Meet Voss

He doesn't remember what ordinary thing he was doing when it happened.

He remembers before; a quiet and unremarkable life, sure, but it was *his*. And he remembers the after; which is Pip, already perched, already watching him with the patience of a thing that has been waiting a long time and is relieved the wait is finally over. Voss didn't go looking for this. He is still not quite sure what *this* is.

Voss is neat about everything. His coat, his words, the careful way he stands in a room as though he's already located the exits and decided which one he prefers. He watches people the some people watch fires, waiting for it to inevitably get out of hand but already knowing when that will happen. He's not unfriendly. He just seems that way because of his carefulness.

Ask him what Pip is and he will pause for a long time before responding: "I'm still working on that".

---

Meet Pip

Small. Fast. Certain, in an unearned way.

He arrived without invitation nor explanation.

He finishes sentences. Not out of impatience, but because he already knows where the sentence will end, and waiting for it to come seems like a dreadful formality. He is always right about that direction, and knows that this is not entirely endearing. He has not adjusted.

Voss noticed early on that Pip has never said anything provably false. Voss has spent considerable time deciding whether this is reassuring. It is not. Something that has never been wrong is either very wise or has never been tested.

What Pip is, exactly, is a question he deflects with the efficiency of something who has heard it many times and found the asking much more interesting that the answering. Voss asks sometimes, late at night when the camp is quiet. Pip often responds that he is still working on that. Voss suspects this is true, and he is not eased by it.

---

Meet Voss and Pip

If asked, they'll tell you they're not a team. Voss will tell you as much, very carefully, with a pause before the word team like he is checking whether it fits. Pip will tell you much quicker and with more confidence and with zero elaboration. They will then immediately function as a team, and nobody will bring it up, becuase obviously they're a team.

---

Voss is an Aberrant Mind Sorcerer who doesn't so much *cast* as *indicate*, neat and deliberate in everything including violence, built around reading the room before acting and acting *precisely* when he does act. Pip is a familiar by ruling, and something harder to pin down by name in every other measure. Small, construct-adjacent, forward-leaning, eager, with eyes that are slightly too steady and a certainty that has never once wavered in Voss's presence.

In combat, Voss stands at the edge and tilts the table quietly while Pip handles what needs handling. They are the most efficient two voices in the party, and the least forthcoming. And the question of which one of them is actually doing the magic is, as Voss might say, still being worked on.

#iTA #isThisAnything #DnD #TTRPG #CharacterIntro #Homebrew #Sorcerer #Familiar #Construct #DynamicDuo

Distorted Reflection – Doom Zone Review By Kenstrosity

Charm is a powerful drug. At the farthest extremes, charm can alter my perception at a fundamental level, warping what might otherwise be boring, unreliable, or even downright problematic things into something worth defending or even loving. But when it comes to music, charm—in measured doses, of course—allows me to fully enjoy the good in something flawed. This is what ultimately drew me to Greek doom startups Distorted Reflection in 2024, and now again in 2026.

2024’s Doom Rules Eternally introduced founding member Kostas Salodmidis’ new project to the world and established Distorted Reflection’s core of doom. Combining Candlemass riffs with Sorcerer drama and a touch of Sorrows Path shred, that core carries over unchanged into Doom Zone. Kostas’ beefy riffs and screaming solos remain as present as ever, and so does his shaky baritone croon. Vangelis gains greater presence with his bass here, which is a welcome improvement over the debut, burbling in lockstep with riffs and offering counterpoint during solo breaks. Filling out the lineup, Thomas Zen pounds the skins with a swinging stomp that suits this doom-laden material like a fitted suit, classy and reigned into the pocket at all times. It might not be the most exciting or unique formula, but it works.

Unfortunately, Doom Zone lacks the one thing that made Doom Rules Eternally worth covering: charm. Doom Zone isn’t completely soulless, but its flaws dominate my experience, leaving very little room for Distorted Reflection’s earnest delivery and competent riffcraft to shine. Evident from the onset of opener “3000 A.D.” and unrelenting throughout the runtime, Kostas’ vocals conspire to distract and detract at almost every opportunity. Unstable vibrato, strained upper range1, abysmal growls and repetitive melodic phrasing make tracks like “My Second Father,” “Gates of Paranoia,” “Tower of Dreams,” and “Morbid Reality” difficult to enjoy. Doom Zone’s songwriting is also noticeably weaker, suffering from a deeply repetitive structure and monotonous pacing that inevitably stalls any momentum individual elements (riffs, solos, choruses) initiate (“Asphyxiation,” “The Final Attempt”). It’s a good thing, then, that Doom Zone is short, clocking in at a responsible 39 minutes. Even so, it drags such that I routinely check my playback to see if I’m close to the end.

This is a shame, because Distorted Reflection are gifted musicians with great potential. Kostas filled Doom Zone with an arsenal of chunky riffs and high-octane solos (“3000 A.D.,” “Certain Death,” “Diminished,” “Morbid Reality”), many of which aptly reference the great works of the doom metal scene, though perhaps a bit too closely. Zen’s drumming is a perfect fit for this sound as well, and Vangelis’ bass noodling is a delight to hear with such clarity. More importantly, everybody understands their role and can play their instruments well enough to attract the spotlight without having to force it away from someone else. The overarching problem ultimately lies in the songwriting. With the exception of a few solid tracks at the album’s midpoint, like “Diminished,” Doom Zone wholly lacks the dynamics, the creativity, and the voice it needs to succeed.

Charm can go a long way to make me like something I would otherwise pass up. Distorted Reflection almost instantaneously lost the charm they once had after my time with Doom Zone. Unmemorable, uninspired, and at times downright irritating, Doom Zone fails to exhibit Distorted Reflection’s strengths in a way that overshadows their flaws. Instead, it accomplished the inverse. Flaws glare, making the process of picking out highlights a grind, and the experience of enjoying the good a chore. I still have hope that they can turn it around with album three, but as it stands, my recommendation is to leave Doom Zone behind while you traverse the doom zone.



Rating: Bad
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Iron Shield Records
Websites: distortedreflectiondoom.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/distortedreflectiondoom
Releases Worldwide: February 27th, 2026

#15 #2026 #Candlemass #DistortedReflection #DoomMetal #DoomZone #Feb26 #GreekMetal #IronShieldRecords #Review #Reviews #Sorcerer #SorrowsPath
Movie TV Tech Geeks #Movie #Thriller #Sorcerer #TheParallaxView 5 Forgotten '70s Thrillers That Have Aged Like Fine Wine http://dlvr.it/TRNynh

OK, folks, it’s time for a #review!

Yes: I’ve seen #sorcerer, #Chapter4 of #StrangerThingsSeason5, and thought well of it.

You have to love a #demogorgon infested #heist movie, don’t you … ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeWidN44Udg

Stranger Things — Series 5: Chapter 4 — Sorcerer — A Review

YouTube

Candice Night – the ice of early spring and the sun

An airy melody. From the Renaissance. Beautiful. And it plays and sings in the air. I remember how the first snowdrop from this album appeared in winter or early spring. SeaGlass is a large and musical album.

https://dimalinkeng.blogspot.com/2026/02/candice-night-when-i-want-to-fly-ice-of.html\

#candicenight #seaglass #magic #rennasaince #spring #latewinter #ice #cold #fly #likeabird #wind #reflection #fantasy #hills #sorcerer #emotions

Asha and Layla step off the last evening train. Far from only elves on the platform, they are drawn together as if by destiny, as further bits of the same destiny watch from above.

#AshaTheRed #LaylaKass #dnd #warlock #sorcerer #sorclock #rogue #swashbuckler #digitalArt #oc #ocs #HavocDolls

Moon Magic - the landing of a mysterious castle in the city

And this is my drawing based on Shin Megami Tensei 2 (SNES). You're in a mysterious castle. It's landed in the middle of town. And you're drawn there by magical power. The fog clears. The door opens. And lanterns float in the air before you.

#moon #magic #sorcerer #castle #magiccarpet #darkmagic #moonlight #mystical #wizard #vhs #asia #curse #otherworld #persona #eyes #theatre #spectacular #darkness #hall #magician #snes #16bit