Simic-author - Artistic - Tumblr Blog

Animated scrap metal figures by Guillermo Galetti

When I was in college, I got my girlfriend to start playing Magic: the Gathering.

            To be fair, I wasn’t the one to first introduce her to the game. We had several mutual friends who played, and they’re the ones who taught her how, but it was because of me that she actually decided to get into it.

            Her first deck was one that I built for her. A life gain deck, with Oloro as the commander. Her second deck was the Ur-Dragon preconstructed deck from C17. But for her third deck, we built it together. It was, loosely speaking, an eldrazi tribal deck with a gates subtheme. And the commander of the deck was Golos, Tireless Pilgrim.

            I have very fond memories of that Golos deck. I remember going through my collection to find cards that I thought might be good. I spent the better part of year trading for any card I saw that seemed like it would be fun in the deck. When I had a massive stack of cards assembled, she and I sat down and went through them all, finding which ones she liked and which ones she wasn’t thrilled about. And the deck that resulted at the end of it all was super fun. It always did something big and splashy, although what exactly that was would vary quite a bit.

            When she broke up with me, she left all of my stuff that was still at her place with a mutual friend of ours for me to pick up. In with it was her three commander decks. I had, after all, given her almost all of those cards. And she had, after all, played the game because of me.

            Of the three decks, Golos is the one I left alone for the longest time. It sat on a shelf for months before finally I picked it up, made a few small edits to it, and started playing it again. One of those edits was swapping out the commander for Kenrith, the Returned King, because shortly after the two of us had broken up Golos had been banned.

            The Kenrith deck started out basically the same as Golos had been, but over time it of course changed. And then, when Modern Horizons 3 came out, it changed a lot. With actual five color eldrazi commanders available, the deck was converted to center around Azlask, the Swelling Scourge. It felt good to have something in the command zone that really fit with what the original idea for the deck was meant to be.

            Recently, control of the commander format passed from the Rules Committee to Wizards of the Coast. As part of the announcement, WotC said that they would be looking at the ban list for the format and potentially unbanning some cards. Speculation abounds, and no one knows exactly what will come of this, but upon hearing that my thoughts turned to Golos.

            I still have Golos. I could not bear the thought of getting rid of him. But I no longer have his deck, not really. I have something that used to be his deck, but it has changed. Golos no longer fits in it. If they were to unban him, I would be glad and hope that many others could have the fun with that card that I once had. But as much as I reminisce on times gone by, I myself cannot go back.

Swimming rabbit

Art by Simone Ferriero

A little late to the party but after seeing so many Mikus in other cultures decided to do one from my own and well I’m from Pittsburgh and let me tell you our culture is road rage

So it looks like NaNoWriMo are happy to have AI as part of their community. Miss me with that bullshit. Generative artificial intelligence is an active threat to creativity and the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people in creative fields.

Please signal boost this so writers can make an informed choice about whether to continue to take part in such a community.

Some writers: *meticulously plan out every plot point and the tone and meanings before they start writing*

Me:

As a writer, my hobbies include doing anything other than writing.

Writing really goes one of two ways:

1. Write 3k words in 30 minutes

2. Takes 3 hours to write 3 sentences

There is no in between

I feel like a lot of established MtG players underestimate how much the genre mashup and Universes Beyond sets expand to new demographics. A friend and I 100% started playing Magic because of Outlaws of Thunder Junction. We are now SUPER EXCITED for Bloomburrow and Duskmourne too. (I was exposed to Magic in college but that was a decade+ ago.)

It's not an exaggeration to say that without the cowboys set, I would not be playing Magic right now.

Anyway just wanted to share that positive message.

Thanks for the message.

Ways To End Your Story:

1. **Resolved Ending**: Tie up all loose ends and provide clear outcomes for the characters and plot. This gives readers a sense of closure and completeness.

2. **Unresolved Ending**: Leave some aspects of the story open to interpretation or future development. This can keep readers thinking about the story long after they’ve finished it.

3. **Twist Ending**: Introduce an unexpected turn of events that changes the reader's understanding of the story. This can add a memorable and surprising element to the narrative.

4. **Full Circle**: Return to a theme, setting, or idea from the beginning of the story. This creates a sense of symmetry and can highlight the protagonist’s journey.

5. **Cliffhanger**: End the story at a suspenseful moment. This is effective for serialized stories or when a sequel is planned, as it leaves readers eager for more.

6. **Poetic or Symbolic Ending**: Use imagery or symbolism to convey the story's final message or theme. This can leave a lasting impression through evocative language or visuals.

7. **Moral or Philosophical Conclusion**: Provide a clear message or lesson. This type of ending often gives readers something to ponder and reflects the story's deeper meanings.

8. **Character Reflection**: Allow the protagonist to reflect on their experiences and growth. This can provide emotional closure and insight into the character's development.

9. **Epiphany**: End with a sudden realization or revelation by the protagonist. This can be a powerful way to show character growth and change.

10. **Ambiguous Ending**: Leave the ending open to multiple interpretations. This can engage readers in discussions and debates about the story’s meaning and possible outcomes.

Choosing the right ending depends on the story's genre, tone, and the message you wish to convey to your readers.

To-cat-ata in B by sympawnies

which is definitely not an omen

I am once again thinking about digging holes

It's so fucked up that digging a bunch of holes works so well at reversing desertification

I hate that so much discourse into fighting climate change is talking about bioenginerring a special kind of seaweed that removes microplastics or whatever other venture-capital-viable startup idea when we have known for forever about shit like digging crescent shaped holes to catch rainwater and turning barren land hospitable

i watched one (1) video on how to draw hands that changed my life forever. like. i can suddenly draw hands again

these were all drawn without reference btw. i can just. Understand Hands now (for the most part, im sure theres definitely inaccuracies). im a little baffled

There’s a lot of Scooby Doo stuff on Netflix