#spine damage

[uwmspeccoll]

Publishers' Binding Thursday

This Publishers' Binding Thursday we've got a lovely Midwestern book to share. It is A Daughter of the Middle Border by Wisconsin poet, novelist, and short story writer Hamlin Garland. The book is the sequel to Garland's autobiography A Son of the Middle Border and continues his story as he sets out for Chicago and settles into a Bohemian encampment of artists and writers where he meets his wife, the artist Zulime Taft. A Daughter of the Middle Border won the 1922 Pulitzer Prize for biography or autobiography.

The binding features a scene of a covered wagon at sunset, pulled by what appear to be horses. There is also an ox following the wagon. The title and author's name are printed in red and there is a red border around the front cover. As you can see in the first image shown here, our copy has some damage to the spine that I will be mending with methyl cellulose. We use methyl cellulose for many small in-house repairs needed for things like loose spines because it is stable, non-acidic, and water soluble.

View more Publishers' Binding Thursday posts.

-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

[alexithymia-rose]

I've had nerve damage in my lower spine since I crushed the discs down there. When it flares up, BOY DO I KNOW IT! I don't know how else to describe it other than it feels like molten hot claws shredding down my legs.

Molten hot claws. Shredding down my legs.

And they go weak and movement hurts worse. I don't know exactly what causes it. When I try to explain it to doctors they don't want to listen. It's NOT lightning bolts shooting down the back of my legs. I know what that pain is.

But just try to imagine that. If you've ever had an animal claw your legs up just imagine that but molten hot and constantly from your hips to your feet. I wish doctors would take me seriously.

[residents-of-the-darkforest]

Why Me? (short story)

Curlbird shivered into herself, instinctively trying to hide, but that proved difficult with her chest pumping in and out of her body as she struggled to breathe. As well, she tried to fight, clawing and biting and twisting as much as she could, but the cat’s grip on her was firm, and he didn’t flinch, even as she drew blood.

She tried to scream, too, but he had jumped her, kicking her throat and draining her of air as well as the ability to speak. Her heart leaped into her throat the closer they drew to the border, damn well springing from between her teeth when they entered the tunnel that led to the Place of No Stars, passing an unconscious Juniperclaw and the golden tom that held him down.

No….No….Starclan, please no!

“Plea–” she began, only to have the brown tom kick at her throat again. They continued to drag her deeper and deeper into the forest, finally leading to a secluded meadow. Long, frizzled, yellow grass waved wildly as though each blade were directed by its own wind. Finding her voice at last, she screeched, “someone please help me!” at the top of her lungs, burning her throat until it stung.

But the only response was the cold laughter of the cats holding her against the grass. 

“A fighter,” the golden one spoke up, sounding pleased. 

Curlbird thought she would throw up.

“What are you thinking?” the brown one asked from above her. Something creaked. “Spine damage?”

She trembled more than what should be possible.

“A wonderful choice!”

They shifted from where they held her. Curlbird shot out, but her brain was too scrambled in her terror, and she tumbled over her own paws. She lifted again, then fell again, and wondered in the back of her mind why they were so slow in catching her, until she saw them practically springing with each step in the corner of her eyes, and realized that even in her struggle to escape, they were taking joy in her pain.

She hadn’t made it far enough to see the edge of the field. When teeth met again with her scruff, she gasped, pushing against them. Someone was screaming, crying, begging, and part of her knew that it was her, while the other wondered how this was happening, and why her, why her, why her?

Something trickled on her neck as the brown tom bit into it, holding her shoulders down with his paws with surprising strength. For a heartstopping moment, everything went quiet.

Then she screeched. 

Claws were digging into her back, roughly, like a bear trying to open its kill– and her heart stopped again. That’s exactly what this was.

The jaw left her scruff and moved to her ear, twisting it to aim behind her. “Shh. Listen.”

She did, wishing that she couldn’t. The ripping like Twoleg bedding rang through her ears, squelching echoing all around it. She felt burning hot where he tore into her, as well as an unsettling cold, as though her backside had just been plunged into the iceis lake. She could feel herself trembling, feel herself bleed, feel her eyes bulge, feel the weight on her and the claws and teeth digging into her.

At the same time, she could feel nothing but the pure dread drowning in her chest. 

Then the weight was off. The brown tom backed away. Blinking, dazed, Curlbird laid in shock for a few long moments. Then her brain said: run. Her front paws raced away, only for her to fall to the ground, chin slamming against the grass. Confused, she looked behind her.

With horror, she saw the damage that had been done. 

A caterwaul erupted from her jaws, so loud the toms covered their ears. She didn’t stop– couldn’t stop, staring, screeching, staring, screeching, until the voice was completely gone, little more than the tiniest, most insignificant scraping sound.  

And as she cried, the toms pressed lovingly against each other, the golden one licking the wounds that she had left on the brown one in her struggle to escape. “You caught a perfect one, Myrtlewing. This one is going to be so much fun.”

=============================================================

--Wanted the story to be from the point of view of a victim to really sell just how messed up these two are.

--They damaged her spine to prevent her from running, digging into her until they could tear at the nerves. Also decided to have the dialogue be something like “what do you think? spine damage?” instead of “how do you think we should make sure she can’t run away, breaking her spine by her legs?” because they’ve been doing this together for a long time and can just communicate easily like that.

--Also possible they talked more with each other, but Curlbird just didn’t hear them through her pain and panic.

--Figured they would knock out Juniperclaw (from behind, he might not know who got him) so that they could drag someone in at all, and also because killing him would be too easy and no fun).

[radiotrophicfungi]

BLINKIE SET #50 . . . PROUDLY US

... featuring some requests!

[puppetmaster13u]

Continuing to think about This AU idea and just, slowly rotating it like a microwave.

@phoenixcatch7 had the fun idea of xenomorph-inspiration and the dollhouse being replaced by the Hive instead and I am here for that. A large cave that feels utterly wrong to anyone not part of their colony, if they can even find it. I am thinking something similar to Gemini Home Entertainment if anyone has watched that, with something between plant and flesh growing across the walls. Where one can't tell the difference between the two, or realize that it's already gripping onto them. The caves are already dangerous after all, nevermind the depths that It doesn't let anyone else into.

Also made me think about Jason, and like, so he doesn't die in the cryptid au, and definitely wouldn't in a world where he has a flesh puppet. But that still makes me think about how badly said puppet would be utterly maimed, right? Not to mention the explosion that would burn a lot of it too alongside whatever affect that'd have on his mind and human body. But now I am thinking of how the tunnels are everywhere under Gotham, how the bits of tendrils can reach through that ash, can meld with it, can for a cocoon of sorts. Turning a little robin into something else, letting it evolve into something new.

I am also rotating on if they'd be known to the Justice League like in the Doll au or if only Clark knows about them like in the Genesis au. Tempted for the second if only so there can be fun distinctly Not Human moments. Maybe the Justice League even getting concerned for their friend Superman because there's times he'll whistle or chirp under his breath (he might have picked up a few habits from his friends from Gotham) or literally snap his teeth if he's startled.

But oh the lil robins would probably be so adorable. Very fluffy and downy and brightly colored in a clear warning, but still unsettling. The way they move isn't right, like a jerky contortionist, but can also go too fluid or completely inhumanely still within a heartbeat. Not helped by the fact they don't need to breathe. O h, the batfam could most definitely be venomous. What with how in both Aus they use paralytics and sedatives on their claws and spikes, It could definitely include that within the secondary bodies.

[phoenixcatch7]

Bunch of dc story ideas because I keep forgetting to write them down and they're not fully fleshed out anyway:

Captain marvel gets 'deaged', either through klarion or something he ran into doing duty around the Rock, and flees to the first safe place he can think of - the watchtower. Unfortunately, Billy assumed the curse would simply revert him to his mortal form, or close enough... But the champion of magic form turns out to have been a disguise in more ways than one, because this new body most certainly isn't human.

Similarly, cap gets deaged to Billy's age, but he's still... The champion of magic form. Now Billy batson has full access to his full set of powers and skills, but in his mortal shape. This is going to really help his secret identity :'). Especially because the villains KEEP ATTACKING PEOPLE PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF.

Meta!Batman. His rare power transformed him into a monster on the scale of killer Croc or man bat, and also enabled him to turn into a human. A completely normal. Baseline human. It's infuriating that a normal person has to worry about meta blockers or inhibitor cuffs, especially after his (slightly fudged to keep the traffickers out) statistical announcement of 'no metas in Gotham' got presumed to be a demand, because he had to call in the league to help with a fighting ring and now he's hiding in a dark room while superman tries to coax him out. Man bat already stole the niche, it's just embarrassing.

Possessed doll au! When an 8yo Bruce falls into a cave under his house, he had nightmares about tea parties and flapping wings and wooden limbs for years. Nearly a decade later, he returned to find a sprawling system of tunnels and cracks, through one of which lies an abandoned, life sized marionette tea party, with empty porcelain tea cups and old, outdated gowns. The torch lights upon the doll at the head of the table, a tall, imposing man with chipped paint, dressed all in black, his joints rusted and head lolling. Bats screech from the darkness as he approaches, and when he touches its hand the world goes black. It's terrifying to wake up in a body of wood, hearing it creak and twist, hearing it scream as he cries. He wakes up back in his own body, sprawled on the floor, and runs. He's back down in a few months, this time bound and determined to figure it out. It turns out whatever it is, it has no malice. Indeed it makes for a wonderful, powerful body once he's cleaned it up, able to move and bend in ways no human could. He can hollow it out carefully and fill it with whatever items he might need. A body that doesn't need to breathe or eat, one that can take a beating, night after night. It takes him a long time to wonder why the dolls have precisely as many people as the manor eventually does. In the meantime the people of Gotham are 90% sure their protectors aren't human. And the jl is terrified of the cave. (cryptid, cave is haunted au?)

Venom!dp x dc twin au. Danyal and Damian were the league famous demon twins, the dual gems in its crown, until Danyal is killed. Raas, furious and refusing to lose his other grandchild, starts pushing Damian harder and harder while his brother is taken to the pit as a last resort. To the adults' knowledge, it didn't work. Danny's body dissolved in the acidic waters. To Damian's knowledge, his brother returned as a desperate, animalistic thing one night, seeping through the cracks of his room. Refusing to let his brother go again, Damian demands they be reunited as one, and Danny fuses with his very skin. Once his mind returns, Danny returns the sentiment, both deeply terrified of being pulled apart again. They communicate through reflections and whispers, sharing control of the body by transforming between human and ghost, sharing powers and instincts equally. When they're sent to Wayne manor, they're restless and defensive. They have each other, no one else can discover Danny, no one else can separate them again. Their father must never find out.

Thanagerian!Danny. He's a couple generations removed on his mother's side, so he doesn't even realise until his ghost form appears with two gorgeous wings. It really adds to the psychopomp symbolism, at least? He has a lot of questions when he meets the justice league. No wonder vlad never successfully managed to clone him!

Shapeshifter captain marvel. Please. He's apprenticing under tawky ^^

[piosplayhouse]

In retrospect I think the main reason I've always been more into media about becoming dragons/autonomous dragon society (wings of fire) yet disinterested in dragonRIDING media is because everything is built on the foundations of me being a horse girl, and so the usual fantasy knee jerk response of cool monster mount replaces horses has never resonated with me because horses are already a cool monster mount on their own in a way. Even more if you are in a fantasy setting perhaps because imagine you walk outside to regularly see dragons and direwolves and those are cool and all but what you wouldn't give to see witness the king's eastern heavenly horse being born with its infant tentacles intact

[ghostleeeaf]

pikmin

pikmin

[owlpellet]

Scans from the mystery albums! I wish I could fit more than ten images, but my favorites will have to do.

These albums were found in a case in our belongings after our move. They are not the previous homeowner's. We have no idea where they came from, or who these people are, but I'm happy to share them as I try to find their owner-- and maybe posting this will help!

What I can tell about them is they are from the mid-1800s, mostly tintypes but also paper photos. The tintypes seem to follow the life of the dark-haired woman (obsessed with her lip quirk and attitude btw), who resided in Central Massachusetts (some of the tintypes are labeled as from a few photographers in the area). The second album, mostly regular photos, is from Connersville Indiana, photographed entirely by J. H. Tatman.

I presume they are two sides of the same family, as the albums were organized similarly. Do you recognize these people? Please DM me if you do!

For everyone else, please enjoy the fashion references.

[imgur album link with more photos]

[commander-ledi]

i want to pick up astarion and carry him (either like a sack of potatoes or bridal style, depending on my mood)

[survivinghellandhistoricalevents]

Ambulatory Wheelchair user Vil Schoenheit, AU

As a dancer and a highly active person the stress put on his joints and injuries to the hip and torso area gave him chronic pain. Formed a pars fracture and sprains became fairly common. With the additional injuries from his overblot it was decided that he would benefit from a mobility aid.

References below cut:

[miamierre]

charles you are so insane for shrinking to be smaller than pierre like that

[darkwood-sleddog]

Me: seeing some poor sod’s dog wearing that I’ll fitting outward hound dog pack from a mile away…

Me: don’t say anything don’t say anything don’t say anything…

Me: I hate to be a bummer but please do not let your dog wear that

[mossypidder]

Working on finishing up a cloak for a cosplay while Nugget was out. She thinks she needs to steal my fleece.

[knackeredforever]

I think anyone who makes fun of someone for doing stretches in public deserves to be blown up 1 million times

This post was made by someone who has diagnosed scoliosis and has been made fun of for doing back stretches in public at college.

[puppetmaster13u]

Thinkin of Bruce's back cavity in the Meat Marionette Au.

I like to think the spine splits open, with the default being closed and him having to flex certain muscles to open it, almost like a mouth. The cervical (upper) and lumbar (lower) vertibrae are all single pieces and don't open, the lumbar continuing down the tail, while the thoracic are split into two pieces each. There's probably specialized muscles in the back that for lack of better terms tugs and moves the ribs in the back to pull the cavity open, hence why the shoulder blades are also shifted to the sides. Or something like that lol.

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

AU is a combo of my au found under the What's Out There Au tag and @phoenixcatch7's found under the Possessed Doll Au tag. Make sure to check her out!