Infinity bath salts for snorting

MY FAVORITE SABRINA SPELLS

1. "We call upon you, Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Imbue your Dark Power into This Infernal Throne. We Call upon Hell and it's Most Unholy Hordes. I gift This Realm my Power, The Darkest of the Dark Lords.(Repeated) Tere pis Poten Se innubis!" Used by the Morningstars and Order of Hecate To Repel Hell and Earth Like 2 Magnets. The Spell Fails Because Ambrose Thought If they have Continued They Would have Destroyed Both of the Realms
   
2. "(Repeated) Dei Tempus Sit Nobis Reddere. Inter Recipere, Ut Heri" a Spell Sabrina Performed to Reverse Time using Father Blackwood's time Egg and The Unholy Regalia smelted into the Morningstar A medieval Weapon and Go back Where the Pagans Haven't Taken over the Earth So she Can Save her Friends and Family
   
3. "Expellere O Canis Daemonium!" used by Nicholas When the Raging Incubus Ignites to Theo, Harvey, and Melvin This Spell is Performed to Expell The incubus Out of the Body
   
4. "Mother, Maiden, Crone. Stand Around her Shoulder to Shoulder, so Only Precious Life may hold Her. As your Lunar Light Doth wax and Wane, keep her on this Mortal Plane. By torch Light, key, and holy knife. Keep Sabrina Close to life" Agatha, Hilda and Zelda Performed this spell when Sabrina Was Bleeding To Keep Her Alive
   
5. "Salt of Earth and Salt of Ocean. I call on you to stop his Motion, Iron Seize and Joints Grasp mortis in a Rusting Grasp" used by Sabrina when they visited hell When Harvey and Theo got attacked by the Woodsman in hell
   
6. "So that the crown and the throne may be won, let mother and son be undone. (Repeated) Crescariquito!" Used by Caliban, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus To Make Lilith go In labour so she could Have Miscarriage.
   
7. "To the womb, one day, we all return as from the womb we came. But until these kings at long last learn, give them all our Mother's pain. (Repeated) En gush dia parientes caro ei!" When Asmodeus and Beelzebub come at Caliban's behest to slaughter Lilith's baby, the Order of Hecate use this spell to teach them a lesson. The spell rips Asmodeus apart from the pain of childbirth, and causes Beelzebub to nearly perish, but he teleports away in the nick of time.
   
8. "Ater ignus, fusce fume. Te evoco ut potentium tuam monstres. Cupidibus flammis hic veni. Caelo sub isto, harc arborem consumo. tenebrasque tuas monstra. tuum evoco ad devorandum. Hanc arborem ac omnes hospitas devora." Sabrina used this spell to defeat the Greendale Thirteen after she signed the Book of the Beast.
   
9. "Mystic forces we invite, fill the skies with clouds of night. Be ye far or be ye near, we summon rain to appear. Sky above, gone the sun, melodies just begun. Sky above, come undone, shower rain on everyone. Sky above, come undone, shower rain on everyone. (Repeated) Sky above, come undone, shower rain on everyone." As the Church of Night began their preparation for their Moon Bath Ceremony, they're interrupted by pagan witches. Unable to banish them or confront them head-on, Sabrina suggested they could use rain, by conjuring a storm, to get them to leave. With no other option, Sabrina, Ambrose, Hilda, and Zelda attempted this spell. The spell began to conjure a storm, dark rain clouds with thunder and ligthening, but quickly dissapated just as quick as it started. They were too weak and the spell failed.
   
10. "Stones of old, hear our incantation, deliver thus our invitation. We call forth the covenless witches of the forests, the banished, the exiled, the disenfranchised witches who dwell in caves. All are called upon. All are summoned. Hear us and answer our call. Lungere nobis covina. (repeated)" With the Dark Lord rending the Church of Night powerless and defenseless, Hilda suggested that, like their brother, Edward, they call on other witches for help and reinforcements. To help with the spell, Ambrose suggests that they use a circle of stones, such as Stonehenge as they're meant to collect and amplify energy. Ambrose and Prudence dug up the circle of stones buried in the Greendale Wood and relocated them to the Academy of Unseen Arts. Ambrose and the Academy's students cast this spell and the stones begin to harmonize. The spell is cut short, however, by Agatha, crazed after looking at Pan. Though the spell was cut short, Gryla, Pesta, Sycorax, Marie LeFleur, Dezmelda,
    

(1) Brainwashed

• Who is the Daoist? - A question that I cannot answer yet and hopefully gets explained in the story later on. But if I had to take a guess - it's Arcana. Take this paragraph with a grain of salt.

The reason why I put an emphasis to the Daoist's identity is because he/she is the main reason why Jiu was so fixated on "helping others". This was implanted on her mind ever since Jiu came into the city, sneaked inside a wagon due to hunger and because it was her mission to become the city's Xiangrui, as instructed.
And what is a Xiangrui? That's right... Someone who grants wishes. And only by becoming one will she understand the true meaning of her Mother's disappearance or abandonment.

(2) She did not lie

Her arguments were ALWAYS pointed to the transformed merchants. Even at the start of the story, it revolved around the merchants that transformed into horses, not Lushus.
Therefore, if they are horses and not Lushus, how could Jiu believe it was her doing?
And this was strongly supported when she mentioned that there was no way for her to transform or commit such acts on people she have never met before. It's basically saying that she don't remember doing it to these merchants who just arrived. Which is a valid point.
OF COURSE
(1) It got proven later on that they were just HALF LUSHUS, transformed because they drank from a river that connected to Jiu's backyard where her dolls were "just taking a bath". Her arcane skill was presumably mixed with the water, but because it was not intentional and therefore not strong enough, it could only make half a Lushu.
That's why she thought it was Getian and not her who committed the act. Especially when Yenisei's team arrived, strongly insisting that it was the "feathered man" who did it - witnessing it with their own eyes.
(2) Jiu did not know that there was such a thing as half-Lushus (3) Jiu did not know that her arcane skills are strong enough to still be in effect even without the intention
She was not acting. As per Yenisei, Jiu is a genuine person.

(3) The wood carving Yenisei found depicting the transformation

It was Ms. Xu who told her about the bridge and how carving their questions on a wooden slip would make the Gods of Sheti answer and grant their wishes. So, what was carved?
The carvings show a person, a person who drinks from a bowl, and a transformation, which could indicate:
(1) Jiu's wish to become a Lushu, as depicted in the leap. (2) Jiu's desire to become Xiangrui, the granter of wishes, can be achieved through transforming people
As Ms. Xu explained, the wishes of the people are carved in the wood. This could either be Jiu's personal wish for herself or that she views transforming into a Lushu is the best way to grant the wish of the people.

(4) Ms. Xu made her abandon her mission

Since the first part of the story, Jiu was always insistent of her mission. But later on, if you paid close attention to the events and their conversations, this no longer became the focus of Jiu.
EVIDENCE
(1) She joined the race because she wanted access to the library to obtain more information about the Xiangrui but after winning it, what did she really wish for? TO END THE LIQUOR BAN.
This shows that her interest is no longer pointed towards being the Xiangrui, but the people and her life with Ms. Xu.
(2) Ms. Xu's truth - That she never really wanted to settle in the tavern and instead wanted to follow the promise with her Father to travel the "greater world, to see what lies beyond Pei City" as her Father did before.
How is this evidence?
"I thought you wouldn't leave. not like the Daoist and my mom"
Jiu Niangzi carelessly drops her umbrella and steps onto the broken bridge, the rain cascading down her hair. Under the bridge, the turbulent waters rush by, their destination unknown.

• "Fine. But I thought you wouldn't" (Wouldn't leave me)
• "Since I've been here, I've been trying to find my mother - to recall what a Xiangrui is by piecing together scattered words from book and legend" (Remember winning the race?)
• "I thought I'd figured it out - that you were that Xiangrui I'd been looking for. So I tried to became a good tavern owner. Even then, I was told I was on the wrong path. But I thought, Why not keep it this way? Nothing bad has happened. Why not live my happily-ever-after with Ms. Xu?

She was satisfied with how her life had turned out EVEN IF she never really achieved being Xiangrui nor did she care about looking for answers why she was abandoned. The emotions that surged showed how devastated Jiu was when she learned of this. She even said she just wanted to live happily ever after with just Ms. Xu.
She even thought "That you were that Xiangrui I'd been looking for"
This clearly means that she gave up on the idea that she is the Xiangrui, and instead gave it a whole new meaning. That probably, she was hoping that Ms. Xu could grant her the wish of happily ever after and getting a family that would not abandon her. Which she then mentioned - she was wrong in thinking so. Because ultimately, Ms. Xu will still leave.
The development of "I want to be Xiangrui" to "You were the Xiangrui I'd been looking for" is a masterpiece.

(5) The final act

Jiu hasn't been seen for a while and people started to forget about her. This became evident because
(1) Of the dust and cobwebs on the tables (2) The new owner of their tavern did not know her and stated she must have worked there before
Ultimately, after learning that the new owner wanted to leave, she offered him a drink from a well-kept container that contained the liquor that Ms. Xu made. It was then when her dolls started to move - apparently not alarming the new owner as he was still engrossed with the well-loved liquor.
This was when the first transformation happened. And thus, the first victim.
But this was not done intentionally and without Jiu knowing what has transpired, stating how the 4-legged creature was familiar yet she was uncertain where it came from - and wondered where the new owner went. Which then led her to believe that his decision of leaving was definite and that after tasting the liquor, he must have thought Jiu was a suitable person to take over. And thus she said,
"He did say he wanted someone else to take over. If he has left, then I will be that someone. And in doing so, I'll help him fulfill his wish"
It was unclear when she started to intentionally turn people into Lushus, but somewhere along the lines, Jiu reverted back to her original mentality and mission of becoming the Xiangrui. It just so happens the wishes of the mentioned victims in the story aligns with the desire to "leave" that she thought turning them into 4-legged creatures could help with the distance and effort.
If then, if the desire is not to "leave" but something else, how does she grant their wishes? Or will she do the same, and look for another reason to justify the act?
Imagine losing your mom Imagine losing your guardian after losing your mom Imagine losing your mom-like figure after losing 2 important people in your life
This was the only thing she thought she could do. Poor child.
But just like what they say, "A liquor is still a liquor no matter how it was made."
A crime is still a crime, no matter the reason behind it.

(6) The leap

This has opened a lot of possible endings and there is just a few things I would like to point out.
(1) In the Home screen, if you interact with Jiu, she mentions "Jessica". It could mean that further down the storyline, she was found by Vertin and probably Yenisei since the last scene involves Vertin and Sonnetto discussing about a transfer of personnel, adding Yenisei to the Timekeeper's personal roster.
(2) She did what Ms. Xu said that nobody was crazy enough to do. And that was the LEAP OF FAITH. She believed so strongly enough and that she had nothing more to lose that she decided to risk everything on that chance that her wish could come true.
Was her wish really granted or did she trigger her true arcane skills?
(3) She would rather take the leap than leave. She wants to face the mistakes that she made; to not turn her back on the people that she learned to love, that she would rather fall than carry the burden of guilt and memories.
But it turns out that she only needed to take that leap.
The leap actually may have unlocked her true power and became a true Xiangrui.
Because everyone wished to cross that bridge, at least at one point in time, and she just granted everyone's wishes.

I might be editing this and add more if there are new reveals during the entirety of the event or if I have the time to read the story again. The clickety-clicks to read the stories aren't really motivational.

Hi everyone, I am still in college and I only use bath bombs during travel because my dorm does not come with a bath tub. I have been interested in beauty (skin care and makeup specifically), but never really had the opportunity to dive deep into bathing products like salt and bath bombs.
Therefore, I decided to research about bath bombs for the class I am taking this semester and it would really help a lot if y'all could take time in giving feed backs of these question I have on mind: (appreciate it!)
Here are some questions that I have for this product in general, but feel free to answer just one or two (or all if you have time), or add additional comments and feedbacks if you want.

1. What could make bath bomb better? It seems like they have not much new innovations to it
2. What would be a holy-grail dream bath bomb product for you?
3. What is your favourite bath bomb and why
4. Why do you prefer bath bomb over bathing salt/ bathing gel; if you dont prefer them, why is it?
5. What's some complaint about the bath bombs at the market in the moment
6. Does the shape matters? And do you think the "Standardize" size of the bath bomb is really user-friendly?

Thanks for the time! <3
Disclaimer:
It is for my college class, every friends of mine don't have a bathtub. So I decided to ask here, please help a student out, thanks! It does not have to be formal response

Hi, I am doing a research for college about bath bombs, and I think i found the right community to ask about it. Thanks for your time on answering these, and hope y'all have a great bath!

1. What could make bath bomb better? It seems like they have not much new innovations to it
   
2. What would be a holy-grail dream bath bomb product for you?
   
3. What is your favourite bath bomb and why
   
4. Why do you prefer bath bomb over bathing salt/ bathing gel; if you dont prefer them, why is it?
   
5. What's some complaint about the bath bombs at the market in the moment
   
6. Does the shape matters? And do you think the "Standardize" size of the bath bomb is really user-friendly?
   

Thanks for the time!

So I was thinking about the mark multiplier because I was arguing Gyokko would turn JJK characters into a fish due to speed (not relevant) and to try and calculate the boost which made me think about a key part of the mark
In exchange for an increase of strength the user sacrifices their remaining life span down to only 25 years, this would mean the younger ones with more life left would gain a larger boost than the older ones which i find is pretty consistent as looking at it Tanjiro and Muichiro who are teensseemed to gain the most out of the mark compared to the others with Giyuu Sanemi and Obanai gaining a substantial boost while Gyomei at 27 gains the least amount but makes up for it with his large base stats, Mitsuri is special since she’s a women whose average life is longer so more time to sacrifice so more boost along with her younger age would give her the 3rd greatest boost but I don’t know how consistent that portrayal is
To try to quantify this we need a few things
The average life expectancy in Taisho Japan which is 42.1 for men and 43.2 for women which means 17.1 years for Men and 18.2 for women
The birthdays/ages of the marked slayers
The dates of when events occured where I’m going to use this timeline
So that out the way let’s get started
So first Tanjiro who unlocked the mark, Tanjiro is 15 with his birthday being July 14th, when he unlocked the mark it was the Gyutaro fight which was the ED arc which takes place about July/August time so Tanjiro is 15.0 meaning from 42.1 he has 27.1 years of life and so 42.1/15=280.67%
Next is Muichiro who according to Kokushibo in the Infinity Castle(about Jan) he will be turning 14 so when he got his mark in the Swordsmith Village in about mid October-early November he was 13 and with his birthday being August 8th he would’ve been +1.5-2 months or 13.1 years total meaning he had 29 years of life and so 42.1/13.1=321.37%
Mitsuri was 19 when she got her mark fighting Hantengu in the SSV and with her birthday being June 1st about 4.5-5 months have passed since then meaning she’s 19.4 years old which means she had 23.8 years left so 43.2/19.4=222.68%
Giyuu is 21 during the main story and with his birthday being Febuary 8th it’s been 10-11 months gone from that by the time of the IC so he’s 21.9 years old with him having 20.2 years of life so 42.1/21.8=193.12%
Sanemi is also 21 when the Infinity Castle arc takes place but his birthday is November 29th so a month ish before the IC arc so he’s 21.1 years old with 21 years left so 42.1/21=200.48%
Obanai is also 21 when Infinity Castle/Sunrise Countdown takes place with his birthday being September 15th so 3.5-4 months before so he’s 21.3 years old with 20.8 years left so 42.1/21.3=197.65%
Gyomei is an anomaly since he over the age of 25 is 27 with his Birthday being August 23rd so 4.5-5 months before the IC so 27.4 years old with 14.7 years left and so 42.1/27.4=153.65%
So to rank them based on the boost they get it goes
Muichiro=321.37%
Tanjiro=280.67%
Mitsuri=222.68%
Sanemi=200.48%
Obanai=197.65%
Giyuu=193.12%
Gyomei=153.65%
This makes sense as Muichiro went from being a Karaku victim to being able to beat Upper5 with the mark meanwhile Gyomei could already fight Kokushibo pretty well and just got better but not massively so
Take this with a grain of salt as I didn’t exactly know how to calculate this and had to change it a few times in order for it to work

This is a really strange symptom and I am not asking for medical advice I am looking to see if anyone knows if this could be a side effect of the supplements themselves or the actual mold that is being drawn out of my body. I feel extremely anxious and frantic, noise is bothering me 10x more than usual, I feel like I can’t catch my breath all day, have to keep taking deep breaths (this happens when I experience physical anxiety. It goes away if I stop focusing on it) my stress tolerance has plummeted and it feels like every evening I am trembling, covering my ears, rocking back and forth and on the verge of tears from being EXTREMELY overstimulated. Even the sound of the tv at night is making me feel like I can’t breathe and wanting to cry it’s like physically hurting my ears. In summary - my nervous system suddenly feels SO overstimulated to the point I’m neurotic with no tolerance to stress. Especially at the end of the day.
When I was living in mold, I felt like this. But I thought it was due to being in another country and struggling with everything there. NOT because of the mold. So I don’t know if this is bringing out mold which is = trauma response memory (I heard your body will hold the trauma and have the same reaction when exposed to the same thing) or if this is the mold itself, or if this is a supplement disagreeing with my brain? Any ideas?? Do I keep going?? I’m probably not drinking enough water too so maybe that’s making things worse :(
I am taking - liposomal glutathione 100mg - Quicksilver Ultrabinder Sensitive Formula 2g (1/2 tsp. Need to work up to 1tsp)

• biocidin (worked up to 3 drops, twice daily atm)
  
• also taking b complex, Epsom salt baths, magnesium chloride, electrolytes, liver herbals, cod liver oil, and just started doing sauna twice a week
  

This is a compilation of two days' worth of testing & reviewing perfumes from Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab that I previously left in Indie of the Day comments. Please keep in mind that these are "first impression" style reviews, so I can't comment on throw or wear length. With the exception of I Know You're Watching Me, everything here came as a free sample included with my orders, and will be available in the GC.
Day 1
A Countenance Foreboding Evil (Patchouli, ylang ylang, blood orange, and vetiver). I didn't like this when I first received it, with no idea of the scent notes. Coming back to it today wasn't any better. Sweet and musty. Like an old attic that hasn't been kept totally dry. Dusty, fussy, and sickly sweet. Not a winner for me. I'm very patchouli skeptical and hate oranges. I vaguely recall maybe disliking ylang ylang as well. We just weren't meant to be. Destash.
Depraved (Earthy black patchouli swelling with apricot). There wasn't really hope for this one either. I don't loathe it, though. The apricot is nice and I could see how this might work for me layered with something else. The apricot has a nice tanginess to it that brightens the patchouli enough to be tolerable. Husband thinks it smells like vitamin C tablets. Probably nice on someone else. Destash.
Hecate (Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk). I was excited by the name alone and applied without checking the notes first. Internal monologue on applying this went something like, "Jesus that's sweet. Bubblegum? Or is it fruit punch!? Wtf am I smelling?" Then 10 seconds later, "Oh I like this what's in it 🥺". The almond is intense in the bottle but immediately calms down upon application. It's rich without being foodie. This one oozes confidence; sensual without being lusty. Piercing eyes and a quick wit. A very adult fragrance that says "I have arrived". The myrrh is resinous rather than dry. A hint of citrus brightens things up just a bit and the musk keeps everything grounded and warm and full. Absolutely lovely. Keeping.
Jezebel (A gloriously decadent blend of honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood). My nose must be getting better. I was able to identify honey, and not-quite-orange off the bat without the scent notes. This one is very smiley. A bright, happy fragrance. Positivity liquefied. Sunshine and flowers in your hair and an unselfconscious toothy grin. The rose and honey are so beautifully matched here, and the orange blossom is pretty and just east of true citrus. The sandalwood feels like an afterthought, but may simply be playing a supporting role to allow the rest of the notes to flourish. I'll wear this on days I need a feminine pick-me-up. Keeping.
Black Annis (A mixture of damp cave lichen and oak leaf with a hint of vetiver, civet and anise). I remembered liking this in the imp so I put it on without much further thought or care. It goes on spicy, almost smoky. There's a bite to it that's adjacent to black pepper. Later I forgot what I was wearing and was surprised to find I smelled black licorice - ah yes, anise. This one is complex. Musky, sweet, spicy, earthy, rich. There is a lot going on, but it's oddly harmonious. I think I like it, but Black Annis is such a singular experience that I can't quite wrap my head around it yet. This one will need further testing to be fully appreciated. In limbo.
Urd (Muscadine, black and red patchouli, cereus and nag champa). This imp was poorly behaved and splortched all over the side of the bottle upon opening. I instinctively spread the spillage onto my hand and wrist so as not to waste it. After 2 minutes I smelled like a headshop and promptly scrubbed it off. "Urd" might be exactly what came out of my mouth while crinkling my nose. 😖 Destash.
Jack (True Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove). After my Urd experience, I decided to actually check the notes before diving in with this one. To me, Jack smells just like a fall themed candle from a place like Bath & Body Works. Maybe the candle is called Autumn Sweater. It's sweet. It's spiced. I don't know that I can smell pumpkin, but I don't know that I can't smell pumpkin - just like the candle. I feel like I've met the kind of woman who loves this perfume for fall. She's a perfectly lovely person, but we find we don't have much to say to each other. Destash.
Black Tower (Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine). My last scent for the day. I let a friend sample this imp and liked it on them. I'm glad I gave it a try myself because I adore this. These long dead soldiers are ghostly, not embodied. The burnt grass and ozone in this add a perfect crispness to an otherwise heady scent. The smell has a vapor-like quality to it somehow. Like picking up a scent in the breeze after rain. The metal in this is gorgeous. I love BPAL's metallic notes and this is no exception. The ivy and wine sweeten things up just enough to keep this from feeling dismal. It feels like looking out on the sea from a high window in a drafty tower, wrapped in a thick shawl and holding a leather journal you're about to pour your heart out to. Gorgeous. I want 6 bottles of this. Keeping.
Day 2
I Know You're Watching Me (A smear of flushed, pearly skin musk splashed by a sophisticated vintage aldehyde perfume and drenched in the secretions of high-pitched arousal). I looked high and low for a decant of this. Upon application, it smells like extremely fragrant laundry. The way you dream your laundry would smell when your maids are finished washing and neatly folding it. As it dries, I start to get the faintest hint of honey, then something savory, but it's lurking quietly behind the aldehydes, which are now giving the impression of something almost lemony -but there's definitely no lemon. After some time I'm not sure if I'm getting the skin musk or secretions, but I'm definitely smelling a person. It smells like skin that is just developing a light sheen of salty sweat from exertion. It's sensual and absolutely lusty. But the bright, breathy aldehydes keep this very wearable as a daily perfume. It's perfectly clean and perfectly dirty at the same time. A housewife consumed by daydreams of carnal animal passion. Shockingly true to the description. Keeping & upgrading to full size.
Anteros (Throbbing red musk and shimmering chypre with saffron, sweet patchouli, Italian bergamot, red currant, and vanilla bean). Off the bat, the red musk is front and center, smelling of a swirling blend of warm, dry spices. The bergamot peeks out fairly quickly, smelling of orange wood. I almost don't recognize the chypre, as the spices totally dry it out. Anteros begins to take on a traditionally masculine quality at around this point. I get a hint of the patchouli but no red currant at all, which I'm pretty disappointed about. I think a bit of fruit juice would really brighten this up and round it out. The overall effect for me is bitter, dry spices and woods. It does seem to liven up a bit after a longer wear, but I've got a masculine-leaning chypre that I prefer on myself. Passing this on to my husband.
Harlot's House (Angel's trumpet, violet, white sandalwood, oude, copaiba balsam, angelica, white tea, olibanum, and oakmoss). This goes on as a riotous, bright floral. Sweet and lively. These harlots aren't the sultry, seductive type. They're sitting on bar tops and telling tall tales. They're doing the can-can while breathless with giddy laughter. Flushed and beaming and one more round of drinks. The olibanum gives a tartness to the florals, while the oak moss and sandalwood add a touch of sophistication. Truly lovely, upbeat, and with surprising depth. The angel's trumpet is simply gorgeous in this. On me this is a scent for leveraging feminine wiles and exercising inconspicuous power. However, my husband also enjoyed wearing this one. Keeping.
Mag Mell (The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain). This goes on wet like a bar soap with the word "zest" or "spring" in the name. As it dries down, a wave of verbena threatens to overtake everything else. Luckily the verbena settles down almost as quickly as it appears, allowing the grass and sage to come out to play. The whole effect is very green, crisp, and breezy. The ginger only just peeks out here and there, very elusive and almost shy. I think it's the summer rain component that gives the "clean" impression. This would be a perfect scent on a sweltering day. With further wear, the bright herbaceous plant matter is softened by the amber. I think this would be an easy go-to during the warmer months for any gender. Keeping.
Port Royal (Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down). My initial thoughts are "bitch, you smell like rum". Suffice to say, this is very rum-forward on application. It does feel like a beach party scent. You've got a hibiscus flower in your hair and by the end of the night you can't tell what's perfume and what's real rum, and you don't care. The wood in this isn't overbearing, it gives me the impression of the wood planks of a coastal pier; weather worn and salt crusted. Not sure if this scent is for me, but I'll give it another go on a warm day. In limbo.
Bayou (Spanish moss, evergreen and cypress with watery blue-green notes and an eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms). This is all floral on me, with evergreen & cypress playing second fiddle somewhere in the background. It's a scent that feels humid, like sitting on the back porch and fanning yourself as you pick up the scent of trees heavy with blooming gardenias. I think I pick up other white florals as well, maybe jasmine. I am missing the water, the bayou itself, almost entirely. Gimme that murky swamp water. This is pretty, but I can't see myself reaching for it often. I'll use up this imp's ear but won't repurchase. Keeping.

Hi, so I'm fairly new to taxidermy and just wanted some advice if possible.
I'm in the uk incase that's relevant. I'm just thinking in terms of what brands of things are avaliable to me etc.
Anyway, I've recently come in to possession of a salted zebra face skin. It's inverted and currently rock solid. This isn't anything I didn't already expect. I was hoping to mount it myself on a form if possible. I just wondered if anyone would be able to explain the steps involved in detail to me. I've done some research into this myself, but getting conflicting answers online.
From what I've seen, I'll need to rehydrate it in a salt water bath. Again I've seen varying answers for this, in particular the ratio of salt to water, and likewise varying answers for how long to soak it for. Apparently I may need to add a relaxer? Truthfully I'm not even sure what a relaxer is. I'll then need to place it into a pickling solution, and again, I've no idea what a pickling solution is.
And after this, I've no idea. Do I just place it on the form and leave it to dry once in position and it'll go rock hard again? Or are there other steps?
I currently don't have the form for it as I'm unable to take measurements whilst it's inverted and rock solid, so am I able to rehydrate it, take measurements, then come back to it later, or should it be mounted as soon as possible once rehydrated?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks

Will the real slim shady Katie please stand up, please stand up, please stand up? This IS the real shady Katie, snorting and sniffing, gulping and grifting, testosterone dominant, chin not prominent, narcissistic psychopath, needs a antiseptic bath, flesh eating face bacteria, sleeps with cat shit and got Listeria. Soulless heathen, obsessed with Steven. Mensa IQ? I don’t think so, you got the IQ of Forrest Gump with the flu. Horny for young boys, demonstrating sick acts you enjoy, you’re sicker than that creepy uncle who we hid from behind our toys. A predator without discrimination, but you think you’re a sensation making lots of money but never one vacation. Believing a docu will clear your name, get you money and international fame. You’re a tool. A delusional fool. You gave 7M everything they need to smoke yo ass, if I was you, I’d run and hide right fast. You’re done, it’s over. There’s no four leaf clover. Wish you could make it go away, but 7M is here for the stay. Now sit down and STFU …Bish🤫

I’m 30 and relatively healthy. I’ve worked out consistently almost a year, I lost a lot of weight and I’m seeing some definition but I needed more! I want to be much more defined. I started my trial this week! And today would be day 4, and I couldn’t go in. I’ve been in a hot salt bath ALL DAY my muscles are in so much pain. I totally want to continue this, but is it realistic to start this program 6 days out of the week? I had no idea I was this WEAK. I can barely move my legs. Am I supposed to start 3 days and work myself up? I see so many kinds of women in there kicking ass and I can’t believe I’m having this hard of a time.. I can’t even extend my arm straight because of the soreness in my bicep? Am I just a weakly little girl or is this how it starts for everyone? I think tomorrow is a full body workout and I don’t know how far I can physically bend my knees for a squat at this point. I want to get the most bang for my buck and go everyday, but my muscles are craving rest. Do I just push through anyway? I don’t understand how this program would do well for people much more out of shape than me? I also feel so inclined to use the weights because I’ve been weightlifting for months at this point.. but I’m beat! Please tell me I’m not the only one or if someone felt this way and it got better!

In the wake of Furiosa bombing, there has been a lot of debate. It broke in a sense the sub, because the team saw abnormal mount of traffic through the site after during and after opening weekend. But I'm not here to bother you with that.
What you would read below might be a bit of naivety, delusional or borderline false, so take it all with a grain of salt, but it's my two cents why some of this is happening or at least partial reason why. I'm not touching every subject or every reason because it will open a discussion of Laplace's Demon.
The Rise of Franchises

• 2000 - 2011

Year	Movies over $300M Worldwide Gross	Leades in box office
2000	8	Mission: Impossible II
2001	12	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone / The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2002	12	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers / Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets / Spider-Man
2003	9	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King / Finding Nemo
2004	13	Shrek 2 / Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban / Spider-Man 2
2005	12	Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire / Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith / The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
2006	13	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2007	17	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End / Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix / Spider-Man 3 / Shrek the Third
2008	17	The Dark Knight / Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull / Kung Fu Panda
2009	23	Avatar / Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince / Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs / Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
2010	21	Toy Story 3 / Alice in Wonderland / Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 / Inception
2011	20	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 / Transformers: Dark of the Moon / Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

• From the beginning of the century, we can see a good jumping back and forth among top grossers - 12-13 movies have respectable $300M+ grosses each year. Franchises were young, some were already done. Before that we have rarely grossers over $300M+. A behemoth as Titanic was alone at the top in 1997, because no other movies grossed $300M that year. Approaching the new century $300M grossers became more apparent. Since 2000 we had 8-10+ movies grossing $300M.
• Mid 00s passed by and came 2007 - a sudden spike - 3 more movies grossed $300M+ than the year prior. What gives? A lot of closures in trilogies - Pirates, Spider-Man, Shrek himself and strong ongoing performance from Harry Potter. All examples of leader in the market.
• Then, another spike... a big one. The King of the Box Office is here. It's August 2009 and people saw the Cameron's Epos for the first time. No other came close (at least for another 10 years). The difference was beyond imagination. Consequent years saw also strong performances and Harry Potter reigned supremely one last time. As impressive this era was, it is dwarfed by what is coming next...

​
Enters... Marvel Cinematic Universe

• 2012-2019

Year	Movies over $300M Worldwide Gross	Leades in box office
2012	27	The Avengers / Skyfall / The Dark Knight Rises / The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
2013	24	Frozen / Iron Man 3 / Despicable Me 2 / The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug / The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
2014	27	Transformers: Age of Extinction / The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies / Guardians of the Galaxy / Maleficent / The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 / X-Men: Days of Future Past / Captain America: The Winter Soldier / Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2015	25	Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens / Jurassic World / Furious 7 / Avengers: Age of Ultron / Minions
2016	32	Captain America: Civil War / Rogue One: A Star Wars Story / Finding Dory / Zootopia / The Jungle Book
2017	32	Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi / Beauty and the Beast / The Fate of the Furious / Despicable Me 3 / Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
2018	34	Avengers: Infinity War / Black Panther / Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom / Incredibles 2 / Aquaman / Bohemian Rhapsody
2019	29	Avengers: Endgame / The Lion King / Frozen II / Spider-Man: Far from Home / Captain Marvel / Joker / Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker / Toy Story 4 / Aladdin

It's May 4th 2012 (Also Star Wars celebration day) and Marvel Studios pay-off has finally arrived.
As Deadline wrote it 'Avengers' Tracking Like Superhero: $125+M Opening Weekend With 4-Quadrant Appeal. There was sure an appeal. It was poised to open higher than Iron Man 2 (128M). How big, nobody knew at the time...

Right now Disney and theatre owners are adding screens every day for the release whose online pre-sales of tickets are already selling out. Midnight show business is expected to be phenomenal. Exactly how much the studio can gross for the first weekend depends on how many screenings each theater can pack into 72 hours by finding enough staff willing to work the extra hours and keep the pic running continuously.

It's interesting reading some of the comments under that article - many believed it will deliver, but not much more than what has already been done, few believed in the "B", but none predicated what happened.

• On May 4th, Friday, The Avengers opened to the second biggest Friday of All time, only behind Deathly Hallows Part 2. The rest you already know.
• I firmly believe The Avengers was one of the most influential movies in 2010s and in the cinema history. There were big movies before it and after it, but it's simple promise is what made the blockbuster scene. Cameron still reigned supreme, not even with $200M+ openers, but he came once every 10 years or so. Marvel "promised" to have that level every year and did they deliver.
• Since then, MCU was everywhere, talked, discussed, loved, hated but it was in people's mouths. The success of The Avengers might be remembered with giving the true birth of the shared universe and with so many failed attempts to copy it. What I think might be glazed over is the leading example it brought. Not in quality, but in blockbuster making. The 4-quadrant appeal was a great way to please everyone, and Hollywood saw that. It was nothing new, other movies were 4-quadrant, but never in such a big way. What Hollywood saw was the new path on how to make blockbusters.
• What we had between 2012 and 2019 was the audiences having blast going to the theater. MCU was almost around the corner and in-between every other blockbuster. You either watch MCU movie and then some other blockbusters or you watch some other blockbuster in wait for the MCU movie. It was the perfect run - from opening and breaking the $200M barrier, to opening and breaking the $300M barrier and becoming at the time the King of The Box Office.

​
And then COVID happened.

• 2020-2024

Year	Movies over $300M Worldwide Gross	Leades in box office
2020	6	The Eight Hundred / Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train / Bad Boys for Life
2021	14	Spider-Man: No Way Home / The Battle at Lake Changjin / Hi, Mom / No Time to Die / F9: The Fast Saga
2022	15	Avatar: The Way of Water / Top Gun: Maverick / Jurassic World Dominion / Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness / Minions: The Rise of Gru
2023	17	Barbie / The Super Mario Bros. Movie / Oppenheimer / Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2024	4 (as of May 31st)	Dune: Part Two

• I'm not going to delve deep into pandemic years. The data clearly show that there are still leaders during that time. It's just that people show only for the leaders. And there were leaders before 2012 and MCU rising but the experience year to year was vastly different. One year you got Shrek, the next you got Harry Potter and then Pirates of the Caribbean. All big, all loved by audiences, but vastly different, with different target demos. What MCU got audiences accustomed to was familiarity - you got 2-3 big blockbusters every year and in the same overall greatness. The biggest critique MCU has - all movies feeling the same, General Audiences didn't care about. And I believe GA still doesn't care about that, but their familiarity has fallen off, because the MCU has fallen off.
• The many factors surrounding the last 3-4 years are big part of the reason to where we are. Many points toward the rise of streaming and I agree it plays a role in shaping the experience. Everyday you are bombarded on social media with war and prejudices. The world feels a bit cold. Thanks to social media, distant problems become your problem in your head. You are bombarded with them... and then pops an ad - "You can watch now this movie on this platform".
• It has been discussed many times over in the last 1-2 years about the changed habits of viewers. The main culprit is the created habit of waiting to go on digital/streaming and I believe that is partially true. I, myself has been experiencing this more recently whether or not to go watch a movie or skip it and wait it few weeks / months later, because I have to weight my own priorities. But I think it's more than creating a habit of "I'll wait". If that was true, that means all those who waited would have buy it/rent it on digital and all those movies would have been big and would have heard about it. But it is not like that.

And this is why we need the box office leaders. The staples of blockbusters. Maybe not for you and me, who are interested in those topics and are familiar with it, but to general audiences, your everyday Joe who sometimes happen to stumble upon a movie which can caught his eye and go see it.
As to why $300M thresholds - that I will leave for the brain.

Morte:
Sitting in my ramble of a shack, today was my last day. My wife had been found and I was going to be working by her side. Staring down at my bloody hands, my bounty hunting days were over. Climbing into my beat up truck, the engine rumbled to life. Speeding towards the tower I was going to call home, my heart wouldn’t stop beating out of my chest. Pulling up to the building tears welled up in my eyes, a ball of water washing any blood off of me. Hopping out, time froze at the sight of my wife. Her looks were the same, the few differences being her salt and pepper hair and ruby eyes. Shifting around uncomfortably, her rockabilly dress matched her personality. Wanting to run up and kiss her, my mind knew better than to act on my impulses.
“I am Corpsia but you can call me Corpsy if it is easier. You must be my assistant.” She chirped cheerfully, the emotional agony of our past hiding behind her broken smile. “You might die all over again if you stay out here for too long. I don’t bite.” Curling her fingers around mine, both of us paused with the same looks we used to give each other. Ripping her hand back, a quick apology tumbled from her lips. Following her to the basement, a couple bodies waited for us.
“Do you know any of the cuts or am I going to have to teach you?” She teased with a wink while tossing me a white lab coat, her trembling hands tugging on hers. “I feel like I know you. Have we met before?” Too nervous to answer, she hadn’t put two and two together. Not wanting to dig up old wounds, a simple shrug of my shoulders shut down the conversation. Motioning for me to join her side, her broken smile had my heart shattering. Showing me the ropes, her slender hands moved swiftly. Scribbling down what she told me, this moment couldn’t be any nicer. Shoving the bodies back into their marked spaces, her gloves hit the bottom of the trash can. Shimmying off her coat, she hung it up.
“Are you into Chinese food or can I order something else? It is my treat.” She inquired with a shell of what her smile used to be, her hand resting on her hip. Mumbling that anything would do, her boots clicked away. Ordering food, my eyes caught a flawless drawing of our children. Tears had smeared the gray lines, a silent tear sliding down my cheek. Picking up the picture behind it, my breath hitched at the perfect picture of me. Dropping her phone as she came in, tears welled up in her eyes. Shit, what did I do?
“I lost my husband and family before becoming a demon. They slit their throats before dragging me off to be hung. My father-in-law was a piece of shit. I drew those pictures about one hundred years ago to hold against my chest when things simply don’t feel right.” Taken aback by her words, quiet sobs spoke of a decaying composure. Watching her walking away, the scene glitched out. A six foot tall female demon sauntered into view, golden and onyx waves blended together to float around her shoulders. Her inky insect eyes glittered with malice, her striped suit reminded me of a yellow jacket. Spinning a jet black stinger in her palm, the goddess energy coming off of her had me stumbling back. Honey colored water flooded around my boots, her voice sounded like thousands of them at once.
“It seems I hopped into the wrong dream. Oh well. I suppose the one who carries decay will have to suffice for the moment.” She mused darkly, panic rounding out my eyes at the water not allowing me to move. Sauntering up to me, her cruel grin widened the moment she slid her stinger through my stomach. Blood poured into the water the second she ripped it out, her hands curling around my throat. Lifting me out of the water, the water turned a dark orange.
“Who are you?” I growled through gritted teeth, my fingers scratching at the hands. Wicked laughter exploded from her lips, air becoming a rare commodity with her strengthening grip. Bringing me inches from her face, giant yellow jackets hummed behind her.
“You can call me Waspia, your bringer of death!” She bragged with another cruel fit of laughter, neon lights blinding her. A voice called for me to wake up, her grip loosening. An angry red claimed my cheeks, a swift kick to her gut sent her flying back. Splashing into the water, a sharp clap had me snapping awake.
Sucking in a deep breath, my hands felt my abs for the wound. Sinking into the passenger seat with a long sigh consisting of honest relief, neon smoke threatened to choke me. Eris sucked in her own deep breath, her hair floating like it always did.
“You got lost somewhere. Are you going to be focused on our mission today? Every part of me wants to make Corpsy proud. I happen to be fond of her.” She sang with a shake of her shoulders, her smile falling at the tears cascading from my eyes. “Hel is with her today at that dumb meeting. I can’t believe she got promoted already.” Wut poked his head through the window, his hair floating up in her field of energy.
“That doesn’t mean we should stop worrying about her. She gets that numb look quite a bit.” He pointed out simply, his own scythes hitting the window. “You kept making weird noises. Are you okay?” Shooting him a shaky thumbs up, they had nothing to worry about. Fussing with my simple ruby dress shirt and dark jeans, my dear friend had a point. Energy built in the air, the wheels crunching to a halt in front of a warehouse nature had devoured. Ominous humming had us shrinking back. Knowing that she had wasps to fight for her, those pests would have to be taken out first. Wasps drowned, my eyes scanning the area for a large enough vat to go through with my plan. An empty pool a few feet from us had me grinning wickedly to myself, a snap of my fingers had a wave of water splashing into the pool. Picking up a rock, the nest wiggled enough to reveal itself. Rolling the rock in my finger, my team had to be the best they could be.
“Run to safety if you need to. A nest is about to be disturbed.” I warned them with a sly grin, Eris cracking her whip. Glowing eyes flitted between the nest and me, the rock hitting the paper nest with a dull thud had a flurry of human sized yellow jackets hummed furiously. Insects eyes focused on me, human screams giving me pause. Grinning sarcastically to myself, Murphy’s law had struck again.
“Save the people without getting your asses murdered!” I ordered impatiently, whistling to steal the wasps attention. Cutting my palm on a piece of metal on the way to the pool, the angry insects zoomed after me. Jumping into the pool, cool water felt nice on my skin. Blood muddied the water, three quarters of them decaying the moment they splashed into the water. Pulling myself out, the next step was seeking out Waspia. Spinning my scythe in my palm, a force had my heart stopping for a second. Corspy’s blood tainted the air, the bloodied pictures of us floating to my feet. Dropping a limp Corpsy and Hel to my feet, Waspia fluttered over my head. Purple claimed their veins, Hel struggling to her feet. Raising her blade in the air, a wasp stung her in the heart. A barely alive Corpsy slammed her fist onto the dirt, a spike impaling the insect. A cloud of dirt obscured her rough landing, blood pouring from the corner of her mouth. Using the tree to get her feet, Stormana made an appearance by Hel. Picking her up off the ground, her sword cut off Hel’s head. A tortured scream exploded from Corpsy’s lips, shadows devouring the space. Kicking her blade from the dagger’s case, her eager palm caught the expanding blade.
“Focus on Waspia. I can hold my own.” She barked with a quivering snarl, wild sobs wracking her body. “I can’t lose you again.” Dropping Hel’s corpse, Stormana’s blade clashed with hers violently. Coughing up a thick ooze, concern dimmed my eyes. Her speed doubled to match Stormana’s, the two becoming balls of light in the forest. A stinger whistled by my head, my fingers curling round her ankle. The ground split slightly the moment I slammed her down, my heel digging into her chest. Eris flew past me, her whip cracking in the still night air. Swinging my blade towards her neck, the goddess grinned one last time before accepting the blow. Decay ate at her body, a gracious thank you flooding from her lips. The giant nest crumbled to a pile of dust, the shadows glitching out. Wut’s robe fluttered the moment his fingers snatched my shirt, the two of us zooming towards the real fight. Skidding to a rough halt, Corpsy had undone her limit. Bleeding from every hole in her face, she needed to stop. A wave of flames headed our way, a wave of my hand giving rise to a wave of water. Eris fought by her side, my wife begging for her to stop.
“Go away! Go away!” She pleaded with wet eyes, her body taking a blow for her. Bones cracked, Eris rolling across the dirt. Cracking her whip, the leather curled around her good arm. Yanking her to the ground, her arms buried into a tackle. Neon green tears splashed onto her face, her pleas stopping Stormana in her tracks.
“Just because she died doesn’t mean you have to join her. Hel fought hard to protect you and lost her life. Honor her sacrifice by living!” She begged with an honest smile, her body collapsing onto hers. “You are like my sister, damn it!” Those words woke her up, her expression softening into an apologetic smile. Breaking into uncontrollable sobs, her arms clung to her like her life depended on it. Digging into her back, nothing would slow the tears. Stormana raised her blade, our turn coming up.
“Throw me into the fight.” I snapped impatiently, Wut throwing me with all he had. Rolling into a couple of flips, her attention turned to me. Fear rounded my eyes, the monster was immense. Tapping her blade against her legs, the color draining from my cheeks. A clammy sweat drenched my skin, Wut joining my side. Rubbing his scythes together, an eerie fog drowned the space. Unable to move her feet, Eris’ whip held her place. A broken Corpsy stared numbly into the sky, a rough slumber stealing her away. Nudging me, it was time to do one of our older bounty hunting tactics. Running away in opposite directions, her words cut deeper I let on.
“Does your wife know about your bounty hunter days?” She taunted cruelly, her eyes meeting mine. “Did I touch a nerve? Would she think less of you? The lowest rung of demons wouldn’t have you. What a powerful whip!” Bending down to pick it up, the opportunity presented itself. Pushing off the ground, realization dawned on me. We couldn’t win this battle without Corpsy, a sharp whistle canceling the plan. Wut nodded once before pushing off her back at the same time, his arms scooping up the ladies. Sprinting back towards the hearse, our window of escape would be miniscule at best. Scooping up Hel’s body on the way back, silent tears staining my cheeks at her body decaying upon my touch. Tossing Wut her heart before it decayed, his palm caught it. Tucking it into his robe, the ground shook behind us. Spinning my scythe in my palm, we needed a touch more time. Slamming the tip into the ground, dirt crumbled into a deep canyon. Falling into the biggest part, time wasn’t on my hands. Jumping into the driver’s seat, the scythe hit the leather. Cranking the key, the engine wouldn’t turn over. Panic mixed with frustration, low growls rumbled away in my throat.
“Come on! Come on, damn it!” I cursed tersely, hot flames casting her shadow in the canyon. The engine roared to life, the tires squealed in protest. Peeling onto the highway, horror rounded my eyes at the flaming motorcycle flying onto the road. When did the surprises end? Pressing the gas pedal to the floor, a crowd would provide us safety. Unfortunately, the sun wouldn’t rise for a couple of hours. Zooming around the turns, her motorcycle wobbled in protest with each turn. An abandoned racetrack had me thinking of a way to throw her off of her bike, the tires squealing with my abrupt turn. Smashing through the gate, Eris tapped my shoulder from the back. A wave of golden flames was heading our way, the heat would melt the hearse in seconds.
“Jump!” I barked over the chaos, doors opening at the same time. Hitting the cracked track, our bodies rolled into an untamed bush. Flames melted the hearse into a smoking pile of metal, the bike squealing to halt. Tapping the concrete, my scythe flew into my palm. A burn hissed to life, Wut covering my mouth to keep our cover. Summoning a bubble of water, the coolness eased the pain. Eris had my wife over her shoulders, the people from the warehouse gathered to see what caused the fire. Flames whisked Stormana away, a few of them calling emergency services. Catching our breath while waiting, Wut dialed Roseworth’s number. Hanging up in a couple of minutes, his mouth moved. Words weren’t hitting my ears, red and blue lights bathing the racetrack. Roseworth shoved her way through while presenting her badge, a tired smile lingering on my lips as she crouched down to my level. Smoothing out her designer suit, her smile fell.
“I am going to take over the investigation and you can get out of the bushes then.” She whispered discreetly while pretending to examine the bushes. “Where is Hel? I don’t see Corpsy without her.” My lips pressed into a thin line, her sharp wit placing the pieces of the puzzle together. Pressing her palms together, a small prayer tumbled from her lips.
“I am sorry for your loss. May Hel have a lovely afterlife.” She spoke gently, rising to her feet. Ordering everyone else to clear out, the local police officers guided the survivors into their cruisers. Roseworth’s team moved in to collect a few clues, her agents not looking up from their tasks. Guiding us to a black SUV, her shaking hand pressed the keys into my palm. Corpsy sucked in a deep breath, her feet hitting the concrete. Opening a door to one of the many gods’ realm, the door slammed shut on our face. Roseworth offered sincerely to take her home, Wut feeling around his pocket. The heart was gone, bewilderment twisting our features. Uncomfortable with leaving her behind, Wut and Eris leapt into the trees. Neon danced with black, the two of them heading back home. Refusing to leave, Corpsy would need me. Letting me sit in the car, the door opened up. A dejected Corpsy stepped out fresh tears cascading down her cheeks, her arms reaching for me. Hopping out of the car, her body smashed into me. Sobbing violently into my chest, her fingers dug into my back. Sinking to her knees, her hands glided down my legs. Burying her face into her palms, tears dribbled down her arm. The early morning painted her in pale pink, the dirt crunching as she curled into a ball. Remembering how she would do this on a bad day, her fingers traced the dirt with her dagger. Hel’s dagger shimmered in her other hand, another wave of sobs paralyzing her.
“I hate myself. Why do people keep trying to save me?” She whimpered into the concrete, her quaking hand slamming the tip of her blade into the concrete repeatedly. How long had it been since she broke down this horribly? Roseworth got onto her knees across from her, her hand cupping hers. Slowing the stabbing to a clumsy stop, her thumbs wiped away her tears. Maybe she could get her well enough to get up.
“How about we go out for breakfast and get some food into that stomach?” She suggested with a cautious grin, her arms yanking her into a bear hug. “I think of you as a sister. Don’t you ever leave me. I can’t live without you, my dear.” Mumbling a quick fine, she carried her to the SUV. Tossing me the keys, the leather groaned the moment I climbed into the driver’s seat. Sliding in next to Corpsy, her steady hand laid her head on her lap. Playing with her hair, the whole way to the nearest diner. The bell announced us walking into the silver restaurant, a cold waitress taking us to a booth by the biggest window. Staring numbly out the window, more tears splashed onto the table. Her lips parted to speak, the others shoving their way into diner. The girls and Miles squirming their way over to her, Roseworth winking in my direction. Brightening up enough to keep the kids happy, her lips brushed against the top of their heads feverishly. Clutching their bunnies close to their chest, Cal came in with a pad of paper and pencils. Sliding them over to her, he plopped down next to me.
“Draw out your emotions and carry them with you. I want to see what you can do.” He commented casually with his broken smile, apprehension burning in her eyes. Opening up the package, the waitress took our orders. The pencil’s tips never stopped dancing across the page, a childlike wonder brightening our eyes. The kids watched with dropped jaws, two pictures had mixed emotions flashing on our faces. Two perfect portraits of Croak and Hel stared back up at us with their trademark smiles, the pencil bouncing off of the pad. When did she learn to draw so well?
“I am sorry I failed you all.” She apologized sincerely, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Hel will always have a place in our hearts. Have faith in me. Never again will I let any of you die.” Fussing with her onyx robe, her finger traced the mask hanging out of her pocket. A commotion had our heads snapping towards the door, Hel coming in with the skeleton half of her face exposed. Leaping over the table, Corspy smashed into her. Tears of joy brightened her eyes, so many questions resting on the tips of our tongues.
“They didn’t seem to want to keep me there. Perhaps, I was a little loud.” She bragged with a big grin, her dagger flying into her hand. “How could I leave you alone in this god awful world? There is a catch to the deal I made. I die with you and that is that. You can’t go dying on me, okay.” Corpsy nodded her head vigorously, Hel cupping her face. Wiping away her tears with her thumbs, their bond was obvious. Dragging her to the table, the waitress rolled her eyes at another person. Shoving everyone down, her hand refused to leave hers. Calling for Hel to come chat with me for a moment, Corpsy was more than happy to entertain everyone with her genuine smile. Meeting her by the bathroom, my arms folded across my chest.
“How did you really come back down?” I interrogated her intensely, her smile falling. “Don’t you dare lie! Don’t ever leave us again. You fucking broke her!” Chuckling softly to herself, her hands crossed before her head bowed in shame. Crap! I might have gone too far again.
“I made a deal with the head god to be tied to her until she dies. I remember darkness and then the head god ripped me out of it. All of me couldn’t leave her alone to suffer. I pleaded and pleaded until they finally let me have my wish.” She admitted tearfully, wiping away her tears. “I will never be able to hide my face again. I gave that up for her. I love her like a sister, okay. When I was going to die, the numb expression from Croak’s death was all I could think of. Forgive me for caring.” Holding her shoulders with a gracious smile, any anger was gone. Her sacrifice wouldn’t go unnoticed, her natural smile returning.
“Thank you so much. My respect will always be yours to have.” I promised with a tired grin, both of us standing in an awkward silence for way too long. “Go on and guard her.” Nodding with the biggest smile, Hel had most certainly changed for the better. Coming out to see her admiring the drawings, her plea to keep hers was honored. Watching them blend together seamlessly, the flames of hope burned bright.

After three pointed requests for a lumbar MRI, my neurologist still refuses to do one because my CT seemed unremarkable (though did note mildly bulging discs). My PCP requested one, but my insurance denied it outright.
If I am out of bed for any amount of time, my lower back feels like a giant cramp. Constantly. Escalating in intensity until I lie down again. Nerve pain and tingling sort of shoots down my right leg foot toes at random. Leg sensations are awful but the back pain is what makes it hard to think or function.
To make matters worse, something similar is happening in my right arm. A pinched nerve type sensation, so the nerve pain and tingling shoots down it to my fingers as well.
Neurologist refuses to give me anything else for pain. 800mg ibuprofen, 1000mg tylenol, flexeril, all doing absolutely nothing. Like, there is literally zero difference. I take hot baths in epsom salts and slather on tiger balm afterward to sort of compete with the pain/discomfort sensory-wise. He says I have to try PT before he will do anything else for this, but PT can't see me until the end of June. Meanwhile I'm trying to work and care for my high-risk 6 months pregnant wife.
I could be worse. But I'm miserable. I am constantly uncomfortable and overstimulated and in pain and frustrated as hell with my medical providers and today it's really taking a toll on me mentally, especially knowing this may go on for a very very long time still.

Hi all! I've been using the sea salt and mango body mist for years now (surprised it still smells exactly the same) but as the bottle is coming to an end, I realize I don't have a replacement scent since it's discontinued It's the perfect fresh summer scent that doesn't make my head hurt as I'm very sensitive to strong scents. Does anyone know of a scent that got rebranded into this one? Whenever I am in store I'm recommended Gingham ones but I honestly don't get as strong an impression as I do with this one.
Any help is highly appreciated!
​
Here's a link to an image of the bottle: https://pimages.parfumo.de/720/105881_img-5600-bath__body_works-fresh_sea_salt_mango_720.jpg
​

This day can’t possibly get any worse… Noan Landry thought the same when a mushroom cloud blossomed over the horizon a month ago, but it might be more apt now with giant eyeballs in the sky.
It wasn’t the last he’d think that, in this life, or his many next ones.
Twenty-three minutes ago, he led fellow survivors into the smoldering husk of Budget Basket for a much-needed pit stop. He was sure they left behind a mostly clear blue sky threaded with thin clouds. Only out of the ordinary were black blotches of smoke rising from fires across the city. Then again, that was the ordinary for a few weeks now.
Twenty-three minutes later, their bags filled with cans they hoped contained something edible, their group froze at the grocery exit. The sky outside had turned into swirls of purple powdered with gossamer red. It reminded him of a nebula from a science book his mom read him as a kid instead of bedtime stories.
And there were the eyes, each wider than the biggest fireworks explosion he’d seen. Those weren’t in the science books, for sure.
They darted this way and that, jittery, as if their hidden owners had drunk tanker loads of coffee. His five companions had a mix of emotions on their faces as they looked up; he wasn’t losing his mind.
“Thi-this wasn’t in the forecast today,” he said, adding a chuckle to hide the crack in his voice. Though impossible to not be afraid of eldritch eyeballs in the sky, as any person should, he willed himself to act composed because people depended on him. They shouldn’t see, or hear, him wavering.
But what should they do now?
Noan’s watch told him it was nine minutes to three o’clock.
Would the eyes affect the bells later? Their plans depended on the window of safety the bells provided.
The biggest question was, were the eyes dangerous? They couldn’t stay in this barbequed Budget Basket. Other survivors, who might not be so friendly, crazed cultists, who were definitely not friendly, and monsters, who killed and ate everybody, would be attracted to this place. Someone needed to test if it was dangerous outside.
He self-volunteered to be the guinea pig. He couldn’t tell the others to do it.
Noan stepped through the no-longer working sliding doors of the grocery, squeezing every drop of confidence from his being. He was careful not to snag his clothes or bags on the broken glass and ruin his swagger. He practiced his image while on watch duty when others were asleep.
Standing on the sidewalk, he gazed at the eyes and mentally pleaded, please don’t shoot laser beams or something.
Nothing happened.
More seconds passed and more nothingness happened.
He slowly exhaled, dropping his tensed shoulders. “Looks like it’s safe,” he said, still keeping an eye on the eyes.
“Damned cultists, bringing hell on earth,” Mr. Schwab grumbled behind him. Or that was what Noan guessed he spoke. The manager of a used-car store always chewed a nonexistent gum.
“What do you mean?” Noan asked.
“This is their doing!” Mr. Schwab shook his fist at the sky. “Has to be them with their blasphemous rituals and heathen designs. Enlightened Ones, my ass!”
Enlightened Ones—that was what they called themselves.
Who were they? Noan didn’t have the faintest idea.
October of last year, he came upon an interview with a famous Japanese actress about how following the Enlightened Ones changed her life—that was the first he heard of this new religious group. He usually didn’t read celebrity magazines. But he was desperate to stay awake during his graveyard shift at the convenience store, so he picked one from the rack next to the register. Come New Year, a German streamer he followed made a big announcement that he was quitting to dedicate his time to the Enlightened Ones. Noan thought nothing of it besides being sad that he lost one of his escapes from reality.
In the space of a few months, the Enlightened Ones popped out of nowhere and spread everywhere.
By mid-February, they renovated a long-abandoned motel two blocks from his rented apartment into a church. Their missionaries knocked on his door on several occasions. He didn’t open up—he had plenty enough problems in this life to think of the hereafter—so they preached outside in loud voices. An annoying bunch, he would think back then.
Weeks and rumors rolled about the Enlightened Ones stirring trouble in other countries. Noan caught snippets while riding the train or washing his clothes at the laundry shop, just about everywhere. It was nothing to him. Working three jobs, he couldn’t spare the energy to care about the news; conflicts in faraway places wouldn’t pay the bills, and he had many to pay. He began to get concerned only when he could no longer contact the foreign students he tutored online.
The next thing he knew, the Enlightened Ones started World War III.
Somehow.
Quite a big leap from converting people.
But not as big a leap as summoning humongous eyeballs.
“All rubbish,” Ellen snapped. “Paranormal, mumbo-jumbo nonsense isn’t the cause of this phenomenon.”
A survivor of the lynchings at TSU, Ellen was the group’s self-proclaimed expert on… something. Though she didn’t have any degree useful for surviving a post-nuclear world, if there was even any university offering that, she should’ve at least taken a course on being tactful.
“Don’t know what to tell you, miss,” said Mr. Schwab, shrugging. “Got your own eyes to see the devil’s eyes up there. Abominable acts of the heathens brought hell upon us.”
“There’s a scientific explanation for this, certainly,” she replied. “The fallout might’ve—no. It’s more probable that burning chemicals from numerous fires are causing mass hallucinations. Or the radiation is affecting our brains, perhaps. There are numerous sane possibilities before jumping to magic crap.”
“You’re seeing the eye too?” Mr. Schwab pointed at the sky. “We can’t have the same damn hallucination even if we’re all tripping balls at the same time. Don’t need to go to a fancy college to tell you that, miss.”
“Bu-but they can’t be real!” Ellen stomped her foot. “If not hallucinations, the-then, then, then… it’s something external. Projected images by the Enlightened Ones to sow fear and confusion, possibly. They must have a machine that—”
“We’ll figure that out later,” Noan cut in. “When we’re safe.”
He was with Mr. Schwab on this one. Not the hell and devil talk—he didn’t know anything about that. But something supernatural was really going on.
Radiation might explain the horrendous mutants… even though they were miles away from ground zero the next city over and mutations didn’t work that fast. Or that way, at all. Still an explanation, even if a very stretched one.
But only in comic books did radiation or chemicals grant superpowers. The flying Enlightened One who killed most of their much larger group a bit over a week ago, disintegrating people into fine dust with his touch, was undeniable ‘paranormal, mumbo-jumbo nonsense’. And no amount of radiation could create the fire-spewing, three-eyed behemoth that torched their previous hideout.
He didn’t tell Ellen that, of course. The last thing he needed was for her to glue her feet to the ground until she won the argument.
“Those illusions pose no danger to us,” Ellen said. “They’re not real. We’re safe.”
“I’m not talking about the eyes,” Noan replied. “Look over there.” He nudged his head at a boutique to their left. Spraypainted on its display window were two concentric circles circumscribing an uneven eight-sided star—the sign of the Enlightened Ones.
“Copycats like those coked-up lads we met yesterday,” said Mr. Schwab. “Think pretending to be a cultist will save them from the monsters. A stupid idea, I tell you.”
“Pretend or not,” said Noan, “they’re still dangerous. As for the eyes, I don’t know what’s their deal. But they’re not doing anything… for now. Hopefully, it stays that way until we reach our destination. The game plan remains the same: survive until the military—"
“Or scientists,” Ellen interjected.
He kept back a sigh. “Survive until the military or scientists or whichever important guy out there figures all of this out and fixes everything. We’re not heroes. We’re not going to save the day. We can only hope someone will do it soon. Until then, we stick together, help each other stay alive, and hunker down. So far, we’ve been doing a good job of it. We’re not stopping now.”
Did I just say all that?
He’d been practicing this speech in his head for days, pretending he was the lead in a survival movie. The tone, the conviction, the confidence—he didn’t know he could pull it off. It came out so well that he even inspired himself. He was changing.
Noan’s new self, only a few days old, was unrecognizable from his old one.
In the chaos after the Big Fall—his made-up name for the nuke explosion—he holed up in his room, calculating how long he’d survive on rice and salt, when a neighbor he knew only by face banged on his door. Crazed members of the Enlightened Ones had set their building on fire.
The following days remained a blur, his old companions faceless in his memories. All he could recall was that he kept his head down, followed orders, and stuck with the group the best he could. They fled. They hid. They fought, sometimes against each other. Add hunger and thirst there somewhere. He let himself get swept by fate, surviving through it all even when more capable others died.
Eventually, there was no one left to follow.
Take charge, his gut told him. It could’ve been an upset stomach, but he stepped up to the task. For the last six days, he had been responsible for six lives, including his own. He swore to his mother not to lose any of the five.
“Everyone, check your bags,” Noan said with mustered authority. “I sure hope we don’t need to run.”
Rolling his shoulders forward, he adjusted his backpack, feeling its hefty weight by the tug of its straps. Even if only half the food they found was edible, their group could survive for another week. Twice that if they were frugal. He also carried a duffel bag filled with bottles of water looted from a gym. Water was more important than food; the Enlightened Ones contaminated the public water system with some funky substance, so tap water was off-limits.
“As always,” said Noan, “before leaving a place, count off. One.”
Mr. Schwab raised his injured right hand. “Two here,” he said with a wince.
“This again?” Ellen groaned, tossing back her hair. “Isn’t it apparent we’re all present? Such a waste of—”
“Rules are rules,” said Noan. The old him would’ve been intimidated by Ellen. “We agreed on them.”
“Fine. Three.”
Noan nodded. The key to dealing with her stubbornness was not giving her any ground. Other than occasionally valuing her life less than proving herself right, Ellen could take care of herself just fine. She was the fastest among them in running.
Other members were of more concern.
“Four, present!” said Ravi, raising his right hand. “And five, for Nani, who’s always with me.” He lifted his other hand holding onto an old woman who was gazing open-mouthed at the sky.
“Thanks, Ravi,” Noan said with a smile.
The energetic fifteen-year-old and his grandmother were a welcome addition to their group, joining right after they fled from Three-Eyes. Ravi was Noan’s appointed lucky charm. They seemed to meet fewer monsters and cultists with him around. Ravi also told them of a prospective new hideout, which they were heading to.
“Don’t hesitate to tell us if you need help with your grandmother,” Noan added. “I can take the camping lights—”
“No need, Mr. Landry, sir. They’re not heavy. There’s no problem with Nani too. She goes along with me. I’m not letting go of her hand even if… if, uh, pigs fly. Did I use that expression correctly?”
“I think so. But with eyeballs in the sky, flying pigs isn’t that farfetched.” Noan turned to the old woman next to Ravi. “Are you okay there, Granny?”
She tore her gaze away from the sky and looked at Noan with out-of-focused eyes. “I-I’m fine, young man. I apologize if I’ve asked you this before, and I feel like I have, but who are you?”
“I’m Noan,” he patiently replied. “I know my name sounds like ‘no one’. I get that a lot. It means a different thing in my mother’s—” His mind shut down for a moment. He forced himself to continue, “My name has different meanings in different languages.”
“Noan… I’m fine.” Granny nodded. “Thank you for asking. Also, thank you for introducing yourself again. My memory isn’t what it used to be.”
“I can introduce myself as many as needed. Anyway, stay close to your grandson, okay?”
Granny turned to Ravi, who had a pained expression. Tilting her head, she said, “He’s not my grandson.”
“Ye-yes… I’m not,” said Ravi. His cheeks shifted as he clenched his teeth. “Your son hired me to take care of you for a few days.”
“How nice of him,” said Granny. “But he should’ve chosen better. I don’t trust you.”
“Don’t let it get to you, Ravi,” Mr. Schwab said. “Have an aunt with the same condition. They’re just randomly suspicious of people.”
“I-I know, Mr. Schwab.”
“I hope my dearest son picks me up soon,” Granny continued. “I don’t like this place. The fire… Those eyes… My caretaker…”
“Dad will—” Ravi blinked. “I mean, your son will pick you up after he returns from, um, his… his business trip.” His voice cracked at the end.
Granny seemed to have found that answer acceptable and returned to staring at the floating eyes. Other than her, the other member who might cause problems was—
“Gilligan?” Noan called to the balding man who remained in the shadows of Budget Basket.
Clutching the tattered remnants of the corporate blazer he refused to take off, Gilligan slouched beside a pillar. He was so unassuming anyone would miss him even in a police line-up. Looking up, he sported a smile, the first Noan had seen since Gilligan’s son fell off a bridge as they were chased by cultists. Gilligan dove into the river but Hunter never surfaced again.
Noan missed the upbeat Gilligan. Positivity was scarce in this sad world. “Everyone has to say their number before we go. No exceptions.”
“There’s no need for me to count off,” Gilligan replied as he undid the belts of his mountain backpack.
“He’s cracking again,” Ellen mumbled under her breath.
Noan frowned, “What are you talking about, Gilligan?”
The loud thud as Gilligan let his heavy bag fall to the floor was the only answer.
“Stick with the group,” said Noan, struggling to keep his voice even. They didn’t need another drama. Not here. Not now. “We all move as one. I’m not leaving any of us behind; I already told you that.”
“This is it.” Gilligan gestured at the sky. “Those eyes… the end’s coming soon. I don’t want to… continue. I’m tired.”
“Oh, come on,” Ellen exasperatedly said. “This is the third time he’s done that.”
“Hunter wouldn’t want you to give up,” Noan said. He didn’t want to do it, but if emotional blackmail worked like last time, then so be it.
“He wouldn’t,” Gilligan agreed.
“So, come with—”
“But I want to give up. Since he’s gone, I’m not sure why I’m continuing.”
Noan made his way to Gilligan. “All of us are going to see through the end of this. After that, we’ll rebuild our lives.” He grabbed Gilligan’s arm and pulled him along. “We need you with us.”
Gilligan didn’t resist. “There’s nothing after this. This end is the end.”
“Only if you let it be,” Noan countered. He glanced at the mountain bag on the floor and tutted—he couldn’t carry more—before returning to the front of the group with Gilligan in tow.
“Those eyes up there… are the end,” Gilligan muttered.
“Huh?”
“I just know it. If Hunter were here, I’d press on even if it’s useless. But he’s not. I want to rest.”
“You can rest later.” Noan put on a friendly smile, hiding his stress because of the lost supplies. “Hang on a bit longer, okay?”
Gilligan shook his head. “There or here, it doesn’t matter.”
“If it doesn’t matter to you, then stay with us.” Noan let go of Gilligan’s arm and patted his back.
“We should be going now,” Mr. Schwab said. “Tick-tock. It’s going to ring soon, right?”
Noan checked his watch. “Less than four minutes. Let’s… wait until three o’clock.”
Mr. Schwab raised a brow. “Why? Coast’s clear. Grab ourselves a head start before the devil-worshippers clear out and it’s home-free to our destination until they come back. Long way from here to Stanley Point.”
“Noan’s waiting if something will occur come three o’clock,” Ellen correctly guessed. “I suppose it’s the prudent course of action given the illusions overhead. I’m not conceding anything paranormal is afoot, but evidence does suggest something’s… not right.”
“I get it.” Mr. Schwab nodded. “If those eyes suddenly—hang on. Any of you hear that?”
Ravi raised his hand. “I think I did. But I’m not sure where it came from.”
“Uh-oh. There it goes again,” said Ellen.
Guttural bellows, like a rumbling stomach on a megaphone, disturbed the stillness of the empty neighborhood. Only a monster could make that sound. Bad news.
Worse, it sounded familiar.
Noan held up a finger. Everyone kept quiet.
Tilting his head left and right, repeating it a few times, he intently listened. Next, he faced side to side. People instinctively kept their heads still when trying to find the source of a sound, which was the worst thing to do. A former survivor, who wasn’t doing any surviving now, taught him this trick.
“To the right of us, over that way,” Noan said, pointing over the bend of the road circling the parking area. “I think it’s behind that building next to that tall hedge.”
Ellen took a few steps back. “Oh no! Let’s go back—”
“No!” Noan held out his arm to stop her. “We’ll trap ourselves if we return inside. Didn’t you see the corpses blocking the side doors? And the back wall has collapsed. The entrance is the only exit.”
She snorted in derision. “If we’re inside, it’s not going to see us, duh. Why would some dumb monster enter the grocery? We should—woah!”
Noan grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. He pointed at the untrimmed wall of green on the other side of the intersection.
Rows of stalactites—or stalagmites; whichever grew from the ground up—stalked above the high leaves and tangled branches, like a shark’s fins slicing water. This creature, however, was much larger and several times more dangerous than a shark. Some bigger spikes revealed themselves hollow, spewing smoke so hot the air shimmered. Green leaves wilted dark brown before bursting into flames. The ensuing fire and smoke blocked them from the monster’s view.
Which was fortunate.
Unfortunately, the flames confirmed what Noan feared.
“Three-Eyes!” Ellen gasped. “How did it find us here?”
“It wasn’t following us,” Noan said, scanning the parking lot. “Look around you. Burnt bodies, burnt cars—” he jabbed his thumb behind him “—and a burnt building. This is its stomping grounds.”
“Fire!” Granny exclaimed. “There’s fire!”
“Calm down, Nani,” Ravi said. “We, uh, already called the fire department.”
“All of you run,” said Gilligan. “I’ll stay to distract it.”
“You’re not going to stay here,” said Noan. “No one gets left behind. This is what’ll happen; Three-Eyes is going to pass by here; we shouldn’t run back because it’ll also go that way. Plus, that’s the opposite of where we want to go. We hide behind the cars, wait for Three-Eyes to pass, and then make for the park. Simple.” He divided them into two groups and told them where to go before making a beeline for the half-melted sedan near the parking lot entrance.
He barely reached it before massive antlers burst through the flames followed by a human-like face carved out of rock. The stone mask didn’t have eyeholes. Instead, three eyeballs floated in between the antlers. Hence, Three Eyes.
Their group wasn’t very creative when it came to names. Maybe the monster was here to complain, Noan sarcastically thought.
Three-Eyes crossed the road, sounding like the start of a bad joke. Hooves the size, and probably the weight, of anvils cracked the concrete with each step. Smoke obscured the monster’s bulky body that rivaled a full-grown bull elephant.
A sharp stench stabbed Noan’s nostrils. Sulphur.
The night Three Eyes almost toasted them in their sleep flashed before his eyes. He tasted bitterness at the back of his tongue. Anxiety threatened to make him puke. He lowered himself out of view and searched for the others to distract himself. Mr. Schwab promised to keep watch over Gilligan. Ravi would know better than to let Granny run off again.
Noan couldn’t see them. Good.
Pile driver footsteps drew nearer. Bending down to check under the car, he spied hooves coming closer. He correctly guessed that the line of blackened vehicles and cracks on the ground they passed earlier was the path Three-Eyes usually took. The car he hid behind was in the next row. Should be safe enough.
Positioning himself near Three-Eyes, Noan planned to act as bait and draw it away from the others if need be. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
His heart drummed so loud he feared Three-Eyes might hear it. But its thunderous footfalls swallowed all other sounds. The smell of rotten eggs became overpowering. Noan pulled up the neckline of his shirt to use as a mask. Not enough. Cupping both hands around his nose and mouth wasn’t an improvement.
Don’t cough, he repeatedly ordered himself. The smell, however, wasn’t the most pressing problem.
It was the heat.
Hot wind slapped him as if he shared a sauna with an exhaust fan. Sweat rolled down his sides, evaporating upon soaking his clothes. His skin stung, each breath was torture, and everything became woozy. Three-Eyes changed its path and was passing this row!
Why was it here? Did it see him?
It couldn’t have. He wouldn't be discovered if he stayed still and didn’t make any noise.
Endure! Just a few seconds. Three Eyes would leave soon.
How long? Noan rocked himself as he ticked off seconds in his head. He timed each count with Three-Eyes’ steps. Seven, eight… huh?
A dreadful realization dropped like a stone in his stomach. He could no longer feel or hear Three-Eyes walking. The monster remained still on the other side of the car.
Noan drifted in and out of consciousness. He didn’t dare move and risk attracting one of the monster’s three eyes. Running wasn’t even an option anymore. Three-Eyes was surprisingly fast, as they discovered last time.
Think! Think…
He couldn’t… think…
Everything was starting to fade…
Were those bells?
His mind was floating, but he was sure he heard bells tolling. The heat and smell abated. The ground resumed shaking. Three-Eyes was moving away. He took a deep breath and fell back on his bag. His temples throbbed like gongs to his head.
A sharp pain shot through his skull. A booming voice filled his ears.
HUMANS… HEED OUR CALL… YOUR WORLD… END… WE SEEK… CHAMPION!
Everything went black.
***
“Wha-what?” Noan blinked away the wateriness of his eyes. “What’s going on?”
He was moving. His feet scraped the ground but he wasn’t walking. And yet, he slowly passed by trees, bobbing up and down.
“Good thing you’re awake,” Mr. Schwab gruffly said between huffs. “Reckon you could walk on your own?”

PayPal goods/services. $5.00 shipping. Scents are kept in a dark closet. I reuse packaging and I mainly ship on the weekends, but it may go out earlier. I normally enclose an extra as well. RIS = received in swap. Direct = obtained directly from brand. Minimum $8
Bath/body (shipping will be $6)
Pretties For your Face - Cashmere Petals 2oz body mist, direct A complex blend of white grapefruit, soft bergamot, frosted pearl, French periwinkle, winter amaryllis, tea rose, cashmere shea, warm cedar, and amber musk. Tried once, $4
Miscellaneous bath/body
Goose Creek - Warm Sugar Donut lotion 8.4 oz Enjoy the sweet and savory aroma of a warm, Sugared donut. Notes - Cinnamon Sugar, Fries Dough, Vanilla Bean, Sugar. Used once, reducer cap on bottle so no direct contact with product, $3
Full sizes
Alpha Musk - Moonlit Amber 5ml rollerball One of the most stunning, ethereal yet high-longevity ambers I’ve had the pleasure of trying. I think those who like white amber would likely love this scent. It is a white amber with an almost ozonic quality to it. RIS, tried once, $14
BPAL Supposed to be a Pretzel 5ml Oil "… but also kinda smells like popcorn?" RIS, tried once, $16 (This was actually more of a salty floral, slightly aquatic scent to me)
Black Baccara (now Amorphous) - Pumpkin Cake 15ml edp Pumpkin cake, vanilla frosting, and caramel brûlée drizzle. RIS, slight dip, $30. (Shipping will be $6)
Epically Epic - Strawberry Grapefruit 7ml oil roller Notes as titled. RIS, a little over 3/4 full. $9
Fable and Cannon - Siren Sorbet 30ml edt (10-15% concentration), direct When the sirens wake up feeling froggy, they use this delicious sorbet to lure sailors to the depths instead... sweet tropical fruit nectar, tart berries, saltwater, and cool ozone. Tried twice, $17. (Shipping will be $6)
Hexennacht - Funhouse dram from Ajevie Weathered ipe boardwalk planks, rice krispy squares, honey-drizzled ice cream in waffle cones, kettle corn, funnel cakes, donut holes, cardamom, coconut, incense. RIS, tried once, $7
Laurel and June - Christmas Cheer 5ml edp spray, direct Honey almond, vanilla, pine needles, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cranberries. Tried once, $8.50
Nui Cobalt - The Bees' Carnival 5ml oil roller Like Ferris wheel lights against a twilight sky, it’s a playful arrangement of vivid notes to tickle your fancy. Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh. Wear to encourage frivolity, relieve tension, and restore your sense of humor. Fill slightly below top of label, has Nui Cobalt rollerball top, $15
Pulp Fragrance - Bedsheet Ghost 4.5ml oil roller, direct via Ajevie Crisp freshly-ironed white sheets & a pumpkin pail full of Halloween candy, over a haunted honey musk base. Tried twice, $18
Sixteen92 -Party at the Moon Tower 6ml oil White cupcakes with popping candy frosting, spiked punch, faded sunscreen, lake breeze, a distant Summer bonfire. RIS, slight dip, fill still above label, $14
Stereoplasm - Ballroom Cat 3.4 ml oil roller, direct Hot pink organza, French 75, fuchsia, grapefruit, designer leather. Tried once, $10 (I put a home made small label on the front of the bottle with the name, due to the new bottles missing the names)
Stereoplasm - Crinoline 5.5ml oil roller, direct Linen extrait de parfum, ash lye, blue lace macaron,.white tea, hazelnut truffle, peppermint, almond petit fours. Tried once, $15 (I put a home made small label on the front of the bottle with the name, due to the new bottles missing the names)
Sugar and Spite - Funeral Biscuits 3.7ml dram Butter cookies dotted with mint, and dipped in sweet cream. RIS, tried once, $5
Samples - will be tried once, unless otherwise noted
Fae-Tal Attraction Perfumery - Marshmallow Snow 2ml oil sample, direct Strawberries and snowflakes made of marshmallow fluff, treading softly through the woods, this is a sweet treat for the senses that, like Goldilocks' favorite, is juuuuust right. It's deep, velvety and lush, and perfect for any weather. Fir Balsam Absolute, Marshmallow, Amyris Wood, and Ylang Ylang. Tried once, $5.
Fantome - Kuidaore 1.5ml edp sample Fried pastry dough, fluffy vanilla cream filling, a dusting of matcha powder. RIS, tried once, $6
Hexennacht - I ♥ the 80’s oil slink sample, Ajevie A Lisa Frank-esque powerhouse: tuberose, orange blossom, white amber, bubblegum, suntan oil, Aquanet hairspray, gummy worms, & fruit-scented erasers. Tried once, $3
Laurel and June - Winter Woods 2ml edp spray sample, direct Soft spruce, myrrh, frankincense, winter berries. Never tried, $3
Lovesick Witchery - Star Girl 2ml glass vial with spray cap sample Notes of milk, creamy vanilla, rice pudding, marshmallow fluff, sugar, amber, and white musk. Tried once, $4.
Lovesick Witchery - Pink Lipstick 2ml glass vial with spray cap sample Notes of orange cream pops, sugar, vanilla bean, heliotrope, oats, pink velvet, whipped tonka, gilded amber, and fluffy pink musk. Tried once, $4
Pulp - First Date slink sample, Ajevie.Glassy cherry-orange lip gloss, a sprinkle of cocoa powder over a vanilla milkshake, & a hint of softly-sweet, clean skin musk. Tried once, $3
Stereoplasm - Clean Weather Girl 1.3 ml oil roller, direct Vanilla, coconut, bergamot, Sicilian lemon, orange blossom. Tried once, $5 (I put a home made small label on the front of the bottle with the name, due to the new bottles missing the names)
Stereoplasm new (never tried) 0.5ml doll samples - ($3 each, or can do all 4 for $10)
In Pace in Fiora - Bougainvillea, wisteria covered stone walls, green leaves, blossoming black locust tree, sun-baked sampietrini, orange blossom honey, a cotton dress.
World's Fair - Plum brandy, genisteae, melted steel, powdered porcelain, glass
Hyacinthian - Dry blackberry, dirty black leather, incense, old stone, stone salt, ylang ylang
Wilde - Sugared black plums, scorching brandy, clove, a dollop of spiced vanilla cream, spilled ink, sharp wit, lingering cologne.
Whisper Sisters - Dirty Hippie 1ml oil jar sample - Aged patchouli, cannabis, nag champa, incense, earth. New, never tried, $3

Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Jasmine, Justin, Millie
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, Izzy, MK, Ripper, Scott
Episode 10: Masters of Disasters
"Last time, on Total Drama Action! The world's toughest Chef used spoons to bring out Brick's killer instinct!"
“It was no thanks to Brick that Justin and Millie had the bejeebies scared out of them. Victory seemed within reach, as Brick won the scream-off. MK won the challenge for the Screaming Gaffers by not falling for any of the Grips’ feeble attempts to scare them.”
“Just as the Killer Grips casted their votes, Brick's conscience, along with a planned push from Justin, finally got the best of him. Brick called himself out as a cheater, hopped into the Lame-o-Sine, and rode off into the sunset.”
The scene flashed to Chris walking through the lot, eventually reaching the cast trailers. "How will the contestants survive without Brick's gourmet cooking? Was it coriander or tarragon he used in that casserole? Discover all that and more in another thrilling and filling episode of Total! Drama! Action!"
(Theme Song)
The episode opened with a shot of the blue and partly-cloudy sky before quickly panning down to the craft services tent. The scene zoomed in and cut inside, showing a close-up of a bowl of roach-infested gruel. Scott took a trembling scoop of the food, pausing with wide eyes as Ripper took a bite of his own.
He immediately gagged and spat the food back out. "I never thought I'd say this, but I really miss Brick," he said. "His cooking was a massive improvement over Chef's."
On the other side of the table, Anne Maria poked her food with a spoon. "Topher cooked spaghetti and meatballs for us once, and despite it being a bit soggy, I'd eat his cooking over Chef's," she said.
“Not that I care, but why did Topher of all people make something for you and how did this all happen?” Scott spoke up from his table.
“Well, if you must know, me and Topher are currently datin’ right now,” Anne Maria revealed happily, shocking the others. “What?”
“How did you two even hook up with each other that quickly?” Scott asked in astonishment.
“Remember when we were out looking for the briefcase? Me and Topher were partners, and we had a good time being together,” Anne Maria detailed. “We also managed to have some conversations with each other at the Playa thanks to you guys votin’ us out first,” the Jersey woman added, saying the last part grumpily. “And even though we started off as friends, we developed feelings for each other and eventually became an item between TV seasons.”
“But wait. Wasn't our break from competing two weeks?” Millie asked her teammate.
“I know what you're all thinking. Two weeks is too fast for a relationship to get on board, but since we'd be separated with him not competing alongside me, we decided to get together and confess our feelings before it was too late,” Anne Maria told the contestants.
Confessional: Izzy
“I'd like to call Anne Maria's bluff to her face, but I don't think she's the type to lie about juicy stuff like relationships,” Izzy explained. “And I'd likely receive a humongous blow to the face if I straight up accused her.”
Confessional: Justin
“Well there goes my plan of having Anne Maria as an alliance buddy somewhat,” Justin moaned. “With how much she's been ignoring my affections, it's obvious that she won't commit infidelity just for me.”
Confessionals End
“So yeah. That's about it when it comes to me and Topher,” Anne Maria concluded.
“I can totally see why you two would be joined at the hip, given that you're both equally self-absorbed,” MK commented snidely.
“Watch your mouth, MK,” Anne Maria warned her and then turned to Jasmine staring down at her food. “What's got you so slumped?”
“She's still upset about the alliance Brick had with Chef before he got eliminated,” Millie mentioned.
“Oh yeah. I really could care less,” Anne Maria shrugged.
“I'm not mad about the alliance,” Jasmine corrected. “I'm mad about the fact that he kept it a secret until he quit. And this came from a guy who claimed that honor was key. How can I trust Brick after that?”
“I feel you,” Justin said. “I wouldn't be impressed if someone was keeping something very important from me.”
“Exactly my point, Justin,” Jasmine said.
“Brick did do something wrong, but he felt bad enough for it,” Millie told Jasmine. “And given how Chef is, he was likely threatened into the alliance.”
“That may be true, but I don't want to focus on this subject anymore than I do,” Jasmine said authoritatively. “I'm moving on from this.”
Confessional: Jasmine
“I don't know how Canadian boys flirt or socialize with girls normally, but if telling lies is part of it, then I may call romance flawed and superficial,” Jasmine grumbled stubbornly. “But enough after that. I have to focus on opening my dream school with the money I'll likely win.”
Confessional: Justin
“To those of you that weren't already aware, I knew that Brick and Chef were in cahoots together ever since I saw Chef hold Brick back before the beach episode,” Justin said. “I started picking up the clues more and more, and now that I've turned Jasmine against Brick, I can gain her trust for the future challenges.”
Confessionals End
Ripper then spots a cup of bendy straws next to him. “Hey, does anybody know why these bendy straws are even here?”
“Nope, but if you're planning to shoot spitballs with them, don't target me, Ripstick,” MK advised.
“You never know who I'm gonna target, Brain Girl,” Ripper said, stuffing the straws into his pocket. “I'm keeping the straws, only because they seem useful.”
“More than you,” MK snorted quietly.
"Howdy folks!" Chris said as he walked into the tent with his usual smile. "Hope you enjoyed your lunch, ‘cause you won't be hanging on to it any longer," he told them with a laugh.
"And what torture do you have for us?" Scott asked with a deadpan expression.
"Oh, nothing," Chris answered mockingly. "Just that your day will be a total disaster. Get it?" he asked the room. "It's a disaster movie theme! Y'know? Like in disaster flicks?"
A dangerous and hectic tune began as the scene flashed to Chef Hatchet running against a featureless white background. "People running for their lives from volcanoes," a magma-oozing volcano dropped down onto the scenery just barely missing Chef, "earthquakes, asteroids," a fissure formed in the ground just past the volcano, expanding towards the running man before a small asteroid just missed striking him, "tidal waves," Chef ran headlong into a large wave which crashed over him and washed him away.
The scene flashed back to a close-up of Scott and Izzy gaping in their seats, followed by a similar shot of Justin and Jasmine. "The more disastrous, the better."
Confessional: Millie
"Like we haven't gone through enough disaster already," Millie groaned. "If this keeps up, I'll have to write about how being on Total Drama is more than, if not as, dangerous than bungee jumping into a volcano without a cord!"
Confessional Ends
The footage cut back to Chris standing in front of some sort of machine console as a few deep and ominous notes were struck in the background. "Your first challenge is," he said, "the Earthquake of Inevitable Pain!" The camera moved left and out, revealing the giant playing field that had been set up outside. It consisted of a platform resting at an angle on scaffolding and several pistons with a ladder set up at the high end. On top of it were a series of obstacles arranged in two identical rows: tires, traffic cones, monkey bars over a pool of water, a large metal tube, a balance beam over a pit, and a wooden wall to the far left near the top.
"Each team has to run the course," the host explained as the camera panned across the stunned faces of the cast, "challenging your dexterity," a close-up of the tires was shown, "maneuverability," a shot of the cones was added in a horizontal split-screen, "and other mad monkey skills," he finished as the monkey bars were added to the split screen.
A flash took the scene to Chef standing on top of the ladder at the end of the course. He picked a brick up out of a sack by his side and tossed it around with a vicious grin on his face, and the camera cut back to the host. "First team to the top wins! Best out of two earns today's reward."
The camera focused on the Screaming Gaffers. "Cool!" Chase said with a sudden smile. "This'll be just like the boot camp obstacle course from the first season, only this time, I get to actually compete in it."
"The course does have earthquakes though," Izzy brought up.
"An obstacle course is still an obstacle course," Chase shook it off.
"Enough with the chitty-chat," Chris interrupted with a brief frown of his own. "Take your marks!"
Both teams were shown assembled along the bottom edge of the platform. "This is gonna be easy," Scott boasted as Chase jogged in place.
"I can't wait to swing on the monkey bars!" Millie declared happily while Jasmine limbered up.
"Aaaaaannnnd," Chris said as a few deep notes heralded the beginning of fast-paced challenge music, "Action!"
He sounded a small air horn, and the shot cut to the four Grips as they ran up the platform and immediately into the tires – Jasmine in the lead, then Justin, Millie, and Anne Maria at the end. Panning over to the Grips, Izzy and Chase were out first, followed by Scott, Ripper, and MK.
"How easy is this?" Izzy asked enthusiastically after a close-up of her easily stepping through the tires.
"Are you READY to ROCK?!" Chris exclaimed with an excited cackle before pulling one of the levers on his machine console. The pistons immediately began to extend and contract, shaking the platform and causing Izzy and Chase to stumble and fall into one another.
“If you break it, you buy it!” Izzy said playfully and laughed.
Jasmine and Justin had gotten to the beginning of the cones, but lost their balance too and Justin had to yank one of the cones off his head. Millie and Anne Maria jumped up onto the Grips' monkey bars, and the scene cut over to Chef on the ladder.
"Perfect time to get rid of some old junk," he said with a vicious grin and a dark cackle, reaching into his sack and taking out a football. He tossed it from hand to hand, then reared back and threw it at the girls on the monkey bars. It hit Millie in the face with enough force to knock her back into Anne Maria and both off the obstacle.
"My face!" Millie cried out as she fell out of sight.
Chef was shown casually throwing out several objects from his bag without looking – a kitchen sink, a bowling ball, a hammer, a rotary telephone, each with appropriate sound effects when they inevitably hit something. He paused when he took out a tiny rubber ducky, squeezing it a few times and smiling at its squeak before looking at the camera sheepishly and throwing it away.
"Are you kidding me?" MK said after the duck hit her on the nose while she was on the monkey bars.
The camera briefly cut back to Chris as he smirked and pulled the lever again, putting an end to the shaking. Izzy, Chase, and Scott were shown regaining their balance at the start of the monkey bars, and Izzy groaned in relief. "Finally, a break!"
"AFTERSHOCK!" Chris exclaimed with a happy laugh, pulling the lever again. The platform resumed shaking, causing Scott to stumble to his knees behind him.
The dirt boy threw up, and looked at the puddle of vomit with a disgusted grimace. "Why was that lunch even worse coming back up?"
"Oh yeah," Chris said with a sly look, "that reminds me. It's lava time!" he announced dramatically, slamming his fist down on a button that caused more shaking and some ominous mechanical whirs that made Chase and Izzy look around nervously.
A pair of slots opened up just past the walls at the top of the course, and a steaming red liquid poured out of them. Chef bent down and touched the liquid with his fingers, taking a quick taste. "Tomato soup?" he said with a surprised look below, where the soup was being siphoned out of a large metal drum with a tomato on the side. "That was supposed to be for supper."
With the soup already closing in on the monkey bars, Anne Maria and Justin were forced to quickly jump back up to them, while nearby Millie quickly grabbed the top of the metal tube. MK and Izzy were also shown clinging to the top of the bars for safety.
"Pheeewww, wee!" Chris exclaimed as the camera cut back to him fanning himself with one hand. "Is it getting hot in here? How 'bout a cool, refreshing, hailstorm!" The shot pulled back to show him standing on the seat of a cart-mounted gun platform which was attached to a golf cart being driven by Chef, who honked the horn with a dark grin. "Golf ball-sized hail is bad," the host said matter-of-factly as he sat down and grabbed the handles of the gun, "but, hail-sized golf balls are even worse!" He laughed and opened fire, a clear canister on the top of the large weapon feeding golf balls into it. Izzy, back on the ground, tried to dodge the balls as they dashed towards the metal tube, but the sheer number knocked her into it.
"I got one!" Chris cheered happily.
"Don't get cocky, kid," Chef told him with a smile. The host continued to fire with a vicious grin on his face, and cries of pain from nearly every castmate were heard off-screen.
"Hey, watch the face!" Anne Maria cried out before several golf balls struck her in the face, and Chris continued to shoot.
Confessional: Anne Maria
The tanned woman was now shown to be bruised from her face all the way down. "That schuck is really askin’ for a beatdown if he thinks he can bruise my body, but I still got it." Anne Maria attempted to pose for the camera, but quickly winced in pain.
Confessional Ends
The host shot off a few more golf balls, then held up a button on a cord. "After-aftershock!" he exclaimed as he pressed it, starting up the shaking once again. Izzy lost her own footing and slipped backwards into the metal tunnel. The camera panned back to the tube's beginning, where the other Gaffers were standing. To their shock, the platform began to crack and split perilously close to them.
"We have to get a move on," Ripper said.
MK ducked into the tunnel but was forced out moments later when a screaming Izzy tumbled back through it, knocking into the small woman and sending both over the edge of the crack in the platform. Chase managed to dive and grab onto Izzy's flailing arm, and the camera panned down to show that MK had managed to cling onto her teammate's legs.
"Man, did Chris go all-out with these disasters," Ripper said with worry.
"Pull us up or else I may see the afterlife!" MK cried angrily as Chase struggled to heave his teammates out of the crevice.
"Coming," Scott said before he and Ripper bent down to grab Izzy's other arm.
The scene cut to the Grips as Jasmine made her way across the balance beam, with Millie and Justin coming out of the tube and following her. Chris fired another volley of golf balls which knocked Justin off his balance, and the camera moved back to the Gaffers still at the entrance to the tunnel and also coming under heavy fire.
"We have to keep moving!" Ripper shouted while he sheltered his team. Once his teammates were in relative safety, he began to shield the entrance with his girth. “I believe someone should be yelling “fore!”,” he shot an annoyed glare at the host.
"Fore!" Chris shouted gleefully, pulling the trigger but getting nothing but clicks – he was out of ammunition. The shot cut back to Ripper, who raised an eyebrow, then shrugged and jumped into the tube.
"Chef," Chris said in annoyance, "do something!" A few beeps from the golf cart signaled the hulking man's compliance as he rapidly reversed all the way to the ladder, crashing the gun platform and Chris along with it before quickly climbing up.
He resumed throwing objects at the castmates, starting with a flower pot that knocked Millie off the balance beam just as Jasmine made it to the finish line and Anne Maria made it to the top of her team's wall.
"Hurry up. We're almost there!" Chase called to the rest of the Grips as Scott gave MK a boost over the wall. Izzy climbed down the other side, and Ripper emerged from the tunnel and narrowly dodged a blender. The rough man rushed across the balance beam to the scheming farmer on the other side.
"C'mon. I'll give you a lift," Scott told him.
“Have you seen me?” Ripper raised an eyebrow. “I'm much heavier. I'll lift you up.” He then kneeled down and held out his hands as a foothold.
“Okay, fine,” Scott accepted the boost as bricks and pliers and even a cat in a football uniform were thrown at them.
Chef viciously tossed what appeared to be some sort of bomb, though the lack of an explosion when it landed off-screen suggested it was a dud at best. Regardless, the man smiled when he pulled out the next object: a very large hardcover book. "Ahh, my unpublished manifesto," he said happily.
The dramatically fast-paced challenge music faded into something more deep, tense, and threateningly monotonous as Scott was shown hauling himself up to the top of the wall with Ripper supporting him.
"I've lived a lot of years!" Chef declared before tossing his tremendous manifesto with two hands. The music sped back up as Scott spotted the heavy book flying at him with a gasp.
The shot closed in on the manifesto, and the footage slowed down as it slammed into Scott's right arm, knocking him clear off the wall and onto his back across the balance beam. “Ugh! That hurts!” Scott groaned and clutched his right arm.
"Oh shoot!" Ripper exclaimed in shock and ran over to his groaning teammate. "Your arm is not looking fine right now."
"My editor was right!" Chef told the camera on him proudly. "My life really is dangerous."
Scott began to sit up and used his right arm for support, but then winced in pain and flopped back down with a moan.
Confessional: Millie
"Did Scott actually break his arm?" Millie asked in disbelief. "That is so unfair, even if it is Scott of all people!" She sighed and looked up. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that to Chase."
Confessional: Chase
"I can't believe Scott just wiped out his arm!" Chase told the confessional camera. "And because of a manifesto of all things!" He sighed and looked down. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did that to Millie."
Confessionals End
As Scott continued to groan in pain on the balance beam, one of the camera men was shown approaching him for a close-up.
"Chris!" Jasmine exclaimed angrily as the shot cut back to the Grips, Chef, and Chris, the host now on the ladder and framing a shot with his hands. "Aren't you going to send the crew over to help him?"
"Yeah yeah," the host said dismissively as another cameraman walked by in front of him, "as soon as we're done getting every shot. The good news is, it looks like Scott won the challenge for the Screaming Gaffers!" He looked over to MK, Izzy, and Chase as they gave a few celebratory cheers, joined in another shot by a smile from Ripper and even a thumbs up from Scott.
"Oh no he did not!" Anne Maria exclaimed.
"Yeah," Millie added sternly. "We got our entire team across the finish line first!"
"Serious injury trumps all," Chris told them with an impish shrug.
"You're just making up the rules as you go along," Jasmine said in frustration.
Chris gave a smug look, then smiled at the camera. "I love my job!"
A close-up of a flashing red siren took over the scene, and Scott was wheeled into an ambulance on a stretcher. "The wounded Scott," Chris said dramatically as the ambulance doors shut and it drove off, leaving the four Gaffers to watch with varying levels of concern. "What will become of him?" The shot zoomed out, showing the Grips standing nearby as well looking worried. "Stay tuned to find out!" Chris said, popping up in the foreground with a grin on his face, earning a glare from the remaining castmates.
(Commercial Break)
The deep and dramatic music continued as soon as the footage cut back to a shot of a water tower, the camera slowing panning down to the film lot's waterfront area. A submarine had been suspended from the arm of a crane, which ran along the top of the screen and was supported on the right by a structure built adjacent to a dock where the cast and host stood. Two sections of the submarine's outer wall had been made transparent, allowing full view of a pair of rooms within; there appeared to be hatches on the top and bottom leading into and out of each compartment. In the water below the submarine were two inflated rafts, roughly aligned with the 'windows'.
"How's Scott doing?" Izzy asked with concern as the camera focused on her.
"Oh, Scott's fine," Chris reassured the group. "A broken bone, but it's all wired shut now. Shouldn't take more than six to eight weeks to heal!"
"Oh," Ripper said, "it's that bad?!"
"I mean," Chris quickly corrected, "he's doing fine!" None of the cast looked like they believed him.
Confessional: Chris
"That's what release forms are for," Chris whined in the confessional trailer, holding up one of the forms. "Correctamundo?" he asked the camera.
Confessional Ends
"Alright!" Chris said as the camera began to zoom out. "Now it's time for the second disaster-themed challenge." The two teams were shown to have boarded the life rafts, the Gaffers on the left and the Grips on the right. "Who's excited?"
Neither the Grips nor the Gaffers gave him any response other than an annoyed glare, and cricket chirps were heard as the camera panned from one to the other.
"Because of Scott's win," Chris continued with a smile, "the Gaffers have the advantage of getting this handy-dandy piece of paper for the second disaster challenge." He took a seemingly blank piece of paper out from behind his back, rapidly folded it into a paper airplane, and threw it over to the team who'd won it. The camera followed it as it flew through the air, passed over the heads of the four Grips, made a loop-the-loop, and eventually got snatched out of the air by Chase.
He unfolded it, showing a small string of roman numerals, and quickly furrowed his brow. "Hey, it's just a bunch of numbers! How's this supposed to help us?"
"Perhaps it's some sort of code," MK suggested after a bit of thought.
"Okay, time to get inside!" Chris announced.
"You do know that I have claustrophobia," Jasmine refused.
"Would you do it for a million bucks?" Chris asked with a sly look.
Jasmine sighed. "I hope there's enough air to last a lifetime."
The footage flashed forward, showing each team in one of the submarine's two visible compartments. "Does anybody else have a bad feeling about this?" Jasmine asked her team as her eyes darted around the room. The sound of sonar pinging in the background was quickly joined by the wailing of a klaxon as lights around the submarine began to flash red. Various shot of hatch wheels, pipes, each team's feet, and the startled faces of Millie, Ripper, and Izzy were shown.
"What's going on?" Justin asked with a hint of panic in his voice.
"It's too dark to see," Chase said. "This isn't good."
"For this challenge," Chris announced over intercoms in each room, "you've gotta get out before it's too late."
"Too late for what?" Millie asked as the footage changed to a monitor feed of the Grips, the camera pulling back a few other monitors next to it showing close-ups of Ripper, Chase, and MK. Chef was sitting in front of them inches away from the camera, looking back at the monitoring console out of the corner of his eyes.
"Oh, you'll find out," Chris told them with a laugh as Chef nodded.
The viewpoint shifted to show the host and his assistant sitting at a table playing cards in the control room. "Pick up two," Chef said, placing a card on the table himself as the handsome host drew another pair.
"You mind cranking that lever?" Chris asked, and his hulking associate quickly complied.
As soon as the lever was pulled, water began to flow heavily through a network of pipes, causing them to drip at various joints. More ominously, water started pouring into the submarine's compartments via a grate in the floor. It quickly began to pool around Justin's feet, and he looked down with shock and unease.
"What is that?" he asked worriedly.
“This is just great," Anne Maria said. "The one person who would've been able to break us out of here had to quit!"
"Well, Brick's not here," Jasmine panicked as she began trying to look around the poorly-lit room. "If we start to drown, not only will we be trapped in here, but we'll die!"
The scene flashed to Ripper trying to turn a hatch wheel on the wall to no avail while Chase stood nearby. "We're stuck in the dark, the water is filling up the place, and one of our teammates is stuck in the infirmary," Chase recapped. “How much worse can this get?”
"The water is freezing?" Ripper replied. "How are we supposed to bust out of this sub?"
"No worries," MK told him. "I've got great night vision. Side note, the things I do sometimes occur at night." She noticed a cardboard box sitting on a nearby table, and opened it up with a grin. "This should help!" she said, taking several flashlights out of the box and turning them on.
"Let's get to work everybody!" Izzy whooped as she caught the light that was tossed to her.
The scene cut to Jasmine and Millie attempting to open two of the wall hatches without success.
Jasmine was focused on as she tried to force her hatch wheel to turn. She gave another grunt of exertion and slipped, falling forward into the Grips' cardboard box. "Brilliant!" she exclaimed in delight, holding up the flashlights she'd accidentally discovered. "Okay cobbers, let's get our heads in the game!" she declared, tossing each of her teammates a flashlight.
"Hey, I think I found something!" Anne Maria said as she shined her light on the ceiling hatch.
"Same here!" Millie added as she illuminated the floor hatch. "This could be the exit!"
The camera cut to a close-up of Chase turning the dial on the floor hatch while Izzy stood behind him shining her light down on it. "Bad news," he said as he finally let go, "it's a combination lock!"
"The numbers on the paper!" Izzy said immediately. "That must be the combination!"
"Oh yeah," Chase said blankly, taking out the crumpled-up note for MK to snatch it and shine her light on it.
Ripper walked up to the AV girl. "Go on, techmaster. Tell us the numbers," he told her expectantly.
"Give me a second," MK replied in annoyance as she flipped the note upside-down and back again.
"We don't have a second!" Chase said in rising panic, the water already up his legs and nearly covering the floor hatch.
"It's either...," MK squinted, "3-1-11-3-6-2," she rattled off before flipping the paper again, "or 2-6-3-9-1-3. It's hard to tell with this bad handwriting."
"Well, get cracking already!" Ripper demanded.
“Guys, now's not the time to fight right now,” Chase reminded them.
MK crouched down by the dial and groaned after looking over it for a second. "These numbers are tiny! Somebody give me a light."
"I'm on it," Izzy told her, shining an extra light down on the dial. "Now which number are we going for first?"
"Let me double check," MK told her, taking the note back out of her pocket only to accidentally lose her grip on the note. MK groaned and picked up the now soggy and unreadable note out of the water.
Confessional: Izzy
“If today's my last day in this world, I'm thankful that I'm not surrounded by loons,” Izzy told the viewers. “Well except for Ripper, but he's not risking all of our lives.”
Confessional Ends
The scene flashed over to a close-up of the Grips' dial as Anne Maria turned it back and forth and her teammates watched in silence. The water rose above her head and she came up. "This ain't working!" she said in frustration. "I can't figure out the combination with the water rising up!"
"How about we boost each other up there?" Millie suggested, her light shining on the ceiling hatch.
"Worth a shot," Jasmine shrugged. The Outback girl held out her hands to give Justin a foothold, boosting him up onto her shoulders before Millie climbed up them to the top.
She strained to reach for the hatch, but it was still too high up. "Almost…there!" As Millie spoke, she made another attempt at reaching out, but only managed to cause the three to lose their balance and collapse into the water.
"Now what?" Justin asked in annoyance just before Anne Maria emerged from the water.
"What are you all doing?" she asked them.
"We were trying to open the door on the ceiling," Millie said. "And how are you able to stay underwater for that long?"
“My lungs are waterproof, duh,” Anne Maria answered. “And if we're gonna use the hatch up there, let's just wait for the water to reach us to that point.”
"Does anybody else have a plan to get us out?" Chase asked his teammates, all four floating idly in the water.
"Of course!" Izzy exclaimed. "We forgot about that hatch!" She pointed to the ceiling hatch with a grin, and with the current water level was able to grab onto it along with Ripper.
"Open sesame!" Ripper bellowed out as he and Izzy pried the hatch cover open.
A shark stuck its head out of the opening with a roar, and the two Gaffers who had opened it quickly closed it again, eyes wide with shock.
"No good. Any other ideas?" Izzy said, backing away from the hatch slowly.
"I got it!" Jasmine grunted as she forced the wheel of the ceiling hatch to turn, and when it finally opened, she immediately shrieked and slammed it shut when a jet of fire came forth from the opening. "That wasn't safe at all!"
The scene cut to the control room, with footage of the Grips continuing what they'd been doing on the monitors.
"Fire, huh?" Chris said with a hint of nervousness. "Don't you think that's a bit much?"
Chef shrugged.
Confessional: Chef Hatchet
"Seriously, I'm just not in the mood!" Chef told the confessional camera angrily. "Busting my hump for a bunch of snot nosed…" He slammed a fist onto the table, scattering a few make-up brushes. "Don't I deserve a little me time?"
Confessional Ends
Close-ups of Jasmine, Izzy, Justin, and Anne Maria were now being shown on the monitors, each one looking with dread at the water that was now up to their necks or shoulders.
"Really, it might be time to end the challenge," Chris said with rising concern. "The water's getting pretty high, and, uh, those kids are terrible swimmers!"
"Focus!" Chef shouted. "I want my chips back," he said calmly, pointing to a tall canister on the table, "I'm starvin'." He casually tossed a single chip into his mouth.
"This is getting serious," Chris told him. "Tur-turn off the water!"
Chef reached for the lever, but it quickly snapped off in his hand, and Chris gasped. "We've gotta get the cast out of there!" he said, standing up in panic. "Simple formula! No more contestants equals no more episodes equals no paycheck, and the end of my luxurious lifestyle!"
"I don't want them to die anymore than you do," Chef said after dropping the broken lever and shuffling their deck of cards, “but the lever is broken, so it's up to them to rescue themselves.”
A shot from just below the surface of the water showed the Gaffers treading it.
"If we make it out of here, the first thing I'm gonna do is break Chris for endangering our lives," Ripper told the team and pulled out the bendy straws from breakfast, “and that's gonna happen thanks to these straws!”
“Why didn't you whip those out earlier?!” MK reprimanded.
“I obviously forgot about them, but I still remember the numbers,” Ripper rolled his eyes and stuck one straw to another. “Now do you want to complain or survive?”
“Alright! I'll help you make a snorkel,” MK took hold of the straws. She watched Ripper put a straw into his mouth and sink underwater, prompting her to stack one straw after another as he sank.
The footage cut back to the control room where Chris was watching the Gaffers with tense worry. "Brilliant!" he said with relief. "Ripper's gonna save the day! Once the hatch is open, it'll drain the water out of both the rooms, and I'll still have a paycheck!" He quickly hugged Chef, who'd been playing cards by himself and looked annoyed at the sudden contact.
An action song began to play in the background as Ripper got to work turning the handle with a serious look on his face. Chris was shown watching nervously from the safety of his control room.
The clip moved to shots of the Grips submerged in water with only their heads surfacing, and Chris was shown covering his eyes in fear and anxiety, peeking out just long enough to gape.
MK kept putting more straws onto the snorkel as the water rose up. "Come on, Ripper!" Chase cried out as his head began to sink. "There's not much time left!"
A shot of the top half of Izzy’s head staying afloat was presented, and as Ripper turned the handle in opposite directions, he adjusted his snorkel before resuming his progress.
Chris was tensely biting his nails while Chef was calmly playing solitaire. However, Ripper got to the last number of the combination, and after yanking at the hatch, it flew open. A large cloud of bubbles briefly covered the screen, and when they dissipated, Ripper signaled his team to get out, and he took off the snorkel and swam out the gap with Izzy, MK, and Chase following after.
Back in the control room, the background music came to an end as Chris started to celebrate. "Wooo-hoo-hoo! Yeah, mmm, mmm!" He cheered, doing a joyous dance around the room while Chef watched in annoyance and ate his chips.
The scene cut to the Grips as their compartment's water drained out and they were left soaking wet.
“Does this mean…” Justin began to wonder.
“Yes. We lost,” Anne Maria looked down in disappointment.
A flash took the scene to a close-up of a roaring fire outside the cast trailers. It was now dark out, and all eight who had competed in the second challenge were furiously sitting around it in bathrobes, the Grips on the left and the Gaffers on the right.
"Well, that was a pretty exciting day, huh?" Chris told them as he walked past the glaring Grips. "Looks like another reward win for the Gaffers. Seems like the Grips are a tad overdue. But," he paused to laugh, "I wouldn't hold my breath!" Jasmine and Millie glared at him and his pun.
"And now let's see what the Gaffers have won!" Chris said once he stopped laughing, pulling a card out of his shirt. "Ohhh!"
The shot flashed to Chef in his sparkly pink dress standing in front of a curtain that was quickly pulled back to reveal a scene of a city on the water, with mountains in the background and a totem pole in the fore. "An all-expenses paid trip to beautiful British Columbia!" The shot flashed again, now showing a close-up of a small cabin bathed in red light and steam, an odd and low bubbling noise in the background. "That's right, you'll be staying at the luxurious inn, 'On the Volcano'!" The camera pulled back, revealing that the cabin was indeed located so far over the mouth of an active volcano that it looked like it would fall in at the slightest provocation. "A charming lodge, teetering on the edge of a little-known active volcano, on Vancouver Island."
The Gaffers looked at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "To get you there," the host continued as the scene flashed to Chef, dressed in a traditional German costume and accompanied by an unseen yodeler, hiking up the side of a mountain. "You'll be enjoying an exhilarating eight-day hike up the craggy, treacherous-"
Both the host and the various background sounds were interrupted by a record scratch and an angry outburst from Chase. "No way!"
Confessional: Chase
"We were actually going to drown back there!" Chase said in the confessional. "These producers are insane if they want us to stay at a volcano."
Confessional: Ripper
"I was going to give Chris a thrashing, but after some careful consideration, I realized that it could get me kicked off the show,” Ripper explained and smiled arrogantly. “And there's no way I'm leaving without lording over the fact that I saved everybody's lives over their heads.”
Confessionals End
"We'll just take some snacks and drinks for our reward," MK told the host. "And make it a stash."
"Suit yourselves," Chris replied, putting the card back in his shirt pocket. "More money for my end-of-the-year bonus!"
Confessional: Izzy
"Okay, I'm not above covering myself with poison ivy, but there's no way I'm gonna go on a vacation after I almost died," Izzy confessed with rare fury. "That's just extremely messed up."
Confessional Ends
MK and Ripper clinked soda bottles together as they, Izzy, and Chase enjoyed their reward at the picnic table outside the rebuilt craft services tent. The camera quickly panned to the left past the sulking Grips, and stopped on Chris walking alongside Scott. The redheaded boy's right arm had a sling, and he was looking rather miffed.
“Remember when I said I'd sue you in the first season? That was just an empty threat,” Scott angrily whispered, frightening Chris a bit. “If this was an elimination episode and I got the boot, I would do so as soon as I got home. I have an uncle who's a lawyer.”
"Umm…" Chris whispered to him timidly, "please don't. I promise to get you compensated for your broken arm as soon as possible."
“Okay,” Scott looked at Chris suspiciously. “I'll go celebrate with my team, but you guys better provide me with benefits or you and Chef are getting a lawsuit.”
“Enjoy!” Chris regained his happy demeanor after watching Scott walk off. "And with that, we are at the end of another awesome episode. What disaster lies in store for our teams next time?" he asked the camera with a smile. "I'm your host, Chris McLean, asking you to tune in, turn on, and find out right here on Total! Drama! Action!"
(Roll the Credits)
(Bonus Clip)
“Look at all the food we won,” Scott demonstrated what was on the table - soda, chips, chocolate bars, marshmallows, gumballs, and crackers. “Why offer us a disaster themed vacay when we can just stuff our faces in?” He took a gumball with his left arm and swallowed it in his mouth. “But that doesn't mean I'm letting my injured arm go. Those guys were the ones who broke it, not me. And if I'm not treated at all, charges will be pressed on them.” He then blew a bubble, and after it got too big, the bubble exploded and the embarrassed teen had his entire face covered in gum.
Eva - 14th
Geoff - 14th
Izzy - RETURNED
Trent - 12th
Sky - 11th
Brick - 10th
Killer Grips: Anne Maria, Jasmine, Justin, Millie
Screaming Gaffers: Chase, Izzy, MK, Ripper, Scott

1. Erwin desires to activate a spaceballs contact with Violet which he desires 9 years of male on female DBT from violet to his penis which violet is suggested by erwin in a strong tone not to be too hard and not to brain rape or otherwise like fuck him actual fuck and the DBT starts 1.1 The babies are at waists and erwins too large for a baby penis is in violet and erwin is click click training and violet has already been kegel trained so she is greatly winning the kegel contest which elon musk himself abducts erwin from what he thinks is arm wrestling to be a little baby inside of violet and violet is doing sex dbt as a baby to erwin and it is not too much for either party because they are babies and happy and having a kegel contest and erwin for the last time in the Fourth Underworld is Deemed Guilty of Plethysmograph activation in a Young Girl and Sent there For Real and this is takes a little to convince him it is real as old man erwin from the 6th ot fades into the 7th ot where he is in the third underworld bathing beauties suite in 1984 and then 1 year passes, the other violation starts letting erwin own violet which he will be trained by his daddy that his daddy owns his asshole according to how hard violet was violated in her capacity to sign A-Z which violet is an officer of the law and if she forgot any sign besides her already limp J than Erwin is Ievann and a separate DBT is needed but this is unlikely, Violet Owns the hind98 in the shower alex as a hind98 in the shower so that this is mainly just all the spaceballs that erwin ever desired with a vibe or butt plug in and sexy and because I have given hake out of Lord Baby Jace as methamphetamine temp worker to erwin in EBCS it is right there my left that Hake also participates which makes this somewhat gay but not gay because hake is gay and erwin is gay but the sex is from erwin to violet which the right brain of hake is very disdevolved from being hakes battle buddy she is the right brain. Erwin knows the as and this is good this will help him in life and he has no particular knowledge of females slips so erwins is looking to be a daddy but we are both three so two more years pass where I talk a lot in my sleep already and now sex magic of erwin is there and I had a crush on erwin before which was not candy crush or a crush fetish and a sexual crush which was caused by having him inside of me as two babies which now I am given a test, a canada of shit like finkels mcfarselworth, or nothing in my house. I choose just a mp3 player that is how they got it to me I still have that MP3 player. Then, 6 years pass where I am taking a lot of weed and I am doing medicine which after these 9 years of my life I invite 27 battalions into my room which they visit me after erwin is out of there to the main room and a 9 year old daddy and has to wait 12 years to smoke weed with my next son and I have sons with the marines and erwin is canadian so there is almost pure terrance and phillip here and only the first son was a natural son of erwin, I waited for i was pregnant and delayed the first son and it is erwins son and he keeps it and he feeds it on a wet nurse which is the babys mommy which erwin has to go with the mommy just to the day room and he is not in spaceballs danger he is from canada and the next baby is born sometime in there and erwin always sees collision mask, always so he has no postpartum psychosis for guys and he is a famous rasins announcer his voice is incredibly deep from testosterone gel he starts taking and he is diagnosed with RUpharma and given a tour of the Carterville Adderall Factory and he is not putin he is erwin and he is Given a tour of the Backrooms Campground and he removes his two dog feeder from the campground and they are my little sydeys not the dogs to feed her bitch slut zibby who I booped zibby on the snoot earlier today not as a dog but as a woman and he announces the death of stanletta mcrystal and it was just the first death not the rasins so he is banned from south park and his toilet does not break like it does if he has no loam he had rupharma loam so he used that, we taken his wrist bracelet swapped with a new one by then and he gets in the shower with me and he uses his only banging credit to bang my gaped cervix with his new penis which for my 3rd baby I opted to have a sizer and active sizer installed and cut the baby out myself and I give myself my own caesearean section and stitch up with gutstring and no water is on me for 7 months while I recuperate then I am 4 months late for attention as a 12 year old which contrary to belief haleys attention is age 9 and held if you skip childbirth or marines service and I am at the pool somewhere with erwin infertile with a dick and I am swimming and I am boarding in the SERE Hut and I am shooting weapons at the golf course and Richard is my Seargant and erwin is my battle buddy and I always tank for him the boarding and we forgot to board early so we are not autoboarded like last time and I serve in action, it is the IDF and by definition Dragon Skin Overplate Armor (1)-Dragon Skin Overplate Armor (8) does not happen and Dragon Skin Overplate Armor (9)-Dragon Skin Overplate Armor (40) Happens and we are like 18 and we goto infinity complex because we are recovery and now there is another way to spot at infinity complex, me and erwin, the FNG and FNG where one is guy and one is girl who they have cervical bond with one another making this the gay solution or DADT solution to the infinity ward spotter problem.

1. Kalvin Klein desires to enter the OT7 and have me as his spirit guide and I am no longer shawn's spirit guide and I can only do one spirit guide at a time at E8 staff seargant and I guide him to the OT7 shower and Sign To Him Agua Substantia Los No Meurtos Avoid Zuckerberg Syndrome and his skin is off and he is a baby and I put him right away onto the hitachi his behavior is already good as a baby and the soap bottle is glass for some reason so it breaks but it was an honest accident as his mommy for real so it does not break it is plastic from him and I confiscate a pipe calvin is smoking and give him a one hitter with meth and he is dead and I call the medics and the baby has me pregnant with an immaculate conception and wow ee still good behavior calvin for no reason is in shower 403 and I need to use ESP to be in two places at once which aite that spaceballs and I am his mommy over there and I pop that hyperbola so that the 404 is hyperbolic and I spend there negative one year on actual hyperbolic while the negative is erased by the front desk calvin is not doing much because I have him mesmerized with a hitachi and I don't put the butt plug in me this baby got me a bong we are just waiting for the next door baby situation of the meth baby for the baby doing baby to be the other baby and I will need to use a lot of LIGHTS to put these baby with hake who hake can do DBT and the other baby gets hake for DBT and hake is like me trained as violet and this is Lord Baby Jace's First act of DBT before I will sell her eventually once she has squatter rights, we ship the shower over the DMZ. 1.1 Meth baby wishes, this is the loam situation with this baby, no pipe loam didn't ever have pipe loam, has actual bikini bottom atol test loam, this aite i was here for wizard nukes and I give the baby tactical shitting deletion of the polonium in the baby shit system causing it to shit and its nuke disease is better without salt and sugar and I do this with the baby as my secretary which he aite i got him stunned at the hitachi so the baby behaves but I have no hitachi for my other klien baby, which this baby thought it was in prison and I fulfilled its dreams of awesome sex rape so the bomb was detonated elsewhere so I wait for more ebola out the baby hake is minding and not fucking yet and he is in the 403 toilet and the baby is so gay it has an erection in 403 any violative have triggered some deep limbic routine of this baby which farms its loam pipe and I dare to venture out of my room and I get the babys pipe and I touched the baby hand and signed waco which is what I agreed with this left brain and I need methamphetamine on this baby left brain which is in the other shower and amphetamine on this baby right brain which is in this shower and he is better but was kind of cumming for a second and this kills a old man but it aite I started this DBT the old man here and I sign respectful C to the baby and he laughs so it is the baby joke so I leave I have to and this is just barely enough to click the two baby so that they are the same year in the hyperbolic and i hit the hyperbolic assist and the doors open and now the one baby doesn't have its pair shits but my smart baby has the shits so I take him across the pipes and magically expose him to the loam of the pipes for the first time with a danger 1pcg lead tin indole on each one and have him shit and it is a cum shit this baby was violated in the prison so I can take him back to the shower and get him clean with toxin pad water for a while and I ferry calvin back and forth from the shower on the hitachi to over there which toilet trains him first after his left brain is never toilet trained in time 1 year and becomes a female which is calvinette like clavinet and my sitty's claves (not clavinet) USO and is super awesome from a lot of clitoral rape as a child and the same age as calvin and had 2 special place and 3 child as a child and loves calvin but never violated incest statutes with calvin because they are on the inside and calvin goes in the hyperbolic with me and I can teach him some ASL 1.2 The only thing I focus on in this month is DBT-O where I teach calvin ethylation degrees and recommend reds for calvin which this baby will synthesize little baby jace's reds for the first reds and I teach this baby the rote but not actual of the drilling and extraction process and this baby the rote of the plastic making process and rote of the blueprint process which this baby something else he got all this he wants his loam though clothes, so I break out something special. Into the room directory of 25 Infinity Way 404A-1 i drop a BDU synchro 3 1 5 and put a BDU there which enchants the BDU and consumes my BDU token and tell him always this he hates nylon put that BDU right next to him when he is trying to make clothes and tell him in alphabet this you clothes and train him in other synchro analog which is not synchro surgery and tell him literally everything which happens to him next about his cervix being violated and becoming a man and joining the marines and having to fix himself and he will do it I gotta hind98 on that guy and he does it and it was starlink not starlink and I spend 2 years teaching the baby the same romanaj method of oil field which the baby still does this and learns it now he was a jarhead before and he is Kalvin, i got valid KKK on this guy and KK ultra is his wife now at age three I introduce his left brain which was Kalvin Klein and though a KK so he was made a KK and this looks right like kirsten and she is extremely slutty and loves her brother 6 years, while I just sit in the sex swing and am banged and say mommy things about the oil foundry when my baby says thing and actively promote my baby to speak even though I hate speaking babys 1.3 9 Years have passed and Calvin (Kalvin) and Stanletta are there and the other brain is not ever pissed very understanding just jumped with rape at initial and stanletta will be a typical stanletta and be a four star or one star and master chief if she is trying to use starlink, which I only ever was master seargant because her brother told her about the marines, and in the Second Overworld the marines is a lie, that only happens in IDF in israel, but forever more the children did not too much dislike or like darappa which was a trigger for me in childhood, I needed darrappa over the cochlears which made the process difficult 1.4 I sell calvins pipes to the marines I am with and make sure that Calvin Transfers the Loam he has Pipe Loam a marine smashes a pipe if he does not have the authorization key for it or loam of the pipe.