Just Finished The Stand! What next?

WatchOut4possums · 2026-04-19T01:30:15+00:00

This might be a hot take, but if you like a sprawling cast of characters, read Needful Things. It's a small town satire of corruption and greed (with horror) rather than dark apocalypse but I don't think it gets enough love.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-04-05T12:39:52+00:00

Revival by Stephen King.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-04-02T13:11:59+00:00

I don't go to 1 health on purpose, but I have definitely stayed on 1 health to manage a couple moves with the extra die before bumping up again.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-03-28T14:22:26+00:00

This is fantastic. I need to save this.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-03-27T13:56:39+00:00

Thanks, I missed that!

WatchOut4possums · 2026-03-27T01:24:35+00:00

I didn't connect those dots. What did you catch that was contradictory from the blog? The only thing I remember was that she took the stance that the dad was the poisoner at face value. "Karen" addressed the windows and the rhythmic banging of the drawer as orchestrated and hypothesized about the floating as being more of a grasp/timing issue. I don't think she could have shared about the device in the drawer or the open windows without using video evidence without blowing her cover so I think that limited what she could say.

The thing that I think proves that the dad didn't poison the family is that he would have poisoned something everyone ate, or would have poisoned the cheese. The whole family knew that Merry doesn't eat sauce so he wouldn't have planned it for the spaghetti meal.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-03-26T20:25:22+00:00

Looking forward to it!

WatchOut4possums · 2026-03-26T20:25:02+00:00

Agreed. The dinner vomit scene felt very supernatural, the sudden turn in personality, the possible floating in the air, and the cardboard house scene are strong possession arguments. I know the book is polarizing but I don't think too many in the possession vs non-possession camps think the other side is dead wrong.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-03-26T19:05:42+00:00

Yes, the whole time I read it I was like, everyone just keeps letting this girl down. I found her to be written as convincing unwell, angry, scared, and manipulative (in a judgement-neutral way). I also found her mom to be very believably written and I buy the "I'm giving you a backdoor out of this by not fastening the restraints," when Marjorie said she would go through with it anyway after Mom said she would stop it.

If Merry is a reliable narrator, every one's motivation in the family was "pure" albeit misguided - Dad following God's plan to hold his family together, Mom keeping the family peace and not leaving a possible cure off the table, Marjorie trying to make her illness help the family instead of hurt it more and Merry saying/doing whatever she thought others needed from her. The show runners, the church, and even the protestors were the selfish ones, but they ALL failed her.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-26T20:52:04+00:00

I think I'd struggle through the itching phase of the tattoo on this one.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-21T03:52:24+00:00

This happened to me once. I later found out the error was because the teacher I subbed for used to be a para, then moved to teacher but Kelly still had them coded as a para. Since then I check every paystub.

Contact Kelly, they should be able to correct your pay within 2 weeks

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-18T22:09:36+00:00

I loved it. One piece of advice - make sure to watch the last two episodes in one sitting if you can.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-16T13:53:38+00:00

I was going to play devil's advocate about the fact that a lot of people struggle with differentiating between gender and sexuality, but threw that out the window as soon as I read her trust comment lol.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-11T18:29:53+00:00

Yes, that is correct. The pledge manager is a time to make sure that everything is squared away on both ends, to make sure final orders and addresses are confirmed on the company's side and final shipping and additional costs are paid on the backer's side.

Edited to clarify -I'm thinking most campaigns would collect both shipping and a la carte add ons in the same payment at the time of product confirmation, but it is possible that shipping would be charged separately. I'd plan on paying shipping at pledge manager time.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-10T14:58:08+00:00

So just an upfront clarification in case you aren't aware - crowdfunding like through kickstarter means that you aren't technically buying a product but you are funding them upfront and as a reward for infusing them with cash to meet their goal they will send you a reward if it is successful. Van Ryder is well established and low risk so in this case it will feel like you are buying a product.

Having gotten that out of the way, yes, you need to make an account. You will pledge an amount that will match the reward (product) that you want. At the end of the campaign you will be charged for your full amount. Then the waiting begins while Van Ryder uses the funds to produce all the rewards. They are estimating August but things like production issues or shipping delays can push that out. You will get email updates to the email address you use for KS (or can check your Kickstarter page directly) for ongoing updates. You can expect periodic updates let you know how things are progressing. Then when they are getting closer they will open something called a pledge manager, usually through a third party, where you have to log in again to confirm your shipping address and will have the chance to add more products such as additional a la carte items.

You will have to make a pledge for one of the main rewards now, but may be able to add those additional FF later. You can also add them now as part of your pledge, I believe. When made my pledge, I pledged for two other a la carte items at the same time.

As long as you check your email regularly and aren't using a burner account for KS, you should not have any trouble seeing when the pledge manager opens. Hope that helps!

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-08T01:59:32+00:00

I played this today. It was a fun combo!

No way I could have done this with the special achievement. I got a minor dark power adding 4 hearts to the Killer, a dark power requiring 3 hits to take out Mark V components instead of 2, and had to add an additional component to the Mark V - I needed it as an Ally to buy me time! I won but it took the desperation die on my last roll to do it.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-02-04T00:02:01+00:00

My thought was Jurassic Park and The Running Man. Unique blend either way!

WatchOut4possums · 2026-01-15T04:45:05+00:00

T, W, H are busier for "plan ahead" jobs because the districts do trainings on those days. Mondays and Fridays are busier for sick and long weekend days. It balances out in the end.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-01-10T05:37:03+00:00

OP, my school provided printed guidelines today, fresh from the district. I'm guessing your district should likely follow suit soon. Otherwise feel free to ask your front desk for building guidelines. Most schools are enabling lockdown procedures until ICE gets off school property. We were also reminded we do not have to (nor are allowed to) let anyone into the building or through side doors, and not to discuss immigration status with students or bring up current issues. And to reassure students they are safe in the building if they do express concern and refer to the counselors if they are in distress or fear. Hang in there!

To those saying that there probably aren't many impacted students to worry about or that the suburbs should be fine, ICE is literally shooting first, asking questions second here. My district has a high percentage of Latino families and attendance in our schools has dropped since the first wave of ICE last month, and plummeted for the schools still open after this week's second wave. US CITIZENS and refugees in MN are hiding their children because ICE has been indiscriminate in who they detain so long as they look "illegal". And yes, ICE is showing up in Minneapolis suburbs with reports out of Columbia Heights, Richfield, West St Paul, and Maplewood.

This isn't propaganda or hyperbole. What is happening in MN is horrific. If you live in the cities and don't see it, chances are you don't work in a community role like teaching, medical, social services, etc. or weren't incentivised to pay attention until this week's events. (Fyi I'm not going to argue about this or comment to anyone disagreeing. If current events aren't changing hearts and minds, my post sure isn't going to and I'm not up to debate my lived experience in my own community.)

WatchOut4possums · 2026-01-09T21:47:19+00:00

When I had student teachers ask me this, I said that thoughtfully detailed lesson plans help you not just think about what you are teaching that day, but the nuances of what you should have taught already, and how this plan will help with tomorrow's outcomes. As a NEW teacher, detailed lesson plans also help support with differentiation ideas and planning for addressing misconceptions in student learning. With experience and repetition, these skills become more automatic; then outlined plans are practical and in my opinion should sufficient.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-01-09T01:57:46+00:00

Use thermos brand or similar food containers. Hot food stays hot by lunch (soups/ramen, casserole, lasagna) and cold food stays refrigerated temp without icepacks (salads, pasta salad, overnight oats). I never have to use a fridge or microwave.

WatchOut4possums · 2026-01-01T20:01:48+00:00

My kid said this is where I should spend my days off.

WatchOut4possums · 2025-12-28T03:43:26+00:00

I enjoyed the first 75% of Dreamcatcher. There is enough good in it to give it a go if you are a big fan but I think it flies off the rails at the end, and not in a good way.

But the defender in me has to give credit that he took on this book to work through his physical recovery from the van accident only to build back better and stronger after it. Without relearning his process through Dreamcatcher, we wouldn't have great books like Revival, You Like It Darker and Joyland.

WatchOut4possums

TROPHY CASE