#attic cleanup

[johnsonsinsulation]

Attic Cleanup: Clearing Dust, Debris, and Unwanted Clutter

An attic can collect dust, debris, and clutter over time, making it a neglected space in your home. Attic cleanup removes unwanted items, improves air quality, and creates a cleaner, more organized environment. Clearing out dust and debris helps prevent allergens and pests, ensuring a safer and more functional space for storage or future use.

[socalexpressrestorationla]

From Dusty to Stunning: Transform Your House with Attic Cleaning by SoCal Express Restoration & Construction

When it to improving the look and feel of your home, attic cleaning is a great place to start. SoCal Express Restoration & Construction's team of experienced professionals can help bring your outdated attic back to life with thorough cleaning services that will leave you amazed at the transformation. From dusty spaces filled with cobwebs and spiders to sparkling areas free from debris or vermin, our team can provide personalized service tailored specifically to meet your needs. We understand how important your home is and make sure it is treated with respect during every step of the process.

 

Socal Express Restoration & Construction Chatsworth, CA 91311 1(866) 970-1170

[walterrobles]

Expert bird control Bakersfield and professional rodent control Bakersfield CA, we are Excludetech.

[paulborst]

Expert bird control Bakersfield and professional rodent control Bakersfield CA, we are Excludetech.

[efficientcleaning]

when someone is leaving the hospital and will need help at home onces leave the hospital When someone is leaving the hospital and will need help at home, it's important to have a plan in place to ensure a smooth transition and continued recovery. Here are some key steps to consider:

Create a Care Plan: Work with the hospital staff to develop a detailed care plan that includes medication schedules, follow-up appointments, and any special care instructions.

Arrange for Home Care Services: If needed, hire home care professionals to assist with daily activities, medical care, and companionship.

Prepare the Home Environment: Make sure the home is safe and accessible, with any necessary medical equipment and supplies on hand3.

Coordinate Support: Enlist the help of family members or friends to assist with tasks like cooking, cleaning, and transportation.

Monitor for Complications: Be aware of any "red flag" symptoms that may indicate a need for medical attention.

Would you like more detailed information on any of these steps?

[socalexpressrestorationca]

Why cleaning the attic is essential for a healthy home

The cleanliness of a home is constantly measured by the state of its usual surfaces, such as the living room, kitchen and bedrooms. However, one area that is often overlooked yet plays an integral role in maintaining the health of the home is the attic.

The attic serves as a fundamental storage space for many homes; however, if not properly preserved, it can become a breeding ground for various health hazards such as mold and mildew, which can affect the overall quality of indoor wind.

In addition to providing prime conditions for the growth of mold, neglected attics can also act as a safe haven for pests. These unwanted creatures find refuge in crowded spaces where they reproduce rapidly and pose numerous threats to human health, ranging from the spread of disease to structural damage.

This article is intended to highlight the value of regular attic cleaning and maintenance to ensure a healthy home environment. You'll delve into how this process helps prevent the growth of mold and mildew, as well as fend off pest infestations.

Prevention of mold and mildew growth

The proverbial 'out of sight, out of mind' approach to attic cleaning can promote an environment conducive to the growth of mold and mildew, thus compromising the overall health of a home.

Mold and mildew growth is primarily triggered by damp conditions that are constantly found in neglected attics. Such microorganisms not only represent a potential structural evil, but also invent harmful living conditions. Prolonged exposure to mold spores can cause serious health problems, such as respiratory problems, skin irritations, allergic reactions, and even toxicity in extreme cases.

To understand the preventive measures against the increase of mold and mildew in Honduras, it is essential to first find out its development period. Mold feeds on organic materials like wood or quarantine that is usually in attics as it thrives in humid environments. Consequently, any leak or condensation on the ceiling could drive its increase. Similarly, poor ventilation that does not allow moisture dissipation also benefits the multiplication process of these organisms.

Mold and mildew prevention involves regular cleaning of the attic along with proactive maintenance efforts aimed at minimizing moisture levels and improving ventilation in this space. This can include insulating pipes running through the attic area to prevent condensation storage during the colder months or installing vents for better wind circulation.

Additionally, proper storage practices are critical; Stored items need to be dry, wrapped properly if they are sensitive to moisture damage, and well spaced so there is proper wind flow around them. Therefore, improving attic care protocols will help maintain a healthier home environment while mitigating potential long-term structural ills.

Evade pest infestations

A huge menace to home cleanliness and structural entirety, pest infestations can be positively deterred by maintaining cleanliness in high-end storage areas, like attics. Often raised during regular grooming routines, such enclosed spaces provide an ideal habitat for pests such as rodents, insects, bats, and even birds. They offer shelter from harsh weather conditions and predators, while also providing food sources in the form of stored items or other nesting creatures.

Accumulated dust, debris, and clutter increase the appeal of such spaces to pests, making attic cleaning a major section of pest control. The existence of pests exposes several dangers to the health of residents. Rodents are known carriers of diseases such as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) or leptospirosis, which have the potential to pose a serious health threat if not detected early. Likewise, insect infestations often bring with them allergens that can trigger respiratory problems among vulnerable individuals. Bats are notorious carriers of fury, as bird droppings can cause histoplasmosis, a respiratory disease caused by fungal spores present in their feces.

Regular cleaning of the attic helps minimize such hazards by removing potential hiding places for pests and minimizing food availability. A clean attic is not only essential in preventing pest infestations, but also plays a role in identifying existing ones at an early stage before they get out of control. Signs such as gnawed wires, droppings or nested materials are more visible once the space is cleared and cleaned regularly, allowing immediate corrective action to be taken. In addition to this benefit, regular attic maintenance minimizes damage to removal materials, therefore preserving homes' energy efficiency, which makes it important for both health stability measures and economic causes.

[ahedderick]

Old houses

The attic. Sigh. In several years of posting about cleanup and decluttering down at my late father's house, I've never managed to do a single thing about my own attic. Partly because a good amount of the stuff up there that I'm responsible for is to be handed down to the kids when they are out on their own. And the boxes of my husband's . . hmm. He's been going to 'get around to' going through those for a WHILE now. Toss in a few boxes of Christmas or other seasonal decorations, canning supplies, an elderly bureau or two, and a stack of painting panels . . . it's a mess.

Barely tall enough for me to stand up right at the peak. ridiculously narrow stairs. Pretty sure there's a flying squirrel in here, somewhere.

And also mystery Stuff

I have literally No IDEA why there is a dusty old box top with antique buttons and a tarnished silver spoon sitting on the floor by the window. I guess every old farmhouse needs some mystery items.

[kingdumbass]

Can You See Me?

written for @deancashorrorfest

story by @kingdumbass | art by @ephemerastardust

rated: T | wordcount: ~30k

warnings/tags: murder, urban legend about murder, egregious use of a ouija board, subsequent haunting, ghost!castiel summary:

Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 1995. After being stowed with their Uncle Bobby for the foreseeable future, Dean and Sam set out to make the most of their summer ‘vacation’. When they aren’t filling warm afternoons splashing in the creek, riding their bicycles, or suffering through old TV reruns, they’re in for cleanup duty.  Namely, sorting through all of Bobby’s old crap. 

One day, while rummaging through the long-forgotten attic, Sam discovers an antique spirit board and convinces a skeptical Dean to try summoning a spirit. The results of which turn out to be a little more supernatural than Dean bargained for. first look:

“Um, I guess we have to ask it a question?”

“Well, go ahead, Chief.  The floor is yours.”

Closing his eyes, Dean hummed along to Metallica’s ‘Enter Sandman’ as it floated through his head while Sam brainstormed a good opening line.  

Finally, Sam cleared his throat and asked, “Is anyone here with us?” to a resounding silence.

“Wow, Sam. Groundbreaking stuff.” 

After a few moments of profound nothingness, Dean popped open one eye to search the room.  Snake eyes. He opened the other to stare fully back at his brother.  “This sure is fun, Sammy, but how much longer do we have to do this before I can go to bed?”

Sam ignored him and repeated the question louder, yet still got nothing in return.  “Dean, why don’t you try?”

“And what exactly is that gonna do?”  

Sam just shrugged.  

“Fine, let’s see, uh… if there’s a ghost up here, show your ass so I can go to sleep.”  

“Dean! It won’t work if you’re a dick!”

“Oh, no, did I hurt it’s feelings?”  Dean laughed.  “Fine, show your ass, please.”

Not even a hair out of place.

Dean sighed.  “Look, I hate to break it to you, Sammy, but ghosts aren’t real and this whole thing is stupid.” Just as he got to his knees, the light emanating from the exposed bulb dimmed with a shudder, filament sizzling, before surging back on. The candle’s flame stretched and bent towards him. Sam stared at Dean with wide eyes, imploring him to sit back down.  Fixing his calculating gaze on the bulb overhead, Dean inched himself back down to rest on his heels. 

“Bobby’s house is old,” he explained.  “The wiring’s probably gone to shit from the heat.  It’s just a brown out.”

“Or it’s a ghost,” offered Sam instead.

Unbury the truth this October 👻🕯

[johnsonsinsulation]

Breathe Better, Live Greener: The Impact of Air Duct Cleaning on Health & Sustainability

In this video, we explore how air duct cleaning enhances indoor air quality, reduces allergens, and improves HVAC efficiency. Discover how cleaner ducts contribute to a healthier home, lower energy costs, and a more sustainable lifestyle. Watch now and take a step toward cleaner air!

[jeanie-g]

#28 drysdale and zegras "ghosts" the autumn mini fic list :)

sorry for the delay! i'm literally in japan rn lol. but here it is!

[#28] ghosts

Trevor didn't hate the house, but it certainly wasn't a place he'd ever imagine living in. It was old and gothic, and shaped sort of like an octagon if you walked all the way around. It had these big bay windows that arced menacingly, and a goddamn spire at the top. It was also far too large for just his mom and him, but it was better than the alternative.

Trevor had to remind himself that they were lucky, after all. What were the odds that Great-Great Auntie Heim would kick the bucket and leave the house to Trevor's mom right around the time his dad filed for divorce?

Sure, Trevor didn't hate the house, but he didn't have to like it, either.

He did get his own room, though. Right at the top of the stairs on the third floor, on its own level along with the sewing room and the attic. It was probably triple the size of his room in Buffalo, with a walk-in closet with double doors and a hardwood floor that creaked with every step.

It was sparse save for a bed in the corner, a nightstand, and a writing desk—all covered in a thick layer of dust. Clearly, nobody had stepped into this room in quite a while—a few years at least. It gave Trevor the heebie-jeebies. He wouldn't be surprised if it was haunted.

His mom wanted him to unpack as soon as possible, but Trevor didn't have it in him to play cleanup and probably hack up a lung while doing it. He dropped his bags by the door. He'd worry about it when it was time to sleep.

Bounding back down the carpeted stairs, he tried to ignore the sounds of his mom on the landline, no doubt arguing with his dad for the umpteenth time that week. He hated hearing them fight—in Trevor's mind, the one consolation of the divorce was that they'd be doing a lot less of it once it was in motion. That turned out to be fruitless fantasy. They were fighting more than ever now—about lawyers or assets, or—well, him.

Trevor'd wanted to stay in Buffalo with his dad. He never really faulted him in any of this—saw divorce as an inevitability, really. He didn't wanna leave his school and his friends and his team back home. But he was only 17, and his dad said that his mom needed him, so here he was.

The pitch of the one-sided conversation only sharpened by the time Trevor reached the bottom. He rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets; he needed to get out of this house for a bit.

It was windy in Syracuse, and a dull overcast hung above them like an omen. Trevor welcomed the breeze as he stepped outside and sat on the porch steps, closing his eyes and willing all the buzzing in his head to vanish.

He sat in silence for a few minutes before a voice sounded several yards away.

"So, you're the new neighbors, then?"

Trevor opened his eyes with a start, relaxing somewhat at the sight of a boy around his age standing beside the mailbox. He was too far away to make out any distinct features, but his dark hair and eyebrows stood out against the sky like spilled ink.

"You can talk, right?" The boy continued, smiling, and only then did Trevor realize he hadn't answered.

"Oh, uh, yeah." He flushed. "I mean, yeah we're the new neighbors." He stood, taking his hands out of his pockets. "And yeah, I can talk," he added sheepishly.

The boy chuckled. He walked a bit closer, and Trevor could better make out his face now. Pale, dotted with light freckles, with piercing blue eyes. He looked...soft was the only word Trevor could come up with. Well, that and cute, despite his best efforts. He was undeniably cute, and his smile was contagious.

"I'm Jamie," the boy said. "I live next door." He gestured to the house a bit aways from them—not too different from Great-Great-Auntie Heim's, but maybe a little more dilapidated. The purple tiling was cracked and sun-spotted, and some of the shutters were broken or missing. That was kind of par for the course for these old houses though.

"I'm Trevor. I live, well, here." Trevor cringed at himself, but Jamie just chuckled again.

"I would hope so, or I might have to call the cops and have you booked."

Trevor chuckled, hands finding his pockets again. "So, doing the mandatory welcome wagon, then? Did your parents put you up to it?"

Jamie blinked. "Oh, I don't live with my parents." He said it so nonchalantly that it threw Trevor off.

"Oh, um. I'm sorry."

Jamie smiled softly. "Don't be. They're fine, just back home in Toronto. We used to all come down here to see my grandparents, but now it's just me."

Trevor breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Phew—no dead parents. "Oh. Uh, that's cool."

"What brings you here?"

And Trevor had to immediately suck in a new breath. He turned and spotted his mom through the crack in the door, still ranting on the phone. She wouldn't mind Trevor airing their dirty laundry to their new neighbor, would she?

Trevor turned back to Jamie. There was no need to sugarcoat it, especially if they were going to be seeing a lot of each other. Plus, it'd be nice to be able to talk a bit of shit with someone who knows nothing about him.

"My parents are getting divorced. My mom wanted a new place but we couldn't really afford one. In comes my distant great aunt from stage left, and, well, here we are."

Jamie frowned. "I'm sorry. For your parents and your aunt."

Trevor waved his hand. "It was overdue, if you ask me. As for my aunt, we weren't that close. I think I met her, like, once when I was a baby. I'm surprised she left the house to us, really."

Jamie shrugged. "Life works in mysterious ways. Ana was a great woman, though."

"Right. You're her...were her neighbor. I should be saying sorry to you. You knew her better than I ever did."

Again, Jamie shrugged, but he said nothing else.

From inside, something crashed, followed by a string of curses half in English and half in Greek.

"That would be my cue to get back inside probably. It was really nice to meet you, though, Jamie."

"You, too," Jamie said. "I'll see you, eh? I guess I have a reason for coming around this house again."

Trevor grinned. "And what would that be?"

"New neighbor boy's a catch."

Trevor felt himself go red from head to toe. He managed a dizzying smile. "I...you're, a...too."

Jamie laughed, eyes crinkling adorably. "Right. Bye, Trevor."

Trevor couldn't manage another sentence in good conscience, so he just waved awkwardly as Jamie walked back down the length of the driveway.

Trevor turned tail back into the house as quickly as he could. He maybe slammed it a bit too hard. He had to fight the urge to slide down onto his ass like the protagonist of a bad teen movie.

"Who were you talking to, Trev?" his mom asked, hands full of mismatched cutlery—the likely culprit of the crash.

Trevor scrubbed his hand over his face, smiling tight-lipped. "Nobody. Just myself."

He strolled into the half-unpacked kitchen and sat down on one of the bar stools.

His mom sighed, almost to herself. "Not like we have any neighbors."

Trevor quirked a brow. He was literally just talking to one. "What do you mean?"

His mom went over to a drawer in the island and began depositing the cutlery. "Well, the only other house on this stretch of road is the big, purple one on our left—you know, a little bit down the road?"

An unsettling feeling nestled in the pit of Trevor's stomach, one he couldn't name.

"Realtor said the place has been abandoned for decades," his mom continued. "There was some freak accident, and now people are convinced that it's haunted."

Trevor's calves went cold, like a rush of wind ran against them. Didn't he close the door? "What?"

She shrugged. "I'm not one for ghost stories, personally. But if they are real, I just hope they're friendly."

Trevor forced a chuckle, though the sunken feeling in his stomach was compounding. He stood and walked over to the window above the sink.

This was stupid. This was so dumb. He'd look outside and there Jamie would be, heading back to his house. It was a quarter mile down the road—he'd still be walking.

Trevor approached the window and peeled back the curtain. He craned his head to the left, and—

His eyes widened. No Jamie.

He felt his calves go cold again.

[flightlessribbons]

MARINETTE: LADY LUCK ERA

MLB INHERITANCE AU PT. 4

- the origin:

A new Chat Noir, dubbed "Night Watch" by the masses due to almost exclusively seen at night and doing all manners of good deeds and selfless notions for the average Parisians, popped up almost immediately after Tuxedo's retirement.

When Bridgette is set to move onto campus for university, Marinette is hellbent on moving out of their shared room and having her own space to sew and create. She begs her parents to let her move into the attic, promising to clean out the attic herself.

After her parents agree, Marinette begins to sift through the attic belongings, and sees a pair of earrings she thinks seem vaguely familiar. She puts them on, and looks at them in the mirror, but screams when Tikki pops up behind her reflection telling her the earrings suit her.

Tikki explains the last situation to Mari, and the fae's concerns and desperation as she feels Null grow stronger somewhere in the city. Tikki tells her that she's been keeping an eye on Mari through the years, and recognizes her traits that would make her an excellent Ladybug.

Marinette shuts down Tikki's proposal for heroism, telling Tikki that if Bridgette couldn't do what needed to be done, there's no way Marinette could. Tikki refuses that mindset, though cannot convince the girl further before Sabine knocks on the attic hatch.

The faerie hides in the earrings that Marinette is still wearing, as Sabine pushes through to check in Marinette's progress on the room and offer her help to look through some of her old belongings that Marinette can move.

The two go through trunks of old family heirlooms and photo albums, before Sabine looks wistfully at an old album of her and her old friends.

In the picture is Sabine, Otis, Amelie, Emilie, Tom, and Gabriel. Marinette recognizes Gabriel Agreste, and is shocked that her parents never mentioned knowing him before.

Sabine tells Mari that Tom and Gabriel used to be best friends for a long time, which introduced Amelie and Emilie to their little university friend group. She recalls their days fondly and says their connections were irreplaceable, but admits that the group hadn't done the best efforts for keeping in contact. After Emilie's health had declined, most of the group drifted apart for various personal reasons despite them all trying their best to keep in touch. Amelie and Gabriel had been unreachable since Emilie's coma and Sabine tells her daughter she wishes she could have told them all together what they meant to her.

The two go down together for dinner, but Marinette can't stop thinking about her mom's stories and the Ladybug proposal. Though when she tries to talk to Tikki in the night and following days, the faerie does not respond.

Marinette goes to school at the beginning of a new term, nearly late because of her late night cleanups of the attic, and is met with Alya, Nino, and Chloe.

Chloe had stopped her petty bullying at a much younger age, and the four of them had been a strong group since they were kids.

Walking into the building, a crowd has amassed, but as the four try to shuffle their way past, Chloe squeals and runs to plucks the person grabbing all the attention from the crowd.

Pulling Adrien Agreste out, Chloe holds his arm tight and manages to scare the crowd away. Happily pulling him along, she introduces him to the other three as her best friend since diapers.

Marinette embarrassingly realizes that she's face to face with the model she's had a crush on since she was a kid, and fumbles a greeting to him and a sweaty handshake. He doesn't seem to mind (or notice) at all, and the four go to their class to pick their seats.

Chloe gives up her front row seat with Nino for Adrien, and instead takes the empty seat behind Alya and Mari, and next to Nathanael.

Midway through class, the first akuma alarm in 2 years goes off, and the school is a mess of kids trying to escape.

Adrien disappears in the rush, and the other four make it out of the school, but Alya gets caught by the akuma on the way out. Nino and Chloe immediately run after her, but Marinette is frozen in shock and loses them in the crowd.

Running into a deserted alleyway, Marinette tries to talk with Tikki again, panicked and begging the faerie to respond and tell her what to do so she can save her friends.

Tikki seems to have woken up from a slumber, but quickly recollects herself and guides Marinette what to do. She transforms and sees Chat Noir already on the scene, as he helps her clumsy landing into the battle.

They're both nervous, but Chat helps her get her breathing under control before they turn their attention back at the fight. Trying to get a scope on the situation, Chat suggests she ask her faerie how best to deal with an akuma. Tikki tells them what she told Bri about purifying, faerie spirits, and a bit more about her Ladybug abilities.

They go about clearing the civilians out of the way first, before dealing with the akumas directly. After clearing everyone away, they see their three friends in the hands of the enemy. Before Chat Noir can step in, Ladybug confronts the akuma. She's terrified, and she's shaking, but she resolves herself in saving her friends and the civilians that are helpless. Chat watches her in awe as she faces the akuma, before the two of them manage to end the fight.

After they purify the akuma, an eerie voice begins to speak to them through their miraculous. Sounding like two voices overlapping, the voice tells them that he's coming for their miraculous, and there's nothing they can do to delay the inevitable. That he'll keep sending akuma after akuma, to create his perfect world.

After the message ends, the two evade the press, as Chat Noir leads them to a nearby rooftop to talk in private. They discuss the voice they heard, and formally introduce themselves. Before they can talk more, their miraculous begin to beep, and Chat tells her what the beeping means for their faerie's recharge. He suggests they meet up later that night to discuss more things, but Ladybug hesitates. He tells her there's no pressure, but to think about it- also telling her that it's nice to finally have a quick thinking partner beside him with the akumas coming back.

They both leave the rooftop in different directions, and she hides again to drop her transformation. Tikki tells her she's going to stay in the earrings to rest until she can eat since Marinette wants to check in on her friends, but if Marinette could maybe snag her some cookies from the bakery when they get home.

Mari reunites with Nino, Alya, and Chloe, and the three are fangirling about the superheroes encounter. Marinette hugs them, glad that they're okay. Adrien rejoins them as well, saying he had to take shelter when the attack started. School is dismissed for the rest of the day, as well as school tomorrow, as the staff has to go over more codes and emergency situations with the return of akumas.

Marinette goes home, snagging a few cookies from the bakery, and on her way upstairs, wonders how best to tell Tikki that there's bound to be a better Ladybug out there. Though she stops in her tracks when she sees that her sister is home.

She hugs her sister, and the two catch up a bit. Bridgette mentions she caught the end of the battle from the day's akuma, and asks Marinette if she saw it since it was near her school.

Marinette lies and says she was hiding, and Bri describes it to her, but surprises Marinette by singing high praises for the new Ladybug. Bridgette bittersweetly admires how the new Ladybug was terrified but still managed to pull through and save the day. Saying she can see her push through and do the right things even when they're hard- something that Scarlet couldn't do. She sees hope in the new Ladybug, and tells Marinette that whoever it was, Tikki chose well.

Before Marinette could respond, Bridgette gets a text on her phone. Blushing at the notification, Bridgette gathers the last stuff she came to pick up. Hugging Mari goodbye, she's out the door with promises of seeing her on the weekend for dinner, leaving Marinette alone in the room to think about what she said.

After dinner, Marinette goes to her new room in the attic, and hesitantly brings Tikki out. Recharged from the cookies earlier, Tikki brings up the Chat's proposal from earlier to meet up. Her earlier thoughts of turning the Ladybug role down conflict with her sister's words, and she ultimately agrees to transform and meet her new partner. Though as she transforms and leaves through the upper balcony, she doesn't notice her dad, who came up to ask her about school, poking out from the attic hatch. He watches the balcony hatch a bit after she leaves before going into the kitchen.

She meets up with Night Watch, who admits to doubting a bit if she'd come.

"You came"

"That's what good partners do, right?"

The two discuss things like patrol schedules, and Chat catches her up on a lot of things he would do while transformed. He tells her he had contact with the previous holder and a mentor, and asked if she did as well, to which she sheepishly denied. Chat tells her not to worry, telling her that her fae will tell her a lot too, but that her black cat partner will always be there for her. She rolls her eyes at whatever puns and flirts he makes but offers him a grin at that, pushing her fist out for a fist bump. He returns it.

As she comes home, and drops her transformation, she finds the attic hatch open, and her dad humming in the kitchen below. Seeing her at the hatch, Tom smiles and motions for his daughter to join him in the otherwise empty kitchen.

As she sits down, he pulls. A fresh batch of cookies from the stovetop, telling her they just finished cooling. Marinette laughs and eats one, but freezes when her dad asks if Tikki would like some too. At her reaction, he gives a warm, but concerned smile, and tells her he knows it's the faerie's favorite.

Tikki comes out of the earrings, and faces Tom. She tries to explain why she hadn't left, but he stops her. Telling both Tikki and Marinette that he knows what responsibilities lie in waiting for Ladybug- and how their biggest downfall is them taking on too many things by themselves.

He knows he can't help in the ways he wants to as a father, but tells Marinette that she has him at home, a partner in the Black Cat, and someone he wants her to see the next day since she doesn't have school. He reassures her that they're never alone, and has a team by her side. Marinette and Tikki both wrap Tom in an embrace as all three eat the cookies.

The next day, Tom takes Marinette to her Uncle Fu's shop, confusing the girl. She's been there a million times, and voices her confusion to her father, who laughs it off and tells her to follow him inside.

There, they see Fu, who smiles knowingly and greets the family friends before closing up the shop. He calls Wayzz out, and tells the two to follow him to the back of the shop to discuss recent developments and mentions that he hears Marinette is in the market for a mentor.

Meanwhile, Adrien is happy he's made new friends, his ability to finally go to public school, and his amazing new hero partner.

Though back in his room, he voices to Plagg his concerns about his father: mostly about how distant he has become- as he barely speaks to Adrien anymore and makes Nathalie do any interacting with the boy. Noting that even when Gabriel does talk to him, his voice is cold and monotone; nothing like the father he knew before who- even at his lowest- would make sure to spend time with his son.

Adrien resolves himself to do his best for his father, hopeful that the Gabriel he knew will come back some day to them.

Previous: BRIDGETTE: SCARLET DANCER ERA

[kitkatt0430]

Haven't done this in a while, but HOPPY EASTER everyone, here have an Easter gift of villains being villainous in a villains win story.

The obvious solution to save Dante seemed to be to make sure he was sent somewhere far, far away. Which Savitar cheerfully agreed to. “I know a few realities we could drop him off on where he’d be relatively safe. Live out a normal human life, only have to worry about the normal human problems. Cars are dangerous and so is walking down the stairs if you trip. Hell, bad run in with a vacuum cleaner and next thing you know you’re going in for MRIs and knee surgery.” “Do you ever shut up?” Reverb muttered in irritation. If he’d asked Zoom something like that? Vibrating hand through the chest, immediately. Savitar just laughed.

Savitar is a bit of a talkative and sarcastic little shit in this one, but once Reverb gets more comfortable around him the banter will be much more two-sided. (This is totally villain flirting, right?)

But it's not just villains being villainous around here. From the Eobard-is-the-shitty-ex fic for Barry/Cisco/Hartley...

“I let Eobard convince me you were a lying brat and by the time I realized he’d been playing me…” Cisco hesitated. “I’m sorry, Hartley. I should have listened to you.” “And maybe if I hadn’t been an easily flattered idiot, I would have realized what he was really up to and turned him in with proof before things got too far.” Hartley heaved a sigh. “Maybe I could have stopped him before he ever had the chance to hurt either of you.” “Him using you… using all of us… that’s not any of our faults,” Barry said. And, for the first time, he might even believe it.

The only reason Barry can pull out of his own guilt complex? He feels the need to help Cisco and Hartley pull out of theirs. Right now they're sitting outside the building where a long hearing over Eobard's actions just took place and old grievances are being aired and reviewed. So it's been a long, hard day for all three of them, having to give testimony on their relationships with Eobard at some point during the process. But the hearing was entirely off screen, because I didn't want to have to research the actual process of investigating these kinds of allegations. Just move on to these three bonding, shall we?

Tommy is having to deal with a lot of obnoxious Queen family nonsense in the Ep3 rewrite for my Arrow Redux series. Including Oliver teasing him a little over wearing some of his mom's things as a kid. Though, to be fair, there's definitely the impression afterwards that Oliver liked getting to see Tommy in those things...

“We were, what… twelve? Thirteen.” “Ollie, do not.” “And we found your mom’s old stuff in the attic…” Tommy sighed. “I looked good in the tiara and heels, shut up.” Dig chuckled softly. “You must have missed her a lot,” he offered, looking amused by their antics. “I did. I still do. I have most of her things squirreled away in storage, actually,” he said with an amused smile. “And I do still look good in the tiara and heels,” he added with a smirk, just to see how that would get taken.

I've still got about... a third of the episode left to go? And then I can run cleanup on the fic. I'm also using this scene to set up an event taking place between episodes 6 & 7 as I'm trying to use the airdates of episodes as guidelines for approximately when the events within them occur and Tommy is going to be participating in an annual charity auction for an LGBT+ cause. A date auction, of course. ;)

Instead of trying to fit that into an episode rewrite, I'll probably just include it as it's own separate fic between those two rewrites.

[blackjackkent]

Werewolf battle - large but not too challenging. Three werewolves, four bats, five rats, two wolves, and the two thralls from outside. The bats and rats were only scary because of the wolves, whose Savage Howl ability gives 20 temporary HP to any allies nearby, which turned all the rats and bats from 1HP nuisances into a Potential Problem.

However, Hector and Karlach are just incredible juggernauts at this point and everything pretty much melted, and Astarion and Jaheira just ran cleanup duty behind them. The wolves and werewolves didn't even drop anything of use, the bastards.

We have two options from here - up and down. Up leads to another set of corridors in a much greater state of disrepair, full of caskets and spiderwebs:

Following this path gets us a bit of small loot but nothing else of real interest, and eventually leads to a dead-end attic area.

The real action seems to be down, which is an elevator behind a door labeled "Office Hall."

Narrator: You stand on a clean metal platform - a beautiful but antiquated elevator. There are some scuffs to show its age, signs of things dragged onto it over the years, but it seems to be in good working order.

"What in the hells? I never knew this was here. This was always Cazador's private quarters - only he ever came in here. Well - him and the unfortunate souls we brought to feed him."

Descend into the depths of the palace.

Oh boy.

Conveniently, we get a waypoint down here, for if we ever want to for some reason come back to this place once we've trounced Cazador into a pulp. Hector at this moment can't imagine a reason he'd want to.

"What in the hells?" Astarion says wonderingly as they walk deeper. "I never knew any of this was here."

There are three main doors leading from this entry point. All three of them are labeled "Crypt Gate" - one to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead, which is covered in a magical field.

The magical one has voices coming from behind it, but the description for the field states that we need a "ring of passage", which I'm assuming we get down one of the other passageways. The left door, when passed through, has ANOTHER magical door on the other side of it, so I think the right-hand door must be our starting point.

Going that way, we see--

Hm. OK. That's a bit challenging.

There's another level below that we can jump down to; it hurts, though. Instead, I had Jaheira blow the Misty Step she gets from her current amulet and go down to take a look around. She found... basically nothing, except a locked door she couldn't get through, and I also realized I didn't have another Misty Step to get her back up, and that I had no idea what to do next.

Reload. Second try.

On closer inspection, the left-hand door actually opens with the same ring of passage that we already had for the door upstairs, which gives us this:

Narrator: The ring slots perfectly into place and the door opens, assailing you with a pungent, musty air.

Past the door is what appears to be a bedroom - and rather nice for a dungeon to be honest.

This seems like it might have been some sort of office or workplace for Cazador himself:

"Guilds, nobles, politicians..." Astarion comments. "If he controlled even a fraction of these, the city could be his and no one would ever know."

Hector looks at the other man sidelong. His voice is angry, as it always is when speaking of Cazador, but there is a note of admiration in it too - or perhaps jealousy - which worries Hector more than a little. He's always known that it is not enough for Astarion to be free, not really; he wants the same power that was wielded over him.

Hector, for better or for worse, does not really want him to have it - he doesn't think it would serve Astarion well in the end and (might as well be honest) he doesn't really trust Astarion to wield it wisely either. But he says nothing - as with Shadowheart, he suspects that to try and hammer his viewpoint home would only cause Astarion to withdraw deeper into his own. He can only hope that when the moment comes, the elf will listen to reason.

One of the other documents at the edge of the room is rather concerning. It's labeled "Eternal Cruelty":

Uhhh. Upsetting. I had Hector destroy it with a punch, but nothing specific happened.

There's also this document sitting on the central dais:

"He recorded thousands of names," Astarion says, sounding baffled. "Were they his victims? Or something else entirely?"

And finally, on the bed: "Meditations of a Vampire Lord"

-----

"Prick," Hector mutters under his breath, snapping the book shut.

Karlach chokes on a sudden, unexpected laugh - albeit without much humor - and Astarion blinks.

"Careful, Carlisle," he says dryly. "Such language. I think Karlach is a bad influence on you."

"Hardly," Hector says gruffly. "Sometimes it is warranted. I merely wait until it is."

"It's true," Karlach puts in. "He even said a full fuck you to Gortash, and surely Cazador's in the same tier, eh? And that's coming from me."

"Well, I'll hardly be the one to argue. I just would hate to think you were abandoning your principles on my account," Astarion drawls.

Jaheira snorts. "If Carlisle's principles did not include destroying sadistic monsters, I think we would have all long left his side by now."

"Well said," Hector says, tossing the book back onto the bed as if ridding himself of a curse. "And the more I learn about him, the more eager I am for the destroying."

[eldritch-spouse]

Shapeshifter Anon here (OvO)

Act 3 : “Attic Jail”

Log 1: Curses! I’ve been tossed to the mutant monsters of the attic. The one in charge has locked me inside “Naughty Anon Jail”, so now I’m in a cage within a cage! But my ultimate plan has yet to fail, the bagels are still hidden in the-/-/\\_|\_//-|\_ - others know what to do.

Log 2: My escape attempt failed. I managed to grab Nëbl as he chewed his way out of his 5th glazed donut box. Tying my shoelace around him I tried to use his sticky robes to grab my cage key, dangling from the wall a couple feet from me, but the string wasn’t long enough. The only outcome is that I’m now aware Nerbul makes a decent yo-yo.

Log 3: Centi... was meant to be here. All the deformed potato could do were cartwheels and twerking, and unfortunately for my eyes, twerking-cartwheels. Sussy was staring my sus behavior before he slid down a slide to a suspicious space. A very sussy baka.

Log 4: Berg was no help to my escape either. Unlike his counterpart that could climb walls, Bred could only stick to...the floor - but he did that really well. I watched Murelo run into him and the shroom bounced off his body like it was a brick wall. 

Log 5: I’ve made friends with Gallop after his cubic form was tossed into my cage. He doesn’t do much. Tack also put Krill in the prison with me, we’ve decorated our shared space with paper cutouts and origami. All he can make are angels and people (although its design never changes). 

Log 6: I watched Tack cleanup Grumble’s mess, he had decorated the attic overnight in plaid, polkadots, and stripes. Pitcher used the decorations to accessorize his pet donkey. 

Log 7: Below sat next to the cage and mimed something to Krunch, maybe they’re making an escape plan too? I wonder if I can get in on it...

Log 8: Vinyl discovered a new hobby: putting on puppet shows. The last one was interesting though, my favorite part was when the 12 socks found the -/-\|\\__-///- 

Log 9: Sibastian was dancing around when he bumped into the wall, which sent the cage key flying. Kruton and I both went for it and -/\__\\-/—\|||\_\

(An actual question though: I scrolled through each tag looking for cursed misspellings, could you make a short list of some of your favorites?) 

Oh fuck I'm in stitches- Please shoplifter anon, it's half past one I'm gonna vomit

KRUNCH- KRUTON

BRED CAN ONLY STICK TO THE FLOOR

PITCHER?!

hElp help-

I'm fucking done my stomach hurts I'm done I quit you win it's over I'm going to barf in my bed

[I really like Beef. And Monell. For no particular reason.]

[ahedderick]

Between the Holidays

Friday was butchering (cleanup) and processing roosters (and welcoming holiday guests.) Saturday was getting a couple bushels of stored apples out of the attic and making pie filling, applesauce, and cider. And cleanup. Some much cleanup. The apple corer performed like a champ. K and Auntie peeled and chopped apples while I scurried around coring, cleaning up, getting pots and pans out, cooking, and various 'support' tasks.

Today I'm going to be cooking a Thanksgiving-style feast; turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, corn, apple pie, and pumpkin pie. Tomorrow I have a breakdown scheduled. Sometimes the workload just . . clumps up.

[antiquecritique]

|| Min-Ji & Duncan ||

It had been perhaps less than a week since a new place had opened up in Opulence, a strange and peculiar house which outwardly may not look like much more than a slightly out of place family home on the very border between Bowden and Dillon. Built before Bowden had been given all of its rows of townhouses in a neat line along its main street, the house seemed to stick out like a stubborn nail refusing to be hammered in, surrounded by its own patch of green where predominantly asphalt and bricks ruled. It broke the overall concept of the neighborhood but added significantly to its quaintness.  

Right by the wrought iron gate which leads into the now fully restored from its previous weed-overgrown state of neglect front garden was an inconspicuous but unmistakable once noticed blue sign, hand-painted and weather-worn, simply informing ‘Antiquities’. Finding out what that meant exactly was only possible by asking the one and only person running and managing it, who was very often away or unreachable. But, at the very least, the place no longer looked abandoned and would never be locked again, at least not until its single resident and owner decided to mysteriously vanish without a trace once more, just like he did almost fifty years ago. How he got it back to looking livable in within a week with basically no noise complaints or any curiosity raised by the neighbors was yet another mystery…

Once through ‘Out of the Attic’s’ door though, a not entirely expected magic within awaited. There was not a single spot, place or corner in the shop that wasn’t intricate, old, peculiar or uniquely different. Yet everything came together in one perfectly arranged harmony, mixed styles, periods, materials and uses of every single piece of furniture and decoration somehow coexisting in a flurry of blended colors pleasing to both the eye and the soul. Nothing was out of place, nothing could be pointed out as something that did not belong, even if by all rights it could be called out as in one way or another mismatched. Medallion Baluch rugs were spread under early 19th century mahogany armchairs, art nouveau blended into rococo - you could sit in William and Mary style, lounge in Queen Anne, go through the drawers of Chippendale cabinets, write on Empire desks, draw French Restoration curtains, go through a hallway of gothic revival and then end up in an Elizabethan room only to decide to cook in a kitchen that appeared like it was brought not only from another time but from a whole other side of the world too.

A time machine glitched and spat ‘Out of the Attic’ out and now it was there, in Opulence, a little rusted, a little chipped, but very antique and vintage.

Maybe just like its owner, but one could never tell when it came to him. In one of the back rooms, he sat over a workbench, bent over a very purposefully directed light source which, even this early in the afternoon, was much needed to carefully and without any slip-ups bring a rough detail brush upon a tiny, rusted silver spoon in much need of a proper cleanup. Just a small first step on a long journey to its restoration to former shine and glory, requiring patience and a loving eye for details. A tinkle of a small bell above interrupted his peaceful focus, connected through the house by a tightened wire tied to the front door, a completely electricity-free motion sensor alerting him that someone had made an entrance. At no rush whatsoever, Duncan slipped off an old piece of magnifying head gear, too complicated to be called glasses. Everything was put down carefully before he rose and made his way to the front, to check who’d one of his first visitors since his arrival could be.

@min-ji-min