#nancy's d&d adventures

[aceofwonders]

the image of emyr dissociating with fire reflecting in his good eye....which turns into him hyper ventilating and sobbing "I'm sorry" over and over again upon three failed wisdom saves (the visions of anita getting worse and worse)

[darlingi-loveyou]

my theories:

- bianca, either in the form of a dream or whoever she was reincarnated as (estelle??)

- NOT luke, because he was already mentioned in the senior year adventures in a way that makes me think they’ve both healed and that we’re done with him

- nancy

- zöe, in the form of a dream

- ethan, in the form of a dream

- silena and/or charlie, in the form of a dream (or maybe they visit them in the underworld but that might be a stretch)

- the statue of gabe

- may castellan

- i want to say castor and/or pollux but honestly i don’t really think they’d be a “shake-up” for percy and

- hermes

things i WANT to see in the new book:

- either my bianca, gabe, or nancy theories to be true

- more zeus slander

- more ganymede

- camp

- mr. d

- more sally and paul (i know we will but i love them sm)

[detectivereads]

2025 Anticipated books

Hi everyone,

Happy New Year, I hope everyone is well. Ok I am super excited for this year. I have so many books to look forward to this year. I am hoping to read more books from the Twisted Tale series.

Fantasy

Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson- I love D&D, and this is a campaign that I really want to get play. One of my bookish goals is to get the book “I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire”. I find vampires fascinating. Now this book the description doesn’t give too much away. All we do know is that a group of adventurers are summoned by the dark lord of Barvoia.

Tusk Love by Thea Guanzon- I love to watch Critical Role campaigns! I came in at campaign two and I love all the characters (I do need to finish listening to it). But a well know romance book called “Tusk Love” is prominent in the campaign. I am interested in reading it, since this was such a vocal point for comedy in the campaign.

Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree- I jumped for joy when I saw that book three of my favorite fantasy series is get another book. I am a little disappointed that the main character is not Viv, but a character from Bookshops & Bonedust but I am still happy that we are getting a new book.

Heartbroken by Serna Valentino- this is a book in the Villains series by Disney. I haven’t read any books in this series, but this has one of my favorite Disney villains front and center her royal majesty the Queen of Hearts. So, I will have to wait and see if I like the series.

Roll for Danger: The Cursed Catacombs by Nick Eliopulos- this is a choose your own adventure like book and the author of the Deephaven books are illustrating the book. Looks like it’s the standard newbie adventure of a quest to find a special flower/treasure in some caves. I am looking forward to reading this.

Fool’s Gold: Death by Karaoke by Jenna Woldenga, Felix Irnich, Christopher Hastings, Avery Howett, Princess Abella- This, this book is the book that has made my MVB (Most Important Book) for this year. I love watching Dingo Doodles’ series, besides Critical Role, I think she is one of the D&D people that got me interested in playing. But the big question that I have for the series is are we going to get answers about the ship that was in the purple crystal.

Mystery

Strange Houses by Uketsu- I have been collecting the manga, and when I found out that the states is getting a translated version of the original novel I am totally stoke for it. This is one of my first Japanese mysteries and I am glad that I took the leap when the manga came out, I can’t wait for this one to come out.

Nancy Drew Diaries: Superstitions of “The Scottish Play” by Carolyn Keene- Nancy Drew still alive and well and I am very interested in this book. Now with a little knowledge about the Scottish play this mystery I have high hopes.

My Little Pony Maretime Mysteries by Stephanie Williams- I haven’t watched the new series with the new ponies, but this is a mystery so I am looking forward to reading it.

Cozy Mysteries:

Schooled in Murder by Victoria Gilbert- the title stuck out to me, I do get some dark academia vibes, but I’ll have to wait and see if I am right. So, the main character Jennifer Dalton, who is an author/teacher at the university. Her coworkers are a bit snooty, saying that she writes fiction. One of her students got into a fight with another teacher and the teacher turned up dead, with the student becoming suspect number 1.  So, Jennifier gets a team of amateur sleuths together to see what happens. It sounds interesting and I am always looking for a new cozy to read.

Killing Me Souffle by Ellie Alexander- the latest Bakeshop mystery book the cover art is always a treat (ha) to look at. I am still working my way through the whole series, but the Bakeshop series has always been a go too to de-stress from a chaotic day.

The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien- Yes, I love this series, I am an avid fan of the series, and I am always happy when I see a new book.

Murder By Cheesecake: a Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage- I am very curious about this book; I have watched that episode where the ladies took part in murder mystery weekend (and yes that is one of my favorite episodes). I am hoping that this will be a series, and I do hope there are plenty of clap backs that the girls are known for.

Bait and Swiss a Cheese Shop mystery by Korina Moss- I have been a fan of the series for a while now and I have been interested to know about Willa’s Ex best friend and fiancé since it was mentioned. I guess the title is very appropriate since it has got my attention.

Misc

Escape the Pizzaplex by Scott Cawthon, Lyndasy Ely- YES new year new Freddy’s book that is coming out. My opinion I love the original games very much, but I love the creativity of the Security Breach. From the looks of it we are playing the character Cassie.

Manga

Sherlock Holmes Vol 1 A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arhtur Conan Doyle- I was surprised that that they started making classic stories into manga. But when I saw that they were making Sherlock Holmes (I know they made a manga series for the BBC Sherlock) I am interested in collecting the series. I am hoping that they might make some Agatha Christie manga too.

Usotoki Rhetoric vol 10 by Ritsu Miyako- I discovered this manga last year and I have been hooked on it from the get-go. I am sad that this is the last volume in the series, but I can’t wait to read it.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Author Conan Doyle- Not much is said about this one, but I guess I’ll wait and see.

Detectives These Days are Crazy! Vol 1 by Masakuni Iharashi- I came across this series by accident but since Usotoki Rhetoric is ending I do need to find another series to fill the place for it.

I have many more books this year but these 19 books are the ones that I am most interested in and if write anymore books down, I think this would be a 4 page list but these are just the ones that are on my bookish radar for the moment that I have been looking forward too since 2024.

What are some of your anticipated books for the year?

[fandom]

Ships

Unexpected connections happen in two places: the Ships list and Feeld—a dating app for the curious. On Feeld, finding like-minded people is as fulfilling as finding yourself. In celebration of ships, here are this year’s iconic connections.

Ineffable Husbands +17 Aziraphale & Crowley, Good Omens

Steddie Steve Harrington & Eddie Munson, Stranger Things

Destiel Dean Winchester & Castiel, Supernatural

Byler -3 Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Stranger Things

Wenclair Wednesday Addams & Enid Sinclair, Wednesday

Bowuigi Bowser & Luigi, the Super Mario Bros. franchise

Huntlow +7 Hunter & Willow Park, The Owl House

Avatrice Ava Silva & Beatrice, Warrior Nun

Hannigram +2 Hannibal Lecter & Will Graham, Hannibal

Buddie -4 Evan Buckley & Edmundo Diaz, 9-1-1

Vashwood Vash the Stampede & Nicholas D. Wolfwood, Trigun Stampede

Zelink +80 Zelda & Link, The Legend of Zelda

Lumity -6 Luz Noceda & Amity Blight, The Owl House

Ghostsoap Simon “Ghost” Riley & John “Soap” MacTavish, the Call of Duty franchise

Blackbonnet -11 Edward Teach/Blackbeard & Stede Bonnet, Our Flag Means Death

Wolfstar +8 Remus Lupin & Sirius Black, the Harry Potter universe

Merthur +12 Merlin & Arthur Pendragon, Merlin

Jegulus +25 James Potter & Regulus Black, the Harry Potter universe

Bumbleby +48 Yang Xiao Long & Blake Belladonna, RWBY

Bakudeku -4 Bakugou Katsuki & Midoriya Izuku, Boku no Hero Academia

Dreamling -1 Dream of the Endless & Hob Gadling, The Sandman

Soukoku +60 Nakahara Chuuya & Dazai Osamu, Bungou Stray Dogs

Firstprince Alex Claremont-Diaz & Prince Henry of Wales, Red, White & Royal Blue

Wesper Wylan Van Eck & Jesper Fahey, the Grishaverse

Wangxian -8 Lan Wangji & Wei Wuxian, Mo Dao Zu Shi

Satosugu +23 Gojo Satoru & Geto Suguru, Jujutsu Kaisen

Imodna +8 Imogen Temult & Laudna, Critical Role

Kanej +44 Kaz Brekker & Inej Ghafa, the Grishaverse

Bubbline Princess Bubblegum & Marceline, Adventure Time

Ladynoir -17 Ladybug & Chat Noir, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Twiyor +6 Loid Forger & Yor Forger, SPY x FAMILY

Loustat +43 Louis de Pointe du Lac & Lestat de Lioncourt, Interview with the Vampire

Zosan Roronoa Zoro & Vinsmoke Sanji, One Piece

Marichat -12 Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Chat Noir, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Serirei +65 Serizawa Katsuya & Reigen Arataka, Mob Psycho 100

Adrienette -21 Adrien Agreste & Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Chenford +24 Lucy Chen & Tim Bradford, The Rookie

Petrigrof Simon Petrikov & Betty Grof, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake

Kavetham Kaveh & Alhaitham, Genshin Impact

Griddlehark +54 Gideon Nav & Harrowhark Nonagesimus, The Locked Tomb series

Raeda -13 Raine Whispers & Eda Clawthorne, The Owl House

Tomgreg -19 Tom Wambsgans & Greg Hirsch, Succession

Hanamusa Jessie & Delia Ketchum, the Pokémon franchise

Zolu Roronoa Zoro & Monkey D. Luffy, One Piece

Narumitsu -12 Phoenix Wright & Miles Edgeworth, Ace Attorney

Sonadow +23 Sonic & Shadow, Sonic the Hedgehog

Ineffable Bureaucracy Archangel Gabriel & Beelzebub, Good Omens

Spirk +9 Spock & James Kirk, Star Trek

Ballister x Ambrosius Ballister Boldheart & Ambrosius Goldenloin, Nimona

Nandermo -42 Nandor the Relentless & Guillermo de la Cruz, What We Do in the Shadows

Jonmartin -15 Jonathan Sims & Martin Blackwood, The Magnus Archives

Punkflower Hobie Brown & Miles Morales, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

AkiAngel Aki Hayakawa & the Angel Devil, Chainsaw Man

Ronance -49 Robin Buckley & Nancy Wheeler, Stranger Things

Superbat -11 Superman & Batman, the DC universe

Shuake Ren Amamiya/Joker & Goro Akechi, Persona 5

Geraskier -48 Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier, The Witcher

Hualian -18 Hua Cheng & Xie Lian, Tian Guan Ci Fu

Sulemio Suletta Mercury & Miorine Rembran, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

Sterek -5 Stiles Stilinski & Derek Hale, Teen Wolf

Gumlee Prince Gumball & Marshall Lee, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake

Shadowpeach Sun Wukong & the Six-Eared Macaque, Lego Monkie Kid

Drarry -29 Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, the Harry Potter universe

Wilmon Prince Wilhelm & Simon Eriksson, Young Royals

Harringrove -34 Steve Harrington & Billy Hargrove, Stranger Things

Kazurei Suwa Rei & Kurusu Kazuki, Buddy Daddies

Lestappen Charles Leclerc & Max Verstappen, Formula 1 drivers

Zukka -5 Zuko & Sokka, Avatar: The Last Airbender

Codywan +8 Commander Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Solangelo -23 Will Solace & Nico di Angelo, the Percy Jackson universe

Catradora Catra & Adora, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Shadowgast -4 Caleb Widogast & Essek Thelyss, Critical Role

Stucky -43 Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes, the Marvel universe

Tarlos -18 TK Strand & Carlos Reyes, 9-1-1: Lone Star

Johnlock +21 John Watson & Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock

Sasunaru -24 Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Naruto

Locklyle Anthony Lockwood & Lucy Carlyle, Lockwood & Co.

Lokius Loki Laufeyson & Mobius M. Mobius, the Marvel universe

Supercorp -67 Kara Danvers & Lena Luthor, Supergirl

Piltover's Finest Caitlyn Kiramman & Vi, Arcane

Helnik Matthias Helvar & Nina Zenik, the Grishaverse

Prohibitedwish Scarab & Prismo, Adventure Time

Klance -12 Keith & Lance, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Reylo Rey & Kylo Ren, the Star Wars universe

Hanazawa Teruki & Kageyama Shigeo, Mob Psycho 100

Cockles -44 Misha Collins & Jensen Ackles, Actors

Percabeth -46 Percy Jackson & Annabeth Chase, the Percy Jackson universe

Astarion x Tav Astarion & Tav, Baldur's Gate 3

Timkon Tim Drake & Conner Kent, Young Justice

Davekat Dave Strider & Karkat Vantas, Homestuck

Cynonari Cyno & Tighnari, Genshin Impact

Creek Craig Tucker & Tweek Tweak, South Park

Klapollo Apollo Justice & Klavier Gavin, Ace Attorney

Style Stan Marsh & Kyle Brovlofski, South Park

Korrasami -11 Korra & Asami Sato, The Legend of Korra

Bill x Frank Bill & Frank, The Last of Us

Nick x Charlie -51 Nick Nelson & Charlie Spring, Heartstopper

Dreamnotfound -50 Dreamwastaken & GeorgeNotFound, Streamers

Dinluke -33 Din Djarin & Luke Skywalker, the Star Wars universe

Rhaenicent Rhaenyra Targaryen & Alicent Hightower, House of the Dragon

The number in italics indicates how many spots a ship moved up or down from the previous year. Bolded ships weren’t on the list last year. Explore your desires on Feeld. Within a safer, inclusive space, you can feel free to connect more intimately to yourself and others. Choose from over 20 gender and sexuality options and explore solo, or with a partner. Curious? Download the app today.

[bunnelbaby]

Here’s a list of children’s shows for girl regressors/girl dreamers to enjoy!

(Disclaimer: Much like my list of recommendations for boy(d)res, anyone is welcome to enjoy these shows regardless of how they identify! This is simply a list of series I sense that girl(d)res would like to check out.)

𐐪𐑂 Gabby’s Dollhouse

𐐪𐑂 Jessica’s Big Little World

𐐪𐑂 Elena of Avalor

𐐪𐑂 Sofia the First

𐐪𐑂 Nella the Princess Knight

𐐪𐑂 Ariel

𐐪𐑂 Molly of Denali

𐐪𐑂 Alma’s Way

𐐪𐑂 Rosie’s Rules

𐐪𐑂 Mia and Me

𐐪𐑂 Rainbow Bubblegem

𐐪𐑂 Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

𐐪𐑂 Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure

𐐪𐑂 Miraculous Ladybug

𐐪𐑂 Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

𐐪𐑂 Hilda

𐐪𐑂 Jentry Chau Vs. The Underworld

𐐪𐑂 Dee & Friends in Oz

𐐪𐑂 Dew Drop Diaries

𐐪𐑂 Ada Twist, Scientist

𐐪𐑂 Monster High

𐐪𐑂 Rainbow High

𐐪𐑂 Ever After High

𐐪𐑂 Mermaid High

𐐪𐑂 Supernatural Academy

𐐪𐑂 Unicorn Academy

𐐪𐑂 Lalaloopsy

𐐪𐑂 Barbie

𐐪𐑂 Bratz

𐐪𐑂 Enchantimals

𐐪𐑂 Mira, Royal Detective

𐐪𐑂 Alice’s Wonderland Bakery

𐐪𐑂 Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes

𐐪𐑂 Minnie’s Bow-Toons

𐐪𐑂 Butterbean’s Café

𐐪𐑂 Zoobles!

𐐪𐑂 DC Super Hero Girls

𐐪𐑂 Carmen Sandiego

𐐪𐑂 Star Darlings

𐐪𐑂 Princess Starla and the Jewel Riders

𐐪𐑂 Jem and the Holograms

𐐪𐑂 Angel’s Friends

𐐪𐑂 Rainbow Rangers

𐐪𐑂 Charlie and Lola

𐐪𐑂 Sunny Day

𐐪𐑂 Polly Pocket

𐐪𐑂 Puppy in My Pocket: Adventures in Pocketville

𐐪𐑂 Abby Hatcher

𐐪𐑂 Angelina Ballerina

𐐪𐑂 PopPixie

𐐪𐑂 Mermaid Magic

𐐪𐑂 Princess Tutu

𐐪𐑂 Tokyo Mew Mew

𐐪𐑂 Catch! Teenieping

𐐪𐑂 Flowering Heart

𐐪𐑂 Komi Witch Lara

𐐪𐑂 Tea Tea Cherry

𐐪𐑂 Rainbow Ruby

𐐪𐑂 Littlest Pet Shop: A World of Our Own

𐐪𐑂 Whisker Haven: Tales with the Palace Pets

𐐪𐑂 Wild Manes

𐐪𐑂 Ridley Jones

𐐪𐑂 Harvey Street Kids

𐐪𐑂 Luna Petunia

𐐪𐑂 Vida the Vet

𐐪𐑂 Fancy Nancy

𐐪𐑂 Esme & Roy

𐐪𐑂 Doc McStuffins

𐐪𐑂 Pinkalicious & Peteriffic

𐐪𐑂 W.I.T.C.H.

𐐪𐑂 Winx Club

𐐪𐑂 Cardcaptor Sakura

𐐪𐑂 Jewelpet

𐐪𐑂 Ojamajo Doremi

𐐪𐑂 Revolutionary Girl Utena

𐐪𐑂 Precure

𐐪𐑂 Sailor Moon

𐐪𐑂 Hi Hi Puffy Amiyumi

𐐪𐑂 Strawberry Shortcake

𐐪𐑂 My Little Pony

𐐪𐑂 Care Bears

𐐪𐑂 Fantasy Patrol

𐐪𐑂 Kindi Kids

𐐪𐑂 Sadie Sparks

𐐪𐑂 Magic Mixies

𐐪𐑂 Chip and Potato

𐐪𐑂 Shopkins

𐐪𐑂 She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

𐐪𐑂 RWBY

𐐪𐑂 Princess Power

𐐪𐑂 Kitti Katz

𐐪𐑂 LEGO Elves: Secrets of Elvendale

𐐪𐑂 LEGO Friends

𐐪𐑂 Shimmer and Shine

𐐪𐑂 Little Charmers

𐐪𐑂 True and the Rainbow Kingdom

(Divider Credit)

[teambyler]

Stranger Things 5 speculation based on the episode titles and what we know from D&D

Vanishing of Holly Wheeler?

I already shared that I think Episode 2 is Holly Wheeler: "IF this information is accurate, I'm guessing the missing Wheeler is Holly. They have a new actress to play her. I think they're returning to s1 themes and the horror of a child being in danger is one thing they might get back to. The 1st episode would give them time to make her a character we care about. (And probably stabilize the situation at the end of s4.) It would also consume the entire Wheeler family into getting Holly back. Karen will be beside herself. Nancy will be tough and take charge. Will will have to unearth his memories of the Upside Down, and possibly use his connection, to help MIKE and NANCY get back their little sister. One possible road to BYLER is Will having to reexperience his trauma and possibly sacrifice himself to help his best friend."

Camazotz

I see a LOT of interest in episode 6 title "Escape from Camazotz"... I think for ANY speculation we HAVE to go to where our D&D nerds would go, which is the Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks in the 80s. Camazotz was published in Deities & Demigods for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1980). It is the "bat god," so we're probably going to see it tied to the demobats.

We learn from Deities & Demigods that the Aztec and Mayan gods have "inscrutable motives"... which is ON BRAND for the Cthulhu inspirations of Stranger Things. These gods come from a "parallel universe." Clerics "are the elite of the populace," and are able to cast "commune or gate spells" to connect the planes together. ("Will the Wise" has been the cleric of the party... perhaps he is a cleric?)

Also, these gods "unusual nature makes it impossible for them to travel on any planes but the ones that they have worshipers on." Maybe Vecna needed to have a host on the "Right Side Up", to take form here, which is very consistent with the s2 and s3 plotlines.

The clerics perform human sacrifices... maybe another theme in s5??

But perhaps JUST as important, the adventure D&D module Hidden Shrine of Tomoachan (1980) involved an ancient temple dedicated to Camazotz. Odds are that our heroes will be trying to escape from a "temple" within the Upside Down. According to the Wikipedia article about this adventure, it is "full of tricks and traps".

As a "tournament module," meaning for competition purposes, and it was EXPECTED that heroes died in it because it was so deadly. The goal "is to get out of the ruins before time runs out." The lower levels (where the heroes begin) have a poisonous gas that slowly kill them. Also it is very unstable, spells will cause a collapse. If El were caught in it, it might be dangerous to use her powers.

This adventure debuted the gibbering mouther, a very distinct D&D monster that is VERY reminiscent of the s3 Flayer and would be VERY on-theme for Stranger Things:

The Sorcerer

Also, Episode 5 is titled "The Sorcerer." Sorcerer was not a class yet in D&D in the late 1980s. (The idea that Sorcerers have innate arcane power versus Wizards who study magic, was not invented yet until 2000.) Sorcerer was one of the many titles that Magic Users had (next to Wizard). Sorcerers had less power than Wizards. They were 9th level, while Wizards were 11th level:

It is already established that El is "the Wizard." Maybe there's another person with powers in season 5 which are less developed? If so, the most logical choice would be Will. It's confirmed that this season will focus on him. Although he's a "cleric" in their D&D game, maaaaybe he finds out he has new abilities. There was a reason Vecna didn't kill in season 1, and who has had "truesight" since.

That's what I can find for now! There's a lot of interesting traps and puzzles, with illustrations, from the adventure. But it's hard to predict what else (if anything) they might borrow from it! The aspect of escaping, and the poison gas and the timer, are probably what we can most rely on!

P.S. I mainly blog about Byler, but I thought my D&D knowledge would be useful for this one. If interested, follow and read my blog! I have so much to say!

[steviewashere]

I have an idea for a hefty project that will have to wait until January or so, but please hear me out on it.

A choose your own adventure style fic/art/animation thing, but from Robin's perspective with the help of narration in a third person style; i.e....You are kneeled on the ground, you hear a rustling coming from the dark corner, you...that sort of thing. (Y'know, like a D&D game may be narrated).

It would focus on Robin's perspective surrounding Steve showcasing odd, inhuman behaviors. Such as her picking up on the fact that Steve chitters and growls while he's talking, but he brushes it off as his voice getting too loud or trying to clear his throat. She notices that he wears a bandana all the time, but he tries to argue that he's concerned about the Upside Down particles; though that would confuse her, considering her and Nancy both inhaled those particles, same as Dustin. So on and so forth. Until she's met with a very animalistic version of Steve—one that betrays himself, that pushes her around, frightens her, and locks her away from him.

She tells the others, but they don't believe her. Leading her to have to collect her own evidence. So she stalks Steve around. Which leads her to the forest behind his house. She's hidden by a tree trunk, but in the clearing, she spots what looks like Steve bent over something—but this Steve is lankier, sweatier, gnarlier; unhinged jaw, longer limbs, glinting sharp teeth—and what looks like a very alive, blood coated, hissing, feral Eddie Munson; matted hair, fangs, demogorgon style flaps on his jaw. (Some other cool things happen in this encounter, but I don't want to give too much away just in case I do go through with this).

Eventually, Steve would approach her about it. Tell her not to tell anybody else. Tell her that he can't help it, that he doesn't want to be this thing either, that he doesn't have control like he used to. And, as Robin, you can choose whether or not to tell him the truth. You'd be prompted with a decision: Tell Steve What You've Told the Others OR Tell Steve That His Secret is Safe With You.

Whatever your decision is, this will affect the story much, much later.

I will say, again I don't want to give too much away, that this will be a major character death thing. Steve would die trying to protect Robin from monsters like him. And in that, Robin would need to dispose of his corpse so that those monsters can't consume his actual body, too. She'd have to set him on fire—because, y'know, the demo-creatures don't like the warmth.

And in that moment, the narration would essentially be something like: "You stand over your best friend's body. The acrid smell of burning flesh flaring through your nostrils. Flames, yellow and orange and bright, grow higher and higher. For a brief moment, you are reminded of sunlight—which you haven't seen, not since Spring Break. You look at the red sky above you and try to picture it, the sun. It's a light. A yellow light. It reminds you of pasts, what held in the future. Of the yellow fluorescent light of bathroom stalls, sitting on an unwashed floor, vomit crusted mouths and urine stained shorts—there was laughter peeling from the walls, as you sat across from a guy you barely knew, but wholly trusted with a secret you've never told anybody. He showed you the stars. And, now, you are reminded of the sun—a star—Steve Harrington is the sun. And if the sun is a star, then Steve Harrington is the stars, which you haven't seen since Spring Break. You look away from the sky, to the enormous flames. His clothes make lumps in the glow. Distantly, you swear you hear laughter. Will you tell Steve Harrington a secret?"

And then you'd be prompted with 'yes' or 'no'. The first secret, depending on whether or not you lied to Steve earlier would be something like: "I told the others about you." or, alternatively, "I shouldn't have told them, that was your secret, not theirs. I'm sorry."

Y'know, and then there'd be like two more narrations like the one above and some more prompts about secrets.

And after a while, you (as Robin) would watch the flames die out, the color splashing your face until it's nothing. Words would echo around you, Steve's last words, urgent and pressing and more desperate than the way Eddie had said them, "Make him pay."

You would make do on that promise, bring a plan forth to somebody who would understand, Nancy Wheeler. You'd tell her what happened to Steve, why you have to go through with this plan (I am using vague language here because I don't know what the plan would be). And maybe Nancy would tell you that you're being irrational, that this is no way to go about it.

And, as Robin, you'd turn to her and say something along the lines of:

"He killed my best friend. He took your best friend, Nancy. Whatever his next move is, it's going to be wilder. He's going to take more, don't you get that? If we let him idle any longer, Hawkins is toast. We're toast. I'm not going to let him take anything else, I'm not going to let him hurt anybody else. Either you're with me, Nancy, or I blow this fucker's head off on my own. Which will it be?"

And, I'm imagining that Robin and Nancy would grow close—romantically close, platonically close, you can decide—but this newfound confidence, however ugly and sneering it is in Robin, persuades Nancy. They'll go through with Robin's plan.

If only Robin didn't deter from her own plan. If she wasn't so set on revenge more than plain vengeance. If she didn't mow down anything standing in her way, even if it's seemingly innocent people.

Nancy would have to get through to Robin, then. Her own monologue.

"I've been here, Robin. I know what this is like. You think the whole world is against you, that they don't believe you. And it feels like that. I know it feels like that. But if you turn away all of the people who want to help, if you keep on like this, you're going to be all alone in the end. You'll turn. Change. You won't win this way, Robin. None of us will. If you want to be a hero, then you're going to do it in an honest way. None of this bullshit that you're trying to pull."

Hehe, anyway, that's really as far as I've got. Y'know, other than the fact that I know I want Eleven to be the one that delivers the final blow/attack to Vecna, not Robin. But something about Robin being presented with awful, real horrors—her fear of Steve changing, getting sick being true, realized and fleshed...I think that would change part of her. And something about a torn Robin, brutalized by the loss of somebody close to her that she trusted, that she loved—all of that is just so delicious to me. With a bonus of Ronance, platonically or romantically—these two parallels that are now connected at the root by major loss—is something so beautiful to me. I've also got so many poetically charged narrations in my head. (Also, it's sorta small and I didn't touch on it much here, but there's Steddie. They're just sorta changed and non-human and very oddball.)

But listen, this is something that's not fully planned out. Something that would take a lot of work and simply unimportant focus. And, y'know, it's in this narrative that people don't usually like reading—which I get, but would hinder how this would be received.

I just have so many cool ideas for it. Would anybody, anybody at all, be interested in this?

[steddiebbang]

a stout heart, a good bow, and a merry life | M | 75k

Author: @cuoredimuschio

Artist: @hereforanepilogue

Banner Artist: @hellfiredemon

Beta Reader: @readerofportrait

[Link to fic]  |  [Link to art]

Pairings: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham, Lucas Sinclair/Max Mayfield, Past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Past Chrissy Cunningham/Jason Carver

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley, Chrissy Cunningham, Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, Wayne Munson, Jeff, Gareth, Unnamed Freak, Eleven/Jane Hopper, Mike Wheeler, Jason Carver, Steve Harrington’s Father, Minor OCs

Tags: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Robin Hood Fusion, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Meet-Ugly, Mutual Pining, Falling In Love, Action/Adventure, Minor Violence, Betrayal, Supernatural Elements, Borrowed D&D Lore, Archery, Minor Character Death, POV Steve Harrington, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Gay Eddie Munson, Trans Male Character

Trigger Warnings: Kidnapping, minor gore/violence, minor character death, implied transphobia

↳ Keep reading below for a summary!

After faltering under the weight of expectation and failing to live up to his family’s formidable reputation once more, Steve is sent away from the kingdom of Hawkins. To where, his father doesn’t care, so long as it’s far enough that he cannot inflict any more damage upon the now-sullied Harrington name.

But Steve and his fellow travelers don’t make it more than a few miles into the gruesome, shadow-bound woods that surround Hawkins before their pilgrimage is set upon by thieves: the sort with sharp knives and little qualm about using them. Tossed from his horse, without a weapon, Steve is certain that he’s a goner. Until, that is, a bow-wielding stranger, who happens to be the current biggest thorn in the kingdom’s side, steps in and saves Steve’s life, changing it forever in the process.

When he’s offered a place among Kas the Betrayer’s merry band of ne’er-do-wells, he knows better than to accept it. But he has nowhere else to go and nothing left to lose. Little does he know, as he takes Kas’ hand and allows himself to be pulled into the world cast to the outskirts of the kingdom’s consideration, that far more than a new home is in store for him.

[the-126-family]

Annnnd I’m back! Would’ve sent this earlier but it’s been a day so far. My new question for you is what do you think the 126’s hobbies would be?

I love this question!! And I’m sorry you’ve had a bad day. I hope you can take some time to rest and relax tonight. I'm sending lots of good thoughts your way!!

Paul loves reading, as we know; he's in an LGBTQ+ book club that he really enjoys. He invites Carlos to it and Carlos finds it really meaningful; now they go together once a month! This isn’t a hobby, but in my mind Paul has two cats who he names Sherlock and Watson (because he is such a good detective). He loves playing with them and snuggling with them to read a book or watch a movie. He (and Carlos) tend to watch a lot of documentaries.

Random thought, but Paul would love going to escape rooms so he can get to use his detective skills. The Catan Crew would have SO much fun going to escape rooms together, although Paul and Carlos would figure out most of the clues. Carlos's hobbies include going for runs/exercising and cooking — he loves to experiment with new recipes, and TK is always happy to be his taste tester! 

We know from season 5 that TK is on a softball team! I think it’s not super competitive, mostly recreational, and that Nancy is on the team too. TK invited her to join because he wanted his paramedic bestie to get involved! She gained confidence after being crowned MVP in that Red vs. Blue game, and now it’s something they enjoy doing together, especially to unwind after long or emotionally difficult shifts.

I can see Nancy enjoying those painting and wine classes; she takes Mateo to one on a date. His painting is horrendous, but Nancy absolutely loves it and hangs it up on her wall because it reminds her of how much fun they had that night.

Marjan attempted to learn how to knit during the pandemic, but that did not last long. She was far too impatient and became easily frustrated. She only got like halfway through a lumpy, wonky scarf for Paul before she gave up and burned it. Marjan is very athletic, so I can see her being on a soccer team (since we know she did soccer when she was a kid, and she was really good at it!). And of course she has her roller derby! 

Sometimes Nancy and Marjan get together to play chess. Their matches can last a super long time (their record is almost a week) and they get super competitive with it and take it very seriously. Mateo knows not to bother Nancy when she's in the middle of a game with Marjan and concentrating hard.

Mateo loves Pokemon Go; he’s also part of a D&D group that meets weekly. He loves it — he always excitedly tells the 126 about his group’s various adventures, and his friends don’t really understand it but are happy for him nonetheless. Mateo also loves to take Buttercup for walks and to the dog park; they always have a blast together. 

I had so much fun with this!! Sending lots of hugs to you!

[grandwretch]

only must i wander chapter 11

el's intermission

[on ao3][ch 1][ch 2][ch 3][ch 4][ch 5][ch 6][ch 7][ch 8][ch 9][ch 10]

1985, november

Honestly, if El had to choose the worst part of being a normal girl, it would have to be how great everything was. 

All her friends were worried. El hadn't been able to use her powers since Will's... accident, and Mike broke up with her not two weeks later. El should have been devastated. She should have been ruined. It was hard, though, to feel ruined when her friends were so amazing about the whole thing. Max had stayed over every night that week, even though her eyes were still red from her own brother's funeral; They held hands as they slept and clung to each other until they woke up. Steve and Robin spent so much time on the couch in the cabin that it was a shock not to see them there. Even Eddie, who El had barely known, had picked her up a time or two while Steve and Hopper were at work, just to ask her awkwardly how she was doing while he pretended to eat the waffles she had ordered them both.

And, yes, El had felt pretty bad about it all at first, even with her friends' support. But then school had started, and El honestly could say she was having the time of her life. 

She was allowed to go outside, whenever she wanted, as long as Hopper or Steve knew where she was. Her little family had expanded so much in the last few months, and El was certain she had more siblings now than she had in the labs-- And these siblings actually loved her. She got to go to school. She got to go to the same classes Max and Dustin went to, and Lucas was in the same period in PE-- They dominated the court in co-ed volleyball. She got to drive home with Steve and Robin, and hang out with them at Family Video until Hopper got off work, doing her homework in front of the TV in the breakroom. She got to learn how to play D&D for real for the first time, got to take her time reading the books and all the fantasy novels Eddie had recommended, learning about worlds where magic and adventure don't ruin anyone's lives.

The guilt was a little much, sometimes. The high school experience El was enjoying probably should have belonged to Will. Joyce and Jonathan moved away, but she knew they must be having an awful year-- Especially Jonathan, away from his girlfriend and missing his brother. Mike made her feel the worst, of course; Max said that El should be mad at him, but it's all too easy to see why he pulled away. It sucked, but Will was his best friend. El couldn't imagine if it had been Dustin or Max, instead. It wasn't just El that Mike had pulled away from, though-- She didn't know he had spoken to any of the party since that night. 

Both the Wheelers seemed oddly distant, actually. Nancy must be upset that El had all but chased her boyfriend across the country, El thought, and ruined her little brother's life. She hadn't thought Nancy was the kind to hold grudges like that, but she saw the older girl turn around and walk in the other direction when she saw her the other day. Steve and Eddie had been too busy squabbling over cereal brands to notice, but El saw it. 

El was the one that messed up. She was the one who let her anger get the best of her. If anyone was going to come out of that summer with nothing, it should have been her. Instead... El finally had it all. Except her powers, of course. El knew that some of her friends, Steve especially, thought that El was maybe faking it because of what happened to Will. It wasn't the truth. She had tried, both her telekinesis and to use the dark, quiet place that let her see things she shouldn't. Originally, El had hoped that her powers would let her find wherever Will actually was and bring him back to his body, but it-- She couldn't even find her comforting void, no matter what she did. 

Maybe it was because she was never meant to be a Hexenbiest. Mybe it was the price she paid for killing one brother and dooming a boy who could have been another.

All of that, and yet... It was hard to think about it for too long. Being a normal girl was so much more. Less stress, more fun. Surely it wouldn't hurt if El just... let it all go, and start over? Didn't she deserve that? 

Hopper wasn't so happy about it all. Not because he blamed her, but because he had never found a riddle he didn't want to figure out. Beneath all that bluster was a deeply curious man, El had found. He brought her powers up constantly, as if they could figure it out by talking through it all together. Just one more time, El thought every time, knowing it was a lie. 

He brought it up again one night, while they were making dinner together. It was late for them, but the dinners had grown later and later as El had been slowly consumed with Hellfire and her friends. El would have felt guilty leaving her dad to his own devices so often, but she suspected he enjoyed the excuse to relapse back into his old workaholic tendencies. 

"So I was thinking," he said. He was careful not to look up at her as he spoke, as if the spices he was pouring into the sauce required his full attention. "If your mom and aunt are Mellifer, they might know what's going on with your powers, right?" 

"I mean, I do want to go see them now that the King says I can, but I don't want..." El bit her lip, unsure of how to tell him. Her words were coming easier, now that she was at school most days, learning and talking and listening, but the still evaded her when there was emotion behind them. "I'm afraid it will only make my mother worse, if she knows what happened. I would like to know about being a Mellifer, though. Seeing their woges would be nice, too." At least then she could imagine the way she would have looked if Papa had never found her, the way her true face was meant to look. 

Besides, she just wanted to know her family. Her biological family wasn't more important than the one she had here, but El was greedy for the love and care that she knew they offered her. It would be so nice to visit them without fear, to bask in the light of their love and her mother's gentle hands. 

It didn't escape her how sad Hopper's eyes looked at the prospect, however.

"Dustin said the funniest thing at lunch today," El said, swiftly switching topics. "He and Max got in this fight about who Steve's favorite is, and Max said--" 

"I guess Henderson is better than Wheeler, at least," Hopper muttered to himself as El continued with her story. She pretended not to hear him. She had explained a thousand times that Dustin would never think of her that way, even if El decided she was ready for another relationship-- Which she wasn't. She had a very long talk about it with Dustin, after Hopper and Max had both made jokes about it that left them feeling weird. Dustin was swiftly becoming one of El's best friends, but she didn't want to kiss him. It was a relief that Dustin felt the same way. 

They finished dinner like that, both of them chatting idly about their day. Neither of them said anything of much importance, which was exactly the way El liked it-- It was nice to know that every day didn't have to be important, that there always didn't have to be a fight with her father or a struggle to live. It was nice to know that unimportant didn't have to mean boring, didn't have to mean wasting her life away in loneliness and paranoia. El thrived in their small, unimportant conversations-- The only thing that made it better was when Steve came to dinner, carrying all his banal, silly rituals and conversation rules. Well, El thought they were silly, but they had actually helped a lot in figuring out what to do or say in school. The Hellfire guys didn't seem to care too much, and of course the Party knew what she was like, but the girls in her classes... Well, Steve had taught her enough to keep her head above water. 

"What time does your brother get off work tonight?" Hopper asked, as if reading her mind. El looked up from where she was setting the table, frowning as she tried to remember Steve's schedule. 

"He and Robin are closing," she said. "He said he might just go straight home." She didn't mention that it was Friday, and Steve usually spent Fridays with Eddie, since it was the one night Eddie didn't have to work after Hellfire. She didn't think her dad would enjoy knowing that Steve had blown them off to hang out with his friends. Again. 

Not that Hopper was happy to know that Steve was blowing them off for work, either. He answered her with nothing but a grunt, frowning as he brought the pasta to the table. She watched him silently serve them both, skipping the third placement she'd put down without much thought. He was upset Steve wasn't home for dinner the same way he would be if El wasn't, she realised. And while he had referred to Steve as El's brother, what he had meant was my son--

"Dad?" El said. "Why doesn't Steve live with us?"

Hopper looked up at her, frown going slack for a moment in surprise. Then he sighed, and it resolidified as he busied himself with making sure the cheese was perfect. "Steve is an adult," he said, gruffly, "and he can live wherever he wants." 

"But he's our family," El insisted. "Families live together." 

"Mm." Another grunt, not looking up, as if he could ignore the whole thing entirely if they didn't make eye contact. "I got lucky with you, kid. Found you young enough to give you the life you deserve. I dropped the ball with Steve. I knew for a long time that his parents weren't treating him right, I just didn't know they were dangerous. I still should have said something earlier. It's not Steve's fault if he doesn't trust me enough. That's on me." 

The guilt in her father's voice was thick, and El hadn't expected it. She knew that Steve wasn't really her brother, but she'd always thought it was because Steve and Hopper preferred it that way. She thought it suited them, the weird not-quite-family they had settled into. They were both strong men, emotionally distant and stubborn, and she'd thought-- She'd thought it was more comfortable that way. The idea that they were both just as hungry to be a family as El was birthed something unpleasant in her stomach. It squirmed within her as she thought about Steve her age, lonely and waiting for his parents to come home only to be miserable when they finally did, and her father sitting across town and doing nothing, against his better judgement. 

"It's not your fault," El said, because often the adult aspects of the world were still too complicated for her to wrap her head around. She had no idea if it was even possible to make someone your family when they had a biological one sitting there with all the money and power in the world. "I just wish he would come stay. I don't think he likes being alone very much." 

"I offered, after last summer," Hopper admitted. "I told him I was thinking about putting in an offer on a bigger place, and that he'd have a room there, if he wanted it-- The kid said no. I can't force him." 

El hadn't known that. She hadn't even known that Hopper was thinking about moving out of the cabin again, though she guessed it made sense, now that they didn't have to be in hiding. They could use a bigger place, somewhere people could stay after game nights-- Maybe even a real kitchen. The idea was exciting, but not without Steve there. Not when Steve didn't want to live with them. Didn't want to live with El.

"I thought he loved us," she said. She was unable to keep the distress out of her voice. 

"He does, El." Hopper immediately came around the table, a gentle hand on her arm. His face was hard but his voice was gentle. "He just-- Look, Steve tells you more about his parents than he does me, so you know that Steve has his reasons." 

El nodded jerkily. They'd spoken a lot about the labs over the summer, and after Steve had run out of things to say he'd started matching El's stories with ones from his own childhood. His mother didn't seem like much of a factor, really, as absent in Steve's life when she was home as she was when she was away, but his father... His father reminded her a lot of Papa in ways that she was scared to talk about. Steve didn't seem to think it was all that bad, considering that his father had never actually done anything to him, but-- 

But the threats that Steve remembered weren't funny. They were scary, so scary that El sometimes had nightmares afterwards, ones that she would never tell anyone about. It didn't matter that Steve laughed now when he told them; All El could think about was how scared he must have been, then. It didn't matter that he never actually did them. El was stronger than Papa, the last time she'd seen him, but she had still been so, so scared. 

She didn't like to think about Steve being that kind of scared. 

"I think that, sometimes, Steve thinks that if he cares about somebody too much, his parents might take it away from him," Hopper continued. "To him, keeping his distance is how he keeps us safe."

El didn't like that explanation very much. Hopper had been overprotective of her the entire time she'd known him, and while he's gotten much better now that they're under protection of the Wesen King, El was over the idea of being protected. Then again, El used to be a lot stronger than she was now, and had gotten pretty used to being the one to do the protecting-- Maybe part of being a normal girl was letting her big brother protect her? 

The idea still didn't sit right with her, though. She worried about Steve, and Hopper, a lot more than she had before she lost her powers. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to help them if another one of her siblings showed up haunted her. The idea of Steve's parents coming back and hurting him was an even worse idea, because there were hurts there that even El at her most powerful couldn't protect him from. 

"Do you think King Lothar would help Steve, the way he helped me?" she asked. 

"With his parents?" 

"The way everyone helped me with Papa," El said, nodding. "It's... easier, with friends." 

"I only wish I could take care of Bradley Harrington the way you took care of Brenner," Hopper admitted. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if imagining the scene. "It's-- Listen, it's up to Steve what he wants to do about his parents. I think it would be best for him to cut them off completely, but if he wants to try to have a relationship with them, he's allowed that. We can't make his decisions for him, or we'll end up hurting him, too." 

"Like when he makes decisions about what's safe for us," El clarified. 

"Exactly like that, yeah," Hopper said, a grin finally cracking across his face. He tuned back to their dinner, which had gone slightly cold, shrugging. "Between you and me, though, I wouldn't trust the King to deal with them, anyway. They should have known the Harringtons were bad news before Steve started making noise about it if they were any good at their jobs. I mean, two years of missing kids and dead bodies in their backyard, and they're just showing up now? No ma'am. If Steve needs help, we'll help him." 

El looked out their small kitchen window, the night sky, still holding a tinge of read, swallowing up the entire view of the woods outside the cabin. She wondered if it were possible for her to help Steve without making everything worse, or if she would just have to stand by and watch him fall apart again. 

Like a normal girl would. 

[privatecyberstalker]

Anyway, Anti-Entropy Kindergarten /j

Okay, I was a little little bit busy and now I'm very late at the party, but I still have a need to make an explanation of my brainrot about kids of main AE trio. Surely I can't write everything, so for now here's some thoughts about 2 out 3.

I may say in advance – there isn't used any particular timeline. The most important things timeline-wise is that «Thanksgiving Event» still happened, but with less/other casualties, and Anti-Entropy is independent more than a decade.

Let's started:

🟣 Grace Edison Born: August 31st Height (18 y.o.): 168 cm / 5'6'' Honkai Adaptability: Good / B-level

🔴 Victor Tesla (Edison) Born: September 1st Height (18 y.o.): 178 cm / 5'10'' Honkai Adaptability: Low / D-level

Grace is second oldest in the trio. She's older than Victor only on 10-15 minutes and yet - because of this Grace was born at August 31st and Victor at September 1st. They're considering themselves as lucky ones, because «it'd sucks to have a one bday for two». Were adopted as a babies.

P.S. I don't know how to describe their hair/eyes colors so I'll use the example.

Officially, miss Edison's wish to adopt kid was based on «need to raise an heir for a company for an emergency case», but also... after stabilising her relationship with Tesla (and spending some time with Joyce, Ein and their kid), both she and Nikola started to think about getting a bigger family. And yes, it was Tesla's idea to take both siblings, because «we can't separate them, right?» (Tesla saw their eyes and said «mine», nothing new /j)

Fun Fact: kids names literally came from mothers own names («Nikola» means «victor of the people» and «Nancy» means «favor and grace»). Surnames they initially have got from official adoptive mom (Edison), but Victor personally prefer to use other mama's surname (Tesla).

🟣: Active and warm-hearted, Grace slightly reminds miss Planck in her own manner. In fact, she always looked up on people like Emma or Welt, trying to use her «chaotic energy» for good and get to work under their command. Extrovertive, fan of natural sciences, active recreation and dogs. Favourite Joachim's niece (not because she's the only niece, but because boys in this trio are little devils). In childhood wanted to be a spy, partially cuz of her sport-oriented lifestyle, but now she's choosing between be a paramedic, a spaceship captain («brothers, we're going to steal Hyperion») or some other «risky, but very needed» specialisation, yet scared of parents disapproval. Actually has a quite unstable self-esteem.

Some outfits. She actually loves fancy-girly outfits, but when she has to chose, she'd prefer something comfortable. Is this from Tesla, Edison or Planck? Who knows.

🔴: When Victor was a kid, Tesla thought he will become more like Joachim, but «something went wrong». A cat person in all senses. A little menace that loves tricky mechanisms, big explosions and be everywhere at once, feeding his own curiosity and seeking for an «adventure». Really needs a stop-button. Some people would say that he's «born to be a comic relief, force to use his brain on full volume», but he's in fact a handyman, which dreaming about join the researcher's crew as a lead engineer/researcher. Has low emotional intelligence and hard time understanding that his actions/words/jokes could hurt someone. Doesn't really cares about the other people, but at least tries to properly apologies to his family, if it affected them.

Some outfits. He always wears shirts and coats (or something similar), no matter of season. Trying not to look like person who lives in a laboratory. Usually fails miserably.

And a little bonuses:

Schedules in this family exist only partially. When kids are free from school or other highly organised activities, only Grace and Nancy trying to plan their day ahead. Victor and Nikola never will use to this two waking up at 6-7 AM and starting doing STUFFS.

When twins were a little kids, Grace wanted to have a dog at home, but no one else was ready to take care of it. Once Nikola joked about «well, your aunt and uncle have two dogs and only one kid to take dogs on walk, so you can join him» (Grace said «deal» and started to annoy her cousin)(she succeed)

Also, yeah... We can say Victor is that type of twins who jokes about his sibling being an adopted one all the time. Usually Grace has answer on that, but sometimes she really feels out of touch with family. They love to prove her wrong. Especially Nancy (I swear, Nancy was one who sign up both Nikola and Victor on courses of «how to apologise»)

Under Tesla's supervision twins started to speak fluently on approximately three languages. Moreover, with Nancy's teaching both Victor and Grace on the way to become a smooth talkers... in a sake of the company, surely. Their skills still aren't perfect, but they compensating this by giving a stage to one another, depending on situation.

Sometimes they both are getting in a fights. Thanks God, their fighting skills and stamina (in a case of a «tactical retreat») are slightly better than bargaining ones.

Back to the Fun Facts about the names: they also have a nicknames – Phoenix for Grace and Salamander for Victor, which they've got in a prep school. Olders usually calls them by names, but Welt loves to use «birdie» and «lizard» (and says that last one is just short from «little wizard», we'll believe him)(btw, if Phoenix is kinda obvious, Victor become Salamander because he was «slippery guy, who doesn't burn in fire, neither drown in water» and he's genuinely amused by this reputation)

While we're in names territory, there's how twins address olders: Edison - «mom», Tesla - «mama», Joachim - by name, Planck - «miss» or «professor». With Einstein and Welt Joyce situation slightly more interesting: both twins address Ein as «professor», because she seems to be allergic to word «aunt». Welt on the contrary, prefer «uncle» (so Victor addresses him like this), but Grace mostly uses «sovereign» as – in her words – the most suitable and polite form.

Yeah. Though twins always are having something in common – this two isn't an exception – Victor and Grace even showing their respect in different ways. But this is even longer story.

P.S. Second part with einjoyce's kiddo and a little bonuses will be somewhere in a future. That's all for now. Thanks for attention and till I see you next time in my thread talk✨

[aceofwonders]

feeling all mushy about maisie and rhys today 🥰

[glimmerlofsea]

Billy Hargrove x Reader

MASTERLIST

I DID IT

Warning : Lots of guilt, mention of scars, and lots of fluff! ;d and platonic relationship, I guess?

WC; 3,0k+

#TALKISSA; okay... before we start, I just want to say thank you for the opportunity you gave me to this Billy Hargrove fanfic that I made! No lie, this is the first time I've uploaded it on Tumblr, I've done it several times on Wattpad, but I want to try something new by writing it on Tumblr! If you don't mind, would you give it a chance by reading this story? I would really appreciate it! Thank you, and happy reading! For those of you who faithfully read my fanfic, I will give you the name 'issea', hihi (sorry I'm bad at giving nicknames). Happy reading, issea!

01:00 AM.

The clock ticking very loudly barged into your ears, people's shouts and shrill sounds almost made you unable to breathe properly.

Your legs couldn't stop shaking since you were waiting in front of the ICU room. You kept putting your thumbnail between your teeth because you were nervous.

You let out a heavy breath, as if you were holding back the tears from coming out, until finally they all came out and you couldn't stop crying in the hospital hallway. Your breath hitched, you were the one who should have stopped breathing forever— Your head should have been on your side, but no, they're convinced you to die.

This all starts with you being trapped between dimensions in Hawkins, just like the Zombie Boy they know but you are strategic enough to make yourself alive.

Of course it brought a lot of heavy trauma, but that incident actually made you enthusiastic about socializing again— even though in the end you were still stuck with Steve and Nancy. Not long after that you met the charming guy who came all the way from California, brought his flashy blue Camaro and made an attractive appearance in his tight jeans. This incident makes you want to enjoy your life even more, who knows you will die at the closest distance and at the wrong time, right?

Your thoughts make the new 'King of Hawkins' interested. If he doesn't make friends with girls, then it's with you that he makes them. Not only because you eliminate his lust, but he feels safe around you.

He is your Chicago. He was.

You were waiting in the hospital in blood-stained clothes, if you hadn't shouted at Joyce to immediately close the gate, maybe Billy would really have died. You felt guilty for yelling at that woman, you could feel Mrs. Byers, but you can't put your friends at risk.

Friends who feel safe around you, who feel like their life depends on your life. You didn't want to lose him, you couldn't.

You kept praying all the time that God would give him another chance, so that you and he could share the time together and the adventures he always wanted while in his hometown, California. You love him, but he doesn't feel worthy of being loved.

You were in your room, tidying up your things, you didn't want Billy to see you when he was fully awake. You were a nightmare for him, you were the one who caused him to have all these nightmares and you hated yourself for it. You did it, I did it, your mind always has images of those 3 sentences.

What would you do? You'll be far away from Hawkins and never come back here, you're too embarrassed and guilt enveloped you and hugged you tightly, not allowing you to let go.

Until Max finally realized what you were doing,

"So what? You're just gonna leave us?!" Max's voice was no less shaking when you first saw Billy's condition, her voice showed that she had been crying, "Y/N, please!"

Without looking at her, you just packed up your clothes to put them in a bag, "I don't want him to see me, Max."

"Exactly, why? Why don't you want him to see you, Y/N? If you leave you'll—"

"—I did it, Max." You said, cutting Max off, looking at Max who was just as puffy as you, "It was my fault."

You sat on the edge of your bed, followed by Max, Max let out a voice, "I don't want to think about it, but you make it sound like murder. Billy bet his life in the hospital, Y/N! You can't just leave like that , you-"

"Let me explain it."

Max was silent when you interrupted her conversation for the second time,

"I never wanted to bring Billy into this interdimensional, supernatural things or whatever you want to call it. And I didn't want him to see me as a crazy psychopath girl who had wandered into another world, Max." You said looking at Max, she watched your words carefully, "That was when I made a stupid condition, he wanted to date me but I said if he could beat any older girl in Hawkins then I would give him a chance. I know I'm fool, but guess what? It's not worth it at all Max, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

"Why are you sorry for, Y/N? I still don't understand."

"That night, he said he was going to date Mrs. Wheeler, that's when he fell into the Upside Down, Max. I know that because at that time I didn't see Mrs. Wheeler coming out of her house, and someone called me, it was Billy, but I didn't hear anything but heard..." You stopped for a moment and looked at Max deeply, "Demogorgon's voice?" She suggested.

You nodded, "But that time was different, it was too roaring and fierce. I wanted to tell Hopper but if it was true that Billy was the host I couldn't help but want to protect him, Max."

Max hugged you, you buried your chin in the little girl's shoulder, she stroked your back, "You're just trying to protect him, that's the point, okay? Don't leave him, Y/N, please. He needs you, we need you."

"You're not gonna change?" Max asked as you sat near Billy's body, which was still on the verge of death and life.

You sighed, "No. I want to contain this blood trail even if it makes me look like a murderer."

The door creaked, you stood up to see who it was, it turned out to be Susan and Neil. Susan with her expression of pity immediately hugged her daughter while Neil didn't even show any emotion at all, sometimes you think why did Billy have to go through this? Why didn't Neil, who fell, deserve more punishment?

"Damn it, I knew he would be very troublesome. Should have finished him off first."

Even though the sound he made was very small, your ears were sharp enough to catch it. You don't know why, but you felt really hurt, like someone was trying to split your heart into several parts.

You stepped towards Neil, "Your son is in a coma, and all you can say is 'he's a troublesome''? For fucks sake, why should God give you a heart to live if you can't use it well?"

You could feel Max holding your arm tightly by the collar, begging you to stop.

Neil chuckled, "Watch your damn mouth, young girl."

"No, watch your damn mouth, Neil. My friend here is trying desperately to survive and you? You're his father hoping he dies? Unbelievable. I can just—"

Neil slapped you, you could feel Max's grip getting tighter.

The door banging sounded very loud,

"Mr. Hargrove, you will be detained for investigation as a result of a domestic violence case, you have the right to speak if you have a lawyer."

Officer Powell forcefully handcuffed Neil's hands. Neil couldn't stop cursing your name but you were happy that Billy could finally live without violence.

You looked at Max, Max hugged you, "Thank you."

Billy hasn't opened his eyes for almost a week, you decide to clean yourself up, the kids visit Billy twice a week to accompany Max.

Sometimes Steve, Robin and Nancy also join in to visit Billy, and also make sure you're okay.

Max is at school, you keep convincing her to focus on school and you will take care of Billy. You were cleaning up some leftover food on the patient's table, tying your hair back and leaving some strands of hair on your right side because Billy loved it.

"I told you it's better on the right side, right?"

The familiar voice that dives into your eardrums makes you flinch, startled, remember a thousand languages and your feelings are mixed and you can't explain how.

You turned your head and saw Billy who was smiling, you quickly hugged Billy very tightly, "Be careful, there are holes in my body." His words made you chuckle in between your tears.

You broke away, "I'll call the doctor." But he held your hand and buried you against his body, for a moment you felt comfortable, but you were afraid of making him hurt, so you made a little distance from him, "Doesn't it hurt?"

"It does. But you're my medicine, aren't you?"

You smiled, “I really missed your voice.”

He was the first to realize that you were crying, tears came out of your eyes, he wiped them with his fingers, while you were still looking at him with your sobs, "I fucking hate seeing you cry. Why are you crying?"

You choked on your sobs, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, if I hadn't told you to do the terms of that stupid sentence maybe you wouldn't..." You couldn't even finish your sentence.

Billy tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear, while you took a deep breath, "What if you don't make it? If the monster does—"

Billy stroked your back, he was so calm, "Sshh.. It's okay, I'm fine, you're fine. That's what's important now, understand? Look at me, do I look like I didn't make it through that maniac incident?"

Your crying began to calm down, you sighed, holding the wound on his stomach carefully, "Yes, a little."

Billy chuckled, he kissed your hair, “I missed you.”

You shook your head, "No. I missed you, asshole."

There he is. The hug he gave seemed to say that you would be safe from whatever would happen to that cursed town, you really hoped that Billy was still Billy after this incident. Just hearing his heartbeat makes you calm, and you don't feel guilty anymore.

Author's Note : Thank you to all the issea who have read it to the end! I really appreciate it and sorry if this sucks because I can't get straight to the romantic story— but I'll try it! ♡

[mappingthemoon]

Books Read 2024

David Bowie (Little People, Big Dreams) / Ma Isabel Sánchez Vegara ; Ana Albero (ill.) (Francis Lincoln Children’s Books, 2019)

Angels and Insects / A. S. Byatt (Chatto & Windus, 1992)

How to Stay Alive in the Woods / Bradford Angier (Collier Books, 1962)

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes / Edith Hamilton (Grand Central Publishing, 2011)

True Stories / Sophie Calle (Actes Sud, 2018)

The Lottery and Other Stories / Shirley Jackson (The Modern Library, 2000)

The Healthy Deviant: A Rule Breaker’s Guide to Being Healthy in an Unhealthy World / Pilar Gerasimo (North Atlantic Books, 2020)

The Ascent of Man / J. Bronowski (Little, Brown and Company, 1973)*

David Bowie: His Life on Earth, 1947-2016 / Allison Adato (ed.) (Time Inc. Books, 2016)

“The Paranoid Style in American Politics” / Richard Hofstadter, in: Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, The Paranoid Style in American Politics, Uncollected Essays 1956-1965 (The Library of America, 2020)

Underworld / Don DeLillo (Scribner, 1998)

The Primal Wound: Understanding the Adopted Child / Nancy Newton Verrier (Gateway Press, Inc., 1993)

Moon Shot: The Inside Story of America’s Race to the Moon / Alan Shepard & Deke Slayton (Turner Publishing, Inc., 1994)

Nevada / Imogen Binnie (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2022)

Collected Short Stories and the novel The Ballad of the Sad Café / Carson McCullers (The Riverside Press ; Houghton Mifflin Company, 1955)

The Discovery of the Titanic / Robert D. Ballard w/Rick Archbold ; Ken Marschall (ill.) (Warner/Maidon Press, 1987)

The J. Paul Getty Museum Handbook of the Photographs Collection / Weston Naef (The J. Paul Getty Museum, 1995)

Changing the Earth: Aerial Photographs / Emmet Gowin ; Jock Reynolds (Yale University Art Gallery in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art and Yale University Press, 2002)

“There’s an Awful Lot of Weirdos in Our Neighborhood” & Other Wickedly Funny Verse / Colin McNaughton (Simon & Schuster, 1987)*

The Anatomical Tattoo / Emily Evans (Anatomy Boutique Books, 2017)

Artists Books / Dianne Perry Vanderlip (cur.) (Moore College of Art ; University Art Museum, Berkeley, 1973)

Risomania: The New Spirit of Printing / John Z. Komurki (Niggli, imprint of Braun Publishing AG, 2017)

American Music / Annie Leibovitz (Random House, 2004)

Atonement: A Novel / Ian McEwan (Anchor Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 2003)

The Land Where the Blues Began / Alan Lomax (Pantheon Books, 1993)

Snoopy to the Moon! (Peanuts Space Adventures) / Jason Cooper ; Tom Brannon (ill.) (Peanuts Worldwide LLC ; Happy Meal Readers ; Reading Is Fundamental, 2019)

Just for Fun / Patricia Scarry ; Richard Scarry (ill.) (A Golden Book; Western Publishing Company, Inc., 1960)

The Emotionally Absent Mother: How to Recognize and Heal the Invisible Effects of Childhood Emotional Neglect / Jasmin Lee Cori (The Experiment, 2017)

A Girl Is a Half-Formed Thing / Eimear McBride (Coffee House Press, 2014)

Bluets / Maggie Nelson (Wave Books, 2014)

The Secret History / Donna Tartt (Ballantine Books, 2002)

Touch Me I’m Sick / Charles Peterson (powerHouse Books, 2003)

Rose-Petal’s Big Decision (Rose-Petal Place) / Nancy Buss ; Pat Paris & Sharon Ross-Moore (ill.) (Parker Brothers, 1984)*

9½ Weeks: A Memoir of a Love Affair / Elizabeth McNeill (Berkley Books, 1979)

Keep Coming Back / Julia Clinker (Nexus Press, 2001)

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) / Octavia Butler (Seven Stories Press, 2016)

Parable of the Talents (Earthseed #2) / Octavia Butler (Seven Stories Press, 2016)

Great Expectations / Charles Dickens (Cherish, [1994])

I’ve Got a Time Bomb: A Novel / Sibyl Lamb (Topside Press, [2014])

My Brilliant Friend: Book One: Childhood, Adolescence (The Neapolitan Novels #1) / Elena Ferrante ; Ann Goldstein (tr.) (Europa Editions, 2012)

Artists’ Books: A Cataloguers’ Manual / Maria White, Patrick Perratt, Liz Lawes on behalf of ARLIS/UK & Ireland Cataloguing and Classification Committee (ARLIS/UK & Ireland ; Art Libraries Society, 2006)

The Book as Art: Artists’ Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts / Krystyna Wasserman (Princeton Architectural Press, 2007)

Alas, Babylon / Pat Frank (Perennial Classics, 1999)

To the Lighthouse / Virginia Woolf (The Hogarth Press, 1967)

The Photograph as Contemporary Art (World of Art), 3rd ed. / Charlotte Cotton (Thames & Hudson, 2014)

Swamp Water / Vereen Bell (Little, Brown and Company, 1941)

Ongoingness: The End of a Diary / Sarah Manguso (Graywolf Press, 2015)

Selected Poems / T. S. Eliot (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1964)

The New Way Things Work / David Macaulay ; Neil Ardley (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998)

The Little Friend / Donna Tartt (Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 2003)

At the Same Time: Essays and Speeches / Susan Sontag ; Paolo Dilonardo, Anne Jump (eds.) (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2007)

It’s All Absolutely Fine: Life Is Complicated So I’ve Drawn It Instead / Ruby Elliott (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2017)

Things Fall Apart / Chinua Achebe (Penguin Books, 2017)

Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast / Natasha Trethewey (University of Georgia Press, 2010)

A Humument: A Treated Victorian Novel (Final ed.) / Tom Phillips (Thames & Hudson, 2016)

Tree of Codes (2nd ed.) / Jonathan Safran Foer (Visual Editions, 2011)

Gutshot: Stories / Amelia Gray (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015)

Equus / Peter Shaffer (Scribner, 2005)

National Geographic, vol. 136, no. 6 (December 1969) “Space Record”

Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets / Tyler Nordren (Basic Books, 2016)

Pittsburgh’s South Side (Images of America) / Stuart P. Boehmig (Arcadia Publishing, 2006)

Books read in 2024; asterisks * denote rereads. Favorites this year were Ian McEwan & Donna Tartt, LOVE a good coming-of-age story with a perceptive & melodramatic protagonist set in that liminal period between childhood and adulthood!! Pretty sure the main reason I grabbed the Donna Tartt books while thrifting was just from seeing the occasional tumblr user obsess about them, and oh man I was not disappointed! It is rare that I speed through a 600-page novel but, ugh, the way she puts words together is so riveting. Dickensian levels of detail! Speaking of which, I did actually read a Dickens book this year, Great Expectations, which ended up on my list a few years ago after a stranger on the bus tried to initiate conversation with me by asking what I was reading. He said that Great Expectations was his favorite book, and I was like, “oh cool, I read that in high school, I liked it,” and he was like, super excited that I had also read his fave classic. Well, later on after I got off the bus, I realized I had gotten that title confused with The Great Gatsby (which I did read in high school along with millions of other Americans probably) and I felt bad for accidentally deceiving Random Guy on the Bus, so the next time I saw a copy of Great Expectations at the thrift store, I picked it up. Not bad!!

What else? I’m very late to the Elena Ferrante party, but I enjoyed My Brilliant Friend in text form wayyy better than my attempt to listen to the audiobook five years ago (I just could not follow the audio version and couldn’t get into the story). Charles Peterson’s Touch Me I’m Sick was a fave photo book of the year; it had been on my list since 2015, whoops (I had to interlibrary loan it). This year I read a pretty even mix of books from my to-read list (earliest titles added 2015), books from my to-read pile (items I have thrifted within the past few years), and random interruptions to those lists. Oh, I also read a TON of essays and articles about artists’ books (not listed above) for the class I took at Rare Book School in the summer. I read a couple painfully healing books about motherhood and adoption (The Primal Wound / Nancy Newton Verrier & The Emotionally Absent Mother / Jasmin Lee Cori) that I wish I could’ve encountered earlier in my life but also who knows, maybe this year was cosmically the perfect time for my brain to be receptive. I picked up Alas, Babylon because it was a title I remembered seeing my dad reading at the kitchen table one time when I was a kid. (It’s a 1959 novel about surviving in post-nuclear apocalypse small-town Florida; there is some light misogyny and racism of its era, but also the librarian plays an important role, which I thought was sweet. A couple paragraphs are devoted to the librarian’s perennial struggles [pre-apocalypse] to secure funding, to keep the populace’s attention in spite of modern distractions like tv and air conditioning!) Finally, I also really enjoyed Moon Shot (which I took with me to the eclipse on April 8); here's what I wrote about it in my reading spreadsheet: “The writing style wasn’t particularly phenomenal, yet I was still moved to tears several times while reading … about witnessing the beauty of space, the thrill of exploration, the astronauts’ successes and tragedies, and at the end, the simplicity and sentimentality and symbolism of the Apollo-Soyuz friendships. I can’t help but wonder what the fuck it is about billionaires … that they seemingly don’t become overwhelmed with the desire to save and protect our fragile planet after seeing it from space, a feeling many astronauts seem to have experienced.”

In general, I do most of my reading on the bus during my commutes to and from work, so I get in about 30-60 minutes per day of reading. But also this year I had several incidents of extensive sustained silent reading due to long waiting periods during travel – I read at least the first 100 pages of The Secret History while I was stuck overnight at Newark Airport in July; in August, I read almost all of Parable of the Talents on an Amtrak from Atlanta to Greensboro, then a chunk of Great Expectations on the way back. It was so nice to have that kind of IMMERSIVE, hours-long reading experience again! And especially with such richly detailed & descriptive stories! In 2025 I hope to be able to devote more time to slow, analog reading.

[elizabeth-mitchells]

20 questions for writers

tagged by @sapphicscience thank you! <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

135... which is a normal number okay?!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,412,255..... i will not be making any comments about it...

3. What fandoms do you write for?

sooo there's been 22 of them! the ones i've written the most fics for have been Yellowjackets, Stranger Things, Fear Street, and The Old Guard

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Aftermath (Wednesday) - the fic is nice but this is just n° 1 because that fandom was insane (affectionately)

make my menace into someone you'd adore (Stranger Things) - my masterpiece. looking back i can cringe at some d ecisions but people liked it!

through the grief can't fight the feeling of relief (Warrior Nun) - this makes me so happy, this was a really nice one, i wish i had written more of it

five times Deena and Sam met in secret (and one time they didn’t) (Fear Street) - i did Not expect this one to be so popular, that fandom was so active i should've appreciated it more

Elvis cloned by aliens (you never know...) (Stranger Things) - ah how it all started with this ship <3

5. Do you respond to comments?

usually yes! i try to reply to most of them

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i usually avoid angsty endings (i literally wrote an alternate ending bc this one was too sad for me) but out of a handful of sad endings the winner is definitely If I could hold you for a minute (darling, I'd go through it again) aka Laura Lee reincarnates as the bear but that doesn't change her fate (also helloo prev same fic title kinda?)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

so there are many that are just pure fluff and joy and fun but! considering it's the most hearbreaking piece of media on the list and i gave it the best happy ending i could, i'm gonna go for heaven on earth, back again about the movie Gia

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really! i think two people were a bit annoyed i made a lottienat fic secretly a lottielee fic. but i have no regrets 🤭

9. Do you write smut?

sometimes! 14 times to be exact

10. Do you write crossovers?

two times! and let me tell you i'd say both are at least a bit unexpected

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes once! 【翻译】Being with you (Makes the flame burn good) by R_H_Felidae_Athena

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no :( i tried to but we never finished it

14. What is your all-time favorite ship?

most difficult question ever to me <3 there's always going to be something extra special about dani/jamie from bly manor though!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

all of them 😭😭 or at least most of them. sadly

16. What are your writing strengths?

another difficult question! personally i'd say characterization, hopefully

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

uhhhh probably something along the lines of commitment or confidence

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i think it's okay! i've definitely overdone it in the past though so now i like it a little bit less

19. First fandom you wrote for?

ocean's 8! the milfs compelled me...

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

oohh i love so many of them! God's very simple and love shouldn't burn is my lottielee masterpiece BUT i think the crown should go to If you rewrite your life, may I still play a part?  the Nancy Wheeler Choose Your Own Adventure fic. it took the most work i think! and i'm very proud of it

tagging (no pressure!): @dufrau @ongreenergrasses @lilolilyr @monstrous-femme any any other writers that want to share!

[marcussour]

C3E121 random thoughts and bits (part 2)

Oh, we're starting with Vax, amazing

So interesting the idea that the Matron had her own golden thread that she couldn't quite see

FUCK YEAH, MORRIGHAN IS HERE TOO! I had wanted to see her meeting with Vax for so long (and also, clarify her status as a champion of the Matron as well)

Also, I'm guessing all of this happened before the Rite of Catatheosis (also, nice confirmation that the Catatheosis is, basically, a reversed engineered Rite of Ascension)

So she's creating an order of champions, starting with Vax and Morrighan, and also, they will work as Purvan taking care of the Matron in mortal form, interesting (and again, hell of a character idea, to be champions of death, which funnily enough, was the background of a character I played in my own home D&D game), with Vax as the main champion

Also, great clarification regarding how the gods will basically enter a cycle of rebirth as well

Gotta love that, at heart, the Matron is still the greatest wizard that ever lived, like, in how Matt has played her in this conversation or how she re-rewrote the Rite, that's clearly the ambition and talents of the best wizard that ever lived

I expected that Vax was gonna be back from the dead. It still feels so weird, like, I don't think it diminishes the ending of C1 (though I can see that perspective) due to the circumstances that basically forced the Matron to give up godhood, but it feels odd, the, getting used to this.

Oh, now it's Deanna's time

I love the dicotomy of the Goddess of Death having a bittersweet but kinda optimistic goodby, and then the God of the Sun and Life and Agriculture having a sad and sorrowful goodbye (also, Aabria made me cry, so its been 3 times already in this episode). Like, the idea of the more central and powerful and prideful member of the pantheon having to come to terms with the idea of mortality and like, defeat as he said, of there being no other alternative.

FRIDA!

He can smell Chet? Oh, I want to now if FRIDA finally became a wererobot

Oh no, FCG, and FRIDA just, knew... damn (tears counter: 4)

Looking forward to Laudna and FRIDA going after the old coin from FCG

Amazing thing that Chet made for Deanna (and of course he stole things from Percy and the clock tower)

Joy con drift in the left eye, hahaha

There's always a choice to fuck the gods now that they're gonna be mortals... you can certainly try

That's certainly a way to kiss a ring

If Teven's gonna be working for Asmodeus return, wonder what will happen with Zerxus

Never gonna get tired of the whole "Truthbearer, fabled plate of Uther Vendrock" schtick

OPAL!!

Love seeing the table with so many people

Where's Prism tho?

Yay, FRIDA BECAME A WEREROBOT!

"I swore I would never make everything out of metal", hahaha, that was great

Look at FRIDA, already crafting thing (also, it reminded me a lot of the Arch-Heart back in Aeor)

Also, love that everyone is scheduling FRIDA for sidequests

"Nancy! Oh my Nancy!"

Mark the Crown Keepers reunion -and Opal's "I'm sorry"- for the Tears Counter: 5

Whisper! (maybe the last one of the campaign)

Oh, that shift in Opal, the idea of her and Dorian looking for the reborn Lolth to murder her as a baby, that was wild

Love this idea of integrating the peoples of Ruidus into Exandria (also, it's what I assumed would happen as a way to add the different backgrounds of Daggerheart)

GROGORY STRONGJAW, GUARDIAN OF THE MOON

Also, the idea of the lunar adventures of Grog and Gaz Tomo, amazing

"What a gift, the chance to let someone live in their dreams. Redemption"

A Taste of Tal'Dorei on the moon, why not

Braius with the wildest week known to anyone

Look at Orym helping Ryn regain their arm

Entering into epilogue territory now (which is wild because there's still 3 hours left)

Finally Lieve'tel entered the chat

Love thematic connection of Laudna wishing for the opposite outcome of what would happen to Keyleth

That was an amazing divine intervention, and look at these 2, forever bound, they'll literally get old and eventually die together

Nice sidenote regarding Lieve'tel eventually hooking up with Cerkonos

Oh, that brief moment where Asmodeus took over Matt felt like he was channeling what Brennan did after Asmodeus returned to the mortal plane in Calamity

Interesting thing what Braius did

Love the idea of Ashton just, traveling the world. Part of me wanted for them to end up with Fearne, but also, part of me kinda knew that there was no way those 2 would ever settle down, but who knows

Oh Dorian, babe... that talk with his mom was too real (tears counter: 6)

PRISM!!! And living with Zhudanna now, amazing! (Wish Emily had been at the table)

At this point they should just use Devexian in one of the live shows or something, so everyone can finally learn what the fuck is up with that (I know that he's part of The Re-Slayer's Take, but haven't found the time to listen it)

PRETTY!!!

Loved that little FCG coda

I do think there's a version of this story where Milo might've played a bigger role

"To FCG, who could always see the worst in everybody but chose to only honor the best. Only the best"

"I don't know anything anymore, but the only thing I know is that I want to be with you, and I hope just for now, just for now, that can be enough and it can carry us through"

Love how Dorian's just, now that everything's over, he's finally taking the time to process and going through the motions of the trauma

Oh Ashton

Glad to see that, at least in some ways or form, there's a future for those 2 to be together in their own way

Dariax!!

Crown Keepers!

Holy shit, Deni$e's here too!

Now I need Dariax to join Grog and Gaz in the Moon

"What about you She-Ra?"; "Netflix cancelled us"

"Thanks Keyleth" OH YOU

"For the longest time I've walked under the light of the moons, but I think it's time I spent some time with the sun in the clear blue sky"

Tears counter: 7

And Tears counter: 8 now, with Orym hugging Keyleth

Mission Acomplished, Crown Keepers

Drunk Kiki came back before GTA6

"Please die"

THE POCK O'PEA PATH

A little PP

For a moment I thought they were gonna end it with Chet dying in his sleep in a comfy bed or something, but you know, legends never die

Ira! Not gonna lie, it's been amazing seeing Ira's journey, from where we all started

3 out of the 5 eggs from Chet. Also, I really wish they make the easter egg hunt one shot, to see if she can get the one Caleb owns

Oh, I love how Ashton's hammer turned, basically, into a miniature model of a solar system, that's so amazing

Ashton and Braius, muscle for hire, never saw that one coming

The last "shut up" after a sneeze of the campaign

Painting evil babies

Never thought that it would be Fjord and Jester the ones who would end up taking Braius under their wing

"I love Suzy Greene"

Oh Artagan, you just keep being you

Nana Morri fuckin' around with Orym, and not following the deal through, that was amazing

Dorian became the glue that held the rest of the group together, that's beautiful

The well deserved lesbian cottagecore life and forever after for Laudna and Imogen

Oh, Chetney's wedding gift for Jester and Fjord, incredible (also, tears counter: 9)

LUDINUS, YOU MOTHERFUCKER. In a roundabout way, of course he ended up winning, but it feels so appropiate NGL.

"Gods help me. Fuck, they can't, they're gone"

Krevirian Republic

Grog and Gaz BFF4E

And that's how both of Robbies characters ended up with a Liam character

Of course Percy is training Gwen to be not just the leader of a Spy Network, but to find the god's first. He's just going full old man Bruce Wayne

Also, it kinda hit me, the whole, Percy's taking in his own mortality and making plans because he's gonna be the first one to die of old age.

Pike getting to be the one that raises and takes care of the reincarnated Everlight is just, perfect

CENTAUR PIKE!

The Era of Reclamation

It could have ended in any other way, it had to be with VAXLETH

Tears Counter: 10 (and now I'm just bawling my eyes out)

"Every now and then, your champion comes to visit"

Good Night Bells Hells. Good Night Mighty Nein. Good Night Vox Machina.

"I'M TARYON DARRINGTON", damn it Sam

Lots to unpack, lots to possible threads for the future, but for now, it was a great finale.

Also, it feels great finally having been able to follow a campaign as it was releasing and not having to play catch up, and just, share along with everyone.