#I also like tech decks and these over the normal ones that come w most play sets

[hydrangeaz]

bought these at target for abt $3 and they fit rainbow high!

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Taking a risk- MariChat Month Day 7

So my orginal plan was to do everyday, but since I’m just starting out writing ML stuff, I thought it best not to overwhelm myself and just do prompts I can come up with ideas for @marichatmay. Next week of course has a lot of prompts I want to do. Also, I had to go looking for a pun generator for the pun that’s in here. Maybe one day it’ll flow naturally. I also poked a little at a fav headcannon of mine, that Luka knows who Ladybug and Chat Noir are under the masks. He just seems to have the way of him that I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s true. So enjoy hopefully. Disguise 

This was so risky. She helped Adrien escape fans just so he could go watch a movie, which did result in an Akuma. But she handled it. An Akumatized bodyguard who really wanted to protect his charge, but she handled it none the less. She could handle this. She hoped.

In her attempts to move on from Adrien and to not string Luka along, she’d planned on giving up dating. It’s not like she planned to date her partner outside of the spotted spandex. The leather wearing kitty would come over constantly, especially after his failed date with Ladybug. Even after she had to reject him – and caused her dad to become Akumatized – he still came. It just happened one night, she’d been ranting about Lila, Chat had been staring at her and then he kissed her. She’d kissed Chat before when he was under Dark Cupid’s spell and according to Alya when they lost their memories, right before she summoned Miraculous Ladybug. But there was something about this one that was different. She could of ignored him, pushed him away, but...she wanted a chance. He was a pun loving cat, with a heart of gold and she wanted to be the one that made him smile. Maybe she felt more like she could do it when she told Luka she couldn’t be with him.

“Are you mad?” she’d asked, ignoring the ruckus of the band setting up above deck.

Luka was giving her that understanding smile. “I won’t say that it doesn’t hurt, but I want you to be happy and if it’s with another guy, then I can’t stand in the way. It’ll take a while for me to get over you but I promise it won’t change our friendship. Do you think it’s ok if I ask who it is? Is it still Adrien?”

She shook her head. “I’m getting over him. It’s, oh god, ok you need to promise not to tell anyone. I haven’t even told Alya because I’m scared she might post on her blog.”

“Why would she do that? Her blog is about superheroes.”

“Cause it’s Chat Noir.”

There was this look on his face as he tried to bite down a smile, but Marinette saw it.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing. I think he’d be an amazing guy for you.” She believed him but there was something about that smile on his face.

“But it’s so irresponsible. He’s a hero, one of the defences against Hawkmoth. I should be staying away so I’m not used as bait. You know Chat Noir, he’s always taking hits for everyone. He’d give himself up in a second to protect people.”

“Marinette, sometimes no matter how much we try to control it, sometimes our feelings can’t be stopped, even if it means taking risks. Isn’t that what falling in love is? Taking risks? And Hawkmoth might never know what you mean to Chat Noir if you get together, but he’ll target you anyway when your mad, or upset or it feels like everything is spiralling down because he take advantage of our worst emotions. Wouldn’t it be better if you had Chat Noir in your corner to help protect you?”

Not that she needed protecting but she got his point. Yes it was more dangerous for her to be Akumatized because she had the Ladybug Miraculous, but a huge part of her just wanted to break away from all those expectations she put on herself. She placed so much pressure to be perfect as Ladybug but when she was herself with Chat, she didn’t have to be perfect. Maybe it was because she already felt as ease with Chat, but she wanted to feel like that all the time.

So after they kissed and a well timed Akuma, Chat came back, looking conflicted.

“I know I rejected you before and you have every right to say no, but as I’ve been moving on from Ladybug, I’ve gained feelings for you Marinette. I wasn’t going to do anything, after I rejected you but I kissed you and, it didn’t seem right but the whole time I was fighting that Akuma, all I could think about was kissing you again.”

He hadn’t been alone in that regard.

“So let’s go on a date.” She suggested, before he could talk himself out of this. “we go on a date, without my parents around and we see where we go from there.”

Of course, there was a problem. Most nights, Ladybug and Chat Noir did patrols, and it would look weird if Ladybug said yes to him opting out one night to go woo someone. Marinette couldn’t do early morning dates, not with her parents already up at that time and the fact that she was so close, any classmate would see her. Dates in her room would feel like too much like hanging out. Doing it outside was the best bet, but he was Chat Noir, everyone knew him. She thought there would be no chance when she remembered what she had to do with Adrien. Except now, she’d have time to prepare.

So here she was, waiting on the bank of the Seine, where she had met Master Fu’s lover. It was out of the way but it would still be easy for Chat to find her. She looked down at the clothes she had made the night before in preparation for this.

“Tikki, I’m I crazy for doing this?” she asked, looking down at her cross body bag, where her Kwami was hiding.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to go on a date. Your only rule was that you don’t know each other’s identities, not that if being with him makes you happy that you would give it a chance. He does make you happy doesn’t he Marinette?”

“Of course he does. He’s Chat. He’s sweet, has a heart of gold and makes me feel so important. I mean, everyone loves Ladybug, but when it’s the two of us, it feels like he likes me more.” There were other good feeling emotions she felt when with Chat, but she couldn’t put a name to, not yet anyway.

“Then take this chance Marinette. You deserve it. Oh, incoming!” Tikki warned as she ducked back into the bag as Chat landed near her.

“Princess.” he greeted, the stupid but loveable smile on his face. “Ready for me to woo you?”

She could see the mask he was wearing to hide his nerves. She pushed the clothes to him. “Go change chaton. We’ll see how lucky you get.”

The black joggers went over Chat’s boots easily and the oversized Rena Rouge inspired hoodie hid everything else. Chat stood still as she pulled the hood up to cover his ears, pushing some of his hair back to help keep his mask hidden. When she realised how close she was, she felt her cheeks get red and backed away.

“Um if we’re lucky, no one will see your mask and we should be fine. So where are you taking me?”

“I thought bounding up the Eiffel Tower was asking to get us caught, so I have another plan. Do you like flowers?”

Maybe it was the ladybug tendencies that became part of her after she put in her earrings, but she was much more in love with flowers than she’d been before.

“Yes?”

“There’s a flower bazaar at the Trocadéro Gardens.”

“That’s a lot of people. Someone might recognise you.” Marinette pointed out.

“Well, you did say you wanted to try using flowers as inspiration. What better place?”

Ok, she did say that, and usually she wouldn’t get the chance to if she went with other people, except maybe Alya, because she wouldn’t want to seem like a bother, but here Chat was offering for her to do just that.

“How are we going to get there? We’d have to catch the metro if we’re going normally.

Chat gave her a mischievous look before sweeping her up off her feet.

“I thought you said you couldn’t go jumping around to the Effle Tower.”

“Yeah, to the Eiffel Tower. This is just next to it. Hold on!”

                                                  ____________

Chat watched Marinette take photos of many different flowers, going a mile a minute about how dresses could look with the different petal effects and the different soft or vibrant colours. He loved seeing this side of Marinette. As Adrien, it was hard to see that side, but as Chat...he knew eventually he’d have to tell her but for moments like this, just seeing the excited look on her face, he wanted to keep it a secret. Just a bit longer.

“Look at this colour! My uncle just sent me these sewing sheets for cheongsam. This colour would go so well on my mom.” Marinette said, fingering the petals of a pale purple flower. “I’m going to get one.” Marinette said, taking out her wallet and double checking her money when the flower appeared under her nose. She looked over at Chat who was holding it out to her. “How did…?”

“Ladybug has a subspace pocket in her yoyo, I have actual pockets.”

Marinette took the flower, unable to keep a faint blush from her cheeks. Chat acted like a suave prince, though she knew better, but sometimes just the simple things are what got her.

“Marinette!”

the soft moment was broken when she heard a very familiar voice call her name. She turned and the holder of the Miraculous that was the inspiration to the hoodie Chat was in came running towards her.

“Alya?”

She let her best friend pull her into a hug, just seeing Chat pull the hood down lower. Nino came over at a much slower pace.

“I thought you said you were busy today. We would of invited you if you weren’t.” Alya said.

“We’re mostly here to look for arrangements for her parents’ anniversary dinner. Provided she doesn’t poison them.” Nino teased. Alya was good with tech, kids and gossip, not cooking.

“Shut up. What are you doing here? Browsing?”

“Um,” she started, glancing over at Chat, which of course Alya caught.

“oh, Mari-nette.” She sing songed, “You should of told me you were on a date. Now, I know Adrien is grounded, for whatever reason his father decided to come up with last minute and I saw Luka with his sister and her girlfriend at a perfume making station, so this one anyone we know?”

Normally, she’d tell Alya. She’d been there during her whole star with Adrien and the question between him and Luka, but this was one she couldn’t tell her about. She put information about The Guardians up on her blog. She trusted Alya, just not with the superhero side of things.

“We met at uh…”

“I work for Jagged Stone.” Chat got out.

“That’s right! He asked me to help make a design that he wants on a jacket of his and he’s Penny’s assistant who works just as much as she does, so we divided and conquered.

“Oh that’s cool. Though I’m sure spending time alone with him must be pretty nice too.” Alya whispered. Marinette struggled not to go red. “Well, we’ll leave you two kids alone. Nice meeting you and I love the jacket.”

once Alya and Nino had been eaten by the crowd, Marinette could breath again.

“She believed that really well.” Chat said, deciding that moving would be a better idea for them.

“I guess it helps that Jagged Stone really likes my work. It would be kinda cool to dress him one day though.”

“Yeah? What about me if you had the chance?” Chat asked, flexing his arms, causing Marinette to roll her eyes.

“Maybe less leather.”

“Hey, I like my leather. I think me and Jagged Stone would be birds of a leather.”

“Oh my god, why do I like you?” Marinette asked out loud, not seeming to notice what she said.

Chat leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I don’t know, you tell me. I’d love to hear your reasons as to why you like me.”

Marinette felt her face get red, close to almost fainting. Was this going to be worth it? Seeing that stupid smirk and wanting nothing more than to flip it around so he was the blushing one. She wasn’t sure yet, but she was willing to try and find out.

[canyousevmyheavydirtysoul]

You’re My Bodyguard, Not My Owner. (Chapter 19) (Brendon Urie x Reader)

“Is this outing authorised?” you asked, nervously glancing back at the SHIELD headquarters, which was no more than a speck in the distance at this point.

“No, of course not,” Brendon scoffed, taking a right turn, “You think The Director would ever approve this?”

“No, never. That’s why I’m asking,” you said, “Doesn’t SHIELD have cameras in the garage and GPS trackers on their vehicles? Aren’t we gonna get caught?”

“I called in a favour with one of the tech guys,” he explained, not once taking his eyes off of the road to glance at you, “We’ll be untraceable for the next few hours.”

You nodded, but then another concern struck you. “What if The Director wants to speak with us-“

“The Director is insanely occupied at the moment,” Brendon cut you off, “He won’t be wanting to speak with any of us anytime soon. Trust me, (Y/N). There’s no way I would’ve ever attempted this if I wasn’t sure it would work,” he grumbled.

The car ride lasted for approximately an hour, and despite your best efforts, you couldn’t get so much as a peep out of Brendon in regards to where you were headed. Considering the past seven months, you assumed that he was taking you somewhere secluded and unmapped, so you were as enormously surprised as ever when you pulled up to a lavish looking night club.

At first, you thought that this was just a quick stop, but once Brendon got out, opened the door for you and waited for you to get out with an expectant look on his face, your eyes practically bulged out of your head.

“Wait, are you serious?”

“I’m always serious,” was his typically-Brendon response, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other before furrowing his brows, “It’s your birthday. And considering the lovely past seven months you’ve had, I thought you deserved a break. Albeit a short one.”

You were speechless. This entire situation was so surreal and unlike your stone cold bodyguard, and you weren’t sure what to feel at that moment.

Your lack of verbal communication was daunting, and Brendon’s confident demeanour faltered a tiny bit.

“You don’t like it.”

“What?” you sputtered, “No, no, I-I love it,” you reassured him, raising your eyebrows and opening and closing your mouth, trying to think of something to say.

“Don’t bother,” Brendon said, cocking his head towards the entrance, “Let’s get inside.”

The two of you started briskly walking down the outstretched dark purple carpet to the front door; Brendon trailed extremely close behind you and kept a firm hand clamped on your lower back at all times; the sensation of his hand on your body, even though it was through two layers of fabric, made your skin burn up.

The bouncer held up a hand to cease the two of you from entering. Brendon leaned in to whisper something you couldn’t make out into the burly man’s ear, and with a glance at you and a short nod, he stepped back and allowed you to enter.

The inside of the bar took your breath away. It was a vast space, decked out with the shiniest, most expensive linoleum floor and wonderfully crafted walls, which led up to a giant crystal chandelier, which you noticed was not only a source of perfect mood lighting, but also another floor in itself.

With an intricate look around, you noticed that the floor you were currently on was the ground floor, where the DJ and dance floor were situated, the upper level ‘chandelier’ was a cocktail room serving speciality and artisanal wines, and the lower level was an intimate private lounge.

“So, did I do a good job in choosing a location to spend your birthday?” Brendon questioned, leaning in so that you could hear him over the pumping music.

“’Good’ is an understatement,” you breathed, shaking your head, “This is incredible, Brendon. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he responded, giving a quick glance over your shoulder, “There’s still one more surprise. Quite possibly better than this,” he cocked his head to indicate that he was talking about the bar.

You furrowed your brows and scoffed in amusement. “I don’t think you could top this.”

He nodded to behind you. “Don’t be so sure.”

A bit hesitantly, you turned around, and upon seeing what was behind you, you had to stifle a scream.

“What’s up, buttercup?” (Y/B/F) beamed, taking another step towards you, “Long time no see. It’s almost like you’ve been in hiding or something,” she joked, laughing once you flung yourself onto her, “I missed you too!”

“Oh, my god,” you squeaked, squeezing the life out of your friend, ecstatic that you were getting to see her after so long, “I can’t believe this! You’re really here!”

“I’m really here!” she said, and the two of you yelped in glee again.

“But… how?” you questioned, still in disbelief.

“You can thank your bodyguard over there,” she cocked her head at Brendon, who was standing a little distance away, yet still very close to you, as usual, “He put all of this together.”

Turning around, you smiled at your bodyguard, who was still wearing his signature emotionless expression. Under any other circumstance, you would’ve never done what you did next, but you were exceptionally happy, and any second-guessing went out the window.

You walked up to Brendon, and when you were close enough, you flung your arms around him, similar to how you had done with (Y/B/F) moments earlier. Brendon was utterly shocked and slightly awkward; he didn’t know how to respond. When, after a few seconds, you still hadn’t unhooked yourself, he very slowly and apprehensively placed both hands on your back; at this acceptance, you instinctively tightened your grip.

“Thank you, Brendon,” you whispered into his ear, starting to feel a little teary-eared; you were overwhelmed, “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Yeah,” he said after a few seconds, clearing his throat, “Yeah, don’t mention it.”

When you pulled away, you smiled at him and he actually gave a half-smile in return, making your smile grow even wider. You stayed looking at one another until (Y/B/F) clapped her hands.

“Let’s party!”

~

“Two Cosmos, please,” you requested from the cute young bartender.

“Coming right up,” he smirked, shooting you a wink, at which you smiled coyly.

You didn’t notice it, but as the bartender walked away, Brendon – who was sitting on a stool right next to you – gave him a death glare so intense, the poor guy tripped over his own feet and stumbled a bit.

“Nice to know that being cut off from civilisation from months on end hasn’t killed your game,” (Y/B/F) teased, nudging you in the ribs, “You’re still catching ‘em hook, line and sinker.”

“Yeah, well,” you sighed, “not like there’s anything that can come from it. It’s back to normal for me from tomorrow.”

“Yes, but that’s tomorrow,” (Y/B/F) chimed, “We’ve got tonight. So make it count. Besides, it’s not like you can go home with him – it’s just a little harmless flirting.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” you nodded, straightening up, “It’s perfectly harmless.”

The cute bartender returned, nervously setting the two drinks down with shaky hands. “H-here ya go,” he said softly, avoiding eye contact.

“Thanks,” you beamed, flashing him your most dazzling smile, “I’m (Y/N),” you leaned forward a little bit, “What’s your name?”

His gaze flickered from you to your bodyguard, who was staring at him intensely as he took a sip from his beer. He readjusted his collar – which seemed a bit too tight, all of a sudden – and swallowed.

“Uh, I’m sorry, but I really have to get back to work. Excuse me,” he muttered, avoiding your gaze as he hurried off down the bar, leaving you stunned.

“That was weird,” you muttered, picking up your cocktail and sipping it.

“Ah, nevermind him,” (Y/B/F) waved a dismissive hand, picking up her drink in the other hand, “There’s plenty more talent on the dance floor. Let’s go!”

You smiled at your friend and started to follow her out onto the floor, but Brendon, who pulled you back by your arm, stopped you. You raised your eyebrows at him and he leaned in a bit, so that you could hear him.

“Not too far from me, okay?”

You gave him a small nod and he let go of you, leaving you to join (Y/B/F). As you approached her, you rolled your eyes at the teasing look she had on her face.

“What?” you sighed.

“Seems like you and Mr Bodyguard have gotten pretty close,” she chimed, smirking at you.

You scoffed. “He was just telling me not to wander too far.”

“How sweet.”

“He’s not being sweet, he’s doing his job,” you countered.

“Oh? So organising tonight was part of his duties, then?”

You couldn’t respond to that, so you sighed again as you ran your tongue over your teeth.

“That’s what I thought,” she pursed her lips and shot you a smug look, “He really cares about you, you know.” Her statement caused you to burst out laughing; she frowned, her face turning serious. “I mean it,” she insisted, and you nodded patronisingly, still giggling, “Do you really think he would’ve done all of this if he didn’t? Like I said, it’s not part of his duty, so that means he did it because he wanted you to have a good birthday. Because he cares about you. And the way he gets all protective over you? My God, it’s insane,” she shook her head, eyes going wide as she blew out a breath.

You gave her a befuddled look, not really sure how she would know how intense his protectiveness could get. She picked up on this and explained what she was talking about.

“When he reached out to me about tonight, the first thing he did was threaten me.”

“Sounds about right,” you sighed.

“Yeah, he literally said he would kill me if he found out I was working for Hydro-“

“Hydra,” you corrected, and she nodded.

“Yeah, that. And he said that he never trusts anyone with anything, but he was breaking that rule for your birthday. Then, he warned me that if I broke his trust by telling anyone about the plan or about where we would be tonight, he would kill me. At this point, I was starting to think he was just looking for an excuse to murder me, and I was a bit unsettled, but I went along with it – it was for my best friend, after all. Anyway, during the phone call, we set up a meeting at this diner in the next town for a few days later. It was very unnerving; I felt like I was being interrogated. Although, I’m sure the cops would’ve been much friendlier than him,” she shuddered at the memory, “He kept on asking me questions. About everything. How long I’ve known you, why we became friends, if I would be willing to take a bullet for you if the need arises… he even made me scan my fingerprint in this pocket device-thingy to make sure that it was actually me. After the interrogation, he gave me an envelope with the details for tonight inside, got up and left. But not before he threatened to kill me. Again. So, yeah, he’s totally in love with you.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” you frowned, holding up both hands, “When did we go from ‘he cares about you’ to ‘he’s in love with you’?”

“Since he’s looking at you with bedroom eyes,” she quipped, nodding behind you.

“What?” you spun around and sure enough, Brendon was staring at you. Him watching you was a normal thing, but there was something different about his gaze this time around, and it gave you goosebumps. You swallowed – even though your mouth was dry – and held his gaze for a minute; you knew that he would refuse to be the one to break eye-contact first, so you sped up the process and turned back to (Y/B/F), who tossed you a look as if to say ‘I told you so’.

“Whatever,” you said, downing the remainder of your drink in one gulp, “Let’s dance.”

___________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading x

Taglist:

@avangardv

@arosebyname

@avengertrash21

@ryan-ross-that-fucking-gay

@azumitoshiki

@tiffisnotnormal

@darknessdancing

@raversam

@theieroenthusiast

@the-ghost-of-hemingway

@laerkers

@peters-vlogs

@brendon-is-my-daddy

@hockeyswag-boll

@gutsbonesandbeauty

@username-number-01834

@moosesmoose

@underscoredarcy

@aminasmells

@becausebands

@converseskyline

@opheren

@gypsy-storm-15

@vinyloider

@attractiveugly

@le-fandom-junkie

@tirzahs-heart

[arthurhwalker]

Premium 2-in-1 Comparison

It’s finally happening. The world is getting 13-14 inch 2-in-1 convertibles, with premium graphics and display options. It’s kind of a big deal, considering the last one worth mentioning came out over three years ago. The Dell XPS 13 7390, HP Spectre x360 13t Touch, and Lenovo Yoga C940 14” are the three worthiest contenders I’ve seen.

Which one is best? Well, that depends.

Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, via Dell.com

Base Specifications

All three top out with a 10th Generation Intel Core i7-1065G7 processor, with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, 802.11AX (2 x 2) WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Windows Home or Pro, Microsoft precision trackpads, biometrics via fingerprint reader.

Dell’s model can have up to 32 GB 3733MHz Memory Onboard, while Lenovo and HP can have 16GB.

HP’s model can have up to 2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD, Lenovo and Dell advertise that they ship with 1 TB maximum, but Lenovo’s will also ship with 2 TB if you order a custom rig.

Lenovo’s model comes with a garaged stylus, as opposed to an optional full size stylus (Dell), or a full sized MPP stylus in the box (HP). Personally, I like a garaged stylus for two reasons. You always have a stylus with you, and (from my experience) the manufacturer tends to tune the pen input on the device when a stylus is part of the chassis.

Lenovo and HP have 60 Wh batteries, while Dell has a 51 Wh battery. All three boast some sort of rapid charge technology. Paired with their best display options, the Lenovo probably has the best battery life, sans adjustments for hardware tweaks and power management firmware.

HP’s model comes with LTE as an option, but there’s an issue with that I’ll talk about later.

IO & Ports

Dell’s model: 2x Thunderbolt 3 with power delivery and DisplayPort (4 lanes of PCI Express Gen 3), 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack, microSD card reader

HP’s model: 1 headphone/microphone combo, 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A (HP Sleep and Charge), 2 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C™ with Thunderbolt™ 3 (40 Gb/s signaling rate, Power Delivery 3.0, DisplayPort 1.4, HP Sleep and Charge), microSD card reader

Lenovo’s Model: Two USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2 / Thunderbolt 3 (with function of Power Delivery, DisplayPort), one USB 3.1 Type-A Gen 2, 3.5mm (0.14inch)stereo audio / microphone combo jack

It kind of depends on what you need. Dell has Gen 3, Thunderbolt 3 ports, but that’s basically it, other than the microSD card reader. HP has the most IO, but the placement on the device is weird, with one port even coming off diagonally from a corner. Lenovo has all the IO, neat and tidy on the left side, but lacks a microSD card slot.

HP Spectre x360 13t Touch, via HP.com

Display Specs

Dell’s model has a 13.4-inch UHD+ (3840 x 2400), 16:10 ratio, WLED, Touch Display, HDR 400 Certified, 90% DCI P3 Color Gamut, 500 nits, 1500:1 contrast ratio, with a 0.65% anti-reflective coating.

HP’s model has a 13.3" diagonal 4K UWVA BrightView micro-edge AMOLED multitouch (3840 x 2160). Being AMOLED, I’m sure the color range and contrast ratio are amazing, but I can’t find the exact specifications.

Lenovo’s model has 14.0" (356mm) UHD (3840x2160), glossy display, LED backlight, IPS, HDR 400, 500 nits, 16:9 aspect ratio, 90% DCI-P3, DolbyVision.

I think HP would probably win this category, except that you can’t have the OLED and LTE in the same custom ordered rig. For whatever reason, you have to choose between those two features. LTE in a 2 in 1 would be epic, but not at the expense of a premium display option. Dell might have the best screen display option here, but I don’t know that the average person would be able to tell the difference between it and that of Lenovo’s model, they’re so close.

Aesthetics

Dell’s XPS 13 comes in Platinum Silver exterior, with either a black interior deck, or arctic white interior.

HP ships with Natural Silver, Nightfall Black, or Poseidon Blue.

Lenovo has an Iron Grey or Mica color.

The Dell has an unfinished look with blocky 360 degree hinges that look like they are from 2013. It just doesn’t feel or look that nice held in the hand. Normally I like white accents on laptops, but it somehow looks cheap on the Dell.

That said, bezels are tight, and I bet the design handles heat thrown by the rig relatively well. It might be that a skin or decal could greatly improve the look of Dell’s XPS 13.

The HP is a love it, or hate it, kind of look. It’s quirky “gem cut” aesthetic with high contrast between flat color and polished metals is going to appeal to you, or not. The branding on the laptop isn’t subtle, but it’s decent looking. They are nice, but definitely an acquired taste.

HP’s 2-in-1 looks very small, like they went all out to make it compact. That might be a bonus for some folks, or a pain if you like have a palm rest to type, bezels to lean on while you draw, and similar.

Lenovo’s C940 is one of the best looking laptops out there. The combined asymmetry between the top and bottom chassis, soft lines of the sound bar hinge, and understated branding is easy on the eyes. The Mica color is gorgeous, pictures on the website not remotely doing it justice.

Lenovo Yoga C940 14”, via Lenovo.com

Likely, by the dimensions, this will be the most comfortable to hold, use, and draw on. Lenovo didn’t try to make a 13.5″ laptop out of what should be a 14″ form factor. I like having somewhere for my palm, or the side of my hand to rest as I type or draw.

Even so, the Yoga C940 is much reduced from the size of my Thinkpad P40 Yoga I’d held up for comparison.

Sound / Audio

All three models probably have pretty comparable sound, each with their own marketing babble.

Dell’s 2-in-1 has Stereo speakers with Waves MaxxAudio Pro.

HP’s model has Bang & Olufsen, dual speakers, with HP Audio Boost.

Lenovo’s C940 has HD Audio, four speakers with Dolby Atmos certification.

Audio quality is a pretty subjective thing, but based on specifications, design, and placement, the Lenovo C940 is likely to have the best sound, in either laptop or tablet modes because speakers are built into a rotating soundbar hinge, coupled with dual front firing on the bottom of the chassis. The Dell is likely a close second, having 2 W x 2 for 4W total. Speaker placement is down, but along the sides.

Pen Stylus Technology

The Dell doesn’t come with a stylus, but is offered with an optional Dell Premium Active Pen with 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt functionality, and attaches magnetically to your device. This pen is advertised as being UPP working on either Wacom AES 1.0 and 2.0 or T-Trig MPP 1.51 devices. According to Windows Central, it has 240hz reporting rate. Pretty nice, but it is $100, and takes a AAAA battery.  

HP’s Spectre x360 comes with an N-Trig Microsoft Pen Protocol non-tilt stylus in the box. For taking notes this is probably great, and will likely have good palm rejection. For digital artwork, look elsewhere.

Lenovo comes with a smaller garaged Lenovo Active Pen. Lenovo makes a Wacom AES 2.0 Lenovo Pen Pro, with tilt functionality that you can order separately, for $60 retail, and it is often on sale. It has an internal battery that can be charged with a USB-c cable. Nice!

Having a garaged stylus pen, and the option for a USB-c chargeable pen is pretty compelling if you rely on having a pen stylus, ready to go, at all times. For my use case, Lenovo wins this category, both for features, and value for the money. Still, that universal pen protocol stylus by Dell sounds interesting. What worries me is that pen input seems like an afterthought for the Dell, and Lenovo’s C940 comes with really nice custom pen drivers and software.

Accessories

Dell’s XPS 13 has a “premium” sleeve (it looks okay), pen stylus, and USB-c mobile adapter option right on the product page, all discounted if you bundle them in with your device. You can’t look at them from the product page, finding them once you’re already in configuring your order. With the discounts, the accessories are reasonably priced.

HP lets you bundle theft protection, an external DVD burner, tilt pen, and a plethora of dongles and adapters. Not sure what HP’s strategy is here.

Lenovo has a variety of software and accessories you can bundle with the Yoga C940, including a sweet premium sleeve for the Yoga line of 13 and 14 inch laptops. However, Lenovo makes you hunt through their website for the USB-c chargeable Lenovo Pen Pro, unless you add it from the product page from the top accessories tab.

It shouldn’t be difficult to accessories a premium laptop in the $2000 USD range. The website should have a streamlined process for marketing these things, and letting you select them during the configuration process. Dell comes the closest to doing this on the back end of setting up your order, Lenovo up front on the product page, and HP not really at all.

Price and Value

Dell’s XPS 13, maxed out, with Arctic White color (costs extra), (32 GB ram, 1 TB storage), dropped into my shopping cart at $2759.99 retail. 4 years or Premium Support Plus, is $560 (but sometimes discounted to the price of 3 years at $430). Accidental Damage Service for four years is $129 (currently discounted from $159). Extended Battery service, for years 2 and 3 of System Life, 2 years, is $89.

HP’s x360 Spectre, maxed out, Poseidon Blue (costs extra) (16 GB ram, 2 TB storage), with AMOLED display, no LTE, Tilt Pen Upgrade (as opposed to included non-tilt pen), costs $2009.99. 3 years of HP Warranty with Accidental Damage protection is $187.99 (as of writing this, discounted from $229.99).

Lenovo’s C940, maxed out (16 GB ram, 2 TB storage), Mica or Iron Grey, costs $2119.99 retail (but Lenovo always has sales). 4 Years of premium onsite warranty, with accidental damage protection, costs $268 additional monies.

Obviously, the winner here depends on your specific use case. The Dell seems really expensive, regardless, but if you absolutely need 32 GB ram, you will pay for the privilege. The Dell also has a smaller battery, making it less useful for on the go use. HP’s model has the better display tech, and amount of IO, for the money, but if you are a digital artist, this is pretty much a not an option with the pen stylus technology they use.

For digital artists, that do not need 32 GB of RAM, the Lenovo C940 is probably the best bang for your buck. It’s hundreds less, has a garaged stylus, more affordable service options, and sports a bigger battery.

Conclusion

For some 3D rendering, the Dell might make sense, but for any render that required 32 GB of RAM, even the top end processor for the XPS 13 will probably take all night and day to complete. For emulation, generally, 16 GB is plenty, but I’m sure some folks would argue otherwise. Dell Service better be premium, white gloves on for that price!

For taking notes, photo editing, and content consumption, the HP is probably the way to go, because the AMOLED display, with some decent headphones, will be awesome for that. HP has this priced to sell, and their warranty service and options are affordable. The substandard pen stylus input severely limits the more commercial and creative use cases, though.  

For digital art, and design, the Lenovo C940 is going to be the way to go. The soundbar hinge makes this a nice device for content consumption, or playback of music at your D&D table. Obviously, that appeals to me. ;-D I think overall value, bang for buck, warranty and service options included, Lenovo probably wins. This is extra true if you wait for Lenovo to double up a coupon with a sale.

[auburnfamilynews]

Game 1– Auburn vs #14 North Carolina Florida

Saturday: 11-7 W

Does anyone else feel like we are in a movie? I’ve often joked that our lives are just TV shows for the amusement of a society that we will never meet. The 2019 version of the Auburn baseball team is something else. Rudy doesn’t have anything on this team. The Mighty Ducks look at this and wish they were this good. This Auburn baseball team, that only won only four of their ten SEC series, that lost the LSU game in the SEC Tournament in one of the most creative ways I’ve ever seen, that lost their ace just 3 innings in to the game 1 of the season, that had to go to a regional with the #3 overall seed in the NCAA tournament that they were already 0-2 against on the season, that lost the voice that had been theirs since 1993 just 2 weeks ago today, yes that team. That team, is now just 27 outs away from the program’s first trip to Omaha in 22 years. But I’m getting ahead of myself, lets look at how the Tigers took game 1 from North Carolina, and take it they did.

Jack Owen got the nod like he did last week against Coastal Carolina and ran in to the same problem he did against the Chants, an early rising pitch count that would cost him an extended outing. The Tar Heels would touch up Owen for 3 runs on 4 hits and a walk. Jack would then calm down and keep the Heels quiet until the 5th when Carolina would add another to chase the Tiger ace. On the other side of the ball, the offense struggled for the most part against Tyler Baum who had everything working through 6 innings. He did make one mistake pitch to the MVP of the Atlanta Regional, Steven Williams…

The bat is back for Williams! @AuburnBaseball finds the board of a Steven Williams DINGER #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/HM4NDn4XKJ

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 8, 2019

At the time, it was just Auburn’s third hit of the game and cut the Carolina lead to one. Auburn would chase Baum in the 7th, as he went 6.1, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits with 7 Ks. That’s when, as they say, the fun would begin. The North Carolina bullpen would not be able to hold down what has suddenly become an on fire Auburn offense as the Tigers would begin the comeback in the 8th, led off by a Conor Davis double that scored Ward from 3rd and got Bliss over to 3rd. The Woley Mammoth would then take over.

FIRST LEAD OF THE GAME! Rankin Woley gives Auburn the lead on a bases-clearing double in the 8th! #RoadToOmaha | @AuburnBaseball pic.twitter.com/p66N4cELiR

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 8, 2019

Auburn would then add to the advantage in the 9th when the Mountie made an appearance…

3 RUN BOMB! Edouard Julien... puts Auburn up 11-5 in the 9th! #RoadToOmaha | @AuburnBaseball pic.twitter.com/toZZwDLaKg

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 8, 2019

Back on the mound, Elliott Anderson would come in an go 2 innings in relief of Owen, giving up a run on 2 hits with a strike out and then the Bull would do his normal thing. Carolina would make things very uncomfortable in the 9th, eventually bringing up the tying run with 2 outs but a lazy fly out to Kason Howell would give the Tigers the victory and set up the biggest game of the year for the Tigers tomorrow.

Also, this play by Holland, Bliss and Woley needs to be mentioned because, wow…

6-4-3... just how they drew it up.#RoadToOmaha | @AuburnBaseball pic.twitter.com/weffWjLMEO

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAACWS) June 8, 2019

Strong start to the weekend. » https://t.co/QlSG6O8GvI #WarEagle | #RoadToOmaha pic.twitter.com/xk1OIybzZC

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) June 8, 2019

On Deck

Game 2: North Carolina vs Auburn – 10:30 AM (ESPN)

Some not quite as good news from Auburn coach Butch Thompson: Bailey Horn, who is scheduled to start tomorrow, is under the weather and did not come to the ballpark today. Will have to check on his availability for Game 2.

— Josh Vitale (@JoshVitale) June 8, 2019

Well, way to be a buzz kill Josh…

So that’s something to worry about if you are an Auburn fan, but you still have Richard Fitts who seems to have found himself again and also Brooks Fuller who hasn’t thrown in a couple of weeks who should be ready if needed. I think the only way we see Tanner Burns this weekend is if its in the 7th inning as a bridge to get to the Bull either tomorrow or Monday. Carolina will counter with Austin Bergner who went in the 9th round to Detroit this past week and loves his fast ball but also has a change and breaking stuff that will give the Tigers fits early. If they can stay back and get some early runs, like they did on Sunday against Georgia Tech, they could force Carolina to mistakes at the plate and in the field. There is also weather in the area, and that’s another thing to keep in mind for this series. A quick start is always nice, but it could mean everything for Auburn tomorrow. This thing is by no means won, but its 27 outs away from the most glorious place in the college baseball world, Omaha.

from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/6/8/18658148/super-regional-round-up-game-1

[edh-a-to-z]

10 - Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!

I’ve been waiting for this one for a while. Oh yea.

After Akuta, we need a good commander to wash out the ashy taste. And Alesha, boy does she deliver.

Our Alesha will be a budget reanimator deck. As always, budget is a relative term, but most of our cards will be draft fodder and bulk rares. Mixed in are some reanimation that costs a couple of bucks. I’ll list the cards for each section (purpose, price, and other factors).

Budget includes bulk rares (usually under $0.75). Modest priced cards are $0.75 to $2.50. Pricey is from $2.50 to $7.50, and above that is expensive. (Again, looking at you Sword of Body and Mind). You’ll only need the budget and modest cards to make the core of the deck, but more expensive options should be considered for upgrades later on, or to include if you already have them.

ALSO! 

This looks like my longest post yet, so I’m hoping I did okay. Hope it’s a decent primer for getting to know Alesha.

LORE:

(special thanks to @alesha-who-smiles-at-memes for helping me with this)

Alesha was the last Khan of Mardu, before Sarkhan the A*hole ruined a perfectly nice plane with a bunch of damn flying lizards. That’s about it. Kolaghan was chill at the time, and said “Yo Alesha, lets work together.” And they did.

Later Kolaghan would turn out to be a huge jerk and go crazy over her brood. They lost their Mardu name, became cannibals, etc. And worst of all, Dragonlord Kolaghan is awful in EDH.

But back to Alesha.

The Mardu Horde was heavily based off the Mongol Hordes, with effective raiding strategies and usage of horse archers (and lightning magic. Slight advantage over the Mongols). When a Mardu warrior made their first kill in battle, they chose a new name emblematic of what they do (see Zurgo Helmsmasher) Raid and Dash rewarded aggressive plays. 

Alesha is the only khan to not submit/die to the dragons (as mentioned above). Notably, she’s a human transgender woman, who chose her name after her grandmother. The Mardu care less for traditional gender roles/identities, and are more of the mind “we judge you based on what you do.” 

THE CARD:

The lady, the legend. On her own, a 3/2 first striker for 2R is solid. 

Then you look at her ability. Phew. Now that is some text.

We get Mardu color identity and Power =< 2 resurrection and quasi haste for   2*(W/B). Now that’s power.

She’s also human and warrior. Not sure what tribal stuff would justify being put in, but there’s gotta be someone out there.

BUILDS:

Alesha enables a lot of builds, but usually revolves around the graveyard. Death and taxes, good old aristocrats, and self-mill and recur. Alesha is just so versatile, with such fun colors, you gotta get a copy.

This build is neapolitan. It doesn’t really run any combos, but has multiple ways to fill the ‘yard - sac outlets, discards, self-milling - some aristocrat stuff to take advantage. Basically an Alesha value build that can be taken to more combo-oriented wins, or combat-oriented. 

Heck, there’s Alesha Voltron builds. Skies the limit. Here we go.

BATTLE PLAN:

Resurrection, resurrection for days.

Every Alesha deck wants to play with recursion, so I’ll just go with that, leaving spicier builds to those most familiar with her (I myself use her solely as a budget commander).

We need things that are generally CMC >= 3 (to make Alesha’s ability a discount) and Power <= 2 (to work with the ability).

To help, we want discard engines, sac effects, Entomb - style effects, and recursion independent of Alesha (like Reanimate). 

(1) Reanimation Targets

I’m going to do an itemized list here. Gonna be long. Here we go.

White

Angel of Invention - Modest price; comes in as a anthem at 4/3 spread over one or three bodies. 

Karmic Guide - Modest price; recursion, and it kills itself to be used again.

Knight-Captain of Eos - Modest; and gives you a Fog on command, and some bodies for sac’ing. Also a sac outlet for soldiers.

Sensor Splicer - Budget; brings a token to the field with it.

Blade Splicer - Modest; token generator, Sensor’s big sister

Urbis Protector - budget; token generator

Azorius Justicar - budget, pacifies potential defenders that’ll block your team

Custodi Soulbinders - budget; The first of our 0/0 creatures that enters with a swarm of +1/+1 tokens. This guy also makes extra spirits as a mana dump.

Aven Cloudchaser - budget; toolbox for enchantment destruction (replaceable with any creature that ETB destroys enchantment, like Soltari Visionary)

Palace Jailer, Fiend Hunter, Fairgrounds Warden, Banisher Priest - all budget; all act as Oblivion Ring for creatures. You can do sacrifice shenanigans with the Fiend Hunter to permanently exile things.

Defender en-Vec - Budget; an old oddball that can play with it’s fading counters to do up to 8 damage prevention, and kill itself doing so (and thus be available for recursion)

Lowland Tracker - Budget; another old oddball. This guy lets you kill the Noble Hierarch that’s been chilling on the other side of the field, or pull an important defender away. Or diplomatically, to let a opponents big creature be available to block.

Mentor of the Meek - Modest, allows you to draw off of most of the creatures in your deck and Alesha’s ability

Palisade Giant and Protector of the Crown - both budget; good meat shields for you

Radiant’s Dragoons - budget; decent lifegain, echo lets it die and be used again

Recruiter of the Guard - Expensive; our first expensive card, and for a good reason - she can tutor most of our deck, and works with Alesha

Stonehorn Dignitary - Budget; use it like it’s in a Brago deck, abuse and shut people down.

(Anything that worked in Brago and is 2<= power is a good choice)

Black

Archetype of Finality - Budget; Deathtouch for the team and take it away from your opponents? Fun toy.

Big Game Hunter - Modest; does a repeatable Smite the Monstrous impression, and has Madness (we do like discarding!)

Bone Shredder - Budget; It kills stuff, and dies easy for using it again next turn

Disciple of Bolas - Modest; sac something, then draw and LG. You’ll probably want to recurr whatever you sac’d, so win-win

Entomber Exarch - Budget; retrieve a creature in the ‘yard, or better Duress an opponent

Gonti -  edge of Budget; steal your opponents toys over and over

Marionette Master - Budget; niche artifact usage, token maker

Nekrataal - Budget; backup Bone Shredder

Noosegraf Mob - Budget; solid beater and token creator. 0/0 creatures are a great reason to play Alesha.

Pontiff of Blight - Budget; Bottom heavy mass Extort. Lets you pretend to be an Orzhov deck and play with some life.

Priest of the Blood Rite - Budget; Get it in the yard, pull it out, sac, repeat. 5/5 demon flyers are nothing to scoff at.

Thief of Blood - Budget; Kills ‘Walkers, and weakens or kills +1/+1 reliant creatures. Pulls -1/-1 counters off your team (take that Hapatra!), and while we don’t play with other counters (loyalty, ki, etc), we mess with others who do

Thorn of the Black Rose - Budget; Card draw, deathtouch

Wei Night Raiders - Expensive; Portal 3 card, so super pricey, but it’s basically an unblockable Hypnotic Specter

Hypnotic Specter - Budget; as above, but cheaper and blockable

Raving Dead - Modest; Basically half a kill if it gets through, and Alesha’s ressurection lets you pick the target.

RED

Anarchist -  Budget; lets your reuse sorceries like Sieze the Day, or Buried Alive. Alesha’s recursion means not paying the 5 CMC.

Beetleback Chief - Budget; 4/4 over 3 bodies for 2 mana is attractive for sac outlets

Goblin Settler - Obscene; Proxy it, and revel in repeated land destruction

Ignition Team - Budget; Another Conspiracy 0/0, it can come in for cheap and be pretty big midgame. It also makes solid beaters out of lands

Imperial Recruiter - Obscene; Proxy it, and tutor any card you want

Manic Vandal - Budget; toolkit for artifact destruction

Mindclaw Shaman - Budget; steal your opponents spells

Savage Firecat - Budget; enters as a 7/7 trample beater, and you can kill it and bring it back as needed.

Siege-Gang Commander - Modest; better Beetleback Chief with a sac outlet

Yuan-Shao, the Indecisive - Obscene; Proxy it, and have an unblockable creature, and force your creatures to be blocked one on one.

Artifacts

Arcbound X - Budget - Obscene; Pick any of the bigger ones (skip Arcbound Ravager), and you get a good deal. Underpriced (with Alesha’s ability) and nice abilities on death.

Burnished Hart - Budget; good ramp is good, recurrable good ramp is better

Clockwork Dragon - Budget; the biggest clockwork creatures comes in as a 6/6 flyer for 2.

Filigree Familiar - Budget; smaller Solemn Simulacrum that’ll probably be a budget EDH staple.

Solemn Simulacrum - Modest; repeatable value is always good.

Silent Arbiter - Modest; Good defensive option, forces your opponents to block your incoming team with one declared defender. Sac at the end of the turn before yours and repeat.

Triskelion - Budget; Because Walking Ballista doesn’t work in this deck

Workhorse - Budget; Weird ramp? Recur it turn 4 and you have X+2 mana, where X is the amount of normal land drops and getting Alesha T3.

Multicolor

Ankle Shanker - Budget; A brutal combat trick, even played from the hand. Also, the alt art is equally cheap, so check it out.

Ponyback Brigade - Budget; You probably have this lying at the bottom of a box somewhere. 4 bodies with 5/5 power. Makes great fodder for sac effects and Ashnod’s Altar

Sin Collector  - Budget; tech against spellslinger decks

Duergar Hedge-Mage - Budget; tech removal against artifacts and enchantments

Flame-Kin Zealot and Resolute Blademaster- Budget; selected combat tricks, to support Ankle Shanker. Compare to the Archetype of X creatures from Theros block for fun combat.

Fulminator Mage - Expensive; Modern staple, and really useful - sac before combat damage for land removal

Master of Cruelties - Pricey; Almost a game win if it gets through. 

Lim-Dul’s Paladin -  Budget; Does it all - kills itself, can draw a card, is a trampling 6/6 or a 4 life drainer.

(2) Filling the ‘Yard

We want a couple options for filling the yard - discard, self milling, sac’ing enchantments, artifacts, and creatures (and some things that benefit from all the dying.

(A) Entomb & Co.

Corpse Connoisseur does it twice (but doesn’t combo with Alesha), Buried Alive and Entomb are classics. Morality Shift says “screw it, I’ll make my deck my ‘yard.” There are some others, but these are my favorites.

(B) Sac Engines

(Lots of sac engines here)

We like things that sac for free. We want Goblin Bombardment, not Barrage of Expendables.

Free sac effects let us sac things in response to things dying worthlessly in combat, or before a board wipe, or because we want Alesha to recur them. It’s better for something getting Path’d to be in the ‘yard than exiled.

Spawning Pit makes tokens, Viscera Seer scrys, Dimir House-Guard transmutes, recurs, and is a sac outlet, Phyrexian Altar and Ashnod’s Altar are mana makers, Sadistic Hypnotist is just plain mean discard, Martyr’s Cause is a fun for protection and diplomacy, 

Attrition is a sac outlet I’m willing to pay B for to use, and is double good with a Grave Pact package, and Shivan Harvest for land removal. 

(3) Discard and Milling

Sometimes we wanna self mill, or rummage(Red’s in our colors). Cathartic Reunion is okay, because we get 2 things in the yard. Body Snatcher likes helping entomb and recur stuff. Escalating Collective Brutality, especially early game, fills the ‘yard. Cryptbreaker makes bodies, draws cards, and can come back with Alesha (but will probably die). Wheel of Fortune and co. discard your hand (and everyone elses) and gets you refilled. Cards with Retrace are great, like World at War. 

There’s plenty of Discard stuff out there (self milling in Mardu isn’t my forte), use them well

(3) Reanimation Effects

(extra stuff here)

Reveillark loves Alesha’s creatures, and makes the best target for reanimating and sac’ing. Resurrection, False Defeat, and Breath of Life are very similar white sorceries, and Miraculous Recovery is an instant version. Death or Glory does the whole yard, but takes away the toolbox functionality of your ‘yard. And Marshal’s Anthem is a anthem plus kickable recursion.

Unburial Rites is fiscally cheap, and goes twice. Reanimate, Animate Dead, Beacon of Unrest, Diabolic Servitude - there’s so many black options

Cauldron Dance is an odd trick, getting 2 more creatures on the field, plus whatever Alesha pulls. Crypt Champion always dies when pulled by Alesha, but has a decent effect, and always dying is fine in Grave Pact decks.

THE REST:

For a 3 color manabase I always suggest the Professor. We value mana rocks and dual/tri lands more than a dual or mono deck, so business as usual. We plan on ramping from artifacts, and if needed, white has some “Balance” style Plains ramping, and Black has some Swamp ramping. Feel free to dip into one color more than normal based on the makeup of your deck - more black creatures, add more black mana.

Grave Pack, Butcher of Malakir, Blood Artist & co, make a nice package. If your running sac outlets, you can focus more on token effects to sac your way to victory.

Combat help is nice too - extra combat phases plus things that protect Alesha are good - extra phases like Aurelia and her like, and Iroas, God of Victory, Reconnaissance (also good for saving things Alesha recurs), Boots and Greaves, indestructibility effects like Nahiri’s Mechanizations and Gift of Immortality.

WEAKNESSES:

GY hate. This deck is Meren-level of GY hate weakness. We can always restock the ‘yard, but it hurts a lot.

Stax/Pillowfort decks hurt a lot - things Voltron decks do well (like hitting for Commander Damage) won’t work for us.

Alesha is also small for a commander that wades into combat. 2 toughness gets killed by Shock, or any effect worse than -0/-2. Some protection is seriously needed - protection equipment package works fine since Alesha has access to White, as well as Reconnaissance is good for triggering Alesha’s ability and retreating out of bad blocking situations.

RATINGS:

Control: 5/10 - Alesha doesn’t favor a control set up, nor does she have abilities that help, but her colors are great for answering anything, as well as board wipes.

Diplomacy: 6/10 - not really equipped for it past “stop attacking me with your resurrected Raving Dead”

Aggro: 9/10 - she not only likes attacking, she recurs things attacking too.

Overall Power: 10/10 - She’s a Tier 1.5 commander, and one of the easiest to learn and abuse.

Versatility: 10/10 - While she does one thing, she has a lot of options stemming from it.

Affordability: 10/10 - She can go super budget, or uber expensive, scaling for your wallet and group power level. She also got reprinted in C16, while already being cheap, so she goes for like a quarter.

Overall Score: 50/60 best commander thus far. She does a lot in a 3 CMC body.

One of the 99: Decent. In most decks not built around her, she’s mostly for recurring utility creatures or things for sac outlets, as well as a lot of Aggro decks.

FINAL VERDICT: Get this card. Even if you can’t build with her right now, or the next 3 years, just get her and put her in your box of bulk rares.

You can build a deck out of an LGS’s draft rejects and go toe to toe with an average pre-con group. She is one well endowed lady.

[thebiggaylion]

Hardwell @ EDC Orlando 2016

Welcome to July!  Hope my American friends had a nice Independence Day, and didn’t do anything dangerous.  Gotta keep your precious selves ready for this year’s EDC events, right?  Tickets for EDC Orlando 2017 go on sale next week, and pricing was just announced via the normal channels a bit ago.  I’m excited!  Alright, let’s focus on this week’s #ThrowbackThursday.  Last week was my first time, so I figured this week would be my most recent time!

Oh, also, this is a big post, so it's the first time I've found it necessary to provide a three part breakdown!  Wow!  So, should this post you're reading now is not displaying properly, use those links to break it up a bit.

Being the go-hard that I am, I make sure to get there as early as I can (looking this good takes TIME, honey!) and stay as late as they’re open.  So, the final set on Day 2 of the most-recent year is where we’re at this week.  I’m sure you guessed it already (as if the title wasn’t a dead give-away), but it’s Hardwell!  Very highly praised by the industry and fans, this was the first time I had seen him, and he did pretty good!

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Now those are some cool visuals.  Look how intricate!  Looks like they’re gonna burn every effect they have, given who it is and it being the end of the festival haha Mike Cervello & Cesqeaux - SMACK! https://soundcloud.com/barongfamily/mike-cervello-cesqeaux-smack-out-now-free-download

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Well, that’s pretty!  I decided I wanted to see how that came out using slow motion feature in iOS, and here it is!  I think the high contrast caused a bit of detail to get lost, making this video not AS exciting as I would have hoped.  However... Hardwell ft. Jolin Tsai - We Are One (Instrumental) [Unreleased, will add Soundcloud link once Hardwell posts it!] Calvin Harris - How Deep Is Your Love https://soundcloud.com/calvinharris/how-deep-is-your-love

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram I discovered in creating this post that the normal speed video is all that’s saved as a video in iOS, at least when it comes to what’s accessible via Windows via USB/Samba (nerdy tech talk!).  There’s an AAE file that contains the edit information, but the original file is untouched.  iOS just knows to work with them in tandem, but not Windows of course.  As such, here’s the normal speed video as well!  How cool! Hardwell feat. Jolin Tsai - We Are One (Instrumental) [Unreleased, will add Soundcloud link once Hardwell posts it!] Calvin Harris - How Deep Is Your Love https://soundcloud.com/calvinharris/how-deep-is-your-love

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram After fooling around with the Slo-Mo function of the iOS Camera app, I decided I’d better not miss this moment because I was messing around with technology haha Hardwell feat. Jolin Tsai - We Are One (Instrumental) [Unreleased, will add Soundcloud link once Hardwell posts it!] Calvin Harris & Disciples - How Deep Is Your Love https://soundcloud.com/calvinharris/how-deep-is-your-love Hardwell & MAKJ - Countdown https://soundcloud.com/hardwell/hardwell-makj-countdown-original-mix-download

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram I noticed that those hieroglyphics that Insomniac likes to use are bordering the live video.  This video’s initial purpose was to document those hieroglyphics for me, so I could decipher them later.  In 2015, I deciphered a much shorter phrase that was bordering the top of the DJ booth area, but this was much smaller and longer, and I didn’t wanna fuss with it and miss the show.  But, I got nothing but time now haha... it reads: Alright, alright, I haven't deciphered it yet BUT I WILL... lemme finish this post and I'll come back and edit this sentence! Hardwell feat. Jake Reese - Mad World https://soundcloud.com/hardwell/hardwell-feat-jake-reese-mad-world-hoa237-rip-out-now Garmiani - Bomb A Drop https://soundcloud.com/garmianiofficial/garmiani-bomb-a-drop-out-9-febdim-mak

I debated posting this one.  I saw some totems and signs during EDC Orlando 2015 that I groaned at, and after learning lots more about the depths of this pretty gross person, I was surprised to see more at EDC Orlando 2016.  Trump ain’t PLUR, PERIOD.  His words, his actions, nothing about it.  Sure, this was made for a laugh, and this was back when most people thought he was a joke and could not seriously take the elections that year (EDC Orlando 2016 was the weekend before Election Day in the US).  The husband of the guy behind The Big Gay Lion saw a Facebook post showing off this totem ahead of the festival, and I took a picture of it so he could see that I ran into it “in real life”, plain and simple.  Groan!

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram So that this point, I moved up into the VIP area and onto the viewing deck.  It was busy BUSY!  I’d not been up there during the final set of any day or year prior, so maybe this is normal.  Definitely a different crowd up there.  Older folks (not a lot of 20-somethings, based on a visual analysis haha), a bit less rowdy, etc.  Honestly, the reason I moved is because I was planning ahead.  I wanted to get out of the festival exits when it was over quicker than I had in previous years!  Unfortunately, you don’t get a great perspective while you’re up there (totally understandable), and you don’t get to experience the cool effects like the confetti cannons! https://soundcloud.com/steveaoki/kid-cudi-pursuit-of-happiness">Kid Cudi - Pursuit Of Happiness feat. MGMT (Steve Aoki Remix) https://soundcloud.com/steveaoki/kid-cudi-pursuit-of-happiness DJ Snake - Propaganda (TJR & Nom De Strip Remix) https://soundcloud.com/djsnake/propaganda-tjr-nom-de-strip

Download High Res (86.9 MB) | Download Low Res (8.3 MB) I love the color scheme on this crystallized Night Owl!  Effects were going off, and I figured this would be a great time for a future animated GIF!

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Kinetic Temple is definitely firing on all cylinders now!  The only effects missing are the front-lit panels on the walls and the flame throwers on the top! Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha - In The Name Of Love (W&W Bootleg) https://soundcloud.com/kevin-antonio-blandon-meza/martin-garrix-bebe-rexha-in-the-name-of-love-ww-remix-1 Hardwell & KURA feat. Anthony B - Police https://soundcloud.com/greatest-ids/hardwell-kura-you-aint-ready-extended-mix

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Okay, things are really popping off, and I’d love to get them in Slo-Mo, so I did it again!  Lots of goodness came from this second attempt, so I’m glad I went for it. Hardwell & KURA feat. Anthony B - Police https://soundcloud.com/greatest-ids/hardwell-kura-you-aint-ready-extended-mix

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram I’m especially glad I went for it, now that I know that both the normal speed and slow motion content are available to share with you all! Hardwell & KURA feat. Anthony B - Police https://soundcloud.com/greatest-ids/hardwell-kura-you-aint-ready-extended-mix

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram The guy behind The Big Gay Lion is married, and his husband picked Darude’s Sandstorm out of something... a mix, or a video, or something he had seen.  He didn’t believe his husband, but he was totally right!  Now anytime he hears Sandstorm, he’s reminded of his hubby ❤ so he took this video for him!  Even a decade later, this song still gets people going.  I guess that’s why they call them classics! Darude - Sandstorm https://soundcloud.com/darude/sandstorm-radio-edit Lookas - I Can't Get Enough https://soundcloud.com/lookasmusic/cant-get-enough

YouTube | Facebook | Instagram It’s not often one gets a video of literally the end of a set, and only the end!  Talk about timing haha!  I think it’s cool how quickly Kinetic Temple can shut down and look ominous, literally seconds after being alive and awe-inspiring!

After walking back to the car (I parked a bar the guy behind The Big Gay Lion is friendly with, to save on parking costs... but MAN, it was a WALK!), and getting some pretty long looks from nearby bar patrons, I was finally off my feet and headed back to real life.  My new mane looked great this year, but MAN it was tight on the head!  It might show up in a future post, but I pretty much had bruises from the rainbow headband in my forehead for the next few days haha.  Beauty is pain!

So, I’ve done the first and the last, now I just gotta fill in the middle!  I’ve also got posts planned (in the long run) about makeup, costuming, jewelry, etc.  And let’s not worry just yet about my content for this year haha!  And if you need it, check out all three parts of this long post.  Love ya’ll, see ya next time!  🏳️‍🌈🦁❤

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