#but it's not a magic get out of siege free card

[fireemblems24]

Scarlet Blaze Ch 13

Someone should've renamed this "backtracking, the plot."

MAIN STORY

I'm actually excited for this chapter because Ferdinand is the most interesting part of it.

Ok, so TWSITD didn't want to avoid unification (which I'm sure they either want or don't care about), but only caused the ruckus to try and take the Empire over.

She's . . . pink. Why is she pink? (some random Empire general)

Is it wrong to see Ferdinand's looks in the future when I see Aegir? Seems like baldness runs in the family. As long as he avoids that mustache . . .

Can someone remind me, did Edelgard not arrest Aegir or not kill him? Or did he run away.

Aegir kinda twisted. Insisting Ferdinand kills him. That's fucked up.

Oh, kk, he escaped. (Aegir)

This is like a giant teaser of what SB could've been if it stuck to Empire and TWSITD stuff and wasn't "Edelgard backtracks: the conquest 2.0 - the boring as fuck version).

MAP/SIDE BATTLES

Can Edelgard just once have a plan for her government before invading all the other nations and getting a lot of innocent people killed (Dorothea said she's still working out what to replace nobles with)

Hunh, I'm impressed. Not going to lie, but Balthus wasn't making a great impression on me, but he's worried that a man he owes a debt too will fall in battle while fighting alongside the enemy. He actually wants to pay the man back and not this get out of jail free card. I like that.

Ashe asked Shez for help restoring Hrym territory. Ashe wants them to have their lives back. I was a dick and said no though bc I could and found that funny.

Fort Mercius has a convenient sneaky point, bc of course it does. Otherwise we'd have to siege warfare which was boring as fuck in real life.

Of course, only Dorothea cares about the hostages. Ferdinand will magically not let it happen. How? Who knows.

SHEZ & MONICA A

Ugh.

Monica keeps track of how many times Edelgard drinks tea, what she eats, when she eats, all her sighs, etc . . .

She needs a restraining order.

Edelgard did the world a favor when she let TWSITD kill Monica.

SHEZ & DOROTHEA B

Nobles gave Shez a tea party after he helped them out, and he doesn't know what to make of it and can't tell if he likes it.

Dorothea ties that to arguing that commoners should get to enjoy all of life's goods. Shez can counterpoint that they don't miss it if they don't know what they're missing.

Dorothea then talks about her love of singing and laments that only rich people get to hear her sing.

This is actually kind of interesting (if it goes there, but I doubt it). Dorothea wants the commoners to enjoy everything the rich get, yet benefits from an organization that raises the prices so high only the rich gets to enjoy her voice. Dorothea could just as easily go sing in taverns or more accessible places, but she doesn't. And because she doesn't she got wealthy and well connected. So she's actively choosing to participate in and benefit from the system that gatekeeps poor people from enjoying things. I don't hate the player, but it will be cool to see if she has some level of self-awareness about this.

SHEZ & EDELGARD A

They talk about how Shez having the same powers as TWSITD helps him identify TWSITD better than anyone else.

Edelgard credits this with her ability to get rid of them in SB (obviously contrasting to Byleth and CF)

So Edelgard had 2 choices: she could either focus on getting rid of TWSITD and sparing her citizens from their cruelty or start a war and choose the later, lamo. Like, imagine looking at your country and seeing that it's corrupted by an insane death cult running experiments on your own citizens and think "yeah, this is solid foundation to rely on for rebuilding a new world and rule over all the other countries." It's so idiotic. TWSITD really hurts Edelgard's writing and this game really exposes that. Which is funny since they likely got invented to shift blame away from her lol.

Shez says he joined Edelgard because the Empire was rich and she complimented him, unlike other nobles (but pretty sure EVERYONE complimented him because self-insert). So the game's got nothing.

SHEZ & HUBERT A

So many Shez supports back-to-back

Hubert scares/surprises Shez, then questions him about TWSITD.

Hubert's upset that they didn't reach out to Shez as an ally, and I can get mad at his mistrust. Def picking that one.

Hubert owns it at least.

He tries to complement Shez, but I'm able to not believe him, so I don't.

Hubert can sense Arval and is concerned about it. Shez doesn't trust Hubert about Arval.

Does that mean Hubert senses Sothis? Or is this a plot-hole? Or can he only sense TWSITD?

SHEZ & CONSTANCE C

Constance is talking his ear off about restoring House Nuvelle by discovering more magic. And Shez is the test subject of her research lol.

Shez refuses and Constance can't comprehend.

Shez suggests she try to establish herself in battle instead. But Constance turns that down.

I think it's because of her night-day thing. Also, I may have seen this support before? I'm not sure.

MERCEDES & LYSITHEA C

Funny, you can only get this support in SB and neither are Black Eagles.

"I'm not a child!!!" vs mothering everyone

Lysithea trained so hard she collapsed and Mercedes took care of her. Lysithea is horrified to learn that she slept too long.

Mercie backed her cookies, because of course she did. And sweets are Lysithea's secret weakness so . . .

Lysithea assumes Mercie has bad intentions. Why is she always so insufferable?

Mercie's cookies are good. Lysithea acts like a complete brat, demanding Mercie train her right now how to make the cookies.

PETRA & CASPAR A

Ok, this one should be better. I love Mercie, but that support had 0 new things in it.

Petra challenges Caspar's father to a duel. Yeah, way more intense than the first one.

And . . . the asshole won't even show up. Or, I guess Caspar stole is before his dad saw it. Petra's pissed. Rightfully so.

Caspar also assumes Petra would just lose. What an ass.

So Petra says she'll just kill Caspar instead.

She takes him down, but won't strike the killing blow.

Petra's upset she lost control of her emotions.

Petra decides to pull back because she's a queen (in secret) and she can't act on her personal feelings.

She doesn't fully understand why she challenged his father to a duel.

Caspar volunteers to let Petra dump her negative emotions about this on Caspar. Petra's not sure she wants a friendship like that, but says she'll give it thought.

I did like that support, but I wish she was allowed to call out the Empire more.

SHEZ & JERITZA A

Jeritza is hunting a cat that raided the pantry because she was injured.

Last time they talked, Shez assumed Jeritza was talking about a person, not a cat.

Jeritza likes cats because he used to have one. And now he wants to own this one. But she dislikes Jeritza.

HUBERT & BERNADETTA C

Bummed this is their only support. They were cute together in House.

Bernadetta is moving boxes of documents around. They're about bandit activity in the area. Hubert's investigating.

He's annoyed at the army's inability to catch them. Bernadetta assumes he's angry with her, but calms down.

Funniest line is Hubert telling her that her persistence often leads to exactly what she's trying to avoid lol. His VA is so good.

Hubert calls them rats. Like Dimitri did lamo.

Hubert is upset they may go back into hiding. Bernadetta sympathizes with the bandits lol.

It inspires Hubert to set something up that would make them come out.

HUBERT & LYSITHEA A

Isn't this the support chain that told us the Imperial army won't eat their veggies? lamo

Lysithea is enjoying sweets. Hubert offers her coffee. She turns it down because it's not sweet. Hubert baits her into drinking it by implying that drinking coffee means you're not a child.

She doesn't like drinking it black, but Hubert tells her that sweeten it up and she may like it.

Lysithea asks Hubert why he's nice to her since he's mean to everyone else. It's because he has a younger sister that Lysithea reminds him of.

Did he have one in Houses? Or did they just pop up when convenient like Edelgard's siblings?

Hubert doesn't tell anyone about the siblings. I wonder if Edelgard knows.

Because he sees her like a little sister, Lysithea accepts it.

MERCEDES & CASPAR C

Hope this goes like - Murder isn't funny, Caspar. It isn't? No. Because he's awful in this route.

No, he's just asking Mercedes about Jeritza because he keeps defeating Caspar in bouts.

So Caspar still being painfully one-note and boring.

Mercedes says he can beat Jeritza with baking. Caspar is confused. Until Mercedes clarifies that Jeritza sucks at baking, so Caspar can beat him at baking.

Caspar's upset bc that doesn't matter to him.

LINHARDT & CONSTANCE A

Linhardt has to ask her a question, but she's in the sunlight. He wants to experiments on crests. Constance is fine with it.

Until she's inside. Then she's upset.

Linhardt is taking advantage of her dual personality, avoiding confident Constance because she's difficult to work with.

Kinda skeevy, Linhardt.

Constance demands more equality. If she helps Linhardt with his research, then he must help with hers.

He's actually interested until he learns she wants to find ways for eyes to emit a golden light, and loses interest.

FERDINAND & LYSITHEA A

Ferdinand is worried about Lysithea's future, specifically throwing away her nobility.

He tried to understand her thought process. She's irritated with him. Honestly, same, I think that may be my issue with Ferdinand. I find him irritating.

Ferdinand uncovered Lysithea's secret. She's understandably upset and wants him to leave it be.

Ferdinand wants a solution, Lysithea's like do you think I haven't tried? And do-do bird is like "take action!" Like, this seems like things not to tell someone terminally ill 101.

Though, he brings up magical research. So this may be different.

He found the research on her and they could use that as a way to solve her problem.

She wants to help.

DOROTHEA & MONICA A

Dorothea is wounded, and Monica is worried that Dorothea will get scars to damage her skin.

Creepy moment when Dorothea asks Monica how she knows she has scars. So does this confirm that Monica peeps on people?

Dorothea hesitates to kill a child in battle.

So Dorothea cannonly killed children. I wonder how every Edel-stan who used that to smear Dimitri feels, lamo.

I wish Dimitri and Dorothea got a support. Both hate killing, but keep doing it anyways.

Monica asks why Dorothea keeps killing people. Dorothea feels too tied to her position to go back.

Dorothea admits she could've been that child in another life. So she has no right to run away and hide when the children the Empire is slaughtering don't have that option.

I know some people take issue with this side to Dorothea, but this is what makes me love her. She's the only one who realizes the brutality her side is forcing on other people, she just believes in the cause enough to keep doing it. That conflict makes her so interesting, and if Edelgad had a more justified cause or well-written government plan, Dorothea may have been in competition for my fav, but man does Edelgard's flimsy reasoning for war and bare-bones ideas make this conflict flat-line a bit.

Then they spend the rest of the support simiping for Edelgard. So, Monica's entire personality. That was interesting for like 3 seconds. So a new record for a Monica support.

PETRA & RAPHAEL B

You know it's bad when I fully expect Raphael to have deeper thoughts than Monica.

Raphael fails to hunt. Petra isn't surprised.

Raphael thinks being a bear will help him hunt rabbits, and is shocked when she tells him bears don't hunt.

Petra says Brigid people hunt with subtleness. But Fodlan people use hounds for hunting, which might suit Raphael better.

Raphael now thinks being a wolf will help him hunt instead of bear. So, yeah, deeper thoughts than Monica is capable of.

MAIN BATTLE

Time to kill the rebels.

Try to make sure hostages don't die.

Monica and Hubert have a fight over who gets to suck on Edelgard's toes after the battle (not literally, but might as well). The only non-grating part of it was Monica calling Hubert a coffin-dweller. Which, I mean, accurate.

Shez is the only one that remembers poor Ferdinand's going to kill his dad, lol. Ferdinand says he's ready though.

Oh, cut scene. Ferdinand and Hubert teaming up on Aegir. Hubert "let's" Ferdinand give the final blow.

So Ferdinand kills his bad. This game likes people killing their families. And I bet Aegir's death will get more sympathy than the actually innocent people Edelgard and co mow down every chapter.

Ferdinand needs a moment.

Edelgard is like, could you choose how to punish the traitors and choose the next Duke. Shockingly, the title goes to his son. So much for merit-based promotions, lamo.

So do we go back to beating up poor people in Faerghus now?

Caspar's like, fighting traitors serving a death cults sucks because they're from the Empire. Let's go kill the innocent people in the Kingdom instead! Because that's fun!

Edelgard still suspects Shez. The vibes for Shez are so different in Faerghus. No one gives a shit about Shez in SB.

Oh, yeah, I forgot I didn't get Byleth in this route, lamo.

Arval feels like a proud parent of Shez, lamo.

xxx

[inventors-fair]

March Madness

March of the Machine... is a set. It is a set that has, to be perfectly blunt, a lot of cards in it. Still not like, Ice Age levels of overstuffed, certainly, but even ignoring the bonus sheet it's a bit on the large side for a recent Magic set. The fact is that it's a big set with big implications for the entirety of the Magic canon, so naturally there is simultaneously a whole lot going on and a few things that may have slipped through the cracks. This week, I'd like you to fill those absences, those little tiny omissions that you feel should have had a little more of a spotlight in this cataclysmic, multiverse-wide struggle. Besides, they won't notice if we just slip in a few more cards, right?

Design a non-Team-up card that could fit into March of the Machine

It's been a while since we've done one of these so I'm just gonna recap the premise a bit: You will be adding exactly one card that could theoretically exist in the set. That means you are constrained to using evergreen mechanics and the themes and new mechanics that appear in the main set exclusively. Also, I've banned the team-up legends, not because they aren't a delight, but just because y'all just had a whole week to get that out of your system, and there's a lot more going on in this set than just those guys.

What I am interested in seeing is peeks at characters and settings and uses of new mechanics that you feel were not explored as thoroughly. Did your favourite plane or faction only get one-to-zero cards? You can fix that. Do you feel that more interesting things could be done with Sieges, Caring About Transformed Permanents, Incubate, Convoke, or Backup? I'd love to see that in my inbox this week. Did a character you love not show up for whatever reason? Prepare them for combat with the Phyrexian menace.

All that said, I do want to emphasise that in addition to the mechanical constraints of this week, flavourfully you should keep your cards thoroughly anchored in the moment of the invasion, rather than speculating about its consequences. They're releasing an Aftermath set for a reason, and I'd rather not step on that set's toes. Gonna have to ask y'all to wait a little before airing grievances about the lack of comeuppance here, until we know for certain what those consequences are.

Also, the bonus sheet cards are rather notably not technically part of the set, so please refrain from sending me a reprint. I hope that was obvious, but if it was not, now you know.

All that aside, feel free to go absolutely buck-wild this week. The multiverse is your oyster here. Make this interplanar struggle just that little bit more expansive.

You may March your submissions into our inbox >>HERE<<

And you can Machine your cards to perfection with the help of our Discord >>HERE<<

@starch255​

[tromb0ning]

Could you post your book club rec list?

Oh my god where do I start. Well I guess I’ll start with what I’ve read this year and extremely basis rating/blurb. Youre probably just looking for titles but fuckit. Not gonna talk about my top recs of all time (mostly scifi/fantasy - terry pratchett overwhelmingly my favorite author). Book club I've joined this year is called asynchronous book club. Run by the owner of Wolfe & the Krone used book store, very cool and LGBT friendly. No assigned reading just show up at a bar write down stuff you like on an index card and get matched at tables with ppl to chat. Best thing ever. So here's what is on my list from 2024 in no particular order, not everything Ive read independently gonna focus the list on stuff that Ive had fun talking about / been recommended in book club. Ratings are not about the quality of the book but my personal subjective enjoyment.

Light Bringer - Pierce Brown: Scifi

Latest book in the red rising series and my favorite series in recent memory. Gritty, brutal. Very smart antagonists which I enjoyed, and intense action and twists. Highly stratified society - protag is from the most menial class working as a miner underneath Mars and joins a resistance in a plot to infiltrate the highest of societies to become an agent of change to free his people. Met a few other people in club who enjoy the series and recently got someone else to read it who says they loved the first book. 5/5

Oryx and Crake / The Year of the Flood / Maddaddam - Margaret Atwood: Scifi

First book I bought from the shop, recommended by the owner. Interesting scifi about a guy going insane thinking hes the last human alive taking care of a herd of lab-grown proto-humans after an apocalyptic plague on an earth already ravaged by climate change. Rotating POVs in books 2/3 (because he turns out to not be the last person), very worthwhile read that I enjoyed. 4/5

Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros: YA Fantasy

Teen girl with chronic condition at dragon rider military academy with spicy romance with resident bad boy. This is mainly fun to talk about in book club because everyone who has read it has problems with it. I have personal gripes with a couple plot holes I hoped would wind up being cleverly answered with worldbuilding and expositions in the sequel but I have been informed they are just plot holes. Good read but compared to everything else 2/5

This Is How You Lose the Time War - Mal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone: Scifi

Shorter read with interesting POV swaps from the two protagonists facing off against each other among multiple alternate time thread realities - each seeking to change time streams in subtle ways to undo each others organization and existence while falling in love with each other. 4/5

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. - Neal Stephenson & Nicolle Galland: Scifi

A shadowy government agency recruits a linguist to decipher documents revealing that magic - though now extinct - was once real and they hunt down the mystery of how it disappeared and how to bring it back - with the help of a witch that stopped her aging due to the protagonist using magic to time travel and beg her to. Hybrid of scifi/fantasy/historical fiction/workplace comedy. First of a duology, I haven't read the second. 4/5

City of Thieves - David Benioff : Historical Fiction

More of an honorable mention havent met anyone whose read it but bought it at the used book store. Teen in war-torn WW2 siege of Leningrad is arrested and partnered with another prisoner and both are charged with collecting eggs for a colonels daughters birthday cake to earn freedom - a quest which takes them behind enemy lines. Very good, short book, read in 2 days 5/5

Next 3 are thrillers by Alice Feeney which came highly recommended to me by a club mate. Haven't been into thrillers because I feel so many are "a wife has a secret. a husband also has a secret" which doesn't appeal to me much, but I've gotten into them this year thanks to club and these are bangers.

Sometime I Lie - Alice Feeney: Thriller

First of hers Ive read and my favorite. I think regardless of which of her books you start with the first will be your favorite because of how brilliant the twists are. Built up to from the beginning in ways you can look back at from chapter 1 but the eventual reveal takes you out at the knees regardless. This one is about a woman in a coma coming in and out of consciousness piecing together the circumstances that landed her in a coma, family drama, and the identity of the person using drugs to keep her in it, interspersed with childhood diary entries that add a fascinating layer to the mystery. 5/5

Daisy Darker - Alice Feeney: Thriller

Locked house murder mystery on an island in a storm; my least favorite of the 3 but still very good. A large family gathers for the birthday of a grandmother who has long predicted her 80th birthday to be her last. She's the first to drop, but far from the last as someone - perhaps multiple someones - are enacting a plot against the rest which stems from a terrible secret. 4/5

Rock Paper Scissors - Alice Feeney: Thriller

Couple drifting apart; going out to the countryside for a vacation away from civilization that will make or break their relationship. And there is someone out there watching and interfering with the whole thing. husband has a medical condition causing face-blindness. Very much falls in line with the 'wife has a secret husband also has a secret' type of thriller i dislike but goddamn this was rock solid stuff. 4/5

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Christopher Moore: Humor

Clever, Funny, Thought provoking. Especially Funny. Some kids are assholes, and one of them was a 6 year old living in Nazareth in the year 6AD who became best friends with a weird kid named Joshua (DBA Jesus Christ). This narrates the 30 years between the wise men arriving to the manger and the first gospels being preached as told by Joshua's best friend Levi, aka Biff. Recommended to me by a book club member last month and its probably my favorite thing I've been recommended this year. Incredible puns. 5/5.

My Best Friend's Exorcism - Grady Hendrix: Horror

To describe this book I tell people all the chapter titles are fittingly or ironically named after 80s/90s pop songs - with one of the scariest chapters of the exorcism being titled "I think we're alone now". So that should give you an idea of the humor and horror. Clique of girls go camping and decide to try acid. Very strange thing happens to one of them and she starts acting different afterward- and bad things start happening around her while her best friend struggles to get her old self back. Story of friendship, devotion, humor, betrayal, and horror. Extremely 90s culture centered - stranger things aint got nothing on this. Favorite book of another club member and I read it in 3 days. 5/5

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account Of The Everest Disaster - Jon Kakauer: Nonfiction Memoir

The personal accounting of a journalist which starts right after he has ascended the summit of Everest and soon after find his oxygen is depleted due to a mistake. This is compounded by the fact that the next 24 hours on Everest are the deadliest in the history of mountaineering with an overwhelming body count from a deadly storm. Then goes through his journey to get to this point. Rec'd to me by a club member. Intense and interesting. 5/5

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It - Elle Cosimana: Humor

A down on her luck single mom / murder mystery author gets mistaken for a hitman during a conversation with her agent at a cafe which contains sentences like "The contract doesn't specify how the whole thing plays out, as long as you get it done by next month. You can do that, right?". She receives an offer for her services, and despite attempts to correct the mistake a body winds up in her car. Real page turner. 5/5

Circe - Madeline Miller: Historical Fantasy Fiction

An alternate take on the life story of the Nymph who is most well known for the part she plays in the story of Odysseus when he arrives on her island. Beautifully written and really makes the gods and adjacent beings psychologically very different and not just like old powerful people. If you like greek mythology this is a top pick, also highly recommended by other club members. 4/5

All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr: Historical Fiction

Set in WW2 with constant POV swaps between two protagonists, a blind French girl named Marie-Laurie and a German orphan boy named Werner who is obsessed with radios. Story takes us through childhood and into their teen years as the war rages and the complicated web of relationships that unite them, as Marie and her father flee Paris with her father tasked with safeguarding a precious museum treasure. Pulitzer winner, very interesting how the author swaps POVs every 2-3 pages to show whats happening in their lives simultaneously. 4/5

Starter Villain - John Scalzi:

Down on his luck former journalist Charlie gets bequeathed the estate of his uncle who he's never met. Turns out his uncle is basically a Bond Villain, and Charlie's cat is in fact an agent of his uncle with serious tech skills sent to watch out for him. He needs to learn a lot very fast as his uncle's many and varied enemies start making moves against him. Fun read, fast paced. 3/5

@bartolomamba

[i-am-nickelbolt]

I heard that my LGS was running a Dominaria Remastered Sealed RCQ with a top 8 draft! My wife thought I should go, that I needed the time for myself. I was pretty excited to get to my first paper Magic event in almost 9 months. Lets see how this mtgdad did...

It has been a minute since I've had to register a sealed deck.

I think my pool was pretty decent. I immediately pulled together blue and black, as Urza and Chainer were probably my best cards, and I had some nice interaction. White had an okay curve with some fliers, but nothing to write home about. Red had an okay curve but no removal outside of a Slice and Dice, which had my eye. Almost all of my green cards were unplayable, but I could splash a Call of the Herd and a Spiritmonger essentially for free. Juggernauts are nice on rate, but they don't necessarily fit with controll-y Sultai.

I ended up splashing red for Slice and Dice, and white for Radiant's Judgment. I really agonized over a Pyre Zombie, and ultimately cut it. Maybe the card is okay, but I always thought it was so unbelievably slow, and I was worried about the double red.

I had interaction, a lot of cycling to dig for my rares, i thought I could back door into the top 8 draft.

So how'd it go?

About as terrible as possible.

Okay, so my first event in 9 months, I've been starved of slinging cardboard, I am literally chomping at the bit... Bye. I get the bye round 1. So i get to sit around for another hour. Great.

Looking around the room, I have to say I'm feeling pretty okay about where I'm at. Lots of grinding, and maybe my deck is a little underpowered, but it's got the tools. I'm excited for round 2.

0-2. My deck just decided to vomit all over the floor. I mulliganed three times in two games, I drew all my expensive cards, none of my interaction. Ugh. I knew my opponent, I drafted against him a couple times at this shop, and he was up for getting in some more reps. So we played a couple more games that I won pretty handily. Just have to run the table.

When I saw the Siege-Gang Commander in game 1, I thought I lucked out with the Slice and Dice to mitigate the tokens. I was kind of expecting a Whitemane Lion at some point, but I was in a pretty good spot, or so I thought. But have you ever played a game of Magic against the Siege-Gang Commander and Deadwood Treefolk combo? 0-2.

So I wait for an hour, my deck just decides not to show up for a match, and then I lost to infinitely recurring probably the best rare in the set. Pretty hard to find the positives.

A couple observations:

The Lairs are nice in that you can pick up your cycling lands. Also, the Lairs enter the battlefield untapped. It's been a long time since I played a Lair, and I'm used to the Ravnica bounce-lands. It's not all upside though, there are bounce spells that can hit lands, and I watched someone get Recoiled into last week. Ugh.

Snap over-performed. I thought I wouldn't really want it because I'm not so much a tempo deck, but being able to double-spell is just so, so powerful. It also deals with Pacifism pretty cleanly.

The Radiant's Judgment splash was ill-advised. I thought it would be fine since I could just cycle it away (and the land could cycle also) but the card as written was just dead every game. I probably should have played the Pyre Zombie instead.

Could I have built a different deck? I could have leaned harder into Grixis or Sultai, and in hindsight, I think the green cards I could have played would probably be a little better?

Anyway, Dominaria Remastered seems sweet, I hope I can get a chance to draft it...

[kilopeuro]

Forts game catapult

#FORTS GAME CATAPULT HOW TO#

#FORTS GAME CATAPULT FULL VERSION#

Overall Catapult King is an amazing puzzler with slick looking graphics and an almost infinite replay value. Badges (similar to achievements) which are received for completing difficult challenges also entice you to replay all the levels after you bet the game. If you want to do more than just beat the levels with the bare minimum, you can try to get the extra achievements for completing all the levels under a time cap, destroying the entire castle, and locating hidden coins. Your catapult starts out with a simple boulder but expands into a large arsenal of projectiles including bombs, flaming boulders, magic infused projectiles that create earthquakes, and much more. To get pass the 64 levels (with more in development) you have to kill all of the soldiers in the stage. Obviously the story in Catapult King isn't deep or compelling but the gameplay makes up for it. 24 Capitols/Cities, 20 Monuments, 14 Forts, 1 Catapult, 40 Empire Cards. Worms Forts: Under Siege is a strategy-fighting game developed by Team17. Armed with your trusty catapult, you're tasked with rescuing the princess from the dragon. History of the World is a game of epic conquest set amid the rise and fall of. Games similar to Crazy Penguin Catapult 2 on RAWG Video game discovery site. In the game, a princess of unknown origin is stolen by a menacing dragon and locked in a cage across the kingdom, defended by hundreds of enemy forts and soldiers. It's very easy to pick up and play for a few minutes at a time, but I frequently find myself getting sucked in and playing for long amounts of time.

#FORTS GAME CATAPULT FULL VERSION#

Catapult King latest version: A Full Version Action game for iPhone. Proceed through levels to unlock new game modes. Take down forts, castles and even a fire-breathing dragon within the award-winning. Released on June 7th, 2012, Catapult King is a unique first-person puzzler for iOS devices. tactics to lead ships against enemy fleet, attack their home forts and protect your own naval bases. ***This App is free for the week of July 30th- August 6th*** You are not only a sniper, but also a great fighter.

#FORTS GAME CATAPULT HOW TO#

A simple fairy tale story becomes something much greater in this fantastic new physics puzzler. how to use your intelligence to break one of the enemy's forts, kill enemy leaders. As the first artillery unit, the Catapult can hit buildings and take over cities with more power than anything before, and it outranges Towers and Forts.

[winepresswrath]

a looooot of fix-it fic tends to have a "the good sect leaders find out the wens are old farmers and a baby and are horrified and they all live happy ever after" moment, which is absolutely FINE for a fun fix-it, but i've always found the idea that they didn't know very funny lol.

I do think that if you sell them on it the right way early enough in the plot you can probably use it for leverage and like, argue that another clan should be in charge of the prisoners. I do not think that any of these people are really enthused about the prospect of hurting non-combatants and it's pretty obvious that the guards were acting outside the boundaries of their official authority. If Wei Wuxian had complained in a diplomatic way then six months later everyone might have agreed that imprisoning a toddler was excessive and prisoners shouldn't be used as demon bait, but I think the Jin kill all the witnesses in the interim so it's not really a practical solution. Once they've all broken the conditions of their imprisonment in a way that comes with a body count they're fucked, but given that they were being slowly picked off where they were it's not like they had a better solution.

[gideonthefirst]

D&D Character Ask Meme: Scenarios from My Friends’ Games

Sitting in the middle of a circle that appears to be magical is a chair emanating strong necromantic energy. The circle itself seems to have a connection to the astral sea. When a familiar tried to cast Identify on the chair, it died instantly. Would your character touch the chair?

A powerful warlock has assassinated a group of important people, including your friend’s father. However, she is your childhood friend, and is clearly not in control of her own actions. How does your character treat her?

Imix, the prince of Elemental Fire, a CR 19 monster, is attacking your character while they plummet through the air on meteors. It is made clear that all the party has to do is survive for a certain number of rounds, after which they will be healed. Would your character try to fight Imix, or focus on healing?

Your character rolled two nat 20s in a row to flirt with a goddess they weren’t really interested in, and the goddess gives them her number. Does your character call her?

Your character is in a city that is under siege and may be attacked at any time. They haven’t seen their friend who they’re in love with in months, and don’t know when they’ll see her again. Third level spells are the most powerful they have, would you character use a spell slot on Sending?

Your character is at a party. It would be super lame to go home early, but in order to get a long rest before a tournament they’re in starts tomorrow, they have to leave at 9. When does your character leave?

When attempting to return home to the Fey Wild, your character accidentally got sent to Shadowfell. Would they drink from a chalice by a pool in the bottom of a system of caves that they were told held the only source of magic in Shadowfell?

After killing a giant murderous worm, you learn that it has a baby. Does your character attempt to adopt this baby and risk being attacked by Furies who don’t want them to bring it out of the Underworld, or leave the baby worm to fend for itself?

Your party is shipwrecked on an island where anti-magic experiments are taking place, because magic is illegal. There seem to be people captured here and being experimented on. Does your character attempt to rescue those people, putting themself and their party in danger?

Half of your party has been in prison for several sessions. You have a potential plan for escape that involves kidnaping a member of the royal family and framing someone else, possibly causing an international incident. How does your character feel about this plan?

Your character sees a hologram pressing holographic buttons. Do they follow along?

Your party all has a level of exhaustion. Do you do cocaine with the knowledge that it will get rid of that exhaustion, but might have other side effects?

Your character draws from the Deck of Many Things, and gets a card that lets them choose to have any first or second level class feature from a different class. What do they take?

Your character has an ability that lets them touch a person and learn about their past. However, if they roll badly, the DM will change the story so that what happened in their past is worse than it otherwise might have been. How would your character use this ability?

A pack of devil bounty hunters is chasing one of your party members from town to town. In the newest town the party has fled to, they acquire the deed to a small run-down inn. Does your character continue to flee the bounty hunters, or do they stay in town and start running a bed and breakfast?

Your character is about to go try to rescue two party members from two of the BBEGs of the whole game. They have reason to believe they might not make it out, but are also on a time crunch. Their partner texts them that they need to talk. What does your character do?

Your character’s girlfriend is magically frozen, and the only way to free her is for your whole party to work together. You have to roll a d20 at triple disadvantage, and be demoted from level 20 to whatever you roll. What do you do?

Your character’s level 20 polycule is being forced to fight to the death by a god. There's an incredibly incredibly annoying wizard who's also here. He trapped two of your party members in a prismatic wall. You can kill him easily, but he keeps insisting his spells are useful, and you’ll probably have to fight this god eventually. What do you do?

Your character, who has political importance, is given a letter to deliver to your teacher. However, when they open the door to her study, all they see is her apprentice lying on the ground, having clearly been recently attacked. They enter the room and are stabbed, noticing more assassins. Does your character try to help the apprentice or do they run?

Your character’s country is at war. They are given the option to sacrifice themself to bring down an important bridge, potentially delaying the attacking army by a week. This will buy time for people to evacuate, but also mean your side is left without a powerful wizard. What do you do?

[sparktober]

Sparktober Bingo 2021!

Back for a new generation: Sparktober Bingo!

Instead of coming up with an Atlantis-specific list of prompts, I compiled a bunch of 2021 -tober prompt lists into one google doc here. (Links to original prompt lists are on the google doc.) Add in a list of Atlantis episodes and...

How to play:

Choose a “flavor” from the prompt sets below the cut, then paste it into this fandom bingo card generator.

Adjust your browser size til it looks right and take a screenshot, or use the html script if you’re familiar with using html on tumblr. Tag @sparktober​ if you want us to reblog it so everyone knows you’re playing!

  Sparktober Bingo Rules:

Complete a row/column, corners, or a blackout of your card by November 1, or not! Update as you go.

All fan-works are allowed: art, edits, fic, meta... bonus points to anyone who picks the “sprinkles” flavor and goes full mid-aughts by filling their bingo cards with 100x100 pixel icons.

You are allowed to pull multiple cards until you get one that inspires you, and you can also go through the prompt list of your choice in advance to pull out squicks or things you absolutely won’t write. I recommend not googling unfamiliar words from your work computer.

Use the prompts liberally! Episode titles can be treated as the episode or as generic prompts (e.g. “Epiphany” can be for an episode-related fic or a prompt for an epiphany of your choice).

  Flavor descriptions:

VANILLA: Gen prompt lists from Fictober, Inktober, Trektober Gen, and Trektober Trek.

CHOCOLATE: Zesty prompt lists from Trektober NSFW, Kinktober, and Whumptober. The multiple-prompts-per-day from Kinktober and Whumptober have been broken into individual prompts.

CANDY CORN: Fall / holiday themed prompts from TUA-tober.

SPRINKLES: Atlantis episode list (in order, in case you only want to copy certain seasons), along with characters and a few Atlantis-specific prompts.

TWIST: All of the above! (You can also manually mix and match different flavors, of course.)

Text blocks to copy into the bingo card generator are below the cut. Enjoy!!

VANILLA

“I need you.”; “You have no proof.”; “I’ve waited for this.”; “Fine, I give up.”; “I’m not saying I told you so…”; “Didn’t we already have this conversation?”; “That could have gone better.”; “This is it, isn’t it?”; “There’s no right side to this.”; “It’s so quiet.”; “I swear, it’s not always like this.”; “You keep me safe.”; “The things you make me do…”; “Your information was wrong.”; “I like that in you.”; “Not this again.”; “I’m with you, you know that.”; “This was not part of the plan.”; “I feel strange.”; “That’s what I’m known for.”; “What did I say?”; “No promises.”; “This time, do what I say.”; “Is this supposed to impress me?”; “Do you know what time it is?”; “I’m sure this has never worked, ever.”; “You could have died!”; “I don’t have to explain myself.”; “Why are we whispering?”; “Don’t ruin this.”; “Take me with you.”; Crystal; Suit; Vessel; Knot; Raven; Spirit; Fan; Watch; Pressure; Pick; Sour; Stuck; Roof; Tick; Helmet; Compass; Collide; Moon; Loop; Sprout; Fuzzy; Open; Leak; Extinct; Splat; Connect; Spark; Crispy; Patch; Slither; Risk; Meet-Cute; Amnesia; Age Difference; Pining; Sick Fic; Fake Relationship; Accidental Meeting; Epistolary; Secret Identity; Historical AU; Nightmares; Monster Hunter; Reunion; Soulmates; At Pride; Angst; Seasons; Fix-It; Coffee Shop; Movie Plot AU; Kid Fic; Actor's Other Crossover Work; OT+; Getting Together; Only One Bed; Pirates; Making Up; Forbidden Relationship; Tattoos; Halloween; Prime Directive; Lower Decks / Background Characters; Away Mission; Ship's Bar; Aliens Made Them Do It; Observation Deck; Crew with Family; Holodeck; Science Crew; Character Survives; Headcanons; Diplomacy; Decontamination; Trek Crossover; Replicator; Worldbuilding; Redshirts; Sex / Love Potion; Medical Crew; Transporters; Medbay; Interspecies Relationship; Mirrorverse; Uniforms; Mutiny; Stranded on a Planet; Rec Room; Academy Era; Second Contact; Command Crew; Off-Duty

  CHOCOLATE

A/B/O; Soft; Anonymous Sex; Penetration with Object/s; Sleeping; Intercrural Sex; Restraints; In/Under Water; Group Sex; First Time; Possessive Behavior; Dry Humping / Grinding; Overstimulation; Roleplay; Rimming; Stretching / Fisting; Power Imbalance; Food Play; Fingering; Body Worship; Sex Work; Voyeurism / Exhibitionism; Safewords; Technology; Oral Sex; Omorashi / Wetting; Crying; Underwear / Lingerie; Friends with Benefits; Pain Kink; Dirty Talk; Trick or Treat; All trussed up and nowhere to go; Talking is overrated; Sticks and stones may break my bones...; Trust fall; I've got red in my ledger; Touch and go; My spidey-sense is tingling; Coughing up a lung; Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated; Oops, I did it again; Just keep swimming; It'll be fun, they said; That's gonna leave a mark; Under pressure; Feed a cold, starve a fever; On a need-to-know basis; Field care 101; The doctor is in; Just a scratch; Lost & found; That's where the blood's supposed to be; They made me do it; You break it, you buy it; One down, two to go; Hide & Seek; You will go down with this ship; “I'm fine, I prom...”; It's (not) just in your head; All work and no play; Digging your grave; Hurt & Comfort; “You have to let go.”; Garotte; Taunting; “Do you trust me?”; Betrayal; Bruises; Helplessness; Pneumothorax; Presumed Dead; Hospital; Adrift; Torture; “This is gonna suck.”; Crush injuries; Delirium; Recovery; “Please don't move.”; “Now smile for the camera.”; Bitten; Trunk; Bleeding through bandages; Cursed; Auction; Self-induced injuries to escape; Escape; Fallen; Passing out; “Good, you're finally awake.”; “You're still not dead?”; Major character death; Disaster zone; Barbed Wire; Choking; Insults; Taken Hostage; Misunderstanding; Touch Starved; Numbness; Exotic Illness; (Blind) Rage; Flare-Up; Drowning; Made To Watch; Burns; Beaten; Fever Dreams; Scars; Hemorrhage; Doctor Visit; Bleeding; Trapped Under Water; Pressure; Demon; Ransom; Flashback; Flight; Waterfall; Vertigo; Nightmares; Too Weak To Move; Left For Dead; Trauma; Bound; Gagged; “Who Did This To You?”; Pushed; Broken Nose; Hunger; Blindness; “Definitely Just A Cold”; Tears; Ice Chips; Dehydration; Begging; Cauterization; Force; Bees; Aftermath; Dread; Cpr; Stabbing; Solitary Confinement; Blood-Matted Hair; Obsession; Pursuit; Revenge; Hiding; Trap Door; Collapse; Panic; Overworked; Ghosts; Prisoner; Losing Control; Threats; Caning; Mercy; Forgotten; Head Injury; Screaming; Comfort; Self-Sacrifice; Trapped; Near-Death Experience; Regret; Tragedy; Battlefield; Anxiety; Gore; Petplay; Bimbofication; Panties & Lingerie; Bondage; Double Penetration in 2 Holes; Breeding; Humiliation; NTR; Incest; Emeto; Omorashi; Free Use; Crossdressing; Public; Three (or more) some; Daddy & Mommy; Double Penetration in 1 Hole; Distention & Cockbulge; Xenophilia; Shotgunning; Watersports; Pregnancy; Lactation; Waxplay; Grooming; Human Furniture; Feet; Prostituion; MacroMicro; Spanking; Cockwarming; Glory Hole; Somnophilia; Body Modification; Temperature Play; Leather; Size Difference; Sounding; Stockings; Tentacles; Medical Play; Stripping; Orgasm Denial; Master & slave; Scissoring; Titfucking; Frottage; Knifeplay; Formal Wear; Breathplay; Fisting; Pegging; Scat; Beastiality; Fucking Machine; Tickling; Boot Worship; Bukkake; Collaring; Foodplay; Non or dubcon; Feederism; Sensory Deprivation; Oviposition; Clone & Selfcest; Exhibitionism & Voyeurism; Impact Play; Sadomasochism; Bloodplay; Praise Kink; Body Swap; Sweat; Branding; Massage; Role Reversal; Armpit; Masturbation; Inflation; Sex Toys; Burnplay; Menophilia; Stuck in Wall; Deepthroating & Facesitting; Dacryphilia; Hate Sex

  CANDY CORN

Birthday; Sick Day; Autumn; Candles; Plaid / Flannel; Leaf Piles; Sweaters; Baking; Cinnamon; Pumpkin Spice Latte; Carnival; Movie Night; Candy; Graveyard; Black Cats; Goosebumps; Pumpkin; Party; Monster; Ghosts; Witch; Vampire; Traditions; Magic; Mask; Haunted House; Trick; Treat; Costume; Monster Mash; Halloween

  SPRINKLES

Rising Part 1; Rising Part 2; Hide and Seek; Thirty-Eight Minutes; Suspicion; Childhood's End; Poisoning the Well; Underground; Home; The Storm; The Eye; The Defiant One; Hot Zone; Sanctuary; Before I Sleep; The Brotherhood; Letters from Pegasus; The Gift; The Siege Part 1; The Siege Part 2; The Siege Part 3; The Intruder; Runner; Duet; Condemned; Trinity; Instinct; Conversion; Aurora; The Lost Boys; The Hive; Epiphany; Critical Mass; Grace Under Pressure; The Tower; The Long Goodbye; Coup d'Etat; Michael; Inferno; Allies; No Man's Land; Misbegotten; Irresistible; Sateda; Progeny; The Real World; Common Ground; McKay and Mrs. Miller; Phantoms; The Return Part 1; The Return Part 2; Echoes; Irresponsible; Tao of Rodney; The Game; The Ark; Sunday; Submersion; Vengeance; First Strike; Adrift; Lifeline; Reunion; Doppelganger; Travelers; Tabula Rasa; Missing; The Seer; Miller's Crossing; This Mortal Coil; Be All My Sins Remember'd; Spoils of War; Quarantine; Harmony; Outcast; Trio; Midway; The Kindred Part 1; The Kindred Part 2; The Last Man; Search and Rescue; The Seed; Broken Ties; The Daedalus Variations; Ghost in the Machine; The Shrine; Whispers; The Queen; Tracker; First Contact; The Lost Tribe; Outsiders; Inquisition; The Prodigal; Remnants; Brain Storm; Infection; Identity; Vegas; Enemy at the Gate; Ronon Dex; Teyla Emmagan; John Sheppard; Carson Beckett; Elizabeth Weir; Rodney McKay; Jennifer Keller; Samantha Carter; Aiden Ford; Radek Zelenka; Kate Heightmeyer; Evan Lorne; Laura Cadman; Kolya; Chuck; Peter Grodin; Steven Caldwell; Lantea; Ocean; Ancient(s); Richard Woolsey; Athosians; Daedalus; Wraith; Nanites; Asurans; Genii; DHD; SGC; Stargate; Earth; Antarctica; Ascension

 TWIST

“I need you.”; “You have no proof.”; “I’ve waited for this.”; “Fine, I give up.”; “I’m not saying I told you so…”; “Didn’t we already have this conversation?”; “That could have gone better.”; “This is it, isn’t it?”; “There’s no right side to this.”; “It’s so quiet.”; “I swear, it’s not always like this.”; “You keep me safe.”; “The things you make me do…”; “Your information was wrong.”; “I like that in you.”; “Not this again.”; “I’m with you, you know that.”; “This was not part of the plan.”; “I feel strange.”; “That’s what I’m known for.”; “What did I say?”; “No promises.”; “This time, do what I say.”; “Is this supposed to impress me?”; “Do you know what time it is?”; “I’m sure this has never worked, ever.”; “You could have died!”; “I don’t have to explain myself.”; “Why are we whispering?”; “Don’t ruin this.”; “Take me with you.”; Crystal; Suit; Vessel; Knot; Raven; Spirit; Fan; Watch; Pressure; Pick; Sour; Stuck; Roof; Tick; Helmet; Compass; Collide; Moon; Loop; Sprout; Fuzzy; Open; Leak; Extinct; Splat; Connect; Spark; Crispy; Patch; Slither; Risk; Meet-Cute; Amnesia; Age Difference; Pining; Sick Fic; Fake Relationship; Accidental Meeting; Epistolary; Secret Identity; Historical AU; Nightmares; Monster Hunter; A/B/O; Reunion; Soulmates; At Pride; Angst; Seasons; Fix-It; Coffee Shop; Movie Plot AU; Kid Fic; Actor's Other Crossover Work; OT+; Getting Together; Only One Bed; Pirates; Making Up; Forbidden Relationship; Tattoos; Halloween; Prime Directive; Lower Decks / Background Characters; Away Mission; Ship's Bar; Aliens Made Them Do It; Observation Deck; Crew with Family; Holodeck; Science Crew; Character Survives; Headcanons; Diplomacy; Decontamination; Trek Crossover; Replicator; Worldbuilding; Redshirts; Sex / Love Potion; Medical Crew; Transporters; Medbay; Interspecies Relationship; Mirrorverse; Uniforms; Mutiny; Stranded on a Planet; Rec Room; Academy Era; Second Contact; Command Crew; Off-Duty; Soft; Anonymous Sex; Penetration with Object/s; Sleeping; Intercrural Sex; Restraints; In/Under Water; Group Sex; First Time; Possessive Behavior; Dry Humping / Grinding; Overstimulation; Roleplay; Rimming; Stretching / Fisting; Power Imbalance; Food Play; Fingering; Body Worship; Sex Work; Voyeurism / Exhibitionism; Safewords; Technology; Oral Sex; Omorashi / Wetting; Crying; Underwear / Lingerie; Friends with Benefits; Pain Kink; Dirty Talk; Trick or Treat; All trussed up and nowhere to go; Talking is overrated; Sticks and stones may break my bones...; Trust fall; I've got red in my ledger; Touch and go; My spidey-sense is tingling; Coughing up a lung; Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated; Oops, I did it again; Just keep swimming; It'll be fun, they said; That's gonna leave a mark; Under pressure; Feed a cold, starve a fever; On a need-to-know basis; Field care 101; The doctor is in; Just a scratch; Lost & found; That's where the blood's supposed to be; They made me do it; You break it, you buy it; One down, two to go; You will go down with this ship; “I'm fine, I prom...”; It's (not) just in your head; All work and no play; Digging your grave; Hurt & Comfort; “You have to let go.”; Garotte; Taunting; “Do you trust me?”; Betrayal; Bruises; Helplessness; Pneumothorax; Presumed Dead; Hospital; Adrift; Torture; “This is gonna suck.”; Crush injuries; Delirium; Recovery; “Please don't move.”; “Now smile for the camera.”; Bitten; Trunk; Bleeding through bandages; Cursed; Auction; Self-induced injuries to escape; Escape; Fallen; Passing out; “Good, you're finally awake.”; “You're still not dead?”; Major character death; Disaster zone; Barbed Wire; Choking; Insults; Taken Hostage; Misunderstanding; Touch Starved; Numbness; Exotic Illness; (Blind) Rage; Flare-Up; Drowning; Made To Watch; Burns; Beaten; Fever Dreams; Scars; Hemorrhage; Doctor Visit; Bleeding; Trapped Under Water; Demon; Ransom; Flashback; Flight; Waterfall; Vertigo; Too Weak To Move; Left For Dead; Trauma; Bound; Gagged; “Who Did This To You?”; Pushed; Broken Nose; Hunger; Blindness; “Definitely Just A Cold”; Tears; Ice Chips; Dehydration; Begging; Cauterization; Force; Bees; Aftermath; Dread; Cpr; Stabbing; Solitary Confinement; Blood-Matted Hair; Obsession; Pursuit; Revenge; Hiding; Trap Door; Collapse; Panic; Overworked; Ghosts; Prisoner; Losing Control; Threats; Caning; Mercy; Forgotten; Head Injury; Screaming; Comfort; Self-Sacrifice; Trapped; Near-Death Experience; Regret; Tragedy; Battlefield; Anxiety; Gore; Petplay; Bimbofication; Panties & Lingerie; Bondage; Double Penetration in 2 Holes; Breeding; Humiliation; NTR; Incest; Emeto; Omorashi; Free Use; Crossdressing; Public; Three (or more) some; Daddy & Mommy; Double Penetration in 1 Hole; Distention & Cockbulge; Xenophilia; Shotgunning; Watersports; Pregnancy; Lactation; Waxplay; Grooming; Human Furniture; Feet; Prostituion; MacroMicro; Spanking; Cockwarming; Glory Hole; Somnophilia; Body Modification; Temperature Play; Leather; Size Difference; Sounding; Stockings; Tentacles; Medical Play; Stripping; Orgasm Denial; Master & slave; Scissoring; Titfucking; Frottage; Knifeplay; Formal Wear; Breathplay; Fisting; Pegging; Scat; Beastiality; Fucking Machine; Tickling; Boot Worship; Bukkake; Collaring; Foodplay; Non or dubcon; Feederism; Sensory Deprivation; Oviposition; Clone & Selfcest; Exhibitionism & Voyeurism; Impact Play; Sadomasochism; Bloodplay; Praise Kink; Body Swap; Sweat; Branding; Massage; Role Reversal; Armpit; Masturbation; Inflation; Sex Toys; Burnplay; Menophilia; Stuck in Wall; Deepthroating & Facesitting; Dacryphilia; Hate Sex; Birthday; Sick Day; Autumn; Candles; Plaid / Flannel; Leaf Piles; Sweaters; Baking; Cinnamon; Pumpkin Spice Latte; Carnival; Movie Night; Candy; Graveyard; Black Cats; Goosebumps; Pumpkin; Party; Monster; Witch; Vampire; Traditions; Magic; Mask; Haunted House; Trick; Treat; Costume; Monster Mash; Rising Part 1; Rising Part 2; Hide and Seek; Thirty-Eight Minutes; Suspicion; Childhood's End; Poisoning the Well; Underground; Home; The Storm; The Eye; The Defiant One; Hot Zone; Sanctuary; Before I Sleep; The Brotherhood; Letters from Pegasus; The Gift; The Siege Part 1; The Siege Part 2; The Siege Part 3; The Intruder; Runner; Duet; Condemned; Trinity; Instinct; Conversion; Aurora; The Lost Boys; The Hive; Epiphany; Critical Mass; Grace Under Pressure; The Tower; The Long Goodbye; Coup d'Etat; Michael; Inferno; Allies; No Man's Land; Misbegotten; Irresistible; Sateda; Progeny; The Real World; Common Ground; McKay and Mrs. Miller; Phantoms; The Return Part 1; The Return Part 2; Echoes; Irresponsible; Tao of Rodney; The Game; The Ark; Sunday; Submersion; Vengeance; First Strike; Lifeline; Doppelganger; Travelers; Tabula Rasa; Missing; The Seer; Miller's Crossing; This Mortal Coil; Be All My Sins Remember'd; Spoils of War; Quarantine; Harmony; Outcast; Trio; Midway; The Kindred Part 1; The Kindred Part 2; The Last Man; Search and Rescue; The Seed; Broken Ties; The Daedalus Variations; Ghost in the Machine; The Shrine; Whispers; The Queen; Tracker; First Contact; The Lost Tribe; Outsiders; Inquisition; The Prodigal; Remnants; Brain Storm; Infection; Identity; Vegas; Enemy at the Gate; Ronon Dex; Teyla Emmagan; John Sheppard; Carson Beckett; Elizabeth Weir; Rodney McKay; Jennifer Keller; Samantha Carter; Aiden Ford; Radek Zelenka; Kate Heightmeyer; Evan Lorne; Laura Cadman; Kolya; Chuck; Peter Grodin; Steven Caldwell; Lantea; Ocean; Ancient(s); Richard Woolsey; Athosians; Daedalus; Wraith; Nanites; Asurans; Genii; DHD; SGC; Stargate; Earth; Antarctica; Ascension

[yennefers-geralt]

Why the ending of GOT will not be the ending of ASOIAF:

Bran will not become the Three-Eyed Raven. Why? Because there is no Three-Eyed Raven in ASOIAF. Brynden Rivers specifically is call the three-eyed crow, but that name doesn’t strip away his personality or his personal feelings. He still hates his half-brother and loves his half-sister. So even when Bran’s training is complete or more advanced, there is no reason to believe he will lose his personality or personal ambitions.

Bran’s powers will not be wasted. Why? Because his powers already exceed what Brynden tells him are possible. He’s already helped Jon activate his powers back in ACOK and is able to make his father hear him slightly in ADWD. He also seems to be able to find Arya through Nymeria. So rather than just being a robot and a target, he will have an actual role to play in the story.

Since Bran will not lose his identity, there is no way he would lose his claim to the North. Why? Because as noted above, Brynden doesn’t lose his identity, so there is no reason Bran would. Also, there is a great deal of foreshadowing for Bran’s deep connection to Winterfell and his training for leadership in the North. That suggests he will be King in the North or Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. 

Arya will not kill the Night King. Why? Because the Night’s King in the book was a historical/legendary figure with a completely different story than the show’s character with a similar name. There’s no suggestion that killing one specific Other will destroy the rest. That said, Arya’s training in the books and her magical abilities will play a key role in the Long Night.

Arya will not go west of Westeros. Why? Because in canon she never expresses any intention of doing so and never wants to become a sailor other than one thought of becoming a second cabin girl so she won’t have to go to Braavos. Arya’s narrative is leading her home to her family the long way around.

Arya’s skinchanging will come into play. Why? Because GRRM said that it would. He said there was a purpose for Nymeria’s pack and compared it to Chekhov’s Gun. So Arya’s growing abilities will play a role in the story and she will likely connect with Bran since he has already found her through Nymeria in TWOW.

Jon’s parentage reveal won’t purely serve as an obstacle for another character, but will matter to him and his character arc. Why? Because it doesn’t make sense that it wouldn’t. I’m no fan of R+L=J. I wish it wasn’t part of the story. But it is. And the reveal will actually matter for Jon rather than purely impacting another character.

Jon won’t take over Stannis’ story. Why? Because in the books, Stannis has Stannis’ story. He is the one who took politically savvy (no, not like that) Jon’s advice and gained the support of Northern lords and is marching to meet the Boltons without burning Shireen. Jon’s first chapters might take place while he is experiencing his second life inside of the aptly named Ghost. There’s a reason we got info on how skinchangers got a second life in the animal they bonded with. His resurrection will result in something beyond a “Get Out of the Night’s Watch Free” card.

Dany won’t come to Westeros with the support of three regions to start waging war on the Lannisters. Why? Because the Dornish prince who came to bring Dany home is dead. Meanwhile, Aegon VI Targaryen (aka Young Griff) has arrived in Westeros with the Golden Company and is conquering the Stormlands, including the unconquerable Storm’s End. He’s also receiving envoys from Dorne and could possibly take the Tyrell alliance away from the Lannisters. 

If Dany and Tyrion become allies, he won’t give her idiotic advice that aims for a bloodless war and predictably leads to the destruction of their forces. Why? Because Tyrion is intelligent and ruthless. He sees what’s going on in the siege of Meereen and sees ways Dany could have destroyed her besieging enemies much faster. He also wants to kill his brother and sister and wouldn’t be opposed to human life being sacrificed during war. Just look at the way he put wildfire on a ship full of his own soldiers during the Battle of Blackwater. So all those pained looks  at each decision Dany made in the show? Nope. She would be the one talking him down.

Dany likely won’t arrive with all three dragons. Why? Because someone has just arrived at Meereen with the intention of claiming her and her dragons with a magic horn. He obviously won’t claim her. But the horn could claim Rhaegal and Viserion either making them Victorian’s or Euron’s.

Dany won’t go insane. Why? Because nothing she has done is any worse than what her male counterparts have done. Like Arya, her journey is about finding her home. Her pursuit of the throne is something she sees as a duty to the people she is told are waiting for her. She supports other claimants whether it’s her brother or her son over her own claim. For herself, she wants a simple life. But she puts the needs of her people above personal goals. Also, the vision of the destroyed Red Keep is a show only invention. She has more complicated visions in the book, none of which suggest she is insane or will be. 

Tyrion will have a far more complex story arc that won’t include judging every move his chosen leader makes. Why? Because book!Tyrion is a completely different character than show!Tyrion. He isn’t a faultless saint with all the morally right opinions. He is the darkest of grey characters who is sympathetic even while growing darker. As a product of his culture, he is familiar with brutal tactics of warfare and implements them. As stated above, if he joins with Dany, as he wishes to, he will be the one with the darker military choices. We know this because of his actions in previous books as well as his analysis of the state of the Meereen siege. He won’t be pushing to burn King’s Landing down, but he won’t be clutching his pearls at every casualty or any morally ambiguous move.

The Others during the Long Night will be the final boss, not Cersei. Why? Because the series is called A Song of Ice and Fire not Game of Thrones. The politics are the subplot, not the main event. It doesn’t make any kind of sense to fight a less threatening boss after the big one. 

Long story short, there is no way the show’s ending can line up with the book ending.

[shirtlesssammy]

15x04 Bullet Point Rambles

Oh my god BECKY can you believe she’s coming back today?

It’s Dean with a beard! (I almost wrote furry Jensen and yeah...no)

The bunker’s under siege with some rando fighters and I’m just waiting for the “20 hours earlier” title card

WAIT Benny is here and dying now dead and WHAT

Oh bby Dean is having a nightmare. BBY DEAN

(A few seconds later) OH no it’s SAM having the nightmare. coddles Sam under a mountain of blankets

Ah, the ol’ Winchester cure…hunting things, saving people, eating…veggie bacon? (Edit: Not veggie bacon. DEAN)

Boris: So the meat man is going to Beaverdale. Welcome to network TV, people!

“The end of the world is the end of the world.” #truth

Hey, remember that one time when Sam was possessed and his refuge was solving a dead cheerleader case?

Whoa look at Dean hitting up his flask. Dean Bean, it’s okay to have emotions!

Oh hello recurring theme of “the world doesn’t know about the monster threat, is this bad? circle Y/N”

Hey WOW look at Becky! Who knew she’d have a painting of herself in her attic? (She looks good!)

Chuck shows up. WTF Chuck

Becky writes fanfic. “They just sit around and do laundry and talk.” PREACH Becky (Boris: Team laundry!) (Natasha: Boris published her DCBB today yaaaaas)

We love Becky’s stash of Cas stuff. Team Free Will all the way, baby!

Chuck’s having an identity crisis (Boris: Or IS he?)

Dean and Sam head in to question the third-in-line cheerleader but learn she has braces so she can’t be a vamp. (Excuse me while I start my new business: orthodontics for fanged folk)

It turns out that the lacrosse playing family is up to some shady stuff. They’ve got one of the cheerleaders tied up in the garage. Yiiiiikes.

Oh interesting. So Chuck can’t see the Winchesters because of his magic bullet wound

I’m listening to Becky’s diatribe about the writer’s need to write so just fucking do it and I’M IN THIS PICTURE AND I DON’T LIKE IT

Becky inspires Chuck to write again, so once again Becky is a villain, I guess

Wait are these kid’s parents just psycho humans hoping to get their son into Yale? ‘Cause yikes

Becky continues to enable Chuck, but she does throw in some solid critique. “No classic rock, nobody mentions Cas.” OMG guys. Uh, anyway, Becky tells Chuck to write more danger so oh nooooooooes this is a problem for our boys

Oh dear, turns out the son is the vamp. He ate his girlfriend during a gruesomely overzealous makeout session

Lacrosse boy explains that he can’t stop. He lays it all out - he’ll take the blame for everything, not his parents - and assigns Dean as his executioner. Welp. (Boris: I’m starting to feel gross. Chuck you’re an asshole, making them kill a son. That whole “if you were a parent you would know” line)

Boris: Eeeuuuuuugh

Well, now we feel gross about this execution (as we’re meant to). ANGRILY WRITES FLUFFY FANFIC

Becky is seriously creeped out by Chuck’s narrative. He’s written an incredibly dark ending…and he’ll get there somehow. (mustache twirl mustache twirl)

GROSS Chuck just disappeared Becky’s husband and kids. Hey, I can’t wait until the end of the show when Becky kills God! (Me, seconds later: Uuuuuh from her new disappeared location?)

Sam recaps in the car: they would have done similar for Jack. Dean gives Sam the “why we do this” speech. Dean is coping SUPER well, guys. Not a tense bone in his body

GUYS Sam still thinks about Jessica and all the people they’ve lost. “I don’t feel free. What we’ve done. What we’ve lost. Right now that is what I’m feeling. Sometimes it’s like I can’t even breathe.” SAM BBY

Boris was right: this was a goooood Sam episode. Davy Perez always writes us some GOOD SAM CONTENT

Back at Becky’s place, Chuck murders people with his words in a wonderfully malevolent fashion. Ooooo interesting

[zirroxas]

Total War: 3K Reddit AMA and Misc Info Summary

Heroes and Guanxi Reddit AMA Summary Points:

Characters leaving your faction can have different kinds of exits. Some may leave amicably, others might quit in disgust. This will influence their disposition towards you later.

The appearance of your characters on their unit cards and the campaign map will change with the different armor and weapons you give them.

In Romance mode, if a character survives in a duel long enough to have "proven their worth" they can quit without demoralizing their troops. The example is some random nobody challenging Lu Bu. If he doesn't die instantly and puts up a fight, he can end the duel and his troops will be inspired by this.

Ancillaries come from random events, defeating generals who hold them, and from certain building chains.

Legendary items are usually in the hands of legendary characters spawned in at the beginning of the game. However, they can also spawn in through other characters later on (Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi for example), buildings that are built, or "master craftsmen."

Rank affects characters differently. Ambitious characters are more interested in their career than Dutiful characters, while Loyal characters don't really care that much.

The top three spots in your empire (Leader, Heir, and Prime Minister) will confer different global bonuses depending on who fills them. These are also the places that will cause a civil war if a character occupying them defects.

No chariots.

Population is the primary driver of economy and replenishment. Migration, buildings, and characters will change the growth. Sieges will diminish a population greatly.

Characters will die of old age at some point (this might not be the same in Romance mode, see below).

Relationships can form no matter what side the characters are on, so long as they interact. So generals fighting against each other can actually become friends, while characters fighting alongside each other can also become rivals.

Title Rank progression is based on class. So the ranks a Strategist (starts at "orator")will go through are different than a Vanguard (starts at "officer") up until the position of "Lieutenant Governor" (the third highest rank).

Skill trees are different between classes, but also between backgrounds. So any given character's skill tree will be different based on both their background and their class.

Mercenary units can be recruited through a special building chain. They have greater cost, but deploy immediately, without needing to muster. Only Sun Jian can build these buildings, but everyone can use them if already built.

Any relationship can theoretically be made or broken. So it is possible for the three brothers to turn on each other if bad decisions (demotions, events) take place. Though, their relationship starts so high that this is unlikely. In fact, it's also stated that the reason that the Xiahou cousins were even willing to jump ship from Cao Cao in the video was that something had happened that soured their relationship.

There are indeed five seasons in the game: Spring, Summer, Harvest, Autumn, and Winter in that order.

Seasons affect supply consumption and food production.

Characters will not magically survive at the end of battle if killed in a duel. However, not all duels end with life or death.

Battle maps are tied to the terrain that they're initiated in on the campaign map.

Characters will develop new traits over time.

Non-leader characters do not affect the diplomacy between faction leaders. Only the faction leader's relationship matters.

Records mode will tone down the design of "over the top" weapons, but legendary equipment will still be in the game, just with more reasonable design.

You will be able to see a character's relationships within your faction if you capture them.

Familial relations are only tracked and managed within the ruling family. Your unrelated generals will not keep track of their family members. They can, however, marry.

Character rank is not just about martial skill and is also tied to fame. So a character who just does a lot of stuff through events, assignments, and the like can also achieve high rank without fighting in battles. Lu Bu starts at very high rank.

Every character starts with three core traits which define their personality. They'll gain an additional four traits over time, but these cannot contradict their original three. So a Kind character will not also become Merciless.

Non-unique characters are not inherently worse than unique ones, stat wise. Unique ones do tend to start with unique weapons (which can be stolen) and skills (which can't).

Free agent characters will travel between different recruitment pools based on their affinity and past experiences with various leaders.

If a faction leader dies without an heir, a new heir will be chosen automatically, but a civil war can break out immediately since there is no clear line of succession and the high ranking officers want to play for power. You will play as the new heir.

If you make your wife your heir, then you have a kid with her and make the kid your heir, your wife will not be happy.

Bodyguards in Records mode will change unit type based on the kind of character their general is.

There are lots of characters who will only spawn into the game in the later years of the campaign. Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi were given as mid game examples, and Jiang Wei as a late game one.

Some characters (examples given were Cao Ren and Xun Yu) don't have unique portraits or models. However, they do have unique effects and traits.

Town garrisons will be led by Captains, who do not act as full characters (no skills, ancillaries, guanxi, etc). Only Yuan Shao can recruit them to lead field armies.

Miscellaneous Info Gathered from Youtubers and Teiba:

The build shown is 2 months old.

Generals were deliberately overpowered in the build.

Graphics saturation will be turned down in the main release.

Asking for the surrender of a garrison is back.

Terrain effects are more pronounced on the battlefield. Snow will slow movement by up to 75%. Light units will fight worse in it.

Sapping tunnels are in the game. They're built like other siege equipment, but they trigger right before the assault, so you don't have to commit units to them during the fight. However, you do not get to choose what segments of the wall get destroyed.

Formations can also be enabled by ancillaries (normally enabled by strategists).

There are 10 levels for major cities. Building slots for cities cap out at 6 at the highest levels.

Cities have supplies as well, which determines how long they can hold out under siege.

Building chains in the capitol can have multiple branching paths. Minor settlements also have split paths.

There is now a smart click and drag feature, so you can create a standard formation of infantry frontline, archer backline, and cavalry flanks just by clicking and dragging, rather than it turning into a generic line.

Settlements have civilians walking about like Attila.

Man of the Hour can trigger on both troops that you field and troops that you take prisoner. You can therefore get new generals from enemy captains who fight well but are still defeated.

Units cannot be swapped between retinues. You can however, directly replace a unit within a retinue, rather than dismissing it and recruiting a new one (saves clicks).

Confirmed Stances are: No Stance, Ambush, Encamp, and Forced March.

Encampment battles are in the game.

There is some kind of population limitation on recruitment. You can only recruit a certain amount of units from a particular province pool before they disappear from the pool and have to replenish. The UI is currently unclear on how this works.

The Emperor rank in campaign allows you to recruit Palace Guards.

Naval battles are autoresolve only. 

There is global tax rate adjustment as well as provincial tax exemptions. Changing tax rate requires a higher faction rank.

General "speeches" are on the loading screen before battle and are mostly banter between the generals deployed in the army.

When selecting a faction, you start on a screen that lets you change between different groupings of factions. Liu Bei is under the "Coalition" group.

Assignments replace edicts. You still need a full commandery to issue them, but they also require a free character to carry them out.

Hopefully this is helpful to people. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll try to dig up answers (info is scattered all over the internet).

[shadowcipher17]

Why I Think Twilight vs. Chrysalis Has To Be Endgame For Season 9 of Friendship Is Magic

I think it’s high time, I bring in my predictions for Season 9 of FIM, since it’s the final season. As far as rumors go Chrysalis and Sombra are supposed to appear this season which would make them the only original villains left and considering that they were the only one’s who didn’t get reformed, but I wanna move aside Sombra for a little bit and talk about Chrysalis.

Chrysalis has been around since Season 2 and the only villain to not only be detained but also the only one not to be reformed and or imprisoned. The fact that they have her around until the end, the writers have put her back to her former glory from Season 2 and they have to have something big for her if she’s to survive the series for this long. Which brings me to the endgame for Chrysalis an I see five options:

Imprisonment (Tirek and Cozy Glow, The Sirens)

Petrification (The Storm King and formally Discord)

Reformation/Redemption (Luna,, Discord, Sunset, Starlight, Stygian, Tempest...)

The writers kill her off (Sombra)

She miraculously escapes...again (Bonus if she escapes to the Equestria Girls world)

Unfortunately, Chrysalis can’t really stand on her own at this point because we saw what happened in The Mean 6, and other villains are coming into play in Season 9, so most likely it’ll be a team up sort of thing...with most likely backstabbing and betrayal. But those are the options that I see in the cards for her. And the only one I clearly see pulling one of these off is none other than the one pony who ultimately got her to where she is now: Twilight Sparkle herself. And can I point out that specifically in the comics...those two have history since the wedding and it’s AMAZING.

In the comics, Chrysalis hates Twilight with a PASSION for her defeat in A Canterlot Wedding which basically sets up the comic The Return Of Queen Chrysalis and how she vows to get revenge on Twilight for defeating her, but then Chrysalis underestimates Twilight again and gets defeated by her again. Really quickly though if you put the show and comic versions of Chrysalis together she has a good timeline for herself that actually works.

Season 2: Finale: A Canterlot Wedding- April 21,2012

Comic- The Return Of Queen Chrysalis- Nov. 2012- Mar. 2013 (Set in between S2 and S3) (Tries to get revenge on Twilight by draining her magic)

Comic- Fiendship is Magic Issue #5- April 29, 2015- (Twilight accidentally sets Chrysalis and the changelings free from prison)

Comic- Siege Of The Crystal Empire #34-#35- September 16, 2015/October 21, 2015 (Chrysalis and the changelings agree to help Radiant Hope distract the Mane 6 so she can free Sombra but agrees only to get back at Twilight then flees when she hears Radiant and Sombra wanting to bring about the Umbra.)

Season 6 Finale- To Where And Back Again- October 22, 2016

Season 8 Episode 13- The Mean 6- June 9, 2018

Heck, she even got bested by Twilight’s clone and almost lost in a magic duel. (Darn it, Tree Of Harmony).

Not only that, but despite those two going at odds with each other even before Mean Twilight was created, Chrysalis had a certain anger towards her while looking at Twilight’s picture rather than the other pictures and even put emphasis on destroying Twilight and her friends.

So in short Twilight and Chrysalis to me have to be endgame as enemies towards each other.

[alwaysbegaming]

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[arkus-rhapsode]

Comparison: Haru Glory and Natsu Dragneel

Okay so if you forget, I did one of these before with Acnologia and Endless and I thought about it and I really wanna do Haru vs Natsu. Now this is a comparison of these two character, so this isn’t meant to feel like an attack on anyone who likes these two.

So many people have a lot of ill-feelings towards FT and one of those things is Natsu Dragneel. Natsu Dragneel is often critiqued as an standard hot-blooded shounen protagonist, gets away with too many awful things, is treated like the big damn hero who is infallible, boring to sit through in battles, never being affected by anything that happens to him, and not developing beyond who he is from chapter 1. Now I will definitely defend Natsu more than the average Joe, but at times, it is surprising to see how he ended up. Because like a lot of Fairy Tail, if you read Rave Master, there seems to be a lot of stuff done better, one of them being main protagonist, Haru Glory.

Haru seems to be a complete reversal of Natsu and a lot of that seems to be a detriment to Natsu. So let’s compare Haru to Natsu on a lot of these subjects that Natsu is often said to be a bad character for.

The first is the standard battle manga protagonist. Natsu is a character similar to Luffy or Naruto, he’s loud, brash, very eager for action, and when it comes down to pinch you see that they are people who stick up for what they believe in. Haru falls into a different category, the straight man like Yusuke or Ichigo, he’s more reactionary to the new world around him, he’ll think things out, and ultimately it’s their goal that pushes them to continue through the unfamiliar. There’s nothing wrong with a protagonist being like either of these options, the standard hot-blooded shounen protagonist is considered a trope because it is effective. With shounen being a demographic aimed at adolescent boys, so it would be easy for them to make a connection to this very boisterous character, the thing is that being a standard hot-blooded protagonist is easy to help have fun and quickly identify with them, but it’s harder to keep the readers interest if that’s all they are like throughout the series. We’ll get into this later, but characters like Naruto and Luffy overtime became more nuanced than just that standard character they were introduced as and became unique characters separate from other standard shounen characters like them. Natsu however, isn’t like that. There isn’t any layers to him throughout the series, the most I could identify that separates him from other manga characters like him, is he was raised by a dragon. Haru on the other hand, like other straight man characters, is able to more clearly cut out their identity. Haru and Yusuke are a bit different in that, while they can act very reactionary to the world around them they still are able to fit in goofy moments when the tone calls for it. (Unlike  Ichigo who ends up coming off as a stick in the mud most the time). An interesting about Natsu and Haru is that Natsu is introduced along with Lucy, so it had to balance out the time spent on each character, but Haru is unique in the sense it took 5 chapters before he was joined by another permanent cast member, so you really get a good grasp of who Haru is early on.

Now on to the next thing, Natsu gets away with too many awful things. Alright this is something I don’t want to entirely blame on Natsu as a character, but more a fault of the world created around them. In the world of Fairy Tail, this world is considered well govern to the point it has a multitude of legal guilds across, and that the villains are either treated as one man operations that act as rogues, such as bandits or swindlers, or the are more like terrorist organizations with large numbers of individuals trying to take over the world. The thing is, criminals and dark guilds are more like isolated incidents, those who wish to disrupt the already peaceful world, because wizards while capable of combat, are also tasked to do menial things. There’s no hint that guilds and mages are tasked to go out and fight other countries who are waging war, or have become corrupt, because Ishgar seems like it is secured. So when Natsu (or anybody in the series) does something like destroy public property, unless it’s a base of a villain (like the grimoire airship) or a tool in the possession of the villains (like Nirvana), there is no reason for characters like Natsu to escalate it as much as they do. So Natsu comes off as an inconsiderate jerk, because most situations he’s put in doesn’t justify destroying things. He breaks into Sabertooth’s lodgings in the GMG because of how they treated Yukino. While it’s admirable how cares about someone who isn’t part of his guild, he takes to an extreme by breaking in and not only brutalizing several innocent members of Sabertooth, but also endangering his guild of staying in the tournament. It’s not like Sabertooth was a guild from another country that had machinations to assassinate the king, at worse they were just a bunch of jerks. I mean instead of doing the sensible thing and showing how Natsu cares about how guilds treating their members by using Yukino’s excommunication as added motivation to beat Sting and Rogue, he looks like a bigger jackass taking iit to an extreme level. The worse thing is, he’s never punished. It be one thing if he kept up with these headstrong moments and learned from them after seeing it endangers others, but also he keeps getting punished, but nope, off scot-free.  Now the world of Rave is not a heavily organized world, while there is a world government, there are still individual kingdoms and areas that have their own ethics, and the villains he’s facing exploit that by setting up in areas of the world where they won’t be compromised by the world government. Lets compare, Haru breaks into the residence of Lance, a murder and commander of the Demon card organization. Lance like Jiemma is a dick (even more so because of how he murders and kidnaps people), but he lives in the Song continent’s punk street, an area where you can get your hands on tons of weapons and has little oversight by the government. It also doesn’t help that Lance had captured Elie and threatened to murder her. In this world, it’s a lot easier to justify why Haru would break in and why he should fight this guy. Due to the nature of the world, Haru is never a jackass for breaking rules in a lawful world like Natsu.

Next up is infallibility. Okay, I will say Natsu is not all that “hero worshiped” like some claim. It’s more Fairy Tail itself is consider great and inspirational, not just Natsu. In fact, if I had to rercall, sole Natsu worship only comes from his team when he’s talking about how awesome Fairy Tail is, Romeo who I can understand why he looks up to Natsu because of how he saved his dad, and Sting who alternates between how Natsu changed him to how Fairy Tail changed him. It’s less Natsu is infallible because of all his inspiration ad effect on others, but more he never gets in trouble like with the shit he does. Which as I cover above, is very annoying. Whereas Haru does have hero worship, like when the mermaid Celia bows and calls him “the sword of the world” and how he’s going to save the world The thing is this is not an often occurance like with the worship for Fairy Til and more related to the world created in Rave. Haru is considered the “sword of the world” because he’s the Rave Master, all that greatness came from the Rave Master before him, Shiba who saved the world 50 years ago and the the fact that Rave is the only thing that can destroy Dark Bring, which again makes it a lot more palatable when someone says he’s going to save world.

Now on to, boring to sit through in battles. Okay, Natsu’s power is fire. An ability that almost every battle shounen has a character who uses fire. Bleach-Yamamoto, Toriko-Starjun, JJBA-Abdoul, Black Clover-Magna, One Piece-Ace, MHA-Todoroki, FMA-Roy, ect. FIRE IS A STANDARD POWER! Now, there is nothing wrong with the main character using fire power, but with Natsu, there’s no growth in it. His fights often end with a giant flaming friendship punch. He doesn’t feel like he earned this win. Whereas Haru on the other hand, has a sword with 10 forms, but he does have access to all 10 at the start, he gradually unlocks his swords, only starting with 2: A standard large metal sword (Eisenmeteor) and a sword that makes explosions (Explosions). Haru wins a lot of his fights creatively, in his first big fight against Lance, he utilizes something as simple as the power to make explosions in creative ways, like using it to propel himself or make smokescreens. In his fight against the zombie Crush Cookie, Cookie has the power of Gildarts in the fact that what ever his body touches he can break apart and disassemble, so Haru uses the wind sword Mel Force that normally he uses to blow opponents backwards, paralyzing them shortly, but Cookie says it doesn’t matter if Haru tries to hit him his sword will be destroyed. But it turns out that by using the wind to push Cookie back, COokie hits the wall of the ship their on and he falls out of it, burning up because as a zombie he’s weak to sunlight. If you want another example, let’s compare Natsu vs Jellal, and Haru vs Sieg. Both fights occur at at about a fifth of the way through their series. Natsu takes a blind chance on eating Etherion to give him the power to defeat Jellal. It’s just raw power on how he beat Jellal. Whereas with Haru vs Sieg, Haru can’t match a master mage like Sieg because of Sieg’s magic, so Haru uses the magic sealing sword, Rune Save. However, this sword only cuts what can’t be cut, like magic, gases, or water, but it can’t cut people. So Haru has to get unique and and while destroying the magic, he alternates between his normal sword, Eisenmeteor, and uses that to damage Sieg. Haru also growing in strength, not just with new swords, but also the power of the Rave, so it feels like his combat style is growing with the progression of the series. But Natsu is just the same thing, Fire->friendship->bigger fire->win. As I said, fire can be interesting, like his fight with Yuka, where he used his power to ignite his elbow and push him further through the wave and it be cool to see Natsu grow from just fists coated in fire, but maybe focusing his flames on top of each other, kinda making a make-shift flame spear or drill. Or how about focusing on the heat of his fire and not just the flames, that way he could melt obstacles. Or he could use the fire to coat his body to act like armor. It’s not impossible to make fire an interesting power. So with this formulaic nature Natsu is seen as undeserving of a lot of his wins, whereas Haru we see effort go into it.

Now on to the big one, never being affected by anything that happens to him. Natsu  has the basis for things in canon to effect him and develop him beyond what he was introduced as. This isn’t brand new stuff that’s made from whole cloth AU either, there are multiple instances in canon to develop him. Natsu is introduced as looking for his dad, but past chapter 1, we don’t see that effort ever again. Natsu in the tower talks about how Erza is the strongest person he knows, does that evolve into something new than their previous relationship? No. He admits defeat to Gildarts and learns to accept being scared. Only for that to be completely forgotten in his fight with Zancrow and then after that going to challenge Hades even though just a couple minutes ago he was getting his ass kicked by Bluenote. Natsu watches his dad die in front of him. Okay is this a motivator for him to kill Acnologia? Nope, he’s still same old natsu. Haru on the other hand, gets a lot of development. In the first few chapters we find out that his dad abandoned him and his sister and he resents him for that. But then when he remeets his father and finds out how Gale left due to circumstances beyond his control, we see Haru remorseful for hating his dad. His dad then dies protecting him and we see in the mermaid peril arc where the mermaids who use what little magic they have to save him from being turned to stone, and he gets flashbacks of his dad dying and starts to cry to stop sacrificing their lives to save his. Haru also is defeated by Doryu the first time they meet, then next time he actually has learned from his fight with Doryu just how strong the sinclair pieces are. Then there is also Haru’s stance on not killing people, he eventually has to make piece with that and bring himself to kill Lucia for the sake of the world. So Haru feels like he as a character is growing from all the things he’s gone through, but Natsu is still the same. Natsu motivation and arc don’t really amount to anything in the end. Now the thing about development isn’t, oh Natsu has to be a some saint who no longer picks fights with people in the later story, but there should be nuance in both his mannerism and demeanor, like with Haru. Development isn’t you becoming a brand new character, but rather a character growing from the events of the story.

Which all leads into the end, Natsu seems like the same person he was at the start of the story. The sad thing is, this is entirely true. Natsu is the same guy he was in chapter 1 as he was in 545. He’s happy, loud, gets into petty fights with Gray, and pays no mean to distrubing someone else’s living space. Only now he’s strong enough to take a 100 year quest. Nothing about that is different from how he entered the series. Haru on the other hand, went from a kid on an isolated island who when he finally set foot on the mainland got robbed and disliked his father, to a noble knight-like hero who admired hos father. If you see Haru in capter one you hear him say, “My sister taught me...” when jumping into help. He’s doing the right thing only because of his upbringing taught him that it was bad to hurt people or mistreat animals, but by the end of the series he’s telling Lucia about how he’s taking away everyone else’s life and how he loves this world and just because he was wronged doesn’t give him the right to call it a “fake world”. Haru is different from chapter 1 to 296, that’s the sign of development. Something Natsu didn’t do.

Oh boy, this post may seem like a giant shitting on Natsu, and while it kinda is, I wanted to bring attention to the fact Hiro can create a good protagonist. Despite his flaws Natsu holds a soft spot in my heart, but it’s very easy to understand in objective terms why Natsu fails as a protagonist. And I also wanted to point out there was opportunity for Natsu to be more, he wasn’t dead on arrival. Anyway that’s my Comparison of these two polar opposite characters.

[frozendoorgaming]

Morning Mist #82

Announcements, Releases, Trailers

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story is Riot Forge's First Game

CONV/RGENCE: A League of Legends Story is a singleplayer platformer starring Ekko

Godfall is the first officially-announced PS5 game

Gears Tactics Fights For Freedom in 2020

Team-based tactical shooter Nine to Five announced at The Game Awards

Humankind gameplay trailer shows off the Endless gang's historical 4X

A new BioShock is being made at 2K's new studio

Final Fantasy VII Remake: The Game Awards 2019 Trailer

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a PS4 exclusive only for one year

Magic Legends is an MMO set in the Magic: The Gathering universe

The Marvel Champions LCG is a fun little card game, and sets the stage for future Marvel gaming stars

If you don't play Gothic's playable teaser THQ Nordic won't make it

A "noir-style" Telltale Batman Shadows Edition was announced and then unannounced last week

Bravely Default II Coming to Nintendo Switch

Latest Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind Trailer Shows Off Final Fantasy Characters, Kairi In Battle, And More

Ori and the Will of the Wisps gets a new trailer and release date

Grimes will front an in-game band in Cyberpunk 2077

Weird West is a gun-slinging fantasy action-RPG from former Dishonored, Prey devs

Ghost of Tsushima Trailer Breakdown 

Naraka: Bladepoint is a multiplayer melee combat game with a striking visual style

Everything You Need to Know About Senua for Hellblade 2

The eclectic Sayonara Wild Hearts sings its song on Steam

Surgeon Simulator 2 Announced for Epic Games Store

The original Frogger hops onto PS4 and Nintendo Switch

Chicory is a blend of Zelda, Animal Crossing and colouring books

Dreams will let you open your creative mind on February 14

Chicken Police Is a Visual Novel Where You Are a Chicken

Sharks take revenge on humans in a new Maneater trailer

Be a skateboarding bird in the adorable Skatebird on Switch next year

Free-to-play monster hunter Dauntless is out today on Switch

DOOM Slayers Collection Announced, Console Ports Enhanced

No More Heroes 3 Surprise Reveal at The Game Awards 

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Remastered Edition Delayed to Mid-2020

Intellivision Amico Gets New Breakout Game, New Trailer

Browser-based strategy MMO AD2460 will sunset on March 1

Tencent will host a cloud version of Blade & Soul in China soon

Death Come True is a new FMV game from Danganronpa creator

Milestones, Industry

Here's all the news and trailers from the Game Awards

Sekiro claims GOTY, but Disco Elysium leads The Game Awards winners

The Game Awards 2019 Loses a Major Game at the Last Minute

Nintendo Wins Big At The Game Awards 2019

Nintendo Family Fun Day Happening Tomorrow At Over 100 Best Buy Locations

Pokemon GO: When Does Community Day Weekend Start? 

Former Dangen CEO Ben Judd Dismissed From Digital Development Management, Resigns From BitSummit

The Final Fantasy XI fan gathering is actually happening on February 27

Deals, Freeware

GOG Winter Sale 2019 Has Dazzling DRM-Free Deals And Free Game

The Humble Paradox Management Bundle is a cure for boredom

Anno 1800 is free to play until December 18 and now it has co-op

Free-to-play monster hunter Dauntless is out on Switch

The Wolf Among Us is free on the Epic Games Store

The Escapists is free on the Epic Games Store

The Epic Games Store is giving away 12 free games before January

Final Fantasy XIV kicks off another free login campaign until January 14

Turns out the new $6000 Mac Pro isn't a very good cheese grater

Louis Vuitton is selling League of Legends t-shirts for more than $800

Save up to $128 on these high-end gaming chairs

One of our favorite microphones for streaming is on sale for only $55 on Amazon

The $375 collector's edition of Inside is as fleshy as expected

WD’s aggressively priced Blue SN550 SSDs could be the affordable option to beat

Our best budget NVMe SSD is getting a new, faster 1TB model

Information

Xbox Series X looks like a PC tower, every Microsoft studio working on exclusives

Xbox Series X Supports 8K Gaming, 120 Frames Per Second, and More

New Xbox Wireless Controller Revealed for Xbox Series X

Sony Patent Teases Surprising Multiplayer Feature for PS5 Controller

That GameCube style Smash Ultimate controller will be re-released in 2020

GOG Galaxy 2.0 Open Beta is Here

Obsidian will "expand the story" of The Outer Worlds in new DLC next year

The Elder Scrolls Online is going to Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls: Blades introduces Arena PvP and guild features in the latest update

Anthem rings in the holiday season with the arrival of Icetide

Frostpunk: The Last Autumn is a prequel expansion set before the world froze

Mortal Kombat 11's New Joker Design is a Major Improvement

Mortal Kombat 11 now experimenting with 'Krossplay' on PS4 and Xbox One

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Has PS4-Exclusive Mission Challenges and Cosmetics

Apex Legends' Holo-Day Bash is live now, with a new LTM and holiday cosmetics

Rainbow Six Siege is getting a Stadium map, if leaked footage is real

Here Are the Fortnite Star Wars Event Start Times 

Star Wars Galaxies Legends plans Life Day, new heroics, and a contest judged by George Lucas’ son

Resident Evil 2 Demo Now Features Terrifying Nemesis Easter Egg

Pokemon Sword and Shield: Odds of Hatching Shiny Pokemon from Eggs

Let's try and explain everything in Pokémon Go's enormous Christmas event

Total War: Warhammer 2's latest Lords-a-leaping DLC out now

Forza Horizon 4 is adding in the Eliminator, a 72-car online battle royale mode

Nearly two years after release, Sea of Thieves finally has a tutorial (and it's super cool!)

Paper Beasts Takes You To Another World

Tetris 99 update adds new team battle mode

GTA 5 is getting a new radio station hosted by Danny Brown

Etc

Redbox is ending video game rentals and if anyone needs me I'll be in the Angry Dome

Final Fantasy VII vinyl soundtrack has cool picture discs, pre-orders now live

Baby Yoda is now in The Sims 4

The cult of Hideo Kojima

Kill Bill/Battle Royale's Chiaki Kuriyama stars in Death Come True

Mortal Kombat Movie Reboot Shows Off Liu Kang, Teases Fireballs

The Witcher's final, epic trailer sees Ciri on the run from a Nilfgaard creepo

The 10 Rarest SNES Games (& How Much They're Worth) 

5 Most Ridiculous Pokemon Designs of All Time 

A new series of Pokemon animated shorts is coming next month

There’s another Fortnite dance legal battle brewing, this one over Dancing Pumpkin Man

Shroud Hits Insane Flick Shots in Modern Warfare Tourney

Portraits of Roblox's leading makers: the roleplayers

Pornhub Video Games Insights: Overwatch Reigns King

Video: How women-in-games initiatives make a difference

Valve Removes Nazi Steam Profiles at German Request 

Goodnight, sweet Steam Controller

[aquajolt]

Playing Commander again rant

Some interesting interactions I had getting back into Magic after taken half a year off. Specifically Commander. Got 3 instances + a prologue so let’s get typing! 

Prologue: Commander can be many things. Frustrating, fun, casual, competitive, degenerate, etc. Hypocrites are everywhere. I bumped into a gentlemen playing Heritage druid (some degenerate combo piece) in his Scion of the Ur-Dragon deck and kept wondering out loud “WHY are you countering all my spells?!” Hmmmmm  I WONDER?!  [I was a spectator in this scenario]. So after too many games of turn 3-5 combo kills, Tooth n Nail -> fetch Avenger/Craterhoof, Maelstorm Wanderer, Armageddon, Zur lockout, etc plays I decided I was gonna take a break from playing. 

Until! Commander 2017! Tribal decks! A precon tournament! Play the deck as it was built with others. I played in the event with the Wizards deck and I had a blast playing. 

Flash forward to next week. I stopped into my LGS after FNM started. Was just gonna watch and play casually if others were available. Commander event switched back to “play what you want”. Watched that Scion deck battle a friend and many silly things ensued. 

Meanwhile, a group of friends were starting up a game so I whipped out the Dragon pre-con still unaltered and joined their game. 1 player was new and piloting Sidisi. We were doing our best to describe how to analyze the board state, apply pressure, and figure out who had the biggest target on them. The other two players were playing a modified Wizard precon & a RG Xenogos, the Reveler deck. 

Plays happened. New player had Sheoldred out and we couldn’t really do anything. Xenegos played his commander and passed. He also had a Strionic Resonator in play (2, tap, copy a triggered ability i.e. copy Xenagos’ +x/+x ability). I played out some dragons and passed to Sidisi. Wizards tutored for an Altar (I forget the name - Sac a dude, get 2 mana).

Comes back to Xenagos. He decides that it’s time to take the kid gloves off and he casts double striking Atarka. A 6/4 after two Xenogos’ triggers makes it a 24/22 with double strike, haste, and trample. He kills off the ‘new’ player. 

1 combat. Deleted. Hmmmm.... >_>  Turn after turn saying ‘why are you attacking me?! I’m have nothing on the battlefield!” 

Big threat assessment lesson there. Usually, the player who does nothing keeps a lot of cards in their hand. Then in the later game, after the other players have exhausted their resources, they dump their hand and proceed to win the game. The other lesson was to see the writing on the wall. With Xenogos in play with the resonator, anything they played would be able to attack. With A LOT OF power! so that’s something. 

Passes to me. I don’t do much. Passed to Wizards. New infinite combo I learned that day. With Inalla’s trigger and the Altar + Bloodline Necromancer (zombify a Wiz or Vamp to play), they used the mana and stacked triggers nicely so that they recurred the necromancer and copied it as much as they wanted. the copies had haste. He finished both of us off. 

And that was a ‘casual’ game of Commander! =p Now I remembered why I stopped playing. At least in certain circles of friends, I either had to play competitive decks to stop others or protect my own strat or not play at all. Or play some of my own degenerate combo. Le Sigh.

---

But that weekend, I had some fun 1v1 games. Traded with a friend and he wanted to play 1v1 edh. The simile with 1v1 commander games is “the game is like a pillow fight. Until someone whips out a chainsaw.” The consent was that we both knew what the other was packing, so expectations of how the game was going to go was set before we started playing. 

Long story short(er) here was I play 5 games using Braids and he played Baral and Meren. Braids being my “free stuff/better hope your stuff is bigger than my stuff” deck, we both had fun dealing with each other’s board. Especially after Braids helped each of us cheat out expensive cards. =) 

And those games were fun to play. A portion because my friend was  cool and another because we didn’t feel cheated when my friend Disallow my Briads trigger and he got another cheap thing in play. Or when I pooped out an Eldrazi and then annihilated his board on Turn 5.  

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My last story comes from this past weekend. I bought the 4 C17 decks, but I wasn’t gonna keep the Cat deck. I ended up playing a few 3-way commander games and I gifted the Cat deck to one of the other players. In those games, the players knowledge base was similar to my 1st story. My friend with the Cat deck had been playing Magic on and off for about a year, but was not as in the game or in depth with it as me and my other friend. 

She played Cats, I played Vampires and my friend played Daretti. All unaltered decklists. There was some back and forth of mtg politics. ‘Why are you attacking me?’ ‘Daretti is up to 7 and he’s been looting his lands away for fresh cards; attack him!’ ‘& ‘Why did you blow up my boots?’ [Spoilers: So I can not die to whatever it is equipped to! =p)

Game 1 went by with pokes and prods. The turning point was me resolving a Black Market (pre-combat you get 1 black mana for each counter on BM; put a counter on it whenever a creature dies). More mana. More spells to play. A turn passes and during my turn I blow things up and it jumps to 12 counters. The turn later, I play lots of stuff and my opponents can’t stop it or keep up with me. 

Game 2 was a grindy game, but Outpost Siege (At upkeep, exile the top card, you can cast that card this turn only) drew me 6-8 extra cards over the game. Another lesson, getting more cards is good! You’ll keep hitting land drops and you will dig through your deck for your stronger cards and/or have more options. Necromancer refilled me board. Edgar gave me free creatures tokens. A turn or two later, I won that game too. 

Game 3, I switched to an altered Wizard list. I mainly took out cards that didn’t fit Inalla’s plan to a T. And I added in some other wizards. No infinite combos. No Ashnord’s Altar. Smoothing out the land base and added some limited jank which I thought was better than the starting list. Daretti switched the Dragon Precon. Cat switched to 4color Group Hug 2/8 dude wall. 

Blows were traded back and forth in that game. Dragons had 38 life, Group Huge had 23 and I had 14. Group dealt X damage to each of us where X was our land count (19 for me). OOOOW! So I got knocked out. But we played for 2 hours and it was fun! Dragons, with a fresh hand and 15 mana (with cost reduction from Ur-Dragon) pooped out 3 dragons, turns passed and he won with his overwhelming air attack power. 

-----

The juxtaposition between my LGS circle of players and my friends games was that, I didn’t want to play infinite combos and degenerate things with my LGS. On the flip side, playing with my friends over the weekend, it was ME who had the stronger decks. An “Altered” precon. 

A quick aside about the Daretti/Dragon player. He’s been playing as long as I have (since Coldsnap. 13 years... ?) And he has the shittiest luck when it comes to drawing decent cards in Limited. But I think what he exudes is a sore loser attitude when things don’t go his way. Or when in draft someone gets a bomb and then wins with in against him 2-0. Instead of writing it off that there was nothing he could do about it or that he didn’t see his answers or aggoring him out before his dropped his bomb -- he HATES the luck involved in MtG. Believe that’s the bottom line. He gets so salty when his opponents draw amazing cards and he loses. Or something looks incredibly broken (e.g. Galecaster Colossus) and it gets Hexproof and Shroud from boots. 

Like in Game 2 with the Vampires deck, I untapped with mana and options and refilled the board state. Game 1 I untapped with 12 extra black mana from Black Market. I flooded the board and won that way. And in Game 3, after the board was wiped and I got knocked out. He flooded the board with 4 dragons and won that way. 

I think part of this rant is me just dealing with people’s attitudes when it comes to Commander. Like if  you are going to run ‘degenerate’ or infinite combos, I appreciate it if you told me that’s the game I was jumping into and I also would appreciate it if when people target you because you are playing certain cards, that you don’t turn into a big baby crying “Why are you hitting me?! You hit me last game!”  Ya. I did. You’re playing Zur and have 10 cards in your hand thanks to Reliquery Tower. The other two are durdiling with tokens and other shenanigans. 

And to my friend, who kept asking me if each time I played something “O. Did you add that card to the deck?!” M’fer? I played with the Dragons deck too. I know what the strategy is. Yes I’m gonna bounce your Frontier Siege in response to you playing a Dragon, because I don’t know if you know this but my 1/4s fighting your 5/5s aren’t gonna turn out in my favor... 

I rarely play tutors (to give my decks some randomness each time I play). I don’t pack extra turn cards. I don’t make infinite mana. Just good ole fashion synergy with a 3% chance of getting the nut draw and busting loose! 

So ;tl dr; Commander is wanky. Own up to the decks and cards you play. Try to be less salty when someone just so happens to top deck exactly what they needed (in any format you play), and please learn to analyze threats in multiplayer games.