#But he has a cassette collection too!! And as a person who loves cassettes I think this is criminally overlooked!

[hothammies]

will byers, the resident sniper and medic - apoc au details under the cut!

---

will's role in the party:

a scouter - stays back to watch over the area during runs w/his rifle and is a backup supply runner if need be. just prefers to scout with dustin and mike

medic - normally takes care of the group regarding injuries and medicine. is very gentle :)

the angel on mike's shoulder -> knows how to placate mike the best if mike's being unreasonable or too harsh

most knowledgable about the infection and how it works -> helps with understanding the patterns of infected people, what attracts infection, etc.

party mediator - rarely ever fights with anyone (mostly with mike haha) and is usually the person people most often go to for a vent or a rant

skills + hobbies:

best with a rifle + second best with guns! -> he practices a lot with lucas but refuses to kill animals

cook of the group along with el (taught her how to cook): rest of the party can make edible food but don't know how to make it taste good

great knowledge of plants and medicine -> jonathan and joyce taught him all they know about it (they are healers)

draws in a sketchbook that mike stole from another group for him: filled with mundane sketches from life and treats it like a daily journal

likes to collect cds and cassettes that he finds around to play in the car (him and max discuss music the most) - fave bands include system of a down, gorillaz, the clash and the cure :) he's an alt rock fan!

quirks / fun facts:

him and lucas have an ongoing competition that started with their aim and is now based on literally anything -> they've been keeping score since they were nine (lucas is currently up by ten and the points are in the thousands)

will shuffles different music in the car and observes who in the party likes what so he can make his own little mental playlists for them!

him and dustin talk a lot about how the infection works. they have some very intense debates about it, especially when it comes to if the infected still have human consciousness or not (will thinks they do, dustin thinks they don't)

--- other notes: canon will, in a short summary, is a very sweet, sensitive, empathetic and capable boy who consistently puts others needs before his own :') of course, i wanted apoc will to share those attributes, with a big emphasis on his empathy, strength, and kindness. first - i wanted him to be a medic to show how he cares about other people and how he helps the people he loves as well. it's shown a lot in the show how much he cares for people and living beings (see: his actions with dart, el, mike, feeling bad for jonathan's hand after he had just woken up, etc.) and him being a healer is very in tune with this behavior. will as a healer is very special to me :') and him learning this skill from his mom and his brother strengthens the theme of family also!

second - him being good with a hunting rifle was to showcase his quiet strength and capability (i'd also like to add that his dexterity on his dnd sheet is extremely high) -> he's a non-confrontational survivor. his strength shines from afar and is put on the backlight, but no one in the party thinks will is weak for his empathy. mike and lucas, in particular, are actually quite jealous of the fact that will is still able to see so much good in humanity and life while being so strong. of course, his connection to the upside down in st is mirrored in this au as well, where he has an innate understanding of how the infection works because of experience, observation and other story spoilers...

looking at the current poll results, it seems im going to be drawing lucas and max next :D see you for that!

[my-writings-and-musings]

Since we've got Bumblebee, Megatron, and Optimus babies, i think it's only fair we add Soundwave to the bunch! Especially after the pregnancy scenario with him a little while back. I'd love to see how Soundwave and the cassettes would react to human reader having a baby and adding a new sibling to the fam!

Yes, indeed it is!! I wrote this adorable little fic, I hope you like it!!

"Status; positive?" Soundwave asked you one final time, kneeling beside the floor level berth as he ensured your blanket nest was sound. More snuggled than you'd ever been in your life, you smiled patiently as your mate continued his endless fussing over your comfort, and nodded your head as your eyes met his visor.

"Yes, I'm still sure." you assured him yet again, taking one arm off the bundle in your lap to lay a comforting hand over his. Trusting your judgment but as careful as ever, he nodded in return and lingered his gaze on the newborn peeking out of his swaddling, a kind of softness settling over his angular features as the two of you sat in a moment of comfortable silence. The little one was more or less asleep at the moment, but had already made a habit of waking in short, bleary bursts of cuteness before inevitably conking out once again, and the two of you had yet to grow tired of the awe you felt at everything he did. Hopefully his siblings would be just as happy to meet him. 

"Affirmative." Soundwave said after collecting himself, rising to his pedes to access the bot sized door to your makeshift maternity ward. It took a few steps for him to unlock all the security features he'd personally installed, but as the final lock came undone with an audible thunk and the heavy metal doors whooshed apart, you had just enough time to catch three human sized bots waiting on the other side. "Cassettes granted access-"

"Where-?!"

Soundwave stepped in front of the eager trio just as they tried to charge inside, his visor leveling on Frenzy in a voiceless repeat of a warning he'd delivered many times already. Thankfully the bitlet in your arms merely gave a tiny twitch at the noise, but was otherwise silent as the cassettes sheepishly shrunk down before approaching with almost exaggerated tip toeing. Looking beyond the big bot, Frenzy spoke up again in a much more controlled whisper, craning her neck for a better view. "Where is he?"

"Right here." you invited gently, encouraging them to approach. Seeing the bundle in your arms gave Frenzy, Ravage and Laserbeak a moment of pause before all three hurried to your side, moving as quietly but swiftly as their respective legs and wings could take them. Having expected such excitement, you merely ensured the sparkling was easily visible before preparing for the inevitable flood of questions.

"No way, he really is a bot!" Frenzy said first, crawling over the berth for a closer look but keeping a comfortable distance. Soundwave kneeled behind you as the entire family gathered around, and even with hushed tones all the action had the little one perking up to look around with his broad visor. The purple cassette only grew more awed as he cooed in mild confusion. "The teeniest one I've ever seen, too!"

Laserbeak, though equally touched by the new arrival, brightened at the sight of his chubby face and rounded visor before turning to his sister with an expression of victory. "Ha, you owe me ten credits! I told you he'd have a visor!"

"Don't be so darn smug, you had half a chance of getting it right." Frenzy scoffed, crossing her arms and meeting the other bot's insufferable gaze. "Besides, I'm the one who predicted him in the first place."

"True, but we didn't wager on that." Laserbeak countered with a snicker, the sound of which caused the sparkling to stir with more energy. Yawning and rubbing his face, the bitlet made an adorable show of smushing his rounded cheeks before his digits found his way to his mouth and he began to suckle, emitting a quiet hum of contentment. The adorable sight softened him, and the avian lowered his voice as he continued.  "Cute lil feller, isn't he?"

"Yeah, can't pretend that's not adorable." Frenzy concurred as Ravage sat quietly at her side, observing the newborn with a few tentative sniffs as the others continued talking. "But how long until he gets an altmode?"

"Development rate, uncertain." Soundwave answered simply, reaching over you to adjust your blankets. The movement made the sparkling reflexively reach for his sire, stubby digits flexing before the uncertain mech offered his son one of his own, which the newborn grasped tightly.

"There's not a lot of info out there about how these things go, so we're just going to figure it out day by day." you explained further, chuckling softly as the sparkling nommed on Soundwave's digit. "For now, he's just a normal newborn."

"A cute one. Look at his widdle servos..." Frenzy said without thinking, so enamored with her new sibling she briefly forgot to be cool. Catching herself with a blush and a cough once she caught Laserbeak smirking, the femme averted her gaze and mumbled a quick addendum. "That uh... that grip will make him a good guitar player, that's all."

Oblivious to how much his arrival had been anticipated, the sparkling decided to return to napping right in the middle of nomming on his sire, yawning once before conking out in your arms once more. The cuteness was too great for anyone to resist, and even Ravage gave a soft purr of adoration as the group gathered more closely around the new arrival, basking in his presence as he snoozed in perfect contentment. He couldn't know it yet, but he was perhaps the safest little one on Earth. 

[spaceagebachelormann]

zigmar i come to you humbly on this fine evening with the simple request that you give me some sort of might duck sustenance por favor and muchas gracias

they can be incoherent and stupid and goofy and silly to the max i just need to rotate this little kids like rotisserie chickens in my mind (esp fulton portman and julie)

random miscellaneous tmd thoughts !

✧ warnings: some of them may be ooc ngl

✧ additional info: u got it pookums 😈😈😈🙏 also these can be read as either platonic or romantic (not luis)

✧ m.list — nav.

♡ charlie conway !

the most insane taste in music literally ever

bro goes from madonna to death metal SO FAST

but ngl his playlist is always the best and he always gets to play music whenever u go anywhere

but oh my god he’d love pierce the veil in present day

HES ALSO LIKE SOMEHOW AMAZING AT MATH. but he cannot do science for literal shit

also his clothing style changes js like his music taste

will literally be kurt cobain one day and morrissey the next (hed hate morrissey though)

♡ adam banks !

every team sleepover/event/literally anything could js be a spontaneous hangout is always at his house

it’s because he’s rich and his house is huge as fuck and he has every board game known to man

just do not play uno because a fight always breaks out (charlie is always part of it)

he’s always the one who ends the fight also

he has this very calming presence that’s so nice to be around and him js talking to whoever got into a fight immediately helps calm them down

also weirdly good at comforting in the middle of the night but never during the day??

♡ lester averman !

he would watch full house religiously prove me wrong

his favourite character is obviously joey because they are one in the same

everyone on the team and their mother has been forced to watch full house while he’s been at their house/vice versa

he can also cook like. decently well !! it’s not something he’d prefer to do but he will for his friends if they’re tired or smth

♡ fulton reed !

this little shit

he is so unbelievably competitive over the smallest things it’s actually insane

typa guy to race u to see who can get to one side of the room first and start genuinely tweaking if he doesn’t win

at sleepovers he refuses to fall asleep first even if it’s just by a few minutes

he could be dead to the world but still have his eyes open cause he refuses to let u win (unless ur his s/o cause he might consider it that way)

♡ connie moreau !

she is definitely a theatre kid idc

her favourite musicals are probably grease, hairspray and heathers

she likes female main characters!!

everytime she gets into a new fandom she immediately starts thinking abt what it’d be like a musical and probably wanted to be a composer at some point

would 100% beg to use the aux on a road trip and then blast hamilton loud as balls

she wholeheartedly believes six is a top tier musical and she will DIE on this hill

(fun fact i’ve met andrea macasaet <3)

♡ guy germaine !

modern day guy would’ve loved basic white girl music

“life is too short to pretend to hate taylor swift” —him

also 100% a britney spears girlie. and nsync and every stereotypical white girl artist

but i wholeheartedly believe britney would be his favourite and he has her whole discography on cassette, cd, vinyl, u name it he has a britney spears collection

also his ass is NOT straight 💀 i’ve never met a straight man who listens to britney spears

♡ julie gaffney !

lowkey a regina george multitude if she wasn’t kinda. yk. a bad person

she’s a mix of cher and regina

everyone at the fancy ass boarding school literally loves her because she’s calm, smart pretty nice etc etc she’s just a really great person to be around

shes that one student who has every assignment finisher a week early, all a’s and 100% in every subject WITHOUT being mean abt it!!

her ass is friends with the whole student population and knows every well and knows all the drama but won’t tell everyone if she thinks it’s too personal (it’s it’s random petty nonsense she tells the team)

♡ ken wu !

secretly rlly good friends with julie but nobody knows even though they do not try to hide it at all

literally wander the halls talking abt whatever just for everyone to be like “y’all are friends???”

also this man secretly loves lana del rey

him and julie will sit on his bedroom floor and literally tell him the most insane and jaw dropping gossip she heard that day while lana is playing in the background

everytime someone asks his favourite lana song he says grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing on did you know that there’s a tunnel under ocean blvd to fuck with them

♡ dean portman !

is actually very very good at math!!

he was a tutor for the 9th/10th graders for a bit to get volunteer hours and also cause he just likes doing math

you’d expect it to be like doing homework with ur dad and the poor kid is in tears while deans like “WHATS NINE. TIMES TWO.” but he’s actually surprisingly patient

if he’s explained something a few times and they still don’t get it he’ll just try it a different way until they get it and work them through the problem

has rlly strong relationships with the 9th and 10th graders cause of this and is essentially their older brother figure

the amount of 14/15 year olds that he’s given relationship advice too is insane (id be one of the 14 year olds probably)

♡ luis mendoza !

his type is secretly quiet girls cause he finds them rlly interesting and likes the thought of them being happy around him but quiet around everyone else

he’s like yes girl be urself with me

it all stemmed from the girl he liked in 8th grade who helped pick up his pencils when she accidentally knocked his pencil case out of his hand (she was a quiet nerdy girl)

like a whole year later and he’s still trying to rizz her up 💀

he’s one of those guys who takes forever to lose feelings

the girl is actually good friends with him btw

♡ dwayne robertson !

i feel like he is fucking AMAZING at baking

his icon is dolly parton and he heard berry pie so he immediately learned how to bake

if someone he knows has a birthday he either bakes the birthday cake or brings them something he made depending on how close he is with them

and holy shit it’s the most amazing thing u will ever taste and nothing will ever compare

yes he’s one of those guys who will go on an 18 minute tangent on how amazing dolly parton is if someone talks shit about her (same i love dolly)

[rainylana]

Random Eddie Headcanons

no warnings, just strictly fluff and some random things that i think are eddie coded! hope everyone is doing okay! just a reminder that my requests are closed, as i’m trying to give myself more of a break! love you all!

• i feel like his room would be like going into an antique shop. he’s got so much shit everywhere, half of it is trash and beer cans, but he’s got so many little trinkets and what he calls “treasures” that he just can’t seem to part with. he’s probably lowkey a hoarder.

• he likes going yard saling just for the sole excuse to rummage through peoples stuff. he likes to pick out a mug to give to wayne, or a random hat to hang up with his collection on the wall. it’s what he spends his pocket change on.

• still has his baby blanket that’s basically worn down to a rag. he’s too afraid to wash it, thinking maybe it’ll get torn to pieces in the washer. he tangles up with it every night and it winds up at his feet by morning.

• would definitely be the type of person to get a smiley face tattooed on the tip of his penis.

• likes old country music just because wayne does. he’s a big fan of john denver and america.

• hasn’t been to the doctor in years. he’s too afraid to go. wayne got him to go a few times when he was a kid for a regular checkup, but by 15 he refused to go so wayne stopped forcing him. he’s deathly afraid of getting shots or that wooden stick that presses on his tongue.

• there’s a trailer next door that has two little girls who like to have tea parties outside. it’s never real tea, just air in their cups that eddie made the mistake of pointing out, but they always ask him to join and he does, sticking up his pinky and making tea party conversation.

• he definitely wakes the trailer park up when he’s coming home in the middle of the night, whether it’s from band practice or a random hook up. his music is on full blast. wayne will burst out the door, cussing and carrying on about turning it down.

• loves the golden girls and gilligans island, definitely scooby doo. probably hates the brady bunch because of the cheesy family dynamic, but loves watching little house on the prairie reruns in the middle of the night.

• prob made his own tattoo gun and tried to tattoo his leg. he failed. and hurt himself in the process.

• he would love greenhouses i think, but he’s always really hot and burning up inside them. he likes to smell all the types of flowers and pluck the petals and rub them between the pads of his fingers.

• trades cassettes with his friends, but will never give up his metallica or black sabbath ones.

[thevagabondexpress]

diagnosing the last hours characters with modern music tastes

Cordelia: I feel like she'd have two modes. The first would be soft, upbeat, folk and country but also piano-based stuff, anything major key and with big sound. Caroline Jones, Ruth B., Noah Kahan. I also thing she'd really like Shakira. That's her kind of day-to-day music, it's what she puts on in the car, around the house, when going for a jog, etc. But she also has a collection of women rap artists of the Megan and OSHUN variety which is what she puts on when she's doing hard workouts/training.

James: I agree that he'd be emo but I don't think he'd actually listen to a lot of "traditional canon" emo music. I think he'd find it too loud and intense in the wrong way. I think he'd prefer shoegaze, a la Radiohead, and bands like Five Three Eyes that are fast but fuzzed out. Generally anything with softer mastering where it sounds great at a lower volume.

Matthew: He'd love disco and neuvo-disco/retro-rock. Gloria Gaynor, Suzanne Somers, MonaLisa Twins, the Lemon Twigs. It's fun and silly and also empowering, besides which I think he'd like the fashion and the sparkle of it all. On his bad days, though, when the depression and/or ptsd and/or temptation to return to the addiction hits hard, what used to be his heavy drinking days, I think he'd fall back on an artist like P!NK or Florence + the Machine. Someone who can speak to the truth of the lowest lows of where he's been and remind him that he doesn't have to go back there, that there are other choices, things to live for. That, with time and effort, it does get better.

Thomas: He dug up the local college student indie rock station and he listens to it religiously. It's a habit he picked up in Madrid, he wanted to listen to Spanish music but didn't know where to look/how to search for it so he acquainted himself with radio and just flipped stations until he found something with a sound he liked. When asked to pick songs individually/curate his own music I think he'd end up falling back on his dad's taste in music: Eric Clapton, Bruce Cockburn, the Stones.

Alastair: I feel like Alastair would have unarguably the vastest taste in music of the lot of them, but also that it would generally run to music from well before his time. His mom has vinyls and cassette tapes from Iran before the Revolution and he's dubbed CDs and MP4's of them so he has his own copies and isn't stealing her. He enjoys listener-supported classical music radio, and also newer instrumental of the Haygood Hardy variety. He likes soft jazz and blues, Mahalia Jackson, Mama Thornton. He would ADORE Nina Simone. I think if I had to give a taste in music from after 1970, I'd say he also probably likes artists like Tracy Chapman and Mint Green that speak to a similar lived experience to his own.

Christopher: On one hand, I don't think he really cares that much about music. On the other hand, I think he would be the type to unapologetically listen to high school concert band music. He got hold of Robert W. Smith's storms series (Into the Storm, The Tempest, The Maelstrom), realized there's a crap ton of pieces in this genre that are Inspired By Science, and now every time Matthew comes down to the basement laboratory he ends up lodging a complaint about the sheer amount of French horn.

Grace: Living with Tatiana I don't think she was really allowed much if any access to music but I imagine she found ways around that anyhow. I think she's the other person who would really enjoy Florence + the Machine. I think most of her music would be older, melancholy women folk singers. Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell, Claudia Schmidt, the McGarrigle Sisters. I think she'd find them soothing. They'd help her calm down when things get difficult, help her to find beauty in a world that's caused her mostly pain. I think her favorite artist would be Lenka. She's got this kind of upbeat, slightly silly vibe that would make Grace smile but I also think she'd find that songs like "Silhouette" and "Ivory Tower" could speak to her truth when she needs someone to, without getting too deep in and triggering her.

Lucie: She listens to Kpop and movie soundtracks. Also if it's appeared in one of those "badass women" edits over on youtube 100% she has it on her playlist or did at some point.

Jesse: Like Grace, he didn't really have access to music living with Tatiana. Also he was dead for like almost a decade so there's that. He probably mostly listens to whatever Lucie listens to, but I like to think he does experiments like picking a new genre/radio station to listen to every day, trying to figure out what he likes and doesn't like independently of his girlfriend.

Anna: idk. She strikes me as someone who'd like Siouxsie and the Banshees. Also Halsey and Hozier. Maybe bands like Linkin Park and Evanescence—she doesn't say it because she doesn't like being dissed for listening to "old cringe emo" but they got her through gender dysphoria when she was twelve so she knows there's some worth in them.

Charles: He really doesn't listen to music. He listens to NPR or Radio Canada or the British equivalent because it makes him feel up-to-date and liberal but he doesn't actually hear the content, it just goes in one ear and out the other.

@alastairstom @chaosandtwo

[greensagephase]

Speaking of records? I doubt 2099 would have any stores, and I'm sure Miguel could easily make some sorta music to record device...

But I kinda like the idea of them maybe chilling in y/ns universe? And going into a cozy little record shop and browsing and maybe buying too many records but they're just laughing and poking fun at each other's music tastes?

Y/n's like, we've walked around your universe, lemme show you around mine as a thank you for letting me stay with you? And Miguel kinda gets to embrace a slower (aka our time) pace then what he's used too?

Hi, nonnie!! Thank you so much for the ask!! Also, I’m sorry for taking a bit to respond to your ask!! It's been a few days but I’m certain you’re talking about the lovely fanart I reblogged on Monday regarding Miguel’s record player. Life has been a little chaotic these last few days, so forgive me for the delay! 🥺

But okay, I love this ask so much!!!! I’ve never talked about the records situation in Miguel’s universe because sometimes I feel like I go too much into detail lol, but okay, yes!

I doubt records are easily accessible to people on Earth 928, or 928B, or whatever is Miguel’s official Earth number, however, I thought about our own reality and was inspired by that. So, very quickly, I’ll explain my thought process at least within Nonviolent Communication:

I thought about how most of us have digital access to music through our devices, and I imagine it’s similar in Miguel’s universe with all the high tech available to them, however, I know there’s still many people who love CDs, records, and/or cassettes.

Some of these individuals might be on the older side, and remain loyal to these because that’s what they grew up with, among other reasons, but I also know younger generations have taken a liking to them. For example, we’ve seen record players come back in full swing (I personally bought one myself when they first started becoming a thing again) and I think CDs are also still somewhat popular (?), so when thinking about Miguel’s universe, I imagined there might be a possibility that people in this universe also experience(d) similar trends in regards to this.

It’s why in one of the latest chapters I also incorporated cassettes. I included the small detail that that specific cassette player and cassettes belonged to Gabriel, hinting that Miguel also owned/owns some and that cassettes made a return at some point before Gabriel died, even if it was a short one.

Side note: Lowkey, I imagined it was probably when they were older teens. I had this little thought (while writing that scene) of young Miguel and Gabriel riding in a car and having a cassette adapter for it because it was the current popular trend for people their age!

Then, I also mentioned Miguel buying records from his own universe after reader gifted him the record player. So, going along with my line of thinking, I thought there could be a small online market for these kinds of items that are not popular or the norm in Miguel’s advanced society, but it's supported by people who are fond of them (and who might even collect them as historical pieces), allowing for a small online market to exist. So, yeah, this is my reasoning for Miguel being able to buy some records in his universe, but there’s not the same variety nor accessibility there is in our universe within the fic.

Of course, that’s just me taking liberties with such details in my fic, but I tried making it a little realistic to our own reality, and thought it would be a fun thing to add!

But anyway, I LOVE THAT IDEA!!! I have a few moments planned out with Miguel and reader strolling around her universe in future chapters already, but this one…???

!!!

I can already see Miguel searching through tall shelves, his eyes scanning all the titles and being in awe at how many records there are available. He’s probably in a daze at the mere fact that there’s dedicated shops in dulzura’s universe for them tbh, like he knows they exist but seeing and being in one makes him feel like now he knows knows, you know? He’d find artists he recognizes from his own dimension and gets all giddy about the fact that he’s found their records. And of course, being our universe and keeping an eye on him to see his reaction, we notice him - the way his eyes sparkle with delight and the cute little smile of excitement along with the way he picks them up with such delicacy!! 🥺

Okay, I’m def getting carried away here, so I’ll stop myself but nonnie… I have added the idea to the NC folder!! 🙂‍↕️Expect the moment soon, especially with us moving out shortly!! 😊 (I wanna live with Miguel for longer tho😔)

Thank you so much for the ask, nonnie!! I hope you’re having a wonderful day/night!! 🥰🫶🏼

Alondra❤️

[hungrydolphin91]

ok I had to go make my own post about Eugene Cassette Beasts, it's not fair for me to fill up everyone else's tags w how much I love this guy. I wanted to speculate a little about his backstory here cause it honestly fascinates me and I feel like I havent seen this happen much in other media, much less turn based monster collecting RPGs.

So Eugene is from a future world (seemingly the only party member who is except maybe Barkley but he's a dog so.) It sounds like he's from the turn of the century, maybe 2100 or so, and mentions in his rank 3 friendship that in his world, there was a massive reformation when society as a while realized they couldn't keep fucking each other over and destroying the planet, so everyone worked hard to abolish the kinds of structures that unilaterally hurt people (for instance, capitalism). Sounds like a utopia right?

Eugene only says good things about his world really, how much people value acts of goodness and kindness. But he says it all with such a sad tone, like something he's missing out on, because he thinks he is, he didn't fit in. He says that he wasn't great at being helpful all the time, which is why he wants to do better in New Wirral, a world removed from his own where he can be a better person than he was in his own world.

But the thing is, he IS a nice person. Maybe that's by design, everything he does in New Wirral is about him playing the hero, but it's also oh so clear that he brought his own expectations of goodness from his own timeline and they're just as much of a burden here. Even when hes succeeding, he won't cut himself slack, he says he needs to have a cause to rally behind, or what that archangel said to him would be proven true: he IS empty. Or at least, useless, which is probably the same thing to him.

What really grabs me about all of this though (besides the usual love of angst and guilt complexes and hero complexes and whatnot) is this future of moral reformation. Those are a pretty common historical phenomenon, often involving moral panics and an emphasis on presentation--- what matters is that you LOOK pure compared to others. And poor Eugene just felt like he couldn't keep up just because he has some small selfish impulses, or something in that nature I'd imagine--- I think he'd rather throw himself off a bridge than admit whatever the reason was that he didn't fit in in his own world.

It's easy to see his world being our future, in a way. I'd be delighted if terrible oppressive governments and economic systems were torn down in favor of ones that promote equality and universal well being, but currently moral purity is just as much of a trend as ever--- look at any discussion of book banning, not to mention transphobic legislature, fandom antis and so much more. So this hypothetical future is one where even though the 'right' thing has been done, there's still a subtle form of policing going on to enforce it. Maybe that is successful at keeping cruel practices from coming back. Or maybe it's just traumatizing people like Eugene who feel judged by their every action and pressured to be a saint every single moment of their lives.

One last thing I thought was interesting--- as part of his level 4 friendship rank, Eugene mentions how his parents' generation still seem scarred by the cruelties they endured before this reformation. But Eugene is too young to have lived through it himself so you know what that means?? Generational trauma babyyyyy. He's inherited guilt about a time he wasn't even alive for, along with a pressure to make sure it never ever happens again, so no unkindness is tolerated. It's no wonder this boy has so many issues.

So that's my late night rambles about this guy, probably like 50% of this is just me projecting but it's also fun to dissect what's happening here. Like I said before, it's unusual to see a unique concept like character like Eugene and his world in what appears to be a fun little indie game about turning into monsters with cassettes.

[lem-de-lemon]

English: (Translate)

I had already uploaded one of these on Amino, but it was just Elijah. This is a second, less literal version of a "Reverse AU"?

So...

Sydney Sargent: The Architect.

Sydney is a nurse's aide at Camp Here & There, Lucille saved him when he was a child and despite his difficulties he dedicated his life to being useful to her and staying by his best friend's side keeping him safe. He is affectionate although somewhat distracted so he can sometimes seem distant, but he does not stop loving others. He spends his days mostly in his office recording his progress on a "project" on cassettes and as a hobby he also likes to take care of a small garden of wild plants. He has a special interest in fungi so part of his library is about them. He suspects that he may be ill, but he has not said anything about it.

Jedidiah Martin: The Muse

Nurse at Camp Here & There. He has a good heart, but the children run away from him despite his attempts to help the other camp counselors. He is in charge of giving the announcements in the camp, he doesn't seem to be doing too badly. For some reason he seems to be very interested in clocks, he has a small collection of several of them in different and extravagant designs from around the world. Lately he feels watched, he is not very religious but he claims to be persecuted by a guy with a goat mask (The others don't know whether to believe him or not and those who do have very strange theories about satanic cults. Sydney doesn't have an opinion on that , in fact he seems a little uncomfortable and prefers to avoid the topic.) He has a slight allergy to rabbits.

(Up and) Adam: A stranger in the woods.

He was once a psychology student, but one day he disappeared in the woods and no one cared enough to go find him. He has a strange obsession with Jedidiah Martin, he believes she may be the solution to his problems. He doesn't like Sydney, but he has offered Jedidiah sessions to talk about him (Gaslight?). He's weird. When he takes off his mask he makes the others feel sleepy, sometimes it amuses him to wake Jedidiah up by making a lot of noise with his tambourine. Probably cannibal. "Bone Apple Teeth"

Elijah Volkov: A demon with a PhD.

A "nice" nurse demon, he walks around in the dreams of others (especially Jedidiah and Sydney) causing them to have quite strange nightmares. He wears part of a pink suit that would not at all give you the feeling that you were talking to a doctor. Why study medicine? He really isn't sure, maybe he wanted to understand the camp nurses a little more, maybe he was bored or maybe he just finds it funny to correct others so they call him "Dr." He has a strange relationship with Sydney, possibly it has to do with his medical condition or why Jedidiah went from looking like a dead person overnight to looking better than ever when they were kids. He has a strange taste with elephants, he would put stickers of them in other people's notebooks and the others would find them on random pages everywhere.

Español: (Lengua nativa)

Ya había subido uno de éstos en Amino, pero solo era Elijah. Esta es una segunda versión menos literal de un "AU Reverse"?

Asíque...

Sydney Sargent: El arquitecto.

Sydney es un ayudante de enfermería en Camp Here & There, Lucille lo salvó cuando era un niño y a pesar de las dificultades dedicó su vida a serle útil y permanecer al lado de su mejor amigo manteniéndolo a salvo. Es cariñoso aunque algo distraido por lo que aveces puede verse distante, pero no deja de amar a los demás. Pasa sus días mayormente en su oficina grabando sus avances sobre un "proyecto" en cassettes y como pasatiempo a parte le gusta cuidar de un pequeño jardín de plantas silvestres. Tiene un interés especial en los hongos por lo que parte de su biblioteca trata sobre ellos. Se sospecha que pueda estar enfermo, pero no ha dicho nada al respecto.

Jedidiah Martin: La Musa

Enfermero en Camp Here & There. Tiene un buen corazón, pero los niños huyen de él a pesar de sus intentos por ayudar a los demás consejeros del campamento. Es el encargado de dar los anuncios en el campamento, no parece irle mal. Por alguna razón parece interesarle muchos los relojes, tiene una pequeña colección de varios de ellos en diferentes y extravagantes diseños del mundo. Últimamente se siente observado, no es muy religioso pero dice ser perseguido por un sujeto con máscara de cabra (Los demás no saben si creerle o no y los que si lo hacen tienen teorías muy raras sobre cultos satánicos. Sydney no tiene una opinión sobre eso, de hecho parece algo incómodo y prefiere evitar el tema.) Tiene una leve alergia a los conejos.

(Up and) Adam: Un extraño en el bosque.

Alguna vez fué un estudiante de psicología, pero un día desapareció en el bosque y a nadie le importó lo suficiente para ir por él. Tiene una extraña obsesión con Jedidiah Martin, cree que pueda ser la solución a sus problemas. No le gusta Sydney, pero le ha ofrecido a Jedidiah tener sesiones para hablar sobre él (¿Gaslight?). Es... extraño. Cuando se quita la máscara provoca que los demás se sientan somnolientos, aveces le divierte despertar a Jedidiah haciendo mucho ruido con su pandereta. Probablemente caníbal. "Bone Apple Teeth"

Elijah Volkov: Un demonio con doctorado.

Un "simpático" demonio enfermero, se pasea en los sueños de los demás (Especialmente Jedidiah y Sydney) provocandoles pesadillas bastante extrañas. Porta parte de un traje rosa que para nada te daría la sensación de estar hablando con un doctor. ¿Porqué estudiar medicina? Realmente no está seguro, quizás queria enteneder un poco más a los enfermeros del campamento, quizás estaba oburrido o quizás simplemente encuentra divertido corregir a los demás para quelo llamen "Dr". Tiene una relación extraña con Sydney, posiblemente tenga que ver con su condición médica o porqué de la noche a la mañana Jedidiah pasó de verse como un muerto a estar mejor que nunca cuando eran niños. Tiene una extraña afición con los elefantes, pagaría stickers de ellos en los cuadernos de los demás y los demás los encontrarían en páginas random por todoa lados.

[succubusphan]

The Knight of Wands

Summary: Phil had always had dreams that he couldn't quite comprehend and a certain intuition about what was truly important for his future.

Rating: G

Tags/warnings: No warnings that I can think of. Psychic Phil, fluff, yearning.

Author's Note: This fic was written for @ttlmt for the Phandom Fic Exchange! Hi Bee! I hope I did your prompt justice, it was very very fun to write and even though it isn't really that long I put a lot of care into it. Enjoy!

There is a video linked at the bottom of the post or on the final notes in ao3 you may light. I found it hilarious and very helpful for the story.

Thank you @effingmeteors for being my life saviour and beta as usual.

Word Count: 3.7 k

Read on Ao3

1995

“Where is your bear, Phil? Where is your bear?” Asked Phil’s mum in the video, baby Phil not knowing the answer yet.

Phil kicked his feet as they dangled from his chair. He really liked watching his baby videos even though he was now 8 years old. He sipped on his hot chocolate and added even more marshmallows, suddenly staring intently into the cup and wrapping his hands around it, enjoying the warm feeling.

He grabbed his dream journal and wrote down “Warm” at the bottom of the list. He didn’t really know what it meant exactly, but he knew that the items on the list were related somehow. He had decided to write it in his dream journal because he could sometimes see them in a dream. Well, not actually see them, but - he didn’t know. It was like a feeling, like he knew this person, but he also knew that he didn’t know the person.

He read the list over, trying to piece the puzzle together. 

Bear

Malteesers

Coffee

Will  Wheel

Warm

His grandma had said that he would know in time, but he wanted to know now! Now! Now!

Letting out a sigh, he fished one of the marshmallows from his mug and ate it happily.

“Phil! Don’t eat too much sugar or you won’t be able to sleep tonight!” his mum called from the doorway to the kitchen.

“I need it to think!” he whined.

“Dinner is almost ready!” 

“I will finish it, Mummy! Promise!”

She just shook her head and went back to making dinner.

Phil popped the last scone loaded with clotted cream and jam into his mouth and smiled. Still trying to chew around the big piece, he hopped from the chair and went to switch the video cassette for the ThunderCats one. He made sure to put the tape with his baby videos safely back in his personal collection before hitting play.

As soon as the song came on, he started running around the dining room, swinging an imaginary sword around, yelling “Thunder! Thunder! ThunderCats Ooooh!”

He ran another lap around the room until he was met face to face with the mirror and paused. After staring at himself for a moment, he decided that to truly become a ThunderCat, he needed something, but what could it be? Phil paid attention to his face and if he focused, he could almost see a glimpse of cat whiskers coming out of his cheeks in the reflection. He gasped, happy to have figured that out and made a quick run up the stairs to his bedroom and returned with a black marker. 

It took him almost until the end of the song, but he managed to finally look like a cat. One day he would add a sword to the costume, but for now, he felt at peace.

“Are you done, Child?” his mum asked. “Oh! Who’s this?”

“I’m a cat!” said Phil, showing her his claws.

“Oh my!” she said, opening one of the drawers in the china cabinet and pulling the camera out. “What a handsome and brave cat you are!” She snapped a picture.

“Could I get a sword for my birthday?” Phil pleaded.

“We’ll see, love.” She always said that when the answer was no.

Phil pouted but rushed to his chair and drank more hot chocolate. He looked at the opposite side of the table and saw someone sitting there, or the idea of someone. He smiled. “Mum?”

“Yes, Phil?”

“Will I ever have a best friend?”

“Of course! Everyone has a best friend,” she assured him.

“I can’t wait!” Phil said, and added cat whiskers to the list.

---

1998

Phil opened his birthday present and smiled when he saw the Final Fantasy VII game he’d asked for. He was going to enjoy it so much!

He had dreamed about this game for long, even longer than it had been out to the public. It was as if the game was calling to him. For some reason, it felt important to have an item from his list; and he had added "FF" to his list months ago.

He waited until all his school friends had gone home and started the game. After losing three times in a row he decided to watch Buffy instead, but his eyes kept escaping back to the game case on the floor.

His dreams that night were plagued with dark brooding men dressed in black, but Phil wasn’t scared; he knew they were friendly.

---

2005

Long gone were Phil’s magic dreams. He still loved his grandmother, obviously, but repeating things she had told him always got him in trouble, or mocked by his friends, so he had eventually stopped trying to connect with that side of himself.

It was as if he had lost a part of himself, a part of him he didn’t know he loved so much until it was gone. He knew it was the right choice for him, his so-called gift hadn’t done him any favours. 

Nowadays, Phil felt nothing but sadness when he opened his old dream journal and saw the list of things that had no way of being related to each other. The last additions had been only drawings: a few sticks in an orange background and a weird circle with mixed colours. Nothing made sense.

None of his friends were a good fit, and, if he was honest, he didn’t even know if this person existed or not.

He was leaving for Uni soon and his mum had asked him to clean his room out and throw away anything that he wasn’t using. So Phil stood by the bin he’d placed in the middle of the room, contemplating his life and trying to decide what part of his childhood he wanted to discard forever. 

He looked at the journal in his hand. It was stupid, but he couldn’t just throw it away. Instead he walked over to his bookcase and removed 4 random books, setting the journal flat against the backboard and putting the other books back in their place to conceal it.

Nodding to himself, he continued rummaging through his very messy room. He groaned as he stuck his hand under his bed and touched something sticky; it was all the uneaten candy he’d accidentally dropped, melted by the passage of who knows how many months. He would need to get his shit together or his future roommates would kick him out for being a pig - if the ants didn’t eat him before that.

Then he came across his tiny lion plushie and smiled before putting it in his bag. Lion was definitely coming with him.

---

2006

Phil was back in his room, in the comfort of his family home and somewhat inspired by this new website called YouTube. His friends said he had a bit of a problem with social media because he was constantly on the internet, but everything was just so fun. The idea of uploading a video of his own had been floating around and around in his head for a while, but when he opened a new box of cereal and was met with the prized prize of a black and white little camera, he took it as the ultimate sign that he should do it. 

His first Videoblog was a bit all over the place, but that was just who he was. If he wanted to make new friends, what a better way to go about it than to show who he really was, right?

Once the video was recorded, it took him a full day to edit and upload it but it was worth it. He got some comments and video replies immediately! He even got his first subscriber!

Posting that video had definitely been a good idea, no matter what his mates said.

---

2009

Phil’s YouTube channel was quite a passion project for him and he tried his best to continue posting regularly even if he never lost focus on his studies. Uni was obviously more important, but since he would be majoring in video post-production and visual effects, he could pass it as a learning experience.

In February he received a package from his grandmother with a cryptic message. Among the usual ‘take care, be careful and avoid being run over on the 10th of this month,’ she also added her tarot cards with a note that read ‘Use them well.’

He didn’t exactly know what that meant, but in the spirit of being his true self on camera, he decided to talk about the psychic side of his family in a video, passing it as a funny thing more than something that had been a bit of an obsession all his life.

To downplay the importance of tarot reading in the video, he called it “Robot Death Machine,” referencing the electric heater he’d had to rely on because the heating was broken again, instead of anything related to divination.

To begin, he shuffled the cards a bit and laid his hands on the full deck, trying to really focus on transmitting his energy into it. He looked up at the camera and said “Edit that out.” He would pull three cards: one for the past, one for the present and one for the future, with the little booklet with the meaning of each card firmly at his side. He truly needed it, because despite his grandma’s protests, he had never learned that by heart.

He looked into the camera as if he had just begun touching the deck. “My grandma is a psychic and apparently she could have passed the gift on to me, right? Who knows! So let’s look into my future. I’m going to do the following month, so I’m hoping this month will be good.”

“Before this month: it’s the Nine of Cups reversed!” He pulled the card and showed it before reading the meaning. “I was vain, complaisant, over-sentimental, and careless - and I neglected my partner,” he said, wincing at the implication. He didn’t think he had neglected his cheater ex boyfriend, if anything it had been the other way around.

He pulled another card and looked at it. “Currently, the Three of... Swords. Currently I’m entering into a dangerous three-way relationship where heartache is inevitable for one participant - or all.” Wow, he hoped that was not the case; he had enough drama in his life as it was. “Minor surgery is possible. That doesn’t sound good!”

He moved along and pulled the last card, a bit disappointed with the results of the reading so far. “The future: ‘the Knight of Wands. Some guy is going to have a big impact, an energetic warrior, he has a hasty personality and he’s very quick to love or hate.”

“Hmm. Interesting,” Phil said, chewing the inside of his cheek. “I’m glad it wasn’t, like, death! And, okay, I’m gonna go eat some crisps,” he laughed at himself. “That’s the first thing that came to my head. No! I’m gonna go change the world in ways you would not believe!” 

He waved and stopped the recording.

He sat back against his bed, thinking for a moment. Could it be? He would have to watch out for any new person coming into his life for the next month or so. It could definitely be something, but given that the first 2 cards made no sense, he didn’t have high hopes.

He grabbed his phone and called his grandmother just to be sure.

“Hi!” he said as soon as she picked up.

“Hello, Darling. Did you use my cards?” she asked, not wasting a single second, probably because she already knew he had.

“Yes. I have a question about what came up. The first two cards I pulled made no sense but the third one - I don’t know.”

“What cards did you pull?”

“Uh,” Phil hesitated, looking down at the floor. It was the Nine of Cups, reversed. Then I got the Three of Swords.”

“You were in a relationship, were you not?” 

“I was...” Phil said. “But they cheated.”

“Well, there’s the neglect and the love triangle.”

“Oh,” Phil said. “And the Knight of Wands?”

“Was that the last one?” she asked and Phil could swear he heard the smile in her voice.

“Yeah. I don’t think I know any energetic warriors.”

“Perhaps not yet, but you need to pay attention. The Knight of Wands is a very charismatic person, adventurous, competitive, a fiery lad; the salamanders in his coat mean he's resistant to flames.” 

“What does that mean? Is he a firefighter?” Phil laughed, not missing that the 'he' came from her first. 

“You are taking the cards literally, Philip,” she said, not appreciating the joke. “And I do warn you, the Knight of Wands… He may not be one to settle down, not at first.” 

Phil frowned. “Who is this guy?” 

“You were calling him, weren't you? For a long while now?” 

Phil couldn’t breathe. He blinked repeatedly and coughed. “This month?” he croaked. 

“Not necessarily, but it could be. You need to look at the signs.” She waited patiently for him to process what she had just unloaded onto him. 

“Is this a friend or…” 

“That’s for you to decide. You will have to be patient with him, with both of you.” 

Phil groaned. “Thank you, Grandma.” 

“Of course!” she said. “You need to trust yourself. Even if you don’t want to share your gift with anyone, don’t try to smother it. It will hurt you.” 

“I - Alright. I won’t,” Phil said. “See you soon?” 

She laughed. “See you on New Year’s Eve,” she said and hung up.

Phil stared at the cards and began to put them back into the box one by one, just as he had picked them. He closed the box and instead of returning them to his desk, he put them in his backpack. Better to have them close.

--

By April, and with no news from this ‘Energetic Warrior,’ Phil had decided to move on and focus on the people that were actually making an impact in his life in the present.

It was exciting to interact with the people that watched his videos, especially as he started to be able to differentiate between them. A guy kept replying to his tweets and commenting under his videos with a random username and he looked cute, or at least that’s what Phil could tell from his profile picture. 

Phil tried to be friendly and treat everyone the same, giving them the same time and attention, but Dan (danisnotonfire) just kept trying to get Phil’s attention, always being one of the first to reply to his tweets, commenting on his YouTube videos, and even pointing out all the things they had in common, such as their love for Muse and the movie “Children of Men.” 

It seemed that Dan was determined to be his #1 fan at all costs. When Dan tweeted Phil saying he had a crush on him, Phil finally caved and decided to snoop around. After scrolling on Dan’s twitter profile for about an hour, Phil was set on getting to know him. He sounded like a fun guy and his observation about everything they had in common was fairly accurate.

He decided to follow Dan back and drop him a direct message. 

“Hey :) ” Phil typed, considering his next words carefully. “How are you doing?”

“omg! hi phil!

i can’t believe you followed me back! O__0 ” Dan said.

Phil bit his lip and typed a reply. “Haha why not?”

“i don’t know XD

you are so cool and i’ve been watching your videos for a logn time :] ”

“I think you’re cool too! ^.^ 

What’s your favourite Muse song?”

“ugh, don’t make me choose X__X”

“Come on! Mine is Newborn, or Exogenesis and Muscle Museum 

Those are my top 3”

“i hate you :/

i guess if I had to pick one it would be Citizen Erased”

“That’s a good one” Phil wondered if it would be too forward to ask Dan, but if he got too into his head nothing good would come of it. He had never been one to hesitate a lot about things. What could go wrong after all? 

“Hey, do you want to chat on skype?” He hit enter and waited for Dan’s reply eagerly.

“yeah! add me &lt;;3 

i’m danisnotonfire there too”

“That’s a cool username

How did you choose it?”

“it was a random string of words I came up with a few years ago lol”

“Hahaha valid :) 

See you on skype”

---

September 2009

After days and eternal nights of non-stop chatting, Phil decided to invite Dan to his parents’ house. They had gotten to know each other enough for Phil to be sure that Dan was not a serial killer - probably. 

Not that it mattered, because Dan had yet to accept his invitation.

And even though they had often been flirty during their calls, Phil wasn’t sure if they would have the same chemistry in person. If their meeting went well, it would be the first time Phil had successfully transitioned from an online friendship to a real life one.

Somehow, this felt so different than anyone else he had met before, more important. Dan was special, and just being able to talk to him made him incredibly happy.

In October, after weeks of pestering Dan, he finally accepted his invitation. Apparently, Dan had been saving ever since Phil had invited him and wanted to surprise him which made Phil blush and smile like a crazy person.

When October 19 finally came, Dan took the train to Manchester, where Phil was already anxiously waiting for him. Seeing Dan in the crowd, walking towards him and the hug Dan pulled him into was something that felt so familiar yet groundbreaking, and Phil had no way of explaining it.

Just as the sun started to set, they got on the big wheel when as their cart made it to the top, Dan kissed him, the remnants of the last sun rays setting the mood, and enveloping Phil in a warm feeling. He felt like his stomach was flipping over and he knew then that he couldn’t deny having feelings for Dan.

After frolicking around town, they headed home and filmed a video for Phil’s channel, which they were both super excited about. At one point, Phil saw Dan going through his stuff and stopped the recording to check what was catching Dan’s attention.

He had started pulling books out of the bookcase that hadn’t been touched in years.

“What’s that?” Dan asked with a curious smile, making the cat whiskers on his face curl upwards.

“What?” Phil asked.

“There’s something in the back. Is it your porn stash?” Dan smirked.

Phil snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s where I keep it!”

Dan grabbed a purple sparkly notebook with childlike scribbling on the front. “Dream Journal”

“Oh,” Phil said, feeling a tug in his stomach. “I hadn’t thought about that in a while.”

“Can I read it?” Dan asked.

“I guess? I don’t think there’s a lot in there,” Phil said, pulling at the hem of his shirt when chills ran down through him.

Dan sat back down on Phil’s bed, his back against the wall, legs pulled to his chest and bottom lip burrowed between his lips. “Oh, this is interesting. You dreamt about meeting shadow people a lot.”

“Yeah,” Phil said, swallowing thick. He kneeled on the bed and shuffled closer to Dan to read from above.

“What’s this list?” Dan asked, tapping on the last page Phil had ever filled.

“Just things that used to... catch my attention.”

“Bear. Did you know my family used to call me Bear when I was a kid? My grandma still does.”

“I - no, you hadn’t told me,” Phil said.

“Malteesers? Obviously! They are the fucking best. Coffee? You have a real problem with that if you started having coffee at this age.” Dan laughed.

“I didn’t!” Phil laughed along as everything started to slot into place. “Starbucks,” he mumbled under his breath. “Wheel. That’s where…” he trailed off.

“Will? Oh, Wheel!” Dan laughed. “You had a little problem with spelling, I see.”

Phil scoffed. “Shut up!”

“Hmm?” Dan asked, but his eyes were trained on the list. He was barely paying Phil any mind. “Worm?” Dan raised his eyebrows, finally looking up at Phil.

“Warm! That’s an A. I was a kid, don’t judge. I was having hot chocolate with marshmallows when I wrote that,” Phil said, waiting for Dan to say anything that would confirm his suspicion.

“What does that have to do with warm?” Dan asked. 

Phil shrugged. “I - I don’t know. I liked the feeling of warm things against my skin.” 

“Cat whiskers. Well, we have those on already.”

“Do you know what these could be?” Phil asked, pointing to the drawings he didn’t even understand.

“They look like Muse albums, sort of? Wait, when did you do these?” Dan asked, his brow burrowed into a frown.

Phil’s mouth fell open. He got up and brought Dan the Tonberry plushie he had purchased as a gift for him weeks ago, Christmas surprise be damn. “Final Fantasy,” Phil said.

Dan finally set the journal down on the bed and opened his gift. “This is my favourite character!” Dan looked incredibly happy.

“Yeah,” Phil said. He shuffled the things on his desk and found the tarot card set his grandma had sent him. It didn’t take him long to find the card he had been looking for. He grabbed the journal and slid the Knight of Wands card inside, closing it and returning it to its hiding place.

“I don’t understand what the list was about,” Dan said, still clutching his gift. “Those are just things you liked?”

“Something like that,” Phil said.

Dan raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t keep secrets from me, Phil Lester.”

Phil shrugged. “It’s the recipe for the perfect best friend, I guess.”

“Get out,” Dan said with a laugh and threw the Tonberry at him.

Phil knelt on the bed and pressed their lips together, smiling into the kiss as Dan pulled him closer, smudging their cat whiskers. He had finally found the person from his dreams, his best friend, his Knight of Wands.

Final Author's notes: I referenced this video for the tarot card and I would advise anyone with a few minutes to spare to watch it and marvel at how fucking accurate this card is to describe Dan. I found it hilarious. Maybe Phil is truly a psychic. VIDEO.

[weirdstuffinthewoods]

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

I'm awful at starting niche blogs, so I'm trying to stick to what I know and love. Something I know very well and love very much is this box set right here that I'm still mad at myself for getting rid of (I bought the 3-book treasury it's just not the SAME)

If you're a millennial of any age, you were probably traumatized by one or more of these bad boys. Alvin Schwartz sat down in the late 70s (book 1 was published in 1981!) and said, "you know what? I'm gonna scare the pants off a bunch of kids and they'll thank me for it later." And you know what? I kinda do.

I've spent a lot of time trying to find the root of my horror obsession, and I thought it was seeing the 1990 made-for-TV version of IT at a sleepover in 3rd grade, which resulted in two traumatic years of night terrors, calmed only by...reading the book it was based on? And then all of Stephen King's other works that were definitely not appropriate for a barely 9-10 year old? (For years, I'd skip the adulthood sections of IT when I read it because I found them so boring, so I had a half-finished story in my mind. Go figure.) But that wasn't it. I thought maybe it was finding the Informania: Ghosts and Informania: Vampires books at the Scholastic Book Fair and poring over them obsessively for years (more on this at a later date) but nope.

It was Scary Stories, Alvin Schwartz, and Stephen Gammell.

If you want some of the story surrounding these books, I recommend the Prime/Freevee documentary "Scary Stories". I remember none of it, but that's the ADHD and I can't help it.

From a quick Wikipedia search (they have never steered me wrong and this is a for-fun blog y'all), it looks like Alvin Schwartz is a folklore dude, which I aspire to be. He published multiple other kids' books of folklore aside from the Scary Stories trilogy, including A Twister of Twists, A Tangler of Tongues, but these were illustrated by a dude named Glen Rounds and I mean look:

A little weird, but not nightmare-inducing by any means. Although the amount of hair is concerning. American folklore gets lost in the shuffle a lot so it's cool for kids to see it. Then, a bit before 1981, he meets this fuckin' guy:

Who yes appears harmless but single-handedly molded me as a person with just some watercolor and pencil. Without his illustrations, Scary Stories wouldn't have the legacy they do today. Proof? The books were rereleased in 2011 with different illustrations. From the guy who illustrated the Series of Unfortunate Events books (Brett Helquist). I'm sure those were fine but like come on.

as compared to

Which one is a kid (ie me) going to cover with one hand while desperately trying to read the other page?

Stephen Gammell has a decades-long career which is briefly highlighted in this Bloody Disgusting article, excitingly enough. Before Scary Stories, he actually did another scary book series for kids which has some unsettling illustrations

and he did some historical illustrations for stuff like Thunder at Gettysburg and Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust which no I will not be looking up because I need to sleep tonight.

The article also goes on to mention how amazing Schwartz's research abilities were considering none of these stories were original- they were just collected from around the US and the world and compiled into a (not kid-friendly, no, but) kid-interesting version. There were also audiobooks (books on cassette? I guess?) for at least one of them so I assume all three, and I distinctly remember (I'll point to the exact stories later):

sitting:

-in broad daylight

-at the reading table in my classroom, probably 3rd grade too

-headphones on, volume up

-sweating absolute buckets because I was listening to this baby which ETSY SOMEHOW HAD

ARE YOU JOKING ETSY??? I'm okay though I don't need the nightmares back.

George S. Irving deserved every penny he got for this work and a whole lot more because that man scared the shit out of me. Also found out as I was reading his Wikipedia article that he played Heat Miser in The Year Without A Santa Claus. Well. The more you know, I guess.

Anyway, going forward, I'm going to go in depth on some of my favorites, and hopefully you come with! Send me questions or suggestions on stuff you want me to talk about or look at :)

Also yes I've seen the movie no I will not talk about it here but maybe later because it's been awhile since I saw it

[erigold13261]

>:3 more headcanons

1. Mayday and Purl Hew start purring if pet for long periods of time ( You bet thier partners take advantage of that)

2. Tatiana tried licking a curling iron when she was younger, it didn't go well

3. West and DJ love depressing county music and give each other recommendations on songs the other might like

4. Kliff has a big collection of 50's rock movies

5. Mama bit a guy in 8th grade who wouldn't stop touching her hair, he got better luckily but she hasn't told anyone since

6. Sofa chills at a cat Cafe when the crew have a day off of course Sayu merself joins in

7. Zimelu is a huge Gundam nerd and has several models, that no one is allowed to touch

8. 1010 found the old advertisements J shot for NSR and have never laughed harder, J was just embarrassed the whole time and made sure this would never be found again

1). I LOVE the headcanon that Purl makes weird or animalistic noises so much, and I can totally see May also doing that! May doesn't mind purring for her partners, Purl does and if pushed they will just leave for the night all pouty.

2). You know what? I'm pretty sure NO ONE in Tatiana's family or friend group would have a curling iron. So that literally means that Tatiana either went to a mall, hair salon, or some random person with a hair iron and licked it lol!

Also, I see her as not being hurt, so that isn't the "didn't go well part." What was though was either Joust or Quida thinking it was not hot because of Tatiana's lack of reaction and so one of them licked it, which is when things went down hill and chaos ensues!

3). Honestly, I don't see DJSS as liking country music until they hear West and Purl listening to depressing country music and he fell in love with it. Before all he heard was like the stereotypical "bad" country music that a lot of people seem to hate, so hearing a "good" country song was something else for them.

I also don't know if this counts as "depressing country" music, but I can see them all really liking Poor Man's Poison (which is Folk genre but kinda close to Country, maybe. Let me know if I'm wrong lol). I love that band so much and some of their songs are on the darker side! Purl would love "Stronger than the Whiskey" while DJSS I can see liking maybe "Pressure Cracks" or "Black Sheep" and West would really love "Georgia Law Man" and " Hell's Coming With Me."

4). I don't knoooow... Kliff doesn't seem like a rock fan to me. /j

No, but he totally would! I can see Kliff having all the major songs, vinyls, CDs, cassettes, and whatever else of all the most popular rock bands of each year/decade. Then he'd have smaller artists that he liked and then just a HUGE digital collection of all kinds of rock music too! This guy lives, laughs, loves rock!

5). I can honestly just see her punching a guy touching her hair. She knows not to bite people unless really in danger or something because she could potentially kill someone with her venom.

That being said, she WOULD bite someone to protect Papa when they were younger. It only happened once, but that kid (and other kids) never bothers Rubato after that incident ever again. It finally put a stop to all the bullying he was going through at the time, since none of the other adults would ever stop it.

And again, thankfully he got better. She doesn't like to tell that story, and Papa knows this, so it never gets told to people around her. Though I'm sure her mom would let it slip one day during a visit with Yinu probably lol.

6). Sofa, Sayu, Haym, and Yua all have weekly cat cafe meetings. Many fans await the many photos of foam cat coffee or cute deserts that the 4 put out after the outing lol.

7). The only one who would be allowed would be Eloni and that's only because he would have helped Zimelu build them lol! Other than that they are never touched and put inside a beautiful display case (I know nothing about Gundam other than it is a mecha anime lol)

8). I honestly don't see Neon making advertisements without 1010 as I see him and 1010 as starting NSR together and not like Neon started as some guard or something and then made 1010. So 1010 would definitely already know all the advertisements Neon would have made.

However! I can see them looking back to the first ever 1010 advertisements and laughing at how bad they were for the time. Neon is obviously embarrassed at how messy and awful they are, but is happy with how much he has improved.

If anything, I can see 1010 doing embarrassing advertisements at first before they finally told Neon "We don't want to do this commercial" or whatever. Now 1010 and Neon make sure they communicate if they want to do a ad, collab, promotion, etc.

[the-rookinator-3000]

gary's personality in the tv specials is definitely very different but very very enjoyable. i prefer his much more polite characterization in the game but i do love the sass and self confidence he has in the specials lol.

(though as someone who loves to collect cassettes and other old tech it does make me very sad to see how much he hates it lol. T_T)

and yes i wish they got more episodes too!!! they even set up for a fourth in the halloween one but it didn't go anywhere. i was SO mad because it looked like it'd be an EPF centered one too... very unfortunate.

good to see someone else who knows about it too! seems like barely anyone i know knows about it, even dedicated fans. i found a clip of it here on tumblr and just had to go looking for full eps. i'm a huge sucker for stop motion stuff and combining that with club penguin is just mwah

YEAH! gary's sassiness was one the things i really liked, it was very gary-esque if u know what i mean.. (in a post i made a while ago, i joked that gary was just sassy and done with everybody but very nice and patient to literally only rookie BAHAHA)

YEA! i wanted to brainstorm what the 4th special would've been about, im like... 90% sure we could've seen the epf agents in action and that makes me EVEN MORE SAD. like how would it go exactly? what was the conflict?? im also pretty sure lorna's special would've centered around ninjas (cuz of her amulet!) and that would've been REALLT INTERESTING AUIIGHJH 😭😭

but im still pretty content with the specials we have now, even if its incomplete ...

im glad u really enjoy it as well!!!

[loving-elvis]

Elvis Music Tag Game

I was tagged by the lovely @lindszeppelin and @bisexualwvtson to do this. Thank you so much, guys! You are both so sweet to think of me! 💖💖

Last Elvis Song You Listened To: “Funny How Time Slips Away”

Current Elvis Song Stuck In Your Head: “Make The World Go Away” 

Favorite Live Performance Moment: Oh jeez...that’s really hard to narrow down. There are just so many to choose from that it’s nearly impossible to pick just -one-! I guess if I had to pick, I’d have to go with his Return to Tupelo performance, where he’s decked out in the gold lamé jacket. If that man wasn’t an icon before that moment, he certainly was after -

undefined

Favorite Genre/Era You Like To Hear Elvis Sing Most: It’s another hard one to answer! Because as the years go by you can hear his voice strengthen and become fuller. I love the early/mid 50s just for the fact that you can hear baby Elvis and pick up on the beginnings of that world-famous voice. But in the 70s, he’s got that perfect pitch and tone and no matter how sick he was, that voice never lost that richness that I can’t get enough of.

Current Favorite Elvis Song (bc how can you pick!): Snowbird (a personal favorite of mine)

Elvis Song You Tend To Skip: Hmm...it’s rare that I’d skip one...some of the more religious ones (unless I’m in the mood for it), or anything that’s too country.

What Kind Of Music Did You Listen To Before/Besides Elvis: You mean I listen to anything other than Elvis?? 😅 Honestly though, it depends on my mood! I love classic rock (GnR, Mötley Crüe, Led Zeppelin, etc), Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, MCR (who I’m going to see in concert soon!), and any one else that piques my interest.

Are You Collecting Elvis' CD's, Cassette Tapes, 8-Tracks, or Records? All of the above! I have a growing vinyl collection that I’m so happy about, but I’ve also found his music on tape and CD, so I end up adding those to my collection.

Is There Any Other Music You've Started Listening To Because Of Elvis: Nothing really, if I can be honest. I do love listening to 50s-era music sometimes, but Elvis was such a big personality and his music is all-encompassing that he just surpasses everybody.

Last Live Performance You Were At: Jeez...I think it was back in 2019! Slash and Myles Kennedy came to my area and I just -had- to see them. I also saw Duff McKagan that same year 🤘

If You Could Have Been At Any Of Elvis' Live Performances, Which Would Choose: Oh man…that’s a tough one, because there are so many perfect ones…The Louisiana Hayride, The 68 Special, or his concerts in the 70s…I don’t know if I could narrow it down to just one. Just to be able to see him at all would be a dream come true! 💖

This was so much fun to do, guys!! I don’t know who else has been tagged, but I’m going to tag - @if-i-can-dream-of-elvis, @aconflagrationofmyown, @karamelcoveredolicity, @troubleinapinksuit, @eliseinmemphis, @presleyonfilm , @ash-omalley @succsessions , @sapphirescripts and anyone else who’d like to do it! 💖💖

[tcda]

🎮 + 🖊️ for any TWO ocs of your choosing :3

doing tcda for each because i love tcda #AWAKENING two different characters for each

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies? +

G.T. ("gale thomas" graves) is the best for this because he's like.... the hobby guy. he plays guitar and loves writing music and probably would've hit it big, if it weren't for the, you know. Zombie apocalypse. Incredibly into music, and had an extensive CD + cassette collection in his apartment

he's also a lowkey car guy. his father worked in engineering, and was previously a mechanic, and g.t. would spend hours watching him work on cars. he's on car duty and the only person allowed to pop the hood on shark's (shark sullivan) car, because anyone else who tries it is going to break it and it's gonna explode and kill them all (canon quote)

NICK MY NICKY (nicolette deadmann), infamously, did not have any hobbies before the age of 18. outside of spending 18 hours of the day on his pc playing cod. he's trying to get into scrapbooking, comic doodling, and photography :) along with other things on the way

🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

AK47 (mr. "Albert Keene") has fine line, cybersigilism-style tattoos all down his back and up his neck. he got them to piss off his parents in his ten years. think like these x, x. they've faded pretty badly. his military school instructor hated them

silas (de luca) has sleeves up both of his arms and they make him look like a hipster. he's soooo gay sooo gay lame gay uncle

and while she doesn't have any tattoos (yet), jess (jessabelle oleastro) is an aspiring tattoo artist! AK lets her do bunch of stick'n'pokes on his arms/legs/back. she's too nervous and shaky to tattoo herself!

[deangirlnotagirl]

Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot

Ok so I have probably watched this episode more recently than others but it’s still been years and I only remember some things about it so I’m very excited to get started. I also cannot believe I’m getting back into Supernatural in the year of our lord 2024 but let’s do this. Literally just a stream of my thoughts while watching.

- LAWRENCE KANSAS 22 YEARS AGO

- Mary!! This family before it all went wrong 😭

- I forgot the show started with the fire scene and not Sam at Stanford this is so intense!!

- Oh my god Jared is so young

- The opening title but isn’t there usually a noise along with the title? Maybe they add that later

- Of course Jess is dressed up as a sexy nurse for her first scene 🙄

- Don’t get me wrong she’s still really cute I love Jess just forgot how sexy all the women on supernatural had to be all the time

- Oh wow that is a good LSAT score you go Sam

- Oh my god Jensen is so young

- Ugh Dean thinking the best way to greet Sam on a surprise visit after who knows how long is to break into Sam’s house. Is this a game/training exercise they used to do before Sam left? is this just Dean avoiding emotion by being obnoxious? Is it both? Perfect character introduction no notes

- Oh right the rampant misogyny from Dean he was so sleazy when we first met him

- “Dads on a hunting trip and he hasn’t been home in a few days” the words that started it all I’m so nostalgic right now aaaaaahhh

- This convo bw Sam and Dean being the way the writers drop all the key family lore I love it lmao

- Dean doesn’t want to do it alone!!!

- Sam immediately caving

- Jumping into case solving mode!!! We have a ghost!

- In almost two years!! Have they not seen each other in two years or has Dean just not asked him to go hunting in two years??

- Dean’s reaction to hearing Sam is applying for law school and realizing college wasn’t just a phase, he might just never be coming back. And also that he has so much less chance of finding their dad without Sam.

- God poor Jess she didn’t deserve any of this

- Oh this ghost is legitimately creepy I’m feeling creeped out I forgot supernatural was more of an actual horror show in earlier seasons and I love it

- Sam and Dean’s passive aggressive arguing in the impala ❤️

- The cassette tape collection!!

- “I can’t hear you the MUSICS TOO LOUD”

- All of the things we get introduced to about the way the Winchesters operate like the credit card scams and fake IDs it’s just delightful

- Love this goth teen revealing the town ghost story

- “What do they talk about”

- The way Sam takes over the research and it immediately becomes clear that Dean actually does need him. Sam is indispensable to the operation. Honestly I’d like to think if he thought he could do it on his own he would. Despite what he says I don’t think he think he actually wants to ruin Sam’s attempt to escape. Or maybe not maybe he is using this as an excuse to try just one more time to get Sammy back before it’s too late. I’ll have to think about this as the show goes on!

- Why did John solve the case but then not finish dealing with the ghost? I’m guessing this is addressed in later episodes?

- “Jerk” “bitch” 😭

- I had such intense gender envy towards Dean and I did not realize it at all

- Ted Nugent!!

- Sam is so good at getting information from people I love him telling the ghost story I love when he shows that he knows the business as well as anyone

- Dean picking the lock on his handcuffs with a paperclip is something that can be so personal actually

- Sam getting back into it!! A part of this kid just loves hunting so much

- The special effects are fantastic

- “I’m taking you home!!”

- Why don’t they have any salt they know they’re dealing with a ghost Sam and Dean do you not know about salt? Is that not for ghosts? There was literally salt on the floor in their dad’s motel room

- God this ghost story is very sad if you think about it too much

- I’m one episode in and these brothers are already killing me as they discuss how Sam needs to go back for his interview and he was never going to stay longer than two days both of them just break my heart

- “We made a hell of a team back there” 😭

- Also Dean you gotta try being a little less manipulative buddy but I forgive you bc I know your damage

- THE BLOOD DRIPPING ONTO SAM’S HEAD IN A CALL BACK TO THE INTRO!!, NO!!! JESSS!!!, DEAN COMING TO SAVE HIM AGAIN!!!! OH GOD STOP!!!!!!!!

- “We got work to do” 😫

I forgot how genuinely I enjoy this show wow it’s ridiculous and has so many problems but it’s so much fun

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Library of Ashes

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam

Summary: Jason takes an interest in the family business (Gotham’s oldest library) when he stumbles upon a secret collection of journals, photo albums, and a book written by his mother.

Chapters: 3/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Kate Kane, Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Lonnie Machin, Original Character(s)

Relationships: Jason Todd/Original Character(s)

Additional Tags: Library AU, No Capes AU, World Travel, Jason Todd-centric, Third Person POV, Hurt Jason Todd, Jason Todd Has Issues, Angst, Mystery, Mentioned Catherine Todd, Mentioned Willis Todd, Mentioned Sheila Haywood, Claustrophobic Jason Todd

Chapter Three: Walk and Wine

Jason snuck off to the market to buy groceries. At the apartment, Jason methodically cleaned the produce and the outer packaging of his meat and pasta. Jason smiled at the memory of his fiancé’s noisy habits. The clanging of pots and pans and jars. A cacophony of kitchen sounds and discordant humming. The music was all her own. He pressed play on the cassette while he worked, and it all flooded back. He remembered how it felt to dance with her. She always laughed at how much thought he put into everything. Oh, her laugh. It was intoxicating. The feeling of their fingertips barely touching, the way they moved in sync, the warmth and innocence of their closeness. Her mother likened them to children because of their laughter and childlike excitement to get on the dancefloor and stay there until daylight hours.

Jason wasn’t much of a dancer when he arrived in Saint Lucia, but she gave him music, warmth, and laughter. He found himself dancing as if he were living for her. He’d forgotten himself, and there was only his sweet Sanaa. Her laugh filled his mind. A smile spread across his face, and he was back home with her in Saint Lucia, dancing and laughing. His future nieces and nephews were draped over furniture, asleep. His brother-in-law teased him, recalling when he couldn’t keep up with the family.

“You seem awful cheerful for a guy who just had a controversial return-.”

Jason jumped, startled forward in time. Caught in the memory of loss, distracted by the thought of chewing food when he had no appetite. His stomach was painfully full from the funereal feast, but his heart was heavy. Naa’s mother kept feeding him, hoping he’d smile or show signs of life, but there was nothing to smile about with her gone. “Jason?” Kate called him.

Jason shut his music off. “Are you here to yell at me too?” Jason questioned.

“Nuh-uh… I needed to talk to you about something, and I heard the music-. You okay?” Kate asked in reply. Jason smiled and shook his head. “How bad off were you when you left?”

“I didn’t want to be here anymore, Kate. I had to get out… And thanks for asking. I think everyone blames me for the way I left-.”

“You did what you had to do… I do have a few questions, though. That?” Kate questioned as she gestured to the ring hanging from Jason’s chain.

“I got engaged… But my fiancé um-. She passed,” Jason answered.

“Is it safe to assume the music is part of it?” Kate asked. Jason nodded. “Don’t stop the music on my account. You looked happy. Don’t let me get in the way of that. I’ll be downstairs-.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Jason mumbled, “I could make coffee if you-.”

“I’m good, but I’ll stay if you want… On one condition,” Kate paused, “Tell me about the good parts.”

“Can I tell you about her?” Jason questioned.

“I’ll take what I can get,” Kate grinned.

“I was in Saint Lucia for nearly a month when I met her at the grocery store… I think she laughed at me or something. She knew I was new to town and invited me to dinner. She said something about me not picking good produce and a party.

“I followed her, thinking it was a community party… But it was a family thing. She introduced me to her family like she’d known me for years, and her mom-. I loved her mother so much. She always treated me like family,” Jason trailed off. Kate frowned.

“You’ve never been much of a dancer… Looks like a lot’s changed since then,” Kate whispered.

Jason cracked a smile. “Mind if I turn the music back on?” Jason whispered, “Want some coffee?” Kate sat in a chair near the island and nodded.

“Sure, how do you take yours?” Jason questioned.

“Black,” Kate answered. Jason nodded as he poured a shot of rum into a mug while he put on the coffee. “Oh, I don’t-.”

“I know. The rum is for me,” I replied, “It’s-. I’m still grieving her loss. It got easier in Belize, but being here-. I feel like there’s no light here.”

Kate nodded and pressed play on the music. Jason smiled and shut his eyes. The music soothed him. It made him think of her. Of home. While the coffee was brewing, Jason smiled gently, remembering the ebb and flow of her movements in the kitchen. “Some days, I could tell if Naa was mad based on how she moved around the kitchen. And then-. Oh, and then I’d come home to her, and she’d tap my shoes with her toes and shout, ‘Pat cho! Pat cho! Ooh, it’s about time you get yourself home!’ It always made me laugh. Hot feet. That’s what it meant.” Jason couldn’t help himself. He bubbled over with joy when he thought of his time with Sanaa. Kate didn’t mind listening.

“Wait-. What did you need?” Jason questioned.

“The air conditioner’s broken,” Kate replied.

“This building has an air conditioner?” Jason asked. Kate nodded. “Well, it’s a piece of crap. I’ll fix it whenever we can shut down for the day. Can you schedule a maintenance day for this-.”

“I was kinda hoping you’d hire a professional,” Kate replied.

“I am a professional. I did HVAC for a living,” Jason explained, “I don’t like HVAC, but I’m alright at it. I made a good living off it.”

“I can schedule the maintenance day for Tuesday,” Kate suggested reluctantly.

“And we’ll stay open later for the rest of the week,” Jason replied, “I know that’s not how this place normally operates, but I think it’s only fair to the people who need to use the library during the week.”

Kate nodded and typed it into her phone. “How long?” Kate questioned.

“Extra two hours won’t hurt anybody scheduled this week,” Jason replied while drinking his coffee. “Bruce is gonna ask you about me… You can tell him that I’m alright. I just don’t wanna hear about him.”

“What happened?” Kate asked. Jason blew on his coffee and took a large sip. “If it’s-.”

“It’s a long story. I keep running from him, but I don’t think there’s a corner of this world that’ll allow me to forget,” Jason muttered, “I want you with me when I work on the vents, just in case I have to climb in the crawlspace… Fuck, I hope I don’t have to do that.”

“How often have you tried to do that?” Kate asked.

“More times than I can count… Which is why I want you there,” Jason replied.