#undercity nexus

[thetirisfaltheatretroupe]

Coming October 18th: The TTT's DOUBLE FEATURE at the Dance of the Dead!

(Original background from Quince Media via Pixabay, free-for-use license terms apply) An all too familiar chill is in the air, and the dead rise again to march in solidarity with their brethren. The Dance of the Dead, an event hosted for many, many years by the Undercity Nexus crew over in Caer Darrow, has returned once more this year! Last year, the Tirisfal Theatre was proud to perform on stage for them, and we return once more this year with gusto! Join us on October 18th over on the blood-soaked isle of Caer Darrow, and come to the burned down house across from the fountain at the town's center as we take you on a haunted house tour you won't soon forget with two tales of horrific homes gone wrong! That's right, it'll be like HGTV - but with affordable property! Our first offering of the evening is our delightful horror comedy show based on a chilling song by Jonathan Coulton, where an aspiring real-estate investor attempts to flip his first property. As he is fixing the place up to be sold for a pretty copper, he soon realizes it came with a resident already inside - and it's happy to see him! A little too happy... Will our everyman find a way to make his fortune on this old home? Or will he decide to throw it all away and destroy everything he worked for?

My guess is the latter... Find out, as we explore the horror of the creepy doll in...

THE HOUSE ON RAVEN HILL!

Then, stick around for a story that will chill you to the bone, as we go back in time to an era long ago. A wealthy Lord, known for his benevolence and generosity, gives everything he has to the people of town and is adored in return. But when he takes in a stranger cloaked in mystery and lies, he may find that he has given far too much in exchange for nothing. As the days go by, he may find that his world will change considerably, and not for the better.

Join us as we delve into the mind of a man who has much to give, and everything to lose, and discover this cautionary tale in one of our few non-comedic scripts, the tragic and suspenseful tale of...

THE ALTRUIST!

As we progress through the night, the troupe may stop for brief Q&A segments, put on a few surprise short skits for everyone, and have much ado at the theatre! For those taking part in the Dance of the Dead's D20 competition, pop in and enjoy our show while you wait for your matches! Or if you got your proverbial rear-end handed to you, heal your wounds with laughter and sorrow! The Tirisfal Theatre is pulling out all the stops to make this evening one to remember for all at the Dance of the Dead! So seek out a Moon Guard anchor, come on over to this frightful locale, and join us for a night like no other - only at the Dance of the Dead!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Dance of the Dead is a large Forsaken-themed event hosted every year on Moon Guard server! Despite it being a Moon Guard event, anchors are available to pull you in from other servers to enjoy!

Our performances utilize player characters from both factions. As such, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED you have Elixir of Tongues and TRP to follow and enjoy the show! Typically people will sell these or give them away before and during the show, but try to have some on hand!

As with any of these night-time events, Inky Black Potions are also recommended for maximum immersion!

There will be a brief intermission of 10-15 minutes between shows to allow our crew to take breaks! The total runtime of both plays should be about an hour and a half at maximum, but it may run over depending on technical difficulties.

We cannot host parties or anchor once the show begins! Remember that this will be taking place on the Moon Guard shard of the game. As we find out more information about how anchors are being handled, we'll be certain to edit this information!

Remember, the show starts at 7 Central / 5 Wyrmrest Accord time on October 18th

Below is a map of the performing area! The blue marked area is where the audience should sit as to not interfere with the cast and crew, as well as to be able to see and hear the entire show! If you sit in the white area, or the 'nosebleed section' as we call it, you may be unable to hear a lot of what happens on stage!

We hope to see you all in the audience, and please be sure to check out all the information on the Dance of the Dead, happening October 18th and 19th on Moon Guard server! TL:DR SUMMARY WHO: The Tirsfal Theatre Troupe (Along with the Undercity Nexus and Dance of the Dead staff and crew!) WHAT: Double Feature at the Dance of the Dead! Two spooky plays written and performed by the Tirisfal Theatre Troupe WHERE: Caer Darrow, Western Plaguelands (Moon Guard shard, non-War Mode) WHEN: October 18th WHY: BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU!

A HUGE and grateful thank-you to Banshih and the crew of the Dance of the Dead! We're honored to return this year and perform for you all! This post will be updated as more information becomes available to us! Keep an eye out for any potential changes or new info!

[cupcakeslushie]

That has me so relieved lol. I feel like I’m the worst at fashion 😅. I spend so much time on Google and Pinterest, trying to find cute things to put our boys and April in that would match their personalities.

Leo likes jean material and anything with dark colors (obvi) and also really likes athleisure wear. Raph has pretty similar taste, but with brighter colors. Though it’s hard for him to find jean material that can stand up to his shell, so he also has a love for stretchy stuff that wont tear. Mikey and Donnie like oversized and cute styles! Really soft or fluffy stuff, but also Donnie will throw in some edgy rave outfits when he’s feeling fun. He’s also got the same three outfits for when he’s working and he’ll wear them until they’re covered in paint and oil and totally worn down. Mikey is probably the one that has the biggest and most versatile closet. He has a big problem with online, impulse shopping.

@kitty-kyte This ask has me so curious now about the undercity’s weather! Aw, and now that makes me think the Snow Day episode would go from them fighting, to them just having a good wholesome time showing Donnie how much fun snow could be. And maybe they do have a snowball fight, Leo and Mikey being way too competitive, and Raph and April and Donnie just enjoying some hot cocoa and building a snowman. OR OR OR Donnie, April and Leo make a Jupiter Jim snowman and Raph and Mikey and Cass make a Lou Jitsu snowman and they argue over which one is better and Donnie keeps switching sides because he can’t decide!

@blossomsofopossums

As for your first question! Leo witnessed some small fits during their first few encounters. He was as unnerved as he could be, but sadly chose to ignore the strange behavior in favor of letting Three struggle through them on his own 😔. Then the first time Raph, Mikey, Leo, and April run into Donnie, they can clearly see Three struggling with something they can’t. They’re really confused and don’t know what to do, but with Leo recently revealing to them that Three might be their long lost brother Donnie, Raph has already resolved himself that, Donnie would be coming home with them. Unfortunately he doesn’t really know how to handle Three in that first meeting, and so he’s a bit rough with him, making those first few days of Donnie getting used to being in the lair a manic mess. Later once they learn more, Raph and Mikey will try to talk Donnie through them and Leo will use contact. But they also kind of have to adapt their reactions depending on how bad each one is, and what they think Donnie needs to feel safe.

Question #2! Raph calls him Dad, Pop, or Old Man when he’s feeling cheeky. Mikey calls him Dad and Papa. Leo probably goes through the most names: Master Splinter, Splinter, Father, Dad. Donnie will call him Father or PApA~

Question #3 Donnie had thought he’d already been introduced to so much good food after a few weeks in the lair, but pizza was on a whole new level. Sweets might be his new weakness. But pizza is his favorite savory meal. And you just know that the boys took Donnie to Run of the Mill for his first pizza experience. They couldn’t wait to introduce him to Hueso.

Hueso on the other hand is starting to get slightly annoyed with all these traumatized boys that Raph keeps bringing in. Like he was perfectly happy adopting this huge, but well-mannered teenage turtle and his human friend. Then they come in with the small, infamous battle nexus champion and he’s a little hyper thing sometimes, but he’s pleasant enough, so okay. But THEN, they have some nerve to bring some poor, tired, stone-faced kid, who’s eyes hold much too old of a look in them. It tugs on Hueso’s heartstrings…that is it would, if he actually had them.

NOW what’s he supposed to do with this new one? He can’t just adopt them all can he?

Hueso in the kitchens, to his chefs as they cook the boys’ pizzas:

[elfdragon12]

So, for my own fanfic purposes, I worked on a list of canonical locations on Cybertron. I don't know if any site has a nicely formatted list of cities/city-states, so I thought I might share this list with others. This is mostly comprehensive as I left off locations that were too specific to one continuity or too confusing and it's quite possible I missed a few places. There are some continuity specific places included I think are more flexible. Many items on this list are not expanded upon, so you can have as much fun as you want.

Either way, here's what I got in one handy (very long) list:

Regions

Tri-Torus

- Petrohex

- Polyhex

- Dodecahex

Polar States

- Iacon

- Kaon

Tri-Penninsular Torus

- Uraya

- Praxus

- Protihex

Iacon (capital)

Iacon Central

- Great Dome

- Celestial Spires

-- Celestial Temple

Academy of Science and Technology

Jan-ja

Imperial Amphitheater

Maccadam's Old Oil House

Iaconian Aerial Academy

Metroplex

Trion Square

the Undergrid

Translucentia Heights

the Senate

Xeno Quarter

Hall of Records

Observatory of Iacon

High Council Pavilions

Chamber of the Autobots

Polyhex

Darkmount

Deadend

the original Space Bridge

Polyhex Toll Plaza

a canyon

Grease pits

Nova Cronum

Praetorus Wharf

Chamber of the Ancients

center of philosophy

Protihex

Protihex Medical Mechanics University

Uraya

bigger than Praxus and Protihex

Tyger Pax

idyllic and tranquil

Rust Sea

unstable planetary matter

emits a mostly harmless corrosive gas

Hydrax Plateau

- Damaxus

Toxic Sludge Swamps

Tagan Heights

Durax

Ultirex

- technoversity

Tetrahex

responsible for 40% of industrial output

Tyrest

Jekka Amphitheater

Tyrest University

Altihex

deep space research facilities

underground energon refinery

Altihex casino

Kalis

Pax Cybertronia Decommissioning Depot

Kalis Primary Energon Reserves Control

Kaon

Kolkular

- the Cradle

space bridge

gladitorial rings

Jump Joint

Wreckage Row

mines

Kaon Prison

Kaon Plaza

Ibex

Central Spaceport

Ibex School of Epistemology

Ibex Cup racing circuit

Crystal City

Drouhard University

Refracting Gardens

Geosynchronus Energon Bridge

known for elegant construction and scientific minds

Undercity

mostly deserted

near the Red Sea

Peptex

near Rust Sea

Dodecahex

Shuttle Complex Ohm

Petrohex

Upper Petrohex

Lower Perrohex

Rust Sea tributary

Harmonex

"Singing City"

center for art and learning

Lithic singing crystals

Alyon

uninhabited

Vos

rich in energy resources

close to Tarn

Air Command Center

Stanix

Yuss

- Amprodome

- Justice Building

Fort Scyk

Acid Wastes

Proximax

Transhyperwave Caster Tower

Hyperious

defensive walls

Burthov

docks

launch site

labs and factories

"belongs" to Science Division

Petrex

"twin-mode" city

Simfur

Simfur Temple

Chamber of the Dynasty of Primes

Tarn

power plant

border fortresses

gladitorial rings

original Senate Building

The Decagon

main control center of planetary defenses

Blaster City

low class industrial region

munitions source

weapons manufacturing facility

Rad Zone

dangerous

Plasma Energy Chamber

plasma energy reservoir

Tesarus

artisans and philosophers

Helex

Power Base

gladitorial arena

Axiom Nexus

The Blue Deployer

Widow's Cafe Cybertronian

The Heap

Rodion

waterways

Maccadam's New Oil House

Deltaran Medical Facility

Nyon

Rust Narrows

Acroplex

Gygax

tunnel to Ankmor Park

Ankmor Park

as old as Quintesson supremacy

chemical processing center turned biochemical garden

Galaxxon

industrial

slagwerks

K'th Kinsere

Vaulted Heights

home to High Priests

Triax

the Nexis

Ky-Alexia

stronghold

Plurex

Plurex Flats

Emirate Xaaron Spacebridge Nexus

just outside of Iacon

Well of Allsparks

afterlife

inside the Core

Sistex

Sistex University

Staniz

ship building

Centurion

bright

Praxus

the Assembly

Helix Gardens

Slaughter City

low class industrial center

illegal gladotorial games

Border Regions

borders Iacon

Promontory

Forum of Enlightenment

Predigeon Arch

Cities with no information

Nuon

Pescus Hex

Esserlon

Monoplex

Median

Hexima State

Perihex

Praxium

Bitrex

Ultrix

Valvolux

Carpessa

Glibax

Vaporex

Ambustus Minor

Tribat

Unitrex

Tesk

Teledonia

Detrona

Landmarks

Redox River

Timonium River

Straits of Yuss

Trannis Fork River

Mithril Sea

Argon Sea

- gaseous

Sonic Canyon

The Badlands

Manganese Mountains

Cataclysm Tundra

- Athenaeum Sanctorum

Tri-Torus Loop

Tygun Span

-road between Iacon and Nova Cronum

[mtg-epsilon-butterfly]

Ravnica: The 38th District

Dimir

Despite its unassuming nature with few notable locations; The Dimid controlled districts are hubs of information and research. Littered with libraries on all subjects the dimir guild has expertly woven themselves into the 38th’s society; all the while they collect information and secretly pull the strings of not only the 38th, but Ravnica as a whole.The guildhall is known as The Underclock, where Mistini, the guild’s sphinx keeps a of nexus of Doomsday clocks for districts of interest. The four faces closest to Mistini’s chambers represent the 1st district, 10th district, the 38th district and a district whose identity is hidden, only two minutes till midnight. While the existence of the underclock is shrouded in mystery, high level dimir operatives oftentimes find themselves here during their missions, as it has become a hub of Dimir operations.

Moving on to the main civilian hub of the Dimir Guild, the Lamplight District. The district gets it’s monacor due to the Crescent Rock Prison Complex, This Azorius controlled Prison was constructed to shield the district from the sun. This effect has caused the district to be in a constant shadow, and subsequently develop a Horrible infestation of duskshell crawlers This compacted district houses most of Dimir’s civilian population. Don't be mistaken, although this is a tightly compacted civilian area doesn't mean Dimir doesn't have its operations held within plain sight. Libraries, stores, and even the birds themselves all work as spies keeping a close eye on anybody within the 38th. Under the surface of the lamplight district is a large portion of Undercity. This area was previously azorius territory and thus is a large network of bridges and waterways now known as The Waterlamp District. This has allowed the district to become quite the pain to traverse for those unfamiliar with its complex layout. The entirety of the Lamplight and Waterlamp districts are butted up against the golgari necro-district of Hangulg which emerged and swallowed a chunk of the district about thirty years ago. While the two gilded districts dont necessary get along, the larger enemy is the Azorius Senate who built a complex of prisons hovering over the districts. Until the fall of the Crescent Rock Prison Complex the two guilds have vowed to cooperate.

[fancylances]

OC Kiss Week / Day Six / Adventure

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

.

It’s not the first time that Geno has come along with the Taskforce to help with a mission, but it might just be the most important. Maybe the most important thing Nikolai has ever done—ever will do.

The Guildpact is broken. Jace, the Living Guildpact, the man that is supposed to protect Ravnica and its laws, is off-plane and no one can seem to contact him. And the only way to restore peace is to restore the Guildpact—by rewriting it. Using his Azorius law magic, with a representative from each of the ten guilds, using Lyka’s mind magic to link them all at the nexus of power at the Golgari guildgate… it might just work.

And Nikolai is terrified. Of the consequences of fighting back against Niv-Mizzet’s machinations, of failure and what that means for the Guildpact, of losing one of his friends and not having the power to bring them back. But even his fear is nothing compared to the scared look in Geno’s eyes. A man that has spent his life in the shadows, anonymous and silent, suddenly finding himself in the middle of the biggest adventure any of them had ever imagined. 

As they make their final preparations at the Office of the Guildpact, he sees that fear in Geno’s normally joking, grinning face. 

Nikolai takes a bracing breath through his nose and holds it for a moment. Then touches Geno’s arm—startling him from whatever spiraling thoughts had seized him. He doesn’t say a word, just takes Geno by the hand and brings him to sit at the long conference table with him (around them, Toto makes plans with their Izzet friend Savri; Lyka and the Rakdos barbarian she’d brought in for the mission share a round of shots from the drink cart; Eleanor and her Simic contact try to get the Gruul goblin to settle enough to listen to a plan).

He sits Geno down, hands shaking, and casts a spell. Golden runes splay out with his fingers, a ring of soft glow in the dim light of sunset through the windows. The light reflects in Geno’s eyes, watching him as that golden glow bolsters and emboldens him.

“What’s the spell for?” Geno finally asks, voice small.

“Death ward,” Nikolai answers. His hand lays flat on Geno’s forearm, gently gripping him as he finishes the spell. He can’t meet Geno’s eyes. “It’ll protect you.”

He hears Geno breathing, the way it catches like he’s going to speak and then doesn’t. Then his big hand covers Nikolai’s, encloses it, and holds him there.

“Thanks.”

Nikolai doesn’t move. “Genya, I want—” He wants to say a thousand things. “I want you to promise me that if this doesn’t work—if things go south, you promise that you’ll turn and run.”

When he finally meets Geno’s eyes, he finds something burning there; brows pinched and looking at Nikolai like he told him to jump off the top of a tower.

“What?” Geno scoffs. “I’m not doing that, I’m not leaving—”

“Please,” Nikolai cuts him off abruptly. “Please, I don’t fucking care if you lie to me. I just want you to say it.” His throat locks up before more emotion can come pouring out.

Geno sighs, frowns. “Okay. Fine. If something happens, I’m gonna turn and run like a fucking coward.”

“Okay,” Nikolai manages to say. Nods. Wants so badly to lean up and kiss him. And for a moment, he thinks that the nerves are going to let him. But he hesitates, yet again. And just nods. “Okay.”

Geno doesn’t die. The plan doesn’t go south, and Geno doesn’t run. They fight off the avatar of Niv-Mizzet’s mind, break the web he’d placed over Ravnica, and unite the Guildgates. The Golgari guildgate reacts to the combined magic of their gathered guild representatives—the magic of the Guildpact rewriting itself through them. Sealed and signed with the binding law magic of the Azorius.

The Undercity is alive. It’s always been growing, but with the magic of the Guildpact—the magic of Ravnica—surging back through it, the Undercity is thriving. Where lichen and dark moss once clung to slickrock, it blooms now with gorgeous flora. Luminescent fungi in a hundred different colors, throwing stained-glass light across their faces. It actually takes Nikolai’s breath away.

“Wow…” Geno murmurs beside him, “it’s beautiful.” A splash of gorgeous green light shines on his face (brings out the color in his eyes, makes them brighter and greener than Nikolai has ever seen, and yeah, it’s fucking beautiful is on his tongue and he doesn’t mean the mushrooms).

And then that same magic surge hits him in the chest—hits all of them, by the matching looks of surprise on his friends’ faces. Geno actually gasps, his eyes wide as he looks right at Nikolai. Where their hands are dangling by their sides, Nikolai feels Geno’s fingers snap into alignment with his, linking inextricably with the shock of that wave of ambient magic.

“Woah—” Geno says, heavy like he’s out of breath. “Did you feel that, too?”

The magic thunders through Nikolai’s veins like he’s flooded with serotonin, with wide-eyed enthusiasm, with courage. 

For what feels like the first time in his entire fucking life, he isn’t scared.

This is it, he barely has time to think before he’s already moving. 

And Geno sees it, sees Nikolai looking right at him. Despite everything happening, looking at him. His mouth ticks open, holds his breath.

Nikolai wraps his fingers around the back of Geno’s neck to pull him down as he stands on his toes and kisses him.

Bruised and beaten and bloody from their battle, surrounded by the sudden surge of magical growth of the Undercity, all of his friends around him—none of it fucking matters because he’s kissing Geno Kazimir.

Finally.

And, he realizes suddenly, Geno Kazimir is kissing him back. Nikolai feels Geno’s hand sliding through his hair, holding him there. There’s something almost desperate in the way that Geno kisses him back, pulls them closer together and deepens that kiss. 

It almost makes him dizzy, that sudden realization that this isn’t one-sided. That Geno hasn’t backed off and asked him what the fuck he’s doing—doesn’t call him out; doesn’t retreat, refuse, revile. That fifteen years of being in love with this asshole wasn’t some absurd dream. 

He’s kissing him back. They’re kissing. 

An impossible grin spreads across Nikolai’s face, so wide it hurts (all of him hurts, like the sun is beating against the inside of his chest and is going to burst out of him). So happy it’s almost sad. 

He sees Geno blink. Their noses are touching, so close and just looking at each other. Still Nikolai and Geno, but something’s different, now. And Geno’s face bends into a grin to match. Nikolai’s heart fucking aches when he sees that smile, knows it’s for him. It comes out in a laugh, something relieved, shaking.

He throws his arms around Geno’s neck and kisses him again. Geno gladly obliges.

He thinks he hears Lyka cheer.

[shmokeymoe]

My rise oc! She is a bumble bee yokai and is a reporter in the undercity that works with big mama to provide entertainment for her battle nexus

Kinda like half time commercials at a super bowl but it’s videos of news happening in the city and on the surface

[ratsuup]

been thinking about Them all day & rotating this picture........

like, i'm just stuck on the fact that the background is absolutely bm's webbed lair. so this has to be from after she revealed her yokai status & yoinked splinter to the undercity. & like, we know that there was a time when lou was a Proud nexus champion, when he thoroughly enjoyed it, so it wasn't from the start that he was held entirely against his will. which just points to the fact that despite the non-answer to his proposal they clearly had some semblance of an agreement or deal & continued to have a happy relationship for a time. rotating them............

[lunar1an]

part of it is probably because the crux of the kelly family plotline i think(?) is that like. it's a torment nexus of a household that's made a lot of mistakes but it's one that is able to "fix itself" and have the family reconnect and come together despite those mistakes.

to some degree them breaking from the traditional nuclear "parents and kids live together in same house" structure is what helps that 'fix' -- the parents splitting the household apart so mrs kelly can do her upper middle class mom job letting the kids have some breathing room.

what i find interesting is like. the differing treatment given to connor for his fuck-ups. the guy becomes the cool dorky dad people generally think is cool because he has no problems with avery's life (or worse)-threatening practice and supports the protagonist unconditionally in all her efforts (contrast jasmine who has even more valid reasons to want to keep lucy from being a child soldier and the fandom's annoyance at her for Not Getting The Stakes(tm) and just going along with lucy).

but also even after the split which should have given him more time to focus on grumble, declan, and kelly, it takes until the epilogues for declan to really be addressed and until like arc 23 or so for the family to go "maybe we should not neglect our disabled old guy and let him watch conservative doomer news all day and actually drive him out to see friends and hang out with him".

but you know instead of pale talking about close to home family issues the girls need to fight more wars and enforce the kennet state authority on the region and undercity i guess.

i think there's validity in a narrative of like. sometimes a family can fuck up but they learn from it and still stick together. especially since another narrative exists alongside it of a family where the child Has had enough and gets out and never talks to her father again and that is also portrayed as good and healthy for the kid. but as with all things pale bizarrely there was not enough/no serious focus on account of too much pagetime doing 1 million other things without enough focus.

hangon im trying to synthesize a Kelly family post to get in on the White Family posting here but now im just thinking about how i barely. ever see anyone talking about. avery. the kelly family torment nexus. like theres something there you can dig your teeth into but nobody seems to want to. and I'm wondering why that is. anyway I think that's the end of the post everyone I didn't really come up with anything

[dreeworks]

Banshih

[dracothulhu]

The Temple Jedirodyne AU

Presume for a moment that the Jedi a thousand years prior to the PT were not so absolutely sure that the Sith were extinct. Presume that they looked at the ravages of the Dark Side presence from the occupations and battles pressing at their senses like a miasma, and decided that more needed to be done. The Temple on Coruscant had been attacked and occupied at least once during the Jedi-Sith War, after all. So they looked at the possibility of creating an guardian that would stand for as long as the Temple existed - the Temple itself. 

The Temple is alive; suffused with the presence of one of those ancient Jedi to defend the younger generations far into the future. The structure itself is reinforced with extra, hidden defences - concealed blast doors, enough power generation (solar, wind, geothermal, whatever) to support itself even cut off from the Coruscant power grid, a shield generator capable of withstanding orbital bombardment, and so on - all of which the Temple itself can control. It’s a fortress of last resort, even if it pretends not to be - even ignoring that the Temple is tapped into the Force nexus within the heart of the mountain that it caps, which gives it terrifying power compared to a mortal wielder.

Meanwhile however, the Temple is not merely a silent guardian. That first generation of Jedi after it came to life knew it after all, and would have no reason not to keep speaking with a fellow. The Temple can see, hear, and speak through both mundane means (cameras, microphones, and so on) and the Force itself, and its immense Force presence is a beacon across the whole planet - for the Jedi, a warm and encompassing comfort, like a psychic hug; for the Sith and others of the Dark Side, burning like the air too close to a raging bonfire. The Temple speaks to the Jedi across the generations, and becomes something of a fixture for the Order as a whole - like a close uncle or aunt, an entity who can always be relied on for support and guidance no matter the Jedi in question (though the Temple vigorously refuses any formal position of authority).

Skip forward to the Clone Wars: like with the rest of the Jedi, the Temple has been slowly battered down by the encroaching misery of the war, the fatigue and stress of the Jedi and the constant slow trickle of their deaths. By the close of the war, the Temple is near catatonic and no longer responding to the presence or calls of its inhabitants. Then Order 66 happens.

The Temple feels the one-two punch of the Jedi around the galaxy dying, everywhere, all at once, and it finally feels the Sith presence from Palpatine and Anakin Falling. This - the sudden agony of its charges dying, and the re-emergence of the ancient enemy and the purpose for the Temple’s current existence - is enough to shock the Temple out of its stupor and it begins to enact the measures that it had planned for for a thousand years and never needed to enact. The Temple orders all of the Guard inside, and then locks down. Every entrance is sealed, every defensive system (unused, but thanks to a small army of maintenance droids, dutifully kept in working order and updated through the centuries) fired up. Operation Knightfall is a resounding failure, the Temple remains unbreached (though it will remain under interdiction and observation for the duration of the Empire), and the Jedi inside survive - the old, the young, the wounded, and everyone who was there to recuperate in their ancient home. (Palpatine knew, more or less, that the Temple was aware, from the fragmentary knowledge of previous Sith and the knowledge he’d carefully gleaned from the young Anakin Skywalker in years past. He perhaps thought it would be a delightful cruelty to break the entity to his will, to fully cement his victory. He did not know of the titanic power it could wield to tear apart the surrounding plaza to hurl and scatter troopers like sown grain and cast lightning from the spires to destroy aircraft. He wouldn’t have reason to. He can’t go near the thing now - Vader survived only barely, and clings to life inside a new life support suit, but the Temple would crush Sidious like a bug without remorse.)

Some of the Jedi leave, and the Temple sends them out through forgotten passages into the depths of the undercity where the Empire cannot maintain a watch. Many others remain, safe in the Temple, and stay there until the day the Empire dies.

[rensect]

An echo quakes in scales: I'll give you a war. Filch your organs and pour your blood out to make room for it. 

na-Baron sweep like nexu whipping tail at prey. Perceive rogue vermin gliding in metal air, yet think to put blade to anti-Force; beautiful weapon, not made for that. 

Helm peer down at na-Baron with knife tongues holding a part of the black from which the Ren came. 

"Heh." Hollow noise, coin hitting dry well. "Save your words. Don't care for what not have. Not of meat. Of Ren. From place of hundreds years war. Saw first thirty, one empire. Saw next thirty, new order, republic sector razed from face of galaxy. See how war here fares when the Ren aligns. Change coming." 

"Freedom…" Ren Dräede, the sound of smoke hissing, the sound of bodies falling on forest moons, distant rumble, disembodied. "Meet it somewhere in sands. Would say to hope you meet it this day, in arena. Both know, hope fool's gold. Neh?"

Yet Dräede bodywork shift, slow, back step, drag left, back, drag right. Meld into fringes. Good vantage.

"Attention—your left. Fifteen seconds. Draw. Slice low." 

For out of the slick shadowy maw in that bleached and scalded stadium would come another slick dark thing bounding, reptilian-quick, its teeth chromium squares in little rows. Its weapon a many-headed hydra, flailing insanely off its shoulder as it cut across the field.

Ren Syrax, warchild come. Undercity warchild come to meet Harkonnen blade as it turn. All life war inside, oozing out. Life cannot contain itself. And so Dräede watch life, its own war, clashing.

Syrax reach for snake handle with bulbous, phrik skulls, making them show flickering red teeth. One sink of kyber tooth in right moment and place and certain freedom for na-Baron. But Ren Dräede keep disruptor balance on high-up shoulder guard. When war not on field, all but death remains, and death useful only in time. Obliteration, however, useful. Useful for transmogrification of matter into politics. No force more powerful in realm of Houses.

Why are you giving the blade more edge, you insufferable old man?

Because the blade has ears. 

@nightmarefuele

x.

De Vries once said about death addicted things. Decay as a characteristic, environmental as spices melange that spore ecosystems on lung walls. Piter, though, was one cell away from a fool. He toed the line. Died, pitifully.

He must not've known a thing. Feyd-Rautha decides this pillar's more absence than man when first its eyes, like glinting knives' tongues, pointing, bud over its black swallow. No insides.

He's panthering the arena, all shoulders and as-yet unrefined grace. The chalk ground's a preternatural sieve, takes what's brutal and brash and barbarian, chokes the rest. You die, keeping the rest. Here, you're only blades.

Feyd-Rautha is this congenitally. He was mantid-sharp with the other meat now dead, the stuff that signets his left thumb and his right wrist and the apple of his throat. Now he narrows both ways: there's another splotch clotting the crescent grandstands. It doesn't make the circle, doesn't spread that far. Can't? Yes. There's this one, who's eroded, and talks like shriveled paper, like flesh hung to dry off dentin and bone.

Both are treading on na-Baron's palm.

Feyd-Rautha doesn't smile now. He slinks, gladiatorial dress crouching for ground. As-yet smooths to a lither now. Not a knife. Rautha hasn't decided whether to draw.

❛ I'd very much like to. ❜ Rhythm from his throat. It's patronizing. It's not. ❛ You don't care for the war. Do you? ❜ Are you a creature of politics. Do you come from a place or do you come from nowhere. Feyd-Rautha nudges his brow with his head. ❛ But you care for blood. Organs. Death. ❜

Are they the harbingers of others? Are they the Mentats' crop? No. But they could be of Mentat assassins. Do they move like counterintelligence?

Does this one need movement? Does it need?

Feyd-Rautha stares down projectile asophagus. Purring. He'd break off at the first luminant strand.

What a thing to yearn the killing angel, the more-than little death.

The white passing under his left thenar sneers for him.

@rensect

[theborderlandcoalition]

Dance of the dead

It has become apparent to about that diplomacy with the Forsaken had failed. Despite Stormwind's preparations and attempts to negotiate with them, the Dead still intend to dance this eve, and the life of one of Stormwind's higher level politicians is on the line. The first part of Undercity Nexus's event, the Dance of the Dead has arrived. They have been kind enough to provide us with many story threads and allow us to interact with them in regards to this plot, and many developments you have seen over the last month (and some you will see continued afterwards) are because of them and their handiwork. The Alliance have been invited into Lordaeron to bare witness to the Forsaken's cruel and unusual method of Justice. While many will answer such an invitation, they do so for more reasons than to simply bare witness. The forsaken have captured many, and the captured will have champions who will enter trials of combat on the captured's behalf. A force is required to keep the odds even, and prevent the forsaken from doing anything untoward towards the champion that has been chosen to represent the interests of the High Speaker, or any other captives they may have. So the Alliance will answer the call, will act with honor when their enemy has none, and will grit their teeth for the greater good, while preserving the integrity of the loved ones of those who will attempt to fight to rescue their loved ones who may be hostages. Anyone who is willing to volunteer to the forces of the Duchy of Eastburg, and follow their Marshal, Dame @Truthkeeper and Meng Shufen as they organize the approach and operations within tonight's event simply has to be at Light's Hope Chapel. -- Meng

[mtgbracket]

Round of 8192 - Batch 39 results

792 Bracketeers voted in Batch 39, and 9.16m votes have now been cast.

Visual results are here and today’s results are:

Jeskai Ascendancy defeats Terra Ravager with 95.45% of the vote Advent of the Wurm defeats Moriok Scavenger with 93.63% of the vote Wargate defeats Mossdog with 90.45% of the vote Loaming Shaman defeats Lagonna-Band Elder with 89.06% of the vote Bringer of the Green Dawn defeats Shinen of Fury's Fire with 87.91% of the vote

Mox Ruby defeats Undercity Informer with 86.28% of the vote Umezawa's Jitte defeats Summary Dismissal with 85.15% of the vote Life from the Loam defeats Ugin's Nexus with 84.72% of the vote Splitting Slime defeats Quicksilver Behemoth with 84.24% of the vote

Arcane Laboratory defeats Cloak of Mists with 83.33% of the vote Throne of Geth defeats Fatal Mutation with 82.00% of the vote Goblin Chieftain defeats Jace's Mindseeker with 79.71% of the vote Swarmyard defeats Stir the Grave with 78.55% of the vote

Akoum Hellkite defeats Moorish Cavalry with 78.13% of the vote Empyrial Archangel defeats Azorius Aethermage with 78.08% of the vote Serra Avenger defeats Brine Elemental with 77.47% of the vote Dynavolt Tower defeats Vexing Scuttler with 77.38% of the vote

Mind's Dilation defeats Seller of Songbirds with 73.79% of the vote Luminous Angel defeats Heretic's Punishment with 70.89% of the vote Ring of Gix defeats Remote Farm with 70.22% of the vote Yisan, the Wanderer Bard defeats Bump in the Night with 68.68% of the vote

Plumeveil defeats Cyclops Gladiator with 64.04% of the vote Summon the School defeats Hunting Moa with 63.83% of the vote Thalakos Deceiver defeats Callow Jushi with 63.00% of the vote Grafted Exoskeleton defeats Hooded Assassin with 62.76% of the vote

Heroes' Bane defeats Presence of Gond with 61.30% of the vote Runewing defeats Territorial Baloth with 61.20% of the vote Profit // Loss defeats Convalescent Care with 58.02% of the vote Temporal Distortion defeats Recollect with 54.46% of the vote

Nihilistic Glee defeats Wanderer's Twig with 53.96% of the vote Island of Wak-Wak defeats Legerdemain with 53.75% of the vote Ivorytusk Fortress defeats Flame-Kin Zealot with 52.96% of the vote High Priest of Penance defeats Emerald Medallion with 51.11% of the vote

Full results to date can be seen here.

[the-burnished-hart]

Modern Masters 2017 Draft Archetypes: My Speculations

Image from https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/modern-masters-2017-edition-and-amonkhet-packaging-2017-02-20

Modern Masters 2017 previews begin Monday, so before they do, I wanted to get my speculations for the draft archetypes out there. MM3 will include Modern-legal cards up through Magic 2014 Core Set, including the original Innistrad block and Return to Ravnica block, so my guesses for possible reprints will be confined to those sets. Here’s what I’ve got so far.

White-Blue Flyers

Possible reprints: Favorable Winds, Lyev Skyknight, Geist of Saint Traft, Warden of Evos Isle, Judge’s Familiar, Daring Skyjek, Bruna, Light of Alabaster, Ascended Lawmage

Blue-Black Zombies

Possible reprints: Reap the Seagraf, Diregraf Captain, Geralf’s Messenger, Gravecrawler, Weight of Precinct Six, Moan of the Unhallowed, Ghoulraiser, Ghoulcaller’s Chant, Blood Scrivener

Black-Red Vampires

Possible reprints: Stromkirk Noble, Falkenrath Aristocrat, Blood Bairn, Bloodcrazed Neonate, Shadow Alley Denizen, Blood Artist, Bloodflow Connoisseur, Stromkirk Captain

Red-Green Beatdown

Possible reprints: Ghor-Clan Rampager, Huntmaster of the Fells, Ash Zealot, Madcap Skills, Zealous Conscripts, Burning-Tree Emissary, Domri Rade, Kalonian Tusker, Vexing Devil

Green-White Lifegain

Possible reprints: Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice, Voracious Wurm, Archangel of Thune, Angelic Accord, Centaur Healer, Unflinching Courage, Moment of Heroism, Heroes’ Reunion

White-Black Reanimator

Possible reprints: Griselbrand, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Obzedat’s Aid, Unburial Rites, Pack Rat, Grim Return, Undercity Informer, Balustrade Spy, Lingering Souls, Angel of Serenity

Blue-Red Spells Matter

Possible reprints: Snapcaster Mage, Young Pyromancer, Faithless Looting, Delver of Secrets, Cyclonic Rift, Guttersnipe, Mizzium Mortars, Burning Vengeance, Think Twice

Black-Green Graveyard

Possible reprints: Dreg Mangler, Spider Spawning, Mulch, Scavenging Ooze, Grisly Salvage, Boneyard Wurm, Ghoultree, Varolz, the Scar-Striped, Corpse Hauler, Kessig Cagebreakers

Red-White Tokens

Possible reprints: Assemble the Legion, Rally the Peasants, Gather the Townsfolk, Ogre Battledriver, Goldnight Commander, Thatcher Revolt, Firemane Avenger

Green-Blue Hexproof

Possible reprints: Invisible Stalker, Spectral Flight, Experiment One, Witchstalker, Keymaster Rogue, Way of the Thief, Gladecover Scout, Slaughterhorn, Zephyr Charge

Other possible reprints in no particular order 

Arrest, Bonds of Faith, Claustrophobia, Frost Breath, Victim of Night, Stab Wound, Doom Blade, Annihilating Fire, Prey Upon, Hunt the Weak, Mutavault, Cavern of Souls, Rest in Peace, Grafdigger’s Cage, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, Aetherling, Desecration Demon, Door of Destinies, Liliana of the Veil, Craterhoof Behemoth, Restoration Angel, Warleader’s Helix, Skullcrack, Abrupt Decay, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, all ten Guildgates

Other possible reprints not in INN, RTR, or M14 blocks (in no particular order)

Stoic Angel, Slippery Bogle, Seedborn Muse, Hidden Horror, Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Mindslicer, Crucible of Worlds, Inquisition of Kozilek, Golgari Thug, Oona’s Prowler, Rancor, Favor of the Overbeing, Boar Umbra, Ajani’s Pridemate, Serra Ascendant, Soul’s Attendant, Aven Mindcensor, Path to Exile, Goblin Guide, Noble Hierarch, Death’s Shadow, Through the Breach, Gifts Ungiven, Lantern of Insight, Chalice of the Void

Cards I think will not be reprinted (in no particular order):

Zendikar fetchlands, Damnation, Aether Vial, Lightning Bolt, Cryptic Command, Vendilion Clique, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Mox Opal, Blood Moon, Doubling Season, Inkmoth Nexus

I’ve listed 150 possible reprints and 15 cards I don’t think will be reprinted in this post. I’ll revisit my guesses and calculate my score once the whole set is spoiled. If I get 75% of my draft archetypes correct, or 75% of my guesses of cards reprinted or not reprinted correct, I might treat myself to something nice---maybe a box of Modern Masters 2017?! Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

[bubonickitten]

What are your favourite/most reccomended skyrim mods for someone who's only played vanilla?

Okay, so I went through my Nexus Mods Manager and Steam Workshop mods lists and picked out some of my favorites. (Note that some of them require SKSE.)

General:

ETA: Forgot to mention the Unofficial Skyrim Patch, which is honestly something worth having even if you don’t use mods, because there are a lot of broken quests and glitches even in the vanilla game and this makes it so you encounter less of that. 

SkyUI - Takes a little while to get used to, but once I did, I definitely prefer it to the vanilla UI. Also adds a Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) that a lot of other mods use to toggle different options offered by those mods.

Sounds of Skyrim - There are three: The Wilds, Civilization, and The Dungeons. Adds a ton of new sound effects to the game and lets you toggle which ones you do/don’t want.

Climates of Tamriel - New weather patterns, sounds, lighting, etc.

Run For Your Lives and When Vampires Attack - If you’re tired of unarmored, unarmed NPCs rushing at incredibly lethal creatures and expecting good results.

Better Stealth AI for Followers - Because it’s really annoying when you’re trying to sneak and your follower is carrying a damn torch.

Mods for your convenience:

Detailed Mine Map Markers - Adds the type of ore that can be found in the mine in parenthesis after the mine’s name on the map. VERY convenient.

House Markers - Adds map markers to player homes that are available in the base game.

Return Home Teleport Spells - Adds spellbooks to each of the houses you can get in the main game, plus the Ragged Flagon and Archmage Quarters.

Teleportation Books and Teleportation Books (Dawnguard) - More teleportation spellbooks.

Lock Picking Chalk Marks - I wish I found this mod twelve playthroughs ago. It makes lockpicking a lot more tolerable.

Infinite Gold for Merchants - Gives each merchant 20,000 gold to barter with. Useful if you’re like me and like crafting and stealing and hoarding but then have trouble selling it all without having to travel to five different cities.  

Lightweight Potions and Poisons - Adjusts potion/poison weight to 0.1 instead of 0.5 so you can carry more stuff.

Earring of Unburden Lite - Earring that significantly increases your carry weight. Thank god.

Bandolier Bags and Pouches - If you still need more carry weight (I know I do) and/or love accessorizing.

Stones of Barenziah Quest Markers - If you’ve ever done this quest, you know how useful this would be.

Jiub’s Opus Quest Markers - Why this wasn’t in the base game is beyond me. 

Unread Books Glow - Adds a glow to any books you haven’t read yet (including skill books). Helpful especially if you like collecting things.

Enemies-related mods:

Extended Encounters - The original that I have installed has been taken off Nexus Mods, but apparently there’s a similar one here.

Even More Dragons! - Adds significantly more encounters with dragons - I love it, but it’s hell when you’re still at a low level, so be careful. There are two other versions - More Dragons! (more encounters than usual, but less than Even More Dragons!) and Most Dragons! (which… I tried this one first and it’s great if you feel like fighting four dragons at once outside of a major city and then having to resurrect like 20+ NPCs when the dust settles just so you’re not walking around in a ghost town, but if you just want to casually complete quests without constantly being on fire, I recommend downgrading to More Dragons or Even More Dragons, lmao).

Extra Encounters and Extra Encounters (Dawnguard) - In case you still aren’t satisfied with the sheer number of people, places, and things that want to kill you in Skyrim.

Diverse Dragons Collection - Adds 14 new types of dragons to the game, so while you’re constantly being harassed by dragons, at least you get some variety.

More Enemies - Adds new types of enemies to the game. (Beware the bridge trolls, they’re dicks.)

(This is getting long, so I’ll put the rest under a cut.)

Factions:

Moonlight Tales - Customizable werewolves. Offers different pelt and eye options; a wolfkin alliance option (i.e. if you’re a werewolf, wolves and other werewolves aren’t hostile); and options for involuntary lunar transformations, which adds a new dynamic to the game.

All Thieves Guild Jobs Concurrently - Lets you take one of each type of job from Vex and Delvin simultaneously, which means less trips to and from the Ragged Flagon.

Localized Thieves Guild Jobs - Lets you choose which Hold you want a job for, rather than having it be randomized. Which means less saving and reloading and cursing in order to get a job in that last Hold you haven’t taken over yet. (Not compatible with All Thieves Guild Jobs Concurrently. I’ve tried both and both are good, it just depends on your playstyle which you might prefer.)

Improved Vampirism - Requires Dawnguard.

Aesthetics™:

Enhanced Blood Textures - [chanting] more blood! more blood! more blood!

Pure Waters - Really improves the appearance of rivers, lakes, etc.

Book Covers Skyrim - Adds really nice unique covers to all the books in the vanilla game and DLC.

Lanterns of Skyrim - Adds lanterns along the roads all throughout Skyrim. They turn on automatically when it starts to get dark (iirc you can customize the timing in the MCM).

Shadowmarks - Adds Shadowmarks to player homes. Because the Guild Master lives here.

Skills/Crafting/etc.:

Complete Crafting Overhaul Remade - Exactly what it says on the tin. Also very customizable depending on your specific preferences (requires SkyUI for its MCM feature).

Wintermyst Enchantments - Adds 124 new unique enchantments to the game. FUN.

Smithing Redesigned - Redesign of the smithing skill tree.

Smelting Plus - Melt more stuff.

NPCs:

Hearthfire Multiple Adoptions - Lets you adopt up to 6 kids. You need to couple it with player home mods that allow for 6 kids (there’s a list of compatible mods in the mod description).

Khajiit Child Ma’isha - Adorable Khajiit daughter. Just recently, a dragon was attacking me and she ran over and started wailing on it with a dagger I gave her. I love her. (Supplement with this mod, which lets her wear actual child clothes. Because sometimes with mods that add non-human children, the clothes are glitchy bc the mod uses the adult models of those races that already exist in the game, just… make them smaller, lmao.)  

Adopt Aventus Aretino - Because when he grows up he wants to be an assassin, just like you.

Lucy and Louis - Adoptable vampire children, because why the hell not.

Marriable Serana - Because why isn’t she romanceable already? (+ Hearthfire addon, to allow her to move into homes added by the Hearthfire DLC.)

Khajiit Black Market - Adds black market merchants to taverns across Skyrim. They sell useful stuff like spellbooks, all kinds of soul gems, rarer alchemy ingredients (e.g. nirnroot, daedra hearts), etc. - and, of course, skooma and moon sugar.

Kidmer - Adds a bunch of adoptable mer children to the game. Because it’s weird that only human children exist in Skyrim.

Beast Kids - Adds Argonian and Khajiit children to the game.

Adopt Beast Kids - More Argonian and Khajiit children, but adoptable.

Dominions More Khajiit - Just adds more Khajiit NPCs throughout Skyrim (and not just enemies - they’re NPCs with specific names and present in different factions, e.g. in the Companions and Dark Brotherhood).

Dovahbit of Caerbannog - Super cute immortal bunny follower that wears tiny helmets and carries all your stuff. Seriously.

Friendly Brynjolf - Makes it so he doesn’t keep blowing you off with the same one-liner after completing the main Thieves Guild questline. Also makes him marriable.

Quests:

The Paarthurnax Dilemma - Makes it so you can say “fuck off, I’m not killing the penitent dragon, he’s just minding his business on top of his mountain and talking at clouds” to the Blades and the quest won’t just indefinitely hang around in your quest journal forever because you refuse to kill Paarthurnax because who would want to do that. But also if you do want to kill Paarthurnax for some reason, this mod apparently adds dragons who will defend him from your treachery.

Wyrmstooth - This one adds a whole new region and questlines to the game, but it’s been taken off Nexus (it was the same author as Extended Encounters). I’m mentioning it bc it’s worth knowing about in case it ever gets put back up.

Falskaar - Adds a new region and questlines.

The Forgotten City - This one’s hard to explain so I’ll just say I highly recommend it and give you the description as provided by the mod creator: “a murder mystery investigation set in an ancient underground city. You’ll need to solve it using your wits, and the ability to travel through time. It has a dark, non-linear story in which you’ll interrogate suspects, explore the city and its many secrets, and navigate challenging moral dilemmas. It features multiple endings, an original orchestral score, and professionally voiced dialogue.”

Following Mercer: A Thieves Guild Quest - A short questline that takes place after the main Thieves Guilt questline. You kinda just follow clues to find Mercer’s hiding places for all the loot he stole, and also kick his now-ethereal ass a few more times.

Markarth Undercity - Really cool questline. In case you wanted to spend more time in Markarth, but underground this time.

New Markarth Adventures - Because hell is Markarth.

Helgen Reborn - I literally just installed this one for my newest playthrough so I don’t have much to say about it yet, but it looks interesting. Make sure you don’t have this one active until after you finish “Unbound” (the first quest in the game, where you escape from Helgen) because otherwise you get stuff like this.

Legacy of the Dragonborn - This is a HUGE mod. It adds a museum in Solitude for you to put all of your collectibles (including collectibles from several player-created mods that are either packaged with it or compatible with it), as well as its own questlines.

Moonpath to Elsweyr - Adds a new questline that lets you travel to Elsweyr. Can be a bit glitchy, though - like, in some of my previous playthroughs, it would make all sabre cats in the game invisible, lmao. It’s packaged with Legacy of the Dragonborn if you decide to use that one, and I don’t have the invisible-sabre-cat problem anymore ever since uninstalling the standalone Moonpath to Elsweyr and just using Legacy of the Dragonborn, so ymmv.

Missing Apprentices - This just fixes the unfinished Missing Apprentices quest in the vanilla game.

Armor/weapons/items:

Immersive Armors and Immersive Weapons - Both add a ton of new armor and weapons to the game.

PrivateEye’s Heavy Armory - Adds a ton of new weapons and variety to the game.

More Interesting Loot - What it says on the tin.

LC_Immersive Looting - More loot items, like above.

EK Ring Limiter - Toggle how many rings you want your character to be able to wear at once.

Cloaks of Skyrim - Cloaks! Cloaks everywhere!

Amulets of Skyrim - Now with more amulets!

Konahrik’s Accoutrements - Dragon Priest Armory - This is another one I just added and I’m not far enough along in my playthrough to be able to see any of the content yet, but supposedly it’s pretty good.

The Gray Cowl of Nocturnal - If you’re in for some Oblivion nostalgia.

Skyrim’s Unique Treasures - If you’re the collecting type.

Improved Closefaced Helmets - Better meshes for the closed-face headgear in the game.

Skill Book Overhaul - Adds more skill books to the game. I just added this one yesterday but so far I like it.

Royal Armory - Just added this one yesterday, too. Adds some unique weapons for certain prominent characters.

Unique Weapons Redone - Gives unique weapons actual unique appearances, rather than just looking like common weapons with added enchantments.

Recurve Longbows, Recurve Longbows - Dawnguard, Recurve Longbows - Dragonborn - Add longbows to the game. They do more damage and have a longer range, but the pullback time is longer, so it’s a nice balance. There’s also a really cool longbow you can get once you unlock the Dragonrend shout - it’s basically a longbow with an enchantment that has the same effect as the Dragonrend shout, and it’s great (especially if you have one of those More Dragons mods installed).

Diamond Smithing Collection - A series of mods for craftable gemstone weapons and armor.

Light Armor Hoods - Craftable hoods.

Thieves and Assassins - A Better Rewards and Treasure Mod - Makes it so the loot you find will be more oriented toward thief and assassin characters (light armor, daggers, bows, etc.). Nice if you’re like me and usually play the exact same type of character and have little use for heavy armor or two-handed weapons.

Player homes:

Elysium Estate - My favorite player home mod so far. It’s gorgeous and detailed, has toggle-able displays for unique items (Thieves Guild quest items, dragon claws, dragon priest masks, Daedric artifacts, etc.), a guest house for followers outside, planters outside for planting your own garden, tons of storage for specific items, a lot of bookshelves, a bunch of crafting stations in the basement (Skyforge/smelter/grindstone/workbench, alchemy and enchanting tables), its own cow and goat and chickens (they have names any everything and they’re coded as necessary NPCs, so you don’t have to worry about the constantly-spawning dragon in that area killing them). There’s a cute little backstory (it belonged to a gardener who worshiped Kynareth and is passing it on to the next worthy person) but there’s no quest to get it, you just have to read a note on the front door and find the key, so you can basically access it in the very beginning of the game. It’s also compatible with Hearthfire multiple adoptions, so there’s an option for six children’s beds.

Breezehome FullyUpgradable - This is my second-favorite player home mod, and it was my go-to before I found Elysium Estate. It adds a lot more storage, displays, etc., but my favorite thing about it was that it added a basement area with a library, a secret entrance accessible from a cave outside Whiterun, and crafting stations with autochests. Basically, when you access a specific storage container (smithing chest, alchemy ingredient bag, etc.) it automatically scans your inventory and gives you an option to automatically empty all applicable items into that container, rather than having to go through and put away each item yourself. It’s also hooked up to the crafting stations - so if you activate the forge/workbench/grindstone, it automatically adds everything from the smithing chest to your inventory, and then automatically puts it all back when you’re done. It’s pretty convenient.

Khajiit-related mods:

I basically always play a Khajiit, so I have a lot of mods specific to beast races.

Amazing Race Tweaks - Khajiit - Different passive race abilities for Khajiit. I also have this supplemental mod installed to cancel out the jumping bonus - jumping very high is fun but it takes twice as long to come back down and that was annoying for my impatient ass. (Amazing Race is a series btw, there are versions for other races besides Khajiit.) Also check out Passive Race Abilities.

Khajiit Speak - Complete Dialogue Overhaul - Makes playing as a Khajiit a LOT more immersive. It changes your dialogue choices to match the dialect of the rest of the Khajiit in the game (e.g. use of the third-person rather than the first-person), and also adds Khajiit-specific bits of lore (e.g. using the Khajiit names for the various gods). Also, lots of sarcasm - it’s pretty great.

Khajiit Ears Show - Headgear doesn’t hide the kitty ears. This is a TES5Edit script so it requires you to use that. I honestly have no clue what I’m doing with TES5Edit but I followed the instructions in the mod description and somehow got it to work, so… 

Coverkhajiits - More high res textures for Khajiit.

Digitigrade Beast Races - Gives Khajiit proper paws for feet. Also gives Argonians raptor feet. Compatible with the armor in the main game and DLC, but not always compatible with new armor from other mods.

Better Claws and Gauntlets - Actually see the claws on Argonians and Khajiit. Like above, not always compatible with armor added by other mods. And if you’re not wearing gauntlets, the claws usually don’t show.

Dawnguard Glowing Vampire Eye Fix - Lets Orc, Argonian, and Khajiit vampires have glowy vampire eyes.

Beast Skeletons - Adds Mer, Khajiit, and Argonian skulls and skeletons. Because it gets boring seeing only human skeletons everywhere. (It’s mostly lore-friendly, so you won’t come across a bunch of nonhuman skeletons in the ancient Nord burial sites or anything like that.)

[housebeleren]

Guilds of Ravnica Reprints & New Art

Guilds of Ravnica is an exciting set for a number of reasons, and not the least of those reasons is a chance to get all new art for some reprinted cards. It’s always one of my favorite parts of preview season: seeing which cards they picked for reprint, and ogling over the new art.

This time around, three reprinted cards kept their old art, which is a break from tradition for non-core standard sets. Chromatic Lantern, Goblin Electromancer, and Wee Dragonauts are all welcome reprints (Lantern in particular), but they all have somewhat iconic art already set on Ravnica, so it makes sense that new art wasn’t necessary.

As always, it critical to note that all Magic art is wonderful, and my preference for any one over another is just that: preference.

Let’s start with possibly my favorite piece of new art in Guilds of Ravnica. Honestly, this feels like somewhat of a random inclusion in the set, given that it doesn’t synergize or even particularly play well with any of the mechanics or guild strategies. That said, I’m absolutely stunned by this gorgeous piece of art by Igor Kieryluk. Igor has done a number of pieces for MTG over the years, and, for me, this will join the ranks as one of the most memorable and iconic. There’s a softness to this that’s powerful, evocative, and haunting. It’s beautiful.

He’s really good at these mist effects, no? Really fits into the film noir styling of the set.

Previous art (From now on, I’m just doing chronological, without ranking, but I’ll bold particular favorites of mine):

Guilds of Ravnica

Magic 2011

Y’know, I always feel like this card goes back way further than it actually does. First printing was in Ixalan, but it feels like a staple, and for good reason. This type of modal removal has been making a lot of appearances in Standard over the past few years, and I think they’ve been great successes. As for this art, it’s really a cool design. I love the perspective, with all the detail of the different city layers just barely visible below. The Ixalan version more clearly depicts action, but in some ways, the opposite is what makes the Guilds version shine. The calm in this piece is ominous, waiting for the strike with bated breath. Really excellent.

Simon Dominic is relatively new to MTG art, with a couple of pieces from Hour of Devastation being the first I could find. Even so, I really enjoy what he brings to the style. He’s got definite whimsy in his pieces (Experimental Frenzy is another of his from this set), and beautiful use of bold accent colors. His pieces have tons of detail, often with layers and layers of background to explore. Really fantastic.

Guilds of Ravnica

Ixalan

Dead Weight is a card with already existing art that’s pretty well known by Randy Gallegos. As much as I love that version, I find this new one by Lake Hurwitz to be really compelling. The perspective, with the ball & chain taking up so much space in the foreground, is really unique. And I love how well this evokes the spirit of the Rakdos cult, even though they’re not a major presence in this set. It’s a nice touch.

Guilds of Ravnica

Innistrad

I love this card. It plays really well in Guilds Limited, what with all the big Golgari & Selesnya cards running around. As far as the art goes, this new depiction is really flavorful. The Dimir slicing right through an Azorius statute is somehow both literal and figurative at the same time. I also really love the detail of the cathedral in the background on the right side. Amazing what can be done with such a monochromatic palette. Deruchenko Alexander has worked with monochromatic palettes before, just look at the gorgeous green jungle of Ornery Kudu or the ethereal purple light in Entreat the Dead. He also did the phenomenal Spell Pierce from Ixalan, one of the highlights from that set.

I do still love the original Khans of Tarkir version this one by Svetlin Velinov, with the Sultai Naga slicing through the Mardu banner. You can really feel the “disdain” in it. 

Guilds of Ravnica

FNM 2015 Promo

Khans of Tarkir

Giant Spiders show up in basically every set, and there’s only so much variety in them. I do love the ominous nature of this one, with the skeleton remains of its previous victims in the foreground. Really sets the “recluse” tone of the piece, a little more so than the Magic Origins original.

Mike Bierek gets a piece or two in just about every Magic set, and with good reason. Many iconic pieces belong to him, perhaps none more so than the current version of Sol Ring you’ll find in every Commander deck. More recently, he’s done the fabulous Nexus of Fate Buy-a-Box promo, and one of my favorite Guilds of Ravnica pieces, Artful Takedown.

Guilds of Ravnica

Magic Origins

I’ll admit, this reprint completely flew under the radar for me, probably because I never played during Judgment. Ol’ Ironshell here gets his first treatment in modern borders. Kev Walker tends to prefer these close up perspectives, with very minimal, hazy backgrounds. Rather than detail a cathedral facade, as in Disdainful Stroke above, Kev merely suggests such a building in the upper-left corner of the background.

The focus on the beetle plays well with the flavor text, lending to the feeling of whimsy present in a lot of Kev’s recent pieces. This is the space where I think he truly shines.

Guilds of Ravnica

Judgment

Another recent reprint. Looks like they’ve settled on the White Pacifism effect they want for Standard at this point. This version, by Mark Behm, has a slightly fuzzy, almost impressionistic feel to it, particularly in the treatment of the floor in this room. Again, the flavor text enhances the fun & whimsy of the card, making it clear this is a theme they’re trying to play up when they have the creative space to do so. I love the idea of the Azorius trying to codify how to handle all the various bizarre Simic creatures they end up having to detain in this world.

Guilds of Ravnica

Rivals of Ixalan

This is another card that goes way back, all the way back to Tempest block. I love when they can reprint cards like this as periodic staple effects, decades later. The art is a first-time inclusion by Heonhwa Choe, and it’s beautifully done. I love this look at the Gruul, and a taste of what we can expect more of in Ravnica Allegiance. This is probably my favorite version of this card, and I hope we see more from Heonhwa Choe in the future.

Guilds of Ravnica

Conflux

Invasion

Exodus

This card makes a ton of inclusion in this set, so win for whoever put it in the card file. This new art really evokes the concept of the art, that all the members of the Conclave are lending their power to a single champion in a time of need. The color scheme of rich greens with the pops of purple is really gorgeous, and reminds me of Alex Konstad’s Merfolk from Ixalan (check out Jade Bearer for a sense of what I mean.) But what I especially love about his work is the incredible sense of motion. Just browse through his card art, and it’s really amazing how dynamic his pieces feel, so you can really get a sense of the action that is taking place.

Guilds of Ravnica

Rise of the Eldrazi

Of all the cards I expected to see reprints in standard formats, Narcomoeba was never one I really considered. And yet, it’s a perfect fit for Guilds of Ravnica, thanks to the Surveil mechanic. While the original art was intentional in its ambiguous location & time, the new one puts the architecture of Ravnica on gorgeous display. Howard Lyon is a master, and it shows in this piece. This art looks like it’s taken directly out of dreams. It has the quality of a beautiful piece of art from children’s literature, and I mean that in all wonderful ways. I particularly love the inclusion of the fishing person and his cat, which enhance the dream-like quality of the piece. I kinda want everything in my life to be done in this color palette.

Guilds of Ravnica

Future Sight

And yet again, the grand saga of Creature A vs. Creature B on Prey Upon art continues! This time, it’s some sort of Faerie vs a Giant Spider! (Maybe a Hitchclaw Recluse?) I do love the perspective on this one, staring up from the deepest bowels of the undercity. G-Host Lee has only done a handful of pieces for Magic (1 each set starting with Rivals of Ixalan), but they’re all excellent. One common threat I see with them is a great use of distance & perspective. Check out Storm Fleet Sprinter to really get a sense of what I mean. I definitely hope to see more G-Host art in the coming sets. As for Prey Upon, I like just about every version of this staple, but this one is one of my favorites.

Guilds of Ravnica

Explorers of Ixalan

Aether Revolt

Eldritch Moon

Innistrad

Righteous Blow is a card we haven’t seen in a while, though there are a lot of similar effects running around. This art by Izzy is really interesting, with the light source seemingly emanating from the weapon strike itself, as if they’re fighting in an otherwise dark space. I love a lot of Izzy’s art (such as the fabulous Radical Idea for this very set), but for this particular piece, I think I prefer the original by Clint Cleary.

Guilds of Ravnica

Avacyn Restored

Wizards seems to have taken the “Penis Wurm” issue seriously, since all the Wurms in Guilds of Ravnica have a decidedly less penis-like design to them. Siege Wurm showed up first in the Original Ravnica, and has been the poster-child for Convoke ever since. I really like this version by Filip Burburan, and it’s consistent with his “all of the teeth” aesthetic. (Seriously, the new Tarmogoyf for UMA is peak Burburan at its best.) Again, this piece also ties in nicely with the flavor text to create that more lighthearted tone that permeates the set.

Guilds of Ravnica

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Skyknight has been the signature Boros Common since its debut, and that’s not going to change this time around. It’s great to see Chase Stone making a Limited Common, since he is frequently tapped for Mythics, iconic characters & story moments. I love the vista of the city that you see here, though it didn’t read super well on card size, so it’s great to see the larger image here. The action of the knight, standing in the stirrups, gives the piece a ton of energy and excitement. One other thing I particularly like is the color palette of the piece. Previous Skyknights were aggressively Red/Orange in their artwork. Sometimes I like the art clearly evoking the “card color,” but sometimes it looks contrived. Here, he lets the Red & White of the Knight’s armor, the rooftops, & the Roc do the color-indicating work, while keeping the sky & clouds in a realistic palette. It really just elevates the whole piece. My only wish would be to see just a touch more of the mount he’s on, but I get that the focus is intentionally on the rider. 

Guilds of Ravnica

Gatecrash

Ravnica: City of Guilds

The whimsy is real. Someone did a really great job pairing the art descriptions & flavor text in this set. This art gets better the longer I look at it. No surprise, Steve Argyle is the shit. Nuff said.

Guilds of Ravnica

Ixalan

Battle for Zendikar

Wall of Mist is a relatively new card, but it seems poised for staple status. This new art, by Tianhua X, has that surreal, dream-like quality that permeates this set. I love the tall spires climbing out of the mist. Tianhua X is relatively new to Magic Art, starting with some exquisite lands from Battle for Zendikar. He excels at creating pieces with unique perspectives, often slanted or climbing up at extreme angles. They heighten the sense of the fantastical in pieces like this, when at its core it’s simply fog in a city. Beautifully done.

Guilds of Ravnica

Core Set 2019

The Guildgates are all excellent this time around. I love the “front door/back door” design, as it helps to showcase different aspects of each of the guilds. They’re all really gorgeously done.

Guilds of Ravnica

Return to Ravnica

And finally, the shock lands. What trip to Ravnica would be complete without these? The art keeps getting better and better, and I don’t think any two exemplify this better than Temple Garden & Overgrown Tomb. The rich autumn colors in the Selesnya art is absolutely stunning, and I love the stone statues in the tomb, signaling the era of Vraska. Really beautiful pieces all around.

Guilds of Ravnica

Return to Ravnica

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Whew. So that’s it. Those are the reprints that got new art in Guilds of Ravnica. I’ll try to touch on some of the other noteworthy art on new cards in a future post.