#The Contest

[inventors-fair]

The Definite Articles: The Winners!

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@corporalotherbear — The Crimson Falcon

I'm immediately grabbed by the extremely blatant homage to Silver Age superheroes here. As much as Hero would be a perfect type to put on this, it's still limited to silver-border (and whatever the heck Hero's Path is, but I'd rather not think too hard about that), so making it a literal Ally of justice is a very clever workaround. We've seen effects like this before, but the downside of creating a token tapped and attacking is that it's unlikely to survive the combat it's created in. Temporary indestructibility very much flips that on its head, and combining that with the evasion on the main body means it's actually quite a pain to stop this caped crusader from accruing value turn after turn. Flavoring the effect as taking a sidekick under their metaphorical (or, given the name, possibly literal) wing is an excellent touch as well.

@hypexion — The Doom of Vesta Konar

Hoo boy, now that's a name! In a contest based on names, it should come as no surprise that a particularly good one would win some points with me, and this one just has an excellent ring to it while still being very evocative. Not to undersell the rest of the card, though! This is a scary, scary effect. As long as you can keep hitting opponents with your evasive Nightmares, they'll mill more and more cards, creating more and more Nightmares, and thus does the cycle continue. The "one or more" rider on the effect does prevent it from being exponential, though it feels a bit odd to me. The last ability asks for you to do big hits that translate into big mills, but the second would rather you favor small, incremental mills. You could maybe have the second ability ask for a specific card type (like creature), so more damage has the advantage of hitting that type more consistently. It's minor as gripes go, though. As well, extending the effect to encompass discards as well is interesting and appreciated, though I'm not sure it adds all that much to the card in the long run.

@misterstingyjack — The Mirror of Maziken

That is a positively fascinating way to do disruption, straight up. While the uniqueness of the effect is definitely the main draw, what really pushes it over the edge is all of the little touches to the effect to make it play that little bit better. I love how the Reflections are sitting ducks on board and can only stymie creatures, encouraging your opponent to find ways to remove them without triggering them. I love how the Reflections triggering on cast means that they have to be set up preemptively, giving your opponent ample time to react. I love how the card prevents you from easily creating Reflections with the same name to double up on the cost. I love how the steep cost for what's effectively a reusable counterspell means it can't be done willy-nilly and lock down an entire hand. And, plus, I love the name. It admittedly doesn't do all that much to explain how the mirror can do all this, but the touch of alliteration means I could easily see myself opening a chest in an old RPG and finding the Mirror of Maziken.

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Sit tight for imminent runners! —@spooky-bard

[sticksandsharks]

the Pokemon TCG Illustration contest posted their 300 quarter-finalists; I didn't make the cut, but that means I can share my submissions!

[liesmyth]

btw! I was made aware that many people don't know that we're boycotting Eurovision this year, so.

we are boycotting Eurovision, as per BDS guidelines.

don't watch the stream, don't engage with the videos, don't post it about it on social media using hashtags that are going to trend. whatever you're getting from the show isn't worth it

[fidelio316]

when you got responsibilities and you just

[tigerjpg]

nothing makes me go "ooooh we are NOT the same" quite like reading some post about how people talk with their parents about their interests. what do you mean you told your father about stevebucky. what do you mean he asked further questions

[heritageposts]

Translation: What a shitshow. This years Eurovision has gone to hell. And it's first and foremost the EBU's fault.

Also, excerpt from the same article:

Throughout the course of the Eurovision Song Contest, the EBU has acted as if they live in a parallel universe. Eurovision is one thing, the world outside something else. The EBU has stuck its head in the sand. Shoved the problem under the rug. Held their hands over their ears and shouted LALALALALA. They appear to have done everything they can to pretend it's possible to hold an apolitical event in a world that's on fire. We have come together to be "united by music", they say, but the sharpshooters on Malmö's rooftops have nothing to do with us! In its struggle to remain apolitical, the EBU has become like a small fascist state in itself, where the artists' space for expression and action has been reduced as much as the undergarments of the Spanish dancers. It is reprehensible.

Reminder again to BOYCOTT EUROVISION 🇵🇸

Don't watch, don't vote.

[thisisworsethanitlookslike]

I’d watch that

[jewishrizahawkeye]

i did the “explain your book horribly” thing on twitter and i’m posting it here too:

“kids meet random dude in a cave and have to team up with a queen and her husband to kill him… also there’s magic ✨✨✨✨✨✨”

“watching two people have a time spanning toxic love story”

“teenage girl with mommy issues goes home to her parents private island and is pissed off she has to do a long ass hike with her family cause the island may be dying again”

“girl with severe depression, anxiety, and imposter syndrome joins a contest and has to fight an immortal cause they were lonely”

“jeopardy but you die”

[sl1mskull]

I participated to the Pokemon Card Illustration Contest.

I didn’t make it Top 300 but at least I had fun doing it

[inventors-fair]

Singular Submissions: The Entries

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@arixordragc — The Divine Mare @bergdg — The Lady of Crows @bread-into-toast — The Ionozoa @corporalotherbear — The Crimson Falcon @curiooftheheart — The Unawakened One @dimestoretajic —The Grove @drone00blog — The One Who Waits @feyd-rautha-apologist — The Anarchon @helloijustreadyourpost — The Brightvale Colossus @horsecrash — The Kessig Stomper @hypexion — The Doom of Vesta Konar @icarusfrommars — The Giver @insect-glaive — The Siegebreaker @izzet-always-r-versus-u — The Hand of Death @khyrberos — The Ineffable One @little-red-rabbit — The Absence @maypletreeway — The Silent Champion @melancholia-ennui — The Faithful Sentry @misterstingyjack — The Mirror of Maziken @nine-effing-hells — The Ever-Thirsting Lord @piccadilly-blue — The Eighth Sin @real-aspen-hours — The Prosperity Players @reaperfromtheabyss — The Intrepid Albamarl//Find the Scoop @solemn-lemon — The Librarian @tanknspank — The Moments We Forgot @the-gboi —The First to Err @wildcardgamez — The Biblioklept

Thank you for all your entries!

[valc0]

Day5: Domestic/Demon

[eliounora]

the besties three drinks before ruining aragorn's wedding

[emberglowfox]

Keeper -- a short comic about an angel meeting a robotic lighthouse keeper that doesn't know the world has already ended. Made in about 18 hours for a 24-hour 24-page* black and white comic challenge (that I arrived late to, ha.)

*the actual submission does not include the cover, which was created after the fact for this post.

This was a really great learning experience as someone who's... never really made a completed comic. I ended up really attached to the story by the end of the project (possibly due to all-nighter deliriousness lol) and ultimately am very proud of what I made.There are some things I'd still like to change, particularly text placement, but in keeping with the spirit of the challenge I've elected to leave it as is.

[condensed-ink]

[itsgonnagetinspiringsoon]

Thank god