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girlbossagenda · 2 months

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How to plan your time better (and stop procrastinating)

‧˚₊⋅ ୨୧ ⋅₊˚‧

I've always struggled with this, I seriously thought something was wrong with me, but I realized I was menaging my time wrong, so here's some tips on how I recently learned how to menage time and what I learnt from my mistakes!

୨୧divide your goals୨୧

you need to make a list for your work goals(if you work), your school goals(if you go to school) and your personal goals, in another pile you need to write down your meetings or night outs

୨୧get the right materials୨୧

this works better in paper, you just need an agenda(if you can get one with all monthly, weekly and daily sections), a pen, some colored perns, pencil, markers or whatever, it needs to be colored and a monthly calendar for the years, which have to stay at home.

୨୧set monthly goals୨୧

For the first step you need to focus on the general picture, so, how do you want your month to be like? write down that list in your agenda and in your calendar also write down all your tests and work meetings, your monthly goals need to be general and long and now let's move to the next point

୨୧set weekly goals୨୧

time for the week! how do you want your week to be like? your weekly goals need to be long term but easy and you need to set both your dates and your work goals for example: "for this day I have to sign this paper, compleate all my summaries etc.." or " I will go to Miniso and Sephora with my friends" and you will sign the day.

example:

This week I'll study history -> This week I'll study and compleate 1 chaper of history

୨୧set daily goals୨୧

daily goals need to be extra specific for example:

Today I'll study history -> Today I'll read and study 20 pages of History

୨୧Get help୨୧

You can ask someone close to help you remember to check your agenda or plan a study group/meeting or simply ask others if there's any even for the time to come

୨୧Set a time୨୧

This is very useful for people that tend to feel discouraged, just write for how long you're going to do the task example:

Study math for 45min or study math from 16:45 - 18:00

Complete the power point between 18:00-19:30

୨୧Color Code the activities୨୧

When planning associating each activity with a color it helps you remember better and find the task easily.

୨୧DO NOT STRESS ABOUT MISSING SOMETHING୨୧

planning it's just a tool to menage your task in a easier way, do not stress about it, just spread your activities across the week and you are good!

Hi bonitas, Hope you're doing well, it's been a while since I've made a guide, this one it's a time planning technique that I recently figured out, after so many failed attempt, hope I've helped!

xoxo gorgeous

-𝓐

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planeswalker-umbral · 1 year

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Disasterwalker 2023!

Where you vote for the most Gremlin-brained, rat-bastard, wet blanket, disaster of a planeswalker (or Mishra)!

Final Round

In one corner we have Tibalt, the fan favorite who has been such a failure he has been a meme for years. The posterchild for bad planeswalker cards. The devil who failed on Kaldheim so bad he became compleated off screen. What story spotlight the man has had has been shrouded in failure.

In the other corner, we have a more recent planeswalker, having only been in the story 3 years. Lukka was the main character from the Ikoria storyline, which nobody even read. A former military leader who's first action of getting a pet was failing to overthrow a government and getting his unnamed cat put down. He showed up in Strixhaven for a bit where he didnt do anything of note I could remember besides joining the bad guys. Most recently he appeared in Phyrexia where he willingly bonded to a phyrexian cause he "thought he could handle it" and became compleated. This man would say "I bet you I could rub my face in acid" and then immediately do it before you could respond. None of his cards have been of note and he is painfully forgettable.

Who will win?

Please reblog after you vote! The finals will be voted on for a week!

#mtg #magic #magic the gathering #planeswalker #poll #lukka #tibalt #disasterwalker 2023 #uploads #mtg story

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lootthekey · 9 months

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My “Shot in the Dark” Prediction for Magic’s Next Year of Story

Wilds of Eldraine

We already know this story, but its contents are worth revisiting in order to have context for the rest of the story. Ashiok has helped Eriette, seemingly the aunt of Rowan and Will and a truly devious witch, prolong the sleep curse that was used to put all the Phyrexians invading Eldraine to sleep. Now, the curse is spreading and the Kindly Lord of the fae, Talion, is enlisting the help of others to correct a mistake they made by brokering a deal with three witches to construct this curse.

Talion enlists Kellan, a half-fae child and one of the main protagonists of the next year of story at least, to defeat the three witches they worked with to construct the curse. Kellan wishes to know who his father is, so he accepts this quest. Meanwhile, Rowan has been deeply traumatized by the loss of her parents during the Phyrexian Invasion, and is slowly descending into a mad lust for power. And not just any power, but the power to change the world around her as she pleases. She hates how Will, a much bigger pacifist than her, is handling the whole situation, and has decided to take matters into her own hands.

Her quest eventually leads her to Eriette, who convinces Rowan to join her so that The Realm can live happily ever after in their dreams forever. After a climactic battle involving Rowan, Will, Eriette, Kellan, and Ashiok, The Realms are saved from the curse of slumber. Eriette is defeated by Kellan and Ruby, a companion Kellan met along the way who assisted him in defeating the various witches in his quest. Will plays as a game of Magic against Rowan, using a Control strategy to survive her Aggro strategy, so that he could stall until he had an opening to force Ashiok to flee by sending a bolt of ice at Ashiok’s chest. Rowan is then forced to flee.

Kellan, having completed his quest, eventually learns that his biological father is Oko, the bastard from the previous Eldraine set that famously turned King Kenrith (and most of Magic) into an elk. He then finds an Omenpath and unknowingly likely leaves Eldraine for a long time, having been transported to a different plane with no easy way to return. It is then implied that Eriette, after being broken out of jail by Ashiok, does the same.

Lost Caverns of Ixalan

Now we get into the realm of speculation as we venture into the next set: Lost Caverns of Ixalan. We know little of this set except that it is a “Race to the Center of the Earth” style of story that will also have us meet various mythical figures from Ixalan’s mythology. However, there are three particular, currently unconfirmed characters I want to speak about appearing in Ixalan, as their presence is either very significant for the remaining story or was hinted at in earlier sets.

Vraska was last seen on Ravnica, recently compleated and sent off by Elesh Norn to do the same to the rest of Ravnica. However, she was defeated by Ral and then mysteriously vanished after having a vision of Jace flash within her mind. Seeing as Ixalan is where Jace and Vraska’s love for each other first blossomed, I believe it is likely the last remains of uncompleated Vraska’s instinctively planeswalked to Ixalan as she was defeated by Ral. Due to the fact that Phyrexian planeswalkers were compleated likely through corrupting their sparks, the loss of her spark could cause Vraska to revert back to her normal form on Ixalan. This is important as she has both a role to play later and a familiar enemy to face.

Azor, the one responsible for the Guildpact system of Ravnica, the creator of the Immortal Sun, and one of few characters who were once planeswalkers still alive to possibly rival Bolas as far as meddling goes, is currently still on Ixalan. However, with the appearance of Omenpaths, Azor has a new route to renew his meddling ways and potentially even return to Ravnica. Well, its a good thing the next set isn’t set on Ravnica yeah?

Finally, Quintorius was last seen on Arcavios defeating the Phyrexians who invaded Strixhaven. At the end of his own quest, Quint sparked. While his role is yet to be seen, a set themed entirely around diving down to uncover the lost history of Ixalan sounds right up Quint’s alley.

Murders at Karlov Manor

Oh would you look at that, the next set actually is on Ravnica. Someone has been murdered at Teysa’s manor, which, for a family most well known for turning into ghosts, isn’t particularly crazy sounding to me personally. However, it’s still a big deal as someone is going to get framed for these murders, and Ravnica is going to need a judge to decide who is guilty. Who could fill that role…

Oh right. I think it’s likely Azor and Vraska return to Ravnica, only for Azor to meddle and attempt to put the blame on those he sees as the most chaotic for Ravnica, being Vraska and our favorite demon…

…Rakdos. Whether they actually did it is meaningless, as this leads to the finale.

Outlaws of Thunder Junction

This is where fates collide. Vraska and Rakdos flee through an Omenpath to the wild west, where they meet Oko and, eventually, Kellan as well. After joining with two other individuals, the “Magnificent Six” will face off against the cruel face of corrupt law, Azor, and change all of their fates forever. Eventually, Azor will be defeated, and likely flee to his other unfinished business partner, Ugin. This leads to the next story arc: the Dragonstorm Arc.

#mtg #story #spoiler #quintorius #oko #kellan #vraska #azor #rakdos #eriette #ashiok #wilds of eldraine #lost caverns of ixalan #murders at karlov manor #outlaws of thunder junction #omenpath arc

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jeridoesntdourls · 3 months

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Saw @vesuviaweekly 's prompt for MC dynamics wanted to talk more about my guys!! Sadly I have not completely nailed their designs yet so for now I'm just going with text! I personally treat my MCs as less of MCs and more like LIs so I'm gonna also include what I think their dynamic with the MC themselves would be! As you'll notice my MCs are all residents of a country I made for the Arcana universe myself if you want you can see more about that here. Minos' entry is a bit undercooked but I'm rushing to post this before the deadline ends LMAO. All of these gorgeous banners are by @cafekitsune

edit: put in a link I forgot to put the first time lmao-

BOREA NORCHE // she/they

with the MC

Borea knew MC before they died of the plague and worked alongside them and Asra to find a cure. She succumbed to the plague herself only a few weeks after MC and was buried beside them as her last wish. She was brought back by making a deal with the Heirophant and not knowing MC was brought back by Asra, debated staying in Vesuvia to stay near MC or to leave and look for Asra. They ended up unable to do either and were ordered to return to their home country, Tua, by the Heirophant. She returned to keep her end of the deal but both her and Tua had dramatically changed. On her arrival she began to keep her emotions in and dutifully began to work as Tua's magic consultant.

At some point MC, along with the LIs, would take a trip to Tua (for diplomatic reasons as Tua has a considerably new government now running it) and Borea would be one of the more respected officials at the Syndicate meeting. Asra had heard from Nadia about the more prominent figures that would frequent this meeting but, still believing that Borea has died, hadn't thought much of it.

After they first encounter her at the meeting Asra evades her and tries to explain their relationship to the MC as they have not gotten a hold of all of their memories. He is unable to explain in time and is interrupted by Borea herself who began looking for the MC.

Their dynamic in this Era is very different than it was in the Plague times. Borea is, at first, in denial, she embraces the MC and they have a bout of their headaches, this makes Borea only more desperate which makes her hold on even tighter. Only Asra is able to separate them from the MC and pull them aside to explain what happened.

Borea is absolutely crushing under the weight of everything, running a new government, meeting the two closest friends she's ever had after years of assuming she'd never see them again and having to learn about MC's resurrection makes her even more prone to completely isolating herself from the Vesuvian guests. She eventually has to converse with Nadia and, ever observant as she is, makes Borea explain her adversion to them.

From them on Nadia slowly begins to work to re introduce both Asra and the MC to Borea. At first she's a force to be respected, acting professional to an absurd degree but that facade begins to decay into something nervous and unsure. MC has to reassure her that her feelings are important and need to be felt (in her upright end at least) and she begins to explore her pent up anger and longing with them.

I would describe their final dynamic as old married couple(ish) in that they have SO MANY idiosyncrasies and can practically read each other's mind. Borea is very much a closed off and firm individual for anyone other than their family, MC and Asra. With those people, she is able to express that reckless curiosity and boyish side she had hid for so many years.

with Asra

They have a very similar dynamic with Asra than with the MC. The only difference is that Asra ALSO has a tendency to run from his problems so Nadia has to work overtime to make them both talk to each other. It takes a mishap with the Buzia House and Borea stepping in to rescue the group to make them talk to each other.

They work in compleat harmony but after they get to safety they go back to being unable to have a conversation longer than three exchanges. Despite that, Borea refuses to leave Asra's side, keeping watch for any other threats to his safety. In doing this Borea over exerts herself and Asra has to make her take a break before she colapses in a meeting.

They go over their years apart, recounting tails and making each other laugh. Slowly they begin to work together again as Mage Commissioners.

Their dynamic is honestly the one which would take the longest to happen. Very much an AGONIZINGLY slow burn and re kindling. Asra needs to work through so much guilt in regards to leaving Borea behind and Borea, like in MCs route, also needs to work in being honest with her feelings and losening her grip on relationships she think she'll lose.

with Nadia

With Nadia she has the most light hearted dynamic, very much liege and ruler but the roles keep switching between them both. They're both givers and Nadia really is the best person to make Borea learn how to actually accept being the one receiving.

On Nadia's route we also get more of a focus on the politics of Tua and the conflict between the new Syndicate government and the Buzia House's integration into it.

overall

Dates with her definitely include stargazing and going to the beach at any time but especially at night. She'll be at home to just nerd out about the constellations and the planets, even reconstructing their partner's favorite ones with their orbs.

Relationships include lots of late nights and reassurance. She has a tendency to try and do everything for her partner, so she needs someone who can make her slow down and take care of herself. She would love a partner who is also proficient in magic and who can help her create laws and boundaries for the new Tuan government.

ATTIS SALVO // he/him

with the MC

Attis is exceptionally cheerful at first meeting. As he is one of only members of the Buzia House willing to collaborate with the Tuan government he feels the need to keep up the appearance of harmlessness to not potentially cause a rift between the two opposing sides.

He's very much used to working alone. Loves his community and family will all his might but the weight of the future falls into his shoulders most times. This, combined with the fact that he really can't entrust his problems onto that community (his sister specifically) because they continuously judge any action he takes makes him weary about working with anyone else.

Working with the MC to ensure the exchange doesn't cause another civil war really strains him at first. He's lived through a bloody revolution and his family only became the engineers and weapon makers that they are because of Vesuvia's betrayal. That history along with his personal habits of doing things alone cause him to be weary of the MC at first. That weariness only ever comes out in passive aggressiveness, he's very adverse to any conflict after years of playing diplomat.

This relationship really only changes when his parents pass and he, along with his sister, are left to rule over the entire House. Under all the additional stress he begins to impulsively turn to the MC as a distraction. MC needs to make it clear that they actually feel something for him or else he'll continue to use them eternally.

He's the oldest out of these three characters which means he's had lots of experience with partners, none of them ending well. When MC first confesses they do feel something for him, he's in shock and already making some excuse as to why they wouldn't work.

MC would notice his panic and have to calm him down for him to notice that he also feels something for MC, even if that something isn't as clear cut as MC's feelings.

with Julian

Attis only notices Julian after his parents passing when rumors begin spreading that they were assassinated by the Tuan Syndicate who used the Vesuvian's to infiltrate the Buzia House.

Julian, sketchy as ever, is high on Attis' suspect list. This list is kept hidden from the public and he'll talk about how false he believes the rumors are to anyone who will listen.

He tracks Julian down and as a last resort, Julian uses his charms to try and escape. For the first time in his life, it actually works and he is able to momentarily flee.

After that they fall into a pattern of cat and mouse and feelings develop much to Attis' dismay.

Julian's confession and Attis' reaction play out similarly to MC's but Julian stumbles and trips over himself to explain that he didn't kill anyone which makes Attis reach over to comfort him.

overall

He's very sensitive even though he keeps his emotions to himself, he's prone to crying over things that have already been resolved and just ignores any emotions that aren't productive because "he's got a job to do."

Also very prone to falling back into nostalgia, that longing for things that have passed ossifies him and keeps him from doing anything productive so he keeps those memories for when he's alone.

His dynamic with a partner would make him a lot more playful, he feels as if he finally has someone who understands him and is in HIS corner.

Dates include just staying home and letting the sun pass by. He's never intent to sit still for too long so he'll fiddle with the clasps of his revolvers or his partner's hand.

I'm not sure what I'd describe their dynamic as but I think Two Idiots in Love covers it well.

MINOS FERNI // she/he/they

with the MC

Minos is a pretty difficult person to get into a relationship with. Even if they like a person romantically they fervently ignore it both in fear of being rejected and their own self sabotaging ways.

They were born into the Heilist church and even after its reformation by the new Syndicate, they inwardly still believe the old doctrine. That includes the ideia of a cycle in which humanity is doomed to commit the same mistakes and suffer infinitely, the old Heilist god would then forgive humanity for their treasons at the time of death and welcome them into the sky.

Minos believes that any break out of that cycle (the revolutions and the new goverment) would forego the forgiveness given to him by God. So, his dynamic with an MC would have to be SLOW. like VERY slow. and very patient. At first it's almost certain that Minos would dislike them and it's only after comming to terms with their repression that they might be open to the thought that MAYBE they like the MC.

Mino's main emotion is guilt. Guilt for not attending to God as he should and guilt for not attending to his community, its only when he realizes that those two things overlap that he can hope to move on to a less painful existence (in his upright end at least). Their relationship in the later staged reminds me of Martin and Jon's dynamic from TMA. Hes trying his best not to be a tyrannical force of magical horror.

with Lucio

Minos hates hin at first. Its very rare for them but his pompous nature and disregard for consequences makes Minos crack and finally show some of their true own true nature. Ironically enough its this initial crack that opens the floodgates of Minos' person. They begin to hunt Lucio down as a way to try and make things go back to how they were. Very much a Hannnibal and Will adjacent pairing. (Lucio in this AU/expansion of sorts is a lot less silly)

with Muriel

haven't put much thought into this pairing but i think that if they both got past their inicial distaste for each other they woukd work out wonderfully.

overall

Don't think she would go on dates but she'd definitely take MC sightseeing and show them around the more historical spots around the city. They would be a very devoted lover (a little obsessive if im honest) and only ever vulnerable with them. Honesty and grappling with their own identity are still new to them so they would definitely need someone who's ready to spend nights on the church roof talking things over and putting things into perspective.

#Borea Norche #Attis Salvo #Minos Ferni #the arcana oc #the arcana worldbuilding #the arcana #vesuvia weekly #tua

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bace-jeleren · 1 year

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Any guesses for how Urabrask and Ayara's meeting went? I'm thinking [A]:Ayara ditched the 'Fetch me the Cauldron' quest when Urabrask put compleation on the table (Immortality is Immortality)-- Or [B]: Urabrask had found and returned the cauldron in like an afternoon (Having her as his queen legitimately. Definitely the funny option.)?

Personally either way I hope that they're like... A fun (if not deeply intimidating) power couple, not just a marriage of power.

Y'all know me, I like me a good romance, no matter how fucked up it is. I like the idea of Ayara being interested in compleation, but very stuck in her ways, so she's like "I'll test you like I test all my former spouses, prove your worth and find the Cauldron and I'll consider it", secretly hoping Urabrask succeeds. And finally, after years and years of sending heroc fools off to die, Urabrask succeeds where they could not. When he returns, she openly accepts, but Urabrask, in return is like "Let me put you through a test first, to prove to me that you're worthy..."

And then. Hhrmhrmhrmhrmheh....

#god help me I ship them so hard now!!!!

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askrobouteguilliman40k · 3 months

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Finishes reading: Nagash Immortal.

This is the third book in the series and the fattest, for it covers almost two hundred years.

We begin with the true queen of Lamia, Neferata raising what she hopes is the key to ruling as a vampire eternal, prince Alcadazzar, the heir to the throne of Khmeir, she keeps him for some eighty years, trying to twist his mind to her will, but ultimately fails and he escapes.... Leading to the dark age of Lamia as she has the city scoured and random people tortured to find where the Prince is.

Meanwhile, War in the Cripple Peak Mountain as Nagash and Skaven fight tooth and claw over the warpstone, it is a back and forth that last decades.

But back to Nehekhara, Prince Alcadazzar is hiding amoung the bandit tribes, looking for some proof of Neferata's evil to rally the kings of the land to his side.... This takes nearly eighty years, after Nagash did a ritual to craft armour to save his body and the Crown of Nagash, one of the Vampires, seeing how Neferata was driving the kingdom into the ground, sent a vampire to negotiate with Nagash.

Our young prince caught and beheaded the vampire, Proving to the king's that shit was dark in Lamia.

Fear of another undead ruler unifies the kingdoms of Nehekhara and they destroy Lamia... But the vampires, nothing can be found.

So Alcadazzar plans for the coming of Nagash, building treaties and standing armies for the usurpers return... Nagash, who at this point had formed an alliance with the Skaven sends his army forth... Only for the unified king's to destroy it.

So Nagash decides fuck it, if he can't rule the living lands of Nehekhara, he will rule the dead, spending a decade, he has skaven drop magically prepared warpstone slabs in the main river, when compleat, the majority of water in Nehekhara is poisoned, killing thousands.

Alcadazzar is shattered as first his kids, then his wife fall I'll and die, as he is contemplating suicide, Nagash sends forth his armies again, killing all but the last king of Khmeir.

Oh no, Nagash has a plan for him, in a week long ritual, using Alcadazzar as a focus, he raises all the dead in Nehekhara, not just those killed in the plague, but the old kings, up to Setra himself, but this ritual drains Nagash to near nothing.

The Skaven, tired of the alliance, have spent the last few decades sitting on a weapon made for the sole purpose of killing Nagash, they take this potent weapon to king Alcadazzar, gifting him the Fell blade, with which the king uses to strike down Nagash, claiming the great necromancers crown and vanishing into the wilderness.

The skaven, not happy with Nagash being cut into tiny pieces, collect all the parts they can find and burn him in a warpstone furnace, where ashes float from, all the way to the Black Pyramid of Nagash and wait.

Wheeew, long summary, but like I said, this was the longest book and it was fun to read again.

#warhammer #live reading

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thinkpink212 · 8 months

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♡ Taking myself there - Week 8 ♡

Summery: I tend to keep these rather short, and this time is no different but a lot happened this week where I was (yet again) reminded of who tf I am. (the period is loud)

After a lengthy 2 months of what has felt like bullsh*t, i've decided to resigne from my position as Wellness Recptionist at a pretty renoun 5-star hotel. At first a lot of doubts clouded my mind with fear and pre-regrets, but as I delved deeper and asked myself the question of "if you are somewhere you no longer feel comfortable, have fun, are growing or see a future?, why would you stay?" and I came up blank. I think something we need to remind ourselves whenever situations come up in life (as they are bound to) is to look at the bigger picture. Where I am now, I have nothing lined up for when I am fully done in mid october. I refuse to stress, not because it is not a situation that doesn't warent it - but i've now quit too many positions and bounced back to gain bigger and better positions enough to know Ill be fine so why break my mind and spirit? Its easier said then done of course, but I will trust in my ability and most of all in the universe to lead me to my next chapter. I am done spilling precious energy, anger, sadness and tears towards a situation that is more or less dead to me. So, we move as I love to say. I am exited to see what comes next. I graduate next week and officially become a licensed massage therapist, so that is very exiting! This means I have officially compleated all of my goals for this year except for one (finishing the outline of a book) and I count of getting that done by the end of the year!

This week I was grateful for…

♡ Clearity and snapping back to who I once was - which was someone fearless, who took risks and leeps because she knew stagnation was nothing but a slow way to render yourself miserable. No more! I will move and flow wherever I am guided to with the lessons I have learned throughout my time on this earth! Nothing is limited to me or anyone else who simply belives, put in the effort and never stops!

Highlights - The best parts of this week were…

♡ I've experienced a lot of synconicities; A lot of people have resigned from their positions at my job, people in managment and higher positions. And it just made me smile and go "me next".

♡ Lots of laughter was shared, and I love a good laugh!

♡ Winning like $35 off of lotto! Next in will be 35 mil! :)

Whats next?

♡ Putting in my notice and just counting down the days with joy and positivity to finally close the chapter on something not worth my energy!

♡ Spending any freetime I have on writing - I am in a great flow and I will take advantage of that as much as I can!

♡ Enjoying everyday as they come! I have done far more then planned this year, so I am proud of me and can't wait to see where else I am taken!

Wishing you all a beautiful sunday! xo

#thinkpink personal #taking myself there #motivational

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danco110 · 1 year

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“It’s okay. I understand. Now I just need to figure out how to explain-”

“Lukka?”

The compleated planeswalker willed his twisted centaur to turn him around. In doing so, he came face to face with a woman aiming a sword directly at his face. Thanks to Lukka’s augmented eyesight, the blade’s gleam was unmistakable, even in the dim light of the cavern. Even without it, however, there was no mistaking it’s wielder, or her voice.

“Jirina…” Lukka’s tone was briefly reserved, but soon returned to its usual gruff, metallic nature after a quick shake of his head. “I was going to say you shouldn’t be here, but now that I think of it, it’s good you happened by.”

“Why…oh.”

Jirina glanced past Lukka’s new monstrous form, and looked out over a sea of creatures, all bearing some amount of metallic parts similar to Lukka’s. Jirina was about to thrust her sword forward when she saw the bonder’s rueful expression.

“You did this. And you’re…not attacking Drannith with them?”

“I did,” Lukka admitted plainly. “And, I was about to. But in bonding with them, I finally realized something.”

Jirina’s expression hardened. “What’s that? Let me guess: they were all weak, before, but they’re better now?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I was going to say, they…don’t want to fight.”

“Oh.” Still wary of Lukka, Jirina kept her sword at arm’s length, but her posture relaxed ever so slightly. “And, what do you intend to do now, knowing that?”

“Norn would have me spur the creatures on, regardless. Doing to the people of Drannith what I’ve done to the creatures.”

“Norn?” Jirina shook her head. “Er, never mind. New general, I presume. But…what about you, Lukka? What are you going to do?”

Lukka drew himself up to his full height. Cradled in his mount, he towered over Jirina, but his expression showed only hesitation, as though he were fighting a battle within himself.

“I…have marched on Drannith once, already. It ended badly for everyone involved. I do not wish to make the same mistake twice.”

Jirina allowed herself a small smile. “That’s…good. Great, even! I’m glad some of my words are finally sinking in…maybe a few years late, but still!”

Lukka grunted in embarrassment. “‘Strength is what keeps us alive. Compassion is what keeps us human.’ Jirina, I’m not sure how much I can adhere to the ‘human’ part, anymore.”

“Eh, close enough,” Jirina smirked.

Lukka gave the soldier a small smile, before growing serious once more. “Unfortunately, Norn intends to make this world hers anyways, with or without me.”

“We know,” Jirina groaned. “Those lights have been in the sky for a while now.”

“What…oh.”

Now it was Lukka’s turn to glance past Jirina, out the mouth of the cave. Sure enough, the telltale portals of Realmbreaker patterned the midday sky.

“And I wasn’t thinking much of our chances, seeing as how they’re in the air. But now…” Jirina finally lowered her blade, and offered an outstretched hand to Lukka. “I see some of your beasts have wings. And I bet even if they’re hesitant to march on Drannith, they’re itching to defend their home. What do you say we put them to work?”

Lukka smiled once more, this one a little wider than the last. “I’d love to…Oh, but, um, we probably shouldn’t shake hands.”

Jirina blinked. “Why not? Look, I know we weren’t exactly compatible…and you got real violent at the end, there. But to be fair, my father was-”

“It’s not that!” Lukka laughed, with noticeable warmth. “It’s just…I’m covered in this oil. And you probably don’t want to get any of it on you. Trust me.”

“If you say so,” Jirina shrugged. “Anyways, shall we?”

“Yeah. Let’s go. C’mon, Ruin.”

Lukka willed his mount to turn him back to look at his monsters, and the bonder flicked his head towards the mouth of the cavern. The beasts surged forward, parting around Jirina as they exited the cave, metallic parts gleaming in the sun. The ones with wings took flight just as the first wave of Phyrexians emerged from the portals overhead.

—

[I’m only taking a hiatus from my writing about Phyrexia hiatus to jump to Lukka’s defense. It seems like he’s been the butt of a joke both in and out of universe every time he’s been mentioned, for the last while, now. I don’t much care for planeswalkers even on a good day, but I swear I’m about to like him out of pure spite.]

#mtg #magic the gathering #ikoria #story bites

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davidfarland · 16 days

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David Farland’s Writing Tips—Do You Want to Be an Apex Writer?

First, I wanted to have a little shout-out. I was on Facebook on Saturday for a few minutes and noticed that some of my past students had made some major accomplishments:

Martin Shoemaker’s hard science fiction novel The Last Dance hit #1 in its category on Amazon.com and stayed high through the Christmas season, garnering 722 ratings—the vast majority of them being 5-stars. For those who don’t know, hitting over 500 ratings is a major milestone. It ensures that Amazon’s algorithms will bump up the book’s publicity. I’m interested to see how high his sales climb over the next few years. He’s a dedicated writer with a very promising career path.

Monalisa Foster got a novel contract and an acceptance check for Christmas. Great timing!

Rebekah R. Ganiere’s romance novel Rekindling Christmas is being made into a film and will start shooting this week! I’m excited for her. Well deserved!

James Dashner, whose successful Maze Runner movies series recently ended, is getting ready to spring some major news on us. I’m hoping he’s graduated to the level where he has a book-movie joint announcement.

Brandon Sanderson went to his local Barnes and Noble on Saturday and was asked if he would sign some of the books on his “wall.” Now a lot of popular authors get a little extra shelf-space at the bookstores, but you’ve got to be moving huge numbers of books to merit your own wall! I’m including a picture of it. Wishing him great success!

While on Facebook, though, I happened to see a post by a young woman who had set a goal of publishing her first fantasy novel in 2020. She asked how to go about it and was getting lots of bad advice. Yes, some of the advice would lead her to get published—either self-published or traditionally published, but not published well.

If you do it wrong, getting published can be dangerous. Going to a small publisher who can’t get distribution into bookstores, for example, might cause you to make nothing in royalties, lose your rights to your novel for as long as you live, and waste years of your life. Going to the wrong agent—one who is crooked or just plain incapable of connecting with a publisher, can once again waste years of your life.

Even self-publishing may be a total bomb if you don’t know how to go about it.

I really wanted to help her negotiate the path ahead.

Yet this poor young woman had dozens of tips from people who had no idea that their advice sucked. I suspect that much of it came from people who had never published.

So, I suggested that she go to my website to read some of my posts on the topic—and was blocked by the site administrator for “self-promotion.”

I could have offered the writer a free video that might be helpful. I have a seminar on how to publish in 2020. (It’s in my writing Compleat Writer’s Program but hasn’t been put up for sale elsewhere.) But I suspected that the site administrator would have deleted that post, too.

I realized that I often feel blocked. I don’t want to tell you when another author is giving you bad advice. They’re my friends and peers, after all, and they’re trying to be helpful.

There are things that publishers, film distributors, bookstore chains, agents and social media companies do that are kind of dangerous to talk about—but that you need to know.

I’ve decided that I need to start a closed group. How cliché. It seems like everyone who works in a counseling business starts something with a lofty title, like “The Billionaire’s Club,” and they usually charge an arm and a leg for it. So I’ve been resisting the idea for years.

I want to share this information only with authors who are driven, who are ready to take the steps forward, who are trustworthy, and who are also willing to share information.

I’m going to call it the Apex Writer’s group. The goal of the group is simple: I want to help take you from wherever you are in your career, (whether you’re just beginning or are in your mid-career, to become an Apex Writer). An Apex Writer is one who sells books by the millions, whose books get wide advertisement, and who understands how to leverage the advertising from the film industry to make major deals before their books are even released.

One study years ago said that it took the average writer seven years to break into publishing, and it took another seven to become a bestseller. What if you could do it in three or four years? What if we could save each other a decade of struggle? I think that we can do it.

It will take more than just good advice. You’ll need to be in a closed group of writers who are learning how to work within the system, and it will be easier if we share information and work as a team.

Now, you might think, “Ah, but I want to self-publish. I don’t want to work in the traditional publishing field.” That’s fine. But you need to understand that even if you’re a self-published author, you’re working inside a field controlled by Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, and other mega-corporations.

It won’t be expensive to join the group, but there will be a small charge because, heck, there are costs. There’s my time and expertise, maintenance for websites, and costs for administration. So it will cost a couple hundred per year.

You will have access to a closed group on Facebook, to my Compleat Writer’s Program, to the new bulletin board system going up this week, to regular meetings held online—and to further program benefits as it grows.

If you are interested in applying to become an Apex Writer, simply reply to this email with one word: Apex. I’ll send you an application to join, let you know if I think that you’re ready, and tell you what would be expected.

(note: to apply to Apex Writers, visit apex-writers.com )

For more on David Farland's Writing tips, visit https://mystorydoctor.com/writing-blog/

And you can also click here to get your David Farland Daily Meditations.

#writing advice #writing tips #writing help #writing tips and tricks

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lacefuneral · 3 months

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“Effeminate Years: Literature, Politics, and Aesthetics in Mid-Eighteenth-Century Britain” by Declan Kavanagh (2017)

"There are a particular Gang of Sodomitical Wretches in this Town, who call themselves the Mollies, and are so far degenerated from all masculine Deportment, or manly Exercises, that they rather fancy themselves Women, imitating all the little vanities that Custom has reconcil'd to the Female Sex, affecting to Speak, Walk, Tattle, Curtsy, Cry, Scold, and to mimick all Manner of Effeminacy, that ever has fallen within their several observations; not omitting the Indecencies of lewd Women, that they may tempt one another by such immodest Freedoms to commit those odious Bestialities, that ought for ever to be without a Name." -Edward Ward, A Compleat and Humorous Account of All the Remarkable Clubs and Societies in the Cities of London and Westminster - In documenting this culture, Ward promotes as much as he denounces, with his exposition of club life showcasing the pleasures as well as the moral hazards of urban clubs. However, at times the presentation of club life is more firmly couched in a vocabulary of disgust and moral panic, with the description of the effeminate Mollies providing one such notable instance. As Chris Mounsey points out, it is unclear whether Ward's "discomfiture" is genuine or more to do with the fact that he is "trying to hide his actual participation in [Molly] practices behind pretended disgust." Although Ward's description of the Molly house is a slight and unstable passage on which to build readings of the eighteenth-century queer subject, the entry has nonetheless been widely cited by scholars since the emergence of lesbian and gay historical studies. The first scholarly analysis of eighteenth-century effeminacy is to be found in historical writings based on early lesbian and gay studies published in the aftermath of the gay liberation movement of the 1970s. This analysis offered the persecuted Molly as a historical figure for a movement that sought to redress the discrimination experienced by modern gay men. - Moreover, their type of effeminate sexual excess is most problematic for its almost sublime refusal of description: "those odious Bestialities, that ought for ever to be without a Name." description of the Molly club is important for its explicit conflation of effeminacy with the sodomitical; in designating some club men to be Mollies, Ward names and fixes same-sex desire even as he negates the Molly's queer affect by stating that this desire among men ought to remain nameless. In spite of this rhetorical maneuver, Ward affirms male effeminacy as code for sodomitical lust, thus expanding, but also anchoring, the terms of signification for the effeminate. Previously considered to be a moral failure, the effeminate man was now also the suspect sodomite. As Anthony Fletcher argues, having been long associated with “unmanly weakness, softness, delicacy and self-indulgence," effeminacy's exclusive association with homoeroticism only occurred when sodomitical vice began to be understood in gendered terms. Yet, the homoerotic potential of men's relations with each other-sodomitical sex-is exactly what remains obscured in Ward's description of the effeminate Mollies.

#jay.pdf #femme gay history #long post

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gay-little-izzet · 1 year

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A Symphony of Perfection

Separated as Phyrexia surges across the multiverse, Jace and Vraska nevertheless try to reunite. This chapter is a bit looser, but it explores how Jace and Vraska might experience compleation, as well as how their relationship is altered by it.

The song of Phyrexia surges through Jace’s mind, caressing his neural circuitry as it resonates. It is so peaceful, now, to hear nothing but their glorious harmony. Gone is the chaos he knew before. Creatures of flesh were so messy, so foolish, and their thoughts were a discordant clamor of emotion, desperation and desire. But the symphony of Phyrexia is beautiful. Perfect. Once, he had thought the hum within their mental networks to be nothing but barren thought, white noise in oppressed minds. But now he saw it to be quite the opposite.

Every part of Phyrexia, from the magnificent Praetors to the smallest mites, every cog and gear and engine in the great machine, had a piece in the symphony. Some sang in unity, their myriad minds becoming a singular great hive. Others, those with more important parts to play, sang above the rest, their harmonies nonetheless merging with the great frequencies of Phyrexia.

Jace had never been one for music, nor for singing. But he could feel the approach of his own melody- a song he shared with another.

He had not seen Vraska since the Arena. He cringed in shame at the thought of how he had, for the first time in years, been afraid to meet her gaze. He had been flawed, then. But no longer.

Vraska felt, somewhere deep within her, a pang of longing. Though it intrigued her, she ignored the sensation, choosing to focus herself on the task at hand- the forces of Ravnica, fleshbound as they were, were formidable foes. Soon, they too would join her in perfection.

No longer would her people be ostracized, assaulted for the mere act of existence. The Azorius, the other guilds, even the might of dragons and gods could not destroy the spirit of her kin. As Phyrexians, the Golgari would rise, strong and unified, and they would throw off every one of their oppressors. First, she would free them from their flesh– and then, together, they could rise against Norn and her blasted Orthodoxy. Vraska, while a daughter of Phyrexia, had no love for the self-proclaimed mother of Machines.

Again, Vraska felt that creeping desire within, and she felt her thoughts drift to her beloved. Had he reached compleation yet, or did he still resist her gift? Vraska found herself frowning at the memory of their last encounter. She had granted him perfection, yes, and he would soon be grateful for that… but even now, the terror in his face, the betrayal, haunted her. She did what she had to do, but… she had hurt him.

Standing amid the fray of clashing blades and bodies, Vraska felt herself come to a standstill, the chaos around her fading away. Before she even knew what she was doing, she felt the caress of the Blind Eternities as she planeswalked away from Ravnica.

Keeping most of his eyes trained on the progress of the armies that marched onward through realmbreaker’s tendrils, Jace took a moment to examine his new form.

His body had taken to completion readily, his weak flesh succumbing to the glistening oil before anyone had bothered with surgical replacement. He’d never liked that flesh. It had always felt, to him, like nothing more than a shell, a tool for his own use. It had been a tool for others, too, in more ways than one. Before this, before Phyrexia, he had begun to finally feel at home in that body.

But now, as Jace ran his fingers, plated in shimmering chrome and laced with steel rigging, across the hard planes of his chest, he couldn’t imagine inhabiting any other.

Over the last few cycles, the skin and flesh that remained had peeled away from his body. He had allowed his tattoos to remain, flashes of white that danced across his silvery casing. But the scars were gone. Mostly. He had tried to smooth away the ridges on his arms and back, but found his form, perfect as it was, still carried a memory of the manablade’s touch. But perhaps, in time, that too would heal.

Vraska marveled at the carnage as she passed through the Blind Eternities. The great and terrible branches of Realmbreaker forced themselves across the multiverse, pushing into countless planes to spread their Phyrexian gift. Vraska had no need to travel within the massive tendrils, using them instead as a guide, taking her back to their roots. Home.

She emerged from the Blind Eternities at the borders of the Mycosynth Gardens, pausing to survey the progress of the great invasion. Thousands of Phyrexians still streamed toward Realmbreaker from across the plane, heeding the call of conquest. Here, the Hosts stood proud and distinct, their own perfect materials unsullied by the touch of blood or gore. Vraska knew, having led these same armies beyond New Phyrexia, that it would not be long before their orderly ranks dissolved into a crushing swarm of bodies, porcelain and metals intermingling. In battle, there was no Orthodoxy, no Hosts– nothing but the perfection of the Machine and the weakness of the flesh.

Floating above the armies, a lone Gitaxian kept watch over Realmbreaker’s gate, surveying the march of progress. Even if it weren't for the tattered blue cloak, somehow surviving his transformation, Vraska could feel the pull in her heart, the melody humming in her mind.

She had been afraid—though she marveled that she was even capable of the sensation—that he would have fought compleation, but clearly he had finally accepted perfection.

For all the pride her new form brought her, Phyrexia had neglected to grant her wings. This was of no concern to the Queen of the Downtrodden, as she had always made the earth and the dark her home, and this form was excellent for traversing caverns and fighting in close quarters. However, Jace was currently levitating, graceful, ephemeral, and utterly out of Vraska’s reach. She would have to bring him closer to her.

Vraska sunk her hands into the malleable pores of the mycosynth, and began to call out with her mind.

There. He could feel it, rising above the simulacrum’s melody. Her song. Their song. He felt her, reaching out through the Machine. She was here for him.

Jace quickly reached to weave an illusion, dodging the porcelain honor guard that hovered beside him (a flight of Norn’s dolls, watching the watcher in case he tried to reject Phyrexia once again). They were mere puppets, easy to fool with a duplicate and an invisibility charm.

Although he could find her by thought alone, several of Jace’s eyes began to scan the area, picking through the masses to find her impressive form. Soon, one of his receptors caught a glimpse of her serpentine tail, leading up to an armored body, her shoulders, ashy and smooth, her eyes—her beautiful, terrible eyes…

He released his invisibility as he approached her, gliding down, beholding her glory. He stopped a few feet from her, and felt himself compelled to sweep into a bow. She was a commander, soon to be a Thane, and she was deserving of the utmost–

The subservient thoughts were expelled from his wandering mind as Vraska pounced on Jace, surrounding him with her deliciously sharp embrace. She held him close, and the machinery that bound his ruptured heart together buzzed with pleasure at the touch. Holding her was nostalgic in a way that only someone who had lost his mind twice over could know- it was something entirely new, and yet, he knew it was familiar.

“I feared I might lose you,” purred the gorgon, her voice resonating with the Phyrexian language. She spoke in tune with the melody of her mind, a proud and righteous tune that rode above the chorus of armies and drones.

I thought I had whispered Jace, his message dancing across her mind. He had no need, in the great Machine, for speech, easy as it was to share thoughts with his fellow Phyrexians. Vraska’s mental circuitry attuned to his own as their minds met, embracing as their bodies did, as the steel tendrils branching from their bodies met and twisted together. Their minds sang, not with the song of Phyrexia, but with their own. No, they certainly had no need for speech.

#mtg #mtg fanfic #jace x vraska #Jace Beleren #vraska #otp #no beta we die like kallist rhoka #new phyrexia

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phyrexianphamily · 10 months

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How March of the Machine could have ended (warning: huge spoilers from the film Martyrs)

Another warning: the contents of this post could be distressing and/or disturbing compared to the average of this blog, so feel free to skip.

(An immense assembly of Phyrexians gathers as Jin-Gitaxias starts speaking, unusually excited.)

Jin-Gitaxias: Yesterday afternoon, in this very place, Elspeth Tirel became compleat. Let us take a moment to pay our respect. Elspeth Tirel is a rare specimen. In our years long research, Elspeth was the fourth one to achieve the whole unity with the Multiverse and the first one - yes, my fellows - the first one to report what she's seen there. Yesterday, Elspeth Tirel saw beyond compleation directly. Her state of ecstasy lasted for two hours and fifteen minutes. Elesh Norn heard her true testimony and, my brethren, this testimony will be shared with you in just few moments.

(Everyone whispers and buzzes as Jin-Gitaxias reaches the Realmbreaker chamber and knocks at Elesh's door.)

Jin-Gitaxias: Sister, we are waiting.

Elesh Norn: (eerily calm) Very well, Jin.

Jin: (slightly anxious) She really told you?

Elesh: Of course.

Jin: Was it clear?

Elesh: Like the Glimmervoid.

Jin: And precise?

Elesh: I can see no other interpretation.

Jin: (relieved) I see, thanks.

Elesh: (after some moments of silence) Jin?

Jin: Yes, Elesh?

Elesh: Have you ever tried to fathom perfection beyond compleation?

Jin: (confused) Is everything alright?

Elesh: (flatly) Do you think you could?

Jin: I'm afraid not yet.

Elesh: (last words as she activates the Sylex and holds it close to her) Keep doubting, brother.

#elesh norn #jin-gitaxias #elspeth tirel #new phyrexia #praetors #phyrexian praetors #planeswalker #planeswalkers #compleat #compleation #incorrect quotes #incorrect mtg quotes #source: martyrs

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jeskaim · 2 months

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Outlaws of Thunder Junction and Modern Horizons 3

I know these have been out for a couple of weeks but I never really got around to writing about them until now. I've been busy with work and it was my birthday last month and I went on a trip to Las Vegas where I first saw these. So here are my thoughts:

Outlaws of Thunder Junction

I've been looking forward to this set since it was revealed late last year because we've never had a wild west set before. After the war with the Phyrexians and Omenpaths now a thing which nonplaneswalkers can use to get to other planes it was kind of given that we would see other characters in this set like Tinybones and Fblthp. Fblthp seems perfect for this set because he's always ending up in places he shouldn't be and with Omenpaths I'm expecting to see him pop up in other places (assuming he doesn't die in this set). I'm not surprised to see Oko in this set since he was in the preview art but his Planeswalker card is a little underwhelming which to me is a good thing. This is nowhere near as powerful as Thief of Crowns (remember when he was all over standard before he got banned in Standard, Modern, AND Legacy because he kept turning things into elks?) but he has potential. I've already come across a three-card combo with him with Doubling Season to get infinite Oko tokens and card draws but I can't remember the third piece. I'm also not surprised to see Vraska in this set for the same reason as Oko. I like the artwork that's been revealed so far with her sitting at a poker table with everyone else petrified. I also can't tell if she's still compleated but with her tentacles she might still be. One of the cards I'm most excited for is the new Sword. I have a Sword collection of all 11 Swords (including Sword of Dungeons and Dragons) so I'm excited to add a 12th Sword to my collection. I can definitely see myself putting it into Kess because it fits right in. I can't wait to find out more about this set. We already know what crimes are (for those that don't know you commit a crime is when you target something of your opponent's with a spell or ability) but I'm curious to learn what Plot is as seen on Fblthp but based on the text it's an alternate casting cost of some kind.

Modern Horizons 3

Here we go for round three of Modern Horizons and from what we've seen so far it's going to be as good as the previous two. Hopefully it won't be as format warping as the last one but we still have a lot to find out about it. First of all I'm glad we're getting allied fetchland reprints. They're long overdue for a reprint and since we got the enemy set in two it's fitting we have allied in three. Considering they usually go for $20 to $40 right now these are much-needed. Just like last time it also seems there's a cycle of cards that you can pay an alternate cost for. So far all we have is the green one but it seems like you have to sacrifice a nontoken creature. For the debuts from vintage sets I'm glad to see Priest of Titania getting reprinted in this set because it'll really go well in my elves deck I built way back when I played at Tradesmart. It was my first "netdeck" and was recommended to me by another player because I built a general elves deck using cards from the Freyalise commander deck. It still has a place in my heart because one of my favorite colors is green so I might have to find room for it. Laelia I'm a little surprised to see in this set. I play Magic Arena on a daily basis and sometimes I see her in historic mono-red. She has potential in modern in some decks like mono-red prowess but we'll have to see.

That's all for now. My next post will be when we have more cards spoiled from Thunder Junction or MH3, whichever one comes first.

#Magic The Gathering #MTG #Outlaws of Thunder Junction #Modern Horizons 3

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