#……what's nayan's *last name*

[sith-shenanigans]

If your Jedi ocs had to disguise themselves as a Sith, how convincing of a job would they do?

👁 thank you for this question, anon!

Brakerre (Liminality/Discontent): Not convincing. It’s not that she can’t be scary, it’s that she can’t summon up any kind of reasonable “what would I be like as a Sith?” persona. The things she cares about enough to fall if she had to… aren’t Sith things. Her Bad End is “living weapon,” not Sith Lord. (Result: she waves her lightsaber around a lot and starts a fight, probably. Though she manages to fake still being brainwashed for a bit on the Emperor’s station.)

Velnira (Liminality/Discontent): Canonically does scarily well. She takes out the pigtails and she puts on Sithy clothing and does this thing with her voice and now Tharan is a little bit terrified, thanks. The good bean has a lot of… force of personality that usually doesn’t come out, and is also surprisingly good at lying to people. After all, she’s trained for diplomacy—understanding other people and figuring out how to present yourself to them is part of that! Controlling your reactions and not giving the wrong things away is part of that! Manipulation skills are part of that! This is why diplomats are also frequently involved in espionage! It’s the fact that she has a capacity for dishonesty that kind of blindsides people, and the fact that “pretending to be a Sith specifically, when she is Made of Shiny” is within her ability. (That said, she can’t shield her aura worth druk, so if a real Sith shows up… she’s basically out of luck. This is why she isn’t a Shadow-in-official-cover-as-a-diplomat.)

Hallen (stolen minor npc): Panicking inside, but does better than you’d think. Unfortunately, Iridonian zabraks aren’t common on the other side. She could pass for a very short period, but then people would get suspicious.

Ru (Liminality/Discontent): Whoops, we’re fighting now. Boring conversation anyway.

Nayan (Sunlight, but maybe not exclusively): She was trained as a Jedi Shadow. She never managed this kind of mission, having left the Order before her knighting, but she would have been judged psychologically qualified. (Before the metric ton of trauma, anyway.) She could do it for an extended period of time—and, in like a moth to you, sunlight, she does. Of course, she eventually gets caught…

[richincolor]

New Releases

Four new books to round out the month of June, just in time to take to the beach.

The Dream Runners by Shveta Thakrar Harper Collins

Seven years ago, Tanvi was spirited away to the subterranean realm of Nagalok, where she joined the ranks of the dream runners: human children freed of all memory and emotion, charged with harvesting mortal dreams for the consumption of the naga court.

Venkat knows a different side of Nagalok. As apprentice to the influential Lord Nayan, he shapes the dream runners’ wares into the kingdom’s most tantalizing commodity. And Nayan has larger plans for these mortal dreams: with a dreamsmith of Venkat’s talent, he believes he can use them to end a war between nagas and their ancient foe, the garudas.

But when one of Tanvi’s dream harvests goes awry, she begins to remember her life on Earth. Panicked and confused, she turns to the one mortal in Nagalok who can help: Venkat. And as they search for answers, a terrifying truth begins to take shape—one that could turn the nagas’ realm of dreams into a land of waking nightmare.

The Black Girls Left Standing by Juliana Goodman Feiwel & Friends

Sixteen-year-old Beau Willet has dreams of being an artist and one day leaving the Chicago projects she’s grown up in. But after her older sister, Katia, is killed by an off-duty police officer, Beau knows she has to clear her sister’s name by finding the only witness to the murder; Katia’s no-good boyfriend, Jordan, who has gone missing. If she doesn’t find him and tell the world what really happened, Katia’s death will be ignored, like the deaths of so many other Black women who are wrongfully killed.

With the help of her friend, Sonnet, Beau sets up a Twitter account to gather anonymous tips. But the more that Beau finds out about her sister’s death, the more danger she finds herself in. And with a new relationship developing with her childhood friend, Champion, and the struggle to keep her family together, Beau is soon in way over her head. How much is she willing to risk to clear her sister’s name and make sure she’s not forgotten?

Godslayers (Gearbreakers #2) by Zoe Hana Mikuta Feiwel Friends

The only way to kill a god is from the inside...

The Gearbreakers struck a devastating blow against Godolia on Heavensday, but the cost of victory has been steep. Months later, the few rebels who've managed to escape the tyrannical empire's bloody retribution have fled to the mountains, hunted by the last Zenith--Godolia's only surviving leader. Eris has been held prisoner since the attack on the capital city, which almost killed her. And she begins to wish it had when she discovers Sona--the girl she loves, the girl she would tear down cities for--also survived, only to be captured and Corrupted by the Zenith. The cybernetic brainwashing that Sona has forcibly undergone now has her believing herself a loyal soldier for Godolia, and Eris' mortal enemy. With the rebellion shattered and Godolia moving forward with an insidious plan to begin inducting Badlands children into a new Windup Pilot program, the odds have never been more stacked against the Gearbreakers. Their last hope for victory will depend on whether Eris and Sona can somehow find their way back to each other from opposite sides of a war...

Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow Margaret K. McElderry Books

Luca Laine Thomas lives on a cursed island. To the outside world, Parris is an exclusive, idyllic escape accessible only to the one percent. There’s nothing idyllic about its history, though, scattered with the unsolved deaths of young women—deaths Parris society happily ignores to maintain its polished veneer. But Luca can’t ignore them. Not when the curse that took them killed her best friend, Polly, three years ago. Not when she feels the curse lingering nearby, ready to take her next.

When Luca comes home to police cars outside her house, she knows the curse has visited once again. Except this time, it came for Whitney, her sister. Luca decides to take the investigation of Whitney’s death into her own hands. But as a shocking betrayal rocks Luca’s world, the identity Whitney’s killer isn’t the only truth Luca seeks. And by the time she finds what she’s looking for, Luca will come face to face with the curse she’s been running from her whole life.

[the-writers-bookshelf]

Happy Fab Friday!

Happy Fav Friday Aubrey! And happy belated new year as I missed the last fab Friday. Hope you had a nice holiday. What did you do? 

I haven’t done that much writing unfortunately, but still I got some stuff to share. Today, I want to talk a bit about the social/political background of my story, The Song of Wind. The main arc focuses on the lone-wolf warrior Roshan, an outcast shaman Arta, and Sommya, Roshan’s only friend/a badass swordsmith. Their fates are influenced by big social changes caused by the fifth king Zayyar. The Kingdom of Iksa has been tolerating - even encouraging - various religions. Philosophy and literature have flourished, and pilgrimage has been a common practice among the citizens. Market thrives thanks to the pilgrims. Yet, Zayyar’s plan to centralise the dynasty's power slowly changes this multi-religious environment. He decides to create a ‘mythology’ of his clan, at the same time, limits the rights of other religious institutions. He hasn’t banned them yet, but eventually, his approach causes a rift between some influential figures - namely Nayan (they/them, non-binary), his own child, and Zeno (he/she, bigender), one of the commanders of the legion and a priestess of the water temple. The position of Zeno in the court directly affects Roshan as Zeno is a superior of Roshan. Arta is affected by the changing policy of Zayyar, too, since they are a shaman of the marginalised clan. 

I know religion is a sensitive topic to talk about… I’ll do my best not to offend any readers! Still, I’d like to explore various aspects of religion as it is one of the essential elements of humanity. The rocky relationship between Zayyar and Nayan symbolises complicated and ever-changing dynamics between secular and sacred, feudal and individual, and that’s another theme I want to dig in, too. 

That’s all for today. Thank you very much for reading! 

Cheers,

Shaheen

submitted by @shaheenarnitipsyart

You continued to blow me away with how in depth you're digging into this story!! Your worldbuilding is FANTASTIC!! Wonderful job!! :D

[kunstpause-archive]

FFXIV Write Prompt #25 - Wish

“These last few days were like a breath of fresh air,” Cassia says quietly. The wind blows around her in a soft breeze, gently pulling at some of the loose strands from her braid, making them flutter ever so slightly. “Bethany has started to climb everything she can reach, and I think Estinien and Adriene are making plans for her Dragoon training already.” A small laugh leaves her as she elaborates. “I swear I saw a tear of pride on Estinien’s face when he got Beth to jump off the couch table and onto the sofa. Of course, Nayan claims that she would be much more suited to become a warrior. Doesn’t get tired of reminding me every time Beth has a temper tantrum.”

She pauses for a moment, her mind filled with happy memories of the past few days. After all the war and fighting and worries for their friends, the small reprieve had been absolutely necessary. 

“Oh, and you should see Saran play hide and seek with her. The way she tries her absolute hardest to be bad at hiding so Bethany can find her quickly is the most adorable thing. And Lay has started to read her children’s books she found somewhere in Aymeric’s library. Most of them are terrifyingly grim, but Beth seems to love them.” 

Cassia knows she has been talking for a while, but like always when she talks about her daughter, she finds it hard to stop. “You know,” she adds, “Everyone keeps telling me how much she looks like me. Alisaie made the joke that she looks like a tiny wind-up version of me.” She chuckles before she takes a deep breath. “But when Bethany smiles, I doubt there is a single soul in Ishgard that couldn’t see that she is your daughter.”

Her hand comes to rest on the stone. It’s cold under her skin, but the rough texture feels like a comfort against her ungloved hand. In the distance, she can see the towering spires of Ishgard gleam under the sunlight. It is a beautiful day. Bitterly cold, as always, but the sun stands high and the skies are crystal clear with not a single cloud in sight. 

“I wish…” Cassia mutters, a faint yearning reading its head deep inside of her. “I wish you could see her grow up,” she confesses quietly to the broken shield resting against the stone in utter silence. Over the years it has frozen into place, become immovable. A solemn fixture, watching over the city from afar. 

“I’m sorry I am not coming around more often,” Cassia adds, feeling the familiar guilt rise inside her. “I had to leave, you understand, right? I couldn’t stay here. Not when every single spot in this city keeps reminding me of us. Of the plans we had. The lives we never got to live…” She lets out a soft sigh. “You should see your father with Beth though,” she says with a smile on her face. “The way his eyes light up each time she so much as coos at him. I swear he looks younger now than he did when I first met him. He loves her so much…” 

The thought feels like a warm embrace around her heart, making the city in the distance look even brighter somehow. “You know, he took me aside a little while ago. Trying to let me know that he would support me fully if I wanted to move on…” She shakes her head with a click of her tongue. “I didn’t even get what he meant at first but… He worries about me. Said I seem terribly lonely sometimes and that he knows you wouldn’t want me to stay on my own forever…”

Under the warm sunlight on her face, her tears only shimmer slightly, but they don’t fall.

“I know he is right, and I know you would tell me the same thing, but…” Something lodges in her throat, the familiar guilt, mixed with a hint of fear. “You know, given what a wonderful family I have found for myself, I sometimes feel like the most ungrateful person alive,” she whispers so quietly, that even the mild breeze manages to swallow the sound. “I have all those wonderful people in my life and they are perfect, and they love me and yet sometimes I feel so lonely that it hurts to breathe.” 

Out here, in the quiet of a cold winter day, with only the dead as her company, Cassia can speak the words that would normally threaten to choke her. 

“They give me so much, and they all encourage me, hope for me to find someone and I just… I don’t know if I can ever do that again.” It is a terrifying thought, but one that doesn’t leave her, even in her brightest moments. Her voice becomes a whisper again as she quietly adds, “I don’t know if I can let myself love someone again the way I still love you. And I know for certain I could never settle for anything less.”

Around her, the snow and the mountains are nothing but quiet. Silent witnesses to the fear she could never dare to voice in front of anyone else. 

For a while, Cassia just stands there in silence, her eyes fixed on the city in the distance. It stands tall, unshaken. With the damage of the Dragonsong War mostly repaired, it looks… whole. From afar, it is nearly impossible to see the cracks that still remain. But Cassia knows they are there. In a way, the city is much like her. They are both still standing, tirelessly working to fix the damage done to them. And from a distance, Cassia, too, looks like she is whole again. The small cracks and blemishes only visible if one knows where to look. 

She takes a deep breath. 

“I have to go away again, for a while,” she says softly to the grave. “Bethany will stay with your father while I’m gone. It could be a while, and it might be dangerous, but we found a way to hopefully save our friends,” she explains. “There is something at the Crystal Tower. We’re leaving for Mor Dhona first thing tomorrow, but I wanted to visit you first. You know, catch up and everything.” Her try at humor sounds a bit pitiful, even to her own ears, but it doesn’t matter. 

“Keep an eye on Ishgard for me, will you?” she asks softly as she lets her hand run over the stone once more. Her fingers gently follow along the lines of the letters that make up Haurchefant’s name and her heart still skips a beat when she imagines his gentle smile for a moment. The way he would look at her when saying good-bye. His good-byes had never been sad. When he had bid her farewell, it had always been with the enthusiastic anticipation of seeing her again. “I’ll be back to tell you everything once I return,” she says into the wind and the smile on her face is a little bit more genuine than before. More real. With a last, wistful sigh at the gravesite overlooking all of Ishgard, she turns away.

She helped save that city from ruin once. As she walks away, toward yet another journey full of uncertainties, Cassia wonders if she, in time, might just be able to save herself, too.

[elveny]

FFXIV Write #13: Affection

Affection | emotion, feeling, sentiment

After what they had seen across Coerthas, the death and the fear, Adriene was itching to get back out again instead of talking about the logistic of it all. Nayan and Saran had opted to stay at the Gates of Judgment to help, but Alphinaud had requested that Adriene, Cassia, and Layanna be present at the meeting with Lord Commander Aymeric due to their friendly connection to the Ishgardians. From what Adriene could see in Aymeric’s face as he came into the Intercessory, however, he was equally on edge. Not that she could blame him after what Lady Iceheart had done.

“I thank you for coming,” he greeted them the second he had sat down, “and I apologize for my absence. Suffice it to say, Lady Iceheart and her heretics have much to answer for…”

“Indeed,” Adriene murmured. “There is no excuse for what they did.”

Alphinaud ignored her interjection. “Yes, we are but recently returned from the Gates of Judgment ourselves,” he said a bit darkly.

“Given the circumstances, we quite understand if you would prefer to postpone our appointed audience,” Layanna said softly, her voice full of understanding.

Aymeric gave her one of his dazzling smiles and inclined his head. “I thank you, Lady Layanna,” he answered, “but on the contrary, I think it more important than ever that this meeting take place.” 

“We figured you would be needed more elsewhere,” Alphinaud said, and Adriene could see in the intensity of his gaze that his mind was working fast, analyzing and assessing. And probably already trying to figure out a way to use the situation to his benefit. “The situation must be grave indeed if you deem this so important.”

The way Aymeric’s lips twitched told Adriene that he had the same thoughts as she did, but otherwise, his face remained neutral. “Rest assured, Master Alphinaud, I shall return to my post on Ishgard’s walls the moment our business is concluded. Before we come to the issue of reinforcements, however, I would introduce you to a close friend and stalwart ally.” His eyes flickered to Adriene, and he smiled again. “I believe you are already acquainted.”

It took her a whole second before she understood, and her eyes widened. He couldn’t mean— The name was on her lips, a barely audible whisper as Aymeric called him in.

“Estinien!”

The door opened, and Adriene’s breath caught in her throat. A mix of apprehension and overwhelming relief swept through her as he walked in with deliberate, measured steps. Of course he had his visor down, and Adriene would have smiled at the familiarity of it all had she not been so torn about the situation. Her heart beat hard in her chest as she watched him walk to Aymeric’s side, and all of a sudden, she had to blink against the burning in her eyes. He was alive.

It had been more than a year since she had last seen him. More than a year since she had shed his blood in the snow in Steel Vigil, since he had vanished in the red storm of the Eye’s fury. Aymeric had told her that he was alive and well, and still, it was something else seeing him with her own eyes.

It was as if her heart only now truly understood that he was indeed alright. That she did not have his death on her conscience. Not that it mattered. There was no sign from Estinien that he knew her, no acknowledgment of her presence, and her heart sank. It seemed he had not forgiven her for what happened.

Aymeric’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and Adriene swallowed, forcing her eyes back to the Lord Commander.

“May I present to you Ishgard’s Azure Dragoon.”

The slight intake of breath to her side told Adriene that Cassia and Layanna had drawn the right conclusions, but she remained silent and tense.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Cassia smiled when Adriene didn’t say anything.

Layanna nodded, her smile matching Cassia’s as she looked from Estinien to Adriene. “Indeed! We have heard a lot about you.”

Alphinaud cleared his throat. “I find myself at a disadvantage then,” he said, a hint of impatience in his voice. “For while it is an impressive title indeed, I must confess I know precious little of the order of dragoons.”

“They are formidable warriors all. Yet even among such masters of the lance, Estinien is without equal,” Aymeric explained, a warmth in his voice Adriene knew only from their private talks. “He, out of all the warriors of Ishgard, was chosen to wield the power of dragons, and may thus contend with any Dravanian.”

“You flatter me overmuch, Lord Commander,” Estinien said smoothly, the hint of a smile in the corner of his lips, and Adriene had to acknowledge that fifteen months had done nothing to lessen the power his voice had over her, a shiver tingling deep inside her. She could pinpoint the exact moment he turned his head to look at her for the first time, his eyes burning into her even through the visor.

“If I ever was without equal, I am no longer — as my fellow Azure Dragoon here will attest,” he said.

Adriene had no idea what to say. Did she imagine the coolness of his voice?

But Aymeric preempted her every reaction as his eyes widened. “That is you?” he asked her in astonishment.

“It is,” she acknowledged somewhat stilted, the weight of her lance heavily on her back as she looked at Estinien.

The Dragoon showed no sign of emotion, a careful detachment in his voice as he for the first time addressed her directly. “Be at ease, Adriene. I did not come to challenge you this day.”

Adriene blinked, a sinking feeling in her stomach. Well, so much for reconnecting, she thought bitterly. 

“Good,” she said flatly. “For you would just lose again.” Ignoring everyone but Aymeric, she added before Estinien could answer, “Forgive me, Aymeric, I do not think I can be of any use here. I’ll see you on the battlefield.”

And with that, she turned and left the room. Alphinaud would give her an earful for walking out of a diplomatic gathering, she knew, but right now, she couldn’t care less.

It had started to snow again, a dim twilight falling over the courtyard that seemed to be a portent of what was to come. For once, Adriene welcomed the cold that came with the snow, the falling snowflakes cooling her burning cheeks as she looked up into the sky, taking deep breaths. She had not anticipated that meeting Estinien again would affect her this much, but the burning in her chest that seemed to crawl up her throat to choke her proved that she hadn’t put what had happened behind as well as she had thought.

“Shit,” she murmured, pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes.

The sound of the door to the Intercessory opening and closing made her look up, quickly schooling her face back into neutrality. It was Haurchefant.

“Adriene,” he said as he hurried up to her. “Are you quite alright?”

She let out a helpless breath and her shoulders sank. It was impossible to lie to him, not when he was this worried. “No,” she confessed quietly. “I don’t think I am.”

“Is there aught I can do?”

A small smile appeared on her lips as she shook her head. “Thank you, my friend, but this is nothing that hot chocolate can fix.”

“Ah, but company might,” Haurchefant said with utter conviction. “Come, let us take a walk while they are still discussing terms — unless you have some more pressing matters to attend to…?”

Adriene snorted. He knew just as well as she did that there was nothing else she was bound to do instead of attending the scheduled meeting, and the knowing grin on his face told her just that. “Fine,” she murmured. “Thank you, Haurchefant.”

“Think nothing of it,” he smiled, giving her a little bow with an inviting gesture.

For a few minutes, they just walked in silence, climbing the stairs up to the battlements. Up here, the wind was stronger, biting into her skin, unhindered by the tall walls that protected the courtyard. Adriene huddled closer into her coat, but when Haurchefant asked whether she would rather go inside, she shook her head. The cold helped clear her head.

“I did not know you were an Azure Dragoon,” he said after a while, open curiosity in his voice. “There were rumors that the Eye had chosen a second Azure, but nothing substantial.”

Adriene gave him an apologetic look. “We decided to keep it quiet,” she confessed. “And I’d rather not have it make the round.”

Haurchefant nodded immediately. “Do not worry, my friend,” he said reassuringly. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you,” she smiled.

But his curiosity was not quite sated. “May I ask why, though?”

Adriene was quiet for a moment, staring out into the falling snow. The winds had picked up, and she was certain that another storm was incoming. For once, she was glad about it. Not even the Dravanians attacked during storms.

“Estinien told me that even the techniques of the Dragoon are relatively closely guarded and rarely shared with people not of Ishgard,” she said quietly. “And now think about what the Holy See would say about an outsider having the powers of the dragons.”

Understanding dawned on Haurchefant’s face. “I see,” he said slowly.

Adriene nodded. “I’d rather not be branded a Heretic,” she murmured. “Especially not now.”

“Of course not,” he agreed. There was a decided seriousness on his face as they continued their walk, snow gathering in their hair. No doubt he thought about what had happened to his friend Francel. It took him a while until he continued, “So you trained with Estinien, yes?”

“I did,” Adriene said softly, not looking at him. “We were… close. I considered him a friend. But it did not end well. There was a challenge, and I won.”

She could feel Haurchefant’s shock, but he did not say anything.

“Estinien disappeared after the fight, and for a year, I didn’t know whether I killed him,” she said quietly. “It was only when I met Aymeric that he told me he was still alive.”

A soft touch on her arm made her look up at Haurchefant who stopped walking. “Do not be troubled too much,” he said with a smile. “Estinien is notorious for being aloof.”

“He wasn’t with me,” she said with a sad smile. “But I guess that changed. You don’t let a friend in the dark about your wellbeing for a year, do you? What happened killed our friendship, and I… Well, I guess I didn’t want to acknowledge that until now.”

“For what it is worth,” Haurchefant said, “I am sorry.”

Adriene took his arm and pressed it with a much more genuine smile. “Thank you, Haurchefant. But I made new friends, didn’t I?”

“Most definitely,” he smiled back. “Now, what do you say to a cup of hot chocolate after all?”

She chuckled, a warm feeling going through her at his genuine care. “Thank you. But you better get back being the perfect host, and I’ll go see if I can find Saran and Nayan to help dispatch the last stragglers before the storm gets bad. I’ll see you later.”

Adriene gave him a last smile, then she took aim and leaped with the ease of a dragoon off the battlements.

The next time she saw Estinien, he did not even come close. She saw him standing upon the broken top of one of the towers of the Steps of Faith after their victory, and for as long as she looked up at him, he did not turn away. A strange longing rose inside her, and for a moment, she was tempted to join him, to try and fix whatever was broken between them. But right then, Saran called out to her, and when she looked back, he was gone.

[inventors-fair]

Mechanical Commentary: All across the spectrum

People went pretty far with this one, honestly. There were a lot of overlapping mechanics and ideas that were related, but across the board, there was a mix of flavor and pure gameplay that came together in an interesting way. 

I think that if I had to give advice for doing this contest again, I would encourage everyone to keep it SIMPLE in their card submission choices. What is the best example of your mechanic, not your card? What’s the best choice for how this mechanic can work and be grokable? Contests like this aren’t about showing off the coolest thing or the most radical notion. No, they’re about proof of concept, presenting that concept, and creating clarity above all else. Unless we’re asking for a contest in which you make a confusing card, clarity is pivotal in all things.

@cas-420 — Flayed Alive

This card by itself is very good, probably an uncommon but very good. My main concern with the mechanic is that it can either only exist on reactive instants OR be in a set where life loss is a key concept. That’s what I’m not a fan of. Losing life during your own turn doesn’t come naturally to Magic. Some mechanics require support and certain environments, like, say, modular, or constellation, but “having artifact creatures” and “playing enchantment cards” are things that more or less happen in the game already. So, I would consider this a cool one-off card, but Agonize as a mechanic feels too narrow.

@dabudder​ — Drownyard Crawler

This is the reason why Ikoria introduced ability counters, besides being a design experiment. Memory issues with this card are crazy hard. If you have multiple copies of the same creature, and one of them is viral, how do you know? Swap places like magic cups, and it becomes impossible. Conceptually and flavorfully, this ability is fine. I won’t call it reinventing the wheel, but I don’t dislike it. There are a couple wording issues. I would change “to a creature” to “to another creature,” and I would have it say “Creatures with viral have skulk and “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, draw a card.”” in quotes. I like how this makes combat more complex.

@dancepatternalpha​ — Arkelas, Ruler of the Lost

I don’t really understand what ephemeral’s place as a mechanic is, but I think I’m seeing the set you’re trying to build around. I imagine there are a few cards that would also interact with exile? And as the game went on, the more cards exiled created more powerful effects? I can see it. Ephemeral doesn’t make me tingle with excitement, but I can’t be harsh with it. I think I understand where you’re coming from, and I feel that a common or uncommon submission might have been more favorable.

@deafeningsandwichpeach​ — Bursting Beetle

FEWER, NOT LESS. Ahem. Sorry, that was harsh. But there are a couple wording issues. “Swarm X (When this creature enters the battlefield, if you control fewer creatures than each opponent, create three tapped 1/1 green Insect creature tokens.)” Fewer words, easier to grok. Not a bad mechanic. Feels reactive, though, less of a choice and more of a “I’m gonna hold onto this card because it’s a little useless otherwise.” It’s worth tweaking, though. I love token mechanics. Maybe this card could have been five or six mana.

@demimonde-semigoddess​ — Blood Remora

Ey, a fishy! Ooh, an evil fishy. An evil fishy with one big issue: if it deals combat damage to an opponent and there are no other targets, it has to target itself. And that’s my main issue. “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to an opponent, you may attach it to target creature that player controls. It can’t attack or block as long as it’s attached this way” could work? Might have a couple memory issues, but that’s not a major issue. You can just move cards around. It’s not a bad mechanic, but it’s a little hard to parse at first glance.

@dimestoretajic​ — Strike From Above

So, this is the conflict between “simple” and “exciting.” Everything about this card is more or less exactly understandable. But the name, the mechanic name, and the flavor text don’t feel as inspired as they should be. I don’t get a sense of quality from them. It’s an intangible aspect, and I’m sorry because I know that sounds like a real jerk way of putting this, but: for future cards, consider the world, the story, and what the card would look like once you open it up. I don’t get a sense of MTG from this card yet. Instead, it feels like a concept. That’s fine for personal reasons, but as a submission, I’m not excited. Airstrike itself I wouldn’t keyword as a mechanic. This card would be better without that aspect.

@emmypupcake — Aftermarket Additions

 Great name, great flavor text, great ability name... Super limiting. The as-fan of artifact creatures in this theoretical set would have to be hella huge, like Mirrodin-block big, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing? Maybe you could batch it into “charge, haste or +1/+1 counter”s so it could interact with noncreature artifacts? Wait, this also works for vehicles. Man, this is probably a cooler mechanic than I thought originally. Call it a B- for relying on a specific sub-category of cards. A+ for badass bikers.

@fractured-infinity​ — Thunder Hammer

This mechanic was real close to being a runner-up. Quickdraw would need a bit of flash interaction to really make it worthwhile, though, and a strong equipment/aura theme as well. Could it work with auras? Would it make sense, or are you going for a wild-west-ish theme? Kind of? The card itself is good limited fodder and equipment tribal goodstuff for commander, I suppose. Not a fan of the name or flavor text personally, but it’s simple enough to make sense. Green and “thunder” don’t always go together, y’know. In my opinion. Which is not always a good one.

@ghost31415926535 — Storm Fleet Rapscallion

Plunder: a fine mechanic. I like the artifact synergy. Now, let’s go over the wording issues.

You forgot a card type in your submission. That’s a big one.

“When” should be capitalized.

“Treasure” should be capitalized.

“Tap” should have just been a symbol T followed by a comma. Was this what you meant? It wasn’t entirely clear.

There should be a period and an end-quote at the end before the paren.

@gollumni​ — Nayan Cataloguers

I kept reading this as “cartographers.” My fault, not yours. Anyway. So, I can see this is based off explore. Honestly, it doesn’t really...feel as good? Partially because it’s similar in both mechanic AND flavor, and partially because you’re forced to put the card on the bottom of your library. I would also have it say “Reveal the top card of your library. If that card’s converted mana cost is greater than this card’s, put it into your hand.” I think that groks? 

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ — Dragons’ Secrets

I would not have made this spell modal. Honestly, I would have picked a simpler submission in general, but I don’t dislike this card. It feels a little cheap and it’s an insane storm enabler. What if the modes were together for both of them, and the mana echoes did the same? DM me if that doesn’t make sense. In general, mana echoes isn’t a bad ability. This card is wordy and cluttered. I like how you went for “converted mana cost.” Makes sense, good in limited, I think.

@ignorantturtlegaming​ — Underground Network

Too much. I would much rather you have submitted just a common Wurm with burrow and some flavor text instead of this card, and even then, I’m not a fan of burrow as a mechanic. Why the alternate cost, plus the counters, plus the upkeep, plus the status effect? It’s all grokable individually but together it’s too much to keep track of for one mechanic. And what does “during each player’s end step” mean? Can you do it at instant-speed? Should it be a trigger? Why is it each player’s end step instead of just yours? There are a lot of questions this card raises that I don’t think it answers satisfactorily. 

@juggernaut-is-a-metalhead — Embercoil Serpent

So out of the two cards you submitted, I felt that this one was the best designed. There are a couple questions I have. One, should mono-red be able to have this? Yes, I know it’s hybrid, but if a mono-red deck could play it, would it? It’s a pretty powerful ability, a la Scrying Sheets. Two, I assume that the number after Dig refers to the number of untapped lands you have to sacrifice, and I think that it’s pretty cool in the late game, but why not just have it be “you may cast this spell from your graveyard by sacrificing an untapped land in addition to its other costs” instead of a number? I feel it could have worked better that way. Also, Udon is adorable!

@kavinika​ — Iron Guardian

That’s a cool character asset. They should put that in a game! So, I would have made this a keyword action ability word instead of a keyword ability, personally. Like, “Craft — You may pay (4) and sacrifice an artifact and a basic land rather than pay this spell’s mana cost.” Would that have made the last ability weird? I don’t know, I don’t think so, but. Wait, no, it wouldn’t have, they had clash things in Lorwyn that worked the same way. Not a bad concept. Pretty flavorful for artifact creatures and other artifacts. 

@koth-of-the-hammerpants — Wanderwood Warden

I love alliterative names. I don’t love angels without flying, but that’s a “me” issue. So, for this card, I like obscure, but I don’t like the darkness counters. I think that the face-down stuff works well on its own. And I would change “obscured cards” to “face-down exiled cards” so it could work with other cards from Magic’s past. I do like the gist of your flavor text, and I like this card and I like obscure. I wouldn’t call this one a stellar example, and I would have submitted a more straightforward card, but that’s just me being pedantic. Speaking of pedantic, “its owner’s,” not “it’s.”

@misterstingyjack​ — Time Mage’s Teachings

I’m going to be pedantic again, yay. My issue with this card for this contest is that, well, it’s not a new mechanic. Technically, everything on this card could exist within Magic’s rules text as-is and wouldn’t add anything new to the rules. We were looking for a new NAMED mechanic. I thought that was evident, but I suppose not. This card’s great, so keep it around for that, but it technically is not eligible. Personally, I would have also made it uncommon for limited purposes.

@nicolbolas96​ — Gitaxian Surgeon

Combining Phyrexian mana, permanent control, AND infect onto a single card, two of which exist within the same mechanic? Let’s take a step back. Phyresis, besides already existing as a card, is a cool concept to bring to the table. As a mechanic, permanent control of any creature, including your own, turning it into a 5/5 with infect, is bonkers. If this existed with any number, then 1) it would be useless half the time considering it has to target things with specific mana costs and 2) it would be busted beyond belief. I think that this card would be fine with the exile cost as a singular card. I don’t think Phyresis is a mechanic worth exploring for the time being.

@nine-effing-hells​ — Phlogiston Burst

Good on you for making me look up a word I didn’t know! This card is... Definitely uncommon, that’s for sure. But hm. I don’t DISLIKE Overchannel. So, in theory, you can exile three random cards and two red cards to cast it for free? Okay, maybe it’s common, forget my previous rambling. It’s an interesting take on Delve that isn’t broken, and this one was pretty close to being a runner-up. I worry about free stuff, but the hand isn’t an infinite resource. It’s probably fine. I’ll give this card and mechanic kudos. A rare one might break a format, but remains to be seen, y’know?

@nvijork​ — Grenzo, Fist of the Queen

I love the fact that you did your own art for this! So, locks are interesting. They’re a little bit of a non-issue in the late game, but I’d have to really play with them to see just how frustrating they are. I think there’s plenty of room for exploration and I think that this card (which IMO should be rare) is a...fine example? Not blowing my socks off, and you could have shown an example of something that happened when you had multiple locks or that triggers based on locks or something. Keep this mechanic around. I like it. Bad news: in the story, Marchesa actually fired Grenzo. So is this an alternate universe, or do I have to get out my Story Correction Rod of Spanking?

@partytimesdeluxe​ — Stringplayer

Like kavinika’s crafting, this is a mechanic that definitely needed to be a keyword action ability word. “Crescendo — Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if it has the greatest power among creatures you control, gain control of target creature.” The mechanic is probably fine, I’d love to see it played in limited, and the potential play with multiple crescendo triggers would be so much fun. Not bad, but the wording on this specific card as presented could use work.

@real-aspen-hours​ — Drag Away // Umbral Kidnapper

If your MSE is acting up, feel free to message me on Discord or Tumblr and tell me so we can help you out. So, my main concern with this card is that I’m not sure if you’re submitting abduction counters as your new mechanic, or if you’re submitting Twist as your new mechanic; I’m going with Twist. It’s not bad! Someone’s going to correct me, but I think that in this instance you would use “return” instead of “put.” Again, correct me if I’m wrong. I think that it’s a cool way to turn instants and sorceries into permanents. I won’t call it the most flavorful or mind-blowing mechanic in the world, but I like it. I don’t see why you can’t put the exile clause on the flip side instead of on Twist where it won’t really be remembered. Also, the second side should have “those spells” — see Haldan, Avid Arcanist.

@reaperfromtheabyss​ — Dark Reprise

I think it should be “This spell costs” instead of the name, but aside from that and a period at the end of the sentence, it’s fine enough. There really isn’t much to say about this card. It’s a fine example and I like how the name creates flavor without flavor text. The mechanic and card don’t excite me enough to give it a place, but I mean, this is probably the safest example you could have gone for, and you know what, I can respect it.

@shandylamb​ — Fidi, Alluring Lamia

I love the uncommon legend, heh. As a mechanic, I don’t really like siphon. I don’t like how there’s a number attached instead of just “exile it and gain 2 life.” And I don’t like how it’s only cards from a graveyard. Why can’t you siphon cards from player’s hands and libraries and the battlefield as well? It would be so cool to, like, have powerful cards that suck away hidden power and turn the world into your vampyric victims. Instead, there’s...this. It gave me inspiration, but I wouldn’t call this one a slam-dunk.

@teaxch​ — Vyne Rowe Vagrant

You know, this mechanic is making me think of Adamant, except...different. And I’m leaning a little more towards Adamant, although I can see this card’s properties. The problem that comes up is that this card doesn’t feel tailored to a limited environment, nor does it feel tailored to Commander. Dedicated feels like a mechanic based solely around constructed environments, and I don’t know if I like that? It’s a build-around-me card without the big payoff. As a card, and as a concept, again, I don’t...dislike anything about it. But the mechanical feel is off. It’s not something that I feel like I’m attaining or that I’m synergizing with. I’m not sure exactly how to explain myself here, and I’m sorry about that, but I hope that the contrast is enough to make some sense.

@tmstage​ — Precise Pikeman

Handsome feller. Lol, and he fells indeed. I think this should be a replacement effect, like, “If this would deal damage to a creature with toughness 6 or greater, it deals double that damage instead.” I’m gonna side with your own personal feelings as you submitted this one. It’s not a fantastic mechanic, because it’s just so crazy limiting in what it requires to work. I think that as a single card without Tankbuster it would be fine.

@walker-of-the-yellow-path​ — Grand Annex of Elesh Norn // Elesh Norn, Voice of New Phyrexia

Technically, and I say this being a giant ass, this isn’t a new ‘mechanic.’ It’s a new card type and it would add things to the comprehensive rules, but it’s not a mechanic. Doesn’t matter, it’s worth commenting on anyway. I don’t hate it! Every part of this card by itself is pretty cool. I personally don’t like how it only requires one creature to attack, and I don’t like how the vault abilities aren’t static like a changing enchantment could be. Y’know? It feels like a saga more than it does an artifact. Again, this card is cool and would be great in a custom cube, but I would make some changes before adding vaults to a set.

~

Thank you all for your entries! New contest tomorrow. Spooky. Or not.

[nezoceano-blog]

🔓🔖 UNLOCKED STORY

One year and a half na rin nakalipas simula ng sinubok ako ng tadhana. January 2018 up to May 2018, na-feel ko yung pain because of love. Sa almost 5 years in a relationship namin ng ex-boyfriend ko na na-feel ko kung paano talaga mag-mahal, masaktan, mag-habol,  makasama yung taong nakuntento ka, yung halos na-experienced ko lahat as in. Bnlocked niya ako after niya mag-decide na i-end na talaga between sa’min kasi hindi na talaga kaya i-work since that was the second chance between sa’min noon. June 2017-September 2017 nag-break kami then after 3 months , nag-decide kami na maayos lahat samin kaso yun nga dumating na talaga kami sa hindi na talaga kaya i-work out.

Two days after break up gumawa ako ng dummy account para i-message siya pero dun ko na-discover na in a relationship na kaagad siya which nakapag-paguho ng mundo ko, kaya nag-apply ako sa isa sa Gov’t Services dun ko binaling lahat ng sakit ng naramdaman ko, sa araw-araw na pag-rreport humaharap ako sa iba’t-ibang tao na may ngiti (Napaka-hirap kasi kailangan ko itago na may dinadala ko problema) nag-reduce ako which nagkaroon ng big improvement talaga. Nag aapply ako noon na “Kaya ‘ko to, para makalimot ako lalayo ako” mala “Part of Me” nga naman ni Katy Perry.

Then ito na yung Month na halos nag-paguho lalo sa mundo ko May 2018 na-diagnosed ako with Enlargement Lymphnode (namagang kulani) in short. Almost 1 month and a half rin ako nagpabalik balik sa hospital for further  tests. Hindi ko na alam saan ko huhugutin yung lakas ng loob ko na halos mapamura na ko na bakit ganito nagyayari sakin, naiwan na ko tapos nag-kasakit pa ‘ko. para lang din lumakas loob ng family ko, tuloy pa rin, pinapakita ko nun na kaya ko kahit hirap na hirap na ‘ko sa loob loob ko. After biopsy yung result na yung pinaka-nakakaba. Either benign or cancerous yung mass na nakadikit sa lymphnode ko. Yung immune system ko halos affected na. Hirap ako makakakain, andami ng gamot na pinapainom sakin pero ‘di madaan sa gamot para lumiit yung mass, hindi ko na maibuka yung bibig ko, halos mag-locked na yung jaws ko.  Sa tuwing lulunok ako, hahawakan ko pa yung left neck ko para maalalayan lang yung pain. Hanggang sa ooperahan na ‘ko sabi ko “sana puntahan niya naman ako” nag-hope pa ako nun e, kaso yun nga mas kailangan ko mag-pakatatag kasi hindi na biro nangyayari sakin mas kailangan ko na unahin sarili ko.

Hindi ko makakalimutan yung makitang umiiyak and marinig yung parents ko habang kinakausap yung doctor na “Doc, thank you so much gising na anak namin. Maraming maraming salamat!” Naluha ako kaagad kasi ganun ako kamahal ng mga magulang ko na makita nilang pagkadilat ko. Almost 3 hours daw sila naghintay na magising ako after operation. 3 days din ako nag-stay sa hospital before ma-discharge. But hindi pa rin nag-tatapos yung hirap, napaka-gastos ng meds and sobrang naaabala ko na parents ko kahit na sinasabi nila sakin na okay lang mahalaga buhay pa rin daw ako.

Awa naman ng Dyos, Benign yung mass na nakuha sa left neck lymphnode ko. Because of that na-deny na rin ako sa inapplyan ko which pa jump-off na sana ko for training, nakakahinayang kaso need ko unahin safety ko. Napaka hirap yung may sinusunod na oras to take all of my meds, paaraw dito, paaraw dun para may vitamins yung katawan ko na ma-absorb.

One month and a half may follow up check-ups parin to see na rin yung na-operahan sakin til the stitch pulled out. Yung gustong-gusto ko lumabas during the month of July 2018 then sa gabi nag-iiyak ako nun na, wala ng tatanggap sakin kasi ganun yung case ko. But before ako mag-move onto another story Thankful ako sa mga ka-workmates, former classmates, friends and relatives ko na halos buhos yung prayers hanggang sa maka-recover ako. Kaya laban ulit!

 Last week of July 2018 may nag-add sakin. A guy na familiar sakin, chineck ko yung account niya if tama ako ng pagkakatingin na mutual friend namin yung friend ko nung college. And confirmed, Inaccept ko siya since yun nga naririnig ko siya sa mga circle of friends ko na tinatawag nilang “Kuya” Nag-start yung conversation namin sa “Hi” and yun nag-message and inadd niya daw ako kasi na-curious siya sa middle name ko since hawig daw sa middle name din ng father niya. Baka daw magkamag-anak kami ganern. Nakausap ko siya as kalog. Tipong the following days na nagkaka-usap kami through messenger na akala mo ang tagal na naming mag-tropa o magkakilala kasi binabalahura ko lang siyang kausapin like kung paano ko makipag usap na kalog and makulit talaga which likas sakin e, yung murahan ganun. E ganun rin siya makipag-usap sakin kaya napasabiako na “nakahanap yata ko ng katapat ko mas baliw sakin”

Hanggat sa nakakausap ko na talaga siya, nakilala ko siya na applicant siya ng basta. Until na nagkaayaan kami na mag-meet, BUT BEFORE THAT nagtatanong na’ko sa mga friends ko about sakanya and I have a friend binalaan ako na “Bhe, distansya ka. Alam ko may girlfriend si kuya kaya ikaw para ‘di ka ma-issue alam muna gagawin mo” So, ako ni-limit ko sarili ko kasi ayaw ko makasira ng relationship, hanggang sakanya ko cnonfirm na kung may girlfriend siya sabi niya wala na matagal na. dun ako nagdecide na wala naman masama magkita kami and friendly out lang naman.

Yung month nayan, halos pa-heal palang ng bongga yung opera sakin so dahil sabik ako gumala ulit, Go go ako kay guy sa pag-aaya na umalis kami. Wala naman kami kaya oks lang, tska ang nakakatawa yung pag-aaya niya sakin lumabas. Tipong MANDATORY talaga magkita kami . hindi ka makaka-hindi kasi bigla siyang magsasabi na “Andito na ‘ko Dalian muna” bongga! Parang makokonsesnya ka during that time kasi umuulan tapos iindianin ko? Parang ang bad ko naman, kaya Go Go ako. Nag-church kami sa Baclaran, ang gandang bonding kasi first meet ko sa isang guy na halos hindi ko talaga kilala tapos dun kami nagpunta. Wala siyang kaalam alam nun na bagong opera ko, takot ako ma-judge and kaawaan kaya hindi ko sinabi na bagong opera ko.

Inakbayan niya ‘ko, then lumayo ako sabi ko “wag ka umakbay kasi baka may makakita satin ano pa isipin sa’tin” Naalala ko pa, kumain kami ng street foods, pucha tig sampo yung binili naming tapos sabi niya sa ale 10pesos lahat lahat nakuha namin magkasama na yung samin. E dapat 20pesos ibayad niya! HAHAHHAHA ang gago diba? Oopsss expression ko lang yan! Sinabi ko kasi sa sarili ko nun, bakit ako papa-akbay sa taong hindi ko naman totally close pa tska mahirap na baka nga naman may girlfriend magulat nalang ako may humablot ng buhok ko tapos sabunutan ako though short short hair na’ko kaya wala mahahablot HAHAHA.

Hanggang sa napadalas na yung paglabas labas namin, sinasamahan ko siya mag-review since malapit na yung ano nila nun, COFFEE PROJECT Lake Front is the best place for us, NAKS! May us na, char wait! Since church nga yung nakasanayan naming puntahan, after church, dumeretso kami ng Lake front coffee project. While on our way, bigla niyang hinawakan yung kamay ko ng mahigpit habang nag-ddrive siya. TENGENE DUN KO NA NASABI NA, LORD! Sign na po ba ‘to? Or do I need to limit myself sa taong ‘to kasi baka maulit nanaman. So kahit kinikilig ako, sabi ko “Uy mag-drive ka!” until makarating kami sa coffee project since focus namin is mag-review siya mas pinag focus ko siya mag-sagot ng mga test then after nun ni-review ko siya sa mga answers niya kung consistent isasagot niya sakin. After namin mag-review bigla na napunta sa kalokohan usapan kung anu-ano na tipong tropang usapan, pero iniisip ko nun kailangan ko talagang ituon sarili ko sa kung ano dapat gusto ko mangyari sakin tipong sakin muna.

Hanggat sa napunta na usapan sakin about sa ex-boyfriend ko na 5 years, he asked everything. Napa heart to heart talk kami. Gusto ko umiyak habang nagkkwento sakanya pero sabi ko, bakit ako iiyak? Baka kaawaan lang ako tska baka masabihan ako na ang tanga tanga ko. Hanggat sa nabanggit ko na “ako? Kahit saan naman ako mapunta kasi gala talaga ko” then nag-biro siya na “Kaladkarin ka pala” patawa niya sinabi sakin yan. To be honest, yung biro niya na yun na-offend ako na ano ibig niya i-mean dun? Porke i agreed na lumabas kami kaladkarin na agad? So ayun nanahimik ako tumayo ako sa kinauupuan ko, napansin niya na bigla ako nanahimik and lumayo sa kinauupuan namin then bigla niya ko hinila, nilapit niya upuan ko sa upuan niya. Pinaupo niya ko sa upuan na itinabi niya sa tabi niya and bigla niya hinawakan yung kamay ko sabay kiss sa kamay ko. And I was SHOOKT! Napasabi ko sa isip ko “What is the meaning of this???!!!! Huy riza ano ‘to? Ano to? Anong ginagawa niya mygad! Kinikilig ako na ewan na natatakot kasi parang ang bilis naman yata teka!” So nagpupumiglas yung kamay ko tinatanggal ko sa pagkakawak niya, kaso mas hinihigpitan niya hawak sa kamay ko. The following days, kasi nga kung magkita na kami nun parang thrice a week? Then Sunday is church day namin. Sa Quiapo naman kami, after communion hinahawakan niya mahigpit yung kamay ko and bigla niyang sinabi na “Alam mo ba yung pinag-pray ko na pag binigay ka ni Lord sakin pahahalagahan kita higit pa sa ex mo, Oo higit sa ex mo” and after niya sabihin sakin yan sobrang kinilig ako na “Grabe! Grabe! Grabe! Lord siya na ba talaga? Please give me more signs” since hindi pa ganun ka-sobrang deep yung pagkakakilala naming hindi ko pinaparamdam sakanya na nasakanya na lahat ng tiwala ko kahit nagkikita kami, lumalabas. Bigla ulit siya humawak sa braso ko after naming mag-church then napasabi ako na “ang flirt mo!” which expression sakin and naging dating sakanya offended yung pagkakasabi ko.

Three  days wala siyang paramdam sakin after namin mag church nung nasabihan ko siyang “flirt” And dun ko na-feel na “hala namimiss ko siya bakit ganun? Bakit hindi siya nag ggood morning sakin. So ayun naalala ko walang nagkahingian ng number namin ito pala story kaya nagkaka-communicate kami through text na. Pero style niya makuha number ko sa act niya na “Sis gisingin mo ko ha? Tawagan mo ‘ko Baka hindi ko marinig alarm ko.” So sabi ko “Ha? I-on mo dapat data mo para marinig mo call ko” Tapos bigla niya sinabi na “ay mahina net dito sa balur! Kaya tawagan mo nalang ako “ tapos ako naman si nauto? HAHAHAAHH too late ko napagtanto promise! “Paano naman kita matatawagn ? hindi ko alam number mo aber? So ayun na! KUHA NIYA NA NUMBER KO! HAHHAHHAHAHA.

So ayun na nga going back, sobrang namiss ko siya 3 days after ng pananahimik niya, so ako inisip ko na okay kahit miss ko siya wala naman kami pa kaya wala ko obligasyon na alamin kahit gusto ko alamin bakit di na siya nagparamdam. Kaya naging distant din ako. Bnlock ko siya, kasi naisip ko nun nako pa-fall lang to para di maulit, magiging distant ako sa taong alam muna. Kaya ayun, hanggat sa nag-message siya sa friend ko tinanong ano nangyari sakin, bakit siya naka-block. 3 days din lumipas tska ko lang siya kinausap hanggat sa nag-confess siya nan a na-fall na siya sakin ng tuluyan, na-mmiss niya na ‘ko. Ni-limit niya rin sarili niya nun kasi takot siya maging rebound. Na baka ‘di pa ‘ko tuluyang nakaka-move on sa ex-boyfriend ko tapos mag-iinvest siya ng feelings sakin. Hanggat hinayaan namin mga sarili namin umabot sa punto na iba na yung stage ng care namin, iba na yung pakikitungo namin sa isa’t-isa. HINDI niya ko tinanong kung pwede ba siya manligaw, LAHAT ACT! LAHAT hanggang sa pinaramdam niya sakin na GUSTONG GUSTO NIYA ‘KO MAKASAMA, GUSTO NIYA MAG-LEVEL UP YUNG KUNG SAAN KAMI, GUSTO NIYA ‘KO MAGING GIRLFRIEND. Hatid sundo, nalaman ko rin na bago pa kami magkamabutihan may nakakausap siya iba before sakin, and naging honest din ako sakanya na meron din ako nakakausap pero kausap lang ka-mate ko sa AF. Napasabi ako sa sarili ko na HE’S THE MAN! <3 Pinaramdam niya sakin na open na door ko sa lahat, sa sakit , sa love and excitement na mag-explore ulit sa love.

 Napaka-gentleman and Sobrang simpleng tao niya yun ang pinaka na-inloved ako sakanya. SUPER DUPER SWEET. Yung ikkiss ako sa cheeks ko na tipong dilaan na buong mukha ko! YASSS Trueee yan, ang manyak ng dating pero dating sakin sweet bat ba! Gwapo naman kaya keri! HAAHHAHA char! Napaka family oriented mas lalo ako na-inloved sakanya. Naalala ko yung sign na nag YES na ko sakanya sa lahat ng pagpaparamdam niya sakin yung nag good bye kiss ako sakanya, BESH! Ang lambot ng lips! HAHAHHA

Pinakita niya sakin kung ano meron silang istado sa buhay, and tanggap ko yun! Hindi naman ako nag-mmatter sa ganun, mahalaga mahal ako and mahal ko din syempre and honest walang halong pag-ppretend. Yung kahit alam ko budgeted na yung money niya, PINAKA MASAYA SA FEELING KO, yung sinurprise niya ko dalhan sa baba ng building naming ng ZAGU and Chocolate flower <3 nakakakilig tska sweetssss I love it!!! Happy daw siya na Makita ako na nasiyahan ako sa simple niya naibigay sakin kahit ganun lang daw, for me it’s not LANG. LOVED YUN <3

Grabe siya kung mag-effort after reporting ang bilis niya makarating samin, kahit pagod pupunta at pupunta ditto samin.Tipong nililipad na. Kaya mas lalo ko siyang minahal kasi pinatunayan niya na mahal na mahal niya ‘ko. Pero syempre hindi palaging masaya, dumating sa punto na nagduda ako, what if maganda lang pakikitungo sakin? Natakot ako na baka gawin niya sakin yung ginawa sakin ng ex ko  hanggat sa na-offend siya na,he give everything and lahat ginagawa niya naman para hindi ako mag-hesitate sa feelings ko towards him na hindi ako matakot na mag-commit ng tuluyan sakanya. Hanggat sa nag-decide siya na mag-in a relationship kami sa facebook which kinagulat ng lahat kahit ibang friends ko kasi hindi naman na ko gaanong nagkkwento about sakin. Just to prove na ako lang talaga and yung RIDES is the best bago mag-end yung year of 2018 and bago siya pumasok napaka dami na agad namin napuntahang lugar and nabuong mga memories. Mas lalo ko siyang minahal kaya sabi ko kahit kakakilala lang namin, sakanya ko naramdaman na SIYA NA TALAGA. Gusto ko na makasama to hanggang sa makuha yung career na gusto ko, Kahit ano man dumaan samin na hirap siya pa rin pipiliin ko.

Hanggat sa papasok na siya, dun ulit ako nasubok ng katatagan ng loob ko almost 6 months din hindi ko siya makikita, nakakawalang gana kumain nun na-diet ako! Kaya tuwang tuwa yung mama ko kasi maganda rin pala nalayo muna daw si dadie! Loka din mom ko nu?! HAHHAHA But kidding aside, gabi-gabi ako umiiyak nun. Bago pumasok si dadie nun sabi ko pag outside the tent sila mag- sleep isipin niya na ako yung star na nakikita niya, and ako din ganun din iisipin ko pag nakadungaw sa bintana namin na siya yung star na malapit sakin. Sounds corny pero yung mga araw at gabi dumadaan nun tinitignan ko yung stars and yung stars na nakikita and naabot ng paningin ko same kami ng nakikita.

Before siya magjump-off na-delayed na mens ko nun papasok na siya, kaya he expected na magkaka-baby na kami. December nakakapag-take life siya, kinukumusta niyako kumusta na tummy ko, kumusta na yung pagpapacheck-up ko, hindi pa ko makapag pacheck up kasi inisip ko baka delay lang talaga kasi kakaisip ko na rin sakanya and mej natatakot ako kasi baka bigla ako tawagan sa AF tapos preggy ako which inasam-asam ko work yun kaya halos ma-stress ako what if pregnant ako, ma-ggive up ko yung work na inasam asam ko. Pero dahil mahal ko siya, kung ipagkaloob na samin, madami pa naman work na pwede ko i-grab. Hanggat sa dumaan yung Birthday, Christmas and New Year na di man sakto sa mga holidays nayan inuupdate niya ‘ko, nag-ttake life siya para kumustahin ako super naiiyak ako kasi nag-eeffort siya na alamin ano lagay ko sa labas instead na sarili niya unahin muna dun.

Walang araw na hindi ako umiiyak noon, kasi hirap na hirap ako tanggapin na ang layo niya pero kailangan ko tatagan sarili ko kasi kailangan maganda ko paglabas niya! HAHAHHA sobrang miss na miss na miss ko siya kaya ‘pag Unknown number dali dali ko yang sasagutin kasi possible siya yung tumatawag. Kaya yung phone ko lagi lang nakakabit sakin and laging may load just incase biglang mag-text anytime may pang response if ever pwede mag-reply. Naiitindihan ko and I know yung limits sa ganyan since my dad and brother ganyan din ang profession kaya alam ko pakiramdam ng malayo sa loved one. Pag nammiss ko siya, ittext ko sila mama niya or chika with his sisters na halos napalapit na sakin, treated me as part of the family na rin kasi.

 January 2019 I decided to go to OB-GYN kaso pnroblema ko nun na kanino ako papasama  buti may nakilala ko na asawa ng kasamahan niya and willing na willing samahan ako. Kaya thankful ako sakanya kahit hindi kami close and magkakilala mismo talaga, sinamahan niya pa rin ako. Concern daw kasi siya sakin since applicant ako nun and panay jog ko baka daw may laman na tummy ko tapos panay jog pa ‘ko kaya ayun and hindi pa ako dinadatnan, but unfortunately after all the tests, trans v not yet pregnant pa ‘ko. Delayed lang talaga ko and because of too much stress kaya siguro na-delay mens ko. Yung pakiramdam ko nun nauna saya ko kasi “YES! Tuloy and almost near na ‘ko sa career na gusto ko kaso bigla ko naalala na halaaaaa maddisappoint si dadie L inaasahan niya na may Baby Margaux na kami. Sabik na siya Makita yung tummy ko na hindi na taba yung makikita niya.” Kaya hindi ko alam paano ko siya sasagutin pag tumawag siya, na wala pa kami baby.

 And then nakilala ko yung friend niya na isa sa naging hingahan ko dito sa labas habang nasa loob siya. Isa din siya sa tumulong na magka-update ako sakanya, SOBRANG SAYA KO NA tumawag yang guy na friend niya sakin kasi yung reason ayan na nga, nung una ayaw ko sagutin kasi bakit nakikipag-video call? So nakadalawang tawag yata yun tsaka ko sinagot then bumungad si DADIE! OMG! MAH HEART! MAH HEART! As in nanginginig ako na tipong naluluha pa ako nung Makita ko ANG PAYAT NA NG DADIE KO! SHET! YEHEY! HAHAH Pero promise! Super thankful ako sa guy friend ni dadie kasi nakausap ko si dadie because of him.

Until we decided to meet (dadie’s guy friend nayan) for me to update everything since I don’t have any access any update na kay dadie. Hindi ko pa naiisip na gamitin I.D/access ko para mapuntahan si dadie niyan e, So sakanya muna ko umaasa nun sa guy friend ni dadie. Since bago pumasok si DADIE sinabi niya na sakin na “Kay Guy friend ka lumapit pag may kailangan ka dito sakin” since nagpaalam ako na sa friend ko nalang na uniformed personnel ako lalapit para madalaw ko siya or what. but he refused instead sa kakilala ko, kay guy friend nalang para daw sure. So, nag-meet kami ni guy friend niya and since important yung kailangan ko ipapaalam niya kay dadie since dinadalaw niya sa loob during that time, pinasabi ko na “Please sabihin mo sakin kapag ano magiging facial expression ni dadie ha? Wala pa baby  Hindi pa ako pregnant (sabay pakita ng results ng tests) kahit ako na-ssad pero mas di ko alam magiging dating kay dadie baka ayawan niya nako? Inaasahan niya na as in asang asa na siya magkaka-anak na kami”

I dunno when is the following day? Or weeks after namin magkita ulit ni Guy friend ni dadie since galing siya kay dadie para ipaalam nga yung mga nasabi ko until nasabi ni guy na “Sad si dadie pero wag daw ako mag-alala” until naging kausap ko si guy sa messenger. I know may girlfriend siya BUT THE SADDEST thing, napaghinalaan ako, pinaghinalaan ako na may samin ng boyfriend niya. Hanggang sa naging distant ako kasi akala ko isa siya sa makaka-intindi ng situation ko during that time since she has been there yung feeling malayo sa mahal niya. Dumating sa punto na nagkunwari pa siya na siya si Guy friend ni dadie na akala niya hindi ko alam na siya yun, ginagawa akong gago na kahit ano piga o pilit niya paaminin ako na she’s using sweet words THE HECK! Girl, im trying to be distant even friends kami niyang boyfriend mo and she insisted everything has a meaning between of his boyfriend. She insisted in the said conversation na “Miss nakita” “send ka nga selfie” as in paulit-ulit niya ko pinapapasok na kahit anung gawin niya wala ako aaminin na “she’s hibang” Si DADIE ang pakay ko kaya ko kinakausap yang boyfriend mo that’s it. And the heck, si dadie ang boyfriend ko bakit yan pang boyfriend mo. HAYSSS stress! Nakakaloka na bakit pinipilit yung bagay na wala. That’s why I cut communicating with his boyfriend which dadie’s one of closest friend.

 Gumawa ko ng sarili kung way for I communicate personally kay Dadie, im so deperate na e kaya I used my I.D na. bahala na ano mangyari kahit makaladkad ko surname namin kahit dumating pa sa father ko pinag-gagawa ko na madalaw si dadie. So ayun, nung nakikita ko na siya and nakakapasok ako sa camp ng walang kahirap hirap dinadalaw ko na si dadie, kahit nga seconds or 1 minute masaya na ko basta mahawakan ko kamay niya, Makita and makitang ma-high morale siya. HANGGAT KAYA NG ORAS KO IBIBIGAY KO. Yun ang sinabi ko sa sarili ko. Mapawi manlang yung pagod niya sa loob, alam ko may mga consequences  yung mga ganyang dalaw bahala na! Take nalang ng take siya naman yun e, char! Hanggat sa na-kwento ko even to his family na “Pinagselosan ako ng girlfriend ni guy friend niya that’s why ako na nakikita niya and lumayo nga ako sa friend ni dadie. Then napasabi si dadie na “grabe naman yun”

The following months February, March hindi ako napagod na Makita si dadie, masaya ako kahit saglit lang masayang masaya na’ko kahit bitin yung usap okay nayun. EXCITED ako kapag feeling ko may activity sila outside the center kasi inisip ko masulyapan ko lang happy me na ulit, buo na araw ko. Hanggat sa dumating na mga passes nila, MAS LALONG HAPPY NA mas nakakabitin. And Happy na rin nung nagka-phone na sila.Hinding hindi ko makalimutan yung journey ko as a sunod-sunod wherever trainees go. HAHHAHA well love ko and miss ko kaya gagawin ko lahat!

 Ayan na Graduation na, me so excited! Nagawa na naming ulit yung mga bagay without time limits! Ang sarap sa pakiramdam after all the long months of waiting in game, kasama ko na ulit mahal ko. Yung pagllunch sasabayan ko siya para lang di niya maisip na nag-iisa siya. And andito ako to support him! Everything! Since I’m his MAMIE NEZ <3

 July 2019 ito na the real world namin. Sabay na yung journey naming na nag-fforward, dito nag-start kami subukin ng relationship namin. By the end of month ng July napadalas yung pang aaway ko sakanya, sobrang mixed emotion na kasi nag-uunder go nanaman ako for another check-up half of the month of July,sinced tumaas blood pressure ko, madalas ako mahilo and napaka antukin ko which nakaka-ewan na nun. Kaya nagdecide na ko magpunta hospital. wala e ang gago ko lang kasi mainit ulo ko sakanya kahit effort na effort naman si dadie na puntahan ako dito samin and i-remind ako na maging careful ako sa mga tintake kung meds kasi isa yung pagtaas ng BP kapag pregnant nga so buti pa siya may alam, KASO! Parang may mali nga kaya nga halos negatron na’ko? Yung nakasanayan kung DADIE mej nag-iba yata, so kinimkim ko pero nung ‘di na ko nakatiis, cnonfront ko siya anong meron? Anong mali? May iba na bang family? Napapraning na’ko baka may iba hanggat sa pinuna ko na in everyday na bakit magttext sakin pag patulog nalang which napaka unusual hanggat sa sobrang galit ko umabot na ‘ko sa point nasabi ko na

“Ginamit mo lang ba ‘ko? Baka naman tama yung sinabi sakin ng ex-girlfriend mo na gagamitin mo lang talaga ko? Tapos ka na sa gusto mo sakin kaya ba ganito ka na sakin? hindi porke anjan ka na sa career mo gaganituhin muna ko? Alam mo sana hindi nalang ako nag-bigay ng time sayo noon sana mas nag-focus ako sa gusto ko! Ginive up ko yung gusto kung career kasi ayaw mo magkalayo tayo ng almost 3 years hindi mo kaya kasi napaka layo kung saan ako maddestino. Kung di kita nilaanan ng time sana rin nakapasa ako! Yung time na sakin nalang sana pero binigay ko sayo! Maghiwalay nalang talaga tayo! Ang sakit sakit na kasi!”

 Then he respond “NAKAKABASTOS KANA! Sige mamie sabihin muna po lahat sakin! Ano pa ba? Sige! Lagi nalang way mo yung iwan ako! ” which natakot ako kasi yan yung first time na kahit not in person kami magkausap during that time intense yung pagkakasabi niya sakin and iba na-feel ko. And after niyan nag-sorry ako and I ask him “Mahal mo ba talaga ako?” “Mahal mo ko?” He replied “OO MAHAL KITA”

 And Papasok na yung month of august! August 1, 2019, 11 o’clock in the evening sa pagkakaalala ko, He leaved a message which yung content is full of sweetness and reminder na anjan lang siya for us sa relationship namin and yung ginagawa namin is para sa future namin and he greeted with full of love  kasi August 2,2019, 11th  monthsary namin. By the way, august 1 took the pregnancy tests, POSITIVE. YES! Na-push na ‘ko kasi delay na ko and grabihan na yung signs even yung dad ko nagtanong sa mother ko “Buntis na ba yang si nez? Yung tyan niya halos lumalaki tapos panay tulog, tanungin mo nga!” So ayun yung mother ko na-urge na magtanong sakin so ako wala naman ako masagot kasi nung nagtanong siya hindi pa naman ako nagPPT. Dun nalang ako na-urged na mag-PT and super happy kasi magkaka-baby na kami. May baby margaux na kami. Tadaaaah August 2, 2019 sakto 11th monthsary, dun na siya nag-start na manlamig sakin. Tnry ko siya contactin pero off yung phone. Hanggang sa cnontact ko yung kasamahan niya sa B.Area yun tulog daw and deadbatt yung phone pero wala wala ko na-received na message na babatiin ulit ako :”( August 3,2019 Saturday, hinding hindi ko talaga makakalimutan ‘to araw na ito. SA TALA NG BUHAY KO ITO YUNG PINAKA HINDING HINDI KO MAKAKALIMUTAN. August 3 in the morning, na-contact ko na siya after so many times I called him. Nagkausap kami over the phone maayos naman pagkakausap namin in the first hour, to sum up nagkausap kami almost 2 hours and a half. Pero ramdam ko na mabigat loob niya sakin and Nag-sorry ako sa mga nabitawan kung salita sakanya. And I asked him “Dumating na ba sa punto na pabitaw ka na?” and he respond “Oo dumating na ko sa punto nayun, pero nung kausap ko yung isa sa kasamahan ko dito napasabi ako sa sarili ko na “kaya ko pa” alam mo yan na iba yung tama ko sayo alam mo kung gaano kita kamahal na mahal halos gawin ko lahat para lang patunayan sayo na ikaw lang talaga”

Then panay sorry pa rin ako, and nung malapit na matapos yung usapan naming over the phone sabi niya “sige na maglalaba muna ko and may pupuntahan ako”

 So dahil gusto ko siya i-surprise and maabutan ko siya sa b.area nila, nagmadali ako makaalis samin kaso sa katangahan ko kakamadali ko, from 2nd floor down to 1st floor nalaglag ako, YES I’m aware na im pregnant but I dunno ilang months na since hindi pa ako nagpacheck after ko magPT nung August 1. Halos hindi na ako makatayo sa pagkakalaglag ko nun, hindi ko alam paano ngako nakatayo kahit dugo-dugo na tuhod ko pinilit ko sarili ko na kahit ang lakas ng ulan niyan push ako mapuntahan siya, maabutan siya. Kasi ganun ko kagusto mag-kaayos kami. Halos pag tinginan na ‘ko sa jeep kasi dali-dali ko pinupunasan yung tuhod ko na halos tumulo na yung dugo, sa lakas ng ulan kahit sobrang hapdi tinitiis ko. Hanggang sa sabihin ko “Dadie please see me here at Mercury Drug im waiting, willing to wait” No response, texted him siguro fifty times but no response yet. Until I call of one of his Kabaro na where is the exact location ng rent nila ayaw ko sana kaso need to see him for him to know na MAGIGING DADIE na siya J Mej nalito pa ngako saan dun yung area nila kasi nga halos pare-pareha color ng gate, one hour and a half ako nag-antay ng reply niya but already informed him na im around sa area nila nung papalabas na siya, I saw his facial expression looked disappointed na andun ako and I was liked “wag ko nalang sabihin hindi niya na siguro deserve na malaman na magkakaanak kami, kaya ko naman buhayin yung bata kahit kami lang ng family ko makaalam if ever iwanan niya ‘ko.” Hanggang sa nag-lunch kami and tahimik pa rin siya, and because of im pain from fell down sa stairs na hindi ko pinapaalam sakanya. nag-ppretend ako na im in pain because of our arguments. And sabi nya “itigil mo pag-iyak mob aka isipin nila inaano kita dito” Masakit sa loob ko yung pahintuin niya ko umiyak hindi niya alam halos halo halo na yung nararamdaman ko, na tipong nagkita kami pero hindi kami magkakaayos. Hanggat sa ihahatid niya nako sa sakayan, way pauwi samin. Ang tagal bago ako sumakay kasi kinukumbinsi ko sarili ko na sabihin sa kanya na “Dadie im pregnant na, magiging dadie ka na” but everytime na Makita ko yung facial expression niya na madaling madali na siya na bumalik sa area nila gusto ko na humagulgol pero pinipigilan ko and sinabi niya “Masakit na kasi ang sakit paulit ulit (turo sa dibdib niya and sa tenga) na bitawan moko sa tuwing di pagkakaunawaan natin. Takot ka kasing mawalan! Akala mo hindi ako nasasaktan?” Then sabi ko “takot ako mawalan hindi ba ikaw yung takot? kasi parang pasuko kana. ATTEMPT lang lahat ng mga yun sakin and never ko tinuluyang iwan ka!” then a minute after, he kissed my forehead and hugged me. Dun ko na sana babanggitin na “Dadie, daddy ka na” Pero mas lalo ako pinanghinaan

Habang papalayo na siyang naglalakad sumakay na ko and bumaba rin ako near sa street shortcut sa area nila, hanggat sa sinabi ko na “dadie labas ka pa-hug ako” wala siyang kamalay malay sasabihin ko na magiging daddy na siya. 10 minutes ago bago siya lumabas, pagkalabas niya nakita ko na disappointed siya na ako ulit na parang ang kulit ko. And nung sinabi ko yakapin niya ko, naramdaman ko na HINDI NIYA NA KAILANGAN MALAMAN talaga. Yayakapin ko siya pero pagtalikod ko this will be the last na makikita mo ‘ko, na I’m sorry but hindi mo makikita yung bata.

Hinang hina ako naglalakad, since napaka-lakas nanaman ng ulan nun, wala na ko pake kahit maligo na ko sa ulan, sa sobrang lutang ko naabot ako ng Quiapo church nun, maniwala kayo sa hindi inisip ko sa sarili ko iiyak ako hindi naman nila ko kilala hindi nila alam sakit na nararamdaman ko, umabot ako hanggang hapon sa church, halos mapatanong ako na “Bakit? Bakit nangyayari sakin to. SAAN AKO NAGKULANG?” hanggang sa pag-uwi akala ko mauubos na yung luha ko, umuwi ako ng iyak ako ng iyak, wala ko pake sa mga nririnig ko sa magulang ko napano ako kung ano man.

I ask one of my closest friend, “tingin mo sabihin ko pa ba sakanya na magiging daddy na siya? Kahit na mukhang ayaw na sakin? Saklap nu? Single mom ako. Hindi ko ma-imagine isip ko na magiging single mom ako na akala ko yung taong sasamahan ako mag-build ng family pero wala” and she respond “Yes, of course deserve and may karapatan siya malaman yan. Nasa usapan niyo nalang kung paano settlement sa bata” and dun ako nakapag decide na sabihin na sakanya over the phone through text. Pero wala ko natanggap na response a minute after I sent a message to him, nag rest room ako and then shookt ako. Full of blood cloth and nag-panic na ‘ko. Kasi paano magkakaroon ng ganun samantalang wala naman ako mens and im aware na im pregnant. So, I texted him agad na and nagtext siya sa Globe ko na “Smart, sagutin mo” meaning buksan ko yung smart na phone ko and sagutin ko tawag niya. And lumabas ako sa hallway, kasi ayaw ko malaman nila mama na ganun nangyayari na sakin, talked him over the phone. Until matapos yung usapan naming gusto ko sanang sabihin na “I need money”, kaso nahihiya ako kaya nag alibi ako na I lend already sa brother ko pang pa-check up since para ma-assure safety ng pregnancy ko and kinabukasan nun nag-punta na ko hospital. Inaantay ko siya na magkusa na sabihin na sasamahan niya ko, pero inisip ko hindi niya ko masasamahan since problemado siya that time financialy so ayaw ko sumabay and ubligahin siya kaya nagpasama ko sa friend ko.

AUGUST 4, 2019, confirmed I got miscarriage. Too much stress and dahil sa pagkakahulog ko kaya I lost a baby whom I will never know the gender of, never get to hold. Sobrang durog na durog puso ko during that time, paano halos mukhang gago ngako kasi sabi ko baka need ko pa second opinion baka mali lang yung doctor, ang nagawa nalang ng friend ko is yakapin ako niyan, gusto ko magmawala kaso inisip ko magwawala ako? Halos walang wala na lahat sakin. The untold story. Which hindi niya na malalaman pa, Icconfine ako niyan pero I signed a waiver na kung ano man mangyari sakin I agreed na wala silang pananagutan sakin. Hindi ako makapag-stay sa hospital kasi I don’t have enough money to stay and to get rest. Ayaw ko mag-lend ng money sa friend ko kasama since even siya she need money. WALANG ALAM PARENTS KO EVEN MY BROTHER na nagkaganyan ako, ayaw ko mag-alala sila na im almost teared down.and ayaw ko masira siya sa family ko ayaw ko mag-iba tingin sakanya.

Pinilit ko na makipag kita sakanya for him to know everything but he refused to know everything. Ilalabas ko na sa bag ko yung tests and waiver sana to prove na wala na talaga. He keeps on telling me during that time “wag nalang natin pag usapan” which lalo nagpaguho sa mundo ko.

 Eventually malalaman ko na kaya distant siya dahil parin sa nabitawan ko salita sakanya. Inuna ko maayos kami kahit na halos duguin nako, not literally funny I used pads even don’t have mens. MATIGAS ULO KO e kahit pwede maging cause ng death ko yung pagpapaulan after miscarriage inuna ko parin kausapin siya. Almost breakdown in front of him while covering my face under my umbrella , pinapatigil niya ko but wala e sobrang sakit na nasabi ko na “bakit parang wala kang pakialam na nawalan tayo ng anak?” grabe naman pinagdudusa mo ko sa dahil sa nasabi ko?! Nag-sorry naman na’ko ano pa ba gusto mo? Kung walang katotohanan yung mga nabitawan ko salita why you keep acting like that! TO BE HONEST, What I really want and insulting about him nung nagtatalo kami, he keeps on listening but iilan yung lalabas sa bibig niya na response. Then following “uwi kana” hanggang sa nasabi niya rin sakin na “yan yan yan, hindi ko ma-reach ka negahan mo” After all of my interpretations sa act niya the past days til the day na I got miscarriage. Napaka-unpredictable, ako yung halos mabaliw sa kung paano niya ko pakitunguhan nan a halos sarili ko na masaktan ko na ENOUGH BA NA GAWIN NIYA SAKIN lahat ng yun dahil sa nabitawan kung mga salita?!!! Hindi ko pa rin siya tinigilan, sinuyo ko pa rin siya. MAHAL ko e, kaya hanggat kaya ko pa gumagawa ko paraan. Nagiging okay pero wala na yung dating dadie. Hanggat sa dumaan ng dumaan yung mga araw na nakakapikon na. Na may kami pa ba? Ask him many times if maghihiwalay na ba kami and ang bilis niya magsabi na “Hindi tayo maghihiwalay, tumigil ka nga sa ganyang pag iisip mo” Then sinasabi ko, pero bakit iba yung inaact mo!!!!!!!!

 August 12 ba yun ? nung end of Eidl Ftr. Na-push ako magpunta sa isa kung friend which based in Imus, Cavite. To vent out sa sobrang kailangan ko umiyak kahit ganun kalayo nag-punta ako. Napainom hanggang sa dumating na boyfriend niya napa-share na ko. And hindi ko na namalayan yung oras, almost late night na pala and aware ako na hindi ko na kayang umuwi kasi hilong-hilo na ‘ko. I called 2 friends of mine, pero both hindi sila available na sunduin ako. Hiyang hiya na ko sa friend ko nayun kasi halos oras na ng pahinga kaya nag-iiyak nako na paano ako makakauwi, and wala ako kamalay malay na nasa labas na nila si dadie. Which kinagulat ko na hindi naman siya tinawagan ko na sumundo para sunduin man ako. From Pateros to Imus,Cavite nilundag niya masundo ako.

And I felt, NAAWA nalang siya sakin, Ramdam ko na ayaw niya na sakin pero dahil sa feeling ko makokonsensya siya if ever may mangyari sakin. Hanggat sa pauwi na kami, iyak ako ng iyak habang naka-angkas. Inabutan na kami ng ulan around Las Pinas palang hanggat sa makarating na dito samin. Pagkababa ko, tinanong ko siya “Galit ka ba sakin?” And umiling siya. And napasabi na “umakyat ka na, magpahinga ka na” and tinanong ko ulit siya habang umiiyak nanaman ako “mahal mo pa ba ko?” and he respond “bakit ba lagi mo nalang knquestion yung pagmamahal ko sayo? Ano paghihinalaan mo nanaman ako?” and sabi ko nalang “Oo o hindi lang naman ang gusto ko sagot” and he replied “Oo mahal kita (habang nakatingin sa mga mata ko)” dun ko na hindi kinaya na masabi sakanya “Pero bakit ganito ka sakin? Hindi ko na alam apektado nako! Halos hindi na ko makapag focus as in hindi na. Hindi ko na magawang asikasuhin yung dapat pinaglalaanan ko ng pansin! AKO BA YUNG PROBLEMA MO! (habang dinuduro ko yung dibdib niya) please tell me! Ako ba ha? Ako ba!?” Then  bigla niyang nasabi na “HINDI IKAW ANG PROBLEMA KO! May sakit si mama hindi ko na alam saan ko pa ilulugar sarili ko, gulong gulo na ko “ after niya msabi na hindi ako ang problema, gumuho yung mundo ko lalo na “HUH! AFTER 1 WEEK! NA HLOS KULITIN KO SIYA NA AKO BA PROBLEMA tapos hindi pala” Then napasabi na ko na “Dad, hindi ako namimili ng problemang pakikinggan sa buhay mo andito ako BAKIT HINDI MO SINABI SAKIN! TUTULUNGAN KITA KAHIT ANO MANGYARI! Wala nalang ba ko sayo? Nakakagulo na ba ko sayo? He respond “Sa nangyayari ngayon parang oo” and that was the last kita namin.

I beg for him to stay before pa mangyari yang scenario, I beg him to the point lumuhod ako sa harap niya , nagulat din ako sa sarili ko BAKIT KO GINAWA YUN! Nag-iwan ako ng embarrassment sa kanya, nung sinabi niya sakin “tumayo ka jan hindi ako dyos para luhuran mo” “Wag na wag mo ko pakikitaan ng kahinaan mo” --- For me it’s not weakness. Being true with my feelings is a sign of maturity. It’s an acknowledgement of my own feelings that I let it out to feel better. The outcome may not be taken positively in his side, but I wanted him to do know that in my part nakakagaan ng pakiramdam and conscience.

Then ask him personally “Bakit parang wala lang sayo nawalan tayo ng anak?” and he respond na biglang umiyak “Akala mo lang wala akong pakialam pero nasasaktan din ako, (he touched my face) and napasabi alam mo yan kung gaano ko kagusto magkaanak na tayo”

Two days after, nakita ko pa yung shared post niya sa my day niya about “Wag magpapadala sag alit para hindi makasakit ng damdamin ng ibang tao” and kinabukasan  he sent a message sakto paalis ako pa-baguio. “Mahirap man isipin pero nakapag-decide ako na gusto ko na muna mag-focus sa career na meron ako. Magiging masaya ako kapag nakuha mo rin yung gusto mo career. Masaya ako nakabonding ko kayo ni Tita. ….” First sentence palang nung binabasa ko yang message niya, halos manginig na ‘ko, naisip ko “wala na nakikipag break na” Dahil I’m in a denial stage, inisip ko na pag disiya nagreply sa sasabihin ko walang wala na talaga I replied “I love you dadie, mahal na mahal kita” and he replied “Mahal din kita” and nag reply pa ko na nag uupdate ako sa ganap sakin. And nag update din siya after that HE CLEARED HIS NICKNAME sa conversation namin. And that was the end of convo namin.

I rant over my facebook account but the rant is all about pain, wala po ako sinirang puri or katauhan sa pag-rrant ko. Pag-uwi ko galing baguio two days after niya makipag-break, wala na yung in a relationship and nagpalit na siya ng DP.

Let me now share this to all of you for all you to know what was the real reason. Nabibingi na kasi yung iba because I remain silent for almost 2 and a half months. The first month of me and dadi’es break up. (Hindi ako mag ddrop ng name as usual in the first part palang ng story) may na-come up na issue which yan yung start na mas kinagulo na pagkatao ko. MAHIRAP MAN TANGGAPIN SA PART KO yung iwan niya ko, pero nirespeto ko yung gusto niyang mag-focus sa career niya? and hindi na maging part ng successful ng life niya, hindi ko na magawang i-beg siya kahit gusto ko pa. Pero sinabi ko na sa sarili ko, magmamakaawa ako tapos itataboy ulit ako? Masakit na yung ipamukha pa sakin na ayaw na ayaw na sakin na THAT WAS THE FIRST MATINDING AWAY pero sumuko na.

Until may issue na nacome up because of conversation. Which Month of MAY pa yung convo.

Between me and the guy friend. A conversation na instead sakin tinanong pero mas pinili niya sa ibang tao itanong which really offended sa part ko. HE HATES and I know kahit sino ayaw ma-compare. Nung time na may issue ako sakanya about sa babae I NEVER CONFRONTED THE GIRL if true or kung ano man. Siya mismo inaway ko, yas inaway ko pero the end of the day nagkaayos naman kami. Ganun lang, bakit sa ibang tao mo itatanong, YOU’RE THE ONE WHO WILL DECIDE IF MANINIWALA KA OR NOT SA ISASAGOT SAYO atleast you heard an answer sa person na dapat sumagot sa lahat ng questions mo.

So ayun na nga, HE confronted my friend regarding the issue and pinabasa niya mismo ano pagkakaintindi ng friend ko sa conversation. Nasaktuhan naman na magkikita talaga kami ng friend ko nung nag-message sakanya si Dadie, ayun pinabasa sakin lahat ng friend ko mga pinagsasabi ni dadie about sakin and he highlighted sa part na halos pagkamalan niya kami ng guy friend niya na may samin nung guy friend niya and

“NAGAGO SIYA NASA LOOB PALANG DAW SIYA”  “WAG MUNA PAGTAKPAN YUNG KAIBIGAN MO” “NAGSALITA NA SI GUY KAYA WAG NA KAYO MAG EXPLAIN” “LIBOG LANG PINA-IRAL NILANG DALAWA” --- lahat ng mga nababasa ko sa conversation nilang dlawa ng friend ko gusto ko balibagin lahat ng mga gamit na nasa harap ko during that time, na AFTER ALL! AFTER ALL! AS IN AFTER ALL, NG EFFORT at Kagustuhan ko makita siya, gaano ako kasabik na makita siya sa loob puntahan siya na tipong siya na nga yata nananawa sa mukha ko kakapunta dun tapos paghihinalaan ako. Halos yung laman ng conversation SIYA AT SIYA IBINIBIDA KO SA GUY FRIEND NIYA, na Damn! After all! Halos wala ko palya na puntahan siya na halos magkwento pa ko sa mother ko na magkikita kami ni guy friend niya dahil sa may sasabihing balita sakin and pag tumatawag siya and even ‘di online nag uupdate ako na nagkita kami ng guy friend niya kasi ayaw ko mapag-isipan ng masama kasi ang tao makita ka lang may kasamang iba, iba kaagad iisipin. PERO HALOS GUMUHO na pati sarili ko, maparatangan ako sa hindi ko naman ginawa. Maparatangan ako na “libog” I will attach the photos ng conversation namin ng guy. Since he cried in front of his kabaro and napasabi na “Hindi pre’ may ebidensya”

Yung nakaka-offend lang? YUNG MAY TATAWAG PA SAKIN TO CONFIRM IF IT’S TRUE? I answered a call from a sissy. Since naging closed naman kami kaya sinagot ko, Alam ko naman saan mapupunta yung mismong tanong and sabi ko kahit hindi pa siya nagtatanong pa “Oo wala na kami” but bigla niyang nasabi “Hindi sis, totoo ba na nanlalaki ka?” napamura ako and nasabi ko “Grabe naman yan sis! Sobra naman yang chismis nayan, paano niyo nasabi yan sakin?” she respond “Sis sabi kasi ng asawa ko  iyak ng iyak si ano mo tapos may pumunta pa na lalaki tapos sabi lalaki mo daw yun. Sinabihan na nga pati ako ng asawa ko lumayo na sayo kasi baka magkaroon din daw ako ng iba” ng ganyang yung sinabi ko halos gusto ko sumigaw and mag-iiyak na nananahimik na ‘ko bakit ganyan pa kalala yung issue L sabi ko nalang “grabe naman halos manggalaiti ako pero ano pang magagawa ko? Yan ang kumalat. Gusto ko mag-explain pero naparatangan na ako e? May mababago pa ba ‘ko sa nabuong kwento?” and napasabi siya na “Oo sis kalat sa rent nila kasi iyak ng iyak si ano mo, may ebidensya daw siya e” and may last word is “ Sana mabasa niyo yung conversation para hindi one sided ang kwento”

after I received a calls from different people, I changed my phone number, nanahimik pa rin ako. Meron man ako nakakausap pero iilan. Yung taong akala ko tiwala sakin at hindi ako kayang husgahan pero siya mismo sumira sakin. GANUN NALANG BA TINGIN SAKIN? Ganun ba ko kababaw na babae? nakilala niya ko na halos hindi ko maibigay yung ako agad sakanya. Nakilala niya ko na hindi ako basta basta nagpapaakabay sakanya, ako pa mismo lumayo nung tingin ko na fnflirt ako na ganun dating sakin kahit hindi ganun gusto niya iparating. Kung lalandi ako? Bakit pa ‘ko mag-eeffort puntahan siya? Bakit ko pa aantayin? Sana dun palang naisip niya na.

BUT wla siyang narinig na explanation from me. I explained everything to my friend and relayed to him EVERYTHING what was my intention and talked about with his pointing out na highlighted conversation. Nagflashback sakin kung gaano kasakit yung feeling na salinkitkit ako, na akala ko wala ng issue between his ex girlfriend. During the time na andun kami sakanila, sobra ako nilamon ng kahihiyan ko na ano ba to pinasok ko, bakit pakiramdam ko ako nakasira ng relationship though he confirmed na almost 3 months na silang wala nun. BUT pinili ko parin maging mas matatag kami kahit na tingin ko malihim siya GO PARIN AKO.

   I never expect na babalik siya after issue kasi sinarado niya isip niya sakin, MAS NANIWALA SIYA SA TAONG GALIT SAKIN. Naniwala siya sa taong pinilit yung bagay na wala naman. Halos nagpapaulit ulit sa tenga ko yung mga pingako niya na “Mamie, ako yung lalaking nakalaan sayo na iintindihin ka” “I-take lang natin yung problem na dadating satin a challenge” “Mahal na mahal kita mamie, ikaw lang! Can’t wait to have a baby with you”

 Nag-suffer ako for almost 2 months, sa pagiging tahimik ko about this issue, nilapitan ko lang yung mga taong kaya akong i-handle. I kept on asking “mali ba nanahimik ako” and random yung opinions. Nag-attempt ako mag suicide, to the point hindi dahil sakanya, BUT BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION. Wala ako dapat aminin kasi wala naman talagang samin nung guy nayun, gabi gabi nilalamon ako nun na --- “basura ako” “tinapon na ngako naparang basura na wala ng pakinabang, hindi makaintindi” “inalis ako sa priority because I’m not that kind of girl na worth to handle” “got miscarriage” “tanga hindi nag iingat kaya nawalan ng anak” “masama ugali” “walang alam sa gawaing bahay” “nanlalaki daw” “libog lang pinairal” “manloloko” “nang gago”

BASAG NA BASAG AKO! I drunk a lot, natuto ako mag-inom simula na mag broken hearted ako kay Dadie. Iba yung sakit e, already told him umpisa palang “Once masaktan ako ulit hindi ko na alam kung kaya ko pa iovercome” Hindi ko alam paano ko pa bubuuin sarili ko ng mga oras nayan,hindi ko na makilala sarili ko

  AND I HAVE A FRIEND NA HINDI MARUNONG MATULOG. Na hindi nagsawa sa paulit ulit ko pag vvent out, na hindi ako jinudge na halos umiyak nung mga araw na nagpapaalam na ‘ko. THANKFUL AKO SA GIRL na ‘to kasi hindi niya ko binitawan kahit umiiyak ako kahit kausap ko siya over the phone as in ‘di siya nag sasawa pigilan ako. na DESERVE KO PANG MAHALIN isa na daw siya dun.

 Nakapag bigay na ko ng letters sa friends ko, already sent a message na please alagaan yung parents ko and be ate sa graduation ng kapatid ko kasi I cannot promise na I can stay longer here. Halos hindi na ako nakakakain, nagagalit ako na nagigising pa ako sa umaga, ayaw na ayaw ko na nakakarinig ng motor na halos katunog ng kanya, lulang lula ako. Dumating na nga sa point nun na Im at EDSA Taft na halos hindi ko na alam paano pa ako makakauwi agad agad kasi I saw same with his motorcycle model halos mag flashback sakin lahat. Kaya I called a friend na sunduin ako kaso hindi siya pwede kasi night shift siya kaya nag book nalang ako ng angkas, nakakatawa? Natatawa ka mabasa na ganito naging act ko, right? It’s okay if matatawa ka. BUT you need to be thankful because hindi nangyari sayo yung ganito na almost emotionally and physically downed. Napabayaan ko yung health and face ko na rin, nalosyang ako! Mygad! Na-tortured ko na sarili ko, inaccept ko na sarili ko na wala ng ibang tatanggap sakin kasi napamukha na ng iba sakin na ginawan ko  siya ng masama BUT HINDI AKO GALIT AS IN HINDI AKO GALIT sakanya. Kahit na ganun ginawa niya sakin, LAHAT NG TAONG NAKAUSAP KO sila makakapagpatunay na LOVE pa rin nanaig sakin kasi from the start of arguments hindi ako nag –filter, wala ako nabanggit na pangit about sakanya. Issue lang naman e, HE TREATED ME LIKE A QUEEN bago pa kami subukin ng tadhana.

 I bought different kinds of medicines na pwede makapag pa-overdose sakin. Decided na ko na i-end up yung life ko dahil sa mga nangyari. Can’t imagine the whole month of August nabagsakan ako ng problema, kaya umuuwi ako sa bahay gabi na para tulog na sila pagkakauwi ko. Napasabi na nga rin ako na hindi na ‘ko mag attend ng classes ko and will not take the exam. Since I have my own room, free ako sa room ko. BUT biglang naglambing sakin mother ko,pumasok siya and niyakap niya ‘ko and  panay kwento ng kung anu ano which naririndi ako kasi irritable nga ako during that time. Saw her eyes na gusto lumuha kaya dun ako nag decide na rin na I WILL NOT KILL MYSELF. Mahal ako ng family ko and sa mga taong patuloy ako minamahal kakayanin ko

Hanggat kaya ko mag-vent out sa mga taong willing pakinggan ako and hindi ako sasabihan na PAULIT ULIT KA NALANG I gave my trust to share the glimpse of my story. Sobrang sarap sa feeling na yung simpleng pangangamusta nakakagaan ng loob.

 Binaling ko yung sadness ko sa pag-ttravel, Start with my solo travel in Baguio City. Sobrang saya hirap lang talaga mag-selfie. BUT wayback home nasa Pampanga na ‘ko, hindi ko na napigilang umiyak. Wala naman gaanong pasahero kaya free din umiyak! Char! Ayun nga naalala ko nanaman siya, kung gaano kasakit yung mga nangyari hanggang sa makauwi na ko wala na nasira na yung happiness na nagawa ko sa Baguio. Ang nakakasakit ng loob ko after ko mag post sa new facebook account ko ng pictures ko na nag solo travel ako? Yung masabihan ako na, “Wow! Pa travel travel nalang move on na agad agad ang galing” Hindi nila alam behind those smiles tinitiis ko na Makita ako ng iba na I’m happy kahit yun yung way ko na hanapin and buuin sarili ko. That’s why I lived in my Instagram account, already turned down my new account. Grabihan sa criticisms e, grabihan din yung i-update ako na --- “uy! Mukhang may iba na siya may binaggit na babae kaso hindi sure sino mukhang naka-move on naman na yung ex mo kaagad” “uy akala namin ikaw yung nasa my day niya sino yung kasama niya”  ‘di ko kinaya! kaya halos pinili ko mawala sa mundo ng facebook and messenger. HINDI KO INENTENTION NA ALAMIN PA ganap sa buhay niya, pero ang sakit fresh pa pero yung sendan ako and sabihan ako ng mga ganyang bagay mas ‘di nakatulong sakin kaya di ko kinaya, lumayo ako sa mga taong mas makakapag-dagdag ng sama ng loob ko

And the following weeks I travelled to Antipolo and yung places na sana pupuntahan namin after Jariel’s Peak. Yun na pala yung last rides namin magkasama L Sabi ko pa naman sakanya nun, “Dad diba yung dp mo dati nasa jariels ka ? ayun yung time na dp mo na single ka na, see andito ka ngayon magppicture in a relationship and you’re with your soon to be wife in the rest of your life” ayunnnn,sad lang L yun na pala last ride.

Nag-message sakin yung ex-boyfriend kung 5 years, and sabi niya na he’s happy na malaman niya na I’M HAPPY WITH DADIE. Na sana alagaan ako, Lalo na nung nakita niya daw na naka-piggy back ride ako kay dadie.  Nagkausap kami kasi nag-sorry siya sakin. Nasa message request message niya sakin which 3 days ago na pala tska ko lang na-open.  Month of May 2019 after 1 year na, inamin  niya sa sarili niya na niloko niya ko and karma is real daw sakanya  and nagsisisi na iniwan ako. So ako sa isip ko nun bakit pa sinasabi yung mga ganyang salitaan , kloka! And sinabi niya kung magkakaroon lang ng another chance he will grab. BUT I shared kung gaano ko kamahal si dadie. Balibaliktarin MAS PIPILIIN KO PA RIN SI DADIE. Siya yung bumuo sakin.  na AKALA NI DADIE mababa tingin ko sakanya, aminado ako na-compare ko siya kay ex nayan. Na-feel ni dadie kasi mas saludo ako sa naging act sakin ni 5years pero hindi niya alam na halos nainggit sakanya si ex kung 5years na siya halos proud na proud ko naiharap sa parents ko first met with my dad partida dun agad ng sleepover! Hahaha, samantalang siya daw sa 5 years naming never ko napakilala sa dad ko. basta proud ako na-kwento sa ex ko nayun na si DADIE NA TALAGA AND MASAYANG MASAYA NAKO. Kahit napasabi siya na, sana hindi ako pinakawalan. Im not sharing this para maipamukha na nakausap yang ex ko but the closure, check na check. No hard feelings and wala na dapat iexplain about samin kasi may kanya kanya na kaming love. Kaso yun nga, walaaaa naiwanan again ako.

  Napaka dami ko pinagdaan the past 2 months and a half,sinubok ulit ako ng tadhana. Sinubok ako ng katatagan ko. Na halos i-end ko na sarili ko, pinili kung lumaban. TAPOS NA YUNG MGA ARAW na kinatakutan ko na baka hindi ko kayanin, na hindi ko maibuhos yung best ko. PERO I THANK TO OUR LORD, GOD! HE SAVED ME! Hindi niya ko hinayaan na malugmok. Nasasaktan ako, lumalapit ako sakanya, na akala ko impossible ng mag move forward ako. I’M TRULLY BLESSED, hindi ko namalayan na nag-hheal na yung heart ko kahit paunti-unti. Na-ssurvive ko pala yung mga araw na dumadaan sakin, na kahit in pain lumalaban ako harapin yung sakit na pinagdadaanan ko. Hindi ko masasabing wala na yung pain kasi may mga gabi na halos umiiyak pa rin ako, asawa na kasi yung tingin ko samin dalawa. Nakuntento ako sa kanya, Andaming nagulat na wala na kami napasabi na lang sakin na “Halos panoorin ko pa nga IG stories mo and my day na kung gaano ka kasaya na kasama siya, akala ko nga mag asawa na kayo e kasi mahal na mahal mo halatang kuntentong kuntento ka na” and napasabi nalang ako sa isip ko na “yes lahat yan totoo pero wala e naparatangan ako sa kung ano yung pagkakaintindi niya sa mga nabasa niya, madumi tingin niya sakin kaya kahit ano ganda ng pakikitungo ko sakanya dati wala na siyang makikitang maganda sakin” ….. MASAKIT PERO PATULOY AKO LUMALABAN. Hindi  dahil sa nanahimik  ako ibig sabihin guilty ako, wala na akong pakialam. BUT  I preferred to have a self-preservation.

To my sissy friends, sorry kung mas pinili ko lumayo sainyo. Hope maintindihan niyo, wishing you all have much stronger  family bond.

To my baby,Siguro hindi pa talaga para sakin ang pagiging momma to be. I LOVE YOU, kahit saglit naranasan ko na maging mommy.

  -NEZ

[adiyaathi]

Screenwriter meme: Vijay Sethupathi, nayan, Dulquer, nazriya

time for some made-up movies

song: shakkalakka baby - mudhalvan[tF DO I DO WITH THIS; shuffle is a terrible cause im never satisfied]

ok so expect the clichést of clichés:

a buddy cop comedy + a vigilante™ + ROMANCE D U H 

but who are the cops? you ask? 

dq and nayanthara

dulquer? he’s a sergeant/inspector 

lowkey a hoe [ofc why wouldn’t he be]; literally the exact opposite of his buddy; everyone loves him, he’s super cute, biggest Flirt™, has a girl (or guy) like every month

(his roommate sometimes has questions because dq tries to play so hard like he’s not just bringing a guy into his room)

“what no we’re friends?? yenna man solra nee, we’re going to eat cheetos and watch netflix whaat bro”

his roommate’s like ‘im not that old, i know what netflix and chill is’

*dq winks*

roommate: ‘… you know what, as long as i don’t hear anything’

speaking of his roommate

it’s vijay sethupathi, lifelong bachelor™ because of terrible Love Experiences

is also a psych and criminology professor in the university nearby

like think Young Mysterious Prof and always wears a white shirt, a tie, and black slacks [every single d a y]

is 200% done with everything 200% of the time

it took his students half a semester to get him to smile at them

they warmed up to him after dq crashed their class once [he just wanted to meme]

he was forced to guest lecture as punishment and got roasted the whole time; prof sethupathi and dq became widely known as chief and lil chief 

he’s a [not really] secret big softie for his students now tho; gives everyone all the advice they’d ever need

dq bribes him to consult for his cases sometimes when he’s stuck

sethupathi hasn’t been paid in biriyani for like the last four but it’s not really about the biriyani at this point; he’s too weak for dq

the most recent case tho, dq promises is worth it

a series of heists that leave behind nothing but a publicly posted éxposé on the victim; the og case-dealers weren’t creative enough to name the suspect so they’ve been dubbed the ‘Editor’

until now they were businessmen, or socialites and were easily covered up 

but the most recent one has blown up beyond their control; one of the deans at sethupathi’s uni had been exposed for corruption and tampering with admissions, and a challenge left behind to catch them before the next one

sethupathi: ‘ugh i hated him anyway so what’

dq pulls out a letter from the chairman

sethupathi: pffft chairman thaatha listens to me

dq points at one word: “you get 2 months off TO SPEND IT WITH ME”

*sethupathi almost falls off chair*: HE’S SPEEDING UP MY TENURE PROCESS

dq: and you get 2 months off

sethupathi’s holed himself up into dq’s office within the first week and dq’s like bro the 2 months was with me not my stuff but ok also don’t touch my nintendo switch also you have to meet the rest of the team we’re all working on this together; huh you’ll actually get along really well with my partner-in-non-crime

*sethupathi chucks an empty folder at dq’s head*

speaking of his partner-in-non-crime: nayanthara bro remember nayanthara? 

she’s queen of kollywood the special crimes department

super bad-ass and literally no one knows anything about her backstory unless she says something

[and she tends to surprise tf out of them when she does– like she went to med school for two years? when the hell was that? sHE DID BHARATNATYAM IN MIDDLE SCHOOL? the SAME NAYANTHARA WHO’S CARRIES A KNIFE NEXT TO HER GUN ANd STASHES AN AXE AT HER DESK]

softie on the inside; tough as hell on the outside

is perpetually competing with local sergeant Rajendar and his partner Yogi Babu for to see who solves the most number of cases in a quarter tho [thanks again to DQ]

[Yogi Babu’s was DQ’s partner but they can’t be put on the same case anymore without doing something stupid. we don’t speak of Operation Makeout Stakeout]

she’s prepping for the case and walks into DQ’s office with files to ask him about stuff and walks in to see him leaning back in the chair with his feet on the desk 

and Sethupathi working at the crime wall. The Sethupathi. The same one from high school to college. The same one who Did That [do i mean Romance BackstoryTM you bet your ass i do]

this case just got a whole lot trickier. 

because nayanthara knows the suspect. and sethupathi does too. just not as the suspect. 

cause the suspect? it’s nazriya? her lil sister. 

what’s nazriya supposed to be doin? WILDING IN COLLEGE WHILE SHE FINISHES UP HER MASTERS like she told her sister she was 

when she’s not finishing up her papers for communication and investigative journalism, she’s supposed to be at a bar with friends or just out 

she even complained last week about getting carded even tho she’s like 23

thinks it has to do with her pink streaked hair [its cause she’s short]

nayanthara used to worry about letting her out alone, what with her prosthetic leg

but no she finds out her sister moonlights as the Editor 

how does she know? she caught her after the second heist because she was stupid enough to hide the neon green spray cans under her sister’s bed

has she said or done anything about it no; because nazriya doesn’t know she knows and hopefully there’s a way out

BUT NOT WITH SETHUPATHI AROUND TO DISTRACT HER

long story short: it keeps spiraling because suddenly nazriya offers to shadow her promising ‘free help’ on the case so that she can do her investigative journo project and guarantees she can help stop the heists from continuing [nayanthara: ya cause you’re the one doing it *scoffs*] at this point her lil sis is just screwing with her because she KNOWS she knows what she does but does she knows she knows she knows? plus how does she deal with cute prof sethupathi and suddenly dq’s tripping over his feet cause guess who hasn’t seen a girl like nazriya before and nayantharA’S TRYING TO GET HER SISTER TO STOP but who knows what’ll happen. *eyes nazriya to let us know what the last heist is gonna be*

[sumikaooba]

Ticket's intention stand handy on the app at eighth am. Masood Rana bought prepared between the morning in conformity with originating his cellular educate app and webpage on his laptop computer in accordance with the win his ticket. But the app was no longer pursuit at viii o'clock. Laptops additionally solely exhibit loading. In that way, before the stop about the minute, the 'You do not bear the preferred seat' floats of the screen (Requested basis no longer available). That skill the label is over.Masud Rana, a label bearer because Lalmoni Express, stated to that amount also condition certain waited at the educate counter, certain should apprehend whether or not that was once possible in imitation of come the favored age ticket. But at last such has ended up a rely on good fortune to expect tickets even agreement entire the tickets are given online. This trouble has been increased with the aid of no longer growing the wide variety concerning trains of Eid.Again, dense on the stamp seekers complained up to expectation she did not come to the preferred stamp also although they went to purchase the coupon and cut the money and savings card. It takes IV days after a hebdomad according to come to the money back.Railway officers say to that amount the picture of ticketing on Eid-ul-Adha was different. The Kamalapur rail status was overcrowded. Many coupon seekers lined up at the track condition at night. But a fascicle has changed among Corona. Many routes have closed this Eid. Trains are jogging over only 18 routes beyond Dhaka. Everything more is off. That is the reason because of the greater strain concerning the train label holders.Online then in-app label seekers complain, the app is becoming obsolete at the scheduled age of ticketing. Shows loading, hangs. Doesn't turn. Going in accordance with the closing minute again and asking because the development variety for money shows the label is over.Md. A person named Al Jami wrote regarding the Bangladesh Railway Fans' Forum (BRFF) web page over Facebook, Strange country ... We stay into u. s . up to expectation feels ashamed. Shame on you BD Rail .... 'Another man or woman named Tanjil Khan wrote I sat beneath a short before 8 am today after purchasing a billet because of the 29th over Chitra train. I entered including the app, but alas, as a situation! None on the from-to is coming. I did not attempt it because of a long time. Then I entered thru the browser except for the app yet noticed so the billet was once nearly at the end. I keep making an attempt according to cut with the browser, however, I gave the photo regarding the state of affairs at each step. After 35 minutes of trying, I obtained the ticket. After a while, I entered with the app or noticed that the whole thing blooming effortlessly but there was no deplete ticket.One concerning the lucky ones wrote, I could not be brought a label at viii into the morning, where happened, I acquired it at 6:52. Money was now not existence paid from bKash at viii o'clock.Another person named Shahriar Nayan expressed his color regarding Facebook as much he may want to now not buy a ticket. "The extra digital, the more theft," that wrote. It's a vain system, that would not commend tickets below deducting money. Tickets stop within 2 minutes, the identical scenario these days as like yesterday. Now I have no preference but to travel through education barring a ticket. Rail service has no rule about its own, such runs along CNS, online ticketing, have to remain stopped, I pleasure buy tickets including my personal money, in which  I depend on others? 60 rupees of couple days, I do not comprehend if I chose to get the cashback, salvo I find that after 7 days. Why not 24 hours among the digital age? The car-rail Sheba, Bkash, CNS ... cut the cash then took the exhaust coupon ফাঁ .. 'Mahbub Kabir Milon, the newly-joined Additional Secretary in the Railway Ministry, mentioned that takes some in accordance with two seconds because all tickets for a type according to lie sold at one vacation spot about the train. Suppose, over the 26th, like are 500 AC AC tender seats in Dhaka-Chittagong. These 500 tickets desire to receive just certain 2d after complete. Your intention not to get a label in the 2nd second. Now understand much fewer seats, extra pressure. How dense seconds choice such take in imitation of the end every the ticket. So, the actual combat started out beyond viii am tomorrow. Rest assured, there is no hassle yet scope because of manipulation beyond Rail and CBD. If in that place is no approach problem. It should not drink 5 seconds because an educated billet after lead outdoors about Eid. 'When the fortuity quantity regarding the railroad job app is contacted in Dhaka, the empiric support branch is knowledgeable so the stamp is accessible as much longer so it is available. However, the problem is that the number of the backside is less. The number concerning trains on the course who was 5 is currently one. Corona's protection coverage has additionally halved the seats. He has solely 300 seats within a train.According to the pragmatic help branch, 360 human beings hold hit the site collectively because of certain tickets. This number is greater within the app. That is from what into many cases the track employment app is failing. This problem is fit after the make bigger of the coupon strain of Eid. The teach agenda is low in spite of the stress concerning more tickets.It is to keep suggested up to expectation afterward the usual holiday declared in imitation of forestall coronavirus infection, the inter-city teach job commenced beyond May 31 into accordance including the governance instructions. At the current sixteen traveler trains are jogging of special routes. Freight backside persisted in imitation of function throughout the universal holiday.Bangladesh Railways has stated into a statement so much the inter-city train choice proceed in conformity with operating about the occasion concerning Eid-ul-Azha concerning August 1. All intercity instruct capabilities intention keep bolted over Eid day and the day afterward Eid. On the occasion regarding Eid-ul-Azha, whole sorts concerning twig trains pleasure lie bolted beyond July 31 in accordance with August 2.

http://www.dailydhakanews24.xyz/2020/07/last-minute-train-ticket-in-minutes.html

[barbosaasouza]

Publisher Profile: DANGEN Entertainment

Dan Stern of DANGEN Entertainment had a chat with us for this week’s Publisher Profile, talking about the special Japanese game development connections and localization help they can bring to a game.

Who are you?

Dan Stern, DANGEN Entertainment: My name is Dan Stern. I’m one of the DANGEN Entertainment founders and I handle developer relations for half of our projects (the other half is handled by Nayan Ramachandran). Developer relations sounds vague, which is because it is. It starts with scouting new games for us to publish, but also means working with developers on literally anything they need (from release management to promotion to getting cold medicine, water or snacks at tradeshows). I’m in my fifth year doing this work, and my eleventh year working in Japan.

Can you tell us a bit about your company?

DANGEN Entertainment is an Osaka-based indie publisher. We’re indie in that we both work with indie developers and are independent ourselves. All of us have worked in localization, which is why localization quality means so much to us. And it’s why improving the working conditions and rewards for translators in the industry (like sharing revenue with the translators) is important to us, too. We’re not solely focused on localization, though. Our focus is on general publishing for world-wide projects.

What work do you do to help developers reach an audience? How do you make developers’ lives a little easier?

Communicate: In every relationship, good communication is clutch. We keep a Slack that all our partners are invited to join. We talk frequently and are available almost any time of the day. Everyone also talks in shared channels for development support and just goofing off. Corny as it sounds, it feels like we’re all one big family [laughs].

Creator collaboration: We have great connections in the Japanese industry and love collaborating with creators who have inspired our developer partners. We’ve done music (Yuzo Koshiro of Streets of Rage for The TakeOver and Tsukumo Hyakutaro of Thunderforce for Devil Engine). We’ve done voice over with Tak Fuji and streams with Koji Igarashi. When the ties are close between the games, these collaborations are fun for everyone. They bring both additional quality and renown to the projects.

Streamer relations: We work with streamers in multiple languages. Chad “Chyadosensei” Porter is our resident partnered streamer, and it helps a lot to have a streamer’s perspective on how we can best work with folks on Twitch, YouTube, Mixer, what have you. We want to help streamers as much as we want to get word out about the games.

We only publish ten titles per year. We’ve seen other publishers and services that work on anywhere between twenty-five and a hundred games a year. We feel it is crucial that we limit the number of slots we allocate to projects so that we can give every game the love and attention they need to thrive during development and throughout the release/promotion process.

Programming, porting, talent sourcing, testing etc.: There’s a ton of other support we provide, whether that’s porting games to new platforms so devs can focus on other projects or sourcing help they need with a specific kind of work.

What is it that you’re on the lookout for (genres, content, etc.)?

Games that we love ourselves [laughs]. There’s not a certain genre we’re solely interested in because we have broad tastes. But we definitely look at stuff like core concept, gameplay, art direction, story, etc.. Does the game achieve its own goals? And after we play, how do we feel about it on a personal level? Ideally, I want to feel hooked. I want to set aside an hour to play and then fall behind on my other work because I played for two or three. I trust myself to fall in love with great games, and I’ve found my intuition is right that our fans will love it too.

What do you look for in the games you choose to publish? In the developers you want to work with?

Honest, authentic love. Not just for their game or making games, but also for their own health and well-being. Overwork is a problem for indies, too, and we want our partners to take care of themselves. That often means planning ahead, organizing production, or asking for help. The last thing I want is for one of my developer partners to take on the world by themselves. I put a portion of my life into each project and I’m always there for folks when they need me. We’re in this together.

Love comes through in the games, too, whether it’s a love for conveying a message or love for a game design. It’s at the heart of making something powerful that others will be moved by. This motivates everyone involved in the project and produces better results when it’s time to sell the games, too.

Is there anything developers do to make themselves more appealing to publishers? Anything they do that makes them less appealing to publishers?

Be confident, be professional, communicate clearly – much of what applies in other fields. I’ve worked in education, hardware production, localization, and now game publishing. Communicating often, clearly, and well in advance makes everything go much smoother in all of those.

I love getting emails with an organized press kit complete with screenshots, video, and a build. My first goal with any game is to learn about it and get that chance to fall in love, so there’s no limit to how much info I like to get. From there, it gets even better if I can learn the needs of the project. What are they looking for in a publisher, and what’s the production schedule look like? Having that kind of information early not only teaches me about the game, but also gets me thinking how to best communicate why it’s great to players.

And it assuages a concern that all publishers have: that the game will, in fact, be completed (or even better, reliably completed by a date you can plan around). Professionalism shows the developers’ experience and ability to ship the game, which is very comforting when it comes to the financial risks of projects.

The post Publisher Profile: DANGEN Entertainment appeared first on Indie Games Plus.

Publisher Profile: DANGEN Entertainment published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

[scozziesquash]

P2P Reportage #7

Best Shot Ball fundraiser at @PCC, Cornell Alumni Event @Merion and several Silver and Bronze events in the surrounding states of PA! Event #7 was highly anticipated, with valuable ranking points on the line. We have Coaches Jamie and Sam sitting atop the standings, both with perfect 1000 point scores. Could anyone upset the odds, before both play off against each other in the season finale next month?! We incredibly had 46 players enter despite all the corresponding events and it was another tournament to remember. Awesome has officially been awarded to the month April, what an incredible 4 weeks it’s been from Silver Nationals-Bronze Nationals-S2’s first US Squash Silver-Penultimate P2P!

Division 5 A new winner was crowned for the first time, as a delighted Ajay won his first ever silverware in squash. Arguably our MIP of April, he’s put in endless hours of hard work improving his technique with Sam in lessons and furthermore in squads. The results were standout, he showcased incredible developments in all aspects of his game to steamroll Division 5, defeating Max R in an excellent final. Well done to William, who beat out Lucas for 3rd place.

Division 4 We go from an arguable MIP to an absolute unquestionable MVP – Lucy P! I’m not sure anyone has gone through a whole month unbeaten and won a National title alongside a P2P title, but somehow Lucy did this weekend! The hero from Silver Nationals back at the start of the Month, continued her scintillating form to defeat Dylan, Abby and Preston en route to winning the divisional title! No one can stop her currently, we’re so excited to see what level she can evolve her game to next month in May! Well done also to little brother Peter, who is another name for the future, winning 3rd place and a coveted S2 T-shirt instead of the normal bronze medal!

Division 3 Ronak played Ronakulous to win D3 and win his first ever P2P title. 8 days after celebrating his 13th birthday (and thank you for the cake, we loved it!), he defeated Jackson, Jason and then Branzino (Brandon’s new nickname!) in the final. He’s slowly started to develop the 3 C’s – control, consistency and composure into his super fast and dynamic game style and boy is he seeing the rewards! Well done RN! Also well done to Jason, who beat Kevin to win 3rd!

Division 2 Nayan looked unstoppable in D2, as he was crowned champion without dropping a game. He bounced back strongly after a heartbreaking qualifying loss in the deciding game to Melanie, defeating Charlie, Oliver and Bella en route to his first P2P Championship of the season. Bella did unbelievably well to reach the final, qualifying up by defeating Jason and then winning 2 more matches as the underdog to reach the final! Another recent birthday girl, who’s already looking like a U15 ready player! Oliver beat Jake in the 3/4 play off battling a hand injury to complete the podium standing.

Division 1 Sean Park was crowned D1 king after beating Ethan 3/0 in the final. Sean has a tough qualifying loss, but went full steam ahead to win 800 points and a nice glass trophy for his bedroom windowsill! Ethan came 2nd and Braden won out 3rd against U13 Gold Nationals finalist – Brandon W.

Premier Division A stacked top tier brought some nerves to a normal unhinged Coach Sam. He knew the pressure on the line, nothing apart from 1st place would do, as he couldn’t afford to slip behind Coach Jamie atop the rankings. But he delivered a masterclass throughout the event, defeating Albert, Mitav and Matt in the final to win his 3rd event of the season! Matt reached his first ever P2P final by defeating Corey in the semis and Mitav won 3rd. Shoutout to Austin for some of the best squash seen throughout the day and to Albert and Winston for playing out a thrilling 5/6 play off in one of the last matches of the day.

So 7 events down, only 1 remains! The season finale will be conducted on May 18th, be sure not to miss out. This final event is more highly anticipated than the Avengers Endgame this past weekend, who will be crowned – Jamie or Sam! Will there be a spoiler in the semi final or quarters to prevent the grandstand finale?! Stay tuned for the latest ranking release on Monday am to see where the 115 players are positioned going into the grand finale!

from WordPress http://bit.ly/2V4q4PS via IFTTT

[rohan81191-blog]

In my blogging journey thus far, I’ve never really considered writing about anything remotely cricket related. As far as possible, I mostly stick to football and cartoons. While I have written about off-beat topics on occasion, cricket is something that has never really crossed my mind. Perhaps then, it is time that I make another exception to the usual routine.

Its been several years since my craze for the Gentleman’s Game died down. Yet in recent times, I’ve found myself taking a passive interest in my childhood love again. A few years ago, when I was in the United States, I had completely lost touch of the general goings on in the game. Strangely enough, my interest in the game has been rekindled in certain ways by a certain Dinesh Karthik; better known as ‘DK’ these days.

So on to the topic of the article…

The Late 90s and 2000s

Thiru Kumaran (Courtesy: sk-sk.facebook.com)

Aashish Kapoor (Courtesy: CricketCountry.com)

Sridharan Sriram (Courtesy: Rediff)

Hemang Badani (Courtesy: Rediff)

During my childhood, I always felt very happy when a Tamil Nadu cricketer got a chance to represent India. While several cricketers have represented the state with distinction throughout its history, very few have tasted lasting success with the national team (NT). A few names come to my mind when I think of Tamil Nadu cricketers who represented India during my childhood. Thiru Kumaran, Sridharan Sriram, Aashish Kapoor, Hemang Badani…. well, I’m struggling to think of names. None of these cricketers had an extended run with the national team and probably rightly so. They may have had terrific careers at the domestic level but never really stood out in their brief appearances with the NT. However, one name really stands out when I think of Tamil Nadu cricketers from that era…Sadagoppan Ramesh !!

The Fallen Promise of Sadagoppan Ramesh

I was never really a fan of any of the other Tamil Nadu cricketers who played for India during that era. Ramesh though, was different. During his brief time with the national team, he clearly showed that he had the ability to play the best bowlers in the world. Moreover, there was an effortless elegance to his stroke-play; the kind that people often associate with the likes of VVS Laxman. I instantly fell in love with Ramesh and rooted for him every time India played. Like most Indian openers from that generation though, he had the infamous technical flaw of ‘fishing outside the off-stump’. This was the reason for so many ‘caught-behind’ dismissals of Indian openers at the time, particularly in swinging & seaming pitches outside the sub-continent.

Sadagoppan Ramesh (Courtesy: Youtube)

So, like many players before him, his performances started to drop and eventually he fell by the wayside. He did briefly attempt a comeback to the national-fold but despite great performances at the domestic level and against other nations (for the Board President’s XI), it eventually amounted to nothing. In an interview years later, he did admit to not having the temperament to bat long-innings and notch up very high scores. He said that he was always content with scores of 50 or 60 (apparently a trait of Tamil Nadu players at the time according to Ramesh) and didn’t feel a strong motivation to push for the big scores like West-Zone players. In short, he often couldn’t convert good starts to huge scores; which brings us to the key question.

What does any of this have to do with Dinesh Karthik ?

Enter Dinesh Karthik

After Ramesh exited the picture, it would be a while before another Tamil Nadu cricketer flirted with the national team. In 2004, that moment finally arrived. Krishna Kumar Dinesh Karthik finally made his test debut against Australia. As a talented teenage wicketkeeper-batsman, it was expected that he would be a mainstay of the Indian side for years to come. The timing couldn’t have been any more perfect as India had gone through a succession of keepers after Nayan Mongia. Like Ramesh however, Karthik had inconsistency troubles and often couldn’t convert confident starts into big scores. Moreover, Karthik’s inconsistency shortly coincided with possibly the best thing to happen to Indian cricket in the last decade… MS Dhoni !! Now Dhoni’s legendary career as India’s greatest wicketkeeper-batsman & captain, particularly in the limited overs format is well known. Needless to say, Dinesh Karthik’s chances dwindled and he was dropped soon after, owing to poor form.

Dinesh Karthik (Courtesy: Telangana Today)

Despite his troubles, a recurring theme throughout his career has been his resilience and the ability to make comebacks. A great example of this was India’s tour of England in 2007. After being recalled to the national side, his strong performances in England helped India win the 3-match test series 1-0. To top it all, he was India’s highest run-getter in a squad that had the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. While it was clear that he had the talent to cut it with the best in the world, he just couldn’t keep up this run of good form. Soon afterwards, he was once again dropped from the team. He has since gone on to make several comebacks where he has served as a backup to the playing eleven. Once again, like Ramesh before him, most of these comebacks didn’t amount to much despite a few noteworthy performances here and there.

Things have been different for him since 2017 however. There is now a genuine feeling that he may actually be knocking on the doors for a permanent spot in the Indian limited overs sides. So what’s changed ?

Enter DK aka Dinesh Karthik Version 2.0

Dinesh Karthik often goes by the moniker DK i.e. his initials these days. His national team and IPL jerseys read DK and so do his public social media accounts. In what is now a well-known story in cricketing circles, Dinesh Karthik’s true resurgence began ahead of the IPL 2016. With age not on his side anymore and his value in the IPL dropping, DK started to doubt if he could play for India again. So, he sought out the help of Abhishek Nayar who had previously helped Rohit Sharma get his groove back. Nayar helped DK by unsettling his daily routine and making him step out of his comfort zone. He would mix up his training routine, change the time of his training everyday etc. While these changes initially unsettled DK, he eventually embraced it. He became mentally prepared for anything and more composed (as opposed to his usually restless demeanour). Perhaps, this added a layer of unpredictability to his game as well. The results soon started to show.

DK (Courtesy: People Matters)

In the 2016 IPL season with Gujarat Lions, he scored more than 300 runs with his 65 of 34 balls against Delhi Daredevils being a standout performance. He then carried this form with him into the Ranji season, scoring 704 runs in 14 innings with an average over 50. This form continued into the domestic ODI scene with 607 runs in 9 innings at an average of 118. This was further complemented with great performances for the newly formed TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League) for his side Tuti Patriots; whom he captained to victory. The selectors took notice and he was picked for the ICC Champions Trophy in England. While he didn’t get too many chances to play for the main eleven during the champions trophy and immediately after, his time would soon come.

The Turning Point

The Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka in March 2018 was the perfect opportunity for the selectors to rest several key players and try out fresh faces & fringe players. Once again, DK didn’t get too many opportunities to play but his time would arrive in the final, under hardly ideal circumstances. With India in a tight spot chasing Bangladesh’s 166, the team management sent in Vijay Shankar to bail out India, in a very bizarre decision. Vijay Shankar had never batted even once for India and sending him in during a pressure situation made no sense. To his credit, he did try to get off a few big shots but then just couldn’t get bat to ball against Mustafizur. Soon after DK walked in to bat with India needing 35 to win from just 12 deliveries. What followed afterwards was the stuff of dreams !!

DK celebrates victory with Washington Sundar (Courtesy: Ahmedabad Mirror)

DK absolutely plundered the Bangladesh bowling with an array of improvised strokes that left the bowlers clueless. Eventually India needed 5 runs to win from the last ball and not even the most ardent fan would have given the team much of a chance. DK wasn’t fazed however, and finished off in style with a 6 of the last ball to send Indian fans world over into ecstasy.

The Aftermath

Its unbelievable how a single vital moment can change the course of events. Soon after DK was brought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for more than 7 crores in the IPL auction. Moreover, he was even made the captain of the franchise. Riding a wave of confidence after the Nidahas Trophy, he led KKR to the semi-finals and finished as one of the top run-getters with more than 400 runs.

He has since been a part of most of India’s squads but hasn’t been given too many chances. That, however changed with this Asia Cup. He performed consistently throughout the tournament notching up important runs and building crucial partnerships in tricky situations for India. The only possible blot on his Asia Cup is that he couldn’t convert his solid, confident starts into huge scores despite playing a crucial role for India. He is now emerging as a strong candidate to seal that ‘Number 4’ slot in the India batting line-up along with Ambati Rayudu.

The Future

So, what does the future hold for Dinesh Karthik ? If DK continues this run of strong performances for India whenever given the chance, there is absolutely no doubt that he will get to play another World Cup. Perhaps the only thing missing in his long career is an ODI century.

As an ardent fan of DK, I long to see DK hold the bat-up for India in a successful run-chase, possibly in the World Cup final, scoring a big hundred. If his career graph and his resilient mentality are anything to go by, his time will surely come !! Fight on DK !!

The Resurgence of Dinesh Karthik In my blogging journey thus far, I’ve never really considered writing about anything remotely cricket related. As far as possible, I mostly stick to football and cartoons.

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

'Johny Johny Yes Papa' is just one of many terrifying YouTube videos made for kids

The internet is invested in the tale of Johny, Papa, and their sugary deceit. 

"Johny Johny Yes Papa" is probably one of the more terrible things to curse your timeline recently. The nightmarish nursery rhyme went viral over the past week, drawing hundreds of thousands of new people into its lore. 

In the most shared version, a child with an absurdly large head sneaks out of bed to gorge on sugar cubes when his father — known only as "Papa" — sternly calls out "Johny" and breaks into a Gangnam Style-type dance. 

SEE ALSO: 'B*tch, I'm a Cow' is the summer bop taking over the internet with memes

When Johny denies eating sugar, Papa asks if he's "telling lies" while emphatically doing the wave. Johny denies telling lies, so Papa orders Johny to open his mouth and then absolutely nails Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" footwork as he confronts his deceitful son.

Caught in the lie, Johny belts out in deranged laughter and lifts his hands, spinning around like he's performing some sort of playful demonic possession. 

Since that tweet, Johny, Papa, and their fixation on sugar inspired memes about their strange storyline.

papa: omg why is there no sugar in the house....wtf???? johnny: OMG KING that's so sad 😔😔😔 go off!! find that liar!!! papa: vague// i literally saw oomf with sugar in his mouth but go off i guess

— nayan 💉 摩天楼 + pinned (@Iingfan) August 27, 2018

Johnny johnny 👋 \ 😳 || \_ _/¯ ¯\_ Yes papa 😜 👊/||\_ _/¯ ¯\_

— valerie🌷🦇 (@mahounurse) August 27, 2018

calling ur man daddy is so basic we’re replying ‘yes papa’ in johnny’s voice now

— im having an identity crisis (@ceIIinne) August 26, 2018

The video is one of many "Johnny Johnny" spin offs — sometimes spelled "Johny Johny" — which are often paired with bad claymation, strange animation, and absolutely awful singing. One of the first versions of the nursery rhyme was uploaded in 2009, according to Know Your Meme. Three years later, another children's channel posted a version of "Johnny Johnny," where the father looked oddly similar to Peter Griffin from Family Guy. The song took off (as much as a nursery rhyme could) with ChuChuTV's 2013 rendition, which portrayed a young boy named Johny who crawls out of the bed he shares with his father to eat spoonfuls of pure sugar. It now has more than 480 million views. 

In 2014, YouTube channel EdukayFUN posted this hellish version featuring terribly 3D animation and absurd body modifications. The corrupted version of the song was briefly taken down, and then reposted this year. Since then, increasingly bizarre versions of the kid's song have flooded YouTube — some of which are available on YouTube Kids, the child-friendly version of YouTube which has been scrutinized in the last year for inappropriate content. 

Although this hellish version of Johny Johny isn't available on the kids app, reaction videos that show clips or mirrors of EdukayFUN’s disturbing animations are accessible to kids on the app. 

Some, like the version from WOA Teddo Channel embedded below, have blatant rip offs of popular characters. The Hulk and Batman make an appearance in what appears to be a cautionary tale about getting teeth pulled after eating too much candy. Later in the video, a clay Spiderman nearly kills the Hulk by squeezing him through a French fry cutter before a horrified Elsa stops them both and demonstrates the tool brutally shredding a potato. 

The videos don't always include that haunting nursery rhyme. Instead, videos with "Johnny" or "Papa" in the title appear to be an SEO grab for nonsensical videos geared toward kids. 

This video posted by YouTube channel Vlad Bibabo, for example, is titled "johnny johnny rhymes" but tells a completely different story. 

A green woman and child — presumably the Hulk's wife and son — gorge on bright orange cheese puffs. They take the sleeping Hulk's cheese puffs, fill a bathtub with the carb-loaded snacks, and have the time of their lives in the makeshift ball pit. Their shenanigans wake up the Hulk, who storms into the bathroom and threatens to pummel them in a cheese-driven rage. Using a magic wand, the Hulk manages to turn her abusive husband into a stuffed toy and then triumphantly buries him in puffs. 

The sketch shows just how weird YouTube content for kids can be — many of the videos made for children are educational and have some sort of moral to pass on, but have perplexing ways of doing so. 

In the series produced by Billion Surprise Toys, the same channel whose dancing Johny video took over Twitter, Johny's family appears with a sentient refrigerator who inexplicably calls Johny's parents "Papa" and "Mommy." 

Instead of asking the refrigerator if it's eating sugar, various characters ask it for food and drinks. The fridge appears to have no agency over the contents of its body: despite denying that it contains water, sauces, and ice cream, its human family members demand that it open its door. The fridge does so without any hesitation and hands over the snacks. 

The video takes a questionable turn at 1:32 when the fridge sees a character named Chiya approaching and hunches over, defeated. When the refrigerator backs away from him and refuses his request for chocolate, Chiya forces the refrigerator open and chocolate bars spill from its shelves.

While kids behaving badly is a common theme in these videos, there's just something weird about a 3D-rendered child violating a talking fridge.

The videos produced by Billion Surprise Toys are scattered with uncomfortable situations that aren't explained at all. In another video about getting ready for the day, Johny shares a bed with an adult-sized being named "Ice Cream Man." According to the character bio on Billion Surprise Toy's website, Ice Cream Man "loves to give hugs and cuddle." 

At the end of the "getting ready" video, Johny and Ice Cream Man smuggle lollipops in bed before falling asleep together. 

And in this version, Johny is a child-size pink bus who shares a bed with the child we've previously known as Johny. The song is identical to the previous video, but in this animation, everyone except the original Johny is a bus. The bus-creature even has bus arms and unsettling bus hands to eat forbidden snacks, and boards a bigger bus to ride to school. 

The carrier bus does not appear to be sentient.

Billion Surprise Toys also produced this educational video to teach children about colors which shows crying babies being fed gum balls. When a floating green gum ball is placed in the infant's mouth, the baby's skin tone morphs into a sickly shade of green. It repeats for every corresponding color. 

Last year, Mashable reported that graphic, violent videos managed to slip past YouTube Kids' moderation and could be easily accessed by young kids. Although none of the Johny Johny videos are explicitly harmful toward children, they do present uncomfortable scenarios. It shows that there's something still off about the content aimed at kids on YouTube. 

The YouTube Kids app is a sort of an atonement for its previous lack of moderation. In April, BuzzFeed reported that YouTube planned to keep creepy videos away from children with a team of actual humans who would hand-curate appropriate videos. It appears that some still slip through the cracks. 

And moderating videos on the app alone may not be enough. While not all of the videos featured here are accessible through YouTube Kids, it's clear that they were still targeted at a young audience. Between animations that fall right in the uncanny valley and disturbing storylines, YouTube's early childhood videos should concern you. 

If you want to ensure that your kids are watching appropriate content, maybe YouTube isn't the place. After all, would you trust an anonymous stranger on the internet to teach your children?

On the bright side, we're getting some fucking weird memes from this nightmare fuel. 

UPDATE: Aug. 29, 2018, 11:36 a.m. PDT Since this article published, it appears that Billion Surprise Toys is attempting to stop the memeification of its videos.

Although the original viral tweet is still up, the video is no longer available. Instead, it shows an image that says, "This video has been removed in response to a report by its copyright holder." 

In additional to removing reporting tweets, Billion Surprise Toys has also disabled video playback on other websites. 

Billion Surprise Toys did not respond to request for comment. 

The disturbing educational video about colors featured in this article was also removed from YouTube. 

WATCH: That 'Titanic' flying scene sinks when you remove the epic music

[night-mtg]

Sirus’ Origin: Crimson Honour

Run. Just run.

Don’t stop for anything. Not for blood, not to rest. Nothing!

Can’t stop. Not now. If I do, they’ll take me... Like my home village did Mother and Father so long ago.

OW!

Crap! Got a cramp! Great timing that. Gotta hide... There!

Sirus ducked behind a tree, gasping for breath. He peered from behind, watching a group of well-armed cathars speed by on horseback. He sighed, rubbing his left leg. Despite the over 200 years of experience, he still wasn’t used to long distance running.

“Damned cathars... Can’t leave me alone for more than a week. Then again...” He smirked. “I wouldn’t either.”

A few more minutes passed. Once again, Sirus looked from behind his tree. He sighed with great relief. Nothing and no-one in sight. He could get away easily and get back to the hideout without the risk of being killed. At least, that would’ve been the case had one cathar, a recruit lagging behind, not strode up right in front of him. He cursed under his breath, wiping a strand of black hair from his eyes. The cathar glared at him, taking out a crossbow.

“You move, I shoot.”

Sirus rolled his eyes. “Well that’s not a very creative threat, now is it? You lot really need to change it up every now and again to keep me terrified. I mean, you’re the fifth one to say that today. and I was bored by the second time.” Wisps of red started to form around Sirus’ hands.

The cathar pulled back his crossbow, training it on the vampire. “I’m warning you!”

He had failed to notice the red cloud leaking from Sirus’ hands up until that point. “What the-?” His question was interrupted by the feeling of his very soul being sucked out. The cathar struggled, firing the crossbow bolt into a tree, before falling to the ground, dead. Sirus chuckled.

“Idiots... Tasty, though.”

He beckoned at the cloud. It shuddered before being sucked back into his hand. The cathar had little knowledge of the major detail of what made Sirus a threat: his sangromancy. A bit of blood and mana, he could create a deadly red mist that, should it be necessary, drain the life force from any unfortunate soul caught in it. The catch was if it wasn’t reabsorbed, then it would dissipate. Let alone the cumulative effect of using the mist at all Too much use, and he risked exsanguination...

“ Stupider than simply biting them, but it gives me access to more victims at once...”

The sound of hooves pounding against the ground snapped Sirus from his thoughts. He turned and ran like hell, not wanting to get caught. After a bit of running, he found it: an abandoned fortress, formerly under the control of the Voldarens. The Falkenraths had since taken over for their own purposes in order to plan for the reclamation of Castle Falkenrath from the ever annoying church. He knew what his task was: whenever these meetings took place, he was to help guard the fortress. He thought he heard the sound of a twig snapping, but calmed down when he saw nothing. The droning of the Falkenraths inside failed to drown out the new sounds of a few cultists praying to demons of old.

Madness. Unadulterated madness. Makes the Emrakul shit and what happened with Markov’s pet project look sane.

Sirus drew his weapon: Bloody Glory, an iron broadsword that he’d been using for a long time. He’d forgotten how long he had it, or when he’d last sharpened it, but it did its job well enough.

The sound of snapping twigs confirmed what he had brushed off: there was someone else here.

“WHO GOES THERE?!”

No one replied.

“I KNOW YOU’RE THERE! SHOW YOURSELF!”

A nearby bush rustled, as a young man and woman emerged from behind it. The man had short scruffy black hair and simple clothing, but not anything native to Innistrad. The woman seemed to sparkle with the moonlight, even in the shade. Sirus snarled.

“Who are you?”

The man was taken aback by the vampire’s anger. “Whoa! Hey now. No need to be angry. Just calm down.”

The woman, however, smirked. “You don’t look so tough.”

Sirus glared at her. The man elbowed the woman in the ribs. “Altea, we don’t need him going off at as. If he does...”

“If he does, I’ll kick his ass,” she interrupted.

Sirus growled, lunging at the woman, whose name he now knew was Altea. “For your insolence, I’ll have your head.”

The man intercepted Sirus’ blow with his own sword, his eyes ablaze. “We don’t want trouble. Just. Calm. Down. Or it won’t be her head being taken.”

Sirus’ eyes glowed a dull red. “Fine...”

A hiss echoed throughout the area. The man was surprised. “What in the multiverse?”

Sirus didn’t know what this newcomer was on about, but he knew that hiss. “Voldarens... A lot of them.”

Altea laughed. “Perfect. New training targets.”

The man muttered, his eyebrows furrowing. “Great... Hate those uppity bastards. And Altea, I don’t think you could take on an army’s worth of Voldarens. Know somewhere safe?” He turned to Sirus. The vampire, taken aback by the fact they wanted his help, thought about it.

“Yeah. I know a place. Shadowgrange. Not too far. Come on.”

For the second time that night, Sirus ran for his life. His heart was pounding, his legs were burning, but he couldn’t stop. Not if he wanted to see the next sunset. The man and his partner followed close behind, the latter taunting the Voldarens. The small group was joined by a second man, who seemed to pop in out of nowhere. Sirus’ jaw dropped.

“Where the hell did you come from?!”

The first man looked to the second. “Ah, Jorge. Good to see you again.”

Jorge looked at his friend. “Same with you, Lotran. What exactly are we running from?”

“A hefty number of Voldarens.”

Jorge scowled. “Them again?”

Lotran nodded. “They always seem to know where we are when we come here.”  Sirus was thoroughly baffled. He had no memory of seeing any of these people before, and yet they knew of the Voldarens and how much of a threat they posed.

Forget it, he thought. I’ll ask when we reach Shadowgrange.

When the quartet arrived in the village, they were all panting heavily. The townsfolk were, for the most part, able to ignore them. But what none of them knew was that one man was hiding. Watching. Waiting...

Sirus looked at the three strangers. “Ok. Now I want answers. Where did you-”

Lotran interrupted him. “Thank you for that. Hey, I never asked. Who are you?”

The vampire smirked. “I’m Sirus. Sirus Falkenrath.”

“Ah. Well, again. thank you, Sirus.”

Sirus was still curious about where these people came from. Altea looked at Jorge. “Do you think the Gods would be able to do anything here?”

Sirus looked at the woman. “Gods?”

“Altea, I don’t think the Gods have any influence outside of Theros.”

Altea frowned. Sirus had grown more confused.

“Theros? What are you on about?!”

Lotran smiled at the vampire. “You’ve never seen or heard of a planeswalker before?”

“Planes-what?!” Sirus’ curiosity was well and truly peaked. Lotran laughed at the confusion in his response.

“Planeswalker. You know, people who can traverse the empty space between worlds to go from one to another. All three of us are, in fact” The other two nodded, then went back on with their chat.

“I see. So you can go to other worlds. I don’t know whether to envy you for such a unique skill, or pity you as you can never really settle down into a normal life.”

Lotran chuckled. “I never said it was an easy life, did I?”

THUNK! THUD!

Screams echoed around the village as they watched a man on a balcony crash to the ground, a crossbow bolt sticking from his head. The four looked in the direction the bolt came from, Sirus locking eyes with the possible killer. The green eyes had a craziness about them. A familiar craziness...

“Lucius...”

Sirus only had time to say this as, with another THUNK!, a bolt found its mark in Sirus’ stomach. The others looked at him, each a little concerned. Sirus closed his eyes, thinking that he was about to embrace death as though it were a long lost lover. But, he had no such luck. Instead, it felt as though his entire being was pulled apart, atoms evaporating, cells vanishing into smoke, and a great burning sensation coursing through what remained of him. Sirus bellowed, but nothing heard his screams.

After what felt like hours, Sirus opened his eyes once more. He was somewhere he didn’t recognise. Great trees surrounded him, the ground thick with undergrowth. The only thing he knew was he was in a sort of forest. But... Where?

A pair of strange creatures, one male and one female, that looked like a mix of man and cat answered his question... Well, sort of.

“You trespass in the Anima’s land, strange one.”

“Anima? What are you on about?”

“Hazeer, he’s clearly not Nayan. He doesn’t know what you mean by the ‘Anima’.”

“All should know, Mair, whether they’re from Naya or Esper.”

“Esper? Naya? I’m... Very confused.”

The male scruffed Sirus. “Smart guy, eh? Let’s see you be smart when I throw you to a God!”

“Hey! Get off!”

The female looked concerned. “Hazeer... Leave him alone. The boy must be terrified.”

At least she makes sense, Sirus thought. Hazeer snarled, raising Sirus. The vampire thrashed about, frantically unleashing his sangromantic mist in the process. Hazeer laughed, then choked, then screamed, then went silent as he fell to the ground, releasing his grip on Sirus. The female panicked, then looked at Sirus. Judging by the frantic motions of his headand the look on his face, he was incredibly lost, scared, and confused. She took pity on him. Mair approached him. Sirus backed away.

“Please... Don’t hurt me.”

“Hurt you? Why would I?” She placed a paw on Sirus’ shoulder. “I won’t hurt you. Just trust me on this. My name, as you heard him say, is Mair. I’m a mystic. Who are you?”

“...” “Come on. Don’t be afraid.”

“... Sirus.”

“There. That wasn’t hard, was it?”

Sirus shook his head. He still didn’t know where he was, or what in the Heron’s name he was looking at, but it seemed logical to just shake his head.

“Good. Now, how about I take you to the tribe? The other leonin in particular will be most intrigued.” She started to walk away.

Leonin, eh? Probably what the species calls themselves, Sirus thought as he followed Mair deeper into the forest.

[ritikabhateja]

Dec 30th 2016 8 P.M.

Sister: What are you doing for New Year’s?

Me: I haven’t really decided yet. I have my office tomorrow, perhaps party with people from the Office. You got plans?

Sister: Yes I’d be celebrating with Kanav’s Family.

(For people who are not familiar with the name, Kanav is my to-be brother-in-law.)

Me: Wow! Sounds great! Have fun.

Dec 31st 2016 2PM

Me: Guys, what are you doing for New Year’s? Let us go somewhere?

Naren: I’ll be partying with my roommates.

Suraj: I have to come to the office tomorrow, so I don’t have any plans as such. I’d go with Harish, take a shot or two and sleep.

Manyu: Nothing much. My girlfriend has demanded for a party as most of her friends are going. So, I’ll be taking her somewhere. Let’s see. Anyway, I don’t understand one thing, tomorrow, if all her friends start using the salutation ‘Dr’, will she also start doing the same?

Me: Nevermind (he could have created his own PKP saga)

Nayan: I’m going to my cousin’s place in Rohini.

**Everybody is doing something, they all got plans. What the hell am I going to do? Why on Earth do I not have plans ready, ever? **

Before any of you have any second thoughts, let me replace the doubts with clarity.

It’s not that people didn’t ask me for the New Year’s Eve, many did but I refused. My refusal was based on two grounds;

First, I am not really a good friend with them that I give them a passing score of 5+ on the scale of 0-10 in terms of reliability and safety. Second, I just didn’t feel like going with them. I suppose, that’s a reason good enough.

With my eyes staring at the walls and sliding down to the Laptop screen, and thoughts swirling, in fact, eventually storming inside my head, one thing was certain; I wasn’t even tad bit sad or gloomy. I was in a perplexed state, trying to figure out a way of the ‘What will I do’ dilemma; but even if I had to spend the New Year’s Eve alone at my PG, I was fine with it. I was absolutely comfortable with the thought of not having anything to do on New Year’s Eve and it didn’t invoke anger or anxiety in me. I was cheerful and contended; maybe it was supposed to be one of my happy days and not amongst the ones when my mood sits on a seesaw and abashedly slides up and down, exploring the extremes of mysterious island.

Throughout the day was filled with laughter, and excitement of the weirdly complicated year ending and a new journey on the verge of beginning.

Note: New Year’s Eve Celebration Images are shared at the bottom

Dec 31st 2016 6.45 PM

Everyone started to wrap things up to rush to their New Year parties. I was in no mood to leave early, so I continued my work until the phone beeped.

*One New Message*

Himanshu: What’s your plan for the evening?

Me: Nothing just sitting in the office.

*Message Received*

Himanshu: Why don’t you come with me?

Me: To where?

*Phone Ringing*

Himanshu: Hey, will figure out something. You’ll have a wonderful end to the year, you have my word. Chalo?

Me: Okay. I’ll take an hour’s time as I am still in the office.

Himanshu: I’ll come to pick you up. Be ready by 8.

NOTE: Again, for the ones who don’t know Himanshu (name changed), he’s the most reliable man I know. Therefore, there were no second thoughts.

I wound up all the work and rushed to my place. In a jiffy, I washed my face and the search for the answer to “What should I wear” began. Replicating the same Scenes as Bollywood shows, I found myself digging through my cupboard and throwing the clothes, though not on the ground, but on the bed. Finally, I found the perfect LBD (Little Black Dress). All dressed up and dolled up, I wore the LBD with Boots and Overcoat, along with my favorite Fuchsia Pink Lip color.

Dec 31st 2016 8P.M.

*Phone Ringing*

Himanshu: Hey, I’m downstairs. Are you ready?

Me: I’ll be there in 5minutes.

I walked downstairs and stepped out the main gate. Himanshu was waiting outside his car with his face on the opposite side of me.

Me: Hey, unlock the door.

Himanshu: Hey, you are so dressed up and dolled up. You look so pretty.

Me: Thanks *blush*

Started our journey on the unromantic, brimming roads of Gurgaon to find a place that could accommodate us in the rush hour of the last date of the year. Travelling through the roads of Sector 17 to Sector 30 and then, finally entering the jam-packed roads of Sector 29, we were pretty certain that we won’t get a parking spot. Thanks to Himanshu’s driving and parking skills, he nailed the spot, just right.

Dec 31st 2016 8.30 P.M.

Himanshu: Will you be able to walk till the market? It’s a few steps away.

Me: Of course. I’m not in heels.

Himanshu: I mean you are wearing a dress, anyway.

Me: Don’t worry. Let’s go.

Ten minutes after entering market, we found ourselves hopping different clubs with the motive of being able to hit upon one that could serve us with good food, good booze and good music. After taking almost half a round, we shortlisted two – The Factory and Sasural. Those of you who have been to Sector 29 would understand the contrasting options we had. With countless thoughts and discussions, we obviously made the wrong decision. Yes, Sasural it was. Since, it was a pre-paid entry we had no choice but to stay there. The first thought that came to me was “It is exactly like aj mere yaar ki shadi hai”. There was an indoor floor and also an outdoor one, which was indeed the element that triggered our decision in favor of Sasural.

The music was strictly Bollywood. No, wait. It was accompanied by the Bhojpuri ones. Let me list a few songs to give you an unmistakable picture of my excitement on the dance floor:

Tune Maari Entriyaan toh dil me baji ghantiyan

Munni Badnaam hui Darling Tere Liye

The Lipishtik Song – Jab lagawe tu lipishtik, hillela saara district

And the epic, Tinku Jiya

There were Punjabi songs playing as well. Considering my Punjabi background, and my incessant enthusiasm for dancing, this had been the craziest dance party ever, although, I feel Tinku Jiya could have been omitted from the playlist. Nevertheless, I was enjoying thoroughly.

From decent boys seeking the pleasure to dance with me to putting down their offers, exchanging eye-contacts with the NSPs (Nain Sukh Prapti) to shouting and dancing my life out on the most hysterical dance numbers ever, I felt absolutely elated with every single part of the evening. It was turning out to be a great end to the year, plus it was the first time in 22 years that I was partying outside on New Year’s Eve.

Happiness is partying on New Year’s Eve

Dancing As Hell!

Just Posing!

Who cares about the Broken Goggles?

We kept hopping into the indoors and outdoors of Sasural party zones, laughing at some and adoring others for their fanatical drunk behavior. The dinner was delicious and so was Gajar Ka Halwa. We were on the dining tables when the countdown began.

Among the countless screams and yells, I heard 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year!

Everyone started to exchange greetings in the forms of hugs and kisses. Himanshu and I hugged and wished each other a happy journey for the New Year. We ran to the dance floor as it was supposed to be the last song of the night, “Bappu Zamindar” it was.

I called my sister and parents and wished them a beautiful year 2017. Himanshu dropped me home at 12.40 A.M. I was so drained out that I rushed to the room and slept.

It was the most perfect end to the New Year’s Eve.

      This Was Just The Perfect New Year’s Eve Dec 30th 2016 8 P.M. Sister: What are you doing for New Year’s? Me: I haven’t really decided yet.

[inventors-fair]

Origin of Entries

@arashisann - The Leaf Crown is a callback to Lorwyn and the elves, and a beautiful design. I think the wording can be shortened/minorly revised: “At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with equipped creature, you may cast it without paying its mana cost.” Revealing is only necessary when a card is going from one hidden zone to another hidden zone, usually library to hand/exile. I like this card a lot. Not a huge fan of its GG activation, but considering the shift to colored artifacts, I may be in the wrong.

@greensunzenith - I had to look up where Blastwind Hellkite would have come from. Was it the Onslaught block? Regardless, this design. I like the idea of a blue/white deck being able to play this mono-red card, as well as red players being able to cast this from the hand as necessary. The bird tribal aspect is odd for me, but nothing is out of color. The more I think about it, the more I like this card. My only hesitation is the narrowness of bird tribal, and that’s from my own personal lack of experience. Nothing wrong with this card at all, really. Would this have been printed then? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes - Earth Rummager is powerful. Giving things in your graveyard flashback is remarkably strong, all things considered, which is why I’m hesitant to see this as an uncommon. Snapcaster Mage is the most obvious comparison, although the lower cost, the flash, and the ability to hit instants is massively powerful compared to this. Getting the potential to double-Thoughtseize again with graveyard strategies is nasty. In general, three criticisms: at uncommon, this effect might be too powerful in competitive play. And I feel that the wording can be shortened, but I’m not 100% sure how. Thirdly, this card could have gone without flavor text, considering how crunched the abilities are. Still, what a concept. Stone Rain ahoy!

@mistershinyobject - I want to love Firemane Conscriptor. As it stands, I do! But it raises a massive red flag for me - or, well, a red and white flag. Does Boros get creature copying? I know mono-red does, and I know blue obviously does. Can this color combo get that? I simply don’t know, and it’s bothering me a lot. I think this card could play super well. I think this would be a windmill slam in any limited environment. I might have wanted it to be slightly more aggressive P/T wise, but that’s a minor quibble compared to the copying question. I’m not saying this card is bad, because it’s not at ALL. I’m just in a quandary. Someone call R&D, please?

@ozthearistocrat - Eye of Precognition has a good concept bogged down by some baggage. The XX cost on top of the mana cost looks clunky and plays even more so. For five mana, you get a rock that lets you Forecast at instant speed - the wording prevents it from being additional, which I feel was your intention. I would rather this card have been just a rock that let you Forecast instantly, without any other craziness. Also, this card doesn’t need legendary status - there’s no issue with having multiples of that at one time.

@reaperfromtheabyss - Nayan God Expedition feels fun! Couple of wording quibbles. The “of” in the first ability doesn’t need to be there, and the second ability should have “five” instead of 5, and read “Search your library for a creature card and put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.” Boom, done. Power-wise, this feels like something that Standard players would love and Limited players would go nuts with before realizing that getting five 5-power creatures is HARD. I think in eternal formats there are easier ways to cheat out Emrakul, so it’s not broken there. Commander, too... Watch out, folks. Heh heh heh.

@revalista209 - I know that Worship the Infection should be six mana for how powerful this ability is, but I’m just so disappointed that is has to be. It’s not you, it’s infect. There’s nothing mechanically wrong with this card. Flavor-wise, well, I can see the argument for how “worship makes you more powerful,” but the process of worship feels like an action rather than an augmentation as Auras as supposed to be. What is the attached creature GETTING, rather than DOING? “Blessing of the Infection” could work for a name change, or something along those lines. Still, nothing mechanically wrong. Maybe five mana? Jeez, that still feels insanely good. I dunno.

@snugz - Kavu Exemplar is perfectly fine. Doesn’t cause any problems, feels appropriate, feels in-set, powerful enough for rare. It might not tickle my cockles, but there’s nothing that needs to be fixed. A windmill slam into a draft deck, and a windmill slam into the binder to sit until someone makes Kavu tribal.

@tmstage - Oh, I am so glad this card is last. Accordance of Angels is a blessing. I bring it up here because of its amazing abilities, and the latter question that the third ability brings: can Magic reference multiple cards of the same character? I am unsure but excited. The possibilities are staggering! Niv-Mizzet tribal! Triple Akroma madness! Now, the problem: “Archangel Avacyn.” The name doesn’t begin with Avacyn. You’d control the character, but the last ability wouldn’t trigger. Maybe ‘with “Avacyn” in its name’ for that last ability? But still, I don’t know if that’s something that Magic wants to do. It could work! It could totally work! I think that in terms of pushing the boundaries, this will most likely be seen in the future with Planeswalker card types. We’ve already seen things with “if you control a ______ Planeswalker, then ~.” LEgendary creatures don’t get the same treatment. Come one, like - “IF YOU CONTROL A CREATURE WITH DRAGONLORD IN ITS NAME, THEN ~” would be RADICAL.

Thank you all for your entries! New contest tomorrow.