#Battlefield 2 Modern Combat

[wojciech-kac]

Battlefield 2 Modern Combat - GRA Xbox 360 - Opole 3201

[redphienix]

thinkin' about the Battlefield 2 Modern Combat single player gimmick where you hotswap mind-jacked into different soldiers on the fly.

A gimmick that I don't believe ever came back up, and was utilized.... adequately, but was so interesting that the sheer potential of the system has stuck with me forever.

Like it was the most fun when it was used as a means to make you feel like you were somehow controlling an army RTS style despite being a strict FPS- with you swapping to tons of different classes around the map to take out objectives.

It was also interestingly utilized to make "puzzle" type missions, where you'd need to use it to quickly travel the map to meet certain threats head on since 2 legs running is a lot slower than you looking a solid mile down the road at your friend and going "HNNNNNNNNNNNG I'm you now".

Also it was a very interesting way to translate the PVP class based multiplayer into a single player environment without forcing you to stay a single class or requiring a respawn or awkward 'kit swap' system- mind-jacking into your bud to become an engineer instead of a sniper was way more interesting.

I genuinely have no idea who on the team thought of that system but they came up with something so fucking cool and interesting and different that it's stuck with me for 18 years and the fact it's not the normal system for modern battlefields- complete with 18 years of fine tuning- is a downright shame.

instead the series is like.

which is like.

yeah okay this is going well and is 'innovative' and 'good', sure, whatever you say.

[hisui-dreamer]

through the endless daydream (part 1)

Pairing: Lilia Vanrouge x gn!reader

Synopsis: There is a rumour that there is a hidden advisor of the Draconia family, who has guided the ruler of all fae for years. They say he is the one responsible for the peace established between humans and fae. What they don’t know, is that he has been doing so for millennia, cursed by the gods to be immortal as punishment until he can be killed by his true love.

Tags: angst with fluff, domestic fluff, historical, war, bot proofread

Word count: 3.4k+

Notes: Having recently watched the kdrama goblin, I got inspired by its themes to write a fic featuring general Lilia. This ended up being way longer than I expected so it is now multi-chaptered

Part 2 ✧ Part 3 ✧ Masterlist

The bustling metropolis of towering, modern buildings was filled with both humans and fae. The streets were lined with vendors selling all sorts of goods, from fresh produce to magical trinkets. Fae with their pointed ears and iridescent wings are seen to be walking alongside humans, who seem to accept their presence without a second thought. The city inspires a sense of wonder and serenity, the peacefulness made by the coexistence of fae and humans. The idea that fae and humans were once sworn enemies, on opposite sides of black and white, is something that no one would ever have considered.

In a time long ago, when the world was still young, there was a war between the fae and the humans. The war had been long and brutal, going on for years as both sides suffered from immense casualties. 

Lilia Vanrouge was a trusted general of the Fae King, who led his troops to consequent victories. He was unrivalled in both physical and magical power, summoning gusts of wind that would tear groups of soldiers to shreds. He became known as the Crimson Warrior, whose name was to be whispered in hushed tones and feared by all who opposed him. His enemies feared catching sight of his dark green armour that glinted in the sun with dried blood splattered all over it, his helmet resembling a fierce boar's head, and worse of all, his cold, unrelenting eyes as he cut down enemy after enemy that dared to face him.

The Crimson Warrior made a name for himself as a fearsome general, his exploits were told in taverns and around campfires, and his name was whispered in the halls of kings having earned countless medals for his contributions to their victory. His name would forever be engraved as a leading figure in fae history.

And yet, Lilia himself couldn’t find any of his achievements valiant.

No, when he thought of the war, all he could focus on was the chaotic and gruesome battlefields. The air thick with the acrid scent of smoke, the ground trembling beneath the feet of soldiers as they clashed in violent combat. The sky was dull, desolate, filled with the piercing screams of the wounded and the deafening roar of explosions.

On both sides, soldiers fought with fierce determination, their faces twisted in agony and determination as they clashed in brutal combat. Fae soldiers flew through the air, their wings beating rapidly as they rained down magic and arrows upon the human forces below while the humans fought on the ground, wielding swords and axes with deadly precision as they charged into battle. They were well-trained and well-equipped, but they were no match for the magic and agility of the fae. Still, the humans were determined, holding their ground despite their disadvantage and innovating strategies and exploiting the weaknesses of the fae.

The battlefield was a place of great suffering and loss, a stark reminder of the horrors of war. 

He had seen too many families torn apart, too many children left orphaned, and too many lives destroyed. As the remorse continued to prick at his heart, he found himself becoming withdrawn and distant from his fellow fae, unable to find solace in the victory he had fought so hard for alongside his army. He thought about the innocent lives that had been lost, and he wondered if there was anything he could have done differently.

Subsequently, he found himself travelling across the land, seeking to make sense of everything that he had experienced, to see the world beyond where he was brought up. To avoid getting recognized, he disguised himself as a cute young child, travelling from village to village, often only staying for a short time before moving on. 

He witnessed the devastation that the war had caused, the ruins of once lively villages now burnt to the ground. He witnessed firsthand the struggles of the people who were trying to rebuild their lives, soldiers who had lost their limbs trying desperately to find new purpose in life for their loved ones. But what surprised him most, was the resilience of the human spirit. He saw people of different backgrounds coming together to rebuild communities, the kindness and love families held for one another, and the hope that they had for the future. 

Then, on a day he would forever remember, he overheard a hauntingly beautiful voice that seemed to call out to him on the borders of a village in the outskirts. He pursued the sound until he stumbled upon a curious human, weaving dozens of flower crowns while singing.

"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream

I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam

And I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem

But if I know you, I know what you'll do

You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream..."

The serene melody seemed to penetrate his soul, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds in a storm, Lilia found himself completely enchanted. He stood there, transfixed, watching them as they sang with such beauty and grace, delicate movements weaving magnificent crowns. 

Suddenly, they stopped singing, looking around them cautiously, having noticed someone's presence. Their darting eyes stopped as they lay upon the childlike figure. Their eyes filled with curiosity as they waved their hand to beckon him forward. As if his body had a mind of its own, he started stepping closer to the human.

"Hello, there little one." They knelt down to meet his eye level, and inquired, "What are you doing out here?"

"I... just happened to stumble upon your singing, and I couldn't help but come closer to listen." He answered meekly. "You sing beautifully..." He whispered as he felt himself blushing.

A soft giggle escaped their lips as a flush danced across their cheeks. "Why thank you..." A dazzling smile spread across their face. "What's your name, little one?"

"...Lilia." He answered without thinking. Names were important for Fae, for knowing one's name would grant them power over the other, and yet, Lilia felt that he didn't mind the human having power over him.

"Lilia...", they tested his name on their lips. "What a lovely name!" They gestured to the basket next to them, full of flower crowns. "Lilia, would you like to join me ? I'm making flower crowns for the children at the orphanage."

Lilia nodded, and sat down on the field next to them. The human began patiently teaching him how to make the intricate designs that they had mastered over years of practice. At first, he struggled to get the hang of it, fumbling over the delicate petals and stems. But the human didn't give up on him, gently guiding his hands and showing him the right way to hold the flowers. With their help, Lilia slowly began to improve and started to create elegant crowns himself.

Lilia couldn't help but be in awe of the grace with which they moved, quick fingers weaving the flowers with ease as they worked side by side, idly conversing. At that moment, he felt more content than he had in years.

But fate would not Lilia have a moment of peace, as a sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing, whipping his hood back and revealing his pointed fae ears. His companion gasped in surprise and shifted backwards.

"You... you're fae," they said in a quiet voice, trembling slightly.

Lilia's heart sank at the fear and distrust that pooled in their eyes. "Pease, don't be afraid! I mean you no harm."

They hesitated for a moment, but then they looked into his scarlet eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. Slowly, they reached their hand out.

"I believe you," they said softly, their hand gently petting his head. Lilia felt himself lean into their touch. "You don't seem like the others."

Lilia felt a rush of relief and gratitude flow through him, while a small part of his consciousness wondered if they would despise his true identity.

"Thank you... I promise, I will never harm you."

The human gently placed a flower crown on his head, hiding his pointed ears perfectly. "There. Now you won't need the hood." They stared for a bit, admiring their handiwork. "Would you like to stay with me at the orphanage? There are a few spare rooms that you can stay in. It must be difficult travelling so young..."

Lilia's eyes widened in surprise at their offer. He had expected them to turn him away once they had learned of his true nature, but instead, they were offering him a home.

"Are you sure that I wouldn't be bothersome?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "I don't want to cause any trouble for you or the children."

The human shook their head, eyes determined. "You're not trouble, Lilia. You're a child, just like the others. And you deserve a safe place to live, just like they do."

With those words, Lilia once again felt the guilt of disguising himself prick at his heart. Still, he found himself wanting to stay with them, to continue to feel their warmth and kindness.

"Then, I'll be in your care." He says as he bows his head.

Lilia was grateful for the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the orphanage. He settled in quickly, helping out with chores and playing with the children, alleviating the burden on the caretaker and voluntarily taking up any laborious work that needed to be done. Occasionally, he would use his magic to help out around the orphanage, casting spells to fix broken toys or make the crops in the garden grow more plentifully. He made sure to keep his magic subtle, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself or make anyone feel uncomfortable.

As Lilia continued to spend time at the orphanage, he found himself increasingly drawn to the caretaker's warmth and compassion. He loved listening to them serenade the children night after night with lullabies that tenderly transported them to the land of dreams. He was amazed at how tirelessly they worked to take care of the children, always with a smile on their face and a kind word to offer.

Upon finishing their daily chores, they turned to Lilia and smiled. "Thank you for helping me, Lilia," they said. "I don't know what I'd do without you. Things have gone so much more smoothly since you came here."

Lilia felt a rush of gratitude wash over him. "It's my pleasure, Beastie," he replied, returning their smile, delighting in the giggle that resulted from the odd nickname that he settled on for them.

He couldn't help but feel a growing sense of attachment to the caretaker. He enjoyed their company, and found himself indulging in their smile and voice more and more with each passing day. The idea of a future with them, supporting each other and taking care of the children together settled nicely in his mind. 

It was all wishful thinking though. Deep down, he knew that his identity as the Crimson Warrior would put them in danger. Briar Valley would not look lightly upon the former general developing such a close bond with a mere human.

Despite his own reasoning, against all logic, he yearned to live a normal life with them, content in spending his life with them.

The days slowly blurred into weeks, and from weeks to months. It had been half a year since Lilia had started helping out at the orphanage. He knew that he couldn't keep his secret hidden forever, especially with his attachment to the caretaker growing stronger each day, he couldn't bear to keep lying to them. So, while they walked together through the forest to watch the sunset, he took a deep breath and decided to tell them the truth.

"Beastie," he began, stopping in his tracks. "I have to tell you something." 

They looked at him curiously, sensing the seriousness in his tone. "What is it?" They asked.

"I've been hiding something from you. I'm not a child," his voice soft and hesitant. "I..." he muttered, before taking a deep breath, "I am the Crimson Warrior, the Fae general that fought in the war against your kind."

They looked at him with surprise and confusion. "But... How...? You're so young..." They asked.

Lilia sighed as he closed his eyes and concentrated on transforming into his true form. The air around them grew colder, and a faint glow emanated from his body. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his true form, towering over his dear human. "I..." he said, now in a deeper, more mature-sounding voice. "I was afraid that if you knew the truth about me, you wouldn't accept me. And I didn't want to put you or the children in danger."

Their eyes widened in shock as they stepped back instinctively. "You... What? The Crimson Warrior... My father fought in that war..." They whispered in a trembling voice. 

Lilia's heart sank as he realised the implications of their words. "Beastie... I'm so sorry. If I had known..."

But they held up a hand to stop him. "No, Lilia. You didn't know. And I can't judge you for what you did in the past."

His heart warmed as his dear human seemed to have kindness for him even in his true identity. "I have committed terrible sins in my past, things that I wish I could reverse. But... I want to make things right. I want to help your kind, and make up for the harm that I've caused." Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at them with gratitude, "Beastie... Thank you... You were the one to help me realise my errors ..."

The human looked at him, taking in his words. They saw the pain and remorse in his eyes, and felt a sudden surge of compassion for him. "I believe you," they said softly, stepping closer to him, looking up and lifting a hand to brush away his tears. "I can see that you're not the same person you were back then. You're trying to change, and that's all that matters. We're all just trying to heal from the war. We can't change what's happened, but we can work towards a better future together."

Lilia felt a rush of relief wash over him, and he smiled at the human gratefully. "Thank you," he said, pulling them into an embrace. "Thank you for understanding."

They returned his embrace, their arms snugly wrapped around his larger frame. Savouring the warmth, Lilia pulled back slightly to see their face. Upon realising how close their faces were, the two blushed, before awkwardly pulling apart.

"Uhm... You should probably change back to your child form... It's about time we head back..." His human said bashfully.

Lilia's heart soared at their reaction, letting out a deep chuckle. "Fufu, you're right Beastie."

Upon reverting to his child form, they began walking back to the orphanage together, hand in hand.

Having discovered his true identity, the human found themselves drawn to Lilia more and more as the days went by. They couldn't help but admire the way he interacted with the children, and how patient and caring he was towards them. They noticed the way his eyes shone like rubies when he smiled, and how his voice seemed to soothe the children when they were upset.

The two had agreed for Lilia to only show his true form at night, just to be safe from anyone who might catch a glimpse of his identity. As a result, the human found themselves looking forward to the tranquil nights, as Lilia would gently serenade the children with his lullabies, his deep voice calming and enchanting.

Once the night grew late and the children finally drifted off to sleep, they would sit in the kitchen, enjoying a cup of tea as they readied themselves for the end of the day. The human yawned and stretched their arms, finding themselves feeling particularly exhausted. It had indeed been a hectic day, one of the children had found some paint and decided to have a little fun, only for it to end up all over the walls and furniture of the room. 

They rubbed their eyes to stay awake just a little bit longer, but it was no match for the fatigue that built up in them as they began dozing off in their chair.

Lilia noticed their struggle and without a word, lifted them carefully in his arms, their head resting on his chest, feeling the warmth of his body and the strength of his embrace. His human was startled by his sudden movement and they looked up at him. They couldn't help but stare in awe at his ethereal beauty. His pointed ears, sharp features, and the striking pools of red so alike roses were mesmerising to them.

Lilia carried them to their bedroom in the corner of the orphanage and gently laid them down on the bed, tucking them in with a blanket. His hand lingered on their cheek as he leaned in to give them a gentle kiss on their forehead.

"I love you, Beastie," he whispered softly, thinking they were already asleep.

But to his surprise, their eyes fluttered open, staring at him in shock. "What did you say?" they asked, their voice barely above a whisper.

Lilia felt his heart skip a beat, realising that he had just revealed his true feelings to them. He took a deep breath and met their gaze, his eyes filled with sincerity. His expression softened as he leaned closer, his hand brushing a strand of hair away from their face. "I said... I love you," he repeated, his voice quiet but firm. "I know it may sound sudden, but I've been holding back my feelings for far too long. I care for you deeply, and I want to be with you."

The human's heart swelled with emotion, and they felt tears welling up in their eyes. They had grown to care for Lilia deeply over the time they spent together, and even more so after learning the truth, but they never expected him to feel the same way. They reached up and cupped his hand on their cheek, squeezing it gently.

"I love you too, Lilia," they said, their voice filled with warmth and tenderness. "I want to be with you, too."

Lilia's eyes widened in surprise, having never expected them to feel the same way about him, but hearing their confession filled him with a sense of joy he had never experienced before. Without another word, he leaned in and pressed his lips to theirs in a gentle kiss. It was the start of a new chapter in their relationship, one filled with love, trust, and a newfound sense of happiness.

As they pulled away, Lilia gazed at them with affection and admiration. "I can't promise that everything will be easy," he said, his voice soft and sincere. "but I can promise that I will always be honest with you and do my best to make you happy. I promise to always cherish you and love you with all my heart."

His beloved smiled back at him, feeling their heart overflow with happiness and contentment. "I know you will," they said, their voice filled with love. "That's all I could ever ask for."

Lilia's eyes widened in surprise, but then a smile slowly spread across his face. He leaned down to press a gentle kiss to their forehead.

"Thank you, Beastie," he murmured. "Thank you for giving me hope again."

Lilia Vanrouge had found his star, his bright, brilliant star that could light up the forlorn darkness. 

if you liked this post, don't forget to reblog!

Part 2 ✧ Part 3 ✧ Masterlist

[islandtarochips]

Call of Duty OC: Kanoa Toa 🇦🇸

Commission Art by @moonaliluna (not in tumblr but in instagram and tiktok) 🔼

The Captain of the US Marine Corps and the Leader of the Warriors Task Force. A man who has confidence for his team that they will protect and save the people from any threats. A funny guy to keep you smiling in any serious situations. And it questions everyone of how he became CAPTAIN with that kind of attitude.

UNIVERSE: Modern Warfare 2/Modern Warfare 3

General:

🇦🇸 Name: Kanoa Toa 🇦🇸 Alias(es): Noa, Alpha 6, Toa, Captain Funnypants (Only Tiala can call him that) 🇦🇸 Gender: Male 🇦🇸 Age: Early 30s 🇦🇸 Birthday: April 1st 🇦🇸 Nationality: United State National (American Samoa) 🇦🇸 Place of Birth: American Samoa 🇦🇸 Home: Kahaluu, Hawaii (Living with his sister) 🇦🇸 Spoken Languages: English, Samoan 🇦🇸 Sexuality: Heterosexual 🇦🇸 Occupation: Captain in the Marine Corps, Leader of the Warriors Task Force

Appearance:

🇦🇸 Eye Color: Dark Brown  🇦🇸 Hair Color: Black 🇦🇸 Height: 6’2”/187 cm 🇦🇸 Scars: Scar on his chest, back and on left side of his hips. 🇦🇸 Face Claim: Alex Tarrant

Favorites:

🇦🇸 Color: Any Shades of Green 🇦🇸 Food: Pani Popo and Luau Pipi 🇦🇸 Drink: Diet Coke 🇦🇸 Flower: Not into flowers but will get some for the pretty ladies 🇦🇸 Hairstyle: His hair are short so…don’t know what hairstyle he likes🤷

Personality:

🇦🇸 Myers Briggs Type: ESFP If you think that Kanoa is the kind of Captain who is VERY serious. You guessed wrong. First time meeting, when you salute him first and he’ll do it back. And give you a big HUG (He’s a hugger by the way). He will be the first responder without even THINKING. Like going into the battlefield not caring of other dangers but focusing on one main thing. Just like Tiala, he chooses his words carefully since he doesn’t want to upset or offend other people. He’s also an older brother figure for his comrades. Since he always bail them out from any troubles that they have caused. But he still needs to think of a punishment if they went TOO far. 🇦🇸 Hilarious: Kanoa is the most FUNNIEST guy you will ever met. He will always find a way to bring up some ridiculous story or jokes to his team. And they’ll laugh with him. And sometimes AT him too. 🇦🇸 Strong Common Sense: Even though Kanoa is the funniest and the nicest guy you’ve met. Don’t think that you can take him down so easily. He has good common sense. He trusts his own judgment but is open to other suggestions.

Negative Traits:

🇦🇸 Kanoa always so prideful for his team and his own work. You can hear him bragging about the good thing about himself for HOURS. 🇦🇸 Good at hiding of his pain (mentally). He also has “Smiling Depression”. Smiling in front of everyone making them think that he’s alright but on the inside he’s just a stressful Captain. 🇦🇸 Kanoa is like Tiala when it comes to deal with an enemy who has family. 🇦🇸 Kanoa is another one of those TERRIBLE driver. He can drive perfectly in a very calm state but when you ask him to speed up. This man will just ZIG-ZAG left and right.

Skills and Abilities:

🇦🇸 Fighting Style: Hand-to-Hand Combat 🇦🇸 Weapons: M4A1, HK416 and M550 🇦🇸 Distinct Weapons: Fixed Blade Dagger 🇦🇸 Special Skills: Has a good sense of improvising last minute. Like, when a mission goes wrong and it doesn’t go as planned; Captain Kanoa Toa got your back by finding another way around  to finish it.

Family:

Nakoa Loe Toa (Father, Alive)

Elei Toa (Mother, Alive)

Hōne Toa (1st Older Brother, Deceased)

Sami Toa (2nd Older Brother, Alive)

Serah Toa (Sister-in-Law, Samis’s Wife, Alive)

Penny Toa (Niece, Sami’s Daughter, Alive)

Dinah Toa (Niece, Sam’s Baby Daughter, Alive)

Rangi Toa (3rd Older Brother, Alive)

Tiala Toa (6th Younger Sister, Alive)

Hemi Toa (5th Younger Brother, Alive)

Iosefa Toa (4th Younger Brother, Alive)

Tamah Toa (3rd Younger Brother, Alive)

Fetu Fetuao Toa (2nd Younger Brother, Alive)

Iona and Kiona Toa (Youngest Brothers, Twins, Alive)

Trivia:

🇦🇸 Kanoa is the only funny kind of siblings in his family. Always make a good joke to keep them laughing and make them forget all of the bad things that happened. 🇦🇸 He’s the 2nd brother that Tiala is really close to after his older brother, Hōne, had passed away 🇦🇸 Kanoa will give you dad jokes 24/7 and even gives you the most embarrassing story about his brothers and his sister. But NEVER about himself. 🇦🇸 He’s always the first one to ask his comrades of who wanted to arm wrestle with him. If they win, he’ll get them ice cream. 🇦🇸 Give good love relationship advice but never get one for himself. (He’s single as heck man and he’s in his 30s!)

Background Story:

Kanoa was proudly born and raised on the island. The funniest man you will ever meet. He joined the Military at the age of 17. Which means he signed up right after High School. Just to keep the family lines going. He was really inspired by his dad, Nakoa, hearing his stories of joining the military.

He signed up with Rangi, his 3rd eldest brother, for the Marine Corps and they both started working hard on reaching to the top. He had also met his other older brother, named Hōne. Who was a Lieutenant at that time. Always make good fun with him during their military times. Until he heard the news of Hōne being KIA from one of the missions. It really took a toll on him.

But he kept going as he worked even harder to pass up the ranks. Until he reached up to the rank of being a Corporal. That’s when he met his sister, Tiala, who is a Private. He was happy and proud to see his little sister working hard to honor their older brother’s name. Until 4 years later, he found out about Tiala volunteering. To go on a solo mission to find out about the intel of the next location; by being the pretend victim for one of the human trafficking.

He’s not very sure about this mission until he gives in to Tiala reasoning with him. But how much he wishes he could take his words back. Finding out that his little sister has been taken away by the enemies. He was devastated and angry to hear this news. So he asks permission from the General to let him and the team he chooses to find her. FAST.

He didn’t give up on searching for Tiala until 2 months later. He finally found her. From the location where no one even KNEW it was there. He raided into the enemies hide out and unalive almost everyone without hesitating.

He took her back and stayed with her in the medical bay. Kanoa was heartbroken to see her in this state and that’s when he decided to make his own special team. He named it “Warriors Task Force”. And started working under one of the Generals of the Marine Corps, Alana Kalani.

He promised himself to bring protection and justice to the people who were victims from the trafficking and being hostages. And that’s when he became Captain of the Marine Corps.

[justanothersquidblog]

How do your agents skills compare to eachother?

OK SO

let's make a list of stats that'll be graded out of five stars.

Agility (This includes speed and like, ability to dodge and stuff. also maybe parkour if thats funny.)

Endurance (This includes durability for when they get hit, and like, how long they can last in a fight)

Strength (This includes physical like muscle strength and hand to hand combat, and also their general hand-to-hand combat prowess)

Handyness (This includes their ability to use multiple different weapons, their skills using them, or just technical work like inventing)

Wits (this includes how smart they are street wise)

Smarts (this includes how smart they are book wise)

Now lets get grading! I'll make this a read more since its long.

San - The Captain

Agility: 3/5 Is pretty average to say the least. Can do the dualie dodge roll with weapons that aren't dualies. (can't squid roll though..) Used to be more of a 4/5 back in their hayday but not bad considering their next skill's rating...

Endurance: 2/5 San used to be pretty damn tough and durable. But after being hit by the sanitization ooze, San's body and immune system weakened pretty severely.

Strength: 8/5 Despite our previous rating though, San is still horrifyingly powerful. San may have been a 10/5 back in Splatoon or before OE. An absolute demon. Isn't like, supernatural of course. You're not gonna see San pick up 14 wheelers like superman but like. Dude is strong. Dude can break bones. Dude picked up that slicey thing in Rise of the Mammalians. Yeah.

Handyness: 2.5/5 San's pretty meh with the other weapons? They're not great (which is why the minus 0.5) There's some clear favoritism with their trusty old hero shot that they refuse to fully depart from. It's their baby.

Wits: 4/5 They're pretty hip they're pretty cool they're pretty fresh. I hate that I said that. Thank Callie for that. But they've also matured and began to understand people now.

Smarts: 4.5/5 They're also pretty smart! Got through school. Knows how to do taxes. Thank Marie for that. But they're also quite tactical and can process logistical things better now.

Final Grade: San is a grade A glass cannon that can no longer be relied on during missions due to their lack of endurance/durability and roundedness with weapons but has shapened into a good enough leader to make up for their lack of on-the-battlefield-duties!

-

Yon - Agent 4

Agility: 4/5 Yon is very fast. And she's a dualie main so her dodging around is sorta a specialty. I think she could learn how to squid roll if she wanted to. But yeah! She's quick on her feet.

Endurance: 4/5 Yon is pretty durable! She can take a good amount of hits! But I think the weakest part of her is her confidence. If she has some doubt in her mind, she's prone to give in or give up easier.

Strength: 3.5/5 Yon used to be quite the wimp when she was younger due to primarily staying inside and studying! But moving out has given her lots of opportunities to stay fit and thanks to being an agent, get tough.

Handyness: 5/5 SHE HAS TO TEST.. SO MANY WEAPONS.. While Dualies are her preference, Yon is adept at pretty much every single weapon on the market thanks to Sheldon and Hachi's test requests. It makes her very reliable.

Wits: 2.8/5 While Yon has definitely become more cultured with modern society and trends, she's never fully gotten engrossed, even if she acts the part. She's a bit awkward and a bit naïve but we love her all the same.

Smarts: 4.5/5 Yon is very book smart. Not tactically like battle tactic wise but she's very book smart in terms of like, knowing how things work, math, science, like- things one can study for. This Squid knows how STOCKS works. Yay.

Final Grade: Yon is very well rounded, probably the most reliable agent in the Squidbeak Splatoon thanks to her even abilities, smarts, and her jack of all trades touch to using weapons. She has no plans on going up the ranks and no plans to outright pursue the Splatoon as her only job, but she's a very valuable member all the same.

-

Hachi - The Retired Agent 8

Agility: 3/5 While she could have probably ranked a 5 when she was in OE and parkouring with heels on, she's mellowed out and taken time off from that sort of intenseness.

Endurance: 5/5 Dude, Hachi is TOUGH. She is a fridge of a woman. You cannot shove her over if you tried. Her back may be pretty scarred from the tests but she is HARD to take down. She's been through hell and back and there's nothing much that can challenge her durability like that.

Strength: 4.5/5 While Hachi was pretty strong in OE she's become a VERY strong person thanks to working as pretty much a blacksmith for Ammoknights. She's beefy. She can pick up all her friends.

Handyness: 6/5 Like Yon she's very attuned to all weapons thanks to her experiences with testing them, although now it's more so because she makes those same weapons and has come to an even deeper understanding to them.

Wits: 3.5/5 She's pretty social all things considered. And she sorta got a very in depth crash course with society thanks to Pearl and Marina. They keep her up to date on EVERYTHING. So she's pretty fresh.

Smarts: 5/5 SHE MAKES WEAPONS SHE'S REAL SMART

Final Grade: Hachi is an absolute powerhouse. One woman army she is, with the highest amount of 5+/5 grades. But, she's retired from being an agent. So terrifying misadventures in [eggman voice] THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN are the only reason she'd be back and out on the field.

-

Neo - Agent 3

Agility: 4.5/5 Is the only member of the splatoon who can do the squid roll. I don't know why. I just think it'd be funny. Aside from that though, is very quick and very athletic.

Endurance: 4.5/5 This DUDE survived both SPACE AND THE DESERT. They're pretty tough! And her salmonid-like life style really tested his durability as an inkling.

Strength: 7.5/5 Like San, Neo possesses a very unnatural raw strength that powers them through her life. He's still got a ways to go compared to San, but their ferocious spirit carries her very far. I'd say Neo is much better at hand to hand combat than guns or rollers and whatnot though.

Handyness: 2.5/5 Like I said before, I think Neo is better at hand to hand combat than weaponry. Dude's stronger with claws than a gun, although, their introduction to more inkfish weaponry with ORCA's testing was picked up very quickly.

Wits: 2.5/5 If you wanted to know about Salmonid culture and street smarts there. Oh 5/5. But uh. Actual inkfish society? Uh.. taps tongue. They're a bit- well, she's at least pretty quick if it notices someones not being honest. Neo is NOT naïve. But they are very much a salmonid raised inkling.

Smarts: 2/5 Uh- she- uh- he- well- they uh- um. They can, count! They aren't DUMB! Let's be clear. They are NOT dumb. They just yknow, never, went to school.

Final Grade: Neo is a rising star in the squidbeak splatoon! Very physically skilled, like a mirror of squidbeak past- but has a lot of room to grow! Neo's still a rookie after all, and is figuring itself out.

[he1ian]

masked chimes au master post

(by boatem, convex-solos and me)

[convex centric superhero au where everyone other than joe hills suffers, is evil or both]

[disclaimer: this au is divided into 3 acts, as far as act 1 is kept light-hearted, act 2 and 3 bring up dark topics (manipulation, strong violence, death unhealthy relationships, etc.) so if it's not your jam, proceed with caution! or don't proceed at all]

[it also has elements of shipping (cubscar, bigren, biggri, solidaritimes) so, keep that in mind]

[also grian uses she/her. cause why the hell not]

designs (so far):

• jingler & (act 1) jangler

• stress, (act 1) scar, joe

• (act 2) jangler , cub, grian

• bigb, ren, doc

• cleo

• vault busters (iskall & mumbo)

• false, jimmy, pearl

• mother spore

• jingler & jangler (act 3)

• gem / dawnbreaker

• etho

the world is kept in modern times ableit not realistic, some people have hybrid body parts however it doesn't majorly affect their life, they're mostly just design choices

character roles (act 1):

- jingler: cub's persona, an undefeated supervillain, terrorizing the city for fun

- cub: scar's roommate, studied medicine but works retail, tired

- scar: cub's roommate, works at anything as anyone (barbie LOL) hence has money to support both him and cub, childhood best friend of mumbo and grian, extremely full of himself

- grian: a detective working on the case of the jingler, childhood best friend of mumbo and scar, crushes on bigb

- jangler: scar's hero persona, created for the sole purpose of fighting against the jingler, offers his help to grian (who in desperation, accepts)

- ren: in a day to day life he's the owner of the shop cub works at but has knowledge in spy gadgets, gets called for special jobs - currently working in espionage helping grain, has an unofficial thing going on with bigb

- doc: tech guy, met ren when he was tasked to create his prosthetic after an accident in the past, currently working in general tech helping grian, (later creates weapons for jangler to use)

- pearl: grian's boss, should've fired her on probably 5 different occasions

- iskall: villain (retired supervillain), currently focusing on robbery rather than causing chaos and violence

- mumbo: villain, iskall's sidekick, childhood best friend of scar and grian, was NOT made for the role of a villain but is scraping for money (rip), has no interest in harming anyone, he's just in for the cash

(they don't really go by any specific names and are rather seen as a complete duo of vault busters)

- stress: retired supervillain (who worked alongside iskall), currently living a peaceful life as an owner of a flower shop

- bigb: owner of a bakery, has an unofficial thing going on with ren, like the only genuine fan of the jangler

- false&jimmy: sheriffs (as in, police level) assigned the case of vault busters

(jimmy and lizzie are blood related and grian is their adopted sibling)

important events (act 1):

- scar and cub didn't know each other before living together. cub met scar one evening when the latter was going home after one of his many jobs, they briefly talked. scar spiked cub's interest as despite clear signs of a crime committed on his clothes were visible, scar didn't mention them at all. he later found out that scar was looking for a flatmate and offered himself.

- grian is overworked, not even close to revealing the identity nor capturing the jingler, without thinking too much about it she rambles about the case to scar whenever they meet for a friendly chat. that's when scar gets the idea to become the jangler ("someone would have to be insane enough to face jingler in combat") but not really because he cares about the greater good of the city - he sees it as an easy opportunity to get fame. [🟣][🟠]

- jangler would've easily lost to the jingler if it wasn't for the fact cub recognizes his roommate (it's painfully obvious really, he doesn't understand how no one else sees it, cartoon logic) and after some dodging he flees the battlefield leaving scar behind. for the first time, someone has survived a duel with the jingler.

- even though he never actually comes close to harming or even scathing the jingler, grian's new companion sparks fresh hope into her and the future of the case. her and her team of doc and ren start working on more complicated tech and weapons. (the success also makes grian not even consider scar to be the new hero. she greatly undermines his abilities).

- [ending of act 1]

jangler is awaiting the arrival of the jingler when the vault busters stumble upon him. past urges awaken in iskall as he senses a perfect opportunity to fight the only undefeated enemy of the jingler. long story short, they fight, mumbo messes up scar's face on accident (which leaves the left side of his face covered in burn scars), cub arrives and saves scar. [here's a fic of the scene written by our friend!]

character roles (act 2):

[if someone isn't mentioned, their role stays the same][the vibe turns a whole 180° from now on]

- cub: scar's boyfriend with no genuine feelings of love towards him, treats scar as his science project

- scar: cub's partner, borderline obsessed with him, craves all his attention

- jangler: now a supervillain working alongside cub, loves playing with fire

- ren: fucking dead (the jingler kills him 🙏)

- grian: a detective throughout the first half of the act. after jangler leaves and ren dies, the case is in shambles; gets demoted to vault busters' case and false with jimmy take her place

- mother spore: grian's vigilante persona, created after her demotion and finding out the identities of jingler and jangler. decides to take matters in her own hands and forms the resistance

- joe: silly character with massive plot armor [best explained here], film uni student who wants to make a movie about jingler and jangler for their thesis, best friend of cleo

- cleo: film directing student at the same uni as joe, accompanies him in his observations and recordings, admires jingler's ability to unnoticeably lead a performance, best friend of joe

- stress: accidentally gets roped into grian's resistance, reveals her knowledge of heroes and villains

- mumbo: the wettest rag of a character, gets his leg chopped off by the jangler (😢), retires as a villain after that

- iskall: after mumbo gets injured he blames himself for it (it's the second time his companion suffers meanwhile he leaves unscathed) - he turns himself in

- jimmy: now working on the main case, convinced there's a thing between him and scar - scar however uses jimmy's infatuation to gather information that might help him and cub [🟠]

- bigb: ren's death takes a huge toll on him, grian gets closer to him

important events (act 2)

- after the fight with vault busters, cub saves scar and takes him to his hiding spot. he reveals his identity and offers scar to join him instead. cub tells scar how actually weak he is and that people don't consider him great. he also offers that beside him, he will get a taste of real fame.

- scar and cub burn the old outfit of the jangler together. it awakens scar's love for fire meanwhile cub showcases and offers the new suit - revealing his plan has been in the making for a while. [🔵]

"Scar treats being the Jangler as a performance. He doesn’t really treat all the atrocities he commits with the seriousness they should have."

- in the meantime while scar heals, jingler keeps on the down low but isn't restless. during one of his shifts cub messes up and while chatting with ren, mentions information about the latest doings of the jingler only classified people would have access to. he's forced to and murders ren.

- grian is the person to break the news to bigb. they become closer.

- scar makes sure to make his return and reveal a big thing. the jingler calls grian and doc to announce he's holding the jangler hostage. upon arrival, they reveal there's no hostage. scar only craved an audience. after this scene, grian loses the case.

- the jangler takes mumbo's leg just basically as a revenge. lol. he didn't want to kill him but wanted to make him never forget.

- joe becomes one of the victims of jingler and jangler. or better said, was supposed to. the guy doesn't seem to be able to die and after a while the duo becomes so fascinated by him they just let him live. he offers to make a film about them, thinking of them more of as actors than threat. cub out of curiosity and sheer ridiculousness agrees and scar considers what he's doing to be a performance anyways. (joe never finds out their identities though)

- scar and grian end up in an argument over jimmy and cub which results in scar revealing to be the jangler. he promises grian that he will kill her. you can read a fic of this scene here!

- after finding out about mumbo's injury iskall feels incredibly guilty and turns himself in. he's judged only for his present crimes and gets a community work sentence (grian figures out mumbo must've been the other vb member but stays quiet. how she isn't fired is anyone's guess).

- cub and scar go into hiding and grian decides to take matters into her own hands, directly this time. she forms the resistance and mother spore.

[a great fic of one of the fights between mother spore and the jingler and jangler, by vexcraft our beloved]

- [ending of act II]

once again, a big fight, jingler and jangler are against the resistance (yet again)

this time the resistance comes out as victorious and the fight ends in cub getting gravely injured and scar turning himself in, considering it the better option than letting cub die.

act III (general info)

[this part is still a big work in progress so not many things are settled on]

- the main premise is basically that scar and cub end up in jail (losers). cub loses an eye after the fight with grian (both him and scar losing what matters more to each of them - cub utility and scar, appearance).

- scar doesn't cope well with being away from cub and not knowing his state

- false and jimmy interrogate them

- they manage to escape but as i said, it's only a brief outline, no details on when and how yet

[the post will get progressively updated]

[devilkittydeckbuilding]

hewwo my friends!! i wanted to tell you all about my new 60 card deck i built recently!!

that's right

i said 60 card >;3

im not only a commander player teehee

its also fully modern legal!!

ive actually been grinding a whole lot of 60 card games against my girlfriend/toy/pet/wife @goqmir with a bunch of decks lately and its been a blast :3

so today i want to talk about my deck which i haven't thought of a clever name for yet which is:

EXPEDITED INHERITANCE COMBO

this is a list that i changed up to suit my personal wants and needs and while i couldnt find the original decklist i stole the idea from an mtggoldfish short on youtube and according to seth the first person to build this was a user who goes by SMOMP1 but thats all i know

anyway!! i believe the original decklist was a purely mono red deck but i thought. hey. this is a combo deck, why don't i add tutors? so i went rakdos and am playing 4 tutors and its made the deck feel very consistent :3c

so here's the basic layout of the gameplan: the main combo is playing marauding raptor to cheapen the cost on all our 0 and 1 mana creatures so that they are free, and then playing expedited inheritance which means when you play a 1 drop creature for free marauding raptor deals 2 damage to that creature on etb, which then triggers expedited inheritance to exile 2 cards from the top of your library. the idea of this is to keep hitting more cheap creatures off these exiled cards so that you can play more and more creatures and exile through your whole deck.

the deck is actually rather simple and is a two card combo (if you arent counting all the small creatures that is lol but theres a million of them) and yeah thats the main idea.

now you may be asking,

how do you win??

well theres a really cool answer to that question

the main way to win the game, or really the only feasible way, is to dome your opponent for 50 with aetherflux reservoir

the way to win with aetherflux is to go through your whole deck with the combo loop described above. by doing this you cast so many spells that when you get down the reservoir it only takes a few spells cast and you win the game!!

it may sound like this deck is really slow to win because you have to get down the resevoir and 2 other combo pieces to win but we actually have a plan to get this thing down the turn you combo, which can be as soon as turn 3 >:3c

and its this little guy:

as you go through the whole combo loop you will eventually find and play 4 myr moonvessels which when they all are played and subsequently killed by marauding raptor will net you 4 colorless mana which is just enough to play the reservoir!!

as for the rest of the deck there are some honorable mentions plus the changes i made to the deck

inquisitive puppet is probably the best small creature in the deck that is not combo essential because it scrys on etb which sets you up to either combo more cause it finds you more creatures to play or it can help find combo pieces to set up!! it also can exile itself to make a new creature if you had to play it before the combo which is 2 more free cards!!

theres also stuff like combat courier which can just be sacced to dig deeper for combo pieces and such but most of the other creatures are just cheap with minimal bonus affects. im also playing myr servitor for funsies mostly. the main thought there was that if my combo fizzles i could theoretically combo the next turn since they return themselves to the battlefield on upkeep but thats oddly niche and i think ill swap them out for something else

as for changes i made to the list, i added black for tutors and also better removal.

i added diabolic intent as my only tutor because it isnt too expensive and also is perfect for the deck. since im playing so many dirt cheap and somewhat useless creatures why not play a card thats essentially demonic tutor with the small price of sacrificing a creature!! this card has played really well in my matches and essentially gives me 4 extra copies of my combo pieces!!

im also playing a weird creature choice in hope of ghirapur because i thought it would be interesting to try out.

the idea behind the hope is that it serves as a cheap creature for the combo but also presents a form of protection if i get it down before the combo. if i can get in a hit with it before the combo and sac it then it prevents the opponent from casting noncreature spells for that turn which is theoretically enough to sneak the combo in through removal. its not a perfect plan but it had gotten me a couple wins.

as for the sideboard im kind of new to the concept of sideboarding and i built it to be effective against general decks but also im only playing against my wife rn so it isnt perfect.

anyway yeah thats the deck!! it will continually change as i add new cards cause im still testing it but i hope this was either insightful or entertaining and i suggest giving the deck a try and maybe putting your own spin on it!!

thanks for reading!!

[lovecatsys]

David Alleyne has pretty much lost all of the original appeal he had as a character in his modern appearances which is so damn frustrating. Ultimately everything that he should be, that makes him such an amazing character who deserves a spot on the X-Men already, is stuff that hasn't been utilized in over a decade for him.

Prodigy originally and historically was:

An awkward nerd who gets picked on by many of his peers

A driven, motivated kid who's always thinking about his goals and his future

A kid who was raised in a politically knowledgeable loving home who knows how to point out bigotry in his peers and has no problem with it

An incredible tactician on the battlefield who's too good for his damn age group, an awkward leader of his team but a GOOD one

An overthinker, he spent weeks ignoring his crush because he felt guilty for something that DIDNT EVEN ACTUALLY HAPPEN and ended up coming off like an asshole to her

A protective older brother

He was never really "nice" tbh, he wasn't a fully blown asshole like say, Josh or Nori or Julian, but he definitely wasn't as nice as Jay. He could be rude if he thought the other person (*cough* Josh *cough*) deserved it. But in general he never really came off like a very emotional person, always kind of cold and tactical.

A mutant whose powers seem inherently non combatant in nature but actually grant him the ability to copy the fighting skills of every single person he's come in contact with, includining Mr Logan Wolverine himself, and Kitty Pryde who was trained by a ninja, even after he lost his powers he was still extremely useful in combat because he had all these skills at once!

He even managed to be a fucking leader of all the youth on Utopia as a depowered mutant!

But in these past few years he's been portrayed as this sort of nice, generic queer kid. and its really bland and in poor taste tbh I don't like it at all. I don't entirely want to blame YA volume 2 for this (though it absolutely had a hand in it) because he wasn't.... entirely like this yet, honestly I kind of want to blame Leah Williams tbh. But YA definiitely had a hand in it.

I really do like David and Tommy as a couple, unlike some of my friends, but the way it's been written so far really isn't how I see it happening for them at all, or how I think they are as a couple.

If David ever does end up on the X-Men, I really hope at least SOME of these old aspects of his character will be used, even if they stick with this new personality I really fucking hope they'd utilize his skill set properly because what's the point of having him on there if they're not going to? Lol.

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Batfamily AU: Second World War

For any curious fanfic writers either on here for AO3, I present to you this prompt and the following scenarios to inspire some ideas. Ages of the characters involved will be played around with for the purposes of the prompt. So without further ado;

Bruce Wayne is a decorated Colonel within the US Marine Corps, haunted still by his experiences as an expeditionary force Medic during both the First World War and the Russian Civil War. He knows firsthand the damage and carnage that lies in the battlefields and it does upon the men who fight in them. As such, he drills and trains his troops with precision and bluntness out of a deep desire to ensure their security and survival as he’ll be leading them into combat. Among his ranks though would be one particular recruit who lied about his age, being actually a mere 15 years old, who goes by the name of Jason Peter Todd .

With Jason by his side, Bruce and his platoon would be deployed to the Pacific Islands as part of the US’ island hopping campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. He will fight tooth and nail to protect his men and Jason especially and nothing would stop him from any means necessary to do so, maybe even disobeying orders from his superiors and attacking the enemy garrison at nighttime with a certain black and grey cowl, cape and mask. A living shadow that sows terror and fear in the Hearst of even the strongest men.

Then, there’s Dick Grayson, or at least that’s what how he’ll be called had he lived in the US. In this AU, the 10 1/2 year old acrobat lives with his parents within their traveling circus, having performances across what are to day the modern day boundaries of Ukraine. Unfortunately though, during a long string performances at the city of Kyiv, Operation Barbarossa had begun. The German Wermacht quickly made their way to occupy the city and in the chaos of the takeover, Dick’s parents were captured, taken away no doubt to labor camps. After making a run for his own safety on his Mother’s order and reaching the outskirts of the city, Dick was shortly picked up by a small detachment of the Soviet Red Army.

During the first few weeks of fending off the German advance into their lands, Dick’s platoon would stumble across one of the many other cities decimated by their Axis foes, reduced to a smoldering rubble with any to all citizens who resisted or caught in the crossfire summarily executed. Within the ruins was one particular small 6 year old child whom was actually among those who watched Dick’s family perform once prior to the invasion. Had he been raised in America, he would be named Timothy Drake. As of the time Dick finds him, Tim has only a mother left as his father was among those executed by the Germans and his Mother was also captured as a war prize. With Tim by his side, his acrobatics, his desire for justice and hoping to find their mothers by the time this war finally ends, Dick begins his long, strange and painful journey with one single mission in his mind, the common mission for all who resist these invaders to their Motherland: Not One Step Backwards.

Now then Fanfic Writers, This prompt is yours. The ball is in your court

[loreholdlesbian]

Modern Horizons III Play Booster Challenge

With every set, I like to make a booster of custom cards that could be a part of the set. This one took a while, because of terminal brain no worky disease, but we got there. Hopefully I'll get bloomburrow out before Duskmourn releases, but no promises. Modern Horizons sets are always fun though, lots of funky designs you can do you can't do anywhere else. Which is perfect for this challenge- it's based on a challenge from GDS3, so I always try to be innovative in this challenge as if it were for that. This set had a few slots that were flux in their rarity, so I got to pick what those are, so there's a few rares and a several uncommons.

Art links:

Peaceful Retirement

Scion of Verdant Leylines

Fluxsteel Armor

Prophet of Broken Futures

Aether Excavation

Mutagenic Shell

Swallowing Wastewalker

Practiced Artistry

Bog Boon

Nyxborn Parasite

Forge Eidolon

Lumitusk Monstrosity

Moon Skulkin

Gauntlet of Strength

Rares

Card transcription

Peaceful Retirement 3W Enchantment Whenever an attacking creature you control dies, return it to the battlefield with a defender counter and an exalted counter on it. (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each instance of exalted among permanents you control.)

End transcription

If there's one thing about me that'll be very evident by the end of this booster, I really love counters. Defender counters are one that haven't popped up yet, but I feel like they're sure to eventually. Here's me doing them. This is meant to work with the modified theme. This card is good at letting you play both defensively and offensively, with the exalted even making your offense continually better.

Card transcription

Scion of Verdant Leylines 4GG Enchantment Creature- Giant If Scion of Verdant Leylines is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield. If you do, it isn’t a creature. Trample Whenever an opponent is dealt combat damage by one or more green creatures you control, draw a card. 6/6

End transcription

Here's a variant on the leylines we've seen before; this time, they give you more if you play them for real rather than cheating them out. The limitation to green creatures acts as both a power limiter and a color pie one. I am worried a bit about the fact that you can blink this to get a big creature with this ability, but blinking enchantments is difficult at least.

Uncommons

Card transcription

Fluxsteel Armor 1W Artifact- Equipment For Mirrodin! (When this Equipment enters, create a 2/2 red Rebel creature token, then attach this to it.) Aura or Equipment swap 2W (2W: Exchange this Equipment with an Aura or Equipment from your hand.)

End transcription

And here comes the world's strangest equipment- no boost to the equipped creature, and no equip ability. For the longest time- literally I changed the card as I was writing this up- this had living weapon like the other equipment in the set (and gave the equipped creature +1/+1). But For Mirrodin! just works better. It makes the card more viable as a draft pick on its own as a better creature, and also even more importantly it makes it work better with more cards in the set, since the auras and equipment that swap in don't need to give a toughness boost. I liked the flavor of the living weapon version better, and it was more in line with the set, but the design is just better. This really isn't an equipment though, that's a lie. It's a token generator for aura and equipment decks. But I do think this is the best way to format this, cause it's hard to make "token body for an aura to attach to" work without it.

Card transcription

Prophet of Broken Futures 3 C/U Creature- Eldrazi Drone Devoid (This card has no color.) Ingest (Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top card of their library.) When this creature dies, draw a card for each card exiled with it. 3/4

End transcription

The thing about ingest is I don't actually think it's a bad mechanic, it just was used in the worst way possible. This card is my attempt to rectify that, and show it could be better. The other thing here is the hybrid colorless/colored mana. I think it's a great way to increase the amount of colorless-costing stuff in an environment without taking away from the colored cards it needs.

Card transcription

Aether Excavation 1R Sorcery You get EE (two energy counters). Exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn. Then you may pay EEEEE. If you do, you may play that card without paying its mana cost. Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)

End transcription

One kind of design I like to do with recursion mechanics is making it so the card plays differently on future castings- and energy is great for this. So great there's another one later on in this booster. It means you can build up the energy on the first few castings, and then eventually get to spend it. This card certainly works a lot better in an energy deck, where you can free cast spells more often, but I think it plays well just on its own.

Card transcription

Mutagenic Shell 1G Artifact- Equipment Equipped creature has “Whenever you cast a spell, you may adapt X where X is that spell’s mana value.” (If that creature has no +1/+1 counters on it, put X +1/+1 counters on it.) Equip 2

End transcription

Fun fact- adapt is keyword action, so you can use it as part of triggered abilities. That felt like fun design space to explore that ties in well with the modified theme, especially on an equipment. And I just liked making an equipment you move around a lot; you try to get it on a creature right before you cast a big spell, and then it does its thing but only once per creature.

Commons

Card transcription

Swallowing Wastewalker 5 C/W Creature- Eldrazi Devoid (This card has no color.) When this creature enters, exile target creature an opponent controls until this creature leaves the battlefield. Basic landcycling C/W (C/W, Discard this card: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into your hand, then shuffle.) 3/7

End transcription

Here's some more exploration of hybrid to up the amount of colorless mana in the set. I thought it made a good fit for a basic landcycling cycle, so you can use them to search up wastes if you need colorless mana or search up colored mana if you've drawn too many of your colorless producers.

Card transcription

Practiced Artistry 1U Sorcery Choose one- * Scry 2. You get EE (two energy counters). * Pay EE. If you do, draw two cards. Flashback 1U (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

End transcription

Here's the other card that uses energy on a recursive spell. In an energy deck, this card is quite flexible. You might choose to get the energy both times, or you might be able to pay to draw both times. But in a non energy deck, the energy still lets you split up paying the 4 mana for scry 2 draw 2 in a way that wouldn't be possible without energy.

Card transcription

Bog Boon 2B Instant Target creature gets +3/+1 until end of turn. Put a wither counter on it. (That creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)

End transcription

As I said in the beginning, I'm a counter girlie. I started around the time of Scars of Mirrodin, I can't help myself. And I really like the idea of wither, for a keyword counter, it just seems like good fun. So I wanted to make a simple common that used it.

Card transcription

Nyxborn Parasite 2B Enchantment Creature- Leech Bestow B (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it’s an Aura spell with enchant creature. It becomes a creature again if it’s not attached to a creature.) Lifelink 3/2

End transcription

This set has a bestow theme, and I wanted to see ways to explore how to use it. This one doesn't use it as an aura at all, it just uses it as a cost reduction mechanic, that makes it so there's a delay before you get your creature. You need a creature to attach it to, and need that creature to die.

Card transcription

Forge Eidolon 3R Enchantment Creature- Spirit Bestow onto artifact 3R (If you cast this card for its bestow cost, it’s an Aura spell with enchant artifact. It becomes a creature again if it’s not attached to an artifact.) Enchanted artifact is an artifact creature with base power and toughness 4/4. 4/4

End transcription

Here's the other new thing I wanted to do with bestow. Modern horizons does designs like this all the time, a slight variant on a keyword, and it works well on bestow. This also ties into the RB artifacts theme, but at worst is just a well statted creature.

Card transcription

Lumitusk Monstrosity 4G Creature- Elephant Fish Beast Splice onto creature G (As you cast a creature spell, you may reveal this card from your hand and pay its splice cost. If you do, add this card’s effects to that spell.) This creature enters with a vigilance counter on it. 5/5

End transcription

"Splice onto creature" is something i've experimented with for a while, and entering with counters is the best execution i've come up with. As with many of the designs here, it does something a bit weird, but it's also just perfectly serviceable as a well statted creature.

Card transcription

Moon Skulkin 2 Artifact Creature- Scarecrow 4: Target colorless creature gains flying until end of turn. 2/2 Even with Emrakul trapped in the silver moon, some souls still thrum to the sound of her whispers.

End transcription

There was a cycle of scarecrows in shadowmoor, the skulkin, that all had an activated ability that granted a creature of a particular color an appropriate keyword. Here's a secret sixth member of the cycle, that works well with the eldrazi theme of MH3. This one can hit itself, so the ability wanted to cost a good bit.

Reprint Slot

Card transcription

Gauntlet of Strength 4 Artifact [rare] Green creatures you control get +1/+1. Whenever you tap a Forest for mana, add an additional G.

End transcription

This was a very hard slot to fill. It's expressly a reprint, in a challenge that's about making new cards. But I do like making new cards, I didn't want to just pick a reprint and say it's here. For something like the strixhaven bonus sheet, I make a design that wouldn't make sense in the main set, uses a mechanic that set doesn't use. It's hard to make a card that doesn't feel modern horizons though. So eventually, I settled on a different approach- an alternate universe kind of deal. Take a card that in theory could be a good fit for a modern horizons reprint but has a few issues preventing that, and make a new version that doesn't have those issues. In my MH2 booster, I did an alternate version of Filth that granted menace, since swampwalk isn't considered to play well these days. Here, I did an alternate version of Gauntlet of Might- a card with three main problems. Firstly, the effect is green, not red. Secondly, the effect being symmetrical doesn't play well since it's color specific, so the potential downside is very all or nothing and very random. And thirdly, that card was reserved. There's every chance this card is a bit too good even for modern, but tbh it was just what I had and I wanted to finally get this booster out.

[fancyshooting]

Interview with Hideo Kojima [From MGS3: The Countdown]

A Tale of Fighting the Illusion of "The Times"

I wanted to create a world full of contradictions, where lives are exchanged in the great outdoors.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (MGS3) has the theme of survival in the wilderness. Why did you choose this theme?

Kojima: When we started working on this film, we trained in the mountains near Sagami Lake with a team led by Mr. Mōri (Motosada, military advisor for this work) 【*1】 We trained in the mountains near Sagami Lake, carrying the same equipment as the army, for two days and one night. We incorporated the tension of that time into the game. You are in the middle of nature and people are on top of each other, but if you look to the side, there are all kinds of creatures right there. If you hold a gun and keep your breath down, you can see frogs hopping around in the grass. In the midst of battle, if you listen carefully, you can hear birds singing and the buzzing of insect wings... The contradictory feeling of trying to take the life of an enemy in the midst of a forest, in the midst of nature, where life springs forth. The feeling of giving and taking life and death. I wanted to somehow incorporate that feeling into the game. Survival in the mountains is a strange story to begin with. In the midst of nature, where life is being created, it is impossible for living things to cease. Only modern people with guns die. In essence, we have to eat other lives to survive.

【*1】 Mr. Mōri (former military advisor to Sadamoto)

He was born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1964. He has been traveling around the world since he was 19 years old, and after having experienced combat in conflict zones, he has trained and guided the SWAT, a special police anti-terrorist unit, and assisted the 14th Dalai Lama, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, in his personal security measures. He was a military advisor for the "Metal Gear Solid" series. He supervised the CQC in this work.

By setting the battlefield in the jungle, which is full of life, you have expanded the possibilities for the game.

Kojima: It has been a dream of mine to set the game in a jungle since "Metal Gear" 【*2】 on the MSX2. A real undercover mission doesn't start right next to the target building, but hundreds of kilometers away from it. You have to cross the jungle on foot to reach your destination. The first thing I wanted to do was to depict the survival part of the game. This time, instead of Alaska in "MGS" or New York in "MGS2" 【*3】, we started by illegally entering a country with which we had no diplomatic relations. We must go in under false identities and return without leaving a trace. No helicopter or plane is provided for the return trip. Even if we complete the mission, we must return safely from the Soviet Union's territory.

【*2】"Metal Gear" for MSX2

Game for MSX2 released in 1987. Director Kojima's debut work. The main character is Solid Snake. The game has now been completely reissued for mobile phones.

【*3】 Alaska in "MGS" and New York in "MGS2"

"MGS" takes place at a training base on the isolated Shadow Mosses island in Alaska. The setting of "MGS2" is an offshore decontamination facility in Hudson Bay, New York.

In many games, the last enemy to be defeated blows up the stage, or the enemies disappear. This time, you have to survive your way back home!

Kojima: Yes. The return journey is the greatest survival. That's the real thrill of adventure novels. The mission is to return to everyday reality. If the mission is all about infiltration, it is like a suicide bombing, but the real mission is to come back alive. Just as game players return to reality after being immersed in a virtual space, Snake will also come back to everyday life.

So, the hard-boiled world of adventure fiction is the motif.

Kojima: I like hard-boiled adventure novels. The hard-boiled characters move forward with only their willpower, even if their bodies are injured or they have a fever. After a good night's sleep, a hot shower, and a cup of coffee, he would be back on his feet in no time. I wanted to express that kind of hard-boiled, bottomless spirit through the game. In "MGS3," the main character, Snake, gets injured when he is attacked. Bullet holes are left in his body, and bones are broken. He can heal after eating and passing time, but he can also sew up gunshot wounds, remove bullets from his body, and heal himself. The whole body is left with wounds and if they are not treated, it will be covered with scars. If you treat them properly, they heal quickly and regain their strength. This is the "CURE" system.

In the jungle, you cut your own body and endure the pain of healing. In a world where there is no anesthesia or anything else, you have to cut yourself to save your life. It is a game of enduring pain.

Kojima: There is a sense of unity with the player. You can see the Survival Viewer screen, where you perform CURE, and it's a mirror of yourself. Seeing Snake covered in blood, you can be masochistically intoxicated by the harshness of your situation and say, "Cool!"

Previous MGS games have never used a so-called menu screen, such as the survival viewer, have they?

Kojima: Yes, in the past, we didn't dare to use this feature because it would cause a time lag in the gameplay. But this time, the theme was "the player and Snake become one," so we took on the challenge. This time Snake is hit, tortured, and beaten up quite a bit. Seeing Snake in the Survival Viewer is pretty painful 【*4】, but he never changes his convictions. He never ignores what he really believes. That's hard boiled.

【*4】 Seeing Snake in the survival viewer is quite painful

When he is poisoned, Snake bends his body in pain. You can also check the history of the food he has eaten and the history of what you have done to the body.

So the Survival Viewer is a system that allows you to see Snake, who you are controlling, and get emotionally involved.

Kojima: Also, when you save and exit the game, your energy is restored the next time you play. The time between when you quit and when you resume play is measured. So, if you saved the game the day before, when you come home from work the next day and restart the game, Snake will be fine. This system allows you to think "I wonder if Snake is doing well" when you are working at the office. It is truly as if you and Snake are one.

When not playing the game, Snake also takes a break.

Kojima: So, if you give him medicine and food before saving, he will recover a lot.

Wow! Truly one with Snake.

Kojima: When Snake gets hungry, his stomach growls. Then, strangely enough, I, the player, get hungry too (laughs). Just as a person's "yawn" is transmitted to the player, the game character's hunger seems to be transmitted to me. That's the kind of game it is.

Speaking of survival, what is the meaning behind the subtitle this time, "Snake Eater"?

Kojima: The name "Snake Eater" has many meanings. After the release of Metal Gear Solid, there were a lot of stealth games that came out. To defeat them, in "MGS2" we symbolically released the Metal Gear RAY (a mass-produced Metal Gear weapon), and now in "MGS3" we want to eat Snake himself! It means that. Also, in the slang of the Special Forces Green Berets, the army and people who look barbaric are called "snake eaters".

As a game, it is unusual for it to be set in the jungle.

Kojima: Both "MGS" and "MGS2" were set inside man-made structures, but by changing the game console from PlayStation to the high-performance PlayStation 2, we were able to depict a different world. However, "MGS3" is set on the same PlayStation 2 as "MGS2". I wanted to change the graphics fundamentally. So, I dared to use natural environment

Isn't depicting nature the most difficult aspect of computer graphics?

Kojima: It's hard to draw, and it's difficult 【*5】 because you need hit detection for all the undulating terrain and vegetation. In addition, you have to move not only the background, but also the plants and animals.

【*5】 It's hard because you need hit detection for all the undulating terrain and vegetation

The key to creating images for games is hit detection. How do CG objects react when they collide with each other? Will they bounce, turn or stop? By determining all of these reactions, a sense of reality is created.

You are daring to take on a difficult challenge. It's a challenge that is typical of the Kojima group. The place called Tselinoyarsk, where the Virtuous Mission 【*8】 takes place, is that name fictitious?

Infiltrate the fictional world where reality and lies are mixed.

Kojima: The name of the place Tselinoyarsk is fictitious. I made it up after researching the meaning of Russian words 【*6】. In a game, the first stage is ice, the second stage is magma and so on, but in a real forest there is not much difference. Once you enter a forest, it is a forest until the end. There is no such thing as a land rich in flora and fauna, with limestone caves and lakes along the way. That's why we dared to create a fictional land for the game.

【*6】 I looked up the meaning of the Russian word and made it up

Tselina = virgin land, uncultivated land. Yar = precipice. Sk = suffix.

【*8】 Virtuous Mission

Operation Virtuous. The name given to the debut mission of the covert unit, FOX. Also known as the VR mission.

In "MGS3," the mixing of reality and fiction is very well done. For example, there is the line "the first HALO drop in history", but didn't that happen much later in real history? Wasn't the incident in "MGS3" recorded in history? Or is it all fictitious...?

Kojima: There are both lies and true stories too. The CQC, for example, is still cutting edge today. I don't think the average person would understand it, but there are a lot of things in it that even military enthusiasts wouldn't understand, and that only real professionals would understand. I would love to have an audio commentary of the demo scenes 【*7】. Otherwise, there are things that would never be understood.

【*7】 I'd love to have an audio commentary on it

The booklet that will come with the limited edition of "MGS3" will include a full polygon demo commentary by director Hideo Kojima and other key staff members.

Are the fighter aircraft and armaments built like in real life?

Kojima: In our team (Kojima-gumi), there are some particular members. The members are very knowledgeable about military affairs and weapons. And since Mr. Mōri is supervising the project, so the work should be very faithful to reality.

You have a fact-checking group for military knowledge.

Kojima: The "Metal Gear Solid" series seems to have a lot of fans among real military personnel. I have personal correspondence with people who were in Afghanistan and former parachutists. I have heard from them that they played "MGS" on the front line. Well, when they come to me, they salute me and say, "I'm looking forward to Metal Gear", which is a bit of a problem (laughs).

However, even in a fictional setting, it is better to know about historical topics such as the Cuban Missile Crisis in order to enjoy "MGS3".

Kojima: Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy Assassination... The most important keyword is the Cuban Missile Crisis 【*9】. The Virtuous Mission is the prologue and will play a major role in the main story that follows. At the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President JFK (Kennedy) and First Secretary Khrushchev made a secret agreement 【*10】. The content of this agreement is relevant. There are many movies depicting the secret Cuban agreement, such as "13 Days" 【*11】, and it has been speculated that the agreement was based on the closing of a missile base in Turkey, but this is not true. Of course, it's fiction. That is the core of the story of "MGS3". What is the weapon that Dr. Sokolov is said to have been working on? And why did he defect from the Soviet Union to the United States? This is the story of the events that led to the assassination of Kennedy and the hardliners' pursuit of Khrushchev.

【*9】 Cuban Missile Crisis

On October 16, 1962, a US Air Force spy reconnaissance plane discovered a Soviet medium-range missile base in Cuba. The world was plunged into a state of tension, fearing the outbreak of war.

【*10】 President JFK (Kennedy) and First Secretary Khrushchev

First Secretary Khrushchev, who advocated a policy of peaceful coexistence with the West, held a dialogue with American President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK). JFK was famous for being America's most beloved president, but he was shot dead in 1963.

【*11】 The movie "13 Days"

Released in 2000. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Starring Kevin Costner. The film depicts the 13 days from October 16 to October 28, 1962, when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred.

Indeed, the point of contact between reality and fiction. This is where Snake's sneaking mission comes in. A history that no one has ever heard is pieced together.

Kojima: Actually, there used to be an adventure game called "Snatcher", set in a world where the Soviet Union is gone 【*12】. The story is about a weapon left behind by the Soviet Union, which plunges the world into crisis. But at the time I didn't think the Soviet Union would disappear, and I thought the Cold War would go on forever. Without a hypothetical enemy, adventure stories don't really get off the ground. That's why adventure fiction changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. With "MGS3", we created a thrilling world by bringing real conflict back to life.

【*12】It's set in a world where the Soviet Union is gone

"Snatcher" is a science fiction adventure game directed by Kojima that was released in 1988 on the PC8801. Unfortunately, the PC8801 version of the game was incomplete, with only "ACT 2" completed. The PC Engine version of "Snatcher" was the first to complete "ACT 3". In the near future, 80% of the Eurasian continent has been wiped out by a biohazard in Moscow. The negative legacy of the Soviet Union threatens the world. At the time, of course, the collapse of the Soviet Union was unthinkable in real life.

What is the identity of the most powerful enemy in history, the Cobra Unit, full of monsters?

Kojima's games are always based on the "father-killer" motif. In "MGS," he fought a man who inherited his father's genes, and in "MGS2," he defeated his foster father 【*13】. What will Snake overcome this time?

【*13】 Solid Snake fights a man who inherited his father's genes in "MGS" and defeats his foster father in "MGS2

Solid Snake, the hero of "MGS", and his nemesis, Liquid Snake, are clones descended from the legendary hero Big Boss. Raiden, the protagonist of "MGS2", is an artificially created warrior who fights against the entity that raised him.

Kojima: Yes, that's right. My games have always depicted paternity and never motherhood. This time, however, I am going to depict "motherhood". This time, there will be many strong women. The Boss is one of them. The Boss is a legendary soldier that all men fear. When you get close to her, she will disassemble your weapons and blow you away with her CQC. She is an invincible soldier.

This time around, a number of special forces units appear. The Boss, who supports Snake, belongs to the Cobra Unit.

Kojima: The Cobra Unit is the original Special Forces unit, a covert unit that was very active during the Second World War. The members of the Cobra Unit are inspired by the emotions that arise on the battlefield. The Fear, The Sorrow, The Pain... When Colonel Kurtz dies in "Apocalypse Now" he says: "The horror... The horror..." 【*14】. That emotion! So, in my mind, the Cobra Unit is the image of a Kamen Rider monster 【*15】.

【*14】 When Colonel Kurtz dies in "Apocalypse Now", he says, "The horror... the horror..."

This film, directed by Francis F. Coppola, was released in 1979 and depicts the madness of the Vietnam War. Colonel Kurtz, played by Marlon Brando, establishes his own kingdom deep in the heart of Vietnam. The story is about Captain Willard, played by Martin Sheen, who is trying to eliminate Colonel Kurtz.

【*15】 Image of the Kamen Rider monster

A transformable hero aired on TV in 1971. The enemy was an evil modified human created by the evil secret society, Shocker. Many of them, such as the Spider Man, were converted humans who had been given the power of plants and animals.

The "Metal Gear" series has seen the appearance of monster armies such as the FOXHOUND and Dead Cell in the past.

Kojima: This time it's even more impressive. The End especially is the most intense one!

"The End" is a song by "The Doors" 【*16】!

【*16】 The End is a song by The Doors

The Doors, a band led by Jim Morrison, released the song "The End" in 1967. The song features a snake as a metaphor for the apocalypse.

Kojima: Haha! I can sing that song all the way through. Do you have karaoke? No, no, no, The End is amazing. He is a sniper who is over 100 years old.

What's that!?

Kojima: Normally, he sleeps all the time and does photosynthesis.

Awesome! I don't get it! (Laughs)

Kojima: Only when he fights does he gain the power of the forest and come back to life. It will be a sniper battle that will go down in gaming history.

A sniper in a state of hibernation! It's a formidable opponent...

Kojima: The camouflage is perfect, and even with thermal goggles on, he is undetectable. Even if you think it is an enemy and aim at it, it could still be mushrooms (laughs). That's why he's The End. If you meet him on the battlefield, you'll be killed. "It's the end!"

A true Snake vs. Cobra fight to the death!

Kojima: In "Tiger Mask" 【*17】, the last opponent the hero fights is a tiger. So, Snake's enemy is a cobra (snake). It is the strongest enemy in the series so far.

【*17】"Tiger Mask"

Animated wrestling series based on the original story by Kajiwara Ikki and Tsuji Naoki, broadcast for two years from 1969. A masterpiece that exploded with Kajiwara-ism, with a dark development and appearances by real wrestlers such as Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki. The final enemy is Tiger the Great (anime version).

I see. Then what about Snake's organization, FOX?

Kojima: "Force Operation X". Special forces. The parent organisation of the later Foxhound. After the Second World War, an Englishman, Major Zero, wanted to form an organisation that would bring together the best people regardless of race. But it was difficult to form because there was still racial discrimination at the time. So he asked The Boss, who was his colleague in the SAS 【*18】, to help him form an organisation that would combine military and intelligence activities. A small number of elites would infiltrate deep into enemy bases to conduct subversive and intelligence activities. That's why it belongs to the CIA 【*19】. The Virtuous Mission (VR mission) on which Snake was assigned was its debut.

【*18】SAS

Special Air Service of the British Army.

【*19】 CIA

Central Intelligence Agency of the United States

Wow. Snake was the first elite of FOX.

Kojima: Speaking of special forces, Ocelot 【*20】, of the Soviet Union's special forces, makes an appearance. He is a really funny guy. He chases Snake around.

【*20】 Ocelot

Ocelot is a master marksman and torturer who appears in "MGS" and "MGS2". His true identity is hidden, as he is active in various organizations as a multiple spy. In this work, his youth is depicted.

Ah, young Ocelot.

【*21】 Snake's advice was to switch pistols, and he did so

Kojima: Ocelot is a very elite man, a major at the age of 19. There is a reason for that, he has a very good pedigree. He has his own unit. But when he meets Snake, Ocelot has his first setback. So he goes after Snake and is charmed by him. He follows the advice of his enemy, Snake, and switches pistols, 【*21】 and he has a cute personality.

In his first appearance in this film, he uses an automatic pistol, but it jammed and he was defeated by Snake. However, in his second appearance, he follows the advice of his enemy Snake and appears with a revolver.

What kind of character is The Boss? Snake seems to have a fondness for her.

Kojima: She's about 50 years old.

An older woman. And she is more than a year older.

Kojima: Snake's mentor, mother figure and lover. But you see, Snake can never win against The Boss. She's so strong that she's known as the mother of special forces. She can throw you off in an instant.

The most powerful enemy ever! The Boss!

Kojima: I liked Charlotte Rampling 【*22】. That image.

【*22】Charlotte Rampling

Actress born in 1946. Her father was a soldier and an Olympic medalist. As a child, she used to play at the NATO military base where her father worked. She became popular for her decadent performance in the films "The Brave and the Damned" [Released in English as "The Damned"] (1969) and "The Storm of Love" ["The Night Porter"] (1973). She was married to musician Jean-Michelle Jarre, but they are now divorced.

"No kung fu" "no wire" "no high-speed" of adventure novels.

What books and movies did you look at when you were thinking about "MGS3"?

Kojima: I read mystery novels in elementary school, and in junior high school I read a lot of science fiction novels as an escape from reality. Then, when I was in high school, I started reading a little more realistic adventure novels. "MGS3" is filled with that trend. Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley... 【*23】 All of them were translations. At the time, people who had no experience with the special forces were imagining and writing, so now there are more and more novels featuring soldiers and military personnel as the main characters, but also intelligence agents (spies) and complete amateurs were being given a mission and fighting. It was a world where you didn't know if it was real or not. It was a mess at the time. There were agents escaping from enemy bases with pistols in their hands, and with their girlfriends (laughs). But that kind of "007" 【*24】 world is the base of Metal Gear.

【*23】 Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley

Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley are British adventure novelists, respectively. McLean's best-known work is "The Guns of Navarone," and Bagley's best-known work is "The Golden Keel".

【*24】"007"

The most popular spy action movie series in the world is the 007 series, More than 20 have been made since 1962's "007 Is The Number of a Killer" ("Dr. No"). This is the root of the "Metal Gear" series.

What kind of novels do you like best?

Kojima: If you are looking for an adventure novel, I would say Bagley's "The High Citadel" 【*25】. I bought a reprint of it from Hayakawa recently, but I haven't reread it yet. I wonder how it would be if I read it now. I don't remember much of the story... I think it was about a plane crash and fighting on a high winter mountain.

【*25】 Bagley's "The High Citadel"

A masterpiece of adventure fiction published by Desmond Bagley in 1965. A plane crash-lands in the Andes Mountains and is attacked by a mysterious armed group. The surviving passengers create weapons out of scrap wood and fight back.

What about recent adventure or military fiction?

Kojima: I love J.C. Pollock's "The Frontier of Trees" 【*26】. However, most of the recent novels are realistic military stories, often written by ex-special forces personnel, you know. Tom Clancy 【*27】 and the image of a spy plus a soldier. No, "MGS3" is a much older image. The "Man of the Sea" series by Ken Follett and MacLean 【*28】, Hayakawa novels with Noriyoshi Orai 【*29】 as the cover character. A.J. Quinnell's "Man On Fire" and the "Creasy" series. "The Guns of Navarone" and "Operation Blitz Flint GO! GO" 【*30】.

【*26】 J.C. Pollock's "The Frontier of Trees" [Japanese title. Released in English as "Centrifuge".]

A military novel by Pollock, a former Green Beret, published in 2000. Two Green Berets, pursued by 12 KGB members, flee into the woods to fight back.

【*27】Tom Clancy

Military novelist born in 1947. His best-known work is "The Hunt for Red October".

【*28】Ken Follett and

MacLean's "Man of the Sea" [Japanese title. Released in English as "The Lonely Sea"] series

Both are British adventure novelists. Follett's best-known work is "The Eye of the Needle". MacLean's "Man of the Sea" is a series of maritime stories set in the Arctic Ocean and other places.

【*29】 Noriyoshi Orai

Born in 1935, Noriyoshi Orai is one of Japan's leading illustrators. His international poster for "Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" brought him international recognition. He has also contributed wonderful illustrations to the limited edition books of the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

【*30】 A.J Quinnell's "Man on Fire" and the Creasy series. "The Guns of Navarone" and "Operation Blitz FlintGO!GO" ["Our Man Flint"]

A.J Quinnell is a anonymous author. His debut novel, "Man on Fire", brought him international recognition. The movie "The Guns of Navarone" was released in 1961. Operation Dengeki Blitz GO!GO is a spy movie released in 1966.

A time when special forces were the heroes.

Kojima: There was a time when the words "special forces" and "espionage" had a pleasant sound. It was not called "Mission Impossible" but "Operation Spy" 【*31】. In those days, a spy had a lot of secret weapons and would sneak into the enemy's headquarters by himself. I had read such novels for knowledge, so I was able to write the scenario in no time at all.

【*31】 When it was called "Operation Spy" instead of "Mission: Impossible"

A spy drama broadcast in the US in 1966. In Japan, it was broadcast as "Operation Spy". The 1996 film version was released under the title "Mission: Impossible". The movie version was not well received by fans of the TV version, as Jim Phelps, who was supposed to be a major character in the movie, was turned into the enemy.

Director Kojima, do you listen to music when you write your scripts?

Kojima: I listen to a lot of music. Especially when I write dialogue, I often listen to movie soundtracks. I write while crying. I cry easily in my fantasies. I don't need entertainment. Just thinking about it makes me cry. Whenever I come up with a sad theme, the drama spreads in my mind and I end up crying. It would be nice to have a soundtrack playing at such times.

What did you listen to during the production of "MGS3"?

Kojima: I listened to a variety of music this time. Especially Hans Zimmer and the usual Tangerine Dream 【*32】. During the original "MGS", I was listening to John Wetton 【*33】 only. I also listen to songs with vocals, but I can't write scenarios with songs in Japanese. The soundtrack is perfect. I can't get enough of it when the music happens to match the scene I'm writing about. Also... Harry (Gregson-Williams)'s 【*34】 music is good, too. For "MGS3", I listened to the songs that Harry had written.

【*32】 Especially Hans Zimmer and his usual Tangerine Dream type of music

Hans Zimmer is one of Hollywood's greatest musicians. He has composed music for blockbusters such as "The Crimson Tide," "Gladiator," and "The Last Samurai. Tangerine Dream is a German synthesizer rock band active in the 1970s. They have also composed music for films such as "Fear's Reward" ["Sorcerer"].

【*33】John Wetton

Famous bassist who has worked with bands from King Crimson to Roxy Music to Uriah Heep to Wishbone Ash to Asia. A living witness to British rock.

【*34】 Harry (Gregson-Williams)

Born in 1961, he made his film music debut as an arranger for composer Stanley Myers and has been in charge of scores for various films, including "The Rock" and "Armageddon". He is also a well-known staff member of the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

What kind of work is done after Director Kojima writes the scenario?

Kojima: We write the script into a scriptment, which is a script for the game. Then we make a dialogue script for the polygonal demo recording, and ask the staff to make storyboards for the capture design. Well, the storyboards are only for the demos. For "Snatcher" and "Policenauts", I also wrote the storyboards.

From there, you move on to video recording and audio recording.

Kojima: They would draw the storyboards and I would check them. Once we had a rough idea of what scenes to shoot and what was needed, we would record the motion capture. But you see, when I actually capture the motion capture, I almost completely disregard the storyboards. The storyboards are just for cost calculation (workload and budget calculation) and can be changed considerably when the final CG is created. With CG, depending on the model, you can turn it around and change the angle.

The video is also a pleasure.

Kojima: Director Ryuhei Kitamura created amazing visuals in the previous title, "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes" 【*35】. This time, I'm trying to create something that exceeds those visuals. I've been told that I can no longer win in the same direction, so I'm going for a low-key approach with "no wires", "no kung fu"' and "no high speed".

【*35】 Director Ryuhei Kitamura created amazing visuals for the previous title, "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes"

The polygon demos for the GameCube version of "Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes," released in 2003, were directed by film director Ryuhei Kitamura. The ultimate in passionate production, it featured wire action and slow motion to show off the superheroic nature of the characters to an excessive degree.

It's like the movie "Mach!!!!!!!!" 【*36】 It's just like that (laughs).

【*36】 The movie, "Mach!!!!!!!!!" [Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior]

A Thai movie released in 2004. This is a crazy movie that pursues pure physical super-action with the advertising claims of "no CG," "no wires," "no stunts," and "no rapid-fire.

Kojima: Well, I did kung fu kicks once. I used it where necessary, but it was not kung fu; it was boxing and wrestling in the 1960s 【*37】. That became CQC. The rest of the action is pretty simple. We don't do any fancy actions like somersaults with wires.

【*37】 Boxing and wrestling in the 1960s

The 1960s was a physical era. Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) became a hero as the heavyweight boxing world champion, and wrestling attracted much attention at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

What is the true enemy, as depicted by the illusion of the times?

"MGS" is full of tricks that betray the player's imagination, such as reading the package and performing unbelievable operations with the controller 【*38】, and this time... are there things like that?

【*38】 "MGS" was a game where the player had to read the package and use the controller perform unbelievable operations

In "MGS", there was a radio number on the package and a scene in which the controller massaged the player's shoulders. It was shocking to see that the tricks were not limited to the game screen

Kojima: I can't say that. Hmmm... Well, at least from the very first opening demo, I have a trick up my sleeve. At least from the very first opening demo, we have at least three out of ten people who will knock the controller to the ground.

What is it!? That!

Kojima: The first trap. Well, this trap is amazing. It's the best trap ever, even better than the psychic Psycho Mantis 【*39】 in "MGS". Only open-minded players will be able to enjoy it (laughs).

【*39】Psycho Mantis, the psychic of "MGS"

The most shocking enemy in "MGS". He reads the data on the PlayStation's memory card, guesses the player's preferences, blacks out the screen to display "Hideo," and torments the player with his unlimited attack patterns. A simple strategy was to play the game with the controller on the 2P side, which was also a shocking method.

The mystery of "it's written on the back of the package" was also amazing...

Kojima: It's even more amazing. The phone lines at the customer service center were jammed. Is that an exaggeration? If I had not made "MGS," there would be no mysteries at all. There are quite a lot of them. I don't know if everything I have in mind at the moment will fit into the game, but we're working at the last minute, so it's a grand joke. The player can't help but laugh. "Ha ha ha, you did it." It's like that. But the initial shock must have been quite great. I think European players will be delighted. People overseas are more tolerant of jokes, and they think that Kojima's games must have some kind of joke in them. For Japanese players, at least, I think it's safe to say that it doesn't have the last big 【*40】 plot point of "MGS2". For those who love "MGS", there are many points to enjoy.

【*40】 The big plot point at the end of "MGS2"

At the end of "MGS2", it is revealed that all the stories (adventures) that the protagonist, Raiden, has been through have all been artificially created. This horrifying twist, which plunges the player into an emotional abyss, was met with mixed reviews

I saw in the trailer movie that Colonel Volgin grabs a young man's crotch while saying, "Kuwabara, kuwabara." The man's face... Raiden? 【*41】

【*41】Raiden?

In the trailer shown at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in the US, a character that looked exactly like Raiden appeared. Apparently, he plays an important role in the game...

Kojima: That hasn't been talked about much, has it? Ha ha ha.

Also, this time Snake vomits 【*42】.

【*42】 Snake vomits

If you rotate Snake on the Survival Viewer screen, when you return to the game, he will get nauseous and vomit.

Kojima: Kyle Cooper 【*43】 is a big fan of vomit. "I thought Hideo was going to make a vomit game!" He said. "Of course!" He said.

【*43】 Kyle Cooper

Born in 1963. Formed the group Imaginary Forces. He is in charge of producing movie titles. He has produced many internationally acclaimed masterpieces, including "Seven" and "Mission: Impossible". He is also an important staple in the "Metal Gear Solid" series.

What a conversation!

Kojima: Kyle Cooper is an old man like that. Ryuhei Kitamura went home very angry. He was like, "Damn! I've been beaten!"

It's a joke war.

Kojima: Defecation was not an option.

...The infiltration of the Virtuous Mission in "MGS3" began on August 24, 1964. This date is... by any chance?

Kojima: Haha. It's my birthday. I was born in 1963, so it is my first birthday. I was busy, so I wrote it down as I went along and it was accepted. I really wanted to set it in 1963, but after President Kennedy was shot, it was more important for the story.

The assassination of President Kennedy. It was one of the most memorable events in the history of the world. "MGS3" begins with that incident.

Kojima: The US will go astray after that incident. "Metal Gear" is a story about nuclear weapons. When the Enola Gay atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Americans thought the war was over. But that was the start of the Cold War, which divided East and West. What happened then was a state of tension, and what took place was espionage. Spies were born, and they worked in the dark between East and West. This is the main theme of "MGS3".

A story that was covered up during the Cold War.

Kojima: It is set in 1964, but I hope young people can play it without worrying about that. However, when I was living in the 1960s, there was a great deal of espionage activity. Just the mention of the term "KGB" made me stand up straight.

The KGB was also said to be monitoring Japan at the time.

Kojima: At that time, the Soviet Union and the United States were accumulating nuclear weapons and were in conflict as two superpowers. But now there is no Soviet Union and war is going on in Iraq. Five years ago, I had no idea that the world would be like this. And it is hard to predict what will happen five years from now. There was a time when Japan boycotted the Moscow Olympics and hated the Soviet Union, but was that really hatred? It was just the times that made it so. In truth, I don't really hate anyone. It was "the times". That is the theme of "MGS3".

Values that transcend good and evil.

Kojima: With the first "MGS", I wanted to talk about the theme of "what is the information that is engraved in our genes?" The theme of "MGS2" was "What is the information that is not engraved in our genes, such as ideas and culture? And what do we pass on and leave behind for future generations?" That should have been the end of the story, but when I thought about it, I realised something strange. Even genetic characteristics, ideology, and culture are valued differently in different periods of time. For example, women in the Heian period were considered beautiful if they had a round face. In modern times, however, a woman with a face like a flatfish is considered beautiful. The evaluation changes with the times. What is this all about? If even genetic values are influenced by the times, and their evaluation changes, then what are the times? In "MGS3", there are people fighting for the state and politics, but they are only fighting according to the values of the times, not because they really hate the other side. In different times, they can be allies or enemies. They are neither good nor evil.

So it takes place after World War II.

Kojima: During World War II, Japan hated the US. But when I watch WWII movies now, I wonder why they are fighting. The "Americans are the enemy" mentality of those days was an illusion created by the times. Even the US was influenced by the times, and after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, just mentioning the term "anti-war" was met with bashing. When Richard Gere spoke out against the war, he was stoned 【*44】. But now, there is a strong mood of pessimism, and movies like "Fahrenheit 911," made by Michael Moore, have become a hit 【*45】. Values are changing with the times. What is it that is creating this illusion? Isn't it "The Patriots" 【*46】 that "MGS2" talked about?

【*44】 When Richard Gere spoke out against the war

In February 2003, as the US was about to deploy troops to Iraq, Richard Gere said: "The animosity between Bush and Hussein is like that between Captain Ahab and the whale in "White Whale" [Moby Dick]. Bush's words on behalf of the Iraqi people are out of line."

【*45】 Films like "Fahrenheit 911" by Michael Moore have been made and are a hit

Filmmaker Michael Moore has released a film, "Fahrenheit 911", which criticises and thoroughly criticises President George W. Bush's Iraq campaign. He aims to unseat Bush in the presidential election.

【*46】 "The Patriots"

The greatest mystery of the Metal Gear Solid series. It is said that wars and conflicts are being waged in various parts of the world at their will.

"The Patriots". The huge, dark entity that appears at the end of "MGS2", controls all information, and shapes the state. Will it appear in "MGS3"?

Kojima: "The Patriots" is a metaphor for "the times". It is a skeleton, without any substance. And in "MGS3", the organisation that was the predecessor of "The Patriots" appears.

So "MGS3" is also the story of the creation of "The Patriots".

Kojima: Yes, that's right. We have built a bridge from "MGS3" to "MGS". Please enjoy it as much as you can.

[progmetol]

A redo of Tactician’s ref!! Good lord I didn’t realize how badly the old one needed an update until I did this.

This is actually just page 1. Page 2 is going to include all her weapons and is more of just me nerding out about guns but ya’know.

I had wrote a bunch of stuff about details while sleep deprived so it may not make complete sense but I’ll include it under the cut. My autism inhibitors basically completely disabled here so it gets very detailed in some parts but I figured, might as well include it if I took the time to write it up.

So I changed her primary revolver from the diamondback to the stock revolver because I’ve previously established that Tact is more into historical guns rather than modern ones (she loves both though). The diamondback looked a little too modern and didn’t make as much sense since it mechanically only benefits a spy and the reason I had before was dumb so. Stock revolver. Plus a lot of classes share stock weapons anyway.

She also has another revolver that is basically a custom ruger vaquero chambered in .44 (think cowboy big iron gun). Engineer modded it for her and gave it to her as a Christmas present. So she gets that thing at some point. The drawback to it being a higher caliber is that it’s a single loader meaning the cylinder doesn’t swing out and you can’t use a speed loader because of that. Which irl there are plenty of .44 magnums that have swing cylinders but this is a game logic moment. She also has some other guns, including a scoped magnum, a basic ass M1911 that she keeps concealed under her belt, a derringer like Pauling’s concealed in her right boot, and then a lot of other random weapons that I could nerd out about but I’ll save that talk for never since I’ve already dropped enough stupid gun lore (though I will say I gave her an anti materiel rifle because I thought it would be funny). She also has a ton of combat knives but I haven’t thought them out yet other than the main one on her boot. It’s a serrated (warcrime irl!) bowie knife, the holster is kind of lose and can rotate a lot based on gravity so it can be drawn very leniently.

Her belt can hold 24 rounds at once, so that’s 24+6=30 at a time for 90% of the revolvers she has. She doesn’t typically need spare ammo when doing everyday work coordinating the battlefield, in fact it’s rare she even needs to shoot something other than while practicing or demonstrating to another merc.

her headset is wireless but she also has a radio that she uses instead during solo work. The headset is mostly for announcing crap and screaming orders at people in the thick of battle. Basically which one she’s using is entirely contextual

As for her field kit, she wears a jacket + a little neck bandana mostly to prevent dust, gravel, sand from getting in, desert stuff. It can also get chilly at night so it’s nice to have. She’s very used to the heat and doesn’t usually break a sweat when walking around with a jacket in the heat. She has a harness as well that basically has any and all the extra crap she may need on a job, extra rounds, identification, extra glasses, snacks, things you’d keep in a purse or gun bag (similar I know /s). Her holster goes over it. She also has a small messenger bag that she keeps larger stuff in, and then has her contracker on the back left side of her belt for easy access (same place as normal uniform). She usually clips the mic for her radio to the messenger bag and her jacket at once to keep it in place. The radio, btw, is a copy of the cosmetic for engineer since I wanted to keep it consistent.

[chronotsr]

Pre-G1 Modules, part 6: Reflections

This isn't a full on post or anything, it really is just random thoughts. This blog has basically 3 goals, in no particular order:

Show off some weird interesting ideas from older modules. This is why the bullet-point sections exist.

Look at all the obscure modules no one's ever heard and don't get discussed so they can enjoy more awareness. This is why it's module to module and not lists of cool things I've found.

Look at how modules grew as an art-form. Their design, layout, styling, writing, et c. This is why it's in release order.

So I'm going to ramble about all 3 in turn.

1. Coolest ideas

So somehow the coolest idea I ran into in this roundup was keep on the borderlands ~in the desert~. The mental image is just stuck in my brain and if you're one of my fantasy age players, you've probably inhaled some spoilers accidentally now. It's gonna show up eventually.

I was also really fond of the really lateral use of animated objects in Tegel Manor, particularly the battlefield painting that spits arrows as the events on-canvas play out. It's very fun and very goofy and I regret the yearly Samhain one-shot being so far away. I will find an excuse to use that random magic statue table eventually.

Third place goes to the pet sea monster of the invincible overlord. It's just really stuck in my brain

2. Coolest Module You Haven't Heard Of

Oh that's easy. Tegel Manor. 100% Tegel Manor. That was easily the most fun I had writing this column so far, even as the pagecount sprawled and sprawled. I think the haunted house is the single best starting location for a new player, it's part of why I'm so ride or die for Ghosts of Saltmarsh (and I do specifically mean the 5e iteration, they did an excellent job realizing Saltmarsh as a location. It's a crying shame people hate because they expect pirates and get, not pirates).

Happily, I don't think the move is actually to just, buy modern Tegel Manor. In fact, a spiritual successor to Tegel Manor would be just what the doctor ordered.

3. The Growth of Module Design

I am telling on myself hard but my favorite part of watching this go on is to see the art of keying slowly evolve and standardize around the familiar model of today. We are far away from the, I know I will get crucified for this, frankly better keying of 5e. Or even the significantly improved keying of 4e. We are in crusty-ass 1970s keying, where if it was typed, it was professional. Honestly Temple of the Frog's keying is a shockingly good first attempt. The keying solution that Vampire Queen went for is, kind of novel in its own way. I kind of wish that this table-style keying had stuck around as a sort of summary page for quick reference, it's…honestly kind of convenient, especially for particularly hack and slashy campaigns.

Watching JG recover from their tailspin of excessive loot was really fascinating. I do keep in mind that weight was a big thing about loot recovery in early DND but what exactly was to stop a party from just going back in and looting the place over and over again, anyway? Sure the monsters could move around, the loot could move, but they still know the layout. I really feel like you have to simply not provide that much treasure, and I get the sense JG worked that out too.

Finally, I am just kind of happy to see the focus on creating dungeons, as in combat rectangles is already starting to be threatened as the status quo. Arneson obviously understood why this was bad, and you can see some designers working it out too. Holmes also had a very good grasp of pacing and dungeon layout that it would take others (including Gygax) a while to catch up to.

So anyway, see you at G1!

[inventors-fair]

How the Story Goes: This Week's Winners ~

Our champions this week are @curiooftheheart, @izzet-always-r-versus-u, and @squeezyboi!

@curiooftheheart — Guildpact Ascension (Maze’s End)

This may come as a shock to some people, but in my personal MTG history, Maze’s End was my first “bad” set. And I got a booster box of it with a friend in high school. So...yeesh. All the same, it’s a relief to see the culmination of the set in a major way, i.e. with a card that’s pretty awesome. Mechanically, I won’t call it ‘self-explanatory,’ but I will say that it’s pretty easy to tell what kind of deck it wants to see itself in, and that two-color goodstuff is indeed still good. I would personally word the middle ability slightly differently but your modern sensibilities are definitely stronger than mine because I was thinking of Future Sight as precedent—and they fixed the oracle text! Wow.

All the same, this card’s a pretty iron-clad representation of Jace’s grasp as the Living Guildpact. It’s a mono-blue card, yeah, but it’s how Jace interacts with Ravnica, and the best ways for him to bring the guilds together. He sees everything (ability 1), he has a magical ability to summon the guilds as he sees them (ability 2), and the bringing-together of the guilds creates that much more power in the best way Jace knows how (ability 3). So yeah! It’s pretty darn great. Someone’ll have a fun time with Niv-Mizzet Reborn Gates EDH and this.

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — From Out of Eternity (Invasion of New Phyrexia)

I’m astounded at how clean this card is. If Battles didn’t exist and there were a bunch of weird mechanics that were in its place, this would be the perfect representation of Zhalfir’s return and the battlefield’s representation of that massive incoming. Teferi who? The phasing, the explosive combat, the implications of the attack, all of it is easy to grok and easy to connect. The flavor text’s simplicity does exactly what it wants to and the name is absolutely kick-ass.

As soon as I saw this card, I knew it was a great example of how to do simplicity well. At the very least this can be played on the end step to make something unblockable, but it prevents clogged board states, it changes the way combat works if you want to declare some shenanigans then phase them, it’s a card you pick and then build around without having to force UW control, it stops boardwipes and sweepers—and it requires you to have the army in order to really pull it out, and that’s something this card makes the player want to do. It’s just so easy without being overpowered or convoluted. It’s Zhalfirin and climactic in a way that MOM wishes it could’ve been.

@squeezyboi — Attack of the Mage Hunters // Professor’s Protection (Mage Hunter’s Onslaught)

I looked at my notes, then at this card, then back at my notes, and then here again, and I found myself realizing that yes indeed, this is exactly the kind of assignment I was thinking of. You took a story moment, moved it out of time, and used a future mechanic to that moment to retell it from the opposite perspective. Like, what more can one ask for? Battles aren’t quite supported on MSE, I don’t think, hence the lack of a mockup (sorry!) but all the same, I find myself hard-pressed to find criticism aside from the fact that the text might be kinda cramped.

I really like the anti-wizard sweep as well as the cool anti-Mage Hunter’s Onslaught that happens on the flip side. That professorial quote almost makes Lorehold cool again! ... I kid, Quintorius does that already. He’s a nice lad. Casting spells to weaken the siege feels awesome, and getting to a point where you’re overwhelming the board is pretty awesome. Exiling to get spirits without having to worry about getting burned out? Heck yeah. Spoils of the Vault is too far a combo for the flipside to matter too much and nobody’s going to Thoracle that, anyway. If they’re not playing burn, you get to just make your army, after having swept them away, and then the school is safe once more. Fantastic job bringing this out of the woodwork. Quite unexpected.

Woo! Runners-up and commentary to follow. —@abelzumi

[kallistcs]

repost and rate your muse's traits out of 10 in each category !

★  ⸻   COMPASSION: 6/10. Paris is honestly probably more sympathetic than actively compassionate, but either way his priority in acting lies more in either of these sentiments than things such as a consideration of "duty" or similar.

★  ⸻   BITTERNESS: 0/10. At most maybe a 1. Ought he be a little bitter, perhaps? Would it be reasonable he be bitter? Sure it would. Somehow, he is not.

★  ⸻   HAPPINESS: 8/10. Circumstances notwithstanding. Paris can find joy even where he perhaps ought not, but he's lighthearted at his core and nothing can suppress this for long. In a no-war situation he'd be hovering somewhere between 8-10/10

★  ⸻   POLITENESS: 7-9/10. It all depends on who you are, really, and the circumstances. Paris' default approach, whether polite or not, is mild-mannered, so unless he's going out of his way to get insulting, a less polite approach might be missed.

★  ⸻   MORALITY: 5/10. Given Paris is capable, able, and willing to break rules/concepts such as is held basically sacrosanct (xenia), if that is what is needed. Mostly to avoid doing something in a way he would not like, though it might cause less offense in general. Modern reincarnation would bump this up to an 8, I'd say, given changing cultural mores and values and such. (Now, since my interpretation and the events/actions I acknowledge actually ignore a number of more "immoral" things he does in certain versions, maybe that number should be lower. On the other hand, the attack on Sidon/the king is construed as more xenia-breaking and since no version actually gives a full account of this, no way to know how it was presented. I ignore it because it really doesn't jive with his priorities/actions/personality in the Iliad.)

★  ⸻   CHIVALRY: 7/10. Part of several other qualities and even deliberate methods (like seduction), but also genuine.

★  ⸻   PRIDE: 1/10. I mean. At best that should be a 2/10. Paris has little pride, given how he's fine with with being talked to and about, as well as looked at, in terms of his reputation and actions.

★  ⸻   HONESTY: 7/10. He doesn't generally lie, but he is perfectly capable and willing to lie by omission, or lie outright, if it should be necessary.

★  ⸻   BRAVERY: 3-4/10. /flaps hand at canon. But given that he's also capable of being on the battlefield - and at the front of it! - with little complaint even in a sticky situation (Book 13), I'm not shuffling his score down to a 2.

★  ⸻   RECKLESSNESS: 5/10. Recklessness in combat situation is (generally) lower. In other circumstances, however...

★  ⸻   AMBITION: 4/10. Not really ambitious - it's more, perhaps, that in the few things he does devote himself to gain he will do his best to get. (Sure, choosing "the most beautiful woman in the world" is its own sort of ambition, but if he was really ambitious he would have chosen either Hera or Athena, and make more of an attempt to not let his cowardice hold him back on the battlefield.)

★  ⸻   LOYALTY: 8/10. Paris does leave Oenone (though the way I conceive of this is more complicated than little loyalty to the relationship), and loyalty alone can't win over his faults to prompt him more consistent and strong participation in the war. But he also doesn't leave/give up on Helen even when the situation (and the relationship) gets as bad as it does (setting aside if he even could), and he also doesn't leave Troy.

★  ⸻   LOVE: 10/10. This is part of what he is, after all. A huge, massive, part, to a fault since ideally it should be weighed up by some other virtues to make this a virtue, too, instead of a partial fault.

★  ⸻   SENSE OF FAMILY: 8/10. Like the comment for loyalty above, Paris isn't flawlessly motivated by this. But on the other hand he also does stay and fight, and Hektor is the one who can either shame or persuade him to do what he "should".

★  ⸻   ATTRACTIVENESS: 10/10. Lmao. It might not be his only excellence but if this boy wasn't hot there might on the one hand be less trouble (might - considering some versions of the Judgement makes clear Aphrodite could/would make him attractive/beloved to all anyway), but on the other hand he'd not even have this to fall back on as something viewed positively (and negatively).

★  ⸻   AGILITY: 9/10. One of Paris' physical strengths and definitely what he relies more on in battle than strength itself.

★  ⸻   SEX DRIVE: 10/10. Lol. Lmao, even. Could put an infinity symbol instead of the ten - would probably be more correct! Paris' sex drive is of course part of the problem, aside from his romantic side and ability to be seductive.

[fernepurdy]

Beyond the Blade: Unique Uses for Combat Knives in the Modern World

In a world filled with gadgets and gizmos, it's easy to forget the simple, yet versatile tool that has stood the test of time: the combat knife. These rugged blades, originally designed for military use, have found their way into countless aspects of our modern lives. While they are undoubtedly exceptional in combat scenarios, their utility goes far beyond the battlefield. Let's dive into the myriad of unique applications for combat custom knives in the contemporary world.

1. Outdoor Adventures

One of the most evident non-military uses of combat knives is in the great outdoors. Whether you're camping, hiking, or exploring the wilderness, a good combat knife can be a lifesaver. It's not just about fending off wild animals or surviving extreme situations; these knives are invaluable tools for everyday outdoor tasks. From cutting rope to preparing food, they make every adventure safer and more manageable.

2. Emergency Preparedness

Disaster can strike at any moment, and having the right tools on hand can be the difference between life and death. A combat knife, with its durability and versatility, is a vital component of any emergency kit. It can help you cut through debris, pry open doors, or even start a fire when conventional means fail. Being prepared is not just a motto; it's a necessity in today's unpredictable world.

3. Hunting and Fishing

While there are specialized knives for hunting and fishing, combat knives can be excellent companions for these activities. Their sharp blades make field dressing game or filleting fish a breeze. Plus, their robust construction ensures they can handle the tough work without breaking a sweat.

4. DIY and Home Repairs

Sometimes, you don't need a toolbox; all you need is your trusty combat knife. It can assist with cutting materials, stripping wires, or even acting as a makeshift screwdriver. In small DIY projects and home repairs, a combat knife's agility can save you from making multiple trips to the garage.

5. Culinary Adventures

Yes, you read that right. Combat knives can play a role in the kitchen as well. Their razor-sharp blades are perfect for precision slicing and dicing. Some survivalists even use them as all-purpose kitchen tools when camping or in rustic settings. The versatility of combat knives extends to the culinary world, making them more than just a survival tool.

6. Gardening and Landscaping

Combat knives can be used for trimming and shaping plants in your garden or for more extensive landscaping tasks. Their cutting edge can handle branches, vines, and various gardening chores. So, if you're in a pinch while tending to your outdoor greenery, don't hesitate to reach for your combat knife.

7. First Aid

In emergencies, time is of the essence, and having a tool that can swiftly cut clothing or bandages can be crucial. Combat knives are adept at this task and can facilitate first aid when every second counts. Their precision and reliability can be a literal lifesaver.

8. Collecting and Display

For enthusiasts, collectors, and historians, combat knives are valuable artifacts. They're not just functional tools; they're also pieces of history and craftsmanship. Collecting combat knives and displaying them in a curated collection can be a fascinating hobby. These blades tell the stories of different eras and designs, making them captivating conversation pieces.

Conclusion

In the modern world, combat knives have transcended their original military purposes to become indispensable tools in various aspects of our lives. From outdoor adventures to emergency preparedness, DIY tasks to culinary endeavors, these knives prove their worth time and time again.

So, the next time you see a combat knife, don't just think of it as a weapon of war; think of it as a versatile companion for everyday challenges. The best combat knives are more than tools; they are symbols of resilience and resourcefulness in a world where adaptability is key. Embrace the multifaceted utility of combat knives and make them a part of your modern life.

When it comes to finding the best combat knives that can handle these diverse roles, [Your Brand Name] stands out as a trusted source. We understand the importance of quality, craftsmanship, and versatility in a combat knife, and we're dedicated to providing you with the finest blades that can go beyond the blade, helping you conquer everyday challenges with ease.