#the aetherspark

[googlyeyesonmagiccards]

I saw a post that basically went "Chandra just wants the Aetherspark for her girlfriend so they don't have to wait in Omenpath security lines."

[almostlookedhuman]

[overgrown-estate]

"Remember the stakes. Bring us the Aetherspark, and you're free. Fail, and you belong to the House."

illustration by Jeff Carpenter

[sylaurin]

AetherSpark Reunion

Went into this pose intending on smut but the muses had a mind of their own~

Aster belongs to @wingedasarath

[jarfieid]

Well, I've found my faction

Goblins, my beloveds

[kujirara]

Had my first Magic the Gathering event two days ago, the Aetherdrift prerelease

Got a few decent cards, sold one for 50 reais (brazilain currency)

Got third place overall, 3 victories and 1 game lost.

Was a pretty fun experience overall.

[aethernalstars]

Yea, I need Chandra to lose the race so so bad, not because I dislike Gruulfriends or whatever but because holy shit what was even the point of Nissa losing her spark if she gets it back after *checks notes* none lore appearances since then? Especially because Ajani kept his spark in the whole unphyrexianizing experience, that Nissa was also part of.

I wouldn't actually mind Daretti getting the Aetherspark tho, cause then he might be story relevant

if nissa or vraska gets the aetherspark the whole wotc arc writing team needs to be put in the goring machine.

they have the option to do something so cool by giving it to any character that was not ALREADY A PLANESWALKER. its a fun premise for an item but you can tell how desperately they crave giving it to the worst possible candidate

[markrosewater]

Hi Mark! Was any other set symbol explored for Aetherdrift? I understand it’s a race themed set but I find that the checkered flag draws my attention away from the art and stands out in a negative way from other set symbols. Could a silhouette of the Aetherspark been used? I guess I don’t know much about how the set symbols are chosen/designed and very likely outside of your scope. Anyway thanks again for all you do.

Expansion symbols are meant to be the simplest visual symbol to convey the theme. It’s a racing set. A checkered flag is an obvious choice. I’m sorry if it stands out in a negative way for you, but simplicity of image is important.

[incorrect-mtg]

Chandra: So basically I'm winning this race to get that Aetherspark thing and make Nissa a planeswalker again!

Kaya: You don't even have a driving licence, Chandra.

Chandra: For this race you don't need one! *mounts the bike and takes off*

Kaya:

Chandra: *does the Akira slide*

Kaya:

Chandra: *immediately crashes*

Kaya:

Kaya: Do you need help-

Chandra: IM FINE!

[plxtwt-posting]

DEAR MULTIVERSIANS

I am proud to announce a new season of 2v2 deathgames* at valor's reach!

The game is good old 2v2 combat.

Anyone can join, top 8 is broadcast to the multiverse, narrated by yours truly.

Now, why should you join? We have a truly monumental collection of prizes here, there are moxes, warships, pure knowledge, and even our very own interpretation of an aetherspark!

Teams consist of two people, with a possibility of having one "swap-out" member.

Drowning, boiling, exploding, bodywarping of opponents and any form of long lasting mental magic will result in immediate disqualification along with a ban from all kylem official tournaments.

*Only a title, no death will be involved. Any spells resulting in death will be immediately neutralised by referees, anyone competing gains complete protection from weapons for the duration of the tournament

[part-time-lesbian]

They kinda forgot to wrap up Chandra's emotional arc in Aetherdrift, so have some flash fiction

Chandra had put up a valiant effort to remain composed for the Ghirapur Grand Prix victory ceremony, but as soon as she was able to politely excuse herself, she collapsed into Nissa's arms. She spent the ride home with her head in the elf's lap, barely holding in sobs of pain. A small, spiteful part of Nissa wanted to kill Jace for hurting the woman she loved like this. But vengeance wasn't what her girlfriend needed right now. While Chandra tried to play it off as a severe migraine, her soft cries let out hints to the truth. Whatever psychic attack Jace had unleashed to scramble her senses had stirred up a storm of fears and anxieties, both new and old. Snippets of trauma Nissa hadn't even known about leaked out through tears and mingled with familiar wounds in what must have been a vicious storm of emotion. Cries for her father. For her mother. For Gideon. For Nissa. Especially for Nissa. She knew how much this race meant to Chandra. Gods, she knew. And she hated it. She hated to see her like this, her normally mercurial mind finally fixated on something long enough to worry herself sick over it. She intimately knew how badly Chandra wanted to do this for her, to help fix things for her, to make her happy. But it was only now that she realized how much this desperation was driven by fear. Fear of how upset Nissa must be, now that she failed. Fear of how Nissa would never give a genuine smile again. How she'd ruined Nissa's life with this failure. That she was a failure. That she didn't deserve Nissa, and that Nissa would have every right to leave her after this. So, so much self-loathing that had been dredged up from where it had been festering in the recesses of her mind. And that was only what she let slip out. There was no telling how much more there was being kept bottled up inside.

For the sake of her girlfriend's pride, she waited to say something until after Pia had finished helping her carry Chandra up to their bedroom. It gave her time to figure out the correct sequence of words to say. She wished she had Jace's powers so she could simply project her feelings directly into Chandra's head, but that was what gotten her into the state she was in in the first place. Finally, she settled on something simple. She sat on the bed and placed a hand on her girlfriend's back. "I love you, Chandra," she said.

Immediately, the tears that the hero of Avishkar had barely been holding at bay came pouring out. Half-coherent apologies tumbled out of her mouth, punctuated by body-wracking sobs. Nissa wasn't quite sure if Chandra even knew what she was apologizing for. She buried her face in Nissa's lap, and Nissa stroked her reassuringly.

"I need you to know that I'm not mad at you," she said as gently as she could. "I know you wanted the Aetherspark for me, but I need you to know I don't need it. Yes, I miss Zendikar dearly. Of course I do. But you've shown me that anywhere can be home as long as I'm with you. You don't need to be a big damn hero for me to love you. You don't need to be the hero of Avishkar, savior of the multiverse, slayer of Eldrazi. You just need to be here, with me."

The sobs intensified and Chandra clung tighter to her girlfriend.

"You just need to be Chandra, my girlfriend who I love very much. Even when she doesn't love herself."

[vorthosjay]

Hi Jay! Do you know if Alchemy cards are canon?

The recently released Alchemy: Aetherdrift has a card named "Naktamun Shines Again" and the art suggests Ketramose is now in possession of the Aetherspark (which I can imagine would have big consequences considering how interested he is in the other planes).

It's possible I'm reading too much into the art, but wanted to check either way.

Alchemy Cards are canon, but remember that Saga are diegetic art pieces, and Ketramose symbolizes the renewal of Amonkhet.

[wotc-complaint-department]

The Aetherspark

[sylaurin]

Some aftercare with Kabniel and Aster (@wingedasarath)

[danco110]

Aetherdrift spoilers ahead (reaction to part 2 of the planeswalker’s guide). Again, warning: uninformed, incendiary rant stuff at the end!

- As mentioned previously, I CALLED IT! It sounds like Amonkhet’s Eternals are also self-aware, albeit in supporting a…villainous faction maybe? But I’d like to wait until reading the story proper before making a judgement on the Chitin Court.

- YES! Talking about trade, commerce, folk just getting along! Ties into my maintaining that the planes are more than just eternal conflict, or at least beyond what we see in the main story chapters!

- I hope we see some more Avishkar angels! Pretty unique look, with the pink and silver…oh yeah and the four arms! Inventions that also invent and all that! Awww, and the art for Dawnfeather Eagle…falconer angels, I hope we get a callback to that!

-So, Sab-Sunen purified the Luxa and helped restore some of Naktamun’s former greenery. The water part interests me, but maybe not for the reasons you’d think; this may be a longshot, but I seem to recall Imoti’s legendary blurb mentioning purifying water, but not where she hailed from. I wonder whether she’ll get a card, indicating she’s from here?

- Saurids! You look awesome. You ride dinosaurs. AND. you’re into oozes. And that last point - I will always prefer Gruul…nature-ish types…to Selesnya! Yknow, nature’s got some mud and slime in it, embrace it! And though nothing will ever truly fill the hole in my heart where the viashino creature type used to be, I still welcome you with open arms!

- On the topic of Muraganda, the plane just sounds cool! Moonfall instead of starfall, gorilla druids, and home of the Mimeoplasm apparently! Also, it’s kinda nice to read about some folks there fighting back against land developers wanting to put a racetrack right out there behind their backyard. “This here’s 1240 Telu-Set Vista. It’s always been 1240 Telu-Set Vista!”

The bad:

- It talked about Avishkar setting itself up as a multiversal power…Look, I can guess that’s setting up a hook for a future set or story beat, and I do like the plane’s aesthetic and want to see more of it! But the Omenpaths are just uninteresting to me. It’s not like I couldn’t - or didn’t…I mean I did - write planar crossovers before MOM. Yet it looks like everything’s going by way of portals now. Which leaves planeswalkers…where, exactly? And adding onto that, what will the Aetherspark do for Nissa that a portal won’t?

- Muraganda feels stapled-on at the end, to me. Maybe it’s because it’s the last leg…or yknow, the turnaround point. And if I’m reading it right, racers will only cross the plane once, as opposed to Avishkar and Amonkhet’s return trips. Which is a shame! Because as mentioned, I love how Muraganda looks! Or maybe because it’s getting its official intro in a sillier set? Idk

- Ok this is pedantic beyond measure (unlike the rest of this criticism, right?) but, “On Amonkhet, unlike many planes, the barrier between life and death is slim and defined more by class than metaphysical or ontological factors.” Excuse me! Innistrad and its Crimson Court vampiric aristocracy. Ravnica and the blue-collar Golgari. Zendikar with zombie thralls. Tarkir with both Sultai and Silumgar’s…zombie thralls also. And Ravnica again, with the Orzhov! The list goes on, but you get the point! “Unlike many planes,” come on now.

- Nature plane, leyline geysers, leyline mages…I don’t even like Nissa all that much and I still wish she were here to see Muraganda! Or well, maybe she will be, idk. But since she’s not racing, I don’t know what the odds are she’ll get to be there in person?

[ernstiggroteadelaar]

The Ghirapur Grand Prix is like the Eurovision Song Contest of the Magic Multiverse

Everyone is like "oh no, a dumb unserious death race set where unique worlds meaninglessly blend together and they shoot as many cameos at us as possible!"

and maybe that's a bit true, but actually I think the story developments are quite interesting! So I'll be (over)analysing some of what's going on and loosely comparing to some real-life stuff

The GGP is like Eurovision in how it's a big entertainment event aiming to celebrate cooperation of diverse peoples and modern values of equality. After ages of conflict, oppressive regimes and the fascist Phyrexians invading everywhere, the young democracy of Avishkar makes sure that people across the known Multiverse now get to enjoy some cool friendly competition of teams representing their own planes and cultures for honor!

So of course that's inherently a political thing. Avishkar is trying to gain multiversal soft power: Look at us, we have innovative technologies, hospitality, and emancipation values!

The grand prize for the most important race is chosen from artifacts once withheld by the old regime. This year, the Aetherspark: a wondrous invention promising a new freedom, and access to knowledge, wealth or power. I believe this represents an Avishkari version of 'the American dream': "If you want the prize, just shoot your shot! We in Avishkar are all equal and free, and you can attain whatever you want by taking the opportunities :)"

Someone regardless of background will get something the oppressive Consulate didn't want to share! But it's a powerful device only one winner will take home... Is equal opportunity even possible when people always have different bodies, resources, backgrounds, and connections? Ishikari Bindra wanted knowledge to belong to everyone, but the GGP enables that it could become someone's personal gate to power. (Even quite literally with Valgavoth)

If the Avishkari Assembly and the hosting Amonkheti are all about newly installed freedom and equality, why do they as organisers ignore exploitation in other forms and other places? Why build tracks through Muraganda lands without seeking clear consent of all local communities living there? Why not disqualify a team like Valgavoth's, when they clearly torment enslaved beings?

This is all about a silly fictional death race in a card game, so all this is both earnest and not that serious! But to me the GGP does look like many real life cultural projects that keep upholding some harmful status quo. Like the Eurovision Song Contest not caring about a genocidal member state. Like the Olympics praising extraordinary prestations while ignoring unequal opportunities. Like the Land of the Free occupying Native territories. Etc etc