#grave sifter

[onestormeynight]

Rosie Copes

Rosie had taken to baking. A lot. Robin was worried for his gut and arteries, but still she baked. Rosie was awake before the sun armed with flour and a sifter.

Today she made a chocolate pie and ate a slice before it had even properly cooled. The roof of her mouth burnt, she continued to eat, hoping either the chocolate or the pain would stop the aching in her heart.

"It's going to be okay, Rosie," Robin said for the umpteenth time, unsure of how to comfort her.

"Of course it is. It always is. I survived my grandparents and Blair and Aunt B and Mom and Dad. I'll survive Billie. Because what choice do I have?"

Robin put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise you that you and I will go together. Or you can go first. But I won't go before you."

Rosie gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, my dear."

They visited Billie's grave in Oasis Springs, the weather as gloomy as Rosie felt inside. While she mourned at the headstone, Robin made sure she had a stiff drink ready for when she was finished.

Rosie finished it in practically one go.

"Do you want another one?" Robin asked her.

"No, the heartburn would keep me up all night. And I want to sleep."

"Did you want to go home?"

"Not yet, I want to go see Mom."

"Okay, dear. Whatever you need."

Rosie stayed in the mausoleum for a long time, lighting candles for her Mom and Blair. In a few short years, this was where she'd be as well, surrounded by cold marble and spent candles, her remains next to her mother.

"I miss you every single day, you know," She said. "Both of you. I would do some truly heinous things to have one more conversation with you both. I hope you are proud of me. I've done my best. I'm so used to succeeding, and yet I feel like I failed Nellie somehow. I really could have used you both."

She sighed and kissed each of the urns gently. "See you soon, Moms."

((prev)) ((next))

[ofourmaker]

Laced miles runting for all runtung. Levered brutes nautically made in maiden string, thin and strengthen more for over. Nave of fair flint oscillates more for upon, the crown of the hastened head upon. Mitre riders run for runtung, and he levered brash glass into the laver. The beaded words meted out in pairs sent to mesh with saved sitters. Landing outstrife while landung brought the sifters braved - a net drawn through the hose across the brush head, heading upon the ride.

Twin layers flung all proportion into runtung revered, if ever reversed he said and sat for sifting silt urns severed off. Without the miles there was salt for every seat in the main, quiet numbers strewn on the masterful floor; never draw the door through a trough crack, for far under the earthen brow braced rests needlepoint graves over the run.

#DailyCreatedOOM #WrittenOOM 2023/06/07

[mtg-brokentoken]

So You’re Making A [Auroch/Trilobite/Whatever] Deck?

Especially with @askkrenko‘s Guide to Creature Type articles, some of the lesser-loved creature types are getting some attention. Maybe one will catch your eye, or maybe you’ve just always had a soft spot for Ooze or something (Isn’t it all soft spots for Ooze?). The point is, some creatures just don’t have good tribal support on their own. And in those cases, there are ways you can make due. There are 38 cards (currently, as of 2/28/18) that don’t care what creature type you have, they’ll support it (39 if you include Coat of Arms, but that supports all creature types, which may be better for your opponent than you. Shared Animosity is similar but one-sided for 40th card, and Mana Echoes supports red Tribal for number 41. 42 is the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything). And even if you do have a tribe that’s supportive, these cards might just take it to the next level. Like Belbe’s Portal and Werewolves.

1. Becomes the creature type, though it doesn’t count as it when not on the battlefield. Gives +1/+1, which is good for combat-style tribes or tribes that are frail and susceptible to ping/fight mechanics.

2. For 3 mana you can get a creature out from your hand. Helpful if you want to “Flash” in a creature, for getting out Werewolves out without casting spells, or for having really cheap Eldrazi. Or w/e.

3. Bloodline Shaman is nice in that you choose the creature type as part of the ability, so you can choose a different type each time. Why you would do that? Maybe you want a certain creature in the graveyard, but you have the top card of your library revealed. Otherwise just choose a creature type you don’t have in your deck if you want to move stuff into your graveyard. Mutant/Ninja/Turtle? Maybe something else. But it’s definitely best in a dedicated Tribal deck so if the card is a creature card you’ll be able to put it into your hand.

4. Like Adaptive Automaton, the Brass Herald gives +1/+1 to the type you choose, but Brass Herald does not become one. Unlike Adaptive Automaton, it can replace itself in your hand (up to 4 cards).

5. Caller of the Hunt has a little bit of an update, it’s a Human. That said, make sure when you play it that you choose a creature type you have out, or it will die to state-based actions (having 0 toughness). This one doesn’t actually support the other creatures, but has those creatures support it.

6. Cavern of Souls makes your chosen creature type uncounterable if you pay for it using the second ability. Pretty handy ability.

7. Coordinated Barrage has you choose a creature type and deal damage to an attack or blocking creature. A very white ability, but the choosing a creature type makes this very supportive of tribal decks. From a cycle with Luminescent Rain, Pack’s Disdain, and Distant Melody.

8. Cover of Darkness gives a creature type you choose Fear. Helpful if the deck you’re playing against isn’t black, especially, though still watch out for Artifact Creatures.

9. Distant Melody is from the same cycle as Coordinated Barrage, Luminescent Rain, and Pack’s Disdain, having you draw a card for each of that creature type you have. Works fairly well with The Locust God and Insects.

10. Doom Cannon turns your creatures into 3 damage for 3 mana.

11. Door of Destinies is great for any deck that does use creature cards. It won’t help a deck that’s entirely tokens or something (Like Saprolings, for instance) unless you find ways to trick the door, such as with Changelings or Arcane Adaptation/Conspiracy, or Energy Chamber. After you get the first counter, you can also use Proliferate, or in getting counters you could use Doubling Season. Doesn’t work as well with Belbe’s Portal or Quicksilver Amulet because you aren’t casting those creatures, so you don’t get a charge counter on Door of Destinies.

12. Elvish Soultiller will refill a library in a tribal deck. Helpful if you’re going against mill, or if there’s a certain card in your graveyard you want to draw, w/e.

13. Grave Sifter is pretty similar to Elvish Soultiller but is for all players and “any number” of those cards. Helps if there’s just one specific creature you want by not surrounding it by mediocre cards.

14. Harsh Mercy protects a tribal deck, but if you’re playing against other tribal decks it doesn’t do much. Can help make one player make a tough choice about keeping their tribe or something that supports/is supported by it. Like Caller of the Hunt, from earlier.

15. Making creatures cheaper is almost always a good thing, and getting a potential extra “draw” is good for most Tribal decks that are about creatures and tend to have a harder time with draw engines.

16. Kindred Boon: It’s hard to go wrong with Indestructible. Works well with cards that actually use divinity counters, and also Shifting Shadow, which came out in the same set. Odric, Lunarch Marshal can spread this from one creature to other creatures even if they don’t have the right type. (Odric doesn’t care who his “type” is.)

17. Kindred Charge makes copies of your creatures of a certain type. Maybe use it after you already tapped Krenko to double your creatures, then tap him to do it again. Works with other creature types as well, of course, but hard to find other options that work quite as well. Nacatl War-Pride is an option, but unless you have Sundial of the Infinite it probably won’t be doing much.

18. Kindred Discovery for card draw. Definitely helpful, potentially killer (especially with The Locust God or Zombies). Keep in mind it’s when it enters the battlefield or attacks. This also isn’t a “may” ability, so careful how you attack when your library gets low.

19. One-sided Wraths are almost never a bad thing. When you’re playing tribal and name your tribe, it means few things should remain for your opponents. Amoeboid Changeling can also do some spot removal of creature types. If you happen to be truly evil, though, you remove all creature types from your opponents creatures before casting this, (perhaps even naming the tribe they were using). Ego Erasure is best for this combo.

20. Kindred Summons works pretty well if you have a combination of Tokens on the field and Creature cards in your library. Maybe you have Eldrazi Spawn so you’ll get some high mana cost Eldrazi, or perhaps you just want to get out every Elf that was in your library. Because you reveal cards until you reveal one of the chosen type, this could also be used with something like Pawn of Ulamog to get Eldrazi Spawn tokens that reveal Emrakul/Ulamog/Kozilek. Just make sure you don’t have other Eldrazi in the deck and you can reliably get them every time. The best part is you can use the Spawns to get some extra mana to help you cast this.

21. Luminescent Rain. If I’m playing any tribe that includes green, this card is almost always included. Emphasis added if there are tokens. From the cycle with Coordinated Barrage, Pack’s Disdain, and Distant Melody.

22. Like Brass Herald or Adaptive Automaton, this helps a bit, but only when the creature enters the battlefield, not any creatures already on the battlefield. Like the Automaton but not the Herald, this becomes that creature type. Like Bramblewood Paragon, but doesn’t give Trample. Like Oona’s Blackguard but doesn’t make your opponent discard. Like Sage of Fables, but doesn’t let you draw. And yet it can work with each of them by starting to get counters sooner or putting counters on other creatures.

23. Mirror of the Forebears lets you copy whichever creature of yours is the best at that time until the end of turn. You probably don’t want to copy a legendary, but sometimes it’s worth it to use the tap ability again or something, or “replace” it when your opponent is about to Doom Blade it. Or maybe you just want the additional mana or +1/+1 from something like Elvish Archdruid. Whatever the case, this is a good way to “fill out” a Tribal deck.

24. Obelisk of Urd loves a good tribal deck. If you have enough creatures, it doesn’t cost any mana, and it gives your creatures +2/+2. Unlike Coat of Arms or Door of Destinies, it tops out at +2/+2, but it’s still hard to beat free (and unlike Door of Destinies, you’ll have an easier time with things like Saprolings).

25. Pack’s Disdain is part of the Coordinated Barrage, Distant Melody, and Luminescent Rain cycle. This one can kill a creature pretty reliably if you have enough creatures out.

26. Patriarch’s Bidding is in many ways the opposite of Harsh Mercy, yet they work so very well together. Harsh Mercy removes non-tribal creatures from the battlefield to clear the board, and Patriarch’s Bidding returns any of the creatures of a tribe each player chooses to the board.

27. Almost like a Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund but with a bit more work and in blue. Works fairly well with Amoeboid Changeling to take one creature, but if you use something like Shields of Velis Vel you could potentially take all of someone’s creatures if you outnumber them enough.

28. Another newer card, Pillar of Origins is a mana rock not limited by color, but by creature type. Especially helpful in spread-out, multicolor tribes, such as Slivers.

29. Radiant Blessing gives +1/+1 and, if you have City’s Blessing, Vigilance. Not bad for 3 mana.

30. Riptide Replicator may be just what you need, or a crazy addition for your deck. Because it uses charge counters, there’s a lot of ways to pump up the creature you’ll be getting. The art shows it making a Sliver, but as with the other cards in this article, it can be whatever you want it to be.

31. Riptide Shapeshifter. Sort of like a one-time use of Kindred Summoning, but does put a creature directly into the battlefield from your library. In some ways it leans away from Tribal (so you can know what you’re getting), but it can also be used in a Tribal deck.

32. The last of the Morningtide cycle, Roar of the Crowd deals damage to a creature or player based on how many creatures you have of a chosen type. Unlike Coordinated Barrage, they don’t need to be attacking or blocking.

33. Shared Triumph. +1/+1, but not with a creature. Maybe that makes it a little harder to get rid of though, right?

34. Steely Resolve grants one creature type Shroud, but that protects them from your spells/auras as well.

35. Like Pillar of Origins, Unclaimed Territory is able to tap for any color mana for creatures of one type. Unlike the Pillar, this is a land and can tap for mana for other things.

36. Urza’s Incubator is another card that only supports casting tribal cards, so no love for Saprolings or tokens, and doesn’t affect Belbe’s Portal or Quicksilver Amulet. But it does make your spells cheaper, which is rarely a bad thing.

37. Vanquisher’s Banner is yet another “Anthem” effect, like Brass Herald, Metallic Mimic, or Shared Triumph. Vanquisher’s banner also has you draw a card when you cast a creature of the chosen type, though.

38. Volrath’s Laboratory is a bit similar to Riptide Replicator, but is always a 2/2 that costs 5 mana. Typically that’s a steep price, but sometimes it’s worth it in a pinch. If you’re using this, you may want to look into token-doubling options so you get more for your mana. Helps in situations like Sacred Mesa.

And honorees that don’t quite make the list:

[wumblr]

clown type problem where i tried to alter my grandmother's gingersnap recipe to use ginger infused browned butter instead of shortening and dried powdered ginger and i swear to god she cursed me for my hubris from beyond the grave or something because i fucking. forgot. to add. the egg. and i put it in the fridge to chill and it turned into a fucking BRICK that i had to manually grind to dust like some kind of fucking stonemason, after leaving it out all night because i fell asleep in a fit of depression for being so stupid, which was fine because the egg was the only thing in it that needed to be chilled for food safety reasons and not for chemistry reasons like the butter, and so then after i made ginger brick dust i added an egg and it was really not coming together so i added another egg, which is twice as many eggs as the recipe calls for, so now i'm not sure if the resulting textural issues with the cookies (they're fine but they're a little flat and burnt) are because i a) forgot the egg, b) doubled the egg, c) because measuring flour without a sifter or a scale is kind of imprecise by nature, d) because i didn't chill it for long enough the second time after i added the eggs or e) because the dough fermented. anyway i've invented sourdough brown butter gingersnaps by mistake. you try to tune one variable... why is baking like this lmao

[sciencespies]

Florida Archaeologists Find 29 Unmarked Graves at Site of Razed Black Cemetery

https://sciencespies.com/history/florida-archaeologists-find-29-unmarked-graves-at-site-of-razed-black-cemetery/

Florida Archaeologists Find 29 Unmarked Graves at Site of Razed Black Cemetery

In 1954, officials in Clearwater, Florida, moved the historically African American North Greenwood Cemetery to a new location. Though black residents argued that the operation left numerous unmarked graves beneath the surface, authorities ignored their appeals for decades.

Now, reports Leali Shalabi for WJCT, researchers from the Florida Public Archaeology Network, the University of South Florida and Tampa-based engineering firm Cardno Inc. have proven these community members correct, confirming that at least 29 neglected graves are hidden beneath the original burial ground.

Preliminary surveys conducted at the site last year identified the presence of “grave-like anomalies,” as Paul Guzzo reported for the Tampa Bay Times in December. To investigate further, the team scanned the former cemetery with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and used hand tools like shovels, sifters and trowels to carefully search the soil.

North Greenwood Cemetery was in operation from 1940 to 1954, according to the Times. In addition to the graves, reports WJCT, the archaeologists found two dimes from 1942 and a penny from 1940.

Clearwater officials sold the original burial plot to make room for Pinellas High School (now a defunct, empty school building) and a city pool that was later torn down. As John Guerra notes for Tampa Bay Newspapers, the remains buried at the North Greenwood Cemetery were relocated to Parklawn Cemetery, some seven miles north.

As chief archaeologist Jeff Moates explains in a video posted on the Clearwater NAACP chapter’s Facebook page, the graves were oriented east to west, with the head of each burial facing toward the rising sun.

“We’ve uncovered material that you would expect to be associated with graves,” Moates tells WJCT. “There’s evidence of coffin hardware, decayed remains of coffins, concrete vaults, associated gravestone or headstone materials that are in a kind of a disturbed state.”

He adds that the researchers found an aluminum grave marker bearing the name of Mr. William Ridley, who was buried at the cemetery in 1951.

These finds mark the latest development in a major reckoning for the Tampa Bay area, where recent excavations have rediscovered a number of neglected African American heritage sites. Black residents have argued for years that many historic black burial sites in the region were ignored, paved over, turned into commercial lots or otherwise mishandled.

Three years ago, Tampa Bay Times journalists acting on a tip from local historian Ray Reed found Tampa’s first all-black graveyard, Zion Cemetery, buried beneath land now occupied by the Tampa Housing Authority. Archaeologists later discovered nearly 300 grave sites on the previously unmarked site, sparking a push to uncover even more forgotten burials in the region.

Discoveries of other abandoned black burial grounds quickly followed, including a nearly all-black grave site hidden beneath a Tampa high school and the remains of the St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church burial ground, where archaeologists identified 70 possible graves left behind in 1955. Most recently, archaeologists surveying Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base found a black cemetery that may have served as the final resting place for at least 38 people.

This 3-D scan shows the locations of unmarked graves that once belonged to Zion Cemetery, an African American cemetery founded in Tampa in 1901 and rediscovered last year.

(Courtesy of the University of South Florida)

As Emerald Morrow explained for local broadcast station WTSP this past June, the fact that so many historically black cemeteries have been neglected is no accident. Decades of systemic racism and Jim Crow legislation after the Civil War pushed African Americans out of communities where they had lived—and buried their dead—for generations.

“At the time, racism and segregation meant African Americans lacked the political and economic power to hold onto their property and sacred institutions like cemeteries,” noted WTSP. “And it’s the buildup of these injustices over time that have led to outrage in the black community today.”

As the Post and Courier reports, some lawmakers are seeking to allocate federal funding toward finding and preserving historic black cemeteries. Proposed legislation that passed the Senate last year would pave the way for the creation of a sweeping African American Burial Grounds Network, allowing experts to coordinate research efforts, create a nationwide database of black cemeteries and receive grant funding.

Last November, more than 60 organizations dedicated to cultural heritage and preservation signed a letter of support for the proposed network.

“Cemeteries are places of tribute and memory, connecting communities with their past,” the letter states. “… Preserving and protecting these sacred sites, and the stories they tell, is an integral part of our American heritage.”

#History

[thisdiscontentedwinter]

You know in S3 when Derek and Peter had Talia's claws? I've skimmed most of TW but I couldn't find where they got them/why they were in that box? Did Laura take them from Talia's body before she left BH? I'm pretty sure Derek wouldn't go grave-digging. I must've missed it and I was hoping you knew.

DW: I don’t remember. I know they were recovered from the fire (Id presumed that was Deaton’s doing, since he was one of the few people who would have known how important they were) but how they ended up with the Calaveras, no fucking clue. 

Perhaps the writers thought that we’d be so distracted by the stupidity of magical fucking claws that we wouldn’t think to wonder how they got where they were... 

I’m sorry, but did Talia only get her magic claws when she became an alpha? What happened to her beta claws? Do werewolves shed them like baby teeth? Is the alpha spark somehow a part of the claw power? In which case, why didn’t Peter become an alpha again when he used the claws? How did the claws survive the fire? Did someone go out there with a flour sifter to go through the ashes looking for them? Or were they stolen from the morgue? Was there a body in the morgue with wolf claws and nobody thought that was odd? 

Seriously, the more you think about it, the dumber it fucking gets. 

[ekebolou]

New Book: Chapter Fifteen

Sorry for the test post - had to do something to get the links to previous parts because search wasn’t working, hahahaha oh god I need to actually move this shit somewhere designed for writing soon.  Really.  Gotta get on that.

You waited all this time for this!?  Sorry, it’s a very busy time at school for me.  If I can do it at all, I’ll try to get more up today, but it may not be until later. (by the way, most of the typos are due to the fact that the New Book file is so long Word’s spellchecker has stopped functioning?  Which is a thing, I guess?  Or I need to check some settings.  Anyway, I ought to know how to spell, but fun facts, y’all).  

Prelude

Chapter One

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Sixteen

That said, here you go:

Chapter Fifteen

Generally, Rev was not one for looting; it was just more shit to carry, and unless it was a really nice rifle, he had no use for it.  Citizens were rarely in possession in rifles any nicer than the one the army had given him. Exchange, however, demanded goods. Plus, he owed the soldier who’d let him have his kit at least a little consideration.

Aster was fine, when he got back, grazing contently on the short grasses and ignoring the soldier who watched her with the doting eye of a hereditary horseman.  She lipped Rev’s hair as they enacted their exchange.

Those soldiers were fools. They had learned nothing from the march by the sea, and had no eye for the tools their surroundings offered.  This random infantryman had the great good luck of having run across Rev, but lacked the wit the appreciate it.  Rev had snatched three long cloths from those discarded on the battlefield; one, he gave to the soldier, as his due for the favor he’d done. Another, Rev exchanged for a heavy woolen uniform coat.  Perhaps Rev should have realized it to start with, but he could neither beg, exchange, or threaten the soldier’s knife away from him (foolish he might be, but he wasn’t stupid: unlike pistols, knives didn’t run out of ammunition).  As it was, the soldier looked both surprised and supremely dubious that Rev returned the pistol having never fired it.

Next battlefield spoils, he would get a knife, Rev promised himself. 

The soldier seemed amused, but not convinced by Rev’s demonstration of how to tie the cloth over his head. Apparently he had a perfectly good hat (he wasn’t wearing), that didn’t look so silly (it did).  Still, he took the cloths, no doubt to exchange them for something useless, like money. 

The afternoon was long, but Rev had something to keep him busy, and a horse for shade, when she wasn’t using him for shade.  Plus, Anik’s extra canteen still had wine in it, which was unwise but nice.  

Rev returned to the baggage and made a temporary camp, ignoring Aster’s occasional prodding as he folded himself a headdress like the ones he’d seen in the city.  With Anik’s sewing kit, he could begin to disassemble the coat. 

By the time Thespasian found him, curled up with Aster in the shade of supply wagon, he looked more like a traveling tinker than soldier, settled to rest among his junk.  Baggage with the baggage.

Thespasian wasn’t fooled, but the anger that darkened his brow didn’t breech his lips (or magnificent mustache).  Angrily tossing about their kit as he loaded it up, checking to make sure Rev hadn’t lost anything, he cast one sand-covered glower after another at Rev, then worldlessly (and reluctantly) signaled for him to follow. 

The march back to the city felt longer without battle drawing him on; or, at least, he found himself growing tired – bone tired, weary, even – as the drew closer.  Thespasian just kept glaring at him, perhaps daring him to make some allusion to his disobedience, to knowing how the battle went before they arrived, but Rev’s mind was buzzing and blank. 

Having a great, nasty hole in the outer wall somehow didn’t diminish the majesty of Niwat-Ra. Perhaps because she was so ancient, Rev thought; there were many ancient things in Sivery, but few which so much defied the land around them.  They built big walls on little hills, big towers in little valleys.  Sivery liked its land, and mountain was good enough without something built over it.  Niwat-Ra rose up in defiance of the rolling sands, the black rocks, the endless, undulating sea. 

Rev though briefly about leaving the sea behind, and was disturbed to find the thought pricked some anxious spot buried deep in his guts.  He had gotten used to it – he had gotten used to it, again – a small and contained space with all its terrible threats and endless, inescapable tension, and he had gotten used to it and missed it now that he really knew he was leaving it. Nothing could be more hateful. When they passed under the great gates, ten times taller than him, he ducked.

It hadn’t taken long for the clearing to begin.  The streets were unusually dusty, the crowds in them unusually cowed, but the signs of battle were all already tucked away.  A random storm could have caused the damage to the houses, except where a lucky ball or unlucky explosion had totally caved walls in.  But for their resentful, suspicious gazes, the people were like any other city or village trying to ignore that a war they hadn’t wanted had come anyway. 

They wound their way up the ever-narrowing streets to a central nest of buildings – an old temple, Rev guessed, rather than a palace, because many of the halls and rooms seemed disused, with air not stale but undisturbed.  There were numerous niches and alcoves, and scores of harried Felanese people pressing themselves flat against walls as the Baathians passed to open long-locked doors and brush dust out balcony doors. 

Surprisingly deep into the complex, Thespasian let an already-established troop of Baathian soldiers take Aster, the sheer displeasure on his face warning enough that they should take the utmost care.  He and Rev climbed further, until Rev thought perhaps his growing light-headed fatigue might be due to altitude.  (This didn’t cheer him up one bit).

Thespasian opened a heavy door into a set of rooms, not so disused as some of the others they passed. He threw down the kit, rounding on Rev.

“This will be Anik’s room. Make ready.”

Was his glare softer as he turned away?  Perhaps not. He certainly slammed the door hard enough.

Left alone, the last of Rev’s energy left him.  The old splicing of comfort and discomfort at being shut away, alone but sealed in, returned, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it.  Part of him wished Aster were back.

He meant to survey the room, but only saw the bed – an insulting thing, if this were one of those prudish religions.  Made wholly of pillows over a silk-rope frame, piled with silk sheets, the bed could fit a family of ten – it even had long gauzy curtains to protect it from insects and breezes from the gaping bay window, and the room’s enormous balcony.

He knew what the bed was for.

Grabbing the blanket rolls from the tops of the bags, Rev made himself a nest on the far side, out of sight of the door, where he could watch the curtains on the balcony waft in the sunlight.  He coud hear water flowing somewhere nearby, but hardly stayed awake long enough to register the noise.

 *

 The day had been long, and now the night was dark.  Anik felt slightly like a fool for having sent away the Felanese boy with the latern at the bottom of the sloped hallway, but one more sullen look – no matter how completely reasonable it was for him to look so – and Anik would have exploded. At least it was dark enough no one could see him also look like a fool as he groped his way along the wall, feeling for the door. 

All day had been one long, sustained explosion.  Most of it had been contained. 

The battle – that had been easy.  Unnervingly so.  Normally this would have been a prompt for feelings of Fortune’s favor upon their mission. Perhaps it was carryover from the tensions of the voyage, or perhaps deeper doubts, but Anik could not feel lucky. He did not feel the blessing hand of Fate on them when the Theras stationed in the city turned and ran, tossing down their elaborate, gilded weapons rather than fight an army many times their size.  He did not get a sense of victory out of the tired look of resignation on the Felanese faces who watched their overlords desert them.  He did not like an easy victory, or mistake it for a sure one.

So it was with grave suspicion he started to work his way up the convoluted chains of command and favor to try to speak with Bohdan about his misgivings.  Along the way he received more intelligence: Manas has been shot, but the bullet only grazed his head, and left him in a foul mood that made him ill-prepared to accept the honor of being placed in charge of the city. Manas would hate being away from battle, but with his wound, it was the only reasonable choice; Anik could only hope it wouldn’t be permanent.  The swarm of Felanese experts Bohdan had brought next absorbed his attention, putting Anik and his tactical concerns at the end of a long line of relief-rubbers, sand-sifters, and pursed-lipped philologists.

Then Dulal had arrived, similarly frustrated by the priorities of their commander and much less prone to try to control her temper – but after hearing her news, Anik couldn’t blame her.  Some of Dulal’s soldiers had been kidnapped by desert raiders that the Felanese called the Nitesh; those that had escaped passed tales of brutal treatment, of the sort which begged vengeance.  Anik had seen vengeance.  Anik had seen vengeance in the supposed cradle of civilization, seen vengeance begged in Baath itself, and there was no power, righteous and divine, that could salve the memory.  Dulal took little convincing, but he had his doubts that Bohdan would take action to stop the spread of such bloody, misnamed justice. 

Dulal also had greater concerns.  The Theras, not native Felanese, but client rulers, had potentially successfully delayed the invaders long enough to begin to send word for reinforcement from their long-ignored but still-powerful homeland.  Both she and Anik had noticed that even in a march so short as the one undertaken in the morning, dozens of soldiers had come down with what the surgeons were calling a heat-sickness.  Half of Dulal’s supplies had turned out to be bad, and according to her local sources, the timing of the invasion was wrong for the countryside to be completely dependable for supplying fresh food. 

Chitt had arrived and informed them both – while also waiting for an audience, now delayed due to the establishement of temporary civil authority from amongst Bohdan’s favorites – and informed them a half-dozen of the cannons had been lost overboard in unloading.  The Admiral, unwilling to lend them any of his ships’ cannons, instead promised them a boat to help bring the guns back up from the ocean floor – and rather than awaiting his appeals, was having his ships sail around the point as soon as they were unloaded so they could not be raided for guns – which was why Anik, Dulal, and Chitt were yet again delayed, as Jatin stormed into the room, nearly squashing the city’s former ruler, screaming at Bohdan.

By then Dulal was half-drunk, and had arranged a duel with one of Bohdan’s favorites, who had bumped her as he left his audience and offered an insufficient apology.  Anik allowed Chitt to precede them as he and the other second attempted to persuade their relative friends that the duel was both uniwise and not worth it.  This was difficult, as Dulal kept of steady stream of more and more offensive accusations as they negotiated the details, until her valet was able to persuade her she needed to change her coat before murdering anyone (she would forget, most likely, who she had challenged by the time she sobered up and thus everyone would get to live), and Anik was able to reassure Bohdan’s pet that Dulal had not at all meant to call him the tumerous product of prolapsed pig’s uterus dragging through the back alley of the Baathian capitol’s most infamous district for prostitution.  It could be considered a term of endearment in some quarters of her home district. 

In the dark, he found the door.  True, he had eventually addressed Bohdan, but by then their problems had so multiplied he found his initial report lacking.  Bohdan seemed to be aware of the issues, or at least he dismissed them with an infallible authority.  Then he added to them: there were no horses.

Three thousand cavalry soldiers, and there were no horses.  Any of the horses they had brought that did not belong to officers would be requisitioned for the Guides regiments, as apparently there was some local strictures regarding social status and camels.  That was what the Theras, and therefore the Felanese under the Theras, went in for – camels.  He could get a thousand fine camels with the snap of his fingers, but there was not a horse fit for riding into battle in fifty miles of the city.  Bohdan would, of course, just requisition what camels were needed, local customs be damned, to satisfy the requirements of functionality and propriety for the Guides and the cavalry, but there simply weren’t enough to go around.  The cavalry would, in large part, have to walk.

Anik had found himself losing his temper.  He opened the door quietly, shut it gently, stepped into the moonlit room and tripped over a pile of packs.  Fortunately, he’d been still in his shuffling gait from the dark hallway, and thus was able to right himself before he bashed his face into the stone floor, but at some expense of dignity as he flailed.  A flash of anger, then a cool wave of relief, as even before he heard it, he expected Rev to laugh.

There came no laugh. What had been cool turned cold, his heart beat seeming obscenely loud as he listened hard for what would not come. The sound of running water, the faintest whispers of city noise, the scrape of the curtain over the floor as breeze from the balcony brushed them inward…

In the stillness, his eyes adjusted to the light in the room – still dark, but much brighter than the hallway thanks to the moon spilling in from the balcony.  It was thanks to the moon, too, that through the light gauze of the bed’s inner curtain he could see a divot in the pillows, its emptiness the more vast for his expectation it would be filled. 

Of course, he thought. Of course.  Of course.  Of course.

He made himself move.  Brush the curtains aside, sit on the edge of the bed, start making his hands work stiffly on the buttons of his uniform. Of course, he tried again, and it was so hollow.

A dozen lovers had left him. Many on the eve of great campaigns. There was something about it – the start of something new, that required a change.  There were lovers in peace and lovers in war and they were rarely the same.

He tried to think of any other lovers of peace he’d had.  Technically – only Rev.  That was how long he had been at war.  What an odd thing it was, too, that it was only Rev. 

Uniform coat came off like shedding a pack after a long march.  He worked on his breeches as if it were normal. 

Of course he would go, though.  Why stay surrounded by Baathians?  They, as a people, were dangerous to him.  The Felanese, though strangers, were longtime trading partners of Sivery. It was reasonable to leave here, now, join what might be a good flood of Siveric people fleeing as the Baathians invaded.  Of course he would go.  He should go. It was safest.

He hissed as his boots came off, like peeling skin.  Of course it wasn’t safe enough with him.  He was not all-powerful.  He was not always present.  He was not strong enough to protect Rev, and hadn’t that been proven?  What did his promises mean, in the face of that reality? He could mean it – he could mean his offered protection with every fiber of his being – he could promise to die for a thing, but that didn’t make the thing real.  Hadn’t he learned that?  Hadn’t Papa Bel told him that?  It was well and good to die for a cause, but what could the dead do to ensure that cause continued? 

His chest hurt.  His chest hurt and he couldn’t breathe.  He felt as if taking a breath in would somehow break him, like the fragile ice still clinging tight to the spring flood.

Hadn’t he done it himself? Hadn’t he left Rev there, with the baggage, thinking, oh, god, at least here he was safe, and the battle could go on without Anik having to cast his glances back at the bloody scrum.  He had meant Rev to be safe, and safe he was, and now – now, now that he was away from this, all this, all this including Anik – he was as safe as he could possibly be.  Safe even from Anik himself. 

His breath caught.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Anik turned, hand grasping the air where his sword hilt had once been.  A raggedy face poked over the far edge of the bed.  Squinting up from the dark, even still, Anik could see the lines etched into Rev’s face.

Anik couldn’t make his throat work to speak.  He meant to say something – something reassuring, something calm, something to help make sense of Rev’s strange excuse, something by way of a greeting, but instead his hand reached out of its own volition, offering itself over the bed.

As confused as Anik, Rev took it.

Anik pulled him up, and Rev came.  Falling back, Anik drew Rev to him, chest to back, tangling legs with legs, crossing their arms together, bundling him in tight, and finally breathed in, chin tucked over Rev’s shoulder.  If it bothered Rev, he gave no sign, but curled in to Anik’s grip, letting it grow tight as together they breathed.

Sleep would come quickly, all thought of the war obliterated, and only later, much later, would Anik start awake with the thought of what a bad thing that was for his part of this campaign.

[the-knees-of-the-bees]

Tomorrow Only Knows [Chapter 1] - Ignis Scientia x FemReader 

I am SOOOO self-conscious right now about this post.  It has taken me DAYS to finish this and its only chapter 1.   This is my first fanfic ever and its sadly been years since my last English/writing class so I’m very sorry for all the grammatical mistakes and confusing verbiage.   But basically I’m a sucker for FFX and FFXV so this is a slight crossover between the two.  Specifically, elements from FFX are brought into the world of FFXV.  So there will probably be a few inconsistencies with canon summoning in FFXV versus FFX *badum tss*  I’m waiting on my invite for AO3 so I’ll be posting this there too once that’s all said and done (hopefully by the end of next week).  And since this is an Ignis fic, every chapter will include the recipe for what was made in it!  Details and recipe will be listed in the Notes below. 

Chapter 1 Themes/Warnings: SFW, Fluff, Mild Language, Violence, Anxiety  Word Count: 3,614 Chapter 1 Recipe:  Matcha Mushipan (Green Tea Steamed Cake)

Series Master List - Tomorrow Only Knows Screenshot by @dizzymoogle

———————————————

A distant scream suddenly echoed across the valley as you witnessed Prompto’s frame thrown to ground.  His chest hit the dirt violently, knocking the air from his lungs as the lone Saberclaw pinned him down from behind.

“PROM!” you instinctively shouted from atop the slope.  A grave mistake.

Two saberclaws turned their attention to the noise, taking mere seconds to narrow down your location.  You quickly cupped your mouth with your hand realizing your error.  Your eyes widened with terror as the two predators began bounding swiftly up the hill.  You turned to sprint up the hillside, tripping carelessly to the ground and frantically urging your legs to work.  The snarling sound from their breaths became louder as they closed in on you.

———————————————

CONTINUE TO CHAPTER 1 ON AO3

———————————————

Keep Reading for Matcha Mushipan (Green Tea Steamed Cake)

*Yield about 12 cakes

**Best when served fresh, can store in refrigerator and microwave for 5 to 10 seconds

Ingredients

 3 large eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup plain yogurt

4.5 tablespoons granulated sugar

180 grams (1.5 cups + 3 tablespoons) cake flour (or all-purpose flour)

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons green tea powder (or cocoa powder for chocolate mushipan)

Kitchen Tools

Dry and liquid measuring tools

1 medium bowl

Whisk

Sifter or sieve

1 large pot with lid or steamer with lid

1 kitchen towel and rubberband

Glass or ceramic ramekins

Cupcake liners

1.       If using a steamer:

a.       Fill bottom pan with water and bring to a boil

b.       Place one steaming tray on top

2.       If using a pot:

a.       Place ramekins in pot, fill pot with water until water level is about halfway up the side of the ramekins

b.       Remove ramekins and bring water to a boil

3.       Wrap the lid with the kitchen towel, bring the four corners together at the center handle and tie together with rubber band (this prevents condensation during steaming so that the water does not drip onto your cakes, don’t let any edges of the towel hang down otherwise it’ll catch fire if it touches the flame!)

4.       In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and vegetable oil together

5.       Add honey and yogurt and whisk well

6.       Add sugar and whisk well

7.       Sift cake flour and baking powder together, then add to egg mixture

8.       Sift match powder into mixture, then fold until well incorporated

9.       Place 1 cupcake liner into each ramekin

10.   Fill each liner until about ½ or ¾ full

11.   When the water is boiling, carefully place ramekins inside pot (or place in steaming tray) use tongs if needed.  (make sure its not a strong rolling boil otherwise water will splash into the batter)

12.   Cover the pot with wrapped lid (ensure that no significant amount of steam is leaking out), and steam over medium-low heat for 12-14 minutes (do NOT over cook, it will harden the cake)

13.   Test for readiness by inserting a bamboo stick or barbeque stick into center and make sure it comes out clean

14.   Remove the ramekins from pot and carefully remove cakes to cool on a baking rack

[kelzammtg]

6.18.19 :: CMDR: Yawgmoth, Part 01

This last Friday I managed to pick up [[Yawgmoth, Thran Physician]] once my LGS was able to sell singles. I was thrilled that they had gotten him in, because I’ve been undecided on a Mono-B Commander for the longest time. He solves an itch I’ve had to rebuild [[Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons]]. While he loses access to Green, he also doesn’t have to have her weakness of the entire deck being built around him and Creature tokens. 

In the future, any Commander decks that I’m considering building will have a post or video going over my thought process, card selection and initial build I end up with. For my first post here, I’m actually skipping that, because I’ve already been testing with an initial build that I feel has a lot of promise. I will, however, state the goals of the deck:

Deck Goals

Utilizing Yawgmoth’s ability with easily recurring creatures to gain a huge card advantage into gigantic mana ramp. The payoff will be drawing enough cards and accessing enough ramp to Proliferate into ultimates/emblems from various Planeswalkers. If all else fails, various trigger loops and massive X spells can end the game.

Current Deck List

As of Sunday 06/18/2019, this was my current list:

https://archidekt.com/decks/91614#Yawgmoth,_Thran_Physician

Commander 1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician Planeswalker 1 Liliana, the Last Hope 1 Liliana of the Dark Realms 1 Karn Liberated 1 Sorin Markov 1 Karn, Scion of Urza 1 Karn, the Great Creator 1 Ugin, the Ineffable 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Enchantment 1 Phyrexian Scriptures 1 Nest of Scarabs 1 Bloodchief Ascension 1 Crumbling Ashes 1 Call to the Grave 1 Necromancy 1 Bitterblossom 1 Bridge from Below 1 Dreadhorde Invasion Creature 1 Pitiless Plunderer 1 Kokusho, the Evening Star 1 Pawn of Ulamog 1 Archfiend of Ifnir 1 Sifter of Skulls 1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet 1 Smothering Abomination 1 Zulaport Cutthroat 1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder 1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel 1 Bloodsoaked Champion 1 Burnished Hart 1 Psychosis Crawler 1 Reassembling Skeleton 1 Bloodghast 1 Necroskitter 1 Avatar of Woe 1 Horobi, Death's Wail 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed Artifact 1 Mindcrank 1 Oblivion Stone 1 Mirage Mirror 1 Commander's Sphere 1 Thought Vessel 1 Sol Ring 1 Mind Stone 1 Illusionist's Bracers 1 Caged Sun 1 Everflowing Chalice 1 Expedition Map 1 Coldsteel Heart 1 Mana Vault 1 Gilded Lotus 1 Lightning Greaves Land 1 Field of Ruin 1 Buried Ruin 1 Maze of Ith 1 Crypt of Agadeem 1 Ghost Quarter 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Reliquary Tower 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 1 Vesuva 1 Cabal Coffers 1 Cabal Stronghold 1 Emergence Zone 1 Karn's Bastion 22 Snow-Covered Swamp 1 Barren Moor Sorcery 1 Decree of Pain 1 Torment of Hailfire 1 Beseech the Queen 1 Dark Deal 1 Black Sun's Zenith 1 Exsanguinate 1 Final Parting 1 Command the Dreadhorde 1 Dead of Winter Instant 1 Cabal Ritual 1 Dark Ritual 1 Liliana's Triumph

06/18/2019 Notes

So, first things first: I'm missing a chunk of the potential ramp for the deck. I need to pick up Crypt Ghast, Nirkana Revenant, Jet Medallion, Gauntlet of Power and Bubbling Muck. Chances that I'll ever pick up a Mana Crypt or Grim Monolith are extremely low given their current price range. However, I've still been able to ramp pretty well with what I do have, so I'm excited to acquire what I can. I had been tempted to get a Chrome Mox with some store credit but it was either that or Liliana, the Last Hope and Liliana was a much more important inclusion.

Crypt of Agadeem is about to be replaced with something else because the deck needs to ramp up ASAP and it's worse than a Swamp for most of the game I've had it.

I won a game with a Torment of Hailfire for 30 just off of the land ramp when I wasn't drawing into anything else. I'm pretty confident in leaving this and Exsanguinate in my build finishers to build towards if Yawgmoth is hated off of the table too much to stay on the Proliferate plan. The problem with this game wasn't Yawgmoth being targeted, though. It was actually that I had no card draw outside of Yawgmoth and only ever drew into Bloodghast that game for recurrable draw. I think there's a weakness in trying to depend too heavily on Yawgmoth sticking or for sac fodder to use him and not having any other draw. There's so much mana ramp potential here, but if the sac fodder doesn't come, the deck feels like it falls flat, especially when you want to hold a good chunk of your deck for a big turn (PWers).

Phyrexian Scriptures was surprisingly good. I originally added it for flavor reasons (the same is true of Avatar of Woe; it's a pet card because I have a PT one signed by rk post and casting it for BB with Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder out is SO good). In my last game last night I had quite a play: I had used Command the Dreadhorde and stolen Garruk, Primal Hunter, Niv-Mizzet, Parun and Veteran Explorer. Then I cast my Horobi, Death's Wailand used -3 on Garruk to draw 5 cards and get 5 Niv-Mizzet triggers. I blew up a few targets (Liliana, Heretical Healer, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, a 21/21 Consuming Abberation, the Veteran Explorer to ramp up Cabal Stronghold some more and something else). Well, at the end of turn the Grixis player cast Thrilling Encore and got it alllll back, and then some. I had a ton of mana because of Cabal Stronghold and some heavy land ramp earlier. So I cast Yawgmoth. Wasn't countered, so I should be good. Cast Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet. Yes, yes. It resolved. Cast Phyrexian Scriptures and put the +1/+1 counter on Yawgmoth and turned him into an Artifact creature. Finally cast Grey Merchant of Asphodel to offset the life loss from Command the Dreadhorde last turn. Mostly, I needed a sac target so I could sacrifice him to Yawgmoth to Proliferate the Phyrexian Scriptures to Chapter II and wipe the board other than Yawgmoth. I did so, destroyed everything but Yawgmoth, got 14 Zombies from Kalitas and was on my merry way. It was gorious.

Archfiend of Ifnir may be too slow. I've had it in my hand multiple times but never really wanted to cast it over anything else. I'm still giving it some more time, though, because it has cycling, so at worst I can discard it to draw another card, potentially reanimating it to clear the board later.

I've been pretty happy with Call to the Grave in the games where I get my recurrable sac fodder and it's kept the board clear early on and let me play some of my Planeswalkers and start ticking them up without having to hold them in my hand for a while. Keep in mind since I'm still missing key ramp cards and probably won't have access to Grim Monolith/Mana Crypt, as I had mentioned earlier.

I thought Illusionist's Bracers may be too slow, but the couple times I've had it on Yawgmoth it was incredible.

With the sudden availability of snow lands, I'm trying Dead of Winter in place of Toxic Deluge. While it's true that you're still winning until the last point of life is gone, I've found that I go through it at a dangerous rate, especially with some of the Spellslinger decks in my various play groups. I haven't run into anything this hasn't been able to kill, yet. The appeal of Toxic Deluge is having a flexible answer for 2B, but so far this has done just as well!

Psychosis Crawler is another decent alternate win con that won me a game, and I was pretty happy to see it. It gave me a place to put my -1/-1 counters for Nest of Scarabs to get that combo started and is a win condition once you have the Yawgmoth's Bargain combo set up with Nest.

All of that said, it still went very well:

End Step

Anyway, that's about it for my testing with the deck so far. After I pick up some cards on my Maybe/Acquire Boards and get some more testing, I’ll be back with another post on those changes and how it went!

-Kelzam

[artist-x-j-roman-cain]

My Game

I am no longer lifted  By perception shifters Know I am rather gifted At redirecting sifters Ignoring big lippers Never call me a quitter Still dealing with jitters While sealing zippers

They ask, "will he ever wither"? The answer is "Only after I rigor". Not the type who needs to slither To obtain or gain figures Trust me, I will call you hither And bust you, if I am triggered If I must will spill red rivers Then till crust as a grave digger

Because I give them shivers They decide to spit bitter A true nomadic drifter But not a shifty grifter Straight up-front hitter Not a side line sitter I am a beast, no little critter And here, hear my middle flipper

Stitched the game, yes, I'm a knitter Throw no refuse, I refuse to litter And forget excuses, I'm a go getter Mouth of the South, siren emitter Screw Lady Luck, never did get her Every buck comes from lots of vigor Outside the box, never been a fitter That's why I get better and bigger

Series: End-Finite (Infinite) Artist: Wordsmith Alchemist Roman aka Artist X (Justin Roman Cain)

[edh-a-to-z]

4 - Adun Oakenshield

Hey everyone, I’m back with our 4th alphabetical commander - Adun Oakenshield.

Many moons ago, WOTC once wondered, what if we made a set just about Legendary creatures? And thus, the Legends Block was born!

LORE:

Adun is one of the many...

legendaries from the Legends set. Legends was a trailblazer in many ways - a true standalone set, the first with multicolored cards (like Adun, above), the first with 15 card boosters.

It also introduced Legendary Creatures, Legendary Lands, Bands with other (sweet Jesus this set is older than I am), the Rampage ability (when was this a thing?), World Enchantments (this is like the Jurassic Age, seriously), and Poison (because Infect was a pain, even back then).

Unfortunately for more Vorthos lore, all we know about most of the sets legendaries is their flavor text, and some don’t even have that. Luckily, Adun has both interesting text (coming back from the grave?) and a good ability - pulling dead guys back to your hand.

BATTLE PLAN:

Adun doesn’t mind discarding creature cards, sacrificing them, and milling himself - he can get what he wants back. Jund colors gives us plenty of equipment to work with.

He’s listed as a Tier 3 commander, so above and beyond our previous examples. (http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/list-multiplayer-edh-generals-by-tier/)

First, I’m doing non-budget deck plan, and then a more budget one - apologies ahead of time, Adun is NOT conducive to budget building (He already has a price tag of $33 and up, or ~$20 for a heavily played copy).

Replicating Adun

We like Adun’s ability - and we want more of it. Plucking things back from the ‘yard is a necessary part of EDH.

(1) Volrath’s Stronghold

Coming in at TCGPlayer’s market price of $32.45, Volrath’s Stronghold sets the tone for the expensive needs of high-end Adun deck. You’ll be throwing your creatures into the ‘yard like they owe you money, so you want ways of getting them back - and Volrath offers a very reasonable mana cost for a repeatable effect.

(2) Eternal Witness

An EDH staple, grabbing anything is nice. She’s also a great target for Adun to grab repeatedly, play, sac, and grab again.

(3) Greenwarden of Murasa

More mana, but basically a Witness, and can trigger when dying if needed.

(4) Genesis

You get this guy in the ‘yard, and he’s a repeatable Adun effect.

(5) Crucible of Worlds

This was never going to be a cheap deck. Might as well get the crucible.

(6) Reclaim/Regrowth

Share a slot because they get back what you need.

(7) Phyrexian Reclamation

Bring back your creature, again and again.

Resurrection

The twin of bringing things to your hand is plain old resurrection. Black does it best, and you’ve got black to work with.

(1) Mikeus

Keeps most of your guys coming back Undying, letting you abuse ETB effects. Pricey, but fun.

(2) Reanimate/Necromancy/Dread Return

Staple reanimators. Necromancy can flash in for emergencies.

(3) Phyrexian Delver

Reanimate on legs.

(4) Animate Dead/Dance of the Dead

Enchantments that reanimate. More vulnerable to removal, and Dance has a quasi-upkeep. But when you’re pulling a dragon from the yard, it feels like a bargain.

(5-10) Yea...I don’t actually do much resurrection, so just add in some that you like best.

Graveyard

We want things in the yard - we can mill ourselves, sac, and discard to this effect. Pick your favorites, and here I’ll add some of mine.

(1) Entomb

A resurrection classic. Versatile and useful. Always bring one to a more competitive match.

Similar to Entomb - Buried Alive, 

(2) Living Death

A bit different, but a nice way to bring back your team after some mass sacrifice or something.

(3) Phyrexian Altar / Ashnod’s Altar

Ideally, you can have both, but Ashnod’s fine on a budget. 

(4) Diamond Valley

Yea, Alliances. I needed a archaeological team to look it up. Sac outlet on a land, does good work. Sure ain’t cheap.

(5) Dimir House Guard

Sac outlet that can dodge some Mass Removal (might as well sac your guys to save the House Guard when Supreme Verdict drops). The Guard is also really cheap, so get a playset.

(6) Vampiric Rites

Much needed for Lifegain and draw. Also cheap.

(7) Goblin Bombardment

Incoming board wipe? Sac. Bad combat matchup? Sac. Mind control an enemy creature? Sac post-combat. Bombardment has all your sac’ing need.

BUDGET

Okay, you somehow bought a Adun. Or proxied him. Or found him. But you want a reasonable budget - something in the $75-$150 range, or less. Let’s get cracking!

What’s the plan? We can’t have the same robust reanimation stuff (that stuff is seriously expensive) and sec outlets (it’s like 20 bucks for phyrexian alter! that’s like 3 lunches!). 

Well, there’s a lot we can do. We can DEVOUR!

Devour is cheap, scaling, and fiscally reasonable. It opens the doors for lots of +1/+1 counter play. It lets you work with creatures that want to die, and when they do, Adun can pull them back to use them again.

Leaving the Battlefield/Dies

(1) Arcbound Lancer

All of the Modular creatures of a cheap nature are fine in this strategy - saving the counters when a creature dies is very synergystic.

(2) Body Snatcher

Puts creatures in your ‘yard, and pulls someone out of the ‘yard when snatcher dies. A fun guy to work with.

(3) Cathodion

As long as you control when Cathodion dies, it works great. When Adun has time to untap, 

(4) Corpse Augur

Drawing cards is good, and you can usually control how many cards you pick up and life you lose, by picking the right grave.

(5) Destructor Dragon

I’ve seen this card used once in a Meren deck, and as such was inspired to add it to this list. Comes in hand to take care of enemy enchantments and artifacts (which black and red can have trouble with).

(6) Filigree Familiar

Lifegain and card draw. Making this little guy reusable with Adun gives you something to do on turns when you can’t effect the board state.

(7) Goblin Gardener

When you need to destroy that Gaea’s Cradle that the legacy player brought.

(8) Noxious Toad

Discard. Is. Awesome. Plus it got errata’d to each opponent.

I could go on listing other cards that like dying, and creatures that like other creatures dying (Blood Artist), but I’d say just add what feels right - cover your bases and have your dying creatures do a bit of everything. So what synergizes with death?

(1) Ogre Slumlord

You’ll lose your guys, but at least you’ll have something on the field. These rats make great blockers.

(2) Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

He loves it when anyone dies, and punished your opponents Tutors and Fetches.

(3) Blood Artist

Blood Artist is great. When anyone dies, you can ping and gain life.

(4) Falkenrath Noble.

Blood Artist, but bigger.

(5) Stalking Vengance

Makes death count even more.

(6) Sek’kuar

Even more death synergy, and more bodies to trigger death triggers, or sac to Ashnod’s altar.

(7) Sifter of Skulls

Like Slumlord puts tokens on the field. 

Untapping Adun

(1) Magewright’s Stone

Gotta exploit Adun’s ability, so that means untapping him.

(2) Mobile Garrison

A new artifact from Aether Revolt, using it lets you untap Adun after combat.

(3) Puppet Strings

Pulling multiple duties, Puppet here can untap Adun, or help control the battlefield.

(4) Thousand-Year Elixir

I know, not exactly budget at $5, but the Elixir works so well with Adun you just want to include it.

(5) Copperhorn Scout

It’ll probably die, but untaps your Adun and attacking team.

(6) Instill Energy

At $10, it’s not budget, but use it if you got it. Haste and a second untapping is awesome.

The Rest

The res of the deck, be it budget or sky-high, is relatively simple. Staple EDH cards, like Green’s Eternal Witness, Naturalize,Black’s board wipes (Languish, and pricier options) Diabolic Tutor (or Demonic & Vampiric to splurge), draw like Sign in Blood, Red’s unpredictability like Gamble and Reverberate. Add Wailing Warp as a singular counterspell (always nice for Jund to throw out a counter).

Add the normal mana rocks, ramp stuff like Kodama’s Reach. Check out the professor’s guide (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifig4xSp0kA) for 3 color building. 

Adun himself needs the normal commander protection- even more so, as Toxic Deluge at 2 kills him. Equipment is a little hard to get out without access to White mana, so it takes some work.

WEAKNESSES

Adun has one big weakness - the ‘yard. While not to the extent of someone like Meren, Adun likes a full grave to maximize his potential - Tormod hurts a lot.

Adun is also slow. Using his ability takes away 3 mana from you (even when optimally done at the end of your preceding opponent’s turn, and everyone sees what you get back. Without haste, the deck grinds to a halt, as Adun’s ability takes forever to use.

RATINGS:

Control: 5/10 - Adun doesn’t add anything to board control, but his colors let him be very effective at it - Red has damage, Black has removal and sac options, Green gets to fight and beat people up in combat. Adun gives you options, but it’s up to you to add them to the deck.

Diplomacy: 5/10 - Nothing special - everyone can read Adun’s plan, and he’s not that threatening on his own. He’s slow, and everyone knows it.

Aggro: 7/10 - Adun NEEDS to be aggressive - his ability is creature oriented, and this relies on creature and aggro to win. Less an ability and more of a necessity. 

Overall Power: 5/10 - Adun is not a win-con on his own. His reclaimation ability can retrieve combo pieces (if that’s your style), but otherwise he’s just a slow reclaiming guy. He needs other pieces to win - when those pieces are great, he’s great, when those pieces are not, he’s not.

Affordability: 4/10 - Adun, at his peak...is not cheap. Even my plan of devour and cheap creatures is not Adun’s optimal build (it’s a 75% deck)

Overall: 26/50 - I honestly thought Adun would be worse. He’s a card from a bygone age with a fun ability, but he’s clunky. He’s ranked as Tier 3 on the Multiplayer Tier list (http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/list-multiplayer-edh-generals-by-tier/), so he’s workable, and better than everyone we’ve seen so far. 

1 of the 99: Adun is a nice addition to Jund reanimation, but doesn’t belong outside of that strategy.

Final Verdict: Meh. Adun is a fun commander, but not particularly competitive. It takes work to get his to the “75%” point, and it’s mostly based on the deck, not the commander. 

That’s all for now folks! If you have any other suggestions for Adun, let me know! good bye for now…  

[mtgbracket]

Round of 16384 - Batch 109

Batch 109 voting is now open.  The following polls are currently open:

Batch 109 Batch 108 Batch 107 Batch 106 Batch 105 Batch 104 Batch 103

Batch 102 results will be up soon.

The full list of matchups for today is:

Vernal Equinox vs Oath of Jace Penumbra Bobcat vs Mana Breach Loch Korrigan vs Deepwood Elder Grave Sifter vs Chancellor of the Forge Fleeting Distraction vs Staunch Defenders Wirefly Hive vs Shiv's Embrace Amulet of Vigor vs Manaforce Mace Ladies' Knight vs Guile Kyscu Drake vs Harmless Assault Stone Idol Trap vs Lifelink Wall of Corpses vs Sunblade Elf Aven Skirmisher vs Spiritualize Stealer of Secrets vs Earthshaker Martyr's Bond vs Takeno, Samurai General Vow of Malice vs Awaken the Sky Tyrant Blitz Hellion vs Tin Street Market Wall of Roots vs Prophetic Ravings Sorin, Solemn Visitor vs Sculpting Steel Treva, the Renewer vs Horror of the Dim Honor the Fallen vs Taste for Mayhem Soul of Magma vs Pearl Lake Ancient Laquatus's Disdain vs Forked-Branch Garami Horned Troll vs Waking Nightmare Ghost Quarter vs Manor Gargoyle Skill Borrower vs Emberwilde Djinn Harsh Justice vs Cabal Shrine Undertaker vs Ivy Seer Catch // Release vs Phantasmal Terrain Dread Slaver vs Street Sweeper Great Wall vs Boros Guildmage Ovalchase Daredevil vs Trickster Mage Goliath Beetle vs Sudden Demise

[feeddegi]

Why Do The French Prefer Cats To Dogs?

You've fallen for a kitten, and you're not the only one! How to explain this "catmania"? Survey in France, where most of the tame European tomcats live.

The Cat Gives Us More Freedom

In thirty years, “the French population has become more urban and more active”, summarizes Christophe Blanchard, sociologist and author of the book Les masters explained to their dog (Zones editions). In a social organization where work and leisure alternate, taking care of a cat is less overwhelming than taking care of a dog. In fact, a cat does not need to be walked twice a day and it tolerates being alone at home for a weekend (it is enough for it to have a reserve of water and kibble ). . Autonomy that leaves more free time on a daily basis.

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 Society Is Less Tolerant Of Dogs

Another advantage of the cat: it is easier to live in the city. He does not defecate on the sidewalks and does not bark when his owners are away. In essence, it bothers less. “In recent years, our society has become less tolerant with dogs,” notes Claude Béata, veterinary psychiatrist. "The legislative framework has imposed new constraints on dog owners since the first law of 1999 on dangerous dogs," he said. In town, owners must collect their animal's droppings, have their behavior assessed if they have bitten someone and, if they belong to a so-called dangerous breed, muzzle them in public places. So many obligations which did not exist several decades ago and which, of course, do not concern cats!

A Cat Costs Less Than A Dog

The economic argument also weighs in the balance in times of crisis. However, when buying or adopting , a cat costs less than a dog. Moreover, if 82% of owners (of dogs and cats) see their animal as an important creature in their life, 55% of dog owners consider them a member of the family, against 35% of cat owners (source : Mutuelle Animaux info survey carried out in July 2017). Result: dogs go to the vet more often than cats, and the expenses they cause are higher: more than 200 euros in veterinary costs per year for a dog, and less than 150 euros for a cat (source: survey Health Vet / Ipsos 2017).

The Chat Reflects The Values ​​Of The Moment

Two trends emerging in our society today would explain why we are getting closer to cats. On the one hand, the passage "from a canine model, very hierarchical and pyramidal, to a feline model, in which there is no hierarchy, but collaborations" explains Claude Béata. On the other hand, "felines refer to very individualistic values, in a consumer society where everything goes very quickly and where constraints are poorly supported", Christophe Blanchard analyzes. An unflattering portrait… but realistic.

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 The Favorite Breeds Of The French

If we find a majority of mongrels and alley cats (without pedigree) among domestic dogs and cats, the choice of breeds changes from year to year. The trends of 2018.

Mini dogs… In 2017, the three most owned dog breeds in France are the Labrador, the Yorkie and the Jack Russell Terrier . With the exception of the Labrador, which retains the first place on the podium, it is the small riders that are preferred by dog ​​lovers.

And maxi cats. According to the Official Book of Feline Origins (Loof), the three most popular cat breeds in 2017 are the Maine Coon , the Sacred Burma and Bengal. It is therefore rather large cats that are on the rise, for the moment.

The Dog, Man's Oldest Friend

The bond between man and dog is at least 10,000 years old. Dog graves that are 30,000 years old have even been found in Siberia. In comparison, the cat looks like a little player, since its domestication only dates back around 9,000 years.

[curiooftheheart]

Self mill + res (I have Altar of Dementia plus other mill cards and Buried Alive so getting lots of cards in grave and getting back creatures, planeswalkers, and thanks to Beacon of Unrest even artifacts are easy to get. Enchantments are harder but still.) This is actually probably well below my deck's actual capability. So Ayara, Sifter of Skulls, Pitiless Plunderer, Vindictive Vampire, Falkenrath Noble, Zulaport Cutthroat, Syr Konrad (and Blood Artist once I get one), Sanguine Bond (which is how I get to crazy damage but I'd do hella damage even without it as it's the only piece I can't really quite guarantee), Whip of Erebos (again just for overkill), Whisper, and Kokusho. Plus anything else but I'm gonna say that for the sake of this I'm using Whisper as the second creature for her effect. So use Whisper to sac herself and Kokusho. This gets me Kokusho's trigger so steal 5 from each opponent, then if I have Sanguine Bond that's shooting that much at one opponent (So let's say it's a 4 player game which is my most common. That's 15 damage to all and 15 targeted damage). Sifter of Skulls and Pitiless Plunderer give me two treasures and two Scions. The Blood Artists (- actual Blood Artist lol) then make each opponent lose 6 life and an additional two that can be split as I please. With Whip then Vampire and Konrad gain me two for each as they deal damage not life loss. Then I gain 6 life from the natural life gain on the effects of all but Konrad. I can then shoot those out as I desire as more damage with Sanguine Bond (So still going four player that's 9 more general damage and 14 targeted for a total so far of 24 all and 29 targeted). Then Midnight Reaper draws me two cards which again is damage so i get it back from Whip to shoot out two more damage (24 all and 31 targeted, for a total of 103 so far since that's 24x3) Then Gray Merchant enters and sets off his and Ayara's ability. So each opponent loses 1 and I gain 1 which again Sanguine Bond (25 all and 32 targeted), and then Gray Merchant on this board state with nothing else is 17 damage to each and I gain that much life which is 51 which I can then shoot at someone again sadly it's only one source so all has to go at one person but that's actually more than an Aetherflux Reservoir. Which is 42 all opponents for 126, then 83 that has to be targeted at an individual. Oh and if that doesn't kill them I can then just sacrifice the two Scions I made which admittedly only deals 22 targeted and 6 general. I think, my math might go off at some point but it's still a lot with a board state with only one cards I can't easily revive.

Yeah did some looking and calca with my Ayara deck and uh...using whisper to sacrifice Kokusho and grabbing Gray Merchant with a set up board can translate into well over a hundred damage. Shit’s lit y’all.

[onewordtrash]

wind

I reach my hand out to feel the wind rush past me. It caresses my fingers and slips right through, like fine sand through a sifter. The breeze whips into the slate sky, far away from this place. I wish to be the wind. To escape from the nuclear leaks and radiation. To run from the ghosts of my past. To flee from the black pollution that rots this world. But I cannot escape or run or flee. I am pinned to the face of this crumbling earth, forced to die a cruel death.

There’s a sort of twisted humor in the whole of the situation: a world defeated by its own species. Everyone always thought it’d end in raging fires or burning ice, but we refused to acknowledge the most obvious ending. The food web slowly unraveled, starting at what seemed like insignificant extinctions but caused the demise of this idiotic world. Like dominos, species died one by one, and finally humans were the only ones left. Humanity was abandoned to starve and all that was left were meager scraps of insanity.

It was when my younger brother got cholera that I realized that this wasn’t just a warning anymore. It wasn’t the doomed future rioters fought; it was the present. The possibility we never thought would happen, finally crashed through our lives. My only sibling suffered through pain that seared his weak body until the very end. He had to be buried in a mass grave, thrown among the other forgotten lives. It took my brother’s death for me to understand that everything that happened was real. 

My dad passed away suddenly. A desperate murderer broke into our makeshift house and slit my father’s throat in the depth of the night. Before he died, my father made sure to overpower the man and stab him in the chest. Even with his dying breaths, my dad kept the remains of my family safe. My mother and I woke up to find a pool of crimson blood.

I ran the day my mother died from radiation poisoning, and I haven’t stopped. In the back of my mind I realize that I’m running from the images of my mother’s hair falling out and her skin getting mangled and burned, twisting in gruesome ways that linger in your thoughts forever. I keep walking because my father was valiant in his last moments of pain and fear, unlike what I could ever do. I never stop because the cutting memories of my brother slash into my brain. 

They brought me to this place, wherever it is. The tall grass flows calmly like rolling ocean waves, and the thin clouds float lazily across the sky. The peaceful scene sharply contrasts with the warped reality.

I started walking again. I’ll follow the wind.

a/n: wow um i was gonna try and make something mildly lighthearted but this came out instead???

[mtgbracket]

Round of 16384 - Batch 109 results

745 Bracketeers voted in Batch 109, and 4.67m votes have now been cast.

Visual results live here and today’s results are:

Pearl Lake Ancient defeats Soul of Magma with 92.03% of the vote Amulet of Vigor defeats Manaforce Mace with 91.14% of the vote Treva, the Renewer defeats Horror of the Dim with 89.82% of the vote Sudden Demise defeats Goliath Beetle with 87.72% of the vote

Catch // Release defeats Phantasmal Terrain with 87.36% of the vote Skill Borrower defeats Emberwilde Djinn with 85.93% of the vote Wall of Roots defeats Prophetic Ravings with 85.54% of the vote Blitz Hellion defeats Tin Street Market with 81.61% of the vote

Boros Guildmage defeats Great Wall with 81.43% of the vote Guile defeats Ladies' Knight with 80.22% of the vote Dread Slaver defeats Street Sweeper with 79.37% of the vote Sunblade Elf defeats Wall of Corpses with 78.61% of the vote

Undertaker defeats Ivy Seer with 78.57% of the vote Ghost Quarter defeats Manor Gargoyle with 76.64% of the vote Ovalchase Daredevil defeats Trickster Mage with 73.55% of the vote Stealer of Secrets defeats Earthshaker with 71.80% of the vote

Spiritualize defeats Aven Skirmisher with 66.26% of the vote Chancellor of the Forge defeats Grave Sifter with 65.95% of the vote Shiv's Embrace defeats Wirefly Hive with 65.81% of the vote Forked-Branch Garami defeats Laquatus's Disdain with 64.19% of the vote

Stone Idol Trap defeats Lifelink with 61.96% of the vote Martyr's Bond defeats Takeno, Samurai General with 61.74% of the vote Sorin, Solemn Visitor defeats Sculpting Steel with 60.98% of the vote Honor the Fallen defeats Taste for Mayhem with 60.33% of the vote

Mana Breach defeats Penumbra Bobcat with 58.34% of the vote Awaken the Sky Tyrant defeats Vow of Malice with 56.56% of the vote Fleeting Distraction defeats Staunch Defenders with 56.02% of the vote Waking Nightmare defeats Horned Troll with 54.07% of the vote

Oath of Jace defeats Vernal Equinox with 51.75% of the vote Harmless Assault defeats Kyscu Drake with 50.89% of the vote Deepwood Elder defeats Loch Korrigan with 50.82% of the vote Harsh Justice defeats Cabal Shrine with 50.21% of the vote

Full results to date can be seen here.