#This includes cleaning building exteriors

[allstaircaseandjoinery]

Pressure Washing services in Sugarland-Pressure Washing services in Waller TX-Pressure Washing services in Houston-Pressure Washing services in Sugarland

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

1967 Chevrolet Nova

The 1967 Chevrolet Nova is a classic American compact car known for its straightforward design and robust performance. As part of Chevy's Nova series, the 1967 model features a clean, no-frills exterior with a distinctive front grille and a solid, durable build.

Under the hood, the Nova offers a range of engine options, including a powerful V8, providing a blend of performance and reliability. Its simple yet functional interior design prioritizes driver comfort and practicality.

The 1967 Chevrolet Nova is appreciated for its classic American muscle car attributes and reliability, making it a favorite among vintage car enthusiasts and collectors.

[kuroonyang]

彡🍶⋆｡˚ what fragrance i think the haikyuu boys use.

note: i've been getting into the fragrance world recently, so this is the result of that. keep in mind this is all just my nose's opinion ;3

characters included: daichi, kuroo, oikawa, ushijima, bokuto, kita.

daichi!

daichi smells clean and comforting like freshFRESH laundry. even after a long day of practice or a match, he definitely still has a hint of that laundry scent in the background. everyone loves it, it's very addictive, and would have u stuffing ur face into his neck just to get a whiff ₍ᐢ.ˬ.⑅ᐢ₎

'blanche — byredo' would be daichi's go-to and signature scent. i can also see him going for 'lazy sunday morning — maison margiela' since it does have that clean vibe, but people would definitely associate him with blanche a lot more.

kuroo!

kuroo smells almost complete opposite from daichi, but he smells divine ԅ(º﹃ºԅ). he's more on the woody, powdery side, but not so intense that it overwhelms you. just strong enough that it lingers behind as he's walking by.

'tam dao — diptyque' would be kuroo's signature scent. the fragrance has no florals, but still has the perfect balance of subtle sweet and spicy that suits his personality and appearance perfectly. tam dao isn't something i would class as a date night scent though, so he would change it up on those special occasions.

oikawa!

oikawa definitely prefers his florals over fruity, and a powdery scent would match his pretty and tidy exterior very well, but nothing too strong and sickening. so i also think a nice musky fragrance would be perfect to balance out the florals as well.

'fleur de peau — diptyque' would be oikawa's signature scent. the scent overall really works well with tooru's flirty and smug character. This particular fragrance is one that gets complimented heavily by literally anyone close enough to get a whiff, although it isn't one that typically turns heads, but tooru's face card alone will manage that just fine.

ushijima!

toshi would have a very masculine signature scent. something that just smells like man. he would smell very woody, maybe musky too. i can't imagine him rocking a very sweet or floral scent, which makes me think even more that it would be leaning towards woody and slightly spicy.

'oud wood — tom ford' seems like the perfect signature scent for toshi. the oud present in it isn't overwhelming (more woody), and even though there is some vanilla, it's not very in the foreground. he smells like a smart, sophisticated man. that's rich. with good taste. and one hell of a face card.

bokuto!

i can see bokuto leaning more towards just using a good reliable scented deodorant since he's always on the court, but he would still have an actual cologne that he'd use as his signature scent and for special occasions. along with ushijima, i think bokuto would have one of the more masculine scents on this list.

'tobacco vanille — tom ford' would be bokuto's signature scent. the tobacco and woody scents in the fragrance would suit his hunky, big boy build very well. it still has a sweet vanilla kick to it, which just fits him pretty perfectly in my eyes. if bokuto doesn't have some combination of woody (or musky) and sweet smell as his signature scent, he's wearing the wrong thing ☝️

kita!

SHINSUKE KITAAA 😫😫 this man likes to clean as part of his strict ritual, i KNOW he smells out of this world. even if the others smell a lil musty from practice, you will not catch kita slacking in that department. he wouldn't be overwhelmingly sprayed down with perfume, but regardless he smells heavenly.

'wood sage and sea salt — jo malone' would be kita's signature scent. If anyone on this list has just one signature scent that they live by, it's gotta be kita. i picked wood sage and sea salt because it's a clean scent and not too strong (I have a good feeling kita would gravitate more towards fragrances that aren't sickeningly strong). it's a nice marine, slightly musky and salty, scent. in three words: refreshing and clean. also, just something i think is worth mentioning, but kita's one of the few who would use a fragrance-free, clinically proven (!!) antiperspirant, so he really only smells of his signature scent.

end note: pls do go sniff any of these scents if you haven't already. they smell gorgeous ʕ ꈍᴥꈍʔ

[girlkisser13]

zeus cabin headcanons

children of zeus

• over time, they develop lightning scars on their body from the sheer amount of electricity that passes through them whenever they summon lightning.

• the mortals call these "stretch marks".

• they have a hard time holding their breath for longer than a minute due to their father’s air-based nature.

• eventually, someone sets up a tent inside to make it feel less empty and uncomfortable.

• they have an intrinsic understanding of the law wherever they are and could pass a bar exam with no preparation.

• they can play electric guitars and basses without using an amp.

• they give off little shocks when they're happy.

• they have a natural charisma that draws others to them, coupled with an authoritative aura that commands respect.

• they are immune to static electricity.

• their personalities are intense, mirroring their father’s own mood swings. they are passionate and driven, but are also prone to sudden bursts of anger if things don't go their way.

• when chiron decided that the electricity bill was getting too expensive, he had the hephaestus cabin set up underground wires so they could extract electricity from their cabin.

• due to their strong personalities, they have a complex relationship with authority figures, sometimes clashing with them or struggling to fit into conventional roles.

• they’re extremely impulsive and quick to act, especially when they sense injustice or danger. their actions are often driven by a strong sense of urgency.

• a lot of them grow up to become pilots or meteorologists.

• the statue of zeus is constantly covered with blankets to prevent anyone from seeing his "hippie" face glaring down at them.

• they can move lightning-fast over short distances, becoming electricity in the process.

cabin exterior

• the cabin resembles a large, imposing greek temple. it is made of solid white marble, giving it a regal and timeless appearance. the building has a rectangular shape with a peaked roof, and it's elevated slightly above the ground, with steps leading up to the entrance, similar to ancient greek temples.

• the front of the cabin is lined with impressive, thick columns that support a triangular pediment. these columns are doric in style, which are simple yet strong, symbolizing zeus's power and authority.

• the triangular pediment above the entrance often has carvings depicting scenes associated with zeus. these include lightning bolts, eagles, and scenes of zeus sitting on his throne. the frieze running along the top of the cabin is decorated with intricate designs of mythological scenes involving zeus.

• the roof is tiled with golden shingles that catch the light, making the cabin gleam and stand out, even from a distance. it has a weather vane shaped like a lightning bolt at the top.

cabin interior

• the doorway of the their cabin is grand and imposing, with a large wooden door inlaid with lightning bolt designs. it has a high, arched entrance that makes every camper feel small as they walk in.

• the ceiling is a high dome with a large skylight in the center. the skylight is magically enchanted to always show the sky outside, whether it's day or night. during thunderstorms, the skylight shows the storm directly above, with lightning occasionally flashing across it.

• lightning bolt patterns are carved into the walls and furniture. the bedposts, chairs, and even the table have intricate designs that resemble streaks of lightning. these designs occasionally glow with a faint blue or gold light, especially during storms.

• the interior is primarily made of white marble and stone, giving the cabin a clean, powerful, and timeless feel. the floors are polished marble, and the walls have stone columns reminiscent of ancient greek temples.

• the cabin is never completely silent. there is a low, almost imperceptible rumble of thunder that can be heard, especially during quiet moments. it feels like the power of the sky is always present.

• the cabin is illuminated by electric lanterns that mimic the look of ancient greek torches. these lanterns have a bluish-white flame that flickers like lightning. they provide a soft, but sufficient light for the entire cabin.

• each bed has dark blue bedding, with gold trim and embroidery. the pillows are soft, and the headboards are engraved with thundercloud patterns. each bed is spacious and sturdy, resembling a king's bed, giving a sense of royalty.

cabin traditions

• whenever something bad happens to one of them, they kick the statue of zeus in the balls.

• to start each day with energy, the head counselor has a morning routine where they produce a loud clap of thunder to wake everyone up. it eventually becomes a competition to see who can make the loudest or most impressive thunderclap each morning.

• they take it upon themselves to predict the weather for the day, using their natural instincts and connection to the sky. they could even post a daily weather forecast outside their cabin door, which would often be surprisingly accurate and trusted by other campers..

• on the nights when the sky is clear, they hold a tradition called "sky bridge," where they create a makeshift bridge with ropes and wooden planks, connecting the cabin to a nearby high tree or structure. they use this bridge to sit and stargaze, feeling as if they're closer to the heavens.

divider by @plutism

[pleasanttaleswithkaityb]

🎉 Sims Build Challenge: Redesign Our First House!

Wow! Even with the poll not being up for 24 hours, there’s already so much interest! Y’all are awesome! 💖 (Maybe I’ll think about making requests more often—but more on that idea later! 😉) More details about the challenge are below the cut!

The Guidelines:

I don’t want to restrict anyone’s creative process too much! Just because something isn’t our style doesn’t mean it won’t inspire us! So consider these more like guidelines to spark your creativity!!! 🌟

If someone could upload just a shell of the house (no cc) to the gallery so others (like myself) who aren’t builders can play around and join, that would be awesome and sooooooo appreciated! 🏠✨

My husband and I aren’t flippers or DIY people for major construction on a house. This means we won’t be doing any major overhauls like taking out walls or adding walls. So that would be a restriction in this building challenge. 🚫🔧

Our house definitely has a lot of potential, so feel free to renovate things! If you want an extra challenge of decorating it as is and making an older home look adorable and loved, please do so! We won’t be able to renovate all at once, so I’d love to see what y’all come up with. 🛠️❤️

Feel free to use CC or no CC! Again, I don’t want to restrict your creative process! 🖌️🖥️ I'm personally a fan of no CC homes in my personal gameplay. However, for this particular challenge go ham!

Use whatever iteration of The Sims franchise you would like to participate! I personally will be using TS4, I don't want to exclude anyone who enjoys playing the older version of the games!

Use whatever Sims 4 expansions/packs/kits/etc you have! If you use something I don’t own, well… I guess I have a reason to buy it! 😉

Use the following tags so we can find your home on TS4 gallery and here on tumblr! #PleasantTalesSimBuild #PleasantTalesChallenge and #KaityBsHouseChallenge! Please tag me on any post you make sharing your design!!

Our Home!

Wonderfully spacious and updated 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bathroom Home with a large backyard and deck. Large living area with an open concept floor plan. The square feet of the house is 2070! 🏡✨

The Exterior - Click me for more reference photos!!!

The First Floor - Click me for more reference photos!!!

The Second Floor - Click me for more reference photos!!!

Interior Inspiration💡:

We both really like nature and natural light. We love minimalism, boho feel, clean, bright spaces with neutral or warm colors, and cozy vibes. Unique or character touches and warm lighting are a big plus! 🪴🌞 There’s a little book nook in the home that I’m very excited about! 📚 My husband is most excited about the backyard and landscaping! 🌳🌸 We have 1 dog and 2 cats! So go ham in making sure they feel the love too! Nova the dog is most excited about the dog door the house comes with (located in the kitchen)! 🐶🐱🐱 If I didn’t include any details that y’all may need or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message me! Unfortunately, I don’t have a floor plan of the house; otherwise, I’d include it for y’all!

Happy building and I can’t wait to see what you come up with! 🎨🛠️

[visit-new-york]

In recent years, efforts to preserve and renew the Chrysler Building have gained momentum, ensuring that this architectural gem continues to shine brightly for future generations. The ownership of the building has changed hands, with a renewed commitment to maintaining its historic significance while adapting it to modern needs.

One notable endeavor is the ongoing restoration of the building's exterior, including the meticulous cleaning and repair of its intricate ornamentation. The restoration work aims to recapture the original luster of the stainless steel spire, allowing it to once again reflect the ever-changing colors of the New York City skyline.

Additionally, efforts to make the Chrysler Building more sustainable and energy-efficient are in progress, aligning the structure with contemporary environmental standards. This commitment to sustainability ensures that the building remains not only a symbol of the past but also a model for a more sustainable future.

The Chrysler Building's enduring appeal extends far beyond its physical presence. It continues to inspire architects, artists, and enthusiasts worldwide, serving as a symbol of the limitless possibilities of human creativity and innovation. Its unique blend of Art Deco elegance and forward-thinking design is a testament to the spirit of its time and a timeless source of inspiration.

The Chrysler Building's role in the ever-evolving New York City skyline is a testament to its adaptability and resilience. It has weathered economic challenges, changing architectural trends, and the passage of time, emerging stronger and more iconic with each passing year.

The Chrysler Building, with its shimmering spire and rich history, is more than just a building; it's a living work of art that tells the story of New York City's ambition and creative spirit. It stands as a testament to the enduring allure of Art Deco design, the persistence of human ingenuity, and the timeless beauty of architectural excellence.

As you stand in the shadow of the Chrysler Building and gaze up at its gleaming spire, you can't help but be captivated by its beauty and grandeur. It's a symbol of the city's past, present, and future—a beacon that reminds us of the dreams that can be realized in the city that never sleeps. The Chrysler Building continues to grab the attention of all who encounter it, and its legacy is destined to endure for generations to come, a true jewel in the crown of the New York City skyline.

<Previous page  - Chrysler Building -  Next page>

[fanfictwins]

DR1 - Halloween Special 2024

Summary: “As far as bets go, this was one of the easiest you'd ever had to do. Sneak into an abandoned school building, snap some selfies, and... end up making some new friends along the way?”

Word Count: ~13k

The only thing to leave your lips was a small huff as you hoisted yourself over the window ledge and into the building, your movements slow and steady to avoid catching your skin on any of the broken shards of glass that remained. The temperature inside the school was almost as cold as it was outside, though the lack of a breeze blowing air into your face was a lot more preferable.

“Huh… if they really wanted to keep people out, they should’ve boarded up the windows better.”

The room you had entered into was dark, the only light being the moonlight pouring in through the window you had used to get inside; it was just enough light for you to be able to see, a quick look-around revealing to you that you were in the dining hall, chairs and tables strewn about.

With a quiet click, the area was flooded with light from the flashlight you brought, the sight of the shadows cast by the objects in the dining hall stretching across the room giving it an eerie vibe.

“Okay, so… I just gotta explore this place and get some pictures, right?” You smiled as you held your phone out in front of you, taking a quick selfie before sending it to your friend. “Welp, that’s one picture down, and probably only, like… eh, a dozen or so left. Hah, this should be easy!”

- - - - -

The area you entered after exiting the dining hall appeared to be some kind of living quarters, a variety of facilities appearing to having been available to the students that attended the school in the past, including dorm rooms, a bathhouse that was cleaner than expected, a warehouse that was somehow stocked with still-edible food, and even a laundry room. While you were checking out the laundry room — which had a stack of magazines featuring current celebrities on the table students must have sat at while waiting for their clothes — and taking a selfie with the row of washing machines behind you, you heard a noise come from the direction of the dorm area.

You peeked your head out of the laundry room and looked towards the dorm rooms to see a girl dressed in a dark school uniform exiting one of them, her posture slouched and a tad insecure.

“Well, that’s a bit strange…”

You blinked before pointing your flashlight at the girl and letting a smile appear on your face.

“Yoo-hoo! Excuse me?”

The girl flinched the moment the beam of light from your flashlight landed on her, and again the moment you called out to her, shrinking in on herself more than she already was. Her head was turned away from you, keeping her face a mystery from your eyes, though since she seemed to be wearing a face mask, her face was already obscured from your view, adding to your interest; however, before you had the chance to say anything else to the girl, she darted past the laundry room and straight out of the area, vanishing into the darkness of the abandoned school building.

“...well, that was rude.”

- - - - -

You soon finished exploring everything you could in the living quarters — the dorm room the girl came from surprisingly being locked — and decided to head deeper into the old school building, in the same direction that the girl had darted off into. The halls were only lit with dim lights which flickered every few seconds, so you decided to keep using your trusty flashlight as you walked.

“This place still has power…?”

You took a few more selfies in various rooms you found on the first floor, but didn’t find anything of major interest, the rooms being rather normal for what you expected of a school. The state of the building’s interior was noticeably not as rundown as its exterior, though, which was strange.

“...hmm, at least it probably won’t come crumbling down upon me, then.”

The second floor was in the same state as the first, being strangely clean and well-kept despite the building being condemned. You veered to the left after ascending the stairs, and soon found yourself standing in front of the entrances to two locker rooms, one for girls and one for guys.

And when you went through one, you discovered a pool on the other side.

“...why is there a pool on the second floor?”

The lighting in the pool area was surprisingly bright compared the other areas of the school that you had been to so far, which helped to bring out the crisp white and deep blue of the tiles; your flashlight let out a small click as you turned it off, since you didn’t need it here to properly see.

“Oh!”

And that was when you finally noticed the presence of two other individuals there.

The one sitting on the edge of the pool was very tall and looked absolutely jacked to the point that they could squeeze your head like a grape, and the other was currently swimming laps in the pool, almost resembling a missile as they swam from one side of it to the other. You had no idea why someone would want to swim in the pool here, but the water looked clean enough.

“Hi! Hello there!”

Your voice bounced off of the walls of the pool area as you walked towards the person sitting on the edge of the pool, your lips turned up into a bright smile. The person turned their head to look at you as the person in the pool swam over before popping their own head out of the water, their arms reaching out to cling to the side of the pool to rest on the tiled floor as they stared at you.

“...huh?” The person in the pool — a girl who had arm fins, and fins in place of ears — blinked a couple of times in surprise, before she looked at the other person. “Did we get a new student?”

The buff woman sitting on the edge of the pool, who had two long sharp horns poking out of her head, let out a hum. “I’m not quite sure. I suppose we would have been told about it if we did.”

You looked between the two individuals and noted their unusual appearances, but the thought that you were currently in an abandoned school building that was supposedly-haunted kept you from questioning anything; you would probably end up hurt if you delved too deep into any of it.

“Sorry for interrupting your swim.” You kept a smile on your face as you spoke. “I’m just super surprised to see other people here. Well, I mean I did see a girl with a mask earlier, but she ran away as soon as I called out to her… she didn’t even say anything before dashing right by me.”

The girl in the pool furrowed her eyebrows a bit. “You mean Toko?”

“Is that her name?” You tilted your head. “That’ll be good to know. If I see her again. Maybe.”

The two of them shared a glance with each other before they returned their gazes to you.

“Uh, hey… sorry, I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but… um…” The girl in the pool paused for a moment as she raised a finger to her chin and tilted her head. “What are you doing here…?”

“Oh! I was dared by a friend!” You showed your phone to the two of them, scrolling through a few of the pictures you had taken so far. “I have to explore the place and take some pictures.”

The buff woman crossed her arms. “This isn’t a very easy place to get into.”

“I got in through a broken window in the… dining hall? Cafeteria? …whatever it’s called.”

Your comment was met with a hum from the buff woman, her eyebrows furrowing as she cast her gaze down in thought, and you let your eyes wander over the bulging muscles of her arms before your attention was caught by the girl in the pool, who pushed herself up from the water.

“Well…” The girl shifted her gaze between you and the buff woman, her hands planted on the tiled floor as she lifted her upper half out of the water; her lips were turned up into a slight smile that seemed a little unsure. “As long as you’re not doing anything too bad, it should be okay…?”

“Perhaps.” The buff woman lifted her gaze towards the girl in the pool, who dropped back down into the water at the sound of her agreement. “Though we should inform the others of this.”

You blinked as you glanced between the two. “How many people are here, exactly?”

“Just the rest of our class!” The girl in the pool appeared to be more at ease as she pushed off the edge of the pool, treading water as her smile brightened. “But if you need any help, Sakura and I will be here in the pool for a while. Oh, and you can just call me Hina. All my friends do.”

“Sakura and Hina, huh…” You nodded your head. “Right. I’ll keep that in mind. See you!”

You snapped a quick selfie with the pool behind you, respectfully keeping Sakura and Hina out of the picture, before you bidded the two adieu with a wave and smile as you left the pool area.

- - - - -

“Oooh, I wonder if there’s any valuable classics in here…”

Your gaze scanned the shelves as you entered the library, which was as dark and dusty as you expected for a room inside an abandoned building to be; you could see the individual specks of close-to-ancient dust floating in the air when you swept your flashlight across the area, the sight alone enough to make your lungs contract in refusal to breathe any of it in. You pulled your shirt up over your nose and mouth to try to decrease the rate at which your respiratory system had to suffer, and continued to inspect the room with your flashlight held securely in your other hand.

But you only got a few steps into the library before a slam came from behind you.

The library door had been slid shut, and two figures now stood between you and said-door; the guy with the long legs was a complete stranger to you, but the girl with the mask was not at all.

“Oh, hey! It’s you!”

The two of them flinched when you pointed your flashlight at them, and you lowered it.

“Sorry, sorry… got a little excited there.”

“S-See, Master?!” The girl — Toko, as Hina told you — pointed at you, her voice harsher than you expected for someone who seemed so skittish earlier. “There’s the human, j-just like I said!”

You raised the hand holding your flashlight in greeting to the two of them, your other hand still holding your shirt over the bottom half of your face to keep your lungs safe from the dusty air.

“Hello!”

The guy with the long legs stared at you for a moment, his facial muscles pulled down into a look that appeared pretty negative, being something along the lines of annoyance or disgust.

“...you really ignored all the boarded-up windows and doors that obviously suggested that you are not to come inside? The signs that clearly stated for you to keep away?” The guy narrowed his eyes as he glared at you, his gaze almost seeming to glow. “What exactly possessed you to enter a place like this in the first place? To disregard the various warnings presented to you?”

“Oh, I did it for fifty.”

The guy stared at you for a second, a brief moment of silence settling over the library.

“Fifty thousand dollars?” The guy let out a scoff as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, his lips still pulled down into a frown. “It seems that humans really will do anything for money…”

“No, fifty bucks.”

“...what.”

“Yeah.” You had the sound of a bright smile within your voice as you spoke. “My friend dared me to come here in exchange for fifty smackaroos. I thought it was pretty easy cash, so here I am!”

The guy just stared at you with widened eyes, bafflement all across his face.

“...so, how much were you paid to be here?”

The guy averted his eyes to the side. “As if I could be bribed by any amount of money-”

“Dang, you came here for free?” You blinked a couple of times as you stared at the guy. “I don’t know why anyone would wanna come here for free, ya know? It’s all dirty and everything is, like, falling apart, and… and… well, it’s actually cleaner than I had expected, but it’s still a mess.”

You pointed your flashlight at Toko. “She’s definitely got the right idea to wear a mask, at least.”

“W-What’s that supposed to mean?” Toko squinted her eyes, both from the light and seemingly irritation, and brought her hands up to her chest, her fingers twitching. “Y-You think I’m wearing a mask because I’m u-ugly or something? You r-really think you c-can just come here and-”

“Huh?” You cut Toko off, furrowing your eyebrows as your lips fell at her words. “No, I said that because this place is uber-dusty. The dust just in this room could easily suffocate a man, Toko.”

“H-How do you know my name?!”

“The nice girls at the pool told me it.” You shifted your attention from Toko — who kept her eyes narrowed even when you stopped pointing your flashlight at her — to the guy who had legs long enough that it would be impossible to fit him on the cover of a fashion magazine. “And may I ask for your name, good sir? I’d like to put a name to your face, pretty please with a cherry on top.”

The guy still had a look of annoyance on his face, his hand moving up to adjust his glasses just slightly, and he kept his gaze cast down to the side as if he were contemplating something; your flashlight was pointed at him the entire time, the decent lighting allowing you to fully take in what he looked like, and that was when you noticed that his ears were pointed, like an elf would have.

And then he let out a sigh, the light glinting off the sharp fangs in his mouth.

“...Byakuya.”

“W-What?!” Toko snapped her head towards Byakuya, her eyes wide. “M-Master, you’re giving them your f-first name? But you barely know them! Even I don’t g-get to use your first name…”

“Well, if they knew my last name, they’d have to be silenced… permanently.” Byakuya moved his sharp gaze to you, his lips still pulled down into an annoyed frown. “Any objections to that?”

You shook your head. “No.”

“Good.”

The library went silent for a moment as a lull made its way into the conversation, and you took out your phone to take a quick selfie of yourself with a bookshelf behind you. You blinked a few times to readjust your eyes from the flash of the camera, before you snorted at the picture you took; the shirt that covered the bottom half of your face was a bold look that you pulled off well.

“...well, it was nice to meet you two!” You lowered your shirt to allow Byakuya and Toko to see the smile on your face, before you headed towards the exit of the library. “Oh! And don’t forget to be careful breathing in here! Your lungs are important; this place is basically torture for ‘em…”

You then opened the door and left the library, paying no mind to the incoherent stuttering that came from Toko and the glare still on Byakuya’s face, the former letting out an annoyed sigh.

“...just one more headache I have to deal with.”

- - - - -

“Alright… another floor, another adventure! What fun surprises await me here?”

The third floor appeared to be in the same state as the first and second floors, the unusual lack of complete disrepair within the abandoned school building starting to become more normalized to you with every new floor you explored. You forewent taking any selfies in the classrooms, the scarcity of unique picture-taking opportunities a deterrent most effective, and continued walking around before you found yourself in front of a door that appeared to lead to the recreation room.

That was enough to peak your interest and make you grab the handle to enter inside it.

You were met with a room filled with an assortment of interesting items, each one a contender for the backdrop of the selfie you were going to take here; there was a pool table, a dart board, and a few board games stacked on a shelf at the back of the room. The neon signs on the walls provided a unique ambience you hadn’t encountered yet in the school, and you even spotted a magazine rack sitting by one of the neon signs, filled with new releases that were neatly sorted.

And then there were also three people in the room.

“...hey.”

The looks of surprise painting the faces of the people regarding your intrusion hardly surprised you at this point, the girls seemingly only slightly caught off guard by you while the boy was a lot more taken aback. The game in progress on the table in the middle of the room must have been the target of their attention beforehand, though you decided to not pay too much attention to it.

The girl that looked like a gothic version of a life-sized Victorian doll — the kind that you would find in a second-hand shop hidden in a corner and had a good chance of being haunted — was sitting on one of the couches, while the normal-looking boy sat on the other couch across from her. The other girl, who was dressed in a suit so dapper that it was better suited to be seen in an intense crime show than it was here, was standing next to the couch that the boy was sitting on.

“Don’t mind me, folks, I’m just… taking a gander at what you’ve got in here.”

You took a few steps into the recreation room before turning your attention and your flashlight to the various entertainment items within, the choice of what to take a picture with not an easy one.

“Hmm… the security of this building has to be quite poor in order for this to occur.” The girl with the elaborate Gothic Lolita attire had a smooth voice that came out in an accent you had trouble placing, though it sounded vaguely European, and she shifted where she sat before looking at the other girl. “Hasn’t your father been speaking of certain improvements to be implemented?”

“...yes, and it seems we may need to speed up the progress on those.”

“Wow! I wish my school had something like this!” You swept your flashlight over the pool table, the light glinting off of the billiard balls. “...though I’m not sure how many people would actually use it. Would teenagers be interested in playing pool…? …would I even want to play pool?”

“U-Um… should we do something about them…?” The boy seemed to be taking a lot longer to get over the shock of you being here than anyone else had, his lips set into a hesitant frown as he repeatedly glanced towards you. “It’d be dangerous for them to freely walk around… right?”

“Very well.”

You perked up at the sound of heels clicking against the floor, turning your head towards it just to see the gothic girl now gracefully walking towards you, a calm smile displayed on her face.

“Pardonnez-moi, but I believe that you are not allowed to be here.” The gothic girl stopped an arm’s length away from you, the close distance allowing you to catch a glimpse of the fangs in her mouth as she spoke. “May I inquire as to why you are where you are not allowed to be?”

“Because my friend paid me fifty bucks to be here!”

Your lips were pulled up into a smile as you looked at the girl, and you pointed your flashlight at her to take advantage of the fact that she was standing right in front of you to take a closer look at her outfit; it had so many frills and lace sewn into it that you could only imagine the amount of time that must have been spent to craft the elaborate piece of Gothic Lolita fashion that it was.

“Oh, wow! I like your fit! You look like a European queen, but cooler… like a vampire queen!”

The gothic girl silently stared at you for a few moments, her calm smile never wavering, before she then glanced away to the side. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let you stay for a little while…”

“Uh, Celeste, is that really a good idea-” The boy cut himself off when the girl in the dapper suit approached you, and he blinked a few times before his eyes widened just slightly. “Kyoko…?”

The girl in the dapper suit — apparently named Kyoko — furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at you, her arms now crossed and giving her a pose worthy of the sharp outfit she was wearing.

“You must be here on some kind of dare, I presume? What kind?”

“The usual. You know, that classic one where you have to go into an abandoned building that’s supposed to be haunted or whatever in exchange for money.” You continued to have a smile on your face as you presented your phone to Kyoko, having it opened to your gallery of selfies that you had taken so far. “I just have to take a few pictures here and there to prove I’ve been here.”

“...mind if I take a closer look?” Kyoko took your phone from your hands before starting to scroll through your pictures. “And you haven’t taken any pictures of anyone you might’ve seen here?”

“Huh? Of course not. That’d be rude.”

Kyoko handed your phone back after seeming to have looked through the entire gallery holding your brilliant exploration selfies. “That’s good. That means there’s no immediate need for worry.”

“How good it is to get that cleared up.” Celeste folded her hands together under her chin, tilting her head just slightly. “Humans can usually be such annoying pests regarding those matters.”

You blinked a few times as you looked between the two girls. “Is… is that a common problem? Humans coming here and taking pictures? I mean, it took some effort for me to get in here…”

The slight nod of her head was what you got in response to your question from Kyoko, who no longer had her eyebrows furrowed and instead had a calm expression on her face that seemed rather stoic. Her arms were also crossed again, giving her an enviable aura of mysteriousness.

“Humans usually don’t manage to make it past the gates.”

“You know…” Celeste leaned towards you. “...the last human who got inside never left.”

You leaned away from Celeste. “W-What…?”

“His name is Makoto.” Celeste straightened her posture, the corners of her mouth still turned up into a calm smile, and gestured towards the boy still on the couch. “He is… okay, for a human.”

“Oh.”

You shifted your gaze towards the boy — Makoto — and watched as he squinted from the light of your flashlight on his face, before you then noted that he did look quite normal; he didn’t have any nonhuman features you could spot during this closer inspection of him, so you could believe that he was as human as you were… which was completely, and you sent him your best smile.

“...greetings, fellow Homo sapien!”

You raised the hand holding your flashlight in greeting, the beam of light now directed towards the ceiling, and you watched as Makoto blinked a few times to clear his vision. He then looked at you as he brought a finger up to scratch his cheek, a nervous smile gracing his human face.

“Uh, hi…?”

“So… may I continue exploring now?” You looked at Kyoko. “I want my fifty clams.”

The dapper girl paused for a moment. “...sure. We’ll deal with this issue once you’re done.”

“Great!” You kept a bright smile on your face as you looked between the three. “If you need me, I’ll probably be on one of the upper floors. Don’t be afraid to come talk to me, I don’t bite! Heh!”

You snapped a selfie with the pool table, and waved to the three before you left the room.

“Kyoko…?”

Makoto looked at the girl in the dapper suit as she turned to leave as well.

“I’m going to inform my father about our… visitor.” Kyoko looked over her shoulder at Makoto, the corners of her mouth turning up into a slight smile as she did so. “Just focus on your game.”

And then she vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving Makoto and Celeste alone in the room.

The sound of heels clicked against the floor as Celeste went back over to the table, gracefully sitting down on the couch. “Come on, like she said. I’m looking forward to how this will turn out.”

“Yeah, okay…” Makoto looked down at the game. “But I really don’t know what I’m doing…”

- - - - -

“Huh…?”

You pointed your flashlight into the room, sweeping the beam of light around to illuminate the art supplies and works of art littering the space; this was obviously the school’s art room, which had to be high up on the list of the most depressing rooms to explore in an abandoned building, due to the fading remnants of the efforts of the people who created art that came from the very soul.

“...is that an anime waifu?”

There, sitting smack dab in the middle of one of the tables, was a perfectly-drawn picture of an anime girl — inked, colored, and ready to be admired. The presence of such a bright and cutesy waifu in an abandoned building like this was incredibly eerie and jarring… though, from all of the things you had seen so far, this building didn’t seem to be as abandoned as you once thought.

You stepped further into the art room before stopping when you heard a squelching sound come from underneath you, and you cringed once you looked down to see that you had stepped into a pile of something green and squishy. You cringed again as you pulled your foot out of the slime.

“Oh, ew…!”

You tried to shake your foot a bit to get the slime off of your shoe, the substance slipping off like jello off of a tilted plate, and let out a sigh of relief when you saw that your shoe wasn’t stained.

“Hmph, who goes there?”

You flinched before swiftly spinning on your heel and pointing your flashlight in the direction of the unfamiliar voice, only for a silent gasp to pass through your lips at the sight of the beam of light refracting through the gelatinous substance in front of you; the way that it bathed the walls of the art rooms in an green light was almost ethereal, a sight so pretty that it stole your breath.

“Whoa…”

“Excuse me!” The mass of green slime sitting in front of you let out a loud huff, raising a hand to correct the glasses sitting on his face and drawing your attention to his head. “It’s incredibly rude to stare! Nevermind the fact that you could have blinded someone with your hazardous actions!”

“Whoops! Sorry!”

You lowered your flashlight as your lips pulled up into an apologetic smile, and got a better look at the boy now that you didn’t have a beautiful display of refracted light distracting you. He really was just a mass of slime, his rotund shape only given form by the school uniform that he wore.

“Apology not accepted!”

The slime boy walked — well, more like slid — around you towards the table that the drawing of the anime waifu was sitting on, and you blinked a few times as you noticed the various sketches and works-in-progress that surrounded the finished masterpiece of sparkly anime cuteness.

“To barge into one’s work space and stare as if they’re some kind of freak? Unacceptable!”

“I… I’m sorry about the second thing, but this is the school’s public art room…”

“That is true, but you’re obviously not a student here. Ergo, you still shouldn’t be here.”

“...okay, I can’t exactly argue with that.”

You watched as the slime boy began to organize the drawings on the table, and noticed that, despite him being made of such a goopy substance, he managed to keep all of them clean as he handled them with his hands; the slime around on the floor of the art room made it clear that the slime boy was no stranger to making a mess, whether intentionally or not, so for him to take time to learn how to not accidentally stain his artworks showed how much they meant to him.

“...I like your drawings.”

“Hmm… I suppose even an impertinent individual like you could appreciate my genius.” The slime boy looked back at you after organizing the drawings into a neat pile, the drawing of the waifu on top, to still be admired by passersby in all of her colorful, sparkly glory. “Perhaps you have potential for character development, after all, even if your intro left much to be desired.”

You silently questioned what he was talking about, before giving him a big smile.

“Thanks! I’ll take that as a compliment!”

“Since you show apt respect, I’ll introduce myself despite your intrusion.” The slime boy huffed as he put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest with pride, the strain of his action on his shirt causing the hue of his green gloop to be barely visible through the material. “I… am Hifumi, also known as… “The Alpha and the Omega!”. Creator of many beloved fanworks in Japan.”

You had never heard about this guy before, but maybe you just weren’t cultured enough.

“That’s… great! I’m honored to meet you…?”

“Of course you are.” Hifumi pushed up his glasses, and you caught yourself wondering about how someone made of slime could have bad eyesight, before you accepted that it must be due to their eyes also being as goopy as the rest of their body. “Heh, but don’t expect to receive an autographed masterpiece just for meeting me. It’s too early for you to take possession of such a rarity; you’ll need to undergo much training to become worthy of even being able to touch one.”

“...yeah, okay.”

You held up your phone and took a quick selfie with the easels as a backdrop, putting on your best “appreciating artwork deeply” expression that you could muster, before turning to leave.

“I’ll leave your genius alone so you can work! Ciao!”

“So be it.” Hifumi nodded his head, watching your retreating form. “I expect our next encounter to have bounds of evidence to show your growth when it comes to the world of fan content!”

“Okey-dokey!”

- - - - -

The room you found yourself in now was larger than most of the rooms you had explored thus far, the only exceptions being the gym on the first floor and the pool on the second floor, and its size was accompanied with a feeling of high-classiness that the school had seemingly lost over the years from disrepair… or maybe that just came from the grand piano sitting on the stage at the front of the room, rows of cushioned seats facing towards it for an audience to lounge upon.

And there were also two people standing on said-stage, spotlighted under the fancy lighting.

“It… it takes more than just enthusiasm to play music, Leon.”

“I know that! I’m just saying that it’d be a little easier if you helped me out a little.”

The appearance of the girl actually caught you off-guard as a sense of familiarity washed over your brain, the feeling getting stronger when you squinted your eyes to blur the wings that were on her back and her bird-like legs into a human-like silhouette that you could swear that you had seen somewhere before. Then again, maybe your mind was just deciding to play a trick on you.

The boy — Leon, the girl had called him — had red hair sitting atop his head that stuck out into the air, a fiery glow surrounding it; like, it wasn’t actually on fire, but it glowed like the electric log sets in fake fireplaces did. He seemed to have a whole “punk rocker” thing going on with how he dressed himself, which contrasted greatly with the cute school uniform that the girl was sporting.

“Hmm?”

The girl and Leon turned their heads to look at you as you ascended the steps up to the stage, a sweet and melodic hum leaving the girl at the sound of your footsteps, and you waved slightly at them as they looked at you with surprise, your flashlight loosely held in your other hand while off.

“Hello there! Sorry for the intrusion, I’m just having a little look-see around this place.” You stared at the girl briefly, before narrowing your eyes and tilting your head back. “You. Bird lady. I may be going crazy, but you look so familiar and I just can’t place it. Have we ever ran into each other at the grocery store or something? I swear, it’s right on the tip-top of my brain… wait, am I crazy?”

The girl paused for a moment, before giving a smile that metaphorically lit up the room.

“I don’t think we have, but…” She let a soft giggle pass her lips, the sound almost too sweet. “I suppose you might recognize me because of my job? I’m Sayaka Maizono, from the group-”

“Oh! That one idol group!” You pointed at Sayaka as you felt a lightbulb flicker on above your head. “I’m not into the whole “pop idol” culture, but I have a couple of friends who’re big fans.”

The idol kept a smile on her face — it had to have been perfected after lots of training in front of a mirror, her smile neither strained nor lax, right in the middle — and tilted her head just so. “I’m glad your friends like my group’s work. We’ve all worked very hard to get to where we are.”

“I don’t doubt it!” You shook your flashlight like a glow stick. “Especially with all that dancing-”

“Hey, she’s not the only celebrity here!”

Leon directed the attention in the room back to himself, your gaze meeting an expression that was mildly insulted. His lips turned up into a smile — which had an air of cockiness around it — once he registered that you were looking at him, his hair also glowing brighter. “Leon Kuwata. Your pleasure, I’m sure. You might know me as the “baseball star”, but I’m done and over with that life. I’m changing careers to become the world’s newest and biggest music sensation.”

You had no idea who this guy was.

“Oh, I’m not into sports, but I suppose it’s nice to meet you anyway.”

The wind was visibly knocked out of Leon’s sails at your words, his entire being seeming to deflate like a person-shaped balloon, as Sayaka covered her mouth with a hand to conceal a giggle. You used the pause in conversation to take a selfie with the piano, resisting the urge to slam your hands upon the keys to make what-you-were-sure-would-be the most magnificent sound ever, and shot Leon a thumbs-up afterwards, while you started to back off of the stage.

“Good luck with the music career! I’ll totally give your future songs a listen, I promise!”

Sayaka waved you off like an angel, the wings on her back only helping to further that innocent image she worked so hard to cultivate, as Leon sputtered, his hair dimming into barely a glow.

“You- You better! And tell all your hot babe friends about me too!”

- - - - -

Your journey through the fourth floor of the unexpectedly-interesting high school you had been paid to explore continued as you crossed the hallway to stumble upon another room you would never find at any old boring school… like the one you were a student at. The plaque next to the door was engraved to state that the room was the data lab, and you had to see why it said that.

“There’s no way this place has any decent tech-”

You pushed the door open just a crack, and peeked your head in to see a room worthy of the name on the rusty plaque outside. With countless monitors hooked on the walls, showing all of the feeds from every possible security camera in the school building, it looked just like a room that some evil mastermind would use to spy on everybody for some super nefarious purpose.

“...well, never mind then.”

And, as with all the other interesting rooms you’ve been to, there were people here too.

“And… there. All of the new cameras are now up and running.”

There were a total of three people present in the data lab, two of them hovering over the one that had been fiddling with the controls at one of the many consoles in the room, and all three of them staring down at the screen closest to them, checking out whatever was being displayed on it.

“Well done, Chihiro! You’ve done us all a great service!” The figure standing to the left of the one in front of the console fluttered the wings on his back as he spoke, before they appeared to snap back into place, held tightly against his body. Not a feather was out of place, his wings appearing sleek and meticulously-groomed in contrast to Sayaka’s more fluffy and decorative wings. “This will greatly contribute to both the security of our school and the safety of all our classmates!”

The person in front of the console ��� Chihiro — smiled at her friend’s compliment, a light blush coating her cheeks. There didn’t appear to be anything strange about her at all, unlike a majority of the individuals you had encountered so far, but until you were explicitly informed that she was human, you weren’t about to make any assumptions; better safe than sorry. “Thanks, Taka, but I just activated the cameras. One of the upperclassmen actually installed them around campus.”

“Ah-ha, a group effort! We must show our thanks the next time we see them!”

The third person in the room stood up straight before leaning back, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at Chihiro, and… oh, wow, unlike Leon’s hair, this guy had actual fire resting atop his skull. The flames crackled as they jutted outward to form a pompadour, which was rather impressive once you considered that fire shouldn’t act like that… but, to be fair, this guy was dressed like a delinquent, and they were well-known for breaking rules left and right.

That probably went for the rules of physics too, at least within the walls of this school.

“Still, you did a good job, bro. This is what you’re good at, you should be proud.”

Chihiro perked up even more. “R-Right! Thanks, Mondo.”

You pushed open the door further to enter the data lab yourself, the lull in conversation making that action sound a lot louder than it actually was, and you watched as the three turned to gaze at your approaching figure. It took a few seconds before they all came to the same realization.

Chihiro yelped while stepping back, the other two stepping forward. “Oh, no!”

“Ah, a human!” Taka swung his hand up into the air before he pointed at you, almost a bit too comically, with his wings fluttering open behind him. “A human has gotten inside the school!”

“Shit!” Mondo looked between Taka and you, his hair growing brighter as the flames flickered widely, as if they were responding to his panic. “What do we do, bro? Should I knock ‘em out?”

“T-This situation is concerning, yes, but violence should never be the answer!”

“The fuck should I do then?!”

Those two were similar to a comedy duo, you found yourself thinking as you watched the both of them panic over your presence, their back-and-forth only working as well as it did because of how their personalities clashed — one was professional, orderly, while the other was intimidating and foul-mouthed. That said, you could definitely see yourself being scared witless by the two of them… if you hadn’t already met so many wonderful and unique characters this intriguing night.

But, even so, feeling the warmth of the flames of the delinquent’s hair on your skin as he drew closer to you still caused your muscles to tense, a sense of danger arising within your stomach.

“W-Wait! Don’t attack! The human’s not a threat!”

The console shone as sparks coursed over its metal surface, Chihiro soon emerging from the screen and making you realize that you hadn’t noticed the techie disappearing during the all of commotion over you being here. The fact that the seemingly-human’s body was shifting from a static blur into flesh while exiting the screen was also proof to prove Chihiro was not a human.

“I just looked through the camera feeds. The others are already aware of them, and… Kyoko even concluded that they’re not a threat. T-That means we don’t need to hurt them… o-okay?”

Mondo was already much too close for comfort to you before you finally got a chance to step back, the heat from his hair lessening with the distance and the flames resuming a pompadour.

“...tch, got it.”

“Oh, um…” Taka retracted his finger that had been pointing at you, and fidgeted with his arms before they pressed to his sides. His wings followed suit, pressing up against his back after he tucked them away, and his posture stiffened before he bowed to you. “Our sincerest apologies. We did not mean to treat you with any disrespect. We were merely acting as instructed, truly.”

You smiled, waving your hand to the side. “It’s fine. I know I’m technically trespassing anyways, so it’s no biggie. You had a really good response time, though; you were all so quick to act…!”

Your eyes left the three figures in front of you as they instead looked around the data lab, and a long hum left your lips. “...geez, I’m impressed a place like this has such advanced technology hiding within its old walls. I guess I won’t be taking any pictures in this room… it’d be too hard to explain away unlike all the other rooms in this here school of yours. I don’t even want to try…”

“Thank you very much!”

“Just don’t mess with anybody here, eh?” Mondo stared down at you with a firm gaze, his eyes narrowed the slightest bit. “I don’t want you causing any trouble, especially not for my bros.”

Your hand hit your forehead in a salute. “Aye-aye, captain.”

With a wave goodbye, you decided to leave the three be, having caused them enough stress as is. The last thing you wanted to do was get on the bad side of people stronger than yourself.

And, thankfully, your natural charm always managed to save your butt.

- - - - -

This had to be the nicest sight you had seen all night.

You shivered as a gentle breeze blew through your hair, your eyes caught on the sight of the twinkling lights of the surrounding city shining in the distance. It was impossible for one to see the top of the school from the ground, so it was a pleasant surprise to find a garden growing on the fifth floor. Your flashlight turned off with a quiet click as you closed the door behind you, your eyes slowly starting to adjust to having the moonlight as your guide as you explored the garden.

There was tall wire fencing surrounding the very edges of the garden — it was always good to see safety measures in place — and many different plants present. While it was difficult for you to make out the exact plants, you could clearly see that there was a wide variety available here.

“Ooh! Chickens!”

And a chicken coop, with five chickens all sleeping in their nests.

That was the most picture-perfect opportunity you could have ever wished for, and you knew that there was nothing else in the garden that you could have ever wanted to take a selfie with more. You snapped the picture with a bright smile on your face, making sure to not disturb the sleeping chickens in any way, and happily admired the newest addition to your selfie album.

Until you noticed something shiny in the background of your picture, half-buried in the shavings on the coop’s floor, and only having been exposed by the camera flash that your phone gave off.

You turned your head to glance back at the coop, and located it after a moment.

“Huh? What’s this?”

You carefully retrieved the shiny object from the chicken coop, and held it up in your hands, the moonlight glinting off of the oil lamp’s smooth surface. It was in good condition, looking like new.

“Alright…! Three wishes, baby!”

Just as all those protagonists did before you, from those old stories you heard multiple times before, you rubbed your hand on the lamp. You waited for a few seconds before you pouted.

“Well, it was a good try-”

You let out a yelp as the oil lamp shook, dropping it as smoke burst out of its spout.

“Woo-boy! What a nap!”

And just like in all of those old stories, a man appeared from the smoke that burst out of the lamp. He stretched his arms out a bit, before noticing you standing on the ground below him.

“Oh, hey there, dude!” The man carried himself casually, his posture all loose as he floated a few feet above the ground, the bottom half of his body being a wispy tail that trailed back to the fallen lamp’s spout. “Sorry if I scared you! I was just catching a few quick Zs in my lamp, heh!”

He blinked a couple of times before looking around the garden, the area bathed in moonlight.

“...huh, I think I overslept a little.”

The man let out a laugh, his shoulders bouncing as a smile took its place on his face.

“Well, I guess I really needed the sleep!”

You continued to stare up at the man, a sense of nervousness crawling its way up into your stomach as your brain recalled certain folklore related to the being in front of you, before your attention fell back to the oil lamp you had dropped on the ground. You rushed forward to pick it up, carefully cupping your hands around the bottom after dusting it off, and offered it to the man.

“...here. Sorry for dropping it.”

“Hey, it’s cool. No biggie.” The man only had the lamp within his hands for a few brief seconds before he let go of it, the shiny object now floating next to him. “It’s been dropped plenty of times before, but it’s as sturdy as can be. Heck, even with effort, no one’s been able to dent it yet.”

“That’s, um… good to know.” You put your flashlight up to your chin, tapping your face with it, as you attempted to keep your eyes from wandering down to the man’s wispy tail. “Anyway, you’re a genie, right? I mean- a Jinn? Uh… whatever the proper term is for people who live in lamps?”

He shrugged. “Eh, call me whatever you like, dude. It doesn’t matter to me.”

You let your lips turn up into a hesitant smile. “I’m sure it’d matter to some people…”

“The name’s Yasuhiro, but you can just call me Hiro for short.” The magical being dubbed “Hiro” looked down at you with a casual smile, his hand coming up to his chin as he floated around you and inspected you. “You must be a new student, yeah? Haven’t had one of those in a while…”

“Oh, no. I’m just… visiting?” You let out a breathy chuckle before you paused, blinking before taking a closer look at Hiro, similar to how he looked at you. “Wait, you��re a student here? You… well, you look… you know, a bit older than the other folks I’ve run into around here, and, correct me if I’m wrong, but… shouldn’t you be, like… ancient or something? …can jinn be young?”

Hiro let out a laugh, putting a fist to his chest. “Fair question, but I’m actually just twenty-one-”

“Oh, well, that’s actually pretty reasonable-”

“-hundred-years-old, but it’s not like I could learn when I was trapped in my lamp before.”

You stared at Hiro for a couple of seconds. “...well, nobody’s too old for an education.”

“I should probably be heading back inside now, the others must be wondering where I am.” Hiro gave you a slight nod of his head. “Thanks for waking me up, though, dude. I’ll see you around!”

“Wait-!”

Hiro disappeared in a puff of smoke before you could say anything further.

“...but don’t I get any wishes?”

- - - - -

“...oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

You shook your flashlight, harshly tapping it on the end as it flickered before it turned off; it had been right by your side for this entire adventure, lighting your way through the darkness, which made the realization of its batteries having lost all their juice feel like you were losing a dear old friend. The dim lighting of the hallway shutting off not a moment after your flashlight gave its final breath was just the icing on the proverbial horror-themed cake you had now found yourself in.

“...and now it’s worse.”

Your body shivered as your hand made contact with the wall after you extended your arm out, though you kept your palm pressed up against the cold surface. Without any sort of light source to assist your eyes, it would be smarter for you to use the wall as a guide during the rest of your journey than to stumble around in the dark like an idiot — you could end up hurt if you did that.

“Huh…?”

The sound of your footsteps ceased as you stared ahead into the darkness, squinting your eyes at a couple balls of flickering light in the distance. The lights danced around each other at the end of the hallway, their edges lagging against their movement like the way you assumed a couple of torches would if spun around. The lights were of a colder hue, though, instead of being the bright, burning orange you would expect of fire; that said, you had heard the hottest flames burned blue.

“...would it count as “following” if it’s the only way I can go?”

With acceptance settling itself into your heart, you started making your way towards the lights, but didn’t get any closer as they moved away from you, matching your pace. You sped up a bit when they turned a corner, wanting to keep them in your sight and not wanting to be left behind.

Even with your only light source being the distant flames, you could tell you were backtracking the path you had taken on your escapade within the school as you followed them. They led you down the stairs, through the semi-familiar floors of the building that were now cast under an inky black darkness, nary a light to be found. While you could honestly say that the entire building did reek of creepiness during your trek upwards, it had been a fun and interesting kind of creepy.

But without the dim lighting, the soft hum of the broken lights, it seemed a lot less fun.

And once you reached the first floor, the balls of light had disappeared too.

You felt two cold hands clasp your shoulders from behind, and flinched forward before turning around on your heel to meet two glowing blue eyes — the same blue as the flames — and lips pulled back into a smile stretched almost all the way to its owner's ears. You couldn’t describe the sound that escaped your throat at the sight, especially with your heartbeat now in your ears.

The girl put her hands up as a laugh passed through her lips, the sound sending a chill right up your spine. “Oh, thank goodness! You can get scared! You know, you seemed pretty fearless when you were sauntering around the school like you owned the place just a little while earlier.”

Your hands were in front of your chest, the grip on your flashlight tight, as you watched the glow in the girl’s eyes dim down to a more natural light-blue color, her smile also shrinking with them.

The lights on the ceiling above you flickered back to life, still as dim as before, but even with the minimal light they emitted, they were enough to lighten the mood in the air from horrifying to just mildly-concerning. You had already gone through the motions to calm yourself and your beating heart before you noticed that there was another girl nearby, her eyes carrying a faint glow too.

That was the only similarity you could find between the girls, as the one that had grabbed your shoulders earlier looked like someone you could find on the cover of a fashion magazine while the second looked like someone you would find on the cover of an army recruitment pamphlet.

Total opposites in both style and the way they carried themselves, making for an odd pair.

“It’s not funny!” You glared at the first girl before you paused. “Wait… you’re that one model!”

You were no expert in fashion, the subject hardly being one of your fortes, but the girl in front of you looked just like someone you saw on one of the magazines in the laundry room, when you were snooping on what-you-had-assumed-to-be the remnants of past students’ interests during your investigation on what to take a selfie with. Those kinds of magazines weren’t material you regularly checked out during your free time, but they made time in waiting rooms fly right on by.

The model chuckled as she pulled back from you. “Oooh, good eye! Are you a fan?”

“Not really, no.”

“Junko, we should hurry and get the human back to the others. They’re waiting on us.”

“Ugh.” The smile on Junko’s face completely vanished when the second girl had stepped closer and spoke. “I know that, Sis. Don’t interrupt me while I’m working! God, you’re such a burden!”

Her sister cast her gaze down, frowning. “S-Sorry…”

You glanced between the two girls as you smiled awkwardly, the pair seeming a lot weirder than anybody else you had met tonight, and you had only been talking to them for just under a minute by now. Though, as bizarre as they were, you were sticking to your guns of not diving under the surface of anyone here by questioning them about themselves for the sake of your own safety.

“Others?” You looked at Junko’s sister. “Do they wanna chat with me some more, or…?”

The girl had only just opened her mouth to respond before Junko scooched herself between you and her, clearly leaning towards you specifically to invade your personal bubble as much as she could without touching you. Her stretched smile and fluttering lashes were but a mild distraction from how she had completely blocked your view of her sister, keeping your focus solely on her.

“Yep, yep! Everyone’s dying to know more about you, who’s caused them all a lot of trouble!”

“I’m sure I’ve only caused, like, a medium amount of trouble around here.”

Junko hummed. “Perhaps… anyway, they regard you as a safety concern. That means you-”

Her finger booped your nose, making you recoil.

“-need to get your little human self to the dining hall, stat. Otherwise… heh, it’d be quite a show.”

The other girl jumped to attention when Junko snapped her fingers at her like one would a dog, her posture — which was already better than most folks’ — stiffening as she stood to attention.

“Mukuro, escort them to the dining hall to make sure they don’t get lost.”

“Ah- yes, Junko! But where are you-”

“Um, a girl needs her privacy! Even you should know that, despite that pathetically flat board that you call a chest. Hm, now that I think of it, you barely count as a person, much less a girl.”

Junko smiled widely — too wide — at you, waving as she took a few steps back.

“Okay, bye~! I’ll catch up later!”

Her voice was sing-songy right before her body spontaneously combusted into familiar bright blue flames, causing you to shield your eyes, and when you finally were able to look at where the model had been standing again, you found nothing remaining. Junko vanished as quickly as she appeared, leaving you alone with Mukuro, and at a loss of what to say in response to it all.

“So, that’s… uh… y’all are sisters?”

Mukuro nodded. “Twins.”

“...neato. A-Anyway, the dining hall, right? I came in through there, so… wanna race?”

- - - - -

The garden had previously been your pick for the place most brimming with life within the walls of the school for two reasons, the first being that there were multiple plants thriving there just like weeds in a crack in a sidewalk and the second being the chickens that were also thriving due to the care the students were giving them… but you could admit that the dining hall easily shoved it into second place when everyone was gathered there, socializing just like normal teenagers.

You recognized every unique individual present at the impromptu meeting, all of them seated at the tables and near others you assumed they were close to — the three you met in the data lab were sitting next to each other, the two ladies you met at the pool were too… but Byakuya and Toko had chosen to sit at a table off to the side, separated from the majority of their classmates.

The interpersonal dynamics of this place on a normal day must be wild, you assumed.

“Hey, hey!” You raised your hand in greeting. “The “safety concern” has arrived!”

You approached the table where most of the students were sitting, and found yourself standing at one end. You weren’t sure whether to sit down or not, choosing a place to sit in a high school cafeteria was never easy, but Mukuro made you feel less awkward as she stood by your side.

Kyoko soon joined your makeshift standing club as she stood near the head of the table, just a few paces away from you. She had to be leading the meeting, if her position meant anything.

“What?” Makoto, who had been chatting with Sayaka, looked up at you at your announcement, his arms resting in front of him, on the table. “You… don’t have to refer to yourself like that.”

Hina leaned forward to look over at you as well. “Where’d you get that idea?”

“Junko told me that you guys were concerned about my presence.” You smiled as you fiddled with your dead flashlight’s power button. “Don’t worry, I think it sounds cool. I’m not insulted.”

“Regardless of how “cool” it sounds, your presence is a concern.” Kyoko crossed her arms as she stared at you. “Your knowledge of us poses a threat to our individual and collective safety.”

That sentence made the tone in the air shift, dampening the atmosphere, and you moved your gaze to look at everyone else, only to see them either staring back at you or averting their eyes elsewhere; even the ones with smiles on their faces — like Hina and Sayaka — had a certain tension laced into their expressions. They really were worried, and it was more than obvious to see, even if you were free of that same kind of pressure that currently hung over their heads.

“Then… how’re we gonna solve this?” You returned your attention to Kyoko. “I don’t want to hurt any of you, and I totally promise to not speak a word of this to anyone, but… I know it’s tough to trust what a total stranger is telling you, huh? You have no real reason to believe in me at all…”

“There’s a few options.” Kyoko paused. “For example… you could be put under surveillance.”

“Oh!” Taka raised his head as he spoke. “Chihiro could keep watch through the human’s phone!”

Chihiro blinked in surprise. “Ah…! I mean, I could, b-but…”

“What? He’s supposed to just keep eyes on ‘em all the time?” Mondo leaned back in his seat, his fiery hair swaying in the air with his motions. “Our bro’s got better things to do with his time!”

The boy in question shrunk in his chair a bit. “Y-Yeah, it’d be really tough…”

“Well, Mr. Demon Prince over there should have no problem dealing with that.” Leon turned to look over at Byakuya, who was looking away with disinterest in the topic at hand written all over his face. “I’m sure you’ve got, like, a ton of henchmen or whatever who could handle it, yeah?”

Byakuya scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not wasting resources on one measly human.”

“But you would be able to do it-” Celeste smiled over at the prince. “-would you not?”

“Of course, and I could get away with it too… but I’m not doing that.”

Toko fidgeted with the mask on her face, the cloth clenched between her fingers. “M-Master said “no” so you should stop asking! He doesn’t have to put up with any of you guys’ s-stupid ideas!”

“That means it’s a no-go on the surveillance idea…” Sayaka’s eyes traveled up as she thought, humming before she looked towards Kyoko. “Oh, what about erasing their memories of us?”

The idol was soon met with almost everyone’s eyes on her, shock within their gazes.

And that included yours. “H-Huh?”

“I mean… they can’t expose us if they don’t remember us. We wouldn’t have to worry, then.”

The human sitting next to the idol smiled hesitantly, and you briefly wondered what Makoto was thinking about you, his fellow human, being subject to all this. “Isn’t that… going a bit too far?”

Hina frowned. “Is that even possible?”

“I’m certain Hiro or Kyoko would be able to achieve such a feat.” Sakura crossed her arms, her frown calm as she glanced between the two she spoke of. “You both possess incredible power.”

Hiro let out a laugh. “Oh-ho, I could! But… something of that level doesn’t come free from me…”

Your gaze traveled around the dining hall as you took in the expressions of the people deciding your fate, most showing some degree of irresolution at the current idea, before you froze as you noticed Kyoko’s hand reaching towards your face from the corner of your eye, and you tensed.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to erase your memories-” Kyoko’s gloved hand came into contact with your forehead first, her fingers trailing over your skin as they moved down the side of your face, to your chin; they left a lingering chill. “-it would be difficult, not to mention morally questionable.”

You eventually regained your mental footing and stepped back, the warmth that was blooming in your cheeks a contrast to the girl’s strangely cool touch. “Uh, and I feel like I should mention that I’ve been sending all the photos I’ve taken here to my friend too. I… well, I think it would be kind of suspicious to not only me but them if I just had a bunch of mysterious holes in my memory…”

Kyoko nodded. “Exactly, so we’ll have to go with a different course of action.”

The silence that fell over the dining hall was interrupted by a sneeze, followed by a loud yell.

“Easy, let’s just kill them!”

Your head swiveled towards the voice. “I’m sorry, what?”

You hardly knew any of these people, that was a fact you wouldn’t deny, but you were confident in thinking that the aura that was surrounding Toko was a lot more aggressive than the defensive one that she had possessed up until this point — to the point where you felt yourself be hit with a wave of mental whiplash — and even her posture had straightened up from a confidence boost.

Mukuro turned her head to look back at you as you shuffled behind her like she was some sort of shield, and, to further ease your worry, most others voiced their displeasure at the idea too.

“That…” Hifumi put a hand to his chest. “That’s way worse than erasing their memories…!”

Celeste let out a hum, closing her eyes briefly as she thought with a smile still on her lips. “That would be effective… but also far too suspicious. They’ve already made someone else aware of their location here, so their disappearance would only lead more people to come to the school.”

“It’s the most idiotic plan so far. Just shut your mouth and let the smart people talk.”

“Oh-ho-ho, whatever you say, Master!”

The group fell into silence once more as everyone thought some more about what to do. Every idea a person eventually brought up was shut down by someone else for either being unrealistic or having too many flaws — plus the fact that you didn’t really like any of them. To your surprise, some of the people here went out of their way to take your opinion into account when they went through the motions to consider each idea, so you knew nothing would just be forced upon you.

That was very nice of them, especially considering that you were a trespasser.

“Geez, you’re all still trying to think of a solution?”

You jumped as you heard a voice come from right behind you, and you drew closer to Mukuro, who was still in front of you, before you looked back to see Junko standing there. That was the second time the model had purposefully scared you from behind… a trend that you did not like.

“I would’ve thought you’d all have come up with something by now.”

“Nice of you to finally join us, Junko.” Kyoko looked over at the fashionista, dropping her hand down from her chin to cross her arms. “If you’ve any ideas of your own, you’re free to share.”

Junko blinked before smiling wide, putting her hands on your shoulders and leaning on you.

“Simple. We just trust the human.”

The model was met with silence, everyone staring at her… including you.

“Are… are you sure that’s the best idea?” Makoto scratched his cheek with a nervous smile on his lips. “I mean, I’m sure they’re nice enough to not tell, but we can’t just blindly trust them…”

“Bold of you to speak up-” Junko’s smile widened further, her eyes beginning to gain a familiar bright blue glow. “-considering we all trusted you after you first learned all of our little secrets.”

Makoto’s eyes flickered away, averted from Junko’s gaze. “Ah, yeah, b-but…”

“But Makoto had me to vouch for him.” Sayaka swiftly stood up, her chair scraping against the cracked tiles of the dining hall’s floor, as she finished the rebuttal. “He wasn’t a total stranger.”

Junko let go of your shoulders as she waved dismissively. “Oh, please… sure, you two may have gone to the same middle school, but you guys never even talked until after our resident human stumbled into here. You can’t use that piece of evidence for this debate, it’s irrelevant.”

The idol’s lips turned down into a frown as her wings puffed up, before she sat back down.

“With that in mind, it’s pretty hypocritical of you all to trust one human you didn’t know but not another. Totally not fair. I mean-” Junko suddenly grabbed your face, pulling you close as she squished your cheeks against her palms, her voice now whiny. “-just look at this human. They didn’t freak out like Makoto did when he first arrived, and they’ve kept you out of all their photos. They’ve been so kind, so for you to point fingers and say they’re a risk to you all is sooo mean.”

Your emotions were a mixed bag right now, from being uneasy with Junko’s close proximity to your face to being appreciative of her words. There was something that didn’t sit quite right with you about her, but speaking against her in this pivotal moment would do you no good right now.

Her touch seemed close to burning, uncomfortably hot against your skin.

“Uh, Junko, I think you should stop-”

“Ew, don’t touch me.”

Junko let go of your face and took a step back from Mukuro, who had been in the middle of reaching out to her. The faint disgust on the model’s face lasted for but a moment before she was smiling again, her posture radiating confidence as she looked towards her classmates.

“Anyways, it’s just some food for thought. You don’t need to think much of it.”

The silence that overtook the dining hall was tense, and you spent a few more seconds just taking in the smile on Junko’s face before you shifted your gaze over to everyone else; there was a clear presence of unease settled over the students, some of their gazes averted fully from you as they thought while others occasionally glanced at you during their contemplation.

Kyoko eventually broke the silence with a soft huff. “Let’s put it to a vote.”

And almost immediately did everyone look at her as she raised her hand slightly.

“If the majority agrees, we’ll let the human go based on… trust.”

Leon blinked as his eyes widened. “Wait, seriously? We’re just going to trust them?”

Celeste let out a hum. “Unfortunately, we appear to have no other options. We can’t keep them under surveillance, erase their memories, or make them “disappear” for one reason or another.”

“This will place the responsibility of our safety onto those who choose to trust the human, if the majority vote yes.” Sakura nodded, her arms crossed over her chest. “That’s a heavy burden.”

Hina looked up at Sakura briefly, before she looked away to think for a moment, a hum leaving her lips. She soon nodded as a smile appeared on her face. “Well, I trust them. Even though we only just met, they’ve been really nice. They… treated me like a regular person, didn’t even blink when they saw my fins, and they made sure that Sakura and I weren’t in their photo of the pool.”

“Oh! They were really respectful when meeting me too, I suppose…” Sayaka smiled, a soft pink hue appearing on her cheeks. “I’m used to people going a bit crazy when meeting me in public.”

Leon scoffed. “Uh, that’s probably ‘cause they’re not into idols, like they said.”

“Even people who aren’t fans of idols can still get star-struck in front of them.” The corners of the idol’s lips turned up further, now a little teasing. “But they didn’t even recognize you at all, Leon.”

Taka stood up from his seat, one of his hands slamming onto the table and the other pointed at you. “Human, do you promise to keep our secret and speak nothing of what you saw tonight?”

“Uh…” You were taken aback by his energy, but nodded. “...yes.”

“Very well! Then you have my vote!”

“You’re really just going to trust ‘em…?” Mondo looked at Taka, before he sighed. “...if my bro says it’s good, then it’s good. I don’t know about all this, but I won’t doubt my bro’s judgement.”

“I suppose I shall vote “yes” as well.” Celeste folded her hands under her chin, tilting her head as she stared straight at you. “However, there shall be dire consequences if you break our trust.”

You looked away from her piercing red gaze. “...y-yeah, of course.”

It was from then that, one-by-one, more people voted to trust you. You were honestly flattered, even if you knew some of the votes came because others they trusted had voted to trust you.

And, in the end, there were only two outliers.

“My vote is Master’s vote, so I’m going with what he wants!”

“I can’t believe you all voted “yes”...”

Byakuya narrowed his eyes as he looked over at all of his classmates, annoyance clear in his frown as he absorbed the fact that he and Toko were the only two to not place their trust in you.

Makoto sent a slight smile to the prince. “Sorry, but it is majority rules…”

“Which means the human gets to go free with no strings attached, except for our trust.” Kyoko turned to look at you, the rest of the students behind her at the tables and all eyes now focused on you. “Please do not betray the trust we have placed in you. This wasn’t an easy decision.”

You took a moment before you smiled, giving a mock-salute. “You can count on me! You guys are too nice to screw over like that. Well… most of you are. I’ll keep my lips sealed, promise!”

“Thank you. Now… perhaps you could show us exactly how you entered the building.”

- - - - -

This was a better ending to the night than you could have expected; you went into the school expecting nothing but cobwebs, safety violations, and an overwhelming gloominess that came with being an abandoned building once used as a lively social environment, but instead went on an adventure that kept you from falling asleep halfway through the late-night, paid-for expedition.

You were even being escorted to the front door after you showed Kyoko the broken window you had climbed through to get inside, the students not wanting you to accidentally cut yourself while exiting the premises. You had also let the girl look at your updated album of exploration selfies to make sure you had absolutely no evidence of any of their existences… and to show off a little.

You were just really proud of your photo-taking skills tonight.

The most surprising thing that happened after you were cleared to exit was the notion that some of the people here were fine with the idea of you coming back. Hina even argued that, since you already know their secrets, there wasn’t any reason for you to not come to visit every so often.

Makoto was used as an example, given that he was human and hung out with them regularly.

Maybe you should ask him sometime about how he got himself into this situation.

“You know… I don’t see how keeping your mouth shut about all this benefits you at all.”

Junko’s voice broke you out of your thoughts, and you turned to look at her.

“...huh?”

That person “escorting” you was Junko… and the situation was more like she volunteered to take you to the exit before dragging you out of the dining hall faster than anyone could argue.

“Like… what exactly do you even get out of not telling anyone about us? I mean, you didn’t even try any extortion. The blackmail material was right there. In fact, it’s still sitting right on the table.”

You came to a slow stop as you continued to stare at Junko, your smile faltering before coming back hesitantly. “U-Um… I’d rather not risk your and the others’ lives? Isn’t that a good reason?”

The fashionista’s frown deepened, before her lips turned into a pout. “That’s so boring… come on, it’d really shake things up if you let something slip. The human world and the monster world clashing… it could be fun…! And I’m sure that you’d gain fame and fortune for your “discovery”.”

“But… you were the one championing the whole “trust the human” thing. Why are you-”

“If I hadn’t spoken up, everyone would’ve just fallen into an endless debate.” Junko waved her hand to the side dismissively, cutting you off, as her other hand traveled up to rest on her hip. “It might’ve been entertaining for a little bit, but it was already getting super stale when I stepped in.”

You had already continued walking during Junko’s “explanation”, and soon reached the entrance hall with the model in tow. The area was in similar condition to the rest of the school building, the doors being boarded up with thick wooden planks… but, if they were going to let you out through them, you assumed the state of the doors was just for appearances and they still opened fine.

“Junko, sorry to disappoint, but…” You turned to look at the model with a smile returning to your face, determination in your eyes. “...I think I’m just going to keep my mouth shut, as promised.”

Junko huffed before looking away with a bored expression. “That is disappointing.”

You almost chuckled at her reaction, but, as soon as you blinked, Junko disappeared from your view, and you felt two hands clasp your shoulders from behind. You couldn’t stop the small yelp that escaped your lips, and your cheeks warmed up when you realized Junko scared you again.

“But that just means you’ll need to stay interesting enough to keep me from getting bored.”

“I… can try?”

The giggle that left Junko’s lips at your response made a shiver run up your spine, the model gently shoving you out the now-open front door — you assumed she had some sort of power that allowed her to open it without touching it, unless she was just very quick and very sneaky.

“Then that’s a promise! Come back soon, ‘kay?”

The door slammed shut before you could respond, and all you felt was the cool air of the night on your skin. You stood there for a moment before turning to look at the school, and there was no doubt in your mind that tonight would feel like a dream when you woke up the next morning.

“...so I guess I earned both fifty bucks AND a bunch of new friends tonight. Score!”

[blu3-j]

Hey There! Can I request a Home X Reader please? Like reader is housesitting for Wally?

Knock, Knock, Knocking On My Heart

Home x Puppet! Reader

TW: Small tense scene

Hello, hello, hello, there! Oh, absolutely, you can!! I'm so excited! I've never written for Home before besides headcanons! So new, so exciting!

Oh! Also! New announcement!! I now have interwebs access at my humble abode! This will make putting these up on here much easier. In the meantime, I hope this fanfic will appease you all!

Thump!

You set the last heavy box in the trunk and closed it with a thud. You listened to the hushed voice of Wally comforting Home as you grabbed up his small bag and placed it in the backseat of his car. It was almost never used, as nobody---Wally and yourself included---really had any reason to leave the neighborhood. His car was bright red like a newly ripe apple, and so clean and shiny from not being used you had to keep from looking at many parts of the exterior so you wouldn't go momentarily blind. Today, however, was a special occasion for Wally to finally use it.

Wally had told you him and a few of the other neighbors---Barnaby, Julie, and Frank---would be leaving on a few days trip. Due to Home being alive and Wally caring deeply for his companion building, asked you to watch over them while they were gone. Wally had never specified what the trip was, only making small mention of a convention of some kind and something about fans.

"A convention about fans?" You asked him. "My, why would anyone need to hold a convention about fans? You can just buy them at the Bugdega. Are there really people that like fans that much?" Barnaby laughed, putting his paw on your shoulder, which ended up being more on most of your arm with your size difference.

"But Teacup, it's more than just fans. It's A/Cs, it's freezers, it's---" Barnaby was interrupted by Wally's monotone robotic laugh.

"Oh, Y/N, it's something you'll learn about soon. You're just not ready yet. Maybe we'll take you and show you next time what we really mean." You quirked an eyebrow at your fellow puppet friend. You could never tell what thoughts or knowledge were behind those unchanging eyes of his. Barnaby always knew, though. Plenty of times were had where you wished you could do the same. Kind of like now.

"Oh, Home, it's okay. I'll only be gone for a few days. Y/N will be here to keep you company until I get back. And some of the other neighbors will still be here, too." You turned to face Wally and patiently watched him pat Home's side as the latter continued to protest and whine through their creaks and knocks.

"Wally," You called out to him. Wally paused his hushed comforts to Home, but continued to stare up at it. You noticed in the corner of your eye Home's gaze turned to you. "Wally, it's all packed up. Ready to go whenever you want." Wally patted Home once more and upon meeting Home's gaze, nuzzled his face against Home's wall. Home creaked once more. It was hard not to notice the distinct shattering sound from somewhere inside, but Wally ignored it.

"Oh, Home," Wally cooed. "It's okay. I'll be back soon. I have to go now. Goodbye, Home. I love you." The two of you watched Wally walk away and get in his car. He adjusted the rear view mirror and his smile grew wider upon seeing the two of you. That was the last of him you saw for the next few days as he drove off into the horizon.

Feeling a knot twist up in your stuffing for the old building, you patted Home's side as they stared off where Wally once was. "It's okay, Home." You called out to the building. "He'll be back before you know it." Yet Home's longing stare never left that road. You racked through your felt head for ideas on comforting Home, until finally...

"Aha!" Your yelp finally drug Home's eyes away from the road and down to your small figure. "I know, maybe we can make something for Wally when he gets back! What do you think, Home?" You turned back up to Home and waited. They only stared back. You were beginning to become unsure of your idea working when you heard the faintest creak from the building. You quirked your eyebrow and tilted your head.

Oh, right. You can't understand Home.

It was strange to you. Everyone else in the neighborhood could understand Home to some degree, but for you---as the newest resident only having moved in a month ago---had no idea what Home was ever saying. Usually whenever Home would talk to you, another one of your neighbors would be there to translate. Wally was often the one to most often translate for you due to the two of you being best friends and Barnaby would be the one to translate when Wally wasn't there (which you recall only happening once.) You, Wally, and Barnaby were an unbreakable trio, but now there was just one of the three here: you. With no one to help you understand.

This is going to be a problem.

Home was quick to notice your expression and rolled their eyes. Faintly, the ringing of a phone was inside. Home opened the door for you, and you walked in.

The inside was painted in warm colors and sunlight, and the living room sat as it usually did. With chairs in various colors and shapes and paintings and photos of your friends, Home, and other parts of the neighborhood lining the walls. Memorabilia from the neighborhood’s past adventures sat neatly placed upon a shelf, right beside Wally’s only apple—a fake one Barnaby had secretly replaced when the old one got rotten. You had been sworn to secrecy to never tell the third person of your trio. A small canvas in the corner of your eye caught your attention. You barely noticed it hanging in the corner of a wall, but painted on it was you. Laughing away under a bright colored tree on a warm spring morning. Dirt, grass, and flowers adorned your hair, almost forming a crown upon your dainty head.

"Stay still..." Wally hummed away a tune as he painted on the canvas. You did your best to keep your form as still as it could possibly be. You were sitting under his favorite tree, admiring the sky's clouds to take your mind off of being a muse.

It was quite flattering when the shorter puppet had asked you to be as such. The others nearby encouraged you to take the offer, telling you how great of a muse you would be and how well Wally painted. It wasn't uncommon to the others for Wally to paint them from time to time, and soon enough it would be a common occurrence to you and you'd get used to it. So you did.

Wally's canvas faced towards Home and Barnaby so they could watch the two of you. Barnaby noticed how stiff you were, and decided to begin making jokes. Sarcastic jokes, puns, improv, one liners, everything he knew to get you to laugh. At first Home had scolded him---at least according to Wally---and reminded him how difficult it can be to stay still when you want to laugh. But within the next few minutes, you heard squeaks and creaks from the house and monotone laughter from Wally.

Yet you remained strong. You needed to be still for Wally's painting, after all. But Barnaby continued, pushing even further to make you laugh. It started as a sweet rush, then a bubble, then restrained giggles, until finally you couldn't take it anymore. You broke out in laughter and brought a hand up to stifle it. But---uh oh---!

"Wha---Oof!"

Your body tipped over. Your only support was the very same hand you used to cover your smile and giggles. The others broke out in full uncontrollable laughter. You felt your face go hot. There you were with your new neighbors and friends, laying on the ground from making the dumb decision of using the wrong hand, now with smudges of dirt across your clothes and face along with grass stains. Your head tipped down as your entire face began to feel warm. Home was the one to stop laughing---you assumed that's what it was---and began talking.

"Oh, you're right, Home." Wally responded after his laughter had died down. Barnaby quieted his own laughter to listen as well and things went quiet. You refused to look up at them. How could you? You just made a fool of yourself! You pushed strands of hair out of your face and began smoothing out the wrinkles in your clothing. Maybe you can brush it off like it was nothing. Maybe you can still recover and make it seem like it was on purpose so you won’t look like an idiot. Maybe---

A blue furry hand caught your eye. Barnaby and Wally stood over you. Barnaby was offering you his hand, while Wally held some cleaning wipes.

"You okay there, Teacup? Didn't fall too hard and stop working that head of yours, right?" Barnaby smiled his usual lazy goofy smile down at you. You stammered for an answer, and your face flushed even hotter. After a moment, you reached for his hand, and he pulled you up as if you were light as a feather. Before you could process what was happening, a wet wipe was smudged across your face. It tickled. Your larger friend ruffled your hair and made a few small jokes.

You couldn't help your laughter. It bubbled out of you before you could even stop it. Home was the first to laugh alongside you. Then Barnaby, and finally Wally.

It was such a sunny warm day. The perfect day to laugh with your best friends.

It wasn't uncommon for you to have ever been in Home, but it felt...empty without Wally or Barnaby by your side. Like it had a spark, but it was just a spark on the outside. With no optimism or energy or motivation behind it. It was just a shiny light.

The red phone on the side table continued to ring.

You picked up the receiver and brought it to your ear. Which of your neighbors was calling?

"Yes. I think that'd be a great idea, Y/N." A whisper slithered from the other side.

Your breath hitched. "Who..." You paused. A little twist formed in your stuffing.

It made you feel sick.

"Who is this?" Another pause, but from the other side of the line. Then that same whispering voice.

"Home." The windows turned to eyes to look down at you. In this neighborhood, despite being short, you had never felt small. This was the first time. But the feeling dissipated as soon as it formed.

"Oh, Home!" You chirped. "I didn't know you could do this! That's so cool! I can understand you now!" Your cheeks flushed warm as you noticed the stare of Home. "I'm sorry I couldn't before." Another pause.

The silence was deafening.

"It's okay. You'll learn." Yet another pause. But this time the air felt lighter. Home’s stare wasn’t boring into you as much anymore. That’s right. Home isn’t a threat to you. "What about a painting?"

You nodded and skipped over to a cabinet. Inside were Wally's paints and paintbrushes, and stored in a nearby dresser were his canvases. You quickly set two canvases up for the two of you before a thought occurred to you. So, you put the receiver back to your ear and called to Home.

"How will you be able to paint on the canvas?" There was no answer, only silence. Then a small tap on your shoulder. You bolted around, expecting some figure to be lurking behind you—but instead finding something much more peculiar. A curtain reached out to you as if it were an arm, and the end was balled up to act as a hand. You looked to the other curtain, and in its other make-shift hand was a brush. You gawked at the sight, and Home creaked in a rhythmic tone. It echoed through the walls and halls, and you heard that same whisper laughing through the phone.

"I can do so much more than you think." The voice echoed, a bit less monotone now.

And that was the start of your friendship with Home. Before you had always seen Home as another neighbor, but there was a solid wall between the two of you to keep you from getting closer. And now that wall was demolished. Over the course of the next few days, Home had taught you some basic "building language", the two of you had created many things and done so many activities together, and had conversations that lasted for hours at a time.

The first night you had stayed there, Home had reassured your fears of the dark and monsters in the halls, and talked with you about meaningless things throughout the night until you fell asleep. The second night Home had told you stories of the neighborhood and of a world long ago—long before you even existed, you were sure. The third night you fell asleep with no problems. You were safe with Home. You knew that by now.

You had found Home had many stories to tell, and was much more friendly and wonderful to get to know than you had first realized. With Home, you never had to worry about making a fool of yourself. With Home, you could be yourself completely, and they adored it. They adored you, just as much as you adored them.

By the time Wally, Barnaby, Julie, and Frank came back there was something different between the two of you. The spark that seemed to leave with the others was back stronger than ever shared between you and the colorful building. Stronger than any spark you had with everyone else. More bright, more colorful, more meaningful. You two were inseparable. Well…metaphorically speaking, that is.

Who knew a random average puppet like you would mean so much to a living building? And who knew an average building like Home would mean so much to a wonderful puppet?

[nolita-fairytale]

dating young!sirius black (remote island au)

au headcanon where you and young!sirius black flee the country to live on a remote island and raise baby harry instead of going to azkaban

part i: dating sirius black at hogwarts would include:

for most of your time at hogwarts, you had always found sirius and the rest of the marauders quite insufferable. though he’s had his eye on you since third year, he never thought he’d have a shot with the stunning ravenclaw girl at the top of their class. 

sirius is too arrogant for your liking and he’s a shameless flirt. he’s the kind of hot guy that knows he’s hot. you’ve heard the rumors: that he’s a ladies man, that he knows how to do things most of your class has only read about in books. during your fifth year, you lost count of just how many girls he snogged first term alone. not that you were counting.

he’s the life of the party and manages to pull the attention of every room he enters. this fact simultaneously intrigues you and gets under your skin.

it’s not until after the holidays during sixth year that he begins to pursue you, and you’re sure that you can resist his childish, immature, over the top attempts to charm you. boy were you wrong.

“you’re just interested in me because you’ve run out of girls in our year to snog, black.” “no, i haven’t! there are plenty others but none i want to snog as much as you, darling. come to hogsmeade with me this weekend.” “oh, i don’t think so, black. better luck next time.” “so you’re saying there’ll be a next time?” 

you only roll your eyes in response to his cheeky grin, even though you have to admit that you’re flattered.

each attempt continues to chisel away at your tough exterior. the shield you’ve tried best to build around yourself – the sirius black-resistant one – is beginning to fall. it’s not until sirius has a big fight with regulus that you find him sulking in the astronomy tower long after class is over. it doesn't take long for his handsome playboy facade to fall and when he confides in you about his family, you begin to understand why he lives with the potters. 

you spend all night together star-gazing, giggling, and keeping each other company in the astronomy tower before drifting off to sleep. when you’re caught by both of your heads of house sneaking back into the common room the next morning, it earns you both two weeks of detention and a howler from your parents that, you decide, was entirely worth it. 

you and sirius have your first kiss only a week later while polishing and dusting the various potion bottles in slughorn’s office. while trying his damndest to make you laugh, sirius ends up knocking over a vile of moonseed and as you both scramble to clean it up, you lean over and kiss him.

sirius on the other hand is absolutely smitten. gone are the days of being hogwarts’ most eligible bachelor. he’s as loyal as a dog (sorry, but i couldn’t help myself).

speaking of, you give him quite the lecture after learning about his status as an illegal and unregistered animagus starting with, ‘you could’ve gotten killed’ to ‘do you know how much trouble you’ll be in if anyone finds out’ and ending with ‘you’re such a good friend, siri.’ you can tell he gets off on breaking the rules and you can’t believe you’re falling in love with him. 

most days sirius loves to lay his head in your lap while you study, stretching his legs out on the couch of the gryffindor common room while you run your fingers through his hair. james and remus never let him live down the fact that he once took you on a picnic to the black lake, while peter admired his friend’s attempt at romance.

sirius rarely studies, yet still manages to get top marks which drives you absolutely insane. 

the rest of the marauders adore you and love having an excuse to tease sirius shamelessly over how lovesick he’s become. 

you lose your virginity to sirius the day before you leave for summer break between your sixth and seventh year. it’s filled with whispered ‘i love you’s, shy smiles, and finding out that all the rumors about him were true. 

you agree to visit a few weeks before you have to return to school and decide to leave out the fact that you’ll both be unsupervised when pitching the idea to your parents. 

you write to each other all summer long – some of which are very nsfw. he’s recently come into an inheritance from a sympathetic uncle and has managed to get his own place. sirius now has his own place and a head full of all kinds of things he wants to do with you. 

you have a hard time adjusting to being hogwarts IT couple as you enter your seventh year. you've never been one for the spotlight but sirius is worth it.

seventh year is filled with double dates with #jilly to hogsmeade, snogging in broom closets, and movie nights in the marauders dormitory using lily's projector and an old bedsheet.

sirius makes you brave and you make him happier than he ever believed he deserved. 

you’re at every quidditch game cheering him on, even when your own house is playing against gryffindor.

in the last few months of your seventh year, while lily and james can’t stop talking about marriage, sirius is shocked to discover that you don’t want to get married at all. because of this, you decide to go your separate ways after graduation, which only lasts a few months after you hook up during lily and james’ engagement party and decide that you absolutely can’t live without each other.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

This 1953 Muntz Jet convertible underwent a three-year custom build under previous ownership, and it was purchased by the seller in 2021. The car is powered by a fuel-injected 5.7-liter LT1 V8 engine paired with a four-speed automatic transmission and a Ford 9″ rear end, and it is finished in Apple Pearl with a white Carson-style removable top over gray snakeskin-style Naugahyde upholstery. Features include custom bodywork, an Art Morrison frame, power-assisted steering, four-wheel disc brakes, airbag suspension, Painless Performance wiring, and more modified and fabricated details. This custom-built Muntz is now offered with a copy of Rodder’s Journal magazine featuring a story on the build and a clean California title in the name of the seller’s business.

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

The steel, aluminum, and fiberglass body is mounted on an Art Morrison ladder frame that was boxed and finished in semi-gloss black, and the floor was raised 3″. The exterior was repainted in a Sherwin Williams two-stage Apple Pearl mixed by the late Stan Betz. Features include a chopped Duvall-style windshield, 1950 Chevrolet headlights, dual Appleton spotlights, 1951 Ford Victoria side windows, and a white removable Carson-style top fabricated to match the height of the chopped windshield. Additional equipment includes color-matched rear fender skirts and chrome bumpers. Wear from fitting the top is noted on the rear deck.

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

Steel wheels sourced from a 1976 Dodge measure 15″ and are mounted with Cadillac Sombrero-style covers and whitewall tires. A matching spare fitted with a BFGoodrich Silvertown tire is mounted within a rear-mounted Continental-style chrome carrier. A Mustang II front end accommodates power rack-and-pinion steering , and the car rides on an electronically-adjustable Air Ride Technologies airbag suspension system along with 2” lowered front spindles, Strange Engineering tube shocks, a rear Panhard bar, and front and rear sway bars. The seller reports that the front control arm bushings were recently replaced.

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

Braking is handled by GM G-body-sourced calipers matched with Ford Granada discs up front and Ford SVO-specification calipers and discs at the rear.

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

The cabin was customized by Jim’s Auto Trim of San Diego, California, and features Glide bucket seats and a rear bench trimmed in gray snakeskin-style Naugahyde upholstery, along with matching treatments for the dash trim, headliner, and door panels. Additional equipment includes a 1952 Lincoln steering wheel mounted to a shortened Lincoln steering column, gray cut-pile carpet, and a Pioneer stereo housed within a custom center cubby.

The engine-turned “Hollywood” instrument cluster houses Stewart Warner gauges consisting of an 8k-rpm tachometer, a 160-mph speedometer, and auxiliary readings for fuel level, battery charge, oil pressure, and water temperature. The five-digit odometer displays 25k miles, though total chassis mileage is unknown. A Lokar pedal assembly was fitted during the build.

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

The Corvette-sourced 5.7-liter LT1 V8 features a polished fuel intake manifold along with billet aluminum valve covers, and additional features include an Opti-Spark distributor, a Griffin aluminum radiator, and a wiring loom sourced from Painless Performance Wiring. A set of long-tube headers are connected to a 2.5″ exhaust system equipped with dual Dynaflow mufflers. The seller reports that the oil was recently changed.

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

Power is routed to the rear wheels via a four-speed 4L60E automatic transmission and a Ford 9″ rear end with with 3.55:1 gears and Strange Engineering 31-spline axles. Additional photos of the underside, drivetrain, and suspension components are presented in the gallery below.

Custom 1953 Muntz Jet Convertible

The car was featured in issue #36 of Rodders Journal magazine

[oohoohnooboo]

Lot Download - Simney's Flophouse

Need a cheap place to stay while you get back on your feet? Look no further than Simney's Flophouse! (Yes, this is like the 5th one I've built...)

Amenities/Features

This flophouse sits on a 30x20 lot and costs §37,421. I tried to keep the price relatively cheap, especially for the players like me who play with a neighborhood treasury/tax system. This lot comes in two versions: apartment and residential. On the apartment lot, rent is estimated to be around §65-§95.

This lot includes:

4 cheap rooms (2 can fit a double bed)

Communal bathroom with 2 showers and 2 stalls

Commons area with TV, couches, and a desk

Lobby with a computer

Sizeable kitchen with cafeteria worker (optional)

Outdoor seating area

Requirements

CC - The only thing you’ll need for this lot to look exactly as it does above is the Life Stories build set found here. Without this set, you’ll only need to replace the exterior wall coverings.

Packs - I tried to stick with mostly the base game and University when building this lot. Obviously, Apartment Life will be required for the apartment lot.

Recommendations

Shiny Tyme NPC Everywhere Patch - An override patch to the Shyne Tyme dorm cooktop. Whatever lot type you place this in, it will get an NPC cook working just like they do on dorm lots.

Download (Residential Lot)

Download (Apartment Lot)

This lot was built in an empty Sims 2 game and cleaned with the Lot Compressor. I recommend you install this lot with the Clean Installer.

[gluechugger]

Soul of my Suit

☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️

Fallout 4/RDR2 crossover where Arthur is the soul survivor and my OC, Louise is an institute reject. This is Chapter 1.

CWs; violence, blood, surgery on a conscious patient, drug use, Arthur being a bit of a creep in general. (No excuses but he’s got a lot going on.)

Word count: 3,391

This also exists on google docs where it might be easier to read and includes all of the art I did.

☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️

She had to be some kind of hallucination. Hallucinations certainly weren’t unusual to Arthur. Only 6 months in the wasteland he was far past counting murders he had committed on one hand. Murder only made his visions worse. His gang called it ‘The Sight’, suggesting his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him, but giving insight into the otherwise unknown. This made no difference to how Arthur perceived his visions. Most of the time, they were just part of his daily life.

This hallucination was distinctly anachronistic. She wore a laundered green day dress with no wrinkle in sight. It appeared to have been freshly pressed. Her hair was clean too, golden blonde and falling past her shoulders. The ringlets had been formed in a roller-set overnight. Arthur could tell because that’s how his wife had done her hair nightly. He was convinced she couldn’t be real, and still found himself following her, staying three car lengths behind.

He knew this wasn’t right. He’d been discreetly following her for several blocks by the time she opened the door to the Boston Public Library, something his hallucinations were never able to do. He followed her inside, thinking she might be in danger. The last he had checked, the library was crawling with super mutants, but when he reached the interior, he only saw about four corpses and the rest of the building was silent, except for the blonde fiddling about on a terminal, pulling books from her satchel to drop into the return slot.

Unable to keep himself quiet any longer, Arthur opened his big mouth, “What the hell are you doing?” He asked, his amusement not successfully hidden.

She startled and looked back at him but didn’t seem particularly frightened. Was she standing her ground or just ignorant? “Have you been following me?” Her voice was distinctive too, almost shrill. Her pronunciation was educated, much more so than the average wastelander. Still, she had a thick Boston accent. Her tone made it hard for Arthur not to smile at her. She didn’t sound fearful.

“Yeah, you looked lost. Like I said, it’s dangerous out here.” He excused his bad behavior, lighting a cigarette.

“I could ask you the same thing then, that’s awfully strange to follow someone through the streets of downtown Boston. For how long?” She pressed him, shifting her weight to her other hip and eyeing him.

“Little longer than I’d like to admit.” Arthur knew he wasn’t gifted in the charisma department. It wasn’t worth lying. “Do they still give you something for returning books?” He asked, approaching the terminal and flipping through some of the options on it. He ashed his cigarette, took a drag and then put it out on the metal exterior of the terminal.

She didn’t move. Arthur still couldn’t make a distinction. Her posture didn’t change. She was already standing with her hands on her hips, watching his eyes. “I’m not aware, this is the first time I’ve made it here myself.”

Before Arthur could assess her tone or come up with a response, he heard footsteps in the next room that drew his attention away from her.

“Step away from the girl,” A monotone voice commanded. Arthur heard the woman cross the room, trying to move away from the voice. He turned his head to see what he presumed to be some kind of mercenary. A tall man dressed in a dark leather trench coat with sewn-in boning, which Arthur assumed worked as some kind of armor. The man went straight for Arthur, raising his gun and pointing it at his head.

Arthur wasn’t particularly prepared to fight, but he was ready if things came down to it. He drew his revolver quicker than the mercenary could fire and shot him in his shoulder, disarming him. The man dropped his laser weapon but didn’t fall. Instead, the mercenary came for Arthur, who fired again. The man’s armor was soaking up his bullets and Arthur ended up having to reload.

Arthur wasn’t keen on any kind of violence after the war, but headshots were particularly brutal. He would avoid taking them unless his life depended on it. This hesitation was certainly something that had put Arthur in a lot of close quarters combat. Arthur hadn’t noticed, but as the mercenary approached, he had a piece of metal rebar he’d picked up and was aiming it at Arthur’s gut. The man pushed him to the ground and the two began to struggle. Arthur was disarmed in the conflict as well, but his hands quickly found the man’s throat while the rebar pressed uncomfortably against his middle. “What t’hell?” Arthur demanded of the mercenary before the rebar broke his skin and drove into his guts. He let out a loud cry and his hands slipped from the mercenary’s neck.

The mercenary stood up and crossed the room to the woman who had been too transfixed by the conflict to flee. She began to fight against him, beating her fists against his chest.

Arthur wasn’t dead yet. The woman looked over to him and as his eyes connected with her celadon ones, he knew exactly what had to be done. Almost as if he had been silently commanded to do so, Arthur picked up his western revolver and fired it at the mercenary’s head, dropping him to the ground. Arthur was shaken by the almost unconscious decision, but when he felt his jeans begin to dampen from the blood leaking from his wound, he was brought back into his body.

The woman blinked a few times and ran over to Arthur who was already pushing himself up off the ground and trying to make sense of what had happened.

“How’d you– How’d you do that?” She pressed, “I mean- um, thank you.” The correction made Arthur smile through his pain.

“Ain’t no problem, Miss.” He choked out a quick lie, “We shouldn’t stay here, though. It don’t feel safe.”

“You look like you’re hurt.” She tried to look at his wound, but he turned away and kept his left hand there to catch the blood, which quickly became too much and pooled onto his jeans. “You need someone to take a look at that.”

“Yeah, maybe, but I don’t see no doctor here, let’s get moving.” He urged.

☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️

The two of them had been walking for a while by the time they reached the hotel, but it was the only place Arthur knew was free of threat. As long as they could get behind a locked door, he could die in peace and wouldn’t feel so guilty about leaving this woman to the wolves.

Once they entered the elevator, Arthur noticed Louise was still looking at his injury. “What’chu lookin’ at?” He pressed her, knowing the answer, but shooting back a pointed glance. Her furrowed brow unlocked and her celadon eyes flashed back up to him.

“You’ve got a piece of rebar protruding from your midsection. You need to be operated on. Isn’t there a better place to go? I’ve heard Diamond City has a doctor.” She sounded concerned for him, moving toward him to inspect his injury.

He wouldn’t tell her he wasn’t welcome in Diamond City, being a known Raider. His face could be on wanted posters there as far as he knew. He’d certainly seen them elsewhere in the Commonwealth. “I’ll be fine. They ain’t open this time of night.” He lied as the elevator bell rang for the sixth floor before he had to slink away from her touch. As Arthur lost more blood, his perception started to fail. All he had to do was get this door unlocked. He managed to cross the room and drop down by the door. His left hand had been over his injury for so long that removing it to pick the lock pained him. He choked out a cry and got to work, doing his best to focus on the sounds of the tumbler instead of the blood rushing in his ears. The lock clicked open just before Arthur collapsed into the room, face first onto the ground.

Louise rushed inside and pulled him with her. She was weak, but she managed to drag him just enough to shut the door and lock it behind them. Arthur couldn’t hear or see much at this point, but he could feel the thudding of Louise’s panicked footsteps as she paced around him and her gentle cries of “This is bad, this is bad!”

Arthur, still conscious, rolled over and looked up at her. “Oh, I’ve seen worse.” He tried to joke, mostly for his own comfort rather than hers, the sentiment accompanied by a bloody cough.

Still, his voice seemed to offer Louise some composure. She stopped her pacing and looked down at him. Arthur could feel his makeup running from tears. Was he really crying? “Okay.” She let out a big sigh and turned her back to him. She ran her forearm over the coffee table to clear it. “We have to get that piece of metal out of you.”

“How do you expect to do that?” Arthur choked, “Don’t look like you have ‘combat medic’ on your resume.” He reached up with his clean hand and tried to wipe some blood from his mouth.

“Get up on the table,” She instructed, taking him by the shoulders and helping him haul himself up. He complied, having no other choice. She crossed the room to the kitchenette and started fiddling around. Arthur couldn’t see her from where he was laying. “I’ve performed surgery before, but only on gen four synths. My instructors wouldn’t let us work on human cadavers at University.” She explained, bringing back a collection of implements. She laid them out on the TV tray next to him and lowered herself onto her knees to see what she was working with.

“Well, you certainly know more than I do.” Arthur sighed, but was brought little peace of mind.

Louise helped him remove his armor and his shirt. Both were excruciating processes, not only because of Arthur’s injury, but because the proximity made his skin crawl. She smelled like home, not in a specific way, but like manufactured perfume, shampoo, and conditioner. Jasmine and petrichor. Arthur couldn’t tell if this was just because he was dying. There was no way he’d survive this if she didn’t have several bloodpacks on her.

“Alright. I’m going to open you up, so if you could be quiet and stay as still as possible, I would seriously appreciate that.” She warned him, picking up the knife and aligning it with the opening of the wound, right where that piece of rebar protruded from Arthur’s middle.

“Try not to describe everything in such detail, Doctor.” Arthur quipped, again more to ease his own mind. “I can see just fine for myself.”

As he felt the knife go in, Arthur had to look away. From where he was, there wasn’t much to distract him. Behind Louise was a small kitchenette with a shelf holding a series of ingredients Arthur might have been able to use to craft chems, chems that would make this experience leagues more bearable. At this point, that luxury cruiseliner had sailed. To the left of Louise was a calendar which remained on the day the bombs dropped and to the left of that, a canvas print of a kitten. This canvas print had been mass produced and was in almost every doctor’s office and old folks home Arthur had ever been to before the bombs dropped. This print had never struck him as being attached to any emotion before, but left with nothing else to focus on, it reminded him of some expectation of serenity that could never be met. Arthur found his eyes resting mostly on the kitten print. If he looked at Louise’s face too long it would twist from focused composure to horrified shock.

When Louise eventually pulled the metal rebar from his middle, Arthur couldn’t help but watch his blood splash weakly onto Louise’s otherwise pristine dress. “Oh shit,” he gulped out before his vision went black.

☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️

When Arthur woke up, his side was only sore and he’d been re-dressed in his undershirt which had been mended. His jeans had been laundered and his overshirt was hanging up over the sink to dry. How long had he been asleep? How much of the Abraxo detergent had Louise used? He tried to look around the room and noticed Louise holding his journal, about to open it.

“What the hell you think you’re doing with that?” Arthur was enraged at the possible violation of his privacy and tried to push himself off the sofa where he was laying. This movement pulled too tightly at his stitches and he fell back with a grunt.

To Arthur’s surprise, Louise put the journal down and walked over toward him. “You’re awake!” She smiled, a little too sweetly. Arthur didn’t like the effect it had on him. He wanted the Daytripper in his bag, not whatever this distracting feeling in his chest was.

“Good morning.” Arthur noted tentatively. “You didn’t open that up, did you?” He had his eyes narrowed on her.

She took a seat next to him, unphased by his threatening glance, pushing his legs back so she could make room for herself. He didn’t like how willing she was to lay her hands on him. “No, what do you write about?” She asked, disregarding his irritation.

“I don’t really like to write, I prefer to draw.” He corrected her.

“Right.” She drew out the vowel sound like she didn’t quite believe him and smirked, adjusting herself to face him. He appreciated the space she gave to extend his legs. “Then tell me what it’s like up here. Show me what you’ve drawn.”

“You ain’t getting your hands on my journal again. And what do you mean up here? Where did you come from?” He asked, undeniably curious about what she meant. He’d heard her say a few things the night before that might indicate her background, but Arthur wasn’t conscious enough to take note.

“Oh,” She looked a little surprised he hadn’t understood her situation, like it was obvious where she must have crawled out. “I grew up in the Institute. And before you start, I’ve read what the Commonwealth thinks of us.” She shook her head. “So however you decide to judge me, just know I think they’re wrong, playing God like that. Ruining families, creating life on their own terms. They have no respect for humanity.”

“Hey now,” Arthur began, trying to make sense of all this. Louise clearly had some strong feelings on the matter, but Arthur just wanted to understand the bigger picture. “I’m gonna be honest witcha, I don’t know much about the Institute. I’ve heard about it in passing, but no one seems to say all that much,” He rubbed his chin, considering why this could be. “Least not in my circle. It has something to do with the colleges used to be around here pre-war?”

“The colleges?” Louise’s surprise lingered. “How do you know about that– I mean, I figured not too many wastelanders could read. I was lucky to get a formal education.”

Arthur smirked at her ignorance, “No, plenty of wastelanders can read and write. I said ‘I don’t like to write,’never that I couldn’t.” He was almost caught in his own subversion and tried to change the subject. “I take it you don’t want to go back to school, do you?”

Her expression became solemn. “Well, I’ve graduated, but if you’re asking about going back home to the Institute; No, not particularly.” She shook her head and rang her hands together nervously.

“Doesn’t sound like a very, uh, encouraging environment.” Arthur noted, rubbing his face and trying to sit up. Her emotions were very pervasive, scratching at the weak points of his mental armor. “You can come with me, I suppose. Back to my camp. I mean,” He stopped himself. An inarguably bad idea. He felt like Louise must have when he was bleeding out on the carpet the night before. ‘This is bad, this is bad.’ He swallowed, “I mean, you ain’t got no place else to go, do you?”

He could see her trying to read into his pause. She responded in the same way, with hesitation, “I imagine wherever I go, they’ll send Coursers after me, just like last night.”

“Is that what that thing was? Barely seemed human the way he was eating my bullets.” Again, curiosity got the best of him.

“Yes. It’s complicated. They’re human for all intents and purposes, but the Institute creates life to be used as slave labor. The SRB has replaced Commonwealth settlers with synths, breeding paranoia, ruining families and communities. These synths are almost completely indistinguishable from you and me, which is why I was able to suture you up successfully, of course, but there’s nothing right with playing God. It’s not only sick but blasphemous.” Louise’s intensity spoke to her truth.

He might have been a raider, but his crew never engaged in any kind of enslavement, in fact, they mostly kept to themselves. They weren’t associated with the gangs from Nuka-World apart from a few squabbles here and there. As raiders, members of the gang weren’t allowed in most major settlements. The majority of issues Louise expressed were out of his purview. “I don’t really subscribe to religion, but none of that seems right.” He concurred. The soreness from his wound met a point he could no longer bear. He extended his hand for his bag which was just out of reach. “You mind grabbing that for me?”

Louise got up and brought back his bag, laying it on the floor beside the sofa so he could access it. He started digging around in it and produced a small pill bottle. The vessel only contained one or two capsules, but Arthur unscrewed the top and poured its contents into his hand and downed whatever was left with a sigh. The Daytripper wouldn’t help his pain, but at least he might be able to stop thinking about it for a while.

“What’s that?” Louise asked, snagging the empty bottle from him to inspect the label. “Oh! They tried to give me this!” She was back to her cheery self, smirking as her finger ran over the scientific names of the ingredients. “This is terrible for you. I could barely read while I was on this.”

“They gave you Daytripper?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Her emotions were so infectious that Arthur felt a small smile tugging at his lips. Maybe that’s why the Institute tried to put her on drugs. “You don’t need that shit. I know it ain’t good for you but, it's the only thing keeping The Sight quiet.” He cursed himself again for leaving her with too much information. Surely she’d figure all this out on her own if he planned to bring her back to camp. Why on earth had he suggested that in the first place? The gang were the only folks who offered him any kind of community in this literal wasteland, her introduction could compromise all of that.

Almost as if she was reading his mind, she changed the subject. “So if I go back to your camp with you, you aren’t going to trade my organs for caps or sell me into slavery?” Her posture changed to project this facade of demure energy that made Arthur have to stifle laughter. Arthur, enchanted, noted her knack for charisma.

“A couple fellas you may need to watch yourself around, but that ain’t no different from anywhere else in the Commonwealth.” He leveled with her.

☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️

The two of them would have to get moving soon. Even if Arthur was still injured, they couldn’t stay here more than a couple of days. The longer Arthur considered his decision to escort Louise back to the gang hideout, the more he regretted suggesting it out of confusion and blood loss in the first place. Maybe eventually he’d strike up the nerve to leave her behind somewhere. Was it safe to keep her around? Would more of those men in trench coats show up to try to take her away?

☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️

(Thanks so much for reading! There are lots of mistakes in this due to the original formatting but I’m not going back to fix them lol hopefully the next chapter won’t be so confusing since I’ve done this before. This shouldn’t be longer than 5 installments.)

[hirocimacruiser]

FC3S

T04E turbine equipped FC is fully tuned & fully certified

garage Carrera

3-29-15 Wakagi, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 147 03-5398-1565

Now is the time to buy FC3S. There are many cars available in the market and it is easy to choose. If you miss this period, the rest will be good.

There will only be less and less, and prices will go up accordingly. This garage Carrera FC3S has been properly tuned, and the price is 1.55 million yen. For the tune menu, I replaced the turbine with T04E , added 7200x2 to the original computer, and controlled the fuel with AIC. The intercooler is an Amemiya two-layer type, the waste gate is a TRUST racing type, and the muffler is a 90 mid-range sports type.

Although it is a 1st year model, this is all there is to it.

It's been done, fully certified, and 1.55 million yen is cheap. Surprisingly, the mileage is only 48,000km, so I'm sure the engine has a lot more to offer. The only exterior features include Amemiya's Type 1 rear spoiler and Yours' aero mirror. The suspension has Esprit. It has a casual appearance and gives off an atmosphere dedicated to driving. In fact, seeing that the 5-point system was installed in the roll cage, the previous owner must have been very picky about running. The FC's body rigidity was low, especially in this part with the large hatch. This twisting of the body is the reason why even if you keep your feet steady, you still feel ambiguous near the limit. The purpose of building a roll cage is to increase safety in the event of a fall, as well as increase body rigidity. Even a 5-point system is quite effective. Driving on the circuit in the same condition as purchased

I think I can make a good time If you look at the actual 5-point system installed in the roll

PIC CAPTIONS

●Neatly laid out white meters are lined up inside the glove box. The interior is so clean that it's hard to believe it's a very old FC.

●Equipped with a 5-point roll cage. The increased rigidity around the rear makes suspension settings easier. It seems to be a must-have item for younger model FCs.

●The T04E turbine does not have peaky output characteristics, so it is easy to handle. The low sound quality that comes from the sports muffler gives off an atmosphere of great power.

INFO BOX

Savannah RX-7

1999 model inspected December 8th

Mileage 48,000km 1,550,000 yen

Tune data: T04E Turbine

Trust Racing wastegate

Amemiya 2-layer intercooler

Original computer

AIC

additional injector 720cc×2 EVC

OS twin

Blow-off valve

Tower bar

Earl's Oil cooler

Yours aero mirror

[builttextough]

Charles Margiotta

1,000 meter Row

20 Power Cleans (135/95 lb)

1,000 meter Row

20 Power Snatches (135/95 lb)

1,000 meter Row

20 Thrusters (135/95 lb)

1,000 meter Row

his Firefighter Hero WOD is dedicated to Charles Margiotta, FDNY, Battalion 22, who was killed on September 11, 2001.

There’s a story — so old it must be true — about the time some wannabe hardcase was trying to pick a fight at Demyan’s Hofbrau in Stapleton, another piece of Staten Island that isn’t here anymore.

“You Chuck Margiotta?”

“Yeah.”

“I heard you were tough. You don’t look so tough.”

The guy took a swing. Mr. Margiotta took it, and turned back to face his attacker, who braced for the mayhem that was certain to follow. “If that’s the best you’ve got,” Mr. Margiotta told him, “you better sit next to me and have a beer.”

Lt. Charles (Chuck) Margiotta was a tough guy — a football player, movie stuntman and 20-year veteran of the Fire Department — long before the morning of Sept. 11, when he heard the news on his truck radio and drove to the nearest firehouse in time to jump on the rig with the guys from Rescue Co. 5 in Concord. Now, he is among the thousands missing as a result of the attack on the World Trade Center.

But beneath his forbidding exterior — the stern facade, the tattoos and 240 pounds of muscle — was a gardener who nurtured tomato plants alongside Ladder Co. 85 in New Dorp; a caring neighbor who ran into the street in his pajamas to help an elderly woman who had fallen; a loving father who coached his kids’ basketball, softball and soccer teams.

“He was the nicest tough guy I ever met,” said Jimmy Ernst, a classmate at Monsignor Farrell High School. For every burning building he ran into, there are three stories about the college student who brought stranded classmates home at Thanksgiving; the Samaritan who plowed every sidewalk on the block when it snowed; the hunter who stopped to give mouth-to-straw-to-beak resuscitation to a bird that had fallen from a tree.

“He was the champion of the underdog,” said his brother, Mike. “If you were the kid nobody wanted in a choose-up game, you wouldn’t be his last pick. You’d be his first pick.”

Mr. Margiotta, 44, lived most of his life on the same block in Meiers Corners, where he knew everyone by name. He played football almost as long — at Monsignor Farrell, where he was a hard-blocking tight end and a member of the National Honor Society; at Brown University, where he was an undersized nose guard, and later for the Fire Department team and in the Staten Island Touch Tackle League. When Brown’s 1976 Ivy League champions were honored at their 20th reunion, his teammates chose Mr. Margiotta to speak for them.

But football wasn’t his first sport. He was an indefatigable outdoorsman, having learned to hunt and fish at an early age. “That was his passion,” said his father, Charles Vito. “If you were in the woods, lost, you wanted to be with Chuck.”

Marriage and children didn’t curb that enthusiasm for the outdoors. He just rearranged his schedule, often leaving in the dead of night to go hunting, so he could be home to coach a soccer game later that day. He was the youth basketball director at St. Rita’s R.C. Parish in Meiers Corners.

After graduating Brown with a double major in English and sociology, Mr. Margiotta worked for General Motors before being called by the Fire Department in 1981. He was first in his class at probie school and worked 15 years at Ladder Co. 40 in Harlem, earning eight departmental citations. After his promotion to lieutenant in 1996 he was assigned to Staten Island’s 22nd Battalion, and spent the bulk of that time as an interim lieutenant at Ladder Co. 85.

At the time of his death, the paperwork had just been finalized on his permanent assignment to Ladder Co. 83 in Westerleigh. In his “spare” time, Mr. Margiotta found time to work as a stuntman in dozens of feature films, including “Hannibal”; as a private investigator, and for 20 years as a substitute school teacher for the New York City Board of Education.

“He wasn’t happy,” his brother said, “unless he was doing four things at once.” He was driving home from Brooklyn after working a “mutual” for another officer Sept. 11 when he heard the news on the radio, turned off the Staten Island Expressway and found the Rescue Co. 5 truck ready to go.

His wife was working, so Mr. Margiotta called his mother from the speeding rig, concerned that because he wasn’t on a duty roster, nobody would know where he was.

By then, the men from Rescue Co. 5 were minutes from the World Trade Center, close enough to see the horror awaiting them.

[lgcminsoo]

𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙴 || 𝙷𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈 || 𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙲𝙺𝙴𝚁 || 𝙻𝙸𝙺𝙴 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙸'𝙻𝙻 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙵𝙾𝚁 𝙿𝙻𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶.

"Being alive means embracing the highs and lows, the joy and pain, for it's through these experiences that we truly come to understand the depth and richness of life."

𝙵𝚄𝙻𝙻 𝙽𝙰𝙼𝙴 : kang minsoo

𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁 / 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙽𝙾𝚄𝙽𝚂 / 𝚂𝙴𝚇𝚄𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈 : cis ― male , he / him , demisexual / demiromantic

𝚉𝙾𝙳𝙸𝙰𝙲 / 𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙽𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃 : libra sun , cancer moon , capricorn rising / chaotic neutral

𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙸𝚃𝚂 : confident, assertive, tenacious, determined, rebellious, manipulative, introspective, vulnerable, creative, passionate.

𝙿𝙷𝚈𝚂𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝙵𝙴𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚁𝙴𝚂 / 𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙰𝚃𝚃𝚁𝙸𝙱𝚄𝚃𝙴𝚂 :

tested IQ of 132

stands at an average height of around 5 feet 9 inches

he has a lean and athletic build, with well-defined muscles from his training and dance practices.

minsoo has naturally dark brown hair, which he often styles in a trendy and versatile manner. He might experiment with various hairstyles and colors, from a sleek undercut to tousled waves, depending on his mood and the occasion.

his eyes are a captivating shade of deep brown, often reflecting his emotions with intensity and clarity.

minsoo possesses sharp and angular facial features, including high cheekbones, a defined jawline, and a straight nose. His expressive eyes and full lips add to his charm and allure.

his skin is naturally fair and smooth, with a healthy glow from his active lifestyle and skincare regimen.

minsoo has a distinctive sense of style, often opting for edgy and fashionable clothing that reflects his bold personality. He might be seen rocking streetwear-inspired outfits, featuring statement pieces like graphic tees, leather jackets, and stylish sneakers. However, he also knows how to clean up well for formal events, effortlessly pulling off tailored suits with confidence and flair.

𝚂𝙴𝙲𝚁𝙴𝚃 : (tw-bullying & arrest)

despite his confident exterior, Minsoo harbors guilt over his past as a bully during his early teenage years. He bullied classmates out of insecurity and a desire to fit in, but he deeply regrets his actions and has worked hard to make amends.

at the age of 15 he was arrested for vandalism, an incident he keeps hidden from most people. He was caught spray-painting graffiti on public property with a group of friends and was caught fleeing the scene.

minsoo's strained relationship with his mother weighs heavily on him. Despite his confident demeanor, he feels a deep sense of abandonment from her decision to prioritize her career over her family, leading to a lingering resentment.

behind his assertive facade lies a deep-seated fear of failure and inadequacy. he grapples with self-doubt, questioning whether he's truly capable of achieving his dreams and living up to the expectations he's set for himself.

𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴𝚂 :

Rivalry Turned Friendship: a fellow trainee or performer who Minsoo is threatened by and initially views as a rival, but discovers they have more in common than he initially thought.

Friendship Betrayal: Minsoo's ambitious nature led him down a treacherous path and he betrays/betrayed a close friend.

Provocateur: he derives a twisted sense of enjoyment from getting under your muse's skin. with a biting word or insult he relishes in the challenge of unraveling their composure.

Shadowed Rivalry: Minsoo suffers from resentment and jealous towards your muse who he feels overshadowed by. Their rising star is eclipsing his own and he can't hide his avarice.

Past Loves: due to a case of the roaming eyes, minsoo's relationships never end well. Your muse is one the many people charmed by his smile only to be betrayed by the notorious "Misbehaving Minsoo".

[wishing-stones]

your concept of nightmares castle is super interesting! are there any other tidbits we haven't seen yet? or is that a spoiler?

Oh hey! Yeah, this is a good one. It's gonna be long, but this is gonna be good. And lore heavy.

Nightmare's entire castle is in a sort of pocket dimension-- not its own AU, its own little area in the multiverse that he can more-or-less control. Dream has a very similar pocket dimension, but his is a little cottage with a view of rolling hills and lots of flowers where it's always golden hour.

Nightmare's castle sits atop a rocky crag of a mountain that is above preceptory cloud level. It's always clear out, with the only clouds visible being cirrus and similar. Sometimes, the tops of thunderstorms pass by, giving the castle some ambiance, but there is never any lightning or rain.

There isn't really a daylight cycle, either. It is a little brighter in the "daytime," lightening into blue hour, and then gets a little purpley at dusk, and pinkish at dawn.

This doesn't really effect the vegetation any, since they mostly subsist off ambient magic rather than photosynthesis. They similarly do not need watering. (There's a bit of an exception for things that aren't part of the realm itself-- Nightmare's garden needs tending and watering, but they adapt to absorbing ambient magic in place of sunlight.) Parts of the mountain are forested, and grade more gently than some of the sheer drops that surround the castle-- the training pitch we've seen a lot of in recent chapters is naturally boxed in by part of the mountain, and has a small thicket on its other side. There's some bushes and other plants there as well-- It's not maintained, and the only paths through it are those that have been forced.

While the castle and its grounds are enormous, the mountain itself takes up most of the domain. There's about of mile of forest in all directions from the base of the mountain, but wandering off into it will either a. get you lost in the void, if you're not lucky b. get turned back around toward the castle, even if you were walking away from it c. 'fall' off the edge into a random AU. Sucks to suck.

The mountain is active, but because monsters in general are very good at harnessing geothermal energy, that's how he powers the whole thing. There's a core-like device inside the mountain that provides the castle with an endless supply of clean energy. It also provides almost all of the hot water used in the castle as well (which is why I had Ren note that the water smelled faintly sulphuric very early on.)

It has four wings, so from above, it sort of looks like a big plus sign. Some wings are larger than others, and the south wing has the tallest towers. It has ramparts as well, but no one's gone out on them in R&R. Kicking myself that I didn't utilize them LOL

I think? I said everyone has their rooms in the east wing? And the stars occupy the north wing right now. The west wing is where the gym, rec room, and pool/sauna are, the ballroom takes up a good part of the south wing, the entrance is on the first floor of the east wing, the dining hall is dead center, with the kitchens below it, the drawing room is west of the entrance, and on the second story of the main building is Nightmare's throne room and adjoining war room. The lab is beneath the western wing, and the dungeons are beneath the south wing, and at the top the tower IN the south wing is an observatory. Nightmare's office is near the east wing in the main hub, on the top floor.

The exterior is very gothic looking, made of dark stone with some gargoyles and the like, and along the longer wings (west/east) it has flying buttresses.

Other rooms that exist that haven't been shown/mentioned yet: -A chapel, which is mostly just there for The Aesthetic ✨ (There were a few of them in blueprints that Nightmare gathered to draft his own, so he included it.) It has no specified deity, but one of the stained glass windows is very clearly a depiction of the tree of emotions -A library, which briefly got mentioned, but it's enormous. It's towards the beginning of the west wing. -A laundry room, which clearly began life as a servant's quarters, but was repurposed when Nightmare built the place. There's dumbwaiter access to it, so it was a very obvious choice -An armory in the west wing that sees almost no use, since they tend to keep their weapons on their person, if they use them. It's mostly a showcase of fancy weapons and armor, but there's a few 'trophies' from battles they fought or particularly tough opponents they've taken down.

I think that about covers it! I've described the interior in great detail, but it's all black-and-gold rococo with touches of maroon in drapes and runners.