I have tomatoes-many varieties, bell and jalapeño peppers, eggplant(many varieties), pumpkins, squash, beans, carrots, lettuce(many varieties) and more. All of these seeds are organic and were purchased this year Brent

Is the brown bit soft and moist? Is that the plant's permanent growing condition, in that bucket-ish container? If so, it is potted far too low. I am not a cactus grower, but I can tell you from reading here that the cactus needs to be in a container with holes in the bottom in a fast draining soil. Most often recommended here is commercial cactus/succulent potting mix combined 50/50 with perlite or pumice from your nursery. If you repot in that pot with the soil level a couple inches from the top, I believe it will be too much potting mix for the plant; it won't dry out fast enough. Other cactus growers will check in here and advise you about the brown area, but I suspect you will have to start over. Personally, I prefer clay pots for these plants which don't like wet feet. Good luck with your plant.

Succulents are so architectural and make such a strong statement that you should look for some contrast -- plants that are soft, loose and feathery. You're rights thinking about grasses. My favorite is Mexican feather grass. It stays soft and light all year round and never gets that dried up, stiff look like other ornamental grasses. It also stays under 2 feet. Globe mallow "Louis Hamilton" pairs great with succulents. It may look a bit floppy at the nursery (all that water and fertilizer) but will improve after pruning. The foliage is bluish and the blooms are bright coral. Mine have been in bloom since October, and the main spring flush is still a couple of weeks away! Also, consider the dalea family. Black dalea (Sierra Negra) or gold (Sierra Gold). Small flowers but showy when in full bloom. They are stunning with agaves, but should work with a prickly pear.

Unfortunately, leather gloves don't help. See, e.g., here. These are heavy leather gloves sold for handling cacti, but they specifically note "DO NOT use these gloves or any gloves to handle Cholla & Prickly Pear. Prickly Pear cacti not only have spines but have thousands of small whiskers called glochids that will get into most materials and are quite painful when transferred to your skin or eyes." Tongs don't help tryiing to pull out, for example, knotweed: you need to very tightly grasp something that's a few millimeters thick, and in a confined area. I would need something pretty fine-tipped (say, the width of an index finger) that also manages to have strong grasping force. What makes the last part tricky is that it would have to be at least a foot, closer to 18" long so I can reach down to near soil level, so the lever principle is working against me.