@myheartsaysyes mixtape chapter 5 thoughts since they were too long for a comment section lmao
You really did your big one. This is one of those “let me read this when I need to feel something” fics/chapters. Felt every emotion at one point or another throughout this chapter. So MANY quotes to take away but some that really hit:
“I was seventeen…” “ SO WAS I!!!!!”
“They were watching two people discover that they had lived through entirely different versions of the same heartbreak.”
“It sounded exactly like something done with love that still managed to hurt anyway.”
“Annie had spent eight years running from difficult conversations. He knew because he’d spent eight years wishing she stayed for one.” Oof.
Starting with JustInTheWay that’s why you gotta be careful what you wish for because you just might get it!!! You wanted to feel special like you were set apart now you found out the hardest lesson in this situation: you can’t outdo the doer. Now, your messiness was the catalyst for the conversation they needed to have the most. Not you were their biggest advocate by playing silly games and leaving with no prize. It was time though to put your situationship in the coffin because nothing was gonna give her the upgrade she was desperate for. Hell, Smoke telling her you deserve more and you ain’t finna get that from me should’ve been sign enough.
I loved how you handled the confrontation with Pearline. I also like that it wasn’t completely resolved as in they did not walk away happy with each other. In this scenario, it is honestly a great choice to show you can talk through a situation and understand why someone did what they did (even out of love and hope) and still not be okay with it/need time to work through that. Like a textbook intention vs impact because Pearline could not save Annie from her feelings being hurt but she could save her from the embarrassment of not knowing while everyone else did and then ‘ol girl being the one who made it click is way worse than your bestie telling you a hard truth. When it came out that Annie made him a mixtape I JUST about fell out.
Annie and Smoke’s conversation. WHEW. It was so needed and albeit not in the format either would’ve normally wanted it allowed them to get it all out. They were fully honest. Letting all the feelings they had been harboring be displayed: the hurt, the anger, the confusion from operating off of two different stories where neither represented the full picture, the love STILL there despite it all, etc. really showed what their biggest threat had been—miscommunication (including the lack of it in several instances). I also liked and thought it was so poignant to show that this was not due to one party’s actions but a combination of both of their actions as well as naïveté from how young they were and acting off of assumptions. The real time grieving a loss based on limited information that could have taken years from them…but at the same time maybe they had to get to a point where they could even attack things head on, in a healthy way that bonds, not separates. Pointing out that they were BOTH crying was also an important touch. I cannot wait until the next chapter whew. Like Annie I’m like damn where do we go from here. Like we know where they are going but how do you get there. Like you can’t just leave like normal after that 😭😭😭
From last chapter it just felt like Annie’s mom was an opp in ways and her actions look funny in the light again…
I’m interested in seeing Stack & Pearline’s perspectives as they are the two witnesses to how much the Smoke and Annie respectively suffered and how deep the love goes. They also noticed how each thing hit them in their convo. Stack and Pearline need to go ahead and find themselves a bottle because y’all got a long night or couple of days of support and that shit was heavy and aired out in front of everyone which only adds to said weight. I’m also interested in seeing how they develop themselves!.
Aunt Cheryl better than me I think I woulda ended the cookout! Everybody come get y’all’s to go plates time to GET” 😭😅
I also see why you said you can’t take it cause I was falling out over here but we know they will find their way back!!!!
Laravel vs Python vs Node.js: Which Backend Should You Choose in 2026?
Hey everyone! You've hit that critical point in every project: picking the backend. By 2026, the game is all about performance, microservices, and AI integration.
The debate always boils down to these three heavy hitters. I'm not picking a winner, just giving you the facts to make your own call for your next big build.
The Backend Lineup in 2026
1. Laravel (PHP)
The Vibe: The elegant, batteries-included framework. Laravel uses PHP, which powers most of the web, and it has an incredibly clear syntax and short learning curve.
Best For: Traditional web apps, e-commerce, content management systems (CMS), and stable enterprise platforms. It’s reliable and structured, making rapid application development super efficient.
The Hosting Reality: Laravel is often the easiest to host across the board, including basic shared hosting environments, making it a budget-friendly way to keep your initial BigCloudy web hosting costs low.
2. Python (Django/Flask)
The Vibe: The easy-to-read powerhouse. Python’s syntax is considered beginner-friendly, and its frameworks, like Django and Flask are highly scalable and secure.
Best For: Data science, machine learning, and AI-driven applications, where its powerful libraries are unmatched. It’s also great for data-heavy platforms and APIs.
The Hosting Reality: Python requires more dedicated resources than PHP to handle the computational loads for those AI models. For serious development, you'll generally want a strong BigCloudy VPS or cloud hosting solution for the best performance.
3. Node.js (Express/NestJS)
The Vibe: The speed demon and real-time champ. Because it's JavaScript on the server, you can use one language for the entire stack. Its event-driven, non-blocking I/O model is its key advantage.
Best For: Real-time chat apps, live streaming, microservices, and systems that need to handle thousands of concurrent connections (high concurrency). It's excellent for high-speed transaction processing.
The Hosting Reality: Node.js, while fast, is complex and requires specialized configurations. You'll need specialized Node.js hosting or cloud hosting plans that offer full root access for full control and optimization.
The Takeaway
There is no single "best" winner; it depends entirely on your project's needs.
If your project is about speed and concurrency, Node.js is your champion.
If your project relies heavily on data science and AI, Python is non-negotiable.
If you need stability and rapid delivery on an established CMS, Laravel is proven.
The right backend is the one that scales with you. Make sure your BigCloudy hosting platform is ready to handle whichever stack you choose!
Sometimes it’s a Zebra! Extraverted iNtuition’s Frustrating Problem
So at this point we’re probably all familiar with the label of xNxPs (particularly ENTPs) being super random funny memelords. And that isn’t necessarily FALSE bc I DO be like that myself as an INTP, but I want to talk about a more serious/complex side of Ne that I think gets overlooked a lot.
There’s an old saying that goes “if you hear hooves, think horse, not zebra”. Not to over explain too much, but just for the sake of absolute clarify, we mean to say: “there are multiple explanations for an observation, but you should start with the most likely/common one before moving on to more specialized cases”
I perceive this saying as being directed towards unfocused xNxPs who tend to consider all possible explanations equally and struggle to recognize that possible =/= likely. Which is great! It SHOULD be because that is a very real pitfall of Ne, when it is unfocused/under-developed.
I have a hangup about this, though.
Sometimes, when you hear hooves, as unlikely as it seems, it actually IS a zebra. Focused xNxPs are able to recognize that it is an unlikely possibility, confirm that the most common explanation (the horse) does NOT explain their observations, so therefore, a less likely one (zebra) might actually be the explanation.
The frustrating experience stems from the fact that sometimes, when focused xNxPs have enough evidence to say that their observations can only be explained by an unlikely possibility, they are met with skepticism from others; and often accompanied by suggestions that their observations ARE explained by the likely possibility, but they were simply unable to recognize this, and therefore, the xNxP should reevaluate their conclusions.
I think that Ne is most effective when it is able to discern likely vs unlikely scenarios, but still advocate for the unlikely scenario when there is sufficient reason to. That's what makes Ne so great!
The only problem is that Ne can only reach its full potential when, yes, the xNxP is focused and discerning in their open-mindedness, but ALSO CRUCIALLY, the people around them do not fall into the opposite pitfall of xNxPs, which is being too close-minded to ever actually consider the unlikely scenario.
I agree that it is imperative for xNxPs to commit to memory that just because something is a possibility, does NOT mean it should be treated with the same weight as all other possibilities. HOWEVER, it is just as imperative for other types to commit to memory that unlikely does not mean impossible, either.
I think that xNxJs can clash with xNxPs in a very unique way with regards to this subject. They are also iNtuitive types, so they are more likely to have an interest in challenging the xNxPs abstract perception, as abstract perceivers themselves (NOTE: I mean perceivers as in Ni vs Ne, not judgers vs perceivers).
xNxJs use Ni, not Ne, so they are less likely to understand xNxP thinking from a first-person perspective. I could easily be convinced that an xNxJ actually coined the phrase "if you hear hooves, think horse, not zebra", which I cannot stress enough, is still a very valuable lesson!
xSxJs could clash with xNxPs on this subject, but they do use Ne lower in the lower end of their function stack, so there is some common ground for them to pull from in terms of a more natural understanding of the xNxPs.
xSxPs also could clash because they have the Se-Ni axis instead of the Ne-Si axis, BUT being a perceiver does lend them to being a bit more flexible in general, and if the xNxPs can explain their points in a way that is actionable in the present moment, xSxPs could be pretty agreeable on the topic.
There is, of course, the chance that close-minded people casting doubt on the xNxP's unlikely scenario hypothesis are also just doing so due to laziness or lack of interest in the observations rather than close-mindedness, which is not indicative of any type, and honestly, probably a lot more common than any of the above three situations.
All of this to say... I'm an INTP who has recently (AND often) faced the frustrating predicament of having unlikely things happen and facing skepticism (or sometimes even judgement) from others who were not there to witness the unlikely happenings themselves. And I really do understand why some people are hesitant to accept unlikely outcomes. This is by NO MEANS an attack on anyone or any type(s), even if I did posit that xNxJs could be more likely to oppose these kinds of ideas based on their highly developed Ni.
I only think that sometimes we could be making fewer assumptions and giving more credance to unlikely scenarios AFTER the person advocating for them has made a substantial case for their claims.
[Commissioned by @thetygre, who wanted an “eldritch kitsune” based on their appearance as tentacled monsters in Call of Cthulhu and a recent episode of Lovecraft Country. The name is a Korean equivalent, a fox spirit that is always vampiric and malicious, as opposed to the more ambivalent kitsune of Japan. I stumbled upon this art while looking for other pieces, and knew I wanted to incorporate its weird masks into my version.]
Kumiho
CR 8 CN Aberration
This creature looks like a strange, oversized fox, with paws like human hands and feet. It has nine tails, each of which is capped with a mask-like face.
A kumiho is a magical creature that combines fox and humanoid aspects. A kumiho is dangerous but rarely completely evil, as they are sustainable hunters. They are succubus-like in their feeding on the mental energy of hosts, but typically leave their victims alive but insensate. A kumiho may make repeated visits to a favored host over the course of months or years, and some of them even develop a genuine affection for their feeding partners. Many kumihos spend most of their life in a humanoid guise, only assuming their true, bizarre forms when defending themselves. Each of a kumiho’s tails ends in a mask-like face, and they can sculpt these masks to resemble individuals they want to disguise themselves as. Kumihos are obsessed with mortal beauty, and often collect faces that are considered beautiful among different cultures or species.
A kumiho resembles a kitsune in many ways, from its fox-like aspect to its multiple tails. Some sages believe that the two species are related through common ancestry, but the truth is stranger. The first kumihos were created by the anxiety and paranoia of humans, fearful of shapeshifting foxes in their midst. Truly frightening fox-like entities were then created out of that occult energy. Kumihos are more likely to view true kitsune with pity than any other emotion, but that does not stop them from setting up kitsune as patsies and scapegoats if their activities draw too much scrutiny.
Kumiho CR 8
XP 4,800
CN Medium aberration
Init +4; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., Perception +10, scent
Defense
AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+4 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 90 (12d8+36)
Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +9
DR 5/cold iron
Defensive Abilities evasion
Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +13 (1d6+2), tails +13 (4d4+2 plus grab) or masterwork short sword +14/+9 (1d6+2/19-20)
Ranged masterwork shortbow +14/+9 (1d6x3)
Special Attacks drain ki, ki pool (10/day)
Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +16
At will—faerie fire, misdirection (DC 16), suggestion (DC 17)
3/day—empowered ball lightning (DC 18), charm monster (DC 18), displacement
1/day—confusion (DC 18), dominate person (DC 19), greater invisibility
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 19
Base Atk +9; CMB +13 (+17 grapple); CMD 25 (29 vs. trip)
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Expertise, Deceitful, Empower SLA (ball lightning), Improved Trip, Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +18, Diplomacy +14, Disguise +18, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (local) +13, Perception +10, Spellcraft +16, Stealth +17
Languages Aklo, Common, Senzar, Sylvan
SQ change shape (fox or humanoid, polymorph), craft mask
Ecology
Environment temperate forests or urban
Organization solitary, pair or family (3-6)
Treasure standard (masterwork short sword, masterwork shortbow with 20 arrows, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Craft Mask (Su) A kumiho may shape the masks on her tails in order to better disguise themselves as specific individuals. Crafting a mask requires 1 minute of contact with a willing or helpless creature. After that point, the kumiho may assume the appearance of that specific individual, gaining a +20 racial bonus on Disguise checks to appear as them. A kumiho may have nine masks at a time; if it chooses to make a new mask, it destroys one of its previous masks in that process.
Drain Ki (Su) A creature grappled by a kumiho, in either her natural or assumed form, must succeed a DC 20 Will save each round or take 1d6 points of Charisma damage. If the creature has a ki pool, it loses 2 points of ki each time it takes Charisma damage in this manner. A kumiho can also use this ability while kissing or otherwise in intimate contact with a target. The save DC is Charisma based.
Ki Pool (Su) A kumiho gains a ki pool, with a number of ki points equal to ½ her Hit Dice plus her Charisma modifier. She may spend a point from her ki pool as a swift action to gain one of the following benefits
make an additional attack at her highest bonus when making a full attack action
gain a +20 foot bonus to her speed for 1 round
gain a +4 dodge bonus to AC for 1 round
A kumiho’s racial Hit Dice stack with class levels in classes that grant a ki pool, such as monk or ninja.
Tails (Ex) A kumiho’s tails act as a single primary natural weapon
This month’s theme is “Fluff, Fluffier, Bangtan!” asking for our bookclub members to find the most fluffiest stories to recommend for this month. These are our our monthly fanfic recommendations from our bangtanxm; bookclub!
In the following you find a list of fics we recommend and reviewed this month. Please support these amazing authors! Happy Reading!
PS. Next month will be a ‘break’. We will be back with a new concept for the bookclub! Please watch out for the official announcement!
BOOKCLUB; recommendations
HOME written by @cassiavioletblue & @softjeon
» Series; Namjoon x Yoongi (Platonic)
» Summary; Namjoon watched Yoongi strutting after him over his shoulder and sighed. He couldn’t believe he’s really done it; paying too much money for a hybrid that would bite him if given the chance when all he had wanted was a cute, little - very much harmless - kitten to begin with.
» Disclaimer; anxiety, insomnia
bookclub; review
“Ahhh, so cute. I love the idea of Yoongi as a fox, such a perfectly fitting hybrid choice for him. His fear and insecurities really showed through in a realistic way, but were dealt with so sweetly by Namjoon (and vice versa once they warmed up to one another). I really loved Jungkook’s character as well, always the bunny boy; such a sweet soul who’s just happy for friends. It’s so true to his personality as we know him. And the ending was perfect. I was so scared it was going to end bittersweet in some way, but it was just adorable with him trying to be all cute and sneaky coming back into the home. Loved it.”
“if you want a fic that makes you cry because it is so soft, then this is the one to go to! my heart still hurts so much until this day! what an amazing story!”
UNEXPECTED COMPANY written by @yoongified
» One-Shot; Yoongi x Jungkook (Platonic)
» Summary; In which Yoongi is terribly afraid of spiders. Luckily, Jungkook isn’t.
» Disclaimer; spiders
bookclub; review
“the sweetest cutest little fic ever; i literally want to know more about how little kook saves his hyung! it was so sweetly written and their relationship is very clear which although it's just a little short fluff makes it a deeper story”
“AAAAHHHH! I've been seeing this fic everywhere and I know I've reblogged it once or twice and I finally got the chance to read it! I definitely relate to Yoongi with the spider, even reading it made my skin CRAWL I wish I had Jungkook to take care stuff like that for me OOF this was so adorably written I love it when writers show Yoongis softer side in stories I just burst so many uwus this was very well done!” [flowerwrites06]
THE GARDEN WALL written by @chimknj
>>One-Shot; Namjoon x Fairy!Jimin
>>Summary; The window in the garden wall has been boarded up forever, but tonight a dull, violet light pulses in the cracks..
>>Disclaimer; None
bookclub; review
“The Garden Wall is a short and sweet prompt-inspired fic perfect for lovers of whimsy, gardens, flowers, fairies, Kim Namjoon, Park Jimin, or all of the above. It is an enchanting glimpse into a land ripe with possibilities for expansion. The beautifully crafted imagery transports you into Namjoon’s world and his chance encounter with the fae leaves you wishing that you, too, can journey beyond the wall.” @ourownwings
"You really need a certain amount of talent to be able to sketch and colour a world in less than 1k words and Gina definitely did exactly that! In a small piece I could already see the world before my eyes and it leaves me wanting more and more. Also fairy Jimin is a downright CLASSIC THAT TROPE SHOULD NEVER DIE fjfgfjgjn a really good piece!!” [flowerwrites06]
“Gina has an amazing way of telling a story and filling up a whole scenario within just a couple of words. A sweet drabble for a sweet afternoon, when you enjoy your cup of tea.”
KISS ME QUIETLY written by @cassiavioletblue & @softjeon
» Series; Yoongi x Jungkook
» Summary; Yoongi always said what was on his mind, while Jungkook was shy, fearful and just like a wallflower he was quickly overseen. Yoongi wore leather jackets, had tattoos while Jungkook wore soft, baby blue sweaters with sleeves that were way too long. Yoongi was everything he wasn’t. Not that he cared, but men like Yoongi didn’t care about boys like Jungkook. That’s just how it always been like until…
» Disclaimer; mentioning of alcohol, selective mutism, tooth rotting fluff
bookclub; review
“This fic was such tooth rotting fluff, my goodness. And such an interesting premise, I can’t even begin. I feel like it really was written in a good, kind way so that those with things like selective mutism and the like wouldn’t be offended. Yoongi was so beautifully kind and tolerant, going out of his way to make sure Jungkook felt welcomed and safe even though he ‘couldn’t’ talk. And of course the twinge of angst made their makeup and happy ending so much more special. Such a perfect fic.”
“THIS IS IT! THIS WAS IT! THIS WILL FOREVER BE IT. I just want to know more. What’s their first date going to be like? Will they find a way to communicate without words whenever Jungkook gets to shy? Will their love truly conquer? ahhhhhh this was the sweetest!”
“This is the perfect fluff fic!”
“Im absolutely in awe at how sweet and lovely this fic was! I don't think I've felt this soft in a while and I couldn't help getting so invested in Yoongi and Kookie's relationship. It's like the perfect "opposite attract" and the bluntness vs. the shyness just worked so well!”
SWEETER THAN SWEET written by @yoongified
» Series; Yoongi x Hoseok
» Summary; In his second year, Hoseok discovers dance, befriends Jungkook and his silly friends — and makes the mistake of falling head over heels for Park Jimin’s boyfriend.
» Disclaimer; mentions of smut, implied smut, alcohol, swearing, toxic relationships (from the past)
bookclub; review
“This is such a promising start to this fic. Though a wip, the author really was able to capture Hoseok as a character - his insecurities and worries, as well as giving the readers just enough information to really be intrigued about him and his backstory. The other characters are great as well, endearing, sweet, and a little infuriating, and each one really fits bts as we know them in a way - Namjoon’s attention to work and Jin’s and Jungkook’s friendliness, etc. An excellent start and I’m quite curious where the rest of the fic will go!”
“I’M HOOKED! Hoseok is such a different character that here from what I’m used to read. I already love it a lot and I can’t wait to see what’s upcoming and how he will cope with falling in love with Yoongi.”
WOLFSBANE written by @cassiavioletblue & @softjeon
» Series; Wolf!Yoongi x Wolf!Jungkook
» Summary; For a a few short hopeful minutes he thought that maybe he could just have Jungkook here at his place for a little while longer, maybe it would take the others a few days to find him, maybe they were busy with something else - but he was fooling himself, he knew that and when he could hear the sound of paws drumming on earth he knew that this little adventure of Jungkook’s was already over.
» Disclaimer; mention of violence, light graphic content, smut
bookclub; review
“Such a great story. Really a spectacular mix of both angst and fluff, with the ups and downs of a truly well written piece. The emotional shifts and growth with all of the characters, not just Jungkook and Yoongi, were excellently played and so moving. And of course the end, the happy satisfaction that Yoongi was finally happy, Jungkook found his home, and that things may begin to change for the better. I loved the other members as well, Namjoon and Taehyung were adorably written and such vital characters for Jungkook’s development. Great work.”
“Amazing plot and story-telling. I was hooked from the first word until the last! Within a few chapters, these two manage to suck you into a whole new world!”
PAGE BY PAGE written by @sujigguk
» One-Shot; Yoongi x Jimin
» Summary; Bookworm and frequent bookstore dweller, Park Jimin, has been harbouring a crush on Yoongi, the assistant at his favourite establishment, for months now. Min Yoongi, heir to his father’s beloved bookshop, has been dropping subtle hints that he’s into Jimin, waiting for him to realise that the novels he offers as recommendations aren’t simply a coincidence.
bookclub; review
“Page by Page is a warm hug, a fresh cup of tea, an afternoon curled up under a blanket with your favorite book. Its atmosphere is crafted as lovingly as the characters, thoughtful bookworm Jimin and clever store clerk Yoongi, and I promise you will fall in love with all three (or four, including Jimin’s daring best friend, Taehyung). Bibliophiles and lovers of book shops or libraries will find a sanctuary in the charming aisles of Sugar and Spice. A gentle romance blossoms from shy glances through the stacks and secret messages sent via books. I could not stop smiling while rooting for Jimin and Yoongi to solve each other’s mysteries. All stories must end, but like in my favorite books, I found the ending bittersweet because I wanted to keep living in these pages.” [ourownwings]
“She has a way of telling a story so uniquely that you just fall in love with their love. It is just sooooooo sweet!”
SING ME TO SLEEP written by remi_niscent
» One-Shot; Yoongi x Jungkook, Jimin x Taehyung
» Summary; When Yoongi finally pulled himself out of his bedroom and fell asleep on the park bench during a rainstorm, he never expected to wake up to a world full of colours. Jungkook never thought that he would meet his soulmate in a park during the rain, but he could suddenly see the colours from the light across the road. Neither of them thought that a conversation could be held on your arm with pens, but they chatted until there was no skin left to write on.
So what happens when one of them is ready to take things a step further but the other is still figuring himself out?
» Disclaimer; mentioning of alcohol
bookclub; review
“I usually don't read a lot of Soulmate AU's but this was so freaking adorable!! I really loved Yoonkooks friends trying to be matchmakers throughout the whole thing it was hilarious and when Yoongi thanked Jungkook for the colours I ALMOST STARTED UGLY SOBBING THAT WAS DANGEROUS TO MY HEART OKAY hear me when I say I'm not an adamant fluff reader but this was such a heartwarmer!!” I loved everything about it!! [flowerwrites06]
“AMAZING! SHOWSTOPPING AND SO GOD DAMN ADORABLE!”
WASTE IT ON ME written by @yoongified
» One-Shot; Taehyung x Jungkook
» Summary; A troubled artist, in search of inspiration, stumbles into a bar and finds everything he’s been looking for.
» Disclaimer; casual drinking
bookclub; review
“WOW. So this fic was unbelievable. The first thing I have to comment on is just the beauty of the prose. It felt like a painting in itself. So much detail and flowery (but appropriate) descriptions that just flowed along the page. I feel like the author really was able to capture the painter’s spirit within Taehyung and it came out so forcefully within this writing. It’s absolutely stunning. And of course the descriptions of the characters and their own personalities – mysterious and just as artistic and flowing as Tae’s own paintings. It really felt like everything was told from his painter’s vision and that was such a unique and gorgeous way to tell the story, and so fulfilling to read.”
“What an unique piece of a story! At first you think...okay this might be your typical drunk stumbling into a bar troubled artist - au but it’s not....it is wonderful!”
SAMHAINS BLESSING written by @cassiavioletblue & @softjeon
» One-Shot; Witch!Yoongi x Vampire!Taehyung
» Summary; How little vampire Tae found his way to Yoongi.
» Disclaimer; mentioning of blood
bookclub; review
“If you prefer your Halloween celebrations sweet rather than spooky, then Samhain’s Blessing is the treat for you! Adapting to his new vampire abilities is not going well for the hopelessly adorable Taehyung, until he falls—quite literally—into the life of Yoongi, an adept witch with a soft spot for animals. The tale that unfolds has many moments with “bat eating banana” levels of cuteness (look it up, you won’t regret it), as well as my new favorite appearance of a sieve in any work of fiction. Of course, the story by this prolific writing duo can be enjoyed year-round, no Halloween required. I only wish I had found it sooner! Now if you’ll excuse me, some cute bat videos are calling…”[ourownwings]
“This fic was so SO CUTE. I really liked that Taehyung wasn’t a perfect, sexy, badass vampire. This is often the case with vampires in fics, but he was rather a misfit and just sweet and cute. I think it really worked for Taeyung’s personality, as well as for the fic itself, letting the two bond in a really adorable way. “I’m Taehyung and I suck at being a vampire.” Cracked me up so much. Also the imagery of Tae in his bat form is just too good; I love bats anyway and him as a sweet little hoppity-bat not wanting to hurt anyone and just being generally fluffy and adorable is too precious. And the really soft, happy ending was great, the knowledge that they’ll figure it out one way or another is just A+; working things out and making an overall amazing couple.”
A SONG OF FIRE AND FRUIT SMOOTHIES written by teecysh
» One-Shot; Dragon!Namjoon x Jimin
» Summary; Namjoon is part dragon, and to his complete and utter embarassment, he can’t stop collecting cute things for his hoard. Which would be fine except Jimin is the cutest person he’s ever seen and it’s becoming a real struggle not to collect him too…
bookclub; review
“omg this is one of my favorite little minjoon stories! how sweet jimin is towards the dragon?? omg can i shout about it all day? i love how intrigued namjoon is and how he slowly gets closer until he finally takes jimin with him haha such a fun concept!”
“The title alone hooked me haha, but to then see what it was about made me squeal. Namjoon just loving cute things and Jimin being one of those cute things is the best minjoon thing. It's made better by the fact that he's a dragon who has a love for adorable things <3 It was also really well written and paced so that it didn't seem to be going to fast or too slow. Both of them are so good together, and I love how Jimin reacted to Namjoon. It seemed so real haha”
“The premise of this story had me lining up to read it as quickly as Jimin’s smoothie truck customers, and by the time I finished, I was absolutely smitten. The characters really shine, as the author is faithful to their established personalities. Namjoon is curious yet painfully shy, with a penchant for taking advice a little too literally. Jimin is a hard-working sweetheart who sees past his new observer’s unusual social etiquette as well as the small detail that he is, in fact, a dragon. The tale that unfolds is humorous and heart-warming as Namjoon navigates how to invite Jimin to join his horde of “cute things,” with some delightful appearances of Yoongi and Hoseok in supporting roles. A Song of Fire and Fruit Smoothies is as sweet and refreshing as Jimin’s titular treats.” [ourownwings]
i’m close to graduation so here are some things that i've personally been doing over the years that i found helped me (and hopefully you too)!
had a layout of what classes i took during what semester. i put this in a cover of a binder and, after every semester, organized all the stuff i'm keeping according to that and put it in there. it's also a way to check my credits and make sure my degree and major requirements are being met
took a screenshot of my schedule (so that i could see the class, days & time, professor, and location) and put that as my lockscreen til i felt i memorized my days correctly
planned the routes to classes. i only had 10-15 minutes inbetween classes and i don’t have a bike (and i have this thing about being in class at least a few minutes before it starts) so i needed to be efficient and put my mind at ease about the late thing. i timed how long it'd take me to go from A to B, or made estimates based on previous experience. (it's best to do this before school starts so you also know where you're supposed to go)
got my uni's email and canvas (or blackboard if your school uses that) apps IMMEDIATELY and made those notifs ANNOYING!! i've made it so they'll show up in banners while i'm on my phone AND on my lockscreen when i'm not. (it’s up to you if you want sounds to accompany them.) if i needed to go back to an email for whatever reason, i marked it as unread so that it’ll still badge the app (bc i’m the type of person who prefers clearing out my notifs)
grouped all the apps i needed for school into one thing. that means all email apps, canvas, calculator, google apps, whatever else
got 3-subject notebooks and made them stretch. i used different sections for different classes, then stapled and labeled them at the end of the semester so that i could use the remaining paper for future classes/semesters. i've only used 2 3-subjects notebooks and 4 single ones for 33 classes so far, but i did also take notes on my laptop for when i was too lazy to write or knew there’d be a lot of info to cover
had one good binder with dividers and loose leaf paper for my classes. in my experience, i typically didn’t get a lot of physical papers aside from the syllabi and a few handouts, nor write on paper a lot (at least to turn in), but i like being organized. on the divider tabs (or the divider if i didn’t have enough room), i wrote the class, professor, days & times, and locations
developed a note-taking writing style that wasn’t word-for-word letter-by-letter but still understandable!! imo, writing everything out makes it boring and you might as well be reading the textbook twice. plus, you need to be able to get information from lectures quickly; professors may not only use visual aids, but also say important things that you should put down too!! i hardly ever write/type articles (ie “the,” “a,” “an”), “and” is shortened to ‘n’/&/+’ (and each symbol means something different), and i shorten words (eg “biological”/”biology” > “bio”). however, i did write down definitions nearly word-for-word because those are fundamental things you should know
made my notes visually interesting. i used different bullets to mark definitions, people, important vs unimportant points, etc. i also staggered them like how you would an outline - the main point or overarching idea would be positioned to the very left, and everything that came from that would be positioned more and more to the right. it also helped make my notes easier to read than if everything was lined up on the left side of the page
had an organization system!!! you need to know your system and stick to it. i've labeled and dated pretty much everything, i've got folders on google docs, canvas, and my laptop grouped by semesters AND classes, and binders and dividers for everything physical.
had a BIG whiteboard with a calendar and space to write notes. i wrote ALL my due dates/deadlines and things i should do in each class for the entire month and only wiped them off when i did them or if it was too late to do/submit them. i also wrote down on the side what days i was absent for each class (which helps if you do participation assessments, and/or your professor has a limit on how many unexcused days you can miss without your grade taking a major hit)
had my mwf and tt materials in different stacks and put them in order of when i had class. if i needed to do/finish something asap, i put that class's stuff at the top for easy access
wrote down a list of all the classes i was interested in before advising for registration happened. i put the semester at the top of the page, and looked through the entire list of available classes for any class i wouldn't mind taking. i separated classes for my major and gen eds/other classes with labels, and put the crn's, times, and special attributes next to each class/block. from this, i arranged a tentative schedule and marked back-up classes in case the ones i really wanted/needed were full
if you have particular tricks that helped you get through college, please add them!!
Should You Hire Full Stack Developers or Specialized Developers For Mobile Apps
Have you ever thought about completing a task on your own which usually needs a bunch of people to complete? Well, you might be as nothing is possible in this digital world and we are equipped with lost of advanced technologies that can even help us in achieving that. The industry of mobile apps is increasing, and people are looking for more and more ways to invest in this technology to experience high returns. however, there are various flaws and loose ends while developing an application that needs to be taken care of. The transformation to the digital world is offering multiple new technologies that require a bunch of specialists to develop. However, some full-stack developers offer to design and develop the complete application on their own. Hence if you hire full-stack developers, then you can have a bunch of benefits like they can be cost-effective and can provide reliable development solutions.
There are multiple stages in the development process of a mobile app. Hence to make a perfect comparison between full-stack developer vs app developer, we need first to understand the technologies and skills required to develop an application. There are mainly these things where we need specialization in the development process.
Design of the Application(UI/UX): These people will be responsible for creating an intuitive and creative layout for future products. They must know advanced technologies.
Front-End: A specialist will be required to demonstrate the front-end functioning of the application with core knowledge about the programming to develop the design. It will be the visible portion of the application to the client how they can interact with the app.
Back-End: This process will run on the server-side of how the application will behave and execute the data entered by the users. You can opt to hire a full-stack Mobile App Development Company to build the application with perfection.
Full-Stack Developer vs App Developer Specialized Team
Full Stack Developer: This person will be the sole responsibility for all the stages in the development process. A Full-stack developer will have the knowledge and hands-on experience on all the technologies required to develop a complete web application. He will manage the front-end designing part along with the server-side to manage the database of the application. This person will be holding both a front-end and back-end tasks. There are various pros and cons if you hire full-stack mobile app developers. Hence, you have to be selective while choosing as you can not compromise with the quality of your application to get a cost-effective solution. However, if you want it to give it a shot and want to know how to hire a full-stack app developer, then you can go for various freelancers websites, where you will get a mass community of developers.
Specialized Developers: This person will hold specialization in a particular technology or framework which will make it more confident with the quality of the application. A skilled developer will work on a single domain, and it can be either designing, developing or any other process in the development. They hold the specialization in a particular field which helps to distribute the task according to the skills and ability of the person. However, this mode ensures the quality of the application as the experts in the particular field be contributing together, and it will provide a quality-driven solution, but it will be a costly one.
Things to Consider, Whom to choose?
Hence we have come up with some factors that can help you to make a precise decision whether you should hire full-stack developers or a specialized team for mobile apps.
Project Size: If you have a large project, then you must go for a specialized team as a full stack developer will take more time.
Complexity: This will affect the quality of your application, so if the complexity of the development process is high, then go for a specialized team.
Flexibility: Here, a full stack developer will be the best choice as he can easily switch to multiple technologies and frameworks.
Budget: If you have a tight budget, then a full stack developer will be an excellent choice for you. While you can also get a cost-effective development team.
Hence, we can say both have their qualities which makes them useful for the development of mobile apps. If you wish to hire a full-stack mobile app development company, then you can contact Appentus technologies.
Yes, this is the TV series based off of that horrible book trilogy. People who follow my book blog will remember that I snarked it and had the absolute worst time.
Forget the Fifty Shades... sextet (It's a sextet now, not a trilogy). The All Souls Trilogy is, hands down, the absolute worst thing that I have ever had the misfortune to read.
But Ravenclaw, if you hated the book so much, why did you watch even one episode of the TV series?
All me curious, I suppose.
Going into the episode, my opinion is already pretty rock bottom. I'm expecting a lot of padding, if only because the book was 90% unnecessary bullshit that literally anybody should have told Harkness to cut out.
When they first announced that they were making the series, I joked with my friends that half of the TV show was just going to be Diana disassociating for half an hour as she stared at a sconce and explained how this light fixture once belonged to Henry VIII or whatever. BECUASE THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENS IN THE BOOK.
However, the TV series, as you might imagine, takes some... er... liberties. Already in the first episode, characters are introduced differently, and new POVs are introduced as well. If only because... No, Harkness. We don't want to see Diana dramatically pushing down the lever on the toaster. JFC why.
The show starts off pretty much like in the book: Meet Diana Bishop, who has a doctorate in magical history. She's a witch, but she's not very good at it.
In the book, especially right in the beginning before Harkness figured out what the fuck she was doing, Diana's magic waffled between “I WANT TO BE HUMAN SO I REFUSE TO USE MAGIC!!” and “I AM SHIT AT MAGIC SO I TRY TO AVOID DOING IT WHENEVER POSSIBLE.”
However, right off the bat, Diana talks with her friend, Jillian, and says that she has a lot of lingering PTSD from her parents being murdered because of their magic. Which is fair.
And it's also way more character development than Diana got in literally 15000 pages of trash Harkness wrote.
Diana calls up the famed Ashmole 742 (or as I took to calling it “Asshole 747”), of which the entire series revolves around.
See, literally every magical creature thinks that this book is somehow the answer to all of their problems. They all want it because they think that it's going to share the secrets of how they came to be. And they don't want the other magical species to get their hands on it because they think that the secrets inside will tell the other species how to destroy them.
And as I write this, I think to myself “There can be no winners in a scenario like this. Just mutual destruction over a fucking book.” But whatever.
Oh, and in case you need to be caught up, there are three magical species: witches, vampires, and daemons. I'm using the spelling from the book, because, in my mind, they were not the same thing as “demons”. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the book went out of its way to assure us that “daemons” had not crawled up from hell, etc etc. In fact, I even pronounced it like “day-mons”. The series, however, seems to think that “daemon” and “demon” would be too confusing, and has resorted back to just plain old demon.
First off... let me express my discomfort over the entire library scene. Diana goes in, tells the guy at the desk that she wants such and such books and gives him the call slips. He sends the slips down to where the really old books are stored. And it's interesting to see. But then the lady goes and she just... “Lol, here's this book! And let me grab this other book.” She stacks them up on her chest like they weren't four-plus centuries old. And if we were talking about copies of Harry Potter or whatever, I don't think that I would give two shits. BUT THESE ARE OLD, PRICELESS, ONE OF A KIND BOOKS. AND SHE'S TREATING THEM LIKE THEY'RE 98TH EDITIONS OF HARRY POTTER.
And then the guy goes over to give them to Diana, and he's like “Well, here you go.” and just kind of... tosses them onto her workspace. And Diana starts to look at the Asshole 747.
And not a single person handles any of these books with gloves, either. Diana even touches these old pages with her bare hands, which can't possibly be good for the pages or ink. And in one scene, she even forcefully rips a page apart from the one below it, which had sort of become stuck with the ink.
WHY.
Anyway, as Diana actually looks at the book, it's a very interesting special effect as all of the words swirl around on the page.
However, true to the book, Diana freaks out and quickly returns the book. However, unlike in the book, Diana thinks that she sees her father, and she has a complete and utter panic attack over the entire thing.
She later calls her aunt, who is more angry that Diana returned what is clearly a dangerous magical item rather than to investigate further... Rather than the obvious fact that it's clear that Diana is spiraling into some kind of psychosis what with seeing her father and having nightterrors.
Because priorities.
Also much like in the book, all of the magical species in the area were somehow alerted to Diana calling up the book. And I'm willing to let it slide, if only because MAGIC.
Jillian kicks off her subplot by her telling the head of the local coven about this. The head then calls up the witchy president, who's some old fat guy and I cannot remember his name for the life of me. He also brings along Satu. We were rather rudely introduced to Satu as old fat guy went to get her in Finland. And she murdered the random human that the old fat guy brought along with him.
HAHAHA, BECAUSE NOTHING SAYS 'I WANT YOU TO RULE ME' QUITE LIKE STARTING OFF YOUR REIGN BY MURDERING PEOPLE. HAHAHAHAHAHA /sarcasm
However, as this is likely going to be a long series (if it goes the full length of the books and isn't canceled in the meantime, which maybe it will be if the rest of the episodes are this awkward with clunky dialogue as this first episode), then Jillian's plot is just kicking off. We don't spend much time on it.
However, we do introduce Marcus, who is Matthew's vampire son. (Not to be confused with a biological son. They're vampires, for fuck's sake.) Marcus's friend was hit by a car, and he died almost instantly. Marcus felt bad about the entire thing and tried to turn his friend, only for the vampire mojo to not work at all.
Later, Matthew picks Marcus up from the police station, and completely reams Marcus out for... trying to help his friend. It's a head scratcher, but don't linger too much on it.
Matthew is, however, insanely insistent that the answers to why they suddenly cannot create any new vampires lies in Asshole 747.
So, he starts to literally stalk Diana. And, granted. This is very accurate to how things were in the book. Except, Diana was kind of like “Oh no, he's hot!” about the entire thing. We never saw what Matthew was thinking, because the books were written from Diana's first person POV. But... in the TV series, he comes off less like a smarter and more mature Edward Cullen and more like... Hannibal Lecter. Yeah, you trust him a little if only because he's good looking and smart. But at the same time, you're getting some seriously creepy “He's going to cut out my spleen and put it in soup and feed me the soup before he kills me for real.” vibes from him. Ugh.
It's the complete opposite of romantic, if you ask me. At least the Twilight movies tried to make Edward look like not the kind of person who breaks into a girl's bedroom to watch her sleep. With Discovery of Witches, no such attempt to de-creep-ify Matthew is ever made.
All in all, the episode seemed to drag on forever. Too many subplots were introduced too quickly. The dialogue was clunky and it felt overly forced. Especially from Diana. The actual academic side of the episode was so cringy that I literally wanted to cry and write an angry letter to whoever the fuck wrote this bullshit.
But, the simple fact that it's really, REALLY hard to talk about a pencil for three pages or bricks or the dorm where Diana's staying or her fucking hairbrush means that half of what made the All Souls Trilogy so unbelievably unbearable is instantly cut for more actual plot.
It wasn't nearly as horrible as I was expecting. And I'm as surprised as you are. I've seen way worse things. And the fact that I kind of want to see the second episode just to see where they're going to take this vs how the book was is always a good sign for a show.
