#grill cleaning tutorials

[br1ghtestlight]

The Shared Belcher Family Youtube Account

[gothamite-rambler]

Bruce rested in bed, promising to take a day off from being Batman, but he was so hungry and bored. Alfred wasn't at the house though.

Bruce: I'm going to cook something simple. I'm the goddamn Batman, I can do this!

Bruce got out of bed and changed into casual attire then did what anyone in the 21st century would: Cooking tutorials on youtube

The choice he picked? Grilled cheese sandwich.

Bruce: Skillet? I need skillet!

Bruce found it eventually and got the other ingredients. Bread, sliced cheddar cheese, grey poupon mustard, and butter.

Bruce: Okay, didn't pick the Gordon Ramsey video, picked this lady who looks like she's from the fifties... I can do this.

Twenty minutes later and he did it. He made the sandwich with only a slightly burned side. He sighed relieved and then took a careful bite.

Bruce: Huh... not bad. Thank God, I did it. Checking that off my list.

Alfred and Dick entered the kitchen and saw Bruce eating his sandwich, but leaving a mess in the kitchen.

Alfred: How did he not cause a fire?

Dick: Really Bruce? You can't clean up at least?

Bruce (while eating): Hey, I did this. It's my accomplishment for the day, I'll clean that mess after I'm done eating.

[alyss-erulisse]

Burger On The Grill

Part 19: Setting the Table--Final Touches

After completing the donut tutorial by Blender Guru, I was challenged to create something similar by myself, so I made a burger. I will make that burger into a meal with a soda and fries.

In the last part, I added a pile of fries. Now, I'll add the final touches to our scene with some background textures, stage lighting and camera effects.

Near the end of a project, there is always a tendency to fiddle around with details that seem to be craving further improvement. In my case, the bun, tomato and lettuce were calling out to me from uncanny valley.

The tomato still looked a bit like rubber or plastic, the lettuce looked like it was made of printer paper and the bun seemed like it might break your teeth if you bit into it. It turns out all of this can be fixed with a few adjustments to the textures.

Understanding Subsurface Scattering

The biggest adjustment needed to be to the Subsurface Scattering. An organic, porous surface will allow light to diffuse beneath the surface leading to a softer appearance.

There are 3 values of concern when it comes to Subsurface Scattering: amount, radius and color. This can lead to a lot of miscombinations when you are testing out values.

How do we choose values that give us the look we want?

Subsurface Color is visible on opaque parts and in shadows. The Subsurface Color can be fed the same value as the Base Color. Doing this avoids color mixing which can lead to unintuitive results.

That subtle tint of color that seems to bounce out of an object with subsurface scattering, which you probably thought was set with the Subsurface Color, is instead determined by the Subsurface Radius. The Subsurface Radius (aka Scatter Color) is visible on edges and translucent parts.

Add a RGB input node and choose your color. For bread, there is a mostly white but slightly yellow color. For lettuce, this color is slightly green. For a tomato, it is a bright, highly saturated red.

Plug this RGB input into the Subsurface Radius. The RGB values represent how deep each color frequency of light penetrates in meters.

The Subsurface amount is used to scale the radius down to realistic values. Values of around 0.01 are normal, since you're scaling from meters to millimeters. A good resource for choosing these values can be found here, where there is a chart of values for 11 different materials.

Fixing Black Articles

As with all things, fixing one problem often creates another. After adjusting subsurface values, the metaballs dew drops on the tomatoes deserted, refusing to appear in renders anymore, and black articles took their place around the edges of the lettuce.

I got rid of the metaballs and recreated the dew drops with the method I described in Part 16.

My dew drops had returned to the field, but what could be done about these jagged intruders?

There were two types of black articles. The first type looked like this:

When your transparency becomes black, you probably have more transparent layers on top of each other than your Cycles render settings currently allow. To fix it, go to Render Properties > Light Paths > Max Bounces and increase the number of Transparent max bounces. For me, increasing this value to 16 eliminated the black articles.

The second type of black article looked like this:

It can be frustrating to see these dark edges after you cleaned up an image in Photoshop and saved it as a PNG with transparency enabled. I learned a good deal more than I probably needed to know about image format and unassociated alpha while researching this problem.

There is an easy fix for this in Eevee, which I mentioned in Part 7. To clip off these unsightly edges, go to Materials > Viewport Display > Settings > Blender Mod > Alpha Clip.

In Cycles, the fix requires a little more math. The dark edges can be clipped by adding a Math node between the connection of the Alpha socket of the Image Texture and the Alpha socket of the Principled BSDF Shader. Set this Math node to Greater Than and let the Threshold be 0.5.

To further spruce up the lettuce, I fed the Image Texture into a Bump node with Strength of 0.2 and fed this into the Normal input. I also set Transmission to 0.275, Specular to 0.317 and Roughness to 0.4.

Now that the calls from uncanny valley have subsided, it is time to dress up the textures for the table and wall.

Texturing the Background

For the table, I downloaded a free texture from Poliigon for wood flooring. Since the table is mostly covered up but still in the foreground, I decided on a 2K quality.

I connected COL to Base Color, GLOSS to Specular and REFL to Roughness. I fed DISP through an inverted Bump node and into Normal. On the Mapping node, I Rotated Y 90deg and Scaled Y and Z by 50.

For the wall, I downloaded another free texture for bricks. Since the wall is in the background and will be later by blurred by the depth of field, I decided on a 1K quality.

Again, I connected COL to Base Color, GLOSS to Specular and REFL to Roughness. I fed NRM through a Normal Map node into Normal. Last, I fed DISP through a Displacement Node and into the Displacement socket of the Material Output.

Because I am using real Displacement this time instead of faking it with Bump, I actually have to add geometry for it to show up on the wall.

Add a Subdivision Modifier. Set it to Simple and check Adaptive Subdivision. If this option does not show up, go to Render Properties and set Feature Set to Experimental.

Understanding Adaptive Subdivision

Adaptive Subdivision is a great tool for adding microdisplacements, but it can get you in trouble when it comes time to render if you don't quite understand the numbers you are choosing for the Dicing Scale and Levels Viewport. I encountered 17 hour renders and even some that failed before I figured out what I was doing wrong.

It can help to visualize the subdivisions you are making before you press that render button.

Select the offending material and add the following node setup:

Add a Wireframe input node and connect it to an Emission shader. Use a Mix Shader to mix the Emission shader with the Principled BSDF shader you already made. Now white lines should should up over your material in the preview menu showing you just how many subdivisions you are set up for. You may want to check Pixel Size and adjust the Size to make the lines thinner and more sharp.

Make sure Levels Viewport is set to 0. I read that this value does not affect render, but this is not what my experimentation showed. When set to something other than 0, it seems to override the adaptive nature of the subdivision.

So that you aren't biting off more than your computer can chew with the Dicing Scale, head over to Render Properties > Subdivision and set the Viewport to match the Dicing Rate Render at 1px. Now, what you see is what you get.

Unless the microdetail is focused in the foreground of the image, you probably don't want a Dicing Scale less than 1px. Study the white wireframe overlay and trust your gut.

For the wall, I chose a Dicing Scale of 16px, for the serving paper, I chose a value of 8px, and for the fries, I chose a value of 1px.

Optimizing Memory for Render

The simplest way to save memory is by the use of linked duplicates. This is when several objects share the same mesh data. I only modeled 3 variations of fries, so I really only needed 3 meshes.

To convert the fries into linked duplicates, select a Small fry near the foreground of the image and rename the mesh to Fry_S. Select all of the Small fries, and make sure that the one with the renamed mesh is the active object. In Object Mode, hit Ctrl+L and select Object Data.

Now, all of the selected fries share the same mesh data. Do the same for the Medium and Long fries.

Since the fries were such a memory hog even after linking them, I sorted them into 3 groups: those hidden by occlusion from the camera, those mostly hidden from the camera, and those clearly visible.

The occluded fries could be disabled without any visible change to the render. For the fries mostly hidden from the camera, I removed the Adaptive Subdivision modifier, which removed the microdisplacement. I left the visible fries as they were.

The bubbles on the bottom of the soda could also be disabled since the bottom of the glass was occluded by the pile of french fries and would not be visible in the render.

All of these adjustments reduced the render time from 17 hours down to 1 hour! This shocked me but really drove home how much optimizing can save you in time and money; I was worried I'd have to buy more VRAM.

Improving the Lighting

So far, my scene has been rendered with pretty basic lighting: one point light and an HDRI.

I downloaded the HDRI of a small studio for the soda render in Part 15. I found it helped to define the glass against the background by highlighting the sides.

Under World Properties, click on the field next to Color and select Environment Texture. Open the Shader Editor, set the type to World and set up the nodes as in the image below. You can adjust the rotation and strength to your liking. I set the strength to 0.25.

Using the principle of 3 Point Lighting, I set up an area light as the key light with a power of 1250W and positioned it front-left of the scene. I chose a color with a red hue, low saturation and high brightness. This light casts a bright highlight on the glass.

For the secondary light, I set up a point light with a power of 5000W and positioned it front-right of the scene. I chose a color with an orange hue, high saturation and high brightness. This light adds a warm glow to the scene.

For the back light, I set up a spot light with a power of 100W and positioned it over the scene to cast its light down the brick wall. I chose a color with a red-orange hue, high saturation and high brightness. This light brightens the brick wall, increasing contrast between the wall and the dark soda glass in front of it. It also adds an interesting gradient to the background which serves to frame the scene.

Adding Depth of Field

In the renders so far, everything in the scene has been in sharp focus and filled with detail. It is a lot to take in, and most people won't have the patience to sit and stare at your image like you did while you were making it. They want to know the story in a glance, skim the cliff notes rather than read the novel. The artist can help with this.

To emphasize the focal area of the image, the camera can be set to blur other areas. The viewer's eye will be drawn to the area with the most crisp detail. This is called Depth of Field.

Select your camera. Under Object Data Properties, check Depth of Field. You can choose a Focus Object or set a Distance like I did. I set a Distance of 0.48m, which is about where the burger starts.

Most of the image becomes blurred, but what if you want to show off more of the detail you slaved over on the glass?

To enlarge your focal area and control how much of your image is blurred, go to Aperture and adjust the F-Stop. Higher values increase the area of focus. I set F-Stop to 11. The image at the top of this post shows the final effect.

This marks the end of this tutorial series. I am so glad to finally be done!

Follow me to keep watch for the final part. I will add a guide with links for fast access to all of the tutorial parts.

Review the previous part.

See overview for links to all parts of this tutorial series!

See more of my work: Check out my archive.

Join me on my journey: Follow me on tumblr.

Support my creative profession: Buy me a coffee on KoFi.

[jvuhn]

Baby shower

Offered ride home - kiss on your cheeks

2 days after

Jvan are you up? Help me.

1 month car hunting

Ill go to you ill pick you up - no pick me up at starbucks mindanao at this time

Fortuner bulacan scam

Fortuner quezon city

Fortuner las pinas

Fortuner autocamp

Masil charcoal grill - your treat cause whole day with you

May 19, 2024 - Do you want to make out - i thought youd never ask

Skyway lightning with dog to ate baby doggie

Altis windshield crack - i have shop to do that

Mingyu svt karat

Pacute selfie

The ex effect

Eye rolls - baby eye rolls

Dog trainer

Jog at filinvest with sila con

Dropped by the house 1st time you driving to my place after i showed you

Vape run

Ootds for me

Bantayan island

Bantayan island accident

May 26, 2024 - raining, after your jog, vape, altis - youre different

Hair color

Vornado

Japan

Try 711 food its very good

Selfie connect the dots

Selfie before make up going to your barkadas house near you

What are you wearing? Can i see

Download strava and open it when you go out

Samba shopping

Lays truffle

Condo errands

Naks naka burbery shirt

Shuuuubawuuuu everywhere

Replica - bubble bath - your perfume for dates

Wala na akong pwet

Disneyland - i want to go to disney sea

What do you think about this interior - so minimalist walang sayang sa space - but i dont like it

Forgot my wallet ~~ taaaadaaan

Xv of your friend

Tokyo sky - core memory helipad

Condo checking

Tambay at your barkadas house

Altis gtx pro front - west ave

Gts car care plaza

Navy guy msgd you "bahay ka lang?"

Client stress

Sales invoice day

Pokemon day - i choose you ill catch you with my master ball

What is master ball? Google it.

Tokyo sky pictures when you went to tokyo

When you get back

Where to get leather seats for altis

Montero las pinas

Autonexus

Test drive - montero

Hi tita kamusta? May tinignan po kaming montero its nice

Lexus video with a rare pokemon

I dont know what to do without you

Lolo - crying in car

Magnolia

Uniqlo - run clothes for you and clothes for me

Kissy selfie peace angry and eye roll selfie in 1

Condo parking stress

Charger - aa usb - dashcam - led fog and high for altis

Ootd pictures

Look what i got obd2 screen

June 10 - montero - try mo ung remote start

Makakasakay ba ako dyan sa montero mo?

Rfid slex

Condo checking with me

Cereal polvoron

Oaktop for light dinner

Navy guy - nabastusan ako

Foreman - kausapin ka ng boyfriend ko

Subic called you

The afterpolish inquiry

Blessing the montero

Condo furniture shopping

Decided to glass coating - pick me up

Zix with you

Lays hoarding

The ordinary

Coating booster

Condo tv bracket

Pass sa lowkey

Client - nice love it - proud of you

Condo pictures

Clients home

Rfid nlex

Navy still msging

Spider

Vape and mcdo before going to ethan you look so beautiful

You going to quezon

Super dark

Weak signal

Never again going to quezon

Villa escudero

Dinner party with the koreans - why do you look so good but when youre with me...

Altis problems

Altis foglights - so bright

Mama - bakit yellow yan patayin mo yan

Run with john at up

Mcdo treat

Tris and bf - i dont like him for her - ill always listen to your rants and will never get tired

Ganda nung t2

Tadeo - ive always wanted to try this - always flexing

Oil for altis

Escobars

Harley

Teddy

Misty

Polo

Billie

Jurassic world terror evolves

S&r card for discount

Booster r pro tutorial

Ano ginagawa mo? Bat ka nagpapagas anong oras na? Need ko magpagas wala ng gas..

Cooking for the babies

You going to gab to have the tire checked

You passing by the house

House quick tour - aki

Altis interior cleaning

Canvass for montero tires

Jisulife for my taiwan trip

Jisu unboxing

You getting angry and lashing it out on me - after this you dont talk to me as regular as before not much selfies even not comforting me when im ranting about stuffs. It seems like youre not interested with me anymore.

Bia

Have you eaten? Not yet hold on - ate your cooked food - always loved what you cook

Deadpool and wolverine a day after i come back to ph

Mommys day and maxies day

Family trip no signal still updating you

Manipedi-food spa - yuan spa

Youre still following her yeah just follow shes on mute

I want a baby

This day the H

End of july aug sept oct not that good days...

Samahan moko sa cavite may kukunin lang ako then off to evia to eat then ice cream then you home.

Samahan moko clark. Waitied for an hour but its okay. Omni. Korean fil food. Moon cafe. You talking to ate for hours. Traffic going home. You wanted to go to lakeshore i want to take you somewhere in clark you would love it.

Samahan moko to batangas. Make hatid your ate. Mahiya ka naman kay jvan. No its okay ill pick you up we need to leave at this time. Qc-las pinas-batangas-prism-red doorz-araneta-home neyo day tiring day but so worth it. UBE tayo. Ultimate bonding experience 😂

Gh for watch repair.

Yogorino-mint choco and coffee

Baguio strawberry treats.

Appreciate the thought but i cant accept this. Unfollow everywhere. Remember the podcast. Its different when you unfollow

I wanted us to last this time i want you to be the one that ill bend my knee to. I really do. Its been a month and im still thinking of you what are you doing hows your day and all.

Are we really done? Ill never hate you i always have a trauma towards you but Ill always always love you. Even with our history past present. You dont have to doubt me just stay with me.

I wont say goodbye.

[chrismitchellchef]

How To Clean A Griddle Grill? Tips & Tutorials Cleaning your griddle grill is essential in order to keep it functioning properly. This guide will help you clean and maintain your griddle so that it continues to provide great meals for years to come! First, unplug the griddle and let it cool completely. Once cooled off, scrape away any extra food residue on the surface with a sturdy spatula. Next, take a damp cloth and wipe away any remaining food particles. Be sure to pay special attention to areas where grease has accumulated. For tougher stains or burnt-on food residue, sprinkle baking soda onto the griddle and use a steel wool scouring pad to scrub the surface in circular motions until the stain lifts. If necessary, you may add a bit of dish soap to the baking soda and water mixture to help break up the grease. If your griddle has been neglected for some time, then it might require a more thorough cleaning. To do this, make a paste of equal parts vinegar and baking soda and spread it over the surface of your griddle. Let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub away the paste using a steel wool scouring pad. Rinse off with a damp cloth and you're done! Finally, once your griddle is clean and dry, rub cooking oil on the surface to prevent sticking. This will also keep rust from forming. The above steps should help keep your griddle grill clean and running smoothly. Always be sure to keep an eye on the condition of your griddle and take action whenever needed! With proper care and maintenance, your griddle will last for many years. So don't forget to show it some love!

Read more: https://www.gadwallsgrill.com/blog/how-to-clean-a-griddle-grill/

[111laurab111]

Hello Hotties.. you HAVE to give these a try!

Fun, simple & easy to make. Even kids love these. A healthy alternative to spring rolls. Mix it up with different ingredients. You can add protein like grilled chicken strips or shrimp too.

Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Easily made Vegan and Gluten-Free

Author: Will Cook for Friends

Red and yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

Carrots, thinly sliced

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Avocado, thinly sliced

Baby bella or shittake mushrooms, sliced thinly and lightly sauteed

Bean sprouts, or other sprouts

Cilantro – optional

Thai basil – optional

Rice paper / spring roll wrappers

Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter

1 clove garlic, finely minced

2 tsp. soy sauce, or gluten-free tamari

1-2 tsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. sriracha, to taste*

3-5 TBSP water or coconut milk, to taste

Fresh chopped cilantro or green onions – optional

*to make vegan, replace the sriracha with cayenne powder, or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Method

1. In a bowl, stir together all of the peanut sauce ingredients, adding the water or coconut milk at the end to thin the sauce to desired consistency. Taste and adjust the flavors to your liking.

2. For the spring rolls, prep and slice all of the veggies and any other ingredients you plan to use for the filling Try to cut everything no longer than the length of a strip of bell pepper (a couple inches or so).

3. Fill a pie pan about a 1/4 inch deep with warm water, take one sheet of rice paper, and soak it in the water for 15-20 seconds, until pliable. Be careful not to soak too long, or it will tear too easily to handle. After one or two tries you’ll get the hang of things.

4. Lay the soaked sheet of rice paper on a clean plate and begin laying out your ingredients near the end of the rice paper closest to you, right in the middle. Make a neat little mound with the ingredients, then fold the left side of the sheet over the top of your filling, then the right. The two sides should meet, or almost meet, in the center of your filling.

5. Beginning at the end closest to you, start rolling the rice paper around your ingredients, using your fingers to make a tight bundle. For a quick and easy video tutorial on rolling spring rolls, click here: How To Assemble a Spring Roll

[gorbo-longstocking]

no one asked for this but like. skeleton cooking headcanons

sans: he cooked most of the time before papyrus took it up and by god was he good at it. his secret talent is perfectly cooking meat on vibes alone. most of what he makes is really hearty comfort food, but now that papyrus does all the cooking he is more than happy to stand back and let him. he is tired, he will happily take his hungry man microwave dinners and doordash.

papyrus: listen. he’s getting better and that’s great. he has a lot of passion in the kitchen and genuinely loves to cook. above ground, he has access to various cooking shows, cookbooks, and youtube tutorials which have helped immensely. he likes to try things until he 100% gets them right and absolutely will not stop until then. right now hes stuck on cracking eggs with one hand.

blue: like papyrus, he is passable in the kitchen. he cooks like a white mom in the midwest. not very much seasoning, big on casseroles, and prone to doing the most absolutely ridiculous “kitchen hacks” he saw online. he 100% tried the tiktok baked feta noodles and is the FACE of the white people taco night song. the seasoning gets him, he gets distracted by something, and he just entirely forgets to even salt the chicken he oven baked. he pretends like he did it on purpose and hopes no one notices. they notice.

stretch: has never cooked anything beyond noodles and grilled cheese. baking on the other hand, hes done quite a bit. usually in the middle of the night so he doesnt feel the shame of baking an entire tray of brownies and eating them in a single sitting. he’s quite good at it too, no one really knows because its usually gone by the morning.

red: like sans, hes a crazy good home cook, youd just have to hold him at gun point to do it. the moment edge took over in the kitchen, he entered retirement. he cooks really good stews and broils, really hearty stuff that can last a long time. whatever he cooks is perfectly seasoned everytime, so whenever it’s blue’s turn in the kitchen he can almost feel his single hit point dissipating. if they had a better relationship, hed help remind him, but neither like each other very much.

edge: the most likely to cook considering he has a passion for it and is the most normal in the kitchen. he doesnt take forever like lord, doesnt forget to season, and is generally pretty good at it. he likes to get cook books and try a lot of dishes from all over the world. the biggest eccentricity he has, is he is absolutely bonkers about the cleanliness of the kitchen. like absolutely off the fucking wall about it. he will complain about no one doing the dishes, but start borderline barking if anyone else cleans up after him. only he can do it right and will micromanage anyone who tries.

lord: this dude only cooks with the fanciest ingredients with the most meticulous method of cooking anyone has ever seen. my guy has a ruler and protactor out when cutting vegetables. and the food he cooks is good, don’t get me wrong, it just takes FOREVER for him to get it done. everything has to be absolutely perfect, and he will die before he serves anything less. at the dinner table he will sit there expectantly, looking absolutely pleased with himself whole everyone else is eating like ravenous beasts. (its 9 pm)

mutt: probably the only person in the house not allowed near the kitchen. not just because he is prone to random fires but because he makes and consumes the most vile concoctions known to man. think mashed potatos made of boiled pringles. he plucks all the little shrimps from his cup noodles and saves them in a bag to eat like chips. the smell emitting from the microwave ends up so foul, it wont leave the house for days.

[hualianff]

ASMR/Streamer AU

Thinking about an AU with video-game streamer HC and ASMRist XL. Both have huge followings on Youtube and other social media; both never show their faces.

On his channel, MantouASMR, XL uses audio from everyday things like cutting fruit or typing at his computer. Other times, he plans out a general script to help his viewers sleep or motivate them for the day. XL writes and reads his own poetry, as well as sings on his channel too.

XL strives to be the most attentive and considerate content creator. He is constantly reading his viewers’ comments and taking up their suggestions for future videos. Anything to help his viewers get through their day or lift their mood.

(One time, XL read a comment from the parent of a child who was MantouASMR’s superfan. XL’s voice apparently helped their son sleep when he’s scared of the monster under his bed. In his next “Time to Sleep” video, XL iterated a short thank you message for the son and his parent for listening and watching his videos, and he hoped he could continue helping in the future.)

(Another time, XL read a comment from a student who said his voice helped her concentrate on her maths homework—though she mentioned she still doesn’t understand integrals and derivatives. The following day, XL uploaded an ASMR math lesson.)

XL’s voice is known to be very soothing, his whispers as airy and delicate as a spring breeze. His lower register is smooth like honey, and anyone who happens to hear his melodious laughs on a live stream instantly falls in love with his character.

On the other hand, HC’s voice is enticingly deep but has a deadly edge to it. He has no shortage of vulgar language, especially when it comes to playing with other streamers. When HC posts an occasional video that’s not video-game-related such as a rare Q&A, he’s somewhat more pleasant.

Of course, HC is incredibly grateful for his followers’ support. He just finds himself involved in too much internet bullshit even when he respectfully minds his own business. HC supposes that it comes with being China’s number one video game streamer—Crimson Rain Ghost King—watched by millions all around the globe. However, this doesn’t stop HC from being vocal about his opinions and expressing himself without giving a fuck what others thought.

Naturally, HC and XL are in completely separate circles on the Youtube platform. As far as their fans are concerned, a mellow ASMRist and a brash gamer don’t interact with each other...

Here’s the catch: Hualian are secretly married.

XL and HC have been together for over ten years now—married for just under three years. They felt no need to disclose their full relationship when HC began gaining popularity as a streamer, nor when XL’s channel tripled in size a few years later.

In his lives, XL often mentions his mysterious husband a lot. For the third anniversary of his channel, XL retells his wedding day. The picture for the video is of HC’s and his intertwined hands with a red string attaching their middle fingers.

HC was the first one to subscribe to XL’s channel (from a side account). He never fails to remind XL that “Gege has many gifts to share with the world.”

Out of nowhere, a trashy review journal bashes XL’s videos, calling them unoriginal and lowkey creepy because XL is “...a full-grown man whispering random shit that people love for some reason.” HC tries to keep XL from reading the article, but he’s too late. What’s worse is that other media sites speculate XL’s identity after, trying to expose him.

XL has experienced media backlash in the past. This event has him revisiting trauma where he nearly lost everyone in his life. He also went through severe depression and has developed major anxiety since then. One of the main reasons XL started his Youtube channel was because he wanted to be the person of comfort he wished he had had during those dark times.

Witnessing how affected XL is by the article and online hate, HC’s already-thin patience is close to snapping. That specific journal does nothing but writes drama-seeking shit about creators with a notable platform–HC included. Not that he gives a fuck about it.

Except they made XL their next target, and that is unacceptable. HC promptly makes a video grilling the hell out of the journal and the writer who published the article, making it very clear that, “Whoever reads and supports this bullshit are the scum of the Earth.”

HC uploads the video, then proceeds to make a XL-care-burrito. He feeds his husband, keeps him warm, and cuddles him all day. After dinner, XL feels renewed with energy, thoroughly enjoying his Saturday with his biggest, most devoted fan. XL decisively unwraps himself from the burrito and goes to make that sewing tutorial ASMR video he planned for the weekend.

HC’s viewers are once again curious as to if he has connections to XL. They begin digging up evidence but after the short investigation, it seems not to be the case.

Of the two instances XL couldn’t edit out him saying his husband’s name on live, no one seemed to agree on what the two muffled syllables were. XL never shows above his chest (he wears a facemask in case of a slip-up) or goes into too much detail with his stories. Both XL and HC’s other social media accounts are squeaky clean. Plus, you can count on one hand how many times HC has mentioned anything about his personal life.

Their fans stop their analysis, for the most part; XL’s viewers adamant about protecting his privacy and HC’s viewers not wanting to piss their idol off.

With Youtube being an important and time-consuming side of their life, XL and HC make sure to balance their personal, professional, and romantic lives as best as they can, or re-evaluate priorities when things begin to go downhill.

In addition to streaming, HC works as an animator for a respectable company. He has flexible work conditions and schedules.

HC during his stream debuting a new popular game: “I helped make this game, of course I know what I’m doing.” XL watches from the side wearing an adoring and proud smile.

XL is an open and free-spirited soul, so he switches side jobs often such as a barista, salesman, model, etc.

HC’s other hobbies include photography, music, traditional art, and bowling. (He has impeccable aim for obvious reasons.) XL enjoys seeing his friends (SQX, MUA; MQ, lawyer; FX, lawyer), cooking, reading, and skateboarding.

Extras:

-HC often streams with XL in his lap.

-Hualian create NSFW ASMR for themselves.

-(HC in their bed, listening to one of XL’s ASMR videos...

XL, smiling like a minx and slipping into bed shirtless: “Why watch my video when you have the real thing right here?”)

-Someone edits a comedic video with XL and HC’s voices, comparing their styles and approaches to speech. It garners lots of attention for their respective channels, the hashtag #mantouxcrimson ??? trending for a few days.

Video title: You’re friends with both Mantou Gege and Crimson Rain

(In the video)

Situation 1: You haven’t started your homework and it’s already midnight.

XL’s voice: “Whatever you do, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You can’t do things well if your mind is unwell. Try to finish the things that need to be done, but be kind to yourself~~”

HC’s voice: “You little fucker, what have you been doing this whole time!? If you don’t do your job in the next five seconds, I’ll make sure to bury your worthless dead body where no one can find you-“

(Brainchild with @no-one-says-hi)

[alyss-erulisse]

Burger On The Grill

Part 9: Pouring a Drink--Cutting Curves

After completing the donut tutorial by BlenderGuru, I was challenged to create something similar by myself, so I made a burger. Now, I will make that burger into a meal with a soda and fries.

Last time, we started modeling the iconic Coca Cola glass and created a simple contour. Now, let's add some indentations.

Cutting Object

To create the cutting objects, I started by adding a Bezier Circle and resizing it to fit the curvature at the top of the indentations. I set the resolution preview to 3 and converted the curve into a mesh.

I separated the bottom half from the top half, moved the bottom half to the bottom of the glass, and then joined the two halves back together. I added edges between the two sets of points and subdivided these edges by 10.

To get the capsule shape from the edge, I deleted the left half of it and used the spin tool.

I resized on the X axis to make it thin. Then, to get the cutting object to match the curvature of the glass, I added a Bezier Curve and adjusted it to match the contour of the portion of the glass my cutting object would be against. I added a Curve Modifier to my cutting object and referenced this Bezier Curve.

Boolean

I set up a Boolean Modifier to subtract the cutting object from the glass and checked the shape of the indentation created. To control the shape of the cutout, I adjusted the shape of the cutting object.

Once I was happy with the shape of the cutout, I added an Array Modifier to the cutting object and finalized the boolean operation.

Clean Up

Because boolean operations leave you with terrible topology and shading issues, I used a ShrinkWrap Modifier to transfer the curvature created by the boolean operation to a new glass with uniform, high subdivision.

To be honest, if you do not mind high polycount and excessive render times, you could stop here with the indentations, but I wanted to try out my hand at retopology, so on we go!

Retopology

To lower the polycount and get proper topology, I isolated a section of the low poly glass before the boolean operation.

Next, I created a guide for my indentations. I added a Bezier Circle and set the resolution to 2 so that it would roughly match the resolution of the glass behind it. I converted the Bezier Circle into a mesh, extended it as before and subdivided the sides by 6.

I planned out the topology on paper first. Then, I added loop cuts and dragged vertices around to obtain proper flow.

Of course, with all that moving about, I had lost the curvature of the indentations, but that was easily retrieved.

I applied an Array Modifier, subdivided by 2 levels and added a ShrinkWrap Modifier targeting the highly subdivided glass from earlier.

Finally! We have good curvature and topology for the indentations. Who knew that one detail would be so complicated?

Here is a overview of our journey so far with the glass:

Follow me to keep watch for the next part! I will be finishing off the glass and adding the classic logo.

Review the previous part.

See overview for links to all parts of this tutorial series!

See more of my work: Check out my archive.

Join me on my journey: Follow me on tumblr.

Support my creative profession: Buy me a coffee on KoFi.

[ohkiyo]

characters: shiratorizawa team and reader.

warnings: a bit of cursing.

word count: 3.6k

a/n: shoutout to cloud anon for giving me such marvelous ideas, each one you sent were all so funny it just made my day even better. I do hope you’ll like this one, I got a bit excited to post this, so please don’t mind the mistakes hahaha nor any of the grammatical errors. :D

music I listened to while writing this:

ようかい体操第一  | Dream5

morning smile | nom tunes

your happiness is my happiness | nom tunes

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

    shiratorizawa navigation || stth navigation

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

“What’s the answer on number 4?” Yamagata scratched his head with his pencil, staring at his exercise paper on the table, the numbers not making any sense to him anymore. He could feel his fingers starting to hurt from the amount of times he had been pressing the buttons of his calculator, but he could still not find the answer he was looking for, the calculator’s screen displaying syntax error.

“It’s 126.76” Reon replied, not looking up from his own paper as he concentrates on his own set of problems. It had been easy, the first few questions were doable, nothing out of the ordinary, however, when he reached numbers 10 and above he swore the teacher was high when he made that exercise. 

I mean, what’s the point of making a multiple choice question when the answer is not even in the choices.

“What? I thought it was 116” now Semi was starting to get even more frustrated, he was sure his answer was correct, he even searched up a tutorial on YouTube on how to solve that particular equation. 

“You need to add the 10, not subtract it” Shirabu corrected, as Semi erased his current answer and started replacing it with the right one. Mumbling to himself how the fuck is calculus useful in the real world, you don’t see people adding a and b to buy a sack of rice, nor finding x to purchase fruits in the market. 

Math is ridiculous; he hopes that whoever invented this shit suffers in hell.

“Let’s rest for now” Ushijima suggested, closing his notebook as he rested his pencil on top of it. Aware of just how everyone was getting stressed. 

“Where did Satori go?” Semi looks around the room, noticing that the redhead had disappeared. “Taichi and Tsutomu too”

“They went out to go get food” 

“They did?”

Yamagata nodded his head, lazily going through the books stacked on top of Tendou’s desk, most of them were manga that he had read and re-read, while the others were borrowed books from the library that he had never bothered to return.

There was a knock on the door, as Semi who was the closest, stood and opened it to reveal the people they have been looking for a while ago.

“We’re back!” Tendou announced cheerily, a tupperware in his hands as he entered the room, followed by Kawanishi, Goshiki and someone unfamiliar.

“Who’s that?” Shirabu pointed, raising a questioning brow at the person’s choice of clothing. An oversized sweater, shorts that reach below their knees and a swan patterned socks.

“What do you mean? That’s (Y/n)” you lift your hand up in a wave, the sweater’s long sleeve covering your own arm. A wide smile on your face, as you sat down on the floor along with them, Semi closing the door and locking it.

“What?”

No words left their mouth as they stared at you, you looked pretty convincing as a boy, the wig you wore accentuated your face just right. However, did Tendou really have you wear a wig that was an exact replica of Goshiki’s signature bowl-cut? Of all the millions of hairstyles he could choose from, really?

“Did you just smuggle her in?” Reon asks in disbelief. “How did you do it?”

“(Y/n)’s so small nobody noticed her” you swat Kawanishi with your sweater sleeve as he snickered, ruffling your hair before opening the bag you brought with you. Taking out different containers full of food, plates, chopsticks and other eating utensils.

“Where’d you get all these from? Did you order take-out?” Semi took a bite of the chicken strip, humming in satisfaction at the delicious taste, before taking another piece.

“(Y/n) was stress cooking again” Goshiki answered as he helped Ushijima clear the table, with you carefully placing the foods in the middle and Shirabu spreading the utensils on the table.

“Are you having problems with your academics again (Y/n)?” Ushijima inquired, pouring himself a glass of water as everyone situated themselves around the table, offering their thanks and serving themselves with the food you cooked. 

“I have an oral recitation tomorrow and I’m worried I’ll mess it up” you replied, biting on your chopstick. “The subject teacher isn’t very nice either, I’m scared of her”

“Who’s the teacher?”

“Tachibana-sensei”

Hearing the familiar name, both third years and second years involuntarily shuddered. Memories of their days as her students resurface, the struggle they experienced trying to hold onto the thin thread keeping their grades up were a bit traumatic.

Tachibana-sensei was the kind of teacher that students hate the most, she enjoys giving surprises, surprise quiz, surprise recitation, heck, even her exams are a surprise. It’s rare for her to even give her students the time to fully study their material, and for those who were under her knows that when she does, she’ll be firing questions one after the other, until her students are unable to give her answers leaving her disappointed.

“May the gods be in your favor (Y/n)” Tendou clapped a hand on your shoulder as he gave you a sympathetic smile. His eyes silently telling you ‘You’re screwed’

Goshiki noticed the look of terror flashed on your face, your hand shaking out of pure nervousness as you almost spilled the food on your plate. Does Tachibana-sensei really have that kind of reputation? He never had her as his subject teacher in any of his classes, well for now at least, but he sure is thankful, he didn’t need that kind of problem in his first year of high school.

“Don’t scare her” Semi hits Tendou with a notebook, scolding him for scaring you as you now sat there frozen, your mind going through the possible outcomes that might happen tomorrow. 

“You’ll be fine, don’t worry about it. You’re smart” Shirabu’s words of encouragement did help you relax a little, but the fear still lingered in your mind. You felt something prodding at your lips, you focused your eyes in front of you to see Kawanishi holding up a piece of chicken near your mouth.

“Eat first, I can help you with it later” He says in between mouthfuls as you open your mouth, accepting the food. Nodding at his offer.

You will worry about your demon of a teacher later, for now, you’re going to enjoy your food.

“By the way Satori, I saw this earlier” Yamagata pulled out a scrapbook from under the stacks of manga on the desk. The front cover is littered with stickers, and doodles, a very Tendou-esque kind of design.

"Oh that's where I’ve compiled the photos I took, I’ve just started so it’s not done yet" Tendou answered, watching as Yamagata opened the scrapbook, and going through the pictures. "Photography's my newfound hobby now"

"That photography workshop was only once, I didn't know you actually took it seriously"

"It’s a form of art Eita-kun" the red head held up a finger, going on and on about how it captures all the once in a lifetime moments we experience, and how pictures hold the memories they make together.

Tendou started getting sappy with his explanation, Semi had to shove an onigiri in his mouth to stop him from talking.

"Do you have a soft copy of these pictures Tendou?" Ushijima questioned, reading through the captions Tendou pasted around each photo. "I need a copy"

"I'll send it to you later Wakatoshi-kun" 

"You have another one?" Shirabu held another scrapbook in his hand. "How many do you have?"

"I have three" Shirabu flipped through the pages of the one he's holding, noticing that most of the pictures were of the second years in the club, but majority of them were of him and Kawanishi. 

"Where's the other one?" 

Tendou patted around in his bed for a moment, feeling for the familiar hard bound of the scrapbook before he finally found it resting under his backpack.

"These are pictures of the first years" You became interested, peeking over Semi's shoulder as he flipped through the pages. "Oh I remember this one." 

It was a picture of both you and Goshiki asleep inside the bus, your head resting on his shoulder and his head resting over your own. A jacket covering your bodies acting as a blanket. Below there was a text saying, The babies first away game.

"Tendou-san, we're not babies anymore." Goshiki reasoned but Tendou refused to agree to the first year.

"Oh hush, in my eyes you two are still babies." to emphasize his point, Tendou squished both your and Goshiki's cheek. Grinning at the pout now resting on your face. "See? Just adorable!"

"You're playing favorites, you know" Reon watches as Tendou continues to coddle the two youngest members in their group. The both of you trying to get away from Tendou refuse to let go.

Semi flipped to another page, this time there was a picture of you and him. Both of you standing near the grill as he teaches you how to properly cook meat, while you eagerly wait by the sides, all the while watching the meat being grilled on top of the fire. Eyes almost sparkling at how mouthwatering it is. At the bottom another caption was written, baby’s first barbecue.

"I think I found my new favorite" Semi looked up from the photobook he's holding, to Tendou still gushing over Goshiki and (Y/n). "Satori, send me a soft copy of this one"

"Roger!"

Finally, after almost thirty minutes both you and Goshiki were finally able to push the red head away as you all clean up the dirty dishes, throwing away the plastics and food crumbs into the trash can. Then resuming to their study session.

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

The next day, morning practice was starting a bit later than usual so the gym was still half empty, the only occupants were the regulars who decided to come early and do their own pre-practice warm ups. Semi was doing his usual jump serves with Yamagata receiving the balls to practice more on his digs. While on the other net, Shirabu was practicing with Goshiki after some begging from the first-year’s side.

You watch as Semi spins a ball on his hands, licking his lips, something he does whenever he’s trying to pinpoint where he wants the ball to land before throwing it in the air and jumping. Cringing at the sound of his palm colliding with the ball and watching as Yamagata runs to receive it.

“That was by the line!” your eyes went wide in awe, running to retrieve the ball and jogging back to Semi’s side of the net. As Yamagata let out a sigh wiping his sweat with his shirt.

“That’s the kind of serve that will annoy you the most”

Semi bounce the ball a few times, before pausing and turning to you. “Do you want to try (Y/n)?”

You nodded your head, eager to learn from one of the best servers in your team. You always find them very cool whenever they do those awesome spikes and jump serves. To you, they look like they’re flying whenever they jump so high, you were feeling a bit envious about it.

Standing beside Semi, he explained to you how to angle your hand properly and the timing of when to hit the ball.

“What’s your dominant hand?” 

You lift up your left hand and said “This one”

“Oh? You’re a lefty [1] too?” the both of you turn to look at the ace to see that he had started listening as well “Just like Wakatoshi”

“Try doing a normal serve for now” standing by the service line, you readied your position, as Yamagata took a receiving stance at the other side of the net.

“Give it all you’ve got (Y/n)-chan!”

You nodded your head, throwing the ball, watching it before hitting it with your hand as hard as you can, which was a lot for a newbie. Yamagata dove to get the ball, the object bouncing off his arm and shooting off to the side.

“One point for (Y/n)!” you heard Tendou’s voice from the other side of the gym as Semi applauds your good work. You started feeling giddy, hitting that ball was so satisfying you feel like the stress you were currently having this morning was starting to ease just a little bit.

“Do it again (Y/n)-chan!” Goshiki’s voice reached your ears as he abandoned Shirabu, who let out a sigh of relief, finally able to take the rest he had been wanting.

“How about a jump serve?” Ushijima suggested, as he too walked to your group, now interested in your new found talent.

Semi twirled the ball in his hand, biting the inside of his cheek. “That one’s a bit tricky Wakatoshi”

“She can do it” Ushijima turns to look at you as Goshiki keeps on slapping your back, getting excited for some reason, and honestly, you were excited as well. Ushijima rarely shows this kind of interest, so for someone who only learned the basics of volleyball through reading the manual and watching it, it was a shock for you.

“Can I?” you ask, your eyes sparkling “It never hurts to try”

Now, with you looking at him like that, how could Semi say no? you just look so cute he really has to stop himself from pinching those cheeks of yours.

“Alright, but I think Wakatoshi can teach you better” Semi threw the ball to Ushijima who nodded his head, wordlessly taking his position at the serving line. You watch how he handles the ball, you don’t even know if there’s a difference with righties serving compared to the lefties, but you paid attention anyways. Watching him run, jump and hit the ball as hard as he can.

Semi just sighed, Ushijima didn’t even say anything, he just did what he normally did. As if expecting you to learn something from it. But then again, Ushijima did the same thing to Goshiki once when the first-year asked how to improve his line shots, he can’t judge too soon.

Bouncing the ball a few times, you threw it in the air watching as you slowly run before jumping and serving it to the other side, the ball hitting the back line.

“Two points!” Everyone cheered for you, the others sporting surprise looks on their face. Jump serves were very hard to do, most would normally be hitting the net or the ball going out of bounce. But you, just one look at a live sample and voila, success.

“Do it again, (Y/n)-chan! This time I’ll make sure to receive it!” you grin at Yamagata’s challenge, doing the same thing you did the first time. You hit the ball with the hardest one you could muster. Watching as it spins fast, going past Yamagata and narrowly hitting Coach Saito in the face.

The coach blinks, frozen on his spot as he silently thanks whatever deities that decided to grace him with their blessings. Everyone was quiet, shocked at what just happened. He turned his head, his eyes scanning whoever was the culprit of his near death experience only to see you standing at the service line.

“I-I think that’s enough for now” he cleared his throat, tucking the clipboard he’s holding under his arms “Let’s prepare for practice”

You all nodded your head, gathering the stray balls and tossing them into the basket, mopping up the sweat that dropped on the floor as the rest of the members started piling into the gym.

Practice went by pretty fast, Coach Washijou had to cut it short because exam week was approaching and according to the school rule book, extracurricular activities must be shortened in order to give the students more time to study. 

They were currently having their post practice snacks, filling their hungry stomach with some delicious food as they rest their body. Practice may have been short but it doesn’t mean Coach Washijou made it easy, in fact, he made it even harder.

You were sitting cross legged on the floor, finishing up the notes you were writing earlier, sipping on a juice box you brought with you while your other hand moved across the white pages of your notebook. 

Seeing as your pen was running out of ink, you placed your juice box on the floor then reaching over for your bag to retrieve another one. Just as you were about to take another sip of your drink, it slipped from your grasp, landing on your lap, its contents spilling over your notes.

“Motherfucker” you were too focused cleaning yourself up that you didn’t hear Semi’s dramatic gasp, the curse that left your lips was foreign to his ears as he had never heard you say such a vulgar word before.

“Uh-oh”

Those who were closest to the door quietly slipped out, they knew what was coming next, and they’re not going to be a part of it. The coaches watched from the sidelines as Semi started lecturing them about their choices of words, reminding them that no swear words allowed in the presence of the first years.

Washijou-sensei shot his assistant a look, eyebrows raised “It was you, wasn’t it?”

Coach Saito sheepishly scratches his cheek, as he remembers how the swear word left his lips yesterday when he hit his hip at the side of the table. Not realizing that you were standing outside, ready to give to him the report he requested. 

He didn’t even know that such a thing was forbidden within the club, he quickly reminded himself to watch his language the next time the first years were around, he doesn’t want Semi going all mama mode again.

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

Lunch was spent eating together in the cafeteria, sitting at their usual table as they enjoyed the break from their tiring classes. Although the dining area was pretty rowdy, it did serve as a distraction from whatever their teachers prepared for their afternoon sessions.

“Today’s korokke has shrimp in it” Tendou took another bite of the fried dish, the food still hot and fresh. “Yummy”

“But…” Kawanishi started, his eyes shifting over to you as you munch on your own piece of korokke “(Y/n)’s allergic to shrimp”

The table went quiet as they all looked at you, they didn’t know that, why didn’t you tell them?

“Oh my god, her allergy is reacting” Semi stood up from his seat as red dots started to appear on your face, you gave the remaining korokke to Goshiki as you scratch your arm, your whole body feeling itchy.

“Let’s take her to the infirmary”

They quickly led you to the nurse’s office, the red dots that were just around your mouth had now spread all over your face. Looking as if you had just contacted chicken pox.

Thankfully, the nurse was still in her office when they arrived so you were immediately given some medicine to stop your allergy from becoming worse.

“You’ll have to go back to your room and take a rest for the rest of the day, then come back tomorrow again so I could give you another check-up. Alright?”

She handed you the excuse note for you to give to your teachers the next day as you stood up from your seat, thanking the nurse then exiting the room to see that the boys had waited for you outside.

“So, what did she say?”

“I’m excused from my classes this afternoon” you showed them the paper the nurse gave you. Shirabu reading through what she wrote, Kawanishi reading the paper’s contents from over his shoulder.

“I need one too”

“Why? are you sick?”

“No, I just want to skip class today”

Semi sighs at what the middle blocker just said, if anything, Kawanishi was definitely the laziest among them all. Always looking for ways to avoid any activities he finds energy consuming, Semi was quite surprised Kawanishi had not tried sending their coach a fake medical certificate just so he could skip practice for a few days.

Oh wait, he did, and he got away with it.

“You look like a tomato” Goshiki pokes you on the cheek, the redness slowly fading but your face still slightly swollen. “Tomato-chan~”

Tendou grinned at the cute nickname, tomato-chan? He was so going to start calling you that from now on.

“Oh wait (Y/n), let me take a picture of you first. This would be a great addition to my scrapbook” Tendou patted his pockets for his phone but he felt none. “Eh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think I left my phone in the cafeteria” Tendou answered, slipping his hand inside his pockets for good measure, but the device was nowhere to be found. “Reon let me borrow your phone for a bit”

Reon shook his head “I left mine in the cafeteria as well”

“What?!” Tendou turned to look at the rest of the members as they too shook their heads.

You chuckled, patting his back “Guess there won’t be any funny photos of me for the time being” you started walking away waving at them. “See you tomorrow”

They waved back as they went back to the cafeteria, until a phone ringing cut through the silence. Ushijima stops in his tracks, fishing the phone from his pocket as he realizes that he forgot he brought it along with him the whole time.

“Wakatoshi-kun, why didn’t you tell me you had your phone with you?”

“I apologize Tendou, do you still want to take that photo?”

They turned their heads to the direction you left but you weren’t there anymore. Tendou’s shoulder slump, the opportunity to finally have a derpy picture of you gone and would probably be far into the future.

Yamagata just let out a laugh. “It seems like the goddess Kichijoten [2] favors (Y/n) more than anyone else”

«──────────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ────────────»

[1] I’m a lefty so yeah, self promo I guess lol.

[2]  she’s the Japanese goddess of beauty.

[kyuoujeon]

Some Important videos

This is a big list of Youtube tutorials that will teach you all the basic life skills you need to know in order to be a functional adult. There are a lot of important skills that aren’t included in this list, but this should be enough of a basic guide to get you started and prevent you from making a total mess of yourself. Happy adulting! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

Dad, How do I? YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/DadhowdoI/videos

Household Skills:

How to unclog a toilet without a plunger

How to fix most running toilets

How to fix a blown fuse

How to fix a leaky faucet 

How to clean soap scum from your tub and shower

How to escape from a house fire

How to make a budget and stick to it

How to sharpen a knife

How to clean a self-cleaning oven

How to clean blood stains from fabric

How to clean grease stains from fabric

How to do a load of laundry

How to iron your clothes

How to test your smoke detectors

Cooking Skills:

How to tell if produce is ripe

How to know if food is expired 

How to properly sanitize a kitchen

How to cook an egg

How to make rice

How to make pasta

How to put out a kitchen grease fire safely

How to use a gas stove

How to use a convection oven

How to cook meat safely

How to use a stand mixer

How to use kitchen knives properly

How to make mashed potatoes

How to make grilled cheese sandwiches

Health Skills:

How to stop bleeding

How to treat a burn 

How to do CPR (on an adult)

How to do CPR (on a child)

How to do CPR (on a baby)

How to help someone who is choking

How to save yourself if you are choking alone

How to read a nutrition label

How to treat frostbite

How to recognize when someone is having a stroke

How to maintain a healthy sleep schedule

Mental Health Skills:

How to calm down during a panic attack

How to help someone who is suicidal 

How to meditate 

How to stop self-harming

How to recognize problem drinking

How to choose a therapist

How to deal with disappointment

How to cope with grief

How to raise your self-esteem

Relationship and Social Skills:

How to apologize

How to cope with a breakup 

How to accept criticism 

How to deal with bullying 

How to argue in a healthy way

How to ask someone out

How to break up with someone

How to recognize an abusive relationship

How to rekindle a damaged friendship

How to speak in public

Job Hunting Skills:

How to tie a tie

How to write a resume

How to write a cover letter

How to dress for a job interview (for women/femmes)

How to dress for a job interview (for men/masculines)

How to properly shake hands

How to nail a job interview

Other Skills:

How to change your oil

How to put gas in your car

How to jump-start a car

How to pick a good password

How to back up your files

How to write a cheque

How to shave a beard

How to use a weed eater

How to install a gate

[aforrestofstuff]

I'd like to know if you have any cooking skills headcanons!! Like, from who's able to make a absolute meal to who burns microwaved instant noodles.

I’ve done a few individual headcanons about cooking before, but I think it’s time for a refresher. You could call this... the main course.

Okay, enough of that bullshit. Here’s the hcs. Thanks for your ask, anon! ❤️❤️💞

Disclaimer: this shit is crack as fuck because I have very strong feelings about cooking lmfao. FOH don’t interact.

Tornado of Terror: She’d find a way to burn ice cream, honestly. She tries so hard (by god she tries) but her meals always come out as a convoluted mess with ingredients that have no reason being together. She eats her steaks well done and boils hamburgers. It’s a nightmare. She doesn’t really spend too much time in the kitchen, however, because she knows she sucks at cooking and because of this, makes 90% of her diet consist of takeout. But if she did spend more of her day cooking, she’d probably discover the recipe to meth accidentally. It’s that bad.

Silverfang: Stubborn old grandpa way of cooking. He’s got a handful of recipes that have been passed down for generations and he’s gonna carry those fuckers to his grave. When Garou was living at the dojo, the little bastard would try to make some changes to these recipes and Bang had to will every molecule in his arthritis-riddled body to not RKO this kid (not really, Bang wouldn’t hurt a fly). But I digress. He’s a decent cook, knows all the fundamentals and all of that shit.

Atomic Samurai: Can’t cook or bake for shit although he, of course, talks himself up like he can. The extent of his cooking knowledge is only within the realm of “shit you can roast over a campfire when your cheap ass can’t scrape together enough coin to pay the electricity bill”. But now that he’s got that S-Class paycheck and three other disciples to freeload off of, they pretty much cater to his every food-related need. He’s useless in the kitchen. Utterly fucking useless.

Child Emperor: Doesn’t know how to cook (little bastard ain’t even tall enough to reach the stove imo) but luckily he’s got that PHAT BRAIN so he can easily just build a Gordon Ramsey bot 3000 to replace his incompetence in the kitchen. His diet consists of Dino nuggets and microwaveable noodles so it’s not like he’s doing the world a great disservice by not learning how to cook properly.

Metal Knight: Same as Child Emperor except he’s a rich bastard and programs his bots to make that fancy shit with only the finest ingredients. He’s got enough cash from doing black market tech trades and building up his robo-army that this motherfucker could snort caviar for fun. He’s a real pompous asshole about it.

King: His mom taught him to cook a few things, nothing serious. He’s one of those dudes that doesn’t really know how to make much, but the few dishes that he does know how to cook are fucking BOMB. He’s got a cast iron skillet for making pancakes and everything, bitch is already halfway to being a chef himself. Other than that, however, he’s a ramen monster. His blood is practically pre-packaged bone broth.

Zombieman: I’ve said this in a previous hc but he’s a damn good cook. One problem though: he only knows how to make single servings of everything because he eats alone almost all the time. He specializes in meats. Bitch is a carnivore. He bought himself a set of those 500-dollar butcher knives so he can carve up cuts like a monster. He hemorrhages cash into fancy wood chips so he can get that smoky flavor juuuuust right. He’s got an Outdoor Chef setup on his patio. My mans is living the DREAM.

Drive Knight: He can eat but does he really need to? His cooking expertise is popping a new battery in. There you go.

Pig God: Oh my god if this man’s kitchen isn’t Michelin-Star quality. He eats a lot and he cooks a lot, it’s only natural. He’s got an indoor grill and pot chandelier and buys industrial-sized buckets of pickles and roast beef by the cow and— okay he just has a lot of food, alright? And he’s got that PHAT S-Class paycheck so my boy probably has a whole walk-in fridge just to put all the fucking food he eats. Bonus points if he hires a dishboy to work and a contractor to implement a three-sink dish station with “Clean-Rinse-Sanitize” stickers slapped on the steel, lol. But yeah, he cooks for 500 people at a time because he eats enough for 500 people at a time. Gotta maintain that figure, you know what I’m saying?

Superalloy Darkshine: He has. Oh my god— he has a full shelf dedicated to just. DOZENS OF JARS of whey protein. He has two blenders: one for fruit smoothies and one for protein shakes. His kitchen? Spotless. He knows how to cook and he eats like a bodybuilder (because he is one, duh) so he’s got that fridge STOCKED at all times. He cleans like he’s getting paid for it because nothing feels better than wiping down a gas stove until that bitch is spotless. However, his taste is garbage. He can throw down in the kitchen but does it taste good? No. Sometimes the ultra-healthy alternative to something isn’t always the greatest. He’s grown accustomed to putting zucchini in his cakes and almost damn well likes the texture of it, but don’t invite this guy to the potluck because he WILL show up with a vegetable nightmare that’s sure to make even vegans gag. Sorry bud, but nobody likes soy bacon.

Watchdog Man: furry ass.

Flashy Flash: I’ve said this before in a previous hc, but he’s pescatarian. He grew up on a coastal town before being sold of to the ninja village like a goddamned carpet and now fish is the only meat he eats. His cooking ability is about as good as one would expect from a homesless ninja. Like Atomic Samurai, he can throw it down over the campfire and still find a way to make a decent dish (in both presentation and taste) despite having limited knowledge and resources to work with. Bitch can whip up a five-star meal with some branches, a fish, and half a carrot like it was second nature. That’s about it though. He’s useless in an actual kitchen.

Genos: It’s canon. He’s a housewife. He only knows how to make the select few dishes that play an integral part in Saitama’s diet, though (because Genos can eat but he doesn’t really need to, so he only does it when he and Saitama are sharing a meal). Those dishes include things like: actual garbage. He cooks shit food. It’s not his fault. Saitama just eats like a fucking twat. There’s rats that live in the dumpster outside the restaurant I work in that have a better diet than him. Genos just works with what the poor bastard’s got and has gained a pretty mediocre grasp on cooking because of it. If he wanted to, though, he could easily be the best chef in all the land. Too bad he’s more focused on being an ultra-powerful speed demon.

Metal Bat: Tries his absolute best to cook healthy meals for him and Zenko when he almost always resorts to just popping a frozen pizza in the oven and calling it a day. I’ve said this before in a previous hc, but he eats his shit BURNT. Bitch like his steak well done, his yolks grey, and his chicken vaporized. The only exception to this is sushi because there really is no other way to enjoy it other than having it raw. Trust me, though. If there was a way to burn the fuck out of sashimi while still having it be sashimi, he’d find a way to do it and like it. But yeah, as I said: he sucks ass at cooking. He’s tried the tutorials, he’s bought the skillets, he’s sharpened the knives, but he just can’t fucking do it.

Tanktop Master: Same as Superalloy. They bond over gross-ass ultra-healthy recipes that only they enjoy. The Tanktop Gang loves him but they always kindly refuse to eat over at his house because they know he’s gonna try to make them ingest a broccoli loaf or some shit. He’s not too strict about his diet, though. He’ll chill out and have a pizza every once and a while, but only when he’s hanging out with the homies.

Puri-Puri Prisoner: He has a job in prison where he helps out in the kitchen for seventy-five cents an hour, but that’s about the extent of it. He’s got the bare basics down and could put together a decent meal for date night if he really tried (and had a damn kitchen to work with). On top of that, he can throw down some tasty prison food recipes, hand-crafted from the brick box itself. Ramen pad Thai, anyone?

Amai Mask: he’s rich as fuck, why does he need to cook? Bitch hired a chef and now all he does it drink skim milk and eat food from the top shelf. He couldn’t fry an egg if his life depended on it. Poor bastard doesn’t even know what a whisk is. And don’t even get me started on how much of a slob he is. The ten-minute process of making a single plate of spaghetti will have his kitchen in such a disgusting state that it’ll take him and a trusty Mister Clean Magic Eraser five hours just to clean it up. That is, if he even has the basic human decency to pick up after himself. He’ll probably just hire someone to do for him and then tip them a crisp 100-dollar bill for their troubles, only to make an even worse mess tomorrow.

Iaian: I’ve said this before in a previous hc, but yes: he can cook. It’s nothing special. He’s got a suburban dad sense of cooking where he, like King, can only make a select few dishes but makes those dishes taste magical. He’s got 0 utensils and shit kitchen to work with (because Kami’s place is probably like, centuries old on account of him still being a Samurai), but boy can Iaian whip up a feast like no other despite all that. It’s all protein-packed flavor bombs that look simple in comparison to, say, Zombieman or Metal Knight’s food, but it still tastes good all the same. Kama eats off of his plate all the time and it used to annoy him but they’ve grown so close that they might as well share forks at this point.

Okamaitachi: Can’t really cook, but they are a baking god. I don’t know much about baking but I know they’ve got a cupboard dedicated to their plethora of sourdough starters. They buy yeast by the pound and make enough bread to feed entire armies some days. Whatever the gang doesn’t eat, they donate it to the local homeless shelter and make it a habit to go out of their way performing good deeds that don’t always involve sword fighting (something Kami insists he instilled into them via his teachings— which is bullshit. Kama is just naturally good-hearted and sweet).

Bushidrill: Can’t cook or bake for shit but like Atomic Samurai and Flash, can throw it down on the campfire. Don’t let this man near any turkeys or pigs because he will spitroast the fuck out of them.

Fubuki: Okay, not only is she a great cook but she’s as dogmatic as a coked-out head chef. She and the Blizzard Group sometimes cook together in her massive kitchen (she poured all of her measly paycheck into it because by god, if her apartment doesn’t have a kitchen fit for a chef then it’s not worth living in), and she’ll be barking orders like a damn crow. She’s got the two-grand knife set, cast-iron everything, bronze accents on the sink, and the ability to deglaze a pan without starting a fire. She’s a natural. If she cooks for you, then that’s how you know she likes you. All in all, her food tastes and looks great. She’s a bit low on funds on account of being only Class-B, so she sometimes takes little shortcuts when plating her dishes, like using celery leaves in place of parsley and all that jazz.

Saitama: I’ve already said that his diet is absolute shit and part of that is due to being poor, but I will show mercy and say that he’s a decent cook. He only makes what he knows he’s gonna like and doesn’t leave any room for experimentation unless his budget allows it (which isn’t often). His kitchen only has the bare essentials. Genos has offered to buy him more equipment and even renovate the damn thing for him but Saitama refuses each time because then he’d have a bigass kitchen just for making a poor man’s omurice, and that would be a waste. His talent, though? Making a perfect omelet. He can fold the egg like a sheet with no tears and no brown spots. It tastes heavenly.

Mumen Rider: Ultra-safe in the kitchen. He doesn’t even own a knife sharpener because he’s clumsy enough to know he’ll cut himself the moment he even tries to use it. His pot handles all have coverings and he’s watched all of the food safety and fire safety videos out there. He could give a goddamned seminar on it. Food-wise, he’s a decent home cook. Nothing special. He does, however, share Superalloy and Tanktop’s nasty habit of over healthy-ing everything to oblivion and making it a tasteless, vegetative mess. It doesn’t matter if you invite him to the potluck or not because he’ll bring a cauliflower pizza anyway and y’all better fucking enjoy it or he’ll start crying.

Sonic: The same as Flashy Flash, minus the pescatarianism. He’d butcher a pig without blinking an eye, and often uses his katana in cooking (even though it poses like, 87 different safety hazards and is most definitely health violation). He can forage quite well and has taken a liking to wild mushrooms and berries over the years. It’s gotten so natural to him that he now knows by heart the specific time of year in which the wild berries are ripest, and which species of salmon inhabit certain streams on any given day.

Garou: Would burn water. End of story. His cooking is so bad and dangerous that everyone thinks he’s an arsonist when he really just starts fires on accident. Don’t let this fucker near a stove, for the love of god.

[catherinetcjd]

My Al Fresco design is a small house with an open-air dining room. Perfect for romantic starlit dining in the desert. It features two bedrooms and two bathrooms, has a driveway with parking for one vehicle, and is built on a 2-Click Foundation with a No-Slope Basement. With minimal CC

Please scroll through all the pictures on MTS to see everything this house has to offer. The house is fully furnished and lightly decorated. All appliances, plumbing and lighting are included. The telephone is located in the kitchen. The stove and grill both have smoke alarms. There may be a burglar alarm next to the fridge? Check for it before you play, and add it - if I forgot. (If you want a burglar alarm, that is.) This is a clean copy of this house/lot; no sim has ever lived here. The package has been cleaned with Mootilda's Clean Installer. There is parking for one vehicle on the driveway. This lot was shrunk with Mootilda's Lot Adjuster This lot's No-Slope Basement and 2-Click Foundation were made with Mootilda's Grid Adjuster For a tutorial on how I built this lot: Tutorial: Using Grid-Adjuster for No-Slope Basements and 1-Click/2-Click Foundations

More INFO and to DOWNLOAD

[the-headbop-wraith]

3 _ 46 Spaces that Overlay

  An assortment of vehicles cycled through Kingsman Mechanics, the most common build being older models – trucks, jeeps, and some van types. In the carport, one attendant spoke with a client and scratched down notes onto a page. In the garage, the court of Kingsman worked elbow deep in grease to get at the errors, erosions, or update the inventory to make carriages and engines roadworthy once more.

 Further into the garage, a truck with its hood popped sat stationed over the suspension of a rotary lift. Two cords extended from the casing within the chasse, plunged into a computer. The one utilizing the computer was Arthur, seated in the driver side of the vehicle. A second laptop sat on the dashboard, with a tutorial vid going of diagnostics for Bluetooth in the is more modern model.

 This vehicle needed updates, which the owner was not interested – or mystified to the process – of implementing on their own time. It was a light task, along with the routine replacing belts and checking the fuel pump. The truck was a regular brought in, which required more work than the typical checkup due to the high miles it gathered. Sort of like the Mystery Skulls van, but less clutter, and less living in.

 Crud, he missed the van. He knew it was in good hands, but driving around with the spare truck just wasn’t the same.

 A loose sling hung around Arthur’s shoulder, for resting his left arm when he wasn’t typing or adjusting the parts of the truck guts. The updates tallied off in the truck itself, while Arthur relocated himself to the front grill and checked the computer there. Kingsman Mechanics wasn’t quite prepped for the cutting edge of these specialty models, hence why Arthur had a spare laptop rolling through the specifics for “Bluetooth Updates for Dumbass”. So long as there were no errors in the software updates, they could supply them without concern.

 Arthur checked the clock in the corner of the computer screen. Noon shot by without a blink, he kept on top of assignments as they came in. Nothing out of the ordinary, no drama or long-winded diversions to derail some good momentum. The change of pace was so jarring he felt as if there should be some kind of crisis, one of the workers would fly through the garage shrieking,

 “The electricity was cut. The city has declared war!”

 Some of the wires in the engine appeared scorched at the ends. He’d need to replace those, but first the charge required a review; this might be a malfunction that needed adjusting.

 As Arthur was unfrilling the cord for the gauge, a solid and ominous form crept up behind him. “Aye.”

 Arthur jolted, whipping around and heaving the device above his head as if to toss or salvage it from certain disaster. When he saw who it was, his muscles melted immediately. “Uncle….”

 “Lunch hour came an’ run you by,” grumbled Lance. “You need to take care of that. Now.”

 Arthur mumbled under his voice. “I sorta lost track of time. No biggie.”

 “Its’a biggie,” Lance grated. “You might do your own thing when you and Vivi are out, but under mah roof you take to this structure. Go take a lunch.”

 He didn’t feel the drive to argue about a topic he had no defense for, especially since he was feeling a bit low and running on fumes. “Two minutes. I wanna check the charge on these converters.” Arthur was forced strafed when Lance shouldered him aside.

 “Lemme take care of that then. You don’t wanna keep Vivi waiting.” He stole the reader from Arthur’s hand.

 “Vivi?” he questioned, quirking an eyebrow.

 Lance fussed about how tiny the clips were. “Yuh. Come by, and picked you up somethin’ along the way.”

 “Oh boy,” Arthur mused. It was one thing when she took it upon herself to pop by and check in on him, but he was jittery about the company in tow. Not daring to loiter another moment, he mumbled a thanks to his Uncle and claimed the spare laptop from the trucks dashboard. A break in the steady repetition worked in his schedule, since he did need to head up to the workroom for some additional parts, and needed to take a cursory diagnostic of his arm.

 The breakroom was bare, aside from spare food cartons and abandoned cups left by some of the mechanics. He eased the door open further, skimming the tables and counters over; intent to perceive any irregularity in the shadows. There was nothing beyond expectation, nothing visible to the trained eye. Just Vivi and the mysterious Mystery, and on the table nearest to her rested a flat box.

 “Hey?”

 “There’s the man,” Vivi praised, with a grin. “I was in the neighborhood and thought we’d drop by.”

 “Sure,” Arthur hummed, distracted. “I was actually gonna head up to the second story. Ya wanna come?” He casually dismissed the way Vivi’s eyes lingered on the sling.

 “As long as you’re invitin’. C’mon Mystery, that likely belongs to someone.” Vivi took the back of a chair Mystery bounced up onto, and hauled it back a yard to prevent the dog from reaching an open carton of partially eaten fastfood. “I brought you a pizza.” Vivi claimed the flat box off the table.

 “Oh… cool.” Arthur held the breakroom door open for her and Mystery, once more casting a scrutinizing gander to the mess hall. “Been a while since I had a pizza.”

 “Hot pockets don’t count.” Vivi quipped. The corridor from the breakroom, opened up into the main service shop. She carried the box one handed, high above, like a waiter delivering precious cargo. She examined the vehicles in the shop, and the mechanics stirring through interiors and engines, the activity rolling through passive. “Has it been busy? It’s hard to tell sometimes.”

 “Meh,” Arthur exhaled. He plucked the plugs from his ears and jammed them in his vest pocket. “We have some priority jobs. Then, we have small fry stuff, which the recruit techies handle.” He led their path into the back chamber, shielded from the work floor. Some diverting corridors led off to offices, while a branching stairway inclined to the upper floor. “I’ll put it this way, we’re not behind and we’re not swamped. That smells good.” The aroma of the pizza was swirling around the small party. He took another careful examination of Vivi, when she joined him on the level floor of the second story corridor. Vivi made a face he wasn’t certain of, but didn’t comment.

 “Then I hope that means you’ll eat most of it, ‘cause… I’m iffy about sharing this with you.”

 They stopped at the entrance to the workroom, Arthur stalled as he sifted through his keys. “Urugh? Why’s that?” He shifted the laptop pinned in the sling, beside his metal arm. He unlocked the door and opened it wide, allowing Vivi into the room first followed by Mystery.

 “I question the ingredients on this pizza pie.” Vivi glanced around the small room, avoiding the small table cluttered by papers and magazines. Arthur shuffled over and began clearing the table off. “It’s a surfs up pizza.”

 “Heck yeah, love those.” He dumped the laptop on the couch, along with the magazines and some ratty hand drawn sketches.

 “Lewis made it for you.”

 On this confession, Arthur locked up. “Huh?”

 “I’m pretty sure it’s safe.”

 “HUH?!?!” This time Arthur scooted back from Vivi, giving the full room a serious examination – his hair and muscles bristled. “He’s… uh, is he… here?”

 Vivi set the pizza box down, the unmarked, blank box suddenly incriminating and somewhat sinister. “No,” she assured, looking not very certain herself, “don’t worry—”

 “I’m not worried!”

 “He’s been keeping a low profile, sort of recharging. Or conserving his energy.” Vivi sat on the couch, across from Arthur and the pizza. “Does that make sense?” She waited on him, even while Arthur stood there gawking as if there was a full-blown face on the pizzas surface, heckling him.

 “I… guess? Is he happy?” He edged forward, focus imbedded with the pizza.

 “Happy as a cactus on a hot, sunny day. I’ve been giving him some space, in and around the hours I’m not working. And I had to pop by, make sure you are taking care of yourself. You tend to get buried in your work.” She pinned Arthur with a severe glower.

 With a dry swallow, Arthur turned his focus back to the culinary tribute. It looked like a normal pizza, aside from the uniform marks of homemade quality. The toppings appeared genuine and fresh – it was damn near impossible to find place that served seafood ingredients, unless it was a specialty restaurant which had them on hand. Namely, not likely a pizza chain. He reached out—

 A rolled up magazine bopped his hand. “Hey!”

 “You got grease and grime all over your hands.” Viv pointed the magazine at him. “I doubt you’ll taste the pizza through that.”

 “Seriously?”

 She directed the improvised weapon toward the entrance door. “Clean!”

 “Fine!” Arthur marched off and slammed the door.

 When left on her own, Vivi turned the magazine weapon onto Mystery. The dog was in the process of creeping up behind the table, ears aimed far forward. “You are not picking off the calamari.” Mystery ducked down and slinked away.

 In short time Arthur returned. He gave Vivi a review of his hands, to receive certification that he had done satisfactory work in getting out the grease stains. “I hope it’s not all cold and gooey,” he muttered, as he sat on the couch. The first slice plucked up was lifted aloft and examine under the fluorescent light from above; wavering laces of steam curled off the gooey sauce and toppings. It looked fresh, looked like a perfectly normal, unremarkable pizza. He glanced to the side at Vivi, stroking at Mystery’s neck. And the doggo himself, gazing at him. Resolving his nerves, Arthur took a small bite.

 “How is it?”

 Arthur’s eyes watered. “This is legit really good. He really made this?”

 “You seem surprised.” She leaned over and hugged Mystery around his jaw.

 “I didn’t expect it.” He took another bite. “Well, I figured you’d make a cameo eventually, I didn’t suspect— Wait, was this Lewis’ idea?”

 Vivi laughed. “Cut me some slack, I knew you’d be blazing your hours away. You need a more nutritious, well balanced diet.”

 Arthur held up a second slice. “This is a pizza.”

 “Yeaahhh… but it’s not deep-friend, is it?”

 The pizza didn’t kill him. That was a plus. Arthur didn’t really believe there was anything wrong with the pizza, but it felt bizarre to receive a pizza of all things. What was that? Well wishes from beyond the grave. Ugh?

 When Arthur finished what he could of the pizza, Vivi took the leftovers down to the breakroom and stashed it in the fridge. It was her day off from the Tome Tomb, and she vouched to spend the hours at the garage. Arthur didn’t inquire about it, company was appreciated while he took some hours to do tweak work on his arm. They shared casual exchange about their respective jobs, away from the typical Mystery Skulls investigation work. The Tome Tomb got a shipment of interesting cargo, in his spare time Arthur was updating digital equipment, and checking or cleaning the more simplistic electronics such as cameras.

 “What sort of work are you doing on your arm?” Vivi posed, while she was by the schematic board examining designs.

 Arthur adjusted the clamp, which held the wrist in place while he fiddled with the forearm chamber. “Wiring. And the circuit boards.” He took the soldering tool, and with a delicate touch laid a connector down. “After so many hours or use, I have to switch out the merch. I can tell when it’s time, because it doesn’t work so well.” He was well versed with bending his fingers and pinching them into narrow spaces, using the pointer and pinky to slot the wire into a narrow space that would keep the cord from coming loose or snapping.

 “I had no idea,” Vivi hummed. “I thought you toiled your hours away updating or perfecting your designs.”

 Arthur shifted his shoulder. “I wish. The bulk of arm building is ‘something doesn’t feel right’, and ‘this feels suspiciously seamless’.” He didn’t want to mention that the arm had been giving him issues since the night they dealt with the forest spirit, or whatever that thing was. “Maybe my next model I put time on will let me to wear sleeves. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

 “Ooh,” Vivi chimed. “You might have to overhaul your whole wardrobe.”

 “I’m not retiring the vests.”

 It was a solid and unremarkable day, to be productive. When the sun began to sink, and the Kingsman began sifting out on the shift ends, Vivi decided to call it a day as well.

 Before leaving, she gave Arthur a hug around his neck and ruffled his hair. “I’ll give you a call later, and make sure you go to bed.”

 Arthur paused in his work, adjusting the miniscule screws in the joint connector of the arm. “What’s the point of me trying to get sleep, if you’re gonna call me and wake me up? Probably.”

 “The point being, turn off your phone.” She stole her backpack off the couch and marched to the entry. Mystery beside her legs, looking bored or drowsy, likely both. “And I have a mighty suspicion you’re gunna forget to go to bed, before you remember to turn off your phone.”

 At the end of the day, she was right.

 __

 The Tome Tomb saw a myriad of interesting and cryptic characters voyaging from all walks of life searching for answers or seeking questions to the mysteries, of the world boundless. It was a bookstore first and foremost, followed by artifacts inspired – while others were purchased – from a diverse field of beliefs. Strange constructs of protection and inspiration hung from the ceiling, while among the aisles spiraled the whispers of pursuit for some illusive necessity. Sometimes on the shelves lay a stack of books, neglected by some careless patron impartial to resetting what was set asunder. Out and away from the mazes, a desk or chair loitered at a wall, inviting visitors to a moment for a seat and contemplation toward a book of interest. Duet always said that it was a valid and humane way of feeding knowledge through the transfer of energy. Whatever that meant.

 Winding through the aisles, a metal ring jingled above a set of black socks. Through the towers of volumes and published documents trotted a white hound; a curious creature with ears as sharp as a pinhead, eyes deep and critical.

 The powder-white muzzle prodded at one book set against a brace, until the support shifted aside enough that the tome flopped over. Mystery leaned up higher on his rear legs and took the spine gently between his canines and inched it out about halfway – before shuffling his head beneath the tottering text. He balanced the book upon his head and padded off.

 In another aisle, a teen browsed through the lines of titles while examining his phone. The klingle-cling of the ring coerced his attention, and he looked over to observe the white pooch. The aisle was located near a corner, and in the corner awaited a large, ornate armchair. The dog paced over to the chair and hopped up into the seat, curling round and around before settling down. Mystery let the book slip across his ears and plop open in the crook of the armchair. He raised a paw and began flipping pages, with a delicate doggy claw.

 The teen stared. Mystery ignored. Flip. Flip. Flip. He stopped and read a passage, beginning a chapter into a topic of interest.

 The teen raised their phone, flipped into camera mode, and snapped a picture. With a grin, they switched to gallery and swiped through the endless scroll of pictures. The wide smile on his face dissolved, when he reached the most recent timeline. Weird.

 Once again, with the flash. Mystery didn’t react, aside from flick an ear.

 “What the…” the teen uttered. “What the heck is going on?” They adjusted the settings on the phone and tried once more. The same result. He gave the phone a shake, as if that were the same practice of turning it off then on again.

 Reangling the phone, he snapped a picture and blinked. It went off, right in his face. Scrolling through the endless photography, they located an unflattering selfie.

 With excitement, he turned the camera on the amusing scene of a dog with glasses reviewing a book, and gave it another go. Snap.

 Once again, the teen was left with disappointment. Mystery gave a large and dramatic dog yawn.

 The teen moved a little closer, raised the phone—

 “Ahem!”

 Startled, he whipped around to the blue figure standing behind him. Shorter, but intimidating in her own right.

 “Photography is not allowed,” Vivi growled. For emphasis, she directed a finger to the pinned page tapped to the end of the aisle board. The sign read:

 PLEASE RESPECT OUR LOCAL ORBS

 “Oh… uh, sorry.” The teen stuttered. “The dog….” His face fell.

 Vivi raised a brow. “What about him?”

 Squeak-Squeak! Mystery bit the rubber chicken.

 “Believe me,” Vivi stated, setting a book on the shelf she was beside, “we gave him one of those chickens that wails. Worst idea.”

 “Uh….” For whatever reason, the teen checked his phone again. This time he didn’t check.

 “Did you need help with anything?”

 During the work week, a steady stream of customers came through the Tome Tomb. Some with very specific descriptions of the items they sought, while others were curious to review the merchandise offered by the store’s prominent displays. For short periods Vivi managed the counter, before rotating to check the back storeroom and then emerge and go circulate across the main floor; check in with curious visitors, or evaluate whatever tasks required attention and get Chloe on that. It was a distinct contrast to Kingsman Mechanics, wherein activity was intense and sounds abundant. The Tome Tomb was quiet, serene, like a graveyard fitted with books.

 A female but strongarmed courier entered through the front door with a standing trolley, a stack of large boxes weighed down the bleating wheels. The bell chimed as the door swooped shut.

 Vivi emerged from the maze of aisles, a few books stacked in her hands. “Hello Marquis. Who’s the distributor this time?” She set the volumes beside the keyboard.

 Marquis slid the platform from beneath the boxes and eased the trolley back. “Likely IKEA. I hope you enjoy assembling furniture.”

 Vivi grimaced and took the small blocky tablet Marquis handed over. “I think we’ll have to invent a whole machine that specializes in assembling IKEA brand kindling.” She signed the business name and handed it back over.

 “Simple is better,” cracked Marquis, as she pocketed the palm pilot. “Build a fireplace, this place could use one of those rustic ones.”

 When Marquis left, Vivi took the packing slip from the top box. “I…KEA… Duet! Did you order more desk sets?”

 From the back, a very muffled and distant, “…nooo…” floated forth

 Vivi took a ceremonial dagger from the front desk and plunged it into the top box. “Ah. I don’t know what these are. Do you know?” Interested in the activity, Mystery prowled over sniffing at the boxes. He trotted around Vivi, as she set the top box on the floor. “Some artifacts? Duet! Are you ordering cursed artifacts again?!” She pulled out a clay pot from the packing filler; the vessel appeared to be hand made, and distinctive by genuine craft and art.

 From the back, a voice retorted, “That’s what the charms are for….”

 “Charms won’t work on hostile demons!” Vivi set the teapot on the counter. “I’m gunna fill you with so much holy water….”

 The bell chimed, and Arthur leaned through the doorway. “I’m not going to ask.”

 Vivi waved him off with the hand clasped to her arm. “Just typical Duet accumulating questionable goods from the four corners of the world, and Bermuda.” Before the statement fully left her lips, she lit up, “What’re you doin’ here?”

 Arthur held up bags with Styrofoam containers within. “Repaying for the unprompted meal.” He lowered the packages, letting the bottom gently bop Mystery on his curious head.

 “Is it lunch already?” She checked her phone. “Wait… I still have thirty minutes.”

 “Take an early lunch,” Arthur grumbled, in a frown. “You interrupt my work, I’ll interrupt yours No argument.” He set the packages on the counter.

 “I had to drag you away because you don’t know how to interrupt yourself.” She poked at the bags. “Orion Sandwiches?”

 Arthur kneeled and examined at the packing straw in the box on the floor. “Not a home cooked meal, but better than that nitrate infused garbage you insist on hoarding.”

 Vivi pulled out one box and popped the lid. “The nitrate infused garbage fuels my bum days.” She started eating on the baked chips. “I really appreciate this. Y’know, I only delivered the food….”

 “What a koinky-dink, so did I.” He gave the open but clear space of the main room a cautious examination, then directed his gaze up to Vivi. “Lewis around?”

 “Hmm?” She handed a chip to Mystery. “No,” she whispered. “I invited him, if he wanted to hide around or whatever so he wouldn’t be alone. He won’t come near this place, but he doesn’t say why.”

 Arthur stood and looked around at the hanging charms. “Yeh, no kidding. Place is creepy.”

 “Please, I prefer to describe it as an eccentric inclination.” Arthur gave a yelp and dove over the counter. “Jumpy as ever,” Duet spoke, inching forward to look over the side. “Apologies. You seemed so relaxed, so at eased….”

 “You SNUCK UP on me. What the HECK?! Where’d ya even come from!”

 Vivi pointed at the door leading to the back room. “I thought you were deciphering?”

 Duet smiled. “I smelled food and was curious.” They indicated the sedate front room. “If you want, you can go ahead on lunch. I need to catalog our new items.” Duet snapped their hands together. “That reminds me, how was your journey, and the assignment? Vivi returned with some insightful items.”

 Arthur struggled to heave himself up, he reframed from overusing his slinged arm. “Peachy ala king. Oodles of fun.”

 “Mmm. Some time, you must impart your stories.” Duet lifted the teapot from the counter and looked at it carefully, held high and catching the light from a window.

 Vivi leaned over the counter and assisted Arthur in getting relocated. “Trust me, it wasn’t that exciting.”

 “Even better,” Duet hummed. “I would not want to worry about my best asset procurer falling into peril.” They set the pot aside. “This item is not cursed. It is merely misunderstood.”

 The bell chirped and a new pair of customers ventured in, fresh faces gathering in the details of the small shop. Friends, or maybe a couple.

 “Greetings,” Duet called. “Speculate boundless, and let us know your deepest wishes in your own time.”

 One of the two dug into their pocket. “Oh, we’re looking for a certain item, or attribute?”

 The other responded, “We’re in need of books on… protection?”

 Duet’s face fell. “Ooh, I don’t know if we can guaran—” Vivi pressed a finger to Duet’s face.

 “We have a large selection to review,” Vivi insisted, with a large warm smile. “If you’ll come with me, this way. Don’t look at them, look at me.”

 Arthur stuttered, fighting the urge to beat the counter. “Her foods gunna get soggy!” He turned to Duet. “And she hauled me off to eat. Kettle!” He hissed.

 “It’s a pot.” Duet held up the little ceramic artifact. “I suspect that you waited for her to arrive, and pry the cold wrench from your hands.” They watched as Arthur packed up the Styrofoam container and cinched up the handles of the bag.

 “That’s not too far from the truth.”

 Duet took the ceremonial dagger and began cutting into the next box on the stack. “You could pursue her, and repay the courtesy she showed you.”

 Arthur ventured through the doorway to the back room, snapping, “I won’t risk invoking her wrath.” And to himself, “Got enough on my plate right now.”

 The back of the Tome Tomb was better described as a closet brimming with the overstock of the shop, and other items that didn’t fit on the shelves or among the merchandise. Some stock needed protection from the curious impulse buyer, some buyers needed protection from the items that did not yet have a place on the main floor.

 Arthur squeezed between two shelves before he could straighten his shoulder and take on a normal stride. He shifted his posture when Mystery shoved on by. “Don’t worry, I got you something too.”

 Mystery yipped.

 “Yes, I remember your preferences on mustard.” They strutted past a small alcove, with a counter stretched between the two walls. On the surface awaited rare collector magazines, fitted into protective sleeves and stacked. Between the towers stood an ancient, out of date computer box and a green shape huddled behind it.

 Chloe sighed and slouched further in the chair. Her sleeved hand shifted the mouse, clicking and dragging. Her eyes glistened beneath the shroud of her hood.

 Arthur backtracked and pointed with his hand from the sling. “You can set the eight of diamonds on the nine of spades.” He hurried on, cramming himself between two shelves.

 Chloe slapped her sleeves against the desk and jolted up. “I’m not playing— GASP! Are you a psychic?! Hey!” She scrambled under the gap beneath the bench and pursued. “Tell me your secrets!”

 “There’s a reflective surface behind you.” He snapped his elbow away. “Don’t grab. Hey!” Chloe darted in front of him, chasing Mystery.

 “You have very keen eyes for a mortal.”

 Arthur spun around, trying not to fall or step on the dog currently dodging around and over his sneakers. “It’s the only way I’ve survived this long. Mystery! Don’t encourage her. Chloe! Mystery! The two of you! Both of you! Gimmie a break! Don’t you have work?”

 Chloe fell in step behind Arthur, throwing her arms high above and stretching. “I need a break from that. The light makes my eyes hurt. Are you workin’ as delivery now?”

 “No.”

 “Did you bring something for me?”

 “I didn’t know you were working today.”

 “I work every day. So, now you know.”

 Arthur slipped into a small room, the elbow in the sling raised up and hit the switch. “I didn’t really ask.”

 The light revealed the small space of the breakroom, complete with two tables and a few  kitchenware essentials. There was a small counter and food preparation zone, a single basin sink, and cabinets. Though these quarters were cramped, there was more nutritious food items packed within than a single health food store. He set the packages on the nearest table. Across from him a chair scooted out, and Mystery popped his head up.

 “Not gonna wait on Vi?” Arthur rummaged in the bags, pulling out the warm containers one at a time. He popped one lid and set the box before the dog. “The food’ll get soggy. Not that she won’t eat it, it just won’t be as good.” Behind him, the electric steeper gurgled as the water boiled within.

 “Your color looks good today.” Chloe went through the cabinets, locating a mug and the beverages. “Somethings different.”

 Arthur hmphed. “I’m getting sleep. That’s different.” Chloe hummed.

 “You guys stickin’ around longer this time?” She scooped some leaves into a steeper spoon and set it in the mug. “This place turns into a real dullsville while Vii ain’t here. Also, all the extra work pilin’ up.” The mug steamed as she poured the water over the spoon.

 Arthur rolled his eyes. Mystery nudged his food container closer to Arthur, and then gazed at him with large, puppy eyes. “It’s up to the boss lady. Or, maybe Duet will have a hand in our next cross country escapade.” He took one of the steak fries from the carton and ate it. “There isn’t that much freedom in where we go, as you think.”

 “But it’s still fun getting’ a change of scenery.” Chloe moved around the table, inching around the room to face both Mystery and Arthur. She blew on the mug wrapped between her sleeves. “Seeing all the different places. Going on adventures. Doing real paranormal work, and not just… reading about it.”

 Mystery whined, compelling Arthur to pick out another steak fry. “Sightseeing isn’t that big of a thing, either, since the schedule is always tight. It’s business, out and back – work on all way to the job, work on the job itself, work all the way to the next job.” Chloe nodded.

 “Sure-sure, I know it’s work.” She tried sipping some of her drink.

 “The grass is always greener on the other fence, or however Vivi would butcher the saying.” Arthur pulled out a chair and took a seat. “We work with a lot of different people, some very uncooperative, others unintentionally unhelpful. If you don’t keep up with all the reports and witness accounts, it’s hard to get a hold of a story and figure out the situation. We do investigations, not sensationalism.”

 Chloe frowned, “I know that, I’m not some kid. If the jobs so bad, why’d you get involved?”

 Arthur raised a finger and pointed at her. “Right, I’m gonna shut you down right there if you’re trying to get into another spiel, about convincin’ Vivi to let you ride along on our assignments.”

 “Aw, c’mon….”

 “I’m not getting involved.” He slapped his flesh hand on the tabletop. “And don’t bring it up with Vi, this is exactly why she won’t think on it.”

 Chloe dithered, sipping quietly on the steam. “What d’ya mean?” Arthur mulled over the question, as he ate another streak fry. “I’m tryin’ to be ambitious and persistent. That’s what you need for ghost investigations, isn’t it? I got those qualities. C’mon, tell me what I’m missin’.”

 Arthur shrugged and leaned a little further over in his chair. “There isn’t a standard list to check off.” One more fry. “It’s more than wanting and filling in a DnD class type. We started this to help people, and it comes with a cost. Aside from that, she’s… y’know, not really interested in taking applicants right now.” He reached over and rubbed Mystery between the ears. Mystery’s response was press the carton closer to Arthur. “No. I don’t want you scavenging off Vivi later.”

 Arf!

 “I’m not.” He pretended not to notice Chloe examining his arm in the sling.

 “Um… do you think it’ll ever happen?” She shuffled back, nearer to the wall. “Eventually.”

 Arthur did feel a little bad, but it wasn’t as if they never had these talks on the long open roads between compiling and editing reports. Chloe had a lot of spirit and good qualities, but she didn’t have the full spectrum of the work incorporated into her aptitude. They could likely work something out, but it wasn’t a good time to delve deep into the topic. Aside from all that, Vivi had a role for the Tome Tomb as asset evaluation and procurement; it was more than selecting potential merchandise but comprehension into the context of the material, it’s age, and historical significance. And before… the accident, the work wasn’t safe. Even the casual “guy-in-a-mask-shenanigans” had perils, which could get out of hand.

 “Probably someday, no promises, no obligations,” he offered. “We just got back, and I for one am enjoying this stationary address while it lasts. Some stability.” He used his shoulder to rub his cheek. “I love the freedom and all, but even road junkies get burnt out on endless highways.”

Chloe dipped her head, nodding very faintly. “I… uh, probably should get back to work, huh?”

 “That’d be a good idea.”

 Once more she nodded, distracted. “Er, um. Why – can I ask – why did you sign up, for the ghost investigations?”

 Arthur pushed away the carton box Mystery insisted he examine. “That’s kinda a personal topic.”

 Chloe blinked within the strange shadow of her hoody. “Oh, right. I guess, uh… I’ll catch you later.”

 When she was gone, Arthur slumped at the table, resting his chin on his folded arm and causing his goatee to frazzle out. “If Vivi doesn’t show up, I’ll hunt her down Watcher in the Woods style, and haul her away from her current clients.”

 Wooof.

 In the quiet of the breakroom Arthur did dwell as he sometimes did, on the reasons and whims of their adventures. He slipped the false arm from the sleeve and slipped it across the table, until it rested across from his line of sight. The servos and hydraulics wheezed as he flexed the fingers, studying the craftsman ship of the palm region – designed to follow the contours of the natural hand, but limited in range of mobility and grip. Trying to duplicate the lines and folds of a hand didn’t work for unyielding metal, he came up with a design which flowed and worked for the fabricated limb.

 The mysterious canine hurtled against his knee, dragging Arthur from his musing a full minute before he heard the footfalls beyond the doorway. He sat up quickly and wrapped his flesh hands around his metal wrist.

 “That went much smoother than I anticipated,” Vivi announced, upon entry. She smoothed out her hair as she crossed the small space, to the single sink. “It helped that Duet was distracted with merch. Chloe didn’t bother you too much, did she?”

 “Nah-uh,” Arthur hummed. He reached to the bag and hauled out the last boxes. “She tried to bum food off me, but that was about it.”

 Vivi went over to the fridge and popped it open. “She buys food and doesn’t eat all of it.” After some rummaging, she pulled out a can of flavored tea. “I was actually going to head over to Kingsmen and kidnap you away for some lunch time. Did you get something for yourself?”

 Arthur let his eyes roll over, to land on Mystery in the chair. “Sort of.” Mystery nudged the box a little closer. He sighed. Then, a paper plate settled down in front of him, and Vivi set down a portion of her sandwich. “You guys, no! Stop that! I don’t even like bratwurst!”

 Vivi bit into her own slice of stacked condiments, first getting mustard on her chin. “Pick out what you don’t want—”

 “Don’t talk with your mouth full! Disgustang!”

 “MMF!” Vivi chewed and swallowed. “You brought this on yourself! Haulin’ food by, but not eating with us. How uncivilized.” Arthur made a face and delivered a childish raspberry. “You don’t have to eat it all. Just pick at it. You can’t resist, Arthur. The sandwich… it’s desire is to be eaten by yooooOOOooOOOO….”

 Mystery threw his snout high and howled.

 Arthur huffed, but did pluck a bit at the ingredients poking out from the side of the stacked bread. “Mm….” He tossed a look to the doorway. In response to the interest, Mystery gave the gaping portal a high eared examination. “Did you thank Lew for the pizza? For me?”

 “Yeah. You know I did.” She spooned some sauce along the side of the sandwich and chewed a few chips. “He actually lost his living appearance for a while, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him. I’m not sure what that meant, but he seemed really frazzled. Happy, but frazzled. It was very cute.”

 Arthur face palmed. He snatched a napkin from the bag, after nearly getting tasty juice in his eye. “I’m actually surprised he’d try cooking in your kitchen. I know he’s not doing spooky things,”  he raised his arms and wriggled his fingers, spookily, “but he doesn’t have, what I’d say… a lot of control over, er… stoves. Well, not just stoves… but, I mean I’m glad nothing got scorched. Least of all, that pizza.”

 Vivi nodded as she took another bite from the sandwich. Then she stalled and gave Arthur a look, before chugging her tea beverage. “Wait-wait-wait-WAIT! Are you implying he had a habit of burning shit, prior to becoming a fire ghost!?”

 Leaning far back in his chair, Arthur blinked owlishly. “Uh…yeeaaa…. A little surprised you haven’t invested in a fire extinguisher yet. Might wanna do that….”

 “I live in an apartment! One is provided.”

 Arthur thumped his head against the table. “Right, we’ll get one for the van too. I’ll start researching fire-resistant materials and applicants.” Mystery popped up beside the table where Arthur sat, and plopped down a chilled coffee in a can. Once more Arthur sighed, but he appreciated the gesture more than anything.

  __

 The hour was so late and the moon soaring high into the gray sky, gliding behind the drapery of clouds and woven, crooked branches. If not for the stray breeze curling across the road and skittering through the tops of dried grass, the place would seem as if suspended in time and forgotten; abandoned by the turn of a clock, and exiled from a plain of existence shared by the waking world. In this thicket where no mortal could stumble unto, extended acres of mystical land imbued with a kind of power unknown to the living. The acreage was accessible and open to stragglers, but its state of subsistence disconnected from the natural world in the light of day, became a doorway that remained inaccessible until the hours whittled away. With the slumber of the sun, the forest became entranced by moonbeams, the rocks and trees shifted beneath the shadows, and nothing was as it once seemed.

  It was not the memory of wandering and reaching no distinct space, of lost and misguided drifting. There remained the ambiguous sense of presence, of wholeness; this persistence of loss and dwindling. A train of thought shifting like mist, memories he spun through and grappled to restrain; all slipping away despite his resolve to restrain them. That was his focus, seeking this illusion of restoring what was robbed away. Reclaiming the pieces of himself, without the full grasp of what his self was initially. Who knew him? They left him, and he was stranded. The days ceased to exist, he dragged through endless twilights and dawns, time lost its hold on him. There was nothing but the endless cycle of seeking, and a vague suspicion of roaming through infinite circles.

 The burning eyes swept among the velvety shrouds, the outline that of a memory to a shape fitted around the twin gleaming lights. Noiseless and seamless, he pressed further and onward through this mysterious place. A power settled through him, connecting his spatial presence to the air and shadows. It incurred a sense of defiance, to venture out in the manner that he did. The nature and surrounding woods provided a sense of peace that the domestic world could not infuse, though there was a wrongness in this brashness. It was reckless, since he knew from experience there awaited some fates worse than death.

  This was still far-far from that place, where the steps of his living self-ended, and the region where his new state of subsistence began. He was afraid to venture too near, when the compulsion to venture onward swelled, beckoning him. It was captivating, but why so he couldn’t say for certain. It was akin to homesickness, though the area far detached from anything home. That place was nothing, empty, and held nothing to offer. Yet still, the tangible draw insisted.

  “Come rest, come glide. Come see, come along and never leave. Slumber and dream, there is nothing left to the weary.”

  Lewis gave pause in the thicket, miles and miles more from where he raised an elaborate illusion. It was not his intent to return, never and absolutely ever. Yet, he knew. Somehow, he knew without a doubt, some deep part of his spiritual nature knew the nearer to that territory and the caves, and the deep tunnels, this was where he held the most power. To the why he was not certain, but he had a damn good theory. A theory he would never risk to delve into.

  With barely a whim and flick of the wrist, he manifested a standing lamp post with an ornate, gothic design. In its glassed top, a fuchsia flame sputtered to life and basked in the pale moonbeam. Lewis continued onward, gliding across root clumps and skittering around the towering trunks of trees. Every few yards, another lamp post rose by a wave of his hand, to offer comfort and a guide for his return. A lure and security thread, in case his thoughts drifted further than he intended. A tether to compel him from a place that wished to claim him.

  Upon reaching a charming little clearing, where the light sifting across the grassy plain was its strongest and he felt heated, Lewis stopped his march. Close enough, this would suit him. Nothing was supernatural or cryptic to this location, but it was unique to him. This place was where he needed to be. The area was cosmetically appealing, but it was not the forceful drag. No fabrications or steps, or a vine drenched wall. Nothing, but the lamppost beckoning, and comforting.

  Sweeping his arms outward, several tall candelabras burst into existence from a flash of embers. Each stood several meters out from Lewis, encircling him within the clearing. Candles upon the wicks vacant of a flicker, cold. Lifeless. In his own time, he examined them one by one. The sconce nearest to him by three meters, he fixated on. His eyes shimmered.

  High above the center of the clearing, a small flame formed and began to drift downward.

  With great intent, he observed the flickering ember as it glided downward, falling nearer to the candle set. However, before the flame alit on the wick, Lewis flinched and the brilliant glow extinguished. The wind picked up, whistling through the blades of grass he dwarfed. Rasping, he tried once more. This time, raising one arm to the conviction of a flame.

  One time he did this, while biding time and resting in a dark box within a deep, dismal crypt. Conserving his vitality for the illusion, the manifestation, the hallucinations prevailing forth at his meager whims. The eventual meeting, and inevitable pursuit. He could manage again while focused on the flame he conjured, though that initial potency he once took for granted did wane. With a steady hand, he guided the path of the glow closer and lower to the candelabra. Though he managed to alight the flame on the wick, it did not take, and soon vanished.

  Embers snapped at the corners of Lewis’ vest, and the outline of the skull gleamed through the faux flesh. It would work better if he moved closer, but he had to work at it from a distance. He needed intensity, as with concentration. Though the wind picked up, it did not flutter or shift the edges or loose sleeves of his attire. His shape was a lie, and outward influences such as reflective surfaces would exploit that deceit.

  Slapping his palms together, he dropped the guise of his living self and forced attention into compelling the flame, and maintaining it as desired. It wouldn’t be easy, it may not work immediately. He set one hand over the locket shimmering at his breast pocket, and raised the other – palm upward – to demand another dry spark.

  The cliff stretched above, the torchlight fluttered after him. He reached into the dark abyss for a hold, a ledge, but the air was empty above, as it was below. Faster and faster, mesmerized by the shimmering light… like the ember, bobbing merrily within open air uncontested. He reached toward it, fortifying a mystical grasp.

  It was effortless in that place. It required nothing to raise a mansion, to coerce visitors, to cloak terrible secrets. But he was not returning, and he would never venture closer if he could help it. But a conduit to the shelter where he first rose, would enable him to better grasp influence. Without the restraint he demanded, Lewis would be no more, no better, than a deranged wraith. The sort of spirits his team sought to disperse from the living realm.

  The sort of spirit Vivi and Arthur encountered, in a mansion during the cycle of a waning crescent moon.