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elexica · 4 years ago

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Second Chance Christmas: {{ December 25 }}

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27832405/chapters/69387498

Christmas Day. *not the last chapter*

Merry Christmas y'all! Thank you for your readership, your comments, your kindness. It means so much to me. Last chapter will be up within 24 hours.

Full chapter after the read more.

Joey was rudely awakened by the thump of his entire son against his chest. Aforementioned son was practically vibrating as he and his sister continued their complete attack, disrupting the significant quantity of pillows around. The duvet was bouncing from the combined child-energy.

“It’s Christmaaaaaassss!!!” Atticus shouted before burying his head in a pillow.

Kaiba loomed in the doorway, sipping from a branded mug with a smug look on his face as Joey tried to calm the chaos that was Alexis jumping up and down on their bed. Kaiba was already dressed for the day in yet another black turtleneck, and was completely devoid of any festive costume.

Shit, Joey thought. Half the presents weren’t wrapped and should be on full display on his desk… None of them had been placed under the tree when he and Kaiba had gotten distracted and…

“Shall we see if Santa visited?” Kaiba offered. Joey leveled a frustrated glare before his eyes managed to fix on the desk in the room which was… devoid of any trace. The wrapping paper and remaining presents were gone. Even the tape had been restored to its position in the caddy.

It was enough for Joey to believe, for a second, in Christmas magic.

The kids accepted their victory gracefully, scampering from the bed to the stairs and rushing down towards the stockings and the tree.

“Did you…” Joey asked, morning grogginess still sticking to him like sweet molasses.

Kaiba tossed Joey’s bathrobe onto the bed, and smirked into his mug as he stalked out.

The tree was illuminated and so thoroughly surrounded by presents, the kids couldn’t get within a three-foot radius of the base of the tree. Still, like monsters, they ripped through the presents with alarming speed. A hurricane of wrapping paper flew across the living room—with no regard for the delicate job of some of them, or the pretty fluffy bows affixed to the gifts.

“A yo-yo?!” Atticus announced, unwrapping a box containing a competition grade yo-yo. Joey looked on in horror as Kaiba’s smile grew more devious. “The string isn’t even on?!”

Atticus handed it to Joey, intuitively knowing that it wasn’t the sort of thing Kaiba was going to respond to.

Joey’s face blanched at the weight of the device in his hand. Like everything else that had happened that week, it was intimately familiar, buried deep in the recesses of his memory, and slightly nausea-inducing.

It was a high quality yo-yo, matte jet black and from the feel of it in his hand, the ball bearings were perfectly aligned. The crimson string was just waiting to be looped on, which Joey expertly did—carefully unwinding the twists enough to slip them over the yo-yo. And then, balancing the yo-yo on the string, he rewound the yo-yo by sliding it along the thread.

In his mind, the process took forever, even if only a few seconds had passed.

“Thanks Dad!” Atticus chirped, retrieving the yo-yo from his hand to begin playing with it.

Joey slowly returned to the present, where Kaiba commented, “You should ask your dad to some you some tricks.”

Eventually they had shredded all of the wrappings and the kids were completely occupied with their gifts. Alexis was tearing open the booster packs and struggling her way through the more complex words on some of the cards. Atticus had his deck out, too, and he leaned over her shoulder and explained some of the text and card effects patiently.

Joey glanced over at Kaiba, who was smiling the same smile from Mokuba’s wedding photos.

“Remembering what it was like to be a big brother?” Joey prodded.

Kaiba nodded. “Things were rarely this peaceful, but when they were… I did not always know how to appreciate it.”

Joey reached a hand to Kaiba’s back and stroked over the soft cashmere of the black turtleneck reassuringly. “I wish things had been different too.” And Joey leaned his head onto Kaiba’s shoulder. “But they’re pretty good right now, huh?”

Kaiba nodded, hair shifting against Joey’s.

Atticus fired up the latest model of the Duel Disk, and the hologram took over half of the room, consuming the Christmas tree and the better part of his sister, who screamed.

Kaiba and Joey were on their feet in an instant—Kaiba showing Atticus how to adjust the settings on the Duel Disk and Joey to rescue Alexis from the belly of a dragon.

. . .

As Kaiba flipped a chocolate chip pancake, he spared a quick glance to a shiny Rolex watch. Another one of the treasures that Kaiba had left behind years ago, and Joey hadn’t had the nerve to mail back or pawn off.

“What time will your sister be coming by?”

The question was said in an innocent tone of voice, overshadowed by the sizzle of the pancake against the cast iron. But Joey knew what it meant—the timer on their holiday magic was running low.

The snow of the snow globe was settling on the fantasy of a happy family. Joey would have to either shake it up again or accept that time had sucked out the hope, like glitter and plastic pooling at the bottom.

Kaiba would do anything to avoid having to face Joey’s sister. Even after moving to New York, Joey’s mother was not really a part of his life due to a mixture of built up resentment and a genuine lack of connection. But Serenity was a frequent visitor, and a huge source of love and support—especially during and after the divorce.

As much as it bothered Joey, Kaiba was probably right to try to avoid her. Serenity wasn’t very pleased with Kaiba after the divorce—or before it—and frankly it was a reasonable act of self-preservation to try and dodge. Joey considered lying, trapping Kaiba right there, letting Serenity lay into him.

Anything to make him stay a little longer.

But Joey had grown into an honest man, unfortunately for him, and he answered with the truth: “She gets off shift at noon.”

Kaiba nodded, plating up the pancakes. There was something a little magic to seeing Kaiba in the apron, making breakfast. Joey thought he might be getting used to the sight of Kaiba, surrounded by ingredients, carefully putting together meals.

Joey was inclined to agree with Mokuba, Kaiba was pretty good at the staples. It’s hard to go wrong with chocolate chip pancakes, but sometimes the chips can get too burnt, and the chocolate chips can get stuck to the pan.

Atticus and Alexis seemed to share the sentiment, as Kaiba continued to flip pancakes for another forty-five minutes to make enough for the family.

Just as Kaiba sat down to his own pancake, his eyes darted away.

Kaiba had a preternatural sense for trouble, honed through the nonstop turmoil of his youth. Like Spiderman’s extra-sensory perception, Kaiba stared at his untouched breakfast plate and immediately announced, “I’ve got to go,” popping up from the breakfast table.

He didn’t seem to have much packed up, other than a briefcase with his work laptop. Joey wondered if he was going to keep leaving all of the other shit here. The traces of Kaiba that the other man hadn’t managed to take back with him, the books, the whiskey, the scar cream, the turtlenecks…

Reminders that Kaiba was here, little touches of his ghost clinging to the bookcase, the end tables, the closets. Just like dust, Kaiba had settled into the hard-to-reach crevices of his life.

Joey feigned ignorance. “What?” he asked, “It’s still Christmas.” As if he didn’t know that whatever magic they had between them had to disappear before another adult saw. The great Seto Kaiba learning and growing? No outsiders were allowed to see a travesty like that.

The man was already headed to the door, and Joey had to pursue him. Serenity’s car was visible from the front hallway. She had gotten off shift about a half an hour ago, and had made a beeline for the family home.

“As far as the children are concerned, the main events of the holiday have concluded.” Kaiba pulled out the Mercedes keys. He had obviously been thinking about his getaway. The schemer.

“That doesn’t mean you have to go now,” Joey positioned himself between Kaiba and the door.

“Don’t.” Kaiba said it like a warning, low and serious. There was a note in his voice that was too harsh.

The entire week had felt like he had been rifling through different versions of Kaiba. The savage man he used to know, the love of his life, the impermeable shadow who lurked in his study, the father of his kids.

Now, once again, Joey was facing the most intense version of Kaiba—determined, cornered, cruel.

“Come on, it doesn’t have to be, you can just…” Joey didn’t know what to say, but he did spread his arms out, making a better barrier between his ex-husband and the exit.

Kaiba bowed his head, more threatening, more looming. “I don’t know what this is, you don’t know what this is. It’s not fair to the children to have us… so undetermined. Unstable. Whatever this armistice was, it was above all temporary.”

Joey was never that easily cowed. “I don’t remember having that conversation?!” He spat back.

Kaiba stood taller again, reaching past Joey to undo the deadbolt. “Can you, for once, not make this harder for me than it has to be?”

Joey hesitated. Maybe Kaiba was right, maybe this was too unstable. Maybe it just wasn’t fair to the kids. Darting back and forth from a loving family to practically strangers. From the soreness in his chest, the anxiety he felt at the thought that Kaiba would vanish from his life again—all that presence, gone in a flash—he knew it wasn’t fair to himself to play the game either.

“If you really want to go that bad, I won’t stop you,” Joey said, finally.

Kaiba passed by Serenity in the driveway. She wished him a Merry Christmas but he just kept walking.

. . .

“You did what?!” Serenity choked on her eggnog. They were watching Atticus and Alexis duel in the snow, holograms bouncing and leaping through the wintry landscape. The snowflakes disappeared as soon as the reached the holograms, hidden by the solidvision programming.

Joey remembered, somewhat, when Kaiba was first trying to get the software to play nice with foreign particles. And Joey hated that he was impressed with the result.

“Look, he as here for a week and… he’s different. I really think he, y’know, he got it. He understood what he was missing,” Joey said, more into his own eggnog than to his sister.

She shook her head. “I saw him, he didn’t seem all that different to me,” she paused to sip her eggnog. “But that’s none of my business.”

“That was… he’s not great with…” Joey could hear himself, hear the excuses rolling off of his tongue. He hated being in the position of defending the other man’s frustrating decisions and bad attitude.

She put her hand on his shoulder. “I get it. I’ve know him a long time, right? I get that he can be… I don’t know, he has to be warmer with you, right?”

Joey nodded, realizing that tears were pooling in his eyes, the beautiful snowy backyard dissolving into a soft watery mess.

“But I also know he’s driving to the airport now. And I highly doubt Seto Kaiba waits on the tarmac for long. If you’ve got something to say to him, maybe you should get out there. I can watch the kids.”

. . .

Joey flashed whatever fancy looking crap he found in the top drawer of Kaiba’s desk in the study to the airport security checkpoint. He had no idea which ones went to what at the airport, but no one had stopped him when he had driven, perhaps recklessly, very close to the tarmac. He only had to jump on fence to be on the asphalt—and it was never difficult to tell which plane belonged to his ex-husband.

No one else who parked their private jets at the Westchester airport had the same fondness for the Blue Eyes White Dragon, that was for sure.

Joey had never felt as insignificant as he did on the tarmac. Even though Kaiba was only in the jet, the distance between them made him feel like Kaiba was already airborne, and he was the size of an ant—a speck in the map, a pixel.

“Hey. I got something to say to you!” Joey shouted at the plane. He assumed Kaiba couldn’t hear him, but the body language would have to be enough—waving his arms, clothed in his bathrobe, thick fabric flapping in the chilling wind. From his peripheral vision, he could see the airport staff already streaming out to take the civilian off of the dangerous runway.

But instead the stairway descended, and the door opened. Kaiba’s imposing silhouette cut a nerve-wracking shadow. Joey was taken back to the days when the man would hang off of helicopter ladders and yell about card games.

“Jounouchi, it is not safe for you to stand in the tarmac!” The outline yelled back.

“Well, I got something to say to you!” Joey screamed over the sounds of another airplane taking off.

Kaiba descended a few steps, but not all the way. He couldn’t be bothered to touch the same ground as Joey. Kaiba extended a hand gracefully, wordlessly gesturing for Joey to continue.

“Do you wanna stay?” Joey asked. It was a simple question, honest, and more sincerely curious that even he had expected.

“I have work, Jounouchi,” Kaiba turned around and ascended again.

“What do you want?!” Joey yelled at his back.

Kaiba spun back, with a shocking amount of frustration pulling at his face.

“What do you want?” Kaiba shouted down with absolute vitriol.

What did Joey want? He wanted him to change, he’d said that in the past, and Kaiba had answered that he couldn’t.

And then he did.

Joey just wanted that—what Kaiba had already become. All he had to do was say that, right? Stay. That’s what he wanted. And, keep trying. And, I want you to want to keep trying.

But that would be giving in to Kaiba’s demands, right? Letting him win, letting him off the hook. All the shitty days, all the half-assed affection, all the last priority moves. There was a little block there, a clot in the artery between his feelings and a reality that he could accept. Kaiba never apologized, so he didn’t deserve forgiveness, did he? Had Kaiba ever even figured out what he had done wrong?

The guards were closing in.

“I want you to apologize.”

If Kaiba could say he was sorry, Joey could say that he wanted him to stay. To come back for real.

Kaiba looked at him, and all the anger that had made it to his face evaporated. It melted away to his old mask—a casual disdain for everyone else in the world.

“I will not apologize for who I am. You should know better than that. Good bye, Jounouchi.” He disappeared from Joey’s vision and returned to the cockpit.

Joey could have taken the five security guards, in his heyday. But he found himself passively wandering back into the airport under their glares.

That wasn’t quite not what he wanted an apology for. He didn’t need Kaiba to apologize for being a mess of a man, an impatient man, at times uncaring, frequently distant and harsh. He just wanted Kaiba to apologize for the way he had made Joey feel, and for leaving without even trying. For leaving again. For being so criminally unwilling to admit his own happiness, capitulate to his own fulfillment.

Really, Joey didn’t want much. He just wanted enough that he could bear to drive Kaiba back home.

But, maybe Kaiba was right about himself. Maybe he really didn’t change. Not enough, maybe even not at all.

#Violetshipping #puppyshipping #seto kaiba #Kaiba Seto #Jounouchi Katsuya #Joey Wheeler #my fic #GOD Y'ALL I FELT GUILTY AS I POSTED IT

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keelywolfe · 4 years ago

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FIC: There's a Place I Like To Hide

Summary: Pillows, so many pillows, Edge has a few thoughts about those and other things.

Notes: In this chapter there is some violence. Angst! Drama! We got it all!

Tags: Spicyhoney, Brotherly Relationships, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Pregnancy, More Angst

Warnings: Implied underage pregnancy. Implied miscarriages. Past Trauma.

~~*~~

Chapter List

What Will Be, Will Be

Something To Say, But Nothing Comes

Can’t Go On, Thinking Nothing’s Wrong

Seldom All They Seem

Voices Are Heard But Nothing Is Seen

Winter Makes You Laugh a Little Slower

That Place Where You Can’t Remember and You Can’t Forget

Casting Its Shroud Over All We Have Known

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

Read it here!

~~*~~

There was only one chair in Rus’s room, a rolling one that usually sat by his desk in front of the broken-down old computer he used to share terrible puns with the rest of the UnderNet.

Edge was sitting in that chair, but not at the desk. He’d pulled it around the bed into the far corner. It was safer to sit there than anywhere else. Even the bed, stripped of both blankets and pillows, was not out of the line of fire, as demonstrated by the pillow that flew out of the closet, smacking into the wall before falling onto the bare mattress with a sad thump.

The same thing had been going on for the past hour, from nearly the moment Edge arrived to deliver his menagerie of pillows.

Rus had been waiting in the living room, pacing, when Edge arrived. He’d presented his offering of fluffy pillows and most were snatched away, a grateful kiss pressed fervently to his mouth and then gone before Edge could even decide what to do about it. Rus waddled determinedly upstairs with his prize, Edge at his heels with the leftover pillows that were too much for Rus to carry on his own, particularly with his own similarly pillowy physique. He’d watched in silent bemusement as Rus disappeared into the large closet, and there he remained, occasionally crawling out to snag a discarded pillow before diving back in and the sounds of whatever chaos was reigning in that small space echoed through the room.

Despite the occasional thrown pillow, the room was probably as clean as Edge had ever seen it. The floor was barren of its normal litter of socks and trash, vacuumed within an inch of its life. The windows were washed, the baseboards scrubbed. Even the ceiling fan gleamed and the very idea of an ungainly, pregnant Rus tottering on a ladder to wipe it down was nightmare best not considered. Along the far wall were stacks of folded clothes, books, shoes, whatever had been in the closet before its pillow invasion was lined up ruler-neat along the wall.

The amount of clutter the closet held beforehand was evidence that despite a lack of Narnia inside, it was spacious enough for whatever Rus intended, even if Edge still couldn’t fathom what that was.

The loud thumping noises and occasional curses had stopped coming from the closet a few minutes ago, leaving silence in its wake. Edge rallied his courage and took a chance, cautiously approaching to peer through the half-closed door.

The pillows and blankets were arranged into a sort of cozy nest and Rus was burrowed exhaustedly right in the middle of it, his sockets barely open. His sweatshirt crumpled into a discarded ball in one corner and the only thing he was wearing was a pair of pajama pants, the waistband pushed beneath the heavy swell of his belly.

“Are you finished?” Edge asked cautiously.

“think so,” Rus mumbled tiredly. He lifted his head enough to look at Edge, his pale eye lights glowing softly in the dimness. “you coming in?”

The tone made it seem less a question and more a hopeful desire, one that Edge was more than willing to indulge. Carefully, Edge crawled inside, trying not to disturb the cushiony layer. It was not an easy process; the pillows felt as if they were three-deep and they were laid out with almost geometric precision. With some effort, he settled in behind Rus, who sighed and snuggled back against him, slender legs tangling with Edge’s own. Edge settled a hand on Rus’s belly, gently stroking along the sides where the magic was stretched tightest and earning a relieved sigh for his efforts.

Unusual as it was, the closet was hardly the strangest place Edge ever slept, though the question of why still lingered.

“Was there something wrong with the bed?” Edge asked, curiously.

“no, with the room,” Rus said. He sounded sleepily distracted, nearly drowsing, “it’s too open out there, i dunno, i can’t explain.” He shook his head in frustration. “i needed to be someplace better, closer.” Abruptly, Rus squirmed, grumbling, “my back is killing me.”

Edge obediently began to rub the length of Rus’s spine. The cartilage between the joints felt painfully hot and swollen from taking on its extra burden. That explanation made a certain sense; the closet was darker, the only light coming in from the open door and perhaps some instinct made Rus wish to be less exposed, an inherent need to conceal himself when he was at his most vulnerable. “I’ve heard of nesting during pregnancy, I’ve never seen it taken literally.”

“i ain’t questioning the hormones or whatever it is we get,” Rus yawned. It shifted to a grimace as his stomach visibly distorted with the movement of the baby within. “anything to get this ball rolling. this kid can pop anytime she wants. stick a fork in me, i’m done.”

“She’ll come when she’s ready,” Edge said, a truth that he tried to soften by firmly rubbing out the tension in Rus’s lumbar vertebra, which seemed to take the brunt of the abuse.

“yeah, well, she can start packing her bags and head to the station, cause the conductor is about to take off… ow!” Rus yelped.

Edge stopped instantly. “Did I hurt you?”

“nah, daddy’s little angel just smacked me with her halo. easy, skitten,” Rus pushed the heel of his hand against the obvious bulge at the side of his stomach, then yelped again, louder and startled, “ouch! what the fuck, kid—”

Edge settled a hand atop Rus’s. Beneath their combined touch, the roiling movements that were once thumps and kicks were now more full body rolls, the baby struggling to move in her constricted space, “I believe you might be getting your wish soon, she’s very active.”

They both went quiet, waiting, the silence broken only by Rus’s occasional grunt of discomfort. Their disappointment was palpable when the baby settled back into stillness. With an aggravated sigh, Rus pushed restlessly against Edge’s hands and he started dutifully rubbing again.

After a moment, Rus said, thoughtfully, “you know, no one has actually told me yet how she gets out.”

“What?” That was enough for Edge to stop his massage and sit up, appalled. “What do you mean how she gets out?”

“how she is getting out,” Rus repeated, irritably, “it’s not rocket science here, she’s currently in and she’ll need to get out. somehow, i’m thinking it’s not as easy as knocking and calling ‘olly olly oxen free’. and the traditional method probably isn’t in the cards.”

Edge was somewhat familiar with childbirth as it went for other Monsters and the more he considered it, the more he thought Rus was likely correct. Rus’s hips were too narrow for the baby to pass through his pelvic girdle and his ectoflesh hadn’t formed a vaginal canal, either.

“How do you not know this?!” Edge demanded.

“i dunno, it didn’t come up!” Rus snapped defensively. “it’s not like you know, either!”

“I am not currently pregnant!” Edge regretted yelling the moment the words left his mouth. Arguing about this wasn’t going to help and he didn’t miss the sudden well of tears in Rus’s sockets before he turned away, burying his face into the pillows. Edge settled back down, and Rus didn’t resist when Edge pulled him back into his arms, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shout.”

“i know that,” Rus swiped angrily at his cheekbones, “stupid fucking hormones. i knew how to get pregnant, but that’s about as far as i go. turned out that undyne’s old research books weren’t real useful for skeleton pregnancies and it’s not like i know any pregnant skeletons to ask. looks like we might be figuring it out as we go.”

“I can’t think of another situation where I’d like less to improvise.” They didn’t know any other pregnant skeletons, that much was true. Not pregnant, no, but there was at least one skeleton they both knew who’d endured a pregnancy of his own. Edge swallowed hard and said haltingly, “I could call Red for you, we could ask him.”

“no,” Rus said immediately. He rolled over and caught hold of Edge’s hands as if afraid he’d start reaching for his phone. “no, don’t do that. he’ll be here tonight. i can ask him then.” He nodded, almost to himself, “yeah, that’ll be fine. red will know.” With a sigh, Rus settled back into his pillows, closing his sockets. But there was a certain tension in him that hadn’t been there before, his new contentment in his little nest regretfully lost and there was very little that Edge could do to help bring it back.

“Do you want something to eat?” Edge tried, “I can bring it up.” The refrigerator and freezer were filled with easy to prepare meals, containers whose contents only needed heating. Blue cheerily put up plenty of extras, not only due to his brother’s current needs but anticipating for after the baby’s birth…however that would occur. It would be the work of minutes to heat something up.

Rus only shook his head, mumbling out, “nah, jus’ tired.”

“All right, then.” Edge gently stroked along the curve of Rus’s skull, silently urging him to close his sockets. “Go to sleep.”

“stay?” That single word, nearly a plea, and Edge only nodded, pressing a light kiss to Rus’s temple and listened to his contented sigh.

Stay. Of all things Rus could ask for, that was what he chose and if Edge were honest with himself, he would have been hard-pressed to decline even if Rus weren’t pregnant with their child. Casual and occasional, that was how he’d described their relationship to Blue back when Rus first told him about the baby and now, he couldn’t say the same. How could he, when every evening he wanted to hurry back to Rus, to see his smile, listen to his foolish jokes and laughter, watch over him as he napped, his skull settled comfortably into Edge’s lap and inviting a gentle touch. He wanted that, all of that, to continue, wanted it with a desperation that bordered on necessity.

He didn’t know what they were, what they were doing; all the walls he’d raised between them were rubble, the cautious distance he’d kept between them breached. If the question of how their child was going to come into this world was an important, then this was at least a distant second. What were they to each other and what were they going to do about it?

He wanted to help parent their child, there was no question of that. Edge only wondered if he were going to be allowed to remain close to Rus as part of the bargain.

A part of him boiled with the urge to ask now, now, to shake Rus awake and stupidly demand an answer. But despite what his brother might think, Red hadn’t entirely raised a fool. Asking now would be the height of unfairness when Rus was so close to the end of his pregnancy, at his most needy and overwhelmed. Once Lucy made her appearance and things settled a bit, that would be a better chance, a fairer chance, one that allowed Rus to choose without any fear that he would lose Edge’s support.

Besides, that would give Edge an opportunity to ask Blue if there were any specific customs in Underswap that should be followed, perhaps even to borrow their version of the dating manual…he was really going to do this, Edge realized, and the thought nearly made him giddy. He was going to discuss some sort of commitment with Rus and after that, the choice would be his. If that was something Rus wanted from him.

If.

Rus was sleeping deeply enough that he didn’t stir as Edge pulled him fractionally closer, holding him firmly within the circle his arms. If the baby were coming soon, he might well be losing his chance for this and the thought was a painful one, cramping in his soul, to think that he might lose the opportunity to hold Rus in his arms.

It was Rus’s choice to make, just as the choice to carry their baby had been his. All Edge could do was guiltily indulge in the urge to glut himself on this closeness, anguished with breathing in the sweetness of Rus’s scent, wishing desperately that this would be something he could keep, something he could be allowed for himself, just this once.

He held Rus close and didn’t expect to fall asleep himself, hardly aware of drifting off, one hand pressed loosely against Rus’s sternum and the other gently draped over the swell of his belly. Holding onto what meant most to him, even in sleep.

~~*~~

For the first few moments after Rus woke up, he was disoriented to the point of not even knowing where the fuck he was. That wasn’t so bad, really. Where wasn’t a problem so much as what and what was that he was fucking hot.

There was a thin layer of sweat coating his bones, the bedding beneath him was sodden with it, and as he woke up a little more, Rus figured out that part of that was because Edge was about half on top of him, squashing him into the cushions, what the fuck—

Ah. Pillows. Right.

Earlier, the thought of climbing into the closet for the next month or so seemed like the most brilliant of all ideas. Someplace nice and safe, all enclosed and cozy along with plenty of cushiony pillows to pad the way. Rus’d gotten the closet all cleaned out and ready to go, only to figure out that his single pillow added with the two he stole from Blue’s bed didn’t exactly make for Cloud 9. The cushions from the sofa helped a little but not enough, and in his desperation, he’d thought of Edge.

It was almost embarrassing now to think of how he'd called Edge while he was on patrol to demand a pillow sacrifice but hell, Edge came through in spades, didn’t he. Probably better not to ask where he got ‘em all, although the idea of Edge ransacking Underfell in a pillow heist was enough to make him choke on a laugh.

It was not, however, enough to distract him from how fucking hot he was. Turned out being pregnant turned his internal thermostat up to eleven and sometimes it was all too much. Like now.

There was a choice to be made here. If he woke Edge up, there was no question that he’d go get a towel for Rus so he could dry off. Probably even offer to sponge him off and tempting as that was, if Edge was zonked out, stood to reason that he probably needed some zzz’s, too. Sure, Rus was doing the major lifting, but Edge was going back and forth between their worlds, doing all his regular work before heading back here to hang out, dealing with all of Rus’s bullshit and helping Blue.

So if waking up Edge was out, it was time for Option B to step up to the plate, which involved escaping from Mister Clings-A-Lot here and wandering outside for a minute to bask in the lovely, cold Snowdin air. Preferably before Red showed up ‘cause he’d throw a fit about it and start yowling about keeping mamas safe and that would probably end with Rus stuffed into a blanket and plopped down on the sofa with a bitchy lecture made to order just for him.

Yeah, Rus could do without that tonight, thanks.

Even as Rus considered his options, a ticklish trickle of sweat was winding its uncomfortable way down his sacrum and yeah, okay, enough was enough. Time to get his Mission Impossible on.

Getting away from Edge was the first step and the most dangerous, but as it turned out, once he was out, Edge was down for the count. He didn’t even stir as Rus wriggled his way loose from his duct tape grip, crawling his way across the mounds of pillowy goodness to the door.

Rus was panting by the time he got out of the closet, leaning weakly against the wall as he caught his breath, shit but pregnancy was not for the faint of heart or the weak of will. Not that Rus was gonna win any awards for either, eh, didn’t matter, Lucy wasn’t complaining.

Except how she totally was, already squirming hard in her disapproval of sneaking away from papa. A quick peek showed that Edge was still snoozing away, and Rus patted his belly gently, snagging a fresh sweatshirt from the carefully folded pile against the wall as he slipped out the door.

“easy, kiddo,” Rus whispered. All he got in return was a disagreeable little foot jammed right into his floating rib, hard enough to make him wince. “look, it’s only for a minute, i’m roasting like a pineapple in here.”

Kid was definitely taking after Edge; she reluctantly settled down and Rus could practically feel her sullen, unspoken agreement for just a few minutes.

His slippers were by the front door and Rus slipped them on. Not exactly the best for tromping around outside but his swollen boney piggies didn’t much care for getting crammed into his sneakers. Another preggo joy to add to his growing collection.

“kiddo, at this point, i don’t think i care if you make an exit out of my eye socket, so long as you move out,” Rus sighed as he pulled his sweatshirt over his head. “okay, only kidding, if anyone up there is listening, i didn’t mean that—”

Any concerns about divine retribution vanished as Rus stepped out into the crisp, cold air. He groaned aloud, shuffling further out into the snow. The path that led around to the back of the house was mostly shoveled, only a fine layer of fresh snowflakes scattered across it.

Rus followed it around back to where he used to hang around out of Blue’s sight to sneak a cigarette. He’d quit smoking the moment he’d found out he was pregnant, but that didn’t stop his hands from automatically groping for his cigs. The lighter was a poor compensation, but Rus fiddled with it, anyway.

Getting down to the wire here. Pretty soon their little skitten would be here and Rus was right around a hundred and five percent positive that he wasn’t ready for this. Shame that he didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter.

At least they were set with gear, even if it wasn’t at the house yet. The Buns declared it was bad luck to have baby stuff in the house before the kiddo got here and while Rus privately thought that was a load of bullshit, he’d never say a peep, nope, he owed the Buns big time, not only for their timely rescue from the snowstorm but for what they had waiting to bring to the house the second Lucy came down from the sky with her diamonds in tow and—

Moving was pure instinct, an almost blurred sidestep to the left, away from a huge armored hand that nearly snagged ahold of him.

Rus was usually pretty fucking quick on his feet, at least as long as his stamina lasted. That was before his sense of balance was thrown off by the combined weight of ectoflesh and baby. He staggered and nearly fell as he dodged again, his slippered feet sliding in the fresh layer of snow as panic rose heavy in his throat and who the fuck—

He stared up, his soul frozen in sheer disbelief at the figure towering over him; a Knight Knight, but not one he’d ever seen, not one of the humorless hulks who hung around with Madjick and occasionally stopped at his sentry post to buy a hot cat. This creature was a nightmare, her grotesque armor covered with rusty spikes and one of the horns on her helmet jaggedly broken off. The birdlike face that dominated her torso was a twisted, sneering wreck, its mouth opening to reveal a bloated, bloodshot eye with oozing pus crusted into the corners. Even that didn’t horrify Rus as much as the dust, so much dust, caked into the armor joints and falling in horrifying motes from the clawed gauntlet reaching again for Rus.

He was backed up against the house, there was nowhere for him to go, no escape except one. and the second those vicious claws grazed his sweatshirt, Rus took it.

It’d been weeks, but reaching for the void was as easy as it ever was. Rus grabbed a frantic mental picture of where and pushed through, stepping into a shortcut…and stopped.

Never before had one of his shortcuts stuttered halfway through, never had it dropped him painfully back into the world, whimpering and aching with the aborted backlash of the failed attempt. The ground came up to meet him hard enough to knock the breath out of him, the Knight Knight dangerously close to landing on top of him.

The hard landing at least got him loose and Rus scrambled away, struggling to crawl through icy slush with his heavy belly almost dragging on the ground. Trying desperately to get to his feet and he could hear the clang of armor behind him. Close, too close, he felt the brutal virulence of intent at the same moment as he felt the panicked squirm of his child inside him responding to his fear through their soul link and Rus didn’t think, only reached for his fiercest attack with the last of his strength.

In a split second, he summoned a blaster, its enormous sockets filled with maddened eye lights, its toothy maw gaping open and from it a blazing hot explosion of orange plasma boiled out, directly at the Knight Knight, engulfing it. She made a sound that passed for a scream, a sulfurous, hollow shriek that rang painfully through Rus’s skull.

He watched, dry-eyed, as she fell to her knees, KR burning through her HP. His own strength was fading, black dots starting to hover in his vision and Lucy was still shifting painfully inside him as he stared at the collapsing grotesque.

“night night,” Rus managed to whisper before unconsciousness claimed him.

tbc

#spicyhoney #papcest #keelywolfe #underfell #underswap #underfell papyrus #underswap papyrus #pregnancy fic

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kichimiangra · 5 years ago

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So... an imaginary episode of the 1983 D&D cartoon...

It’s a Meta episode.

The kids wake up to their average normal everyday lives. Nothing weird or anything. Have breakfast, do a few chores, say good morning to their parents, head out to school, etc. Normal shit.

While at school they kinda bump into each other a lot though and they get a weird vibe off of the others. But... why? I mean, they know of these other kids, some are friends-ish with others but they’re not particularly close? Bobby is Sheila’s kid brother, Diana is that girl who does gymnastics after school, Presto’s that dork who gets picked on for his crappy card tricks, Hank does sports or something, Eric is the haughty son of that CEO they keep seeing on magazines at the grocery store. They’re not really super close friends, they have nothing in common really but... they get a feeling from each other?

On top of that they occasionally get a strange flash memory in their heads.

-Diana is about to do a cool gymnastic demonstration for a new team member at the request of the teacher. Halfway through she bungles it when a memory of being surrounded by monsters flashes in her head. Her coach approaches to see if she’s okay and on instinct kicks the teacher’s feet out from underneath them, easily taking them to the floor without hesitation before realizing what she had done.

-A card trick goes array in the lunchroom causing a bully to be wearing his lunch and turn his sights on Presto. The bullies cap fall onto Prestos head prior and he finds himself impulsively start a rhyme about taking out the ugly fucker, reaching into that hat and pulling out-- nothing? What did he think that was actually going to do? I’m mean... he did insult the bully more so I guess it’s gonna get him punched?

-Eric happens to have lunch period with Presto and sees the whole thing go down as he is walking by to his usual table of more affluent “Friends”. Heh... kid’s gonna get beaten up. That’s what happens when you insult your bullies mom or whatever. Not Erics problem. He doesn’t even know this kid. Does seem Familiar though. The bully swings his fist back to hit that kid with glasses and Eric feels utter terror, like life or death fight or flight terror and before he even realizes he’s moved he finds himself between Presto and the bully, lunch tray blocking the fist and bully now wearing more lunch than before. Crap... what the fuck did he just do?!?! And why?!

(Not gonna come up with one for everyone I’m tired you guys decide what happens to Hank, Sheila and Bobby)

-----------------------------------------------------

At this point the audience knows somethings wrong so why hide it from THEM anymore? It turns out through an untold adventure before the episode began some bullshit happened and the kids find themselves trapped in some kind of magic sleep caused by this dream master monster wizard or something I don’t care what he is. I’m vague on this part but He’s either

-gonna sell the kids to Venger so it’s like that time Dungeon Master got captured and took a nap and that very homosexual fairy showed up and helped the kids save him.

-OR He’s already working for Venger and they’re picking the kids brain for something while in the magic dream sleep. Like their Untold quest prior to the ep. involves them hiding their weapons so venger can’t get them and the Dream wizard guy is keeping their brains loosey goosey and complacent while he searches through them for the weapons locations or something like that.

-OR He’s working for Venger and the kids are hostages to convince DM to turn himself over and he’s having his own B plot of the good of the realm vs the good of these kids?

“Ehhhhhh....... Nah! I’m sure they got this... Not the first set of kids I ruined.”

-OR He’s gonna rewrite their brains and turn them evil so they work for Venger and he can sick them on DM AND Tiamat! “If you can’t beat them, take over their brains and recruit them!“ (I like this one but that’s just cuz I like Mind control trope....)

-OR any combination of the above. It really doesn’t matter you know he’s gonna fuck up.

Anyway Mr.Dream over here is having a little trouble because DMs disciples COULD realize they’re dreaming and shock them selves awake and fuck up the Evil Plan (tm) And unfortunately the kids having flashbacks, vibes, and triggers is not on the menu, so he needs to come up with an in-universe explanation for the kids in the dream to be having these funky feels so they don’t question the funkitude going on...

---------------------------------------------------

Back in dream-school DMs Disciples are a little gonked up over the whole ptsd trigger flashbacks they’re having, some of which involve kids that they have almost no connection to! But before they can ponder further they notice the time, or their watch or alarm or someone mentioning the time alerts them. They have a THING to get to! They pack up their stuff and we follow a POV character (Probably Hank) as he makes his way to a specific classroom, or he leaves the school and heads home or to another house. Matters not. As he arrives he opens up the door and there everybody is!

Oh yeah! That’s how they all know each other! They play a fantasy tabletop rpg board game together! [Good idea Mr.Dream! Now they can explain away Their vibes!] Diana even considers maybe she should quit playing with them if it’s so immersive that it’s effecting her normal everyday life. But it atleast explains where they got these random memories from! It’s just their campaign! They sit down and shoot the shit and start playing.

“What sort of adventure are we doing this time?”

*They begin to play out one of the episodes... Let’s do the Prison without Walls one for example... but things aren’t... right*

*Rolls dice* Presto DMing: “17! Hank lets his arrow fly, piercing through the chest of the shambling monster! It trumpets in pain before laying in silence! The band of adventurers has defeated the monster and the gnome village has been Saved!”

Hank has a flash back... this... isn’t right...

Hank: “No... no I didn’t fire my arrow! That Monster was Lukyan!” Hank explains.

Presto protests. “But Hank... there was no Lukyan in this campaign???”

Eric: “He’s probably just salty over the last time we played when he opened that box and let all the evil out-- wait...” Bobby: “Didn’t YOU open that box Eric?”

Eric: “... The evil box or Zinn’s box?”

Presto: “It was Zandora’s box. Where’d Zinn come from?”

Diana: “Zinn was that Queen Eric Married when that Sorlarz monster poisoned Bobby and we slayed him for the antidote!”

Sheila: “SORLARZ?! No Bobby was Poisoned buy the turtle dragon! Sorlarz was a cursed king!”

Eric: “A WHAT?!”

Their bickering becomes too much for Hank and enough reminders of everything wrong with their adventures triggers his memory and slams his firsts on the table silencing everyone else.

Hank: “ENOUGH!!!!” They stare at him in shock and silence. Hank was never angry like this... not that they knew him well enough... “We-- Guys we... never made it home... We’re still in the realm!”

This triggers the kids memories and they realize just how wrong everything is and that all of these vibes they’ve been having are their REAL memories.

They are commended by Mr.Dream who fucked up because he’s very bad at keeping the continuity of his own story down but chastised because it would have been so much easier for them if they just stayed unaware and complacent. Now the dream world is turning against them and they need to figure out a way to wake up. But where better to hide the end of the dream than at the beginign of the adventure: At the Amusement park.

#dnd cartoon #dndc #Dungeons and Dragons #dungeons and dragons the animated series #dungeons and dragon #hank the ranger #diana the acrobat #sheila the thief #Bobby the Barbarian #eric the cavalier #presto the magician

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alicejohnn9087 · 4 years ago

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6 Best and Latest Games Available for Android Users

As the world is working on advancing its technology, developers are also giving their best to bring stunning quality games for gaming enthusiasts. Over the years, the gaming industry has flourished, and there are games for everyone, in different categories, devices, operating systems, and genres. And among all the different factors and device OS, it seems like Android gaming is improving the most. Every month, there is something new for Android users. If you are an Android user, you will find something new under different genres every month and enjoy all the titles. If you want to experience some of the latest games that arrived on Android this month, then check the list given below:

9th Dawn III: Shadow of Erthil

The 9th Dawn III is a 2D open-world RPG game with a collection of dungeon crawlers packed with adventure. This virtual open world full of crypts, fortresses, villages, etc. You have to fight over 270 unique monsters, acquire loot, treasures, and some uniquely rare materials. You can collect over 1,000 uniquely drawn items, including more than 300 weapons and 550 armor and accessories pieces. You can also customize your weapons and armor, go fishing, cook food, and collect gems. This game is available for $9.99 only.

Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

In the Harry Potter game, you can cast spells, outsmart challenges, and celebrate the Wizarding World’s quirkiness. You will be enchanted by the most magical matching puzzles available inside the game. You have to beat the levels to upgrade and unlock new spells and magic abilities, which will further lead you to conquer the most difficult Match-3 puzzles. The Match-3 puzzles will unlock some classic moments from the films, and get updates from the Daily Prophet to know about the progression of Harry Ron and Hermione. You can also upgrade your skills while preparing for some magically mischievous spell.

Sword Master Story

Sword Master Story is an RPG game with a really fast attack and brilliant Dual Blade skills. It brings you a fantastic combination of attractive illustrations and unique pixel graphics. To play and win the game, you have to gather the goddesses as companions to participate in endless battles and earn rewards. The faster you clear a level, the more rewards you will win. It will bring you some hidden truths via new stories after every ten stages. You can summon 40 unique heroes from mythology and legendary equipment. The characters you collect can become stronger through ‘Level Up,’ ‘Rebirth,’ and ‘Transcendence.’

Final Order

Final Order is a real-time action-packed MMO strategy game, where you will play as a commander in a war-stricken land and establish your military stronghold. As you progress in the game, you have to build advanced and modern armies to compete for strategic points. With the mighty force of the giant beasts, you will be able to rebuild the world order. You can awaken mighty beasts from all around the world. The characters are inspired by real military models. With the help of mighty power and indestructible bodies of the savage beasts, you can extract resources, defend your base, and conquer the war-torn lands.

Masketeers: Idle Has Fallen

The gaming world of Masketeers is full of heroes empowered by mysterious masks, and they take a stand against the inner demons of society. It has an orb-matching feature that pushes idle games’ boundaries to create a familiar yet refreshing experience. As a Masketeer, you will be equipped with masks and runes for earning various bonuses. You can collect and equip them to find the ones that suit you the best for battle strategies. It offers Chain orbs through which each Masketeer can make multiple unique attacks, but you have to use them wisely to enhance your team’s strengths against the Wraiths. A Masketeer is always surrounded by guardians, charms, wisps, and fortune creatures to bring luck and help when needed.

Arcane Showdown

Arcane Showdown is a fantasy real-time strategy game with beautiful art and rich lore. Here, you have to collect a powerful army for using them in PVP battles. All the characters, including heroes, creatures, monsters, demons, animals, and more, are brought to life in stunning 3D. You can join the community in limited time battle modes. You will receive eight factions of minions and spells for the battle and control. The game has over 60 different handcrafted cards that can bring you the latest upgrades. You can play it with your friends to enter the battlefield.

These were some of the marvelous games (available for Android users) that you should not miss this month. Note that each game has different system requirements, so check them properly if you cannot install them on your device.

Source : https://the-grabber.com/6-best-and-latest-games-available-for-android-users/

#best #latest #games #andriod #users

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satoshi-mochida · 5 years ago

Link

Shantae and the Seven Sirens will launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on May 28 for $29.99, publisher and developer WayForward announced. The “Part 2” update for the previously released Apple Arcade version is also now available.

Limited print physical standard and collector’s editions are also planned for release via Limited Run Games. Further details will be announced at a later date.

Here is an overview of the game, via WayForward:

About

Whip your hair and shake your hips—independent game studio WayForward is ecstatic to announce that the newest entry in the fan-favorite Shantae series, Shantae and the Seven Sirens, is scheduled for launch on consoles and Windows PC on May 28, 2020. The expansive quest, which contains new locales, friends, enemies, and transformations, is expected to arrive in its entirety on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam at the price of $29.99. Additionally, an update containing the adventure’s epic conclusion is now available on Apple Arcade. In anticipation of the multiplatform launch, a new trailer was also released.

Packed with multiple towns and more labyrinths than ever before, Shantae and the Seven Sirens combines the most popular elements from past Shantae titles into the Half-Genie hero’s biggest outing to date. The excitement begins when Shantae visits a tropical paradise where she befriends new Half-Genie allies, but things quickly go awry as she discovers that sinister secrets are stirring beneath the island’s surface! As Shantae gets wrapped up in the island’s mysteries, she’ll use all-new dance abilities and instant-transformation Fusion Magic to explore the nonlinear, interconnected world and battle an assortment of diabolical foes… not the least of which are the enigmatic Seven Sirens!

Complementing the action are spectacular animated cutscenes that bring the story to life—a series first!—including a jaw-dropping anime-style opening by renowned animation house Studio Trigger. Other new features include 4K support and a collectible card system that lets players augment Shantae’s powers in a variety of ways.

Apple Arcade users will notice numerous improvements to the game in the newly released update, where they will encounter new environments, dungeons, and abilities, as well as enhancements such as new fully animated cutscenes, upgraded character portrait artwork, an improved map, customizable touch controls, a new unlockable mode, and various other fixes and refinements. Players will be able to pick up where they left off or play through the entire quest from start to finish.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is the fifth entry in the Shantae series, which first launched in 2002. In addition to the digital version of the game, a physical version—including both a standard edition and a collector’s edition for some platforms—is planned from Limited Run Games, with details to be revealed at a later date.

Key Features

Traverse an expansive, interconnected world above and below the sea!

Use Fusion Magic to change instantly between all-new creature forms!

Belly dance to activate machinery, restore health, and more!

New characters and returning favorites like Rottytops, Sky, Bolo, and the nefarious Risky Boots!

Gorgeously animated TV-style cutscenes!

Collect and power up with Monster Cards!

Enjoy minigames, acquire magic and items, and uncover secrets!

4K-resolution hand-painted visuals on PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, Mac, and PC!

Watch a new trailer below. View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.

youtube

#Shantae and the Seven Sirens #Shantae 5 #Shantae #WayForward #PS4 #Nintendo Switch #Xbox One #PC #Gematsu

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demifiendrsa · 5 years ago

Video

youtube

Shantae and the Seven Sirens - Teaser Trailer. It’ll launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on May 28, 2020 for $29.99. The “Part 2” update for the previously released Apple Arcade version is also now available.

Limited print physical standard and collector’s editions are also planned for release via Limited Run Games. Further details will be announced at a later date.

screenshots

Overview

About

Key Features

Traverse an expansive, interconnected world above and below the sea!

Use Fusion Magic to change instantly between all-new creature forms!

Belly dance to activate machinery, restore health, and more!

New characters and returning favorites like Rottytops, Sky, Bolo, and the nefarious Risky Boots!

Gorgeously animated TV-style cutscenes!

Collect and power up with Monster Cards!

Enjoy minigames, acquire magic and items, and uncover secrets!

4K-resolution hand-painted visuals on PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X, Mac, and PC!

#Shantae and the Seven Sirens #Shantae 5 #Shantae #WayForward #video game #PS4 #Xbox One #PC #Nintendo Switch #Apple Arcade #long post

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precuredaily · 5 years ago

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Precure Day 160

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 12 - “Protect Urara’s Stage!” Date watched: 23 November 2019 Original air date: 22 April 2007 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/KiGZvA2 Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

When did this become the Precure stage show?

As I indicated in the last review, this is one of those episodes that just really sticks out in my memory, but it turns out I don’t actually remember much about it at all. It’s not as impactful as I recalled, but it represents a step forward for Urara and it has a kickass fight. Let’s get started!

The Plot

Urara has been tapped to host a stage show at an amusement park, which is a big break in her career. She meets her friends at the park, along with her overly prepared manager Washio and Masuko Mika, who’s there to write about her for the paper. Mika and Washio hit it off right away, speculating about where Urara’s career could go from here, culminating in a Hollywood movie and an Oscar nod.

Urara arrives at her rehearsal, goes through wardrobe, and starts going through her routine. Unfortunately the star of the show has had an emergency and called out. Nozomi quickly volunteers to play her part in the show, to save Urara’s debut. Unfortunately, she isn’t a very good actress, but it’s too late to cancel the show now. Outside, we see Girinma handing out fliers for the show and making ominous remarks about its content....

At showtime, the stadium is filled with children and their parents, wanting to see the forest animals show. Nozomi is extremely nervous, despite Urara’s reassurance, and trips and falls during her entrance.

Before she can recover, Girinma drops a mask onto a prop tree, which turns into a giant Kowaina. Out in the crowd, Mika is confused by this strange story direction but the audience all thinks it’s part of the show. (no magical falling asleep here!) Rin, Karen, and Komachi all rush onto stage with Nozomi and Urara but aren’t sure if they should transform with all these people watching. However, Urara’s actor instincts kick in and she tells the audience to look at up just as Karen convinces the stage manager to turn on the spotlights, blinding the audience members momentarily. The girls seize their opportunity and transform into Precure. They fight the Kowaina as the opening theme starts playing, and it’s a very visually spectacular fight as they run, jump, and dive through tree branches and vines to try to land a few solid hits on the monster. It tries to shoot a leaf storm at the audience but Mint blocks it with her shield, and then Girinma tries to attack a nosy Mika, who is protected by Aqua. Dream manages to shoot off a Dream Attack, defeating the Kowaina, as Girinma retreats. There’s a gag during all of this where Washio is worried because he can’t see Urara, and somehow didn’t connect the dots when the five girls transformed on stage.

Mika, recognizing the Pretty Cures from her first meeting with them, takes lots of pictures of the battle and plans to write a piece about them. They’re sure that this time they’re busted, but once again Nuts runs interference, going up to her in his human state and saying hello. The next day at school, all the students are crowded around the newspaper again, and wouldn’t you know, it’s an expose on Nuts and Mika’s fated reunion, with a tiny article about Urara’s stage show at the bottom. Washio comes up and asks Urara to put on that show again, because the Precure fight was a smash hit with audiences, but the other four girls wave it off, and the episode ends.

The Analysis

I don’t know where to start. Urara is giving it her all in this stage show, and she even improvs a bit to keep their cover and distract the audience while they transform. She’s really good at what she does, and she has a promising future as an actor ahead of her. She presents a really energetic performance for the kids and tries to mitigate the danger by making it seem like the monster attack is part of the show. The show must go on, indeed! Additionally, when Nozomi steps up to play the part of the rabbit, despite fumbling in the costume and having trouble with her lines, Urara just rolls with it. I love that all the girls are really rooting for this to work out for her, and during the fight they defend the sanctity of the show and Urara’s part. And honestly, props to Nozomi as well. She’s trying her best here. She’s clumsy and has been kicked out of the drama club before, but her heart is in the right place, and there are no better options so the other three girls agree to help her with cue cards.

there’s a new kaiju in town

The battle itself is action-packed and filled with some dynamic scenes that I will turn into gifs. It’s one of the better fights in this show so far. I love how the girls fly around through the vines and branches, delivering some swift ass-kickings. There is some reused footage from the opening, namely the part where the five girls line up as the song counts off “One, two, three four five!” The kowaina makes itself a difficult target, despite its large size, and that keeps the battle interesting. It takes some work for the girls to actually get to the mask and break it. The large amount of civilians keep the stakes high, as they’re easy targets for a massive attack. This lets us see Mint use her shield in a more interesting way than normal (because I’ll be honest, a lot of the times she blocks the enemy’s attack when she could just dodge). I love getting to see her make use of her strengths. Shield cures are highly situational, but this was a situation in which it was very effective. Also, I liked how Mika’s insatiable lust for a scoop put her in danger. She won’t learn from it, but it’s an action that had nearly fatal consequences because Girinma was out for her head, and it took Aqua intervening to save her. When she did that, she referred to her by name, which might cause Mika to recognize them down the road... I don’t think so but we’ll find out.

Speaking of special attacks, there’s something I want to discuss about them. In the FW shows, the special attack was only ever used as a finisher. They never used Marble Screw or Twin Stream Splash to attack in the middle of a battle, but they do use their special attacks in Yes 5 as both attacks and finishers. Some of their attacks simply don’t work as finishers (I mean, I’d like to see them TRY to finish a monster off with Mint Protection, that’d be cool), and pink rules so you usually see Dream Attack used to take down the monster. What they don’t have is a clear group finisher. That will change, of course, but as long as this persists, I get a sense of inconsistency about what will and won’t destroy a Kowaina. The use of special attacks that aren’t finishers is a bit of a deviation from the original concept but it’s still tame here. I don’t think they ever go too far down this rabbit hole, but it’s worth noting.

This episode manages to mix in a good amount of comedy on the side, without overwhelming the main plot, and I admire the balance. Washio is a fun manager but he is really over-prepared. He appears carrying two giant duffle bags for Urara, despite the fact that her outfit is provided, and among the many things he has brought are some charms for....

Nono Hana could use that last one

He and Mika play off of each other really well, they’ve got a nice comic relief duo schtick going on. Mika, of course, is mainly in this to get a good story for the paper, and having a local celebrity at school is a good outlet. Reporting on her career advancements is a big step up from reporting what she ate for lunch. Both of them readily buy into the fight scene, assuming it’s part of the show and not that there was some kind of actual danger, and Washio is just distressed that Urara has disappeared instead of fearing for his life. At the end of the episode, both of them ramp up the comedy in their own way. Mika’s crush on Nuts has not yet gotten old, and probably won’t for a while yet (don’t quote me on that), so continuing the running gag where she gets distracted from a big story by a chance (or intentional) encounter with him gets a thumbs up in my book. I don’t get tired of seeing Nozomi and Rin’s exasperated faces when they see her reports.

Also, Urara has a nice little gag there where she’s hopping up and down trying to read the paper because she can’t see over their shoulders. I’ll gif that soon.

Urara gets a couple of other moments of note, where she seems to be breaking the fourth wall. At the very start, when she’s sort of practicing her introductory speech to the crowd, she turns to speak to the show’s audience, and Rin questions who she’s even talking to. (Rin makes a good straight man, by the way).

The last gag of note is when Coco and Nuts say they tagged along because you never know when a Pinky could show up.... and then a Pinky shows up right then. Yeah, Pinkies, remember them? They’re kind of supposed to be driving the plot. There’s more of them than there are Heartiels and Miracle Drops combined, yet they’re barely mentioned.

Just some other small observations before I wrap this up, I love everybody’s street clothes in this episode. They’re a little different from what we’ve seen them wearing before.

except for Rin

Urara’s sailor blouse and knee-length skirt make her look a little more mature than her normal attire of puffy shorts and sleeves. The other four are wearing outfits strongly reminiscent of their clothes from the ending. Rin and Nozomi’s outfits are exactly that, except for the butterflies. Komachi and Karen’s outfits are the same as what they wear in the ending, but the colors are a little different.

for reference

And for some reason the art in this episode is very hit-or-miss. A lot of good shots still seem slightly off model. It’s a little jarring, it’s not low-detail (except for one laughably bad frame), it’s just that faces are drawn with warped shapes. Yes I am going to chronicle every time this happens in every show, it’s notable.

What happened here is that they quickly zoomed out to show the whole stage, and they wouldn’t need to show much detail, so to achieve the effect, they started way zoomed in on the cell before pulling back, rather than create a new drawing for one just frame. It’s not really visible when watching.

So, animation stuff aside.... this was a great episode! Since the major theme of this show is finding and chasing your dream, showing each girl’s different progress in that regard is important, and they do it so well. Urara is a bit further ahead than the others, but she still has a lot of work to do to become a famous actor, and her friends want to help her however possible. It’s what this show does best, and this was a fun stepping stone.

Next time, Rin is getting pulled in every direction at once! Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 “kettei” by Nozomi herself, 1 each by Washio and Mika (spoken together)

NOTE: I’m going to come back to add some gifs to this post at a later date. I really wanted to include them the first time around but due to unforseen circumstances, this review was delayed several days past when I wanted to get it out, so I didn’t want to delay it any further. I’ll make a post on @pcd-status when I update this.

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Yes! Precure 5 #YPC513 #PCD160

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3smuth · 5 years ago

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To the Champions of Kamigawa

Not too long ago, Blogatog slipped back into a familiar discussion about Kamigawa and its popularity – more specifically, the lack thereof. In the process, a lot of old arguments arose about the set’s power level, about its proximity to Mirrodin, and the state of Standard at the time it was released. And as true as all of those things are, MaRo has made clear that when he refers to the popularity of Kamigawa as a setting, there are several axes on which they grade a set, and that Kamigawa was unpopular in all of them. And yet, people continue to claim that the creative, the setting, the world of Kamigawa just wasn’t given a fair shake. The fact is, that’s just not true.

Now to be completely clear, I personally liked Kamigawa block. At the time I was no good at evaluating the power level of cards so that hardly mattered to me, and many of the elements of the block seemed cool, different, and just ~weird~ enough to catch my attention. But the thing that’s important to understand is that “weird” is – almost by definition – not popular. There is a certain amount of weirdness, of newness, of difference that players expect and even demand from every set, but every degree of just weirdness you put into your work beyond that actually just makes the finished product more inaccessible to a general audience. When you play up weird for weird’s sake, you just make it hard for people to connect with it.

Kamigawa turned ~weird~ up to 11. I think a lot of the champions of Kamigawa underestimate just how off-putting the setting really was for an average consumer. So I thought it might be useful to go through piece-by-piece and try to evaluate how much weirdness there really was in the set, and how much of that weirdness was going needlessly beyond what the average player demanded.

Kami - We might as well start with the elephant in the room – or perhaps the unrecognisably surreal mass of tusks and trunks that would be the Kami of the Elephant in the Room. The Kami introduced more weirdness into the set than every other element combined, and this was actually by design: they were fully intended to seem otherworldly, that was how they were selling the premise of the plane. The problem here is not with that intent, but with the execution: the Kami were not only very, very weird, they took up so much of the set that they would have pushed the set over its weirdness quota entirely on their own. Nearly half of all the creature cards on Kamigawa were Spirits, and the art for nearly every one of them looks like it was contrived by Salvador Dali – while this is a cool effect individually, forcing players to try and wrap their brains around this several times in every pack they open is just way too taxing. Again, even with none of the other things on this list, the Kami (as they were executed the first time around) likely would’ve turned off enough players to make Kamigawa a middling set. But, of course, they didn’t stop there.

Characteristic Races - While the Kami were designed to feel alien and otherworldly, the other side of the conflict was intended to feel material, corporeal - to feel familiar. Additionally, it had the responsibility of communicating the theme of the set, delivering on tropes that would allow players to recognise the setting as inspired by Japan. This overloading of responsibilities - serving as both the familiar contrast to the surreal Kami, but also as the unfamiliar contrast to a normal Magic setting - would've been a difficult task for any setting, but let's consider how well it was delivered upon here.

Kitsune - I’d consider the Kitsune a 'success', insofar as foxes are something the average person might actually be able to see a connection to Japan in. The problem with the execution here is that while the typeline clearly claimed these creatures were foxes, the creatures themselves were designed around a stylised representation of foxes used in traditional masks – a very specific element of the culture that the average person wouldn’t be able to connect. Red elements on actual anthropomorphized foxes would’ve been cool; having some of the Kitsune wear actual masks would’ve been cool; but taking away nearly all the identifiable features of foxes for the sake of a reference most players were never going to get? Needlessly - and unsuccessfully - weird.

Soratami - Whereas the Kitsune were something some portion of the audience would find resonant with Japan that was simply executed in a way that made them inaccessible, the Soratami were inaccessible from the ground up. The association of rabbits with the moon is much less well-known, and the Soratami are even more ambiguously rabbits than the Kitsune are foxes – the typeline isn’t even used to inform it. That said, the idea of Moonfolk is actually cool enough that I think this would have been a successful application of weirdness in isolation, but in practice it just became one more inaccessible reference that most players couldn’t follow.

Nezumi - An outlier on the plane, the Nezumi actually succeed – amazingly enough – in looking like what they are. The biggest issue here is that there’s no particular resonance between rats and Japan for most of the audience, but offbeat anthro races are something they still do from time to time, and I can’t lodge a specific complaint about it here. Probably not coincidentally, the Nezumi were my favourite characteristic race on Kamigawa.

Akki - Many planes have Goblins, and apparently Kamigawa is no exception. The goblins of Kamigawa look relatively little like traditional Goblins, instead drawing on folk stories of the kappa and adopting shells. This is doubly weird: most players aren’t going to know anything about the kappa, and those that do are going to know them as amphibious, river-dwelling monsters, not analogs to Magic’s Goblins. Now personally, I quite like when they change up the look of familiar characteristic races to show the differences between planes – Tarkir and Ixalan did so pretty successfully – so I’m not highly inclined to complain about the Akki, but I can’t help but feel it’s a little forced when the change doesn’t even make sense to those familiar with the source.

Ogres - These aren’t technically a characteristic race, but they show up in enough numbers that they’re worth mentioning. Interestingly, the oni tropes that Kamigawa’s ogres play into actually line up reasonably well with traditional ogres, so they don’t actually seem particularly weird. I actually think the Ogre/Demon execution on oni was pretty successful, with most of those cards being understandable even to those who aren’t familiar with the source material, yet still unfamiliar enough to communicate that we aren't in Kansas anymore. Again, one of my favourite aspects of the original block.

Orochi - The Orochi, however, somehow manage to do everything wrong at once. They fail to look like the snakes they claim to be, trading in snakes’ single most identifiable feature (all tail with no limbs) for the literal opposite of that (six (!!) limbs with no tail), but even if they did look like snakes, nobody particularly associates Japan with snakes anyway. I honestly can’t even figure out what they were trying to do with these, but whatever it was I can't say that they succeeded at it.

Humans: Given the strangeness of the other races, the bulk of the responsibility for familiarity fell upon the humans of Kamigawa - and in a sense, they achieved that: the Samurai felt like Samurai, and the Ninjas felt like Ninjas. But bear in mind that these things would themselves be the ~weird~ elements of any other set. These things on their own would have met much of the demand for new and different that most players had, but instead of serving that role they were forced to provide comfort and familiarity – a role they weren’t particularly well-suited for, and actively prevented them from capitalising on how cool and different they were. When the most familiar part of the set isn’t actually fundamentally familiar, it makes the entire set feel inaccessible, which is exactly the effect that Kamigawa had on so many players.

Other denizens: In the entire block, there are exactly three creature cards that are not one of the types listed above: one hound, one insect, and one beast. What this meant, more than anything, is that there was no real refuge for players who weren’t into what the block was doing. If a player who loves Green creatures found the Kami too surreal, and the Orochi too confusing, and just didn’t particularly resonate with the monks of Jukai, there was next to nothing for them in the entire block. One card in the last set, and even that is more than Red, Blue, or Black got. Modern Magic sets make sure to have individual cards that are individually appealing, so that when players don’t buy into the set as a whole, there is at least something there to catch them. And this was probably Kamigawa’s biggest failing overall: not only did it force players to ante up to a lot of weirdness, but when they weren’t willing to buy in it sent a clear message that they weren't welcome. If you really want to understand why so many players felt like Kamigawa wasn’t for them, it’s because the set told them it wasn’t. They just listened.

Now, there are lots of things they could have done better. A lower density of Spirits, and toning down some of the more surreal aspects, especially in the common ones: a tangled mass of human limbs with multiple faces and floating, disembodied eyes can certainly be a thing that exists in the world, but does it need to exist in every pack? More resonant and relatable characteristic races would help: make foxfolk enjoyable for people who just think foxes are cute, or introduce a characteristic Green race that doesn’t make you wonder how someone forgot the name for a snake with legs is “lizard”. They could have thrown in more random Japanese tropes, rather than tying every element of the set so tightly together that nothing else fit: it looks like they came accidentally close to including a Boar-Deer-Butterfly trio in Saviors, but loosening up the themes could have allowed for much more of that. There are lots of things they could have done, but didn’t – and the world they would’ve ended up with if they had would be different enough from the Kamigawa we got as to be largely unrecognisable.

And that becomes the fundamental question going forward: is there a way to completely rework the 90% of the setting that didn’t go over well without it feeling like something fundamentally different? And if 90% of the setting needs reworked anyway, should we really bother constricting ourselves to the 10% that was decent? I won't pretend Kamigawa didn't have successes (the Spirit Dragons, for example, are still quite popular to this day) but whether revisiting those successes warrants the limitations that a return would demand is a question that has to be approached very critically. And it's a question that many of Kamigawa's champions may not like the answer to.

[NOTE: I actually wrote up this post about a week ago, and I resolved that I'd simply post it whenever the topic cropped up again. Mark answered a question about Snakes that led to a small discussion about the Orochi in the comments, and I figured that was cause enough for me. Enjoy!]

#magic #mtg #kamigawa #blogatog

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drawfee-quot3s · 4 months ago

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that dude's a freak. don't let him anywhere near tomatoes

- nathan

#denathor #?#denethor #??#opening magic packs and combining the cards into new monsters #drawfee #drawfee quotes #drawfee video #nathan yaffe #nathan drawfee #uergh

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arnoldjaime13 · 4 years ago

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Blog Tour- MUSIC OF THE NIGHT by @aford21 With An Excerpt & #Giveaway! @RockstarBkTours

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the MUSIC OF THE NIGHT by Angela J. Ford Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: MUSIC OF THE NIGHT

Author: Angela J. Ford

Pub. Date: February 15, 2021

Publisher: Angela J. Ford

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 262

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org, Purchase a signed copy and receive a bookmark & art print!

Read for FREE with A Kindle Unlimited Membership!

A haunted tower, a mysterious instructor and the lure of the music of the night…

After the death of her father, Aria is left penniless and destitute. To avoid working the streets she becomes the ward of a Count and moves to a remote town called High Tower.

High Tower is a gloomy place with one vivid attraction: the theater. Lords and ladies come from afar to be seduced by a night of unforgettable entertainment.

Many are warned to stay away from High Tower’s dangerous enchantments, but it’s a warning Aria is forced to ignore. Determined to take her life back into her hands, she and the Count make a deal. She can avoid an arranged marriage if she learns to sing for him.

When Aria stumbles across a mysterious man in a dark tower, she begs to learn the power of song from him. Although reluctant, the man agrees to teach her the music of the night. Between midnight meetings and emotional singing lessons, Aria falls in love with her alluring instructor despite his shadowy past.

But something deadly stirs, awoken by the desire of its master.

Evenings reveries become haunted with terror, blood and murder. Rumors claim the man in the tower in behind the madness that haunts High Tower, a truth Aria is loathe believe. For she just gained the desire of her heart.

What she doesn’t know is that her haunted instructor intends to use her for his own purposes...

Music of the Night is a complete, stand-alone novel inspired by Phantom of the Opera. Perfect for fans of dark and steamy fantasy romance.

An excerpt from another character's POV.

Fate mocked me. Ironic, how the dancer I’d admired in the theater appeared on my doorstep. I watched her leave, black hair flying as she spurred the horse down the hill, back toward the flickering lights of the town, back to High Tower Castle and safety. Even though there was no need for concern, I followed her until she crossed the bridge out of my domain. Squeezing my hands into fists, I stood still long after she'd gone, letting the vapid mist sink through my skin, leaving me cold and clammy. It was uncanny how quickly she'd responded to the call. It had been years since I'd been willing to try again, especially after what had happened last time. Still, a flicker of doubt made me wonder if I should proceed with my plan or let matters lie. Nay, it had been too long; it was time for vengeance.

Still musing, I made my way through the silent wood back toward the tower. Although I'd heard the Count sought performers for his theater, I'd forgotten about his new ward. She wasn't what I’d expected. Tall and beautiful with raven hair, gentle curves and those sharp brown eyes, full of life and defiance. I'd tried to frighten her, but she'd displayed her true spirit. Her resolve was unwavering. When I'd pressed up against her, I sensed there was more, a depth of pain or sorrow she kept hidden, yet it lingered under the surface. Which meant she was an ideal student for my designs. Magic needed to cling to a strong emotion to work, and her sorrow would allow me to imbue her with music and magic.

I'd made sure to have her stand in the circle when she'd made the agreement to give me anything. Anything.

An owl hooted in the wood, reminding me of the past, reminding me of what could be if I went forward with my plan. It was her choice, and I had to admit her tenaciousness and lack of fear tempted me. In fact, she'd laughed at the idea of a haunted tower. A smile touched my lips, quickly fading when I recalled what I had to do. Despite my loneliness and longing for companionship, I had to be careful for the situation was fragile. My emotions could not cloud my judgement, and so I banished all thoughts of taking her as my lover. Learning the music of the night would destroy her, but it was a chance I had to take.

Enough blood stained my hands. I had to end it all, take my revenge before he grew strong again.

With a heavy heart, I returned to the tower and opened the trap door. The underground lagoon had once been a mine and a passageway between my tower and High Tower Castle. Back then, a beast haunted the waters, eating the miners who worked there and anyone else brave enough to venture to the watery grave. But the tunnels had since flooded, and the monster had gone to seek food elsewhere.

Kneeling, I pressed my hand against the water and hummed a tune, letting the vibrations roll outward. It was dangerous, calling monsters with the power of song, but I'd set the events in motion this evening, I had to follow through to the hopeful conclusion.

After a few beats I stood, wiping my wet hand on my pants and climbed the ladder back to the warmth of my lair. Straightening, I eyed the spiraling staircase and ripped off the cloth covering my scars. It was time to write a new song, the best song, combining the heights of my musical prowess into something the orchestra would play for me, and I'd sing. Nay. We'd sing. Together.

Grim smile on my face and faint hope stirring within, I climbed the stairs to compose a melody for Aria to sing.

About Angela J. Ford:

Angela J. Ford is a bestselling author who writes epic fantasy and steamy fantasy romance with vivid worlds, gray characters and endings you just can't guess. She has written and published over 20 books

Angela is also a Co-Founder of Booksniffer. A new app for book lovers, plus an effective way for authors to market their books to new readers.

She enjoys traveling, hiking, and playing World of Warcraft with her husband. First and foremost, Angela is a reader and can often be found with her nose in a book.

Aside from writing she enjoys the challenge of working with marketing technology and builds websites for authors.

Angela is passionate about helping indie authors succeed and co-hosts a podcast called Indie Author Lifestyle.

If you happen to be in Nashville, you'll most likely find her enjoying a white chocolate mocha and daydreaming about her next book.

Visit her website for free stories, character art, autographed books and book swag: www.angelajford.com

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

1 winner will win a MUSIC OF THE NIGHT swag pack with an art print, bookmark and a book candle, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/15/2021

Rockstar Book Tours

Excerpt

2/15/2021

BookHounds/@bookhounds

Excerpt/Instagram Post

2/16/2021

Two Chicks on Books/Jaimerockstarbooktours

Excerpt/Instagram Post

2/16/2021

A Dream Within A Dream

Review

2/17/2021

Jaime's World

Review

2/17/2021

Westveil Publishing / thewestveilarchives

Excerpt/Instagram Post

2/18/2021

popreads/_popreads_

Review/Instagram Post

2/18/2021

huskypuppy432/@_huskypuppy432_

Review/Instagram Post

2/19/2021

Lifestyle of Me

Review

2/19/2021

History from a Woman’s Perspective

Review

Week Two:

2/22/2021

The Eclectic Review/the_eclectic_review

Review/Instagram Post

2/22/2021

Stuck in the Stacks/stuck.in.the.stacks

Review/Instagram Post

2/23/2021

Discover Elysian/discoverelysian

Review/Instagram Post

2/23/2021

The Obsessed Reader/obsessedread

Excerpt/Instagram Post

2/24/2021

Moonlight Rendezvous/moonlight_rendezvous

Review/Instagram Post

2/24/2021

Book Sniffers Anonymous/booksniffersanonymous

Excerpt/Instagram Post

2/25/2021

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Review

2/25/2021

Pine Enshrined Reviews/ Pine Enshrined

Review/Instagram Post

2/26/2021

Life of a Female Bibliophile/lifeofafemalebibliophile

Review/Instagram Post

2/26/2021

Books A-Brewin'/booksabrewin

Excerpt/Instagram Post

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very-merry-sioux · 7 years ago

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Bond Beyond Time

This drabble-ish fic is for @chocolapeanut because I was surprised that they were commenting on my fic again. This is like the 3rd time, I’m really glad you like it that much. XD

Here’s a kind of sequel to A Thousand Knives, I guess? And also a kind of apology because I’m not done with the second chapter of Artificial Doll.

It was embarrassing to admit, but he had forgotten about the man in the museum. There were just too many things that happened after, the God cards, the Ishtars, Battle City, his memories. A strange man who gave him a strange card and said a strange message was not something his mind prioritized, mostly because it hasn’t killed him yet.

Battle City was a mess, if he were honest. And he doesn’t think anyone could blame him for forgetting.

Still, one of the reasons he never told much about his encounter to Yuugi is because he didn’t expect to meet the man again, nor did he expect the man to remember him.

Or actually, he didn’t expect Yuugi to meet the man. Nor did he expect the man to come up to him and start a conversation.

“You’re the boy from the museum, correct?” The man asks, smiling. “How are you? Was the card I gave you useful?”

He tries to hide his sheepishness from Yuugi, but with the way he was looking down at the Puzzle with suspicion, it wasn’t working.

“I’m… okay?” Yuugi replies, mentally side-eyeing the spirit. “And your card was, uh, very helpful in duels?”

Yuugi didn’t know what card the man was talking about, it could have been a calling card for all he knew. But given that this is his other self that he suspects the man is confusing him with, it was safe to assume it was about Duel Monsters.

“I’m glad,” the man beams. “I know you joined a tournament recently, so I hoped that it would help.”

Okay, this was getting a little creepy. He hoped this man wasn’t an overenthusiastic fan. ‘Other me?’

’… Remember that day when I asked to be alone?’

He did, he hadn’t asked for details, he was just glad that his other self looked less troubled after his trip.

Wait, that meant. “This is the onion guy?” He blurts out, the one he suspects his other self liked? He had thought it was a plain, bookish kind of guy. Maybe part of the museum staff who was happy to educate a high schooler. Not someone who looked like he could be part of an expensive host club!

'Aibou!’

Oh, oops, he thought that out loud. Not one who looked like he could be Anzu’s older brother - looks and kindess combined, he mentally amends.

The onion guy in question raises an eyebrow. “Are you remembering me just now?”

Oh, oops, he said that out loud.

‘You didn’t tell me he gave you that card!’ He had thought his other self had just bought a pack again. Also. ‘You didn’t tell me he was interested in you!’

Silence.

‘You didn’t notice, did you?’

The spirit says nothing, having the urge to be buried deep into the labyrinth of his soul so that nobody would find him.

“S-sorry, a lot of things happened… and you do look familiar,” Yuugi lies sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Say, uh, I never asked for your name, didn’t I? And-” he eyes the man, pursing his lips. “-how old are you exactly?”

‘Aibou?’ The spirit wonders why he was interested in that.

“Ah, I’m twenty. I’ll be twenty-one this December,” the man replies, then he smiles wryly. “And I suppose it’s fair you know my name, or else you’ll just call me the onion guy,” he chuckles. “It’s Hadou Madoka, at your service.”

“Madoka…?” Yuugi looks at the man some more.

“… Yes, it’s girly,” the man says dryly. “In my defense, I didn’t choose the name.”

Fair enough.

“Most just call me Ma or Mahou, by insistence of my… cousin,” the man says, shrugging. “Or they call me by my surname.”

He understood Ma but, “Why Mahou?”

“My part-time job, I suppose,” he answers. “I’m a stage magician.”

Huh. “Hadou Mahou… if you flip them, you’d get the word magical wave,” Yuugi muses. “That could be a cool stage name.”

“Don’t give my cousin any reason to mangle my name as it is.”

The man looked too amused with his wordplay, he didn’t think it was that funny. “So what are you doing here anyways?”

“I’ve been hired for an event,” he jerks his head at the booths and other props currently being built and set around Domino Square. “I take it you were invited to join?”

What?

“There’s an event?"

"The CEO of Industrial Illusions is hosting an event to introduce a set of new Duel Monster cards he designed,” the man explains. “You didn’t know? I guess since the duel tournaments are only for beginners under thirteen, it wouldn’t be under your radar.”

Battle City wasn’t even under their radar, they were just in the right time at the right place. If Yuugi hadn’t planned the date, and if Kaiba wasn’t being his typical dramatic self, they would never have known. “It’s more of I haven’t had time to be updated about anything, I’ve been busy.”

If trying not to get magically killed could be counted as busy.

“You do look tired,“ the man says, faint disapproval lacing his tone. It reminded Yuugi of the times Anzu knew he was up all night playing games. "The booths aren’t open and it’s a bit messy, but would you like a tour? You might even be able to buy some items and see some of the performers practicing,” he offers his hand. “It’s not open, so we shouldn’t entertain people yet, but I’m sure they’d give an exception to you.”

Yuugi considers this man some more, he didn’t look like he had any bad intentions. And honestly, after Battle City, his other self deserved another break. The date with Anzu had helped, but he remembered how relaxed the spirit looked that day he asked to take over and be alone with his thoughts.

The age difference bothered him, but he was sixteen (and he assumes his other self is at least that age too). So if it was just eating out and walking around, it wouldn’t be anything bad. And if this man was some kind of pervert, well, they’ve faced worse. His other self could handle an ordinary man.

And to be honest, he doesn’t think the man has any malicious intentions.

“Buy me some lunch and it’s a date,” Yuugi jokes, hands poised over the Puzzle, preparing to switch.

“I was planning to.”

Oh, well, how could he say no to free food? Even one that he won’t personally taste? He briefly closes his eyes to focus his energy.

The spirit stiffens at the large feeling of deja vu. 'Aibou, don’t you dare-!’

And he was out.

Unlike last time, he does not sputter and shout at the Puzzle in an embarrassing display. He instead bites his lip to keep himself for screaming the words he had been planning to say to his partner.

It takes him less than a second to compose himself.

“As long as you don’t feed me only onions,” the spirit sniffs, hiding his nervousness at being placed in this situation. “And as long as you explain to me why you gave me that card.” That was still a mystery to him.

“Have you tried falafel?” The man asks, he gets a shake of the head in reply. “Well, I know a place that makes very good falafel, I have a feeling you’ll love it,” he smiles. “And I gave that card because I wanted to, simple as that,” he reaches out to touch the spirit’s ear. “Hmm, speaking of cards, I actually have some more to give you… like this one!”

The man holds out a card that seemingly came from his ear.

The spirit was not impressed (that was a lie, he was kind of impressed).

“No,” the spirit says blandly, keeping a straight face. He quickly reads the description of the card and has to stomp down the temptation again. Did this man have a penchant for giving him cards he likes? Either way, he was not accepting freebies again.

“Not even if I add these?” The man waves his hand, and violet sparks emit from his fingers. One blink and there were suddenly three cards on his hand.

The spirit looks at the cards and bites his lip. “… No.”

“That wasn’t very convincing.”

“I’m not getting any more free cards from you, I know how hard it is to get support cards like that,” especially ones for rare cards like Dark Magician. “I have nothing to pay you with.”

“Duel Monsters is a trading card game, isn’t it?” The man waves the cards in front of him, like he was a dog being enticed with the scent of meat. “Well, you’re giving me your time, and I’m giving you these cards as thanks.”

“My time is not worth cards that rare,” he scoffs, a little insulted for Dark Magician that any of his support cards were considered that cheap.

“I think it’s worth a lot more, but this is all I can give you right now,” the man counters, grinning at the soft pink staining the teen’s cheek. “And lunch.”

He didn’t know what to say to that.

'Say yes, because we get free cards,’ his partner pipes up. 'Really good cards.’

'Aibou.’

'Right, right, leaving now!’

“Give me those cards, you manipulative onion-obsessed magician,” the spirit grumbles, face still hot from what the man said. “And tell me more about this faferu thing you think I’ll like.”

“Falafel,” the man corrects, giving the cards. He holds the spirit’s wrist gently and softly tugs to the direction of the restaurant. “It’s a dish that…”

The spirit allows himself to be pulled, focused on the cards he has now. He wonders if this will be a thing, that whenever he meets the man he’ll get cards related to his most trusted monster.

First was Thousand Knives.

Now these three.

Bond Between Teacher and Student.

Dark Magic Twin Burst.

Dark Spiral Force.

(he wonders why they’re all related to Dark Magician)

He shouldn’t be spending so much time with the people in this world, shouldn’t be making more bonds that will just be broken, because he’ll be leaving soon.

But he feels the warmth of the hand and hears the gentle tone of his voice, and he thinks it’s just one bond. Just this one bond, one that is his alone and not Yuugi’s. One that is not related to Yuugi’s life at all, one that he found by himself.

Just one bond, it wouldn’t hurt.

#ygo #word vomit #yugi #yuugi #yami #mahad #sealshipping #ish #loyaltyshipping #thousand knives

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deckmaniacs · 8 years ago

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May the Fusion be with you!

By Gaz Webber

Fusions are about to get a concentrated dose of awesome new cards courtesy of Fusion Enforcers!

One of the forgotten arts of Yu-Gi Oh! today is Fusion Summoning. With Pendulum and XYZ decks becoming some of the most used decks in competitive play, Fusion has some catching up to do... but that will soon change with the release of Fusion Enforcers!

So what can you expect from this exciting new addition to the world of Duel Monsters? Well, first up we have a new archetype called the Invoked. Now all these new Fusion monsters revolve around one core monster card named Aleister the Invoker; Aleister is the only main monster in this deck, making this archetype functional with a lot of other decks. It allows you to run a very small Fusion engine, and lets you change your deck strategy based around the cards your opponent is using.

How do you summon these powerful beasts from the extra deck? You can use the new magic card, Invocation, use it to combine just about anything with Aleister the Invoker to get Invoked beasts out on the field. If summoning an Invoked monster using Invocation, you can use monster cards on your side of the field, or in either players graveyard by banishing them from the duel, which opens the game up to all sorts of crazy combos depending on whatever lurks in your opponent's or your own graveyard!

The Invoked Fusion monsters themselves need one Aleister the Invoker plus one more monster of the stated attribute - for example, light, dark, or wind - to successfully Fusion summon them. With high attack points and some powerful effects, this is sure to be the new meta deck you'll be seeing at your local tournaments! So here's a few tips on the Invoked and decks they can be utilised in.

Water decks featuring Mermail and Atlantean monsters, for instance, can use Aleister the Invoker and any water monster to Fusion summon Invoked Cocytus without even breaking a sweat.

Invoked Cocytus has 1800 ATK, 2900 DEF, can attack from Defence position, and can't be targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects, making it an immovable object on the field!

Since Lightsworn decks send cards from the deck to the graveyard with ease, throw Aliester into the graveyard. Once it's there you can use the effect of Invocation to banish it along with a Lightsworn monster to Fusion summon Invoked Mechaba!

Invoked Mechaba lets you negate the activation of a Spell card, Trap card, or monster effect - and banish the card whose activation was negated - by sending a of the same type from your hand to the graveyard. Once summoned you can make your plays using its effect for some sweet protection!

There's new support for other Fusion decks such as the Predatory Plants seen in Invasion Vengeance, the fluffy but not so cute Frightfur monsters, and all sorts of Fusion magic and trap card support (like Instant Fusion and the new anime version of Polymerization). It's safe to say Fusion Enforcers booster packs will be flying off the shelves, so grab your Fusion fix while you still can!

#yu-gi-oh!#fusion enforcers #fusion #fusion summoning

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and Secrets of the Pro Trading Card Games World

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When it comes to versatile gaming, nothing quite compares to a good trading card game. Anywhere, any time, as long as you each have decks and somewhere flat to lay them down, you can play. Of the many available, Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon Trading Card Game are easily among the best for beginners. One of the pillars of table-top gaming, Magic is a multi-colored blowout of intrepid sorcery and ferocious monsters, all wrapped up in nearly three decades of fantasy lore. Pokémon needs no introduction, and just as the video games have gone from strength to strength since the days of Red and Blue, so too has the spinoff card game.

Giving either of these games a go has never been easier, between the wide circulation of the packs themselves, and the digital versions one can play for free. Indeed, Magic: The Gathering Arena and Pokémon Trading Card Game Online provide a fully digital replication of the intense tit-for-tat the TCGs are known for, allowing you to build and test combinations wherever you can find good WiFi. We caught up with Autumn Burchett, a Magic: The Gathering pro, and Azul Garcia Griego, a Pokémon TCG expert, to discuss their careers in card gaming, why they love these communities so much, and what decks and cards you should be looking for if you want to be among the elite.

Meet Autumn Burchett | Magic: The Gathering

Autumn Burchett is a professional Magic: The Gathering player who, in February 2019, became the inaugural Mythic Champion. Making their Pro Tour debut in 2015, Burchett had previously achieved first place in the UK Nationals in both 2017 and 2018 before making the jump to global gold. In that time, it wasn’t just the best of the best they were up against, but revolving systems, too, as Magic restructured its competitive layout from the Pro Tour to the Mythic Championship, from which it’s changed again to this year’s Players Tour. Finding and competing against the best players in the world is an enjoyable challenge, says Burchett, but the added spotlight wasn’t easy to get used to.

“I felt a lot of pressure at first as I really didn’t want to let down the fans I gained from that victory,” they tell us. “It’s taken a lot of time to adjust to that, and to refocus myself again.”

In a typical year, Burchett would travel a dozen or more times around the world to attend Magic: The Gathering events. Around a third of their life is spent on the road in fact, between the crucial tournaments needed to be in world championship contention and other invitationals. Naturally, playing against Magic‘s top-tier is always a thrill, but getting to see and meet the people who make up the local scenes is the real reward of being a touring player.

“I love competing at the highest level events with players from so many different places attending,” they say. “That said, my favorite part of events will always be spending time with friends, and going out for food after the games are done, whether catching up with local friends who I’ve known for many years or getting to see international friends again.”

Unfortunately, for much of 2020, flying internationally has been a no-go, with even local gatherings being improbable until towards the end of the year. Thankfully, online game Magic: The Gathering Arena means pro players can still practice and compete at a high level. Since its release in 2019, the free-to-play version of the TCG has made it much easier for anyone — veterans or those just curious — to get a deck and start playing. “It has definitely widened the audience,” Burchett says. “I know a few people who have been able to have success in part due to digital Magic just inherently being more accessible.”

Burchett has been using online tournaments to stay sharp, like the Star City Games Tour Online, an Arena-centric version of the Star City Games Open Series that normally occurs throughout the year. It’s expected that Arena will be a cornerstone of pro Magic from here on out, meaning digital competitions will still be integral even when players can roam freely again. Between those and Twitch, Burchett has been able to maintain some semblance of a routine, while still interacting with their fanbase and giving the Magic audience somewhere to hang out. It’s a learning experience on both sides, all coming together for a love of these five-colored spells.

“[Arena] encourages me to try out different decks that I might not otherwise,” Burchett says. “I’ve definitely had people say that they started playing again because they enjoy my content or seeing me succeed which is always flattering and makes me happy to hear.”

For anyone looking to make their first steps into Magic: The Gathering, Burchett recommends going Mono-Red Aggro, a recurring deck type that’s all about blowing your opponent up as swiftly as possible. “Your role in any given match-up is generally pretty clear: try to kill your opponent as fast as possible,” they explain. “It can also have a lot of depth to it too though, which makes it easy to learn and hard to master.”

Although playing against random opponents in Arena is good for developing skills, and streams and YouTube videos can provide a semblance of real-life communal play, nothing compares to sitting down with a friend and going a few rounds to see what’s what.

“Find someone else who plays the game and play with or against them,” Burchett says. “The game is a lot more fun when you’re sharing the experience with a friend, or battling against them, and it’s a lot easier to learn that way too.”

Autumn’s Deck

Burchett’s favorite deck at the moment is Temur Reclamation, a Blue, Green, and Red build centered on Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath, a 6/6 mythic rare from Theros Beyond Death. Uro’s a blue-green elder giant that gives you three life, lets you draw a card, and play a land card from your hand when it enters the battlefield or attacks. Getting it out involves exiling cards from your graveyard in addition to its mana cost, but once it’s in play, it’s tough for any opponent. At around $45 on eBay, Uro can be expensive, but it’s easily the largest investment in the deck.

Green and Blue land Breeding Pool is the next highest price-point, coming in at about $30 per card, with Blue and Red equivalent Steam Vent costing $12 or so.

Guilds of Ravnica rare Expansion/Explosion is one of the more costly instants, a Blue and Red split card that lets you either copy a spell and select new targets, or deal X damage to any target.

Brazen Borrower, a Throne of Eldraine mythic rare, is often an accompanying creature for Uro, a flash, flying 3/1 that has an instant power of returning a non-land permanent to an opponent’s hand that’ll run about $15.

Two other enchantments, Shark Typhoon, a Blue spell that makes shark tokens from the converted mana cost of noncreature spells you play, and Wilderness Reclamation, which untaps your lands during the end phase, come in just under $5 to round out the major buys.

“I love Temur Reclamation, it has a lot of flexible play patterns and game-plans,” Burchett says. “Figuring out what role to take in any given game or match-up is a lot of fun as a result.”

Art by Aaron Miller appears in Den of Geek x eBay’s special edition trading card magazine.

Meet Azul Garcia Griego | Pokémon

Azul Garcia Griego began playing the Pokémon Trading Card Game the way many kids did—by just making up the rules so the game was more like the popular anime and video games. But after being invited to a local Pokémon League to learn how to play properly and compete, Griego became obsessed with becoming the very best, like no one ever was. Now he’s a regular international competitor, as well as a streamer and coach, showing new players the ropes as the Pokémon TCG global scene continues to expand.

“When I first started playing, you could go to one regional per season, all the regionals happened on the same weekend, so we went to one weekend,” Griego says. “Now, I’m in America, but if I wanted to go to the ones in Europe and stuff, I could go to 20-plus regionals in a year.”

The last two years, Griego’s been doing laps of this circuit, leaving his home state of Massachusetts around two dozen times, traveling as far as Berlin, London, São Paulo, and Melbourne to compete. Obviously, the playing itself is a major attraction, getting to go against the best from every country and see their approach, but it’s the friendly atmosphere that makes being a career player worthwhile.

“At this point, there are so many people to say ‘hi’ to and just to catch up with, even if just to talk about the games that we’re having today at the regional or whatever it might be,” he says. “Then, doing other stuff like playing other kinds of board games and stuff that people bring to the event to just kill time in between rounds. We’re all just hanging out until the event’s over anyway, so it’s just always a great time.”

Mirroring the Pokémon games, the current sets in standard format for the trading card game are based on 2016’s Sun and Moon and 2019’s Sword and Shield, or generations seven and eight, respectively. So far, two expansions have been released for Sword and Shield, the base set, and Rebel Clash, with a third, Darkness Ablaze, set to drop this August.

Griego doesn’t worry too much about the balancing in standard, always willing to adapt to whatever the prevailing strategies and decks are, but he does think that right now, the playing field is in a decent spot. “It’s pretty good right now, there’s around five or six decks that are contenders to win any tournament,” he explains. “Last meta there was one deck that was by far the best, nothing else was close to its power level, so the meta got played out very quickly.”

Given that traveling and socializing is limited for 2020, Pokémon Trading Card Game Online has been the backbone of competitive Pokémon. He’s been taking part in tournaments there, where he’s encountered a number of players who only play digital, inspiring him to arrange his own for his Twitch and YouTube subscribers.

“I’ve had quite a few people, through just streaming or talking to them, who are only playing in these events because they only play Pokémon TCG Online,” he says. “They don’t play with real life cards, so it gives them a way to play into the game, which is really nice.”

That’s not to say Pokémon Trading Card Game Online isn’t a gateway, but going from playing in the comfort of home, to facing your opponent eye-to-eye, can be daunting. Some of Griego’s Pokémon students actually came to him for coaching so they could build their confidence in making the leap from online to real life. “When the new season comes around, they want to attend events and be a little more refined in their skills going into that.”

While the number of fans for Pokémon TCG related content is relatively small, it’s growing, and Griego reckons that if the online version got a contemporary overhaul, it could see a real boom in interest.

“Twitch would be a great place to grow, and I’m always hopeful that one day a new, clean, fresh client comes out because Pokémon Trading Card Game Online is really old,” he says. “I think it could definitely blow up to the point, you know, of something like Magic: The Gathering Arena or Hearthstone.”

Azul’s Deck

Griego’s deck of choice is the Combo Zacian, a build that surprised him with its versatility when he sat down to play with it. The main mechanic involves cycling through Prize cards on your bench. The namesake, Zacian V from the Sword and Shield collection demands a high price, since the deck is commonly taking players to the top eight, at $74 on eBay. For that money, though, you get a strong attacker – Zacian can do 230 damage for three metal energy – and during your turn you can draw three cards, attach any metal energy to Zacian and keep the rest in your hand.

Metal Frying Pan FLI 144 is the usual companion here, a trainer that reduces the damage a metal pokémon takes by 30, and removes all weakness, for $10 or so.

Griego uses a specific variant that involves Jirachi TEU 99, who lets you search the top five cards of your deck for trainer cards, and generally costs around $14.

The Detective Pikachu version of Mr. Mime who can put your face-down Prize cards on top of your deck is also included, at a cheap $4 average price. Marnie SSH 200 is among the trainer cards, making both players put their hand to the bottom of their decks, then allowing you to draw five cards while your opponent draws four, and has a price of around $32 for a single.

Another piece of the arsenal is Boss’s Orders RCL 189, that lets you switch your opponent’s active Pokémon with a benched one, a trainer card valued at $41.

“You always put the pressure on your opponent to have to deal with you, and I would prefer to be the person in the driver’s seat as opposed to the person always trying to make the comeback,” Griego explains. “I felt like it was very hard to come back against. Once I got ahead with Combo Zacian, I was just ahead.”

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ladystylestores · 4 years ago

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Magic: The Gathering’s digital history, from first build to end step

It was easy to get into Magic: The Gathering when I was 11 years old. The air was crisp, and the leaves were turning, as September 1994 rolled into October. The game was taking over my schoolyard thanks to Ms. Dierdre Lukyn, the coolest teacher at the school. Like any young soul who wants to be part of the action, I bought a starter pack and some boosters and mashed my favorite cards together with some lands. I didn’t know what I was doing. But it didn’t matter. Nobody had any idea about how to build a good deck. Competitive play didn’t exist then the way it does now. Nobody cared. We were kids falling in love with a unique card game that made us feel like wizards.

Over 25 years later, Magic remains a mainstay in my life. I still play games against those same schoolyard rivals. I follow the news daily. I’ve played in tournaments, and I watch my favorite players stream the game. More than Tolkien, more than Final Fantasy, more than anything else, Magic: The Gathering turned me into a fantasy fan.

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It’s always been easy to get into Magic, and the latest effort to reach new audiences is Magic: The Gathering — Arena, and it’s creator Wizards of the Coast’s most ambitious digital product since 2002’s Magic: The Gathering Online. Arena is the latest in a long line of digital Magic products that have attempted to bring the gameplay of the original paper game to computers, game consoles, and phones.

In June, less than a year after entering its open beta phase, Arena celebrated its one billionth game played. A billion. That’s a big number, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the number of games played in tournament halls and around kitchen tables since Magic’s original release in 1993. But the relationship between digital and paper Magic isn’t competitive so much as symbiotic.

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“The digital versions of Magic have all had a positive impact overall,” Chris Cao told me when I spoke with him for this piece. “They help drive more engagement of the core brands, increase play activity and broaden awareness for the game. We also think they provide vastly different experiences, each with their own strengths.”

Cao is the executive producer of Wizards’s internal digital game studio. His job is to focus Magic’s development, operations, and expansion over multiple digital platforms.

Above: The Sol Ring is an iconic Magic: The Gathering card from its first set in 1993. It’s received many reprints.

Image Credit: GamesBeat

Like any product that’s survived multiple decades, Magic’s 25-year journey is full of world-class successes and almost catastrophic missteps. But if there’s one thing that never changes, it’s Wizards’s willingness to experiment and push forward, and their ever-present mandate to make the game as broadly accessible and appealing as possible to players around the planet.

History is best told by the people who experienced it, so I’ve connected with pro players, Wizards of the Coast staff, journalists, and content creators who have devoted their lives to this wonderful game. Join us as we dive deep into the history of Magic: The Gathering’s digital ambitions.

To find the beginning of this digital journey, we have to travel way back to 1997, just four years after the release of the game’s ultra-rare Alpha edition.

Dig through time

“I’ve played way more digital Magic over the years than paper Magic,” Saffron Olive told me when I asked him about his history with the game. “While I started off as a causal paper player a long time ago, as I became more interested in Magic, I started playing more and more Magic Online,” he said, referring to Magic’s long-running online client, Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO). As Saffron Olive began producing more video content, he moved even further away from paper Magic “since digital is way, way easier for video production and streaming.”

With his jubilant beard and infectious laugh, Saffron Olive, whose real name is Seth, is a writer for MTGGoldfish, a noted Magic site with articles, videos, and decklists, and one of the community’s best known “brewers”—players who find enjoyment crafting and playing creative decks, rather than chasing the “meta” decks popular with competitive players. From his home in upstate New York, he can be found daily streaming some of the most unique decks the game has to offer.

Like Saffron Olive, I play more digital Magic these days than paper Magic. I got back into the game around 2013’s Dragon’s Maze digital and paper expansion set, just after a period of major growth for the game during 2009-2012, which Hipsters of the Coast‘s Rob Bockman attributes to a “digital-driven surge of popularity.”

But it took a long time for digital Magic to catch on the way it did during that period.

Shandalar

Above: Magic’s earliest digital incarnation looks far different than what we see today.

Image Credit: GOG

Wizards of the Coast and MicroProse awkwardly ushered in Magic’s digital era with the release of 1997’s Magic: The Gathering—colloquially known as Shandalar. It was a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster. Unlike most of Magic’s future digital offerings, Shandalar wanted to do more than mimic tabletop gameplay, instead borrowing many elements from role-playing and adventure games. Random battles played out like typical Magic games, enabling the player to improve their collection by winning “ante” cards (each player bets a random card from their library at the beginning of each match; winner takes all.) Not completely forsaking the game’s tabletop roots, Shandalar also offered a “duel” mode that pitted players against each other in a more traditional game of Magic.

An expansion called Spells of the Ancients debuted in 1998 and included game engine, AI, and interface improvements along with new cards. A special edition combining the base game and the expansion, plus new cards and features, was released the same year. In August 1999, MicroProse announced a robust new edition of the game with many new features called Gold Edition, but it was not released before the company folded in 2001.

Shandalar earned a special place in the hearts of Magic players as the first attempt to emulate the paper game in a digital format. Twenty years later, it stands as a relic of its time, an interesting forebear of later forms of digital Magic. It’s a bit of a cobbled together mess, but, like the work of Dr. Frankenstein, there’s something undeniably endearing about it.

Popular Magic streamer Gaby Spartz released a video series where she plays through Shandalar. If you want to play along, Shandalar is available as a free download on Abandonware DOS.

Sideboard: BattleMage, Armageddon, and Sega

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Released alongside MTGO in 1997, Magic: The Gathering: BattleMage (PC and PlayStation) took Shandalar’s concept even further, with combat playing out like a real time strategy game with cards representing playable units and abilities.

Also in 1997, Acclaim released a rare arcade game called Magic: The Gathering: Armageddon. As few as four known units exist. The game was so poorly received that one VentureBeat writer saw the only known prototype unit being “used as a shelf for trash” at his local Sunnyvale Golfland in the Bay Area back in the day. Before it could be trashed, the unit was snapped up by a collector and now makes a regular appearance at the California Extreme arcade expo.

Sega released a Japan-only Magic game called, repetitively, Magic: The Gathering for the Dreamcast in 2001. It features cards from 6th edition, Alliances, and Tempest, as well as 10 exclusive cards with Hearthstone-style random effects.

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