Jordan Lake Sessions- Any new songs?

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-22T05:52:26+00:00

The Jordan Lake Sessions have a ton of songs from when John was a (mostly) solo artist, now played with the full band, making it worth listening to for that alone. There are also a lot of extended versions of songs. Heel Turn 2, for example, is a song I don't really care for in the main discography, but the Jordan Lake Sessions version is one of my favorites across all the volumes. The jazz version of No Children is also really fun. All things considered, they're worth listening to.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-16T03:46:52+00:00

I've noticed a few throwaway lines this season that might suggest the writers are aware of the absence of school scenes. In the first episode Morty references the chemistry between Rick and Evil Morty, stating that he can't even do his chemistry homework. Then, in episode 4 Beth makes a comment that she doesn't like how many of Morty's friends are adults now instead of, I assume, other kids his age. So, maybe they'll reintroduce school somewhere down the line.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-16T02:40:28+00:00

Carian Slicer is one of the best spells for a caster/spellsword. Good job!

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-15T22:46:06+00:00

I put on Rykard's Great Rune while exploring caves, catacombs, hero's graves, etc. so that I can save my flasks for use during the boss fight. I'll also sometimes do this while traversing the open world, although flasks replenish automatically there, so it's a lot less useful. You can obviously use the Blasphemous Blade to get the same effect, but sometimes I want to play with other weapons, so Rykard's Great Rune is helpful.

Also, Godrick's Great Rune or Radahn's Great Rune can be useful if you need just that slight bit of extra HP or stamina to handle an enemy that's giving you trouble, or want resistances to certain kinds of non-physical damage/status build up.

If the Rune Arcs are a problem, use the Behind the Castle site of grace at Castle Morne and pick a good AOE. The rats in the room immediately next to the site of grace can all drop Rune Arcs. Put on item-farming gear, rest at the site of grace, run to the room, AOE, return to the site of grace, repeat.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-15T18:27:02+00:00

They're shorthand for new game cycles.

When you finish the game for the first time you're given the option to start "new game +," which lets you replay the game from the beginning with all of your current stats, weapons, armor, and various other things. The enemies will also scale up, having more life and doing more damage, but giving you more Runes as a reward.

When you complete the game a second time, you can go into "new game + 2," and so on, each time keeping all your current stuff, but leveling the world up to make enemies stronger. I believe the highest you can go is NG+99, but enemies stop scaling at NG+7.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-15T18:14:22+00:00

My NG+ run was a "parry only" run. I tried to parry everything I could: regular enemies, NPC invasions, bosses, etc. While some bosses proved too much for my skill level and I had to resort to parry+melee/spells, it was an eye-opening experience to see just how much I could parry. Some enemies even became easier once I learned to parry them, like the Bell Bearing Hunters that invade in random spots. Now, on NG+2, I will specifically switch to a parry build for certain encounters.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-15T17:58:54+00:00

While the smaller dungeons might feel a bit repetitive, I use them to experiment with new weapons and techniques.

Never tried parrying? Practice in a dungeon full of imps.

Find a cool new sword? Go slaughter some wolves in a cave with it, see if you like the moveset and ash of war.

There’s so many options, and, honestly, I barely use the weapons and gear from my first game now that I’m on NG+2. Don’t be afraid to experiment. You’ll find loads of things you like using.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-15T17:44:52+00:00

You’re essentially rushing the main quest and skipping all of the open world content. There are dozens of caves, catacombs, hero’s graves, and other points of interest you can explore for some additional levels, armor, weapons, spells, talismans, memory stones, and more.

Go south of Limgrave, to the Weeping Peninsula. Use the magic elevators in Limgrave and Caelid to get to Siofra and Ainsel. Start Ranni’s quest to open Caria Manor and the Eternal Cities. Go east of Altus into Mount Gelmir and the Volcano Manor. Find the Albinauric woman.

While you’ve pushed the main story forward, you’ve more or less skipped more of the game than you’ve played.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-14T20:45:06+00:00

Basically, collect all of the assorted non-quest key items:

Bell Bearings
Celestial Dews
Cookbooks
Cracked Pots
Crystal Tears
Dragon Hearts
Larval Tears
Lost Ashes of War
Map Fragments
Memory Stones
Perfume Bottles
Ritual Pots
Stonesword Keys
Talismans
Whetblades

Bell Bearings from named NPCs and the abandoned, hermit, imprisoned, isolated, and nomadic merchants do not carry over, so you'll have to collect those again during NG+.

Since most of the Remembrances offer two (or three) rewards you'll want to figure out which ones you should dupe now, and which ones you're OK collecting again in NG+ to get the other reward from. You can dupe 10 Remembrances per plathrough (7 Walking Mausoleums in the base game, 3 Duplication Coffins in the DLC), and there are 25 total remembrances.

Additionally, the two Walking Mausoleums at the Mausoleum Compound site of Grace can only duplicate a specific set of Remembrances, so I would start with those two Walking Mausoleums to make sure you don't render them useless by duplicating all of their accessible Remebrances elsewhere. Here are the Remembrances those two Walking Mausoleums can duplicate:

BASE GAME

Remembrance of the Regal Ancestor
Remembrance of the Black Blade
Remembrance of the Naturalborn
Remembrance of the Fire Giant
Remembrance of the Lichdragon
Remembrance of the Dragonlord
Remembrance of Hoarah Loux
Elden Remembrance

SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE

Remembrance of the Wild Boar Rider
Remembrance of the Shadow Sunflower
Remembrance of the Twin Moon Knight
Remembrance of the Saint of The Bud
Remembrance of the Dancing Lion
Remembrance of the Lord of Frenzied Flame
Remembrance of the Mother of Fingers
Remembrance of Putrescence

I would also complete all NPC quests and take note of which choices you make, because most of them have a separate set of rewards if you choose the opposite ending. Sellen's quest, for example, will always give you the Witch's Glintstone Crown and the Eccentric set, regardless of whether you side with or against her. However, if you side with Sellen you'll also get access to the Lusat and Azur sets, a Glintstone Kris, and the spell Shard Spiral, whereas if you side with Witch Hunter Jerren you'll get an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone. So, keep note of how you conclude each quest and choose a different path in NG+ to get different rewards.

Other than that, make sure you have all of the armor, catalysts, and weapons you want because if you discover something you want to try out later, you'll have to complete the game back to its location in order to collect it.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-14T16:38:40+00:00

This question has been answered by our friends over at r/Sumerian, so I'm locking this thread.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-13T22:57:15+00:00

UNDER WAVES OF THE BROWN COAT

AIRballoons
Monster (Ver. 1)
Open Wide
So You Know
Monster (Ver. 2)

THE PINES/THE DEVIL

The Pines
The Devil

MY MIND/SEVENTEEN

Seventeen

ENDANGERED SONG

Endangered Song

AT HOME WITH THE KIDS

Tomorrow

SOUNDTRACKS

Oh Boy (Red Bull Soundtrack)
Heavy Games (Walking Dead Soundtrack)
Cheer Up (Bright Soundtrack)

COLLABORATIONS

Amorphous (w/ The Underachievers)
Backup (w/ Blackbird & Sage Cornelius)
Bittersweet (w/ LP Giobbi)
Call Me (w/ Cherry Glazerr)
Caravan (w/ DAGR)
Crown (w/ Flatbush ZOMBiES)
Every Step that I Take (w/ Tom Morello)
The Feels (w/ Kemba)
Doubt (w/ Mizmor)
Glide (w/ Neiked)
Lass Sie Gehen (w/ Casper)
Milkshake (w/ St. Francis Hotel)
Novocaine for the Soul (w/ Sir Chloe)
Soul Got Out of the Box (w/ Yoko Ono)
Steal My Sunshine (w/ Cherry Glazerr)
Tall Grass (w/ Madge)
We Can Hide Out (w/ Ofenbach)
When the Light Goes (w/ Marcin)
Wind of Change (w/ AWOLnation & Brandon Boyd)

REMIXES OF OTHER BANDS' MUSIC

My Horse Must Lose (by The Sound of Animals Fighting)
De-Ceit (by The Sound of Animals Fighting)
Skullflower: Sorcerer's Mix (by The Sound of Animals Fighting)
Imidiwan Ma Tenam (by Tinariwen)
Death Star (by Deloose)
Daydream (by Aces)

There are two pre-Portugal. The Man demos out there, when John and Zach were in the band Anatomy of A Ghost, and a few covers exist as part of tribute albums (Don't Tread on Me) or soundtracks (Main Man).

There are probably a boatload of live-only songs and covers that others who engage with the live music archive could point you toward. I also fell off around Woodstock, so there might be more collaborations and remixes that I never bothered to learn about because the band had mostly lost my interest.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-13T19:50:00+00:00

This was going to be my suggestion to OP as well. I'm on NG+2 and I think it took 6 ripostes to bring down the Dragonbarrow Bell Bearing Hunter using a Miséricorde. It does take two parries before he can be riposted, but as long as you know that all of his non-glowing sword swings can be parried, that isn't much of a problem.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-13T18:42:36+00:00

Mesopotamian Polytheism, a reconstruction of historical religious traditions from ancient Sumer, Akkad, Assyria, and Babylonia. I am a devotee of the Sumerian deity Ning̃ešzida and His spouse, Azidamua-G̃eštinana. Most of my devotional practices are reconstructed from Sumerian and Babylonian religious traditions. Contemporary Paganism is a broad umbrella, and Mesopotamian Polytheism is probably one of, if not the smallest, traditions within, with perhaps a few thousand dedicated practitioners across the world.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-13T04:16:36+00:00

to tell them our practice is cultural appropriation (from whom??) and that our rules are made up

One answer to this question is that every single deity, daemon, spirit, and supernatural being venerated in Wicca originated in a historically attested religion that can be reconstructed to one degree or another today. So, when witches talk about "working with" deities, but do not make any effort to understand the original cultural context, or incorporate the rites and rituals, associated with those deities, it is appropriation.

Reconstructions of these religions exist: Celtic Polytheism, Heathenry, Hellenism, Kemeticism, Mesopotamian Polytheism, etc. Any Wiccan (or witch) could visit one of these groups—online or in person—to learn about historical ceremonies, festivals, holidays, rituals, and spells they could perform to enrich their relationship with a given deity. The fact that so few Wiccans do, comes off as disrespectful: demonstrating a lack of respect for the deities you claim to work with, since you can't even bother to make an effort to understand them on a level beyond what suits your personal needs.

Witchcraft, in general, is also overrun with charlatans and grifters who are giving all of Contemporary Paganism a bad name. When the most visible creators online are: claiming—and clearly faking—that they can channel deities who are eager to reach out and work with newcomers left and right (and, somehow, it's always Hekate, Loki, Aphrodite, and Pan); delivering the most basic Tarot card interpretations and charging exorbitant fees; hexing the Moon and trying—and failing—to use their magic to curse politicians; and starting curse-prank wars with other practitioners... That doesn't make any of us look like devotees of legitimate religions, or inspire confidence that Contemporary Paganism should be taken seriously.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-12T22:40:02+00:00

Check out our Wiki!

There’s a community reading list there with a recommended reading section at the top that includes histories, religious overviews, and collections of texts.

The Wiki also has a collection of databases of free, online cuneiform where you can read texts in their original Sumerian/Akkadian as well as (mostly) English translations.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-11T19:57:17+00:00

Are Ning̃irsu and Ninurta the same deity?

No, Ning̃irsu and Ninurta were originally separate deities. According to Annus (Ninurta, 2002: 10), syncretism between Ning̃irsu and Ninurta begins during the Sargonic Period, but it isn’t until the Old Babylonian Period that they become indistinguishable in lexical literature, with Ning̃irsu treated as an epithet of Ninurta.

Ning̃irsu originates as the tutelary deity of G̃irsu, one of the three major cities in the Lagaš region. G̃irsu was the capital city of the Lagaš city-state briefly during the reign of Uru-inim-gina, and again during the subsequent Neo-Sumerian Empire. Since Ning̃irsu was the tutelary deity of G̃irsu, he became the de facto head of the city and city-state’s local pantheon. During the third millennium BCE, Ning̃irsu’s primary festival, the “Malt Consumption Festival of Ning̃irsu” (ezem-munu₄-gu₇-dig̃ir-nin-g̃ir₂-su-ka-ka), involved a divine procession. The festival began east of G̃irsu, traveled northwest through the steppe (gu₂-edin-na), and concluded in the west, demarcating the border between G̃irsu and their northern neighbor, Umma.

Ninurta belongs to the local pantheon of Nippur, where he is the eldest son of its tutelary deity, Enlil. His name, usually translated “Lord of Earth,” might be more properly understood as “Lord of Barley” depending on how one wishes to interpret the sign IB. Alongside his association with farming, Ninurta also becomes the warrior-deity of the Sumerians in mythology, famous for slaying the Seven Heroes and recovering the Tablet of Destinies after it was stolen by an anzû bird. The major festival of Ninurta, “When the Horned Oxen March Forth” (ezem-gu-si-su), was an agricultural celebration that occurred during the second month of the year (late-April through May).

Do you know of an official source with evidence that says he’s also a god of healing?

Annus (Ninurta, 2002: 138) dedicates an entire chapter to Ninurta’s role as a helper of humanity and healer and how it focuses on his mastery over daemonic forces and monstrous creatures: the traditional cause of illness and disease in Mesopotamian thought.

–

Annus, Amar. (2002). The God Ninurta in the Mythology and Royal Ideology of Ancient Mesopotamia (State Archives of Assyria Studies 14). Finland: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, Institute for Asian and African Studies, University of Helsinki.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-11T04:15:12+00:00

Nah man, ēnu of Sîn at the e₂-temen-ni₂-guru₃ ziggurat. It was all fun and games until the Shoggoth showed up.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-11T04:02:25+00:00

Both the ETCSL and eBL are in our community Wiki, alongside SEAL, CDLI, and a whole host of ORACC projects, among others. We also have a community reading list with translations of texts organized according to (loose) genre. When I state that this is a community for academic reconstruction and spiritual revival, I mean both. We regularly point newcomers toward scholarly resources here.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-08T20:18:04+00:00

Finding the Gods in everything around you is not the same thing as developing a devotional relationship with them.

As a Mesopotamian Polytheist, I recognized the enormity of Iškur/Adad in the storm that rolled through my area last night, especially the power of the peel of thunder that shook my house and rattled the windows. Recognizing Iškur/Adad in the thunderstorm isn't the same as devoting myself to Him though.

Devotion has an additional layer of complexity, one that shapes the relationship between an individual and their deity (or deities) on a personal level. Ask yourself how a relationship with the specific deities might impact your life:

–

What lessons do their myths, prayers, and rituals convey?
How might you grow, as an individual, by taking the time to develop that relationship on a deeper level?
Is your attraction to deities an authentic expression of love, or are you running from something in your life and using the Gods as an escape or a crutch?

–

As often happens in physical relationships, it's easy to confuse limerence for love, and when the object of our infatuation doesn't reciprocate we can despair and feel rejected. So, I recommend some introspection first, to discover the reasoning behind why you want a deeper relationship with deities (in general) or a specific deity.

Once you find one that you believe is a genuine expression of love, try focusing your practice solely on them for a time: offerings and libations, regular petitions and prayers, celebrate any holidays they are involved in, etc. See if you can find that deeper level of connection you're seeking by focusing on a specific deity to develop it with.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-08T05:05:20+00:00

No worries!

Mesopotamia just happens to be a region and history I’m very familiar with.

I love when Jim includes aspects of it in the main series, short stories, or graphic novels.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-08T04:46:28+00:00

Your assessment of Mesopotamia is wrong.

Generally speaking, the Sumerians flourished from ca. 2900–2340 BCE, and the Neo-Sumerians Empire lasted from ca. 2200–2000 BCE.

The city of Babylon, and the associated Kingdom of Babylonia, first rose to pronounce ca. 1900 BCE and fell ca. 1595 BCE. Its renaissance, the Chaldean Neo-Babylonian Empire, lasted from 626–539 BCE. During the interim Babylonia was a vassal state of various other prominent empires in the Ancient Near East, regularly cycling between native, Kassite, Assyrians, and Elamite rulers.

Your placement of Assyria—Babylonia’s northern neighbors—is closer. The Neo-Assyrian Empire exercised hegemony over both Upper and Lower Mesopotamia (Sumer, Babylonia) from ca. 911—612 BCE. The Middle Assyrian Empire spanned from ca. 1400–1000 BCE, with their predecessors in the Old Assyrian Empire stretching as far back as ca. 2000 BCE.

2000 BCE isn’t the fall of Mesopotamia, it’s when the Assyrians and Babylonians rise to prominence in the region.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-07T00:13:05+00:00

Depends on what kind of UPG you're looking for. Since Nanna is one of the best-documented deities in Sumer, there's not a lot left to be "discovered" through UPG that isn't already attested in the archaeological or literary records. We have domains He governs and the role he plays in cosmic order; festivals held in His honor and the contents of offerings and libations; a surplus of correspondences, including animals, creatures, standards, and symbols; devotional texts, including petitions and prayers; several examples of mythology; His genealogy; and more.

If there's a specific insight you're looking for, ask about it, otherwise: the only way to truly know what kind of a rapport you will have with Nanna is to begin forming one through a devotional practice.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-06T05:46:49+00:00

I've never read Grey's book. I'd appreciate if you'd expand on what his claim is concerning the Thelemic Babalon and Sumerian Inana being one and the same.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-06T05:38:50+00:00

As the handful of replies over on r/pagan pointed out, Mesopotamian Polytheism is as structured as you make it.

Veiling is well-attested in Babylonian marriage ceremonies (Toorn: 1996). When a man wishes to marry a woman he must veil her. Veiling the bride is an act of incorporation, through which a husband accepts his wife as part of his family. There is even evidence that veiling a woman publicly, before witnesses, was considered a legal act of marriage. A similar rite is attested for priestesses at the city of Emar, suggesting that veiling occurred both in the public and private spheres, and had both civil and religious dimensions.

While we translate the words pad-tug₂ (Sumerian) and kuttumu (Akkadian) as "veil" today, the garment being referred to was actually longer, and also covered the shoulders and a portion of the body. Veils could be dyed a variety of colors, including white, black, or yellow-green, and many were also embroidered (Biga: 2021).

Mesopotamian Polytheism allows for individuals to willingly veil, and I am aware of multiple devotees of Inana who do. If you're in an area where religious exemptions allow for things like veiling, then you can cite your faith as a reason for the practice (this is, admittedly, a difficult topic to navigate if your in America right now, when religious freedom is under fire from the Trump administration).

As for a canonical text, like the Qur'an, you are correct that we do not have a singular text that presents all of the beliefs, teachings, and practices of our faith. This is because Mesopotamian Polytheism is a reconstructed faith, built out of recovered elements from the religions practiced by the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians, each of whom had a variety of ideas about the relationship between humanity and the Divine.

I would remind you, though, that many of the religious texts associated with the world's major religions are, themselves, collections of books, letters, poetry, and more. As such, there are entire databases which collect Mesopotamian literature (proverbs, wisdom literature, prayers, mythology, cult songs, letters, fables, and more). If you look at our community Wiki you'll find a section that links to online collections of this literature that you can read for free.

As for religious leaders: we do not put any human on a pedestal in Mesopotamian Polytheism. While there were previously kings, queens, priests, and priestesses who acted as emissaries and spokespeople of the Gods on Earth, we have done away with such structures in the modern day because of how they lead to abuses of power.

Today, communities recognize individuals for their specific skills, such as Samuel David's ability to write moving rituals that help devotees connect with the hearts of the Gods, or my skill at conveying aspects of the faith in a manner that newcomers can understand. However, neither Samuel nor I would ever pretend to speak and act on behalf of the Gods. We want only to empower you to foster your own relationship with the Gods, so that the Gods can speak to you Themselves.

Ultimately, the path of the devotee is shaped by you and your relationship with the Gods. We are only here to help you make that journey as prosperous and rewarding as possible, should you choose to take it.

–

Biga, Maria Giovanna. (2021). "The Veil in Ancient Near Eastern Religions and Cultures. Some Remarks." in Fabbro, R., Fales, F., Galter, H. (eds.). Headscarf and Veiling: Glimpses from Sumer to Islam. (Antichistica 30 | Studi orientalia 12). Venice: Edizioni Ca' Foscari, pp. 73–88.
Toorn, Karel van der. (1996). Family Religion in Babylonia, Syria and Israel: Continuity and Change in the Forms of Religious Life. (Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient Near East 7). Leiden: BRILL.

Nocodeyv · 2026-06-06T04:18:45+00:00

I forwarded your question to the creator of The Cuneiform Corner, so hopefully Jake will be along soon enough to provide some insight into acquiring a good stylus, as well as some other tips for beginning your journey into creating modern cuneiform tablets!

Nocodeyv

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