#dark green though. this is the vibe. potentially

[raayllum]

happy pride month featuring. demisexual rayla and mayhaps some aro spec vibes too

Rayla has never really felt the stirrings, before, as other elves call it.

 Her training ramps up when she’s twelve, but the other kids her age are starting to be consumed by crushes, blushing and making fools of themselves unnecessarily. It’s hard to understand, and even more annoying to watch. Can’t they just focus on what needs to be done? They’re the future warriors, defenders and protectors, of their village. They don’t have time for silliness, never mind the time consuming foolishness that comes with often short lived romantic (or even sexual) entanglements she sees the older assassins in training partake in. 

She supposes she’s just much more mature than they are. It’s the only explanation. 

Then she meets Callum. 

It’s not that they suddenly start, exactly — but for the first time, it feels like there’s potential for them to. How else is she supposed to explain this want to always be close to him, unable to resist from placing her hands on his shoulders, getting all up in his face as she teases him with her human impression? This maddening need to see him smile, to lift his spirits on the rare occasion he’s the downtrodden one (a situation that becomes less and less rare once he learns the truth about his father)? The racing of her heart and incessant thoughts in her mind that she can’t lose him, her fingers hesitantly touching his cheek, because she’s felt so many things since she ran away with two human princes and a dragon egg, but this — this is something else. 

His hand in hers makes sparks buzz in her chest, their interlaced fingers before the blind Sol Regem wholly for their own benefit. Her heart feels like it’s about to burst out of her chest with fondness and affection when she catches him blushing, when she catches him staring at her the way she imagines she’s been staring at him for quite a while now.

Once the embarrassment of the Oasis has faded, Rayla curls into his arms that cool night on the back of the ambler, and lets herself chase that warmth, a blanket draped over their laps and his lips firm against hers.

They explore a little more at the Nexus and the castle—kissing in dark alcoves and pressed against walls, pulling him close by his scarf, exploring more confidently the further they go, as far as his shirt being off one unbearably hot summer night, anyway.

Then she leaves, and is achingly cold. 

It’s not as though there are no offers while she’s away. The pubs and inns she frequents as she crosses through Xadia, when she can afford to and when camping isn’t an option, are home to many travellers looking for a good time. When she breaks her leg falling from a stupid tree, the clerk at the apocathery is very sweet, and asks if she’d stay a little longer once she’s healed up. His eyes are so green it’s almost tempting, but Rayla knows what she knows, and especially knows her heart.

There’s no one else. There never will be.

The jitters grow worse the closer she gets to Katolis when she finally turns around, Stella doing her best to soothe her nerves to little avail. 

She misses his birthday by one night and spends most of the next day crying, pacing outside the city walls till it’s almost nightfall. What will he say? What will he do? How has he changed, and what if he hasn’t? What if he still...

She climbs through his window, catching sight of the back of him first—broader, taller, with shorter, spikier hair swooped to one side—and then he turns around, gasping.

Still her Callum.

Boom. Stirrings. 

She spends most of the night admiring him once he’s relaxed enough to fall asleep, basking in the fact she’s by his side again, that she can do this—that he didn’t leave.

She thinks of the time one of the other Moonshadow kids had made a face when she didn’t have a crush on anyone, calling her strange.

Runaan had taken her aside and explained that sometimes, falling in love works differently for people, if they fall in love at all. That it was the same for him with Ethari. “Sometimes you fall in love only once,” he’d said.

She watches the way the sun catches Callum’s hair, illuminating a face that’s only grown more handsome since she left. In spite of everything, or perhaps precisely because of everything, she smiles.

This is it.

#aspec rayllum #headcanons #rayllum #happy pride 🌈 #ace tag #asexuality #tdp #my fic #fic #ficlet #tdp rayla #pining!rayla #arc 1 #arc 2 #canon compliant #the dragon prince

[glitch-karma]

Bsd as Spidermen

Dazai:

His name would be Spider Stray

He was investigating something with the detective agency when he was bit

Sees his new abilities as a nuisance and tries to ignore them, much like the og Peter Parker

Dazai's dark and sarcastic personality carries over into his version of Spider-Man ofc

He would make dry and morbid jokes while fighting crime, often using his mind to outwit his opponents rather than relying solely on strength

Dazai's spider-like abilities would include enhanced agility, reflexes, and ofc spider-sense, but to go with no longer human I'd like to say he can minimally dull powers

His spider suit would be a sleek black with a light red web pattern, I think of his webbing as black instead of white as well. He does still use traditional web-shooters tho

Definitely does the classic spider kiss with you (like a lot of other people on this list..)

Immediately made it very obvious to you that he was the famous spider stray

He accidentally drags you into a lot of shit though

Kunikida:

Introducing: The Web Detective

Kunikida was bit the same way as Dazai

His new powers are the same as normal petter parker

initially, he struggles to accept his new powers, feeling burdened by the responsibility

utilizes his detective skills to investigate and stop criminal activities in the city

often targeting corrupt organizations that threaten the peace of the city

operates primarily as a solo hero, but he occasionally partners with other members of the Detective Agency

His suit is also black, with accents of dark greens as reds along with white webbing patterns

Idk why but he is giving real webbing vibes.. ew

Tried his very hardest to not involve you in anything

After all the stress built up, he confesses his identity to you

Was still very keen on keeping you out of it though

Ranpo:

welcome The Yokohama Webcrawler

Was bitten while in an abandoned sweet shop

retains his highly intelligent and observant nature as Spider-Man

uses his deductive skills to unravel criminal activities and solve mysteries

Although, his laid-back and somewhat lazy demeanor remains intact, often getting him into trouble

Ranpo focuses more on detective work and strategic planning rather than actually getting out there and fighting

uses his deductive abilities to analyze crime scenes, anticipate criminal activities, and identify potential threats

He has enhanced agility, sight, analytical combat, and stealth

Has a dark suit with light blue accents, his webbing pattern is off-white. I'd like to imagine he also keeps his hat lmao

His web-shooters are upgraded to include various detective gadgets, such as tiny cameras (Shapped as spiders ヾ(•ω•`)o), fingerprint scanners, and chemical analyzers

Told you immediately

Was casual abt it too

"Oh btw I'm actually the Yokohama Webcrawler." "Oh cool."

"WAIT WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY-"

Yosano:

Let's hear it for Arachne!

stumbles upon a hidden laboratory where she accidentally gets bitten by a genetically enhanced spider

Powers included; enhanced physical attributes, healing for herself, spider-sense, and a healing venom

She has permanent fangs (Coughs in Miguel O'Hara)

She has a black form-fitting suit with purple accents and light purple webbing, also includes a red hourglass-shaped symbol on her chest to ref the black widow

Uses a classic web shooter

You figured it out after she accidentally called you a nickname as Arachne

Classic spiderman kiss <3

Prioritizes you at all coasts

Chuuya:

RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH coughs

The beloved, the great, the amazing, Spider Venom

Was transformed against his will by a threat to the Port Mafia

Although Chuuya is already pretty agile, his new powers include enhanced agility, reflexes, strength, and Spider Sense

Chuuya's gravity manipulation is incorporated into his web-slinging techniques

Instead of using mechanical web-shooters, he generates and controls threads of gravity that act as webs

He can swing from buildings and create web-based constructs to trap or immobilize enemies

His suit would be a sleek, form-fitting style (I am actively drooling)

His spider web pattern would be red and have a slight glow effect to it and the spider symbol on the chest would have a gravity-inspired design, incorporating swirling patterns around the spider

He also keeps his coat and hat <3

Chuuya cracks jokes during battles and maintains a cocky demeanor, even in the face of danger just as usual.

However, he is also a deeply compassionate and principled individual, using his abilities to protect the innocent and stand up for what is right

He did his rich girl voice to hide himself from you..

It didn't work.

CLASSIC SPIDERMAN KISS EVEN THOUGH HE CAN DO THAT WITHOUT THE SPIDER ABILITIES LOLZ LET ME SIMP

Terrified of you getting hurt

Has a moment where he almost was too late and has a full panic attack over you

(Can you tell he was the reason I wanted to do this?)

The best one in this list prove me wrong.

I was planning on doing more but tbh I couldn't think of anything for a lot of them

But I hope you enjoyed

#bsd x reader #bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs #bsd #chuuya x reader #bsd fanfic #dazai x reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #kunikida x reader #ranpo x reader #yosano x reader #bsd x spiderman #across the spiderverse #glitchs✧works

[schro4444]

thank u I'm gonna now rotate all those specific Family Shenanigans my mind like a rottisserie chicken

but YES!! EXACTLY!!! like ik the (boring) answer as to why we weren't shown the learning curve was ANIME but his parents are genuinely so weird and extra and THIEVES THEMSELVES I'm 1000% certain that the answer was HIGH-OCTANE CHILDHOOD like...look at bby kaito...in one (1) panel w Toichi and already popping up right in front of his Professional ThiefTM dad without Toichi realizing, what a menace, I love him.

About Toichi though...... I would ALSO have wanted to see THAT learning process and I'm kinda bitter it was never mentioned actually. gimme the Chikage training Toichi montage!!! like, weird penchant for standing inside tower exhibits in the dark and memorizing laser grids to impress ladythieves aside, as far as we know he was just a weird little magician man who suddenly decided to become a thief, and while his being an escape artist would have useful applications on his budding career as a thief there are lotssss of things being a magician doesn't cover. Plus it was Chikage who was known as the Woman of Twenty Faces! why did they suddenly make TOICHI the expert in disguise who taught Vineyard and Yukiko! like yeah I buy Chikage being gleefully retired (izumi curtis "I'm a housewife!" vibes but like gleeful instead of menacing) until Toichi's death but like...waste of potential man...at least a mention abt her teaching Toichi would be nice...........

no boring answers in this household, only SHEER SHENANIGAN POTENTIAL!!! like, what else are you supposed to do as two (2) happily married overdramatic phantom thieves/theater kids with a super genius baby who has an improbably high iq and a photographic memory? OBVIOUSLY you train him in the family business without telling him that's what's going on. and OBVIOUSLY he gets ridiculously good at it by the time he's in first grade. quoting some old tags of mine: shapeshifting nightmare baby that can already pick locks. he's impossible to babysit!!! my favorite gremlin.

YOURE SO RIGHT. i want this prequel so bad. oh my goodness. he was just a Really Good Magic Nerd, that'll only carry you so far!! eventually my guy had to learn from his beloved wife how to break open safes and avoid snipers!! I kinda like the idea that maybe they combined their knowledge on disguises--maybe toichi was more on the acting side of things while chikage had the latex, lol--to make the Ultimate Disguise (enter kaito, stage left). the woman of twenty literal faces + some guy with a mustache who could probably convince you that the sky turned green, through sheer charisma

chikage: so what was your plan for getting out? have you memorized the blueprints yet? I've counted at least twenty potential escape routes for you, as long as you're feeling agile enough to get through the vents, hehehe toichi: well you see toichi: I was going to. um. talk my way out chikage: chikage: sweetie you were going to What toichi: IT ALWAYS WORKED FOR ME BEFORE

#IZUMI CURTIS COMPARISON IS GENIUS BTW #gosh i love the kurobas theyre so insane (beloved) #i want the prequel so so so badlyyyyyyy #gah #dcmk #magic kaito #mk #schrasks #kuroba family sitcom

[emi-writings]

Hi! I'd love to know how you envision cwilbur, I might want to take inspiration from it for my own headcanon

Okay, so I am really not an artist in any way, shape, or form, so words and some occasional reference images are all I got for anyone interested in this potential design idea.

Also, I have seen some people discuss maybe changing up C!Wilbur's name, and I am intrigued with the idea, though I haven't really done to much thinking about it, so I am curious a little bit on the community's thoughts about it.

Physical Interpretations

So, first of all, Wilbur’s eyes – the Minecraft skin has no indication of eye color, so that is completely free and up to interpretation. After some discussions, I think that heterochromia would be an interesting and unique addition to his design. So, I think Wilbur would have his right eye be a teal green, and his left eye would be blue, similar to his father’s eyes.

Then there is height. All Minecraft skins are the same height, and very few characters have stated their canonical heights. I think making Wilbur 6’ tall would be interesting. I could ramble on about how I think this could result in fun symbolism and all that, but that’s not why you’re here.

The hair is a little bit harder to mess around with… or it would be, if not for the hood attached to his jacket. I am choosing to interpret Wilbur’s hair as long, and just constantly tucked into his head. He probably keeps it in a ponytail or something. As for length, maybe something like this?

As for other physical details, I think that his face would probably have some freckles, he’s spent a lot of time in the sunlight in the early DSMP days as well as his later few DSMP days. Some additional scars would also make a lot of sense, given all the violence and explosions he’s been subjected to.

But I also think Wilbur might have some tattoos. What type of tattoos, I think witchy/magical tattoos similar vibes tattoos like this, this, this and this, would work very well given that potions in Minecraft are considered magic, and Wilbur is pretty associated heavily with potions.

Outfit Interpretations

Now, the outfit is much, much harder to interpret as drastically different, but there are some thoughts that I have on it.

First of all, the yellow shirt – there isn’t anything that indicates that what Wilbur is wearing under the jacket is a sweater or shirt. And I am choosing to interpret it as a yellow, low-crop top. Not enough of a crop top to be always showing off his stomach. But when he stretches, he would be showing off some tummy. Just because I want to add some more gender to the design. Personally, I do think the idea of him with a dark blue shirt instead would work better with him as a character but working we’re with what’s given.

The gloves are things I am debating on keeping, mostly because I don’t know if I want to give Wilbur gloves like this, or if I want to give him some magical bracelets, like this lapis lazuli bracelet, though not necessarily lapis lazuli is the gemstone being used. Maybe both could work, but I’m not sure if it would clutter the design as I can’t actually draw them out myself to test that. But talking about accessories, I think he’d wear the friendship emerald Phil gave him as a necklace like this, but with an emerald.

Species Headcanons

I like to headcanon Wilbur as a mockingbird hybrid, specifically a northern mockingbird. So, he’d have mockingbird wings! But that's very much a headcanon and is something that wouldn't be able to be argued as being there with the current canon design.

#c!wilbur #Build a C!Wilbur #DSMP Wilbur

[whumpster-fire]

Rating the Overlords in Hazbin Hotel:

#10: Valentino. Bitch ass motherfucker supreme. I want him to die and I want it to hurt the whole time he is dying. Fucking scumbag. Also IDGAF if he's a moth I will always maintain the headcanon that the sleazy prick is a pubic louse.

#9: That one blue firey skeleton dude in the meeting who didn't say anything. Has literally no characterization.

#8: Zeezi (that one pink and green lady at the meeting): Has literally no characterization but that color scheme is eye bleeding and I'm here for it.

#7: Rosie. Man she's cool and all, helpful to Charlie, friends with Alastor, but she just doesn't capture my interest the way the others do. Being the overlord of cannibals is a really niche thing it seems like compared to being in control of major forces that are fucking up society, I have a feeling she maintains her position because (a) she's smart, and (b) the other overlords don't really want her domain because taking eating human flesh to the level of an obsession is kind of dweeb behavior.

#6: Velvette. Horrible cringe zoomer iPad kid (or Millennial, I don't know). I absolutely love the fact that she showed up at the meeting and literally everyone else in the room was like "What's with this sassy... lost child?" Has so much potential though for her character to embody the absolute worst of internet culture. Next season I want to see Velvette trolling, going "L + Block + Ratio," and doxxing random sinners and getting them killed for her own entertainment.

#5: Carmilla Carmine. Awesome. I like seeing people in hell who are still people and not obsessed with becoming the most cartoonishly evil motherfucker possible because "hey we're already in hell, might as well get crazy." People can have friends, family, etc. and still do shit that gets them sent to hell. I'm getting "was leader of an organized crime family in life" vibes. Also has vibes of being one of the less horrible overlords to work for because she's emotional stable enough to know that being cruel to your minions for fun is bad for morale.

#4: Husk. Okay he's a former overlord but let's say Overlord Emeritus. He has my respect as an overlord for dying in like the 70s but choosing an absolutely classic vice to make his domain: drinking and gambling. Also the timeline here implies he rose to power when Alastor was already around. I wonder if there was a power vacuum because Al killed the previous overlord of gambling?

#3: Vox. I hate his cringey techbro ass but in a "I want to put this man in a jar and shake it vigorously" way. The fact that he actually enjoys Valentino's company is a major minus though. I kind of wanted to see a strained business relationship where he dislikes Val immensely but works with him because sex sells and Val has the market cornered. Also his voice is kind of... generic. I was really hoping for him to have a Mid-Atlantic Accent but of a more "mid-century TV anchor" type to make it extra clear how much he wants to rip off / replace Alastor and as a part of him that isn't as hip and modern as Mr. Died In the 50s wants to present himself as.

#2: Zestial. Hello Mr. Tall Dark and Mysterious. He is so fucking cool. I want so badly to believe that he and Alastor are genuinely friends and respect each other but also Alastor respects Zestial enough to want him to think he's cool, and when Zestial showed up Alastor internally panicked because of 'Oh shit my friend showed up while I'm being trailed by the lamest minions in hell, he's going to think they're mine this is so embarrassing!'

#1: Alastor. What a fucking guy. This man is being dragged kicking and screaming into character development and I am here for it.

#hazbin hotel #overlords (HH) #alastor hazbin hotel

[eyesteeth]

Details from The Mermaid's Tongue (Demo)

Spoilers for the entirety of the demo/the Mermaid's Tongue Prologue and Tangle Tower + theorizing on future plot points for the final game.

So, right off the bat: 

Stonetop Inn: as in Selena Stonetop, mother of Felicia Fellow and grandmother of Freya Fellow, as indicated by the Tangle Tower family tree. The boat being named The Dearest Selena cinches it.

The dragon-looking thing on the board is the Silversnake noted in the Children's Book (and Secret Research) in Tangle Tower. It is also present at the bottom of the family tree image.

The crab design on the table could be the Soulcrab... Or just a regular crab, lol

Felicia... Stonetop? Not Fellow? Perhaps she took her father’s last name after some incident? Or perhaps her heritage as a Stonetop was ignored by the family in favor of her status as a Fellow? Or perhaps it’s a retcon? Who can say...

Kristen Kale publishing… wonder if that’ll be relevant down the line.

This book also gives us some potential foreshadowing and a route for misdirection... but it being entered into evidence suggests that at least the author or publisher will be of some relevance.

I didn't take screenshots of it, but there's also an alliterative name outside the theatre on land, a W name. It's not any of the extended Fellow-Remington-Pointer family, but alliterative names have a tendency to come back... so maybe they'll be relevant to the full game, or perhaps a future one?

Tangle Tower took some beats from The Goldbug by Poe, so is this perhaps a Great Gatsby-esque green light? More literary connections? Post-war cynicism and the death of the American dream? Opulence as a disguise for deeper issues? Could be fun.

The likelihood of this being a cheeky All The Wrong Questions reference is a Big Zero, but "Silkwirm-on-Sea" is giving me "Stain’d-by-the-Sea" vibes by both the name and it being utterly dead.

I’m going to assume this is a statue depicting one of the Ambassadors (my guess would be Lord Fellow) attempting to capture the Silversnake - or the Silkwirm Serpent, as it’s called here.

I'm convinced these creatures are one and the same despite the name difference. Boggy's real name is The Amphobi, after all. It could happen again.

Also look at the hanging sign in the top right. Hold that image in your mind for a second.

Hm. Now doesn't that furnace and that glass of wine feel a little familiar... not to mention the shade of red...

...who wants to bet an Ambassador had a hand in making this submarine?

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that’s the Seafoam crest hanging over the Stonetop crest. (That is the Stonetop crest at the bottom, by the way. If you click on the hanging sign over the inn before you get onto the submarine, it reveals this information.) Perhaps the complex web of interpersonal relationships didn’t end with the Pointer-Fellow-Remington family.

And so the guessing game begins… Is The Captain’s Corpse Slumped Over The Panel In That Room

Oh, hey! I recognize that lamp. Has Felix Fellow been down here on one of his many supposed adventures?

The Silversnake returns as a metal structure inside the ship! This is starting to remind me of the constant egg motifs around Tangle Tower... and strengthening my theory that one of the Ambassadors made this ship. This is quite a prominent bit of Mystid decor, and Sally even suggests that it might be load-bearing.

The bottle of tablets having a sun on them leads me to think they’re Vitamin D tablets or the like. Not getting enough sun can really mess the body up, and being deep underwater would leave someone with no access to it. Therefore, these are likely vitamin supplements. The other side of the label having an onion, however… no clue. A mystery for the full game!

Likewise, the moon vial could be a sleeping drought. It’s hard to keep up with your sleep cycle if it’s always dark, after all.

POSTER PLAGIARISM!! Though, it's not like you're going to get called out for it twenty leagues under the sea... My guess is whoever refurbished this room into a theatre really likes the shows topside. But a witch girl seeing the ferryman while in the cauldron herself carries a different tone than a mysterious doppelgänger.

Both the “The Stargazing Girl” text and the footprints have bled through slightly to the other side of the cloth, so they must have been applied similarly (to some degree) - but the circle seems like it was always there. This is definitely part of a larger puzzle, so there's not much to say now.

Claw marks inside the cauldron… like the claw marks in the Tangle Tower aquarium, perhaps? And the gear marking on top… perhaps that’s how it was unlocked?

I also must say - I disagree with Grimoire's belief that the cauldron entity did the murder. The scratches inside the cauldron, with a single exception, are in groups of three. Magnus was specifically killed with a single slash across the throat. The creature in question would have left at least two slashes.

And so, the final analysis of this post. Grimoire suggests a supernatural entity responsible for the murder. Magnus' feet were right up by the cauldron. He fell onto his back. He left a puddle of blood on the ground. There's even a suspiciously placed hole in the wall! This is so, so similar to Freya's death. And, were it done like hers, I'd say that a long blade, like a spear, was thrust through the hole and slashed Magnus in the throat, at which point he fell backwards.

Except, I don't think that's what happened. Look at the bloodstain. Look at how it's pooling towards the cauldron. I don't think the submarine was horizontal when this murder happened. I think there was an initial impact, the main circular stain, and then the ship moved 90 degrees, resulting in the "second circle" of the stain dripping the way it does.

But, this is just theorizing from the little bits we have so far. What's done here so far is phenomenal and I can't wait to see how it goes. Will we meet the mysterious bug-post-sender? Will Penelope return? Will there be two murders on this submarine?? We'll see in 2024!!

#detective grimoire #the mermaid's tongue #eyeteeth speaks #analysis #long post

[uglypastels]

Diary of Potential College Dropouts // Steddie au

modern!college!au - Neither of them expects to make it through a full semester, though for different reasons. Is that perhaps why they were given a dorm to share?

author's note: this is just a little something-something as I'm struggling with the rest of pirate!eddie. I'm not sure you can really say this has a plot but if you like it, please support by reblogging and commenting or leaving an ask with your thoughts

big thanks to @eddies-house for giving me the idea for this. and @pollenallergie for coming through with amazing suggestions for this imaginary school

word count: 6k

warnings: no plot, just vibes. swearing, alcohol. drugs. quarter-life crises. dark humour. mention of unhappy family lives. anxiety. mention of throwing up.

My advice to you... is to start drinking. Heavily - Animal House (1979)

Steve had not wanted his parents to come with him on Moving Day. 

They said their goodbyes on the curb of his childhood home. His old car was packed to the brim with cardboard boxes; Dad had his arm around Mom and extended an arm for a sturdy handshake. To Steve’s surprise, his mother bit into her cheek, pushing a sour smile from underneath her tear-stinging eyes. Perhaps she would actually miss him. But he wouldn’t be surprised to return for Christmas break and see his bedroom go through its fourth renovation in the four months of his absence. 

Before getting in the car, Steve told them he’d text when he got there. It wasn’t a lie, per se, as he did not not want to. But even as he said the words, he knew he would forget by the time he drove up to campus, and something told him that his parents wouldn’t care. 

He drove off with a last wave of the hand and a tight-lipped smile, leaving Hawkins behind for good. 

If his parents had known that, they might have put more effort into the goodbyes. Maybe Steve would have, too. The release he felt as he drove past that green sign was immediate, and he knew what he was leaving behind was only holding him back, but it was also like saying goodbye to a trusted blanket. Suddenly, the comfort of years having grown up there was gone in mere seconds. 

So long King Steve. 

Hello Steve Harrington, finance freshman… kill me now.

Of course, he never wanted to do anything related to business, finance, or anything his father approved with a nod behind his Sunday newspaper, but it was either do as the old man tells ya or no college at all. And without college, what was he to do? Join his dad’s company? Get stuck in the vicious family cycle forever? It felt like a new kind of hell that made college seem like a field of daisies. But even those prospects didn’t stop Steve from fillings the first three hours of his two-day trip with angry thoughts about his upcoming classes and how to get out of them. 

While the thoughts did dissipate over time, they never went away. The idea of just taking a wrong turn and never getting off the road was strong as the first signs for Dashwood University appeared. He could, after all, go anywhere. Nothing was stopping him.

That spirit stayed within him as he took a turn into town. Hawkins never felt further away. As the city changed in scenery to what clearly were lecture halls and dormitories, his heart skipped a beat in fear. It was really happening. And if the old redbrick building weren’t a hint enough of his location, then maybe it was the dozens of cars halted at the side of the roads, overflowing the parking lots. Mothers held their kids tightly while the dads pulled heavy boxes from the trunks. As he drove past a boy being nearly strangled to death in an embrace, Steve was happy to have gone through all that days ago. 

With the number of people roaming around, it nearly took him more time to find a parking spot than the entirety of his drive there. There were also several harsh steps on the break as frisbees flew by, their owners running blindly behind them like dogs in a park. Then there were the other freshmen, looking like lost puppies, followed by the eager campus volunteers who welcomed everybody in and sniffed out the weak to indoctrinate them into whatever cults they were a part of. Steve tried not to get too annoyed too quickly, taking deep breaths and instead focusing on finding location markings. Dunent Hall. All the emails he had been getting on the topic of the introduction week mentioned “Dunent Hall,” in which “room 306 would be his new home for the upcoming year.” Exciting stuff, truly riveting. The excitement was practically trickling out of him. 

Finally, he saw the signs announcing the student housing building. Conveniently located on the far north end of campus, it needed to have the regular commotion that the centre held. The parking lot in front was still dotted with parting families and students hauling boxes, but Steve managed to find a spot for his car almost right next to the entrance. 

The aged red brick looked vibrant in the sun. Flower beds had been planted around the entrance, and Steve was sure they would look wonderful in the springtime, but as the days were only getting shorter, the bush looked a bit neglected and depressed. Putting on his sunglasses against the afternoon glow, he looked around again. The other dorms were spread out in a pentagonal shape. All identical in shape and size, decorated with the school's light blue and yellow colours. The only real difference between the buildings was the once-golden letters above the main doors, stating the name of the dorm halls. Dunent was behind Steve as he looked at the Runter and Vanhov buildings, with Bering on his left and Prudham on his right. He was sure that these names must mean something to someone interested in anything, but to him, it was just gibberish. 

Now, Steve had heard jokes, but when he turned around to head inside, nothing prepared him for the speed at which someone approached him and shoved a pamphlet. 

‘Hi!’ the girl said, eyes practically bulging out of their sockets like she must have been coming off a 10 coffee cup worth of energy high. 

‘Hi,’ Steve replied, slightly taken aback by the girl’s eagerness and large smile. 

‘I’m Constance; welcome to Dashwood!’ She didn’t even allow Steve to respond before asking: ‘Which dorm are you in?’ 

‘Why? Do you plan on murdering me already?’ He chuckled lightly.

‘Ha ha ha’. Her laugh was an exact exaggeration of the syllables, making Steve take yet another step back. ‘No, silly, so I can show you the way.’

‘I’m fine, thanks,’ he tried to stay polite while not seeing the point of being shown around a pentagon where each building had a sign you could read from across the street.

‘Oh, ok, just remember orientation starts tomorrow at 10. You should have received an itinerary in an email with all the details about the fun activities your faculty have planned. And don’t worry about getting lost or late; the pamphlet includes a map of the whole campus and the bus schedule… as well as some handy-dandy discounts and meal deals.’ 

‘Good to know,’ Steve nodded and put the pamphlet in his back pocket.

‘Alrighty then,’ she looked him once over, then looked at the hoard of boxes in his car, ‘well, if you need any help, just let me know. I’ll be here all day.’ 

‘I’ll keep it in mind.’ He couldn’t tell if her offering of help was because she did not think he was strong enough to carry all these boxes up to the third floor, or if she wanted to hang around him longer for something. Either way, he wasn’t interested in any of that.

It took another second of awkward eye contact before Constance cleared her throat, mumbled a goodbye and walked away, leaving Steve with his boxes and the pamphlet.  He waited for her to have approached another poor unprepared soul to take a deep breath in and head for the door of Dunent. 

As it was the unofficial first day of term and people were coming in and out of the building, the doors that usually stayed locked with a keycard were now wide open. Steve let a shirtless guy carrying in, what seemed to be, a mini fridge pass him before walking inside himself. The first thing he saw was an endless beige corridor, with blue doors situated every few feet, some already covered in posters, stickers and whatnot. The air was stuffy, like being hit in the face by a very soft pillow, despite the humming of an AC system could be heard. 

The first door in the hallway was open; someone had stuck a piece of paper with tape, “RECEPTION”, written in black marker. It was a small office, if you could call it that, and barely held enough space for the desk and chair at which the guy was sitting, making Steve very anxious about his dorm room. He knocked on the door frame, and the boy looked up quickly. His glasses slid right off his nose, and he jerked around as if he had just been caught red-handed. And maybe he had, but Steve just didn’t know what exactly.

‘Is this where I can pick up my keys?’ Steve asked. 

‘Uhhh, yes. Yes!’ The boy, now looking younger and younger by the second, but not in a complimentary way, came alive in a jumble of nerves. He shuffled around the desk, searching for the list of names. ‘Name?’

‘Harrington.’ 

‘Ah, yes… it should be… right here. Room 306—I see your roommate has already signed in,’ he commented while handing Steve the sheet of paper, where indeed, a name was scribbled in the same black ink as the “RECEPTION” sign on the door. 

‘Cool,’ Steve mumbled as he noted down his name. ‘What’s he like?’ He handed everything back in exchange for a large white envelope. 

‘Oh, I think he arrived yesterday, and I wasn’t working–’ the kid looked genuinely apologetic as if he had done something wrong, so Steve cut him short.

‘It’s fine, no worries.’ He smiled. He would meet the guy in a few minutes anyway.

The receptionist boy smiled back, without any of the reassurance that Steve tried to bring into the conversation, then looked down at the envelope he had just handed him. ‘In there is your key, by the way. Also, a list of regulations and… stuff.’

‘Cool,’ was there much else to say besides that? ‘Guess I’ll see you around….’ 

‘Arc.’ Arc said. 

‘Arc?’ 

‘Yeah, like the boat.’ Arc shrugged and pushed his glasses back up over the bridge of his nose. 

‘Ok, cool,’ it was his first genuine “cool” ‘I’ll see you around, Arc.’

This was the first genuine smile Arc made. Then he remembered the one thing he was told to say. ‘Welcome in Dunent Hall!’ he yelled as Steve walked through the corridor. 

The stairs to the rest of the building were at the end of the hallway, and as suspected, there was no elevator. 

Not a functional one, at least. 

You’d think they’d fix something like that for the first week of term, where everyone was hauling boxes around the corridors, but no. Instead, it was a tight fit; people were jogging down as others struggled with their heavy things. It took Steve around double the time to climb the stairs as he kept bumping into people ready to fall down the whole flight as their property attempted to tip them off-balance. 

‘Woah, you good?’ Steve asked a pretty blonde as she nearly missed a step she did not see because her eyesight was obstructed by a giant snake plant. 

‘Yeah, thanks.’ She smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear– which might not have been a good idea as she could not hold the plant with only one hand. 

‘Do you need me to carry it for you?’ Steve suggested.

‘Really? That would be great. My arms are killing me.’ She handed over the pot, and Steve put his Dunent envelope between his teeth. Unable to speak, he signed for the girl to lead the way. As luck would have it, she had also been heading to the third floor. They stopped at room 302. She opened the door and showed Steve where to place the plant. Her roommate had not appeared yet, so the room was half empty. The other half was now eaten alive by plants and books; the drabby walls were barely visible underneath the greenery.

‘Thank you so much.’ The girl said as Steve put down the pot next to her bed. ‘I’m Nicky.’ 

‘Steve.’ They shook hands, both now covered in a thin layer of plant soil. ‘Guess we’re almost neighbours. I’m in 306.’

‘Oh, fun!’ Nicky beamed, ‘And hey, if you need any help carrying things up, that was my last trip up and down, so– I mean, it would only be fair, right.’

‘Well, then I’ll leave the heaviest boxes for you.’ He fought the urge to wink, but kept his charming smile up until Nicky said goodbye and closed her door. Maybe college wouldn’t be so hard. 

But he couldn’t hook up with someone living in the same building, let alone 2 doors down. That might just be the stupidest thing he could do, and he had already done some dumb things. So no, Nicky seemed like a great girl, but he would have to control himself. 

So not that easy after all.

The third-floor corridor was smaller than the lower levels, with only 7 doors. 6 dorms and a community hall at the end. From what he could hear, some people were already socialising there, with their laughter and music giving everything a lively atmosphere. Room 306 was next to it, and people waved to Steve as they noticed him through the doorway. He waved back awkwardly as he got his key out of the envelope. 

‘I think Ed’s inside,’ a guy said from the couch in the community room, indicating that Steve could just knock. And, yes, he could, but this was his room. He had the key. Why would he hit?

The roommate situation was not a surprise. Along with his dorm hall and room number, all the emails also talked about how Steve had been paired with some kid named Edward Munson for the roommate scheme. Unfortunately, that was all that was told to him. A name and nothing else, so Steve could only hope the guy wasn’t a dickswab.

Finally, roaming through the millions of papers in the envelope, Steve fished out the key. It slipped into the lock, and Steve suddenly realised that the music had not been coming from the community room but from his dorm. 

Compared to the “RECEPTION”, this room felt gargantuan. The two single beds were set perpendicularly to their respective walls next to a set of desks. The door Steve just walked through was between two large closets, but there was enough shelving space for everything Steve brought with him. 

From how Nicky had decorated her room, he expected a stark contrast between his and Ed’s half, but it seemed his roommate had some trouble with boundaries. The room had fallen victim to a geekplosion. Something resembling an old bed sheet was draped on the wall over his bed; the paint read “Corroded Coffin”,  whatever that was. Around it were other small posters and pictures of bands and movies. Steve recognised most and noticed how there was barely anything around from after the year 1986. An auspicious start…

The shelves were already packed with books and action figures, and more packed boxes littered the ground and clothes (primarily black). Steve hadn’t even realised a person was sitting among the hoard of shirts and jeans lying on the bed, but Edward Munson sat casually back among this mess, strumming on his red guitar. He jumped up at the sight of Steve crossing the threshold. 

‘Finally!’ he tried to cross the room but stumbled over a box, cursing as he nearly fell. But you wouldn’t be able to tell any of that happened by how he composed himself once finally face-to-face with his new roomie. ‘You must be Steven–’ 

‘Steve,’ he corrected. 

‘Right, right. I’m Eddie.’ Eddie extended his hand. ‘Nice to meet you.’

‘You too.’ Steve shook Eddie’s ring-clad hand. It was a solid shake, which he appreciated. 

‘Sorry about the mess,’ Eddie apologised while they parted. ‘I couldn’t find my—stuff and you know how shit is. You get distracted, and it goes from bad to worse, but I’ll clean it up before you bring your stuff in.’ 

Steve didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded. Eddie turned around to put his guitar in its case, and Steve looked at his new roommate. From his years on the basketball and swimming team, Steve immediately thought Eddie must be a runner. He was lean, maybe a bit taller than himself. But the tattoos he was showing off in his black tank top made Steve doubt any kind of track career because there were many. From the quality of the sketches, they seemed homemade, too; some clearly even stick-n-poke. He had his long hair in a ponytail, but half of it was already sticking out messily, the old scrunchie hanging on by a thread. His jeans had chains attached to all possible places, and his belt buckle looked too much like real handcuffs.

Compared to Steve, wearing a clean green shirt and some light jeans, they made quite the pair.

‘I just came to drop this of real quick,’ he dropped the envelope on his bed, ‘i’m gonna go get the rest of my stuff.’

‘Need help with that?’

‘No, I’m good, thanks.’ He had Nicky already, and Steve didn’t feel like soliciting half the campus to haul his shit up the stairs, even if that made his day a bit easier. Besides, he would find greater help in Eddie cleaning up while he was gone. 

Not that there was that much to bring up anyway. Everyone was probably projecting their luggage when offering to help, but Steve had packed everything into two suitcases and four boxes, which weren’t even that heavy. He just didn’t own that much. So after three trips up and down, and something that felt like a minor asthma attack, Steve sat on his bed and noticed Eddie’s look. His brows twisted in thought. 

‘What?’ 

‘This is all your stuff?’ 

‘Yeah?’ Clothes, a computer, some books and sports gear, what else would he need?

Eddie looked him up and down again quickly. Then asked, ‘What’s your major?’ 

‘Finance,’ Steve sighed, already growing tired of that being his answer. ‘Yours?’

‘Not sure.’ Eddie was sitting in his desk chair and spun around. 

‘What do you mean, not sure?’ He must have signed up for something to get here. 

‘Technically, English, but who knows what it will be next month. Fuck, they might kick me out by then.’

‘Not great with following the rules?’ Steve had to stay as far away as possible if this guy was planning on getting expelled. 

‘Not great at anything, really.’ Eddie exhaled deeply, ‘but you know, college is college. It’s already a whole thing to be able to go.’

‘Tell me about it.’ Steve let his head hit his pillow while Eddie kept spinning in his chair. Maybe if he could turn fast enough, he could catch up to his brain, which seemed to wheeze a million miles per second. It was still weird to him to actually sit in a college dorm.

24 HOURS AGO, he still couldn’t believe it; he was driving onto campus to be a student. He had always expected the only way he’d step a foot inside was to piss off some frat bros, Tpeeing their house or something. Now he would actually be in classes with these guys.

‘Boy, you better stop jumping or this car won’t last much longer,’ his uncle muttered. 

‘Sorry,’ Eddie stopped his leg from shaking, but it just moved all the energy in his body to his hands, and he started tapping his fingers on the dashboard, head rocking back and forth as their van approached the campus site. 

‘You sure you’re good, Eds?’ Wayne glanced over at his nephew. 

‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ Eddie blinked, shaking his head. They were now only a few streets away from Dunent Hall. ‘Just a bit nervous, I guess.’ He had that same stomach-gnawing feeling as he had in kindergarten on his first day of school. And then, on the first day of elementary school and in fourth grade, when his family moved, he had to change schools again in seventh grade. The first day of high school, freshmen year, and a year later when he moved in with Wayne across the country and started all over again. Then the feeling crept back when he had to repeat senior year… twice. After all these times, he thought he would get used to it, that the anxiety would come easier, but it hit him as hard as ever. 

‘Try not to throw up in the car, son,’ his uncle said, and Eddie tried to laugh the sour taste in his mouth off. He would have replied but was scared that more than words would come out, and so they drove on in silence. Only once they parked in front of the Dument building did Eddie dare to open his mouth. 

‘Looks worse than I expected.’ To that comment, Wayne smacked him on the back of the head. 

‘Just because you’re right don’t mean you should say it.’ Wayne pointed a stern finger, but a smile was creeping up under his bushy moustache.

‘Sorry!’ Eddie chuckled. ‘I’ll go and–’ Right as he was about to head inside, a girl appeared, practically out of nowhere, startling both uncle and nephew. 

‘Gooood morning!’ she sang. ‘I’m Constance, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to Dashwood University, the home of the Gorgons!’ She cheered haphazardly, most likely because all her energy was stuck in her face. 

‘Gorgons, eh?’ Eddie said, unimpressed. He never cared much for school spirit, so the whole sports team thing wasn’t very appealing, but he knew some people got all hot and bothered by it. 

‘Be sure to get tickets for the first game of the season; it will be a blast,’ Constance beamed, and Eddie would have asked what sport this was supposed to be about if he gave an inch of a fuck. So, he just smiled and nodded like the polite hated-by-Christians boy he was. 

Constance looked at Eddie, and with a face like hers, it was evidently hard to keep her thoughts to her inner self. The judgement was practically being screamed through a megaphone (which she was carrying on a shoulder strap). When she looked back up at him, noticing that he had not stopped looking at her, she squeezed out a smile. 

‘Here is a campus map,’ she held out a pamphlet, ‘with all the important locations and travel information if you need to get around. You can pick up your keys inside, first door to your left.’

‘Thanks.’ Eddie ignored Constance's last glare, not understanding how some people were still so close-minded in the year of our foe and Satan… was it the hair? The tattoos? It couldn’t be the weed; he had showered for an absurdly long time, knowing he would have to spend a whole day in the car with his uncle.  

Speaking of Wayne, he had opened the back of the van, suddenly finding himself very busy with some box, only poking his head out to wave goodbye to this welcome committee. 

It was a cloudy, sleepy Sunday. The air around them felt ready to rain or daze in its aftermath. But the grass smelled of it, and the flower bushes…… were there too. 

‘I’ll go get the keys.’ Eddie said and went in ahead. 

Just like Constance had said, the first door on the left was open and revealed a broom closet for an office. Inside was an older man who looked up before Eddie could say anything. He had a white button-up shirt and pits stained in sweat, and understandably so because Eddie already felt like he was burning after standing there for two seconds.

‘Welcome to Dunent Hall. Name, please.’

‘Munson, Eddie- Edward.’ God, he hated saying his full name. He watched the man pick up a clipboard and review the list of names until he reached the Ms. 

‘Yes, right. Sign here.’ He handed him the clipboard to sign, and while Eddie was doing so, the man reached for a basket of large envelopes and searched through those for “Munson” as well. ‘In this you will find your key, dorm regulations, college regulations, lists of clubs and associations and this month’s cafeteria menu—which you can find on the map that I’m sure constance has given you.’

All Eddie could do was whistle in fascination. ‘You guys sure are organised,’ he tried to joke, but the man just looked at him with a cold and unimpressed stare. ‘Well, thanks, anyway.’ Eddie held up the envelope and walked back out of the building where Wayne was waiting, a box in his hands. 

‘Got 'em?’ he asked, and Eddie showed him the envelope. It took him another five years to sift through all the paper waste to find the key—a small silver key attached to a red label reading “306”. 

Eddie grabbed his guitar case, whipped it around his shoulder, and took another two boxes to follow Wayne into the building. The only people around were just like them, families unpacking, so he doubted it was necessary to lock the van… not that he had anything worth stealing anyway. 

The elevator had a large “out of order” sign stamped on it, so they took the stairs. While Wayne said he was fine, Eddie insisted he takes it slow and not make any more up-and-down trips. They compromised by Wayne giving him a warning look and bringing up two more boxes before resting up in the room as Eddie got the rest of his stuff. Together, it took five trips up the flight of stairs, but all the boxes and bags covered most of the floor space. Wayne took the desk chair while Eddie sat on the bed, choosing the left side of the room.

Running back and forth to the car had occupied him for the time being, but now, sitting there in silence, all the thoughts from the drive were returning. The look Constance gave him… would that be everyone he met around these parts? Would it be like every other school he had been to? What about this roommate of his? Steven? What were the chances that he’d be into all the stuff Eddie was? Would he have to share a room with someone that was either scared of him or thought Eddie was a freak? 

‘Pay them no mind, boy,’ Wayne said out of nowhere, almost as if he could read his nephew’s mind. 

‘For once, I don’t want them to think I don’t belong here.’ Eddie sighed. 

‘Listen here,’ Wayne pushed the chair closer to the bed, ‘you worked as hard, if not harder, as anybody here. You’re here because you deserve it, you understand me, son?’ 

Eddie nodded, but his uncle needed more. ‘Yes sir.’ And then, like when he was a little boy, he jumped into his uncle’s arms for a tight embrace, possibly knocking the air out of the man’s lungs.

‘I’m proud of you boy.’ Wayne wrapped his arms around him. ‘Always have, always will be.’ 

‘Even when I accidentally set the theater room on fire?’ 

‘Boy–’ Wayne warned. 

‘Right, sorry.’ He pulled back into the hug. His uncle smelled of driftwood and wind. No matter how long of a drive or shift at the plant they had behind them, the smell of home never left. And now Eddie had to say goodbye to it. To his home, to his uncle. He would be entirely on his own again. 

‘Alright, that’s enough of the good stuff, Eds,’ Wayne tapped him on the back, and the two got up. His uncle’s arm remained on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. ‘Really proud of you.’

‘Thanks.’ Eddie smiled, pushing back any emotions. He didn’t want his last moments with his uncle to be filled with tears. 

‘And you know, your ma would be too.’ 

‘What about good ol’ pops?’ Eddie snickered. 

‘Damn him to Hell.’ Wayne spit and Eddie gasped half-jokingly. He had expected precisely that kind of reaction, but he had never heard his uncle use the big H word. 

‘Maybe it’s good I’m leaving, man, clearly I’m not a good influence on you.’ Eddie pulled him back into one last hug, but after that, it was time for Wayne to go. It was hard to say goodbye, though, so Eddie ended up walking back to the car, and didn’t head inside until the car disappeared around the corner. It felt silly, and he had never imagined himself getting so emotional over farewells, and yet, as he sludged his step up the stairs, tears pricked at the corner of his eyes.

The room looked tiny and giant at the same time. Compared to his old room, it must have been three times the size, but looking at all his stuff in boxes, Wayne’s writing on all of them, categorising his belongings, it felt dizzying. This is where everything starts. The great adventure.

The sour taste in his mouth came back. 

‘Fuck.’ He needed to relax. Like, right now. And luckily, Eddie knew precisely how. 

If only he remembered where he had packed it. Somewhere at the bottom of one of the boxes, he still could retell. At the bottom, if his uncle opened it up, the weed wouldn’t be front and centre. Also, to cover up the smell a bit. 

He went through three boxes before finding the incense, which he had thought was a good sign, but alas. Apparently, he had stashed the stash in one of his duffel bags. He opened the window, lit the incense stick and was about to light a blunt when a voice came out from the doorway. 

‘Ooh, wouldn’t do that if I were you.’ 

‘Hmm?’ with the joint between his lips, Eddie looked towards the door, where a guy with a buzzcut was standing, leaning into his room with his hands on the doorframe.

‘Smoking is a big no-no inside these buildings. It’s like rule one on all the regulations. Highlighted in italics and bold font.’ He had a slight accent, but from his voice, he sounded just as annoyed about the rule as Eddie felt when he heard it. 

‘Well, there goes my afternoon.’ He put the blunt back in its little tin box. ‘But thanks for the heads up, man.’

‘Yeah, sure thing.’ the guy glanced around him, ‘guess we’re across neighbours then.’ 

‘Oh, nice.’ Eddie wanted to slide his chair out towards the door, but it was undoable with all hix boxes lying around. So finally, defeated by the cardboard, he got up. 

‘I’m Eddie.’ 

‘Ved, but call me Vader.’ Ved introduced himself.

‘That might just be the stupidest self-proclaimed nickname I’ve ever heard.’ Eddie laughed. ‘I love it.’ So maybe college wouldn’t be that hard after all. 

Vader looked into the room, ‘making yourself at home already, I see?’ You would definitely think so by the state of the dorm. Throughout his search for the weed, Eddie had thrown everything in the boxes around. The ground was covered in his clothes. ‘No roommate?’ 

‘I’ll clean it up before he gets here.’ Eddie shrugged it off. The cleaning before the roommate arrived consisted of scooping everything from the ground into his arms and dropping it on the bed. The plan after that was to start putting things away into the closet, but shit, what was he to do when Vader invited him and the rest of the third-floor early arrivals to a small party at his place. That way, in 24 hours, Eddie managed to ransack not one but two rooms. The beer was provided for (Vader knew how to make friends quickly), and Eddie provided the music with his speakers. The worst of beats their childhood had gifted them boomed through the entire night.

Around 2 am, Eddie was in deep need of a smoke. He excused himself and found his way up the stairs onto the roof. A previous like-minded person had left a set of beach chairs out there, bleached from the sun and slightly rusted from the rain but perfect for their purpose. No smoking in the buildings. No one said anything about on top of the buildings. He lit the joint and sucked in deeply, dropping into the chair. The bitterness filled his throat delightfully. 

Back home, millions of stars looked back down at him when he looked up at the sky. Here, among the street lights and the dozens of small windows lit up in a rainbow of LED, he saw around 3 bright spots above him. The moon was merely a sliver. 

Eddie could have quickly fallen asleep right then, and maybe he even had, but Vader burst through the door and hauled him back in. 

‘You know it’s like freezing out there, right?’ he said, pointing out Eddie was only wearing a thin tank top and ripped jeans. 

‘I’ve had worse.’ That was all that Eddie said, giggling. They walked downstairs and said goodnight at their doors. 

When he woke up the following day, his entire body hurt in what could only be dehydration. But the first thing Eddie did instead, was turn on some music. He couldn’t do the silence anymore. It was deafening. 

The clothes were still everywhere too, and he kept telling himself to get it cleaned up, but somehow found himself putting away everything but that. And then, of course, he got tired and needed a break from all the unpacking. The music faded into the background, so Eddie pulled out his guitar to strum along. It was the next best thing to weed.

And that’s when Steve Harrington walked in. 

He was precisely what Eddie imagined a “Steve Harrington” to look like. Neatly styled hair, perfectly fitted clothes, the shock on his face at the sight of Eddie. And then there he was, in his clothes from last night, in a mess of a room. He probably still smelled of booze and weed as he had had no breakfast or a shower. Great first impression. 

The guy came in with half the stuff Eddie had brought, and he couldn’t tell if that meant Steve was even poorer or filthy rich. 

After that short conversation, where they learned nothing about each other, things seemed to hit a dead end. They both kept to their own halves of the room, like prison cellmates, except without the murderous tendencies (yet). And for the first hour, Eddie thought that might be it. After that, they would never speak to each other again except when one had something to complain about the other. 

Then after that hour, he searched for some kind of reason to talk to him, but each attempt felt dumb, and so Eddie fell into silence again. Would it have helped if he knew Steve was in the same boat? Looking for something to start a conversation again, but too awkward to actually speak. Because what do you say to a guy you just met and already living with?

Their saving grace was the sound of knuckles against the door.

‘It’s open!’ they both shouted out at the same time. Vader poked his head in. 

‘Hey, I was just wondering if you guys would want to get some food?’ He directed the suggestion more towards Eddie but then looked over at Steve. ‘I’m Vader, 305.’ 

‘Steve.’

‘Pleasure,’ Vader turned back to Eddie. ‘So what do you say? I’m calling in on everybody. A bit of a team-building, you know?’ 

‘Uhh, yeah, sure why not? Steve?’ 

‘Sure.’ He wasn’t sure if he was being invited, and a group activity concerning the entire floor felt a bit ridiculous, but what else would he do around here? 

‘Ok, cool.’ Vader smiled and closed the door behind him. They could hear his footsteps approaching door 304 and knocking like he had just done for them. 

There was a beat of silence in room 306 before Steve asked: ‘What kind of a name is Vader?’ 

‘Beats me, man. The guy’s crazy.’ But, they both had felt it as soon as they stepped into the building, “crazy” seemed to be a requirement for the inhabitants of Dunent Hall.

the end.

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#steddie #platonic!steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things fluff #stranger things fanfiction #eddie munson fanfiction #steve harrington fanfiction #steddie au #fanfiction #steddie fanfiction #steddie fluff

[honourablejester]

While on the subject, my favourite subclasses (so far) for each D&D 5e class:

Artificer: Gonna be honest, I don’t do much with artificers, but just going on vibes, while I understand it’s not the most mechanically brilliant of the options, I still just love Alchemist. I just like me some bubbling beakers, you know?

Barbarian: Ancestral Guardian. I love Zealot, I love Wild Magic, I could be persuaded towards Beast, particularly for small characters (scuttly little beast barbarian gnome, I like the vibes), but it’s still Ancestral Guardian. I want to be a barbarian with a pack of ghosts following them around!

Bard: For the longest time, it was Lore, for similar reasons that Knowledge clerics are my joint first favourite clerics. It feels like the old Irish bards, the oral knowledge and magic, and I had a ghoulish little half-elven lore bard named Feyla Thenn who was a lot of fun. But recently … I really like Creation? It definitely does have that spellsinger vibe, singing things into being, and honestly the ability to just sing myself up 50ft of rope, or a grappling hook, or a ladder, or a key, is just … endlessly useful and fun.

Cleric: If I have to pick one, singular, then Twilight. But it is two, because every time I make a cleric, Twilight and Knowledge have a fist fight in my head, and the only reason Twilight wins is because it’s prettier. I like twinkling sparkly bits. But Knowledge is forever there, loyal and true, waiting for me to return to it. (Tempest is the runner up, because I like big booms and I cannot lie. Also ocean).

Druid: Stars. No competition. If I make a druid, they’re gonna be a Stars druid, unless there’s a compelling setting reason for them to be anything else. I like land druids, I’ll flirt with spores, but as a stars druid I get to turn into a mobile starfield and smite people, and there’s just no beating that.

Fighter: Like the artificer, I don’t do much with fighter, but both Rune Knights and Eldritch Knights have a bit of a draw to them. Particularly Rune Knights. I like the hulking, placid, but smarter and more dangerous than you think sort of vibes they have.

Monk: Again, not my class, but I do enjoy a Mercy Monk. I also weirdly have a fondness for the Sun Soul? I like shiny things and radiant damage, but also the Sun Soul gives me kind of anime vibes? Channeling your ki into a radiant aura. IDK, I’m just weirdly fond of the Sun Soul as a concept.

Paladin: As we’ve discussed, a threeway fight between Redemption, Watchers and Devotion, but my love of John Donne and the imagery of weary gothic knights in a world of darkness forever pulls me towards Devotion first. Though, you know. Cosmic horror definitely gives Watchers some points, and I like the mercy first ethos of Redemption.

Ranger: Fey Wanderer. I like skills and languages! For themes and imagery, though, Swarmkeeper. I want a warforged ‘scarecrow’ ranger with a flock of crows. I want a dhampir or changeling swarmkeeper with a swarm of moths. I like swarms. Swarms are good. I love the imagery.

Rogue: Phantom. Again, fairly big gap between this and the closest runner up. I really like ghosts? Like with the Ancestral Barbarian, I just really like ghosts, and the story potential of a character that is perpetually followed by them. Aided by them. I will also give some points to Swashbuckler, though, because I enjoy a good old fashioned daring scoundrel, and I really like swashbuckler movies.

Sorcerer: Aberrant Mind. Again, I enjoy the horror-themed subclasses? Though having played a Clockwork Soul, I also like their whole ‘return to centre’ sort of feel. And, you know. I enjoy a tempest cleric, so Storm sorcerers also get a look in. And Draconic, because ‘my grandma is a green dragon’ is always fun. I think sorcerer is the main class where I kind of like everybody and will give them all a whirl.

Warlock: Fathomless or GOOlock. Neck and neck. I do enjoy a Genielock, there’s fun to be had with Bottled Respite, and I have a fair few ideas for Celestial too, because I like the idea of being hired, on a mercenary basis, to aid the forces of good. I love the idea of some pragmatic deva somewhere just hiring, no convictions necessary, I will simply pay you in magic to fix this evil for me. It’s a great vibe. But Fathomless and GOOlock fill my cosmic horror love so well. I think the edge might go to Fathomless. Because tentacle. And also ocean. Heh.

Wizard: Illusion. Scribes and Abjuration hold joint second place, I love them both dearly. Bookish wizards and tanky wizards are excellent. But I love the diggy, trickster, seeker nature of illusionists. I love the playing with reality, the use of illusion to hide or reveal truth, the philosophical underpinning of a character that chooses, fully consciously, to pursue this school of magic. Also Phantasmal Force is an evil, evil spell, and I love it. Pick up the Metamagic Adept feat and get subtle spell, have a tonne of fun.

There are probably not surprising for most people, but I hadn’t gone through it by class before. So. Here we are?

#d&d #5e #favourite subclasses #likely no surprises

[megaweapon]

The current situation with Wizards is yet another reminder of why I think it’s good for the hobby that people explore other kinds of tabletop games. There’s no one end-all be-all game that fits every player, every group, or every scenario. There’s a wide variety out there designed to do everything from play a funny one-shot to organize a whole campaign.

Spend an evening with your friends playing a round of Fiasco. Get up to some action-movie nonsense with a night of Wu Shu. Play a night of Dread, a game whose primary mechanic is a Jenga tower. Try one of the many PBTA-framework games out there--City of Mist! Scum and Villainy! Monster of the Week! Make up your own with the framework, if you like.

Fall in love (as I did) with the storytelling potential of the Genesys system, which can be adapted to all manner of genre (most famously in the fantastic FFG Star Wars series of tabletop games). Again, you can build your own world off of this system, and there are conversion rules to get around the biggest stumbling block, which is their proprietary dice (and free resources to replace physical dice like skyjedi in-browser and RPG Sessions on discord).

Explore (one of my personal favorite) sci-fi settings in Eclipse Phase, a game that’s distributed under Creative Commons, so you can get all the source material you need free and legally. ...I wanna recommend Shadowrun because I do like some of the stuff it has going for it (less so others) but god I’m still recovering from 5th ed. Hopefully the new edition is better. I haven’t played the new edition of Traveller but I remember it as being a delightfully weird but very fun experience.

If you want something a little scarier, there’s always Call of Cthulhu (my personal first TTRPG ever and what got me into the hobby), the newer more action-packed Pulp Cthulhu, or the 20th-century cosmic horror explorations of Delta Green. World of Darkness’s latest edition has done some interesting stuff if you like classic monsters, and the WoD LARP scene is still going pretty strong if you want an “extended cast with a vague murder mystery parlor vibe” kind of experience.

There’s a ton of stuff out there to suit all manner of sensibilities and play-styles.  At the end of the day, it’s all about telling a story, whether that story is happy, horrifying, intrepid, or silly as hell. There’s more than one way to tell it.

I’ll wrap this rant up with my own personal experiences. Technically, the game series I’ve been playing the longest, continuously, is Exile Studio’s Hollow Earth Expedition. Me and my pals have, at this point, about a decade’s worth of storytelling, worldbuilding, and (most importantly) inside jokes from the several campaigns we’ve run from it.

It’s a defunct system now, and we’ve adapted our latest campaign for the Genesys system. We never got the third sourcebook we were wanting, so we’re making it on a WorldAnvil with our group. As a system, it was imperfect, and clearly not designed for the long campaigns we preferred. As a setting, it was compelling but definitely needed some tweaking and brushing up from players. HEX itself was a mere blip, and Exile Studios doesn’t even have a website anymore. Pretty sure they got snatched up by Studio2. Despite all that, though, it was the one that worked, somehow, for all of us.

You genuinely never really know which system is going to be the one that clicks in a way that lasts. Don’t hold yourself back from trying something new.

#ttrpg #idk man just my two cents #most of my current extended irl friend groups i met in SOME WAY #through ttrpgs #i hate to see the state the big names are dragging it in #a rant

[our-marvel-universe]

Flowers Drabble

Shout out to @navybrat817 and @darkficsyouneveraskedfor for hosting this awesome @the-slumberparty because my muse is awake and thriving!!

This drabble is for the week 1 challenge - I picked a bouquet of flowers.

A/N - reader has no physical description (I didn't even use pronouns.) I picked this gif for the overall vibe

Pairing: ANDY BARBER x READER 

Warnings: nothing but fluff

WC: 404

Your favorite flowers are on the table. Andy can’t remember if he’s ever had fresh flowers before. But you loved them which means Andy is now on a first name basis with your favorite florist. It wasn’t just flowers either, you had a serious green thumb. That's what drew you to this house, the spacious yard perfect for a garden. One which he expects to be massive. Honestly you could take up the whole yard if you wanted to, he wouldn’t mind. As long as it makes you happy. They say having plants increases your overall happiness. But Andy knows it’s not the plants, any happiness he feels now is all thanks to you. 

 You are so full of love and joy and laughter. You literally wrote happy endings for a living and now you were giving him his. After everything he had been through. All the suffering and the loss, you pulled him out of the darkness and back into the land of the living. He wasn’t sure he would ever be able to repay you for all you’ve given him, but he also knows you would scold him for even thinking that way. 

You once told him “Love isn’t tit for tat,  it’s an ocean seemingly endless with big crashing waves, sometimes violent storms, often moments of stillness, but always beautiful.” That line he later learned was from one of your books, but he wasn’t going to hold that against you. Just like you weren’t one to hold anything against him. 

You didn‘t see his past, the trauma and the headlines, you saw Andy as he was. You saw him as all that he had the potential to be, Your love allowed him to let go of his past and begin to plan for the future. 

So yes, he bought this house, the one you were clearly desperate for even though it was a bit of a fixer upper. And yes he’s been living with you in your cute, albeit cramped apartment while waiting for the renovations to be finished. And of course he agreed when you insisted the plants had to be moved before all the boxes that were taking over your one bedroom apartment. 

It wasn’t easy but he’d do it again if it meant he ended up here. Dancing with you in the living room of your new home. The place where you two will build your life together.

#navy and roo's sleepover #andy barber x reader #andy barber x drabble #andy barber fluff #andy barber x woc!reader #soft!andy barber #kes writes #gender neutral!reader #andy barber x gender neutral!reader #andy barber x GN!reader #gn!reader

[twilightthefoxicorn]

Taleblr Characters as LPS Pets Part 1 (P.I.E.)

As inspired by @evilmagician430, here’s a list of what LPS animal I think various Taleblr characters would be!

As there are over 3,000+ pets, it’s kinda hard to narrow down which ones suit the characters, so I’ve included several. I’ll try to explain why I chose the ones I did, but some of them were purely just off of vibes so some may not have much of an explanation, oof.

Also, as everyone has a different take on the characters, I encourage anyone interested to share which pets you think the characters would be (I’m sure we’ll all have different answers lol). It’d be cool to see all the different pets everyone thinks suites the characters :3

Due to the sheer amount of characters within the Taleblr universe, I am most likely forgetting several characters. Sorry in advance, as my memory isn't the best ;-;

As there is a limit to 30 images per post, I've had to divide this post into several posts. I've kept them organized, though, and this one is for P.I.E. characters (in honor of P.I.E. Day). The Acachallas will be in the next post!

All of the images used are either from the LPS Collector's Wiki, or from ToySisters.com. The images with the blue backgrounds are from Toy Sisters, along with the 2nd image in Mary's section, and the images with the white background are from the wiki.

List of characters with their respective LPS animal under the cut!

P.I.E. Characters

Johnny Ghost

So LPS #1953 fits Ghost the best, imo. The color palette suites him, and for whatever reason when I look at this pet I just think, “Yeah, that’s literally Ghost.” So there’s that. It's literally Ghost as a cat, idk what else to say. Looks like it is not a physical contact type of pet.

Purely off of vibes, but LPS #1142 could potentially work. Idk, just reminds me of Ghost for whatever reason (I think cause I saw a horse like this irl and it reminded me of Ghost). Looks like it'd bite you if you're pushing its buttons too much, so maybe best not to get on its bad list.

Jimmy Casket

As Jimmy is associated with blood and vampires, I think LPS #1470 is a good match! Besides, bats are pretty cool! I didn’t really see any other pets that I thought would work, though, so it’s just this one for Jimmy. An absolute gremlin. Would probably fly up high and dive-bomb unsuspecting pets.

Gregory Casket

When I think of Gregory, I think of dinosaurs and space. Unfortunately there aren't any dino LPS pets (unless you're counting the birds), but I did find two pets I think would work. LPS #661 works imo because it seems like a younger pet, and it gives energetic younger sibling energy. Wholesome little guy, must be protected.

I could also see LPS #1154 fitting Gregory. I tend to associate greens, blues, and oranges with him, and this gecko has all three. I headcanon that Gregory loves reptiles and amphibians, so I could definitely see him being one in the LPS world. Give it some paper and crayons, and it'll think you're great.

Johnny Toast

When I think of an animal that fits Toast, I’ve always associated him with border collies and huskies for whatever reason, so I think LPS #210 would work well for him! It looks like a dapper gentledog, too, so that’s a plus. Would make the best pancakes, too, I think.

LPS #785 fits, and I think the color palette works as well (there are some other LPS with the same mold that are dark blue, and those could work as well! One of them is LPS #1217).

Gavin Toast

I’ll be honest, I didn’t really see any LPS pets that just screamed Gavin to me, but I think LPS #523 could work! Looks like the type of pet to try to act aloof and mysterious, but secretly just doesn’t want others to get involved.

LPS #55 could also work, as that cat looks like it’d try to con me (that look says it all…). I think of Gavin when I see tuxedo cats anyway, so I guess that's another reason why I think this pet could work.

Jinny Toast

Johnny and Gavin’s sister Jinny is a slightly hard one, as I can not for the life of me remember if we’ve ever seen her in a video (she’s been mentioned a few times, though). So purely going off of headcanon, I think LPS #1209 works well for her! I associate purples with her for whatever reason, so this pet’s colors fit her to me. Seems like a pet with tons of ambition, who isn't afraid to speak what's on its mind.

LPS #815 suites her as well! Something about the dark gray mixed with the little bits of the light blue here and there gives me Jinny vibes.

Mary Toast

It was hard to narrow down what pet I think best suites Mary, as I found several. That being said, I think that LPS #347 works best. It looks like a confident, fun-loving pet, and its coloring matches what I headcanon her hair and eye colors to be :3

I could also see her being LPS #69 from the newest line. I just think it gives Mary vibes, idk. Sorry for the picture being so small; couldn't find one that was bigger :(

Fred Spooker

I have always associated Spooker with cats, so that’s why I think LPS #1521 is a perfect match! While the pet itself doesn’t automatically have the pink beanie, it did come with its set! As with the cat for Ghost, this pet just screams Spooker to me.

I could also see LPS #511 working for them, as I think the color palette and markings fit Spooker’s aesthetic!

While rather basic, I think LPS #2034 would also match, as I think of yellow tabbies regarding Spooker :3

Chris “Colon” Ghostie

There were a few pets (albeit repetitive) that I thought could work for Colon, but I ultimately landed with LPS #1602. This bear just makes me think of Colon a lot, and it seems like it’d be a cool pet to be around! Probably very logical as well (Chris is the most logical one of P.I.E. after all).

LPS #366 could work as well, mainly due to the color palette (I heavily associate purples, blues, and greens with Colon). Seems like a chill pet to be around. Would definitely want to hang out with it. Could have some interesting conversations with it, I'm sure.

Woah

Maybe because she is a ghost and floats around wherever she goes, bit I tend to think of birds representing Woah. Due to this association with birds, along with Woah's color palette, I think that LPS #1650 is a good match! This pet also gives me Woah vibes, idk. It seems polite but shy. (While not pictured, LPS #372 is a pet from the same mold that I think could fit Woah, too. It has brighter colors than LPS #1650, but it's still pink, blue, and purple.)

I could also see LPS #1660 fitting. It looks like a sweet younger sister who likes to be with others, but also gives me shy vibes. Definitely suits Woah, imo.

Johnny Boast

I don't exactly have a lot to say about Boast, oof. But for whatever reason, I think that LPS #1191 fits Boast a lot. It seems like the type of pet that's somewhat reserved but once you get to know it, it's got quite the sense of humor. A good vibes pet for sure. Would definitely want to be friends with this pet.

I could also see LPS #650 working for Boast. Idk, when I look at it it reminds me of him a lot, so there's that. I think it's the colors, but I'm not quite sure. This pet seems loyal and calm, which are attributes I see Boast having.

Johnny Roast

I didn't really know how to choose a pet for Roast, so I decided to choose his based off of vibes. With that, LPS #753 gives me major Roast vibes to the point that this is a case where this pet is literally just him. Can't really explain it, but yeah. Probably a prankster, and was definitely the class clown when he was in high school.

Dark Pit

Since there isn't a lot to go off of with Dark Pit when it comes to canon, I'm relying on my own take of the character for choosing what pet I think works for him. I usually associate blacks, purple, yellows, and blues with them, and that definitely influenced what pet I chose. That said, I think that LPS #2708 would work well for his angelic form. I wanted to stick to a pet that could fly, then I remembered that there was a LPS fairy line. This pet looks like a sparkle dog, and sparkle dogs are cool; Dark Pit is cool, so they get to a sparkle dog.

For his human form, or in this case animal form, I think that LPS #1748 is a good fit. This pet gives me vibes that it would be the type to constantly observe/watch other pets, which would fit along with an angel watching over humans (animals in this case). Like, you're at a party and this pet is just in the corner sipping punch and observing everyone. Mysterious. Totally not trying to see how it should interact with the others.

William Barricade

If I'm remembering things correctly, wasn't it stated that William Barricade used to be a member of the OG P.I.E. (like, when Boast, Roast, Pit, etc. were around)? I just remember that he was part of P.I.E. in the past, but he quit (not on bad terms or anything, though). Anyway, I think that LPS #61 suits him a lot. Idk why, but I feel like he'd definitely be a German shepherd if he was an animal. I don't really have much to say about him, sorry ;-;

Katrina

As there is very little info about Katrina in canon, my picks for what LPS pet she would be are probably going to be different than what's expected? (Idk what the general consensus surrounding her is, oof.) That being said, I think that LPS #2135 works well for Katrina, as its color palette makes me think of her and the pet gives me similar vibes to who Katrina is (at least according to my headcanons). This pet seems friendly, but it also looks like someone that I wouldn't want to be on bad terms with, you know? Seems really smart, but maybe a bit too kind to people for its own good, putting others before itself.

I also think that LPS #879 would be a good match, as it gives me vibes that it would be a friendly pet who has a good sense of humor, and also likes learning new things. Also, for whatever reason, I associate sheep with Katrina? I genuinely don't know why I do, but for as long as I've known of her I have.

Jenny Ghost

Idk what all to say about Jenny Ghost, but I honestly can't remember much about her? I know her and Jenny Toast showed up in 2 or 3 videos, but I can only vaguely remember 1 :( Anyway, I associate grays, pinks, and purples with her, as well as cats, so I think that LPS #1921 fits her well. Coincidentally this pet is from the same mold as the pet I chose for Johnny Ghost. This pet gives me sassy girlboss vibes, lol. Could probably have some of the most thought-provoking conversations followed by the most mind-baffling ones with this pet.

Jenny Toast

Like I mentioned for Jenny Ghost, I unfortunately don't really know a lot about Jenny Toast :( That being said, she seems like such a cool, fun person to interact with. They would probably try to get me involved in some wacky shenanigans, and I for one would probably be down to join. Anyway, I think that LPS #1676 fits Jenny Toast well! I associate her with purples, blues, and blacks, as well with dogs and rabbits. This pet also just gives me Jenny vibes. It seems very polite but also like a bit of a troublemaker. Very fitting of Jenny Toast, if you ask me. (This may be me misremembering, but wasn't Jenny slightly a prankster in the videos they were featured in?)

I can't upload the image of this next pet due to the 30 image limit on posts, but I think that the LPS Kohl's Rabbit could also work for Jenny! It's a white bunny with light blue accents, and it reminds me of Jenny Toast a lot for whatever reason.

#my textposts #long post #taleblr #lps #taleblr x lps #p.i.e. #johnny ghost #gregory casket #jimmy casket #johnny toast #gavin toast #jinny toast #mary toast #fred spooker #chris colon ghostie #vt woah #johnny boast #johnny roast #vt dark pit #william barricade #vt katrina #jenny ghost #jenny toast

[violet-moonstone]

next gen riders headcanons and ocs

Currently working on a THW rewrite and it's going to take me forever, but while I'm working on it here's some descriptions of the kids that are going to be in it. The rewrite takes place much later than the 3rd movie did so Zephyr and Nuffink are older. All the rest are OCs.

Zephyr (12 or 13). Rides a dark blue and green female Monstrous Nightmare named Nightscale. (I'm not attached to this same though). Headstrong and impulsive. She's a protective older sister but her shenanigans tend to get her brother involved in trouble. She's also quick to fight other kids that get in her face.

Nuffink (10 or 11) is shy and quiet, also somewhat mischievous. (Using Homecoming characterization as a suggestion at best) gets into trouble mostly by accident. Curious but also fearful. Wants to be just like his big sister but he's struggling to bond with a dragon cause they kind of freak him out. Like Hiccup, he was born premature, and his birth took a huge toll on Astrid. After that, Hiccup didn't want to risk it and said Nuffink would be their last kid, though Astrid was willing to try again. Because his birth was so difficult and he's so timid, Astrid tends to be more protective of him than she is of Zephyr, which can make Zephyr jealous sometimes. But she and her brother get along well.

Ingrid (around the same age as Zephyr) is one of the 3 (fraternal) Ingerman triplets. She's very intelligent but also vain and bossy. Has a purple and gold female Deadly Nadder called Nightshade. She and Zephyr are frenemies. In terms of appearance, she takes after her mother Ruffnut.

Ingvar is a himbo-in-training. Has good intentions but often puts his foot in his mouth and says the wrong thing. Rides a dark green, male Thunderdrum named Earthshaker. He looks a lot like Fishlegs but more athletic.

Inga is the quiet one of the triplets and spends a lot of time learning about dragons from her father (he's not supposed to have favourites but he sort of does). She's a natural with dragons and spends more time with them than people. She's kind to Nuffink but his aversion to dragons gives them little to talk about. She rides a pale blue male Gronkle. His name is currently Skybuzzer, but will possibly change. She's got a round baby face like her dad.

Rainier the Relentless, officially Rainier Dagurson (14-15) is Dagur and Mala's only child (and there's a good reason why). He's tall and lean with strawberry blonde hair and wears an eyepatch over the eye he lost some years ago...it's a whole thing. Very traumatic. He's an adept fighter and very much wants to be noble and honorable. But he's deeply unhappy with his home life. He's desperate for his mother's approval, but she's very busy and somewhat distant. He has his father's approval, but he doesn't want anything to do with his father. Lots of angst going on. Probably wears a lot of black. Baby Hamlet/Aemond Targ vibes. But he gets along well with his aunt Heather. He rides a female Skrill (which is going to require some pretty protective armor) whose name I'm still thinking of. Potentially Valkyrie, but I'm not sure. Also Rainier weilds a sword.

Nia of the Ayida (15ish) is a daughter of Bayana, a character from the Dragonvine comic. I've named their tribe The Ayida in reference to a West African serpent deity. She's the oldest of 3-4 younger siblings but they're not in the fic. She's a brave fighter but very cocky and her personality instantly rubs Rainier the wrong way. Their rivalry starts almost immediately. She loves taunting him and he just turns red, unable to respond for fear of behaving in an uncouth way. She rides a large blue/green female Silkspanner named Silverweb and also fights with a spear and Silkspanner web net. Silkspanners can glide, swim, and climb very well, but not fly. I imagine they maneuver in a Spider-man-esque way, so her saddle needs to include a very secure harness. Tbh I just started Dragonvine and I'm not too concerned with making it completely accurate.

There will also be 5 OCS who are the children of the Warlords from THW. More on them soon.

#httyd #how to train your dragon #httyd headcanon #rtte #race to the edge #nuffink haddock #zephyr haddock #the hidden world #httyd thw #violet-moongem #httyd fanfiction #thw rewrite

[synobun]

@rosewinterborn spotify finally works and the ask box is too lame to actually report back on the songs you sent me in a way that doesn't look horrible

also since I'm linking the actual songs, this is a huge wall, so, uh, putting it all under a read more

Pretty good! I do not know this! We are on different parts of IG! The only things IG shows me are cats and frogs. I think this goes onto my atmosphere playlist!

erin how do you dance to this

I don't get sand/pale yellow vibes from this tbh. It started out pretty dark yellow for me and then became a dark green-red. If I had to assign a colour to it.

TIME FOR THE ASSOCIATION SONGS. I wonder how offended I'll be

I was about to say this song is way too upbeat, but then I read the lyrics. Not bad! I give it... 7.2/10.

This had some potential if it picked up speed after the first verse. Unfortunately it did not, and overall I'm not actually sure what the message is. It seems suicide focused. I think? Maybe?

Hah. Lol. Lmao even. I listened to this and read the lyrics and went "I know exactly who would like this." GUESS WHO.

Excellent pick.

Not exactly my speed for daily listening, but I can appreciate it for what it is. Lyrics are a big oof. 8.3/10.

I think this is not one of the few half-alive songs I like. Some nice bits in the lyrics though. "Once you say it out loud, it can't be undone." "I don't feel safe at all. I can't trust the fall."

This is from the game introduced to me by Them. Two of your "Oh, I better not" picks are directly connected to your observations about my Mental Illness™ tagging. Honestly, it's impressive. And hilarious, in a really morbid, ridiculous kind of way.

The actual track though is kind of eh. This reminds me that I submitted the chocobo theme from XIV to a music competition's category about open-world travel songs and it got last place. :(

ANYWAY, that's all of them. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy seeing how I am perceived. Sort of. It's an interesting peek behind the curtain. Sort of.

#ask reply #it's not actually an ask reply but it also is #y'know

[ponds-of-ink]

And now, a spoiler-covered analysis of a mystery character from the Ruin trailer

Obvious spoilers for the trailer here, but I have thoughts. I know I mentioned a couple on different posts, but here’s my main post about him.

So.. This guy.

We have no idea what exactly his deal or what he even completely looks like. All we know is he is one very menacing looking bunny with darkness and glitching not helping in the slightest.

The thing is, though, I have a theory or two (and some extra thoughts).

Notice the purple and green lines/chromatic abrasion-looking stuff?

Those are the exact same colors used for Steel Wool’s logo in the updated SB TV website.

And the green one in particular is upside down and having the sheep face the opposite way, like a reflection in a.. Well, I was going to say a strangely-positioned mirror, but a pool might be a better visual metaphor, I dunno.

My point is that looks like William and Glitch-Trap weren’t the same thing after all and this rabbit thing is going to give off proper Jekyll and Hyde vibes by switching back and forth on the fly (with Glitch being William’s Hyde?). It doesn’t help that Sun and Moon’s AIs were also combined and are now running at the same time. The duality theme from the main game is starting to look like it is settling into a theme of... things... merging in a possibly unstable manner? Uh oh.

Anyway, personality-wise, it feels that this guy is gonna be absolutely terrifying regardless of whether or not he’s actually trying to hurt you. He’s just going to be that unpredictable until we fix the others.. Or whatever we have to do to stop this madness.

(Alternatively, since there is the idea that Glitch could be controlling Gregory at one point, this bunny boy might have a very disgruntled Afton trying to help you until Glitch takes over. I have no idea how, though, unless... he pulls a Princess Quest 2 and merges with you through that Vanny mask you get later? Huh.)

Onto the more physical side of things, I don’t think this is Glamrock Bonnie. Or, at least, not completely. He looks that way, sure, but he doesn’t have the Glamrock casing style or anything. He actually gives me this impression of a lanky jester bunny, if I’m seeing his legs correctly.

However, as his arms line up with Burntrap’s pretty well, I’m going to take another speculative guess and say that this is Burntrap post-Blob. No idea how he got all those repairs, but maybe Will and Glitch got inventive during all that time before whatever happens in this DLC.

(Side note again: this guy has the most square-shaped pupils I have ever seen. Gonna file that under “potentially more proof of it not being Glamrock Bonnie”.)

One more thing: He’s actually reaching out his hand towards the viewer/Cassie in this shot. Almost as if he’s... offering a hand? offering a false promise?... Again, until we get more info on this guy, I have no idea what’s going on with him.

A shame that we don’t have a name for him yet. Almost want to keep calling him “Mystery Rabbit”, honestly.

Oh and uh.. He looks cool and I’m kinda sad that he’s not getting that much fan-art on here. Bummer.

#fnaf ruin #fnaf security breach #security breach spoilers #mystery rabbit #fnaf theory #character analysis #if it turns out that one of my oldest fnaf Sb theories was right all along #I have no idea how I’m going to feel

[flockrest]

as per this post (and closely related to my thoughts on plumage ornamentation), here i am to talk about colours and their possible Meanings in rito accessories and mayhaps even cloths — particularly in the context of having them made for or gifting them to someone else (outside of status indicators)! there's general meanings and like. "conveyed" meanings, written in italics:

red and associated shades — drive for life; make it home (to us, safe). one of the most commonly given colours, symbolising a determination and promise to live through all your battles and see the next day (and the next, and the next, and so on). the brighter the hue, the more "life" you are wishing unto the receiver. rubies are at once practical (for the chill of their mountains) and the pinnacle for make it home.

pink symbolises budding life; live and grow. this colour is often adorned on younglings!

orange and associated shades — admiration; your tailfeathers are worth chasing. mostly given to really accomplished folks, though this is (as most similar vibes are in this list) absolutely subjective. when given to younglings, the conveyed meaning turns into your tailfeathers will be worth chasing. darker hues can mean a deeper well of admiration, something akin to my/our admiration for you has steeped for long.

yellow and associated shades — community; you are one of us. another of the most commonly given colours, symbolising connectedness to your people. for non-rito, the breadth of this meaning can range from simple non-hostility (we welcome you) to the original you are one of us.

green and associated shades — connection to the winds; may the Windlines be ever in your favour. another of the most commonly given colours! the scope of this one's a little broad with how the Windlines are such a huge part of their lives, but generally, this is a wish for all the receiver's endeavours to be met and supported. among rito, this can also stand as an indicator of how attuned one is to their Windlines — i.e. a mark of one to be respected. deeper hues indicate a deeper connection (actual or wished) to the Windlines.

blue and associated shades — deep respect; you have much to offer (you should be listened to). mostly a status colour: saved for elders and masters, the wisest or most enlightened of folks. again, outside of those with official titles, this can be subjective. the brighter the hue, the more you are indicating this person is deeply respected.

purple doesn't really have its own separate meaning so much as it piggy-backs off of blue's — a "softer" sort of respect. i am listening. even more of a status/role colour. really dark blue is counted as purple.

white (no other associated shades like cream or anything. just white) — high hopes; make your own colours. speaks of a deep-seated belief in the receiver. in essence, you are (1) trusting that they do not need this (part of your) gift coloured to know what you are saying and (2) acknowledging their potential to, yeah, make their own colours! whether this is achieved through painting or dying whatever you've given them themself or letting whatever colours naturally stain the white, it doesn't matter!

that being said, white is never given just on its own! too much of it can turn into meaning i don't care about you enough to give you colours (and hence, meaning).

#* arrowhead / study. #* plumule / study. #* powder down / study. #* field notes / study. #* wisps / study. #* roosting / ooc. #tentatively drops this here....i think! what i've figured out fits very well for ingame context!! #this was very fun to get through honestly! if a little frustrating sdklfjdkf #mains i hope you know the colours on my page for you (and in any art i've given you) are very intentional <3 #long post cw #* vanes / study.

[wibble-wobbegong]

ok. wibble. hi. hello. i am humbly asking for ur thoughts on gnc outfits for byler. 

first we have mike:

i was thinking abt taking these and maybe making the pants a bit more fun w patches or patterns but keeping it pretty similar to the refs otherwise. tho w that last one the outfit just feels SO mike to me,, bookbag included, i would keep it p much the same as the ref

now for will:

i will b honest it was significantly harder to find good refs that i think have the right vibes but i like these ones a lot. maybe w/o the tie tho? at least w the last one. but then again thats where ur opinion would come in 2 help guide me lol. it definitely gives influenced by jonathan vibes w the first one, like hes a bit more grunge than canon and i think that tracks personally but i also think he would definitely keep that bright colour palette that he has most of the time so i would throw in some bright striped shirts and the like.

i would show u more but alas the 10 image cap will not allow it </3

sorry if this is weird and out of the blue but u got me thinking and i ended up scrolling thru pinterest for probably a good 30-45 minutes afterwards

ok, so for mike i really like that style of shirt!! colorwise, i tend to stick to things he wore in S1 but in an edgier style. i can’t add images but he wears emerald greens, reds that are like a shade lighter than what you’d imagine for a typical dark red, deep navys, even some dampened yellows against black or white. although i can see him experimenting with brighter things, my analysis brain forces me to face the fact that mike wearing bright colors is a major indication that he’s not being himself. brightness seems to be something he associates with normalcy, but he’s still expressive with his darker color palette. in s2, he’s heavy on hiding himself under jackets, and we know he was dealing with intense survivor’s guilt and depression

basically, for mike, i like the fits but i’d suggest going for a darker palette if you’re going for accurate characterization and, exactly as you said, throwing in some punk elements

as for will, i struggled SO much with trying to figure out the style i wanted for him. on one hand, will has a history with wearing tighter fitting clothes over the past two seasons and generally wearing very form fitting things and i feel like that fits really well with denim skirts but i also had a few concepts for looser, longer skirts because i think of his will the wise costume which is very loose and, although it isnt swishy, it gives him room to make that effect.

i think, if will were to get to the place where he confidently wears skirts, he’d wear more stylized things reminiscent of his outfits in s3 and the first two outfits from s4. long skirts with artistic patterns he admired that he can swoosh around or shorter skirts that fit his form well are where i generally find myself thinking because skirts have so much more potential as an art form than men’s pants and shorts at the time did, at least regarding things he could wear casually.

in general, i don’t see will wearing a whole lot of baggy stuff if he has a choice. he wore loose stuff a lot in the first two seasons, though i imagine that was moreso a result of wearing jonathan’s old stuff and being kinda scrawny. in s3, the stuff he’s wearing most likely isn’t jonathan’s, even more so in s4 because we know the byers have the money for will to pick out his own clothes. even the jacket he wears in the st experience is more tightly fit

and, with will, he does definitely seem to lean int brighter colors a little bit more. not neon by any means, but definitely more eye catching than mike and his more muted colors still lean towards brightness. honestly, i dont think we ever see will choosing to wear anything particularly dark, maybe a little in s2, but that was also the Horrors Season so.

will is always tough for me because i havent studied him like i’ve studied mike, but my rule of thumb is form fitting and lighter/brighter colors unless you’re intentionally trying to break him out of that typical zone and explore new possibilities with his character

obviously that’s just how i perceive the both of them, but if you think those outfits fuck then draw them For Sure. never too much gnc byler in the world

definitely not weird!!! this was actually kinda nice. very different from my usual asks but in a good way :)

#asks #how do i tag this #mike wheeler #will byers #not the ship ig