repetitive pattern for the Pomefiore uniform! It’s not super clean but it does tile mostly perfectly :) It’s free to use for your OC or fanart or cosplay stuff
(Wanted to write something fluffy for my sweet Grim-boy. Sprinkled a few headcanons for Ramshackle itself from a few fics I’ve read in the past too.)
~~~~~~
Being transported into a strange world full of magic and people who try to mock and tease you for not being able to wield it was tough at first. But as the days pass by and you gain a few friends to accompany you through a mine to replace a broken chandelier, you find yourself adjusting quicker than you would’ve first expected.
The ghosts were friendly and understanding. After the initial spooking on your first night, the ghosts were happy to have new company once again, and began helping you fix up the old, broken down dorm.
Grim, your little dire beast companion who would claim with tooth and claw that he was not a cat, (Or a Seal, Floyd), would help where his little soft paws could assist.
Soon enough, Ramshackle, the forgotten dorm on NRC’s campus, started to look and feel a little more homely.
Dinners were often the tiniest bit chaotic, and usually had tuna as an ingredient. A common Ramshackle staple were butter noodles with tuna mixed in. A simple and rather cheap dish to make, but with Grim’s enthusiastic pleas for seconds each time you made it, you couldn’t find yourself getting sick of it anytime soon.
Speaking of the kitchen, anyone who visited would find the setup… odd. Cups, plates and bowls in the bottom cabinets, and big dinner pots and pans in the top ones. The drawers were you kept silverware and other such items were oddly organized as well, but all it took for understanding to click in was for Grim to trot in and grab himself an easy to reach cup or plate if he needed one.
It also brought light to the reasoning behind the step ladder that was always set up at the end of the counter. As well as the multiple cushions stacked on only one dining chair.
On evenings where you had some free time, no tests to study for, no overblots to conquer, you found yourself sitting in various spots of the dorm. A paint palette in one hand and a brush in the other, you would paint little pieces everywhere. The windowsills, the doorways, bedposts, the baseboards of the walls, even the steps of the stairway.
Sometimes you painted plants from nature, or little woodland creatures, sometimes you even painted the ghosts that live in your dorm.
But most of the time, you painted little doodles of Grim.
Happy Grim faces lined the windows, little running Grims up the stairs, little three-pronged tails painted in a way to make him look like he was hiding under the baseboards.
You had hidden the first one from him when you started, not wanting him to see until you were done. The dire beast huffed and pouted at you, plopping onto the floor and waiting while his tail twitched impatiently.
But when you finally pulled back to let him see the first of the many, many Grim figures you’d eventually paint, you watched his eyes light up in glee.
Occasionally, one would also find black paw prints, all carefully stamped alongside your own little paintings.
If anyone wanted to make a game out of finding and keeping count of every Grim, they would find (currently) 42 in total. (Rook is the only one who has correctly identified all the Grims when you first started this little game, and has also been the only one to correctly identify when you had painted more.)
On nights where you find yourself in pain, whether headaches, past injury, or even nightmares from the overblots, you’ll feel a gentle paw pat your cheek before you can even open your eyes. Dire beast I-Am-Not-A-Cat Grim would curl up against your chest, tuck himself under your chin, and purr away whatever ailed you.
Sometimes, you would wake to find him hugging your hand with his front paws.
Nights like those are quiet, leaving you cradling Grim into your chest as you both lay burrowed under your blankets. The ghosts can’t bare to let you both wake at such an ungodly hour, so they tweak your alarms to go off a bit later than usual. And when they do, you’ll find all your usual belongings set out for you for a quick grab and go, as well as breakfast already set out by the time you trudge down the stairs.
Because even when Grim complains about waking up early, or the fact you sometimes hang out with others more than him, and sometimes even the fact you can’t use magic:
Hidden away in a corner of the dorm only Grim and the ghosts know of is a small room. It’s walls painted with paw-print drawings of you, smudged and not as good as your steadier hand, but easily showing effort and love. Your broken hair ties or clothing buttons that you usually toss away, had been fished out when no one was looking and delicately placed and organized on a small, slightly worn table.
Pebbles you had shared with him, especially blue or gray ones, your words of how they reminded you of him echoing as they pile in the corners of Grim’s makeshift little piece of you.
Grim loves his small hideaway, because it was filled with you.
We’ve all seen it before: The scandalous, daring anime skirt that is completely open in the front, yet manages to defy gravity and remain obscenely poofy. Now, usually the fluffy skirts of anime girls everywhere can be handled by adding a hoop skirt or a petticoat underneath, but what are we to do about the open panel? No one wants their hoop skirt or petticoat to be seen, but without it, you lose the gravity defying poof that gives the character their signature silhouette.
Fear not my friends, for the open hoop skirt tutorial will now grant you a solution.
To begin, I will say that I started my own open front hoop skirt following this tutorial here(It’s great and if you’re doing a full length hoop skirt, definitely check it out). The reason that I decided to make my own tutorial is because I picked up some extra tricks to make it work when you don’t have bendable plastic.
Here, we will be modifying a hoop skirt rather than making one from scratch.
First, grab your reference picture, and determine what shape/how long your need your hoop skirt to be. In my case, I was making Saber Nero’s cosplay from Fate/Extra:
Because her red skirt only comes to mid-shin or so, I knew that I didn’t need a full length hoop skirt. However, because we are taking out a section of the hoop skirt, I would recommend getting a long hoop skirt with a lot of hoops, and to cut off the excess.
This is what I started with:
It’s a 6-hoop skirt from amazon, way too long, and completely the wrong shape. This is all fine, because we’re going to be reconstructing it.
The first thing that I did was cut off all the excess after the 4th hoop. Take out the hoops, and serge the edges to stop the fraying. Don’t throw away the extra fabric and hoops–they will be used later on in the tutorial. This step is optional if you plan on keeping your hoop skirt long, but know that you might have to buy some extra boning for the last parts of this tutorial.
Also optional, but this makes it a lot easier to handle the hoop skirt: Insert an elastic waistband instead of the ribbon tie on top. In my case, I had to seam rip the casing because it was too small for my elastic band, and sew down a larger casing. This was necessary for me because the skirt was going to sit very low on my hips. (And I just plain don’t like the ribbon ties.)
Next, put the hoops back inside the skirt:
Now, the fun part! Mark where you want your hoop skirt to start. I used a tape measure to get it even on both sides. When you are satisfied with how it looks, cut away! (Don’t cut through the actual boning tho!) When you are finished, you can take apart the hoops and remove the panel that you have cut through.
It will look roughly like this! Don’t cut any of the boning yet, remove it from the hoop skirt. Serge all the raw edges.
Taking some heavy duty scrap fabric (I used a type of flat braid I found at Joanns), sew it to the edges of your hoop skirt to create a casing. Note: I actually left gaps between stitches on the inner layer so that the original hoop casings going perpendicular to the new casings weren’t cut off. That way, the new casing is giving extra support to original casing. Also, I didn’t show it in the diagram, but please remember to close the casing at the bottom of the hoop skirt.
Optional: I took the extra fabric that I cut off from the hoop skirt, serged the raw edges, gathered it a bit, and sewed it on the halfway point around the hoop skirt and at the very top. This is solely for the purpose of hiding the hoops so that they don’t show through your fabric over the hoop skirt.
Put your hoop skirt back on the dress form. Cut little holes right outside of the new casing you installed, and slide your hoops back in. If your boning is sharp, I very much recommend wrapping some tape around the edges to make it as dull as possible because there will be pressure applied to the fabric that the hoops hit. Once you have the hoop completely in place, cut a little bit past the point of where the hoop skirt ends, and tuck the edge into the casing (Don’t forget to dull the edge of the boning). Apply fray check to the holes you made and sew it up. Depending on the quality of your hoop skirt, you may have to do some hand sewing if the hoop casing is coming loose when you originally cut out the front panel.
So, now your hoop skirt probably looks like the picture on the left:
How do we get that extra poof? Well, take your leftover boning, and insert it into the new casing you made like so:
The two blue pieces of boning will help create a strong end point for the hoops going around, while the orange piece will channel the blue ones and make them poof out. The longer your orange piece is, the better. As a result, your hoop skirt will now flare out a lot more! (Thank you lovely engineering boyfriend for this wonderful idea)
Now, your open front hoop skirt should be all set! Go forth and impress the world with your remarkable, floofy skirt!
Please feel to message me here on tumblr or on my cosplay FB page (Istoria Cosplay) if you have any questions!
your fingers drummed against the cool surface of the table.
the five idols—er, demons? demon idols?— occupied the seats around the table, meekly looking at you like lost little puppies.
honestly, after almost losing your soul and witnessing the whole nation teeter on the edge of destruction, you could say you've grown quite numb to such tactics. the horrors you’d seen—what these five could do with just a snap of their fingers… yeah, no. you weren’t going to be swayed by wide eyes, pouty lips, or whatever cheeky charm they tried to conjure.
they weren’t the innocent idols you once knew. the ones who had nothing but talent and a pair of skinny jeans going for them. the ones you saw performing on the street, eyes bright and full of untapped potential. they could be something, you thought. they could be up there. high. above everyone else. you were the one who reached out, the one who said, “you’ve got something.”
and boy, did they.
they had something alright.
something from the depths of hell.
now, half of south korea nearly got turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet for demons, and guess who helped usher in the end of the world with a smile and a snazzy press release?
ding ding! you, their manager.
the one who saw the fucking demonic seduction and said, "oh! you've got something!"
the untapped potential you saw was probably their thirst for souls.
honestly, the betrayal would’ve stung more if you weren’t so tired and traumatized.
“so,” you said flatly, lacing your fingers together. “anyone want to explain why I had to had to argue with a talking fire yesterday?”
the room went silent.
like, guilty silence. the kind only five demon idols with centuries of mayhem behind them could pull off.
"that... was gwi-ma," jinu mumbled.
you deadpanned. "i know it was gwi-ma, jinu. he introduced himself mid-scream while threatening to turn me into a 'wretched slab of salted flesh because that's all i deserve as a poor excuse of a human.’"
“oh, he loves that phrase,” mystery muttered.
"he cooked with that one, honestly." abby chimed in.
you sighed exasperatedly. who knew manager work for five little shits were going to be this exhausting?
"you're all i could think of, every drop i drink up!" you read the lyrics of a piece of paper, their debut song where it all started. mystery inched closer to the table, eyeing the paper you on your hands. "don't tell me you were pertaining to our souls?"
romance whistled, "you're so perceptive!"
"so smart." added baby, throwing you a bored thumbs-up like you’d just solved a puzzle and not, you know, uncovered a century-long soul-harvesting scheme disguised as bubblegum pop.
"you didn't know?" mystery stares at you, probably—you couldn't really tell behind his long hair.
"how was i supposed to know you're all demons dressed in pretty pastels and shitty hawaiian shirts?!" abby feigns an offended look as he clutched the front of his 2D printed tropical button-up like you’d just accused him of a fashion crime. “this is balenciaga-inspired hellwear, thank you!”
“no, that’s a polyester war crime,” you muttered, pinching the bridge of your nose. “and this lyric—” you waved the page dramatically, “this was your debut song! you performed this on national television! i helped film the music video where you were literally throwing hearts at people and covering the whole city with bubbles. I THOUGHT IT WAS CGI.”
"who do you think storyboarded that scene?” abby added with a smirk. “we all pitched in but,” he pulls jinu im a headlock—though the black-haired idol merely laughs awkwardly. he still doesn't look you in the eye. he seems to be the only ome taking your feelings and concerns seriously among the five. "this one was behind it all though. my boy, jinu!"
you groaned. “i can’t believe i survived a near-apocalypse only to realize i was managing the kpop equivalent of satan’s got talent.”
“that’s a great tour title!” romance beamed.
“no,” you said instantly.
“but imagine the merch—”
“no.”
“a little pitchfork-shaped lightstick—”
“no.”
you sighed, dropping the lyric sheet on the table like it physically pained you. “i need a drink. a nap. a portal to a universe where i’m not legally responsible for any of you.”
"too late,” baby said, leaning against the chair with that stupid little tilt to his lips. “you already sold your soul to us the day you signed that first contract.”
you stared at him.
he laughed.
“kidding! he's kidding!” jinu yelled too quickly.
“…mostly." baby added.
you slowly turned to face the window, muttering under your breath. "oh, i should've pushed them all off the stage when i had the chance."
there was a beat of laughter—soft and awkward, like everyone was still afraid to be loud around you in case you get really angry. the five were afraid. perhaps, they even feared your wrath even more than they did with gwi-ma.
it was left unspoken for a long time. demons were not good with dealing with feelings, but they know they have to talk to you.
you, their kind manager, deserved much more than just little demons hiding behind their cowardice.
silence.
and someone speaks up first.
“y/n,” jinu’s voice cut through it. no teasing lilt. just your name, spoken like a confession.
you turned to see him no longer smiling awkwardly like he was about to piss his pants. just jinu. the first one who held your gaze when you saw them on that street corner. the first one who reached out when you offered your hand. their makeshift leader.
"i'm–we're sorry,” he said, the words hung in the air. “for putting you through all of that.”
his fingers fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve, a rare tell for someone as confident and outspoken as him. he seems to be struggling to speak, unsure what correct words to say. “you didn’t deserve to be dragged into that mess."
you blinked. the meeting room had felt like a joke for so long. always half a step away from chaotic laughter and cursed energy drinks.
now, jinu was looking at you with something genuine.
in fact, they all were. gone were the rowdy bunch who always had a quick way with words, replaced by five people who had done you wrong and are making up for it. taking responsibility for the harm they have caused you sincerely—because that's how much you worth to them. you mean something.
“jinu…” you started, hand trailing down to hold his that trembled slightly.
"and i know we caused it,” he continued, eyes darting away. “the whole mess. gwi-ma may have put us all into it, forced us, bound us—but we still started it.”
“we're sorry, y/n,” he said again, softer.
you stared at him, a thousand emotions crawling up your spine; rage, exhaustion, fondness, resentment, some weird trauma-induced affection—but all that came out was a quiet, “thank you.”
because deep down, you understood.
you understood that they were forced to.
that it wasn’t some grand scheme of betrayal, no matter how much it felt like one at the time. that gwi-ma had them all bound; tied to a leash that seared their skin and soul every time they even thought about stepping out of line.
and you saw it. when you woke up during that concert.
you saw jinu holding you close, ignoring the pain on his body as he protects you from the demons that dared to get too close. you saw the four who were out of breath, running everywhere all at once, despite their tattoos burning all over their bodies and the defeaning voices im their heads. the many demons they fought and your life they had protected.
you saw them fall apart while gwi-ma roared in the back, as they were being punished—tortured—because they dared to protect you.
because they dared to choose you.
you clenched your fists at the memory. they could’ve let it happen. could’ve turned away, watched your soul be taken.
instead, they defied the king of hell himself.
they were hurting. controlled. bruised and burned and still, they protected you.
“you saved me. all of you,” you said, looking around at the group. “even if it was your fault, even if you were the reason i needed saving at all... you still did it. so, thank you."
"you're not mad? even after everything?” romance chimed in.
you exhaled. “i didn’t say i forgive you all completely. you still lied. a lot. and nearly had half the population disappear.”
“valid,” baby muttered.
“but i saw what it cost you to stand by me. i saw the pain, and i saw you fight through it anyway. i won’t forget that.”
then abby, the menace, replied with a sniffle. “are we hugging now?”
“no,” you said instantly.
“because i'm so ready to trauma-cuddle—”
“no.”
the room broke into snickers. abby slumps, looking ready to crush you in a bone-breaking hug but he respects you enough to sit it out lest he really makes you angry.
then you clapped your hands once, loud, business-mode sliding back into place. everyone's eyes snapped towards you in question. “now. let’s talk about your new concept for the next comeback.”
five pairs of demon eyes blinked at you.
baby groans, shovimg his head onto his folded arms on the table. "ugh, i thought we'd be on hiatus or something."
“oh?” romance, however, leaned in, grinning. he was excited to be on stage again. more so, eve more excited to still be working with you. “how about demons—you know, lean into the whole ‘true form’ angle? dark wings, red eyes, maybe a full transformation during a dance break?”
mystery adds, "but demons don't look like that-"
“hell no.”
“okay but—literally hell, yes?” romance offered, raising his hand helpfully.
“i will personally drag each of you to church myself.”
mystery hisses at the thought as the four grimaced. you held in a laugh.
“how about monster boyfriends?” abby recovers, flexing his biceps as he seemed to adore the absolute monstrosity of an idea. you start to wonder what the hell is going on in his head.
“absolutely not.”
“siren concept! we already sing souls out of people anyway—”
“STOP BRAGGING ABOUT THAT!” you groaned, a hand massaging your temple. seriously, what did they want? make the people relive their near-deaths or something? it was good enough that the fans had, somehow, forgotten what happened thanks to a certain girl group's help—but now they want to fucking relive it?!
"fine,” jinu said, crossing his arms. “then what do you suggest, o great wise manager of ours?"
the smirk that played on your lips made him regret asking.
“soft boy cottagecore. think: lace, florals, boys running through fields of wheat. redemption arcs. barefoot in the grass. everyone’s petting sheep.”
they all stared at you like you’d just suggested group baptism. they looked at you in horror. what the fuck was wrong with your head?
“i hate it,” baby said, visibly cringing. he shivered as he imagined himself in your little scenario and he swore he could throw up at any moment.
"angels. absolute angels." you announced through gritted teeth.
you were not suggesting.
“...i love it,” jinu said too quickly, catching on. “I will wear a bonnet.”
“i guess that... could work," romance hums, actually giving it a thought. he thinks he could actually make it work.
“you’re not helping,” mystery hissed.
you leaned forward, calm, smiling at them so wide. “you wanna keep performing without alerting a secret demon-hunting girl group? then you’re going to touch some flowers and look repentant. understood?”
“...fine,” they all mumbled.
you sat back with a smug smile. “perfect. gotta get back to work, boys.”
baby groaned into his hands. “i already miss the end of the world.”
Why is Savannahclaw so fucking hot?! Sweat soaks through the Heartslabyul outfit and Grim looks like a grey fluffy puddle on the ground. It also smells like Old Spice, or whatever the equivalent is in Twisted Wonderland,everywhere which doesn't help.
"You ok, MC?" A brown haired boy asks.
"I think we're melting," I say, sweating like a waterfall.
The moment I say me and Grim are melting Jack comes over with folded clothing. He says it's an old dorm uniform they think should fit me. I try to protest but they won't hear it.
"Fine, I'll put them on," I say.
Jack has me follow him to one of the dorm bathrooms. When we get to one of the many rope bridges I go to take a careful step.
"Oh no you don't. We can't let you cross alone, you have the balance of a baby gazelle," Ruggie says from behind, laughing his regular teasing laugh.
"Whats that supposed to me?" I ask.
He doesn't say anything as he scoops me up and puts me over his shoulder. He laughs as I try to get myself off his shoulder. Jack keeps walking like he didn't just watch me get manhandled and Ruggie bounces across the rope bridge. When we get to the door Ruggie puts me down and pats my head with a laugh.
"Just give me the clothes," I grumble.
Jack hands me the clothes but I notice neither of them are moving. I ask what they're doing and Ruggie says they have to keep guard. I give them a look and ask if they're joking, and they nod, saying it was Leona's orders. Sighing I lock the door and change.
The dorm uniform shirt is baggy, like very baggy and the end hangs out around my mid thigh. The pants aren't that much better and I have to role them up at the cuff. The shoes are a bit big but I don't really care at this point. The gloves are the only part that vaguely fits and the jacket also hangs low. I get to the thing I think is supposed be a belt and I just do what Ruggie does with it.
A knock is heard on the door just as I put it on as a scarf.
"What?" I ask.
"Are you alright?" Jack asks.
"It's only been a few minutes," I yell back.
"You’re one of the most valuable, it's natural we get worried," he says back.
I open the door, wanting to asking Jack what the hell he meant by that but then I hear Grim yelling.
"Leave me alone!" He yells.
I look down over the rope railing and see Grim fleeing from a group of students. Worried I run down back the way I came, ignoring the yells of Jack to be careful and Ruggie to come back. But the time I reach the ground floor Grim hides behind me and the group of students stops the chase. I ask them what the hell is going on and they hold up a Grim sized bandana that looked like the belt/scarf piece of the dorm uniform.
"We need to put this one him, so the others know you belong with us and not to Heartslabyul, because they stole you!" a red haired bat fox beastman explains with much enthusiasm.
I wanted them to explain what the hell that was supposed to mean but I was a bit nervous, because last time I checked Grim's magestone was still in Heartslabyul. Also, why are you calling them thieves because you lot fucking stormed into Heartslabyul, manhandled us, and brought us here!
Ruggie sneaks up behind Grim and grabs him while the bat fox beastman takes off the collar from Heartslabyul and ties the bandana around Grim's neck in its place. Ruggie finally lets Grim go and says that it looks good while scolding me for running down here.
"I thought Grim was in danger!" I exclaim.
"Yeah, but you're one of the sofest and most valuable member of the pride. We can't just let you run off, you might get snatched by someone," Ruggie says, pitching my cheek like a teasing grandma.
I rub my sore cheek and wait for anyone to say that Ruggie was joking, but they all seem to be agreeing, even Jack! Me and Grim stare at them, wondering how we're gonna get out of this but our thoughts are interrupted by Jack picking me up brial style and cradle me to his chest while holding Grim. It feels like he's trying to smoother us with his pecks and I try to pull away.
"Don't fuss, I don't want to drop you," he says in a tone I feel like he uses for his little siblings.
The others laugh at my situation and I flip them off over Jack's shoulder and one of them grabs and pulls on my finger until I apologize. Grim flops over Jack's shoulder, yelling at the others and someone picks him up and holds him like a sack of potatoes.
We both mentally grumble at the situation because if I thought Heartslabyul was nuts this is equally bad. It's Heartslabyul I had to play mind games, but here I have to have physical strength to overpower them... Yeah, I have a better change of seeing the Seven in person.
"You ok? You look a bit red," Jack says.
"Well, it feels like I'm being air fryed while being as dry as a very depressed desert tortoise. But other than that I'm fine," I joke.
They don't take it as a joke, instead they put me and Grim on the couch while looking for something to keep us from being easy bake students and something to drink. I look and see the brown haired boy opened the fridge, and that there is those werid healthy meal replacement shakes that taste of awful , electrolyte water I'm pretty sure is water with fancy packaging, and milk.
Ruggie comes over and places cool cloths on our foreheads, which makes us sigh in relief. I thank him and he's says its no big deal. Grim goes puddle mode and falls asleep, lucky.
I hear yelling and look, seeing two students fighting over which flavor of the werid shakes I'd like while someone else pours some milk into a bowl for Grim. It's kind of funny to watch them argue but I'm also worried that it will escalate to the use of magic pens.
Somehow it turns into an arm wrestle while Ruggie sweeps in and grabs one of the water bottles and the bowl of milk while the arm wrestling happens. He puts down the bowl and hands me the water bottle with a smile I wouldn't trust if my life depended on it.
"Shut up, all of you!" Leona roars as he storms into the common room.
Everyone freezes and looks at him, his tail swaying back and forth while his ears twitch slightly. He looked more pissed than normal and the once loud common room is so silent even the bugs outside stopped their songs.
Leona crosses his arms, silently demanding an explanation from his dorm members. But, how do you explain "we were fighting over which flavor of powdered sadness the prefect would like" without sounding like idiots. Someone tries to explain but Leona isnt hearing it. I use this moment to stand up and try to leave, moving slowly while everyone is focused on not kissing off Leona, until I hear yelling.
"Herbivore! Fireball! Where are you two going?" He bellows.
I freeze mid step as everyone turns to look at me while I'm holding Grim in a "princess hug". The guys part like the Red Sea as Leona storms towards us, looking down at us. We nervously smile and he grabs me but the back of my jacket, holding me like a mama cat does with her kittens.
I try to free myself but he just rolls his eyes and drags me with him.
"Now, I'm going back to my nap and I'm taking the Herbivore and Furball with me since you clowns can't keep an eye on them!" He yells at the others.
Leona's room is large and reeks of sweat and Old Spice like the rest of the dorm. Unlike the rest of the dorm it's cool, relatively speaking, and dark with dirty clothes scattered on the floor. He plops me down on his bed before laying down himself. I try to move away but he grabs me and pulls me to his chest. Grim has to reposition himself to sleep on top of Leona or he'd probably be squished. I try to escape his grip but he holds tighter and groans.
"Stop trying to move. We're taking a nap," he says, already half asleep.
"But why am I under you?" I ask.
"Because, you need to be kept safe, same with the furball. And nowhere is safer than right under me," he explains, taking Grim off his back and putting him next to me under him.
He somehow magnetizes to the bed, trapping me and Grim under his muscle bound weight. He purrs slightly while me and Grim sweat from the outside heat and the sharing of body heat with Leona, I swear that boy runs like a furnace. Grim falls asleep fast, purring softly and leaving me alone with my thought in the dark. Every time I move in anyway Leona growls in his sleep like a warning. Though, the purring from him and Grim feels nice. My eyelids grow heavy, fluttering softly before I finally fall into the overheated clutch of sleep.
It feels cooler, a slight breeze going past my face, and I hear voices.
"Rafiki, I don't think they're waking up," a male voice says.
"Oh do not worry, my king. Rifiki has an idea," a raspy yet wise voice says.
"Well, it better work, we have important news to tell them and so little time!" A male voice with a Brooklyn accent says.
"Hello. Hello! Wake up!" A raspy voice yells and i feel something hard hit my head.
I shot up, rubbing me head and looking for who or what hit me. I then see a monkey with a red nose, blue skin, and holding a large stick. Confused, I looking around and see I'm in a cave with this werid stick wielding monkey. Looking around more I see a large, muscular yellow-orange lion with a reddish-brown mane looking at me, a slender, well-built lioness with cream colored fur stands at the lions side. Looking to my left I see a large warthog with reddish-brown fur and a black mane with a red hair meerkat stand on it's back. All of them are staring at me and I'm trying not to scream, hyperventilating and they all pick up on my panic.
"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down, we're not gonna hurt," the lion says.
That doesn’t make me feel better and I think they all pick up at that. They tell me their names, the Lion is Simba, lioness is Nala, weird monkey is Rifiki, warthog is Pumbaa, and the meerkat is Timon. I introduce myself and Rifiki grabs my hands and leads me out of the cave. I look around, seeing nothing but miles and miles of grasslands and open night sky. I realize I'm on a large rock, with Rifiki walking me right to the edge.
"This place is beautiful," I mumble, looking up at the starry sky.
Rifiki stands next to me, a silence stretching between us that is filled but the noises of nocturnal birds and bugs.
"Now, onto business," Rifiki says casually.
I look at him, confused by what he means by that.
"You and your friend are hyrax surrounded by lions, wolves, heynas, and more. If you do not flew you shall never see the sun and sky again," he says.
I raise a confused eyebrow. Looking at the others for someone to translate what the hell he just said. Timon sighs, hops off Pumbaa and walks over to me.
"What he's trying to say, kid, is that if you and that furry friend of yours don't start running for the hills the "king" and his minions will trap you until you're old and grey," he explains.
That causes a feeling of dread to creep into my veins. The world closes in, shadows creeping in from every corner. I stand up, an orange glow of fire surrounding us as a dark Cackle and creepy, high pitched cackles echo. I start coughing, panicking, and feeling my heart race. I look for a way down but everything is surrounded by fire. Smoke raises to the sky and the laughter grows louder and louder until- my eyes fly open.
My heart pounds in my ears as my lungs ache with every panicked breath. I'm still stuck under Leona, Grim snoring next to me and Leona gripping me tighter. Soft talking and footsteps is heard outside the door. The heat hits me and I feel my clothes sticking to me.
I remember what the that dream told me. So, I start to plan. A knock makes Leona groan in annoyance, rolling over with me still trapped in his grip.
It was Ruggie, trying to get Leona to go to class and Leona is groaning and complaining about it. Eventually, Leona gets up and Ruggies moves me and Grim into the common room.
I have no idea what time it is, but based on people getting ready and asking their dorm mates if they did their homework I can make a guess.
Someone put a plate of what looks like a donuts on the main table, causing everyone to almost kill each other before the student who put the plate down yells at everyone.
"These aren't for you!" He yells.
Everyone stops, looking confused before the guy looks at me and Grim. He pushes the plate towards us and tells us he made these for us. I wait for people to start complaining, but no one does, which is werid because they were just trying to kill each other over these things not even five minutes ago.
We take bites, and these are the most delicious things we've ever had! I ask the guy what these are and he says that these are Sfenj. People eat and get ready for class, meaning me and Grim are going to have the whole place to ourseleves. The moment everyone is gone we start tearing the place apart, looking for a way to the mirror hall.
***
"I found something!" Grim yells.
By now we ended up in Ruggie's room and I was looking through his closet. I rush over to Grim, who is halfway under Ruggie's bed. I watch as Grim wiggles his way out from under the bed, holding his collar. We both smile, finally having some form of an advantage. I look at the clock, classes are almost over. The bandana is thrown off of Grim and I put his collar back on. We turn and freeze, standing in the open door is a very scary, silent Jack and a Smirking Ruggie.
"Snooping, really?" Ruggie teases, moving closer as Jack stands in the way.
I look out the window, to far of a drop for us to make it. Before I can say anythig Grim uses his fire to hold off Jack and Ruggie. We run out of the room, avoiding the other dorm members who all try to grab us. As we run, the bridges creak and groan under the weight. The heat is sapping our energy fast but I don't want to end up trapped here any longer.
"Running is useless!" Someone yells.
I feel someone grab the back of the vest, so I wiggle my way out of it and keep running. My lungs burn, sweat pours out of my skin but we're so close to getting out. Someone grabs the back of the scarf sash thing and while it takes a bit more effort I manage to also get out.
"Almost there, henceman! Almost there!" Grim yells, also running out of breath and energy.
By the tim we reach the mirror hall, we're both exhuasted and the group of Savannahclaw students who were chasing us is getting closer and closer. We both accept our fates by now, too tired to fight it when an unerving laugh echoes from one of the mirrors.
"Don't worry, Shrimpy and Baby Seal! We're here to save ya!" A sacrily familair voice yells.
Then I feel a pair of arms wrap around me and pull me into the mirror, while another pair of arm grabs Grim and pulls him in to and suddenly, the air feels very cool.
This is lovely, but don't forget your safety gear! A hot dye pot needs proper ventilation- dye outside, or with the vent fan on over your stove. Use gloves when handling freshly dyed fabrics- you can dye your skin by mistake. I usually like to gear up like a scientist- goggles, gloves, labcoat.
Above all, dye pots are not food pots! Do not use the pots you cook in for dying fabrics unless you know they are food safe dyes.
Any pots that are used for non-food related projects should not be used for food. Two different things I've had to use a pot for is dyeing fabric(lots of cosplay projects) and boiling driftwood(to kill off any potentially nasty things in the wood before adding it to my fishtank)
in america at least, in this situation, there isnt one. either your loved ones or the firemen can get you out using the emergency fire escapes or stairs, or you die
last summer my friend who is an amazingly talented artist and i were in this super tall building, and she’s in a wheelchair and i’m pushing her around the room. it’s an art exhibit and some of her art was chosen to be showcased there and so it’s all fine and dandy until suddenly an alarm starts going off
a FIRE ALARM
everyone starts running for the stairs and my friend just looks at me with this forlorn look on her face
“i can’t go down the stairs”
but i’m a stubborn bitch “i’ll carry you”
“what about my chair? it’s too expensive for me to be able to get another one if i can’t get this one back”
“i’ll carry that too”
and i did. we went to the stairs (by then most people from our floor were gone) and i lifted her up in a fireman’s carry over my shoulder and then lifted her chair up and used the ridiculous amount of adrenaline that was coursing through my veins to make it down approximately 20 half-flights of stairs until we met some people exiting lower floors, one of which who kindly took the chair. I changed positions so i was holding my friend bridal-style which was, somehow, easier and the person who took her wheelchair (with her permission to handle it of course) accompanied me to the ground floor and then out the doors
basically there is no real protocol for people who can’t use the stairs in an emergency. it’s up to the people with them, if anyone, to help them or the person to somehow make it down the stairs alone, unassisted
thank fuck that it was just a faulty alarm system, because if i was unable to carry her down those stairs and the building was on fucking fire???? then i don’t know what would have happened to her, but i don’t think it would have been very good.
it’s fucking ridiculous and ableist to the absolute max.
I use a cane. When I did a day-long fire safety training at my northeast American university (UMass Amherst), I asked that exact same question: “what am I supposed to do if the fire alarm goes off and I’m in my lab on the twelfth floor?”
the fire marshal hemmed and hawed for a while and then said to take the elevator- you’re supposed to leave it free for the fire department to use and they want able-bodied people out fast not waiting for elevators. if the fire alarm has just gone off the building probably hasn’t suffered enough structural damage to make using the elevator dangerous, and modern elevator wells are heavily reinforced. many large and high-trafficked buildings on my campus have fire rated elevators that link in with the fire alarm system so they won’t let you off on a floor with a possible fire.
if the elevator isn’t working, wait in the stairwell and call the fire department to let them know where you are. modern stairwells are also heavily reinforced- it might not be pleasant but modern building code usually requires fire-resistant stairwell doors in office and big residential buildings, also to help firefighters get in and out safely. older buildings’ stairwells may or may not be retrofitted with fire-resistant doors but a stairwell is generally the safest place to wait if you can’t get out.
what happened to your friend was horrible, and i’m very glad you were there to help her out, but you can absolutely use the elevator to evacuate if it’s not shut down. those don’t-use-the-elevator rules are for abled people.
Okay, firefighter here. If you are not physically able to use the stairs, and the elevator is NOT compromised, use the elevator. But you MUST be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the elevator is NOT compromised before you get into it, because there is always the chance that once you get into it, you may not exit it. Power could go out. The elevator may actually BE compromised and you just couldn’t tell from where you were until you were in there, and it suddenly shuts down on you. Something else could happen.
Understand that once you enter the elevator, you could POTENTIALLY be taking your life into your hands there.
It is NOT LIKELY, to be perfectly honest. It’s only in a pretty catastrophic scenario - think the Twin Towers, USA, on September 11th - that the elevators will be compromised and out of service. But there is a NOT ZERO PERCENT CHANCE and you need to understand that and accept it.
As for leaving the elevators free for the firefighters, okay, here’s the deal. Unless your nearest fire station is literally right next door? Your first on scene fire truck is NOT likely to be there on scene and needing that elevator before you get to the ground. It takes us TIME to find the address, gear up, and drive to the building. Then we need to hoof it into where the elevators even ARE, so YOU HAVE TIME to use the elevator to get down to the ground floor... BUT ONLY IF THERE’S NOT A RUSH ON THE ELEVATOR! And THAT is WHY we don’t tell people this shit. That’s WHY we tell people to NEVER USE THE ELEVATOR... because every self-entitled asshole will use it because they don’t feel like walking, and then put YOU in danger by delaying the elevator’s arrival to you.
IF, however, the elevator IS compromised, or you just can’t get it to come for you, or whatever, and you either don’t have anyone with you who has the adrenaline fueled BALLS to be able to toss you over their shoulder and hoof it down the stairs with you - because, let’s face it, that is RARE AS FUCK, then HERE IS WHAT YOU DO:
You call 911 and tell the call taker that you are in the building that has a fire alarm going off, and you are not able to evacuate because of a physical disability, and you tell them what floor you are on, and EXACTLY what stairwell you are waiting at. And the very FIRST thing that the firefighters are going to do once they arrive, if it is, indeed, a REAL emergency, and not a false alarm, is come get your ass and bring you down. Whether that means carrying you down the stairs, or whether that means locking out the elevators so that no one else can override them and coming to get you themselves, they WILL come get you FIRST THING if it is a real event. And if it is a false alarm? You will probably be the first person who is not involved with the building to know, because the call-taker is going to stay on the line with you until you are under someone’s care and out of danger, or until the scene has been sorted out as real or false, and you are out of danger that way.
These are pretty standard operations in the fire service throughout the United States. There may be some minor variations based on specific municipalities, but, for the most part, this is pretty typical: LIFE BEFORE PROPERTY. So, as long as SOMEONE knows where you are - hence why you call 911 - Firefighters will come get you. You are NOT alone, and you have NOT been abandoned. I PROMISE. It’s like, our whole reason for doing the shit we do: to save lives and to break shit. Sometimes, we get lucky enough to do both at the same time.
High rise fires suck ass, and I always hated them. But the very FIRST thing I asked anytime we got one was if we had “any entrapments” - which is what we call anyone who could not self-evacuate for ANY reason. We ain’t leaving you behind. And yes, your friend who doesn’t have the stamina to carry you down can stay with you, too. Because I would never ask that of someone, honestly.
Also, just a little FYI... MOST fire alarms are false alarms. Not to make anyone complacent or anything, but, yeah. Most of them are either system malfunctions, someone accidentally hit a pull station, or someone burned popcorn in a break room. So don’t let a fire alarm freak you out until you need it to - by smelling or seeing smoke or flames.
whew!! I've had this idea for a soot sprite cosplay for Litcherally so long, i thought it was never going to happen but lo and behold! here he be!! !!! I was trying to avoid fur projects to give the Dust Situation in my abode a rest but that...did not happen 🤨
This costume is another primarily suede affair, with only a few accent fabrics other than the faux fur. 90% of fabrics were from big z....again. The things of note on this guy are the chubby stars which are all painted novelty stress balls! also the big soot sprite, Augustus, is actually a fur covered beach ball.
I've always gotten a kick out of this design and thought the soot sprites were just endlessly charming, so i'm pretty happy with this project!
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