#less line mileage=less pain

[demented-tours]

ADHD/Autism/Neuro-spicy/Exec Function Issues/Burnout Life Hack

So listen, as the owner and sometime operator of a brain with medium to hot neurospicy wiring, I occasionally struggle with... well. Everything. But particularly making myself do Small Tasks That Require One More Spoon Than I Ever Have Thanks To Having to Exist in this Dumpster Fire World AND Never Being Taught Anything Useful About Myself Much Less How to ACTUALLY Recharge or Regulate My Nervous System Which Only Has an "Actively Being Mauled By a Bear" Setting. (TM)

It's been a long few decades.

Anyway, as such, I have tried so many little ways to motivate myself, and some of them are decent, but I also have days where just... nothing seems to work.

Except this one thing. Now, it's only working NOW, but it seems to be working semi consistently, so I'm hopeful. Ish. As hopeful as I get anyway.

And it's low cost, requires no bullshit medical professionals or meds and it appeals to my competitive spirit and inner gamer nerd.

I figured I'd share here, though it's likely a terribly unoriginal idea, but hell, sometimes it's just reframing crap that you knew to be true once but forgot about it in the current depression-inspired stew.

We're gonna call this one Warmie Magic.

Step 1: Acquire/make a warmie. Those are the things you heat up and apply to body parts for relaxation/pain relief. They come in all shapes, sizes, stuffed animals forms. Let your sensory needs go wild. I like THIS ONE because it can be used on hot or cold settings and it comes unscented. It's also made for neck/shoulders, which basically always hurt. But they make them cheaper and in whatever shape you like. It just matters that you can heat it up in the microwave.

Step 2: Figure out your temperature setting timing for your warmie. For me, that warmie thing takes 4 minutes in my microwave to acquire that perfect near-scalding-yet-still-soothing temperature. Bonus if it's over 2 minutes of time, but really, whatever works, here.

Step 3: Fixate on some mundane, small task that you Need To Do: dishes. Laundry. List making. Toilet cleaning. Whatever. Put the warmie in the microwave, set the timer... Then get ready... get set... PUSHBUTTONANDGO! Try not to let your lack of body sense knock you into too many objects on your trajectory to the Task at Hand.

Step 4: Do the tasks for the duration of the short timer. You would be AMAZED at what you can do in 4 freakin minutes. Single load of laundry in machine. Or most of one load folded. Or at least a few pans washed. One toilet insides scrubbed. Dishwasher loaded/unloaded. Whatever--do it until the timer goes off.

Step 5: Stop the task, retrieve the warmie, and enjoy the sensory snuggle reward. Fuck about for a while.

Step 6: When the warmie is less warm, get up and repeat the process. OPTIONAL: Set another timer without the warmie and do it again while enjoying the sensory snuggle reward.

What I like about this is that I can trick my brain shit with the, "Well, hell, it's JUST four minutes" line. Or the, "We have to wait for the damn thing to warm up anyway, and it'll take fucking forever if we just stand here." Usually some combo, there, works. And it gives you a positive reinforcement reward that the body feels that isn't food oriented or what have you.

Obviously, your mileage will vary. All neurospicy settings are unique. I'm just going to enjoy this method while it manages to be effective. This is how I've made myself do my stretching routine, laundry, and dishes for the past few weeks, so...

This could also work for all sorts of things in all sorts of applications. I also used to write like this, sometimes. I'd set a timer for 30 minutes and just GO. Whatever happened in 30 minutes was golden. Six words or six thousand.

I've also done something like this with a snack pack of fruit snacks and I get one per tiny item completed because, yeah, my brain sometimes operates with a psychotic toddler's reward system setting. But it got the damn Wal Mart delivery unpacked.

Oh, and one last thing that's helped me... Do your breathing exercises to slow yea olde burnt out nervous system right after you pee. I can do a solid round of box breathing (5 seconds breathe in, 5 seconds hold, 5 seconds out, 5 seconds pause, rinse and repeat) while washing my hands. And sooner or later you have to pee so might as well use that as a functional reminder. Not that I remember to do this more than one time out of seventy, but in THEORY, it'd be great.

And now let's get back to our usual soft-porn-funny-shit-pretty-shinies programming around here.

<3Dee

[raayllum]

I JUST HAD A THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR CUBE HOSTAGE EXCHANGE THEORY.

Rayla trying to convince Araavos and Claudia to just kill her/not to contact Callum, and them being angsty the whole season has her trying to convince them he doesn't love her anymore, he doesn't want or need her anymore, and then it parallels the episode with Pyrahh with him arriving and saying he does. Then what happens with the cube? With him using Araavos' magic? I honestly have no idea, I did not think I'd be able to put this idea into words. I just thought of this one moment. This could be in like the last or second last episode? It's honestly something I'd love to see

This has always been one of my favourite concepts of CHET tbh so thank you for leaving it in my inbox! I've had a few thoughts about this particular aspect of it that's been updated with the way Rayla's return and how this post-TTM stuff has seemingly played out, which is to say:

Although Rayla's returned, I don't think it's clicked for her that she was wrong to leave - especially not when for two years, things have 'worked out' according to what she wanted. She's been off getting into trouble and danger and Callum has, until S4 comes and shit hits the fan, been perfectly fine and safe. That was all she wanted. She told Callum not to follow her... and as far as she (and we) knows, he didn't. He listened.

It worked.

Not perfectly, if she's come back, and definitely not if she's come back because she realized she can't keep him un-involved forever, but it worked for two years. Two years he got to be safe and 'happy.' She'd kill and die for less.

Then she comes back and he's... angry, for a while, probably. Holds her at a distance, and she can't blame him, not really. Probably wishes he wasn't as angry if only because she knows it means he's still in a lot of pain over what she did.

So you have a set up, currently where

Rayla has had no reason to question any of her self-worth talk towards herself and that her life isn't worth inherently less than any of her loved ones / that she doesn't always have to pay the price

She will have varying mileage in terms of knowing / believing that Callum is still in love with her, if not very little reason to think so, in some ways

She left Callum behind to protect him and he listened and it worked. Why wouldn't it work again?

Cue the angstiest possible route they could take of Rayla being separated from her blade(s) specifically because she was leading someone away from or trying to protect Callum. Her last words to him being "I love you" or something equally heartfelt, if she had a chance to say them.

Then at Claudia and co.'s camp, Rayla is scared (she doesn't want to die like this and be spell parts, especially when it's clear they're allied with Aaravos and now doubly dangerous) but also confident that Callum won't come. Why would he, when she's broken his heart for the final time, and last time her stunt worked? Why would he suddenly change his mind and come after her again? But Aaravos is still smug and delivers his "My return to this world is inevitable line" through the Chrysalis creature. Rayla argues that no, Callum wouldn't be that stupid, that reckless - she's not worth it, she doesn't Mean anything to him anymore, not really, but Aaravos has seen Callum through the mirror, even just the drawing he has of her up his study, and knows that's not true.

Even before Callum shows up and proves it.

[veryrealimagination]

Every Whumpee’s Needs

Day No: 5

Prompt: Running out of air

Fandom: Murdoch Mysteries

Medium: fic

Trigger Warnings:

SFW

James Pendrick groaned as he woke up from a monstrous headache. The last thing he remembered was working on a new prototype for an engine, something that might burn gasoline at a lower rate for better mileage. At least it was something he could sell, unlike the Bullet, which was forcibly tore apart so it wasn't competition. Then he felt something slam into the top of his head.

"Oh, hell," he mumbled, dropping back on his posterior after trying to stand. His already tender head hit something above him, causing a string of curses to fall out as his vision temporarily doubled. After five minutes of waiting, and waiting, the pain receded enough for him to try again. Instead of standing, he moved his hands up and felt something smooth only a foot above his head. He did the same in front of him, and all around to find all the same stuff.

Well, now he was going to have to open his eyes and see what was going on. Thankfully, he was not in some shipping crate, but a clear box that he could see the outside room. There was nothing identifiable, but it was better than seeing nothing. Especially since there was a letter taped to the other side of one of the walls.

James Pendrick,

Just a few things. Station House Four has been alerted to your disappearance.

Detective Murdoch will not be able to investigate, as I have intentions for him.

You're currently a distraction. I need them hunting you down as you will run out

of air in roughly five hours. As long as you don't start panicking.

Enjoy the break.

Ah, well. This...

This wasn't good.

Whomever put him out of commission also has taken Murdoch out. Station House Four was told he was missing, but he didn't know when the note had been placed. He could have five hours, or four, or less. Don't panic, James. That definitely won't help any. Going through his pockets, he started searching for something that could possibly break the seams or the actual walls themselves.

Instead, he found two good fountain pens and his notebook. Excellent. The first page was about the many possible jokes on the name that Murdoch's secondary detective carried. It was a shame he only met Detective Watts recently. There were good things about that name he could have been punning about for years.

Back on track, Pendrick.

Right, he didn't have anything on him that could seriously make a dent into... What was it? Houdini used a glass tank for his water escape, but this wasn't glass. That he could break. That was probably why they didn't stick him in one. What could have this been? Who invented this? Whatever it was could be used for something else. Street lined windows that wouldn't shatter into thousands of pieces if someone smashed one in. Or something that he could test explosive experiments behind.

Is the light getting brighter? Squinting as the bulb from the room started making his head worse, he covered his eyes and laid back against the wall behind him. Breathing, the air he was taking in didn't seem as good as he thought it was when he first awoke. Less than five hours, possibly three and a half. With nothing to try, he would have to wait for rescue.

Oh, how utterly boring.

At least he could do something. The notebook was only partially filled, and his pens had a good amount of ink. At first, it was mundane things. A couple of notes on his engine. Another joke on Detective Watts's name. The drawing of a light bulb but with Constable Crabtree.

With his headache getting worse, he knew that the air was becoming poisonous to himself. It was only a matter of time before he would drift into unconsciousness. He wrote some of his last words, a concession and half thought out will that hopefully someone will execute.

-

The first person he saw hovering over him was Julia Ogden.

Oh, he must be in hell for that Bandit business.

"You're not dead, James," she said, a laugh in her eyes, "Although, I don't think the Bandit business would net you a trip to Hell."

Groaning, he sat up. The box that he had been stuffed in was over to his left. Was it really that small? Doctor Ogden was in front of her along with Constables Crabtree and Higgins. There was, of course, no sign of Murdoch. But strangely, there also wasn't a sign of the younger Watts. Sad, he had come up with a good pun on his name while delirious. "The note said that Murdoch would not be here," he stated, confused, “But your other detective...”

"Mr. Pendrick, we need your help with something, very very strange," Crabtree said, nervousness running through his frame. "What do you know about necromancy?"

[the-firebird69]

Million Dollar Luxury Motorhomes? New Luxury Class A Diesel RVs For Less.

This is probably a mid level luxury RV for the super wealthy it's not the lowest no it's the lowest. It's just a mass manufactured RV but it has a lot of features that are nice and they have a lot of experience some of the expensive ones the stuff breaks down too soon even though it's worth a lot of money I mean they make it with quality stuff it's just not the right stuff so it's considered to be a tough top of the line thor RV and at any kind of resort campground you can get into the highest level usually if you have to have a certain class RV and a son and daughter say it's by length and it really is this one's huge and that's what you have to have in a certain year it's like 2010 or something or 15 and that's the cutoff this is not super high end by any means but you can see that it's very nice it's higher quality it's ornate and it's decent and people will buy this the price is right. You can this one costs actually there are campers that are $1,000,000 that are the same quality level but people don't really pay for those anymore but this one is about $375,000. There are similar campers from different brands that upgraded and made this level and it's the highest for $475,000 but this is the most reputable firm. That's making these. So we're gonna show you what the wealthy elite sometimes drive but keep in mind that if you're driving this one people will not know right away that you're super wealthy. And it's very tough it's got real metal on the outside it's got a real truck chassis and a real truck motor truck brakes truck frame everything about it is strong and the frame on top is strong too. It does get decent mileage it is a diesel and it's powerful and it's a turbo diesel.

Thor Freya We don't own Thor yet we gave advice to someone who is a fanatic about the character believe it or not he's been doing stuff like this and he wants his to use these. And they want to because other stuff is a pain in the **** and they can't find places to go and a lot of people were having trouble.

..

wow geee ok

aron m

Oympus

[diinferi]

LOCATION 

[NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK]

BACKGROUND

[EXPERIMENT] Either you willingly joined or were forced into it, you've undergone experimentation to enhance your mutant abilities and intensive training to hone them. Their goal was to turn you into a living weapon, and boy did they succeed. You're free now, but horrible memories will likely haunt you for the rest of your life.

PERKS

[EVERY TIME] Your pain tolerance is at the peak of what a human can achieve. Extreme amounts of pain can be overcome, allowing you to continue doing what needs to be done. Just be careful you don't accidentally ignore a mortal wound.

[WE'LL SHOW YOU OURS] You're naturally skilled at using any powers you have into melee combat, to the point where you can seamlessly integrate them into martial arts, or create a new martial art altogether that's based on powers.

[THE BEST I AM AT WHAT I DO] You know the most efficient way to kill things. You could kill a man with your little finger - even if it isn't super strong or razor sharp. This doesn't mean you'll automatically know how to kill something you've never seen before, but if you fight it for a few minutes, you're sure to find a dozen chinks it its armor.

[WOLVERINE MODE] You can grow a beard and grow it good. You can have a glorious full beard in a fraction of the time in would take a normal man. If you're a woman - or a man who doesn't understand the glories of facial hair -, you can grow knee-length hair easily, and it won't hinder you nearly as much as it rightfully should. Either way, both your hair and facial hair can easily be styled in nearly any way you want and will remain that way with very little effort on your part. As well, once your beard and or hair reaches its ideal length, its growth will slow to a crawl.

[STEALTHY] In your line of work, it pays to be sneaky, and you've never had any trouble earning pay.

POWERS

[ELEMENTAL POWER - ELECTRICITY] Choose Fire, Ice, or Electricity. You can now generate and manipulate the one you chose. You'll start out being able to throw around house-sized fireballs, freeze a small pond, or generate bolts of lightning powerful enough to instantly char a man to ash, and you'll only improve from there. Eventually you'll be able to transform into your element, becoming a mobile ice sculpture, a human torch knockoff, or a living lightning bolt.

[HEALING FACTOR] You heal real fast. In addition to normal healing being sped up, this also means you'll be in the prime of your life for centuries and you'll never need to worry about mundane diseases or - to a lesser extent - poisons. Pretty much the only way to completely kill you is to destroy nearly all of your body, destroy your whole brain, or decapitate you and move your head away from your body.

ITEMS

[COMBAT SUIT] A light-weight, highly durable, full-body suit capable of keeping your warm in cold weather and stopping low, caliber gunfire. In addition, it also adapts to work with your powers; shapeshifting with you, not melting when you burst into flame, etc. Can either be brightly-colored spandex or black leather.

[ADAMANTIUM] You have a store of liquid adamantium, the hardest substance in the world. Once solidified, it can't be melted again and is virtually impossible to damage. You have a little more than enough to recreate Wolverine's surgery and will receive more, equal to the original amount, each year.

[MOTORCYCLE] A nice bike. Not extraordinary or anything, but it's made really well, and will hardly ever break down without extraneous use. Easily modifiable and gets excelling mileage.

DRAWBACKS

[DUDEPEEL NO MORE] Originally, Wade Wilson was a mutant merc in the same group as Wolverine and was experimented on to become something only vaguely resembling the real Deadpool. Now, you'll instead be getting the one from the modern times that's a much more loyal and much less edgy portrayal. Hope you didn't need the fourth wall.

[MAKING WAVES] It seems your existence has not gone unnoticed. At least one powerful group has found you on their radar and is very interested in capturing you. Destroy them or evade them for long enough, and others are likely to take notice as well.

FUTURE

[MOVE ON]

[amberfaber40]

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February 4, 2015 by Chrissy Carroll 56 Comments One thing I’ve heard from several people lately is that they really want to train for their first half marathon, but then they say something along the lines of…“I’m not sure if I can do it.”“I don’t know how to train for it.”“I don’t know if I have the time for it.”OK, friends, I’ve heard you – and I’m going to make this easy peasy for you.  You CAN do it and you CAN make the time to train for it, and I’m going to give you the tools right here today – with a FREE 20 week half marathon training schedule for beginners!This is a very basic beginner’s plan, similar to what I wrote out for myself when I trained for my first half marathon.  It’s designed to get you to the finish line – not necessarily to get you to any fancy time goal. It’s kind of like a “couch to half marathon” version of training plans, meaning that even those very new to their running journey can successfully complete their race as long as they stick with the training schedule.  I should know, because I was one of those people!  I went from not running at all to completing my first half in about 5 months (and then completed my first full just 3 months after that).  It is totally feasible and YOU can do it too. [Tweet “This 20 week half marathon training schedule is perfect for beginner runners!”] Here are my favorite things about this 20 week half marathon training schedule for beginners:You only run three days a week, which means this plan is feasible time-wise for anyone.  At the peak of training (the last several weeks), you’re looking at around 40-90 minutes for your two short runs (depending on your speed) and around weekly 1.5-3 hours for your long run.  That means at max it’s around 6 hours a week.  Anyone can carve out 6 hours! 20 weeks means = a 5 month half marathon training plan, which gives true beginners more time to build their endurance base.  This means you gradually work your way up little by little, and leads to less chance of quitting out of frustration that you “can’t do it.” Weekly mileage increases relatively slowly (10-20%) and tapers back every few weeks in order to reduce the risk of injury. It’s a mileage based plan.  I personally prefer these to time-based plans when it comes to beginner half marathon training, only because as a slow runner the time-based plans didn’t take that into account.  Some of the time based half plans I’ve seen have maxed out around 90 minutes for a long run – but that may only get a slower runner through 7 or 8 miles.  I prefer mileage-based plans at the start while you are developing your pacing and making sure you can successfully complete the mileage, and then you can always switch over to a time-based plan for future races. Tips about half marathon training for beginners:Pace: The 20 week half marathon training schedule can be used for running or walking. For running:  Run at a comfortable pace that allows you to complete the mileage listed, particularly for your long runs.  For shorter runs, you can push yourself a bit more for speed – but for long runs, your goal is just to finish it.  If you get to the ends of your shorter runs and feel like “woah, that was SO easy” – then pick up the pace a bit next time.  If you find yourself getting tired very quickly into the run, slow down a bit.  Don’t forget that it is completely acceptable to run/walk or add in walking breaks as needed.  Many runners build in purposeful walking breaks that include a 1 minute walk every 5-10 minutes or every mile.  This can help keep you from getting too winded or to keep your legs “fresh” as you run.  This is not just a beginner half marathon strategy, but is a strategy many seasoned runners use! For walking:  Similar to above, walk at a pace that allows you to finish the mileage listed in a challenging yet comfortable manner. Schedule:Spread out the running days so they are not back to back.  In other words, a good schedule might be something like Tues/Thurs/Sat. Do not skip out on long run mileage.  Walking is fine if you need to, but don’t quit halfway through just because you feel like you can’t run the whole thing.  (The exception to this is if you feel pain during a run – in that case, it’s prudent to stop and avoid injury.) If you already run consistently…If you’ve already been consistently running a few miles a few days each week, then you don’t need to start at week 1.  Depending on your current training, you can probably jump in somewhere between weeks 4 to 8 and make this more of a 12-15 week training plan.  Jump in on the week where days 1 and 2 match a running distance you’ve been consistently doing. Warm Up / Cool Down:You can start each run with a few minutes of brisk walking or a slower paced jog to warm up.  After each run, give yourself a few minutes of brisk walking to cool down.  Stretch after your runs. Cross Training:You should plan to cross train (like using the elliptical, taking a Zumba class, swimming, or riding a bike) at least one other day per week.  It will help work other muscles, which can round out your training and help prevent overuse injuries. Strength training exercises – especially squats, lunges, and dead lifts – will help strengthen your muscles and can make you a better runner.  Feel free to add these into an off day if you’d like, but don’t feel obligated if this is overwhelming.  If you decide to add in more cross training or strength training on your off days, be sure you schedule yourself at least one day each week that’s completely devoted to rest. Signing up for races:One of the best tips I can give you is to go look (like, right now) for a race that you want to do and SIGN UP.  Search Active or Racewire to find races in your area.  You will feel much more committed and motivated when you’ve paid for a race and it’s on the calendar.  You’ve already got your beginner half marathon training plan right here, now go find your race! 🙂 A few of my personal favorites for half marathons in New England include the Earth Rock Run Half (great swag), the Newport Half (great scenery) and the New Bedford Half (great field & company – and an early season race).   Also, consider checking out the Rock ‘n’ Roll race series, which is well-organized and brings a very fun atmosphere to the race.  {Disclosure – I was previously a race ambassador for Earth Rock Run and Rock n Roll.} [Tweet “This beginner half marathon training schedule is like the couch to half marathon version of plans!”] Ready to train?  YES!!  Here’s your plan….The “Get Me To the Finish” 20 Week Half Marathon Training Schedule for Beginners Share with me:  What are your biggest fears in completing your first half marathon?  Are you planning to use or have you used this 20 week half marathon training schedule?  Is “couch to half marathon” your kinda training style as well? 🙂 Author Recent Posts Chrissy CarrollChrissy Carroll is a Registered Dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach. She specializes in sharing nutrition and fitness tips, as well as recipes, for runners, triathletes, and active women.Chrissy holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition, a Masters Degree in Public Health, and is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer. Latest posts by Chrissy Carroll (see all) More Fitness Tips & Workouts 26929 sharesShare Tweet Let’s connect! Looking for something? Search Reader Interactions

[fusionbolts]

Heroes of Legend (rewritten)

Alright, the old headcanon was OLD. It needs a bit of a rewrite. So let's talk about Legendary Heroes. As a side note: now is a good time to remind everyone that my headcanons are open-source. Basically, if you want to say your muse is a Hero and mean it in This Sense, go for it. Take this headcanon and alter it as much or as little as you'd like. It's based heavily in canon anyway and really just a question of making canon a little bit more spicy. So, without further ado:

A Hero (that's capital H-Hero) is a link between a legendary and humankind. They're chosen humans who perform duties in that legendary's stead, or on their behalf. You can think of a Hero as something akin to a vassal of that legendary. Now, how and why that legendary does so varies, as does how much mileage they really get out of a Hero. Some, like Reshiram and Zekrom, or the Lake Trio, which are much more intrinsically tied to humankind, take Heroes more frequently. Others are less likely: The Creation Trio, for example, rarely deals with humans directly, and typically only take up Heroes when there are some major problems that they might need a helping hand on. I would say Arceus is among the least likely, but like, Legends and Conquest say otherwise lol. Those two are actually pretty clear examples of Heroes insofar as they exist within canon: actively chosen champions tasked with fulfilling their patron's will. Fixing the spacetime bullshit and uniting Ransei, respectively. Another canon example of where Heroes come in is in 'spe, where the Lake Trio communicates with/aids our three heroes with the impending Galactic Bullshit. ('Spe has a lot of examples, actually, but the Lake Trio is my personal favorite, and they're where this headcanon originated from!)

So here's where we diverge from/expand on canon a bit: Heroes aren't just favored or good buddies with a legendary. Much like how "bonds" or whatever they're called work in Masters (I played masters for like an hour before I was over it, sorry) or links in Conquest, there's a deeper connection at play. Think mythologically speaking, when mortals were blessed by gods who particularly liked the shit they were doing. This is that.

There are two versions or "phases" of being a Hero. The first is comparable to a "trial" stage, and is generally a much weaker link. It isn't a formalized thing, but it establishes a base-level connection; this phase basically only goes as far as telepathic communication, a sort of "direct line" of contact. See above where I reference 'spe; it's sorta like that. Very useful in a time of crisis so you can yell at your human hero to do something about it. Arguably, this is also how the Arc-Phone functions in Legends. Gamefreak owes me fucking royalties.

This first phase is informal and can easily be broken off at any time. The second phase is a bit more involved; this is the "full" version of being a Hero, and comes with some cool power acquisitions and what have you. The powers vary dramatically, naturally depending on which legendary they're a Hero of, but there is one consistent trait:

Heroes have a greatly extended lifespan. Arguably, they're eternally youthful. This isn't true immortality, as they very much still can die and be killed, (heroes die when they are killed.meme) but they basically stay fit and around whatever age they are upon becoming a Hero until the connection is broken. Additionally, a Hero has an intrinsic sense of when their patron is in danger, pain, etc.; there is a mental bond between them that runs very deep—again, very much like conquest's links.

Now, other powers can vary from anything from enhanced physical skills and some limited pokémon-like abilities to outright superpowers like being able to traverse time and space freely (although not necessarily the ability to manipulate them in the way the legendaries themselves do), powers like becoming an Aura User or Psychic, and so on and so forth. Mind you, Heroes are still, intrinsically, human. There's only so much that they can withstand, physically and mentally, and so the powers they acquire are pretty well limited by that. In short, you can think of Heroes in general as something remarkably close to Warlocks or Clerics (or even Paladins) in the D&D sense.

And in that vein, the connection between a Hero and their patron can be severed at any time*. This is relatively rare, but it happens. A Hero may wish to retire, or a legendary may deem them to be no longer fit as a Hero, or any number of other reasons. This isn't necessarily harmful, but it can be a bit jarring and maybe a little psychologically fucky-wucky in the grand scheme of things.

*This is not true of the original Heroes (Adair and his brother) and Zekrom and Reshiram, because of their fucking up intrinsically in a way that nobody else in all of history has ever managed to fuck up, but that's a fact I will keep for another headcanon.

[livingwithlosingyou]

Living with Losing You - 10/14/2022

Lexington to Louisville to Lexington. And more. 

Today was incredibly busy. I had off (luckily) so I decided to start my day with a leisurely 5k. I have my race tomorrow, so I want to make sure that I can actually do it / get a little more mileage in before. I had been running less because of the hives. Anyway, that went well. 

After that I headed to the GF bakery to get some food because I only have two more days of it before I head home. So bittersweet. Plus, I needed to go to the studio. Today was a tough day since we focused on the James song (your song I wrote to you a couple days after you took your life). 

I had to put myself in a bit of a weird headspace today. I couldn’t cry because it would mess with my voice, but I definitely felt the pain. I had to release it with singing versus tears. What was helpful (but also not at the same time) was the fact that I had to sing the same verses over and over again to make sure that we got the best takes. We also decided to take some clips of voicemails you’d left me to add onto the end of the song. Man.... Just when it couldn't get more emotional. Hearing you say that you loved me is such a distant memory. But, I love you in real time. It sucks. 

We had some interesting stuff happen in the studio today with the electronics and even with shadows. I will post a picture at the end of the blog for everyone to see. Your dad came into the studio to listen to it, which I should have warned him since it was your song. And the fact that you were talking during it. He was definitely crying, so I am glad that I saw him after I was done singing. We just miss you SO much, James. You were so beautiful. I am sorry you felt so broken. 

After the studio I rushed home because I had to head to Louisville! I was initially just going to go there for your friend Audrey’s birthday, but since I couldn’t eat where they ate, I decided to go to the pumpkin jack o’ lantern festival that you and I went to last year, then meet up. I was definitely running late. I was supposed to be there at 7:30pm and I didn’t even get to the ticket scan until almost 8:45pm. Luckily they let me in, but I will say the lady was asking me why I was alone and I got awkward and told her that you passed away. I was wearing the “His Sally” shirt, so I am sure that was already morbidly sad enough. I started tp tear up in line, and cried a little but on the trail. This was your favorite time of year, and this was one of your favorite events ever. 

It was the 10 year anniversary, so they did it way bigger than last year. I will post some pictures because my words won’t even do it justice. Just to highlight a few moments though, James’s favorite story / movies were the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Well, that had that as one of the exhibits! I was in awe, and definitely cried as I stood there. You would have LOVED that. I am sure you were with me so I am sure you saw it, but still. It’s different. There was also a pumpkin at the end that was put to the music from “My old Kentucky Home”. You used to randomly sing that song. Last but certain not least I HAD to call out the fact that they had the Christmas spectacular preview at the very end. It was so magical and beautiful. There was one time I made James watch that video on YouTube. I always told him that I wanted to get engaged at that event. I was glad that I went because I know you would have wanted me to go, with or without you. I know that you want me to keep going. I am trying. 

After that I ran back to my car (I should note that I parked a little less than a mile away because it was so packed) and got a hold to Audrey to see where they were. It was perfect timing for me to quickly change in the car and then drive to meet them. We all met up where you and I went to that Cuban place and grabbed macaroons. It has been hard at times to explore the city, but it is also nice to make new friendships and create different memories so places don't feel as haunted. Audrey is so lovely, and so is her boyfriend. They’re both psychiatric doctors, so I talked with them a little about maybe wanting to get into the clinical field myself. We also talked about maybe even just getting involved with some orgs. They both had great resources and were very encouraging. I was also able to talk to her about you some, and that was helpful for me too. Her other friends that I met were all either in med school or in residency. So cool. Sometimes I wish I would have taken a route like that, but also, everything happens for a reason, and I am grateful for the journey this life has taken me on. I miss you endlessly though. I could have done without losing you. 

I ended up staying until a little after midnight and then drove back home. That was rough. I was so tired! And I have a 5k tomorrow morning, so we will see how that goes. 

All in all today was an emotional day. Good, and bad. It’s almost 2am so I need to go to bed. I have a very bust day tomorrow. 

I love you, James. I haven’t even really processed all the emotion from today, so we will see how that ends up working tomorrow. 

Rest in Peace, James Burton Nichols

10/1/1993 - 7/16/2022

[vidstrust]

Mazda protege 5 2003

#MAZDA PROTEGE 5 2003 MANUAL#

#MAZDA PROTEGE 5 2003 ZIP#

Though the low-effort steering can have an over-assisted, rubber-band feel at modest lock under light loads (a trait shared by the current Civic Si), both on-center and when you’re tossing the car precisely through a curve the rack and column seem to transmit EVERTYTHING through a relatively thin, minimally padded rim to your fingertips. First of all, despite a 2,800-pound curb weight, the car’s reactions to steering inputs are quicker than in any compact hatch I’ve driven since buying it. The Protege5 remains relevant for the same reasons I still own it. How does it possibly remain relevant today? So the P5 was designed and engineered back in the mid-nineties. I got a great deal ($18,900 MSRP, paid $13,400) because the new Mazda3 was in transit. Once I realized they stopped the Protege production, it was like I was missing an old friend whom I haven't talked to in a while.When I bought my Protege5 back in November 2003, it was already at the end of its run. Now I am thinking about getting another car and was hoping Mazda continued the line of Protege's, but unfortunately, it appears they have not. But it was a good long haul before it decided to retire. But when the car decided it was time to retire, it did so pretty much in a week. We had to replace the battery once, but that's just regular maintenance. It didn't have a major breakdown once between that time. My brother drove it on the weekends to and from work as well. Me and my younger brother drove it about It about 70 miles a day to and back from community college Monday through Friday. We had the car for around four years and put another 80,000 miles on it before it broke down and was not reasonably repairable.

#MAZDA PROTEGE 5 2003 ZIP#

It took corners great, had a little zip in the acceleration, and handled well in the rain. Of course, the exterior wasn't flashy nor did support a racy-type look to the body, but it was a car I loved to drive.

#MAZDA PROTEGE 5 2003 MANUAL#

It was a fun car to drive with the manual transmission and handled like a dream. It was not necessarily my car, but I drove it whenever I had the chance. My family bought a 2003 Protege in 2014 with over 200,000 miles on it. If you can find a Protege that's been taken care of, I recommend buying it. of new vehicles but I've been using models that plug into the cigarette lighter for many years and they work perfectly fine. I admit that I wish it had the built-in GPS, back-up camera, USB port, etc. Over all, it's been a great car and I'll miss it when the time comes to change. I know exactly where the car is on the road or in a tight parking spot. Of course, I'm perfectly comfortable navigating now. With my Protege, there is no crease so that took some getting used to. My previous vehicles were all Fords so I was used to navigating using the crease down the hood. Allows us to sit higher in the vehicle and to feel less of the road. I bought seat covers and have a cushion under both front seat covers. It's a sport suspension so you "feel" the road, which is all the more reason I'd prefer to have higher, better-padded seats. The other thing I dislike is the low seating. Of course, that's only a pain if you have multiple drivers. It's on the passenger's door, so you have to adjust, sit back and check, adjust, sit back and check. One is that you can't readily reach the passenger-side, outer-mirror adjustment knob. In my experience, there are a few drawbacks to the interior. My latest mechanic said he's on his fourth Protege and doesn't care that they have none of today's bells and whistles. Virtually every time I take it in for servicing, the mechanic asks if I'm interested in selling it. My car's in excellent condition, with low mileage (less than 100,000 kms) and no rust, thanks to walking to work and parking underground all these years. It had about 12,000 kms on it and was exactly the colour I was hoping for (sand/champagne). It was a 2003 model, leased by a company for short drives around the city, then returned for resale a year later. I bought a second-hand Protege from the dealer in 2004.

[maxwell-grant]

OK, I know this will probably be painful, and I may be a bad mutual for asking but...would you be willing to identify what, in your opinion are the bottom five worst Shadow adaptations, and give a detailed breakdown of why they were so lousy?

Oh christ, okay. I don't think you're gonna get as much of a detailed breakdown for these compared to some of the others, because I take more issue with adaptations that do have good qualities but also big or deep problems to talk about.

For example, I can't include Garth Ennis's Shadow in this list because the comic has a lot of strong points to it, despite a deeply, deeply detestable take on The Shadow's character, where as the rest of the Dynamite run doesn't reach neither the lows or highs of his run. Likewise, Andy Helfer's run has a couple or a couple dozen moments every issue that make me want to tear something to shreds in frustration, but it's also at many points a really good comic with great art and some occasionally very inspired writing. Really, I'd just be repeating myself talking about what I hate in those.

But, fine, let's list some of the others.

I think I'm just gonna have to get the elephant in the room out of the way here, and address that I won't be including Si Spurrier's 2017 Dynamite mini in this list, and I think at least some of you might be angry it's not Number 1 by default. I'm doing this because I intend to one day really revisit it, think about it and it's reception and what it was trying to do, and talk about it on it's own, now that it's been 5 years and everyone has moved on and we can maybe talk about it without kneejerk hatred driving everyone nuts (your mileage may vary on how warranted it was).

I'm also not going to be talking about James Patterson's new novel, because I haven't read it. It seems to be considered a forgettable potboiler by mainstream critics and a resounding failure by everyone who likes the character whether they've read the book or not, and frankly I don't have it in me to learn what the fuzz was about anytime soon, I got my hands way too full as is.

And I won't be including the Batman x Shadow crossovers here, because again, they do have a lot of virtues that put them far ahead of some of the really worst Shadow media, and I've talked enough about how badly I think they mangled The Shadow, which is really the big problem I have with them (well, that and Tim Sale blatantly copying a Michael Kaluta cover, that was really shitty). I don't really hate them anymore, I just get tired and frustrated thinking about parts of them, I said my piece as is. Really, my frustration over this comic is what inspired me to start writing about The Shadow here, so I guess in a way I do owe it at least that much.

5: Archie Comics's Shadow

I think some of you might be wondering why this isn't ranked higher, but to be honest, I don't actually harbor any hatred towards this. I mean, I have to include it, but I find it kinda silly that some people even today actually care about the existence of this comic enough to hate it.

For fans back then? Oh yeah, obviously, but this dropped to such instantaneous backlash that it never really got to live past 6 issues. Really, everything wrong about it can be understood immediately from the covers, and I've actually read the comic in it's entirety to see if there was anything worth taking. I found only a couple of things of note but, no, this really is just a painfully mediocre superhero comic that happens to have a couple of Shadow names in it. If anything, it gets too much credit.

The actual contents of what it is are never going to justify it's reputation, but the existence of it and the disproportionate response to it is the funniest and most enduring legacy it could ever ask for. This whole comic is The Shadow's version of Spongebob's embarassing Christmas photo.

4: David Liss's The Shadow Now

This is another "The Shadow as an immortal in modern times" comic and I think you may have noticed the pattern with those by now. I may revisit this eventually and I do have some moments from it saved for reference, but overall: It sucks, and it doesn't even suck in a way that lets me talk much about it, it's a diet version of Chaykin's Shadow. If Archie's Shadow is a generic mediocre superhero comic wearing The Shadow's name, this is a generic crime story playing beats from movie. The Shadow is an asshole and not even a grandiose or sinister one, he just feels like a sleazy douche in a costume. The art is a 50/50 coin toss between appropriately moody and "Google images with a filter on them", I don't remember anything about the plot other than Khan had a bomb again and he had a daughter, and there were new versions of the agents and the Harry stand-in turned evil and Lamont shacked up with Margo's descendant which, uh, no. I don't really hate this but I really have nothing nice to say about this comic other than Colton Worley's art is nice sometimes. I can't really muster anything else to say here.

3: Invisible Avenger

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

ZZZZZZZZZZ...

...uuh, wha-

Yeah, I remember nothing about this one other than it's painfully boring and nothing about it, nothing at all, works in the slightest and I drift off to sleep even now trying to give this a rewatch. To be honest pretty much every other Shadow serial not starred by Victor Jory sucks and I don't really have anything to say about them, this one is just the worst of the lot. I dearly wish there was a good Shadow tv series but, if it was going to be like this pilot? Good riddance.

2: Harlan Ellison's The New York Review of Bird

This isn't really a Shadow story as much as it's a Harlan Ellison story that happens to feature The Shadow, but man am I glad that Ellison's "Dragon Shadows" was canned, because holy shit what a goddamn nightmare Harlan Ellison writing The Shadow for real could have been, going purely by the one time he ever touched the character. New York Review of Bird is a purely farcical parody story that wears real, real thin even before "Uncle Kent" shows up, and we get to see in it what is by far the most detestable and irredeemable take on The Shadow ever put on print, and not even in a critique or deconstructive way or anything that could be remotely worth discussing.

I don't hold any particular affection for Harlan Ellison and his writing (despite liking some of it) and I've come to notice the major red flag that is finding someone who looks up to Harlan Ellison in any capacity as a person, and this story in particular really feels like Ellison aggressively trying to channel his jackass tendencies through every line, just him being nasty because he built a personal brand on being nasty. The only reason this isn't Number One is because it's a very short story that saw zero influence or reputation, and thus it only exists as a brief mention in The Shadow wiki, and a brief mention is all it really calls for.

1: Howard Chaykin's Blood & Judgment

I'm guessing most of you already knew this one was in the top spot before I started writing.

I would actually rather not write a big piece on Blood & Judgment, because I think (or at least I hope) it's influence on The Shadow has waned a lot over the years and I would prefer to draw it the least amount of attention possible, but if I HAVE to talk about this, I guess I'd rather just vomit this out of my circuits now instead of giving it it's own post.

I would prefer to use a less unpleasant image on my blog, but if I'm going to talk about this comic, there's no image to better convey it than this drawing of macho asshole Cranston holding a sexualized mannequin at gunpoint. By leaps and bounds, Blood & Judgment is the most misogynistic Shadow story I've ever read. It's ironic that Chaykin justified the rampant misogyny he gave The Shadow with the idea that this is just a man from the 30s would act like, when he admits in the same breath that he never even touched the stories, and he wrote a story more sexist and demeaning to it's female characters than anything, literally anything, written in the Shadow pulps. It's almost impressive even.

I'll paste some segments from Randy Raynaldo's review

In Flagg, he intended to present his own point of view on American society while keeping his work tongue in cheek and acessible. But this vision dimmed, and Flagg had become a vehicle by which Chaykin could play out fetishes and portray gratuitous and stylish violence.

In The Shadow, stripped of the political and social veneer which was supposed to make Flagg unique, Chaykin's sensibilities and excesses become disturbingly apparent. For all of his liberal posturing, Chaykin's work demonstrates zero difference from the same kind of mentality exploited and made popular by similarly violent popular culture icons like Dirty Harry and Death Wish.

More than half a dozen individuals are indiscriminately and violently murdered in the first issue. Although the victims are characters who played major roles in the myth of The Shadow, we feel little sympathy for them, even for those of us who knew these characters at the outset. Who dies is unimportant, it's how they die that is the fascination.

Chaykin uses sexual decadence as a means by which to establish villains, and undercuts this device by making the protagonists as promiscuous as the villains. For all of Chaykin's seemingly liberal leanings, he demonstrates very little sensitivity in his portrayal of women.

Because everything works on rules of three, this comic also follows the pattern with other works mentioned here, as this isn't Howard Chaykin writing The Shadow: it's The Shadow reimagined as a Howard Chaykin character. He looks and acts exactly like Reuben Flagg and the typical macho protagonist of Chaykin's other works, he's a cynical sleaze with an entirely new origin who half-assedly dons a garb to machine gun people, and I already wrote a separate piece on why the machineguns are kind of emblematic of everything wrong with this take.

I understand that Chaykin has, or used to have, a big following of sorts, and I've tried to wrap my head around this for years, but I genuinely still don't get why Shadow fans stomach this comic unless they happen to be Chaykin fans first and foremost, I really don't. Everything, fucking everything Shadow fans hate about modern depictions of the character can be traced right back to this. The parts that stuck and changed the character for the worse, like him being defined as an immortal, bloodthirsty warmonger who got all his skills and powers from a magic city in Tibet, or Lamont Cranston being a coward who fears and hates the Shadow, or his agents being expendable slaves, stuff that has been ingrained into the mythos through this and the Alec Baldwin movie and other comics, to the point that people now think of it as the norm, that it's the baseline of what The Shadow is, and I hate it, I genuinely fucking hate it,

I hate it so much that it's a big part of the reason why I created this blog and why I want so badly to get to write The Shadow, because I plainly couldn't stand not having ways to tell people that this is all wrong, that this is actively shooting down the character's odds for success, and that they are missing out on something really great, because the well has been tainted with garbage that won't go away and everytime I read the words Shambala in a Shadow comic, even an otherwise good or great one, I get just a wee bit cross.

The only semi-redeeming aspects I can think of for this comic is one or two cool moments, like when The Shadow hijacks a concert using his Devil's Whisper or when he tames dogs with a stare. Just breadcrumbs of "not garbage" amidst an ocean of anything but. I hate that talking about why I hate this comic in-length can almost feel like I'm still enticing people to check it out of curiosity, but if you wanna do that, fine, just know this: The worst part of Blood & Judgment, even if you don't care at all about what it did to The Shadow, is that it's boring.

It is a deeply boring comic. If you like Howard Chaykin to begin with, you'll probably like this okay (although even Chaykin fans told me that this is his weakest work and that even he seems to agree). If you don't, I plain don't see what you could get out of this.

The comic itself is just nothing. It's the comic book equivalent of a pre-schooler trying to get a reaction by swearing. It has nothing whatsoever other than half-assed attempts at shock value. The plot isn't there, the ideas are stale, the dialogue is needlessly oblique and comprised entirely of unfinished sentences, interrupted conversations and one-liners without build-up. The characters are all unlikable and uninteresting stooges with no personality, or joyless cartoons. There's no heart or emotion or logic, and it isn't even funny enough to succeed as just an outrageous exercise in 80s excess. There's nothing in here.

I get "why" it was popular enough at the time, a rising star creator penning a modern revival of an old character based on controversy that pissed off the old fans, it's an old story that still gets repeated today. But manufactured controversy is not a replacement for storytelling and it rarely ever exists to benefit the people who actually want to enjoy the stories, it only benefits those for the crude benefit of those who want to sell you something out of the controversy.

I guess they got their money's worth back then.

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

Phew, okay, I did it, I finally vomited out a piece on Blood & Judgment and some others, allright, let's put this piece of negativity behind us now.

[writingmorsels]

Prompt: Missing

You suddenly disappeared on the journey between your workplace and your home.

Alex, your current fiancé, is informed about this and wants to be involved with the search. Sullins gets him off the case almost immediately when foul play is presumed, considering Mahone one of the first suspects because of his (lately rocky) relationship with you.

Eaten by the thought of you dead, Mahone launches himself in a private investigation to try and find you.

Based off the song “Where’s My Love” by SYML

It had been Lang, that saint woman, who told Alex the news: you were gone and no-one knew where.

After leaving the administration building next to Alex’s office, you didn’t come home. People noticed only because you didn’t show up at work the next day and the interviewed doorkeeper of your apartment building confirmed never seeing you that night.

It had been also Lang, who kept him in the loop. The first days of your disappearance Alex had been shaking with adrenaline, sifting every video, every photo, every interrogation transcript Felicia gave him after Sullins took him off the case.

“I know that look,” Felicia spoke softly as her hands went to grab his ones. “You were out of State, it’s not your fault.”

Was it not?

The both of you didn’t stop fighting about anything, in the last days before her disappearing. Sullins thought it was obvious proof of Mahone’s culpability and Alex couldn’t but agree with his superior, just on a different note.

It was his fault.

He pushed you, pushed against your love and your presence because it was too good, too warm. You were too good for him and he broke you.

How many times he snapped at you? How many times has he let his work take priority over you?

Did he see the signals and didn’t care?

Or was he so blind he didn’t even notice?

Did you just… run away from him? Or were you in danger?

“How many hours, now?” Alex asked, his voice a whispery, ragged strand of what originally was.

Lang sighed, seeing his friend with his head hung forward and shoulders slouched down. He didn’t even try to hide the lack of sleep and food, at that point. “Alex…” “how many hours...days…?” his voice didn’t stop breaking from time to time, hardly keeping emotions where they had to stay.

Felicia remained silent, thinking about the last time she saw you, waving as you came out of your small little office. “Five days, more or less.” she confessed. “We searched along the road she usually takes, but nothing came up.”

Alex didn’t move, but his brain churned. “Have you checked-” “Looked at the CCTVs, in the park near her home, around the neighborhood...we even asked for security footage from civilians. I went out there myself and found nothing,” Lang exhaled, shifting on her side of the sofa, uncomfortable.

“Search dogs?”

“It had been raining since she disappeared. They can’t find a lead.”

“Interviewed coworkers? Someone that fancied her? Hated her? Or me?”

“He asked everybody, twice. Nothing came up beside office gossip. Listen, Alex, I know you know your stuff, but we know too. God’s know how much I want to find her, but you need to listen to me.”

Mahone went silent again, for a few seconds.

“Have you… looked where I told you to-” “...Alex,” Felicia's voice grew stern. “We looked. Every. Where… You need to start thinking that...maybe... she might be-” “DON’T-...Don’t say it. Please Felicia...just...let me...” and with that Lang couldn’t speak more.

Her chest tightened as she saw Alex curl up, hands gripping his own hair and tremble in what little tears he still had left.

With a small, weak “I’ll see myself out” she walked out of Alex’s living room, leaving the man to be with his sorrows with just a soft pat on his shoulder.

They didn’t search enough, Alex thought as he jumped up from the sofa, starting to pace around. He looked at your face peppering the place with various photos, smiling memories he still could feel, trapped underneath the surface of that agony.

They didn’t search well enough…! She had to be somewhere! If only Richard would listen to him!

She could die!

She could…

She is…

Anger came over him in a wave and Alex let out a pained roar, as he kicked over the coffee table, sending all its nicknacks flying.

A glass vase shattered, papers and flyers and documents flew around, the small piece of furniture rolled to the other side of the room.

You weren’t dead… you were just out of reach of anybody else.

That was it.

Fuck Sullin’s suspects, fuck everybody’s incompetence.

You were somewhere out there and if Alex found killers, rapists and even former military, he would find the love of his life.

He exited his house like a hurricane, not even grabbing his heavy coat to fight the cold of mid-autumn.

He had to check that place again. Even if his colleagues assured him the place was empty when they looked, Mahone had a feeling.

Because if you weren’t there...then you really just up and left him without a trace.

Five Day Earlier:

“What?!” you snapped, pressing your phone against your ear. You barely heard Alex through it, the sound of chatter and keyboards muffling his voice. “But we had plans...you know we had plans!” you whined, making some coworkers turn their heads.

You huffed, storming out of the office and on the emergency stairs, just so you could chew him a new one in peace.

“We found a new lead for the Ragman case-” “Like I care! You’re not the whole fucking Bureau, Alex! Let someone else handle it!” you barked, your free hand grabbing the railing.

It was that or it was crossing the street, up to his office and smacking him to kingdom come.

He sounded angry just like you, his voice cold and strained. “I can’t just step down! I’ve been following this case for weeks, you know it!” “I know that I’m planning this fucking dinner since EASTER, Alex! It’s not even the real Thanksgiving because you ALREADY HAVE that day filled, but no! No, you HAVE to be on the other side of the fucking Nation even tho you assured meー no, SWORE me you WOULD BE FREE!” you found yourself basically screaming into the phone.

It was like a dam exploded and now days and months of pushing down emotions kept pouring out.

It wasn’t only for a missed dinner, it was for the rest. The feeling of being less than his job, being unimportant. Not being enough for him.

Those thoughts gnawed at you for quite some time and now they came back in full force. “You know what?? Fine! Go be a superhero! Go hunt your next bone, good doggy! While you’re there, marry your fucking job too!”.

With that you slammed the phone shut without even listening to his voice anymore.

One after another, his promises kept missing...and you were at your wit’s ends. There was some talking to do, for sure, but before that you absolutely had to cool down or you would totally wreck what was left between you two.

So, after finishing your boring day at work you went out and, instead of going back to your shared home, you got on a bus and straight to your favourite place.

The park was nice even when the summer was just a memory, a thick fog rising from the browny waters of the lagoon.

You walked down a wooden path, feeling the wet earth beneath it shift slightly, and you breathed a long, long sigh; you didn’t need to be so mean, but you were so tired. Tired of battling for every inch of attention. Tired of tiptoeing around Mahone’s always full agenda.

You didn’t mind his line of work, being a federal was a very dangerous and busy occupation, but Alex seemed to always do more of what was expected of him. No one ordered him to travel and manually grab the killer of choice to bring back. No one ordered him to stay afterhours for days on end, leaving you to wait up until midnight with an empty plate in the kitchen.

He was the one going the extra mile for his job...but lately, you wanted him to take some, not all! But some of that mileage and invest it in his relationship with you.

Especially now that he proposed.

You chuckled a sob, remembering the day.

Was it just so you wouldn’t run away? Did he really love you?

Or did he love the cooking, the cleaning, the company?

You stopped in the middle of the wooden road and looked left, seeing a faint path in the tall grass.

That small, invisible trail led you to the best place of the park, where you played cop and thief with your friends.

It was a small, round clearing among the trees, with one L-shaped stone covered in moss you called ‘The Couch’.

You hopped on The Couch and groaned your anger away, laying down on the soft greenery.

You didn’t know what to do anymore...

Mahone stopped his car inches away from the main gate of the park, leaving the engine on as he got off.

He grabbed a torch from the glove box and ran inside, moving the light around like a blade cutting the darkness. His eyes swallowed every little detail as he walked, combing with his gaze through the trees, the grass, the waters.

Frantically he moved along the main path, flashing the wooden boards now dark and soaking wet.

The recent rain erased any single footprint that would have existed, but Mahone knew your favourite place.

You showed him once, making him find a basket full of good food, a blanket and some wine. “Twenty steps from the crooked tree… thirtyfive to the left,” he mumbled to himself, finding the faint trail almost immediately.

He walked like a pirate in search of a treasure, careful to never stray from the path.

“Y/n! Y/n honey!” he shouted.

Alex had this foolish thought, this little movie in his head that, once he overcame the underbrush and pierced the thick veil of trees, he would find you.

Maybe angry, maybe scared, it didn’t matter. He just wanted to hug you tight, to never let go.

As he walked up into the clearing, his already broken heart shattered.

Everything was as he remembered: the long, thin trunks of the ashes, the big green rock, the blades of grass.

Even the smell was the same, humid and woody.

But you weren’t there.

You weren’t sitting on that strange rock or maybe laying in the grass. Not you or your body or any kind of hint you were ever there.

Alex’s hand trembled, the light of the torch vibrating. “No...no no no…” he sobbed. “Y/N! HONEY!” he started to shout, “Y/N PLEASE! Y/N!” his eyes darted left and right as the realization started to really hit him. “Y/N I’M SORRY! PLEASE! DON’T...Don’t...p-please come back...” his voice crumbled as did his body, overexerted by the long days without respite.

The flashlight flew from his fingers in a fit of desperate rage and Mahone wept alone in the woods, almost wheezing in the constricting pain holding his heart.

Tears streamed down his face as his palms pressed against his temples, nails digging into his scalp.

It was his fault, all his fault...if he just said no to Sullins, if he sent Wheeler instead...if he listened to Felicia…

You would be home with him.

Eating a warm, good dinner together and then crashing into bed, holding each other until morning.

Now you were gone and his heart was, too.

c l a c k c l a c k c l a c k s p l a s h

Amongst the sobbing and the sounds of the night, Alex’s ears picked up on something. A sound that seemed to come almost from underneath him, faint and muffled.

Then, raising his head, Mahone noticed he was in complete darkness. His torch was nowhere to be found.

No, there was something: a few strands of grass seemed to shine, but the light was too feeble to be his flashlight...or was it?

He moved slowly, furrowing his eyebrows for a moment...and then his eyes shot open wide, for what he saw there, at the foot of the big green rock.

You lingered in that place for at least a couple of hours, watching the sky turning from grey to black as the night progressed. Your phone pinged a couple of times with messages from Alex, asking you to answer his calls, to stop being childish, to please reply. The last one was a defeated ‘we’ll talk when I’ll be back. Write when you’re home. Love you’ that made you melt a litte. You sighed, closing the phone with a little clack and laying it on your forehead, thinking. Now that you were calmer and level-headed, what had happened seemed a little excessive. Sure you’ll speak to Alex about your insecurities, about how you felt being always brushed aside, but at the same time you had to make peace with the fact that you still loved him, so very much. He had that job before you came into his life, it was one of the things that made you fall in love with him: his stubbornness, his logic, his courage. It was a new point in your life and it just needed adjusting, that’s all… “ehh...fuck me…” you whisper with a strange, sweet tone in it, as you took your phone and started to slowly type ‘Going home. Love you too’ to him. As you hit send, the phone froze for a second before giving you a small error message. “No signal? Where am I, Narnia?” you grumbled as you jumped off The Couch, lifting your cellphone at arm-high in search of signals. You stumbled around in the clearing, eyes transfixed on the little screen above your head. “C’mon, now that I wasn’t that angry anymo-” your voice yelped as your heel sank into rotten wood. Something behind you, on the ground, gave away and your entire weight dragged you down, down deep into the earth. You dropped like a stone, your fingers trying to grab the wet, rough walls as you plummeted down. Then a splash, cold water enveloping you with its sharp claws, but it didn't stop gravity enough for your bones not to break. You heard a snap and suddenly a jolt of electrifying pain shot all along your right leg. You cried in agony, scraping your nails against the rocks like running away from the hurt. After a few minutes of intense panic, your eyes started to watch around, to assess your position after the fall. You recognized it, between tears. It was a well. An old well hidden from everyone's eyes but nature, still filled with a couple of feet of freezing water. “Oh no...oh--ffffuck…!” you wailed as you tried to stand up, letting out another cry as you immediately fell down again, your own body too shocked to manage to stand up. The sandy bottom felt grimy underneath your hands, your phone dead in the water where it fell right after you. “HELP! SOMEBODY!” You passed all night screaming for help, watching the mouth of the well light up with the cloudy sky of the morning after. If you squinted enough, its form could be mistaken for a full moon in the middle of a dark sky. Unable to stand on your remaining leg for more than a few seconds, you leaned against the stone walls around you, trying to stay as far as possible from the water. It was too cold to sit in it without freezing to death and you surely didn’t want to die. You screamed and screamed until your throat felt raw and your voice cracked. Your thirst found solace with the same water threatening your life and you drank it with small sips, feeling its coolness fight your body temperature as you gulped it down. Another night came and went. The light grey sky became black again. It rained, water trickling down the walls and slowly pooling at the base of the well, around her legs. You drank your hunger away, using the rain to quench your thirst now that your small reserve of water got, alas, corrupted by your bodily function. Your voice carried less far away, tired but still trying. Third day and leaning against the wall with just one leg had been unbearable. Your knee buckled from time to time, sending you into the water now one feet higher. You convened with your body that sitting down, even if in freezing water, could be done for a couple of minutes at the time. You tried to scream for help again, but your voice croaked pitifully

and never reached the edge of the well, hidden among the grass. Surely someone noticed your disappearance. Surely there was police involved already...it had to be. You secretly hoped he noticed, too. Would he care, after what you screamed at him? You could not feel your leg anymore and looking at its bent shape made you nauseous. Or was it the hunger? "Please….! Someone…" Fourth day. You could not stand anymore. Water reached your chest now and the only moments of warmth is when your bladder empties itself. Rain stopped flowing down that night and you waved goodbye at your only source of clean water. He wasn't there. No one was. Death was. Fifth. Cold. Light. Alex…?

Mahone carefully palmed the edges of the well, double the size of a manhole.

He looked down, the light of his torch now reverberating along stone walls, impressing on them the dance of water. And his heart sank down the same moment he saw you.

You were sitting down with water lapping at your collarbones, your skin so pale you looked like a ghost.

His voice hiccuped a second, before coming out in full force. “Y/N!” he cried, but you didn’t move.

Only a slit of your beautiful, beautiful eyes was open. So were your lips, turned a dangerous shade of blue.

Quickly, Alex grabbed his phone and dialed Lang’s number, knowing full well she would still be in the office. She was leading the search, despite her pessimistic view about it.

The woman replied almost immediately, her voice tense. “Yes?” “I found her!” he hissed, panicked. “Send me the firefighter, now! And paramedics! Please she’s unresponsive I can’t reach-” “Alex, breathe! I’ll send you a backup, but you need to calm down! Where are you?”.

Mahone breathed in, tensing his jaw, before moving his head to search for something to try and pull you out. “She fell into an abandoned well,” his voice was colder, professional. “There’s no time, just track my phone. I’m going down…!” “Alex wait-!”

With that, Mahone closed the call and safely left his phone a couple of feet away from the mouth of the well.

Without a second thought, the man slid one leg into the hole, then the other, slowly lowering himself inside with his feet searching for pursuit on the smooth stones. His fingers found cracks in between the rocks and slowly started his descent. Alex slipped a couple of times, holding on just enough for his shoes to find a ledge again.

The journey you made in a few seconds five days prior, took Alex at least one solid minute of intense climbing. When only a couple of feet separated the both of you, Mahone let go of the wall and fell down into the freezing water, feeling it gnaw at his legs. “Y/n…! Oh God honey...please answer me…!” he panted as he reached you, kneeling down into the stagnant water. His hot hands cupped your frozen face, thumb caressing your cold lips and your damp cheekbones.

For a moment there was nothing. No movements, no reactions but only the sloshing of water around your bodies.

Slowly, then, you came up from the dark, fuzzy place where you were drowning, your eyelashes trembled, stuck, unable to open.

Resuscitated by his warm touch, his presence. “A...lex…” your voice was barely a raspy whisper, but that was enough for Mahone.

He exhaled a deep breath, a smile cracking his tense expression as he lowered his head to kiss your damp forehead. “I’m here love… I’m here.”

For a moment you thought about wrapping your arms around him, searching for more of that scalding sensation against the skin. As you tried, a new explosion of pure agony rebounded in your body.

You couldn't move, almost frozen solid in that curled position. Your stone-cold body started to shake visibly, like a broken machine trying to power on. “h-h-he...reー” you whined under your breath, one hand fighting against the cramping muscles to reach his shirt.

You gripped on him with all the strength you had left, eyes rolling behind the eyelids from time to time.

Mahone immediately wrapped his arms around you, enveloping you in his body warmth. “Yes Y/n I’m here. I’ll take you out darling...I’m here, I’m not leaving…” he whispered hurriedly in your ear, a big lump forming in his throat.

You yelped softly when he touched your broken leg, your only functioning hand pulling at his clothes in pain and Mahone furrowed his brows, watching down in the muddy water.

He saw your injury but didn’t say anything about it, only shifting his body to be able to hold you without causing any pain.

Cuddled into his arm, you let yourself mold into him, your heavy head resting on his shoulder and face searching the hot angle of his throat. “I’ll not let you die…” he sweetly spoke onto your wet hair. “You will not...leave me like this.”

You sighed against his skin, your trembling starting to subdue. Oh you were so tired, the weight of entire oceans on you… but you could not stand losing his voice into the fog. “h--urts-…” you let out a soft noise, desperate and scared.

Your eyes finally managed to unglue, lashes thawed and gaze glassy, but you watched his face, crossed by the undulating lights the torch created from the bottom of the water. If you died there, at least you managed to see the summer skies in his eyes one last time. “I let you down so many times darling…” Alex hushed, his voice low and closed in his throat. His hand never stopped caressing your face, brushing away locks of hair and heating up your skin with his palm. “But I’ll get you out of here...this is a promise I’m going to keep...you just...you just have to keep holding on.”

You wanted to speak, to reply to his sweet, sweet words. Transform your groan into words of love and pureness, but your hand felt heavier than ever before and your aching fingers lost grip on his shirt.

It had been difficult to even remain conscient at that moment, focusing on the beating of his heart in his throat. Focusing on your body now split in two: freezing death on one side, burning pain on the other.

“Stay awake Y/n, don’t sleep…! C’mon honey you have to stay with me now. Please..!” you heard Alex as if he spoke to you from the other side of a glass, the voice you always loved now muffled.

As your mind started to drift off again, a thought came into your mind.

You never managed to reply to his message.

You never said that to him. “ ーove... you…” your tired, hoarse voice managed to claw out of your mouth before passing out again.

Red and blue lights pierced through the trees and seconds after a group of men in uniform came rustling into the clearing.

Guiding them was Felicia Lang, her phone in her hand trying to reach out for Mahone without success. “Where are you, you dumbー !” her mumbling stopped as her eyes saw light coming through the earth, then a little mmmmhz-mmmmhz of Mahone’s vibrating cell phone.

“HERE! HERE!” she shouted, waving her arm. Both police and firemen crowded around the well for a moment, assessing the situation.

There was a man on the bottom of the well, standing in water up to his knees. He was holding a woman in his arms, trying to keep her as close to him as possible. “WE’RE COMING DOWN! STAND BACK!” one of the policemen yelled, as one of the firemen wore a harness.

Alex made one step back, watching intently at the man being lowered into the well by his colleagues. “C’mon…! C’mon!” he hissed under his breath, his body trembling with adrenaline while time slowed down to a crawl.

As soon as the fireman reached them, Alex neared him. “She’s hypothermic, unresponsive...I can’t find a pulse but I see her breathing…!” he spoke quickly, agitated and the fireman nodded. “Paramedics are on the surface, sir, don’t worry.”

You didn’t even make a sound as your frozen body passed from Alex’s determined hold to the arms of the unknown man.

Slowly, you were brought up and out of the moist hell you fell five days prior, and while the fireman carried you towards the on-coming stretcher, Alex was given a rope to use as a way to climb up right behind rescue.

He didn’t even feel the pain in his arms as training and fear both pushed him to move quickly, grasping at the edge of the well with one hand and the other being grasped by Lang. “She’s there, go…!” she whispered to him as soon as he came out.

Mahone neared the stretcher the same time the paramedics put it down for you to be laid on and start first aid.

They couldn’t find a pulse for a good thirty seconds, before one of them confirmed that yes, heart beats were present but slow.

“Shallow breathing. Have you temp?”

“25 degrees. She’s gonna collapse, wrap her!”

“On three. One, two, three-up!”

“Gently!”.

Alex walked near the stretcher, watching you being wrapped up in insulation blankets and with one of the paramedics pumping air into your lungs through a mask.

He never left your side, as the little procession sped through the park, towards the exit and into the back of an ambulance.

On the ride to the hospital, Alex never left your hand.

Your fingers never left his, too.

[aer-in-wanderland]

구미호뎐 | Tale of the Nine Tailed - Lost in Translation EP03

The saga continues: part three in a series in which my sister and I pick our way through all the (mis)translations, humour, and cultural subtext that dropped from the fan-subbed version of TotNT. Thank you so much to everyone who bought us coffee - this one’s for you. ;) 

Before we begin, for anyone just joining us: EP01 / EP02. 

We pick up back where we left off last episode with Yeon dressing Ji Ah’s wound. 

Yeon’s line that’s subbed, “Stop being a crybaby” can be a bit hard to translate. The word he uses is ‘eomsal,’ which literally means, ‘the exaggeration of pain; feigning pain; a great fuss about nothing.’ So he’s essentially saying she’s overreacting. I'm not a fan of the use of the word ‘crybaby’ here though personally.

“Long time no see, Lee Yeon.” > > > 12 Hours Earlier.

We see Thirsty meet his ignominious end in a toilet (we never got character names for these guys so I’m just going to call them ‘Thirsty’ and ‘Hungry’).

Elsewhere on the island, Rang fishes a curse doll with the man’s picture on it out of the surf. That’s quite the atmospheric shot. Point to the director.

Episode 03 Title Card: The Secret of the Dragon King 

We open the following morning as Ji Ah and the man who found the body (who Ji Ah refers to as ‘Captain’) examine the scene.

Sub: “Being at sea wasn’t enough and he drowned himself to death.” I’m not sure that sentence even makes sense. I would have translated the man’s line as: “Ho~ Let no one say he wasn’t a seaman. He managed to kick the bucket by drowning [even on dry land].” 

Sub: “Talk about it being all for nothing. This is what he gets after throwing himself at his life.” Um, what now? The line is: “Human lives are so futile. And after he clung so viciously to life, too.”

Lol Yeon. “I see someone threw a party.” I like this sub. What he literally says though is: “Oh~ Looks like it was a really special night.” (‘special’ here is in English). 

Sub: “He smells like a stinky fish.” What Yeon literally says is: “Ugh, a smell like rotting fish is coming from this kid!” Yeon refers to the man as ‘yae,’ which literally means ‘this kid,’ but can also be used to refer to inanimate objects. So, either way...pfft

Appropriately, the BGM playing as Pyung Hee casts her curse is ‘Shaman.’

Back over to Yeon and Ji Ah as they investigate the body. The chyron on the screen reads: ‘The first survivor of the Milky Way (Deceased)’ Irony-(probably)-not-intended. 

We get another chyron not long after, over a shot of Pyung Hee’s father’s head being returned to shore that reads: ‘Seo Gi Chang (Died aboard the Milky Way)’

Lol None of this has stopped Yeon from nomming on his banana milk. I had thought the milk made him seem like a little kid, but according to Korean fans, it’s also, apparently, commonly enjoyed by old men. heh

Sub: “Besides, they’re not good looking enough.” This is a mistranslation. Yeon’s line is literally: “And besides, I don’t like the look of their faces.” What he means, though, is the feeling they give off, rather than their actual ‘looks.’ It’s a common expression in Korean. If I was translating instead of explaining, I would probably render this as, “I don’t like the look of them.”

As Ji Ah drags him out, however, Yeon can be heard saying, “Ah~ I judge people by their looks~!” I’m 98% sure this is another LDW ad lib. Basically, LDW made a joke of his previous line, as if to say Yeon cared about the look of them because they weren’t attractive enough, when really his line meant they seemed shady. It’s almost as if he predicted the bad sub...

We get a brief scene featuring the second (and only named) survivor of the Milky Way, Jin Shik. Oh, and his headless ‘visitor.’ Creepy.

The music underscoring Hungry gorging himself on raw meat is making everything worse (or possibly better, if disturbing is your jam)

I’ve said it before, but I would watch an entire series of Yeon and Ji Ah being a supernatural investigative duo.

Pfft Yeon refers to Seo Gi Chang as ‘the head’ (mogaji). I’m not sure if I should call that indelicate or irreverent. It’s a bit of both, really. 

Yeon’s line here is subbed as, “What happened on the boat?” but it should more properly be: “What did you do on the boat?” He’s not just asking after the sequence of events; the line is a clear accusation.

Sub: “We met an unexpected storm that day.” Actually: “Rough wind and waves hit the side of the fishing boat.” (i.e. causing it to capsize) 

I appreciate that Yeon sits back here and allows Ji Ah to take the lead. 

So, as it turns out, the 11th hell is actually a fishing boat (I’m sure the cast of 1N2D will back me up on this).

Fun fact: This sequence was filmed in a green screen pool and then made to look like the middle of the ocean with CG.

As an aside, I love that Ji Ah deduced the whole story on her own and that she uses that knowledge to corner Hungry psychologically. Also, that her strategy proves more effective than Yeon’s threat of violence. It’s not so much a ‘you catch more flies with honey,’ as a ‘brain over brawn’ sort of deal. 

Ji Ah: You were frightened, weren’t you? Twenty-eight days straight on a perilous life boat without water or food. They’re the perfect conditions for a person to go mad, aren’t they? First-degree burns from the hot August sun striking your body mercilessly, the boat pitching about all day; despite not having eaten, you feel as if you’ll throw up. Clenching your teeth and waiting to be rescued only works for a day or two. The more you think about it, the angrier you get. ‘Why, me? Why?!’ Around the fifth day was the crisis point. Since, in that time, not a drop of rain had fallen. Dehydration would have set in first. [...] But it’s odd, isn’t it? For having starved for 28 days, you lost too little body mass. [...] What did you eat?

Meanwhile, Yeon’s contribution to all of this is: “And you couldn’t have used a delivery app in the middle of the open ocean where there’s no wifi signal.” Pfft He has, of course, caught on to her strategy. As usual, though, he decides to take the cheeky route. 

Side note: I find it interesting that, in this universe full of monsters, the first incident Yeon and Ji Ah end up investigating together turns out to be an entirely human horror. 

Yo. Hungry deciding Ji Ah is food is just...ugh. Never trust a cannibal. 

Luckily for Ji Ah, her guard dog fox is on the job. 

Over to Rang, who asks a weeping Pyung Hee what she’ll give him in return for granting her ‘wish’. We don’t get to see her answer him, but it was included in the backstory collection.

It’s unclear to me just how much Rang is involved in ‘granting’ Pyung Hee’s wish. Like, is he the one fueling the curse somehow, or did he just teach her what she needed to know? I’m inclined to believe it’s more the latter. 

We cut to Taluipa at the Afterlife Immigration Office, who’s pissed that someone’s messing with her Death List. There’s a fun mythology-related chestnut in this scene: when Hyeonuiong comes running in, he’s carrying a watering can. Taluipa accuses him of having been watching dramas, but Hyeonuiong insists he was watering the Uiryeongsu. 

The chyron for it reads: ‘The Uiryeongsu. A tree that measures the sins of the dead by the weight of their clothes when they’re hung on it.’ The hanja for ‘Uiryeongsu’ (衣領樹) literally mean ‘clothing-amount-tree,’ so its name is essentially its function. In traditional mythology, it grows on the near bank of the Samdocheon. This is also the same tree that the Uiryeong’geom (geom = sword) mentioned in EP13 is made from.

“You watered a tree for 3 hours?” Pfft Hyeonuiong and watering can, exit stage right. 

Minor detail: I just realized I can actually see from Taluipa’s List in this scene that one of the two fishermen is named Kim Gil Sang. Still not sure which one though, so I’m going to stick to calling them Hungry and Thirsty. 

The Dragon King Scroll

Back over to Ji Ah, who examines a creepy scroll hanging in Jin Shik’s vacant quarters. Once again, the show cuts into its own dramatic tension with a moment of levity as Yeon startles both Ji Ah and me by popping open his bag of snacks with a massive bang. The contrast between Ji Ah, who’s in serious investigator mode, and Yeon, who just continues his one-gumiho snack parade, blasé as can be, adds humour to an otherwise grim situation. 

Yeon’s response of, “Oh. Sorry.” is in English, making it sound, if possible, even less sincere.

On the off chance that anyone was wondering, the snack Yeon claims as his favorite here is 솜짱 (somjjang). According to the Korean fans again, this is also a food commonly enjoyed by elderly people.

Subs: “Do you know how many people in Joseon died during the 50 years of war? 3.5 million. I’ve seen more deaths than all the funeral companies in this country.” This is another case of diagonal translation. Yeon’s line is more properly: 

Yeon: Between the Imjin War and the Manchu War, do you know how much of the population of Joseon-era Korea was lost in just 50 years? 3,500,000. I’m a guy who’s seen more funerals than all the funerary companies in Korea put together.  

[Note: Yeon is talking about The Japanese Invasions a.k.a The Imjin War (1592-1598) and The Qing Invasion of Joseon a.k.a. The Manchu War (1636)]

As a linguistic aside, Yeon refers to himself here as a ‘nom’ (rhymes with ‘home’). If you read the breakdown of EP02, you’ll recall that ‘nom’ can mean anything from ‘guy’ to ‘bastard.’ It’s not that Yeon means to call himself a bastard, though. It’s only that the typical alternative here (i.e. ‘person’) carries the implication of 'human.’ Since Yeon is, of course, not human, he opts for ‘nom’ instead. The word gets a lot of mileage in this show in relation to all the supernaturals for that reason. 

Lol This exchange about the Dragon King was great. Point to the writer. I would translate it as: 

Yeon: You’re right, but it looks nothing like him. 

Ji Ah: You’ve...seen him? 

Yeon: Back when I was a mountain god. Well, in today’s terms you’d say we attended a leadership conference together. They over-glamorized him. He’s not this good looking.

Ji Ah’s reaction is perfect too. Her, ‘I don’t even know where to begin with that statement so I’m just going to move on’ look came across loud and clear. 

Yeon’s line as he leans over Ji Ah’s shoulder is subbed: “This is just like ‘Where’s Wally?’” In Korea, the game is called ‘find the hidden picture’ (‘sumun keurim chatgi’). So the line is actually: “What is this, ‘find the hidden picture’ or something?” I’d say there’s a 50/50 chance this line was another ad lib by Lee Dong Wook.

On an entirely different cultural note, ‘Where’s Wally?’ is know as ‘Where’s Waldo?’ in North America and exactly nowhere else. Don’t ask... 

This scene features the first mention we get of Imoogi. Imoogi are among the most famous Korean mythical creatures. In most tellings, they are essentially proto-dragons, though occasionally they can be baby dragons. For example, one imoogi tale claims its imoogi was the son of the Dragon King (the same one Yeon attended a ‘leadership conference’ with). Most of the lore agrees that if an imoogi stays submerged in deep water for a thousand years, it earns the chance to become a dragon, though the caveats vary widely, and many imoogi fail. Finally, while the imoogi in TotNT is evil, imoogi aren’t categorically so; some are good, some aren’t.

Rang and the Mudang

Fun fact: Kim Beom explained in his Instagram LIVE that he chose to wear a red suit partially because the color gave off the feeling of a villain, but also because it contrasted well with the green of the forest. He also named this as his favorite Lee Rang outfit.

For anyone keeping track, Rang speaks to the mudang in banmal. She, in return, addresses him as ‘Lee Rang-nim’ and speaks very respectfully.

Okay, there are a couple of things to unpack in Rang’s following exchange with the mudang: 

Mudang: The Corrupt God, King of the Wicked. He is Lee Ryong-nim.

Rang: [Laughs] What’s with that? Ugh, I seriously just cringed! If you slap a fancy title* from the next world in front of its name, does a snake become a dragon?

First, the mudang’s line here is said in an archaic cant. Second, ‘Lee Ryong’ (properly pronounced, ‘i-ryong,’ since there’s actually no ‘L’ in ‘Lee’), is another name for imoogi.

Finally, when Rang says ‘a fancy title from the next world,’ he’s referring to a posthumous name/title. Nearly every kingdom to have occupied the Korean peninsula has used posthumous titles (시호), most often for deceased royalty. By giving one to Imoogi, the mudang is venerating him. Rang mocks this, seizing on Imoogi’s failure to become a dragon. (Let no one say he and Yeon aren’t brothers).

The subs have Rang referring to Yeon as just ‘Yeon,’ but he actually calls him ‘Lee Yeon.’ That’s a very impersonal way to refer to one’s older brother, which is, of course, intentional on Rang’s part. It serves as another linguistic cue to the audience as to how Rang regards Yeon at this point. 

A note on the evening primrose: tvN released a short blurb about it, since, as far as I can tell, the mythology was invented for the show. It reads: 

Evening primrose that has grown while feeding on the blood and flesh of corpses is the same as poison to gumiho; if they so much as touch its powder, their bodies catch flame.

While the subs consistently just say ‘evening primrose,’ this should more properly be ‘burial ground evening primrose,’ which is how the various characters refer to it. 

Fun fact: ‘Evening primrose’ in Korean is ‘dalmaji-kkot’ (달맞이꽃), which means ‘flowers that welcome the moon’. 

Sub: “Half-brothers, to be exact.” The term Rang uses in Korean is quite literally, ‘brothers from different stomachs,’ so it refers specifically to half brothers who share a father but who have different mothers. I mention it only because Korean viewers will have been given slightly more information about their familial relationship here than was provided in the subs. 

Back over to our leads, as Yeon urges Ji Ah to leave the island post-haste. His line is subbed: “I’m saying you may die if you stay here.” That’s a perfectly fine translation. For anyone curious, though, his line is quite literally: “I’m saying if you stay here, [the conditions are] perfect for dying.” 

Sub: “That’s none of your business.” Yeon’s line is more properly: “That’s not for you to know.”

Ji Ah’s response to this is very literally: “I have no intention to go home for a reason I don’t know. So Lee Yeon should find the person Lee Yeon came here to find. I have to know why my parents came to this island.” This is the first time Ji Ah uses Yeon’s full name as a second person pronoun (so basically to mean ‘you’) when speaking to him. It’s hard to make generalizations about any form of address that don’t have multiple exceptions, but in this case, using his name is a more neutral, and somewhat more familiar, alternative to some of the other pronouns she’s been using when speaking to him. To my sense, it softens her rejection of his advice a little bit.

Back to Rang. His line is a bit awkward to translate, but essentially what he says is, ‘Calling my brother a ‘mountain god’ is an overstatement/ putting it nicely.’ I might approximate this as, ‘Sure, my brother was called a mountain god.’ This is the only time in the entire drama that Rang refers to Yeon as ‘uri hyung,’ and it kills me a bit that it’s not out of fondness, but rather derision. ㅠㅠ

Similarly, when Rang says, “I’m a fox, after all. I have to repay eunhye properly,” he is, of course, using eunhye sarcastically.

The subtitle here once again says ‘the underworld,’ but Rang’s line is actually: “I’m going to go to hell, without fail. Together with Lee Yeon.” The subs really need to do a better job of distinguishing between hell and the afterlife. 

We see Ji Ah instruct Jae Hwan over the phone as to what to search for in the library records. She’s split off from Yeon since we last saw them. 

Elsewhere on the island, Yeon also makes a call, only his is to Halmeom (Taluipa) to ask about Imoogi. When this episode first aired, I thought it was odd that Yeon was using ‘Imoogi’ as if it were a name, since this would be like referring to Yeon as ‘Gumiho.’ He later taunts Terry-Imoogi about just that though (i.e. not even having a proper name), so obviously it was an intentional decision on the writer’s part. 

Sub: “If by chance Ah Eum was born again into this world, I can’t let that thing coexist with her.” This sub went a bit sideways. The ‘by chance’ has been mis-attributed. The line is properly: “There’s no way I could possibly (i.e. by any chance/under no circumstances can I) let such a thing exist in a world in which Ah Eum has been reborn.” Yeon is already sure that Ah Eum has been reborn at this point. He’s saying that because she’s been reborn, he can’t allow Imoogi to coexist with her under any circumstances.

Rang vs Ji Ah

Ji Ah returns to Pyung Hee’s to find ‘Pyung Hee’ reading Moby Dick. This is an ironic enough choice of literature to clue her in to the fact that this isn’t really Pyung Hee. Smart cookie. 

On a character note, I loved that Ji Ah’s knowledge of, and love for, world literature was threaded believably throughout the drama in a way in which it feels natural that she caught on to Rang’s hint here. Point to the writer. 

Again, for anyone keeping track, Ji Ah and Rang speak to each other in banmal, as has been the case since Rang revealed himself at Ji Ah’s house in EP01. Not because they’re close, obviously, but because they have zero respect for one another. It’s a bit of a power play on Ji Ah’s part, too, since she’s (hundreds of years) younger. 

Over to Yeon, who barges into the local market owner’s personal quarters to interrogate him. His line when he catches sight of the scroll on the wall is subbed: “Look at this.” This should more properly be: “Check these people out. There’s one here too.” The word he uses that I translated as ‘these people’ is ‘i-geot-dul,’ which is very literally ‘these things,’ so I sort of understand the confusion in the subs. He means the islanders though, not the scrolls. In contrast, ‘there’s one here too’ does actually refer to the scroll.

The knife Yeon throws hits directly over the slit pupil of the scroll dragon’s eye. Nice aim.

Back to Ji Ah and Rang. When Ji Ah accuses Rang of orchestrating the deaths of the Milk Way survivors, ‘to distract us,’ what she says quite literally is ‘to cover our eyes and ears.’

When Rang applauds Ji Ah’s deductive abilities, his line is subbed, “Awesome.” This should more properly be, “Outstanding,” or, “Exceptional.” I honestly believe he’s being sincere in his praise. Being Rang, though, he’s probably just delighted this makes her more challenging to toy with.

Having completed his interrogation, Yeon’s eyes change as he erases the man’s memory of the event. I suspect the reason Yeon is so cavalier about revealing he’s a gumiho is because he can basically ‘undo’ it whenever he wants using this power.

Ji Ah’s quiet, “I decline” is so satisfying. Also the way Rang pulls back in surprise haha I guess he’s not used to being turned down. 

Rang’s exchange with Ji Ah is subbed as: “Loosen up. Why be so stiff when it’s just good old me?” / “Let me give you some advice since that’s how you feel. Don’t gamble with another’s tragedy just for kicks. There’s a word for people like you, you know. A colossal jerk.” This is difficult to translate, and I think the subs have done a pretty good job, but a closer translation would be:

Rang: Augh— So uptight! Are you going to keep acting this uptight, just between us* (literally, ‘between you and me’)? 

Ji Ah: Between you and me, then, I’ll give you just one word of advice: Don’t carelessly role the dice atop others’ misfortune. People call jerks like you ‘sleazy bastards.’ 

[*Note: Rang’s phrasing implies that they’re somehow close/on good terms, but he’s being sarcastic, of course.]

First off, the word Rang uses for ‘uptight’ (빡빡하다) means ‘stiff; uptight; rigid; inflexible; strict.’ By this, he’s referring to how she never lets her guard down. I don’t know that any of those words properly conveys that, though. 

Second, while I translated Ji Ah’s line about the dice very literally here (in keeping with the spirit of this post), I actually like how the subs handled it from a translation/subtitling standpoint. 

Finally, the subs have Ji Ah calling Rang ‘a colossal jerk,’ but the term she actually uses (‘yang’achi saekki’) is a much stronger expletive. ‘Yang’achi’ is a term for a thug, gangster, or hoodlum. ‘Saekki’ literally means ‘child of.’ In practical use, though, it’s close to ‘bastard.’ (I really didn’t think I’d be explaining the finer points of Korean expletives when I started this series, but here we are). I approximated this as ‘sleazy bastard’ above. 

Pfft Rang being genuinely offended at Ji Ah’s language. Jo Bo Ah talked a bit about what she thought of all the explicit language Ji Ah uses towards Rang in her wrap interview. 

Subs: “When he finds what he wants, you’ll be begging for mercy.” No idea where they got 'begging for mercy.’ What Rang actually says is, “When he  finds what he wants, you’ll see hell.” Unlike in the subtitle, Rang’s warning actually has substance to it, since he’s referring to the fact that, once Yeon identifies Ji Ah as Ah Eum’s reincarnation, their fate with Imoogi will repeat itself. 

By the time Yeon rushes back to Pyung Hee’s, Rang is long gone. His line subbed as: “What did he say?” is, quite literally, “Lee Rang, that nom, what’d he say?” This use of ‘nom’ manages to come off as fairly mild. (He may be a jerk, but he’s Yeon’s jerk). 

Ji Ah’s response has undergone cultural translation to become: “Even when I order pizza, I never go for half-and-half. I always choose just one.” Honestly, though, I don’t know that it was necessary. What she actually says is: “Even when I order chicken, I don’t go for half-seasoned, half-fried; I’m the type to just pick one.”

This scene was originally longer but part of it got deleted. They released the clip, though, so I’ll translate the full exchange here:

Ji Ah: I'm saying I turned him down, your younger brother. Since I bet on this fox.  

Yeon: Let no one say you aren’t a learned (wise) woman. Is that all?  

Rang (voiceover): Don't trust Lee Yeon too much.  

Ji Ah: That's all. But...you said the two of you are brothers.

Yeon: Yeah. We’re brothers. 

Ji Ah: Why are you so hellbent on destroying each other? 

Yeon: It seems like you don’t know since you’re an only child, but, as a rule, the relationship between siblings is a lot like noir, just without the guns.

Ji Ah: There you go, deflecting the question again. Is that a secret, too? 

Yeon: If you ever happen to run into that guy again just the two of you, no matter what, run fast. That kid* despises humans. Especially humans that look like you. 

Ji Ah: Why do you keep taking cracks at people's faces?

Yeon: ...I'm hungry.  

Ji Ah: Why don’t you take the opportunity to pack up and leave while you still can? Your younger brother...it seems he’s preparing some sort of special event. 

Yeon: That’s what I’m waiting for.

*Note: The word Yeon uses that I translated as ‘kid’ is ‘jashik.’ This is another word that, depending on how it’s used, can either be fond or rude. ‘Jashik’ literally means ‘[one’s] child,’ but it’s also commonly used in the sense of ‘punk.’ It’s a bit softer than nom. You wouldn’t use it to refer to yourself, though. 

Ji Ah’s “Why do you keep taking cracks at people’s faces?” (meaning he’s insulting/taking issue with how she looks), is referencing their exchange the previous night when he told her not to smile because she was ugly.

We cut briefly to Shin Joo eating at the Snail Bride as he sizes up Yoo Ri from a distance. Come to think of it, we never got this BGM for the Snail Bride, either...

Ramen Heart-to-Heart

Lee Yeon’s one-gumiho meokbang continues. I feel like Yeon has been nomming on something in nearly every scene this episode. 

The BGM while Yeon and Ji Ah eat is a remix of Yeon’s theme, ‘The Fox’s Wedding Day.’

Sub: “Just because these ladies wear baggy pants in floral prints doesn’t mean they have kind hearts. Get digging, and you’ll find all sorts of dirty secrets.” Yeon’s line is more literally: 

Yeon: Living is all the same [everywhere]~ Just because grannies in the countryside wear flower-patterned pants doesn’t mean that even their insides are flower-patterned. If you start digging, venomous and insidious years come pouring out. 

Ji Ah’s response then plays off of Yeon’s turn of phrase: “Is that the case for you too? I just wondered, ‘With what pattern did you live all those long years?’” (referring to the ‘pattern’ of his heart).

On a minor cultural note: the word Yeon uses is ‘mombbae pants’ (몸빼바지), which are a fashion(?) staple in the countryside. You’ll know what I mean if you run the hangeul through a google image search. That’s where the subs got ‘baggy’ from even though Yeon doesn’t explicitly say it. 

Sub: “Why have you been searching for your parents all this time?” Yeon’s line is more properly: “Then what about you? What has made you wait for your parents for such a long time?” 

Sub: “I’m the same. I’m waiting for the one I miss.” I would have translated this as: “I’m waiting for someone I miss,” which is literally what he says. 

Sub: “Why did you part ways when you still miss her this much?” This is a bit hard to translate into natural-sounding English. The word Ji Ah uses is ‘mi’ryeon,’ which means ‘lingering attachment.’ So her line is quite literally: “Your face is so full of lingering attachment, how did you come to part ways/break up?”

Sub: “The first being I loved was a human girl who ended up dying. It’s why I’m still hung up on her. Happy now?” Hmm... I would translate Yeon’s line as:

Yeon: My damn* first love was a human of all things, but she died, so I’m foolishly unable to let go of my lingering attachment. Happy now? 

[*Note: Yeon is cursing is the phenomenon of first love itself, not Ah Eum.]

His statement is witty, because the word he uses for ‘foolish’ is also pronounced ‘mi’ryeon.’ In this case, though, 'mi’ryeon’ means, ‘foolhardy and dense enough to be stubborn to a preposterous degree.’ Which is probably a fair assessment given he’s been waiting 600 years. The sub for this line made it sound like he’s saying, ‘I’m hung up on her because she’s a human girl who died,’ which would just be weird. 

Shin Joo Meets Yoo Ri

Okay, minor detail, but what exactly was Yoo Ri trying to accomplish here before Shin Joo stopped her from entering an off-limits area of the Snail Bride?

The BGM here is called ‘Skip a Beat’ (‘Kanju Jump’). I found the track title slightly surprising since it’s actually taken from an ad lib made by Kim Yong Ji (Yoo Ri) in a later episode. 

For anyone keeping track, Shin Joo and Yoo Ri are speaking in a mix of banmal and jondaetmal in this scene.

We next see Shin Joo on the phone with Yeon, whining about the whole ordeal and asking an unsympathetic Yeon to come back and retrieve his necklace for him.

Yeon’s line that’s subbed as, “Deadly?” could mean more than one thing. The line is literally, “What? The thief was deadly?” The word for ‘deadly,’ though, could equally mean that she was a knockout (i.e. gorgeous). It’s probably a bit of both.

Subs: “There’s nothing more pathetic than being blinded by a woman’s beauty...” / “But you also ruined your life by falling for beautiful woman.”  For the record, neither of them actually uses the word ‘beauty/beautiful’ here. I would translate this exchange as: 

Yeon: You... The most pathetic thing in the world, is being blinded by a woman, and... 

Shin Joo: But being blinded by a woman and wrecking your life is something Lee Yeon-nim did too, isn’t it? 

Yeon: What, you punk?!

Lol Yeon’s “What, you punk?!” is a familiar refrain whenever Shin Joo unwittingly(?) insults Yeon. The word is ‘imma’ (임마) or sometimes ‘inma’ (인마). Yeon consistently uses the former.

‘Bad Fate’

Subs: “Why is that branch broken? It must’ve hurt.” Yeon is actually personifying the tree here, which makes sense seeing as he can communicate with it. So his line is more literally: “Now why has this kid gone and made a fuss breaking [his] branch? It must’ve hurt.” Which is cute.

I actually really appreciated this short scene of Yeon healing the tree. Yeon may no longer be the master of Baekdudaegan, but this scene showed that it’s still very much a part of who he is; not just his powers, but the care he has for the forest. 

Fun (?) fact: It turns out this simple scene was actually a huge pain to film. 

Subs: “I hope you grow well.” Actually: “Eat well and grow well.” I realize that sounds awkward in English, but the line is a directive. He’s once again speaking to the tree. 

Sub: “The wind is blowing from the northwest. Something is coming.” I would have translated this as: “A northwest wind blows... Something is coming.” That’s partly a tonal choice, but it’s also a more literal reflection of the original Korean. 

We finally catch back up to the end of EP02, as Jae Hwan calls Ji Ah from the library to tell her what he’s found. This time, we see her connect the first dead body in 1954 to what the forest spirit told them more explicitly. 

The dates of the four incidents are: August 13, 1954; August 25, 1961; September 6, 1979; and September 7, 1987. Ji Ah quickly deduces that these all work out to be the same date on the lunar calendar: July 15th. In 2020, that works out to be Wednesday, September 2nd. If you’ll recall, the wedding at the start of EP01 was held on August 29, so it’s only been 3 days since Yeon and Ji Ah crossed paths at the wedding hall. 

“Long time no see, Lee Yeon.” What is it with Imoogi and choking Yeon?

Subs: “You should’ve let me go.”  More precisely: “I know, right? You should have let me go.”

Yeon’s final “What are you?” should probably have been subbed as: “I’m asking what you are!” since both his tone and phrasing have grown more insistent. 

Subs: Our ill-fated relationship would’ve ended if you hadn’t stopped the boat from crossing the Samdo River. More literally:

Jimoogi: Our ak’yeon should have ended. That is, if only you hadn’t stopped the boat from crossing the Samdocheon. 

The word the subs translated as ‘our ill-fated relationship’ is ‘ak’yeon’ (悪縁), which literally means ‘bad fate.’ In contrast to the broader, ‘destiny’ sort of fate (‘un’myeong’) however, ‘yeon’ (縁) is inherently relational. It refers specifically to the fate between two people (or even between a person and a place). ‘Ak’ (悪) means ‘evil.’ So 'ill-fated’ is a bit misleading as a translation since the word actually refers to the relationship between Yeon and Imoogi (i.e. mortal enemies), rather than the fact that Yeon and Ah Eum’s story ended tragically (as in, ‘an ill-fated love’). 

WAIT. Subs: “No. That woman is born with a face that only I can recognize. And I don’t see it in you.” What?? That doesn’t even make sense. Yeon’s line is: 

Yeon: No. That woman is born carrying a sign that only I can recognize. You don’t have it. 

Obviously, Yeon is referring to the fox bead, and I’m fairly sure that was apparent since the line was intercut with the scene in which he imparts the bead to Ah Eum, but that seems like a pretty critical line to fudge up. 

Jimoogi: “You really don’t know anything, do you, Lee Yeon?” It’s weird to me that they have Imoogi addressing Yeon as just ‘Yeon’ in the subs. That makes it seem like they’re friends or something...

Subs: “The scar is gone.” Actually: “The wound disappeared.” 

Deadball

Subs: “We hate each other too much to play catch. I actually meant to kill you.” Wait, WHAT?! Yeon’s line is: 

Yeon: Our relationship is too makjang for that. That was meant to be a deadball, actually. 

Makjang, for the uninitiated, is a slang word taken from the phrase ‘the final scene’ (‘majimak jangmyeon’) that has come to refer to an entire genre, as well as particular dramatic elements or conventions of Korean storytelling. Dramabeans explain the term here. When Yeon says his relationship with Rang is ‘makjang,’ he’s essentially saying it’s overly fraught, not that he hates his brother. 

He also doesn’t say he meant to kill Rang. ‘Deadball’ is a Korean baseball term for a pitch that hits a player (typically causing the game to be paused). So Yeon’s just saying he meant for the ‘ball’ to hit Rang, rather than for Rang to catch it. 

On a personal note, it really bothers me when the subs spread all over the internet and they’re wrong like this. I don’t mind slight changes in phrasing or wording, but when they grossly misrepresent the characters like this it can be a bit upsetting. It’s no wonder I sometimes feel like I watched a completely different drama. ㅠㅠ

Yeon’s cheeky smile™ XD

The BGM in this scene is actually ‘The Forest of the Agwi.’

Subs: “Run away.” Yeon’s line is quite literally: ‘Get away from here,’ or even, ‘put distance between here and you.’ I mention it because I really appreciated that, despite all the danger she confronts, Yeon never once tells Ji Ah to ‘run away’ (‘domang ga’). His second ‘run away’ in the subs is also just him telling her to hurry up (literally ‘go quickly’).

The following banter between the brothers is something I mentioned in an ask a while back because all the humour had been lost in translation. To recap, though, one recurring joke the show uses plays off the word for ‘bastard/son of a bitch,’ which translates literally as ‘child of a dog’ (kae-saekki). As you might imagine, this gets a lot of mileage in relation to Rang, our resident ‘baby fox’ (agi yeou) a.k.a. ‘child of a fox’ (yeou-saekki):

Rang: This is domestic violence, you know?

Yeon: (Nodding) They say you’re supposed to raise wild children* with a firm hand (literally: hit them as you raise them), but I couldn’t do that, so I ended up raising a fox child into a dog child (son of a bitch), didn’t I?

Rang: And who was the jerk who kicked that child (saekki) to the curb? You treat me like a stray dog any chance you get. 

Yeon: My little brother, I’ll have to gift you a muzzle this Christmas. 

Rang’s line was subbed: “You keep blaming it on me, when you were the one who turned me into an orphan.” which I find fairly problematic since that makes it sound like Yeon killed Rang’s parents. It’s also just plain wrong; to the extent that I’m not even sure what went wrong in the translation process. 

The word Yeon uses here for ‘wild children’ is ‘horo jashik’ (호로자식), which many Koreans understand to mean something like a barbarian child, but the true origin, as it turns out, is a parentless child. It’s also a term used predominantly by elderly people heh

Finally, because the dog jokes dropped out ‘muzzle’ became ‘mouth guard’ in the subs, which is both less funny and less sensical. The two are also conceptually opposed, since ‘muzzle’ implies that Yeon means to protect the world from Rang whereas ‘mouth guard’ is more about protecting Rang.

As Ji Ah continues to put distance between herself and the brothers, she happens upon the mudang’s house, which she immediately clocks as such from the obangi. 

I like that Ji Ah doesn’t immediately call the mudang out for lying, but instead continues to question her knowing she’s lying. Sometimes the lies people tell can be as telling as the truth. 

When Ji Ah questions her, the mudang tells her the fishing ritual is held during the ‘Ghost Festival’. This is a Buddhist festival similar to All Souls Day. In Korean it’s called ‘Baek Joong Nal’ (literally ‘hundred-gather-day’) meaning ‘the day when all the spirits gather.’ It falls on the full moon of the seventh lunar month (so July 15th of the lunar calendar), which is, of course, the date Ji Ah identified as the day when the murders were taking place. That’s why we get the zoom in and the flash to the newspaper dates: Ji Ah has put everything together. 

Chyron: “Obangi (五方旗) A five-colored flag symbolizing ‘life, death, illness, sacrifice, and ancestors’”. This is the quick quotes version. Obangi have their roots in the Chinese philosophy of Wuxing, but for more on that, I’ll refer you to Wikipedia. In Korea, the colors of the obangi (red, blue, white, black, and yellow) are known as the five orientation colors, and are closely tied to both shamanism and fortune telling. You’ll notice these same colors flying outside the fortune teller’s in EP06.

I also appreciated that Ji Ah didn’t just foolishly drink the tea here. She was properly on her guard. It’s only that she mis-identified the source of danger.

Back over to our fox brothers. Rang’s line is subbed: “That was plenty of time.” This is more properly: “I think I’ve bought more than enough time by now.” So he’s actually quite overt in telling Yeon exactly what he'd been up to.  

Subs: “Don’t you know why she ended up on this island?” More closely: “Do you still not get it? Why that woman ended up coming to this island of all places?” 

We see the mudang encircle the creepy well with burial ground evening primrose to ward against Yeon, who is currently searching the island for Ji Ah to no avail. 

Subs: “You tricked your mom while you were in her womb.” This is a bit difficult to translate. The word the mudang uses that was translated as ‘tricked’ is ‘ggweda,’ which means to ‘lure’ or ‘entice.’ So what she means is that the part of Imoogi that was reincarnated with Ji Ah ‘lured’ her mother to the island by sending her recurring dreams. 

Gumiho

Lol Yeon: “I am the original mountain spirit, the master of the mountains and streams. Lift this darkness and lead me to her!” This is more literally:

Yeon: I am the original mountain god, the master of your mountains and streams.* Part this darkness and lead me to that woman!

[*Note: ‘Mountains and streams’ here can also be taken to mean ‘nature’ at large.]

Lol The line is met with silence and the soft hoot of a lone owl. That’s basically the director’s version of *crickets* isn’t it?

This line is another rare case in which Yeon speaks archaically, and it serves to make the command sound more formal and potentially magical. It’s also worth noting that he’s addressing the forest directly as a whole here (thus the ‘your’). 

Fun fact: When Lee Dong Wook did his TotNT VLIVE, his promotional team made him perform this line again live just to mess with him haha

The BGM here as Yeon heads off through the forest led by his (supernatural?) fireflies is ‘Opening Title: The Legend of the Fox.’ It sounds vaguely Harry Potter-ish to me (not complaining). 

For the record, Ji Ah is now speaking to the mudang in banmal out of disdain. 

Sub: “Be a sacrifice. You are a very special child.” Pfft ‘Be a sacrifice’ sounds oddly funny to me. Her line is: “Become a sacrifice. I’m told you’re a very special child.” So the implication is that this information came from someone/something else. 

Does anyone know what BGM this is as Yeon sprints though the forest? I think it might be another unreleased track, but I’m not positive...

Yeon’s “Halt!” is once again in olden speech. It indicates linguistically that he's in Gumiho mode.  

Out of curiosity, is it not odd for people watching with subs when Ji Ah’s only utterance is ‘Lee Yeon’ but the subs just say ‘Yeon’? 

Subs: “This has nothing to do with the old master of the mountain. Why don’t you keep walking?” I would have translated this as: “It is a matter unrelated to the former master of the mountain. Beg, go along your way.” She’s once again using olden-speech in her second sentence.

Lol Sub: “Says the living corpse.” I like this sub. Yeon’s line is quite literally: “With the ‘juje’ of a living corpse...” ‘Juje’ is essentially your station or lot in life, and it’s used almost exclusively derogatorily. 

Sub: “Who was it that provided you with longevity you don’t deserve?” More closely: “Who was it? The one who gave you a lifespan so much longer than you deserve?”

Yeon: “I asked you whom you serve!” (literally ‘what’ you serve). Yeon once again drops into an archaic cant for this line. It serves to underline his full age and gives his demand an extra air of authority. 

Yeon’s TAILS. I can’t believe this was the last we saw of them. ㅠㅠ Personally, I interpreted the firey tails as being a sort of ‘shadow’/ projection of his actual tails, which I assumed were actually more physically there (since he talks about shampooing them in the teaser interview). My sister thinks differently, though. Guess we’ll never know...

The BGM for this sequence is naturally ‘Gumiho.’ If you read our EP01 breakdown, you’ll know I was fully expecting this to be Yeon’s theme. But no, it’s the whimsical 'The Fox’s Wedding Day’ instead haha

Okay, Yeon just casually smiting the mudang is pretty badass. Seeing as he can command lightning, I’m pretty sure he was joking when he told Ji Ah, ‘even gumiho are afraid of electricity.’ 

If by chance you wondered what was going though Yeon’s mind when he smote the mudang, it’s featured in the EP03 subtitle poster.

I appreciated that Yeon just accepts Ji Ah at her word here when she tells him all she needs from him is one arm for support. I feel like in most dramas the male lead would have just forcefully swept the heroine off her feet amidst her protests, which I always find more problematic than romantic.

For that matter, when it became clear that Ji Ah really did need help, I appreciated that she didn’t act shy or coy and just accepted being carried without making a big deal of it. 

Pfft The way Ji Ah’s eyes flash when Yeon tells her the mudang was just a human being says it all. 

Yeon: “So you say... Excuse me, but you nearly died just now, you know?” This line is once again cheekily in jondaetmal.

*Ominous close up of the well*

Thank You

We catch up with Shin Joo at the supermarket as he talks to Yeon over the phone. 

Shin Joo’s ‘PD-nim’ has once again become, ‘the director lady’ in the subs. *Sigh*

Subs: “Your love story is more than just famous among us.” Actually: “Just how famous is Lee Yeon-nim’s love story in our world? It’s obvious your younger brother* must have been playing tricks!” 

Shin Joo refers to Rang here as ‘donsaeng-bun’ (younger sibling + polite word for person) for the same reason he calls Rang, ‘Lee Rang-nim.’ It’s an extension of his regard for Yeon, rather than for Rang himself.

Lol Shin Joo hanging up on Yeon. His love for supermarkets and fried chicken are actually in his character profile. Apparently, they’re what convinced him living as a human was worth the existential crisis that came with it. 

Sub: “I’m too much of a human to easily fall asleep after such an event. Join me.” More literally: “I’m human, so on a day like today I can’t sleep sober. You* have a glass, too.”

The word Ji Ah uses for ‘you’ here is ‘ja’ne’ (자네), which is a polite term... except it’s only used to refer to people younger than you. So’s she’s talking down to him politely haha This is what prompts Yeon’s line that follows it:

Sub: “I never said anything since it could make seem old-fashioned, but you’re too informal with me when you don’t even know my age.”

 Yeon: I kept holding it in thinking you’d call me an old fart, but you’re [using] banmal really blatantly. Just how old do you think I am?”

Yeon’s ‘Just how old do you think I am?’ is rhetorical. It’s not that Ji Ah is necessarily unaware of his true age, but rather that she acts as if she is. 

Sub: “Those over 60 are universally considered as grandpas.” Actually: “You know everyone over 60 can be called a grandpa, right?”

Pfft Sub: “Be as informal as you like.” What Yeon literally says is, “Please lower your speech,” but he uses very respectful language to say it. I’m not sure if he’s being sarcastic, or if he just hates the thought of being considered a grandpa that much haha It’s probably a bit of both.

Aww Ji Ah promising to protect Yeon. I luff her. 

Ji Ah: "Do I perhaps have something you’re looking for?” I love that she doesn’t miss a thing.

Lol Yeon: “Who am I, Jesus? Just drink what you have.” 

The Vanishing

Subs: “Don’t ever resort to cursing people again. Karma can sting.” Quite literally: “You were lucky you kept your life, but don’t do such a thing* as cursing others ever again. They return, you know. Back on the one who casts them.” 

*Yeon uses the disparagement marker ‘ddaui’ (따위) to refer to the act of cursing someone here. You may recall it from our EP01 breakdown. 

Ji Ah chooses this moment to come running in to announce that the island has turned into a ghost town over night, which is enough to make even Yeon pause, perplexed.  

I love the way Yeon and Ji Ah exchange looks here on the dock. They don’ t know what’s up yet, but they intend to find out. 

‘Blue Moon’~~~ This worked great scored over the drone-camera pan out. I may be slightly biased, though.  

And that concludes Episode 3. Once again, thank you to everyone who commented or left feedback on the last episode! Never hesitate to send me your thoughts, even if they’re just to say what you found funny or surprising. It helps me to know what’s of interest for one thing, but I also just enjoy chatting about the show. ;)

A brief note on pronunciation/notation: for words like ‘sa’ingeom’ and ‘mi’ryeon,’ the apostrophe is there just as a pronunciation guide. So in the case of the former, to indicate that it’s pronounced ‘sah-in’ and not ‘sine’ or ‘sane.’ Similarly, for the latter, the apostrophe is just to indicate that this should be pronounced ‘mi-ryeon’ and not ‘mir-yeon.’ I could have just as easily done this with ‘Hyeon’ui’ong’ except that’s a lot of apostrophes and I set an earlier precedent of not. It’s not an aspiration or anything fancy. Hopefully that makes sense. 

Once again, I’d like to credit my sister for being the main researcher and fact-checker for these, in addition to weighing in on all the translations. I don’t always take her advice, but I do always appreciate it haha. 

Thank you also to everyone who bought us coffee! Your support is truly felt and appreciated ♡ As usual, this took an ungodly amount of time, so every coffee helps haha. For anyone just joining us (or not), if you’d like to see more of these, please consider buying us a coffee. If you follow the link, you can buy a $2 cup of virtual coffee. This helps me to gauge how much interest there is, and also how much value people place on these. If you cared enough to read all the way to the end, please at least consider it. Once I’ve established there’s enough interest, I’ll proceed with Episode 4. ;)

[elizabethplaid]

Dr. Pierce’s Book of Fortune, 1937   --- Libra horoscope

@vintage-tech asked for my analysis of this Libra horoscope thing. My insights are based on opinion and balancing out what I’ve read from different quacks and my own experiences. Your mileage may vary, don’t void your bladder where prohibited, etc.

Lots of blather and a transcription of the images’ text at the end. Forgive me on the formatting, both in transcript and this whole mess of a post. I have too many thoughts and not enough organization

This sounds somewhat typical of different Libra interpretations I’ve seen.

“medium size, well-muscled, and graceful”

good health “but not very robust”

“kidney ailments”

(3/5) Medium height (not width), have been called graceful in the far-past. Partial credit there. Decent health, sure. Kidney ailments, yesssss. And that’s a thing I’ve heard before.

See, there’s an “alignment” of different body parts to different signs. “Sexual Astrology” by Joanna Martine Woolfolk (1979) notes these regions as erogenous zones. From what I’ve discussed with folks, the template fits. I’ve also seen it applied as “health troubles”, though I’m less certain about that correlation. (Don’t harp on me about a source on that image. I don’t have the patience to track it down right now, and it’d probably take foreeeever.)

In my experience, the kidney and/or bladder problems has been a thing. But I’ll also posit that I’ve had a lot of lower back muscle pain, as well, in the past.

“work carefully”, “conserve energy”

plan ahead

like to lead, and others will join

(3/5) Yes and no to all of that. Experience and mental health has shaken some habits and cemented others. I don’t make strict plans, but going without a plan is scary. Sometimes planning and such is a way to avoid a situation, too.

I don’t mind “leading” a small group of friends, but I know the perils of group projects. I might’ve been more inclined to these things when I was younger, before dealing with high school etc. It’s the “people pleaser” side of me, because I don’t want to be rejected.

logical mind

foresight, intuition

“persuasion, rather than by force”

“broad-minded and tolerant” in social situations

(4/5) Anxiety has ruined my logic, but I do go through many steps of (sometimes irrational) thought as I think my thunks. Foresight and intuition can also mean being observant and figuring out that step-A leads to step-B. That said, the few really strong gut feelings I’ve gotten haven’t been wrong. Especially when I’ve ignored them. *eye roll at self*

Definitely have been “broad-minded and tolerant”, even before being exposed to bullies. Still trying to do better, and I know I’ve improved over the years. Again, it can stem from wanting acceptance from others.

“good writer or speaker”

“warm-hearted and kind”

“sensitive to what others think of you”

“will make and keep many friends”

(3/4) All of these are very accurate, except for the keeping friends part. It could be my own mental health (eg social anxiety), moving around over the years, and/or realizing some people aren’t as appealing as they used to be - even if the relationship was good.

When I see the other person is no longer putting in the same amount of effort, I withdraw. But, in the past, I’ve put in more effort than I should have. So that was kinda doomed. Again, “people pleaser”.

“get on well in married life”

easily see multiple sides to a situation

“like and understand children”

(2/3) I’ve had a relatively easy time in relationships, but they’ve also been few and far between. Communication and understanding what I/we want have been my/our hurdles. There’s an autism-spectrum element that sometimes makes understanding other people tough, but I have been able to see different sides to things. The less a situation personally impacts me, the more sides I can see.

The children thing is less a nurturing side and more “these people are friendly”. Some of it’s autism-related, some is empathy regarding how helpless kids can feel/be. I never related well to my same-age peers, and adults loved my “old soul”. But I also know I would not feel comfortable having a young child rely on me.

“born diplomat”, ass-kissing while at least partly sincere

“fond of society”

“popular with the opposite sex”

“good wives and mothers”

bad at business

(4/6) I like to socialize, though it can be very draining, and shallow relationships are not fulfilling. Libras “are known to flirt” and be sensual or romantic, according to other sources. I think it’s a desire to feel wanted - especially as tied with the stereotype of libras liking “luxury” or “fine arts” etc. “I don’t need this person in my life to survive, but they are a delight to be around.” (Broken record: “people pleaser” again.) I do love to flirt, even pretend-flirting, where we both know nothing more will happen. It’s a safe-ish form of adrenaline rush.

The “good wives and mothers” thing feels double-edged. (This counts as 2 points.) Like, I can’t function as a wife or mother in ways that keep the day running, that keep life flowing. I have the emotional capacity, though. I’ve fondly imagined myself as being the “confidant aunt” to people, regardless of actual family connection. (I am not close to my nieces/nephews, but that’s not also a literal physical distance thing.)

Bad at business? I would cite that they mean the “more likely to buy impractical luxuries that spark joy, rather than buy a sturdy and practical necessity” stereotype. I’m bad at business for DIFFERENT reasons, sir.

-----------

Overall: 19/28 - Decent analysis, not as “accurate” as more recent publications. “First and last paragraphs” are only partial “bunk”.

I’ve got my own baggage that hinders this analysis. Can’t quite separate symptoms from traits, especially as my demeanor changes over the decades. Some of this also took “reading between the lines” to gather what they meant, to connect to stereotypes said in later analyses. 

This vintage libra analysis seems mostly like other examples I’ve read. The notes of being a good mother (not father?) feel out-of-place. Just that I haven’t seen them in other analyses. Plaid-dad is also a libra, and he has always been doting and supportive. He also gets along with kids so well, and I’ve observed that all my life.

One of my libra friends, Jodee, used to work with kids. She’s was like a big sis to me right from the start of our friendship, and she’s like that with her other friends. I’ve seen libras have big hearts, sometimes not knowing how to channel all the love they want to give to others. (Different forms of love, I mean, too.)

Logical and business-related notes are also unfamiliar. The stereotype is often that libra is more dreamy and romantic, at the expense of practicality and reality. “Champagne and caviar dreams”, as the saying goes. Indecisiveness is another big stereotype. Seeing the different sides and options can be a drawback.

The article is 80+ years old, so it makes sense that some of the stereotypes have changed. Perhaps later economic booms brought some of them to the front? Societal priorities also changed, along with expectations and roles that we might acknowledge, even if we don’t embrace them.

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

[Transcription start]

Libra - September 24 to October 23

The compensated sign of Libra, the Balance, controls your fate. If you are typical of the Libra people, you will be of medium size, well-muscled and graceful. Your health is good but not robust. You are likely to suffer from kidney ailments, if care is not exercised.

You work carefully, conserving your energy. You must plan each step before you take it. You like to lead in any enterprise, and can make others join you.

Your mind works logically and accurately. You have foresight and some intuition. You get what you want by persuasion, rather than by force. You are broad-minded and tolerant of social and religious matters.

You are a good writer or speaker. You are warm-hearted and kind. You are sensitive to what others think of you. You will make and keep many friends.

You will get on well in married life, because you can see the other side to every question. You like and understand children perhaps better than the people of any other sign.

The men of Libra are born diplomats. Many of them become statesmen, politicians, salesmen, and managers of big enterprises. The women are fond of society and usually popular with the opposite sex. They are good wives and mothers, but rarely succeed in the business world.

[Transcription end]

[thatbanjobusiness]

My aesthetic is teenaged Marty Stuart in Lester Flatt’s band getting away with forsaking dress code because, as a child, he can get away with it apparently. 

Thirty years of enforcing a strict and carefully coordinated dress code (Lester even had a banjo picker fired for wearing the wrong shirt color, etc.), and Flatt was too soft to correct the kid. In videoed interviews, other band members expressed confusion how Marty managed to wear something different.

Let’s rate Marty’s dress code “interpretations” photo by photo, shall we?

Band Photo (1972)

Just started in the band. Ohmygoshhhg he is a SMOL. That is a CHILD. Look at that happy child. They hired a child. That is a fully salaried member of the band. Content to conform his wardrobe for now. Look at that stupid tiny hat. You can’t give anything but maximum points to a happy smol, but brownie points awarded for wearing Roland’s guitar strap with the wrong name emblazoned down the side. 10/10

The Porter Wagoner Show (1973)

The wardrobe divergences begin. One year into the band and he’s already forsaking the norm. 

Because Lester Flatt is in black and Curly Seckler is in mustard, half the band isn’t color-coordinated anyway, making Marty’s fashion defiance less noticeable or entertaining. Some credit given to avoiding purple because I know he had a matching purple shirt (was laundry day against his favor? is *THIS* how it started???). Red doesn’t match light purple, lack of color palette is pain to the eyes. Horrible haircut matches banjo picker’s, but Marty’s growing his out, so he has limited excuse. Some points regained for wearing a hat too big for him, looking darned stinkin’ cute as a fourteen year old, singing a duet with Lester in a voice that hasn’t dropped yet, and playing one of two versions of Dueling Banjos I can tolerate. 4/10

Flatt Gospel (1975)

Marty has figured out his style divergence groove. He’s started tying his scarves wrong and will keep doing variations of this the rest of his life. Today people Google Marty’s neck to learn what’s under his scarves. Everything else is same style-wise, but the obvious scarf rebellion is entertaining. Whoever was lining up band members shouldn’t have put poor balding Paul next to Marty’s growing black locks. 6/10

A Living Legend (1976)

Long thick hair during a time period Flatt was obsessed about and loathed long-haired hippies. Similar hat but more ornamented, because let’s upstage the style of the band leader. Is he wearing his tie like a choker? Collar unbuttoned. Resourceful deconstruction of bluegrass traditional attire. Wears close to the same thing but makes everything sexier. 7.5/10

Unknown Concert (1976)

With Lester Flatt offstage, Marty’s wardrobe defiance makes him look like bandleader. Shameless move, true confidence. Rest of band already classily dressed. Chooses different textures and patterns but somehow matches band color-wise enough to look like he belongs. Getting mileage out of that hat. Continues to tie scarves weird so he has the excuse to unbutton his shirt collar. Love the pattern on that shirt. Is that stubble on an eighteen year old? Don’t comprehend why anything works here but it does. 9/10

Heaven’s Bluegrass Band (1976)

This is peak euphoria. Lester Flatt let this pass ON THEIR ALBUM COVER. Did he just... walk out the door and Lester didn’t stop and go, “YO IT IS PICTURE DAY, THIS IS REPRESENTING US TO THE WORLD, CAN YOU AT LEAST TRY?!!” Marty looks like he’s someone’s lost kid who wandered in to stage a photobomb prank. This is nowhere CLOSE to the same vibe. Incredible. Hysterical. That scarf’s textures. The JEANS. Like, nothing about this is formal and everyone’s spick and span. This is culture clash enough even the busiest photographer would excuse a delay to bring Marty wardrobe changes. They hid the bassist for wearing blue but Marty gets front row. Have no idea how this image exists. God is real 2043/10 this is the photograph that made me do this post

Televised Appearance (1978 or 79)

Wtf why are you matching everyone. Did being on a major tv broadcast make you lose resolve? Outfit looks great on him but that’s not what I’m here for. Single point for mismatched hat. 1/10

Take A Little Time (1980)

Wearing white, same as new band leader—bold. Appreciate variations of a theme on white and red, but everyone else looks better-dressed. No hat to brag off fancy hair. Please get rid of that gawdawful beard. 3/10

[the-firebird69]

few things to say **** **** is one of them And you're nasty nasty **** are saying the wrong thing basically you're having them doing 'cause you're very stupid and we don't wanna like sit here and have to say this kind of stuff but boy you freaking dumb people you're insulting us we're gonna come in and kill you and you know we have cover and you don't care so good.

This camper has made out of fiberglass and it weighs quite a bit the fiberglass itself is not massively thick it's only about 1/4 inch or a little less and it works OK it's fairly sturdy and kind of reacts like any other camper if you hit it but if you hit it it cracks and it makes a big mess inside and out and it's a huge pain to fix that's one thing wrong with it the other is when you're driving along it makes a stupid noise no it's aerodynamic that's a plus and you get better mileage that's pretty much the only plus it weighs more than a regular camper about 300 pounds at this size and you have to frame the walls in and it's teeny inside and it's gross. This **** knows it's gross and once people are using for some reason we don't know why except the plastic and it's a waste of time and he's an imbecile it takes too much effort to reduce fiberglass. In this plastic everywhere and you could grab it anywhere. So we see him like trying to promote it and if someone was really kind of inspiring it he said there must be a way of stamping it he said fiberglass is no good it never has been any good they tried it and it sucked it was how do you know I said where the **** would you not know and where to get the **** away from me you're at nobody. So he said that the guy got beat up people want him out this guy next door is an idiot. Don't care if he invents campers it's a good time. We went over a few things on what materials what we could use and how we'd use it came up with a couple ideas basically the stamped metal looks the best because you can take the stamped because you can take the stamped metal and you can install an insulated board using a spline system and it's a panel and it goes in on top of your there'd be the framing member so to speak it would be like an inch wide and only half inch deep and it's really with a metal is stamped thicker and you can have a rounded front and it would attach to the front of the two halves and there would be two halves but the sides would be flat it's an enormous pain to work on rounded edges and the rounded front is perfect for something like the kitchen and people don't think of it that way gas is right there the line is shorter less of a hassle and you can check the whole thing. And it uses space it is usually not usable and you still could vent it behind it and this is a huge enormous pain okay building a camper is enormously annoying. Teenage space and you have to try and live in it that's a good idea to use space like that economically people use it for storage it's not a bad idea but why not get the stove out of the way even a fridge would fit there and it's like this bump out that's useless you can put storage under it and people do that well there wouldn't be much under it so you're wondering why put the stove there well there's a bump that goes forwards and you would fit it in there and the bump would start halfway up and it still fit and you would have a few hood and it would go out of hand and you can even vent it through the bump. So the rest of the camper you could have for seating or some storage in your kitchen in the sink and seating and TV in a bedroom instead of using it all for a kitchen and you need a bathroom of course but really they use a lot of space up front with that stupid bum and a lot of people just put a fake one and it's a wasted damn time this would be stamped metal so he was curious if it would work and if it would be strong kind of knows it would be and you welded together along the whole scene and you put some plates to connect it and really it's not needed

contd

Thor Freya

Olympus

[lindsayisfindingflow]

Birthday 50K race report

Intro and tl;dr version:

A year ago I was looking forward to this Fall for a few different reasons: Fall racing (which is always my favorite), and my 30th birthday, which is a great excuse to go on a fun trip. Obviously neither of those were going to be possible this year, so this Summer I started to think about other fun ways to celebrate my birthday and do something that would give me a sense of accomplishment similar to a big race. Doing something like a solo marathon or half did not sound appealing - I need a race setting to distract myself from the pain. I thought going for a new distance seemed doable though, so I eventually decided I could try to run 30 miles for my 30th birthday. Then figured that I might as well add the extra 1.1 to make it a 50K. My birthday is two days after Halloween, so the run became 31 miles on the 31st for my 30th birthday. I also liked this plan because it gave me a chance to celebrate with friends in a more covid-friendly way (i.e. outdoors). And to keep this tl;dr I finished in 5:14:11 including refueling and restroom stops. I had several friends run and bike with me, which made most of the miles fly by, and it was a great way to celebrate my birthday.

Race morning:

I ran at a park about 35 minutes away from home that is very flat and has trails suitable for horses (wide, well maintained, combination of gravel and dirt). I didn’t plan my exact route beforehand, so the distance is unofficial. I figured I would just run loops with breaks at the parking lot to refuel. Since this was the day before Daylight Savings ended sunrise was around 8:15, so that was my planned start time.

Loop 1 (8.3 miles)

I ran this with my runner friend, Thomas. He got lost on the way there, and I thought I was going to be running the first loop solo, but fortunately he called right before I was about to take off. Once he found the right parking lot and got everything together (and once I got my Garmin live tracking working), we took off. It was my first time seeing Thomas since September, so it was nice to catch up. It was a pretty cold start, around 35 degrees, but there was lots of sun and hardly any wind. There was tall grass surrounding most of the trail, which was covered in frost and and sparkling in the rising sun. When we reached the portapotty at mile 3.5 we both made a quick pit stop, and then made the final 1 mile loop before turning back. About a mile out from the parking lot we started at I spotted two my tri friends, and they joined our running group. When I made it back to the parking lot another tri friend was there on his bike. I refilled my water bottle, grabbed some more clif blocks, and headed out for loop two.

Loop 2 (8.3 miles)

The 5 of us started together, but one of my tri friends, Eric, is getting back into running and wanted to do a longer run. He and the guy on the bike (Brian) decided to fall back a bit. So it was Thomas, Stephanie and I... fortunately Stephanie is pretty chatty, so the next loop flew by just as fast as the first. When we were about two miles out from the parking lot (so around mile 15) two other tri friends, Chris and Stephanie showed up. Then a mile out we found Ryan. Since a few people are more 10 minute milers than 9 minute milers I tried to slow down a bit so everyone could hang together. When I got back to the parking lot I expected Thomas and Stephanie 1 to drop off, but Thomas decided he wanted to do 20 miles, and Stephanie said she could do a few more miles too. One other friend, Danielle, was there to run as well. So after another water bottle refill we headed out again for just over 3 miles. I was feeling pretty good for being almost 17 miles in, which was promising.

Loop 3 (3.2 miles)

We decided to take a slightly different route this time around, and it ended up being a bit muddy/puddle-filled. At this point my legs were starting to get fatigued, so the mud and puddle dodging was more tiring than it was on the first two loops. Ryan, Chris, and Stephanie 2 all turned around around a couple of minutes early, while Stephanie 1, Thomas, Danielle, and I ran somewhere around 1.6 miles out. As we turned I could tell Stephanie 1 and Thomas were tired, the extra 3 miles were longer than either of them planned for. When we got back to the parking lot I was just under 20 miles, and I figured it was the perfect time for a more extended break, where I could reapply sunscreen, put on my mask, and stop into the (indoor!) bathroom.

Fun story: I almost got myself locked in the bathroom. The door didn’t have a real knob to turn for the lock, but there was a small hole I could still stick my finger in to lock the door. It was a little rusty though and so afterwards I couldn’t get it to go the other way! I tried sticking my nail in but they were soft from sweat, so I couldn’t get it to move. I was just about ready to roll under the partition when it finally came undone.

The one thing I didn’t do on this break is refill my water bottle, because it still felt half full and I wanted to switch what I was drinking on the next bottle. I figured we’d do another short loop and head back.

Loop 4 (5 miles)

Once I got going again it was just Danielle and I. We got to chat a bit more now that the group was smaller, which was nice because she lives a bit further away so I don’t see her as much. About 2 miles into this loop I ran out of water. I told myself I’d turn around soon after so I could go back and get more, but we ended up doing a short loop instead of an out and back. After a little over a mile without fluids I asked Danielle if I could steal some of her water, and fortunately she had enough to spare and dumped some of her water into my bottle.

When we got back to the parking lot I knew this would be my last stop before the “finish line,” so I quickly refilled my water bottle, then walked around the parking lot to get in a bit more mileage while I waited for Danielle to be ready. Brian (the guy who had been on the bike most of the day) was there as well, and he said he was going to run to the 2nd parking lot with us (about 1.5 miles) then wait for us and run back. Brian had a mountain biking accident earlier in the year that resulted in a broken rib, so he was still getting back into running. By the time we were ready to go I was right around 25 miles, so I decided that a 3.05 mile out and back would be the best way to finish the run.

Loop 5 (6.1 miles)

As we headed out for the last leg of the run I noted how much less reactive my legs were to the puddles and mud spots along the trail. But I knew that 3 miles out was a short run, and then I’d just have to make it back. A little before hitting the 2nd parking lot I reached 26.2 miles on my watch, which meant that it was all a distance PR from there (give or take some GPS error). Once we hit the 2nd parking lot Brian fell back, and Danielle and I were on our own again. After going through the underpass to cross a major road we ran into Eric and another tri friend Claudia, both of whom were on bike now. They joked about how difficult it was to find us and then started following along. Getting to mile 28 seemed like it was taking forever at this point - Danielle and I were both tired so neither of us were talking much, and I’d reached that point in any long race where you feel like you aren’t checking your watch much, but every time you check only .1 miles has passed. Once my watch finally showed 28.05 I turned around, and the miles seemed to pass a little quicker from there. Danielle and I took our last walk break right before the underpass, and we both laughed about how long those last couple of miles felt. Shortly after that we picked up Brian, and the five of us were heading into the home stretch. With about a half mile to go Eric and Claudia biked ahead, and Danielle and Brian started dropping back a bit (or I was speeding up 🤷‍♀️😆). As I made my way around the final bend I saw my husband, Claudia, and Eric taking a video. I waved as I passed, then checked my watch for 31.1. I did it! I was a (very unofficial) ultra-marathoner!

Post run:

My husband had gotten there a bit earlier, but he went to pick up some doughnuts and coffee, so this was my first time seeing him. Shortly after I finished Danielle and Brian came through, and we all stood around for awhile to eat donuts and chat (Danielle and I also had some chips I brought because I knew they’d be the best post-run).