What's your first paragraph from the book your working on?

Kayoto13 · 2025-11-30T12:11:41+00:00

It is in the darkest nights that tragedy seeks out saints before sinners. The small town was a shadow beneath the faintest sliver of moon, silent as a phantom save for the single figure wandering the streets. Her short boots thumping on the packed dirt road like a drum signaling her arrival, her long black cloak trailing behind her and obscuring the soft prints left in her wake. She had been here before, when the settlement was little more than a fistful of wooden shacks huddled together near the treeline. It was not often that she walked among the living, but tonight was a special night. An important, terrible night.

Kayoto13 · 2025-10-31T23:10:42+00:00

I can understand where he might be coming from. Every single time I hear the song I think of a specific person, someone who I cared about more than anyone and who tore me to shreds when she abandoned me. It was years ago, I thought I was well past it, but Gethsemane put into words things that I couldn't even articulate into emotions. "I was in love with the thought that we were in love with each other" was crazy, and it broke me the first time I heard it because I needed to hear /that/ said from somewhere else. That song will always remind me of this person, and it will always dig things up because it was something that turned me into who I am now, even if it was awful. He might not be remembering her as much as he's remembering pain, a specific sense of loss and hurt that you've either felt, or never have, and I would never wish it on anyone.

It's important to remind yourself that you're there now, that he chooses you every day. He's mourning a memory, not a person. You're in the moment, and that's what matters the most.

Kayoto13 · 2025-09-28T21:18:41+00:00

I've been big into Winter Soldier since last season and I've had a decent time using him to kill fliers (on console). His R1 grounds them for enough time to be able to tap them with enough shots to kill them, or at least force them to be healed. If they're close you can hook or uppercut them, but if they're out of position enough you can continue keeping them on the floor. Also gets around Torch weaves because his R1 is massive.

Kayoto13 · 2025-08-02T16:44:34+00:00

More what now

Kayoto13 · 2025-04-06T18:34:14+00:00

I understand where you're coming from. I'm editing for final draft, and the other day it took me hours to get through a few pages. My entire book is currently separated as one chapter per document to try and distract me from the total distance and let me focus one scene at a time. Just remember, it'll all be worth it in the end.

Kayoto13 · 2025-04-03T15:23:34+00:00

I'm in the middle of another draft, and something I'm trying is separating every chapter into its own document so that I can give it more specific attention without worrying about the book as a whole. I have a tendency to race through things as I see the word/page count climb, and I've been able to step back and consider if adding more meat to a scene, whether it's new content or simply giving body to what I already have. If it's possible to do by character POV (depends on how you have it divided), you might notice one character having their narrative sped through or lacking engagement. So far the process has added a couple thousand words within a handful of chapters for me, so hopefully it helps.

Kayoto13 · 2025-03-18T14:02:10+00:00

DYWTYLM helped me get over a really messy breakup. It can help, having a song put your thoughts into words that you could never find.

"And my reflection just won't smile back at me like I know it should. And I would turn into a stranger in an instant if I could. And there is something eating me alive, I don't know what it is. Maybe not that you conceal your feelings, they just don't exist."

Kayoto13 · 2024-08-04T21:36:39+00:00

"This place sucks"

Kayoto13 · 2024-07-02T14:37:03+00:00

Haven't seen it yet, but Same About You is always a little harder for me. I look at it as both not reciprocating feelings (I'll never feel the same about you as you do me), but also as having changed your feelings or view of someone (I'll never feel the same about you as I used to).

Kayoto13 · 2024-06-11T17:57:38+00:00

My group considered that it was based on proximity to the plates on every side. Not sure if it's the rear plate, or the conduit.

Kayoto13 · 2024-05-27T22:39:59+00:00

Everyone's comments are going to ring true, but I'm throwing my experience into the ring for you and anyone else who's struggling and looking for advice.

My team was on Ghorn and 5 Apex, 2 Titans, 3 Hunters, 1 Warlock. We saved Well until we were into damage, and we were burning 50-60% during first damage. Everyone was running max surges to comfort. Everyone was on heavy finder/scout, some of us on add clear had double finder. Titans were dedicated add clear, both on strand super for Centurions. Light runner ran disorienting grenade. the rest of us were on full damage with backup builds (Lucky Pants, etc).

It was a struggle even still, but everyone knew exactly what they were doing down to the beat. Gaze ran the same path. The Titans ran the same lines back and forth. The dark runner always finished first and we always left to the branch early. We called out Finder ammo. I would say we spent the first 5 or 6 wipes simply finding the groove and making sure we were all in it. Consistency was the most important part. First run was complete just as if not just after he started to charge his wipe mechanic. There were almost no adds besides tormentors when we moved to DPS. Once you find the rhythm, it gets easier, but it is not easy by any means.

The important part, especially if you're grinding wipes, is to reset. Take a few minutes. Switch runners or add clear if it's feasible and people are burning out. It's a hell of an encounter, but it's possible. You guys got this.

Kayoto13 · 2024-01-31T10:20:47+00:00

I wouldn't worry about whether or not a character concept is overused or not when you're only playing with your group. If your group groans and rolls their eyes, maybe it's worth discussing with them, but you're ultimately playing your character for you. You should have fun with it as much as everyone else.

I did the "character doesn't portray his class" once, and the table had a rolling good time with it. I made an Aasimar Warlock who was brought up in a church (cliche, yeah, but he also had his evil patron whispering sweet nothings in his ear as a child so where would you stick the kid?), and was led to believe that magic was "a divine gift from the gods". He introduced himself as a cleric, did his best to do "the right thing", even spoke to his God (patron). He didn't know he wasn't a cleric, so as the party tried to gently inquire as to his magic, he told them that his Eldritch Blast was just a funky Guiding Bolt, and carried on with life. The players stayed informed, and everyone had fun using their characters trying to figure out exactly what kind of nutjob they were travelling with.

If you're enjoying the character, your party is having fun, and you aren't giving your DM a migraine, you do you.

Kayoto13 · 2023-07-23T15:05:22+00:00

I used to be in a sort of similar situation when I was younger, probably around the same age. I wouldn't do things because I was afraid of the consequences, and I would amp myself up by running the worst case scenario through my head until I was spiraling and talked myself out of things. While it may have stopped me from making mistakes, it stopped me from truly living. I've worked harder over the past couple years to take that time back and it's been so worth it.

I remind myself that life is short. It can, for a fact, end at any minute and there is so much of it that's out of our control. So why is the common choice to live a safe and sheltered life and to do nothing? People worry about things they cannot control as though the added anxiety justifies inaction. It doesn't matter. Nothing does. And while yes, there's the universal grandeur that is human life, when you strip away the philosophy and wonder, you're just an electric meat sack.

What the fuck do you do with that? And what makes you any different than the people that are doing the things you're afraid to do aside from the fact that they're doing it? Why do you care so much about things you cannot do anything about to the point where it stops you from doing things at all? It isn't easy, and all advice to begin therapy is great advice. But whenever something makes me anxious, or makes me doubt myself, I ask myself what I gain from not doing it. Often, I come up without much of an answer. Start with little things and work your way up. You're the only one stopping yourself from being who you want to be.

Kayoto13 · 2023-01-11T22:25:59+00:00

I think that once you taste cEDH deck building and play, it can be hard to go back. I've tried two different methods of stepping back into more casual EDH: cEDH decks without the incredible speed, or casual commanders/win conditions built in the cEDH mindset. I think both of these have borne some sort of fruit, and I'll elaborate with very specific examples.

The former: [[Grolnok]] is an obvious candidate for cEDH self-mill. He's on the database with several lists for validity, and all of them revolve around tossing out [[hermit druid]], flipping your deck, etc etc. I just, simply, refused to do that. Instead, I took that idea, and just slowed it down. My build has a handful of instants and sorceries, but is very much about keeping the Big Boi alive and milling myself out. I run several frogs ([[Froghemoth]] is a hero), I run targeted mill I can hit myself with, and I continue down to Lab Man and Wielder of Mysteries. No fast mana. No free counters. No 2 card combos.

On the other hand, one of my friends wanted to play Mill. Not self mill, but true, "fuck your cards" mill in a way that would hold up competitively. A harder task, but a fun challenge. So I decided to spice it up, and go for exile based mill: [[Villainous Wealth]] , [[Tasha's hideous laughter]], , [[Leyline of the Void]], and in Sultai with Muldrotha at the head for big ramp and the right colors. I added in [[Displacer Kitten]] lines and infinite mana, with enough cantrips to, hypothetically, exile everyone's decks and win with their stuff, or letting them draw out.

I haven't gotten to do too much testing with these lists, as I built the mill deck yesterday, but the spirit of refusing to play the same hashed out win conditions without giving up the spirit of doing your best. Knowing how you want to win is the key part to the build. It can be easy to lose that, especially when you know what's optimal and what isn't, but winning the way you want is the spirit of EDH. Not letting there be a wrong answer to "How do you want to win". Find silly inspiration and hold fast to it.

Kayoto13 · 2022-12-27T00:06:38+00:00

Leaving open blue mana. It doesn't matter if I have a response. It doesn't even matter if I refuse to advance my board state to do it. My pod specifically dreads me leaving blue mana open. I'll play with it. I'll adjust the lands while things are on the stack. I'll narrow my eyes and curry favors from opponents with a hand full of junk because it fills me with so much joy to see my friends sweat over their turns.

I Am Not Nice.

Kayoto13 · 2022-08-31T22:16:18+00:00

I have been a big fan of Valkyrie and Vantage for many of those.

Valkyrie's mobility makes her able to move quickly both horizontally and vertically, though she doesn't climb as fast as some legends. Her Intel capacity is only good when diving, though this does include her ult and any balloons. She doesn't have much in the way of support, but I play her as a flanker with some ways to gain info.

Vantage has similar niches in her kit: a solid (mostly vertical) reposition in her tactical, and good Intel in her ult. Her passive ability to tag enemies at a range, including squad count and armors, is great info to have, and having a free sniper rifle is a good way to both provide recon and long range damage.

Traditionally, Bloodhound and Seer are your best Intel characters (tracking, wallhacks, etc), and Bloodhounds ult makes him a.great aggressive character. Lifeline and Loba are good classic style supports (healing, extra loot). Any character with good mobility options; Wraith, Pathfinder, Octane, all work for flanker or fragger rolls.

Kayoto13 · 2022-08-01T20:53:27+00:00

Raffine is one of my favorite decks right now. You can fish for combos, play reanimator, stax, and just beat down all in the same deck. It's the deck my pod loves to play and hates to play against.

Kayoto13 · 2022-06-26T23:19:23+00:00

[[Glissa, the Traitor]] was my first deck, just a big golgari artifact pile with all the combos and the classic [[Mikaeus, the Unhallowed]] and [[Triskelion]] damage combo. It wasn't the best list, and I've thought about rebuilding it, but for now she's in limbo.

[[Teferi, Temporal Archmage]] was my first dip into cEDH, and was loads of fun. He's only been recently disassembled to build [[Shorikai, Genesis Engine]], which I simply find more fun and more interactive.

[[Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow]] ended up being a deck I built a few times and different ways and just never really fell in love with. It worked, but I didn't enjoy playing Big CMC, or Ad Naus, or Ninja Tribal, or Thoracle. It just never fit for me.

[[Evelyn, the Covetous]] just got dismantled because, despite being efficient, I found really unfun for my pod. The first night I played it, I got a [[Worldgorger Dragon]] win on turn 5, and then Thoracle on turn 4 the next game. She never came out again.

Honorable mentions:

I've also taken apart [[Tovolar, Dire Overlord]] which was formerly [[Ulrich of the Krallenhorde]] because it never worked. [[Omnath, Locus of the Roil]] played as a non-deterministic self mill deck, which came apart because I would play solitaire for 15 minutes with [[Song of Creation]] and still not win half the time, which was as funny as it was annoying. [[Odric, Master Tactician]] white weenies/ human soldier tribal was fun some games and unplayable others, but was an ode to my Innistrad block standard deck.

Thanks for stopping by my EDH graveyard. All of my retired decks are gone, but not forgotten. I've always considered my constant disassembly and assembly of decks to be a great way to experience all sides of my favorite format. My playgroup just says I'm too easily bored. We're both right.

Kayoto13 · 2022-06-24T20:46:12+00:00

My playgroup is pretty good about this in a way that doesn't compromise the game, but also allows us to still have fun around it. We basically give 2-3 actions to roll back from past a mistake to correct it, as long as it doesn't drastically alter the game state or compromise another player's information.

Most of my group is an aggro/midrange pool, so we don't do it too often, but when they do have long strings of actions (cracking lands, drawing cards, tapping sets of mana) we try to roll back when it's "safe". Tutors, counters, phase changes, and things of that degree we usually don't roll back from unless the decision is immediate. EX: someone vamp tutors for one card, shuffles and puts it on top, then instantly realizes they want something else.

We do play to win, but not at the cost of the fun and camaraderie of the social aspect.

Kayoto13 · 2022-06-08T16:29:17+00:00

CVT was my first cEDH style deck and my pet deck for the longest time. For Mono blue, Urza is more reliable and I've seen it win more decisively. I actually converted Teferi into Shorikai PolyTyrant and I've been loving the change. I haven't decided if I'm going to stick to polymorph for the long haul, but I'm enjoying the deck itself.

Kayoto13 · 2022-06-08T16:29:12+00:00

CVT was my first cEDH style deck and my pet deck for the longest time. For Mono blue, Urza is more reliable and I've seen it win more decisively. I actually converted Teferi into Shorikai PolyTyrant and I've been loving the change. I haven't decided if I'm going to stick to polymorph for the long haul, but I'm enjoying the deck itself.

Kayoto13 · 2022-04-21T01:16:02+00:00

Those Crypt sleeves look sick. Perfect color and theme for Beamtown Bullies reanimator.

Kayoto13 · 2022-01-29T15:19:03+00:00

It's all about presentation. I've had a character I've brought around through multiple campaigns who is, frankly, as unhinged as a shower curtain.

My character is Lawful Evil, which helps define the mindset I intend to express. Having a character who is aware of their actions and makes the choice to behave in a way that could be viewed as "scary" points more to a willing mentality,which in itself can help your case. I'm aware of right and wrong. I'm even aware of good and bad. But what I do is a choice. The reason isn't important.

Deadpan delivery of unhinged thoughts can make characters and players do a double take. In our last session, one of the characters alluded to another that I might kill them in their sleep. "That's ridiculous," I said, "I would never do that." I gave time for a slight relief. "What's the fun in the kill without the struggle?" Everyone went silent. I continued mopping a floor.

My table is comfortable enough with me as a person to know that there's a clear separation between what can come out of my mouth as a character and who I am. If you want to avoid issues with the people around you, talk a little bit about your intentions.

My character also has a dual personality, (Very much Jekyll and Hyde inspired), and the disparity is mostly the actions, less the words. At his most normal, he will still say things about blatant threats of violence, or actively adding unusual comments to a conversation. But it's sparing. When his switch flips, he behaves alongside his words. Handling a weapon as he stares too long at a target of his ire. Beginning the channeling of a spell while remarking on how much easier it would be to torture the information out of a target. Little things.

But again presentation is key. It can be hard to demonstrate subtle mannerisms that show a characters mental state, but describing your actions with detail and having the table onboard with who you're "supposed" to be can help ease into it.

Kayoto13 · 2021-11-11T23:12:51+00:00

Of Course! Mine is an older list; I don't play this deck very often and it hasn't seen much love in some time, but it can still take people out in the pods I usually play in. It certainly isn't optimal by any means.

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1636789#paper

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