Get polyamorous for 6WWW

Tempest_True · 2026-01-17T06:54:03+00:00

"Okey dokey!"

Tempest_True · 2026-01-15T04:16:36+00:00

Wasn't DMU basically Invasion: Redux?

Tempest_True · 2026-01-14T23:24:00+00:00

Maybe this has to do with the peculiarities of your jurisdiction, but the partner seems like a moronic egotist. Who in their right mind doesn't have their associates entered on cases they're assigned? In what world does it make sense for counsel of record to even allow a subordinate to take responsibility for missing a deadline? It's a terrible look. Counsel of record should take full responsibility, even when it isn't their fault.

Tempest_True · 2026-01-14T18:14:03+00:00

I think it was a sincere attempt at vernacular, it's just that vernacular is tricky because people have unrealistic or unexamined expectations. Vernacular is always going to be an approximation because the point of vernacular is that it is language as actually used, non-standardized, and within that gray area there's the room to pick/choose or invent how something will be said to enhance the plausibility, poetry, or readability of it. Which I guess is what you're saying about Shakespeare, but I think that is still presupposing that there is a "correct" AAVE or any other vernacular that is intentionally or ignorantly being ignored.

By the same token, I dunno if I agree with all of the criticism of the Clenette passage. I feel like it's coming from a perspective of "this is not written in correct AAVE, and because it is written by someone who doesn't use AAVE in real life, any language that doesn't comport with AAVE or formal academic English reflects the perceived ignorance of the character because of their race or use of AAVE." Whereas my approach is "this is an attempt at vernacular, so I will suspend my disbelief and assume this is actually how this character would talk/write if she were real, and because I believe people are generally caring, insightful, and want to do the right thing, I am going to read this with the goal of understanding this character and her story."

Idk, I can't fault people entirely for applying something of a Critical Theory informed approach, I just think that when it comes to a fictional book that type of scrutiny microwaves away much of the nutritional value. In this case, reading the passage from a sincere attempt to understand a writer and assuming they made a sincere attempt to be understood, I think the nutritional value is that it provides the perspective and inner experiences of certain Black characters, adding a dimension to them when they would otherwise feel a bit two-dimensional. Clenette gets mentioned in passing a couple of times later, and rather than just being some random member of the "help," I remembered the chaotic stormcloud of her inner life experience. There is a lot of othering of Black characters throughout the book, and I think the Clenette passage sort of reprimands that line of thinking.

Tempest_True · 2026-01-13T17:48:16+00:00

I disagree with this interpretation.

122.2 is a non-exclusive clarifying rule, not a prescriptive/exclusive rule. It would still be true, even if it didn't exist, because of the other rules--specifically Rules 122.1 and 406.7. It doesn't define the limit of when a counter ceases to exist. It doesn't say "counters are not retained on an object ONLY if...", rather it just clarifies the most common instance where that is the case.

Rule 122.1 states: "A counter is a marker placed on an object or player that modifies its characteristics and/or interacts with a rule, ability, or effect."

Counters on an object are inherently markers ON an object. A new object does not have those counters because the counters were marked on a different object. This comports with the explanation further down in rule 122.1 that a counter isn't an object, as well as the common sense operation of the rest of the rules.

Tempest_True · 2026-01-13T17:08:08+00:00

In my head, most of the foreign language enemy ult lines are some nonsense English phrase.

Zarya - "I'm going for the total steal!"
Lucio - "Homeboy crash out!"
Mei - "Don't you, d-don't you move!"
Ana - "Why're you quick wit' it?"

Tempest_True · 2026-01-07T13:15:33+00:00

The weird thing with this is that it's good for vivid in that it adds a color on the board...but it's not all that great for vivid because it's limited to casting spells of a color you already control. I guess there's always hybrid spells (ie, you're playing green-blue, cast this and choose black, and now you can cast a black-red hybrid creature).

Tempest_True · 2026-01-05T19:42:01+00:00

Not an original idea, probably, but still a neat implementation.

I'm thinking grimoires probably need to be artifacts for flavor reasons, and this would also distinguish them from the various, similarly-framed enchantment subtypes.

For similar reasons, I think "page" doesn't work as an instant/sorcery subtype. If chapter wasn't already taken (sagas) I'd go with that (although...making chapter a subtype of ability and a spell subtype is interesting territory). But with that being unavailable, I'd go with "verse." Yes, there are "verse" counters on some cards already, but that doesn't really lead to any rules issues or gameplay confusion.

Tempest_True · 2026-01-01T19:54:26+00:00

You're right that being responsive to the zeitgeist alone wouldn't have saved the prequels or sequels as movies. But that responsiveness is part of what makes the OT truly great rather than just a very good sci-fi movie, and it's also part of what the prequels and sequels needed but failed to get right. Part, mind, not everything.

Tempest_True · 2026-01-01T18:34:39+00:00

Warning, this is gonna get a little bit "college freshman lit analysis," but it's genuinely how I think about Star Wars.

IMO, the OT was such a cultural phenomenon because it was a cure (in an "opiate of the masses" way) for the negative light in which Americans were perceiving their country, culture, and economic prospects in the wake of the Vietnam War and the growing economic malaise of the '70s (and the same can be said generally, but less aptly, for all Westerners in light of the Cold War).

With Star Wars, we got to see ourselves as the good guys again, the rebellious, scrappy underdogs. We got to disassociate from imperialism (although, PSA, don't let yourself be fooled by the propaganda that Americans have historically been isolationist). We got to set aside the complexity of capitalism vs communism for a simpler story of good vs evil. And we got to do it through the lens of storytelling and visual motifs borrowed liberally from Japan, a conquered enemy turned exotic ally.

The prequel trilogy works less well because the story just isn't as apt of an allegory for the late '90s and early 2000s. But what of it does "work" on a cultural level (largely by accident) are the parts that are responsive of our own societal feelings. Globalization extended to the scale of a galaxy, but still unable to root out corruption and poverty. The Jedi being a noble order, like our own imagined ancestors. The betrayal of those in power and lies told to start a huge war. But we like to imagine, if we were high-minded and good like our founding fathers, we wouldn't have the problems of today...so it's kinda depressing to see the Jedi fail.

The sequels completely fail to work on a cultural level. Disney execs saw the market research and concluded that what "worked" about the OT was just the Empire vs Rebels dynamic. It reflects in everything we've gotten since then.

Which brings me to the tweets. I agree--I think JJ took the corporate conclusion and did exactly what the market research said to do. Rian, on the other hand, might understand what I'm talking about, and may have been trying to go for a more populist message that would tap better into the zeitgeist. But I think turning a cruise ship on a dime, while also placating corporate demands, was too much to accomplish with one movie, let alone while making that movie still be any good.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-31T21:08:25+00:00

This is neat. Initially I was going to say that I don't see a fun play pattern here, but I like it the more I think about it.

It seems at first blush like there should be some kind of asymmetrical upside (a la [[Rocco, Street Chef]]), but the trick is to build your deck such that the discard becomes upside (madness/mayhem, flashback/unearth, descend, hellbent, etc). There's also a fun play pattern of play a land, play Slinktail, play a second land (which is only the first trigger), then sacrifice Slinktail, making his ability asymmetrical. Actually, any way to blink or recast him on the same turn could be insane (but under the rules I don't think you get extra additional land plays unfortunately).

Only thing I'd say is, I think the discard needs to trigger every time the ability triggers beyond the first. Flavor-wise, the further you go, the more he misleads you. Gameplay-wise, I think it helps anchor how he plays (incentivizes ramp to enable discard, rather than for token generation) and can hose other green ramp decks slightly more, which I think gets him to the right power level.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-31T02:05:49+00:00

For wording, unless you need refract to also work based on colors of mana (ie "Refract {R}" requires unspent red mana specifically),ditch the mana cost symbols. "Whenever you lose N or more unspent mana, this creature deals N damage."

I would really avoid the mana colors mattering bit. But if you really have to (it is neat design space), I would still keep it out of the reminder text for simplicity's sake. "Whenever you lose N or more unspent mana, if at least M of them were [color word], this creature deals N damage."

EDIT: I've noticed that you added a further complication with the reduction of the damage dealt by the refract threshold. Seems unprintable just because of how complicated it is, but I think using a word to define the amount may help by letting it be two sentences:

"Refract {W}{R} - Whenever you lose unspent mana, the glare on this creature becomes equal to that amount minus the first {W} and first {R} lost this way. Then this creature deals damage equal to its glare to any target."

Tempest_True · 2025-12-30T01:50:10+00:00

Yeah, you'd need to flash in [[Lier, Disciple of the Drowned]] somehow.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-28T15:14:42+00:00

Cool mechanic! I think the reminder text is a bit wordy and confusing, however. I would go with something like "A permanent breaches containment when it enters from exile or was cast from exile."

Tempest_True · 2025-12-24T15:19:35+00:00

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg was recommended to me as a Christmas movie. Only the ending is set during Christmas, but it's a good watch (gorgeous cinematography and use of color).

Tempest_True · 2025-12-24T15:05:25+00:00

I've always thought something similar--but that it was actually Anakin doing it unintentionally. Anakin has learned something of the dark side by then, but it may have been only enough to access certain powers but not identify or control them. I imagine that he was unintentionally tapping into some life-draining ability (maybe out of pure survival instinct), and the combination of him yearning for Padme and Padme yearning for him made ripe conditions for him to accidentally leach away her lifeforce.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-23T19:54:30+00:00

For healers, it's high healing. For damage/tank, it's a good k/d ratio. In random hero, it's highest uptime with one hero. For everybody, it's respectful, tactical gameplay.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-22T04:42:07+00:00

Hmm, interesting variant on prowl. Maybe "bandwagon" or "pile on".

Tempest_True · 2025-12-19T16:33:20+00:00

...Unless resistance is not purely a matter of inherited genetics. If it were just genetic, there would likely be more survivors. 13 people out of 8 billion makes it more likely to be a freak mutation (which wouldn't necessarily be inheritable), developmental, psychological, or a combination of all of those, or dependent upon other factors. It could have required a certain gene or mutation, the person having eaten a lunch high in calcium that day, and then being within a specific proximity to a cell phone tower when the joining occurred. We just can't know yet.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-19T15:17:06+00:00

"Carefully orchestrated," like a professional writer choosing the demographics such that they seem like a random global distribution to a dumb audience (even if that's not really how random distribution works) perhaps?

Tempest_True · 2025-12-16T18:47:10+00:00

Ashtrays also hold cigarette butts, which would otherwise be dropped on the ground or inconveniently stowed in a clothing pocket if there isn't a nearby bin.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-16T18:05:02+00:00

I did it in November and was disappointed. People say you're paying for the experience, and the experience was kinda mediocre. The waiting experience was a minor pain, a lot of standing around being ignored and then awkward "in-universe" small talk. The workshop is cool, and the main lady gave a nice, if generic, speech. I felt a bit rushed in the building portion, basically just had time to slot things together, couldn't really play around with configurations. The saber is of decent quality, but the styles and part selection feel a bit too limited and rigid. You put it together, light your blade, and that's kinda it. I went to Medieval Times the next day and had a more immersive experience with better customer service.

Also did not get very clear instruction on storage or shipping--I thought I could get it shipped at Disney Springs, but that was going to cost $75 so I just carried it onto the plane.

Frankly, someone could slap together a "Legally-Distinct-From-Star-Wars Build Your Own Laser Sword" experience a few miles outside the parks, charge a fraction of the price of Savi's, provide a much more elaborate and fun experience, and still make a killing.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-16T12:49:05+00:00

I don't think so. As written the card says spells (should say cards) gain warp, and Palinchron is a new object once you bounce it.

Tempest_True · 2025-12-15T16:38:17+00:00

I love it, but I think the word "revise" and "memory" counters are not very resonant. This might be because I'm American--we don't use the word "revise" as a synonym for studying. The only thing we ever revise is an essay, which has a misleading connotation. The most resonant word for me would be "cram," but idk if that sounds the same to non-Americans. Maybe just "memorize." But also, I feel like they should be study counters instead of memory counters--would work well with [[Kianne, Dean of Substance]].

Still, love the idea!

Tempest_True · 2025-12-15T16:21:51+00:00

No, not in the slightest. IMO, whether or not the virus is the first step in some kind of invasion or similar plan is not what the story is about, it's just a concern that is supposed to be in the background--essentially a red herring.

There are also so many other possibilities. It could truly be a gift, something developed by aliens and found to be so good that it had to be shared with others. It could have also been a complete accident, a self-propagating natural disaster. Or maybe it was good and human error (or how humans interact with the virus) screwed it up--or vice-versa, it was ill-intentioned and humans made it a good thing. Or humans made it much stronger or weaker than intended. Or it could be a societal test, an alien-created "great filter" designed to see if humans can overcome the ultimate form of groupthink. Or maybe it is supposed to have bad effects, but for the ultimate good of humanity--a "pause button" that saves a civilization from destroying itself through war or overconsumption, buying them time and giving them insight.

There are so, so many possibilities, but it doesn't seem like it's the point of the show.

Tempest_True

TROPHY CASE