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duhragonball · 1 year

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[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (204/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story does not take place.

[12 June, Age 3,099,187,159. Thlkk-piil.]

After long seasons of waiting, the time had arrived for the Great Exchange. The sentient fungal colonies of Thlkk-piil normally propagated through a number of asexual methods, but their self-directed evolution called for a controlled transfer of genetic material. On this cycle, the colonies of the Soft Soils would contribute to the colonies of Wet Rocks, and vice-versa. The results were mostly predictable, but not entirely, and that spontaneity was what had the entire biosphere of Thllk-piil waiting in anticipation. The Unknown Change would take thousands of cycles to reveal itself, and they would all face the unknown together.

As was customary, a spore-vessel was constructed in each niche, and the two were sent out to meet at a predetermined point. Soft Soils' vessel was equipped with several limbs, which allowed it to cover uneven terrain as efficiently as possible. Wet Rocks' vessel relied on an array of thin membranes which adjusted to the winds in the atmosphere. The construct could glide through the air or descend gently to the ground without damaging its precious cargo of genetic material.

The two spore-vessels finally met in the pre-arranged location. After a period of joining, they would return to their respective niches, and the Exchanged samples would be disseminated through the colonies. This is what would have happened, if events on Thlkk-piil had been allowed to proceed.

Instead, as the two spore-vessels stood motionless in the Dry Sands, preparing husks for the eventual return journey, the skies above them began to turn white. The photosensitive arrays on both vessels relayed their findings with the fungal colonies across the planet, but even their combined intellect could find no explanation for the phenomenon.

And then, the white in the sky began to take hold in the Dry Sands as well, and the two spore-vessels began to malfunction. The husks, containing millennia's worth of invaluable genetic information, became non-viable. This would have been catastrophic news to the fungal colonies, if they could have survived long enough to consider it. For the white in the sky had become the white in the land, and then the white in everything. Soon, even the simplest biological functions became impossible, and all life on the planet perished in an instant. Chemical reactions no longer proceeded, and soon the atoms themselves disintigrated into the endless void of white. Everything ceased to exist, and soon, even the event itself no longer existed. There was nothing, and there never had been anything else.

*******

[Earth. 1 August, Age 470.]

Mr. Popo stared into the orange crystal for longer than he meant to. At a distance, the orb had looked like a shiny piece of fruit, but up close, the flawless perfection of the crystal, and the enigmatic five-pointed stars in the center, seemed to capture his imagination.

"They're beautiful, Kami!" he exclaimed. Besides the one in his hand, there were six more gathered on a table in the Lookout. Popo gently laid the seventh orb next to the others, and to his surprise, they all began to glow. Looming over the seven orbs was their creator, the newly appointed Kami, the Guardian of the Earth.

"Thank you, Mr. Popo," Kami said. "I'm pleased that you like them. Now I can reveal to you the purpose of the sculpture I asked you to make for me."

Popo looked over to the clay dragon he had stored in a glass case. It was an intricate model of a dragon, with a long, serpentine body, and four clawed feet. Atop its ferocious head were antlers that looked like tree branches, and a mane of long, thin feathers that looked like hair.

"Purpose, Kami?" he asked. "What could my little dragon have to do with your wondrous crystals?"

"A great deal, Mr. Popo," Kami said. "You see, I call them 'Dragon Balls'. To tell the truth, I can't quite explain how I learned to create them. The inspiration came to me quite suddenly, as though I had known all along. I shall scatter them across the Earth below, and if anyone should manage to gather them together, they will be able to summon a great dragon, who will grant that person a single wish."

"Amazing, Kami. Then, my sculpture--!" Popo said with a gasp.

"That's right, Mr. Popo," Kami said. "Your sculpture is to become the Dragon who will sleep within these seven balls. I've always admired your artistic talents, and I knew your piece would be suitably majestic for the role I had envisioned."

"I'm very honored, of course, Kami," Popo said with a bow. "But... I still do not understand. Your mentor, the former Kami, never fashioned anything like this before. Nor did the Guardians before him. What is the meaning of this new gift you have made for the Earth?"

Kami crossed the room, and placed his left hand over the glass display containing the sculpture. He did not answer right away, but Popo was accustomed to these silences. He had never met a man like him before. He was tall, and green-skinned, with a pair of antenna dangling from his forehead. But he was also wise and brilliant, in a way that the former Kami had never seen before. While Popo did not always understand the new Kami's ways, he had quickly learned to trust him completely. And so he waited patiently for his answer, knowing that it would come in the fullness of time.

"It has only been a short time since I unleashed the Demon King Piccolo upon the Earth," Kami said. "Throughout that tragedy, many innocents suffered, and many cried out for deliverance from that evil. I was powerless to intervene, even though I had created that monster in my attempt to rid myself of the wickedness in my heart."

He gazed down at the model dragon and his lips curled into a melancholy smile before continuing. "When this knowledge of the Dragon Balls came to me," he said, "I realized that it was a way to give something good to the Earth. Not just as a compensation for the evils of King Piccolo, but as a challenge. For it was a powerful martial artist who devised the means to contain King Piccolo and seal him away forever. When that happened, I understood the great potential within the people of this world, and their ability to rise to the occasion. I thought that the Dragon Balls might offer a way for other Earthlings to rise up. Some courageous soul would find all seven Dragon Balls, and hopefully, they would use their wish to make the world a better place. And one day, perhaps the damage done to this world by King Piccolo might be offset by the good done through the Dragon Balls."

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Kami," Popo said. There was more he wished to say, about how he shouldn't blame himself for King Piccolo, but they had discussed that many times before. Instead, he simply added: "I'm sure the people of the Earth will appreciate this gift very much."

"Thank you, Mr. Popo," Kami said. "Your approval means more to me than you can possibly know. Now then, the time has come for me to bestow life to your dragon, and to activate the Dragon Balls for use. It's strange, knowing how to do something before trying it. Let me see..."

But as he raised his hands over the model, he noticed something strange from a nearby window. The blue sky around the Lookout had changed. This was no mere weather pattern, for the heavenly palace was suspended high above the cloud cover of the earth.

"Kami?" Popo asked. "What is happening?"

He could give no answer. The sky simply turned white, and Kami's divine senses could only tell him that there was nothing there. Nothing behind the white, and nothing within it. It was as if the universe beyond the Earth had ceased to exist.

And it was spreading.

The two of them hurried to the spacious patio level outside of the palace, where they saw the world around them succumbing to the same effect. On all sides, the horizon seemed to dissolve into the white like the edge of a piece of paper held up to a flame. They could only look at one another, and exchange looks of horror and dread.

"Kami!" Popo said. "What about the Dragon Balls? Could they help us stop this... whatever this is?"

"I honestly don't know, Mr. Popo," Kami said. "But it's worth a try. We'll have to act quickly. Whatever is happening, we don't have much t--"

The word "time" never escaped from Kami's lips. The physical laws that made speech possible had deteriorated before he could finish. It was already too late. Inside the palace, the newly minted Dragon Balls disintegrated and vanished, along with the sculpture of the Dragon. The atomic bonds that gave them form simply... ceased to be. Then the atoms themselves collapsed into quarks, along with Kami, Popo, the Lookout, and the entire Earth.

Everything was gone, and everything had never been in the first place. Time itself had been undone.

*******

[13,043,175,069 Before Age. ISC 19923-b]

The star did not have a name. In the early history of the universe, nothing had a name. Eventually, when the star was old enough, it would explode, and the supernovae would be bright enough to attract the attention of an astronomer, who would record it under the designation "ISC 19923-b". But the explosion would not take place for several million years, and the observation would not be made for several billion years after that.

ISC 19923-b was one of the earliest stars to form in the universe. It was not the very first, nor was it the largest or the smallest. There was only one thing about ISC 19923-b that made it exceptional. Of all stars in the universe, it was the first to run out of hydrogen.

All stars were nuclear furnaces, "burning" their own mass through nuclear fusion. The hydrogen atoms within ISC 19923-b had been compressed into a hot, dense plasma under the star's intense gravitational field, and the hydrogen nuclei combined together to form helium nuclei, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. It was this energy that made ISC 19923-b so hot and bright, as well as balancing the gravitational forces on the star, allowing the nuclear fusion process to be self-sustaining.

But eventually, all of the hydrogen nuclei in the stellar core was gone. What remained was the helium formed over the star's "lifetime". This could also undergo nuclear fusion, but under different conditions, and with less energy output. As a result, ISC 19923-b would eventually grow larger, but cooler, a form that would colloquially known as a "red giant".

As for the helium in its core, ISC 19923-b would fuse those nuclei to form beryllium. This in itself was not remarkable. Though nearly all of the atoms in the early universe were hydrogen and helium, some lithium, berkelium, and boron had also been formed as well. However, in ISC 19923-b's helium core, the beryllium-8 isotope produced through nuclear fusion could then strike another helium nuclei, producing a new kind of nucleus: carbon-12. In turn, these carbon nuclei could then undergo other nuclear reactions, producing oxygen, and other heavier chemical elements.

Eventually, ISC 19923-b would exhaust its supply of helium, and resort to "burning" those heavier elements, each with less and less energy to support nuclear reactions. At last, ISC 19923-b would explode, jettisoning its mélange of new elements into the rest of the universe. Other stars would soon follow the same path, spreading carbon, oxygen and more throughout the galaxies, where they would eventually seed the formation of new planets, and the life forms that would inhabit them.

But this was not possible, for as ISC 19923-b began to fuse the helium in its core, there appeared a white anomaly, which expanded in size until it engulfed the entire star. Nuclear fusion, temperature, and even gravity itself, unraveled with in the star, until it was nothing left worth calling a star at all. The heat, light, and carbon-based life forms it would eventually produce simply never came to be. The astronomer who would one day name the star ISC 19923-b was never born, and so the designation never existed.

The same thing happened to every other star in the early universe, and then to the universe itself. It was all gone, for it had never truly existed at all.

*******

[1 February, 238 Before Age. Dorlu Prime.]

Luffa found herself in bed. Had she been sleeping?

An alarm sounded, and she had to think back to remember where she had heard it before. And then she heard the voices outside. They called out to each other, giving instructions, offering support, and issuing orders. They were soldiers preparing for battle.

Dorlun soldiers.

Luffa rolled out of the bed and stood up. She recognized the simple room she was in. These were her quarters whenever she stayed behind while her father took their spaceship off-planet. Her eyes went wide as it all came to her at once. The sights, the smells, the sounds, even the ki of the troops mobilizing outside.

She was back on Dorlu Prime.

But that was impossible. The colony was sacked by the Tikosi. Only two Dorluns were known to have survived the attack, and they never returned. She could hear dozens of them outside, and she could sense the life energy of many more.

Luffa's throat went dry. It had to be a trick. Another change in history. Demigra had failed to win by changing events in Son Goku's lifetime, so he must have shifted his strategy to her own history.

Only, that made no sense. The last thing she remembered was Demigra destroying the Time Nest. According to Chronoa, the Supreme Kai of Time, such a reckless act would destroy all of history, essentially wiping out the entire universe. Demigra didn't seem to have a problem with that, and then Luffa found herself in a featureless void, where the only other object was a section of the Scroll of Eternity. She had opened it, and found herself here.

Luffa's instincts told her this was an enemy trick, but if that were true, then why would Demigra bother? He seemed to have gone well past the point of guile or deception. Either his 'destroy-the-universe' stunt had failed, and he had lost, or Demigra had succeeded, and none of this was happening at all. Why would he spare her, of all people?

The thought occurred to Luffa that she hadn't been spared, and she was actually dead. She went to the small lavatory in her quarters and looked at her reflection. According to Trunks, Son Goku had died twice before, and the Kais had allowed him to retain his physical body. The only outward sign of his death was an ethereal halo suspended just above his head. Luffa could see no such halo on her own reflection. What she saw instead was much more haunting.

For the most part, she looked very much the same as she had before her battle with Demigra. She was sixty-three inches tall, with short black hair, dark brown eyes, and a brown furry tail, all typical characteristics of a full-blooded Saiyan. Her skin was a dark beige color, and she was wearing baggy yellow pants with a black sleeveless shirt. Generally speaking, this was what Luffa had looked like for many years. It was the smaller details that caught her attention.

She looked five years younger. This was a subtle thing, since Luffa was only twenty-four years old, and the difference between nineteen and twenty-four was slight, especially for Saiyans, who virtually stopped aging until they turned eighty. And yet, Luffa could tell. Her eyes looked fresh and new. The dark circles underneath them were gone, and with them went the silent testimony of her past trauma and the sleepless nights that had followed. The muscles on her arms, while impressive, were lacking some of the definition she had achieved over the past five years of training. And certain scars were missing.

Even at age nineteen, Luffa's body was covered in battle scars. Advanced medical technology had healed most of them over to render them virtually invisible, but some of the more severe wounds still left blemishes on her skin. The first one that caught her attention was a bite mark between her neck and left shoulder, where Zatte had infected Luffa with the Black Water Mist. It was gone now, along with several less conspicuous marks she had from countless battles against the Jindan Cult.

She looked down at her bare feet. During the Jindan War, one of the cultists had managed to put a nasty hole in her right foot. The scar matched a similar one on her left foot. She looked at the palms of her hands and found them surprisingly pristine. After the ordeal with the Tikosi, she had developed a bad habit of digging her fingernails into her palms until they drew blood. Luffa had taken steps to deal with the compulsion, but she still had a distinctive pattern of nail-marks in her skin, where the flesh had been repeatedly cut and healed over. But now, that was gone.

She undressed, anxious for further confirmation, but dreading whatever she might find. During her captivity on the Tikosi Hiveworld, she had been cut open and stitched back together countless times. In their perverse search for scientific discovery, the Tikosi always healed Luffa after every cut, so there was little lasting evidence of their handiwork, but there was one scar they had not bothered to conceal. When they discovered her pregnancy, the Tikosi removed the fetus from Luffa's womb. They turned it over to her treacherous husband, Kandai, who then handed it over to the Saiyan King Rehval, who somehow gestated the fetus and raised him to adolescence in only a few years' time. In the end, Luffa was avenged, but the damage was done. Her only son was turned into one of her most powerful enemies, and all Luffa had to show for it was a six-inch long scar running down the left side of her abdomen and groin.

But now, that scar was gone, along with all the others. It was if the wounds had never been inflicted. Luffa wondered if the internal wounds had been erased as well. After the Tikosi had finished with her, there was irreversible damage to her reproductive system, leaving her unable to bear children. But she would need a medical scan to determine this, and in her current state of mind, she had no time to arrange such a thing.

There was a much simpler and quicker test she could perform in the meantime.

Taking a deep breath, Luffa held her elbows to her sides and raised her fists. She increased her ki, and found that it was a pittance compared to the levels she had reached before. That was no great surprise. If her body truly had been returned to its condition at age nineteen, then it only made sense for her to have the same power level. But her mind still recalled the harrowing transformation, and she tried it again.

It was more than just raising one's ki. When Luffa first became a Super Saiyan, it was triggered by an intense emotional response brought on by unfathomable despair and anguish. Afterward, Luffa learned to control the transformation, and it always involved focusing her power and tensing her shoulder blades in a certain way. She couldn't really describe it, especially when she was the only one she knew who could experience it firsthand. But she still knew how. If anything, it was harder for her to not transform.

She attempted to reproduce the same effect, but nothing happened. She tried again, staring intently at her scalp, searching for some sign of yellow in her black hair. Nothing.

Had it all been a dream? She couldn't accept that. The Time Patrol was one thing. The Supreme Kai of Time, the Super Saiyans of the distant future, the curious folk of Toki Toki City and their demonic enemies -- these were certainly the stuff of dreams, and Luffa might have been convinced that none of that had been real. It all felt real to her, but it had also seemed too fantastic to believe, even while it was happening.

But the rest of it: The Deathmatch tournament on Plutark VII. Meeting Wampaaan'riix and sparing his life. Returning to Dorlu Prime and fighting alongside Zatte in a hopeless defense of the colony. The agonizing months on the Tikosi Hiveworld. The betrayal by her father and husband. Becoming the Legendary Super Saiyan. Founding the Federation and turning it into a galactic power. Succumbing to the vile influence of the Makyans. The battles with the Shockmaster. Her entire marriage to Zatte. Keda's death on Extraliga. The conflict with King Rehval, and the final battle on Nagaoka, where she dared to unleash the power of a Super Saiyan Oozaru.

Had all of that been a dream as well?

In hindsight, had all of that been any less fantastic than the Time Patrol?

"No," Luffa croaked. Her throat was still dry with shock, and she had to clear her throat to speak clearly. She put her hands on her temples and started to pace around the room.

"It couldn't all be a dream," she muttered aloud. "I don't have that kind of imagination. What kind of sick bastard would come up with all that anyway? But then how did I get here? And what am I supposed to do about it?!"

Almost reflexively, Luffa reached for her left ear, hoping to find the small communicator the Time Patrol had given her for her assignments. The last she had seen of the Time Nest, Demigra was destroying it, but maybe that was the only part that had been a dream, and she would somehow receive instructions from the real Time Nest, explaining what was actually happening.

But there was nothing in her ear but wax. It was just as well. Most of the time, Luffa's earpiece had been destroyed in the field, or she had forgotten to wear it entirely.

"I used to be more professional than that," she grumbled to herself. "Back on the Emerald Eye, Zattie'd chew me out if I didn't stay in contact. I liked that earpiece better, if only because she was a lot easier to talk to than Trunks..."

Luffa was so disoriented and confused that she had completely forgotten the alarms blaring outside, or the colonists preparing for action. Instead, she simply paced around the room in her underwear, babbling to herself, with her finger stuck in her ear. And so she did not notice the person who entered her quarters until the visitor pointedly asked:

"Luffa, what the hell are you doing?!"

Luffa spun around to face the visor and nearly tripped over her own feet when she saw who it was. Her lower lip began to tremble. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally took her finger out of her ear, but couldn't find the presence of mind to say anything. She simply stood there, staring like an idiot.

"You're not even dressed! Did you not hear the alarm? This whole stupid drill was your idea, remember?"

It was Zatte. That much was obvious. Luffa had somehow returned to the colony on Dorlu Prime, and in those days, Zatte had been the captain of the local militia. The colonists had assembled a fighting force to fend off attacks by the Tikosi, and they had also hired Saiyan mercenaries-- Luffa's family-- as an additional deterrent.

That was how Luffa and Zatte had met as teenagers. They had become fast friends. As the weakest of the family, Luffa was left behind while her father and Kandai had gone off on patrols in space, or to take on other mercenary contracts during periods of relative calm. Zatte had been too young to join the militia, but she was training diligently for the job, and the two of them had bonded over their common boredom. Five years later, Zatte was the field leader of the militia, and Luffa had devoted her time to training them in advanced combat techniques.

Eventually, the two of them would admit that it was more than friendship between them, and they would marry on a distant planet near the galactic center. But before that, the colony would be destroyed, and Luffa would become the Legendary Super Saiyan, and Zatte would lose her right eye.

It was almost surreal to see that right eye still in its socket. The two-eyed Zatte was almost terrible to behold. She wore her red hair much longer then, and kept it in a tight military-style bun whenever she was on duty. She had none of the cosmetics that she would wear later during their marriage. And she was so humorless and professional. Luffa had forgotten just how much Zatte had changed after the fall of Dorlu Prime.

"Are you even listening to me right now?" Zatte asked.

"I... yeah," Luffa said. "Sorry, Zatte..."

"An apology?" Zatte asked. "From you? I thought you high-and-mighty Saiyans were too proud for that."

"I'm not feeling so high and mighty right now," Luffa admitted.

"Wait... Are you okay?" Zatte asked. For a moment, there was a look of concern in her eyes, and the mask of the consummate soldier fell away to reveal the true Zatte, the one Luffa would grow to cherish.

"I really don't know," Luffa said. Without really thinking, she stepped closer, and held out her arms, expecting her to return the embrace.

Instead, Zatte threw up her hands in frustration. "I don't believe this," she groused. "Governor Coyto hired you Saiyans to help us, and now you're calling in sick! Fantastic. With my luck, you're contagious!"

"I'm not sick, dammit," Luffa snapped.

"The hell you're not," Zatte said. "You haven't called me by my name since the day I made captain. Ever since then it's been 'Too slow, Captain' or 'I grilled more dinosaur carcasses for dinner, Captain'."

"I was happy for you," Luffa said. "You really busted your butt to get this job. And... I didn't know how else to congratulate you."

"Okay, you're really starting to worry me here, Luffa," Zatte said. "You normally don't get this emotional about anything. The way you talk about your husband, you'd think you two were roommates instead."

In spite of everything, Luffa began to laugh.

"What?" Zatte asked.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just... you're pretty funny sometimes. I guess you always were, even back then... back now. I just never picked up on it."

"Luffa, I've got fifty Dorluns waiting for us outside," Zatte said. "Are you going to spar with us or not?"

Luffa went to the bed and sat down. She wanted to tell Zatte no. She wanted to tell her a lot of things, about the future, and about the two of them. She wanted to hold her in her arms, and look into her green eyes and inhale that familiar alien scent that she hadn't smelled in over a thousand years.

But she couldn't. None of it would make any sense. The Zatte of this era would only be confused and frightened. She was already anxious to see Luffa so pensive and erratic. Zatte thought she could hide that, but Luffa knew her too well.

And so, Luffa didn't know what to do, except to just repeat what she had done the first time around.

"Yeah," she finally said in a weary, defeated tone. "Yeah, I'll be right out. Sparring might do me some good."

"Good," Zatte said. "Very good. And could you please put your pants on for this? I'll see you outside."

She turned on her heel and left. Luffa went to gather her clothes from the floor and looked around for her boots.

"Is this it then?" she asked. "Am I trapped in some endless cycle now?"

The idea was not comforting to her. Her young life had seen a great deal of suffering and regret. She wasn't looking forward to going through it all over again. And then, it finally hit her... what if she didn't go through it all over again? What if this was a second chance? An opportunity to get it right?

As she laced up her black combat boots, she began to consider the possibilities. But she couldn't avoid the question that was staring her in the face: Why had this happened? Why her? And why now?

As she headed out the door and felt the sun on her shoulders, she realized that she probably wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon.

NEXT: Doubleback

#dragon ball #fanfiction #luffa #thllk-piil #earth #isc 19923b #dorlu prime #kami #mr popo

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heresathreebee · 3 years

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Waters Brackish and Briny (four)

[Ralph Lamont X Female Reader]

Summary: the first of many strange and unusual occurrences to come in your new home. Previous Masterlist Next

Tags: 15+ | 2k words | hauntings, an argument, physical intimidation 😬, secrets, crying

AN: hey remember there were ghosts in Things Seen and Heard? Personally I hate angst so sorry y'all 😔 I will NOT leave it here for long

SECOND WEEK

Ralph went back to work and the house became empty once more. Empty except for yourself and the house. And possibly a rat or two. You set up traps and finished moving the furniture in the downstairs rooms into place. The previous owners left a decently conditioned upright piano behind when they moved. A few scuffs on the legs and a toy soldier in the strings, but perfectly playable and barely out of tune. Nothing a little warm up couldn't change.

You ate lunch on the piano bench, glaring at the unfinished archway leading to the solar room. Should you sweep first or measure the windows to be fitted for panes? Do you want regular clear glass or some stained glass? Get crazy with it?

You waste a couple hours playing basic melodies and manage to squeeze in time to do all the measurements for the windows before 3 pm. You take down the paper on the floor most window holes and sweep the dust and leaves and branches outside. You mop till the hardwood floor shines but you hate the white beech wood and add varnish to the To Do list.

You ring up the Vayle boys you met the day you unloaded your furniture. "Hey Eddie! I was planning on making something for you and Cole as a thank you but I need some supplies first."

It rained in the afternoon and Ralph came home with mud on his pants. "Baby what happened? Did you fall?"

Ralph looked supremely annoyed. "One of the kids took a tumble and grabbed me for support. We both went down."

You know he's in a sour mood but you can't stifle your laughter. You coo at him, looking over the damage to his suit. He's got mud caked on the seat of his pants and flecks of it as high as the back of his neck. You help him strip as much as appropriate with guests in the house.

Your husband sniffs the vanilla scent from the air and looks at you incredulously. "Did you make cookies?"

"Yeah," you said, "for Eddie and Cole."

The boys waved at your husband from the kitchen counter. He gives a lustless wave back and trudges upstairs in his under things. You tip the boys with the rest of the cookies in an old dish and send them on their way home.

You open your bedroom door to find Ralph butt ass naked and on his knees looking for something.

"We should do this more often," you tease.

Ralph looks up and raises an eyebrow at you then notices the position he's put himself in. "Now's not the time for jokes: do you know where the luffa is?"

You cross your arms. "Well it's not under the bed…"

"Helpful." Ralph climbs to his feet and his nose bumps yours. "Where. Is. The luffa."

"Behind the bathroom door on a hook."

"Why?" Ralph takes three steps towards the bathroom, then quickly retraces them and this time his forehead collides with you none too gently. "And not saving me a cookie? Uncool."

"Open your mouth." His eyes go dark for a second and you roll yours. "Do it."

You plant the last cookie in his mouth and flop onto the bedspread. "Go. Shower. I'll clean up the kitchen."

The house creaks at night. Sometimes the sounds make the hair on your neck stand on end, but you simply squeeze Ralph and drift back to sleep. In the haze of a dream you think you hear something small and glass break a few rooms over but you can't hold onto your memories for long like this.

Except tonight there is more than sounds. Beneath the smell of your body wash on Ralph's skin, something tickles the back of your throat. It's acrid and raw pulling you from the fringes of sleep into reality fast. You sniff the air and the scent seems to grow ten times stronger. It's like… it's like…

You shake Ralph by the shoulder. He doesn't stir an inch. The smell is so strong you're choking on it. You grab Ralph and shake him like a doll until he bursts into wakefulness.

"What? What?!"

"Do you smell that?"

"What?" His eyes are completely unfocused, face pinched in annoyance.

"It smells like…" you turn on the bedside lamp much to his dismay. "It's like gasoline or something."

Ralph growls and rubs at his eyes. "Exhaust fumes maybe. Ralph! We have to get up– we have to get out!"

Somehow you manage to drag him out of bed and down the stairs. The smell gets weaker but it's still there burning in your nostrils like actual fire. Your eyes search frantically for that yellow orange flicker in every room to no avail. It doesn't ease your fear.

"Come on." You push Ralph outside and the man almost falls off the wrap-around porch. His eyes are glued shut, legs shaking as he stands, and trapped in that sleep state.

You rack your brain for ideas. Is the car on fire? Should you check the garage? Do you have a working fire extinguisher? There's one in the garage by the door but you doubt it's up to date.

"Ralph baby please wake up, I need you…"

You cling to his arm and he manages to crack one eye open. "The fuck is going on?"

"Something's wrong," you stutter, "I think he's here."

Ralph opened his other eye and looked at you. His head swiveled to and fro over his shoulders, trying to peer out into the dark cover of night to find anyone lurking in the dark. His grip on your arm is tight, almost hurts. He looks back at you, puzzled.

"Where?"

You didn't know where, in fact you don't know why you said that. He had no idea where the two of you were. For all you know he might not even be a he at all. You've never met them but you're haunted by them.

You shake your head and focus on the danger of now. "Fumes. I woke up and it smelled like exhaust fumes in our room."

"I didn't smell anything," Ralph says.

You growl. "I did. We need to call someone, we can't go back in the house. What if it's filled with gas and there is an open flame somewhere?"

Ralph looks around then tries to walk past you towards the door. You catch him with a look of disbelief.

"Did you not just hear a single word I said?!"

Ralph sweeps your bruising grip from his arm. He keeps walking but he never breaks eye contact with you. He's definitely awake now.

"If there's fumes, it's coming from the garage. Lord knows you're not going to let me look knowing that," he says stepping past the threshold into the mud closet next to the kitchen, "so we need to call someone."

He picks up the phone from its cradle and dials 9-1-1. "Unless you have some secret satelite phone hidden in the barn, I'm all ears on how we call someone…"

He's right. He's being an asshole about it but he's right. You can smell the fumes as you step in, desperate not to be far from him no matter what happens. Ralph plucks the housecoat from the hook by the door and fits it around your shoulders. You didn't realize you were shivering.

The sheriff comes out tonight and it's half past 2 am. You and Ralph are waiting outside, a reasonable distance from the house in case an explosion was imminent but it never came. Sheriff Laughton brought a fire team and they searched the house.

Travis– as he asked them to call him– asked a few meandering questions. Ralph held your hand and answered as many as he dared, looking to you for the questions you could answer better. They both noticed your thousand yard stare but said nothing.

Travis came back with the fire team and a long, befuddled face. "They checked over every inch of that house and didn't find anything except a broken lightbulb in the laundry closet."

Ralphie did not return your gaze, instead he asked. "Nothing at all?"

Travis scratched his head. "If there was something, it's gone now. I might have your cars looked at just in case, there's a mechanic about 10 miles yonder I can give you directions to."

Ralph's hand smoothed over your shoulder to try warming you up. "No, no that's OK, I have a mechanic right here."

You slap his chest for teasing you but your weak smile falls not a moment later. How can that be? They found nothing? Had you imagined the whole thing? But it had felt so real…

By the time you brought your mind back to the present, you found Ralph had moved you to the kitchen and offered Travis a cup of coffee for his troubles. The fire team was packed up and driving off the property, leaving only the sheriff's cruiser out in that empty night.

"Ralph," you whispered over the sink. "I think we should call Reagan…"

"No."

You blinked. He hadn't even taken a second to consider it, just… dismissed you out of hand like you were an annoyance. You crossed your arms over your chest and glared.

"If you won't, I will."

Ralph beat you to the phone and blocked your path, you glimpsed Travis standing awkwardly in the door but paid him no more than a passing thought.

This was about to get ugly.

"I. Am not crazy." You keep your voice low but the quiver of anger still seeps through. "I know what I smelled. It was real. If you're not going to ask for help, then fine, but do not stand in my way because of your pride."

Ralph had that look in his eyes– the dangerous look. "Oh, honey, no… I told you– we are not calling Reagan."

He kept shaking his head minutely, like it was the only thing keeping him from screaming. "That's final. I mean it, baby. I will lock you in that fucking basement if you touch that phone. I will burn this fucking house down before I let you even look at that dial."

Your jaw hit the floor but before you could protest, Ralph had your arm in a death grip as he began to drag you out into the hallway. He was probably trying to push you to the bedroom but his out of character threat had rocked you.

"Let me go," you growled, "Ralph! Stop it!"

Travis called out to you two and you tried to wipe that innate look of fear from your face. Ralph seemed to snap out of it a bit when he realized you weren't alone and he finally released your arm. It didn't stop him from bending over you until his nose brushed yours and in a growl commanded you to go upstairs.

Now is not the time to cry. Crying right now feels like weakness. You're not sad– you're fucking furious with him right now. But you're not about to make a bigger scene in front of this cop, so you push past him and head for the stairs.

The blood racing in your veins is making your face hot and head pound. You can hear Ralph follow you up shortly, likely to continue the argument further but you are beyond listening at this point. You turn just in time to see him look at you funny– why are you mad?-- before slamming the door so hard you hear the wood around the lock almost splinter.

He doesn't try the door. The light of the hallway goes out and you listen to him sigh as he heads for the couch to sleep on. You throw yourself onto your bed alone and cry into your pillow until exhaustion takes you to a dreamless black sleep.

Tag list: @werwulfy @fundamentally-lazy @escape-your-grape @go-commander-kim @mimiscappinisideblog

#alex brightman #ralph lamont #ralph lamont x reader #angst #black reader insert #three bees writing #🐝🐝🐝✒#things seen and heard au #ghost house au

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momasarah · 3 years

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Just in time for the cool weather and all your autumnal meetings, rituals, sabbats, and celebrations! Makes a wonderful Samhain, or any time, gift! Created with notes of clove, cinnamon, orange and white pumpkin. Sprinkled with Dittany of Crete and marigold to enhance communication and messages from your spirits and guides. These herbs are all known for their richness and ability to drawn manifestation, prsoperity, and abundance. Natural soaps are best used with hot water and friction. Lather does not equal cleanliness. Synthetic lathering agents are added to commercial soaps. Natural soap will produce a nice, light lather on its own. Work this soap on a cloth or luffa, in the shower or tub, for cleansing and moisturizing. AVAILABLE HERE; https://shop.conjuredcardea.com/Samhain-Soap-TransformationAutumn-Day-of-the-Dead-aut.htm . . . . #samhain #october #samhainblessings #samhainaltar #samhainseason #halloween #diadelosmuertos #soapmagic #soapmaking #greenmagic #PagansOfInstagram #magick #spellcandlesofinstagram #spellcraft #spellpower #FolkMagick #folkmagic #folklore #witchtip #witchylife #witchythings #magictips #magicalselfcare #hoodoo https://www.instagram.com/p/CEAbNiOHGli/?utm_medium=tumblr

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oha--asa · 5 years

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August 28, 2019

Aries › Music box punch card › Orange

Leo › Glass accessories › Beige

Sagittarius › Shrine › Grey

Aquarius › Envelope › Yellow

Gemini › Digital clock › Blue

Libra › Key case › Purple

Cancer › Chinese herbal medicine › White

Scorpio › Set square › Light blue

Pisces › Cornflakes › Red

Taurus › Retort cooking › Black

Virgo › Luffa › Gold

Capricorn › Anmitsu › Pink

#oha asa #oha asa horoscope #oha--asa #lucky item #lucky color #kuroko no basuke #kurobasu #kuroko no basket #aries

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queen-ofnewyork · 6 years

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Review of LUOKI's Double Shot Cleansing Water

LUOKI is a Korean brand that stands for “Lucid Key of Beauty” and their products focus on being beautiful and shining. Their Double Shot Cleansing Water is designed free of fragrance, artificial colors and parabens to be suitable for sensitive skin. It's a non-irritating mild cleanser that is gentle and moisturizing. Key ingredients include: cucumber fruit extract (hydrating, moisturizing, soothing, cooling, nourishing, softening), bamboo extract (soothing, adds vitality, anti-inflammatory, removes dry skin, antioxidant, healing, hydrating), papaya extract (moisturizing, clears pigmentation, anti-wrinkle, antioxidant, exfoliating) and oregano leaf extract (antiseptic, treats acne, antifungal, antioxidant, soothes skin infections, tones redness, moisturizing). This product retails for between $19-29 USD, you can get it here for $19.89 + shipping (free on prime).

Ingredients

Water, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Dipropylene Glycol, Betaine, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Luffa Cylindrica (Sponge Gourd) Fruit Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Bambusa Vulgaris (Bamboo) Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Origanum Vulgare (Oregano) Leaf Extract, Chamaecyparis Obtusa Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Soybean Ferment Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia (Chinese Cinnamon) Bark Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Allantoin, Vaccinium Myrtillus (Bilberry) Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol

To quickly note, I received this for a small fee from 0.8 Liter for my honest review, this post is not sponsored.

This cleansing water contains 500 ml (16.9 oz) and it has a slightly soapy kind of scent.

It has a basic squeeze top and it can leak a little bit if tipped over. It's also easy to rip off the lid.

It’s great water to cleanse your skin in the morning as well as to remove makeup.

This cleanser works on highlighter and concealer among other things and it wipes off very cleanly.

Recommended use is to pour a sufficient quantity onto a cotton pad and remove makeup by wiping along the skin's contour from the inside outward. After using, this cleansing water is very gentle, the soapy scent is very subtle and I didn't find it irritating, I think it's too light to be much of an irritant. It removes dirt, makeup and whatever else pretty easily without leaving any residue. I do think a lot of it is necessary to remove a full face of BB cream and other makeup, however. I prefer to use this to cleanse my face in the morning and on days where I didn’t apply any makeup. I think if you’re sensitive to fragrance, this is probably going to be a problem for you but it doesn't have any artificial fragrances. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a super simple cleanser to remove dirt. And with it in this size, it's going to last a long time.

What I like: this cleansing water is extremely gentle, I really appreciate how it doesn’t irritate my skin. It cleanly removes makeup without leaving any residue and I found it pleasant to use overall. I think this works best on skin with no makeup and I really prefer that as I like to use cleansing water every day. I like the ingredients and think this product is really high quality. It also does not dry out the skin and is pretty hydrating. What I don’t like: this product can be kind of leaky if knocked over.

Pros:

Hydrating

Non-drying

Extremely gentle

Great ingredients

Removes makeup cleanly

Removes dirt easily

High quality

No artificial fragrances

Cons:

Can leak if knocked over

Would I buy again?

Yes

Rating: 10/10

#LUOKI #Double Shot Cleansing Water #Korean Skincare #review #cleansing water #0.8L review

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dapur-asik · 2 years

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Tanaman Oyong, Manfaat Dan Cara Budidaya Oyong

Tanaman Oyong yang biasa diberikan untuk hewan ternak ternyata juga lezat di lidah manusia. Oyong merupakan jenis sayuran hijau yang kaya akan vitamin dan sangat baik bagi kesehatan manusia. Vitamin yang terkandung dalam Oyong adalah vitamin A yang baik untuk menjaga kesehatan mata, vitamin B yang menjaga kesehatan kulit dan vitamin C sebagai antioksidan alami membantu menjaga stamina tubuh. Oyong dalam nama latin disebut Luffa acutangula. Tanaman yang berasal dari daratan India dan menyebar ke seluruh Asia ini dikenal dalam beberapa nama. Masyarakat China menyebut Oyong sebagai Siqua karena bentuknya yang panjang bulat seperti mentimun Jepang (Sukini). Orang-orang Eropa menyebutnya sebagai Chinesse Okra meski takada hubungan dengan sayuran berfamili Okra. Di Indonesia, oyong disebut juga gambas. Sebagai bahan makanan manusia Oyong biasanya diolah sebagai sayur berkuah yang dimasak bersama daun bayam berbumbu bawang putih dan rempah kunci atau dengan santan kental bersanding sayur lodeh. Varietas oyong yang dijumpai di pasaran adalah Angled luffa summer long atau lebih dikenal sebagai Edible luffa. Tanaman Oyong dapat tumbuh subur di daerah tropis seperti India, China, Jepang dan Indonesia karena ia merupakan jenis tumbuhan yang memerlukan cukup sinar matahari dan tidak terlalu banyak air, itu sebabnya Oyong ditanam pada musim kemarau dan hasil panennya kurang memuaskan jika dipaksakan ditanam saat musim penghujan. Meski tidak membutuhkan terlalu banyak air untuk kehidupannya namun sebagai salah satu komoditi sayuran Oyong mengandung banyak air sehingga rasanya sangat segardan pas untuk disajikan ketika udara panas. Ciri-ciri tanaman Oyong adalah: - Hidup dengan cara merambat dengan cara memilin di benda yang berada di sekitarnya. - Merupakan tanaman berbatang panjang dan kuat dan mampu tumbuh hingga puluhan meter panjangnya. - Memiliki daun berbulu halus menutupi permukaan yang lebar dan melengkung dengan tulang daun menjari. - Jika berbuah, oyong mampu menghasilkan buah hingga sepuluh biji dalam satu sulur dahan, berusuk-rusuk dengan bentuk buah bulat memanjang.

Cara Budidaya Oyong

Tanaman Oyong relatif mudah dibudidayakan, ia dapat tumbuh di halaman rumah, sawah, di dekat pohon besar atau dirambatkan ke pagar. Oyong atau Gambus mampu beradaptasi dan hidup di dataran rendah atau dataran tinggi hingga ketinggian 1500 meter di atas permukaan laut. Sayangnya karena masih dianggap sebagai sayuran pendamping (bukan sayuran utama) budidaya Oyong belum dilakukan secara lebih serius. Padahal jika dibudidayakan lebih baik dan memasarkan ke luar negeri, Oyong dapat menjadi komoditas ekspor yang cukup menjanjikan. Yang perlu diperhatikan dalam menanam Oyong adalah mengondisikan tanah agar sesuai dengan suasana yang diperlukan Luffa acutangula agar bisa tumbuh optimal. Oyong memerlukan tanah yang cukup mengandung air, lembap namun udaranya kering. Tanah untuk menanam bibit Oyong tidak perlu dicangkul namun cukup dilubangi menggunakan pasak kayu dengan diameter sekitar dua puluh lima cm, berkedalaman 20 cm. Agar tanaman Oyong menghasilkan buah seperti yang diharapkan, jarak tanam harus diatur antara lima puluh hingga enam puluh cm dan antar baris satu dengan lainnya berjarak 200 cm. Pengaturan jarak tanam ini bertujuan agar tanaman tidak berebut unsur mikro dan nutrisi yang sangat dibutuhkan dalam proses tumbuh kembang tanaman. Pemberian pupuk juga harus diperhatikan takarannya karena pupuk yang berlebihan dapat menyebabkan tanaman mengalami kematian sedangkan takaran yang kurang kemungkinan dapat menyebabkan tanaman tidak mampu tumbuh secara optimal. Pada prinsipnya pupuk diberikan pada setiap lubang yang telah disiapkan. Pupuk yang terbaik adalah pupuk kompos atau pupuk kandang kemudian ditutup dengan lapisan tanah tips-tipis. Saat tanaman Oyong sudah tumbuh hingga setinggi lima puluh cm, tiang bambu setinggi satu setengah hingga dua meter sebagai tempat rambatan. Mengingat tanaman Oyong bisa tumbuh hingga sepanjang sepuluh meter, pembuatan bambu harus disiapkan cukup kuat dan panjang. Jika tidak ada rambatan Oyong tumbuh tidak teratur dan menyulitkan proses panen. Selain menyiapkan lahan, menanam Oyong harus juga memperhatikan masalah hama. Hama penyakit yang menyerang oteng-oteng. Bagian yang diserang adalah bunga dan daun. Penanggulangan hama ini dapat dilakukan dengan penyemprotan pestisida menurut takaran aman atau jika ingin menghindari racun pestisida, hama penyakit diantisipasi atau diminimalisir dengan cara mengurangi daun dan dipangkas secara berkala. Daun yang terlalu rimbun merupakan tempat hidup yang sangat disukai hama. Panen Oyong dapat dilakukan setelah tanaman menginjak usia satu setengah hingga dua bulan. Dengan pemeliharaan yang optimal tanaman Oyong dapat menghasilkan buah hingga satu setengah kilogram setiap pohonnya.

Manfaat Oyong Untuk Manusia

Selain segar dinikmati sebagai sayur, oyong ternyata menyimpan manfaat yang lebih dahsyat. Beberapa manfaat oyong bagi manusia antara lain: - Digunakan sebagai ramuan pembersih darah. Gambas atau Oyong ternyata mengandung zat-zat anti toksin yang membantu menawarkan racun dalam darah. Di dalam Gambas terdapt senyawa-senyawa kimia cucurbitacin yang membantu proses pencernaan dalam lambung, citruline yang membantu produksi asam amino arginine untuk proses imunitas tubuh, luffein daapt berfungsi sebagai pencahar alami dan triterpen. - Membantu meningkatkan produksi ASI. - Aman dikonsumsi penderita diabetes. Sayuran jenis labu-labuan ini dikenal memiliki indeks glikemik rendah sehingga aman dikonsumsi penderita diabetes mellitus selain itu kandungan kalorinya yang hanya berkisar 19 kalori dalam seratus gram buah. Senyawa cucurbitacin selain membantu proses pencernaan dalam lambung juga mampu membantu menurunkan kadar gula dalam darah. - Membantu mengobati penyakit asma dan gangguan tenggorokan lainnya. Kandungan airnya yang cukup tinggi membantu ketersediaan air dalam tubuh dan mengurangi keluhan sakit tenggorokan serta pernapasan. - Digunakan sebagai pembersih tubuh. Di pedesaan, kulit Gambas yang sudah dikeringkan biasa dipakai untuk menggosok tubuh ketika mandi sehingga kotoran dan daki yang menempel di kulit bisa luruh dengan sempurna.

Tips Memilih Tanaman Oyong

Untuk membedakan Oyong yang masih segar dan sudah tua, cukup dengan memijit kulit luarnya. Jika kulit masih keras pertanda Oyong masih segar dan layak dikonsumsi, jika kulit buah terasa lunak tandanya Oyong sudah terlalu lama disimpan atua dipanen ketika sudah tua dan sebaiknya tidak dikonsumsi karena kandungan airnya hampir takada sehingga buahnya keras dan rasanya pun pahit Berkat kandungan airnya yang tinggi tanaman Oyong juga dianggap baik digunakan untuk pakan ternak. Hewan piaraan yang sering diberikan oyong sebagai makanannya adalah burung Kenari. Memberikan Oyong kepada burung Kenari dipercaya menambah nutrisi yang dibutuhkan Kenari sehingga pertumbuhan bulunya semakin bagus dan lantunan suaranya kian merdu. Memberikan sayur Oyong pada Kenari muda diyakini memancing Kenari untuk belajar mengoceh, pada Kenari dewasa Oyong dapat membantu metabolisme tubuh sehingga membuat burung yang dipelihara karena kecantikan bulu dan keindahan suaranya ini hidup lebih sehat. Ayo kita makan Oyong! Buat tubuh menjadi sehat dengan konsumsi aneka sayuran! Read the full article

#oyong #oyongadalah #oyongbahasasunda #oyongbihun #oyongsayur #oyonguntukasamlambung #oyonguntukibuhamil #perawatantanamanoyong #tanamoyong #tanamoyongdipolybag #tanamoyongyangbaik #tanamanoyong #tanamanoyongdapatdipanenpadausia #tanamanoyongdipot #tanamanoyonggambas #umurtanamanoyong

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augustambiance-blog · 6 years

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3.75 Stars

This product smells good, feels good on the skin and does a great job of exfoliating. However, side note, do not let this product get around your eyes and be sure to wipe off with a washcloth. If a piece of this gets in your eye it hurts so bad! I’ve used man exfoliating washes but this one has got in my eye multiple times so I know I must get out a washcloth if I’m going to use it.

Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Lauryl Glucoside, Stearic Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Glycerin, Juglans Regia (Walnut) Shell Powder, Coco-Glucosides, Decyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Palmitic Acid, Limonene, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Prunus Amygdalis Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice(1), Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Fruit Extract(1), Citrus Limon (Lemon) Fruit Extract, Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit Extract(1), Lactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Ferment Filtrate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Luffa Cylindrica Fruit Powder, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Rubus Fruticosus (Blackberry) Fruit Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract(1), Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Alcohol(1), Citric Acid, Myristic Acid, Pumice, Salicylic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Iron Oxides (CI 77491). (1)Certified Organic Ingredient

#vegetarian #noanimaltesting #noparaben #nomicrobeads #alba #scrub

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housedecorclub · 6 years

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23 Rare Seeds I'm Growing in 2019

23 Rare Seeds I’m Growing in 2019

OK, I went crazy on my self-imposed “holiday break” and busted out the seed catalog. Here are the 23 new seeds I’m experimenting with this year. Have you grown any of these? If so, let me know in the comments below.

2019 SEEDS

Mizuna, Beni Houshi Red Ursa Kale Dishcloth or Luffa Gourd Little Gem Lettuce Garden Huckleberry Oriole Orange Swiss Chard Sanguine Ameliore or Strawberry Cabbage Lettuce B…

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#Art Deco #Bricolage #Diseño Decoracion Interior #DIY #Home Decor Ideas

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halocantik · 3 years

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Dietary Guidelines Framework

Customizing the Dietary Guidelines Framework

The Dietary Guidelines approach of providing a framework–not prescriptive details–ensures that its recommendations can “meet people where they are,” from personal preferences to cultural foodways, and including budgetary considerations. The examples below are a sample of the range of options in each food group—to be eaten in nutrient- dense forms. Additional examples are listed under Table A3-2 in Appendix 3.

Vegetables

• Dark-Green Vegetables: All fresh, frozen, and canned dark- green leafy vegetables and broccoli, cooked or raw: for example, amaranth leaves, bok choy, broccoli, chamnamul, chard, collards, kale, mustard greens, poke greens, romaine lettuce, spinach, taro leaves, turnip greens, and watercress.

• Red and Orange Vegetables: All fresh, frozen, and canned red and orange vegetables or juice, cooked or raw: for example, calabaza, carrots, red or orange bell peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, 100% tomato juice, and winter squash.

• Beans, Peas, Lentils: All cooked from dry or canned beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils: for example, black beans, black-eyed peas, bayo beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), edamame, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mung beans, pigeon peas, pinto beans, and split peas. Does not include green beans or green peas.

• Starchy Vegetables: All fresh, frozen, and canned starchy vegetables: for example, breadfruit, burdock root, cassava, corn, jicama, lotus root, lima beans, plantains, white potatoes, salsify, taro root (dasheen or yautia), water chestnuts, yam, and yucca.

• Other Vegetables: All other fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables, cooked or raw: for example, asparagus, avocado, bamboo shoots, beets, bitter melon, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (green, red, napa, savoy), cactus pads (nopales), cauliflower, celery, chayote (mirliton), cucumber, eggplant, green beans, kohlrabi, luffa, mushrooms, okra, onions, radish, rutabaga, seaweed, snow peas, summer squash, tomatillos, and turnips.

Fruits

• All fresh, frozen, canned, and dried fruits and 100% fruit juices: for example, apples, Asian pears, bananas, berries (e.g., blackberries, blueberries, currants, huckleberries, kiwifruit, mulberries, raspberries, and strawberries); citrus fruit (e.g., calamondin, grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, and pomelos); cherries, dates, figs, grapes, guava, jackfruit, lychee, mangoes, melons (e.g., cantaloupe, casaba, honeydew, and watermelon); nectarines, papaya, peaches, pears, persimmons, pineapple, plums, pomegranates, raisins, rhubarb, sapote, and soursop.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 | Chapter 1: Nutrition and Health Across the Lifespan | Page 28

Figure 1-5 Customizing the Dietary Guidelines Framework (continued)

cereals and crackers, corn grits, cream of rice, cream of wheat, barley (pearled), masa, pasta, and white rice. Refined- grain choices should be enriched.

Protein Foods

• Meats, Poultry, Eggs: Meats include beef, goat, lamb, pork, and game meat (e.g., bison, moose, elk, deer). Poultry includes chicken, Cornish hens, duck, game birds (e.g.,

ostrich, pheasant, and quail), goose, and turkey. Organ meats include chitterlings, giblets, gizzard, liver, sweetbreads, tongue, and tripe. Eggs include chicken eggs and other birds’ eggs. Meats and poultry should be lean or low-fat.

• Seafood: Seafood examples that are lower in methylmercury include: anchovy, black sea bass, catfish, clams, cod, crab, crawfish, flounder, haddock, hake, herring, lobster, mullet, oyster, perch, pollock, salmon, sardine, scallop, shrimp, sole, squid, tilapia, freshwater trout, light tuna, and whiting.

• Nuts, Seeds, Soy Products: Nuts and seeds include all nuts (tree nuts and peanuts), nut butters, seeds (e.g., chia, flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower), and seed butters (e.g., sesame or tahini and sunflower). Soy includes tofu, tempeh, and products made from soy flour, soy protein isolate, and soy concentrate. Nuts should be unsalted.

Page 29 | Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 | Chapter 1: Nutrition and Health Across the Lifespan

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anekasehat · 3 years

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Sering Pecah-Pecah? Atasi dengan Kanna Obat Kaki

Tumit pecah-pecah adalah masalah kaki yang umum. Sebuah survei menemukan bahwa 20 persen orang dewasa di Amerika Serikat mengalami kulit pecah-pecah pada kaki. Hal ini dapat terjadi baik pada orang dewasa maupun anak-anak, dan lebih sering memengaruhi wanita daripada pria.

Bagi kebanyakan orang, mengalami kulit retak pada tumit bukanlah hal yang serius. Akan tetapi, dapat menyebabkan ketidaknyamanan saat bertelanjang kaki. Dalam beberapa kasus, retakan pada tumit bisa menjadi sangat dalam dan menyebabkan nyeri. Anda harus segera mengatasinya, salah satunya menggunakan Kanna obat kaki dan beberapa tips berikut ini.

1. Gunakan pelembab

Perawatan lini pertama untuk tumit pecah-pecah adalah menggunakan balm tumit, salah satunya Kanna obat kaki. Krim ini mengandung bahan untuk melembabkan, melembutkan, dan mengelupas kulit mati.

Kanna obat kaki mengandung lesitin, petrolatum, cetearyl alcohol, ceteareth-33, PEG 100, stearate glyceryl stearate, natrium bikarbonat, propylene glycol, metil paraben, propylparaben, air dan parfum. Anda dapat menggunakannya dengan cara, membersihkan kulit kemudian keringkan. Oleskan Kanna Krim Lembut dan gosokkan secara merata hingga meresap dengan baik. Gunakan secara rutin untuk mendapatkan hasil yang maksimal.

2. Lakukan teknik eksfoliasi kaki

Kulit di sekitar tumit yang pecah-pecah seringkali lebih tebal dan kering daripada kulit lainnya. Kulit ini cenderung pecah ketika menekan atau berjalan. Eksfoliasi dan melembabkan kaki Anda dapat membantu mengatasi hal ini. Berikut beberapa tipsnya.

Eksfoliasi dapat dilakukan dengan membersihkan kaki di dalam menggunakan air hangat dengan sabun hingga 20 menit. Gunakan luffa, scrubber kaki, atau batu apung untuk menghilangkan kulit yang keras dan tebal. Tepuk-tepuk kaki dengan lembut hingga kering. Oleskan Kanna obat kaki atau pelembab ke area yang terkena. Oleskan petroleum jelly pada kaki Anda untuk mengunci kelembapan. Kenakan kaus kaki untuk mencegah minyak menyebar.

Hindari menggosok kaki saat sudah kering, karena dapat meningkatkan risiko kulit rusak.

3. Gunakan perban kulit cair

Anda juga bisa mengoleskan perban cair ke bagian retakan/pecah-pecah untuk menutup luka dan mencegah infeksi atau retakan lebih lanjut. Perban cair adalah pilihan yang baik untuk merawat retakan tumit dalam yang mungkin akan berdarah. Oleskan perban cair pada kulit yang bersih dan kering hingga retakan sembuh.

4. Madu

Madu dapat bekerja sebagai obat alami untuk tumit pecah-pecah. Menurut penelitian tahun 2012, madu memiliki sifat antimikroba dan antibakteri. Penelitian menunjukkan bahwa madu dapat membantu menyembuhkan dan membersihkan luka, serta melembabkan kulit. Anda bisa menggunakan madu sebagai scrub kaki setelah berendam, atau mengoleskannya sebagai masker kaki semalaman.

5. Minyak kelapa

Minyak kelapa sering direkomendasikan untuk kulit kering, eksim, dan psoriasis. Minyak kelapa dapat membantu kulit Anda mempertahankan kelembapan. Menggunakan minyak kelapa setelah merendam kaki juga bisa menjadi pilihan yang baik. Sifat anti-inflamasi dan antimikroba minyak kelapa dapat merusak tumit Anda yang pecah-pecah jika rentan terhadap pendarahan atau infeksi.

6. Pengobatan alami lainnya

Ada banyak pengobatan rumahan lainnya untuk tumit pecah-pecah, meskipun tidak ada yang terbukti secara khusus mengobati penyembuhan retak. Sebagian besar bahan fokus pada pelembab dan pelembut kulit, seperti penggunaan:

- Cuka, untuk eksfoliasi kaki.

- Minyak zaitun atau minyak sayur, untuk melembabkan.

- Shea butter, untuk melembabkan.

- Pisang tumbuk, untuk melembabkan.

- Lilin parafin, untuk menyegel kelembapan.

- Oatmeal dicampur dengan minyak, untuk pengelupasan kulit.

- Kanna obat kaki untuk mengatasi kulit kering.

Gunakan dengan hati-hati

Jangan obati sendiri tumit pecah-pecah jika disebabkan oleh kondisi medis. Perawatan khusus mungkin diperlukan. Kasus tumit pecah-pecah yang parah juga harus dievaluasi oleh ahli penyakit kaki, terlepas dari riwayat kesehatan Anda. Dokter akan menyarankan perawatan terbaik untuk situasi Anda.

#Kanna obat kaki

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getthebutters · 3 years

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duhragonball · 2 years

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Cooldown

The last 24 hours have been very relaxing. Now that I’ve got that Christmas fic out of the way, and I’ve hit my 1-million word goal on the damn wienerfic, this is the first time since Halloween where I don’t have a due date or writing goal breathing down my neck. I should find a chill Dragon Ball screenshot to accompany that feeling. Here we go...

I’m just going to reflect on my writing output for the year, and try to head off some mistakes before I repeat them next year. Also, I’m going to be eating leftover fruit salad while I do it. I’d offer to share, but... no, I won’t.

Okay, so first and foremost, I kind of screwed myself over with Red Christmas. I think the fic itself turned out pretty good, and I’m pleased with the accomplishment, but I’m also annoyed with myself for failing to plan for how big it ended up being. It’s about 33000 words long, almost twice as long as the previous Luffa Annuals, and I think like four or five times longer than the first one.

To be fair, Green Christmas was the prototype, and it was a Coffee Shop AU, a premise so thin that it basically boiled down to having DBZ characters stop in for coffee. I had to have barista!Luffa moonlight as a joshi wrestler just to keep myself entertained.

Orange Christmas turned into a boondoggle. That was the Sentai AU that I only half-finished by Christmas of 2020, and I had to wrap it up several months later. I think Red Christmas kind of shared the same challenge, where I introduced way too many characters and made the plot much too complex for the length I was aiming for.

Violet Christmas was the Noir AU, which I enjoyed writing, except for the part where I was pulling an all-nighter on Christmas Eve to get it done on time. Luckily for me, the genre gave me a reprieve. My original concept was more of a hard-boiled detective story, featuring Trunks as a PI trying to save Luffa from being framed for murdering her husband. That would have been a lot more convoluted, but then I discovered that the noir genre isn’t the same thing as hardboiled detective, and after further study, I realized I could just focus the tale on Towa and Mira, who do the murder and frame Luffa for it. The twist is that Luffa doesn’t even appear in the story, but Towa and Mira get so anxious about her exposing the truth that they turn against each other. The point is that I was able to skip the crime-solving half of the tale, and just stick to the two characters that actually drove the plot.

Red Christmas was more ambitious, not because I needed it to be, but because I wanted to get as much out the vampire concept as possible. My options were pretty much down to having Luffa be a vampire or a vampire hunter, and I decided the best choice for the character would be to do both at once. But if I wasn’t careful, I’d just end up turning her into a cheap knockoff of Hellsing’s Alucard. So I set her up as an anti-hero, pledged to rid the world of vampires, but also being a real dick about it. Luffa is cruel and manipulative to the humans in the story, not because she wants to be, but because she believes this is the only way for her to carry out her mission.

In preparing for the story, I read an article critiquing the vampire-au trope, and it pointed out that if you take a character like Obi-Wan Kenobi and turn him into a vampire, is he still really Obi-Wan Kenobi? In other words, you have this selfless public servant, a warrior for justice and peace, who never uses his powers for his own gain, and then you turn him into basically the exact opposite of those things. And sure, maybe Ewan McGregor looks sexy in the fangs and gothic attire, but have you compromised the character to the point of being unrecognizable? If so, what’s the point of telling a vampire Obi-Wan story at all?

I tried to keep that in mind with Luffa, and I think I managed to skin the cat. The version in my fic is a thousand-year-old legend, and inspiration to Vegeta and his allies, but she also fails to live up to his expectations in a lot of important ways. That tracks with the “main” Luffa in TLSSJ, but the Red Christmas version is trapped in this curse. The “main” Luffa can grow and make peace with her place in the world, but the “Red” Luffa is locked in a death struggle with vampire-kind. Her only escape is through death or victory, and they’re ultimately the same thing. Vegeta can remind her of who she is and what she’s fighting for, but he can’t really do anything to pull her back from the brink. Her fate is sealed.

But I’m getting off track. The problem with Red Christmas was that I hammered out the basic plot over the summer, and planned to write 15000 words of it in September, thinking that would cover most, if not all, of the story. Then I would finish it off in December. Instead, the final version ended up being about 33,000 words, which meant that I spent this month writing more than half of the work, which is not what I had in mind at all.

And while it all seemed to work out in the end, I need to be careful that I don’t repeat the same blunder when I work on the next Christmas Annual in 2023. Right now I have a whole month in the summer blocked off for work on Blue Christmas. I haven’t settled on the premise, let alone the plot, but I’ve got a few ideas, which is more than I can say for Yellow Christmas, which is why I’m putting that one off another year.

The main thing is that I need to plot both of these more responsibly. The goal should be to finish them in the summertime, not to reach some arbitrary word count and hope that’s enough. I don’t want to get stuck working on them all December long.

Although, for the last four years, working on the Christmas annuals has been my holiday tradition. So if I don’t work on the next annual in December, I need to put some thought about what I want to do instead. I bought another string of lights for the plastic tree I have in my apartment, just because I wanted to get in the mood, and I feel like I want more of that. My family seems to have moved on from exchanging gifts, so I’m basically down to mailing cards and watching TV with my mom for a few days. I need to come up with something else to mark the occasion. Something low-effort but enough to keep me from getting bored. That’s kind of what the first two Luffa Annuals were supposed to be, but they’ve turned into something else. I want to post them on the 25th to kind of cap off the holiday season, but I don’t want to be working on them during the season.

So, anyway, I need to set some realistic objectives for Annual #5. Keep the cast of characters limited, don’t go overboard on the plot, and give myself room in case the fic turns into another novella.

As for this week, I want to get Luffa #203 posted before the end of the year, but I think that ought to go smoothly. After that, I start in on Janwum III, and a very special project that I think you’ll enjoy. Stay tuned.

#luffastuff

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