#ashaya was gone

[sylvan-librarian]

Working on my third round of Nissa essays right now, which will hopefully be up on Tumblr sometime this weekend. Here's a spoiler for the content:

[deepspacedukat]

Certainty

This fic was written as the spiritual successor to “Familiar” from last year’s Kinktober, but reading that first is not necessary in order to understand what’s going on in this one. It might clarify a few points, but other than that, you should be able to work out everything that’s happening without it.

Day 19: Creampie

SoC prompt list here. SoC Masterlist here. Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Sarek (ST:TOS) x Reader

[A/N: This is smut, so 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI!!!]

Warnings: Interspecies sex, Human/Vulcan sex, established relationship, mild telepathy, creampie, breeding kink.

~*~

The Pon Farr Center in ShiKahr, like all other such facilities, kept extensive, extremely-confidential records. Due to the grave possible outcome of an incorrectly managed Burning, the centers had specially-trained personnel who checked up on their patients once a week for three weeks after checkout to ensure their safety and health.

The final of such checks had just been conducted by a representative at the residence of Ambassador Sarek. Nothing about his health or mental state had seemed out of the ordinary, but the employee sent to complete this check was ordered to be even more thorough than usual. The woman Sarek had been paired with had resigned just after the Ambassador had left.

There were several possible explanations. The most innocent of which was that she simply decided that she no longer desired to work at the Center - an understandable reaction given that she was Human rather than Vulcan. If that was the case, the added caution was unnecessary.

Another possible outcome was that Sarek had found her inadequate to fully complete his Burning. This particular eventuality was ruled out by the representative who’d visited his home today. With three weeks of no uncivilized behavior and no unusual medical readings, the conclusion that the Ambassador’s pon farr had, in fact, been completed was inescapable.

The final option was one that violated several of the Center’s regulations and policies, but was not unheard of: that Sarek and the Human woman with whom he’d been paired had broken the anonymity policy and become bonded. Several instances of this unseemly method of pairing had occurred over the years, but one had not been recorded in nearly a decade.

As the representative was turning to leave, he paused. There were several pearly white drops of liquid on the floor very near the Ambassador’s dining table. What could...?

Oh. Oh, he should leave immediately. With a deep green blush coloring his cheeks, he acknowledged that upon the discovery of such evidence, the final option was the most probable. The Ambassador was no longer in any danger, but he would never picture the diplomat the same way again.

--

“Is he gone?” Sarek’s mate poked her head out of the bedroom door in time to see him glancing around with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, but...something troubled him as he was leaving,” he called as he tried to discover the source of the man’s embarrassment.

“Do you think he figured out what happened?” She asked walking slowly out into the living room and over to her Vulcan partner.

“Perhaps, but even if he has, rest assured that the consequences will not touch you, ashaya.” The casual certainty with which he spoke gave way to gentle affection. No, he would not allow his own removal of her blindfold to be judged as her responsibility.

“Oh god, is that what I think it is?” She asked glancing near the table, and when Sarek spotted the small puddle of his release, he couldn’t help but draw a deep, hungry breath at the memory of their coupling.

She’d whimpered so beautifully he promised to give her every drop of himself.

“And after that? Will you have no further use of me afterward?” She’d teased, but Sarek had gripped her jaw and fucker her harder. Her hands splayed out to brace herself atop the polished wood surface over which she was bent.

“You are my mate. I will always need you,” he swore before pulling out just long enough to turn her around and lift her up to sit on the edge of the table. Thrusting back into her, it hadn’t taken long for them to both succumb to their pleasure.

“Sarek?” He shook himself out of his thoughts when his lover’s hands met his chest. “Are you alright?”

The Ambassador covered her fingers with hers and allowed his desire for her to show on his face and bleed through their bond.

“I will be when you are heavy with my child,” he murmured before whisking her into his arms. This time, their bed would be a much more appropriate venue for their tryst.

~*~*~

Taglist:

@akamitrani​ @android-boyfriends​ @attention-bajoranworkers​ @bigblissandlove1​ @darkmattervibes​ @emilie786​ @horta-in-charge​ @live-logs-and-proper​ @slutty-slutty-vulcans​ @starrynightgardens​ @toebeans-mcgee​

[dravidious]

A good while ago, I watched this video about an MtG interaction between Ashaya and Blood Moon, and aside from my usual gripes with Blood Moon's wording, there was something that really bothered me: The comments. Specifically, people failing to understand the beautiful way that the rules handle continuous effects (specifically, continuous effects generated by static abilities). So let's go on a quick* trip through the magical world of card game rules.

And no, it's not about layers.

Continuous effects are when a card is continuously affect the game state; for example, increasing the power of all elves by 1. However, continuous effects also use information about the current game state to determine what exactly they do; for example, the effect above needs to know what creatures on the field are elves. This can cause problems when multiple continuous effects start messing with each other.

Take this card for example:

"The monster(s) with the highest ATK on the field is unaffected by the effects of Spell Cards." That's a perfectly reasonable effect, very intuitive, easy to apply. For example, if the two monsters on the field are these:

Then Blue-Eyes will be unaffected by spells. So if someone plays Dark Hole:

Then Dark Magician will be destroyed, but Blue-Eyes will not. Simple. Now, another very simple question, what happens if someone equips Dark Magician with this:

It gains 700 ATK, which means it has 3200 ATK. Which means it's the highest ATK on the field. Which means that, because of Pole Position, it's unaffected by spell cards. Which means it's no longer affected by Magic Formula. Which means its ATK is 2500 again and thus Blue-Eyes has the highest ATK. Which means it's affected by Magic Formula and gains 700 ATK. Which means it's the highest ATK...

The Yugioh rules address situations like these by saying "Please don't do anything that would start a loop."

And looking at Ashaya + Blood Moon, you might think the same thing would happen:

For clarity, Blood Moon's effect also causes nonbasic lands to lose all their abilities. They didn't write this on the card because they hate you.

So what you might expect to happen is that Ashaya turns itself into a land. Because it's now a land (and not basic), Blood Moon makes it a Mountain and takes away its abilities. But since Ashaya's ability that made it a land is gone, that means it isn't a land anymore. That means that Blood Moon stops applying to it. That means it gets its abilities back. That means it turns itself into a land. So now it's affected by Blood Moon...

But we've all watched the video, so we know that what actually happens is that Ashaya ends up as a land creature with no abilities (except the Mountain ability of T: Add {R}). But what happens when Ashaya's controller (let's call her Amy) plays another creature after Ashaya has lost its abilities? (and let's say there's a +1/+1 counter keeping Ashaya alive)

Well, obviously, nothing will happen; Ashaya no longer has its ability that turns Amy's creatures into lands, so the bear stays a regular creature. And THIS, THIS is the failure to understand layers that INFURIATES me, because obviously, OBVIOUSLY the bear becomes a Land Creature - Mountain Bear!

Unfortunately, if you don't immediately get an intuitive understanding of the beautiful design of the way MtG handles continuous effects, it's actually super unintuitive and hard to explain. Which is why I've come up with a model to help understand why Ashaya's ability is NOT gone, and in fact still applies to the bear even though Blood Moon already made Ashaya lose its abilities.

The way we players are used to understanding the game is through what I'll call the Final Game State, where all the continuous effects have applied to the cards on the field. 99% of the time, the final game state is what matters. In the final game state, Ashaya has no abilities besides T: Add {R}, so it seems like it can't possibly turn the bear into a land. But this way of viewing the game is flawed: If Ashaya truly doesn't have its ability, then it shouldn't be a land. But if it isn't a land, then Blood Moon doesn't apply... How do we avoid the loop?

Let's go back to the fundamental problem of continuous effects: They affect the game state, but they also use information from the game state. When two continuous effects are each altering the information that the other uses, we get a loop. The solution: Don't make continuous effects get their information from the final game state.

DISCLAIMER: I just read through the comprehensive rules sections 611 and 613 and while 613.1 matches my understanding for individual objects, there's nothing about how the game state as a whole is determined, and little about determining the existence or nonexistence of continuous effects. However, I'm pretty sure I'm right, so I'm probably right. Anyway,

The core idea of the model is this: There are multiple game states in existence at any given moment. The first is the raw game state, which is dependent purely on the cards on the field, unmodified by continuous effects. All other game states, including the final game state, are dependent on the raw game state (though not always directly dependent)

Let's say we have just an Ashaya on the field, nothing else. To find the final game state, we start from the raw game state: Ashaya is a 0/0 legendary creature - avatar, with its 2 printed abilities. From here, we find all the continuous effects that exist that haven't been applied yet. There are 2, generated by Ashaya's abilities: One that turns it into a Forest, and another that sets its power/toughness. We apply the Forest one first because of layers (not important).

Normally, we think of "applying a continuous effect" as modifying the game state. But in this model, we instead create a new game state, equal to the raw game state plus the application of the continuous effect. Let's call this "game state 2". It's important to note that game state 2 is dependent on the raw game state, which still exists. In game state 2, Ashaya is a 0/0 legendary land creature - forest avatar with 3 abilities (the new one being T: Add {G}). Now, just like last time, we look for continuous effects that haven't been applied yet. Ashaya's p/t setting ability creates a p/t setting effect, so we'll apply that.

Just like last time, we create a new game state by taking game state 2 and applying the continuous effect. Now we have game state 3, which is dependent on game state 2, which is dependent on the raw game state. In this state, Ashaya is a 1/1 with the same types and abilities from game state 2. Now there's no more continuous effects left that haven't been applied, so we're done, and game state 3 is the final game state.

Wow! That was a lot of work to find the final game state! So what happens if Amy plays a Runeclaw Bear now? Well, that gives us a different raw game state, and since everything is dependent on the raw game state, we need to throw out all the work we did and start from scratch. This sounds like a huge pain in the butt, but usually not much changes. In this case, the new final game state looks very similar to the old one; we just add a bear and turn it into a forest. But that's not technically the way the rules handle it. In the rules, it goes through the whole process, evaluating every continuous effect and how each one applies to every object.

For example, let's say we have Ashaya and Blood Moon, and Ashaya has a +1/+1 counter on it so it doesn't die. Raw game state: Ashaya has its printed characteristics and is 0/0. Game state 2 - Ashaya type change: Ashaya is a forest land creature. Game state 3 - Blood Moon type change: Ashaya is a mountain land creature with no abilities (except T: Add {R}). Game state 4 - +1/+1 counter: Ashaya is a 1/1.

Great, that went exactly as expected. Ashaya has now lost its abilities... in the final game state. In the raw game state, Ashaya's abilities are still there! Thus, when Amy plays the Runeclaw Bear, it makes perfect sense that the bear is turned into a land by Ashaya's ability:

Raw game state: Ashaya and the bear have their printed characteristics. Game state 2 - Ashaya type change: Ashaya and the bear are forest lands. Game state 3 - Blood Moon type change: Ashaya and the bear are mountain lands and lose their non-mountain abilities. Game state 4 - +1/+1 counter: Ashaya is a 1/1.

Whenever a new creature enters the battlefield under Amy's control, the game will go through this process starting with the raw game state, and Ashaya will turn that creature into a land. Ashaya's ability isn't gone, it's still right there, printed on the card. Each time the game evaluates continuous effects, the effect from Ashaya's ability always applies before the ability is removed by Blood Moon.

Even though there's never a final game state where Ashaya has its ability, the ability still applies, even to new objects.

*it was not a quick trip

[ao3feed-spirk]

Avocado Toast

read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/52700464 by masutra_vedik Jim's had a rough week, but this has not gone unnoticed by Spock- who finds a way to change Jim's mood. Words: 2037, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Avocado and Ashaya Fandoms: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek) Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, James T. Kirk & Spock Additional Tags: Tarsus IV (Star Trek), k/s - Freeform, spirk, Disordered Eating, past emotional trauma related to food, descriptions of tasty food in the present tense, Pre-Relationship read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/52700464

[flavoredfaeman]

hiiii I recently finished going through the entire spones tag sooo here are my favorite TOS fics in no specific order

In your Eyes miscommunication fic where Spock tries to get dating advice from Chapel but she thinks he's asking her out. This is very inconvenient for Nyota who wanted to date Chapel and Bones who was pining for spock

Science Blue Series 4 short TOS fics from various points in the series 2 of which are really funny and cute and the other 2 are a little angsty and sweet

Ashaya this already got recced but it's one of my top faves so I'm adding it here too. Fake marriage to real love

Five Times Spock Was Interrupted While Trying to Confess His Love for McCoy and One Time He Wasn't the title says it all!!

Not Everything Happens Quickly Bones is in trouble and it leads to Spock realizing his feelings and then not addressing them

Five Times Spock and Bones Felt Each Other Up On Accident And One Time They Meant To The title says it all again

The Venerean Guise (sexual content) Spock and Bones have to act as a couple in order to create a federation alliance with a planet that practices only same-sex relationships

Surgeon's Mate Spock has a crush on Bones and Bones has no idea. One of those 'spock is absolutely fascinated and perplexed by Bones' fics

I'll Carry You Home Spock is injured and goes into a healing trance so Bones has to carry him for a very long distance, all while trying to contact the Enterprise, avoid aliens, and avoid local wildlife

Entangled AU where Spock crash lands on Earth 30 years before first contact and is found by the country doctor McCoy, who decides to take him in

Strange Human Rituals Set around Voyage Home, Spock trying to understand the things he remembers

enquiries of the interstellar medium Spock and Bones almost die on an away mission gone wrong, things are different between them afterwards

Just Don't Feel Like Fighting Anymore Post "all of our yesterdays" Bones wants to talk about whether his choices made Spock uncomfortable. Spock wants to tell Bones to stop being a martyr

Things Shared (au) Spock and Bones are on an away mission on a rainy planet where they are searching for evidence of space travel from a planet called Earth, and during this Spock contemplates his relationship with Bones

A Moment of Weakness Immunity Syndrome, friends with benefits "what are we doing?" conversation

Stop Making Sense Recovery fic set after Bones has to choose to save other patients rather than the more severely injured Spock. Luckily for Bones, Spock finds this decision logical (and is also in love with him)

A Home You Know Aftermath of fal tor pan, Spock learns to be himself again, Bones wonders where they stand and what comes next

Mr McCoy in a Cowboy Hat Bones has been away on a planet similar to Earth's Wild West, and Spock has been missing his husband terribly

After the Fire 2 fics centered around the TOS movies, 1: Bones can talk to Spock while he's carrying his katra, and they share feelings they hadn't before, but once Spock is returned to his body things don't make as much sense. 2: after undiscovered country they find themselves at a log cabin with a peach tree out front

Morning Surprises Academy era, Jim and Uhura find Spock and Bones cuddling on the couch after a party

His Bounce Spock has never seen a human bounce before (part of a series of things Spock notices about Bones)

In the Market he Plays AU where Spock becomes a musician, and Bones does a one year residency at a hospital on Vulcan, where they meet and fall in love. Sad/bittersweet ending

The Journey and the Destination Bones goes on a road trip, Spock, who has a secret to share, joins him

Fal Tor Pan or: How to Accidentally get Married on Vulcan Spock and Bones discover a strange side effect of fal tor pan, and Bones discovers a secret Spock has been keeping for a long time

Where the Grass Meets Sand I am Home mind meld hesitation fic

If I Find My Way, What Will I Find Spock and Bones deal with the aftermath of fal tor pan

Distance A series that follows Spock and Bones throughout the TOS and TOS movies, 3 pre-slash, and 11 slash fics (some of the fics are explicit)

In One Piece Spock notices the Bones has a rather peculiar post-transport habit

The Science of Wanderlust 5 times Spock's weird biology confuses Bones, and 1 time it confuses Spock

tos spones had me in a chokehold currently somebody please please give me fic recs thank you

[its-the-edh-blog]

How Ashaya interacts with Blood Moon

“Ashaya's last ability and Blood Moon both apply in layer 4. Ashaya changes what Blood Moon applies to, and not the reverse, so Blood Moon depends on Ashaya. That means Ashaya is always applied first. Your nontoken creatures become Forest lands in addition to their other types.

Ashaya is now a Legendary Creature Land — Elemental Forest. Now we apply Blood Moon. Becoming a Mountain takes away Ashaya's land types and abilities but leaves everything else. Ashaya is now a Legendary Creature Land — Elemental Mountain.

Ashaya's power- and toughness-setting CDA would have applied in layer 7a, but now that ability doesn't exist. Ashaya ends up a 0/0 and dies, unless something else is raising its toughness. Once Ashaya is gone, all of that nonsense is undone, and your nontoken creatures...

...go back to their normal lives. Of course, anything in Ashaya's situation of needing a CDA to live and not being a token will also die. Fun!

#WotCstaff” https://twitter.com/WotC_Matt/status/1301239695343407104 Or in short:

[mllekaren]

Podcast: Girls Gone Canon - Sansa Stark POV

Just ‘discovered’ this podcast while listening to History of Westeros. Can’t wait to listen to it and continue to fangirl over my sweet lemoncake.

Girls Gone Canon: AGOT Sansa Overview/I

Girls Gone Canon: AGOT Sansa II/III

Girls Gone Canon: AGOT Sansa IV/V

Girls Gone Canon: AGOT Sansa Stark VI/Outro

Girls Gone Canon: ACOK Sansa Stark Intro/I

Girls Gone Canon: ACOK Sansa Stark II/III

Girls Gone Canon: ACOK Sansa Stark IV/V

Girls Gone Canon: ACOK Sansa Stark VI

Girls Gone Canon: ACOK Sansa Stark VII

Girls Gone Canon: ACOK Sansa Stark VIII

Girls Gone Canon: ASOS Sansa Stark Intro/I

Girls Gone Canon: ASOS Sansa Stark II/III

Girls Gone Canon: ASOS Sansa Stark IV/V

Girls Gone Canon: ASOS Sansa Stark VI/VII FT.LadyGwyn of Radio Westeros

Girls Gone Canon: AFFC Sansa Stark Intro/I

Girls Gone Canon: AFFC Alayne I

Girls Gone Canon: AFFC Alayne II (Sansa III) Ft. Ashaya from History of Westeros

[harvestton]

kengo came close, burying his face into francia’s hair

kengo; ashaya is gone. he was one man. ruben is just overly paranoid that someone is going to hurt you like he did

francia; i guess you’re right

kengo; trust me, francia. i can’t speak for everyone but i know for a fact that i’m not like him. i will never hurt you like that

[the-foxwolf]

Places to Go and Stories to Tell: The Wild West, Oceania, Feudal Japan, and Vikings

The Foxwolf is back! As an avid Vorthos and a natural storyteller, I’m excited to once again share my talents with you all. 

This article lists four places I think the Magic Story could go and the type of story I’d like to see in each of those worlds. This exercise would be a little dry if I just listed things out. I figured it would be more fun, and expressive, to give you all a short glimpse of what a story there might look like. This article is a little different than the kind I normally do. But I’m fairly confident that if you sit down to read it, you’ll find you enjoy it. Let me know what you think! And enjoy!

It’s good to be back. Writing. Sharing my love for story telling again. 

Gather `Round Everyone! It’s Story Telling Time!

(Omniscience: Magic 2013) (Art by Jason Chan)

Format

     As you read through you’ll see the header for a section with a setting and some defining characteristics of that setting. I’ll then move into describing what that world might look like, the characters it might have, the environment and conflicts within the world, and the potential storyline I could easily see happening in said environment. It’s an easy, fun read, that provides you my thoughts on what I see coming in Magic’s future.

Wild West: Spellslingers and Railroads

      Sheriff Chandra steps out of the saloon, appreciating how the rising sun paints the sky into a canvassed pastel orange. Chandra breathes in the dry desert air of this dusty Frontier town. She lets it out slowly, eyes closed, hands on her hips, the warmth of the sun caressing her face, and takes in the world around her with all her senses. The Frontier air is charged with sensations and emotions. She can taste the unbridled hope and opportunity the Frontier has to offer; her skin shivers at the feeling of the electric static of the thrill of discovery all around her; the lizards scuttle across the floorboards beneath her boots and the jackalopes scurry into the brush at the sound of her clinking spurs; the sweat of the hard working people doing their best every day to thrive in this harsh world; all these things flood her senses and for a brief moment, she is lost in the romanticism of it all.       But that moment quickly fades. She knows that the Frontier isn’t the romantic dream the East makes it out to be. The rolling tumbleweeds who witnessed the bloody fate of the evicted natives whose promises of peace were betrayed by greed, protest by clumsily beating around the town- uselessly silent. Eagles and vultures circling above the town screech, echoing the pain the land itself feels with each new drill the Aether Barons order constructed. The Rail Monger’s train tracks are greased with the sweat of the imported indentured goblins and the tears of the settlers who are extorted into poverty by the extreme shipping costs.      Chandra takes off her hat and presses it gently against her chest in a moment of respectful silence. She puts it back and taps the badge, the sigil of the Gatewatch, on her cowhide jacket twice, reminding herself of the oath she made just a few years ago:

“Every world has its tyrants, following their own desires with no concern for the people they step on. They’re no different from the Eldrazi....If it means that people can live in freedom, yeah, I’ll keep watch...” 

(Oath of Chandra: Oath of the Gatewatch) (Art by Wesley Burt)

     She whistles for Ashaya, the Sun Stallion and watches as a beam of sunlight materializes into the majestic, noble, horse Nissa had taught her to summon. Chandra mounts Ashaya and checks her Spell-Slinger Gauntlets. With a flex of her hand, a small mote of concentrated Red Mana puffs into existence at her fingertips and proceeds to start circling her extended index finger. This tiny mote of energy could burn through bone like a hot knife cuts through butter. With another flex of her hand, she extinguishes the mote.       Satisfied her equipment is in order, she taps on Ashaya’s neck, motioning him towards the plateau to the West, near where the Sun Foot Tribe was last seen. “My mom always believed that I could be a leader. I’m starting to believe she’s right. Let’s go make my mother proud, Ashaya.”

Oceania: Islands and Atlantis

     The salty sting of the sea air carried upon the cool breeze tickles Nissa’s nose as she sits quietly just within reach of the lapping ocean waves. In the distance she can hear the rhythmic drums and the upbeat flutes of the islanders as they celebrate their annual Fire God festival. The scent of roasted swine rises from the thin grey cooking fires at the center of the nearby village. Above, a sea gull screeches and below, the ocean once again rolls in around Nissa, playfully embracing her as she meditates. Searching the soul of the world, she senses the snuffing out of another island-searing lava scorching it down to the sands, leaving only obsidian behind. The second island, this week. The fifth this month.      Jace finalizes his inspection of the ship the islanders so happily helped him build. Though they have never built anything quite like it, Jace was able to telepathically share the shipbuilding skills and knowledge he learned on Ixalan. They have enough supplies to last them well over a month. He glances at Nissa and decides not to disturb her. Instead, he heads into his cabin and once again presses his palms against the table, already starting to wear in those places by the constant pressure and practice, and gazes upon the chart before him. Though it had required a lot of sailing in ships he was far less familiar piloting, he and Nissa had managed to visit enough islands for Jace to glean a fairly accurate map from the collected thoughts of the most experienced sailors of each village. But now they were ready. At every stop, Nissa spent most of her time meditating, searching the sea floor, communing with the world’s soul, seeking for the sunken city of Atlantis. Between all her hard work and all of Jace’s research, they are close to finding its exact position.   

(Island: Magic 2010) (Art by Fred Fields)

   But their time is running short. Volcanoes, both underwater and those above, that have been silent and slumbering for millennia are awakening with a tremendous violence. Entire islands have been washed away. Others have been buried beneath molten rock. If the stories sung in the songs of the Slumbering Fire God are true, then the only way to stop these devastating disasters is to find Atlantis and search the secrets therein for a way to calm the unruly world.      Of all the worlds Jace had ever learned about, of all the worlds Nissa had ever touched, this one was the most innocent. Yes, every village has its quarrels and grudges and power struggles. And on the rare occasion neighboring islands might even go to war against one another. But compared to many of the worlds the Gatewatch had operated in... well...saving this one had a personal stake for them.      Jace looks up toward the far end of the island and sees a boat, similar to his own, approaching. Finjamin! The merfolk biomancer who had gone to Ravnica to implore the Gatewatch for their help had gathered the bravest souls from the archipelago. Not one of them could possibly have been older than two dozen years. Yet they dared to brave the seas in search of the sunken city, from whence no explorer had ever returned from whence they had sought to find.      Nissa smiles, sensing the ship approaching before she sees it. She stands and dusts the sand from her skirt, saying, “See what we are here for, Jace. For the life of every plane, and every life it nurtures.”      The telepath nods and takes a moment to look beyond the mission, to see the world they were here to help save. He smiles. “For the people.” He says to himself, leaning on the rails. “Let‘s go find Atlantis, Nissa. Let’s save the world.”

Feudal Japan: Ninjas and Samurais 

     Liliana walks upon the wooden floor of her courtyard, along the coy ponds, and amidst the blooming Cherry Blossoms. The running water between the several ponds babbles a soft melody in the background. She reaches up and plucks a flower from a branch. The necromancer smells it and allows herself to smile for just a moment...before slowly proceeding to tear it apart, one petal at a time until at last she crumbles the remains in her black, silken, gloved hands, and scatters the remains in the gentle breeze. A soft, warm, orange from the setting sun colors the sky and graces her face as she heads back into her palace. The smell of incense greets her as she slides open the doors and walks in. Running her hand along the wooden walls, her mauve silken kimono’s skirts brushing gently against the floor, she heads to the shogun’s war room. She slides open the door and sees Gideon raptly paying attention to a demon masked messenger proclaiming nonsense about ‘the glory of Shogun Lix’ and ‘total surrender or total destruction’. Nothing important. Liliana watches Gideon miraculously keep a stoic face of seriousness throughout the entire speech. Gideon looks good with his long hair in a pony tail. But the hunk of meat is still the same man he’s always been. Stoic. Righteous. Selfless. Unyieldingly boring. But at the very least, pretty to look at. When the messenger concludes, Gideon politely dismisses him with the promise of a safe passage out of his realm.      Gideon turns to face her once they’re alone and says, “Have your ninjas found the Blade of Kings?”

(Tatsumasa, the Dragon’s Fang: Champions of Kamigawa)  (Art by Martina Pilcerova)      “They have. Shogun Fa has been hiding it this entire time. How much trouble we could have saved had we just gone and wiped them out earlier like I suggested.”      “You know that was never an option. The only reason we’ve fought the other Shoguns is because-”      Yeah, yeah. ‘It was an absolute necessity with no other possible solution‘.“ She quoted. “I’ve heard your speech. But you have yet to understand that when Ob Nixilis is the enemy, there are no neutral parties, soldier boy. In some form or other, everything that doesn’t directly stand against him is his pawn.“      Gideon furrows his brow but doesn’t disagree. Instead he turns around and leans on the table with his elbow. “This is the closest we’ve ever come to stopping him, Liliana. We’re so close. By all accounts, Ob Nixilis should have defeated us by now. He surpasses my tactical talents by miles. But with you reanimating every samurai that our forces lose or kill we’ve managed to keep the scales balanced. For now, at least..”      “Don‘t feel bad, Gid-boy. He‘s called you his arch-nemesis. Surely that counts for something.”      He scoffs but his mood lightens. “Has Narset discovered what the Blade of Kings is yet?”      “She mentioned something about it being able to sever mana lines and eradiate magic and other weapon-of-ultimate-power type of things. So serious that one... I don’t like her.”      “Narset is normally a very serious woman. And you know why she’s here. Jace can’t be everywhere at once and you chose to come here rather than to join him on Oceania. But that’s neither here nor there. Focus, Liliana. We can’t let a weapon so powerful fall into the wrong hands.“      “That happy little world was just a little too sunny for me... And personally, Gideon, I could care less if we, or anyone else really, get our hands on that weapon or not. I just want the satisfaction of having taken it from under Ob Nixilis’ pointy demonic nose.“

Nordic: Barbarians, Vikings, and the Norse Gods 

     Up in Valhalla the gods are faced with, for the first time, the fear of mortality. Ragnarok is coming. All the omens and portends prophesized by the oracles ages ago have begun to manifest. The Great Chill has lasted for nearly two years now. The Hell Hound raids have drastically increased in number and ferocity. The mountains rumble and groan and quake. Astrid of the Grey-Claw clan, daughter of the chieftain, humbled herself and came to Ravnica to plead for the Gatewatch’s help. Ajani sees in her what he saw in Elspeth. A warrior looking for a home to feel safe at. Young. Beautiful. But above all fierce and brave. He happily swore his service.       Ajani, Astrid, and her Relentless Crew board their longboats, sailing to the North, into the ever colder waters of the Poles. Even though the Great Chill has buried much of this world in snow, Ajani can see that this world was once beautiful. Yet the gods offer no help to save it. Instead, they bicker amongst themselves as they decide whether to fight against destiny or stand out of the way and hope that Ragnarok, whatever it may be, spares them. The gods are always useless.       In the few times they stop to rest, Ajani listens to The Relentless Crew sing songs of the world before it was covered in snow. They drink heavily, and they dance merrily, and they laugh heartily. Astrid enjoys the merry making as much as her loyal crew do. Seeing the vibrant life in their eyes, Ajani knows he can’t let this world down. He won’t watch another life as full and as rich as Astrid’s meet Elspeth’s fate. Ajani’s heart couldn’t take it.      They sing of their homeland: Beloved tundras, irritating rams, babbling creeks, tranquil lakes, lush green lands, glory, and joy, and love. The world is cold, but the love the people have for it make it warm. Whatever Ragnarok is, it’ll face the best this world has to offer. 

(Mountain: Khans of Tarkir Variant 2) (Art by Titus Lunter)

     Stirring beneath the mountains of the North are horrors that worship and praise the coming of the apocalypse. Ragnarok, Phyrexia’s greatest Dragon Engine, is almost done repairing itself. It was created to destroy Urza Planeswalker-- and it nearly succeeded had the planeswalker named Serra not intervened. When repairs finish, Ragnarok will destroy this icy world on which it was trapped for so long and then it will go find whatever remains of Phyrexia. With its Planar Matrix, it will warp itself between through the Blind Eternities until it finds whatever remains of its masters. Once reunited, Ragnarok will deliver the Glory of Phyrexia across the multiverse, unimpeded! RISE RAGNAROK! RISE!

Conclusion

That’s all I‘ve got for today, folk! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think about this type of article. Don’t worry. My informative articles, opinion pieces, and essays will remain as they are. I just want to get a feel for how much my audience has patience for this type of stuff.

For more from me, at Story Telling Time, hit that “Follow“ button. If you enjoyed what you read, spread the world and hit that “Reblog“ button. Once again, thanks for reading. See ya next time!

[jeskaim]

Commander Updates

It’s been so long since I last posted on here.  That’s because I haven’t been playing much lately, even on Arena due to the bad economy and how bad the lag is for my laptop.  I’ve mostly been counting down the days until Commander Legends and Commander Collection: Green (which came out today).  I’ve been saving up for months for these upgrades and I would say I easily spent over $500 on my eight commander decks.  As you can probably guess Yisan got quite a few updates, and I’m not just talking about CCG.  I took another look at my deck and took out a few cards I thought were good but really weren’t.  The three cards I ended up taking out were Ramunap Excavator because it didn’t really fit in the deck.  I run four fetchlands along with Prismatic Vista but other than those it doesn’t really do much.  I also took out Fierce Empath and Rhonas. In their place I put Allosaurus Shepherd because even though it fits more with elf decks its ability to make green spells uncounterable makes it much better than Ramunap Excavator.  I also added Ashaya, Soul of the Wild and Magus of the Order which help with ramp and get certain creatures out fast.  Magus is one of the main reasons I took out Fierce Empath because Magus is quicker.  For Worldly Tutor I took out Broken Bond because I just felt I had enough ramp and artifact/enchantment removal.

The other decks that got a lot of upgrades were Narset and Kess.  I mostly upgraded the lands by adding five fetches each, a Vista, and the corresponding “crowd” lands.  To make room I took out a few basics along with any dual lands that come into play tapped because for EDH I feel they’re too slow.  For Kess this included the “bounce” lands.  I definitely feel they’re a lot more consistent now.  For Kess I also upgraded Diabolic Tutor for Vampiric Tutor since the price has gone down with the release of Commander Legends.  I had to get the Eternal Masters version because that’s the set my Mystical Tutor is from and I wanted them to be from the same set for consistency.

As for the rest I just made minor changes but those three got most of the upgrades.  Once game stores open up again I can’t wait to test them out.  I might even play some practice duels with them to see how they play and make more improvements.

[ofstarfleetsmarvels]

Blog Info - Canon

This blog has a very divergent canon across all the timelines my muses come from that is based in Star Trek (reboot continuity). Their canon events happened, but they diverge following various incidents. With exception of Saavik, all kids grow up to become superheroes known as Starfleet’s Marvels.

Star Trek

Let’s start simple. Saavik is 4 when her Romulan father is killed by angry Vulcans, and her Vulcan mother was already dead from illness by then. All it leaves is a small orphan on a planetoid in the neutral zone. She’s on her own for five years, fending for herself off the land. She learns to survive quickly, learns that when faced with a problem, you need to attack it before it attacks you.

So when she’s nine, a landing party of Vulcans tells her to get a sharp stick and fight back. Fortunately, most of them leave… but there’s one woman.

She has Vulcan ears, but her eyes are… kind. Not emotionless, as mother’s, as her father’s murderers, but… gentle. And she notices Saavik, when the others do not. She doesn’t get close. Her name, she tells Saavik, is Rebecca– and she is not Vulcan. She is human, with some Changeling genetics that allow her to change her ears.

She tells Saavik she is with Vulcans because they are her crew, that she has made her ears this way because her adoptive father is a Vulcan, and she offers to take Saavik far from this planet. Saavik is wary of her, when another Vulcan arrives and sees her.

Saavik feels it would be better if it looked like the woman is her prisoner, so she grabs her and holds up her stick menacingly. He moves on, seemingly laughing, but Rebecca reassures her and finishes her thought.

Saavik doesn’t have to stay with Vulcans if she does not wish to. But she could leave this planet, and have a real bed… warm food… clean water… a family, perhaps. So she leaves with Rebecca… but quickly becomes attached to the woman, calling her “mother” before two days’ time on the ship.

When she is a teenager, Saavik is kidnapped for ransom, and her mother trades places with her. By the time her father and the rest of the Polyhymnia crew have saved her mother, she has no memory of anything or anyone. Saavik lies to Starfleet recruiters, claiming that she has her grandfather’s permission to enlist (as she is 16 and could fast track) in order to join Starfleet and fight in the war for her mother. So… she’s grounded a year later, when her mother’s memories are back and she’s angry, but proud, and so she’s allowed to remain, a science officer on the USS Orville.

Shazam

It should be noted that this canon takes place in a timeline where Marvel and DC superheroes exist together. You’ll also notice some Heroes crossover, don’t worry about it.

Following the end of the movie, the kids go about their daily lives– hiding their identities from their foster parents, doing superhero things as needed, mainly living out normal lives.

Or, at least, they were until a man named Sylar figured out their secret identities. After their powers, he murdered their foster parents, leaving them once again without family… except each other.

Given their secret and their bond, the kids ran off together, continuing to fight crime and do their best to create a normal situation, on the run trying to keep away from Sylar. Unfortunately, a super villain battle causes him to catch up with them… well, anyways, it would be unfortunate if not for the woman who had suddenly appeared on the street during the battle, stunning the Sandman and stepping between them and Sylar when he’d arrived.

This was Rebecca. She was a young woman who looked at them as superheroes and saw the children they really were, and they as children got to see the adult she really was. They would tell their story– how Sylar had killed their parents, how they were on their own and didn’t know what to do or where to go, and she would offer to bring them back with her, to her universe and year– 2291. They would accept, becoming among only 8 superpowered humans in their timeline at the time of their arrival.

Brightburn

Brightburn, Kansas was gone. All that was left was one little boy, survived by some fluke, some miracle, but nobody knew that just yet. Brandon had left a trail of destruction in his wake, and was wrestling with his emotions.

Because inside of him was more than just an instinctive call to take the world. Inside of him was a 12-year-old who was terrified that he’d killed the only family he’d known even considering what they’d wanted to do to him. Even his mother…

A noise had jarred him and he’d whipped around to find a confused young woman, in a uniform from those really old space shows that sometimes came on TV when he was growing up, who cocks her head at him, telling him she’s lost, and her name is Rebecca.

He notices the weapon at her side, and fires his laser eyes at her, missing intentionally, just enough to scare her and make her disarm, which she does unquestioningly… unafraid. Why wasn’t she scared of him?

She helps him, as he wrestles with his feelings. Rebecca doesn’t hate him for what happened to Brightburn, even though he tells her. She tells him what her mother did to her, how she was abandoned, scorned, mocked… and tells him a story she knows, about two wolves at odds within every person, and how which wolf wins is the one that wins.

He doesn’t know which one he wants to win. But he takes her hand when the golden lights swirl around her, and goes back to her ship with her. Maybe it’ll be better there for him. Away from the call of his ship, away from the horrible things he’s done.

The Boys

One day, following Vought’s unveiling of a transporting technology that meant any of the Seven could be on the scene of a crime in seconds (instead of just certain people), Starlight curiously approaches the thing… and a glitch causes it to transport her off to a destination unknown.

The location would be a starship known as the USS Polyhymnia. When Annie panics and prepares to attack the strange people on the ship, she’s abruptly knocked unconscious by a twelve year old with glowing red eyes before being carried to the brig for the ship’s safety… and one of its science officers is called in to see her.

Rebecca meets Annie, a 17-year-old who just got out of hell even though she’s uncertain how she feels about it. Annie is cagey about the world she came from, but admits to being a superhero, lighting her eyes up with the yellow-ish glow when the woman briefly shapeshifts to a dark blue form with black hair and yellow eyes. Rebecca offers to give the teenager a place in her family and… admittedly scared of the risk of going back… Annie accepts.

One day, unexpectedly, another arrival appears from her old universe. He calls himself Homelander and when he learns he can never return to where he came from, sets his sights on one thing and one thing only: the same level of adoration in this universe as he had in his own. The immediate way he sees of doing that? None other than Starlight’s new mommy, poster child of Starfleet, face of the Federation, Rebecca.

Now, Rebecca is married and completely devoted, but a silly little thing like that won’t stop him. He forces Annie to help him lure out Rebecca away from others, capturing her and taking her into Romulan space to hide her and erase her memories again. Which would have been more successful if he’d known this timeline had just come to peaceful relations with Romulus and six Starfleet ships would be quick to get on the hunt for him.

They’re going off almost nothing until Rebecca, amnesiac again, wakes up… and her gut tells her the man saying he’s her husband, and that he loves her, is lying, and remembering voices when he calls her Rebecca– people, talking to her. Parents. Siblings. A man who calls her ashaya and his voice is so gentle and comforting and familiar…

She tricks the man who has her hostage into letting her call her brother. James answers and is greeted by her calling him by a nickname. A nickname she uses as a code word for being in danger, while she taps her nails against the console. V'Len on the Polyhymnia translates the tapping as morse code– her coordinates, and the ships locate her with ease after that.

Homelander kills two security officers from the USS Mayflower, but he doesn’t get a hand on the others– Rebecca’s siblings and husband, and James lands the killing blow against him, snapping his neck before going to help restore his older sister’s memories.

This is when Annie finally realizes how much Rebecca loves her, as she’s released from custody on Rebecca’s own order. This is when she starts to feel accepted in her new family… even…

One day, while having ice cream with some of her younger siblings, Brandon asks her what her world was like. And she’s careful. Her brother is only going on thirteen, there’s no need for her to go into detail, but Mary picks up on what she’s not saying…

As does Rebecca, who had been walking into the mess hall with T'Ri. As quickly as she’d heard what Annie had been through, she’s gone, going to the transporter room with such a murderous glint in her eyes none of her crew question her, transporting her to Annie’s universe per her request.

Rebecca sits in Homelander’s chair with the back turned to the room when the others arrive, informing her of their feelings without knowing who was really in the room yet. When she turns around, she reveals the truth– Homelander is dead, Annie is safe… and they’re going to die that day by her hand.

Queen Maeve is spared. But the others… it’s brutal. Especially The Deep. Annie never learns the story, just sees her mother come back covered in blood… with Hughie in tow.

The vigilante gang had arrived at Vought with the intent to finally kill the supes, but were astonished to find one young woman in a Star Trek uniform wiping blood off her hands and three corpses. She would tell them of Homelander’s own demise and Starlight’s safety, punching Butcher himself in the face upon realizing who he was and what he’d done to her daughter. It was Hughie who pleaded with Rebecca to take him back… and so she had, after dismantling Vought’s transporter and he’d called his own father to say goodbye.

The Runaways

Everything is set for Rebecca to retire at long last.

Well. Until a transporter malfunction strands her back in her old timeline. While she tries in vain to get in contact with her ship, she runs into a group of children… and a dinosaur. Questioning what she’s looking at, Rebecca keeps them from running off and convinces them to open up to her.

Fortunately, this is when her PADD that runs her timeline assessing program kicks back to life. These children allegedly vanish sometimes around now, believed kidnapped and killed by the Church of Gibbon.

Rebecca convinces them to leave with her instead, and decides to test out a new piece of technology invented by a group of (accidental) universe hoppers that allows her to make a transporter door to her own universe, bringing all of them back with her… but only adopting four, allowing the other two to be adopted by some on her crew to not harm the relationships present within their group. (Find Dex, Sophie, Keefe, Fitz, Linh, Tam, Marella, Biana, and Stina on my main indie, starbcrn-kids)

The Darkest Minds

This is where it gets really messy. Ruby would be the first exception Rebecca would make to altering a timeline’s plotted course, convincing Cate to give her Ruby after breaking her out of Thurmond instead of letting Ruby suffer as she had any further past that point.

This, however, would take place after rescuing young Jude from an explosion, bringing both back to the Polyhymnia with conflicting and confused memories that she would explain to them both after settling her emotions regarding their universe. She hated herself for not being able to save them all.

So Brandon would be the first to suggest the alternative. Maybe their mom can’t save everyone… but they can. He gathers his superpowered siblings and Saavik, and convinces them to return to the universe Ruby and Jude came from, sometime after Jude’s alleged death, and start a revolution. Free the camps, save the kids, and overthrow the president.

Ruby is uncertain but insists on going along. Now adults, Billy convinces the captain of his ship (the Enterprise), also known as his aunt Demora, to perform the universal shift to attempt the revolution. When Demora is captured by President Gray, the team of Rebecca’s children beams down to the California coast and begins the revolution, eventually rescuing Demora and returning home with a number of extras– including kids who Ruby thinks, in another life, may have been her best friends somehow. (Find Liam, Chubs, and Vida on my main indie, starbcrn-kids)

Following this mission, Demora follows her older sister’s footsteps and retires, and while her own first officer is assigned a ship, Starfleet asks Billy to take the mantle as captain of the Enterprise considering his role in the rescue mission, which he nervously accepts.

Truth be told I normally hate using passwords, but in this case I’m going to require one. Please either like this post or send in “cheeseburger” to let me know you’ve read the blog canon.

[starfleets-marvels-motherfxcker]

Blog Canon for Mobile

I will include a short version of the canon but you need to read below the cut as well. There’s a lot going on on this blog and let me emphasize this, I will not be portraying them as they appear in their canon. I will cross them over to other universes including back to where they come from but they will still follow this primary canon.

I don’t know some of their universes super well. This is why I don’t write their pasts much.

The short version is this blog is based in a Star Trek-inspired universe, and the 15 muses present on this blog were adopted by a woman named Rebecca, one of my muses on a different blog. They are all siblings of the 23rd-24th century. Specifics below (each muse is sorted by verse), again, PLEASE read and leave a like on this once you read them.

Star Trek

Let’s start simple. Saavik is 4 when her Romulan father is killed by angry Vulcans, and her Vulcan mother was already dead from illness by then. All it leaves is a small orphan on a planetoid in the neutral zone. She’s on her own for five years, fending for herself off the land. She learns to survive quickly, learns that when faced with a problem, you need to attack it before it attacks you.

So when she’s nine, a landing party of Vulcans tells her to get a sharp stick and fight back. Fortunately, most of them leave… but there’s one woman.

She has Vulcan ears, but her eyes are… kind. Not emotionless, as mother’s, as her father’s murderers, but… gentle. And she notices Saavik, when the others do not. She doesn’t get close. Her name, she tells Saavik, is Rebecca– and she is not Vulcan. She is human, with some Changeling genetics that allow her to change her ears.

She tells Saavik she is with Vulcans because they are her crew, that she has made her ears this way because her adoptive father is a Vulcan, and she offers to take Saavik far from this planet. Saavik is wary of her, when another Vulcan arrives and sees her.

Saavik feels it would be better if it looked like the woman is her prisoner, so she grabs her and holds up her stick menacingly. He moves on, seemingly laughing, but Rebecca reassures her and finishes her thought.

Saavik doesn’t have to stay with Vulcans if she does not wish to. But she could leave this planet, and have a real bed… warm food… clean water… a family, perhaps. So she leaves with Rebecca… but quickly becomes attached to the woman, calling her “mother” before two days’ time on the ship.

When she is a teenager, Saavik is kidnapped for ransom, and her mother trades places with her. By the time her father and the rest of the Polyhymnia crew have saved her mother, she has no memory of anything or anyone. Saavik lies to Starfleet recruiters, claiming that she has her grandfather’s permission to enlist (as she is 16 and could fast track) in order to join Starfleet and fight in the war for her mother. So… she’s grounded a year later, when her mother’s memories are back and she’s angry, but proud, and so she’s allowed to remain, a science officer on the USS Orville.

Shazam

It should be noted that this canon takes place in a timeline where Marvel and DC superheroes exist together. You’ll also notice some Heroes crossover, don’t worry about it.

Following the end of the movie, the kids go about their daily lives– hiding their identities from their foster parents, doing superhero things as needed, mainly living out normal lives.

Or, at least, they were until a man named Sylar figured out their secret identities. After their powers, he murdered their foster parents, leaving them once again without family… except each other.

Given their secret and their bond, the kids ran off together, continuing to fight crime and do their best to create a normal situation, on the run trying to keep away from Sylar. Unfortunately, a super villain battle causes him to catch up with them… well, anyways, it would be unfortunate if not for the woman who had suddenly appeared on the street during the battle, stunning the Sandman and stepping between them and Sylar when he’d arrived.

This was Rebecca. She was a young woman who looked at them as superheroes and saw the children they really were, and they as children got to see the adult she really was. They would tell their story– how Sylar had killed their parents, how they were on their own and didn’t know what to do or where to go, and she would offer to bring them back with her, to her universe and year– 2291. They would accept, becoming among only 8 superpowered humans in their timeline at the time of their arrival.

Brightburn

Brightburn, Kansas was gone. All that was left was one little boy, survived by some fluke, some miracle, but nobody knew that just yet. Brandon had left a trail of destruction in his wake, and was wrestling with his emotions.

Because inside of him was more than just an instinctive call to take the world. Inside of him was a 12-year-old who was terrified that he’d killed the only family he’d known even considering what they’d wanted to do to him. Even his mother…

A noise had jarred him and he’d whipped around to find a confused young woman, in a uniform from those really old space shows that sometimes came on TV when he was growing up, who cocks her head at him, telling him she’s lost, and her name is Rebecca.

He notices the weapon at her side, and fires his laser eyes at her, missing intentionally, just enough to scare her and make her disarm, which she does unquestioningly… unafraid. Why wasn’t she scared of him?

She helps him, as he wrestles with his feelings. Rebecca doesn’t hate him for what happened to Brightburn, even though he tells her. She tells him what her mother did to her, how she was abandoned, scorned, mocked… and tells him a story she knows, about two wolves at odds within every person, and how which wolf wins is the one that he feeds.

He doesn’t know which one he wants to win. But he takes her hand when the golden lights swirl around her, and goes back to her ship with her. Maybe it’ll be better there for him. Away from the call of his ship, away from the horrible things he’s done.

The Boys

One day, following Vought’s unveiling of a transporting technology that meant any of the Seven could be on the scene of a crime in seconds (instead of just certain people), Starlight curiously approaches the thing… and a glitch causes it to transport her off to a destination unknown.

The location would be a starship known as the USS Polyhymnia. When Annie panics and prepares to attack the strange people on the ship, she’s abruptly knocked unconscious by a twelve year old with glowing red eyes before being carried to the brig for the ship’s safety… and one of its science officers is called in to see her.

Rebecca meets Annie, a 17-year-old who just got out of hell even though she’s uncertain how she feels about it. Annie is cagey about the world she came from, but admits to being a superhero, lighting her eyes up with the yellow-ish glow when the woman briefly shapeshifts to a dark blue form with black hair and yellow eyes. Rebecca offers to give the teenager a place in her family and… admittedly scared of the risk of going back… Annie accepts.

One day, unexpectedly, another arrival appears from her old universe. He calls himself Homelander and when he learns he can never return to where he came from, sets his sights on one thing and one thing only: the same level of adoration in this universe as he had in his own. The immediate way he sees of doing that? None other than Starlight’s new mommy, poster child of Starfleet, face of the Federation, Rebecca.

Now, Rebecca is married and completely devoted, but a silly little thing like that won’t stop him. He forces Annie to help him lure out Rebecca away from others, capturing her and taking her into Romulan space to hide her and erase her memories again. Which would have been more successful if he’d known this timeline had just come to peaceful relations with Romulus and six Starfleet ships would be quick to get on the hunt for him.

They’re going off almost nothing until Rebecca, amnesiac again, wakes up… and her gut tells her the man saying he’s her husband, and that he loves her, is lying, and remembering voices when he calls her Rebecca– people, talking to her. Parents. Siblings. A man who calls her ashaya and his voice is so gentle and comforting and familiar…

She tricks the man who has her hostage into letting her call her brother. James answers and is greeted by her calling him by a nickname. A nickname she uses as a code word for being in danger, while she taps her nails against the console. V'Len on the Polyhymnia translates the tapping as morse code– her coordinates, and the ships locate her with ease after that.

Homelander kills two security officers from the USS Mayflower, but he doesn’t get a hand on the others– Rebecca’s siblings and husband, and James lands the killing blow against him, snapping his neck before going to help restore his older sister’s memories.

This is when Annie finally realizes how much Rebecca loves her, as she’s released from custody on Rebecca’s own order. This is when she starts to feel accepted in her new family… even…

One day, while having ice cream with some of her younger siblings, Brandon asks her what her world was like. And she’s careful. Her brother is only going on thirteen, there’s no need for her to go into detail, but Mary picks up on what she’s not saying…

As does Rebecca, who had been walking into the mess hall with T'Ri. As quickly as she’d heard what Annie had been through, she’s gone, going to the transporter room with such a murderous glint in her eyes none of her crew question her, transporting her to Annie’s universe per her request.

Rebecca sits in Homelander’s chair with the back turned to the room when the others arrive, informing her of their feelings without knowing who was really in the room yet. When she turns around, she reveals the truth– Homelander is dead, Annie is safe… and they’re going to die that day by her hand.

Queen Maeve is spared. But the others… it’s brutal. Especially The Deep. Annie never learns the story, just sees her mother come back covered in blood… with Hughie in tow.

The vigilante gang had arrived at Vought with the intent to finally kill the supes, but were astonished to find one young woman in a Star Trek uniform wiping blood off her hands and three corpses. She would tell them of Homelander’s own demise and Starlight’s safety, punching Butcher himself in the face upon realizing who he was and what he’d done to her daughter. It was Hughie who pleaded with Rebecca to take him back… and so she had, after dismantling Vought’s transporter and he’d called his own father to say goodbye.

The Runaways

Everything is set for Rebecca to retire at long last.

Well. Until a transporter malfunction strands her back in her old timeline. While she tries in vain to get in contact with her ship, she runs into a group of children… and a dinosaur. Questioning what she’s looking at, Rebecca keeps them from running off and convinces them to open up to her.

Fortunately, this is when her PADD that runs her timeline assessing program kicks back to life. These children allegedly vanish sometimes around now, believed kidnapped and killed by the Church of Gibbon.

Rebecca convinces them to leave with her instead, and decides to test out a new piece of technology invented by a group of (accidental) universe hoppers that allows her to make a transporter door to her own universe, bringing all of them back with her… but only adopting four, allowing the other two to be adopted by some on her crew to not harm the relationships present within their group. (Find Dex, Sophie, Keefe, Fitz, Linh, Tam, Marella, Biana, and Stina on my main indie, take-to-the-fxcking-stars)

The Darkest Minds

This is where it gets really messy. Ruby would be the first exception Rebecca would make to altering a timeline’s plotted course, convincing Cate to give her Ruby after breaking her out of Thurmond instead of letting Ruby suffer as she had any further past that point.

This, however, would take place after rescuing young Jude from an explosion, bringing both back to the Polyhymnia with conflicting and confused memories that she would explain to them both after settling her emotions regarding their universe. She hated herself for not being able to save them all.

So Brandon would be the first to suggest the alternative. Maybe their mom can’t save everyone… but they can. He gathers his superpowered siblings and Saavik, and convinces them to return to the universe Ruby and Jude came from, sometime after Jude’s alleged death, and start a revolution. Free the camps, save the kids, and overthrow the president.

Ruby is uncertain but insists on going along. Now adults, Billy convinces the captain of his ship (the Enterprise), also known as his aunt Demora, to perform the universal shift to attempt the revolution. When Demora is captured by President Gray, the team of Rebecca’s children beams down to the California coast and begins the revolution, eventually rescuing Demora and returning home with a number of extras– including kids who Ruby thinks, in another life, may have been her best friends somehow. (Find Liam, Chubs, Zu, and Vida on my main indie, take-to-the-fxcking stars)

Following this mission, Demora follows her older sister’s footsteps and retires, and while her own first officer is assigned a ship, Starfleet asks Billy to take the mantle as captain of the Enterprise considering his role in the rescue mission, which he nervously accepts.

[speedygal]

Not a logical intervention - epilogue

“Did you bring the kitten?” Kirk asked.

“He is not really a kitten anymore, dad,” Lyionel replied, then held up the light peach cat carrier. “You were out there for three weeks!” He looked at the side. “technically he is still a kitten but I think the Klingon half has a hand in that.”

The calico cat mewed at the grinning admiral.

“A----acho!” Spock had a high pitch swift sneeze as hen came over to Kirk’s side.

“Bless you,” Kirk said, fondly looking over toward the taller Vulcan.

“I am fine,” Spock said.

“Thank you, son,” Kirk said. “Sorry you had to spend your first holiday alone.”

“Actually, I spent Hanukkah with the Kirk’s,” Lyionel said. “andddd guess where we went.”

“Rock climbing?” Kirk offered.

“Camping,” Spock said.

“Zoo going?” Kirk guessed.

“Even better,” Lyionel said. “Shopping!”

Spock raised an eyebrow at the man. They had gone shopping with the young man during his recovery. He had lots of clothes that ranged in taste, some of which were fancy, and he had long socks that didn’t blend in. He was dressed entirely in green. All of his clothes were green with different secondary colors ranging for holiday events. In fact, he wore green sun glasses decorated in light green sparkles. Lyionel reminded Spock of the riddler’s criminal fashionable style. Kirk turned his attention toward the cat.

“What are the kittens names?” Kirk asked.

“Kobay, and Ashi,” Lyionel said. Kirk slowly turned his head in the direction of Spock who had a fond short laugh. Spock had a fond short well aged laugh.

“Mr Spock,” Kirk said, baffled but in a endearing teasingly manner. “you can’t resist the opportunity to name a cat after a program that hasn’t been made,”

“I didn’t name them, I gave him a list of suggestions,” Spock said. “Apparently he favored Kobay and Ashi.”

“We’re failing at this,“ Kirk said.

“More than we ever know,” Spock said. “It seems the giftee has finally left the Hood.”

“Where--” Kirk looked over to see Ambassador Durche exiting the docking port. “There he is!”

The dark man was being escorted by security officers straying from the remaining Ambassadors. Like a very young man with more than energy than someone in their sixties, Kirk ran after the man with carrier in hand. The calico mewed as it slid from side to side. Spock followed along  after the admiral in a slow pace. Officers walked past Spock and Kirk. Lyionel went over to a honey station and ordered himself a honey bar.

“Ambassador Durche!” Kirk called..

Durche stopped appearing to be alarmed.

“Yes?” Durche said.

“Your cat,” Kirk handed the carrier to the dark woman.

Durche turned the cat carrier toward him to see the calico.

“That is so cute,” Durche lowered the carrier. ‘“Thank, thank you, thank you very much, Admiral Miller.”  Durche held her hand out for the man to shake.

“You’re very welcome,” Kirk said, taking the Loktaran’s hand.

“I won’t forget this,” Durche said. “If you need a favor on Loktara, please, call.”

“We will,” Kirk said. 

Durche let go of the admiral’s hand then turned in the direction of people calling him. People who shared a familiar resemblance dressed in a two piece yellow outfit resembling much what the delegates were in. Durche, the Loktaran Ambassador, was in a two piece dark outfit with a bright blue sash. She turned back in the direction of the partners.

“May the great bird of the galaxy bless you,” Durche said, then stopped shaking hands with the admiral.

“Live long and prosper,” Spock said, holding the ta’al..

Durche turned from the two then headed off toward his direction. Spock lowered his hand linking it behind his back. There was a familiar mew from behind the two. It was distinct and short. It was a familiar mew that Italian made just for him. Kirk had a happy sigh watching the woman go off.  Spock turned away from Kirk then knelt down. The sound of a mew brought the attention of the admiral. Kirk looked over to see in his husbands arms was a large, fluffy white cat that was purring. Spock felt on the cats forehead then grew a beaming wide smile as he stood up to his feet. Italian rubbed the side of Spock’s cheek with the side of his face.

“I thought he was gone,” Spock said, emotionally.

“No one is truly gone,” Kirk said, rubbing along Italian’s neck while looking up toward Spock with affection.

Italian’s legs were on the Spock’s shoulders purring while laid in the corner of his arm. His head turned in the direction of admiral Kirk. Washington came out of the docking port and stopped, holding a  small cat carrier, to see that the kitten had found them. A smile grew on the officer’s face then returned the cat carrier back into the ship. The scene panned back. Spock had another sneeze. Kirk had a laugh at the Ambassador.

The press was all over the matter shortly after the Hood’s docking port met with the starbase. The ship had several layers of metal peeled away, a deck corridor for three decks were missing, loss of officers, and the phenomenon of Stabby the quartermaster quickly trended in the federation. Officer Reeds was escorted out by security in cuffs then handed over to starbase authorities.T’Pot stood at the top of the curled tower in the shape of a ‘c’ attached to the ground. Visiting one of Earth’s historical sights only momentarily reminded the woman how insignificant she was. How planets were vast and large with population centers. She exited the ground minutes afterwards relieved and dressed enough to blend in with the Terrans.

Now that the mission was over.

What was there to do now?

For so long, she had been determined on serving the captain and the crew’s protection. A security officer, chief of security, turned captain. She had served in Starfleet for over twenty years. The reports that she had read was strikingly struck a cord. Bole’s physical body was gone except for her brain taking the Greosciou far, far, away, out of the galaxy possibly. Ten thousand years alone and never come back. Was she going to go the same way? A captain, who did so much to preserve the ship, ending up as a disapproval in Starfleet. Yet to her, Bole was perhaps a great captain. She wasn’t illusion-ed on that thought. She had not planned ahead for this. Not at all. T’Pot’s bondmate came behind her with linked hands behind his back as she gazed off the balcony to their apartment. It was a like breeze going from Earth to Vulcan for downtime.

“Your mind is preoccupied,” Sochya said, coming to the woman’s side.

T’Pot visibly relaxed alongside the short Vulcan.

“I do not  know how I can go back out there,” T’Pot said.

“There is no room in your life if you let fear reside in it. . .” Sochy said.

“Until you cast it out,” T’Pot finished.

“Indeed,” Sochya said.

“I do not believe my life is to be spent in space,” T’Pot said, leaned forward with a sigh placing her hands on the balcony’s edge. She looked over toward the man. “Perhaps it is somewhere else. Somewhere closer. I do not wish to be compared with my former captain.”

“You have done this comparing and contrasting all on your own,” Sochya said. "The press has not done any of it as of far,” Sochya placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “You are a starfleet officer and have done as far proved yourself worthy of commanding a starship.”

“It does not feel natural,” T’Pot said.

“Nothing does aboard a Starfleet vessel,” Sochya said. “It is unnatural . . Perhaps with your new career advancement, there is a purpose behind it, such as patrolling zones.” she raised her head up. “Which is, in itself, a security mission.”

T’Pot nodded.

“You are right,” T’Pot said, turning away. “I shall find a assignment that deals with my interests accordingly.”

Sochya held his two fingers out.

“Excellent, my wife,” Sochya said.

T’Pot completed the ozh’esta gesture.

Spock was laid in beds surrounded by Kobay, Ashi, Maru, and Italian. Italian was seated alongside Spock against his chest. Kirk came to the bedroom door singing. Spock’s skin was covered in sweat. His grayed hair was stuck against his skin. Sensing Kirk’s return, Spock turned from the direction of the window toward Kirk. Spock lifted himself up against the back rest of the bed as the door opened. Kirk slid the door open.

“Good morning, husband!” Kirk’s well aged voice that rung in the Vulcan’s ears.

“Ashaya, adun, t’hy’la,” Spock said, as Kirk placed the tray onto the Vulcan’s lap. Steaming, warm plomeek soup rested in the center. There were pieces of tomato floating inside and celery.  Kirk’s special ‘get well soon’ soup was red with pieces of carrots sticking out.  Kirk sat on the edge of the bed appearing well phrased compared to the ill, shirtless Vulcan. Italian leapt into the Vulcan’s lap.  “Please lower-” Spock sneezed. “your voice. It is too loud.”

“Sorry about that,” Kirk said, softening his voice. “I can’t believe we forgot to get you a shot before we left.”

“It is partially my fault,” Spock said. “I was focused on other matters.”

“November and December were busy months,” Kirk said. “Learning Federation Standard, then how to write, and cursive. . . That was very stressfull. I think I got more grayed hair because of it.” Kirk laughed in bemusement.

Spock held his two fingers out for the admiral.

“You are beautiful,” Spock said. “Just the way you are.”

“If you weren’t sick then I would be kissing you the human way,” Kirk said, returning the gesture.

“Kaiidth,” Spock said. Then he lowered his hand feeling around for a spoon. Italian moved the spoon toward Spock’s hands. Spock’s fingers grabbed onto the long, cold silver center then picked up and began to eat. Kirk’s warm smile at the scene slowly started to fade.

“I am going to work today,” Kirk said. “And I am taking Lyionel.”

Spock raised an eyebrow.

“I am sure, Spock,” Kirk said. “he is going to be the most helpful on this secret mission.”

Spock took a sip appearing not to be convinced.

“The mission we’re going on involves a science facility,” Kirk said. “You know, the Gastavo colony?”  Spock nearly dropped it. “Spock, I won’t save it. We are just fixing a little problem.” Spock glared in the direction of the admiral. “I know, I know, I know. We can’t interfere more as have any further.”  Kirk shook his hands. “Okay, it’s more of a big problem. The locals worship someone named Ha’chie. The scientists there think they’re worshipping a robot.”

“Natives had no part in the tragedy at the Gastavo colony,” Spock said. Spock’s attention was laid on Kirk. Spock’s unoccupied hand went over to Kirk’s hand gently taking it. “Jim, be careful.”

“I will, I will,” Kirk said, “In the mean time, I have arranged to have all the medicine for you on the counter. And I like you not to go after us when you’re sick. Don’t want the natives to get sick, do you?”

“No,” Spock said.

“By tomorrow, you’ll be good enough to make yourself something,” Kirk said.

“I shall be,” Spock said, with a nod.  “If I am still not well, I shall force myself up and provide self-care.”

Kirk had a light hearted laugh looking at Spock affectionately.

“Self care does,” Kirk said, with a light squeeze of Spock’s hand earning a slight gasp.

“Jim,” Spock emphasized. “Not when I am eating.”

“You’re so lovely,” Kirk said.

“I am quite aware how attractive I am to you,” Spock said. “I do not desire a mess on this bed that I cleaned three weeks ago.”

“Oh well, the things you can arouse out of me,” Kirk said.

Spock heard knocking from down stairs.

“It appears we have a visitor.” Spock said.

“I wonder who that can be,” Kirk said. “Probably a lost traveler.”

“Again,” Spock said, rubbing his forehead.

“I will wake Lyionel up then get the door,” Kirk said. “Baby, it’s a little of a Kirk incident that we live by the fork in the road to the highway.”

Kobay, Ashi, and Maru raised their heads up with alert ears at the sound of  the knocking. Lyionel was sleeping in his bedroom snoring away almost ready to fall right off. Kirk stroked Italian’s forehead then slid his figure ff reluctantly off the bed. Kirk left the door ajar heading his way down the hall. Spock sipped in more of the soup making a occasional chew or two. Spock picked up the napkin wiping along his mouth. Spock heard the sound of a door creaking open. There was sheer joy and shock traveling through the bond.

“Bones!” Kirk shouted.

And that is when Spock knew that his new family was whole again leaving a smile on his face.

His not a logical intervention came to become something otherwise

It had turned into a much . . . logical intervention in the grand scheme of things.

The End.

[askkrenko]

Magic Story Abridged: Invasive Species

(Episode 8, Battle for Zendikar Episode 2; Original Stories HERE, HERE, and HERE)

Art by Adame Minguez

RAVNICA

Liliana, muttering to herself: I can’t believe him. Running off on some wild adventure and just ditching me like that. I had adventures planned. Better adventures. With wine and dancing and demon slaying.

Raven, a bird: You could have just asked him for help, you know.

Liliana: Well, I certainly didn’t ask you, so can it.

Raven: Yes, of course. Ignore the advice of the one person who has consistently been right for your entire life.

Liliana: The fact that you’ve been following me, across planes, for my entire life tells me something is seriously wrong with your decision making skills.

Raven: No worse than yours, I promise. I’m not the one ruining their chances with someone they love.

Liliana: I… what?! I don’t love him!

Raven, a man, with a book: No? Then allow me to read an excerpt from your diary. Ahem. “Mrs. Liliana Beleren. Mrs. Liliana Beleren. Lady Liliana Beleren. Guildpactess Liliana Beleren. Mrs. Liliana Beleren-Vess. Mr. Jace Vess.” It literally goes on like this for three pages.

Liliana: Give that back! What do you know, anyway? You’re a bird.

Raven Man: I know you destroy everyone and everything you’ve ever come into contact with, and that you’re going to destroy a great many more things in the future.

Liliana: I can think of one thing I haven’t destroyed yet that I’d really like to… (Liliana pulls out the Chain Veil)

Raven Man: We’re doing this again? It’s just going to be the same as every time before.

Liliana: Before, I didn’t have the veil!

(Liliana unleashes ultimate dark magic, blasting the Raven Man. He explodes into a burst of dead birds.)

Art by Adame Minguez 

Raven, a bird, right behind her: Ooh, nice shot.

Liliana, glowing purple, but turning red: Just die already!

(Liliana blasts the Raven. It immediately ages into dust)

Raven, a different bird, perched nearby: That’s some pretty impressive power you’ve got there.

Liliana, glowing brighter: Just SHUT UP!

(Liliana unleashes torrent of deadly energy, killing everything within a hundred feet. Dozens of Ravens fall down dead.)

Liliana, bleeding from her tattoos: Is it done? Are you gone? Can I finally just handle this myself?!?

(Silence)

Liliana: Good… good… Okay, that’s been a day. Now, to head back to Innistrad, get washed up, and get some sleep. Razaketh and Belzenlok won’t murder themselves.

Raven, a different bird, flying overhead: Great! Meet you there!

Liliana: SONOFA-

Art by John Avon

Art by Wesley Burt

ZENDIKAR

(Cut to Nissa Revane, now an adult, but who really knows what that means for elves? Maybe she’s twenty five, maybe she’s fifty. She’s probably not over a hundred, but who can say? With her is the Soul of Zendikar, now regularly taking on the form of a wood elemental that everyone can see, but not understand)

Nissa: I’m really not sure we can win this.

Zendikar: We win a lot! We just smushed two eldrazi at once! I am the best at eldrazi smushing.

Nissa: I meant long-term, though.

Zendikar: Oh… yeah. They are sort of sucking all the life out of everything they touch and leaving nothing but wastes lands.

Nissa: You mean wastelands?

Zendikar: Pfft. I wish. Look, we just gotta… keep hitting them. A lot. Until we’ve smushed them all. All one million forty two thousand of them.

Nissa: They keep spawning, though.

Zendikar: What if we hit them really, really fast?

Art by Igor Kieryluk

Surprise vampire!: Special delivery for Nissa Revane!

Nissa: Vampire! … Why do you know me?

Zendikar: A vampire! Kill it dead!

Nissa: You have ten seconds to talk before I kill you dead.

Vampire: Anowon sent me to find you, or any other planeswalker. We need you to save Zendikar!

Nissa: ...I’m listening.

Vampire, pulling out a bag: Behold… SEEDS! Now, when the eldrazi eat this world you can put all these seeds somewhere else and build a new Zendikar.

Nissa: I…

Zendikar: That’s stupid!

Nissa: Excuse me?

Zendikar: That’s a plan so stupid only a vampire could think it up. Saving the babies is a great idea, but do you know what happens when you introduce alien plants somewhere?

Nissa:  The same things that happen when you introduce eldrazi or vampires?

Zendikar: Basically! You can’t give these babies a good home without taking away something else’s.

Nissa: And of course I can’t do that… And I can’t leave here anyway. This is my fault. I need to help clean it up.

Vampire: Excuse me, who are you talking to?

Nissa: Zendikar.

Vampire: Zendikar?

Nissa: The wood elemental right here?

Art by Raymond Swanland

Vampire: You call your elemental Zendikar?

Nissa: Is that… bad?

Vampire: It’s certainly… odd.

Nissa: Well, how about… Ashaya?

Vampire: That’s just Elven for Zendikar!

Nissa: It’s Elven for World, thank you very much! Now, give me those! (Nissa grabs the seeds) I’m going to figure out how to save Zendikar, I’m going to plant these seeds where they belong, and I’m going to call my elemental Ashaya whether you like it or not!

Vampire: Fine. You’ve got your seeds. What you do with them is up to you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go drown myself in alcohol until the world ends.

Nissa: Vampires drink booze?

Vampire: ...I’m going to go drown myself in alcoholics until the world ends. (Vampire wanders off.)

Art by Franz Vohwinkel

REGATHA

KERAL KEEP

(Knock, Knock, Knock)

Monk: (Opens the door) Can I help you?

Jace: Can Chandra come out and play?

Monk: ...You again. I’ll get her. (Monk goes inside, acquires Chandra)

Chandra: The finks do you want?

Gideon: Hello, Chandra. It’s good to see you.

Chandra: Oh, joy, both of you are here. I really hope you’re not starting a ‘people who seriously messed with Chandra’s life’ club, because I’m just starting to have a good thing going now.

Gideon: Zendikar’s in trouble. We need your help.

Chandra: Well, I can’t go. I have classes.

Jace: You’re getting an education?

Chandra: What? No! I’m a professor.

Jace: …

Gideon: People are dying in large numbers. We need all the powerful planeswalkers we can get.

Jace: And besides, you and I are partially responsible for this. We did get into a fight around an ancient and dangerous artifact.

Chandra: Oh, we’re talking about things I’m responsible for now?

Gideon: Shouldn’t have said that…

Art by Eric Deschamps

Chandra: I’m responsible for my students! I’m responsible for this school! I’m responsible for teaching dozens of young pyromancers how to control their power and learn the ancient wisdom of Jaya Ballard when the only thing I remember of her teachings is “That’s a lot of nuggets,” and I don’t even think that one’s canon! And why? Because the abbot said so and then died before even asking me about it! So you go, you go be responsible for an apocalypse that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t snuck into my house, stole my stolen scroll, and threatened a child, and I’m going to stay right the fylgja here!

(DOOR SLAM)

Gideon: We’ll be at Sea Gate if you change your mind!

Jace: And yet, that still went better than I expected.

[ofbooksandcleverness]

30 Days of You and Me: Day 17

AO3

The next day, Rina found herself sitting at the kitchen table, unable to concentrate. She’d brought her laptop and a couple of data pads she’d borrowed from the university library down here, so that she could take advantage of the bright afternoon sun pouring in through the open windows. Perhaps she’d be better able to concentrate if she went out to the porch. Or maybe if she made a cup of tea.

Rina groaned, and flopped her forehead to the table, the timber sun-warmed under her skin. What was the point? Apparently, Felix had her under some sort of spell, because she couldn’t get him out of her head. Mind control was more likely, since magic wasn’t real, and Psy were. She’d have to ask Sascha when she next saw her. It was true that changeling mental shields were nigh on impossible to breach, but who knew if Felix had a touch of Psy blood in him that allowed him to squirrel his way into her thoughts? Perhaps she should talk with Ashaya about this theory. If anyone would know about latent genetics, it would be the brilliant Ashaya Aleine.

She banged her head gently against the table. Of course it wasn’t mind control, either. No, it was simply good, old-fashioned lust. She’d gone to him yesterday, unable to resist the beautiful thing that was growing between them. Being so close to him had been wonderful. Breathing in his scent, seeing that beautiful smile, the rumble of his wolf wrapping around her; it had been familiar and brand new all at once. The skin privileges had been a happy bonus. A very happy bonus. Aside from being delightful in and of themselves, they’d been enough to quiet the sexual hunger of her beast… for now. But that hunger wasn’t gone. She had a feeling that the inferno between Felix and herself wouldn’t simply disappear after they’d had sex. No, things weren’t as simple as that anymore.

She glanced over at her cactus, sitting proudly in its jaunty red pot, in the centre of the table. The peace lilies she’d moved over to a side table near the giant floor cushions they had in lieu of couches.

She knew Felix was playing for keeps. No matter his position in the hierarchy, Felix had made it clear from day one that he was serious, that he wanted a long-term relationship. And for the first time in her life, Rina was… okay with that. She’d come back from her roaming several months ago, the mind of the leopard, if not calmer, at least clearer. It was the leopard’s clarity she used now to focus herself – in both her training as a soldier, and her studies in actuarial science.

But a forever kind of relationship? It hadn’t been something she’d seriously ever considered. Until Felix.

Glancing over at the cactus again, the petals from its pretty pink flowers creating a carpet over the soil, she sighed. She should be taking advantage of this uncommonly quiet afternoon, not mooning over a stupid boy. She opened the lid of her laptop, and got to work.

… And was interrupted by a knock on her door ten minutes later.

Scenting the packmate on the other side, she called out, “It’s open!”

Mercy walked in a moment later, a smile on her face, her smooth movements speaking of the confidence of her leopard.

Rina smiled in welcome, a little confused as to why Mercy was here, but always glad for the company of Pack. Because Pack was family, and family was always welcome.

“I was just about to put the kettle on,” Rina said. Her ten minutes of work could kindly be labelled as unproductive. An afternoon pick-me-up would not go amiss. She got up from the table, and gave the sentinel a hug. Despite Mercy being only a few years older than her, the leopard that was Rina’s other half instantly calmed in her presence. It recognised Mercy’s own dominance, gave her the respect she deserved because of her position in the hierarchy. And as one of the pack’s highest-ranked members, that was a lot of respect. But it was more than that. Mercy was one of the most stable people in the pack, had been that way as long as Rina could remember. Her mating with SnowDancer’s most senior lieutenant had only enhanced that quality. The way Mercy’s animal was so comfortable in its own skin soothed her own beast.

“Tea would be perfect,” Mercy replied, following Rina into the kitchen. She grabbed two mugs from a cupboard as Rina filled an old-fashioned kettle with water, and placed it on the stove. It had been an odd quirk of her mother’s, the use of the antiquated utensil. The small act of using it still made Rina feel a little closer to her, to this day.

“How are the pupcubs?” Rina asked, grinning. All of DarkRiver and SnowDancer couldn’t wait for the birth Mercy and Riley’s babies.

Mercy beamed. “Wonderful.”

Mercy was one of the strongest women Rina knew, and it was fascinating to see such open joy at her impending motherhood. Rina was nowhere near ready to have cubs of her own, but seeing Mercy this way gave her food for thought. Maybe you could be both a hard ass, and a mother… because even though she was carrying multiple tiny lives inside her, Mercy Smith was no less dangerous, no less deadly.

“Keenan and Ashaya baked me an entire batch of cookies,” Rina said. She grabbed the container off a bench, and put several on a plate, taking it to the table.

Mercy dropped two teabags into the mugs as Rina shut her laptop, and placed it and the data pads to the side, out of the way.

“And Dorian didn’t steal any?” Mercy asked.

The kettle whistled, and Rina poured the steaming water into the mugs. “Milk?” she asked.

Mercy shook her head, no. They both walked to the dining table, and sat down, the steam dancing in between them.

“I got to them before he came back from his shift,” Rina replied.

“Smart,” Mercy nodded. “Cute cactus.” She took a sip of her tea.

Rina took a sip of her own scalding tea, to avoid replying. She looked over at the cactus, and internally sighed.

“Thanks,” she said. If Mercy thought that she was going to bring up her wolf all by herself…

“Your wolf has a rather eccentric idea of courtship.”

Rina almost choked on her next sip. Mercy’s eyes danced over the edge of her cup, the cat’s amusement clear.

“Does the entire pack have nothing better to do than gossip?” Rina snarled. She’d never thought of herself as a particularly private person, quite comfortable with the way the pack found out practically everything. Hell, she enjoyed hearing the latest gossip travelling on the pack grapevine as much as the next leopard.

Mercy laughed, unrepentant. “Tell me about him.”

Rina looked up from her teacup. “Are you asking as a sentinel, or as a nosy packmate?”

Mercy reached over and placed a warm hand over one of Rina’s, where they cradled her mug on the table. “I’m asking as someone who understands what it’s like to fall head over heels for a wolf.” She gave Rina’s hand a small squeeze.

“Head over heels is a bit of an overstatement,” Rina muttered.

“Can I touch your cactus?”

“No!”

Mercy gave a knowing grin.

Rina sighed. Okay, so she obviously cared for Felix more than she was willing to let on.

“He’s… wonderful,” she mumbled.

Mercy nodded. “What’s holding you back? You’ve never been shy about men before.”

“We’re… things are… it’s complicated,” she finished lamely. God, why couldn’t she just come out and say it? Well, she knew why. The difference between their dominance was holding her back in more ways than one. It was a slap to the face to realise that she was petty enough that one of those reasons was because she was worried about what others would think of their relationship.

“If you’re worried about pack stuff, it’s not an issue,” Mercy said. “You’ll be DarkRiver, and your wolf SnowDancer. No one’s going to demand that you change your allegiance – or prove your loyalties.”

Rina gave a small smile in thanks. She had been a little worried about having to prove herself all over again. It seemed as if she’d spent a lot of her life trying to prove herself. First, that she could take care of both herself and Kit after their dad had died, then as a hot-headed novice, and now as a junior soldier, able to balance both her training and her university studies. She knew that she was capable of becoming senior soldier one day. She just had to show everyone else, too.

“… That’s not all of it,” Rina said quietly. She figured that she should take advantage of Mercy’s advice and support. That’s what Pack did, helped each other. “It’s… there’s a huge dominance gap between us.”

Mercy frowned. “You’re the more dominant one?”

Rina nodded. She took a large gulp of her cooling tea.

“And he’s not okay with that?” There was a dangerous edge to Mercy’s voice.

“No!” Rina said, a little alarmed. God, she didn’t want to accidentally set the wrath of Mercy Smith on poor Felix. Especially since he didn’t deserve that at all. “He seems fine with it, actually.” And he had. Not once had Felix indicated that he found her strength a problem, that it undermined his own masculinity and sense of self in any way. Hell, he seemed to like her for it. “He’s a submissive.”

“Ah.” Mercy leaned back in her chair, contemplative. “That explains a lot of your hesitation.”

“It does?” Rina asked, bemused. “You don’t think I’m being snooty and petty?”

“No, I think you’re being practical and mature. We’re not human, Rina. Our animals have to be happy with our choices, too.”

Rina nodded, understanding what Mercy was saying.

“What does your leopard think of him?”

“It wants to pet him all over,” she admitted. “But it’s also worried about the dominance gap.” For perhaps the first time in her life, Rina’s leopard was being confusing. Usually, the animal thought in far more black and white terms, its decisions more clear-cut.

“Hmm.” Mercy tapped her cup in thought. “Who exactly is your wolf, Rina?” Rina hesitated. Up until now, her courtship with her wolf had been a private indulgence, despite it becoming clear that her packmates knew far more than she’d thought. Fucking Kit and his big mouth. Saying his name to someone else somehow made everything seem more real. And maybe that’s just what she needed.

“His name’s Felix,” she said, staring intently at her cup. Mercy was right. It was so unlike her to be so shy about a man. It shouldn’t be different with Felix, but it was.

“SnowDancer’s chief horticulturalist?” Mercy asked, her eyebrows raised. “Where on earth did you find him?”

“He found me, actually,” Rina mumbled.

“He pursued you?” The disbelief in Mercy’s voice even more apparent.

“There’s no need to sound so surprised,” Rina muttered.

Mercy had the decency to smile apologetically. “Sorry, Reen. I guess I never pegged him for the type. He always seemed so quiet.”

“You’ve met him before?”

Mercy nodded. “I bumped into him while helping out during the replanting.” There had only been one instance to date that could be referred to as “the replanting”. Sienna Lauren’s X-fire had saved them all during that battle. Rina had missed out on the project to help regenerate the denuded area however, since she’d gone roaming only a few days after Henry Scott’s attack.

“I can see why he’s got you so interested. He’s a beautiful man.”

Rina frowned, her leopard growling in warning. “Aren’t you happily mated?”

Mercy laughed. “I’m mated, not blind.”

Rina’s frown deepened, the growl threatening to rumble out of her chest.

Mercy just grinned.

“He’s more than a pretty face,” Rina said, feeling the need to defend Felix. God, he must get that all the time, especially given his past modelling career. “He’s smart, and kind, and loyal, and – why are you laughing at me?” She could see Mercy trying to hold in her snickering, but failing miserably.

“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at this entire situation.”

“What’s the difference?” Rina grumbled, grabbing a cookie, and slouching a little in her chair.

“What’s worrying you, Rina? It’s clear as day that you like Felix. And it’s even clearer that he likes you back.”

“But the dominance –”

Mercy held up a hand, halting her words. “Hear me out, okay? Yes, the difference in dominance is an issue. But truth be told, it was an issue for a lot of successful couples. And yes, in most of those cases the female is not more dominant, but who’s to say it can’t work? Every relationship has its challenges. This is just one of yours.”

The heart of the leopard couldn’t help but grab onto this kernel of hope. “Do you really think we could make it work?”

Mercy shrugged. “I think you’re already making it work.”

Rina thought about this. The statement had the ring of truth to it. She’d gone to him yesterday, just because she’d missed him for those days they’d been giving each other space. Hell, Rina had to be honest. They hadn’t seen each other because he’d been respecting her request for some time to think.

“Are skin privileges a problem?” Mercy asked.

Rina shrugged. “We’re taking things slow.”

“I can sense that’s frustrating your leopard to no end.”

Rina shrugged again. “Neither leopard nor human want to share skin privileges with anyone else.”

Mercy grinned. “There’s something to be said about anticipation. Enjoy the chase, Rina.”

Rina smiled in thanks.

“Thanks for the tea,” Mercy said. “I have to get to CTX.” CTX was the communications company in which DarkRiver held a large share. Mercy worked there, too, on top of all her responsibilities as sentinel and SnowDancer liaison. Rina had no idea when she ever had any spare time.

“Thanks for coming by… and for talking,” Rina said as she walked Mercy to the door. “Did Dorian put you up to it?”

Mercy gave Rina a hug, just before stepping out of the door. Automatically, Rina returned the hug, finding comfort in the easy skin privileges of Pack.

“He may have mentioned something,” Mercy said with a sly grin. “But like I said, I know what it’s like to fall for a wolf.”

And you know what it means to look after Pack, Rina thought. Both Dorian and Mercy had realised that Rina had a lot on her mind, and had helped in their own ways.

“I’m looking forward to meeting your sexy wolf,” Mercy said, giving a final wave before heading towards the tree line.

Rina rolled her eyes, but waved as Mercy melted into the trees. God, her packmates could be as nosy as those pesky wolves sometimes. But it all came from a place of love.

Rina headed back to the kitchen table, picked up the two used mugs to put them in the sink. Things were a little clearer for the leopard, thanks to Mercy’s little chat. But now I have to decide if I’m really serious about this, Rina thought grimly. Felix was… amazing. Question was, could they really do this?

Perhaps. Just perhaps…

They could.

[coincidencetheories]

The Gatewatch Have Failed Each Task So Far

There’s been a lot of talk on my feed about how the Gatewatch are just waltzing through the challenges they face like a home-made banner at a pep rally. While they are all currently whole in body, and the perceived threat from each plane is no longer actively threatening, follow me down this line of thought.

The Gatewatch have failed at what they have set out to do, every time.

Their name is synonymous with failure.

Battle For Zendikar

Nissa and Gideon toil on Zendikar. Ulamog is loose and really bringing everyone’s grand Hedrons and Felidars game night down. Scion and Spawn scuttle around, and the very color is draining out of the mana. Gideon hits his main man Jace up for a solid to gather some help, which Jace initailly fails to do, asking LIliana and Chandra, who for diverse reasons have bigger personal demons they are wrestling with. So Jace, heads back to Gideon, and decides what he needs most is information. Nissa is looking for Ashaya, as Nissa did for several stories in a row. Turns out Nissa just had to believe. But Jace stumbles upon Ugin, doing vague and portentous spirit dragon things, as spirit dragons do, at his Eye. He tells Jace “These are beings beyond our understanding, here for a purpose we cannot fathom’ and then proceeds to give a very understandable metaphor about fishermen in streams. But he tells Jace that they can’t just blow up Ulamog. It will have untold ramifications now and in whatever distopian future we can bring ourselves to imagine.  (Side note... what were the ramifications of metaphorically driving a stake through the hand of the fisherman for 10,000 years? Riddle me that, Ugin dear.)

So Jace knows the stakes Ulamog is a fragile and precious part of an ecosystem beyond our ken. So he agrees that perhaps just pinning him to a butterfly display is the best course of action. Jace, Nissa, Kiora, Gideon and Ob Nixilis respectively fail, fail, lose their pet leviathan, drown in a puddle, and successfully disrupt this plan using the tried and true ‘Surprise Kozilek with a chair from the top rope’ method. Ob reignited, Walked on, walked back and captured three planeswalkers. And he would have gotten away with it to, if it wasn’t for that meddling pyromancer.

Oath of the Gatewatch

What Gate do the Gatewatch watch, exactly?

Sea-gate. The Gatewatch are watching the Sea Gate fall, to Ulamog, then to Ulamog again, then to Kozilek and Ulamog.

Now a lot of nifty stuff happens in OGW, not least of which is the insight we get through General Tazri of what a world where Kozilek out-watches the gate looks like. And in the end, Zendikar is saved from the predation of the two titans. But Jace and co had to physically drag multi-demensional beings into three dimentional space, then channelXfireball in a way that hadn’t been done since the days of the oldwalkers. Impressive, no?

Imagine you go to the doctor and you find out you have a blood disease that delicate surgery could halt the ravages of. Now imagine that, while you were under anesthesia, , your doctor slipped up and the cancer was about to kill you before the Dr. House stormed in and told the surgery team to flush your entire body with pure oxygen, then light it on fire, flash burning away all the bad stuff. Your life is, indeed saved. Phew. I was worried there for a minute.

But would you call that a successful surgery?

Shadows over Innsmouth Innistrad

We have ourselves a good old fashioned mystery here. With Ugin’s warning ringing in our ear to remember they came as three, all apparently we had to figure out was who that mysterious ‘They’ were, that Ugin referred to in the middle of a conversation about the Eldrazi Titans. The stage is set. Liliana has a veil, Tamiyo has a Journal, Thraben has an inspector, and Jace has too many cloaks. Also, too many clues. Avacyn is going crazy. Bruna and Gisela start doing their Shining Twins cosplay, despite Sigarda telling them repeatedly that it creeps her out, and The Gitrog Monster is a fan of 1990s Elton John . 

But who is this mysterious corrupting force, and seriously, what’s with all the spaghetti. Sorin’s mansion of foreboding has been renovated, but he’s nowhere to be found! Jace follows the hundred of arrow shaped rocks and finds Nephalia! Zombies! Mystery is solved, it must be Liliana! Liiiana says no. oh. The angels are turning on the humans, Avacyn must be stopped! Jace has GOT this one, guys.... nope. Jace is rescued by Tamiyo, and Sorin permanently grounds his daughter who in no way resembles his former protege. Well, Another successful investigation.Except it’s not. Jace, you don’t know what it is at all right now, in fact you don’t find out until...

Eldritch Moon

...until Emrakul emerges from the water, like a tribute to all those bond girls before you. “I know who it is now!” says Jace, thinking he’s Hercule Poirot, but is in fact barely keeping up with Captain Hastings. So here we are, Eldritch horror setting up residence in the middle of Thraben, and creating life like there’s no tomorrow, which might just well be the case. If only there was an inter-dimensional team of powerful mages, who had some dealings with.... oh my it’s the Gatewatch. We need the Gatewatch, don’t we. Well, they got together just in time, didn’t they. Innistrad, is today your lucky day. Jace 'walks to Zendikar, where presumably the Naya walkers are ‘overseeing’ the Zendikar rebuilding efforts from the comfort of a king-sized bed built for three. Come fastest, Jace cries, What’s with your outfit, they reply, Then off they go. (meanwhile Sorin and Nahiri two oldwalkers that are battling with current generation powers, must feel like two former boxing champions having a punch-on in their retirement home. But that’s not really germane to the success or failure of the Gatewatch.) Smash cut to the Battle of Thraben. Olivia and the vampires are here. Sigarda, Thalia, St Traft, form an unlikely alliance, killing Brisela. Also Arlinn Cord and the wolves. Surely they are around here somewhere during this battle? Maybe they just were on the other side of town. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Liliana is drunk on Chain Veil power and summons zombies by the hordeful and marches on the town. The Gatewatch are in the thick of it, somehow managing not to get sural’d to pieces every time Gideon has a backswing. Emrakul’s massive form crowns the town. The vampires, humans, geists, even Rem Karolus’s are driven back. Only Jace and the Gatewatch can help us now. They try their most successful Eldrazi Titan-defeating play in the playbook, aaand... it fails. It fails so badly that Tamiyo is about to read her plane-destroying story spell. But Emrakul and Jace had a mutual Zach-Morris ‘Time-out’ and Jace saved the sanity of the gatewatchers and Tamiyo (by delving into their deepest, darkest story hooks, apparently) and Emmy simply re-wrote Tamiyo’s story, taking a vacation into the moon for the now.

Was that a win? What aims were achieved? Again the ‘plane was saved’, but despite all the effort that Jace and co. put in, the final call was Emrakuls. And i doubt she locked herself in without taking the key with her.

So, Zendikar is safe. But the ecosystem of the Multiverse may be irreparably altered; innistrad has gone from passively being influenced by Emrakul to ACTIVELY being influenced by Emrakul to being passively influenced by Emrakul again. Great job guys and gals. Which leaves us with...

Kaladesh

You know, I wonder exactly how many mage traps Captain Baral has around the city, Whether they are one-countermagic-fits-all, or if he has to lead the fire mages to different ornately engineered snares than the telepaths. Also, Can you planeswalk to the plane that you’re on? If you can, neither Nissa or Chandra know of it. And I have to say, I guess that in the Kaladesh block, ultimately the Gatewatch succeeded. Succeeded in picking the queen in Three Card Monte while street hustler Tezzeret picked their metaphorical pocket. Yes, they saved Pia. But Tezzeret simply used the conflict between the Consulate of benign-if-overly-paternalistic-bureaucrats and the revolution-if-that’s-alright-with-the-rest-of-you guys renegades to snatch up the inventions and Stockholm Syndrome the inventors.

Aether Revolt

So while Chandra is focused on the personal issues, and their ramifications vis-a-vis the cancer within the consulate, Jace and Liliana, with backing vocals from Gideon and Ajani, identify Tezzeret’s plans with, well with anything Tezzeret plans is going to be bad news. Especially when they find out about the planar portal. So they defeat him! I mean, do they? He puts something suspiciously like the functioning part of the portal into his own arm and then planeswalks away as the roof caves in. The Bridge on Kaladesh is no longer functional. But we find out that Tezzeret is doing something (planar portal or othewise) for Bolas. And the Scooby Gang have no idea what that, in fact is, or if he completed it, or anything.

Going Forward

So each time, the Gatewatch have gotten something accomplished that subjectively gets them a tick in the win column, but with more scrutiny are questionable at best. Going to Amonkhet with no plan, no intel, and no backup just because ‘well, bolas would use that time better’ seems like a great way to stumble into, once again, a technical victory that has lasting consequences that are at best uncertain, and at worst offer comfort to the enemy.But I suppose, given their track record, going in with no plan merely skips the Gatewatch past the part where they come up with a plan and then completely fail to execute on it.