tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post5675728847852897683..comments2024-03-29T07:44:02.365-04:00Comments on Dreams in the Lich House: Mythic Monday: I Sold My Soul for D&DJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-84705101564150072482011-05-25T02:29:36.289-04:002011-05-25T02:29:36.289-04:00I just watched 1980 Flash Gordon again with my kid...I just watched 1980 Flash Gordon again with my kids, and I was struck by how Ming the merciless was Mephistopheles. There's even a moment when he offers Flash a kingdom, at the price of his principles (such as we see them). Really the only nod to yellow peril in that (or any?) version is his moustache. <br /><br />Seeing him that way suddenly makes sense of him. In the old b/w shorts he's always on the run, making mischief, seldom the mighty emperor: he's like the devil in a medieval woodcut, crawling up from below, reminding us of his serpent nature. <br /><br />Re your other recent posts, I've been having trouble with Cthulhu and Dragons for the flavour-clash reasons you cite. Is Cthulhu then just another dragon? Or are dragons restored to real horror status? Could the devil be a way into merging the two? He has a tempting face, but underneath is as alien as could be. Maybe both his tempting and his malevolence are just things people say about him, because they don't/won't see its true nature.richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517340075234811323noreply@blogger.com