#but so silly of them to wear a similar shade of color

[deliciousnecks]

wwdits II 6.01

[azaharinflames]

a silly remark for a stupid ‘theory’

if the color of the party hats were really some secret code of compatibility… it’s not as positive as buddies claim it is for them. why?

let me quickly compare it to the bachelor party. because what happened then? buck and eddie dressed up, but they did as the same person. rather than seeing it as a sign of fate that they are soulmates, i actually see it as a sign of how little compatible they are long term. even, that they are similar enough it wouldn’t work with them.

so. the party hats. i do think buck and eddie’s are the same color, perhaps perceived different because of the lighting, but even if it weren’t the same color, they are of very similar shades. and that to me is a mirror of the 706 costumes - to me, if anything, it establishes that buck and eddie are way too similar, and are not compatible. they wouldn’t challenge each other.

tommy? yeah he’s wearing a different color. and what is important here is that his and buck’s hat color are of complementary colors*. together they create a balance.

so. the same color? not that good of a sign. two different, complimentary colors? something actually good.

(*a complementary pair are two colors that are direct opposites on a color wheel. making a balanced mixture)

[chipadequeso]

hi so i posted a drawing just now and heres a long post under the cut on my design choices If you were curious . or you can just look at this image for the basic color motifs

Ok. hi. waves

overall its 100% obc + motf oobc based etcetera If you know me you know this is Always basis for everything marvin trilogy i draw

detailed descriptions + other things linking characters together that arent covered by the Image:

marvin dresses like shit but there's Some cohesion there keeping it together. his family shares his warm colors; mendel uses his browns a little differently, and whizzer doesn't share his pallete at all

trina's favorite color is pink :) there are literal articles of clothing that are tied on her, one is red for marvin and the other is green for mendel. as the story goes on she would probably swap this and have a green tichel instead

trinamarvin have similar shades of pants/skirt, and jason has the mix of their yellow and red as an orange on his arms. travel travel travel from side to side!!!

^ on this note jason has things from his 4 parents and theyre all strangely layered all together

ie both him and whizzer have white over the rest of their clothes

whizdel and whizzvin are the only combinations which don't share at least one color, but:

whizdel have light/dark blue contrast and complementing red-green

whizzvin blue yellow contrast babyyyyyyy yeaaaahh boyyyyy!!!!!!!!! they wont agree

whizzer's got the most unique color palette also the least direct connections to everyone else: only trina, who wears a tichel paralleling his ascot and ties them back to marvin, and jason

trinamarvin's shoes are the same, each their corresponding hair color; mendel wears something most similar to marvin's shoes but he gets silly with it; whizzer gets to have shoes that stand more. he's cool; jason's got sneakers! and theyre whizzer colored because whizzer has his own whole deal with running

^ jason trina and whizzer all have red around their necks; mendel also very specifically doesnt have it

mendel and jason Dont have belts or anything resembling ones. this was deliberate but honestly theres not meaning to it

so yes. marvins setting the base the others generally interact with; trina tries to be plain; mendel is goofiest; jason is still figuring things out; and whizzer outsider themes Save me. whizzer outsider themes. save me whizzer outsider themes

ok That is all thank you. small bow

[bowtiepastabitch]

Let's Talk Costuming: Come on, Hamlet! Buck up!

Welcome, my friends, to the Renaissance, or to be more specific in geography and time, the Elizabethan period! Shakespeare! Protestantism! Great fun! For context, this scene likely takes place sometime around 1599-1601, towards the end of Queen Elizabeth's reign.

What I find most interesting about clothing of this period (aside from how silly looking some of it is) is that this is the era of ~*sumptuary laws*~ so every piece of clothing you see tells you a story about the person wearing it! Of course, I can't imagine Crowley or Aziraphale are all that concerned with being mistaken for a duke or somesuch, but it's fun to image what an onlooker may have thought of them.

Note: The focus of this analysis will be on Aziraphale's costume and on Elizabethan sumptuary laws. Crowley is up next, and his costume analysis will focus more on composition.

[text of a Royal Proclamation dated 15 June 1574, British Library]

Sumptuary laws have been around for a while, and they served a dual purpose during the Elizabethan period. First and foremost, they set to reinforce class boundaries by forbidding one to dress above ones station, but they also sought to reduce foreign imports of excess frippery that drained English pocketbooks. The proclamation even warns that young men of the realm, having spent their fortunes on fine clothing, will turn to lives of crime to satisfy their appetites.

These laws regulated all kinds of things: the textiles one could wear, in what colors, how much a guy could pad his calves out for ultimate sex appeal, really anything you can think of. That's not a joke, in fact a man in 1565 was detained for wearing "a very monsterous and outraygous greate payre of hose," which likely refers to a 1562 regulation on hose, ruffs, and swords. Hose could not be "containing in the netherstocks and upperstocks more than one yard and a half, or above one yard and three-quarters at the most, of the broadest kersey, or with any other stuff beyond that proportion," nor could they be lined excessively or constructed with too much fabric.

This same law regulated ruffs, like the ones we see at Aziraphale's neck and sleeve cuffs, to only a single width of ruffle, which dear Azi is following:

Where he might find himself in a spot of trouble, though, would be in the colors he's wearing. The color combination is rather divine on him, but the use of gold embroidery on clothing is forbidden unless one ranks as a Viscount or above. Now, could it be argued that Aziraphale, as an angel and a principality, has a privileged rank of his own? Yes, it could, but that takes some of the fun out of this.

His doublet (cute little jacket) appears to be a silk damask dyed in a lighter shade of blue, so likely woad. He would be safe in all these regards. Were the blue indigo, he could get in trouble for that, however, as that rich shade of blue was reserved for the upper echelons of the gentry as well.

Swords notwithstanding, the cut of Aziraphale's garments is reminiscent of several of the gentlemen in the foreground here:

[Royal procession of Queen Elizabeth. Printed by and for J. Nichols and Son, London, 1823. Folger Shakespeare Library]

As usual, we see Aziraphale in a tasteful iteration of the era's clothing that incorporates his character's color scheme. The incredibly dramatic silhouettes of the era definitely leave their mark, but he ends up looking rather refined rather than ridiculous.

[The Tailor, Giovanni Battista Moroni, 1565-1570]

This portrait gives a great view of these outrageous pants up close, as well as a jacket very similar in design to the one Aziraphale wears in this scene. The primary difference between the two is that the tailor is dressed appropriately for a craftsman, plain colors and not much extraneous ornamentation. Against this, Aziraphale certainly stands out, with his fancy trims and such, and would thus necessarily be identified as a member of the gentry by anyone in his vicinity.

This is important, because his positionality in this world is very clear. As in many of our historical moments, Aziraphale's wish to blend in only extends to a certain degree. He complies with the style of the era, and I suspect even enjoys his little games of dress-up, but as time goes on he creates more distance between himself and the garb of the peasantry. In some of the biblical era flashbacks, he's dressed rather plainly, but in later periods we seem him as a knight, a rather foppish Victorian gentleman, and finally in his well loved 20th century gentleman outfit that he keeps well past the point of anachronism.

He leans into these little luxurious identities in part because he is an angel, yes, but he is also slowly falling in love with all the beautiful little things that humanity has to offer. And what does the renaissance give him? Great works of theatre, luxurious gold embroidered silk jackets, and slutty little pumpkin shorts.

He's adorable, you have to admit. My sources, for your further reading pleasure or to prove I did my research:

-https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2014/02/sumptuary-laws/

-https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/proclamation-against-excess-of-apparel-by-queen-elizabeth-i#:~:text=During%20the%20reign%20of%20Queen,on%20luxuries%20such%20as%20clothing.

-https://www.folger.edu/blogs/shakespeare-and-beyond/sumptuary-laws-rules-dressing-shakespeare-england/

Ta ta, have a wonderful day, and I hope you enjoyed our little history lesson.

[teabeexo]

Heyyy tea ･:*+.\(( °ω° ))/.:+

what do the wardrobes of your MCs look like? (Their styles, favorite clothing piece or outfit, that type of stuff!)

Hello Ice!!!!!! <3333

I’m SOOO glad you asked! Ive given quite a bit of thought to this topic for each of my sillies..

WINONA

Winona’s style is what I would describe as casual alternative and mostly grunge. She likes monotone colors, especially black or grey. That, paired with dark splashes of color. Her big thing is band shirts — big, oversized shirts that display her musical interests loud and clear. She wears that with baggy jeans that typically sit lower on her hips. She’s much taller than average, so most pairs of pants seem to do that regardless. Despite the heat of Sunset Bird, she very rarely wears shorts. If she does wear shorts, they’re usually uniquely patterned or especially comfortable. Her shoes are thick-soled and comfortable, her makeup usually consisting of sharp eyeliner, various sultry eyeshadows, a desaturated lip, and whatever else enforces her style.

INSPO PICTURES BELOW!

LUELLA

Luella’s style is a bit harder to fully label, even though I have a pretty good understanding of it. It’s a bit of a mix between alternative and boho, with select aspects of each. Her main thing is patterns. She really likes patterns and abstract designs. They don’t necessarily have to be vibrant, but she just enjoys lots of color for her to play around with and stylize. She wears both jeans and shorts, but usually goes for jeans. Tank tops (including cropped ones) and tees are most common for her. She likes sweaters too, but doesn’t typically wear them because of the climate. Usually, she’ll wear a distinctly-pattern article of clothing with black or brown, and wear her leather lace up boots with it. Her makeup might include some short eyeliner wings, colorful eyeshadow, and a lip shade depending on the mood she’s in. INSPO PICTURES BELOW

Vérène

Vérène’s style definitely underwent the most extensive changes, but ultimately her style isn’t that complex. Typically, she can be found wearing loose leggings (yoga pants?? I don’t know) and a pullover. As you might guess, that gets kind of toasty pretty quickly. Yet she seems to have a strange resistance to the heat! In rare occasions, she’ll wear baby doll tees instead. Most days though, she sticks to her comfort attire. If she wears skirts or shorts, she always wears tights with it. Her clothes are typically more muted in color, but it depends. When she wears cropped shirts, she likes to put on waist chains. Her makeup is usually more discreet, with typically more earthy and softer colors. Nice lashes are a must, though.

INSPO PICTURES BELOW

Mina

Her look is probably the most solidified by this point. She goes for the dark academia theme, wearing mostly large grandpa sweaters and cardigans with baggy cargo pants or scrappy jeans. Finding her in anything other than that is pretty rare. She chooses preppy Mary Janes or simple worn converse. She ALWAYS has her favorite crossbody bag with her, which she plans to keep around until it literally falls apart at the seams. She wears a lot of hair accessories, such as hair clips and barrettes. Her makeup looks vary. Sometimes she falls on the colorful side, other times she wants something more subtle. It just depends on the day. Sometimes she puts those little chains of beads on her glasses for some more accessorizing.

INSPO PICTURES BELOW

Maël

Last but not least, Maël! The boy! His style is more preppy in comparison to Mina’s, but still somewhat similar. He goes for a more put-together look. Nice turtlenecks with sleek necklaces, fleece pullovers, stiff-legged pants, and the like. Scarves aren’t unusual, though he typically goes without them. He doesn’t like feel weighed down by his fashion or clothes. His shoes are also a bit more classy. The best way I can describe them is loafers, haha.

INSPO PICTURES BELOW

Thank you for the ask!!! As always, feel free to send in more 💋💋

[immaterial-pearl]

Hi!!! What are your thoughts about new PJS clothes designs? I'm curious (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

Oh I love them!!!!!!! I'll go through every group design bc I have a lot 2 say.

In general I also wanted to note down that the 3dmv models are much better post brand new world rebrand. A lot of the original costumes looked clunky in mvs, and even if I dislike some changes made, I do tend to use new costumes much more than the old ones.

Leo/need.

They're the closest to the original costume designs, but I just love this change. Their uniforms on 3dmv models don't look so blank, and they highlight the characters' personalities way better! I love Shiho's new fit the most, she looks so confident in it!!!

More more jump!

Okay, so I absolutely LOVE the original mmj dresses. The piano ruffles looked great and I miss them:(. A lot of ppl dislike how similar mmj's dresses are to each other but... they're an idol group. That's kind of the point. I think the shade of blue is lovely, and even if the personal color touches are barerly visible they enhance their designs. Overall, I think they're cute, even if they feel less interesting than the piano ruffle costumes.

Vivid Bad Squad.

I'm divided on this one. I fucking HATE Toya's and Akito's fuckass og designs. These just look better, both in 2d and 3d. An looks rly cool and I LOVE her new design, she looks stunning and out dos the entire group. But Kohane (my favourite vbs member btw) just looks... boring. I loved her silly pink jacket:(. I like that they still kept her design being more cutesy than the rest, but for some reason, she just looks akward in my opinion.

Wonderlands x Showtime!

NOW THIS IS A DESIGN CHANGE THAT REALLY MANAGED TO BE AN UPGRADE. While the designs hit the same basic beats as the ogs, these look more detailed and much much better put together. It may be personal bias due to Tsukasa being my favourite from this group, but he got the biggest glow up. I love his vest and that they kept the galaxy half cape.

AND FINALLY TIME FOR MY FAVOURITES.

Nightcord at 25:00.

It's just perfect. Not only are their costumes coherent, yet distinct, they are also all muddied, which is a reference to the og n25 voca designs (where all vocaloids are wearing muddied and torn white and grey clothes). Kande's dress is still a hoodie-dress, every member has floral motifs, there's a slight tint on each of the dresses corresponding to their character colors, the shoes are matchy but not too matchy matchy, everyone has a bow tied in a different way which gives them more personality- just amazinggggg. To be fair I loved the og designs too.

QUICK VOCALOID DESIGN ROUND UP.

L/n Miku and Luka.

I dont like them, the cardigans look weird, but they're alright.

Mmj Miku and Rin.

Cute, I'm not sure about the grey elements.

Vbs Miku, Len and Meiko.

SHOWSTOPPERS LOVE THOSE.

Wxs Miku and Kaito.

I preferred the og designs, but I still like the new ones, there's too much white for my taste on their fits.

N25 Miku.

Amazing, second best after vbs voca.

[the-artist-of-chaos]

So! I got a little bored. And made a little month prompt thing I’d like to call…

BUGSNAX OC DECEMBER!

That’s right! This December, I have 31 prompts for any bugsnak ocs you wanna bring to spotlight! Multiple of your bugsnax ocs can participate!

More info under the line (contains spoilers for bugsnax, please play/complete the game!)

Day 1-10: get to know your oc! Let’s learn about your bugsnax oc!

Day 11-20: life on snaktooth. They’re on snaktooth island! Let’s see how they are!

Day 21-31: Scenarios! Cute random scenarios to draw your oc in!

—————-

1. Draw your oc! Draw us your bugsnax oc(s)! Whats their name? What do they look like? Show us!

2. Favorite bugsnak(s). So, what’s your OC’s favorite bugsnax? They can have multiple!

3. Least favorite bugsnak(s). Similar to Day 2, but it’s the bugsnax that they aren’t so happy with.

4. Hobbies. What hobby/hobbies does your bugsnax oc like to do?

5. Favorite color(s). What’s their favorite color(s)? Draw your oc with that color/colors! If they have only 1 favorite color, use different shades of that color!

6. Favorite holiday. What’s their fav holiday? Christmas? Halloween? Easter? Let’s see!

7. Family? Do they have any family members? If so, draw them interacting!

8. Sexuality + Gender. Show us your OC’s sexuality and gender!

9. Biggest goal. They set foot on snaktooth for a reason, what’s the goal that they need help achieving?

10. Backstory. What was their life before they ended up on the silly island? Every story is different!

11. Favorite grump. Show your oc interacting with their favorite grumpus(es)!

12. Least favorite grump. Everyone has a least favorite grump. Show your oc interacting with them!

13. Simmering springs. Beach time! Let’s see what your Oc’s doing!

14. Frosted peak. From sand, to snow! What’s your oc doing here on that mountain?

15. Bosssnak. Show an interaction between your oc and one of the 5 boss-snaks of the island!

16. “Queen” of bugsnax. Imagine that instead of Lizbert, it’s your oc being turned into the main leader of this secretive island. What would they look like after this transformation?

17. Brokentooth. Your OC’s now on the isle of brokentooth! How are they doing there?

18. Combo meal. Draw your Oc hanging out with any variant of the bunger, fryder, and sodie!

19. Pet snak. So, your oc has a pet! An odd one for sure. Which lucky bugsnak has a new owner? What’s that pet’s name?

20. Sundae best. Draw your oc hanging out with a scoopy, banopper, and cheery!

21. Hot cocoa. The best drink to have during the winter is sweet hot cocoa! Draw your OC enjoying some!

22. Snowball fight. Snowball time! Draw a snowball fight between your oc and some other grumpuses! Who wins? Any teams?

23. Gift box. Your OC’s inside a gift box! What does the box look like? How does your OC feel about being a special gift for someone?

24. Stargazing. Doodle your OC and their love interest(s) (if they have one) stargazing in the night! If they don’t have a love interest, draw them with a friend or 2 instead!

25. Christmas. It’s Christmas baby! What’s your OC doing for the holidays? If they don’t celebrate Christmas, what are they celebrating instead?

26. Campfire. Nothings better than a warm fire during a cold time. Draw your oc at the campfire with the campfire gang! (Campfire gang = Filbo, wambus, Chandlo and shelda)

27. Cookies. Fresh cookies are perfect for a month like this! What kind of cookies is your OC making? Are they making them with anyone? Do the cookies come out well?

28. Cuddle. It’s definitely chilly during December, so a cuddle is nice! Draw your OC cuddling with their love interest(s)! If they don’t have a love interest, draw them cuddling with a plush!

29. Comfy clothes. Your oc is now wearing a set of nice, comfy clothes! What are they wearing?

30. Free day! Draw your Oc doing whatever!

31. NEW YEARS! Time for a new year baby! Draw your OC celebrating with their friends/family/loved ones!

If you’re participating, please use the tag I made! ( #Bugsnax Oc December ) I wanna see your wonderful art!

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Does That Make Her Human

Summary: "Where do I come from, where will I go when I die?" Lust thought that she was ready to have the answers. Right up until they are given to her.

AN: So I haven't made an FMA fic since like 2014? And that one was a silly, poorly written, not serious thing so I thought that I'd write for Lust again. FMA is still cool right? We still love FMA in this house.

She doesn’t have to wonder anymore. 

Her curiosity has been satiated. 

And how sublime it is.

It hurts. Yes it definitely hurts. But she is glad for it. She has been waiting for this. Is she afraid? Yes, she realizes. She is very much afraid. At first she can’t place it, doesn’t even recognize it for what it is. She can’t remember the last time she has felt this thing…this fear. She imagines that it had probably in the time before; in that other life that she remembers in only snippets and fleeting flashes. 

She knows the woman’s face. 

It is not unlike her own. 

But yet it is so different.

It is similar enough for her to know with a fierce certainty that it had once been her face. Her skin had, had some color then and her hair had, had a warmer tone–a deep, burnt wood brown. Her eyes a soft cinnabar shade. She wears her hair the same way and they have the same face shape, the same facial features; the delicate outline of her lips, the length of her nose…

And maybe that’s what will happen when she dies. 

She might return to the woman that she once was, whoever she is. 

That woman had loved a man who she cannot remember; maybe Lust will get to meet him. 

That doesn’t sound so awful. She thinks that she can be satisfied with that. Perhaps she can even welcome it. Not that she has a choice. 

She hears the sound of transmutation, of flesh shaping into metal. A blade that extends with a metallic swish. She closes her eyes. He hasn’t brought it down upon her yet, but she imagines that it won’t be much longer now. She can feel a chill, the cool of steel before it even meets her skin. Lust exhales. It very well could be the last exhale that she gets. 

It is most certainly her last exhale. 

Her chest tickles, her stomach flutters. She has never felt so human. For a moment, her very last moment, she can pretend. Pretend that she is not what she is, but what she desires to be. A human.

A human whose lifespan is so short that she can’t possibly underestimate and forsake its value. A human who knows just how precious life is. 

A human who can feel to the fullest and know exactly what those feelings mean. Someone who can truly live rather than exist, because existence is simply too short to spend it just doing that and that alone. A human who has desires and troubling thoughts that persist…

She thinks that she has always had the last of those things. 

Existential dread. 

She has witnessed many humans struggle with it. 

Lust’s lips part slightly. She can’t say exactly when it had begun, but such matters had been troubling her too. The nature of her dread isn’t exactly like the dread that the humans have. They grapple with what their purpose is and how to fulfill it given the fleeting time that they have. She has to reckon with how to spend a life unending. 

A life that is now ending. 

Did she have any goals? Real goals. 

Had she completed them?

No. No, she doesn’t think that she had any goals. None aside from achieving humanity in genuine.

And so in her final moments she does. She does wish that she could have traveled more and seen more. Because, for all of the time she has been some perverted state of alive, she has not done much living. 

In her final moments she makes a list. A short list of things that she would love to do and achieve. They are typical things, mundane things, vague things that she often hears humans craving; she wants to see more parts of the world, she wants a gorgeous house of her own, she wants the finances to keep it, she wants find a lover–someone to hold her the way that the man in her other life had. She wants to have that man’s children. To have a family. 

Suddenly some 250 years seems like a very short time. Long compared to humans but terribly short compared to someone like Pride. She hasn’t really done much with her existence has she? She has spent much of it wishing to be human so that she could learn what it is to die. Too late she yearns to be human so that she can learn what it is to live. 

Lust is scared. 

Lust is mournful. 

Lust no longer wants to die because there is still so much that she has to do.

Lust understands now.

She wonders if she has achieved her goal after all. 

She doesn’t want to die.

She is suddenly afraid of death.

But she is dead. 

Does that make her human?

[canon-fcdder]

"I noticed you and your dad have a similar sense of style," Hazel blurts, unable to keep it to herself any longer. She's tried giving Dev space, but it's hard. He's her friend (she hopes) and she misses him. "It's funny 'cause guess what?! My sweater is actually my brother's sweater! We both have hand-me-downs! Or matchies, or whatever. And, well, I know your birthday didn't go how you wanted, so I thought I would get you one last thing. I know it's not a lot, but... matchies, right?" And she pulls out a friendship bracelet, carefully handmade in white and gold. "The colors match your dad and your outfit. But the pattern matches the one on my wrist! Happy birthday, Dev." (From Calvin) - ✧ ˖ ˙ 「 @honeydewmuses 」 ˙ ˖ ✧

「 ☆ 」 Go figure Hazel hasn't talked to him since the birthday fiasco. Not that he WANTS her to. Ever since he was dumb enough to let her work her way into his head— like a precocious worm in an apple —it's been nothing but trouble... Okay, not NOTHING but trouble. There's been some fun too. Some feeling like a person genuinely enjoyed being around him. Maybe even liked him rather than what he could provide, either through his father's money or influence. But all the nice COMBINED can't compared to the crushing weight of the bad.

Of the uncertainty and unfairness and utter betrayal of STEALING his dad's attention— every shred of extra energy the man had ( and there's not much of it to begin with ) , aimed at the other kid instead of... And she didn't even have the decency to admit it! Caught red-handed, having used magic to get close to him just so... so she could play him for a fool, probably. Laugh at him with her two fairies. Ones she apparently deserved before HE did. As if she didn't have enough people who cared about her. Dev didn't even have ONE... So why did it take so long? Why did he have to hurt so much before someone decided to do anything about it?

... Why is he still miserable? FEELS like he has nothing, when he's supposed to have everything? If one were to look at his life on paper, they'd see no reason to complain. But it seems like- that's all he does. No wonder his dad hates him. Maybe not even that. Maybe he doesn't think about him at all. No wonder Hazel left him. ( true, he had told her to leave. but the last time they had an argument, she hadn't sought him out either. SHE had been the one mad at the time, so maybe it was his job to do so? if that's the case... then in THIS instance, she's supposed to come to HIM... right? ) No wonder Peri probably wishes he was assigned to ANY other kid in the world.

Fine. Who needs them?

Startling when Hazel's voice suddenly invades his brooding, Dev scrambles to keep his glasses from falling off from the jostle. Cheeks heating up from the comical gesture, he turns to fully face Hazel with a huff. Glaring from behind his shades, he hopes the furrow of his brow and crossed arms gets the message across, since his eyes are obscured. They HAVE to be, unless he wants Hazel to notice the tears beading at the edges. Frown tightens as he fights the quiver of a bottom lip, fervently reminding himself that big kids DON'T cry. Especially not because of something as silly as being reminded about how little their dads care about them.

❝ Dimmadomes don't wear ❛ hand-me-downs ❜ — ❞ He sharply retorts once Hazel has finished her spiel, unceremoniously snatching the ❛ friendship ❜ bracelet from her. They just wear the clothes assigned to them. From the style to the color scheme, Dev can't recall choosing his own. Honestly, he doesn't know how much he actually LIKES what he wears. Never considered it. White and gold were colors always associated with the Dimmadome name. They look pleasant together. Look right... Whether that's because of familiarity or personal taste, Dev doubts he'll ever know. He doesn't want nor does he need to.

Things like favorite colors are little kid stuff, anyway.

❝ —and they don't wear garbage on their wrists either. ❞ Arm raises as if to throw the gift back at Hazel, but his clenched fist refuses to let go. No matter how much he silently insists he WANTS to. Shaking with frustration, he hastily shoves the bracelet into his jacket pocket instead in the hope his inability will go unnoticed. Or at least ignored. ❝ Why are you even doing this? What- you feel sorry for me or something? Ooh, ❛ poor pathetic Dev had the worst birthday ever so now I'm gonna make him feel even WORSE by treating him like some kicked puppy I found on the street ❜ . Well newsflash, Hooplah— ❞

He spats out the name with venom, taking a step forward and pointing an accusatory finger in the hope it'll make her back away, ❝ I don't NEED you to try and make me feel better! I don't need anyone to! Because I don't feel bad! Not even a little bit! I'm FINE and I know I'm yelling but that's just because I know you won't believe me unless I say it really loudly! ❞ Don't mind the voice crack. Don't mind the quickening of his breath. Don't mind the tears now fogging his gaze, Dev grateful for his glasses but terrified of them slipping free and down his face.

He's fine... and even if he wasn't, he can't admit it to anyone.

Certainly not to someone who could leave him at ANY moment, should she decide to... Best to make the decision for her. 「 ☆ 」

[littleladymab]

👕 11 📦 11 🍽️ 1, 2, 12 🌤️ 2, 3, 8, 9, 18 🤝 3, 11, 18, 19 💓 8, 11, 22 🎲 8, 15, 18 for Galahad!!!! ⚔️

HI ABBEY THANK YOU FOR THESE!!!

Answering these for Galahad aka Liam 🤗

((ask me questions about my OCs!)) (bonus points for my knights)

👕 11 - Is your character’s favorite color a color they wear often?

Not really, actually! He really likes green, but he tends towards a lot more neutral colors -- grays, browns/tans, etc. He'll use green as a pop of color on an outfit, but doesn't tend to wear many clothes that are green.

📦 11 - What might an acquaintance think is a good gift for your character?

He's a wine boy first and a scotch enjoyer second, so anything that's like a bottle of wine or some fun silly wine or scotch glasses would be good!

🍽️ 1 - What flavor would your character say their personality is?

A like, coffee with a robust, slightly nutty roast and a soft caramel aftertaste

2 - Would your character prefer baking, cooking or mixing drinks?

He's never had a cocktail so don't trust him to mix drinks. I think cooking is good, because as much as he's an "exact by the book" recipe maker and baking is a Science, I think personally think baking still requires a flair for the dramatic that he doesn't have.

12 - Which mealtime is your character’s favorite?

He likes a supper, which by strict definition is a casual, late in the day meal that's usually lighter than dinner. He says this, it is because when he gets into his study binges, he will not remember to eat and then call some cheese and crackers and acceptable supper.

🌤️ 2 - Has your character had a meaningful encounter with an animal?

'meaningful' is such a funny word, no he has not had an encounter with an animal that has changed him in some fundamental way

3 - What season would your character say they’re most similar to?

Oooh I think he would say spring! New and refreshing!

8 - What type of environment does your character like best?

After spending a summer in SoCal he's ready to go back to his home in Scotland thanks. As a general sort of environment, he likes it chilly with the hint of rain.

9 - Is your character good with animals?

He's not like, animal whisperer good with them, but he gets along well enough with them! He is a person that a cat will approach, which i guess is pretty high up on the "good with animals" rankings.

18 - How willing would your character be to nap outside?

Get him on some grass with some shade or a hat to cover his face and he'll gladly take a nap.

🤝 3 - How comfortable would your character be singing and dancing in front of others?

Not if he has to do it solo, but he'll gladly do it if there were other people with him. If he's in a crowd, even better. Do NOT perceive him trying to be artistic he will get embarrassed and stop. (If you catch him singing in his kitchen NO YOU DON'T)

11 - Does your character have people they think would worry about them if they got injured?

OH ABSOLUTELY !!! gestures to all of the other knights, and also his parents. His boss would probably also be worried because "liam what are you doing that you are getting injured, but also i have friends in accident and injury law just let me know and i'll give them a call"

18 - What is your character’s favorite form of affection?

He's not great with physical affection, but he will absolutely listen to you rant about something and make you tea (or get you a stiffer drink if required).

19 - Does your character enjoy celebrating holidays?

It's not really one way or the other for him. They were a church on the holidays kind of family when he was younger, but I think these days he just enjoys other people's enjoyment of it.

💓 8 - What scents does your character find comforting?

There's a roast of coffee his dad makes that he can't find in the states and it's too expensive to import from France, so he uses his stock of it sparingly. Also, sugar cookies and the smell of used bookstores.

11 - Does your character have strong willpower?

Oh yes, generally it serves him well but sometimes it's a very stern reminder that he takes his role as Galahad very seriously.

22 - Does your character have a high pain tolerance?

It's decent! He's never really had to put it to the test beyond strained muscles until he met Bridgette and she put him through the ringer for combat training, but he's been lucky enough so far that he hasn't actually had to test it.

🎲 8 - Is your character more outdoorsy or indoorsy?

He likes to go on long walks or the occasional (gentle) hike, but he is by and large an indoorsy person. (Which makes it funnier that he's got Muscle Definition from sword fighting and everyone is SHOOK because he is quiet and nerdy Liam, who is a desk jockey paralegal. why does he look fit???)

15 - How good is your character at following through on projects?

He's SO GOOD at it but this also goes hand in hand with his willpower and just, determined to be competent and reliable.

18 - What is a topic your character wouldn’t want to talk about?

I think it depends on who was asking! He generally tries to be open about anything asked of him, and doesn't like shit talking people (he will let you do the shit talking and do the sympathetic nod and 'mmhm', but won't talk bad about people if he can help it). He also prefers not to talk about his sex life (or lack thereof) because well, that's not a polite topic can you please not worry about it why do you need to know??

[faenemy]

Another Sillie had been added :D

process thoughts below cut- (WARNING- they long lol)

Has this barely changed from the wip I posted earlier????

not really but i need to talk about character design for I am FERAL so L moment i guess

SO my personal favorite brand of character design has been, for as long as i remember, drawing more complex designs from simplified mediums. Think Minecraft or roblox skins, and some chibi avatars. Hand me something that is blurry and up to interpretation and i will simply go buck-wild. Mark is of course the only character to truly appear on camera. We see both his drawing of himself and his [puppet?] form. Now you only ever see donovan and cupcake monster as drawings, which leaves their appearance more up to interpretation.

When i first translated Marks design, i tried to stay as accurate as possible. The second iteration is more of my own twist on it, elongating the body, trimming down the fluff for a clearer shape,and adjusting facial proportions slightly. Note: this isn't to throw shade at marks original design. He's a puppet irl and he looks like one, i just suck at making puppets look like they have any life behind their eyes, so design tweaks it is. Mark is adorable and its a me problem that i struggle to recreate that.

Now my Mark design is obviously based off of the puppet, (his actual self,) as opposed to the way Mark draws himself. In the drawing, there is a bit less fluff on his body, compared to the real thing. This is important as it affects some of the decisions I made for Donovan.

Donovan caused a few hurdles when i tried to work on a design for him. First, I'm working with very little information, so creative license time. Since I don't have much to go off of, I started with a real simple drawing, similar to the one from the drawing in the show, just to try and capture the vibe. The most notable things about Donovan from this first doodle, was that he had a slightly smaller nose than Mark and that it was triangular and that his eyes were slanted. This gives me two prominent facial features to work with.

Following this, i started on a more detailed design. I began by plotting his proportions out similar to marks. To make him more cat like, I tried to make him a little taller and thinner[better for slipping out of cages], so that he had an elongated appearance, and to capture that sly you-cant-contain-me- cat energy that meow meows have. I wasn't sure how cat i wanted to go originally, but then i gave him paws....

I went full anthro cat on Donovan, adding in whiskers and a tail [still questioning that decision] even though they weren't present in my reference. Now is a good time to note that all these designs are pre-Billy, so no scars or anything. I bring this up because I gave Donovan claws, and I image Billy would have at least tried to declaw Donovan.

The next problem came with Donovans eye. So Donovans eyes are two slanted lines, very simple. Since these are one of Donovans few unique canon features, I wanted to keep them. I wasn't sure how to keep them simple yet still allow emotion. Playing around with this idea, i felt i could effectively convey emotion just by changing the relative direction of the eyes. However, I changed the eyes to be more tear-drop shape as well, partially to add more interest to the face, but also so i could add more detail to the iris of the eye if desired.

Finally, all my Mark and Friends designs have the characters wearing clothes, because I work at a clothing store and see too many damn clothes every day. [everything i know about fashion is against my own will] So since this canonically takes place in 1997, my designs are based roughly off of children's clothes at the time. For the monsters clothes, I want them to all have a somewhat fun shape, flare outs, wrinkles, cuffed sleeves and pants etc.

This is where i really struggled. Not so much with the actual design of the clothes, but with colors. As you can probably tell my this illustration as compared to the reference image, I am allergic to bright colors [they hurt my eyes :,(] So i shifted most characters to a more muted/pastel pallette. Now i really wanted each of the three friends, Mark, Donovan, and Cupcake Monster, to have the others "colors" per see, present in their outfits. Mark is obviously Green coded (lol), Donovan is orang, but outlined in red, so my boy gets a red association cause primaries of light. This leaves Cupcake Monster with Blue, the color they are outlined in.

I really wanted three designs to flow together, and though i haven't finished Cupcake Monster yet, I think the first two go nicely together. By giving each character a main color, I let them stand out from each other, but by adding bits of those colors back into the others outfits, it lets them flow together better in group images and keeps anyone character's pallette from feeling out of place.

Marks outfit is mostly cream, but with accents of Blue, and Red. Donovan's is about 1/3 cream 1/3 blue and a 1/3 blue. I struggled with the color distribution on donovan, as the reddish orange and blueish green i had chosen contrasted a lot more than i wanted. The light blue and cream worked as a nice base though, and making only the stripes green [the shirt is specifically cream with green stripes] it lets the green not overpower Donovan, which was another problem I was facing.

But yeah, this are my current designs for the sillies, if you read all this thank you! have some pie :]

[victorluvsalice]

Sims 4 Valicer Outfit Fun

So, as I said at the end of last week’s “episode” of the Chill Valicer Save, the next scheduled update, of the gang celebrating SimCity Founding in San Sequoia, is actually better-suited to be posted NEXT week, as it would fall then between 4th of July (the holiday SimCity Founding is based on) and Victor and Alice’s wedding date (for reasons to be explained in the update ;) ). So this week, I’m doing a post showcasing some new Smiler looks I made recently while saving an all-human Valicer trio to my Gallery (with the Smiler I mentioned curing of vampirism with MC Command Center back in the “Happy Smiler Creation Day” post), along with a couple of Victor and Alice looks! :)

First up, we have another variant on the Valicer In The Dark AU Smiler look -- this time we have the black hat, the yellow vest, AND the yellow shoes! And also that one bracelet that seriously looks a bit like something they’d make as official Smiler merch. XD I think this is pretty much the “final” VITD look for Smiler, though don’t quote me on that. :p

Here’s another idea for a “formal” Smiler look I came up with while playing around with some of the new clothes from the recent packs -- I’m like 99% certain that ruffled yellow shirt is from High School Years. It’s got some good vibes, but I’m not sure about the pure black shoes paired with those pure black pants. It feels a little too samey. Plus I wish the top hat was in a swatch other than “brown.”

There’s a similar problem with this “fancy party” Smiler look -- I really like the fancy purple vest and yellow tie combo, but those black pants and shoes. . .little too plain for my liking! That being said, I like the eye makeup I gave Smiler in this outfit --

Something about that soft pinkish-purple “glow” really suits them, I think! Though maybe for this outfit it should be a tad darker. . .we’ll see what happens as I continue playing around with stuff!

An “athletic” Smiler, with a neon-yellow hoodie and bright yellow sneakers I knew I had to use for them. I’ve been trying to get them more “yellow and black” looks to go with The Smiler’s official color scheme -- a process hindered by the fact that The Sims 4 doesn’t have a lot of great yellow swatches. And sometimes a really good item in yellow is paired with another item in a not-so-good color. *sigh* I really wish layered items, like shirts and vests, had swatches you could customize separately! Meh.

On the other hand, the sweater in this winter look is totally them. XD Not totally sold on the pants, but the bright yellow boots are nice, and of course I like the hat, given I used it earlier in their VITD look. :p

And here’s a very casual Smiler more appropriate for the summer heat -- perhaps the shirt is a bit paler than I’d like, but it’s got a good “chill” vibe! And I like the black sneakers with the colorful shiny stripes on them. :)

Onto some Victor looks, with one that I was playing around with trying to find a VITD outfit for him. It’s a little monochrome (which, uh, I guess DOES suit his source material), but it’s got a good vibe of “was once more formal, is now a little more casual“ with the open collar and whatnot. I tend to lean toward vest-based outfits for Victor, given he’s originally from a Victorian-esque film and sometimes it can be hard for me to picture him in more casual wear.

Case in point, I’m not sold on the belted jeans here, but the blue vest with its little stripey tie works for me! I tend to default to putting Victor in blue if he’s not in black or grey -- he feels like a “blue” person to me.

Okay, I’m not sure this one is really Victor, but I honestly love how silly he looks, especially with the shades. XD It’s like, he’s trying just that little bit too hard to be cool. In all senses of the word. XD

And now onto Alice looks -- though this first one, as you can see, is less of a “look” and more be playing around with body details. Specifically, this is me slapping on one of the new birthmarks in “skin details” on her shoulder because I think, in that particular color variant, it might sub nicely for the burn scar I’ve always headcanoned her having there. The actual body scars from Werewolves never fit because those were explicitly claw and bite marks, but this. . .yeah, it at least has the right vibes! Though, of course, if anyone can point me to any actual scars that might look more like burn scars, I’m all ears.

This was a “party” look I played around with for her -- I’m not totally sold on it, but I do kind of like how this dress, at least on the top, has sort of the opposite vibes from her standard Wonderland outfit. And it’s a good color combo for her!

And here we have a summer look for a more modern Alice -- I think this is a dress she’d wear, and the white-framed sunglasses go well with it! Though I just realized, the color scheme actually roughly matches Victor’s summer outfit above. XD Well, they do say that couples do tend to start dressing alike. . .

And yeah, that is your lookbook for this week! Hope you enjoyed, and hopefully I shall see you next week for SimCity Founding shenanigans in the Chill Valicer Save! :)

[emphasis-on-the-oopsie]

Tell me about your sides!! Literally anything you want to talk about, what are their traits? How do they get along with each other? Etc.

This is going to get. Long

The five sides i currently have are: Anger, Braincell, Creativity, Desire, Emotions

A not so brief explanation of them below, their relationships with each other are probably gonna be in a different post cause this got so LONG

1. Anger

Represents anger (obviously), impulsiveness (+ violent tendencies), spite, hope, determination, optimism, and passion. Emotion's younger sibling.

Color palette is red, orange, yellow, and black. Wears clothes that would make my conservative family members explode and die on sight (punk). Has vulture wings. Permanent resting bitch face.

Prone to fits of violence and making me want to commit violence (braincell stops her though). Gets angry at everyone, but is also protective of them and me, and especially of Emotions. Secretly a sensitive guy

2. Reasoning/"Braincell"

Represents logic, morality, self-preservation, knowledge, control, rationality, analyzation, anything i associate with a 'logical' brain. Has the most functions of them all (which is why they go by "Braincell" instead).

Color palette is green with shades of grey. Looks the most like me and only wears clothes i have worn. Has multiple arms that aren't attached to their body. Permanently stressed.

Constantly stressed from keeping the other sides and the entire mindscape semi functional. Overthinker and a bit of a control freak. Tries their best and they never feel like it's enough

3. Creativity

Represents creativity, inspiration (when i have it lol), interests, curiosity, dreams, weirdness, whimsy, distraction, and wonder

Color palette is mostly shades of purple. Wears a skirt + pants combo with embroidered designs (mostly flowers). Has two forms: Active (when im actively creating) and Passive (when i'm simply getting ideas). Sea looks mostly human with a few inhuman traits when in passive form, with balls of glowing light meant to represent xir ideas floating around her. In active form, fae looks like a mix of different creatures in active form and glows (color depends on what im creating in that moment). All of los eyes (shi has more than 2) glow purple when distracted.

Responsible for those galaxy brained thoughts i get. Very prone to the affects of my (possible) ADHD and burnout. Is not very grounded (both physically cause hy floats, and also is the epitome of 'head in the clouds'). Cringe (affectionate). Acts very motherly towards vis creations. Never still, and never sleeps.

4. Desire

Represents wants, needs, likes, dislikes, gender euphoria and dysphoria, jealousy, loneliness, attraction (romantic, platonic, anything but sexual), selfishness, dreams, desperation, and insecurity.

Color palette is many different shades of blue (sometimes other colors). Looks and outfit change depending on what I want to look like at the moment. Has appendages that are similar to tentacles that come from his heart.

Acts very flirty, funny, and confident, partially to hide the 'uglier' parts of himself (namely loneliness and insecurity). Materialistic and and is an attention seeker. Very clingy. Wants me to finally be free to be myself. Also cringe (affectionate). Very silly and very bi

5. Emotions

Represents (most) of my emotions, sensory issues, pessimism, exhaustion, self-esteem, and irrationality. Anger's older sibling

Color palette is mostly white and a bunch of colors. Wears a tie-dye shirt and flowy skirts. Hair looks windswept and messy. Uses a slinky as a bracelet. Can become transparent and float like a ghost.

Mood changes constantly. Looks like the shyer sibling compared to Anger, but can be just as intense. Not so secretly a sensitive guy. Has a resting sad face. Colors get more saturated the stronger the emotion I'm feeling

[semimedieval]

i'm going to recap this but i'm not going to be happy about it

last time on ADVENTURES OF THE EXTRANEI: the gang brought tozi back from the dead, had a party, and time-skipped away from the journey to the beach. The first storyline post after this happens is from Moopy, who makes one good storytelling decision and one bad one.

Shadow watched them all silently. The happier people are, the more devastating things can be. He slipped into one of their minds… the Mask stood back as his small band of Interpol warriors prepared to knock down Monoceros gate.

Good: a new enemy, the beginning of a new conflict, yippee! Bad: you cannot try to arrest the villain of the roleplay without asking anyone first, it is anticlimactic and silly.

The gang gets home, and there is a bunch of boilerplate narration regarding people's Arrivals At Home. I myself seem suspiciously absent - do not remember what's up with that. Was I busy with school? Had I ditched the roleplay for Ildaan? I do remember around here is when I quit the dragon RP.

There's a stupid little mini scene where Lorcan looks through everyone's things for no reason and Rim is like "oh yeah I also looked through everyone's things." The anime creep doesn't stop from happening!! Chuji hits them with "don't even THINK about rummaging like a rat!" which is completely correct but the plot thread is still dumb as hell.

To make it even WORSE, Tozi comes in and goes "You need to know limits. I mean, you have a mind. Right? There could be stuff in there that can scar you" and Chuji is mad about THAT and then Ky's like "Lorcan did you read through my diary" and Obsidian, god bless him goes "Am I the only boy here who respects privacy?" which is THE QUESTION I AM ALSO ASKING ABOUT THESE DIPSHITS.

Tozi backed up next to obsidian "you know. Chuji can be really butal. I wish you luck sidian." "I'll keep it in mind," Obsidian said solemnly.

This is all just straight up misogyny, but FINE, i giggled about this. I'm just glad they're getting along, I think. Then there's a silly little tiff between Lupus and Ky that's about to get retconned, though I do think it's so stupid the way the text of the RP loves to Tell you that lupus and ky are the healthiest couple ever and then hits you with all of the evidence to the contrary.

Lupus walked over to her and took her hand. Ky slapped it away, running into her room. Lupus looked rather hurt. Then shrugging, he walked to his own room. Although the slap hadn't been that hard, his hand still stung.

We start to write them talking it out and then Jack's like "Man forget it can we not worry about it." Then Jack posts "Charlie fell out of the sky." Everyone is clearly a little bit short on meaningful story paths. BUT THEN! Sparktozi real?

Spark walked into the kitchen, finding a bouquet of flowers and all the items she needed for cooking. On a note fancy cursive letters read "To Spark, My Dearest." "CHARLIE!" Obsidian walked out of the kitchen, only to bump into Tozi. "Hi Obsidian!" He smiled. "Have you seen Spark?" He looked behind him. "Hi Spark!" He said jovially. Spark blushed a bit and motioned for him to come in. "Look at this!" She held up the note and pointed to the flowers and food supply. "He can't buy my heart. Stupid Charlie."

Rather than watching this flirting, Obsidian, Rim, and Chuji go into town. Wait oh my god I remember what happens next and it's fucking goofy ridiculous.

A group of people were at Monoceros gate. They were wearing grey-green camouflage clothing, and all wielded different weapons, which all had one similar feature. Glowing colored stones. One was a bluey whitey colour, another was a light purple-blue. There was a red one, an earthy coloured one, and a pale white bluey sort of shade, like air. And there was also another person, dressed in white, and true to his name, a white mask hid his features. Hi spear had a golden white stone set in it, and was all made up of metal. "Monoceros! You are under arrest! Come out quietly or we will take extreme measures!" Mask bellowed through a microphone, his voice scrambled.

God bless, everyone is being so fucking goofy. RP etiquette who?? Nobody has ever heard of it. Ever ever.I remember all of us being kind of weirded out by this, which is fair, though we were not swimming in RP etiquette ourselves. Monoceros gets beat up in public which is honestly just very funny. His Dr. Doofenshmirtz arc. Also, Monoceros never lived in Drellem, but whatever. Very justifiably, this was completely ignored.

This is the kind of situation where a roleplay lacking direction really desperately needs help with getting that direction, perhaps from THE PERSON LEADING IT, but.... to nobody's surprise, that's not happening and we're instead floating along on Moopy's vaguely conceived ideas and not asking them relevant information like "Where do you think this storyline should go?" SO many of this roleplay's problems involve the fact that, well, Monoceros is a shitty villain that the entire gang is barely even trying to understand. Anyway, the gang turns away from his arrest and Obsidian mutters "Why is it that we can never actually buy anything at the market?", which is admittedly pretty funny.

I do think that, while the "erm. um. what now." mealy-mouthedness of the protagonists in response to, well, the public arrest of their biggest enemy is a) pretty silly and b) obviously a response to this being a plotpoint that we had no hand in creating and took us completely by surprise, a key underlying reason for this discomfort is also the fact that, well. It's fucking sucks to witness CONTEMPORARY MILITARY OPERATIONS in your cutesy cartoon violence fantasy roleplay. It's an entry point of something too real and current into the story. In that way, I do understand it.

Anyway, the next post is the actual introduction of China, which means it's time to split up the posts.

[rmoonstoner]

So Strange

***

Warnings:

18+ for foul language and unintentional drug use with a made up magic fruit.

***

Summary:

Stephen goes for a stroll and finds a hidden passageway, and accidentally gets high and trips balls. He gets better and better at both magic and music.

***

It was the start of another week, and Stephen had been gifted an upgrade in his robes by Wong the previous night. His robes were now a deep maroon, and the style was more intricate. He had balanced his schedule perfectly, maintaining all of his studies, including music. Wong had decided he deserved the next level of robes, and now Stephen was gleefully doing up every button, rope, and clasp with a big grin on his face. He was very pleased, quite liking the deep shade of red, but he wanted to wear blue robes, because they were his favorite color.

Only masters could choose their colors, robes style, or if they even wanted to wear the traditional garb or not. Stephen almost considered going back to his expensive suits when he became a master, but it felt too corporate and less mystical to him, and more like those silly stage magcians that do slight of hand and misdirection in place of any real magic.

After he had passed the portal test, he gleefully read the books Yao had given him that night. One was about viewing orbs, another was a detailed description on how to access the Mirror Dimension. The viewing orbs intrigued him. They worked very similar to a portal in mechanics, but it was a one way thing. Using this technique would give him the ability to see places he wasn't physically there for, without being detected.

First things first, he had to master the ring. He needed to figure out how to use it without the guitar. Stephen took the books and decided to go back to the library and exchange them, hoping to find more useful knowledge that he could memorize and squirrel away for a rainy day, or a cataclysmic event. After he got to the library and put the books back where they belonged, he paced around the room while pondering ways to improve himself. He had some time, so he decided to go for a walk.

Stephen brought up his memories of the main map of the Kamar-Taj. Stephen recalled seeing a question mark half smudged by the base of where the cliffs were along the south. It looked like a hole or a door and he didn't remember seeing it on any of his walks around the temple grounds. Today would be the day that he was actively going to look for that weird little cave. Perhaps he could have a little fun and practice his portals.

***

Stephen had walked around for the better part of the morning with a book in hands that he had found in the library. This one had all sorts of maps inside, and it didn't take long for him to figure out it was an index of all the secret passageways and hidden hide-away holes.

He found a small secret spring that was guarded by two stone dragons. He found out very quickly they had some sort of lazer beams that shot out from their eyes. There was absolutely no way he could get inside without using a portal. He was lucky he remembered to bring his guitar, and with a quick thirty second song, one he remembered hearing from a video game in his youth, and he stepped into the middle of the spring where a small altar sat.

He couldn't see anything useful here, and he didn't know why it was guarded by magic stone golems of dragons, but once he peered into the spring water, he figured it out right quick. Enormous multi-colored crystals were growing under the water, appearing to glow and illuminate the room. He stayed for a while, taking in all the wonderful crystals in the water.

The next place he stumbled onto was a passageway that took him under the library and towards the area he wanted to eventually be in. It was fairly cold in here, but he didn't mind too much. His new robes were a lot warmer.

At one point, he came to a large gaping hole in the bricks. It led down to a dark passage with rocky walls and no modern looking building materials. It was as if a giant worm had come through and left peculiar marks along the walls as it went. The tunnel was going downward, and Stephen could feel fresh moving air rushing around him as he got deeper into the trail.  He was starting to get hungry, and he realized he had missed breakfast, and it was nearly lunchtime.

He chose to keep going, hoping to find the spot that he was looking for. Finally, he could see some light. It was sunlight, that much he could tell, and it felt slightly warmer the closer he got. At the next turn, he saw another huge hole, and when he went to look out of it, he could see the stairs that crept up the base of the mountain to the temple.

There was a small flat area about the size of his bedroom just outside the hole. It had bushes and trees along the edges, and a few fruit bearing plants. There were golden raspberries, red lychees, and something that looked a lot like a dragon fruit, but it was blue. Stephen checked the book again, turning a few pages to find this spot mentioned.

Whoever wrote about this spot, left clues here. There was a stone slab with an old worn straw mat. An old basket that was missing the bottom, and jars of old rotten fruit that had basically been petrified.

Stephen decided to check the trees and bushes and see if any of the fruits were ripe, and he was delighted to find the lychees and raspberries were. The dragon fruit was too small in his opinion, but the book mentioned they should be ripe at the same time as the other two fruits.

Timidly, he sat down on the straw mat and looked at the raspberries he had picked, then popped one into his mouth. He sighed and enjoyed how sweet and tart they were, then ate the other four he had picked.

Next he moved on to the lychees. He only picked three of them, and he had to work hard to peel the hard bark-like skin off without destroying the delicate gel-like meat inside. He tried these and decided he liked them very much, before finally going to snap off one of the blue dragon fruits that hung beside him. He ran his fingers over the outside, feeling the waxy and firm texture. He enjoyed the little green scales and flicked one idly as he dug into his pocket for his knife.

"I have never seen a blue dragon fruit before. I wonder if the inside is white, or perhaps red? Maybe purple…" As he mumbled about what color could be inside, his last thought was a bright emerald green. He sliced into the peel and through the entire fruit. He used a bit too much strength and ended up slicing into the palm of his hand with a hiss as he felt the juice seep into his cut. At least it wasn't too deep, so he wouldn't need to ask someone for assistance later, and it wasn't his dominant hand, so he was good.

The inside was a vibrant green, just like his last thought, but slightly lighter. Stephen sniffed the fruit, deciding it smelled the same as other dragon fruits he had ever tried, and he promptly scooped out a bit to try. He was floored at the flavor. It was like dragon fruit, but tangy and limey, almost like a key lime pie, with pop rocks inside. He took him a moment to process that the pop rocks, weren't actually little exploding candies, but little exploding seeds. The seeds tasted like hemp seeds to him and he tilted his head as he munched away on the rest of it. It had a slightly earthy aftertaste, one he couldn't quite place or ever remember trying before.

He sat there for a moment, looking at his sticky hands. He hadn't brought anything to wipe them, so he started to lick his fingers clean, when he noticed the sound of running water. Stephen turned around and moved a bush to find a small stream, about two feet wide with clear water. He dipped his hands in and smiled at how warm it felt as he rinsed his hands clean.

He turned back to look at the view, still smiling and looking at the snowy mountains and the forests that stretched for miles around. Stephen sat there for a while, and only when he decided to stand, did he find that he felt very funny. He stumbled a bit and leaned against a tree while trying to figure out why his arms and legs felt sluggish.

Had that been something poisonous?

The book!

Stephen turned, feeling dizzy as his vision blurred and he reached out to grab the book. He plopped down onto the ground, his long legs splayed out, book on the ground as he squinted at the words. They were blurry and wobbling and flopping about like the ink was alive. Colorful splotches bled into places where it shouldn't be, and the words held no meaning to them anymore.

Stephen felt his heart speed up and he began to panic.

"Shit. I've gotta get back… Back to… Tooo…" He trailed off as he blinked slowly. Everything in front of him was melting and peeling, when he knew that wasn't the case. He could feel himself drooling while the room span uncomfortably fast.

This was how he was gonna die. Eating some weird fruit because of a book he found, without reading the entire passage on it first.

He felt his heart suddenly slow right down, and the air had left his lungs as he pulled enough strength to roll over so felt his back hit the cool slab. His arms spread out as he stared at the vines that hung from the overhanging roof above him. They looked like wriggling worms and snakes, and he had to focus hard on breathing properly.

He was not fond of whatever was happening. It was stronger than any drug he had tried, either legal or not. His skin was buzzing and crawling, both in a pleasing and yet still a horrible way. He tried to speak, but he found all he could do was grunt or groan.

Then it happened.

Stephen lost consciousness.

Or at least he thought he had, yet he was somehow still aware of it happening. Everything was dark, but he could feel everything as if he were underwater. He wished he could see what he looked like, figuring he no doubt probably looked like he was dying or having a seizure of some sort.

Things started to clear up for him and he could see the area he was lying in from above, looking down at his own seemingly lifeless body. He shrieked and tried to back away, finding that he floated right into a bush, making the leaves rustle gently. He brought his hands up, one to his mouth, and one to his chest as he peered down, seeing two ghostly legs attached to an equally ghostly torso. He stared at his hands, seeing no trace of his scars, with not a single scratch on them.

And they didn't ache like they always did.

"What the…" He realized right then that he wasn't breathing normally. Well, not this peculiar form he was in anyways. 

Stephen finally was aware of his current predicament. The gears whirred into overdrive as he came to the conclusion that he was doing astral projection, albeit by accident and completely unintentional.

"Wait… Okay… I am okay… This is astral projection …" Stephen calmed himself and began to pace, well, glide around like a nervous ghost, but it was still pacing nonetheless.

"This is what Hamir did. It's okay that this is happening. You're not dying. You just unwittingly got cranked off of a magic fruit as if you ate a pan of pot brownies with acid, mushrooms, and peyote." He talked himself down, the anxiety slowly dispersing as he flexed his hands and looked at the concrete wall, before promptly poking it with his finger.

Of course his finger went right through the rock, and Stephen stared in wonder as he pulled his finger back, inspected it, then shoved his entire hand into the rock.

"Curious…" He was now intrigued that he was able to do that, but that led him to think about how he was moving around. Stephen looked down, noting he wasn't even touching the ground with his feet. He tested the waters and tried going up, but shot up too fast and ended up with his head and shoulders shoved into three feet of rock.

"Down, down, down!"

Stephen chanted in a panic as he went back down, but again at a terrifying velocity. Now he was stuck in the ground, on the stone slab, just a head poking up from the straw mat. He wriggled and flailed, watching as his arms and legs came popping from the ground when he waved them about.

"Fuck."

He muttered while going still and again calmed himself by counting to ten.

1…

2…

3…

This time he calmly thought about moving up just enough so his feet looked like they were on the ground. 

4…

5…

6…

He was successful, and decided that he didn't like the way his feet clipped into the ground like poor collation detection in video games.

7…

8…

9…

So, he raised himself up about a foot off of the floor, just so he didn't have to see his toes disappear into the ground with each movement.

10.

He felt calmer, moving about with purpose instead of floundering around like a dying fish. Next he went over to his body and crouched down, staring at himself. His body appeared to be sleeping soundly. His breathing was shallow, but stable, and Stephen reached out to test his pulse, momentarily forgetting he was some sort of apparition. He watched as his hand clasped around nothing, and all he felt was a sudden numbness in his hands after, one that forced him to retreat his hand. It felt almost as bad as the neuropathy he was constantly plagued with on a daily basis.

But he did see his body's hand twitch when he did it!

So, naturally, he tried again, this time powering through that horrible feeling. Stephen managed to grasp his hand and he hissed as it threatened to suck him back into his body. He fought the feeling and focused on finding his own pulse.

Luck was on his side, because now he was aware of every vein, artery, and capillary in his entire body. It was as if a complete map of his blood vessel system had popped into his mind's eye. It was like a perfect diagram he used to see and make at the hospital all the time, but specifically him in design. The only difference was, that when he opened his eyes, he could see it was perfectly overlayed on, or rather, within, his body, in that same astral white, tinged with red.

His eyes went to his heart, seeing it was pumping blood just fine, even if it was alarmingly slow. At any rate, it was enough to keep his oxygen levels up enough to function properly.

At the thought of oxygen levels, he noticed another layer to the astral projected diagram of his insides. Now he was looking at a deep blue mass of dots that entered from his nose and mouth, down through his throat to his trachea and into his lungs. Curious, he leaned in closer, trying to focus, willing himself to see better, closer…

And he did. It was like a microscopic scale model of how breathing air was turned into oxygen particles and started hoping rides through his blood system.

He wasn't sure if this was the fruit's doing, making him see wacky shit that wasn't really happening, or if it was his in this odd form of he was in. Either way, he suddenly wished to see how his stomach was doing, mostly because he heard his stomach rumble loud enough for him to hear it.

Again, another layer was seemingly added, his digestive system, and that one would have made him gag, had he been in his body. His entire stomach was showing bright green sludge patches with little seeds fizzling in them. Gas bubbles hissed and groaned as the fruit was being broken down to process into energy for his body, and subsequently drug him even more with whatever…

This was.

He sure fucking hoped it wouldn't last too long, but if it did, he was worried about how he'd look, going missing for days, then being found by someone after he'd soiled himself while tripping balls. If it did last long, he hoped he could at least get up and take care of himself to an extent. In any case, he didn't want to have to explain himself to anyone.

He wondered if he could concentrate on seeing anything else, like his bones or muscle structure, and again, he was gifted the sight of them in this weird vision setting that astral projection could provide. He immediately went to his hands and saw all the damage and frowned.

This was far more detailed than anything he'd ever seen on any machinery he used at the hospital. He saw exactly why his knuckles popped every hour, on the hour. The metal pins, the bone grafts, the healing new bone that was piling up bone matter in all the wrong spots. He saw so many more cracks and fissures than the x-rays or ultrasounds showed before. Even his muscles had scars all over them, with them twitching painfully even in his sleep.

But he was smart enough to recognize the age of those cracks and fissures. They appeared to be very recent, and it was most likely all the heavy labor, workouts, and training he had been doing since he left America. He hummed and sat back, crossed his legs, and rubbed his chin, which was all quite weird and confusing when you're basically a ghost that can touch yourself.

Stephen chuckled and thought about his nervous system, and that's when the overlay outright blinded him!

The vast network that was his nervous system was a firey orange white, just like the portals the others used, but it wasn't sparking or crackling…

Until he looked at his hands.

It looked like glitchy fireworks crackling all over his fingers, his knuckles, down to his wrist and even half way up his arms where it calmed down to just a dull neon orange with no sparks.

"Dear Lord… That's how bad they are?" He sounded suddenly so optimistic. According to the way he was seeing his hands, versus how he was using them, he theoretically shouldn't have had any use of his hands at all.

Yet he was playing guitar at a high school graduate level. Above even, according to Hamir. Fret work was hard, but it was nothing compared to actual brain surgery. He remembered a fellow surgeon that played guitar religiously, and he claimed that learning the guitar helped him with dexterity issues.

But Stephen knew it wasn't the exact movements required for poking around inside someone's head…

But what if he could use magic to do the same?

He milled around the matter for a while and then huffed.

No…

He had to stop thinking he could be what he used to be. This was magic! He could do so much more with these abilities, then he could with a pair of nitrile gloves and a scalpel. His eyes landed on the book that his hand was on and he slowly grinned. Perhaps he could try to interact with the book?

Stephen focused on moving his hand enough to get at the book. He was successful and then went to grab the book, but his fingers went right through it. He knew he had messed up, trying things, before doing any sort of real research. As he silently apologized to whoever or whatever deity that would listen.

Next, he tried again, and this time, the book reacted to him in the way his real hands would, and he picked it up. He was clumsy, almost dropping it a few times due to it slipping through his fingers. He had to actively concentrate on holding it to keep it in his hands. He read the entry on the blue dragon fruit in its entirety.

***

Sapphire Dragon Egg Fruit

Don't be fooled by its similar appearance to other dragon fruit varieties. This particular fruit only grows in close proximity to ancient or powerful Mystic energies. It tastes similar to the regular, non-magical versions, but more with a lime-like taste.

Eating these causes, magical visions, euphoria, relaxation, and temporary paralysis. The user, if not mystically inclined, will gain permanent magical awareness after consuming this fruit.

"Well, this would have been fucking helpful a few weeks ago." He grumbled as he turned the page and read the last part over again.

This is meant as a ritual component, or an ingredient for elixirs to achieve certain things, such as helpful prophetic visions, parallel universe connections, multiversal viewing, and any other generalized Mystic procedures. Be warned that the effects of this fruit can last up to thirty hours.

***

Who wrote this? A doctor high as a kite on dragon fruit edibles?

Stephen turned the pages and read everything at least three times. He then looked at his body and sighed.

And then the thought of exactly what this meant was quite exhilarating to Stephen. He remembered hearing about how Hamir would use this to read books while he slept, and that's exactly what he was going to do. It would maximize his capacity for learning, accelerate the process, and with his perfect memory, he could make leaps and bounds…

But there was just one problem. He was still treated like a newbie, still couldn't make a portal without his guitar, and he wasn't allowed to read the restricted section just yet.

He got an idea, and he grinned.

***

It took him about an hour to be able to get back into his body. In that time, he went on ahead through the passageways and explored, taking note of everything that could harm him or was just plain interesting to look at. When he got back into his body, he felt like he was stoned beyond reason and had a hard time walking. He stumbled like he was drunk off his ass, using the walls to help him as he made his way down the hallways.

"I think I'd rather be in my astral form… I feel like I am gonna pass the fuck out again…" He huffed as he stopped and rubbed his eyes. They were droopy and he noticed he had tracers in his vision. They looked like little dots with blurry auras that wriggled and pulsed in any sort of light.

He somehow managed to make it back up to the surface, and by then it was nightfall. He was still wacked out of his mind and feeling like he could just float if he wanted to. When he looked up at the sky, he stared, mouth open as he watched the way things were warping and breathing when they most certainly shouldn't be.

He made his way to his room, only making it halfway. That's when a wave of normalcy hit him. He felt much better, but his stomach growled angrily. He turned suddenly, deciding to go into the kitchens for something to eat. He wasn't really aware of the noise he was making as he started raiding the pantry of some bread to make a sandwich.

"Cheese… I want cheese… But I need mayo… Where's the fucking mayo?" He muttered to himself in an overly calm and sedated voice as he started grabbing things for his meal.

He put down his sourdough bread, then slathered it in mayo and seedy mustard. He spied some honey on a shelf, grabbed that, and then drizzled it all over the mustard. On the other piece of bread, he decided he had forgotten the butter, so he slopped on a bunch and then sprinkled pink salt and cracked black pepper. 

"Cheese… Yeah… This cheese…" He happily grabbed some garlic havarti and some pepper jack cheese, gleefully cutting up several slices to put on both sides of the bread. He didn't even notice his hands weren't shaking, or that he'd made perfectly thin and unformed slices. 

Next, he went for a jar of garlic pickles, slicing and putting a bunch onto the sandwich, and then some fresh yellow tomatoes. He hummed and looked at his hands, laughing at the mess and llicking his fingers clean. He looked again into the fridge and made an undignified low cackle as he spied some roasted chicken and left over gravy from the dinner he had missed.

"Hehehe.."

An odd little goblin laugh escaped him as he turned to the panini press that belonged to Wong, Stephen pulling it out and set it up.

Unbeknownst to him, three pairs of eyes were watching him from the darkened doorway as he turned the press on and slapped his sandwich in to cook with another snicker, like he was being clever.

While he was waiting, he turned to grab his guitar and started to play while watching the panini press sizzle and cook his delicious food. He started out with a gentle rhythm and slapped the side of the guitar gently, singing the words softly.

"I just wanna shine. Like the sun when it comes up. Run the city from the rooftops. 'Cause today's gonna be my day…"

He happily swayed as he strummed along and thought about the mess he had made, and how he should clean it up right after eating. The mess in question, happened to be all on the table behind him, and he didn't see the items slowly moving about.

The mustard and mayo containers floated on over to the fridge and went inside. The butter and bread went back to the pantry, while the leftover bits were either stored or tossed into the appropriate bins. The dirty knives, spoons, and cutting boards all moved into the sink without a sound. The final touches were the salt and pepper floating right past Stephen's closed eyes as his voice carried on the lyrics to the song.

When he opened his eyes, the little press dinged, signaling it was sufficiently cooked. Without even thinking, he flung the guitar to the side, with it gently placing itself onto the counter.

Stephen grabbed a plate and went to open the press, only to find the thing wasn't even plugged in, yet the sandwich was perfectly toasted with the cheese and the sauce oozing out.

"Huh..?" He stared for a long moment, then shrugged and grabbed his sandwich, flipping it into the plate and cutting it with a knife. He picked his plate up and turned around to look at the clean counter, not once considering it should be messy, and sat down on a bar stool to eat his prize.

"Wow. That sure looks good."

Stephen nearly choked as he looked up to see Master Yao, Master Hamir, and Master Wong standing on the other side of the island counter.

"Uh, um… I can explain…" Stephen stammered as a large glob of mustard and tomato seed stained mayo ran down the side of his goatee, then plopped onto his lap

"Looks like you're indulging in a nutrious meal after being gone all day and missing every single one of your classes."

Oh shit.

Wait, what day was it?

Stephen frowned as he remembered today was the day he was going to be helping teach a class with Hamir, and he had fucked up and passed out for far longer than he thought.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I-"

"No, no. It's fine. You've earned a personal day to rest. You clearly needed it." Hamir spoke up with a small grin.

"I didn't mean to miss my classes, I went for a walk, and I fell asleep in a beautiful little spot next to a stream halfway down the mountain." He left out the part about finding the weird fruit  and Yao smiled knowingly at him.

"See? You needed the rest. You look like you're exhausted from the walk. You should sleep quite well tonight." Yao chuckled and slipped a few books onto the table. She then turned to Hamir and Wong.

"Stephen shall have tomorrow off as well. He'll need it." She declared and then they left. 

Stephen sat there and finished his sandwich while thinking about what just happened. He looked down, seeing the huge spot of sauce on his lap and he huffed as he dabbed at it with his napkin. He made it worse and just ended up spreading it all over his uniform and he gave up and remembered he had more of a mess to clean up.

When he went to the sink, the dishes were gone, back to their original places and clean. He was confused and looked around, then it dawned on him that there should have been dishes, a huge mess, and his guitar should be on the floor somewhere with his carelessness.

When he looked down at the plate in his hands, it was now clean and being pulled by an unknown force up to the dish shelf. He let go and watched as it sat on top of the tower of plates and he turned around to look at the unplugged press again.

Without another word he grabbed a bottle of tea from the fridge and fled back to his room, the books that Yao had left him under his arm.

***

He spent the night practising the use of his astral form. So far it felt the same as before, which was a relief for Stephen that the drugs had no adverse reaction to his astral form. He cleaned his room with a broom in his hands, while his body slumbered peacefully. He rearranged the room, and even read two of the books he was given by the time the morning light hit. By then he found his body was well rested, and his mind was slightly calmer.

The next day he made up on missing his classes, by practicing his portals. He recalled each interesting spot on the trail he had visited and hopped through each one while playing bits of his favorite songs.

All day, well, when he had free time between his classes, he played and created full and lush looking portals. He got into the habit of getting into the song so deeply, he would sway and tap his feet. Since he was alone, with no one to see him, he danced like he used to, before the accident, dancing right into the portals smoothly.

He found all sorts of odd nooks and crannies, discovering hints and clues to who made these tunnels under the temple. Some spots had clear little maps painted or carved into the rocks, suggesting other places to find and discover.

Stephen found a hidden hot spring, and he couldn't resist taking advantage of it. He tested the water, smelled it, touched it, and waited. Then he boldly tasted some, and shrugged. It was salty, but otherwise okay. The temperature was perfect, and he decided to get in.

He quickly disrobed and kicked off his boots, going to get in the water. A low rumbling groan escaped his lips as he sank down slowly. When the water hit his shoulders, he took a deep breath, and dunked his head under the water. He sat, waiting for nearly three minutes, slowly letting out the air in his lungs, before his head breached the water and he took another deep inhale.

Stephen leaned against the edge on the pool, head tilted back as the warm water helped to soothe his entire body. He probably stayed there for the better part of an hour, before he decided that he should probably go and catch lunch. He gathered his things and got dry, then got dressed and off he went. He decided that continuing on foot while playing another song would be the best use of his time. He remembered hearing on the commercial that played on the radio the previous day while he was in the library with Wong.

The commercial was for another new instalment to a video game franchise he used to play a lot earlier in his life. One his sister used to enjoy playing with him. He smiled as he strummed the classic Overworld theme for the Legend of Zelda, then switching to other songs he remembered hearing from the older games.

The songs carried through the air, or sometimes through the old pipes in the temple. Some of the corridors would echo his music, carrying it quite far. Soon the other students were whispering about strange music being played all throughout the temple and the grounds. Stephen was improving over the next two weeks and had improved so vastly with his music, that he almost never missed a chord.

Stephen began using the knowledge from the books he was reading to alter the guitar's appearance. He made the entire style change to an electric bass guitar with a pearlescent glimmering emerald green, with ripples of metallic black undertones. The edges of the face darkened to black and bled into the green, like cloudy whisps in a night sky. The backside, neck, and inside were a light oak wood finish.

He took it a step farther, and began to etch in runes and magic symbols into the instrument, burning in the characters painstakingly slowly and by hand. He imbued it with all sorts of spells, like being able to resist physical damage, wear and tear, and being both water and fireproof. He made it able to withstand and absorb high concentrations of electricity, mostly in the hopes of using magic to achieve the same effect that having an amp would produce.

He ended up being quite successful with his enchanting spells, not realizing that what he was doing was very high level magic. Hamir had been the one to find him in the library, testing out the amp feature and adjusting the tuning with each attempt.

"What are you doing, my boy?" Hamir asked as he took a seat across from Stephen, his eyes trained on the greenish blue glow of the magic that was being used.

"I am trying to get the amplify spell to work properly. I've managed to get it to work, but it sounds awful and distorts the music in a way that I do not like. I want less screeching and more wailing."

"You don't have a whammy bar, and there's no pedal function."

"I didn't think I would need that, since I'm pushing magic into it for power."

"Then how are you regulating the amount of power you're putting through it?"

"Uh, manually, directly through my hands, I guess?"

"You're focusing on too many things at once. Integrate a whammy bar, then another switch or a dial for the pedal. Unless of course, you want a pedal?"

"But most bass guitars don't have whammy bars, and I really don't want to have to lug around an amp, a pedal, and all those wires."

"No, but many famous bassists have played guitars with whammy bars. They have more control over the sound. Like pitch and tone. Besides, you're using this guitar as both a bass, and lead. Bass guitars typically have four strings, and regular ones have six… Yet here you are, using a six string bass, with another layer of six strings for a regular guitar." Hamir pointed at the way Stephen had set the strings up and he plucked a few to hear each one.

"You could make a custom spell to activate an astral peddle, so when you tap your foot to the music, it sends a signal to the guitar, just the same way a real one with a wire and an amp would. Having a whammy bar can increase the range you have as well. Both of these will put less stress on you and your magic, and if done correctly, you can also use the extra magic you're saving to make it less cumbersome for your fingers. It gives your hand something else to do to make more interesting sounds." As Hamir explained, he demonstrated for Stephen on what he meant. He took the guitar and made astral energy appear to form the bar and the peddle, then played a little bit. 

Stephen nodded and made grabby hands for his guitar. Hamir handed it to him and Stephen conjured up the parts and added them with his magic.

"So you know how to build guitars now, too?"

"I was researching them on the internet. Diagrams and cross sections. You said I need these, then showed me why it sounds better. So it's just a matter of tinkering to put the parts in." Stephen added the parts he needed, then he set it to play. It sounded alright, but when he focused on calling forth a magical foot pedal, it sounded much better.

"You're right. This sounds much better. Thank you for the… Sound advice. Hehe." Stephen joked and Hamir chuckled. He stayed and helped Stephen design other aspects of the guitar. They replaced the strap with a gorgeous woven flat rope with tassels and bells at the ends that looked like the ones on his boots. He hand sewed a leather shoulder pad into it and then it was good to go.

Hamir summoned his own guitar, telling Stephen that he used a specific spell to call the guitar to him with just a thought and a bit of magic stored away inside of it. He could make it appear using normal summoning spells, or merely call it forth the way Thor would call his hammer. Stephen took note of that, and they played for a while, testing the sound out and tweaking it to sound its best.

Now, when he played one of his favorite songs, it actually sounded close to the original. Like right now, he was playing Polyphia's Reverie for Hamir, and the old man was very pleased with the results.

From then on, he was somehow playing all the parts of the song beautifully with the singular instrument, not a care in the world. He went like this, playing more and more.

***

On one of his trips down into the tunnels, he ended up in the center of the crystal pool that had the defence statues just outside. He was just abusing the hell out of the acoustics in the room, his ears enjoying the sounds. He was completely unaware that the shaft for the well water was right beside him, and carried the music all the way up to the surface.

Many people gathered around the well to listen, most gossiping on what was causing the music to play. Wong and Hamir stood idly by, smiling like pleased cats, knowing exactly who was responsible.

"I think you should tell him he's improved, father." Wong whispered to his father.

"You do it this time, son. He's your friend and it would mean the world to him if you said something nice about all of his improvements." Hamir chuckled and patted Wong's back.

***

Stephen had gotten so good at manipulating magic, that he was now able to open portals without the aid of his guitar. He still had the thing strapped to his back, but now it was encased in a hard shelled leather carrier. Stephen had even covered the case in thick straps of leather and cloth that were supposed to be his extra belts. It gave it a nice fantasy feel.

Now that he could open a portal without making much of a sound, he began using them to borrow higher level books from the library, right under Wong's nose. First he'd summon one or two of those viewing orbs and check the room from all angles. Then while he had those up, he would position himself in a dark spot in his room. He would call forth a portal, reach out and snatch a book, then shut the portal, all before anyone noticed.

The inventory in his mind's bookshelves got heavier and fuller. He was now a master of manipulation, transfiguration, transmutation, and any similar magics. He mastered summoning objects and beings, then moved on to sending those things to other places. He was able to do enchanting and imbuements, and even sending things far away.

He had gotten so good at it, that everyone at the Kamar-Taj had noticed. Mordo was one of those people, with him noticing that Stephen never went anywhere without his guitar, yet hadn't really seen him play. He definitely noticed when the old and worn looking acoustic guitar had changed into the custom built one that Stephen had.

He would see Stephen quietly slip away from the dining hall each morning, then he would follow the American, making sure he was a good distance away at all times. Mordo managed to catch Stephen in the gardens near the back, playing a variety of songs that he knew Hamir wouldn't be into. Most times, he would watch as Stephen pulled out his sad little bootleg iPhone he got from the market, plug in his shitty wired earbuds, and then played a song on the phone. Then Stephen would start strumming and singing.

Like this particular song that Stephen was preforming at this very minute. It was a song by the Kongos, 'Turn this 'Round'.

"Oh-oh… Oh-oh…

Oh-oh, we gon' turn this 'round!

I've been looking for a place to go… That'll let me in…

Now I'm feeling kinda low… Out of place in my own skin.

I've been looking for a place to go, that'll let me in!

But now I'm feeling kinda low, out of place in my own skin!

And I don't get it…

I don't get it.

No, I don't get it.

No, I don't get it.

We could be… Feeling…

We could be… Dreaming…

We should be… Feeling…

We should be… Dreaming!

Dreaming…

Oh-oh… Oh-oh…

Oh-oh, we gon' turn this 'round!

Oh-oh… Oh-oh…

Oh-oh… We gon' turn this 'round!"

The entire time Stephen played, Mordo watched the man do several things he shouldn't be able to do.

Obviously one was the fret work. Stephen was keeping up to the original song, his scarred fingers playing each note exactly the way it sounded in the original song.

Secondly, he was surprised to hear multiple tunes coming from the singular device. Bass, lead, and supporting guitars, and drums. Even the distortion that would only appear in an editing studio was there.

A third thing that he noticed, was the odd way Stephen was using his magic to alter the sounds in place of a foot pedal and a whammy bar. He didn't see any wires or the pedal, but he could plainly see the whammy bar being used as if there were.

He noticed the way Stephen doubled and tripled his voice, again using magic to distort the pitch and tone to make it sound like a ghostly echo, or more than one of him singing at once.

Mordo watched Stephen get right into it. He played just like greats, using large gestures to play, moving to the beat of the song. Stephen bobbed his head, bending and twisting his body with much vigor as he played on and finished the song.

And the very last thing he noticed about the American's playing, were all the butterflies that flocked around the area. They weren't real, but they fluttered about like butterflies do, only to the beat of the music. 

Right at the end of the song, Mordo witnessed the butterflies congregate in a circle behind the doctor. Stephen finally spotted him, his eyes locking with Mordo's, and he played a single note and smoothed his hands fluidly into the position required to call forth a portal. The butterflies behind him burst into a shower of amber sparks, and a perfectly round portal formed, showing a rock wall in the background.

Stephen smiled and flipped the guitar onto his back, gave a quick bow, and he took a step backwards, falling into the portal with a wave. Mordo blinked as the sparks dissipated, and he frowned when he realized he had no idea where Stephen had gone.

***

Yao and Wong had shown up just as Stephen landed on the floor of his bedroom with a soft thud. He had angled the portal to be only a foot above the stone floor, then moved the portal to make it appear as though he just dropped down several feet. He closed the portal up and huffed as the door flung itself open, his head whipping to the side took up at the two masters.

"Well, hello there. Why are you on the floor?" Yao asked with a grin. Wong just stared at him awkwardly.

"Uhhh… I was practicing my portals and fret work."

"That doesn't answer Master Yao's question." Wong remarked. Stephen huffed and rolled his eyes.

"But, it does." Stephen slowly got up and dusted himself off. He checked his guitar for damage, and smiled when there were only a few cracks and scratches. He fixed it up quickly with his magic as he spoke.

"I am working on moving and positioning portals while they are actively open. I was trying to get as close to the ground as I could, while still allowing myself enough room through to close the portal, without having it sever any of body."

"Portals can't do that-" Wong tried to say, but Yao held her hand up.

"They can do that. They leave a clean and perfectly cauterized cut." Yao informed him. She smiled and turned to look at Stephen.

"Now, Stephen… I have been watching you for the past several months. You have made leaps and bounds, and I think the time is right to honor you with the title of Master."

Stephen's face twisted into a look of confusion for a moment.

"Master? But I-"

"Nonsense. You've mastered quite a few things that even our most skilled masters haven't even tried yet. You've done what has taken Wong and his father decades of training combined, yet you've done it in a year. I see greatness in you Stephen. You will be one of the best Mystics this universe has ever seen."

Stephen was speechless. He stared for a little while, then moved on to look at the floor. He had heard that phrase many times before, but the word 'Mystics' had suddenly replaced 'Doctors' or 'Surgeons'. He didn't know what to say, except, thank you, so he did.

"Uh, thank you, kindly, Master Yao."

"Do not disappoint me, Doctor Strange. Use that big brain of yours, then ask your heart to make sure you succeed at whatever you chose to do with your life. I grant you the title of Master, though I suspect you're still going to go with 'Doctor', correct?"

"I will try my best, Master Yao. And uh, yeah… I hope it's alright that I go by Doctor Strange. Saying 'Master Doctor Strange' sounds a bit over the top, don't you think?"

"Hmm… Yes. It also sounds like a better stage name." Wong piped up with a grin.

"Oh, no… I don't plan on playing as a career." Stephen laughed nervously. 

"No, but even the greatest of bards should have an unforgettable name. You will be well known for the name that you choose for yourself." Yao said softly. The was a twinkle in her eye as she spoke.

"I know. I want my old colleagues to hear my name, and see that I've made something out of myself. Maybe not now, or any time soon, but some day. Some day, I want to be remembered as a man that pulled himself back together after being broken. One that kept going, instead of giving up." Stephen said with confidence twinkling in his eyes.

"And you will. I promise you, you will."

***

Since he became a master, he could choose his own robes, and he obviously went with them being a deep blue. He had hand made them himself, and they were made of the most expensive, yet durable fabrics that he could get his hands on in the market. He spent days sewing them together to make the finished set of robes, and when he was finished, he wore them proudly.

He earned it.

Since he mastered everything he got his hands on, soon the only thing that was left, was to revisit the books that were previously off limits to him in the library. Taking an apple with him, he headed down in the hopes that he'd finally be allowed to take a peek at the restricted section. The rack of chained books taunted him and he decided that no harm could come of borrowing one and staying in the library.

Stephen looked around, not seeing anyone, and he grinned to himself. He grabbed one, and sat down, reading the old metal bound book as he casually bit into his apple. He came across a passage he hadn't seen before and his interest was piqued. He hunkered down and read the words.

He read about something called the Eye of Agamotto. It was a wondrous artifact, and it belonged to the Kamar-Taj. He read that anyone could use it, if the eye trusted their intentions. Stephen even read the proceeding warnings, and still couldn't resist.

That sent him on a self guided tour to find it, which he didn't have to go far, as it was on display right in front of him. When he did, you bet your ass he spent hours, maybe days, just learning how to use time manipulation magic on the apple. In the real world, it had only been just seconds. Besides, it was just an apple.

What harm could it do?

He then noticed there were pages missing from the book, and he quickly recalled them to see what they said. Something about Dormammu, dark magic, the dark dimension, eternal life, and how to summon the evil being. When he was done reading the missing pages, Stephen frowned and immediately slammed the book shut.

And that was when Mordo and Wong showed up, looking curious as to what Stephen was doing wearing the Eye.

"That's a powerful artifact, my friend. Perhaps you should put it down." Mordo said carefully while Wong grunted in displeasure.

"You better not have used that to muck about with time."

"Uh, um… No… Just this apple-" He barely got the words out when Wong started to complain about how dangerous it was. Stephen couldn't stand to be talked to like a child anymore. 

"Look, I read the warnings. It said major things that affect others. It was an apple. No one else was around, and it was only me reversing the eaten parts. That's it. I didn't make any time loops, I didn't break or put holes in our universe. It's fine. See? If it's not allowed to be done, it shouldn't be available to anyone." He simply remarked as he shoved the metal book back onto the shelf, the chains clinging to it once more. Wong looked mighty pissed, like he wanted to yell at him some more, but he kept quiet as Mordo stepped forward.

"How did you even do that, by the way?" Mordo suddenly asked

"Wh-what? Excuse me?" Stephen was caught off guard. All he did was read every book and scroll they had that he could get his hands on.

"Where did you learn the litany of spells required to even understand it?"

"Uh, I… Um… I've got a photographic memory. That's how I got my M.D. and my Ph.D. at the same time."

"What you just did… Takes more than a good memory. You were born for the Mystic Arts." Mordo said confidently.

Stephen looked down at his hands and frowned. They still shook badly, and the only times they didn't, was when he played the guitar. They'd hurt terribly after, but in a good way. He wanted to complain about them, but he didn't dare. He felt that he'd been depressing enough about them, so he turned to look at Wong.

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to do any harm. I was just expanding my knowledge. I promise you that I didn't have any intentions of breaking things. I can give it back." Stephen stammered as he went to pull the necklace off.

"Stephen. I think it's time we tell you our real purpose here." Wong suddenly said as he held his hand up and waved Stephen off. Stephen blinked and let the necklace fall back to his chest.

"We are sorcerers. We have a duty to protect the world.  Those of us that wish to stay on as part of the Sorcerers guild, will help protect our world from interdimensional, mystical, or other worldly threats. These levels of threats far surpass the likes of the X-men, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers, or any of those super hero or military type of factions. We risk our lives to keep the earth safe from evil, corruption, or annihilation." Wong explained while bringing up a large golden orange display of the earth. Magical lines ran all over it, with a few of the symbols of Agamotto.

"These three locations. Hong Kong, London, and New York, each have a Sanctum Sanctorum. They power the shields we have in each of those cities, and in turn, they all power a large scale shield around the planet."

Stephen was speechless for a moment. He wanted to quit right then and there, because saving the world was so incredibly scary, it was nauseating.

"Well? What do you think?" Mordo asked.

But then Stephen remembered all the skills he had acquired, and how no one could take that away from him now. He clasped the Eye and looked up, giving them both a wide smile.

"I think I can do that. Yeah-"

And before anyone could rejoice, the warning alarms went off. Mordo and Stephen looked at Wong, and he huffed as he looked at the golden globe.

***

Note:

The bottom middle photo in the cover photo for this fic is actually Benedict Cumberbatch playing the exact guitar Stephen starts out with. The two green electric ones is what he turns it into.

[rrxnjun]

i just want to know why is it so rare tho?😭and so true every 03 liner i see has a special place in my heart!!! and yeah we are pretty similar in that🤭🤭

i just get angry when i do it but it also calms me in some way idk dude it's a whole mess lmao😔THATS MY PROBLEM AS WELL but i'm trying to learn whenever i get impatient to just leave it and continue when im in the mood again!!! ahh writing is hard tbh so u have all of my respect actually!!! like every time i have to write something i just rush it and never look back on it cuz i cringe so much🤣so genuinely hats off to u!! (and i also saw what u reblogged earlier so i just want to say that i love ur storylines and how u just write the emotions and the people in them!!!) more plants are always amazing🥳🥳 i'm glad free styling works for u!! tbh i never knew how to look up how to actually take care of what plant so i think free styling is the only option🤣 thank u for wishing luck!!💘 if u tell me ur fav colors i would actually make one and just send a pic to u of it once i get back to my hobbies sometime in may (and this is an ask for help cuz i never have ideas on what colors to use.-. and i will keep it in the name of u lmao😌)

WILL SEND U ALL OF THE PIXELS OF HIM!!!!

actually being a silly like that is so fun in a way ngl (i am in the biggest parasocial relationship known to mankind with sunwoo from theboyz and i would never change that fact lmao love being silly like that) yeahhh it's so great to just see how much growth they had since then!!!🥹🥹but i genuinely don't understand how they just get better and better each time they do a cb:o

GOOD LUCK WITH UR EXAMS!!!!!! they are more important than that drabble so I HOPE U WILL DO GREAT IN ALL OF THEM!!!

thank u🥹🥹🥹u are not pressuring me at all so thank u for that as well🥹💞and also thank u for welcoming me with open arms!!! i think i get closer to getting of anon every time i send an ask/reply🫡

no problem cuz i'm also very late with my reply so sorry😟 exams suck so much!! i hope u will only have better weeks than that then!!! i hope u are doing well as well and that u will ace all of ur exams!!😌💗💖💓 (liebestraum anon🥳💞💗)

bro thats me with art omg 😭😭😭 its like a weird mix of rage impatience but at the same time relaxation and creativity altho i havent drawn or done any art in ages 😔💔 SJSJS sometimes when i read back my work i cringe too,, esp my older fics but considering that i write the content i wanna see i read my own fics sometimes LMAO so theres that. thank u so much for complimenting my storylines and emotions i think those are the two main things i focus on in my writing 🥺💓 also my fav colors and combos are literally anything + white (esp black, red and blue) and also cream, sage green and shades of gray 😌😌 keep it and wear it like a declaration of love to me /j

now. to the topic that i already hinted at during our convo on my main- our similar taste because tell me why am i the biggest bitch for sunwoo i dont fucking stan the boyz??? LOOK AT THIS DJSJSJSK

i fully support your parasocial relationship with him i am actually your biggest fan 💓 BUT SUNWOO IS A DEVIL EVERY TIME I SEE HIM I HAVE TO TAKE A MOMENT BC OH LORD-

thank u!!! i have one final down (got an A from it ❤❤❤) but i have 5 more to go and it only gets more difficult LMAOO so ill be back to writing in june hopefully :')

DJSJS was actually so glad to see u on mosviqu too i am happy you are getting more comfortable 💓 hope youre doing well im cheering u on always!!