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thranduil-aran-edhil · 7 months

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OK, so. Finished my first run. Gotta admit I'm not 100% satisfied with some endings. BUT NO BIGGIE, THAT'S WHAT HEADCANONS ARE FOR, DON'T WORRY I GOT A PERMIT (i'm a Dungeon Master) SO LET'S GO, HC TIME D&D STYLE BC WE STILL GOT 8 LEVELS TO GO: (spoilers for BG3 and Descent Into Avernus going forward)

They'd all stay together and continue to go on adventures, the 8 of them, Tav, Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, Wyll, Karlach and Halsin. Found Families stay together. (I do enjoy the polyship aspect too, so just throwing it out there) There's an exchange you can have ingame with an NPC in the Guild and Tav will say the party's name is Wormskulls and I love it. I do also love Tadfools. Maybe they are Wormskulls to the general public and Tadfools to their close friends and allies lol. After the tadpoles are gone I think it would be very useful for them to commission earrings enchanted with Rary's Telepathic Bond. Less invasive than a mindflayer tadpole and just as useful. Also symbolic for Gale. I think the earring would have a pendant of a skull with a serpent coming out of its eye and being bitten by the teeth.

OK SO, my girl Karlach. I haven't romanced her yet, gonna do a run for that. But she's not dying on my watch. She's going back to Avernus, BUT YOU CAN BE SO SURE THAT THE MOMENT THE WHOLE PARTY IS READY WE'RE KICKING DOWN ZARIEL'S DOOR AND KICKING HER ASS. Or giving her her sword back and possibly turning her back into an Angel, something that whatever party of adventurers that managed to save BG and Elturel in Descent Into Avernus CLEARLY didn't do, it would probably not only nullify Mizora's contract with Wyll bc Zariel is now a completely different entity, if you decided to redo Wyll's contract with her, but also would give us a better chance of Zariel taking the infernal engine out of Karlach herself. Maybe turning Wyll into a Devotion Paladin? (more details about Zariel here) I'd ask Jaheira and Minsc to take care of Scratch and Albie (owlbear cub) because the Hells is no place for pets. Even very brave ones. Maybe Halsin's "ending" fits here, taking care of the pets and the kids while everyone goes to Avernus, they leave him with a Sending Stone. And when they are back he's there waiting for them. 🥺

If we saved Duke Ravengard and broke Wyll's contract. (or didn't but are hcing that we broke his contract by defeating/unmaking Zariel) what does that mean to Wyll? I think it be super cool to go more in depth about it. How does he reconsile with his father? Does he accept to be reinstated as heir and becomes the Duke right away or does he think it's best for his father to continue his role a bit longer? Does he even want to be Duke or does he think he can serve the people of the Sword Coast better as an adventurer? If he turns into a Duke, what sort of benefit does that give an adventuring party?

Finding something to make Astarion able to walk in the sun again I've seen people talk about the Ring of the Sun-Walker as if it's from the 5e books, it's not, it's homebrew. HOWEVER, any freaking DM with a heart would create something similar for their player to continue playing without being afraid of dying instantly bc of the sun. The Cloak of Dragomir is canon to the Baldur's Gate videogame universe, so it be a good tie in, but it would be a temporary solution at best since it penalizes the player quite harshly, Strength: -6, Dexterity: -4, Intelligence: -2, Wisdom: -2, Charisma: -4 and Vampire Regeneration divided by 3, to 1 HP per 3 rounds. That being said, I wouldn't make it TOO easy to obtain as there are other ways for Astarion to be safe, like the Darkness spell. It would be interesting to see him (and Tav) struggle a little bit more, really feel the sacrifice Astarion made by rejecting the Ascendance even after they find something to combat the Sunlight Hypersensitivity. Astarion's biological family would be something very interesting to explore in the future. They would be Elves themselves and are most likely still alive, we even have a surname thanks to people analyzing the shit out of that tombstone: Ancunín. As a DM I wouldn't wait for a player to decide to search for these people, I'd throw them at the players! Strolling through the Upper City in a quick shopping trip? You hear a loud gasp, things clattering and bumping into the ground, hurried desperate steps and then someone sobbing "Astarion?? Astarion is that you?!" What do you do?

Visiting Waterdeep and Morena Dekarios. This woman deserves to see her son again, and Gale deserves to finally go back home and see his mom without the burden of an ancient artifact lodged in his chest and a goddess wanting him to kill himself. Would he stay? I'm not sure, he went through an entire Hero's Journey and maybe now home, although pleasant, is not as comforting anymore. Waterdeep is the element of Gale of Waterdeep and he's not him anymore. I think this would be a great premise for a roleplay focused arc. Gale is invited to the Blackstaff Ball for the first time since Mystra shunned him, the Wormskulls are famous now, The New Heros of Baldur's Gate (Gala Episode anyone? All of them SLAYIN with their fits? Poor Halsin totally out of his element). He's once again welcomed into the society of the Lord Mage of Waterdeep and his peers seem to have all but forgotten he was ever a pariah. Is that what he wants? And Waterdeep has many opportunities for more adventure. A paranoid Beholder underground anyone?

Kill the Lich Queen (CLASSIC D&D). Vlaakith IS FINISHED. TIME TO SPELLJAM AND BE SPACE PIRATES YALL. Lae'zel deserves to see this through to the END.

Shadowheart goes through another journey to find out if she wants to truly embrace Selûne or maybe become another thing entirely. Selûne should reach out or Isobel and Dame Aylin would help her out. Or maybe Shadowheart is tired of being a Cleric and following a god. But change and inconsistency is something that is under Selûne's portfolio, she's often followed by those who are lost, so I think she'd find more than fitting for Shadowheart to be a cautious and weary follower of her.

Your Tav's personal stuff. The Dark Urge sounds amazing and I can't wait to do a run with them, but I think most of us got very attached to our Original Characters Do No Steal. So I'm excited to see what people come up with for their Tavs. Otessa, my Tav, doesn't know her dad was a pirate, he never told her, so I expect that his past will come bite him in the ass and she'll have to help him out of that pickle.

When the party has reached level 17, Gale has access to the Wish spell. And I really do think they'd use it to get rid of Astarion's undeath. As a DM I wouldn't let Gale simply get the spell outright, he'd have to research it. Not only that, I don't think Astarion would be totally free of undeath, some remnant of it would linger, he'd probably turn into an Elf that needs blood to survive and is forever locked out of the Call of Arvandor or something. But he'd be mortal and would be able to walk in the sun without that ring, cross bodies of water, wouldn't instadie from pointy wood objects in the chest etc. (i'm writing a little one-shot about this, should post it soon)

#i know this is rambly and i havent seen all the endings/done all the romances but i really wanted to put this out there anyway #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #astarion #karlach #gale of waterdeep #gale dekarios #lae'zel #shadowheart #wyll ravengard #halsin #spoilers #bg3 spoilers #tadfools #wormskulls

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ronancexists · 11 months

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Things I would like to see in Stranger Things 5:

- Since Robin has done quite a few doodles on her red converse, I like to think she's quite good at drawing, so that can be a way for her to start up a conversation with Will

- And then Will confides in Robin about being gay and being in love with Mike because he had a feeling that she was like him and Robin confirming she was indeed like him and becoming his gay mentor (like you don't understand I NEED ROBIN AND WILL TO HAVE A CONVO ABOUT BEING GAY)

- Will (finally!) tells the party that he's gay (and Byler becomes a thing) but not before Robin comes out to the party in order to make Will feel more comfortable and to show him that they will accept him because that's totally something she would do as his gay mentor

- More Steve and Robin being "Platonic with a Capital P" cause we didn't get enough in st4

- Hopper and Joyce trying to corral the kids and control the situation as best as they can

- Joyce being a mother figure to Robin like she is with the rest of the kids and Robin becoming better acquainted with El, Jonathan, and ESPECIALLY Will because she didn't really get a chance to get to know the California crew before they packed up and moved so ya

- El traveling into Vecna's/Henry's/One's mind in order to be able to wake Max up and free her from his control because he said his victims stay with him in his mind so like 👀

- Max wakes up after El successfully rescues her from Vecna/Henry/One but she is severely incapacitated, like she's probably blind in one or both eyes and is going to need assistance walking for the rest of her life and is going to be stuck in the hospital for a few more weeks (possibly months)

- How and when the Upside Down was created

- What Will's connection to Vecna/Henry/One and the Upside Down really entails and how that could affect both him and The Party during this final stretch

- Vecna/Henry/One, the Demogorgons, the Demodogs, the Demobats, the Mindflayer, and the Upside Down along with whatever other monsters are down there get destroyed once and for all because I don't think shutting the gates is gonna do it this time

- Kali comes back to help El defeat Vecna/Henry/One

- Murray tries to figure Steve and Robin out but he can't because he's never seen anything like the two of them and it frustrates him to no end

- Then when he tries to psychoanalyze Robin she does it right back to him because she's a freaking genius and everyone is in awe of her because they've never seen Murray speechless before

- KAREN WHEELER DESERVES TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON IN HAWKINS!!!!!!!!

- And I hate to say it but if Steve dies Robin dies too because despite the fact that she is my favorite character (close seconds are Nancy and Will) Steve is her platonic soulmate and they are codependent on one another and one just simply cannot survive without the other

- Like it would absolutely break my heart to have to see Robin try to live without her dingus of a best friend and to have to see Steve try to live without his wing woman of a bestie so if one dies both of them die

- Lucas defending Max's unconscious body with Erica from whatever creatures from the Upside Down want to try and take and/or kill her

- Mike and El break up because El realizes she needs to be her own person and because Mike is in love with Will

- Dustin is even more protective and stubborn about Steve heading into danger because of what happened to Eddie and he absolutely refuses to leave his side through the entire season

- RONANCE RONANCE RONANCE RONANCE (i know it's probably not gonna be canon but a girl can dream)

- Robin finally getting an onscreen kiss with her girlfriend or a girl she really likes (cough cough Nancy cough cough) (sorry Vickie but I feel like ur just too similar to Robin)

- And if Steve doesn't die (hopefully🤞) then please please please DO NOT have Steve and Nancy get back together after she breaks up with Jonathan when she finds out he lied to her about Emerson along with everything else that's been piling up between them

- Instead Nancy decides she's better off not being in a relationship (or better yet she gets together with Robin) and focuses on what she's absolutely sure she wants which is getting her journalism degree at Emerson (and Robin decides to go there too if they become a thing 😊)

- Because Nancy Wheeler is a smart, strong, fierce, badass, independent woman and she does not need to be kept in a cage by becoming a housewife who gives birth to SIX KIDS

- NANCY WHEELER DOES NOT WANT SIX KIDS

- I REPEAT, NANCY WHEELER DOES NOT WANT SIX KIDS

- Steve and Robin move in together and attend a community college together (Steve's either getting a teaching degree or a child psychology degree while Robin is doing something with linguistics) or they follow Nancy to Boston because Robin and Nancy are absolutely smitten with one another :)

- Meeting Steve and Robin's respective parents

Ok I think that's all for now 😅

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antisociallilbrat · 1 year

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Might as well stop being on anon since we've messaged now lol. I voted for Pennywise, but there are a few points in Vecna's favor that don't make it as simple as it seems. If we're going by the movies, then Pennywise can be forced into an early hibernation if he takes enough physical damage. This is something Vecna is absolutely capable of. Both are capable of getting into each other's head, so that likely means Vecna could possibly bully Pennywise to death, though on his own he might not be enough. By the book rules, the ritual of chud doesn't actually require seven people, so Vecna could definitely try and do that. The battle would be a mental one, so this could lean in Vecna's favor.

AAAAA GREAT POINTS.

It would be very much a mental one. If Vecna was to know about making It 'feel small' that definitely works in his favor. And I honestly think that that would be his only shot at defeating It. Or at least force It into early hibernation. Because I do think that It's mental powers far exceed Vecna's. Vecna or Henry Creel is only 39. It on the other hand is is trillions of years old so It's had more uh, just a little bit more time to master It's power.

But if these two were to meet, I feel like It's first instinct would be to either kill Vecna immediately or to toy with him. No in between. Bc It would rifle through Vecna's thoughts and see him as a threat or It would be,,,fascinated. We know that It has the capability to get bored, this explains It's fascination with The Losers. The Losers were different and so to an extent they were entertaining to It.

And if It choose to keep Vecna alive, it would be It's downside. Not saying that Vecan could kill It easily, but if he was around long enough to learn It's ways, he would have a better chance at succeeding.

Wait I just thought of this. The Losers Club were saying what It was when they were making It feel small. Yelling out all the forms It took to taunt them, "You're just an old lady, you're just a clown, ect ect" so I wonder if Vecna would have to do the same thing. Which just leads me to my next question, what form would It take to taunt Vecna, Vecna is almost a psychopath who isn't afraid of much, but he must be afraid of something.

WAIT I THOUGHT OF ANOTHER THING. When Vecna got to The Upside Down, he took control of the Mindflayer, if he encountered It would he try that too? I don't see him succeeding but would his first instinct be to try to 'control' It for his own bidding?

#ultimately i think It would win #but it would be a difficult win #thank you!#still my favorite asker!#sam answers asks #it 2017 #it 2019 #it 2 #pennywise #vecna #henry creel #number 1 #stranger things v2 #stranger things #stranger things 4

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lovebotlenore · 2 months

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Name: Alassra

Race: Human

Age: 34

Class: Wizard

Background: Sage

Romance: Gale

Theme song: Enchanted - Taylor Swift

Bio: Named after one of Mystra's seven daughters, Alassra Silverhand better known as the Witch-Queen, Alassra grew up in Waterdeep amongst the nobles. Her namesake was a hope at gaining her Mystra's blessing and acknowledgment as a distant descendant. When she began to show signs of magic at a young age her parents were elated. It wasn't long before she was enrolled in Blackstaff Academy where she formally met Gale.

The crush was almost instantaneous. However a girl of her age and upbringing had no idea how to handle the strong emotions she was suddenly over run with. She began to pick on Gale during their time together. While he was always kind to her he really had zero clue why she seemed to focus on pestering him so much.

The pestering got worse when Mystra began to show Gale immense favor. Now not only was Alassra trying to avoid her feelings for the boy, but he had usurped her spot at Mystra's side. When Gale was official appointed Mystra's chosen Alassra made the choice to leave Waterdeep. Uprooting her life to Neverwinter, in hopes of never running into Gale again.

Word travels quick in the wizarding world. It didn't take long for her to learn from Elminster that her formal rival Gale had been tossed aside by Mystra for his hubris. Despite their past and the time apart, Alassra still felt a pain in her heart for the man. After months antagonizing herself with the information of Gale held up in his tower Alassra decided to visit her parents in Waterdeep... And perhaps if she happened upon Gale's tower maybe she'd bother him for tea.

It was when she set out for Waterdeep that the mindflayers abducted her.

When she pulled Gale from the rock she recognized him immediately. Alassra swore out loud as he dusted himself off. Earning a confused look from both Gale and Shadowheart. But when Gale seemed to have no memory of who she was, Alassra decided it was for the best and feigned dumb on their past history together.

It isn't until a few days into their journey when they're sitting around the fire that Astarion puts together that both Gale and Alassra have spoked of a childhood at Blackstaff. Like a light going off in his psyche Gale's eyes goes wide and he questions why she never said anything.

Frowning at this development Alassra laments that she wasn't the best version of herself back at Blackstaff and was sure Gale hated her. When he didn't seem to remember her, it was for the best.

He almost admits his school boy crush right there in front of the entire party. Instead he focuses on how he was saddened by her moving to Neverwinter and he never got a chance to say good bye.

As the journey progresses old sparks begin to reignite and Alassra finds herself just as in love with Gale as she was at Blackstaff, but now both of them can navigate the feeling a bit better.

Once the Elder Brain is defeated the two of them return to Waterdeep, where the wedding of a century is put into motion.

#my tavs #tav: Alassra

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hawkinsschoolcounselor · 4 years

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Do you like El? I got the impression that you don't really like her. And if you consider Byler as endgame, what kind of ending do you expect for El? Season 2 reminded me that El supposed to die in Season 1. This is immediately felt, since I got the impression that the Duffers simply do not know what to do with her, she had a rather boring story in Season 2. The only thing that added interest to her story was her relationship with Hop. But this is more Hop’s Arc, and El is just an addition to it.

I like El. That is to say, I like the idea of the character. I think she was very well written in Seasons 1 & 2, and she’s been very well acted by Millie Bobby Brown. It was really Season 3 that soured me on her, and that’s more of a criticism of the writing than the character. I’d like to believe that her depiction in Season 3 is intentional, and that they have plans to build on it, but it still remains to be seen. Her story is complex in that her personal journey is overinfluenced by others, and this results in her appearing to not have her own journey. Season 3 can still work with that story, as long as it was meant to demonstrate that she has a ways to go still.

Basically, El is a tricky character to work with. Her lack of social and emotional development early in life should result in a stunted child who has difficulty adapting to a more normal life. This is what we see in Seasons 1 & 2, and it was handled very well. El had a basic set of personal values that drove her actions: personal survival, protection of her friends, and a desire for freedom. She had little opportunity for growth considering that she went from being raised in the very restrictive lab to spending a year in Hopper’s cabin with little besides him and TV for models of behavior. Her “spying” on Mike isn’t terribly unusual given her isolation and the fact that she bonded with him the most. The possessive behavior, such as knocking Max off her skateboard, is concerning, but not terribly unusual given her upbringing. When she finally reunites with the Party, she makes sure to share a moment with Dustin and Lucas, showing that she missed them as well as Mike. She also checks in on Will while he’s unconscious, so one would think she’d want to get to know him.

Then comes Season 3, and, suddenly, El is fine about being stuck in the cabin so long as Mike is with her. She seems to care little about seeing Dustin or Lucas outside of helping the Party with Dustin’s surprise welcome home. I don’t recall her interacting with Will at all. She also seems to be incredibly dismissive of Hopper, despite their Season 2 arc seeming to be how much they love each other despite each having difficulty adapting to a father/daughter relationship. This would ostensibly be Mike’s influence on her, but it still shows a major compromise of her values, as well as a regression of her Season 2 development. We’re seeing her use Mike as a sort of safety blanket (she literally clings to him when Dustin shows off his gadgets), and she continues to do so until she catches him in a lie.

I do sometimes wonder if the Duffers painted themselves into a corner with her. She was a very popular character, which I suppose led to them adding her to Season 2. They claimed that they originally intended for her to have truly died in the act of killing the demogorgon. Her power level necessitated keeping her away from the threat for most of Season 2, resulting in the seemingly out of place episode where she goes to see Kali. Any development from that arc is missing in Season 3 aside from a single mention of “bitchin’” by El. She lacks the assertiveness, sense of camaraderie, or even personal style that this episode seemed to impart onto her. Instead, she’s revealed to still be a chameleon of sorts, taking on the qualities and mannerisms of whomever she is currently attached to. She goes from having Mike’s flippant arrogance to Max’s sassy assertiveness.

This is all something I could live with, and even appreciate, as long as it leads somewhere. I’m begging for Season 3 to all have been a means to hammer home that El is not developing in a healthy fashion. If that ends up being the case, then I will be happy.

A sense that I dislike El may come out in regards to her powers, though. I have a dislike for super powerful characters who can solve any given problem. Season 3 was heavily reliant on El. Unlike Season 2, El is present at each occasion where her powers are beneficial, and she is subsequently able to win, to one degree or another, each time. It was particularly frustrating during the sauna test. She is shown being overpowered by Billy, which could have been a good occasion to show that El can’t do it alone, as well as her friends not being totally helpless. Instead, they have Mike utterly fail at helping, and El manages to suddenly bounce back and defeat Billy even though she had just failed a moment prior. They may have shown El struggling, increasingly so, but she was still able to win every battle. Seasons 1 & 2 carefully spooned out her powers until their climactic battles, but not Season 3.

I suppose, given that I think Season 3′s over-the-top, in-your-face action was intentional, that they wanted to highlight the overreliance on El, and also show that her powers can’t constantly save the day. They do ultimately have her powers vanish, requiring the rest of the cast to figure things out. Still, it was frustrating to also have her be the only to break Billy away from the Mindflayer’s control. That really should’ve been Max’s role, if anyone’s, and it was just another “El saves the day” moment that grated on me. Yes, she did it without her powers, but only because her powers gave her the knowledge to put it to work.

I imagine Season 4 will involve her coping with life without powers, which I think will be great. Not only will it serve as a plot necessity to keep her from finding Hopper, but it gives her a chance to be a regular kid. Her biggest character arc, hinted at by Max, is that she needs to discover who she is. While she had some growth in Season 2, limited though it may have been, she regressed in Season 3. She won’t be able to cling to Mike or Max now that she’s moved away. It’s been her tendency to simply emulate others that has held her back. Her being Hopper’s daughter is much a part of her arc as it is his. She doesn’t know how to have a father due to her only previous experience being “Papa.” Her attitude with him in Season 3 wasn’t her learning how to be a typical teenager. Rather, she was emulating Mike, making it a symptom of her larger problems.

El, ultimately, hasn’t achieved even a rudimentary sense of self, and Mike is partially to blame for it, albeit uninentionally. Anytime El has shown any growth, she’s ultimately reverted in order to be with Mike again. El is better without Mike, and vice versa. They were codependent, unhealthy. Their relationship isn’t necessarily beyond repair, but it would almost require a complete reboot. I think it would be extremely limiting for her story have her end up with Mike when we’ve already seen how bad it’s been for both of them. An ending for El should involve her discovering who she really is outside of Mike’s, or anyone else’s, influence. It should involve El finally being part of a family (be it just Hopper or an integration into the Byers), as well as learning to be part of a larger group of friends instead of attaching herself to one person (as she did with Mike and Max). It had to have been intentional to show her lack of interaction with other characters. Otherwise, it’s just bad writing. The Duffers may have made a risky decision in bringing back a character they originally didn’t plan to, but I choose to believe they did so with at least some idea of what to do with her.

#stranger things #eleven #jane hopper

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dicecast · 4 years

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Blast to the Past: What is the Appeal of Fallout

Ok so last time we covered why people are really into the Baldur’s Gate series, which sort of invented most of the CRPG genre (Ultimia is very sad right now)., Now for the other major Isometric game series, which launched one of the most influential series in Gaming history, I speak of course of Fallout.

Now I haven’t played Fallout since I was a kid because I remember the interface being extremely frustrating compared to BG (which like...that is saying something) but what people love about Fallout is primarily the story and the roleplaying. So what makes Fallout 1 so appealing

1) The post Apocalyptic genre, Fallout and Road Warrior probably define the aesthetic of that genre more than any other, and if that is your jam, then Fallout is for you, it is not just post-apocalyptic but it is deeply interested in the tropes and conventions of that genre. Now Cards on the Table this is actually a minus for me, I’m more of a fantasy man myself but diversity of genre is good so this likely makes fans of the genre very happy, especially since this game has done more for the genre to anything since Road Warrior

2) Classless system. Fallout doesn’t have classes, instead it has a very elaborate system of mechanical perks, stats, traits and skills, each of which can change a lot in how you play the game and express your character. You have a low more flexibility in building your character than the more rigid focus of Classes+stats+skills of D&D, though personally I prefer Character from Mechanics rather than Mechanical from character. However you want classless roleplaying, Fallout starts the Computer trend

3) Social as a real option. I think today people overestimate this in regards to fallout and seem to imagine that you can talk every enemy down, and that really isn’t the case, but certainly for the time Fallout was far more evolved in terms of social dynamics than Baldur’s Gate, and a social character is entirely viable. Critically you can defeat the final boss entirely through dialogue options.

4) Dialogue options are more like puzzles. Hbomerguy pointed this out in an earlier critique of Fallout 3 but I think it is worth repeating, in Fallout winning at dialogue options isn’t as simple as just finding the option with “Speechcraft 67″ written next too it. If you want to defeat The Master, you don’t just need a high Speech, you also need to have found the information necessary to change his mind (specifically that the Super Mutants are sterile), external evidence of said proof, and you also need to carefully pick the dialogue options to do so. Your high Speech and Int only open the door for you to be able to defeat him, you still need to have done your own research, asked other people questions, and brought evidence with you, which makes choosing the right option much more satisfying than just saying “you are wrong and I have 100 Speechcraft)

5) Variable play experience. This is true of all RPGS, if I play a male Dwarf Cleric in BG II and a male human wizard I am going to have different interactions but most of fights will be similar. But if you choose the “Jinxed” Trait at the start of Fallout, which basically dramatically increases everybody’s chance of Critical failure (including your enemies) the entire game is utterly different and a horrific tragicomedy of needless violence. But if you take this combined with 9 or 10 luck, then you will fail less and everybody else will fail more. It totally changes the nature of the game. If you choose the Empathy Perk, then bad dialogue options are highlighted in Red so you know not to pick them. If you choose Mysterious Stranger perk, a Clint Eastwood ripe off will sometimes show up to help you out in combat out of no where and then leave just as quickly.

6) Negative effects from stats. If you have a 3 charisma in BG, your party members will fight more, you will get worse rewards for quests, and you will get worse prices, but your dialogue options will largely remain the same. You won’t get the special bonus dialogue options open to high charisma characters, but you basically have the “default” dialogue options at all times. If you aren’t a caster, there really isn’t too much of a downside for having a low Int in BG, you are much weaker to mindflayers, as logn as you have some smarties in the party you should be fine. Not so in Fallout. If you play a low Int character, you are barely capable of speech so you have unique dialogue options and the game is totally different. Its objectively worse and kinda sucks but there is a lot of comedy gold in playing an absolute moron. Later games will pick up on this more, with New Vegas taking the cake with your own brain attempting to quit from you in protest.

(This is from fallout II but the point is the same)

7) Random Encounters. In BG, random encounters are all roughly the same, a different type of enemy shows up and attempts to murder you until you murder all of them. There are a few of those in Fallout but you also have much more inventive random encounters. just to list a few from the first game

You can find a wandering singer who will perform for you and increase your charisma by 1

A unique merchant named Duc, who if you kill, you will trigger a random encounter where his men seek revenge.

A random wounded Peasant which will give you some kind of prophecy

A Brotherhood of Steel person who will give you some information

Walk into a fight between two different factions (lots of variants of these)

Corpses which you can loot

Some travelers who can give you directions or info

And a fucking crashed Alien Spaceship which you can loot

Seriously far better random encounter design than most RPGs ever

8) Ideological conflict. This doesn't actually make Fallout better than BG, whose overall themes are more mythic than ideological but it makes it different, Fallout is effectively a story about adaptation, about society, technically and what does it mean to relate to the past. The Vault wants to effectively deny the outside world and pretend WWIII never happened, The Brotherhood of Steel is creating this weird dogmatic elitist technology cult in response to it, the Master wants humanity to evolve to a new species to solve the problem, and what will be the New California Republic wants to recreate the pre War United States. Different ideologies existing in opposition to each other is a core part of this series and Fallout starts it

9) The Aethetic. Fallout has a very unique look and feel which is so iconic that other video games keep ripping it off, and that I have been to multiple fallout themed bars in my life. This isn’t really evident in the game-play graphics which I think are objectively uglier than BG’s painted backgrounds, but more in the objects, interface, and interactions, like the claymation models you can talk to

10) Ending slides. Fallout starts the tradition of having a slideshow at the end that shows exactly how each of your actions changed the world in a different way.

12) This one doesn’t count because it didn’t really work but Purely turned based combat. Fallout uses the Action Point system rather than the semi real time/Turn based of BG. Now....this is more of a hypthoetical benefit because the turned based combat in Fallout doesn’t really work at all, so BG is just objectively better, but if it was polished it could be a radically different way of playing the game.

12) Dogmeat the Dog

There is a reason why this game is so beloved to this day, it brings a lot of very radical mechanical innovation to the table, even though it is borderline unplayable at times.

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imagineaworlds · 6 years

Text

You’re Scaring Me -- Billy Hargrove

Written By: @aliedelanie

Request: “Could i get a billy? she is shy and kind, a total hufflepuff. she catches his attention and he tries to 'woo' her. bring her (stolen) flowers, talk to her in the halls, in class (which she dosent appreciate), offer her rides home, even make her a mixtape of his heavy metal. she starts to see his good side, but when he beats up steve, she stays behind at the Byers with him (hes probably handcuffed down for her saftey) and tells him she cant be with a guy like him unless he changes. thanks, <3 u!” “I would like to request a billy x reader thing with the scene from the last episode where billy is at the Byers house and fights against Steve and the reader is also there and she tries to calm him down and everything. Please some fluff and crying. I love your writing! I’m a big fan.”

Warnings: Cursing. Violence. (16+)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

Words: 2684

Listen to: Stand By Me by Bootstraps

The Byers’ house was fuller than normal, with a group of kids running around to make plans to take down an out-of-this-world monster, while me and Steve chased after them to talk them out of it. When the other’s had left, me and Steve took on the responsibility of watching over all of the kids, and so far it wasn’t going very well. Not to mention, my head was spinning with a raging headache that was caused from thinking so hard on the day before. Before I found myself in the Byers’ home with the new knowledge of this so called “Mindflayer”, I was just a normal teenager who had a fairly normal life. Normal parents, a normal sister, a normal boyfriend— well, I guess Billy wasn’t all that normal. But when I met him, I tried my very hardest to help him become better than his father and defeat this anger inside of himself. Our relationship started with a strong friendship when we instantly connected. I don’t think either of us expected that we would start dating, because at first we both swore that we would never grow too attached. I guess he didn’t want to hurt me.

But, that promise didn’t last long, and soon after he asked me out. The first few times he asked me, I said no. And each time I said no, he tried harder. He would bring me flowers— granted, they were stolen— he would lean over me when I would sit at my desk between periods, and he would stand close to me as he pressed me against the lockers before and after school. I don’t know how it was I held out for so long before giving in and saying yes. After that, we were definitely inseparable, and our relationship only grew stronger, and when he was around me, I saw a real change in his personality. Billy was desperately trying to be better than his father and not take out his built up feelings on others. To say I was proud of him, was an understatement.

Yet, all that thinking about him and how I didn’t want him caught up in this big mess, made my head hurt and distracted me from watching over the kids. I was blindly following them around the house, not really paying attention, until I saw out of the corner of my eye car headlights shining through the living room windows. There was the familiar engine revering up to the house that really caught my interest, and both me and Max ran to the window. Though Billy didn’t exactly get along with Max, I thought of her as my little sister. But as we both approached the window, I had a smile attached to my face, while she had a look of fright. Soon, it dawned on me that if he came into the house, he’d instantly be wrapped up in all of this, and I didn’t want that.

“It’s my brother…” Max whispered. “He’ll kill me if he finds out that I’m here.”

I turned to Steve, “You have to get him to go away,” I told him. “He can’t know about any of this.” Our attention was brought back to the window when his car’s tires came to a screeching halt and he turned off the ignition.

“Stay here, all of you,” Steve said as he opened the door and went outside.

Billy climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut, “Where is she, Harrington?” he said loudly, almost demanding— no, not almost… definitely demanding.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Steve lied.

Billy chuckled, “You know, I’ve been looking for my girl all day. I just wanted to spend some time with her, maybe take her out on a good, honest date. But, I couldn’t find her. Then, I find out that no one can find my bitch of a stepsister, Max. And what a damn fine coincidence it is that I hear they’re hiding out here with you. Now, I trust my girl, she’s loyal to me, I know that— but the thing is, amigo, I don’t trust you, and there lies our problem. So, if you don’t want this to go sideways, and want me to leave peacefully, I suggest you tell them to come out here, and I’ll be on my way.”

Steve shook his head, trying to keep his cool. And for a quick moment I contemplated giving myself up and going outside, but when Max said next convinced me to stay hidden. “What is it that you see in him?” she asked me.

I glanced over at her, “I see the good in him.”

Lucas laughed, “What good? He’s a douchebag.”

“Maybe on the outside, but deep down— once you get to really know him— he’s just pure hearted.”

“Listen, man, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never seen your little sister in my life, and I’ve never talked to [y/n],” Steve lied again. He was trying to protect us, but I feared about what Billy might do if he found out Billy was lying.

Billy nodded, trying to think of what to say next, and stomped out his cigarette. “Tell me, Harrington. Do you lie often? Because, you say you’ve never met them before, yet I see them right there.” Billy pointed to us, having seen all of sitting on the couch watching them.

The kids immediately tried to hide, but instead, I ran for the door. “Billy!” I called, running to him, but he didn’t embrace me like he usually would. With a shaky breath, I said to him, “Just leave, Billy… Max is fine, I’ll bring her home when we’re done here.”

Billy hit the roof of his car angrily, making me jump. “You know I can’t do that. My dad… he’ll kill me if I go home without her.”

“Tell him she’s sleeping over at my house, and I’ll explain everything to him in the morning.” I tried to find a solution, while also trying to find any empathy in his eyes.

“Are you screwing him?” Billy suddenly asked, lowering his gaze to his feet. “Is that what this is? Are you screwing Harrington behind my back?”

I gasped, unable to believe that he would ask me such a question. Only minutes ago had he told Steve that he trusted me, but in a matter of seconds I saw that trust leave him. “No. Billy, I would never, you know that. I love you.” I tried to press a hand to his cheek to get him to look at me, but he slapped my hand away.

“Hey!” Steve erupted, stepping between us. “Don’t you ever touch her like that again.”

Suddenly, Billy looked up and knocked Steve over and kicked him in the stomach. “Don’t talk to me like that, Harrington.” Billy kicked Steve again. “I’m going to take my dumb, redheaded bitch of a stepsister, and leave. You can either stay down or fight me. Either way, I will leave here with Max.” Steve stayed on the ground, and for a moment as Billy stepped over Steve, I feared that he would let Billy take Max. And I was too paralyzed to move after watching Billy be that way with me. Everything we had both worked so hard to reverse in him, instantly came back out of jealousy and fear. “You stay here, [y/n]. I’m not done with you, yet.” Billy walked into the house, swinging the door open to reveal all of the kids, looking as frightened as ever.

I leaned down and helped Steve to his feet, “Are you okay?” Steve nodded, catching his balance before falling into me. “We have to get Billy out of here.” Steve nodded again, and walked by himself through the door with me following right behind him.

As we entered the house, I heard Billy shout, “You’re so dead, Sinclair!”

Steve didn’t hesitate to run to the kitchen where Billy was, and grab at Billy’s shirt. “Get away from him, you son of a bitch.” I watched as Steve punched Billy right in the nose, and Lucas ran into his friends’ arms. Billy laughed at Steve’s punch as his nose bled, dripping onto the carpet.

Then, Steve just kept hitting and hitting, and Billy let him. Instantly, I felt tears well up in my eyes as the kids cheered on Steve. Billy’s nose got worse and his lip split and started bleeding. When he was backed into the sink, I knew what was about to happen. “Billy, no!” I yelled. But it was too late. Billy grabbed a plate behind him and smashed it over Steve’s head. “Billy stop it!” I cried, “Stop!” Tears were streaming down my face as they fought around the kitchen, Dustin pulled me out of the way at the last second before Steve nearly ran into me. “Billy!” I cupped my hands over my mouth to try and stop my crying, but it only got worse as I sobbed when Max attached herself to me. “Stop it!” I continued as Billy kicked Steve onto the floor and jumped onto him. “Billy! You’re scaring me! Stop! Billy! Enough, Billy!” I ran to him, trying to pull him off of Steve, but he pushed me back, hardly even recognizing what he was doing or that it was me he had pushed. I looked down at Max who was shaking, holding something in her hand. In her hand, she had a needle. “What is that?” I asked through the tears.

Max turned and pointed behind her at a bottle on the counter. “Morphine.”

“Give it to me,” I said, holding out my hand. Max dropped the syringe into my hand and I gripped it hard. I neared Billy slowly, grabbing the syringe properly as I prepared for what would come next. “Billy… Stop it, please… You’re scaring me…” I tried to give him one more chance, but he ignored me. Trying to compose myself and slow down my heavy breathing, I held the syringe up, and without a second thought, I plunged it into Billy’s neck. After it happened, I realized what I had done, and stumbled back out of shock. Billy instantly turned and stood up, looking at me with as though he had been betrayed. “I’m so sorry…” I cried, reaching for him.

“[y/n]?” he asked before he collapsed. I tried to catch his head before it hit the ground. Crouched down, with his head in my hands, he looked up at me and laughed, “I knew you had a fire in you, babes…”

I looked up at Max who grabbed Steve’s famous bat and threw it over her shoulder. “Billy, from here on out, you leave me and my friends alone, understand?”

Billy groaned, trying to keep his eyes open. “Screw you, brat.”

All of us, excluding the drugged Billy and threatening Max, flinched when she slammed down the bat just between Billy’s legs, fairly close to his crotch. “I said, understand?!” she yelled. “And, until further notice, you leave [y/n] alone.”

Billy shook his head, “I’ll stay away from you and your friends, but I’m never leaving [y/n]...” I sobbed at his words, combing my fingers through his curls to try and get him calm. “I won’t leave her ever again…” Though, he was totally drugged out and unaware of what he was saying, I knew he meant it.

“Max, we have to go,” Mike whispered, not wanting her to aim the bat at him. Max relaxed, and turned to the boys. “Now.” She nodded.

“We have to grab Steve, guys. If Billy wakes up, he’ll murder him,” Dustin said. They all agreed, walking over to the bruised and bloodied, passed out Steve. “[y/n]? Are you going to help?”

I watched as Billy fell asleep in my arms, and I sat down, bringing his head into my lap. “No,” I responded. “I’ll be here for when he wakes up. Maybe I can calm him down.”

“Guys, we have no way of getting there,” Lucas interrupted. I dug the keys out of Billy’s pocket and tossed them at Max. “Are you insane?”

I shook my head, “No. I’ve driven with Max before, I trust her. As long as you stay under the speed limit and don’t crash the car, we won’t have any problems. Besides, I don’t want Billy to be driving when he wakes up, so this will be a good excuse. Now, go.” The boys quickly went to pick up Steve and carry him out of the house. Mike and Lucas each took an arm, and Dustin took both of his legs.

When they were nearly out the door, Max came over to me. “Do you still see the good in him?” she asked me.

Without looking at her, I said, “Just leave, Max.” She turned and left the house, closing the door behind her. I looked down at Billy, still combing my fingers through his hair. “Babe… I thought you were better. You had come so far, and I thought you were different. Maybe I was in over my head. Maybe you can’t be fixed and Max is right. Maybe you don’t have any good in you like I hoped you did.” But I refused to believe what I was saying. Deep down, somewhere in that blackened heart of his, Billy Hargrove was good, and I was still determined to show that.

Four Hours Later

I had fallen asleep leaning against the couch with Billy’s head cradled in my lap. It had been a long night, and I knew that it would take a while for him to gain consciousness. I tried to stay awake as long as I could, but my headache and drowsiness from crying got the better of me and knocked me out pretty fast. But I woke up just as fast when Billy gasped for air, sitting up quickly, as he woke up. I was startled by this, thinking that the demodogs may have returned, but I calmed down when I realized what had happened.

Alarmed, Billy turned to me. I saw a tear fall down his cheek as he saw me. My hair was undoubtedly tangled and my eyes were puffy from crying so much. “Oh, my god…” he whispered, crawling away from me. “I did this. I’m— I’m a monster.” Billy tucked his legs to his chest. “I— I hurt you… And Steve… What was that? That wasn’t me…” Billy tried to hide his tears from me, but I knew better, and seeing him hurt like that brought tears to my eyes, too. “I’m such a fucking monster.”

My heart shattered watching him. “No, you’re not, Billy… It’s just, I thought we had gotten past this. What happened?”

Billy shrugged. “I— I don’t know. I thought that you and Steve… I was just jealous of him, and angry with both him and you.”

“But you know that I’d never cheat on you, Billy. Come on.”

“I know… God, I’m so sorry. I know you can never forgive me.”

“You’re wrong, Billy.” He looked up at me. “I can forgive you. It’ll take time, but I know in my heart that I can forgive you. And you will get better. I promise.” I crawled over to him, pulling his legs down so that he wasn’t guarding himself from me. He shivered at my touch, scared to be near me after what had happened, but I wasn’t scared. “I love you, Billy Hargrove. But, you really have to try for me if we’re going to keep doing this.”

“I know, I know. I will. I’m sorry I scared you. God, I love you.” He leaned forward carefully and placed a hand against my cheek. Cautious to catch any of my signals, Billy slowly brought his lips to mine. “I want to get better, I really do. I don’t want to be like my dad anymore.” I leaned in and kissed him. He pulled away, “I don’t deserve you.” I ignored him and kissed him again.

#Stranger Things #stranger things 2 #billy hargrove #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove fanfic #billy hargrove imagines

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thewiselosers · 6 years

Text

Gym Class Losers

CHAPTER ONE: It Gets Worse

It was the first day of the party’s second week of high school when things started to turn from bad to worse, and it didn’t even have anything to do with the mindflayer, the upside down, or hawkins lab.

It was high school, and more specifically, the people in it. They’ve always dealt with bullies, but none with so much of a profound effect that arose when cramping hundreds of teenagers from different age groups and social groups into one setting. The boys found faults everywhere, from the gum laiden desks of the classrooms and unkempt bathrooms, to the overcrowded lunch area. But one thing they weren’t anticipating was the struggle of gym class. Their athletic abilities (or lack thereof) aside, they were thrown a huge curveball when they strolled into the boys locker room that first day. It was cramped and smelled of bad body odor. Trash was already littered about, and the casual half-nakedness of the upperclassmen was a hard concept to grasp when they entered the brightly lit room. From all that Steve told Dustin who in turn told the gang, and what Nancy and Jonathan could advise to their younger siblings, locker room etiquette wasn’t a topic that had been brought up in the slightest.

“What the shit.” Dustin simply said when their minds caught up with the scene before them. Most of their other classmates shared the same reservations when in the boys locker room, standing around awkwardly, waiting for some brave soul, anyone, to choose a locker and start changing.

When one did, it encouraged some others to also join in on the too public strip-down from carefully picked outfits (thanks, mom) to the plane t-shirt and shorts provided by the school, its mascot proudly ironed on the chest. Will looked to Mike, who looked at Lucas who looked from Dustin back to Mike, as they all shuffled toward nearby lockers. Mike and Will’s beside each other, and Dustin and Lucas across from them. One boy their age, Chester, had the unfortunate case of wearing ripped underwear, and just as he began to pull up his gym shorts, a group of upperclassmen passed by, shirtless and rowdy, and proceeded to take advantage of the laughable situation.

“Chuckie’s got a little show going for us, huh boys?”

As the smaller boys turned toward the interruption, the head boy proceeded to poke his finger through one of the holes and pull the fabric down, exposing Chesters pale-white butt to half the class.

The two other boys he was with burst into laughter, and around half of the boys in the hall began to join in. Whether genuinely at Chesters expense, or to simply please the older boys, the party wasn’t sure. Chester frantically pulled his shorts up, mortified. The party was less than amused, and proceeded to clutch their gym clothes to their chest, and high tail it to the boys bathroom at the end of the locker room, where nearly a quarter of the other boys in their class were waiting for a chance to use the stall next (and it wasn’t because it was after lunchtime).

That was the routine for the rest of the week. The new class waiting in long lines to change in the stalls, or awkwardly change out it the open, like too easy prey in the daylight.

That first friday Coach Rowlins anounced something that caused stomachs to drop.

No one was to use the bathroom to change unless they had a note from a parent saying they couldn’t do so in the locker room. It was a grateful luxury the party now realized they may have taken for granted.

“Maybe it won’t be that bad.” Mike said to the group, all too sure of himself. Dustin and Lucas resigned themselves.

That weekend Mike spent the night at Wills’ house and the two did homework together. They were lucky to be in the same math class but Will found their teacher, Ms. Barwick, hard to understand. She taught as if everyone already knew what she was saying, like she was telling the class how she solved the problem, but not explaining how she did it. He just felt lost the whole time and it frustrated him because he was supposed to be really good at school. The textbook wasn’t any help either, because he would just end up doodling in it whenever her monotone voice caused his mind to drift. Will thought about going to the counselors office and switching classes, but he and Mike already only had one other class together, English, but Lucas was in that class too. Mike got lucky and had at least one of the party members in each of his classes, and Will didn’t like the idea of sharing their only other class together with Lucas.

Will sat cross-legged with his back against the wooden headboard of his bed.

“Did you finish the bottom half of the page?” Mike was laying on his stomach with his geometry textbook open in front of him and his binder and homework sheet beside it. His ankles were crossed and he was propping himself up on his elbows and chewing on the eraser tip of his pencil.

Will looked down at his own homework sheet, the half he was supposed to do not even close to being finished. He looked down at Mike who was laying at his feet. He realized suddenly that he literally always looked up at Mike. Mike was significantly taller than him and it didn’t help that he was the smallest in their friend group. The only time he looked down at Mike was when they were in his room like they are now. Will sighed. He slammed the textbook shut and put his binder aside.

“Come on Will it’s easy. Come here, which ones eating you?” Mike had sat up and faced Will, taking Will’s binder and looking at the nearly blank sheet of paper. Mike furrowed his brows, ready to give Will a pep talk when he noticed something peeking out of his binder. It was a sheet of paper with writing in Mrs. Byers’ handwriting. He slid it out further and saw that it read ‘Dear Coach Rowlins’.

Mike looked up at Will and Will looked from Mike to his binder, and quickly snatched the binder away from Mikes hand.

“You actually asked your mom to write you a note?” Mike’s words were loud in the previous silence. Will shrugged and tucked the letter carefully back into place. It wasn’t a big deal.

“I have real medical reasons. I can’t- i’m not comfortable and if i don’t have to then i shouldn’t. You’ve seen how the juniors and seniors are.”

Mike shook his head.

“Everyone will know and they’ll make fun of you even worse. At least if you change with everyone else, no one would care as much since we’re all in the same boat.”

“What difference does it make? I’m already zombie boy and…and you know. What’s one more nickname?”

“Trust me, Will. It’ll be easier if we all stick together. Then it won’t be so bad.”

Mike stared intently at him, urging, and Will was defeated.

“Okay. But you’re doing my math homework for the rest of the week.”

“At least watch me so you can see how i do it.”

Will glanced from Mikes careful gaze to his homework page, most of the problems effortlessly solved.

“Deal.”

For the next hour and a half the two boys sat hunched over on Wills bed, Mike like a teacher, explaining each step he made and why he made it. Will felt much better going into math class that monday, but his unease for gym class didn’t go away.

The locker room was cramped more so than ever now that all the boys had to change in there. The party of four made their way to the lockers as they did that first day, only this time they actually began to strip. They looked awkward and felt awkward, wondering just how many eyes were on them. Lucas and Dustin were smart enough to open some of the empty lockers around them to block anyones view. Mike and Will were beside each other, but the lockers around them were occupied. Will looked up at Mike, who gave him a small “don’t think about it smile”. Will unbuttoned his pants, fidgeting with the button, and zipped the zipper down. He shimmied out of his pants. Mike did the same, stepping out of his. They both pulled their gym shorts on and felt a little better. Mike changed his shirt, and Will did the same.

Dustin let out a laugh and gestured his head to Wills shirt. Will looked down at himself and then proceeded to swivel his head around like an owl. He had put his shirt on backwards. Will laughed it off as Mike reached over and pulled out the tag from Wills chest. Will shoved him off and raised his shirt over his head, exposing his stomach, but was cut off by a wolf whistle from not too far away. He quickly pulled his shirt back over himself and turned toward the source of the intrusion.

“Look what we have here. A school of guppies swimming in the big pond.”

It was Tommy and his couple of goons. The prime predators of the boys locker room. Tommy was a junior now, a little taller, more muscular and handsome as ever. Like the devil. No one at Hawkins high would say he was the friendliest person in the town, but sometime during the summer before the party entered high school, Tommy had become meaner than ever before. Where in the past he would just stir up trouble, now he actively sought it out.

“Actually guppies don’t swim in schools, fish do.”

Lucas smacked Dustin on the shoulder, and he threw his hands up defensively with a regretful look of “i couldn’t help it”.

“What was that?” They had Tommy’s full attention now. Dustin didn’t respond as the normally loud commotion of the locker room began to die down, anticipating the attack that was surely to come. Tommy looked back at the group of four boys, sizing them up with glee.

“Sinclair, didn’t the school give you a separate room for you to change in?” He asked as if it were a genuine question, and turned to his two friends, who gave comical 'gee i don’t know’ expressions.

Tommy gave a cursory glance toward Will, then looked blankly forward. He loudly exclaimed-

“This boys head’s on backwards! They don’t call him Zombie Boy for nothing now do they? Oh wait! My mistake. He just doesn’t have mommy here to dress him right.”

Laughter broke out as everyone turned to Will, who still hadn’t fixed his shirt.

“You better take that back Tommy.” Mike glared with all the bravery his lanky 5'7" frame could give him.

“Yeah and we’re not guppies. Were ninth graders now which means-”

Tommy cut Dustin off with a harsh Slam! Of metal from one of the locker doors he so smartly left open. The air was palpable.

Tommy breezed forward, his voice like gravel. He was just talking to them. No show for everyone else to hear.

“I’ve got another two years with you dweebs. It’s in your best interest to stay out of my way.”

Dustin was grabbed by the shirt, but instead of Tommy yanking him towards forward like he thought the older boy would, he simply leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “Make a fool of me again. And i’ll be sure to give you your old smile back.”

Tommy let go and stepped back, amused with himself.

“And you. Little Frankenstein.”

Tommys eyes were on Will, a malicious smile on his face.

“I suggest you let coach Rowlins know you’ll be changing in the bathroom from now on. On account of all your medical reasons. You don’t want to infect all of us in here now do you Byers?”

Will looked around nervously but saw no one; all too conscious of the ears that might have heard the older boy.

“Do you?” Tommy’s voice was firmer now. He wanted an answer. Will looked up at him and shook his head.

“Right. Well boys you better get on out there. Physical Ed is important for your growing bodies.” Tommy walked away with his two shadows in tow.

Lockers slammed shut and the atmosphere became polarizing as boys rushed out of the room to continue with their day.

Will stood rigid, and Dustin and Lucas looked drained of all enthusiasm.

“You were right Mike. It wasn’t so bad, it was worse.”

Will gave Mike one last defeated look before heading out the locker room, not even bothering to check if his friends were following him. Mike watched Will leave, a sad confusion eating at him.

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #gym class losers chapter one #gym class losers

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