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theothin · 2 years ago

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MTG Math: Dealing massive finite damage with 10 cards on turn 1

MTG can hit some pretty big numbers. There are a lot of ways to create infinite loops, as well as ways to hit strikingly large non-infinite numbers.

Perhaps the best-known example of the latter is the Turn 1 megacombo posted in 2015. Using 60 carefully chosen cards, it sets up a complicated chain of token generation that spirals out into unimaginably huge numbers, while avoiding unbounded loops to keep the achievable damage finite.

Following some recent discussions about it, I decided to try my hand at something a bit more compact, to see what we could accomplish with a smaller number of cards. In particular, I wanted to try avoiding some elements I've seen objections to: the inclusion of Omniscience, and the use of "nearly infinite" loops that only fall short of infinite due to unusual downsides some of the cards were specifically selected for. Personally, I've never been bothered by those things, but it got me thinking about ways to deal massive damage on turn 1 that wouldn't use them.

This strategy uses 10 cards, the smallest number I've found that can reach the scale I'm looking for. 10 in the starting hand, plus a 3 card library - or the top three cards of our library, if we assume there's a full deck under it. Both Omniscience and the "nearly infinite" loops are absent - with such a small number of cards, I'm not even sure how viable it would be to use those effectively in the first place. Here, our cards go from library to hand, hand to battlefield, hand to graveyard, battlefield to graveyard, and graveyard to exile, never reversing direction. But they'll be doing some pretty wild things as they go.

The overall goals are still the same: we're working with a Vintage-legal card pool (updated with another 7 years' worth of cards), and assuming that we draw our perfect hand, aiming to have the maximum possible turn 1 damage be huge but finite. We're not going to get numbers quite as high as the 2015 megacombo, but it should be a bit easier to follow and still deal some pretty enormous amounts of damage. In particular, we'll be taking some inspiration from this recent "3 cards + unlimited mana" strategy, but going a bit bigger.

That all said, let's begin!

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Step 1: Black Lotus + Channel + Chromatic Orrey

We play Black Lotus for free, sacrifice it for three green mana, and spend two of it to play Channel. A classic start for doing ridiculous stuff. We'll be leaning heavily on Channel to convert life to mana, but it's all colorless, so we use our remaining mana and 6 life to play Chromatic Orrey and allow us to use the colorless mana to pay any mana costs.

This puts us at 14 life, 4 cards in hand, and 3 cards in our library.

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Step 2: Devilish Valet + Verdant Sun's Avatar + Djinn Illuminatus + Cackling Counterpart

Now we use that life to cast the remaining cards in our hand. Devilish Valet doubles its power every time another creature enters the battlefield, which will be key for racking up our numbers. Verdant Sun's Avatar, meanwhile, gives us life equal to the toughness of each creature that enters, which we'll be feeding into Channel. Casting those two costs 10 life, then the Avatar immediately gives us 5 back, putting us at 9. We spend 7 on Djinn Illuminatus and gain 5, putting us at 7.

We're getting low on life, but Cackling Counterpart can increase our lifegain rate by copying the Avatar. Meanwhile, since it's an instant, Djinn Illuminatus gives it replicate, letting us duplicate it by paying its cost repeatedly. It costs 3, so we can afford to cast it twice, getting two more Avatars. Each one triggers all of our Avatars, so the first gives us 10 life and the second gives 15. (The replication window is at the point when we cast the original spell, so we can't just turn that additional life into more duplicates.)

We now have creatures of three colors (red, green, and blue), so with our hand empty, we can now use the Orrey to draw our last three cards. This costs 5 life, putting us at 21.

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Step 3: Elemental Mastery + Coercive Recruiter

We pay 4 life to put Elemental Mastery on Devilish Valet, allowing it to tap to make Elemental tokens equal to its power. Then we pay another 5 to play Coercive Recruiter, which lets us untap a creature every time it or another pirate enters the battlefield. We'll point the Recruiter's trigger at the Valet, but while it's on the stack, we've got something else to take care of.

Since playing the Valet, five more creatures have entered the battlefield: three Avatars, a Djinn, and a Recruiter. This lets us double its power five times, to 32. We'll have the doubling trigger resolve first, then tap the Valet to make 32 tokens. This causes the Valet's power to double another 32 times, to 137,438,953,472.

At this point, the Recruiter's trigger resolves, untapping the Valet. We could attack for 137 billion damage and win the game instantly, but we're aiming higher than that. Instead, we tap the Valet a second time, making 137 billion more tokens and doubling its power another 137 billion times. This takes us out of the territory of numbers Wolfram Alpha will let me calculate, but what I can say is that the Valet's power is now billions of digits long. (For comparison, the number of elementary particles in the universe is less than 100 digits long.)

Meanwhile, between those two rounds of tokens and the Recruiter, our trio of Avatars has gained us a ton of life, putting us currently over 412 billion. Which is good, because we're just getting started.

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Step 4: Djinn Illuminatus and Cackling Counterpart (again)

These two first showed up in step 2, but now it's time to see what they're really capable of.

Cackling Counterpart has flashback, so we can play it one more time from our graveyard. Djinn Illuminatus's replicate effect stacks with flashback, and while the flashback costs 7, the copies go by Counterpart's base cost of 3. So by sinking as much of our 412 billion life as possible into Counterpart, we can copy Counterpart 137 billion times, and use them all to clone Coercive Recruiter.

Every time we get a new Recruiter, all of our Recruiters trigger, letting us untap and re-tap Devilish Valet that many times. Considering that we got this far by tapping the Valet just twice, even describing the numbers in terms of how many digits they have isn't going to keep working. Like with the 2015 megacombo, we'll turn to Knuth arrows.

Tapping a Valet with power N doubles its power N times, which means multiplying it by 2^N. Multiplication is getting insignificant at this scale, so we can pretty much represent the Valet's current power as 2^2^32. 32 is a bit more than 2^2^2, so we can approximate this as 2^2^2^2^2. Repeated exponentiation is also known as tetration or superexponentiation, which Knuth arrows let us show by increasing the number of arrows. So five 2s stacked like this become 2^^5. Which is a bit of an underestimate, since 2^^5 only has 19,729 digits. But 2^^6 has 10^19,727 digits, and we're not there yet. That is, not until we tap the Valet for the third time.

Making 137 billion Recruiters gives us about 0.5*(137 billion)^2 untap triggers, which works out to a bit over 9 sextillion. Tapping the Valet 9 sextillion times puts our (lowball) estimate for its power at 2^^(9 sextillion). This also means that we've created about 2^^(9 sextillion) Elemental tokens, and gained about 2^^(9 sextillion) life from our Avatars.

This sets us up perfectly for our final card.

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Step 5: Parallel Evolution

Parallel Evolution doubles all of our tokens - the 137 billion Recruiters we just made, the two Avatars from the first time we used Cackling Counterpart, and also the absurd number of basic elementals our Valet has made. And it's a sorcery, so like with Counterpart, we can replicate it. To double our tokens 2^^(9 sextillion) times.

To be honest, I don't actually know enough about numbers this large to have a good idea of how to represent them. I think it might involve further increasing the number of Knuth arrows, but I'm not even certain of that much.

Once the last of the copies resolve, we have about 2^2^^(9 sextillion) Avatars, about 137 billion times that many Recruiters (like all multiplication, pretty much insignificant at this scale), and the Valet has untapped an unfathomable number of times to raise its power to even more unfathomable numbers and spitting out that many elementals each time. Also, each of our tokens trigger all of our Avatars, raising our life to absurd heights.

The enormous amount of lifegain has one more chance to be significant, because Parallel Evolution also has flashback.

Our initial volley of 2^^(9 sextillion) copies of Parallel Evolution is nothing compared to the number of times we can copy it now. Again, I literally don't know enough math to even know which notation to use to keep describing this. (If you do know, please tell me.)

Whatever the numbers are, eventually the dust settles. We're left with a ridiculously huge Valet and its enormous army of elementals to swing with, far beyond any conventional definition of overkill.

As enormous as these numbers are, they're still nowhere near the ones achieved in the 2015 megacombo, let alone the more recent revisions. The 2015 megacombo's final damage count has 408 Knuth arrows compared to the handful here, and even after several attempts, I still can't fully wrap my head around half the things it does. In comparison, this is more of a tame, straightforward counterpart - but still plenty ridiculous in its own right!

I don't know if anyone has posted better strategies for this or similar conditions, but if you've seen any, let me know. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

#mtg #math

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doshmanziari · 3 years ago

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Most English-speaking people today who are aware of videogame developer T&E Soft only know of them through two titles: the first Hydlide (specifically the, by 1987, dated/inferior NES re-release) and Virtual Hydlide. Both of these have acquired a pretty undue notoriety, mostly encouraged by the exaggerations of e-personalities intent on making everything out to be either AWESOME or LMAO TERRIBLE, since that’s what gets the most attention. It’s better to see Hydlide in its PC-6001/PC-88 context as an innovator of the action-adventure-RPG genre, and the influence for the first two Ys games’ format (also little-known: Ys III: Wanderers from Ys was modeled on the design of Tritorn 2, a game by developer Sein/Xain/Zain Soft; it even copied some of the settings!). Understood as such -- compare the PC releases of Hydlide to, e.g., the original Dragon Slayer, also released for the PC-88 in 1984 --, we can also begin to understand its popularity as a consequence of something more than millions of Japanese citizens being deprived and deluded. Virtual Hydlide is noteworthy too as a strange and perhaps unique attempt at crafting a lightly randomized, score- and time-based 3D arcade game for a home console using the overworld + dungeon crawler format. Its most significant downside is a miserable framerate. I get why this would put people off from playing it, especially since it’s always conflicted with the design’s speedrun-like emphases. But if this were the worst thing you could knock a game for, the medium would be specially positioned among all others for a minimum of faults (hint: it isn’t).

With that preamble out of the way, I’d like to bring to unaware readers’ attention Rune Worth 2 and 3, released for the PC-98 in 1991. As usual, if your only resources on the English-speaking Internet for videogames are Wikipedia and MobyGames, you would probably never know about either of these (Wikipedia cites the first Rune Worth (1989) for the MSX, but says nothing of the sequels; MobyGames does not even cite the former). The Rune Worth series was, by all appearances, T&E Soft’s successor to Hydlide, and while it is formally organized as a trilogy, the three-months-gap between the second and third installment’s release, their discounted price, and the way in which 3 picks up right where 2 leaves off (to the extent of being able to transfer your character data from one to the other), means that, really, there are two full entries. Much of this information was laid out on a dedicated stream for both these games by Macaw45, who has dedicated years to researching, cataloguing, and exposing people to lesser-known videogames. If you can’t read Japanese, or just don’t want to play the games yourself, the embedded video would be your best bet for seeing them in action.

There are many things to say about Rune Worth 2/3 -- the dramatic introductory sequence preceding the main menu, the luxuriant sprawl of its public spaces (one can, for example, go out to the first castle’s rooftop, partitioned into a little pseudo maze, despite no requirement for doing so), its equal emphasis on setting, story, and action -- but since I’ve elected to make this into an image-based post, I want to illustrate how amazing these games look. Even from a distance, many PC-98 games have a distinct and highly abstract composure; and, looking at them up close, where the unlikeliness of certain chromatic and textural decisions make themselves known, it’s a wonder over and over again how representation emerges from what I described in a post about Super Hydlide as “an ornate and time-worn carpet.” The resemblance to a tapestry is especially obvious with Rune Worth 3 and its faded floral border depicting a grape vine. The overall visual splendor of these mosaics on a PC-98 monitor would, of course, be all the subtler and greater.

Over time, a handful of early- to mid-90s Japanese PC videogames have gotten more exposure in the West as the consumption of anime and nostalgic sentiment have grown hand-in-hand (not infrequently to pathologically anti-social effect). The bulk of these have tended to be of the visual novel/eroge type. YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of this World, released in 1996 for the PC-98, is a particularly popular example, in part because of its soundtrack by Ryu Umemoto. For me, the in-game artwork for these titles can be technically commendable, but is otherwise not very exciting. When I look at Rune Worth 2 or 3, it sometimes reminds me of looking at artist Kathleen Ryan’s beady sculptures of rotting fruit and marveling at the surprising vibrancy and coloristic range within putrefaction: the intersection of the beautiful and ugly, and its fructifying of the grotesque. This extends to a number of PC-88 titles too, like Sorcerian (Falcom, 1987) and DIOS (Zain Soft, 1989). In some cases, there is a remarkable convergence of visual grit/granularity and fidelity, maybe exemplified best of all by the PC-98 release of Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence (MicroCabin, 1993). But even there I find myself missing the marvelous polychromaticism of these two Rune Worth games. The intention for, say, Super Nintendo games to be played and seen on CRT TVs has never been an impediment to contemporary indie developers mimicking their look for modern LCD monitors. Even if it feels unlikely, then, I wonder if we will one day see a small revival of that fibrous, loom-woven PC-88/PC-98 look.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

You can support my writing, music, and artwork on Patreon.

#pc-98 #pc-88 #rune worth #Hydlide #japanese videogames

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theletterwsartflap · 4 years ago

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Making the Screenshot/TV look

I ended up compiling this for a Discord server but I’ll share it here too.

Imgur version: https://imgur.com/a/LREsOA9

alright so you got your drawing all nice and finished up but you wanna give it that tv look for an extra pop, eh? This tutorial will be for Krita but the majority of the techniques can be applied to other programs. I'll try to include the workarounds for the odd Krita specific thing.

As you could see, I had things segmented into quite a few layers. To make things easier on yourself, group things up based on how close they'll be to the viewer/camera. In this instance, closest was the ground (labelled Ground Merge), then Elec Man (char merged), and then lastly the backdrop (bg merged). While layer naming isn't necessary, it'll save you a lot of headaches further down the road. What I've done is duplicated the components and merged the duplicates, and put the originals all in a folder labeled Master. Some of my filtering requires merged components, and some requires individuals, and this'll make it easier to grab them as they're needed.

First, you'll duplicate your character merges 3 times. In Krita, apply each of the Copy layer types to them, normally found in the Misc category. I've moved them to favourites because I use them so much.

You also move each layer in a different direction, I generally move the CR and CG layers 1-2 px to the right and left, and then the CB layer 1 px down. You want it to just be visible to give that sort of screen burn look. While I haven't made new layers for this tutorial, you will end up with a particularly sharp looking image.

To remedy the sharpness, on each one you'll be applying a 1-2 px Gaussian blur, depending on your canvas size/dpi. You want it just to start looking out of focus. ( Filters > Blur > Gaussian Blur)

ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Some time after I started doing it this way, Krita added in a filter that does more or less the same thing in the G'MIC-QT filters. I'm not sure what other programs also feature this, but I know there are a few. (Filters > Start G’MIC-qt)

Navigate to the Degradations drop down and select Chromatic Aberrations. You'll prolly want around 2px for each of the values so it just shows like the long method I mentioned above. Again, you'll want to do this on a single duplication of your merged character. You will also apply the small Gaussian Blur to this layer as well. For other programs which are unable to do either method, I -believe- what you can do is a triple duplicate of the merged layer, set each one to Exclusion, shift them so the colour distortion becomes visible, then remerge. It's been awhile, but I -think- that's what I used to do in Photoshop.

To solve the out of focus issue, re open your Master files and duplicate JUST your ink layer. Move said duplicate to be above the burn layers, and drop it to around 75% opacity. Sometimes setting it to Overlay makes for a more optimal look, usually with overall darker lines. You can experiment with a 1ish px blur if you find it's too sharp, but I don't usually find that necessary.

These methods are then also applied on the background elements. To push for a feeling of distance, simply apply a heavier blur on the Copy/Chromatic layer(s).

These were also duplicate layers, each with a different blur applied to them. I don't mess with my base duplicates as it makes it easier to continue duplicating off them instead of remerging the master copies each time.

The bg DOF (Depth of Field) layer had exactly that applied to it, then dropped down to 60% range opacity. I wanted it to gradually fade off and not overpower the background as a whole. This can also be achieved by using layer masks and a Gaussian Blur... whatever suits your fancy. I also applied this to a duplicate of the foreground concrete he's sitting on.

If your character has any cool glowy bits, you can put these in here. I place it above the filtered layers and use an Airbrush to get the effect. Usually a more intense version of the colour I want glowing with a lighter core. I tend not to use whites/near whites unless I really want it to come off as piping hot or frigid cold.

Next, you'll either take a circle gradient or your airbrush in a dark colour (I tend to use blues as I find black to be a bit flattening) and darken the edges. You can set this to either Multiply or Overlay, depending on what kind of vignette you want. This helps sell a camera look, or perhaps an old tv. I rarely leave them on 100% opacity and it's completely fine if you find yourself fiddling with the value to get it just right. I shouldn't have to say it, but I hope you've saved at least a couple times at this point.

Create a new layer folder and set it to Pass Through, or whatever allows it to apply effects to things below it. Folders simply allow you to turn on and off clumps at your will, which is exactly what I've done to make this image into a tutorial instead of redoing the whole process ;). Create a new layer and fill it with white, and use your HSV (Hue Saturation Value) Adjustment window to drop it to exactly 50% gray. Common Shortcut is Crtl+U. Set the layer to Overlay and it'll basically disappear... you want this for your Noise/grain layer. (Filters > Other > Random Noise)

I tend to leave it at the default settings and use the Opacity to dictate how intensive it actually is. I want it visible in this case, but not so much it feels like an eye migraine. However, there are some cases you may want stronger ones.

Next, plop a big ol rainbow circular gradient over your image. The width of the loops doesn't matter too much.

Set this layer to Soft Light (in this case I used Photoshop's Soft Light specifically, though it doesn't matter too much. It's just whatever one I happen to click on.) and drop it to a very, very low opacity, usually under 20, if not 10%. This adds a slight colour distortion over the image, something subtle you don't even usually notice on older TVs.

For subtitles, type them out in white Arial, centered formatting.

Then simply add a black outline, either through a Stroke layer style - which I don't believe was actually working at the time I made this image. I instead duplicated the white text layer and flattened it, lowered the value to pitch black and expanded the fill by a pixel or few to get the outline. Whatever suits your workflow.

And sign your work, you’re done!

sidenote: While I didn't use scanlines on this image (or film streaks), they're really quite simple to do. You can make a pattern with one 50% gray pixel and one white, vertical and apply that, then resize as needed. Setting it to Overlay will make the gray pixel invisible. If you feel the need, you can blur it a bit so they're not quite so harsh... it all depends on how exactly you want it to look. Experiment! For vertical running film streaks like you'd see in really old cartoons, I just use the Krita Filter.

These methods aren’t concrete, this is just my workflow to achieve the effect.

#tutorial #reference #screenshot #krita #guide

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2bstudioblog · 5 years ago

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Flame vs Katy Perry

So, a terrible thing has happened in the music world and that makes my calling of not pursuing a commercial career more and more evident due to the latest ruling between Katy Perry vs Flame case. First of all let’s go over the points again what it means when it comes to copyright in music.

What can you copyright?

You can copyright lyrics and melodies. That’s pretty much it. Anything else are the building blocks of a song that makes up the genre.

What CAN’T you copyright?

In music we say that melody is never complete without the ornamentation surrounding it, that will say the building-blocks that are required to make up the genre. If we start copyrighting a genre, we wouldn’t have genres to begin with.

A genre is built up with the following things besides the melody:

Chords

Chord-structure

Bass-line

Rhythm (Percussion and drum-patterns, now included MPC based hiphop rhythms)

+ plus any orchestration techniques spanning from the last 300 years.

Music is not a SPORT, it should be enjoyed!

When it comes to writing music, most commercial artists are moving around the circle of 5ths, a kind of a chord-relation-chart that tells you basically which chords are connected that could lead to other 5 chords surrounding the song. But other genres like jazz basically goes beyond the circle of 5ths, trying to explore new grounds. And just like with jazz, in the early days, it all started with taking already existing songs and twists them in a certain way so they became something very different from it’s source. For many people this is a challenge that gives people, who are good at their craft, when crafting a cover, respect. For me, privately, I was never a big Beatles-fan, but I find arranging their simplest songs into something more complex exciting and fun! And if I can take their pop-song like “Day Tripper” and turning it into a slick funk-jazz version, with new harmony and melody and keeping the lyrics, I’m honoring the original material. And of course, when I perform the song I let the audience know that I’m doing a cover, not a copy-band project. And with that said, I contribute to The Beatles royalties by honoring them with a new version of their song.

But taking a 4-chord song like Day Tripper means I can change so many things about the song, but the most important thing I try to not to disturb too much, is the melody, but I do have to compromise with a new voicing, changing the line to match up with the new harmony. But the lyrics have not been changed. So no matter what, this is still “The Beatles�� copyright I’m dealing with.

If I would pass this on as my own “original” work, oh boy would I be in trouble.

Song vs Song

There are a few similarities in the song, but also those similarities are broken when we start listening for the things more in detail. Let’s break it down really easily with the first thing that hits our eardrums first.

THE OSTINATO

An unbroken rhythm in 1/8 division. In Flame’s song it starts on C and crawls down to an A on the keyboard, chromatically in the key of A minor (The C-major’s little brother, all white-keys on the piano. The rhythm looks like this: CCCCBBBA.

Katy Perry has a similar thing, but not in a synthlead but with a voice-based synth. It’s in a different key, but let’s pretend that it’s in the same key, her ostinato goes like this: CCCCBBAA

Verdict: Not the same. I consider this to be a RIFF, not a melody.

THE TEMPO

Tempo comes from the Italian word, that basically means “TIME”. You can’t copyright time. Tempo really determines the feel of the song and sets up all the instruments way to be played. On a score-sheet you will see a designated tempo in bpm: 120 bpm (120 beats per minute, or 2 beats per second.) Besides the tempo, you might even get an indication how the beat/tempo should be felt. Like in swing music we usually notate it with 2 8th notes, tied together with a triplet indicator. But to write it all out like that, to simplify the notation with usually write 2 8th-bar notes, then an = sign telling the result on how to read it as a dotted 8th tied to a 16th note, explaining a shuffle-feel.

In this case, both songs are played STRAIGHT. No shuffle what so ever.

Verdict: not the same, but you can’t copyright a TEMPO.

INSTRUMENTATION

Flame’s instrumentation is sparse, very simple. Using prominently a saw-tooth synth with a slow-portamento (glide effect between 2 notes) that actually obscure the “true pitch” in the ostinato.

Katy Perry has a more full-fledged arrangement with more instruments, harmonies and different sound-sources. Her ostinato consists of a more organic, voice like quality sample.

Verdict: This would be silly if we all could copyright instruments. We can’t.

Melody

This would be THE MOST IMPORTANT thing to see if the songs are similar. But they AREN’T.

In Flame’s case, majority of the verses are being RAPPED, without any melodic content to the voice.

Katy Perry actually sings a real melody.

Verdict: Not EVEN CLOSE! Katy Perry is in the SAFE ZONE on this one.

Lyrics

Tightly connected to the voice are the lyrics. Are they the same? Thematic content? DO they line up EXACTLY THE SAME?

In Flame’s song, the lyrics is about Religion.

In Katy Perry’s song it’s about Friendship, wins and gains, not making enemies, of course looking at the video it kinda contradicts the message in a fun way, but that’s what video-producers do.

Remember the fight scene in The Punisher (2004) between The Punisher and the tall Russian? The music behind it is a classic Italian opera, which really turns the gruesome battle into a dark comedy.

Verdict: Katy Perry is SAFE on this one as well.

SAMPLES

On this note, it gets a little bit hairy. The biggest question is, did they use the same phrase, the same wording from FLAME’s recording?

Is it a common phrase used in that genre of music? If so, Michael Jackson would sue everyone for using his classic -”c’mon!” from millions of other artists.

Where the phrase lies in the song is about the same, it’s like the introduction before the artists start singing in both songs.

Biggest question of them all, DID TEAM PERRY STEAL a sample, from a song they claim they haven’t heard? The voice who introduces the song also include Katy Perry and the Rapper Juicy J in his voice. Another voice-actor and not the singer from FLAME’s recording? This is a tough one to break. But it’s only 4 words we are talking about. And it happens in the same area of the song.

It just happens that sometimes, songs overlap each other like stars in the sky, making a perfect line. I know a lot of songs that sounds alike, but nowhere close to be copyrighted because of LYRICAL and MELODIC content.

VERDICT: This is the only point that’s of interest of the discussion. Would love to hear the process of how they both ended up with the same wording and a similar voice on both of the recordings. The voices sounds really close to each other, but the other voice still extends the recording, making me believe it is NOT a SAMPLE but an ORIGINAL RECORDING specially made for KATY PERRY’s SONG. 50/50. But I’m pretty sure it’s an ORIGINAL RECORDING. And copyrighting a COMMON PHRASE would be LUDICROUS. Then Shakespear would OWN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!

These were my thoughts.

#KatyPerry #Flame #Controversy

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davybe777 · 6 years ago

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Here is something new and different. A Rogue Sitar Guitar, which is a direct copy of the Danelectro original Sitar Guitar. Still getting a feel for it but I thought it sounded cool enough to do a quick post. . . This is my Rogue Sitar Guitar, tuned to Drop D, going through the Marshall DSL40C and Marshall 2 12 cabinet. . Pedals in order: Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner, Boss CS-3 Compressor Sustainer, MXR Micro Amp, Boss LS-2 Line Selector; in the effects loop: MXR EVH Flanger,, MXR KFK Ten Band EQ, Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man, Boss RV-6 Reverb. I also have two TC Electronics Bona Fide Buffers, one on each board. This is all into the clean channel on the amp, gain on 4, volume at 4, running at half power. Drum machine is a Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-660 going into my old Acoustic 320 bass head from the 70s, into a 4 10 cab with the unblown speakers left from my old SVT cab. . 🎶🎵🤘 . #rogueguitars #roguesitarguitar #marshallamps #marshalldsl40c #ibanez #mxr #ehx #tcelectronics #bosspedals #guitarist #bassist #musician #originalmusic #metal #rock #goth #doom #popmetal #sludge #prog #shoegaze #blackmetal #stoner #ambient #lookingforaband @marshallamps_uk (at Ocean County, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqLtGoGnNSR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=187ba2gtp0v6r

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montrealfox426 · 3 years ago

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beautyinthemundane-byernfairy · 4 years ago

Text

BEAUTY IN THE MUNDANE REMEDIATION.

I started to manipulate my image digitally using Procreate.

Image 1 - I copied the image, flipped it and blended it using Multiply. I then distorted the image using the Liquify effect.

Image 2 - I copied the image twice, scaled them down and rotated them to fit on top of the original layer. I then blended them using Subtract.

Image 3 - I copied the image twice, scaled them down and rotated them to fit on top of the original layer. I then blended them using Exclusion.

Image 4 - I edited my original image, increasing the saturation to bring out the colour and also show more of the grain from the scanned image. I then copied and pasted different sections of the image and blended them together using Multiply.

Image 5 - I created this image using two different effects, Halftone to make it look closer to a screen print and Chromatic Aberration. I played around with the scale of the Chromatic Aberration until I got it to a result I was happy with.

My favourites out of these are 2 and 3. I love the dark colours and contrast, it's pretty different to the other work I've done for this brief but I do think it works well.

#glasgow college #hnd year 2 #online sketchbook #digital media #development drawing #zoom class #beauty in the mundane #printmaking #bm_hndcpm2

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mtgaddicted · 7 years ago

Text

Budget Mana Base for Commanders: 5 colors decks.

How many times have you heard that a good deck needs to have all original dual lands and fetchlands so its mana base is fine? As long as you are a millionaire or you're playing on Cockatrice that is really easy and possible to do, but, for the rest of us whose budget is limited we have to come up with something else.

In this article I will show you how you can get an effective mana base for a 5 colors commander without having to sell a kidney to do so. It can be used for any kind of deck (2 colors, 3 colors, and 4 colors) but i’m focusing more on 5 colors. A brief disclaimer: This is only my opinion on what works best, so don't take it as a final word, and you can make any changes you like, fitting your needs.

First, we have to cover the basics of every commander deck: Land-No land ratio. I like to run my decks with approximately 34 lands. Recommended are around 36/38, but with mana accelerators i find 34/32 lands fine, 32 the lowest. It really depends on how many accelerators you have and your average CMC for the deck.

The second important point to consider are mana accelerators, which are divided into three: Ramp spells, mana creatures (which I wont cover, as it depends totally on your deck), and mana stones. Some colors have a better chance to ramp than others, being green the master of ramping, so you have to take that into account.

Third are mana fixers, because running 5 colors can get you one color screwed.

And finally, before actually starting, you have to check your commander's color ratio, and see which colors predominate.

Now, the mana base. We're going to start from the most expensive to the cheaper.

First: The lands.

Yeah, believe it or not, the lands end up being the most expensive cards in a deck (well, there re some ridiculous expensive cards that do not count.) Lands can be divided into:

Multicolor lands: Lands that produce multiple color.

Fetch Lands: Lands that search for other lands.

Utility lands: Lands that can be used for other things beside generating mana.

Basic lands.

For multicolored lands we have 2 color lands, 3 color lands, and all color lands. I find the all color lands the most important for 5 color commanders, as they can generate any color for anything in your hand or your commander. Depending on your deck, you could have better chances of getting this lands than other decks. Allies decks have Ally Encampment, Dragons have Haven of the Spirit Dragon, Elementals have Primal Beyond , and so on. Among all colors lands we have some really REALLY expensive (Cavern of Souls, and Glimmervoid) that if you have them you can include them, but those are 0 budget friendly.

Lands that are a total must:

City of Brass

Command Tower

Mana Confluence

Exotic Orchard = Unless playing against a monocolor deck, this usually generates from 3 to all colors.

Forbidden Orchard = If you don’t mind giving a token to an opponent.

Grand Coliseum = Enters tapped, but still really helpful.

These generate any color mana with no restrictions, which is great.

Conditioned Lands:

Ally Encampment = For allies tribal.

Ancient Ziggurat = Only for creatures.

Haven of the Spirit Dragon = Only for Dragons

Pillar of the Paruns = Only for Multicolored

Primal Beyond = Only for Elementals

Sliver Hive = Only for Slivers

Spire of Industry = Only if you have artifacts, which you will probably have.

Thran Quarry = It must be sacrificed if you have no creatures.

Helpful Lands:

Aether Hub = If you use energy counters.

Crucible of the Spirit Dragon = For dragons.

Gemstone Caverns = To head start.

Lotus Vale = It's not too cheap, but if you can untap target land…

Mirrodin's Core = Putting a counter on it can be really useful.

Opal Palace = Your commander enters with +1/+1 counters.

Tarnished Citadel = If you don't mind the 3 damage.

Undiscovered Paradise = For landfall or if you can play more than one land each turn.

Depending on the ammount of lands and the speed of your deck, you can add the Vivid cycle (Vivid Crag, Vivid Creek, Vivid Grove, Vivid Marsh, and Vivid Meadow) if you think you will need them.

To avoid:

Transguild Promenade, Rupture Spire = Enters tapped and cost 1 mana. If your opponent blinks them…

Henge of Ramos, Holdout Settlement, School of the Unseen, Shimmering Grotto, Unknown Shores = Those are just filters, don’t fill your mana base witht that.

Tendo Ice Bridge = A single counter isn't worth it, unless you proliferate a lot.

Multicolored lands are nice, they can generate 2 or 3 colors, which is very versatile. 3 colors are the the most versatile, but they are not fetchable. I would include 2 or 3, with the most predominant colors in my deck.

3 color lands:

Arcane Sanctum

Crumbling Necropolis

Frontier Bivouac

Jungle Shrine

Mystic Monastery

Nomad Outpost

Opulent Palace

Sandsteppe Citadel

Savage Lands

Seaside Citadel

The exception for this is Murmuring Bosk, which can be fetched.

The Lair lands can be used, but they slow a little bit the game.

The 2 colors lands are a LOT, but useful budget lands are not that much. Shocklands are very useful, but the price of them is not budget friendly, so, if you have some add them to your deck, otherwise you should include these:

Canopy Vista

Cinder Glade

Prairie Stream

Smoldering Marsh

Sunken Hollow

Then, some other useful 2 colors lands:

Choked Estuary

Foreboding Ruins

Fortified Village

Game Trail

Port Town

Adarkar Wastes

Battlefield Forge

Brushland

Caves of Koilos

Karplusan Forest

Llanowar Wastes

Shivan Reef

Sulfurous Springs

Underground River

Yavimaya Coast

Tainted Field

Tainted Isle

Tainted Peak

Tainted Wood

Temples are really good if you want to scry, even if the slow the game a little bit.

To avoid:

Lands that enter the battlefield tapped with no other effect and add 2 colors. Also Gates, unless you're playing them all and Maze's End. Bouncelands can be fine, for fewer color decks, but 5 colors are not worth it.

Fetch Lands are really important lands, and something I didn’t really understand when I started Magic. It not only helps you fixing your mana, but also reduce the number of lands in your deck so later on in the game you wont be drawing lands. There are some really good fetchlands that are overlooked and budget friendly:

Ash Barrens = Not really a fetchland, but its cycling is really helpful.

Bad River

Bant Panorama

Blighted Woodland

Esper Panorama

Evolving Wilds

Flood Plain

Grasslands

Grixis Panorama

Jund Panorama

Krosan Verge

Mountain Valley

Myriad Landscape

Naya Panorama

Rocky Tar Pit

Terramorphic Expanse

Terrain Generator = Not fetching, but helps ramping.

Utility Lands really depend on your deck. So you have to search them depending on your needs. However, there are some basic utility lands you have to consider:

Arcane Lighthouse = No hexproof or shroud for your opponents.

Bojuka Bog = I always add this. Because you don’t know when are you facing a reanimate deck.

Cathedral of War = Exalted.

Crystal Quarry = A 5 colors filter is not that bad.

Cascading Cataracts = A 5 mana filter and indestructible.

Darksteel Citadel = Indestructible.

Ghost Quarter = Because we are mean and your Cabal Coffers is not fair.

Llanowar Reborn = Graft.

Mage-Ring Network = Mana storage.

Mirrorpool = Copy things.

Nephalia Academy = Discarding to Top.

Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx = Devotion.

Reliquary Tower = No maximum hand size.

Riftstone Portal = Put it in the Graveyard.

Scorched Ruins = Untap it somehow.

Shrine of the Forsaken Gods = Extra mana with 7 lands.

Temple of the False God = Extra mana with 5 lands.

Thespian's Stage = Copy land.

Unstable Frontier = Turns any of your lands into any basic land.

Untaidake, the Cloud Keeper = 2 colorless only for legendary creatures.

Wirewood Lodge = Untap target elf.

Not super Budget but if you can have them…

Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Vesuva

Hideaway lands are excelent depending on the deck you're running.

Manlands are cool too.

Basic lands should be considered last, but you should keep at least one of each type, specially for ramp spells and fetches.

With a land base done, everything else depends entirely on your deck. Here are some sugestions you can cosider.

5 colors commanders have the benefit of using all mana stones, so it wouldn’t be a problem. The number of mana rocks really depend on you, but here are some that you must include:

Sol Ring

Chromatic Lantern = Not too cheap, but it is a must.

Commander's Sphere

Fellwar Stone

Darksteel Ingot

Gilded Lotus = Went up in price, but it's worth it.

Mind Stone

Star Compass = If playing enough basic lands.

Coalition Relic = Not budget friendly, but it is a good card to consider.

If needed, these are fast accelerators and also generate color if needed:

Talisman of Dominance

Talisman of Impulse

Talisman of Indulgence

Talisman of Progress

Talisman of Unity

Thought Vessel

Ramp Spells are usually green, but there are not only green ones.

The green ones:

Cultivate

Explosive Vegetation

Farseek

Harrow

Journey of Discovery

Kodama's Reach

Mwonvuli Acid-Moss = This one is forest only, but the land destruction is good.

Nature's Lore

Peregrination = Not too recommended for the cost, use only is necessary.

Rampant Growth

Shard Convergence

Spoils of Victory

The non green:

Expedition Map

Gem of Becoming

Gift of Estates

Knight of the White Orchid

Kor Cartographer

Oreskos Explorer

Solemn Simulacrum

Sword of the Animist = An equipment, yes, but very useful.

Tithe

Wayfarer's Bauble

For the mana fixers I only have a couple of suggestion

Prismatic Omen = Not budget friendly, but it is really good.

Celestial Dawn = Beware of Iona.

Pulse of Llanowar

The already mentioned Chromatic Lantern for this.

Again, you don’t have to include everything you see here, but you can get a nice diea on how to fix the mana of your deck :)

So, what do you think? :D

#mtg #macgic the gathering #commander #mana base #edh #mana #article #by chiky

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katieskarlette · 7 years ago

Text

The Bride Wore Red (Scales)

This story fell out of my brain quite suddenly, because my muse is a strange, fickle thing. It’s unapologetically fluffy, sappy, romantic, goofy, and silly. As the founder, namer, and only member of this crack ship, it’s my prerogative to indulge in occasional fluff.

Besides, my other story about them ends on a depressing note and I haven’t had the inspiration to finish the sequel that fixes that. *side eyes her muse for giving her this instead*

Rhea decides that since she and Nefarian have to hide their affair from other dragons, they should pretend to be eloping humans and have a wedding so they finally have the chance to stand up and declare their love. Nefarian thinks it’s the stupidest idea he’s ever heard, until he realizes how much it means to her...

This is a side story that would take place somewhere early in chapter 2.5 of my fanfiction “By Any Other Name.”

If you haven’t read that story, here’s a brief recap: Rheastrasza and Nefarian (a.k.a. Romathion, my headcanon for his pre-corruption name) have been secretly carrying on a love affair since before the Sundering. They have to keep it hidden because mating with a member of a different dragonflight is taboo (according to Night of the Dragon). Such pairings rarely produce offspring, but the inert eggs Rhea lays are the foundation for the chromatic dragonflight, as she and her beloved try to create a perfect dragon without any of the flaws and arbitrary divisions imposed on them by the Titans.

Rhea shapeshifts into either a goblin or a human depending on the situation, and occasionally leaves Blackrock to visit the rest of the red dragonflight in order to keep them from suspecting anything.

[Content warnings: Fluffy romantic schmaltz. Innuendo, sexual themes, pillow talk, and implied hetero sex. Mentions of mental illness, arguments with parents, arson and fires. Mentions of death and the afterlife. My headcanons about the draconic afterlife apply. Oh, and a few bad puns. Don’t take any of this too seriously. It’s just goofy fun.]

Rheastrasza had just returned to Blackrock Mountain from one of her visits to the Vermilion Redoubt the previous evening. She spent the night in Nefarian's bed, and most of the following day had been spent getting her up to date on the latest developments with the chromatic dragonflight. Now they stood together on the balcony overlooking the Burning Steppes, watching the sunset in their human forms. The ashy wastes had turned a mellow pink hue in the fading light. "Maybe that's a good omen," Rhea said with an impish smile. "Pink for the chromatics." Nefarian snorted skeptically. "They could use a good omen, but I'm not holding my breath." She wound her arm around his and leaned against his side. "I know the latest brood was disappointing, without any bronze or green powers, but we can revert the changes for the next generation and try something else." Her optimism--and proximity--brought a reluctant smile onto his face. They watched the sunset in pleasant silence for another few minutes. Then Rhea spoke in a tone that was obviously meant to be casual and spontaneous, but was just as obviously something she'd been waiting for the right moment to bring up. "I was in Lakeshire a few days ago." "Oh? I trust they're all quaking in fear of me." "I did overhear someone saying they didn't want to patch the holes in their roof in case a black dragon happened to fly by and see them as an easy snack." Nefarian chuckled. "Good. I know Darkblaze does a fine job of reminding the mortals of their place, but once in awhile I do enjoy making a pass over Lakeshire just to see them scurry in terror from my shadow." Rhea made gentle scolding noise, but smiled. "Anyway, I happened to be there at the right time to witness a human wedding ceremony. It was fascinating, and so romantic!" "Ah yes, humans, with their grand promises to have only one mate forever. I've heard how often that works out." Rhea frowned. "It works out quite often, actually. They're not dragons. They live such short lives, and I think it's really sweet to pledge devotion to one's mate like that. To be able to stand in front of your community and family and declare for everyone to hear that you love each other so deeply..." She let her voice trail off and tightened her hold on his arm. "Rhea," he said with a disapproving sigh. "I know. We don't have that luxury. I just... I get tired of hiding. I love you so much, and not even our children can know about it." She meant the chromatics, who--except for Nith, the very first of their kind--were kept in the dark about the true origins of their eggs. Nefarian turned to face her and brushed a curl of bright red hair off her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her. "I know, Rhea. I hate it, too. But if my father knew, he would kill you. If the rest of dragonkind knew, we'd be shunned. Disgraced and disowned."

"All I want is you," she whispered. "All I've ever wanted is you." "You say that, but what if you were no longer welcome with your own flight? With any other dragons, anywhere? What if something happens to me and you're left without anyone?" He shook his head slowly, gazing deep into her emerald eyes as he stroked her cheek. "I can't do that to you." She lowered her eyes in defeat and stepped into an embrace. "You're right. I just can't help wishing." He buried his face in her hair and rubbed her back. "I know. I do, too." They stood locked in each other's arms, swaying slowly together, until the sun had disappeared under the western horizon. "Romy?" "Hmm?" She drew back and put her hands on his shoulders, a serious expression on her face. "Let's get married. As humans." He blinked twice, mistrusting his ears. "What?" "We could go to Lakeshire, find a priest, and declare our love for each other openly, without shame." He made a sour face and opened his mouth to reply, but she didn't let him get a word in edgewise. "Just think, Romy! No one would know! No dragons, I mean. But it would give us a chance to be normal, for once!" "Normal?" he scoffed. "Dragons pretending to be humans to participate in some silly mortal custom isn't normal." She let her arms drop to her sides, frowning. "It's not silly! It's romantic!" "Dragons don't follow mortal laws, Rhea."

"I know that!" she snapped. "It wouldn’t change anything as far as the rest of dragonkind is concerned. But to be able to stand in front of witnesses and say how much I love you, promise to stay by your side forever, come what may... Imagine that!" He took a deep breath for patience. "You can say those things to me here, now. You have, in fact. Many times." "It's not the same." "Even if we were from the same dragonflight, we wouldn't have some ridiculous ceremony. We'd just become mates, and that's that. Which we've done." "In secret. If our scales were the same color, I wouldn't have to hide. I could accompany you to gatherings at Wyrmrest. I could meet your siblings." "You don't want to meet my siblings," he muttered. "If they weren't corrupted... But that's not the point! We can't do things normally as dragons, but we could do something normal as humans." "And then go right back to the same life of secrecy we’ve always had. Seems like a waste of time to me."

Rhea made a frustrated noise and put her hands on her hips. "Is this about the whispers? Are the Old Gods making you be so difficult about this?" He immediately bristled in anger, clenching his jaw and taking a step back. "You know nothing about them. Nothing!" With that, he shifted into his true body, spread his wings, and flew off into the night sky. Rhea couldn't risk being seen as a red dragon flying around Blackrock, and they both knew it. "Fine!" she called out in a tone that made it clear the situation was anything but fine.

She shifted down into her goblin form in order to move about the mountain without arousing suspicion, then stalked away with angry tears rolling down her green cheeks.

All was quiet in the main laboratory of Blackwing Lair except for the dripping of liquid through a maze of tubes and containers, and the scratch of a quill on parchment. A red-haired goblin was at the desk in the corner, sitting on a stack of books to reach the ledger. The lantern hanging above was the only light source besides the odd glow from certain jars and beakers. Crumpled tissues were scattered on the desk and overflowing the nearest wastebasket, but her eyes were dry now. Rhea has been painstakingly copying the specifications for the last few generations of chromatic dragons into three columns to better compare them. Something had gone wrong with the latest, and obviously a recent change in the creation process was to blame. If she could just narrow it down... Clanking footsteps approached in the hallway, and she froze in mid-pen stroke. Hopefully it was just a guard. The steps grew closer, however, and soon a familiar figure entered the lab. The fire crown floating above his head cast bizarre, flickering shadows across the lab as Nefarian walked toward her with an unreadable expression. She merely stared at him, waiting for him to make the first overture. Her pen began to leave an ugly blotch of ink on the paper, but she ignored it for now. He moved into the circle of light from her lantern, reducing the effect of his blazing crown. "Found anything significant?" he asked flatly, gesturing at the ledger. "Not yet." "Hmm." He stepped closer, nudging a used tissue with his boot. He didn't comment, but he could hardly miss the evidence of her prior tears. Rhea finally picked up her pen and began blotting the excess ink away with a clean tissue. "My head is clearer now," he said quietly. She raised an eyebrow and looked up at him, but his gaze was on the smeared ledger. "I realize my reaction wasn't the one you were hoping for." She made a short, derisive noise at his understatement. "I've never been particularly interested in the mortal races, except for their inventions," he said, surveying the lab equipment surrounding them. "But... I was thinking about what you said, about this 'marriage' ceremony, and..." He began to rearrange an assortment of test tubes on a nearby rack as he talked. "I understand, now, what you were imagining. It isn't about the humans. It's about us." A smile crept onto her face as she listened. "We wouldn't have to make the same vows or live by the same customs as they do. But the part about declaring our love and promising to stand by each other... I...wouldn't object to that, if it would make you happy." Rhea’s face lit up in a smile. "Oh, Romy, would you really do this for me?" "For you." He turned around and faced her again. "I'm sorry about earlier. I do love you, Rhea. I would like nothing more than to roar it from the highest mountain peak, but since that isn't possible..." He slowly got down on one knee and took her small, green hands in his. "Rheastrasza, will you marry me?" She grinned so hard her face hurt. "Yes, Romathion. I will." She slid out of her chair and threw her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly. "Thank you." "I've caused you enough pain and misery through the years," he murmured. "If this gives you joy, I'll do it gladly." "Gladly, hmm?" She pulled back with an amused smirk. "Well... I still think it's a ridiculous mortal custom and it's silly for us to have anything to do with it, but..." He chuckled and fell backward as she shoved him. Suddenly it was not a goblin smiling at him, but a pale human with rusty red curls cascading down her shoulders. Rhea straddled him with legs clad in shining crimson armor, seizing his wrists with gloved hands to hold him flat on the floor. "I'll show you just how ridiculous and silly this is," she said in a low voice before claiming his mouth in a passionate kiss. "As I said, I want to make you happy," he said with a twisted grin. She released one of his wrists in order to cup her hand over his cheek, brushing back strands of jet-black hair as she kissed him once more. He put his free hand on her back, pressing her closer. "You know..." he said. She could tell he was about to say something obnoxiously amusing, and simply waited for him to finish that thought. "If we're abiding by human customs, we're not supposed to do this until we're married." She exhaled sharply and rolled her eyes. "As you so vehemently reminded me multiple times today, we're not humans." "Thank the Titans," he said huskily before kissing her again.

In the forty-six years he had been serving as the deacon of the Lakeshire church, Father Jonevius had seen everything: babies abandoned on the church steps, affairs between the most unlikely people, starstruck teenagers so certain of their love that they eloped against their parents' wishes, miraculous recoveries from dire illnesses, and even a half-human, half-orc seeking asylum. Nothing surprised him anymore. So when a pair of strangers--minor nobility, by their dress--showed up at the church asking to be married, it was just another day. He nodded patiently through their evasive explanation about the would-be groom's father disapproving of the match, paying more attention to their demeanor.

They weren't terribly young: well into their thirties, if not early forties--old enough to be making such a decision for themselves, certainly. It was obvious that they were deeply in love. One had only to observe the way they looked at each other, the familiar intimacy with which she hung onto his arm, and the way he seemed to sense when she wanted to speak and naturally turned the conversation to her...

That was what mattered, as far as Father Jonevius was concerned. These two loved and respected each other, and knew what they were getting into. The old priest seized a lull in the conversation to speak. "I would be happy to perform your marriage," he said with a half-nod, half-bow. "Do you have any witnesses?" The couple both shook their heads. "My family is far away," said the woman. "And my family would rather see us dead than wed," the man said. The priest honestly couldn't tell if he was exaggerating or not. "Not a problem," he assured them. "There are always townsfolk willing to stand in at times such as this. You aren't the first pair to be in this situation." The couple exchanged an amused look. "Good, good," the man said. "When can we begin?" The priest smiled, well used to young lovers who couldn't bear to wait a moment longer than necessary. "An hour, perhaps. No longer." "Very well.” "Thank you," the bride said earnestly. The couple left the way they had come, through the main door of the church. Father Jonevius set to work gathering the appropriate candles, scrolls and assistants.

"Not getting cold feet, are you?" Rhea teased as they strolled down the boardwalk, arm in arm. "My dear, you should know by now I never have cold anything," he whispered close to her ear. She scoffed but grinned. "This really is a lovely town, nestled between the red hills and the lake like this." "I admit I've never seen it from the ground before," he murmured, casting a critical eye over the storefronts and merchants' wagons. "Or when everyone wasn't running around in a panic because of the dragon overhead." Rhea shook her head but did not stop smiling. "Maybe after this you'll leave them alone." "Don't count on it," he said with a devious smirk. "You're terrible." "That's the general consensus," he said mildly. "Still want to marry me?"

"Yes." "Well, then." They reached the edge of town and lingered for a moment, enjoying the view of the lake. "Has it been an hour yet?" She squinted at the sun. "A half hour, if that." "If we walk really slowly..." "We should read over our vows one more time." She reached into the pocket of her frilly, canary yellow dress and pulled out a folded parchment. He sighed and reluctantly took a similar paper from inside his finely-tailored jacket. "I think I have mine memorized." "Well, double-check to make sure there's nothing too, you know...draconic." "Oh, you mean like this part where I talk about how my love for you burns as hot as my fire breath? Or the line about how beautiful your scales are?" "Romy!" She elbowed him in the side. He laughed, then began skimming over the paper in his hand. Rhea suddenly looked up with a worried frown. "That's right...what name should I use for you? I can't call you Nefarian or Romathion." "I usually go by 'Victor Nefarius' among humans." She lowered an eyebrow. "And I imagine there are rumors aplenty about the sort of business you get involved in." "What? Rare herbs? Dragon eggs?" "Highly suspicious amounts of armaments for the armies of Blackrock." "All procured through multiple layers of anonymity, I assure you." "So the militia isn't going to come running to arrest 'Victor Nefarius' if he shows up in town?" she said skeptically. "No!" He studied the parchment for a moment, then amended, "I mean, probably not. There was that one warlock who died under unusual circumstances shortly after he cheated me on a batch of less-than-pure fjarnskaggl. But you know warlocks, being incinerated by shadowflame is an occupational hazard." Rhea covered her eyes and groaned. "Romy..." "All right, fine, call me something else. Call me Romy, for all it matters. We'll never see these humans again, anyway. At least, not unless they're fleeing in terror as I set their town ablaze." "Don't you dare!" "I wouldn't," he assured her, patting her back. Her smile was quickly snuffed out when he explained, "That kind of overt attack on a human settlement would get Stormwind's attention, and my dear sister would have my head if I made her job that much harder. It's all she can do to keep their attention away from our kind. We want them to be aware of us, and fear us, but not be antagonized to the point where they'll go on the attack." "Right. I should have known." He shrugged. "Just being practical." "Of course." She shook her head in fond exasperation, then checked the sun angle again. "Let's head back to the church and get married before you decide to set something on fire."

The chapel had been hastily decorated in their absence, with ivory banners draped over the altar and a bouquet of fresh wildflowers waiting by the door. To one side of the altar a two-tiered candelabra shone merrily with a dozen white candles. "There's your fire," Rhea whispered in Nefarian's ear, giggling. "It's a start," he muttered with a wink. The priest came down the aisle with shuffling steps, the hem of his white vestments dragging along the dark red carpet. "All is ready for the ceremony." He appeared to be waiting for either of them to tell him that they'd changed their minds. Instead Nefarian reached out to shake his hand with a broad grin. "Then let's begin!" A second priest, this one a younger woman, was now present to assist. She handed the bouquet to Rhea, who thanked her. The elder priest led the groom to the altar. The front pew was filled with five of the townsfolk: three white-haired old ladies, a teenage girl, and a bored-looking man in a blacksmith's apron. Apparently they were the only ones willing to attend the wedding of total strangers. Perhaps they owed the priest a favor. The younger priest went to the tiny piano in the corner and played a lively tune. Rhea wouldn't have known what to do if she hadn't recently seen the ceremony herself, but now she confidently held the bouquet against her stomach and walked down the aisle with slow, graceful strides. Nefarian watched her with a smile that grew wider with each step that brought her closer. When at last she stood beside him, she looped her arm around his and nudged him into facing the priest with her. "Beloved brothers and sisters in the Light," intoned Father Jonevius, "we have gathered here in this holy place to unite two souls in the sacred bonds of matrimony. All goodness in the world flows from the Light, and the love shared by--" He glanced down at the paper Rhea had given him. "By Romatt and Rhea shines as a glorious example of the Light that lives in all our hearts." Nefarian gave Rhea a bemused look. She hadn't told him what name she had decided to use. She smiled slyly and squeezed his arm tighter. The priest continued. "May the souls fused together by the radiance of the Holy Light never waver in their devotion to each other. May they live many prosperous years together, persevering through illness and injury, times of plenty and times of want, through joys and sorrows large and small, until their spirits must leave this world and join forever with the Light." Rhea felt Nefarian tense, and pressed her side against his to reassure him. Mortals had their own ideas about such matters, while the spirits of dragons spent eternity around the Mother Tree Gha'nir. She knew Nefarian had worried in the past that the Old Gods' corruption might make black dragons unwelcome there, however. She caught his eye and silently told him that it was all right. Such details weren't what this ceremony was about. He nodded almost imperceptibly and leaned into her, as well. They were so caught up in the moment of private communication that they jumped slightly when the priest addressed them directly. "Romatt Blackstone, do you promise to love and cherish this woman with all your heart?" After the briefest of moments in which he had to wrap his mind around the pseudonym that Rhea had devised for him, he said, "I do." "And Rhea Chromater, do you promise to love and cherish this man with all your heart?" Upon hearing the name that loosely translated to "Chromatic mother," Nefarian could not suppress a noise of surprised amusement, but he turned it into a cough and regained his composure quickly. Rhea grinned, enjoying his reaction. "I do," she said proudly. Oblivious to their amusement, the priest continued. "Do you promise to protect and defend each other from harm to the best of your abilities?" "I do," they said in unison. "Do you promise to be patient and kind, to treat each other as you would wish to be treated yourself, and to share all that you have with each other?" He looked into her eyes, knowing they were both imagining the diabolical laboratories of Blackrock Mountain which they already shared. "I do," they said. "Do you promise to be partners in all aspects of life from this day until your last?" Hearing the words "aspect" and "life" so close together made them immediately think of Alexstrasza, and they smirked at the private joke. "I do," they both replied. "What token have you brought to signify your bond?" the priest asked. Nefarian reached into his pocket and produced two gold rings, recently plucked from the treasure hoard in his lair. They were identical except one was set with a blood-red ruby, and the other with a dark chunk of obsidian. Father Jonevius held the rings over his head and intoned, "May the Light bless these rings, as well as those who wear them. May they ever serve as a reminder of the vows you have spoken today, and of the love that brought you here." He held out the rings in the palms of his hands, the ruby to Rhea and the obsidian to Nefarian. She went first, taking the ring from him, then turning to her groom. She grasped his hands in hers and looked deep into his eyes. "Romy, I love you with every spark of my soul. I always have, and I always will. No matter what it takes, no matter what anyone says, no matter what obstacles lie in our path, I swear I will be by your side. I will do everything I can to ease your burdens and make all your dreams come true. I know it's hard sometimes, but we will find the answers, somehow. Together. For every voice that pulls you toward doubt and despair, let my voice be twice as strong to keep you grounded in the light." His eyes widened and his grip on her hands tightened. He knew what voices she was referring to, of course, even if no one else did. "You are the bravest, smartest, most passionate dr--" She swallowed. "Man I have ever known. I will never give up on you, come what may. So much has changed since we first met, but this much remains certain: I love you, Romy. And I am yours forever." With that, she carefully slipped the gold-and-ruby ring onto his finger. He stood for a moment, stunned by the depth of her words. The priest held out the other ring as a hint for him to continue, and after a moment he composed himself enough to take it. "Rhea, I..." He looked down at her hands clasped with his, running a finger across her wrist. "I don't know what I did to deserve you. After everything that happened, I never dreamed that you would want anything to do with me again, much less love me. Your heart is so big, and you're so resilient...stubborn..." They both gave a brief laugh. "You are by far the best thing in my life. I worry sometimes about dragging you down with me, but every time the darkness seems too strong, you somehow manage to lift me up again. I don't know how you do it, but I am so, so grateful to have you at my side. You talk about keeping me grounded in the light. You are my light, Rhea." He paused as he felt his voice about to waver, then went on. "You deserve every kind of happiness in the world, and I'm sorry I can't do more to provide it--" "Romy," she chided under her breath, shaking her head at his self-deprecation. "--but I swear I will spend every day I have on this broken, infested planet trying to bring you joy." She blinked back happy tears and stifled a laugh at his wording. Spoken like a true, disgruntled black dragon. "I love you, Rhea. I wish I could tell everyone in the entire world how amazing you are, and how lucky I am to have you. I may not say it out loud often, with things being what they are, but never doubt it for an instant. You are my soul mate, and I love you with..." He hesitated, then decided to go for it. "With the force of an exploding volcano." He gave a cheeky grin and slid the gold-and-black ring onto her shaking finger. Father Jonevius lifted his arms and declared, "Through the grace of the Light, these two souls have been joined forever as husband and wife!" "By the Light!" chorused the humans in the pew. Music burst from the piano in the corner. Even if it hadn't been part of the ceremony for the bride and groom to kiss at that moment, they felt an irresistible pull to do so. Rhea threw her arms around his neck, holding the bouquet behind his head, and mashed her lips against his. He locked his arms around her back and returned the kiss with scorching fervor. "You were right," he murmured when they finally broke away. "This was...nice." She grinned. "Yes, it was.”

"You could have warned me about those names, though," he said with a lowered eyebrow. She giggled, raised her bouquet above her head with one hand, and pulled him along with the other as they exited the church. Happy peals came from the bell tower as they descended the stairs, and to their surprise several young women were there to throw flower petals in their path.

"Where are we...?" Nefarian asked as the festivities continued down the boardwalk. "Don't worry," said a matronly woman with her hair up in braids. "In all the excitement, you forgot to reserve a room at the inn, but we've got you covered. Enjoy your honeymoon!" Rhea looked at him, shrugged, and thanked the woman. "I thought we were going back home," he whispered. "We can't very well fly away in the middle of all this," she whispered back with a wink. "Go along with it." Without a better option, he did.

Hot breath on her cheek woke Rhea a few hours after sunrise. "Morning, Mrs. Blackstone," purred a deep voice. She giggled even before opening her eyes. "Hey, you came up with that name," Nefarian reminded her, nuzzling his nose against her neck. "That I did." He took her hand, threading his fingers together with hers so their rings touched. "So, do you feel any different now that you're a married woman?" "Do you?" "What? Feel different now that you're a married woman?" "Romy..." She finally opened her eyes to give him a fond look of exasperation. He chuckled and kissed her despite their lips being slightly tender from how often they had done so the day before. She accepted the gesture for a moment, then gently pushed him away and sat up. She winced and stretched, then leaned back against the headboard. "To answer your question, no, I don't feel any different. Just...happy." He rested his head on his bent arm and gazed up at her with a lovesick smile. "Happy is good." "Yes. Happy is good. Your genius astounds me." "Would you prefer I rattle off the recipe for a complex potion?" "Not particularly." "Well, then." He scooted up to sit beside her and guided her to rest her head on his shoulder. "Are you hungry?" "A little." "I brought enough gold so we could buy horses and ride them north, then eat them and fly home from there." "Sounds good to me. I wouldn't want to spend any more time in the saddle today than absolutely necessary." "Are you implying I was less than gentle with you last night?" he asked, looking affronted. "Maybe," she said playfully. "Might I remind you that you were the one begging me to--" A knock at the door made them both jump. "Room service!" called an unfamiliar voice. Nefarian hurried out of bed and into a bathrobe before answering, while Rhea hid with a blanket up to her nose. He opened the door and found a stooped old woman carrying a tray of breakfast food. "Don't fret, younguns, ol' Emmy can't see two feet in front of her these days. I do remember what a wedding night is like, though, so I figured you needed some sustenance to recharge, so to speak. Enjoy!" "Uh...thanks." Nefarian accepted the tray from her and shut the door. "Congratulations!" she hollered before her halting footsteps receded down the hall. "How kind!" Rhea said, emerging from her blanket shield. "Oh, that smells divine!" He brought the tray over, and soon they were devouring scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and apples. A pitcher of coffee had been included, but Rhea declined in favor of water. "More for me," he said amiably, blowing a puff of flame into the pot to make the liquid inside steaming hot. She watched the process with amusement. "Let me guess...you take your coffee black?" He gave her a look of displeasure. "I want a divorce." She giggled so hard she dropped a forkful of eggs onto the bed. "Don't worry, those eggs aren't of any use for our experiments," he teased. "Are you sure? We've tried just about everything else." "Ah, yes, scrambled eggs would surely hatch into a majestic chromatic dragon," he said, rolling his eyes. "Well, if not, we can get started on the next clutch as soon as we get home." He looked around at the tidy but small room. "Yeah, we wouldn't fit in here in our real bodies." "As I said, your genius is astounding." He flicked a bit of bacon at her. "Didn't you just promise to be kind and patient with me?" "You're the one who insists that we don't have to follow human rules." He pouted. "Some of them weren't such bad ideas." He took a bite of apple and chewed moodily. She smiled and continued to eat. "Your vows were wonderful, by the way," she said after awhile. "Not as good as yours." "I was just going to say, that was the only part I didn't like, how low your opinion of yourself is." He chucked the apple core at the waste basket by the door, but it ricocheted off the wall and missed. "I know what I am," he said gruffly. "No amount of positive thinking is going to change that." She set the tray aside on the table and crawled across the bed to embrace him. "Romy, you are what you are, and I love you regardless." He sighed and bowed his head to rest his chin on her shoulder. "I know you do. I don't always understand how you can, but--" Rhea lightly bonked him on the side of his head. "Oh, hush. We didn't go through all that yesterday for you to doubt today." Nefarian relaxed a little and stroked the back of her head. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just...you're so amazing, Rhea. And I'm an unstable, corrupted mess. Even before the Sundering, I never fit in with my own dragonflight. I could never be the heir my father wanted me to be. And now the Old Gods have been writhing around in my brain for so long I don't even know what ideas are my own anymore." She wanted to pull back to talk more easily, but she knew he found it easier to delve into such personal matters when she couldn't see his face, so she merely leaned her head against his and rubbed his back. "You know one idea that is yours and yours alone, Romy: you love me." "That I do," he breathed, tangling his fingers into her curly hair. "For now, that's enough," she whispered.

(Because that’s when the Blackwing Lair raid came out.) ;)

Remember to like and/or comment if you enjoyed the story! Thanks for reading!

#katieskarlette's fanfics #rheastrasza #nefarian #rheafarian ship

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joannemaly · 7 years ago

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Gallery and impressions: The Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 is light, sharp and stabilized

Shot on the Canon EOS 80D. ISO 800 | 154mm | 1/200 sec | F5.6

The Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD is a well-priced ($800) telephoto lens with a useful zoom range. Available in both Canon EF and Nikon F mount, this lens is useful on both full-frame and crop bodies, offering a 150-600mm equiv. field of view on the latter. We first saw it at PPE 2017 and were impressed by its reasonable size and weight given its reach – at 1.11 kg / 2.45 lb - it is the lightest lens in its class.

See our Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 sample gallery Optically, the 100-400mm is constructed of 17 elements arranged in 11 groups, including low-dispersion elements to correct for aberrations. It also features multiple coatings to reduce ghosting and flare, as well as a protective fluorine coating on the front element. Image stabilization is crucial when it comes to long zoom lenses and Tamron's optical Vibration Correction system offers the equivalent of 4 stops of correction (CIPA rated).

Shown with the optional tripod collar attached, sold separately for $130.

Key Specifications:

100-400mm zoom range

150-600mm equiv. field of view on APS-C

F4.5-6.3 maximum aperture

VC Image stablization

Dust and moisture resistant

Silent AF

Florine coating on front element

Minimum focus distance: 1.5m

Maximum magnification ratio: 1:3.6

Filter thread: 67mm

Available in Canon EF and Nikon F mount

Wildlife and outdoor sports shooters can take solace in the fact that this lens is moisture resistant, with eight rubber gaskets, including one at the base of the lens mount. It's compatible with Tamron's TAP-in Console, allowing users to update firmware and/or fine-tune AF. It can also be used with the company's 1.4X and 2X teleconverters. An A035TM accessory tripod collar is sold separately for $130.

Shot on the Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 200 | 100mm | 1/1600 sec | F4.5

Design and Handling

According to Tamron the lightweight design of this lens is mostly due to its magnesium alloy internal construction, though it is worth noting the outer shell of the lens is plastic (the lens mount is metal). The lens telescopes when zoomed, increasing in length about 50%. At its most compact it is about 20 cm / 7.8 in long.

Well-constructed, solid feeling and well-balanced, nothing rattles around inside the lens when shaken (my favorite test). Zooming from 100mm to 400mm requires a one quarter turn of the large rubberized zoom ring (located at the front of the lens).

Zooming from 100mm to 400mm requires a one quarter turn of the large rubberized zoom ring

'Lens creep' is an annoying fact of life when using telescoping lenses, fortunately it was not an issue during field testing. Just in case, there is a lock on the lens barrel (which can only be used when the zoom is retracted in to 100mm).

Toward the base of the lens barrel you'll find an AF/MF switch as well as as a controller for selecting one's VC (vibration compensation) mode: Mode 1 is for normal stabilization, Mode 2 is for use when panning. Users can also turn off VC completely, which useful if you're on a tripod. Just below the focus ring is the focus distance scale window.

Performance

Hand-held at 400mm, shot using a 1/125 sec shutter because I live in Seattle and it is always dark outside. Shot on the Canon EOS 80D ISO 800 | 400mm | 1/125 sec | F6.3

Tamron is pitching this lens as appropriate for sports and wildlife shooters, two groups that require reliable AF and effective stabilization. Fortunately, our real world usage shows the 100-400mm excelling in both areas.

The image stabilization system proved effective at helping to eliminate camera shake at shutter speeds I'd ordinarily not feel comfortable using, given the focal length used. The moment you engage AF the IS system kicks in – with one's eye to the finder the effectiveness of the compensation is immediately apparent.

Autofocus is both silent (hello ultrasonic drive) and fast (powered by two processors). Acquisition is nearly instant in AF-S and it's equally fast and impressive in AF-C. Users can expect it to maintain focus on the moving subjects they point it at, assuming their camera body is up to the challenge.

Image Quality

The lens is sharp through the zoom range, out of focus areas are also inoffensive. Shot on the Canon EOS 5DS R. ISO 400 | 400mm | 1/500 sec | F6.3

Though this lens has a slow maximum aperture and is best used for daylight shooting, all signs point to it being optically very good. Our copy of the 100-400mm was well-centered and universally sharp across the frame at all focal lengths we shot. Ghosting and flare are rare.

[It is] universally sharp across the frame at all focal lengths we shot

Chromatic aberration is also really well controlled, though it does appears in some images. Lateral CA is easy to correct in Adobe Camera Raw and other Raw processing programs.However axial CA, which you can see in this shot, is much more difficult to correct for. We also noted some vignetting when used on full-frame, but that is also fairly easy to correct in post.

Bokeh is about what we would expect for a complex telephoto lens. It can look nice toward the longer end, when there's good subject separation, but closer to 100mm, it can look a little busy, as is the case in this shot.

Conclusion

For travel photographers looking for a casual, lightweight telephoto lens to explore with, the Tamron 100-400 F4.5-6.3 is a solid choice. Shot on the EOS 5DS R. ISO 400 | 143mm | 1/1250 sec | F5

The Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 is a great telephoto lens for daylight photography, whether your subjects are moving or not. It offers fast, silent autofocus, good stabilization and is optically impressive at all focal lengths. All that comes in a weather-resistant package that also happens to be the lightest in its class.

We feel comfortable giving it our recommendation

Priced the same as the Sigma 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM, the most obvious difference between the two is the Tamron is faster on the wide end, F4.5 vs F5 (and it's also a hair lighter). That aside, the two offer very similar features like image stabilization, multi layer coatings and special elements for dealing with CA. We'll have to revisit the Sigma to see just how well the two compare. But having spent a good amount of time with the Tamron, we feel comfortable giving it our recommendation.

What we like:

Sharp, versatile zoom range on both APS-C and full-frame

Lightest lens in its class

Moisture and dust resistant

Impressive image stablization

Silent AF is fast and accurate

What we don’t:

Slow aperture range

Pricey tripod collar sold separately

Vignettes on full-frame (though easy to correct)

[Read More ...] Gallery and impressions: The Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 is light, sharp and stabilized was originally posted by proton T2a

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