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dukeswonderousmenagerie · 1 year

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Lupin Zero: The Train Explosion HC PT2

Ok ladies and gents! It’s time for part two of this

So, once again some small details before we begin however!

Isei (Lupin’s Grandfather/The First): Nice

Nisei (Lupin’s Father/The Second): Not Nice!

Sansei/Sény (Lupin the Third): Extremly Traumatized!

This might get extremely depressing, so if you don’t like the idea of kids getting hurt/in distress or whatever, don’t look don’t read, and don’t just read to send me hate mail cause I know people tend to do that and it’s annoying as well as discouraging and I’m sensitive xD

If you don’t agree with this idea that’s fine too, but don’t get rabid with it either. These are simply just ideas, that’s all. Their not “canon” unless I decree them as my own canon xD

Ok let’s get started!

The hours following the train accident are brutal and excruciating.

The minutes following Jigen fainting are somehow even worse, and he’s not even there to witness them.

Instead Isei is.

And he’s forced to experience those minutes of absolute hell.

And their hell because they stretch on for so long that Isei wonders at random intervals if time really has actually slowed down or if it has stopped altogether and only he’s the one to notice. After all he barely notices Jigen hit the ground at first, let alone hears the dull thud of it or see the plume of dust that kicks up as he presses his hands on his grandson’s sternum and compresses downwards. Lupin’s skin is a mixture of ashy pale, bruise and burnt from trauma and soot and he’s clammy beneath his hands by the time Isei finally finds a rhythm and falls into that mindless headspace where the world drops away and his only focus’ is on one thing in particular..

CPR is hard even under normal circumstances, and it’s exhausting. It isn’t as easy as the movies make it out to be. That’s just common knowledge. It’s hard work, it’s unnerving, and Isei cringes each time the rib cage under his palms bow beneath his clasped hands. His arms burn from an unnatural angle and sweat is beginning to form on his brow, but he blames that on the residual heat from the flames.

Even so it doesn’t matter, there’s so little to make excuses for. This act is even harder for Isei in his old age. It’s hard but he manages not to think about how his adrenaline is waning slowly as the minutes stretch and exhaustion takes it’s place and as a result, arthritic pains he’s spent years ignoring start to flare up, causing his fingers to go numb and his joints to throb with a dull internal consistent heat.

But he ignores it. He tries. He tries not to think about how this is a child underneath him, let alone his own flesh and blood and unless he does this right he’s going to die—he’s going to die he’s going to die he’s going to-

But he ignores it, too focused as he tries not to think about the creaking of the young boy's ribs under his hands.

Come on Sény, that’s a good boy come on

He hits a number he doesn’t notice he’s counting for. He blows, pulls back, watches the kid’s bruised and bloodied chest rise and fall with a breath he doesn’t take. Son of a bitch.

Come on Sény

He gets back to compression. He hears something finally give, something finally snaps under his hands and the old man finds himself fighting down a sudden thrill of panic that erupts from his own chest, shaking his head as he closes his eyes.

He hopes the boy can forgive him.

Come on, Sény, he thinks feverishly, muscles feeling weaker by the second. He's got to keep up his strength to maintain the right pressure, but how long can he go, he thinks.

Come on Sény.

A man comes close, offers to take over, but Isei ignores him, rebuffs him, tells him to worry about Jigen instead, who's lying unconscious a mere 6 and a half feet away from him in the arms of another, much younger man then the one who’s looming over his shoulder who’s trying desperately to wake him. Isei is not much of a trusting man outside of his circle of friends and family, the years have taught him to be wary even if he is friendly most of the time. But in this particular instance he forces himself to focus on keeping count, forces himself to trust that the other men, who Isei does not know from Adam, will do right by the other child while he tries desperately to keep the other one alive.

He finally hits thirty again when the man leaves. Breathes—and by some miracle or another by this time, when the boy's chest rises, it hitches and convulses. There’s a sickening harsh gurgling noise that builds and comes from his throat, his body spasming, and Isei quickly reacts by scooping Lupin up against his chest, tilting his head back so that the boy could maybe better breath, that's in Sény, come on now. There's a good boy, and it’s there that the boy heaves and coughs and gags, spits up spit and blood, until there’s nothing left to give and he finally collapses against his grandpa with a groan, boneless and totally spent.

When the boy doesn’t answer Isei’s probing questions, Isei’s stomach begins to twist, fearing the worst, worrying about the ever present possibility that his grandson has or is slipping away again, and that if he has. . .how he does not have the strength to recontinue his life saving measures, and it scares him.

He looks back to the smoldering ruins behind them, a frown on his face, then looks back at his grandson, and gently runs his fingers through Lupin’s half-singed hair, carefully keeping an eye on the kid’s face for any subtle changes. He finds a tacky spot, just at the base of his skull—and when his fingers prod it, the kid, spent and tired, lets out the tiniest, breathless whimper he can make given the circumstances.

Isei says nothing, he simply holds his grandson close, staring out at the gray and black fingers of smoke that rise into the air, twisting and turning as they touch the sky like the dainty caress of a woman's fingers . . .

He doesn’t even notice the rescue brigade, being directed towards them by a man from their group who went to get help. . .

Aftermath

The train explosion makes front news headlines all over Tokyo in the span of a short few hours following its occurrence. The total count of people ultimately killed by the initial crash and or explosion is never fully revealed to the public due to the suspicious nature of its circumstances. While the trains manifest had only counted so many people during its initial departure, multiple new bodies are found adding to the initial count. And while the police are successful in determining the identities of the initial deceased passengers, they are unable to fully account for the other 10-15

There could’ve well been more. Tragically, it doesn’t take long to identify one body in particular.

Arséne Lupin the First, affectionately known as Isei by many, is notified hours later following the initial crash, of the death of his son, Arséne Lupin the Second. While the initial cause of death is thought to be smoke inhalation, a few weeks later the ultimate cause of death is revealed.

A .38 caliber bullet to his chest.

Death is thought to be instant.

The weapon is matched to a gun wrapped tightly in the hand of another one of the bodies, who’s cause of death is ultimately tied to smoke inhalation after the body appeared to be pinned by the leg by a falling metal beam, too heavy for the person to lift.

While the ultimate death toll is never conclusive, it is believed to be one of the deadliest train accidents in almost a decade.

_____________

Before learning about the death of his son, Isei spent hours waiting for news on his grandson. He’s wheeled into surgery near immediately after entering the hospital.

The extensive burns and the all too prevalent possibility of internal injuries weigh heavily against the boy's chances of survival, but despite the odds that say otherwise, even despite him already dying once, the boy makes it off the table. He is found to ultimately have a concussion and smoke inhalation as well. He has second- and third-degree burns on his face, arms, hands, lower extremities and feet. Because of the extent of his injuries, Lupin is kept in a medically induced coma, which also helps with pain control. In addition to burns, the boy also suffers from blunt force trauma injuries, which indicates the highly likely scenario of being thrown into something with tremendous force enough to leave the imprint on his stomach. Internal bleeding, a ruptured spleen, and a punctured lung are discovered and treated.

But what worries people the most is the extensive bit of burning around his face. More than 60 percent of the right side of Lupin’s face is covered in first- and second-degree burns. From the top of his head, to behind and in front of the bottom half of his neck, is nothing more then a raw bundle of charred skin, that even if the boy survived would heal too be nothing more but a tangled knot of mottled skin, no matter how much they tried to make it not so.

As the healing process continues, Lupin’s right eye is also discovered to be all but useless. He suffers dermal burns to his upper and lower eyelids and close to near complete decreased vision in the right eye. In the end, though the eye eventually heals enough for him to keep it in his head, he never fully regains full sight in it.

He’s ultimately labeled legally blind in it.

_____________

Jigen is found to be much better off despite being caught in the initial concussive blast of the second explosion. Ultimately his fainting is thought to be the result of emotional and physical stress. Thankfully unlike Lupin, smoke inhalation, a broken wrist, a gash on his temple and contusions littered throughout his body are all that tell of his experiences and all that hospital staff find. The doctors are unable to examine him anymore, as Jigen manages to escape in the confusion that suddenly follows the hospital’s scramble to care for patients of the train accident, leaving Jigen alone with his wrist in a cast and sutures in his head. In addition when he tries to move in spite of the nurse’s insistence that he lay down and not do that, there’s a sharp stabbing pain in the middle of his lower back that nearly causes him to double over and collapse in utter agony.

As it turns out, when the nurse, who had been fearful of the potential of whiplash, had urged him not to move too much, she had been right in her observation and Jigen shouldn’t have moved, let alone had left his room at all. Jigen did have whiplash but not of the neck like Jigen had just assumed whiplash affected, but of his back, more specifically his lower back.

Whiplash of the lower back is often caused by a sharp, sudden movement of the trunk either forwards, backwards or to the side. The injury is similar to the more common injury of whiplash of the neck but involves more of the muscles, tendons and ligaments that make up the structure of the lower back and spine. Road traffic accidents are often the most common cause of this type of injury too the lower back, because of the violent movement causing it to be forced beyond its normal range of movement resulting in tendons, ligaments and muscles being stretched beyond their normal capacity, some ultimately tearing. There are also a number of small joints in the lower back which can become injured during the movement.

While Jigen never explicitly tells anyone about what had occurred during the second explosion, he would ultimately regale to Lupin many months later, that when he tried to get him out of the debris, the concussive blast had somehow by chance, funneled its way into the train car and had flung him back hard enough to slam him into the metal walling of the train car. As a result he bruised and battered his back hard, thankfully not hard enough to actually break his back, but significant enough to cause whiplash.

And while Jigen is young and spry and does eventually heal, in the beginning he finds himself in near excruciating debilitating pain, muscle spasms making movement more difficult and painful. But he ultimately disregards his own pain in exchange for keeping a watchful eye on his friend. After all, he's good at hiding pain. This however turns out to be a bad idea, as it is often advised that one should not ignore symptoms of whiplash, especially of the lower back, as this would increase your recovery time and may cause long term complications such as poor movement and weakness of the lower back.

This lack of personal preservation and lack of caring for his own safety ultimately follows Jigen all the way into adulthood, in more ways than one. The damage to his lower back is bad enough to cause permanent nerve damage as well as damage to a disk in his spine which in turn grows into something the equivalency of a severe form of arthritis. But instead of having it professionally checked out, Jigen suffers from it on his own, finding that laying down and resting ultimately helps the pain aside from booze. This habit of laying down at random times becomes all too noticeable in his adulthood, with Jigen garnering the reputation of being a lazy layabout and such by outside figures.

However Lupin does not question his partner's habits. For he knows the truth, and while he’s still mad at Jigen for not taking care of it, for not taking care of himself, he accommodates him instead as best he can, never complaining about him laying down outside of a friendly banter and always stocking up on pain pills that allow Jigen relief whenever the pain inevitably flares.

Additional Ideas:

Little Jigen spent weeks practicing his French while Lupin was unconscious following the train accident because he wanted to surprise him by showing him how good he had gotten since Lupin had been trying to teach him despite Jigen acting so “disinterested” of the concept. Lupins Grandpa knowing the real reason he’s trying so hard to master french is because it keeps his mind off of Lupin. And the goal of ultimately showing Lupin when he wakes up, takes Jigens mind off the possibility of Lupin not doing that

Despite how much they both acted like everything was OK, Jigen and Lupin months and even years following the accident, both grew an intense apprehension for trains and tight spaced locomotives. If they didn’t control it or have a say in it, they refused to ride any form of transportation. It was especially worse for Lupin with trains as after the accident, he only ever rode one with Jigen by his side and only ever took a seat close to what he could consider “the perfect getaway”, be it a door or a window he could easily open.

This time period was also around the time when Jigen began to garner his reputation for being Lupin’s “right hand man”. Following the accident, Jigen became extremely protective over Lupin, as the boys demeanor had entirely changed as well as his self-confidence with how people perceived him due too his scarring, as he was still learning on how to properly cover them up with makeup at the time. As time went on and Lupin slowly healed from his injuries, Jigen took to protecting his blind spot, watching and guarding the side of Lupin that happened to be the side in which he was basically blind. Which turned out to be his right side. As a result Jigen basically always stuck to his right side like a seeing eye dog. Of course as Lupin grew up and his love for robotics grew, he gathered enough skill to make a prosthetic to help him see instead of just having a false eye, but the habit of staying at his right side was something Jigen never grew out of, so as a result even in adulthood he’s always known as Lupin’s Right Hand Man.

While Lupin made a prosthetic to help with the sight he completely lost in his right eye, he ultimately also basically kept his left eye, which suffered blurriness in it following the accident, completely the same. While the reasoning for this varies between what he’s willing to actually tell people, it ultimately is because the eye itself looks no different then what it did before the crash, and yet despite the blurry vision it works all the same. However this tends to leave Lupin with issues. While the eye itself is “functional” he ends up being terrible with guns because he can’t actually see far without his glass’s, due to a cataract that slowly begun to form over the eye. It was caused by blunt trauma to the head which ultimately caused swelling, thickening, and then whitening of the lens fibers. While the swelling resolved with time, the whiteish blue color remained, leading to a damage that obstructed light from reaching the retina at the back of the eye. This obstruction resulted in Lupin developing a form of “trauma based near sightedness” which lead to behavioral changes such as Lupin’s apparent need to be “up close” and so in your face, becoming 100x worse then what he originally was. And while cataract surgery is a thing, Lupin as it turns out is no better then Jigen was with his back, and hypocritically decided “nah”.

Lupin has never spoken about the accident even years later. Even Jigen doesn't know much of what happened on that train, but despite that, he keeps the secret of the train accident to himself under Lupin’s request to “leave the past in the past”, basically shutting down the memory of the accident in order to forget it thus repressing it. As a result, no one besides Jigen as Lupin grows older, knows about the mask that he wears to cover up the scarring that takes up a majority of his face, nor of the fake eye and the trauma that caused it in the first place. They know of the train accident of course, that’s one for the books, but no one ever finds out that Jigen and Lupin ultimately have first hand experience in it.

It’s simply just a memory. A quiet distant memory.

____ Alright ladies gents and pals! That’s part 2 of this train thing. If you have any questions feel free to ask! I have other ideas for this, but this was getting long and I don’t feel like irritant a part 3 xD

enjoy and have a nice night :D

Also again special ping to @dagmartoons :3

NEXT PART

or GO BACK TO FIRST PART

#lupin iii #arsène lupin iii #lupin the iii #lupin the 3rd #lupin x jigen #daisuke jigen #jiglup #jigen daisuke #lupin zero spoilers #lupin zero #lupin 0 #lupin iii train theory #kid lupin #kid jigen #lupin iii au #my headcanons #Lupin III: The Lavender Jacket Series

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yourladyindank · 3 months

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From someone who knows her stuff how many times a day should one shower. I’ve seen people saying one is the max but others say at least three times.

Well I don’t know everything lol.

But it heavily depends on a lot of factors that vary pretty harshly from person to person. How much do you sweat? How volatile is your skin biome? Are you oily? Dry? Do you exfoliate? Medical conditions? Do you have a lot of skin folds? Level of activity each day? Etc.

You do need a shower at least once a day unless you have some other medical conditions, but there are a few us to test if you need a shower if you aren’t sure.

1) take a look at yourself nude. Do you have a sheen? Are you ashy? Perhaps a shower and some moisturizer

2) run a finger along the pits and crevices of your body (arm pit, thigh to crotch pit, underboob, buttcrack, between your toes, etc). Check for smell and texture on your fingers. If they’re oily/stinky/tacky it’s fine for a shower

3) run a finger nail gently across the same areas. If you get Grey goo under the finger mail it’s time for that shower

4) flap your arms/legs. Wet/sticky pits? Time to get that shower

5) check the hair. Oily or crusty or dry or smelly? Shower. Your scalp doesn’t lie

6) ask a loved one but prepare mentally. Being called stinky is more hurtful than people expect.

7) check ur vibes. Do you just feel kinda gross and sticky and sweaty? Like you got work or school or shopping all over you? Time to get tht shower

Be cautious! You can shower too much! But you’ll get mighty uncomfy mighty fast and it’s much harder to do than not showering enough so I wouldn’t worry too much unless you’ve got some medical/mental condition going on that effects your perception or ability to shower. Also if you find you just physically become gross very fast (tacky armpits an hour after your shower even with deodorant, hair is always oily no matter what, your body pits start smelling at an unreasonable rate) go talk to your doctor, you may actually have a skin/gland/other condition that needs tending.

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terendelev · 8 months

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I just got my bg3 collectors editon in the mail, most looks amazing, love the dice and map. And THE ART BOOK HOLY SHIT IT'S SO PRETTY!! Everything looks so nicely put together, I love it. The box itself is super pretty as well? It's got a little metallic shine to it, the box is going to get a purpose as well I guess. Putting it next to my bed probably so I can stare into the mindflayer's eyes before I fall asleep.

Basically, it's a fantastic collectors edition, which makes me all the more sad the thing I was most excited about, the statue, is pretty lacking.

It's an amazing quality for the most part, but I cry at the paint-job. The mindflayer looks fucking sick, in a bad way. The side if his head is not lush and pick/purple, it's white person skin colour and applied like it was done in an extreme hurry with a brush that was not made for that sort of detail. The skin also isn't glossy at all as the image suggested but the armor is glossy so it's not like it was impossible. And the colours do not match the promo image at all, it looked vibrant and lively but this is just an ashy, grey mess. Honestly only the mindflayer armor looks like the promo image really. The drow... I'm not even going to talk a lot about the drow. Looking at that man's face he has many problems, one of them being severe constipation I'm sure. I cannot help him.

Maybe I'm an extreme nitpicker with figurine painting since I paint a lot myself but honestly? Expected better from Larian. I know a promo image is always going to look better than the final product but the people that painted this (and I know that is by hand, I know there where 25000 made yada yada) did a pretty shit job, not going to sugercoat it just because I like Lairan so much. At least pick colours that look like the image on the box you know?

Guess I have a new project, going to dig out my airbrush etc. Make that mindflayer into the sexy glossy beast it's meant to be. Collectible value be damned, this statue will be placed in my tomb eventually after all, never gonna sell it.

I saw some opening videos and it really looks gorjus... I am glad you liked it as well!

...well besides the statue ofc but at least you have the artistic talent to dye it? like yes go and SEXUALIZE THAT MINDFLAYER. I believe in you.

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fantomcomics · 1 year

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What’s Out This Week? 1/4

Thank you all for an incredible 2022! We hope you had amazing holidays, and we can’t wait to spend 2023 with you!

Children Of The Black Sun #1 - Dario Sicchio & Letizia Cadonici

"It is not difficult to be happy under a blue sky. But it takes a lot of courage to be strong even under a black sun."

Over the years, a black sun has risen twice. A dark dawn whose rays have done terrible things to people's minds, driving them to all sorts of horror. Twelve years have passed since the last time and the world still fears the return of that inexplicable phenomenon. But fear is not the only legacy of those terrible days. All the women who got pregnant under the influence of the black sun have given birth to babies with some... peculiarities. White hair, ashy skin, abnormal proportions, and eyes as red as fire: the Children of the Black Sun. Brightvale is a small town like many others.

Here the Children of the Black Sun are treated with particular contempt, especially in the days leading up to the anniversary of the two disasters. The hatred of their fellow villagers, terrified of a possible return of that horror, will push these kids to unite and embark on a hallucinatory journey to discover themselves and their true nature. But is the black sun really about to return?

Gangster Ass Barista #1 - Pat Shand, Renzo Rodriguez, Conor Hughes, & Fin Cramb

Trinity used to live a life of crime, but now she has left behind her old life and works at a coffee shop. Unfortunately, making ends meet isn't easy to do with a minimum wage job. Not to mention the fact that customers are beginning to get on Trinity's nerves, and it's getting harder and harder to not let her old tendencies take control.

When Trinity's past comes calling, it's like the famous quote: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"

I’m Kinda Chubby And I’m Your Hero GN Vol 1 - Nore

Honjiro is a rookie actor trying his best to land a breakout role, but he fears that his weight stands in the way of his dreams. One day, he's surprised by fan mail full of sweets. The package came from Konnosuke, a local pastry chef-Honjiro's first major fan! As Konnosuke supports Honjiro's work and gives him new confidence to face the stage, will their relationship grow beyond just aspiring star and fanboy?

Mosely #1 (of 5) - Rob Guillory & Sam Lotfi

In the hyper-technological world of the later 21st century, Mosely is a bitter old janitor on a mission from a higher power-to unleash holy Hell upon the "too big to fail" Tech Gods. Can one man bring down the corporate powers who've used their vast influence to oppress an all too complacent human race (and hopefully win back the favor of his estranged family while he's at it)? Mosely's taking up the Holy Hammer and you better believe he's gonna smash some $h!t until he sets mankind free!

Potions Inc TP Vol 1 - Erik Burnham, Stelladia & Natasha Alterici

The call of adventure always seems to hang up whenever Randelgast Jones tries to answer it, leaving him facing the dull future of working in his family's successful potion shop. But when a powerful artifact is stolen from his parents and puts them under a terrible curse, Ran finally gets the quest he's been after his whole life. He and his siblings set off to find the missing artifact - and its trail leads them from their homeland of Primaterra to the very strange realm of... Seattle, Washington. 1992.

Spy Superb #1 (of 3) - Matt Kindt

It's John Wick meets Wes Anderson in this mystery-thriller about a secret organization that's developed the perfect spy. Who is the perfect spy? A spy who doesn't even realize they are a spy. AKA the "useful idiot." This particular useful idiot is named Jay. Jay is sent on missions without even realizing he's on a mission. Until he picks up the wrong phone with the wrong secret intel and now Russian hit-squads and elite assassins are after him. But Jay believes he was a sleeper agent-and really is the "spy superb". His complete obliviousness and lack of survival skills may be the only thing that saves him in this globe-trotting espionage tale . . . where nothing is what it seems . . . but also . . . kind of actually is what it seems.

Trojan #1 (of 4) - Daniel Kraus, Marco Lesko, Laci & Jeff Dekal

Once upon a time, we lived alongside Legends. Creatures of myth. Centaurs, fauns, gorgons, kelpies, gnomes, and more. They were spectacular. Majestic. Powerful. Peaceful. Pure. In comparison, we were ugly. Weak. Warmongering. Rotten. Is it any wonder we could not live alongside them any longer? After driving these Legends to the fringes of society, an uglier form of mythos takes shape in the form of rumors of live snuff shows for dark web high rollers. When a mysterious young woman, Nessa, enlists the help of a hacker to take a tour of the grisliest corners of the Dark Web, she sets in motion a war between those who peddle to mankind's darkest fantasies and a world that transcends imagination. Trojan is fantasy thriller full of wonder and horror in equal measure.

The Ward: Welcome To The Madhouse TP - Cavan Scott & Andres Ponce

St. Lilith's is a secret hospital for supernatural creatures. The personnel are overworked, the facility is underfunded, and all operations must be kept hidden from the public. A place, and a life, Dr. Nat Reeves thought she left behind. Until a wounded woman (with a tail) appears on her doorstep.

Whatcha scooping up this week to start the new year right, Fantom Fam?

#WOTW #What's Out This Week?#comic #comics #comic book #comic books #manga #The Ward: Welcome To The Madhouse #Trojan #Spy Superb #Potions Inc #Mosely #I’m Kinda Chubby And I’m Your Hero #Gangster Ass Barista #Children Of The Black Sun

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bylightofdawn · 11 months

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I managed to survive another day of work though for a while there I wasn't sure that was going to happen. I also discovered this sizeable fraud trend with this fraudster submitting the same docs across different accts with hi same but differing SSN's. I am not kidding when I said I had to go through like 20+ orders checking if the ID submitted as the same one. Thankfully most were marked for fraud due to the correlated fraud on the name but four absolute braintrust agents signed off on that shit and I had to close 4 accts at like 9:30. So I didn't get off till like 10:15.

Bro these meds are fucking with me so hard. Today I've had blurry vision all day long. Which is apparently a known side effect of the meds. Combine that with my weird balance issues, the bought of random dizziness and light-headedness and I'm just ready to throw in the towel and request my doc sends a different script with hopefully less side effects.

Which at this point I feel like a record on repeat with my whinging.

In other news I got approved for a Playstation credit card so I'm going to purchase the MWII PS5 when it comes in the mail. I was TRYING to get it taken care of now because PlayStation has this amazing special of them giving a 125 account credit if you spend 500+ but that special is expiring today which is sad cause that was a nice little rebate. But....it is what it is. I just hope the MWII bundle doesn't go up in price. I'm mainly getting that because it has the game and that's like what? 65 bucks?

I'm high key hoping the games I bought through the PlayStation store on my PS4 will transfer to the PS5 but I'm not too hopeful. I know my Borderlands 3 copy will. Not sure about Tiny Tina's assault on dragon keep.

A part of me is concerned about getting a new credit card but I COULD have used affirm and paid out over 6 months but those loans always stress me out. I did it for my last two Hot Toys purchases and was able to make the payments on time but I just stress all the same.

And this playstation card is only being used for this purchase. I might add Jedi Survivor since I don't think it's going on sale any time soon and holy shit the second market on PS5 games is a scam. A used MWII was like 55 bucks so ten dollars off the new version of the game. Ya'll are tripping.

And in other, other news I am still super bored with my hair. I've been watching too many Brad Mando videos and this one DIY YTber who has the most gorgeous hair that kinda ranges from a super pale gray with a hint of lavender to a more steel lavender color. It's gorgeous. I have also never bleached my hair aside from getting some highlights.

But I was kinda pinteresting and found a couple of stunning examples that I kinda want to try out

This is like a silvery ashy gray but there's a dark purple shadow root which looks awesome but I'd prolly be better off going to something closer to my natural color.

Not to that extreme and I'm not even sure a shadow root is a thing you can do on a pixie like mine. But it definitely evokes something in me.

It's not so extreme either though a lot of work places don't care about crazy hair color, especially call centers and if I had to in a pinch I'm sure I could go to the hair dresser and just have them tone to a pale ash gray. And honestly? I've never seen myself as a blonde. I'll prolly have to go see Juan about the vinyl decals so I might stop my old boss's sister's hair salon which is attached to the shop Juan took over.

I am not in a rust to get this done but I am super strongly considering it.

Okay I am closing out tumblr and I'm going to work on this damned fic. Not chance in hell it gets finished tonight but any progress I can make is something that inches me closer to completion.

#life of el #this is a very rambling post

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kermitskitchenofficial · 11 months

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Tw mentions of suicide

We talked the day before it happened.

You were just getting out of psyche.

We were planning my trip up there to come out and see you.

I'll never get to hear your voice again.

You never left me a voicemail

There's a bittersweetness to never having a last voice-mail

On one hand

I picked up every call

And on the other

Your perfect melody of speech will never bless my ears again.

You could always think of something witty

Weather it got you in trouble or not

Where is that now?

You my dear, are turned to ash

You always complained about your skin being ashy

I told you it was a prophecy on what would happen to your body

I never meant it.

I knew you wanted to be buried traditionally.

Your mother wouldn't pick up my calls.

I don't know if I'll make it to the funeral

I'm unsure whether or not this should be an apology to you or not for not being able to keep you here on this plane of existence, but either way

I'm sorry.

-Me, May 26th 2023, 11:48 PM

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strawberryhierophant · 2 years

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Writing Practice: The Royal Screen's Antidote

"They're practically ghosts!" Mrs. Gladstone insisted.

It was no secre that Mrs. Gladstone had once been paid a visit by the Royal Screen. If anybody knew what it was like, it was her.

"They look more machine than human," she said. "All that armor! Chain mail and helmets. Just like Knights of the Round Table."

The two of them sat on the front stoop. A washing basin full of dirty soap water sat gripped between Mrs. Gladstone's legs. Her hands were in the water scrubbing savagely at a blue dress.

"So they're knights." Emma said.

The old woman's head jerked up. Her eyes met Emma's so suddenly that the young woman nearly recoiled.

"They LOOK like knights. Only they're not! They're something else."

"Something else?"

"Mm. Something not quite human."

Emma was accustomed to Mrs. Gladstone's strange superstitions. The old woman was prone to wild fantasies and, under normal conditions, Emma would have taken her claims with a grain of salt.

Only now — well... things had changed, hadn't they? Dark doubts had been easing their way into Emma's mind. Funny thoughts that she couldn't shake.

Mrs. Gladstone thrust the blue dress, soaking wet, into Emma's hands then reached for another from the dirty pile. Emma hung the blue dress up to dry on the clothesline.

"What do you mean, 'not human'?" she asked.

Scrubbing away like mad, the old woman said, "They make no sound, for one. When they come, you swear you're alone. Then, poof! There they are!"

The sun was shining, but Emma felt a chill.

"Just like that?"

"Like ghosts!" the old woman repeated.

A small wooden fence separated the cottage from the road, a dusty country path which wound down from the hills, past the house, and into a thicket. Beyond that, it rose, curling through the hills again.

Like most cottages in the area, Emma's was small, and isolated. Unlike most others, it sat cradled in a small valley. At the moment, it felt vulnerable.

"Only," Mrs. Gladstone continued, "ghosts aren't real. Not exactly. Incorporeal, or whatever the word is. But the Royal Screen. They're as real as you and me. Flesh and bone. Just — well, not human."

"And what do they do?

"They carry the antidote, of course!" The old woman's entire face seemed to squint into a pucker of disgust. "Bitter, bitter drink. Awful stuff, that antidote."

"And that's what they gave the old shepherd?" Emma's eyes were searching the the far hills now. Oaks and hawthorns clotted the countryside. Here and there, a black chimney from some neighboring cottage poked its nose over the trees.

Mrs. Gladstone inspected the dirty dress in her hands, clucking disapprovingly at a stubborn stain on the hem.

"I'm sure the shepherd got it," she said. "The antidote's what does it. That's what cures you. That's what we need the Royal Screen for."

Her hands dunked the dress back into the basin's soapy water, then slapped it onto the washboard. Once more, she began to scrub furiously, elbows pumping like the crankshaft on steam engine. After a moment, she stopped and stared off.

"It's the silence that really bothers me," she said. "Somehow, that's the worst part. Knowing that they could be anywhere."

"Anywhere?"

"Anywhere" Mrs. Gladstone said.

Emma's eyes watched a distant chimney, puffing black smoke into the sky like the ashy end of a black cigar.

Mrs. Gladstone's voice dropped to a whisper. "They could be right behind us both, and neither of us would ever hear a sound."

"No?"

"Not until it was too late!"

Emma thought about the old shepherd. His ancient eyes wide as saucers. The Royal Screen appearing like ghosts. Their chain mail and armor making no sound in the otherwise empty house. The shepherd's face puckering with disgust, like Mrs. Gladstone's, as he was forced to drink the antidote.

The old woman, noticing Emma's furrowed brow, straightened her back and in a bright voice said, "But a good girl like you shouldn't be worrying her pretty head over a thing like the Royal Screen."

She forced the dress with the stubborn stain into Emma's hands, which trembled slightly as they clipped the dress to the clothesline.

"The antidote's vile stuff. Awful, awful," Mrs. Gladstone said with a shake of her head. Then, smiling, "But you're a good chickadee, Emma. And pretty, too. There's only one antidote for a girl like you. And that's a good husband!"

Mrs. Gladstone broke out into a cackle. Emma laughed politely. The old woman was partly right. Like most young ladies, Emma was too busy with the demands of rural life to really concern herself with boys. But plenty busy to know that she couldn't survive on her own. Not with the way things were. Despite her own wishes, she would need a husband sooner or later.

Life's endless demands also left no time for a young girl's mind to be wandering into obscenities like Literature. At least that's what Mrs. Gladstone believed. And Emma was content to let her believe it.

At length, the two retreated into Emma's cottage, where Mrs. Gladstone dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. Her shoulders came up and her fingers interlocked as she stretched her arms out in front of her with a soft groan. Emma heard the old woman's elbows pop as she served them each a bowl of cold bran porridge and a glass of warm milk. On the side, she set Mrs. Gladstone's favorite: a jar of pickled radishes.

As they ate, Emma could not shake the image of the old shepherd from her mind. A tan, old man, grey-haired and thin. His mustache, thick below his small nose, curled upwards at the ends under his high cheekbones, giving his face a round appearance. Wherever he went, he carried a beaming smile. But his two eyes were set below a sad brow, glittering wildly. It gave him the appearance, Emma thought, of a man on the verge of bursting into tears.

The shepherd would daily drive his flock of sheep into the mountains. He passed Emma's house on the way. Or he used to — before the Royal Screen came for him.

Emma would wave from the gate and the old shepherd would pause, bending at the hip to give Emma a crooked little bow. With the slightest hint of a smile, the old man would wiggle his grey mustache and tap his heels together, like a soldier greeting his captain.

Emma would laugh, causing the old man's eyes to light up in a twinkle. Then, with a soft tip of his straw hat, he would continue on his way, and Emma would watch him disappear up the road into the hills.

In the evenings, the shepherd passed by again, only this time holding a small bouquet in his dirt-caked hands. A messy arrangement of fragrant wild grasses and mountain blossoms. He would present it to Emma with an embarrassed smile. She would accept it, and off the shepherd would go, teetering along his way.

He did this every time; only once did he give any indication why.

"My daughter would be about your age now," he had said with a sad smile, his eyes full of that soft tearful look.

This had stirred Emma's tender heart. Her fondness for the old man grew. Over time, she came to see him as a kind — if distant — father figure.

But then, for three days, he did not come by the house. Emma heard rumors. Two large books had been found stashed below the old shepherd's floorboards. The Royal Screen came for him.

Though he had denied all knowledge of the books, the Law was clear. There was no escape from the Royal Screen's justice.

Afterwards, things were different. When the shepherd passed, there was no crooked little bow. No click of his heels. He did not flick his mustache up and down, nor bring a bouquet of wildflowers in the evening.

"Cured him!" Mrs. Gladstone said, fingering one of the pickled radishes from the jar. "That's what they did! Gave him the antidote. And good for him!"

"But I don't think the old shepherd even knew how to read, Mrs. Gladstone. Why would he be hiding books?"

The old woman chewed her radish thoughtfully, her bird-like face narrowing, "Books make you do queer things, dear. They have a power all their own. One's bad enough. But two? And big, thick, heavy ones, I've heard."

The Law had gone into effect when Emma was only a child. She had never even seen a book, much less read one.

"What do you mean they make you do strange things?"

Plucking another radish from the jar, Mrs. Gladstone spoke as she chewed, "It's hard to explain what it's like. I can't exactly remember. The antidote. It cured me, of course. Left me with hardly any memories. The books used to be up here." She tapped her temple. "Not anymore. But..." Mrs. Gladstone's eyes seemed to be looking at something far away now. "There are things I do remember..."

The old woman's fingers once more dipped into the jar of radishes. This time, they stayed there.

"Books," she said softly. "They — have a way of spreading their power. Even if you never read one. Even if you just — hold one. I can almost remember the way it felt in my hands."

"What do they feel like, Mrs. Gladstone?"

Emma was leaning close now. But the old woman wasn't listening.

"They have a power," she muttered, as though she were talking in her sleep. "And you take the power for yourself. Then it spreads. It — it..."

Her voice trailed off. Emma waited, but Mrs. Gladstone seemed to be somewhere else entirely.

Emma refilled their milk, and the old woman blinked as though she'd been awakened from a dream. A frown creased across her forehead and she pulled her fingers out of the jar. A long, crooked radish came out with it and Mrs. Gladston bit into it with a crunch. After a moment, she slapped the table with the palm of her hand and Emma jumped.

"They poison the mind, that's what they do! Books poison the mind. And that poison, it summons the Royal Screen. They can smell it! Like bloodhounds. You start to get funny thoughts."

"Funny thoughts...?"

"Doubts! You start to question things. Queer thoughts, and they stain the air, like smoke or a bad belch. And the Royal Screen can smell them from a mile away. If you so much as TOUCH a book. Mark my words, dearie. That's a signal for the Royal Screen. And they'll be coming for you next!"

Emma's elbow was resting on the table, her chin in the palm of her hand. The shepherd's twinkling eyes flashed in her mind. She had always thought it was sadness. Or a sort of sad humor.

But she had been wrong, hadn't she? It was something else. Something more unusual than that. Maybe it was the same power that Mrs. Gladstone was struggling to remember.

"Then it spreads." Those were Mrs. Gladstone's exact words.

Had the power from one of his books spread from the shepherd to Emma during their daily encounters?

"That's all they do," Mrs. Gladstone muttered. "Poison the mind. Books — bah! But the Royal Screen fixed the old shepherd right up, just like they cured me. When you've been poisoned, there's only one thing for it."

"The antidote," murmured Emma.

"Yes," said Mrs. Gladstone. "Thank God for that!"

[END]

#writing community #writers on tumblr #writerscafe #writerscommunity #creative writing #writing prompt #writing #writers of tumblr

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thisislizheather · 2 years

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May Musings 2022

How is it June? Halloween is practically tomorrow. Here’s what went down last month!

The best tweets of May can be found over here and here.

I wrote an essay about my hated for the Kard***ian family.

Nathan’s show Trapped got reviewed in The Globe and Mail!

I visited the insanely disappointing part two of the costume exhibit at The Met.

I also revisited part one of that same exhibit because new pieces were added and they are spectacular. (And quick note: there’s no rooftop exhibit at The Met this summer! I emailed them to see why and they told me that it “has been delayed per the artist’s request“ which is complete bullshit! If the artist couldn’t make it work for this year, why the hell didn’t they commission someone else to fill the space for this year? The fuck?)

I read and reviewed Christopher Reeve’s memoir.

I never use face cream, but the texture of my face was weirdly rough for about a week so I lathered on the belief aqua bomb cream each night and it smoothed me right out back to normal within two days. It also works really well on elbows if ashiness is ever a concern for you.

So intensely in love with these new shorts I got from Banana Republic Factory.

I made this tomato, zucchini, caramelized onion & feta tart with puff pastry that was too, too good.

I made these flourless chocolate brownie cookies and they were truly disgusting.

I’ve tried many foot masks, but this Holler and Glow one from Target is my absolute favourite. It’s even better than that baby foot mask everyone loved a few years back.

Went to Bar Crudo in Brooklyn and it was incredible. The crab cakes were perfect, everything we ordered was phenomenal (except the ricotta toast). Have to go back.

I’ve been making individual iced teas each day and this month solely consisted of the Trader Joe’s pomegranate white tea. It’s so fruity, but not at all too sweet.

Two new discoveries! I have a moderate dairy allergy and a possible pollen allergy! Sweet! This is what your late thirties looks like I guess?

I tried a sample of the silk peony eye cream (eyes are rolling at that name) from Tatcha and it yes it was good. But no it should not be $62. All creams should be max $20 and that’s even pushing it a bit.

Links I’m Loving:

If you’re still spring cleaning, this is such a great guide.

These sandwiches look so wildly good. Can I please just be invited to this woman’s house.

The best SNL sketch of the season. (It’s called Old Enough! Longterm Boyfriends if you need to search for it in Canada.)

I badly want to make these chocolate toffee cookies (below).

youtube

Things I Watched:

I’m in the middle of a rewatch of Friday Night Lights (Hulu), it’s not as good as it was the first time around but Riggins can still get it.

Also rewatching Undeclared (YouTube!) and it’s as good as I remembered it.

Our Father (Netflix) was pure chaos. It’s so disturbing and awful, I kind of want to tell you not to even watch it? It’s not worth it. Awful people who get away with doing awful things is such a weird thing to recommend to watch.

Inventing Anna (Netflix) was irritatingly bad. A lot of the acting was terrible, the scripts were awful. Why on earth was this longer than a 90 minute made-for-TV movie? This is one of those times the Wikipedia page is more interesting than the final product.

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes (Netflix) was, again, hard to watch. I’ve seen dozens of movies about this woman and every new thing I learn about her is more depressing than the last. God, the Kennedys were awful people.

St. Elmo’s Fire (Hulu) was terrible! I’d never seen it before but UGH. There are so many good people in it, I had such high hopes. Not one likable character in a cast of what seemed to be fifty people. Also, I know it was the ‘80s but no friend would ever put another friend’s head in a toilet, it just wouldn’t happen. Terrible script.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (theatres) was good! There were definitely parts that were a smidge too corny, but as a whole it was really good.

Flamingo Kid (streamed online) is such a good summer movie, I can’t believe I haven’t seen it before. It’s light and low maintenance and a young Matt Dillon is very pleasant to look at.

Big Night (streamed online) was so good. I’ve wanted to see it forever because of how food centric it is and it was perfect.

Top Gun: Maverick (theatres) was actually really good. Even I surprise myself sometimes. Love Tom Cruise. LOVE that he insisted on little to no CGI.

It’s amazing that spring garlic is still in season, I’m begging you to find some.

The main thing I’m looking forward to this month: I’m going on my big postponed-from-2020 trip! I’ll definitely be posting about it on my Instagram stories and (and highlights section) if you have any interest in seeing what I get up to. I could tell you some of the things planned, but where’s the fun in that?

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in April over here.

#monthly post #monthly roundup #end of month post #may #may 2022 #this is liz heather #Liz Heather #spring things to do #NYC #best of NYC #things to do NYC #Baby Dog #chihuahua

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