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cutiepisenpai · 4 years ago

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Dear Stranger Series Ch. 9: House Hunters(Spencer Reid x Female OC)

Masterlist

Warnings: mone just fluff

“Ok, so what do you think about this one.” Spencer says, showing her the webpage for a house in Woodbridge. From the look on her face he can already tell she does not like this house. “What’s wrong with this one?” He asks. “Did you actually look at the photos? Or just the specs of the house?” Melinda starts by saying, “There is so much wrong with that house and you don't want to renovate. Like look at that kitchen it is atrocious and none of the woods match.” This had been going on for three months, having completely different ideals for the perfect home was making the search that much harder. Spencer wanted a historical house which Melinda was ok with but she wanted the interior to be updated, stating no one wants to live in a haunted house. “Yes I looked at the photos and it looks fine, it’s a part of the history. There are too many ways home renovations can go wrong.” Spencer says. This has been the ongoing argument, having already made their compromises it was just finding a house that had what they were looking for. “Okay, how about this one.” He says showing her a new construction with a historic look but being completely upgraded on the outside. He looks over to see her blank stare followed by an eye roll. “What is wrong with this one?!” He says in a huff. “Really? I know you do not like this house, like at all. I don’t want to just compromise and pick a house. I want us both to like it. It’s not just a house it's a home.” She says cuddling closer. They decide to take a break for now opting to just cuddle and talk,

Several days later on the plane ride home from a case the team is relaxed and just making random conversation. Spencer who had been fixated on the book in his hand turns to Melinda, “Are we going to your place or mine?” Before Melinda can answer Emily interjects, “Wait, you two don’t live together?” “No.” They say in unison. Neither of their apartments had the space to consolidate all their stuff so they continued to go to each other’s apartment. With how much stuff had moved between their homes aside from the furniture you wouldn’t know they didn’t live together. “But aren’t you like always together? Outside of work I just assumed you were attached at the ya know.” Emily says gesturing. “Well we are always together. Sometimes we stay at Mel’s some days we stay at my place.” Spencer says. “Are you waiting until after the wedding to move in?” JJ joins the conversation. “No, we’ve been looking for a house but haven’t found anything that will work yet.” Melinda says, looking to Spencer, “Maybe we should look into getting a realtor to help.” “ We have a combined IQ of 370 we can figure this out on our own.” Spencer responds, he didn’t want to have anyone else get involved they can do this on their own. “I think if IQ alone was enough, we would have found something by now.” “Fine we can try a realtor but when this doesn’t work we go back to just us and we finally make a decision.”

A week and a half later Melinda and Spencer are getting ready to go with the realtor they chose and look at some of the options she had found for them. The first house they see in Woodbridge VA is a nice upgraded everything Melinda could ask for. Spencer did not like it at all; it had no charm to it. “It has carpet, you said no to carpet it traps dust mites,pet dander, particle pollution, lead, mold spores, pesticides, dirt and dust. Some chemicals they use in padding and adhesives also have potential health harm.” Spencer says trying to talk Melinda out of liking the house. “Yes I know carpet is horrible disgusting. Stop worrying I am not in love with this house.” Melinda says with a smile. “Do you not love it because of the carpet or is there something else?” “Well the carpet is a definite problem and you don’t like it. And that is not safe.” She says pointing out of the window. Outside the window past the desk there is a small yard but no fence there were stairs leading through a wooded area and to a creek. Spencer missed that, how did he miss that. The next house they see is in Springfield, pulling into the driveway both of them already disliked the house. Walking inside and everything about this house screams no. “The cabinets have scalloped bottoms.” Melinda whispers to Spencer. “There is nowhere for an office or to put any of our books.” Spencer whispers back. Deciding to end this misery early they let the realtor know this would not work at all. The last house she takes them to see is a 1890’s Historic Farm House in Falls Church. It was a beautiful historic home renovated and restored. It was the perfect home for them. Spencer was impressed but Melinda is quiet and he doesn’t know what she is thinking. Walking behind her wrapping his arms around her waist placing his chin in the crook in her neck. “What are you thinking?” she hums before answering,” It’s nice.. Amazing actually.” “ So should we put in the offer?” “If you let me change the back splash in the kitchen I’d say it was perfect.” Kissing her cheek, “Ok you can change the back splash. So we’re making an offer.” She nods in agreement. After telling the realtor of the decision as they are walking to their car Spencer turns and says, “You know that house actually has 2 more bedrooms then we originally asked for so maybe I can talk you into potentially two more kids than we planned for in our future.”

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid #Female reader #female oc #fluff #Dear Stranger Series

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bogleech · 6 years ago

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Okay here’s the whole entire text of my original pokemon gen concept under a cut (sorry if that screws you up on mobile)

I’ve only ever sketched a tiny number of these (like my fly ideas here), but I can see most of them in my head pretty clearly and might sketch more of them by request someday. I originally set my fan-region in Florida, a place I hated living but still had a lot of interesting characteristics. This changed over once I moved to Oregon, and the thing about Oregon is that it has desert, forest, swamp, coastline and frozen mountaintops that are all pretty vast, ancient and in places relatively untouched compared to the rest of North America. This is not only a perfect setting for some really wild pokemon, but makes a believable choice because our Pacific Northwest is pretty popular in Japan.

The different biomes of this region have "deep" areas where the pokemon change. Some also have "polluted" areas. The region is environmentally themed and heavily deals with human interference on the natural world.

The villains are Team Bio, genetic engineerers lead by a mysterious old woman who narrowly survived the original Mewtwo experiment. Her underlings all use "mutant" pokemon, and she seeks to create a new species of hyper-intelligent, pure-hearted pokemon that will replace humans entirely. Along the way is a strange increase in reports of interstellar pokemon activity... I actually tried hard to minimize how many pokemon in this are just “my kind” of concept, but I think I failed pretty hard. It probably does feel like it leans a little more towards Mortasheen than something Pokemon would actually make, but for basically every pokemon that’s one of my “dream concepts” or “most wanted” I tried to come up with one that I thought would appeal more to somebody else’s taste than mine.

THE STARTERS

Grass Starter: a grass "lumberjack" pterosaur with an axe for a beak. Second stage has more saw-like beak, final stage is a grass/steel quetzalcoatlus (the pterosaur) with a beak and crest forming a chainsaw, no longer flies

Fire type calf whose black cow marks are actually soot. Evolves into cow with craggy black “helmet” and horns of charcoal. Final stage a charcoal-armored minotaur like fire/ground type.

Water Starter is a beady-eyed water shrew with big webbed flipper feet, known to steal shiny objects. Second stage more humanoid, said to dive for treasure. Final stage is water/dark lanky, stripey shrew with a black mask, said to rob boats like a “highwayman” of the river.

Meadows and forest:

Normal type mammal is a spherical porcupine, like a chestnut. Rubs its spines with noxious fruit juices, giving it a multicolored look. Evolved form is a colorful “punk” porcupine.

Early bug is a sticklike inchworm Evolves to cocoon resembling a wooden log on top. Final form is bipedal stick mimic grasshopper, evocative of a cute wooden puppet with a pointed nose.

Basic bird is a hummingbird Evolves to be four-winged and legless, never lands in its whole life. Final hummingbird is a fierce looking hunter that drains energy from grass types like a predator.

Grass type walking bud creature, looks nervous. Evolves to grass/flying orchid-like angelic flower. Alternate evolution is wilted, grey, grass/ghost goth orchid with tattered petals, cute but sad. (evolves this way if it levels up after a battle in which it sustained super-effective damage)

Ground type earthworm sticking out of dirt, cute flower-shaped head. Evolved worm looks like shark sticking out of the dirt, nose looks like its prevo

Electric/dark pikachu-like packrat holding a large coin. Electrically charges its treasure as a booby trap. Actually said to be employed as underlings by the water-type shrew starter.

MISCELLANY:

Bug/poison type grub with fangs. Only encountered in garbage cans. Evolves into a fly pupa Final stage is a gloomy looking, drooling anthropomorphic fly.

Single stage bug/fairy type: a beautiful Maleficent-looking parasitoid wasp. Evolves from any cocoon/pupa pokemon if they're holding a "suspicious egg" item.

Ocean

Water/grass nudibranch with flower on its back. Evolves to a glaucus, each "arm" a colorful flower that absorbs sunlight as it floats.

Water type fish that "sails" on the sea's surface with its fins. Sleepy looking stingray evolution. Final form is water/dragon deep sea fish, combines some traits of anglerfish and viperfish with eyes on stalks. Only evolves from stingray when you're in the sea trench.

Water/flying marlin with huge, dazzling butterfly like fins.

Water type baby dolphin, fuzzy like a seal pup, only evolves if it has fainted more times than the number of its current level. Evolved form is water/dark, shaggy-furred, fierce looking, battle scarred dolphin with legs instead of flippers, a throwback to the doglike ancestors of delphinidae.

Polluted inlet

Water/poison oil slick with two tentacles and beady white eyes, signature ability changes it to water/fire type if it uses a fire move. Evolved form is an oil slick rising into a cartoon octopus with x's for pupils.

Water/steel fish hook with tiny head and eyes, like a barbed metal worm. Water/steel fishing jig, googly eyes and everything.

Barren Island - just a very big rock in the middle of the inlet

Ghost/poison: a greenish "dodo bird" with a face like a biohazard mask, the ghost of a species that went exinct due to sickness.

Sea Trench

Water/fire bristleworm "snake" Water/fire tube worm "dragon"

Water/ghost wailord skeleton draped in pink fuzz and a garden of one-eyed bone worms.

Swamp

Electric/flying bird resembling a lightbulb kiwi. Evolved form resembling a neon light lawn flamingo.

Grass/fairy giant sloth with sleepy face, completely covered in shaggy moss with various flowers and mushrooms. Protector of the swamp, able to control plant life.

Grass/psychic sundew, just a pair of sundew leaves atop a sleepy looking oddish-esque bulb. Evolved sundew is mostly a big circular sundew rosette, but a humanoid flower rotates in the center like a music box to lure prey.

Water/fighting borzoi pup with long legs, acts like a water strider. Evolved form is an elongated, elegant borzoi "ballerina" that dances atop water

Water/ground red leech slightly evocative of a vacuum cleaner. A healer that sucks poison from the body instead of blood. May mysteriously appear in your team after walking through swamp water.

Deep Forest:

Grass/ground banana slug with colorful mold spots, learns spore. Evolves into mold splotched, brown banana peel creature, more like a big squid.

Grass/dark autumn leaf in the shape of a bat, has levitate. Evolved form redder, bigger "vampire cape" leaf-bat.

Psychic/ghost cheshire cat with Meowth-like proportions, bright crescent smile. Evolved form just huge smile and cat eyes hovering in the air, beastly cat body fading into view only for physical attacks or when struck.

Rock type humanoid made of transparent amber with a strange mayfly-like bug sleeping inside. Outer body can "break" at low HP and release faster, more offensive pure bug form.

Rock: incredibly huge, stony looking moose with long white fur draped over its eyes and back. Comes in size variations like Pumpkaboo line and said to never stop growing. A truly titanic one is used as transportation through the deep forest.

Snowy patches

Bug/ice velvet worm that spews a freezing liquid. Silly looking, almost like wiggler from mario.

Ice/flying fluffy white bird resembling a tiny Japanese style snowman. Evolves to resemble western style snowman with clawed bird feet, pointed beak nose. A flightless pure ice mountain dweller.

Electric/ice with levitate: a crystalline "UFO" sky-jellyfish with many colorful lights, core body looks like a cute pikmin-esque "alien" inside. Catch by fishing off of ledges into the sky. Mistaken by locals for alien activity.

Lava Tube Caves

Psychic type bipedal pink salamander with no eyes. Evolves into beautiful milotic-like psychic/dragon blind olm.

Rock/fighting spearhead with feet, eyes are just round holes through blade. Evolves to gain a stick-figure sort of body.

Abandoned town

Normal/bug filthy dog, a shaggy pile of fur with goofy eyes and pink tongue. Little black specks jump about it. Ability changes normal moves to bug moves. Evolved form more obviously a dog but still very shaggy, surrounded by constant cloud of black specks.

Grass/electric "christmas tree" made of holly and lights. Found in a burned down house, glowing eyes peer out from beneath it.

Ghost: has a colorful quilt for a body and a pincushion for a head. Found inside houses.

Garbage dump - accessible through abandoned town, possibly what drove people away (includes piles of toys you may investigate to encounter a banette, mimikyu or klefki)

Water/poison: cartoony fish with blank eyes and humanoid pair of legs. Fish for in toxic green garbage pools. Evolves into ground/poison skeleton fish with four limbs, walking like a lizard.

Steel/bug rusty orange silverfish. Eats junk metal. Evolved form so big it wears a rusty car for protection with just its legs and feelers sticking out.

MICROPOKEMON - enlarged artificially in a laboratory where you can also take your fossils.

Bug/fighting flea - spiny black flea with big jagged white teeth. Create from the "pest sample" an item carried randomly by the normal/bug dog.

Poison/fairy germ - fuzzy multicolored mold ball with eyes, stalked suckers. Retrieve "germ sample" from the dodo ghost.

Water/fairy tardigrade - transparent, cute bug stylized almost like a "gummy bear." Retrieve "dew sample" from moss sloth.

Pseudolegendary:

Rock type baby gargoyle creature. Evolves to winged gargoyle with levitate and a few mossy patches. Final form is an elegant griffon-like rock/dragon with an elaborately carved surface

SPACE ARK DRAGON This location is itself a dragon/fairy legendary pokemon so massive you can enter its body. It exists to collect and preserve species from dying worlds. Most common wild pokemon inside is duosion and sometimes Reuniclus. You can also collect "gene samples" from crystalline pods to replicate the ultrabeasts in the same lab you enlarge the microbes and resurrect fossils.

Bug/dark parasitic alien, a little like weird yellow plant suckered to the ground, red flower-like head with an eye on each petal ala the yokai parasite, gyochu.

Bug/dark parasitic alien, a colorful worm with cute eyes and beautiful mothlike wings, a little like the yokai parasite koshi-no-mushi.

Bug/dark parasitic alien, a pale, red and white striped "lizard" with six spindly limbs and a tubular proboscis, inspired by the yokai parasite kagemushi.

Fairy type alien medic, looks like a cute flatwoods monster with heart motif and nurse coat. Flees from all battles unless you have defeated at least one of each of the parasites.

LEGENDARIES:

Dragon/electric: the ark dragon's smaller offspring, looks like an electronic space whale.

Dragon/steel, menacing, sleek black starship creature. Rival to the ark dragon, a "world reaper" that attempts to destroy planets that it thinks are already dying.

Psychic/fairy little white, fluffy mothman-like being, an observer that casts judgment on suffering worlds to call one of the dragons (version based)

Normal type legendary is the most human-like pokemon we've ever seen, a serene floating figure with long hair and black, almond-shaped eyes. A genetic experiment to supplant humans.

Electric/fighting: a hulking humanoid beast, almost frankensteinian with asymmetrical features, a failed early experiment.

A "glitched and scrambled" two dimensional pokemon. The result of the earliest known experiments in digital pokemon transfer. Actually literally typeless.

POISON FUSIONS created in the garbage dump:

Weezodor - poison/flying - Garbodor/weezing hybrid, like a jellyfish bag with smog tentacles.

Mukking - poison/water - Weezing/muk hybrid, like a koffing with slime appendages.

Garmuk - poison/ground - Muk/garbodor hybrid, like a giant slug made of trash.

MUTANT POKEMON: mutations of classic first-stage pokemon into creatures slightly tougher than even their original final stages.

Mutant Caterpie - bug/dragon - huge, dragonlike Caterpie with more menacing eyespots, clawed limbs.

Mutant Paras - pure grass - giant paras with far more mushrooms of different colors, body pure white with no mouth and white sphere eyes, actually made only of fungus.

Mutant Venonat - bug/dark - same old venonat with a big shaggy monster body

Mutant Zubat - Psychic - somewhat larger than crobat, has actual legs and a pair of clawed arms instead of wings. Much bigger ears.

Mutant Voltorb - electric/steel - a Voltorb even bigger than Electrode, otherwise looks normal besides angrier yellow eyes...until it splits open to reveal sharp teeth.

Mutant Tangela - grass/fairy - more like its scrapped Gen II evolution but perhaps a lot taller, with two very very long arms.

Mutant Geodude - rock/fighting - HUGE spiky arms and hands but head/body are the same as always.

Mutant Shellder - water/steel - it's the spiraly slowbro one!

Mutant Exeggcute - psychic/poison - bigger and more plentiful but "rotten" looking eggs with gloomier eyes and dark purple goo.

Mutant Eevee - normal - bigger than any of the eeveelutions, shaggy and beastly with the "camouflage" ability. Learns strong attacks of every eevee evolution type.

Mutant Doduo - fighting type with only one head

Mutant Luvdisc - the only one based on a non-evolving pokemon. Angry "broken heart" Luvdisc with record offensive stats for the series, but even worse defenses than regular luvdisc.

Mutant Trapinch - dragon/bug - giant turtle-like Trapinch, redder, spiny, second mouth inside jaws.

Mutant Dratini - dragon/fairy - huge long dratini with longer feathery wing ears, identical wings down body.

Mutant Larvitar - dragon/dark - big, armored green reptile, still has larvitar type head with craggier, meaner horn.

Mutant Bagon - dragon - huge, more t-rex proportioned bagon, spiked shell on head.

Mutant Deino - bigger and shaggier with a ring of five long-necked deino heads

Mutant Gible - dragon/fighting - only usually seen as a huge sharky fin sticking out of the ground. When it emerges, its body isn't much bigger than regular gible.

Mutant Goomy - psychic/dragon - giant goomy with gaping mouth, antennae are much longer, green and stripey.

Mutant Jangmo-o - dragon/steel - same old head but more ankylosaur-like big body, entirely a dark iron color with more pitted looking scales.

ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATIONS no mechanical or typing difference, but new color schemes and decorations on existing pokemon, totally an aesthetic change. Have their own shiny forms.

SEA TRENCH FORMS: Entirely pale pink golisopod line with closed eyes transparent red tentacool line with darker red nodules dark maroon inkay line with blue lights red and purple feebas line

CAVE FORMS: White, eyeless venipede line White, eyeless magikarp line

DEEP SWAMP FORMS: crocodile-green Sandile line with lily pad on head black shelled "freshwater" shellder line with green algae growths pure red and purple colored bellsprout line

DEEP FOREST FORMS: braviary with more hawklike colors foongus line with no pokeball pattern...the original foongus? wolf-spider colored joltik line

POLLUTED INLET FORMS: Dewpider line with all black body and limbs, yellow glowing eyes in dirty green water Grey wailmer line draped in red algae, clumps of barnacles (presumably degenerated binacle) Wingull line with grey and black oil-splotched feathers, tin can on head

GARBAGE DUMP FORMS: Bounsweet line with only grey, brown and black colors, dark spoiled looking splotches Black bag trubbish line with green trash, copper colored pipes Rusted looking klink line, rotates only once every few seconds.

----------GYM LEADERS -------------- In this region the gyms are dual type, and bring back past mechanics and gimmicks as their focus.

flying/normal: a blind, wheelchair-bound old man who specializes in dog and bird pokemon. Uses a baton pass team.

Steel/electric: an astronaut commanding his gym by remote feed from the station. Uses Magnezone, Rotom forms and, surprisingly, a random steel or electric ultrabeast.

Poison/bug: a germophobic lady scientist ironically obsessed with pollution pokemon, always wearing a biohazard suit. Has weezing, garbodor, the fly pokemon and Yanmega. Uses Z-moves, but it's random whether she uses a bug or poison one and on which pokemon.

Dark/fire: an elderly biker lady. Has no gym and in fact roams around the region. Surprisingly challenges you to a third-gen style beauty contest with her frightening selection of pokemon.

Grass/fairy: witchy pharmacist and botanist who lives out in the woods, all of her grass types are mushroom based. Unusually has you team up with her in a double battle against a random pokemon of unusual size and strength, like Alola's totem pokemon.

Ground/fighting: an extremely frail little nerdy guy who likes amazingly fearsome pokemon, hates bullies but kind of is one. Makes you face a horde battle with all of his pokemon vs. only one of yours at a time.

Dragon/rock: a boisterous monster movie director who dresses his pokemon in costumes, gym is a cardboard city. Uses a dynamaxed pokemon.

Ghost/psychic: a horror author, Vincent Price like, lives in a mansion and makes visitors face scenes from his books. Instead of a single battle, he has you face a series of singular mega pokemon behind each "scene." THE LABORATORY This location is of course secretly associated with the villain team, but you can free it up from them in the endgame. Here you can make fossil pokemon, micropokemon, regional forms from past generations, ultrabeasts and even mega stones, but all require you to spend one or more “gene crystals.” You’re handed a number of these through the storyline but it would be very challenging to farm more than that (think Gen 7 bottlecaps). Spending more crystals at the lab would allow you to finally alter abilities, natures and IV’s at a whim, and for an exceptional cost you could upgrade the BASE stats of any L100 pokemon permanently. This is a percentage increase applied across the board to all of its stats at once, and stops at either 100 total points beyond their normal limits, or a final base stat total of 530 (equivalent to a fully evolved starter) MISC STUFF:

Your mom this gen asks you if you hope to have an easy, challenging, or very challenging adventure. You can return to her at any time to adjust the difficulty again.

When you beat the game, you can make a custom trainer for online battles using the models of other NPC trainer types, i.e. you can finally be a swimmer/scientist/grunt/etc. You can unlock some popular ones from past generations.

You can select one pokemon as your main partner, which not only has it following you, but involves it a little more in the storyline (special events based on its first typing) and gives it some in-game perks.

A special item attached to any one of your pokemon allows your whole team to “share strength,” meaning that their weaknesses are mitigated for each teammate they share a type with. This allows for type-themed teams to be more viable but wouldn’t completely eliminate their weaknesses, and the effect diminishes proportionately for every pokemon that faints.

You can designate a seventh pokemon to be your “team mascot,” a non-combat role with different effects depending on species/type.

A single team can have either the mascot, a z-move, a dynamax/gigantamax form or a mega, cannot mix these.

Legendary pokemon now suffer a stat nerf for every other legendary pokemon on the same team. A team of six legendaries would actually be somewhat below-average in stats.

#pokemon #fakemon

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kzbrandt · 4 years ago

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The Shadow

It will come for us all at one point or another, rejection, doubt, failure… The Darkness is here. This virus is only the beginning, she has many faces. Plague, Influenza, Covid-19, starvation, corruption and so on. She is the faceless, the nameless lurking everywhere and no where, she gave birth to night, leaving only one light to reign under the day.

The twelve have Gathered, but a Reckoning warms the horizon, a smothering, burning yearning… If you close your eyes and listen for the wind, you can hear the sound of destiny breaking decades of silence. Now, when your eyes peel back the blindness, the long lost mother Earthenia is salivating in divine femininity. Ascending from dirt and sand, the first beasts prowled, still drawing breath in the obscurity of the wild. The shadow has descended and it is but a finger of what lies ahead.

I think back to simpler times, back at the drafting table, where life began at the mere stroke of my hand. Few know my name and even fewer conscious of its existence, but still, there is one who will come to gain such a power. A true mystery is a rare gift, especially when one knows almost everything. Even as curious as my aching mind grows, I worry for all of you, my creations. How will you fair in such perilous waters?

As the Creator, I am responsible for a great many things. Contrary to popular belief, many divines are not without imperfection. The most pristine landscape is riddled with flaws. Human or god-gifted in the end we rise the same. To rise a mountain, first we must meet the flood.

I remember every seed I’ve ever grown, teaching this skill to only one other, there is no greater joy than cultivating life. Some I plant, others I mold with clay from the Vale. Murky and Earthen in color, it glows with a bright, white light, powered by the Ancients essence, springing life eternal. Each bloodline has strength, big or small, the past can never be forgotten.

Of all my memories, the most unforgettable was the maiden queen. Monarch butterflies flock to their beautiful mother, as did I. Alas, a fatal mistake I would come to mourn for centuries. There was a time long ago, when as a young boy was unrestrained and unrefined. I loved and lusted for artistry, power and creation. I got swept away by the pleasure and trivial aspirations. I forgot who I was meant to be.

In doing so, a small shadow was unleashed from he Abyss, a dominion of emptiness and horror, a universe of nightmares. It only took one time, one mistake, and I opened the door across the realms and invited a single spore of Darkness and she grew.

After pulling back each grisly layer, I was surprised to find a woman, comely in nature. Cloaked in mystique, she still remained nameless. How could she elude me so easily? If I recall correctly, she spoke only once.

“I must find my sister,” and like a vacuum in outer space, all of her opaque shrouds were suctioned back. A sister, a twin? This thought has burdened me for eons. Soon to be a lifelong obsession, I had to know as Creator, what I brought into this verse. If there were answers I needed to find them.

Falling back to where it all began, I found myself on the Isle of Ness, where there are no beginnings or endings, the story here is ever-flowing. You may have heard of it, many in the past called it Eden. A great crime was committed forcing the retreat of all mortals, but more on that another time. This is the residence of the remaining Elders, the ones who managed to cling to immortality. This floating island could not be seen by human eyes or felt with such fragile hands, it was an impossibility. It is a realm within a world, location of the first sin and lost things.

Whenever the script gets too cluttered and chaotic, I like to start new and wet my quill with fresh ink. There were thoughts that needed to be satisfied. For starters, what was the Darkness? I deduced that it wasn’t pure malevolence, there was something more. Whoever she may be, a tragic, scarred tale was waiting to unfold.

Humanity was consummated with greed, selfishness, survivalism and corruption. But, there was also love, compassion, selflessness and a humor that kept you going, even in the darkest of times. As an older man now, I can look back and see the true gift in mortality is the brittleness of it all. In one second everything you hold dear could vanish, this makes life that much more precious. How can one really appreciate this if they’ve never had a shelf-life or expiration date? If death never comes knocking, do we even glance at the door?

With the modern age comes many magnificent wonders, but it lacks the true knowledge of how things really began. The first beings go by many names, and they are the cosmic designers you’ll never see. The old ways can be both worshiped and abhorred. There was a time when things were very different, well before the age of Síandra. I wish I could tell you what happened, but this is yet another fabric of history ripped away. For thousands of years, I did nothing but search and study all the way from Taboo to the Abyss. Once the Isle of Ness went missing, things became significantly more complicated.

It’s a gamble for sure, risking it all to have faith in one unique soul. The Golden one, the key, a wick to light up the dark, if she can learn my name maybe all creation can be saved. To see my children full of such corruption and e useless is a fate worse than death. I am a father first. There was only one other place that might ail my torment.

The great tree of knowledge, Ymir, husband to Ymira and virility of all barken-folk, was my answer. Constructed from my hand, he was a painting that filled me with such joy. The ingredients were tricky, blood, oak, willow, half of Ymira’s heart, and saliva from my own mouth. A wonder for the ages still written about today. Bonded by blood and bone, out tether couldn't be severed. His story I knew too well.

Seeing Ymir was dangerous and a near impossible journey to any who sought the truth. Down the rabbit hold under Lycanthrope Dr. lies a doorway. An old portal leading to the Vale. A land seldom traveled, even rarer still was for anyone to return. Nothing was solid in the realm of spirits, a path you started on may change or cease to be. The Vale will claim us all one day, ever-thirsting , always desiring another soul, mine included. If ever I should fall, my immaculate energy would swim ashore and embrace the afterlife, drinking Valean tree wine with my kin, Ymir. How we would rejoice deep in irrevocable peace.

Of course, if this ever happened the universe would be thrown too far, unlikely to recover. Apocalypse would rise up, ready to maim and ensnare. What happens to the body once the heart stops beating? The feelings of all flow inside, the suffering and turmoil as well as happiness and determination. Blood pouring from too many, some wielding the knife on themselves. How can I judge them, when I think of it also? So much responsibility, an entire universe weighing down on my shoulders. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. How can I ever discard it when so many continue to cry out?

I will never give up on mankind, though we wear many faces, we are the same. Put down the hatred and open your eyes. For what comes will destroy everything, unless you care enough to change it. Until we meet again…

Sincerely, your Creator.

A note from KZ: Like what you see check out my short film of the shadow on my you tube channel (

https://youtu.be/9NVLCajZ3vM

) , maybe go a step further and find The Gathering on Amazon under KZBrandt. Thanks for visiting!

ᔓKZBrandtᔕ

#DarkeningUniverse fantasy The Gathering writers Saturday imagination

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ghostbustershq · 5 years ago

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Ghostbusters: Afterlife - Trailer A Breakdown

“Troy, wondering what you thought about that new Ghostbusters trailer?”

Well, I’ve waited thirty years for this moment. Something tells me that my long-winded and verbose writing sensibilities won’t be able to convey my thoughts in a text message or 140 characters on Twitter. Welcome anyone that I’ve pointed in this direction. I’ve been waiting an awful long time for this. And that’s not to be dismissive of the wonderful experience and entertaining film we received just three short years ago. This is something different. But the same. Something new, but also something familiar. In one word?

Wow.

Quite a bit to unpack in a trailer revealing the first details on what has otherwise been a very tight-lipped production. Needless to say, the first real look at Jason Reitman’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife blew me away. The direct sequel to Ghostbusters II looks to take some twists and turns, while incorporating the iconography and elements that made the original film and its sequel so popular in the 80’s. To be completely honest, it’s quite difficult to sit here and put into words my reaction to seeing a trailer for a movie I’ve been waiting 30 years to see. Excited doesn’t even begin to describe just how fun and exciting this trailer release has been. Not to mention just how special this film release will be.

But you’re not here for a review or my sentiments, you’re here for a breakdown to the trailer with a few comments and screen grabs.

Let’s do it, eh?

Hitting the Road

Right out of the gate, some stunning cinematography from Eric Steelberg on full-display here as a car full of teenage kids approach what appears to be an old mine elevator at the top of an incredible looking vista. Kids being kids, golden hour in full effect, it’s a lovely first introduction to the world in which this film will inhabit. Finn Wolfhard’s character Trevor answers a pointed question that his family has moved to Summerville because they’re completely broke. To the point that he’s getting a haircut at home by his own mother, Callie (played by Carrie Coon). We’re meeting a family on some hard times, forced to make a hard turn in their lives because of finances.

Grandpa’s “Creepy Old Farmhouse”

The family pulls up to a farmhouse and barn that looks like they’ve both seen better days. A giant barn with a collapsed roof and several silos surround a Gothic looking weather vein riddled house that may as well be out of the Addams Family. Dire circumstances have forced them to move to a family farm inherited from an, as of now, unknown grandfather. Phoebe (played by Mckenna Grace) gets out of the car with a look on her face that says it all. And those eyeglasses… well, we’ve all talked about who those look like they belong to at great length.

Something’s Amiss

Trevor’s tender moment with a new friend (Celeste O’Connor’s still as-of-yet-unrevealed character) is interrupted by the mine elevator they’re sitting on shakes violently and a green glow emanates from the mine below them. All is not picture-perfect Americana in Summerville as we’ve been led to believe. An entity explodes from the mine, escaping into the air and pushing the teenagers back in the process. That glimpse of our paranormal haunting kicks us into the studio and production company logos.

Bron Studios/Bron Media Logo

Interestingly, no Ghost Corps logo attached to the trailer. But there is a newcomer to both the trailer and the teaser poster released on Friday, Bron Studios. A Canadian company, Bron gets a logo right after Sony/Columbia possibly suggesting they’re a financial backer of the film or a large partner in some shape or form. A quick look at iMDB shows that Aaron L. Gilbert of Bron Media has been added as an Executive Producer to the film as well.

Earthquakes and Mr. Grooberson

Here’s our first real taste of how Paul Rudd’s character will factor into the film. He’s intrigued by Summerville’s seismic activities, given the fact that it doesn’t lie on a fault line, nor does it have any of the telltale signs of locations that should be moving and shaking. The protagonist family huddles under a table during a quake where we get a good taste of the film’s humor courtesy of Trevor with a quippy one-liner about the summer that they died under a table. So what is happening? Stay tuned. Also, admittedly I was too distracted by the beautiful lighting in the shot with Trevor to notice the symmetrical book stacking visual gag in the background until others pointed it out. Well played, set dec team. I’d expect there will be visual easter eggs like this throughout the entirety of the film.

Mystery Box Revealed

Following one of the quakes at their new home, Phoebe seemingly finds a loose floorboard and a sliding puzzle that has been left behind by their grandfather to hide the presence of a familiar ghost trap. Which Phoebe takes to school and shows off to her still unnamed friend, played by Logan Kim. The sight of a ghost trap tickles Mr. Grooberson, who connects it with the famed-Ghostbusters who saved New York City back in the 1980’s. The kids have no idea of the existence of ghosts, nor what occurred back in 1984 near Central Park. Grooberson is more than happy to educate them.

Jason Reitman Front and Center

After the ghost trap’s appearance, Jason Reitman (deservedly so) gets a card proclaiming the film coming from him as a writer-director hyphenate. The credit comes over an industrial space with a whole lot of Ridley Scott creep-factor going on. If I had one nit to pick with the trailer, it’s the producer in me that is concerned poor Jason’s credit never resolves with the “R” in Reitman not obstructed by the light blooming in the center of the frame.

A Free-Roaming… Something?

Right after Jason Reitman’s card, comes a panning shot across the same industrial space where a gelatinous blob is in the distance doing something. It’s tough to make out exactly what type of entity we’re looking at here, but it seems to appear (and move) like a microscopic organism or something found at the depths of the sea. Which I quite enjoy. A ghost that looks unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Also worth noting that the movements feel practical - there is weight and almost a rubbery movement to it just like the creature designs from the shop in the 80’s. Love it.

New York Was Like the Walking Dead

Mr. Grooberson shows Phoebe and Logan Kim’s character archival footage from the 1980’s where he remembers seeing the ghost trap utilized as a kid. The Ghostbusters were a phenomenon 35 years ago, but have been forgotten. As history tends to move on and generations aren’t impacted by the events of their elders, they’re learning about who the Ghostbusters were. Phoebe comments that her mother has never spoken of the events that took place in New York and that their father isn’t in the picture.

Of note, these two shots are incredible angles that I don’t believe I’ve seen before. Perhaps the result of Jason Reitman and his post production team digging into the mines and finding the original dailies and negative from the 1984 film for use in Afterlife?

PKE Readings and “Does This Pole Still Work?”

Phoebe seems to have found other Ghostbusting equipment and uses it to trace readings back to a makeshift shed. Presumably a continuation of the scene based on the editing, Phoebe slides down a fire pole (!!!) to a subterranean hidden space. She continues to follow readings on the PKE Meter, finding equipment including the orange piece of machinery taken from the original Ghostbusters at Columbia University, a Betamax recorder in the far distance, an oscilloscope, and a whole lot of fungi growing in jars. The camera pans over sample dishes of spores, molds and fungus collections, (subtly cued with Phoebe talking about picking through the rubble of her grandfather’s life) and then continues past a proton pack in progress of assembly.

Admittedly, this was the first moment in the trailer where I could feel my heart doing backflips. We’re seeing the past through Phoebe’s eyes and everything looks, feels, and sounds like Ghostbusters. I love it. This movie is about discovery, as we’ve heard over and over. To me, it feels a bit like we’re (the viewer - the broader public outside of us fans) are rediscovering our love for what made these movies so popular.

The Shoe Drops

This is where any other trailer would take the opportunity to pepper in the bass drops, kick in the soft-breathy cover version of Ray Parker Jr.’s theme song, or some other overused trope. But Ghostbusters Afterlife takes a pretty bold stance and tries something different. And to me, it really works. When Mr. Grooberson discovers that the ghost trap isn’t a replica and is, in fact a real ghost trap (and may be occupied still), he questions who Phoebe is, as there’s a cut to Phoebe’s hand grazing over a rack of flight suits revealing the name tag, “Spengler” barely having enough time to resolve before a smash to black.

In what is absolutely a stroke of genius of whomever is responsible for this wonderful trailer, Bill Murray’s line for the original movie as Venkman and Stantz share a bottle of Apricot Brandy talking about going into business for themselves takes on a whole new meaning: “Call it fate, call it luck, call it karma. I believe everything happens for a reason,” is said while - - to my ear - - a new rendition of the same Elmer Bernstein cue that plays under the scene swells.

A Certified Genius or an Authentic Wacko

After a “Next Summer” sell card, another beautiful Americana (c/o Calgary) vista of the Shandor Mining Company. Interesting, perhaps Ivo Shandor from the original film fancied himself an entrepreneur at one point before he became an architect? Or perhaps this is a result of his interest in metallurgy mentioned by Stantz? Perhaps he mined his own supplies for projects? Either way, I’m starting to think that Sumeriaville… ahem… sorry… Summerville might be following in a classic trope of some of the best horror stories. A town with an incredibly horrible secret. Warning signs don’t matter to Phoebe and Logan Kim’s character as they trudge ahead.

Hello, Beautiful

Meanwhile, in the narrative of our trailer, Trevor follows in Phoebe’s footsteps into the fields of the farm and finds something of his own: a beautiful (but a little rusty) 1959 Miller-Meteor Cadillac as the ground shakes again, something shatters through a row of school buses seemingly attacking Phoebe, and the town goes into high-alert. Amid the chaos, there’s a striking 20 frames or so of Phoebe staring into a horrifying fire pit of arms - lost souls? Something else? And immediately after that, Mr. Grooberson frantically tries to escape from a snarling beast that slams a foot on the hood of his automobile. Trevor’s Ecto-1 adventure continues as he turns the key and an homage that would make Laszlo Kovacs proud reveals the familiar license plate and front grill emerging from the garage and into the field for a joy ride. The ol’ Ecto has a whole lotta horsepower left in the tank.

Damn Right, This Thing Has a Gunner’s Seat

And that’s when the trailer hits us. What can and should be the most amazing surprise in the trailer (if not unfortunately spoiled for you by a few self-interested rotten apples with horrible cell phone photos) - this isn’t the Ecto we’re familiar with. Perhaps an explanation as to why it’s the ol’ Ecto-1, or maybe the car was always being changed throughout the duration of the Ghostbusters’ longevity, THIS Ectomobile looks to have been heavily modified for field work. Phoebe, with a thrower in her hand, swivels out into an attack position and we’re off to the races. The Ecto-1, with Phoebe in the gunner position, looks to be chasing the microscopic entity seen earlier in the industrial space - though some people have speculated that might be Slimer, I don’t think that’s the case. Either way… Dear Hasbro, take my money now. My goodness, what an awesome set-piece (and toyetic moment) that looks like it will be.

Everything about this movie speaks to me. It’s playing with my nostalgia. It’s also giving us something new and the promise of the next generation discovering the Ghostbusters both on-screen and off. The fact that a main character is named Trevor for some reason immediately made me think of my amazing former boss and now guide to the next generation of comedy Trevor Albert, who was a long-time friend and colleague of Harold Ramis. Phoebe’s an intriguing character and the friendship that we saw Mckenna Grace and Logan Kim develop via social media throughout the course of the production seems to have carried over to their on-screen performances.

Of course, noticeably absent are any of the original cast members. But, as the theme of this trailer and seemingly the movie as a whole is discovery and things slowly unfolding, I can imagine that moment will be saved until the absolute very end of the marketing campaign. If the cast isn’t kept in secret similar to Mark Hamill in The Force Awakens completely. To be completely honest, I don’t want to see another frame until opening day of the film itself. And if this is the only trailer they release, that would be a wonderful mystery box. Particularly for this Ghostbusters podcast host who would have to break another TV spot or trailer down frame by frame. I get the sense that the less we know and see about this movie before the first viewing experience, the better.

But most of all - - the iconography, the designs from Stephen Dane, Michael C. Gross, and so many other artists has carried over successfully and looks authentic. This is no replica, as the trailer blatantly tells us. This is the real deal.

#ghostbusters afterlife #ghostbusters (2020)#trailer #Jason reitman

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zippdementia · 7 years ago

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Part 28 Alignment May Vary: The Rocks Speak

Welcome to post 28 of our long running adventure! We started back on the Moonsea coast with three prison ship survivors who washed up into adventure. Since then, there have been many twists and turns and only one of the original party is still alive, Karina the Tiefling Spy. Her path has taken her with two others towards the legendary Tomb of Haggemoth, where she hopes to find riches and (more importantly) answers to questions that have plagued her since she was betrayed in the war. Meanwhile, her companions have their own quests: Tyrion the Halfling Bard needs to record a tale to impress his college directors and secure his place in the famed halls of song, and Abenthy seeks the ultimate justice in the name of his father, a Fallen Angel. This post marks the beginning of the last dungeon of the campaign and will walk with the players through each room, detailing what they discover and what adjustments I have made to the dungeon. I hope players of D&D find it entertaining and dungeon masters find it helpful in running their own dungeons!

Haggemoth is a conversion from 3.5 and I’ve talked about some of my methods for conversions to 5th edition in the past. Monster conversion, in particular, is more of an art than a science, with the end goal not being perfection so much as it is to capture the correct feel for a scene or battle. One hard and fast rule to keep in mind, though, is the rule of DC. You can pretty nicely get an appropriate DC from 3.5 to 5 by taking the original DC, subtracting ten, cutting the number in half (rounded up) and then adding ten. For example, if the DC for avoiding a trap from 3.5 is Dex Save DC 19, then the conversion is

19 - 10 = 9

9/2 = 4.5 (round up to 5)

5 + 10 = 15

New Dex Save DC = 15

I use this method for every DC conversion so I want to throw it out there immediately so that it is assumed throughout the remainder of the adventure.

Anyway, the bridge across the chasm is destroyed, Tyrion is unconscious, and Karina and Abenthy are badly hurt from their battles with the Bugbears. Verrick is gone, the three soldiers are dispirited, and everyone is hungry. After eating and then collapsing, exhausted, into a long rest, the party awakens the next morning to find themselves staring at a massive door in the cliff face:

Built into the side of the mountain is an immense portico that features a pair of gigantic stone doors, each one twenty feet high and ten feet across. There is a single massive, steel-reinforced stone bar across the door, but a great deal of stone and wood debris has been piled up against the door as well.

It doesn’t take long to clear the debris, I assume this was placed there by the designer in case the players try to run past the Bugbears without stealth or fighting them: then the Bugbears can charge them, or lob arrows at them from across the bridge while the players try to clear the debris. A nasty end for anyone who thought to rush past the fight!

As it is, the players clear the door and enter the first hall. It is moldly inside, and damp and cold, with a smell like age and decay. Every so often earth tremors rock the place and bits of rock and dust fall from the ceiling:

Beyond the main doors is a large vestibule with a vaulted ceiling. The walls look like they once bore runic carvings, but these have all been defaced. Plants from the hillside have infiltrated the tomb here, and bits of root and moss hang from cracks everywhere. This chamber is filled with refuse of all kinds: plant matter, the carcasses of small animals and insects, and the desiccated corpses of several species of humanoid. As light spills into the chamber, the floor comes alive with movement.

Attacking the players are some giant centipedes. This is the first adjustment I have to make. Insect creatures are treated very differently in fifth edition than they were in third. In third, poison was a really big deal, a threat to even high level parties. It’s still not great in Fifth edition, but saving throws are all around easier and because fifth edition has done away with the touch attack (which ignores armor) creatures like this have a much harder time landing hits. So even though I can (and do) describe gross bugs falling over Karinna from the ceiling, I can’t really simulate them being “on her” as I could in Pathfinder, and as the module intends.

I compensate by bringing back touch AC for this fight, letting the centipedes crawl inside armor and up leather jerkins to get their attacks. It’s not a perfect solution, but it keeps the proper difficulty for the fight, letting the centipedes land some hits while still bring pretty tame. In the future, I’ll probably take insect fights and use swarm statistics for them, as this seems to be the way that Fifth Edition “buffs” its insects at higher levels. That said, the only rule I miss from Pathfinder is the touch AC—it just makes so much sense in certain circumstances and creates a nice difficulty balance for parties that have a mixture of speedy rogues and tankish paladins. I don’t think it necessarily needs to come back as a hard rule applied to every combat, but it would be cool to see some monsters in future DnD 5 supplements gain abilities which ignore armor and rely on pure dodging by targeting AC + Dex directly.

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Tomb of Haggemoth is my favorite kind of dungeon, in that nearly every room in it (and most of the monsters) has a reason to be there. I love dungeons that are more natural settings, rather than just endless turns and twists of caverns. My earliest experiences with Dungeons and Dragons was when my father bought Undermountain for me when I was four. I didn’t play the game, but I read through each description of every room. They were like short stories, and one of the joys for me as a player to this day is when I come to a room in a dungeon and can ultimately puzzle out the history of what this used to be and how it came to be what it is now.

There is a really interesting logic to Haggemoth that results in the first half of the dungeon being harder than the second half, but as my players aren’t there yet, I’ll talk more about that later. For now, they come to the next hallway, after cleaning bug gunk off their boots:

This hallway is similar to the vestibule. All kinds of miscellaneous debris is scattered over the floor. The doors to the south and east have been battered and smashed beyond hope of repair, but the door to the north seems to be somewhat solid. The corridor narrows to the west, proceeding deeper into the mountainside.

There are a few dead ends here. West is the actual path forward. To the north is storage, but a vicious mold has overtaken it, turning everything to poisonous rot. To the south, a Xorn has recently burrowed into the area. Originally from the Elemental plane of Earth, he covets the gold and gems in the mountainside and has stayed, slowly gathering some precious rubies and diamonds. If he ever spots Karinna, he’ll lust immediately after her “Eye of Callax,” as it is an extremely large, extremely rare, and extremely beautiful gemstone. He also knows, intrinsicially, some of the secrets of this place, and can be compelled or bargained into sharing them if treated with proper respect and offered rewards. He knows one of the biggest secrets that my players still don’t know...

My group takes the North route and almost immediately is overcome by the mold, taking massive damage as the spores tear at their lungs. Fire kills the stuff, and one of them uses a torch to light up enough of the mold to render it harmless, but the damage is done. They decide to pull back and take a rest before adventuring further. And during the night, the Xorn attacks, snatching one of the soldiers (Biggs) and pulling him back inside the tomb. The players awaken and give chase and a quick combat ensures.

Xorns are cool. Old school DnD monsters, they represent a nice bit of world building in that they come from the elemental plane of earth, thus suggesting the larger universe that the fantasy game situates itself in. They can be a tough kill in DnD 5 because of their burrow ability, in which they disappear into the earth around them, becoming completely immune to all attacks. In one round, therefore, they can disappear into the earth, appear right below someone, and get an attack off. If they wait a round and successfully make a hide check, they can get the attack off at advantage for surprise. And depending on how you want to play it from there, you can add all sorts of bonuses to their attack and/or defense because they are burrowed (DnD 5 is intentionally loose on how these things work, letting DMs adjust the rules to their own style and game). I like to add some defensive AC bonuses, but I also like to be fair about retreating: if they reburrow while they are right underneath someone, it counts as a movement and gives the players opportunity attacks. Picture all the tentacles disappearing into the ground while the players hack at them...

The players don’t seek to barter with the Xorn, but go at it headlong, getting off some very good strikes very quickly. Before long, they have defeated it, even with it burrowing and opening up right under Abenthy (that crazy high AC is helping him immensely here).

Sadly, Biggs has perished in the attack, leaving them with only two of their NPCs to carry on through the dungeon. Which brings me to another topic.

Character Cards

Our campaign has never been without allies and helpers. some may remember the half-orc barbarian woman that the group hired in Ottoman’s Dock, who lost her life to Rose of Ottoman’s Dock, or the bodyguard of the Butcher of Skagos, who perished in the Icy Wastes during a fight with Worg Riders. These early NPCs were stated out fully, like Player Characters and taken over by one of my players. I didn’t like this system, because it made a lot of extra work for us. I had to create the characters, which made it difficult to throw in improvised NPCs and companions at any given moment, and put an extra burden of roleplaying and stat tracking on my players that I felt left either the NPC or their own PC with a little less investment. At the same time, just having NPCs be “background extras” that fit into description but had no actual effect on gameplay, didn’t feel right either.

My solution was to create Character Cards. I talked about this back around the time the party was going through the Desert of Thud but since then I have refined the process. Character Cards now give a multitude of in-combat and out-of-combat options for players to use. The current cards look like this:

Xaviee, Human Fighter

Once per combat: do 1d6 slashing damage to any opponent.

Once per combat: roll 1d6. If the result is a 5 or 6, then +2 to all ally attacks and damage this round.

Reaction: Block an attack completely. Roll 1d6. If the result is 1-4, Xaviee is permanently dead.

BLAZE OF GLORY: Sacrifice Xaviee to add +4 to all ally attacks and Damage this round.

Samuel, Human Guard

Once per combat: do 1d6 slashing damage to any opponent

Once per combat: do 2d6 slashing damage to any opponent. Roll 1d6, if result is 1 or 2, Samuel dies, permanently.

Once per combat: do 3d6 slashing damage to any opponent. Roll 1d6, if result is 1-4, Samuel dies, permanently.

Reaction: Block an attack completely. Roll 1d6, if result is 1-4, Samuel is permanently dead.

You can see how Xaviee is a little more powerful, because his abilities carry less risk of dying when he uses them, representing his higher level. This is a quick and surprisingly clean way for me to represent a usable NPC/retainer with very few stats. We don’t worry about placement of the NPC on our maps, or try to simulate enemies targeting them in combat. If they die because of their roll, it’s assumed they were hit enough times by the enemy to perish. If there are certain situations where it just doesn’t make sense that they can be used, like the heroes are fighting underwater and Xaviee has been left on shore, then we take them out of use for the combat. Simple is best.

It also builds more of a connection I feel between them and the players, as these are decently powerful “items” that they do not want to lose. I am reminded of Final Fantasy Tactics, where most of your party never have a single word to say during the story, but yet you care about them simply because you use them in combat. Because they are a part of your gameplay they actually end up being more a part of your story than the actual story, as for the most part 70% of an RPG is combat and gameplay and only 30% is cutscenes and exposition. Possibly that number is even lower in Dungeons and Dragons, depending on your play style.

The character cards will continue to morph and change as we continue to play and I seek the correct balance between gameplay and function.

Halls of Bone

Progressing forward, after a brief mourning for the lost Biggs, the players come to a gigantic hall filled with bones:

This large, columned hall is replete with various carvings and relief sculptures depicting traditional Dwarven motifs: the forge, the anvil, the pick and axe, the tankard, and so forth. What was once a reflecting pool down the center of the hall now contains a thick layer of slime. At one end of the room is a 10’ tall statue of a clean-shaven dwarf, wearing a studded belt and a rune-encrusted crown with three black gems set in it. To either side, a balcony looks down on the central chamber. Phosphorescent mold on the walls and ceiling provides a dim, greenish light. What strikes you most, however, is that the floor is littered with bones – uncountable skeletons of man and beast lay scattered around the room, some still clutching to the tattered and rusted remains of armor and weapons.

“This is a trap,” Abenthy says, and the others quickly agree.

They aren’t wrong, though it is an unusual trap.

In the original 3.5 module, crossing a line within 30 feet of the statue activates the bones, which become 3d6+1 miscellaneous skeleton creatures and 1 large skeletal creature. This happens every time the line is crossed, up to a maximum of 50 skeletons and 5 large skeletons, all armed differently. These are stated out so that the little skeletons are weak hitters but very hard to kill (with damage reduction and very high AC) and the large skeletons are brutally heavy hitters and also pretty tough to kill. The design of the trap is that the players will be surrounded and overwhelmed by a bunch of regular undead who soften them up for the killing blow done by the big skeleton. When this horde emerges, some players will fall back to ranged position, while others will move up to tank and deal damage. Problem for them is, every time they cross that invisible line, whether retreating or advancing, the trap reactivates. Soon players will be terrifyingly outnumbered. Quick thinking players will realize that the statue is creating the effect and target that, but even then, the summoned skeletons don’t disappear, and players can be left in a whole heap of trouble.

Overal, the intended effect of the trapis to terrify players and set them up to be wary moving forward. They do have the option of running away deeper into the tomb, but the very next hallway is filled with spinning blades. If the players can roll high enough dexterity, they can pass the blades and effectively put a unpassable barrier between themselves and the skeletons, but it will be a tense moment, as failing the roll does grave damage and knocks them backwards, right into the waiting hands of the undead.

Translating this encounter into a 5th edition battle appropriate to six or seventh level characters is a challenge. Skeleton hordes don’t pose quite the same threat in 5th edition. In 3.5, a horde of this size could roll enough dice to grapple or trip even high level characters, setting them up for deadly coup-de-graces by the large skeletons, or weakening their AC enough to allow even the weaker skeletons to get hits off. Trip doesn’t exist in 5th edition, though, and while grapple can set up for a deadly “grapple, force player to prone” combo, it doesn’t give all the bonuses or options that exist in 3.5. I could emulate this by giving the skeletons bonuses to their grapple checks and some special abilties once they have the players grappled, simulating the “Night of the Living Dead” aspects of this encounter, but it feels like it will cause this room to devolve into a series of mindless rolls, the players rolling much less dice than me, but with bigger bonsues. That game quickly can become old, especially if they are facing fifty skeletons.

Instead, I try to figure out what frightens me. I think of the Silent Hill games and those twitchy nurses. Then I think about a room with dozens of them and I have my answer.

I design three skeletons for this encounter. The basics are below:

Twitch Skeletons

These skeletons are small in statue and their arms end in sharp points rather than hands. They gyrate as they move across the floor towards you, their jaws clicking open and closed in a silent protest of the horrors their afterlife has become.

The Twitch skeletons make up about 16 of the skeletons in the room. They have a very high dexterity and a 40 ft movement speed. They also have multi-attack, letting them get off two attempts to deal damage. The damage is not high, nor is their life, but their attack bonus is +8 and their AC in the high teens. The point is that they can close quickly and surround a foe, and after that, they can easily wear them down. As an added bonus, if enough of them are killed, the rest of them do something... interesting...

Normal Hitter

Out of the bone piles emerge skeletal warriors, wearing tattered remains of armor and wielding rusted weaponary and ancient bows. As you watch, one reaches into the bone pile at its feet and pulls free a straight arm bone, which it then nocks to its bow and fires at you from across the balconied room.

Basically regular skeletons, but I improved their attack a little to let them get off the occasional hit. These guys are truly here to hamper and physically get in the way. I also give them a little bit of an interactive option with my third skeleton...

The Minotaur Colossal

Lying broken against the dwarven statue is a large creature, tendons and strands of muscle still connecting its various bones into a humanoid shape with a massive bull’s head. The horns of the skull are stained a dull red with dried blood and across its lap lies a massive axe. As the humming in the room subsides, you see to your horror the creature stirring. When it stands, it is nearly eleven feet tall. It moves its head about and one of its empty sockets fixates on you. With a grunt, the creature begins to move forward, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed to a charge.

This is my version of the “big hitter” in the room. I only use one of him, and as such I’ve buffed him up a little bit. He is, at core, a Skeletal Guardian as described in the monster manual, but with boosted stats and I added in a bull rush ability that can gore a player and knock him prone. His big weakness is his size, making it hard for him to manuever around the room and easy to hit, and while he hits hard he is not as accurate as his twitchy buddies. He does have the ability to heal however by grabbing a normal hitter and reworking their bones into his own, healing himself for whatever hitpoints they have left (but of course destroying them in the process).

A Clean Sweep

Unaware of exactly what the trap is, the players proceed cautiously. First, they clamber up onto the balcony, thinking that will at least give them the higher ground if it comes to a sudden fight. Then they start using Abenthy and Tyrion’s shields as makeshift brooms to sweep the bones in front of them and off the balcony as they move, trying to avoid having any behind them. This proceeds well for a good long while. There are rooms up here, too, each one leading to a small chamber carved with murals that represent the journey towards power in Haggemoth’s life. There is a depiction of him learning all the schools of magic, there is a room showing his accumulation of massive wealth (it also holds a mimic that gives them some brief trouble), there is a room showing him forging great weapons of power (including, oddly enough, a set of scales that he seems keenly interested in), and there is one showing the banishment of Haggemoth from his people and his sailing on a golden ship towards the remote island of Rori Rama.

Eventually, the players come close enough to trigger the trap. They end up triggering it twice before Karinna finally has the idea of putting an arrow into its gemstones, smashing them until she hits the correct one. This stops the trap, but not the 36 or so skeletons that have arrisen to fight them, including the massive minotaur skeleton, who easily clambers on top of the balcony to give battle.

“Hold your ground!” shouted Abenthy, placing his shield in front of him and staring down the massive bone creature that stalked the upper balcony towards him. Behind the minotaur, the masses of twitching skeletons gathered like the sea held back by a dam.

“Fuck that,” Tyrion shouted in his shrill, nasally voice. He began to play his lute and light exploded suddenly behind the minotaur, so bright that Abenthy squinted and turned away. When he looked back, the skeletons were stumbling into each other, swiping at nothing, and had stopped making any forward progress.

“They are blinded!” Abenthy called out. “Now is our chance.”

“They are distracted,” Tyrion corrected, and then followed as Abenthy moved forward, the two of them raining down blows on the minotaurian skeleton until it leapt off the balcony to escape the onsault. Even as it leapt, though, skeletons gathered below it, climbing up onto it, shifting and becoming part of it. Here, a rib that Abenthy had shattered regrew, and there the arm that Tyrion had knocked sprawling as the creature leapt was reforming out of the bones of another skeletong. Meanwhile, more skeletons were clambering up the steps to the upper levels, and they shook their twitching fellows free of their spell and turned them towards the companions. Xaviee and Samuel were the first to see them coming and the two soldiers shouted warnings before falling back towards Karinna, who was quickly disappearing inside a cloud of darkness.

Karina has used this trick before, to strong effect, in the battle against the Bugbears. The skeletons are a little more “programmed” though; when they can no longer see or hear their targets, they quickly revert to “stand by” behavior, all except the minotaur who is in a rage and goes wandering around inside the cloud of darkness, searching for the players. He finds Abenthy and takes a swing at him with a huge axe. Samuel jumps in front of the blow (using character card here) and miraculously survives, but is tossed backwards by the force of the swing, disappearing deeper in the darkness. With no hope of finding him, the players beat a haphazard retreat, making their way up the stairs towards the tomb entrance. The minotaur follows for a brief moment but after finding himself surrounded and taking some solid hits, he flees back to the bone room to recover.

Now there is a moment to breath. The players have been badly hurt. No one has fallen unconcious, but their spells are depleted (from healing, mostly) and their two companions do not seem to have made the escape with them.

“We cannot leave them in there,” Abenthy states.

Tyrion doesn’t share his dedication to companions. “They’ll be fine,” he says in his heavy accent. “Just let’s get some sleep and I’m sure they’ll find their way back to us.”

But Abenthy is implacable and begins making his way back towards the room. The others hurry to follow, Karina’s cloak of darkness wearing off and trailing wisps of ink-black fog behind her as they descend the stairs towards the bone room.

It breathed. There in the center of the room, crouched with the other skeletons crawling over it like ants on a hill, it breathed. The creature had grown two extra arms, fashioned from the bones of its fellows. And it looked up as they entered.

“Shit,” Karina said, nocking an arrow to her bow. But Abenthy was already striding forward, his arms flung wide, roaring a challenge that was answered in kind by a shriek from the minotaur. It rose, stamped its bony hooves, and then it charged.

Karina was not sure how it happened, but suddenly Samuel was back at Abenthy’s side, and Xaviee was charging out from behind a pillar as well. The blow that would have skewered Abenthy, armor and all, instead shattered Samuel’s spine. The horn that impaled him was wide as a man’s arm and long as a spear. Samuel was lifted into the air as the beast raised its head and shook from side to side until the body of the poor soldier was flung away. Then Xaviee was there, striking at the creature’s back, and Abenthy was moving now, too. His blade shimmering with dark flame, he struck at the creature’s four arms as they reached for him to pull him apart. Behind her a mournful song was being song. Tyrion had pulled free his lute and was singing, each word soudning like sobs, like childhood, like wine spilled in rain, like sadness. She was crying, whether from the song or from everything that had happened to her in her entire life, but she was also fighting, loosing arrow after arrow at the great skeletal beast. And finally, with a mournful sound like the wind escaping a dark cave, the skeletal minotaur collapsed and was still.

Abenthy ran to Samuel, preparing a spell to heal him, but the damage was too far gone. The man was broken beyond basic healing and was taking his last breaths.

“There is another creature,” he said, blood bubbling between his lips. “One formed of the many. It escaped, into a crack in the wall. It is waiting, watching...”

Nothing more did he say. His final warning hung over them and they all felt cold.

Next post takes our players deeper into the tomb, as they encounter deadly traps and deal with the Things Left Undone in the Halls of Bone.

#dnd 5e #tomb of haggemoth #playthrough #epic #Dungeons and Dragons #Journey Log #Wizards of the Coast #fantasy #RPG

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josephlrushing · 5 years ago

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InvisibleShield and Gear4 Promise to Keep Your Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G Protected and Clean

Two Zagg brands, InvisibleShield and Gear4, have products that will not only keep your Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G protected from drops and scratches, they’ve also been given an anti-bacterial treatment that can “kill up to 99.9% of common surface bacteria.”

This is the Gear4 Crystal Palace in Iridescent; my Galaxy S20 Ulta is black, so you can see the case works some color-changing magic.

We’ve all been guilty of using our phones in places where they’re likely to pick up germs (i.e., the bathroom, the kitchen, on the subway, at work, outside, etc.), so it’s cool to know that the Gear4 cases and InvisibleShield screen protectors have technology baked into them to help keep germs from living on their surfaces. Even so, it’s important to differentiate between any case’s and/or screen protector’s claims that they’ve been treated to inhibit microbial growth (true) versus a mental leap that might be made by people seeing that claim and thinking that these cases and screen protectors can kill COVID-19 on contact (false). No matter what case or screen protector you put on your phone, if you leave the house and want to make sure that your phone does not return with Coronavirus spores on it, you’ll need to disinfect it when you get home. Period.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the cases and protectors I sent.

Gear4 Picadilly Case

Available with a black or blue border option, the $39.99 Gear4 Picadilly case is made to withstand drops up to 13′. It has D30 material injection-molded into the rim of the otherwise clear case; its surface is both scratch-resistant and made to withstand yellowing. The Picadilly is designed to not add a lot of bulk or weight to your already hefty Ultra, yet it is also made to withstand a serious drop. I like that it allows your phone’s color to show through, which is great if you’ve special ordered your phone in something interesting — like the S20 Ultra in the rumored soon-to-be-released white. Of course, the Picadilly gives edge-to-edge protection, and it’s wireless charging compatible. The USB Type-C charger cutout is large enough to accommodate most aftermarket cables.

I apologize in advance, but this is the one case I couldn’t try on my Ultra; you’ll note it’s for the Samsung S 20.

Gear4 Battersea Case

If you prefer a bit more drop protection with a grippier design, the $49.99 Gear4 Battersea is a great choice. Made to withstand drops up to 16′, the Battersea has a textured back panel and soft-touch finish that remains slimmer and lighter than expected.

The case has extra D30 material on its back for enhanced protection, and yet you can still wirelessly charge your phone when it is in this case.

You’ll note that the Gear4 Battersea has slightly raised bevels for face-down display protection, but equally importantly, it offers protection for the Ultra’s huge camera array when you’re laying your phone down. After a friend of mine managed to crack the glass covering her Pixel 4 XL’s square camera array while it was in a case, I’ve become super cautious about putting my phone in a case that doesn’t offer camera array protection. ALL of the Gear4 cases offer excellent protection for the Ultra’s ridiculously oversized camera array.

Gear4 Holborn Case

The $44.99 Gear4 Holburn case is probably my favorite of the four we’re looking at today. It’s built similarly to the Battersea, but it has a smooth matte black rubberized coating on the entire case, so it is grippable and protective without feeling overly large or bulky. Again, D30 material is used to provide enhanced protection for the sides and back in up to a 13′ drop.

As with the other Gear4 cases, all of the cutouts on the Holborn are large enough for easy access.

Again, the case extends just enough around the display and the camera array to provide excellent face down protection for both. Even though the Holborn is extra protective, you can still wirelessly charge your Ultra when it is in this case.

Gear4 Crystal Palace Case

The Iridescent Gear4 Crystal Palace is the unicorn of the collection; made to withstand a drop of up to 13′, the Crystal Palace offers edge-to-edge protection in a slim, clear design that has D30 material integrated. The back is a strong piece of polycarbonate which will help protect the phone from drops and scratches while still allowing wireless charging.

When not on your phone, the Crystal Palace in iridescent has a yellowing/pink case to it, but the magic happens when the case is on your phone.

Once on your Ultra, the Crystal Palace gives a green to purple shimmer on the sides (once again, there is sufficient bumper around the display for face-down protection), but the back of the phone is transformed into a shimmery purple/green/blue that changes color depending upon the light and how you hold the phone up to the light.

If the iridescent is a bit much for you, the Crystal Palace is also available in clear.

InvisibleShield Ultra VisionGuard+

It’s been a while since I installed a film screen protector as opposed to a glass one, but one of the benefits to using the $44.99 InvisibleShield Ultra VisionGuard+ screen protector on an S20 Ultra is that you don’t have to worry about a harsh drop-off between the edge of the screen protector and the curve of display’s side. It’s a little trickier to install, but once on, the screen protector feels like glass under your fingertips, yet it won’t randomly crack or lift like some glass screen protectors are prone to doing. Everything is included in the kit for a clean install; there’s the screen protector, a clear plastic tray for lining things up during install, a microfiber cloth, an alcohol wipe, a handy and reusable plastic squeegee, and dust stickers.

Let’s run through some of the reasons why the InvisibleShield Ultra VisionGuard+ is a great choice for your phone on top of the antibacterial treatment … it gives your display edge-to-edge shatter protection, it repels dust and fingerprints, its EyeSafe layer filters blue light without distorting the color on your display, and it uses self-healing nanotechnology to make minor scratches and dings disappear. Installation is a multi-part endeavor that is easier done than explained.

But here’s the gist:

If you haven’t already removed the protector that came installed on the Ultra, go ahead and do that. I’m going to assume that you scratched it, and that’s why it needs replacing.

Place your phone in the alignment tray; make sure it is settled in there snugly.

Peel away the protective backing on the film. There are pegs at the top and bottom of the installation tray; the film’s ends will fit into those pegs for the installation process.

Run the squeegee lightly up and down the screen protector 2 to 3 times to “activate the dust removal layer.”

Peel back the top tab (#2) from the protector; run the squeegee from the middle of the screen to the top. This will automatically lift and push off the protective backing.

Turn the tray and do the same thing to the bottom half of the phone.

Peel tab 4 away from the phone’s display and use the microfiber cloth to smooth out any remaining bubbles.

I have a couple of bubbles that I’ll work on if they haven’t disappeared in a day or two, but otherwise, the protector is on. I’m not 100% thrilled with my installation because of the bubbles — again, I haven’t done a film install in years — but I think it came out well!

The beauty of all of InvisibleShield screen protectors is that you can register them on their site; for a $5.99 shipping fee, if your protector ever needs replacing for any reason, Zagg will take care of you.

So … will Gear4 cases and IntelliShield screen protectors kill the virus that causes COVID-19? No. You need to be a bit more fastidious to kill this virus. Will these products kill common surface bacteria for the life of the case or screen protector? Yes. Will you have any way of testing that? No. So the best thing to do if you are concerned about the cleanliness of your phone during this pandemic is to wash your hands regularly and wipe down your phone (and its case) well with an alcohol-based wipe or a spray containing at least 70% alcohol used with a soft cloth. Gear4 cases and IntelliShield screen protectors will protect your phone and its display from drops and scratches — and that’s really all we need or should expect from any case or screen protector.

You can view a list of all of Zagg’s antibacterial products for the Samsung Galaxy S20 series by clicking here.

Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample

from Joseph Rushing https://geardiary.com/2020/04/13/invisibleshield-and-gear4-samsung-galaxy-s20-ultra-cases-screen-protectors-review/

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blankfacemina · 6 years ago

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Some Advice About Crystal Lamps

We all live and work in surroundings dominated by technology: computers, televisions, printers, microwaves, radiant floor heating... These products emit positive ions into the air we breath, which can result in overall physical and mental illnesses. The most dangerous levels of positive ions occur in polluted cities. Factory smoke, dust, dust mites, mold spores cigarette smoke, soot, exhaust fumes from cars, all together create a nasty mixture of ozone and positive ions that slowly destroys our lungs and ruins our health.

People have known for centuries that the Himalayan Salt Crystal Rocks ability to enhance air quality by ionizing the air with “negative ions”. Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamps are natural air ionizers mined from the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from salt lamps.

Naturally cleans the air: When the lamps are heated, they release negative ions into the air, like the ionizer machines people buy to purify the air. The contact between negative ions and positive ions neutralize the ions to no longer be a threat to our health.

Reduces allergy symptoms: Salt lamps have the ability to cancel the positive ions inside harmful allergic causing particles including pollen, animal dander, tree pollen and air born bacteria. When these allergy causing particles are neutralized they reduce the allergic symptoms people feel. Asthma and allergy suffers will benefit from having a Himalayan salt lamp.

Sleep better: Because of their ability to provide clean air, and eliminate the harmful effects of various particles that surround us while we sleep, we are able to breathe easier and therefore enjoy more restful sleeps.

Promotes Relaxation: The beautiful, serene, warm, orange-reddish glow provides a relaxing ambiance to the room that creates a calming environment. It helps improve concentration and refreshes you by neutralizing the effects of the artificial environment. The lamps are effectively used in waiting rooms to create a relaxing atmosphere, and during massage therapy.

Reduces fatigue: Computers and wireless devices create unhealthy electromagnetic fields (EMFs). This EMF causes a sense of drowsiness and fatigue. Keeping a crystal salt lamp next to your computer neutralizes the positive ions in the EMF and prevents them from causing a person to feel tired.

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alwaysontheside-blog · 8 years ago

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steaming bowl of potato soup on wooden table

There is nothing more comforting and delicious than a hot cup of cocoa, tea or big bowl of soup on a cold winter day. It is also amazing to have warm little fur babies fall asleep on you to keep you warm and cozy! What a perfect combination!

I love making big batches of soup. Once you make a basic veggie, beef or chicken broth, soups are easy to create. If you do not want to make your broth from scratch there are some good store bought options.

Of course you know I make chicken soup from scratch weekly. It is great by itself or I use it to make or enhance other meals or soups. That brings up an interesting subject. Is soup a meal? That was for my Seinfeld fans! This week I wanted to create a new soup that I have never tried before. Rich, my husband loves soups. This week I experimented with a Broccoli Cheese Soup. I received a big thumbs up from Rich. I really enjoyed it as well. It was quite simple to make.

This is what you need…

1/2 stick butter

Olive oil, enough to coat the pan

1 onion sliced or chopped

1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli

Chicken broth, mine was homemade

16 oz velveeta or cheddar cheese (I used velveeta)

Half and half, about 1 cup

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Directions….

In a large pan, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat

Cook onion, garlic, salt and pepper in oil and butter until softened

Pour in chicken broth then add broccoli

Simmer until broccoli is tender

Stir in cheese cubes until melted

Mix in half and half

Cook for about 20-30 minutes….Delicious!

If you want a thicker soup, you can make a roux to thicken the soup by melting a cup butter in a saucepan and whisk in 1-3/4 cups of flour. Add this in when you are sautéing the onions. I did not want to add in carbs or more fat so I skipped this piece.

This is a great meal with some thick Italian or sourdough bread and a salad.

If you do make your chicken soup from scratch, there are may things you can do with the boiled chicken. I like to make chicken salad. There are many ways to make it, some like to add celery and mayo. Some like it plain. This week I added oregano, pepper, bruschetta tomatoes and mayo. Sometimes I add raisins.

I always welcome question, feedback and requests. One of the topics that I was asked to write about was expiration dates on food. Fresh and canned foods are a very different animal. There is a lot of different lingo out there regarding expiration dates. There is “sell by”, “use by”, “pack date”, “guaranteed fresh”, etc… Is this all hype, is it real? Is it science? It is a little bit of everything with some common sense thrown in. I have read a lot of different articles from many sources. This would include but not limited to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to WebMD and everything in between.

The Use by, Best by, Best Before, etc. are usually found on shelf stable products like condiments. The date is not a safety date but an absolute best quality date on sealed products. Examine the product, if its color is off, texture looks funny, smells odd or the flavor is funky, trash it. If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say, “Smell this, does it look all right?” I would be wealthy beyond belief!

Items like meat, eggs and milk are a different story. Milk is in most cases fine until a week after its sell by date. Beef and pork need to be cooked or frozen within 3-4 days of purchase. Chicken and seafood should be frozen or cooked within a day or 2 of their date. If you buy eggs prior to their sell by date, they are good for 3-4 weeks. They do lose their grade the older they get. Canned goods should be stored properly, in a dark, cool dry space at about 50-70 degrees F. If a can is bulging, trash it. It is a sign of bacterial growth. Most cans have an expiration date from 1-4 years. If it is stored correctly and in good condition, it can safely double the shelf life from 3 to 6 years.

My grandparents on my mom’s side that went through the holocaust knew the true value of food. My Nunu never threw anything away and my grandfather would cut the mold off of food and eat around it. I am not recommending cutting mold off of food and eating it because mold spores do grow and are sometimes not visible to the human eye. These can be dangerous and cause an allergic reaction, respiratory issues or can make you very sick. But, food past their expiration never hurt them. Don’t get me wrong, Rich and I argue about food that I throw away. I throw away a lot of food and I am not proud of it. I have always lived by expiration dates but now I have a different perspective after doing some research. Don’t tell Rich but maybe he was right about this one thing!

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Gotta Have it, Gotta Love it!

So lately I have been contemplating Botox. I am getting older and the wrinkles that are forming are bothering me! I have done some research and it scares the hell out of me. I do not want to take the chance on a drooping eye! I am not going to venture there yet. When something can go wrong medically, it happens to me! I am usually the 2% that experiences the side effects or issues!

I have looked into many noninvasive products and tried way to many to talk about. I am a total beauty products junkie! I think I found my answer! Peter Thomas Roth products! I have been using their toner and anti-wrinkle cream and I do see a difference. I actually saw a friend last weekend who told me I looked great/different. I have not seen her in a while. She asked me if I had work done on my face! No, it is these products!

The 2 products are:

Un-Wrinkle Turbo and Un-Wrinkle Fast-Acting Serum

Soup Soothes the Soul There is nothing more comforting and delicious than a hot cup of cocoa, tea or big bowl of soup on a cold winter day.

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