#I just made the test and the 2nd line is very light but its definitely there🙃

[ss4nni]

yey thanks alot rock in the city you gave me the plague...🙂✌🏻

[sunshinecrashed]

IF ONLY

minamoto teru x reader

@tokoyamis-luv​ requested: okay IDK if you do angst to fluff (i’m sorry if you don’t) but maybe reader hides that she can see supernaturals and she’s recently been dating teru. one day she’s waiting for him after school and he’s taking some time, so she’s goes and looks for him, only to find him attempting to exorcise hanako maybe? or a supernatural idk- (teru thinks it’s okay bc she supposedly can’t see supernaturals) BUT SHES SHOCKED AND HORRIFIED and is very sad you know? since he’s a sweetheart 1) SORRY

2) i forgot what part i was in whoops anyways so he notices she can see supernaturals and shes ofc very shocked and sad but he goes to her house and talks to her and apologizes and it ends up more light-hearted and cute and fluff (he’s also taken in consideration koi’s feeling towards exorcising) you DONT HAVE TO DO THIS REQUEST!! IM SORRY I ALREADY ASKED U ONE LIKE YESTERDAY OR SMTH (also if you can could this be a scenario? you are AMAZING at them) THANK U 🥺💓💓 

word count: ~1,400+

summary: you try and stop teru from exorcising hanako; but you haven’t told him that you can see supernaturals. 

warnings: slight angst with a happy ending, attempted exorcism of hanako

a/n: ok first i wanna say that zara (can i call u that?) u are SO KIND omg i don’t mind taking ur requests at all, i eat that shit up lmfao. and 2nd its like 1am lol im sorry if this turned out shitty ;-;

• ﹒•  °  ˚ ° ⋆ ✧ ✧ ✧ ⋆ ° ˚  ° •﹒ •

It’s not easy hiding the fact that you can see supernaturals from your boyfriend. 

Who is literally an exorcist. 

When you both started dating, you agreed that no secrets would be hidden between you two, but if Teru knew that you could see supernaturals... things would get complicated very quickly. 

Every time you passed the bathroom and saw Hanako in there while other people were around, you turned a blind eye. 

 Every time the Mokke try to give you a sweet from the classroom window sill, you averted your gaze.  

It pained you to ignore the supernaturals that you have seen all of your life, but you simply just couldn’t risk how Teru would react if he knew that you interacted with them. You were very aware about Teru’s opinions on ghosts and supernaturals, especially about Hanako-kun. 

Right now, you were walking with your boyfriend to your next class, chatting. 

“Are we still down for getting lunch after school?” you asked curiously. 

You could tell that he was already almost drooling at the thought of trying out the new cafe in town. “For sure. You know where to find me once school is out, right?” 

Poking him in the arm affectionately, you said, “Under the tree in front of the school. We meet there every day, dummy.” 

“I know, I know. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can, and then we can taste test their pastries.” He smiled at you. You let out a little ‘yess!’ as you linked pinkies with him. 

Standing on your tippy toes, you pressed a tiny kiss to his cheek. “I’ll be waiting! Go ace the test that you were talking about!” you cheered. 

Teru laughed and watched your form turn the corner, a fond look in his eyes. 

He made a mental note to be quick while he got rid of that pesky ghost Hanako. 

- - -

As you stood under the tree in front of the school, you worriedly glanced at your phone. 

‘He’s already fifteen minutes late.. that’s longer then last time.’ 

You pondered on whether or not you should send him a quick text, your finger hovering over the send button.

you: hey, everything alright? those pastries aren’t going to eat themselves 😳👀

Sent. 

‘Maybe he was just finishing up his test?’

 But that didn’t make sense to you either. Your boyfriend was a straight-A student, who somehow always turned in his assignments first while getting perfect scores almost every time. 

You couldn’t help the nagging feeling in the back of your mind, that... the supernaturals had something to do with his absence. 

With your mind made up, you hurriedly placed your phone back in your pocket and made your way back into the school. 

Peeking into all of his classes, you found that they were all empty, with the students and teachers having already packed their things up. The only exception was Tsuchigomori-sensei, who only quirked an eyebrow at you as you quickly stammered an apology for disturbing him. 

The only place left to go was.. the rooftop. 

As you climbed the stairs leading to the very top of the building, you could feel energy growing in the air, similar to electricity. 

‘Shit, he couldn’t be--!’ 

Your hand flew to the rooftop door handle, revealing the very scene that you had dreaded the most. 

“Teru!” You tried to yell over the crackling of lightning. But he couldn’t hear you with his back turned to you; all of his attention was on Hanako, who was currently speared to the ground by your boyfriend’s sword. 

Even from a distance, Hanako’s struggling screams still rang in your ears, shattering your heart. 

You couldn’t let him do this. You couldn’t let him harm a ghost just for being a ghost, who hasn’t caused any harm to the students. 

“You supernaturals are all the same. Even if you promise not to hurt anyone, who says that your rumors won’t change? What will you do when you finally end up killing another person? It’s my job to stop that from happening--”

Tears welled into your eyes as you ran forward, wrapping your arms around him from behind. 

“Teru, you need to stop this!” you begged. 

For a moment, the lightning stopped and Teru tensed up. 

“[Name]? What are you doing here?!” He whipped around to face you, shock written all over his face. 

His eyes darted from you to the supernatural he had pinned to the ground. “Wait. You can see him?” 

You looked away. “...We can talk about that later. But right now, can you please let go of him?”

“You know I can’t do that, [Name].” He said softly. “It’s for your own safety.”

Taking a deep breath to collect yourself, you said “Wait, Hanako hasn’t harmed anyone,” Teru opened his mouth to respond to that, but you continued. “Let’s talk about this somewhere else, and after that, you can decide if you still want to go through with exorcising him, okay?” 

Your boyfriend took one look at Hanako’s puppy-dog eyes that screamed “please?”, then back at you, and sighed. 

“Fine. But you have a lot of explaining to do, too.” 

“...I know.” you confessed. 

Teru took your hand and led you back to the doors to the stairs, before shooting Hanako one last cold glare, to which Hanako only closed his eyes and sighed with relief. 

You both went your separate ways once you exited the building, an unspoken feeling left hanging in the air.

- - -

Your day ended with a blur, and Teru still hadn’t contacted you all night. By the time morning rolled around, you were beginning to think that your relationship with him had ended before you heard the doorbell ring. 

It was still fairly early, and you were only dressed in a big t-shirt and some sleep shorts, but you answered the door nonetheless, only to find Teru standing there with a box in his hands.  

“Umm.. May I come in?” He asked hesitantly. 

You were (secretly) really happy to see him standing on your front porch, knowing that the tension between you guys could finally be settled. 

As you invited him in, he sat down on a stool at your counter while you stood on the other side, leaning on the kitchen cabinets. 

Teru nudged the box in your direction with his hand and looked away sheepishly with a blush on his face. “Here, I uh.. got these for you.” 

You curiously opened the box to find... 

“Pastries?” 

His blue eyes looked up to meet your gaze and he gave you a gentle smile. “Yeah, I remembered that we were supposed to go try the new cafe together yesterday, so I thought that you might want to share these since... things got in the way.” 

The corners of your lips quirked up as you took one of the pastries. “Thank you, Teru. That was really considerate of you.” 

“And I also hoped that we could talk about what happened yesterday..” He trailed off. 

You sighed, taking a bite of the pastry before beginning. “Yeah, I’ll start. I’ve been able to see supernaturals since the beginning. I didn’t tell you because, well.. I knew what you thought of them, and I didn’t want to put anything at risk.”

Continuing, you said, “I know that you come from a long line of exorcists, and I really didn’t want to interfere with your work, but some of the supernaturals, like Hanako, haven’t done anything to harm anyone. He’s even protected your little brother and Nene when they’ve been in trouble.” 

Teru also took one of the pastries and munched on it, absorbing your words.

He noted, “Before I came here to talk to you, I also had a small conversation with my brother about that. Kou insisted that he would keep Hanako in check, as long as he didn’t hurt any of the students. And if it came down to that, then he agreed to exorcise him.”

He took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m giving both Kou and Hanako a chance to prove that Hanako is a safe supernatural. And if they fail, well.. then I’ll take care of it.” 

“Teru,” You began with a smile tugging at your lips. “You don’t know how much I appreciate you doing that for us. I’m sorry for interfering in the first place.” 

He gave you that familiar warm smile that made your heart skip a beat. “And I’m sorry too. From now on, no more secrets, okay?” Teru questioned. 

“Definitely. No more secrets.” 

 Your boyfriend held his arms open for you and you rolled your eyes affectionately before letting yourself be held by him, both of you humming in satisfaction. 

“Wanna go grab some breakfast in town to make up for yesterday?” He asked you, his voice slightly muffled. 

“...is that even a question?”

[battlestar-royco]

here is part 2 of my sci fi recs masterlist! again, i could’ve gone on with even more recs but i decided to draw the line here. this set for the most part errs on the darker side, thematically, visually, conceptually etc. i personally find it super thought-provoking and intriguing but that’s just me. i highly recommend reading the tw under the cut if you’re thinking of watching, especially the matrix and space gothic slides. please view at your discretion <3

part 1/2

If you like WLW (um idk why I only made this slide based on identity; it just kinda happened lmao but I think it works):

Siren: (tw: parent loss, grief, thalassophobia) a mermaid surfaces in a cove town looking for her lost sister. Polyamorous relationship between a man, a black/indigenous woman, and the mermaid!!!! Environmentalism! As a person who has thalassophobia, I didn’t find this too hard to watch. There aren’t that many underwater scenes, thankfully.

Black Mirror: San Junipero: (tw: grief, but otherwise none that I recall; it’s pretty lighthearted) two women meet in a beach resort in the 80s and fall in love. Interracial wlw!

Orphan Black: (tw: suicide, infertility, rape implication, VB, language, drug use) a woman realizes she is one of several clones and uncovers an elaborate corporate conspiracy. This is one of my personal favorites with great rep of complex women of all ages and bodily autonomy. Several central queer characters and a black male secondary character!

Starfish: (tw: grief, a few jump scares and brief monstrous imagery, blood) after the death of her best friend, a young woman breaks into the deceased’s apartment and discovers a chain of music tapes that could save the world. Weird, subtle, and experimental. Not to sound like a surfer but you kinda have to allow yourself to be in the vibe. The main character and her friend were definitely a thing imo.

Annihilation: (tw: body horror, VB, disturbing imagery) a team of women scientists explore an anomaly that rapidly mutates genes. There are canonical and coded wlw and multiple (light-skinned) POC in this but the rep is short-lived. I put it on because although it should’ve been more ambitious with the casting, I think it breaks *some* ground for Hollywood sci fi with the all-woman team and more than one WOC. Wack ending though.

Mad Max: Fury Road: (tw: rape implication, violence) I think everyone knows about this one but: in the apocalypse, a woman breaks 4 younger women out of a harem. A badass car chase across the desert ensues. A bit light on plot/worldbuilding, but sooooo cool-looking and very thematic!!!!

If you liked STRANGER THINGS:

It: (tw: VB) don’t actually watch this lmao I’m serious. It’s really stupid, and not in a funny way. But I do think Stranger Things was inspired by this story overall. The modern It films are better but they’re also really kjslsklskls stupid? Stephen King in general is obsolete imo.

The Thing: (tw: VB) an alien that can take the form of others wreaks havoc on a scientific facility in Antarctica. It’s dark and vibey, but I feel like it’s just Alien in Antarctica with truly terrible special effects tbh?? Others feel differently. It’s also classified as sci fi/horror, so stay away if you’re easily scared! Not too good on representation.

Super 8: (tw: some language) a group of preteens witnesses an alien-caused train crash as they’re filming a home movie. Not diverse but I definitely think it inspired a lot of sci fi for the 2010s, ESPECIALLY Stranger Things. Not too scary either!

ET: (tw: it’s been a really long time since I watched so I don’t remember but it’s rated PG) I think everyone knows what this is about!

Alien: (tw: VB) truckers in space discover a deadly evolving alien. One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the aesthetic and the mood and worldbuilding so much. Ellen Ripley is one of the first Final Girls in the horror genre. I personally found this more of a sci fi than a horror movie but I’d say stay away if you’re nervous!!

Terminator: (tw: VB) a deadly android is sent to kill a woman who’s destined to birth the man who saves the world. Terminator 2 is way better imo because it centers on Sarah rather than the dudes saving her and trying to kill her. But it’s still worth a watch, you know, for the culture.

If you liked CONTAGION:

War of the Worlds: (tw: blood) pretty straightforward aliens come to Earth to take over. Sorry to rec another T*m Cruise movie but I really like the alien design and the apocalypsey feel of this one. Baby Dakota Fanning is in it too!

Falling Skies: (tw: VB, body horror, rape) alien invasion yada yada but the alien lore gets more interesting as it goes on. It’s kind of cheesy and yeah maybe I did discover it by looking up the iCarly boyfriend (and what about it??) but it’s nice to have on in the downtime. An Asian woman co-stars.

Knowing: (tw: blood) school students unearth a time capsule that contains a sheet from a girl who predicted all the tragic world events between 1959-2009. This is NOT a good movie but it’s SO hilarious to me because of the acting and contrivances. Fun to group-watch!!!!

10 Cloverfield Lane: (tw: VB, emotional abuse) a woman wakes up in a bunker to a captor who tells her that the world has fallen to alien apocalypse. I think this movie elevates the original Cloverfield in pretty much every way. Again, super tense and moody. The conflict revolves around whether or not the captor is being truthful.

Train to Busan: (tw: extreme VB and disturbing imagery) a man and his daughter are on a train when a zombie hops on at the last minute. It’s Korean with an all-Asian cast; Choi Woo-shik co-stars. I definitely wouldn’t watch if you’re scared of blood and gore. It’s very gross and violent.

12 Monkeys: (tw: ableism, violence) a man from the 2030s is sent back to the 1990s to prevent the plague that will end the world. I think the aesthetics of this are really cool but otherwise it’s not a favorite. But I think it appeals to people who like apocalypse and time travel stuff!

If you liked THE MATRIX:

Strange Days: (tw: rape, sex, nudity, VB, racism, police brutality) memories can be saved to hard-drives and sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Very problematic and triggering presentation of rape, but young Angela Basset stars and there’s a condemnation of police brutality that’s still relevant 20+ years after its release.

Upgrade: (tw: ableism, VB, fridging) a disabled man installs an AI in his spine to help him move and investigate the murder of his wife. The premise is glaringly ableist and I feel weird even recommending it tbh but it’s got great visuals and a few good twists.

Altered Carbon: (tw: VB, weird interracial body switching, uhhh I haven’t finished this one IDK) in a society where human bodies are interchangeable, a man wakes up in a new body after 300 years of his mind being dormant. A Latina woman co-stars, two Asian characters in a subplot, a few other POC here and there as well. I think season 2 stars a black man.

eXistenZ: (tw: VB, anti-Asian racism, general weirdness? IDK it’s hard to describe. There are guns made out of bones and weirdly sexual visuals.) after someone tries to assassinate her, a video game designer and her bodyguard must play through her virtual reality game in order to save the only copy of the game.

Minority Report: (tw: VB, eye removal/insertion) all crimes are predicted and criminals reported before they are committed. The main character is preemptively accused of murder. This one is really white but it was one of the first movies that got me into sci fi. Early 2000s Colin Farrell <3.

If you liked WESTWORLD:

Humans: (tw: uncanny valley, objectification) androids are household helpers and public assistants throughout Britain until one day they start developing consciences. It hits a lot of the themes of Westworld without all the unnecessary pretentiousness, “edginess,” and “grittiness,” and it stars Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan!!

Blade Runner 2049: (^) an android is ordered to find and kill a human/android hybrid. It’s not without its issues but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, right up there with Alien. So beautiful, so thematic, so thought-provoking (to me, anyway. I know a lot of people thought it was way too slow).

Ex Machina: (^) a man is invited to a private estate to help test the intelligence of an android. It’s kind of predictable imo but you know Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno are in it so we have to stan, and so is Domhnall Gleeson, for the SW fans! I like how isolated and quiet it feels.

I Am Mother: (tw: blood, gaslighting) after an extinction event, a young woman is raised by a lone android in a human repopulation facility until one day a woman knocks. It starts off slow and a bit generic, but I’m obsessed with the 2nd and 3rd acts of this movie---good acting, dialogue, and fantastic visuals. It has that same isolated feel as Ex Machina with only three characters, all of which are women/woman-coded!!!

If you liked ALIEN (space gothic):

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008 reboot): (tw: genocide, war, colonization, VB, uncanny valley, rape, infidelity) space opera that follows humanity as it fights the ever-evolving and powerful enemy of their own creation: androids named Cylons. Um? I  L O V E  THIS SHOW SO MUCH and I truly do think it’s everything sci fi should be. There is a really unfortunate Miss Saigon-esque romance plot in season 1 and a lazily-written love triangle involving a black woman in season 3, but otherwise it’s one of my all-time favorites and I highly recommend. It’ll spin your mind and tug your heartstrings for years.

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire: (tw: genocide, war, nudity) soldiers in the near future protect citizens from mutant zombies, but one soldier starts experiencing strange hallucinations in the field. This is such an underrated Black Mirror episode starring a black man. There’s brief objectification of a black woman but it’s very anti-military and it has an interesting sterile aesthetic that reminds me of Alien.

High Life: (tw: rape, black holes/space anxiety, very disturbing) prisoners are given the option to join a space expedition and serve as experimental subjects en route to a black hole. Please please stay away if you are triggered by sexual violence of any kind. There’s almost no physical violence in this movie but it’s psychologically haunting imo.

The Faculty: (tw; VB, drug use) high schoolers discover their teachers are being possessed by an invading alien race. I LOVE THIS MOVIE LMFAOOOO. The cast is SO wild---Elijah Wood, John Oliver, Usher, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett??? And I’m probably forgetting more. The combination of the cast, the terrible dialogue, and shitty special effects is PEAK comedy imo. But bear in mind it’s bloody!!

Prometheus: (tw: body horror, VB, uncanny valley) a crew of scientists heads on a deep space mission to find the aliens who created the human race. A prequel to Alien, but I kind of view it as its own thing. Despite the plot holes, I love this movie too! It was one of my sci fi gateways and the visuals are stunning. It’s pretty gory though so if that’s not your thing stay away.

Life: (tw: extreme VB) a lesser Alien, but it provides all the space gothic tropes (jokey crew, shots of space, really pretty spaceship, everyone dies, creepy alien) with a well-known cast---Gyllenhaal, Reynolds, etc.

The X Files: (tw: a few episodes contain 90s racism, sexism, queerphobia etc but you can skip them) a lot of people have watched this so I barely have to explain, but it’s one of my favorites. Two FBI agents investigate multiple aliens and get involved in government conspiracies along the way. A good gateway!

A Quiet Place: (tw: child loss, VB, tension) I think most people know what this is about too. Alien apocalypse with aliens that hunt by sound. The daughter in the family is deaf, and so is the actress who portrays her. The representation of deafness was critically acclaimed.

[ryunochie]

MMD Cook Torrance shading tutorial + Dry Brush technique

Welcome to this tutorial on how to render images in MMD using my technique!

For this tutorial, we will use an extensive list of effects, but it is subject to change, as it was made especially for my black and white style with low-key lighting. Below is the list of MME used in this tutorial:

Cook Torrance (shader);

o_DisAlphaBlend (optional);

o_DLAA;

Object Luminous (optional);

o_Monochrome;

PointLight (Cook Torrance);

ScreenTex改変-パラ_フレア;

PostRimLighting;

LightBloom;

AbSSAO;

HgSAO;

HgSSAO;

SvSSAO;

SoftLightA (NCHL2 shader);

SoftLightB (NCHL2 shader);

Croquis改;

LIGHT ME UP (BREAK THE COLOR);

o_SelfOverlay;

Draw style;

ikDrybrush.

Each listed effect redirects you to your download page. This tutorial refers to the following image:

Results will vary according to the type of model used; this is a high poly model, so shading is better and much more detailed. I recommend adapting this tutorial to your project.

1. COOK TORRANCE

Before we start, I will give a brief explanation about the functionality of the shader, the main one of this tutorial: Cook Torrance is a powerful shader that allows us to create personalized lighting through points of light; it has variations for more shine (specular and テカテカ), skin (sakura R1 and blight for more shine), toon and normal map.

The application of this shader removes outlines and SPA / SPH, so be careful with parts that depend entirely on SPH, such as metals. In the example below, specular variations were applied to the glove and eye patch, テカテ カ to the hair to enhance the highlights and R1 sakura on the skin; the other parts are with the base shader:

Before and after adding the shader. Note the absence of glare in the glove and the greater definition of the model's shapes.

Inside the shader folder, we can find 5 point light files and another one called ShadowMap.x; I still don't know for sure what the latter does and I get an error message when loading, but, in my view, it makes no difference with or without. As for the point lights, the shader limits the use of 4 points simultaneously, the 5th will not work.

To activate the point light, it is necessary to change its Rx, Ry and Rz values, which work as RGB to give color to the lighting — 1, 1, 1 is the studio white color, standard and the one I use for all my images, since I work with black and white. It is preferable to change the light intensity by changing the Tr value instead of RGB. Move the point lights using the dummy bone (standard MMD model).

In this case, our 1st point light, the main lighting will be stronger and will repeat the "movement" of the standard MMD lighting you set. In my case, I chose RGB = 100, 100, 100; X = +0.5; Y = - 0.5 and Z = +1.0. Uncheck the display box on the accessory handling panel to hide the point light's model.

If the Si of the point light increases, the light will be stronger and it will be necessary to reposition it. In certain scenarios, it is preferable to use large point lights that cover more parts of the project. Examples below:

Application of the 2nd point light, which is weaker because it is "auxiliary" light; it will give the glove and hair more shine, in addition to softening the shadows on the left side of the face for a smoother transition:

For our 3rd point light, it will have the characteristic of the so-called rim light: this is a photography technique mainly used to separate the object from the background with a lamp behind the subject. In this case, we will use the point light just above the model to add details to the hair strands:

2. OBJECT LUMINOUS

Object Luminous is a versatile and easy-to-apply effect, the effect of which, as the name suggests, gives luminosity to the selected part. In this render, I loaded 2 Object Luminous and put one on the hair and beard, the other on the glove and jacket because they are dark parts that easily disappear when more effects are added.

In the hair, the luminosity serves as an aid to the Cook Torrance (variation テ カ テ カ) and gives shape to the hair when configured in low intensity: Si = 0.1, Tr ≤ 0.4 - subject to change according to your needs. Application examples below:

Preferably, move Object Luminous before any effect of changing the color of the screen, such as o_Tonemap and ikClut, otherwise the lighting will be highlighted, producing the very desirable black and white color effect: the so-called color splash.

3. POSTRIMLIGHTING

One of the essential effects for the proper functioning and credibility of Cook Torrance, PostRimLighting creates the rim light, mentioned earlier in this tutorial, in the entire model and highlights its forms; it is important to set Si to at least ≥ 0.3 to support the light created by the light points — a value subject to change as more effects are added.

As Majima's clothes are mostly quite dark, the initial 0.3 needed to be changed to 0.8 at the end of the render, as the image was getting darker.

For lights coming from behind the subject, start with a higher Si value. Example below:

4. LIGHTBLOOM

The role of this set is to soften the lighting and enhance its brightness, mainly because it is a type of "physical" lighting: objects with light properties.

The creator of Cook Torrance recommends combining the shader with Diffusion, but I preferred the results with LightBloom. Inside the effect folder, there is a controller called LightBloomController.pmx and the effect's own files: LightBloom.x and LightBloom with DirtMap.x.

The DirtMap variation serves for natural light and recreates imperfections in the camera lens; as my goal is to create studio lighting, I use the original effect.

   When loading the controller, there will be 5 manipulation sliders, these are, according to the author's description: 

BloomThreshold: "seeks pixels higher than this brightness level";

BloomRadius: "controls the size of blurring effects as a percentage of the screen width";

BloomColorAllHSV: "scales the brightness and color of the entire bloom effect (linear color space with HSV color)";

Bloom 1st-5stHSV: "modify the brightness and color of bloom in each layer, if you need more bloom, use a higher layer";

DirtColorHSV: "scales the brightness and color of the entire DirtMap".

In short, the 1st step is to set BloomThreshold to 0.5 and adjust the intensity according to your need: the higher the number, the more parts will receive brightness. For low light, it is recommended to use it around 0.6, keep BloomRadius < 0.3 and decrease the intensity in BloomColorAllHSV, leaving ≥ 0.5.

Place PostRimLighting and Object Luminous before LightBloom to soften their lights too.

Then, the shadow effects are added. I use 4 by default: AbSSAO, HgSAO, HgSSAO and SvSSAO — when in need of more shadows, I add o_SSAO with low Si. Each has a purpose in the overall composition, making it important to control the values ​​of Si and Tr according to the purpose of your lighting. I will not discuss how to configure each shadow in this tutorial. O_DLAA is an alternative to common anti-aliasing and reduces, to some extent, the knurling that post effects produce. O_disAlphaBlend serves to fix the alpha channels (transparency). It is important to put both at the top of the list of effects.

The SoftLight A and B effects are part of the NCHL2 shader and act as a more manipulable version of o_BleachBypass, very useful to add contrast to the project. A lightens or darkens the image, while B works as an aid to control gray shades.

It is important to maintain a smooth transition from shadows to less rough brush strokes of dry brush, mainly on the face, due to excessive contrast, as in the following example:

The application of the BREAK THE COLOR effect is done exclusively by the characteristic of "false lighting", extremely useful in low-light or spot scenarios. It is recommended to use Tr ≤ 0.5; increase the Si to give much more contrast, but I don’t think it is necessary, since we have SoftLight and soon o_SelfOverlay. However, feel free to experiment with higher Si. LIGHT ME UP is my favorite variation, for both light and dark scenes, CHATEAU is a great alternative to lighten them up.

Application of o_SelfOverlay in order to soften LIGHT ME UP and increase the Si of PostRimLighting to delimit body and clothing contours:

Application of ScreenTex変 - パラ_フレア (variation 墨) for lighting correction. Important to place before PostRimLighting to preserve the edges:

5. CROQUIS

Now the render starts to take the 2D direction when applying Croquis改 and highlight the textures of the model and make smooth outlines; the value that interests us in this case is the Y, which affects the textures.

The goal is to delimit the Drybrush's area of ​​operation and avoid a very blurred and confused image, especially for portraits. In addition, the contours give a greater drawing aspect when rendering.

After many tests, I came to the conclusion that Y ≥ 1 values ​​in low perspective are sufficient for desirable results in the final render: the further you move the camera away, the stronger the lines become, needing to decrease the Tr. It is not recommended to rely on the render preview in MMD, as Croquis tends to weaken.

It is good to place Croquis before any post effects for best results.

6. DRAW STYLE

This effect applies a layer that imitates a canvas and has 18 variations, being 9.x more used by me to smooth out the Drybrush's strokes. Recommended to use Tr ≤ 0.4.

7. IKDRYBRUSH

Finally, the effect that creates our painting. When loading it, there are 4 variations of detail: cancel (removes the effect of a certain part), chara (default), face and skydome; it is possible to change the type when loading another FX. I don't mess with these settings, but feel free to experiment with the different types.

To control the brush size, the value of Si is changed, which ranges from 0.5 to 2. Tr will decrease the visibility of the effect — I personally do not change this value.

Like Croquis, the preview of the render will be different from the final result, making it essential for you to experiment with different values . I try to render 3 different files for 0.5; 1 and 2, because 0.5 usually the final image has white lines and dots with a smaller brush, but it is easily corrected when applying the Si 1 layer on top, as in the example below:

It is up to you how you edit the finished render. I open the extra 2 layers (1 and 2) in GIMP and change their properties to "just darken", so only the dark strokes appear, hiding the white flaws.

[atxlxs]

Beyond The Veil: Chapter 9

As she and Aizawa approached the door to the principal's office, she noticed he went to slow down to knock but Eras wasn’t dumb.

She saw that camera hidden in the wood of the door.

Without missing a beat, she walked forward through the now open doors as Aizawa faltered for half a second. Muttering the words ‘fuckin rat’ under his breath and Eras took a sharp breath as she held back a snort. Instead, she turned her attention to Nedzu and All Might. The latter was sitting on a couch and the minute Eras turned her head to him and sniffed, she could smell the metallic scent of blood. He was covered in the scent. A tell tale sign of injury.

Not that she didn’t know about that before she entered the room.

Is it really that surprising for a few people to figure out a national secret when it was literally walking around?

“Ah Eras-san,” of course the rat had listened in on their conversation at the gate, “Welcome, please have a seat. Tea?” Nedzu asked, his tone deceptively light.

“Thank you, If you have any green tea that would be delightful. I can only stomach certain kinds of tea.” That was a lie, well kind of. In reality Eras just didn’t like most human drinks or food, preferring coffee and Boba to just tea. Green Tea’s are the only kind she can have without it tasting like getting hit in the face with a bunch of spices. A consequence of her vampire attributes.

“Of course, I'll prepare that right away!” Eras nodded and watched as Nedzu started making the tea before taking her gaze off of him to settle it on the #1 pro.

She narrowed her eyes.

The man flinched.

Good.

“Before we start Nedzu,” an flip of the tail told her he was listening, “I think we could agree that All Might should save his time for when the Bakugo’s get here considering it would be a shock for them to see the hero deflate like a balloon after a 5 year old’s birthday party.”

All Might instantly deflated and started hacking up blood. Nedzu was cackling and Eras could hear the softly muttered ‘deserved’ from behind her where Aizawa was standing, leaned against the wall.

“How?!?” All Might stammered. Eras just sighed and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, her face the picture of unimpressed.

“You are a walking national secret that could potentially throw the country of japan into chaos with merely announcing said injury. I believe it's quite honestly predictable that at least someone would know about it. Besides, Nedzu wasn’t the only individual trying to get access to the veil. People in the veil are beyond what constitutes as human. Especially when it comes to life expectancy. Some people who wish to live long lives to further their ideals come to the veil seeking answers. Supervillains and the like.” The man's face paled at the last part and Eras felt a bit of relief at that.

At least he wasn’t a total idiot when it came to reading between the lines.

(Eras had been keeping track of All for One since she learned of his existence. Even after the man supposedly died, she made sure to keep an ear out.)

“Besides, even if I didn’t know beforehand, as you’ve demonstrated you're consistently either covered in blood, or seconds away from expelling it. I could smell it the moment I walked in here.” Eras stated simply. Reveling in the man’s confused fear.

That was until a tea cup was placed in front of her.

Nedzu was vibrating with glee.

Oh. Oh no. She had forgotten Nedzu didn’t know what race she was yet. Fuck.

“Thank you.” she said, conveniently ignoring her slip up. What he doesn’t know can’t be used against her.

“You're quite welcome. The Bakugo’s will be here in another 20 minutes since it does take a bit of time to arrive from their place of work.” The rat smiled that polite smile that grated her nerves wrong. That was the fake smile of something inhuman trying to act as society demands.

Just like her own tight lipped smile.

She sighed and turned to Nedzu. Eyes that were once black were now glowing a toxic green as she allowed herself to smile fully, fangs displayed for everyone in the room to see. Ignoring the sharp intake of breath from the occupant still leaned against the wall and sputtering All Might, Eras kept her gaze on Nedzu. Conveying with her inhuman qualities that she wouldn’t judge him.

The feral smile she got in return was satisfying.

“You can ask Nedzu. You have 20 minutes after all.” Eras allowed her eyes to dim back to their black and returned to her usual smile.

Nedzu kept his feral smile in place as his eyes gleamed and Eras came to a conclusion. She liked the chimera. Sure she will still call him rat man and other nicknames but he was truly just curious. Also, he stopped at verbal answers instead of testing every and anything like the elves.

“Based on what I’ve seen, you're a vampire. Though you do greatly contradict the basic stereotype for your kind found in lore and novels. Evident especially with the green glow we were allowed to witness, as well as having short fangs on the bottom row of teeth with the usual top and longer ones. Is that the norm or are you different?”

Right for the gut huh? Eras returned her sharp smile to her face. She could appreciate intellect and getting to the heart of a matter quickly and efficiently.

“As you’ve already hypothesized,” she saw Nedzu’s grin grow wider, “I am not normal for my kind. Specifically, my title is an ‘Origin’, in lore and new veil members though, I am referred to as a pureblood. True to the name, I was born the way I am a long time ago.”

“How intriguing. Muska had informed us before but vampires were the original members of the veil and held most of the information. I won’t press for more since we were already told we were going to be limited, however what exactly is the hierarchy like for Vampires? I assume Origin is a title for someone relatively high on the social hierarchy.”

Eras leaned back in her chair, sighing a bit as she remembered the fact that she was directly involved in politics, even if she was only called upon for those meetings, but she shook her head to get back on track.

“Essentially, we are ruled through clans, which then are ranked socially and politically by generation. Not generation as in blood descendants but generation by creation.” Eras shifted a bit as she gestured to her fangs. “Purebloods can create vampire brethren, fledglings, through a process I will not explain for reasons. These are known as 1st generations and resemble what you’re used to except things like weakness to silver and garlic. Honestly, I have no clue as to where that comes from. As you expect, anyone they turn are 2nds and they make 3rds. There are rules in place for those who are 4th generation though because at that point, for unknown reasons, the created creature is not a vampire but a Parafron, a bloodthirsty hunter that loses its mind within the first 100 years.”

Nedzu seemed to catch the implication because his eyes seemed to gleam brighter, if that was possible.

“You're a clan leader.” He simply stated. Eras nodded with a small smirk.

“Yes, as you may have noticed, I have a… mark... on my neck. Contrary to belief, I didn’t get a tattoo. I was born with it to mark what clan I’m from. A side effect from being an origin. My clan, however, is smaller than the rest due to my specific responsibilities that come with the mark.”

She could tell Nedzu noticed she was skirting around names and titles. Thankfully the chimera simply nodded and looked towards his computer. His smile dimmed and the gleam faded from his eyes as he turned back.

“Seems the Bakugo’s have arrived! Present Mic is currently meeting and leading them here.”

Eras nodded and she returned her now narrowed gaze to an All Might who squirmed. He had definitely forgotten her ire during her and Nedzu’s convo.

A mistake.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Muska was very concerned.

Why?

Greenie was very concerning.

When Eras had left, Muska turned back to greenie who had been spluttering still from Eras' blatant appreciation for saving her ass. The teen looked shocked, as if he didn’t just save her from third degree chemical burns. Sighing, which grabbed the teen’s attention back to her, Muska raised an eyebrow and stared at Midoriya.

“Did you expect her not to thank you? You literally dragged me out of the way of an explosion while I was frozen. Admittedly, not my best moment. You acted just like a hero and all that jazz, you deserve the thanks. Oh btw, when Eras means if you need anything, she means if you need anything. Even hiding a body she’d help as long as she gets plausible deniability.” Muska said, watching as very green eyes started to water.

At the last bit, Midoriya let out a wet snort and held a hand to his mouth to muffle it. Then he darted up, ramrod straight, as he returned wide eyes to Muska’s. He seemed to search her for something which made Muska more than just a little confused.

“Do you mean it?”

It was softly said. She almost didn’t hear it, but when she did she was even more confused.

“Mean what?”

“That I acted like a h-hero?”

“Of course? Why would I lie about that?” she asked, confusion lacing every word in genuine puzzlement.

It seemed that was the breaking point because Midoriya broke out into sobs. Not knowing what to do, Muska stared wide-eyed as her new friend(?) started to break down in front of her. Not knowing if touch would help, which she also really didn’t want to do because she wasn’t fond of contact with people she didn’t know well (nor did she know what to say), she just stared awkwardly. The part that worried her most though, was how near silent his crying was. As if he wouldn’t, no couldn’t, make a sound.

The sobs tapered off and Muska sat up and turned towards Midoriya. She made sure he calmed down enough to listen, but not quite enough for the sheepish ‘I’m sorry’ to finish coming out of his mouth.

“It's a fine greenie. If you’d be willing, mind explaining if I did something wrong? I also assume I’m on friendship level one considering it’s the second day of school so I don’t expect answers but I’d appreciate a heads up. Are they at least happy tears?” Muska made sure her features were softer than normal, a hard earned skill since she had a resting bitch face that scared people away when she wasn’t focused on playing nice.

That and the barking. Could you blame her if it worked in keeping assholes away?

Midoriya snapped his head up and started throwing his hands around in a rejection gesture before he whipped off excess tears in order to speak over the floodgates of his eyes. Seriously, he could probably fill a bathtub.

“Oh no no, these are happy tears! It’s just, no one has ever really said that to me before. The hero thing. So I was just… really happy?” A hand raised to sheepishly hold the back of Greenie's neck as left over tears spilled and a bright red blush poked through tan freckled skin.

“Why wouldn’t they? I mean Hero’s seem pretty important to Japanese society so like, there must have been a few?” Muska said. This conversation was giving her very bad vibes. Like curtains that block you from seeing someone in a hospital bed. All ominous and nerve wracking.

“I uh-” He cuts off, thinking hard about what he was about to say. He glanced over a few times, soaking in the honest confusion on her face, and possibly going over every detail of their meetings so far this year.

“I- I well, I may have manifestedmyquirkduringtheentranceexam-” Midoriya stuttered and launched the words out of his mouth fast enough that they were barely intelligible, only to slam his mouth shut with a click and wide eyes.

“Ok? I am…. Still very confused here. What does manifesting your quirk that late have to do with the hero bit? Granted that does explain your lack of control.” Muska added, somewhat regretting the last bit when Midoriya flinched,

Then, he shot up ramrod straight and disbelief started to enter his eyes as he processed her last statement.

“I was- I was quirkless most of my life?” He added, his posture defensive and prepared to take a hit. Emotionally or physically.

“So?”

A minute passed. Then 2 more.

Midoriya promptly burst into tears again and Muska sighed. A world weary heavy sigh.

She’s so done with everything today.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tags:

@baguettehead

[awfully-sadistic]

Week 1: Oct 2nd

The Adventures of Dottie and Dodger A series of linear prompt one-shots.

I kind of broke my own rule and couldn’t resist adding in a little something-something special. You’ll know it when you see it. I just hope it’s not too strange. But what the fuck, I can mold this story any way I want.

It was very early morning in the second day of October and Dot was on her way to the office building she and Dodger had purchased just yesterday. Driving down the road, Dot could see that various Halloween objects have been put out decorating yards and roofs with over-sized grim reapers, inflatable and real pumpkins, and strings of lights celebrating Halloween colors, but that wasn’t a surprise. It was as early as mid-September when she began to see signs of Halloween and it excited her.

Halloween was her favorite holiday and the entire month was already promising to bring along the spirit as soon as it could. With the appearance of the Poltergeist yesterday (and the paperwork that followed, but we don’t talk about that), Dot thought that Halloween had definitely come early. She wasn’t complaining. She wished it was Halloween all year-round, but with the spooky month comes attached their busiest time of the year.

It was expected that Human and Supernatural alike call upon the Agency in a tizzy about hauntings, possessions, and other spook factors that wouldn’t normally make an appearance any other time of the year. Obviously, Halloween lowered some sort of barrier that allows the things that go bump in the night liberated freedom this time of year.

She remembered last year; she didn’t think she’d survive much longer running their business out of her home. There were people coming and going and she didn't like the unexpected visitors who would appear in the dead of night for an emergency. She would not admit this, but it was also kind of freaky hearing about all these spooky stories and then having to go to sleep in the same house. There were times when Dodger had been called and invited to stay the night simply because Dot had heard something she wished she hadn’t and her overactive imagination had convinced her that everything was out to get her.

In those times, Dodger was nice enough not to question her intentions as if he had already known what had been bothering her. Then he’d attempt to bore her with interesting tidbits he might have learned that week. It normally had the opposite affect; they’d both stay up all night talking.

Dot finally pulled up to the office space. The building on the outside looked as abandoned as it had on the inside. But Dot figured with a little TLC, the place would brighten right up. A little bit of rose bushes lining the sidewalk to the front doors could work wonders and baby’s breath with some carnations and other filler flowers as accents would make the place seem cheery and fragrant. Someone to take care of the grass would flush this place with some much-needed color instead of the concrete jungle in its place. Trees were scattered about but they looked like they were dying; granted it was in the middle of fall, perhaps they’d look a little different come spring.

It was all one story, (thank god because who liked to climb stairs?), with the parking lot in front right off the road with enough space for the employee range given in the office. There was about twenty-four rooms and Dot knew because she had made a quick run back and forth from her home to make good on the promise about filling the rooms with her old outfits. She had her very own personal dressing room and it felt real fancy if anyone asked.

She just didn’t know what to do with the rest of the rooms. Rooms with more than enough space than an employment of two.

Well, three now with Armand, Jr.

Armand, Jr. or from this point forward known as Armand was the ghost that lived in the Grandfather Clock Dot had named Armand. So, in reality, the clock would be Armand, Sr. There was honestly no reason to tack on a Jr. to Armand, Jr’s name but for the sake of this on-going inside joke now, it was there now and Dot didn’t want to change it. Perhaps it hinted at her personality that she was resistant to change, no matter how little. Dot wouldn’t give it another thought now especially since she was pushing her way through the glass double-doors that would sweep her into the receptionist and waiting area.

Her eyes widened as she took in the receptionist area. It was like a whole new place. Yesterday, there had been cobwebs and dust settled on surfaces and white sheets over various furniture pieces that had been left behind. It had given the place a gloomy look.

Now, there was no sign that there had ever been a speck of dust. The area was brightly lit and felt welcoming. The walls were painted, she now realized. A light, baby blue. She could see there was also an assortment of hanging pictures and magazines laid out on the coffee table nearby and stocked with one of those wooden holders you’d mostly see at an official looking doctor’s office or a dentistry. She was taken back by the presence of a water cooler; she hadn’t seen that yesterday. Perhaps even more surprising was a working 32” flat screen television on the wall opposite the assembly of chairs and it was switched on, mute, showing various flashing pictures about Ashbourne; News. Local stuff. Captions on.

Looking at her feet, she could see that the carpet had been vacuumed recently and perhaps possibly cleaned but she couldn’t tell. But it surely seemed like it because it wasn’t this color yesterday.

Holy fuck, this place was actually functional.

She bumped against the receptionist area, the cutout window reminded her something of a shell and she hung in, trying to take a peek in the back. From what she could see, the police station area with its cubicles was arranged, straightened out, and she thought she could hear voices further back.

��Helloooooo?” she called out.

The voices stopped. Dot strained to hear if Dodger or Armand had been talking to each other but when she felt a light tap on her back, she nearly shrieked. Pulling herself out of the cutout, she whirled around and saw that both Dodger and Armand had come in from the outside with grocery bags in their hands.

Dodger had been the one to tap her. Dot placed a hand over her racing heart, taking in a deep breath to steel her nerves. “Goddamn it, Dodge. What did I say about doing that?”

“Announce ya’self.” Dodger repeated using the same inflection Dot had always used on him.

“Cheeky bastard.” Dot scolded but she had a grin on her face. “Don’t just do that. It’s a good way to get smacked one day.” her gaze trailed down to the bags they held, a question already forming in her eyes even as she finished speaking.

“We thought we’d stock the break room.” Dodger met her halfway, nodding his head beyond the door separating the waiting area from the rest of the office building. Dot followed his gaze before coming upon a sudden reminder. One that sent little shivers up her spine. It had suddenly clicked that she had without realizing, subconsciously noticed, she was the only car in the parking lot.

“I thought I heard voices back there.”

“You probably did,” Dodger said, looking at Armand. “there’s a television set in the breakroom, too. At his insistence.”

“I tried to get one put in the bathroom but I remembered, I do not have to use one.” Armand smiled.

“I reminded you of that.”

Armand’s smile never wavered even as he amended, “Dodger reminded me of that.”

Dot still didn’t feel comforted for some reason but it might have been her overthinking everything. But the banter between Dodger and Armand did a good job of distracting her enough to push that uncomfortable feeling away.

“I didn’t know you could eat, Armand.” Dot said, giving him a rub on the head. In his corporeal form, Armand was physical to the touch which allowed him to hold on to the groceries and appreciate Dot’s gesture. He was also taller than her and she had to stretch her arm up to even do that much. Armand ducked his head and the look on his face was similar to the look he had when he was praised.

“I can eat. I can taste flavors. But it doesn’t do anything for me. I cannot gain any nutrients or get the same satisfaction of feeling full. I think it does help me with energy, but I don’t know for sure.”

“I suspect it helps him keep his corporeal form for longer.”

Dot looked surprised at Dodger’s input, “He can’t hold onto this form for very long?”

“He can go about a full day but needs to rest the next so he’s told me. So, every other day. To see if eating restores any energy to allow him to hold onto this form for longer, I would have to test this theory by feeding him and then checking against how long he can previously hold out, if there’s any change at all. It’s going to take weeks to gain a definitive answer.”

“How exciting.” Dot said dryly before adding, “You do know, he’s not a science experiment. Right?”

Armand, silent through the exchange, finally spoke up, “It’s alright, Dottie. I told him he could try. If it helps you guys, I would love to be in this form for much longer. It just feels right.”

Dot could feel that Armand meant that with every ghost fiber of his pure being. She could feel her heart melting at his resolve and knew he earnestly meant to do anything he could for them. It had been radiating off of him in waves. Armand almost seemed desperate to be of use to them.

For what reason, she still had to find out but she wasn’t about to make him bend over backwards in the meantime. It was even harder to tell if he was mistaking this corporeal form as to partake in being alive again. His comment about trying to use the bathroom was funny but the undertones seemed depressing. He was doing live things or entertaining the thought, but what for? Because Dot and Dodger were alive and he was trying to fit in? Was he staying in this form because it helped them or him?

And was it wrong to encourage him to stay in this form longer in case it feeds into the fantasy? Dot wasn’t one to turn away from anything fantasy related because reality sucked. She daydreamed all the time. She didn’t want to tell Armand to face reality. He shouldn’t have to especially if she didn’t want to.

And why was his personality as eager to seek out praise as often as he did? Was this part of his unresolved business? Ghosts were tricky because there could be many reasons they stayed behind. Armand showed no indication that he was disgruntled or regretful in anyway. If anything, he seemed happy-go-lucky and incredibly naïve. Trusting. Perhaps, too trusting.

She searched Armand’s expression; he stared back at her with a smile that looked hopeful. She knew she couldn’t help him if it turned out he missed being alive if only because she didn’t know how to bring back the dead and the day when that realization hit him was going to break her heart. She hoped that wasn’t the case. With every fiber of her being, she hoped so dearly.

She took the groceries from Armand’s delicate looking arms, signaling the men to follow her as she pushed through the doors to head for the breakroom.

“What would help us is you being yourself, Armand. I don’t expect anything from you except to do what you want to do. If you want to help us, that’s great! And if you want to help Dodger with his weird experiment, you can do that, too.”

Dodger made a discontented noise at the back of his throat as they settled the groceries on the counter in the breakroom. Dot made a note to check the television; to her relief, it was still turned on. To her ‘not relief’, the volume was turned down so low, you could only be in the breakroom to hear it. She hoped to god sound traveled in this building.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been part of an experiment. Do you think it’s fun?” Armand asked, looking between Dodger and Dot. Dot was pulling apples out of the bag before she turned to look at Dodger because she didn’t know how to answer this one.

“It’s fun for me.” Dodger replied, pulling out a hand of bananas.

Armand pulled out a toilet brush scrubber, “How do you eat this one?”

Dot took the scrubber gently from Armand’s long, graceful fingers. “You don’t eat this, honey. And Dodger is going to try to make this experiment as fun for you as he can or I’m going to make him eat this.”

“Noted, love.” Dodger murmured, preoccupied with his groceries to worry about what was in Dot’s hand. Armand had a look of realization on him.

“Oh, it’s Dodger food.”

“Exactly.” Dot laughed.

Putting away the groceries was longer than usual if only because Armand kept asking how to eat everything. And not everything Dodger had bought was for consumption. But Dot had the patience to teach him what was and was not safe to eat. Basically, anything in the fridge but if Armand was unsure, he was to get Dot’s approval first. Dot also had to hand it to Dodger; he did a good job of stocking the breakroom with lots of snacks and he didn’t forget her creamer and fixings for her coffee.

“After five years paired with you, I better remember.” He said, taking a sweep around the breakroom. “I’ll have to write a thank-you note to the Agency for giving us their old equipment.”

“Ah, I was wondering where we got half this shit.” Dot commented. “Can’t believe Chief Aldric would part with any of it to help us.”

“He specifically told them to give us the stuff they had in the storage room. If they attempted to give us anything new, they could start working for us. At least, that was what Agent Hartwin told me while sounding very apologetic.”

Dot’s face grew a discontented look about it, “Mm. He’s always been a little cowardly. But that’s the same storage where everything gets thrown in once it outlives its usefulness? That sounds more likely. Yeah, thank them for me too.”

“I kept telling them I could repair almost anything. Everything they’ve given us I was able to repair with no real cost. I had most of the spare parts I needed at home.”

“Well, like you’re fond of saying, their loss.” Dot said, wondering what the inside of Dodger’s house looked like. “It certainly looks like everything works like new. I wouldn’t have thought we got hand-me-downs whatsoever.”

Armand looked lost, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Free stuff usually is,” Dodger pointed out. “but they meant to give us their broken and out of date equipment. Perhaps as a way to haze us. Or thumb their nose at us.”

“I don’t think anyone’s used that saying since the 1800’s,” Dot cracked.

“Actually, my dear, the first usage was recorded around the 1920’s. It made a reappearance around the 1930’s but since then I’ll admit it’s a little out of date.”

Dot and Armand stared at Dodger who didn’t say anything after that, content that his lesson had gotten across. Learning something new was never expected or planned as far as Dot was concerned. However, Dodger’s matter-of-fact way of speaking and on a rare note, when he went on spouting facts about word usage or anything else he seemed to be an overnight expert on, she would let him babble on about the little factoids because she would learn something new whether she asked for it or not.

For the most part, he could come across as a know-it-all for those who didn’t know him.

Dot did know him and understood he wasn’t just showing off. He was genuinely sharing something with her and she often replied like a proud mother. “Thanks, Dodge. That’s really interesting.”

“That sounds silly,” Armand said next. He placed his thumb on his nose, “What is the point of this?”

“It’s a gesture that’s meant to disrespect,” Dodger replied. He took a moment to extend Armand’s fingers so he was doing the gesture correctly. “wiggle your fingers. That’s how it’s supposed to look.”

Dot placed a hand over her mouth to conceal the giggle wanting to escape. Armand looked confused, seemingly still not understanding how it’s supposed to be an insult. But he seemed to realize that he was currently gesturing towards them and gasped at the sudden revelation. “Oh no! I didn’t mean any disrespect!” His hand flew off his nose and straightened to his side. “I’m so sorry!”

Dot laughed this time, “You didn’t do anything wrong, Armand. It’s just a silly little gesture and if you want to do it, go ahead. But always at Dodge and never at me.” She gently teased. Armand seemed shocked at the insinuation that he could ever thumb his nose at Dot. The very idea of insulting her whatsoever seemed to pale him more than his ghosted form.

“I’d never!”

The sentiment was sweet and filled Dot with a warm feeling that surely showed in her smile.

“I’ve had the business cards renewed, “Dodger brought up, calling their attention. In a separate bag that Dot hadn’t noticed, Dodger pulled out a cardboard container the size of a medium jewelry box. The top came off like lid and Dodger pulled out a single card. It was a matte black cardstock with their new address and phone number pasted under the name of their office in sprawling gold script. It looked incredibly fancy, Dot was afraid to touch it.

“Sanctum Sanctorum?” Dot asked, looking up at Dodger. “Isn’t that that one place where you-know-who lives in New York or… something? It was all over the news years and years ago, we can’t get away with something like this.”

Armand quirked his head, “Is something wrong with the name? When Dodger explained it’s something you really liked, we thought it was the best idea to go with.”

Dot could feel herself grow soft at the thought they put in for her especially since Dodger remembered a passing comment from more than a year ago. But she shook her head, “You probably don’t know this, Armand, but it’s a really big world out there. Aside from the Agency, there are organizations out there that do bigger work than what we do with a lot more pull and power.” Then she turned to Dodger, “We’re going to get sued.”

“It’s alright. It’s a Latin phrase and the last time I checked, there was no copyright on it. There are plenty of places that use the same phrase. By its very definition, all it means is a sacred place.”

“You really have an answer for everything.” Dot remarked but she couldn’t believe they were actually getting away with calling their new office building a Sanctum Sanctorum. As long as they didn’t put “the” in front of it, maybe it’ll be okay. That way it didn’t seem official and they didn’t step on anybody’s very important toes…

“Well, we better start calling it the Sanctum for short before we get a call from… disgruntled but really impressive superheroes.”

“Superheroes?”

Dot and Dodger glanced over at Armand. In a lot of ways, he really was like a baby. He remembered some things from the time he was alive but other things, you had to explain to him. It was a good thing both Dot and Dodger exhibited patience well beyond their years. Dot cleared her throat taking the lead on this one. After all, she’s been following the history and accounts ever since their appearance.

“Years and years ago, like way before Dodge and I were born and before our parents were born and perhaps even their parents, so we’re talking about grandparents and maybe even great-grandparents, there was a really scary war. Like, we’re talking throw everyone back in medieval times, end of the world as we know it, war. Back then, relations between Humans and Supernatural beings were non-existent as proof of the Supernatural was more or less unverified. Things like Ghosts, Vampires, Weres, Witches, or anything else like that was deemed legend and at most, urban legends. Other times it was fuel for scary stories on camping trips and scaring little children into behaving.

But it was near impossible to prove the existence of anything Supernatural and for the most part, Humans didn’t have anywhere near the impressive range of abilities they have today so everything was really boring and mundane. Even so, Humans were pretty advanced. I mean, the stuff they had back then doesn’t hold a candle to what we have now, but they were pretty advanced in technology and space exploration and in those times, it was pretty impressive especially when we look back in the past and see how far we’ve come. Back then, they could only get to Luna. Now, we have a colony on Luna. See the comparison?”

“Luna?”

“The moon, love.” Dot laughed. “So, circling back to the Supernatural, Humans had sightings, superstitions, and sometimes proof like video and pictures but that eventually ended up as hoaxes most times. They didn’t have the equipment we have today that can verify Supernatural presence without a doubt or equipment that detect latent power in Humans. Furthermore, people liked feeding into the fear that there might be something wandering on this planet other than themselves. Yet, ironically, Humans were, and some could say still are, really arrogant in terms of their chain of command in life. Even if there had been something out there, they would always deem themselves higher than anything else that came along. They’ve just been in charge for so long, it was unthinkable that anything greater could challenge that. And in a lot of ways, Humans were right. They have the capacity to think a lot bigger than they are and when they band together, they can pull off some of the most incredible spectacles. But Humans are also very prideful creatures which prevent them from reaching their full potential.

Or so it’s been hypothesized. After all, they did fight with each other over territory and stupid shit like that impeding their own progress.

In a lot of ways, the Supernaturals should have expected it. But one day, there they were. Tired of hiding, tired of their cultures and beliefs being ridiculed and turned into insulting myths, they just emerged. As I remember every account in the history books have put it, it was like an invasion. However, no one could tell who was put on the planet first. Humans thought they had the right to the world because they’ve been the ones to dominate it. Supernaturals felt they’ve also been there just as long but were forced into hiding because of the discrimination and hatred Humans fueled into their stories turned them into hideous things. Monsters, honestly. They would have been hated.

But everyone hated each other. There were clashes, skirmishes, wars. Cities were decimated because despite the Humans claiming to have dominated the world, they were still Humans. They bled easily, bruised easily, weren’t as psychically or physically gifted like Supernaturals were known; enhanced strength, telekinesis, flight, shapeshifting—as you can imagine, it really tipped the scales in the Supernatural’s favor.

But one day, there was a point where Humans were able to somehow turn it around. If you ask anyone their opinion, there are many guesses as to what happened. Some say that at a certain point, to save themselves, Humans just evolved. In high stress situations or faced with extinction, it awoken something in Humans that allowed them to push back. Others say a miracle took place bestowed upon whatever God they worshipped that saw the Humans suffering and decided to help. And if that were the case, whatever God touched them never fucking appeared again. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me—”

“Dot,” Dodger cut in, steering Dot back into the story. He turned to Armand and explained, “Religion is a touchy subject. Every case she’s had at the Agency concerning the religiously imbalanced turned everything upside down and inside out. She’s never had a good experience dealing with them.”

“Don’t forget they are often the most judgmental and preachy assholes to ever deal with. Sorry.” She cleared her throat, finding her stride again. “Anyway, whatever had happened imbued the Humans with the strength to fight evenly with the Supernaturals. The powers that Supernaturals exhibited were suddenly shared with Humans. If a Vampire had super strength, so did Herbert the Human. If this Werewolf can run very fast, so can Susan the Human. It was both a good thing and a bad thing; that meant Humans wouldn’t be extinct but it also meant it fueled their idea that they were the true inheritors of the World. I mean, what else could convince them if not that moment that they evolved or were God-touched on the butt or whatever.

The fights and wars escalated and this happened all over the World. Human and Supernatural homes and cities and lands were absolutely fucking wrecked. Civilians that didn’t have supernatural abilities, and that accounted for Supernaturals and Humans alike, were housed in safe zones; it was about the only truce Supernaturals and Humans honored. People or Beings who couldn’t fight back to defend themselves should be given protection was the one thing they agreed upon, it was a fucking miracle. Now that I think about it, it might have to have been who was in power back then, honestly.”

“That sounds so terrible,” Armand said. He looked like he was about to cry. Dot was starting to regret telling the story. “everyone really hated each other.”

“Well, I mean, it sort of gets better.” Dot pointed out, “I’m not done yet. I promise the superheroes are coming in.”

Armand’s eyes brightened, “Oh yes! Superheroes! What are they?”

Dot laughed, “Now hold on. Before they came along, we need to get to the part about the aliens.”

Armand looked confused for a second before he finally asked, “What is the aliens?”

Dot and Dodger exchanged glances. Dot seemed worried and Dodger just looked perplexed. The things Armand did and did not know were astounding sometimes. It never failed to throw them for a loop when he asked.

“You don’t know what aliens are?” Dodger asked. Before Armand could reply, he explained, “Extraterrestrial life. Or, a person who is not a national of the country they are living in.”

“Or a movie franchise,” Dot input.

“What is extraterr—”

“Something that did not originate of this earth.” Dodger quickly explained. “Aliens come from outer space. Outer space is the big thing above our heads past the sky with many stars and planets.”

Dot laughed, smacking Dodger on the arm playfully. “I’m sure he knew what outer space was.”

“I, for one, am not quite sure, love.”

Armand replied, “I know! I know now.”

Dot gestured, pulling attention back to her so she could continue with the history of their planet that apparently Armand might need another run through with. She hoped she hadn’t lost him somewhere along all that explaining.

“The aliens. Okay, with the Humans and Supernaturals fighting each other, it seemed like nothing could have been able to stop this on-going war that would surely have pulled us into it years down the road. But we were either very lucky or unlucky because Aliens appeared out of nowhere and blasted all of our collective asses.

The sorry thing about that was the Aliens waltzed into a war that they weren’t even concerned with. They were running away from their own stupid shit. Apparently, history reports from an Alien POW had revealed they were on the run from a fleet from another freaking dimension. It shocked everyone to the core hearing about different dimensions and seeing Aliens that the war against Humans and Supernaturals seemed so… petty, now.

In the meantime, Aliens killed without discrimination. Remember the safe zones that both sides had agreed were untouchable? Aliens struck there first. Humans and Supernaturals alike were being targeted and even dragged into a war that wasn’t theirs. An even larger war on a scale that no one could fathom. We eventually figured out why we were being hit so hard. Aliens had the technology to brainwash their prisoners to use themselves as canon fodder so they’d lessen their own causalities and since the World was ripe with many shields, Humans and Supernaturals found out really fast it didn’t matter what they were. As far as the Aliens were concerned, they were the same.

I remember reading that it was the point where Humans and Supernaturals banded together to fight a common enemy to save themselves. By then, about one-third of the population had been wiped out.”

“To put it into perspective,” Dodger interrupted, “That’s two billion people. Total, our population including the Supernatural was about seven billion. Our history’s worst genocide before the Alien invasion is about six million. Doesn’t even come close to the damage of almost wiping us off collectively as a species and without a certain intervention, we would have been wiped out without a doubt.”

Armand’s brows were furrowed as he tried to imagine what two billion people looked like. The numbers were huge, he understood that much at least. “What is this certain intervention?”

Dot continued with a smile that stretched widely. This was a subject she knew all about as it fascinated her. “This is where the superheroes come in. In this other dimension, people with incredible gifted abilities who use them for good and justice were fighting the Alien race on the other side. Our planet didn’t know at the time and assumed the Aliens were just fighting other bad, stupid aliens. But that wasn’t the case. This Alien race who were crystalline and spindly were called the Dovirs. They had been trying to take over another earth-like planet coincidentally… named Earth-616 but bit off more than they could chew and were chased off. That didn’t mean they were retreating. They were desperate as it had been explained to us. In the midst of this chase, they ripped a tear into another dimension to cheat and bolster their numbers—which they accomplished coming here—to one day go back and try taking over once more.

If my memory serves correctly, and it always does, we’re Earth-6969. Which, by the way, we came away as the winner for coolest planet name. The representatives from Earth-616 landed here and explained it for us. It’s all over history books and by now is common knowledge.

In a lot of ways, Earth-616 is like our planet; same geographical lands and climate. We even have the same cities give or take a couple of small towns that differ between us. Oh yeah, and they weren’t in the throes of war waged in the name of discrimination but for the most part, yeah. We were pretty similar. Granted, they were more advanced in terms of technology but with the appearance of the Dovirs and our access to their technology, we’ve bolstered our own. Earth-616 even shares some of its technological advances with us which was pretty cool of them.

But comparing the two worlds, the Human races are the same, the Supernatural races are the same, we were just lacking our own Superheroes. And Armand, that means they are a band of people that come together despite their differences to make the place they live a better environment for everyone.”

Armand smiled, finally understanding. “So, they’re really important.”

“I’d say that they were. I know there are people who don’t share the same sentiment. It’s stupid and surprises me that this is coming from both sides.” Dot took a deep breath before she went down that road. It was clear to anybody listening that this was a passionate subject for her.

“I’d say we’re getting close to the ideal of living together in harmony, slowly. That’s why organizations like the Agency and what we do popped up. The Dovirs made us realize that we were entirely unequipped to handle an outside invasion. At the same time, we can’t keep fighting each other.

Taking a page out of 616’s example, their Superheroes and Supernaturals and Humans live together in a way that we’re trying to pull together nowadays. I’m not saying their side is perfect; if you pay attention to them, you’d see they just as well have their own issues with discrimination and blatant racism. Their government can be corrupt just as any political power, but we’re all trying to fight that and have been for a long time.

If it’s going to end in our lifetime remains to be seen, but I’d like to think we’re closer than five, ten years ago. It took a long ass time for our present to happen. I mean, the effects of that war are still very present today; tensions between the Humans and Supernaturals are still tense in some situations but for the most part, we’re getting there.

Plus, there’s still that nasty tear between our dimensions that now connect us to Earth-616. Isn’t it cool we’re neighbors?”

Armand was silent for a very long time, his expression reflecting a thoughtful gaze. Dot wondered if she had lost him along the way somewhere. She winced, glancing over at Dodger, “I might have gotten a little preachy at the end, there.”

Dodger shook his head, “Nonsense, I think you’ve pulled together a very beautiful summarization of our history. There wasn’t anything in what you said I disagreed with.”

Smiling, Dot gave Dodger’s hand an affectionate pat before Armand finally spoke which took them both by surprise as he asked, “How do we visit Earth-616? Do we have a very long ladder we climb to get there?”

Dot remained in a stupor for another second before laughing almost in disbelief, “Oh, no, honey. Haha, that’s where the Sanctum Sanctorum comes into play.” She further explained as soon as she saw the confusion in Armand’s features, “There’s a Sorcerer who lives down in New York that bridges the connection between our two worlds otherwise it’d be dangerous keeping that tear unsupervised. It’s complicated. Something about not having our own guardian. From what I know, he spends his time between the two worlds; we’re sort of like his vacation house.”

Then it clicked. Armand’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ as his eyes rounded in unison. “That’s why we’re going to get sued!”

“We’re not going to get sued.” Dodger argued.

Dot turned her head to face Dodger, almost jumping when she came face to face with a terrifying red expression. It took her a moment to realize he had pulled something out of a grocery bag and put it on his face.

“Take off that mask,” she scolded before adding, “that is a mask, right?”

“Ah! My Halloween costume!” Armand exclaimed, taking the mask from Dodger’s hands. “Dodger explained in the store why there were so many skeletons and witches on display. Hellowoon.”

“…Why would you think that was my face?” Dodger asked but went unheard as Armand continued.

“You’re supposed to dress as something scary, so I thought this was scary.” The ghost lifted his pale hand up to cover his impressive face with the unimpressive red mask. It had a long nose and angry eyebrows, its mouth furled down in the snarliest of snarls. Dot eyed it wearily.

“That’s great, honey. But you don’t have to be scary if you don’t want to, you can be anything you want. Also, did you say Hellowoon?”

“That’s not what it’s called?” he asked, pulling the mask to one side. He peered out with an amethyst hued eye expectant of Dot to correct him. But she didn’t have the heart.

“Well, it’s official. Happy Hellowoon, everyone!”

“I’m serious, did you really think that was my face?”

“Dodge, I swear to god. Any god.”

There was ring from the front which caught Dot, Dodger, and Armand’s attention. Their heads turned towards where the receptionist desk area sat before they looked at each other again.

“Do we have a literal doorbell?” Dot asked.

“Mm, I think there was a little “ring for service” bell somewhere on the desk. Armand was ringing it incessantly earlier.” Dodger replied.

“I had to make sure it would ring the next time, too.” Armand whispered.

“I’m not sure what that means.”

“What do we do?” Dot asked Dodger lowering her voice to a conspiring whisper. “It can’t be a client, right? You just printed the cards out today.”

“You might have, but I asked around and found out where you relocated. In any case, I let myself in. I hope that’s okay.” The new voice spoke with an authority that told anyone listening that he had every right to be there. It didn’t fail snapping their attention to the doorframe where a tall man stood as if he belonged there clad in a red cape that seemed to have a mind of its own. It moved where there was no wind and occasionally, the man would brush back the flap of the collar out of his face. The breakroom never had a more important guest. In all of her life, Dot never expected to come face to face with anyone as extraordinary or significant as Doctor Stephen Strange.

Dodger leaned in, whispering, “On second thought, we might be getting sued after all.”

“That wasn’t quite the idea I had in mind.” Stephen smiled. It looked like he was confronting a group of guilty children. Well, two guilty children. The third was quite obviously unusual. A flicker of recognition sparked in Stephen Strange’s gray gaze before it landed on Dot. “I was hoping you could take on a case for me.”

Dot swallowed dryly and she gripped the sides of her shirt, then ran her palm down the side of her leggings. She was nervous and it wasn’t coming from Stephen. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Stephen Strange, THE Stephen Strange, visiting the planet just to enlist her services? From what she could remember, she didn’t know how often he visited 6969, but it couldn’t have been that often, right? He had his own responsibilities on his own planet, didn’t he?

“O-Of course,” she put cautiously. She couldn’t help the stutter in her voice mainly because she had never expected in her lifetime to ever run into a Superhero from 616. An encounter was supposed to be rare. Even if their planets were connected by the rupture the Dovirs were responsible for, that didn’t mean the two planets could interfere with one another unless absolutely dire. Unless, that had changed? “What could we do for you, Doctor Strange?”

There was a brief moment when it looked like Stephen Strange looked in approval at being recognized. He all but purred the next statement, “Good, so we know of each other.”

“Y-You know me?”

“Dot Dreadful and Dodger Ainsworth Mac Alister of the private eye institution, Supernatural Investigations. Previously employed by the government sanctioned organization known as The Agency, real creative name, hm? You guys obviously have the superior one.”

Dot laughed nervously.

“You two were employed by The Agency for ten years, partnered for five because you, Ms. Dot, weren’t compatible with anyone who didn’t overload your empath abilities and Mr. Dodger stayed at entry level because he just liked doing the paperwork.”

Dot and Armand looked at Dodger who shrugged. Doctor Strange continued.

“You two quit a year ago and partnered to create your own business citing irreconcilable differences for your departure with the Agency to mask the fact you two were really unhappy there but it was an open secret considering how much Dot was known to push the cases deemed too “unimportant” by The Agency to favor the ones with more publicity to shed the project in a better light. In reality, you understood the corruption taking place once the previous Chief was replaced with Aldric, the mayor-elected official with a discrimination against Supernaturals. Another reason included being tired of being tied up by bureaucracy and wanted to make a genuine difference. Starting yesterday, you relocated to this site after operating out of your home for the last year. I hope I didn’t miss anything.”

“We hired a ghost as a receptionist.” Dodger pointed out. Stephen’s gaze trailed from Dot, then to Dodger, and last to Armand. “His name is Armand.”

“Yes, of course. That’s how he fits in.”

“And this is my Hellowoon costume,” Armand added, lifting the thing to his face. “It’s spooky, isn’t it?”

Stephen pointed, almost doing a double-take. He seemed genuinely taken aback by the outburst but covered it up as soon as the emotion flickered across his face. “Did he just say Hellowoon?”

By this time, Dot stepped up to Stephen, floored by how he knew so much. And it seemed everyone she was meeting lately simply towered over her. She extended an arm out towards the main office space.

“Why don’t you tell us the details of this case, Doctor?”

Stephen glanced down at Dot, giving her a charming smile that Dot could sworn was her imagination. Only in her dreams could someone this amazing exist, right? She had many fantasies about meeting any of the Supers in 616 but to actually be meeting one right now? …Maybe reality didn’t suck for once.

She led the Doctor to a random desk hoping it was to his taste. Maybe she should have paid more attention to the furniture. Once seated, she took out a legal pad and grabbed a pen. She had no idea where the invoices were but it was a good thing Dodger had her back. He grabbed an invoice while Dot recorded the details for any pertinent information.

Doctor Strange had the presence even while sitting to intimidate her. He seemed so regal and she could feel the pen feel warm in her hand. It took a while to realize the warmness was coming from her own hand. She just seemed so flustered! She hoped she looked composed on the outside at least.

“This peculiar case is located in the small town of Whitecrest. I’m sure you know it.”

Dot nodded, getting down to business. She ducked her head and wrote down Whitecrest as she spoke, “I know it. It looks like a little village from a medieval fantasy. Has a tavern and inn, even a functioning blacksmith. Everyone likes to ride horses to get around. It shouldn’t be too far from Ashbourne.”

Armand, seated across from Dodger who was copying the information for the Invoice asked, “Is Whitecrest that different?”

Stephen smiled, approval glinting in his eye. “After the Great War, as your planet calls it, a lot of towns had trouble rebuilding. Or more correctly, the people of states and towns all over had trouble deciding how they wanted to rebuild. Some had the finances to support their ambitious renovations while other towns like Whitecrest ended up looking like a piece of the past.”

“Way past,” Dot input with a smile, looking at Stephen. It was amazing how much of their history he bothered to learn. “Towns like Whitecrest have a lot of problems. It has nothing to do with the people most times. Ah, Doctor, what would you like for us to do while we’re there?”

“I’ll be honest,” Stephen suddenly said in a serious tone. His face took on a pensive expression and he seemed hesitant on admitting something. Up close, Dot could see that there was a gathering of wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and with the addition of the white at his temples made him seem a little older than he appeared just a few minutes ago. Whatever he wanted to say weighed heavily on his mind for a while before he finally continued, “I don’t usually put off my tasks like this but I don’t trust going to The Agency to carry out what I’m about to ask you. I can’t do it myself as I’m needed back home, in fact, as soon as I’m done here, I’ll be heading back to my New York.”

“You’ve traveled a long way to see us,” Dot encouraged. “Whatever you have to ask, I promise we’ll do our best to carry it out.”

Stephen looked up giving Dot a little jolt as their gaze connected. He still looked grave and serious. “I don’t like passing the tasks I can do myself onto anyone else, especially if I don’t know them. But I’m taking a chance on your business.” He paused and his next statement lightened up his features, “What can I say, I have a soft spot for it.”

Dot tried her best to quell the blush that was threatening to rise to her cheeks. She cleared her throat and took her legal pad to fan herself, “Ah, haha.”

“The reason we don’t trust The Agency are possibly the same as yours,” Dodger put quite bravely. Dot was often surprised by the way he spoke as if he knew everything. By the way Stephen nodded convinced Dot that Dodger probably did know everything. Dodger continued, “Then all we have to do is prove that we’re not The Agency. We can complete this job. I’m sure of it.”

Coming from any other man, it may have sounded like boasting and Stephen said as much. “But there’s something in your tone that could reassure me that’s the case,” he admitted with a slight chuckle. “It reminds me of someone else I know. A little egocentric, likes his name on tacky buildings that he owns.”

“That’s not just a little.” Dodger said.

Stephen’s grin widened a little, “And much like that egotistical man, I like you.” Stephen took a glance at his watch and realizing he was pressed for time, decided to wrap it up. “When you get to Whitecrest, there’s a person I want you to see. The name I was given was Fitzsimmons. Word is that he hangs around the tavern or the inn.”

“We talk to him?” Dot asked, writing down the name.

“I’d like if you could. I wasn’t given much information myself but to get to me, it must have been significant. I’ll find out what that is as soon as I get back and you can report to me what that was.”

“Is this case was giving to you and is so significant, would it be dangerous?” Dodger asked. Dot was thinking it but she wasn’t sure she could pose the question without insulting Stephen. She cautiously looked up, thankful for Dodger who always said what was on his mind.

“It could very well be dangerous. But I had been digging around and came upon the conclusion that I could pass the task on if I didn’t have time for it. That is what I’m doing as much as I would like to solve this myself. I was told The Agency had the equipment handled to deal with almost anything but I don’t exactly approve of the publicity my name brings in this world.”

“We have the same equipment The Agency has,” Dot interjected quite confident herself. “so you don’t have to worry there. And we have no problem keeping your name out of anything, anywhere. Even out of our mouths. No one say Doctor Strange’s name.” Dot put a hand over her mouth then mumbled, “Starting now.”

“Can we call him Doctor Cape?” Armand asked.

“That’s insulting,” Dodger said.

“We have to call him something, right?”

Stephen surprised them by laughing. “That’s alright. I meant in newspapers or in any media where the public can get to it. I’m sorry to ask as I’m sure the exposure could help your company—”

“No no no! Don’t worry about that!” Dot exclaimed, wide-eyed. She had almost reached across the table to take his hands but restrained herself and her emotional self by sitting back in her chair and gripping her pen with both hands, longways. “That isn’t why we’re here. We really want to make a difference, doesn’t matter if our names are attached or not. If the people of Whitecrest can benefit from being helped by us or even Doctor Stephen Strange, it’s the outcome that’s important.”

“Besides, if we’re good at our job, our name will get out there somehow.” Dodger added.

Dot was nodding in agreement. Stephen chuckled again, quite entertained by this little group. If it wasn’t the strange ghost that didn’t know how to say Halloween, it was the blunt Dodger and the compassionate leader of the group, Dot, that made up Stephen’s mind.

“Alright then, I’ll entrust this task to you.” he deemed. Dot was filling out the last-minute details such as the date and time as Stephen stood up. For the first time, he took a good look around. “It’s just the three of you, right?”

“Yeah,” Dot said, looking up and following Stephen’s gaze. “it’s big, huh?”

Stephen sent her a wink that sent Dot’s tummy flipping. “I think it’s about the right size. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to take my leave. Do you mind if I meet you here the day after tomorrow, around the same time?”

“Oh, definitely!” Dot smiled. “So, the fourth at around seven-thirty.”

“It’s a date.”

Dot blinked, feeling herself flush this time. Before she had a chance to reflect on it, Doctor Strange opened with a strange gesture with a swing of his hand and an orange portal flickered to life in the middle of their office. From the other side, she could barely make out something that looked like an office and dark wood.

“From one Sanctum to another,” Stephen mused. “Good luck.” He finished before stepping into the portal. It disappeared as soon as his cape had cleared.

Dot, Dodger, and Armand were left gaping.

“Whoooooa! I can’t believe it!” Dot shrieked, throwing her hands up. Legal pad going with them.

“Fascinating. I wonder how he did that,” Dodger sounded just as thoughtful as Stephen had, moving around the spot where the portal had been.

Armand was the only one who wasn’t saying anything. Instead, he was looking at his mask. Dot, noticing, frowned and asked, “What’s wrong, love?”

“I wonder if it’s too late to change my costume.”

[leapintothevoid]

RCM

Far from any other good riding, and too small (at least on paper) to be a destination ride on its own, RCM is right next to a major interstate highway, a McDonalds, a gas station, and pretentious suburban tract housing. But hidden among these emblems of all that is ugly and wrong, there lies a little slice of the Divine: 8.5 miles of Pure Cycling Heaven: Pound for pound (inch for inch?) the greatest road I’ve ever ridden. I keep coming back to it, and it just keeps amazing me.

On the map the road doesn’t look like it has many features. But once you ride it you realize it’s almost as if the actual road was drawn by a nervous trembling hand, which was smoothed out on the map to hide the embarrassing imperfections. In reality, the road is a narrow strip of tarmac with stupendous contour laid out along a playfully serpentine path amidst picture perfect scenery. 

What’s more, I’ve never seen more than 2 cars, or more than 3 cyclists, on the whole ride. In fact, so light is the traffic that on weekends you might actually see people hiking the road, although they’ve always been watchful of cyclists. 

It’s an out and back ride that climbs 1400ft over 4.3 miles, most of it in the 2nd half. So you will definitely work, and despite its modest length, this is not a ride I recommend to beginners, as the descent takes some skill. 

But still, every time I do this ride, I feel compelled to thank Providence for the very existence of such a phenomenon. Because within its 4 miles RCM contains everything, and in the right proportions, that is great and transcendent about cycling. There isn’t a single inch of this ride that is not utterly delicious. It truly is just perfect.

It starts out in the midst of uninspired suburban mini-mansions, a straight and steep slog for the first tenth of a mile or so, and all you can see is a grassy wall ahead of you. Then it turns sharply right, flattens out, and leaves all the ugliness behind. You see a steep canyon opening up to your 10 o'clock, and the road begins to wiggle as you ride past a handful of driveways fringed with tall hedges. Then after the 4th or 5th driveway you roll over a bump and descend left, and the real fun starts. You’ve left behind all traces of civilization, and are now in a narrow creek canyon surrounded by giant oaks spreading their branches above you in languid poses. The road bends left, right, up and down, over lovely little humps that demand work, yet propel you once you crest, so you can carry some momentum on to the next one. It is truly a dance between road and rider. You give, and you receive, and so it goes as you continue to climb imperceptibly under glorious woods, some of the best I’ve seen in the region.

Before you know it, the roadway courses right and emerging out of the woods you’re now riding with a grassy canyon wall on one side and the creek, now lined with willows, continuing on your right. The playful contour continues though, as hump after short hump keeps teasing you to attack. Almost without your noticing it the woods close up above you once more, until you see a quaint old farmhouse and you are finally presented with the first noticeable ramp of this ride, and while you could power through it, it’s best to measure your effort, because the climbing will get tougher. 

Shortly past the house you dip sharply to the right and the canyon continues to narrow, and the road tilts up. Once again you’re completely in the shade of thick, beautiful woods, as you begin the steepest sustained part of the climb. The next half mile averages 10% or so, but the road pitch is never the same for too long, and the contour is still wiggly as it has been. Atop the ramp you break out of the woods for a few moments, and begin to approach a cattle gate, (where you might see some hikers jostling with each other on their way to an over-crowded local peak made tragically famous to the point of ruin by the insanity of social media).

But before you get to the gate the road makes a sharp left turn and you enter thick woods once more. These are not the mighty oaks you saw near the bottom of the road, but they’re beautiful nonetheless in their resplendent and profuse branching that envelopes you as you continue to climb, now at a slightly lesser grade, with frequent, punchy bumps that beg you to stand up and just crest. As ever, each sharp upturn is followed by a flattening, so you’re never let down if you do decide to dance the dance, as it were. After a mile or so of this, you break out into the open, the grade eases and you now have tremendous, sweeping views. You sense the end is near, but as the grade continues to ease, you re-enter the woods one last time for a series of S-turns that finally deliver you to the gate at the end of the road.

On the way down, RCM is a white-knuckled thrill ride that will test your confidence and skill (or lacking these, your brakes). The frequent bends and twists make it tempting to brake, but the less-than-ideal surface makes it hard to do so. The camber encourages you to take aggressive lines, but survival instinct urges you the other way. During the first part of the descent you’re basically carving a helix through tunnels of thick vegetation. Because the road is so narrow, and because so much is blurring around you, it all feels very, very fast.

If it’s your first time, you won’t enjoy the first half of the descent. Until you get to the farmhouse, that is. Because after that the surface improves, the grade flattens, and there’s no more sharp turns, but still plenty of contour to keep things thrilling. You simply pedal effortlessly, going up and down those same humps that you played with on your way up. Except now you’re going twice the speed. Weaving, bobbing, tilting, gliding, punching, until the very last hard left that takes you back to the houses and flings you down to the road’s end at a busy 4-lane thoroughfare.

Take a moment to thank whatever deity you believe in, (and if you didn’t, you will now!) because phenomena like this ride cannot go without eliciting some surge of gratitude and appreciation, of which this humble post is a meager expression.

[hunterbox33]

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[nitratestock]

One by one, like a painful slow drip from a finite source, we lose people to time, people who contributed positively to the world in ways political, artistic, scientific. One by one. Considering the sum total is simply too great, we need stagger. For those who share my year of birth by a margin of three years give or take on either side, we’ve been lucky. Lucky in the sense that the stagger has been long and wide. Over the last decade we’ve lost some important people, particularly important to our early life, the exit of our single digits and the early part of our teens. Early on I was crushed by the death of Sidney Lumet, in 2011, a giant of the film community. I wrote about his passing back then, at the point of worst emotional pain, as bad as one can feel without being a family member or close friend. Since then we’ve lost Cimino. We’ve lost Nichols. We’ve lost Varda. We’ve lost Akerman. We’ve lost Hooper and Romero. As we brine in our Gen X jar, we unfortunately transition from sniper fire to machine gun spray. Legato becomes staccato. People of my age group watch in horror as heroes depart. It’s no different of any other age group, perhaps only more enhanced by the increased prevalence of mass media over the course of the last century and into ours. Distance and folklore becomes nearness and screens. In either case we involve ourselves in the lives of others, in ways good and bad. At worst we connect through this urge to pillory those who are guilty of our very same sins. At best, we mourn the passing of a public figure we’ve come to acknowledge, without their knowledge, as a friend. Hopefully out of benevolent interest, that last part.

So I say with the melancholy of a film fanatic that came of age in the 80’s and the heft of a life, if averages count, mostly lived at this point, that the recent passing of one Alan Parker left me despondent. Perhaps not for the fate of the world, but definitely for the fate of film as a malleable form that might struggle with the twin purposes of art and commerce and succeed somehow. Film fanatics, or as I prefer to refer to myself and others, Cinegeeks, often find themselves drawn to figures within the film world considered 2nd or 3rd tier interviews, whose body of work might contain two or three masterpieces amongst a body of mediocrity, or who might have a mostly or even highly successful box office record but never get critical acclaim. Fanatics like to champion the underdog. It’s our nature. To a degree Alan Parker found himself in this category. Partially because his CV didn’t fit neatly into the Auteur Theory folder. Partially because he didn’t play the normal Hollywood game. It’s sometimes overlooked that the boldest outsiders during that New Hollywood era knew how to play the studio/PR angle and did so like sawing a harp from hell. I’m looking at YOU, Coppola and Scorsese.

Parker had artistic ambitions, some would even say pretentious ambitions, and yet I defy anyone to observe his body of work and not see a blue-collar hardscrabble mentality etching away at the base of all his films. He failed sometimes, but in all endeavors he struggled not just to ensure proper light diffusion, but to connect the audience to the scene that was unfolding and the characters within all of that art direction and brilliant cinematography. In his debut feature, the cult classic BUGSY MALONE, he invited audiences to indulge in the lark of basically watching an updated Little Rascals film as whipped-cream St. Valentine’s massacre. With an infectious soundtrack by Paul Williams. And it worked and still works. In MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, he sought nothing less than to put you through the Turkish prison system at its most barbaric. And damn, did he succeed. In FAME, he sought to enroll you in La Guardia High, the School for the Performing Arts, partially ushered in by one Mr. Lumet, and he brought you into the NYC streets to join the dance. In SHOOT THE MOON, he dragged you through the broken glass and nails that is a brutal divorce. Most critics still feel it’s the film that’ll never be topped on that topic. And yeah. It’s punishing to this day.

That’s just his first four films. He followed MOON in the same year with his cinematic distillation of PINK FLOYD’S THE WALL, as ambitious, reckless, insane, obtuse and inspiring as any art film dared to be. He waged one of the bravest, constant battles between the band, their label, his studio and the inevitable lash or backlash from the critics and the crowds as any director dared in that decade, which had now, even by 1992, belonged to Reagan and Thatcher’s crowd. It worked, it was a success on its own terms. It stood with QUADROPHENIA as one of the few successful adaps of a “RockOpera” to screen. And it would serve as an insanely influential piece of cinema/album mashup. I can’t think of another film that’s even attempted to match it to this day.

Parker’s true gift was that of exploration, and this was evinced by his sojourn from cinematic genre to cinematic genre. Like great directors before him, he felt the need to examine and exult in them all. He turned after 1982’s twin trials to what many referred to as William Wharton’s “un-filmable” novel. Parker found a way to film it, and in the process crafted a minor masterpiece, and the first film in his American Gothic trilogy. BIRDY is about so many things; the horror of war, the futility of grand romantic dreams, the last days of glorious, unweighted childhood. It succeeds in all those ambitions, but what it is squarely about is the healing power of friendship, of that bond between brothers that even the trauma of battle cannot best. He accomplished this in two different time periods and two different venues; the 60’s early and late, as disparate as a decade could get from itself; then the wide, economically depressed funland expanse of post-WW2 Brooklyn, against the claustrophobic, chiaroscuro lit cell of the VA, where the only shadow to hide within lies beneath the mottled cot. All of Parker’s CV can be described as character studies of one form or another. Here he began a three film sojourn into America’s pockets, its secret soul and even its original sins. He’d leave the punishing abandonment of what once was the City of Brooklyn as it stood circa 1962, for a far more insidious and painful abandonment, one of a whole swath of the country and of its stolen populace.

ANGEL HEART was ostensibly a mashup of horror and noir, a neat trick that any successful director would’ve been drawn to, especially in the MTV 80’s, a music video era (greatly inspired by directors like Parker, I might add) that found itself drawing on the tropes of past cinema genres in a highly stylized way. The synopsis implies a simple morality tale, a private eye hired by a seemingly nefarious talent agent to track down the client who’s eluded him. Perhaps by supernatural means. Parker expanded on the location by quickly resetting the action from Brooklyn to New Orleans, after a quick trip through Harlem. White culture has to answer to and for black culture in America, and Parker employed this almost caricature smoke-and-topcoat shamus to do this investigation. There is great butchery in ANGEL HEART, which I’ve always believed reps the butchery of slavery and the Jim Crow era. There are bold implications and terrible consequences for what we now term “cultural appropriation”, from Johnny Favorite’s Depression-era crooner stealing from black artists to the Krusemark’s adoption of the patchwork voodoo religion. Above all, there is guilt. There is a clear through line, as clear as Capt. Willard’s river to Kurtz, toward White America’s brutality, ongoing. Harry is our surrogate, should we choose. He goes on his own journey of discovery that becomes, unwittingly and surely unwillingly, one of SELF-discovery. His final manic, desperate denial is the same as any who enjoy white privilege to this day while at the same time being wholly unaware of it: I know who I am. If ANGEL HEART is the one he’s going to be remembered for, I believe it’s this subtext, unplanned or otherwise, that will allow it the test of time well over the brilliant cinematography and perhaps Mickey Rourke’s finest performance. Parker would next attempt to expand on this subtext and present it as text, with very, VERY mixed reactions.

MISSISSIPPI BURNING was a project begun with noble intent, I believe. In an era where white men still got to tell the black narrative in America. While I forgive a lot of the film’s dramatic license, I fully agree with its detractors as well. 1988 was a tipping point for tone-deafness in the film industry. Had Parker made BURNING a decade or so prior, it might enjoy a better rep in the context of its time. The end of the 80’s demanded better. I’m a fan of this film, as a film, not as a history. In the same way I’m a fan of well-crafted cinematic narratives that have dated very poorly. The tragedy of MISSISSIPPI BURNING is not just that he made so well-crafted a film at a point in the timeline when something more inclusive, honest, and better representative of history was possible, it’s that he chose fiction for fiction’s sake. Nevertheless, it was the second and final Oscar nomination for direction he’d receive.

Parker remained in this wheelhouse of American guilt for 20th century wrong-doing. COME SEE THE PARADISE was an earnest attempt to depict, to REMIND America really, of the awful Japanese internment camps of the WW2 years, the venerable FDR’s greatest sin. At the height of his filmmaking powers he was unerring in his balance between stylistic pursuit and substance. Alas, with this effort and his previous, glow softened suffer, and the heart of the tale proved elusive as a result.

Maybe he had a moment of clarity then, after these ambitious but perhaps stultifying efforts, and decided to return to a genre that had stood him in good stead. Parker turned to the homespun Celtic kick of Roddy Doyle and decided to create a real-life soul/funk/r&b band from scratch for THE COMMITMENTS, which most will agree is his last great film, though his later fare has its champions, and fair play to them. For a director so well known for his meticulous prep and focus he fared incredibly well in filming wild abandon. Maybe it was a mode he needed to consciously shift into gear for, but once there he cooked quite a stew. The film delighted both critics and audiences, and also helped re-start a soul music resurgence, helped in no little way by the film’s pre-fab ensemble, who’d take to the road for a series of live shows with various members of the celluloid iteration in tow. Some might argue that he retreated to a stance that shied from his previous inquiries regarding the separation of cultures white and other, and the theft perpetrated by one on the other, and in doing crafted so populist an entertainment as to render the argument moot. That’s a fair assessment. Some others might argue that a truthful, passionate depiction of people inspired by others different from their living experience, plaintively plying their art, is honest work as well, no matter their skin color. The debate won’t go away. And it shouldn’t. In terms of moviemaking, though, Parker had fired on all cylinders. Perhaps for the last time.

The remaining decade-plus of his work was, in most estimations, workmanlike, with the odd Parker flourish here and there recognizable to his fans. THE ROAD TO WELLVILLE was an eccentric choice as follow-up, and also as navigation through the early days of a new and unsure decade (He’d already travelled the biz director-driven, to producer-driven, and was now in the who-the-hell’s-driving 90’s). It features several fine performances, from recent and deserved Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins to the still-finding-their-way Matthew Broderick and John Cusack, and its huckster-health theme does still resonate, or at least it SHOULD, as well today as then as late 19th century. If it ultimately found no target to spear, it remains a well crafted and intentioned work. EVITA was no sleepwalk-to the-Oscar gig, even though the resulting film is at best assessed as a dreamily-hued mess. Parker took on the challenge of a legendary broadway smash, one that Hollywood had been desperate to film for well over a decade. A lesser director would’ve turned the camera on and yelled “Sing!”. But Parker was one of the few who’d found success in the post-studio era with one of its warhorse genres, the musical, which had diminished, and decidedly felled such giants as Coppola and Bogdanovich at their peak or near-peak. It’s a noble effort, if it comes up short. It’s not quite empty Oscar-bait, but it’s well shy of a film with a purpose. He either directed or was gifted a great Antonio Banderas perf, and he did his damnedest with Madonna, which is sorta the theme of her career don’t send hate mail. He got a hard-won, decent turn out of her, perhaps not the magnetic dying star that the role demanded, but an actor giving her all. That’s still worth something, even if they’re miscast. For further evidence I direct you toward Matt Damon in THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY.

And here’s the part that I always hate to talk about. Parker was a director who, in my estimation, never sought validation, but always inspiration. It’s the source of his greatest works, and they remain some of the greatest of the post-studio years. He took his best swipe at an unlikely best-seller, Frank McCourt’s wildly successful but impossibly depressing ANGELA’S ASHES. Like EVITA, it had “prestige” built into it. Like EVITA, it was a package deal. Like EVITA, the studio expected some love from the Academy at the end of the day. I feel like Parker was thwarted from the start, tasked with this take of utter poverty and despondency while asked to chase the gold. Had the book come out sometime early in his career, had he discovered it and championed it, and then saw it through production and release, we may have been gifted something along the lines of a Ken Loach or even Buñuel at his most honest. The gilt and geld of the Hollywood studios, especially at that time competing with the newly-found prestige of the indies, precluded any chance at that, despite next-level perfs from Stephen Rea and Emily Watson. It’s a not-unworthy effort to seek out, especially if you're a Parker fan, but in some ways it may have signaled his ultimate abandonment of this art form. Maybe he felt he’d said enough. Maybe he felt he wouldn’t be allowed to say his piece on his terms anymore. Maybe he looked ahead at filmmaking in the new millennium and decided he’d not update his passport to this new continent. For reasons we never fully received, Parker was leaving.

His last film would be THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE, an anti-capital punishment screed that felt out of joint, and not due to the lack of effort from its stars, Kate Winslet and Christopher Plummer. But it’s an aimless effort, deprived of any real bite on a subject molten to a wide swath of the citizenry. It was met with mixed box office and mixed reviews. It left with nary a trace. And then, whether we realized it or not, so did Alan Parker.

It seemed to be a welcome retirement. At least in my following of my filmmaker heroes. I don’t believe I saw one item, one gossip piece, about a new Alan Parker project, about a studio extending him an offer on a prestige or even indie film. He popped up as interview subject and fairly frequently, and seemed to enjoy his status as thus. He’d crafted a remarkable body of work, and by all witness enjoyed remarking on it. He occasionally served as mentor, as when Christopher Nolan reached out to him. He’d definitely serve as defense attorney, especially when the subject of Mickey Rourke came up. He absolutely and most magnificently served as beacon to a whole generation of film lovers and future filmmakers, kids who were desperate in the corporate/production team/CAA 80’s to cling to films of their generation they could call their own. At a time when art and the so-called “auteur” was a dirty word in Hollywood he was able to put the work he’d crafted into your head and into your heart. I’m not sure if we’re gonna see another Alan Parker, and he’d be most upset by that notion, but if you’re reading this, and you find this possibility unacceptable, go grab a camera and be another Alan Parker. We’re waiting.

[thebabrs]

Babr Part Deux

At 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant with my second child, a white Jeep full of teenage boys made a left turn into the setting sun and crashed into our car innocently going through a green light on the way to Target. Neither car was going that fast so no one was really hurt, but the front of our GTI was totaled, airbags had deployed, Paolo was scared and crying and I had some gnarly bruises forming on my safely buckled belly.

The ambulance came and I had to be taken to a trauma ER because of how far along I was and the bruising. Ultrasounds and blood tests showed that both baby and I were ok, but we still had to stay overnight for observation. I barely had fallen asleep by 1am and was abruptly awakened by beeping and nurses rushing in with oxygen masks because the baby’s blood pressure had suddenly dropped. Things normalized quickly but I didn’t really fall back to sleep after that, just counted down the minutes until PJ could come back with Paolo and bring me home.

Fast forward to 38 weeks and I woke up feeling like I either had severe night sweats... in just my lower half, or I had just peed myself. But I didn’t smell like pee and I didn’t really feel sweaty. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going on, so I cancelled my 9am Best Butt Ever class at the gym (even preggos gotta work that booty) and begged PJ to take me in to the hospital to check before he left for work. I never made any false labor runs with my first pregnancy so I felt like I had a free pass to be over-cautious this time. I was full prepared to be called out for wetting my pants and sent right back home.

I explained the situation to the nurse in Triage as I put on the hospital gown and she took my vitals. She kind of nodded her head and said it’s always ok to come check but yeah, most likely I’m just another pregnant lady peeing herself. There was a test that resembled an at-home pregnancy test pee stick that would show if infact there was amniotic fluid leaking and we waited a minute before the nurse glanced at the stick and started to say something. Then she stopped and looked again. Then she walked over by the window, where the light was better, and asked PJ, “Does that look like a line to you?” Yep, it was positive. “Well, nevermind, you’re not going anywhere!” She laughed and PJ and I just stared wide eyed at each other.

My water had technically “broken” but I wasn’t in any kind of labor yet. I had zero contractions and was still pretty much the 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced I was at my ob/gyn appointment the day before. My doctor had predicted it would happen in the coming week, and I had written in my journal that I was wondering about April 2nd. Well, April fools on me - this baby was coming now. We waited a few hours for my body to start contracting on its own, but since I couldn’t remember exactly when I first felt the leaking we didn’t want to wait too long. Eventually, I had to get Pitocin and while I was totally freaked out by the horror stories I’d been told about the pain of “induced” labor, the nurse assured me that it was no more painful than unassisted labor. It’s just when you start to have contractions at home they usually start slow and build up and you’re in the comfort of your own space and a little distracted. With induced labor you’re just waiting focusing on those contractions to just ramp right up from the getgo. And they did. PJ has taken Paolo home to pack up some stuff for us. We had no one lined up to watch him, so armed with an iPad and lots of snacks, the little guy was in it for the long haul with us.

While they were gone, I’m not sure if it was home or just wandering around the hospital getting lunch, I got an epidural. The contractions were getting serious and as the nurse helped me sit sideways on the hospital bed and the anesthesiologist worked on my spine I felt a whoosh of water and that dang slow leak seemed to burst like a south swell hitting the HB pier. I remember apologizing profusely and laughing but also crying and then just being very grateful for the drugs.

When the boys came back, PJ was pleased to see I had the epidural (insert eye roll) and Paolo was wary of all the things I was hooked up to. He was loving the hospital and the snacks and the attention from adoring nurses but was noticeably distant from me. He was still nursing to sleep and sometimes for comfort at this point, but had zero interest in me or my boob. It was nice to see him so happy and having fun, but I was kind of sad he didn’t seem to need me.

PJ worked on his laptop, Paolo watched the iPad and napped, I think the nurse gave me a plain turkey sandwich at one point which I thought wasn’t allowed but I ate it because I was STARVING. There was nothing good on the staticky TV. (I remembered the television being much nicer with Paolo.) Some dumb movie, maybe with Melissa McCarthy, was on and I recall thinking I don’t want my baby being born to “Tammy” (or whatever it was) and then being relieved when reruns of the Office came on.

It felt like it took forever for my cervix to kick into action. Hours between 3cm and 5cm dilated. I think I had been hovering around 6-7 cm for a while when I started to suddenly feel pretty ready to go. The nurse came in to check again but was in the process of telling me just relax and it’ll happen eventually when her eyebrows popped up in surprise and she told me that wow, yeah I was basically at 10. The doctor rushed in, having been out at some event for her own kid (definitely not expecting to see me so soon) and PJ came to my side. Paolo was back on the iPad in ignorant bliss as I started to push and at 19:08 he had a beautiful, tiny, 6lb 11oz baby brother.

This was Good Friday (and truly it was great) but while every one was trying to rush us out by Easter Sunday, we were worried about leaving too soon. We’d barely stayed one night with Paolo and once we were home we realized he had jaundice and ended up having to go to a different, much less nice hospital for his 24 hour blue light treatment. We also hadn’t exactly decided on a name yet, much to the dismay of the intern, volunteer, assistant(?) who kept coming in every hour trying to get us to complete the birth certificate. Paolo had already been telling people for weeks that his brother’s name was “Enzo” so we were kind of stuck with that, but the middle name had eluded us. We texted friends and family members, frantically googled name meanings and combinations. Finally we decided on “Philippe,” (“fill-eep”) it was a beautiful French name, (like my own, Celeste) it started with the strong “Ff” sound I had been drawn to (I had considered Frank, after my great-grandfather, or Fisher, an ode to my surname which means “fisherman”), but when it comes down to it, we named him after a sandwich. Philippe’s is one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles and most likely originated the French Dip. It’s a really cool spot and the food is solid. Coincidentally, Philippe emigrated from France to the US via Buffalo, NY (PJ’s hometown) before moving to LA. Regardless, it was Enzo Philippe. We brought him home and everytime I think I know anything, he still surprises me, just like we surprised all those nurses along the way that day. Motherhood is just the best, hardest, wildest ride.

[god-hunter]

Hybrid Theory - 2000

This was an amazing band that took me completely by surprise.  My little 15 year old heart didn’t know how to handle it.  It was the band I didn’t know I needed.  And they were right there at a time when I really needed music that spoke to me.

On this album specifically.  Every song spoke to me.  Not only that.  Everything was so good!  This band was different.  They were new.  They were fresh!

They combined Rock and Rap and did it well!  I thought this was it.  This was the future of music man!!  And the future definitely looked bright, in my little 15 year old eyes.

Almost every song on this album became a hit on the radio.

My absolute favorites are Papercut, One Step Closer, With You, Crawling, Runaway, Myself, In the End, Forgotten and Pushing Me Away.

That literally leaves out 3 songs, which are still great.  And they are - Points of Authority, A Place for My Head and Cure for the Itch.

This album went fucking Platinum man.  The World..  LOVED this band.

Chester Bennington’s vocals had a nice blend of being swooning and pretty, while also having the ability to create a harder edge, and an unforgettable scream that still gives me chills to this day.

Mike Shinoda was the 2nd vocalist, who was more noted for his rapping mic skills.  However, that too was something of an evolution.  Eventually Mike sang too and proved to have quite a nice voice, for songs that needed a different flavor.

The rest of the band members were also very good on their instruments.  The music was not always complicated, but it certainly was innovative and very creative.

Hybrid Theory was an amazing album, and honestly... I think we’re all better people for having it in our lives.

It’s no secret that I’m super biased about this album.  But I’ll try my best to talk about the track list without gushing about every song.

Papercut - We start with an awesome drum sample, and a sweet guitar line that only gets added to with a great verse riff.  Mike Shinoda runs us through the 1st verse in an awesome rap and Chester takes over for the chorus.  It’s still rapping, but it’s melodic.  This was different, energetic, awesome and fun.  The song raps in this fashion until we reach the bridge, where Chester takes us away with a great line.  “The Sun goes down.  I feel the light betray me.”

That’s about it.  The familiar raps are layered over this, but the whole thing comes to a building climax before it’s over.  And that was just track one!

One Step Closer - This was the major hit on the radio that everyone fell in love with, including me.  Great guitar riff, and full-on ensemble build.  Chester handles the verse with a melodic rap.  It’s not even a rap.  It’s just fast singing.  This was the typical nu-metal song.  Simple guitars underneath more vocally driven parts.  And for the moment, it absolutely worked and was done right with these guys.  What is most memorable in this song is the break where Chester shouts, “SHUT UP! SHUT UP WHEN I’M TALKIN’ TO YOU!!”  I’d be remiss not to bring up the chorus that has a joint energy to it with the singing and fast rapping.  “Everything you say to meeee” “Takes me one step closer to the edge. And I’m about to break!”

With You -  The flow on this album is great.  Mike Shinoda takes over from here, for a nice rap in the first verse.  Chester takes on the chorus.  The song is heavy for a main refrain (and chorus), but the verses are calm and somber.  It pulls at the heart-strings of adolescence.  “So even though you’re close to me, you’re still so distant.  And I can’t bring you back!”  Yep...  That was definitely a real teenage feeling for me.

Points of Authority - This one picks up practically from the end of With You.  I don’t love the breathing sound effect in the beginning, but Shinoda talks you into a build into the song.  “Forfeit the game before somebody else takes you out of the race... Puts your name to shame. Cover up your face. You can’t run the race. The pace is too fast, you just won’t last.”  From there, guitars take us away, and Chester sets us up.  “You looove the way. I look at you..”  And this song goes back and forth between Chester and Mike about a shitty relationship.  It was good man.  “You live what you learned.”  This is exactly what I needed at 15.

Crawling - This was I think, the 2nd major radio hit off of this album, which has been SO Overplayed, that its still heard to this day.  People can’t get enough of it.  Or just radio stations. I can’t tell.  But either way...  I used to love this song, when I first heard it.  And here’s why.

There’s a nice build with electronic samples and a sweet orchestral string builds us in.  Then the guitar takes over and Chester has this awesome melodic scream, as he actually sings notes with a hard edge.  “Craaaawling in my skiiiin. These woooounds, they will not heeaaal”.  The verse is calm and subdued.  Only drums and light synth samples or what-hav-you.  Chester sings beautifully.  More adolescence.  More angst.  It’s very good.  Each verse builds into the already recognizable chorus.  It’s SO easy to learn and just dive right in.  You can join Chester right away on a first listen on each chorus refrain.  And then the song is over.

Runaway -  But then Runaway kicks in.  The flow is so smooth, I feel like I’m in a movie.  This one became a radio hit, too, and was overplayed as well.  Another nice build with electronic sounds, drums and then guitars.  The groove is more funky and upbeat, which I appreciate.  Chester sings swiftly and the whole thing is very sing-songy.  Honestly, I listen back to it, and just sort of makes me happy.  Mike doesn’t offer much for back-ups, but his voice is there. “You point the finger at me again!” 

Myself - To this day, I still think of this beginning riff randomly.  It’s so heavy and awesome. The rest of the song.. is just alright.  There’s definitely an anvil in the background, which would rival that of Fear Factory, believe it or not.  But this is definitely Linkin Park.  The verse immediately goes into rap ballad groove, for Mike to take us away.  Chester joins in with an awesome Chorus and Post-Chorus part.  The song literally spikes up in energy and comes back down.  At least twice.  We end on a cool chorus, and this song was very heavy.  I’m glad it wasn’t a radio hit though.  It makes this one special.

In the End - I fucking LOVED this song.  It quickly became the thing that Everyone of my generation, and future generation, wanted to learn on the piano.  This was an awesome collab on Mike & Chester’s part.  “It starts with one thing...”  (I won’t go through it.  I’d have to do the whole song.)  But good GOD. As a Teenager, this song was my Answer!  It spoke to me.  I cried to this song man...  I fuckin’...  ran and hit stuff to this song.  I worked out to this song.  It has heart wrenching guitars, awesome drums, good build and momentum from the rapping.  The chord choices and notes were perfectly placed...  Everything WORKED here.  And thats why people will always, and forever remember this band as something special.

A Place For My Head - This song somewhat falls short after such a climactic song.  It’s always hard to follow up on something great.  But still, this one is a decent contender.  It starts with bass, which is nice and different.  No other song on this album does that.  Drums and turn table join in the build to the actual beat.  Shinoda takes us away with an interesting rap verse.  Chester joins in for a chorus and adds back ups to other verses.  It definitely has an angry energy to it, and it shows why it wasn’t a radio hit.  Just not catchy enough.  But not catchy does not equal not good.  Also... There is a very notable break with just string samples as Chester says, “You try to take the best of me, go away.”  Then he finally screams “GO AWAY!”  Before we’re taken into the final parts.

Forgotten - “From the top to the Bottom!”  This song is AWESOME.  I love the energy on this song, still to this day.  I just don’t like how it ends.  Perfect blend of heavy rock and groovy rap.  Honestly, this is something that Lost Prophets was copying (or doing at the same time...) on their first album.  I really enjoyed this energy.  I wouldn’t have mind if they kept on in this direction, but that was not the case.  ...the Chorus... is fine.  But it’s sort of positive and a little too happy sounding for me.  And it just kind of ends on that note, which felt weird.  But overall, I didn’t mind.

Cure for the Itch - This one was a weird instrumental, which I really liked a lot.  I say weird, because the whole band made it a big point to introduce their special guest, “Mr. Hahn.”  Which... didn’t really seem to make much sense at the time.  Mr. Hahn comes on the turntable and does all these cool effects with drums, which are definitely interesting.  Then there’s a silly sample that says, “Alright now. Wasn’t that fun?  Let’s try something else.”

That’s where this piece opens up into something really interesting when strings come in. Piano too.

Mr. Hahn shows us what he’s got, and it’s definitely something special...

It left us on an introspective note as this one fades out into the finale.

Pushing Me Away -  That would be, “Pushing Me Away”.  it was a great last song, which brought the whole experience together.  The perfect, Falling Action to a storybook, if you will.

We had their typical build with a nice sample effect, then the whole group slamming in with an awesome strum on the guitars.  Chester sings this one in the lower register, and I think that’s what makes this one very memorable too.  Mike Shinoda joins with quick raps underneath that serve as sort of a back-up, which really amplify the song before the chorus chimes in.  “Why I never walked away. Why I play myself this way. Now I see.. You’re testing me..  Pushes me away!!!”

It was a beautiful song.  And it came to a close at exactly the right time.  The first sample sound, which brought you into this song is left alone and closes you out.

And that was the whole album.  

Your left with the silence after all that good, solid music.

It practically felt like one great song.

It was so awesome.  I loved it.  My little teenage self couldn’t get enough of it.

Half a life later, in my 30′s I barely listen to it...  But I didn’t forget about it.

This album was a special stepping stone in my life to grow on.

And grow I did.  Along with them...

Come 2002, Linkin Park offered something a little different to the table in Meteora.  But I welcomed it with open arms.

[myyearinhonduras-blog]

Part 1: The good - Vol 2

Boxing day was the start of our diving course and it didn’t consist of much but watching the TV screen and filling in sheets. The next day was more interesting because we actually got into the water. We had really great instructors: Sammy, Erin, Nina and Victoria. They were all very patient and calm with us and gave us space to learn, make our own mistakes and they were very kind about correcting them. We only got into the water that day to do our swimming proficiency test (I just passed it). To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the feeling at first. I felt very claustrophobic and it’s strange just using your mouth to breath. The visibility was good but not being able to see like we can up here is slightly off putting. The next day was better and we went deeper  into the water to do more skills. While I still wasn’t totally comfortable with the feeling of the water yet, it was getting better and being deeper helps a lot. On the fourth day we did skills in the morning and then had a proper dive. The reefs down there are incredible. We did more deeper dives the next day too and I can’t remember on which days we saw what but we saw crabs, lobsters, eels, blue tang, sting rays, the fish that looks like “Gill” in Nemo and my personal favorite: a barracuda!! (The fish that kills Nemo’s mum). It was so intimidatingly still, like it was just waiting to strike us, it was about a meter and a quarter long and shiny silver. We got down to 18 feet and I’m now a certified open water diver! New years was also really fun but, again, it ended at about 10:30 for me in a hammock with both my wallet and my phone on me... unfortunately I didn't wake up that way but more on that later. New Years day I didn’t get up to too much except talking to family and walking around the island.

We said goodbye to everyone on the 1st and then headed off ourselves at 6am on the first boat out of Utila and started our trip to Tulum, Mexico. We didn't make it as far as we had wanted to on the first day and actually, didn’t even get out of Honduras but on the second day, we covered A LOT of ground. The day of traveling started at 6am and didn’t end until about 5am the following day. We traveled from Honduras to Puerto Barrios in Guatemala to Punta Gorda in Belize, up to Belize city then got a night bus from Belize city to Tulum. Unfortunately for us, we hadn’t thought about Tulum being a very popular destination for Americans at this time of year. All of the hostels were completely full when we arrived and after trudging around for about an hour trying to find somewhere to stay, we went back, defeated, to the bus terminal to wait until 11 when everyone checked to see in we could squeak in somewhere. We managed to find one, finally but, it was $23 per night. We only stayed in Tulum for one night but managed to make it over to see the ruins. They were stunning. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They’re right on the coast and the water in this part of Mexico (the Yucatan Peninsula) is crystal, crystal clear turquoise. A combination of the water and the ruins just took our breath away. We took a bus that afternoon to Cancun where it was still high season but where the beds were back to $11 per night. Cancun is famous for it’s nightlife and we thought we should go out as much as we could while we were there so we went out the first night to the strip only to find out that the good bars were around $65 to enter. We were stunned and quickly removed ourselves from the scene. Eventually, we found a rep that let us into a club called Mandala for free, provided that we tipped him generously. The atmosphere wasn’t great inside the club but we still managed to have a good time. The next day I, personally was exhausted and couldn't leave my bed until 1:30 (The Crown is a must watch Netflix binge). We made friends with one of the guys in our dorm and he told us that he would be able to get us into one of the good clubs that night for $25 each with open bar. We took the deal and went off to see if we could get to the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins. We were completely unaware about how long it took to get from Cancun to Chichen Itza - about 5 hours so we opted for the beach instead that day. There was a storm brewing and the black clouds juxtaposed against the blue water was something I don't think I’ll ever be able to see again (pictures to follow soon). We made our way back and got ready for the night. It was a good night, I’ve had better but it was definitely an experience I won't forget. The next morning we boarded a 5 hour bus to get to Chichen Itza. The ruins are totally different to those in Tulum - they are grand and awe inspiring while the ones in Tulum were a lot smaller. The area they were in was completely different too, it was totally flat with no sign of sea in sight. Despite the ruins being incredible, it did remind me, somewhat of Disneyland. Long lines to get in, everyone milling around, taking family photos, souvenirs being pushed at you left, right and centre. Just a lot more touristy than we had grown accustomed to. We spent two more days in Mexico, one traveling to Chetumal and one venturing out to Bakalar to see the lake of seven colors. It was actually only turquoise but it was more turquoise than even the sea in Mexico. We spent the day swimming in the refreshing water and sunbathing on the dock, finishing the day with pasta from one of the shops.

Unfortunately, that was it for Mexico, we traveled down to Flores, Guatemala the next day where (shoutout to Lucy) we found the coolest hostel. It was called “Los Amigos” and had a loungey bit with a definite “bali” vibe, further back was a restaurant that served HUGE portions of food and then up the stairs, even further back was a sound proof bar. We were staying in Los Amigos 2 which was down the street and nice and quiet to sleep in and had beautiful elephant tapestries on the walls. We were very tired on the first day so only Sara and I went out to the bar, we got a beer, had some free tequila shots and called it a night. The next day we were all a bit tired so didn’t stir until later. Lucy and I decided to take the opportunity to take some pictures of the beautiful little town.

At about 3 we decided to get a water taxi over to a rope swing where we spent the rest of the day until the sun went down. The little business was very well run - out of a man, named Jose’s, house. They had a little restaurant and drinks, it was only 10 quetzales (about £1) to enter! So we spent the rest of the day throwing ourselves into the lake and lounging in the hammocks. We got picked up by the water taxi again at 6 and went back to our hostel. We all went down to the bar that night and enjoyed big Jenga drinking games. The next day we headed to Tikal which were our last mayan ruins of the trip and they did not disappoint. We had to do a bit of hiking to get to the temples (flip flops are maybe not the best choice for every activity) but when we got there we could climb all the way to the top and look out. It’s one of the less touristy sites so you can still really see where the city had once been. We went for the sunset tour (mainly because we didn't want to get up at 3am for the sunrise tour) and the light was beautiful over the temple faces. Definitely my favorite ruins of the whole trip. We chilled out for most of the day after Tikal (we were all a bit tired) and got a night bus all the way down the country, first to Guatemala City and then to Antigua. Getting off the bus in at 6am was freezing! We definitely weren’t prepared with our shorts and t-shirts. It warmed up during the day and we took a few little wanders through the town, it was gorgeous and so colorful. We decided that it was a “soft city” no high rise buildings and a lot more relaxed than most of the cities we’re used to but it still had that city “buzz” to it. We stayed with the same company of hostels that we had stayed in Leon, Bigfoot. This Bigfoot was a lot more low-key though and they had the comfiest beds we’ve had the whole time with cozy duvets and curtains around each individual bed for a bit of privacy. We stayed in Antigua for three nights, not getting up to too much but enjoying the fresh weather and the scenery. I left the group for three days to spend some time in Guatemala City before an exam that I had to take to get onto my university course at Queens. So, while the rest of the group traveled to Lake Atitlan, I spent three days in the City. Not much to report as I spent the majority of my time in my hotel room cramming Chemistry into my brain.

I came back to Antigua after the exam and we spent two more days there before coming over to where we are now in El Tunco, El Salvador. It’s a very quiet beach town and it’s A LOT warmer than Antigua. Its a good way to finish up the travels, lazing by the pool and the beach before we have to get back to work in Candelaria on the 2nd of February! We have a few more days to go and I’ll just do some individual blogs for anything of note that happens!  

[glopratchet]

simo-beeing

Yeh, those were the days You miss it? Perks up at hearing your thoughts a slight bit I'd hate to die being remembered as some joke rather than a badass while I was alive I did at one point in time but always thought that would be a cowardly way out "Hey Kit, You OK?" Observer asks as you jump slightly since you weren't paying attention Sides YOU'RE a joke now too! Shut it! You think briefly at the voice before continuing out loud "Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought there for a moment Just thinking through all this you know?" He nods and understands completely while the other two continue to give you dirty looks They are definitely aware of what happened to their predecessors from your assassins and don't like you at all by now It's going to be sweet when they're dead too is not in the best of moods having to wait around for his father to make up his mind on what he wants to eat Just as you're about to ask him if he wants anything, the screen door opens up behind you and a small pack of teenagers enter Instinctively you turn slightly towards them while keeping half an eye on the pot and prepare to cut down the first person who enters your zone on credit, however he only gives it out to his friends If people don't pay him back he'll hurt them Either way is a lose-lose situation for you This isn't good he's recognized you as being one of the new couriers and is now getting the others to stop looking at the menu's and watching you He begins accusing you of taking a long time to choose what you want to eat and not ordering anything at all As a test directly tansformed into an alligator and had his species changed to reflect this, It zoologically possible for people to do this Too bad it tastes like absolute excrement But considering the other options are slugs and slimy things pulled out of the river you'll take your chances with the gators alligator meat, intestine lining, and skin cream Grease monsters! You've heard rumors about this type of creature before and some of the disgusting things people have said about them are true as the smell would imply "Hey so uh, I'll just have the special and um do you have anything to eat? Like fruit or " He starts to order for you while talking slowly in that patronizing fashion some adults tend to have look like a collection of poorly crafted yellow pearls that are primarily made out of tooth majorly from predators living in the swamps Legend states it is partially made from the fossilized jaw of a long extinct reptilian sea monster Meant to give children nightmares for generations You make a note to request a low dosage since most people don't like how slow and painful these kinds of chems are made from the ribs of an enormous extinct swamp creature called a skute It was a large lizard that could survive on land or in water and hunted in swarms, apparently they were very hard to kill back in the old days Blueish-gray is the primarily color along with some greenish parts Neck top from a bog beast, it is a creature unlike anything you've ever seen in your life though according to sales this is cooler factor that attracts buyers fairs Katar scale pattern silk headsheht from an exterminated breed of arachnid called a katar It is repelled by UV light so it tries to burrow under the folds of your clothes when exposed to the sun for prolonged periods of time Its hard shell classification is as an exoskeleton unlike normal insects shells which are endoskeletons though in theory it should still provide the same protection to it with the scales Not exactly attractive but people go for things that are good quality, not pretty You come out from inside the warehouse and hear a familiar voice call out your name You look around and see Allison's car pulling up alongside the warehouse Usually It does have some plusses he enjoys You've heard him mention due to the layering effect of the scales and unique membrane structure it is capable of repelling knives and shards of broken glass and the sleve's reach to his mid bicep "Looks good, Red " She smiles before telling the driver to go Thicker than a expected but breathable material clads his legs all the way to his hiking boots A small amount of pants are visible due to the tucked in look and they appear to be made of the same tough material as his jacket "Hello!" "Let's go Oh hold on " Robi says looking back and forth between you and your group a seriouesly miniaturized computer screen directly in front of his eyes "We're heading to a fabric district followed by a stop at the metal district, ocne we arrive you can pick out your desired outfit and then we can get to community business " The ride into town is done with in silence as you all are lost in your own thoughts Even Camid stays silent for once , symplified routing info for the limo's industronics, adjust climate control to 73 degrees Robi watches with mild interest as you fidget around trying to get comfortable in your naked state "What temperature the culture decided on?" He asks looking at one of the many screens that occupy the dashboard "73 degrees " "Ah yes, 22 C was too dry and 0 C to 2 C range was too frosty , smiling eyes, and ears His hands are placed gently on the kneeling shoulders of a full sized humanoid robot Robi modifies his to have long full hair like a classic rocker "Everything looks solid for now I'll have the chem butlers come in here tomorrow before our arrival to spritz you all down with an un-odorous scent We'll diffuse through your skin so in the unlikely scenario where you do ripe, you will smell fine as their treament plant for their disease is more important to them "Where are we going first?" Camid asks "The fabric district " He replies You spend about three hours weaving in and out of jumbled warehouses sized stores Large bolts of cloth line the walls, neon lights advertising sales and various material aisles You have fun ripping out tags and randomly grabbing textiles With Allison in the party you opt for a heavy blue, thick fabric with lighter blue dominant on the weft, with leafy designs woven into it dye, resembling that of Irish tatting patterns "The metal district, if you would " Robi says to his driver Behind it stands two equally sized intimidating Ork men Crowded stalls selling mechanical equipment and valuables covering the floor with no regard for personal property Laser turrets set on 5ft tall golden tripod platforms with endless ammunition ring the entire room Robi's limo comes to a halt by a large counter in the center of the building "Hello!! Brandolf's right?" You spend what feels like an entire planet circumference worth of time bargaining and arguing You finally agree on 8 bars of pure gold, a bag of some sort of strange parasites used for medication, and a belt made of neon green and yellow snake hides You exchange pleasantries with the orks as they bid you goodbye The limo door closes and the ride home goes by quickly "Thank you all so much, you've all been so helpful! When we get out of here I'll have my parent's company take you all out for an entire week " You say in joy Your one week comes up faster than you thought and your attendants have some trouble deciding what to wear "I look hideous " Camid says throwing a monstrosity of a coat made up of different animal furs over his formal suit He holds out his arm as if he was some sort of nobleman from medieval times Wouldn't be caught being out of character "Elaborate dotor coats always made you look like toxic waste had fallen on you, if anyone could pull it off it's you Camid " Allison snarkily remarks Still, she used to work as personal assistant to a very svelte Hollywood celebrity Cami has to try really hard to suppress a smirk She knows what form fitting clothes do He loves her, but man she is cold sometimes You stand by the entrance to 2nd street Allison walks down the stairs first with a green and black dress It would look ackward on anyone else, but somehow it fits her personality Daniyel exits right after, wearing knight armor made out of some sort of strong but light metal Camid walks briskly behind her with some sort of roman or greek orthodox robe that looks a bit too dark for his liking You all walk and talk on your way to the party Mostly you, Allison and Camid talk about some of the artist your parents supported that peaked but never truly made it big Daniyel contributes very little despite being 2 years older than you, he just goes on about the things he accomplished in the forge when he was working there 'We're here! You were so busy conversing with your friends that you didn't even notice you had reached your destination Your family mansion which is really more of a castle since your father is very flash appears before you This late at night the gates are closed and there are guards patrolling about in bright uniforms wearing obnoxious feather hats You walk up to the nearest one "We're here for the party, we're all invited " The guards read your names off a list and immediately open the gate "The Duke will see you soon" one says You take a good look at the mansion as the five of you walk down the long pathway from the gate to front door sculptures appear every few yards all of them only limited by the artist's imagination When you reach the steps leading up to the mansion's entryway, a very thick and tailed orange and black coatd wraps you up in his arms You didn't even notice Harvey behind you "Has anyone ever told you that you're an ugly crier?" Harvey asks while messing with your hair as if you were still six Behind him Brandolf approaches at a much more calmer pace "You son, this is the rest of you retinue They stare at the four of you You didn't know you had a retinue, these people were all supposed to be contracted to your family and work inside the mansion "This is Allison, she works in the stables " Harvey immediately starts Allison motions as if to shake their hands but instead throws her arms around them They look a bit confused but return the hugs "She takes care of all the horses except Nightfire The rest of the contractuals are introduced much in the same way, as their jobs dictate 'You're here just in time, a surprise birthday party just started Your parents come out from the large entrance with your other siblings following close behind You all embrace and head inside The interior of the mansion was luxurious and comfortable, if a bit large for a family of six to live in, let alone when guests come over You head through the main halls up to your old bedroom where the rest of the family is waiting The first thing you notice is that Naleen's eyes are open, they dart quickly from one place to another

[ashantenicolestyle]

Glamazon Beauty by Kim Baker

The one thing I love about beauty, is that there are new brands to discover daily. I ESPECIALLY love when I discover high quality products from black owned companies.

When I first came across Glamazon Beauty by Kim Baker, I was impressed by the full array of products the collection carried. I even included them in 5 different categories in my black owned beauty guide.

They were kind enough to send me products from their existing collection, as well as unreleased products for me to test out. I of course put them on my face the moment they arrived, and spent almost 8 hours playing so I could share my thoughts on them, and let you all know if its worth giving a shot.

Complexion Products

Second Skin Foundation Stick ($28)

I received 2 colors of their Second Skin Foundation Stick; Molten Pecan, and Miss Mocha to contour. While Molten Pecan wasn’t an exact match to my face, it was a perfect match to a spray tan I was reviewing when I received the package.

On me, I’d call this a medium to buildable full coverage foundation, because my freckles could still be seen through the foundation without correcting. I loved the formula because it is creamy and hydrating, making it easy to blend out. It helped to minimize the look of my pores and hide my blemishes, which is key for the current condition of my sun-damaged combination skin. It is about as flawless of a finish as I could expect from a foundation.

I also received a second shade to contour with, Miss Mocha. This is a deep neutral tone brown that was also a great shade.

I applied it in the areas I usually contour; around the perimeter of my face, below my cheek bones, and alongside of my nose. It was easy to work with, and blend out, leaving a flawless and undetectable natural contour.

I would continue to use it, however it was the perfect foundation match for my aunt, and I didn’t want to keep it when she can get daily usage from it. I did swatch it for my deeper complexion readers before I let it go.

Lip Products

Nude Lipstick ($17)

One of the many lip formulas I received, was their traditional bullet lipstick. I received the shade bare again which is a cool toned pinky nude lipstick. It has a creamy formula, and it is easy to apply. At first I thought the shade may be too light for my complexion, but I was definitely wrong. It is one of the best pink tone nudes I’ve used.

I used it without a liner for the swatch, however I will use it with a brown lip liner going forward to add more dimension.

Hydro-Matte Liquid Lipstick ($18)

I received 3 of their liquid lipsticks in the shades I’m Purrrfect Red, No Drama, and a new color called Ambition. They are EXTREMELY pigmented and you do not need to apply more than 2 coats to get complete coverage. Even if you want to add more, there’s enough workable time to re-apply without the formula getting crumbly like others may.

The deep purple set the quickest and was not transfer proof whatsoever. I initially swatched everything I received on my hand and was surprised after washing and still seeing the lip swatches were perfectly in tact. That being said, you will definitely need an oil based liquid lipstick remover or micellar water to remove this formula. Even with the long wear abilities, their formula is not drying, and has a slight sheen to it similar to that of a satin lipstick.

Hydrating Lip Gloss

I was most excited to see that I received their brand new Universal Glow Hydrating Lip Gloss, that will be launching soon. In the tube, it has a rosy bronze appearance, with multi-dimensional holographic glitter specs. On the lips it adds a very sheer peachy nude glow to your natural lips, and makes any lipstick appear to have a glassy, wet look.

i am not usually a gloss wearer, but this formula is non sticky and not too glittery. The glitter in it disperses as you apply it and just gives your lips an even tone with a little shine.

Eye Products

Flawless Gel Liner Pen ($17)

I am the worst with my eyeliner. Usually I end up with 2nd cousin wings, instead of sisters and never EVER twins. This felt tip liner made it much easier for me to achieve the eyeliner look I desired.

I was most surprised by how thin I was able to apply a line, while it still being controllable. I gradually built my wing to what I wanted, instead of ending up with an accidentally thick line.

I did have a minor issue with it drying slightly, but if you store it upside down, it corrects itself.

Eye-Conic Eye Concealer/Corrector ($24)

I saved the best for last, because THIS concealer is literally EVERYTHING! I received the shade cashew, and have never used a concealer that is quite as good as this one.

It has a very hydrating full coverage formula, that helps to conceal any imperfections. Even without setting, it was not falling into any of the lines under my eyes and gave me a truly even and brighter appearance. It is for the eyes, but I applied it to all of the high points of my face to add dimension to my contour.

If you get anything, I’d start with this concealer, because it is honestly the best one I have used to date.

Everyday Makeup Look

I was able to achieve an everyday makeup look without using eyeshadow, using the products I was sent. I started by applying my base makeup as I normally would, and contoured my cheek bones & nose with the darker foundation stick.

I also used Miss Mocha as eyeshadow and applied it to my crease and outer v for dimension, and then added the concealer to my lid. I finished off by adding a wing using the liner to create an elongated shape.

I finished off by setting my face with a yellow setting powder under my eyes, a translucent where I applied foundation, and a matte bronzer where I applied Miss Mocha. I added the Universal Lip Gloss, as well as a mascara, and filled in my brows with powder to achieve a flawless finish that can be worn literally everyday to work, or out if you aren’t a fan of obvious glam makeup.

Final Thoughts

I was truly impressed by how well these products worked. Not that I wasn’t expecting them to be good, but I felt that these products were absolutely too good for me to just be finding out about them.

I would absolutely suggest that you visit their Online Store and pick up at least one thing to try and familiarize yourself with the brand’s high quality products. If you do, use code "GLAMAZON19" to receive 20% Off your first purchase. You will not regret the decision!

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Dell XPS 17 (L701X) Review

The Dell XPS seventeen (1710X) is often a desktop alternative notebook that is primed to be used to be a gaming laptop computer,a media centre or maybe a cell workstation! It's a adaptable Dell notebook using a 17.3in touchscreen plus a high-end configuration that features a quad-core Intel Main i7 CPU,two hard drives and a strong NVIDIA graphics processor.Dell has carried out away with lots of more mature connectivity alternatives,such as VGA,but involved mod drawbacks like DisplayPort,rather.

Design and Features

The Dell XPS 17 (1710X) is usually a major notebook: its foundation is 415mm extensive and 285mm deep,and it weighs just about 4kg.It is not a unit you might desire to use on your lap,and also you will not likely need to transportation to and from your place of work far too generally.It feels effectively built,and has a considerable multitouch touchpad along with a really sturdy,backlit keyboard.Alongside the perimeters in the notebook caricabatterie dell inspiron fifteen 7577 are two USB two.0 ports,a few audio ports,an SD card slot and also a Blu-ray drive.A lot more connections are located alongside the rear with the notebook: you obtain two USB 3.0 ports,a Gigabit Ethernet port,HDMI and DisplayPort,and an antenna port for your inside electronic Tv set tuner.It lacks FireWire and VGA,and what's more, it doesn't have an ExpressCard enlargement slot.We are in no way unfortunate about these omissions,while it could be nice to obtain an ExpressCard slot in the event you need to make use of FireWire or an growth dock within the potential.The XPS 17 also has Bluetooth,802.11n dual-band Wi-Fi,in addition to a 0.9-megapixel,Skype-certified webcam.The choice of features the XPS seventeen boasts is extremely extraordinary.A pair of focused JBL speakers sit imbedded during the laptop's chassis and supply many of the most effective audio we've ever listened to from a laptop computer.Should you use your equipment for tunes playback,this can certainly be a significant reward for yourself.The notebook also comes bundled with Nvidia's 3DTV Enjoy technological know-how.Because of this,whilst the laptop's panel isn't 3D prepared,you could stream 3D information to the suitable Tv set or watch caricabatterie dell precision 15 throughout the notebook.This will make it a great option for the people wanting to stream 3D games and movies to share on the significant monitor.There is also 2-megapixel webcam integrated.The XPS 17 is surely an extraordinary multimedia equipment that doesn't value the earth.Excellent effectiveness and usefulness are joined by a highly extraordinary characteristics list for making this a competitive offer.Like Apple with its Macbook variety,Dell consistently refreshes its Inspiron and XPS desktops and laptops.We very last seemed on the mid-range Inspiron 17R and ended up really amazed while using the stylish refresh.Now it's the perfect time to test out Dell's new high-end XPS seventeen.Sitting just one step down below the company's final Studio XPS line,the 'vanilla' XPS is nonetheless a pretty potent beast.You could get up to Intel Main i7 quad main processors; focused,optimus-enabled graphics with as many as 1.5GB of movie memory and the skill to output to your 3D exhibit; a whopping 16GB of procedure memory; as much as one.5TB of really hard push space and JBL 2.one audio. They're also the world's 1st Skype-certified laptops with High definition webcams,so those addicted to 720p video chat really should come to feel correct at your house.USB three.0 and DisplayPort may also be on board,making for a powerful line-up.Not surprisingly,our evaluation sample (L701X) is specified somewhat more modestly.Processing obligations are dealt with by a dual main Core i5 460M running at 2.53GHz,backed up by 4GB of DDR3 RAM.It is also a good deal powerful around the graphics front,supplementing Intel's integrated graphics with the Nvidia GeForce 435M with 1GB of RAM for graphics acceleration caricabatterie lenovo adlx90nlt3a and light-weight gaming when plugged in.Dell materials fast 7,200rpm tough drives across its XPS seventeen array,and using this type of product you can get a generous 500GB capability.This all guarantees the amazingly thoroughly clean put in of Windows 7 Residence Premium 64-bit operates fantastically.Nonetheless,what immediately catches the attention in regards to the seventeen.3in XPS is its unapologetic bulk.With a commencing weight of in excess of 3.4kg and dimensions of 415 x 287.3 x 32.8-38.5mm,this laptop computer will take its position being a desktop substitute very seriously.Despite this,it is really however a beautiful equipment.Nearly all its lid is made up of a one sheet of anodized aluminium,which appears and feels good,and would not clearly show up fingerprints or grease marks like the glossy finishes uncovered about the lids of most laptops.Such as the Asus G73Jh,the reduce 50 % protrudes a little bit with the back again,demonstrating off a white-backlit XPS emblem.Opening the XPS seventeen up reveals a matt black screen bezel,which should make really some individuals delighted.Though the keyboard encompass and palm-rest area are constructed from a further single sheet of aluminium,this time it really is in the brushed black complete matching the rest of the interior.Though fingerprints batteria hp cm03xl will probably be seen listed here,it is really nowhere in the vicinity of as undesirable as a little something like Toshiba's Satellite L650,and is a small price tag to pay to the good quality experience and solidity when resting your arms on it.The laptop's base is plastic,coloured silver to match the lid.The ability button,position indicators and touch-sensitive controls - all uncovered inside of a piano-black strip above the keyboard - are properly backlit in white.General,Dell has done a fantastic job with this particular very simple nevertheless visually partaking search.

Build high quality is more of a blended bag,for though it's mostly wonderful,there are actually a few spots along the bottom the place there is extra 'give' than we prefer to see,and 1 spot from the palm-rest the place urgent down results in an audible click.Even now,these are insignificant troubles in precisely what is,all round,a really well-built equipment.In utilize the XPS seventeen usually stays whisper-quiet,even though beneath load its fans do usually rev up and it results in being very audible.We also uncovered the remaining palm-rest receives incredibly heat to your touch just after the laptop continues to be managing at full load for some time.If you prefer to work with the XPS 17 (1710X) out on your balcony or in your yard,you will get irritated through the hugely reflective monitor.Even putting it in close proximity to a window batteria hp probook 450 g3 on a cloudy day will induce a great deal of reflections to appear around the display screen.In essence,it truly is not a notebook which you could comfortably use outside or in bright places.The multitouch touchscreen includes a resolution of 1600x900.The big screen is useful when you need to line up home windows side by aspect,even so the touchscreen is one thing that's more of the novelty for impressing your buddies rather than anything that can make you a lot more productive.In expressing that,it can be fun to work with your fingers to modify Internet browser tabs,to zoom and rotate photographs,also to choose music and movie documents.Using the touchscreen in this particular way for your extended length of time may be tiring,nevertheless.Dell ships the XPS 17 by using a touch interface termed Dell Contact Zone,which requires up almost a third of the place over the Desktop when it is open,and it can be used to start picture,tunes,online video and Internet programs.With the leading from the display screen caricabatterie toshiba pa3917u you can find the Dell Dock,which lets you perform several identical tasks - it can be more aggravating than practical.All up,the touchscreen has constrained usefulness and the way handy it truly is will depend over the purposes you employ.

Display

Connectivity on Dell's XPS 17 L701X is really class-leading,instead of simply because it involves USB 3.0.The one thing that is missing can be an ExpressCard slot,and we honestly are not able to visualize several reasons you'd probably will need one particular here.Together the left there's a memory card reader caricabatterie apple m9689b a which not just takes the usual complement of SD/HC,MS Pro/Duo and MMC,and also the new SDXC regular.On the appropriate you will find a tray-loading DVD-rewriter,twin headphone jacks,a microphone jack,along with a combined USB 2.0/eSATA port.The vast majority of connections reside together the back,which isn't necessarily one of the most practical location.In this article you'll find two USB 3.0 ports in their signature blue livery,Gigabit Ethernet,and a complete electronic movie output collection of HDMI one.4 and mini-DisplayPort.Either one particular will let you hook up high-resolution displays such as the NEC MultiSync LCD3090WQXi,anything that lots of older laptops don't support.We've similarly minor criticism concerning this laptop's usability.All the keyboard's keys are full-size,and also a range pad is involved together with the usual shortcuts.Amid these is actually a devoted button for deactivating the touchpad,nevertheless you shouldn't need this as we located the pad nearly in no way interfered with typing.Format is great,even though it does not match the clever shortcut placement and 2nd functionality vital located around the likes of Samsung's R780.The one disappointment for electrical power buyers is always that the F-series keys are relegated to secondary features by default,but this will be altered within the BIOS.The keys also present a great amount of vacation,and though the motion with a number of feels a tad inexpensive,typing remains to be an exceptionally nice knowledge in general.So far then,we are incredibly impressed with Dell's new variety.Sadly,the L701X's seventeen.3in monitor is exactly where we stumble upon our first actual disappointment.Dell nevertheless really should differentiate its highest-end XPS Studio line,and 1 on the strategies it's accomplished this is certainly by restricting the 'vanilla' XPS 17 to some highest display screen resolution of one,600 x 900.While this will likely be a lot for the vast majority of customers,it could possibly be described as a significant caveat caricabatterie sony vgp ac19v43 for the people hungry for more desktop genuine estate.Simply because of this,sharpness isn't really quite pretty much as good as on Total High definition screens possibly,even though it can be undoubtedly ample for some and also the decreased resolution does make viewing smaller icons and text easier.The screen's glossy coating could be a problem with vivid ambient lights existing,even though in the darkened environment it does enrich perceived distinction and offers colors that more tiny bit of 'pop'.Even so,the TN panel wants all of the aid it could possibly get,as contrast is sort of inadequate.Blacks appear just a little gray,the darkest greyshades are indistinguishable from each individual other and delicate colour gradations within the lighter stop mix into reliable blocks.The speakers create a room-filling volume devoid of distortion,a loaded and specific soundstage,and dialogue arrives across with abnormal difference.Even though undeniably impressive,clarity and bass aren't automatically the best of any notebook "on the planet" as Dell claims,nevertheless the range of transportable devices caricabatterie sony acdp 240e01 that will match it could likely be counted about the fingers of 1 hand.Among these is Toshiba's Satellite P500,which utilizes Harman/kardon speakers.Interestingly,Harman/kardon and JBL equally tumble under a similar mother or father firm,so it's not shocking that they match up very well.

Performance

General effectiveness with the XPS seventeen is superb,as expected thinking about its specs.The dual core Main i5 460M is much more than impressive adequate for that average person,and when you do want a lot more cores,as at any time Dell's equipment are very customisable plus a Core i7 is just a click on absent. Dell's most up-to-date is likewise astonishingly proficient at gaming many thanks to its Nvidia GeForce 435M,while certainly it will not hold a candle to laptops with 'true' gaming playing cards,like the Mobility Radeon 5870 discovered inside the MSI GX740. Crysis is notoriously forgiving of reduced body rates,but using an 18fps regular at Substantial Depth batteria toshiba c850 it couldn't be identified as playable with all the best will on the globe.However,dropping depth down to Medium resulted in an eminently playable 30.2fps typical.This multimedia-oriented laptop computer may even engage in a title so demanding in any way is kind of impressive,and it unquestionably makes Dell's new XPS a capable choice for the everyday gamer. We didn't obtain the chance to exam stereoscopic 3D output,nevertheless the graphics aren't genuinely powerful more than enough with the vast majority of 'true' 3D gaming,so 3D Blu-ray would almost certainly be the main location of curiosity.We were not anticipating as well a lot through the XPS seventeen regarding battery lifestyle - soon after all,it is really not particularly quite possibly the most portable device all around. Nonetheless,we had been pleasantly surprised by only ten minutes quick of 4 several hours within the semi-intensive Productivity exam and an similarly extraordinary two hrs and fifty minutes for DVD playback,which happens to be a lot to watch even the extended editions batteria lenovo 121500049 of most films.These genuinely are outstanding outcomes for this course of equipment,and might be further amplified by heading for an optional higher-capacity battery compared to the 56Wh default.Ultimately,on the price front this XPS does really well.Taking into consideration the power,construct quality and functions you receive - primarily cutting-edge types like USB three.0 connectivity looks fairly sensible,though we have been utilized to viewing Blu-ray incorporated at this selling price level plus the monitor rather lets factors caricabatterie msi adp 150vb b down in case you are picky about impression good quality.An apt comparison from the worth viewpoint is the 15.6in Asus N53JN,which also provides USB 3.0 and Optimus,but by using a lower display resolution,weaker graphics,a slower CPU and difficult travel,however nonetheless in excess of the Dell with Blu-ray generate.A major battery sits beneath the XPS 17 and its peak offers the unit a little bit bit of a forward slant.The battery is rated at 90 Watt-hours and it lasted 2hr 13min within our rundown examination,through which we disable ability administration,empower Wi-Fi,maximise the monitor brightness and loop an Xvid-encoded movie.This is a much better consequence than some large fifteen.6in notebooks we have analyzed,which average less than two several hours.We see the superior battery lifestyle coming in useful if you at any time need to plonk the notebook on a espresso desk batteria hp 15 r103nl and huddle up to the sofa to look at a motion picture,but that's it.It's a chore to maneuver the notebook away from your desk,and dreadfully awkward to utilize on the lap.

Verdict

The summary that we manufactured in the very last critique for that XPS seventeen can generally be recurring to the refresh.Amongst other issues,the superbly produced and high excellent situation could well be pointed out to the professional facet.It may score with resistant surfaces,very good input units and also a intelligent port distribution.The installed two.one sound process batteria Samsung np305v5a from JBL will possible make some end users cry tears of joy ¡§C external loudspeakers are surely not wanted.The praise carries on with all the 3D capable Entire Hd show.Its luminosity outshines the opposition.The appliance performance is just as over average many thanks to Intel's Sandy Bridge processor.Nvidia's GeForce GT 555M conveniently copes with most game titles.But of course,the XPS 17 is just not wholly flawless.Dell must make improvements in both of those speaker positioning and connectivity.The high body weight and very poor battery existence also restrict mobile use.Even so,the key issue continues to be to be the substantial temperature and sound improvement.The laptop computer receives exceptionally warm and loud during load.On the price front this XPS does very well.Looking at the power,develop high-quality and capabilities you have - specially cutting-edge types like USB 3.0 connectivity would seem very sensible,however we are used to viewing Blu-ray included at this selling price position and the display alternatively lets items down in case you are picky about picture quality.An apt comparison from the price viewpoint is the 15.6in Asus N53JN,which also provides USB 3.0 and Optimus,but by using a reduce monitor resolution,weaker graphics,a slower CPU and difficult push,nonetheless however charges in excess of the Dell with Blu-ray drive.First rate establish quality,a classy style and design,good usability,spectacular specs,all the connectivity you could potentially ever want and some of your most effective speakers for being identified on the notebook come up with a potent situation batteria asus ux360ca for Dell's new XPS 17.Only its distinctly underwhelming display stops this 17.3in notebook from selecting up a proposed award.

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Achieve flawless skin with low-priced Korean Beauty products | Althea Korea Birthday Haul 2018

K-Beauty Haul - Althea Korea

People who know me know, I’m very into Korean beauty products. From makeup to skincare, you can find at least 99% of the products I used were shipped directly from Korea. It’s not that I am biased against the other products, I just find Korean products suitable my skin. In fact, they are part of the main reason why my skin complexion is so good. 

One of my favorite places to get the best and cheapest Korea Beauty products is Althea Korea. With Althea Korea, you can not only get authentic quality Korean products shipped straight from Korea but it ships really quickly too. In addition, you get 30 days unconditional refund and safe delivery too - I have never received a broken product after years from ordering from them.

For those of you who have been following IreviewUread for years, you would have seen my various Althea Korea hauls for a while now:

Althea 1st Birthday Box haul

Althea 2015 Xmas Box haul

Althea 2016 Xmas Box Haul + Althea Haul

Althea 2nd Birthday Box haul

There’s even a tutorial on how to turn these boxes into storage drawers here. 

Keeping up with tradition, I got a 3rd Birthday haul from Althea Korea this year. Since it’s their third birthday, I divided my haul into 3 parts for triple the surprise - as per featured on my Instagram 1 | 2 | 3. With that, here’s my huge K-Beauty haul - third birthday edition.

It’s Skin Power 10 Formula GF Effector Super Size (60ml) H2O

With the increased humidity in Singapore’s atmosphere, I did find my skin to be more drying than before. Thus, H2O serum it is! I got the supersize version (60ml) for SGD$15.50 instead of SGD$10 for 30ml. Double the size, half the price. It is very light and I am able to spot blue dots in the formula. It also has a sweet scent and spread across my face easily.

Moremo Facial Cream Z 

This cream is perfect for those with oily skin for it not only help battle your acne and pimple, but it also mattifies your skin. It is rather thick but it still gets absorbed into your skin quickly. I’ve been using this as my day cream and it not only made my skin looks and feel smoother but my skin condition did improve. Would definitely recommend this for those who have oily skin and living in a hot and humid country like myself.

Chica Y Chico One Kill Eyeliner

I like the fine brush of the eyeliner, it helps me create the perfect killer line. However, it is not oil/sebum proof so after a few hours, it will tend to smudge.

It’s my Cleansing Foam 

I needed a cleansing foam, so I got a cleansing foam.

It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Vitamin E  Effector

It’s Skin Power 10 Formula Vitamin C  Effector

I’ve been into using serums to boost my skin care routine. After using It’s Skin Power 10 Formula H2O serum, I decided to go ahead and order their Vitamin E and Vitamin C Effector. The Vitamin E effector is great for acne scar reduction, increase collagen production and speed up cell regeneration. Whereas the Vitamin C Effector helps to brighten one’s skin tone and minimize large pores.

I like how both of the serums are quite light and easy to apply. The Vitamin C serum does have a citrus scent to it while the Vitamin E serum has a thick emulsion scent to it. After constant usage for a few weeks, I did notice my skin become brighter than before.

XOY Bride Moist UV Cushion

Due to the success of my Carbon Dioxide Acne Scar removal session, the shade of my skin tone is now one shade lighter. That means, the need to purchase a new foundation shade. I prefer to use CC Cushion for it is not only easy to use but it helps my skin glow as well. 

One of the main concern that I have with CC Cushions would be the limited shades they offer. Luckily with XOY Bride Moist UV Cushion, the shade “No.30 - suitable for those who normally use Honey Beige (No.23)”, is perfect for me.

unpa Bubi Bubi Lip Scrub

This was the free gift promotion at Althea at that time. We’re able to choose between DIY bleach, a piece of sheet mask and lip scrub. I chose this lip scrub for unlike other lip scrubs, you have to let this scrub bubble up like the bubble mask before rinsing it off. 

Soroci Morning Drizzle Waterdrop Cream

This moisturizer entice me for it have a very interesting raindrop texture. Suitable to be utilised as a day moisturizer. 

Innisfree Green Tea Seed Eye Cream

The search for the cure to dark eye circles and eye bags still continue. This time, I’m going to try out the Green Tea Seed Eye Cream.

Etude House Sunprise Must Daily SPF 50+/PA+++

I’m currently using this sunscreen for my body. I love how the nozzle was rather precise, allowing the quick and easy application. I also don’t feel sticky after applying. Plus, it gets absorbed into the skin quickly. 

Dr Mind Apot Clear Soap

I use this to control the acne on my back. I find it works well in reducing the sebum and clearing the dirt off my body. However, it can be too drying if you are to use this on your face daily.

Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel

Although it can be drying for sensitive and dry skin, it is still Aloe Vera Gel.

Mediheal Line Friends Ampoule Mask – N. M. F. Aquaring🤗

I love collaboration products for the packaging will look so cute and irresistible. Since my friend loves Brown and Cony, this is the perfect gift for her.

Petitfee Ruby & Bulgarian Rose Eye Patch 😍

I tried the Petitfee’s Black Pearl & Gold Hydro Gel Eye Patch before and although my dark eye circle still remain, I love how it hydrated my eyes. Additionally, this eye patch is not only perfect to de-swell my eyes but it gives a wonderful rose scent as well. So far, I’m loving the effect of this mask.

Guerisson 9 Complex Lifting Cream 

I’ve seen this product around for a long time and it claims to be the bestselling horse oil cream around. It helps with lifting of sagging skin, wrinkles and hydration. The perfect cream for my mother.

Justgogo Clay 2-Step Mask Soothing 1 Sheet 

Since multi-masking are in, I decided to get the Justgogo 2-step mask. Apply the clay mask first, then apply the sheet mask. The clay mask help with removing impurities while the sheet mask help with nourishing the skin. A mini spa in 1 product. 

It’s My Magic Sponge 💭

It’s the first time I bought an It’s My product. Thus, I am surprised at how soft the sponge felt. I didn’t have the chance to use it yet but so far, I’m liking its texture.

Daily Skin Bubble Maker 🧤

This is the first time I bought a bubble maker. To use it, just slip the soap in the middle of the netting, rub the bottom of the net against the soap bar for a few seconds and you get yourself some foam. It looks very cool!

I used the Dr Mind Apot Clear Soap with the Daily Skin Bubble Maker. It works perfectly.

Y.E.T. Don’t Worry Mask sheet – Nutrition

Y.E.T. Don’t Worry Mask Sheet – Oil Control 😄

Who can resist mask sheets with cute cartoon babies as their packaging? Not me.

Wang Skin White Flower Mask Sheet🌸

This was one of the gifts from the giveaway promotion. Although I didn’t manage grab one during the promotion period, I decided to purchase one for the description made my senses tickled. Who can resist, lily extract, white flower extract, edelweiss extract and chamomile extract? It’s like a garden on your face!

That’s the end of my 2018 Althea Korea Birthday haul. With all these selections available, you must be wondering what to get. Why not get something from Althea Korea personal brand? Yes, Althea Korea is more than just an online shopping portal, they have their own beauty brand too. Check out my quick list on what to get from their line.

Top 3 things to get from Althea Korea - Tried & Tested by IreviewUread

Althea’s Bare Essentials Skincare set 

A simple skincare routine that not only looks and smell good but fits various skin types as well.

Althea Petal Velvet Powder

Set your makeup with this pressed powder that is not only long lasting but helps to control one’s sebum too.

Psst. It now comes in Pink Lavender Powder and in the colour Warm Beige.

Real Fresh Skin Detoxer, 10 seconds masks

A cleanser and a mask all in one. Not only contains real rose petals and green tea leaves but leaves your skin soft and smooth in under 10 seconds.

Check out my other hauls here: 

Althea 1st Birthday Box haul

Althea 2015 Xmas Box haul

Althea 2016 Xmas Box Haul + Althea Haul

Althea 2nd Birthday Box haul

DIY Beauty Box Drawer Featuring Althea Boxes