#doomsday deck

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Things I forgot to mention when I read the Buffy book "Doomsday Deck."

First off, I love that Anya is in this season three book (it's the second one she's been in, which still is a pleasant surprise to me whenever it happens. For some reason, I didn't think she'd been in any season three novel, since she shows up so late in the season, of course).

But moreover, that Cordelia noticed that Anya was interested in Xander and warned her about dating him: that he was nothing but trouble. Or that dating him was nothing but pain, or something like that.

I kind of wish we'd gotten something like that in the show. And I know fans are often wishing we'd gotten some more Cordelia and Anya interactions. Perhaps about their interests in Xander, or maybe about other things: like both of their obsessions with money, their bluntness, etc.

[mirakurutaimu]

i find it pretty amazing how ygo is like The Other Card Game but its online resources and formats(?) are so awful. cannot understand it

[moog-enthusiast]

would you shred with this? yes or no.

[bitchimasnake-sss]

"stay, please" ft. the monster trio!

in which, nightmares plague them and you're the only remedy ft. luffy, zoro, sanji x fem!reader set-up: late night nightmares give way to very vulnerable boyfriends i see (i couldnt bring myself to pick sad gifs for them tho, idk use your imagination) warnings: none!! wholesome shit all day every day :) m.list

luffy:

- luffy is always a heavy sleeper - no, like quite literally - he sleeps on you like a log, unmoving until you're physically shoving him off and throwing him off the bed - so, in the dead of the night, when he pulled you closer against his chest and held you tighter, you simply assumed it was no big deal - but his hands are tightening around your waist, his breath seems laboured and as you throw him a glance over your shoulders, you see his brows furrowed together as if he was in pain - "yn, no. yn-" his voice sounds distraught, hands trembling against your figure "luffy?" you whisper, gently putting your arm over his, "luffy, hey?" - his breath seems more laboured, as if it hurts just to breathe - you were shaking him awake, "luffy, wake up, come on" - when he did, his eyes were teary and he buried his head into your hair. relief flooded his voice as he kept holding onto you, "you're okay right?" "ofcourse i am. are you?" "i-" he sneaks in a quick breath and then looks at you, "yeah" - you run your hand up and down his arm gently, other coming to rest on his cheek, "nightmare?" - he stays silent for a second, just looking at you. then he whispers, "i thought i lost you" "i'm right here" you flash him a small smile, chasing it with a small peck on his lips, "i promise" "you promise?" his features stay unmoving, still grim "i promise" you're rubbing soothing circles on his cheek - a second passes before either of you speaks up. it's him who does. - he presses his hands over yours and whispers slowly, "stay with me, please" "i wouldn't be caught dead anywhere else" - and then he's picking you up, "we're awake and im hungry so might as well-" - he made you help him raid the pantry and feed him emergency snacks to soothe him again - one of these days, sanji's gonna put a biometric scanner at the kitchen door and luffy's gonna go feral - that is your version of doomsday - what a menace i love him

zoro:

- it was a sickening routine as far as you remembered. you hated it to your very core and yet, you couldn't do anything as it played out - every once in a while, when the fates were a little too cruel, zoro would slip out of the bed, careful not to wake you up. - he'd slowly close the door behind him, stepping out onto the chilly deck - it wouldn't take you long to notice the abrupt coldness next to you where zoro should have been - and you would usually walk out and find him peering at the sea, tension etched into every muscle - your hands would wrap around his waist and you would press your face against his sculpted back. you would feel his body ease under your familiar touch, the tension fading away and leaving behind another young man "zo'" you would whisper, "'nother nightmare?" and he would just gave you a curt nod - that's how it usually went. he wouldn't elaborate, he would just hold onto you till all his worries slipped past him and then he'd carry you back to bed - he wouldn't bring it up again in the morning and it was a silent agreement that you wouldn't either - but today, his body shivered, trembling against your feather-like touches "zoro?" you're panicking, turning him to look at you, "zo' are you cry-" - he pulls you towards himself, his head on top of yours, "i thought i fuckin' lost you i-" you bury yourself against him, "i'm right here, look" "you wouldn't leave right?" his voice is gentle, "i- you'd stay by my side, right? please" - you look up at him, pressing a kiss on his cheek, "ofcourse i will. where else would i go?" he gives a small smile, "wherever you go, stay away from that shitty cook" "ah, don't worry. you can ensure that by showering for once" "oh, really?" he scoffs playfully, "only if you join me" - he carries your blushing figure into the room and you fall asleep with him tangled against you - you did take him up on the showering together offer tho, ur a slave to the temptations of the flesh it seems

sanji:

- honest to god, i believe he is the kind of guy who doesn't wake you up - but over the years, youve caught onto the pattern - it's always the days where he either sneaks off into the kitchen, saying that there's just some recipe he thought of that he needs to try or he sits in the bed, silently basking in the venomous thoughts - some nights, you feel his warmth pull away and he's sitting beside you, back against the headboard - his breath is laboured and his eyes are screwed shut as he tips his head backwards - your hand is on his knee, grounding him back to reality "sanji?" you mumble as you sit up, "you okay?" "did i wake you up?" he mumbles back with a look of concern, "im sorry, my love" - but you're already settling in between his legs, your back flush against his chest. you bring his hand and intertwine it with your own, bringing it to your lips to press a small kiss - it ends with you talking about something else to get his mind off the bullshit "what if we have like 4 moons and we don't know?" "i don't think that scientifically possible, darling" "anything's possible. never say never." - on nights you find him in the kitchen, you silently walk in there and sit on the kitchen counter, asking him what he's cooking - you entertain him with mundane bullshit as he cooks - 9/10 you fall asleep in the kitchen and he has to carry you back - cooks you the same dish later again cause while he was carrying you back, luffy stormed into the kitchen, ate whatever it was and fell asleep on the fucking kitchen floor. - sanji's considering putting a biometric scanner at the kitchen door now

m.list

[warpcoreweirdness]

just finished season 2 of Lower Decks and i'm SO glad i tried this show again

i actually started the show a while ago, but the constant easter eggs put me off.

(i still don't know how non-Trekkie viewers are meant to get the jokes where the punchline is "reference!! 😂", but lots of people enjoy it so ymmv).

i stopped a few minutes into episode 2 after Rutherford agrees to quit his job as an engineer so he can watch the Trivoli pulsar with Tendi.

i honestly thought it was going to be a storyline about a guy giving up a job he loves and making his boss angry so that he can spend time with a female friend he has a crush on, because that's the plotline i've been conditioned to expect from tv. i wasn't feeling excited about the show, so i put it on pause.

but if i'd watched for about two more seconds before noping out for a few months, i would've seen this:

when i started watching again, i realised that the episodes never bog themselves down in drawn-out, uncomfortable storyline or character staples - they're actually incredibly well-written, tightly paced, and tell their stories in just the right amount of time. Rutherford wants to be Tendi's friend (at least for now), his boss Billups is really supportive, and Tendi brings a PADD into the Jefferies tube so they can both do what they enjoy, separately but together.

another great part about that scene with Rutherford and his boss is something that Lower Decks does a lot, which is make jokes that actually rely on subverting audience expectations. a big example - and a way of referencing other parts of the Star Trek franchise that does work for me - is when the creators gently poke fun at or subvert common story beats, emotional arcs, or dramatic moments from other parts of Trek.

like when Rutherford loses his memory and Tendi is excited to get to know him again, rather than devastated that he doesn't remember her.

or when they save themselves from being smooshed by Dooplers by dramatically ejecting the warp core of their tiny model starship.

or when Tendi goes on an arc of significant personal development over the course of one (1) whole episode.

they're general enough that even people who haven't seen other Star Trek shows (or movies) can still recognise and appreciate them.

beyond this, the show also has great moments where they (lovingly) cast a light on some of the flaws and foibles in the franchise, often in subtle or comedic ways.

like showing people in beep chairs living their best lives (in contrast to TOS and SNW's view of the beep chair as a tragic, doomsday fate for Pike).

or using Tendi to comment on Trek's depiction of Orions specifically as all pirates and slavers, and alien cultures more generally as monocultures.

or even just acknowledging that Trek shows mostly focus on the bridge crew doing heroic first contact-esque adventures, when that can't be all there is to Starfleet.

heck, they even have Rutherford go on a journey of acceptance and self-discovery after a permanent memory wipe (in contrast to Uhura in TOS, where it's never mentioned again).

another reason i really appreciate the show is that the creators have taken the time to think through what a more inclusive future could look like, in ways that are noticeably lacking or absent in many other Trek shows:

beyond exploring diversity through explicit identity representation (which is still very important), it does this through its world building as well.

i love this communal sonic shower scene for what it says about gender and body politics in Trek. in the future, why would we still separate bathrooms and changing rooms by gender? and why would we have the same views and expectations around bodies that we (by "we" i mean Western countries) do now?

this short scene dismantles the idea that nudity is inherently sexual, that gender is binary and biological, that some genders can't be trusted around other genders while naked, and that heterosexuality is the default (and when you bring dozens of alien species into the mix, why wouldn't we have more and newer ways of thinking about gender?). it even has a little mention that Boimler prefers not to shower with others, leaving space for people to act however feels most comfortable for them.

it's such a little thing, but after years spent (lovingly) yelling at the screen during TNG, TOS, DS9, etc saying, "why are they assuming everyone is straight? WHY would people be this sexist?", i noticed it immediately and appreciated it immensely.

(this isn't related to the storytelling, but i also have to say - the animation in Lower Decks is so pretty???):

this isn't a perfect show, but it's funny, has fantastic storytelling, and it loves the source material without worshipping it. (which is not something i expected to say, given how it started).

plus i love these characters SO MUCH.

so far, so very good 🤞.

(image descriptions in alt text)

[paladinbaby]

So the bad news is the apocalypse is here, or something like it at least. And thankfully for you it’s been here for a little bit, long enough to adjust anyway. The good news is life finds a way. Even as the world is ending it carries on. So maybe ending isn’t the most accurate. The world is changing and you find yourself sticking around for the ride. Even better you’ve found yourself someone to ride out the apocalypse with, if you can just find your way back to them….

Dear God is a letter writing game played with two players, using a tarot deck to generate prompts as you cross a the world to reunite. It was made for the 2k23 Record Collection Jam based on the album Doomsday Diaries: A Love Song for Any Apocalyptic Scenario by Emily Axford.

available on itch.io or ko-fi

[that-one-random-writer]

Rowdy Romance

Masterlist | A Southern Jake Series Here

Jake "Hangman" Seresin x (Southern!F)Reader

Part 2

Summary: You are visiting with a friend and find yourself alone in the Hard Deck. You're both what he was expecting and not.

Warnings: Cursing, flirting, mentions of shotgun, bull riding, and one hunting reference to killing and preparing a deer. Word count: 1,291

The Hard Deck was full. The sun had dipped down below the water line. Your vacation had slowed down. Your friend had made plans with her husband. She was visiting while her husband was stateside.

He had been on deployment for the last year. You had come with her for moral support when you both would have to leave without him.

You found yourself at the beach during the day and spending your nights out sight seeing alone. You can't blame her for spending all her time with her husband.

The couple had just a few more months until he would be back home before being restationed. You weren't excited because she would be moving back out to wherever he was stationed, but at the same time you are excited for her.

You found yourself at the bar that all the locals raved about. Each store owner, that you had spoke to that day, all said that Friday nights were spent at the hard deck. You were at the bar sitting in one of the bar stools. A few locals, and khaki uniformed men had offered you a drink.

There was no interest. Daddy had always said "if he can't skin a deer then how is he gonna feed you when the government crumbles?" Old Southerners still remember the great depression and hold the doomsday prepping dear to their hearts.

You had noticed the sign and kept your phone off the bar. It laid in your back pocket of your dazzled jeans. They had rhinestones in the shape of bull heads. You had an old, tight wife beater top on that cropped a little above your belly button. You looked very out of place in San Diego. You caught a few eyes for that very reason.

The next pair to land on you leaned his arm against the wood beam. "You're from my neck of the woods. Miss, How'd you find yourself up here in California?" His drawl thick.

Your eyes caught sight of the mystery man looking up slowly. His khaki uniform definitely added a nice touch to the voice he carried. "I'm here for a friend of mine." You didn't go into too much detail.

"Well I'll have to thank your friend for sending an angel my way. Can I buy you a round as a welcome to California?" You smiled softly. "Jack on the rock." He smirked. "Your daddy must carry a shot gun wherever he goes for an order like that." He chuckled. "Yes sir, it's on the rack in his truck, or in his hands."

"Penny, can I get two jack on the rocks please?" She smiled. "Sure thing, hangman" your lips curl up. "Hangman... is that what your called round here" His classic smirk finds it's way toward you. "Yes ma'am. That's my call sign."

A small giggle erupts. "I'm not even gonna ask." His smirk still showing. "It's better that you dont." You break the touch barrier slapping his arm softly. "Honey don't say that. You'll make me want to know." Your Laughs strike between your words.

He grabs the two glasses from Penny. "Thank you, Miss Penny." You call out as she goes to the next customer. She smiles and waves as a you're welcome. "Come on, we're gonna go out by the beach." You follow him.

"I told you not to bet him dumbass." Pheonix chuckled at coyote. "Rooster had spent five minutes trying to serenade her, and the new guy tried buying her a drink too." Pheonix popped up. "Thanks for the piña coloda, FNG" pointing to the Fucking New Guy. Coyote continued. "She had walls up to the roof. There's no way he could have got her in 5 minutes flat."

Pheonix laughed resting her chin on her knuckles. "He just did." She scrunched her nose up. "He is an asshole but he is good at picking up women." She flicked a straw wrapper at Rooster chuckling at him. They all began playing pool, and the guys keeping a check on hangman judging his game, making bets on if you would end up going home with him by the end of the night.

Your eyes followed the shoreline, meeting up to the stars. Lights lined the edge of the patio. You stood at the rail leaning in to smell the saltwater, and hear the waves crashing. "Your Jack." He handed your drink to you. "So you know my name, what's yours?" You took a sip of your drink, and tell him your name. "But you can call me, Minnie. That's what they call me back home." You smile brightly.

"Where does that come from?" He leaned against the rail next to you. "Oh no no, if you want to know mine then you have to tell me yours, hangman." Eyebrow arched searching his eyes for a back story. He chuckled and flashed a genuine smile. "Well, I'm a pilot and we get call signs. They call me Hangman, but the 'a's are blank so you can fill them how you like. Thats how I got it." He looked down finishing the innuendo. You laugh wickedly.

"Hungman, How many California girls has that really worked on? How did you actually get that name?" His head shook, chuckling. "Okay, okay, my friends say I hang them out to dry in the sky. They are exaggerating, they're fine. I got their backs. What about you, Minnie?" He looks out to the ocean then back to your eyes.

"My family owns a farms in Texas. When I was about three, I walked around the farm in nothing but a diaper and Minnie hat. They called me 'Minnie', and it stuck." You giggled at the memories of the picture with chickens crowding around you with your Minnie hat on. "Texas? You around the Rusk area?" You nodded. "We're out in Lufkin."

"No way, my family has a pretty big cattle ranch out in Rusk. Small world." Your eyes widen. "The Seresin cattle ranch?" He almost spits out the sip he had just taken. "Umm," he chuckled through the next few words. "Yeah, that's it." He met your eyes again. "My family moved their farm to Lufkin about six years ago, we go to the rodeos and see your family there every year. I've been bucked off jóse a few times. We have had dinner over at their house. They mentioned they had a son in the navy. I'm guessing your Jake..." You trail your words.

"That's me." He chuckles, thinking about you riding on Jóse the bull. "Your momma is so proud of you. Your daddy is too." You smile thinking about how much his momma had to say about her baby jake. "She never got around to show me a picture, but she was very adamant that you are handsome and single." You took your stare back to the water to keep the burn of the cheeks down. "One of them is right.. " You trailed.

He placed a hand at the small of your back leaning against the rail with his other arm. Your bare skin tingling where his hand was. "Both of them are." He smirked while glancing down your curves. "I'm guessing these California girls ain't amounting to what you thought they'd be." He spoke slowly while playing with the hem of your shirt. "No ma'am, they are not." Your eyes met his, and you rounded into his arms and placed your hand on his shoulder.

He leaned up, allowing him to pull you closer to him, his arms wrapped around you. Your southern drawl thickened. "Well, I guess you better find yourself a cowgirl." Your Eyebrow raised, and a smirk crossed your lips. "I think I found one."

No permissions to share the story as your own. Do not repost to any site. Don't steal from aspiring authors that makes you a 'C U Next Tuesday'!

[bitchinwolfsclothing]

So, I was just driving down the road and I was getting my ass ridden by a truck with the music all the way up and dude was absolutely jamming. And I sat there and thought, “Soap would so do that.” So I made Headcannons on what cars the team would have and how they would take care of them. So here you go:

The 141 and Their Cars

Soap

Has an absolutely amazing sound system and is going to make it your problem

Most likely drives a White Jeep Wrangler

Either that or a White Ram Truck

Unintentionally rides people’s ass when driving

Definitely has racked up some speeding tickets

Does not realize how fast he’s going

Likes to take people around in it, having excuses to drive it and show it off

Definitely spends too much money on keeping it running and operational and up to date

It’s lifted too

No doors for him because “Fuck doors I wanna feel the the wind”

You’re going everywhere outdoors

If he has a Jeep rather than a Ram he’s definitely in all the Facebook and Instagram groups with other Jeep drivers

Is definitely a doomsday prepper and it bleeds into his car

Ghost

Drives something Black and inconspicuous, but not too simple, he likes a good car.

A Black Dodge Durango with a HEMI

Definitely not a muscle car but he’s got some power under the hood

Loves to drive you places on long rides because it’s so comfortable to ride in

It’s a comfortable car that can be driven long distances and can hold a lot of people, ideal for road-trips but has probably only taken Soap in it once

Absolutely slapped Soaps hand when he tried to play his own music.

That drive is either silent or soft classic rock is playing

Gaz

He’s definitely either a Kia guy or also a Dodge guy but has a Charger instead

Definitely some color like blue or red

Loves to call it a “chick magnet” (it’s not)

Constantly is one of the people who is washing it in his driveway

Also spends way too much to keep it up to date

Has those stupid stripes down the center of the car

Gaz definitely takes you everywhere in it, and nowhere ;)

Definitely considered getting a spoiler at one point

Price

Now this man has a classic car

I’m talking an Aston Martin

It’s a nice black, keeps it shiny definitely has some pride in it.

Works on it himself

Definitely has a tape deck player and has a small collection of tapes

Likes to just work on the engine just sometimes taking it apart to put it back together

Doesn’t let anyone touch it, if you do no one hears from you again

Rookies are dared to touch it as a rigged “hazing” ritual

Far too many have gone missing or quit

She has a name thank you very much

Talks to his car constantly

Definitely will take you in the car to a drive in movie

But you’ll rue the day you even think of bringing food or liquids other than water in the car

[w3ndytheraccoon]

If I see one more post about why C!Dream is not a villain, I will rage-

C!Dream is a complex character with an understandable motive, and his spiralings was very realistic and I can one hundred percent see why. He is a very morally gray, albeit leaning more toward black than white, character. It wouldn’t be fair if I just label him as THE villain, because perspectives exist, and in some member’s perspective, like Purpled for example, he’s definitely not as evil as he is in, say, Tubbo’s perspective.

But that doesn’t change the fact Dream was a horrible person.

Just because he had a understandable motive, that doesn’t mean the shit that happened in Exile is justified. That doesn’t mean Doomsday is justified. That doesn’t mean all the manipulation and all the lying are justified. That doesn’t mean what he and Punz did to Vikkstar and Lazarbeam is justified. That doesn’t mean what happened in prison was justified.

Especially Exile and Vikkstar & Lazarbeam ! Exile is for isolating Tommy so he can’t cause trouble, not for abusing and gaslighting him to near the point of fucking suicide ! And what happened to Vikkstar & Lazarbeam was completely unnecessary ! Dream and Punz did NOT need to kill them over and over and over just to test the Revival Book, that is cruel and several violations of human’s rights.

Conclusion : C!Dream fucking sucks and I wish Punz didn’t brought him back. I’m an enthusiast, not apologist. His motive makes him explainable, not justifiable or excusable, and if I ever somehow manage to rip the fabric of reality and teleport to the DSMP universe, the first thing I will do is find Dream to deck him.

… But he’s still a complex character and one of my favourites.

Anyway, if I miss a point or something, do remind me. I’ll probably edit this and add more character analysis in the morning, when my thoughts are actually coherent and I’m not writing something from pure spite and anger.

Morning edit :

He also hurt Geogre and Sapnap. Sure, he never physically hurt them as far as we’re aware, but do you know how painful it is to watch your friend spirals and became the total opposite of how they were ? How helpless it feels when you realised your friend is too far gone and you can’t help them ? How guilty it is when you think of all the times you could reach out and stop them from turning out like this but you didn’t ? How badly that would take a toll on your mental health ?

But anyway, just because C!Dream is a horrible person, that doesn’t mean what happened in prison is okay. The whole obsidian cell with lava door and raw potato ? Yeah, that’s fine, I can get behind that, since it was his idea for prison to be like that. It’s just karma. What I meant is the torture part. Does he deserve it ? Depends who you ask. I personally think it was justified and deserved, but that still doesn’t make it okay.

[safetyvalve116]

Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive is probably my favorite commander to build around, and is also one I have such a hard time building.

I mean first off, look at that art. Goddamn.

Tetsuko is, as I understand, a member of the Umezawa clan faction that was stranded thousands of years ago on Dominaria with Toshiro after the Myojin war. Tetsuko somehow has the ability to create portals (Omenpaths? Maybe? Wizards I'm desperate to learn more about her. Gimme something.) which makes sense mechanically because she's basically opening portals behind your opponent's back for stabbing, but her portals can only be so big, hence the power/toughness limitation.

Like this!

Uuh, wait..

UUH.

Since this is Magic, there are some *very silly* ways to take advantage of this. And that's what I like so much about her. It's such a hard deck building restriction and yet there's still so much room for interpretation. This is where I'm having the most trouble.

Right now, I chose to build my deck around cards like Daring Saboteur here. Cards that do something when they hit an opponent, and also happen to be x/1 or 1/x. There are a surprising amount of cards like this, most notably one of my favorites:

This guy gets out of hand quick.

The problem with running a mono-blue, creature-heavy deck, is that Blue doesn't have a ton of creature recursion. It sure draws a lot, which means hopefully you have some creatures in hand to play after a board wipe, but if the game grinds on for too long you're gonna start running out of options.

Infect is another popular option for Tetsuko, because there are a lot of Infect of Toxic creatures that happen to fit into Tetsuko's limitations. This is probably the higher power Tetsuko deck you can make, with cards like Prologue to Phyresis making it incredibly easy to just start the clock to doomsday and proliferate everyone to death.

To me, this is also the least interesting way to build Tetsuko. It's powerful and scary, but it eliminates a lot of room for improvisation. There aren't that make infect or proliferate cards by comparison, so my Tetsuko Infect deck will probably end up using almost all of the same cards as any other.

With Bloomburrow right around the corner, Tetsuko is getting a few more interesting cards that fit into her limitations. I think I'm just gonna stick with my high-value creature zoo, because while it isn't the most powerful it retains the most excitement for new additions with each set that comes out

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Just rip my heart out, book, why don't you?

[agent-toast]

umbrella academy tv quotes that fit artemis fowl too well

source

-end of the Lost Colony- Butler: Where have you been, Artemis? Artemis: Facing my mortality, Butler. I don't recommend it. -the entire series- Artemis: I'm glad my pain amuses you. Holly: You have no idea. It's like my therapy. -the Arctic Incident- Holly: ...What does that mean exactly? End of the world? Artemis: Oh, it's much worse than that. It means you and I... are going to have to work together. Holly: D'arvit. -the start of the Last Guardian, kind of?- Artemis (to the group): The universe is disappearing outside. So you can keep rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic if it makes you feel better. But the fact remains that we are too late. -the end of the Time Paradox- Artemis: News flash, geniuses! It's not about us! Take a look around. If you haven't noticed, there's no doomsday. There's no apocalypse. The sun is shining. Birds are doing whatever the hell birds do. That's all that matters. We're done messing with time. And I'm officially retired. -After Artemis meets Trouble- Juliet: Who's Trouble Kelp? Artemis: Imagine Batman, then... aim lower. -Artemis after every therapy session in The Atlantis Complex- Holly: You do know there are easier ways out of Dr. Argon's facility, right? Artemis: This one involved the least amount of talking. Artemis: Or so I thought. Holly:

ok now go watch umbrella academy if you haven't <3

[jeskaim]

Duskmourn: House of Horrors

With most of the set spoiled I think it's time for me to share my thoughts. When I first heard this set was themed around horror I knew we would get some good artwork as well as a ton of referenced to classic and modern horror movies and I think it's safe to say they didn't disappoint.

Rooms are an interesting mechanic. When MaRo gave his traditional teasers he mentioned "A component of the set with a frame using technology first designed for an Un-set" but this isn't what I was expecting. It's definitely an interesting concept where you can cast one side to unlock that room and then pay the cost at sorcery speed to unlock the second. This reminds me of the split cards from the Return to Ravnica block with the Fuse mechanic but in permanent form. I also like how the artwork is one cohesive image that depicts both rooms.

It's not a standard set without a rare land cycle and these ones definitely blew my mind. I can definitely see these being used in commander but not on turn one unless you have a card to spend the mana on. They definitely have potential mid- or late-game and I can see them becoming staples in commander. Now we just need the enemy versions.

MaRo also mentioned a Meathook Massacre II in the list of card names which got a lot of players speculating about how it would compare to the original. If you ask me the original is better because this one is too expensive at 2X and four black while the original pretty much does the same thing at a cheaper cost and gets around indestructible like this one. I can see it being played in some decks but like a lot of graveyard-based strategies it's a lot less powerful against graveyard hate. On a side note i like how some cards have a treatment called "lurking evil" where they have a monster in the artwork that the other version doesn't. It seems fitting for a set like this.

I love the references to famous horror movies in this set just like the references to famous detectives and mystery movies in Murders at Karlov Manor. I'm not much of a fan of horror movies but I like the Final Destination series, especially the third one which is referenced in The Rollercrusher Ride. I love how even people who aren't fans of horror movies can recognize the references to "Ghostbusters" in Ghost Vacuum, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in Chainsaw, and "Children of the Corn" in Orphans of the Wheat. Not to mention "Saw" in Let's Play a Game and "The Ring" in Cursed Recording.

Now for my favorite reference. I'm honestly not sure if John Carpenter's "They Live" counts as a horror movie since it's more action/sci-fi but apparently Wizards considers it one. "They Live" is one of my favorite movies (not because of the critique of capitalism and consumerism but because I'm a huge Roddy Piper fan and one of his most famous lines came from that movie) so once I saw the alternate artwork for Doomsday Excruciator I knew I had to get myself a couple of copies. I actually dressed up as his character a couple of years ago for Halloween and tied for second at my work's costume contest. I might do the same this year since Roddy would have been 70 this year. This may not be the most obvious reference but it's definitely my favorite.

I think that's pretty much it for my thoughts on Duskmourn. I think the mechanics are pretty self-explanatory and I like how we have desparked versions of Tyvar and The Wanderer. The Wanderer is one of my favorite characters so I got myself a copy for my collection. Honestly if anyone can survive the house of horrors that is Duskmourn it's her. Liliana would have been cool to see because she would fit right in on Duskmourn but she fits well on Innistrad with all of the dead bodies she can resurrect to do her bidding. I have my cards preordered and I can't wait to get them.

[patricia-taxxon]

I think the moment I really fell in love with spirit island is when my new stinky boyfriend & I played a game with the 2 most complex spirits in the base game, ocean's hungry grasp and bringer of dreams and nightmares, and unexpectedly found it was a fuckin busted synergy and won on round 5.

They're both so weird, they come with huge odd limitations. Ocean can spread to every coastline but can't place presence inland & has this maddening mini puzzle managing the tides, and Bringer literally just doesn't do damage. All powers you use are explained thematically as just inducing a horrible vision of that thing happening, anything you would destroy just generates fear and is pushed, except for cities which u literally can't do anything about except haunt repeatedly with nightmares abt tsunami.

The synergy arises from that destroy = push thing, because when ocean is in play other spirits can just push shit into the ocean to drown it, lol. Also Ocean has some modest fear generation as well, so that fear deck just goes. It was very funny trying to plan around the doomsday scenario of a city being built inland, because then neither of us could do anything about it. Incredibly stupid game, the absolute best case for stupid inelegant systems filled with exceptions and contingencies being good actually

[preetkiran1016]

art by @sketcheun

The Void Within

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: ~45k

Major Tags and Warnings: Non-Con, Minor Character Death, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Dissociation/Derealization, PTSD, Smoking, Unhappy Ending, Mental Health Issues, Hallucinations, Missing/Dead Children, Dead Dogs, Explicit Sexual Content, Cults, Possession, Monsterfucking

Summary:

Dean's still getting used to the ache of loss and grief burning a hole into his chest. Still not used to the empty space where his brothers used to be.

His life is a day to day drudgery, the eternal crawl, and since Cas broke up with him, he's not quite sure what he's got left to stick around for.

When Jack and Claire go missing, well, he can't just sit back and watch.

Digging deeper, Dean finds himself caught in the middle of a complicated web he can't hope to begin to untangle. Missing Kids, Doomsday Cults, and the sudden return of Castiel in his life have Dean spiraling, even with his trusted Service Dog, Miracle, by his side.

But the one question remains, above all others-

Who were the Men of Letters, and what were they doing in Lawrence?

Dean doesn't think he's going to like the answer.

Sneak Peak:

The first place he goes….

He doesn’t get much.

The house is simple, one story, whitewash. He waits on the stoop for a minute, listening for the sounds of shuffling footsteps before the door opens.

“Hi.” He grins, and the woman at the door doesn’t crack a smile back, barely holding back tears. Dean figures she must've wiped away the tracks before answering.

“Yes?”

“Do, uh, Max and Alicia Banes live here?”

Something in her eyes sparks to life, and she leans forward, “Have you seen them?”

“They’re not home?” 

She falls back into the door, the ember of life he’d seen snuffed out just as quick, “No. They’re not here.”

“Okay, uh,” he flounders, pulling out his card, “my name is Dean Winchester. I'm a friend of Jimmy Novak, who's…”

The woman shuts the door in his face, the sound of muffled sobbing echoing in the house.

Every house after that...they’re the same.

Quiet sorrow, hope, desolation.

He hits the mall, the school, clubs.

Nothing.

Last...and the one he wishes he didn’t have to try-

He shakes his head, forcing himself out of the car and up the driveway. Lisa’s car is in the front, but the front door unlocked. Dean lets himself and Miracle in, taking in the familiar entry. Lisa’s shoe stand. Ben’s sneakers tossed haphazardly on the floor. Family photos hung with pride along the hallway. Dean recognizes his face in some.

“Hello? Ben? Lisa?”

His voice echoes.

Nothing.

“Anybody home?”

A voice catches his ear, tinny and low, and he follows it into the den; but it’s just the TV. A pastor preaching to his mega-church, decked in white and arms thrown wide. Dean snorts, shutting off the program with the remote he remembers Miracle chewed on years ago-her puppy teeth leaving marks on the upper right corner.  The sudden silence drowns the room. No broody teenager playing video-games. The sounds of clattering bowls and dinner gone. 

Dean moves on.

Room to room. Kitchen, bathrooms. Bedroom’s; Lisa’s–then Ben’s. 

Nothing.

Standing over Ben’s desk, he scans the mess of papers and old take-out containers. There’s not a lot, but a single image catches his eyes, and he reaches out, fingers wrapping around thin, worn paper.

A booklet with The Men of Letters emblazoned across its title. 

The inside cover, Dean finds, has one words. Repeated over and over, till Ben’s handwriting goes sloppy. 

Tulpa. 

He blinks, staring down at the page before tucking the booklet in his pocket and moving on.

The backyard, on the other hand…

Miracle whines, tucking herself behind Dean at the smell, and Dean can’t blame her. Ben’s two Labradors lay limp in the grass; covered in blood, throats slit and drained into their own dog bowls. Their collars are gone; Dean can’t tell Colonel from Missy, and a sick, twisting feeling in his gut tells him exactly where the blood on the mirror came from. 

They’ve been dead a while, surrounded by flies and insects, and Dean beats a hasty retreat, knuckle white grip on Miracle’s collar as they escape.

Wherever Ben was… it wasn’t here. 

Coming this October to @deancashorrorfest

[ludi-cerealia]

Where can you give yourself Grace?

A pick-a-card reading reading intended for general guidance, but the collective energy was mournfully romantic, if that makes any sense? There’s something to be said about finding closure about unresolved connections, and in doing so finding grace for oneself by drawing a line where you should. Moving on is difficult, but please allow your pain to pass, allow the emotions to drain, understand that your desires are in spite of you; and (however contradictory it may sound) that is okay. Let your experiences co-exist, let joy in, let time pass; Trust that you'll be better, lighter in the end, especially because of how difficult it is. Prominent 6th house placements or are observing significant astrological transits in the 6th-12th house axis of their birth charts may especially resonate with this reading. For instance, Pluto is transiting Aquarius iirc, see where which house its in.You don’t need to have these placements/transits take what resonates!

Channeled songs: Outline// AlunaGeorge; Eyes Closed// Halsey; Yebo/Sema// Masego

Decks used: Language of Flowers Oracle, The Wild Unknown Archetypes, Children of Litha Tarot

Pile 1

I heard allow yourself to stand apart and speak your mind, you deserve to be heard, especially your grievances. With the Hanged Man and 9 of Pentacles Rx side by side, which to me represent the Pisces-Virgo axis of escapism vs compulsion, fixation vs ignorance, release vs control— I get the impression that while you are no pushover, you gladly bite your tongue even when venom is most warranted; an involuntary tolerance for needling microaggressions. In some ways you feel bound or even obligated to float the conversation lightly so you don't rock the boat, because perhaps those concerned can't take what they dish out. For some of you these are cliques in which you are playing a part for laughs, for others these are people you know from your hobbies/leisurely pursuits (for a select few I heard water cooler talk, so maybe your part-time workplace). There's no love had or lost, yet you wonder why you don't simply speak your mind and let them burn as they should. Perhaps it is because these microaggressions are trivial that your pride would not allow you to stoop beneath your station, I heard your rage has bigger fish to fry but can't. It seems you're between a rock and a hard place socially, Pile 1, perhaps above you is overwhelming and overbearing expectations to act right, and beneath you are people testing your principle and patience. You may give yourself grace for your humanity, that it is only human to be frustrated when your boundaries are violated; you are neither lesser nor over the top for asserting them and yourself. Don't let pride get in the way of your wellbeing and fall on your sword, if you do know that's human too. I heard the highway has its tolls.

(Cards: Jade vine ~Communication, Comic, 9 of Pentacles Rx, Hanged Man, 3 of Cups, Lovers rx, Venom)

Pile 2

You have not fallen from grace for a moment's weakness, Pile 2; people forget that despite his heel Achilles' was nigh invincible. I think the romantic energy I channelled in the collective may be most prominent in this pile. Take what resonates, but Leo Rising/Aquarius on the 7th house cusp may be a relevant placement for you. Something may have come crashing down for you lately, this may be a substantial crush, a long-term relationship/situationship in the making that just simply fell through despite your best efforts. Something shocking may have came to light, a betrayal or manipulation, that has you spiralling into doomsday crisis. You've been obsessively reviewing every detail of your shared experience to see where you've gone wrong, where you've fallen short; or perhaps you may be critically analyzing every text or physical cue, in gruelling pain over how you couldn't see it coming. With the 5 of cups Rx turned towards Page of Swords Rx, you're torn up and feeling a fool for not realizing sooner, even a hypocrite especially for those inclined to intellectualize emotional affairs. You should give yourself grace by seeing your power, and channeling your restlessness into other aspects of being like your health, passions/hobbies, friendships; your life is so grand, Pile 2, it will not be confined, not even by yourself. Give yourself grace by nurturing these other parts of yourself, you're a dime a dozen I heard.  The medallion here is reminding me of the Ace of Pentacles, so perhaps your earthly pursuits need attention in your neglect. For others, there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow should you choose to embrace all the colors of life, because there's more to life than just blues. Even if it feels like the end of the world, love is only the beginning and it is all around you. (Cards : Queen of the Night ~ Power, Apocolypsis, Page of Swords rx, 5 of cups rx, The Magician, The Medallion )

Pile 3

I take back what I said about the romantic vibes being only in Pile 2, so you may have been drawn to that pile as well. The message here is similar, but a bit firmer— the first thing I heard was respect yourself. With 6 of cups and 2 of cups reversed, you may be far and beyond the initial stages of grieving over a lost connection; I heard you're more than sure there's nothing more to come of this situation, and yet your heart still aches unrequited and is on the verge of resentment. There is love in your heart but it has nowhere to go, I'm hearing Anne Sexton poetry in my head, "I don't care, I love you anyhow. It is too late to turn you out of my heart. Part of you lives here." You've pored over all that you can, and still you remain in a state of confused longing for something you don't even know if you want anymore, love has become limerance. Getting water venus vibes, particularly Cancer/4th House/aspecting Moon. While it's important to feel your emotions, its more important to let them flow freely through you. Take as much time as you need, but when you're done, make sure you're done Pile 3. So much freedom awaits you, and a better love that will cherish your gentle nature. The universe is nudging you gently towards happier times, the light will come through even if its just through your window. Got the message you may be listening to Miley Cyrus's River, or it may be relevant for you. If a silver lining must be had, you must find it for yourself Pile 3, find grace in gratitude for each passing day; however small, each little thing is a little step forward in the right direction. (Cards : Queen of the Night ~ Power, Apocolypsis, Page of Swords rx, 5 of cups rx, The Magician, The Medallion )

Pile 4

This pile may be going back to something they used to love after some defeat in work, one that has taken you out of your usually confident and charismatic self. While the 5 of swords did not appear in this spread, I get the sense that you have walked away from a disagreement or difference of opinions that may have taken a deeply personal turn; and instead of staying and baring your fangs you have up'ed and left, going back to basics, I heard. This was something you were deeply invested in Pile 4, and it was a heartbreaking decision to walk away even if it was for your own good; it was a project on the cusp of completion, even greatness, this was a goal you were working towards for a very long time Pile 4. Give yourself a break, you have more than enough grief to spare, give yourself grace by being kind and patient to yourself, especially when you don't know why things are happening the way they are(Paraphrasing Waymond Wang). You're on the right track, what's yours won't pass you by! Though you may feel small by going back to the drawing board, you are simply beginning again a new adventure towards something better. Trust that you are divinely guided/redirected, because in this spread the card representing the destination (Siren) is steered towards the beginning (Bridge); so you are being guided to a path you thought long lost to you. Inner child healing may be important in this time.

(Cards: Snowdrop~Hope, The Bridge, Two of pentacles, Eight of Cups, Queen of Wands rx, The Siren )

I hope you enjoyed this PAC! I’d really love to hear how it resonates for you. Any and all feedback is welcome. If you liked my work, do consider tipping me .