#i’m also working on a replica of the manual

[yarnnerd]

I finally got ahold of a portable Singer 99! It was a bit dusty/worn but in working condition other than the bobbin tension being too high. I didn’t want to mess with it too much, but I took off the bobbin cover, face plate, bobbin winder, and hand crank to remove lint, degrease, and oil everything accessible, and I replaced the felt pad that oils the bobbin race. Since I had made the mistake of using rubbing alcohol while cleaning and dulled the finish, and the wood was already a bit scuffed up, I put a few coats of shellac on the machine and case before reassembling, which will also protect the decals from further wear. I found that shellac is much less nasty to deal with than a lot of other finishes, though challenging to get smooth.

I really love how several of the parts are identical to my modern (ca 2001) Singer: same needle, same screw to hold the needle in place, same bobbin cover screws- stuff that there was no need to change has remained the same.

Things I have noticed while doing some test sewing so far:

-It’s so /quiet/- it’s wonderful to be able to sew while on Discord calls without muting myself

-I reflexively look for a foot pedal and power switch before realizing there aren’t any

I was waffling between this and a treadle machine, but I do really like how compact and self-contained this machine is. This one also came with several bobbins and its original screwdriver, which is neat.

[criminalmutantsins]

Every Mentor/Mentee Relationship Ranked (Most to Least Fav)

1. All Might & Deku: They are one of the main relationships in MHA. I love that their dynamic is also a father-son one. My favorite moment is when All Might made Izuku a bento for him.

2. Hawks & Tokoyami: Their relationship was so interesting because their attitudes are different but mesh so well. I really liked that Tokoyami’s power grew when mentored by Hawks. Also, Tokoyami cried the first time when Hawks was grievously hurt and his spy status was revealed.

3. Gran Torino & Deku: I like their dynamic and Gran Torino helped Izuku level up his power. Deku incorporating Torino’s scarf was sweet but would’ve been better if the latter died (still shocked he didn’t die from Shigaraki’s attack).

4. Fat Gum, Kirishima, & Amajiki: Fat Gum’s jovial personality matches well with Kirishima while his supportive trait helped Amajiki grow. Fat Gum is also a fun character and he’s one of my favorite pro heroes.

5. Aizawa & Shinso: I was so happy that Shinso got a chance to try out the Hero Course. Aizawa giving Shinso a replica of his signature scarf and teaching him to be stealthy was great and upgraded Shinso’s hero potential. I wish they had more moments together.

6. Best Jeanist & Bakugo: I didn’t really care about this mentor/mentee relationship until it was implied that Bakugo wanted to wait and tell Jeanist his hero name first. Afterwards, I grew to really like it.

7. Sir Nighteye & Mirio: I liked how much they cared about each other. I teared up when Mirio cried after Nighteye’s goodbye and death. I think it would’ve been higher on the list if Nighteye didn’t die so soon.

8. Endeavor, Deku, Bakugo, & Shoto: I think I would’ve liked this group if more time was dedicated to the training. Shoto got better, but I don’t think Deku and Bakugo progressed that much compared to Todoroki.

9. Selkie & Tsuyu: Selkie’s a fun character and was a good mentor to Tsuyu. His louder personality and Tsuyu’s calmer one worked well. I liked the episodes he was in.

10. Ryuku, Uraraka, Tsuyu & Nejire: I like all these characters and their personalities meshed well. Ryuku seemed like a good mentor and hero but her character wasn’t that interesting.

11. Uraraka & Gunhead: Gunhead’s martial arts helped Uraraka throughout the series, but there is only one moment where their dynamic was shown. Gunhead seems like a nice guy though.

12. Midnight & Mina: I had no idea Midnight was Mina’s mentor until her death. I never really cared for Midnight so I was more angry with how her death was written than her actual death. I’m glad it led to Mina being a bit more prominent at least.

13. Uwabami, Momo, & Kendo: I was disappointed that Momo’s mentorship was this. I really wanted to see her potential grow, but all she did was the commercial. I didn’t care for the pro-hero and had to search up her name. The only good thing from this sequence is Momo and Kendo’s friendship. I understand that it wasn’t meant to show Stain’s point, but I’m disappointed that Momo didn’t progress like the other characters.

14. Manual & Iida: Manual was a nice guy and got along well with Iida.

[bluepenguinstories]

Happiness - Redux 9. Locked Heart

So it goes:

Scisso Ring emerged from a locker, eyes closed, but able to tell where her partner was, and who stood next to her partner. Both accepted the warmth.

Soon, Temperance walked in.

“These two are going to be your assistants. One’s a former commander, Crystal, and the other one is Crystal’s Selkie, Pin-Up,” Temperance introduced, but Turtle Dove couldn’t help himself and snorted.

“What? Are you worried about the director’s ears listening in?” Turtle Dove asked. He covered his mouth with the side of his fist, but the smile couldn’t help but creep out.

“Eyes or ears? Anywhere else, I would say yes. But starting from the dark room and extending to my lab, all cameras are disabled and all radio signals are jammed. It’s like a faraday cage.”

“What?”

Temperance glared and shook her head.

Violence for violence sake is for beasts, echoed a line Temperance once heard, perhaps in a past life. In other words, there was a time and place.

“Old world language. My replica lab lacks some functionality as yours, but in exchange, I get to conduct my activities in private. But I figured if I continued to play along, it might make it easier on your emotions. Guess it’s a little late for that.”

“No, no! I’m crying tears of happiness!” Turtle Dove wiped away his tears. “Thank you so much, Tempy!”

Tempy looked away, arms crossed, and her cheeks turned bright red.

“Between you and me, I think Pin-Up would have been a stupid name,” Scisso sneered, a classic tone of hers. Turtle Dove let out a soft giggle.

“What gives? You only knew us for a day, why are you acting like we’re best friends?” Sapphire questioned.

“It’s not about closeness, I just really don’t want to see any more people die.”

Sapphire turned away from Turtle Dove and faced Temperance. Temperance, who was also looking away, had no other choice but to roll her eyes at no one in particular.

“Anyway, I’ve hired these assistants given your apparent ignorance when it comes to the world of Selkies. They will be your instruction manual. They might even write you an instruction manual. But I wouldn’t count on it too much, as they’re not your Selkies.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

“To interact with your Selkies, accept missions, or recruit new Selkies as well as upgrading your current ones, go to your lab. To interact with me, or your assistant, come to my lab.”

“How come you get your own lab?”

“Because I can come inside anywhere I want,” declared Temperance. Her lips spread, her thin grin in action, “speaking of, this part of your tour is over for today. You can interact with your Selkies later. We have another spot on the tour: the locker room.”

Images of well toned, wide backs flashed through Turtle Dove’s mind. Images of beefy, scrawny, exposed collar bones, scarred and gashed, and hair covered skin in varying angles and vague blurs where men’s faces could have been.

It was Turtle Dove’s turn for a red face.

“W-Why do I have to go there?” He demanded.

“Because that’s where training missions are held. The military wants you to change into different gears and take part in communal showers before and after each activity.”

“What about the showers in the morning, or before bed? What does that add up to? Three? Four showers a day?”

“One at morning or night. Two for are for quick soaks to get the sweat off. It’s common sense. Besides, the locker room is where you have meet and greets with commanders. It’s vital to build relations with others.”

“I see…” Turtle Dove slumped his shoulders. As much as the image of partially naked men sent Turtle Dove’s heating up and made his internal fan work a little harder, he was able to keep it quiet and stabilized enough.

“You will accompany me, right?”

“Of course,” Temperance gave Turtle Dove a pat on the back. “What else am I here for?”

Turtle Dove waved goodbye to his new assistants. After a flash of darkness, both commander and Selkie were out in the vast blue expanse which was the monotone hall. Tiles shifted to steel, blue shifted to silver, and glass plating swapped to lapis lazuli.

They passed into an opening where a marble wall divided two paths to the same entrance: the locker room. Tempy pointed to the left side, while Turtle Dove nodded. They went their separate ways and Turtle Dove walked into the wide, open space of the locker room, with the intoxicating scent of men’s body odor and crisp, suffocating deodorant spray. There was a faint, mildew smell, which wafted thanks to the fans which perpetually spun above the communal showers.

Among the sea of lockers and intense smells came another, a couple rows down, as Turtle Dove walked through and wondered why the locker room was so emtpy. Stifled squeals followed this new scent, which was like salt water and chlorine.

When Turtle Dove saw the source of the new smell, he leaped back and almost fell down on the slippery, tile floor:

Sitting up on his knees was a naked, thin, tall man, hunched over and holding onto the top of the shelves of lockers, clutching onto its ledges, saliva dripping down from his supple lips and a ball gag fit into his mouth. Another man, right behind him, held the panting man by a leash attached to a spiked collar the thin man wore. This other man was also naked and had a much wider frame with a thick layer of muscle along his arms. His face, too, was thick and stony, with wrinkles, creases, and scars along his cheeks. There was a thick, graying mustache above his lips and his dark eyes, sunken sent shivers down Turtle Dove’s spine.

Yet above all – he was mesmerized. With each thrust the large man made against the thin man’s buttocks and the whimpers the thin man let out, Turtle Dove couldn’t tear himself away.

“Hey. What are you looking at?” The large man turned his head and asked, his voice a low baritone. “Who said you could interrupt?”

“Oh. Uh. Sorry. I was told to come here. Should you really be doing this?” Turtle Dove’s voice shook, as did the hips of that thin, handsome man.

“He enjoys it.”

The thin man nodded, tears spilling out from his eyes.

“He looks in pain?”

“He likes it rough.”

“Are you two lovers?”

The large man grimaced.

“We’re both commanders. I’m not like that. He’s just fuckable, that’s all.”

Through a far-off doorway, a sea of men (commanders) clad in purple bodysuits started flooding in. At that same moment, the large man flooded inside the thin man’s anal cavity and pulled away, exposing his raw and stubby red penis. His seed spilled onto the thin man’s lower back and with his thick hand, he rubbed his sticky fluid all across the thin man’s back.

“Good job, today, Beni,” the large man, gave Beni a pat on the back.

“Ha, thanks,” Beni removed the ball gag and opened up his locker He unfastened the collar and leash, that too going in his locker. “Time to hit the showers?” He asked while wiping back tears.

“You know it.”

Turtle Dove, stood in place as the two men walked past him.

“Hey,” the large man pointed to Turtle Dove. “You look fuckable, too.”

“Believe me. I’m not,” Turtle Dove muttered.

One of the commanders in their purple bodysuits pointed to the two men and plugged their nose. He called out:

“Ugh, Pilsner. Why do you have to bang junior commanders in the locker room?”

That callout is what broke Turtle Dove out from his spell and he witnessed a lanky, handsome young man with slicked back blonde hair and dimples. He wasn’t particular muscular, but his abs formed through his bodysuit.

“When you’ve been a commander as long as me, sex with Selkies starts to get old!” Pilsner shouted back.

“That’s not the issue,” the princely blonde shook his head.

Turtle Dove’s fans spun as his internal temperature rose.

“Oh hey, who’s the chick?” A bulkier man, with short, curly black hair, who stood behind the handsome blonde.

Turtle Dove looked around.

Chick? What chick? He thought.

“Yo. Are you someone’s Selkie?” He walked up to Turtle Dove and asked.

Turtle Dove, who couldn’t get the taste of mildew out of his mouth, shook his head.

“I’m a commander, like you guys. My Selkie said I should come here and introduce myself. Is this a bad time?”

“Ha. I like this guy. He a cutie. What’s your name?”

“Turtle Dove, sir,” Turtle Dove held out his hand. The large man with the square nose and built like a brick shithouse took Turtle Dove’s hand and squeezed it tight.

“I’m Corvette. Blondie here’s Dickens.”

I wanna get back to Dickens, Turtle Dove thought, but kept it to himself.

“You’ll have to pardon that old coot, Pilsner,” Dickens stepped forward and gestured to the two men in the showers. “He’s really wise, but kind of a brute. He’s well within his right, but...I’d really wish he’d have more consideration for others.”

“He’s right in fucking wherever he pleases, but wrong in that having sex with Selkies is boring. I can impregnate as many as I want without worrying whether or not my Selkies want to have sex. It’s great, and it’s my right as a commander to fuck my Selkies wherever, whenever,” Corvette interjected. He turned and gestured behind him where the crowd of men were and stepping forward was an average height young woman with nutmeg brown hair tied in a plait. She wore a long, cream colored robe which went down to her ankles. Her stomach was large and bulged out and she had a blank expression, only emphasized by her black eyes.

The smell of lilacs and burnt balsa wood wafted through the air, overtaking the repulsive scents Turtle Dove was first introduced to. He knew right away she was a Selkie, the only shock was – Selkies could get pregnant?

Corvette walked up to the Selkie and patted her shoulder. She flinched, but didn’t emote otherwise.

“You know what’s great about having Selkies at your command? They can’t say no!”

He held up her right leg. She showed no resistance. Turtle Dove was surprised to find there was no underwear underneath and her curly dark pubic hairs surrounded her bud. Without unzipping his pants, Corvette made thrusting motions and laughed.

“See this? Her name’s Nakadashi! I got her from the Japanese Selkie banner, blew my load just to get her, and then once I got her, I started blowing my load in her nonstop!” He boasted, but all Turtle Dove felt was an urge to vomit.

Dickens scowled and shook his head. He walked up to Turtle Dove and turned him around.

“Please try not to mind these guys,” he held onto Turtle Dove’s shoulders and steered him away from such unsightly acts. “You’re a rookie, right?”

Wow. He touched my shoulders, but his hands are so delicate. So light. I wouldn’t mind him touching me more, Turtle Dove thought and his face reddened.

“Yes. I just joined yesterday,” Turtle Dove answered.

“Ah. A newbie. Been a while since I’ve seen one. I’ve not been around too long, myself. Maybe a couple years at most. I don’t know. The time seems to blur by here. Your Selkie was right to bring you here, despite what you’ve seen. I’d be happy to welcome you and show you the ropes.”

Finally, a kind soul, Turtle Dove continued to gush.

“She was supposed to follow me in, but I don’t see her anywhere,” he looked down upon the dirty locker room floor. Grime amid the marble.

“What’s her name?” Dickens asked.

“Temperance.”

Chuckles and chortles emitted behind the two men from the crowd of commanders.

“Temperance? That’s like a Selkie being named Abstinence, don’t you think?”

[pumaniq]

Brutal beauty: How a Russian master makes unique art from steel and crude iron

CULTURE

NOV 14 2017 OLEG YEGOROV

"Lamberjack's rest", a mini-bar made by Nik Faber studioSergey Gaydenkov / Nik Faber

Today gold or jewels will barely raise an eyebrow – these materials are everywhere and each item made of them costs a lot, no matter if it’s worth it. Nikolay Savinkov, a self-employed entrepreneur from Moscow, challenges this approach. His works are made of cheap materials but demonstrate real craftsmanship. 

“I used to sell such trash while working in jewelry sales!” Nikolay Savinkov, the founder and the only full-time employee of the Nik Faber studio, recalls with a laugh. “Every item made of gold or other precious metal costs a lot, no matter how primitive it is. You can simply put a hole in a gold brick – wow, it’s already a treasure. It was pissing me off.”

One day, long after leaving his job in jewelry sales, Savinkov decided to shake things up and prove that real art depends on the mastery of the artist, not on the material. So he launched his own small enterprise, Nik Faber. 

“My aim is to prove that art can be created not only with cheap materials, like black steel or crude iron, but also without fine jewelry tools,” Savinkov explains. He works predominantly with semi-automatic welding machines, angle grinders and screwdrivers. The result is impressive, with tiny details worked through scrupulously.

"Steampunk" clocks.Sergey Gaydenkov / Nik Faber

Usually this small business runs as follows: Savinkov invents a concept and makes a sample which attracts buyers (through social nets and adverts). Sometimes people ask him to create something specific, but most just like to repeat an existing pattern. “Few people are creative,” Savinkov notes with regret.

"Mosquito" lamp.Sergey Gaydenkov / Nik Faber

At least his own mind is creative. Nik Faber’s works range widely: lamps in the form of giant insects, sword or pistol-shaped shoe horns, giant hookahs-lamps-clocks (yes, three in one). Not to mention corkscrews and glass-holders of all possible shapes and sizes – these are among the most popular orders.

"Pistol" shoehorn.Sergey Gaydenkov / Nik Faber

Savinkov’s approach is very individual as he doesn’t use molds or copying tools. “Even when I’m trying to make an exact replica of an item I made before, it will turn out unique,” he explains. “It’s manual labor, so the details will differ anyway.”

Nik Faber

Making different items out of metal has been Savinkov’s main source of income for about seven years. He doesn’t always work alone, outsourcing to several people, including a constructor, a woodman and a logistics specialist. But they don’t work with him all the time: when Savinkov is in the workshop with metal, he is alone.

"Moon-rover" ashtray.Sergey Gaydenkov / Nik Faber

Sometimes the job can be pretty rough. The artist recalls that one of the most difficult items in his career was an ashtray in the shape of a moon-rover: there were eight small wheels each consisting of three discs, with ten tiny spokes in each. “I had to weld 0.8 mm wires, lots of small dots. A slip of the hand or a bit too much heat, and everything would have melted.” Nor was creating a lamp in the shape of Snork’s head (a fictional creature from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe) a piece of cake, but it turned out well.

"Snork's head" lamp.Sergey Gaydenkov / Nik Faber

Savinkov works in different styles (loft, techno art), but most of his creations recall good old steampunk. That’s no coincidence – the artist respects this style for its combination of heaviness and elegance.

“We live in an époque of plastic, when things are replicated in their millions and break quickly. This is why steampunk is popular, I guess – it represents a time when people were building something to last for centuries with its brutal Victorian-age beauty.” According to Savinkov, steampunk contrasts the modern industry, replaceable and vulgar, that’s why he uses it.

Nik Faber

As Nik Faber’s work is unique, people have to pay a reasonable price for it, Savinkov supposes. Pricewise, his items basically range from 3,000 to 15,000 rubles ($50 to $253). Some can be more expensive, but it’s difficult to sell them, especially through shops which tend to double or triple the price.

“I’d be happy to expand production,” Savinkov says, but the economic situation is dire and demand in the premium segment is sluggish. So far, the artist keeps on working alone. He compares it to cutting stone: a bit too much force and the whole work is ruined. Any way out? Always stay focused.

Steam-boat by Nik Faber.Sergey Gaydenkov / Nik Faber

If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.

ARTMOSCOWBUSINESS IN RUSSIA

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From Gzhel to Matryoshkas: How Russian designers are revisiting folk art

7 very unusual 20th century avant-garde buildings in Moscow

10 Soviet buildings inspired by Le Corbusier

How a Soviet colonel created the first musical synthesizer

[ftpverse]

FtPverse Daily Signup Sheet

interested in having aproximately 2000 words of my KH fic FtPverse delivered to your email inbox every other day or so, so you can book club it along with me and a handful of other people??

- - > sign up here!! < - -

starting: February 1st, 2023!

~more info below~

what even is ftpverse??

FtPvese is my KH fic that’s primarily about Repliku getting a second chance at life and learning how to be loved, but also about a lot of other things; traumatized teens learning how to heal, kh’s clone narative turned to the max, replicas, and a totally unique clone of Sora coping with wanting to be his own person. you know, normal kingdom hearts stuff.

you can read the whole promo post I made about it here

.

logistics notes

- we’re doing a manual email list because it’s the best option for getting the actual prose in your email exactly like dracula daily did, rather than having to click on links

- this will probably take about 2 years to do, becuase 1million words is... a lot of words... I could only manage it in one year if I sent out an email Every Single Day, and I had enough people tell me that’s too frequent for them that I’m not gonna do it! we’re doing every other day instead, and maybe even take holidays off.

- 3000 words might be a more accurate average, but very rarely are there chapters over 5000 words, and most 3000 word emails are going to be because i combined two 1.5k chapters into one email (trying to get this done in 2 years, not 4!). chapters do get progressively longer over time.

- I’ll probably be sending out short little intro thoughts on each email (like, three sentences, max,) just for ~connection~ (and bc I like babbling) instead of me just. tossing you the prose uncommentated. author’s notes....

- because of this, I think I’ll probably be sending a copy of each email to ftpverse.dreamwidth.org as well for archival purposes.... so if you really really don’t want to give me your email, you can just subscribe to this journal. (I might not actually do this, but if I change my mind, i WILL tell you!)

- since ftpverse.dreamwidth.org is ALSO a community, it’s open to members joining and posting entries about current events as of [wherever we are in the ftpdaily posting] . like, AO3 comments are a perfectly valid place to have disccusions as well, but. fun bonus option.....

.

ftpverse general content warnings

> ftpverse is a story about abuse / trauma recovery. physical and emotional abuse are both shown in flashback, and repliku is regularly put in situations that trigger him. (sexual abuse does not happen anywhere, so it is free of that.)

> three of the main characters are suicidal; they work through it and come out better at the end, but dead inside is a rough one until that point.

> there is an attempted suicide on screen; the character lives, but the details are spoilers. it and another spoilery content warning will be linked below.

> several characters struggle with depression / a lack of self worth. they get better, but dead inside is a rough one, because there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel for most of those characters until all that remains.

> nothing’s fair is a terminal illness analogue; this is the other one that i have spoiler elaboration for

> becuase i thought i was cishet when i started writing it, it’s a little heteronormative at the start. it’ll get better.

> i started writing ftpverse in 2010, when i was 13, and finished it 8 years later. do with that information what you will, but mostly i’m saying the technical writing quality WILL improve, you just have to give it time.

> spoiler content warnings are here

[calleo-bricriu]

Me: Has drafts. Also me: Has replies already written in my head. ALSO ME: “Typing is hard...”

In my defense, I’m in the home stretch of closing on a house and have to start actually working out and executing the steps to get all my shit packed up and moved from this place--I still have shit from when we bought the house in 2004 that STILL ISN’T UNPACKED, it’s mostly old computer games and I’ll probably just leave it to be finally trashed, but there’s like 5 huge boxes of it in the closet.

The house in question is an amazing little thing built in 1879 and the most work I’ll have to do on it:

1. Wait for squirrel in the garage soffits to have her babies grow up and leave, then seal the hole.

2. Strip the goddamned white paint off of all the interior wood trim; it’s the original wood trim, there’s a place for parlor doors (though they’re long gone). I just...the original woodwork is gorgeous, the exterior facing parts of the doors still have it, they’d a deep mahogany with wonderful grain. They’re the original doors from 1879 that have just been fitted with more modern deadbolts but still have the original knobs with skeleton key holes (long since blocked off because security).

3. P A I N T. I hate neutrals. I hate neutrals and, of course, when people flip a house they try to paint it in neutrals so it has a broader appeal and so potential buyers can more easily see their stuff in there, but the only thing worse than rental beige is rental tan. Gotta get some damn color in there. It might not be a big old Victorian house but it’s a Victorian house. The interior and exterior should be as obnoxiously bright as possible.

4. Get the roof redone because I know I have the money for it not, I don’t know that I’ll have it in 5-7 years.

5. Consider residing; it has white vinyl, and vinyl can be painted but it doesn’t last terribly long. Might just have it painted though. I don’t want a boring ass white house when the big rental next door is bright blue. Another roof situation, I have the money now.

6. Fix the garage door opener; it works but the chain is off the track so it doesn’t actually lift the door. 7. Probably replace the furnace and water heater; there’s nothing wrong with them but they are  from 1996, and new ones would be way more efficient.

8. Uh...furniture. All I’m taking with me is the stuff in my office and the bed I sleep in. Probably gonna need more than that.

9. Make the call on whether I want to have an electrician put in 220 volt stuff for an electric dryer or be okay with using the as feed up to that little room. Probably will just use the gas feed as it’s there. Discovered the unplugged thing on the floor in that room goes to underfloor heating meant to be used in the winter as it’s just a 3 season porch so it gets cold.

10. Be forever amazed that the original electrical wiring is still present (though largely spliced into modern wiring save for the light coming down from the ceiling in the closet--you can see the original, still insulated cord clearly--and into dining room which will be probably filled with reptiles, AND that it works and has been inspected by an actual electrician and deemed safe. 100amp breaker, but that’s not so bad, it’s a 150 breaker here and nothing ever blows.

11. ...smoke alarms and a CO alarm, as there are none, which is fine, nobody has been living there for the two-ish years the guy was rennovating it.

12. Fix the one glass pane that’s missing in the bedroom; storm window is still present and not broken/cracked but one really should have double panes windows here.

13. Oh yeah, and curtains.

14. Getting the second door that’s painted shut opened back up, the stupid white paint stripped form it, and getting a modern deadbolt put in so it’s a usable, safe door to be able to open. It’s the side door to what was the parlor and is now the living room.

15. Possibly look at where the parlor door was after having the paint stripped and see if the pockets are still present; if they are, see about getting replica doors to match the existing ones put in. Who wouldn’t want to be able to dramatically open parlor doors or tell someone to step into their parlor?

Now you get pics I took while I was there for the home inspection!

The new LED lightbulb put into a fixture from 1879:

Big kitchen, fuckton of storage, two flour bins by the stove; I love flour bins, the house I grew up in had them as did my grandparents’ houses. As long as you clean them out thoroughly when they’re empty they’re great!

📷

The exterior of the side parlor door that's painted shut.

The front door (the interior side is painted white). Original knob and skeleton key lock from when the house was built.

This house survived being a cheap, rundown student rental for nearly 40 years and it still has so much of its original stuff.

The stairs to the basement and crawlspace that looks like something out of a horror movie, so naturally I love it.

This is directly inside the crawlspace. It's absolutely perfect for storing potatoes, root vegetables, and squash--and for putting jars of stuff to ferment. It's a good 10 degrees colder than the rest of the area and is meant to be used for exactly what I just mentioned. I love that it's still there.

Also here's the entrance to the crawlspace.

...and the crawlspace. The tiny 'basement' is just a room with a few shelves I need to replace as they were using untreated plywood in the metal frame and most of it is moldy or starting to rot because untreated. Otherwise all that's in there is the furnace and water heater. The furnace has some open drain ports and I may put a humidifier down there to run 24/7 because it is, as most basements that aren't fully finished around here, a bit damp.

TL;DR: I may be largely MIA or not as quick to respond as I usually am because I’ll be legit running around like a lunatic moving all my stuff, setting up my new old house (MINE, ONLY MINE, no ex, no other people, JUST. ME. I loved living alone before I got married, and always thought I’d be happier still living alone even while married, which may be a sign that it was a bad decision, but I really just like living alone with a bunch of animals.

Also I've never seen a house that has an attic only accessible from the outside and using a ladder but that's what we have here; there's a big panel that I thought was just a vent that's really a...door.

The back yard is huge, already fenced, has a fire pit, has no fucking grass either, it's all native wild plants with some grape vines in a few areas; big mature ones too.

The front yard also has no grass, which, again, great, I'd planned to tear out any lawn at the house I got anyway. Front yard is still a bit bare so I may just coat it with clover. The only thing I'll have to mow is the boulevard and I can do that with a manual mower or be the extra strange neighbor and use a scythe--and yes I have one, I took it from my grandpa's barn after he died. They also planted a ton of ferns in the front yard for some reason, but I like ferns so they can stay. Oh and there's an entire workshop behind the garage which means I still will have an inside place to keep making wands.

[starberry-cupcake]

In case someone is remotely interested, the Mr Spider replica is going places

it still has a LOT to go, but it’s coming along and I’m still working in it. If it ends up looking decent, I’d like to make a video going through it with Jon’s statement as an audio, to see if/how things match up. But we’ll see how it goes. 

Also, these are the authors I’ve been looking at for guidance in this process, which are apparently not usually linked to this (99% of the people think about an edition of The Spider and the Fly illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi, but I hadn’t heard of it when I listened to the podcast, so it’s not among my references). 

We have predominantly Marjolaine Leray, Piet Grobler, Wolf Erlbruch, very little of Edward Gorey and I got my hand writing analysis manual to make up Jurgen Leitner’s signature, even if I’m the only one who will know why the g looks a certain way and the r looks in another. 

Not being an English speaker made it a whole treat when I followed my gut and paid attention to my suspicions, finding out that effectively Jonny had named the flies after actual species of flies, only one of which I could relate to the Spanish name. So, I had to go back on that to change designs and color pallets based on which species of flies they were, also matching the clothes accordingly when they weren’t described in the statement.  

What you are not seeing, among many things, are the puppet try-outs and pop-up try-outs which are driving me nuts. But why would I even make this book if I wasn’t going to include a movable puppet? That’s the hill I’ll die on.  

Will I finish this before the show is over? I don’t know. I hope I finish it, though, I really do. 

[unified-mtl]

Name: Gary Bailey

Car: 2008 Acura CSX Premium

Hometown: Saint-Eustache

Car Club: RedlineMafia

 Tell us about your story about how you got into cars & the car scene:

GB: My passion for modifying cars came naturally from influence in various magazines. Evos, STI & Type R. These were cars that I wanted, something about the Japanese market with a simple 2.0L motors they were able developed such high horsepower. I was also attracted by the widebody kits, underglow, and turbos. My favorite era of cars was from 1990’s to 2010’s and still today. My best friend is very much involved in motorsports, he’s an amazing photographer. I like to give a shout out to #JagImaging for his talent and passion. Also Autodrome Saint-Eustache for the amazing events they have every year.

 Tell us about the current modifications on your car and where do you find your inspirations:

GB: Currently, I’m working on 2008 Honda Civic FD2 Type R replica. I enjoy building all my projects (Evo9, b18c ITR, K20A CTR) adding my touch or uniqueness. OEM+ is what I call it. I decided to add a 2.4L K24A2 from 2008 Acura TSX motor, 6 Speed Manual Y2M3 Transmission (Type R Spec R)LSD Differential.

Act Lightweight Flywheel

Exedy Stage 1 Clutch

RRC Intake Manifold FD2 Civic Type R

68mm TSX Throttle body

FD2 Civic Type R wrinkle red valve cover

MD Tuning Custom 3.5'' Intake stack with vibrant filter

MD Tuning Custom complete exhaust system

FD2 Civic Type R muffler with stainless tip

K-Tuned 4-1 stainless headers

K-Tuned Test pipe

K-Tuned upper/lower Radiator hose

K-Tuned AC deletes

K- Tuned Radiator Cap

K-Tuned Oil Dip

K-Tuned Coil Cover

K-Tuned Fuel Rail

Hasport motor mounts

Hondata Flashpro

Body:

J's Racing FD2 Civic Type R Front end conversion

J's Racing FD2 Wide front fender

J's Racing FD2 Civic Lip

J's Racing FD2 Civic Type R side skirts

J's Racing FD2 vented hood

Oem FD2 Civic Type R Rear Spoiler

Brakes, Suspension, Wheels & Tires:

Brembo Big brake (TSX) Conversion

S2000 Akebono disks

Oem FD2 Civic Type R Wheels

Bridgestone RE-71R Tires

Tein Street Advance Coilovers

SPC Rear Camber Kit

 Future plans for your car:

GB: I’m planning on supercharging it with MercRacing 1320 blower. A refresh of the paint or Phoenix yellow wrap would also be in the plans.

 If money was not an issue, what would be your dream car/build:

GB: My love for the Mitsubishi Evo 9 will never go away; definitely, my dream build is a AMS front facing turbo, 800hp AWD monster.

 Where can we find you? (Social media)

Facebook (Gary Bailey)

Instagram (@gbailey069)(#teamgary)

Snapchat & twitter(@gbailey069)

  Also find me at multiples events like

#Hondafest, #JDMFest, #SoCleanShow and Wednesday Drag nights @ Autodrome Saint-Eustache.

[cherriipeachcreme]

Witch’s Heart + YTTD AU Revisited

I wanted to make some changes to my crossover AU, because I liked working on them more. Basically this is sort of like a role-swap with certain characters, but because these characters have traits from both roles they are also likely fusions. It contains a lot of self insert and self ship stuff as well! There will be a lot of spoilers from both games, including a few from the newest chapters, so everything is under the cut.

!! Please read my links before you interact!! 

Claire is the main protagonist of the story, but takes on the role of Mai. Sirius is the "best friend", Noel has Kai's role, and Ashe has Shin's role, temporarily under the name “Matty Hiyori”. The rest of the participants include Wilardo, Keiji, Mishima, Nao, Reko, Gin, Kanna, Q-taro, Alice, and Nina (My self insert).

The demons, floormasters of the mysterious "Killing/Sacrifice Game", include Zizel or Rouge with Miley's role and working together, Charlotte possibly with Ranger's role, Lime with Safalin's role, and Nicholas with Gashu's role. Unlike the other demons, Nicholas is actually a doll.

Claire dreams of running her own bakery full of sweets, served with various tea, along with an orchard used for growing ingredients.

The AU takes place in the facility, filled with demons (who only appear at night) and trapped in a groundless sky. All floors are accessible throughout the story, and everyone is assigned their bedrooms early on. The bedroom doors have magic symbols preventing monsters from entering. Fantasy spaces can also be accessed through the facility but likely only by Claire.

The story begins with Claire having a dream of her childhood with a close friend named Patricia. After the prologue she explores a mountain, but it suddenly starts to rain. While seeking shelter she and another person witness some unconscious people, and soon become unconscious themselves. Claire wakes up in a room along with Sirius, where they must complete their "first trial." Once they do complete it, they end up in the First Floor and meet everyone else. (I don't know how to write this part of the story yet.)

When Claire sees Noel, she notes that he seems familiar, but doesn't remember why.

Sirius suspects that someone working with those behind their situation could be hiding among the group, but Keiji laughs it off, causing the former to become angry.

The place has many puzzles and by Claire helping various demons with side quests, the group finds clues to solve them along with other secrets. The attractions also include minigames from Witch’s Heart; Flower matching, Tile sliding puzzles, a Higher or Lower card game, and Rock-Paper-Scissors, making 13 attractions in total.

Claire is an important player to the game, and the primary subject to the organization. This is mainly because she possesses the Witch’s Heart, a legendary stone which can grant wishes.

The Demon world is shown to have quite advanced technology, possibly linked to demon magic as well. They are developing “dolls”, robotic replicas of the people they captured which also possess artificial intelligence remarkably close to their personalities, in attempt to make “perfect” copies of them.

I’m not sure if time loops will be included, but if they are: Every time there is a “Game over” or “Bad ending”, Noel will use Dorothy’s Witch’s Heart to start over from a certain point. This is very similar to the AI death game sessions often restarting without any manual input as well.

During the game, Nina becomes more curious about Ashe (Still as “Matty”). As they spend more time together, she gets a small crush. While she was upset with his true nature, her crush on him gets bigger, and she doesn’t understand why.

[whichstiel]

I made this art for the 2019 Dean/Cas Tropefest. (HUGE thanks to the mods, Jojo and Muse, for being amazing!) As soon as I read through the summaries, I knew I needed to try to grab the DRAGON STORY right away. I just...really love dragons, okay? This story is delightful and unexpected, with lovely world-building, rich side characters, and a beautiful romance between Dean and Cas. I really enjoyed reading it and working with zaphodsgirl! You can read Shadow & Storm by zaphodsgirl now! You’ll love it. <3

Here’s the summary:

One night, a mysterious visitor appears in young Prince Dean's bedroom, and he suddenly finds himself transported to an abandoned replica of his home in an unknown land. He learns quickly that the borders are finite, and none may leave without incurring the wrath of the guardian: a dragon the people call Storm.

Left with no choice, Dean adapts to life as the others have, tending to the animals and working the land to survive. As he grows up, the life he knew as a prince seems more and more distant, until a new person arrives that he remembers from his childhood. Shaken by this arrival, Dean’s desire to escape returns anew, and he discovers more than he wanted to know about the Shadowlands and its occupants -- especially about the mysterious guardian of the castle, Castiel.

Continue reading for some insight into the process and drafts behind the art.

Reading this story, I was struck by its lovely fairy tale vibe, which inspired me to make some kind of story-book art. I’ve always enjoyed pop-up books, so that seemed like a fun thing to try. My first step was to learn more about pop-ups. I turned to the internet for ideas, and found recommendations for: Pop-up design and paper mechanics, by Duncan Birmingham. This was a really useful book (I got it from the library - and you can too!) It gave me some basic structures and some general rules of thumb for how things fold and work when opened. I stuck with the simpler forms, given the short time period before posting.

Tools & supplies:

Cardstock paper

Watercolor paper (for the folding pages/backdrops and some stand-ups)

Watercolors, colored pencil, sharpie markers

Glue (I really like this scrapbooker’s glue pen for paperwork. Dries FAST and mostly doesn’t warp.)

Scissors, precision knife, ruler, protractor

Bone folder for pressing seams

Once I had some broad ideas of some of the rules of pop-up creation, I started to sketch out some quick ideas. I always like to start with the cover image, since that’s the main image people see when they’re browsing a story list. I did a few basic sketches on paper, but I decided the easiest way to develop these pop-up pieces would be to do what Birmingham called “paper sketching.” With paper sketching, you just...eyeball the pieces, attach it to a folded piece of paper, and cut away whatever paper you don’t want. It’s sort of like working with negative space in that way. Paper sketching was invaluable for helping me figure out things like: how tall should the mountains be? How high are the wings? What can fold together to lay flat? (Because I wanted this to be a functional book.) How long can I make that flame spout? (Not long, as it turned out.)

Here are some paper sketches I made of the cover image. A few of these were before I re-read the story and realized that the castle was built INTO the mountain. Oops. Building drafts helped me to realize that the concept was possible. Once I had some general structures under my belt, I could start to do the finer work of cutting out the final pieces. Draft work was typically done with sketchbook paper or cheap cardstock from Walgreens.

(Left: first draft; Right: Oh my god maybe this will actually work)

I wanted the cover to convey the full expanse of the lands surrounding the castle. I made my author draw me an actual map and diagram of all the agricultural lands. Thanks, zaphodsgirl! I chose black paper for the cover for REASONS you will discover when you read the story.

(Left: background watercolor progress with marker details; Right: taping in a quick test sketch to see if it will fit with the dragon and to test the angle)

Behind the scenes

For each design, I started by painting a watercolor backdrop, making note of the center where I’d need to fold the page. Watercolor paper was a pretty good choice because it’s thick and you can really crease the hell out of that middle joint - and the page stays strong. The cover is the most detailed. For the others, I went with more imprecise watercolor washes - mostly in the interest of time.

Finding a good backdrop is always a challenge when photographing art, and was a big issue for the cover since that dragon really gets lost if there’s too much in the background. I decided to go “Maria from Sound of Music” and pull down one of my curtains as a backdrop. That, plus desk lamps for light made a pretty good set.

This piece features Castiel fading into the dragon. I suffered from proportion control for this project but chose to forge on ahead, anyway. Sometimes the dragon is huge, sometimes it’s small. Oooooh well, it’s a dragon, anyway. :D The little Dean torso is intended to be a manually-opened inset, more to show his reaction than anything else. The dragon is 5 pieces - tail, head and forepaw, wings, and body. Castiel is a single piece; his fold is attached to the dragon and there’s a little paper accordion behind his head to keep him upright.

(Top left: I hate concept sketches; Top right: Cas coming together. I made him too tall! Oh well, I’m gonna roll with it)

Behind the scenes

This next piece was actually the second one I did, because it was the most complex and I wanted to get it finished so I wouldn’t fret over it. The red light is from a bicycle tail-light that I’m holding in the air with one hand while taking a photo with the other. I just really liked that little shadow claw on the ground!

This dragon was somewhat inspired by a Game of Thrones popup my author shared with me. My dragon isn’t as complex, but it still opens wide and closes flat, so I’m happy. It’s basically built as an upside down triangle, cut into a folded piece of paper. The fold is on the bottom. You can draw a line from the fold in its snout to a fold on its torso. The spines were cut out and glued on after the fact because I completely forgot to add them!!!

I was having some trouble with the wings attaching properly, so my test models had the dragon at various stages of height or angles from the ground. Too high and it would pop beyond the book pages. Too low and it might as well be sitting on the page completely. The dragon body has built-in tabs to which the wings are glued and the forest cutouts have this as well, for max strength. This is one of those cards where I went through enough drafts that I resorted to tape as a quick-hold option to figure out things like height and angle and how much dragon could fit in the folded pages. I ended up using an actual tool with (gasp) measurements to finally get the angle of the forest inserts right. Folding the test dragon into the card, I actually just sliced off the excess wing and tail that peeked out from the edges, then used that space when I was cutting out my final dragon.

For each of these, it’s best to get your pattern pieces as close as possible and then use that to cut your final pieces. The angles and length of everything needs to be fairly precise or what worked in your draft won’t fold well in the final version.

(Top left: So many draft pieces, so little time; Top right: Use math, kids!; Bottom: Dragon open and closed)

Behind the scenes

The last piece is modeled after a simple folding animal style. Its feet are glued symmetrically over the fold.

It’s essentially a folded piece of cardstock with an animal cut out of it. The head is attached separately, as are the wings and Amara. I had a star hole punch, which made it easy to add some stars to Amara’s gown as well as on the page. I’d wanted to do a big fold-out window arch here, but realized that it wouldn’t fit over the dragon or the Dean/Cas fold. Ah well. Please imagine it, instead.

(Top left: concept sketch; Top right: Paper sketching is a great reality check; Bottom: Amara astride Storm)

Behind the scenes

The final step was to turn this into some kind of book. At first, I planned to stitch the pages together. I’d never bound a book before, and I was cursing myself for putting down all those layers of pop-up inserts if I was going to have to stitch through each page. Then I looked at some pop-up books and realized that often just the edges of the pages are glued, leaving the middle to float as necessary. This was good, because it was a way easier option! (Also the dragon in the forest came out a little tight, so the float was very helpful there.)

I glued the page edges and, since they were a little curly from the watercolor and popup designs pulling at them, I weighted them with books to dry for a while.

I found an old book cover that would work (from a very outdated technology textbook). I sliced out the original pages, recovered the book with black paper, and glued in my new book pages on the front and back. It was a perfect fit!

I finished with time to spare, so I added a little watercolor and paper cut-out picture and frame to the front and back to add some flair. Please enjoy my terrible glue job. (I forgot to smooth the paper.)

I used a hair tie cut in half to hold the pages down for photographs (or display). I clipped two wedge-shaped bag clips to the underside of each tie to weigh down each side, and hold the book open at a slight angle.

This was a fun and challenging project to work on, and I’m so grateful to zaphodsgirl for all her effusive words and gifs of encouragement. You’re going to love this sweet story. Go read it now! Shadow & Storm on AO3.

(And if you feeling like tossing a comment my way, I’d love to hear from you here on Tumblr or on my art post on AO3.) 

[mxsinistir]

One Ring (Sherlock x Reader)

Request by sovereignoblivious

Request: “I have a one-shot request of Reader (who is gender neutral and works at a bookstore) marrying Sherlock!”

Pairing: Sherlock x Gender Neutral! Reader

Summary: One-shot. Reader works at the local bookstore and falls in love with Sherlock the more he comes to the store. 

When you first met him, he wasn’t too different to you. Intelligent, nerdy, an outcast. Nothing you hadn’t seen before. 

“Is there anything I can help you with today, sir?” You asked kindly, plastering on a necessary smile. Considering it was pretty early in your shift, it wasn’t too straining. 

“Fake smile;” The man said, “Interesting. The habit of a fake smile when somebody approaches your desk . . . That and that pale skin of yours suggests that you’ve worked customer service in England for quite some time?”

You were fascinated with the man now, leaning forward on your elbows and crossing your hands beneath your chin, “I can see why you don’t have many friends,” You said jokingly, “Most people don’t notice when they start writing their life story all over themselves.”

The mystery man smiled, “You have short nails; not kept that way by a manicure, as your job doesn’t pay all that much, I assume. They’re short because you bite them, and I know you bite them, and you’re not just keeping them short because of some demand for manual labour. Your nailbeds are too clean for that.”

“You’re good at this,” You marvelled, wondering why all your customers couldn’t be this interesting. You couldn’t even remember the last time that you’d been invested in a conversation. Yet with him, this blue-eyed, ingenious, curly-haired stranger, you were infatuated. You hung on every word.

“You were married,” He said next, and you just pursed your lips into a cold smile as he continued. “A golden band around your finger. Cheap, though, the kind of thing you’d find at a yard sale or something. But it’s also dirty and quite old. My guess is that you got married to some high-school sweetheart; that would explain the age of the ring. However, you both realized that you were stupid to marry so young, so your partner abandoned you, leaving your heart broken. However, you’re still attached, and perhaps you hope your partner will come back?”

A smile played on your lips, “Nope, absolutely wrong.” The man looked horrified at your words. “The gold band,” You explained, “Is a replica of the One Ring from Lord of the Rings. I’m a bit of a reader, obviously.” You gestured to the bookstore encircling you both, “It’s off of eBay;  that should explain both the age and quality.”

“Yes, that makes sense.” He nodded his curly-locked head in thought, “Funny, I’m not usually wrong about these things.”

“Well, if you’re usually right about predicting peoples’ failed marriages, then your lack of friends is starting to make sense.” You mused, reaching over to the side of your desk and picking up the book you happened to have been reading. “It seems you need to brush up on your observations, though. May I recommend a book?” You extended your hand, wrapped around the book you had been reading. The Art of Deduction. “No charge - just make sure to return it once you’re finishing reading. And don’t remove my bookmark.” 

He smiled coyly, chuckling in his throat. “Yes, I’ll make sure to. I-” He was preparing to say something else, but you cut him off.

“You play a stringed instrument,” You mentioned, cutting him off and jerking your chin towards him, staring down the bridge of your nose at the long-fingers hands that had taken the book from you. Calloused, fileted fingertips on only the left side, it seemed. 

“Yes, violin,” he answered matter-of-factly, glancing down at your nail-bitten, un-manicured, un-laboured hands again. “And you do not.”

“Nope,” You answered.

Then you both stood there. Shifting your weight to foot to foot as you both remembered that neither of you was quite equipped in the art of conversation. You glanced around from his eyes to the book, to your desk...

And then you both began to laugh hysterically. The wipe-tears-away, clutch-your-stomach type laughter.

“I must come to this place more often,” He smiled, “The other bookkeepers are just so boring compared to you.” He complimented. 

“Well, I look forward to it mister . . .”

“Sherlock,” He answered, “Sherlock Holmes.” 

“[Name],” You said in turn, “[Name] [Surname],”

                                                   Four years later

Sherlock walked with you through the park, his right hand held gently in yours. With each step and its bouncing movement, he could feel the familiar scrape of your ring against his intertwined finger. 

“Ah, don’t tell me it’s going to rain,” You said irritably, “Can’t I just have one sunny day in the park with my boyfriend?” You grinned up a Sherlock, mist sprinkling down over your brow. 

“Hmm, you should expect it.” He mused, “It is England after all.” Leave it to Sherlock to answer literally. Objectively. No emotion or insight is given to the rain, for he is just stating the facts. That is what had made you fall in love with him, of course. 

“Well, England or not, we should get inside.” You said, breaking into a light jog. “We shouldn’t catch a cold,” Trying not to trip on the pavement, you let go of Sherlock’s hand, striding back towards 221B.

Sherlock said some generic statement about how temperature would not bring on any viral illness as he stalled you. When you broke away, he smiled, reaching into his coat pocket, checking, again and again, to make sure you weren’t watching as he removed a small velvet box from the depth of his overcoat. 

He flipped the top open by it’s hinged. Inside sat a golden band, inscribed in elvish that he had learned and translated to the jeweller himself before he had put in the request for the band. 

Love, Sherlock 

“[Name],” he called out softly into the rain. You turned around, wondering why your lover had fallen so far behind you. And yet your questions were quickly answered as your eyes fell on the box. Right as you watched Sherlock Holmes smile and extend it in front of him, sinking to a single knee on the wet park sidewalk. 

“Oh my god, Sherl. . .” Your grin was uncontrollable. The kind of grin that you’d had when you had first met in the bookstore. The kind of hysterical, core-aching laughter sitting on the edge your tongue. “Yes!” 

A/N) First One-shot request, and I think it went pretty well! Tell me if y’all liked it or if there’s anything I should change. Requests are always open!

[jesawyer]

What all cars have you driven? What was your first car and the cars you drove when you were in your 20's or 30's? If you want, it would be cool to learn your chronological history of the cars you drove as you worked your way up in life ! What cars did you love or hate the most?

I wouldn’t say I’ve worked my way up in life as much as I’ve been very fortunate to make more money as I’ve gotten older.  I’ve also grown to care less about luxury features and going extremely fast.

I didn’t have my own car before I moved to California.  In high school, I drove my parents’ cars, a mid-80s Buick Century and a late 80s Ford Taurus wagon.  I didn’t have a car in college.  I also didn’t have a car for the first 9 months I lived in California.

In 1999, I financed an automatic 1995 BMW 530i (bad idea).  I spent a ton of money putting Dinan performance parts in the car (also a bad idea).  A few years later, my then-girlfriend taught me how to drive a manual transmission on her 1956 Porsche 356 Speedster replica.  I decided at that point that automatic transmissions were dumb, a position I hold to this day.

I traded in my BMW for a 2002 Audi A4 3.0 Quattro.  I leased it (bad idea) and I was upside-down on my trade in so I owed even more on the car (mega bad idea).  I had that until late 2004, when I ended my lease early (galaxy brain stupid) and financed (triple crown of idiocy) a 2004 Volkswagen R32.  I’ve had the R32 since then.  It has a little over 130,000 miles on it and I still love it.

You did it, Ferdinand Piëch, you goddamned lunatic.

Why does my R32 have so few miles on it?  Because I also put 50,000 miles on a Triumph Bonneville T100 motorcycle during the same period and commuted about 6,000 miles over the years on bicycles.

I don’t finance cars anymore.  By staying with the R32 for so long, I’ve saved a lot of money.  I also don’t have much interest in new cars.  Most of the cars I really like are older.  About three years ago, I bought a 1967 Fiat 500.  I’ve always loved microcars (like the BMW Isetta) and was surprised that Fiat 500s are relatively inexpensive and parts are easy to find.  It helps that Fiat sold about a zillion of them and that they have almost no features.

A month and a half ago, I bought a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia (camper van).  I really want to do more spontaneous camping in California and the Pacific Northwest and bring a bike along for the ride.  I can technically do that in the R32, but it’s kind of a pain.  I’ve set a standard for myself that I have to use the Vanagon for camping at least once a month.  If, after a year, I’m not achieving that goal, I need to sell it.

I have too many vehicles now, honestly (especially if you include bicycles).  I’m trying to sell some of them.  I’m not overly attached to these things, but wow do I hate trying to sell things over the internet.

[chaniters]

The Sixth Ranger Appears!

Sorry, It took so long... sometimes I get stuck with a scene and have no idea how to fix it for days! Also, never thought Sentai was so darn hard to write!!!

This part contains an in-fanfic reference to my Nanoswarm series ( Chapter 1: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181620799154/sugar-vice if anyone’s interested in reading that).

Also, spoilers for Fallen hero as always. 

___________________________________

Super Sentai Rangers 7

“Watch out!” Ortega yells, pulling you out of the way as the giant blades tear down the spot you were standing a split second ago.

And yet another one approaches, your mind alerting you with barely enough time to block its attack with your axe … Not that it helps, as the clone simply sends another blade your way, too fast even for your eyes. Your nano-suit absorbs the hit, sparks flying everywhere. You’ll get a good bruise out of it, you think as you hold your chest stepping back from its reach.

“We should probably retreat,” you say jumping back to put some distance in between.

“What, you think they’re going to let us?” Ortega asks ducking to avoid being decapitated  “Can’t you do your thing, buy us a few seconds?” he asks raising his spear to parry another hit.

“I can try…” you say without much conviction. Delving into the catastrofiend’s mind is a no-no. Doing it with so many of them…“What the hell… here goes nothing”

You look at them focusing your mind...Blinding someone is a complicated affair, requiring you to manually cancel the images sent to the brain by the cornea. The farm had you practice it endlessly and it was a truly daunting task. It wasn’t until you were free that you realized how pointless it all was… when all you had to do is force them to close their eyelids which serve that exact purpose.

The things stumble as they are suddenly marching blind,  giving Charge enough time to ram them like a thunderbolt, toppling them on top of each other. It sends them a good distance back… enough for the two of you to move on the other direction.

“They are not as bad as the original Catastrofiend!” Charge says attempting to stay positive.

You have to admit he’s right. They don’t have nearly as much combat experience as the real thing. They are most likely fresh from their tubes, and you could manipulate their minds without any side effects.

Still, there are at least fifteen of them and you’re still counting…

“I think they’re bad enough” you reply, watching as two of them finally open their eyes and start lifting a car, preparing to fling it at you.

“Oh boy… they are learning fast “

“Dodge!” you yell as you both jump in different directions, the flying vehicle missing you both narrowly.

“How do you like this, rangers?” All versions of Dr. Grim laugh at you.

“When are you going to shut up?!!” Ortega said retreating, while the things advanced blades first.

You rise quickly as well, backtracking as well, holding your axe ready… ready for what you wonder.

“How are you holding up? We’re almost there” Steel goes through the intercom.

“Well, the fight’s not going well if that’s what you’re asking” Ortega answers giving one of the things a small wound with his electro-spear as he keeps moving back.

That is until he bounces on your back…  The fiends have you completely surrounded.

Back to back, against the enemy. There’s nowhere else to go. The clones raise their blades upwards, ready to slice at you both from all directions.

“Can you blind them again?” he whispers

“I don’t think they’ll fall for that again, and they don’t really need to see us to chop us to pieces right now, do they?”

“Darn. At least we’re together...”

“Any last words rangers?” The Grims ask, giggling at you both.

“Ehhh… let me think… “ Ortega says, buying time.

“Maybe I can distract them long enough for you to make a run for it” you whisper again

He takes your hand, squeezing it firmly “No, I’m not leaving you… but tell you what, try to distract them, and I’ll make an opening. It’s worked before...”

You smile under your helm. That’s obviously not going to work and he knows it. “Idiot… fine, I’ll do it… on your mark”

“Hey, Grim! Or Grims… I’m not sure what to call you” he says turning to them.

“Whichever you prefer is fine,” they say, clearly amused.

“Oh. Thank you… Here are our last words!”

You focus your mind… ready to do your worst against the Catastrofiend clones. At least you’ll give them a good light show as a parting gift.

“I’m listening,” they say musically.

“Fine.. well our last words are… GO … FUCK… YO…”

He doesn’t get to finish that sentence, because the four Catastrofiend clones standing in front of you suddenly begin glowing in hot white light… and then combusts in successive spectacular explosions, sending showers of flaming gore everywhere. The other monsters turn to their attacker, momentarily distracted. You pull Ortega to the side, out of their reach without hesitation.

As the flames die out, a tall green figure is standing behind the scorched remains, wearing a suit looking oddly similar to your own, but with double pairs of wings and a hot-red smoking wrist laser on the left hand. You’ve seen it before… You know who it belonged to...

“Pathetic,” he says looking down on the two of you

“Vitruvian!!?” Ortega asks bewildered

“Elyse!!?” You can’t help ask, too late realizing the mistake, as the mind inside the helm can’t possibly be her.

“Whatever you do, stay out of my way. You’re both obviously incompetent” he states, preparing to engage the monsters already marching on him. One of the clones attempts to leap at him and take him by surprise, but he answers extending his wings to evade it easily, and his henshin bracer forms a large energy sword with which he beheads the thing in a single fluid spinning display of savagery before. The fiend is dead before either of them touches the ground…

You feel your jaw touch the floor… and the inexperienced Catastrofiend copies are having it far worse. They look at their fallen confused, and that is all the green swordsman needs to charge at them, slashing through them as if they weren’t even there, his armor quickly covered in the many colors of Catastrofiend blood.

You and Ortega look at each other briefly, moving to protect the green (ranger’s?) flanks… only that there’s not much you can do, as he single-handedly wipes them out in pieces, his laser shooting once more at those who attempt to flee.

“I’m sorry… I’ll have to leave you now rangers, we have a prior appointment and your friend is being a real bore” the Grims say, all of them with the look of someone whose dog has just been kicked.

“Leaving so soon?” the green warrior says rapidly firing his laser, vaporizing one of the four bodies of the doctor before the other three teleports away cursing at him in pain, leaving his flaming friend behind...

“I’m not saving you again,” he stated without turning at you… Before extending his wings and flying away...

“...what… the fuck… just happened…” you ask in shock.

“Why did you say, Elyse?” Ortega asks confused, bringing you down to earth FAST.

“Elyse? I didn’t say that! I said peace so the green guy knows we’re on his side!” you lie

“I heard what you said pendejo! You lying piece of shit !!”

Steel, Herald, and Argent arrived just in time to see you getting at yelled by Ortega. He’s using Spanish and mostly words that his mother would not have been proud of.

_______Back at Mortum’s lab_________

“So let me get this straight” Steel asked exasperated. “Elyse was Vitruvian all along… and she started the nanovore swarm?”

“Yes… “ you admit reluctantly under Ortega’s glare.

“And you never told anyone...?”

“No, I didn’t becau… ow!” you complain as Ortega punches your arm.

“Weren’t you supposed to be able to tell someone’s identity?” Argent asked with arms crossed “I mean you’re a telepath”

“Well, she was a telepath too!!” You complain

“I get that part, you already explained. But you said she’s dead.”

“I know… It’s just when I saw the suit… I couldn’t help it.”

“Now, I’m also wondering why Mortum possesses the same Technology as Vitruvian” Steel stated, giving Mortum an accusing look”

“Don’t look at me, mon amie. Am I not doing everything in my power to help you? You knew I was a villain, It’s not unheard of that someone else manages the same back channels. Besides, I think I’ve done more than enough already to earn that pardon”

“You helped Vitruvian try to destroy the city?” Ortega interjected

“It wasn’t like that…” Cyrus started

“You, don’t get to defend him!!” Ortega glared again at you again.

“... right” you say holding your arm because he hits hard.

“Whatever he did, It’s not going to change anything now” Argent spoke with a more practical tone

“I won’t admit to doing anything” Mortum stood his ground.

“Fine. I’ll drop it… “ Steel said tiredly. “But whom else could have access to Vitruvian's nanites technology?”

“And a replica of her suit,” you add.

“Your own suits are designed using that one as a model…” Mortum explains. “Someone else must have stolen Vitruvian’s technology. She wouldn’t have shared it with anyone”

“With anyone buy you, you mean?” Steel asks

“Hmpf… I won’t confirm, nor deny your implications, Marshal”

“I’m wondering why doesn’t this “Green Ranger” just join us” Herald interrupted. “I mean, we’re all on the same side, right?”

But no one had answers for that.

_____________

Terror and Blitz smirked as Grim walked up to Regis’ and her control station.

“So how did it go Grim?” Blitz snickered

The three remaining Grims walked past them, without a word.

“Didn’t there use to be more of you Grim?” Terror asked. “This job’s too much for you… you’re losing yourself in it”

One of them briefly turned to her as the other two walked up to Regina’s station. “Your puns are criminal and painful Terror… and I’ll get a replacement for my neural network soon enough. Maybe I’ll use a regene this time. A Regene with magnified brain capabilities” he said, as the two glared at each other.

“I’d kill you first” she answered.

“Ahh.. you join us finally,” Regis said rising from her chair ending their exchange.

The Grims kneeled to her, without another word.

“It seems your plan has failed Grim… and you’ve wasted valuable resources creating those clones that are now rotting on the streets… Also, instead of two dead rangers, they’re all alive and we have one more to fight against. Green one too, they are certainly colorful. Hmm… anything to say in your defense before I consult the Apocalypse force on what to do with you?” Regis asked

“I don’t really think we failed, all things considered”

She smiled “And why is that?”

“I got these” one of the Grims said extending a severed Catastrofiend blade-arm, the edge covered in semi-liquid nanite ooze. “I believe the apocalypse force will be very interested in them”.

“Nanite technology” Regis pondered studying them from her seat. “You have my attention Dr. Grim.”

“I have a plan… But I’ll need the assistance of Doctor Terror and Doctor Blitz… a joint operation to put an end to the Ranger threat… and their new annoying ally.”

“No way!” Blitz started

“I’m not working with those losers,” Terror said pouting.

“Granted. Blitz and Terror will be under your command” Regis spoke looking at Grim. “But if you don’t come through, you’ll answer for your past failure… And so will the two of you” she said looking at Blitz and Terror, the two going pale.

My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

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