#i really like that the additional bedrooms in this house are in a separate structure

[comfys]

Primary suite + kids room WIP in my latest build

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Little yellow 1900 cottage in Montrose, Colorado has a heart of stones in the front yard. 4bds, 2ba, $575K. The description reads, "It's not just a home, it's a lifestyle," and I have come to realize that means somethin's goin' on in there. Take a look.

There's a nice sun porch and it's decorated pretty fancy for a little cottage. Look at the gold ceiling.

Nice large living room and a very wide doorway to the dining room.

The dining room is huge and also has doors to the sun porch. I'm wondering if it was meant to be the living room.

The kitchen had a remodel at some point. There's a pantry/laundry room, too.

This area at the foot of the stairs is an office. It's really a flex space.

This is bathroom #1.

The primary bd. appears to be an addition or a former rec room. It's big and has a fireplace with rustic brick walls that have a very different look from the rest of the house.

This bedroom is cute. Look at those little windows. If you're into purple and pink you'll love the bedrooms.

The pink sitting room off this bedroom, has a door to the outside. It may have been the original front entrance and living room.

This is a Pooja Mandir, which loosely translates to a prayer room, a sacred space that's the heart of the home.

There's a shower in remodeled bath #2.

And, this bedroom has a cute dormer with a window seat.

At the back of the home is very large deck.

This structure is a private office, and next to it is a hot tub.

The brick structure looks like it's a separate space from the house and it looks like there's a covered area with a barbecue in the back.

There's also a large 2 car garage.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/222-S-2nd-St-Montrose-CO-81401/111197911_zpid/

[secrets-of-the-library]

This is a fan-created personal home of Antonio Carriedo, the Hetalia personified nation of Spain. I did look up a few reference pictures but I mostly just took a few ideas I liked from them (A courtyard, a tower, certain design features, etc etc) but it is mostly ‘winged’ and ‘as I felt like it’. I’m not Spanish and I wasn’t aiming to do a 100% authentic or accurate build here. Just for fun. I like to imagine that he loves this huge mansion that he has built up over the years and there is TONS of plants and things to do to entertain not only himself but also guests, friends, and family. Like Arthur, he has his own personal office too. I can imagine Arthur complaining about his home being too big and spacious though lol.

Remember: This is fan/headcanon created. I build for fun and am not a professional. I do not build with the intention of having it livable/non-clashing. If something clashes it will be up to you to fix it because I build for the pure aesthetic and not functionality. I own a lot of packs so if you don’t own all the ones used in this there might be issues.

After the cut here I will provide a visual walk-through via screen captures. You’re more than welcome to download it and look at it for yourself. My username on Sims4 is Shinoshallbugyou.

This project in particular was HUGE, again, I like to do huge projects and mansions. Because of its size the ‘cut’ will be huge as well, keep that in mind. I’ll do my best to walk you guys through it but if you have the game and packs the easiest way would be to just download it yourself.

I chose Oasis Springs because of its desert surroundings. The only lot bigger than this one is park lots. I was tempted to do a ‘central courtyard’ and a house essentially wrapped around it but I chose this one instead. I like to pretend that his property actually extends down several paths on the cliff and to some stables, horses, and etc down below. I like to think the road leading to his house is more long and windy but the lot simply isn’t big enough for it so I compromised. I’ll be showing an occasional night-time photo of the building here and there but for the most part I’ll stay in ‘Afternoon’ because it’s the brightest to see in.

The overall look...

Now the overhead breakdown of each floor, overall...

Now for some shots around the outside in certain spots. I really liked the idea of a courtyard and I wanted to do that. I’m always a fan of driveways that go down to another level of the house. Please note, I am aware that the driveway would be too steep realistically but this lot is NOT big enough so I made do. While cars are not a thing in the Sims 4 (They were in 3) I still like to pretend and put them in there anyways even if the objects do not work. I wanted to try my hand at a lot more balconies and playing around with the outside of a house more as well as trying things I normally wouldn’t do like leaving a section on the roof uncovered or throwing in more gazebos (Or whatever). I especially liked the below photo of a wall that kind of comes out in increments? It looked neat!

The front door. We’ll explore the 1st floor now. I wanted a ‘rug’ that would descend down with the leveled steps/platform here. There wasn’t one like that so I created one. I often play around with things and use them in ways they wouldn’t have been normally used in the game: Such as upsizing that tiny toy horse into a ‘statue’ of a horse.

Next up: The Living room. I can imagine that he shoved in some things to entertain people with like Foosball and more. This area has a balcony too and a lot of areas on this floor open up directly outside to have airflow. Each area kind of has its own ‘major color’ to it. This area is more ‘orange’.

Downstairs here is where I decided to put a bar, storage for drinks (He’s a mass producer of wine, after all, and he likes to drink on top of it) as well as the garage for where the cars would go, etc. I usually improvise and take other objects to look like other objects. ‘Wine caskets’ don’t exist- Those are some weird metal object in the game that is a wall decoration.

Next up is the bottom of the tower connected to the living room. The tower is the tallest building on the map with it being four stories high. The bottom is connected to the living room and it contains a small changing/towel area (This could double up for the pool/hot tub) but mainly for the sauna I have installed in there (Because why not?). I also plugged in a bathroom with the remaining room there. Because it is such a small space it is hard to see.

The next room we’re going to is the opposing wing on the 1st floor, on the opposite side of the main entry room. There is a staircase that goes upstairs here but through the archways is a small reading nook. There are multiple ‘flowing corridors’ around this building, both internally and externally, that are very open for air and breezes.Often these will have a lot of seating and decor mainly on the way to other rooms. I went for more white/grey here.

Next up is the first guest bedroom. It is sandwiched between two of these flowing ‘corridors’ and it has its own personal bathroom. These spaces are big enough for people to stay in plus an additional seating area.

The next is that corridor on the other side that leads out onto an outside corridor as well as the courtyard. I tried often to get different decorations and objects going on in some of these rooms that would differ them from the other ones so it wouldn’t all just blend together into nothingness.

Next up is the courtyard. I had to have some kind of courtyard in here and I really liked how this one turned out with its nooks and crannies. It leads back towards the front door, back to where we came from, or to a wrap-around corridor that is only specifically on this side of the house.

Next up is that wrap-around outside corridor. The first one has a wall separating it from the front of the property. What follows it is what I filled that property with. I thought it would be neat to place what would’ve been an old ruin there that has long since faded away. I thought it would be a treat for the eye. I’ve never been able to use those weird rounded structures from the romantic garden pack before so I wanted to see how they would look here.

Now here is the other half of the wrap-around corridor but what makes this one so different is... Even though it is plain it doesn’t have a wall barricading you and thus you can walk outside with your sim more here. This corridor leads into the solarium.

The Solarium is two stories tall with the 2nd floor being hallowed out in the middle with a pathway surrounding it and a  glass dome on top in a mock greenhouse effect. I wanted to play around with arches and I’ve always loved indoor gardens and such like these so I wanted to include it.

The Solarium branches out towards the ‘backyard’ where there is a pool, hot tub, karaoke, a fire pit, outdoor grilling area, and more. I really wanted to include this ‘gazebo’ effect not only for the look and aesthetic of it but also for potential ‘structural support’ for the 2nd floor balcony up there. Plus it ties in the same effect on the 3rd floor corridor up on top.

I forgot to get a picture of it but if you do an aerial view of the pool (Or perhaps basement level) I did add turtle decorations to the bottom of it. Tortugaaaa.

Here I’m going to show off the tower a bit. Please note: You can’t make rounded walls in the Sims 4. This is my closest attempt to being able to do that. I knew I wanted a tower and I’m happy with how it turned out. As I started it though it was trouble because I simply didn’t know what to do at first. I had no idea how to fill it and at first I was trying to put the staircase INSIDE rather than out. I finally got the idea for a wrap-around staircase which is also difficult given that they only make right angles. Putting them on the outside massively helped save on space inside. That and, actually, I had difficulty in general with stairs on this map. The awkward building spaces made it difficult to place them.

The overall look of the ‘backyard’ with roofs up.

The overall map layout of the 2nd floor with the stairs specifically outlined. I ended up giving up on trying to build another flight of stairs on the 2nd floor leading to the 3rd and settled for putting it, too, outside on the main back balcony. Out of everything on this map that was one of the most frustrating things that I struggled with. I don’t ever do outside stairs so this was interesting for me to try.

Next we’re going up the tower and coming into the pantry. It’s rather nice and big, he can grow stuff in there on hand to eat, a collection of fish, spices, oils, and etc is all in there.

The next up is the kitchen. This one was frustrating too but once it came together it was nice. I went out of my comfort zone here, too. I’ve never made a blue kitchen and while I loved the idea the Sims 4 pallet was NOT working with me. I even tried with yellow cabinets and it just wasn’t working. These cabinets were the best I could do which is rather unfortunate because I wanted older looking cabinets but... It’ll do. I accented it with white and it is very spacious for lots of company! This kitchen has its own balcony and small eating area out there too. While most would argue that the kitchen should go on the bottom floor I actually really liked it here specifically because of the panty, the additional balcony, and the large eating area on the back balcony too. That and the stairs into the main entryway are actually in here and near that front door so it isn’t as far as one would think.

If you look in the below photo, though you can barely see it... On the left countertop against the wall there is actually a ‘tea’ area. We ship spuk/engspa and so I like to think Antonio, while he does drink tea, doesn’t as much. He does have this little cute area for Arthur to make his tea at though. He himself has his own counter under a window where he stores all his coffee stuff. Also, while I’ve never done it before, I really like hiding the stairway with that china cabinet because it just changed the whole atmosphere of the room.

Below is a rather chunky corridor that I chose a ‘black and white’ tile scheme for. It really only serves as a point A to B type of thing. The kitchen is to the right, another corridor to the left, below is a balcony that overhangs the front entryway and the doors at the top of the image lead to a massive back balcony that serves as an outside dining area that I imagine Antonio actually prefers to eat in because of the views and especially when he hosts guests.

Next is the corridor to the left of that chunky middle section. This is a rather odd-shaped corridor that was one of the last things I put together because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with it. I ended up having it being a seating area, a bathroom, a piano area, a small library area, and another seating area. It leads to another guest bedroom as well as the solarium/wrap-around-corridor on that side of the building, to continue the pattern from below. I went with a ‘yellow’ kind of theme here which is completely out of my element. Also, I realize that the lighting on the piano area looks out of place compared to the rest of it but I wanted it that way so that the piano had a spotlight feature.

Alright- The last ‘room’ on this floor. The second guest bedroom. This one doesn’t have its own personal bathroom (Just down the hall) but it does have its own balcony and it is bigger. I actually like this one more, I think.

Alright. This is the last main wrap-around corridor. It opens up and is not separated from the 2nd floor of the solarium. I decided to differentiate this one big time by introducing colored carpets and furniture to give it a fun touch. Also it does have a ‘hookah’ area lmao. The solarium part is  alittle more boring but it does have activities for your sim to do such as painting, woodworking, and more. I figured it was a good spot to put misc hobbies since it is more out of the way of the usual social areas but has a great view and airspace.

Now for the last section of the 2nd floor: The main back balcony. This thing is huge and has a LOT of seating. I really like that big main dining table, the record player, and decorations. There is a stairway here that I put in, cutting through the roof, to get to the 3rd floor because I could‘t figure out how else to do it. I actually picture Antonio preferring to eat out here.

This is that stairwell with the 3rd floor cut off.

And here it is with the 3rd floor activated. It was a pain to get that to work but once I got it it worked just fine. I couldn’t figure out how to really connect the two separate buildings but then realized I could do an open-air corridor with no roof. That was DEFINITELY new for me and interesting to do!

With the roof on.

Next we’ll go to the office. I imagine that because he often shows up late (If even at all) and so he really utilizes this personal office and library a lot. It has its own personal bathroom, small kitchen, small records area, and eve a TV and fireplace near his desk. I often picture him trying to turn his desk around on the rug so that people on camera or on his zoom call won’t see his kitchen but I often see him forgetting to do that and so they just see a big microwave behind him lmao. Also I imagine, while the TV is helpful a lot for news and etc he is often distracted by soap operas, sports, and etc on it. Get to work, Antonio!

So we’re going to go back across that open-air corridor to the other wing and that is Antonio’s personal master bedroom and master bathroom. He has his own personal balcony that is colorful and relaxing.

First we’ll go into the master bathroom. I wanted a nice tub, plenty of space, more yellow accents... And I couldn’t figure out the shower and had to improvise. I actually put up stand-alone showerheads and nozzles into each of those pillars so he could take a really cool shower, if he wanted. I just didn’t want the shower to take away from the overall look of it and that seemed like the best option. Again, improvise, adapt, overcome.

Now for the final room on the 3rd floor: Antonio’s master bedroom. I went with ‘green for this’. It’s really cozy and colorful. I like to pretend that Arthur stitched those designs above his door and he hung them up because he loves them. Antonio also has a large walk-in closet/wardrobe that has been fitted onto the 3rd floor of this tower. I couldn’t get any good brown furniture to work so I shifted it to black in here. He’s a really fashionable guy and loves to care for his looks so it felt natural to make this his closet and area to get ready in.

From Antonio’s wardrobe... You have to use the stairs outside leading upstairs to the last and final room at the top of the tower and the 4th floor. It’s actually an attic/storage area and I often love putting these in the homes I build. I like to make them messy, cluttered, full of memories, and personal things to the person that lives specifically here. I always have a fun time trying to cram them full of stuff.

And with these last few pictures I wanted to show some of the scenery around in the area. It was a massive build and I’m glad I finally finished it at long last! Thanks for checking it out, it was a lot of hard work and time but I love it!

[ikariagni]

It’s when we start to fear the day-to-day things induced in us which haunt us for the longest.

End of Cycle

“Sir, that was the final minute of the cycle & I am afraid time’s up”. “Yes, I understand, send them in”. I get up from my chair as gently brush the old man’s hand as in the background DEBUSSY - Suite bergamasque, L. 75: No. 3, Clair de Lune plays to calm the old man before the cycle ends for him. I wave him goodbye as I leave the room. I nod to the team standing outside gesturing to go inside & finish the job. I exit the beautiful home the old man used to own. Oak made & well furnished with a beautiful garden as well as a private part of the lake near the home. Gorgeous trees surrounding the drive through. Good man as well, lived a very honest & rich life but the cycle needed to be ended. I personally would have liked to see him for another quarter but the thing about doing jobs is you may have specialisation in a sector & perhaps you are one of the best in that role still at the end you only do what people above say to you. It’s true at every level of the corporate hierarchy, not just the lower levels. The executives do what the CEO or COO tell them to, CEO or COO do what the board tells them to & the board do what the shareholders tell them to, shareholders do what the market tells them to & on and on this ferris wheel spins. This is my job to connect with these people who potentially are at the end of their cycles, make necessary reports, assess if they are indeed at the end of their cycle or the system got it wrong which is often not the case, the system always gets it right, at least that’s what Dr. Howard tells us. Anyways, I need to end the cycle in my file as well so that I get assigned my next person. In the file, at the last page of my assessment I, as the Field Analyst, sign at the bottom & put a stamp over my signature marked “Cycle Ended”. That’s it, now I go back to Headquarters & submit this file and get assigned a new one, if one is available or else I get the rest of the day off.

I take a deep breath outside as the wind rustles the leaves of the small plants & the massive trees around the house. Very refreshing, I must say out here with the cold breeze from the lake as well. As I relaxed for a moment out came the team & as soon as they came out they pressed the button on their little pads. And this is the worst part of it all. I hope I am never at the end of my cycle.

DAY ONE

“Hello, how may I help you?” “Sir, I am here to help you” “Okay, who are you if I may?” “I am sir, Dr. *****, a helper assigned by Exist” “Oh, I have heard about these & that means you’ll be coming everyday until one day you decide or someone decides that I am no more worth looking at” “Well, sir to be honest, that is true but to tell you a secret it’s not if you are worth looking at or not but more existential then that” “Oh, that does not make it sound better (laughs), well either way come on in, Dr. ******--?” “Doctor's fine, thanks for inviting me in Mr. Brooks”.

Mr. Mervin Brooks, the new assignment, for next two days or two weeks or two months or however long they back at HQ deem him to exist. He seems like a nice guy, young & has a pretty little house. Looks okay as well & seems to be doing good for himself down at his shop. The house is very neat & clean as well, I mean for a single boy this is impressive. He guides me to his dining table set of four with the view of the mountains. Sun is nowhere to be seen with windy & dark clouds covering the sky. The little window by the dining table is slightly open letting in the cold breeze. I sit down in front of the window, I like a view. I take out my files & open them on the table. Take out my notepad to write down the random details for the end of day my psychological evaluation. Place the pen between the notepad & the files. Mervin brings me a cup of tea with a saucer. Old fashioned, I write down on the notepad. He dresses that way as well, Corduroy pants with short sleeves shirt buttoned up to the neck. Beige coloured both of them. He places the tea beside me & sits to my right. Places his tea to his left.

“So, how do you begin this?”

“Mr. Brooks, it’s simple, today the first day I’ll be here just for an hour making silent observations on your behaviour so please adhere to your normal routine at this hour regarding your work around the house as well as your behaviour at this point of time.”

“Just call me Mervin, please”

“Certainly, Mervin in addition to that I’ll ask you some questions you know for data like are you single or in relationship or married--” (interrupts me)

“I am married to my lovely wife, who is resting above in the bedroom”

“At twelve in the afternoon?”

“She likes the night time more, she’ll be up in a couple of hours”

“Okay, sure, what is her name if I may ask just for this form here?”

“Her name is Daisy Brooks and she is my wife”

(Smiles proudly)

“Yes, I got that Mervin beautiful name I must say & what does she do for a living?”

“Not much, she sometimes help at the shop just to you know fulfill the work hours card but mostly she takes care of the house”

“Oh, I understand, you may resume with your day & just pretend I am not here at all but also remember I am here”

Both of us laugh as I fill out the other details as well as about Daisy. He finishes his tea & heads upstairs. I looked from the end of the staircase & as I suspected he closed the door on his way in.

I heard footsteps above me as I sat back down on the dining room chair. I write down the basic details on the form. At the same time I think how at any given point of time in the coming days Mervin & Daisy could be at the end of their cycles. Maybe one of them isn’t & the other one has to live with that fact. This all is right now being decided by an algorithm on the system at Exist, created by the visionary Dr. Howard. As I ponder in my thoughts while filling out the basic forms, I glance at my watch & see my one hour has passed which means time to leave. I note down on my pad, ‘in the past forty minutes since Mr. Brooks went upstairs no sound has come from above & he hasn’t come downstairs at all’. I pack up my things & put my tea cup & saucer in the sink. I head to the main door & shout “Mr. Brooks, I am leaving please close the door, thank you & see you tomorrow”. I leave without making more sound, the young couple seem to be in that youthful love. I close the door on my way out & as I turn around, I notice over the address number of the house are written words “For my Daisy”. Looks like young Mervin is complete head over heels for Daisy, honestly I feel bad that I have to do this. I walk away from the house.

DAY FOUR

“So, Mervin the three days of one hour silent observations is over & the good people at Exist analytics have told me to begin phase two of these visits, do you understand what I am saying?”

Mervin doesn’t even move muscle just continues to stare down his floor. I look at the spot he is staring at & I just see nothing but the wooden floor. I sit in my usual chair at the dining table which is across from the window and like before he sits to my right. He continues to stare without blinking even moving a muscle. I note this down in my notepad.

SNAP! I snap my fingers near him. That breaks his concentration from the floor. He laughs a little.

“Are you okay, Mervin?”

“Yes, I am fine, just got lost in thought. Sorry”

“As I was saying, should I explain Phase two of this thing to you?”

“Yes, please, just let me get a glass of water”

“Sure”

He gets up & gets himself a glass of water. Puts the glass water to his left & sits back down. Sips a little from the glass.

“Please, tell me about Phase Two”

“Okay, so basically, I’ll be taking a look at everything at the house & your shop as well and don’t worry this will be done tomorrow, we’ll do in an order whichever suits you the best, is that okay with you?”

“Yes, totally”.

Well, that’s a lie, according to the guideline the field analyst should do the observations in the order it suits them and not the subject but I don’t think that works that well. So, I joined Exist five years ago & moulded the guidelines which work best for the subject & they feel less pain at the end of the cycle, it’s very minimal but it helps my conscience. While I mould the guidelines or rules you might call them while in the field but in my reports I always mention that I followed the guidelines else I’ll be put on the end of the cycle.

“Okay, so, while I check everything at both of these places I’ll need access to everything, even to your savings under the mattress and it would be kind of you to tell your missus to wake up one of these days & talk with me because I need data from her as well, do you agree to the conditions & pass on the message to Daisy?”

“Yeah, sure I agree and I’ll tell Daisy but Doctor, I do, have one request or a favor you might say to ask you for, may I?”

“Yeah, go on, I can’t make promises but I’ll see what we can do”

“Well, you can check everywhere in the house, even the bedroom, I’ll even tell you where the savings are but just not the basement, can you overlook that somehow?”

“Basement? You didn’t mention any basement on Day two when I asked you about the structure of the house & there isn’t one in the blueprint you gave me?”

“Well, it isn’t in the basement because I had it installed separately two years ago myself, I made it and I didn’t mention it because it’s personal to me, It’s like you can say a place where I work & worship my one true love”

“Worship one true love? I thought that was supposed to be Daisy, you know with the outside plaque also saying ‘For my Daisy’, can you explain that?”

“She is my one true love but so is my woodwork, please if you can just somehow overlook that I’d be really grateful”

I take a deep breath, this is tough.

“I’ll look at what I can do but as I said no promises, you got that right?”

“Yes and I can describe what is down there if you just need it for the files”

“No, I just don’t need it for the files Mervin, I write it down in the files & then back at the analytics they analyse it and tell me what is the next step of my job but I’ll see what I can do”

“Oh, okay, I won’t hold my breath for it then, so what is on the agenda today then?”

“Yeah, before we move on to that, I almost forgot to ask, we ran some background search on your wife that Daisy Brooks but she came up as Daisy Richards, which is one of the strange things that we found in our records the other one being the Daisy Richards that we found, has nothing in the books for the last two years, not even a word, can you tell me the reason for that or rather can you ask Daisy to explain that, it’s about her after all?”

He took a deep breath & gulped down the entire glass of water.

“As you know she sleeps at this time of day but tomorrow when you examine the house yourself, I’ll make sure you meet her and then you can ask her yourself, does that work?”

“Yeah, sure, make sure that she meets okay?”

“Noted”(Laughs)

“So, for today, we’ll be just chatting about your past I believe, you know your parents, how they raised you, the whole what, where, who & how, is that okay?”

“Yeah, sure and make that parent as my father wasn’t there for my mum & me, he left us and moved to a different country couple of years later the crisis”

“Oh, sure, please continue”

He continued to speak for about an hour before he abruptly stopped & told me to leave as almost announced to me ‘Daisy must be ready to come down’ and before I could even ask to meet her, he almost pushed me out the door. Closed the door on my face. He became rude suddenly as he was starting to tell about Daisy & how he met her. I noted this down on my notepad and a note to self, ‘This Daisy business seems fishy to me now all of a sudden, check the basement at all costs’. I left the property as the sun beamed across the sky in the afternoon.

DAY FIVE

I arrived at the house at my usual time and rang the bell like three times. Past three days, Mervin would already be on the porch waiting for me to arrive. I yawned a little as I waited for young Mr. Brooks. Well, today, I am also doing something different as I have an earpiece in my ear which is for my safety. These two days of the end of cycle routine are considered what some may call ‘of grave danger’ to the analyst from the subject as these are private places of the subject where they do everything while sitting on the sofa for an hour like one doesn’t exist is bothering but going through brick to brick can be even more bothering and annoying as well which drives many of the subjects to physical attack the analyst at which point the analyst needs to inform the team in his/her ear piece. The analyst hides in a safe place or runs outside the premises and if the subject continues to display aggressive behaviour, well they are put at the end of their cycles immediately. See, Dr. Howard believes while a calmer mind may have a chance to be left alone but a violent one doesn’t, the mind of such individuals is begging to be at the end of the cycle. I disagree with that, I think no one even if someone is a horrible person deserves to be in the state one is put under when they are at the end of their cycle.

“All right, team, be on stand by. I am heading inside, we can’t do anything if he isn’t opening the door, do I have a go from everyone?”

“Yes, Doctor, you may head inside we’ll be nearby”

“All right, heading inside”

I take out the key for the house and enter the house. I set up my stuff on the table. I open the file as well as my notepad. As I am taking out my pen, in the corner of my eye I catch the note to myself I wrote yesterday, ‘check the basement at all costs’. So, he’s probably down at his shop, might be the best time to get that over with. I put the pen down on the table and walk ahead to the door that leads to the basement which is under the staircase which leads to the bedroom. I so want to check out the bedroom but I feel so curious about the basement that I almost magnetically get pulled towards it.

I open the door that leads to Basement. As soon as I put my foot inside the way that leads to the basement, I get a chill down my spine.

It’s dark as I expected on the staircase but there seems to be a light on at the center of the basement. I reach for my earpiece.

“Guys, I down in the basement, so watch out”

I don’t hear a response back.

I move ahead regardless. With each step, a weird feeling keeps building up in the back of my head, making me think of really weird things. I shake my head & take a breath and move ahead. Come on, I got this.

Under the light, I see a woman sitting on the chair. I walk closer to her & as I go around to see her face, I see Mervin sitting by her knees wearing gloves smeared with blood and holding knives with tiny bits of flesh on them. I gasp. I look at the woman & I fall back on to the ground with no words or even sound coming out of my mouth. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!

I put my hands around my mouth. WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT THING ON CHAIR? THAT”S NOT A HUMAN, IS IT EVEN ALIVE?

All these thoughts are crossing my head while my heart is almost pounding so fast as if I am on drugs or something and it’s all due to what’s sitting on that chair & Mervin is sitting by it’s knees with his face buried in it’s lap. He seems to be sleeping comfortably.

I took out the picture of Daisy, Mervin gave me two days earlier and my god, that’s her. THAT’S HER. Her whole body is mouldy, her ribs & eye socket seem visible even though what seems to be skin sewn to her by Mervin. The sewn skin is coming as well & the whole body is rotting. She’s dead. I have never seen something more horrible than that.

I vomited on the ground.

I began to climb up the stairs and that’s when Mervin footsteps I heard behind me. I quickly turned around.

“So, I guess you couldn’t keep out of the basement could you? They said no I believe”

I didn’t reply to him, just got up the stairs and picked up my things. Put them inside the bag & left the house.

“Team leader, come near me please, urgently”

Team leader came near me.

“Yes, Doctor?”

“He is downstairs, end of cycle imminent but ask all the details about the scene and then tell me, I am waiting in your car”

“As you wish, Doctor, team come on we gotta move in, end of cycle”

I walked to their car & sat inside while the whole team went inside.

End Of Cycle

At the end of cycle, the Icing Team enters the subject’s house or property and neutralizes them with a syringe of a substance which puts them into a deep sleep, not coma but a very deep sleep. Once the subject is in deep sleep, the Icing Team using their pads records everything present at the property of the subject which is what takes time usually. Once this has been recorded, the Icer is brought out which puts the subject into a cryo sleep. The Cryo is then carried out & put in the back of the van which follows the car. After this the cryo is put with the other cryos back at the headquarters of Exist. The Icing team hands over their data from the pads and the field analyst hands over the data they have collected for the past day. The analysts back at the office then come up with an specific or special you might say algorithm which is then attached to the Cryo. Due to this algorithm, the subject continues to live on but in a time loop of their worst day in that place. As I said this is the worst part.

The team leader comes out with Mervin inside the Cryo. He puts the Cryo Mervin back in the van. He comes ahead in the car & sits beside me.

“Doctor, what you saw was actually not the most disturbing part even though that visual would haunt a person for life, so are you really sure you wish what he’d been doing with a dead body for two years?”

“Leader, I am having really disturbing thoughts with what you just said so I guess I’d like to know what happened to put those thoughts to bed, tell me would you?”

He takes a deep breath.

“Doctor, she died two years ago in an accident. Her family buried her, he was at the funeral. Two weeks after the funeral, he took the body out of the grave. Slept with it on his bed. He even confirmed to have had sex with dead corpse multiple times in the past two years.”

“What was the basement for?”

“That’s where he would skin the girls he’d kidnapped and sew their skins to Daisy’s corpse since it was decomposing inside the grave for two weeks, we found fifteen completely skinned girls, half in the backyard buried and the other half boarded under the wooden floor”.

“I don’t want to hear anymore, let’s head back shall we”

“Certainly Doctor, move out team”

It’s when we start to fear the day-to-day things induced in us which haunt us for the longest and this will certainly haunt me for a longtime.

[comfys]

Windenburg Bluffs - Part 1

Hey all! I'm back after a short break. I'm happy to share with you the final version of my build on the big lot on Windenburg's Crumbling Isle. This is the second large build I've done on this lot and I absolutely adore it. For this build I was inspired to create a larger version of my previous build on the beach nearby. My reference for the house was a real life modern farmhouse in California. I made it my own but kept many of the same elements. My favorite architectural elements are the skylights and the pergolas. I really love this style and am planning another smaller build on the island in Windenburg to round out this series before trying something different. For the interior, I wanted it to be modern but feel very inviting and comfortable. This home has 5 bedrooms. One of which is a large suite in the main structure with a walk-in closet and spacious bathrooms. Three additional bedrooms are located in a separate structure across from the pool, and a final bedroom is in the basement. The home features a pool, gym, sauna, theater room, artist's studio, and additional recreational rooms in the basement. There is also a detached garage. You can find the build on the gallery under my EA ID comfysims4, or by searching "Windenburg Bluffs", please remember to search with cc. As always, this build is packed to the rafters with cc. I understand that this amount of cc is not accessible for everyone, but The Sims is a creative outlet for me and I don't like to limit myself. I am not currently making cc lists, however if you have any questions about where items are from, please feel free to message or dm me. You should also check out my frequently used creators post.

[corkcitylibraries]

Foster a Love of Reading in Your Child

by Thomas Ryan

A love of reading and books is a wonderful gift to our children. On a practical level proficiency in reading is the basis of all education and, later in life, the world of work. But apart from pragmatic applications, reading and books open a world of varied experience and imagination; reading allows us to inhabit other worlds and other lives, it allows us to think about and conceptualize our world and our experience in new, imaginative and innovative ways.

The good news is that this gift is relatively easy for parents to impart to children – but it does take time. Here we’ll talk about ways to do this, and how to encourage reading. Crucially, it must begin in the home and from a young age. Studies show that reading ability is 50 per cent determined by the time the child enters school. Schools are generally too crowded, and teachers too engaged with a challenging work-load – despite the best will in the world – to ensure each child’s reading proficiency, especially when the child lacks a solid foundation in reading gained at young age in the home. Recall too for a moment your own experience of reading material in school – contrast what you read there to what you read for yourself when young, or the happy memories of being read to – I can still recall Ann and Barry and their repetitive, dull activities with a shudder! Of course, teaching literacy in the home is not about replacing school, rather it aims to give a solid base. If you are following a structured reading programme keep in touch with your child’s teacher, and try not to use methods contrary to theirs, as this may only cause confusion in your child.

What age then should parents start? Structured reading exercises can begin from as young as two years of age. Some children don’t even need a structure, just sitting with their parent and being read to can suffice. There is hard evidence that reading aloud to your child is the single most important thing you can do. Being read to and experiencing books can start from as young as six months old. Research has shown that from this age babies are captivated by pictures in books and love to have the pages turned for them by an adult, who interprets the illustrations. With what are called board books babies can handle the books themselves: these books are robust enough to survive even being nibbled at! These books and babies’ handling of them can be the very foundation of reading.

Often in our busy lives reading to our child can be an important bonding moment, establishing for the baby a warm, comforting association between reading and their parents.

It is thought that from around a year and half old – though this varies between individuals – babies start to really notice the text itself; they begin to understand that there is information in the text, that it is more than the accompanying illustrations. At this point, all the reading you have already done with them, the explaining of pictures and associated stories, and their own exploration of books, will start to come together. Soon, from roughly two years of age, you can begin some simple reading exercises, in a patient, non-pressurized, fun environment. At the end I’ll have some textbook recommendations which have examples of exercises that you can use- here isn’t the place to get into that kind of depth. Don’t be too worried that you’re going to put the child off with such formality: your child will hopefully trust you, you will have a solid reading relationship developed, and the long-term consequences for the child of not promoting reading are too serious. Fortunately, and you can tell a reluctant reader this, your child must learn to read only once, after which it becomes easy, natural and normal, like riding a bike.

So, in practical terms, and not neglecting simply sitting down with your child and reading to them, where should you start? Begin as has been said by reading to the child and later encouraging them to read. By two years old have a routine of always reading at bedtime and continue reading aloud and at bedtime for as long as possible – even up to the age of ten. There really is no set age limit to this. Reading at bedtime has the added advantage of calming the child and separating the frenetic activity of the day from the peacefulness of bedtime.

Don’t neglect everyday conversations with your child. Discuss experiences like zoo visits or a castle tour. This encourages the kind of cognitive growth and context development that helps make sense of the worlds encountered in books. Related to this advice to engage with and talk to your child is the need to limit your own use of technology and distractions in order to set an example. If you come home from work and collapse in front of the television, or play with your phone, as opposed to picking up a book yourself and reading for personal interest and pleasure, you are sending a message to your child about where your priorities lie. If reading isn’t your priority, your child may wonder why it should be theirs. It might be a good idea to sacrifice your own device and have a rule in the house whereby the wifi goes off at a certain time.

Fill your house with books, and have children’s books everywhere, or at least have a child’s library corner in the sitting room, with a little chair and a book box or shelf. Don’t restrict books to the child’s bedroom but do have a place there for their books. You don’t want to silo off reading as something that happens only on occasion, or in a specific place.

Offer incentives to your child, little rewards for reading, such as a visit to the bookshop, or to the library. Most children will cherish their library membership card. In addition, libraries are a tremendous resource for literacy and reading for education and fun. Pre-Covid, they all had free storytime events, author visits and reading festivals with cool free prizes. Hopefully, all this will be restored soon. Most libraries have a wide variety of reading material for beginner readers and the more advanced, ranging from babies’ board books, to picture books you can read to them or for them to read themselves, to graded readers, to novels for confident readers from the likes of David Walliams and Jacqueline Wilson, to factual books through which they can explore hobbies and interests. Librarians can offer advice on types of books and genres, and popular authors, but it is important to note that they are not teachers, and not trained in teaching literacy to the very young. You are the best judge of where your child is at in their reading ability. A quick way of gauging this is to test them with a tougher textbook with more complex words – if they hesitate a lot over words, then the book is too complex; they will become frustrated and lose interest. But do occasionally push them – the child might become complacent and not develop their ability and vocabulary otherwise.

I made a point above about reading factual, descriptive books; it is important not to restrict reading to just fictional stories, and this applies to reading to babies as well – your library and bookshop will have many board books which deal with things like animals, counting, dinosaurs, trucks and tractors, the ABC etc. Some children who are very curious about the world prefer factual books. Such books can relate to hobbies as the child gets older and can also be a way of encouraging and engaging reluctant young readers. If a child is interested in say, sport, there are countless books covering their favourite players and teams.

Related to the point above is the importance in general of matching reading to interests or pursuing a favourite writer; if the child reads a book by a particular author and enjoys it, then it is likely that this author has written other similar books. Again, your local library is a fantastic resource for exploring this.

If a child seems reluctant or uninterested in what you’re reading at first, persevere and eventually they will become so engrossed in the stories that they’ll want to experience them themselves independently.

Don’t try to inhibit or discourage discussions and questions while reading to your child – the child will feel more engaged with the text, becoming an active listener. You could even pause to ask open-ended questions yourself about a character in the story and what they’re doing. Studies have proven that this practice markedly boosts children’s verbal expression and vocabulary.

 So, where to begin? start teaching the alphabet. Start with nursery rhymes like the ABC song, then progress to letter recognition, and reading ABC books. Then make the sounds of the letters – for example tell the child the letter B is read as ‘buh’.

Along with reading to your child and learning the alphabet it is vital to stimulate phonemic awareness. This sounds like a hard concept, but it is basically awareness of the sounds of words. It can be developed by reading nursery rhymes, where the rhyming words at the end of the verse are more important than their meaning. There are other practical exercises too, which can be found in some of the books I will mention as recommended reading. Weakness in this area, word sounds, is a strong indicator of potential dyslexia.

So now for some concluding advice: read aloud, read a lot and push the child on occasion to read advanced language. Also don’t neglect non-fiction. Play word games, dependent on age of course, sing nursery rhymes. Like anything in life, practice makes perfect and children need to practice their reading. Soon, if, your kids are not already reading addicts, they’ll be devouring books, setting them up for a rewarding pastime, and an essential skill.

Bibliography/Recommended Resources

Susan L. Hall, Straight Talk about Reading

Pamela Paul, Maria Ruso, How to Raise a Reader (The authors have a great blog of the same name at the New York Times website – the book is based on it)

Bill Gillham, How to teach your child to read, from two years: over 125 activities for rapid reading progress

www.helpmykidlearn.ie

[mattkenzie]

Games of the Decade (2010-2019 Edition)

So since 2020 is approaching, I thought I’d make a list of games that I’ve played during my journey, the year is 2010 I was about 23 years old (on the cusp of being 24) and I’ve decided to stop playing World of Warcraft for my own physical and mental health (you see I never thought that this would happen to me being addicted to that game for so many years that I have shunned away from society, I gave up on humanity, I didn’t want to go out and celebrate with my ‘friends’ and Azeroth became my home for the past 6 years and it became an unhealthy obsession that one day I’ve collapsed at home and woke in a hospital.) When the doctors were swarming around my bed asked me “Can I remember what happened to me before I collapsed?” the answered but then they bombarded me with more questions... I wanted to scream “STOP!”, until one doctor (a psychiatrist) overheard my story and had an emergency 1-to-1 session with him, he even asked the ‘right questions’ (funny how we can say the wrong answers... but the wrong questions? Made me laugh.) The phychiatrist smiled and said “Welcome back”.

So I’ve decided to quit World of Warcraft and started to readjust to society that my Mum gave me an XBox 360. Now I was overwhelmed by the choices I didn’t know where to start (granted I had the Wii and now an XBox 360) I was really lost in thought until someone actually wanted to talk to me I shall call him ‘Dan’ and we hit it off “Yes, I do look like I am lost you see I am a recovering World of Warcrack addict and I am given an XBox 360, what games do you recommend?” and this is when Dan got out Borderlands, Fallout, Fallout: New Vegas (2010 Honourable Mention) and Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 (2010). You see Dan’s preferred genre is Shoot ‘em ups and I on the other hand tend to enjoy RPGs so I got the best of both worlds.

Mass Effect 2 has this system where if you played and completed Mass Effect you can import your save file, get some additional perks and pick up where you have left off. I seem to like that concept where “Do I need to play the first game to play and understand the story?” to me the answer is “yes” as you gain additional content but it’s the iconic “suicide squad mission”

So we are at 2011 and Minecraft (2011 Honourable Mention) is in it’s infancy and even though I’ve played it later, I enjoyed watching the Yogscast’s “Shadow of Israfel” series and there are times when I occasionally watch a YouTube video looking at other people’s creations (“Man, I need to get myself a copy of Minecraft when I finish my games of the decade.” —Matt. But only 2 games have approached me and they are Xenoblade Chronicles (2011) and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011). With the Wii going into retirement and even though Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2011 Honourable Mention) is a popular title in the Wii library... I went down the niche path and picked Xenoblade Chronicles is the perfect swan song for the Wii and one of my all time favourite games that I’ve enjoyed playing. There are many things that Xenoblade Chronicles has offered me and what appealed to me are...

The amazing soundtrack (where it has music for the day and the night cycles)... I tend to use the nighttime music to help me go to sleep.

The unique world building, where Homs, Nopon and (there is this race of angels I can’t remember what they are called) live on these dead gigantic titans Bionis and the Mechonis.

A story that started out Shulk wanting revenge but that revenge eventually turned into understanding.

With Skyrim I ALWAYS seem to find my way coming back to this game as it gives me a ton of replay value that I even create my own D&D characters and put them in Skyrim. Whenever I am stressed with the latest releases I sometimes pop in Skyrim and go on all these adventures and explore and when I had enough I know I can always go to Whiterun and stay in Breezehome. I sometimes go on YouTube to watch my Grandma play Skyrim (OK she is not biologically my Grandma but she adopted/treated us like her grandkids).

During this 4 year skip all the way to 2014 and I’ve developed an awesome relationship with Dan for 5 years and I moved out of my parents house in 2011 (I was suffocating in my parents house (my sister was hit by clinical depression and my brother got kicked out of his flat by his knife weilding maniac of a wife) I am an adult and I NEED my own space so what did I get for a housewarming gift? Borderlands 2 (2014) I still have the loot box. But my independence was short lived by my roommate who I shall call William and he was so toxic to me and my friends who come round to visit, there was an incident when I left the house he goes into my room and steals my belongings (I know had to lock my bedroom door) It was Thanksgiving when I was in need of rescuing and William was becoming domestic abusive towards me and Dan’s Dad Scott who was visiting from the States felt a disturbance in the force... he felt that I was in danger and he was right. I had to move into a new flat (I was happy to live on my own) Dan saw it, my parents saw it and even my support workers saw how crappy/unhappy I was. When I moved into my new flat, Dan gave me a parting gift Shovel Knight (2014)

Now 2015 I have picked up the pieces that I’ve lost and rediscovered my sense of self after how much William warped mine for a few years and I’ve finally move on from it. With Dan moving back to the States and I picked up a copy of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt (2015) on a later date (I personally never thought it be be ported onto the Switch) I developed the concept that humans can be monsters (even in politics) and monsters can have a shred of humanity.

With 2017 was was hoping for Persona 5 to be released on Valentines Day but it was rescheduled and for me who has 8th Grader Syndrome (I know when to keep my Chunnibyou dormant and when to let my hair down and embrace it when the time is right) I enjoyed the story of how us millennials and Gen Z get to be viewed as degenerates. With the Wii U going into retirement I got the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and although not entirely my favourite Zelda title... I am a person who loves to have direction/structure and more importantly story (and not just charge into Hyrule Castle and fight Calamity Ganon) to have that amount of freedom and I can easily get distracted “Oooh let’s have a look over there!” I regret not giving Super Mario Odyssey (Honourable Mention) a chance nor gave it a fair shake, I bought the Switch because both of the joy-cons are uniform (I was leaning towards getting the grey but red spoke out to me the loudest).

2018 Super Smash Bros Ultimate need I need to say more? OK, I enjoyed the opening song Lifelight... Everyone is here (to have Roy from Fire Emblem) I even loved seeing the DLC fighters not being exclusive to Nintendo (Atlus) Joker from Persona 5, (Rare) Banjo Kazooie, (Square) ‘Hero’ from the Dragon Quest series, (SNK) Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury... although I wanted the Garou: Mark of the Wolves costume added into the equation.

2019 was the year that hit me hard the most Fire Emblem: Three Houses reminded me that I need to cherish the friends I have, I grew up with them since school and college but we all went on our separate paths. Some are married, some started have a family, some have jobs and some have moved to a different country. When I dumped my old friends that I grew up with since my childhood (but felt left out all the time) for new ones that I known for a decade as adults (and had a lot in common and felt that I was included.) So when Dan died in 2019... I felt a huge piece of me was ripped away from me... the man who exposed me to console gaming... I am never going to see him again.

[alittletournesol]

A super spooky night {SHINee/SuperM}

[In this story, the conditions and rights of the LGBTQ+ community in South Korea are completely altered to make same-sex marriage and adoption legally possible. An alternative universe I wish to become reality someday.]

Pairings: OnKey / JongHo Additional characters: kid!Taemin and kid!SuperM’ (except for Baekhyun)

A super spooky night

The clock shows half past five above the dining table when Kibum places the last small bat made of sugar paste on the tremendous cake. He spent his whole day off baking and drawing the most impressive dessert up, also with the help of his boyfriend for the past two hours. Both men take a few steps back to contemplate their work, holding their breath for a minute as if worried they might make the structure fall with just a sigh. But it stands.

Built with three round layers of different circumferences, the cake is all about black and purple homemade frosting. Every decoration is made of almond or sugar paste shaped to represent various characters from a famous animated movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. The “icing on the cake” actually has nothing to do with icing ; it’s a massive, round bubble of white chocolate with sculpted holes that create the face of Jack Skellington.

Kibum is particularly proud of this part of the cake, for it took him four tries before reaching this impressive result. He had to look for some videos to get that special technic, so he could perfectly pour melted chocolate on a blown up balloon, let it harden with time before delicately sculpting the holes and remove the balloon without breaking the whole thing. The fourth result is perfect, placed on top of the cake and surrounded by little sugar pumpkins. It’s all ready.

“I thought we wouldn’t finish it in time.” Jinki comments, finally allowing himself to sit as he removes his apron. “What are you doing ?”

“Taking pictures of course !” His boyfriend replies as he draws his phone, his enthusiasm showing in the way his eyes sparkle. “That shit took me a day, I won’t let it be engulfed within ten minutes and be forgotten just like that.”

“Sure, but careful with those words once we’ll be there.”

“I’m always careful. Speaking of that, what time is it ?”

“Half past five, more or less. When are we expected ?”

“Half past six.”

“Shit.”

Ignoring Kibum’s laughter at his cursing word, the older man stands up and leaves the kitchen to take a quick shower. They barely have an hour to get dressed and show up at their appointment’s place, which sounds like an impossible mission. However, both men have a certain thing in common : they’re organized. Before time runs out, they’re both all clean from any trace of baking and wearing their costumes ; as they look at each other in the large mirror of their bedroom, Jinki can’t help but snort.

Since they started dating almost four years ago, they’ve been into couple clothes and items, but this year marks their first real couple outfit for this spooky occasion… and he definitely got scammed here. Standing next to him and adjusting his dragon-like horned headdress, Kibum looks stunning in his own version of Maleficent — the recent one, not the one from the very old movie. It has been an idea from their friends’ son, who thought from all of his five years of age that his uncle’s face somehow looked like the dark fairy’s.

The man had found the concept way too appealing to ignore it. That’s how and why he’s now standing proudly in front of the glass, his realistic and expensive costume fitting him as if he was the original character himself. He fully played the game, making his cheekbones look even higher and his jaw sharper by using an easy makeup method with silicon — he’d tried it numerous times before that day, to be sure he wouldn’t mess it up when time would come. And he didn’t.

“Can you remind me about the reason behind my costume ?” Jinki asks, drawing the other man out of his self-contemplation. “Didn’t you tell me that Maleficent has a whole people of her own kind ? Why am I just… a semi-crow and not one of them ?”

“She does, but the crow is more significant.” His boyfriend replies, always serious when it comes to a universe he loves. “The crow was like the part of her she was missing when she became the shadow of her former self. He helped her and always stood by her side, even when she technically didn’t need him anymore. There’s a long lasting affection between them, they’re like… partners in crime. And I wanted to see your handsome face so I went for the crow’s human version.”

“So… I’m your other half and handsome partner in crime ?”

“Exactly. See ? Perfectly fitting us.”

Smiling, Kibum steals the other man a gentle kiss and adjusts the collar of the latter’s black jacket, covered with feathers to remind of the bird. If there is something he loves to see, it’s Jinki wearing black clothes… which is rare, much to his displeasure. But this day, the older man is even wearing a quality wig to imitate the mid-length dark hair of the character, and damn, how good looking it makes him. His boyfriend is about to forget the real purpose of their costumes when his phone rings, interrupting his contemplation.

Cursing under his breath, he plunges his hand in Jinki’s pocket, surprising the latter, and takes his device.

“Yeah ?” He says when he picks up, the deep but loud voice on the other side extremely recognizable. “What are you saying, we’re not late yet. (…) We’re about to leave but don’t expect us to drive fast, we have a whole damn piece of art to preserve before it fills kids’ stomachs ! (…) Alright, see you there. I’m hanging up.”

As soon as he isn’t hearing his best friend’s voice anymore, the horned man makes a face and sticks his tongue out towards his phone, making his partner laugh. Before they’re really running late, they both head to the kitchen to carefully place a huge glass bell cover above the cake, with small metallic ties on its edge to keep it attached to the plate. Thanks to his work in the fashion industry, Kibum sure has a lot of contacts in this world, but he got lucky enough to be in love with a man who, unlike him, knows professionals chefs personally. He has been lent this high cloche to cover and protect their dessert during the short travel from their house to the school.

Once everything is ready and safe, they lift the cake together to place it on a low trolley and pull their coats on before pushing it out of their apartment. They quietly thank some higher entity for equipping their flat with an elevator as they’re being taken to the private parking lot in the basement. With one last, careful effort, they place the imposing stuff on one of the backseats, even fastening the belt on it. While Kibum takes place next to it to hold it just in case, Jinki takes the wheel and finally, they leave.

On the road, the younger man sends a message to his friend, warning him that they’re on their way and will join them within ten minutes. He smiles when he receives a picture of an excited little boy as an answer, the kid wearing fake fangs that gives him a terrific smile… softened by the way he places his arms above his head to shape a heart.

“Taemin is a vampire this year.” He says, more to himself but loud enough to be heard by his boyfriend. “And I think one of the kids is a ghost, I can see a piece of white sheet on the picture.”

“How many kids will be there, again ?” Jinki asks, mentally trying to count.

“Six with him. Seven if you add Minho.”

“Oh please.”

The driver can’t help but laugh, this constant game between these two adults never failing to amuse him despite how old it’s growing. Kibum and Minho have known each other for more than fifteen years and their friendship only grew stronger by time passing ; though, just like when they were teens, not one day goes by without one of them sending some random attack at the other. At first, Jinki had been startled by this strange behaviour but he quickly got used to it as he spent more and more time in their company.

It’s actually by means of knowing Minho through a few classes in common at university that the older man got to meet the man he now calls his boyfriend. And as if heaven had wanted to kill two birds with one stone, Jinki had been the one introducing his classmate to his own childhood friend during an outing, Jonghyun. Since then, the four young men had become inseparable… and while Kibum had asked Jinki out, Minho had found himself disconcerted by how he had been asked the same by Jonghyun only a couple weeks after.

Years passed and they’re now grown adults, reaching the age of thirty one after another. But time hasn’t altered their friendship, nor their respective love relationships ; the first couple is living under a same roof, as they bought their very first apartment two years ago and got engaged a few months after. If they took their time and planned their wedding for this winter, their friends had tied the knot immediately after leaving university. Their family had quickly been joined by a baby, not even five months old, who had looked at them in the eyes at the adoption agency.

The orphan little boy found two loving, caring parents in the persons of Jonghyun and Minho, who raised him from then. Taemin, as is his name, is a cheerful and always smiling child who makes his dads’ happiness and never misses the chance to overwhelm his soul uncles with his catching laughter. He turned five only a few months ago and is becoming more and more interested in life’s little things, which makes him even more adorable.

Though the first days of separation were difficult for his oldest dad, he’s now going to preschool and enjoying every ounce of it. Kibum remembered his friends’ worries about the matter, since the little boy isn’t of the calm and obedient kind… however, it seems he understood pretty well that school and home are two different environments. For this new school year, he is even showing a new quality of his : patience. His school opened a special class to welcome three foreign children who must improve their Korean, and in order not to make them feel excluded or different, their young teacher managed to bring three native kids in their class.

This is how Taemin is now one of the six students of a small class bringing children from three to five years old. Minho used to fear that the extra attention paid to the three foreigners by their teacher would annoy his son, but his husband was clear about it : it would actually be rewarding. And sure it is, the boy is showing a lot of patience when he is trying to communicate with his classmates who only know the basics of his language for now — even the youngest one is brilliantly improving from all of his three years of age, a talkative one.

Tonight is the first time Kibum and Jinki meet their nephew’s friends, though they already caught sight of them when they occasionally got requested by their friends to pick the kid up from school. The only one they know by name is Jongin, a shy-looking boy who tends to transform himself when being in Taemin’s presence. Both adults feel excited and apprehensive at the same time, for they never spent time with so many children at once…

“We’re there, should I park where teachers park ?” The oldest man draws his fiancé out of his thoughts. “I don’t think it’s open.”

“It’s not but Minho gave me a beeper, I put it in your pocket.” Kibum replies as he takes the gadget from the feathered clothes himself and presses the button. “There you go.”

“Why does he even have a beeper ?”

“The teacher gave him a spare one for tonight, I guess I’ll have to give it back.”

Jinki makes the car slowly move forwards, driving in the parking lot until he recognizes his friends’ vehicle and parks next to it. Once he cuts off contact, he’s the first one to get out and goes to open the boot, taking the folded trolley and giving it his real shape back. He’s about to open the back door when he’s stopped by his boyfriend, who got out through the other door. The semi-crow is told to keep his “clumsy little hands” in his pockets and just giggles as he keeps an eye on the way Kibum is delicately taking the cake out of the car.

They’re not even done placing it on the trolley that they hear a way too familiar voice yelling, growing louder by milliseconds passing. Both men look up and have the reflex to shout “freeze !” to make Taemin stop in his race like for the game they often play. The boy laughs but respects the rule and even poses weirdly to make the thing funnier ; Jinki smiles and makes sure the dessert is safe before he crouches and stretches his arms, welcoming his nephew with a hug.

“Don’t bite me, I wanna live !” He whines before making Taemin move backwards, holding his arms to look at him. “How scary you are, are those real teeth ?!”

“Daddy said to say yes so yes the toothies are real ones !” The boy replies, lisping a bit, before he stands in awe when he sees his other uncle. “Woah ! You look like the real one !”

“That’s the secret, kiddo.” Kibum winks at him before he crouches in his turn, whispering at the kid’s ear. “I am the real one.”

“Stop lying ~”

Their nephew is still laughing and inspecting Maleficent’s horns on his uncle’s head when the three of them are eventually joined by an incredible person. Both men have to look twice before they recognize the man wearing a long, grey toga with shattered tails, his skin painted in a sick-looking shade of grey and his usually blonde hair raised on his head… sprayed with a blazing blue colour.

“Jonghyun, is that you ?” Kibum opens his eyes wide before bursting into laughter. “How the hell did you make your hair stand like that !”

“Lots of gel.” Taemin’s father says before hugging his friends. “Look at us, Bum. Hades and Maleficent, two dark villains !”

“Dark and sarcastic, for sure you chose well.” Jinki comments as he grants the kid’s request and holds him on his hip. “Are we late ?”

“Not at all, the teacher was about to tell the rules and Minho is busy putting make up on one of the children. Taemin, you’re old enough to walk by yourself so get back on your feet. Uncle is old you know.”

“Oh really ? Taeminnie, let’s show your dad I’m not old. Let’s race !”

“Yeeeeeeees !”

The boy keeps screaming as he’s being put on the ground and starts running towards the school, followed by a giggling adult losing black feathers on his way. Remaining alone in the parking lot, Jonghyun and Kibum roll their eyes and laugh together, as the latter closes the car and pushes the trolley. Led by the eldest one, both men peacefully reach the building and head directly to the kitchens where a fridge was emptied beforehand to welcome the cake. Carefully, they place it in the cool and finally join the only lively classroom in the whole place.

The room is small, for it’s made to welcome only six children, but it’s nicely arranged. The desks are gathered to make one big table with six chairs around it, two on each side so students sit by pairs. The last side is empty but overlook the board so it would have been stupid to place people here. In a corner, there are a few small shelves filled with books for every age, and comfortable couches and mats on the floor ; Kibum smiles, remembering his own hometown’s preschool that had a similar calm space in each classroom.

But the place is far from being calm at this moment, half a dozen of kids expressing their joy and excitement by running here and there, making the most of their costumes. Only one is sitting without moving, and the horned man holds on his laughter when he sees his tall best friend so focused on the white skull he is painting on the kid’s face. Minho is so busy he doesn’t even notice his friends arrived, but the latter surely notices his costume : a well-done monster of Frankenstein, with old rags as clothes, scars drawn on random spots of his body and fake nut and bolts popping out of his head and neck.

“Good evening, you must be Mr. Kim ?” A young man dressed as an enchanter with night blue clothes welcomes Kibum with a bow and a smile. “I am Mr. Byun, teacher to this little bunch of kids.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, I think you met my partner once ?” The other man returns the greetings. “He picks Taemin up sometimes.”

“Oh, yes. I had to speak with him once because his nephew had fought a little that day. But let’s not talk about school tonight, we’re here to have fun after all !”

“That’s right, and I’m done with everyone’s makeup !” Minho speaks in as he approaches the men talking while wiping his hands. “Look at you, how comes you’re always giving your utmost with Halloween costumes ?”

“Halloween is my time of the year, dear.” Kibum laughs, giving his friend a hug. “I see you’ve been busy, did you help every kid ?”

“Yup ! They came with only their costumes in a bag so everything was done here. How long did we take to get everything ready, Baekhyun ?”

“Two hours I would say.” The teacher replies, glancing at the window while the newcomer gets surprised at the sudden informal talk. “But the sun is setting now so we should get started.”

Saying this, the young man claps his hands a few times to gather the six kids, who immediately stop their races and games to sit on their respective chair — Jinki, who sneakily joined his boyfriend’s side, shows him how each chair has a name written on its back. The two couples remain quiet as they watch Baekhyun explain the rules to respect once they will be outside for their sweets hunt. All children are looking at him, paying attention and showing their best side. Jonghyun and Minho can’t help but stare at their son with pride, although Taemin isn’t that calm and silent when they’re home.

When the teacher is done, Kibum starts moving as he expects the hunt to start, but he’s surprised by a language he doesn’t know. Looking up with raised eyebrows, he realizes Baekhyun is repeating himself while looking at a particular kid dressed as a ghost — quite tall for his age, his doe eyes staring at the adult’s lips.

“This one is Yukhei.” Minho slightly leans on to whisper to his best friend’s ear, Jinki listening as well. “He is from Hong Kong but he arrived only three months ago so he can’t understand Korean  yet, except basics salutations and a couple of questions you ask a teacher during class.”

“I see…” His elder nods. “How old is he ? He’s tall…”

“He’s four years old.”

“You’re kidding ?”

“I was the same when I was his age, it doesn’t really bother me. Jonghyun is bothered.”

“I’m not.” The flaming blue haired man retorts though he keeps looking at the kids.

“So… Kibum told me there are three foreign kids ?” Jinki asks. “Who are the other two ?”

The oldest man just has time to finish his question when Baekhyun switches languages again, this time looking at the boy who chose to be dressed as a particularly notorious clown — Pennywise, character from a not-really-for-children movie. This makes Kibum frown.

“Does he know the clown he’s dressed as ?” He can’t help but ask. “I almost pissed my pants watching that movie and I’m twenty-seven, don’t tell me he knows about it ? What is he, four ?”

“Five, and he only asked me to paint his face like a clown in a horror movie.” His tall friend laughs. “He doesn’t really know what I did to him, but I’m glad you recognized the character. I might have some talent.”

“Sure, Frankenstein. How did he ask, since the teacher is talking to him in another language ?”

“He’s been here for two years now so he speaks a bit more than basic Korean. Enough to ask me something without stuttering ! He’s doing well but he’s already bilingual, he speaks English.”

“That explains why the teacher is speaking in English now…” The crow man wonders. “Why not the kid’s mother tongue ?”

“He is from Thailand, but Baekhyun doesn’t speak thai so. I would love to tell you his name but I can’t memorize it. Taemin calls him Ten, and the other kids too.”

Both men nod and keep listening to Baekhyun, who’s lifting his fingers one after another as he announces the rules to the kid nicknamed Ten. Kibum mentally bets on the next and last kid he will addresses… but finds himself completely wrong. The young teacher crouches before the smallest, and certainly the youngest kid of the group and asks him if he understood what he just told his classmate. The child seems to hesitate but he eventually shakes his head, what makes the adult smile and repeat his words, in English as well. Slowly, using hands gestures as well.

“English again ?” Jinki raises his eyebrows.

“Mark is Canadian.” Jonghyun replies, beating his husband to it. “But he’s only three so even in his mother tongue, it’s still a bit difficult. Even more when he’s also learning Korean.”

“Three years old… is it good for him to be in this class ?”

“More than you think, because since he’s learning two languages at the same time, it’s better for him to be in a smaller class with few other kids who also are in his case, than in a big group with only kids who talk better, if I can say.”

“You got a point.” Kibum agrees. “He’s so cute, look at him pouting while listening…”

“Taemin is taking this habit, he thinks it will work the same with us and we will give him everything he wants.” Minho quietly laughs. “He wanted to have red eyes to go with his costume and when we explained him that he was way too young for lenses, he just pouted, thinking we would give in to him.”

“And then he said that uncle Kibum would let him, so we were mean parents for around ten minutes.” Jonghyun adds, smiling.

“Since the day I bought him an ice cream behind your back, he thinks I would give him absolutely everything without you knowing.” Their friend rolls his eyes with a smile. “I don’t know if he’s smart or a cute dummy.”

Before they can go on with their not so discreet conversation, the four adults get interrupted by Baekhyun clapping his hands once as he’s done with his speech. The six kids get up all together and go to the low coat rail next to the door, putting their jackets on — with their teacher’s permission, they keep it open so their costume isn’t hidden. The couples smile at the way two kids quickly offer their help to their youngest friend, the little Mark struggling to slip his small coat on because of his pumpkin costume.

“We’re ready to go.” Baekhyun tells his fellow adults as he catches his keys. “Kids must stay all together during the whole outing, but I’m not worried, they have no struggle sticking together.”

“We’ll just make sure they don’t run everywhere.” Jonghyun replies. “Do they have bags ?”

“Yes, I bought some. They have each a pumpkin shaped bag so there’s no jealousy !”

“Excellent.”

Following the teacher’s instructions, Jinki and Minho leave the classroom and wait at the school’s door. While Jonghyun and Kibum will bring up the rear, the six children catch their respective bag and line up by pairs, holding hands — this cute show causes a nervous giggle from the Hades-dressed man.

“Don’t forget, while we’re outside, you keep your friend’s hand in yours !” Baekhyun reminds the kids before letting them leave the classroom two by two, pretending to count them to keep the habit. “Taemin and Jongin, check ! Taeyong and Mark, check ! Yukhei and Ten, check ! We’re free to go.”

The last two adults follow them, switching the lights off, and the whole group is finally heading to their mischievous sweets hunt.

__________________________

Half an hour passed and the streets are full of children wearing various costumes, their adult relatives not always playing this game but showing their involvement in other ways. For sure, the joyfully spooky group wandering with five grown adults disguised for the occasion and six kids blathering around them draws people’s attention. Among them, Jonghyun and Kibum definitely catch a few children’s eye, to the point they even took pictures with perfect strangers… making their own bunch of monsters jealous.

But these little mishaps are quickly forgotten as the pumpkin shaped bags are getting filled more and more by time passing. People opening their doors always come with their hands full of sweets, some with homemade pastries containing pumpkin or lollipops with ghosts, bats or spiders shapes. What makes the school’s group more special is the way three voices stand out when shouting the famous trick or treats, their respective accent or light pronunciation mistakes easy to hear. It only moves whoever they visit to ask for their sweet treasure, the cute little Mark often getting an extra piece.

But night is falling and it becomes darker outside, which forces the teacher to gather his students and keep them around to always have an eye on them. If they were given some freedom at the beginning, though they were well watched, it isn’t possible anymore and Baekhyun earns some pouts and whines in return. Fortunately, a simple stare from him added to Jonghyun and Minho’s quiet, disapproving look is enough for all children to stop any attempt of protesting. It is announced that they will resume their hunt for twenty more minutes before heading back to the school, and it’s Kibum who soothes the sudden tensed atmosphere.

“Kids, what’s with those faces ?” He asks, crouching to be at their eyes’ level. “It’s like a race, isn’t it ? Let’s gather as many sweets we can within twenty minutes, then you will all be rewarded by the biggest cake you’ve ever seen !”

“Cake ?” Yukhei’s eyes seem to light up as he perfectly understood that word.

“Yes, a cake I made especially for you, but it grew a head on our way to the school ! What if we spend too much time outside and it grows legs ? And runs away ?”

“Oh no !” Jongin and Taemin cry out, making the adults giggle since they’re the oldest children in the group, yet the most oblivious about the trick.

“See ?” Jonghyun smiles while he leans on to wipe some dirt on his son’s cheek — how did he even get it ? “We must be fast if we don’t want the cake to escape. So no more talking, it’s wasting time ! Go, fetch some more candies !”

The previous disappointment makes space for a whole new excitement, five little heads bouncing away as they start running to another house. Despite him calling them back to respect the rule, Baekhyun finds himself completely out of the picture ; as he follows them close, he’s joined by Minho who tends to have a well-needed authority on all these kids. The only child who doesn’t follow is Mark, the boy holding his bag of candies with both his small hands and yawning.

“Are you alright, sweetheart ?” The Hades-dressed man asks him, making the kid look up at him with innocent eyes.

“You okay ?” Kibum asks in his turn, choosing English and pointing at the bag. “Want me to hold this ?”

“Ho’d me pwease.” Mark answers as he stretches his arms towards the horned man and drops his treasure.

Surprised at first, the adult hesitates but is quickly defeated by the child’s adorable pout ; instead of taking him in his arms, he crouches and lets Jinki place Mark on his shoulders.

“Hold there.” The oldest man says as he motions the boy’s hands to the horns. “Don’t let them go !”

Once the kid is safe and resting on Kibum’s shoulders, his little face fitting perfectly between the horns with his chin on the top of the adult’s head, the latter’s boyfriend picks the bag up and puts some fallen sweets inside before the four of them join the group of monsters threatening neighbors with evil tricks and laughters. Although one of the children isn’t with his friends, Taeyong is always making sure to ask for extra candies, showing their younger classmate behind with his polite hand to prove he’s not asking for himself.

The twenty minutes go by rather quickly, neither the kids nor the adults realizing it. At some point, Minho is holding Ten on his back and Yukhei’s hand in his, while the other three are still way too excited to stay still. It’s almost chaos, but the return to school isn’t as bad as it could have been. The five men manage to make the whole group walk back without even telling them it’s the way back. It’s only when they recognize the building’s yellow door and stickers on the windows that they understand.

Before any of them can protest, Baekhyun opens the door and calls each of their name, telling them that to enter they must show their treasure. He pretends to inspect the bags’ content and to hesitate to let some enter… what makes them even more eager to actually go inside. Eventually, they’re all back in the classroom, sitting around the gathered tables and showing each other their finds. During the meantime, Minho and Jinki bring an extra table for all adults to fit — though they must sit on the floor since it’s quite low.

Within a few minutes and before some of the kids can start bickering about their respective amount of candies, their improvised dinner arrives on the table and leaves them in awe. It’s only a few sandwiches, but cut in pieces that form the shapes of several Halloween creatures and objects — pumpkins, bats, witches’ hats or ghosts. The flavors are different to suit everyone’s taste, and both kids and adults don’t need to be asked twice before they start devouring whatever is under their reach.

The whole table is a joyful mess of chit-chat and sharing of food among the children ; Taeyong keeps grabbing new pieces of sandwiches and gives them to his friends before taking one for himself, which touches the adults’ hearts. So young and already so caring… while Taemin is literally kneeling on his chair and almost throwing his body on the table to catch what he wants, to the despair of his parents.

“Are you behaving like that at home ?” Minho frowns at him, making his son immediately sit properly and offer both his open hands so his father can give him the sandwich he wants. “That’s better, eat well. Babe, what do you want ?”

“I’m saving myself for later, don’t mind me.” Jonghyun smiles, though he blushes at the way he’s called by his husband in front of so many people. “Eat, I’m waiting for the cake.”

“Yah, will you ask me what I want ?” Kibum suddenly teases his boyfriend, the latter immediately straightening up and swallowing his own food. “No, Jinki, I’m kiddi—”

“There, a whole plate for you !” Jinki offers him a few pieces at once and pouring water in his glass. “Want more, baby ?”

“You asked for it, why are you even blushing.” The tallest man laughs heartily, nudging his best friend whose face turned red.

“Can I have ?”

Mark’s sudden intervention as he pokes Kibum’s arm and points at a sandwich is welcomed with quite a relief from the latter. The horned man immediately grants the kid’s request and makes sure to give him all the attention he needs to forget about his annoying friends — sometimes he hates himself for indeed asking for it and not owning up to what he’s done. He’s so sweating after a few minutes that he makes the huge mistake to remove his headdress and scares the youngest children, what obviously is another occasion for him to be kindly mocked by his friends.

He finds a way to escape and breathe some fresh air when no more sandwich can be seen on the table and it’s thus time for dessert. As he stands up and heads to the kitchen, Jinki following him to lend a hand and stealing him some kisses to make up for earlier, all kids pile their plates up and put all rubbish in one, just like they’re taught at the canteen. As soon as they’re done, they can’t help but stand gaping with their eyes sparkling, when the trolley with the cake finally makes its entrance.

In fact, it’s the biggest cake they’ve ever seen ! And just like Kibum said, there is a big head on the top !

“It didn’t grow legs !” Taemin shouts with his tiny, excited voice as he applauds, imitated by his classmates.

“No, it didn’t !” Jinki smiles. “That’s because you went fast earlier, it didn’t have time. It takes almost an hour to grow two legs !”

“Woah, that’s long !” Jongin widens his eyes and stares at his own legs. “Mine are short, I think it wasn’t as long.”

As soon as Taemin answers his best friend, adults know it’s a lost case ; they take advantage of the smart-like discussion that has all other kids staring at the two talking, to cut the cake. It’s quite a hard task, for the dessert is big and its creator wants each child to have a similar portion to avoid jealousy. It takes a few minutes but every plate is eventually filled with a big slice of cake, a few sugar paste characters and a part of the white chocolate skull. Naturally, adults get a bigger portion but it doesn’t seem to bother the kids.

They’re too busy covering their chin and cheeks with sugar and chocolate, filling their mouths before they even empty them. Just like them, Jonghyun is not hiding himself behind his “responsible parent’s status” anymore, as he devours the cake like he hasn’t eaten anything in weeks.

“I still can’t reduce his sugar consommation.” Minho sighs, pretending to be out of patience. “How can I make Taemin understand why he can’t eat so much sugar if I have this person doing the opposite ? How ?”

“You’re exaggerating, I only eat candies when he doesn’t look.” His husband retorts, filling his mouth again. “It’s too good.”

“I can grant you that. It’s really good, but damn… must have been long to bake that.”

“Tell me about it !” Kibum laughs. “I got up at eight to do the groceries and started baking right after I got home. I’ve been in the kitchen all day long, it’s a relief that Jinki came back from work early.”

“You were almost done when I came to help.” The latter smiles, rarely comfortable when being praised. “My part was only the decoration.”

“It’s a success, that’s for sure.” Baekhyun comments, showing the kids. “Though I don’t know if we’ll finish it today. Do you mind if we keep it in the fridge and I’ll serve the rest tomorrow for dessert ?”

“Of course I don’t ! It’s better here than at my place, we’re supposed to be on a sugar diet.”

“Teach Jonghyun, please.”

Minho’s comment was welcomed by a gentle hit on his shoulder, his husband frowning and his cheeks filled with cake — which made the whole scene laughable. All adults keep talking, giving the children a bit of freedom as they’re done eating ; they wander around the classroom, playing with the available toys or digesting in a calm way. It was quite a big day for them, tiredness starting to make its presence felt as the clock shows half past eight.

It’s at around that time that the kids’ parents are supposed to come fetch them, and Baekhyun keeps alert to hear the intercom. As a way to wait and also to thank the four men for their help, he offers them a cup of coffee to finish this great dinner. Minutes flow by, the teacher occasionally standing up to go to the front door, letting a parent — or two — enter and come to the classroom. Jonghyun, Minho, Kibum and Jinki receive a lot of thanks for their volunteer job, letting Taemin’s parents know that he is always welcomed at their place for a sleepover.

The room is slowly getting empty, and while Jonghyun is holding his son against him, the latter feeling sleepy and sucking on his thumb as he’s being rocked, the other three men help with the cleaning. Taeyong is the last kid to leave and only Jongin remains since he’s sleeping at his best friend’s home tonight. Once everything is as new, more or less, it’s time for everyone to go home and get a well deserved rest. Minho struggles a bit to get Taemin dressed with his coat, the boy half sleeping in his other dad’s arms and not really responsive.

When they’re all warmly dressed and standing in the hallway, Jonghyun holding his now asleep son and his husband keeping the other boy’s hand in his, Baekhyun respectfully bows to express his gratitude.

“The kids really enjoyed this little party.” He says. “It wouldn’t have been possible without you so I thank you with all my heart. They’re working so hard during school days, I’m glad they could have this break for such a good occasion.”

“There is no need to thank us.” Jinki answers, smiling. “We had fun too.”

“They’re all adorable, it was nice being here.” Kibum nods. “Don’t hesitate if you ever need help again, I’m not sure we can be available but you can always ask.”

“I will. And I might see you again, if you ever come for Taemin at the end of a day ?”

“Certainly !”

“We will go, now.” Minho says, a tint of mischief in his eyes. “Should we expect another little party once we get closer to Christmas ?”

Laughing, Baekhyun puts his finger against his lips to keep the secret, before he leads his guests to the back door. With one last goodbye and bow, they separate and head to the parking lot. Taemin and Jongin get in the first car, sitting well in their car seat — there is always a spare one in case — and the adults hug each other.

“Thanks for coming.” Jonghyun says as he hugs Kibum. “It was really good, you didn’t have to do so much though.”

“It was my pleasure, don’t worry.” The other man winks at his friend. “And I was sure it wouldn’t only please the kids so I’m proud.”

“Do you want to come over this Saturday evening ?” Minho asks. “It’s been a while since we had dinner together.”

“Hmm… Alright, but I’m bringing the dessert.”

“That’s fine with me !”

“Perfect. Go, you’ll catch a cold, standing here. See you, text me when you’re home.”

“Yes dad.”

Shaking his head, the tallest man gets in the car, imitated by his husband who takes place behind the wheel. Both Jinki and his fiancé get in their and they leave all together. On their way, Kibum looks at the few pictures he took on his phone during the whole evening, never missing an occasion to make precious memories with his nephew — and tonight, with five other kids he kinda wants to see again sometimes.

“I will send this one to Mr Byun.” He says, showing a picture of all kids with their treasure to his boyfriend when they stop at a red light. “It would be great if he can hang it in the classroom.”

“Send it to Jonghyun too, he will like it.” Jinki smiles, hitting the road again once the light turns green. “Did you have fun ?”

“Yes, lots of fun. You didn’t talk much, though.”

“I enjoy things rather quietly, you know that. But I will certainly come forward if we’re being invited again. These kids are really kind.”

“Did you see how the little one always came to me ? I thought I was going to melt.”

“Does it make you want to have a child of your own ?”

“I’ve wanted one for a while, even since Taemin arrived in our life… But let’s get married before, okay ?”

“Of course, love. And until then, we might see these five again for Christmas… who knows ?”

“Who knows…”

Smiling, Kibum keeps looking at his phone during the whole way back. Even when they get home, he tells his fiancé that he will join him in the living room later, as himself goes to his room. There, he takes his tablet and stylus, sending himself the picture of the children and opening his favourite editing application. Meticulously, he decorates the sober photography by drawing Halloween ornaments here and there, without making it too overbearing.

He makes sure to write each kid’s name above their head or under their feet: Taemin the vampire, Jongin the skeleton, Taeyong the cute Darth Vader, Ten the terrific but adorable Pennywise, Yukhei the ghost and Mark the little pumpkin. He then notices the perfect empty space on top of the picture.

There, after a long reflection, he finds the words he wants. After he put the date in the bottom right-hand corner, he writes a title in a funny font that suits the occasion : “A super spooky night”.

End

[cornyregans]

Pre-Tragedy Living Arrangements -- Original Residences

This is a continuation of last week’s essay. To read that one, if you haven’t already, click here.

Essay Word Count: 3,463 Image Count: 39 Thank You Word Count: 213 Total Word Count: 3,676

If residing at the manor or the ranch would have been somewhat problematic for both families, then where did they live before anyone died? Well, that's something you will have to decide for yourself. Like many other aspects of Veronaville, there isn't much to go off of when deciphering most of these clues. As such, the final decision is yours, and yours alone.

With that in mind, the rest of this essay will be more interpretive than anything else.

Claudio and Olivia’s House

I will be starting with Claudio and Olivia’s family because, in my opinion, finding their home is much less complicated and can be done in as little as one section.

First of all, given their surname, they would have likely lived on Veronaville’s less-populated west side. Second of all, there's an image of two members of this family in what could have been their intended home.

As I mentioned in my essay about the tragedies, a picture exists of Mercutio and Olivia Monty, plus an early version of Juliette Capp, at what appears to be 111 Stratford Street. While there are aesthetic differences between the lot in the picture and the one found in the final product (the doors seen on the upper floor, for example), they are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. While this lot could easily fit Claudio, Olivia, and the two boys without any trouble, it would have also been possible to find space for the couple’s unborn baby as well.

111 Stratford Street has three rooms on the second floor that are very clearly meant to be bedrooms. There's one larger room at the front of the house with a tannish color (really the only room where you could place a double bed), and two smaller rooms towards the back, one green, one blue. When it comes to choosing a room for the unborn baby to sleep in, you could place both of their older brothers in the blue room and have the baby sleep in the green room, or you could stick a crib in the tan room with Claudio and Olivia.

There is also a small blue room with an ambiguous purpose that is only accessible by using a bridge-like structure on the second floor. Regardless of how you decide to use this room, it is possible to fit a crib, changing table, and one or two more objects in there if you're smart about it. 

Cordelia and Caliban’s House

Unlike their Monty counterparts, Cordelia and Caliban's house is much more difficult to find out. Unlike the 111 Stratford Street image, the Capp family storytelling image cannot help when narrowing down residential lots. The reason for this is because, unlike the exterior of 111 Stratford Street remaining intact, the room in this particular picture is missing from the final product. As a result, we need to take more steps to find Tybalt, Juliette, and Hermia's original home. 

First of all, we should probably rule out all the western side’s villas that are associated with the rival Monty clan. The next thing on the list would be to rule out any residential lots that could be considered too small for a family of five. As such, we should probably discount all single-family homes that have less than three bedrooms. Given the size of Cordelia and Caliban's family, I’d imagine fitting all five sims into a one or two bedroom house would have been a very tight squeeze. 

I also believe we could also remove each disconnected two house lots from the list. Personally speaking, I find they work better for a family whose structure is more akin to Regan’s household at the beginning of the game than they do for families like Cordelia’s.

Removing all the lots with any of these elements leaves us with four houses where Cordelia, Caliban, and their family may have lived. These lots are 80 Bard Boulevard, 95 Bard Boulevard, 7 Chorus Court, and 54 Via Veronaville. All four of these lots have at least three bedrooms, thereby providing the family with copious amounts of space. Also, unlike the lots with separate houses, 7 Chorus Court and 54 Via Veronaville each have a bridge-like structure on the upper floor, thus making it easier to use them as a one-family home.

At this point, it's the player's decision more than anything else. Honestly, you could easily pick one lot and call it a day. But for someone me who feels the need to narrow everything down to the most minute detail, my next step would be to look at some Shakespeare. 

Locating Cordelia and Caliban’s House with a Shakespearean Lens

It might seem strange to use the Shakespeare canon to find one specific house in a video game, but doing so might help us narrow down our options with even further. In a previous essay, I mentioned that the scenario presented to us at the Capp Manor echoed Romeo & Juliet’s balcony scene; however, an eagle-eyed player has likely noticed that the Capp Manor lacks one key component, that component being the balcony itself.

Juliette Capp’s current residence missing any sort of balcony is something that always struck me as rather odd. The balcony scene is one of the most famous scenes in Shakespeare canon so its absence is something a Shakespeare buff would most likely notice. Whether this is likely yet another oversight or something the developers deemed unimportant is unknown; however, perhaps the reason for this is because Juliette's balcony was located at the house where she and her siblings lived before Cordelia and Caliban died.

Unlike the Capp Manor, these four lots all have at least one open outdoor space on the upper floor that could qualify as a "balcony" where Juliette could express her feelings. With that in mind, the "balconies" found at 7 Chorus Court and 54 Via Veronaville seem ill-suited for delivering any grand soliloquies, as their primary use is to allow sims to move between houses instead. By that logic, it is unlikely that Juliette Capp would have lived in either of those homes, leaving us with the two options found on Bard Boulevard. 

80 and 95 Bard Boulevard's Bedrooms

The houses found on Bard Boulevard have some similarities that could point to either of them being Juliette’s childhood home. For starters, both of them have three bedrooms. 80 Bard Boulevard’s three bedrooms are all on the upper floor, a large bedroom on its left side of the house (forty-four squares), and two smaller bedrooms to the right (the one up top is eighteen and one-half squares, while the one on the bottom is twenty-two and one-half squares). 

Conversely, 95 Bard Boulevard’s bedrooms are all rather small, each being twelve squares total, thereby making it impossible to a double bed in any of them. That said, there is a large section of the hallway upstairs that could easily be made into a room for Cordelia and Caliban, whether by adding a wall or a divider of some sort. 

The “Balcony” Scene

This famous scene begins after Romeo and his friends leave the Capulet’s party. Not wanting to say goodbye to Juliet just yet, Romeo sneaks away from Mercutio and Benvolio and hops over the garden wall. Upon reaching the other side, Romeo finds himself in Capulet’s backyard orchard. After finding a suitable hiding place, he sees that Juliet is standing on the balcony outside her bedroom window. After that, there’s some soliloquies and some dialogue, and the two have promised to marry by the end of the scene.

This scene takes place in the Capulet family’s backyard, which is described as an orchard. While trees are present on both lots, they are rather sparse and don’t bear fruit (this feature that wasn’t even available in TS2 until the Seasons EP).

As for the balcony itself, the one in Romeo & Juliet is supposed to be located outside Juliet’s bedroom window, though this is not replicated in any of “balconies” on either lot, both of which are only accessible through doors. In addition, Romeo has to climb the garden wall and find a hiding place before his soliloquy in Romeo & Juliet, while in The Sims 2, neither lot has a large garden wall. 

The Balconies Themselves

Casa di Giulietta in Verona, Italy. Originally built in the early 14th-century, it is now a popular tourist attraction.

Much like in Shakespeare’s play, “Giulietta" reached her balcony by walking through a window. In addition, this image contains a large wall to the left, likely similar to the one Romeo is supposed to climb to reach the Capulet’s orchard in Romeo & Juliet.

80 Bard Boulevard’s “balcony” (front yard). It can be used to move between the large bedroom on the right to one of the smaller bedrooms on the left. Since the balcony in Romeo & Juliet is supposed to be located in the back yard, odds are this isn’t the one we should be looking at.

80 Bard Boulevard’s “balcony” (backyard). Could be used to move between the upstairs hallway and the master bedroom. By taking the size of the bedroom into account, it would have likely belonged to Cordelia and Caliban rather than Juliette.

95 Bard Boulevard’s “balcony” located in the backyard.

You can only enter and exit through this door that leads to the upstairs hallway.

Even though the balconies in the play and at the Casa di Giulietta are accessible from a window, the “balconies” on both lots can only be reached using a door. As such, it is impossible to narrow down our options on this point alone.

In addition, neither lot’s backyard can be accessed by climbing a garden wall (something that is impossible in game, by the way). That being said, both lots are surrounded by fences, a design choice that could be referencing the way Romeo enters the scene in the play.

80 Bard Boulevard’s backyard. If Romeo were to hide anywhere in the backyard, the larger tree is really his only option. There are other trees on this lot, but those two are the only ones behind the house.

95 Bard Boulevard’s backyard “garden” along with three trees (none of which bear fruit) that can be seen from the “balcony.” 

When it comes to a possible hiding spot for Romeo, his best option would likely be to use the maze. Given the size of the hedges, finding a suitable hiding place should be pretty easy.

Looking at each of the similarities these two lots share with both each other and the Shakespeare play shows that a case could be made for Juliette’s family living in either house. With that in mind, there is one last major thing I want to go over.

Another Look at the Storytelling Image

Back when I wrote my essay on the tragedies, I hypothesized that the room in the Capp storytelling image was located at 95 Bard Boulevard. Since then, a closer look at the layout of the lot has shown that my original interpretation was not as strong as I thought it was. As such, I thought it would be a good idea to try and recreate it on both lots to see if we can figure anything out that way.

Before we go any further, I am going to provide a link for the storytelling image in case you want to follow along. To see the room I’m recreating, click here.

Recreating the Storytelling Image at 80 Bard Boulevard

80 Bard Boulevard’s two smaller rooms.

The angle I will be using to recreate the scene.

I moved the old windows elsewhere and replaced them with the ones found in the storytelling image. As you can see, I even made sure the shutters were red as well. That being said, I couldn’t get the shutters inside the room no matter how hard I tried, so it’s not perfect.

I also added the cribs and made sure their placements were the same as in the original picture.

The view from the window above the pink crib. Mostly grass, but trees and fence can also be seen.

The view from the window above the yellow crib. Mostly grass, but trees and fence can also be seen.

After completing all those steps, I moved the yellow crib and the window above it over one square to the left.

Given how close the yellow crib is to the door, it’s doubtful that this room would have been the one in the image should this be the correct distance between the two cribs.

That said, I am including this image so you can get a general idea of how this room would look with the cribs, walls, and carpet.

I also included a picture of the view outside. As you can see, the backyard’s footpath is visible.

Two angles from the bottom room, though I will only be editing the angle shown in the bottom image. The reason for this is because I doubt the angle shown in the top image would have been used, as that door is the one leading to the balcony.

Here’s what the room looks like with the windows, cribs, walls, and carpet.

The view outside the window above the pink crib. While the grass is visible, you can also see the sky, trees, fence, sidewalk, and street.

The view from the window above the yellow crib. The grass is visible, but so is a tree, the fence, and a teeny-tiny bit of street, sidewalk, and sky.

This is how the room looks should you move the yellow crib and its corresponding window one space to the left. For some reason, I didn’t get a closer shot of the view outside the window’s new position. That said, it’s basically the same as the other one (grass, trees, fence, sky, and bits of sidewalk).

Recreating the Storytelling Image at 95 Bard Boulevard

As you can see here, there is no way to easily recreate the storytelling image with the wall separating the rooms in place. That said, removing the wall can easily solve this problem.

While removing the wall might seem strange, I believe it is possible Cordelia and Caliban could have renovated the house sometime after the picture was taken, thereby creating three separate bedrooms for their children. This may seem like a stretch to some, but renovating a home this way is a fairly common occurrence where I come from.

I didn’t do the same with 80 Bard Boulevard, basically because it wouldn’t really change anything. The front room could fit the yellow crib in both places without needing to put baby in a corner. The back room, on the other hand, would need to also have the hallway wall removed in order to prevent the yellow crib from touching that room’s upper left corner.

Here it is without the wall and with the cribs.

Also, I am including shots angled upwards for the room at 95 Bard Boulevard. I tried to do the same with 80 Bard Boulevard’s bedrooms, but it looked like crap no matter how hard I tried.

After that, I replaced the windows from the final product with those seen in the storytelling image.

Then I added the walls and carpet.

Like in the storytelling image, the view from the window above the pink crib from this angle is all grass.

Conversely, the view from the window above the yellow crib has extra elements that were not present in the storytelling image (street, sidewalk, fence, and trash can).

This is what the view outside looks like from this angle. Less grass, more sky, and a little bit of tree above the pink crib.

This is how the room looks should you move the yellow crib, along with the window above it, one space to the left.

After moving the window above the yellow crib, I took a picture of the view outside. Unlike the window above the pink crib, this window’s view will never be all grass like it is in the storytelling image (though there’s no more trash can).

The Verdict

In the end, neither of the lots on Bard Boulevard can perfectly recreate the storytelling image. That being said, they both come pretty close depending on how you look at it. Recreating the scene at 80 Bard Boulevard is rather easy should you use the front room. Given its size, you do not need to move any walls around in order to fit everything inside. That being said, neither window has the same view as the one in the Capp Family storytelling image.

The bedrooms at 95 Bard Boulevard are all too small to accurately recreate the scene as is. That being said, removing the wall between two of the rooms solves this problem. As mentioned above, it is possible Cordelia and Caliban might have split a room in half so each of their kids had their own rooms when they got older. When it comes to the windows, the one above the yellow crib will never have a completely grassy view. The window above the pink crib, on the other hand, will show grass and nothing else from certain angles.

As usual, it really all comes down to the player, as arguments can be made for either lot being the original home of Tybalt, Juliette, and Hermia Capp. And if you don’t think the three lived on either lot at any point, that’s okay too. The Sims 2 is one of those games where most of the canon aspects are the player’s decision. While Maxis provides bits and pieces of information, it is up to the player to create their own story and parts of the lore for themselves.

With all that out of the way, I still choose to interpret Juliette, Tybalt, and Hermia’s childhood home as 95 Bard Boulevard. This is more of a personal preference than anything, as there isn’t really any major deciding factor to logically narrow it down. That said, there are a few little details that make this choice the more appealing one for me.

95 Bard Boulevard's three smaller bedrooms allow Tybalt, Juliette, and Hermia to each have their own space. As someone who enjoys designing bedrooms that match their owner’s personalities, all three sims having their own room is more appealing to me personally. While there isn’t a large bedroom for Cordelia and Caliban on this lot per sé, a makeshift room could easily fit in the large, empty part of the hallway.

The “balcony” at 95 Bard Boulevard seems to function closer to the one in Romeo & Juliet than the ones at 80 Bard Boulevard. Like the balcony commonly associated Romeo & Juliet, the one at 95 Bard Boulevard has only one entry point. The ones at 80 Bard Boulevard, however, have two separate entry points, thereby making them less private.

The maze in 95 Bard Boulevard’s backyard serves as a much better hiding place than any of the trees in 80 Bard Boulevard’s backyard.

The view from the window above the pink crib at 95 Bard Boulevard matches the one seen in the storytelling image. This is not the case for any of 80 Bard Boulevard’s windows.

Regan and company are already living at 80 Bard Boulevard in my game.

Final Thoughts

Whenever I choose a house for any family in The Sims, the first thing I do is make sure that they all fit comfortably. While it is possible to make alterations to accommodate your sims, I’m one of those people who tries my best to not make too many. If a family can’t fit in a house, then I tend to keep searching until I can find one where they can, and if I can’t do that, then I usually just build a house that does or find one in the lots & houses bin.

This philosophy of mine definitely plays a role when it comes to moving sims from the family bin into the neighborhood. For example, whenever I play Strangetown, I always move the Singles girls into the house next to the Grunts. Whenever I play Pleasantview, I always move the Burbs into a house with two or more bedrooms usually depending on whether or not I want John and Jennifer to expand their family. Heck, I use this philosophy whenever I play Veronaville since I always move Goneril’s family into one of those lots where two houses are connected to each other by a catwalk on the upper floor.

In the end, choosing homes for your sims really comes down to play style and how you interpret the family in question. After all, there aren’t any right or wrong answers when it comes to the places your sims call home.

Thank you so much for reading part two! This idea is rather recent in the grand scheme of things, but I thought that it would fit in quite nicely given what’s been covered so far.

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been using pictures in the past two entries. These two essays are definitely more on the visual side. As such, it was necessary for me to show rather than tell as a result. For the record, each in-game image was taken by me from my Ultimate Collection copy. Doing so was a necessity, especially since I needed to place certain objects in certain places and recreate a storytelling image, two things I’d rather not bother anyone else with.

As a special bonus, I will also have pictures of how 95 Bard Boulevard and 111 Stratford Street could have looked had Cordelia and Claudio’s families lived there in the past. The furniture I placed in each room will be based on my interpretations regarding the sims living on each lot; though I left the walls and floors as they were in the final product. I plan on queueing them up so they will begin appearing tomorrow.

Once again, thank you so much for reading. I really hope you enjoyed both of these entries.

[seventyfiveapples]

In Transit - Chapter 5

Bright fanfiction / Nick Jakoby x OFC

Previous Chapters: ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR

Or: The whole enchilada on AO3

Summary: When Officers Jakoby and Ward are hand-picked by the Magic Task Force to transport a dangerous convicted murderer, they must stay a few steps ahead as various enemies, forces of magic, and mistakes from the past complicate their path.

Nick slowed down and pulled over the car. There were five people waiting at the roadblock: the Sheriff, two police officers, and two of the men who’d recognized Leigh back at the motel. They must have used a shortcut of some kind to pass Nick, Daryl, and Leigh. The men from the motel did not appear to be police officers, but there was no telling what they had already told the sheriff.

In the passenger seat, Ward sighed heavily.

”What’s your plan here, Jakoby?”

”Ward, they’re still police officers. I think we just explain ourselves and continue on our way.”

”Guys-“ Leigh piped up from the back seat.

”Not all of them. You think Mr. Blue Pickup Truck is interested in the law, Nick? He was ready to fire at us back at that motel.”

”Guys-"

“I think the Sheriff would be reasonable,” Nick responded. They didn’t seem to hear Leigh.

“And if he isn’t?” asked Ward.

“If he isn’t, I have an idea.” Nick leaned over to whisper to Ward, out of Leigh’s earshot. She saw him open the glove compartment and hand the MTF cellphone to Daryl.

Leigh gave up on trying to get their attention and started working on her bracelet, working on the crack until she could pry it open and get them all out of this mess.

At that moment the sound of a megaphone rang out.

”This is the Sheriff of Lincoln County. I’m ordering you to exit the vehicle, slowly, drop your weapons and place your hands on your heads.” The two officers looked at each other before opening their doors, Daryl giving Nick a slight nod. Before he left the car, Nick turned around to Leigh.

“We’re going to stall as long as we can. Just stay low, out of sight.”

--

[TWO YEARS EARLIER]

Nick and Leigh exchanged a few sloppy, wine-fueled kisses on his front porch. It was Leigh’s birthday and they’d just enjoyed a leisurely dinner date at their favorite restaurant. She was looking forward to some additional “celebrations” once they were inside. Reluctantly, Nick separated his lips from hers.

“Leigh, sweetheart, let’s wait until we get inside.”

She draped herself on him as he managed to get his keys in the lock. She started nibbling his ear, causing him to drop the keys twice before he was able to successfully open the door.

”Mmm, now you can give me my other present... You know,” She said, talking a little more loudly than usual due to the wine as she stumbled inside. “In the bedroom?”

“Leigh-.”

“I mean you. I mean unwrapping you. And then-”

”Shhh…” he said, stifling some laughter.

”Why shhh? I know you like it when I’m loud.” She pulled up his shirt, running her hands over his skin - she loved the way his muscular chest felt - and started trying to pull his shirt over his head. He giggled and tried to gently hold her hands still.

”Listen, honey,” he whispered, “Trust me- wait a second.”

”What are you-“ Nick cut her off by flipping on the living room light to reveal about fifteen of her friends jumping out from behind furniture.

”SURPRISE!” They all yelled in unison. A few giggled.

Leigh’s eyes went wide and her hands flew back to her own pockets as she tried to remember exactly how much her friends had just heard. Behind her, Nick smiled shyly. Her friend Jeanette crossed the space to hug her first.

“Leigh, happy birthday! I was so afraid you already knew about the party, but I think now we can safely say that was not the case!” The party burst into laughter at that and any awkwardness in the room evaporated. Nick hung back a bit as Leigh greeted her guests one at a time. He said hello to the ones he already knew and was pleasantly surprised, as he always was with Leigh’s classmates, to sense their ease around him.. There were vanishingly few places where an orc and a human could express affection, but a room full of Brights was one of them. Magic users, in Nick’s experience, tended to hold more nuanced views of the different races than most humans - certainly, more than the humans in his Police Academy class. Leigh’s classmates always spoke to him with the same respect they’d give anyone: elf, orc, or human.

A few hours into the party, Nick went out to the backyard to get a little air. In a corner of the yard he saw... Chad. Nick still didn’t trust him, but he thought this might be a good time for a fresh start. He hated fighting with Leigh, and they’d had so many tense conversations about Chad. Maybe Nick could be the bigger person here. If Leigh got along with him, there must be something good about him. Maybe. In any case, Nick was ready to forget the past and start over. He started to walk towards him when he overheard snippets of a phone conversation and froze in place.

“Yeah. They’re still together, for now. It’s been almost three months, but I’m working on it... I’m actually at his house right now if you can believe it…. I don’t know, she doesn’t even notice my flirting, but he sure does… Of course they don’t suspect anything, she’s so naive, and he’s stupid even for an orc… Yes…Maybe… Look, I mean, she might get hurt that way but it could work…. Yes, I know we need her alive but, actually, an injury might actually be helpful.” Nick heard him laugh as he said this. What the fuck was this asshole planning? “I’m working on it, okay? I’m sure. Yes… okay, fine, I’ll see you later, Sarah.”

Well, there went that. Nick considered what he’d heard as he quietly made his way back to the house. Chad wanted Nick and Leigh to break up - no surprise there - but now he was planning something that might injure her? He saw Leigh through the window, laughing, and hung his head. How could he get her away from him when she saw him every day at her school? Would she believe what he’d just heard?

He thought of Chad laughing as he talked about injuring Leigh. Nick had to keep trying. Even if Leigh was angry. Even if she thought he was just jealous. Even if they got in a huge fight over it.

He wouldn’t - he couldn’t - let her be hurt, even if it meant things would be uneasy between the two of them.

----

[PRESENT DAY]

The bracelet that the MTF used to stifle Leigh’s magical powers was actually designed - by a Bright - to make life easier for other Brights. The inventor’s hope was that Brights could use these bracelets to stay safe and undetected while leading lives as normal as possible. She would be horrified to learn that the MTF now used them as a form of prisoner restraint.

The inventor, a mechanical engineer, had built it with two primary functions. First, its exterior projected a field that neutralized the physical and astrophysical traces left behind by magic use. This would block anyone from detecting the wearer’s magical activity. Second, its interior was built to shrink and conceal a wand. The external structure of the device was a sturdy military-grade polymer, reinforced by magic. The interior had a hollow cavity that used a permanent spell to reduce a wand to one eighth of its usual size. A single button popped the clasp, allowing the bracelet to open and the wand inside to emerge at its full size.

The design and magical elements were so intertwined that the device could not be replicated by anyone but the inventor. Because the MTF kept tabs on all known Brights in the country, they had become aware of this device from its development and they hired her to create a dozen of these for the agency’s official use… with some slight modifications. She wondered why they’d created them without the button that allowed a Bright wearer to remove and replace the wand at will, but she was paid well enough that this didn’t bother her for long. However, the addition of a tracking device was not part of her original schematics and went against every reason she’d created it.

She flatly refused to add one.

The MTF added them anyway, tacking them onto each completed bracelet with tiny screws that were able to puncture magical fields. The holes drilled for the screws had weakened the device enough that when Leigh fell, the tiniest crack had started to form. It was this crack that had rendered the concealment function unstable. It was periodically shooting out surges of energy and beams of blue light. These traces of magic had left a trail that both Agent Kandomere and Chad had now picked up.

To the agent, these surges were worrying. Although the tracking device had begun to malfunction, the spikes in magical energy could be picked up by anyone who was looking. There must have been damage of some kind to the bracelet. Hopefully she hadn’t been injured, but he knew something had happened. He frowned at the irregular beeping on his MTF map software. The transport SUV wasn’t far off and they seemed to be stopped in the middle of nowhere. More confusing. He heard a ringtone and looked down to see an incoming call from the phone in the transport vehicle. He answered it and heard voices: people shouting. The officers had placed the phone on speaker and appeared to be in the middle of a confrontation. He asked his driver Argyle to pick up the pace.

To Chad on the other hand, this was the first useful information he’d received in two days. He could identify the signature traces of Leigh’s magic anywhere. He tried to act calm as he saw a spark light up his paper map, and turned the car around slowly so that Sarah wouldn’t ask too many questions about the abrupt turn. He hadn’t been as fortunate in tracking her and was still more than 100 miles away. Sarah gave him a sidelong glance and only snickered as he re-routed, making his way back to intercept Leigh.

---

“Where’s your prisoner?” The sheriff asked, looking at Ward.

“Sir,” Ward started. “We’re LAPD officers on official assignment for the Magic Task Force, and we really need to be on our way. The man behind you is interfering with police business and I highly recommend you not pay any attention to anything he might be saying.”

“That’s not what my friend Danny here tells me. He’s saying that y’all have abducted Leigh Caldwell and are impersonating police officers. Can I see some credentials? Slowly.”

The officers slowly reached for their wallets and showed the sheriff their badges. This seemed to relax him… somewhat.

“As my partner said-” Nick began.

“Did I ask you?” The sheriff shot back. Nick seethed but remained quiet.

“Sir, this orc is an officer of the LAPD and you will speak to him with respect.”

Even with everything going on, Nick puffed up a little at his partner standing up for him. He didn’t have time to appreciate it. Mr. Blue Truck - Danny, apparently - fired a bullet into the dirt near the officers’ feet. Nick didn’t react to the gunshot but Ward jumped. “Quick dicking around. Hand over the prisoner.” Snarled Danny.

The sheriff whipped around to yell at him. “Back the fuck off, Danny. We’ve got this. I don’t need your help.”  Maybe these two weren’t so close. He turned back to Nick and Daryl. “But we will need to take custody of your prisoner until we’re able to confirm your story with the feds.”

“We’re not going to do that,” growled Nick.

“Hand her over or we’re taking you all into custody,” said the sheriff.

“Do it and you’re making the biggest mistake of your life,” Daryl warned, “and judging by that haircut your mistakes are a pretty long list.”

“You want to get smart, son? Fine, hand her over or I can’t be responsible for your safety if you try to leave with her.” He nodded his head towards Danny, who raised a rifle to aim at Nick.

--

Back in the car, Leigh was laying as low as possible, hiding out of view as Nick had asked. She couldn’t really hear what the officers were saying, but the sound of a bullet was unmistakable. She wanted to help but couldn’t think of what to do that wouldn’t just make things worse. A few moments’ silence followed, then another gunshot. A scream. The rumble of another car’s engine arriving and shutting off. Silence for several seconds. She strained her ears for any sign of a voice. If Nick had gotten hurt trying to protect her…

After a few moments, she heard BANG BANG BANG - a frantic knock on the car door. She tried to press herself further into the seat. Leigh winced as someone slid the SUV’s rear door open, then relaxed as she saw that it was Nick. Thank Jirak.

“Leigh, Daryl’s been shot - but he’s okay - and the elf agent from the MTF is here.” He helped her out of the car. She saw Kandomere speaking with the sheriff. The men in the pickup truck were being cuffed and led into the police vehicles.

The sheriff had believed the men in the truck easily enough to threaten Nick and Daryl, but now seemed to be cooperating fully with Agent Kandomere, who appeared to be in charge now. Leigh didn’t really know what had happened but she was relieved that no one was pointing any guns at anyone, for the moment.

On the ground lay Daryl, panting and bleeding from a wound in his shoulder. Nick kneeled down next to him and Leigh followed suit. Agent Kandomere approached the three of them.

“Hey,” said Ward to the small group that had gathered. Even one syllable appeared to be a struggle.

“Officer Ward. Try not to talk too much. My driver is going to take you to a hospital, and I’m going to take your place with Officer Jakoby and the prisoner. Excuse me,” he said, walking away to take a call.

“That guy… just a real… teddy bear.”

“How do you feel?” asked Leigh.

“Like shit, actually...  Thanks for asking.”

“Hey partner- you know there are easier ways to get out of having to hear my Orcish music, right?” Daryl smirked. “Take care of yourself. Text to let me know when you get home. Soon as I get back to L.A. I’m going to bring you some vitamins, and I’ll tell Sherri and Sophia to make sure you take them.”

“Nick, man…  just be careful... And you?” he looked at Leigh. “Try not to…  get him killed, okay?”

“I’ll try,” Leigh said in a soft tone. She felt so guilty she could hardly speak.

Nick helped Leigh to her feet - she was still in handcuffs - and they walked back towards the vehicle.

“So what happened?”

“We called the MTF agent.. I had this phone clipped to my belt, and we put it on speakerphone so the agent could hear what was going on. Daryl and I were going to just stall as long as we could. Luckily, the agent was already following us, and he was just a few miles away. Anyway, that guy from the hotel this morning? He saw the phone, maybe heard it, and fired at me. Daryl pushed me down.” He shook his head. “He took a bullet for me. I can’t believe he did that.”

“Yeah, that’s… Damn, Nick.” She was grateful to Daryl but this was surreal. “I’m glad he’s going to be okay. But all of this - for me? Why do they care?”

“One of the people that, um, that were in that bus - was his niece. He just wanted…” Nick trailed off and shook his head. Leigh could finish that sentence in her head: Revenge. He just wanted revenge.

“You should have just handed me over. All of you are at risk as long as you’re with me. I’ve got a death sentence anyway.”

“I made you a promise, Leigh. I’m not handing you over to be executed.”

“Nick, for Jirak’s sake- You can’t just not do your job. I know you. But even if you wanted to, it’s a little trickier now that we’ve got that weirdo MTF agent travelling with us.”

“I’m going to figure something out. This - sending innocent people to be, well - this isn’t why I became a cop.”

Leigh didn’t want to argue anymore. She leaned back against the car. Nick looked at her tenderly again. “Hey, Leigh, I meant to tell you earlier: happy birthday.”

She laughed drily. “Shit, I nearly forgot. Don’t tell me this is all leading up to another surprise party.”

Whether from exhaustion or adrenaline or just surprise, Nick let out a hearty laugh.

The elf called over to them and, carefully, they helped Daryl into the car driven by Argyle. Nick, Leigh, and Kandomere headed for the MTF vehicle. They hoped for an uneventful night at the safe house.

NEXT CHAPTER

[gretagerwigarchive]

Here's How 'Lady Bird' Created an Iconic Teenage Bedroom From Scratch

by Laura Schocker, Mar 4, 2018. source: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/lady-bird-set-design-bedroom-meaning-256361

The coming of age movie is a Hollywood staple, which often depicts a young woman whose story is defined by a romantic relationship. Part of what made this past year's Lady Bird so special is that its subtle telling of a teenage female experience—from tenuous mother/daughter relationships to shifting friendship dynamics—relied on Lady Bird's personal growth as the main storytelling device. Its actors have received plenty of accolades ahead of Sunday night's Oscars. But one supporting role we think deserves mentioning is Lady Bird's wonderfully-nostalgic, turn of the millennium bedroom.

The teenage bedroom is also often integral to the coming of age story (think: Frenchy's bedroom in Grease or Dawson's movie-poster plastered room in Dawson's Creek). And Lady Bird is no different — the room is both the site of and the refuge from parental fights, as well as an expression of her personality. "We really wanted to show that she was somebody who cared about things as much as she's going through these pains, and trying to fit in," production designer Chris Jones told Apartment Therapy. We spoke to Jones about how he, along with writer and director Greta Gerwig, set decorator Traci Spadorcia, and the rest of the team built those feelings from scratch in a real home in Van Nuys, California.

I read that Greta Gerwig said she wanted Lady Bird to "look like a memory." I think a lot of us have these very real memories about our teenage bedrooms—whether it's the posters that hung on the walls, or the books on the shelves, what we stashed in the desk drawers. How did you go about creating those memories from scratch for Lady Bird? What feelings were you trying to convey with the objects?

 We wanted the bedroom, most importantly, to show the layers of history that Lady Bird already had. The movie is about what happens to her throughout the film, but also what happened to her and what could happen to her in the future, that whole transitional period. We wanted the bedroom to feel like it was also in that transition and growing from something younger to something older.

We went looking for furniture that could be little girl furniture, but that she had kept. The desk in the corner was really an old white desk from, say the 80s and the 90s. Then the bed, it's missing a spindle here and missing a piece there, because it's been around for a long time. We wanted that to be the basic structure of the room. Then we built on top of that with the items that would be more teenage and more adult.

Why did you choose pink for the walls?

Greta and I had spoken about colors, and we wanted the entire film to have a pastel color palette, based on paintings by Wayne Thiebaud, a painter in Sacramento. When it came to her room, we talked about pink or purple. But purple is kind of a royal color, and pink is a bit more playful, and we felt that the character was more playful and strong.

The paint was something that we also thought might harken back to being a little girl, but it's a hip cool color. And it blended with her hair color that we had in the film. It was also very different, shockingly different, from the rest of the house. We did a lot of camera tests with the pink to make sure it was going to work, and to make sure it wasn't going to be too different from the rest of the house so it felt separate.

And how did you build on top of that?

When you work on a film with the budget that Lady Bird had, you can't always get everything you want. And one of the things that's hard to do in a room that's covered with all kinds of imagery like that, for a film or any kind of media, is getting the clearance on items you're showing. One of the things that was relatively inexpensive was album covers. We decided to pick music from the time to show bands she'd be interested in. There was a Bikini Kill cover, a Pixies cover—albums we thought would be cool in that time period and that Greta listened too as well.

We loved making it look like she was always working on something. Besides the art we found and made ourselves, one of the things that really added to the room and that she was proud of were those "Lady Bird for President" posters, and we ended up putting those on the walls too, and it just added to the mix. What was really cool was that we were designing those posters and doing samples for Greta early on, and we used construction papers and feathers and bird heads, until we decided to get kind of weird with it, which were the ones we ended up using in the film. But some of those early prototypes ended up being on the wall, and it was really a beautiful little addition because we tried to use birds throughout the film without being too heavy handed.

The messiness of the room felt very real. It reminded me of actually walking into a teenage bedroom. How did you create those layers?

We were working with April Napier, the costume designer, so we had the actual costumes she was wearing in the film in her closet. As we were doing that, we would find ourselves bringing the clothes in that wardrobe had on their racks, and we would lay them on the bed and start hanging them on the closet or getting them ready for the shot. We realized it was great that she hadn't put her clothes away. There's that whole scene where her mom comes in and is unhappy with the fact she's not taking care of her things.

Because the room has a very busy, jewel-like quality, we wanted to keep it messy. The clothing was a big part of it and the rest of it really came from the way the way the room is dressed. We wanted to get it chock full. We started sticking stickers and little plastic spiders, and hanging Mardi Gras beads from a lamp or whatever. Once that layering started to happen, it really began to give a cluttered, yet not-difficult-to-look-at feel.

Where did you source everything from?

All of the furniture actually came from two big prop houses at the studios. They have furniture that is not in the best shape, which we wanted and the nice thing is that you can rent it. But all the ephemera, all the little pieces, the stuff that filled the room—the day before we were supposed to shoot the first scene in that room, we all agreed that we didn't really have enough stuff. So I went to a store in Downtown LA called Moskatels. Moskatels had all the stickers, all the hearts, all the spiders, all the snakes, all the bird feathers, all the green, all the dead roses. Everything you see in that whole room, a lot of those little pieces came from Moskatels in one big shopping trip I took the morning of the shoot. Then all of us worked together to get it up on the walls.

 Any computers, phones, lights, clocks—any technology needed to feel just right. It's amazing to think that even in 2003, we barely had the phone technology we have now. Only 15 years ago, we were really lacking all the cords, cables, USBs, and chargers we have now.

What about the rest of her house? How did you design her room to be different in mood?

 There's this line about the house being from the other side of the tracks, which can be a negative reference. But for us, wherever they lived, we knew that Marion and the husband loved this house, and it had been their house for a long time. We wanted the house to feel well loved, not sad or disgusting. It was always neat, it was always clean, but it was a muted tone. It showed there was a bit of sadness in the house.

So Lady Bird grows up with that, and starts her life with that as a kid. I felt with all of the items on the walls in her room, and everything that filled the space, it really felt loved. The house also had that, but it wasn't so blatant. It was more about the care and the placement of items.

It seems like bedrooms always play such an important role in classic movies and TV shows. Why do you think they're such a storytelling staple?

It's a person's private zone. It's important to show the character's personality in the bedroom, because that is where they will spend a good portion of their young life. It is almost like your psyche; your bedroom becomes a place where you lie and look at the ceiling—it's the place where you look at your world and experience your world.

It's also the place you go to escape. When you want to go someplace to get away from it all, you tend to go to your bedroom and lock the door.

Do you have a favorite pop culture teenage bedroom?

Maybe Ferris Bueller's bedroom. I was really into music so the fact that John Hughes used music so effectively in his films and that Ferris Bueller had posters for Morrissey and all the bands that I was into, struck a chord with me.

What's funny is that as old as it is, The Brady Bunch boys' bedroom is very similar to the way I grew up with a brother. We had bunk beds and you spend a lot of time connecting and communicating with your siblings on those bunk beds. Even though it's a bit generic and less naturalistic, I still feel that—I can picture The Brady Bunch bedroom in my head to this day, which is odd, but good.

We talked a bit about Greta's influence on Lady Bird's bedroom. Were there any of your own childhood bedroom influences, or anyone else involved in making the film?

Traci Spadorcia, the set decorator—she did little things that were personal touches, like tying up a ribbon that didn't make sense why it was there, putting a picture at a certain angle, or layering one picture over another because that's what she had in her bedroom.

At the end of the movie, when she's moving out, Lady Bird paints over the walls. Can you talk a bit about what that literal fresh start symbolized for you?

That wasn't in the script. But when we talked about how we had to put the room back for the homeowner, Greta and I talked about how long it was going to take to get all of these little items off of the wall. And she said, "Why don't we all help?" And I said, "Yeah," laughingly, and I included Saoirse [Ronan, who played the title character]. And then we all started thinking about it, and we thought, well what if Saoirse and the mom were taking the items off the wall?

We decided the art department would take down quite a bit of it, but we would have them take over. It happened organically. Yes it's symbolizing the end of something, but also the beginning of something else, which Greta has talked a lot about in interviews. They did it together for a while, but then Saoirse just kept going, she just kept wanting to do it. It was really nice to get a lot of footage of her really making the room fresh and clean. It's almost like she cares now. Before it didn't seem like she cared, but she's leaving something for her mom, who she hasn't spoken to much for the summer.

It's not just change, it's a clean slate. It means she's going to go on to something new. And in the next few scenes, you see she starts using her real name. She starts using Christine instead of Lady Bird after she does that change for herself.

[architectnews]

Future housing will be built to facilitate remote working, say panellists of Aritco talk

Housing blocks with co-working areas and greener interiors will help facilitate remote working in the post-pandemic world, according to panellists in this talk that Dezeen filmed for lift brand Aritco.

Titled Redefining Our Domestic Spaces, the talk took place last month as part of London Design Festival’s Design London trade show.

Moderated by writer Riya Patel, the discussion drew from a trend report called Future of the Home and a white paper titled Redefining Space, which Aritco produced in collaboration with forecasting company Springwise.

"Not everyone has the possibility to have a workspace as well as a living room and bedroom"

The talk saw David Schill, marketing director of lift company Aritco, Renée Searle, director of Threefold Architects, and James Bidwell, founder of Springwise and strategy consultancy Re_Set, discuss the ways in which homes can be adapted to suit new work routines that have been brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.

Schill said that there is likely going to be an increase in housing developments that include co-working spaces for residents to use to work remotely.

"We will see more and more people living together and finding common areas," he said.

"Not everyone who lives in a one or two-room apartment has the possibility to have a workspace as well as a living room and bedroom."

"There's a real call to introduce more mixed-use buildings"

Searl agreed: "There's a real call to introduce more mixed-use buildings, to not have solely residential blocks which are uninviting at ground level and have no active frontage," she said.

"To incorporate generous spaces that provide additional amenity for people living within urban blocks would be a benefit for all."

Searl added that this will also likely spark a change in the way we perceive and engage with cities.

"Our city centres will have to adapt to be something else other than the place that we go to every day, our suburbs will be where we can work close to our homes… I think that's a really exciting typology that's emerging as part of this."

The talk drew from an Aritco white paper titled Redefining Space

Bidwell commented that interiors will also need to be altered to support remote workers, namely with the introduction of more greenery.

"[During lockdowns] when we've been allowed out in London to go to the parks, they were completely packed because we need nature," he said.

"There's vertical farming going on at large scales but in our individual homes, having that connection with mother nature and with the earth will almost act as a counterpoint to all this tech. Nature is an amazing force in terms of wellbeing and mental health.

"We have seen the importance of having clear borders" between work and home

More structured living spaces will also be required so that residents can easily separate their professional and personal lives, according to Schill.

"What we have seen in some studies is the importance of having clear borders so everything doesn’t just blend into one big mess of working, leisure and spare time."

The panellists all noted that sustainability should continue to be a key consideration for the architects and designers instigating these changes to housing.

Read:

Watch our talk on the line between art and design with Aritco

"I think we've all got a responsibility to look after our planet on an individual level: to consume less, reuse more and recycle," said Searle.

"In terms of procuring our buildings, we have to think about the whole lifecycle of a project from its inception to what will happen to it in the future."

The talk was organised by lift company Aritco. Founded in Stockholm in 1955, Aritco's smart lifts are installed in residential, commercial and hospitality projects across the globe. To find out more about Aritco, click here.

Partnership content

This talk was filmed by Dezeen for Aritco as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen's partnership content here.

The post Future housing will be built to facilitate remote working, say panellists of Aritco talk appeared first on Dezeen.

[123designsrq]

ALL BLACK ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU TO ADAPT THIS MODERN MINIMAL TREND!

Black is my color. It is the most beautiful color of all. Black is a really strong and powerful color, that most of us often run away from! Especially when it comes to using it in our homes. However, when implementing correctly, black can radiate a very modern and minimal feel, creating an aesthetic that instantly leaves you feeling calm and balanced. This collection of all black architectural designs is proof. That when used boldly but smartly, black aesthetics can be a delight! I love these clean and minimal designs. What about you? Are you team all-black architecture too?! Appareil Architecture Canadian architectural firm Appareil Architecture built an all black architectural design house, deep in the woods of Quebec. The black home is accompanied by a matching though smaller cabin! Named Chalet Grand-Pic, both the structures have been clad in corrugated steel which is painting in shiny black. Silver metallic roofing accentuates the dark structures. The two sections are connecting by a cedar deck. Creating a warm and combined space that’s perfect for weekend getaways! cliffs of Mendocino Peeking out from the cliffs of Mendocino, California, Suspended House hovers in midair. In his rendering, Eshtiyaghi conceptualizing Suspended House after choosing its cliffside location. To ensure that the structure would hold tight and remain in place. Eshtiyaghi looking to using five high-tensile support cables and a large foundation mast. The large mast works by balancing the forces of gravity and gently ‘tugging’ the A-frame cabin towards the mast for it to remain upright. In addition to the large foundation mast. Five high-tensile support cables securely lodge the cabin in place from all sides. The land-lock parts of Suspended House remain stable in place and offer a cozy respite from the more daunting facades of Suspended House. a place to be by oneself Blackbird is a getaway cabin that exists as “a place to be by oneself.” The getaway cabin, an angular structure of black mass combining with tinted glass and a jagged, haphazard display of metal beams, resembles a spaceship that can land in any environment. As conceptualizing, Blackbird has landed in a Georgian forest clearing, amidst dense fog and textured pine trees, where it appears right at home. From the outside, below a white, cloudy sky. Blackbird’s asymmetrical frame has a tough exterior constructing from metal to provide a sense of security. Meant to dissolve the barrier between nature and the interior, the tinted glass windows evoke a feeling of privacy. Like a lookout that allows its residents to remain hidden while scanning their surroundings. Miyazaki At the foot of the rolling hills in Miyazaki, Japan sits a minimalist black house designing by Atelier Kento Eto for a family of four. This black house blends in with the scenic mountains and at the same time stands out in the neighborhood of Kadogawa. The modern loft is wrapping in black corrugated iron and is a perfect square 8×8 meter cube. That reveals little from the outside. The dark exterior is a contrast to the bright white interiors. That open up to the light and nature with two large sliding doors. The client wanted to accommodate their desire to host their friends into the floor plan. So the house has been building around a double-height entertaining area which is where the gatherings will happen. The ground floor features an open plan living, kitchen. And dining area on one side and a bathroom, washroom, and storage area on the other side. Studio Edwards Studio Edwards’ Base Cabin gives the micro-living designs a whole new angle – literally! The angular shape of this tiny house on wheels makes it stand out while still being subtle. Inspiring by the typical A-frame cabins in the woods and airstream trailers. This little home is built on a tri-axle trailer. “The A-frame is structurally efficient and uses less material than conventional portal frame buildings. Mute in its appearance and clad in black rubber makes it blend into its surroundings,” says the team. Don’t be fooling by its size, the Base Cabin comes fully equipped with a queen-size bedroom, living room, bathroom, and kitchenette. The angular paneling makes for a cozy bedroom setting with the A-frame roof. the island of Stokkøya On the island of Stokkøya, Norway lies a blackwood hill cabin. Surrounding by the sea to the west, and lush green landscapes to the east. It is a summer haven for a family of five. Expanding over several levels, the wooden cabin provides impressive views of its surroundings and is artfully balancing with them. The Kappland Arkitekter firm designing the cabin to ensure it perfectly merges with its surrounding landscape. Showcasing a typically Nordish minimal aesthetic. The cabin instantly washes you over with a sense of calm. “Perched on piles at the front and anchoring on a concrete slab at the back. The building gently hovers on the slope, leaving hardly any footprint,” said the architecture studio. The leveled structure of the building creates several layers within the interiors of the cabin as well. Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman It’s always interesting when all black architectural designs and create their own homes. It is a chance for them to unleash their creativity as they see fit, build that dream design they always wanted to build and that is exactly what Dutch architects Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman did when creating this skinny black brick building that is their home. The house, while looking opulent in black bricks from outside houses hidden windows and a huge indoor hammock to add fun to the place! The Livit Studypod The Livit Studypod is a futuristic black-box style cube is the best all black architectural designs that you can place anywhere you want and focus on your work, study or even health! This composite cube structure works as your bedroom, home office, or study table and is designing for outdoor use. Easy to place on your backyard, garden, or anywhere with a view, the black-tinted harden glass window gives an unobstructed view of your scenery. Since the cube is a closed structure, it keeps you safe from the weather across the year. Measuring 2.15 x 1.8 x 2.1 meters, this cube is perfectly sized for you to style it for your comfort, improving your headspace and keeping you stress-free. The pod does weigh 700 kilos but it also comes with optional wheels that let you move it and settle down for a quick change of scenery! Sasha Moloko of Line Design Studio Often we find that the interior of the house and its exterior are designed separately, that the color scheme and theme chosen for the outside are not reflected on the inside. But this is not the case for the Pine House designed by Sasha Moloko of Line Design Studio. With a unique covered window replacing the traditional open terrace space, this house uses the color black to highlight its interiors while the black exterior creates a stark contrast with the surroundings! Harriman State Park (New York) In the hills of Harriman State Park (New York), plans were made to build a beautiful, contemporary-style hobbit hole known as the Black Villa. The house is stunning inside and out, especially its most eye-catching feature: the luscious grass-covered roof. Green roofs have been growing slowly in popularity over the past decade, due to their economic and environmental advantages. They can reduce energy usage by 0.7% by providing natural insulation against heat and maintaining temperatures that are 30-40°F lower than conventional rooftops. The Black Villa also decreases the need for electricity by using skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows. Gensler, Perkins and Will, HDR and Jacobs are few of the best architectural brands in the united states of America. They make the best designs of homes and offices. But this all black architectural designs are mind blowing.   Read the full article