That is funny! The character is a bit of a Richard. Until I can figure out how to get on to serenity I have been playing Minecraft pe - every time I turn around another creeper has blown things up - it seems to be a plague of creepers!
Been playing a bit of thaumcraft 5 and working on a pack for it (made a bit harder since it just moved to 1.8.9). Research has been a bit less of a chore not having to stock up on aspects. I do like how taint/flux creation from experimenting has an increased risk
Watched Direwolf's spotlight myself a couple of days ago - I do like the new (old) direction it's gone. And yes, I agree that it's better now there is real consequences from messy magic use (unbalanced infusions, undue care with the caldron). I will probably be holding off looking at making a new pack until there is a few more stable mods on 1.8. I do like the changes to Tinkers though! (Even if I am starting to go cold on tinkers due to the power level).