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#the plastic wrap and fingerprint smudges
minamill · 1 month
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Family album
details under the cut
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danosrosegarden · 9 months
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crazy for you (part one) - mitzi fabelman x fem!reader ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆
{contains: meet cute fluff!}
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Another shift at the diner, another evening of ache coursing through the balls of your feet and bitter exhaustion coating your veins. The checkered pattern of the shoe-scuffed floor of the diner had nearly been burned into the back of your brain. You saw the baby blue color that was splashed on the walls in the dark behind your eyes when you closed them at night. The smell of bitter coffee coated the skin inside of your nose.
Your work drained you. It was branded on your blood cells, sunk through into the deepest wrinkles of your mind. And it would all start again, bright and early, first thing tomorrow morning.
You rung out the waterlogged cleaning towel in the sink and wearily untied your apron when hell's bell's rung. That was what you and your coworkers called the door chime. And ten minutes before closing, at that.
"Welcome to LuLu's!" you called. "I'll be with you in a moment!"
You concocted a plastic smile and spread it across your face wide, trying to slow your fiercely racing heart pumping red-hot frustration.
The woman standing meekly in the doorframe was short, her brown eyes sparkling in the buzzing lights. A small, weary smile was spread across her blushing face.
"Are you closed?" she asked. "It's okay, I'll come back tomorrow."
Something inside of you flipped. "No, no, it's fine, you caught us just before closing," you said. "Can...can I get you something?"
The woman, dressed in overalls and a crisp white shirt, scoffed out a laugh and slunk down into a booth. "Just...just some water."
You walked to grab her a cup. You sensed something in her demeanor that was tired. Awfully tired, awfully caged in.
"Here. On the house."
Bags pulling at the skin under her eyes, the woman took the cup from your hand and gulped half of it down before taking a breath and finishing the rest.
You stood in front of the booth and watched the woman stare at the cup, shaking her head gently.
"Sit. Sit with me," she said softly.
You sat across from her.
"Is...is everything alright?"
She took a deep breath before answering. "I don't know anymore."
You nodded your head. It didn't matter that you'd just met the woman...you felt an odd sort of spirit tugging you towards her, urging you to say more.
"I'm sorry if this is weird," you felt yourself saying without the words even registering in your head, "but if everything's not alright, you seem to be holding it together pretty well."
The woman cocked a brow. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean."
You cracked your knuckles anxiously. "I mean, come on, a person who's really falling apart couldn't maintain those bangs and nails. You're stunning, ma'am."
The woman laughed, unbridled and laced with a soft snort. "Oh, you're too kind."
It was your turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "You don't believe me?"
She stared out the fingerprint-smudged windowpane with a soft, wistful smile. "Well, I haven't exactly felt stunning in a while. Gosh, honey, you've made my evening."
You tried not to blush at the name she called you. It sounded like liquid candy being poured into your ear when she said it; thick and sugary sweet.
The woman stood from her seat, smoothing her hair. "Well, I won't keep you. You've probably got people at home waiting on you."
You chuckled. "Oh, no, it's just me."
"Just you?" She pointed to your left hand, where a band wrapped around the base of your ring finger.
"This is just decoration," you explained. "I...well, to be frank, I don't have much luck with men."
She smiled sweetly at you. Like she understood your frustrations. Like she knew your secret. "That's quite alright, honey."
Before she could open the door to leave, you called out to her. "E-excuse me, ma'am?"
She turned around, the swoops of her blonde hair flipping as her head swiveled to meet your gaze.
"I didn't get your name."
"Mitzi. Mitzi Fabelman."
You repeated it in your mind. You unwrapped the sound like a moist cupcake, the crumbs of her name tumbling and locking themselves into your brain. Mitzi.
"Maybe you could come in earlier next time, Mitzi."
Mitzi smiled brightly at you, pink lips turned in an enchanting curve. "I'll sure try."
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orowyrm · 10 months
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the worst parts of being primarily a digital artist for a very long time and trying to ease back into the physical mediums you started off with to get some enrichment in your enclosure, as documented by me:
- colors. oh god how did i forget all the basics of color mixing so fast. this shade of blue looked perfect when it was wet but now it’s dry and it’s off and it’s driving me NUTS. why are paints and markers so expensive!! why the fuck did this brand DISCONTINUE a COLOR. ITS A COLOR!!!! oh i love how these paints handle but they only make like, two shades of purple and neither of them are anywhere near close to what i need. i have to spend a solid 20 minutes mixing the exact shade—oh god, i added too much red, fucking christ should i just start over? can i salvage this? i don’t even know anymore.
- drying times. i forgot that the paint was still wet and when i went to work on a different area of the piece i smudged it with my hand and didn’t notice, now i’m leaving little pink spots everywhere i put my hand down. i wanna go back and blend that bit a little better but it’s already dry so it’s gonna be a whole ass process. literally sitting there impatiently staring watching paint dry so i can add the details i just had an idea for without smudging the underpainting. i’ve let this piece sit for long enough now i think, it should be ready to move- nope, god dammit, now there’s a fingerprint on the corner and it’s going to drive me insane.
- the materials are finite?!?? oh god am i wasting paint? i’m done but i’ve got so much extra left on the palette paper, i feel like i should eat this or something. can i save this? quick i need to start another piece so i can use the leftovers. oh i squeezed a little too hard and WAYYY too much came out and now i’m frantically trying to cover the resulting glob with some plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry before i use it all. ugh i love this shade so much, its my favorite to work with- i don’t want to use it all cuz i’m not sure if i can find it for sale again, i’d better save it for a piece that’s really important— what do you MEAN paint expires?!?!??!!??!
- why the fuck everything cost money
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bill-the-bise · 1 year
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Chrissy Cunningham x Eddie Munson | fingerprint soulmate au
no i don't have a title i don't write i just had to get this OUT of my brain
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When Chrissy went into a trance that night, he tried not to grab onto her, I mean really, he did, but then she started floating and he was screaming and she wouldn't respond and did I mention she was fucking floating? So he wrapped his hand around her ankle, yanking downward, and pulled her down until she was at eye level, grasping her head with one hand on either side of her neck.
“Chrissy? Chrissy! Chrissy wake up, please! Chrissy!!” He gripped her harder, trying not to hold her too tightly he would hurt her, but just tightly enough that he was sure she wouldn’t float away.
He didn't even notice the red thumbprint he left behind, too distracted by the fact that she was waking up then, gasping for air, and that she seemed relatively okay.
They collapsed into a heap on the floor, Eddie kneeling awkwardly and pulling Chrissy to lay on his lap, her head cradled in his elbow. That was when he noticed it: a bright red thumb print, just barely visible in the dark trailer, fading into existence on the tender skin below her right ear. He thought it was a smudge of blood at first, checking his fingers to make sure he wasn't bleeding, but found no blood.
"Eddie?" she asked, her voice small and weak.
He snapped back to attention, filing that under things to worry about later. "Yeah, I'm here, princess. You okay?" She was still so frightened she barely even registered the pet name.
She reached up, inhaling, breaths beginning to slow to a steadier pace, and gently rested her hand on the side of his face. She kept her hand there for a moment, and then went to pull away, mouth opening to thank him, before her eyes widened and she gasped again. Eddie's eyes went wide too, filled with sudden panic, but as she sat up and moved closer to inspect his face, her hands resting gently on his cheeks, he realized it was not fear, but wonder, in her eyes.
"Eddie," she breathed, barely a whisper. "Eddie its blue…" she continued, eyebrows pulling together in thought. without a word, she jumped up out of Eddie's lap and began rifling through her backpack, as if she hadn't just been in a fucking demon trance or something.
"Chrissy, be careful!"
"Just gimme a minute!"
Eddie looked on as she continued to dig through her bag, and his concern slowly faded into confusion. "Whaaat are you doing?"
"HA!" she exclaimed, almost cutting off his question. She shuffled back over on her knees, holding something small and thin and flat. A pack of gum? Eddie wondered.
She made her way to him, holding out a small plastic eyeshadow palette, the kind you get from the drug mart or the department store. As she opened it up and looked at him, he got the feeling he was missing something, as if she expected it to make any sense to him.
"Ammm I supposed to be…getting this? I-I don't understand, Chrissy, what-"
Eddie cut himself off as she pursed her lips and wordlessly pointed to the third eyeshadow on the top row, worn down enough that you could see the tin in the middle. "Ice Blue" the container said. He recognized it then as the eyeshadow she had worn every day of senior year. This was also when he caught view of himself in the compact mirror.
He grabbed the mirror from her to get a closer look. There, on his left temple, in between his eyebrow and his hairline, was a fingerprint. Ice Blue, he realized. He caught her eyes over the compact, and finally his eyes matched hers: wide with wonder, full of questions, and underneath it all, a gentle fondness blossoming as they both processed what it all meant.
All of that stopped, however, when he remembered who he was, and who she is, and what this meant. What had been budding excitement melted into dread, deep in his chest. “Chrissy, I’m….I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-“
She shook her head at him. “What the hell are you sorry for?” She scolded him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and a bit of anger. Her eyes softened when she saw the deer-in-headlights look he was giving her, and she took his wrist gently in her hand. “Eddie….don’t you know what this means?” and there was that look again, full of fondness and wonder.
It was his turn to feel confused, “of course I do, that’s why I’m so sorry that it’s-” “-A freak like you?”
That stunned him into silence. Her words, the same ones that the children of Hawkin’s most upstanding citizens spat in the cafeteria when they wanted to make him feel unwanted and unwelcome, were spoken gently, tinged with something like understanding. She bit her lip and held a small smile in the corner of her mouth as she looked down at his wrist where she still held him, and began to slide her hand into his.
It was minutes before either of them spoke. “Eddie.” She said, then waited, not wanting to continue until she had confirmation that he was truly listening.
He brought his eyes up to hers and found they echoed the fear he felt, but they also held the same excitement and fondness, and that sense of wonder that he couldn’t seem to shake even in all his anxiety. He nodded once, encouraging her to continue.
She downcast her eyes, like what came next was difficult to say. “We still have a choice… if this isn’t… if it’s not what you want.” The last words were whispered. “I won’t push it.” She met his eyes at that as she tilted her head, unintentionally exposing the skin underneath her ear.
It was then that Eddie reached out finally to touch the print under her earlobe. Her words echoed in his mind, if it’s not what you want. It was his turn to look on in childlike wonder as he inspected the mark he left, his turn to feel himself brimming with excitement as he let himself consider the fact that Chrissy goddamn Cunningham was actually his soul mate.
This was one of those rare occasions where Eddie actually thought through what he wanted to say before just blurting it all out. “I didn’t say that.” He paused, carefully considering what to say next. “I just don’t want to make trouble for you. We aren’t exactly… y’know.” He gulped as she stared at him, averting his eyes before continuing, realizing she had no intentions of letting him get away without explaining it. “I’m not exactly Hawkin’s finest, Chrissy. I don’t want to make this hard for you, because believe me, people are going to give you shit, and I mean a lot of shit, for this.”
He looked over then, expecting to see her thinking hard, maybe turned away from him as she considered her options. What he didn’t expect to see was Chrissy staring right at him, smiling and staring on with that same old look of fondness mixed with excitement mixed with wonder.
“Eddie, don’t you get it? None of that bullshit matters now. Not after this, not anymore.” She chewed her lip and reached up a hand to ghost over the fingerprint, matching her hand to the spot she caressed him earlier. She took Eddie’s wrist in her other hand and guided it up to the spot where he had gripped her neck before. “It doesn’t matter. It’s all just bullshit.”
They stared for a long moment before Eddie responded. “Yeah?” He asked, smiling, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah.” She smiled and took her bottom lip between her teeth, before taking in a breath, as if readying herself for something.
And then, for the first time in a long time, Chrissy Cunningham did something for herself. She closed her eyes, and leaned in, and kissed her newfound soulmate.
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crwr213assignment · 22 days
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BLRGHHH
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(Photo Credit: Pinterest https://pin.it/2aVtwMdPv)
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(Photo credit: Pinterest https://pin.it/1VU90AsDq)
A soft bell jingles as Stephanie enters the busy ice cream shop, the sweetness of waffle cones carrying throughout. The humid August air has turned her into a sweating mess and the cover-up dress she wore stuck like a second skin. Shrieking children run around the store with cones in their hands, their grubby fingerprints smudged onto the glass cases of ice cream flavours.
Stephanie’s flip flops clack as she walks towards the closest display. Her eyes skim the different labels, trying to track down the sorbet section as she moves on to the next display. Her hair, frizzy and tangled from the ocean waves, was slightly dripping down her back and she swore there was sand in her bikini bottoms.
She stood behind a couple, a pout forming on her lips as they order vanilla cheesecake and banana milk ice cream on waffle cones. She would kill to order cookie dough on a cone, but she forgot her lactaid pills at home.
“Hi, can I get the strawberry sorbet in a cup?”
“Just one scoop?” The teenage worker taps on her screen.
“Yes please.” “Okay, your total is $7.35.” She turns the card machine towards Stephanie.
Stephanie’s eyes slightly bulge, her own strained smile dipping slightly. When the hell did ice cream get so expensive? She double clicked the power button on her phone, tapping her apple pay on the machine.
“Perfect! Alex here will scoop your order for you.” The girl points to a lanky teenager. He waves the metal scooper in his hand, a blush coating his cheeks.
Stephanie lets out a little smile as she walks off to the side. The boy had a ‘Training’ badge pinned to his shirt and she couldn’t help but pity how much she would hate training on one of the hottest summer days.
“Strawberry sherbet for you?”
Stephanie’s head jerks up from her phone. The boy holds the paper cup in his hand, a plastic blue spoon wedged in the pink delicacy.
“Thanks.” Stephanie’s fingers wrap around the cup. “Have a good day!” ***
The soothing sounds of the waves mix with the squawking of seagulls as Stephanie tans on her beach towel. It’s been thirty minutes since the sorbet and her stomach has been making weird monster gurgling sounds. 
“I’m gonna go to the washroom.” Stephanie calls out to her mom, a cramp punching her in the gut. Her legs dart up, walking-almost-jogging to the beach bathroom. 
“C’mon, c’mon.” Stephanie utters, foot tapping on the grimy tiles. The bathroom smelled like rotten eggs and sea water, but her cramping stomach forced her to ignore the smell as she clenched her entire body again.
She just needed one of these bathroom doors to open before she shit her pants. She looks to the dingy bathroom ceiling as she sends a curse to the ice cream store. Who the hell puts dairy in sorbet? The flushing of toilets echoes as a bathroom stall swings, a toddler and her mom emerging. Stephanie speeds past them, slamming the door shut and locking it.
She grimaces as her bare ass sits on the toilet seat. Fuck. Her stomach clenches again and a bead of sweat drips down her forehead.
“Mommy, mommy. There’s a monster in the bathroom!”
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(Photo Credit: QuickMemes http://www.quickmeme.com/Lactose-intolerant)
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oteummlbr · 1 year
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Protect Your Handles_ Why You Need To Get A Door Handle Protector Today
As we examine it more closely, it becomes apparent that it has a vast and complex history that is worth exploring door handle protectors.
Protect Your Handles: Why You Need To Get A Door Handle Protector Today
Door handle protectors are an important tool to keep your door handles looking pristine, and protecting them from daily wear and tear. Whether you’re looking to spruce up your home’s interior or just want to keep your door handles in good condition, a door handle protector is a must-have. A door handle protector is a thin sheet of material that wraps around your door handle to protect it from scratches, dirt, and other damage. It’s made from a variety of materials, including leather, plastic, and even metal. Depending on the type of handle protector you buy, it can be easily installed and removed, or it can be permanently attached to your door handle. Not only do door handle protectors protect your door handle from damage, but they can also add a touch of style to your home’s interior. You can find door handle protectors in a variety of colors and textures to suit your home’s décor. From sleek and modern designs to more traditional looks, there’s a door handle protector to match any style. Door handle protectors are also great for keeping your door handle clean. They can help reduce the amount of dirt and grime that accumulates on your door handle, and they can also keep your handle free from fingerprints and smudges. This can help maintain the cleanliness of your home and add a touch of elegance. When it comes to door handle protectors, there are a few things to consider. First, you’ll want to make sure the protector is made from a durable material that won’t easily tear or rip. You’ll also want to make sure the material can withstand the wear and tear of daily use. Finally, you’ll want to find a protector that fits your specific door handle. Door handle protectors are a great way to keep your door handles looking their best and protect them from daily wear and tear. With so many different styles and materials to choose from, you’re sure to find a door handle protector that fits your style and needs. So don’t wait any longer—get a door handle protector today and protect your handles!
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rosepyrearchive · 3 years
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𝐟𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏
an  experiment  of  posting  a  drabble  a  day,     from  a  few  sentences  to  a  paragraph  or  more.     i  posted  them  on  my  old  blog,     now  i’m  going  to  compile  them  all  here !
i.
fingers  carefully  shift  the  lavender  crystal  in  betwixt  her  thin  fingers.     for  years,      it  had  remained  faithfully  at  the  base  of  her  throat,     the  way  wolves  protect  each  other’s  most  delicate  parts;     her  father  always  did  the  same.     now,      there’s  somewhere  else  she’d  like  to  place  that  power,     that  protection.     what  color  would  the  crystal  turn,     when  placed  in  anakin’s  palm ?     blue,     like   his  eyes,     or  red,     like  the  blood  he  sheds ?     the  choker  she  once  wore,     pastel  colored  velvet  around  her  neck,     has  an  empty  slot  where  she’d  pulled  the  gem  from,     and  now  it  finds  a  new  home  on  a  long  chain  of  beskar;     where  she  imagines  it  will  press  right  in  the  middle  of  his  chest,     beneath  his  tunic    &    tabard.     no  matter  what  becomes  of  him,     or  what  tries  to  hurt  him . . .   the  chain  and  crystal  will  remain.
ii.
in  her  mother’s  arms,     she  is  just  a  daughter,    a  doll.     on  stage,     she  is  better  than  a  mortal  girl,     or  even  the  immortal  one  she  became;     she’s  a  ballerina  in  tufts  of  pink    &    tulle.     i  am  a  good  girl,     even  now  when  they’re  all  in  the  ground.     now  that  the  curtains  of  earth  &  velvet  have  fallen,     though,     who  is  she ?     who  does  she  become,     without  the  pale  pink  ribbons   &    tight  bodice  of  her  costumes ?      the  voice,     the  visions,     the  hallucinations  seem  to  answer  for  her;     a  ghost,    a  hazy,     obscure  daydream  who  cannot  truly  exist.     who  is  she ?     where  does  the  camouflage,     the  eagerness  to  please  end ?     serena  supposes  it  doesn’t  end  at  all;     and  in  that,     she  is  a  russian  doll  of  nothingness.
iii.
she’s  never  seen  him  without  his  helmet.  no  one  has,     serena  imagines  —  not  in  this  state  of  his  life,     where  removing  it  means  deprivation  and  vulnerability;     the  simple  act  and  thought  is  filled  with  an  intimacy  serena  knows  she  could  never  earn  from  him,     but  …     the  yearning  doesn’t  stop,     nor  does  the  longing  and  curiosity  to  see  his  pallid  skin,     scarred  &  tainted,     the  marks  that  must  cover  his  cheeks  and  chest.     where  do  they  end ?     are  they  like  ripples  in  waves  or  a  pattern ?     and  …  when  she  stands  near  him,  does  he  ever  look  at  her ?     the  blackness  of  his  shield  hides  it  all,  and  it  does  it’s  job  in  making  her  nervous;  serena  can  never  stand  still  in  his  presence,  thighs  shaking  and  nails  digging  trench  tracks  into  her  soft  palms.     darth  vader  is  terrible,  awful,  even  cruel  …     so  what  is  it  that  allures  her  so  deeply,  and  why ?     then  again,  if  she  knew,  perhaps  the  shimmering  butterflies  would  subside  and  she  could  see  clearly,     see  this  for  what  it  was.  he  wasn’t  even  using  her  —  and  she  is  the  very  picture  of  devotion.
iv.
to  what  end  does  the  fae  steal  a  fair  maiden ?     or  is  it  truly  a  crime,     when  the  victim  is  so  terribly  willing ?     allie’s  feet  move  so  mesmerizingly,    around  &  around  while  flowers  and  mushrooms   bloom  from  beneath  her  soles;     her  palm  is  so  open  –     ❪   come  to  me,     serena !   ❫     perspiration  of  late  summer  sticks  to  serena’s  forehead,     betwixt  her  rosy  fingers,     ❪   𝙾𝚁  𝙸𝚂  𝚂𝙷𝙴  𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃  𝙽𝙴𝚁𝚅𝙾𝚄𝚂 ?     𝙰𝙻𝙻𝙸𝙴  𝚃𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙴𝙳  𝚃𝙾  𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴  𝙷𝙴𝚁  𝙵𝙴𝙴𝙻  𝚃𝙷𝙰𝚃  𝚆𝙰𝚈 …   ❫     and  without  a  regret,     she  lays  her  hand  in  the  other  girl’s.     she  sups  on  honeyed  milk,     gives  her  name.     the  fairies  covet  gold,     and  what  is  serena,     if  not  well - dressed  in  a  golden  shroud,    from  her  crown  to  the  hem  of  her  long  dress ?     what  does  she  have  to  fear,     when  she  is  magic  all  on  her  own ?     allie’s  hand  lifts  both  of  theirs  high  as  she  twirls  serena  amidst  the  flowers,     and  she  swears  she  can  feel  grass  grow  from  her  steps.
v.
calloused  fingers  dig  deep  into  serena’s  sweet,     soft  dimples;     and  from  her  jaw,    trickles  of  sweet  wine  drip,     down  her  neck,    like  spilled  rubies  on  her  pale  skin.     you  hurt  me,    she  wants  to  say.     you’ve  hurt  me,     and  i  am  the  one  who’s  sorry.     hollis  draws  his  thumb  down  to  her  chin,     leaving  perfect  smudged  fingerprints  across  her  the  way  one  would  drag  their  fingers  across  a  fogged  glass.     his  eyes  are  a  dull,    venomous  green  as  he  calls  her  a  name  that  doesn’t  belong  to  her.    that  isn’t  me,   serena  wants  to  cry.     non,    mon rêve,     you’re  much  prettier  than  she  ever  was,     hollis  would  reply,     because  this  isn’t  the  first  time.     he  squeezes  bruises  into  her  little  arms  as  he  kisses  her,     and  serena  thinks  she  kisses  him  back.
vi.
allow  the  camera  to  pan  upwards,     from  her  pale  pink  ballet  slippers  into  her  soft  cotton  dress,     her  feet  turn  out  in  first  position  as  she  raises  her  hands  into  fourth,     pulled  up  by  soft  silk  strings  by  an  invisible  puppeteer.     the  stage  is  her  church,     a  massive,     all  encompassing  world  of  history  &  grace,     and  then  the  world  becomes  it’s  own  stage;     and  serena’s  performance  is  all  consumed,     like  an  apple  in  the  garden  of  eden.     isn’t  she  so  lovely,     so  flawless,     our  little  ballerina  ornament ?     serena  doesn’t  know  who,     or  what,    controls  her  actions   –   her  lies,     her  pliés.     some  entity  who  refuses  to  present  themselves,     only  bothering  to  choreograph  her  life  &  watch  her  from  behind  the  scenes;     she  is  both  fresh  as  a  flower,     brought  up  in  springtime,     &     as  broken  as  skeletons  that  have  long  withered  to  dusk  in  their  caskets.     even  in  her  most  secluded  moments,     she  does  not  feel  alone   –   not  truly.     this  puppet master  is  always  watching,     writing  their  script,     judging  her  arches  and  how  gracefully  she  can  slide  across  the  floor  in  her  pointe  shoes.     when  she  takes  her  final  bow,     it’s  only  the  studio  mirror  that  gazes  back  at  her,     her  own  doelike  brown  eyes,     her  own  slim  form  –  there’s  no  cables  attaching  her  to  the  ceiling.
this  life  is  so  very  boring,     so  unlike  the  dreamy  world  she  longed  for  as  a  foolish  girl.     i  had  long  ruined  my  own  life  with  my  own  dissatisfaction  before  someone  else  destroyed  it  for  me.
viii.
longing  lurks  deep  behind  a  golden  -  brown  gaze   /   what  comfort  can  she  take  in  the  jedi  code,     when  it’s  cold,    hard …     and  ben’s  hand  is  warm,     all  encompassing ?    the  code,     the  code …     the  temple  is  a  stage,     and  the  council  pulls  her  strings,     but  the  one  thing  they  can’t  take  from  her  is  her  mind;     in  there,     she  is  strong,     stone.     they  encourage  compassion:     but  no  attachments.     what  is  that,     to  her ?    what  is  it  compared  to  the  sunlight  she  feels  in  ben’s  eyes  when  he  leans  down  to  kiss  her  temple,     or  the  delight  serena  can  see  in  him  when  she  enters  the  room ?     ❪  because  love  is  the  death  of  duty,     as  wiser  men  say   ❫     in  many  ways,     she  is  greater  than  other  girls;     a  doll - like  padawan,    bright,     intelligent   –   but  in  the  end,    she  is  still  human,     and  she  finds  no  love  within  the  code   /   only  does  she  find  the  serenity  it  speaks  of  in  ben’s  embrace,     and  the  way  he  bends  over  at  the  waist  to  hold  her,     and  he  is  all  around  her  like  cologne.     that  is  a  glory  &  a  tragedy  worth  dying  for.
viii.
fear  has  always  cut  deep  within  serena’s  soft  skin;     it  was  easy  to  pull  her  apart  like  a  pomegranate,     see  the  little  pin - prick  razors  of  fright,     but  nothing  had  made  her  so  afraid  since  meeting  the  jedi.     she’s  a  fragile  heart  wound  tightly  in  red  ribbons  and  strings,     each  tied  to  the  pinkie  finger  of  every  person  she  loves.     some  of  the  ends  are  cut,     some  fray  towards  the  latter,     but  she  doesn’t  forget.     she  doesn’t  let  go,     not  in  her  deep  heart,     where  they  are  safe.     the  jedi  don’t  agree;     and  her  body  wracks  with  guilt  as  she  resists  placing  ribbons  on  their  fingers.     they  cannot  love  me,     she  knows   /   so  why  isn’t  it  enough  to  stop  her ?
ix.
every  part  of  my  body  aches.       serena  sits  on  the  hard  bathroom  floor  like  a  stain  on  the  tile,     the  tulle  of  her  practice  skirt  shimmering  in  the  dim  fluorescents.     the  plastic  stall  divider  is  freezing  against  her  shoulders,     and  it  hurts  when  her  head  falls  back  against  it.     the  bathroom  is  empty,     but  the  room  is  loud.     DISGUSTING  GIRL.     IT  HURTS.    what  hurts ?     I  CAN’T  FIND  IT  ANYMORE,     IT’S  SPREAD  LIKE  A  POISON.     she  finds  sanctuary  in  her  own  little  white  lies,     and  this  stall  where  none  of  the  other  ballerinas  go  –  she’s  a  soloist,     a  prima;     she  is  special.     allegedly.     she  barely  notices  the  wine - red  trickle  of  blood  that  spills  from  her  nose,     gravity  pulling  it  down  her  perfect  pale  face.      the  relief  is  nearly  instant,     whatever  ache  she’d  had  seems  to  fade  away   /   her  eyes  hone  in  on  the  empty  plastic  bag,     only  remnants  of  white  pill  powder  left.     the  same  resin  seems  to  linger  on  the  tip  of  her  pointe  shoe,     that  she’d  used  to  crush  it  all  up.     the  urge  to  smash  the  wooden  end  of  her  slipper  into  the  stupid  godforsaken  plastic  container  as  hard  as  she  can  and  see  how  much  damage  she  can  do  washes  over  her;     but  she’s  too  shocked  by  the  sudden  violent  urge  to  act  on  it.     instead,     serena  lets  the  clarity  &  ability  to  focus  drown  out  the  voices  that  scream  in  her  tender  head,     and  brings  herself  to  stand.
x.
❪   𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐊  ❫
pink  silk  shimmers  in  the  early  morning  sun;     her  blush  is  just  as  pretty,     sitting  across  from  her  father  at  the  iron  balcony  table.     he  is  her  king,     her  first  love,     and  serena  revels  in  the  attention  her  father  lavishes  on  her.     everything  is  still  so  new,     so  beautiful,     when  she’s  young  –  serena  dreams  of  the  future,     of  white  veils  and  cotillions.     her  distance  isn’t  yet  defensive,     but  a  sweet  daydream,     of  romantic  notions  &  hopes.     serena  dreams  of  the  far  away,     of  paris  and  rushing  crowds.     you  have  the  carlisle  look,     julian  had  told  her,    once.    your  brother  has  it  too.     someday,     this  world  will  be  wrapped  around  your  little  finger.     be  kind  to  it.     serena  had  smiled  so  lovely  at  that  –  let  the  world  be  kind.     let  it  show  her  kindness.
xi.
❪   𝐈𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐘  ❫
this  is  a  private  moment;     but  serena  can  feel  the  hidden  camera  lenses  on  her,     seeking  that  million  dollar  photo of  palpable  grief,     or  the  bullet  hole  in  her  father’s  chest,     as  if  it  weren’t  hidden  from  view  behind  his  favorite  suit.     she  won’t  cry.     serena  had  already  emptied  herself  of  every  golden  tear  when  she’d  cleaned  her  father’s  face,     when  she’d  combed  his  hair.      she  was  the  one  who’d  laid  his  arms  over  his  chest,     with  her  favorite  stuffed  animal  between  them  to  keep  him  company.     august  pulls  all  her  curls  behind  her  head,     and  lays  his  hands  on  her  thin  shoulders,     squeezing  just  enough  to  be  a  reassurance.     a  million  questions  ran  through  her  head  –     every  single  one  beginning  with  why.
her  fingers  drift,     softly,     for  the  last  time,     over  her  father’s  cheek.     she  pretends  it’s  warm  with  life,     and  not  chilling  to  the  bone.     if  he  could  be  killed,     then  no  one  is  safe.
xii.
❪   𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐋  ❫
be  kind  to  the  world.    serena’s  innocence  had  died  screaming,     yet  she  still  remembers  the  words  her  father  had  told  her.     sunlight  streams  through  the  trees  above,     but  she  is  too  stiff  to  move  just  yet;     so  she  lies  there  in  the  grass,     flowers  having  bloomed  over  the  years  of  her  sleep  through  her  hair  and  around  her  body.     a  new  era  has  begun,     everything  she  knows  is  gone.     everyone  she  loves  is  gone.     maybe  it’s  the  haziness  of  first  waking  up  after  a  half - century,     but  there’s  a  determination  beneath  her  silk  skin,     her  ivory  bones.     serena  has  become  something  new,     just  as  the  world  has  –  beneath  the  porcelain,     her  ribs  have  grown  steel.     she  will  not  be  so  breakable  ever  again.
xiii.
in  the  movies,     pearls  are  always  being  yanked  from  necks,     the  precious  little  beads  clattering  to  the  hardwood  floor  in  bunches.     serena  allows  the  pretty  necklace  to  drift  through  her  fingers,     remembering  the  time  her  mother  had  wrapped  it  around  her  neck.     she’d  felt  like  such  a  little madam  in  her  maman’s  pearls.     there’s  a  little  secret:     those  pearls  in  films,     dramatic  as  they  were,     were fake.     maman’s  were  genuine,     and  the  little  pieces  were  knotted  in  between,     meaning  even  if  she’d  ripped  them  from  her  throat,     only  one  or  two  at  worst  would  go  missing.     her  mother  was  too  much  of  a  lady,     anyway …     prone  to  melancholy  and  hurt,     but  not  quite  fits.     what  a  complicated  love,     the  one  between  a  mother  &  a  daughter …     serena  finds  herself  missing  her  mother’s  arms  more  often  than  not  these  days,     and  the  security  that  came  with  them.
xiv.
valentine’s  day  has  always  been  a  non - affair  romantically;     her  favorites  were  dinner  dates  with  her  family,     the  men  being  the  gentlemen,     and  the  one  day  her  maman  would  let  her  wear  her  red  lipstick.     the  couples  on  the  street  below  her  balcony  make  her  feel something,    but  is  it  jealousy,   or  nostalgia ?     her  palm  cradles  her  jaw  as  she  leans  against  the  iron  barrier.     a  man  kisses  a  woman,     and  why  does  her  heart  lurch  for  something  so  impossible ?    to  love,     to  be  loved …     she  would  never  be  capable  of  it,     her  last  boyfriend  had  told  her  so.     adam  had  as  well.     anyone  who  would  want  to  spend  this  day  with  her  is  dead,     and  no  one  else  could  accept  the  things  she’d  done,     the  person  she’s  become  beneath  the  lace  and  ribbons.     hallowed,     broken.
xv.
i   hate  the  dirt.     i  hate  the  grime  that  i  can’t  wash  away,     and  the  fingerprint  i  leave  on  the  pristine  envelope  that  the  postman  gives  me,     his  gaze  apologetic.     until  i  look  at  the  handwriting,     i  don’t  understand  why.     it’s  been  a  week  since  he  could  last  reach  us  on  the  battlefield,     to  give  us  some  form  of  comfort  and  relief,     and  he  only  gives  me  a  single  letter.     there  should  be  more.     serena  writes  to  me  every  day,     there  should  be  at  least  six  or  seven,     all  beginning  with  my  dearest  brother;     but  even  the  single  letter  isn’t  from  my  sister,     but  my  wife.     i  should  be  excited  for  that,     but  i’m  not  –  not  when  i  can’t  fathom  why  there’s  only  this  one  letter.     when  i  tear  into  it,     a  picture  falls  out:     my  wife,     holding  our  son.     this  is  a  happy  moment,     and  i  can  feel  pressure  build  behind  my  eyes,     but  it’s  distracted,     because  serena  should  be  in  this  photo.     she  isn’t,     because  for  some  godforsaken  reason  she’s  here  in  europe  –  and  that’s  enough  to  push  the  tears  from  my  eyes.     i  should  be  there,     and  serena  should  be  holding  her  nephew  and  accepting  our  request  to  be  his  godmother.
but  she  isn’t,     and  i’m  not  either.
xvi.
the  streets  of  new  york  now  aren’t  so  different  from  the  streets  of  new  york  in  my  childhood.     the  fashion  is  different;     women  wear  shorter  skirts,     deeper  cuts  to  expose  their  collarbones,     and  these  are  changes  i  like.     the  buildings  still  creep  into  the  clouds  like  pillars  of  divinity,     and  the  sidewalks  are  crowded,     but  no  one  pays  too  much  attention  to  anyone  else.     the  men  dress  differently  too,     and  those  changes  i  don’t  like,     but  if  i  sit  and  close  my  eyes …     it’s  still  all  the  same,     and  i  can  picture  the  cars,     the  pretty  women  and  handsome  men …     even  my  silly  little  girl  friends,     the  ones  who  would  walk  with  me  during  breaks  in  ballet  when  we  had  so  little  else  to  do.     when  i  close  my  eyes,     it  doesn’t  feel  like  a  lifetime  ago.
xvii.
it  happens  gradually,     then  all  at  once,     like  the  impatience  of  waiting  for  a  rose  to  blossom.     one  day  you  wake  up,     and  it’s  simply  bloomed,     petals  spread  wide  in  the  sunshine.     in  that  case,     serena  wonders  which  moment  it  was  that  made  her  realize  her  feelings  for  ben  had  flowered   ──   was  it  the  time  his  fingers  grazed  hers  on  the  piano  keys,     and  he  played  the  wrong  note  to  make  her  laugh ?     or  perhaps  when  he  smiled  at  her  so  earnestly,     all  white  teeth  and  curled  lips  that  met  the  crinkles  by  his  eyes ?     she  can’t  pinpoint  the  exact  moment  she  realized  she  loves  ben  kenobi;     serena  only  knows  what  she  feels  now,     the  safety  of  his  warm  hugs,     the  way  the  word  ‘graves’  slips  between  her  teeth  and  she  doesn’t  choke  trying  to  reel  it  back  in.     home  was  something  impossible,     turned  to  ash  &  bone,     but  then  she  finds  herself  sitting  at  their  table  in  the  coffee  shop  &  she  thinks  perhaps  a  home  can  be  rebuilt.
xviii.
prayer  used  to  come  first  thing  in  the  morning,     a  mantra  spoken  breathlessly  to  open  air.     it’s  not  an  ideology  that  serena  subscribes  to  anymore     ❪   part  of  her  wonders  if  she  ever  did   ❫ ,     but  old  habits  had  died  hard.     she  wants  to  enjoy  a  new  one.     ben  is  there,     barely  awake  while  thick  raindrops  smack  against  the  balcony  doors,     and  serena  shimmies  his  boxers  down  his  thighs.     she’s  already  asked  him  nicely,     with  her  polite  manners  and  pretty  mouth     ──     and  she  tries  to  mask  her  eagerness  with  languid  movements,     laying  her  cheek  to  his  hip  and  letting  her  long  curls  fall  over  his  body.     serena  knows  he  can  feel  her  by  the  way  he  shudders  when  her  eyelashes  flit  over  him,     her  rose - petal  fingers  everywhere  and  nowhere  because  they  aren’t  exactly  where  ben  wants  them.     you  should  tell  me  what  you  like,    serena  offers  with  a  wicked  little  smile,     dragging  his  hand  until  he  can  grip  her  curls,     holding  sunshine  in  his  palms.
xix.
when  the  legs  beat  against  each  other  in  the  midst  of  a  jete,     it’s  a  battu  jete …     beaten.     everything  is  more  beautiful  in  french,     and  serena  thinks  it’s  true  of  herself  as  well.     she  had  been  her  company  director’s  little  princess,     sliding  into  his  queen;     she  would’ve  been  the  youngest  prima  ballerina  in  history.     she  would’ve  had  a  life.     she  would’ve  had  a  brother.     orson  does  so  much  for  her,     and  serena  can  hardly  find  it  in  herself  to  be  grateful,     can  hardly  repeat  the  pleasantries  and  manners  she’d  been  taught  to  sing  since  she  was  a  little  girl  letting  words  tumble  from  her  mouth.     instead,     serena  tries  to  create  a  peaceful  world,     she  jumps  at  the  chance  to  redesign  the  building  he  buys,     create  a  setting  of  her  own  making;     only  to  lay  under  the  covers,     sleeping  next  to  a  pillow  she  pretends  is  august.
xx.
disgusting.     vile.    serena  watches  august  rip  a  newspaper  in  half,     once,     twice,     then  three  times,     letting  the  pieces  fly  onto  the  floor  and  cover  the  coffee  table.     the  headline  had  once  read  about  her,     calling  her  a  top  three  debutante  in  new  york’s  uppercrust  society.     not  just  in  the  top  three,     but  ranked  number  one.    shouldn’t  we  be  proud ?    serena  asks  him.    shouldn’t  i  be  flattered ?     august  had  fallen  to  his  knees  in  front  of  the  chaise  where  she  sat  after  that,     holding  her  little  hands  in  his  own.     he  squeezes  them  so  tight  serena  winces.    tell  me,     he  begs.     tell  me  if  anyone  ever  touches  you.     tell  me,     and  i’ll  kill  them.    with  all  the  naivety  in  the  world,     serena  giggles,     shaking  her  head.     nonsense,     my  darling  brother.     the  only  man  i  love  is  you;     and  the  only  man  who  shall  ever  touch  me  is  not  here  yet.
xxi.
the  sunlight  doesn’t  seem  so  bright,     but  the  city  is  just  as  bustling  as  the  last  time  she’d  seen  it.     what  year  had  that  been ?     somewhere  around  nineteen  forty,     serena  thinks.     her  old  ballet  studio  has  moved;     it’s  previous  location  now  just  another  parking  lot  in  new  york  city.     everything  about  it  gives  her  whiplash.     it’s  all  the  same  and  all  entirely  different.     she  almost  expects  to  see  august  across  the  street,     handsome  smile  &  hair  swept  back,     but  she  knows  she  won’t.     he’s  dead,     and  so  is  everyone  else  she  ever  knew.     there’s  a  pressure  on  her  shoulders,     wondering  when  someone  will  notice  the  imaginary  blood  seeping  out  of  her  core,     or  when  someone will  realize  she’s  half - dead.     little  walking  dead  girl,     schrodinger’s  girl,     dead  and  alive.
xxii.
photographs  from  another  era  are  spread  all  across  the  wooden  table  serena  sits  at,     glimmering  and  shining  in  their  black  and  white  glory,     sepia,     and  even  a  few  colored  ones.     they  all  had  a  touch  of  grain  to  them,     the  consequence  of  new,     unperfected  technology,     but  serena  adores  them.     after  all,     in  every  photo  she  sees  the  face  of  someone  she  loves.     her  grandfather  royce,     cradling  the  toddler  version  of  herself  in  his  arms,     and  then  them  at  a  later  age,     serena  with  her  arms  wrapped  tightly  around  him.     in  another  photo,     serena  sits  in  his  lap,     while  her  grandmother,     the  woman  for  whom  she  was  named,     hugs  them  both  from  behind.     so  many  lost  smiles,     shining  with  no  idea  of  what’s  to  come.     her  finger  traces  along  another  photo,     of  her  mother  posing  with  her  in  her  first  pair  of  pointe  shoes.     she’d  been  so  proud  that  day,     and  serena  can’t  help  but  smile  back  at  her.     these  little  moments  are  all  she  has  left  now;     what  if  she  forgets  it  all  someday ?     at  least  she  won’t  forget  their  faces.     serena  glues  the  back  of  the  photos,  pasting  them  into  a  scrapbook.     there  are  new  people  she  doesn’t  want  to  forget  someday  as  well,     and  for  them,     serena  glances  at  a  newer  camera.     she  doesn’t  have  to  forget.
xxiii.
moy  lebed.    my  swan.    mr.  nikolaev  calls  her  that,     from  the  first  moment  he  saw  her  complete  the  thirty - two  fouettés  in  odile’s  coda.     serena  sighs  into  the  open  studio.     the  sky  has  long  gone  dark,     and  every  other  dancer  and  crew  member  has  gone  home — but  she  remains.     this  is  the  dedication  that  will  make  me  the  prima,     serena  reminds  herself.     this  is  what  sets  me  apart.     she  counts  the  steps  in  her  head  until  she  loses  herself  to  the  imagined  music,     eyes  closed  while  she  moves  her  arms  and  tip - toes  across the  floor.     serena  is  the  very  picture  of  a  music  box  ballerina  when  she  kicks  her  foot  up,      finding  her  north  star  and  turning  in  pirouettes.     not  even  the  quiet  opening  of  a  door  interrupts  her  focus.     august  takes  her  little  waist  in  his  hands  and  helps  to  give  her  the  extra  momentum.     then  he  hoists  her  over  his  shoulder,     telling  her  how  mother  is  so worried,    and  she  has  to  come  home  right  away…     all  spoken  with  his  hidden,    wry  smile.
xxiv.
i  had  never  tried  to  impress  anyone  the  way  i’d  tried  to  impress  mr.  nikolaev,     my  ballet  master  and  choreographer.     my  every  waking  moment  was  spent  under  his  scrutinizing  gaze,     attempting  to  dissect  his  utter  dissatisfaction  with  the  world  for  it’s  lack  of  grace  and  beauty  and  what  he  felt  towards  me  specifically …     all  in  a  leotard  and  tights  that  would  only  leave  the  color  of  my  skin  to  our  imaginations,     and  mirrors  on  every  wall  reminding  me  of  that  fact.     i  don’t  know  if  i  tried  harder  to  gain  his  attention  in  the  first  place,     or  if  i  would  have  killed  myself  trying  to  keep  it.     no  girl  is  ever  more  beautiful  than  they  are  at  sixteen,     and  though  i  didn’t  realize  it,     perhaps  if  i  had  lived  to  see  him  again  in  my  later  years  he  would’ve  been  impressed  with  my  freckles,     my  dimples,     and  my  big  eyes  at  the  age  of  twenty  –  i’ve  heard  i  don’t  look  so  different.     still,     i  was  even  more  girlish  then  than  i  am  now,     and  three  times  as  shy ;     ballet  was  all  i  could  use  to  get  him  to  look  at  me,     to  make  him  pay  attention  &  perhaps  remember  why  he  took  this  job  in  the  first  place  after  his  own  short,     but  famed  career.     i  would  be  perfect ;     not  just  for  him,     but  for  myself.     it  didn’t  hurt  anything  that  i  was  his  little  prima  prodigy.     he  smiled  for  the  first  time  when  he  called  me  his  moy  lebed,     his  swan,     and  i  can’t  remember  the  last  thing,     even  now,     that  had  made  my  heart  soar  so  much.
xxv.
‘are  you  ready?’     on  the  cusp  of  spring  in  the  midst  of  march,     lies  serena’s  birthday.     thirteen  is  such  a  special  age  for  a girl ;     not  quite  a  woman  yet,     not  quite  a  girl  anymore,     but  leaving  the  throes  of  childhood  behind.     august’s  question  comes  with  an  excited  edge  to  his  voice  and  a  slim  box  in  his  hands,     with  pink  wrapping  paper  and  white  ribbons.     the  other  guests  at  the  party  had  long  dissipated,      and  serena  sits  on  the  edge  of  her  bed,     feet  swinging  back  and  forth  to  dissipate  a  bit  of  the  thrill  she  feels.    ‘i’ve  been  waiting  all  day!’     is  what  serena  replies,     taking  the  gift  into  her  lap.     her  brother  sits  down  next  to  her ;     he’s  twenty,     seven  years  older,     and  a  man  grown,     but  it’s  as  if  there’s  no  difference  between  them  as  august  wraps  his  arm  around  her  waist,     matching  brown  eyes  gleaming  as  he  watches  her  carefully  pry  apart  the  paper  to  reveal  a  box  of  velvet.     ‘it’s  sentimental,’     august  had  said,     as  to  why  he  couldn’t  let  her  open  it  amongst  the  guests.     private,     serena  thinks.     her  brother  was  always  a private  man.     when  she  lifts  the  lid,     and  august  uses  his  other  hand  to  fold  away  the  white  paper,     it  reveals  a  precious,     heart - shaped  golden  locket.     he  pulls  it  out  by  the  chain,     letting  the  pendent  rest  in  serena’s  palms.     ‘it’s  the  most  beautiful  thing  i’ve  ever  seen,’     serena  says,     eyes  glimmering.     august’s  fingers  snap  the  clasp,     and  inside,     a  photo  of  himself  on  one  side,     and  then  a  photo  of  their  parents  from  their  wedding  day  on  the  other.     serena  beams  as  august  closes  it  then  places  the  necklace  around  her  neck,     the  pendent  falling  just  at  her  collarbones.    ‘it’s  beautiful,     my  wonderful  brother,’     she  says,     and  august  kisses  her  crown.     ‘it’s  almost  as  lovely  as  you,     my  sweet  little  sister,     and  you  deserve  lovely  things.     this  way,     we’ll  always  be  with  you.’
xxvi.
julian’s  wedding  band  was  like  him ;     it  was  a  simple  golden  band,     with  ivy  growing  around  it,     interrupted  only  by  a  diagonal  line  of  diamonds.     when  serena  tilts  it  back,     she  can  see  her  mother’s  name  engraved  in  it.     eirene’s  was  a  little  flashier,     with  a  bigger  diamond  in  the  center.     it  wasn’t  because  of  her  personality,     though …     in  that,     serena  can  still  see  her  father,     wanting  to  impress  her,     wanting  to  give  his  wife  the  world.     julian’s  ring  occupies  her  left  thumb ;     she  couldn’t  bear  to  get  it  resized  for  her  dainty  hands,     so  it’s  the  best  she  could  manage.     he’d  had  a  lithe  frame,     and  for  that  she’s  thankful  –  serena  remembers  sliding  the  ring  off  of  his  finger  when  she’d  crossed  his  arms  over  his  chest,     holding  it  between  her  fingers.     she  had  to  have  it.     her  mother  had  worn  hers  until  the  very  last,     until  she  had  slipped  from  serena’s  hand  into  the  ocean’s  embrace.     serena  had  only  been  able  to  just  clasp  the  ring,     before  it  too  could  fall  from  her  grasp.     now,     it  rests  on  her  index  finger,     where  at  least  on  her  hands,     her  parents  could  still  be  together.
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keepswingin · 4 years
Text
25 Days of Angst
Day Five: This Night, We Pray
relationships: zed/addison rating: teen word count: 700+ summary: / read on: /  warning for sensitive material that could upset some readers!
The hospital is too clean.
The hallways are spotless, and every counter is wiped clean immediately after someone touches it. The nurses all wear masks, and the doctors change their gloves after every little thing.
The hospital is too clean because death isn’t easy to clean up, and he wonders how these people do this job, day in, day out, wiping away little fingerprints and last kisses and aching bodies and smudged tears. He wonders how they cart away lifeless bodies, withered from age, and wrap newborns in receiving blankets, never once having a chance to be born.
He wonders how they wrapped his little baby boy with such ease and practiced care. He wonders how they heard nothing when the doctor was finally able to get him out and didn’t make a sound themselves.
He wonders how they get through it and continue on to the next day, onto another family, another injury, another job.
He wonders how his wife survived.
He wonders how his little baby boy didn’t.
She’s turned towards the closed blinds when he returns, a paper cup half-filled with water clutched in one trembling hand. The whiteboard hanging on the wall across from her bed has been wiped clean, and he doesn’t understand.
How can the nurses who had carried his little baby boy away be so strong when he feels like his life’s been ripped apart?
He moves closer to the bed, whispering her name softly as he takes a seat in the plastic chair he had left on the opposite side. She doesn’t turn towards him, doesn’t even flinch at the sound of her name, and with a sigh and a heavy heart he places the cup on the nightstand next to him.
They were both affected by this, both broken, but Addison hasn’t said a word since the nurses took her baby away. 
He stares at her back for a moment more before reaching for the remote and clicking on the small television in the ceiling’s corner. Her eyes flicker towards it and she squeezes the hem of her gown tighter between her fingers.
Zed surfs through the channels before finally settling on the evening news, and he turns the volume up, just barely. “—expect up to four inches of snow overnight, and a white Christmas tomorrow—”
The news program goes silent, abruptly muted.
“Tomorrow's Christmas, Addy,” he whispers, voice barely above a whisper. She swallows and debates answering, but he’s continuing before she can decide. “I think we should name him Jack.” His voice is choked, strangled with an emotion she knows all too well.
It takes her a few seconds to gather her words, “Like Jack Frost?” She asks, already knowing the answer. Her voice is hoarse from disuse.
“Like Jack Frost.” He pauses, and the unspoken words hang in the air. They were going to name him—
“I can’t say it.” Her voice is frantic all of a sudden and pitched high. “I can’t say I—” 
Her voice cuts off but he’s already pushing his chair back and climbing into bed behind her, wrapping his arms around the deflated swell of her belly. “Zed I can’t say it,” she cries, tears slipping down her cheeks.
There’s a lump in his throat as he pulls her closer, his chin settling on her shoulder, his nose poking at her hair. He doesn’t know what to say because he doesn’t think he can say those words either. Not after this.
“Zed,” she sobs, her voice muffled by her pillow as she turns away from him, and he feels tears start to fall down his cheeks too. “My baby,” she whispers, “they took my baby, they took him from me.”
“He was gone, Addy. He was gone before we even had the chance to meet him.” He doesn’t know what comes next. He doesn’t know if it’s postpartum or divorce. He doesn’t know, and right now, he doesn’t want to find out.
Right now he just holds her as she cries while he cries silently along with her. He wonders if his little baby boy is happy, wherever he is. He wonders if it’s possible for them to find happiness again someday.
He wonders.
our lives,     will show
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planetsam · 5 years
Note
could u write something were Alex stayed with michael the night rosa died? happy ending of course!!
He’s going to die.
That’s the only thought he has as the world goes white and hot. This is different from the exorcism or those foster dads who spoke with their belts. Any movement he makes he can feel the sickening sensation of something inside him shifting. He can’t think past the blinding pain. He’s going to die on this floor is his only thought. Every breath he takes brings the world back into focus and the pain gets that much worse. Everything seems to slow down. The last thing he expect to see in the world is the sight of Alex on top of his father. There’s blood, Michael realizes dimly. Blood is everywhere. He realizes that Alex isn’t stopping. His tongue is thick in his mouth but he tries to force the words out.
“‘Lex?” Alex doesn’t stop, “Alex!” He still doesn’t stop. Michael sets his nerves and moves his hand, just a bit. The pain explodes again and he thinks he gasps, but there’s a ringing in his ears and he can feel his throat working. “Alex.”
Alex is there suddenly, crouched with him under the table. Horror is painted all over his beautiful features and Michael can see the fingerprint discoloration from his father’s grip. Michael looks at Alex’s blood splattered knuckles and then back at the limp form of his dad. Dimly he remembers that Alex is the youngest of four. Everyone’s in the military. He also remembers prom and Alex slugging that douche. Alex knows how to throw a punch. He doesn’t look like it right now though. He looks sick. He’s pale and his eye makeup is smudged. He reaches for Michael and then wipes his hands on his pants quickly when he sees the blood on them. His hands hesitate and Michael has to fight the desperate urge to move his own hand.
“My hand,” he chokes out.
“God,” Alex squeezes his eyes shut and then gets up. Michael is mindful of how he turns as Alex grabs a bed sheet and rips a long strip from it. It’s easy to find a board and he comes back over, “I’m going to move your hand onto this,” he says.
“No, don’t—“ Michael starts to protest.
“It’s okay,” Alex says, his voice coming out much stronger, “I’ll be careful.”
Michael looks up at him. Whatever his hand looks like must be horrible, Alex has gone several shades paler. But he smiles reassuringly. Michael looks away and presses his face into his own arm. Alex is so carefully and Michael does his absolute best to muffle the sound he makes as Alex gets his hand onto the board. He wraps the strips of the sheet around it and carefully brings it across his chest. He secures the board and hand to his bare chest and then comes back around. Michael realizes he must be truly in shock because Alex has his hoodie in his hands and gently tugs it over Michael’s shoulders.
“I’m taking you to the hospital,” he says.
“No,” Michael says, “no hospitals.” Alex stares at him. Michael takes a chance and looks down at his hand. His stomach rolls and he’s sick before he can stop himself. Those don’t look like his fingers. Alex looks gutted when he raises his head, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, “I can’t go to the hospital. I need Max.”
“Max?” Alex frowns, “Max Evans?”
“Yes,” Michael grips the front of Kyle’s shirt, “I need Max.”
“I don’t understand. You need the hospital,” he says, “Michael your hand—“ he shakes his head, “we can call Max while we’re on our way there.”
“No, no if I go to the hospital,” he scrambles for the excuse he needs, “they’ll send me back to my foster dad.”
“Then we’ll lie,” Alex says, guiding him to his feet, “you can’t lose your hand.”
“I can’t afford a doctor,” he tries.
“I’ll pay for it,” Alex tells him rashly.
Michael stumbles and realizes they’re outside. Being steered towards the car. Ever step is agony and when he blinks again he’s in the car. Alex is in the drivers seat. He tries to start the engine and Michael bows his head. If he blacks out from the pain, which seems like it’s a real possibility, he’s going to wind up in the hospital. In the hospital means that they will know what he is. He’s not that different, far as he can tell, but he’s different somehow. He curls over his mangled hand which throbs agonizingly. He needs his brother and a gallon of acetone and Alex doesn’t—can’t—know any of that. It’s been told to him time and time again. He fully agrees. Or he has up until this moment. He would sell his soul for Max or acetone right now.
“Alex,” he says, grabbing Alex’s hand, “no hospitals.”
“I don’t understand,” Alex says, “why not? If I don’t take you to a hospital you’re going to be maimed! This is my fault, I’ll make sure you don’t go back into the system. You just need to trust me. I can’t—I can’t have you be maimed because of me.”
“Alex,” he repeats his name, “I can’t go to the hospital.”
“Why not?!”
“I’m an alien.”
Alex whips his head towards him so fast, Michael thinks he might have cracked his neck. Alex stares like he can’t decipher what Michael is saying and Michael doesn’t blame him. He’s never said the words out loud like this. Alex isn’t laughing in his face, which is what he thought it would always be. He’s also not flooring it to the nearest psych ward. Which is also how Michael thought this would go. He’s just staring at him. Probably trying to decide if he’s in shock or not. Michael’s pretty sure that he’s in shock but he is also an alien. He knows what it’s going to do but he has to prove to Alex what he is. So he focuses and uses his abilities to tug Alex’s necklace off and hold it in front of him for as long as he can. It drops into his lap as Michael opens the door and vomits again. When he turns around, Alex is wedged against the drivers side door staring at the necklace in his lap.
“I need Max,” he says, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, “Max and acetone and I’ll answer whatever you want. Just—no hospitals. Please.”
Michael doesn’t try to hide his sob of relief as the car hums to life.
When he opens his eyes again Alex is sliding back into the car. Michael expected them to be in a drugstore but they’re somewhere he doesn’t recognize. Alex digs into the bag and pulls out a bottle. Michael’s eyes widen. They’re usually drinking nail polish remover that has a percentage of Acetone but this is just acetone. He barely remembers he only has one working hand. Then he has to watch Alex take off the plastic wrapping and unscrew the cap. Michael is sure he has questions but his survival instincts kick in and he grabs the bottle, pouring it down his throat. The pain instantly lessens its death grip on him. He lowers the bottle, letting the pain relief coast through his veins. His head clears, just enough for him to look over at meet Alex’s stunned gaze. Alex pulls out his phone and looks from Michael to the information and back again. Michael wants to laugh.
“I’m not trying to off myself with nail polish remover,” he says, “it’s, uh, it’s like a pain reliever,” he explains, “for me.”
“Because you’re an alien,” Alex says.
Michael nods.
“I had sex with an alien,” he says, his voice still dull and distant.
“We prefer the term probing,” Michael says.
“Oh my God,” Alex looks at him with complete horror, “I had sex with an alien who likes terrible puns,” his eyes widen, “I made out with an alien in the ufo emporium,” he grips the steering wheel, “oh my God,” he repeats.
“I appreciate your very valid right to freak out right now,” Michael says, “but is there any way we can get to Max.”
“Oh—oh!” Alex looks at his hand, “yes, hang on,” he starts the car again.
Michael slumps back in the seat, seeing if it helps if he gingerly rests his hand against the board. It doesn’t. He still feels sick and the pain is getting worse, even with the acetone. He can also feel distress coming from his siblings. He has to get to them. He needs Max’s help. He also feels like he needs to be sick again or he might black out.
“Hey, talk to me,” Alex says, breaking through his fog, “Michael, talk to me,” he repeats, “tell me about being an alien.”
Michael laughs.
“Where—“ he shakes his head, “where do I start?”
“Uh,” Alex fumbles, “the beginning. Start at the beginning.”
“I was in a pod,” he starts.
The story is weird to say aloud and in one go. Several times Alex almost gets them into full on accidents. But the story comes out, as cut and dry as Alex can make it. He tells him about the pods, about waking up, about being separated. He tells him as much as he can before they get to where the others are. They aren’t alone. Michael turns to Alex as fast as he can, before Alex gets out of the car.
“Stay here,” he says.
“You have one hand,” Alex points out.
“You gotta stay here,” Michael says, “I don’t know what happened but if you stay here you could—“ he doesn’t know what to say, “you could walk away from this.”
Alex’s eyes darken and he leans forward. Michael swallows at the determination in his eyes. Everything’s gone to shit and is going to go even more in that direction, but looking at Alex’s dark eyes in his smudged makeup, the most coherent thought Michael has is that he loves him. That he would go for his father again and again, how ever many times he had to to keep him safe. But the words tangle in his mouth as he stares at him.
“No,” Alex says and gets out of the car.
Michael scrambles to keep up.
There is so much death.
Michael’s seen one person die because of them but there’s three. And a whole lot of questions where Alex is involved. But Alex is beautiful and defiant and the unwelcome voice of reason as they stage a cover up and Michael lies to protect Isobel. When he does, Alex grips his good hand so tightly Michael thinks that maybe they can get through this. One alien or all the aliens, it doesn’t matter who killed them. Max tries to bring Rosa back and winds up collapsed there, barely able to move. Alex helps them stage the wreck on the condition they put all the girls in the back seat. Let the police run circles around how that happened.
“What about his hand?” Alex asks.
“I can’t,” Max mumbles, “right now. Michael—“
“I’ll be fine for tonight,” Michael assures him. He looks at Alex pleadingly. Alex clenches his jaw, “get him home Iz.”
“Tomorrow,” Max says.
Michael nods. He holds it together right up until the pair of them leave. Then he kind of folds over his arm and tries not to scream. Everything is wrong and the pain in his hand is unbelievable. But Alex wraps his arms around him, whispering nonsense as he helps support his arm and guides him back to the car. They don’t have anywhere to go, Michael realizes. Either of them. Alex doesn’t seem very upset by that and Michael has never had anywhere else to go. Michael directs them to his old spot and directs Alex to setting up the tarp. They crawl under, tucking together in his sleeping bag. The blue paints Alex a different shade of beautiful and Michael stares at him.
“I wanted to tell you what I was,” he says. Alex looks at him, “before we—“ he trails off.
“Had sex?”
“Kissed,” Michael says.
“Does anyone else know?” Alex asks. Michael shakes his head, “I’m the first person you told?” He nods. Alex looks at him for another moment and shifts closer, “how’s your hand?”
“It hurts,” Michael says honestly, “but I’d do it again.”
Alex dips his head, resting his forehead briefly on Michael’s shoulder. The future before them is dizzying with all of its possibilities. Alex knows and they’ve wound up together anyway. Alex knows and he’s not under the same roof as his abusive dick of a father. The truck’s not ideal, but for the first time it feels like a start and not a life sentence. Michael has no idea if they can figure this out or even what figuring it out might look like. But he presses his cheek to the crown of Alex’s head and like he has since Alex came into his life properly, he closes his eyes and lets himself believe he has a place here. 
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thecoloroftime-blog · 5 years
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Which type of prints should I choose for my home? How it will look on my wall?
Top questions we get asked often while purchasing Canvas Printing — Which type of prints should I choose for my home? How it will look on my wall?
It appears many of the buyers are confused about this so in this section will explain you all of your queries. We will address the pros and cons of canvas prints and hopefully, after reading this, you’ll be able to decide for yourselves why to choose printposters.in to print your canvas.
You know, there are mainly 2 types of prints.  The basic one printed on roll canvas and the second is gallery wrap canvas which is mounted on a pine wood frame, both are printed on archival type Canvas with using branded machine-like Epson and Canon.
Here is why…
Canvas prints are classy and give depth to photo
Would you like a classic look on your wall? Then you will definitely love the textured finish of canvas prints which enhances your walls. The canvas prints are based on advanced inkjet printing technology and they look almost like original paintings as printing can produce 98% of the colour gamut. You could even feel the clean brush strokes when you print paintings onto a canvas as the textured finish will give 3d effects for brush strokes. Originally all canvas print has a textured look. This textured look on matte finish reflects less light and as a result, you will enjoy a glare-free view similar to that of an original painting. So always go with a matte finish.
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See above canvas print which actually looks like the original painting
 Canvas prints available with printposters.in are the highest quality of art reproductions as they work with lots of artist across the globe. They use pigment-based inks to reproduce Canvas prints. The color absorption in canvas is much better than that of paper so as life. Canvas Prints can last lifelong with fading colours on it. By using archival ink and high-quality canvases, these types of art prints offer an accurate reproduction of original art. So always check with the supplier about this.
And guess what, if you keep an original painting and canvas print side by side, you won’t quickly recognise the difference between canvas prints. Perfect reproduction of any Canvas art print.
You can make larger prints on canvas up to 5 X 8 feet with framing
You can make large canvas prints check the above example
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To print maximum size print? If you are thinking to prints large size on canvas the image should be of at least 300 PPI (Pixels Per Inch) resolution. Otherwise, your print will look pixelated. The maximum hi-resolution image you provide the higher will be the print quality
The colour absorption on canvas is higher, even you can print larger sizes of canvas prints at a lower resolution but it is not recommended as printers print with the maximum resolution.
So, if you are thinking about hanging a large fine art canvas prints, then canvas prints are the ones you should buy for its advantage!
Canvas prints reproduce better colours with a higher colour printer. Almost 98% colour gamut …
Canvas prints produce better colours with increased in numbers of cartridges
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Do you know why artist prefer canvas prints over other kinds of prints due to its colour vibrancy? 
That’s because canvases produce colours more accurately than other types of prints. Even the printer, which prints on canvas have higher colour gamut.
Printing on to canvas requires specialized printers and only professionals and branded printers produce the highest quality print.  As a result, you get a carefully produced, higher quality, rich in colours print which last for generations.
On top of that, this canvas print does not require any specialised coating as its inks are water resistance that protects the print from dust and moisture. Even you can wash canvas under running water.  This resulting in vivid and bright art reproductions with better colours without any reflection on matte canvas.
Canvas prints are easy matches with the wall of the colour…
Canvas prints easily match with existing wall colour
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Canvas prints are an easy and affordable way to change the look of your walls without any hazel. You can decorate your home with canvas art prints mainly in two ways. Either by framing it as you normally do but it is not recommended or by stretching it on to a pine wooden frame. 
The gallery wrapped canvas frames weigh less than conventional frames as they don’t need glass or any kind of protection to keep them safe also the frame which is manufactured from pine wood is also light weighted. Because of this, these canvas art pieces are easy to hang on the wall and are also easier to clean. Even you can hang the canvas frame on the wall using two-way tape.
This frame-less presentation of the canvas is wrapped on a pine wood frame creates a window into the scene and easily matches with almost all types of interior design. Since there are no mats or borders to these art pieces, the entire size fills with artwork giving a unique visual appearance on your walls
Large multi-panel canvas art prints for large covering of wall area
You can also decorate your wall with multi panel canvases made by splitting a single panoramic artwork or any photo to a multiple parts. The size and number of these panels depends on the size of your wall and can be customised as per your design also. They can be a great focal point art pieces on the walls above a living room sofa or in the dining area.
It’s super easy to clean canvas prints
Canvas prints are easy to maintain as it’s a water resistance print
No matter how well you have maintained your home, dust will settle and spiders would make a mess on these prints. Then, you need to clean you are fine art collection using water. Use of water go ahead and clean using running water no problem
The canvas prints come with water resistance ink printing. This water-resistant ink protects the art from harmful UV rays and to a certain extent from dust and other atmospheric particles. This inks also keeps your art free from fingerprint smudges.
When you clean a canvas art print, you can simply use a lightly damp cloth or running water or an artist brush to remove the dirt from the surface. Once cleaned, you can even dry the canvas in sunlight.
Canvas prints are a lot more durable than other types of prints due to the use of archival inks with media
Canvas prints last long as printposters.in use archival inks with media.
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When you buy something for your home, you want it to last long, so always go for archival ink printing on canvas? The canvas prints are a perfect match for this purpose as its last lifetime.
There are two types of canvas used for printing. One based on 100% cotton (similar to original canvas paintings) and a new type based on plastic compounds that are similarly durable.
Both of these are better at fighting the elements of nature and therefore last longer than normal prints.
That’s not the only advantage of using canvas prints. They don’t fade like normal paper print. Have you noticed regular paper turning yellow when they are long exposed to nature but canvas doesn’t fade or turn yellow in colour. Well, that takes longer with regular canvas prints and don’t happen at all with plastic-based canvas prints.
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Canvas prints are a lot more durable than paper-based prints. And interestingly, just about printposters.in has come to the same conclusion – that canvas prints have a life of 100+ years.
After reading this, you may be of the notion that canvas prints are a better choice with printposters.in.  That can be true always. It depends on your choice can be affected by many factors — the type of artwork you want to print, your budget, your tastes, and preferences, wall size, and the location where you want to keep this artwork and finally the interior design of your home.
Texture on canvas prints which enhance quality
Some of these reasons should be obvious. For others, let me explain. Let’s say, you want to print photographs on canvas — this is usually recommended. Because of the textured matte finish, photographs printed on canvas can be the best look for wedding photos. So, if you are the one who likes the glossy smooth finishes, then go with glossy canvas print. On the other hand, if you want your art reproduction to look almost like the original, you should go with a matte canvas print.
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shadow172writes · 6 years
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Shelter
(Hello! This is a little drabble I tapped out this morning on a whim. I have no immediate continuation planned, but there may be a second chapter :D See ya later!) 
Dari glared through the smeared glass wall in front of him, just able make out the vague shape of the human on its other side. The man moved back and forth, doing one of several pointless activities. He always seemed to be busy, hurrying around, yet achieving nothing. Dari sighed, standing up from the fake, hollow rock in the center of his aquarium. The top was flat, and since there was nothing else besides sand and a blue, headache inducing light, he took to sitting on it. He was used to having a height advantage, and it itched at him to be stuck down below. Were it not for small details, one might have thought Dari was human. His skin was a light brown, his hair a deep, earthy violet that could have been achieved with a simply box of dye. He was thinner than would seem healthy, but he still had some lean muscle that hadn’t been stripped from him by captivity. However, he did have more unusual features; for instance, his bright lavender eyes, his remaining wing, and his height of slightly less than four inches. He slid down from the side of the rock, feet hitting the crunching sand that covered the glass bottom of the container. When he’d first been dumped here, he’d tried to dig through it, wailing in despair when all he found was hard glass. He turned, ducking his head to enter the enclosed space of the rock. It was still uncomfortable to be in such a small, dark area, but in some ways, it was preferable to being out there, where he knew he was completely exposed. Dari didn’t remember how long he’d been here. A month, maybe, or three. Long enough that the days were starting to blend together, despite how carefully he’d tried to keep track of them. The only moments of notice were when the human took him out of his container, took photos of him with the black rectangle he always held. Dari vaguely remembered his sister telling him it was a ‘phone’. She loved human things. Watching the human’s outline settle down on the flat surface of his bed, Dari did the same, pressing his cheek against the sand and closing his eyes. Behind him, one iridescent wing twitched uneasily. ** Dari next woke to an earsplitting grating sound, sitting up so abruptly that he knocked his head on the roof of his rock. Before he could process it, the rock was lifted away and set aside, a pale hand wrapping around him tightly enough to knock the air from him. He just had enough time to get one hand free, heaving for breath as he was yanked upwards. Large, blue eyes stared at him, pale and unnerving. The human’s pale face was split into a broad smile. “Well, Dari, guess what?” He said, a bounce in his step as he walked over to the table. His grip tightened briefly in a ‘gentle’ squeeze. Dari could already feel the bruises he’d be nursing later. “Answer me.” “What?” Dari wheezed, steadying himself with one hand pressed to the human’s knuckle. It had been a few days since he’d been taken out of his container, but he was adjusting quickly. The human spoke again, his voice sing-song and delighted. “I’ve finally found someone to buy you.” Dari’s heart dropped into his stomach. No. This was the moment he’d been dreading – at least this one’s intention was only to have him sold – for the most part, he’d left Dari be. Who knew what a buyer would do with him? “Oh, don’t look like that.” The human chided. “I’m sure they’ll take good-“ He broke off at the sound of a knock at the door. “Shit, is that them?” He muttered. Heading over to the tank, he unceremoniously dumped Dari inside, not bothering to seal the lid as he headed to answer the door. Dari fell to his knees, gulping down lungfuls of air he’d been denied in the human’s grasp. His heart was racing, hands trembling, and his whole wing made a faint buzzing sound, dragging him ever so slightly to the right with the force of its agitated flitting. He felt as if he were frozen, hearing the faint, muffled sound of voices. The human was bartering – Dari had heard him do it on the phone, before. Then, suddenly, his legs started moving. The rock was at the side of his container. He worked his fingers under it, heaved upwards. It barely moved, but move it did. He shifted, got himself under the thing, and pushed upwards with all of his might. Arms trembling, he managed to lift it to his height. Ever so carefully – any sound would bring the human’s attention to him – he propped it against the glass side of the aquarium. He slipped out from underneath the rock. Footsteps. Scrambling onto the rock’s top, he tried to find grip on its smooth surface. The voices were louder – “I’m so glad you’ve taken this opportunity.” The human said. Dari reached the top of the rock. The aquarium’s edge was still high above him. He leapt, his wing fluttering uselessly. He missed the edge by a hair, and the rock suddenly slid down an inch. It made a faint squeak on the glass, but judging by the calm, muffled voices of the humans, Dari didn’t think they’d heard. He leapt again, heart pounding like a hummingbird’s as he saw his outstretched hand approach the glass edge. It caught. Muscles quivering with effort, he heaved himself up over the lid. Next to him was the light that the human had clipped onto the side of his container – vitamin D, he’d said, Dari needed vitamin D. A cord trailed from its base to somewhere over the edge of the table where his aquarium was sat. Dari grabbed it, allowing himself to slide down the thick plastic. As he did so, the air erupted with a sudden, terrifying curse. The human had arrived. Dari wasn’t sure how he managed to escape. His head was pounding with the sound of his own heartbeat, his arms and legs screaming. He dropped into a grate full of dust, coughing as he ran down it. Faintly, he heard screaming and cursing behind him, his ears throbbing with the noise. ** When the sound faded, Dari stopped running. Now, he walked, legs trembling with the effort of staying upright. He’d made so many turns, continued on in this darkness, that he thought he might well die here. Somehow, he didn’t think he’d mind – at least he’d have died on his own terms. He didn’t quite see the faint streaks of light in the floor approaching, not until he found his foot hitting a thin grate instead of solid metal. By then, of course, it was too late, and he was falling through open air. A hoarse scream escaped him, hands stretched out as though he could grab the lip of the vent that was by now so far from him. And then he hit ground, his breath leaving him. Instead of agonizing pain, however, he simply…bounced. The impact still left him dizzy and disoriented, his bruises aching in protest, but he wasn’t injured. He rolled onto his back, trying to understand what had just happened. It wasn’t quite as dark here as it had been in the vent, but he still couldn’t see where he was. And then the light of one of those cursed ‘phones’ glared into his face. Behind it, he saw two wide, dark eyes, staring at him. Up until now, Dari had always been silent in the face of danger. That was simply how he handled fear – his mind went quiet, his body stiff and unmoving. This time, he screamed, scrambling to his feet and praying, begging the gods not to leave him here, not to put him in the hands of another human. The bed – that’s what this was, he realized, a bed – moved, fabric pulling out from under his feet, and he fell again. Before he could reclaim his feet, he felt the warm pressure of a human’s hands, curling around his waist and lifting him up. He sobbed, arms covering his head as he was brought up to the human’s face. He didn’t want to see it – he didn’t want to admit that this was real, that he’d gone straight from one captor to another. A voice, soft and still loud enough to vibrate through him. “Are you okay?” The human whispered. He shifted, and a sudden, bright light made it through Dari’s arms. He just continued to cry, taking shuddering breaths between his ugly sobs. The grip around him changed, until Dari found himself sitting in a pair of cupped hands. He didn’t try to escape – he’d learned from his snapped wing that struggling in a human’s grasp just resulted in injury. He curled into himself, brought his knees to his chest and covered his face, weeping his grief as though the human wasn’t watching him. ** Mat didn’t know what to do about this situation. He’d been asleep – or, trying to sleep, at least – and this…this person, thing, had just up and landed on his bed, out of the ancient air conditioning grate that he’d been meaning to replace for so many years. Looking at him outright, Matt didn’t make the most intimidating figure in the world. He was an author, and as such spent a great deal of time sitting at a keyboard, staring miserably at a bright screen. He had dark skin and eyes, a soft build, a pair of fingerprint-smudged glasses that he’d haphazardly shoved onto his face, and curly hair constantly bound back into a short poof at the back of his head. The only thing mildly impressive about him was his height – at slightly over six feet and five inches, Matt was usually a head or so taller than the people he met. This, however, was a bit extreme. Staring down at the crying figure in his hands, Mat half-wondered if he was dreaming. That would make sense, though this was a veryvivid dream, in that case. “Um…” He began, hesitating when he saw and felt the elf-thing flinch. “Who are you?” He tried, his voice the barest whisper he could manage. He caught a glimpse of two pale, glowing eyes, giving him a glare as though he’d personally killed the elf’s entire family. Then came a soft, muffled voice, so quiet he almost couldn’t hear it. “Dari.” Dari? Was that a name? He assumed it must be, feeling slightly emboldened by his success. “Okay, Dari.” He said slowly. “I’m Mat.” Dari kept his head buried in his arms. Mat could see his back shuddering, his sobs so quiet they were nearly drowned out by the fan against the wall. “Can I ask why you were in my A/C vent?” He ventured. Dari stiffened, and this time, didn’t reply. Mat was beginning to realize that he wasn’t getting any sleep, tonight. First his upstairs neighbors screaming and cursing up a storm, now this? “Okay…let’s just get out of bed, before we do anything else.” He said, mostly to himself. He slipped out of bed, putting on his slippers. Carefully, he eased Dari into one palm, fingers curled up like a guard rail to make sure he didn’t fall. One glimmering wing fluttered against his palm, tickling, and Mat’s fingers twitched. This was so, so bizarre. As he stood, he felt two small hands press into his skin, the fairy now looking up at him with wide, terrified eyes. That was…such a strange way to be looked at. It made Mat feel guilty for something he hadn’t done. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He found himself saying, eyebrows furrowed in a defensive sort of way. Again, Dari didn’t respond, though his fearful gaze turned more to a fearful glare. Matt shuffled into the kitchen, finding the light and turning it on. Dari flinched again when the room brightened, tense and quivering. He’d stopped crying, finally, but his face was tear-streaked, his eyes reddish and half-lidded. In truth, he looked like nothing but terror was keeping him awake. Matt pulled open a drawer, fished out a plush hand towel, and placed it on the kitchen table. Then, gently, he set Dari on top of the towel. “Is that any better?” Naturally, Dari didn’t reply. Two minutes of interaction, and they were starting to set a theme. Dari continued to look at Mat as though he was being tested, suspicion in his tired, lavender eyes. In the light, Mat was starting to see that there were deep bruises along Dari’s arms and legs, creating mottled patterns that were uncomfortably similar to fingerprints. Just what had happened to him?
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Learn How to Store Paintings Without Ruining Them
Moving to a new home? Selling a piece of art? Storing your paintings until the cat burglar is captured? This guide will show you how to store paintings for the short term or long term.
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Someone who doesn’t know a great deal about artwork might pack up a painting with a simple sheet of newsprint and call it a day.
Storing a painting requires specific conditions to ensure that the paint, canvas, and frame don’t withstand any damage.
While it’s tempting to lean a painting against a storage unit wall, we know that there are safer ways to store artwork. This guide goes through some crucial advice for how to store paintings without devaluing them.
Understand the risks involved in handling fine art
According to The Conservation Register, the biggest risks to a painting or other works of art are:
Breakages, tears, loose and missing elements, impacts, smudges.
Fingerprints etched into polished surfaces.
Stains and marks from skin contact, eating, smoking, cosmetics and other domestic chemicals.
Introduction of materials and conditions that encourage pests or other environmental damage: foods, other infested objects, poor storage materials, central heating, damp, intense light.
The common link? People - People accidentally break, rip or spill their coffee onto their precious paintings. They put their grubby fingers all over the surface. They store their art in a convenient place, like their moldy basement.
Turn your photos into hand painted oil portraits with the help from our professional artists - LoveCustomArt.com
Follows these steps when packing a painting.
Minimize contact -  The first step to conserving oil paintings and other artwork during transportation or storage is to minimize human contact. An easy way to accomplish this is to create a barrier between you and the painting during the packing process.
Wrap in plastic - Use plastic to wrap the painting to keep it clean and protect the finish.
Seal with styrofoam - Use a custom-sized styrofoam box to ensure that the painting is safe and snug.
Put in a small box - Place the styrofoam-packed painting into a close-fitting cardboard box. If you already have appropriately-sized boxes, use them. If you do not have a box, you can make one from a couple of good-sized sheets of cardboard and a box cutter.
Pack with dense packing material - Make sure that you fill any space with bubble pack to avoid bouncing or jarring in transit, then seal the entire apparatus shut with packing tape. Avoid peanuts or any packing material that can get smashed or settle over time.
3. Learn how to transport a painting with care.
Be careful when driving - Make sure your painting won’t flop around, or worse, become a missile if you stop suddenly.
Store the painting vertically -  When laying flat, something (or someone) could fall, flop or sit on your painting.
Protect the painting with other objects - If you must lay the artwork flat, slide the painting against something solid in case you have to stop quickly. Proactively minimize the opportunity for sudden impact. Bringing a blanket or pillow for extra cushioning is also recommended.
Pick a reliable carrier -  Are you shipping the art through a professional carrier? Each service — whether you are considering the United States Postal Service or a private company like FedEx or UPS — has unique rates, rules and standards for shipping based on the size and weight of your parcel. You can use an online calculator to compare rates to get an idea of what you will pay.
Insure against damage -  You should also strongly consider purchasing shipping insurance since your work of art could be irreplaceable
4. Consider these tips when storing a painting.
Never store artwork in some places dry or damp - Do not store paintings in a basement or attic. Choose some place with consistent temperature and moderate humidity, like a climate controlled storage unit.
Don’t store paintings on top of each other -  If you must lay your painting or paintings flat, use a rack to keep the artwork off the ground and each other. Frames and canvases can absorb dampness from concrete and other materials and can get distorted in the frame if there is too much weight on top of them.
Keep paintings away from fluctuating temperatures - If there is a furnace in your storage space, or inadequate heating or cooling, the sudden changes can damage your art.
Stay away from the sun -  Direct sunlight can fade colours. Keep paintings covered with an acid-free cloth or leave the artwork in its travel packaging.
Don’t forget about the painting in storage - When storing paintings, it’s easy to toss it into storage and forget about it. The problem with this is that potential hazards can’t be monitored and remedied if you don’t check in every few months. Keep an eye out for signs of rodents or moisture and make corrections as needed.
5. Keep paintings safe inside a storage unit.
If you plan to keep your art in storage for an extended period, consider working with professionals. Life Storage can provide climate and temperature controlled storage, clean, secure units and the peace of mind you don’t necessarily get when you keep paintings in the attic. Use our online guide to find storage locations near you.
We turn your Photos into art that will last many a lifetime! - LoveCustomArt.com
Post credit: https://www.lifestorage.com/
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mygdigitalhub-blog · 4 years
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Best Smartphones with Good Camera Quality Under Rs.15,000
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Smartphones with good camera quality have become a necessity. Everyone loves capturing pictures that they heartily wish to get in a perfect and unique manner.
Now, are you the one who is in search of a budget-friendly smartphone holding good camera quality?
Alright, we are here to help you out, which makes you grab the right smartphone with the right specifications you are in need of.
We’ve conducted in-depth research about each smartphone that comes under Rs.15000 with standard camera quality. This article will surely help you to pick the right smartphone of your choice.
Best camera smartphones Under Rs.15,000
- Poco M2Pro - Realmi 6i - Realme Narzo 10
Now, let’s dive into the shortlisted smartphones in detail.
1. Poco M2 Pro
Tagged as a re branded version of the Redmi Note 9 series, Poco M2 Pro is the latest smartphone in India with a notable tweak in its camera design and performance. Launched with a cool design, great camera, and long-lasting battery, Poco M2 Pro is gonna hit the mobile phone industry.
Design and Build Quality
Poco M2 Pro with its glossy finish gives a royal look that won’t let you bat an eyelid.
The perfect finish with a quick responsive fingerprint sensor mounted at the side and a p2i splash-resistant coating makes it attract smudges.
Poco M2 Pro covered with a Corning Gorilla Glass protection on both sides promises the utmost protection to the very handy device.
The seamless touch experience and smooth performance make Poco M2 Pro the first choice among the rest.
Display
The Poco M2 Pro comes with a 6.67-inch IPS LCD FHD+ panel holding a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels.
The tall aspect ratio of the screen with a cute punch-hole cutout at the center delivers a seamless viewing experience.
Featuring Widevine L1 certification lets you watch Full HD video content on the Open Telecom Platform (OTP).
Processor and Performance
Twinning the hardware as in Redmi Note 9 Pro, Poco M2 Pro is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 720G processor which never compromises in its performance.
Comes in a 64GB internal storage + 6GB RAM along with highly capable hardware, multitasking in Poco M2 Pro is as easy as you breathe.
Poco M2 Pro is the best companion for ultra gamers who love playing popular games like Asphalt 9, PUBG, and others with the best performance ever.
The 60Hz display makes Poco M2 Pro deliver an immense viewing experience.
Camera
Featuring a quad-camera setup, Poco M2 Pro is one of the affordable smartphones that you can rely on.
Comes in a 48 MP Samsung GM2 primary senor is capable of furnishing you with standard images with good detail.
The coverage and detailing are really impressive with the 8MP 119-degree ultra-wide-angle lens accompanied by a 5MP tertiary macro lens which is capable enough to capture 2cm macro shots and a 2MP fourth depth sensor.
Coming to the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera placed within the punch-hole cutout at the top center of the display.
The user-friendly camera application allows you to capture FHD 1080p videos at 60/30fps, 4K videos at 30fps, and HD 720p slo-mo videos at up to 960fps.
What’s more?
This affordable Poco M2 Pro is smart enough to shoot time-lapse videos and supports RAW mode capturing as well.
Battery Life
Poco M2 Pro holds a 5000mAh battery along with a 33W fast charging technology.
No one wishes to own a phone that lasts for a short period with a single charge. Packed with a powerful charger, Poco M2 Pro charges up to 100 in just 1.5 hours that last a whole day even in rough use.
Verdict
If you are looking for a budget-friendly smartphone with an impressive camera performance under Rs. 15,000, with a long-lasting battery and powerful multitasking performance, then Poco M2 Pro is worth it.
2. Realmi 6i
Realme, an offshoot of the brand Oppo, added an all-new mid-range smartphone, Realme 6i with a noticeable quad-camera setup and powerful performance to the Realme series is already getting thumbs-up by many.
Launched after Realme 6, Even though the design and the specs sheet of Realmi 6i shows a huge resemblance with Realme 6, a major difference can be seen in the really impressive camera setup.
Let’s dive into the details of Realmi 6i.
Design
Realmi 6i doesn’t offer much in terms of unique design, yet its a good-looking phone which is elegant and appealing.
Realmi 6i boasts a plastic body with a glossy finish at the rear panel. Adding to that, the fingerprint scanner is embedded on the side where you can rest your thumb easily.
Comes in a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Type-C port, and a single bottom-firing speaker grille at the bottom panel, Realmi 6i holds a triple card slot that can support dual nano-SIM cards and a microSD card.
Display
Realmi 6i features an interesting display that offers a 6.5-inch FHD+ (1,800 x 2,400) LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate to deliver a great viewing experience.
A 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 6 acts as complete protection from accidental scratches that you don’t need to bother much.
Coming under Rs.15,000 smartphones, a 60Hz display is an added advantage of Realmi 6i that attracts most users where you can find a smooth scrolling experience.
As you can see with most of the latest smartphones, Realmi 6i supports Widevine L1 certification, that enables you to stream content on Prime Video and Netflix in an FHD resolution
Processor and Performance
An impressive MediaTek Helio G90T SoC, one of the best gaming processors which comes with a good CPU and GPU, offers an extreme gaming experience for all the ultra gamers who love playing challenging games at HD graphic settings. Thanks to Realme for not compromising the performance in a mid-tier phone like Realme 6i.
A powerful processor paired with up to 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage offers smooth switching between the apps. With Realme 6i, shutter-free multitasking is not just a dream.
Camera
The Realme 6i with a powerful Al quad-camera system allows you to capture perfect pictures with utmost clarity in each single short.
Realme has done an excellent job with the camera at its price point. The 48MP main camera with f/1.8 sensor along with 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor is capable of delivering decent images even in daylight shots. The main camera of this device can record native 4K videos
Coming to the selfie camera, the 16MP front-facing camera which is integrated inside the punch hole on the corner delivers much prettier selfies, whereas it can only record 1080p videos at 30fps.
Other camera features include 4K video at 30fps, Super Nightscape, Chroma Boost, selfie portrait mode, and Ultra 48MP mode.
Battery Life
Realme 6i sports a 4,300mAh battery providing enough fuel to last for a whole day in a single charge with normal usage.
This device also features a 30W VOOC flash charger which enables you to charge the phone up to 100% within an hour which is pretty fast.
Verdict
Wrapping some of the best features of the Realme 6, the all-new Realme 6i brings them to a more affordable price point. There are more than a few best smartphones with good camera features that we feel Realme 6i is one among them that you can opt from.
3. Realme Narzo 10
For the time being, we have seen how well the Realme series performed and now Oppo has added another gem to the series — Realme Narzo 10.
Comes in the utmost style with best camera performance, and better gaming experience, this device attracts new generations, particularly those who value these highlighted features above all else.
This is the first and the only pop-up selfie camera smartphone from the Realme family.
Tagged as a middle-range smartphone, this model never compromises in its overall performance.
Design and built quality
Inspired by the Realme 5 series, the rear part of the device matches the limited onion and garlic edition of the Realme X smartphone.
Comes in a premium look and design, Realme Narzo 10 catches the eye in a glance itself. Relatively tall and narrow, this device is very handy and the back panel isn’t slippery at all.
Covered with the Gorilla Glass 3 and a pre-applied screen protector, need not worry about the protection of the display.
The fingerprint sensor in Narzo 10 is designed at the back panel. The power buttons and volume buttons are placed on the right and left ergonomically enough for the user to reach easily. Adding to that, the removable tray can hold two Nano-SIM as well as a microSD card.
The bottom part of Narzo 10 is occupied by a USB Type-C port along with a 3.5mm audio socket and a single speaker.
Display
The display compartment is one of the unbelievable areas that Realme Narzo 10 excels in. A 720p IPS LCD panel in an affordable price range is really a WoW factor.
A massive 6.5-inch HD+ Mini-drop Fullscreen offers a great visual experience for a gamer and a movie buff.
A 20:9 aspect screen ratio holds a waterdrop notch at the top of the screen.
Processor and Performance
For most of the phones that we see today, the specs that they highlight on the paper does not match with the actual performance. Contrary to that, Realme Narzo 10 performs excellently according to its real specs.
Equipped with a MediaTek Helio G80 SoC, Narzo 10 holds a powerful integrated graphics capabilities, this is great info for the gamers to taste an improved gaming experience.
A pair of 2GHz ARM Cortex-A75 cores for power and six more Cortex A55 cores dedicated for efficiency, Realme Narzo 10 performs like a rockstar.
Comes in a single storage variant, 4GB RAM and 158GB internal storage have a big hand in delivering seamless performance when multitasking, scrolling through the menu and launching new applications.
Camera
A quad rear camera setup with a 48MP primary shooter gives satisfactory 12MP images using pixel-binning technology. This takes Narzo 10 to a higher end.
The 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens works well in covering huge areas with the expected quality. Coming to the 2MP macro lens, this device lets you capture decent close-up shots. Speaking about 2MP depth sensor, with no doubt helps to capture decent portraits with good background blur and sharp edges.
For taking attractive selfies, Realme Narzo 10 holds a space for a high-resolution 16MP selfie camera which even supports 1080p video recording and AI selfie mode to raise image quality.
Allover, while considering the price of the product, the low-light camera performance isn’t a disappointing factor.
Battery Life
The battery compartment is one of the best pros of Realme Narzo 10. Powered by a 5000mAh battery which is more than enough to work through a day of casual use along for the smooth functioning of the processor.
Moreover, an 18W fast charging can easily fuel up to work which roughly takes an hour to charge 100%.
Verdict
Well-packed with a great set of features, the Realme Narzo 10 seems to be one of the best smartphones which are value for money.
The long-lasting battery, 128GB internal storage, and a 48MP camera sensor is a fascinating package that you can grab under Rs.15,000.
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m6repair · 4 years
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Tablet Screen Repair Hacks- Fix vs. Replacement
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Fix versus Replacement
At the point when the guilty party truly is a broken screen of a tablet, picking one of the following three methodologies can assist you with taking care of the issue and allow tablet screen repair. You may have the option to fix the harm as opposed to replace it.
For example, is the screen obfuscated or in any case harmed from your mixed up utilization of unforgiving cleaning liquids or coarse paper towels to clean the screen? Provided that this is true, there is a fix for that.
Is the screen simply split or full-out broken - as in huge creepy crawly breaks from being crushed? You can fix a split screen on a tablet or a mobile phone all the more effectively with Sugru, a business item. A completely split screen on either kind of gadget is a strong contender for a screen substitution to allow tablet screen repair.
  Unsmearing the Smudges
 On the off chance that your mobile phone or tablet screen gives indications of cleaning misuse or wear from overwhelming dealing with, return its condition to about new with an oleo phobic covering unit. This is an oil-repellent covering that ensures the screen, alongside including perfection and diminishing fingerprints.
The covering, a flimsy layer of fluoropolymer-based solids, is like Teflon and is clung to the glass. You can purchase the covering unit from an assortment of electronic gracefully stores and online outlets.
You need these devices to apply the oleo phobic covering: microfiber cleaning materials, zipper plastic stockpiling packs, 70 percent isopropyl liquor.
Follow these steps:
·         Completely spotless the surface with isopropyl liquor. At that point wipe the screen dry with a clean microfiber material.
 ·         Set up a cleaning finger. The oleo phobic covering's fluid dissolvable vanishes immediately when applied, so once you start, work rapidly. Wrap one finger with saran wrap or a sandwich pack. Utilize this finger to rub the covering fluid onto the screen.
 ·         Apply 10-15 drops of the covering to the screen's surface. On the off chance that the mobile phone or tablet screen has an enormous surface, apply 10 drops to a segment of the screen, taking a shot at each part in turn.
 ·         Delicately and quickly appropriate the covering by cleaning your plastic-secured finger over the surface until the fluid dissipates.
 ·         Wipe the screen dry with a clean microfiber fabric. At that point give the covering time to dry. Try not to contact the screen for 8-12 hours to permit the covering to attach to the surface.
 ·         At the point when the holding time is finished, clear off any buildup staying on the touch screen with a clean microfiber material.
 ·         Rehash this procedure 2-3 times to completely amplify the oleo phobic covering execution and film solidness.
 m6repairs.co.uk
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foremostlist · 4 years
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JBL Pulse 4 Review
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A portable rave machine? Or maybe a 21st-century lava lamp? JBL’s latest version of its party speaker certainly attracts the eye with its fancy LED display. It also produces an improved, room-filling 360 degree sound that belies its pint-glass size. Nevertheless, all that flash adds to the cost of a device that lacks the basic smart features of similar-sized speakers at this price, while it also jettisons a couple of handy features that its predecessor boasted
Pros
Unique light effect Satisfying, well-balanced sound IPX7 waterproof rating...
Cons
…but slippery when wet No voice-assistant support No built-in speaker or 3.5mm aux input Comparatively expensive
Key Specifications
Review Price: £199 Weight: 1.2kg Dimensions (cm) 9.6 x 9.6 x 20.7 20W output 12hr battery life (3.5hr charge time) Waterproof rating: IPX7 amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "foremostlist-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "5c09a7109cf2e165f60e56a6ea5d1562"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07XK9L6XH,B07YGNQ3J2,B07X7JLBN1,B07XGMH7GJ";
What is the JBL Pulse 4?
Portable speaker specialist JBL is probably the leading proponent of this type of flashy, in-your-face device. It makes several lines that fall into the bracket, with its Pulse range of portable speakers one of its most popular. Smaller, and a fair bit less obnoxious than your average party speaker, JBL has been making Pulse speakers since 2014, with the range’s unique selling point being its eye-catching LED lighting effects built into the chassis. Related: Best Bluetooth speakers
JBL Pulse 4 design – An aesthetic refined over several iterations, but drops the 3.5mm aux and built-in microphone
The design has been refined over the years. It began with an almost grid-like array of lights in the original model, to 2017’s Pulse 3, which featured a more lamp-like light show that ran just over halfway down the body of the tubular device, with a speaker grille and its controls wrapped around the bottom half. A slightly shorter unit, standing at 8.2in tall and available in black or white housing, the Pulse 4 goes all in on the light show feature this time. Its LED array runs the entire length of the speaker, making for a far more sophisticated look.
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While the wrap-around speaker cloth grille has gone, the excellent, room-filling 360 sound of its predecessor is maintained. The device delivers an impressively loud and surprisingly well-balanced output that isn’t overtly dominated by bass – so often the case with devices of this type. There’s a payoff for that full-length light show, however: the 3.5mm auxiliary-in input and built-in microphone have both been sacrificed. This means you can no longer take calls with the device, nor use the speaker with a non-Bluetooth-capable sound source. Weighing in at 1.2kg, it’s a fairly hefty device for a speaker of this form factor. The glass-like casing, while prone to fingerprint smudges, has a major advantage over many of its rivals: it has a fairly comprehensive IPX7 waterproof rating.
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  USB input on the Pulse 4 This means the unit can be submerged in up to 1m of water for up to half an hour without causing damage. It’s also dust- and sand-proof, making it perfect for pool or beach parties, or bathroom sing-along sessions. Those claimed waterproof credentials certainly held up in our testing. However, it’s worth mentioning that playback was something of a garbled mess for a good 20 or so minutes following its dunking – despite the device having been wiped dry of surface moisture – as water worked its way out of the speaker grille. While some devices of this type have plastic flap covers on inputs, the single USB 3 socket on the Pulse 4 – used solely for charging – is completely exposed. While the socket itself has been given some waterproof treatment, we’d advise adopting some caution following an unexpected dip, ensuring that the port is fully dry before plugging the device into the mains. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "foremostlist-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "5c09a7109cf2e165f60e56a6ea5d1562"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07XK9L6XH,B07YGNQ3J2,B07X7JLBN1,B07XGMH7GJ";
JBL Pulse 4 features – The light feature has a practical application rather than simply being a gimmick
Along the brim of the speaker you’ll find an array of physical controls for controlling volume, playback, lighting, pairing, and syncing with other wireless JBL speakers via the brand’s bespoke “Party Boost” feature. This allows you to create a stereo pair, or a quasi multi-room multiple speaker array with up to 100 compatible speakers bunched together at once – something we weren’t unfortunately able to test in this review.
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Connectivity is via Bluetooth 4.2, and while we’d have liked support for the more efficient 5.0 variant and the ability to connect to one device at a time, the device does at least boast an impressive wireless range of 80ft. The light show modes can be accessed via the aforementioned button on the top of the speaker, but there’s far more control over the effect via JBL’s well-designed iOS and Android companion apps.
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While previous Pulse models had 10 different available modes, the light show profiles have been refined down to four on this latest edition. However, those on offer are now far more effective animations and are much more complementary to what sounds are playing. Alongside a mellow, slow pulsing “Spiritual” setting that seems geared toward yoga and meditation sessions, there’s also an aquatic-themed “Wave” mode, a campfire preset that mimics flames, plus an “Equaliser” setting that apes the graphic audio-analyser displays found on old hi-fi systems. As well as providing a visual cue for volume and battery levels, the light show can also be personalised through the app, with colour schemes available from a wide pallet. Even more handy is an impressively accurate colour-match feature. This makes use of your phone’s camera, enabling you to choose a colour from a picture, so you can potentially match the light to your room decor.
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While it would be easy to dismiss the Pulse’s light feature as a gimmick, in practice it provided a far more pleasant effect than we were expecting. Similar to the way Philips’ Ambilight system subtly augments TV pictures, when in Wave and Spiritual mode, the Pulse 4’s lights genuinely add a soothing ambience to a room when softer tracks were played. The bouncy Equaliser animations complemented lively songs well, too. The Pulse 4 is clearly aimed at a youthful demographic, but the feature could easily find the device an audience beyond the one intended. While the app allows plenty of customisation of the device’s visual features, we’d like to see a future update that allows for some tweaking of its audio output – there’s are no EQ controls accessible at this point.
JBL Flip 4 Pulse sound quality – Totally addicted to bass
That’s not to say that the Pulse 4 isn’t well tuned – it is. The combination of its passive bass radiator on the bottom with the driver mounted at the top propels a warm, mid-focused sound in all directions. Its bass output belies its proportions, but never feels overpowering. Only when the volume is cranked beyond the 90% mark does any sort of harshness come into play. Nevertheless, it’s minimal, showing impressive restraint for a speaker of this size. At 20W of output it’s capable of doing a job even in larger rooms, but what’s perhaps most pleasing is the real sense of separation that it delivers.
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Putting the device through its paces with MGMT’s often hard-panning In The Afternoon really showcases the evenly distributed 360 sound, with each element of the track easily distinguished. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "foremostlist-20"; amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; amzn_assoc_region = "US"; amzn_assoc_title = "My Amazon Picks"; amzn_assoc_linkid = "5c09a7109cf2e165f60e56a6ea5d1562"; amzn_assoc_asins = "B07XK9L6XH,B07YGNQ3J2,B07X7JLBN1,B07XGMH7GJ"; JBL claims 12 hours of battery from a full charge, with the lights running off a full 3.5-hour charge. While this figure somewhat undersells its capacity (in our testing, we were able to get almost a further two hours with the volume up around the 75% mark), it remains a relatively low overall battery life for a speaker of this size and output.
Should you buy the JBL Pulse 4?
While JBL will likely claim that a youth-orientated speaker such as this doesn’t call for voice-assistant compatibility, it nevertheless seems a pity that you can’t at least piggyback to services such as Alexa due to the omission of a built-in microphone. This is the biggest disappointment of the Pulse 4, particularly at this price. With its better than expected sound quality, it would have rounded off an otherwise excellent device. The Pulse 4’s light show needs to be seen to be fully appreciated – and while it adds to the price and won’t be for everyone, it’s a unique feature that provides more than just a talking point for a speaker that punches well above its weight. Read the full article
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magzoso-tech · 5 years
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New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/oneplus-7t-pro-mclaren-edition-first-impressions/
OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition First Impressions
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Over the years, OnePlus has released a small number of special edition versions of its smartphones, and one of the coolest of them has to be the McLaren Edition (Review) of the OnePlus 6T. This was the phone that debuted the company’s Warp Charge 30 fast charging technology, and there was no beating that slick paint job at the time. OnePlus has now launched a McLaren Edition of the OnePlus 7T Pro at a price of Rs. 58,999 and here’s a quick look at what’s new and different compared to the standard version.
OnePlus 7T Pro Review
Starting with the packaging, the box comes in an orange wrapper, inspired by the signature McLaren ‘papaya orange’ colour. The actual box inside has a black carbon fibre look, with just the OnePlus and McLaren logos. Inside, we have some pamphlets with orange accents, but interestingly, no OnePlus logo or even McLaren stickers.
The charger and data cable also get special treatment. We have a black 30W charger and an orange braided cable, instead of the signature red rubber-coated one that the company usually ships with its phones. The quality of the accessories is top-notch, and all of them match the racing-inspired theme of this phone.
The bundled case for the McLaren Edition 7T Pro is also unique, and is placed in a separate compartment on the bottom of the box. This hard plastic case is lined with Alcantara, which is a soft and durable fabric material, typically used on the insides of sports cars to give them a premium feel.
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This is what you get in the box of the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition
OnePlus calls the device’s finish ‘Papaya Orange’ but the phone is actually all black, with orange accents around the camera bump, the alert slider, and the lower back of the phone. The glass back is glossy with a wood-grain-like pattern, unlike the matte finish of the standard OnePlus 7T Pro. It’s also more prone to attracting fingerprints.
Honestly, at first sight, we thought the pattern on the rear was an imprint from the plastic covering the phone came wrapped in, or some sort of smudge. The pattern is clearly visible around the camera bump but then fades out. It actually extends all the way down to the McLaren logo at the bottom, but its outer edges are only visible when holding this phone against the light at certain angles.
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The back of the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition has a unique pattern on it
This OnePlus 7T Pro features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor and 256GB of storage like its standard counterpart, but the RAM has been bumped up to 12GB. Other than this, there are no changes to the specifications of the McLaren Edition.
When you power it on, you’ll notice a special McLaren UI theme. This includes custom wallpapers, animations, a clock face for the always-on display, a new fingerprint recognition animation, and a special papaya orange ‘horizon light’ effect when you get a notification. The new fingerprint animation is something we especially liked, as it mimics the after-burn of a sportscar. Overall, OxygenOS with this theme looks slick.
In terms of performance, the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition feels incredibly fluid and snappy. Its 90Hz AMOLED display is bright and vibrant. Apps and games are also quick to load.
The McLaren Edition of the OnePlus 7T Pro is meant for hardcore racing fans who want a piece of the McLaren racing DNA in their smartphone. This is no doubt a well-crafted phone with a unique style, which fans might appreciate. We think OnePlus could have done better with the design at the back of the phone, though, but that’s just our opinion. Would you buy this over the standard OnePlus 7T Pro? Let us know what you think via the comments.
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