#it's a good feeling to be completely unique and to know that any decks you get will offer a different experience

[getmeoutofhell]

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬

warnings: manipulation, possession, jack having anger problems, nsfw towards the end. any questions or concerns let me know!

a/n: you already know…he has no works so i now have to step up. enjoy.

𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬:

I can’t help myself; he’s so beautiful. He calls you that too, all the time. Beneath his, um, obvious flaws, there is some goodness in his heart—kind of. If he likes you, I know he will be jealous of the people around you. This jealousy may end up hurting them, or even you, as a result.

"You have beautiful eyes," he thinks, perceiving everything as art—especially you. His unique way of depicting things leaves you feeling captivated. He describes his interests in terms of masterpieces and art paintings. You found yourself drawn to him because of his perspective on life and how he treated you—at first.

He can’t control his emotions, and you know this. But sometimes, you can’t control yours either. He’s like a snake that slithers into your life. He bites you, poisons you, and now you’re stuck with him and his betrayals. He can be romantic, but it feels more like an act of kindness than genuine affection. You’re uncertain about his true feelings, and you may not know the truth for a long time.

Jack treats you like a deck of cards. Every time he sees you, the same pattern occurs: 1. He acts loving and caring. 2. He randomly becomes upset over something that has nothing to do with you. 3. He leaves and then comes back the next day. This cycle repeats every time. Yet you come running back as well.

He takes you out hunting, which could be seen as generous or romantic. He shows you how to properly use a gun, placing his hands on your waist to help steady your arms. He can sense your nervousness, but he enjoys it; he thinks you're cute and encourages you.

“You remind me of the sun, a beauty in the night—like a painting.” Oh boy, he always compares you to some form of art in a museum. After the first couple of times, it started to feel a little strange. “You really like art, huh, Jack?” you ask. He smiles and nods in response.

Jack genuinely likes you, but his darker side often prevents him from expressing just how much he cares. He thinks you’re quite special if he has any feelings for you. It’s important to feel lucky around him; otherwise, things might not turn out well.

𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲:

I want to take a moment to talk about Jack and his jealousy in your relationship. It’s quite severe—almost to the point where you need to run for your life. He will not remain calm in any situation that involves another man, and it may even extend to another woman, depending on how close you are to that person.

He will force you to watch him hurt that person. You can try to tell him the truth, explaining that you were just friends, but he won’t listen and won’t care. It’s incredibly difficult for him not to hurt you as well, but he understands that he will deeply regret it if he does, so he manages to contain the urge.

Don’t you dare try to make him calm down. He will take you and lock you up somewhere for days if necessary. He’ll make sure you have everything you need, but you will be isolated from everyone except him.

‘Jack, please let me go.’

‘I can’t do that, baby girl/ baby boy. You know this.’

𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:

He’s very specific when it comes to that—straightforward and direct, with no beating around the bush. However, every once in a while, he enjoys a little foreplay. He likes to tease when he’s in the mood for it, but don’t make him wait too long, or he might look for attention elsewhere. He’s very touchy, with his hands exploring your body as if he’s never seen it before. He behaves like you’re some sort of treasure he’s just discovered.

His hands find yours when he's fully inside you. At first, he's more vanilla, but as he becomes more comfortable, he starts to share his kinks and desires. He knows you won't run away, so he's willing to open up completely. Trust me, it's big—I know what I'm talking about.

He’s somewhat hairless; there’s a soft fuzz, but nothing too noticeable. When he falls into one of his depression moods, he won’t shower for days. However, he usually maintains a clean and tidy appearance. He prefers his partner to be either shaved or to have a little hair. Occasionally, he enjoys some bush, but as I mentioned, it’s best not to overdo it.

He even offers to shower with you and help clean you up. “You need to use this shampoo; the others dry out your beautiful hair.” In these moments, you find him kind of sweet, which makes you comfortable enough to show him your body. He grips you all over like a wild animal, starved and helpless.

[windvexer]

do you happen to know any good sources of tarot card meanings quizzes like for studying them? i feel like at this point i might have to try making one myself ;~; or maybe try making physical note flash cards or something

when i go to write the meanings down i never get far and i do want to continue that way but also a good quiz could be so helpful too, i think ;;

I've never heard of something like this, does anyone on the dash know of something?

But I can speak from a couple different angles, the first of which is that it's unnecessary to memorize tarot card readings, and I personally do not believe it is a reasonable undertaking.

The problem here is that if you want to memorize tarot cards, the first question is "for what deck"? Because the meanings of tarot decks aren't interchangeable. So we all know that RWS isn't interchangeable with Thoth for example, but even RWS clones aren't strictly interchangeable with each other.

The value of having different decks isn't just that the art is pretty. The meaning of a single card (say, 3/Cups) changes from deck to deck to deck. Different decks read differently, and a part of this is that the cards carry their own nuances or even completely different meanings.

Even professional readers reference notes and guidebooks during readings. The point of a reader is not to memorize cards, otherwise readers could be completely replaceable by random tarot card generator programs that bring up a paragraph definition of each card.

That all being said! If you want to pursue this for your own purposes, I would recommend focusing not on 156 card meanings (remember, a reversed card can carry a unique meaning of its own), but rather a study of the structures within tarot.

22 major arcana - the meanings of these may be easier to remember if you familiarize yourself with the 'Fool's Journey,' a modern (IIRC) telling of the major arcana as the fool's journey through 21 subsequent cards.

divided arcana - lay out your major arcana cards in a row 0 - 10, and then below them 11 - 21 so that the fool sits on top of justice and the wheel of fortune sits on top of the world. These two halves of the major arcana are said to reflect each other - the hanged man and the magician both fruit from the same vine. Contemplate this comparison to build the structure of the deck within your mind.

stacked pips - lay out all the pips ace through ten in rows, so that all the aces are in columns, all the twos are in columns, and so on. Every row and column is a current - all the sixes have something in common with each other, and all the wands have something in common with each other. Compare and contrast the number values and suites with each other.

[femslashhistorian]

3 Great Lae'zel/Shadowheart AUs (femslash fic rec)

Shadowheart and Lae'zel are two characters (companions) from the roleplaying video/computer game Baldur's Gate 3. Their ship name is Shadow'zel and there is a good amount of femslash (F/F) fanfiction for this ship on AO3: Lae'zel/Shadowheart (link)

The three fics I've picked for this fic rec share a few common themes: They are modern setting AUs and fit broadly speaking into enemies to lovers category. Plus: there is a bonus (non AU) rec.

You don't need to know anything about the game's canon to enjoy these fics and there is no danger that you might get any spoilers for BG3. Of course, it is helpful if you have seen a few pics / gifs / snippets to get a feeling for the vibes between Shadowheart and Lae'zel.

(There is also an interesting short article about what Shadowheart's voice actress things about this ship.)

I really love their dynamics in these three fics and the tension and bickering are delicious.

----

Mrs and Mrs K'llir by justasimplelesbian

Complete, 1 chapter, 22k words, 2024

Teen and up; Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Summary: Mr and Mrs Smith AU

Shadowheart and Lae'zel is the focus, Astarion, Karlach, and Gale all make like very minimal appearances.

Note: there is an additional smut chapter (in a separate fic): link

I guess technically you might get spoilers rather for the movie Mr and Mrs Smith (2005) than for BG3.

But to be honest is has been many years since I saw the movie and thus, I don't know how closely the plot of the fic follows the plot of the movie (according to the author's notes it is pretty close). What I do know is that the author did a great job to fit Shadowheart and Lazel into this AU and a few other BG companions also show up and fit in perfectly as well.

This fic is probably the most literal enemies to lovers fic of the three, as they actually get to fight each other, however technically they start as a married couple.

I really enjoyed this fic. Highly recommended.

----

the gith in 14G by yeahitshowed

Complete, 1 chapter, 3k words, 2024

Teen and up; No Archive Warnings Apply

Summary:

The door swings open just as Shadowheart slams her fist forward to knock again; the apartment’s occupant, a githyanki woman in workout gear, catches Shadowheart’s wrist to avoid being decked in the face. “Whatever you aim to sell me,” the githyanki says testily, “I hold no interest, and I dearly hope whatever two-bit company you shill for files for bankruptcy.”

“Are you being murdered?” Shadowheart says, yanking her wrist free. “Or possibly doing the murdering?”

The githyanki cocks her head. Each of her long ears sports a line of piercings; the little hoops clink together. “Hm. A unique sales strategy. I will listen to your pitch if you speak quickly.”

-

Modern AU; Shadowheart moves into a new apartment, and the githyanki next door is infuriatingly loud.

Told mostly from Shadowheart's POV, the author did a tremendous job to capture her frustration and annoyance towards Lae'zel. Switching the POV in the last scene to Wyll is working very well. What Shadowheart does to pay it back to Lae'zel is kind of relatable and also very funny.

Loved the fic. Highly recommended.

----

put her canine teeth in the side of my neck by yeahitshowed

Complete, 1 chapter, 3k words, 2024

General Audiences; No Archive Warnings Apply

Summary:

“Hey!” shouts an unfamiliar voice. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Maintaining her grip on the wriggling German Shepherd, Lae’zel looks up. A woman’s stalking over from the benches, arms tightly crossed over a deeply un-dog-park-like goth getup.

“Thwarting an unsportsmanlike assault,” Lae’zel says. “The dirty one baselessly attacked – ”

“Yes, she’s playing,” the woman says. “How dare she. Can you let go of my dog?”

-

Meeting at a dog park, Lae'zel and Shadowheart's dogs are instant pals. (Lae'zel and Shadowheart, not so much.)

In contrast to the other two fics, the enemies to lovers aspects are handled without violence, however this does not mean that the bickering is not deliciously strong. A nice change of pace and a very cute fic. The names of the dogs also gave me a good chuckle. Highly recommended.

Also check out the cute fan art that inspired the fic.

----

Bonus rec: non AU

to feel love (like a sinner) by mermaiddrunk

Complete, 1 chapter, 9k words, 2024

Explicit; No Archive Warnings Apply

Lae’zel’s breath grows heavy. “You feel it too?”

“Yes.”

“Tsk’va!” Lae’zel swears even as the knowledge makes her sick with lust. “I believe we have been poisoned. The wizard’s confections—”

Shadowheart lets out a small manic laugh devoid of any real humour. “It’s not poison,” she says with a trembling voice. “I think they were aphrodisiacs. I assume one or two are sufficient to do the job.” Lae’zel isn’t sure if Shadowheart is going to laugh or cry when she says, “We ate an entire bag.”

Note: There is also fan art inspired by the fic (tumblr)

----

Notes:

This was cross-posted to tumblr and my WordPress blog. Check it out for more femslash fanfic recs.

Image credits:

Pexels from Pixabay

Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 1 2

Ralf Seemann from Pixabay

[hypnotherapy-blog-blog]

The Black Bag - Part 1.

The Black Bag.

Rob Hadley

Introduction.

When I wrote The Black Bag I had it in mind that many of the people likely to read it would already have a knowledge of Tarot. However, that’s proved to have been a miscalculation. I have been pleased to see many readers have a curiosity about Tarot, but not much familiarity with it.  As a result, I often suggest readers step into this journey with a Tarot deck at hand.  It will help you see the cards mentioned, and to participate in a manner that gives you a deeper connection to the story.  Each reader, does after all, have their own relationship to the cards. Indeed each card relates to each reader differently. As you make your way through these pages, perhaps you will have insights that will make the story unique for you.

My intent is for you to enjoy these pages, and maybe pick up a few ideas along the way. I don’t propose for an instant that any given card has set or established meanings. My own view is that context is everything. The cards tend to match up with your own particular situation and can have very different meanings at different times. I hope you’ll enjoy this journey. Feel free to reach out to me and let me know your own experiences.

My best wishes as you embark on this journey,

Rob Hadley

Vanbc1963@yahoo.com

The Black Bag

By Rob Hadley

C.2024

It is fair to say that the one person you least expect to see following your mother’s funeral is your mother. Yet, as Grahame Bickerton stepped out of the small chapel and into the daylight and looked across the well tended gardens he was shocked to find himself staring at a figure in the distance that bore an unmistakeable resemblance to the very person he had just witnessed being extended that last of human dignities.

The coffin had slid silently away behind the curtain in the funeral home, and he’d been shocked to find himself craning to see the final glimpse as it moved irresistibly into the cremation chamber. And yet here, across this beautifully laid out garden there seemed to be someone that could be his very own mother sitting in mournful contemplation by one of the gravestones, their back to him.

Grahame felt a hand on his sleeve and turned.  It was the only other person that had been at the service. An elderly woman with a cane, bent almost double, the result of some form of spinal deformity.  The woman spoke to him gently, her eyes moist with tears.

“I will miss you mother,” she said. “I feel your loss.”

“You’re very kind,” said Grahame trying not to be too dismissive but wanting to pull away and see the woman in the distance more clearly. She’d got up and was walking away.

“I used to work with her you know, at the college. Geography,” she said. “She spoke of you regularly.”

“Geography?” replied Grahame, completely lost.

“I teach Geography at the college. We used to have tea together often,” she continued.

Grahame didn’t wish to be rude and turned and tried to catch sight of the person in the garden, but she was hurrying away.

“If I can help,” she said, “you can find me at the college.”

Grahame pulled away and started walking across the gardens leaving the old woman staring after him as he strode away.

“Poor man,” she said to herself leaning on her cane. “He’s obviously terribly upset.”

Grahame hurried across the lawns in the direction of the woman he had seen. Soon he stopped. The crows were rising from some trees by the seat the woman had been sitting on but was gone from view now. It was almost as if she’d never been there. He walked on, but after a few moments realised it was no good. He couldn’t see which way she’d gone.

“Christ,” he muttered, then thinking more clearly calmed himself.

“I have to get a grip,” he said to himself. “This is ridiculous, I’m a bloody engineer, dammit.”

With that Grahame dismissed the notion that anything out of the norm had happened. He was obviously overreacting.

+++

It was mid morning several weeks later when Grahame received the call from the car dealership. The fall sunlight cast the city in a flat light that lacked the warmth of the summer so recently ended. He stood looking out of his meagre office at the glass towers of the downtown core and the cranes that perched beside every spare inch of buildable space.

How very different those offices were from his own. From the office beside his he could hear his boss shouting down the phone at one of the project planners. The congestion on the road today was holding things up for everybody. He was well aware that they were pouring concrete on several projects today, and with those cement trucks stranded in the unexpected traffic chaos caused by this morning’s power outage there was sure to be hell to pay. As luck would have it none of his teams were pumping today, so while the atmosphere in the office would be toxic, it didn’t directly affect any of his people.

He’d been lucky, pacing himself lately. The recent death of his mother had forced him to scale back some of his work commitments. As the executor of the will there were assets to be disposed of, taxes to pay, and all the administrative chaos that accompanies the end of life. And that brought him back to the phone call. It had been the dealership he’d taken his mother’s old Town Car to.  She’d loved that vehicle, but it had no business being on the road with gas prices the way they are today. Getting rid of it had been the only thing to do, and yet in spite of his having thoroughly cleaned the vehicle before leaving it at the second hand car lot, the manager had called and informed him that they’d found some old playing cards and some journals when the car was made ready for sale.

“We didn’t want to toss them out,” said the manager. “They may be something you want.”

The manager had sounded awkward. He was aware the car had been Grahame’s mother’s vehicle, being acquainted with old lady. He’d been servicing the car since he’d joined the dealership over a decade previously.

A phone slammed down in the cubicle beside his and Grahame winced. Did the workplace have to be so toxic, he wondered. Looking at his diary he could see he didn’t need to be here at present, and if he were to walk the dozen blocks to the car lot he could get away early and then slip home to work the rest of the day from there.

He placed a file into his brief case and made for the door. His boss was already on the phone to the next project manager, wringing his hands and looking intently at the screen of his laptop and chewing his lip, a nervous habit he’d nursed every day since Grahame had joined the company. He nodded as he made his way out of the building but went by unnoticed. As he walked out across the car park he felt the sun on his face and a sense of relief in his heart. It was good to be out of the cramped office space.

He loved the city, and being part of the construction trade he was enjoying the fruits of a building boom, but it wasn’t lost on him that he worked for a small consultancy firm, and the glass palaces of downtown were far from his reality. The firm he worked for may be part of the construction team, but he was under no illusions about the work. Twice in the last year his boss had been forced to ask his staff to wait a week for their wages, and if his suspicions were correct, it would happen again. In the hierarchy of the building trade, the company he was working for was not what anyone would describe as a highflyer.

He walked smartly across town, the sound of horns blaring a fitting backdrop to the stationary traffic. Another set of lights up ahead had blown out and a crew was struggling to get their vehicle to somewhere they could work on the switchgear.

Grahame tuned out the sound of the city. He thought of his mother, and that he’d only seen her three times in the year prior to her death. They’d had dinner back in April, and then he had driven out to the cottage in mid summer, and then Rose had told him she was going in for some tests. She seemed unworried about it at the time, and he hadn’t really thought much of it.

Deconstructing things later Grahame realised that Rose had suffered in silence for some time before having these tests run. Indeed by the time pancreatic cancer was diagnosed it was already far advanced. She had suffered briefly, and Grahame had visited, but soon after that last time she had succumbed, slid into a coma and within two weeks had died leaving a great chasm in Graham’s life. A chasm he promptly filled with his own guilt for not being a better son, and more available to his mother.

He was being too hard on himself, but that was nothing new.

+++

At the car dealership the manager had placed the collection of journals and other bits and pieces in a large envelope for Grahame to collect.  He walked into reception and the young lady on the desk reached beneath her desk and passed it to him, recognising him from previous visits. Grahame thanked her and took the package, then decided he’d walk home through the park.

There was little point returning to the office today. He didn’t feel up to working, and the traffic chaos of the morning would soon be merging with the afternoon rush hour, as people tried to leave work early to beat the rush.

Taking a moment to sit in the sunshine he stopped at a park bench and opened the package. It contained three journals, all closely handwritten in his mothers handwriting, and one small black bag. He drew this out and inspected it. Inside he found some cards, but not the playing cards you’d expect an old lady to have should she find herself compelled to get into a game of gin rummy. These were altogether more colorful, and well used.

He inspected them and realised that these were tarot cards. He had no idea his mother had an interest in tarot. While not something he had any knowledge of, Grahame recognised some of the symbols on the cards as he rifled through them. He found the cards strangely puzzling, feeling rather like he’d discovered something secret. He slid the blag bag back into the envelope continued his journey home. They were a mystery he would examine further at a later date.

As he walked he lamented the fact that he had few of his mothers belongings, even though he was her sole heir. The reality was that his small modern apartment was hardly a suitable venue for an ancient armoire, or dining table for eight people.

When he emerged out of the far side of the park he was only a couple of blocks from his apartment. Walking to work today had been a good choice, even here the traffic was log jammed.

+++

The loss of his sole surviving parent had forced something of a pause in Graham’s life.  It was a moment in which he was compelled to take stock and look at where he was.

He had recently ended a fruitless relationship of eighteen months. It had been a perfunctory affair, neither very passionate nor disastrous, but lacking in so many of the things he felt his life needed.

They’d found each other online, were both ‘self actualised professionals looking to share all life has to offer,’ according to their dating profiles, but were neither very self actualised (he still wasn’t sure what that meant) nor very willing to share very much. He’d decided he didn’t really trust the person he was dating, and realised she didn’t trust him either. They’d decided to ‘have a two week break’ two months ago and he hadn’t heard from her since.

Surprisingly he didn’t miss the woman either. It was as if the relationship had not really happened at all. And he felt no compulsion to reconnect.

If he were quite honest with himself it was much the same with his job.  He’d been working as a project manager for several years, and it paid reasonably well. While his job didn’t excite him, it provided security enough for him to live in the city, pay a disturbingly high proportion of his income in rent, and to own a car that he could drive at barely 20 miles an hour anywhere he chose. And then pay a fortune for parking. Like the relationship, his job didn’t fill him with passion either.

Grahame was gradually coming to the conclusion that there were patterns emerging in his life that didn’t fill him with joyful expectation. In his mid thirties he had expected something more of life. Was this really it?

These were Grahame’s thoughts as he walked alongside the stationary traffic and glanced at the frustrated drivers in their little tin boxes. Just a few blocks from home Grahame watched an episode play out before him.

A driver in a Jeep was blowing his horn at a car in front. The yellow haired woman sat in a little pale blue convertible, studiously ignoring the increasingly insistent honking. Judging by the body language the young lady had not had a good day, sitting arms crossed and lips pursed determined to ignore the blaring of the horn behind.

“Hey lady,” came the voice. A tee shirt clad young man, physically toned and cocksure, leaned from his car window and called to her.

Finally having had enough, the young woman, her hair tightly curled up in a bun, turned in her seat and shouted back at the man, “For god’s sake! I have a boyfriend!”

She then turned and sat, arms folded defiantly in the stationary traffic, red faced and flustered now with her eyes locked on the licence plate before her. At that instant a gap opened in the lane beside her and the jeep bucked forward and pulled alongside her for a moment as vehicles shifted in the Tetris game of traffic flow.

“Lady, I just wanted to tell you,” said the man, a little more gently now, “You have a flat tire.”

Taken aback, the young woman checked behind her to see that the traffic was not moving, and then stepped out of her car to take a closer look. She wore a smart pencil skirt and lemon blouse, the picture of propriety. She came back a moment later and sat behind the wheel looking perplexed.

She seemed nonplussed for a moment, and then composing herself turned and politely addressed the man in the jeep.

“Can you help me fix it?” she called across the traffic lane.

The young man lit up a cigarette in a slow languid style, and then said, “Like you said, lady. You’ve got a boyfriend.”

The traffic shifted and the Jeep advanced progressing up the line of cars.

Grahame, abreast of the little convertible looked at the woman, and saw the tears welling up in her eyes. He guessed she’d maybe not fixed a tire before. And with so many cars around she would be stuck blocking traffic before long as the tire deflated. He knew that on any other day he would have gone with his old habits and just not got involved, but today was just a little different.

“Would you like a hand?” he asked softly.

“That would be so kind,” said the woman, relief spreading across her face. Suddenly she didn’t seem quite so prickly.

“Just pull in to one of the spaces up here,” said Graham. “I live a block up the road, I’ll help you change the tire. Just let me go up to my apartment and change out of my office clothes. I won’t be more than five minutes.”

“That’s so kind of you,” said the young woman. “You’re like a real knight in shining armour.”

“Well, not really. But I can change a tire.  Give me five minutes and I’ll be back.”

With that he left her and hurried toward his apartment.

+++

Grahame hurried along the street, the sound of construction crowding in on him after the quiet of the park.  That poor woman, he thought. Some men really could be thoughtless.

He hurried into his apartment, tossed the envelope carelessly onto the coffee table, as if by reflex turned on the kettle to boil water for a cup of tea and went to his bedroom. A moment later he’d got out of his work suit and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater.

He turned and was about to hurry down to the street to help the woman change her tire, when he noticed the envelope had spilled its contents across the surface of the coffee table.

Not wanting to keep the woman downstairs waiting, he casually glanced at the table. Cards were slewed across the flat surface in an arc. It looked almost artistic. One card lay face up.

Grahame glanced at it, and then retrieved his keys and made for the door. As he stepped out of the elevator on the ground floor, the front door of the building opened and his neighbour, old Mrs. Willoughby entered the vestibule.

At that moment there was a terrible crashing sound from outside. Mrs. Willoughby turned and looked out at the street, a startled look of shock on her face.

Grahame rushed to the door and stared out to see what on earth had happened. Cars were stopped now, honking and people climbing from them and rushing back down the road. It took only a moment for Grahame to realise the sound had come from the building site on the next block, just by where he could see the woman’s car pulled over.

He hurried toward the car, and as he got closer realised this was the centre of the commotion. The woman was standing back, leaning against the siding at the edge of the construction site. He hurried to her side.

The little blue convertible was wrecked. It lay smashed beneath a series of scaffolding poles, looking as though it had been speared in some ghastly hunt.

White faced and shocked the woman stood back, shocked but unharmed, against the siding.

“Good god, what happened?” he said to her after he’d pushed his way through the crowd.

People were looking up, staring at a crane’s hook and some chain suspended seventy feet above the road. A man with a hard hat came barrelling out of the building site and rushed to the car. By-standers were already photographing the wrecked car, and posting them to social media on their phones.

“Was anyone hurt?” the workman was asking in panic, looking around wildly.

“Are you ok?” Grahame said, steadying the woman with a kindly hand.

“I’m ok,” she said rapidly. “I’m ok!”

She was white faced and shaking. Grahame turned to the assembled crowd and said, “Does anyone have some water?”

A bottle was developed and passed to the woman.

Grahame turned to the crowd and asked, “Who saw what happened?”

Several voices piped up. Grahame looked at the man in the hardhat and said, “Are you the foreman?”

He nodded nervously.

“Thank god no one was hurt,” he replied. “You’d better get these people’s statements. The police will be along soon. It’s going to make things a lot better if people are able to describe it.”

The foreman nodded and corralled the witnesses while Grahame turned back to the woman.

“You’re going to need a cup of tea, aren’t you,” he said gently. “Let’s get you out of here and calm things down.”

Grahame handed his card to the foreman, and one of the witnesses.

“When the cops show up can you let them know she’s at my place up the road,” said Grahame.

There was sympathetic nod and Grahame and the woman pressed their way through the crowd and made their way down the block to his apartment building.

+++

Grahame made the tea as his frightened guest sat in the open plan living room.

“You didn’t tell me your name,” said Graham, wanting to keep the woman talking.

“I’m Sunshine,” she said. “And that’s my mother’s car.”

“Oh, dear,” he said. “It’s a very nice little car. Well, it was. How did you come to be unharmed? I mean, it looks like a hell of a mess.”

Grahame poured the tea and placed a cup and saucer before Sunshine.

“I stepped out of the car to look at the tire, and that’s when it happened,” she said. “There was just this rush of air, and a terrible sound. Like bells ringing, and then those scaffolding poles all around me.”

“What a thing to happen,” Grahame said.

“I guess,” she replied beginning to calm down. “I could have been killed.”

She sipped the tea, her hand still trembling. That was when Sunshine started sobbing.

+++

The statement to the police, a visit from the foreman and an exchange of documents all took time and Sunshine seemed to go through the process in a daze. She was glad to be somewhere quiet and safe, and Grahame remained largely quiet in the background as the questions were asked and answered. It was a terribly unfortunate accident, but as the police officer pointed out, no one was hurt. The insurance companies would sort out the wrecked car which was now safely off the road. The construction company manager said the company would be up to their necks in investigations, but seemed co-operative, almost as upset by the whole situation as Sunshine was herself.

“That could have been my own daughter,” said the manager as Grahame had shown him out. It happened that he knew Grahame from the local planning department meetings that he’d sometimes have to attend for his company.

“Terrible thing,” he’d said. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Those clamps don’t just fail.”

“Thank heavens no one was hurt,” echoed Graham.

+++

At length the police officer left, and they found themselves alone in the quiet apartment. Noticing the journals and the tarot cards on the table, Sunshine asked, “What’s this?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.  Just some things of my mother’s,” replied Graham.

“Don’t you see it?” said Sunshine, looking at the upturned card.

“What do you mean,” said Graham.

“You don’t think it looks like all those scaffolding poles that fell on my car?” said Sunshine as she picked up the card.

Grahame stared at the card. The Eight of Wands.  He wondered what it meant.

“I suppose,” said Graham.  “It’s really not my thing,” he added and then as an afterthought said, “I’m an engineer.”

Sunshine looked at the card once more, and then at Grahame trying to find the link between not being able to see the visual connection and being an engineer. She failed.

“I wonder what made you turn over this particular card then,” she said. “Probably something subconscious.”

“I didn’t pick that card.  I mean, I just left some things on the table, they just fell like that, and then I came down to help you.”

“And that was before you heard the crash,” asked Sunshine with newly sparked curiosity.

“Yes,” replied Graham, noticing for the first time how the image in the card did look a little like the scaffolding poles.

“That’s quite the coincidence,” murmured Sunshine.

“Oh, I doubt it,” said Graham. “There’s probably no end of these cards look like falling scaffolding.”

His voice trailed off as he realised how he sounded. Sunshine picked up the cards and started shuffling them.

“So, your mother’s into tarot?” asked Sunshine.

“No. Well, yes,” stammered Graham.

“I see,” said Sunshine.

“I mean she died,” said Graham. “And these were among her things. I should sort them out.  I don’t really know anything about the cards.”

Sunshine looked at the journals, and then asked, “Were you close?”

“Not as close as I wish we had been,” replied Graham.

“So, you never knew she was interested in Tarot?”

“Never had a clue,” confessed Graham.

Sunshine turned the cards over in her hands and then said, “You’re lucky then.  This gives you a chance to get to know her through the cards.”

The words hung in the air. 

“What do you mean,” asked Graham.

“Look at these cards,” she said. “You can see they’ve been well used.  These are quite old. Well used. Your mother must have been adept at the cards. Can’t you see it? There’s a lot of her in these particular cards.”

An awkward silence fell between them as Grahame thought about this. It was true, the journals and these cards were like a voice reaching out across the abyss of death. They were a connection.

The silence was broken by the chirp of Sunshine’s cell phone.

She looked at the display and then said, “Mother. This might be a little awkward.”

___________________________________________

If you've enjoyed Part 1 of The Black Bag I ask that you follow my Tumblr and reblog it. To read Part 2 simply go to my Patreon HERE.

Many Thanks

RH

[dreamylittlesugarcube]

Valentine’s Day with Kyungsoo

Genre: EXO AU

Characters: Kyungsoo x Female Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1,000

Summary: A sweet short story about Valentine’s Day with Kyungsoo using adjectives that seem to fit him and that correspond to the letters in his name.

A/N: This kind of just happened, as I am very in my Valentine’s Day feels at the moment, so I hope you enjoy it. 

**Disclaimers: This is just me using my imagination based on what I’ve seen of DKS via media, so not real just for funsies. Credit for GIFS and pics should go to the original owners ( thanks Amino Apps and Martha Stewart!)

~*~

K

From the start you were attracted to Kyungsoo’s KIND personality. He was always helping the staff complete tasks, worrying out whether they’d eaten. You respected that he cared so much about others. And of course, this extended to you. As an “acts of service” man, Kyungsoo spoiled you with small things that brightened your day–flowers after a routine trip to the grocery store, filling your car up with gas, and home-made lunch made with love. You felt giddy knowing Valentine’s Day was coming up soon and wondered what your sweet Soo would prepare. 

Y

You sighed in sheer bliss as you bit into your second YUMMY éclair of the evening. Kyungsoo smiled at your adorable reaction and as always, appreciated your enthusiasm for his creations. Kyungsoo didn’t claim to be a baker, in fact, he preferred the savory side of cooking. But you loved baking and he loved spending time in the kitchen with you. These days your apartment was practically a boulangerie, with both of you having to fend off hungry members left and right. Valentine’s Day was just around the corner and Kyungsoo was more than ready to whip up a slew of delicious treats.

(A/N: Kyungsoo creates yummy things and is, himself, also very yummy 😉)

U

Growing up as a theater kid, you loved nothing better than a good musical. Why act out lines when you could sing them? With any live concert, musical, movie, or show, the most important thing was the voice. Honeyed vocal runs and the soulful sounds beat out dancing and stage presence anyday in your book. Not long after you’d started dating, Kyungsoo obliged a request to sing at a Christmas party. It was there that you were introduced to his UNIQUE singing voice, so different from any other that you’d heard before. Was he really a Disney prince in disguise? Sources said possibly. He could sing for you any time, any day, anywhere. 

N

Gentle rays of sun bathed the rooftop deck in a warm glow. Kyungsoo hummed softly as he collected his treasures–cilantro, tomatoes, parsley, peppers, green beans–all home-grown from his little, urban garden. Working with his hands in the dirt brought Kyungsoo a measure of peace from his hectic work schedule. Kyungsoo was a NATURAL at nature–green-thumbed and incredibly enthusiastic. You…were not, but he somehow found that endearing. He pictured you sitting in the lounge chair nearby “supervising” as you munched on snap peas. It felt natural to have you here in his little veggie kingdom. Taking the fruits of his labor, he whistled happily down the stairs, off to prepare something special for his someone special. 

G

“So tell me again, why is Kyungsoo picking you up from my place?” your friend, Suzy, wondered aloud. “I mean–you guys live together, so…” she trailed off after giving you that look. You shrugged, unsure of how to explain to this self-proclaimed non-romantic. “He just thought it would be more exciting…”. And it was. Truthfully, it felt like your first date all over again–good gosh, you were even getting nervous. A knock sounded at the door, spurring you to smooth your dress and check your hair one last time. The door opened to reveal a GALLANT suitor looking resplendent (read: ) in a dapper, black three-piece suit. Kyungsoo extended his hand, gently taking your hand and placing it on his arm. He led you to a sleek, black town car, and soon you were speeding down the highway. 

S

It had been difficult, but Kyungsoo had managed to keep his Valentine’s Day plans a complete surprise. He was a SECRETIVE man by nature, his job demanded it, and it was easy to hide details about his personal life from those who weren’t important. You were important and it almost physically hurt to keep something from you. Though he’d almost slipped once or twice he was confident you had no idea what was about to happen. Sliding a blindfold out of his pocket he motioned for you to turn so that he could secure it into place. 

O

Even though your world was dark, you weren’t afraid at all. Kyungsoo kept a warm hand on your back as he guided you up a set of stairs. A door squeaked and you were hit with a  rush of cool, night air. The soft, lilting tones of Ed Sheeran drifted through the night and you could swear you smelled Italian. Kyungsoo whispered in your ear, making you blush. He told you he loved you and was so very happy to spend another year with you. In the beginning, Kyungsoo hadn’t been so OPEN with his feelings. These days words of love spilled from his lips like wine, though you continued to treasure each one.

 With a flourish, he removed the blindfold, revealing the most perfect setting you could imagine. Twinkling fairy lights lit up the familiar rooftop garden, a table set with gleaming silverware and fresh, white linens sat front and center. Pressing a kiss to your hand, Kyungsoo led you towards the table. 

O

Kyungsoo couldn’t take his eyes off you. He observed as you savored the freshly baked bread rolls and twirled chicken fettuccine (your favorite) around your dainty fork, and inhaled a piece of divine dark chocolate cake. He knew you were wowed–the venue, the decorations, the food–you’d more than told him so. Yet, he was still unsettled, as he palmed the box hidden in his pocket. He was taking a big step–the step, in fact. He was OPTIMISTIC about his future with you, more than ready to truly have you as his own. After years of waiting, he’d finally have the love and warmth he so desperately craved. With shaking hands, he bent down on one knee…

❤

You said yes. Of course you said yes. How could you ever say no to the love of your life? The newly added weight to your left hand was a constant reminder of the most perfect Valentine’s Day. You weren’t sure how you were going to top this year’s Valentine’s Day celebration, but you figured you were up for the challenge. After all, there would be many more to come. 

~*~

Thank you for spending Valentine’s Day with Kyungsoo. I really enjoyed writing this one. Just fun imaginings and whatnot! Please re-blog if you enjoyed this too so that others can find it more easily. Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!

XOXO, 

Emmy

[abigailnussbaum]

I put off watching it for a while because I was pretty sure I was going to have this reaction. But now that I've bitten the bullet, I'm sorry: the Strange New Worlds musical episode is bad. It's bad as a Star Trek story, it's bad as part of the Strange New Worlds story, and it's bad as a musical.

To start with, I think it's time to admit that the musical episode concept is pretty depleted. "Once More, With Feeling" was more than twenty years ago, and what was once fresh and shocking now feels almost rote. Very few shows really manage to earn it, because they don't have to - the musical episode of a non-musical show is an established trope, which means the very thing that made it so groundbreaking is now gone.

But it's specifically a bad fit for Star Trek, not because it can't justify the concept - there's honestly no daylight between Buffy's "a demon who makes people sing and dance" and SNW's "subspace anomaly pulls us into a universe where people habitually break into song" - but because that kind of fourth-wall-breaking, genre-aware storytelling doesn't belong in Star Trek (or, at the very least, it belongs in something a lot more heightened like Lower Decks).

Star Trek isn't knowing. It isn't genre-savvy. Star Trek is earnest. And it takes its world seriously and treats it like something coherent in its own right, not something you can poke holes in and peek into our own universe from. When it comes down to it, the core flaw of all NuTrek shows is that they're often less concerned with being Star Trek, the story, and more interested in being about Star Trek, the franchise.

Strange New Worlds is an odd duck in this respect, because there are parts of it that so clearly understand Star Trek, the story, and are so clearly interested in expanding it, that I can't help but fall in love. Episodes like "Spock Amok", "A Quality of Mercy", and "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" do such a great job of slotting into the existing story while making it their own (though I could wish the show was better at telling original stories). I'm especially wowed by how they're handling Kirk, who is such a smart, non-sensational take on the character while still having all the recognizable flaws and quirks of the original.

But it's also a show that thinks breaking the fourth wall is the height of sophistication, that is more than willing to comment on its storyness in a way that runs completely counter to its Star Trek-ness. You see this in episodes like "The Elysian Kingdom", "Those Old Scientists", and now "Subspace Rhapsody". And if the first two of those at least had a Star Trek link - "Elysian Kingdom" is essentially a holodeck episode (even if it isn't as good as any of them), and "Those Old Scientists" is obviously all about Star Trek (even if, like so many media franchises these days, it collapses living in the Star Trek universe into being a Star Trek fan). But "Subspace Rhapsody" is just a gimmick, fundamentally no different from similar episodes on Lucifer or Grey's Anatomy or The Flash.

And worst of all, it's a bad musical. One effect of the fact that this trope has become so familiar is that it has created an sideline for talented songwriters who can knock out an episode like this without putting much personality or style into it, just hitting the required beats. There's got to be a power ballad. There's got to be a comedy song. There's got to be a kicky saloon number and a big finale. "Subspace Rhapsody" feels like the nadir of that cottage industry's output. The songs are all generic. The lyrics are forgettable while you're listening to them. There's no unified theme or style, because the point isn't to be a musical. It's to convey a general sense of musical-ness. Beyond the novelty value of a Star Trek musical - which, as noted, is pretty degraded in 2023 - there's nothing here of artistic merit, much less something that feels uniquely like a Star Trek musical.

(Case in point: the Klingons. Having them do boy band music is a joke that's funny for the audience, probably means nothing to the characters, and most importantly, does not make sense within Star Trek. Of course Klingons would sing - they would sing opera.)

As if to add insult to injury, the biggest character development in the episode - which is also driven by the only memorable song - feels baffling, and ends up shortchanging a relationship that the show has been trying to get us to invest in for more than ten episodes. Spock and Chapel got together at the end of episode 6, had a crisis in episode 8, and are now, in episode 9, breaking up for another, unrelated reason. Seems like a better use of everyone's time might have been to let these characters and their relationship develop organically, rather than informing us, through song, that Chapel has suddenly decided to prioritize her career (by, um, leaving Enterprise for so short a period that most couples wouldn't even consider it a major relationship challenge). Are we meant to understand that something deeper was wrong, and that the internship has brought it to light? If so, why haven't we seen it? It's hard not to feel that the musical was being used as a shorthand for emotional development the show didn't feel equipped to deliver, which is only one more way in which it underserves the show.

[rigelmejo]

10/20/2024

Well, Smart Books app by Kursx is crashing every time I try to open a chinese book. I was trying to read SCI and first it wouldnt save my progress so it kept making me scroll from page 1, and then it loaded chapters wrong so every chapter was the whole book, then it crashed when I tried to scroll TO the part I was reading, then it crashed any time I tried to open SCI. Now its crashing when I try to open any chinese book :/

So much for being able to click translate quickly while I read and audio plays. I guess I'll just go to Edge again, use it's Read Aloud feature, and look up words after getting through a chapter.

I'm annoyed, as that was a really good app for seeing english/chinese full sentence parallel translations for each sentence (versus pleco that can only show an english full translation in a pop up window so you can't look at both at once) AND played audio and highlighted as it read aloud. I guess I'll see if any other apps can do parallel translation per sentence, and audio. (Tons of apps can do individual word or sentence pop up translation if you click,and play TTS, Edge and Google Chrome are what I usually use or Pleco... but the per sentence displaying BOTH languag texts at once was the unique benefit of the Smart Book app)

In happier news:

listened to 4 hours of chinese audiobook yesterday. I did understand more as the hours went on so maybe I just need to fucking listen a lot more. When I read SCI yesterday, I do know most of the words, so when listening there are many more words I /should/ know, that I'm just not recognizing when listening).

Did 8 hours of glossika japanese this week, 4183 sentences total, 86 hours total, 28374 reps. I do notice the listening ability for japanese making some improvements. I'm going to fucking finish glossika japanese A2 by the end of next week. So if A2 part 1 was 1500 sentences (im almost done), part 2 is probably 1500 sentences... so 4500 to a2 part 1 end, 6000 to a2 part 2 end...I'm quite pissed that out of 6400 sentences in this course... B1-C levels will probably be only 400 ish sentences. The only thing motivating me is that glossika japanese CLAIMS it teaches 5000+ words. Even with names counted, even if 200 place and people names are used, thats like 4800 words. Assuming glossika doesnt count every individual conjugation of a word as separate words... if it does, then I'll be pissed. I want my vocabulary to get around 5000...

Anyway I will be doing a review of glossika japanese when I'm done. Since I found only 1 person who reviewed glossika japanese AFTER completing the whole thing. Londoner learns Japanese:

He studied on the app 300 hours, so if he was an absolute beginner beforehand then that would be a big jump from zero. If you're an upper beginner like me, the jump in progress fter 300 hours may not be as big. He thinks he feels high A2 or very low B1 at the completion of the course.

If I do not learn at least 4000 vocabulary from glossika (so 2000 new words for me), then I'm either going to fucking find and buy nukemarine's Lets Learn Japanese anki decks and cram through them on anki (because I know it teaches 6000 words so 4000 new words for me), or get on Satori Reader and read like fucking crazy. Probably Satori Reader first though... because I fear If I use the LLJ deck I'll study basics again and waste time and perfectionist obsess and not make progress, or I'll never study cause I cant focus on anki its so hard for me to concentrate on using it. I'll listen to Nihongo Con Teppei and a Casual Japanese podcast I found either way, as the sooner I can just pick up words from stuff like that then the less I need to do drilling type study.

If I DO learn 4000 vocabulary from glossika (2000 new words for me), then I'll do a month of reviews and reading the sentences (to combine listening with reading and pick up kanji), and trying to speak the sentences out loud more (some speaking practice). Then after, I'll focus on Satori Reader.

[vout-vouniern]

SIDE ORDER SPOILERS AHEAD. PLEASE BE ADVISED IF YOU HAVE NOT 100% THE DLC YET.

tldr: I give it a feesh/10. Would recommend.

So I’ve just beaten the last palette for Side Order and now I just wanna go through my thoughts on each palette, the enemy/level design, you know, a review. I’ll try to keep it organized…

Let’s start with basics. As a roguelike, Side Order does exactly what it sets out to do. You go up 10 floors, getting at least one upgrade per floor, then fight a boss. Do that three times, and bingo you win. Much like any roguelike I’ve seen, the primary difficulty is self-set; you can upgrade your runs to make them easier, or set up unique challenges to test yourself. It’s also quite easy to get an OP run going as long as you find the right chips, which does mean a fair bit of RNG can make or break a run, though with enough permanent upgrades (aka hacks) you more or less can beat any run.

The gameplay loop is mostly solid besides all the ink everywhere except for the zone defense floors, at least imo. Portal destroying is more or less a damage check, and fairly simple to complete. Alla Mambo floors are my favorite, mostly because I adore sunfish and therefore the levels where you get to chase em are real fun! Turbine Tower takes the idea of Tower Control and actually makes it fun! Zone defense, on the other hand, kinda falls apart at higher stages unless your kit has some real firepower in it. It’s not uncommon to see like 3 Drizzling Carpaccios riding Battering Lentos all heading to the zone at once, which means you need both high DPS to take the Lentos down then good paint to fix the mess the Carpaccios made- oh wait there’s 20 Marching Andantes coming, gotta deal with- wait nope outta ink, gotta leave- and now they have zone. AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE ONE FLOOR THAT’S JUST TOWERING NOBILMENTES AND DRIZZLING CARPACCIOS WITH TWO ZONES EITHER SIDE OF THE MAP, WHICH IS PAINFUL TO TRAVERSE REGARDLESS OF WEAPON.

Now onto Palettes. These act as your starter decks, which is a really fun choice though I do wish we weren’t so restricted with possible weapons. I’d love to see a Squeezer or S-BLAST run but alas, there’s no custom runs at all. Anyway, onto each Palette and what I like/dislike about it. I’ll describe them as main weapon-starting sub weapon-starting special weapon-primary/secondary tones (which describe what types of upgrades you’re more likely to see)

Dualies-Curling Bomb-Reefslider-Lucky/Support I don’t know why they nerfed Dualies as hard as they did for this, but they don’t feel all that great to use until you get some good upgrades. On top of that, neither the sub or special are all that, plus why doesn’t Pearl have a tone for, idk, herself!? Oddly enough, the game sets a weirdly bad first impression of what’s to come. Probably my second least favorite palette.

Brella-Sprinkler-Ink Storm-Drone/Power Now this is a fun palette to use, though not for the reasons you may think. Much like Salmon Run, Brella is actually a good weapon here; between having decent damage and all the utility that comes with the shield, it feels great to use straight outta the box! Sprinkler also happens to be one of the better subs for it; helps with painting zones and charging special. Not that Ink Storm is a good special in this…at least Drone makes for a good back-up plan if your Power Brella hits a bad point. Also you can get an upgrade that locks the shield making it play like Undercover it’s so good!

Shot-Splat Bomb-Trizooka-Range/Mobility Wow the shooter is good despite the Side Order nerfs who would’ve thought. Kit is obviously good, though I don’t find myself picking up mobility often…

Roller-Burst Bomb-Kraken-Power/Lucky Power on a roller is…almost everything you’d want out of a roller. See, the biggest problem with this palette is that anything related to rolling is usually in the Mobility tone, not Power, so this palette really should’ve been Power/Mobility imo. Besides that, Burst does burst things and Kraken is solid too, though it does struggle with hitting portals too far off the ground…

Charger-Ink Mine-Triple Inkstrike-Support/Range So this is probably the most busted palette in the game. I’ll keep it brief, but you can essentially get a Grizzco Charger whilst laying tons of mines (which are insanely good against swarms) and you start with what’s probably the second best special in the DLC due to its high damage and utility. If you’re having trouble winning, or just want a breezy time, pick this.

Stringer-Toxic Mist-Killer Wail 5.1-Mobility/Range Stringer plays kinda close to non-grizzified charger but mainly has better taps/partials in exchange for worse full charges over charger. Neither Toxic Mist nor Wail 5.1 are any good, so you might wanna get those replaced asap. Mobility also doesn’t have much synergy with bow so not a great palette overall.

Splatana-Fizzy Bomb-Crab Tank-Lucky/Drone This is kinda a weird palette overall. Stamper does Stamper things mostly, but the luck really just makes this one feel unique. To my surprise Fizzy ended up on the lower end of subs in Side Order for me, but that was more than compensated for with the best special in the DLC: THE ALMIGHTY CRAB. Also my first floor 30 clear!

Slosher-Suction Bomb-Triple Inkstrike-Support/Drone Man, this should’ve been Power/Support it would’ve been nuts. Still, Support/Drone works well enough for it, plus the overall kit is fantastic. Love this one!

Blaster-Curling Bomb-Wave Breaker-Range/Power Ugh, this is by far the worst main weapon of all of them. It’s got no range, fire rate, dps, or aoe despite being a blaster. It just fails in pretty much every way unless you get the right chips. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the sub and special are not great either. This is by far the hardest palette to clear, including the last one…

Brush-Ink Mine-Ultra Stamp-Mobility/Lucky Thankfully this brush is quite good at dealing with swarms, even at low upgrades. Biggest downside of this palette is no range, but since you’re getting Mobility chips it’s accounted for. Solid palette all around (except for Stamp).

Splatling-Splash Wall-Booyah Bomb-Drone/Support I DIDN’T FORGET THIS ONE AND ADD IT IN POST SHADDUP. Splatling is the weapon class I’m worst at but honestly it didn’t feel all too bad. Support’s a great tone for it, and having Pearl slap mines everywhere is always gonna be great. I will never understand how to use wall, and Booyah Bomb feels…surprisingly weak? Like, its damage is not super there or anything. Eh, it’s mot terrible anyway.

Octo Shot-Splat Bomb-Triple Splashdown-Power/Mobility Hoo boy this one’s a doozy. This is the same thing as the Order Shot, but with a different starting special and more importantly, a worse limit on how many chips you can have based on how many hacks you have available. It seems tricky at first, but then you realize the minimum chips is 6 so you get one Main Piercing chip and some Power and boom, done. Honestly feel this final challenge could’ve been done better, not to mention the final boss’s reaction to its final loss was a bit lackluster, to say the least. Ah well, least the weapon’s cool.

Oh, lastly Cipher’s Siftings has some neat stuff to buy once you’re done spending Prlz on hacks. Nice little feature to round off the DLC.

And I think that’s all my thoughts. Guess if you have any questions lmk.

[joelmmd]

finished starvaders

or about as "finished" you can get with a rougelike. lite. there's still stuff to do for Completion but i think ive got it complete enough.

i had good fun with it. it's a turn based grid based roguewhatever deckbuilder. i know reading that is kind of nauseating but i felt like this game made something interesting out of it without reinventing the wheel or anything.

the presentation's great. the game looks really good, partly because of the really good art all around and partly because of the great designs for characters and creatures. there's a lot of good music, too, though i do wish there were a few more tracks. you end up hearing the same handful of songs over and over.

the game itself is fun. there's a lot of strategy to planning out turns and moves, but the random nature of drawing cards from your deck (and some moves just Being random) takes enough pressure off you that it's not too mentally exhausting. there's engaging expression in how you build your deck and what synergies you go for, and most cards aren't hard to understand. you can usually tell something's use case and what it synergises with pretty easily.

there's a bunch of stuff to unlock, and it mostly feels good. there's 3 different mechs that all play really differently and have unique card pools, and then a couple pilots that have further but less dramatic differences. i didn't really care for any of the keeper pilots, but i liked basically everything else. you also unlock cards, but the game opts to do something different here with the whole "sets" system. essentially, in the name of not diluting the card pool with everything you've ever unlocked, you just unlock booster packs, and the game randomly applies 3 to a run. it kinda works. it makes it easier to build your run around anything, especially since the cards in a set are designed to work with each other, but it does kinda make that avenue of the meta progression feel underwhelming when it only has so much of an impact at a time.

i also felt like the game was a bit easy? a lot of my early runs were just upgrading the cards in my starting deck + some deckthinning and that was enough to get me through the hardest normal difficulty pretty consistently. i never felt like i really had to do heavy strategizing with my deckbuilding or my turns, since it was usually overkill. it's fine. probably. i'm not the kinda guy who needs to be challenged to have fun, and there's some bonus modes i might do for extra difficulty. but i am kinda disappointed that i wasn't really pushed to realize the full potential of some of these cards.

i don't have anything super meaningful to say about the game or a meta narrative or whatever. it's a well designed rougegame that i had fun with. i wasn't even gonna make a post since there's not a very concrete Finished point to have and i don't have that much insight into anything to give, but i kept thinking about it and the whole point of this tumblr exercise is to vent out my thoughts about this stuff.

plus im not on track to finish anything else soon. i was playing something that i wanted to post about but i also started another game and i guess that was too much for me. ive mostly been playing umamusume since then. which regrettably i have been having fun with. ill try to get back to something i can post about though but you know how it is

[allaboutbusinessesusa]

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Most residential fence projects in Austin are completed within a few days, but some contractors offer expedited services. Clear communication about timelines, project management, and expected completion dates is essential for a smooth experience. Look for contractors who are punctual, responsive, and transparent about their process.

Free Estimates and Transparent Pricing

Getting a free, no-obligation estimate is standard among reputable fence contractors. Some companies even offer same-day or next-day quotes. Transparent pricing—where all costs are explained upfront—helps you avoid surprises and stay within your budget. Simplified pricing models can also eliminate haggling and ensure fairness.

Financing Options

Fencing can be a significant investment, so many contractors offer financing options to make projects more affordable. Look for companies that provide interest-free financing or flexible payment plans, especially if you’re planning a large or complex project.

Licensing and Insurance

Always verify that your contractor is licensed and insured. This protects you in case of accidents or damage during the project. Locally-operated businesses often take extra care to maintain high standards and build trust within the community.

How to Vet Potential Contractors

Check Online Reviews and Testimonials

Websites like Angi, Yelp, Gator Directory, and Google Reviews provide valuable insights into a contractor’s reliability, quality of work, and customer service. Look for consistent positive feedback and pay attention to how companies respond to any negative reviews.

Ask for References

Reputable contractors should be willing to provide references from recent projects. Speaking directly with past clients can give you a sense of what to expect and help you gauge the contractor’s professionalism and work ethic.

Compare Quotes and Services

Don’t settle for the first quote you receive. Compare proposals from several contractors to ensure you’re getting the best value. Pay attention to the details—materials, labor, warranty, and any additional services included in the price.

Look for Direct Owner Involvement

Companies where the owners are actively involved in projects often deliver higher quality and better customer service. This can provide extra assurance that your project will receive the attention it deserves.

The Benefits of Working with Local, Family-Owned Businesses

Local, family-owned fence contractors often provide a level of personalized service that larger chains can’t match. They have deep roots in the community, understand local regulations, and are invested in building long-term relationships with their customers. These businesses are more likely to go the extra mile to ensure your satisfaction and address any concerns promptly.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Choosing Based on Price Alone

While budget is important, the lowest bid isn’t always the best choice. Cheap materials or inexperienced labor can lead to costly repairs down the road. Focus on value—quality, reliability, and customer service should be your top priorities.

Ignoring Local Experience

Contractors unfamiliar with Austin’s climate and soil may use materials or techniques that aren’t suitable for the area. Always prioritize contractors with local expertise and a proven track record in Central Texas.

Overlooking Warranties and Guarantees

A solid warranty is your safety net if something goes wrong. Make sure you understand what’s covered and for how long before signing a contract.

[lasvegasrealestates]

Is Blue Heron Las Vegas a Good Place to Invest in Real Estate?

When it comes to luxury real estate that offers innovation, elegance, and lifestyle, there are a few names in the Las Vegas market that resonate as strongly as Blue Heron Las Vegas. 

Well-known for its jaw-dropping designs and environmentally conscious architecture, Blue Heron is not just building homes—they are carving art you can live in. 

But if you are an investor with your sights on Las Vegas Real Estate, you might have a question in your mind “Is Blue Heron Las Vegas a good place to invest in Real Estate?”

Don’t worry! In this post, we will explore important factors that will help you know that Blue Heron Homes Las Vegas offers more than just beauty, then definitely they will be your next best investment.

Why Does Blue Heron Homes Las Vegas Stand Out?

Let’s come to the interesting part, where you are really going to find the reasons that make the Blue Heron stand out. Have a look:

Award-Winning Architecture

Well, there must be something unique that makes anything stand out. So when it comes to Blue Heron homes, they are sleek, modern, and customized down to the last detail. These are not just cookie-cutter properties—you get bold design, eco-conscious features, and layouts tailored to luxury living.

Luxury Amenities

Here we are talking about infinity-edge pools, rooftop decks, wine cellars, outdoor kitchens, and more. All in all, it is worth saying that everything is designed to create a true retreat at home.

Blue Heron Lake Las Vegas has properties that are located in some of the most scenic, peaceful, and exclusive areas.

Blue Heron Lake Las Vegas: Know The Highlights!

One of the amazing and talked-about developments of Blue Heron’s is a serene and resort-style community.

Residents really enjoy lakefront views, a private yacht, golf courses, hiking trails, and an overall vibe that feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle. It means, that if you make up your mind to invest here, you are going to tap into a lifestyle that provides relaxation, recreation, and luxury.

Is Investing in Blue Heron Las Vegas Worth It?

It doesn’t matter if you are a buy-and-hold investor, a luxury flipper, or looking to generate passive income through rentals, Blue Heron Homes Las Vegas opens up some exciting possibilities for you.

High Resale Value

These properties are not just beautiful, they really are built to retain value. Their unique architecture and premium finishes mean they stand out in any housing market. 

In case you plan to sell, the buyer pool may be smaller, but it will be filled with serious, quality-driven buyers who know what they want.

Rental Income Potential

Luxury home rentals in Las Vegas are gaining popularity, especially for vacationers, business travelers, and temporary relocations. So, if local zoning allows, renting out a Blue Heron home, particularly in areas like Lake Las Vegas can easily generate impressive returns.

Market Appreciation

Without any doubt, Las Vegas continues to see strong year-over-year appreciation. So, if you are looking for Blue Heron’s brand recognition and architectural integrity, you are looking at properties that could outperform the general market average.

Things You Should Keep in Mind

Of course, luxury real estate is not for everyone. So, it is important to know that investing in Las Vegas Real Estate comes with a premium price tag, and you will want to be financially prepared to invest in not just only the home, but the lifestyle you want.

Also, like any real estate investment, it is way more important to do your due diligence. So, opt for working with a local real estate agent who knows the Las Vegas market, especially the luxury segment. 

They will help you know the complete buying process and ensure you are making a sound investment.

However, to get a tour of Blue Heron Las Vegas Properties, click on the video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5CxeXg-BQg 

Final Thoughts

So, is Blue Heron Las Vegas a good place for real estate investment?

Absolutely, yes, if you are looking for luxury, long-term value, architectural brilliance, and a lifestyle that is second to none. From the tranquil shores of Blue Heron Lake Las Vegas to the sleek hillside homes overlooking the valley, this is more than real estate, it is actually a legacy.

Whether you are thinking of buying your forever home, a vacation retreat, or an income-generating property, Blue Heron Homes Las Vegas check all the right boxes. They are unique, smart, and positioned in one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

So, ready to explore Blue Heron for yourself? Get in touch with a real estate expert who knows the brand, the market, and the lifestyle. Your next great investment could be waiting behind a glass wall that slides away with the press of a button.

[ideahat-universe]

I think now is a good time to tell you guys to stop sleeping on the original trading card game. Yes. I have been informed that TCG online is dead and Trading Card Pocket is upcoming but as a former player of multiple card games, I know that those games are going to be screwed by the two player combo of net-deckers and whales.

Unless you're willing to spend a fair amount of money or grind for free packs you aren't going to beat anyone on ladder and in casual it's more of a coin-flip than the actual coin mechanic.

At first it will be fine but it will be too easy to make an OP as hell card available for those willing to pay the packs to find it. Additionally the trading card game is completely poisoned by the speculator market that drastically overvalued a handful of cards as collectables that you can flip for big bucks.

With the Pokemon Trading Card Game, you just need a copy of the game (and lets face it, you're gonna wanna emulate it) and all the fun of the first three sets are yours to enjoy.

Having a hard time finding IRL people to play cards with? Well, PTCG has it to where almost everyone can be re-challenged. That means even in post game you can build a deck centered around a fun theme and then play a couple rounds with your favorite AIs.

But unfortunately you won't be able to play a round with your friend because you can't play co-op on emulators...

Psyche! My OldBoy! allows for local and remote play! You can either hotseat your turns which works perfectly well for a turn based game like this OR you can set up a server and a client or a bluetooth connection and play that way as well.

Additionally, The Miyu Mini Plus is retro multiplayer capable.

So now you can play multiplayer PTCG or play it alone at any time. If it's on your phone you can pull out your phone and play a match any time. Something came up while you were in the middle of a match? Don't worry about it. The game was designed in such a way to where it remembers your mid game match and allows you to continue from that point.

You've already played PTCG? I did hear that the game was finally released on virtual console but you have more options on an emulator. For instance, you can play the sequel which at this point has been fully translated, you can also play PTCG romhacks.

There is a randomizer, one that swaps the PTCG characters for Kanto ones, and even ones that retouch and add more cards to the game.

But if it makes you feel better, you can buy the version on Switch.

Now lets talk about some stuff that wasn't mentioned in the video above.

In a 2 hour video you expect to hear about almost everything that the game has to offer but in reality there was a couple things left on the cutting room floor. Like say. This.

Who is that?

It was a staff member at Creatures Inc if you can believe it. Early Pokemon experimented with a lot of really odd and eccentric choices and Imakuni campaigns were one of them. He never appeared in the traditional games or most of the spin off and never in the TV show but he did appear in the Manga and he did appear in the trading card games with a gag deck. He even had a series of cards based on him and his antics and as implied, those are unusable. This character only makes sense to Japanese viewers and was mostly left out of most products sent to America so this character appearing in the game with a unique sprite, walk cycle, cards, and his own theme makes him a complete anomaly to the few people that played the game back in the day. Internet wasn't very useful when this game was out so you just didn't know what this guy's deal was.

He randomly appears in the club rooms so maybe OP didn't actually see him during the entire play-through but it's hard to believe that he could be that unlucky as to never see Imakuni once. He mentioned that the video was re-edited so maybe he edited Imakuni out but he's here now in this post for you to enjoy!

Okay Oda. So there was a weird man that you can duel in your game? What else do you find interesting?

Well, remember how people often complained about the coin flips? I hated the coin-flips as well as the restrictive nature of needing to commit to a color so I developed a deck to counter that aspect of that game.

It's mostly a colorless deck with a couple of cards from every other type but the cards used can use any energy card to get off the ground (and I had multiple colors to occasionally benefit from using the correct energy card on the corresponding Pokemon).

Furthermore, none of the cards require good coin flips to get off to do the bare minimum. Aside from colorless green and red are the largest group of Pokemon with most of them having their evolution.

The rest are basics, Pokemon like Pikachu and Grimer don't have their evolution and are just jobbers mean to be played in the very early game or as stall so stronger cards can get their energy.

The fighting cards are the fossils Aerodactyl and Kabuto. Most of the time the Mysterious fossil is just a funny Pokemon doll but getting Aerodactyl out on a super slow deck dependent on evolution is kind of a win condition (it does stop you from evolving your pokemon so it has to be done with that in mind).

Another win condition is Scyther who just goes nuts if he's allowed to double his damage. Then there's Snorelax who shuts down status heavy decks. Lastly there's the Wigglytuff which easily gets full damage from Do The Wave as it's very easy for my deck to summon a bunch of basics to fill the bench.

Also there's a bunch of eevees. One for every evolution. False, there's actually 4 Eevees but only three evolution cards. Eevee isn't great on it's own but one Pokemon that can potentially evolve into three different hard counters for your opponent is pretty good.

I used that deck to beat the game and it's really hard to argue against it but maybe you do want to risk it all and flip a bunch of coins and do insane damage with Ninetails or Geodude, perhaps you want to kill your opponent very slowly with poison, Maybe you're completely evil and you want to win by stalling (Draw very little and play cards like Mr. Fuji and Energy retrieval to put cards back in your hand or in your deck).

Listen. There are going to be more cards in Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket. It's a fact. You'll get to play with many more cards than will ever be in this title or its sequel. But you'll have to pay for something that really should be free.

And that's the freedom to construct your deck however you like. A couple hours grinding out AI opponents is a much smaller price than what could be hundreds of dollars opening card packs.

He's told you all about the game, I've given you a bit more. Now it's your move.

[lets-talk-spirituality]

Hello !

I hope you're doing wonderful! I was wondering if you still offered readings and if I could ask for on my future spouse ? 😻 And if he has any message for me ? I'm C♒️⛵️ and thank you ! 💙

Hi! Let’s see what comes up :)

Spirit, what should C know about their future spouse?

Druid Craft Tarot

Three of pentacles, reversed

“Laziness or fear of taking action may impede the completion of a project, unemployment or difficult employer, a need to focus on excellence rather than on simply finishing. Something hidden may be undermining your efforts, but unearthing these concealed dynamics could be fruitful and enlightening”

So I’m getting that when you meet your person may be going through a hard time in their career and it has kinda caused them to lack motivation, I think you will help them uncover this hidden belief that is truly causing these issues and in this way you help them heal and grow, that is your role in their life and why you meet

What does the future spouse want to tell C?

(3) The lady, upright— fertility, passion, creativity, sensuality, nurturing, motherhood, beauty, happiness, healing

Immediately I feel like this is how they see you, interesting that we have two 3s, maybe the age 33 or the date 3/3 means something.

“Opening to love, trust, abundance; sexual or motherly passion”

Yes they see you as the mother of their kids, the lady in this card is pregnant, by a beautiful flowing river. They just see you as this goddess.

“Marriage or pregnancy-this may manifest as a new relationship or new cycle of stability and abundance, or the conception of an idea or desire.”

What can C do to align further with a true love?

Chakra Exploration Deck

Root Chakra— if you could have a conversation with your anxiety, what would she say she’s needing in order to ground into the present?

Mantra: the present moment is all I have, I grant myself permission to be fully safe here.

Sacral Chakra- what creative outlets make you feel most alive? How regularly do you create time and space to indulge in these expressions?

Mantra: my creativity is a priority and I gift myself the time and space to birth my unique creations into the world

My stomach started aching horribly during this card, which is telling me you have a very wounded sacral chakra to work on because soon as I finished with the card, I felt better. I also started messing up my typing, I’m not sure if you’re insecure about your writing, but don’t write to be good, write because it has to come out of you.

Crown Chakra— where is despair and lack of faith showing up in your presence reality?

Mantra: I possess unshakable faith in the divine hidden order around me. I cultivate hope that heals inspires and births miracles into form

Working on healing these chakras can help you be more closely aligned with the energy your future spouse sees you as! It’s interesting how the chakra cards align so well with the tarot.

Hope this helps you and id really love to hear if it resonates!

[menkhu]

sorry friends, but from now on this will be exclusively a keyforge blog

[oraclekleo]

Kim Hong Joong (Ateez) Ideal Partner Characteristics based on Tarot Reading

Hello and welcome!

I’m Kleo and I’m here to present some k-pop related tarot readings to you.

Disclaimer:

I would like to state that all these readings have a purely entertainment nature and their purpose is to bring some fun into my and hopefully yours lives. I have never ever met any of the idols / actors / celebrities in my readings, I don’t know them personally. Tarot reading isn’t an exact science and I can never guarantee any of it. Most of it is my intuition mixed with fantasy. Don’t take these readings seriously and don’t base any important decisions on tarot readings only, use your common sense.

If you wish to request a tarot reading, please read the pinned post on my profile first to see the instructions on how to request. I only do readings for idols / actors / celebrities of 18 years of age or older. Requests for readings including younger people will be automatically dismissed. If you feel uncomfortable with these tarot readings, do not engage in reading my posts. Thank you for understanding.

Reading Info:

Rating: 18+

Reading Type: Single - Couple

Requested: Yes - No

Deck: Crow Tarot

Spread: Ideal Partner

Questions:

Body

Heart

Spirit

Soul

Time

Place

Full Name: Kim Hong Joong

Stage Name: Hongjoong

Group: Ateez

Kim Hong Joong

(Hongjoong - Ateez)

Deck: Crow Tarot

Spread: Ideal Partner

Body - Ace of Swords

Hongjoong’s ideal partner is likely someone with complete control over themselves. They are likely dressed smartly and pursue a professional look. The person is likely to stay quiet unless they have something important to say, they are not into small talk or chit chat. They are likely to think deeply about things and they may appear cold and unapproachable on the outside. They are likely to walk quickly and with a certain force like a general marching to battle.

Heart - Queen of Wands

Hongjoong’s perfect match is someone bold, fearless and determined at heart. They can appreciate the potential of each journey and they will take every opportunity they face in order to succeed in their life. They are not afraid of challenges, on the contrary they always learn something new about themselves with each struggle and challenge. They are healthy and agile and vibrant as they fly through their lives. They know they deserve the best in life and will use their creativity and quick wit to get it.

Spirit - 3 of Cups

Hongjoong’s ideal partner is a free and joyful spirited person. They celebrate each and every day of their life, no matter how small their achievements were that day. They believe that their happiness is in their hands and will act accordingly. No failure, no opposition can beat them and knock them down as they keep the cheerful mindset and always find something good in every situation. They are likely to spread the good mood among people close to them and Hongjoong might actually fall for their lovely ways of adoring and appreciating his unique aspects nobody else noticed.

Soul - 7 of Pentacles

Deep down in their soul, Hongjoong’s ideal partner knows that only hard work and steel hard determination will bring them success and comfort they seek. They are likely to be practical to the core and always plan ahead with long-term vision. They are likely to enjoy finer things in life but at the same time they won’t ever overspend on unnecessary luxury.

Time - III The Empress

Hongjoong is likely to fall in love with this person’s kind heart, gentle and caring soul and their motherly nature. He’s likely to get startled by how easily his ideal partner takes the place of his faithful lover, trustworthy confidant and joyful companion in his life. The person is likely to give Hongjoong the kind of unconditional, blissful and uplifting kind of love he has never experienced before.

Place - Ace of Pentacles

If Hongjoong and his ideal partner decide to share a home together, it’s likely to be a spacious and comfortable place. It’s going to be a safe harbour, equipped with the best appliances and providing Hongjoong, his significant other and their family all they need. It’s likely to be a large and luxurious house.

Thank you for reading!

Hit the Like 💖

Comment! 💬

Reblog! 🔁

Follow for more! 💌

[thettrpgtournament]

Why you should vote for each of them and full art below!

Ms. Eye (by @perniciouslizard for D&D)

Ms. Eye was the result of a brief dalliance between famed human mathematician Amie Noether and an elven artist who gave her mother a false name during their time together. At first, her mother didn't notice any strangeness - as a half elf, her child would of course seem a little odd to her - so it wasn't until puberty that she realized there was something else weird about her child.

When her daughter looked at a contraption she had built and was delighted to see it move, third and fourth eyes broke open on her face, to her mother's shock. Her daughter's skin, always a warm and almost golden tone, sometimes shone like metal when the light hit it. The muscles on her back ached at night and the next morning, there were strange feathers all over her bed. After that, it did not take Ms. Eye's brilliant mother long to figure out exactly what ancestry her daughter actually had. She was an Aasamir. As Ms. Eye grew, her fascination with machines grew with her, and she became an artificer.

These days, she travels around the world searching for works that inspire her to understand the nature of life. She feels compelled to protect those who need protection, but does not find life so sacred she refuses to kill when she decides it's necessary. She believes very deeply that there is good inside every living being, but still struggles at times to see and understand what it means to be good.

(art by @brightgoat)

Anya KA1 (by @syssyadmin for Beam Saber)

The Anya PA4.3 (Animosity Neutralizer, Yoke Applicator - Patrol Associate) Unit was originally designed by the Public Enterprise as a sleek titanium civic service droid, blending organic and synthetic elements to create a personable entity with human tone, inflection, and mannerisms to offset its cold, lifeless exterior that could act as an unwavering voice of the PE as an HR assistant, or even to help peacefully quell civil unrest. When the Darling Empire's EMP blast shattered electronics across nearly half of the entire planet of Go-Vah, this Anya's electronic systems failed but in a freak miracle, her organic systems managed to survive and in fact restore functionality to some failing parts. After recovering the unit and amidst growing conflict, the PE decided to completely rekit her as a combat specialist - the Anya KILLINGASSAULTING1, complete with retractable armblades and a motorcycle mech.

As an Empath in Beam Saber, Anya has unique abilities based around precognition, telepathy, and social poise. She started with the ability BROADCAST, which lets her instill a powerful, undirected emotion in others, or paralyze a person with her mind or voice. She also carries around Prognostication Tools in the form of a deck of completely ordinary tarot cards, which she reads for people as a means to dig deeper into their psyche and discover what they're really after, whether they know it or not.

Additionally, this new awakening for Anya ignited something else in her beyond just combat aptitude: the ability to feel PAIN. When she was discovered in the Dark Zone, she was found SCREAMING in an inhuman tone, loud enough to require ear protection. When she harms an opponent, her body involuntarily reacts with the same pain; when she KILLS them, her neurons are set aflame with the seizing grip of DEATH as she screams - Over, and over, and over again, until the battle is won. But when Anya kills her rival TK-S, she feels…. Nothing. Nothing, that is, until she sees the same combat drone - rebuilt, consciousness reuploaded - in battle once again, this time prepared with a routine to dismantle her. She suffers a Scar, DisSOnaNce, upon the realization that unlike the other drones she's been shredding through, there is no backup, no model, no plan to rebuild her when she is eventually eviscerated in battle.

In Beam Saber, each Pilot has a Drive. Anya's Primary Directive, as instituted by the Public Enterprise, is to infiltrate the dangerous but utterly aimless Gang of Four logistics squad, and rally them to victory over the Darling Empire.

(art by Hajime Sorayama)