#Test & Learn

[mediaguides]

Navigating M&A, Privacy Sandbox & Alternatives As The Cookie Crumbles

THE MEDIA GUIDES PRESENT Our Perspective Navigating M&A, Privacy Sandbox & Alternatives As The Cookie Crumbles While some view Google’s deprecation of cookies as a daunting challenge, others see it as an opportunity to innovate and thrive in a transformed landscape. However, there are concerns that the consolidation will lead to hostile takeovers, mergers of desperation, or even total…

[industryupdate]

Automated Machine Learning (AutoML) Industry Growth Forecast to 2030

According to the latest market research study published by P&S Intelligence, the automated machine learning market is witnessing growth and is projected to reach 15,499.3 million by 2030. The market is driven by the growing need for effective scam recognition solutions, the rising requirement for tailored product recommendations, and the increasing importance of predictive lead scoring. Cloud…

[laurfilijames]

Breathe | Series Masterlist

All gifs used with permission and made by the wonderful @uuuhshiny

Will 'Ironhead' Miller x female reader

Series Summary: After the Publix incident and breakup with his fiancé, Will begins to find peace and healing when he least expected it, but navigating falling in love again while living with PTSD doesn't come without its hurdles. Can building trust and a healthy relationship prove to outweigh all the demons he faces and finally allow Will to live the life he never thought he deserved?

Series Warnings: Rated E, 18+ only. Swearing. Various sexual activities. Traumas associated with PTSD (violence, nightmares). Please see each individual chapter for detailed warnings.

Part 1 - You've seen Will at the gym many times before, and he you, and today you finally share a moment, discovering your assumptions about him are right.

Part 2 - Will's dreaded grocery run turns out better than expected, and things dial up a notch when he invites you to watch Benny's fight later that night.

Part 3 - You're back at the gym attempting to distract yourself from thinking of Will, your conversation from the night before weighing on your mind, but it turns out Captain Miller has even less restraint when it comes to you than he thought he did.

Part 4 - You stay for an eventful night with Will, helping him through an anxiety attack brought on by a nightmare, all while learning more about each other and taking advantage of his amplified energy and restlessness.

Part 5 - More days of bliss continue for you and Will, including a proper date where lustful feelings are balanced with hesitations, and another nightmare brings things crashing down.

Part 6 - Will starts to distance himself from you to the point of being unable to mend things and tension rises between the Miller brothers over his actions.

Part 7 - Unanswered questions amp up every emotion that time does nothing to lessen, and so much uncertainty raises the concern if everything will turn out okay or if moving on is the only answer.

Part 8 - You and Will finally discuss how to navigate your relationship, and after establishing a comfortable rhythm again, something causes a disruption to test you once more.

Part 9 - Will's feelings come to light in the aftermath of your run-in with Cam, and after more rifts between the two Miller brothers, your relationship progresses to the next step.

Part 10 - Comfortable domestication sets into your routines after Will officially moves in with you, and a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home from the gym earns Will another reputation at Publix.

Part 11 - Will does something he never thought he would again, and after someone from his recent past seeks him out, things fall into place and call for celebration.

Part 12

[jojo-schmo]

The 24 Character Strengths are awesome references when writing characters!!

I've found this website to be extremely helpful and cool while fleshing out my characters' personalities and motivations.

Even if I only have basic personality traits for a character, exploring strengths that I feel fits them and reading their descriptions is fantastic for inspiration!! It really helps narrow down the basic ideals I imagine a character would believe in, and then I can get more specific from there. It's a great guide to springboard off of!

Each strength is sorted into one of six virtues. Starting with a broad virtue, for example "justice," and honing that down into the strengths of "fairness," "leadership," or "teamwork" makes writing them really fun!

Here's an example of the "fairness" strength description! Lots of detail and tangible qualities describing it!

Of course there are infinite ways to interpret a character strength, just like in real life. And people aren't always black and white and follow a strength 100% of the time. But it's been extremely helpful to see specific traits being described in so much detail, and imagining different scenarios that a character would react in. It's like I can understand them a bit more and think a little like them, especially if their trait isn't one of my personal strengths. :3

But I also recommend taking the actual personality test for yourself! I took it years ago and it was really cool to put a name to some of my strengths and see how detailed this descriptions were. And when my friends and I shared our results, I felt like we understood each other just a little more. :)

Just thought I'd share this reference that's been helping me lately :D

[addicted2wasps]

Anthropomorphizing wasps has always been something I find enjoyable and therapeutic. I suppose it can help make them more relatable. If only they had tiny accessories and could play with tiny electric guitars. 😆 Fun fact: Polistine wasps are very adept at recognizing the faces of their peers. It's even suggested that they might even be able to recognize human faces as well, but more studies need to be tested in order to truly prove this theory.

An interesting article discusses this topic in greater detail:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.trulynolen.ca/can-wasps-recognize-human-faces/amp/

"Before you become aggressive towards a wasp, you better think twice. That wasp may be able to recognize your face and come after you if it sees you again! While it may sound like something out of an old sci-fi movie, a new study suggests that the brains of wasps can process faces all at once. This is similar to how human facial recognition works.

The Wasp Brain

These findings come despite the tiny size of the insect’s brains. Compared with the human brain, which is made up of 86,000 million brain cells, theirs contain fewer than one million brain cells. Previous research has shown that paper wasps can also learn the faces of other wasps. They appeared to have evolved specialized brain mechanisms for wasp face processing. Overall, they are very intelligent insects, and more research is needed to clarify what impact this has on humans."

[nightynightghoul]

Pebble has POTS

How Pebble finds out they have POTS and sort of learn to accept it.

This is just a little something I wanted to share, if it does well I may share other ideas. Thank you to @sister-nyx for encouraging me and giving it a read :)

Warnings: Pebble faints, there's talk about medical tests, not much more.

When Pebble was summoned, the rest of the ghouls thought nothing special of it. Yes, they were smaller than the rest, but their summoning had been hard and not as much energy went into it as it did for the past ghouls. They all had seen ghouls of all sizes during their lives back in hell. Many of the smaller ones being doubly as fierce to compensate for their size. No one thought anything could be wrong with them. 

Neither did Pebble. At least not for their first few months topside. They learned what they had to in order to become their new drummer, they were good at it too. Enjoying the feeling of getting lost in the music alongside the rest of their new pack.

Pebble started noticing they weren’t like the rest of the ghouls. Not as strong, not as agile, not as resilient. The first time they felt it was when they were moving instruments around the practice room. They had to clear the floor for the siblings to come in for a deep clean. Ifrit had easily lifted and carried stands, amps, boxes, and instruments. Aether had no trouble helping Zephyr with their Keyboard. Hell, even Dewdrop was helping haul up equipment, and he was smaller than them!

But here they were struggling to catch their breath and feeling their heart in their throat just because they were trying to drag one box across the stage. Emphasis on the word “trying”. By the time Ifrit was done, Pebble was only just getting the damned box to where they were supposed to stack it with the others. The fire ghoul just smiled at them and lifted the box to stack in on the others. 

Pebble could not catch their breath and their vision was spotty. But they just ignored it, muttered a thank you and went back to the den. 

The second time, was stupid if you asked them. It was a very early and cold morning, they just wanted to have a nice hot shower before breakfast. Yes, they took longer than usual. The water felt great, they had to wash their hair, and maybe they wanted some time for themselves. The problem appeared when they stepped out into the colder air of the bathroom. As they were drying off, they started feeling like they ran a marathon. Heart beating quickly, spotty vision, and they couldn’t catch their breath. Nothing new, but it was getting worse. 

A splitting headache started right behind their ears and their vision became tunnelled. Suddenly the effort to just stand was just too much and against their will they crumpled to the floor half conscious, dragging with them several items from the counter that clattered loudly on the floor and on top of them. They spent a few minutes on the floor, floating in that space between. After getting ready, only Aether asked why they took so long. Even years later, they could not tell if they fainted that time or not. 

The third time was when they started to get worried. It was a sunny, warm day, fairly humid too. Most of the ghouls were spending their time outside. Even Zephyr felt well enough to go on a little stroll with Dew. They were sat on the grass with Omega and Alpha. Playful chatter, became playful banter which in a few minutes became playfighting. Pebble wrestled Alpha but was quickly pinned under the bigger ghoul. 

But Pebble wasn’t laughing any more, the heat, the humidity, the exertion and now Alpha on top of them had their vision swimming. Just like before they felt that headache, the tunneled vision and the breathlessness. But this time it all came so quick, they had no time to tell Alpha that they wanted out. With a pathetic whine they breathed out and then everything became black. 

When they next opened their eyes, they were laying on their back. Omega was looking at them alarmed, as if they had grown a second head. Alpha was agitated too, the usually stoic ghoul looked close to tears. Omega insisted on carrying them to the infirmary even as Pebble protested that they were fine and could walk themselves.

While in there, Omega took his sweet time noting their blood pressure and heartbeat. Pebble insisted time and time again that this was normal, that it just had gone a little further than it usually does. Omega made quite a few notes and kept asking more questions. As if every ghoul didn’t feel the same as them. -

Do you have a hard time breathing?

Do you usually struggle to catch your breath after exerting yourself?

Are high temperatures usually a problem?

Do you get dizzy when you sit up? When you stand up?

Pebble quickly became frustrated and ended up leaving the infirmary before Omega could finish his long list of questions or tell them much of anything really.

The quint did ask them to come back for some tests the next day but Pebble in their eternal stubbornness didn’t go. They were fine, and this was normal for all ghouls. Right?

The subject was forgotten with time but right now, this very minute. They kinda wish they had gone for those extra tests with Omega. Maybe there was something wrong with them.

This was their third ritual, the past two had gone very well. Only getting somewhat dizzy with the heat of the stage lights and the effort of playing the drums. They had managed to stand up without fainting by taking deep breaths. But right now, in this damned venue and its non-existent ventilation, Pebble found themselves sweating bullets. Their skin felt clammy and cold, their breath getting quicker, same as their heartbeat. 

This was more than the adrenaline from rituals, Pebble was in trouble. 

By the last song of the set, their vision was becoming spotty, but they did their best to keep playing. If Dewdrop, Aether and Ifrit could jump around the stage and play at the same time, surely they could keep playing while sat down. 

The alarm bells really rang in their head when that last song ended. The crowd was cheering, and they cursed the damn mask for not letting them breathe properly. They had to stand up, go to the front with the others, go to their place for final bows. But just as they stood up, they realised just how bad they had let it become. The headache came in so hard they had to close their eyes and grasp their head. They may have been glamoured, but the loud whine they let out sounded like that of a wounded animal. 

They tried to walk down the steps of their stage, but their vision went all black and unlike that time after that hot shower, this time they crumpled to the floor like a wet napkin. Aether looked back at his stage as he saw several people in the crowd pointing behind him.

He saw Pebble, unconscious, sliding down the steps of their stage. He ran to catch the smaller ghoul before they could reach the bottom. Ifrit and Dew turned to look at Aether, confused as to why he would be heading backstage in a rush before final bows. Then rushed to help him as they saw him removing Pebble’s mask.

Papa grumbled his disapproval to Zephyr, but quickly changed his demeanour as Ifrit ran back to him. - Pebble is out cold, Aether is taking them back to the greenroom -. They bowed and quickly headed back.

When he opened the door to the green room, Papa found Pebble laying on the couch, Dewdrop holding their legs high and Aether sat on the floor taking vitals. The quint assured them all that Pebble would be fine, even if they had some nasty bruises from their fall. 

When Pebble woke up, they groaned and tried to sit up. But with a gentle hand on their chest, Aether kept them on their back. 

Don’t move just yet love. Your heartbeat just went through the roof.

M’fine

No, you’re not. You just passed out on stage, and I need to get Omega on the phone now.

Terzo fumbled with his robe to take his phone out and call the older ghoul. Pacing around the room while waiting for his lover to answer.

Terzo? 

Hi Amore, Aether needs to talk to you. Now.

Wait, aren’t you in the middle of a ritual right now?

No, just finished. But Pebble fainted.

What? Ok, let me talk to Aether please.

He handed his phone to the quint. Sitting by Pebble’s head, petting their head and around their horns. Hoping to comfort one of his smallest ghouls.

Aether immediately got to work, narrating all the important details to Omega. All Terzo could glean from what was said was that this was not the first time Pebble had fainted, and that more tests were needed to have an answer as to why they were passing out. 

The rest of that leg of the tour went surprisingly well. Pebble didn't faint, although there were a few close calls, but much to Pebble’s annoyance, Aether was on top of them, all the time. Just as they got back to the abbey, Omega practically kidnapped them and got them to the infirmary. 

A full week of tests got them their answer. There was something wrong and other ghouls definitely did not feel like this every day of their lives topside. Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. Stupid Human thing to have. 

They walked back to their room after Omega was done with indications. There was nothing that could be done to get rid of the problem. They would always be smaller, lesser, defective. The feeling of being lesser invaded them. They’re supposed to be a demon straight from hell, strong, fast, agile. Not a runt that has to be watched over all the time. 

What made it truly worse was the news they were given before the next leg of the tour. They would be summoning another Earth ghoul, Omega and Terzo had decided touring would be too much on their body. Straight up salt in the wound. No only that, they would be training them in the time remaining.

Their out of control heart rate and quick breaths didn’t help at all when they asked for the decision to be reconsidered. Pebble walked back to their room, to calm down on their own, to mope for weeks and isolate from their pack. 

With time, they learn to live with it instead of against it. Accepting their body just as it was, flaws and all. It doesn’t come quick, and they still miss the little time they had with their Papa on stage. 

But yes, with time, the bitterness subsides. They still get frustrated sometimes, and some days are impossible. They still faint all over the abbey, but they’re fine at least.

[eemamminy-art]

not obligated to answer this but if you have anymore thoughts about alex sdv (or stardew valley at all) please share. i am obsessed with alex

Oh hell yeah anon you've activated my current hyperfixation 😁 I have a google doc where I'm dropping my headcanons and a bulleted timeline for a Alex/m!farmer longfic I've been writing in my head that's up to about 13 pages now ahaha so here's a few things!!

When he first moved to Pelican Town he was actually really quiet and reserved because he was still grieving heavily, so he never really got close to the other kids. He talks about how he played gridball with his mom so I think once he got the chance to play that in school (in another town no doubt) I think he came out of his shell then and made some friends, but all those friends lived far enough away that after graduating high school he's been pretty lonely and never could connect with the other people his own age in town.

He never goes into the saloon to my knowledge prior to the 10-heart event dinner scene, so I headcanon that it's because he doesn't drink alcohol and doesn't want the temptation to try it. I don't remember if it's said explicitly but I got the impression his dad's abuse stemmed from being drunk so I imagine Alex refuses to touch the stuff out of both principle and fear of becoming like his father one day.

I said it in another post but I headcanon him as gay and suffering comphet. He's built himself up as this cool popular guy, so he tries to emulate the sexist straight guys he's seen in movies but there's absolutely nothing behind it. He says something rude to a girl and then is like uhhh (shit what now) bye! 😅 I want to think that in getting to know the farmer he not only does away with that facade but also gets more comfortable in his sexuality!!

and on a sidenote to the above: I hc most of the town as gay or bi and I am toying with the idea of Abby being transfem! Sam/Seb is a given, and maaaybe they're in a poly relationship with Abby but I'm still undecided!! I like Maru/Penny as a concept but need to marinate on that a bit more, I see them always sitting together and it makes me happy but I need to think more on how they met and what their relationship would be like. I don't have anything solid yet in terms of other characters' gender or sexuality headcanons exactly, other than Caroline and Jodi being bi and desperately yearning to run away together 🥰

But back to Alex!! With how his storyline goes of trying to impress others with his jock persona, then trying to switch gears and be super booksmart, I headcanon that he gets close to the farmer via the farmer tutoring him so he can take a community college placement test. :3 My thought for why he's in the rut he's in is that he wanted to play college gridball but his grades in high school were so bad he has done nothing with himself since graduation and has just been stagnating and becoming more and more bitter (which only amps up his shitty attitude when the player first meets him). So trying to get educated is doubly good for him because he can work toward his sports dream (in a way) and try to impress the farmer. Though of course, the thing that brings them closer is Alex learning to be true to himself 😊

This is getting long, so last thing: he's actually a really well-rounded homemaker but does not even think about it really. George has been disabled for a long time, so all of the handy work around the house has to be handled by Alex, and he's so eager to help out his grands. :3 They put a roof over his head so of course he'll climb up onto it to fix the leaks when it rains! Evelyn is always cooking and baking and Alex is so soft for his granny he has been in the kitchen helping her for as long as he's lived with them, so he's actually got a real talent for cooking and baking too! One of the first things he learned after moving in with them was the proper way to set a table, and the best way to wash dishes efficiently. He's spent enough time at Haley's house having no chemistry with the poor girl, but found Emily's whole sewing setup really fascinating and she taught him to mend the holes in his letterman jacket when he asked so he knows how to hand sew! These are all skills that he has but doesn't recognize as skills, he just inherently has this desire to help the people in his life so he picks up this and that to make it easier!

Anyway! Thank you for letting me ramble 😄 Alex is really sweet and soft underneath the mask he wears, and he's been rotating in my head for the last few months hehe

I had bought sdv when it came out but barely touched it, and started it up again on a whim earlier this year and I'm so glad I did!! I really adore the game and it's bringing me a lot of joy currently 🥺

[channoticedmeuwu]

𝐓𝐗𝐓 𝐀𝐒 . . . (cliche) highschool romance tropes !!

🎧 𓈒 ◯ 𓏸 ﹒ ⭐ ﹒ ⌣⌣ ﹒ ☆

p : txt × fem!reader | g : fluffy fluff, slightly suggestive, cliche tropes 🫡 | w : suggestive sometimes? none really unless you consider fights a warning, not proofread

a/n : needed to get this out of my system lolll in love w hyuka rn.

🎧 — shy (eh o), loser lover, lotus, hula hoops, too many nights, mon amour, love is banned, BTBT

YEONJUN | BAD BOY × GOOD GIRL

came in my mind in the shower. yes. I just feel that yeonjun would def be the popular guy, carries around a leather jacket and has dyed hair and everything, and hangs out with his cool friends who skip class all the time etc etc. and then he sees you, so pretty and in the moment, and you're always so composed and kept to yourself that it's almost like an immediate form of intrigue for him. it's weird that he's so into you when you've never spoken. and he's like....wtf. it's like, exchanging prolonged glances during class and accidentally brushing against each other's shoulders while walking in the halls. you know that you, the well known rule follower, could never talk to someone like yeonjun, the well known rule breaker. and yet, you broke that self made rule for the first time when he came by your locker to give you a note and ask you to a date—which seemed so out of character for yeonjun. maybe you're the first one he'd follow traditional ideas for.

SOOBIN | ACADEMIC RIVALS

I said it before I'll say it again. SOOBIN ACADEMIC RIVALS AGENDA !! even wrote a whole fic 😭 I just think he's so neat as the school's pride and joy; has no trouble completing assignments and meets deadlines, and totally leaves the class speechless with how fast he finishes tests and exams. but then, his cool and calm persona breaks when he sees the class cheering for you during the timed group math assignment you have to do on dust boards. and he glances to his side of the board. how the fuck did you finish that before him? and so the unspoken rivalry continues as you tend to beat him more in assignments, draws being exclaimed for the both of you in awards supposed to be for one winner, and so on. and unspoken feelings tend to blossom when soobin finds himself growing weak at the scowl you make when you don't understand a question, or the proud smile you wear facing him yet again.

BEOMGYU | ROCKSTAR + finding each other in a raw moment

cuz I'm just a teenage dirtbag babyyy. giving rodrick heffley vibes. probably would put all his allowance in buying a guitar n amp. didn't take lessons so now he's on the road to self learning 💪💪 feminist !!!!! ok but all jokes aside, he'd be late to a practice, cycling on the empty road when he sees you, walking with an armful of books because unlike mr teenage dirtbag you actually take school seriously (do you see where I'm going with this?), and he'd miss a rock on the road, causing his bike to stumble and fall, crashing right into you. so now the two of you lay on the floor, joints scratched and head aching as you scowl at each other. "what the fuck, choi beomgyu?" and he'd see you, pretty as ever, in the evening light, cheeks pink in the most perfect way and hair perfectly set up; as if you were going somewhere. when he notices your tears. "are you crying?" and you look away, angry that you let it show.

"why do you care?" you would ask, irritated, collecting all the books you dropped and trying to rub your eyes clear of all tears, probably smudging some make up along the way. and beomgyu would help you, helping you dust your outfit and overly apologizing. he didn't understand who would hurt you, but it struck a nerve in him. enough to ask you what happened, and offered to cycle you home. he's already late to practice, so does it really matter if he misses it or not? and when he finally drops you home, you give him a hug, thanking him for being so sweet (after almost running you over 😒😒).

and maybe that pulls choi beomgyu's heartstrings to play an unfamiliar melody that echoed in the empty, sunlit streets as a small smiled plastered over his face, exchanging a glance before you shut the door behind you.

TAEHYUN | FAKE DATING

it just. makes sense. he's so not into you and you're so not into him. but holy shit, the rest of the school is. and you're like, let's give them what they want, right? esp when you want to get back at your ex for being such an ass to you during your breakup. y/n redemption arc but make it hotter. and taehyun was perfect, since he needed his friends to stop teasing him for being the only one who hasn't dated anyone yet. match made in hell, right? well, romantic feelings can be lucifer themselves, because when you and taehyun shared a secret (or not so secret) kiss right on the kitchen counter at yeonjun's party, shit turned weird. because last you recall, taehyun's scent wasn't lurking in your mind like it did that night, and he couldn't get the feeling of your lips smiling against him while the background blurred around him. and he distinctly remembers pushing a hand against the dozen cameras flashing around the two of you as all the people you tried to spite watched—as if you two were actually a thing. and god, explain the feeling of his heartbeat in his throat that he couldn't get rid of—as your eyes met, causing his mouth to go dry—if you guys were just acting?

a match made in hell, right?

HUENINGKAI | BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS + a lil ♡ triangle

he's the sweetest boy you've ever met, and he watches from afar, a sad glint in his eyes as you try to warm up to your crush, testing the waters with hyuka before you could attempt it on your crush. like, fuck, did you have to grab his tie like that, pull him close and ask "does this do anything or are you just choking?" do you even know what kind of effect you had on him? and hyuka would just sit in a corner, munch on a snack he bought as you would try to impress your crush yet again, only to receive a stupid “huh?” as a response.

hyuka had his moments, moments where he wanted to slap the shit out of the boy, and scream at him “SHE'S INTO YOU, GODDAMMIT!” and spell it out for the clueless asshole, as the more you'd advance at him the more apparently confused he'd get. you were convinced your crush was just dumb, because he couldn't straight up tell you that he's not into you, and seeing you sulk after every obvious hint you dropped riled hyuka up. and he was especially pissed the fuck off when he overheard your crush in the boys' bathroom laugh with his friends at how stupid you were for still trying, even though he was obviously playing dumb to keep you going, making you look stupider.

hueningkai was pissed; at you for not realizing how you deserve better, at your crush for being the biggest douchebag you've ever liked, at himself for not being able to control his heart whenever you were near him, at the fucking WORLD for making his life this complicated.

but maybe patience is the best virtue, because when your crush just laughed at you in front of all his friends when you confessed to him, hyuka has never felt better satisfaction than punching the asshole straight in the face, over and over and OVER again. maybe he ended up in the principal's office with a bloody hand and aching fingers, but it didn't matter next to your (ex)crush's busted lip and bleeding nose.

and it especially didn't matter when you hugged him after he got suspended, because, in his mind, if you'd never love him the same way he loved you, he was still the sweetest boy you've ever met.

txt : masterlist

main taglist (hmu to get added!) : @koishua @navyhyuck @allegxdly @daystiny  @kdyism  @neotism  @bluejaem  @radiorenjun  @sleepylixie @oifelixcmerebrou @mrkcore @imdamnconfused  @sicluvz @abhirami20 @tyongishs @emvrd @brxght-world

I’d appreciate if you’d give me a little feedback on the drabble if you read, whether it’s an ask, a reply or in the tags of the rb! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!

[sillylittledraculasideblog]

May 3, 2022 was an interesting day. It was the first day of Dracula Daily of the first year that it took off (although Dracula Daily actually started in 2021 iirc!). It was also early in the morning of May 3, 2022, that I was finally admitted to the hospital after spending most of the night in the ER. At the time, the cardiologists treating me thought I might have had a heart attack; eventually we learned it was a different cardiac event, rarer but still could have been life- threatening. Needless to say, I was not having a good time.

I ended up being hospitalized twice that May. I had a lot of tests and imaging done, a lot of discomfort, a lot of fear. I lay in my hospital bed, watched the phlebotomists draw yet another round of blood, caught up on Dracula Daily, and thought about vampires.

Unfortunately my medical shitstorm did not end there. I was mostly bedbound for months. The severity of my illness kept me from doing much of anything, and I wasn’t able to keep up with Dracula Daily completely, but it became a bit of a comfort read and the Harkers in particular became comfort characters. I was surely in the toils, as my good friend Jonathan would say.

November of 2022 was a turning point for the Harkers and for me. As Dracula Daily was coming to a close, I finally met with a new specialist who suggested some new treatments for me. Over the next several months, I was able to claw my way back to something resembling my old life.

Spring of 2023 and 2024 have been stressful for me. I find my anxiety amps up a lot as I approach the anniversary of the traumatic start of my medical issues. So having May 3 be, not just the day I was hospitalized, but the day Dracula Daily/Re: Dracula starts? The day I get to hear from my good friend Jonathan Harker again? Priceless.

Looking forward to another good Dracula season ❤️

[indieyuugure]

I've been following ROTP for quite some time now and I can't wait for Mutation Situation. Your art style is just a pure joy to the eyes and the writing is exceptional!!!

I do have a question though...

is there a sort of science to how you do facial expressions? Yours come across very well and clear. I've been toying around with trying to work with facial features in various styles and I still can't figure out how to get the expressions I want.

Any advice would be most appreciated!! I hope you're having a good day!

Aw, thank you! Yeah I’m doin’ good!

Expressions. Well to some degree yes. I think the first and most important thing is to study your own face and learn exactly how every emotion looks on it. Learn how your eye brows move, the way different creases of you face appear and change when you smile or frown, the way your eyes widen or squint when your face changes. Just spend some time looking in a mirror, or acting out a scene. Becoming familiar with the way a face moves and looks when different emotions are made will drastically improve your expressions.

Another thing you can do is try making the expression while your drawing and feeling the way your face looks and translate what you’re feeling onto the paper. I do this a lot, in fact it happens enough that I have this little thing about it:

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked why I look so angry while I’m drawing lol 😂

But anyway, once you have a pretty good understanding of what you’re facial expression is supposed to look like, you have to amp it up to 11. The reason the faces I draw are so expressive is because I make the emotion strong enough that you feel what they’re feeling

Here’s Raph. Don’t just make him frown and call that “angry” that’s not angry enough! Deepen the crease in his brows, widen his eyes, bare his teeth. Don’t be afraid to make your character’s face contorted with emotion. In real life, no one looks pretty when they express an extreme emotion, that’s just not how it works.

Just try out taking a simple emotion and making more and more extreme. Test the absolute limits of what you can make a character express with their face.

Mikey’s not just happy, this is the greatest thing in the history of the universe!

Another thing I see a lot in beginner’s art is that they don’t match the facial expression to the body language. Look back at the picture of Raph and look at his shoulders, go on!

When he goes from “mildly annoyed” to “furious,” his body language changes. You see his shoulders tense up along with his face, he looks very angry. Body language is much harder to pick up on and study because, at least for most people, you don’t even notice it. You’re brain picks up on it instinctually and so you don’t consciously think about it. Just remember that body the can tell just as much as the face. An expression isn’t complete without both halves. Here’s an example:

This character has the same facial expression, copy-pasted, yet somehow you get two different expressions from the same face. The first is more relaxed and in awe. The second looks more stiff and scared. I would personally go a little further in both directions if this was for a drawing, but this is just to prove that a facial expression is not the whole emotion, you have to match the body language too.

I hope you found this helpful! Drawing expressions is very challenging! I usually redraw every expression in ROTP at least once or twice, and I do tons of small tweaks here and there to get it just right. Don’t feel intimidated, just take a blank paper and draw expressions over and over, they don’t even have to be pretty, just practice!

Good Question! :]

[theresattrpgforthat]

Almighty TATTRPGFT, I ask you what is a good fantasy ttrpg thats like a smidgen simpler than/tighter than dnd thats flexible and has individual character progression thats cool? (I am so damn tired of dnd and after I finish my lancer campaign I'm gonna try to run a fantasy thing thats about world hopping since my brain cant stick with just one world... I wanted to run OSR stuff but most of my players want to keep their characters longer than a couple sessions)

THEME: World-hopping Fantasy Games

Hello there, so I’ve got some world-hopping games for you that I consider all much simpler than D&D, although the way they cater to your players’ wants may vary. Now I’m personally biased towards Forged-in-the-Dark games if your characters want to hold onto their characters and explore all of their mechanical and narrative details, but I’m also hoping that folks will see this ask and suggest more fantasy games that give you cool character abilities - maybe you can even mesh some regular fantasy games with something else on this list!

Portal Rats, by Tore Nielsen.

Portal Rats is a stand-alone fantasy tabletop rpg, based on the Black Hack rules. 

There is an unlimited wealth of worlds out there. Some are embodiments of ideals, some the product of a god's fevered will, and some who seem to have congealed from pure potential. In Portal Rats you can visit all of them. 

The core mechanic of Portal Rats is a roll-below test, using a d20 against an attribute on your character sheet. You have six attributes that should remind your players of D&D, although the backgrounds of your characters are less about your race and more about what you did in the past. The rules of the game look to be pretty concise, with much of the 58-page book being different character options and character classes. You level up when you finish a mission or quest, which results in more hit points, and higher attributes.

This game is probably close to what you as a GM are looking for: it’s an OSR mindset, with very little that allows the players to hold onto their characters if a roll goes badly. That being said, if your players are attached to their characters, they might be able to bring out emotional and narrative elements regardless of the system. Therefore, even if you pick up something that is more similar to OSR, they’ll find ways to role-play.

Vergence, by Small Cool Games.

Within the multiverse are a few places of great power called Vergences. They are ruled by families bred for the ability to open portals between worlds.

You play a member of one of these empowered bloodlines. Your birthright gives you the capacity to travel across infinite dimensions and manipulate reality.

But you’ll need to deal with conflicts involving your own powerful and manipulative family, secret conspiracies, mystical enemies, moldering gods, terrifying monsters, ancient artifacts, and existential threats with the potential to affect all the worlds of the Umbra. And possibly your annoying little sister…

Vergence is a Forged-in-the-Dark game that really amps up your character’s powers and broadens the stakes to a cosmic scale. Vergence is a much looser interpretation of Blades, taking away much of the bookkeeping found in the vice and heat mechanics that punish typical Blades’ characters. You also level up as a group, rather than individually, which I understand might not be what your playgroup is looking for, but your characters are still uniquely powered individuals with special abilities.

1400 Planes, by Unknown Dungeon.

1400 Planes is lo-fi hi-fantasy. 

The multiverse roils with boundless existence. For many, the infinite planes of creation drift past at an immeasurable distance, their alien secrets perpetually out of reach. However those who break their mortal shackles and cross that liminal space, wander such exotic spheres on an eternal pilgrimage.

1400 Planes is a stand-alone table-top RPG. The rules are short and easy to learn and the whole game can fit on a single sheet of paper.  It can be played using just the rules provided, or combined with other entries in the 1400 series to expand the world and provide more character and game options.

24XX games feel very slim and small, but I think they can provide the base for something bigger that caters to your group. They can also be combined with other games that use the same rule-set very easily, which you could use to provide interesting level-ups for characters. 24XX games are also usually pretty cheap, so you’re not going to break the bank picking up a few to play around with.

Planedawn Orphans, by Sharkbomb Studios.

Set in the Planar City, a strange melting pot that connects the vast diversity of the multiverse. You all play Planar Orphans stranded in this city, your original home worlds destroyed, corrupted or lost. 

A mysterious Patron has brought you together, provided you with a base of operations and tasked you to complete a Planar Key. This key will let you create a new plane for you and your fellow refugees. Your quest will bring you to exotic places filled with strange creatures and bizarre phenomena.

This isn’t a game in itself - it’s a campaign framework - but it gives you the opportunity to cobble together a bunch of different games while still giving your players a structure upon which they can scaffold their character’s growth and personalities. I’m currently running this across a huge number of different games with a co-GM and my home group: so far we’ve played Household, The Wildsea, Sundered Isles, and The Great Soul Train Robbery!

Sig, City of Blades, by Genesis of Legend Publishing.

Sig is the nexus of the multiverse, where eternal planes and infinite primes meet. It’s a rough home for cutters and bashers, hungry for coin and glory. It’s a city of gods, demons, and stranger things which lurk. It’s a place where opposites meet, trading knives and kisses in equal measure.

The Silent Regent once ruled over the city with a bladed fist. Now her throne sits empty and the criminal factions battle for control. They dispatch crews of Freebooters, clever and bold, to further their schemes. This is where you come in.

In Sig: City of Blades, you will play the Freebooters in service to once of the mighty city factions. Your faction depends on you to perform vital missions to seize territory and coin from their rivals. This is a game about clever spies, renegade sorcerers and reckless smugglers. You are the best of the best and the worst of the worst.

If you are familiar with Planescape, I’ve heard that Sig: City of Blades gives off the same vibes, at least when it comes to setting. Rules-wise, it’s Forged in the Dark. It looks like in this game, the multiverse comes to you; as scoundrels in a city at the centre of these dimensions, there are plenty of ways for you to get rich in some kind of way that counts. If your group is up to play scoundrels and thieves, you might be interested in Sig: City of Blades.

Tiny Dungeon: Second Edition, by Gallant Knight Games.

Tiny Dungeon: Second Edition is powered by the TinyD6 engine, with streamlined mechanics that utilize only one to three single six-sided dice on every action, characters that can be written on a 3x5 notecard, and easy to understand and teach rules, Tiny Dungeon 2e is great for all groups, ages, and experience levels!

Tiny Dungeon feels like a very boiled-down version of a classic fantasy game; heritages that give you starting abilities, traits that are reminiscent of character classes, and a turn economy that structures combat to make sure everyone gets the same amount of time to do things. You use d6’s to roll, with 1d6 being the worst pool (rolling with a disadvantage) and 3d6 being the best (rolling with an ability or advantage). The game is meant to be mod-able, with optional rules and various micro-settings meant to get your inspiration flowing. The best part about so many different micro-settings that all use the same rules is that you can absolutely jump from one setting to another!

Fantasy Recommendations from The Past

Fantasy, With Tools

Echoes of D&D

Non-Western Fantasy

Non-Gritty Low Fantasy

Fuck Wizards of the Coast

I’d also ask myself if Slugblaster could be hacked to be about fantasy adventurers jumping into various dimensions, rather than teenagers hoverboarding across space and time. It certainly has plenty of pieces that allow your characters to dig into personal issues - the Trouble mechanic really lets you digest the kinds of things your character might have to neglect in order to go adventuring! You can read more about it in my Dimensional Travel recommendation post.

[sparkling-pink-lemonade]

The question is: Does Uzi or Nori flirt back with Cyn? Even to just test if that'll make her be quiet?

Between the two, Uzi for sure. Poor girl has to live with her tail hitting on her at any given moment. It's easier for Nori to ignore or deflect the comments since she isn't with Cyn 24/7. Uzi would be desperate enough to try it, but only when alone.

However, first one to ever flirt back with Cyn is N. Uzi and N would be on a date, and he'd be having fun flustering Uzi with cute flirtatious comments. Cyn is still in love with her big brother, so she often tries to hit on him too. She makes a flirty comment to him, and before Uzi can even shush her tail, N flirts back unthinking.

Silence for a second.

N looking proud of himself for the flirty comeback. Cyn blushing and speechless. Uzi staring at N with the most "What the actual fuck" look ever. Uzi finally breaking the silence to flip out on N for flirting with the demon tail that nearly destroyed the entire universe. N is panicking because he just flirted with the demon tail that nearly destroyed the entire universe, unable to help himself cause tail cyn just looks so cute and harmless like that and it felt natural to forget all the war crimes in the moment and be sweet back. And Cyn had retreated, still too flustered to butt in.

Eventually Uzi gives it a try to flirt back when she's alone with Cyn. And N was right, it felt easy to complement and fluster the demon tail. So she does it more often, until Cyn is less flustered and more emboldened by it, and only amps up the flirting, cause "her gf is finally loving her back". And Uzi is learning to love it.

Uzi is too embarrassed to flirt with Cyn in front of others, but when she hiding in her room with Nori for a bit of intimacy, Cyn pops up and is extra incessant about the flirting. Uzi tries to ignore and dismiss Cyn, but she calls her out lovingly in front of Nori for some of the flirty comments she's made as of recent. Uzi's flustered reaction is damning. And then Nori is flipping out on Uzi for flirting with the demon tail that nearly destroyed the entire universe.

Eventually, after a few more dates with Uzi, Nori relents and also starts flirting back with Cyn, finding herself enjoying it too.

Probably the only one of Uzi's partners that Cyn doesn't flirt with is V. If only because Cyn was never all that into her.

[good-beanswrites]

BEANS HEAR ME ON THIS ROYALTY AU OF MILGRAM MIXED WITH MODERN TIMES AND MAGIC

I AM HEARING YOU OUT OOOHHH! Thank you, this is so interesting 👀 My brain kept getting tripped up with the worldbuilding, so I stuck with individual character headcanons -- I bet they'd have some really interesting dynamics with one another though... I wasn’t sure if this was based off a specific/preestablished au, so I kept the powers vague, but still had some pretty clear thoughts on how they’d use them! (I also added brief comments on the murders if those were included >:3)

Haruka: Sheltered most of his life. Maybe he wasn’t originally in line for the throne, so even his own family didn’t pay the proper attention to him. Then family situations changed, forcing him into the spotlight. He’s more scared of the damage his powers could do, so he doesn’t use them. This results in a Frozen-style bottling up and refusal to actually learn about them out of fear, and they come out in dangerous, emotional outbursts instead. (Under so much social pressure, those emotions often come out at people close to him.)

Yuno: Inherited power at a young age but is continuously treated like a child. At first she leans into her bubbly, girlish act, getting a lot of popularity with people and other politicians. Unfortunately, the reputation sticks too much and she’s rarely taken seriously when needed. Though she’s pressured to make tough calls, she’s simultaneously babied by her advisors/counsel. (And, her getting pregnant with anyone’s child outside of marriage would cause a massive scandal.) She handles her powers confidently – mostly for silly shows of magic, only rarely using it as a threat or show of force. 

Fuuta: With an older sister, he’s not heir to any real power, nor can he stand the feeling of the public’s eye looking to him, but he’s still involved with politics and official events. It’s interesting for him and Kotoko to have characters so centered on the corruption of higher-ups, now the higher-ups themselves… His brash attitude has forced a PR team to manage all his social media, so he keeps secret accounts/aliases where he posts what he wants without it coming back to bite his public image. (His murder would be from one of these accounts, since they’re a true reflection of him hiding behind anonymity). He’s all bark and no bite when it comes to his powers, always showing off and making threats, but never actually doing much damage with them. 

Muu: Well, I guess we already know she’s suited to being queen. As the only child to two well-loved rulers, she’s automatically adored by the public. This causes tension between her and any other politician children, resulting in cycles of bullying undetected by the public so no party’s reputation is affected. (Eventually, though, Rei threatens to go public with something, or maybe already has, and plunges Muu into worse social backlash than usual.) She’s the type to be extra careful about her powers – learning and practicing and testing nonstop, but hesitant to use them for real-world applications for fear of not being perfect.

Shidou: A confident and well-liked ruler. He's known for his calm presence at speeches, negotiations, and events. Unfortunately, he’s very dedicated to his mindset of the means justifying the ends, and has a few shady methods of keeping his people happy and his enemies out of the way. (His murder could range from very similar to the accident in canon, to amping up the drama with royal assassinations by someone who uncovered some of his lies…) He’s very skilled with his powers, using them for politics and entertaining his kids alike. He’s excited to teach them how to use their own, as they get older. 

Mahiru: A bit sheltered by the time she inherits power, but ready to take on her responsibilities with open arms. She’s well liked, if not always taken seriously because of her cheery attitude. She falls in love with an ordinary man, dragging him into her overwhelming world of royalty and politics. She’s just excited to have someone to share it with. (He knows he’d be harassed by the public for the rest of his life if he broke their ruler’s heart, so he seeks out another way to escape the crazy lifestyle.) She’s excited to use her powers, though she seems the type to be harmlessly clumsy with them sometimes. If powers are a common part of this world, she's studied up on all the helpful ways to use them.

Kazui: A quiet but successful ruler for many years. From the outside, his marriage wasn’t an arranged one, but internally he knew it was driven by politics and advantages. (He avoids telling Hinako until the truth comes out all at once.) He’s easygoing and prefers not to make too many public appearances, but is very good at it when he does – he comes off reassuring and powerful. Although everyone is very satisfied with his rule, he has a lot of insecurities that his age is making him out of touch with his people, and that they don’t have an heir to follow him. He rarely shows off his powers, choosing to use them expertly, only when necessary.

Amane: She feels the weight of responsibility as an only child to two very powerful rulers, trying to learn everything she can about keeping a nation in order. Her parents tell her how she is above everyone else and destined for perfection. Though Amane always retains a good heart towards others, this treatment does isolate her from her peers. She’s still getting a hang of her powers, sometimes overextending herself to make a good impression on her parents/the public. (No one would dare challenge the intimidating rulers about their strict treatment of their daughter, but that also means it’s possible for a fatal “accident” during training with her powers to be kept quiet by the public.) 

Mikoto: He takes his duties seriously, but to the point of overwork. Though he could pass some responsibilities on to his younger sister, he chooses to take on all lawmaking, meetings, correspondence, travel, negotiations, speeches, events, etc himself and let her live free from the royal pressures. Unfortunately, with modern standards, the discovery of his DID would probably be treated as a scandal and kept hidden from the public. Thinking Mikoto wouldn’t want to hide it, his advisors decide to keep the knowledge from him as well. (In his frustration with Mikoto’s overwork and everyone’s treatment of him, John needs to find an outlet for his anger.) Mikoto struggles a lot with his magic, but doesn’t find much need for them in his day-to-day affairs. The most telling sign that John is fronting is the shift in raw power that he displays, not having the training or desire to repress it.

Kotoko: Not originally an heir, but inherited power indirectly – there was no foul play, but she did play an active role in gaining her new title. The previous rulers were very corrupt, so she wastes no time taking over their policies and systems to improve things. For better and worse, she usually sticks with a hands-on approach to all of her nation’s problems. She’s very open about her powers, citing them as something stable and strong that her people can rely on for protection. (Despite her training, though, they can still get out of control when her emotions are running too high.)

Es: Takes their responsibilities extremely seriously. Despite their people's doubts about them due to their age, Es becomes well loved for their complete dedication to their duty and attention toward everyone under their care. They do worry sometimes that they've built up too big of a royal court, having too many voices/opinions in their ear all the time. They use their powers sparingly, though they aren't afraid to give a show of force when deemed necessary.

[lorifragolina]

The Devil Wears Metal

Finally my last entry for Metalsandwich Movie Mania! @now-showing-at-the-hawk-events!

It was originally thought for the Iconic Movie prompt out yesterday but I just missed the day, so, I post it today!

I really venerate The Devil wears Prada and it's so iconic to me that started thinking and preparing this entry the last year when I first knew about the event, and even so I was able to miss the date!! I couldn't stop me making our Metalsandwich version, although I cheated a little but a prequel and a sequel are possible!

Read it in AO3

Pairing: Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove/Eddie Munson Cast: Eddie Munson as Miranda Priestly Billy Hargrove as Emily Charlton Steve Harrington as Andrea Sachs With the special appearance of: Dustin Henderson as Nigel Kipling Robin Buckley as Lily Heather Holloway as Serena

Rating: Mature Word count:9390

One of my favourite dialogues above the line, I had really so much fun writing it!

“Come on, we have the cover briefing in 5 minutes, that means we are 10 minutes late” smiled Dustin, dusting the crumbs from Steve’s shirt.

Eddie was already there with Heather and another girl, and Gareth took inside two guitar amps almost identical.

“Stand here, watch and listen,” said Dustin, reaching Eddie’s side. Gareth plugs a guitar in one of the amps.

“Where’s my pick?” asking Eddie, and the girl runned searching in a box. “Why is no one ready?” Eddie grunted and raised a brow.

He wore the guitar’s strap and played a chord, then tested a string, adjusting the keys. Then they plugged the guitar in the other amp and played again.

“No,” he said, doing it another couple of times. “Listen? That little sting in the high”.

The sound seemed absolutely the same to Steve, and he was a little bored. 

Gareth nodded. “It seems completely different”.

Steve chuckled, snorting behind his notebook. “Something funny?” Eddie raised a brow. A stone cold silence fell on the room, and Billy came out from his desk and got close to listen. “No… no, no, I’m sorry, nothing” Eddie’s glance was so sharp that he just couldn’t stop himself. “This is… those sounded exactly the same to me… but, don’t mind me, I’m still learning about this stuff”. “This… Stuff?” Eddie growled slowly, in a low voice that was able to turn off all the sounds around him. “Oh, I see… You think this has nothing to do with you. You turn on your radio, your MTV, and think that you can listen to your easy pop just to fill the silence just while you do your laundry. You think that you should play a whatever instrument and mix it with a computer and dance it at a club when you’re drunk. But this is not just playing. This is not just pop music. This is technique. But you don’t bother to think that those tragic pop albums you listen to when cleaning are the job of a lot of musicians that spend a lot of their time searching for the right sound for you to bounce your little head. And it was in 1990 that U2 decided to explore new sounds and tried a lot of different equipment to release that album that you are wearing right now and probably you found at a tragic gas station, in the casual corner. You think this all is not about you, but in fact you’re listening to something that had been selected and produced in this very room, by those very people, playing with this stuff ”.

[ecargmura]

Pokemon Horizons Episode 61 Review - Flow And Ryme

We’re finally at Montenevera Town so Roy can do his Implementation Test, but doesn’t this episode feel a little clunky? I feel like they were trying to squeeze in so many things before Roy did his battle but the battle went by super fast, like a snowstorm, and it just ends. Please tell me I’m not the only one who had this feeling?

The kids have some free time before battling Ryme as she’s not in her Gym, so they meet a bunch of Greavard. I like that creepy Pokedex entries continue to make their appearance in the anime as the kids learn that Greavards suck life essence from those around them. Speaking of creepy Pokemon, Terapagos gets itself into danger again when two Drifloon kidnap it by carrying its bag straps. I could only sigh at this scene because Terapagos wandering off and getting into danger has become tiresome to watch. Though, it was amusing how the Drifloon were carrying it because it is known for taking children or Pokemon to the afterlife. Does this hint that Terapagos is going to die?

Nemona makes a reappearance when she shows up to rescue Terapagos from falling. She’s here to hope to get a battle at Ryme’s concert. Like how Terapagos gets into danger as a recurring thing, Nemona getting denied a battle seems to be a recurring thing as well. I wonder if Nemona is being set up to be Roy’s rival or to battle Roy in the future.

Then we get to the battles. Roy battles MC Sledge before battling Ryme. While Roy does get a win from MC Sledge, he loses to Ryme rather harshly. He loses his momentum when things get too desperate, he terastalizes but doesn’t even get to use it as Fuecoco gets knocked out. I have a lot to say about the battle against Ryme. It’s way too fast-paced. The moment it starts, Kilowattrel gets knocked out and then Fuecoco knocks out Houndstone and then Fuecoco struggles with Toxitricity before getting knocked out. Though, there were some interesting aspects about the battle. Roy’s loss was because of predictability. He used the same strategy as he did in the battle with MC Sledge, which Ryme saw. This is why she was able to wipe the floor with him. He needs to amp up his strategy if he wants to improve and not rely on the same song over and over again. What Ryme said to Roy about being a failure of a partner to Fuecoco was harsh, but it was needed because Roy wasn’t in sync with him.

I guess my only solid gripe is that the battle wasn’t a Double Battle. Ryme was the hardest Gym Leader for me when I was playing Pokemon Violet because I didn’t expect a Double battle, hence why I struggled so hard due to going in blind completely lacking a strategy.

Complaints aside, I really liked Ryme’s rap. People usually find anime characters’ rapping cringe, but not me. I seriously enjoyed the tempo and presentation of Ryme’s rap. I think it flowed well. Maybe she can be a contestant on Paradox Live (which I am a fan of)? Roy’s rapping was handled well too! He can participate in Paradox Live as well! 

My predictions for Roy’s rematch is that he’s going to find ways to battle using different songs for different moves. Maybe that way, Fuecoco can finally evolve, which I am expecting next episode because it does feel like it’d be the perfect time for him to evolve. If anything, I sort of want Roy to focus on training Kilowattrel because Electric moves can be very useful when facing Houndstone. What are your predictions for next week’s episode?

[manwrre]

head canon is neurodivergent steve kinda being a jack of all trades when it comes to anything remotely physical or like hands on (cmon, we’ve seen him twirl the bat). like, he’s got a lot of little niche interests and hobbies or skills because he gets bored a lot and goes through these little phases of hyperfixation when it comes to this stuff.

like, he’s got a green thumb??? his nonna (because head canon steve is a sweet little italian boy, sue me) always told him that fresher herbs were better for cooking and obviously, he cooks his own meals. so he makes the decision to start a kitchen garden and bro is a NATURAL. i’m talking rosemary, oregano, parsley, thyme, basil and freaking tomatoes for the heck of it.

or like, he once watched a segment on ‘the perfect conditions for growing strawberries’ and he couldn’t get it out of his head. he was up for the challenge?? visited the library and got a million books, bought the soil and equipment and kept them warm in the winter like they were his BABIES. and they were freaking delicious so obviously, he learnt how to make jam outta them.

he’s also crazy good at shit like draughts?? so he’s got a massive board and he plays against himself routinely. he plans on moving unto chess eventually but he hasn’t beat himself yet! all of his games keep coming to a draw.

he definitely knits and freaking crochets. he found a box of needles in the attic one time and some material and tried his hand at it. it took him a week or two but he knows about three different types of stitches at least!! and knitted himself some fingerless gloves last winter.

above all else though, he’s learnt how to play like two instruments—“and the triangle! she matters, she has feelings.” his parents had bought him a bunch of instruments as a kid, hoping that he’d have some inclination towards the arts so they could boast about it but he wasn’t really interested. he realized he hated the acoustic guitar so he got an electric one, which suits him sm better AND he can play the drums. but he likes to learn the hardest solos or nothing fr because he’s competitive

bonus points if steve underplays his interests when he’s dating billy because his parents can’t get him to shut up fast enough about ‘em. but the more billy comes over, the more he notices all of the little knickknacks just laying around ie. steve’s collection of mini whittled animals or his draught board laid out because he got stumped mid-game or the amps beneath his bed. and he’ll ask about them!! he’ll think it’s so freaking cool and let steve rant and babble about them for hours.

he’ll taste test all of his new recipes and learn draughts so he can kick steve’s ass and listen to new songs or instrumentals that he learns. like, there’s no way he won’t get wrapped up into his new interests with him and make it their thing.