sorry im coping with aus again oopsie daisy. anyway here's my take on a fantasy au
it all started with me rewatching the D&D movie and thinking "hm. what (broad) classes would the neighbors have?"
and after much thinking i came to the conclusion: Barnaby = Bard / Eddie = Paladin / Sally = Sorcerer / Julie = fighter / Frank = monk / Howdy = Artificer / Poppy = Healer / Wally = 'Wizard'
those seem fitting! BUT i don't like restrictions or rules so in this very light worldbuilding for a casual (strongly glaring at myself here) CASUAL au, it's only dnd-esque. not actually dnd yk yk
in my head, they're not technically puppets for this au. they're flesh and blood, they've got bones, etc. they're actual Creatures, though they still look like Them! Julie's still pink w/ candy-corn-horns! Frank is still a gray tube! Barnaby is a big blue dog! they're just... not puppets. it's the same for the other beings in this fantasy world - they all keep the style, but they're all flesh n' blood if that makes sense. a cartoony fantasy world
so they have their little found family adventuring group titled, of course, The Neighborhood. because when they were first forming, Wally went "oh! are we a neighborhood? i've always wanted neighbors!" and it Stuck. so they all lovingly refer to each other as neighbors, even though the closest they get to being actual neighbors is pitching their tents next to each other & staying at an Inn in neighboring rooms
like your classic group of adventurers, they're almost constantly on the move. the longest they stay in one place is a couple of months - the rest of the time they're wandering! they take quests, get roped into general Shenanigans, etc. they adventure! and get into a lot of battles of varying severity
so Barnaby is still kiiiiind of a bard? best i can describe him is jack-of-all-trades moral support! he provides battle music, keeps the mood light, and stands off to the side to offer quips and tips. he prefers not to fight, and only Gets Involved when the others need Backup. even then, he usually takes the role of defending his neighbors. he has a good eye for whether or not physical support is needed - he never needs to be asked when there's a legitimate need for him! unless he's thoroughly distracted from the goings-on. he does have magic, but it's more for show / defense-based
Eddie's still pretty classically a paladin. healing powers, armor, there to be on the front lines and Protect! the group's sword and shield! he technically serves a god but he forgot who <3 he just makes the occasional general offering and mumbles some vague prayer. he's super friendly! super helpful! super willing to dive into the line of fire! Will disregard his own safety without a second thought! his magic is pretty much restricted to healing, and it's weak healing at that (maybe because he can't properly serve his god...), so it's mostly good for quick mid-battle heals and little wounds. temporary fixes!
Sally has innate fire/light magic, and she's very showy with it! she puts Flair and Pizazz into all of her casts and is very dramatic on the battlefield - she manages to turn her fights into a performance. She tag-teams keeping the Neighborhood entertained with Barnaby. he handles the humor/lightheartedness, she handles the escapism/encouragement. she writes scripts & stories in her off-time, and often reads them (or spins a new one) after dinner. when they have weeks / month breaks in one spot, sometimes she'll recruit local thespians to create a play
Frank is all about that hand-to-hand combat babey! he wants to feel bones break under his fists! he wants those split knuckles! he very often starts fights, and even more often finishes them - what he lacks in raw power he makes up for in vicious tenacity. he just Keeps On Going! he seconds as the group's Knowledge Guy. while his hobby is studying insects, he also catalogues/studies monsters and enemies and terrain so that the Neighborhood can always be prepared. the only time he stays out of fights is when he's researching or note-taking. he tries to micromanage the battle from afar anyway
Julie is like... put a druid, a fighter, and a barbarian in a blender. she's got a big sword! she's got seemingly endless energy in battle! she can talk to plants, especially flowers! her flora magic is very minor, so it's not like she's making giant roots burst out of the ground and strangle people. but plants can give her information, and if she asks nicely and they feel like it, sometimes they'll help her out. in battle she's a force to be reckoned with! nothing will stop her and her sword! she's usually the second (closely following Frank, with Eddie hot on her heels) Neighbor charging into battle - but she's the one with the stellar war cry! & where Sally and Barnaby tend to the Neighborhood's emotional wellbeing & entertainment, Julie keeps things fresh with Physical Activities during their downtime!
Poppy is a powerful healer! she draws on an individual's energy (often taps into her own as well) to convert it into healing power. it's draining but it's damn good healing! she also takes the role of the Neighborhood's cook (the others still like to help, especially Frank who is essentially her sous-chef) and makes sure they're all healthy. she hangs back during battles, waiting to (and hoping that she doesn't have to) heal a wounded Neighbor. if one of them is badly hit, she forces herself to run into battle and drag them to safety before working on their injury. she has a tiny bit of illusion magic, which she'll cast from afar to assist her Neighbors. she tries not to use it outside of emergencies - it takes a lot of energy, which she tries to conserve just in case.
Howdy has Zero Magic! none! four hands and none of them are magical! however, he's a damn good inventor & a whiz at potion making. he can Use magical items like there's no tomorrow - he just can't wield it himself. he supplies the group with potions, helpful items, all sorts of goodies - given that they can trade for it with anything he'd accept in-canon. the only exception is when they're mid-battle - he hands stuff out when needed without haggle. he supplies the group with their cash when they're not getting it from looting/quests - he has a magic backpack that can unfold into a fully-stocked merchant stall! he sells at towns, on the road, anywhere he can! In battle he hangs back with Poppy and, yes, supplies items, but he also uses ranged attacks - magical weapons that cast for him, magic 'bombs', that sort of thing! but there's a little secret - he's the Neighborhood's secret weapon. he invented fantasy guns! four magic revolvers that, when the 'second safety' is turned off, multiply into a giant clusterfuck of guns (with ammo ranging from magic 'bullets' to essentially rocket launchers). unfortunately he can only use this setting once & for a limited time before the guns overload & have to be manually repaired. so he either uses them off of the first safety (i.e, they're 'normal'), or not at all. you know shit is Really hitting the fan when he joins a fight
and Wally! Wally Wally Wally... you may have noticed that i put his class 'wizard' in quotes. that's because he says he's a wizard, but he's not! he just says he's one due to the automatic stigma and fear of what he really is - a Warlock! his patron is Home, an eldritch horror that many would classify as a demon. they have a very special, codependent pact that neither of them can live without - Wally wears their 'seal' as a house-shaped pendant on a choker (necklace) hidden under his clothes. Home is extraordinarily powerful, but Wally barely taps into that power. he has a grimoire that Home inscribed with a bunch of sigils that convert into spells when drawn & then cast in the air. the only other powers he uses are seeing-in-the-dark, seeing-magic, and opening teleportation doors! Wally can't sleep, but he can doze - though he's never fully unaware of his surroundings (its kind of like how dolphins only sleep with one half of their brain). he still eats with his eyes, which both feeds him & acts as a form of providing daily energy to Home, since Home can't exactly consume souls every day. If Wally uses too much magic, he has to rest inside of Home's house-form, which is the only time he actually fully sleeps. no one knows about Home, or that Wally is lying about his wizard status.
Home is a lovecraftian being with three forms. the first is the lowest power level - a cute one-room house with Eyes! i.e: Home Classic! Wally's pendant unfolds into it, and it's the main way Wally and Home physically interact & communicate. the second is possession - if Wally explicitly allows it, Home can completely take over his body and kind of 'tuck him away' to have a nice deep nap while Home takes the reins (Home can technically force this, but it's very difficult and would not go over well w/ Wally - it would also be an unstable possession). the third is Home's true form - a massive shadowy eldritch monster made of writhing darkness and nightmares that no one in their right mind would look at, let alone fight. Home has very complicated feelings about Wally & the Neighborhood. they are also, quite literally, Wally's heart - which is part of their pact.
i have some scene ideas & little Plot Concepts (most notably the times the Neighborhood learns two Very Big Secrets about Wally, one of which being the warlock/Home reveal).
but yeah that's moooostly it. basic stuff yk, not very in depth! just fun things to feed my maladaptive daydreaming & escapism
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WOW I FINALLY FINISHED THIS SET. There were a lot of things I wanted to get right for them so I took some extra time but hopefully it was worth it! The guild for this set is Cobalt Heart- a guild with focus on maritime missions, lead by (of course) guildmaster Neptune. There was no other planet I could've picked for his namesake lol. They're the guild I jokingly call the most jockish, but some moreso than others. I really do hope I did all the characters justice, but if you wanna know more about the individual members, it's under the cut as usual!
Name: Neptune
Name Origin: The planet named for the god of the ocean
Pronouns: He/him
Age: 52
Guild rank: Guildmaster
Weapon: Trident
Ethos (Power): Ocean wave (Control over water- stronger with sea water)
Flaw power is based on: Originally based on his overly relaxed go-with-the-flow nature, but since becoming a father and guildmaster he's matured, and his power grew from simple wave control to more powerful control over the ocean's water. Waves aren't always peaceful, but he's become someone who understands their power and the responsibility needed for it.
Notes: If it's unclear, the marks on his chest are meant to be top surgery tattoos, but in cool wave shapes!
Name: Triton
Name Origin: Neptune's moon, aptly named for his son
Pronouns: He/they
Age: 24
Guild rank: 4 star
Weapon: Twin sai
Ethos (Power): Ocean breath (Underwater breathing as well as other aquatic adaptions)
Flaw power is based on: His ardent wanderlust, especially in regards to the ocean. They literally cannot leave it alone despite any possible better reasoning, which is when it becomes a problem.
Notes: Was his other parent a mermaid or did they just do the fish thing on their own? The world may never know.
Name: Otrera
Name Origin: A trojan asteroid named after the queen of the Amazons
Pronouns: She/her
Age: 32
Guild rank: 5 star
Weapon: Brass knickles
Ethos (Power): Preflexes (Hightened reflexes)
Flaw power is based on: Her overly-guarded and cagey nature.
Notes: But her brass knuckles are pink so its quirky when she knocks your teeth out.
Name: Naos
Name Origin: A star whose name means "ship"
Pronouns: He/him
Age: 21
Guild rank: 3 star
Weapon: Modified crutches
Ethos (Power): Helm (He can change the direction of inanimate objects. It's not limited to projectiles, he can change the direction of objects while they're in someone's hand too.)
Flaw power is based on: His avoidant tenancies, especially where more serious responsibility is concerned.
Notes: Honestly? Joined the guild to boost his playboy status.
Name: Aitne
Name Origin: One of Jupiter's moons, named after the personification of Mount Etna, a stratovolcano
Pronouns: They/them
Age: 27
Guild rank: 4 star
Weapon: Spiked gauntlets and armor
Ethos (Power): Molten Core (Lava manipulation)
Flaw power is based on: Their brash and destructive nature.
Notes: Likes all their food to be charred.
Name: Ariel
Name Origin: A moon or Uranus, named after an air spirit!
Pronouns: She/her
Age: 16
Guild rank: 2 star
Weapon: Baton
Ethos (Power): Harmony (Perfect balance on anything)
Flaw power is based on: Her own difficulty maintaining emotional balance under stress
Notes: She's a gymnast! And even though I didn't make the character named "Ariel" a mermaid, you can still see a scale pattern in her leotard!
Name: Maru
Name Origin: A white dwarf whose name means "Sky." It's orbited by the planet Ahra.
Pronouns: She/her
Age: 18
Guild rank: 3 star
Weapon: Claymore sword
Ethos (Power): Sky walking (She is capable of interacting with air as if it were a tangible object, creating leverage for herself to walk and balance on as if it were solid)
Flaw power is based on: Her somewhat vain tendency to place herself above others
Notes: Complete and utterly confident she's the cooler twin
Name: Ahra
Name Origin: A exoplanet whose name means "Ocean." It orbits the star Maru.
Pronouns: She/her
Age: 18
Guild rank: 3 star
Weapon: Claymore sword
Ethos (Power): Wave riding (Creation and control of tidal waves to ride on, as if she was surfing them with no board. But she does have to be on them.)
Flaw power is based on: Her arrogance and recklessness
Notes: Completely and utterly convinced she's the cooler twin.
Name: Pipoltr/Pip
Name Origin: A star named for "a bright and beautiful butterfly."
Pronouns: Whatever really?
Age: 8
Guild rank: 1 star
Weapon: Giant lollipop
Ethos (Power): None yet!
Flaw power is based on: N/A. This doesn't mean they're flawless, but until their power develops they're really just here to go on fun little adventures.
Notes: This child hangs around with sailors all day long. The words they know....
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He wonders if, had he had a taste of friendship with all those things before returning to his reality, if he would feel quieter, and lonelier, and more sad, now that he wasn’t friends with them.
The answer is probably yes.
Wilbur tries not to think about this very often; it just makes him hungry for all the things he’ll never have. An insatiable hunger.
Wilbur wonders if Phil ever feels like this.
~~~
Finally, Wilbur settles on something, because he taps the screen once before lowering his hands, keeping hold of the phone and letting a song play from it.
Guitar. That’s what starts this song off.
Tommy tilts his head. He’s never heard this before. It’s a new song to him.
But it’s… pretty. As far as the first bit goes, at least; all gentle guitar and soft singing, all that. It sounds like something Ghostbur would like.
And then the chorus comes around, and Tommy’s eyes widen a little bit as the lyrics hit his ears.
“Jesus, my heart, your home. Jesus.”
Tommy flicks his gaze to Wilbur, inquisitive.
Wilbur gazes back, even and calm.
The song continues playing, and after a few seconds, Tommy turns his attention back to it. He’s paying more attention to the lyrics now.
“I will sing for you, all my days. Always quick to give you praise. When I was in sin, you saved my soul. No greater love will I ever know.”
“Do you go to church?” Tommy asks, because he couldn’t keep the question inside his chest any longer.
“No,” Wilbur answers, quick but sure. “Not really, no. I don’t even believe in most of the things this song talks about.”
“Oh. Then…” Tommy furrows his brow. “Then why do you listen to it?”
The song turns loud, strong guitar strums and almost yell-y singing, and Wilbur turns thoughtful, tilting his head ever so slightly as he looks off into the distance.
For a moment, he doesn’t say anything.
The song keeps playing.
~~~
“You tried to revive Wilbur,” Ghostbur said, hoping that the king would understand what so few seemed to. “You tried to kill me."
~~~
Wilbur hums, and with a quick prayer to whoever is listening, Niki starts to drive.
~~~
Ranboo’s heart drops. Oh no.
“Hey, hey, um… W-Wilbur? What… what uh, what’s wrong?” Ranboo hurriedly kneels down, as close to Wilbur as he dares.
~~~
(Another one for heart because I wanted to share :)
No. Everything is warm and hazy, drifting in and out of focus with each beat of his heart—a heart which, as far as Wilbur can tell, is slow, lazy, irregular. Irregular. A wobbling spotlight that shines in the wrong places, doesn’t follow the cues.
~~~
“Hello!”
Wilbur blinks, peering up from his phone to see Ghostbur walking into the kitchen, blinking the sleepiness from his eyes. “Hey. I got, um…” He gestures vaguely to the island. “McDonald’s.”
“McDonald’s,” Ghostbur repeats, sounding inquisitive and amazed at the same time.
Wilbur blinks.
Ghostbur comes to a stop in front of the island, looking around at the paper bags filled with breakfast food. He blinks hard, as if trying to will away any leftover wisps of unconsciousness. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had McDonald’s.”
~~~
“You can sleep after this,” Tommy assures, hovering in case the cup spills from Ghostbur’s hands. “Just- make sure you drink enough, y’know. I don’t want you getting diehydrated or anything.”
Ghostbur doesn’t smile at Tommy’s joke, and Tommy suddenly feels lonely. Which is weird, because Ghostbur is right here. He’s not lonely.
His heart just gave a proper pang though, didn’t it?
“You’re not ever yourself after doctor visits,” Tommy says softly, watching as Ghostbur sips at the straw with nearly-closed eyes.
~~~
(Couldn’t find one for gentleness so I went with gentle instead!)
He hopes that his voice sounds gentle. He wonders if it’s possible to bend his voice in such a way that sounds gentle.
~~~
When they get inside, the song isn’t finished, so they stay in the living room and Ghostbur sways the both of them back and forth, back and forth, all the way until they finish na-na-na-na-ing. It doesn’t matter that they can’t see very well, with all the lights off; they know they’re both here. They can hear each other. Tommy can feel the soft wool of Ghostbur’s sweater sleeves.
They finish the last lyric, and for a few seconds, the whole house is quiet.
Ghostbur leans forward, pressing a kiss onto Tommy’s head. Tommy blinks as he pulls back.
Ghostbur smiles. “I think of you whenever I hear that song."
Tommy doesn’t know what to say to that, so he doesn’t say anything.
As they both lay in bed, facing each other, Tommy moves a little closer than usual. Ghostbur keeps his eyes closed, but he rubs his thumb along Tommy’s arm until they both fall asleep, and that makes Tommy feel better.
When Tommy wakes up, the first thing he does is check to make sure Ghostbur’s still here. He is.
Ghostbur’s thumb is still resting against Tommy’s arm.
Tommy moves a little bit closer, and he falls back asleep.
~~~
“You could’ve been trying to pull a prank on me, or a joke.”
Wilbur’s heart twinges, just a bit. “I wouldn’t do that.”
Ghostbur says nothing.
“I’ll help you, alright?” Wilbur takes a step closer, water sloshing up his legs. “I’ll make sure nothing… bad happens, or anything.”
Ghostbur finally looks up, meeting Wilbur’s eyes. He looks skeptical.
Wilbur raises his brows. “Promise. Y’know, we’ll be like… we’ll be like brothers, right? This is the sort of thing brothers do!”
Ghostbur tilts his head thoughtfully. “Perhaps.”
“Look, I don’t wanna stay out here all day, man. Just try it. Look, you suck in a breath and hold it, so your body stays buoyant. See?” Wilbur breathes in to demonstrate, but Ghostbur wrinkles his nose.
“I know how to hold my breath.”
“Then do it, man! Come on!” Wilbur gestures at the water, grinning. “I’ll make sure you don’t sink. I’ll grab you if things go south, alright?”
Ghostbur looks at the water again, nodding after a few moments. “Okay.”
“It’s just fl-“ Wilbur cuts himself off, eyes widening with surprise as Ghostbur lowers himself down and takes a deep breath, shutting his eyes.
And Ghostbur freaking floats. He lays there in the water with his eyes shut and his freaking shirt on and he floats. He barely even moves, actually; just floats there, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
For a minute, he stays like that, and for a minute, Wilbur stares, not quite sure how to react to this.
I didn’t know he was going to do it that quickly.
After a minute, Ghostbur blinks his eyes open, quickly widening them as he tries to right himself.
“You’re fine,” Wilbur assures, stepping forward and letting Ghostbur cling to his arm and get pulled up. “See? Right here, just like I said.”
Ghostbur says absolutely nothing, squeezing Wilbur’s arm with both hands and breathing hard. His hair sticks to his forehead in a dark mess.
Wilbur realizes that his own hair probably looks the same.
“You did it, man.” Wilbur laughs, because there’s really nothing else to do. “You floated! Y’know? And I didn’t even have to do anything! Man, are you sure you don’t know how to swim? I’m being serious. Because that was fantastic, right there.”
Ghostbur stares at his hands, wrapped around Wilbur’s arm, and then he slowly brings his gaze upward, until they meet his brother’s. His eyes are wide. “That water is cold!”
Wilbur laughs again, louder. His feet nearly trip over themselves, but he manages to stay upright and not fall into the river. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”
“And… I floated.”
Wilbur smiles. “I suppose you did.”
“Oh.” Ghostbur glances at the water again, eyes dancing. He looks back to his hands, holding onto Wilbur, and blinks. He pulls his hands away. “I think I hurt you.”
Wilbur looks down, noticing how his skin is white where Ghostbur had held onto it. “Nah, I’m fine.”
“That might bruise.”
“It won’t.”
“I was just a little nervous.”
“I know. But you floated anyway.” Wilbur raises his brows. “Yeah?”
Ghostbur looses a breath through his mouth, nodding. “Yeah. I did, I did.”
Then he brightens. “Oh. I really did, didn’t I?”
“Heck yeah, man.”
“Oh.” Ghostbur slowly runs his fingers through the river, creating small waves. He smiles—a flickering sort of thing. “I did. I did.”
Wilbur grins. His arm probably will bruise—Ghostbur has a hard grip, man—but he can’t bring himself to care. He doesn’t care.
There’s birds chirping everywhere.
~~~
He glances at the window, watching orange light bleed through the closed blinds. Is it too early? He planned to do it tonight, after the sun set and the world grew cold.
But there’s nothing else to do.
Wilbur huffs a laugh that sounds more like a sickness. Might as well. The timing won’t change anything; it’s inevitable either way.
He grunts as he rises to his feet, wandering towards his dresser. The slivers of sunlight that worm their way between the blinds cast lines on the wall. Wilbur blocks them with his shadow.
~~~
“But,” Tommy continues, dipping a fry into some ketchup. “This makes it better.”
“What does?”
“Food. Five Guys. Even you.” He holds up the ketchup-dipped fry, waving it about with a glint in his eye. “I love salt!”
Wilbur huffs a smile, gazing at the table.
~~~
(Another one for love just because)
Ghostbur smiles, huffing quietly to himself. Tommy is very funny. He does such strange things. Ghostbur loves him more than he loves anything else.
~~~
(Annnnd another one)
Niki shakes her head. “My bakery is gone.”
“Wh… gone?”
“I burned it.”
He stops walking, and some of the leaves go quiet.
Niki walks ahead of him. After a second or two, she hears leaves again.
“Oh. Okay!” He comes up alongside her, and he’s taller than her, because he’s always been taller than her. “That seems like a strange thing to do to something you love. Why did you burn it?”
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