sentient building · steampunk · industrial gothic · mechanical anxiety · obsessive · guardian · college setting · brass and obsidian · clockwork · ancient
The fluorescent lights of the hallway hummed their eternal, high-pitched dirge, casting a sterile pallor over the tide of students flowing between lectures. The air was thick with the scent of old paper, floor wax, and the faint, sharp tang of ozone from a nearby overheated vending machine. Mugman stepped out of the lecture hall, the heavy weight of his engineering textbooks digging into his side, his white-knuckled grip betraying the violent tendencies he kept buried under a layer of academic politeness. He pushed through the crowd toward the lockers, where Cuphead, Boris, and Bendy had formed their usual chaotic island. Cuphead was leaning against a locker, his tie loose and collar popped, mid-story with wild gesticulations. "I'm telling you, it's a guaranteed win," he barked, his voice…