#I have USED phonebooks in my life

[emperorsfoot]

random: do kids these days know what a phone book is?

[iceformer]

It's 1:40 am but let me cook real quick

Ally Beardsley, the Person, Fundimentally Changed the Fantasy High Universe (an essay)

Fantasty High Freshman Year was supposed to be "dnd meets 80s high school" with the cliques and general vibe. The Interepid Heros grew up in the 80s but now live in the 20th century, so some anachronism were expected.

In later seasons we see the charecters using more crystal tech and making more modern references , the biggest ones I can think of being social media and Sandra Lynn having Life 360 for the Mordred girls

It would be like if they were playing a normal game of High Fantasy DnD where "we haven't invented plumbing yet so there's no toilets" but instead it's payphones and phonebooks

Again, the Intrepid Heores are all at least 90s kids so they would have grown up while technology was still in dial up and computer rooms, but they're also actors/comedians. The brief was "imagine you are all in Magic Breakfast Club Land" and we see them all playing up their tropes (or stereotypes) in Freshman Year (edgy Fig, loner Gorgug, snooty Fabian)

My point this morning is that the concept was Magic Breakfast Club but it evolved into modern Fantasy. Not saying that's a bad thing, I was just thinking about how has the vibe changed so much from the original idea?

And then I remember that in episode 3 of the first season, Ally Beardsley invented PrayerChain. Which could have been some instant messaging system but Emily and Brennan immediately follow it up with making GIFs Canon in this universe.

As a table full of comedians making a show, they cannot help following a bit. That's why the funniest moments of the show come from Ally's anachronistic references.

But I think the big one that changed the concept from 80s movie to modern Fantasy is during "Family in Flames" when everyone's separated, their homes and loved ones in danger, Adaine and Kristen stay behind for one last break in the case,

And Kristen straight up calls and Uber.

That moment was what sent me on this train because in what 80s world are the high school kids calling an Uber or taxi? It's always "the one with the car" or "everyone has a bike" to travel around town. I think from here and with all the anachronistic references that Ally made all season really cemented Solace as Modern Fantasy and not 80s Nostalgia.

I saw some posts on here about how Riz was the Main Charecter of the show because every Villain of the season had some Personal Beef with him.

I think Ally Beardsley, the person, not Kristen Applebees or K2, is the main charecter of the Fantasy High Universe

What's even better about this is that THEY WERENT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE. I can't look it up right now cos I'm locked in, but everyone jokes about how Ally had never played DND before the show, I think they were a last minute edition to the cast.

And literally from that one change the show is completely different from what it would have been. Well, it would have been different if any of the Intrepid Heroes were switched out, but I think with Ally in the cast the world of Spyre was turned on its head.

If the Intrepid Heros had pokemon types, Ally was the more Comedian/Actor type at College Humor while everyone else and Brennan were Comedian/Writer/Geek type. Most of Ally's content outside of D20 was Total Forgiveness and that show where they smoked weed (loved it, can't look it up rn)

Compare that to Brennan, who started as an Um Actually writer, Lou and Siobahn, who are Geeks/have been playing DND for a long time, Zac, who i cannot find much Geek content for, and Emily and Murph, who need no introduction (i dunno if NADDPOD started before D20)

The addition of Ally Beardsley to the cast not only drove the show so far away from the concept that most people forget what it was supposed to be, but it did so in a way that made the show so much better than they had even planned for.

This Pride month, I salute Ally Beardsley

🫡

(It took me an hour to write this, good night ya'lll)

[hazelfoureyes]

You asked for it :> Grant me with answers, almighty Hazel, leader of the HDC and saviour of us slutty souls! 24, 37, 56, 78, 100, 113, 133, 142, 148 and 150

I can always count on you to make me feel wanted~ 🥹💖

Give me numbers~

24. Favorite part of your daily routine?

My daily Mocha (which is just instant coffee, water, cocoa powder, and chocolate oat milk)

37. What do you say during awkward silences?

Whatever fact I recently learned. “Apparently if you’re withdrawing more than 5000usd in China, many banks are making you get police approval. There’s an issue with cash flow that’s really concerning.” “Did you know we have a ghost? I have a video but it’s not very convincing…” “Fun Fact, there is a level of heat where planes can’t fly because the air is too thin for take off. It’s something that’s already happening.”

56. Favourite colour?

The color that makes me happiest to see is green. It reminds me of nature, which reminds me of deep breaths and sunshine and soft breezes.

78. Favourite ice cream flavour?

MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM WITH CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM TO BALANCE IT OUT

100. How are you feeling?

Frau, my first author love and first internet wife, I am so fucking tired haha it is 2:36 am, I am waiting for laundry to finish that I have to hang up, and I have to be awake at 7:30am.

113. What was your childhood nickname?

Melmizer--- my first name starts with Mel and the mizer is for Miser (a person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible). I had (past tense) a knack for selling anything to anyone. I once sold phonebooks that were actually free to take and made 15$ selling two lmao. Admittedly, I was very cute. Oh, and as a child I worked for the office by picking up trash and doing filing. But that’s illegal so instead I was paid in candy and was allowed to exchange the candy for money! I normally kept the candy cuz I was like 10, and I started a cleaning business with my friends when I was like 9 haha oooh and I made needlepoint plastic canvas necklaces in Elementary and took commissions from other kids for $10 a piece. My father raised me to be very business minded, but I did hoard my little money hehehe

133. Favourite lyrics right now?

142. Favourite month?

....oh geez...November. It's cozy. Right between two big holidays but not too busy. Feels full of hope.

148. What’s your favourite quote?

No matter how high and dry the mountaintop, no matter how modern and secluded the retreat, we sweat and cry what is basically sea water. - The Ghost Map but the quote is by evolutionary biologist Lynn Margulis. While this quote is about how cholera kills through dehyrdation and affected everyone from all walks of life because of this common need for water, I love it because it reminds me that no matter how we live our lives we all are from the oceans. We all have the same beginning, no matter how different we are now. I have part of it tattooed on my arm as a reminder to myself to be kind and patient. It's also a reminder we carry the sea in our bodies still, which I think is a beautiful thing. We never are far from home.

150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page?

[6lostgirl6]

can i do a request for ted where him and bill go back to the past and meet the reader and they fall in love??

Futuristic Lover

Ted Theodore Logan x Reader

TW: Mentions of bullying towards Reader, few curse words

"Oh please, Rufus!" Bill cried out, “Why can’t we use the phone booth?!” 

Rufus sighed, adjusting his sunglasses as Bill and Ted continued pleading to use the phone booth for something completely pointless. “Well boys, the universe isn’t in danger and you don’t have an important test that can change the course of your futures. There’s simply no point that’s all.” He explained, staring at the two boys.

Bill stood there for a minute, unable to come up with a clear excuse why they would need the phone booth. Rufus had a good point and Bill struggled as he continued trying to present something clever to change his mind.

“Well-” However, he was interrupted.

Ted fidgeted for a second before excitedly bringing his hand up, a wide smile on his face as if he was still in school waiting for permission to speak.

Rufus sighed again before nodding towards Ted, 

“Yes, Ted?”

“As you’ve said, the universe isn’t in danger! Why? Well, it was because of us!” He started, moving his hands around as he spoke as if he was giving a presentation.

Bill started to smile towards Rufus, understanding what Ted was trying to say. His friend was indeed most excellent. Rufus wouldn’t be able to shoot them down again this time.

“And as young heroes, shouldn’t we be allowed the luxury of using the phone booth one last time?” Ted finished, the smile still on his face as Rufus continued to stare at him.

Rufus thought for a second and nodded, giving a small smile. “You’re right. Alright boys, you can use the phone booth.. Make your trip worthwhile because this will be the absolute last time.”

“Sweet! Thanks, Rufus!” Bill exclaimed, elbowing his excellent friend before rushing towards the phone booth, “Come on, Ted!”

“Wait up, Bill! Thanks, Rufus!” Ted said before rushing after his friend, entering the phone booth while Bill skimmed through the yellowed pages of the phonebook. Ted leaned down, looking through the pages as well for anything that would capture his eye.

“We need somewhere we haven’t really been before. Any ideas where we should go, my excellent friend?” Bill asked, glancing at him as he turned another page.

Ted read some of the contents before pointing towards a date that captured his eye in the phonebook. “What about here, Bill? We should check out the 50s!” He replied and pointed out the number for Bill. 

“Sure, bud!” Bill started typing the number while Ted closed the door to the phone booth, preparing for another journey with his best friend.

He wondered what adventure he would discover this time.

____

Another day, another failed attempt at maintaining my sanity. 

You sighed as you adjusted your binder and textbooks threatening to escape from your arms, silently wishing you hadn’t forgotten your school bag at home.

Your last day as a senior was absolutely horrendous and you were thrilled you were finally free from the clutches of final exams and relentless bullying from the boys in your grade. Their obnoxious laughing and horrible demeaning jokes were irritating to your ears. Luckily, you saved enough money to get on a bus and find the biggest city you can afford an easier life in.

You paused as you managed to make it to the crosswalk without any mishaps. You were surprised those boys didn’t follow you down the street. You glanced behind you before you began hearing the distant sounds of thunder. 

You blinked, looking towards the once clear-blue sky that became dark with the promise of a seemingly powerful storm. Stormy-gray clouds huddling together and mixing into a similar feeling of seafoam. 

‘Shit, I better get to the station quickly.’ You thought to yourself. 

Taking a second, you glanced at both sides of the street before starting to make your way safely across the blackened concrete. 

Until the sudden flash of light practically blinding you and the recoil of something falling managed to knock you completely to the ground. Your books and binder that were once safely in your arms were now scattered across the pavement.

You groaned from the twinge of pain from landing on your tailbone and slight rashes from your palms scraping against the rough texture of the pavement when you tried catching yourself. 

“Are you okay?” A boyish-tone asked you, making you glance towards the direction it was coming from. 

There were two boys standing in front of what seemed to be a phone booth unlike anything you’ve seen around town when you used to make stops at the bank for your father. One was adorable with short curly-blonde hair in clothes that were too inappropriate to be seen around town. You’ve never seen a boy show so much stomach before. He was a little shorter than his friend standing next to him. 

He was taller with disarranged black hair that ended to the base of his neck dressed in a mix of black and white paired with a colorful orange jacket. You realized it was him that asked the question. Hewas extremely cute and you found yourself blushing a little having been still sitting in the middle of the street.

Ted was equally as smitten, looking down at you as you sat there on the road dressed in attire deemed fit for the 50s. He felt extremely guilty for having his phone booth almost practically crush you. You were gorgeous and he felt himself grow a little flustered and a bit dazed. 

You hesitated before replying, “Um, y-yeah.” You watched as the black-haired boy reached down and offered his hand to you which you took almost immediately. “I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Ted continued looking down at you, your hand still held in his own that he believed felt entirely right. Now, he knows how Romeo felt when he was forced to read that heinous book with Bill in English class. 

“No! It’s totally our bad, dude.” Bill replied, helping with picking up your fallen books and returning them to you in your free arm. He could see the way Ted seemed to be in his own mind as he continued watching you. “I’m Bill and this is Ted.” He introduced themselves.

‘Dude?’ 

You were pulled from your trance and slowly removed your hand away from Ted’s with cheeks feeling warm. Your eyes drifted towards Bill while still feeling that electrifying feeling of the black-haired boy still looking at you.

“I’m Y/N.” You replied before looking at the phone booth placed in the middle of the street. “How did you guys get that here?” You asked confused, walking around them to take a closer look at the contraption.  

  Ted went to reply, happy to tell you everything about the phone booth and the concepts of time travel that he understood, however Bill quickly cut him off. After their success at performing the most excellent oral report, Rufus advised them to be more cautious about telling other people about time travel, especially not in a very public setting. 

“Think we can chat someplace a little more private?” Bill asked.

Ted was a little offended, shuffling as he wanted to be the one to introduce you to the fine advancements that time had to offer.  However, he knew Bill was right with making sure they were in a more private setting. 

You glanced at Ted before replying, “There’s a café a little ways down the street, not very many people visit it. We could go there.”

“Excellent!” They exclaimed as they followed you down the road that you pointed towards with you in the middle. 

____

You sat there, fiddling with your cup as you processed the information you were just told. 

Apparently, time travel was possible and the two boys sitting across from you were originally from the eighties and have seen many important historical figures in the flesh. You were surprised you weren’t passing out yet. 

“And…a phone booth was the best source of transportation?” You asked.

“I guess so.” Ted replied, “We broke it once and it’s not very spacious, most bogus indeed.” 

Bill nodded in agreement.

Ted was a little anxious due to your reaction. He was hoping that you didn’t think they were insane and that you needed to get away or get the police! He really liked you and it would be totally bogus if you didn’t end up liking him back because you thought he was nuts. 

However, he was surprised.

“When you return…could I possibly go with you?” You asked, continuing to fiddle with your cup rather than drinking the still warm liquid that was inside.

“You…want to go with us?” Ted asked instead, hoping he was hearing you correctly.

“Yeah..you see, I was actually on my way to the train station. I haven't had the best life here and wanted to go somewhere far away. But nothing is more far away than time itself!” You explained. 

Ted felt a little bad for you, knowing that you must not have the best home life if you wanted to run away, consequences be damned. He shared a glance with Bill that only Bill seemed to understand. 

Bill gave a small smile, “Sure you can!” He messed with his pocket before coming up with some change, some of which were completely outdated. “Oh…”

“I got it.” You chuckled before pulling out some of the money you were originally saving for your trip.

The three of you stood up and made your way back outside and towards the phone booth that was miraculously still there unbothered. You were a little anxious, now that you were leaving the place you once called home. 

Suddenly, you felt something warm envelop your hand and you glanced down towards the source. The warm palm of Ted was holding onto yours and he gave you a warm smile when you glanced towards him. 

“Everything will be fine, dude!” He said, giving your hand a small squeeze. “You’ll be fine with us!” 

Your cheeks grew a little warm as you returned the squeeze, feeling your own smile return from the affectionate gesture and heart-warming words. 

“I know I will” You replied as the three of you entered the phone booth. 

Bill flicked through the pages before finding the correct number. “Ready?” He asked.

You glanced towards Ted and smiled more, giving his hand another squeeze. 

“More than ready.”  

Taglist:

@leiasolo77 @patient1666074 @britany1997

[gothyanki]

@ardentkurashk tagged me in this meme forever ago (thank you!! <3) Now it is time. Lots of yelling about Vin'ath inbound.

Name: Vin'ath

Age: 31

Race: Githyanki

Class: Paladin (Oath of Vengeance).

Alignment: Trying their hardest to be a Lawful Good True Storybook Knight while also following vengeance oath tenets to the letter. This… does not always work out well.

Deity: Having been raised in a cult, Vin is deeply and understandably suspicious of all gods. They’ve dedicated their life to their oath instead, which is totally different.

Favourite spells: Shield of Faith for practicality; Colour Spray for aesthetics. They also love smiting. Divine Smite is their fave, although they couldn’t tell you why it’s the most satisfying.

Armour (Act 1): Scale Mail of Vengeance.

Armour (Act 2): Adamantine Splint Armour.

Armour (Act 3): Still Adamantine Splint Armour! High paladin fashion.

Favourite dye: Baby blue and gold. They flat-out refused to dye their gear at all until they got to Rivington, where they grudgingly agreed to try it out. The description points to a much more militaristic meaning, but to Vin those colours have come to symbolise the sun and sky over the world they love.

(I have a LOT of feelings about the default vengeance paladin colour scheme in light of “I see only blood-red and death-black”. Vin hasn’t drifted as far from their upbringing as they’d like to think.)

Weapon (Act 1): Monster Slayer Glaive (+ anything else they could grab that looked useful).

Weapon (Act 2): Soulbreaker Greatsword.

Weapon (Act 3): Silver Sword of the Astral Plane. Sorry, Lae'zel - it's just too perfect for a githyanki paladin. (In my headcanon, Lae does end up getting it after some token face-saving resistance from Vin. They’re not comfortable with the idea of wielding a silver sword and don't really want to give up the Soulbreaker - they've still got a lot of complicated feelings about the way they won it and they feel responsible for all those whispering souls.)

Buffs: Ooh, it’s been a while - I’d have to load up the game to see what they’ve got on. Githborn Psionic Weapon? Wielding the Soulbreaker Greatsword feels so right to them (ditto for Voss' silver sword, in the very brief space of time they had it); they’ve thoroughly compartmentalised that feeling so they don’t have to think about Why.

Main love interest: Karlach. It was a bit of a rough road to get there (the touch issue might have been the least of their problems), but now they’re an unstoppable team. To hell first, then onward to the stars!

Favourite NPC(s): Vin’s got a huge soft spot for the tiefling kids, especially Mol. (They’re very protective of children in general, for reasons they won’t admit have anything to do with their own upbringing.) Meeting Varrl and Varsh Ko’kuu gave them some hope in a difficult time, even though the circumstances were painful. They also greatly admire Dame Aylin and Isobel… and kind of see them as #relationshipgoals.

…and then there’s Kith'rak Voss. Yeah, that’s a complicated one.

Favourite enemy: Kith'rak Therezzyn and Inquisitor W'wargasm W'wargaz. There was a LOT of emotional fallout after the adrenaline crash, but for a while there they were riding the high of having faced down two terrifying childhood authority figures and lived (not to mention the staring contest with Vlaakith herself…)

Favourite battle: Gortash. That one was very personal - vengeance paladin mode on full display. (The conversation after it was… significantly harder for them to deal with.) Rescuing Halsin from Orin & co. was a close second - they were just so relieved they’d got there in time.

Favourite dialogue: Is “every single dialogue involving Karlach” cheating? Not just the overtly flirty/romantic ones - Vin would happily listen to her read the Faerûnian phonebook.

Aside from that, they got so much vicarious joy out of hearing Lae'zel reject Vlaakith - they don’t tend to show much emotion, but they may have done a little fist pump at “she has sinned against me!” Also, the conversation where Wyll opened up about the circumstances of his exile - Vin felt very honoured that he trusted them enough to let them see beyond the Blade of Frontiers persona, and it led them to drop their Perfect Paladin walls a little in return.

Decision about the Absolute: Red laser destroy destroy destroy + the Crown returns to Mystra. Unlike Lykos, Vin'ath isn’t tentacle-curious.

I tag anyone who hasn’t already done this (see: forever ago) and wants to!

[crmsnmth]

Cursive

You spoke your words in cursive They curved and looped in graceful handwriting And by god, it was beautiful whenever you chose to speak to me I could listen to you read the phonebook and stay attentive from A to the yellow pages But at that point I'll have to kiss you Temptation is such a weird mistress

You had feathers in your touch soft like down, let me use you as a pillow your fingers in my hair as you tell me about your day and I went move, stroke my head Let me be your dog And I swear to you, I'll be so goddamn loyal You'll never learn what my back looks like

Footsteps tapping outside my bedroom door Life moves fast, but right here I think we're frozen in time Of course, that's what we call wishful thinking because time is never frozen Marching forward to the ultimate universal Inside my room, the scent of watermelon candy in the air

I close my eyes as I listen to you speak I don't want to lift my head for this So just keep on speaking your words in loops and lines How you pulled it off, I guess I'll never know how to speak in cursive

[thehamletdiaries]

My story with this ridiculous, beautiful, endless play that many would say is the greatest ever written

I first saw Hamlet when I was either eight or nine years old. It was the RSC production with Samuel West as Hamlet, which had transferred from Stratford Upon Avon to London. It was a full length production, with two intervals…and I went into it genuinely not knowing the plot. I’d seen enough Shakespeare to understand what a tragedy was and therefore to know the whole thing was unlikely to end well, but beyond that I had no idea what I was walking into.

And…I enjoyed it. I thought it was a very good play; I found it very funny except for all the parts where it wasn’t; I thought the plot was dynamic and interesting - but at that time and at that point in my life it didn’t capture my heart the way Twelfth Night or The Tempest or Comedy of Errors did.

But even then, there was Horatio. Aside from Hamlet playing three blind mice on the pipe he tries to get Guildenstern to play, my strongest memory from that production was Horatio (that said, I did still have to look up the name of the actor who played him whilst writing this and apparently it was an actor called John Dougall, who was in Girl on the Train and two episodes of The Walking Dead and I now feel I owe some sort of life debt and need to keep an eye on his career going forward to support him in whatever ways I can).

I was too young then to really be able to remember now why Horatio captured my imagination in the way he did - I have at times sat down and tried to rationalise it (“he was the person who found himself in the middle of an adventure he had no place in and I loved that kind of story”, “his loyalty was something I was drawn to as a lonely child”) but the truth is I just don’t know, and the most I can really come back to is this; I think at around eight years old, I loved Horatio for the same reasons that I love him now - because he is a person deeply worthy of love.

And then, like most children, I forgot about it and moved on to the next thing - and then when I was eleven, my school had one of those “theatre groups who do workshops with kids” come in and they did this workshopped version of Hamlet with us (which, with hindsight, seems like an interesting choice of Shakespeare play for a bunch of young children, but anyway) and if I remember correctly all the characters were played by a handful of children that they picked out and directed around, whilst the rest of the children formed a chorus. And I was picked to play Horatio. 

The way you remember experiences at eleven are of course not the way they actually were; but to my mind this particular experience was magical and special and vital and just such an immersive experience - where I lived this story alongside Horatio and I think for the first time started to sort of understand and care about Hamlet too.

But then time moved on and like most children do I again forgot about it and moved on to the next thing.

And then when I was fifteen, David Tennant took the role of Hamlet at the RSC. This was the first theatre role he had done since being in Doctor Who - a show I had loved since it’s revival with Chistopher Eccelston but which had taken root in my heart with the arrival of the Tenth Doctor - and of course I wanted to see Tennant live. He could have read the phonebook and I’d have wanted to be there.

Being fifteen, I was still just about young enough that my mother had to come with me, and also being fifteen I didn’t really have my own money to make my own way; so all of these logistics had to be organised in negotiation with my parents. Stratford Upon Avon - a place I went to recently that really isn’t that far from London, it turns out - felt very far away - and an overnight trip to go to the theatre felt remarkably decadent. 

So, we went, and two important things came out of seeing that production for me. Three if you count the lifelong obsession with Hamlet that followed. Firstly, I really got Hamlet, for the first time. To this day, whatever my evolving thoughts on that production more broadly, Tennant is still my favourite actor to have played the Prince of Denmark. The frenetic energy of a truly broken person was just…well, I sort of hate to say it was relatable but it was relatable but it was so much more than that. Hamlet was so much more than that.

And then we got to the end. And I watched him die in Horatio’s arms. And my reaction was essentially, “oh”. Because then that’s when it clicked with me; Horatio and Hamlet were in love. And my brain in that moment essentially did a little rewind of the entire play with that knowledge in mind.

I went to revisit the play almost immediately and this was my first time actually exploring the text and it was just…everything. Seeing this much wider story through the lense of following these two boys, Horatio and Hamlet, who I had now fallen so deeply in love with, opened up to me the wider world of the play and the story; the politics, the supernatural, the religious backdrop, the treatement of women, all of the other characters, the people of Denmark who were ultimately victims of this entire situation - all of it.

I read commentary and fanfiction (and the rather excellent Manga comic version) and I learnt to understand Hamlet more and more deeply for everything he went through (and, wow, did I learn to hate his dad…); and his love for Horatio and Horatio’s love for him was just deeply beautiful and tragic and heartbreaking and that relationship took its place in my heart’s core.

I watched as many movie versions as I could manage to get my hands on (on DVDs because this was back in the day) and never really found one I loved and found quite a few I actively disliked - but that felt like part of it; the fact that I could never find the “perfect” version of this play made me just want to keep going and explore more and deeper - to understand the many ways so much of it could be interpreted and which interpretations spoke to me, which didn’t, which I thought were textual and which I didn’t; it unearthed a whole world to me as a teenager.

Throughout the years, I’ve seen it on stage as much as I could. I’ve seen Michael Sheen, Maxine Peek, Andrew Scott, I’ve seen various adaptations at the Edinburgh Fringe, I’ve seen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead twice - and I’ve also missed loads of productions I didn’t realise were happening near me or just was unable to get to.

I took myself to Elsinore for my 24th birthday, back in 2017, and wandered round the castle imagining my boys there.

I found myself falling in love with Ophelia as my growing understanding of feminism and my lived experiences as a woman gave me a deeper understanding of her and empathy for her; both as a woman who is far smarter than she is ever given credit for and ultimately a victim of men who treat her horribly in just so many ways.

I thought a lot about Fortinbras - as a history nerd and eventually someone who found herself working in politics, this element of the play was hugely important and deeply fascinating to me.

I reread the play at least once a year.

I’m thirty now and a lot has not changed, but Hamlet still lives within me as much as it ever has.

But I also have more questions now - characters I saw as quite simply as “bad guys”, Claudius and Gertrude, now seem more complex to me, and there is so much more I want to explore about them.

Hamlet, for me, has also been part of my long list of unfinished projects; things I wanted to write, to study, to create - from an online social deduction game that I planned but never ran to my His Dark Materials/Hamlet crossover fanfiction which still sits on AO3 unfinished; it’s been with me for so many things I haven’t done.

Recently, I went on a rather wonderful trip to Stratford Upon Avon. I saw the Hamlet statue and the rather amazing Ophelia statue in the garden of Anne Hathaway’s cottage. I bought a bunch of books on Hamlet. I bought the First Quarto version, which somehow I have never read. I watched the play adaptation of the book Hamnet, which ends with Hamlet being performed.

I started this blog, the Hamlet Diaries, which I’ve wanted to start since I was fifteen (and it was called the Hamlet Diaries, in my mind, even then).

I took an online class on Hamlet’s Ghost and have more classes I want to take. 

I started working on a new Hamlet fanfiction series, and I still plan to finish the His Dark Materials/Hamlet crossover. 

I joined a Hamlet discord server. 

I found new songs that remind me of the play (although Leave Out All The Rest, my Hamlet song from that first year of discovering the play, will always be, I think, my ultimate Hamlet song).

I went to a wonderful, life affirming writers retreat where I worked on my Hamlet fanfiction and had the validity of that as a project affirmed by so many wonderful writers.

This play has been with me for so long, but this last year it feels like it has taken on yet another new life for me and I want to really start creating all the Hamlet related things I have always wanted to create.

Being very into Hamlet is often a rather sad thing to be into, for obvious reasons. I think you really do have to like having your heart broken, at least a little bit.

But then there’s Horatio telling Hamlet that he really should have made his play rhyme, and I have everywhere this play has taken me and everywhere it will take me in future, and I remember the joy in it too.

[castlebyersafterdark]

ok here are two off the top of my head

this one analyze the moments finn talks about noah which imo just make me 👀😍

https://youtu.be/qgXPO2r8uZU?si=xbEueZAPSF4_F4t8

then this one the foah moment starting at 1:05 with them when finn is having his anxiety

https://youtu.be/TwF2PvdpyQo?si=_RGOPNgFAJVGomWP

CLIP ONE Ok, starting off strong. This is one of the top cast clips imo. I love Noah's insistence that he's not wholesome followed by an onslaught of people saying he is HA that's funny. Show us more of your really un-wholesome side, babes. We've seen it a little now. Teased it. Let go a little more. Your captive audience is begging for it. Also also I can listen to him read the damn phonebook. Noah has theee most soothing voice. I'm still obsessed. I wonder how aware this boy is of his gay audience, to be honest? He's gotta be aware of the effect he has on guys. He has to know. There's a whole other side we're not getting and I for one am curious as hell.

Finn's impressions of him, though. They're so accurate! "He's just the nicest person in the world." FINNN. Yeah this one is interesting. Overused word but ENDEARING. Wait wait I forgot how fucking hysterical this interview is - Eduardo as Noah "Oh, it's a life or death situation. Let's go get on a private jet and fly somewhere else!" And Charlie's "God it's so annoying that you have to die right now. Ugh!!" STOPPP - which is what made Finn laugh like this. Boy. Again, funny, but not that funny? He's laughing like he finds everything about the boy he likes hysterical. Or, devil's advocate - it's the fact that Eduardo and Charlie are yet more older man of which is Finn's kryptonite, always acting up and laughing harder just because he LIVES to impress and humor men. Either way. 👀

Just look at him. He was wheeeezing over that bit. Oooh then the poker story. Great moment. Finn, Finn, Finn. "What did he say!? He said something sooo funny." Do you remember word for word what my good buddy Noah said, do you remember, did you memorize everything he's done in our presence like I have? And the other two "Uhh... yeah..." Clearly Noah is someone sooo special to him, love this. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Noah better be with Finn and the other guys and anyone else because... someone else just isn't as fun in these interviews! Need him to cut loose and get weird and be silly and gives us the energy. Not giving with hmm. Be nice be nice be nice.

CLIP TWO Oh, the babies! Red carpets are honestly probably the hardest to get through I just want to crawl and hide in the same way baby Finn probably wanted to crawl and hide. He makes me so sad here. Clearly going through it. His nerves 🥲 He's so bouncy and fidgety and oooh it's rough. It's a little rough to watch. And then Noah saves him a bit. Sweet. And then Noah clocks it more and just, keeps trying for eye contact. He knows, and I feel like he so much wanted to slip behind Millie and console him - but how sweet when Caleb sees it, too? This group is so special. Then the very intense eye contact between Finn and Noah? Woah. It really seemed to center Finn a little.

Now, I don't even necessarily read it as romantic (but who's to say that little teenage crushes are impossible at this time) but it's more to me, showcasing this truth in front of us about the place they have now and have had in each other's lives. There for each other. They've probably helped each other out with a lot, down from the edge, a source of comfort and companionship. Beyond the romance chatter and all we love here - this is why Noah calls him a "special person" and the same with him to Finn. There's a connection there, whatever it really means. And it's cool we've gotten to witness something like this. There's a lot of negativity and contention in the industry. I think that's what part of why this group has been so compelling to observe over the years. It's a bit more authentic and real, the intertwining relationships.

Gosh, the longer I watched the clip though - the deeper I pulled my sweater over my face. Too recognizable. Seeing a kid who's both excitable and also in the depths of excruciating anxiety? Looked like a mirror. Wanted to close my eyes.

[simsionic]

Disclaimer! A few technical difficulties in this first attempt with low sound and wonky cursor. I switched recording software and fixed it in the next video featuring Goth family drama.

Pleasantview part 1: Don Lothario

The first sim I played was this casanova. One playable in the household was thankfully easy to manage for me who hasn't played live mode in years.

I did stumble over Bella Goth in the phonebook but later found out she had been restored thanks to the clean templates I use.

My conclusion of a day in the life of Don is that he is one step closer to his lifetime want. He enjoyed woohoo with the sisters and might be having second thoughts on his future wedding to Cassandra.

[newpotatomash]

It's so fucking ironic when little shits start pelting the comment section in fics that are clearly tagged with "pedophilia" and "dead dove do not eat" and similar words.

Long fucking rant under the cut-

What is it with these people and being unable to just fucking click the back button? It isn't even my fanfiction, but these people just scream everything between "Go to therapy" and "kill yourself" as if they actually wish for people to deal with whatever might cause an issue in their life??? They fucking don't. They just want to scream at strangers to die while they write "UwU dead dove do not eat" fanfics themselves that include murder and violent fantasies of a fictional character.

But it's fine when they do it because nobody involved is underage as if that makes their stupid fucking rules about thought-crimes any less violent.

Why is it always the same people who insist they love dark media?? Either you're fine with MADE UP ACTS or you're not. You can't just fucking pick and choose and decide that you're the authority of "acceptable" violence that someone thought up in their heads.

I am extremely fickle when it comes to media that involves vaginal sex, and that is my responsibility to curate, which is why I fucking??? Don't??? Walk right into a fanfic that's been tagged with those exact tags and blame the author.

I saw someone going something like, "No sane person would read this. I can only imagine a very impressionable child stumbled upon it and saw it, which breaks my heart ngl"

IF AN IMPRESSIONABLE CHILD STARTS TICKING BOXES FOR A VERY SPECIFIC TYPE OF FANFIC, AND THEY THEN PROCEED TO READ IT, HOW THE HELL IS THAT THE AUTHORS FAULT. we're one goddamn step away from blaming murder on video games here.

These fucking people think that wishing death upon others for writing a piece of fiction is any better than a 14 year old reading said piece of fiction and going, "Whoa. Weird." And then leaving the website because they realized that pretending to be 18+ was a bad idea.

I am in awe over the internet.

The amount of times I see the word "degenerate" on a day is completely bonkers and I wish sites weren't so fucking scared of porn. We're just competing in some fucked up moral olympics and nobody is winning except the advertisers who cry snot at a site allowing 18+ content. I love ao3 so much.

I hate that if I wish to post smutty drawings I have to use twitter? I won't suddenly start using a site like furaffinity when I don't draw anything that would count as furry.

I hate the internet for taking away the immeasurable joy it is to bond with people who just want to play dolls (write fanfics or draw fanart, make oc stuff, all that) with me. I've met some of my best friends online that I've sent and received gifts from over the span of 5, 10, 15 years.

I remember writing an abundance of shotacon fics, and knowing it was an acquired taste, but never seeing the kind of moral-policing we have now. (I know it existed. Of course) Hell, I remember people just saying that Enzai was an amazing anime because to them, it was a given that a yaoi anime would include kids and rape and false imprisonment?? It was the fucking wild west and it's like people saw this and went "Hey... We should start tagging things."

But instead of continuing to have fun with their fictional writings and tagging topics in the stories, we just escalated into "We have a pedophilia tag but people will wish death upon you."

How do these people survive in day-to-day life in actual conversation? Do they start arguing and calling a 15 year old who has a crush on their 14 year old friend a pedophile? Do they start berating young women because they named their boyfriend "daddy" in their phonebook? Why are they like this???

I miss fanfiction.net and livejournal so much when the biggest concern was figuring out what topic I'd discuss while I pretended to speak to characters from Yugioh and yelling "I don't own any of these characters". I miss it so much. It made my life better. I found community, I made friends. I wonder what kind of friends people nowadays will make 15 years from now.

Shout out to my buddies from ffnet who are still following me because you know exactly who you are

[kidnickgames]

KID NICK UPDATE I have recently been pretty silent about my games, both new and existing, even though my life has been substantially less busy over the last few months. I feel like I've been neglecting being "in the TTRPG community" to the small extent I already was, but I'm also happier and saner than I was when I was regularly checking in and occasionally commenting on TTRPG Twitter. Which is a trade-off I'll make any day!

NEW GAMES

I know it's an internet creator cliche, but I have several WIPs that I'm really excited about, and they're all at different levels of completion. It's Time is a GM-led dungeon crawl through an infinitely tall tower. It's my first game that really feels like it's about something and it's designed to make you feel certain ways and it's basically done save for some actual dungeon content. That'll probably stay as a digital-only game but should release soon! Card Hearts is a GM-led card-batting TTRPG set in a world where all conflict is resolved through trading card game battles. Players use playing card decks with cards that awaken into powerful unique trading cards at moments of tension and desperation. I've designed the card battling game, all ~200 cards for it, and have a framework of the rules, but I want this game to have stellar art and it's going to require a lot of it. Expect an artless "demo" version of this sometime in the next few months, maybe? It's the project I'm most excited about but it's daunting.

You Teach Me is a GM-less game for 2 players exploring the power dynamics and odd friendship of a trademark-agnostic master tamer and their battling monster. One player is the tamer, a human who issues battle commands to their best friend. The other player is the intelligent but speechless monster, who does the battling and receives that injuries but isn't the one who calls the shots. I have the framework for this one but need to fill it in- it'll incorporate some co-op strategy, as well. I'd like to have a physical release of this. Finally, while I do have other TTRPG projects that with some level of development behind them, I'm also working on a video game with a friend. It's in super early stages, but it is taking up a big chunk of my time. More on that to come, hopefully? EXISTING GAMES Did you know I put out a new game earlier this year? Probably not, because I put it out under a pen name for brand and vulnerability reasons. Well, to hell with that; please go check out Tabletop Foreplaying Game! Hometown Holiday and The NPC Phonebook are both available as physical zines through Indie Press Revolution! If you're going to Gen Con (like me! I'll be there!), you can go to the IPR booth and buy Hometown Holiday in person! And finally, all my games are available digitally, including the tumblr post-inspired, played-in-Smash-Bros TTRPG smallroom shorttimer bigquestions ultimate and the free Gawrsh Quest! Fun fact about Gawrsh Quest- I met Bill Farmer, voice of Goofy, at Gen Con last year and told him I made a horror game where everyone is a different version of Goofy. He seemed legitimately delighted to hear about it! STREAMING

Idk I miss streaming but my internet has just gotten worse and worse and it just hasn't been sustainable. Maybe one day soon I'll try again.

Thanks for reading this life and project update! Do me a favor and hold me to this- let me know if any of these projects excite you!

[victorywithremy]

The Confession | Adam vs Remy

"I've been lying."

Remy said simply as he folded his arms over his chest and gazed at some of the assembled demigods before him. He wasn't entirely sure what the reaction would be for some of them- he could see there was some sort of recognition in Atticus and Oliver's eyes, which he wasn't entirely surprised about. Oliver had seen his name tag when he'd come back from the underworld and Atticus was too smart not to least see through some of his lies. A few of the others looked a little more confused, he could see Gabe and Ale furrowing their brows slightly as they peered over at him. As he took a little breath. There was a decent argument he could have made about not telling them- that his experience in...whatever that strange world was with his old dorm room and that figure with the ever-changing face could have been kept to himself. And that his own understanding of his past was enough that he could have left it behind without anyone ever knowing about it.

But was that being fair to the people in this room? The people who'd thrown down their lives to save him or the ones who had shared his bed more than once?

"do you need to be a lie to them to be you, or are you ready to be your most honest truth?"

Those words danced around in his head as he flicked his eyes from Atticus to Oliver, to Romeo and Silas, Rio, Jay and Gabe. Face after face as he felt that tongue still of a moment- even with a sense of peace about his past, it still felt almost unnatural to talk about it. To shatter that web of lies he'd so carefully perfected.

"Not about being a lawyer- nor our experience at the school. I earned both of those things." He said as he nodded towards Atticus because- well, he'd still earned his degree. Just under more...shady circumstances. "I was born Adam Hopkins or...at least it's the best name I could come up with. Pretty sure I just picked the name from two random names in a phonebook once upon a time- " Remy paused because that felt like it was getting somewhat off track. " All I really remember if I think back enough..the smell of burnt ash and just- well, then it's just what my life was beyond that. I slipped through the cracks- I lived on the streets- I...made my way through life the best way I could. I used to change names like someone changed suits. James. Jack. Alexander. Adam. Eric... till I saw a chance to change my life. Though looking back on it I might have had a little bit of help with a few of my bigger lies I've said. From... well.." Remy waved his hand towards the temple. His intention was pretty clear. Nike, his mother, had turned the knife edge of some of his words towards his favor.

"I somehow convinced one of the best schools in the country that a student. That my parents were in the south of France and couldn't be contacted- hell, that any record of me was lost by some foolish administration. That Remy Warren was far too rich to deal with such things. Honestly- at the time I thought It was just such a bold lie big enough that no one would ever question it.- well, who'd try to lie to get into a school like that? Which in retrospect has me left feeling a little foolish From there I used my..skills and my connections, my actual talent to find myself in Oxford. And that's where I made Remy Warren proper- I invented tiny details- every lie became easier and easier. I perfected my accent. I-...

Became exactly who I wanted to be. The man you know. I'm not telling you this to gain some sort of sympathy or shock value. Or to undermine what I have with you. I'm telling you this because I want to be honest with you. I want you to see the scars and know the truth of me. I have cared for people before now and pushed them away when they found that truth.

I am hoping that my name doesn't matter to you- that each of you might know the person I am regardless of my past and those...tiny lies I've told some of you. Or at the very least that you'd be willing to understand some of it.

The core of who I am? The Remy you know hasn't changed. The man who shared your bed. Or fought beside you- it's still me.

I'm still Remy. It's who I made myself and it's who I am. It's the name I've chosen."

Remy let those words settle as he stared out at the group of demi-gods in front of him.

It somehow felt like a weight was on his chest and yet- one have lifted all at the same time.

"That's...what I wanted to say."

@athenianwit, @riointhedark, @raging-ale, @hearthwxrmth, @highfunctioningalcoholic

@hvrricaneromeo @sweatforged @bornatnightt @child-of-demeter

[gatefleet]

Prompt List (1)

Pronouns can be changed/removed

He was going back to a place he'd hoped he would never see again

She had found something that would mean she'd never be poor again - but there was a catch

As the policeman pulled back the sheet, she knew immediately that

He looked at his phone, turned pale, then quickly left the room. She watched him, smiling.

That summer seemed to last forever

The whole family had been cursed since

When her father was drunk, he'd say 'I used to have a brother, you know', and get a faraway look in his eyes

Half the names on the list had already been crossed off.

The old photos made her conscious of her age, of how much time had passed - and of what an interesting life she'd had.

Why had no-one ever mentioned Mum's twin?

The door was closed, and as I put my hand on the handle, I felt afraid of what we might find

As he took in the view from the twentieth floor, the lights went out all over the city

The old house, with its wildly overgrown garden, was silent, secretive

The victim had tried to write something as he was dying

Outside the cabin, the wind howled through the trees, while inside, the old woman's fire was nearly out.

They had to make sure that none of their colleagues noticed

There was something not quite right about the window.

Only the very oldest people remembered a time when humans could see in colour

The characters visit the beach and hijinks ensue.

Camping was just the beginning

A major holiday comes along and hijinks ensue.

Even after all this time she still referred to it as “thirteen o’clock”

The celebrations started as they fell into the pool

The hat was never going to be a good idea

He was pleased to see her but that bulge was in his jacket pocket.

From his sleeping pattern, he appeared jetlagged but he was just sleepy

He was the cleverest person I had met, but he seemed to be malfunctioning in some way

Spending time with all these people was such fun. It only remained to decide which I would kill.

After the incident with the otters was resolved I felt a lot better.

I was sad to see in the phonebook that he still existed    

He was impervious to her abuse. Until she mentioned the dry roasted peanuts.

We had to do something immediately. Or as soon after we had finished our deserts as was humanly possible.

Respect? Respect this...

I had never seen one as big as that before…

He wasn't an aberration but he was certainly abnormal.

It was the finest meal she had ever tasted. If only she had known what was in it.

She had overestimated him, a different approach was needed, one with childlike simplicity.

Their ebullient spirits were possibly a result of medication that was not over-the-counter.

Stuck in a glass elevator with a mime. Again.

It was amazing how well flattery worked. Even though I only knew ten words of French.

Although elderly there was still a good chance he would beat you in a fight          

[skania]

i get losing interest in the free series after utsumi left because its the same for me. S3 was just shit and the writers didn't care about writing a story, just wanted a way to force every character to have a role in the series and neglected the main characters. high speed was eh but i enjoyed my RH angst. the movies had potential but execution wasn't good. i enjoyed my RH moments but i know utsumi would've made those moments even better. its a shame since i dont care about her new series SK8.

This is more or less how I feel too, and I feel terrible for saying it because I've been trying to keep it to myself all these years 😭 But I think it's time to let it all out.

I think the current Free! stopped working for me because when I watch it, I don't find in it the same heart that blindsided me when I watched S1. And it's funny you mention SK8, because I don't care for it either, but a friend forced me to watch it, and it had heart. By the time I was done watching it, I couldn't help but feel sad. Because you're right anon, Utsumi would've taken Rin and Haru so, so much further if only she kept working on Free!

I know Utsumi had her issues, the biggest one (for me) being how neatly separated she kept the Samezuka and Iwatobi storylines until it was time for the RH climax. Which was kind of ridiculous because they lived in a small ass town and they all knew each other.

But I feel like the new team has the exact opposite problem.

We have a bazillion characters in a huge city but they keep running into each other for no reason whatsoever, simply so KyoAni can say that every single character interacted with each other at least once. Characters run into each other into the middle of nowhere, literally materialize into each other's cars for no apparent reason, every time Haru breathes you have 15 different characters talking about it without really contributing anything... it's all so disingenuous?

It's like the franchise has become a merchandise-selling machine, so they go out of their way to create scenarios that will allow them to sell merch of 50 different combinations of cute dudes. And they achieve this by doing the same thing over and over again except slightly different each time, because if it worked for Utsumi it'll work for them. And this is an issue that's been there since S3, which honestly had zero originality, but sadly the last two movies failed to fix this for me.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the RH from the last two movies as much as anyone else. There was some genuinely brilliant stuff there, like all the imagery with the level crossings stopping Haru from reaching Rin? Imagery that they've been using since the S3 opening? That was fantastic and it had me in tears. Haru trying to tell Rin that he wants to keep swimming by his side forever? The literal marriage proposal I've been waiting for since S1, because this is as close to a confession as one can get in Haru-speak. Haru thinking of Rin when he is asked about what changed his life? Stunning, breathtaking. Rin admitting that he has been deliberately playing dumb about Haru's feelings? A huge game-changer that literally had me stopping and staring because holy shit the fanfic potential for that line alone is astronomical. Probably the best line in the entire movie for me because it's the one thing that felt genuinely new.

And that's the thing, because the rest—while great, because RH has always elevated the story and that will never change—felt... terribly safe? It's like they didn't dare to do too much, so they just rehashed stuff that's already happened in S1 and S2. Rin hugs Haru? Already did it in S1. It'd have been incredible if we finally had Haru initiating a hug, but nope they don't dare to go beyond what Utsumi already did. Rin tells Haru he admires him? Already did it in S2. Haru tells Rin he taught him lots of important things? Already happened in S1. There are SO many things Haru has yet to tell Rin, you could fill an entire phonebook with it. But instead of everything Haru has yet to tell Rin, they chose to have him say... one of the few things he has already told him? Why??

It’s like they don’t dare to go out of the dotted lines Utsumi already traced, so instead they just end up adding the same colors over and over again. And Rin and Haru do end up globetrotting together, but... we already knew they would? That’s never been at stake. The important thing was to see how they got there, but they wasted an entire movie on drama that they resolved within the first 30 mins of this second movie, only to then add even more drama in the form of Haru getting injured.

The movies should have been about Haru and Rin getting used to the professional world and getting to form a relay team. Instead the relay team is a second thought and formed in a rush. And for what? The drama felt like it was there only for the sake of drama, because the conclusion Haru reaches after all of that is just a combination between this S1 and S2 conclusions. The main difference is that S1 and S2 alternated between showing and telling, while now we get some forced showing so they can do the telling.

So while there's some really cool stuff there and I am and will always be happy that RH got their happy ending, the last stretch of Free! just really pales in comparison to S1 and S2 for me 😭

[campcrow2]

Facts about me at 31.

I have a bad knee from when I was 19 and slipped on ice and it never healed right

The constant pressure and stress of daily life has given me a constant shoulder ache and tension in my temples than…never goes away

I have fallen down at least 17 flights of stairs in my lifetime so far

I once after being away at a family friends cabin and summer camp for a month got lost in my own bedroom when I got up in the middle of the night to pee and couldn’t find the door or light switch

I have been in two accidents while driving. One barely dinged the car and was totaled, one I hit a deer and did $19k worth of damage and they didn’t total the car.

When I was a kid I burned both hands really badly touching one of those tube kerosine garage heaters.

I’ve apparently had a blood transfusion and no one in my family remembers when but it’s in my chart and I keep forgetting to ask for clarification.

Also I once saw a physical copy of my chart (like 10 years ago) and it was the size of a phonebook so I imagine now it would be massive.

I got mono when I was 11 despite never having kissed anyone and spent an entire summer dealing with it.

All in all over my….25ish years of wearing hearingaids I’ve probably had 16 pairs of hearingaids and as an adult they won’t let you get fun colored ear molds or casing (trust me I’ve asked repeatedly)

When I was a kid I fell on a cement step and knocked my two front teeth up into my gums. When my adult teeth came in they came in naturally tho.

I once lost my car in a parking garage and spent 45 minutes looking for it.

I’ve had….at least 14 “surgical procedures” in my life ranging from biopsy to full transplant and I’m waiting for another

I used to play in abandoned vehicles and tire cages as a kid because they were just avalible where my dad worked. Like it was a typical Saturday morning to dig through abandoned cars for treasures.

I have lived a fucking life……..

[jjurassicxslytherdor]

hi there! this is gonna be my first tumblr story so I hope you enjoy it. I have other works on other apps but I will not be sharing that haha.

I’m gonna start with just some y/n drabble that I have muse for. I’m open to notes and for requests ;)

Title: After Life

Warnings: mentions of death

Tags: x reader, fantasy, stranger things, eddie munson

Fandom: stranger things

Characters: eddie munson x reader

An old phonebook. An old, dusty, water damaged phonebook sat at your fingertips. It had to be ancient- no one used these things anymore. The world had Google! Or yellowpages even! Although, that seemed a bit outdated as well. The year was 2023. You flipped through the old pages which made a crunching sound each time they were turned. You knew it was a shot in the dark, but you also couldn’t help but be curious as to what possible outcomes there could be from this experiment. Your finger traced down the words of the book until they landed on one name: Eddie Munson. The section was equipped with his phone number and address. There had been other words next to the name, possibly some numbers, but they had vanished with the time and with the weathering of the book. You jotted down the name and address and put the book back on the shelf.

You gave it some time before deciding to act. You had almost forgotten about your soon to be pen pal when you stumbled upon the note you had taken. You figured it was a sign. You grabbed a pen and some paper and began writing.

Eddie,

I know you don’t know who I am… I don’t even know who you are… but I was hoping to find a penpal. What better way to do so then randomly!

This was starting to feel strange… maybe it wasn't such a good idea… he could be an old man for all you knew! Something inside you urged to continue anyways…

Feel free to reply, but do not feel pressured to. My address will be attached as the return address. My name is Y/n L/n. I live in the US.

It's good to not be super specific in cases like this.

I figured this could be a judgment free zone. I had to get this out to someone, and there aren’t many people here who would take the time to listen to my problems. I don’t have any friends… at least not anymore. Not since I decided I liked my life better when I was being true to myself. My friends didn't end up liking the me I chose to be. Have you ever felt like an outcast?

Yours truly,

Is that too forward?

Your humble penpal, Y/n.

Within the next day or so, the letter was signed, sealed, and delivered so to speak. Days went by, you figured it had gotten lost or that the receiver simply tore it up. You had no idea of the journey this little envelope took.

The afterlife is a concept which not many people can fully agree upon. It has been portrayed many different ways throughout the years. In this case, the afterlife was a blue tinted village that lay underground. Tunnels connected thousands of villages and the blue light extended through them all. The light didn’t seem to be coming from anywhere in particular. It just washed over the village and its residence like a filter. Eddie sat at a bar, tended by an older man who loved nothing more than serving drinks. He poured a glass and handed it off to the curly haired man. Eddie still wore his green vest and a bandana around his head. It wasn’t because he had to. He had died in it after all. But he chose to keep it on. He feared he would be unrecognizable without it. Like if his friends ever joined him, not for a long while he hoped, they would be able to recognize him instantly. A buzzing sound was heard in Eddie's ear as a small creature appeared.

“Mail for the deceased.” It said in a gravelly but high pitched voice. He handed an envelope to Eddie and one to the bartender. The bartender gently laughed.

“She’s sent another one… she still thinks about me.” He said. It was from his wife who had outlived him. It had been nearly 10 years, but she never failed to write him love letters. The postal service was funny like that. Sometimes, mail is sent to the afterlife. If you’ve ever wondered where that Amazon package was lost… it may have ended up in the hands of the deceased. Boy do they love getting gifts like that.

Eddie had only ever gotten one letter. It was one written by his uncle as a final goodbye. Eddie read it and couldn’t bear going back to see him. He had the option- to haunt somewhere- but he knew he would be much happier moving on. He could see his friends in the afterlife eventually anyways. He didn’t recognize the name on the envelope. “Who is it from, boy? You've been dead for a while now…” He started, before he remembered that time worked differently there. Though Eddie had been dead for nearly 20 years, he’d only been in the afterlife for about 10.

“I don’t know…” He said. He looked into the other room where a stage was set up. He still played music in the afterlife. He had received a copy of his guitar and continued to play it. Sometimes, the afterlife reminded him of the Upside Down. But it was much calmer. No one was watching. He kept on his merry way. An eternity in a happy place.

He ripped open the envelope and read its contents. “It's just… someone who wants to be a penpal.” He said. He laughed softly. “Poor thing…” he read the words.

Have you ever felt like an outcast?

He shifted in his seat. Of course he had! He was boiling with advice he could give to this person! Advice he could give to you!

“But we can’t write back to them, can we?” He shrugged it off. The bartender was about to chuckle and agree with him. However instead he stopped in the middle of cleaning a glass and tilted his head.

“Well… I don’t believe I’ve ever tried.” He said. “By all means, boy! Write back! If you can communicate across planes… then I could talk to my wife! My Carol!” he said. He didn’t want to try the experiment out himself because… well… because what if it did work? It might do Carol more harm than good… but this new penpal of Eddie’s… they had no idea that he was dead. They would never suspect it. Eddie could give his advice and not have to cause a disruption between life and what comes next!

He bolted out of his bar stool and ran to a room he called his own. He pulled out paper and a pen and began writing.

To be continued