#there were obviously little differences but same gist

[hal-5000]

i'm rereading the hunger games books so i finally had an excuse to buy and read the 2 prequels....suzanne the woman you are

[morlock-holmes]

Still thinking about that Astral Codex Ten AI Art Turing test...

I mean... Obviously the one on the right is the human one. Is this some kind of prank? Am I on candid camera?

My suspicion is that what this test demonstrates most conclusively is that we are so thoroughly bombarded with images that we have developed the defensive measure of paying as little attention to them as possible.

We get the gist and then move on as quickly as possible.

Here's someone who did much better than I did on this test explaining their results.

This demonstrates fairly conclusively that nearly all the AI images Alexander chose do in fact, have "tells" which are extremely plain when you attend closely to the details.

In fact, I managed to get 2 out of every 3 correct even with an incredibly lazy and fast-paced assessment carried out on my phone without much recourse to fine detail.

There are two trends I noticed in the comments of the results post.

First, a significant number of ACX posters harbor a suspicion and resentment towards art and good taste, which leads them to suspect that all artistic judgement is essentially arbitrary and based on clout. They don't notice the difference, so there must not be a difference.

Second, a number of people who are clearly AI skeptics gave ground and accepted the idea that the AI images were lacking in "tells" and were especially good, and instead attempted to attack the test on the grounds that this kind of curation was itself unfair.

Both responses indicate, to me, both a fascination with images and a kind of, for lack of a better word, illiteracy about them.

And perhaps most interestingly this illiteracy doesn't seem to obviously vary between pro and anti-AI readers.

To go back to the side by side landscapes up there, the landscape on the left probably has the fewest obvious "tells" of AI art, maybe of all the AI images.

It's also just, you know, a much worse piece of art than the one on the right?

To go back to what I said in an earlier post, the painting on the right draws the eye down the hill. The two figures on the path are expertly set off so that even though they are barely suggested with just a couple of brush strokes, they immediately stand out and draw the eye, causing you to follow the same path they are taking down into the village.

Contrast the image on the left. Which part of the painting is your eye drawn to first? It could really by almost anywhere. No part of the picture is more important than any other, there's very little contrast between, say, the village on the right and the wildflowers on the left. What detail there is is largely because, well, otherwise there wouldn't be a painting.

If you asked 100 art critics which of those paintings was by a renowned master and which one you found hanging in a dentist's office I think all 100 would give you the same answer.

Or take this one:

If you really, really zoom in on the hand on our right, the anatomy is probably wonky, but I didn't notice that, I just thought,

"Okay, but, like, what is this angel, like... Doing?"

This figure, painted in this style, is rife with symbolism. Most likely an angel, or at the very least Icarus, it ought to be extremely clear what sort of emotional/cultural/allegorical/etc. meaning is being communicated, but it is just sort of... looking off yearningly towards nothing.

Culturally, it's just not something that a human would paint as a finished piece.

Actually in general AI seems to tend to either not have a clear focal point, or to have one extremely obvious subject placed right smack dab in the center of the frame.

One of the subtle visual gags in Monty Python and The Holy Grail is that the peasants are often doing things that look, on very cursory examination, as though they are some kind of agricultural activity, but actually they are just hitting random patches of ground with a stick or sitting on the ground and moving mud into a big pile.

And same with this Angel; it looks, at casual glance, to be doing "Angel type stuff" and if you just keep moving you leave with the impression that everything was fine.

But if you stop yourself, go back, and ask, "Wait, specifically what is it doing?" you really can't come up with anything more specific than, "Angel type stuff".

This sort of vagueness is also a tell of AI art.

If what I'm saying sounds a bit frustrated or mean-spirited I think it's because looking at this test has solidified something that I haven't really been able to articulate before, which sort of sums up to the vast majority of talk about AI, regardless of what the conclusion is, evidences a strong emotional investment in images paradoxically combined with a sort of estrangement from them and often even a strong resentment towards them.

Both pro and anti-AI imagery camps contain a tremendous number of people who feel imagery as a kind of imposition, with AI as either an emancipatory force aimed at a tyrannical art world bent on crushing us with arbitrary, incomprehensible images or, on the other hand, as a tyrannical force set to flood us helplessly with a set of incomprehensible images almost entirely against our will.

[vianbarnes]

my buddie going canon ideal scenario and why it could happen before eddie fully realises he’s gay

i’ve been cooking up this scenario for a while now but before going into it i wanna clarify that i don’t think eddie’s homosexuality is tied to buck and just that. i could write a full essay about eddie’s queerness without even mentioning buck. HOWEVER i do think buck could be the key to eddie’s discovery, the last puzzle piece that makes it all make sense.

narratively speaking, i think it could be interesting to see buck and eddie get to the same conclusion (that they’re in love with each other) but in the complete opposite way. while for buck it’s oh shit i’m bi > oh shit i’m in love with eddie, for eddie it would be oh shit i’m in love with buck > oh shit i’m gay. and obviously eddie is starting his own journey just now, so he might realise he’s gay and then it could click for him that all he’s been looking for was there all along, but i do think that - since this is a tv show - it would be interesting to offer a different side of the story to the audience. and yes i know that buck’s queerness and eddie’s queerness are very different already, but i’m specifically referring to their storylines leading up to buddie. (also this is just a personal side note but i think i would be lowkey crazy to have both of them realise they’re queer and still not understand their feelings for each other, like i know they’re dumb and dumber but c’mon!!!)

ok so now let’s put on the tinfoil hat

we literally know nothing about what’s gonna happen in the next episodes so i don’t have any solid theory on how we could get to this scenario. some of the interviews were teasing some potential tension (or angst even) between buck and eddie so my brain took this information and ran with it. a lot of us were also theorising a nde for buck, for eddie or for both of them at the same time and that could also be the setup for what i’m thinking.

but first let’s analyse where buck and eddie are right now (and in the upcoming episodes)

buck was just broken up with so now he’s trying to explore his sexuality and understand it more. it feels like the search for “his last” has just started and he’s excited to look at relationships and love through a new lens, but he also might feel a little discouraged that he has to do it all over again. he might be thinking “now that i have all these new possibilities, why is it still so hard to find my person?” (average bisexual experience i will tell you that much).

eddie on the other hand is slowly trying to forgive himself and love himself, accepting joy and not pushing away his desires and needs. allowing himself to feel certain feelings and just let go. he’s taking small steps to show up for himself just like he does for his loved ones every day (we still don’t know how far they’re gonna go with his story so the next episodes are definitely gonna be interesting)

so, with all that being said, here’s how buddie could go canon:

it’s late and buck shows up at eddie’s house. they’re in the kitchen drinking a beer, both leaning on the counter and not looking at each other at first. something has happened between them that they need to clear up (could be an argument, a fight or some very important words exchanged when they thought they were about to lose the other).

as much as i love a “because i love you!!” screamed during an argument, i don’t see that happening in this scenario. i imagine them having the softest, most honest and open conversation where they lay it all out - without even realising what they’re doing. at some point, buck is gonna say something that will make it finally click for eddie. if it’s an argument he could say something like “i need you in my life”/“i want you in my life forever”, or if this happens after a nde he could say “i can’t imagine my life without you”/“i don’t know how i could live without you” (i’m not a writer but you get the gist lol)

and that’s when eddie finally allows himself to feel what deep down he’s been feeling for years, and so he leans over and kisses buck. the kiss is pretty short: eddie pulls away almost immediately, as if his body was possessed by something and he just snapped out of it. buck can’t believe what just happened, but it takes him just a few seconds to realise and to grab eddie’s face and kiss him back. they start making out, they go out of frame, the screen turns black, the episode is over.

now let’s talk about the aftermath of the kiss. because if we know 911 we know that this goddamn show can’t let people just be happy so of course there’s gonna be some angst and miscommunication.

after the kiss, they don’t really talk about it. they might even get interrupted by something else (maybe eddie has to go to texas to get chris back?) so they have to postpone the what the fuck just happened conversation. and that’s when both of them start to spiral, but for different reasons. buck of course thinks that eddie’s distance means that he regretted the kiss, that they got caught up in the moment but that he doesn’t feel that way about him and he basically ruined their friendship. eddie is also freaking the fuck out: he’s panicking about how they could make their relationship work, how they could tell christopher, he’s questioning literally his whole life and past relationships like oh my god have i been gay this whole fucking time??, he’s worried about their jobs, how they’re gonna tell bobby and the others. basically questioning everything but buck.

being the idiots that they are, they’re gonna convince themselves that the other regretted everything and they’re gonna avoid each other and never have that much needed conversation. the 118 obviously notices that something is off, but no one knows what it is. until hen and eddie finally talk and he tells her everything: what happened, what made him panic and doubt everything and what’s stopping him from talking to buck. hen is shocked but not necessarily surprised. her and karen look at eachother (yes karen is there too because of eddiekaren bestfriendism that is very real to me) and then hen says something like “i don’t have the answers to all of these questions, but i’m sure of one thing: you love him and he loves you. you can figure out the rest together. go talk to him” (i think it would be nice for eddie to have this conversation with henren as a couple, since his biggest fears and concerns are about how they could make the relationship work)

eddie feels like he just woke up from a 20+ year long sleep. he runs out of hen’s place, hurrying to his car, and from now i’m picturing a full romcom montage with him just fighting for his life to get to buck’s apartment: traffic, construction work so he has to take a detour, his shirt is drenched in sweat so he has to go back home to change because surely he can’t show up at buck’s looking like that. once he gets home, he sprints to his room to find a new shirt (maybe he puts on too much cologne - the one buck likes - and he has to change again. just because it would be fun to see him in distress). he fixes his hair for the 100th time, grabs his keys, finally opens the front door and stops in disbelief. buck is on his doorstep, hand mid-air about to knock. they look at each other and in that moment they just know. they both lean in and go for the kiss aaand BUDDIE CANON !!!! (+ the buck at eddie’s door parallel finally having the romcom resolution it always meant to have)

of course i have no clue how we could get there, but i do feel like it would be true to the show if they didn’t immediately get together and if there was some angst between them. i hope that once they get together they won’t try to break them up (even just temporarily) so they might have to go through some shit at the very beginning of their relationship for that to happen.

alright tinfoil hat OFF folks. i always try to stay consistent to the show and only come up with theories that i could truly see being developed and i don’t think any of this is unrealistic. buuut i’m still a clown so who knows. quite frankly i’m fine with buddie canon either way (as long as their first kiss is initiated by eddie and it happens in his kitchen <3)

[akrasianwords]

a few people were interested in my aspd dazai analysis but I feel like no one is seeing the reblog of the essay so it gets its own post now! yap ahead

A couple of days ago, I was having a conversation with an acquaintance about Dazai. At one point, I had offhandedly mentioned that I believe Dazai is someone who deals with ASPD. While I thought it was fairly obviously implied throughout the show, they were quick to disagree with me, offering instead the opinion of him having BPD. Now, I’m not one to start arguments over simple things like this and I could tell they were not the type of person who would enjoy a debate. So like any rational, passionate person, I decided to write a 5 page essay on it instead. In this essay I will elaborate on why I believe ASPD is a better fit diagnosis for Dazai than BPD, present evidence to support it, and talk about why I don’t think he has BPD.

Before we get into this, let’s talk about what exactly ASPD and BPD are. Disclaimer, I am not a professional, nor have I been formally diagnosed with either. So, I am not an expert. However, I do believe I’ve done enough research and have my own personal experiences with a large portion of symptoms of ASPD, as well as having several personal connections to people with BPD, to speak on this.

Antisocial Personality Disorder is a cluster B disorder characterised mostly by a frequent lack of understanding of empathy, using manipulation and/or deception to further one’s own needs or wants, and being generally apathetic towards people’s personal thoughts and feelings. People with ASPD often have a hard time discerning and comprehending morals, forming meaningful attachments with people around them, and caring about societal norms. Overall, the struggle of ASPD is mostly found with morality and empathy.

(I would like to note that just because someone may struggle with these things, it does not mean they are incapable of it. Someone with ASPD is just as able to love and be loved as the next person, they just have a more difficult time overcoming their own personal blocks in order to do so. Similarly, they may struggle with understanding morality but that does not mean they are incapable of conforming to what is widely considered right or wrong. They may have different reasons for being kind or just, such as ‘it’s too much trouble to be bad,’ ‘I like it when others tell me I’m a good person,’ or ‘it’s just what I’m supposed to do.’ This does not mean their actions are invalid, simply that they have differing motivations from the larger population.)

On the other hand, Borderline Personality Disorder, also cluster B, is most well known for intense and irregular mood swings, attachment and abandonment issues, and impulsive and self destructive behaviour. People who deal with BPD typically also struggle with mania, a warped and unstable sense of self, and intense and generally unjustified anger issues. The gist of BPD, at its core, is the inability to regulate thoughts and emotions. Someone with BPD may do a complete 180 emotionally because of something another individual may deem small or insignificant. A partner forgetting to text back could trigger emotions that have the same weight as if the partner were to break up with them. Someone who has just experienced the death of their father could suddenly the next day feel on top of the world, given the right prompting. BPD is all about the instability and insecurity regarding thoughts, feelings, or identity.

So! How does this relate to Dazai? I’m glad you asked!

Throughout the series, Dazai continuously shows signs and behavioural patterns aligning with that of someone with ASPD. He is constantly seen manipulating people and situations to get the results he desires, he’s outright stated to have no interest or understanding of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, and it’s not uncommon to see him using or mistreating certain people in his life with little to no empathy or regret. The prevalence of this behaviour changes significantly with his transfer to the Armed Detective Agency, but is definitely still something that affects Dazai to this day. If he has to threaten to torture someone to get the information he wants, as seen with Kouyou after Kyouka was taken, or sacrifice one innocent person’s life to end a villain’s, as seen with Rokuzo and Miss Sasaki in his entrance exam, he has no issue doing such.

In the Dark Ages, Oda tells Dazai outright that he doesn’t care about morality. Dazai is as Dazai does, and he has no reservations doing things deemed evil to further his (or Mori’s) own goals. His list of crimes is extensive. His personal relationships are messy and toxic. He has no issue with lying, stealing, or killing. The only reason he decides to pursue the life of a good man is because someone he grew to care for, Oda, had requested it as his dying wish. It’s likely that in stating his understanding of Dazai’s views, or lack thereof, on good and evil, he proved to Dazai that he understood him. This is one of the main factors that convinced Dazai to take his wish into consideration. Knowing that Oda understood his true apathetic nature and still requested this of him convinced Dazai to give Oda’s ideologies a chance. Had Oda not asked it of Dazai, he likely would have stayed with the Port Mafia without much thought to it.

Manipulation is perhaps one of Dazai’s most well known traits. He’s famous for his schemes, his tricks, his ability to transform any person or situation into what he wants them to be. Take Akutagawa for example. Dazai is cruel to him with the interest of moulding him into something the Port Mafia (or himself, later on) can use. He has little to no regard for Akutagawa’s safety or emotions. This is something that, for the most part, follows him into his new life at the Armed Detective Agency. He says and does things to manipulate Akutagawa’s emotions to play in Dazai’s favour. He makes comments about Akutagawa being inferior to Atsushi (‘my new apprentice is superior to you in every way imaginable’), he uses Akutagawa’s admiration against him (ex. The Moby Dick, when Dazai has Atsushi throw the cellphone in order to distract Akutagawa), and he holds the promise of approval over his head in order to get Akutagawa to do things he typically wouldn’t (‘I hope to see you a little more competent now’ during the Cannibalism Arc as he’s told to work with Atsushi).

During the prison arc, Dazai is shown to play a game of chess with Fyodor. It’s obvious what the pieces on the board represent: each piece is a character. Every character plays a role in Dazai’s chess match against the Demon. He’s got his Queen, his Knights, his Bishop, etc. and he’ll manipulate them and the situation as he sees fit in order to win the match. One of the main components to his relationship with Fyodor is how similar they think. Dazai has stated on several occasions that the reason he’s able to predict Fyodor’s actions and plans is because ‘it’s what he would do.’ They share ideas, strategies, and behaviours. Both are prone to manipulation and deception in order to get what they want.

Some other noticeable examples that I’m too lazy to elaborate on but speak for themselves are the scene with the nurse and the phone, the scene where Dazai sends Atsushi to go investigate his own abuser’s death, and when Dazai manipulates Chuuya into joining the Port Mafia.

I’ve touched on deception a few times so far, but I felt it was significant enough to deserve its own paragraph. It’s not uncommon for Dazai to leave out important details, or tell outright lies in order to get what he wants. He lied to most of the members of the Agency about his past for years in order to keep his place there, assuming that they would shun them had they known. His entire personality is mostly a facade, putting up the mask of a silly detective man to avoid being taken too seriously.

He’s prone to apathy, and doesn’t really ever show any characters empathy throughout the series. When Atsushi is having a panic attack, Dazai’s instinct is to slap him back to reality rather than cater to his emotional needs. When Kunikida is upset by the results of his and Dazai’s actions in Dazai’s Entrance Exam, Dazai simply tells him that reality won’t conform to his ideals. After Chuuya is betrayed by the Sheep, Dazai uses his vulnerability to recruit him into the Port Mafia. It’s rare to see him act sympathetic with characters. This does not mean he doesn’t show kindness to them, but he clearly has difficulties empathising with people going through crises.

Along with others, he’s rather uncaring towards himself. Most of the times we’ve seen him in dangerous situations, he’s continued to act carefree and unbothered. When he was captured by the Port Mafia he had no reservations about provoking Akutagawa even though he knew it would cause himself harm. He also has consistently proven that he doesn’t care about his own life. Via attempts and jokes alike, he’s prone to suicide in a way that makes it obvious he holds very little value to himself. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he has a low sense of self, or that he’s insecure. He’s got a very solid opinion of himself. He just doesn’t care whether he’s dead or alive.

While Dazai struggles with all of these, it doesn’t mean he is incapable of doing good. His relationship with Oda was clearly genuine, and he obviously cared for him a great deal. He’s also the only reason Atsushi is alive right now, and he’s taken great care to give Atsushi a decent life. He’s a sufficient mentor for him, and he’s done a lot of good for Yokohama with the Armed Detective Agency. He’s come clean about his past to his friends, and overall has improved his way of life. Dazai has grown from the Demon Prodigy of the Port Mafia into a respectable man of justice. He still has moments where his apathetic side will shine through, but he’s clearly healed and developed quite a bit since joining the ADA.

‘Okay cool. So… what about BPD? He could share some symptoms. You haven’t talked about that since the intro paragraphs. Wasn’t this about ASPD and BPD? You suck. Loser.’

I’m getting there! Control yourself. It’s taken 14 paragraphs to get to this point. God forbid I be thorough with my analysis. SMH. Anyways.

Now that we’ve talked significantly enough about Dazai having ASPD, let’s touch on why I don’t think he has BPD. This is a headcanon I’ve seen frequently enough that I’ve formed an opinion on it. Obviously. That’s why I’m writing this essay.

The thing is, BPD relies on emotional instability and a disorganised attachment and sense of self. I don’t see any of that in Dazai. He has a fairly concrete opinion of himself and his identity. His emotional state is consistent throughout the show, excluding a few specific scenarios, and while he seems reckless and impulsive, he’s not. All of his actions are always carefully planned out, even if it doesn’t seem so.

Dazai is well known for his carefree and jokester persona. When he’s not playfully dumping his work on Atsushi or Kunikida, he’s cracking jokes and poking fun at the members of the Detective Agency. It’s not often that we see the mask slip off. When it does, though, it’s almost always when he’s reminiscing over Oda. That, or actively plotting against a formidable opponent he takes seriously. These are pretty normal situations to not be joking around in. The guy is grieving his dead best friend. Not exactly a drastic mood swing. Fairly run of the mill. Outside of this, we don’t ever see him react severely and unjustifiedly. His emotions are always carefully balanced.

(Note, I am aware of the scene with Akutagawa during the Dark Ages. Have patience. I’ll get to that eventually.)

We also don’t see him struggle with abandonment/attachment issues. He has the ‘everything worth wanting is lost the moment I obtain it’ mentality, but that doesn’t exactly prohibit him from forming bonds with the people around him. He’s fairly normal about everyone at the Armed Detective Agency. He obviously cares for Atsushi, and he doesn’t make any moves to push him or anyone else away—or become unhealthily attached, on the contrary—both of which are very common behaviours in people with BPD. He goes to their parties (I can’t exactly remember when, but I’m fairly certain he was there when Poe visited Ranpo during the ADA party, and on the yacht with the infamous ‘to the Stray Dogs’ scene), runs errands and completes chores with them (the Wan episode where he and Atsushi are cleaning lockers together), and makes a point to hang out with them outside of work (the fireworks festival we all know and love/hate).

He doesn’t struggle with his self image. It’s never implied that Dazai doesn’t know who he is or where he belongs. He doesn’t have any internal conflict about whether he’s Port Mafia or Armed Detective Agency; he’s actually quite firm on his stance. He rejects Mori’s offers and requests to return to the Mafia several times throughout the series. He’s secure in his sense of self. He has no issues admitting his strengths and flaws, and he knows who he is and what he wants.

The only time we’ve seen him become angry to the point of an extreme reaction is when Akutagawa doesn’t do as Dazai had wanted in the Dark Ages. He kills the hostages they had taken rather than prodding them for information. Dazai’s reaction, while definitely intense, was neither unprovoked nor unjustified in his point of view. Him shooting the gun at Akutagawa was both a punishment and a lesson. The pressure of a life or death situation was what provoked Akutagawa to finally grasp control over Rashomon in a way that would allow him to use Devoured Space. So while extreme, Dazai’s anger had reason to it.

I also would like to remind everyone that this scene was set during the time Dazai was in the Mafia. It’s understandable for the stakes and punishments to be intense. If a subordinate doesn’t learn a lesson quickly and efficiently, the consequences can range from a mild beating to the fall of an entire organisation. Dazai knew this as well, which is why he wasn’t going to tolerate impulsivity. Also it’s the Mafia. They’re like, known for guns and killing and shit.

Contrary to anger, mania is the state of intense highs, feeling like you’re on top of the world. People who experience mania often feel like they’re invincible, either physically or metaphorically. They may put themselves in harm’s way to prove that ‘nothing can hurt them,’ or risk all their money gambling because ‘they just can’t lose.’ They’re excitable, irrational, and impulsive. Dazai is none of these things. He puts himself in harm’s way to either attempt to destroy himself, or as a part of his plan to get things to play out the way he wants. Everything he does, while it may look impulsive, has a plan. The only thing I can think of within the series where he acts without thinking is in his entrance exam where he offers to drive the taxi for the thrill of the fact that he is actually a terrible fucking driver. If he gambles, he knows he’ll win. If he jumps, he hopes he’ll fall. His behaviour is always carefully thought out. Also he’s consistently depressed throughout the story, so. No room for that.

Now onto everyone's favourite topic, self destructive behaviour! It's pretty widely known and agreed upon that Dazai either does or has self-harmed before. Hence the bandages. He's also very loud and proud about his passion for suicide. This could count, it's definitely self destructive in the physical sense, but I don't believe it's because of BPD. I think the guy is just really fucking depressed. He just wants to die, it's not so much in an ‘I don't deserve good things or comfort’ way. I also want to touch on the more figurative methods of self destruction. He doesn't exactly go out of his way to sabotage himself in regards to his work, his relationships (he fucks with Chuuya, but he just generally enjoys riling him up), or anything like that. On the contrary, we see him actively putting effort into keeping those things stable. (Lying in order to keep his place at the ADA, being active in his social circle, working towards keeping the ADA and Yokohama in general safe.) So, not really self sabotage in a way that makes me think of BPD.

Overall, most of Dazai's struggles or traits fall under understanding empathy, morality, and manipulation. His actions throughout the series are not hard to connect to these patterns, and it doesn’t take much digging to find supporting evidence. All of his characterization leads to the conclusion of ASPD, rather than BPD. He isn't a very emotionally unregulated character, in my opinion. He’s level-headed, well managed, and secure in himself and his environment. The guy just doesn't quite know how to function as a human being with other human beings, but he's trying.

Also no you cannot change my mind. Anyways I've been writing for like 4 hours so goodbye.

[mischiefmaker615]

Devil is a Lie (1 of 3)

Song/Inspiration: Tommy Richman – "DEVIL IS A LIE"

Summary: Loki is king. he's taken over Midgard with Stark Tower's as his throne. the heroes have fallen, most captured and utilized for his entertainment. But for Loki's tastes, there had to be some.. adjustments. Will revenge taste the same if they were females?

Note: this will be a DARK fic! obviously from the description you can kinda get the gist.. DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU GET TRIGGERED WITH R@PE

~the people have voted for Tony, Steve and Clint. it will most likely be a three part one shot.

‘’I will absolutely kill you for this!” Tony yelled out, his arms straining with all their might while a Chitauri on each one pulled him into the room.

‘’the last time you’ve dared threaten me in this very room Stark, you got tossed out a window. Perhaps this time, I may not find myself as merciful.’’ Loki warned him, his voice careful yet with no concern while his scepter stayed comfortably in his hand while he watched Tony be dragged towards him.

He had a cut on his temple, bruises scattered his body and his clothes torn in different parts. There was obviously a struggle, Loki knew Stark wasn’t going to be an easy one to find, let alone capture. Even if he had to sacrifice an impressive number of his army, Tony Stark in captivity was crucial if he wished for a permanent empire. In fact, a simple spell made it possible to fuse the famous Iron Man suits together to make out a comfortable throne for Loki to sit on, the very one he sat on now while he man spread and made himself at home as soon as Midgard had been taken over.

It had been a long battle- truth be told, Loki still wasn’t sure how he did it. But as soon as the last of the army had entered through the portal, he was sure to seal it off so no one could cast him back into the shadows. This was his realm now, his army to command and keeping Thanos out was top priority before he began rounding up the Avengers.

Stark was the last one he needed.

Thor had been killed, by the grace of somehow taking control over Hulk’s mind, a lucky yet very tight miracle in the end with the help of his scepter. Hulk was his to command, and a huge help to what he’s gained so far. Barton and Roger’s have been captured, Natasha as well and most of SHIELD has been hunted down and taken over by the Chitauri. It was an ongoing battle for now, but Loki made sure not to have stress take over while he found himself indulging in the benefits of Midgard. It will be much work, but one step at a time was getting him closer and closer to what he wished this realm to be.

The sound of someone spitting and the light tap of his boot caused Loki to come out of his thoughts, finding Tony had been forced down onto his knees before him and had disrespected his boot just about two steps away. Loki remained casual as he sat comfortably upon his Iron throne, manspreading before Stark while Tony looked back at him through hateful eyes.

‘’your army will be stopped soon. It’s only a matter of time before-‘’

‘’before, what?” Loki smirked, his scepter staying in place beside the throne while Loki leaned forward on his elbows against his knees. ‘’Hulk is at my command and taking care of the majority nuisance divisions. Your comrades are either dead, captured or under my control. Your government has fallen and I have you now, the last loose end in the back of my mind before I can finally begin to enjoy this.’’

‘’no planet will prosper under your rule.’’ Tony sneered, still trying to struggle to get his arms free while his knees ached. ‘’you’ll never be the king you hope to b-‘’

‘’bold words for someone who absolutely has no upper hand in any of this.’’ Loki chuckled, clearly unfazed by anything that Stark could throw at him. how could one be bothered when they have it all? ‘’once again, you are simple just a man. Stripped away anything you thought had made you special, and alone with no living being willing to help you. Even your dear little assistant has better things to do.’’ The cruelty of it had Loki smirk, a smirk that filled in any thoughts and questions Tony had about it and fueled to get free more.

‘’I swear to god if you’ve harmed her-‘’

‘’harmer her?’’ Loki snorted, almost looking offended while he placed a hand dramatically over his heart. ‘’I am not the one who has been using her all this time Stark. How do you think she feels, when she’s given you her all, and still you continue to bed other women.’’ He scolded, Tony looking away with tensed muscles.

‘’that isn’t me anymore.’’

‘’isn’t it? You can’t go a single night at a party without some disrespectful thing coming out of your mouth towards the opposite sex. Quite.. ungentlemanly of you.’’ He tsked, clearly amused while he lazily sat back in his chair.

‘’you fucking talk to me about being a gentleman?? The only flesh you’ve gained has never been out of willing partners’’ Tony snapped, wincing as the Chitauri tightened their hold by merely a look Loki gave them.

‘’I have all the willing partners I wish Stark.’’ Loki smirked, standing up while Tony tensed and raised his eyes to look at him. ‘’the scepter merely brings out your deepest and truest desires. Truth. Something, you clearly find it hard to own.’’

‘’save me the lectures monster. Either kill me or shut it.’’ Tony seethed, clearly uninterested in all of this while the weight of everything was racking his brain and hate exhausting him mentally. How could this man be so cruel.. how could one rule like this with everyone under his thumb? Was bloodshed and mind control worth having world flexibility? His mind drifted off to Pepper, how he should have been there.. how he should be there now where.. wherever this monster was keeping her.. doing to her..

The feeling of a cold, slender hand stroking the side of his head had his eyes snapping back up to Loki’s, who’s eyes looked down upon him with not an ounce of worry but of amusement and danger.

‘’oh Stark.. it’s clear you don’t have any interest in what I have to say. Perhaps you are finally realizing how everybody else feels when you talk.’’ Loki smirked, Tony trying to lean away from his touch before the clawed hand of a Chitauri held his head still with the grip at the back of his neck. ‘’perhaps we could put your mouth to better use.’’

The last sentence had Tony still, looking at him in a frozen state as he tried to understand if he was serious or just some sick joke. Loki looked dead serious, his face almost looking like he expected something right then and there while Tony scoffed at him, using humor to get out of the uncomfortable situation. ‘’sorry Reindeer Games, you’re not my type.’’

‘’as you are not my own either Stark, though I’ve had no trouble with the male species in the past.’’ Loki waved off the thought while he looked over Tony’s face in contemplation. Tony looked up at him with a glare, an unsure look of where things were heading before he began to tense while Loki’s cruel smile tugged at his lips.

‘’we can fix this then.’’

Suddenly Loki pressed his palm flat against Tony’s forehead, causing him to flinch out and struggle with wide eyes. ‘’what are you-‘’ his words were cut off with a sudden rush of light flooding his eye sight, squeezing them closed while the light seemed to engulf his body and spread. His skin began to tingle, prick and ache. Tony winced and began struggling more, his breathing becoming difficult while the three beings before him kept him still. There was a strange.. unknown language coming from Loki, his voice low and mumbling it while he increased pressure against Tony’s forehead. Before Stark could try out from either shock or pain, it disappeared. Just like that.

Loki’s hand left his forehead while Tony slowly opened his eyes, heart racing while he tried to figure out what just happened. This was Loki, he should be feeling some type of torturous pain right? He felt like there was no mind control.. he could flex and will himself to look around but nothing seemed to have changed.

‘’that’s much better.’’ Loki smirked, looking over him with something else in his eyes. ‘’much better.’’ Before Tony could question him, Loki looked at the Chitauri and waved his hand. ‘’release him, I can handle him.’’

It was quite an insult to be called second hand weak, but the important part was that the Chitauri released him and disappeared elsewhere in the room. Tony’s arms lowered, blood rushing back into them as fast as his adrenaline before hate filled his mind and chest once more. Gathering his strength, Tony lunged towards Loki, a fist flying perfectly towards his nose with all of his force but before he could make contact, Loki’s hand caught it within an inch of his face.

Tony’s eyes widened, already feeling the strength difference but it was to be expected against a god.. no.. he felt weaker.. must be all the damage he took over the past hours.. his mind raced while he tried to focus, pulling his hand back while Loki allowed him, making him look at him strange before he tried to send a kick at his side next.

Loki easily deflected it, almost as if batting off an insect while Tony stumbled and Loki watching in clear amusement. Breathing in rage while Loki seemed to toy with him, Tony yelled in frustration and threw another punch towards him, only to find Loki deflect it and use it against him to turn his body away, Tony’s back facing Loki’s chest before he felt his hair being gripped on.

‘’fuck you!” Tony yelled, cutting his voice off short when a different voice than his own came out. it was lighter, almost.. feminine. Loki’s grip on his hair tightened, causing his hands to fly up and grip his wrist with a wince while he noticed Loki’s hand was slightly lower that where his hair should be. As if his hair was.. longer.

‘’even in this form, you still aren’t my preference.’’ Loki sneered, pulling him harshly to face the broken glass that had once been the mirror behind the bar. ‘’but I’m sure I could put you to use.’’

Tony’s struggles froze slowly, staring back at the reflection with wide and unbelieving eyes. Staring back at him was a woman, slender with lightly tanned skin. Brown eyes watched him, tattered and a bit to-big clothes hung from her body. Long dark hair stayed half way tangled in Loki’s grip while the god smirked back at him with amusement.

‘’what did you-‘’ Tony’s hand flew to his throat, indeed finding his voice had changed and the movements matched with the woman in the mirror.

‘’are amusing as your death would be, and it has been quite the long debate if I should, why waste one that may have much to offer?” Loki smirked, his free hand drawing up to firmly grip at Tony’s chest, causing him to jump in shock- the feeling indeed his own body while he shoved his hand away.

‘’what the fuck are you-‘’

‘’I do hate repeating myself, do try to find a better use with that mouth.’’ Loki rolled his eyes, beginning to walk towards his throne while leading Tony by his grip still.

Tony winced and struggled, the string in his locks causing him to follow while his heart raced. ‘’you’re absolutely sick- you.. you can’t just-‘’

‘’you have absolutely no problem being disrespectful towards women Stark, why must you be a hypocrite now?” Loki smirked, sitting himself down again while he man spread and brought Tony down to kneel between his legs. If was effortless, Tony having the strength of a woman whom seemed to have never worked on utilizing strength before. He was on shaky legs, his mind whirling to figure out if this was real or not. It all felt so.. real.. how could his body have been changed? This had to be some.. sick nightmare.. especially once he heard the rustling of fabric and looked down to find Loki’s member spring out to life.

‘’don’t you fucking da-‘’

‘’you use that word so often, I’d much rather you act upon it.’’ Loki smirked, his eyes nothing but dark and lustful, Tony’s embodiment being the perfect distraction if all he could do was tune out his personality. ‘’I could always have you under my control,’’ Loki smirked, feeling how Tony quickly planted his hands on the arms of the throne while he felt his head being forced lower and lower to Loki’s groin. ‘’but of course, where the fun in that. You heroes have been nothing but trouble. Your broken state and submission will be a far better revenge than any bloodshed I could have done to you.’’

Loki’s strength was practically the Hulk’s in Tony’s knew strength, having to bring his hands off from the arms of the throne to plant onto Loki’s thighs- as much as he hated it. His muscles weren’t even flexed to manipulate Stark, their strengths significantly different while Tony’s eyes flicked up to Loki’s. ‘’I could always bi-‘’

‘’bite me? That’s the glory of it my dear.’’ Loki smirked, a hand moving to cup Tony’s smooth chin, his terminology slowly changing while the illusion built itself. ‘’this particular spell turns you into the perfect woman. Submissive, and obedient.’’

Suddenly grasping his jaw, his thumb and pointing finger adding enough pressure to have Tony’s mouth pop open while his other hand brought his head down. Loki’s cock slid mercilessly to the back of Tony’s throat, relishing in how his backline deepened into an arch while his body withered and tried to adjust to the intrusion.

A satisfied sigh left Loki’s lips, keeping his head down firm onto his cock while the other hand released his jaw. He could feel the slight strain in his muscles, fighting every ounce of the spell to try to bite him, but Loki just laughed- earning Stark a sharp thrust up into his throat.

Tony’s eyes watered, trying to come up for air while his throat constricted around Loki’s cock- finding the action merely earning him more with the way it felt for Loki. Tony’s fingers curled into his palms, almost drawing blood while they stayed planted on Loki’s thighs and his skull stung where Loki had his hair. Whatever cruel.. lesson Loki was trying to prove, Tony still couldn’t figure out.

He had never treated a woman like this- always indulged and given them their pleasure before their own. If that was what Loki thought he did, then he was dead wrong.. no.. in the midst of it all, Tony knew. He disregarded them in the morning.. not even knowing their names when he sobered up and heard the door shut behind them.. is that what Pepper thought of him? thought he was going to treat her in such a way where she remained in her business position strictly? Pepper.. I’ m sorry..

“oh dear, the mortal has grown silent. Have I fed you to much?” Loki mocked, bringing him up for air but not high enough for his cock to slide out of his mouth.

Tony’s tear pricked eyes looked up at him, wishing a hole would burn through Loki’s skull with the way he looked up at him. Loki couldn’t help but throw his head back to laugh, clearly finding amusement at having the humiliation wash over his enemies face and he couldn’t help but push him back down, causing Tony to choke again and shiver.

‘’at least there’s finally a use for you Stark, perhaps if you’re ever granted the chance, you shall treat women better. Or maybe punishment shall be sure to make itself clear, I’m sure the Chitauri would relish your new form’’ Loki smirked cruelly, feeling Tony’s heart beat raced faster against his thighs that almost seemed to squeeze him and keep him still.

Loki took turned raising his hips into Tony’s mouth and bobbing him up and down manually by his hair. As they went on, it got easier with Tony’s throat adjusting to Loki’s administrations. Even so, Loki’s intentions were clear that this was not to be easy nor enjoyed accept for purely his own benefit. Sometimes he would bring Stark down while also rocking his hips at the same time, relishing in the constrictions of Tony’s throat or his feminine whimpers, spurring him on to repeat the action.

By then, Tony was a mess. Tears having streamed down his cheeks while his body stayed almost limp and weak from the pain and exhaustion. Loki even prolonged his own climax to ensure Stark got the point thoroughly while he bucked up into his face. Even Tony’s sounds could hardly be heard while Loki shamelessly panted, moaned and groaned with pleasure.

Finally.. finally.. Loki reached his end and came into Tony’s mouth, pulling him up ever so slightly to make sure he tasted every bit of it rather than sending it directly into his stomach. His grip tightened ever so slightly, causing Tony to tense in pain while he was silently demanded to swallow. Keeping his eyes down, he made sure to do so while his body shivered at the amount.

Satisfied, Loki smirked and suddenly tossed Tony off, making him fall back onto his ass with a start before Loki leaned against his knees again to look down at her. ‘’you are going to take care of something before I have half the mind to do the very same action to your dear assistant.’’ He said carefully so Tony could understand.

Somehow he did, looking at Loki in a stalemate that didn’t last to long with the consideration of Pepper. There was no dignity left, no strength to fight and no idea of how to get out of this yet while he rose to his hands and knees.

‘’look at me as you near.’’ Loki ordered, a sharpness in his voice making Tony flinch like he had been struck, but he made eye contact nevertheless.

He kept his face expressionless, only making himself willing if it meant keeping Pepper safe while he began crawling to Loki. Rubble cutting his knees as he moved, having been left from the fight to take over and felt shards of glass meeting his palms while he stopped in front of the god.

Flicking his eyes up at Loki, whom smirked down at him with his body leaning back in pure contentment and satisfaction, Tony used everything in his will to bent down and lick up the spit he had given earlier onto his boot. When it was all clear, he sat up with reddened cheeks, hate in his eyes and a gaze that was cast down onto the floor before he saw Loki wave a hand in the corner of his eye.

‘’keep him separate, for now. Bring me the soldier,’’

Tony’s body tensed as he looked up at Loki with denial and horror. Loki all the more drinking up his reaction while he leaned down to smirk at the once-was man of Iron.

‘’I hear he is quite inexperienced in a few things. He’ll need a willing hand.’’ 

Parts can be found on my Masterlist :D

DM a song for your own Loki Musical Mischief one shot :D

Tag List: @allbymyself17 @jaidenhawke @blitzy93 @foxherder13 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @fire-in-her-veinz @nervouseden @kathren1sky-blog @eleniblue @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @queenofstarsign85 @slytherinqueen4life @soulpiercing

[momentomori24]

I swear to God, Twitter being able to accumulate so many brain-dead, malicious, pseudo intellectual low lives all in one place at the same time is a phenomenon worthy of being studied under a microscope in a science lab. And no, that is not a compliment.

Thankfully people have already spoken out against this bullshit-- the fact that people needed to is already maddening to think about-- but as someone who got the basic gist of what happened literally yesterday I'll also put my voice out there: Don't you fucking dare try to paint Hbomb as a murderer over this situation.

Somerton may be a lying, misogynistic plagiarist and conman, but he obviously doesn't deserve to die and while I do make fun of the guy, I genuinely hope that he continues to have a life after the dust has settled on everything. Not on YouTube or any social media platform for a long time at least, but just a life nontheless. I don't wish what he's potentially going through on anyone, and I hope that he makes it through this. But regardless of if he does or doesn't-- and God forbid he doesn't-- none of this is Hbomb's fault. It's not his fault, or Kat's fault, or Jessie's fault (because apparently there's people blaming her too cuz WHY NOT), or anybody's fault. All they did was call out his actions, hold him accountable for the harm he's done. They have done nothing to deserve having to carry this on their shoulders should the worst happen. They did nothing wrong. They didn't kill James (he's not confirmed dead yet either btw). They are not murderers. And to the people saying they are: say those words out loud, listen how they sound like, and re-evaluate. Just cease.

And to people like this:

''Oh I'm not blaming him for anything I'm just blaming him for what his audience did because according to HIM you're responsible for your audience'' Yeah, you people can shut your mouths too. Of course you're responsible for your audience, and that includes Hbomb too. However, your tiny, godless little monkey brain can't see why your argument is still rubbish even with that in mind. The difference between James, Internet Historian and Hbomb is that Hbomb never promoted problematic behaviour to his audience. If you promote problematic shit like harassment or misogyny or racism, then yeah, you're absolutely responsible for how your behaviour influences your audience. But that's not what he did. He made it very clear where he stood on those things, literally stating that ''if anyone were to harass Somerton on his behalf they are worse than him and will not see the light of heaven''. He's done his part in making it clear that harassment is wrong, so if someone went out of their way to go against that and harass James anyway that doesn't reflecf on him at all. Also, what the hell do you mean ''hatemobbed'' to suicide? I don't doubt there are people who went to extremes because those bad apples always exist, but most of the things I've seen are valid critisisms, memes and call outs about that guy. If holding people accountable for their actions and poking fun at them a little counts as 'hatemobbing'' (which has Filip calling his critics a ''lynch mob'' energy tbh) what the hell do you call actual hatemobbing then? Do we just let people continue being shitty because calling them out ''damages their mental health'' or ''drives them to suicide'' then? Is that a world you want to live in?

Same thing goes for people like this:

Criticing someone for their objectively bullshit content and wanting them dead are two seperate things. What the actual hell is wrong with you. The plagiarist in question is a person. Those ''harshest critics'' are still people. And because we're people, we care. I'd rather James pump out more plagiarised slop than commit suicide. I'd still hate him for it, but I'd prefer him being alive over the alternative any day. We all do. None of us would sleep easier knowing he's dead just because he wouldn't be ''committing the cardinal sin of putting out a 'pure content mill' video'' because someone taking their own life is horrific-- especially Hbomberguy, how dare you even try to imply that?

And this gets me to the reason I'm furiously typing all this out in the first place: Hbomb is the fucking victim here, so stop treating him like he isn't. He tried making things as right as possible by compensating those that were burned by James through a video where he revealed everything there needs to be known about the guy so that less people fall victim to his actions and lies. To just ignore the harm James was causing while he had the evidence to prove it and platform too big to threaten into non existence should he speak out would've been bad. So he didn't. He did the right thing by sticking with the people James had stolen from, giving them a voice and making them known after they've been scrubbed from the picture by decidedly being uncredited for their works or bullied into silence. He shouldn't have to deal with this for doing the right thing. He shouldn't be labelled a murderer for doing the right thing. He shouldn't have to have the death of a man on his conscience for doing the right thing. People claiming otherwise are obviously wrong, but I can't imagine what all this must feel like right now. Because even tho they're wrong, guilt isn't a rational thing, and I know that if I were in his position I'd still feel like a morally bankrupt individual were the worst to happen even if I knew that it was not my fault. This isn't a funny story. So to add to this dumpsterfire by using it as a prop to bash on a creator you don't like and immediately write Somerton off as dead even when he's not even been confirmed dead yet to do that shows how little these people actually care about the thing they're talking about. They don't care a guy potentially killed himself-- what they care about is using it to paint Hbomb in a bad light because they don't like him. Here they are, posting memes and ill jokes about this very delicate situation while barely a day since the news broke out had passed. It's opportunistic, it's sickening, and literally the exact thing he criticised in his video when talking about 'content mills'. Like, I know none of these clowns bothered to actually watch it, but have some self-awareness. And some shame too, while you're at it.

This long story short: I'm writing this to contribute to the narrative not getting twisted to make Hbomb out to be the villian. Same goes for everyone else. Don't let these people paint them as the villians. If I see another person pull this shit again I will literally bite you and shred you into salad and spit you back out because I hate you so much and I mean that wholeheartedly.

To Hbomb: you will never see this but if you do, take care of yourself.

To the asshats this post is about: Delete your account. Cease all together. Stop talking about this. Just leave him the fuck alone.

[beaverthemerlin]

An Anomaly's Journey

Aka Magister Beahreth's whole deal... or something. Beware: Heavy Yapping and a lot of fourth wall breaking and maybe a tad bit of Mary Sue'ing depending on how you see this.

Beahreth's gist and character is based around the fact that you can see and interact sometimes with other "Merlins" in game, which i always found funny because, are we all solving the same puzzles? Saving the same persons?.

So here comes the timelines and dimensions theory and all that shabonk that i have no brain to explain properly so i say: Magic. Every magister relives the journey in their own timeline, but every incarnation is wildly different from eachother, and the most powerful ones end up breaking the lines between a timeline and the other, conciously or otherwise.

Where do they all blur together? In Beahreth's... much to her dismay.

"Canonically", as in, what i'm making of her story, the "seeing other players" ingame translates to "Ghost sightings" to her. She sees them, every now and then, running around doing errands she's about to do, living events she's about to live (Oh man did she have fun trying to figure out why one of them was kneeling on the floor and desperatly casting a healing spell at the Lunaris altar...). The joke here is that she wasn't suposed to be a Merlin, she's a good ol' npc in every other Timeline happily living in Cedartown (ngl i added this part recently). Think of a Miles Morales kind of situation and though i'm still thinking of how the glitch came to be, she's an anomaly, the weakest Merlin and the one to sort of connect the rest.... she's not happy about this.

She had a life of her own, of course, which doesn't stray much from the canon except from the part that she sort of accidentaly helped Cyran take part in the Second Divine war, here's how that goes: Serene Lyceum, right? She goes there, graduates, and starts teaching there as a cold and ruthless professor, holding up the mantle of "Merlin" quite well. She is the one to introduce "commoners" back into magic teachings with Mirael, this young pyromancer from Ryeham she grabbed into her tutelage. Following not too far behind (and not too happy with the idea of non-nobles being taught) is her academic rival and fellow professor, Cyran, who she has no particular feelings for besides maybe a camaraderie of sorts. This changes a little when the man starts researching about The Great Will (secretly because he felt unfair that she was "blessed" by Dura, giving her a natural advantage), and bitting down his pride, asks "Merlin" for assistance. Bea accepts, because for once, she's not seeing any "Ghosts" taking this path... though Lyceum Era Bea wasn't quite aware of who those ghosts were yet.

This goes wrong, obviously (And i'll figure this part out once they give us info about this war but at least for now:) Cyran harnesses power in a gem that's now attached to his staff, and strikes a deal with the "Great Will", at the cost of hurting "Merlin" in the process. She leaves the Lyceum, weakened, and slowly losing her mind while Cyran uses his strings and newfound power to do whatever the hell he did to end up as Royal Court Mage. Bea uses what little power she has left helping around in the war taking up various disguises, losing sight of Mirael but meeting Hogan in the process, up until... poof , memories gone. And starts as a blank slate.

Her deep hatred towards Cyran and his betrayal is one of the few things that remained, but she's escencially a whole new person at the moment Starter Story starts. Giving her little brain space to focus on what the hell those ghosts she sees are.

Did Dura orquestrate all the events? Or was helping Cyran the glitch that triggered the anomaly? Who knows, now she's stuck knowing she's not the only one going through this. And whether other Merlins know or not, it doesn't matter, she'll see them anyways.

Some Funky Fun facts! :

She looks a tad younger than she looked back at the Lyceum, this because starting over as a clueless blank sheet rather than an experienced mage. Someone told me about the theory of life stages but i can't remember the name right now- She also starts a lot more cheerful and lets say, oblivious. Her personality changes and matures quickly from Song of Strife to Chains of Eternity, where it does a flip after encountering Cyran.

And BOY did she change in Echoes of Dissent...

Her go-to outfit is the Snow Hunter one, she feels some strange familiarity in it, and it's also cozy (Two reasons: 1) i started the game during CoE and 2) Her being originally an npc from whiteridge)

She usually sees the "ghosts" in the corner of her eye, but if she catches a good glimpse of them some funny things happen: - Her eyes turn into the "Merlin" symbol for a moment (yanno, the one when you click around) and her head hurts a little depending on how powerful the Merlin is, or well, how strong is their rapture in time.

Her magic is blue with some hints of the usual warm, Dura-given gold. It's also colder, weaker, but there's a hint of the distinct merlin warmth somewhere.

Her name is honestly a mouthful and people opt for nicknames instead, "Snowflake" for example by certain fire witch.

She's usually very cynical, enjoys annoying others, but overtime this behavior settles down as the journey grows serious... she'll still throw a jab or two at you though.

Despite her attitude, she's good with kids and enjoys teaching. A bit from her past that stuck.

This part im still working out but the funny paint on her whole self is suposed to represent the different factions Merlin "serves and protects": Warpaint on her face represents maulers, Sylvan marks on her arms is Wilders, i'm still thinking about Lightbearers and the "plot twist" of graveborns that yes, are also under Merlin's protection.

There's an inside joke going on of her being at a perpetual 15% of magic battery, but let's say that by the time EoD comes around she's trained enough to be at... 45% ish?

TLDR; Bea's whole deal started as an excuse to have her canonically annoy other merlins and turned into religious trauma existencial dread with a hint of betrayal here and there, she's fine tho.

[ceasarslegion]

please expand on the celestial seasonings cult owner??

Yippee!!

Okay so,

One of the founders of the tea company that would eventually become Celestial Seasonings was a guy named Mo Siegel. I dont actually know if hes still alive, so I'll be speaking as though he is until I know otherwise. The story of the actual tea company is pretty boring: two guys founded it 50-60 years ago, it became a legitimate competitor to companies like Twinings, it was bought by Celestial Tea Group in the 2000s and incorporated the owner companys name to become Celestial Seasonings, Mo Siegel retired from the business in 2002 on the money he got from selling the company. As far as I know, he also didn't use company funds towards the cult he was in, so even back then it wasn't really a big deal if you bought their tea.

The cult that hes a member of is called Urantism, and hes pretty high up in their ranks just by virtue of having a lot of money and being someone they can prop up as an example of why their belief system leads to success, a la Tom Cruise in the Scientology church. I would be surprised if youve heard of it because theyre fringe in the sense that theyre not very powerful or known of. They have very little cultural influence and at the time of speaking are pretty harmless overall because they arent a doomsday cult or anything and have not been responsible for acting upon their very strange belief system. They are no scientology or prosperity evangelism or jihadism, that's for sure.

That doesnt mean their beliefs arent strange or incapable of becoming violent or influential under different circumstances, however.

The main tenets of Urantism are based in Christian biblical ideas of creation and they believe in the trinity, albeit under different names. There are a number of offshoots to the Bible though, namely in that they refer to Earth as Urantia and believe that the universe is actually an interconnected series of multiverses, with every galaxy actually being another universe. They call the milky way Nebadon and believe it to be a separate universe.

They also have a the same jesus story as other Christian sects do. So crucifixion, resurrection, son of God, etc. Where they differ is that their holy book documents in detail what they believe to be Jesus's childhood and teenage years as well.

Their idea of God is also very uh. Interesting. They see God as more of a museum curator than the shepherd-type figure other Christian sects ascribe to, which every universe being a different "exhibit" that God is supposedly pruning and cleaning until he finds the perfect universe to model. This is where the eugenics come in: Urantians do believe in evolution. Kind of. They believe in like, actual scientific evolution, but they go off the rails with why they believe humans became the dominant species on the planet. Essentially they believe that humans broke off into 7 different "breeds," so to speak, each with skin colours matching the colours of the rainbow. Every colour had a different skillset and abilities that others didn't, and they believe these proto-humans had a social caste hierarchy based on these colours, with the purple people being at the bottom because they were strong enough to uh, do slave labour, but didn't have any brains. Over the millennia, these colours eventually cross-bred, washed out, and became the different races and skin tones we have today. They believe that white people are the most "pure" evolution of human beings who cross-bred with "lesser" colours the least, and that uh. Uh. The darker your skin is, the more closely related to the purple people your evolutionary line is.

Yeah its. Weird.

Anyway, that's the basic gist of the cult that the guy who founded Celestial Seasonings is a member of. I am still trying to find their holy book because I want to read it so bad but because I am obviously not a member of Urantia I dont seem to have access to it anywhere.

[yanderenightmare]

saw you tag benevolent sexism as a trigger warning on one of your pics, was wondering if you could explain what that is? as compared to just regular sexism

On Benevolent Sexism

Benevolent sexism is the same as any other type of sexism. As in, it's still very much sexism. But there is a small fundamental difference that separates it from most sexism.

Most sexism is based on "negative" feelings - such as (men are stronger than women; therefore, men are better) or (women are hormonal and emotional; therefore incapable of intellectual thought) or (women are weak and only good for birthing children; therefore, they shouldn't do anything else), etc... you know the gist...

But benevolent sexism is more based on "positive" feelings - such as (women are cute, adorable, lovely creatures; therefore, men should cherish them).

And while that's fine and all, what makes it sexist is that those thoughts are generally rooted in other thoughts that still inspire female inferiority to men - such as (women are soft, small, weak creatures; therefore, in need of a man's protection or help) or (women are pretty and dainty little things; therefore, they shouldn't do certain things or have certain jobs)

It's still sexism at its finest, but instead of having undertones of hatred toward women, it has these over-protective and overbearing justifications.

It also applies when people judge a woman's worth strictly by how good a wife, girlfriend, or mother she is - instead of how good she is at her job or in any other aspect of her life.

This is all based on sexism toward women, but it obviously works both ways.

Such as judging a man strictly on how good a provider he is, how talented he is in sports, how much he works out, whether he's likely to win in a fight... etc...

And notions such as (men are strong; therefore, they should take all the hard labor and fight our wars) or even (men are tough; therefore, they shouldn't cry) and (men are capable: therefore, they shouldn't waste their potential doing girly things)

In the fic you're referencing, there was a character (Dabi) who spoke about both sides, both women and men.

“Most girls are better survivors.” - “They learn quickly to accept what will keep them safe, and then, they find solace in whatever they can to maintain their mental health as well…” - “Boys fight until they break. Leaving them a shell of what they once were. But girls don’t have the same pride.” - “They leave themselves behind and become someone new.”

To be honest, I'm not entirely in agreeance with myself when I flagged this as benevolent sexism. But I felt some type of warning was necessary since he's talking about what separates women from men.

Dabi is complementing women by saying this while simultaneously dissing his own gender, but he's also degrading both in a way by insinuating that girls don't have any will to fight back because, in his words, they don't have any pride. He also says that girls are quick to change depending on their situation, saying that they become someone new. Meaning, essentially, he doesn't really think women take any pride in who they are and will change their personality just as quick as a chameleon camouflages itself.

It's really up to each of his own whether to take this as a compliment or not. Either way, I find it a slightly sad point of view.

But a sad compliment or not - it's still kind of tough to say whether it's sexist or not. However, it's obvious he has certain opinions about women - and I figured I might as well flag it as benevolent sexism just to stay safe.

the fic

♡ NIGHTMARE'S HELPDESK

[cadaverviper]

Nights Into Dreams Review (Sega Saturn)

Okay so this game is basically THE Sega Saturn game. When I was a wee child and didn't know anything about the Sega Saturn the one thing I did know was this games existence on it. You would think this is the only game that released on the system or something with the way youtubers and stuff used to speak about the Saturn. This was developed by Sonic Team as one of the big titles that they were making instead of making a Sonic game funny enough. But was it a good one? Let's find out.

This is one of those games that though I have actually played many times before I still don't quite know EXACTLY what I am supposed to be doing. But here's the gist of what i understand. You go through rings in succession to collect points, if you go through multiple right after the other its more points. You get points by collecting a multitude of things like stars and little orbs and all of these points are collected up a little collection points as you will. You also have a Timer that you can be in the Nights form, if that timer runs out which it will the first time you play, then you have to take the walk of shame all the way to one of the collection points to get back into the Nights form.

I'm not sure what the lore is here and I can't read to find out since my copy of the game in Japenese but I assume it has something to do with the two children you play as having there dreams invaded and Nights needs to help them fight it off or something. Sonic Team was on some serious hallucinogenics when cooking up this one. With that being said the visuals are absolutely gorgeous. All of the colors pop and everything here truly defines the word winsicle. There goal was to obviously make you feel like you are in some crazy dream world and it works. I often forget to mention this part in my reviews but it would be criminal to forget about the music. Goodness gracious the music is so so good. So beautiful and the tracks could put you to sleep. I can just imagine it being 1995 and playing this game right before bed or something like it really hits all the right notes.

Now you can choose between those 2 characters i mentioned earlier but I actually don't know if choosing one or the other really makes much of a difference. It seems you go through the same levels followed by the same boss battle every time. For me I never got very good rankings. As I said before I dont really know what I'm doing when I play this game but i always know for sure that I'm having fun and that's the important part. The vibes alone could carry this game truly.

This game is a must have for a Saturn owner. Make it the very first game that you pop in that console. Full stop. This game will give you hours of fun if you are patient with it and actively try to learn. It's a good time.

Rating: Snorrrrk Mimimimimimimi/10

[thefangirlingdead]

2 and 23

2. Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

Theres a couple off the top of my head! I have an old ATLA soulmate AU called Moving Mountains that I’m super proud of because it was one of those fics that just poured out of me super fast as soon as I had the idea. Also a soulmate AU which I looooooved writing.

And then honestly my latest little Ruined By Love mattdrai series. It’s the first time that I’ve done the same story from different POVs and is probably the most porn I’ve written for a series (looool) but I’m like… really proud of it because that’s what usually gets me stuck/gives me writers block. I feel like I did a lot with those two fics that I haven’t done before so I’m super proud of them!

23. What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

I really, really want to do some sort of omegaverse McMattDrai fic. Like you know that one post that’s like “three person poly relationship made up of two people who are already dating trying to coax someone with horrific self worth issues into a loving relationship, stray cat style” and person 3 is like “wow I think I’m falling in love with them too bad they wanna kill me with hammers”?

Yeah. Imagine omega Matthew hooking up with already bonded/mated pair Leon and Connor (thinking Leon is an alpha, Connor is either also an omega or beta) while he’s in heat. They offer to help him out. Then kind of start hooking up regularly and Matthew’s like “they’re just getting something fun out of this, some extra spice in their relationship, I love them but I know it’s meaningless to them” meanwhile Leon and Connor are like “holy shit he’s the missing piece that we didn’t know we were missing” but obviously they’re all idiots who are terrible at communicating and think they’re all on the same page. Cue Matthew telling him that he’s going to Florida and they’re like “wait… you don’t want to be with us?” and he’s like “wait you don’t hate me?”

Yeah. Obviously more complicated/emotional than that and I really need to sit down and outline it. But you get the gist.

[persistentplums]

Mantilla and Rusty hours….thinking….

Do you think when they met they immediately like cats kept being annoying to each other? Debbie using humour and Rusty using sarcasm they just spin around each other while Bobbie is like “that’s nice….they should be friends🙂”

In college it’s just Debbie pushing Rusty on the getting her mom powers it’s why Malcom probably thought they had a thing. Just constantly at Rusty class, dorm, wherever he is going “is it done yet?”

When Jonas officially dies Mantilla shows up not really to make Rusty feel better. She wants her mom powers duh. I don’t see them as friendly but not hostile. They’re both the same brand of weird and not okay but Debbie is motivated she feels owed something it propels her while Rusty falls back, he feels he was “owed” in the past.

The idea of the boys is definitely made when they were together, Debbie is forward (Hank) thinking. I think her energy/self rubs off Rusty. Kinda like getting a piercing drunk with your friend Debbie goes “I mean how hard can being a dad be?”

I feel like after that night, idk how drunk Rusty would be but waking up with notes, Debbie dna, and Ben in the lab (drunk call with Debbie cringing because Rusty ends up crying halfway) would make him have to go through with it I mean you have the ingredients to make a cake you gotta make the cake.

Debbie obviously doesn’t contact Rusty after, she got what she wanted, it was all very transactional. Mostly. When she eventually meets the boys it’s laughable, but it’s weirdly bitter she didn’t grow up with a sibling neither did Rusty. I think Doc is jealous his kids have each other. Even if it was on purpose, even though thank god they have each other but it’s all mixed up. Another moment where Rusty and Debbie look the exact same, weirdly bitter at the kids that was their idea in the first place.

Malcom gets the gist of all this and literally goes 🫵🏼😬 yikes. I would like to think while Mantilla doesn’t have as bottled feelings like Rusty does about their respective parents that splinter and gets highlighted bc he has kids. It’s obvious because Malcom dated her he can tell there’s a vibe around the entire family structure/the boys.

Malcom in comparison is like “damn that sucks…I hate myself for stuff that has little to do with my parents actually” so despite being technically related to this whole mess his attitude is so different when he figures out eventually. I think he’s more freaked out his ex and his nemesis/brother are similar and kinda moves on with the bigger issue his ex is into his wife

[anxious-witch]

actually you know what, a drunk jan crying over how beautiful and sweet nace is would be a delight to read. writer's choice who he's talking to

Sorry this took so long, but here it is! Hope you like it!

TW for alcohol consumption

"But Jure, Jure listen to me. Are you listening?"

Jan tried to get Jure's attention by grabbing his sleeve and lightly tugging. Jure finally looked away from his empty glass and back to him. He looked tired, but Jan was too deep into the bottle of whiskey to stop.

"Yes, Janči, I am listening."

"Nace is just...so wonderful. He remembers all the little things. When I get to the practice, he just knows when I want coffee. And he knows my coffee order too!"

Jure bit his lip, as if stopping himself from saying anything. And okay, yes they all had the same order, exceot for Kris. But still. It counted. Jan took his coffee with very little sugar, while Jure put two spoonfuls in his. The difference mattered.

"Very thoughtful of him."

Jan sighed. They were at the studio, wjere they usually practiced. Just upstairs, taking up the little table. There was enough space, as long as neither of them tried to stand up.

Jan flopped down on the bench, staring at the ceiling.

"He is generally so wonderful and thoughtful but-"

Jure groaned and leaned his head against the table. When he didn't say anything, Jan continued.

"I really can't believe he shaved. He looked like-like-"

"Like he is straight?" Jure asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.

Well, yes. That was a gist of it. Not that Jan meant to imply being straight was bad. Obviously not.

"Like he is straight and goes to church."

Jure chuckled.

"Wait, doesn't he?"

Jan blinked, turning his gaze from the ceiling to Jure.

"Doesn't he what? Straight?"

Jure slapped his hand over his forehead.

"How does that even make sense? No, I mean, doesn't he go to church?"

Jan shrugged. Not really. He believed in God, as far as Jan gathered, but it's not like he had the time to go to a church every Sunday. It was a topic Jan tiptoed about, knowing their views would differ. Maybe he should ask.

"I don't think so?"

"Aren't you dating him?"

Jan sat back up again, just so he could glare at Jure.

"Yes. But asking him if he goes on his knees for the lord the same way he does for me wasn't my first priority."

Jure's nose scrunched up in disgust. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey on the table, and chugged what little alcohol was left in it.

"I didn't need that mental image."

Jan shrugged. That wasn't his problem.

"He does look very pretty when he-"

"No! No, no, no! No. I love you both and I will suffer through you rambling about how much you love him, but I draw the line at hearing about your sex life."

He supposed that was fair. He wouldn't want to hear about Jure's sex life either. Or god forbid, Bojan's. They heard too much of that during Nordic tour as it was.

"I do really think Nace is wonderful. Even when he gets a stupid idea to shave. And he is so attractive. Like, his arms? And tattoos? I don't think I will ever get over that."

Jure snored.

"Right. Naturally."

"Have you seen his tattoos?"

Jure looked ready to snap back when they heard the door downstairs open. Jure was closer to the fence, so he peeked down.

"Oh, thank God. Hey, Nace!"

Jan stuck out his tongue at Jure. He was that eager to get rid of him, huh?

"Hey Jure. Is Jan with you?"

"Unfortunately. Please take him with you."

Jan kicked him under the table and Jure hissed, throwing him a dirty look. Traitor.

"Bad cat."

Jure looked ready to pounce him like an actual cat, but was stopped by Nace climbing up the stairs. Jan turned to look at him and immediately glared.

"Who are you?"

Nace rolled his eyes.

"Your boyfriend."

"My boyfriend has a beard."

Jure slapped his hand iver his mouth, but Jan could still hear him giggling. Nace sighed.

"Well, your boyfriend shaved. It'll grow back. Can we go home now?"

"I can't, I have a boyfriend."

Jure stopped pretending to hide his laughter and instead doubled over on his bench, laughing. Nace pursed his lips.

"How much of that whiskey did he drink?"

"Bot m-"

"I had two shots. He drank the rest."

Jan looked at Jure in surprise. Did he? He didn't think he drank that much. Then again, he supposed with how easily and unguardedly words came to him, it was possible.

Nace sat on the bench next to him and cupped his cheek. Jan raised his eyes to look at him and did his best not to immediately melt into the touch. Beard or no beard, when Nace looked at him with such soft gaze, Jan find him hard to resist.

"Anddd that's my cue to leave. Don't forget to lock the studio."

Jure grabbed his stuff and got up. Nace briefly broke their staring contest to wave at Jure.

"Say hi to Kris," Nace said.

Jure tripped before rushing down the stairs. Jan frowned. Kris? Why-

Nace turned back towards him and kissed his forehead.

"If you get down the stairs, I will carry you to the car."

"Who said I can't get to the car on my own?!"

Nace smirked.

"Can you?"

Oh, that asshole. Jan could do more than that. He grabbed Nace by the shoulder and pushed him down, so he laid on the bench. Nace didn't look particularly surprised, not even when Jan got on top, pinning him down.

"Yes."

Then he kissed him. Hard. Nace tangled his hand in his hair and pulled him closer. Jan quickly got lost in the kiss, forgetting where they were, up until he pulled back to catch hia breath.

Nace's pupils were dark and wide.

"Perhaos we shoukd take this home."

Jan pressed another hard but quick kiss to his lips. Then he chuckled.

"What?"

"I just have one question before we go," he said, pulling back to sit on his heels.

Nace raised an eyebrow.

"Which would be?"

"Did you shave so you could go to church?"

The look on Nace's face was worth the shove he got in response. He laughed all the way to the car.

He supposed that as much as he hated the shaved look, it did make plenty of opportunity for jokes.

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

not really enjoying tumblrs trend of comparing Thomas Andrews to Stockton Rush 😒Could you share how the two differ despite the fact they died by their own creations?

ive been trying to figure out how to tackle this ask for a few days now because theres so much to disentangle, but disentangle i will.

see, this comparison relies on common misinformation and misconceptions about titanic. its a ship thats been romanticised and mythologised for decades, and every portrayal of it from william randolph hearts yellow newspaper coverage to robin gardiners conspiracy theory to jim camerons film.

what im gonna list to disentangle this whole thing is by no means an exhaustive list of titanic misconceptions, only those relevant to this topic

-titanic was a cruise ship - titanic was an ocean liner not a cruise ship (ive detailed the differences in a different ask here)

-titanic was a brand new unique ship never seen before - not true, ocean liners had existed for decades. theres debate about which was the first, but many agree that its the ss great western which launched in 1843. titanic wasnt even the first launched in her class; that honour goes to the rms olympic.

-it was built with substandard materials and cut corners - this is one of those where theres potentially some truth, but its been misrepresented. theres some evidence that the rivets werent the best made, but the board of trade cleared the ship and she was built with the same materials and basically the same design as her sister ship, rms olympic which sailed for 24 years under the nickname "old reliable" and literally rammed a u-boat during ww1 when she was requisitioned as a troop ship. ultimately, the builders were not blamed in the wreck inquiry and the materials used were not substandard.

-it was built as said above due to the choices of j bruce ismay - yeah so this one obviously ties into the above. theres a lot of unreliable sources who seem to believe ismay oversaw the entire design and every cut corner was due to money. this simply isnt true and isnt how this sort of thing worked. white star had a contract with harland and wolff wherein they would build the ship agreed upon and when it was finished, it would be presented to white star and undergo sea trials, and during that time, white star could reject the ship if they considered it substandard. this is what happened to the ss city of rome. unles. the design itself was to be changed a la britannic after titanic sank (improving safety measures), white star could not interfere. ismay could not force them to use different materials.

-it was all ismays fault - okay, i could go on about this for a long time, but this ask isnt about ismay. the gist of it is that history has blamed ismay due to the influence of william randolph hearst (yeah, the guy from newsies and supported hitler) who hated ismay and blamed him entirely. actual evidence shows ismay helped a lot of people during the sinking itself.

-titanic was badly designed - ive kinda gone over this a little already, but again, titanic was not badly built. she was practically identical to olympic which was a fantastic ship. in the design, no risks were taken. most of the designs were enlarged versions of parts of previous successful ships. she was considered the safest ship on the sea. four of her water-tight compartments could be breached without her sinking which was a big fucking deal.

-thomas andrews was the sole designer - there was actually a team of designers that included andrews. he didnt even draw up the original plans; that was alexander carlisle.

-titanic sinking was a unique situation - yeah nah, boats sank a lot around that time. literally two years after, there was a similar disaster with the rms empress of ireland which goes entirely forgotten nowadays. in the same decade, you also had the sinking of lusitania in 1915, principe de asturias in 1916, volturno in 1913 and even thrown in princess sophia in 1918.

-the sinking was actually caused by a coal bunker fire - this is simply horseshit and im sure im gonna end up having to explain and debunk that one too

-the crew were taking unnecessary risks to win the blue riband - this myth is widespread because of the movie, but titanic was not trying to beat the record of the fastest ship from southampton to new york (thats what the blue riband) is; she physically couldnt. it was held by mauretania at that point with a record of 26.06 knots/48.26 km/hr. titanics top speed was 23 knots. white star as a line never focussed on speed and ismay never told the captain to speed up.

-she was "unsinkable" - this is a little harder to disentangle. the claim itself was "practically unsinkable", but the context of that was to do with how safe titanic was as mentioned above. also, the idea of an unsinkable ship was not quite to white star or harland and wolff; most of the shipping industry believed it.

-almost everything youve heard about the life boats - okay so here you need to throw out your preconceptions of what a life boat is because our modern conception does not match that from the early 1900s. to not get into all the details of life boat philosophy at the time (if you do wanna know, just send me an ask lmao), the main purpose of life boats at this time was ferrying passengers to a rescue ship. that was it. this attitude was informed by both the wrecks of the ss valencia and ss clallam, as well as the miraculous rescue of the rms republic. titanic did not have enough life boats for everyone because it was never expected for the passengers to be alone in the life boats for hours; it was not a design flaw, it was a feature.

-that fucking stupid ship swap myth and the idea that the crew were trying to sink the ship - i dont even want to get into why this is bullshit, plus ive also debunked it in another ask

i highlight all of the above to emphasise the fact that titanic was not a badly built ship. she was designed well, built well and sailed well. many experts agree that the way that she hit the iceberg was the only way she could have sank.

this is not the case with titan and stockton rush. in a previous post, ive gone over the design of the titan, the flaws in it and what experts in the field believe, so im not gonna go over it again, but rest assured, the titan imploded because of rush's actions and decisions.

titanic did not sink because of thomas andrews. its due to his design that anyone survived the titanic because she stayed afloat for over two hours which allowed the crew to launch all the life boats. thomas andrews himself helped many survivors during the sinking and evacuation.

he also was not a rich man using a gravesite as tourism; nepotism was certainly involved in his career but he spent ten years working his way up in the company, helping with the design of countless ships. he was mostly regarded as a good man who worked hard and recognised the hard work of others.

its honestly ludicrous to compare them because the disasters themselves are simply not comparable. the titanic did not sink because of the folly of rich men cutting corners; titan did.

thomas andrews, for any faults he had, knew what he was doing and built a good ship that was unlucky. almost every other ship he helped design didnt sink or if they did, most of them were due to ww1.

its just such a ridiculous comparison, and thats all it is. without the misconceptions and misinformation about titanic, the comparison simply falls apart. its built on a foundation that fundamentally misunderstands the titanic disaster.

if you want to talk about shipwrecks caused by stupid decisions made by rich men, go look up the last incarnation of hms captain or the gunilda or the fucking vasa if you want, you can literally go see that one. but dont besmirch the memory of a guy who, by all acounts, died a hero helping other survive.

[inventors-fair]

Carrying History: Set Name Commentary

You know the weirdest part about all of these mechanics that I've noticed as I'm typing up responses and commentary? I've actually not been paying much attention to the names of the mechanics themselves. There are some weird and obscure ones, that's for sure. Some of them had the same name as another submitter and some of them even had nearly the same ability. But the choices that come with them are all top-notch. Everyone knocked it out of the park with that.

The second part that I should acknowledge is that keyword actions are really tricky. Like, really tricky. You want to make it so that players understand what you want them to do, and then at the same time you have to give it a shorthand, and you have to make it feel natural... It's pretty wild, actually, and it wasn't until the end that I realized there weren't any on the podium. But that's just how the cards are dealt, and I want to give commendation to the players who designed keyword actions in the first place. Pretty tight stuff.

I'm astounded that this contest broke the number of entries that it did. Is it just a resurgence in the new year with players coming to the Fair? Or did this one feel like people were up for the challenge? I know there were a few new faces, so welcome one and all, but it's just kinda surprising all at once. Eh, the more the merrier. Usually. Lots of writing, but that's the bed I've made. We'll see if we need to adjust.

Cards with JUDGE PICK are ones I want to point out as being cool for some specific reason, cards that were close to being on the podium that didn't quite get there, and/or my personal little favorite babies. On with the show...

@bread-into-toast — Luminous Broodwing

Let's see: the easiest things to have out would be creatures and land, and then a mix of artifact/enchantment creatures is an easy-ish 3-4 depending on as-fan. Battles and planeswalkers are a little more difficult, but there you go. I think that there's something that's... Well, it's obviously a mechanic derived from delirium, and that's some reasonable space. I think there's an inherent difference between the graveyard and battlefield type-caring, because cards with Delirium assist in the catch-up, whereas cards with this mechanic reward stabilization? Coming from behind, you'd have to have an artifact, planeswalker, battle, or kindred card to give the same effect; the limits on permanent types feels, well, more limiting than perhaps intended.

But, as a come-from-behind scenario, I can see where this card entering would make a world of difference. Caring about smaller things does seem to be in-color for this archetype in various ways, and I think the general design is pretty cool. Maybe with a little sacrifice engine it could be a really nasty piece of work to loop other entering effects. If I'm not mistaken from the art with the lanterns, is this intended to be on Kamigawa? (Forgive me if you've already said that, we've cleared the notes and I've been bad about bookkeeping.) Contemporary Kamigawa would be the easiest place to get this online. It's an environmental thing, really? I understand the gist of the mechanic and its implementation. You know your history, that's for sure. It's interesting—the ability you chose is called "modern horizons" but the roots to the past still tether it.

~

@brookeuwo — Ruin Surveyor

I think we could see Caves again, sure, and there are gnomish/dwarven stipulations that could make the presence of Caves much more prominent. Is it worth basing an ability word off of them? There are a lot of constraints when it comes to what folks want to draft, picking Caves instead of the Cave payoffs... Which do you take first, and what do you hope to see from that? I mean, there could be one in every other pack or whatever, and that's an environment-dependent thing. I feel that the specificity would end up being somewhat parasitic to what you're trying to do for a limited environment, or if not parasitic then highly specific to the point of it not being worth the ability word.

As for this card, though, it might even feel pushed if you managed to work out what kind of environment would have that many caves in it. Surveil on a green creature is wild, especially repeated surveil. Is that allowed? I legitimately don't know if that's something that green should be doing even at this rarity. I know that it gets some entering thing, but... There's no precedent for it, that's for sure. If it was an attack trigger, perhaps, maybe something that could happen if you've sacrificed something... Tapping to surveil isn't in-pie here, I'm gonna draw the line. Do I like the card conceptually? Yeah, for sure! Does it need to be rebalanced? Yes. Definitely. I had a "gnome man's land" pun I was trying to make here, but I'm far enough behind as it is.

~

@dabudder — Avaricious Raider

It's a shame that we only have so much time and space for these cards. I do appreciate the ambitious design in general, all the time. To thine own audience be true, though—"Loot" cards are an allusion to another whole card subtype, I assume, and I can imagine the ways that they'd be like Lessons, but I don't really know them. ... The more I read this, the more I can see that yeah, they'd definitely be like Lessons, but artifacts. Heh. Some of them would be quite powerful in any format, unlike constructed Lessons, I imagine... Permanents vs. spells is always a strange quandary. Conceptually? I do like what you've aimed for. Contest-wise, I can only judge what I know and what I've played. What I've played of Lessons has been successful! What I've played of grabbing sideboard artifacts, well... I used to play Karn Fires, so I've been burned before.

I've also been a fan of one-mana creatures in black, especially the aggressive ones. I'm a little down on the fact that you've named the creature in one line and then said "this creature" in another, so you might want to pick one line of wording to stick with. As for the card itself, it's a good show! Your opponent might want to have it die early to save life, but then they allow you to further your game plan with your Loot in a way that sets them behind. Or, they can take the damage as long as they can to avoid the extra card... Tough choices! Speaking of tough choices, the end to the flavor text feels a little...less punchy? How you utilize those creative choices is up to you but I don't feel the impact with this one.

~

@deg99 — Put on the Screws

Not gonna lie: I really do like this one. "It becomes unhinged" is an awesome way of making the feeling match the expedited gameplay. You want to get these creatures out, you want to get them swinging, and you want them to make an impact. I imagine that becoming unhinged is something that's going to be used fairly sparingly, mostly as a limited trick, and I can see it almost entirely in RB, mmmmmaybe in a green card with the right flavor. That limitation kinda sucks, but hey, Rakdos is always a fun place to be! I think the wording needs a lot of editing, though. I'd word it: "(It must attack or block each combat if able. If it would deal or be dealt combat damage, twice that much damage is dealt instead.)" It's...narrow. And a little confusing to grok. But the gameplay, though...

Take down your opponent's big creatures. Force a creature to swing into a board with this card. Really make it hurt. I mean, Threaten effects are pretty great in the right environment and I've certainly died to my fair share of them, but this? This feels awesome on a whole other level. It requires a reckless spirit in a thoughtful game plan. Even aside from this card, which kinda speaks for itself, the mechanic makes me want to play it and that's a strong thumbs-up. The flavor text is pretty silly, which is a fine maniacal flavor, but in addition to being a run-on it's a little derivative from the name. "Get ready to bolt" could've been fun, maybe? Oh, wait: "Now it's my turn." Boom. Or...your turn? I dunno, there are really great options. Gotta play beyond the base language, dawg.

~

@dimestoretajic — Foamy Containment

An alternate cost is neither an ability word nor a keyword action. On its merits, though, I'm not sure how on-board I am with having this as a mechanic at all. Its entire purpose is to get around the parts of the game that allow players to interact with interaction. Do we need a whole mechanic for it? I don't think so. The greater purpose doesn't lead players into an archetype nor does it suggest any kind of greater environment. I'm not sure what the considerations for it were. The card itself is a slightly upgraded Hydrosurge. Is it necessary for that to be at uncommon? Hydrosurge is nigh-unplayable as-is. I think both the card and the mechanic could use more revisions. The question is: what does this mechanic do for gameplay? Why is it necessary to have it be a mechanic, or what does its mechanical nature bring to gameplay? Where does this lead players?

~

@dphkraken — Reported Missing

The name: excellent. The ability name: also excellent. The ability's grokability: pretty good, I think. The ability's execution: there are a couple kinks to work out but overall I like it a fair amount. The thing about instants having this, especially with something that can arguably be a combat trick, is that they're almost always gonna happen as breaking news—especially if it's not your turn, you see? I feel that "If it's your turn and this is the first spell you've cast this turn" could be just as fine. Then you can do it for instants or even flash creatures, and also add it to sorcery-spell things that would normally make more sense to cast during the second main. Kinda like how Addendum works? Hm, maybe there needs to be more done to differentiate them... Because, like, I do like this name on instant spells. There's gotta be a way to make it more unique.

As for this card, there are a few wording choices to keep in mind—namely, naming the parts of the turn. This card should be worded: "Exile target nontoken creature. Return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of that player's upkeep. // Breaking News—if this is the first spell you've cast this turn, instead exile that creature, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control." Syntax matters a lot when you're dealing with these sorts of things. And yeah, it's a fine combat trick, and I love blinking! Question is, how are you gonna make the timing on something like Breaking News matter?

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@feyd-rautha-apologist — Hideous Waystone / Face-Eater Troll

It's really easy to compare this to something like Daybound/Nightbound with different timing restrictions, but having played an obscene amount of limited, I'm more impressed that you can pinpoint that sweet spot of where the number of cards in a player's hand matters. Three/four as a marker is a little too much, but two/three is just where there's enough tension to warrant wondering if it's best to dump the hand or go hog-wild. What I enjoy most about this play style is its limited play for sure. I also think it was a good idea not to exactly match Lorwyn/Shadowmoor style flavoring and go with the tide aspect instead, in part because I forget so much of that lore...

G/U could have a hand-size-mattering archetype for sure. It's a way to ensure that the R/W players who dump their hands will be forced to reckon with how this thing transforms. The balance between "a player" and this card could mean that aggressive decks have to contend with this thing as a creature and then you, with all your cards in hand, can get it back to being a peaceful stone. That's a lot of transformation! Looking at this card is one indication, but... Hm. There are a LOT of transforming triggers to keep track of, but each side doing its thing is interesting. But I'm just noticing that there's a major downside to game-state-tracking if one card is on Morningtide, and one is on Even, and there's one player with two in hand and one with three—the flip-floppiness of each transformation won't be consistent. That's fine in a vacuum, but en masse? I think you should edit to a point of mass transformation, at least so that each player's individual cards are on the same side on any given turn.

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@hanavesinauttija — Amaunet of the Chitin Court (JUDGE PICK)

I do recall there being whispers of this card around and about as an unused mechanic from Hour of Devastation. Did I read that in the workshops or did I read that from the fair chatter? I forget, but either way, there's something to be said for how absolutely excruciating this particular card would be in the Rakdos Sacrifice deck that's been making the rounds in Pioneer. For real—you get your cat-oven crap out on the first two turns, then play this if you don't have a devil, and you're in for such an evil time. Tormenting is something that should be done sparingly, I feel, but there are ways of making it happen in smaller amounts, and I think there shouldn't be too many cards in a given limited environment that do it as consistently as this. Well, "consistently," but.

I feel that for constructed purposes that this card should only be able to torment once a turn, just for balance's sake. Still, the way you've made this card makes me want to a) play with it and b) make cards that use this mechanic. Those are the little victories, right? I do worry about how any kind of recursion can make this card miserable, but that's a single instance of a card that's doing the work, and not an overall indication. Tormenting is...hard to balance, I feel. Too much and the whole gameplay feels oppressive. Too many hoops and it feels hardly worthwhile. Simple, effective, destructive—that's where this would need to land. I thing Amaunet is probably on the upper tiers of power for tormenting, but hell, I'm absolutely down for it.

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@helloijustreadyourpost — Split the Earth (JUDGE PICK)

I've had to rewrite this on and off, because I just don't know how I feel about this particular verb as a keyword action. There was another similar one down below, and both submissions are vaguely reminiscent of amass, and both of them technically feel like actions, and I'm frustrated trying to find the nuances of why it's just not gripping me. I guess "Awaken" took a lot of that cake, yeah? Let's back up. I don't hate this mechanic. I like the way that it encourages a thoughtful approach to when you cast your spells precombat main, and how it encourages that more aggressive style of gameplay. I don't like how it requires a target, especially one that animates a land, but I understand how you tried to mitigate that by making it indestructible. I'm not sure about the power level of that indestructible attacker, but it's temporary, so there you go.

Name's great, AD is pretty awesome, flavor text feels like it's based off of old Zendikar so there's a bit of a pass there. Looking at other land animation spells, this feels like a little bit of a fine card to curve on in an aggro deck, turn four sending 'em sideways. Let's play a little bit? I think that there's something to be said for other ways to worldwake. I'm imagining one that worldwakes whenever you cast a noncreature spell, another where you can sacrifice a nonland creature to worldwake, one where you can exile cards from your graveyard to worldwake for an amount... Maybe in the end there's just the swamping of submissions and I couldn't place my feelings in time. Maybe this particular execution makes the verbal aspect feel a little less like how I envisioned in the prompt. But hell, I'm ready to meet it halfway.

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@hyde-the-toad-bard — Burst of Knowledge

As a common card, there's a funny loophole you have there—if you have no cards in hand, then this spell basically becomes "draw three cards." That's why a lot of the cards these days have the discard as an additional cost, or "You may discard, if you do" etc. I don't know if that was intentional, but I don't feel that it's necessarily the kind of card you're going to want at common for three hybrid up there. I feel that the ambition is there, although the Allegiance execution could use a little bit of tinkering. To be honest, I've seen similar executions before, and there's nothing wrong with having an exact-color-or-number-of-colors mechanic in a set like Ravnica! There's the question of how to best execute that.

And instead of threebrid, imagine that this spell cost 2H instead for a draw-three discard-two (or one if you fulfilled the Allegiance casting). So now, you have the possibility that your players will spend other colors on the 2, but you want them to spread out their mana. Right? Having hybrid mana in a cost is something that suggests flexibility, that you're only going to be paying with the two colors. Honestly, in limited you're going to be doing that a lot of the time anyway, so what's the point of offering a special option that's actually the norm—y'know? My point is to ask this: how might you challenge the players with Allegiance in a way that encourages rewards for certain archetypes? Adamant did that with Throne of Eldraine, if you recall. What would it look like in inverse?

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@hypexion — Meletian Hoplite

I find it curious how many folks had similar-ish designs with wildly different ideas on where to begin for this contest, but that variance is notable in what names were chosen. The abilities and ability counters here are... Well, it's similar enough to one of the winning cards, no use beating around the bush about it. This card is definitely more of the proof-of-concept common draftable card, and the inspiration from the set/world is definitely a major part of it, and I do want to say that I enjoy the simplicity of the design. Now it's a numbers game, whether you'd want to be grindier as a 2/3 instead of a 2/2, etc. Ability counters, now that's something a little unique for Theros.

Is it something that a Theros set would want? That's impossible to answer, heh. There's always been fun stuff to do with the graveyard, but ability counters isn't the immediate relationship that I can see with the world and the cards, I'll say that much. Targeting, spells, enchantments... It's a good question: what would you do for cards with higher rarities, if they appear there? More counters? Abilities that trigger on exiling? With this particular example, it's hard for me to see the places where you could expand upon it, and that's something I'd want to hear more about from you. What does this look like at higher rarities? What else could be incorporated into the set, mechanic-wise, to have this kind of mechanic be a limited glue?

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@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes — General Commander

If I have to zoom in on your card, there's a chance there that you might have too much text there. This is a LOT of text for what amounts to a Battalion cousin. Let's talk about just the ability to start. Attacking and/or blocking with two or more creatures is fine enough. I don't know how absolutely necessary it is to word it this way, but I suppose that it can trigger even if it's other creatures you control that are attacking/blocking, and I don't hate the ability to sort of spread out your blocking abilities that way. It's not the easiest on board to remember; triggers that care about attacking/blocking on thing that themselves do not have to attack/block can be difficult, and that's something I've seen from limited experience.

I think it would've behooved you to choose a less wordy card, because a) it doesn't enhance the ability itself for the purposes of the contest, and in fact b) it makes me concerns about remembering what you have on board that much more difficult. Creature-types-matter doesn't really have anything to do with the card, yeah? And then you have blink effects, flash creatures, removal questions, what happens when a creature of X type enters at X time during damage/combat, etc. There's so much potential confusion here, my guy. And props for simple and effective flavor text—it really doesn't belong on a card with four other lines of text. Cut back to the emphasis on your strengths. How do you plan to really show off your response to the prompt? That's the focus.

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@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Omen Crane

I suppose that one scries/surveils a fair amount in MTG these days. Maybe it's not as often as how one surveiled in GRN, but that was the start of surveil and that was also a Guild mechanic, so that doesn't count. I think I can see cards at lower rarities that have triggers and/or buffs if you've scried/surveiled, although for a standard set, I have to wonder if it wouldn't be more beneficial to go back to what the Dimir did and just have additional surveil payoffs. But no, you can then expand this into more colors, and have a Sultai spread... I don't think white and red can really use that as much, but who knows, maybe there's more advantage across the whole set, maybe Prophecy isn't its own archetype. It's a little difficult to see where it would want to be as glue vs. archetype.

The card itself is really funny in ome ways. Did you consult Hisoka as wording for it? I was a little iffy and Counterbalance wasn't helping much, but thank goodness for old-school Kamigawa. As for whether or not this card is useful... I'm on the fence. Milling in blind luck and countering a spell can be fun, but getting rid of your resources and deciding what to keep or leave based on possible reactions feels fairly complex in any given environment no matter what the rarity. Potentially unfun with recursion, but since when are counterspells supposed to be fun? As far as recursive countering effects go, it's far from egregious and much easier to remove. I think its dependence on you having to have scried/surveiled makes it significantly weaker than it would be otherwise (so actually you get a lot fewer opportunities to go blindly milling on an opponent's turn, ig). Hm. I'm not really sold on the relationship yet.

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@lanabutnotdelray — Biblioplex Rebuilder (JUDGE PICK)

What can I say, I'm always a bit of a schmuck for special exile zones. Cipher, Imprint... The archive is a really cool concept. Fitting for Strixhaven, too. There are some possibilities of recursion and complex infinite loops, and I think that the space for it could be comparable to a second hand, and that's my real worry. Depending on the spells that you archive, I think having that zone is... Not to have a burning metaphor here but you're playing with fire. Exile is one place that can't really be touched by an opponent. They can hurt the creature, but if you're using the archive for any sort of recursion like on this card, then the gameplay loop has the potential to be dangerous.

It might've behooved you to choose an example that didn't have recursion, but whaddaya gonna do at this point, right? It's been nearly a week since actual submissions at time of writing, or at least it feels that way. So what else could be fun for an archival card? Let's see... I assume that your archive is only cards you own, which is fair. I'm imagining a red creature that can archive upon attacks, then when it dies it deals damage to another creature equal to the highest mana value among cards in your archive. Cool! Or a rare black creature that archives your creatures when they die then gives their keywords to your living creatures on combat. It's a cool way to accelerate the late-game. Just have to make sure things are balanced. I wonder how large an archive can be... That might also be a limit to set, like—after the fifth card, the rest go back to the graveyard. Resource management. I dunno, there's lots to think about!

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@little-red-rabbit — Ambitious First Year

There are certainly some ambitions here, but let's get the first thing out of the way: this contest was to design a keyword action or ability word, and Signature Spell is a regular keyword. The links on the main contest can take you to the wikis where the explanations of keyword actions/ability words are, just for clarification. If you wanted to make this into a keyword, let's look at the wording. This card wants to basically imprint an instant/sorcery, right? But this card doesn't say from where. Did you want it to exile from the hand, the graveyard, or from outside the game? The card needs to clarify that.

As for the rest of the card, though, it's understandable enough what you'd want it to do. Aside from a couple grammar changes, the functionality is fairly reasonable. Is it something you can cast without paying the signature spell's mana cost, or is it a freecast? When you have this many moving parts, it's important to be as clear as possible to ensure your card can be read in the way you intend. All the same: not a bad card conceptually. I think there are some specifics to work out as well as double-checking the contest requirements.

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@nine-effing-hells — Peer Under the Horizon

To phrase this in the most constructive way possible: I'm leaning towards liking this mechanic, but I don't think this card is the best way to demonstrate its strengths. Pseudo-looting, pseudo-recursion, lots of wild things to suggest about the environment... Let's talk about the way that this mechanic works first. I think it's strong enough to make me worry a little bit about it, but not so strong that I'm going to tinker with it immediately. Recursion is really strong, don't get me wrong. There might be ways that reforging fate can lead to really aggravating gameplay loops. Depending on the cards that it's on and how much other recursion is present/absent in this set, I can see it being fine enough. I'd want to play with it.

The discarding to draw reminds me of learning, which is a place from which I assume you got some of this wording. The rest of this card is surveiling, and drawing, and putting things into the graveyard again, then drawing again... Like, an on-curve creature that reforged fate when it entered would've been a stronger demonstration of how the verbiage works for sure, not gonna lie. Demonstrating the strength of a powerful limited tool that can completely reconstruct the way that limited players think about their resources isn't easy, I'll admit that. Is this the best card to show for it? I really don't think so. I grok it and I like it. If I was showing a brand-new player the mechanic, this wouldn't be the card I'd show to sell them on it. I do like the relationship between Kruphix and mortals, though. They've always been one of my favorite gods. Nice name, too—of the card I mean.

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@piccadilly-blue — Somnescent Seer

Insert my begrudging-but-not-really acknowledgement that there were Dreamcast promos. But I'm actually really jazzed, not gonna lie—I had no idea! That's super cool! I'm surprised that you don't have the graveyard there, i.e. cards that you cast from anywhere other than your hand, but so it goes. The real question is how you're gonna make this word in limited, right? Impulse draws aren't that common, at least not enough to give extra as-fan, and casting from the library is pretty wild enough that it's hard to justify. There could be other ways of dreamcasting and I can see this being an incredible piece of glue for constructed play on other cards, but how do you expect it to show up? I...really don't know, and I do genuinely want to hear more about your thoughts on expansion, if any.

This seer is, of course, a wonderful card. You already know. It's in the colors of casting from anywhere, and even if you didn't have the dreamcast action there, it would be a very good card. Impulse or Future Sight means that you've got a wild beater, and even a single impulse means that you can start popping off. I'm actually surprised that it doesn't have flying or +1/+1 instead of +1/+0 as a trigger, but those are small adjustments. Like, yeah, there are too many questions about what the potential dream environment would be to make dreamcasting the best it can be, but I'm gonna pour the praise where I can here.

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@ra-ra-ranamon — Navigate by Hedron

And our second worldwoke card of the hour! So there's something somewhat fragile about animated lands, which is why they've introduced quite a few ways to make them more resilient over the years. The mechanical iteration of Awaken from BFZ was...quite similar, honestly. Not gonna lie, this one feels effectively the same, but it forces you to make the lands into creatures upon cast, and that can open you up to a lot of removal options and interactions that you may not want to have at the outset.

I understand the distribution vs. putting them all on one land, spreading them around with additional worldwaking spells. Is it worth the spread if the distance from a tried and true mechanic isn't that far to begin with? Making three 1/1s out of your lands that can only be attackers at the cost of your other resources feels like it's not the best way to go about this kind of mechanic. A Rampant Growth effect is totally reasonable as a base for cards that need to show off new mechanics (like that bolster one from FRF). At its core, this mechanic feels like this iteration isn't what it needs to be in terms of originality or implementation.

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@real-aspen-hours — Stormchaser Corsair

[Art: a young pirate, hovering above the deck of a pirate ship, surrounded by small crackles of lightning. He's pointing towards a massive storm raging in the distance. His shirt is open, and on his chest are distinctive lightning scars. focus: the pirate mood: confidence]

So sorry about some of the syntactical stuff—I was literally ready to leave for work when this card came into the inbox and things got a little hasty. Anyway, tempest! It's interesting that there was more than one connection between tempest and storm. As for what it does, well, it does exactly what it says on the tin: triggers with additional spells. I don't have to be the guy to say that that's good gameplay, right? It's the kind of mechanic that rewards additional slinging late in the game and a management of resources that keeps your opponents on their toes. The colors that draw the most cards are going to be casting the most spells, and the fact that it's specifically the end step is possibly an indicator of things to come. Good choice to have it linked to specific steps and stages.

And the card is a bit pushed but fine by itself, yeah? I think there's the advantage in the later game that you can just chain together cards and have a full grip basically every time with extra advantage, so perhaps having a wee bit less power would be feasible. Casting spells and swinging in is what the deck wants to do but I'd wager that there's a bit of a damper needed. As it stands, the card's fine, and the mechanic is good if not breaking any new ground. The spellcasting colors want to cast spells, who'da thunk. There's not much to expand upon from the mechanical side of things, except to switch around flying and haste there in the text. Sometimes simple is still good, though.

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@reaperfromtheabyss — Boreal Mystic (JUDGE PICK)

I did Kaldheim sealed with a buddy of mine during lockdowns. He had gotten a box, so we both spent a few games rolling through and shuffling damage back and forth. What I noticed was that Snow was a fairly scare resource, or so it felt. If there had been cards like Boreal Mystic here, I think that having that blend of Snow and non-Snow could've been quite a bit stronger. The problem with Snow is that if everything's snow, it stops feeling like a unique thing to build around, but too little support can send draft players scrambling for it. Getting to make Snow work even in MH1 was an interesting feat considering you had to draft basics to make it work in your favor. What if there was additional support? I think it could be some wonderful glue.

This card as a rare payoff is costed properly, not too powerful, not too weak, and is a good blend of design sensibilities and flavor balance. There should be a comma after the 2, but hey, that's Preordain for you. (Maybe a comma after "nights" as well?) This card could encourage a long-term draft deck that rewards consistency if you get enough Snow, but even a single Snow spell can show how much a blend of draft resources can make a deck work. Heh, I'm actually reminded of NEO a little bit—in the sense that even the cards that seemed like they didn't fit into a particular archetype could jam properly. Play this in any kind of UX deck in Reaper's Snow Limited Set, and you'll get the payoff if you know how to pick the rest of the incidental Snow cards. I like it.

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@sparkyyoungupstart — Oilbarb Goblin

It appears that there was a little confusion about what constituted a KA/AW this week; this alternate casting cost is neither, but c'est la vie, let's take a look. Xantcha is a fun effect, and Sleeper Agents are totally reasonable. I'm...not sure why the casting cost and invasion cost are effectively the same for the player casting them. Why two mana for each? Either way, widespread Sleeper-Agent-Type effects have been tried before in custom circles, but I don't think that they really play that well. They're special for a moment but ultimately, is that really what you're looking for in terms of fun mechanics? Each Invasion creature you play will be attacking you in the end for an amount of damage that means you're probably gonna have to remove it with your own resources; there's no detriment, at least on this card, to just having a free attack every turn.

The damage on this goblin will scale up in time, sure. You're still getting attacked for what amounts to damage equal to what you're dealing, and on top of that your opponents get to play their own cards under their own control that'll be attacking you too. Honestly, that's why these mechanics end up not doing what they intend to do: MTG's resources demand benefits over detriments. You're spending a blocker to deal incidental damage here as your opponents get to play cards without having to worry about it. A cool notion flavorfully doesn't translate to a larger mechanical need.

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@stupidstupidratcreatures — Spoils Seller

What...is the vault? What is "it?" How do other cards go into the vault? Is "it" this card, or the card in the theoretical vault? I'm going to make this brief because there's some theoretical stuff to say about what this card might be alluding to with regards a shared zone (which doesn't work if cards are going to the hand, because cards you don't own can't be in your hand). Maybe there's some kind of place or mechanic that tells you how cards get into the vault, but as presented without any other information, I can't evaluate this card. Vague pronouns and a vaguer sense of what you're supposed to actually do mean that you're gonna have to explain your thought process before I can really give you the feedback you need.

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@tanknspank — Anxiety Attack

Layers are a real pain in the butt, aren't they. Here's what my gut says: this mechanic would have too many interactions for giving/taking away abilities to be a feasible action for drafting. The name's great and the Duskmourn-ian sensation of torment is pretty cool, so I love that. Where layers apply is really, really weird. P/T boosts versus ability-granting auras vs. cards like this are... It's just so strange together. I had an interaction with a baffling rules question the other day that I had an intuitive answer to that ended up being incorrect, so who knows how a whole ability that removes abilities would work out, especially with long-term memory issues.

Don't get me wrong—the concept is totally fine, and on a digital client I can see this working out perfectly reasonably. And giving abilities with something like suspect is one thing, but taking them all away is a whole other story. This card at common can make massive creatures lose abilities, which is really funny... Hm. The timing of combat damage to grant abilities (or I guess to return them?) is something that's gonna cause a few rifts with deathtouch, lifelink, trample, all sorts of shenanigans. So weird. Yeah, it's a sound idea, and that sound is an unpaid judge screaming into the void.

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@wildcardgamez — Eternity Rift

I'm having a lot of trouble seeing the justification for this one being able to target your opponent's things. And even for targeting your own. It's a tutor for this card's controller and unfathomably effective removal against an opponent. What guarantee is there that they'll have the card they're looking to planeshift? Absolutely none. So for one red mana, you punish an attacking creature and get it shuffled in without punishment. Like, conceptually, in a perfect cube, there are ways of making a kinda-similar effect work on a single spell. As a whole mechanic, this is broken six ways to Sunday.

You know how cards like Ghost Quarter are highly effective at shutting down opponents who don't play too many basic lands, and it can effectively turn it into a Strip Mine? It's like that. Planeshifting as a concept is...something that feels like it could be cool but the execution just isn't feasible. A mechanic like Transmute from RAV only kinda works (and even then isn't the best for limited) because it's a sorcery-speed one-player tutor for cards that you know you might need to search for. Forcing any opponent's creature to be planeshifted with three specific stipulations is far too much.

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@xenobladexfan — Lineaged Noble

Oh man, I've only been to Wisconsin once on a road trip, passing through... Anyway. I assume that Dynasty cares about the number of cards with the same name in your graveyard? That feels fair, although for limited you're going to be—well, quite limited. That's the ultimate downside: if you don't have the immediate build-around, you're kinda screwed. It's like getting one Faerie Miscreant in pack 1, and then you never seen one again for the rest of the draft. Maybe as a one-off card, this would be fine. As an ability word, I'm iffy on how much use it would actually have.

A one-mana 2/1 is totally fine, honestly, Savannah Lions go nuts and all that. The lifegain at common isn't gonna happen too much outside of maybe a lucky sealed player's pool, so there's that, but this card's still asking for the mechanic to carry it, and that's really not hitting me right now. But I don't hate the notion of caring about certain things in the graveyard. Or maybe, like, having a single other card with the name in the graveyard? Or on the battlefield? There could be some cool common/uncommon rewards for cards that benefit from you having a two-of. Gives the draft a sense of cohesion that allows for players to look for that togetherness.

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@yd12k — Bloodstained Barrister

IMO: three is too much. Two is perfect. Depending on the kind of environment you have, transforming multiple permanents doesn't happen quite as often as you might think. MOM was a rare exception, I'll say that much... But I've just drafted Innistrad Remastered recently, and you know how many transformed permanents I had out at one time? Not as many as the werewolf player who ran my ass over, I'll say that much. Depending on your archetype, it really is a rough call, and I love this concept with the name. Let's cut it down one level. One's too few for constructed, three is too much for limited.

Or maybe there can be scales depending on... No, that's too much text. Anyway, this card's fantastic. Or should I say FANG-tastic. Eh? Ahem. Lifelink plus the end step trigger means that you might have extra life swinging in by the time you get to turns 5+ and things can really kick off depending on what you had for permanents that could transform prior to it. It's ravenously strong, I'll say that much, and it encourages you to really take and force those TDFCs like the dickens. Night's Whisper is where it's at for a good reason. Yeah, no, big fan conceptually. Flavor text is cheesy but it's cheesy in a way that I personally enjoy. Camp! That's the word I'm looking for. It's a camp-ire. ... I think I'm cursed.

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@yourrightfulking — Aggression Duplicator (JUDGE PICK)

Here we are at the final story and the second Alpha ability word that cares about the greater power and all that jazz. It was a genuinely difficult pick between the two, but I still do like this one, and I think that there's a lot of cool stuff you can do with cards that care about the greatest power. Obviously there should be a few that spread out and check for power at different intervals, and maybe not ones that increase power in other stuff, but that's all future speculation. This version got some praise elsewhere, and it's a simple enough thing to grok that you can feel an amount of pride in your execution.

Honestly the first thing that I'm iffy on is the word "Duplicator" in the name. Feels a little telling where the rest of the card shows the feral nature of what you're trying to get across. What I really like is that even if this is on-curve and the biggest creature that you have, it's just a vanilla 3/2 that can swing in. Later in the turn it can really beef things up, but that's a strong rare aggression pattern as it starts. Later on, it is making free tokens of what's ostensibly your best creature, so I do wonder if it would behoove you to have some kind of cost attached to it? The value's already there, but you do want to ensure that things don't get broken too easily.

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That's all for last week's commentary. I'm still shocked we got the number of entrants that we did, but hey, it just goes to show: specifics hit different. Or something. I dunno, I'm full of fried rice and jazz.

@abelzumi

[a-iya]

Hiii ＼(ﾟ∀ﾟ)／

Sooo what do you think about the Haikyuu! Movie without knowing anime? 😀

(I'm sending this ask to discuss our impressions in the comments (and recommend this series a bit haha)

Have a nice day ♡

hiiii!! i didn't realize this was going to become a full-on essay so 💀 apologies in advance for the long-windedness. i don't blame you if you don't feel like reading all the way through lmao (there is a tl;dr at the end if that's the case)

my sister actually got into haikyuu after S1 (pretty much a decade ago at this point 😭) so i've at least known about it and understood the gist of it for a while now. i myself didn't get into anime until a few years ago though! so i've been slowly building up my watch catalog. normally i like funny animes so haikyuu definitely fits the criteria, but due to the fact that 1) it's a sports anime 2) i have very little interest in sports and 3) there would be a LOT of episodes to catch up on, it's just been sitting in my to-watch list for years lmaooo

as i started to follow more people on tumblr, i also started to see more haikyuu content, so i recognized some characters just by their appearance (hinata [obviously], but also kenma, kageyama, and atsumu miya [the guy with the undercut, who i don't remember seeing in the movie]). but anyway, my sister had been saying she wanted to watch the movie once it came out. and over the weekend, i happened to see a lot of people posting about going to watch the movie so i told her we should go! and so we did!

the movie was so hilarious and i thoroughly enjoyed watching!! the rivalry between the 2 teams was sooo funny. i knew i was going to like the movie, but it did end up being a little bit fast-paced for me cause i basically dived in with like. 0.4 background,,,, like ya girl was strUGgLinG trying to keep up. but that's no one's fault but my own 😔 i was kind of hoping it'd be like the demon slayer mugen train movie (which is actually what got me into anime! but that's besides the point). where the premise would be simple enough that you wouldn't need that much context before watching. i knew the movie would basically be just one really long volleyball game so i figured it would be fine... alas, i was wrong 😭 i don't know the rules of the game or any of the characters/their positions so it was all i could do to just watch and try to understand everything as it was happening ;-;

another thing i wanna mention is that now that i've long since graduated from my "beginner weeb" phase and become a full-on weeb, i'm familiar with a lot of voices and voice actors so it's difficult for me to see new characters and their voice actors (that i already know from somewhere else) as one entity 🤔 i'm not sure if that makes a lot of sense ><

for example: the whole time we were watching the movie, i felt like kenma sounded a lot like yuki kaji (who voices shoto [mha] and eren [aot])?? but also didn't at the same time. it was bothering me the whole 2 hours but i looked it up after it was over and i was right 😩

i also immediately recognized kuro as gojo [jjk]/hawks [mha]/greed [fma]; so kuro wasn't even kuro to me, he was just a volleyball au gojo with a completely different look 😭 i feel like that kind of gets in the way of my viewing experience personally, because i couldn't pause and think about where i know this voice from (like i usually do when i start a new anime). but it bOThERs mE because it's like on the tip of my tongue and my mind caNnOT rEST until i confirm my suspicions 😩

anyway, going in, the only people i knew about were like. hinata and kageyama... and it was surface-level knowledge at best. but i've seen kenma around enough where i recognized his character design so i thought i might like him. and he ended up being super cute!! i loved him, but i also really loved kuro (he is very handsome 🥰) and the tall glasses guy from karasuno. he was funny as fuck. but i'm definitely interested in watching the show to see what other lovable goofs the story has to offer. i'm always on the hunt for more blorbos

tl;dr basically i loved the movie, i thought it was really funny; now i have to actually watch the show so i can really enjoy the experience the movie had to offer. the production was honestly great. my sister wants me to get caught up so we can watch it again while it's still in theaters lmao. we'll have to see about that... the first 2 seasons are 25 eps each and then there are at least a few more seasons (even if they are less eps) after that 💀 when i got into mha last year, i was able to blast through 6 seasons within a week,,, but that costed me 3 full days worth of binge-watching and several work nights to catch up 😩 idk if i can do that again

thank you for the ask and interacting with me 🥺🫶 i know your day just started so i hope it goes well!! have a nice rest of the week also <3