#i don't have a double tape deck

[bunn-iiii]

What? Sorry I can't hear you over me making mixtapes in my cool ass double tape deck that is totally normal to have in this year

[moon-language-0]

10 Questions for Writers

wasn't gonna do this bc i thought nobody probably really cares about this stuff but since i got double tagged by @meidui and @sunnysideprincess here goes nothing:

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

32 and climbing!

2. what’s your total AO3 word count?

ugh i had to go into my stats to find this number (hate looking at stats) but to my surprise that number is a whopping 816,828! (if added to my ff.net word count that figure grows to 1,062,375 🤯)

3. what fandoms do you write for?

stony exclusively, though i opened up to the idea of writing for steve and/or tony paired with any mcu villain for marvel trumps hate, and now i'm writing a steve/loki (with steve/tony as endgame) fic that's more fun than i would've anticipated! (x) still wouldn't call myself a "multishipper," though -- more of a serial shipping monogamist ;)

4. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

i do! sometimes i'm a bit slow to respond for various reasons (e.g. when people angels comment on my WIPs i like to reply when/right before a new chapter drops), and on a few occasions i've belatedly encountered comments that i forgot to reply to (😱) that i'll immediately rectify, but i very much want to encourage people to keep leaving them. a single comment—even short/sweet ones!—can be like rocket fuel to my creative drive -- and as someone who finds myself running on empty and trying to get by solely on fumes from time to time, getting that boost in my inbox is truly priceless.

5. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not in whole but in part :(

6. have you ever co-written a fic before?

i don't even know how that would work!

7. what’s your all-time favorite ship?

currently steve/tony. once upon a time it was spock/kirk, and the flame burned so brightly that it troubles me to wonder how it ever managed to go out. i collected vintage zines. i made insanely thoughtful fanmixes (one of which i recorded onto cassette tapes one-at-a-time by hand through a painstaking process and distributed to a few like-minded folks, with hand-drawn cover art and liner notes!). i read AMAZING fic that changed my brain and yet i never wrote a single thing! i made a secret spacehusbands clubhouse underneath a pool table during one long and otherwise unhappy summer. i even made spirk-themed patches and pins that sold quite well on etsy, and turned one of my large back pieces into the central design of a fully decked-out jacket (which was made specifically to wear while loitering around disneyland while baked). here's some photographic evidence of all of the above:

8. what are your writing strengths?

smut-crafting is the obvious answer, but i flatter myself to think that i also manage to tap into a particular kind of haunted beauty that hovers about, casting its ethereal moon-shadow over all the most poignant relationships; something i've been obsessed with in life, that i'm compelled to pursue further in writing.

9. what are your writing weaknesses?

keeping it short. my punctuation can get pretty erratic sometimes. also, this might be a cop-out of an answer since it can be interpreted as a 'strength' but it really can throw me for a loop: i tend to let the characters tell the story 'they' want to tell rather than keeping a tight hold on the reins and sticking to my own agenda -- this can lead me off my intended course, for better or worse! as a storyteller i'm a bit of a pushover—always open to sudden inspiration wherever it might issue from—and steve and tony are such *strong* personalities that this openness can be a problem when i 'channel' them.

10. first fandom you wrote for?

harry potter. i was a bit of a snapewife for awhile there (don't judge). ff.net has been having some server issues so i recently logged back on to download my 245k unfinished epic from 2012, and found over a thousand people had left comments! some people were calling it a "masterpiece" and/or "the best fic [they] ever read [for that pairing]" which made me doubtful, so i skimmed over some of the story expecting it to be cringey but uhhh... it actually holds up? i mean, 2011/12 was quite a time for me: i was simultaneously finishing my thesis on "fandom, fanaticism, and religious fervor" and can recall having full-on religious experiences of my own while writing that [truly 'inspired'] fic, so i guess i was onto something after all!

some of these folks have already been tagged but i'm whispering a soft 'hello' into the ears of @carsonian, @soliloquent-stark, @pia-bartolini, @avengersnewb, @tinystark616 & all writers who aren't as averse to mirror-gazing as i can be

[queenofbaws]

Hello! As soon as I read #13 I thought of Fliss and Conrad (what a surprise!!) so can I ask you something with them? Thanks and have a great weekend!

One, two, three, four...

Without meaning to, he'd brought himself back to the night before, his insides squirming with the same battery acid taste of fear and doubt. It was an awful instance of déjà vu, but it was gone just about as quickly as it had come on - there were too many differences for it to stick.

Last night, he'd been crammed in a room with Alex and Julia; today, he was standing on the salt-warped deck of an old freighter. Last night, his wrists had burned from torn-off duct tape and the unnatural angle those fucks had forced him to hold them at; today, the only burning was in his muscles, his aching bones, the soft tissue of his eyes and throat. Last night, he'd been counting the seconds between thunderclaps to plan an escape; today, he was counting how many of them had survived.

And he kept coming up one short.

When Alex had joined them again, not just running but bounding like his ass was on fire, Julia had thrown her arms around him and sobbed. He got that. He did. But while she and Brad were busy finding the big guy a place to sit and tell his story, all Conrad noticed was the distinct absence of their fearless captain.

One, he counted, two, three, four.

Me, JJ, Bradical, Alex.

He waited another minute. Two. Five. And when none of the others seemed to catch on to all his pacing and hand-wringing, he stuck what little of his courage was left to the sticking place and did the one thing he'd promised himself he would not do: He stepped back into the belly of the Ourang Medan.

The door Alex had pushed his way out of was like all the others, heavy and built to keep everything out...but old as fuck and rusting in the places where it mattered most. He held it open awkwardly for a moment or two, searching out something heavy enough to keep it at least partially open so the outside air could circulate, and after dragging over what he thought was probably a toolbox or the most heavy-duty thermos he'd seen in his life, took one last steadying breath and ventured forward.

"Fliss?" he called into the darkness, his eyes a little too accustomed to the outside world. He walked slowly as he went, straining his ears for any sign of her, but all he heard as he wandered back into the nightmarish ship was the sticky shlip-shlip of blood going tacky beneath his bare feet.

God, he hoped none of it was hers. He really, really hoped none of it was his either, but...mostly he hoped it wasn't hers.

"Fliss?!" he tried again, cupping his hands to his mouth, and immediately flinched away when the sound of his own voice (terrified, quavering, childish, nothing like the voice he heard in his own head) doubled, tripled, quadrupled back at him, ricocheting off of every nook and cranny like buckshot.

There was a sinking in his chest - a tightening, too - when those echoes died out and all he heard was silence. It wasn't like him, getting so attached to someone so quickly, but the thought of Fliss lost somewhere in all that darkness...the idea she might never join them out on the deck, much less the Duke...it was almost -

"I'm here! By the...by the kitchen, I think!"

And just like that, the terror went out of him in a sheet. The first real breath he'd taken out on the smokestack had been like that: One second he'd been beside himself with horror, his heart in his throat and his skin crawling off his bones, and the next, there'd been cool, rainy air all around him, and he'd been able to think. Fliss had taken him by the arms, had grounded him, and he'd been able to see.

"Uh, the...kitchen. Right! The ol'...galley...wags...for the...scalawags. Don't move - I'm coming for you!"

"Yeah, that...that won't be a problem, actually."

Had he even seen the kitchen that night? Part of him thought maybe he had (he had the vaguest memory of Julia screaming about a rat, a fuzzy image of a half-rotted menu board listing all manner of diarrhea-inducing concoctions), but everything about the ship felt jumbled in his head. Conrad had to focus - something he had never been especially good at - to find his way towards Fliss's voice, and because of that, the strangeness of the situation didn't occur to him until he found her.

Why hadn't she come out to join them?

Why was she just sitting around in the dark?

Why was she willingly breathing in that ancient, poisoned air when she could be gulping down the fresh shit by the lungful out on the deck?

Then he made it into the kitchen, and it all made sense.

"Holy - "

"Before you panic," Fliss said, blissfully unaware she was roughly, ehh, twelve hours late to that party, "I'm fine. Moving is just...complicated."

He ignored her upraised hand, crouching down in front of her on unsteady legs. "Okay, yeah, you're fine. Totally, totally fine. I buy that. Except for...oh, yeah, that's what it is, there's a goddamn knife in your leg, Jesus Christ!"

From where she lay sprawled on the floor, one leg curled under her, the other laid out straight, she offered him an exhausted wince. "I had noticed that, Conrad, yes." Her head tipped back against the cupboard she'd nestled against, and he watched her neck move with the effort of swallowing. She couldn't even look at it, and shit, he couldn't blame her. "I can't pull it out," she admitted, screwing her eyes shut. "I tried, I...every time I even go to touch it, I-I start to grey out. It's...too much."

In his mind, he knew exactly how the next few minutes were going to play out. He wished he didn't.

There was no use playing at nonchalance, not with the way his legs shook as he stood up again, searching through the drawers and cupboards for something - anything - that might be clean enough for him to use. He didn't have high hopes, and God knew he wasn't the medical expert among them, but someone had to do something.

"How'd that even happen?" he asked, miraculously finding what he thought might've once been a dish towel folded among a drawer of pot lids. "I'm pretty sure that's not how stick-and-poke tattoos are supposed to go, Cap'n."

Fliss's eyes were still shut when he turned back to her. It was an alien expression for her, he thought; from the moment they'd met, she'd seemed so put-together, so absolutely unshakeable. Even when the pirates had crashed their party and dragged her up onto the deck, her shoulders had been squared. Now she looked...tired. So, so tired. And scared.

As little as he wanted to do what he was about to do, he figured it was about time he started carrying some of their weight. How many times had she saved his bacon tonight? And not once had he caught her grimacing or complaining like some spoiled little kid. Yeah, the bill had come due all right; and he'd never had any problem paying.

"Alex...I don't know what happened to him."

He didn't have the slightest idea what that might have to do with the literal knife in her leg, but Conrad let her talk, slinging the dish towel over his shoulder as he took hold of her leg with one hand (gingerly at first, warning her of what was coming before he tightened his grip to hold her still) and hovering the other over the handle of the blade.

Fliss didn't need to be told twice; she screwed her eyes up twice as tightly, her fingers trying in vain to curl into the floor below. She turned her face fully away from him. She took a deep, deep breath. She kept talking. "We got separated. He went after the distributor cap and left me to catch up. He started screaming, and when I finally found him, he - agh!"

The knife hadn't gone in that deep. That felt stupid to say, considering, in his humble opinion, any knife-on-skin penetration counted as 'too deep,' but the fact remained. Unskilled as he was, he managed to pull it out in one quick, smooth motion, immediately pressing the dish towel to the wound it left. He was very, very relieved to see the blade hadn't been serrated. He was even more relieved to let the fucking thing clatter to the floor as he set about wrapping Fliss's leg in earnest.

"Are you telling me my brother-in-law-to-be stabbed you?"

"I...shit, that hurts."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry."

"I don't think he meant to. He was...seeing things, maybe. He was talking out of his head. Something about...about rats. Monsters...I don't know. I - augh."

Realizing this wasn't going to be the immediate rescue he'd imagined, Conrad eased himself down onto the ground opposite her, still applying pressure. He held her leg in his lap, one palm pressed solidly to the spot over her wound, and let himself exhale only when he felt the blood starting to slow. "I could put that in my best man's speech, if you want," he offered, keeping still, making it clear without saying a word that he wasn't in any rush, that they'd already spent one horrible night in that metal hunk of junk, so what was another twenty, thirty, hundred minutes? "Wait until all the guests are looking his way, then bring up the time he stabbed my date and tried to steal her boat."

Her head was still against the cabinet, her eyes still shut tightly, but even through her obvious discomfort, Fliss snorted a laugh. "Your date, huh? Your wedding date, I take it, then?" she teased. "Someone's awfully optimistic."

Conrad let out a breath of his own, then looked down at her leg. "Hey, when it comes to crustbucket ol' sea captains like you?" he joked right back, "Always."

[mlobsters]

supernatural s14e9 the spear (w. robert berens)

this recap is so long and covering so much plot bs from this season, never a good sign :p

more extremely unfortunate monster teeth, sheesh

all right, garth is back. like a lot of side characters i see passing chatter about in fandom, i thought he was in more episodes

CASTIEL Jack. If you can't sleep, that's understandable, given recent events. JACK You mean dying and coming back to life. CASTIEL Yeah, we've all been through it. It's something of a rite of passage around here

ignoring sam's supposed comments about the cookie crisp knockoff. but this made me snort

JACK Cas. The deal you made -- why can't Sam and Dean know? CASTIEL They can. I -- I just don't I don't want them to. They don't need that burden. You don't need that burden. JACK Of course I do. You did that for me. CASTIEL You know, the Empty said that it wouldn't come for me until I had finally given myself permission to be happy, but with everything we have going on, with -- with Michael still out there, I don't see that happening anytime soon. This life may be a lot of things, but it's rarely happy.

LOL well. he's not wrong

KETCH Look, I improvised. It's not as if I have access to the top-shelf clandestine courier networks I did during my British Men of Letters days. And really, so, whose fault is that, hmm? SAM Okay, K-Ketch, we're -- we're not mad, - W-We appreciate the effort. DEAN Do we?

they didn't really do the work of convincing me i should come around on ketch but whatever. this made me laugh

looks like he's using a zoom background

DEAN Okay, well, getting the spear is literally a trip to the Carter Lake recycling facilities. I say we get both. Me and Cas -- we'll go deal with Michael's monsters and get the spear. You and Jack -- you do your mail run and get the egg. We'll meet back at Hitomi Plaza with both weapons, and we'll hit him from both sides.

i'm sure this will go off without a hitch! totally did a double take, thought hitomi plaza was nakatomi plaza (from die hard lol)

CASTIEL You seem good lately. Happy, even. You -- We have a broken tape deck, we drove this whole way without music, and you did not complain once. DEAN You know, I guess I'm just fired up. I mean, look. We got -- We got Jack back. When was the last time we had a big, no-strings-attached win like that? CASTIEL But now we have Michael. DEAN I know. CASTIEL And, Dean we're taking a big risk going after the spear like this. DEAN I know we are. Listen to me. Michael conned me. Kept me trapped and drowning inside my own body. Now, when you and Sam were possessed by Lucifer, I -- I thought I understood, but I didn't, not really. So, yeah, if we get a chance to trap him, I'll take that, but I won't be truly happy until he is dead and I kill him. And now I have a chance to do that, so, yeah, I'm good. Let's go.

all right then. another rite of passage, forcibly possessed by an archangel

least she gets to look badass with her spear, even if she has to go by goofy dark kaia name

DEAN Well, then, you should just kill me. There are people that I care about -- my family -- and they're in danger. Michael, the one who tortured me, the one who tortured you -- he's gonna hurt them and kill them. And then, worse. Thousands will die. And the only thing in this world that will stop him is the spear in your hands. So if you're not gonna give it to me, kill me.

they're always pulling the family card. but, their family is perpetually in mortal danger.

DARK KAIA The boy. The special boy. The one that used Kaia to open up the door? He can do it again, for me. DEAN Yes, he can.

LOL at cas's side eye

this whole speech (which i admittedly am partially tuning out) from michael to jack reminds me of amara trying to convince dean of how great it'll be together for eternity. without the god-whammy assist

sammy, i thought you agreed to not go in alone, what are you doing

ok well that was mostly repercussion-free, for once. also i like the effect of the bland instrumental christmas music quietly echoing through the parking garage, sets a very particular vibe

this is all actually a die hard reference isn't it? lol. slow on the uptake. it's been a while since i've seen it. but the music it just switched to. ode to joy, finally clued me in (i've played that on the clarinet [badly] and violin [slightly less badly], look at me). annoyed how they chopped it :p

should have at least tried to enlist kaia to wield the spear against michael, she's clearly better at it

MICHAEL!DEAN Yeah. When I gave up Dean, you didn't think to question it, to ask why? Dean was resisting me. He was too attached to you, to all of you. He wouldn't stop squirming -- to get out, to get back. So I left but not without leaving the door open just a crack.

was wondering if we were ever going to get back to that. too attached to sam first, and right, all of you too

MICHAEL!DEAN To break him, to crush and disappoint him so completely that, this time, he'll be nice and quiet for a change -- buried. And he is. He's gone. And now I have a whole army out there, waiting, ready for my command, ready for this.

so what do we need now, an archangel to wield the archangel blade to stab dean? and man, now kaia doesn't get her spear back? she's gonna be pissed. i imagine shadow guy or lucifer or somebody gets all up in this too at some point

[nuclear-cowboy]

NuclearCowboy Ultimate Album Compilation

Tagged by @styxnbones to give 4 albums I listen to alot (I listen to music not made by frank iero edition)

I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love by My Chemical Romance - The problem with making a list like this is I really just want to just mcr's entire discography but I'm not going to do that, I swear I listen to other music. But this spot could be taken by pretty much any of their albums, and while I don't think this is their technically best album Bullets is just such a personal favourite

Life's Not Out To Get You by Neck Deep - A classic album for me. Been listening to this one since I was 12 years old and it's still just as amazing. Not much more to say, just some good old classic pop punk.

The Greatest Generation by The Wonder Years - I'm in love with pretty much all of The Wonder Years music thats come out since this album, however this tends to be the one I always gravitate back to which is why I've chosen it over their other albums, though No Closer to Heaven is a very close runner up for me (shout out to my old sideblog url @/noclosertoheavenmp3)

Home, Like No Place Is There by The Hotelier - I gotta be honest, I don't have much insightful to say about this album it's just really fucking good. Every song is just an absolute hit for me, though I am predictable in the fact that Life in Drag hits real close to home. Though Housebroken and Among the Wildflowers are also up there. Over just a great album

HONORARY MENTIONS (just for fun):

Everything by Frank Iero - the problem with trying to make this list is that Frank's been in enough projects that I can just listen to them all on repeat without getting bored... and so I gotta be honest that's just what I do most of the time.

Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties entire discography - The Wonder Years vocalist side project not included as to not double up. Just a wonderful concept album, I love Soupys writing style, it's all great stuff.

Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner - just a great album as alot of frank turners albums are. Great recorded and even better performed live

Tagging @probablyahazard and @horsecursed-cowboy , obviously no pressure. Also putting an open tag out there for anyone who would like to join :]

[gamesception]

another new toy

I've been planning to get a number of accessories for my new computer. A new monitor, microphone, maybe one of those vr headsets. But after having it for a few weeks, one thing jumped out as needing an upgrade more urgently than anything else - the stock full size keyboard that came with it was just too large and awkward for my little keyboard shelf. I was tempted to go back to the Microsoft Compact Bluetooth keyboard that I was using with the Steam Deck... but I haven't had a "real" computer, like a proper desktop computer in decades, I wanted a "real" keyboard to go with it. Like a proper mechanical keyboard with switches and buttons and such. And so I typed "mechanical keyboard reviews" into a youtube search, blissfully unaware of the rabbit hole I was about to fall down.

If you know then you already know, but it came as a surprise to me that membrane keyboards are so cheap and so easy to mass produce that they've taken over the casual market altogether, forcing mechanical keyboards into the domain of the ⋆ ˚｡⋆˚enthusiast⋆ ˚｡⋆˚

Yes, it seems proper keyboards are a hobby now, not a very cheap one either, and the very last thing I need is another expensive hobby. But every hobby has its more affordable and approachable on ramps, and there are a number of pre-built budget boards occupying this space in world of mechanical keyboards. After watching a few dozen hours of youtube videos and reading a bunch of reviews and tutorials, I eventually settled on the RK84 'limited edition' from Royal Kludge for us$80. Which is like twice what I expected to pay when I in my naive innocence began shopping for keyboards, but I've come to understand that eighty bucks absolutely counts as "budget" in this hobby.

Pricing aside, I really do love my new keyboard. The 75% form factor is ideal, better centering the typing keys and saving a bunch of extra space on my little shelf while maintaining all the functionality of a full size board save only for the number pad. While I do like to use a number pad, I don't mind taking one out when I need it, and the keyboard even has a couple usb ports to easily plug a mouse and separate number pad into, which is super convenient and such an obvious idea that I really have to wonder why all keyboards aren't doubling as USB multi-dongles at this point, with additional usb ports, sd card ports, and so on.

For $10 more than the regular RK84 wireless, the 'limited edition' version has better keycaps, factory-lubed switches, some filler foam in the housing to reduce the hollow sound, an additional layer of sound dampening foam sandwiched between the top plate and the pcb, and a snazzy color scheme, the version I chose combining a black body and mostly black keys with a white top plate that better reflects the swirly rainbow rgb backlighting. The sound is decent, at least to my untrained ear, right out of the box. Which is ideal, as I'd like to avoid the temptation to start modding it.

Because I've gone about as far down this particular rabbit hole as I want to go.

Though I suppose it is tempting to open it up, as some basic tape & band aid mods would be cheap and easy and might improve the sound a bit...

And as much as the pre-lubed yellow linear switches are nice, I did make sure to get a hot-swappable board so it's easy to change them out later if I want to try alternatives, and I do think I might prefer tactile switches for typing...

And the rgb lighting is nice enough that it really is a shame these caps aren't shine though. Yeah, yeah, shine-through is tacky, but Cringe is Dead, and some black top pudding caps might really make the lighting pop. Or maybe a mix of black, white and some accent color to match the color layout that the board came with?

The abyss, it tempts me so...

[tigerkirby215]

5e Jacket, the Sociopath build (Hotline Miami)

(Artwork by Galaxianin on DeviantArt.)

"Ｄｏ　ｙｏｕ　ｋｎｏｗ　ｗｈａｔ　ｔｉｍｅ　ｉｔ　ｉｓ？"

This is a combination spur-of-the-moment build and me enjoying way too much Payday 2. Unfortunately making builds based on the Payday 2 perk decks is kinda hard (since most of them play so ambiguously) but thankfully Jacket does have quite a bit else to go off of, what with being from another game and all! Hotline Miami is still a cult classic and while the game makes my blood boil I can’t deny the surreal lore paints a very exciting canvas for the man behind the Richard mask to experience. And after all: nothing wrong with wanting to play someone who hurts other people.

GOALS

Do you like hurting other people? - You’ve got a simple job: that room is full of guys who shouldn’t be alive. Do that.

You’re not a nice person, are you? - And do so brutally and without remorse.

Some things work out best when you don't try so hard - And do so fast, so you don’t end up dead.

RACE

Jacket is a human, but being part of a top secret black ops team certainly gives you some variance. Go for Variant Human and increase your Dexterity and Constitution by 1. You can also get a language of your choice (pick your fancy like you’re actually going to talk) and a skill of your choice (go for Survival because you’ll need it to get through Hotline Miami.)

Sometimes you’ve gotta pick up a gun, and sometimes you’ve gotta throw stuff. Magic does make using guns and throwing stuff easier. Take Magic Initiate with Druid spells for Magic Stone, giving you an option to fight at range with basically a gun. (Especially if you grab a Sling for it.) Also take Guidance and Healing Word for that aced Inspire. Remember to keep yelling at your allies!

ABILITY SCORES

15; DEXTERITY - You’ve got to be fast to survive in Hotline Miami.

14; WISDOM - Despite Jacket’s choice of profession not being one for someone of sound mind you still need composure to be enrolled in the military. That, and it’s a requirement to multiclass.

13; CONSTITUTION - You might not be able to take a hit in Hotline Miami, but it’s nice to have some health in D&D.

12; STRENGTH - You don’t smash heads open without some muscle.

10; INTELLIGENCE - Jacket isn’t exactly a scholar, but the military has mandatory mental screening.

8; CHARISMA - You don’t speak, or if we go with Payday 2 cannon you only speak with a tape recorder. “If you insist on returning here, then I should leave!”

BACKGROUND

Not much is known about Jacket, but what is known is that he lives quite the double life. Grab the Faceless background for proficiency in Deception and Intimidation (you won’t be that great at either but ask your DM about variant skill checks; please it’s in the DMG), proficiency with a Disguise Kit to keep all your masks, and another language which you probably won’t use to speak with.

Your background feature Dual Personalities will ensure that no one cares who you are before you put on the mask. As far as anyone is concerned you’re not Richard. Or Rasmus. Or Don Juan. When you wear the mask you’re someone different, and as long as no one sees you take off the mask you’ll be able to keep all 50 of your Blessings.

(Artwork by lujji on DeviantArt.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - FIGHTER 1

Starting off as a Fighter because you need to learn how to shoot a gun and swing a bat too. Also because saving throws are nice. Take proficiency in Athletics and Acrobatics to keep in peak physical condition.

You can also get a Fighting Style: if your DM allows Martial Versatility from Tasha’s I’d suggest Unarmed Fighting as a surprise tool that will help us later. If not Superior Technique will let you hit harder. Take Disarming Attack to knock a weapon out of your opponent’s hand so you can use it against them!

And finally if you can survive a hit you can remain stoic thanks to Second Wind, letting you recover a d10 plus your Fighter level as a bonus action.

LEVEL 2 - MONK 1

Bet you were wondering where that Wisdom was going. First level Monks get Unarmored Defense so you can wear a jacket while you run around killing Russian mobsters. You also get Martial Arts to use your fists as weapons, punch as a Bonus Action after attacking once, and use Dexterity for most combat things.

LEVEL 3 - MONK 2

Second level Monks see their Unarmored Movement increase by 10 so you can move faster in your not-quite-a Two-Piece Suit. You can also make any weapon you’re proficient a Monk weapon thanks to Dedicated Weapon, as long as it lacks the Heavy or Special property. My personal selection would be a Sling to use as a pistol with Magic Stone and still technically be able to make an unarmed strike after using your sling (due to technicalities with Monk weapons and the Dedicated Weapon feature.)

But finally you get access to Ki points; you have a number of Ki points equal to your Monk level and can use them on a variety of features:

Flurry of Blows lets you punch twice instead of once with your Bonus Action.

Step of the Wind lets you Dash or Disengage as a Bonus Action (and also doubles your jump distance.)

Patient Defense lets you Dodge as a Bonus Action to not get hit, which is helpful.

LEVEL 4 - MONK 3

Third level Monks get to choose their Monastic Tradition and if you want to keep fighting through the thick of it Way of Long Death is pretty good. Touch of Death will let you keep Tension high by getting Temporary Hitpoints equal to your Wisdom modifer plus your Monk level whenever you kill a foe within 5 feet. So unfortunately not the greatest synergy with your Sling, and you will have to get into melee range to maximize health and armor gains.

But if you’re under heavy gunfire Deflect Missiles will let you use your reaction to reduce incoming damage by a d10 plus your Dexterity modifer and Monk level. If you reduce the damage to 0 you can also shoot back for a Ki point with a normal range of 20 and a long range of 60.

(Artwork by B-trndl on DeviantArt.)

LEVEL 5 - MONK 4

4th level means the first of many Ability Score increases. Seeing as Dexterity controls most of what we do increase that by 2.

As a Monk you also get access to Slow Fall (letting you fall slowly and reduce fall damage by 5 times your Monk level) and Quickened Healing (letting you heal for an amount equal to your Martial Arts die plus your proficiency bonus as an action for 2 Ki points.) Quickened Healing might not be the most efficient but your Ki points come back on a Short Rest so feel free to use it to heal instead of Hit Die when you take a Short Rest. (Which you can also do with your Second Wind!)

LEVEL 6 - MONK 5

5th level Monks get an Extra Attack so you can swing a bat twice! Speaking of swinging a bat you also get Stunning Strike, letting you keep an enemy in place for a beatdown, and Focused Aim which lets you use some Ki points to make sure you hit. And to top it off your Martial Arts die now increases to a d6, meaning that your punches actually pack a punch for lack of a better term.

LEVEL 7 - MONK 6

6th level Monks are up for a Showdown, as Hour of Reaping will let you spend your action to fear everyone you can see within 30 feet of you. This can affect your allies and also isn’t an attack (obviously), but it can still be useful to get civilians to get down. Additionally your Unarmored Movement increase to 15 feet, adding up to 45 feet total.

LEVEL 8 - FIGHTER 2

Back to Fighter town now for a bit. Second level Fighters get Action Surge, letting you take an extra action once per Short Rest to really bring the beatdown.

LEVEL 9 - FIGHTER 3

Any old Fighter can swing a bat (and honestly this build works with just about any Fighter subclass; again make your own Jacket as you see fit) but to swing a bat particularly well look no further than the Battle Master. Your Combat Superiority dice can be used on a variety of Maneuvers that will ensure a quick and messy takedown. Grab Trip Attack to knock foes down to beat them into submission, Precision Attack to ensure clean hits, and Distracting Strike to open an enemy up for the rest of the hotline.

While Menacing Attack would fit this build to spread some panic around I didn’t take it as we already have an easy way to cause the Frightened status effect. Feel free to grab it if you think it’ll be useful though!

Oh and you’re a Student of War with proficiency in one Artisan’s Tool of your choice. I doubt your DM will allow you to play with tape recorders so I settled for Glassblower’s Tools to play with neon tubes instead.

(Artwork by endrae on Tumblr.)

LEVEL 10 - MONK 7

Quickly jumping back to the 7th level of Monk for Evasion to dodge grenades and other things that might require a Dexterity save, and Stillness of Mind to keep your cool while dealing with ruskies.

LEVEL 11 - FIGHTER 4

We really need to catch up on ability scores, don’t we? A little more Dexterity goes a long way!

if your DM allows Martial Versatility from Tasha’s (...) Superior Technique will let you hit harder. Take Disarming Attack to knock a weapon out of your opponent’s hand so you can use it against them!

LEVEL 12 - MONK 8

What’s more fun that one Ability Score Improvement? Two ability score improvements back to back! With a capped off Dexterity modifier it’s time to move over to Wisdom for better AC and harder saving throws.

(Artwork by EdwardDelandreArt on DeviantArt.)

LEVEL 13 - FIGHTER 5

Now comes the fun part where we take the rest of our levels straight down Fighter! Level 5 Fighters get Extra Attack but you already have Extra Attack from Monk hihi ecksdee.

LEVEL 14 - FIGHTER 6

Heeey look at that more Ability Score Improvements! Wisdom equals AC so more Wisdom it is.

LEVEL 15 - FIGHTER 7

7th level Fighters know that learning is half the battle. With Know Your Enemy you can spend some time studying your target to learn things about them: how tough they are, how fast, how easy they are to hit; that sort of stuff. It takes awhile but it’s bound to be useful.

Speaking of useful: more Maneuvers. Ambush helps both with sneaking and with Initiative, and Commanding Presence meanwhile will help you compensate for your bad Charisma and scare people without using fancy Monk powers. “Arms outstretched.”

LEVEL 16 - FIGHTER 8

Hey look at that another Ability Score Improvement. Cap off your Wisdom for maximum AC and saving throws that are tough as nails.

(Artwork by mellow-monsters on DeviantArt.)

LEVEL 17 - FIGHTER 9

Did you mess up? Well with Indomitable you can reroll one failed saving throw per Long Rest.

Yup that’s it. Love level 9 of Fighter.

LEVEL 18 - FIGHTER 10

10th level Battle Masters get Improved Combat Superiority. Your Combat Superiority Die turn into d10s: all of them. Even the one from your Fighting Style!

And of course more Combat Superiority means more Maneuvers! Take Evasive Footwork to run around and focus on hitting things instead of disengaging, and Quick Toss if you actually want to throw weapons around, I suppose?

LEVEL 19 - FIGHTER 11

11th level Fighters get another Extra Attack which does stack with other Extra Attacks, meaning that you can now swing a bat 3 times before also punching your foes.

LEVEL 20 - FIGHTER 12

Our final level is the the 12th level of Fighter for one last Ability Score Improvement... honestly just grab the Tough feat to take a few more hits with your Flack Jacket.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Look at my face. We've met before... - 3 attacks and one to two punches is plenty enough to lay into an enemy. Turns out Fighters are good at Fighting and regardless of if you hit-and-run or go in blunt you’ll leave a mark on the mob.

If you insist on returning here, then I should leave! - 45 feet of movement is also plenty enough to get where you need to be, especially since Action Surge and Evasive Footwork can keep you moving fast without getting hit. You might not be beating any Monks in a fight but you can certainly beat a Barbarian.

Some pieces don't quite seem to fit - You’ve also got more utility than the average martial character, and that isn’t just because you can cast Guidance. Hour of Reaping can provide very good crowd control and Battle Master Maneuvers will always pack a punch if used effectively.

CONS

I see that my opinion of you doesn't matter - Your big Achilles’ Heel is your Charisma checks, which makes me question why we took Commanding Presence to make them better. (Other than the fact that it fits the character.) Your skill checks are all very mediocre with perhaps the exception of Acrobatics, and none of your skills really serve a good roleplay purpose.

No matter who you are, bearing too much weight... - How many fumes are too many fumes? While most of your resources do come back on a Short Rest you have a lot of resources to manage: Ki, Maneuver die, Second Wind, Action Surge, and your one-time use of Healing Word to top it off. You are more than capable of fighting without all your limited abilities but running dry will leave you half the man you once were.

Inevitably leads to the collapse of everything - The sad truth about mixing Monk and Battle Master is that a lot of the maneuvers can’t be used effectively by a Monk (since they require your Bonus Action.) Add in the fact that your fists won’t be doing much means that this build really tapers off in the late game.

But short bursts of adrenaline can get you through most missions, even if you're expected to die. Take on armies hundred to one and come out on top by using tactics to your advantage. But remember that a lone wolf never goes far, and you've got a whole gang with you to help you earn your cut. Everyone's gotta work hard for their payday so be sure to give them your blessings.

(Artwork by jazzjack-KHT on DeviantArt.)

[carruth00]

The Vault - Breakers by Ade Rahmat - A Review Video Download

This is the Ad Copy:

A playing card, key, coin, or even a borrowed credit card melt right through a solid deck of cards!

After doing a card trick with a regular deck of cards and with no switches you offer to show them an amazing optical illusion. You borrow a key or credit card, drivers license etc. and make it melt right through your solid deck of cards.

As soon as you show the illusion you can show them every card in the deck one by one and they can see the cards are real and that there are no holes in them.

The gimmick is easy to load on and off the deck which allows you to hand the deck out for examination if you would like, or to continue with other effects using the same deck of cards.

Easy to build. Fun to perform. Download it today!

My Thoughts:

I have a soft spot for pocket illusions. If I can take an illusion that fits in my hands.. and fool you with it.. there's room for it in my repertoire. Since my principle performing venue is a restaurant, BREAKERS is an ideal effect.

I also have a real appreciation for inexpensive magic that works. BREAKERS is very inexpensive and does everything advertised..

Ade Rahmat has created a very functional illusion. You can seemingly pass a selected card completely through a deck of cards. Actually, you can apparently pass any small, flat object through the deck.. including keys, coins, business cards.. and whatever else inspires you.

Notice the key word is 'apparently'. That's where the illusion portion comes into play.

Ade's effect is a download. That means to create the illusion, which in this case is another word for a prop, you'll need a bit of DIY. Although the prop is reasonably complex.. it's not complex to construct. Ade uses almost the entire sixteen minute tutorial carefully constructing the prop/gimmick, and walks you through each twist and turn in real time. All you'll need is a sharp razor and clear double-sided tape. You'll also need a straight edge (ruler) to assist with accurate cuts and a pencil. That's it…

You're taught the basic handling and positioning. There is a bit of angle required.. but your hand should conceal most of the gimmick. Ideally, perform BREAKERS straight on and you shouldn't have a problem. The gimmick is designed to, basically, fold flat to aid in concealment and ditching.. although you don't have to ditch it.

The video tutorial is well filmed and wordless. The video image is quite sufficient to construct your gimmick..

For eight bucks.. you can't beat the price. Go watch the demo video and see how it looks. If this is your type of magic.. you'll appreciate all the effort Ade put into BREAKERS.

$8.00 .. Available from Murphy's Magic and their Associates..

Review by Rick Carruth

[removedscrybe]

Belwyn takes heart at the Scrybe's encouragement. Slowly, from his pocket, he pulls out a card-shaped object and places it on the table. The "card" is "laminated" -- it has clearly been placed between two clear pieces of packing tape and cut out again. The creature depicted is a unicorn, drawn in soft, smooth lines and frozen mid-prance, eyes closed to splay long, butterfly-like eyelashes. The card itself is colored in pastels and covered in various holographic, star-shaped stickers, the shape of it a little rough, clearly hand-cut. Belwyn feels himself grow self-conscious, but tries to push past it. "Th-this is my unicorn. She's the first card I ever made, so she isn't my best work at all, but......she's special to me." He smiles, in spite of his embarrassment. "I've always really liked unicorns....and I guess she also represents me deciding to.....create. To have a little power in this world, I suppose. Even if I don't have any real power like Scrybes do." He doesn't know if he's making any sense.

Removed takes the card into his hand and examines the design. It was so delicate and fresh. Like a gem freshly carved from the mountains. It wasn't polished or refined, but there was promise. "There is much love in this." He slides the card back on to the table respectfully and returns her to her owner.

"Unicorns can express many a things... Creation is one of those. That seems to be doubled by your meaning behind it. I think this card is very powerful for you." The scrybe hopes that his words express his true thoughts on the matter. He looks to his own deck and slides through the various frames. His hand stops on a cracked, old pane, and he places it down.

A small cell appears, looking to anyone as though it was harmless. Until you saw that same 'Toxic' mark at the bottom. "A bacteria that I made this when I was new. ...It had destructive power, but it has an interesting feature." His claw taps the Toxic mark and it expands with text explaining that in the right circumstances, a Toxic card can heal a challenger's card. "Nothing is black and white."

[gorochuva]

OCtober Day 3: Duel

@oc-growth-and-development

this was actually scrapped from another story but I'm glab I archived it bc I'm rlly proud of this and now I get to make it public again

TW: "pulling a Sayori"

Playmaker For A Day

*the screens around the food court flicker to life, with Playmaker as the center of attention*

"Playmaker": Alright, True Blues, listen up! I know you're angry about what happened to Blue Angel, but you don't have to worry anymore, for three reasons. One, I know for a fact that there's no way Blue Angel would have done this, because I've seen her in person every day since. Which means, two, the true identity of Blue Angel is still out there. And three, if she truly did kill herself within Link VRAINS...

*"Playmaker" rebroadcasts the tail-end of Blue Angel's suicide tape*

"Playmaker": ...how was she able to log out? So, Blue Angel, if you are still out there... I challenge you to a Duel! I'll make you pay for faking something so horrible just for clout!

*the screens flicker off*

announcer: Wow, what a twist! Playmaker has declared a Duel with the dead! But will Blue Angel really accept his challenge?

Yusaku: *frustrated sigh* (I really hope she knows what she's doing...)

*a young girl with black hair covering her eyes floats looming over the scene*

???: Puella Magi... Love Link! Into the VRAINS!

*the ghost girl transforms into Blue Angel*

"Blue Angel": Well, Playmaker? I'm here.

"Playmaker": I've got you now, Elly!

"Blue Angel": H-how did you--

"Playmaker": The mark you left on Blue Angel's neck gave you away. Now, we can have our rematch! And trust me, this time...

*"Playmaker" turns off their voice changer*

"Playmaker": I will fight!

Elly: Alright then, let's.

*Elly summons a Data Storm; she and "Playmaker" take up their Duel Boards*

Elly/"Playmaker": Speed Duel!

Elly: I'll start by activating Trickstar Light Stage! I can add any Trickstar monster to my hand. I add Trickstar Lilybell to my hand and summon her to the field! Next, I'll summon Trickstar Candina, and use her effect to add Trickstar Reincarnation to my hand. Now I activate the effect of Trickstar Lycoris, returning Candina to my hand and summoning Lycoris to the field. But, I'll use Trickstar Vision to bring Candina back! So long as we both draw a card, that is.

"Playmaker": Mkay, whatever.

Elly: "Whatever"? Let's see how smug you are when Lycoris' second effect deals you 200 damage for that draw!

["Playmaker": 4000 - 3800 LP]

Elly: And since a Trickstar monster dealt damage to you, Trickstar Light Stage lays on another 200 damage!

["Playmaker": 3800 - 3600 LP]

Elly: Open, Circuit of the Witch's Festival! Link Arrows authorized; the summoning conditions are at least two Trickstar monsters. I set Trickstar Lilybell and Trickstar Candina in the Link Arrows, and Link Summon, Link 2 Trickstar Holly Angel! I set two cards and end my turn.

"Playmaker": My turn, I draw!--

*as I hold out the card I drew (Pot of Greed), I hear Walpurgisnacht laugh*

Elly: And Lycoris and Light Stage deal 400 damage altogether!

["Playmaker": 3600 - 3200 LP]

"Playmaker": Never mind that. I summon Draconnet, and use its effect to summon Bitron! Open, the ultimate circuit! Link Arrows authorized; I set Bitron in the Link Arrow and Summon Link Spider! While I'm at it, I'll use Link Spider's effect to summon Apple Magician Girl! Next, I'll activate Double Summon, so that I can tribute Link Spider to summon Dark Magician Girl! And just to test your face-down cards, I activate Pot of Greed!

Elly: Betcha can't tell me what it does.

"Playmaker": Uh, lets me draw two cards from my deck, duh! It's like the simplest card in the-- game... Oh Mother of Ra...

Elly: I've got you now! I activate Pot of Sentience!

"Playmaker": You did have my card!

Elly: Then you should know that since you explained Pot of Greed's effect, this card takes half your Life Points and gives them to me.

["Playmaker": 3200 - 1600 LP; Elly: 4000 - 5600 LP]

Elly: And since you drew two cards, Lycoris inflicts 400 damage, plus 200 from Light Stage!

["Playmaker": 1600 - 1000 LP]

"Playmaker": Ha! 1000 on the dot! That means I can use my Skill! Fure, fure, min'na! Fure, fure, watashi! Listen up, everyone! This isn't Blue Angel, and neither was the girl you saw! But we get the real Blue Angel back if we all cheer her on! "Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru!" Ikuyo! Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru! Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru!

Yusaku: She can't-- Can she do that?

Kolter: Uh, Yusaku? You better come see this...

crowd: Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru! Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru!

*a young woman and her daughter are seen leading the crowd*

Hana: Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru!

Hagumi: Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru!

Hana/Hagumi: Fure, fure, Buru Enjeru!

Hana/Hagumi/"Playmaker": Purikyua...

"Playmaker": Storm Access! Open, Circuit of Hope! Link Arrows authorized; the summoning conditions are at least two Magician Girl monsters. I set Dark Magician Girl, Apple Magician Girl, and Draconnet in the Link Arrows! *hugs Dark Magician Girl* Hakyu~!

Yusaku: What is she doing?!...

Hagumi: Eh? Ah! Mama, look!

"Playmaker": *hugs Apple Magician Girl* Hakyu~!

*Hana looks up at the screen, then back at Yusaku, smiling*

"Playmaker": *nuzzles Draconnet* Hakyu~! Link the circuit! Link 3, Palladium Oracle Madoka!

"Playmaker": Aw yeah, it's about to go down! Madoka, attack Trickstar Lycoris!

Elly: *evil laugh* I discard Dark Angel from my hand to activate her special ability! Madoka will instead attack Holly Angel, who gains 1600 Attack Points!

"Playmaker": I discard my hand to activate Madoka's effect! By banishing a monster from my Extra Deck, Modoka gains their Attack Points. I banish Decode Talker to raise Madoka's Attack to 5300! Holly Angel is destroyed. I end my turn.

[Elly: 5600 - 300 LP]

Elly: *sigh* (I guess it's only natural...) I activate Trickstar Reincarnation. I can summon any Trickstar monster from my Graveyard, but we both have to banish our hands and draw until we have what we started with.

"Playmaker": I just discarded my hand, you moron! I have nothing to banish. And nothing to add, so Lycoris and Light Stage can't deal any damage to me!

Elly: Very well. I summon Dark Angel and end my turn...

"Playmaker": Finally accepted defeat? Alright then. Palladium Oracle Madoka, destroy Dark Angel, and end this Duel!

[Elly: 300 - 0 LP]

*"Playmaker" logs out of Link VRAINS*

Lillyan: *sigh* I did good today, Kyubey. I did good...

Kyubey: Good enough, I suppose.

Lillyan: What do you mean?

Kyubey: Elly didn't drop her Grief Seed after she was exorcised from Blue Angel. She might still be out there. I suggest you deal with this right away. Her aura will have faded by tomorrow.

Lillyan: And Link VRAINS' log data won't pick it up, either. But I know Elly's aura like the back of my hand. I'll find her, trust me...

[woossexyponytail]

Chapter 2 The calm crew.

Ateez x reader

Ateez pirate au.

∴━━━✿━━━∴

I stood at the side of the ship looking out towards the endless sea, behind me Hongjoong was running around sailing the ship by himself. Turning around I watched him as he kept looking at his compass every few seconds.

"If you have a question just ask, there are no secrets on this ship, well in the crew more like, but speak your mind" Hongjoong said without even looking over at me.

"Why are you separated from your crew?, Where is your crew?, Where is your ship?, Why were you in England in the first place?" I asked now following him as we both rushed around the ship.

Hongjoong sighed stopping abruptly making me crash in to him, he spun quickly facing me.

"You ask to many questions, love" he said pointing a finger at me, turning back around to carry on what he was doing.

"You did say to ask, did you not?" I said staying where I was while I followed him with my eyes. Crossing my arms I taped my foot impatiently waiting for him to answer.

"My ship along with three of my crew members are ported in France, looking for something, the other four are in spain, we dropped them off first" he told me, as he walked back to the wheel, I looked down at my feet thinking.

"Why?" I looked over at the wheel seeing he wasn't there, searching he was sorting out one of the sails, looking down at me I could see a small smirk on his face.

Jumping down he landed right infront of me, he was searching in my eyes for something I could feel my heart beating faster, never before have I been this close to a male.

The moment I realised what I was thinking Hongjoong walked away from me, letting out a breath I did not know I was holding, I tried evening out my breaths, then watched him again.

"We are looking for something" he told me I nodded for him to continue but he didn't, instead he went back on to focus on the ship, sailing his main priority once again. Sighing I walked over to the side of the ship looking out to the horizon.

✥-----------------------†----------------------✥

After a few hours Hongjoong has shown me the basics of manding a ship, I'm not great but it's better then have us capsize or run into port.

"Why did they call you pirate king?" I asked after being in silence for awhile, Hongjoong looked over at me his face plank from emotion.

"Let's just say I'm notorious in these waters love" he told me a smirk spreading on his face. I nodded watching him as he walked to the wheel steering the ship, walking up the stairs standing next to him watching the water.

"How long until we get to France right?" I asked looking back at him, Hongjoong turned around to me, then looked up at the sky.

"About a couple hours until we port in France" he said, I nodded in understanding, the rest of the trip went in silence.

"So are you going to tell me why your crew are spread across France and Spain?" I asked Hongjoong he looked over at me sighing.

"Fine you'll find out eventually anyway, It's to do with that map of yours" he said pointing to where I was hiding the map.

"Utopia? Why go through so much trouble?" I ask my brows knitting together, Hongjoong laughed at me.

"My crew and I have been searching for Utopia for a few years now. We can not just sail there on a ship, it's difficult" He told me I nodded waiting for him to continue.

"We found out that you can't read the map, you need three objects then the island will be revealed" he said looking over at the ocean.

"What objects?" I asked he laughed again "You'll see soon" he said, as he walked off again as I was left on my own to think over what he said.

✥----------------------†-----------------------✥

We finally ported in France, Hongjoong tied the ship to the port as we started walking off.

"Hold up there, you!" We heard someone yell turning around we noticed a man running up to us with a book in hand.

"It's a shilling to tie up your ship to the dock." He told us panting from the short run he just did, "I also need to know your name." He explained looking between the both of us, I looked over at Hongjoong.

"What do you say to no shillings, but you can keep this marvellous ship and we forget the name?" Hongjoong said putting his hand on the guys shoulder.

The man looked at the ship then back to Hongjoong, then to me, I raised my eyebrows wondering if he would take the trade.

"Welcome to Concarneau, Mr. Smith." The man said smiling at us, Hongjoong bowed as he walked off me following behind him.

"But isn't he going to realise that the ship was stolen?" I asked looking over at Hongjoong as he was looking at all of the other ships at the dock.

"Yes but by the time he finds out we will hopefully be long gone by then" he said stopping as a giant East Indiamen ship, it generally measuring between 1100 and 1400 tons, it was a very big ship.

"Ah my precious treasure, Aurora" Hongjoong said smiling happily at the large ship.

"Precious treasure?" I asked looking over at him, turning around he smiled brightly at me, "Not all treasure is silver and gold love" he said walking up to the ship.

We walked on to the deck, looking around the ship was sparkling with cleanliness, a man on his hands and knees was scrubbing the deck.

"Who brings their muddy boots over my clean ship, I'll cut out your- oh Captain your here" the man said standing up his glear turned in to a soft smile as the two quickly hugged.

"And who is your friend?" The man asked looking over at me, Hongjoong walked the man towards me.

"This is Yn, Yn this is my quarter master Seonghwa" he told me I smiled politely at the tall man, who looked very intimidating.

"Pleasures to meet you" he said grabbing my hand and kissing my knuckle, I smiled shyly at the man.

"Right, now Where's Yunho? I'm starving" Hongjoong said walking around his ship.

"Oh he's at the market with Yeosang getting some food for tonight" Seonghwa explained going back to cleaning the floor.

"Do we have any food left on the ship?" Hongjoong asked Seonghwa, he looked up from the floor thinking, "I do believe that Jongho speared a few apples" he said, Hongjoong nodded walking off.

Walking down blow deck to the hold with Hongjoong he explained that Jongho the youngest out of the crew, likes to break apples in half and they end up getting rotten fast.

After finding some apples Hongjoong throws one to me, barely catching it, then I bit in to it. Hongjoong eat his own as the two of us walked back up, seeing two young men walking on to the ship arms full of food. One was very tall while the other short, but Hongjoong being the smallest.

"Seonghwa I got a great deal on- HEY Captain your here!" The tall man said the smaller one turned then started at me, the tall guy walked up to Hongjoong smiling brightly at him.

"Oh good day miss, I'm Yunho and he over there is Yeosang, you are?" He asked, I smiled at the very tall man infront of me, "Yn. would you like some help with that?" I asked looking at the food.

"That would be appreciated thank you" he smiled passing me some of the food as he lead the way to I'm guessing the kitchen. Yeosang following closely behind his arm also full with food.

He opened some double doors revealing a large table in the middle of the room, on one side of the wall was filled with bottles that looked like alcohol maybe. We placed the food on the table, Yunho thanked me for the help as I walked back up to the main deck seeing Hongjoong and Seonghwa talking.

"Yn I'll show you where you'll be sleeping" Hongjoong told me leading me to a door on the front main deck, opening the door revealing a huge room with about twenty hammocks.

"You don't mind sharing the room with Yunho, Yeosang and Seonghwa, I promise you that nothing will happen, they can be trusted" he told me, I thought about it for a momnet, the three seemed nice enough.

"Yes that's fine thank you" I told him smiling, Hongjoong nodded, "Could I look at that map?" He asked quickly I nodded passing him the map.

He walked to the captain's quarters, I followed him wondering what he was looking for on the map.

✥----------------------†-----------------------✥

Hongjoong explained that to get to Utopia we need to get a couple of special gemstones, one is here in fance, while another is in Spain, the last one in the middle of the ocean, but only one person knew where and they were in Tortuga.

"Tomorrow we'll look for the gemstone, the moment we have it we are heading out. Got it?" Hongjoon told the four of us, as we sat at the table eating dinner. Seonghwa, Yeosang and Yunho yelled "Aye Captain" then Hongjoong shooed us to the bunks.

"Are you excited about seeing Utopia?" Yunho asked me, I nodded trying to get in to the hammock, the three already in theirs. Yunho looked over smiling at me.

"Yn, welcome to the crew" he told me a sleepy smile on his face, I turned around looking over at him, smiling back I felt my cheeks warming at his sweet gesture.

"Get some sleep all of you, we've got a long day tomorrow" Seonghwa told us as we all went to sleep hopefully getting enough sleep for tomorrow.

✥----------------------†-----------------------✥

Back at the house Darren Mikaelson walked in to his house with the staff running around panicked, Darren stopped one of the maids asking what was happening.

"Oh sir it's horrible, lady Yn was arrested for going in to the book store but she is now gone, the guards think the pirate took her with him!" She told him talking fast still panicking.

"WHAT?!, where is Geonhak? I thought he was going to propose to my daughter today? How did this happen?" Darren asked starting to yell.

"Sir I am here, Yn said she needed a moment after I proposed to her, after that she never came back. I just found out that a pirate has taken her" Geonhak explained running up to him.

"We need to find her now" Darren said as he looked around making Geonhak follow him back to the ship. A guard came running up to Darren out of breath as he stopped the two.

"Sir the pirate that took your daughter, he goes by The Pirate King" the guard said, Darren and Geonhak looked at each other in shock and fear.

"The Pirate king? That's not good" Geonhak said as they both ran off to port wanting to leave immediately.

✥----------------------†-----------------------✥

I felt shacking on my shoulder, slowly opening my eyes I saw Yeosang looking down at me shacking me awake, A shy smile on his face as he stepped away.

"It's time for breakfast" Yeosang said as he turned around and walked out the doors. I sat up from the hammock and struggled to get out, walking down to the kitchen I saw that all four where sitting down.

"Good morning Yn how did you sleep?" Seonghwa asked as I sat down next to Yunho as he passed me a bowl of food, thanking him I looked over at Seonghwa, "well thank you, How are you all?" I asked as I started eating.

After we all finished breakfast Yunho quickly cleaned up the bowls with Seonghwa's help, both sitting back down as Hongjoong explained today's plan.

"The object of our attention is a Sapphire and I will be going with Seonghwa, hopefully we'll get it quick and will be on our way. You three stay here show Yn around" Hongjoong said as he stood up walking upstairs Seonghwa following closely behind.

✥----------------------†-----------------------✥

It had been a few minutes since Hongjoong and Seonghwa left the ship, I walked around on top of the deck feeling the warm sun on my skin, I looked up seeing Yeosang on the main mast pulling on some rope.

I climbed up getting to where he sat, Yeosang turned to me smiling, I asked if I could help which he nodded handing me some rop to tye up.

"How did you become a pirate? If you don't mind me asking" I asked looking over at him, Yeosang smiled over at me finishing up another rop.

"When I was a lad, my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came here, looking for my father." He explained, Yeosang stopped looking out to the horizon. "Did you find him?" I asked also looking out at the ocean.

"Yes and no, I found out he died when his ship sunk, He was lost at sea. After that I found Hongjoong he was only thirteen I was twelve, his father was the pirate king of this ship after he died Hongjoong took charge when he turned fifteen" Yeosang explained.

After we finished he helped me down as he walked of telling me to go and help Yunho in the kitchen, I nodded walking down to the kitchen.

Opening the door I saw Yunho looking between two pots, his hand on his chin lost in thought, I walked up to him standing beside, He jumped not expecting me there.

"Oh Yn great I need help, Would you pick carrot soup or potato soup?" He asked looking down at me, I thought about it for a few seconds, "potato soup" I told him Yunho grinned at me as he picked up a sack of potatoes.

"Would you like some help?" I asked, as he put the potatoes down on the table, he nodded and handed me a knife as we both sat down and started peeling them.

"How did you become a pirate?" I assked after a few minutes of silence Yunho hummed thinking back, and looked down at me again.

"I was an orphan and I love the sea but we were always told to dream small, when I was thirteen a pirate ship stopped at the city, I was so excited I snuck aboard and found Hongjoong and Yeosang, Hongjoong asked his father if I could stay and he said yes. Since then I've been with this crew for years." He said I nodded smiling at his memory, the crew is like a family almost.

✥-----------------------†----------------------✥

The sky turns a deep twilight blue, with the fat white moon riding just above the horizon. It had now been a few hours since Hongjoong and Seonghwa left, I started to get worried about them but Yeosang reassured me that they would be fine but I could see the fear in both of their eyes.

The sound of running footsteps was heard as the three of us looked up seeing Hongjoong and Seonghwa running on to the ship, Hongjoong ran to the wheel as Seonghwa motioned us to set sail.

"Brace up for and aft, weigh anchor, hoist outer jib, haul out the spanker, brace round forward and set the courses." Hongjoong yelled as we got ready to set sail, as the wind pushed us forward I looked up watching Hongjoong wondering what happened.

In the dead of night we sailed in silence no one saying a word, until a large ship came out of the foggy night, hopefully the thick fog hid us from the larger ship.

"That Ship's a Monster! Look at the size of her!" Yunho said watching the ship the same as I. "Aye. And we'd not last long face to face with her. You hear that, Hongjoong? Keep your distance." Seonghwa said glearing at the captain.

"Stay in range of the target ship while avoiding detection. And we'll strike when fortune favors us." Hongjoong agreed as we slowly sailed away.

"Captain I have to ask, did you get the Sapphire?" Yeosang asked as he walked up the stairs, Hongjoong smiled letting go of the wheel, Seonghwa standing his his place.

"You mean this?" He asked taking out the gemstone from his coat pocket, the gemstone was large, we all surrounded it, it was truly beautiful, Hongjoong walked down to his cabin probably putting in somewhere safe.

✥----------------------†-----------------------✥

It had gotten late as everyone went to bed I stayed up not being able to sleep, I walked up to Seonghwa at the wheel.

"Can't sleep?" He asked as I leaned on the side looking out, I nodded as I turn around facing Seonghwa as he smiled softly at me.

"I love sailing at night it's when the ocean is the most peaceful, a beautiful night" he sighed breathing in the air, "It truly is" I said watching the starry sky.

"If you don't mind my asking, How did you become a pirate?" I asked I probably was annoying them with the questions but Hongjoong did say that there are no secrets on his ship.

"My father was the quartermaster of this ship, after he died Hongjoong wanted me to take over, this ship is all I know" he told me, I couldn't stop looking at Seonghwa seeing him like this, he is a beautiful man.

"Why don't you head off to bed it's getting late" he said I agreed saying goodnight as I made my way to the cabin, closing the door softly Yunho and Yeosang was still fast asleep.

✥----------------------†-----------------------✥

The next morning I woke up seeing that Yeosang was still asleep in the hammock but Yunho gone, probably making breakfast. I got out of the hammock making my way to the kitchen in hoping to help him again.

"Good morning Yn how are you?" Yunho asked as I entered the kitchen, he passed me an apple as I sat down munching on it as he sat infront of me.

"I'm good and you?" I asked as I finished up the apple and throwing the core away, "Excited, I can not wait till we get to spain and have all of us together" Yunho said, I laughed he looked like an excited puppy.

"Alright let's get breakfast ready for the boys we have a way still to go" Yunho said as we started making the breakfast.

✥------------------------†---------------------✥

A few more hours and we finally made it to spain, Puerto Rico was very busy as Hongjoong got to the wheel and Seonghwa help port.

"Haul down the jib!, hauld up the spanker, hard aport, let go anchor!" Hongjoong yelled as we rushed around ready to port.

"Where are they captain?" Yunho asked as he stood up on deck having a quick look not seeing anyone. "They told us they would be in the main tavern, not surprisingly" Seonghwa sighed as he rubbed his head.

I went to follow them but Hongjoong stopped me, he lead me to his cabin, taking a seat at his desk he opened up a draw placing a piece of paper on the desk.

"This is the map keep it with you, I want you to stay here while we find the guys, Yeosang will be staying with the ship also" Hongjoong said passing me the map.

He walked out and towards Yeosang probably telling him the same as me, Yeosang looked over at me and smiled, turning back to Hongjoong with a serious expression on his face then nodded.

"I guess we're on ship watch for now" Yeosang said as he walked up to me, grabbing my arm he pulled me to Hongjoong's cabin and walked to the desk.

"Hongjoong said you can read is that true?" He asked me, I nodded sitting down on ine of the chairs as he sat opposite. Placing a book on the desk he pointed at a word.

"I've researched everything about Utopia, but I still don't get this, Darren Mikaelson recorded his findings a few years ago, he was close but still didn't find it. We think and now know because of the gemstones, but this is your father is he not?" Yeosang asked looking up at me, I sat shocked not knowing what to say.

"I didn't even know he wrote findings down, my father never really spoke about his job, or to me after my mother's death" I said look down, Yeosang grabbed my arm rubbing it a soft smile on his face.

"I'm curious though, What made you want to follow Hongjoong to Utopia?" Yeosang asked, I looked down embarrassed as I brushed my hair out of my face.

"Well the other day I was proposed to by someone I knew my whole life, and I didn't want to marry him so I left to the bookstore and that's when all hell broke loose, I was arrested for being a witch because I can read and Hongjoong offer sounded a lot better" I explained, Yeosang eyes widened.

"You were going to get married?" He asked I nodded my head looking behind him at the large window that looked out to the ocean.

"I'd rather have adventure on the ocean blue than to be stuck in a house full of kids and looking after a husband I never will love" I sighed leaning on my hand.

"Makes sense" Yeosang said as he thought about it, he then looked back at me smiling, "Well your free here, your a lovely person to be around I'm sure everyone would want you to stay as long as you want" he said smiling, I grinned back.

"YEOSANG WE'RE HERE!" a loud voice yelled Yeosang slapped his hand to his face then sighed as he smiled sheepishly at me. "Once again the peace on this ship is disturbed by that loud mouth" he said as he got up and walking over to the door.

"Wooyoung could you be any louder, I don't think china heard" Yeosang said, I raised my hand to my mouth giggling at what he said, not expecting him to say something like that. Well I guess it's time to meet the rest of the crew.

[fly-pow-bye]

Powerpuff Girls - “Twas the Fight Before Christmas”

Written by: Lauren Faust, Craig Lewis

Storyboarded by: Lauren Faust, Greg Colton, Brian Larsen, Paul McEvoy

Music by: James L. Venable, Thomas Chase, Steve Rucker

Art Direction: Paul Stec

Animation Direction: Robert Alvarez, John McIntyre, Randy Myers

Seasons Beatings!

Narrator: ‘Twas the City of Townsville, and all through the town

all the townsfolk are stirring, as snow is falling down

It's bitter and freezing in the dead of December,

But there's reason for joy, if you can remember.

For it's this time of year that our story unfolds,

When our hearts are the warmest, despite all the cold.

Yes, it is Christmas, just two days before,

And all through the town, none can wait anymore...

No doubt about it, this is a Christmas special. Not only is it snowing and freezing, the Narrator speaks entirely in rhyme. Fitting, as this plot is similar to a Dr. Seuss classic that took place during Christmas. Well, sort of.

The special starts two days before Christmas, as Townsville awaits that “one certain fat guy”. This is especially true for the kids at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten. Ah, Pokey Oaks. Not only does the Narrator say it, we see the sign right there.

Bubbles is singing Deck the Hells as she’s taping drawings of Santa on the bulletin board. Buttercup is gloating about her long Christmas list, the only readable word being “Gimme.” Got to love the subtle background jokes.

Not so subtle is a reference to the Red Ryder BB gun as made famous by A Christmas Story. This was long before A Christmas Story was mass-marketed to the point where they made an awful sequel to it more than a decade after the original. Hmm, sounds a bit familiar. No points for anyone who can guess the response to this, courtesy of Princess.

Parodying so many movie posters that it’s hard to tell which one its referencing, Princess comes up to the Powerpuff Girls to tell them that, since Daddy gives her everything she wants anyway, she only has one thing on her list: to be a Powerpuff Girl. Duh, she’s naughty, and the Powerpuff Girls even give a list that is essentially a best of for the people who aren’t familiar with her:

She bought the city and legalized crime! (Bought and Scold)

She hired Mojo Jojo and tried to destroy the Powerpuff Girls! (Mo Job)

She gave the Powerpuff Girls a bomb for their birthday! (Birthday Bash)

She teamed up with three felons and went on a crime spree! (Meet The Beat-Alls)

She tricked their friend Robin into stealing, and then tattled on her! (Super Friends)

I believe this is the only episode that actually mentions Robin outside of Super Friends, actually. I can understand why: new characters being added late in the show is a great way to jump the shark. Still, such super friends! As Blossom walks away, she tells Princess to change her ways, or else she's getting coal in her stocking. For the record, even in the original, a walking Powerpuff Girl looks awkward.

Princess completely scoffs at this idea that she’s spoiled and naughty, as she steps on Ms. Keane’s foot on her way out. She asks her driver if she’s naughty, and we get a whole skit. It could have been a short all to itself, it’s a classic.

The same scene happens with a servant and a nanny, and this episode’s biggest problem shows its head here. This special is 44 minutes long, four times the length of a normal Powerpuff Girls episode. Season 4′s problems with pacing in certain episodes due to their double-episode length are exacerbated here, as I feel a lot of scenes are here just to fill time. This is far from the worst example.

After opening her closet to get more pillows, as her maid quickly decided not to say anything and leave the room at her "naughty or nice question", only to be completely covered in a mountain of coal apparently stored from previous Christmases. She uses the coal to put lines under her eyes, and she puts on an all black outfit. Princess is planning something big, the Narrator fears in rhyme. But first, we got to take a detour.

Some people put up their decorations early, and some people put them up really late, and the Powerpuff Girls home is certainly in the latter, waiting until at least Christmas Eve Eve to finally put up all the decorations. Then again, when your kids can fly super fast, there’s no need to spend a whole day putting up everything.

Indeed, we see the Powerpuff Girls decorating in a super hero way, all in a race to see who gets to put the star on the top. Does this actually add to the plot? Not really, but it’s still a great scene to show off the more mundane ways the Powerpuff Girls use their powers. It is also a great way to have footage a promotional music video would use.

The Professor is here to make this not-so-generic tree lighting day special by lighting up the tree. Unfortunately, he has a bit of trouble with the lights, as we see for the next minute. I can see what they could have taken out if they wanted to condense this into a regular episode. A 22 minute episode, but still.

Professor Utonium: I can make three girls out of seasoning, but I can’t get these lights to work!

Thanks, I needed this quote.

We get a small tour of Townsville awaiting for the next day, which is used for contrast with future scenes, but is mostly just filler. Highlights include a shot of a My Little Pony parody being awaited by the Mayor, doubly funny considering one of the credited writers of this special, and Mojo Jojo trying to hang an ornament on a metal tree.

Princess infiltrates Santa’s workshop in a way similar to a spy movie for the next three minutes. I will say, wearing all black was probably not a good idea in the bright and cheery Santa's workshop, but it works anyway. There's some creative imagery, being Santa's workshop and all, but I didn't remember too much about this scene. We're only waiting in suspense to learn the obvious that she couldn't realize.

She gets to Santa's private office, and is horrified to see the truth: all of the girls she hated are on the nice list, and she's on the naughty list. Actually, there's a lot more to it than that!

See, Princess was so naughty, that she’s the only person on the naughty list. He didn’t even need to make a list; he just has the naughty sticky note. She was just that bad; everyone else is nice by comparison; even Mojo Jojo is going to get something for Christmas. Remember that when you got presents even though you totally stole from the cookie jar: Princess sinned for your sins.

That, and it’s pretty convenient for Princess’s plot.

Using a magic pencil that can erase ink, she swaps the two headings. Hey, it is Santa Claus we're dealing with, he probably has an eraser with a blue part that actually does erase ink. Of course, Santa can’t possibly think that every person except for one kid was naughty, right?

At the Powerpuff home, we cut back to the Powerpuff Girls slowly going to sleep. Bubbles wakes up early because she heard sleigh bells, only to find the cookies not eaten, no presents, and a lump of coal in her stocking. Bubbles decides to investigate further.

Bubbles flies around every house in the residential area of Townsville, looking at other people’s presents with her x-ray vision. She goes to one house, she goes to another house, and then another, and another, and another, and so on. Remember when I said "worst example"? I didn’t get out of my seat and yelled "okay, I get it already!" I only thought it loudly. Honest.

At least there’s some payoff to this, as Blossom and Buttercup tell Bubbles that she must have gotten coal because she looked through other people’s presents. Buttercup tells her this again later on, leading to this great reaction from Bubbles. It’s just the way it’s animated; there’s no need for No Me Gusta. Well, there's a quarter for the "reboot jabs in original reviews" jar.

Rewinding a little bit, once they see that they got coal in their stockings, too, Blossom and Buttercup realize something is terribly wrong, too.

The Powerpuff Girls, after changing into their normal outfits off-screen, yeah, that’s it, go up the chimney to find Princess. Princess is flying, and it’s not because they didn’t know she couldn’t. Since Princess is the only nice girl in the entire world, Santa decided to give her what she always wanted, and give everyone else coal.

She threatens to fly all the way to Santa Claus to tell him that those three jealous girls that always denied her is now going to destroy Santa’s workshop in retaliation for their much deserved coal. Why would he believe her? Because she’s the only nice child in the entire world, silly! As she starts flying off, the Powerpuff Girls chase after after her.

There are boring ways to fill time, and there are good ways to fill time, and while the driver scene is close, there is no better way to fill time in the Powerpuff Girls than with an action sequence. They must have known this, too; almost an episode’s worth of time is spent with them racing towards the North Pole, them fighting, pulling each other’s hair, and much, much more.

There are so many highlights I can bring out of this, but I got to leave something out of the review or I'll be here forever. I should highlight one scene in particular, though: Blossom has ice breath, Bubbles has the ability to talk to animals, Buttercup can roll her tongue, what does Princess have?

Crown-controlled telekinesis! Well, Bliss isn’t so special, is she? Alright, fine, enough with the reboot jabs; I'm running out of quarters to put in the jar. As she throws this giant ice ball, she ends up splitting this ball into three, shaping it into her face. A neat touch.

Princess: Cool it, girls!

Even Princess is good at the one-liners.

In a speed more rapid than eagles, 8 minutes to get to the North Pole from somewhere in the US is rather impressive, they finally arrive at the North Pole. Yes, I timed it. They destroy everything in sight thanks to a hair tug caused fight. Princess ended up being right about the Powerpuff Girls destroying the workshop, as said earlier, though it was all her fault.

We get to see ol' jolly Saint Nick himself, except he isn’t so jolly. He's sad that every kid in the entire world is bad except for one kid. Maybe he shouldn't have skipped over the whole "he sees you when you're sleeping" part in the beginning. Considering how Bubbles is demonized for doing so earlier in the episode, maybe they didn't want to point out the hypocrisy.

How did they get Santa to believe that Princess is wrong, and they are right? Simple: all Santa needed to hear was that they were the Powerpuff Girls. Knowing who they are, but not knowing what they looked like; what kind of Santa are you? He's still cool.

Then again, Princess calling him "Santa Clod" probably helped with his next decision.

Santa realizes that, no, he doesn’t have to follow a list to know who's naughty or nice when it's clear to him. He tears the sticky note up. Who's to think that the only person that learns a lesson in this special is Santa? I can't even think of a time where that has ever happened before.

Well, there is one list that he will follow: the crew vanity Permanent Naughty List, as Santa noses Princess’s name on it. Maybe I should explain that: when he pokes his red nose, Christmas magic happens. I feel sorry for poor Bill and Ryan; Santa taught of them before thinking of that next guy.

Santa: Bum bum bum!

No, really, he says “bum bum bum” as the camera zooms into this face when he does this. Even with his utter lapse of judgment, I can still say this is one of my favorite portrayals of Santa Claus.

Another "bum bum bum" is that it's just too late; he's already done his journey. The fact that the workshop is in ruins doesn't help at all, but he doesn't hold it against the Powerpuff Girls. If only there were someone that can fly super fast.

The Powerpuff Girls become Santa for a year, saving Christmas like all those characters in the 80's. We don't see them go all around the world, just through Townsville's residential area. We can just assume the rest of the whole world didn't wake up to coal in their stocking, as the Narrator does.

We almost end on a joke with the Professor trying to wake the girls, but they're too tired having to do Santa's job in an inkling of the time it took Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, and et cetera. It could have ended with that, but that wouldn't have been as cheerful for a Christmas special, so they wake up and celebrate Christmas after all.

The Narrator ends the show like how every Powerpuff Girls episode ends, in a more rhymey and Christmassy way. Just wanted to highlight that because I miss it so much. Maybe I should make some plans for the new year.

Does it still hold up?

Minus a few scenes that lasted a bit too long, it’s a great special from start to finish with lots of actions and some creative humor. There’s not a lot of Christmas specials that can claim that, especially the former.

All I can say to end this review is...

Marry Krismas, Ms Kene.

[carruth00]

SOLE SNATCHER - by Joel Dickinson & Joe Givan - A Review (Gimmicks and Online Instructions)

This is the Ad Copy:

Trainers & Shoe's

A miracle at your finger tips that starts at your toes.

A routine that lives up to the 'no pocket space required' hype -- with NO damage or permanent alternation to your shoe needed!

Sole Snatcher is the ultimate signed card to shoe yet so much more.

Reappear signed bank notes, business cards, playing cards, paper or cardboard in your shoe.

An amazing tool to add to your repertoire.

Yet still, it's even more than that.. imagine vanishing a signed banknote and you explain it's in your shoe, you remove your shoe and monopoly money appears inside, then, when you remove it, it instantly changes at your finger tips in to their signed bank note.

Sole Snatcher is limited to your imagination. It's also ideal for predictions and billets. Suitable for close up, strolling, cabaret and parlour.

Joel Dickinson goes all out and shares his secrets that take the card to shoe plot further than it's ever been!

You receive everything required to perform Sole Snatcher. Including a HD tutorial video with various handlings & countless ideas to get you performing this miracle. Also included is a performance breakdown of card to shoe.

Sole Snatcher is interchangeable, you can add and remove your cards/paper super quick!

You also receive FISM Close up Champion, Joe Givan's lecture note section with his amazing variation of Card to Shoe.

My Thoughts:

Joel Dickinson, creator of Sole Snatcher, has been a very busy guy for a number of years. He's created a number of very popular effects, like Foreseen, Bulldog, The Trix, Volition.. and written best selling books like Head Tricks and Tricking The Brain. You can't argue with success.

With Sole Snatcher, Joel has created a utility that makes it appear as if a signed card, inserted in a deck, suddenly falls out of the performer's shoe. I don't have to tell you how visual this can be. It borders on the impossible.. but as magicians.. we also know the impossible isn't all its made out to be. Joel makes this particularly impossible trick… possible.

Sole Snatcher is a gimmick. It comes in an envelope and you can create your own gimmick/utility in a few minutes. Everyone knows I dislike DIY, but this is simple DIY.. and I'm not going to hold it against Sole Snatcher. All you should need to create the gimmick, aside from what's provided, is a little glue or double stick tape.

If you watch the performance video, you'll see the magi get a card signed, apparently insert it into the center of the deck, and after a bit of conversation, drop the entire deck into his jacket pocket. Another bit of conversation.. and the magi tells the spectator his card has vanished from the pocket. To prove his point, he gestures to his shoe, removes his shoe, shows the inside of the shoe to the spectator just as a folded card drops from the inside/toe of the shoe to the inside/heel of the shoe. The magi dumps the card into his free hand, unfolds it, and shows it to be the signed card.

The performance is filmed straight on, for the viewer, and isn't an actual live performance.. Although live performances are always a plus, nothing is lost in filming Sole Snatcher this way. I want to say this because I'm going to say something that I probably shouldn't.. but I feel I have to say it to be fair to everyone. Sole Snatcher is a great idea, for sure, but it does not do ALL the dirty work for you. You are responsible for getting the card out of the deck and into a state to make it appear as if you produced it from your shoe. There is an additional method to make this more simple, but the basic control is a necessity. Enough said…

If course, there are many things you can produce with Sole Snatcher.. cards, bank notes, business cards and billetts.. among other items. Anything small enough to fit inside a shoe, along with your foot, can be produced at a moments notice.

Pros: Startling production. Can produce any number of different items. Can be used in a variety of different settings. Additional six minute video and PDF with info not included in the main tutorial.

Cons: Must walk around with the gimmick in your shoe. Not sure if this is a forty dollar effect. ( Definitely worth it -if- you use it regularly ). Designed for shoes with laces, not loafer type shoes, although I'm sure there's a work-around.

The tutorial is a HD online tutorial that runs almost 30 minutes. The quality is very good and you'll be comfortable watching and learning Sole Snatcher. If you enjoy this type of magical production, you will get a great deal of satisfaction from Joel's latest creation.

$39.95 .. From Murphy's Magic and their Associates

Review by Rick Carruth for Murphy's Magic & The Magic Roadshow