#you asked for lore dump you get lore dump

[shadowrunner8236]

@everyone

Tell me your commanders lore in the tags i wanna read

As there are no restrictions for this im gonna warn minors to consider all possible content warnings before reading the tags!

PLEASSEE go crazy pick one to three of your commanders and info dump to me about it all i want to see you guys writing and ik most of you are waiting for some one to ask so heres some propmts to help you out if you need!

Prompts

What drives them?

Whats their personal goal?

How does their culture (wherever they are from in your lore) affect them? [Ie do they go to festivals, miss home, have a grudge with a clan, person, or collage? Etc]

Do they have anyone they love?

Did any of their loves perish, who and why?

Do they have a major regret or loss?

U can make this a therapy sesh for them its ok

A dream they clung to, a hope or goal (if any) that kept them going through it all, or alternatively drove them to their end~

Go crazy go off the cuff! I wanna read so this may get reblogged a few times on my main!

[agent-toast]

@irregularityregularity, my friend, you have made a terrible mistake.

alt text: ok so theres this guy who is you and ur a secret agent and you have a handler in your earpiece who guides you and you solve puzzles in vr like an escape room and there are danger things like bombs and trapped shelves that will kill you if you activate them and you die but you can respawn and there is a big danger weapon in space called the death engine pointing at earth which is going to kill all the agents of ur agency which is bad and the person behind it is commander solaris and you defeat her and stop the death engine from engineing and in the process you accidentally fake ur death and then it turns out the person behind solaris is the head of the bad company thing called dr zor (ur agency company is called the enhanced operatives division/EOD btw) so then in the second game you find out that this annoying howlian actor called john juniper who calls himself the greatest actor ever, is actually working for zoraxis and your handler is like 'but but i liked that guy' so anyway zoraxis thinks you're dead right so john juniper thinks you're some other agent, he tries to kill you to stop you from finding out his top secret evil plan but you survive (well i assume you survive) and he realises 'oh shit this is the agent who supposedly died on the death engine' and he calls you agent phoenix because you 'came back from the dead' so he even more tries to kill you but eventually you find out that john juniper, along with an inventor of traps and stuff called the fabricator, is impersonating heads of state with a 'mimic mask' that lets you look and sound like the person you want to impersonate. they use the mask to steal the nuclear launch codes that all the heads of state have, so that they can launch some nukes and make the whole world know that zoraxis is in control of everyone now. they also kidnapped the real heads of state and, john impersonated the heads and made statements saying that they were friendly to zoraxis and wanted to work with them. (before, the real heads did not like zoraxis.) you manage to take the suitcase that holds the nuclear launch codes but john juniper sleeping gases you and takes it back, and kidnaps you and impersonates your handler :D you manage to escape, and because you put a tracking device on the suitcase, you find out where john juniper is conducting the final part of the plan, zOraXiS dEfEnsE (name of level i think). john is pretending to hold a peace summit with all the heads of state to show that zoraxis is in league with the heads, but in actuality he's being a drama queen and wants to show the whole world (its being broadcast) the moment he launches the nukes and takes over the world. you ride an elevator with nice music to the 'peace summit' and almost get killed by gunshots (this is part of the plot), the elevator stops working, then you use external power from some danger blades from zoraxis that were going to slice the ropes of your elevator to make it start again. you reach john juniper who's standing on a very thin platform in the middle of a hole (im assuming that's the place where the nukes are but idk). john juniper's like ahah you can't stop me but you turn on a lever that splits the platform in two, causing john to almost fall into the hole, but he just barely hangs on. dr zor's voice appears! and they say 'ahahah mr juniper u were never running the show' and electrocute him using the mimic mask that he's wearing. he falls off the platform and probably dies? idk? then dr zor launches the countdown for the nukes and you have five minutes to figure out how to stop the nukes using the modified briefcase. it kinda looks like a bunch of random puzzles. you solve it, but when you press the stop button, there's low power, so it doesn't work. so you use the external power you got from the elevator and plug it into the suitcase, ignoring what your handler says about the elevator being about to fall without power. you press the button woo and fall to your death.

maybe.

the third game is even harder to sum up than the first and second so i'll shorten it

dr prism is agency inventor and missing

she actually works for zoraxis because the agency rejected her idea to use robots as agents instead of humans

oh yeah i forgot you have telekinesis and she's the one who made ur telekinetic implant, using an ore called kinesium.

she made the robots using the kinesium and other stuff and now they're gonna kill you because prism wants to show the agency that robot agents are better than human agents and she knows you're very skilled, so killing the great agent phoenix will show the agency that the robot agents are better.

long story short you chase prism, die a lot, the robots get knocked out by zor and die, prism is angry at zor because zor used her, you guys find out zor wants to mine a million kinesium because heated and blown up kinesium messes with the telekinetic implants in agents' heads. if there's a loooot of kinesium, that means the agents will all die, and the radius of the explosion will be big enough to kill all the agents. you and prism go and stop zor in a volcano where all the kinesium is stored. you use your telekinesis to contain the blast, which really messes hard with your head and you black out. your handler and prism get worried about you and while you're out, prism carries you to a nearby beach then leaves because she says she can't face the agency rn. your handler reveals his distrust of chickens. one robot agent is actually alive and he's a good robot. the end. my god that was long

[kwillow]

Does Theo even have a game plan to stave off poverty? Or is he just going to eventually end up dead and destitute in a gutter somewhere? 😩

Sure, he has a plan. It is, um… elegant in its simplicity, shall we say.

Listen, Theo is an intelligent guy if we measure by fact recall and ability to learn new skills, but he’s not much of a planner, more of a single-minded, self-destructive, do-or-die-er.

Thankfully for him, he’s not so poor he’s about to starve. Before his mother died, they were getting by. They were poor for the circles they traveled in - political players and dignitaries, where poverty is defined by the inability to maintain a large household staff instead of not knowing where your next meal is going to come from.

Theo has enough money stashed away to maintain his current hermit’s lifestyle, wherein his only real splurge is eating something other than canned food once every few months. So you don’t need to worry about him (for a while, anyway).

In theory, he could shore up his finances by doing what he is supposed to as Northcrest’s resident mage instead of going crazy alone in his house. Collecting fees or tax proceeds in exchange for using magic to help the public is how his family historically earned their keep, but he hasn’t exactly been holding up his end of the bargain. Many townspeople think he died at some point, so they’ve stopped bothering to set aside funds for work he’s not doing for reasons of apparent laziness, madness or decomposition. That's a little bit of money he could get his hands on, but he's too busy chasing his pipe-dream/nightmare instead.

Even if he did end up running out of money completely, he wouldn’t end up a corpse in a gutter anyway. He’d sooner die than let anyone take his manor from him. So he’s end up a corpse in a decaying old mansion instead! Much more dignified.

[kingofthecotas]

road to ruin (we’re starting at the end)

soulmate au, phillip island 2014, same universe as this fic | let’s call this explicit | ~2k

aka marc is having the time of his life while valentino is trying to escape the cosmic saw trap he’s invented in his head

——

Valentino wins in Australia.

That, and the champagne, does nothing to temper the twisted knot of panic that his stomach had wrenched itself into when he saw Marc sliding off the track.

It’s—

This is still new, to him.

(It’s been over a year.)

Uccio has been with him for so long that he can’t remember life without him. Marc is new, and he’s terrifying.

When Valentino had turned seventeen, he’d drunk some shitty beer and thrown up and then pressed his forehead to Uccio’s. I didn’t choose this. You’re my best friend. You can’t ever leave me.

Marc, by contrast, is sold on the romanticism of it all, of fate and destiny. He has his brother, his brother who he loves more than life itself, etched on the inside of his wrist. He’s stark on Valentino’s arm like a fresh tattoo.

The thing is—Valentino had been orbiting towards him anyway. Marc is young, talented, really fucking hot, and he looks at Valentino like a revelation. But they’d gotten too drunk in Laguna Seca last year, had fallen asleep wrapped up in each other, and woken up in the middle of the night to the marks burning into their arms like a brand.

And—how much of it was the universe telling Valentino what he should do, what he should feel?

It had stopped mattering, just for a moment, when he saw Marc’s face in the dark.

But now—

Marc is a selfish bastard. It’s gnawing a hole in Valentino’s stomach, because Marc has him. Fate reached out and dropped him into Marc’s hands without warning, without permission, and Marc still insists on riding like he’s trying to die. Like that wouldn’t half-kill Valentino too.

Marc has him. Valentino never had a chance.

He never had a choice, either.

And sometimes, somehow, it doesn’t matter, because they’re good, they’re really good. He can make Marc laugh like it’s nothing. Marc watches him, brightens when their eyes meet. Sex with Marc—he goes half-mad on it, on fucking into him with a thumb pressed on Marc’s shoulder, while Marc gasps his name into the piece of himself in Valentino’s skin in return.

Perfect. Like they were meant to be.

And then Marc will get on his bike and crash, and Valentino’s stomach will turn every time. He’ll press a fingertip into the mark, the blunt edge of a nail, and try not to think about clawing Marc out of him. It’s not fair, it’s not fucking fair: that Valentino likes him, that Marc adores him back, that they could have just fallen together without the tide-pull of being soulmates. With all the joy of choosing each other. Without the constant drumbeat of what losing him would be.

Marc being in Tavullia had been an adrenaline shot, straight to the chest. Taking him out of the familiar collage of racing, motorhomes, press rooms, podiums, and pasting him so very much in Valentino’s life—real, suddenly. All too real. Permanent soulmarks and Marc in a house Valentino calls home and forever.

Because the stars said so, or some shit like that.

——

It’s dark outside when Marc knocks on his hotel door.

He must have had a long debrief, must have spent even longer sulking, sharp and pissed off, but he smiles at Valentino and slips inside. Valentino rubs his right arm as he passes, making sure to push under his T-shirt sleeve and brush across his mark, and watches as Marc practically melts into him.

God.

“Beer?” Valentino offers when he pulls his hand away. Not really allowed, but. Well. He’s Valentino Rossi.

Marc shakes his head, face serious. Valentino would think he was punishing himself if he didn’t know how Marc is when it’s about racing. “Well done,” he offers instead.

With a sharp grin, Valentino reaches out for the bottle opener and pries his own beer open. “You were two seconds ahead.”

Smile completely gone, Marc narrows his eyes, bites the inside of his cheek, like Valentino is a journalist pushing for a punchy quote.

“You’re already the champion,” Valentino continues. He lets the words hang between them. “No need to push.”

Marc shrugs. “I still want to win.”

“Hm.” Of course he does. Valentino takes a sip. The beer is Australian, of course, and he twists his lips when he swallows. It lingers in his mouth.

“What?”

“You didn’t need to crash.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to.”

The burning pit is back in Valentino’s gut. For a second, he forgets he’s not talking to Uccio. “I didn’t ask for this, but the least you can do is not try to kill yourself every weekend.”

Marc blinks, recoils.

Too much, Valentino realises, too much, too far. Shit.

“No one asks for their soulmates,” Marc says slowly.

I bet you did. It washes over him, the shadow of it; if he didn’t know that Marc didn’t make this happen, couldn’t, any more than Valentino could stop it—if he didn’t know that—

He swallows the ghost of resentment down, because he does know that. Marc may have wanted it—clear in the way he hung on Valentino even before they found themselves twisted together, clear in the wondrous disbelief that night in California—but he could never have made this happen.

He’s watching Valentino now, something like hurt dancing in his eyes. “But you still—” He’s so young, face open and wanting. “You still want me. Right?”

“If I didn’t want you, you wouldn’t be here.”

Marc blinks again. Then he tilts his head, expression slanting into something else. “Prove it.”

And now—now they’re wrong-footed, because Marc is the one who comes to his motorhome, to his hotel room. Valentino calls; he answers. Not now.

Valentino puts the bottle down, takes him in: arms folded, jaw set, halfway across the room now. Marc narrows his eyes—come on then—and it’s two, two and a half steps to stand in front of him, to reach for him like a memory, to find, even under Honda colours, the part of Marc’s body where Valentino lives.

It works like a charm, of course, like pushing a button to say here I am. Marc inhales, loosens, and then he’s reaching too. When his thumb dances over the mark, Valentino’s eyes nearly roll back in his head.

It’s smug, Marc’s smile, as he drops his hand. He has his answer. He has Valentino.

Just like he wants. Valentino swallows. If he didn’t know better—

He almost jabs his nail into Marc’s arm this time, earning a sharp gasp for his efforts, and the Honda cap has to come off then, so he can kiss the sound out of him, so he can dig in again and feel teeth on his bottom lip for it. Marc pushes forward, hands grasping at him, and they’re back, order restored, points proven.

How could he not want this? How would he not have chosen this, if it had been up to him?

“That beer is shit,” Marc hisses into his mouth. It startles a genuine laugh out of Valentino just as the backs of his legs hit the bed and he pulls Marc down into his lap.

Marc, once again, looks satisfied at the reaction, like he’s cataloguing it. Like he still can’t believe, more than a year later, where he is.

Valentino busies himself with pulling Marc’s shirt off, which is infinitely easier than confronting that. His own shirt follows, discarded at their feet, and he looks up at Marc, presses a kiss to his soulmark.

He thinks Marc sobs, half-bitten-off and swallowed. His palm is hot when it lands on Valentino, on the mark, and holds, desperate. “Vale—”

“Mm?”

When Marc kisses him this time, it’s enough for the knot to untangle and slide away, because he’s here, he’s alive, he’s an idiot but he’s Marc, and that’s all it takes to forgive him for now.

“Happy?” Valentino murmurs.

Marc hums. Clearly, Valentino is forgiven too.

If there had been anything left of their posturing stand-off, if it hadn’t already been blown away by Marc’s devastating unspooling whimper, it would never have withstood the moan Valentino lets out when Marc slips a hand inside his waistband and leans down to scrape his teeth over soulmarked skin at the same time. It’s liquid gold, coiling through his body, starbursting behind his eyes.

They’re good together. Really fucking good.

He pulls free so he can shift up the bed until he’s against the headboard; Marc comes with him, willing, slides into the space between Valentino’s spread legs and kneels there.

“Marc,” Valentino breathes.

“Mi marca,” is what he gets back in Spanish, because—

Because.

“My Marc.” It’s the only time he comes close to allowing it to be part of him, when Marc is here in front of him, warm spun-gold breathed to life. His.

Marc’s fingers are on his dick again, moving with a purpose that tells Valentino exactly what he wants. Fine. No complaints.

He slides both thumbs around Marc’s waistband to the front of his jeans, fumbles the fucking button when he gets there. Marc cackles—yeah, haha, hilarious—and moves his hips up so Valentino can get better purchase, so he can pull denim and boxers down in the same yanking movement.

Right hand on Marc’s thigh, left one clasping his shoulder, that thumb brushing over his soulmark again and again—Marc closes his eyes, breaths shuddering out of him, and they sit in it for a long moment, on the blissful cliff edge, before Valentino squeezes his thigh, squeezes his arm, and moves his right hand to brush over Marc’s cock.

They’re good together. They’re so good.

——

Reality sometimes for Valentino is tinged with warmth and golden smiles and Marc. More often, it finds him with a cold dread at the base of his skull, even with Marc’s body twisted around his. Wound together: it’s a little on the nose. The starburst fades.

“You need to stop crashing,” Valentino says, because he can’t leave it alone, can’t turn it off. Picking at the scab.

Marc only rolls his eyes, but it’s all fizzling out like someone’s thrown the sparkler in a bucket, heat and light gone.

“I am serious. Look. Here.” He lets his hand rest on Marc’s arm, just below the shoulder.

You have a piece of my soul in your body, is what he doesn’t say. A part of me would die with you.

Their lives are not their own, after all. He swallows back a scream.

“I don’t try to crash,” Marc whispers back instead of promising anything, because he is Marc, and he will hurtle headfirst into a highside if he thinks he might win.

Valentino sighs and lets his hand drop away. Marc catches it, pushes closer until their chests are pressed together with their twined fingers in between. It’s as good of an apology as either of them are going to get.

Then Marc yawns, cracks the tension with the click of his jaw. Valentino’s sharp laugh jolts out of him, sending pulses through their bodies where they’re touching.

“Long day?”

“Long fucking day,” Marc grumbles, and he’s rolling off, out of the bed, stumbling to the bathroom.

Valentino, suddenly strung out and weary with it, cleans himself with the tissues on the nightstand, and presses the back of his head against the headboard. He’s still sitting there, sitting up with the weight of forever in his hands, when Marc emerges and climbs back into bed beside him.

“When is your flight?” Marc asks through another yawn.

“Not until the afternoon. Sleep as late as you want to.”

He doesn’t move, only shifting his right arm to let Marc curl in, head turned towards him. Towards the mark. It’s not long before he’s asleep.

And Valentino doesn’t move. His stomach knots: a familiar hurt this time, years of it.

This is—it’s forever.

Marc has him, palm of his hand. Sometimes it’s as if he doesn’t even feel it, he doesn’t know—the weight of it.

It’s almost like being seventeen again, nauseous twist in his stomach, shit beer staining his tongue. I didn’t choose this, he tells Uccio in his memory. I couldn’t choose this, he cries to the uncaring night.

Valentino doesn’t move, but Marc does, tucks his head further in, nose catching the mark and sending warmth flooding through Valentino’s veins. In return, he drags his knuckles over Marc’s arm, smiling despite himself at the content, deep-sleep sigh.

I wish I had.

[brionysea]

allison and five are actually fascinating to write together. allison is the sibling for checking on people and asking in plain english if they're okay but five would literally rather bleed out than show a shred of vulnerability

[cacaocheri]

You should in fact infodump about poptropica, also have you considered doing a DCA Poptropica crossover to unite the interests together?

1) I love you so much dude I hope you're doing well 2) poptropica infodump would take AGES this thing has lore so I will spare you a ramble for now 3) I . HAVE NOT. BUT COULD YOU IMAGINE SUN AND MOON WITH THE BIG BOBBLE HEADS

no? because I can

oh my god they look so much more cursed than I expected I'm laughing my ass off

[mars-ipan]

Mars i fear i may be dying of the plague. I have coughed blood into my sink twice now and my throat feels like I gave really aggressive oral to a scrubdaddy spongue.

Do you have any priest au thoughts/scenarios/rambles to sooth a troublde lad such as mysrlf🙏🙏

hemo. as a guy who has also coughed up blood somewhat recently. it may be time to go to an urgent care and make sure it’s nothing serious. there’s a pretty nasty pneumonia going around rn and if that IS what it is the sooner you get those antibiotics the faster you’ll recover.

as for priest au stuffs: the election kinda killed my creative flow (we’re ballin but we’re stressed) BUT i’ve been trying to flesh out hajime’s backstory a bit for the the past few days so here’s some bullet point brainstorming on that :D

check under the cut for the goods, as per usual ^_^ tw for mentions of child abuse, and also a general warning for priest au-typical horny talk and homophobia

i’ve been thinking abt hajime’s childhood/past a lot, partially bc i don’t feel fully confident writing him until i have the details of his backstory fleshed out. i think his dad was more of the aggressive “no son of mine” type of homophobic, where his mom was more of the “hate the sin love the sinner” type of homophobic. it’s cliché maybe but like. traditional catholic family values yanno. his family does differ from traditional catholicism in one way though: hajime is an only child.

i don’t think hajime was ever The Manliest Man growing up. yeah he was strong from helping on the farm, but he never felt the need to flaunt his masculine attributes. he never wanted to impress girls, he never initiated an arm-wrestling contest, and once he hit teenagerhood he quit wrestling with his friends altogether. when his friends asked him why he never roughhouses with them anymore, he tensed up and mumbled something about it being “weird” and “immature.”

he showed a lot of delicacy towards nature as well, a trait he carries into adulthood! rescuing turtles from roads, gently rehoming bugs, taking care not to step on wildflowers, that sort of thing. he was teased for this growing up :( he’d be compared to a disney princess and the like or just be called a pussy for Caring About The World Around Him. while he still loves nature and knows there’s nothing wrong with that, he does get embarrassed if his gentleness is pointed out— he’s anticipating some sort of reprimand.

been trying to think about hajime’s gay awakening. i imagine once he hit puberty he started having vague… thoughts. they weren’t attached to anyone but he kept it secret anyways since Lust Is A Sin and Masturbation Is A Sin Too and he’s not interested in growing hair on his palms or going blind (he later finds out that those are myths, but for now he heeds the tales), nor is he interested in the scolding he would get from his parents if they found out. from there we have two main options as i see it.

option A: in a parallel of the magazine he finds in Jabberwock, teen!hajime comes across some sort of gay porn. it’s completely accidental— he finds a mag or some other paraphernalia in a log or something, opens it, Realizes what is is, looks around for witnesses, and quickly stuffs it into his jacket. he’s not even sure why, but he knows he’s curious. as soon as he gets home he hides it between his mattress and his bedframe, and that night, when he’s sure his parents are asleep, he grabs a flashlight and starts to look through it. he doesn’t understand why he’s so fascinated until he realizes: he’s breathing heavily, hot in the face, absentmindedly rubbing his thighs together, and, most incriminatingly of all, he’s the hardest he’s ever been in his life. mortified, he shoves the magazine back under his mattress and tries his best to forget about what he saw, tossing and turning as he tries to calm down and go to sleep.

option B: hajime is really close with one of his peers. they’re childhood friends, and they’ve gotten along great forever. at some point, though, hajime starts feeling weird around him. not BAD weird, but… he’s nervous, and his skin seems to buzz whenever they touch, and his heart flutters when he makes his friend laugh, and… he can’t make sense of it all. not until he wakes up one night from a particularly vivid dream, chest heaving, skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and his sheets soiled with the evidence of his subconscious sin. he realizes what’s going on, and his heart sinks into his stomach. he does his best to ignore it, but it haunts him.

we could also combine these options and say both of these things happen, but idk yet. i like the loneliness of the porn but i also like the guilt of having to talk to your close friend and pretend you aren’t feeling confusing and frightening things for them.

hajime lives at home until his early adulthood, when he is Caught. if we went with option A for his awakening, then he comes home one day to find The Porn sitting on the kitchen table, its pages now crinkled from years of viewing, and his heart sinks into his stomach. he’s not sure how they found it— maybe his mom was cleaning his room and lifted his mattress? but it doesn’t matter— they Know now, and he has no way to explain himself.

if we go with option B, hajime is caught with that “good friend” of his. he had snuck in via hajime’s bedroom window, at a time they both were sure hajime’s parents would be asleep. unfortunately, hajime’s dad comes up to his room (hajime never learns the original intent of this visit) and opens the door to find his son, hair and clothes a mess, with the neighbor boy straddling his thighs, hands clearly paused in the middle of lifting up his son’s shirt. it’s silent for a bit, and the tension in the air is so heavy hajime feels like he can barely breathe. still, he breaks out of the stupor first, muttering a quiet “you need to go” to his friend without breaking eye contact with his father. the friend gets the message and bolts, leaving via the same window he came from. hajime is now alone with his father, so guilty and scared that he feels nauseous.

regardless of which of these events occurs, the outcome is the same. hajime’s father responds first, yelling and berating. hajime is terrified— he’s seen his dad mad, but never like this. never shouting obscenities and vile words at him. when told to explain himself hajime stumbles over his words, eventually landing on some variant of “i don’t know.” eventually, his father decides words aren’t punishment enough, and hajime gets the shit beat out of him for the first time in his life. he tries to defend himself, but he’s never been much of a fighter, and he doesn’t want to hit his dad, self defense or not. when his father finally storms off, his mother comes near, her eyes brimming with tears. she holds her arms out to hajime, tells her baby to come here. hajime, aching and bruised and perhaps with a freshly broken nose, collapses into his mother’s arms, silently crying into her shoulder as she pets his hair. she holds him close, rocking them from side to side, before she speaks. “oh, hajime, darling,” she starts, voice thick with tears and love, “i’m sorry. we’ve failed you, haven’t we? that’s why you’re doing this to us.” hajime’s stomach curdles at those words, and he quickly excuses himself, washing the blood off his face in the bathroom sink before he locks himself in his room.

regardless of the guilt he carries— he knew he was sinning, after all— hajime knows he is no longer safe at home. his father had never beat him like that before, and he doesn’t know that he would be able to walk away if it happened again. he doesn’t want to leave his mother, but he could tell that she was disgusted by him, too, her words still echoing in his mind. so, hajime packs as many of his things as he can fit into his suitcase, and the next day he leaves town, never letting himself look back. he job hops for a bit before he manages to get his house in Jabberwock— he got really, really lucky with the price of the property.

hajime hasn’t talked to anyone from his hometown since he left, and while he still has his parents’ landline number memorized, he doesn’t dare call. his dad’s probably disowned him, anyhow. sometimes he wonders how the people he grew up with are doing, but he can’t bring himself to go back. it’s not home anymore.

[ask-spooky-manor]

do you have any clockwork and Jeff the killer hcs?

I’m gonna assume you mean their friendship and not separate headcanons.

- Natalie was the first friend Jeff made when he and his family moved to Colorado. He saw that she had a little gengar keychain on her backpack, and he couldn’t help but bring up how much he loves Pokemon.

- Similarly, Jeff was the first person Natalie befriended when they reunited at the manor. They can not be separated ever. They are a package deal.

- Their dynamic summed up is: the chill woman who never plans anything ever, and her neurotic bestie who needs to have his whole day broken down by the hour or he will lose it.

- This is something that tends to cause tension. The fact that Natalie goes with the flow has Jeff worried she won’t accomplish her tasks when they need to be done. All while Jeff’s meticulous planning and general anxieties stresses Natalie out. It’s like:

Natalie: oh my god, get off my ass!

Jeff: I wouldn’t be on your ass if you actually did your job when you were supposed to!

- Despite Natalie’s relaxed nature, she and Jeff do get very competitive and do a lot of little challenges together. Like, who eats dinner the fastest? Who can kill the most monsters? Who can go a day without getting into trouble? (Neither can accomplish that one).

- They always know exactly what to say/do to get the other out of a funk. Jeff is there to give a hug and reassure Nat that things will always get better. Natalie knows how to pull Jeff out of an anxiety induced spiral with clear solutions to his problems.

- They’re big on physical affection (along with Toby but this isn’t about him). They cuddle a lot, they can casually share a bed with no problem, Natalie can straight up sit on Jeff’s lap if she wanted to. They don’t see it as a big deal to share these moments with close friends cause they’re so comfortable with the dynamic and frankly crave that kind of contact.

- They just adore each other, idk how else to say it. It may not be as obvious as it is when Toby is thrown into the mix cause Toby is very forward and in your face with his own form of affection, but Jeff and Natalie hold this deep connection with each other. They understand one another so well it’s almost scary. Something something, they finish each other’s sentences and all that.

[somerandomcryptid]

Some concept sketches of our lovely developer :D along with a few snippets from an article about his upcoming game Adventures in Esempi

Adventures in Esempi is an ai-powered open-world rpg. One that promises to be truly limitless "I wanted to create a dnd-like experience. Where the story can be truly limitless if the DM has ideas, just for people who don't have anyone to be their DM." The developer "XD" says in an interview. "AI was my way of doing that. And I know people will come at me for using AI. But it does take effort to create. I have worked for years on this project to train my characters. And it's not even ready yet. I'm currently doing my 3rd wave of play testing and I'm sure one of my lovely play testers will come across a bug that is game breaking and I'll have to reset the AI's parameters all over again." Another quote from the developer reads.

"Every character I make is a tribute to someone I've lost or someone who impacted me greatly. With a few cameos for some of my play testers who without which this game would not exist. Though there is one character that's a little easter egg, should you go looking for it." XD says when asked about his character creation process

A little bit more about the development: Adventures in Esempi is a passion project of it's currently sole developer a person known as XD (note that while XD identifies as trans-masc and uses both he/him and they/them pronouns for the purposes of this article XD will be refered to with he/him pronouns or simply "XD"). The game has had many other developers over the years, the longest working on the project being Sam Isenberg, or Awesamdude as was his online name, and the mysterious Callahan. Sam -who was also XD's husband at the time- worked on the first ideas and attempts at the project in the late 90s and the 2000s before being found dead in 2010 shortly after leaving the project and filing for divorce. We know much less about Callahan. Only that he worked on the project from the year 2006 to 2014 when he went missing. But even with these loses, and even more person ones in the time of the games development XD has kept on the project. Honoring past developers that left the project with a character ingame.

I think that's all I'll give you for now ;) but that is a pretty big lore drop

Anyway take some sketches of some of the things XD doesn't want the public to know about them

And also:

i took his gender. Fight me about it.

Anyway now is a great time to mention that I stole(I asked) the X scar design from @calamari-minecraft-corner's digital friend au XD

[shhroomer]

Dude! Please I gotta hear more about your little lady 🤲

☆ Is there someone your OC didn’t like at first, but then got along with later?

☆ Who would your OC say is their best friend?

Dude !!! Always happy to see you in my inbox 🫶 ahh thank you sm for the enthusiasm!!

oh man these are some hard questions!! im still trying to figure out the characterization for some of them, so the dynamics might be subject to change. Regardless, oh boy you might have to brace yourself for this one, I fear it's going to be long......... (i havent written it yet but im going to preemptively cut just in case)

☆ Is there someone your OC didn’t like at first, but then got along with later?

that someone is Craig!! He wouldn't like Hanh at first because she's often involved with the M4's shenanigans, and assumed she was either a. a wimpy pushover because of her shy nature or b. just as bad as them lmao. On the other end, Hanh thought that Craig was nothing but a troublemaker with how often he got sent to the Principal's office and assumed he was a meanie with how often he'd clash with her friends. She'd misinterpret his direct and pragmatic comments as being malicious, and while she does agree with a lot of his points, she thinks that his words could use more tact.

However, over time they'd both realize that they had misconceptions about each other: Hanh would come to realize that Craig's reasons for being sent to the principal's office is usually never on purpose or for malicious reasons, and that he never actively looked for trouble. That, and that most of the time, his criticisms towards her friends were completely justified LMAOO. Meanwhile, Craig would find out that Hanh's not as much of a pushover as he thought she was, and that she reprimands the M4 just as much as he does.

which, segues nicely into:

☆ Who would your OC say is their best friend?

also Craig!!!

After they get over that little hurdle, they come to learn a lot from each other! I imagine that Hanh would often give Craig advice on how to talk to Tweek, esp when it comes to the more emotional situations where Craig's more prone to problem solve, and over time he'd learn how to be gentler and kinder in general! On the flipside, Craig would teach Hanh how to be more confident in herself by getting her to be more direct. Craig's honesty is also something Hanh will always appreciate, because it's something she can always rely on without second guessing herself or look for any double meanings. She can always reliably trust that his monotone and deadpan ass will always tell her the truth.

I imagine Craig would ask Hanh what she sees in Stan's gang, only for her to reply with "they make me laugh."

I kind of headcanon that Craig to be this super tall, stoic, kind of intimidating (mostly thanks to his height) kinda guy that people are kinda scared of and avoid. In reality, he's just as much of a loser as any other guy. And with Hanh being short af (standing at a whopping 153cm/5 foot), I think it's a pretty funny visual contrast lol, especially with their very differing personalities (imagine that one picture of the guy going "someone will die" and the other person going "of fun!" thats them)

I also love the headcanon of Craig having braces, so I wanted both of them to share the pain of wearing braces together!! I imagine Hanh being self conscious of having to come to school with braces. She'd probably get a bit of teasing, but then lo and behold: Craig Tucker with braces, to which no one has the balls to say anything about it because he can and would fuck you up (i mean he boxed tweek after all!!). So, by proxy, no one made fun of Hanh for her braces either! Anyways they bond over shared pain and the wires tightening their teeth <3

oh and he also taught her how to flip people off and swear at people lol. the guys made a bet to see who could get Hanh to swear (bonus points if she flipped someone off) and he was the one who ended up winning 30$ that day.

Now, this is where I predict it's going to be long because Craig's not her only best friend: there's also Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Wendy!!

For Kyle,

They both respect each other a lot! Him and Hanh both have very strong moral compasses, and often times they'll find themselves on the same side and agreeing with each other on a lot of things, seeing as they're both very compassionate and caring people.

Although she's usually non-confrontational, whenever it involves Hanh's friends getting hurt unjustifiably, it's like there's a switch that gets flipped. She'll turn a complete 180 and make sure whatever needs to be done gets done (even if it means getting into a fight), which is something Kyle really appreciates about her. Especially if it's moments where she'll defend Kyle from Cartman's comments that go too far. If there was to be anyone he'd have a lot of respect for and find to be on equal footing with (other than maybe Stan and Wendy), it would be Hanh.

Similarly to Craig, I imagine that Kyle would try his best to help build Hanh's assertiveness and support her in her studies, and Hanh would in turn help keep Kyle's cool and give him advice on how to manage his emotions. They've both got each others' backs, essentially.

Whenever Hanh falls asleep in class due to staying up late, Kyle will often take notes for her

I think she'd also help Kyle be a little less uptight at times. Granted, she's guilty of this too and is often very prone to overthinking/freaking out, where just one thing going wrong in her schedule could derail her whole day. Despite this, she also has a very silly, goofy and happy-go-lucky side to her, so whenever that comes out it helps him loosen up a bit haha

They're also both the most studious out of Stan's gang, so they often do study sessions together. There's definitely a very small rivalry between them (which is completely one-sided on Kyle's side, btw. I imagine that he's at least the littlest bit competitive over grades, but Hanh does not give a fuck lmao). Sheila loves it when she comes over. Most of the moms, actually. They think Hanh's the right influence the boys need to balance out their stupidity lol

Speaking of stupidity, they're the most likely to take the responsibility of making sure their group doesn't get hurt/into trouble. Sometimes, it's just Kyle (though those moments are rare). And smetimes, it's just Hanh who takes on the role of the girl who's surrounded by a bunch of idiotic, immature guys, lol. Even Kyle can sometimes be susceptible to "boys will be boys," guys.

She also adores Ike! Hanh loves reading bedtime stories to him and playing Minecraft with both brothers! So that's bonus points in Kyle's book. Hilariously, I think it would be the funniest thing if Kyle was just terrible at Minecraft, so both Hanh and Ike would just dunk on him for being bad at the game HAHAHA

theyre both level 106 in hay day

I think Hanh would also really trust Kyle's judgement. He's not the smartest kid in class for nothing, after all. I'm imagining moments where if she's ever skeptical on joining on one of the M4's escapades, usually all she needs is Kyle's approval before begrudgingly sighing and tagging along HAHA

He's also much bossier than she is, so she's ok with just passively and silently following orders from him (from the others too, but Kyle's especially because of what I said above). Though, the same goes for Kyle as well: He trusts Hanh just as much as she trusts him, even if he doesn't actively show it.

They're both incredible yappers, Kyle moreso than her. Though, she doesn't mind taking on the listener role that much.

Both of them would also relate to kind of being the "outcasts" in the sense that they're always missing out on the thing that's mainstream (see: Kyle always being late to the Chinpokomon trend and him going against the metrosexual trend, etc.). I think it'd be the funniest thing too if both of them didn't know how to dap people LMAOOOO so they just spend a whole evening practicing how to dap each other up, only to realize that they can't even get a good dap up because both of their hands have hand sizes that are too different from one another.

I also think it would be super cute if they bonded over their "weird" lunchbox foods (on days where they don't buy from the cafeteria). Totally not me projecting my second generation immigrant experiences.

oh and he's the type to hug her right after a basketball practice: sweat and all. very gross, as intended.

As for Stan,

they'd bond over hating their dads, lol

Because both Stan and Hanh are very emotional people, they have a very close bond, often feeling like they're the only ones who can understand each other. They'd both be able to vent to each other about school, their issues, their depression, etc.

They also both get to see each other in their cringiest phases: for Stan, it was his goth phase, and for Hanh it was her weeb phase LMAOOO (they both tease each other about it constantly since they've both seen each other at their lowests and they know they're both losers anyway)

Speaking of goth phase, Hanh helps him paint his nails black!! he reluctantly asked for her advice because she has a lot of experience painting nails (thanks to her mom working at a nail salon), and she decided she needed to take it upon herself to teach him how to apply it the nail polish cleanly LMAO

They're both also very creative!! Hanh will often go over to Stan's house where they just hang out in each other's presence, where Stan's working on a new song and Hanh's just doodling something. Sometimes she'll use Stan as pose reference.

Stan would teach Hanh how to play some of his favorite board games (albeit with a lot of struggle), and she'd give him tips on how to better paint his Warhammer figurines.

both of them are also hoarders, lol

I also headcanon Stan as being pretty chronically online, so doomscrolling, on discord, the whole package. On late nights when Hanh's writing an essay that's due the next day, she'll often text/call him on discord because she knows he'd be awake super late.

THE BIGGEST CRIMSON DAWN FAN!!! absolutely gives her 100% when it comes to supporting his artistic endeavours, and also thinks his music and the concept of being in a band is just the coolest thing in the world.

Always sending each other new songs that they like, even if they both have vastly different tastes haha

Her and Kyle often have studying sessions along with Stan (and sometimes Kenny if he decides to tag along) where they both struggle to teach these two lol

Stan's more of a listener than a yapper, but they both have long back and forths. He prefers to be the listener more often though.

And then Kenny, oh sweet Kenny.

Hanh always tries to include Kenny in the conversation, because she notices how often he gets left out and she knows what it's like to feel left out!! it sucks!! It's something he always appreciates a lot about her

And despite being a huge yapper, Hanh always makes sure to get Kenny's input and encourages him to talk more! Especially when it comes to his own issues, because she notices that he often keeps his problems to himself and internalizes all of it, and she wants him to know that she can someone he can lean on.

He also makes her laugh the hardest. And she hates that she laughs at everything he says because sometimes it's the stupidest shit ever LOLL especially if it's stupid perverted jokes

Loves loves loves Karen. Absolutely adores her presence and often encourages Kenny to let her tag along so they can hang out!

Hanh's also a huge gift-giver, and she'll often bake stuff for her friends, but she always gives Kenny more to take home!

Always her treat when they go out to eat! Especially when it's Kenny, it's not something she wants to make a big deal out of. It's never out of pity, and it's always just because she loves sharing food with her friends! Sometimes she'll even pack extra in her lunch to share with him.

Calls Kenny "Princess" even outside of the Stick Of Truth larping game they play, because it's cute!!

Both Kenny and Hanh are very selfless and kind people, and it's something they appreciate about the other.

And then finally there's my girl, Wendy!!

Something something, girls with black hair who can fuck up cartman gotta stick together.

I don't think Wendy and Hanh would be as close as the other boys, but there's definitely a strong bond between the two, for a lot of the same reasons as Kyle.

Wendy's a girls' girl!! So of course it's only natural. Lots of bonding over feminism and the likes. Y'know, just girl things <3

Wendy would be the one to teach Hanh how to do stuff like makeup along with Bebe.

Ahhh I need to think more about their dynamic, especially she's my favorite girl in the show!! Even if they don't always have the same interests, one thing's for sure: they've always got each others' backs!!

This is also just a general thing that Hanh does, but she loves being physically affectionate with her friends!! So expect a lot of handholding and hugs for everyone! (which ends up leading to a lot of funny mutual pining shenanigans lmao)

[starrspice]

A bit of a self indulgent question for you but, if you could actually be the Y/N in any of your aus, which would you want to be?

Oooooo hands down it'd have to be the Muse AU

Fun fact: Iwas originally going to make y/n a bass guitar player but decided to make them a drummer because I played drums in highschool!

But the tattoos and piercings? Rebellious attitude and love of rock music?? That's me all the way

[psychotic-nonsense]

<< || < ||

"I was told."

'By who?'

'Eddie.'

"What are you?"

The thing just... sits there. Unblinking and still. Face still just barely compacted, like that's all it can do, the only amount of emotion it can show. Steve stares back, the burning in his eye returning for reasons he can't pinpoint. Desperation, fear, strain.

"You are still not well," the thing finally answers, slow and quiet. Restrained. Like it's forcing itself to say it.

Steve huffs out a breath, feeling stretched thin. "I just- please?" he begs. "I have to know."

It shakes its head. "You are not well," it repeats.

"Yeah, and I won't be for a while longer, especially if you don't tell me what's going on," Steve spits out, lacking in passion and volume but still standing his ground. "I'm not angry anymore, I'll listen to whatever you say, no questions, just- please."

That last sentence is what gets the thing to relax. Or, at least, for its face to go blank again. It looks off to the side, the pale shapes that are probably the equivalent to its actual eye tracing the wood of the boat. Seems to be thinking on it. Steve waits, not a little impatient.

Finally, the thing sighs, and turns back to Steve. It sets the rag down on whatever it's sitting on, and rests its hands on the edge of the boat. "Your friend," it finally says, "she had a vision of some kind, correct?"

Steve at first thinks about Robin, even glancing at her in confusion. Then the vision part clicks, and he turns back. "Nancy, our other friend, did, yes," he answers carefully.

"She told you it's contents?"

"Mmhm..." Steve's a little worried about what this might be heading towards, but he's finally getting something, so who is he to complain.

"Then you know the history of the world you call the 'Upside Down.'" Its eyes drift off from Steve's before he can nod, still so blank (Steve wonders if he should stop being so focused on that, but compared to the brief memories he has of Eddie, seeing his body, his voice, so unfeeling and monotone in comparison is just... wrong). "How the Human entered the world and took control."

Suddenly, something about the topic feels personal. Steve knows it's talking about Vecna, and nothing about its appearance or tone has changed. But Steve just has a hunch about it-

"I am the original ruler of that world. Or rather, it's spirit."

And wow holy shit he was right but that was not at all what he was expecting.

No time for a crisis or questions, though, because Steve is finally getting what he asked for. An explanation.

"I was something you humans would call a God. I controlled the world, kept the balance. I was the center of a collective mind, so my kind would never be alone, and I could keep them safe. When the Human took over, I was cast aside. Unable to die, I was forced to watch as he turned my world into his twisted vision. Turned the form I used as a body into a monster, took control of my collective and made my kind into enslaved, starving beasts. The Human drained my world of any light, turning it into the dark, stormy place you know. I took refuge in the clouds, becoming the red lightning, trying to light my world back into what it was before. I am too weak to fight the Human alone, now that he has my kind bent to his power."

Okay, this God/spirit thing may not have Eddie's nature, but it sure does have his words. And Steve may not understand most of how anything it's describing works, but this isn't the first time and it sure as hell won't be the last.

"More humans began to enter my world, and the Human would always kill them. I could not understand his anger at his own kind, or the want from other humans to keep coming back. But it gave me an opportunity. I still held some of my power. If I could find a new place to house my collective, I could regain my kind, body, and world."

Steve's starting to see where this is going, and it's turning the sight of the God/spirit thing beside him sour.

"But I am weak, only able to reach the humans when their body was weakened and their minds drifting away. I refused to enslave the same way the Human did, and wanted the original spirit present to help house my collective. But I was a stranger to them. I would always propose to help them get back home, so long as they helped me as well. Most I talked to either refused, didn't believe me, or whose minds and bodies were already gone when I could reach them."

A little less sour. A lot more hopeful.

"This was the first possible chance I had. His body was intact, kept safely within the strange structures created by the Human. His mind lingered, refusing to leave his place."

Steve sees that day again. The hardest choice he's ever had to make. Unknowingly the smartest one he ever will.

"I made my proposal, and he was the first to agree. I was unsure this would work, but he trusted me, so it did. I was barely functioning when I found you two in the woods. He recognized you, and helped me find this place."

Its voice tapers out, letting the moments prior speak for it. They stare at each other again, Steve unable to keep his face from falling into the pitiful desperation he's felt since waking up.

"So... that means you're, like- the original hive mind?"

"Yes."

"And... Eddie, is he-"

It nods. "Alive, yes."

Pain be damned, Steve can't help it. His control crumbles to pieces, uninjured hand coming up to cover his mouth. His face compresses, eyes shut tight to keep the tears contained. Guilt and confusion and fear and worry and relief falling from his eyes.

Eddie is alive, Eddie is alive, Eddie is alive, Eddie is alive...

"And... c-can he..." Steve's voice shudders, struggling to take in a solid breath. "Can he hear me?"

The vaguely guilty expression comes back as it shakes its head. "No. He would need to be in control for that. My presence keeps the injuries away, and if he were to have control, they would affect the body again." Well, that explains the glowing scars. "He cannot hear or see, but I can talk to him for you."

Steve has dreamed and feared for a chance like this. Every single hour of every day within every week that has passed since Eddie last spoke to him, since he found Dustin cradling Eddie's body, since he covered the body in blankets in Eddie's trailer in the Upside Down. Yet faced with the option, Steve is hit with so many possibilities, so many things to say and messages from their friends to relay, that he stumbles.

"Well- I- maybe..." Steve pauses, lets his brain fumble for the words. "Could you just- tell him I miss him? We all do? And-and that I'm... sorry. God, I'm so fucking sorry..."

He says that last one in a barely there whisper, partially to himself as the weight of everything crashes over him again. Not only did they lose against Vecna - lost Eddie and half of Hawkins and basically Max too - but they hardly did anything, everything just getting so much worse. And the fact that even the original ruler of the world that's been tormenting them hasn't even done any of this, has suffered just as much as them, losing its people and world and body, that its only saving grace was Eddie, that Eddie's mind lingered after his death for reasons Steve can only assume was him waiting for help...

He chokes a little on his breath.

The God/spirit thing doesn't say anything, and when Steve looks up from where his eyes had drifted away, it's just staring at the edge of the boat. The strange part is how its eyes have changed, the pale part in the center glowing brighter. Sort of reminds Steve of that look you get when you're zoned out, in your own head. Which actually makes a lot of sense in this case.

It's silent for a moment before it starts speaking again. "Eddie says, quote, 'I'm glad to hear you're okay, Steve. Thanks for the save.'" Though its voice is still monotone, knowing it's at least Eddie's words being said to him makes the relief spike again, makes him jittery. Steve lets out a stuttering, involuntary laugh.

"'I miss you guys too. Like, a lot. And you have nothing to be sorry for, I'm the one who should be apologizing.'" It goes to take in a breath, and it shudders on the way. Its eyebrows furrow again, not in guilt, but in confusion. It keeps going, but it looks like breathing is becoming hard for it.

"'I broke off from the plan, I wanted to s-stop running.'" Now it's stuttering. The words and visibly growing confusion make Steve more alert, and he sits up a little straighter.

"'I just had t-to keep D-Dus-Dustin safe, and-'" It's starting to look borderline scared now, eyes still just as faraway but moving to look at its hands, which have begun shaking. "'I n-needed to keep the... the bats away from y-you, and-and...'"

It goes to blink, and Steve sees the reflection of the glowing scars shine on the tears suddenly falling from its eyes. It cautiously brings up a hand, gently touching the wetness on its cheek and staring at the streaks it leaves behind. It goes to talk again, but all that comes out are tiny whimpers, which just scares it more.

Then it clicks. The spirit of the Upside Down may be in control of Eddie's body, but nothing could take control of his heart. This is Eddie leaking through the cracks, his true feelings breaking through the barrier of monotone and unfeeling, too strong to be contained. And the spirit - probably unaware of human emotion, based on its reaction - is left in its wake.

Cautiously, Steve reaches out to take the hand it's still staring at. Its eyes immediately snap up to meet his, fear to concern. Its eyes are still a bit brighter, and for some reason it feels like Steve's looking straight through them to Eddie.

"Is it okay if... I hug you?" he asks carefully. "I think you could use one." Who he's referring to there is beyond him, but either way, it's true.

It just looks a little more confused, trying to respond yet held back by the whimpers. So it just shakily nods instead.

Still careful with how he moves, Steve reaches up with his free hand to rest on its shoulder. Then, letting go of the hand he didn't realize was holding his so tightly, he pulls the body into his, wrapping his arms around its neck.

The spirit stiffens up at first, its breath hitching in a tiny squeak and hands staying firmly away from contact. Steve just squeezes tighter, the soreness in his eye and jaw fighting the involuntary movement of Steve's face twisting in grief.

"It's okay, Eds..." Steve whispers. He shuts his eyes, holds the body closer. "Let it happen. It's okay."

It shudders out a few more tentative breaths. Steve feels its shaking arms slowly lose steam, inching down to meet Steve's back. Feels its tensed spine loosen, chin gently resting on Steve's shoulder. Its arms finally wrap around Steve's middle, run across his spine, and that's what gets it to break. Eddie's heart overpowers the mind, and he begins to cry.

The moment the first sob comes out, Eddie's arms squeeze hard, clutching onto Steve to keep himself from falling over. Steve feels him sag into his chest, hiding his cries in Steve's torn clothes. Tears come to Steve's eyes as well, weak to Eddie's sharp hitches of breath and the muffled cries that he can feel punch out of Eddie's chest. Steve squeezes back, fights the aches that persist in his face, and holds Eddie through it.

It takes a few minutes - maybe longer, Steve kind of lost track - but eventually, Eddie's cries die down, and his breathing evens out. His tense arms gently loosen their hold, and his body sags just a tiny bit further in relief. Steve doesn't try to let go yet, though, not until Eddie's hands slowly slide up to his shoulders and squeeze once. He takes it as a sign and pulls away carefully, keeping a hand on Eddie's shoulder.

Eddie's rubbing his eyes when Steve lets go, and as he blinks the tears away, Steve watches the glowing white center dull back down, watches Eddie fade away from the helm. The spirit, back in control, wipes at the remaining face mess with its sleeve, taking deep breaths to get itself right again.

Steve doesn't expect it's crackled, "End quote." to actually make him laugh in such a time, but laugh he does. Hard enough to push a few more tears out and hide the pain in his face beneath the elation. He carefully wipes his face dry, turning back to the, once again, blank-faced spirit, whispering a soft, "Thank you."

The spirit nods, and Steve thinks he sees the tiniest hint of a smile as it does. "Thank you, too. I wasn't expecting something like... that to happen."

Steve huffs out another laugh. "Neither did I," he admits, looking away as a wave of shame suddenly passes through him. "Sorry, about all that. It was the only thing I could think of to calm you down."

He sees the spirit shake its head in his peripheral, urging him to face it again. "Do not apologize. It worked as you intended." It's eyes briefly divert from Steve's, before it cautiously reaches out a hand to rest over Steve's on the edge of the boat. "If it soothes you, I sense that Eddie could feel it as well."

Steve's heart flounders, relief surging so strongly that he can't help the smile no matter how his jaw aches. Looks right into the spirit's eyes and takes the faint glow at the center as a little bit of Eddie always shining through. "Good to know."

[sunzy-creates]

HES SO CUTE IM GONNA HAVE AN ANEURYSM AND DIE I LOVE HIM AND RIVER SO MUCH AJANKAGANANAN

[sso-montana]

Catherine lives! AU

Ok so I finally got around to write this thing so here you all go, more under the cut bc it kinda got long

Also if you want me to make a post specifically abt how Catherine being alive would impact the general story tell me and I'll make one for that, too ♡´･ᴗ･`♡

Catherine always knew Montana was like her, even when she was little. At first she was hesitant to let Justin play and spend time with her but after seeing how good they got along and remembering how she never really had friends she decided to let them be.

Fast forward to Montana coming back to Jorvik and Catherine's motherly instincts I immediately kick in. Yes, she hasn't seen this girl in almost 8 years and she's grown up and changed so much. The Montana before her is so quiet and almost desperately tries to She's reminded so much of her younger self, of how lost and alone she felt and decides that she won't let this happen to another girl. Once Montana realizes she posses magic abilities and starts training with Ydris and a WIP oc of mine (it's a bit messy right now kay?) Catherine sits her down and tells her about how they're the same. Obviously Montana asks her for help and guidance, which Catherine immediately shuts down. Montanas initial reaction of anger and confusion leaves after Catherine explains that she no longer associates herself with magic, hasn't used it in years and never was that good at it. What Catherine can do though is make Montana aware of the dangers of magic, to tell her about her own mistakes, the Keepers and the Sisterhood.

And there are times when Catherine is almost scared of Montana. Because Montana isn't like her, isn't afraid to loose control. She's so full of anger and frustration and sadness right after loosing her parents and that paired with uncontrolled power is a dangerous combination. Montana isn't hurting others on accident but rather manages to keep injuring herself while learning. There are so many times she comes back to the stables and Justin and Montana sit in the saddle chamber putting creams on her arms and wrapping bandages around her hands because she burnt or cut herself. She's stubborn and impulsive and acts without thinking things through and clearly struggles with magic.

And yet she makes up for it with her sheer determination to learn, to master this power which allows her to protect what's left and Catherine can't help but be amazed at this young girl. They're the same and yet so completely different.

Of course as soon as Justin starts to get more involved with all the magic stuff Catherine is worried about him. It's not like she wasn't worried about Montana to begin with, but Justin is her son, her baby. It's the first time the two of them ever had a big argument since Justin never really fought with his mom. Even after they talk it out she's not happy with him joining Montana on trips. But after seeing his determination and desire to protect Mo, to be able to return the favor because she always protects them and he desperately wants to keep her safe, to make her understand she's not alone and doesn't have to do everything by herself, even if at times it scares him, Catherine gives in. At least she has the comfort of knowing they're looking out for each other.

Catherine isn't unfriendly to the soul riders either, quite the opposite. It would be easy to be angry at them, to hold grudges and not want a single thing to do with it, but that's not like her. Catherine isn't a hateful person. She wouldn't be angry at kids for something that their predecessors did. Elizabeth and Avalon are a different story of course, but the girls never did anything bad, she doesn't hold any grudges against them specifically. They're just kids, kids who have way too many things that they have to shoulder than anyone that age should. Those girls aren't even in their 20s and are being told the fate of Jorvik and perhaps the whole world is depending on them. That's fucked up, like, severely fucked up.

So Catherine always tells them that no matter what, they can always come to Moorland Stables. Even if she can't do much in regard to guiding them on their Soul Rider journey, she can make sure there is a place for them where they're safe.

It does hurt to see that just like her Montana feels like she doesn't fit in, doesn't belong with them. To see that cycle repeat itself. Yet Montana doesn't seem to be as bothered by it as she had been, which isn't exactly better if you hear the 'I wasn't really able to make friends after we left Jorvik, so it's nothing new' explanation.

I do think she would stay away from Valedale and the Keepers and Elizabeth as far as she can. The only time I can see her showing up again is after Justin got imprisoned and for the first time in her life Catherine is full on willing to throw hands with someone. (She doesn't. She doesn't stop Montana from doing it for her either.)

TL;DR

Catherine is basically treating Montana as her own daughter and being a great at it. She doesn't hold grudges against the current Soul Riders bc they're just kids. The Keepers can go fuck themselves she ain't dealing with them. When are Montana and Justin getting married she'd love to have her as her daughter in law

[authenticaussie]

tagged by @suzukiblu and @cer-rata (wtf y'all, you're taking away from my "people I can tag" pool---)

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Y'all of course like. Know me as a person (and probably remember the LAST time I did something like this and ended up with 200-odd fics) so 'cause I was tagged by two DC moots I shall only do DC fics:

tfw you give yourself amnesia because your parents make friends with a mind-reader and you don’t want to give up the secrets of your pseudo-family

Blogging (and other dangerous activities likely to get you adopted by the Batman)

growing up feels like (free-falling)

eight legs hit the wall

Stray!dami

The future starts tomorrow

Jumanji (what the fuck)

our past deed's punishments (our future's reward)

Illogical Fallacy

Acrobot, (but I didn't start that one so it may die a tumblr post death eventually)

It's just a matter of time (before we learn how to fly)

keep yourself in Check (but I'll be real this title WILL change because every time I read it I go oooo TT hockey au? and i CAN'T KEEP DOING THAT TO MYSELF-)

buy a date

To-do-it List

Palatable (but i need a cooler poet title and I am FAILING)

take our ages, take our failures, rescind

put me in your Pocket

Not in love with you (shit!)

Autism and the body-bat-swap

Tim sticks his foot in his mouth and threatens to jump out a window

by any other name

There are many benefits to being a marine biologist

I'm not tagging 22 people. that's just. that's not happening. But also I will tag some artists! In case they also have wip aus they wanna talk about. <3

@midnightluck @touchmycoat @rockingthegraveyard @12freddofrogs @2014federalbudget @lollesss @litnerdhood @justm3h @leviathiane @emygrl99 @trickstermelon @potat-o-piece @xamaxenta @merryfortune @saltfics @minister-of-silly-walks

and I think it was REALLY STRONG of me to tag 15 people and pretend that this isn't out of the blue <3333 don't look at me 😔😔

[asteria7fics]

yeah, no offence to you of anything, but i wouldn’t want to talk to you privately. i’ve never had a good experience when talking with an adult privately (or even publicly) online. ‘cause i’ve been on vr chat and discord since i was abt 8 or 9, and now as a freshman i can tell you i was in fact not mature for my age despite how much i was told that💀💀 and i wouldn’t want to break your boundary either😿 (but the long sigh was in reference to the tags in the one response to tsob art😋😋😋)

-😨

No offense taken at all! I'm actually very happy to hear you have that mentality, though I'm sorry to hear that adults have not handled their interactions with you responsibly in the past.

Again, I won't get into a full trauma dump (especially to you dear anon haha) but I was groomed by an adult that I thought would be 'safe' in my early teens, and it really fucked me up for a long time. I've dealt with a lot of it now, thanks to a lot of therapy and accepting that I was actually a victim in the situation, but it will never fully leave me.

Also, yeah life lesson don't fucking trust any adult that says you're "mature for your age" that shit can be so insidious and gross. Oof.

But yes, thank you for the respect towards my boundaries! I'm happy to do what I can to keep this fandom a safe place for everyone to enjoy, yah know?

P.S. Haha I hoped as much!