#same water pressure but better pipes now
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neverendingford · 1 year ago
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astray-anomaly · 2 months ago
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The first Chapter of Sea Level!!
TW: Hurt, character injury, violence, mention of death and experimentation
Here is the Ao3 link, if you rather not read it on Ao3 the chapter is below the cut!
Chapter 1: A Promise
12-5-25
13:42
For two days the whole Hadel Blacksite was drowned in complete darkness ever since the crystal was taken and with that all power was gone from the site, even the backup power was now offline. Meaning that small computer couldn’t work anymore, the same computer Sebastian was now wrapping up in a waterproof crate he had found in one of the storage units. Putting all of the extra wires and pieces in place along with a few classified documents he had left. He then covered them up with extra layers so they wouldn’t shuffle around as much to avoid any damage. Afterwards he shut and sealed the crate.
He swapped out the Scrambler on his back in favor of the crate, it was a bit heavier with all the extra equipment inside but he could carry it relatively easily. He quickly checked the radio he had on him, still no signal. He groaned and shoved it back in his jacket. He needed to get it, he did make a promise to get them out of here, he didn’t want to break it. True he had no intention of keeping it in the first place but damn it, he just had to get attached to this stupid old computer in only the two months they’ve known each other. Even if he still had doubts this was possible, he had to try to complete his promise, this was the one good thing he could do now with nothing else left.
It was worth a shot to get out of this forsaken hellhole then wait to get gunned down or probably die of starvation. He knew Urbanshade would soon send down groups of their guards again to clear out the place and start to repair it despite the multiple devastating damages to the site. Urbanshade would never just abandon this place, they would eventually get this place fully functioning again so he didn’t want to be there when they arrived. It was between the chance of seeing the sun again or death. Even if he was gonna die, he wanted to do it looking at the sky one last time.
He was hoping they would be able to reach Innovation Inc. once at the surface. It was one of the rival companies of Urbanshade he had been able to contact before all the radios were cut off, none of the others responded. Maybe he could finally get them both the help they needed if he had found that company, but he has to get out of the Hadel Blacksite first.
The only guide they had now was the dimly lit esca on Sebastian’s head and his poor night vision as he started his journey through the twisted and broken hallways of the facility. More and more water had begun to leak in as the outer pile system started to implode on themselves from the outside pressure. Even though the pressure here was the same as it would be just at the surface, the facility could only take so much after the power was gone and the pipe system was the first to collapse. So the whole facility will be flooded with water, leaving everything left to rust. But he knew Urbanshade wouldn’t let that happen so he had to get out quickly.
At least now there were more places to swim than having to slither through the cold hallways decorated in broken furniture, shattered glass, and sharp scraps. Sebastian had already caught his tail on a few pieces, even though most of them didn’t cut through the hard scales a few small parts managed to catch themselves in his flesh, making him bite back a painful hiss. Still he kept going forward.
All of the docks were blocked off by now so the plan was to find Z-317’s old containment cell and follow the passageway out to the ocean. The one that Sebastian had originally opened before when releasing Z-317 during the lockdown.
If only he could get there faster but his injured tail had to drag him down, yet it was better to be slow to not alarm the other creatures still roaming the facility. Even after releasing them they were still animals, they had to hunt, no doubt they would attack him on sight if they ended up spotting him. Even if he could fend for himself, that computer on his back was not as strong as he was, one slip up and it could possibly be over. He wouldn’t let that happen.
He had already been roaming around the dark facility for what felt like hours, at this point he was convinced he was going in circles, right, left, right- crash
Sebastian froze at hearing a loud noise behind him, screaming starting to echo through the halls. He’d been here for just long enough to recognize which entity was which just by their screeching alone and out of every single creature it just had to be this one.
Sebastian darted his way to find a side room or some sort of tunnel as quickly as possible as Pandemonium’s screaming drew nearer and nearer. When he couldn’t he just punched in one of the broken doors and pulled his way through, at least the mantis shrimp DNA was useful for something. He quickly curled into one of the corners as the room started to shake.
He held his breath as the creature’s roaring passed, it was silent for moments afterwards and Sebastian started to uncurl his tail from around himself and pull himself out the corner only for the screeching to start up again. Sebastian panicked, moving down the hallway as fast as he could. There was so much rubble scattered everywhere that he had to slither around, no wonder this hall was blocked off.
Sebastian growled in pain again as something else dug into his tail, he kept his shrimp claw holding onto the crate on his back as Pandemonium got nearer. He eventually spotted what looked like a way out, at least he hoped but he couldn’t escape that easily. Pandemonium was just behind him.
“That's it you ugly bastard!” He snarled angrily, swinging his tail back to hit the creature and basically ripping his shotgun out of the hostler. Shooting repeatedly at the mutated beast's face, managing to get the two main eyes, making the creature shriek in pain. Sebastian then took his chance to run for it, even with the two main eyes gone there were still many more staring at him.
At least the shock and pain from the creature gave him enough time to make his escape into the underwater tunnels, he didn’t stop to look back, not for one second.
Eventually everything was quiet again and Sebastian could relax a bit. However when the adrenaline died down he was hit with the agonizing pain in his tail from a big metal scrap impaled in his side,painting the water red. He bit his tongue as he held back tears. The salt water just made everything sting more, still he continued his way down the tunnel, trying his best despite the excruciating pain.
He finally got to the exit, dragging himself out of the water and crawled up the ramp. He laid down on the cold concrete floor, catching his breath and coughing up some blood. He had to sit up, pulling the crate off his back and pushing it to the side as he examined his tail that was dripping in blood. He still had a medkit left even if it wouldn’t help much, it was something.
He quickly scavenged through the small kit and pulled out the antibiotic ointment and bandages. He then looked back at his tail and saw just how badly the metal had stabbed itself in there, still it had to be taken out.
He bit down more on his tongue to the point of making it bleed as he gripped onto the metal tightly. Closing his eyes as he pulled, wailing as it was removed but was able to cover most of the noise. He couldn’t alarm any more monsters down here.
He threw the piece of metal back into the water, leaning back and holding his tail while also holding back tears. He reached for the antibiotics and started to apply them to the gaping wound, not even reacting to the cold sting anymore. He took whatever was left in the bottle and applied it to the more minor injuries, he didn’t want to waste bandages trying to wrap them up since they weren’t as severe. Once the bandages were applied to the large wound he laid down on the ground, catching his breath and closing his eyes. “..Fucking hell..” He groaned, knowing he had to get back up, after a bit he strapped the crate onto his back again and continued on his way.
Unfortunately now he was even more lost, not exactly sure where they ended up after having to make a quick escape from Pandemonium in a panic. So they could have been farther or closer to their destination, Sebastian prayed they were closer as he navigated through the dark corridors.
After an hour of mindlessly dragging himself around he noticed a familiar pair of large heavy doors, this was where the controls to the containment cells were, they were closer now.
He used the keycard he still kept from killing that one elite guardsman to unlock the door again. The door didn’t seem to open much with the mechanism damaged so he was forced to squeeze through. The inside was a complete mess, even the control console was torn apart by one of the creatures.
Sebastian continued his way through the labs and containment rooms. Keeping his gaze down on the floor so he didn’t have to see anything that could possibly trigger his memories. The smell here already made him feel nauseous.
He counted the doors until he finally saw the one that read Z-317. The room was taken up mostly by a large aquarium where the Eyefestian would originally be kept in. Now the glass was cracked and the tank was mostly drained with water spilling on the lab floor.
He debated on what to do for a moment, instead of picking carefully at the glass he decided to punch it in. Wasn’t the best choice but it was the quickest. He shook his hand off, his ears perked up when he heard the wailing sounds of another creature nearby, Frogger.
Sebastian carefully pulled himself through the glass and dropped into the water. Swimming down before the creature could bounce back to see him. Once at the bottom he let himself relax as the cold water completely engulfed him, releasing the tension in his body. He was no longer being chased, he could finally relax for a second. They were so close to the end now. He found the doors which lead the way out of here, they would finally get out to the ocean.
He slithered through the door and continued into the dark tunnel. What felt like an endless void with only his own esca to guide him which was getting dimmer with each passing minute, showing just as much energy he had left in him.
He swam through the tunnel for minutes with barely any light. His injured tail trying to push him along as much as possible. Until he finally saw a glimpse of light up ahead followed by the sound of rumbling footsteps. He had forgotten that the Trench Bleeders were still mobile because their power was separate from that of the Hadel Blacksite, they were still being controlled from somewhere else.
Sebastian darted to the light, swimming with all his strength until he heard the wretched sound of metal bending. “Shit-“ He cursed, noticing that the tunnel was closing in on itself. He swam faster even if it hurt to push himself, the water still stung. Hearing the creaking of the metal getting louder until finally-
He shot his way up through the exit and soon fell back onto the ocean floor as the tunnel crushed in on itself. Yet he wasn’t out of his troubles yet, he had to move, he had to get up. The Trench Bleeder was right over him, the lights from underneath the giant mechanism's foot blinded his already poor seeing eyes, he was about to be crushed if he didn’t move now.
He forced himself to get up, pushing his way through the water as the Bleeder’s foot came crashing down, shaking the whole place and making Sebastian’s entire head ring. After that everything went pitch black.
12-6-25
4:18
Everything was aching when Sebastian had opened his eyes again, he suddenly became aware of every part of his body that hurt, he could barely move to lift his head. His esca flickered on as he looked around to figure out his surroundings, his eyes taking a moment to adjust. He found himself in some small cave in the ground, he took a breather and rested his head back down on the smooth rock, he was still so, so tired.
He had to remember why he was here, he had to get out of here or both him and p.AI.nter would die, or worse, p.AI.nter would be forced back to roblux mining. He couldn’t let that happen, he had to make it to the surface, he had to make it to Innovation Inc. he couldn’t just give up now. There was no time to rest, no matter how tired he was, he already got the rest he needed. The hardest part of the journey was already over.
Sebastian forced his body to move, wincing at the pain in his tail and spine. The crate was weighing him down a bit from his body being weaker. He swam out of the cave into the open water, everything was dark, the Trench Bleeder looked to be long gone by now, how long had he been asleep?
He didn’t stop to think about it, starting to swim upwards.
“Where are you going?”
Sebastian suddenly paused at the familiar voice that echoed in his head. He turned around to be met with the bright green glow of multiple eyes staring right at him. He used his hand to shield his eyes from the shining light before slowly lowering it back down and looking back at the curious radioactive shark before him.
“Well?”
“I thought you had left a long time ago, there is no prey for you here, not anymore.” Sebastian replied, staring down the creature, meeting her gaze.
“Where else would there be for me to go?” The shark circled curiously around Sebastian, moving closer.
“The surface.” Sebastian answered. “That’s where we are going, to get help.” He paused. “To go back to my home.”
“The surface isn’t where I belong, that is where you come from. I have no home to return to.” The Eyefestian responded blankly.
“Do you not remember anything?” Sebastian looked curious.
“No. If there is a home for me I doubt it would be very welcoming now. These depths are now my home.”
“You know you could come with us, you don’t have to stay in this place, with all the bad memories.” Sebastian reached out his hand, offering.
“I know you want me to, but I know you’ll do just as fine without me. Plus I’ve made some good memories down here too.” Eyefestian gently pushed her snout into Sebastian’s hand. “Go see them again..”
Sebastian just nodded, gently petting Eyefestian. He had so much to thank her for, she was there ever since the start of his experiments. She was the only creature to know what he truly looked like before and he was the first one to be able to appreciate her beauty without dying.
No further words were exchanged before Sebastian watched Eyefestian disappear back down into the dark depths again.
He wiped his eyes before focusing back on his mission, firstly making sure the crate was still fully secured before continuing up. Swimming for minutes on end as his tail guided him through the water until he felt the sudden crushing feeling of the pressure shifting, feeling like his whole body just collapsed in on itself within a second. Trying to catch his breath as his throat was squeezing and his body froze.
He was no longer in the Let-Vand Zone, he was in the deep sea now.
It took him a moment to get used to the extreme pressure change until his body slowly began to relax and he could breathe at a stable pace again. He checked the crate on his back, nothing looked crushed. The crates were very reinforced but that didn’t mean they could last long, he had to get to a lesser pressure level quickly.
It was harder to tread through the dense water, but he forced his tail to push himself through with as much force and speed as possible. Even if he could breathe normally everything still felt suffocating, making him feel lightheaded. He wasn’t even sure how fast he was moving with the water crushing his whole body.
Everything was completely black, not even his vision helped, he wasn’t sure if he was even moving upwards anymore, he could have been moving in any direction and he wouldn’t know unless he ended up hitting something or managed to breach the surface. It made him paranoid of anything jumping out at him, it was too dark, anything could come from any direction.
All he could do was hope he would run into nothing, he had to keep pushing. He was determined to get to the surface, his determination being more powerful than his own exhaustion. The more he swam, the more the pressure seemed to lift off of his body and he could finally move faster. It felt so freeing to be able to stretch out and move around without having any more worries, he wasn’t entirely free yet but he was getting close.
He swam for another hour, his tail barely dragging him along, until finally he saw an actual light reflecting from off the ocean’s surface. Dashing up to it in his excitement and breaking through the water. The smell of fresh air filling his nose, the gentle wind blowing through his wet hair, sounds of seagulls flying overhead and the gentle waves moving. He made it, he actually did it.
Sebastian smiled happily as tears poured down his cheeks. He used his hand to shade his tired eyes as he looked in the distance at the rising sun that had come up to welcome him back to the surface.
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whatwooshkai · 8 months ago
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for the smoke & mirrors ask - have you had 16 yet?
"You do it! You're the leader!"
"I am not asking! Boulder, you ask."
"Okay-"
"Actually, nevermind. This is stupid. I'll just use my hoses-"
"No! You are not spraying me in the face again, you almost broke my optics-"
"Oh shut up, you were fine!"
"Barely!"
"Blades is correct, that level of pressure-"
"Stay out of this, Chase!"
"Seriously, guys, I don't mind asking-"
Cody sighs, lowering the lift all the way down before the rescue bots break out into an all out brawl. Five minutes of listening to them bicker and yet he still has no idea what they want.
"Hey guys!" he announces, and every helm snaps over. Cody is suddenly aware of the size difference. "Whatcha talkin' 'bout?"
The rescue bots' gazes flit between Cody and each other, seemingly having a silent conversation before Boulder pipes up and says, "We want you to wash our faces."
"Huh?"
"Our faces," Chase repeats. "We would like you to wash them."
"Yeah, I heard," Cody says, giving them a lopsided smile. "I just wanna know why."
"Well, back on Cybertron you'd have to go to a detailer to get your face properly cleaned," Blades explains. "Lots of small seams, big servos, it's not exactly easy to do it yourself. But we figured, since your servos are so small...?"
None of the rescue bots are looking at him. Boulder is very interested in their hands, Blades is scuffing his feet, Heatwave is tapping a beat on his arm that makes Chase's finials flick in time.
Oh my god. Are they... embarrassed?
Cody coughs into his fist to stifle a laugh. His dad says it all the time: "For a race of advanced alien robots, they're just as bad as us."
"I can wash your faces!" Cody assures them. "Frankie'll be here soon, and she'll be happy to help too!"
There's clear embarrassment radiating off the bots, but Cody decides not to let them stew in it and runs to the storage closet to grab the supplies, fumbling with his comm link at the same time.
"Hey, Frankie," he says, pressing his cheek to his shoulder as he puts the car soap in a bucket with some sponges and towels. "How far are you?"
"Walking in now," her voice crackles over the comm line. "Why?"
"The bots asked for their faces washed, so we're doing that," he explains, grabbing a second bucket.
"Why...?"
Cody shrugs, then realizes she can't see him. "Because they asked. Isn't that a good enough reason?"
Frankie sighs, but there's a smile in her voice. "I guess so. Coming down the lift now."
"Don't get off, we'll need some height." Cody carries his supplies out of the closet, past the bots who are currently greeting Frankie, up onto the lift beside her. He sets down their supplies and they divide them between each other, and Heatwave fills their buckets when prompted.
Boulder and Blades come forward first, sitting down and letting Frankie adjust the lift so they're at the perfect height.
Cody has been close to the rescue bots before. He sits on their shoulders, they carry him around in their hands, sometimes they sit him atop their helms! But he realizes that he's never been this close to their faces, and now he understands why they wanted this.
Boulder's faceplate isn't perfectly smooth, there are small grooves and seams and scratches and scuffs, there's little divots under their optics that almost look like tear ducts. Cody dips the sponge into the soapy water and starts on Boulder's cheek, but nearly drops it when the rumbling starts up.
Blades had slumped over immediately, leaning his chin onto the railing of the lift, and while Boulder was doing a better job of keeping themselves upright, twin rumbling rises from their chests, the unmistakable purr of an engine.
Frankie and Cody exchange looks, not wanting to ruin the moment. Like cats! Frankie signs excitedly, and Cody can't help but grin, because they are.
There's a shocking amount of dirt on Boulder's face, so it takes almost two hours to get the towel to come out clean when he wipes it across their cheek. Blades has fully fallen asleep.
Heatwave's tapping his arm impatiently while Chase has busied himself with a book, but his tapping foot is giving him away as well.
"All done!" Cody announces, clapping his hands together, and Boulder blinks sleepily, before giving him a big smile.
"Thank you!" they say brightly, standing up shakily and picking up Blades with them, making room for the other two.
Chase takes a spot in front of Frankie as Heatwave sits in front of Cody. He leans onto his hands to brings his face close enough for Cody to reach it.
Heatwave looks exhausted already, and far worse for wear than Boulder did. It almost seems like there's dark circles under his optics, there's dirt crusted into the scar on his cheek and in the seams of his jaw, and there's a dent just below his left optic.
He's asleep in minutes.
All four rescue bots' engines purr in time.
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likeawildthing · 6 months ago
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when i fnished grad school (which was actually 2022? new job was this year though!) my friends made me swear on a napkin to learn to relax and im happy to report the experiment has been a success and i have become a lesiure QUEEN.
what am i doing w/ my free time?
making miniatures! currently working on a dollhouse for my old coworker's daughters. will share pics! maybe i will finish a single project this year.
hanging out w/ my kids and their GFs because they're awesome. at the same time, trying to avoid becoming BFFs with said lovely GFs because i cannot take having another tragic breakup dollhouse rotting in my basement
i color in a coloring book every night which is not making my own art but it is relaxing w/out the pressure of making like work!
making friends in the most random places (mammogram screening, hospital emergency room, while white water rafting)
slowly watching my gardens die because my kids forgot to water them when i was out of town for two weeks and i've been sick for most of the summer (feeling MUCH BETTER now. who knew gallbladders could be such a nightmare!)
have been going to monthly craft meet ups with the old ladies at my library. they go multiple times a week and the tea is always piping (literally AND metaphorically)
at my prev WFH job the cat trained me to sit on the couch w/ him BUT at my new WFH job I need 2 screens so i've slowly been traning him to sit in a cat tree next to me. it's a WIP for sure. he s a king forever and i hate to ruin his life but mommy must have a job to pay the bills)
exercse? hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa no. i did buy a stair stepper when i was on morphine in the hosptal tho because i thought it would be KEY TO MY RECOVERY? ma'am. no.
rewatching derry girls once a month becase yes?
have become a NYT games feind. morning: wordle, connections, i am 50/50 on strands but am giving it a try. 9pm sharp: sudoku, the mini, crossword. spelling bee enrages me.
learning my own WFH fashion
getting myself grocery store flowers every week, taking flowers to other poeple every other week
i am so angry about this but...doing laundry on a weekly basis is actually good for my mental health? so now i do laundry on a weekly basis instead of holding for weeks and doing 22 loads in a weekend once a month. (no fear, i am not and never will be the type of functional person who does a load of laundry a day, or, god forbid, pair socks. sock basket or bust for life). i did by a cordless shark vacuum and it's lifechanging.
reading again! have read two books this week which is more than the last several months so that feels nice <3
apparently trauma dumping on tumblr again
venmoing my kids so they'll run snack-based errands
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scratchandplaster · 11 months ago
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FEBUWHUMP DAY 4 - Obedience
CW: recapture, Carewhumper, touchstarved Whumpee, dubcon touching, love bombing, parental Whumper, hypnosis, emotional manipulation
Previous | [Masterlist] | Next
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
Even before opening his eyes, Ben knew exactly where he was.
Through the throbbing ache behind his forehead, he smelled the fresh morning air of the valley, without any trace of petrol or tangy smog to be found. His lungs thanked him as he took the first big breath to wake up further. Underneath, the unending softness of countless blankets and pillows greeted his heavy body.
This was horrible, this was the one thing he was afraid to go back to. Luke would kill him.
Weight all over his body pushed him deeper into the drowsiness he wanted to embrace, but Ben realized what he was entangled in: a cuddle pile. How lovely, if the booming against his ears didn't disrupt this idyllic reunion.
"Lemme go." Ben started to weakly shove the arms and heads that rested on his chest aside, confused mumbling set in and made the Gordian knot made from concerned family slowly untangle. Oh, they were already upset at him, it was clear as day. And if Luke ever found out how much Ben had missed them, he would kill him double for it.
"Look who's awake," the same gentle voice that greeted him the night before announced. Shepard was close, somewhere above him, but Ben didn't dare to open his eyes yet; there still was a chance of this being just a terrifyingly pleasant pipe dream.
But no resistance withstood the warm pressure that began to fight the headache with careful strokes along Ben's scalp, finding sore muscle spots to dedicate its attention to and for a second, being back home felt like he truly caught on. The room gradually came into focus.
"There you are, sweetheart."
Snug in his arms, Ben couldn't look at Shepard, too ashamed by the happy faces that greeted him in this intimate circle: Birdie, Otis and their triplets, naturally, and even Shawn had managed to push himself to the front row of his reception committee: the family he left behind. What was to come next made Ben shudder.
It wouldn't stay a warm welcome for long, and why should it? He betrayed them for everything they had left behind.
If his flustered expression didn't give it away, his clothes alone made him feel like the outsider Ben had made of himself. Among the rush of people, Sam was nowhere to be seen. A rough pull in his stomach just proved to Ben that it was better this way, he could feel embarrassed when it was appropriate.
"Thank you all for welcoming Ben back," Shepard suddenly announced and clapped his hand together, "but I think we need some time alone so he can adjust."
The children started to pout, Shawn above all: "He just got here!"
Shepard tried to soothe them with a smile: "I know, I know. But afterward we can tell you all about his sabbatical and what he brought back for you."
"Gifts?!" now their excitement was stuck to Ben like a limpet, "Chocolate?"
"I- uhm, I don't-"
He was softly cut off: "Maybe we find out at dinner, does that sound good?"
At dinner, if he would still be here. Ben left before, he could just stand up and go, right? Right?
Dismissing every attendee with thankful words from the community tent, Shepard returned to his son wearing the tired face of disappointment. He looked much older than when they had last seen each other, harsh lines carved with worry graced his face.
How angry Shepard was right now felt like the most important question. The faded proof on Ben's forearms reminded him of it daily.
"Well then, how are we feeling?"
"Hurts," Ben admitted lowly. He had broken clear rules and now paid for it. Nevertheless, it was his decision…
Shepard sighed and dropped into a kneeling position before him, meeting him at eye level: "Your head? You have a hangover, it's going to pass."
"Hanging over what?"
"No, it's an expression. You just need to hydrate." He handed Ben a full glass of water that he emptied greedily.
"You drank a lot yesterday," Shepard shook his head blankly. He seemed more afraid than upset.
"The only thing he fears is losing control over you."
"I was just having fun, Shepard."
Out of his pocket, a handful of shimmering umbrellas, plastic neon monkeys and other souvenirs was pulled. Undisputable evidence at which the older man only furrowed a brow: "A lot of fun, and now the alcohol has its fun gnawing your brain away."
Ben's hands shot up to firmly hold his head in place, as if it would make a difference. Words could not express how much his little quirks were missed.
"When did you stop calling me Dad?" Shepard's concerned frown came to match the look, "It makes me feel sad."
"It makes me feel fucking stupid."
"Reuben!"
"Shepard!" he sassed back, "You can't just bring me here! I-I was doing fine. L- my friends will get worried if I just disappear without a word!"
"You made friends, that's great. I didn't see anyone with you, unfortunately, but they have nothing to be concerned about."
This, for once, was the truth. The settlement was the safest place on earth, in the center of it stood the oversized tent Ben received this tirade in. The glow of the midday sun penetrated the canvas to let the tent's inside radiate with warmth. Yet trivial how much they talked around it, both had good reasons to taint the peaceful atmosphere.
"Of course they weren't there! They-They give me space when I'm trying to hook up-"
"When you're trying to do what, young man?"
"Forget it," Ben muttered, "at least they care about me!"
Putting the glass aside, Shepard let his heavy hands rest on Ben's shoulders. His hoarse voice gave away the woe that plagued him for a good six months now: "And you doubt that I do?"
A wordless shrug was all Ben was willing to give. The topic that hung in the air was obvious to both of them.
"This conversation is long overdue, but after that night you never gave me a chance to explain-"
"I gave you a lot of chances." If no one else would, it was for Ben to hug himself tightly.
"You're right, starting over isn't as easy as it seems," Shepard exhaled and held him close while clearing his throat a few times: „I am so sorry for what happened in the past, especially the night you decided to leave. I thought of many apologies, but none of them are good enough. I can't offer you anything, but my deepest, most sincere regrets. I'm sorry and understand if this is also not enough for you to believe me. Somewhere in the future, if you allow me to, I hope to earn your trust back again."
"Shepard Cohen is a filthy liar," Luke warned him, "and nothing in the world is going to change this fact."
Hands in rough hands, forgiveness was left to the son. Ben had nothing to say.
"The only thing he cares about is himself and how he can people make dance to his tune!"  Ben held on to the reasons he left, there was no space for nostalgia, even if his heart leaped for joy at being back in the only sensible place on earth. "We are allowed to live how we see fit."
The silence spoke for itself.
"Alright. I understand you, Ben," he whispered dejected, "I finally understand."
Too petrified of the man he knew, Ben didn't look up until it was too late: quiet, thick tears dropped from his father's face down onto their folded hands. Shepard couldn't hold back his sobs anymore.
"Oh no," Ben gasped, "I didn't mean it like that. Of course, I believe you, but I…uhm."
The heart-wrenching realization hit him like a brick to the head: this hurt Shepard just as bad, it simply had to. Otherwise, he would never show himself so openly vulnerable.
"Please don't cry. I just don't know what to say!"
"I can understand every decision you made, even if it was to our detriment. You had very right to do so."
Indeed, Ben had every right and it felt nice to hear Shepard admit it. But the right to make someone feel this lousy… If he had this too, he didn't want it.
His hand carefully slipped up to wipe stray tears away: "Hey. Hey, Dad, please! I just had to go that night." A tired smile was coaxed out from the wrinkled skin.
"Are you mad?"
"No, of course not," Shepard reassured, loosening the tension in the air.
"Disappointed, then."
"Yes, but only in myself."
There they were again, the gentle hands that massaged away the sting inside his skull. It didn't pass Ben how confusing last night had been.
"Sam isn't really interested in me, are they?" It wasn't the bitter reality that made Ben curl up in awkwardness, but more so their intent for putting up with him.
"Nonsense, they are thrilled to meet you again. I'm sorry that we had to trick you a bit. You're just too young to engage in whatever hooking up entails."
"'m old enough." His hair was brushed back at a consoling pace, nearly lulling Ben back to sleep again.
"Maybe you are, maybe I just didn't realize how much you changed."
To simply lean into the quiet tranquility was heaven, like in the good old days when Ben felt secure and more like himself. By now, the water and careful touches helped minimize the ache to a dim pressure and gave them a moment to rest, until a familiar suggestion brought Ben back to the present: "Breathe with me."
Behind the peaceful quiet, somewhere pushed down by gentle words and sweet affection, distant alarm bells went off: "Never, and I'm serious this time, never let him into your head again!"
"Uhm, I think-" Ben mumbled as he got a grasp on the situation: he sat dutiful in Shepard's lap, exactly how he was supposed to. He could just get up and leave, right? If he wanted to…couldn't he?
"That wasn't a question, starshine," Shepard decided and let his words echo through the tent, "We are both hurt and I think we need to process all our feelings." The hand that just had cared through Ben's hair now snaked down to the base of his neck. 
"Breathe in," Shepard ordered and his body followed the command like a reflex, a distant sensation quickly caught up to him: mindlessness.
Shepard steered the flow of their thoughts and breath while keeping a soothing pace, in and out, so Ben could focus on the relaxation, on connecting with his inner self…on this dizzy, fuzzy feeling that crept into his limbs. Like a heavy blanket, the unwinding started at his feet and soon enveloped his body up to the head, feeling just as pleasant as Ben remembered. 
This wasn't bad, with Lukas' voice finally turned down to just a distant hum, it felt so good to stay adrift for a short second. Shepard was here with him, real and the only focus of his attention. In and out.
In. Bliss entered through his lungs and flowed along his bloodstream to his chest. Out. Troubles of the past were pushed out by the collected ease inside him. There simply was no space for them anymore.
In.
Out.
In.
Out. 
His head spun with the warped confusion, Ben was not the only one surprised how quickly he let himself drop into this state.
"W-wait-" A weak mumble rolled from his lips but left Shepard unfazed.
"Hold," the man shushed and marveled at how his lungs obeyed instantly, without questioning it for even a second. Mind light and empty, Ben looked into Shepard's golden-brown eyes and lost himself.
"Breathe out." The last sliver of resistance left his blank mind.
"Relax." Ben's head tipped over, leaning into the hands that held him upright.
"Sleep."
Loose eyelids slipped shut and his body fell into his father's waiting arms, so deep and so convinced that Shepard would catch him, like he always did, as he always will. 
Only supported by his self-appointed dad, yet weightlessly floating further down, Ben was too far gone to comprehend that his last chance to leave was long taken away.
"Remember how easy it is to fall, and all the many times you did before."
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
Thanks for reading 🤍 [Febuwhump 2024 Masterlist]
@febuwhump
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birgittesilverbae · 2 years ago
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thinking of babea au and that first night with bea washing the blood out of her hair in cat’s cradle, listening to the hush of mary’s voice outside the shower room and its rows of empty yawning cubicles. how her father’s mouth let go a haze of blood as he fell, warm on her face and bea turning the water freezing cold, twisting the dial furiously and sitting hunched up against the wall watching red and pink water slip past her bare feet.
they find the smallest clothes they can but she’s still half-drowned and shivering in an overlarge t-shirt, mary brushing the gnarls out of her hair and braiding it almost without thinking. in mary’s apartment and bea waking from nightmares where she’s lying in the street and there’s so much blood it spills into her ears and her mouth and her eyes.
years later she’s asleep in lilith’s arms and she wakes up coughing and retching, scrambling to the edge of the bed. turning to see lilith watching her, tugging the blankets over as she joins bea on her side of the narrow bed they’re sharing. and sometimes this life doesn’t feel big enough for two. ghosts lingering in the light that crawls in from underneath the door.
lilith, who wraps them both in the blanket and pulls bea close, telling her that she used to wake up from nightmares in her mother’s house. no one to go looking for who wouldn’t tell her to grow up, to find her composure and her quiet.
‘i used to walk around the house with a candle and switch on the lights in my father’s study. then i’d go outside and sit down among the asphodels - did you know they’re supposed to be the flowers of the dead. a favourite of Hades?’
beatrice nodding and feeling lilith’s lips brush over the angle of her jaw. ‘of course you know that.’
sinking into lilith’s warmth as she continues. ‘i’d look up at that light and imagine him inside, stooped over his books. the smell of pipe tobacco and stale coffee. it felt like i was a ship lost out at sea and the light in the window was the shore.’
lilith gradually drawing her back down to their pillow, letting bea cling to her. in the morning they wake up slow in the same position and beatrice kisses lilith until her mouth is sore.
thinking of beatrice who hides her grief in cold water and then inside of lilith’s mouth. lilith going with her one day to lay asphodels on her parents’ grave and holding her hand. lilith standing in the shower with bea and washing blood out of her hair after a mission, noticing how bea starts to fall away towards her younger smaller helpless self. pulling her back with a kiss and the silent promise that lingers between them.
to be the light in each other’s darkness
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mary, straddling the locker room bench, raises the brush, gestures towards her. "do you want help?"
anger prickling in her chest. she's not a child, she's not- she'd simply had a moment of weakness, in searching out mary's arms as blood dripped down her own. "i'm perfectly capable-"
"i didn't ask whether you needed help, beatrice. i asked if you wanted it." she raises the brush again, face open, welcoming. "i know i would have when i was your age. that's all."
beatrice's shoulders sag, and she plucks absently at the folds of shirt that balloon around her, her gaze solidly on the floor tiles. "i can do it," she repeats, reaching for the brush, and mary passes it to her.
she starts at the bottom of her hair, as her mother had taught her, working the tangles out with short strokes. there's a pressure on the back of her head, immaterial, tilting her forward to get better access to the nape of her neck. her mother gently working the brush free of the tangles that always formed there just out of beatrice's reach, dropping a kiss on the crown of her head when the pull turned unintentionally sharp and beatrice winced away from the motion.
the hair at the base of her skull is matted together, now, and her hands aren't as agile as her mother's had been, not yet. practice, she'd told her over piano keys and hair brush strokes and the awkward shape of her writing, you'll improve with practice.
but she hasn't had enough time to learn, and the brush is buried deep in her hair and any movement of it sends sharp pains through her scalp and- and tears are streaming down her face. her mother is never again going to carefully work knots from her hair when she comes in from the garden with her head as much leaf litter as hair.
a tissue is pressed into her palm, a careful hand uncurls her fingers from their tight grasp around the handle of the hair brush. beatrice's chest heaves and she's met with careful touches and a low rumble of soft words. her mother's hands had always been cool, had always felt such a balm on her forehead when she laid ill in bed. the hand on the back of her neck now is almost feverishly warm, but the care mary takes with the brush is the same as she works it loose from beatrice's hair.
"my first foster mother," mary says, voice as gentle as her hands, "didn't understand that she needed to treat my hair differently than her own. that caring for Black hair was a whole separate skill." she works the brush free, starts in carefully on beatrice's hair as beatrice scrubs the tissue across her face. "and i was too scared to speak up, even when she cut my hair with kitchen shears to make it easier for her to look after." her hand cups beatrice's shoulder, squeezes. "i want you to tell me what you want, what you need, okay?"
bestrice nods, stilted. "okay."
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formula-fun · 4 months ago
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Did you sort out your beef with pacrim au? I'm soooooo excited for ch1!! 🧡 and how many chapters do you think it will be?
hiiiiii!!! im still beefing with it a little to be honest but i think im gonna have to just publish it soon either way hashsahash theres just a lot of exposition in the first two chapters and it was kind of pissing me off? i dont think theres any way around it tho in this situation, so im just gonna let it sit for a few days before i do the final proofread and see if it's really that clunky or if ive just been looking at it for too long. it means i can spend that time trying to get ahead on the rest of it, so it's all good <3 its lookin kind of long rn. 10 chapters and an epilogue?
idk if ive posted this already? but
“The thing about it,” Max is saying, “is it’s just dirty leaf water until you have a really good one, I think. I went my whole life without drinking it, I loved it while I was there, and now that I’m here it’s like, why even bother with it. I know it will just taste like grass.”
He’s sprawled across the battered sofa in Charles’ office that Charles sleeps on sometimes, the window cracked open above him to let the sounds of the waves filter through. With one hand, he gestures along to his own words; with the other he squeezes Charles’ rubber band ball in his fist, over and over.
“There is a lot of good tea in the world, Max,” Charles points out. He’s seated at his desk, trying desperately to get some work done, no thanks to Max and his unending monologue about anything and everything. Max is a lot more interesting than the data sheets currently clogging his inbox, but Charles would be loathe to let him know that—especially when Max probably already knows anyway.
Max lets out a dubious noise that sounds a bit like a sheep and throws the ball, narrowly catching it before it lands on his own nose. “Not in Australia, mate, it’s not the same type.”
“How do you know? Have you tried it?”
“Daniel told me that. He said it’s better in Japan. It’s like how I only like the sushi in Japan because it’s of course better there.”
Charles tears his eyes away from his holoscreen to point a pen in Max’s direction. “That’s not true, you were just trying it with my tastes this time. Of course you like it now.”
“It’s definitely better in Japan,” Max says with a laugh.
“Well, yes, I am sure. But you like it now because I like it.”
“That’s not true.”
“Of course it’s true. You hate fish. You always have,” Charles insists. “The only fish you like is the kind I like too. Obviously it is not a coincidence.”
Max grins at the ceiling, tossing the rubber band ball again. “Who says you didn’t get it from me, then?”
Charles splutters. “I did not,” he protests. “The only things I got from you were pork cravings and rock lyrics, you tasteless—”
Two raps sound against his doorframe, and then Ollie’s face is appearing in the gap. “Is now a bad time?” he asks softly, then blanches when he sees Max laying across the couch, still tossing the rubber band ball around.
For some reason Max grins even wider.
“No, come in, Ollie,” Charles says. He pushes his glasses up, rubbing the pressure point between his eyebrows. “What is it?”
The sheaf of papers in Ollie’s hands apparently forgotten, he takes a crisp step toward Max. “Commander, sir.”
“He’s off duty,” Charles tells him. “Actually, he’s not even supposed to be in here.”
“You can just call me Max,” Max says, ignoring him. “Nice to meet you. Ollie, was it?”
“Yes, sir, Oliver Bearman. I’m a cadet with the Faenza Academy.”
“Faenza,” Max repeats, shooting Charles a warm look. Charles ignores him.
Ollie hesitates, shooting Charles a look. “It’s…well, it’s an honor. Charles, Oscar thinks he found the issue with Item 46.”
Charles grimaces. “Ah.”
“What’s item 46?” Max pipes up.
“Confidential,” Charles says with an eye roll.
“Even to me?”
“Yes, even to you.” Switching to Dutch, he adds, “I’ll come find you tomorrow. We should spar.”
“Fine,” Max answers. He gets to his feet, brushing imaginary dust off his jeans before tossing the rubber band ball back onto Charles’ desk. It knocks his cup of pens over; Charles glares. “You owe me lunch. I haven’t forgotten. I want Thai food.”
“Not Bangkok Bistro. We went last week.”
“Fine, somewhere else, but I want pad see ew. Ollie,” he adds in English, “lovely to meet you.”
“Thank you. You too, sir.”
“Don’t let Charles give you any shit, okay?” And then he slips around the doorway and is gone before Charles can even come up with a suitable insult.
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lightofraye · 2 months ago
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Bonus Song
youtube
The Piano Guys - This Is Your Fight Song (Rachel Platten Cover)
There are no lyrics for this, as it's all strictly instrumental. However, I love what the Piano Guys wrote about this.
--
When we first heard Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” we were inspired by its message. In a world where we too often talk about our differences, we have at least one thing in common. We all struggle. Not in the same way, nor at the same level, but we all want a fighting chance. And we all share in one gift: The will to make the most of our lives. To take what we’ve been given and turn it into something better could be considered the sentient measuring stick of success. But to do so seldom is simple and more often requires we fight. Not against each other. But against the current threatening to drown the ambition in us.
There is tremendous purpose in struggle. It is when the struggle becomes so fierce that we must fight to swim or sink. John Newton, who penned “Amazing Grace,” worked on a slave trader ship and condoned inhuman atrocities. It was when his ship was on the verge of being torn apart in a violent storm when he called out for Grace. When his feet were once again planted on firm soil he determined to change. His covenant was written into these words,
“I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind, but now I see.”
Grace is the defining moment when we face and fight a monster poised to define us or destroy us.
This song and video for us was a struggle, but a beautifully defining one. We chose the Scottish culture to depict the dichotomy between Grace and struggle. Who else is tough enough and yet delicate enough to don a kilt in battle? And the Scottish pipe and drum are the ultimate conveyors of melody and cadence. One represents Grace, the other the indomitable fight. Our dream was to film one of the most iconic castles on the Earth, Eilean Donan Castle in Dornie, Scotland.
Grace somehow made this video possible. We had to postpone our trip to Scotland several times, and when we could no longer postpone we had to leap in faith because just before we left everything had fallen through. It wasn’t until we were in the moment and had to let go of our pride and anxiety when everything Gracefully came together. We want to give special props to Paul. When the drone capturing our aerial footage took a nose dive into the frigid waters surrounding Eilean Donan, he took one for the team and jumped in after it, heroically saving the scenes you are seeing today!
From our youth we’ve been taught that when faced with insurmountable, unthinkable odds, we cheerfully do all that lies within our power, and then stand still with the utmost assurance to let fate, destiny, karma, or to let God do the rest. It isn’t easy, but every time we have an opportunity to practice it we get a little better. We’ve found, as John Newton discovered, the closer we get to the furnace of the affliction the more our obstinance and pride burns off revealing the best way to win a fight in ourselves is to let Grace fight the battle instead.
We recognize that this video is far less important than a fight for one’s life. We hope this music will serve as an anthem for those that are in the fight of their lives. We have people close to us who inspire us every day with their grace in the face of such a struggle. This video is dedicated to them: The superheroes in our lives that don’t wear capes, but wear a smile under villainous pressure — those that have been through so many defining moments that they are intimately acquainted with Grace and know it be close cousins with hope. They know that when they can’t fully understand the purpose of a struggle, they instead recognize that knowing there is a purpose is enough. We pray that “Grace will bring them safety through.”
Finally, we feel grateful and we’d like to say, with John Newton, “When we’ve been [here] ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”
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deke-rivers-1957 · 8 months ago
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Walter's Captaincy
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Walter takes off his helmet as he sits down on the bench. Coach Wade comes up to him.
"Takin too many damn hits out there. I can't have ya gettin another concussion."
Walter takes a drink of water.
"Ah know coach. Ah gotta work on that."
Coach Wade pats his shoulder.
"Least ya showed all the runts how ya keep cool under pressure. Now ya just sit back and watch 'em try out to be your back up."
"Ok coach."
Coach Wade walks away and blows his whistle.
"Awright pipsqueaks line up! Now that ya watched our current starters practice it's time to show your own skills. Everybody tryin out for quarterback step forward. Everyone else start runnin laps."
Walter watches as two boys step up and follow coach Wade to a part of the football field.
"Reno! Front and center."
Clint moves so that he's right in front of coach Wade.
"Gimme 10 Hail Marys."
He hands Clint the first football and blows his whistle. Clint proceeds to throw the ball as far as he can 10 times. Walter watches each of Clint's throws and takes note of each result. Every throw is over 50 yards but it looks like the boy is straining himself and has no accuracy.
"Now gimme 10, 20 yard throws in that bin there."
Walter analyzes Clint's stance when he throws. While there were more successes, Clint still completely misses the bin a few times. Coach Wade blows his whistle.
"Awright stretch out. Wells you next."
Walter watches Rusty go through the same drills Clint did. Naturally that one extra year allowed him to have better accuracy given that he only missed his first 20 yard throw. The shocking part about Rusty's ability to Walter is that he doesn't have a high throwing distance. His Hail Mary throws were nowhere near as far as Clint's were. They consistently drop off after 40 yards.
"Line up!"
All the boys line up in front of coach Wade.
"Now we're gonna have a practice game. I wanna see these two's footwork."
Walter watches all the boys divide into two teams. Some of his own teammates join in so the teams are even.
"Wells you first. Reno hit the pine."
Clint looks a little confused so Walter pipes in.
"Here sit down next ta me."
Clint understands that and sits down next to Walter.
"Thanks. Ah thought coach was gonna yell at me."
"Nah. He'll only chew ya out if yer slackin or sassin him. There's a sophomore who ain't that smart Ah see in the weight room sometimes. Ah ain't ever seen coach talk ta someone the way he does wit that kid."
"Why?"
Walter takes a drink of water.
"Ah dunno. He probly knows how ta tell the difference between havin issues an jus bein an idiot. Tha's why he yells at Jodie all the time."
Walter and Clint sit back and watch the game until it's his turn.
"Awright Wells hit the pine."
Rusty sits down next to Walter.
"What do ya think of my game?"
Walter rubs his chin thinking.
"Honestly it can use some work. Ya don't move well in the pocket an ya gave up some pretty bad fumbles."
Rusty looks downcast.
"I see."
They watch Clint as he goes through the motions of the practice game.
"He's good in the pocket."
"Yeah. But he's missin a bit too many throws. Coach's gonna have a hard time pickin between the two a ya."
After try outs are over coach Wade comes up to Walter.
"I wanna hear your opinion on the boys."
Walter looks up at coach Wade and says his piece.
"Well coach it's hard ta say. Clint's got good footwork but he ain't very accurate. Rusty's got accuracy but he can't throw more than 40 yards an stands like a statue in the pocket."
"Who makes the team?"
Walter sighs as he understands that someone has to be able to step in for him when he graduates next year or when he gets injured. Footwork and accuracy are equally important so how can you weigh one over the other?
"Coach. Ah think Clint oughta make the team. Cause it's easier ta teach 'em how ta be accurate than it is ta teach somethin that oughta come natural like an instinct."
For once coach Wade gives a slight smile. It's as if Walter said exactly what he was thinking.
"Go on home Walter. I'll post who made the team next week."
"Ya got it coach."
Walter gets in his car and starts to drive home. His aunt Dolly just finished making dinner.
"How were try outs Walter?"
"They were good. Coach Wade had me sit out fer most of it. No point in havin me get hurt durin a practice game."
"That's nice. Now eat up. Dinner's on the table."
Walter sits down at the table and starts to eat. He remembers when he first tried out for the team. His uncle Willy told him he at to try out for at least sport team at the school during his freshman year. Walter didn't know which sport to try out for so he just followed his cousin Joey to the football field. Joey was the school's quarterback at the time and Walter liked watching him play. Coach Wade had him do the exact same drills and was amazed when Walter managed to nail a perfect 50 yard throw.
"Aunt Dolly Ah jus realized why coach picked me ta join the football team."
"Oh? And why's that dear?"
"Because even though mah footwork was bad Ah always managed ta make a play or keep it from bein a disaster. Even when Ah get tackled Ah almost never lose the football."
"I see. What brought this up?"
Walter puts his fork down.
"Ah coach asked me ta give mah opinion on which a the boys oughta be mah backup. Ah told 'em the freshman should make the team cause he never got sacked. He's so light on his feet it didn't seem to matter that he missed his throws. But Ah still feel a lil guilty. We had a sophomore try out too and he made all his throws, but he couldn't move well and dropped the football when people tackled 'em."
Aunt Dolly nods.
"Why do you feel guilty?"
"Ah only made the team cause mah throws were powerful an accurate. An here Ah'm tellin coach that accuracy don't matter."
She stands up and walks over to Walter.
"Don't go doubting yourself now. You know Mr. Wade wouldn't be giving you all this feedback if he didn't think you can get better. He would've given you longer drills if he thought you still needed to prove yourself."
Walter starts to smile.
"You're right. Thanks aunt Dolly."
She sits back down and the two start to eat again. Walter realizes that the only way he'll be off the team is if he's so injured he can't play football anymore. And that's something he hopes will never happen.
Tagging: @mercsandmonsters, @vintagepresley, @thetaoofzoe, @elvismylove04, @ashtag6887,
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katarikitten · 9 months ago
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The Firehose Faction
(I will continuously add on information to this post so frequently check back on it every time a new variant appears)
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Confirmed Variants of the Firehose Faction
Firehoseman (Confirmed sighting)
Firehosewoman (Confirmed sighting)
Cheif Firehoseman (Confirmed sighting)
Elite Firehoseman (Confirmed sighting)
Tall Firehoseman (Unconfirmed sighting)
Brute Firehoseman (Unconfirmed sighting)
Titan Firehoseman (Unconfirmed sighting)
Firehose Strider (x2. Unconfirmed sighting)
Helicopter Firehose (x2. Unconfirmed sighting)
Large Plane Firehose (x2. Unconfirmed sighting)
General Information/Equipment Information
The Firehose Faction is now the only thing keeping battle fires from spreading and burning down entire cities. The same goes for the forests where wildfires commonly occur.
While they are small in numbers, they are mighty! They utilize varying water pressures to blast their enemies, or cut them up with such high pressure, some of the variants are able to sweep out entire areas by emptying their water tank, the best example of this occurring is a Firehose Strider flooding the area. Higher water pressures are difficult to utilize for some of the variants, such as Brute Firehoseman. But where they lack pressure, they make up for with brute force and range.
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Their backpack tanks have an intake pump on the right that is constantly drawing in water from the air in small amounts once the water level in the tank has lowered a bit. So if the air is a bit dry, let them know, they'll be happy to cut off the pump for a while if water in the air, and the surrounding area, is scarce. The output pump pulls water from the bottom left and pumps it through a hose that connects a few inches down on the Firehose variant's back which connects through their clothes and the artificial layer of skin into an internal pipe system that runs up their spines, through their necks, and then is pushed out through their hose. Tall Firehoseman does not have the exterior intake pump that would connect to his head and only uses the output pump from his backpack tank since his ladder will extend from his backpack tank and extend over his head, so if there was an exterior hose he could risk damaging it and himself.
All Firehose variants can turn their heads 360 degrees and continue turning! Like a sprinkler that could just keep going around and around. The internal hose system is only used for more severe fires in which all around spray is needed, that's where their 360 degree or greater head turning comes into play! The internal system is only used when 360 degree head turning is needed as the hose that would normally connect to the back of their heads to their backpack tanks can prevent then from turning their heads all the way around to continue turning.
If the fire is small enough then they just use the hose that connects to the back of their head, which can be connected and disconnected as it can start becoming uncomfortable if attached too long, then they use the head connection since the water pumps up faster to their heads than through the internal hose system.
If you are chatting with a Firehose variant and they suddenly turn their head to the side to look at you with one eye, don't be alarmed, this is perfectly normal! They simply do this just to see what's in front of them better since their front vision is a bit limited by their hose being in the way.
Fun Facts
They can wear fire helmets! Though this is not preffered as this forces them to put their valve handle down which controls the water flow, so they can only where the helmets for asthetics when not fighting fires or in battle when their is water in their backpack tanks.
Their "eyes" share a similar grid-like look to a fire engine headlight, if you look close enough, they look almost exactly the same!
Their "eyes" can also display different colors and or shapes, this can be for battle use, communication, or just for fun!
The Firehose Faction communicate by pushing air through their hose which creates a sort of fssssh sound. They also use the dial just behind the front of their hose and their valve handle to break the air to make a clicking sound to communicate with each other outside of sign language.
They can also use the dial just behind the front of their hose to create whistling sounds! This also seconds as a siren and or alarm, whether its a fire engine siren, earthquake siren, tsunami siren, etc. Since their heads can turn more than 360 degrees around, the sound can go quite far!
They have medical knowledge! If you're hurt, they can help! For the most part.
Thank to Chief, they now go to the beach regularly to swim or play when things aren't burning down. And thanks to their mostly hollow interior and ballast tanks on their inner sides, they float for the most part.
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Links to each individual variant
Firehoseman https://www.tumblr.com/katarikitten/746152879154397184/the-firehose-faction-has-begun
Firehosewoman https://www.tumblr.com/katarikitten/746783404130009088/firehosewoman-has-made-her-appearance-general
Chief Firehoseman https://www.tumblr.com/katarikitten/749960146628886528/the-head-honcho-is-here-chief-makes-his?source=share
Elite Firehoseman https://www.tumblr.com/katarikitten/756450697255550976/the-one-and-only-elite-has-arrived-general?source=share
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jaybird-fanfics · 2 years ago
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Villain Roommate |Chapter Twenty One|
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Once again, you were surrounded by villains. This time however, you were in anew location. It was like an old abandoned warehouse. The walls were cracked, exposed old rusted water pipes were littered here and there. If you looked up, there would be a few large holes in the ceiling. Not to mention there were tons of crates full of you didn't know what. You crinkled your nose, dust would waft by every now and then. On the way up to this floor, you nearly tripped on of the broken stairs. Needless to say, this place has gone to shit over the years.
 Dabi was close by, but you were still fearful. Your eyes glance around the room, everyone was here accept for one person. The very same who called you here in the first place. Shigaraki, was no where to be seen. "You know Dabi, your girlfriend is really pretty." You turn your attention to Toga, she was sitting on the ledge of a window, kicking her legs back and forth. "If you let me stab her before, I could have been just as pretty." She sighs. "But you had to ruin all the fun!" 
"Shut it, you're not stabbing her anytime soon. So get over it." Dabi muttered. You didn't know if you should be more upset about Toga wanting to stab you. Or the fact she called you Dabi's girlfriend. Silence once again filled the room. Your nerves eventually got the better of you, and foolishly, you spoke up. 
"Um, why am I here exactly?" The man made of black and purple mist was the one who answered your question. "Shigaraki summoned you here for your quirk. He needs you to heal him." You grimace at the thought. Why him of all people? "Ok...Where is he?" You ask. "He is gathering himself. This latest defeat has left him in a mood of sorts." 
"In other words, he's throwing a fit." Dabi tells you. Just as he said this, Shigaraki stepped out of a room and into the opening. "So, you can be obedient." Shigaraki looks at you. He wasn't wearing his usual hand over his face or anywhere else on his body. He was a bit bruised in the face, there were fresh scratch marks around his neck. It looked like a cat got at him. 
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get to it." 
You look at Dabi, he kept his eyes on Shigaraki. You looked back at Shigaraki, and slowly made your way over to him. He was a bit taller than you, so you had to look up at him as you spoke. "Where are you hurt?" 
"Broken ribs. Hurry up and get it done with." Said Shigaraki. You nod before moving your hands up, however you stopped. "Problem?" Shigaraki was getting impatient. "My hands they, um, it has to be skin to skin contact. I'll need you to push up your shirt a little." 
"You serious?" He muttered with a frown. You nod. He sighed heavily. "Everyone out, now." Almost all of the league had left the room, except for Dabi. "I said everyone." Shigaraki glares at him. "You want her to use her quirk? Then I stay." Dabi says sternly. "Oh? You must want me to kill her then." Dabi didn't back down. "Then you loose your healer. What then?" 
"There are doctors for people like us with this kind of thing. She just so happens to be free. I don't need her. She's just a convenience that's all. I won't affect me either way. However, I do have a feeling it will affect you...am I wrong?" Dabi said nothing. "That's what I thought. Now get out." You looked to Dabi, once again silently begging him not to leave you alone with this guy. Dabi eventually turned away and walked out, leaving just you and Shigaraki. 
"Alright, now hurry up." You turn back around to see Shigaraki lifting his shirt up slightly. You could practically see his ribs, he was so thin. It made you feel, kinda bad. You know you shouldn't feel bad for the person who had you kidnaped and forced to heal him whenever he wanted, but you did. You just felt bad. You nod before putting your hands on his ribs, careful not to apply too much pressure. Unlike Dabi, his skin was cold. 
You took a deep breath before starting. Broken bones were always one of the worst things for you to heal, it always took so much out of you. Luckily, only a few of his ribs were broken. When you were done, you quickly moved your hands away. Shigaraki pulled his baggy shirt back down. He moved his hand up and down his ribcage, seemingly satisfied. 
"I have a feeling, you're going to fit in just fine here." He smirked. You didn't like the sound of that. "Tell me, why was Dabi so insistent about keeping you and your quirk a secret?" You remained silent, unsure of what to say. What could you say? You didn't know why Dabi wanted to keep your quirk a secret. It couldn't have been because he cared about your saftey. He just wanted you to himself, yeah, that had to have been it.
But if that were the case, if he didn't care about your safety, then why did he calm you down from your panic attack? Why did he hand you over to a hero? You just didn't understand. 
"Well? Are you going to answer me, or just stand there staring like an idiot? Don't tell me you two have some sort of relationship going on." Shigaraki pressed. "Great, now I owe Toga five bucks." He muttered that last bit. 
"No, we're not. We just-"
"You just share a home together, that's all." Shigaraki filled in with a smirk. Before you could defend yourself, he continued. "Look, I don't give a shit who that guy fucks. But you better not get in the way, or I'll stop this little fling you two got going on myself. Understand?" You bit back the urge to say something smart. 'Trust me, I don't want to be involved with you bunch anymore than I already am.' Instead you just nod. "I understand." 
"Good. Now get out of here." 
You turn away from him and walk outside of the room, Dabi was leaning against the wall adjacent to the door. Once he noticed you he was quick to your side. "What did he do?" He asked urgently. You gave him a look. "Nothing. I just healed him." Dabi's shoulders became less tense. "Ok." He exhaled. 
You wanted to question him, but you were too drained. "You know the drill. Eyes closed." You nod your head and covered your eyes. Dabi hadn't used the blindfold this time, he had enough trust to know that you wouldn't open them. 
Eventually, you two made it back home. And all you wanted was to go to bed, you were exhausted, and so was Dabi. But before you went to your room, Dabi stopped you. "I'm sorry I didn't stay. I didn't want to chance it, you know? When he says he's going to do something, he does it." 
"It's ok. I just, really need some sleep...Goodnight." You say before shutting your door and heading to bed. "Night." Dabi said under his breath, before returning to his room. 
He flopped down on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been one hell of a long night. Yet sleep would not find Dabi so easily. He couldn't stop thinking about your laugh from before. Why did you have to be so annoying yet so cute? And why, for the life of him he couldn't figure out, did he want to protect you from that asshole so badly? 
He could say he didn't want anything to happen to his free healing. But that just wasn't the full truth. What was? He didn't know. What he did know, is that he had the urge, the instinct to keep you safe. He knew you were your own person, that you were grown, and could watch out for yourself. But, he just couldn't help but feel the need to protect you. 
"Damn it...What the fuck are you doing to me sweetheart?" 
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purrgilpawkins · 1 year ago
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Merry + Christmas
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Summary: The team spends their Christmas Day in Phoenix med. (Also available on AO3)
Pairings: Wilt Bozer & Jack Dalton & Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver
Part of the Whump Advent Calendar 2020 series Prompt: Christmas Celebrations / With Found Family
Warnings: n/a
Notable tags: fluff, Christmas fluff, H/C
Mac waved his casted arm and Jack weakly raised a hand in greeting as Bozer wheeled Riley in through the door.
“Hey, Jack,” Riley started softly, “how’re you feeling?” Jack gave a thumbs up and pointed a finger to Riley. “I’m fine, Jack, don’t worry,” she laughed, rubbing at the bandage on her abdomen.
Bozer parked Riley’s wheelchair on the side of the delta’s hospital bed opposite of Mac as Jack reached up to remove the oxygen mask on his face. “You should know by now…it’s my job to--” he gasped, “--to worry, Riles.”
“Hey, hey, you heard the doc, Jack. That pneumonia isn’t letting you breathe and neither is taking off that mask. So please, just this once, keep it on?” Mac asked, taking Jack’s hand into his own. Jack groaned in response which led to a rough coughing fit. The younger man gave the older one a sip of water from the cup sitting next to the bed, Jack giving Mac a look that roughly translated to an apology all the while. An apology more so for scaring them all at his close call with death rather than the mask removal.
Mac put the cup back down as Riley placed the four presents she was carrying in her lap at the end of Jack’s bed. Bozer moved them around to their respective receiver, coughing into his arm every now and again. The water boarding he’d received wasn’t nearly as bad as Jack’s but it was still hell on his lungs.
“Well!” Bozer clasped his hands together, “It’s a good thing we did Secret Santa this year. Makes this a whole lot easier on everyone after being…kidnapped and tortured for a week and a half,” Bozer grew quiet and everyone let the silence wash over them. “Little disappointing we have to spend our Christmas in Phoenix med though.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t see Agent Dalton leaving for the next few days, so I’d say better here than not at all,” one of the regular nurses, Sheldon, popped his head in the room, startling everyone. “And I don’t want to ruin the festivities but try not to go on too long. Jack needs his rest.”
Jack grunted, displeased.
Sheldon chuckled, “I expect you not to strain yourself, Jack.” He turned to Riley, “You neither, though I don’t see you getting up on that leg anytime soon.” Then to Bozer, “Get yourself an ice pack for that black eye, Boze.” At Bozer’s reluctant head nod, Sheldon turned to Mac, “And you don’t put too much pressure on that wrist. I know how important those hands are to you.” Mac nodded. “Okay, any painkillers needed?” Sheldon smiled at everyone’s muttered “no”.
“Did Matty send you down here, Hawkes?” Mac asked.
Sheldon nodded, “She seemed really worried about you all. Said she’s sorry she can’t say hello and check up on you in person yet. She also said ‘Merry Christmas’.”
“Well tell her we’re sad she can’t be here and a Merry Christmas to her too,” Riley piped up.
“Will do,” Sheldon smiled and walked out of the room, leaving the bruised and battered team to go about their celebrations.
Mac sat up straight in his uncomfortable seat, “Okay, who’s first?”
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Riley suggested.
“Flip a coin maybe?” Bozer recommended. Jack groaned his disapproval at that option.
“All at the same time then?” Mac proposed.
“Oh no way man, that completely ruins the magic!”
“Magic? What--”
“Ladies first…” Jack whispered hoarsely.
“I’m alright with that,” Riley said and immediately started ripping open her present before the argument could begin. The wrapping paper hit the floor and uncovered a small rectangular box. Riley opened the box and fondly rolled her eyes.
“What? What is it?” Bozer questioned, leaning in uncomfortably close to see what she got.
Riley pulled the object from the box, “It’s a knife.” Indeed it was, a folding knife with a pastel pink handle. “Hmm…I wonder who this is from.” She looked directly at Jack.
“For when a boy tries to talk to ya,” he said, words muffled behind the oxygen mask, “Keep it in your boot or backpack with your rig or something.”
“Okay, dad. I am a grown ass woman who doubles as a highly trained government agent, y’know.”
“Just in case.”
Riley laughed and reached as far as she could from her wheelchair to gently hug Jack, “Thank you, Jack. I love it.”
“Speaking of Jack,” Mac placed a wrapped gift in Jack’s lap, “you’re next, big guy.”
Jack unwrapped the present with shaky hands that no one wanted to acknowledge. He pulled a white ceramic mug from the paper.
“I’m, uh, not the best at gift giving so I went with something practical,” Mac said, nervously rubbing at the back of his neck.
Jack turned the mug in his hand to see the phrase “MIT Dad” stamped on the other side of it. His eyes started to dampen embarrassingly quick and if anyone asked he’d blame it on the drugs in his system. He looked to Mac who stared back in search of approval and Jack opened up his arms to give that approval. Mac reached out and hugged Jack almost as gently as Riley did.
“Love it, hoss,” Jack said.
Mac gave a shaky laugh, “Cool.”
Riley cut their moment short when she picked up the biggest present and gave it to Bozer.
“Oh for me? You shouldn’t have!” Bozer said as he ripped off the wrapping as fast as possible and opened the box in childlike excitement. He gasped, “Riley, you really shouldn’t have.”
“What is it, Boze?” Mac asked, taking a page out of Bozer’s book and leaning into his personal space to see his friend’s gift.
“It’s expensive looking kitchen utensils…and an even more expensive looking video camera…Riley how much did you spend on me?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just worry about how high quality your movies are gonna look now that you have the cheaper alternative to an actual professional film camera.” Riley smirked.
“And the cooking set?”
“If it helps make your food taste even better than it’s worth the price tag.”
“Aw, Riley!” Bozer suddenly engulfed Riley in a hug, sudden enough that she wasn’t able to reciprocate because he’d wrapped his arms around her arms.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome but could you let up on the vice grip, please?”
Bozer pulled back, “Right, sorry, that probably didn’t do those cuts on your stomach any favors.”
“Nah it’s all good. No damage done.”
“Sweet,” Bozer then pulled the camera out of his gift box and started turning it on.
“Bozer,” Jack uttered from his bed.
“Huh?”
Jack nodded his head to Mac.
“Oh! Of course. Almost forgot. Mac!” Bozer handed the last present laying on the bed to Mac, “Your present this year is courtesy of me. I mean, mostly me. Like, it was mostly my idea but it’s kinda from all of us.”
Mac took the gift in his good hand and placed his cast on it to take the paper off of it easier. Jack held out his hand as Mac struggled to remove the wrapping but brought it back when Mac stubbornly said, “I got it.” It took him a minute but he did eventually get some of the paper off his present. When he managed to uncover the front of it he stopped unwrapping.
“What is it, Mac? What’d you get?” Riley asked quietly.
Mac looked up at his friends and saw them all smiling at him and he smiled back. He looked back to his present, a framed picture of them all; himself, Jack, Bozer, Riley, and Matty, everyone he cared about in the picture.
“Thanks, guys. Really. It means a lot.”
Jack reached over and lightly gripped Mac’s forearm as Bozer rounded the bed to give Mac a hug. After all their hugs and continued thanks to one another for the gifts, the group spent the rest of their Christmas celebrations happily in each other’s presence.
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post-nuclear-sweetheart · 1 year ago
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Some very short prompts I did with @taffee23 that are Fallout 4 centred, so I thought I’d post them! It was so fun to do a timed writing challenge, we have to do it again! (Please check them out, their stuff is AMAZING!)
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” (1)
The cold night air felt refreshing against your burning cheeks. Tears streamed down your face and you sniffled, clutching the pipe pistol close to your chest. Stars blurred together in the night sky.
You heard a knock against the metal door. You hollered behind you, “I don’t wanna talk!” you winced with just how hoarse your voice broke out.
The door creaked open, and a pair of large brown eyes peeked out, “Knight Lanen?”
You croaked, “I said I don’t wanna talk!” You sat hunched over your gun, legs dangling off the roof of the police station. You sniffled again, a gross, clogged sound coming from your nose.
Danse slipped past the door; no groans of metal followed in his wake, merely the soft footfalls of Brotherhood leather boots. You were surprised to see the Paladin, your superior, outside his power armour. He sat down beside you along the rooftop, feet dangling off the edge. You watched him with careful eyes that burned red, “What could you possibly want?”
Danse sighed. You were not his first Knight to break down beneath the pressure of the Brotherhood. Ordinarily a negotiation tactic was taken, but with a soldier out of time, he knew this was beyond the stress of murder, “I… I know why you left the Prydwen.”
“Yeah. Why the hell didn’t you tell me? That these things, these people-”
“Not-!” Danse huffed and bit his lip, “Not… people anymore,” he stressed, “They’re not the same. They’re not human, Knight. I need you to know this.”
“Not human?!” you cried, “Mrs. Harris was my neighbour! She watched my son!”
“Mrs. Harris is a ghoul now, and that was no fault of her own. I remember you telling me about your husband, and how he-” Danse stopped himself. It felt dirty to bring up your husband, but still he looked up into your bloodshot eyes, “He was a victim. Mrs. Harris was a victim, too. Victims deserve rest, not… not whatever ghouls are.”
“She recognized me!” you howled, “She looked me in the eyes! She hesitated! That was her locket around her neck- Those were her eyes, I saw them past the fog, she-!”
You fell into Danse, sobbing. He stiffened, feeling your body wrack itself with grief as you screamed into his shoulder.
“You look cute all pouty and sleep-deprived.” (2)
Your feet scuffed against the trodden ground of rock and cigarette butts. You yelped as you nearly fell but caught yourself, no thanks to your snickering companion.
“What’s so funny?”
“Ah, nothin’,” he turned his head, leaving you to your humility, “just admiring the clown show.”
“Hey! You agreed to be my guide!”
“Yeah,” he threw you a smug look from over his shoulder, “that don’t mean I can’t enjoy watching you stumble around the wastes at the ass crack of dawn. Wasn’t it you who wanted that cache anyway?,” Hancock laughed that deep, sultry laugh he knew you enjoyed. You huffed and puffed out your cheeks.
“N’aww, you look cute all pouty and sleep-deprived,” he cooed, “but those bags aren’t doing you any favours.”
“This is better than sex!” (3)
“No way!”
You bulldozed a poor scribe into the wall as you charged towards what looked to be stalls with suspicious knobs in the walls. Familiar plastic, albeit stained, curtains lined the little metal box, and when you spun a knob, water came rushing out.
“No way, no way, no way…!”
“Yes,” Danse confirmed uncomfortably, giving the disgruntled scribe a look, “this is the showers. They’re unisex.”
“I don’t really give a damn!” You threw off your belt and unzipped the skin-tight vault suit, revealing your pre-war lacey bra.
You nearly bust a gut at the astounding colour Danse turned, “Showers are scheduled, Knight! Put your clothes back on!” he barked, maintaining stiff eye contact with the roof.
“Paladin, I haven’t had a shower in over 200 years!” you moaned when the hot water hit your arm. You tore off your vault suit and jumped into the shower, barely covering your behind with the curtain as you jumped in. It was just you, Danse, and the steam. The disgruntled Scribe left minutes before.
“Maybe you’re embarrassed,” you teased from behind the curtain. Admittedly, Danse couldn’t help but stare at your silhouette, “but this is better than sex!”
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ere-the-sun-rises · 10 months ago
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On the toolkit thing, here's some more pointers:
Dollar stores have tools, usually of decent quality too
Get an all-in-one screwdriver if you can find one
Get robertson head screws (square hole) in 1 1/2" and 2" - robertson screws are easier to install and remove than flat or philips (star/cross) heads and the screwdriver itself doesn't strip as quickly
Electrical tape - not only for cords, but for plumbing and other non-permanent/non-damaging items
Polyfilla and a putty knife can fill almost any hole in drywall and don't require any sanding to make even if you're careful
Caulking fills gaps really well, and bathroom caulking is also water and mold resistant
Spray foam is a cheap and effective insulator for gaps in the walls (just be careful bc that shit is hard to get off)
An adjustable wrench and adjustable pliers (specifically vice-grip curved jaw locking pliers) can solve nearly any issue
Toothpicks and wood glue effectively fill too-loose holes in cabinets. Pack toothpicks dipped in wood glue tightly into a hole, let it set for 24 hours, then come back and cut the excess away with a chisel or boxcutter. You will now be able to re-screw your cabinet door on.
Wood glue can fix most wooden furniture, but may need to be clamped/strapped in position (the tighter the pressure, the closer it will bind)
Pipe cement can stop leaks in outflow pipes (so long as it's allowed to cure)
Other unrelated tips:
NEVER fuck with your electricity. ALWAYS pay for that to be fixed professionally. Same with gas lines.
Plumbing can be fucked with, but don't try to replace whole sections of pipe without knowing what you're doing.
Rugs are superior to carpet. A lot of them (especially mats and runners designed for bathrooms) can be run through a washing machine. They are also easier to replace.
Windex and vim can clean basically everything in your house
Replace your furnace filters regularly (at least once a month if you have animals)
If your windows are drafty/cold in winter, there are plastic sheet kits in hardware stores to seal them up.
Linoleum is a (relatively) cheap and easy-to-usr flooring material that can cover hideous tile or splintering wood.
Cheap glassware is superior to plastic. It doesn't deform or stain and is microwave safe (sometimes even oven safe).
Make sure you know what runs on what electrical breaker
If more than one thing is powered by the breakers that control your furnace or electric stove, get that fixed IMMEDIATELY
Use soft white or yellow coloured light bulbs in rooms you just hang out in (like living rooms/bedrooms) and clear/bright white for utility rooms (bathroom/laundry/furnace rooms/kitchen). It reduces strain on your eyes.
Humans need greenery for our mental health. Put a little plant in each room.
If you're strapped for cash or time, don't buy anything in white. Opt for coloured clothes/sheets/furniture/paint bc it's way easier to maintain and hides dirt better
Mattresses need to be off the floor so they don't grow mold and can regulate your temperature better
Invest in good pillows you can machine wash.
Frozen and canned vegetables are just as good as fresh ones
Cooking roasts from frozen keeps the moisture in better than letting it thaw
You can do a lot with garlic plus and margarine
Real wooden furniture - even second-hand - is always superior to particle board furniture. It lasts much longer, is easier to repair and can be refinished if necessary.
Thick-bottomed stainless steel pots will last you a lifetime - if you have the money for a set, they're well worth it.
Dollar stores have glasses, utensils and poreclain dishware. If you're in a pinch, they're good and sturdy.
If you have a yard, invest in a mitre saw (for tree branches), an iron/steel spade, a metal rake and a metal snow shovel (if necessary) - all with wooden shafts. Plastic gets brittle through the cold. Also, a good bucket never goes awry.
Shop vacs can vacuum up water and medium-sized debris if the filter is removed.
For sandpaper, the lower the number, the more aggressive the grit is. Higher numbers produce finer sands.
things i wish i had known when i escaped my family household and couldn't ask my parents for help
invest in a good mattress early on. there are many other ends you can save on - sleep is not one of them. this is key to how much energy you'll have throughout the day
you don't need a bedframe but you do need a slatted bed base (even if it's just pallets)
opening a bank account is easy
there's youtube tutorials for everything. how to install your washing machine, how to use tools, fixing stuff around the place. channels like dad, how do i? are a godsend
change energy provider as soon as your old deal runs out. you'll get better offers elsewhere and avoid price gouging
assemble a basic first aid kid at home: painkillers, probiotics, alcohol wipes, bandages, tweezers, antihistamine tablets - anything you might need in a pinch
and an emergency toolkit: flashlight, extra batteries, a utility knife, an adjustable wrench, multi-tool, duct tape
set your fridge to the lowest temperature it can go. the energy consumption is minimal in difference and it'll give you +4/7 days on most foods
off-brand products are almost always the same in quality and taste, if not better, for half the price
coupons will save you a lot of money in the long run
there's no reason to be shy around employees at the bank/laundromat/store; most people will be happy to help
vegetarian diets are generally cheap if you make food from scratch
breakfast is as important as they say
keep track of your budget in a notebook or excel file - e.g. rent, phone and internet bills, food, leisure so you'll have an overlook on your spending over the months
don't gamble
piracy is okay
stealing from big stores and chains is also ethically okay
keep medical bills and pharmacy receipts for tax returns
also, file your tax returns early
take up a hobby that isn't in front of a screen. pottery, music, going for a run every now and then, stuff that'll keep you busy and sane
and most importantly... you're allowed to get the stuff you want. treat yourself to the occasional mundane thing. a good scented candle. a bath bomb. that body lotion that makes you feel like royalty. the good coffee beans.
you're free and you deserve to be happy.
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bookmybuddy1 · 16 days ago
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The Role of Smart Technology in Washing Machine Plumbing
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The evolution of smart technology has transformed the way we manage our homes, making things more efficient and hassle-free. One such area where this transformation is evident is in Washing Machine Plumbing Installation. Integrating smart technology into this essential aspect of home maintenance not only improves functionality but also enhances convenience and safety.
Simplified Installation Processes Smart technology has changed the face of washing machine plumbing installation. Most installations involve manual adjustments and complicated settings. With smart systems equipped with automated sensors and intuitive configurations, the whole process is now made easy and smooth. For example, smart valves and connectors can self-adjust to ensure that the water pressure is at its best, making installations faster and more precise.
Leak Detection and Prevention Leaks are a common problem with washing machine plumbing, which may lead to water damage and high costs for repairs. Smart plumbing systems are designed with superior leak detection sensors that warn the homeowner of any early signs of trouble. Even the water supply can automatically be shut off to prevent damage. This feature is sure to be a game-changer for modern households, ensuring peace of mind.
Water Usage Monitoring The most important advantage of integrated smart technology in washing machine piping is the ability to have water usage monitored. Water usage by your washing machine can be tracked, thus giving insights on how the same can be optimized to reduce water waste while using less utility.
Compatability with Smart House Systems Smart washing machine plumbing systems often integrate with larger smart home ecosystems. This means you can control and monitor your washing machine plumbing from a mobile app or voice assistant. You can get real-time updates, schedule maintenance, and even be alerted of potential problems before they turn into an issue.
Better Durability and Lifespan Smart technology not only upgrades functionality but also prolongs the life of plumbing. Features such as pressure regulation, automated cleaning, and diagnostic tools help maintain health in your plumbing setup. Regular maintenance reminders from smart systems ensure that your washing machine plumbing stays in top shape for years to come.
Energy Efficiency Smart plumbing technology helps in conserving energy, with efficient flow of water and less wastage. In combination with energy-efficient washing machines, it creates a sustainable and eco-friendly home. Some systems even advise the best washing cycles depending on load size, thereby maximizing efficiency.
Future-Proofing Your Home As technology continues to advance, incorporating smart systems into your washing machine plumbing makes your home future-ready. It ensures compatibility with upcoming innovations and enhances the overall value of your property. For homeowners planning renovations or upgrades, investing in smart plumbing technology is a forward-thinking choice.
Why Choose Professional Installation? While smart technology has made washing machine plumbing easier, professional installation is very crucial to ensure optimal performance. At BookMyBuddy, our experts specialize in washing machine plumbing installation. We ensure seamless integration of the smart systems. From the right technology selection to accurate installations, we make your smart plumbing investment worthwhile.
Conclusion Smart technology is revolutionizing the way we look at washing machine plumbing. With unmatched convenience, efficiency, and reliability, it promises to change everything about it. Whether you are replacing your old setup or installing a new one, embracing smart plumbing solutions is a step toward a modern, sustainable home. Trust BookMyBuddy to guide you through this transformation with expert solutions tailored to your needs.
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studyingfor2k1 · 3 months ago
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2k1
Lecture 1
To start;
This is a place to 'regurgitate' knowledge that have been stuffed down my throat for the past semester... So enjoy....
Power is the key to everything, yes, everything. Through understanding the laws of conservation of Energy (J, joules), we can better grasp how important Power (W, Watts) is in our everyday lives. You might be asking yourself. okay, energy and power are different things tho? Right? Ehhhh... Energy is literally just power with respect to time. or in other words... Energy is the rate at which energy is being used. So lets say you are running 13 Watts of power for 30 seconds... its literally just (13 W) x (30 S) = 390 Watts seconds, which is also the same unit as Joules... so 390 J. Same goes for if you have the energy of 390 J over the time of 30 s and you wanna solve for power.
E = Pt
Okay cool, we know about power and energy. What now? We're actually gonna dive even further into our knowledge of Power. Power as we know is Voltage x Current or V x I. What is current and voltage?
Voltage ( V, volts) and Current (A , Amps)
Voltage is basically 'pressure' or potential charge
Current is the flow of charge
Lets make a metaphor for it. Think of energy as water. Voltage would be the pressure in a water pipe, while current is that flow of water, or how fast the charge is moving though the circuit.
P= VI
If P = VI is positive, this means it is a load, If it is negative, this means it is a source.
Think about a restaurant. In a restaurant, there are three components to the business. The chef, the waiter and the customer. The food would be the positive charge... and the plate would be the negative charge.
A Source takes the negative charge and transforms and delivers a positive charge... Think of a source as a Chef. the chef takes the plate (neg charge) and then makes food (pos charge). The food (pos charge) is then delivered to the customer through the waiter( the waiter in this scenario would just be a wire).
A load consumes (uses up) positive charges and transforms and delivers a negative charge. Think of the customer dining in. The customer wants to eat the food (pos) , then returns a dirty plate (neg).
To put it plainly.
Source = Chef
Load = Eater
What are examples of sources? Those can be voltage or current! What about Loads? Resistors!
A few things to note before this lecture is over... Sign and direction matter significantly to a circuit. For example If there is an increase of +5v , it would be equal to a decrease in -5v. We will touch up on this in the next blog
If it is positive... the element is consuming power (like a resistor), while negative means it is supply power (like a battery)
These are the first few building blocks to 2k1. You're taking the first step into growing your knowledge of 2k1!!!
End note: I'm preparing for my second midterm for 2k1 at Purdue University and am panicking. I've never used Tumblr before, and heard that this could be an excellent study method. If there's any feedback feel free to lmk. (although if its grammer I couldnt care less tbh)
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