#in any event the mage’s solution is definitely stupid

[blackberrysummerblog]

Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate! After a rotten Friday at the animal shelter where I work, I got a very pleasant surprise yesterday when a pregnant stray who came in gave birth to five live and healthy kittens! I might share some pics later on :) In the meantime, thank you @forabeatofadrum and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe for the tags this morning, as well as everyone else who’s continued to tag me on other days. I’ve been pretty slow writing lately, but I do have some shares this week!

First, a bit of kid!Baz POV from my COBB:

In the afternoons, I do my homework as soon as we get home and sometimes call my father. He never has much to say. I’ll offer to help Dev with his work and then water the herbs in the conservatory, reminding myself of the names and uses of each one. Dogtooth violet to stop gossip, bay leaves for wish making and prophetic dreams. Tarragon for confidence, St. John’s Wort to stave off colds and fevers. Basil can drive off dark spirits. I rub the leaves between my fingers, remembering Ebb’s lessons as the fresh summer scent breaks across my skin. “Basil can dispel confusion, boys. It turns back fear and weakness, and is used in exorcisms. Carry it with you to protect yourselves from danger, or spread it on the ground to keep away evil. It’s also sometimes used to bring lovers together.” Dev had elbowed me and sniggered, because of course we both associate the herb with my name. I don’t see how any of it relates to me, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s just what I’m called.

And the next is from a sequel I suddenly started writing to Field Trip of Dreams (god I still hate that that’s the title I gave it). I wouldn’t say it’s necessary to read the first fic, although it gives context for the fact that Baz and Simon are dating in eighth year, and everyone but the Mage knows it. It’s a longish share, but I’m enjoying writing so have it:

“Isolation Cabin?” Basilton is repeating in disbelief. His eyes narrow. “But Sir, whatever will we do if we get to talking and discover we were separated at birth?”

Simon understandably pales, but Davy merely snorts and waves a dismissive hand. “Unlikely, Mr. Pitch. Now, both of you grab your rucksacks while I conjure a bird to lead you to the cabin. It’s…out of the way.”

The rest of the students are in fits, but of course Davy doesn’t notice. He pays attention to nothing and nobody when he thinks he’s in the right. Simon has shouldered his own pack and is staring into the middle distance, refusing to look at anyone. Of course, Natasha Pitch’s son has to get in one last dig: “What’s next, a get-along shirt?”

Basilton’s unimpressed expression is fooling no one—I know blessed well that he’d only love that. “Davy,” I try one last time. “This weekend is supposed to be providing these students with a chance to learn how to get along as a community of mages. Splitting two of them off will deprive them of the chance—”

“Miss Possibelf.” I suppose it’s amusing that after all these years Davy doesn’t dare use my first name. “I know what I’m doing. Boys this age need a firm hand—” How does he not hear the sniggering going on behind him? “—and I’ve had just about enough.” After seven years. Seven years, and he’s had enough? Davy finally acknowledges me enough to turn and lower his voice. “Quite frankly, one of them has nothing to learn about survival, while the other doesn’t need to.” This last part is said in a hushed whisper, even though from the way Basilton’s eyebrow lifts, I’m certain he heard it.

I share his disdain for the sentiment, however, I’m not particularly concerned about his chances—here, or anywhere else. “Fine,” I snap, throwing my hands up. It’s not as though this trip isn’t always an annual excuse for all kinds of unsanctioned…exploration. Simon and Basilton aren’t likely to get up to anything they haven’t already, and I have bigger fish to fry given the amount of alcohol students traditionally smuggle on this fool’s exercise. David Cadwallader can be as blind as he likes, but some of us are left nursing the hangovers.

No pressure holiday tags: @rimeswithpurple, @artsyunderstudy, @cutestkilla, @c0nsumemy5oul, @tender-ministrations, @nausikaaa, @thewholelemon, @orange-peony, @youarenevertooold, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @letraspal, @bookish-bogwitch, @nightimedreamersghost, @aristocratic-otter, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @hushed-chorus, @prettygoododds, @supercutedinosaurs, @shutup-andletme-go, @aceumbrellaheroes, @asocialpessimist, @wellbelesbian, @ic3-que3n, @raenestee , @larkral, @facewithoutheart, @papierhaikuphoto, @cows4247, @stitchy-queerista, @carry-on-big-bang, @imagineacoolusername, @ileadacharmedlife, @confused-bi-queer, @j-nipper-95, @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists, @iamamythologicalcreature, @bazzybelle, @valeffelees

[beautifulterriblequeen]

B2:S - Chapter 5

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)

Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.

Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.

Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho

So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.

I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.

Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.

Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.

This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.

So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)

Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.

Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.

It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!

We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.

The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-

Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.

No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.

Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!

Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.

Oh, I do hope so.

The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.

This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?

You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?

Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?

Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?

Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.

Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.

it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw

And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.

Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help

I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!

Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.

Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!

Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!

Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.

The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((

Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.

Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!

Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.

Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.

They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!

[shepscapades]

Yogscast Starter Pack/Master Post

Hello!! I’ve had quite a few people express interest in exploring the Yogscast’s content recently! The yogs fandom’s source of content is a little hard to pin down and it’s kind of a lot of information, so I wanted to put together a more thorough compilation of summaries and places to start for anyone who’s not sure or just curious! Below the cut is my Yogscast Start Kit Master PostTM. 

I hope this helps, and don’t hesitate at all if you have any questions :)

Who are the Yogscast?

The Yogscast is a large group of youtubers who have a history of creating largely Minecraft-based content; they create stories, develop characters, and create lore-filled worlds through the many facets of minecraft that’s essentially been modded to hell.

This content isn’t just in one place or with one group of people, but rather a large collection of pairs, individuals, and groups of yogscast (and non-yogscast) members who’ve created a large number of respective series, often featuring a specific modpack, specific characters, a specific storyline, etc.

For example, Simon and Lewis (Honeydew and Xephos are their characters, respectively) are the main two individuals that started the Yogscast youtube channel,  Duncan later joins them, they become the main three yogscast icons, sips and sjin become the secondary two, and it goes on and on as the fanbase and number of creators grew. This means that, collectively, there are a…. STUPID large amount of different minecraft series that can technically be filed under “yogscast minecraft lore/ universe”.

Most of their series are unscripted, but they follow general arcs or set goals (e.g. going to space, building a jaffa cake factory, becoming proficient at a specific mod, etc). This allows hilarity to ensue when everything inevitably doesn’t go anyone’s way lmao

Oh cool, w. where am I supposed to even start, then

Compilations are always a good go-to if you’re interested in getting a feel for personalities, humor, and content style (I recommend looking up Yogscast Ultimate Edition videos!). If you’re just looking for a place to dive in, you’ve got a couple of options! I’ve sorted everything below by creator, as most yogs creators tend to do series within a specific set or group of people.

MAIN CREATORS & THEIR SERIES:

Lewis (Xephos) and Simon (Honeydew): These two are the “main two” figure heads of the yogscast! They started the main Yogscast channel about a decade ago and started their minecraft beginnings with the infamous series “Shadow of Israphel.” Xephos, the Spaceman and the one with the braincell, and Honeydew, the dwarven brawn and charisma of the two, also often team up with Duncan, as the three of them are featured in some of the Yogs’ most well-known minecraft series.

              Shadow of Israphel –  The OG series! Started all the way back when Minecraft was in beta, as soon as multiplayer became available. No mods, eventually scripted when NPCs are introduced. Hilarious interactions between NPCS and our heroes, and the nostalgic series that most every Yogs fan holds close to their heart!

              The Jaffa Factory –  Modpack: “Tekkit.” This was the first big modded minecraft series they did, and the beginning of the trend of hosting huge servers that almost every yog member hosted a different series on. Not scripted. Duncan (Lalna or Lividcoffee) joins them for the first time, and from this point on, they become a trio! unscripted and a mess. Sips and Sjin also eventually join!

              Moonquest –  Modpack: “MoonQuest.” Lewis, Simon, and Duncan attempt reaching the moon! It’s… in more than one way, a tad bit disastrous. This is the era when the Yogs started making songs and animations based off their minecraft series! (Watch this!) unscripted and disastrous.

             Yoglabs – Simon and Lewis. This one was a weekly mod review that developed into some questionable behavior via Lewis (Xephos). Really enjoyable, not chronological (each episode is independent, more or less- you can watch out of order)! It spans most of the entirety of their time on youtube. Various mods, just Simon and Lewis. (Watch this!) Most episodes of this series end up with Simon blowing up Yoglabs tbh

 Duncan (Lividcoffee, or Lalna) and Kim (Nanosounds): Lalna, or lividcoffee, is the well-known mad scientist of the server! His personality tends to change depending on the context and series, but when he’s with kim, he’s a friendly goof! Kim/Nano, his apprentice, starts as a true-to-definition noob at minecraft and eventually becomes a pro with magics and whatever Lalna happens to teach her! These two have their own narrative and call their storyline series “Flux Buddies,” which involves them trying to cure Kim’s infection of a magic substance called “Flux.” Good Duo. Pure. Eventually, drama with clones ensue!

              The Apprentice –  Their first series, in the “Tekkit” Era. It’s worth noting that Duncan has a solo series in the “Tekkit” Era called Duncan’s Laboratory as a precursor to The Apprentice as well. The apprentice is worth checking out just to see what happens to Kim, how she becomes fluxed, and what the aftermath is, but that’s p much it imo. Primarily unscripted, save for when Nano becomes fluxed!

              Flux Buddies –  Flux Buddies is the biggest/longest-running series, with several “seasons”. It begins after the events of The Apprentice, with…

              Flux Buddies –  Panda Labs! Kim explores witchcraft, they explore several different facets of science and magic, and Duncan begins the search on how to unflux kim! It’s kind of his fault, so he feels pretty bad about it,,

              Flux Buddies 2,3, and 4 –  A continuation, with more mods and more hijinks! Becomes more scripted as villain characters Lalnable Hector and Specimen 5 (clones of Lalna and Nano) are introduced!

              Flux Baddies –  A spinoff, featuring Lalnable and Specimen 5 as the main duo! Half scripted; an evil perspective on the Flux Buddies plot! This series is hilarious because half the time Duncan and Kim are trying to get stuff done, and half the time they’re trying (struggling) to stay in character as the mega bad-guys of the series.

Sips and Sjin: Sips and Sjin are the famous, much loved duo of the yogscast! These two are the, er. Magnificent, definitely not gay at all nope,, duo in charge of ‘Sips Co.,’ the Dirt Company! CEO Sips and his lackey Sjin (<also architect and farmer) are an absolute disaster. But like,, in the best way possible. They spend the majority of their time in each series bantering instead of getting anything done, but everyone accepts that its just part of the charm.

              Sipsco. (Sips and Sjin Tekkit) –  Modpack: “Tekkit.” This occurs at the same time as the Jaffa Factory! Sips and Sjin build up their dirt empire whilest also making sure to spy on and keep an eye on those weird Jaffa Factory goons and their girl scout cookies. Unscripted and hilarious! These two eventually go over and join the Jaffa Factory boys (Honeydew, Xeph, and Lalna!)

              (Most of Sips and Sjin’s series follow the same formula: Get started, joke around, never really finish the series. Even still, they’re iconic to watch and enjoyable to listen to C: This goes for):

              Volts –  IMPORTANT NOTE: if you decide not to watch any of sips and sjin, just watch this. somehow this is completely unscripted, but THE BEST

              Sipsco Space Program –  Occurs at the same time as “Moonquest”. These dopes try to get to Mars. Clone hijinks eventually ensue, briefly. Unscripted

              Cheat Police –  A pun on the series “Magic Police” (In which Sjin and Duncan attempt to jail all of the most powerful mages on the server). They try to call out all of the “cheaters” on the server. The dopes fool around in creative mode while trying to call out everyone else who uses creative mode.

 Zoey and Rythian: These two only have one series, but it’s one of the yogscast’s most known! Rythian, the serious, vengeful, loner-type endermage and hater of science, recruits Zoey as his apprentice (goofy, friendly, passive, interested in both science and magic)! These two are complete opposites but a much-loved duo!

              The Blackrock Chronicle –  Three short seasons long, this series follows Rythian as he recruits Zoey (and their sharpshooting, mute dinosaur, Teep,) to get payback and revenge on Sjin and Duncan for nuking and destroying the “old world” (The first tekkit server, unrecorded). He’s also determined to prove to them the superiority of his magic and the flaws of science; conflict arises when Zoey, his mage apprentice, also expresses interest in becoming a scientist. This series’ events are scripted, and includes cameos of many other loveable yogs folks (including Nilesy, Duncan, Ravs, and Zylus n Daltos).

^This one is a must-watch for sure!! A very heart felt and endearing series!

 Strife and Parvis: These two, another well known duo by the fandom, are a fun pair for sure! (They’re my personal favorite, so I’m a tad bit biased,,) William Strife is a no-nonsense, cutthroat business man and CEO of his solutions company, Strife Solutions. Not particularly fond of magic. Alex Parvis, absolutely-all-of-the-nonsense guitarist, chaotic newby who Strife hires? Adopts? Is burdened with? Strife is forced to teach Parv the ways of minecraftia and whatnot, much to Strife’s chagrin. Parv becomes a very chaotic bloodmage.

              Solutions in Chaos –  Their first series, taking place in the Chaosville server. Will, arriving for the first time ever in minecraftia, begins to explore the region before Parvis shows up, exclaiming that lewis sent him to be taught minecraft by strife. Strife now must babysit this child and teach him minecraft. Hilarity and much exasperation ensues.

              Blood and Chaos –  Following Parv’s series with Martyn (Inthelittlewood) ‘Heroes of Mine’ (in which they explore Ars Magica), Parv finds Blood Magic Items and insists that Strife helps him become the most powerful blood mage on the server! Strife does not approve At All n doesn’t really wanna be involved in this whatsoever, but he thinks parv will either destroy himself or destroy the server If someone doesn’t keep an eye on him. So, Mr. Strife must continue to babysit this now dangerous knife-wielding child.

Hat Films: Smith (Alsmiffy), Trott (Trottimus), and Ross (djh3max): These three are a TRIP and have a large fan base of their own. They’re an inseparable gang of swindlers and chaos bringers, and they’re pretty much all sharing the same single braincell. They make everyone else’s business their own business, as their motto is “what’s yours is ours,” and prove themselves to be the havoc-wreaker of whatever server they happen to be on.

              Hat Corp –  This is their first main minecraft series that features them interacting (aka messing) with other people on the server. From “"fairly”” selling land to all of the other groups of people on the server, to starting a dangeorus rivalry with the Flux Buddies, they’re. 100% disaster energy.

Hannah (Lomadia) and Nilesy: Very wholesome good duo! They tend to explore the magic mods, most of the time with Lomadia (powerful witch, owl lady!) teaching Nilesy what’s what. Nilesy is a just a simple cat lad. Likes to sell portable pools, he’s a potion master, he’s a man of the cats.  

              Evicted –  After being evicted from their Tekkit base ‘owl island’ as pirates took over their home, Nilesy and Hannah leave to set up base elsewhere and focus on Witchcraft!

The following series’, Owl Island and Cat Island, are very similar in caliber! Just our wholesome magic animal loving duo doing witch stuff c:

Kirindave, Lyinginbedmon, and Ridgedog: The last extremely notable lore-heavy minecraft characters making appearances on yogscast minecraft servers are regarded as the “demigods” of the yogs minecraft universe. Though they don’t necessarily do a lot of content together, I grouped them together for relevancy sakes. Kirin and Lying, both mod developers and masters at their respective magical crafts, have a bit of a rivalry going on, where as Ridgedog is the kind of “trickster” demigod, doing what he pleases and happily poking fun or messing around with others as he does so. They’re all a lot of fun to listen to and their series are all super interesting, so I’ve listed a few below!

              Ridgedog: Yogscast Complete –  Ridge sets up his base and plays by his own rules to become extremely proficient at a majority of mods in the server. He’s hilarious, plays largely by his own rules, and often does content with BeBopVox, another gaming and songwriting youtuber.

              Kirindave: Chaosville and Minecraft the Hard Way –  Chaosville sees the development of his rivalry with Lying as Kirin masters blood magic and other magics on the server, and Minecraft the Hard Way is the series following that!

              Lyinginbedmon: You can find the opposite perspective of the Chaosville rivalry in Lyings Chaosville S2. As Lying masters witchery, he and Kirin have a dangerous magically fueled ““prank”” war. Lying’s Witch in the Woods follows suit just like Kirin’s Minecraft the Hard Way.

[aquajolt]

Tuning up my EDH decks

Short prologue this time, I woke up early for once for work. After not getting a healthy serving of sleep that night. Worked long, drove far, then napped at a bad time. 

SO I HAD A CHUNK OF TIME TO DO WHATEVER I WANTED! And What I ended up doing was fixing up some of my EDH decks for FNM tonight. 

Really I think I’ve had my fill of Ixalan draft. Gonna look forward to Iconic masters and Unstable when they come out. So for the time being i’ll commander it up and cross my fingers that the games go to at least turn 10 and no one combos out like a douchemuffiin. 

Additionally, I always get to the store and i’ve been playing league and I’ve been wanting to play some casual commander to change things up a bit! And then additionally-additionally, a couple weeks back I talked about how I wanna nuke the board for millions of damage with Coal Hauler Swine and Shivan Meteor (or other red damage effect). And the friend who I spoke with asked if the deck was ready. SO OF COURSE I gotta fix it up and test out the list! 

So EDH/Commander! I ended up swapping into my Braids list the new compass that searches for lands and then turns into a Maze of Ith. When I don’t do big early with Braids, I get straved on lands and I NEED lands. Makes Caged Sun better, allows me to play ANYTHING that costs 6+ on turns 6-8. =p And maze of ith is nothing to sneeze at either. =p 

Main event! Numot with Coal Hauler, Boros Reckoner, Stuffy Doll and Spitemare. Those are the 4 ‘lead singers’. Main goal of the deck is to plop any of them out. And then starstorm for a lot or Blasphemous Act. Got my double damage enablers in there. Got Intervention Pact so when I nuke players I can live/not get destroyed. Got Sunforger because, cmon. I’m playing RW. And because with Stoneforge Mystic, I’m gonna be searching for either Darksteel Plate to keep the Pig alive after the nuke or Pariah’s Shield to equip to Stuffy Doll and friends. Sunforger is a nice backup if I wanna search for something more fun instead of following the game plan for a casual game. Plus I can sunforger out an Insult//Injury, Path, other 7 instants I can’t remember off the top of my head. Obviously I’ll get the list memorized but when you play Braids and you have to remember what your Fabricate/Treasure Mage/Tezzert the Seeker can search for and you only play Commander quarterly, it becomes hard to remember what 99 cards you slapped in the deck. Easy solution! Don’t run tutors! =D

I had selected Numot because I wanted to run Soulfire Grandmaster for that sweet instant/sorcery lifelinking spells shenanigans. 5 other blue cards existed, but it didn’t seem worth it (FoF, Supreme Verdict, Isperia, Dovin Baan, Dack’s Duplicate). PLOT TWIST! I decided to cut the blue and make it straight RW. And swapping into the commander slot from the 99 Gisela! Might turn some heads and bring some aggro my way, but having the 2x / .5 damage effect on her is really the plan. I’ll swap her if things don’t go well. We’ll see. 

I probably won’t play FNM with Gisela though. I’ll definitely play her before the event to see how it performs, draws, and pulls out.

What I plan on piloting is Riku! My Riku list is probably close to other main ones, but i lost the whole deck a while back, so I had to rebuild it from scratch. After going through the cards and categorizing them, it was really awesome to see what I prioritized back then when I built the deck. My Riku list plays more like a control deck in that I have 

Cheap ramp spells to get my to the mid/late game faster

I have a plethora of artifact/enchantment removal. Gonna going down to Mana Reflection today! 

And I have very few top-end creatures. I do mana sinks and things that grow over time. I like Ant Queen, Jade Mage and Dragon Broodmother. I run Avenger+Craterhoof to close things out. 

And I run a few overrun effects when I have a big enough token army. Overwhelming Stampede, Savage Beating, and (recently cut) Biomass Mutation)

So what did I add to the list last night. Well, since I’ll be piloting it in FNM and my opponents could be a tame as precon-from-the-box or Scion of the Ur-Dragon stupid/Kruphix lots o mana/Zur “I swear I’m not gonna be mean this game” the Enchanter, I gotta run some ‘strong’ cards myself. So I’ll be packing Tooth and Nail so I can at least close a game if I have all the mana. Now that I remember I should really playing Urabrask for the haste. X_x “What in Temur gives haste outside of Anger?” Thought eluded me last night. BOO!

Snagged Dack’s Duplicate from once-blue Gisela deck. A great hasty, dethrone clone that Riku can copy. yes please! And because it combos well with Riku, Conjurer’s Closet is back in there (blinking my creatures so I can copy with Riku again. 

Biggest weakness my deck has is dealing with LARGE threats. I run maybe 2 counterspells. Any voltron deck will destroy me. I could chump block for days but can’t be blocked and trample say hi. Getting wrathed if I overextend could cripple me too. Hence why I’m fine sticking 1 Ant Queen on the board and just building from there and then support the queen from backlines. And the solution to Voltron fro the time being is to race! I got ramp. I got naturalizes for their artifacts/auras/enchantments. Gotta build up, deploy my dudes, don’t overextend and draw well (always luck involved! ^_^)

Can’t wait to play some matches tonight! Wish me luck!

[the-foxwolf]

MTG: Time Travel

Sarkhan’s time traveling has been the subject of a great many theories and explanations. True to my nature as Content Creator, I haven’t read any of them except for those published by official sources.

That said, this article has been a long time coming. But I hate time travel almost as much as I hate zombies. So I’ve avoided it like the plague. But many people, to this day, seem to still not understand what happened, so I’ll give it a go and do my best to explain things. Of course, much of this article is speculation. But it’s not wild speculation. It’s carefully thought out and pondered, as with all of my posts.

(Sarkhan Unbroken: Dragons of Tarkir) (Art by Aleksi Bricolt) (Ugin, the Spirit Dragon: Fate Reforged) (Art by Raymond Swanland)

Gather `Round! It’s Story Telling Time!

MTG Fundamentals of Time

Let’s get this clear. I despise the entire concept of time travel. All of it. I can’t comprehend why people believe that any instance of time travel could not possibly end in a paradox. Anyways. That’s not the point. What is the point is that in MTG, planeswalking involves traveling between dimensions and time streams. It’s an established fact that each plane runs along its own time stream. Theros’ time stream is not connected to Dominaria’s time stream, etc. We know this from words of the Wizard’s employees and from accumulation of Magic Stories. If I’m wrong then I’m wrong. But I’m 99% certain I’ve heard them say it multiple times.

For conversation’s sake, let’s go ahead and run the safe assumption that they have in fact established that each plane has a unique time stream.

What does this mean? Our understanding of “The Mending happened 60 years ago” is based off the Dominarian solar cycle. Why? Because Magic followed Urza for so long that it just became the norm. Do modern Planeswalkers have an understanding of time as based off the Dominarian solar cycle? I don’t think so. I do not think I can recall an instance in which anyone in the Gatewatch has ever been specific enough to dictate that they have a way to measure time across planes. And I honestly hope they don’t. Urza was connected to Dominaria on a fundamental level. He could understand and sense time as Dominaria experienced it. But the Gatewatch are from different worlds. Even assuming that time is still sensed by Planeswalkers (which I doubt is the case) according to their home plane, making direct accounting of time across the Gatewatch would be a storytelling pain. It’s simply easier to roll with the punches and either never be specific about time progression or to merely leave time comparisons to a general understanding.

(Liliana, Heretical Healer: Magic Origins) (Art by Karla Ortiz)

Only Liliana’s sense of time is something I can trust. Because most of our perspective, as players and readers, is measured in Dominarian years (a result of our time following Urza), we can be confident that if Liliana gives us a definite time, it is accurate as to us, the readers and players.

Time Magic

Clockworkers, Temporal Mages, whatever you want to call these abhorrent time bending entities people all have the capacity to manipulate time in localized areas and for short distances. For example. Teferi’s most powerful magic is time manipulation. It’s an effort of will and mana. But it’s localized and measured by space. When Jhoria transported her enemy 24 hours back, it was only a limited space and only a limited amount of time away. When Teferi trapped a sea god in a time bubble, it was only for two minutes (granted, it was also an Old Walker). When he trapped Bolas in a time bubble, it wasn’t even for two seconds (cuz Bolas is O.P. af).

(Teferi, Temporal Archmage: Commander 2014) (Art by Tyler Jacobson)

Even for Old Walkers, time magic was tough and tricky. It only takes a few seconds of temporal control to win a battle. But to escape death is something on an entirely different classification. Bolas survived outside of time. But what about Ugin?

How Ugin Survived

Just before the battle between the great Elder Dragons, they gave each other time to prepare and cast failsafes and whatever spells they felt necessary. When Tetsuo Umezawa killed Bolas, he imploded an entire plane on the dragon. Time and Space collapsed and Bolas’ existence retreated into little more than a collection of thoughts outside of time. Yet he endured. It was only through another Planeswalker’s Spark that Bolas was able to retrieve himself from that concept of non-existence. Using Venser and Rhada, Bolas was able to have them will him back into existence.

Where Bolas used Venser to “summon” himself out of non-existence, Ugin used Sarkhan to rescue him from the clutches of death. Both elder dragons used different methods, but the concept is the same.

Question, then: Where did the time-travel vortex come from then?

Theory 1: Time Rift

It was a Rift. Just like the ones found on Dominaria. Much like what happened between Bolas and the demonic leviathan Planeswalker, an Old Walker duel between entities of awesome power caused a rip in reality. Essentially, the battle ended and created a Rift in Ugin’s chest cavity, just like the Rift between the demonic leviathan’s horns.

(Talon Gates: Planechase 2012) (Art by Chippy)

Theory 2: Eldrazi Failsafe

When Sarkhan was explaining to Ugin what his servitude to Bolas was like, he said the following:

“I took the hedron shard back to Bolas, and told him you had spoken to me. He told me he had killed you, said something about a…a failsafe.“

“Unbroken and Unbowed”

Word choice. A failsafe. What does that mean?

Someone set up a solution that would ensure Ugin would be alive to help put the Eldrazi away should Ugin ever die. It could have been Nahiri or Bolas when creating The Eye of Ugin. It could have been Ugin himself in the moments of preparation the elder dragons gave each other before their great battle. It could have been Bolas during that same time.

Bolas is arrogant. He would kill Ugin for a Klondike Bar without hesitation. But he’s not stupid. I suspect he knew that he would not be able to put the Eldrazi away on his own. Bolas knew that Ugin understood the Eldrazi better than anyone. And so, I suspect Bolas set up a time travel vortex to guarantee Ugin could be saved should the Eldrazi ever be released.

But it honestly doesn’t matter who set up the failsafe, be it Nahiri and Ugin at the Eye, Ugin before the battle, or Bolas before the battle. What matters is that someone was setting up insurance that Ugin would be alive to deal with the Eldrazi once again.

(Eye of Ugin: Worldwake) (Art by James Paick)

“But Foxwolf! Didn’t Bolas release the Eldrazi? Didn’t he ensure their release?”

Yes. My response here is one or multiple of the following:

1: Bolas didn’t know about the failsafe Ugin or Nahiri had set up and was surprised when Sarkhan told him of it.

2: Bolas intentionally wanted Ugin back alive. That the Eldrazi were released was a mere inconvenience, a side effect, of Bolas’ desire to resurrect Ugin.

3: Bolas discovered that the absence of the Eldrazi was damaging the long term survival of the Multiverse and needed to release them. Releasing the Eldrazi and creating the failsafe to ensure Ugin would survive would guarantee that Ugin would devote himself to studying them once again, effectively putting Ugin out of Bolas’ way, while simultaneously ensuring the Eldrazi would continue their Stewardship.

However way this happened, it makes sense. Personally, I suspect some iteration of Theory 2. But I’d just as easily believe Theory 1.

How Sarkhan Survived

Why is Sarkhan still alive? Why are we not in a paradox here? If the chain of events leading up to Sarkhan’s original creation never happened, how come we still have a Sarkhan? For that matter, how could he have existed in the first place in order to do all the things it took to send him back in time to erase himself? Allow me to explain.

“If I was never born, then where did I come from? Who went to the Eye? Who saved you?"

"You did," said Ugin. "...You went there, traveled to Tarkir's past, and used the shard to save me. It must have happened, or the change itself would not have been possible. Whatever circumstance arose when I died... only affected Tarkir. Which means that you, Sarkhan Vol, stepped fully formed out of a shadow, a place that never existed.”

“Unbroken and Unbowed”

If Sarkhan had only ever existed in one timeline, erasing that timeline would rewrite everything Sarkhan ever did. But that wasn’t the case. Sarkhan existed on Jund and Zendikar. Remember that time runs independently. Even if Sarkhan no longer existed in Tarkir, he still existed on Jund. The time streams are completely separate.

(Time Stop: Tenth Edition) (Art by Scott M. Fischer)

Sarkhan’s Tarkir’s time stream got erased. But Sarkhan still spent time on other planes, each of which included him in their time stream. All the actions he took are a part of the respective plane’s history. Those worlds would not be the same without his presence and actions. But since time lines don’t intermingle, Sarkhan continued to exist on those planes during the times which he on them.

Sarkhan’s Memories

But why does he have his memories? If he was never born on Tarkir, how can he still have memories of life on the Tarkir where Ugin was killed?

It is because the Sarkhan that existed on Jund and Zendikar both had those memories. Every choice they made was based upon the foundations of that life. He had memories of a world which was no more because he must have those memories. Furthermore, the Sarkhan who entered Jund’s timeline had those memories. Thus, that Sarkhan will always have and have had those memories. Just because the source of the memories never happened, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have those memories.

(Tormenting Voice: Khans of Tarkir) (Art by Volkan Baga)

If you’re confused about how this is possible, let me tell you that, as a psychologist, memories are as malleable as putty. An experienced psychologist who knows what they are doing can easily implant memories. Easy. This experiment has been replicated over and over. Under the appropriate scientific circumstances, people were brought into a lab one by one and shown a photograph of a hot air balloon with some people inside, taken from a distance. The psychologist would then ask the participant if they remembered that hot air balloon ride. At first, most people would deny it. But when the lab invited those same people back 7 days later, the participants would be able to tell you an incredibly vivid, detailed, and emotionally charged story about their adventure on the hot air balloon. They will actually believe that they had the experience. Even if you were to bring in their parents to discredit it, the participant would have trouble believing it didn’t happen. This experiment has been replicated in a variety of ways. Memories are super malleable.

That said, something doesn’t actually have to happen for you to remember it. In this situation, I feel the same is happening.

Still not convinced? Read this:

Sarkhan looked into the great dragon's eyes. He recognized her face, the shape of her snout, the cut of her jaw. It was so familiar. But how could it be? He had never seen this dragon before. He couldn't have. And yet…as he squinted down at her, the clanging of the bell rattled an image out of his mind. It was a memory from the time before. For the space of a heartbeat Sarkhan could see two Tarkirs, one inlaid over the other. Shooting toward him was both the dragon of this now, flesh and blood and scales, and the dragon of the now that had been lost forever, nothing more than an empty, rotting skull, a khan's throne. That is why he knew this dragon.

“A Tarkir of Dragons”

As you can tell, Sarkhan has memories of the old still.

Conclusion

What can we conclude from all of this? Time traveling is a headache and I hate it. So, so, much. however, there can be some logic to it. Though it isn’t easy. Much of this speculation is based upon real world theory that can never be proven and will never be proven. (Glares angrily at you, who have the distant thought that maybe someday in the future someone might be able to figure it out.)

Despite all of this, the best source you can read is “Unbowed and Unbroken”, the original source of this material.

That’s all we’ve got for today. Thanks for reading. If you liked what you read, hit that “Reblog” button. For more articles and short stories from me at Story Telling Time, hit that “Follow” button. See ya next time!