — Probably worth its meager weight in gold. Well, maybe silver.
• SMT TRPG covers — Artwork from the SMT tabletop game.
• A baseball accident — You never knew America's pastime was so occult.
• Medusa & expletives — Lose your shit or lose your sheet?
• Atlus Art Works — The announcement of Strange Journey Redux really caused me to crack for a bit there in 2017.  
• Unfinished concept art of Mothman and Ocelotl — Devil Summoner preview from an old Famitsu.
• "Another future..." — The final SMT screenshot posted to Miiverse before it was shutdown. I'm gonna cry... 
• Meowy Christmas — I bought something terrible and manipulated people to care. I'm not sorry!
• A Joke of a Dick — Atlus' hubristic $500 Mara figure was a bomb and we laughed. 
• My vintage Strange Journey fanart — Authentic and terrible.  
• Historical Japanese fashions x Mega Man — Can't beat Edo Woman.  
• Kaneko's '90s work computer. Vintage cyber-chic.  

Scans

• Portraits of Japanese gods  — From a Nihongo Japanese myth book.
• Kyuuyaku MT Greek demons — Obscure Kaneko art.
  
• DDS Megami Tensei II Kaneko art — Complete scans of Kaneko's demon artwork from Megami Tensei II.
  
• Demons Bible guest artist designs  — This link contains further links to the previous 23 entries.
• Kazuma Kaneko Pandemonium Scans — This link contains further links to all previous entries.  
• Not scans, but high-res digital assets of demons released for Strange Journey Redux: Gallery 1 | Gallery 2. 

Shin Megami Tensei IV demon scans

• Lilith | Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, and Uriel | Merkabah | Omoikane, Pluto, Pluto Soldier, Yaso-Magatsuhi | Napaea, Ancient of Days, Sanat | Lucifer, second form — I find it funny that I of all people ultimately supplied these scans.

Soundtrack liner notes

• Megami Tensei I & II | Shin Megami Tensei | Shin Megami Tensei II — Tsukasa Masuko and crew.

Personal/Other

• A postcard from a demon-loving student  — An object that, sadly, was lost when I moved back to the US from Japan. I found it sometime last year--it had been safely nestled in my Nocturne case since I moved back from Japan--and it's been displayed on the fridge since.
• Decarabia on a Christmas tree — Get in the spirit!
• Fusing Amaterasu at Ise Grand Shrine — The nerdiest thing I've ever done...?
• The Nocturne Tokyo Tour — ...No, this probably is.
• My letter to Atlus Japan — Who is Tenong Cut? We'll never know. See below!
• The Day I Found "Tenong" — A excruciatingly long journey ends. 
• Ask: My favorite non-SMT games — So I like Castlevania, do I?
• Ask: Which games have I "destroyed"? — Itself a follow-up to my Chrono Trigger habits.
• My framed Stolas, by David Hoskins — Love this so much. 
• Carl Jung's persona cash quote — I have no idea why this would be here...
• My Cu Chulainn statue dream — What happens when you're obsessed.
• My decade of Shin Megami Tensei — It all began with a fusion chart.
• "Modest evil as its most profound" P2:IS OST English ad — The state of Megami Tensei in English in the '90s. 
• Halloween greeting from artaxdies + my Halloween memories at UMBC — The kool times and the salty times. 
• Formative UMBC experiences — Among the most life-changing I've ever had! 
• The story behind "Eirikr" — Why I chose that name as my online identity.
• Sammy's tale — How she became our second cat!  

Gameplay

• Strange Journey password demons #1 (variety pack) — My Schwarzwelt stompers.
• Strange Journey password DEMON (non-variety pack) — My Schwarzwelt stomper.
• The Greatest Strange Journey Demon || Follow-up: Why is he a Fury? — 100% real. 
• Maxed out SJ Demonica-N — No, actually, this is 100% real.
  
• Maxed out SMTIV Cu Chulainn: THE GOLDEN 999s — I can't believe this is 100% real.
• Tokisada and fusing Famed demons in SMTIV — What a pain!
• Insane Nocturne fusion mechanics Part 1 (Amaterasu) | Part 2 (Arahabaki) — So crazy, I think I've forever scared myself away from playing Nocturne ever again.

Tokyo Sabbath

• What is Tokyo Sabbath? | 1/24/16 UPDATE | No demons in Baltimore? | US East Coast: Demon central | 2/3 UPDATE | SUPER BOWL UPDATE — Tokyo Sabbath was a clicker game in promotion of the Japanese release of SMT4A. Intended only for the Japanese market, we kinda swept the rug out from under them and "won." Updates are attached to reblogs of the initial post. This thing's really silly and inessential, but memorable because we probably sent Atlus Japan PR into a tizzy because we "beat" Tokyo.

 

Asks

Tumblr asks are the bread and butter of my online output these days. Some of these I put a lot of thought and research into! I hope they are still relevant for some. I've also tried to organize them as sensibly as I could. 

Asks about Japan

• Commentary about working and living in Japan — Some brief thoughts on existing in the liminal state known as the Land of the Rising Sun.
• Commentary on Japan’s perception of otaku culture — A follow up ask to a post about #FE; who in Japan would actually play a game like that?
• A hodgepodge of specific Japan questions — People tend to be curious about the Japanese lifestyle. 
• Are JRPGs really "juvenile"? — I explain what I mean with some personal examples. Follow-up: Why Tokyo is unquestionably the center of the Japan gaming universe.

Asks about theology, demonology, etc. in general 

• Defining Satan — The Satans of different religions helped me formulate important concepts for WE! 
• Is Buer a good guy? Plus the 72 demons — A complete breakdown of Goetia personalities that became one of my most popular posts.

Asks about the SMT series in general

• Is there a unifying SMT canon? — I'd rather unify my head into a lit cannon.
  
• How Satanic are SMT games? — 666 reasons to play SMT.
  
• Why do some demons relive their own myths? | Follow up: The fluidity of demon identities and demons as cultural memes — The Eternal Return.
• Thoughts on Atlus USA’s localizations compared to Japanese — Includes Pepsiman's comments.
• Who is Nocturne’s Lady in Black? | Follow-up — Why the Lady in Black probably has no extra significance.
• Who has the moral high ground in SMT? — Is Lucifer really any "better" than YHVH?
• Where are Heaven and Hell in SMT? — Not just above and below.
• Was there a change to Nocturne's opening text between the JP and US releases? — Contains links to each opening movie iteration.
• Gender inequality in SMT protagonists — Lack of diversity in player choices.
• LGBT in SMT — Even MORE lack of diversity. 
• Nocturne doesn't have a plot you cray cray —  Literally nothing happens in Nocturne...right?
• My friend was present in Shinjuku when YHVH prefaced SMT4F's launch stream — Brief comments.
• Miniskirts and thighs in SMT — A grand tradition!
• The Nocturne battle lyrics | Follow-up: Fierce Battle and Revelation — I'm still positive the interpreted lyrics have nothing to do with the "real" thing, but I've since become convinced there is something to the Revelation mentions in Fierce Battle.
• Is cyberpunk dead? — Am I a replicant? 
• Which guest artists might be appropriate for SMT? — They absolutely exist! Like elves! 
• Why isn't there more merchandise produced for the SMT main series? — The Animate Effect and much more. 
• Why are Apocalypse's characters considered to be bad? | Follow-up: The effects of vicariousness and projection  — Parts 1 and 2 of 599.
• Dagda and the Thermian argument — It's always stronger to consider fiction as the work of human authors. 
• Opinions on Law's unpopularity — When I talk about fanbases here I believe I specifically mean Western ones.
• Follow-up 1 — Some real-life analogues.
• Follow-up 2 — Do Nocturne's factions really make no sense?
• Will I ever play Persona 5? — Probably not. Especially not for the following: 
• Anon tries to sell me on Persona 5 because it has "lots of implied rape" — This actually happened. 
• What does the name "Luster Candy" mean? — I'm tired and can't think of anything clever for this one. Delete this blog.

 

Lists and personal opinions

• My recommendations on where to start with the SMT series — Just don't play Nocturne, it has no story!
• My thoughts on Persona 3 and Persona 4 — I did have a good time playing those games.
• Creatures I'd like to see in SMT? — Folkloric beasts that deserve a shot.
• Who is your most hated demon? — Oh, I have an idea or two...
• More of why I dislike her — This is getting personal, indeed...
• Real loli gods they can use instead? — Gods of Akihabara?  
• Why do I hate lolis? — Because they are lolis (in games mostly aimed at teen-adult men, specifically)!  
• Another ask about my least favorites — Slightly different, ree-ally cold-hearted choices this time, ho!  
• Demons that need redesigns? — The shabbiest demons around.
• Which demons would Jonathan and Walter have used? — Shame we never got to see them.
• My opinion on SMT's non-mythological demons — BETELGEUSE, BETELGEUSE, BETELGEUSE
• Which demons are underrated? — I initially missed the point of this ask, but that just means MORE CONTENT for you!
• My Top 5 Kaneko Demons — Some of them weren't even redesigned for SMT4A!
• Another Top 5 — Makes it a top ten! Amazing!
• My favorite female demons — My personal goddesses.
• What newer pop culture stuff would make good demons or bosses? — Should Chaos truly reign? 
• Is Nocturne overrated? — True Demon Ending, definitely.  
• The initial Strange Journey Redux Demeter reveal — Plus the weird idea that Metatron's design is somehow pandering. It also lead to the following:  
• Metatron and UFOs — When sleek robots are too sleek. 
• Haniel is a naked little boy, checkmate — Not all nudity is the same. 
• My Top 5 Pandering Designs in SMT — This thread's logical conclusion.
• What is my least favorite SMT game? — The fox has it. 
• What are my favorite volumes of Kaneko's Crib Notes? — Like picking favorite children!
• Should (so and so) be in Shin Megami Tensei? — The answer is usually "yes"!   
• A wish for Fujin and Raijin designed by Kaneko — Maybe one day we'll be able to peer into alternate realities and see them. Ya never know! 
• Omega Maelstrom X's need for compelling monsters and moments — I never found out what this was for, maybe I never will! 
• Could the SMT4 guest artists have produced better demons with better direction? And my favorite from each. — I actually have to choose?
• My take on Shoji Meguro? — My Meguro Era has passed, I think.  
• Bug Sex leads to vintage Raidou 2 thoughts — My original take on King Abaddon and how my stance has changed since.  
• What do I think of Digital Devil Saga? — Memories of my Megami Tensei infancy. 

 

Asks about demon races

• Explanation of Holy race demons — The clues are in the kanji.
• What is the Entity race? — Albion, Alilat, and their ilk.
• What is a Tenma and how are they different from a Fury? — Umm, one is in Japanese and one is in English?
• Fouls and Frank Zappa — Over-Nite Sensation is a great album.
• Are there too many Japanese-exclusive races? — Doesn't appear to be! 

 

Trolling & Drolling 

SMT is a very serious series.

• Voiding Troll attacks — Try another strategy.
• Xenogears+Xenosaga is better than all the SMT... — ALL THE SMT
• A load of bull — *sizzle*
• Play a REAL SHIMMY GUMI WOOMY — This just made me smile.
• I am TRASH — Garbage!
• My opinion of SMT: NINE — I would actually never do that to a limited edition.
• Why does Cerberus have only one head instead of three? — He hasn't been feeling like himself lately.
• What is the internal feedback process like at Atlus? — Remarkably silly, apparently.
• Any good news about Megaten? — Mark my words on this one. Mark my words.
• Spicing up bird designs — Add according to taste.
• What kind of outfit is Mastema wearing? — It might be on sale.
• Trump-eter — *toot*
• Shin Megami Tensei Simulator 17 — Choose Devilman every time.
• you're so jaded just wow was smt4f that bad — Every game is sacred, every game is great, if you criticize a game, someone on the internet will get quite irate. 
• Krishna's dank reactions — He wants everyone online to know about them.
• Goetia Mad Libs — I am [NOCTURNE STRATEGY GUIDE] and I command [1973] legions of demons.
• What is my pick for greatest game of all time? — I knew it immediately.
• Am I an elitist? — One of many results when you criticize something and the people who disagree don't have a proper counterargument.  
• Am I a "Nostalgia Hog?" — I was a North American Fall Webworm in my former life.
• Do people think Agony is literally Jesus? — Get results fast!
• Why am I still so obsess with this series? — It's almost as if there are actual dimensions to liking something!
• My top 3 Sin Megoomi Woomi games — Remember when the "Megami Tensei" franchise umbrella didn't exist?
• Who is the biggest piece of shit of them all? — It really does cause headaches!  
• Why does r/Megaten hate me? — They're just jealous of my empty box collection. 
• Inspirational and uplifting screenshots — SMT4 and 4A quotes to get you into the right moods.  
• Skyrim review — Lucifer scales a sheer cliff on a horse. 
• Why does Jewish YHVH quote Jesus? — Because nothing matters when you don't care! 
• Everyone loves a rhythm game spinoff! — Sick burnin' up the dance floor.  
• Are there Megaten coloring books? — You know, For Your Health. 
• How can they top mono v. poly in SMT5? — They're big in Japan! 
• Kool-Aid Man in SMT5? — In a form made with modern Atlus sensibilities. 
• Will SMT get the Sonic Mania treatment? — It's back, in Werehog form.
• What is the Werehog? — It's the SMT circle of life. 
• I am the Grumpy SMT Grandpa — Joe and Professor E would be proud of me.

 

People really want to know where Kaneko is and what he's been doing / other Atlus staff

• One | Two — Where is this guy hiding?
• Did Kaneko's designs themselves have something to do with his departure? — Is Kaneko too distinct for his own good?
• Will we ever see Kaneko Works IV? — This one's from December 2015, way before it was actually announced.
• What will be in Kaneko Works IV and beyond? — They will be found next to Joseph Smith's golden tablets. 
• Did Kaneko produce Evangelion fanart? — A cruel artist's thesis. (Short answer is "no," btw)
• Will Kaneko be involved with future Atlus projects? — Why it might actually be bad for the company if he made a sudden return.  
• Why isn't there official artwork for SMT2 YHVH and some other bosses? — I can tell by the pixels. 
• Kaneko appears! ...For a Lost Child interview — He lives, but for another company's game. Honestly, that's totally Kaneko.
• Whose are the "MEG" and "SOE" signatures on some Kaneko art? — Key players of the Atlus art union. 

 

The theology of Shin Megami Tensei

• If Seth is a god of chaos, why is he Law? — Can "chaos" sometimes be Lawful?
• Why are Mithra and Mithras usually chaotic? — Oh, these guys again.
• Why does Barong + Rangda = Shiva? | Follow-up — Why is this a tradition?
• Elemental affinities and archangels — Angels and occultism.
• Why do Lucifer and Satan co-exist? | Follow-up: Who is the serpent and who is the rebel? — Their differences in role and definition.
  
• Why is YHVH the way he is? | Follow-up: YHVH and Jehovah? | Further follow-up: Is YHVH evil? — The Granddaddy of all SMT topics. 
• Should SMT take a different approach to God? — Not before it truly understands the basics! 
• SMT4A's weird theological constructs and other things that went wrong with SMT4A's sense of myth: 
• Nihilistic Dagda? — A prelude to Dissecting Dagda.
• Nihilistic and supposedly Light-Neutral? — "Light" means "positive" in SMT, not "light this garbage on fire." 
• Mitra and 4A's other "greatest hits" — What is a "Mitra Bodhisattva," anyway?
  
• Krishna, the...monotheist? — A thrilling conflict of monotheism vs. monotheism, from a certain point of view. 
• SMT4A's Observation and why it was poorly implemented — From the mythical to the technical. 
• Is Apocalypse's take on YHVH incestuously inspired? — Was this version of YHVH more inspired by the Bible or fan-like preconceptions or misinterpretations of SMT2's YHVH?
• Which myths would be taboo for SMT? — Boy, I sure was off-base about one of those...
• Why has Jesus not appeared in SMT? — Jesus saves...often. He must fuse a lot, like me. 
• The Kabbalah and Nocturne's Fiends — Do the "Candelabra" correspond to or mean anything? 

 

Asks about individual demons and/or identities

• Who is Otogo-douji? — Some little kid on a wheel? WTF
• Ippon-datara — The one-legged yokai.
• Kinmamon and Aramisaki — Obscure Japanese gods.
• Gozu-Tennoh — The ox-headed pestilence god.
• Who is Devil Summoner’s Ocelot(l)? — Another obscurity, this time from Mexico.
• Is Mara actually female? | Follow-up: What do the Japanese versions say? — A one-time joke that has turned into a pervasive misidentification.
• SMT if...'s "Little Rama"? — This demon's true name.
• Why did they use Demiurge rather than Yaldabaoth in Strange Journey? — Why does SMT not always use the "better" design when there's a choice?
• SJ's Ouroborus and the "child," "skull," "frog," and "dragon" — What could these possibly mean?
• What the heck is SMT's Tammuz? | Follow-up | Further follow-up: +Pabilsag — To be clear, I still don't have an answer about Tammuz. 
• Es and Freudian symbolism — Demon inspiration comes from the weirdest places.
• The demon "Volvo" = BOMBO | Follow-up: Revisting the Mystery Demons — How did Japanese get "Volvo," anyway?
• Where exactly does Silky come from? — The housekeeping fairy gets a source.
• Atsuyu = Yayu? — A really obscure SMT1 demon might be Chinese.
• Why is Kazfiel a Herald when the compendium says he fell from grace? — An angel's complicated history.
• Master Therion = Aleister Crowley's "Great Beast" of Thelema | Follow-up — The proof's all here. 
• Why is Baphomet a Law-aligned demon? — And it has nothing to do with the claim that his name is a corruption of Muhammad's! 
• Strange Journey Redux's "Face Wheel" — I predicted Shekinah! Yay me.  
• Nocturne's cutting room floor Amaterasu + would she have been a good fit? — Proof that there are demons Kaneko designed that never saw the light of day. 
• Shin Megami Tensei V's little trailer devils — Predicting what the only-yet-known design from Doi might be.  
• Megami Tensei II's Dead Lobster — It's named after Red Lobster, apparently. ...I know, right?  
• Zurvan and retcons in SMT + follow-up — Atlus' post-release story additions usually aren't up to the standards of the original. 
• Should Baal or Beelzebub have the edge on power? — Death Battle vs. blitzkrieg. 
• Do the Japanese versions of SMT use the Japanese names of Hindu and Buddhist deities? — A question of nomenclature for Krishna, Maitreya, and more. 
• The identity of Shin Megami Tensei if...'s Chefei / チェフェイ — This was a submission. Sheds new light on that sly fox deity. 

 

Asks about demon designs

• Why is Tam Lin a Cu Chulainn recolor? — He's green with envy.
• Why is White Rider’s horse covered in eyes? — The better to see you with, my dear.
• Scathach’s design — Red isn't a very shadowy color!
• What is written on Seraph's hand fans? | Follow-up — A Hebrew speaker chimes in.
• Isn't it underwhelming that YHVH is just a head? — No "a head" puns here!
• Tsukuyomi's design — One cool swirling mass.
• How did Jack Frost become the series mascot? — Was his rise to the top the result of natural talent? Or were there "favors" involved?
• Devil Survivor's Belberith incorporates SMT2 Bael, not Pabilsag — Seems SMT2 Bael is easily overlooked. I can empathize.
• Why Inanna's design looks more like a persona than demon | Follow-up: Too hard on Doi? — Inanna dontwanna.
• Why does SMT2 Anubis hold a caduceus? — Mythological syncreticism in action.
• What is Lailah holding in her hands? — YHVH's baby-maker. 
• Mitra and the leontocephaline design — Mitra, Mithra, and Mithras have 99 problems and the lion-head is all of them. 
• Why does Atlus say Lucifer's true form has 12 wings? — The real answer is that this appears to be a Devilman reference.  
• Commentary on Doi's Shesha, Miroku, and Satan concept designs — These are definitely cleverer than what we got.  
• Why I find Doi's Odin underwhelming: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 — I will probably expand these into a larger post! (After Dagda's)
• Dogpiling Doi's Zeus — To think Doi exceeded Odin...
• Why is Ultra Odin a big deal? — Don't know why I'm archiving these posts when the Odin article these evolved into already exists.
• How to improve Zeus and Demeter — It's easy! 
• Zeus comes close to being good? — The only reason I'm archiving these is because they were used in the Odin article, honest!
• Why does NINE's Mary's second form have a dinosaur (and a fish)? — I feel like I'm wrong about this, but also that it's a fairly good guess. 
• Why is Set a dragon? — He's one Great Beast. 
• Why am I so critical of demon designs that stray from the source? — The ones that do are a dime a dozen!
• What are my standards? — So I did publish those demon design categories before the Odin article, huh. 
• Why are Alice and Djinn "Disney'd"? — For Djinn, it has to do with Robin Williams! 
• Why are Metatron and Sandalphon robots? — This has been addressed elsewhere, but I want to be able to easily remind myself of that TT post included here where I talk about how demon designs are now sometimes interpreted diegetically, which is not great. 
• Will Mara always be just a dick joke? — Speaking of design diegesis... 
• Adramelech is pretty as a peacock — From Sept. 2017. It's relevant to this: 
• The value of "cute" or "sexy" demons — A woman's take on the subject, which I find valuable to know!
• Cool, sexy women, but having to interact with them as a male avatar — Representation is not one of Atlus' concerns.   
• The secret dichotomy of Demeter and Inanna — Is this Freaky Friday or something? 
• Why do I love Kaneko's Satan? — Because it's pandering, obviously. Look at all those boobs! 
• How do Doi's "pandering" demons like Mermaid or Demeter differ from Kaneko's Angel? — This tends to be a heated topic!