#garage conversion regulations

[beverlybuildersgroup]

Budget-Friendly Garage Conversions: Making The Most Of Your Investment

The prospect of transforming a garage into useful home provides a wide variety of opportunities for homeowners, supplying an opportunity to both boost way of living and potentially boost property value.

Cost-effective techniques can be implemented to take full advantage of the return on this home renovation project, consequently enhancing the financial benefits alongside the added convenience and convenience.

While some might think such conversions to be financially draining pipes, it is feasible to undertake these improvements within budgetary constraints while preserving high quality end results.

In today's increasingly affordable real estate market, property owners are continually seeking innovative methods to bolster their building's appeal and potential resale worth.

A garage conversion supplies a special chance in this regard; not just does it include beneficial square video but also provides versatility in its utility-- from visitor bed rooms or workplace to leisure spaces or rental units.

These makeovers however require thoughtful planning and notified decision-making processes worrying style aspects, product option, labor expenses among others.

This short article intends to provide useful advice on handling these aspects successfully and financially whilst guaranteeing an end result that pleases both visual considerations and financial investment returns.

Cost-efficient Methods for Change

Applying cost-effective approaches for garage changes can dramatically boost the value of a residential or commercial property, providing a powerful roi that resonates with both financial prudence and visual charm.

A calculated method to such conversions involves concentrating on elements that take full advantage of able to be used area while all at once improving performance. Some efficient methods consist of installation of multi-purpose furnishings and smart storage options, which lessen clutter without endangering access. Additionally, opting for energy-efficient insulation products can provide lasting cost savings in heating/cooling prices, therefore enhancing the monetary benefits of the conversion process.

In addition, integrating functional yet trendy design aspects can raise the aesthetic appeal of these rooms without necessitating elegant expense. For example, basic interventions such as updating illumination components or applying fresh paint can dramatically improve ambiance. Integrating huge windows not just permits natural light infiltration but additionally broadens visual area understanding-- contributing to an overall sense of belonging within this freshly transformed location.

Thus, by embracing affordable improvement techniques, homeowners are managed an opportunity to transform their garages right into functional and aesthetically appealing home; thus optimizing return on their investment.

Maximizing Return on Home Renovation Projects

Enhancing the return on home enhancement tasks requires cautious planning and critical decision-making. This is specifically real for garage conversions, where the balance between cost effectiveness and added worth must be completely taken into consideration.

Prioritization of alterations that enhance both performance and visual charm can produce a considerable increase in residential property appraisal. As an example, incorporating additional space such as bedrooms or offices can result in an attractive multi-purpose area that dramatically improves resale value. In addition, concentrating on energy-efficient enhancements not only decreases energy costs however likewise enhances bankability as a result of expanding consumer demand for environmentally friendly homes.

In addition to choosing high-return alterations, efficient allowance of resources plays a vital function in making best use of investment returns from garage conversions. Picking resilient yet budget-friendly products can prevent too much expenses while making sure durability and low maintenance prices. Making use of space-saving design principles allows house owners to cater to contemporary patterns without sacrificing convenience or functionality.

Finally, acquiring needed authorizations and sticking strictly to building codes safeguards versus potential legal issues that might adversely impact the residential or commercial property's value or marketability. Hence, with careful preparation and cautious selections, home owners can change their garages into useful possessions that elevate their homes' worth while satisfying their personal needs and choices.

Final thought Finally, a prudent investment in affordable garage conversion techniques functions as a catalyst for enhanced return on home renovation jobs, comparable to sowing seeds that generate plentiful fruit soon.

It is just through careful preparation and execution that the potential of garage areas can be fully manipulated.

Additionally, by striking an optimal equilibrium between looks and capability, these conversions can certainly end up being the epitome of area utilization.

Therefore, it comes to be clear that budget-friendly garage conversions are not simply an expense; rather, they make up a gratifying financial investment encouraging significant returns.

[eyneyke]

Trouble in paradise pt5 - Explanation pt2

Pairing: Max Verstappen x PewDiePie!sibling Summary: What if Felix had a genius brother who works as a RedBull's engineer and is also secretly dating Max part 24 of A Calm to my Storm Masterlist

As the live pre-race Q&A continues, the F1 expert dives deeper into the drama that unfolded early in the morning at the Red Bull garage.

F1 Expert: "Let me give you a bit more context on the videos from this morning filmed in the paddock by some fans. Early this morning, before most people were even at the track, Max Verstappen was seen in the Red Bull garage having a very heated, very passionate conversation with Christian Horner. And the message was loud and clear: Max didn’t care what anyone thought, Sam Kjellberg was one of their best engineers, and he wasn’t about to surrender this race."

The chat lights up:

User 378: "MAX STANDING UP FOR SAM, LOVE IT"

User 379: "Max really doesn’t care about anything but winning, huh?"

User 380: "Sam’s getting all the praise from Max, I love this."

---

F1 Expert: "Here’s the thing, Max isn’t just throwing around empty praise. He literally told Christian—and I’m quoting him from what in those videos—that Adrian Newey himself wants Sam to be his replacement when he eventually retires. I mean, that’s huge. Adrian Newey is a legend in F1, and the fact that he sees Sam as someone who could potentially take over speaks volumes about Sam’s talent. So when Max said, ‘Sam being called one of best engineers is for a reason,’ he wasn’t exaggerating."

The chat reacts:

User 381: "Adrian Newey’s chosen successor? Damn that's a lot of pressure on someone so young!"

User 382: "Max has the best people in his corner, obviously."

User 383: "Why is Sam not getting more credit for this?!"

---

F1 Expert: "Max basically told Christian that he was willing to take the risk and deal with the consequences later. Max refused to surrender this race. He was adamant that Sam knew what he was doing, and he made it clear to Christian that he trusted Sam completely. It's not even about Max and him wanting to prove something with this race, but Max is just telling the world that he fully, and some would say blindly, believes that his engineer is this good. Good enough to make the impossible possible."

Fan comment:

User 384: "Imagine Max telling Christian to ‘deal with it’ 😂"

---

F1 Expert: "Now, what’s even crazier is what went on behind the scenes with the FIA and Red Bull. From what we know, Christian spent the rest of the morning in meetings with the FIA trying to convince them to let Max race with this untested fix on his car. Think about that for a second. The FIA doesn’t just let anything go when it comes to safety and regulations. So Christian had to fight hard to get them to approve it."

The chat goes wild:

User 385: "Wait, so Red Bull had to get special approval from the FIA to race?!"

User 386: "Christian really put it all on the line for Sam’s fix."

User 387: "Red Bull doesn’t play around when it comes to taking risks."

---

F1 Expert: "Exactly. Christian was put in an impossible situation. He had to convince both the FIA and Red Bull’s higher-ups that this untested solution would work. And here’s the kicker: Christian has no idea if it will. He was as nervous as anyone, probably even more, but Max wouldn’t back down, and Sam was confident enough in his work. The level of trust Christian is showing in Sam is insane—it’s risky, but it also shows how highly they regard Sam’s skills."

Fan reactions flood in:

User 388: "Sam really out here with the entire team’s trust in him."

User 389: "Max refusing to back down because of Sam. I love this bromance."

User 390: "The FIA almost shut this down, that’s crazy!"

User 391: "This is next-level pressure on Sam."

User 392: "Sam is holding Max’s race and maybe career in his hands."

---

F1 Expert: "To put it bluntly, this could be very disastrous for Red Bull. If something goes wrong, it’s not just about losing a race—it’s about Max’s safety, the team’s reputation, and whether Sam’s untested tech will hold up. But if it works, Sam will go down in Red Bull history as the engineer who did the unthinkable, single-handedly, overnight."

The fans react in awe:

User 393: "This is such a big deal, how did we not know this before?!"

User 394: "If Sam pulls this off, he deserves a statue."

User 395: "Max knows Sam’s a genius, and now we’re all seeing it."

User 396: "Can’t believe this was almost shut down by the FIA!"

---

F1 Expert:

"And trust me, when Max keeps telling journalists that Sam’s going to explain everything to him later, that’s not just Max being chill—it’s because Sam literally knows every detail of that car better than anyone else. So yeah, it’s a massive deal, and the fact that Red Bull is letting this happen shows how much faith they have in Sam Kjellberg."

The chat continues to explode with excitement and newfound respect for Sam, as the expert signs off, leaving everyone even more eager to see how the race plays out.

[tgmsunmontue]

Caring, Keeping and Collecting Transformers - A Guide 8/?

Maverick is unknowingly surrounded by Transformers. He knows something is up though. Just not quite what it is exactly.

Bradley and Jake, having never met, are embarking on their own journeys and will have to learn to deal with the fact that they've both been adopted by Transformers.

Despite having years more experience, Maverick is no help at all.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN

EIGHT

                When they go back downstairs Admiral Kazansky and Captain Mitchell are both standing at the opposite ends of the kitchen, looking angry. He chances a quick look with Bradley who simply rolls his eyes. Definitely weird.

                “Dinner should be here in about fifteen minutes.”

                “Thank you.”

                “Yeah. Thanks,” Bradley adds and Jake knows he considers these two men some type of parents but his whole attitude screams disrespect and Jake wonders when Bradley might get over himself. He doesn’t want to risk disciplinary action by association. Although, he supposes, Admiral Kazansky can definitely tell that it’s all on Bradley, which is a blessing. The silence is definitely awkward, and he doesn’t know what he can possibly talk about when every subject is a potential minefield, so silence seems like the best choice for now. Admiral Kazansky does offer drinks, of which only Captain Mitchell accepts, asking for a beer and for some reason there is huffs and eye rolling and Jake has no idea what is going on.

                Weird.

                The food finally arrives and they eat and make polite conversation, none of it of any substance. Jake desperately wants to ask how long Admiral Kazansky has known about Transformers. He also wants to ask Captain Mitchell what he’s worked on in the past, because he suspects he’s going to get to learn all about the mechanical workings and help build Jetfire. That’s something that has him buzzing, something he’s wanted to do since he was a kid and not been able to do and now being given even the chance has him excited.

                Dustdrift and Ninja are in the garage and he can tell that Captain Mitchell is itching to get out there. There are definitely more silent conversations happening around the table than there are actual spoken ones and he’s certain he feels almost glancing blows as either Admiral Kazansky or Captain Mitchell kick each other under the table. Or maybe Bradley is the one doing the kicking. Regardless, he draws his ankles under his chair where they’ll be safe from roaming kicks.

                When they’re finished Captain Mitchell automatically starts clearing the trash and stacking the used plates into the dishwasher, clearly comfortable in the Admiral’s house and a pleased smile breaks out on his face when Bradley goes to help him.

                “Oh…” Ice says, voice soft and Jake is fairly certain he hadn’t meant to make a sound. He looks at the domestic scene and wonders what it’s about. Before he can think about it too much Admiral Kazansky is pushing his chair back and inclining his head, clearly intending for Jake to follow him. He enters a study, large desk taking up a large portion of the room, there are photos, maps, books and knick-knacks he’d love to go and study but he stands there, very mindful that this is clearly a conversation Admiral Kazansky wishes to have in private. Or maybe to give Bradley and Captain Mitchell some privacy. Then Admiral Kazansky is reaching behind the door and handing Jake a set of khakis.

                “Here. They’re not up to current regulations but they’re still a step up from civvies.” Jake takes the coat hanger and looks, sees the Kazansky nameplate and his eyebrows shoot up. “They’re old, I was keeping them for sentimental reasons. And I would like them back, however we can make some exceptions given the current… situation.”

                “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

                “Don’t speak too soon Lieutenant, we need to have a talk.”

                “Sir?”

                “Please, this is an informal talk. Very informal. I’m about to trust you with something that only a handful of people know.”

                Jake doesn’t know if he’s ready for state secrets, it’s bad enough knowing that his new knowledge of the Transformers is going to no doubt have a considerable impact on his career, and he doesn’t know if it will be positive of negative yet.

                “Do you have to tell me sir?”

                “Well, I have been informed it would be best for you to know, so that you are not caught by surprise should a… situation arise.”

                Jake has no fucking clue what sort of situation he could be referring to. They’ve already got fucking transforming robots, what else could there be? If it’s informal as it is?

                “Now generally this is very much a case of don’t ask –”

                His stomach plummets, skin instantly clammy and then his stomach is rushing back up and he swallows against the urge to throw up.

                “Did Bradley say something?”

                “What?”

                Jake snaps his mouth shut, mind racing back over the conversation he’d had earlier with Bradley. That they knew that Bradley was… not straight. That they were fine with it. Sort of. Fuck. What does any of that even mean?

                “Sorry sir. You were saying?”

                Admiral Kazansky’s eyes have narrowed and Jake swallows.

                “I’m gay and have been in a relationship with Captain Mitchell for twenty years. Give or take.”

                Jake’s sure his jaw hits the floor. Of all the things he was expecting, that was not it. Likewise the relief that floods through him makes his knees feel a little wobbly and he locks them tight. Bradley’s cryptic as fuck comments make way more sense now in hindsight.

                “Holy shit. Me too.” Admiral Kazansky’s eyebrows go up, and Jake is pretty sure his lips are twitching with amusement and he replays what he just said. “Uh. Just the gay part, not the relationship part…”

                “Yes. I gathered as much. Well. Pete thought it prudent that you were made aware it was a fact so that you could… avoid revealing said fact, even accidentally.”

                “Of course sir. Distract, deflect and divert right?”

                “I like your thinking lieutenant.”

…            …            …

                “Did you remember to tell him that he could have the other guest room?”

                “Shit. No. I forgot.”

                “So, we’ve just put two young men in a room with one bed, despite there being a perfectly empty second bedroom.”

                “Two young men who aren’t straight.”

                “Really? Huh. Well, it is possible they’re just…”

                “They met for the first time today. Bradley may have changed, but I don’t think he’d…”

                “I would have. Ha. I did.”

                “Jesus Mav, you aren’t reassuring me.”

                “Okay, how’s this for being reassuring. The guest bedroom they’re in is on the opposite side of the house and we won’t hear anything.”

                “Still not helping!”

                “He’s twenty-four – ”

                “Six.”

                “What?”

                “He’s twenty-six.”

                “No. I know… oh my god. You’re right. He’s twenty-six.”

                Pete’s voice breaks a little and Tom wraps his arms around him and holds him tight. He knows they’ll start building back their relationship from before, but it will be different and it will have scars and tender patches with bruises that will hurt for years, especially if either of them press too hard. They’re both a little too hot-headed and volatile sometimes and he can only hope that Seresin is calm and collected under pressure, because he’s fairly certain that their futures are all now intrinsically twisted together.

…            …            …

                “Holy shit, Admiral Kazansky is gay and in a relationship with Captain Mitchell.”

                “Uh. Did you figure that out, or are you asking me?” Bradley asks him, and he’s changed into a sleeveless undershirt and boxers, clearly getting ready for bed. Even used to communal living like he is it feels a lot more intimate with them in a room with a single large bed.

                “No. He just flat out told me. Said he was trusting me. Holy shit.”

                “Oh. Thank fuck.”

                “You knew,” Jake states, even though he already suspected that was the case.

                “Yeah, of course I did. Mav is my godfather and Ice is… Ice. Uncle Ice.”

                “Right. Makes sense that you’d know. Except you weren’t talking to them for the last few years because of the secret that your Bronco decided to spill… Weird coincidence that we’ve got a bunch of Transformers and naval aviators and none of the naval aviators are… straight,” Jake says. Because Bradley still hasn’t specified exactly how he identifies, and that’s fine, he might be a little curious, but he doesn’t have to know. It’s enough to know that he’s not actually alone in that respect either, not that he thought he was, but suspecting and knowing are two very distinct things and it’s making him feel quite buoyant.

                “Yeah, you’re right. Although if what Dustdrift said then they came to my dad first, and he was very much… actually. I’m assuming he was straight because he was married to my mom, but he could have been bisexual I guess.”

                “You’ve taken this whole thing really… calmly,” Jake states.

                “Well, I always suspected something was up, so today has just been the confirmation that I’m not actually going crazy and imagining the fact that I haven’t ever paid for gas…”

                “Well, I’ve got a horse truck that needs filling up if you want that life experience…”

                Bradley laughs and Jake finds himself smiling at the sound, because it’s somewhat of a relief that even after everything something as mundane as putting gas in a truck can somehow be funny. Also Bradley looks good, all happy and relaxed, his arms are nicely defined with muscle and yeah, he’s got long legs and Jake should probably stop staring. Not that Bradley seems to have noticed at all, which is a relief.

                “So, now that you know Mav isn’t using the other guest room, you’re welcome to it. We don’t have to share.”

                Jake blinks, a little taken aback, because that logistic hadn’t occurred to him. Of course Captain Mitchell is comfortable here, he likely spends a large chunk of time here, no wonder he simply started clearing the trash and packing the dishwasher, will be sleeping in Admiral Kazansky’s bedroom. Huh.

                “I’m the actual guest, surely you should go to the other room?”

                “Bullshit. I’m just as much a guest as you are. I’ve never lived here. Haven’t called any house of Mav’s or Ice’s home since I was eighteen.”

                “Yeah, and how long has that been then?”

                “Eight years.”

                “Oh. Huh.”

                “Just make up your mind. I don’t care. Less loads of washing if we share though.”

                “Yeah… yeah okay,” Jake agrees, because it’s a flimsy excuse but it’s still better than admitting he struggles to fall asleep when he’s not in a room with several other people, his time at USNA and now in bunks or racks meaning he needs the sound of other’s breathing to lull him to sleep.

NINE

[charlosvibesonly]

Racing Hearts - Part 8

A Max Verstappen Imagine

Pairing : Max x fem! reader/driver

End Game

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Thank you to all you guys for loving Racing Hearts. It was so fun writing this. Ciao!

The paddock buzzed with whispers, and the air was thick with tension as the unexpected twist in the investigation sent shockwaves through the racing world. Red Bull, once on the pedestal of triumph, now found themselves on the precipice of scandal.

Article 1 - The Unraveling of Champions:

In a shocking turn of events, Red Bull Racing's triumphant champions, Max Verstappen and Y/N, find themselves ensnared in controversy. The media spotlight has shifted from their on-track victories to an investigation that threatens to tarnish their legacy.

Every move made by the once-celebrated duo is now under a microscope. From their pit lane conversations to their off-track interactions, no detail is too small to escape scrutiny.

Article 2 - Team Unity Tested:

Red Bull Racing, known for its unyielding team spirit, now faces a formidable challenge. The camaraderie in the garage, once a pillar of strength, is strained as doubt casts a shadow over the team.

Whispers of internal discord circulate as team members navigate the pressure. Will the unity that fueled their victories withstand the relentless storm of criticism?

Article 3 - Champions Under Fire:

The champions who once dominated the podium now find themselves defending not just their titles but their very reputation. Max Verstappen and Y/N are in the eye of a media storm that threatens to dismantle the success they worked tirelessly to achieve.

Critics question every decision, every statement, amplifying the strain on the champions who are accustomed to roaring engines, not deafening scrutiny.

Article 4 - Red Bull's Crisis Management:

With the championship-winning team in crisis, Red Bull Racing grapples with the fallout. The pressure to protect its image intensifies as media speculation reaches a fever pitch.

As the team navigates this uncharted territory, the question remains: Can they weather the storm and emerge stronger on the other side, or will the drama prove too much for the once-invincible Red Bull Racing?

Article 5 - Fragile Foundations:

The foundation of Red Bull Racing, built on triumph and unity, now faces its most formidable test. Max Verstappen and Y/N bear the weight of skepticism, their once unassailable reputation now hanging in the balance.

In the midst of this turmoil, the true measure of champions is revealed. Will they crumble under the pressure, or will they rise above, proving that even in the face of doubt, they remain a force to be reckoned with?

Max and you, once celebrated champions, now faced relentless scrutiny and criticism from the media. Every move was dissected, every word analyzed. The team rallied behind you, but the pressure threatened to tear everything apart.

Yet, the drama took an unexpected turn. A new piece of evidence emerged, seemingly casting doubt on Red Bull's innocence. The media frenzy escalated, and the weight of the situation became unbearable. 

The turning point came when an internal audit within Red Bull Racing uncovered irregularities in Max Verstappen's car from a previous race. The investigation revealed a potential breach of technical regulations, raising questions about the legitimacy of Max's victories.

In a surprising twist, the team decided to make this information public before the governing bodies could launch their own investigation. The move was an attempt at transparency, but it inadvertently ignited a media firestorm. Headlines screamed about Max's car possibly being in violation of the rules, casting doubt not only on his recent achievements but the entire team's credibility.

Max, sensing the potential damage to the team's reputation, made a bold and self-sacrificing decision.

In a press conference that echoed with the clamor of flashing cameras and probing questions, Max announced, "To protect the integrity of Red Bull Racing, I've decided to step away from the team temporarily while the investigation unfolds. I want the focus to be on racing, not distractions. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure Red Bull's legacy remains untarnished."

The room fell silent as the gravity of Max's sacrifice sunk in. The farewell was sudden and heart-wrenching.

The racing world, already shaken by the scandal, was now faced with the absence of one of its brightest stars. The headlines screamed of Max's sacrifice, but they couldn't capture the emotional weight of the moment.

Days turned into weeks, and the investigation continued. The absence of Max left a noticeable void in the team, and the once-united Red Bull Racing struggled to find its footing.

But then came the calm after the storm.

Headline: The Unraveling of Baseless Allegations

In a shocking revelation, the evidence that sent shockwaves through the racing world, casting doubt on Red Bull Racing's integrity, has been debunked. An internal re-evaluation by the governing bodies exposes the initial findings as groundless, leaving Max Verstappen and the team vindicated.

“Mercedes Issues Apology”

In an unprecedented move, Mercedes, the team that had been the primary voice behind the allegations, issued a public apology. Toto Wolff, team principal of Mercedes, conveys regret for the premature accusations and acknowledges the lack of concrete evidence against Red Bull Racing.

"In the spirit of fair play and competition, we must acknowledge when we are wrong," Wolff states. "Our initial concerns were based on incomplete information, and we sincerely apologize to Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen, and the entire Formula 1 community for any distress our statements may have caused."

Max, having withdrawn from the limelight during the investigation, returned to Red Bull Racing with a mixture of relief and determination.

The racing community, having weathered the storm of controversy, was left to reflect on the implications of baseless allegations and the impact they can have on the integrity of the sport. 

But you two were far from everywhere. Far from the world of racing, in your world.

In Monaco, you were at Max's house overlooking the azure waters. The racing season had come to an end, and the echoes of the dramatic year lingered.

"I never thought we'd make it through," Max confessed, his eyes meeting yours on the balcony.

"Neither did I," you replied, a sense of shared resilience in your gaze.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow on the scene. Max wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer. "But here we are, stronger than ever."

It was race day. The Bahrain Grand Prix. Max and you were successfully navigating the ups and downs of your life together.

After the post-qualifying interview, Max pulled you away from the lively press room to a secluded, dimly lit room. He pushed you against the wall, sending a shiver through your body.

"So, Y/N, how about letting me win this time?" Max's words, warm against your ear, sent a rush of heat through you.

"In your dreams," you retorted.

Max's grin broadened, "This is going to be so much fun." Without hesitation, he pulled you into a kiss that defied the confines of the shadowy room. It was a fiery blend of desire and an energy that left you breathless.

When the kiss finally broke, Max locked eyes with you, a mischievous glint shining.

"Ready, partner?"

[annakie]

Fixing the House, Chapter 3: All These Things That I've Done

Part One: I Do Not, In Fact, Have the Power

Part Two: Let’s Spend Lots of Money!

Part Three: All These Things That I’ve Done (YOU ARE HERE)

Part Four: I Really Want to Stay At My House

A little interlude.

Part Five: Power Down

Part Six: You Will Leave Some Paint

Part Seven: Backwards to go Forwards

Part Eight: Master of Bathrooms

Part Nine: Within a Room, Somewhere

Part Ten: Rooms With No View

Part Eleven: Big Bang Room Part A and also Part B!

Part Twelve: We Can Make It On the Outside

Part Thirteen: Mauve Haze Symphony

Part Fourteen (A) - In the Kitchen

---

It's been almost a week since my last post and, believe it or not, home renovations continue!

TBH I have a fuzzier memory of what got done when so some of this may be guesses, but it's more or less accurate!

Last post was Thursday morning! All day Thursday the porch was worked on, and by that night, or maybe Friday, it had all the decking on it!

Part One: It was Thursday Yet!

I'd left my car out of the garage that day because I knew they needed to do some work in the garage for the roof and to more easily get to power. That night when I was going to move it back into the garage, my next door neighbor, on the side that already had the fence, came out to talk to me.

She first gushed about how great the front of my house looked. I was so happy and proud! She did tell me that I needed to cut my bushes in the front back, which, I do need to have that done, lol.

I showed her all the work getting done and she was really happy for me. We ended up talking about the fence for the first time, really, and she told me that she disagreed with her husband about putting the "ugly" part of the fence outside, too, but as he built he he told her he wanted to see the pretty side. OK, whatever. It didn't matter now, but it was good to hear. :)

She also told me that back when I had my house broken into in like 2009, her husband saw them leave my house and CHASED THEM! They went two blocks to the apartment complex nearby. He saw what apartment they went into!! He called the police and told them EVERYTHING.

Apparently even with an eyewitness and the EXACT LOCATION OF MY STUFF the police just did not give a fuck to follow up. Man, I wish I'd have known that fifteen years ago when it happened. Just... absolutely infuriating. How fucking useless, cops. NO thank you very much.

Anyway, that was a good time, and the longest conversation we'd ever had.

Part Two: Blurry Happenings on the Weekend.

Either Friday or Saturday, I think Friday, Jose and Maria resumed work on the fence, AND FINISHED IT.

Holy shit, I had a fully enclosed yard. I was SO excited. I was practically giggling.

Here's a picture!

ALL of the junk is cleaned up and the rest of the chain link fence removed, but I'll save a full clean pic for the last update.

The alley side looks SO PRETTY!! And will be prettier when it's stained!

Also awesome is that i have a streetlight there that shines RIGHT into my backyard. It's already nicely lit. But I have plans for more lighting!

Not long after they left and I talked to Joel for awhile, I headed to Home Depot to buy a few things that we needed. Some of it maybe Joel should have paid for but I thought of it and I was there, so I bought the stuff.

First stop was the paint department. I brought the old can of paint for the living room wall and asked for a sample size of that. Turns out there were two colors that had had that same name and number. WHY, BEHR, WHY? I truly couldn't tell which was the right one from the picture. So, I just had them mix them both up. Ugh.

I also brought what I thought was the color I used in my bathroom and had them get me a sample of that because I needed to do some touch-ups. When I got home, I realized that that was actually the color I used for my doors. So I gotta go back and fix that. :p

I bought house numbers that need to go on the back of my fence (city regulation). I bought a new light to replace the porch light that broken. TBH it needed replacing, and I also wanted to make sure I got one I liked so I was fine paying for that. I got a gallon of white paint to paint my garage door, and a painting kit/tape since I didn't have any anymore, it'd been a long time since I painted. Oh, also some nice iron door handles to put on my gates so it'd be easier to pull them closed.

I'd bought a few things online over the week including new cushions for some of my patio furniture. So I when I got home from HD, I broke those out and was absolutely THRILLED to just chill out in my backyard that night for a bit.

I left the patio door open and let Fry and Pemily come hang out on the patio, too, since they now had no way to escape out of the yard. Neither of them are the escaping kind anyway, but I still never felt safe letting them hang out outside much at all, maybe one of them at a time for 2 or 3 minutes. But neither of them are good climbers so they had absolutely no way to get out now. Fry LOVED getting to explore a bit, and Pemily mostly stood near the door or near me, but it was a good experience for them.

I just want to also re-state that the little pole in the middle of the patio will be removed at some point when we no longer need the extra bracing.

I just sipped on my huge mug of water and truly enjoyed my backyard for the first time, pretty much ever, in 21 years of living here.

I believe Saturday while he was working on the fence, the roofers returned and did the first bit of putting the shingles on the patio. They didn't finish, there was some extra work to do at the "crease" where the roof met the Patio, but a good bit of it was done.

This is the pic where you CAN'T see the rest of the work that needed to get done. But most of the junk is removed!

-----

Part Three: No-Work Sunday

Sunday I visited my parents, and so no work got done.

On Saturday I'd told Joel that I wouldn't be home Sunday because I was going to visit my parents. I said they were leaving and it'd be the last time I'd see them for a few months so I HAD to go. I thought he asked me where they were going, so I said where, which is a several hour drive away. He asked when I'd be back, so I said Sunday evening. Hilariously, he was very confused because what he'd actually asked me is where do they live now, and the answer to that is about an hour away from me. He didn't understand how I'd be driving like 7 hours to visit them and then be back that same evening, lol.

My bad, I didn't listen well enough.

Sunday it also rained for the first time since the week of the storms that kicked off all this work, and we needed it. We wanted to do the fence staining that day while I was out but couldn't happen.

And then it rained Monday. The roofers returned Monday, though, and finished the roof!

We hadn't put a gutter on the back roof, but it was raining when I was home Sunday night it had rained it was clear we needed a gutter. The rain was dripping off the wood facing, and most of it came down hard at the place where the big slant of the roof met the patio roof.

So Joel and I talked about it, and agreed to each pay half to get a gutter put up. It was fair.

Part Four: Odds and Ends

Monday Jose came and took care of a lot of the odds and ends. Fixed the ceiling in the garage... did I mention a roofer also put his foot through the garage? Again, he was fine, but just a second hole in the garage wasn't my favorite thing. But it's fixed, no big deal!

This hole is no longer there.

He fixed the bathroom light that had come loose. This is obviously before it was fixed.

He put the new light outside on the patio against the wall. I need to take a picture of that!

There's a little hole near the patio that needs to be filled in with dirt from elsewhere. I put some cute little solar lights I'd bought around the hole to mark the hazard.

I had bought little cat doors. Buster and Peter had both figured out how to get into the yard again, but I'm sure it's a pain for them. Also, I HAVE to have a window in the fence where the water meter is so that the water department can come by and read the meter, so I'm just putting a cat door there, too. The boys (and hopefully the possum, who I haven't seen since the fence went in) will have an easier way to get in and out.

But we can't put those in, or the gate handles, or the house numbers, up until we can stain the fence. But it rained Sunday and Monday, and last night. So, no stain yet. Tomorrow, probably! I picked the color out just based on a picture, and I like it, and my neighbors like it, so hopefully I'll have pictures soon of it looking great!

The living room hole also got worked on yesterday and today. More spackle went up, and today he came and did the texturing on both the wall and ceiling. Tomorrow I think it all gets painted and it'll be like it never happened!

Part Five: I... Might Get the Power?

Back on Friday, Joel, Jose and I were discussing the porch and Joel suggested that I get a patio light installed in the patio instead of just the light on my house, and maybe an outdoor ceiling fan/light. That was a great idea. I didn't know if I could afford it, though. The budget was already gone, and my reserve savings, which isn't much, was really started to get low, too. But, honestly, I did want that fan and a couple of other things.

The problem was that we can't finish the patio until the wiring is done for any electric stuff going on in it.

I texted Joel's electrician Friday night, he said he'd get back to me but didn't over the weekend. When Joel was there Monday, he called Alberto, the Electrician, for me and he said he'd be by today (Tuesday.)

Tonight, after work I fell asleep on the couch watching Make Some Noise (I was real tired, ok?) Fry woke me up by coming to cuddle with me and it was really sweet. And then the doorbell rang around 6:15pm.

Heeey, it was Arturo! He had been doing a job in Fort Worth and apologized for coming so late. It's cool.

So we went to the patio, and he gave me a price I was shocked at was so low (though I had no idea it would cost, I just figured more than that) to wire things up for the fan and then install it after the porch ceiling was on. He also then whipped out his phone, had me pull up Amazon on mine, and directed me to a really good price on a fan he thought would do the job well. That also cost way less than I'd assumed it would. Awesome.

I also wanted an electric outlet on the patio, since there was none. I pointed out where the washer/dryer was opposite one part of the patio, he said no problem, and gave me the price for that outdoor outlet with a waterproof cover. Fantastic.

Since everything was pretty reasonably priced, I then showed him the master bath, which honestly I haven't really used in years. There is no outlet in there and the shower is a dumb size/shape so I practically only have one bathroom in a 2 bath house. He said he could cheaply put a new outlet next to the lightswitch. GREAT.

And then the big thing. The Office (aka what most people use as their living room.) There is NO LIGHTING in this room. I mean, I have a lamp here on my desk and I put some LED lighting behind the TV but neither of those is much. It seems RIDICULOUS that there's no lighting in this, the room that should be the living room. After some discussion, we settled on what I ALWAYS WANTED, for the last 21 years, some recessed lighting with a dimmer.

I wanted to cry from joy. It's another expense I didn't plan for, but all together the price is VERY reasonable for what I'm getting, way less than I dreamed it would be, and it's resolving several of my biggest gripes about the house, plus upgrading the patio significantly.

Tomorrow Arturo is coming to wire the patio for the fan/light so Jose can get back to finishing the patio, and he'll be back to install everything else when the Patio is ready, so late this week or sometime next week. FINE WITH ME!

Part Six: Conquering the Mountain

I have a terrible confession to make: My garage has been a horrible mess for many years. I tackle it a bit sometimes, but uh... not enough. Honestly, was embarrassing this week every time this week anyone needed to do anything in it. Plenty of space to park the car but uhhh... not much else.

The worst part of it is Laundry Mountain. Really, two mountains. No, there's not pictures of the garage past what you've seen. Very cropped. Honestly haven't put my clothes away in my bedroom in years, it all just gets washed and thrown on Laundry Mountain and I just pick what I want to wear off of/out of the mountain. It's... not great. And has been going on uh...longer than I'm going to admit.

The house itself sometimes gets a bit cluttered (tbh it's on the cluttered side now but I've been decluttering lately and it's gonna get back to organized pretty soon) but nothing like the garage.

It is A Problem.

Joel kind of jokingly scolded me about it and said he could get some guys to come haul all the junk out for a reasonable rate.

I told him maybe, but I needed to get the stuff out that I wanted to keep first.

Tonight, I started tackling the bigger pile of Laundry Mountain.

I threw out two medium-sized trash bags of mostly old, shitty clothes that like, the elastic rotted out of, or were just worn out or stained. Also, just some legit junk mixed in there.

I sorted and bagged up another trash bag of clothes to donate.

And then everything I might want to keep, which, tbh, was way too much, got dumped on my spare bedroom bed. Not the best solution, but it's a good place for it to be so I can sort again in the A/C and be close to where stuff can be put away. I'm thinking of it as one round of easy choices, and then a second round of taking inventory so I can choose the things I REALLY want / have room for and will do a more aggressive sort before putting away what I really want to keep.

I think I made it through about half of the bigger mountain in two hours. The hot water heater & washer/dryer are now completely accessible and the walkway to the door into the house is clear instead of just having a path.

it's a start! I'm proud of me.

TBH there's other reasons I'm proud of me lately that I'm not ready to post about, but maybe someday soon. But that other reason was really feeding into the clutter problem before I tackled it, and now that it's way more under control, getting the house to an amazing state is much easier. All of the work being done is the rest of the motivation I needed.

Anyway, need to head to bed now. Another update probably when all the actual work with Joel, Jose and Arturo is done!

[xiaoluclair]

4/5/6

4. nose kisses

5. jawline kisses

6. eyelid kisses // lestappen // rating: G

FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2027 ↳ COMMENTATORS’ BOX TRANSCRIPT

19:01 [David CROFTY, with crescendo] And Liam Lawson brings it home to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in brilliant succession, and brilliant it certainly was but we can’t focus for long right now because the man about to be second place, he’s been called many things in his lifetime: Il Predestinato, The Curse Breaker, Ferrari’s Salvation, and now after this night he can finally etch one more onto that list—

SCUDERIA FERRARI PIT WALL | DRIVER RADIO ↳ C. LECLERC

18:59 [Max VERSTAPPEN] CHARLES LECLE

18:59 [Charles LECLERC] AHHHHHHHHHHHH

18:59 [VERSTAPPEN] YOU ****ING DID IT YOU ****ING WENT AND D

18:59 [LECLERC] OH MY ****ING GOD AHHHHHHHHHHHH OH MY

19:00 [VERSTAPPEN] CHARLES LECLERC YOU ARE OFFICIALLY THE TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY SEVEN WORLD CHAMPION!

19:00 [LECLERC] **** LET'S ****ING GOOO BABY!

19:00 [VERSTAPPEN] Ahaha, let's go baby indeed!

19:00 [LECLERC] Are you crying?

19:00 [VERSTAPPEN] My eyes are just a little bit sweaty, mate.

19:00 [LECLERC] Mine too.

START—FINISH STRAIGHT | POST RACE CELEBRATIONS ↳ VISUAL TRANSCRIPT

19:06 [Liam LAWSON parks in P1 and pulls himself out of the RB23. He stands on the front of the car and yells in delight.]

19:06 [Charles LECLERC pulls carefully into the P2 position, knocking over the P2 BOARD.]

19:06 [LAWSON jumps down from his car and runs to his team. The RED BULL RACING crew catch him like quicksand.]

19:06 [Oscar PIASTRI takes the final P3 spot, smoke trailing after his wheels.]

19:06 [Much like LAWSON, LECLERC balances himself on top of the SF-27 and pumps his fists into the air over and over again. He leaps onto the ground and sprints right for the SCUDERIA FERRARI crew, who are akin to a pack of screaming animals.]

19:07 [PIASTRI descends from his car in slightly a calmer manner. Still, he also seems to have forgotten the concept of walking. Before he can reach the RED BULL RACING crew, LAWSON catches him around the abdomen and pulls him into a hug. Their helmets knock together a little and the embrace is reciprocated quickly.]

19:07 [LECLERC, now pulled away from the arms of his team, is standing on his tip-toes. He appears to be searching for someone. He leans into a SCUDERIA FERRARI crew member and, after a few moments, they shout a reply, pointing in the direction of the garages. LECLERC starts to move, seemingly to where the crew member showed, but is pulled back by the same crew member. Rapid conversation is shared between them.]

19:08 [PIASTRI, LAWSON and LECLERC all congratulate each other before documenting their weight in quick succession, as per the FiA's Sporting Regulation 29.1 (a)(ii).]

19:08 [PIASTRI is quick to chug down half a bottle of water. He wears a tired expression that smiles readily at LAWSON's grin. LAWSON puts an arm around PIASTRI's shoulders. The two lean against each other as they share words.]

FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2027 ↳ POST RACE INTERVIEWS | HOSTED BY Sebastian VETTEL

19:15 [Sebastian VETTEL, smiling] Charles.

19:15 [Charles LECLERC, grinning] Sebastian.

19:15 [VETTEL] How are you feeling right now?

19:15 [LECLERC, glancing to the side] You just asked me that five minutes ago before this interview, my answer has not changed. I am very, very, very happy, I. There are no words. No words.

19:15 [VETTEL] That could be a problem considering this interview has to last at least two minutes.

19:15 [LECLERC, glancing to the side again] I am very sorry.

19:15 [VETTEL, grinning] Tell everyone else how you're feeling then. It's your very first World Championship, there's got to be a lot of emotions rattling around inside.

19:16 [LECLERC] Oh absolutely. I am. I mean, first I would like to say well done to Liam because he was absolutely amazing this race, and it is a shame we could not battle because of the penalty. But right now, right now I am unbelievably happy right now, I cannot even say it. I am shaking, I think, my hands feel so light and I will probably crash into bed completely later but for now it is. Unbelievable.

19:16 [VETTEL, teasing] No gratuitous 'thank you's?

19:16 [LECLERC] Sorry?

19:16 [VETTEL, grinning] People you want to thank. Any past teammates maybe?

19:17 [LECLERC, laughing] Oh! I mean of course, Marcus taught me a lot so yes I would like to thank him. [laughs again, seemingly at the look on VETTEL's face.] Of course I would also like to thank you, Seb. And I am actually very happy it is you interviewing me here when you were— oh my God, sorry.

19:17 [LECLERC, suddenly sprinting almost too fast for the camera to follow] Where the fuck were you?!

19:17 [Max VERSTAPPEN, catching LECLERC in his arms] Paul dropped a coffee all over me, mate, it was

19:17 [VETTEL, amused] Seemed a bit half-hearted, but I'll take it.

19:17 [LECLERC, against VERSTAPPEN's jaw] God-damnit, Paul.

19:18 [VERSTAPPEN, grinning] Keep it PG, Leclerc.

19:18 [LECLERC, pressing his smile into kisses all over VERSTAPPEN's face] I love [Mia DJACIC takes the microphone easily from his hand] *Unintelligible*.

FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX 2027 ↳ COMMENTATORS’ BOX TRANSCRIPT

19:18 [David CROFTY] Oh, and a little one on the nose to round it off. Do you think that's why Xavi left?

19:18 [Martin BRUNDLE, dryly] On the contrary, I'm pretty sure that's why anyone would stay.

[not7wu]

Chapter Six: A Symbiotic Relationship

Recap: You might have remembered why you woke up naked in Jin's bed...but the hope you had to explore something more came to a screeching halt when you learned about Rule Five and Jin's first love. Jieun instead encouraged you to spend less time on Kim Cho-hee and more time with your family of eight, so you do just that. Oh, and you have a cleaning lady, apparently.

Tae is waiting for you with a corsage outside of your apartment.  Both dressed casually and comfy, the corsage brings a note of whimsy so uniquely Tae that honestly you should have expected it.  Wrist now decorated with periwinkle, thistles, and eucalyptus, you walk hand in hand to the parking garage.  

When you tried solidifying plans with Tae earlier in the day, he said he wanted to surprise you, so you happily settle in and enjoy conversation with him as his driver navigates the streets of Seoul.  There’s a mischievous twinkle in Tae’s eye when you pull up into an alley.  You’re led through a backdoor, through the kitchen, and down a staff hallway to a secluded, closed dining room.  The table is set low with seating cushions.  The wood accents from the trim to the table are rustic with blackened knots and scars.  It’s beautiful and you wonder if Namjoon has been here before.  Your server enters with water and menus and you finally find out where you are.  

Ossu Seiromushi, Jin’s brother’s restaurant.  You peek over the menu at Tae who is staring back at you unabashedly.  You don’t know what he’s planning, but you can’t do anything but go along with it, completely at his mercy.  After your order is put in and your juices placed in front of you, the silence stretches, but it’s different than what you’re used to–the comfortable silences, the anxious silences and the silences that are too loud.  This silence feels buzzy and slinky, like an animal crouched, waiting to pounce.  The Tae sitting in front of you is the same Tae, but he seems different from the persona he normally projects like he has decided to set aside his hahoetal mask for a short time.

���Hello,” you murmur.

“Hi.”  He seems to take the measure of you, stripping you of your own mask that you hadn't realized you had on. Though it's not like he's ripping off this protection you made for yourself, but more like he's letting you breathe unhindered for a while. 

You clear your throat. “How are you?”

He settles into the cushions to consider, leaning back on his arms in a calculated way to seem casual.  You know he's trying to allay your anxiety, but you're actually okay.  Everyone says he's your first friend, one of the ones closest to you, if friendships were to have levels, and even with this given fact, you've never felt deceit from Tae. All of his emotions and reactions have been genuinely and sincerely broadcasted to you.  You trust Tae.   

“Today, I’m content.  It’s a rollercoaster otherwise,” he shrugs.

“Why is that?”

His smile turns half-hearted.  “Our Map of the Soul Tour got canceled.  That sucks.  And you'd think we would have more time to take breaks and see family, but our schedule is still going at the same pace we usually do, if not more, to make it up to Army.”

The pandemic has been difficult for many people.  Even you know that the reason you rarely venture outside their condo isn't entirely to isolate and guard you, but because the world is on edge with these social distancing regulations.  But social distancing for a performance group like BTS, whose relationship with fans is more intimate than most fandoms, must be agony.  “I’m sorry.  I know you were all really looking forward to the tour.”

“Yeah, concerts are the endgame prize for all our hard work and it got snatched away.  We can’t even blame anyone.  So I guess our schedule is a double edged sword to protect and distract us from depression.  Idle idols are not a good thing.  On the other hand, the Tour being canceled wasn’t all that bad either.”

“Because…”

“Because it means we can stay home and spend more time with you.”

“What?”  That was an unexpected turn.  The boys love performing.  It’s the only time they can see the people they’ve inspired to move to the beat, to live life to the fullest, and to dream quietly or loudly.  And Army is like a mirror in that way, inspiring the boys to make the beats, to breathe life in verse, and to accomplish their dreams.  You suddenly feel like an obstacle and it doesn’t sit right with you.  

Tae chews on his lip for a few seconds, assessing your stricken expression, your face an open book.  "Can you handle some heavy conversation? Or do you wanna put a pin in it and we can come back to it when you have the emotional energy for it?"

You want to blurt out that you can handle it, but you respect him for considering your well-being, so you instead take a moment to actually gauge yourself.  Your mind is calm, your emotions are stable, and you feel safe here with Tae.  Confidently, you say, "I can handle it."

His expression is grave, but there's some pride there too, like he's proud you weren't carelessly eager.

He wets his lips, his next words deliberate and conscientious.  “Your attack happened near the beginning of 2018.  We were already burnt out.  We hadn’t seen our families properly in over a year, and then you got hurt.  It felt wrong to leave for the Love Yourself Tour while you were still in the hospital, confused and disoriented.  And the hits just kept coming.  Jungkook’s foot injury.  Jimin’s issues with his muscles and overworked voice.  We became submerged in a blue and grey fog, but that wasn't fair to Army, so we used Army as our focal point.  The guiding constellation until we could be home again.

"But I still felt out of focus, like double vision.  I was giving it my all, but my angel's voice would be drowned out in cresting and ebbing waves of this other voice whispering things like 'Y/N doesn't know who you are.  She doesn't recognize anyone and you abandoned her.  She doesn't have anyone else and she's scared and sad and panicked.  And you left her.  You left her line of sight.'

"And I worried.  Worried that the people we left behind to care for you wouldn't know how best to quiet your brain, how best to cheer you up, how best to distract you.  And as all these worries piled up, I realized I needed you to quiet my brain, cheer me up, and distract me, but you couldn't.  I couldn't call you for encouragement or comfort.  Like a snake biting its own tail I just went round and round in the guilt and depression.  And it wasn't just me.  Jin-hyung, Hobi-hyung–we wanted to leave.  Not just the Tour but everything."

Tae was right to ask if you could handle this.  It's a lot to take in.  You're trying your best to listen, to process, because this moment is for Tae.  He's been holding all of this in and steadily marching on for you.  So you anchor yourself, determined to hold his ship steady.  

You prompt him, "But you didn't leave."

He plays around with the condensation on his water glass.  "No. We didn't leave.  Yoongi-hyung convinced us to stay."

“How did he do that?”

“Eh.  He said that we had more power now to advocate for ourselves in contract negotiations and more means to delegate.  But the ultimate selling point was when he said you would kill us if we left," he chuckles here, melancholy lacing the velvet of it.  "He said you wouldn’t want us to break up.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, Yoongi-hyung tattled on us to you during one of your 'lucid' moments and you really laid into us.”

“Good.”  

Tae rolls his eyes at your satisfaction, but he shares your grin.  He leans in almost conspiratorially.

“You know, you’re the reason why I’m even in BTS.”

“Bullshit.  You’re in BTS because of you.”

He laughs, shaking his head.  “No, seriously.  I’m here because Park Haneul asked you to go with him to an audition, but you couldn’t ask off work.  So, you forced me to go with him instead.  It’s funny cuz’ you were oblivious that he was trying to ask you out and then I passed the audition.  Actually, now that I think about it, that super sucked for him.”

You giggle, “Oh, shit, that’s horrible.  Is it too late to send him an apology gift basket?”

“Eh, I don’t know if that would help or just rub him the wrong way.”

“You’re probably right," you concede.  "Still, even if I got you to the audition, you did all the hard work.”

“Oh, Y/N.  What people don’t tell you in this business is that you can work as hard as you want, but it all ultimately comes down to luck.  I was lucky.  We were lucky.  Now we’re racing towards a ceiling and we can’t predict when it’ll all come crashing down.”

The humor subsides, Tae looking the youngest you've ever seen him, troubled and vulnerable.  You’d do anything to erase that expression forever, but you don’t think you have the power to.  You want to try though.  

“Tae.  It might hurt when you reach the end, but you’ve got parachutes.  You’ve got people like me who are more than ready to catch you.  You say it's all luck, but we are lucky to have you.  Trust that we've got you.  And, it’s all ultimately out of your control, so let’s just enjoy the ride.”

“Advice you could take too, you know.”

You flinch, his words stinging a bit.  “You’re right,” you admit.  “That was a bit careless.  I didn’t mean to dismiss your feelings.  I just meant that I’m here for you, no matter what state I’m in.  And I know you’re here for me too, that all of you are.  I’ve never once felt neglected or abandoned.   If anything, I would understand if you guys put me up in some hospital and went on with your lives.  Seriously, you’ve gone above and beyond what any normal person would do for a friend.”

“Family, Y/N.  You’re family.”

“Yes.  Above and beyond what any normal person would do for family, then.”

“Well, you should know by now we aren’t normal.   I adopted you when I was just a scrawny kid with ears too big for my head and you were just a bookworm who stubbornly refused to get glasses.”

“I don’t know why you’re so dead set against glasses.  But fine.  Let’s ask seonsaeng-nim to move you to a desk in the front,” Tae suggests.  He’s sitting on your desk before class starts, drawing abstract cartoons on the desktop.  There’s a little alien character saying ‘Fighting!  You can do it!’  You’re gonna have to erase it before the test, but it’s still nice to have this reminder and encouragement beforehand.  In turn, he’s making you draw cartoons on his shoes with markers.  You decided to go with a plant theme and he giggles when you add sunglasses to a cactus.

“If I move, we wouldn’t be sitting next to each other, Tae. ”

“Aww, you love me," he coos at you.

You huff.  “We have a symbiotic relationship at best.”

“So you’re saying I’m a clownfish and you’re my sea anemone.”

“Yeah, Tae, you’re a clown.”

“So zappy.  Nice.”  You stick your tongue out at him and he sticks his tongue out at you, crossing his eyes.  It inspires you to draw googily eyes on a sunflower, earning you an approving pat on the head that you bat away.  “Well, just cuz we don’t sit next to each other doesn’t mean we won’t see each other.  We can make it fun!  Passing notes is not a challenge when you’re literally sitting right next to me.”

“So you’re saying you don’t want to sit next to me.”  You mean to say it as a joke, but a tinge of hurt manages to bleed through.  He’s been pushing this idea for the past couple of days, ever since you mentioned your nearsightedness.  Now, you wish you hadn't.  

You know he means well, but it’s hard for you to make friends.  Well, it’s not like you don’t have other friends.  You could end up sitting next to Hanuel or Bora and it’d be fine.  But they’re not Tae.  And you’re the only one who can help him concentrate during lessons.  As you’re thinking that though, you fight off the knowledge that, ultimately, Tae would be fine without you.  Yes, Tae is your person, but Tae is so friendly and charismatic, he doesn’t need to stick with you.  

Tae gets up with no warning, making you accidentally draw a red line through a sunflower, as well as getting a bit of ink on his khakis.  Whoops.  He doesn’t care though, draping himself over you and almost strangling you in the process.  

Some classmates think that you’re together when it couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Many of them are beginning to be interested in things like kissing and sex, so they find your physical closeness suspect, but Tae has confided in you that while he doesn’t think he’d mind kissing, the idea of sex makes him nauseous, makes something wriggle and itch under his skin, so he isn’t interested, nope, no way.  You, on the other hand, aren’t interested in kissing and sex because you’re barely comfortable with hugs.

You remember the first time Tae hugged you.  This boy plopped himself next to you during lunch and proclaimed he was adopting you.  You were particularly sensitive that day being in a new school alone, afraid people would notice that your secondhand uniform (or rather fourthhand) was frayed.  That people would notice no one had dropped you off or would pick you up.  Afraid they’d know you’re an orphan, something abandoned and not worthy of nice things like friendship.  

Orphanages are survival of the fittest.  You only get adopted if you are young and pretty or cute or handsome or charming.  You know you aren't ugly.  Objectively, you think you look generic.  Cookie cutter.  Not only that, you know you aren't charming.  And while your facility tries to be fair and equal, there isn’t always enough to go around, so you often are skipped over for things like new clothes, toys, and treats and get smaller portions of meals, the caretakers citing your apparent 'independence' and 'maturity.'  

But your independence is not voluntary.  It's loneliness.  You are not mature.  You are resigned.  And here was a boy who had already guessed all this, smelled it on you, and was making fun of you for it.  The little hope you had for something different, for something completely your own, died.

You burst into tears and the boy panicked, stumbling over an apology and eyes wildly searching for help before he dove at you, squeezing.  You immediately froze, unused to skinship, arms awkwardly hanging by your sides unsure what to do with them or where you should place your hands.  No one had ever hugged you or held your hand.  None of the caretakers ever tucked you in bed or comforted you after nightmares.  

Like a plant, you wanted to soak it all up like water.  Like sunlight.  You didn’t know how you could prolong it, how to keep this or even if you were allowed to.  So, you froze because maybe if you didn’t move, if you held your breath, this boy wouldn't let go.  

He did eventually let go, but he stayed.  He didn’t ask you questions, but he patiently waited for you to reveal parts of yourself until days, weeks, months went by and you realized he could see all of you.  The world didn’t end and he continued to stay.  He saw your insecurities and he built your confidence with attentive prodding and careful wheedling, drawing you into seemingly innocent arguments and discussions that emphasized the double standards you set for yourself.  He saw how anxious you are and he listened to music with you, introducing you to jazz, trap,  emo-rock and a healthy coping mechanism. He saw how touch starved you are and he hugged, cuddled and held your hand, wearing down your awkward hesitancy with exposure therapy.  Now you grab his forearm and squeeze.  He returns your squeeze bodily, the weight of him grounding you.  

“I’ll always be next to you,” Tae says.  “You can’t get rid of me.  You’re my sea anemone, remember?  I just won’t be in your direct line of sight is all.”

“Well, I’d still rather see you than the board.”

“Aww, you do love me.”  You duck your head, but can’t fight the smile.  His declarations of love are apparently also part of his exposure therapy.  No one has ever said they love you, except Tae.  You only ever read about it in books, books with passionate romance, covenants of friendship, and embers in the hearth of home.  And you think you feel love for Tae too because his love feels like home.  

Tae laughs and ruffles your hair.  You huff in feigned annoyance, shrugging him off and smoothing out your hair.  He moves back to his desk, reaching to ruffle your hair again and you bat his hand away.  “Okay, so if you don’t want to move to the front then you could, I don’t know, get glasses?  You know, those things people wear so they can see?  Come on.  You can get the round ones like Harry Potter!  It’ll be magical!”

“Tae, for the last time, glasses are expensive and–they won’t turn me into a wizard,” you say breathlessly.  Your eyes refocus on the present moment and the first thing you see is Tae stunned, eyes wide.

You remember him as he was in your youth and you now see this beautiful man.  He really has grown into his ears.  The freckles on his nose, cheek and lip are more prominent now from so many days in the sun.  His eyes, though, still hold the same child-like wonder you’ve always admired.  His face lights with that boxy smile, the one that holds so much joy his face can barely contain it.

“Aww, you love me,” he teases.  His expression and tone is playful, but there’s a sincerity, a gravity, a note of bittersweet, a whisper of a question at the end.  His words don’t encompass like a blanket or taste like strawberries.  They don’t weigh you like an anchor or light you up like a firework.  The words flow through you like a river, the surface running free, vibrant and frolicking, but with depths that cut paths in unexpected ways.  A path that connects you to him.  So you have no hesitation, no doubt when you say, “I do.  I love you, Tae.”

He beams and you can’t help grinning back.  You stick your tongue out at him for old time’s sake, but instead of returning the sentiment, his smile softens.  “You know, that’s all we’ve ever needed.  I’m in your corner and you’re in my corner.  As long as we have this, then nothing else matters."

“You’re right," you nod.  "I just–I just want to remember more.  It’s like I have all these pieces to a puzzle, but I’ve lost the box, and every time I remember, I finally get a glimpse at the picture of what I’m supposed to make.  Our experiences and memories make us who we are, Tae.  I wanna complete my puzzle so I can start living my life, you know?”

“But you are living your life.  No one’s puzzle is complete anyways.  It’s constantly changing.  We’re different from when we were twelve and we’re different than we were yesterday.  So even with all that’s going on, you are allowed to be different and to change.  We can make new memories.  Have new experiences.”

“Still.  Those memories are precious.  I don’t wanna throw away the box completely.”

“Then I’ll remember for you.  You can take or borrow any piece you want.”

“What if I stray too far from the original design until I’m too different for you to handle?”

His eyes issue a challenge.  “I can handle it.”

You believe that.  You do.  It’s just–

“Plus,” Tae continues.  He cocks his head at you.  “No matter how many times you’ve reset, you’re still the same at your core, even if you can’t see it.  You’re resilient and kind.  Anxious in yourself, but fierce for others.  And you still baby me.  

"You know, I’m the oldest hyung in my family.  I always take care of my brother and sister and all of my cousins.  I’m expected to be the rock of my family, and in a way, I guess I succeeded.  I worked hard to be where I am so my siblings can do whatever they want.  But you were the first person to let me be me without any expectations.  You let me be silly and strange.  You follow my whims and encourage my weird.

“And if you hadn’t, I don’t know if I could have made it with the hyungs.  I’m a hyung to Jungkookie, but without you, I wouldn’t know how to be a dongsaeng to the hyungs.  To be soft so they can be hard.  To let go of control so they can be in control.  You gave me time to figure it out.  So you can be you without any expectations.  You’ve always taken the reins so I can daydream.  This is your daydream now and I can take the reins.”

You’re deeply touched, and you get it.  Just as you see the twelve year old him still buried in the man he is today, in the way he smiles, the dare in his eyes, he’s still just your Tae.  But you lightly scoff.  “Thank you for taking care of me, but you don’t fool me, Tae.  You still act like an oppa, like a hyung.  You take care of everyone in your wily ways.  You really are our dramatic alien, but I also know that you turn it on, on purpose, for BTS to give them energy.  I know you turn it on, on purpose, at home so everyone can turn off and get comfortable.  I know you turn it on, on purpose, to bring out the oppas’ instincts.  I know you turn it on, on purpose, so Namjoon-oppa, Jimin, and Jungkookie can be silly dongsaengs with you.  You are my silly dongsaeng, but you are also my oppa, Tae.”

“Just let me take the reins, noona.”

You watch the switch happen.  This conversation has been much too serious for far too long and, being called out for his ways, Tae retreats now, putting his hahoetal mask back on with that grin, his eyes twinkling in the way they do, impish and goofy, but wiser than anyone suspects.  The perfect disguise for the enigma that is Kim Taehyung.    And just because you know it’ll please him, you tell him, “You’re an enigma, Kim Taehyung.”

He pumps his fists in victory.  “Yes!  That’s all I’ve ever wanted!  Wait!  Does that mean I’ve peaked?!  I’m too young to peak!”

You’re so fond of this man as he rambles on a mile a minute.  The boy who adopted an anxious girl and a girl who was chosen by a fearless boy.  A Tom Sawyer who wanted you to be his Huckleberry Finn.  You know you fall short, but he’s always had enough Tom and Huck in himself that he never cares that you don’t.  That’s why you will always play along wholeheartedly.

You scoff.  “Oh, please.  I have no doubt you’ll always find a way to top yourself.”

“Ooh, kinky.  That’s what they call self-cest, right?”

“Oh, my god, Tae, are you reading fanfics?!”

“If Army didn’t want me to read their dream journals, they shouldn’t post it online.”

“But you’re asexual.”

“There are some asexual fanfics.”

“Then how do you know about self-cest?”

“Trial and error.  Lots of error.  Sometimes I can’t help myself, okay?”

You both laugh because if that isn’t Tae’s motto, you don’t know what is.  

The rest of dinner goes much like that, tangents you can’t fathom how you found yourself on, but filled with humor nonetheless.  By the end, you feel more settled than you’ve ever felt.  Maybe Tae’s right.  Maybe you can let him take the reins and just be the person you are right now.  Figure it out as you go along.

The both of you are waiting for the bill and you’re trying your best to reenact Jieun getting caught by Bang PD-nim doing an impression of him rapping, Tae giggling manically, when a man you don’t recognize enters.  

“Jung-hyung!” Tae shouts.  He tackles the man as you smooth your hair down, hoping this guy didn’t catch the last bit of your reenactment of Bang PD-nim flailing because when he sat down in Jieun’s chair, it was too tall, so he pulled the lever to lower it and it shot down too fast.

The man pulls back from the hug and says, “I saw ‘Vante’ on the reservation list and had to come say hi.  You know that pseudonym doesn’t fool anyone, right?”

“Yeah, I should have used Y/N’s name cuz’ she’s not as famous at all,” Tae says, pointing his thumb at you.

You sigh, but don’t take any offense to his teasing because you’re honestly grateful you’re not famous.  You don’t know what you would have done if your privacy was invaded on top of all your other issues.  You politely bow to the man and his lips quirk in amusement.  “Y/N,” he says, startling you.  “It’s been a while.  I hope the dongsaengs have been behaving themselves.”

“You hope for too much,” you say with a straightface, earning you chuckle.  Apparently, you have some sort of relationship with this man?  You try to silently communicate your need for assistance to Tae, but he’s paying you no mind, too busy climbing the man like a tree.  You don’t have to worry though because he receives your telepathy.

“Noona, Seokjung-hyung is Jin-hyung’s hyung.”

Realization dawns, Seokjung remembering that you might not remember him and you remembering that you’re at Jin’s brother’s restaurant, so this really shouldn’t surprise you.  

“Aish!” Seokjung exclaims.  “I’m so sorry, I forgot. I’m your Jungie-oppa.  I give Jin shit.  You give Jin shit.  We’re the give Jin shit team.”

You like the sound of that.  You can see a slight resemblance now, except he’s taller and has broader features than Jin.  His easy going nature immediately sets you at ease.  The charm must be genetic.

“All you need to remember is that I’m your favorite oppa,” he says with a very Jin-like wink.

“It’s just me here,” Tae says.  “If you want to sow the seeds of chaos, you need to wait till the rest of the hyungs are here.  Where is Jin-hyung by the way?”

“He’s at the park down the street with Areum and Byeol.  Areum is my wife,” Seokjung explains to you.  

“Areum and Byeol are here?!  You’re saying I can hang out with all three of my favorite girls?!” Tae exclaims.  He shimmies off Seokjung, nearly kneeing Seokjung in the groin.  

“What about Jieun-unnie?” you ask as Tae crouches in front of you.

“Jieun-noona is a menace.  A menace, I tell you!  Hyungie, pay for our dinner!”

“I already did.”  Seokjung rolls his eyes with no heat.

“What are you doing?” you ask incredulously.  Tae remains in his crouched position and you have no idea what’s going on.  

“Get on my back!  You’re too slow!” “I am not and I will not!”

“Get on my back, noona, or I’ll bridal carry you instead!”

At the very real threat, you grumble as you clamber onto his back.  He’s out the door before you can adjust yourself, but you manage to call out, “It was nice to see you, Jungie-oppa!  We ate well!  Thank you!”

“It was nice to see you too!  Kiss Byeol for me!” he calls back to you.

Tae marches you hurriedly down the alley towards where you assume the park is.  It’s funny watching all the plainclothes bodyguards trying to catch up with Tae’s antics.    

“Who’s Byeol?”  You sputter around wisps of Tae’s hair in your nose.

“Only the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world!”

“Wow, thanks.  That was some helpful information, Tae.”

“Anytime!”

The park comes into view, pathways lit, faerie lights in some trees, and a dark lake reflecting the moon.  You don’t know how Tae could possibly know where Jin is in this expanse, but he marches assuredly on.  It isn’t long before Jin comes into view.  There’s a small deck with a few benches.  He’s standing by the railing pointing at something on the lake and you hear a child-like squeal.  The sound seems to spur Tae on because he’s excitedly jogging with you struggling to find a comfortable position.  

“Tae, lemme off!”

“We’re almost there, you potato sack!”

“I am not a potato sack!  You forced me up here!”

“Cuz’ you’re slow!”

“I am not slow!  I am efficient with my energy!”

“Whatever you say, sloth lady!”

“I am not a sloth lady!”

“Okay, sloth man!”

“Tae!”

Your argument alerts Jin who turns around with wide eyes.  The deck is a bit in shadow, jutting out from the path and its lights, but you think you see him panic as you both approach.  

“Taehyung, what are you doing here?” Jin asks incredulously.  

“I’m here to see my niece!  Seokjung-hyung and Areum-noona have deprived me of her for too long!  Hand her over!”  Tae drops you unceremoniously and you stumble to catch your balance.  When you find your equilibrium again, Tae is blowing raspberries into the belly of the most adorable giggly little girl you have ever seen.  She can’t be more than two years old with pudgy cheeks and flailing miniature limbs.  She has Seokjung’s eyebrows and nose, and her dark hair is short, curling at the end.  This is not doing good things to your uterus, oh my god, she’s so cute!  “Byeol, look who’s here!”

Tae points you out and Byeol babbles happily, reaching out to you with chubby hands.  Who are you to deny this little one?  Byeol settles comfortably in your arms with no fuss, her little body tucked against all your curves.  She grabs your corsage, crushing some of the flowers and looks up at you with big beautiful brown eyes and long soft lashes.

“Aren’t the flowers pretty?  But not as pretty as you Byeol,” you coo conversationally.  You pretend to nip her cheek and she squeals in delight and you wish you could make wind chimes out of it.  You are literally melting, goo, a puddle.  Byeol’s nose is so cute, you don’t even try to resist eskimo kissing her, her face scrunching up toothily.   

“Noona, watch this!  Byeol!  Who’s the best?  You’re the best!  Kaepjjang!”

Byeol fists a hand and then gives a thumbs up.  She’s pleased when you all break into laughter.  Even Jin who has been quiet all this time laughs and you want to make a windchime out of that too.  It’s squeaky and hiccupy, and it is such an odd sound to come out of a handsome man, endearing in its contrast.  

“Aigoo, I can’t believe she remembers what samchon Yoongi taught her.  Our Byeol is so smart," Jin says.

“Yoongi-hyung is gonna be so jealous we got to see her,” Tae states gleefully.

Byeol reaches out to Jin and emits an excited squeal as Jin immediately scoops her up making airplane sounds.  You pout feeling bereft of her warm, sturdy, compact body.  

As Tae points out a bird to the little one, you glance around, realizing you’re missing someone.  “Where’s Byeol’s eomma?  Jungie-oppa said she’d be here.”

“She’s here,” Tae answers instead of Jin.

Jin huffs a sigh.  “Areum-noona is just a little ways down the path.  The stroller decided it was the best time to malfunction during a night stroll.”

Tae begins playing peekaboo with Byeol, so you move in closer to Jin to catch her radiant expression.  

“So you met, Seokjung-hyung, huh?  And now you’re here to see Areum-noona and Byeol.  How fortuitous.”  Jin’s tone is weird.  When you glance at him, he’s giving a pointed look at Tae who easily ignores him.

You suddenly feel bad, even if this wasn’t your idea.  Jin hadn’t invited you to meet his family and you blindsided him.  “Sorry for intruding on your family time.”

Jin instantly turns to you, expression horrified.  “No, Y/N.  Don’t apologize.  Tae is just annoying.  I just–you could never intrude.”

“Smooth,” Tae says like a brat.  Jin responds with a jab Tae isn’t quick enough to dodge.  “Ow!  Help!  Byeol, I’m dying!”  

Tae dramatically flops to the ground to the chorus of  Byeol's giggles.

“Now look who’s slow, sloth man," you say as the three of you tower over him.

“I’m not a sloth man.”

“Okay, sloth lady.”

“How did I get stuck with you two on my night off?” Jin despairs.  “It’s like I’m watching three babies.”

“Wow.  Filicide.  Way to turn this biblical.  I like it!” Tae says from the ground.  He gives a thumbs up and Byeol gives him one too.  Oh, you could just eat her up. So cute!

Instead, you lightly elbow Jin.  "I don't think you have a leg to stand on with your Mario figurines and Maplestory plushies," you tease.

"Cuz that's so much worse than a room with my face plastered all over it like a shrine."  Jin smirks at your growing horror.

Oh my god.  You kick Tae who "oof"s. "Tae, I told you that in confidence!"

Tae's eyes widen.  "You can't remember what you ate two weeks ago, but you remember telling me that in confidence?!"

"I didn't remember, but thanks for confirming, you dog bird! And no one remembers what they ate two weeks ago!" you hiss.  

"Waffles. Chapagetti. Ojingeo bokkeum."

"You made that up!"

"No, I didnt!"

"Dog bird!"

"Y/N!" Tae whines.

There's no way you'd ever volunteer that info to Jin who is now squeaking the most you’ve ever heard him squeak.  Of course, Tae told him.  He’s a sucker for bribes and probably traded that secret for nothing more than dumplings.  Tae begs apologies to you, but you're having none of it.  You're so embarrassed you could die.

Byeol reaches for Tae so Jin carefully sets her on Tae’s stomach, who immediately pulls her down to nuzzle her ruddy cheeks.  Ignoring Jin’s continued amusement at your expense, you dig out your phone and start taking pictures.  As you snap pictures of the two, you can’t help but think this is what Tae meant.  Making new memories.  Having new experiences.  You feel eyes on you.  Jin’s laughter has subsided, but he watches you three, content.  He winks at you and you wink back.  

A small woman appears beside him.  “You know, the other day, I almost thought Byeol was having a stroke, but I finally figured out her weird blink was just her trying to wink.  I’m kind of scared to see what she’s gonna be like as an adult with all of you influencing her,” she says wryly as she parks her stroller.  

“Well, at least she has Y/N and noona, so it won’t be that bad,” Tae coos, stroking Byeol’s back.

Areum waves his flattery away, for this must be Areum.  Light brown hair and fae-like with her sharp eyes and sharp nose, but soft lashes and delicate hands.  You’re immediately intimidated by her, but to your surprise she pulls you in and embraces you.  For such a small person, she hugs like a bear.  She pulls back and gives you a once over.  

“You look like you’re in one piece, so that’s good,” she says, gently brushing your hair back.  “I’m Areum, Seokjung’s wife and Jin’s hyungsu.  I know you don’t remember me, but if you ever need anything, like a break from those crazy boys, you just call unnie, okay?  You have my number in your phone.”  

Her motherly tone is warm and inviting and you can't hide the eagerness in your voice.  “I don’t need a break, but I’d love to spend time with you.”   

Areum exudes a quiet confidence that you wish you could emulate.  It isn’t arrogant or vain, even though she’d have every right to be with her looks, but rather it’s a surety in how she holds herself.  Like she knows who she is and what she brings to the table.  You could do with some of that.

You’re graced with a pleased smile.  “Let’s do dinner on Saturday then.  We’d love to spend one on one time with you.  Plus, I think Byeol would love that.”

“Me too.  Let’s do it.”

“What about me?” Tae whines.  “I want to spend more time with Byeol.”

Areum turns a stern look at Tae.  “I know for a fact you have a GQ photoshoot that evening.  There’s no way you’re getting out of it.  Don’t pout.  You don’t think I’ve become immune?  Byeol has taught me resolve of steel.”

Tae makes a sad cry when Areum lifts a sleepy Byeol off him.  

“Sorry, samchon.  You can schedule a different day.  I need to get oppa and this little one home and into bed.  Say goodbye, Byeol.” 

Byeol rubs her eyes and half-consciously waves.  Your eyes catch Tae’s and you share a telepathic contemplation of kidnapping, but you’re scheming is interrupted by the sight of Jin kissing Byeol.  With a sleight of hand you’re not normally capable of, you manage to take a picture in time.  It’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen, and you secretly set it as your homescreen.  Movement has you looking up as Areum starts moving away.

“Wait!  Seokjung told me to give Byeol a kiss.”  Areum pauses and kindly waits for you, her smile encouraging despite your outburst.  

Byeol is already asleep in the stroller, hand clutching a blanket and mouth open in a soft o.  You stroke her hair and press your lips to her soft cheek.  “Sweet dreams, Byeol.” 

You place your corsage next to her, petals brushing her hair.  You know Tae won’t get mad at you for passing the gift on.  It just feels right to do.  The three of you watch Areum make her way out of the park, carefully pushing Byeol.  

Your hair stands on end.  Your heartbeat quickens and your body tenses, your gut clenching.  You’re not sure why, until you spot people following Areum and Byeol.  Your mind sounds an alarm, words like ‘stalker’, ‘sasaeng’, and ‘protect’ blaring.  You move to chase after them, but Jin catches your naked wrist.

“It’s okay.  Breathe, Y/N.  They’re just bodyguards,” he explains.  He rubs your wrist and takes a deep breath, showing you how to breathe.  And now you see it, when Tae and Jin’s bodyguards nod to those people.  You continue the deep, steady breaths, the ball of panic dissipating.

Tae tugs the hem of your sweater from your hand.  You hadn’t even noticed you were fiddling with it.  “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.  I’m okay,” you answer weakly.  You suddenly feel exhausted.  Exhausted from a full day.  A good day that you refuse to let the last thirty seconds ruin.

Jin shifts his hand to interlace your fingers.  “Let’s go home.”

You nod and Tae loops your free arm into his, a note of whimsy in your steps as you all stroll home.

Previous Chapter <- - -> Next Chapter

Back to the Multiverse - Join the Taglist - Back to Series Masterlist

Taglist: @miksancheese @justamomnamedamie

[nieded]

thoughts on Zandvoort?? 👀

i'll put my thoughts below the cut for spoilers sake. i will also take this opportunity to remind people to please not send me asks or leave comments on fic with race spoilers because i do not get to watch races live. i have had about 80% of the races spoiled this year by people excitedly leaving me comments. on one hand, i absolutely love how many people are now into f1 and are excited to share it with me, but also, i have to be on media blackout on race weekends now. :/

thoughts on zandvoort below:

i'm really happy for lando! i did laugh when one of the commentators was like, 'if lando wins, he will double his race wins!' but i do think having a second win is fundamental to him succeeding in the future to prove the first win wasn't a fluke. but bruh, stop spinning your tires at the start line. he has a 0% conversion rate of keeping pole position from quali to race start. what's up?

i am very curious about what's going on with that red bull. both verstappen and perez have reported that car is unpredictable, and i see they returned to some older specs just to have the car be more stable. i've seen it suggested that red bull maximized the potential of their car last season with a very low ceiling for improvement, whereas mclaren had a very high ceiling with plenty of room to grow, even though it took them three years to master the regulations. i have a feeling this is the case, and it will be interesting to see what happens next year with the last year of the current regulations. while i'm excited someone is taking it to red bull, i do fear next season will be a mclaren dominant season where we're all bored again, so i hope mercedes continues to make progress, and uh, ferrari too. who knows what's happening over there.

also, RB WHAT THE FUCK? it's like only one side of the garage is allowed the brain cells each race. every race, they manage to fuck up either yuki or danny's strategy. today it was yuki! vcarb keeps talking about how they're not a junior team for rbr but a sister team, but that's bullshit until you can get your strategy sorted out!

[bekubuilders]

Which qualities should home builders possess for brickwork, loft conversions, and garage conversions?

Home builders who specialize in brickwork, loft conversions, and garage conversions should possess a range of qualities to ensure successful completion of these projects. Some essential qualities include:

Experience and Expertise: Builders should have extensive experience and expertise in bricklaying, loft conversions, and garage conversions. They should be skilled in all aspects of these projects, including structural work, carpentry, and finishing.

Attention to Detail: Attention to detail is crucial in brickwork and conversions to ensure precision and quality in the construction process. Builders should have a keen eye for detail and be meticulous in their workmanship.

Creativity and Innovation: Builders should be creative and innovative in their approach to loft and garage conversions, finding practical and aesthetically pleasing solutions to maximize space and functionality.

Problem-Solving Skills: Home builders often encounter unexpected challenges during construction projects. Builders should have strong problem-solving skills to address issues quickly and effectively, minimizing delays and disruptions.

Communication Skills: Effective communication is essential for builders to understand clients' needs and preferences, as well as to coordinate with other tradespeople involved in the project. Builders should be able to communicate clearly and professionally with clients, subcontractors, and suppliers.

Project Management Abilities: Builders should possess strong project management skills to oversee all aspects of brickwork and conversions, including scheduling, budgeting, and coordination of subcontractors. They should be able to manage resources efficiently and ensure projects are completed on time and within budget.

Adherence to Building Codes and Regulations: Builders should have a thorough understanding of local building codes and regulations governing brickwork and conversions. They should ensure that all work complies with these requirements to ensure safety and legality.

Customer Focus: Builders should prioritize customer satisfaction and strive to meet clients' needs and expectations. They should be responsive to client feedback and concerns, providing exceptional service throughout the project.

Quality Materials and Workmanship: Builders should use high-quality materials and demonstrate excellent workmanship in all aspects of brickwork and conversions. They should take pride in their craft and deliver results that stand the test of time.

Professionalism and Integrity: Finally, builders should conduct themselves with professionalism and integrity at all times. They should be honest, reliable, and transparent in their dealings with clients, subcontractors, and suppliers.

By possessing these qualities, home builders specializing in brickwork, loft conversions, and garage conversions can deliver outstanding results and ensure a positive experience for their clients.

If you're seeking builders in Brighton, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We have the Professional Builders in Shoreham, Builders Hove and builders Worthing.

[sleepy-eepy-head]

Some Illia and Judith being affectionate/romantic thoughts:

-Judith's wires moving slowly and wrapping around Illia's free arm and hand when he's working on her circuitry. Little ways that Judith initiates intimacy while having a mechanical body as big as a house.

-Illia sleeping in Judith's cockpit. Some weeks he's rarely in his bunk. Judith regulates the cockpit and pilot seat temperature to make sure Illia is comfortable.

-Illia sitting on the crook of Judith's shoulder and having long conversations with her. Judith can't talk like a person, but can respond in ways that Illia understands. People say that Illia talks to himself at length when he works on Judith, but many don’t realize it's far from a one sided conversation.

-Judith calling to Illia if she feels lonely in the hanger using her future vision Impossibility. If he's somewhere like the ship's cafeteria, she'll do something like send him a vision of the mac and cheese set out for the day being all gone or someone in the room spilling a warm drink that Illia likes. Something small to get his attention and say "Hey, I miss you."

-Illia installing internal speakers and music storage system into Judith's memory drive so that they can listen to music together. Illia likes listening to music most similar to 70's-90's garage punk, and found that Judith responds the best to classical and experimental noise music. Sometimes Judith turns on the sounds system even if Illia's not around, scaring the pants off of people alone in the hangar.

*Spicens under the cut*

-Illia wanting to make love to Judith, but not even knowing how to bring it up with her or how it would even work. He's gradually growing more comfortable with allowing himself to be more intimate with her, and feeling more normal with feelings of arousal associated with her, but he's not quite sure how to deal with sexual feelings yet. For now, Illia experiments with sometimes wearing clothing that shows more skin while working on Judith and letting her touch him with her wires and mechanical apparatuses that she can move freely.

-Judith does like it. She doesn't really experience sexual feelings like humans do, since frames do not biologically reproduce. However, she is enamored by Illia's organic form and how it works, as I like to think she has a curious personality similar to Illia. Being able to be intimate with Illia's human body makes her happy in a way she can't articulate.

[saragargan]

I’ll Be Frankenstein, You Be the Monster -4

masterlist

While you head upstairs to change, Michael clears the plates and washes them in the sink. He felt stuffed, quite literally. He was grateful for what you’d done, of course, but the organs inside of him felt wrong. Like they weren’t quite the same size as what he’d had his entire life. He’d get used to it, he supposed. Not like he had much of a choice.

 Michael was in awe of you. You’d remained so calm in the face of what he’d brought to you. Anyone else would have screamed, ran away or fainted. Probably all three. He knew he must've been a terrible sight, yet you hadn’t hesitated. You’d taken him in, fixed him as much as he could be, and committed several jailable offenses to do so.

 Deciding to wait for you outside, Michael steps onto the porch. The thermostat outside reads nearly 80, but he shivers. He supposed his body had too much going on to regulate his body temperature, but the constant cold was a little irritating. The only time he’d felt warm was last night, when he’d dragged you down into his bed and buried himself in your arms. Your skin had been burning hot against his, but he relished in your warmth.

 Michael steps back inside to grab a sweatshirt off the back of the door. Admittedly, he felt a little ashamed of what he’d done. He doubted the last thing you wanted was to cuddle up to a (former) corpse, and he knew he couldn’t have smelled too great. But you hadn’t complained or shied from his touch. You’d let him hold you, invade your personal space. It made him feel something he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with.

 He hears your footsteps on the stairs, and once again leaves his apartment. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, he almost doesn’t recognize you.

 Your dark hair is pulled back out of your face, and the black makeup usually present on your eyes is gone. You wear a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans, a tattered pair of converse on your feet.

 Michael stares.

 “What?” You ask nervously.

 “You’re wearing jeans.” He’s decided that was the most shocking thing about your new appearance. Your lips part into a smile, and you laugh.

 “Well yeah. I do own normal clothes, you know.”

 You start across the lawn, not headed for your car, but for the garage. Michael follows you like a shadow. Lifting the garage door, he’s shocked to find another car inside. A black Pontiac, not unlike the one his father used to drive.

 “Figured this was a little more low-key than the hearse.” You say before climbing into the driver’s seat.

 “Only a little.” Michael says, and you give him a sarcastic smirk.

 The car roars to life in a satisfying way, the engine idling repetitively. Michael climbs into the passenger seat, the interior of the car all too familiar. The major difference between your car and his father’s was that yours didn’t smell like it had a decade’s worth of cigarette smoke imbued in the cloth.

 You push a cassette back into the tape player -most people had moved onto CDs at this point- and a band he’d never heard of starts to play.

 You’re both silent for the drive, nothing but the sound of your music and the wind. The windows of the car were heavily tinted, and Michael kept his cracked only enough to allow a breeze. You however, had the window fully down and Michael can’t help but sneak glances at you. The way the afternoon sun warmed your skin, strands of your hair that had come loose and flew about your face in the wind. The way your hands gripped the steering wheel, your fingers keeping pace with the guitar riffs on the song, or occasionally the drums.

 By the time you pull into the parking lot for the butcher shop, you’ve swapped out the tape for another. The music was strange, but it wasn’t all too bad. Michael even found himself enjoying it. You park the car, turning off the engine.

 “I assume you’re staying here?” You ask, and Michael nods.

 “Alright. I’ll try to be quick.”

 You exit the car, the door shutting heavily behind you. As you cross the parking lot, Michael can’t help but notice the way your jeans hug your ass, and heat blooms across his face once again.

 He’d never really felt this way about anyone before. Sure there had been flings in the past. But they never meant more to him than a distraction. But you were different. Even before you’d put him back together and literally brought him back from the dead, just the sight of you made his heart beat faster. He hadn’t known what to do about it then, and he certainly didn’t now.

 Oh, how he longed to touch you. To cup your cheek in his hands, press his lips to yours. To hold you close in the dark of the night, tangled together in a sweet, intimate embrace. He wanted you to want him, to beg for his touch, to lace your fingers into his hair and pull him closer.

 Lost in his romantic musings, Michael doesn’t notice your approach until the car sways after you open the trunk. He hears the unmistakable sound of ice being poured into a cooler, and then the trunk slams shut.

 When you climb back into the driver's seat, your nose wrinkles.

 “Mike, when we get home you      really     need to take a shower.”

 Heat blooms across his cheeks for what seems like the millionth time today, and he feels the sudden urge to hide.

 “Sorry…” He hates himself at that moment. Here he’d been, daydreaming about making love to you, only for you to get in the car and point out that he smells like a corpse. Stupid, stupid, stupid…

 Your hand falls to his forearm, squeezing gently.

 “Aw, don’t take it to heart Mikey.” Despite himself, a thrill goes through him at the nickname.

 “I mean…” You begin, your tone taking on a hint of mischief. “You’re having a hard time standing for extended periods of time, so you’ll probably need a little help…”

 You trail off as the meaning behind your words sink into Michael’s brain. He turns to stare at you, incredulous. You offer him a sweet smile, and Michael has to look away, cheeks aflame. He hears you laugh lightly as you turn over the engine, and can’t decide if you were teasing or not. You’d never been cruel like that before, and he couldn’t imagine you’d start now, but…you couldn’t be serious?

 Suddenly, a black bag is thrust into his lap. Your cassette tape storage.

 “Pick something to listen to.”

 Michael shuffles around in the tape bag, surprised when he finds bands that are popular enough for him to know. When he finally selects a tape, he hands it to you, and as you swap it out, you inspect his selection, a smile tugging at your lips. The album art had a ghoulish creature emerging from a tree, the background was blue and a full moon shone in the sky.

 “Interesting choice.”

 As you drive home, Michael barely hears the music that plays. His thoughts are confused. There’s a part of him that believes you, that believes you were genuine, that maybe you could feel the same about him. The other part of him can’t believe you, can’t imagine you’d want him, undead or not and he finds himself resentful at the possibility that you had been intentionally cruel just now .

 Lost in thought, he’s pulled back to reality by the sensation of something touching his leg, and looks down to see your black-painted fingernails resting on his thigh. He looks up at you, but your eyes are fixed on the road in front you. However, you seem to sense his gaze, because your mouth curls up at the corners, and your hand squeezes him slightly. Michael shivers, and the sensation goes straight to his lap, making him blush yet again. Your hand moves from his thigh to his arm, pulling his hand from his sweatshirt pocket and entwining your fingers with his.

 You stay like that for most of the drive, except for moments when you needed both hands, or flipped the cassette over. Every time, you offer your hand again, and Michael gladly takes it, enjoying your warmth and the feeling of your skin against his.

 By the time you pull into the driveway he’s run through about a dozen impossible fantasies of what was going to happen when you got home. Each one more unlikely than the last, more indulgent and more filthy than the one before.

 You pull the cooler out of the trunk and head upstairs while Michael exits the car, moving to the porch and leaning heavily against one of the columns. He knew there was no way he was making it up those stairs on his own, so he just waited for you to come back down.  

 After a few minutes, you descend the staircase, crossing the lawn and closing the trunk on your car. You stop to roll the windows up, Michael’s eyes tracing your form as you crawl inside the car to get the passenger window. Then you start towards him, and when you reach him you offer your arm.

 “Ready?” You ask, eyes indicating the stairs.

 It’s a bigger struggle than he initially thought it would be. It takes nearly ten minutes for him to ascend the stairs, leaning into you for support. At one point you’d offered to carry him, but he declined. Not because he doubted you could, but because he was determined to do it (somewhat) on his own.

 When the two of you finally reach the landing, Michael feels as though he may pass out, and lets you guide him into your apartment, easing him onto the couch.

   Michael had never been in your apartment before, and takes the opportunity to observe his surroundings as you leave to unpack the cooler. He’s not entirely surprised to find your apartment is decorated like a haunted house, but there’s nothing tacky about it. Each piece seemed to have been carefully placed, complimenting the pieces around it. It was busy, but not cluttered.

 It was comforting. It was      you    . Strange and unique and beautiful. He felt as though he’d stepped into a private corner of your mind. The way people decorated their homes was so telling of their character.

 He didn’t really want to think about how his apartment      wasn’t     decorated, and only had the basics. The closest thing he had to decoration was the sunburst clock on the wall behind his television.

 “Michael.”

 Your voice interrupts his thoughts, and he turns to find you waiting in the doorway. You hold your hand out to him.

 “C’mon.”

     Oh. Right.  

 Michael takes your hand and pulls himself up from your extremely comfortable couch. Heart pounding, he lets you lead him down the hallway.

 You turn on the bathroom light, and he’s not surprised in the least that it’s decorated to match the rest of the apartment. The shower is a massive corner unit, with more than one showerhead, a tub at the bottom, and a place to sit. Letting go of his hand, you pull the shower curtain across the rail and turn on the water. Michael lingers in the doorway, unsure of what to do.

 With your back still to him, you pull your shirt up over your head. You let it fall to the ground, then pop the button on your jeans, shimmying them down your legs. The fabric pools at your feet, and you step out of them as you turn to face him.

 Michael isn’t sure if the reason his head is swimming is because he’s been standing too long, or the sight of you standing there in your underwear, looking at him expectantly.

 “Come here.” You command him, voice soft. Compelled by the half-lidded look on your face, Michael moves forward without even realizing he was moving his feet. His hands automatically reach out to hold your hips, and then he freezes, eyes flicking up to yours and wondering if that was too far.

 But you smile encouragingly at him, and push the sweatshirt off his shoulders. Your fingers find their way under the hem of his shirt, and you start to take that off too, but Michael’s hands flash to your wrists.

 “W-wait..” Suddenly remembering the horrific state of his body, Michael feels nervous.

 “It’s okay.” You whisper, reassuring him. Michael swallows, releasing your wrists. As you pull the shirt over his head, his eyes close.

 When your hands move to his pants, he jumps, and he can hear you laugh under your breath again. He lets you undress him, fighting the urge to cover himself. Then your hands are taking his, placing them on your hips. Michael opens his eyes when your hand presses against his cheek.

 You gaze up at him heatedly, and he doesn’t need you to say it out loud to know that you were inviting him to finish undressing you.

 Michael hooks his fingers under the band of your panties, and pushes them down your thighs as far as he can reach. He’s got an image in his head, of pulling them down to your ankles as he goes to his knees, pressing his lips to your stomach, exploring further down, hoisting your leg over his shoulder and tasting you…

 But he’s certain if he were to go to his knees right now, he wouldn’t be able to get back up.

 Instead, you wiggle your hips enough that they fall the rest of the way down, and Michael’s hands move to your back. He undoes each of the hooks on your bra one by one, and then slides it off your shoulders, down your arms. It joins the rest of the clothes on the floor.

 You pull your hair out of its updo and it falls down, framing your face. Then you turn and step into the shower, disappearing behind the curtain. Taking a deep breath, Michael follows you.

[anterocash]

semi charmed life. pt. 2

part one.

The irony of Cash hotboxing in a hospital parking garage is while he’s there to visit someone who overdosed isn’t lost on him. Still, he needs to slow down and recenter. Ryuhwan requires a version of Cash that he needs to smoke out of himself. Cash’s mind can’t handle everything happening in the past three hours, he needs to text his girlfriend, but he doesn’t want to worry her. He wants to punch Minho in the face and put him in his own hospital bed. Cash is feeling overstimulated after the adrenaline of earlier crashes. 

Minho calls Cash for the third time, and he hits ignore again. With a couple of text messages sent seconds later. 

Minho: Cash, I am sorry  Minho: Is he okay?? Minho: I'm so sorry… 

Cash can’t handle both men and groans, slamming his palm into the steering wheel as if that would help regulate him somehow. He does it over and over until it starts to hurt that prick of pain is what he latches to and takes another hit, inhaling one last time; a cloud follows him out of the car when the door opens; Cash sighs heavily. 

— 

Being the visitor instead of the patient is a nice change. Cash can’t deny that as he limps behind the nurse, who insists she leads him to Ryuhwan’s room. He slaps the visitor’s sticker onto his denim jacket, stopping abruptly when she turns to face him instead of opening the door. “He’s asleep,” she says in a hushed tone. Her perfume catches Cash’s nose, and he takes a step back with a nod. He zips his lips shut and steels himself for the next second as she opens the door. Cash blinks. All hospitals are the same, just different colors; they all smell and give off the same vibes. After draping his jacket over the back of the chair placed next to the hospital bed, Cash sits, taken back in time to his own overdose, the look on his mother’s face — Cash is not going to put Ryuhwan through that. He hadn’t even called the younger man’s mother, which would require Cash to call Larry to get her number, and he would ask questions, and Cash did not want to have that conversation with him. 

Cash doesn’t know if Ryuhwan wants the TV on and off, so he doesn’t touch the remote. Stuck with the sounds of the machines and his own thoughts, Cash quickly pulls his AirPods out, shoving them into his ears, slouching to get comfortable; he gets his phone out. Might as well try to unscramble his thoughts, hospital Wi-Fi isn’t horrible, and Cash gets some emails dealt with that he told Seulgi he would tend to himself instead of putting them off onto her. After getting to know Ryuhwan when he wasn’t tossing cans of beer at Cash’s head, they learned they both enjoyed similar genres of music: girl groups being one of them. Cash puts on a playlist of their shared favorite songs and starts tapping away at the screen on his phone.

Min played it easy with drugs until he had no choice but to make a stupid decision after Miranda’s neighbors called the cops on him; he could have just tossed the stash but making a run to do that didn’t seem like a good idea even in Min’s coked out mind that night. The idiot thought the best action was to swallow the eight-ball before the cops figured it out and cuffed him. Min didn’t take into account that he didn’t do that amount of coke at once typically; he thought he’d poop the bag out Narcos style and figure out how to make bail before four pm the next day, except the complete opposite happened. 

He doesn’t remember anything after getting placed into the back of the NYPD vehicle and waking up to a look of pure contempt on Connie’s face. Cash wonders if he wasn’t handcuffed to the hospital bed with an officer standing outside the door listening to Connie rip her only son to shreds.

This isn’t about what happened to Minkyu. 

Cash does everything but look at Ryuhwan while he sleeps; the sounds of him waking up doesn’t change that; he makes a point to keep his eyes fixed on the screen, he idly thinks he probably should have texted his girlfriend, but once again, he’s not wholly sound himself. The weed got the edge off, which makes it easy for him to give Ryuhwan a soft look when he calls out with a rough voice, and Cash pours him a cup of water. Hospitals have the best ice tied with Sonic Drive-Thru because they share similarities. Cash makes a cup for himself, bites the Styrofoam out of habit. Cold water tastes good, no matter what; anti-water heathens delude themselves into believing. 

“Howdy, sailor.” Cash says in English around crunched up ice in his mouth. Ryuhwan laughs, which quickly turns into coughing and drinking water on his end, and Cash thinks yeah, things are going to be okay.

– 

The room is heavy after the nurse leaves them. Once alerted of Ryuhwan’s awakened state, they fussed over him – he could have walked about of the ER after they dropped him off, he would have preferred that, but the ordeal itself was an embarrassing wake-up call and asked to be admitted. He would detox in the hospital and return to his mother’s house. Cash shut that down immediately and said he’d pay for Ryuhwan’s inpatient program; detoxing and going home wouldn’t be enough for Ryuhwan, and Cash knew that first-hand.

“I know you’re embarrassed right now….” Cash starts, thinking of Ryuhwan’s tears in his living room hours before, “But this is not the end of the world if anything….” Cash sighs, leaning back into the seat when Ryuhwan speaks before he can finish his sentence.  

“You don’t have to pay for this. My mom has health insurance through her job. I can just ask –” 

“Dude, you aren’t going to get the help you actually need in Korea, I need you to do something you probably don’t want, and that is to trust me.” Cash implores, and Ryuhwan finally turns the television on; the volume is down low, though, and that’s enough for Cash to keep talking. “Now, before I was so rudely interrupted,” he says in jest. “This isn’t the end of the world, Ryuhwan. I promise life is going to get better after this, and I don’t break my promises often, not unless I have to, but the thing here is, I don’t want to break this promise. I won’t. You have to trust me, okay?”

Ryuhwan looks pained; it’s been a long day. He nods, blinking the tears from his vision to see Cash clearly. 

“Okay.”

[energy-5]

Maintenance Tips for Optimal EV Battery Health

The battery is the heart of an electric vehicle (EV), and maintaining its health is crucial for ensuring the longevity and efficiency of your ride. Electric vehicles are reshaping the automotive landscape with their eco-friendly credentials and low operational costs. As an EV owner, one of your top priorities should be battery maintenance. Here's how you can ensure your EV's battery remains in tip-top shape.

Understanding Your EV Battery

Before diving into maintenance tips, it's essential to understand what your EV battery is made of and how it functions. Most EVs use lithium-ion batteries, similar to those in your smartphone but on a much larger scale. These batteries are preferred for their high energy density and long life span. They consist of cells grouped into modules, which together make up the battery pack. A Battery Management System (BMS) monitors and regulates the battery's temperature, voltage, and current.

Regular Use and Driving Habits

One of the simplest ways to maintain your EV's battery is by using your vehicle regularly. Long periods of inactivity can negatively affect battery health. When driving, it's wise to avoid pushing your EV to its limits too often. Frequent high-speed driving and rapid acceleration can strain the battery, reducing its lifespan. Data suggests that EVs driven smoothly and at consistent speeds can see battery life extended by up to 10%.

Optimal Charging Practices

Charging habits significantly impact your EV's battery health. Although it may seem convenient to charge your battery to 100% every time, it's better to keep it between 20% and 80% most of the time. This practice, known as 'shallow charging,' can extend your battery's life. According to a study by Battery University, lithium-ion batteries kept at a 100% charge level at all times can lose up to 20% capacity in a year, while those kept at 80% showed only a 4% loss.

Temperature Management

Extreme temperatures are the enemy of EV batteries. Exposure to high temperatures can lead to faster chemical reactions within the battery, potentially reducing its capacity and life span. Conversely, cold temperatures can decrease the battery's efficiency and range. While you can't control the weather, you can minimize exposure to extreme temperatures by parking in the shade or a garage. Using your EV's pre-conditioning function, if available, can bring the battery to an optimal operating temperature before you set off, without taxing the battery itself.

Software Updates and Professional Servicing

Keeping your EV's software up to date is a vital part of battery maintenance. Automakers frequently release software updates that can improve battery management and efficiency. Additionally, periodic professional check-ups can catch potential issues before they become serious problems. Battery systems are complex and can benefit from a diagnostic eye. Manufacturers often provide detailed guidance on maintenance intervals, and following these can prolong the life of your battery.

Long-Term Storage

If you plan to store your EV for an extended period, it's important to prepare the battery properly. The ideal charge level for long-term storage is around 50%. Additionally, it's best to store your EV in a cool, dry place and to check the charge level every few months, topping it up if necessary.

Recalibration and Balance

Over time, an EV battery can lose its calibration, meaning the car's estimate of the charge level may become less accurate. To recalibrate, you should fully charge and then fully discharge the battery once every few months. This process helps maintain cell balance and ensures that the BMS accurately reads the battery's state of charge.

Your electric vehicle's battery health is paramount to its performance and longevity. By following these maintenance tips and keeping abreast of the latest care techniques, you can help ensure that your EV remains a reliable and efficient mode of transportation for years to come. With more manufacturers investing in battery technology and longevity, we can anticipate even more robust batteries in the future. However, for now, these tips serve as a foundation for responsible EV ownership and battery care.

[lydconstruction]

Best ADU Builders in Seattle

When considering building an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in Seattle, finding the best ADU builders in Seattle is crucial to ensuring the success of your project. ADUs offer a great way to maximize property value while providing additional living space for family members, guests, or even as a rental unit. With Seattle’s growing demand for affordable housing, ADUs have become an increasingly popular choice for homeowners looking to expand their property.

The best builders in Seattle have a deep understanding of local zoning laws, building codes, and the unique challenges of the city’s landscape. From selecting the right design to managing the construction process, skilled ADU builders help bring your vision to life, ensuring quality work that meets all regulations.

When searching for best ADU builders in Seattle, it’s essential to consider experience, reputation, and expertise in handling ADU projects. Builders who specialize in these structures will offer creative solutions tailored to your specific needs and budget, whether it’s a detached unit, garage conversion, or basement remodel.

For a successful ADU build, working with a trusted professional ensures that the project stays on track and within budget.

Reach out to LYD Construction for expert ADU construction services.

LYD Construction

1 143rd Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98007, United States

+ 1 425 754 4545

[garrage-door-services]

How to Choose the Best Garage Door for Your Home in Camarillo

Choosing the right garage door for your home is not merely a matter of aesthetics; it’s an essential decision that impacts your home's security, energy efficiency, and overall curb appeal. In a vibrant community like Camarillo, where unique architectural styles abound, selecting the perfect garage door can be both exciting and daunting. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various considerations you need to keep in mind when choosing a garage door, ensuring that you make an informed decision suited to your specific needs and style preferences.

Understanding Your Options

The first step in selecting the best garage door for your home is to familiarize yourself with the different types of doors available on the market. Garage doors come in a variety of materials, styles, and mechanisms. Common materials include steel, wood, aluminum, and fiberglass, each offering distinct advantages and disadvantages.

Steel garage doors are known for their durability and low maintenance requirements, making them a popular choice for many homeowners. They are often insulated, providing better energy efficiency, which is particularly beneficial in the varying climates of Camarillo. On the other hand, wooden doors offer a natural, classic aesthetic that can enhance the charm of your home. However, they require more maintenance to prevent warping and weather damage.

Aluminum and fiberglass doors are lighter and resistant to rust, making them a good option for coastal areas. They can mimic the appearance of wood while providing a more durable alternative. Understanding these options will help you make a more informed decision based on your lifestyle, budget, and aesthetic preferences.

Evaluating Style and Design

Once you have a grasp of the different materials, it’s time to consider the design and style of your garage door. The design should complement the architectural style of your home and neighborhood. For instance, if you live in a traditional-style home, a carriage house-style garage door may enhance its charm. Conversely, modern homes often pair well with sleek, minimalist designs.

Additionally, consider the color and finish of the door. Your garage door should harmonize with the overall color scheme of your home. A well-chosen color can make your home stand out while still feeling cohesive with its surroundings. Many manufacturers offer a range of customizable options, allowing you to create a door that reflects your unique taste.

Another important aspect of design is the window placement. Windows can add an element of elegance and allow natural light into your garage, but they should be selected with care. Consider how window designs, sizes, and placements affect the overall look and functionality of the garage door.

Prioritizing Security Features

Security is a paramount concern when choosing a garage door. A garage door can serve as a weak point in your home’s security if not properly designed or installed. To enhance security, look for doors that come with sturdy locks and tamper-resistant features. Reinforced frames and impact-resistant materials can also provide enhanced security against forced entry.

Moreover, consider the type of garage door opener you will be using. Modern garage door openers often come equipped with advanced security features such as rolling codes, which change the access code each time the door is opened, making it difficult for unauthorized users to gain access. Ensuring that your garage door and opener work together seamlessly can significantly bolster your home’s security.

Considering Energy Efficiency

In a city like Camarillo, where temperatures can vary, energy efficiency should be a significant factor in your decision-making process. An insulated garage door can help regulate the temperature of your garage, making it more comfortable and reducing energy costs. This is especially important if your garage is connected to your home or if you use it for activities that require climate control.

Look for doors with high R-values, which measure the door's thermal resistance. The higher the R-value, the better the door will insulate your garage. Additionally, ensure that the door is properly sealed around the edges to prevent drafts and heat loss.

The Importance of Professional Installation

While selecting the perfect garage door is crucial, it is equally important to consider the installation process. Proper installation is key to ensuring that your garage door functions smoothly and lasts for many years. Many homeowners underestimate the complexity of garage door installation, which involves precise measurements, lifting heavy components, and ensuring that all mechanisms work properly.

For this reason, it is advisable to seek professional help for your garage door installation in Camarillo. Experienced technicians have the expertise to handle the installation process efficiently and safely, ensuring that your garage door operates as intended. A professional installation can also protect your warranty, as many manufacturers require that their products be installed by certified technicians.

Maintenance and Upkeep

After selecting and installing your garage door, it’s vital to consider the maintenance it will require. Different materials demand different levels of upkeep. For instance, while steel doors may need occasional rust prevention treatments, wooden doors require regular staining or painting to protect against the elements.

Regular maintenance checks can help you identify and address potential issues before they escalate into costly repairs. Simple tasks such as lubricating moving parts, tightening hardware, and inspecting the door for wear and tear can ensure the longevity and functionality of your garage door.

Conclusion

Choosing the best garage door for your home in Camarillo is a multifaceted decision that encompasses various factors, from materials and styles to security and energy efficiency. By understanding your options and prioritizing your specific needs, you can make a choice that enhances both the functionality and aesthetic of your home. Remember that professional installation is key to achieving optimal performance, and regular maintenance will keep your garage door in top shape for years to come. With these considerations in mind, you can confidently take the next step in enhancing your home’s exterior and overall value.

[imsrelocation]

Moving to a new home across town or across the state can be scary enough. However, a big international move can really test one’s patience. This is especially true when you realize that your beloved possessions must fit into one of three categories prior to your international move: sell, trash or pack. What to Sell Selling off some of your belongings comes with a number of benefits. To start with, it means you will have a little extra money. A properly arranged garage or estate sale can offer some very real financial padding. Of course, it also allows you a chance to declutter, and that will be a big plus when it comes to your international move.  So, what should you sell? Electronics quickly come to mind. Remember that your new country might not have the same electrical standard and this means some, most or all of your electronic items might not work there. Sure, there might be conversion kits, but the thought here is to take a closer look at what you can do without in this regard.  Keep in mind that furniture or larger items might be cheaper to buy in your new homeland than ship from your current home. Also, your wardrobe could likely benefit from a fire sale. After all, a new country means new trends and this presents you with a very good reason to shop for new clothes.  Items to Trash If it’s broken, don’t fix it. Just toss it away. This goes for electronics and almost anything else in your current home. Is your closet full of worn-out clothing and run-down shoes? Let it all go or make a proper donation.  Expired medications or toiletries should also hit the dumpster. Also, let go of any chipped or mismatched dinnerware and old bedding. These things are just too easy to replace when you get where you’re going. What about old paint or expired cleaning supplies? These items are begging to be trashed. Go ahead and dispose of these chemicals but be sure to do so in accordance with local regulations on chemical disposal.  What Should You Pack and Keep? The rule of thumb here is to pack and take only the essentials and items that might be difficult to find or replace in your new country of residency. This might include important personal documents, sentimental items, such as family heirlooms and items of personal or professional value.  As an example, you would likely want to pack your camera if you’re a photography enthusiast. Books and artwork would likely be high on your list as they are more personal to you and artwork, in particular, might prove difficult to replace. Hobby items or collectibles should also be easy to pack and ship.  It’s a Great Time to Remember What’s Important An international move might suggest a lot of stress, but it also presents you with a great opportunity to declutter and remember what’s important in your immediate life. Remember, having too much stuff is a good problem to have. However, it’s often been said that ‘less is more’ and that might be the lesson to learn here. For help with your international move, contact IMS Relocation. Read the full article