I'm pro-choice, 100%. My reasons are near endless, including sentimental attatchment, possible death, and others, but really... If your a man, and you're not married or the father (and respected, at that!), you shouldn't have a say in this. It is the WOMAN who will put through the baby, and it's somehow unlikely that the man will stand by his woman if an abortion is desired (Teenage marriages seem to rarely work out). I say it's the woman's choice, and she may listen to whatever counsel she desires. Forcing your bible-based (if that's all you're basing it on) opinion down her throat is not the right thing to do.
Oh, man, I'm in the same boat. I have absolutely no charm, I am not very good looking, and I'm into nerdy stuff like magic. In fact, I actually did a school presentation on how much of a nerd I am. Everytime I watch Napolean Dynamite with someone, they always say, "Hey, you know who you remind me of? NAPOLEAN!"
Anyway, enough about me.
Man, it sounds hard. I know the feeling, the attraction to someone you've known for a long time, the inability to say it... But all I can say is: You made the right choice in holding it in, at least for now. I made the mistake of dating a friend once, and the end result was absolutely terrible. The breakup was even nice as far as those things can go, but after dating, there was not a chance in hell we'd be "friends" again. Simply to much personal information had been shared, we could never look at each other in quite the same way, and all conversations seemed forced. We were also into all the same stuff(aside from magic), so we had to see eachother all the time and fight with ourselves over wether or not we made the right choice.
So, yeah, I say you made a good choice in staying silent, at least for now. When you two are seeing eachother as friends less often, that would probably be a good place to kick it up... if you're still interested. Sometimes, one kiss/ sex/ whatever will kick the urge right out of you, and time takes the attraction away, too. But good luck, man, and always remember this, no matter how corny: Follow your heart. For it is the only true guide on these matters.
P.S. My apologies for the corniness of the last line. BUT IT'S TRUE, DAGGIT!
I'm quite certain he'll be a samurai; he has the two swords, is constantly reffered to as Ochimusha(samurai who lost his honor), and is skilled with the aforementioned blades.
Now, onto abilities... I've only read COK, and will read BOK as soon as I find it, but I've got to think that he'll have an ability that he wouldn't have had in Champions, involving a mechanic of some variety. I just pray they don't give him Ninjitsu... I hate ninjas. It's a long story.
On a side note, has anyone noticed that in Champions, Toshi's Kanji tend to do stuff atributed to other colors, mainly Blue? SPOILER He freezes all the Soratami in his home, he bounces the young wizard student to the large Ogre, etc., etc. END SPOILER. I'm sure he'll be black, but that's just something to make note of. Maybe wizards will try to break the color pie again... Hell, they're giving disenchant back to white.
Yeah, but I think they said they were removing walls because they were creatures, but wern't in any way a living thing. While some, like Vine Trellis, make sense, others, like the 0/8 from Core Set, don't. It's something to look into...
Glad to know you enjoyed it (or, at least, I think you enjoyed it...)! And, yeah, I know the name is dumb. I have problems coming up with good names in English, so in Japanese, it's tricky. I will change it with the next installment, though, which is well under way. Any suggestions would be nice, but I'm thinking Oishi sounds good(also, a mild reference to the 47 Ronin story). But, hey, all constructive criticism is appreciated.
1. Torment- I'm surprised so few people put this. It had everything going for it, in my mind. First and foremost, it was the first set I played that really gave me great ideas for decks(yes, they were bad. But they got me STARTED as an innovative deck designer in my area, and Torment gave me my first deck to win a tournament). While most magic novels more or less suck, "Chainer's Torment" was wonderful, and the connections between the set and the book not only existed, but were fun to find. Also, I found all player types got tons of goodies here(Dawn of the Dead was just fun as hell), and it single-handedly changed the format, and made budget gaming possible again. Hooray for U/G madness!
2. Fifth Dawn- I love combos. Combo decks are the funnest, most difficult to play. While aggro or control decks usually are similar in any format, combos change each week, and are always fun. Fifth Dawn gave hundreds of combo cards, and had it's share of timmy and spike fun, too. Unfortunatly, it was released in the artifact block, and most of the combos in the set are destroyed by all the anti-affinity hate, but on it's own, a very fun set. Great to draft, too.
3. Champions of Kamigawa- I love samurai. The theme and limited formats created by Champions are just awesome. The artwork is great, and the set is underrated. Not much can be said about Kamigawa that isn't obvious, so I'll just leave it at that.
Howdy, all! I know I'm new here, but I've been working on a set, a companion to the Kamigawa block, for some time now (since the set was released, and a little before), and I decided I wanted it to be a set with a backstory. So, I wrote up the prologue, and intend to write more, but I just thought I'd give a little introduction, and ask for your critique.
You see, I love writing. I LOVE it. Unfortunatly, I'm not particularily good at it. So, when I post my story here(it will most likely be by the chapter), I would like feedback as to how it could be improved. Nothing fancy, just some pointers here and there. Thank you very much!
The basis for the story basically revolves around the last survivor of Reito, the town destroyed on the night of soul's betrayal, and his quest for a place in the world and vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his town. In the beginning, he solely fights the kami, but he slowly begins to realize that his vengeance may lead him in a path of collision with the Daimyo of Eiganjo and Torabura... Konda.
Keep in mind that, in feudal Japan, there were more than one daimyo, all with seperate lands. The character introduced in the prologue, who will be a major player in the first novel, was a retainer for a daimyo of a differemt part of Kamigawa than the one we know and love.
The novel is mainly themed around samurai, with many parts resembling films and stories such as Kill Bill, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, etc., etc. Also, my knowledge of feudal Japan culture is limited, so by Gisha, I refer to a pleasure place for men. I'm not sure what exactly they're called, and I believe a Gisha is a woman in one of them, but I just don't care that much. Anyway, the prologue...
Prologue
The Ronin of Seshino
It was dark when the man finally walked into town. From the north gate he entered, his eyes obscured by the rice hat he wore. The man wore a simple long robe, made of common dark cloth, and the robe touched the ground. He bore the two blades of a samurai, his Katana in a sheath on his back and the Waicheweza in his belt. His hair fell long in back in a ponytail, it's dark, unkempt style blowing ever so slightly in the wind.
As the man entered the town, two local retainers came up to greet him. Both wore standard samurai armor, their pikes withdrawn and pointed at the man. One was young, with an awkward face and gangliness, and the other seemed aged, with a hard face and a long beard.
"Hey, what are you doing out so late, Ronin?" asked the old one.
"I was simply passing through when it got dark," the man said in a deep voice, "and decided it was in my best interest to stay here for the night. Even a master ronin is unsafe in times such as these!"
The old one nodded in agreement. "Indeed. You made a wise choice, my friend. The Gisha's down the street, and there's probably someone willing to let you sleep in their bed for a night down there."
The ronin gave a slight bow. "Thank you very much, master samurai." And with that, the man walked down the street. The two samurai watched after him, then returned to their positions.
The ronin walked into the Gisha, and noone seemed to notice. The ronin quickly took a look around the room through his hat, and gave a slight chuckle and a nod. The Gisha was among the lesser quality ones he had seen, with all of the young girls astoundingly poorly trained in the ways of pleasurment, and the men desperate enough to seek their attention. The ronin saw young, elderly, and one or two other ronin, all enjoying the company of the women and the sake.
The place itself was low-calliber; a few doors led outside to possibly great views, but the gisha itself was in dire need of attention, it's wood rotting. Giving a little head shake, the man chose a girl and walked over to her.
The Ronin's choice on this particular night was a young girl, probably no older than sixteen, who was very frail with jet-black hair. She wore a lovely kiboku dress made of red silk, and the ronin felt an unworldly desire to touch it.
"Why, hello, my beutiful kiku..." said the ronin, in his most charming voice. I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm..."
The ronin was interrupted by a large man, also bearing the two blades of a samurai and abnormally large eyebrows, putting his hand on him and pulling him away. The ronin let out a surprised gasp, and found himself with his throat located next to the large man's Katana.
"Is there a problem, master?" the ronin gasped out.
"You were just with my woman! She's mine!"
"I'm sorry, master, I meant no harm. If you'd just let me go, I would be more than happy to leave..."
The big man let out a long, hearty laugh. Slowly, many others around him began to laugh with him. The ronin glanced around, and noticed that the entire room seemed to be quite fond of this large man.
"Do you have any idea to whom you speak, puny man? I am the new daimyo of this land! I overthrew lord Ushicho last night, and you caught me while celebrating!" The man bellowed.
The ronin gasped at the man, "But, if I'm not mistaken, it was master Ochinusha who overthrew the tyrant Ushicho last night. What happened to him?"
The large man laughed even harder. "That puny, ignorant fool? He slew Ushicho out of desire for justice, and I had him killed for that power. It was that simple. Now, you have disgraced my honor, and to that, we must duel." The man withdrew his smaller blade.
The ronin stepped back, and then spoke. "Is that so? Then, you must have stabbed him in the back, for I knew Ochinusha, and he was a far greater samurai than you will ever be."
The large man glared at the ronin. "Hmm. You humor me, puny ronin. Would you grant me the pleasure of knowing your name before I kill you?"
This time, the ronin laughed. He put back his head and laughed in a deep, horrifying way, and all in the gisha stepped back. "You desire to know who I am, General Mashingo?"
The large mand was shocked this time, unaware how this stranger knew his name.
The ronin tilted his rice hat up, revealing his blood red eyes.
"I am Ochinusha, risen again. And for your betrayal, you die, Mashingo." And with that, the ronin unsheathed his katana, swung it, and spun around. He grinned, and the shocked look on Mashingo's face fell to the floor, along with some blood and the rest of his head.
The crowd looked down at the removed head, shocked for a moment, and stared. They then all ran around, panicked, looking for an exit. Ochinusha stood, drinking in all of the panic in the room, until he went to work. One or two ronin got up and tried to stop him, but he quickly cut them down. He than charged at the crowd, packed at the door, and swung his katana until the last had fallen.
Everyone in the gisha, patron, woman, or anything else, now lay dead by the door. Ochimusha stood over his handiwork, than slashed his katana in the air, wiped off the blood, and resheated his katana. He then took a bottle of sake, drank it, and exited.
The two samurai who he had encountered earlier came charging at him, each with a cry of fury and malice. The stopped midstride, however, when Ochinusha took off his hat. They stared in horror and wonder at the blood red eyes of their one-time master. Each bowed low to their former master.
"We have always been loyal to you, master!" They both yelled, and the man couldn't help but smile. He beckoned for them to rise, and as they did, he simply said, "And your loyalty shall not go unrewarded." He swung his katana, slashed both of the samurai across the gut, and as they fell, he picked up his rice hat, put it back on, and continued his work on the rest of the betrayers in town.
Here we have the story's character Ochimusha, whom will play a prominent role in the tale of the last samurai of Reito. Thoughts? Opinions? Any feedback would be great, but constructive would be best. Thank you very much!
Also, I don't know if I'm overstepping bounds here, but I'm pretty sure any card with a creature type-wall is fake. Didn't they say they were getting rid of walls in magic, due to the fact that they don't make any thematic sense?
I've actually been having considerable success with a mildly modified version of IntotheAether's samurai precon project. The matchup against U/G control, which is big in my area, is a virtual bye, and it seems to do decently against everything else. Here goes...
Creatures:
4x Samurai of the Pale Curtain- Duh.
4x Kitsune Blademaster- Quite possibly white's best three drop, aside from, obviously, Lin Sivvi. And, hey, she got banned. So good, so often.
4x Devoted Retainer- Do I wish there was a better white, One mana samurai? Yeah, but this isn't bad. In combat, it's every bit as useful as Isumaru, with none of that legendary crap. And his symmetry with Nagao and Call to Glory is Tres Bon!
4x Mothrider Samurai- The key to WW's victory lies in evasion. Is he expensive? Yeah, but I've killed so many Melokus, dragons, etc. with this guy that he's well worth the extra mana.
3x Konda's Hatamoto- On their own, these guys are playable; basically, a 2/3 wall for W1 with some nifty tricks. However, with a legend in play, these guys go from average to amazing. One of these with a legend on the table has won me tons of games.
3x Kami of Ancient Law- Damn, are these good. The only non-samurai in the deck, they are so great all the time. A 2/2 for 2 isn't special, but a body who kills the shrines, anthems, and worships of the world is well worth the deck spots. Unfortunatly, he's only really good against kind of rogue decks, limiting him to 3 spaces.
3x Nagao, Bound By Honor- Very often, in fact, almost always, I win the turn after I play this guy. HE STAYS.
2x Sensei Golden Tail- In it for fun, but he's also a cheap beater and a legend for our budy the Hatamoto. He has helped to win tons of games, but he isn't quite the "game over" that is Nagao, limiting him to two slots.
Spells-
4x Blessed Breath- I have yet to be in a situation where these are useless. Suddenly, Keiga isn't scary, those final points of damage go in like flynt, and burn, especially shrapnel blast, becomes useless. The splice ability is just better.
3x Otherworldly Journey- When an opponent isn't playing me with U/G control, he's probably playing monoblack. These guys make that matchup not only winnable, but even good.
3x Call to Glory- Nagao is good. These untap all your samurai. The deck's top surprise, and the cause of tons of victorys I shouldn't have had.
1x Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho- Useless with a SotPC in play? Close, but not quite. Absolutely amazing when Samurai not in play? Absolutely. An autowin against MBC and monowhite, when you have the guys to back it up.
Anyway, enough about me.
Man, it sounds hard. I know the feeling, the attraction to someone you've known for a long time, the inability to say it... But all I can say is: You made the right choice in holding it in, at least for now. I made the mistake of dating a friend once, and the end result was absolutely terrible. The breakup was even nice as far as those things can go, but after dating, there was not a chance in hell we'd be "friends" again. Simply to much personal information had been shared, we could never look at each other in quite the same way, and all conversations seemed forced. We were also into all the same stuff(aside from magic), so we had to see eachother all the time and fight with ourselves over wether or not we made the right choice.
So, yeah, I say you made a good choice in staying silent, at least for now. When you two are seeing eachother as friends less often, that would probably be a good place to kick it up... if you're still interested. Sometimes, one kiss/ sex/ whatever will kick the urge right out of you, and time takes the attraction away, too. But good luck, man, and always remember this, no matter how corny: Follow your heart. For it is the only true guide on these matters.
P.S. My apologies for the corniness of the last line. BUT IT'S TRUE, DAGGIT!
Now, onto abilities... I've only read COK, and will read BOK as soon as I find it, but I've got to think that he'll have an ability that he wouldn't have had in Champions, involving a mechanic of some variety. I just pray they don't give him Ninjitsu... I hate ninjas. It's a long story.
On a side note, has anyone noticed that in Champions, Toshi's Kanji tend to do stuff atributed to other colors, mainly Blue? SPOILER He freezes all the Soratami in his home, he bounces the young wizard student to the large Ogre, etc., etc. END SPOILER. I'm sure he'll be black, but that's just something to make note of. Maybe wizards will try to break the color pie again... Hell, they're giving disenchant back to white.
2. Fifth Dawn- I love combos. Combo decks are the funnest, most difficult to play. While aggro or control decks usually are similar in any format, combos change each week, and are always fun. Fifth Dawn gave hundreds of combo cards, and had it's share of timmy and spike fun, too. Unfortunatly, it was released in the artifact block, and most of the combos in the set are destroyed by all the anti-affinity hate, but on it's own, a very fun set. Great to draft, too.
3. Champions of Kamigawa- I love samurai. The theme and limited formats created by Champions are just awesome. The artwork is great, and the set is underrated. Not much can be said about Kamigawa that isn't obvious, so I'll just leave it at that.
You see, I love writing. I LOVE it. Unfortunatly, I'm not particularily good at it. So, when I post my story here(it will most likely be by the chapter), I would like feedback as to how it could be improved. Nothing fancy, just some pointers here and there. Thank you very much!
The basis for the story basically revolves around the last survivor of Reito, the town destroyed on the night of soul's betrayal, and his quest for a place in the world and vengeance against those responsible for the destruction of his town. In the beginning, he solely fights the kami, but he slowly begins to realize that his vengeance may lead him in a path of collision with the Daimyo of Eiganjo and Torabura... Konda.
Keep in mind that, in feudal Japan, there were more than one daimyo, all with seperate lands. The character introduced in the prologue, who will be a major player in the first novel, was a retainer for a daimyo of a differemt part of Kamigawa than the one we know and love.
The novel is mainly themed around samurai, with many parts resembling films and stories such as Kill Bill, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, etc., etc. Also, my knowledge of feudal Japan culture is limited, so by Gisha, I refer to a pleasure place for men. I'm not sure what exactly they're called, and I believe a Gisha is a woman in one of them, but I just don't care that much. Anyway, the prologue...
Prologue
The Ronin of Seshino
It was dark when the man finally walked into town. From the north gate he entered, his eyes obscured by the rice hat he wore. The man wore a simple long robe, made of common dark cloth, and the robe touched the ground. He bore the two blades of a samurai, his Katana in a sheath on his back and the Waicheweza in his belt. His hair fell long in back in a ponytail, it's dark, unkempt style blowing ever so slightly in the wind.
As the man entered the town, two local retainers came up to greet him. Both wore standard samurai armor, their pikes withdrawn and pointed at the man. One was young, with an awkward face and gangliness, and the other seemed aged, with a hard face and a long beard.
"Hey, what are you doing out so late, Ronin?" asked the old one.
"I was simply passing through when it got dark," the man said in a deep voice, "and decided it was in my best interest to stay here for the night. Even a master ronin is unsafe in times such as these!"
The old one nodded in agreement. "Indeed. You made a wise choice, my friend. The Gisha's down the street, and there's probably someone willing to let you sleep in their bed for a night down there."
The ronin gave a slight bow. "Thank you very much, master samurai." And with that, the man walked down the street. The two samurai watched after him, then returned to their positions.
The ronin walked into the Gisha, and noone seemed to notice. The ronin quickly took a look around the room through his hat, and gave a slight chuckle and a nod. The Gisha was among the lesser quality ones he had seen, with all of the young girls astoundingly poorly trained in the ways of pleasurment, and the men desperate enough to seek their attention. The ronin saw young, elderly, and one or two other ronin, all enjoying the company of the women and the sake.
The place itself was low-calliber; a few doors led outside to possibly great views, but the gisha itself was in dire need of attention, it's wood rotting. Giving a little head shake, the man chose a girl and walked over to her.
The Ronin's choice on this particular night was a young girl, probably no older than sixteen, who was very frail with jet-black hair. She wore a lovely kiboku dress made of red silk, and the ronin felt an unworldly desire to touch it.
"Why, hello, my beutiful kiku..." said the ronin, in his most charming voice. I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm..."
The ronin was interrupted by a large man, also bearing the two blades of a samurai and abnormally large eyebrows, putting his hand on him and pulling him away. The ronin let out a surprised gasp, and found himself with his throat located next to the large man's Katana.
"Is there a problem, master?" the ronin gasped out.
"You were just with my woman! She's mine!"
"I'm sorry, master, I meant no harm. If you'd just let me go, I would be more than happy to leave..."
The big man let out a long, hearty laugh. Slowly, many others around him began to laugh with him. The ronin glanced around, and noticed that the entire room seemed to be quite fond of this large man.
"Do you have any idea to whom you speak, puny man? I am the new daimyo of this land! I overthrew lord Ushicho last night, and you caught me while celebrating!" The man bellowed.
The ronin gasped at the man, "But, if I'm not mistaken, it was master Ochinusha who overthrew the tyrant Ushicho last night. What happened to him?"
The large man laughed even harder. "That puny, ignorant fool? He slew Ushicho out of desire for justice, and I had him killed for that power. It was that simple. Now, you have disgraced my honor, and to that, we must duel." The man withdrew his smaller blade.
The ronin stepped back, and then spoke. "Is that so? Then, you must have stabbed him in the back, for I knew Ochinusha, and he was a far greater samurai than you will ever be."
The large man glared at the ronin. "Hmm. You humor me, puny ronin. Would you grant me the pleasure of knowing your name before I kill you?"
This time, the ronin laughed. He put back his head and laughed in a deep, horrifying way, and all in the gisha stepped back. "You desire to know who I am, General Mashingo?"
The large mand was shocked this time, unaware how this stranger knew his name.
The ronin tilted his rice hat up, revealing his blood red eyes.
"I am Ochinusha, risen again. And for your betrayal, you die, Mashingo." And with that, the ronin unsheathed his katana, swung it, and spun around. He grinned, and the shocked look on Mashingo's face fell to the floor, along with some blood and the rest of his head.
The crowd looked down at the removed head, shocked for a moment, and stared. They then all ran around, panicked, looking for an exit. Ochinusha stood, drinking in all of the panic in the room, until he went to work. One or two ronin got up and tried to stop him, but he quickly cut them down. He than charged at the crowd, packed at the door, and swung his katana until the last had fallen.
Everyone in the gisha, patron, woman, or anything else, now lay dead by the door. Ochimusha stood over his handiwork, than slashed his katana in the air, wiped off the blood, and resheated his katana. He then took a bottle of sake, drank it, and exited.
The two samurai who he had encountered earlier came charging at him, each with a cry of fury and malice. The stopped midstride, however, when Ochinusha took off his hat. They stared in horror and wonder at the blood red eyes of their one-time master. Each bowed low to their former master.
"We have always been loyal to you, master!" They both yelled, and the man couldn't help but smile. He beckoned for them to rise, and as they did, he simply said, "And your loyalty shall not go unrewarded." He swung his katana, slashed both of the samurai across the gut, and as they fell, he picked up his rice hat, put it back on, and continued his work on the rest of the betrayers in town.
Here we have the story's character Ochimusha, whom will play a prominent role in the tale of the last samurai of Reito. Thoughts? Opinions? Any feedback would be great, but constructive would be best. Thank you very much!
Creatures:
4x Samurai of the Pale Curtain- Duh.
4x Kitsune Blademaster- Quite possibly white's best three drop, aside from, obviously, Lin Sivvi. And, hey, she got banned. So good, so often.
4x Devoted Retainer- Do I wish there was a better white, One mana samurai? Yeah, but this isn't bad. In combat, it's every bit as useful as Isumaru, with none of that legendary crap. And his symmetry with Nagao and Call to Glory is Tres Bon!
4x Mothrider Samurai- The key to WW's victory lies in evasion. Is he expensive? Yeah, but I've killed so many Melokus, dragons, etc. with this guy that he's well worth the extra mana.
3x Konda's Hatamoto- On their own, these guys are playable; basically, a 2/3 wall for W1 with some nifty tricks. However, with a legend in play, these guys go from average to amazing. One of these with a legend on the table has won me tons of games.
3x Kami of Ancient Law- Damn, are these good. The only non-samurai in the deck, they are so great all the time. A 2/2 for 2 isn't special, but a body who kills the shrines, anthems, and worships of the world is well worth the deck spots. Unfortunatly, he's only really good against kind of rogue decks, limiting him to 3 spaces.
3x Nagao, Bound By Honor- Very often, in fact, almost always, I win the turn after I play this guy. HE STAYS.
2x Sensei Golden Tail- In it for fun, but he's also a cheap beater and a legend for our budy the Hatamoto. He has helped to win tons of games, but he isn't quite the "game over" that is Nagao, limiting him to two slots.
Spells-
4x Blessed Breath- I have yet to be in a situation where these are useless. Suddenly, Keiga isn't scary, those final points of damage go in like flynt, and burn, especially shrapnel blast, becomes useless. The splice ability is just better.
3x Otherworldly Journey- When an opponent isn't playing me with U/G control, he's probably playing monoblack. These guys make that matchup not only winnable, but even good.
3x Call to Glory- Nagao is good. These untap all your samurai. The deck's top surprise, and the cause of tons of victorys I shouldn't have had.
1x Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho- Useless with a SotPC in play? Close, but not quite. Absolutely amazing when Samurai not in play? Absolutely. An autowin against MBC and monowhite, when you have the guys to back it up.
Land-
21x Plains
1x Eiganjo Castle
Sideboard is a little chalky. And suggestions?