#ladies of ravnica

[flaetsbnortoriginals]

I've just had a dream that was so steeped in Magic: The Gathering lore that I need to post it to tumblr on the off-chance that people who know enough to understand it will be able to read it, because if I tell it to the people I usually tell my dreams to they won't understand a dang thing. Sorry @one-time-i-dreamt

So. The dream was in Ravnica, and was about this planeswalker lady. She was white, with long straight blonde hair, and a fancy blue dress. I have the feeling that I was dreaming I was her before my dream remembered I'm a boring cis man without any amazing powers so as far as I can recall I'm just following her, like the main character of a story. I'm not sure I should call her my OC since she was created without any prompting of my conscious mind but none of the characters in the dream have names so I'll call her that.

OC was walking down a boulevard in Ravnica with this dude. They were pretending to be a couple, but the dude was actually a Dimir spy she had bested and was kind of her prisoner. Dimir guy wasn't very happy about it but wasn't too angry either, he saw his "custodianship" as a work thing and kind of respected OC, so they were chill.

OC saw a woman who she realized wasn't from this plane, although she was pretending to be a local. She challenged Dimir guy to point out what made them realize this. Now I expected this to go like a Sherlock sequence, with each one pointing out a detail in the woman's outfit or some very precise behaviour. Instead, OC starts by pointing out that this woman is wearing

A FRIGGING BRIGHT BLUE SOCCER JERSEY

and not only are soccer jerseys not usual clothes in Ravnica, (at least not until Hooligans at Rakdos Stadium is released), but it also has a giant number on it (77 if you're curious), except that Ravnica uses a different writing system, so any planeswalker would immediately clock her as an outsider. (I think that it's only sort of implied that each plane uses a different writing system, but in the dream that was settled truth.)

OC is so apalled at how poorly this woman - who needs a name, so I'll call her BadKellan for reasons that will soon become apparent - is at hiding herself, she decides to have a word with her. BadKellan realizes she's being followed and hoofs it - but OC and Dimir guy immediately use their Dimir crap to become invisible. BadKellan thinks he's shaken them off, but she's quite rattled, so she goes to her safehouse, which happens to be just around the corner. OC and Dimir sneak in behind her, then make themselves visible.

Now I should tell you that Dimir Guy does nothing else in this story. I was going to say that he's just Ken, he's just there, but it's actually worse - his presence makes the story make no sense, since OC is about to reveal some secrets to some random lady. But the dream didn't forget him: I vividly recall that he was still around all throughout this part of the dream, even though he does nothing else.

So. OC reveals herself and tells BadKellan that what she's doing is very dangerous. She tells her about the Dimir (the guild, not the random guy) and says that if they see her poorly sneaking around and think she's going to be trouble, or even can't figure out what her deal is, they're just going to kill her. Which means it's incredibly dangerous for her to go around like that.

BadKellan reveals a few things about herself. She's from Earth - yes, our real world. She's not a planeswalker. She was brought to Ravnica against her will and told to blend in and pretend to be a local. She doesn't feel comfortable revealing who told her to do that.

OC decides to give BadKellan a few pointers on how to lay low on Ravnica. She explains that she would dress mostly in gray, since colours are strongly associated with the guilds and she should stay away from them to stop making waves. She asks her to change her outift and she'll say if it draws attention.

BadKellan changes clothes. She's now dressed entirely in gray, which is good, except that her shirt

HAS A LARGE, GLITTERING PRINT ACROSS THE FRONT READING

girl

IT'S THE EXACT SAME THING AS BEFORE. IT'S A LARGE PRINT USING OFF-PLANE SCRIPT. It's not as large as the jersey number, sure, but I'd like to remind you that it's glittering!

OC is apparently as taken aback by this as I am, because she turns her into a squirrel.

In fact, she specifically turns her into the squirrel from Bloomburrow key art.

OC's logic is that BadKellan is so bad at blending in that this is the only way she can be safe. OC intends to release "squirrel girl" in a park while she tries to look into exactly whose plans she just ruined and how bad of an idea it was.

There was more to this dream, but my memories are fuzzy and it's (even more) uninteresting. I think it involves the Boros having a special currency that they gain when they help people but the Dimir also use it in a kind of ironic way? I don't remember.

[lazodiac]

Once more we return to Outlaws of Thunder Junction. We've got some more critters to identify so lets get to doin' that! Last time we dealt with Black, with the other parts being here and here. For now though, it is time to tackle...

RED

As with the Black cards, Hellspurs like this have mutated themselves beyond all belief so they're now functionally native to Thunder Junction. Love those magmatic skeleton horses though.

Speaking of magmatic skeleton horses; look at this baby! Calamity is an incredible creature and is a (supremely fucked up) legendary of the plane.

Get caught up in it! This is once more the Hellspurs running rampant with their chaos mutations. Look at'em go!

I saw a weird amount of hate for this card, but I have no understanding as to why. Anyway, this little doggy is endemic to Thunder Junction.

I have no real justification for this but the vibe this lady gives me is Tarkir. Maybe it is the weaving through the lightning bolts?

Rakdos having a hell of a time here on the party plane. This is from Ravnica, and a good reminder of why one of the laws on that plane is "The Rakdos Cult can do what they want to keep their boss from getting uppity".

One of the funnest cards in terms of like, flavorfully showcasing the way Thunder Junction works as a plane. I kinda wish we had more of these to be honest.

I'm marking this one down as Amonkhet because that's the first thing she brought up, and it makes the most sense to me that a native of the plane would be best suited to selling that stuff. I likely shouldn't go shopping in a bazaar.

While this isn't a direct story spotlight (the bomb Breeches made explicitly DID NOT touch the train, as was the intent) I think it is safe to say this is still another one of his more deadly explosive endeavors, so this is from Ixalan.

Who trusts a monkey with explosives anyway?

I forget where I heard this, but this is the thunder of the plane mutating the creatures to become even stronger- this used to be a gopher! Now it's a getter instead. Endemic to Thunder Junction.

A courser is the term used for stronger, swifter horses typically used as war-horses. Sturdy bastards. This is a lizard that is a 4/2 so it really shouldn't be a courser I think? Either way, native to Thunder Junction.

Train heists can happen on like two other planes from Thunder Junction, but this particular style of train heist belongs to it and it alone. Also I love the tomahawk thunder-pistol in this art, that's some good shit right there.

Another Hellspur, another card that sources itself from Thunder Junction itself. I fucking love this art though, look at it!

The greatest tragedy of Thunder Junction being the plane it is is that we didn't get to se Angrath and his daughters. While you could prooobably place this minotaur to Dominaria, it's a Hellspur so it's a Hellspur. You know the drill.

Do you think it hurts replacing your eyes with a heated vent-grill?

I don't think I saw this card in my initial run-through of the set. I love that he has a gold fang tooth replacement, that's fun. One of the least mutated Hellspurs so probably from New Capenna, but my rules are my rules. Thunder Junction!

Technically not highway robbery as there is no highways on this plane. Native to Thunder Junction.

TWAS I WHAT SET THE BLAZE! Endemic life of Thunder Junction, and quite a lovely little critter at that.

This one took a bit of thinkinng, but after looking at the giants of various planes, I think this is from Dominaria. He's just got the vibe.

This his friend above, this minotaur is a trickier one to place... but I think he's from Ravnica. Ex Boros turned gunslinger, you know how it is.

Magda! This lovely lady is from Kaldheim! Ironically her previous card was "Brazen Outlaw" but in neither instance is she ACTUALLY an outlaw mechanically. Her tokens are the non-endemic Scorpion Dragons of Gastal, but I won't be counting tokens till the end so leave me be.

This toasty little critter is endemic to the plane- and probably used to have a diet of thunder before any wizards came about with some much easier prey to snatch up.

I like to believe the little jet of flame is its tongue.

This pair of soon to be very dead friends are Hellspurs- and I just wanna say, they look like they're having the times of their lives. Here for a good one, not a long one and all that.

More Hellspurs doing Hellspur stuff. God these mutations are freaky- I'm shocked none of the people who are horny for being a Phyrexian jumped at these.

Our first actual carded appearance of the Cacti Folk of the plane! A white card had one being picked up by a faerie but this is their first actual like, real card! They're endemic to Thunder Junction, and by rights are the actual honest to god native population of the plane.

The corn-cob guns are an inspired choice, tbh.

I personally call bullshit that the Thunder was created by the Omenpaths. Even if it was, none of the people coming here would fucking know that.

Really love the "animation" in this card. I'm gonna say she's from Innistrad because this weapon looks like it'd fit there.

This massive porcupine is, as you'd expect, native to Thunder Junction. So many of those in Red...

This master of Santoryu is categorically just explicitly a monkey-goblin from Ixalan. What a perfect little creature, look at him go.

The second half of that kaiyote up above. Put'em together and you get a fun little image. This is of course native to Thunder Junction.

Have enough people chased roadrunners for this saying to catch on in the yearish they've had to live here? That's one hell of a meme infection...

This art was a little hard to parse, but it's something huckin' a molten knife through some kind of storm of Thunder. I like it, but it's impossible to tell where it is from.

It's not got as much bondage as you'd expect for them, but I think these two are from the Rakdos Cult and are doing their best to branch out. Ravnica, then!

The dinosaur tokens and the dinosaurs in his art are all Ixalani, so this wonderful old man is from there as well. Like I said we'll counter the tokens later.

And that's it for now, tune in soon for Part 2 of the Red cards of OTJ!

[bace-jeleren]

Romance the Gathering halfway point highlights!

We're about 12 hours into the first round, and it seems that there are already some clear winners- perhaps, this is an oversight on my part, having decided to go full-random instead of picking who specifically to put in what seed. What's done is done, unfortunately, and there's always a chance to run an underdog poll of things pop off enough!

That being said, regardless, it's clear to see that Chandra/Gideon, a ship that used to have a very solid leg to stand on, and that I thought still had a chance, got kneecapped hard by Forsaken, some even voting against them purely in spite of the wretched novel. It's a once popular ship, and it's been very amusing to watch it get ratio'ed straight into hell.

A shocking upset is to see Jace/Liliana, the once great and looming powerhouse among Jace ships, getting left in the dust by Kaya/Teysa, which was popular during the pre-WAR ravnica block but had since fallen into obscurity once the dust had settled. Enough people have commented that they hadn't even considered it a ship, but I guess that's the power of two beautiful BW-aligned ladies for you.

Very strong campaigns for Jace/Garruk and Jace/Kallist being held in the comments, who are up against everyone's feel-good comfy pair, Jace/Gideon, and the furry kings, Ajani and Brimaz respectively. Only time will tell on those, but they are strong enough arguments being made to sway people to vote in their favor, so best of luck to them!

There's still plenty of time to try and turn the tide on a few of these polls, though, folks! Have fun, and a happy, bloody Valentine's Day!

[theworldgate]

Set reveals/details from GenCon Summarised

Warning: this got long. Anyway:

Ravnica Remastered: Dominaria Remastered but make it Ravnica! Includes old border shocks [presumably all of them], as well as old border versions of Krenko, Mob Boss [shown on twitter] and possibly Arclight Phoenix [shown in the YT video, unsure why it was swapped out], presumably amongst others. Murders at Karlov Manor: It's a murder mystery set! On Ravnica! Also part of the Omenpath arc somehow? Presumably someone of note will die and also a lot of other people. Recognisable characters in the key art are Aurelia (Boros), Massacre Girl (Rakdos adjacent but not necessarily in the guild), and Krenko. There's also an Izzet Viashino, a woman who is aesthetically a cross between Rakdos and Orzhov, and a guy with a who I do not recognise but has Main Character Energy. (I'd guess Massacre Girl is playing the role of Genocider Syo in this production of Dangan Ronpa, in that she is very much a serial mass murderer but with a very specific method of mass murdering that rules her out. Heck I think her murder method is also scissors adjacent wtf) Main Character Energy guy also appears in another piece of art, with possibly-Kaya in the background? (The colour scheme fits Orzhov, the purple glow is very Kaya, and the gold headband matches "Kaya, Orzhov Usurper" but the outfit is a bit different to what she's been seen in previously) And also possibly Etrata? The art I'm on about:

Also there's a Cluedo variant. Probably a Cluedo-like version of Explorers of Ixalan, which I own somewhere and sleeved up and never got round to playing. Anyway. Universes Beyond: Fallout: A Commander deck release, so more Doctor Who than Lord of the Wings. Covers four factions. Speculation: Brotherhood of Steel are a dead cert but otherwise... like there has to be Supermutants and other wasteland dangers (Raiders feels like a weak basis for a deck), and I'd guess either the Enclave or the Syndicate. 4th is a toss-up. NCR doesn't quite have the iconic characters, Minutemen are only in one game, Ceasar's Legion is Problematic to say the least... doing the whole Nevada would be cool but unlikely... (The Courier as a WUBRG Legendary Scout?). In any case, it will not be coming to Magic Arena.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction: Wild West set and notionally an interdimensional villain team up. Has a new, Native American-coded, character. Mark invited us to recognise 'villains' in a key art picture but at a guess it's not as cut-and-shut as it was in vision design given that said character has a distinctive spiky weapon that is visible in there.

But anyway, returning characters there are: Vraska, Oko, and Rakdos (maybe he did all those murders at Karlov Manor). There's also a very short character who I can't pinpoint (like not "Nissa" or "me" short, "small child" short and so my default guess would be Animatou but she seems more likely to be wearing a dress), and another humanoid who's around Vraska's height. For that last one, I'd guess (and others have guessed) that they're Jace by process of "they're about Vraska's height and also stood next to Vraska". That figure does have very distinctive shoulder pads, but I can't pinpoint where I've seen them before if ever and the cowboy hat really throws off figuring out other parts of the sillhouette.

From inference, this will also mark the end of the "Omenpath" sub-arc of whatever the next big arc will be. Modern Horizons III: The third Modern Horizons, but this time with Double-faced cards! Mark used the phrase "turns into a Planeswalker" as an example so presumably we've got a card that turns into a Planeswalker in there. It will also be coming to Arena! In addition to the snake lady (as in, lady accompanied by giant snakes), we see art of a demon angel (demons and/or angels presumably being a theme) and the three Eldrazi titans in the sea stirring stuff up (literally).

Assassin's Creed: It will have some new kind of booster and I would put money on it being an Aftermath-style "epilogue booster" but called "beyond boosters" instead because "epilogue booster" would be a weird thing to put on the first boxes of Assassin's Creed Magic cards, yes. Bloomburrow: The little mouse vs giant [actual regular-sized] elemental wolf set! It's a no-humanoids set, though maybe we'll see one very confused humanoid who wandered in on an Omenpath. It's also the start of the "Dragonstorm" arc which is probably why Ultimate is (spoilers!) a return to Tarkir. It's the anthropomporphic small furry animals (actually small!) plane. Naturally, there be squirrels. It's also a weird kind of reverse palette cleanser for... Duskmourn: House of Horror: Really going into the 70s/80s Horror tropes. Think "Betrayal at House on the Hill" the entire plane is somehow a single mansion and presumably it's some Oldwalker's murder plane that got linked into the wider multiverse by omenpaths. [Further speculation: I am going to pre-emptively guess that Nissa and Chandra turn up here, if only because ending up on the H. H. Holmes murder house plane (that also serves both Eldrazi and New Phyrexia in one of the images we see) feels like exactly the sort of thing that would happen to the woman who by sheer luck and possibly also a carefully planned trap on the part of the Phyrexians ended up separated from everyone on the strike team but Lukka.] Innistrad Remastered: Ravnica Remastered, but make it Innistrad! Tennis: Interplanar death race! Takes place across three planes, two of which we've seen as settings for premier [standard-legal] sets but haven't returned to, and one that we've seen on cards but not as a setting for a premier set. Concept art includes a spooky jeep (like... an actual modern car but piloted by a beast-demon-ghost), and a motorbike that looks like a bright red collab between Kaladesh and New Cappena.

Ultimate (Frisbee): Hey, turns out all those very strong hints in Aftermath at a return to Tarkir were hinting at a return to Tarkir! We're also supposedly gonna get the best of both worlds [or, rather, timelines] and I am so sorry that I cannot come up with anything that scans to the Hannah Montana theme song as commentary on that. It's also the end of the Dragonstorm (sub-)arc by inference which... yes if the 'Dragonstorm' arc isn't beginning on the dragon plane I guess it would make sense for it to end there. Final Fantasy: Full on proper set by the look-see of it. It's meant to cover all 16 mainline games, unclear on whether it includes all the supplemental sets. Kind of wild, actually, given that Final Fantasy had a trading card game and also... my god that's a lot of characters though it's not like there's not a bajillion mega crossovers anyway. (like presumably it's the Dissidia card game or something). Also man fitting that to the colour pie will be interesting...

Volleyball: Magic the Gathering IN SPACE. Like. Literally that's the concept (well, top down Space Opera a la Star Wars. Not as far out as it sounds - I feel like it's a common old CRPG trope and so probably already in D&D to begin with. Still very in concepting. Also the beginning of the [CENSORED] arc. The name itself is a spoiler! (presumably for the ending of the dragonstorm arc which, as far as arc names go, does seem like it might be spoilery)

Wrestling: Return to Lorwyn/Shadowmoor! It looks like there will be some radical changes, which will be interesting to square with The Invasion of Lorwyn card but tbh I think feeling free to engage in light retcons to make a better game is fine.

eXtreme Sports: Unlike Elon Musk, WotC does not have an obsession with the letter 'X' and so instead we move swiftly on to...

Yachting: Return to Arcaivos! [Speculation: FOR PLOT REASONS because I don't think Arcaivos was that popular but... uh, Will and Rowan and Quintorius and Liliana and also the biggest library in the multiverse and it can show off Omenpaths so it's kinda weird that oh god it's like two years away anyway]

Ziplining: An capstone event set of some description! Mark was unable to say anything, but he did reveal, probably on accident that there will be a villain! Also it will happen somewhere! It is also the end of the [CENSORED] (sub-)arc and the Codenamed-Metronome 3 year arc.

[fancylances]

OC Kiss Week / Day Four / Charm

pairing: Nikolai Dragos/Yevgeniy “Geno” Kazimir - Ravnica D&D OCs

.

Nikolai, historically, had never been invited to many parties; but the moment he’d become the Arbiter of the Lyev Column—one of the three people on all of Ravnica to have Isperia’s ear, one of the most politically powerful Azorius on the planet—he’s suddenly a hot commodity. Every up-and-comer wants his name on their guest list for bragging rights; to try and bend his ear about proposing a policy to the Guildmaster; to attempt to question him on what the Azorius, or the other members of the Taskforce, are up to; to just say that they know him to someone they’re trying to impress. 

Add to that the fact that he (and the rest of the Taskforce) had literally saved the multiverse, well… he can officially say that he’s never been more popular.

It’s something so completely alien to Nikolai. To be the center of attention, to have everyone in a place know his name. People wanting to shake his hand and have a conversation—with or without ulterior motives, because some of them actually want to meet him, which blows his fucking mind. He’s never fit into places like this (expensive food, drinks in fancy glasses, paid waitstaff; art and conversation pieces strung through room after room; halls so grandiose his footsteps echo), had barely felt at home in the market district that he grew up on—let alone something so ostentatious, so pretentious.

Geno, on the other hand, blends right in. Like he always fucking does.

Since the almost-end-of-the-world, since Nikolai and Geno had quietly been married aboard the Parhelion II when they weren’t sure if the Taskforce would even make it back from their final mission, the Arbiter of the Lyev Column had publicly married Jon Kuczera, unassuming low-level librarian with curly dark hair and mischievous green eyes. Only the Taskforce and a handful of others know the truth, and Geno has lived under so many different names that one more doesn’t bother him in the slightest.

When Nikolai begs him to come along to another function he’s been asked to so he won’t be alone in a crowd, Geno leaps at the opportunity. He hasn’t fully given up the Dimir life, but now he talks about gossip rather than informants, and that’s at least something.

On one hand, Nikolai thinks as one doorman takes their cloaks and another rushes to announce them, he’s glad of the company (commiseration, at least, if he has to be there at all). 

On the other hand, he realizes with a scowl, everyone fucking loves Geno. 

His husband’s time is monopolized at every single one of these miserable events because he’s fucking captivating. A natural speaker, charismatic, gorgeous; whip-smart and can read a room like it’s a cheap novel. More often than not, he’s the most charming man in the building.

Tonight, it seems, is no exception.

The big floor-to-ceiling windows are open on one end of the huge ballroom, gauzy drapes only useful as decoration fluttering in the balmy nighttime breeze of the city. A string quartet plays dully against the opposite wall, and some people spin in practiced circles near them. Throngs of people dot the hall, and Nikolai watches them schmooze and gossip as he stands on the landing above. He’s deep into his third sparkling drink, and he is an apparently notorious lightweight. 

“Nik,” comes Geno’s voice from behind him, and Nikolai straightens and turns—

And finds his husband arm-in-arm with a young woman in Orzhov black-and-whites. The golden crest is blazing on her circlet, and she gazes appraisingly at him with a church-trained cryptic smirk.

“Lady Vantas,” Geno says as way of introduction (just so puffed up and happy to have met someone interesting), “this is my husband, Nikolai—”

“Dragos,” she finishes for him, holding out a delicate hand. “Arbiter of the Lyev Column, yes, I know. It’s so exciting to finally meet you, Tomik has told us all so much.”

Nikolai looks at her hand like it’s going to slap him, but before his lip can curl in disdain, he sees Geno narrowing his eyes at him. Nikolai curtails his beleaguered sigh and takes her hand—shaking instead of genuflecting, something permitted but not expected. Her smile doesn’t twitch.

“You must come meet my friends,” Lady Vantas coos. “They could hardly believe that such a high-ranking Azorius functionary would join us; we've never had an arbiter attend.”

“And the Azorius champion of the Guildpact,” Geno proudly lists more of his husband’s credentials. “Wrote the laws that helped form the eleventh guild, slayer of the Eternal Dragon—”

“Okay, okay,” Nikolai grumbles, trying not to stare daggers at the man he loves. 

They descend the staircase and join the mulling rabble. Lady Vantas’s friends are more shitty bankers, Orzhov regalia gleaming; jewelry strung with more coins than most Precinct Six workers would see in a month just strewn across their bodies. Nikolai’s blood still boils when he sees that insignia, despite all the work he’d put in with Tomik to bridge the gap between their guilds. They all turn and fawn over him when he appears in his full Azorius dress uniform—he’s always a stickler for representing his guild, just as much as they are, he admits—handing him drinks and telling him what a doll his husband is.

And Geno is in his element again. In amongst the crowd of dilettantes, weaving the tale of the journey of the Parhelion II to distant planes in search of the vile Eternal Dragon that threatened to swallow the multiverse. Nikolai’s part in it, his expert weaving of law magic and communing with Azor himself. Nikolai flushes dark red under his freckles, hiding behind yet another drink.

Lady Vantas places a hand on Geno’s arm, his shoulder, sliding it to his back. Another Orzhov asshole smiles like a smitten teenager, listening to Geno talk. Everyone practically drinking in the air his husband is occupying. And Nikolai fumes. Breathes in through his nose and out though his mouth in measured moments, frown biting deep into his mouth. 

“If you don’t mind,” Nikolai says out loud, suddenly, interrupting the flow of conversation. Geno halts mid-sentence, seeing Nikolai’s flushed face for the first time. “I need to speak with my husband privately for a moment.”

“Of course, Arbiter,” Lady Vantas says, and the others make a show of nodding and murmuring their apologies for monopolizing his time.

Nikolai takes Geno’s hand and leads him away from the group. Away from the party. Away from the ballroom, out into one of the many halls. The sound of music and conversation dies behind them, and Geno hasn’t said a word since they left the floor. 

They finally reach a dimly-lit junction, art too large for the walls they’re hung on cluttering the space. The only sound is the far-off, muffled noise of the quartet.

“Nik,” Geno begins once they’ve come to a stop. “Listen, I’m sor—”

Nikolai grabs Geno by the front of his tunic. Shoves him hard up against the closest wall, rattling the frame of the nearest painting. Stronger than he looks, for his height. Brown eyes burning.

“Shut-up,” Nikolai says, and he mashes their faces together hastily. Takes a breath. “Just shut-up for fucking once.”

Geno doesn’t put up much of a fight. Grabs a fistful of Nikolai’s hair and pulls him back in for more. Hard kisses, half-drunken pawing, and the sound of their harsh breath muffled in the art-strewn hall. A vase jostles as Nikolai tugs at Geno’s hips, which the ex-thief dexterously keeps from tumbling while still keeping a firm hold on his husband.

Nikolai pries himself away, holding Geno against the wall now at arm’s length—catching his breath, red from the drink; from the heavy kissing.

“Wh—” Geno barely vocalizes, dazed by the attack; by the affection.

“She was all fucking over you,” Nikolai breathes. “That fucking… Orzhov… snob—”

Geno almost laughs. “Nik, I would never—”

“I know,” Nikolai reassures him. “I know, I know, but…” He can’t vocalize what he means. He’s not a possessive asshole (at least, he thinks he’s not). He knows that Geno knows he loves him. And he knows that Geno knows that. And… But…

“Do you need to be here for work?” Geno asks (tilting Nikolai’s head back up to look at him, firm and knowing).

“No,” Nikolai answers quickly.

“Then let’s get the fuck out of here and go home.”

They lose each other in another long kiss before they get moving. Grab their cloaks from the front doorman, ignoring Lady Vantas as they head out into the warm Ravnican evening.

[necrophcge]

mana me! I humbly request for bernita to be vibe checked too

@yellowfingcr & @voidrevelation // parsing the blind eternities in search of self // accepting.

// for heysel, i've associated her with blue and red mana, which when combined are known as izzet after the guild from the plane of ravnica. blue is the mana most affiliated with the mind, and when combined with red's passion results in the seeking of knowledge not for the desire to merely improve but to satiate curiosity and wonder; yet there are always more curiosities, more wonders, and thus izzet never tires in its desire to constantly discover. however, after seeing elden ring heysel in action more and more, i've reevaluated my understanding of her and added another mana: umbra. umbra's addition changes us from izzet to grixis, with the dominant color of the trio being umbra. with umbra, we redefine that previous endless satiation of curiosity by what umbra wants-- namely, what concerns yourself and what you can get out of your own existence. grixis takes the passion of red, the pursuit for understanding of blue, and the fixation of the self from umbra, and weaves them all into a mana combination that will never be dictated by the so called "natural order"; it will bite above the proverbial food chain, it will consume without consideration for civility or law, and it will corrupt and subvert whatever it feels it needs to... something i've seen many a time with a certain yellow clad lady. in application, grixis can revel in the cruelty that magic can inflict, not necessarily for pain's sake alone but in observing every aspect of humanity and stretching it as far as it can go, and ultimately, grixis represents an ambition that can be controlled but never sated. while often percieved as a darkly destructive combination, grixis is just as capable of creating wonders as any other, even if no one save the one who created them can appreciate them.

for bernita, however... hmm. her association with blue is clear, as the mana encompasses not just the mind but similarly prophecy and visions which due to her status as an oracle for her gods feel quite fitting. however... green. yes, green i believe suits her well in a way i don't necessarily think is apparent at first glance. as the color most resistant to change, green is naturally in opposition to blue which seeks to innovate itself even in small ways-- something that even bernita herself may not recognize, but her gods do in their unknowable ways. there is a natural order to green that is typically at odds with the facilitated change inherent to blue, but when combined into simic the argument of what is natural compared to nurtured becomes irrelevant; the traits you began with and the environment your originated from were simply the first step. bernita may see herself as a static being of inherent flaws, yet she continues to grow with the changes given by her gods (born of a natural order that is ever becoming more natural to her), and so long as she desires to be more then she will continue to become so... even if she does not, can not, recognize it yet.

[pikablob]

Fandom questions: B & P

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

I've seen a lot of good Preston/Nikki art for Camp Camp lately, so that - also Gerda/Johanna happened entirely because of a random comment @discoursed-dracula made to me once XDD

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

I'm currently daydreaming about a rework of Magic the Gathering, of all things, called When The World Went Thin. The basic premise is that, instead of just a small, specific club of people being able to planeswalk, random portals between planes are common, but tend to be unstable and only open for a very short time. The result is planar travel is a bit more common, and the Gatewatch is very different also Ravnica is basically Sigil from Planescape, but better in every way because there's no Lady of Pain or alignment-based stuff to ruin everything

[justmoveyourhand]

Counter theory: maybe they DID die, and their restored selves are just a new form of Sleeper.

I'll be honest I'm kind of desperately hoping that's the case. I can't stand the idea that Phyrexia is just....gone. One of the oldest evils in the multiverse, in their cannon and ours, gone with...what, ONE named death in Jaya? Frankly I think the Pruning should have been literally that. Don't just despark, trim the roster. Let there be consequences, let there be loss. Let. Characters. Die.

WAR had the same problem, but it at least had the virtue of a MAJOR death. Dack was a beloved one-off, but he got a lot of attention leading up to his death in the novel. Enough insight that even if you didn't know who he was, it was sad to see him go. Gideon had been one of the front lines for...what, a decade at that point? He was effectively co-leading the Gatewatch with Jace, and their ham-handed attempts to ship him with Chandra, Magics Leading Lady in modern, throughout the Gatewatch era cements that they knew he was important. They spent time making you understand how he'd changed, he was still growing out of his old self, how important he was...and THEN they took him from you. The beautiful irony of the Indestructible Man being the casualty. The damage it did also became a new character angle for Liliana. She felt like she didn't deserve to live through it, had consciously decided to sacrifice herself to fix the mess shed helped make...and they she had that choice taken awake. Guilt, anger, loss of a friend she'd finally admitted MATTERED to her.

Gideon's death cost us an interesting future, sure. I would have loved to see a storyline where the Blackblade corrupted him, turning him into a self-righteous tyrant who still believes himself a beacon of hope (and bolstering our increasingly shrinking Villians roster), but what we got had consequences. It changed thing.

Now let's look at the Aftermath of Aftermath. Sure, we have a lot fewer Planeswalkwers. That could be interesting. Maybe we won't ever see them except on their homeworlds again...expect they created Omenpaths. So they can still logically get anywhere. So it doesn't matter.

But all the corrupted walker! Surely there a lot there. I mean, Nissa was a torso with snake-spine body. And now she's...back to normal but with a new haircut. Vraska and Jace became a twisted murder couple...and now they're settling down on Ravnica. Nahiri (my beloved) could have become an even fiercer villian (since that's clearly the only direction they're interested in taking her), could have applied her lithomancy to the living metals and ivory grandeur of Elesh Norn's basilica, trying to retake her place when things ended...but instead she's right back where she was during Zendikar Rising.

Just...reset. Nothing mattered. No consequences. Most of the corrupted Walkers are OLD characters, ones who you could easily argue had run the gauntlet, had their arc. Nissa, and Ajani specifically...they were Lorwynn 5. That would have felt impactful, the ending of an era. They could have been let go. We have SO many new faces that could have taken their place. But no. We can't take risks. We can't risk alienating the people who love these characters, right?

It just makes me sad.

Can we talk about this art for a second? Tinfoil hat conspiracy theory time: I think Nissa and Ajani were supposed to die in March of the Machines.

As it stands, the art is “people who are important to Chandra”, but it would make a lot of sense if it was originally supposed to be “people Chandra has lost”.

But that’s just a theory. A GAME theory.

[ravnicaforgoblins]

Ravnica for Goblins

Ladies of Ravnica

Dungeon Masters running a campaign in Ravnica may start to notice a trend with many of the city’s most powerful figures of authority (or notoriety); they are largely women.

Whether this an intentional choice on the part of WOTC for gender equality or purely accidental, most of Ravnica is run by the ladies. Not only do we see equal numbers of each gender represented within each race, each class, and each guild (except the Gruul Clans for some reason), but even a large number of the Guildmasters are/have been female:

Isperia, Sphinx Guildmaster of Azorius Senate

Lavinia, (acting Human Guildmaster of Azorius Senate following Isperia’s death)

Aurelia, Angel Guildmaster of Boros Legion

Feather, (former Angel Guildmaster of Boros Legion)

Razia, (Angel Founder/Parun of Boros Legion)

Vraska, (acting Medusa Guildmaster of Golgari Swarm following Jarad’s death)

Kaya, (official Human Guildmaster of Orzhov Syndicate following death of Obzedat)

Teysa, (unofficial Human Guildmaster of Orzhov Syndicate follow death of Obzedat)

Trostani, Dryad Guildmaster(s) of Selesnya Conclave

Zegana, Merfolk Guildmaster/Prime Speaker of Simic Combine

Vannifar, Hybrid Guildmaster/Prime Speaker of Simic Combine

In addition to this, every Angel and Medusa on the plane is exclusively female, with no exceptions. What does this mean for DMs plotting a Ravnica campaign? It means in all likelihood you’re going to be working on more female voices than male, so get practicing. If you are born a girl, this will be easier for you. If you’re born a guy, you’ve got some work to do. Because if you want to take a hard stance against doing female voices in your campaign, you are likely depriving your players the chance to interact with some of the coolest, most badass NPCs in all of Ravnica.

Lavinia of the Azorius Senate is an icon for the guild’s ideals, a champion for the laws of Ravnica, and steward of Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact. Everything Jace wants to do with his nigh-limitless power as the embodiment of Ravnican Society has to pass through Lavinia first. She dictates his schedules, official commandments, and public appearances. Most importantly, Lavinia ensures that the most is made of the limited time the frequently-absent Guildpact is around. She is harsh but fair. A great choice for when the DM needs to intervene to save the players.

Judith the Scourge Diva is the Grand Dame of the Cult of Rakdos, it’s most in-demand performer, and the last word on anything that goes on backstage. She has more to do with the day-to-day goings-on than Rakdos himself, as the hedonistic demon Guildmaster rarely attends performances and often spends weeks, months, or even years in his lava pit. She does most of the work while Rakdos claims the adoration of the guild’s fanatics, cultists, and performers. Dramatic, demanding, devoted, demented, and she’s got a thing for blades & blood. She is the closest thing to a ranking member of the chaotic guild of stylized hedonism and carnage that is the Cult of Rakdos. She can be reasoned with.

Massacre Girl is currently the Azorius Senate’s number one fugitive.

Real Name: Unknown

Guild: Rakdos

Allegiance: Herself

Motive: Unknown

Crimes: Murders in every guild, including her own

Signature: High body counts, high-ranking figures, excessive violence

Perks for PCs: Instant Citywide Notoriety for taking her in/down

Drawbacks for PCs: Almost Certain Death for failing to take her in/down

Teysa Karlov, former Grand Envoy of Orzhov Syndicate, currently imprisoned for attempting to overthrow Ghost Council. Teysa is one of the few members of the Syndicate who isn’t motivated by greed or self-interest. Make no mistake, Teysa is as ambitious as they come, but her interests actually extend outside of her guild. She is one of the only high-ranking figures within her guild who actually tries to establish relationships with other guilds. It has dawned on her that the day may come when the Orzhov Syndicate might require the assistance of the other guilds, so maybe, just maybe, they should try to not have every other guild actively despise them. A groundbreaking proposal, the first step of which involved the overthrowing of the Greedy Old Men, aka the Obzedat, and establishing her as new guildmaster. Unfortunately, Grandfather Karlov outplayed her, and both Teysa and her ally Tajic of the Boros Legion were thrown in jail. Tajic was bailed out, but Teysa remains imprisoned thanks to bribes made with high-ranking officials to keep her so. In addition, to keep her from dying and achieving freedom as a ghost, she’s been fed food to magically lengthen her life in prison. All that said, Teysa is the best ally available within the Orzhov, one of the few not morally bankrupt, and knows the laws of Ravnica better than even the Azorius. A perfect choice for a prison break quest.

Emmara Tandris is one of the most well-known faces within the endless bounty that is the Selesnya Conclave. She’s a childhood friend of Jace Beleren, the Living Guildpact, and a public figure for inter-guild cooperations. This, plus the fact that she is a kind & caring individual with a special gift with animals, fey, and elementals, and the fact that Selesnya’s dryad trio Guildmaster(s) Trostani are vague at best, completely silent at worst, makes her a perfect choice for distributing missions, quests, and animal companions.

Last NPC I’ll mention is Vraska, of the Golgari Swarm. Vraska is the Planeswalker Medusa Assassin Pirate Queen of the Undercity. Think of something cooler than that, I dare you. It doesn’t exist.

*Edit: More Kickass Female NPCs!

Etrata, the Silencer. That name alone should inspire fear. Not just a vampire, not just an assassin, she’s more of an urban legend Boros soldiers tell each other about when they get stuck on overnight guard duty and want to spook their buddy. Lacking the tedious mind games of most House Dimir operatives, Etrata is an old-school killer for hire. She cares neither for politics, nor influence, nor subtlety. Your name shows up in her book, you’re gonna die tonight. She’s the only Dimir agent capable of actually challenging Lazav for his position of Guildmaster. What it will come down to is this; is he smarter than she is deadly? Etrata is great because her exploits are much easier to track than other Dimir. If someone is dead from a vampire bite in a locked room, they’ve just had a visit from Etrata.

Izoni, Thousand-Eyed should honestly have been the Golgari Guildmaster. Not only is she infinitely more interesting and distinctive than the run-of-the-mill Lich Jarad Vod Savo, but she embodies the Swarm in a way Jarad just doesn’t. Scuttling by your feet, buzzing around the air, lurking wherever death can be found; Izoni and her ever-present insect swarms have presence. Jarad, on the other hand, has a bow, very little personality, and the only real accomplishment he’s had as Guildmaster is surviving assassination attempts. Which, let’s be honest, for the Golgari, is just par for the course. Izoni has room to grow, to expand, and she’s exactly the sort of cackling, nasty, power-hungry dark witch players like to fight. Except she somehow makes being covered in bugs hot.

Pierakor az Vinrenn D’Rav, better known as “Feather”, was the Boros Guildmaster before Aurelia, and a former Wojek Officer. Her wings were bound and she was forced to serve in the Wojek for some reason that hasn’t been explained, then when the original Guildmaster and Parun Razia was slain, Feather stepped up. Her reign was short-lived when Aurelia challenged her as unfit to serve as Guildmaster given her unspoken crime that she was charged for however long ago. Feather gave up the mantle and left Ravnica, going into a self-imposed exile in the lawless Red Wastes beyond the Rubblebelt. Basically, this means that there is a Guildmaster-Level NPC living all alone in the most savage wilds on the entire plane searching for redemption. The story is literally just sitting there, waiting to be written.

[sphinxwalker-when]

It's bigger than mine

[dimestoretajic]

waiting for spoilers when they’re months away

[lesbianralzarek]

broke trope: main characters get married off screen despite having zero romantic chemistry

woke trope: main characters get married off screen and swiftly divorced because damn they really didn't have chemistry, huh?

[danco110]

“Annette! Above you!”

“I see it.”

Swerving midair at the last second, the sphinx narrowly dodged the falling tower. As she descended for an emergency landing on the street, she quickly checked herself and the goblin holding onto her paws for any injuries.

“Grangle, are you hurt?” the sphinx asked her passenger.

“Ugh, yeah, I think so,” groaned the goblin. “My ankle!”

“I will ask Valerie to look at you, along with the other wounded. For now, though…” Annette turned to face the source of the chaos - a roaring fire consuming a large marketplace and the surrounding buildings. The sphinx’s eyes began to glow, and with a wave of her paw, a large rain cloud appeared over the inferno. A short time later, a few smoldering piles of ash were all that remained of the blaze. Annette acted as though nothing had happened, and turned back to face Grangle and the others wounded from the fire.

“Valerie will see you all, now.”

Grangle raised his short arms to his sides and looked all around him. “I don’t see any angels,” he groaned.

Annette rolled her eyes from a short distance away. “Look up.”

Grangle did as he was told, and watched a glowing angel descend upon the crowd. Instantly the goblin leapt to his feet, his injuries magically closing as the light fell on them. The goblin was briefly at a loss for words, but quickly found them again.

“I’m healed! Thank you, Lady Valerie!”

But the angel only had eyes for the aloof sphinx sitting before her.

“Are you in any pain?” asked the angel, in a surprisingly quiet voice. “I saw that brick clip your wing as I flew in.”

“Thank you for your concern,” Annette dismissed, “but I am fine.”

Valerie held out a radiant hand and lay a single finger on Annette’s wing. The whole appendage was enveloped in white light, and the sphinx’s expression noticeably relaxed.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I’m a medic,” Valerie smiled. “It’s my job.”

“…Thank you.”

[Coming soon to the Thespians’ Stage in the Tenth District, a drama centered around a budding romance between two of Ravnica’s first responders: Lifeline.]

[[Come to think of it, how does Ravnica do advertisements? Posters and bulletin boards? Pay an Azorius to feature a message on his skywrit for the day? Blackmail an Orzhov into changing their mint’s coin stamping settings for a few minutes? Ask Vraska to arrange some dead bodies into letters?]]

[lichdolly]

Guilds of Ravnica Coords 2/10 : Simic

I went with a mint theme, because well… Mint is a green-blue color. I don’t have much more to say about this one except that it wasn’t easy, but I think it turned out nicely.

Coord rundown: •JSK = BABY, the Stars Shine Bright Secret Garden ~Rose Has a Secret Scent~ Rosette JSK | •Blouse = Angelic Pretty Rose Tea Garden Blouse | •Shoes = Bodyline Mylene Double Ribbon Cutter Shoes | •Headwear = Long Ears and Sharp Ears The Kingdom of Fairies Butterfly Veil Headdress | •Necklace = Sakura Fairy Wild Strawberry Vine necklace | •Socks - BABY, the Stars Shine Bright Lady Victoria’s Afternoon OTKs

[cupcakecoterie]

@true0neutral - Hazel, half-elf cleric

@fauxfire76 - Darvin, human bard/sorcerer

@hyperewok1 - Remi, human paladin/warlock

@miaaoi - Farideh, dragonborn sorcerer

@lindira - Clarity, tiefling rogue/warlock

Brian - Barnabus, minotaur fighter

@lovefrometernity - Rylan, wood elf sorcerer

Last one to catch up on! We were missing an Ava, but we got through okay.

While Hazel and Darvin were in warped mirror!Goldendale, and Clarity and Hazel were in warped mirror!Vanedar manor, Remi and Barnabus found themselves in warped mirror!Ravnica - specifically, Precinct 5, Tenth District, and Barnabus’ last beat before the accident that landed him in Ellon. As with Hazel before her, Remi found herself with no connection to her god or her patron. (Darvin might have had the same problem, but he didn’t actually try to tap into that, so...) After some figuring out what was going on - namely, that they were being stuffed in pocket dimensions so that whatever thought process behind the local sludge could gain a more detailed view of the world.

Alisaie came back to the town square with Rylan and Farideh, and found nobody there, and no one responding to shouting. This was of concern, so she and Rylan tracked Remi and Barnabus (Barnabus being easy to track because hooves). Alisaie hoped that she’d end up in the same place as Remi. Alisaie should not have thought that, because while the divine spark in Darvin’s soul was fairly tiny, Alisaie’s ... was not. No one’s sure exactly what the long-term consequences of this are, but Alisaie did trip into mirror!Ravnica screaming in agony because of whatever force was keeping the divine or celestial out.

Clarity found Henry - specifically, Henry’s soul, which Clarity took with her (in the lollipop she’d bought for him at the Egref sweet shop) so that Hazel could perform the rites to let his spirit move forward. When she’s grieving a little less, she might note that somehow, even if it obviously did some damage, the Archfey of Mischief and Whimsy either somehow freed Henry’s soul before it could be corrupted beyond repair or somehow cleansed it. Then again, given Clarity’s memory trip and losing Ava midway through her adventure, she wasn’t in the best state to think on it.

Remi, Barnabus, Farideh, and Rylan all ended up in the Ismeri Library with a barely-conscious Alisaie and a very worried winged dire moose ... and found Petunia, whose soul was apparently stuck in-between because of that worthy’s efforts to keep the death fog contained. Petunia recommended that if they wanted to skip the twisted version of memory lane, they could just offer up a memory of a place and hope that the entity was placated. It seemed to work, and as Henry was granted escape via a large lollipop, Petunia was granted escape via Rylan’s scarf.

Hazel and Darvin saw some pretty horrifying sites in that version of Goldendale, but after tripping over the Tailor-Green manor (Darvin’s old home), Hazel started swearing about “It’ll be the knife-eared bitch next!” ... which references her mother. And since hers was the loudest thought-pattern at that point, they went into the Tailor-Green manor ... except they didn’t, because they found themselves in a prison. Not in one of the cells, thankfully. In one of the cells, though, was a woman who looks very much like the Lady Emavaela but had clearly been locked there for close onto two decades. Hazel made a very good insight check and ... yeah, twins exist. That woman had been locked up shortly before Hazel’s birth and usurped. Hazel is ... armageddon-level angry.

When almost all of them were back together,Ava all but fell out of one door, unconscious but seemingly unhurt, and they got out as fast as they could, because Remi seemed to hope that Alisaie would recover better out in the sun, all things considered. Jury’s still out on that one.

Hazel said some prayers to send the departed on, and they ended with pouring a drink and seeing if they can’t rouse Ava, so they can all talk about what happened to them, and how it might be best to proceed from that point.

I make no promises about staying up to date. But at least I am up to date now.

[lazodiac]

Part 2 of all the mono-black cards in OTJ. Lets see what we've got!

BLACK

A max-level Hellspur stabbing a dude in the gut. Aint no way we can tell where this fella is from, but we know they're from Thunder Junction now.

The major players of Oko's gang get cool little enchantments like this. The secondary members deserved these too dangit! The Cecani's Join Up as a blue-black legendary zombie enchantment would kick so much ass you KNOW it.

Anyway, like Tinybones, this is Dominarian.

Look at this friendly little guy! I love him so much! Tinybones is from Dominaria.

I don't really have a reason for it beyond vibes, but this lady feels like she's from Ixalan to me. A former pirate gone bogging.

Not the last of the ol' "tied to a rail road track" references in this set, but certainly the first. This is a Thunder Junction original.

Something about the regality of this guy's shoulder-cape makes me think he's a former Eldraine knight. Times are tough when your queen fucked Urabrask...

Okay I'm gonna pull out a wicked theory with Vadmir over here. He's got a very classic vampire look, which would make one think Innistrad... except, his title is New Blood. Innistradi vampires who are "fresh" are berserker types. This is a refined, elegant man... with razor sharp talons. This motherfucker's a Sengir vampire, and the newness of his blood suggests he's imported straight from Ulgrotha.

I love this lady's look, plus the fact that she just straight up has a Gunblade. She strikes me as a New Capennan girl- probably a former Riveter.

Onto the commander cards, with another bunch of got-damn Hellspurs. I'd tell them to go home but they already are, on account of the mutating themselves with the plane's natural energies.

Another max-level Hellspur with a bone to pick with anyone who dares to be alive and not on fire.

Do you think a gathering of Hellspurs is called a kindling or a starter? Either way, this is camp sight for the fucked up mutant lava freaks.

Holy shit a card that isn't from Thunder Junction. It's good ol' Gonti, establishing some of their empire upon the wild-lands of Thunder Junction. If you don't recall they're an aetherborn, unique to Kaladesh. More on that once we hit the multicolours.

The Orochi are unique to Kamigawa, so this lovely individual is from there.

Varmint's are some kind of natural critter to the plane, a sort of mini-beast where the only thing you can really say about them is that they are vaguely mammalian monsters. The scorpion tails are cute! Given its mechanics and the flavor text I'm thinkinng these are convergent evolution with Kaladesh's gremlins- aether eating pest-creatures. The ones on Thunder Junction are just a bit nastier than those delightful little elephant shrews.

And that's all of the black mana cards! Fascinating set, lets look at the numbers...

BLACK

Azgol 1

Dominaria 3

Eldraine 2

Gastal 2

Innistrad 4

Ixalan 1

Kaladesh 1

Kamigawa 1

New Capenna 4

Ravnica 1

Theros 1

Thunder Junction 20

Ulgrotha 1

Zhalfir 1

... now you could easily argue my decision to lump all the Hellspurs and undead into "native to Thunder Junction due to transitive properties of death-rebirth" as somewhat irresponsible, but I feel like it makes sense.

Thunder Junction is a plane about new beginnings- some of these folk show it, and some don't. Some that don't show it have tells that let you make assumptions, or a specific vibe. And some, like the undead, like the Hellspurs who are so mutated they look like demons from my very own writing, are so changed by their new start on life that this place may as well BE their home.

I think there's something beautiful in that.

It's time once again to ramble incoherently about magic cards. Lets try and divine where each of the cards of Outlaws of Thunder Junction are from, why don't we!

You can find the first two parts here and here! And today we're covering...

BLACK

Starting us off with a native to Thunder Junction. God this critter is spooky looking. Love it though!

Aaah, the Hellspurs. I'll get more into them once we meet our first creature Hellspur, but for now just accept that this magmatic thread of doom is native to Thunder Junction.

Another native creature of Thunder Junction! Vultures are important and regal birds and shouldn't be so villainized, I think... but I can't deny they do sometimes look this nasty.

While we've seen a number of vampires in magic practice ye ol' Sanguimancy, the plane most often shown to do this (and the plane most likely to pop their collars THIS ridiculously) is Innistrad.

As mentioned with ghosts in the Blue cards, dead and revived means you're bound to the plane- zombies are native to Thunder Junction, regardless of where they're from previously.

Sweet lord kill it with fire! This abomination is from Thunder Junction and if it's not I never wanna see where it's from. Snorses are wonderful an idea but god they look comfortable.

Gonna say something controversial about this one- the way the lady is posing, her culty robe, and the predominance of ash in her fire, makes me think this is a deep-cut to Azgol, last seen in MOM. It's got similar vibes to various Hellspur aesthetic stuff, but the woman is clearly just too alive to be one of them- more on that later.

Okay this is probably the best place to bring this up. Hellspurs! One of the criminal factions of Thunder Junction. Lawbreakers, murderers, and thieves to a man. Each follows the brutal scorpion-dragon outlaw Akul, and almost every single one of them is mutated beyond all belief by the Chaotic Thunder of the plane.

As a result, much like with zombies and ghosts, these guys have fully stripped away all of their previous life in exchange for lava hands and shit. So, there's gonna be a lot of folk who are native to Thunder Junction purely by this metric, and it'll skew things a little. This is why I'm counting the numbers by colour, since the Hellspurs are predominantly red and black.

A natural (and very spooky!) magical mirage of death. I love this art.

See? This is what happens when you don't "lower" yourself to feeding on animals. You end up shoving your stupid ass face into a cactus. This is a Ravnican vampire, since we've seen before they're often stupid enough to pull this exact trick.

*Dry bones falling apart noises* Tinybones' funny trick and/or prank! This is from Dominaria since that wonderful friend is from Dominaria too.

Raised on the plane, native to the plane. This skeleton owns by the way, this is a good ass skeleton.

Gisa Cecani is, much like her brother, one of my favorite characters in Magic. She's Innistradi born and raised, and seems to fit in like a glove on this plane.

Really unsettling art on this one! Ghost, so native to Thunder Junction... though we can actually, likely, identify the body here; four arms suggests a Mirran Vedalkan. Neat!

Our first actual look at the main antagonist of the set (for as much as that means in a villain focused set). Akul, the Scorpion Dragon of Gastal- a fact revealed right before I started doing this!

Kaervek! The Merciless! The Conqueror! The "too big a deal to be dealing with this shit", imo. Everyone's upset at Marchesa being here but Kaervek is the one that bugs me the most- this man is a country-conqueror, not a petty crook!... but, it's fine, because it's clear in the story Kaervek is insulted Oko's recruited him for such trivialities.

Anyway, he's from Zhalfir. I hope he gets to kill Oko.

Swing your partner round and round, rip their corpus from the ground! Gisa doing a barn-raising in the most literal sense, a uniquely Innistradi way of waking up the dead, with a Thunder Junction flavor.

A hellspur bursting his way out of a shallow grave- oak box included. Funny, and native to the plane.

No real way of figuring out where this guy is from or his gaseous death-cloud... so I'll say Eldraine, based purely on the fact that it's the plane most likely to have such a simple burst of "sleeping" poison.

An easy one! He may be a rat man but he's called out as a Nezumi and that's a Kamigawan thing.

There are a couple places this delightful fellow could be from... but given the pickpocketting and the general demeanor, he's from New Capenna.

Azul, laying a horrific waste to his "friends" to benefit. The scorpion claws being a vent for his breath weapon is exceptional a design, incidentally.

A ridiculous piece of art for many reasons, this one is native to Thunder Junction purely by the fact that this is where the gang was born.

The reason why this is ridiculous is because every single height here is wrong. Vraska is taller than basically everyone to the left of her. Oko is using magic to make himself look taller that's literally canon so that's fine, but Kellan? Annie? One's a baby (described as small for his age) and one's a grandma. Tinybones is also probably far too big. The only person here who is the right height is Rakdos, whose height is "whatever height he wishes to be he can change shape depending on how excited he is". Wild shit.

The only plane with actual snakes-for-hair gorgons is Theros, and even then only half of the time. So this lady is from there. Fitting too, apothecaries making booze and poison is within Pharika's perview absolutely.

As fun as it would be to say this is a raven from Dominaria, implying the presence of Omenpaths are allowing the (currently suppressed and trying to fight his way out of Lili) Raven Man is doing some work, naw. This is just a normal raven.

An all-natural undead member of the Hellspurs, double erasing his identity. God dangit.

This being an ASSASSIN vampire suggests New Capenna. It's kind of their jam, you know?

Gisa showing she is more impulsive than a monkey-goblin obsessed with explosives is why this story spotlight (that isn't given a story spotlight tag) is happening. Innistradi magic running wild and giving us a real Train to Busan energy.

A later card explains that the demons that are natural to the plane grant gifts like this, so this scorpions and their soon to be scorpionman friend are native to the plane.

Fun fact; scorpions do just glow like this. Bio Luminescence is fun!

Jana has the exact same vibe (and the same demon-snake familiar) as Elnor from Yuma's story, so I'm calling it for New Capenna here. Also, funny flavor text AND reminder text. Fantastic work.

And that's it for part 1. Tune in momentarily for part 2 of Black!