#i'd love to hear your ideas

[bmodiwrites]

Here is part 2 to My Younger Heart Was Feeling New - you can find part 1 here (& here)!

For the next two days, Steve staked out the Munson trailer, waiting with some misguided hope for that stupid red flag to stand upright again. For the first time, probably ever, Steve appreciated the fact that his parents were nonexistent. It was much easier to go in and out of the house at all hours without people breathing down his back or asking where he was going.

Trying not to appear like a creep kept Steve plenty occupied already.

Not wanting to stir up any sort of suspicion, Steve rode through the trailer park early in the morning, long before anyone was up and ready to be nosy for the day. Once everyone went to work, Steve hung out around the park a couple streets from Eddie’s place and idled on the swings there until the urge to ride past the mailbox became too much. A few times throughout the afternoon, Steve ditched the bike and walked in that direction, just to shake things up.

His mind told him, over and over, that it was all just a fluke. Steve must’ve very lucidly dreamed the entire afternoon spent freaking out and biking all over Hawkins. In his heart and soul, though, Steve knew his effort wouldn’t be for not. The timing of it all simply couldn’t be some nightmare or coincidence – Steve lived through something that seemed impossible once; at this point, nothing that happened ever occurred without some sort of backlash.

He tried to stay strong willed, but the days were long and no result shook his foundation. By midafternoon of the third day following that first letter, Steve wanted to pack it in and enjoy the last little bit of his break. In all reality, he did his part by answering the call for aid and providing it. Despite the desire to keep doing exactly that, Steve couldn’t help an entity he didn’t really know, that he couldn’t even see.

Just about to swing his leg over the middle seam of his bike for the last time, Steve’s eyes widened as the mailbox’s little red flag soared up into its standing position. A gasp left Steve’s lips – he was so dumbfounded that he tripped over himself trying to dismount his bike. A quick roll to the ground proved Steve’s hurry; he dusted himself off as he got up and opened the front of the box without hesitation.

He felt a whole lot better about himself upon seeing the folded up paper with his name on the back – this time, it was noticeably without any blood.

----

March 26, 1986

Steve,

I take it by the way you last wrote about ‘your time’ that you’re not my Steve, but a Steve from some other year – my best guess in 1984 based on the date you included. That’s two who years in the past for me.

I’m sitting in the middle of a hive mind in an alternate dimension, yet I have such a hard time believing that. What the fuck is wrong with this world, man?

On the bright side of things, the stuff you passed through the mailbox came in clutch. I finally feel like I can fend for myself now that I don’t pour blood from each bite every time I turn from my back to my side. You saved my life, Harrington. I appreciate the efforts, especially for a stranger like me.

Can you tell me anymore about the Eddie of your time’s disappearance? It’s crazy to think that being trapped here means I cease to exist in the real world. I wonder if I’ll simply fade into obscurity one day. If you stop answering my letters, will I float away like dust on the wind?

I wonder if that means I’m dead in my reality..

I know you don’t know any of those answers, so I’m sorry for putting that burden on you. I’ve been up in my feels the last couple of days – it’s lonely around here, Steve. There’s no sign of life at all, not in the sky, not in the long black vines that tangle their way through each area of the world. I haven’t been up for exploring much, but there’s nothing – it’s just me and thousands of bat corpses.

I’ve never been so honest in my life but it’s easier to write the words than actually say them out loud. I’m terrified, Steve. I feel a little more fear each day that passes. But, maybe that’s a good thing.  

Write back when you can –

Yours,

Eddie.

----

Leaning against the mailbox, Steve clutched Eddie’s letter in his hands – after reading such desperate words, Steve needed to ground himself in the moment he actually existed in. He felt the visceral nature of Eddie’s fear; deep in the bottom of his heart where Steve banished all his give a shit, a stirring occurred. New life was settling in.

Everything about the way Eddie wrote pulled on Steve’s insides, spurring him on even further.

After pocketing the letter, Steve was quick to dig into his bag for the little notebook he made sure to have with him. He flipped open the top and started writing furiously.

----

March 26, 1984

Eddie,

Wait – I’m yours in 1986? Not me, but the Steve in your time… you know what I mean!

Anyway –

I think the denial of our reality is the brain’s way of protecting us. At least, that’s what I’ve been telling myself since I learned about all this supernatural stuff. I hate to break it to you, but the time difference is one of the easiest parts of this whole thing to stomach.

The fact that you’re still alive but my time’s you has disappeared? Well, that’s a bit harder to take down.

I’m glad the medical stuff helped. Joyce Byers was surprisingly helpful, despite the many, many questions I knew she wanted to ask me. When her suspicions blow over a little bit, I’ll head back there and get you more supplies. Do you need anything specific? A spear or chainsaw, perhaps?

All joking aside, I wish I knew some of the things you’re asking me. The news said Eddie seemingly disappeared out of thin air and from the looks of it, that’s exactly what happened. There’s no signs or evidence of any crime or that Eddie simply ran away. Your van is still parked like shit in the yard in front of your trailer..

If it helps any, I don’t have any intention of not answering your letters. I want to get to the bottom of this, just like you do. There’s obviously something going on that’s linked us together. Let’s beat this thing and get you home safe, okay

Do you have any information that might help? The last thing I heard about the Upside Down was that it and its creatures were destroyed. Chief Hopper was very specific about that.

Obviously, that’s not the case. So I’m at a loss. What happened between 1984 and 1986 that made everything so messy?

I’m here for you, Eddie. Don’t give up.

We’ll figure things out.

Steve.

----

The letter took up more pages than Steve initially thought, though he admittedly didn’t see a way or reason to shorten it. He checked over his spelling, even thought about striking out the first line a couple of times (he seemed a little eager, despite not really understanding why), before folding it up and pushing into the mailbox. Anxiety didn’t have time to swoop in and change his mind. Not today.

It was satisfying to see the little red flag on the side of the box drop down to its original position almost immediately. Obviously, Eddie was waiting for his correspondence on the other end of the line. Steve’s heart raced a little at the thought – despite the danger Eddie and himself and the rest of the town were in, Steve couldn’t help but feel a kick of warmth in his chest. He was connecting with someone and that felt better than good.

Steve spent the next few minutes walking through the maze of trailers around Eddie’s place to distract himself. He left his bike on the ground by the mailbox, just in case he needed to grab the next letter and run. It was oddly peaceful, though, the quiet of the trailer park – the rest of the world seemed to miss the memo and went on spinning around him. It seemed like people never took the time to see past the end of their noses, no matter what the struggle was.

One missing kid wasn’t going to change that.

Still, Steve wondered if the people around saw him and didn’t care or wrote him off as another one of the neighborhood hoodlums. He didn’t drive his fancy car here for a reason, though hiding completely wasn’t it. Maybe he was blending in a little too well.

The necessity of those thoughts became unimportant when the red flag on the mailbox popped up again. Steve dropped his musings in the dirt in favor of reading Eddie’s next words.

----

March 26, 1986

Steve,

I should have chosen my words more wisely. Steve, him, you – are not mine in any way. I simply used that possessive pronoun as a way to distinguish you from the Steve of my time. No matter how much I might want what you’re suggesting, I doubt the universe would ever be so kind.

Mrs. Byers is a smart woman. I never knew her all that well but she always treated me right whenever I walked into her store. Not a lot of people did that in Hawkins, so I know she’s just worried for you.

From what I hear, she’s seen some shit – just like the rest of us.

I think I have it covered weapons wise, but I could use some more food. Maybe Honeycomb cereal if you can fit the bag in the mailbox. I’d kill for something crunchy like that. And cigarettes!

I don’t understand a single bit how this world works, Steve. Up until a handful of days ago, I was ignorant of demobats and Vecna. So gloriously ignorant. I thought all of that junk only existed in the D&D handbooks I drew all of my campaign inspiration from. You and Dustin Henderson were the experts of all things Upside Down when it became necessary to fill me in. In fact, it’s weird to be talking to a version of you that’s not completely in the loop. You’re a bit of a mother hen in 1986.

Speaking of Dustin, maybe that’s your next move. That kid is a scary genius who puzzled out every single problem we came across. I always knew he was brainy, but the way his mind works is fucking fantastic. He’s a conceded little shit about it, though. Play up his ego, explain yourself, and maybe you’ll find an ally in all of this.

I wish I knew more but I’m just as blind in this as you are. If you bring me specific questions, I may be able to answer them, though. I’ve been surviving here for days now.

Speaking of, it’s getting too dangerous to be standing out in the open, waiting for your letters to come. I’m going to head into my makeshift fortress for tonight and buckle down.

Write me back tomorrow.

And find Dustin!

I know he’ll help.

Nighty night, Stevie.

Yours,

Eddie.

----

For a reason Steve refused to name, his mind lingered on that first paragraph. There was a longing that Steve figured only existed in his own heart. He lived a life where no one, not even the people who were supposed to, loved him. At least, not for the person he genuinely was. The feeling brought about isolation that Steve hated living in. Eddie, it seemed, understood a little bit about that.

Not for the first time, Steve wondered about his future self. There had to be a reason he became so protective of the people he cared about. An event or something must’ve whipped Steve into shape, making him the kind of person who had others willing to be looked after by him. What a concept that was. Steve hoped, no matter what happened, that his story wouldn’t change too much.

Future Steve seemed to have so much going for him.

Shaking his head of those pesky thoughts, Steve put Eddie’s letter with the last two in his pocket for safe keeping. Despite Dustin’s previous interaction with the Upside Down, Steve knew he needed to have a bit of evidence to make his story plausible. If Steve were on the other end of the explanation he was about to give, he’d certainly want some proof. Mostly because the journey they were about to embark on was risky, seemingly impossible even.

Steve allowed himself one last lingering look at the mailbox before hopping onto his bike to make the trip back into Hawkins proper. The Henderson house wasn’t all that far from his own, so the ride wouldn’t be wasted, regardless of Dustin’s decision.

As the road passed underneath his feet, Steve tried to think of the best way to present all the facts he was going to bombard Dustin with. It was increasingly difficult to brainstorm a situation that Steve really didn’t understand all that well himself. He had the letters and eyes that could melt a girl’s heart – aside from that, Steve’s negotiation skills weren’t all that fine-tuned. He never needed to be anything but smooth in his past life. Dustin Henderson would not be impressed by a soft smile and sweetly spoken words.

Still not all that sure of himself, Steve hesitated at the end of Dustin’s driveway. It was starting to get dark, so Steve needed to act fast. Mothers never took too kindly to social calls once the sun went down.

Collecting all the courage he had, Steve dropped his bike in the grass and walked up the stone walkway. He tried to keep his steps even and fluid but impatience was quickly winning out. The last few steps were practically running strides. Though it was silly, Steve felt so much better now that he was finally face to face with Dustin’s front door.

Before he could knock, the heavy wood opened on its own accord. Steve took a step back in surprise but the emotion was stopped in his tracks – Dustin was looking at him with expectancy written all over his face. It was odd to see such a mature expression on Dustin’s young face. Shock turned to anticipation and anxiety very fast.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up. One more day and I would have hunted you down myself.” Dustin spoke as he opened the door a little wider and gestured for Steve to come inside. When he hesitated, Dustin huffed and rolled his eyes. “I know what you’re here about. Come inside, Steve. We’ve got lots to talk about.”

[decarath-s]

Listen ofc all of the Unreal Unearth songs are amazing because it's Hozier we're talking about but holy fuck-

Personally the song in this album that smacked me across the face at first was Abstract (Psychopomp), and I can't believe more people are not going feral over it like I am, look-

H U H

I saw you perform this ultimately fruitless yet incredibly significant, humane and selfless act of kindness. You put your own life at risk for something others would have considered "too small". I saw you run into moving traffic, stain your own hands, just to offer a little comfort to this poor animal in its dying moments. I was terrified, I knew I had no choice but to love you.

[fiepige]

My concept for Venom!Hobie

Okay here goes

DISCLAIMER: I CANNOT DRAW

I've made another post where I mentioned it as well but I'll reiterate it here:

I don't think Hobie would ever canonically accept a symbiote due to his history with them and how they're used in his universe.

Now with that out of the way let's speculate!

This is my concept sketch for Venom!Hobie

Before I go into details about the design and the possible way he would work in universe:

I wanna give the world's BIGGEST shoutout to @levionok for being the coolest person ever and actually make some AMAZING drawings of Venom!Hobie:

(Like how cool is this!?!?!!! I love these so much!! aaaaahhhhhhhhh<3 <3<3)

Okay so, first I wanna talk about his design and then I wanna speculate about the most "realistic" ways I think Venom!Hobie could come into existence/what his personality would be like.

Design:

I wanted the symbiote to exaggerate some of Hobie's physical features so I kinda went with the idea of Venom!Hobie being even lankier and spikier than regular Hobie/Spider-Punk (since the symbiotes seem to take more after the actual suit when it comes to their design I based most of their looks around how Hobie looks as Spider-Punk)

Since Hobie is already tall I of course imagine Venom!Hobie as being even taller/lankier.

Though due to his longer limbs he has a bigger tendency to walk crouched down on all fours (sixs technically?) as beautifully illustrated by @levionok above. (and less beautifully illustrated by me in the top right corner of my drawing lol)

Since Hobie also incorporates spikes into his looks I did the same for Venom!Hobie and added even more! He now has more rows of "mohawk" spikes, his choker spikes become longer and the same goes for the spikes from his jacket + he gets extra spikes along his back. He also gets spikes along his wrists! - He's a spikey boy!

Also all the spikes are made from symbiote "teeth" and could in theory be moved around on his body if he wanted to (though they mostly stay in place).

The "running mascara"-look (Idk what to call it lol) also carries over from Spider-Punk's mask and is once again even more pronounced in Venom!Hobie.

Now one of the more noticeable traits are the arms! I haven't figured every detail out yet, but so far the idea is that his arms split into two at the elbows but he's able to "fuse" them back into one arm if he wishes to (which he rarely does).

Also to get the idea across that it's his arm being split up I tried to add some symbiote goop between the two parts of the arms!

I kinda like the idea of him being able to change his "design" (changing his spikes and arms as he pleases) so to say, kinda referencing to him not believing in consistency and how he changes "filters" in his animation style! Though I picture him as looking like in the concept drawings above most of the time.

I'm also kinda toying with the idea of giving him barbed wire like webbing since I remember reading somewhere that Hobie apparently has used barbed wire instead of webs in the comics from time to time.

But I also headcanon Venom!Hobie as being more animalistic and more likely to just use brute force instead of webs.

He is fast when he's down on all fours (again sixs? idk lol)

Of course he also gets most of the classic Venom abilities and weaknesses (I haven't read the comics so I'm going off memory of the Venom movie which I've seen once like 5 years ago so please bear with me ^^')

The most noticable weakness being sound! I'll take a closer look at how this affects Hobie when I get to his personality/origin.

Okay that's all about his design for now, I might come back and add more stuff later if I come up with anything as this is still a new concept I'm workshopping (and inputs are greatly appreciated!)

Now we're moving on to his personality/origin as I feel like these two are very intertwined. Cause I feel like the way Venom!Hobie originates will affect his personality too! Let me explain:

So far I've come up with two possible ideas/reasons for Hobie to even bond with a symbiote in the first place and depending on which version you choose I feel like it would end up having different effects on his personality/how he handles the situation:

Scenario 1:

The symbiote is passed onto Hobie without him knowing!

Possibly from an encounter with the cops where a symbiote manages to latch onto Hobie as he kills its former host.

(Or maybe a villain manages to plant one on him somehow).

This would lead to a slow gradual "fusion" between Hobie and the symbiote as it would be very aware that Hobie is NOT exactly a fan of it and would do whatever he could to get rid of it/kill it if he found out about it.

If I recall correctly Eddie also wasn't aware of his symbiote in the beginning and only found out about it when it decided to make itself known. -(referencing the movie)

So I'd imagine a similar scenario here but instead of making itself known, the symbiote hides its presence from Hobie as much as possible while making small gradual changes to Hobie to prepare for an eventual fusion/take over.

Like slowly Hobie starts getting migraines whenever he plays his guitar or listens to loud music so he does so less and less without being even consciously aware of it.

At some point he even stops bringing his guitar with him on missions since he never uses it anyways and hey why did he even bring it in the first place? - I like to think that the symbiote is somewhat able to manipulate Hobie's thoughts over time to make him more susceptible to it.

Going to concerts also becomes a no no.

Hobie also changes his diet; the thought of going to the community garden just not appealing to him as much anymore for some reason. So he visits it less frequently until he also just completely stops going (affecting both his diet and his social life- the symbiote would want Hobie to be as isolated as possible to make him easier to manipulate).

Hobie doesn't realise it at first but he starts craving meat more and more and as time passes he also prepares his meals less and less until he basically eats meat raw. (I'm once again thinking about the movie and that lobster scene, though his symbiote would have to be a lot more sublte for him to not notice what's going on).

At this point Hobie would have to be almost completely isolated and under the influence of the symbiote for so long that it would finally feel "safe" making itself known, preying on his hunger (having been homeless Hobie has known hunger before but I imagine that the hunger that comes with a symbiote is its own unique thing and that it's rather extreme) and his declining mental health.

While a part of him would still very much hate it, Hobie would begrudgingly accept the symbiote and chaos would ensue.

And then of course the Spider-Gang would try and stop/save him cause they know that Hobie would never want this. Wether they're gonna be successful or not is up to interpretation.

Now personality vise I imagine this version of Venom!Hobie is gonna be mostly taken over by the symbiote and thus being more feral and animalistic. It most likely wouldn't talk a lot and mostly be focused on feeding (and like in the movie, its favourite food is gonna be humans. Hobie would try to make sure they only target cops but sometimes the hunger would win over reason).

I know this is pretty dark but I really can't imagine a positive scenario where Hobie would willingly accept a symbiote so this is my first "solution". (Though I also feel like his friends would intervene before he reached this point but still, I kinda like the idea of the slow corruption and the person not realising it until it's too late)

You still with me? Good, cause it's time for:

Scenario 2:

I'd wish that this one would be more positive but I guess that sadly isn't the case

In this scenario Hobie would have reached his breaking point.

He would have been through an experience so traumatic that he feels like a symbiote is his ONLY option.

(If I recall correctly he's reffered to himself as a "suicide machine" in the comics and this would really come into play here).

He'd become way more reckless and not really caring what happens to him in battle. He views this as his last resort.

Like maybe there's a new kind of symbiote that isn't weak to sound or fire and Hobie has no other way to defeat them than to get one himself.

The only positive is that Hobie would be more mentally in control as he's fully aware of the symbiote and how it can influence his mind.

He'd still have cravings for raw meat but he wouldn't have been as mentally unstable and only target cops/other symbiotes becomming kind of a double cannibal.

Once again his friends would try to stop him and he'd definitely be more resonable in this scenario than in the first one.

But he'd still push them away both to protect them and out of shame over his situation.

This time more of Hobie's personality would shine through but it still wouldn't be a very positive version of Hobie as I imagine any scenario with him having a symbiote would really have a negative impact on his mental health.

But still there's room for a happy ending if the Spider-Gang manage to get to him in time!

So yeah, both of these scenarios are kind of a bummer for Hobie (to put it mildly lol) but I honestly can't imagine a positive situation where Hobie would willingly accept a symbiote! (I'm more than happy to hear any takes you guys might have that prove me wrong though!)

Okay, I think that's everything for now!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions of Venom!Hobie!

Also let me know if there's anything you want me to elaborate on! Or of you just wanna talk Hobie or Venom!Hobie in general <3

If you made it this far you are honestly a champ and deserve all the gold stars in the world. As I sadly can't give you that have a GIF of Hobie smiling to cheer you up!

Also I wanna give another huge shout out to @levionok! Both for the amazing drawings of Venom!Hobie and for giving me the courage and motivation to share my concept of him! <3<3<3

also have another Venom!Hobie cause I can't get over how cool she made them look! If you haven't already you should really check out their tumblr! They have made some AWESOME ATSV art there!!!

[mothsakura]

ramble i remembered i had in my notes!

i feel like iterator chambers are very deprived of enrichment. especially due to the constant white lighting (can be dimmed down or change color! especially with the iterator's mood! its not just stuck as plain white lighting) and no gravity and almost no noise aside from the mechanical arm moving around and pearls clinking against each other as they float around

this is average and normal for iterators, they are quite used to this. they don't exactly like it too much but also they do not completely hate it!

its meant to make you focused more on work after all! (work and friends are their only enrichment aside from the occasional self-maintenance for either their puppet or their structure)

well BIG SHOCKERS!! pain is an indicator that something is wrong!!!! and i mean REALLY wrong!!! a VERY EFFECTIVE indicator considering the fact that they do not get to experience much senses aside in their environment !!!

and ussualy you do not experience pain as an iterator

even during maintenance, you wouldn't feel much!!

so pain is almost impossible to experience if you're in perfect working condition

remember: perfect working condition 

so considering that iterators almost never feel pain, they do not have enough encounters with it to build up a tolerence

so i think something like broken machinery, damages puppet, or quite possible even more messed up stuff would drive any sane iterator UP THE FUCKING WALLS AND THEY'LL BE UNHAPPY AND UNABLE TO WORK UNTIL THE ISSUE IS FIXED <///3

or you can just work it off ...

work through the pain and then once you feel a little less pain and thinking a lot more clearly, you'll go back in and fix the mistakes in the essay that you made while you were about to pass out

its also why you see pebbles just sitting there in riv's and saint's campaign

in riv's campaign the rot is really getting to him, its too painful to work so he's listening to one music pearl over and over (he's so messed up)

in saint's campaign he collapsed so like dwag can't even access the network to continue his work tbh ...

[chrrywvea]

a serotonin boost for today:

✨️imagine married lokius at a christmas market✨️

(or: my brain going haywire at 4 am for these two idiots & leaving me with this half fic half imagine-ramble-story thing)

mobius obsessing over all the little trinket shops

like immediately upon their arrival, he's over the moon

loki detests all the masses of people but nearly melts when he sees how mobius lights up

he does enjoy it later on as well, very much even

sharing mulled wine

butterfly kisses & red cheeks (loki i'm looking at you)

mobius wears the scarf loki made for him for his birthday (personal hc of mine: loki can crochet & knit insanely well)

mistletoes, so many mistletoes

snowflakes in loki's curls make him look even more mesmerising (mobius stop staring please)

mobius gets fairy lights for their apartment

loki shields his tiny husband from all the people bumping into everyone (inspo from the cutest gay couple i saw at the christmas market yesterday thanks guys♡)

they try out all the different food stands together

(since christmas markets tend to have lots of nordic food loki gets to teach mobius about his favourite dishes at home when he was a child)

mobius loves listening to loki anyway, no matter the topic, but hearing him speak so freely of the good aspects of his childhood always warms his heart

they search more quiet spots for breaks when they both get a little overwhelmed

loki sings (though this time only for his husband)

holding hands in each others coat pockets & hand kisses to warm cold skin up

beanies

they try on all the beanies in the whole market (mobius puts them on loki who eventually just surrenders to it)

in the end loki buys them real silly, matching ones (if any artists want to draw this, by all means, go ahead! i'd love that so much but i have zero talent when it comes to drawing)

loki drags mobius to the ice rink, the only thing he's weary of since he's never been ice skating before - but loki is there to help!

he's a pro at it, frosty heritage and stuff

yes i believe frost giants can ice skate really well shush

lots of laughter and banter ensue with mobius attempting to stay upright

the waist hold™ is now reversed to prevent mobius from falling on his butt

but honestly they were gonna be close anyway so

touchy touchy

mobius gets the hang of the whole ice skating ordeal and loki cheers him on when he manages one round around the rink on his own

though he completely rams into loki's back upon his return

when they tire out after a while they get more food, sit around one of the nearby bonfires and cuddle

star gazing when it gets dark & planning for christmas eve

they both sneakily buy gifts for one another when the other's busy with something

mobius gets a little tipsy

too many samples at the liquor shops oops

+ i might add more if anyone likes this but this is what came out for now, enjoy :-D

[sapphosewrites]

top 10 ds9 fan fics you've written, ranked?

Oooh, tough question, friend! I don't even know what the criteria for this would be, because the most AO3 popular ones are not always my favorites... Okay, you know what, here we go. I'm just going to go for it and make some decisions. I'm giving myself a rule, though, that I can only chose one from a series, so I'm not just listing everything in the Terok Nor AU. I'll also try to hit different kinds of fics I've written.

10.) After the End of the World: A Survey of Seminal Works of Cardassian Post-Apocalyptic Literature from cross-posted to tumblr. 533 words, "An examination of the Cardassian post-apocalyptic literary genre before and after the Dominion War." This isn't my most popular or my best written but it's one of my favorites; I like in-world diegetic texts and worldbuilding and I'm obsessed with the idea of post-canon Cardassia as post-apocalypse.

9.) Never Have I Ever from The Game Is Afoot, 1,294 words, T, "Julian introduces Garak to the human game never have I ever." This was fun to write and is fun to reread every time! I often spend a lot of fic space on angst and identity and all the reasons why it's a bad idea for Julian and Garak to get together, but in this one we just get to spend time seeing them be clever and enjoy each other's company.

8.) Tribbles, Togetherness, and the Great River, 1,742 words, G, "In their shared quarters, Nog and Jake discuss tribbles, pets, and telling their families about their relationship." This is my only full standalone Jake/Nog fic, and it's another that was a pleasure to write and still makes me smile. It's fun to spend a sweet moment with two young people figuring out how they fit together.

7.) Del Floria's Tailor Shop, 336 words, also known as the space tumblr one. I think this is possibly the funniest thing I've ever written.

6.) Push Me Til I Break, 4,653 words, M, also known as the one where Garak interrogates Julian, and the role play goes wrong. Maybe the most tense thing I've ever written, and really leans into the ways in which two deeply hurting people can choose to hurt or hold.

5.) Growth, 45,843 words, T, "Julian and Garak grapple with their pasts and their feelings for each other at the end of the series." My super long post-canon Cardassia fic, back when I had no idea how to string a multi-chapter idea together. There's a lot I would change if I wrote this now (I've grown as a writer in many ways, including my ability to have scene transitions), but some of the conversations and moments in here are still absolute favorites of mine, particularly around ideas of self-forgiveness, the clash between values and actions, and the importance of choice.

4.) Predetermination, 22,200 words, T, Mirror Bashir arrives at the station and suddenly the nature/nurture debate has never had higher stakes. This is one of the places I think I've been most successful in using sci fi to ask big questions that hopefully resonate in the modern day, about who we are and how we become. Also, the ending takes inspiration from one of my favorite TNG episodes, and that was cool too.

3.) Especially the Lies, 13,019 words, T, "Something is going on with Garak, and no one knows what, except for possibly Julian Bashir." This is my only archive-warning-applied fic and it was really important to me to tell a story about care, for a character who I think doesn't believe he's allowed to have any, in a real world circumstance that too often people have to go through alone.

2.) Necessary Storms, 15,149 words, T, Julian and Starfleet Spouse Garak get entangled in Trill politics. I feel like this is one of the things I've written that most feels like it could be an episode of Star Trek, and is also a fairly unsubtle (though initially unintentional) way to explore populism, demagoguery, resource distribution, and revolt at a very particular moment in national politics with the aesthetic distance that sci fi offers.

1.) Old Friends: An Enigma Tale from Terok Nor AU. I'm exceedingly proud of this whole series, which started as just "what can I do with the idea of dabo boy Julian" and has turned into a sweeping journey covering how Terok Nor becomes Deep Space 9. This most recent installment is perhaps not indicative of the series as a whole, but it was a lot of fun to write and is also a dip into my other favorite genre aside from sci fi (murder mystery).

[moonshine-nightlight]

Potential Long Stories

hey, while looking to next year, i have a number of long story ideas i'm considering and i'd like to gauge y'alls interest in them and see if there are any top contenders since i'd likely only be able to work on one for the next year or two (similar to how Nothing's Wrong with Dale was posted)

these are all just the top ideas i'm considering at the moment and are subject to change when i get back to writing in Spring 2024, but i really want to know if any of these grabs ppls attention as often more interest in a story motivates me to write more!

see under the read more for summaries of each story in the poll

if ur interested in more than one, vote for your favorite and mention the others in the comments/tags!

See this post for a poll on short vs long stories!

See this post for a similar poll on short stories!

see below for summaries and minor details (titles subject to change - but i'm also lazy and hate titling things so maybe not)

A Perfectly Ordinary Research Position: You'd nearly given up hope finding a research assistant position at your new university, but there is one. The professor has apparently gone through four research assistants in the past year and he’s in demonology, but you're desperate. One hasty proposal for a linguistics demonology minor and an application letter later, you find yourself accepting the post. Now you only have to get up to speed on demonology and juggle your own studies with your duties as his assistant. If only the professor wasn’t quite so old and eccentric, constantly changing his mind and personality by the hour. Why, it’s almost as if he’s more than one person. No matter, you'll figure out a way to handle it all. You have to.

Not a direct sequel to Dale, but takes place in the same universe around the same time; ReaderxMaleDemon

Shadow Diplomacy: You’ve been Shaodd’s assistant since he came to your town to Arbitrate a land dispute that was threatening to escalate to violence years ago. Still, you’re used to everyone paying him attention and disregarding you to some extent, no matter that Shaodd always treats you with respect. This kingdom has finally crossed the line, by barring you from the senate entirely. You’re not sure what you thought Shaodd would do in response—but to say you’re his spouse was not at all on the list. Now you’re stuck acting as a married couple while untangling the mess of a situation these people have found themselves in. You can’t help but think how much easier the charade would be if you weren’t in love with him.

Fantasy; ReaderxEldritchEntity

Patronage: You can’t believe it’s come to this. Your country had finally won the war only to fall on desperate times while trying to recover. Your king, a foreigner in all but on paper, is the one who decides a sacrifice to the country’s patron deity is called for and what more worthy sacrifice could there be than his queen? Unfortunately for him, while the sacrifice works, your patron appears before you can die and he says that since you were the sacrifice, you are the one he will defer to. From figure head to divinely backed, can you lead your country back to prosperity?

Fantasy; ReaderxMaleDeity

Tailor Made: You volunteered to accompany the five students who won the contest for free prom outfits, offered by a local high-end tailor shop. You’re braced for someone fussy and quite frankly a snob, but Calvin is not what you expected. He’s sophisticated, but kind—effortlessly setting your students at ease and making everything go smoothly. After everything, you find yourself striking up an odd friendship with the man. You don’t understand why you feel so comfortable around him, but you don’t want to question it. If only you couldn’t tell he was keeping secrets. Will they drive you apart or bring you closer together?

Modern w/secret demons&angels; ReaderxMaleDemon

Imposter Syndrome: It seemed like a tedious but straightforward job at first. Twelve technicians, with a crew of the long-haul vessel brought out in cyro to restore a large mining rig that had malfunctioned. Yeah, the fact that everyone who’d been manning it had died was spooky, but the medical team had already cleared most of that out. The most annoying part was that you were going to have to be in a full suit since the long-hauler didn’t have enough oxygen to restore it to the rig. Then Crewmember Redman found Crewman Chroma’s dead body and worse yet, there were still 12 technicians accounted for. The logs were no help, everyone was on the roster in the system except you all remember the right number. But you hadn’t met anyone before you were put to sleep for the trip. Problems only mount when not only do you fail to identify the impostor, but crewmembers keep dying. Will you be able to figure out who’s killing off crewmember’s before you’re the one in their crosshairs?

Science Fiction; ReaderxAlien

[r0semultiverse]

The implication that Terezi is stronger/immune/indifferent to Dirk's narrative writing/reality-warping powers is interesting. 👀

I am so excited for the new writers to explore her character more.

Hopefully this also means we'll be seeing more classpect & god tier power exploration as well!

[saturnniidae]

As someone who loves both httyd and wakfu I am BEGGING you to talk more about this

Well it wasn't much more than a passing thought I wrote down before i forgot it and I was gonna apologize and say I've not thought of much but character classes, but I blacked out and went into a frenzy.

So for character classes:

Hiccup: Eliatrope and Toothless is his dragon brother

Astrid: Feca or Cra (though I could maybe see her being a Iop too?)

Snotlout: Iop

Twins: Iops as well (I'd say most of Berk's population is)

I'm kind of stuck on what Fishlegs would be. huppermage? Maybe? Idk

Dagur: Sacrier

Heather: Sram

Undecided on what I'd want Viggo to be, or if I'm even going to include him but I'm open to any suggestions.

And for a Rotbtd version (bc I contracted that disease recently):

Merida: Cra

Jack: Rogue

Rapunzel: Eniripsa

But I don't have much more than that for this version rn.

And then I have some story ideas for it but I'll put them under the cut because it's kind of a lot

Berk is a a small coastline port village known for its fishing and inhabitants with ridiculous names and violent tendencies (most of them are Iops).

(Debating on its actual location but I can't for the life of me find a map for the World of Twelve that's actually labeled 💀)

Stoick is a Iop and chief of the village. He found Hiccup when he was an infant. He's never actually sat Hiccup down and given him the "you're adopted" talk, but they're both aware of it. This doesn't really have any strain on their relationship though (they love each other, but like in canon, are shit at actually showing it) the fights they have are over other things, mostly Hiccup's hazardous passion projects. And later, Hiccup's desire to leave Berk.

Hiccup is the village blacksmith's apprentice, but is often distracted with his own projects.

He is more focused on making inventions powered by wakfu than honing his own abilities beyond portal making (because of this, they often explode). as well as seemingly having a lack of interest in finding out about himself and what he is. Beyond the fact that deep down, he knows he is not human. He still wants to get out of Berk and dreams of exploring the World of Twelve.

Hiccup lost his left leg below the knee in an accident he indirectly caused when he was 14. Part of why he doesn't like using his powers.

(If you've watched the show, you'll know that when Yugo makes two portals and puts them in front of each other, it creates a beam of energy that essentially decimates whatever it comes into contact with. And iirc it's mostly been used on machines and such, so I don't think organic matter like bone muscle and flesh would stand a chance.)

Fishlegs is the closest thing he has to a friend. they'll eagerly talk about his inventions, until Fishlegs asks Hiccup to go more in depth on how his powers work, then Hiccup shuts him out. Usally after a few days of silent treatment things go back to normal and they act like it never happened.

Snotlout is Hiccup's cousin who used to bully him but has stopped (doing it outright anyway, ofc he's still rude and we love him for it <3) due to a begruding respect for Hiccup, not that he'll ever admit it (and perhaps out of fear, after all blowing your leg off and accidentally destroying half the village, intentional or not, is an impressive feat). The twins follow Hiccup around in hopes to see what disaster he'll cause next. They're the reason Hiccup moved his 'Workshop' out of the smithy and into a remote clearing in the forest miles away from the village proper.

Toothless is Hiccup's dragon brother and has been searching for Hiccup for years, but Hiccup is so out of tune with his wakfu their connection was almost completely severed and Toothless is unable locate him. Until recently Hiccup had no idea Toothless existed, beyond a lifelong feeling of something being very distinctly wrong and the occasional vague prodding sensation in the back of his head (Toothless trying his absolute hardest to get through to him).

I have no idea what I want to do for Astrid tbh. I want to do her justice which is why I'm so indecisive.

And I have nothing for Heather and Dagur beyond what their classes would be honestly. Something will come to me eventually though.

If anyone has any questions (especially abt wakfu if you're only familiar with httyd) feel free to shoot me an ask and I'd love to elaborate!

(Also a lot of this is subject to change if I have any better ideas)

[daz4i]

ooooooh nikolai clearly has trauma related to freedom. not just his whole Thing with it, but the fact his ability gives him a quick and easy escape and especially a way to go around rules - even the rules of physics! and going by the assumption that your ability manifests in relation to past trauma, i really wonder what made him this way.

my first thought would be imprisonment of some sort. being chained somewhere, unable to leave. perhaps in a cold place, thus his idea of escape is also tied to an overcoat? it seems a bit too on the nose doesn't it?? esp with the bird in a cage metaphor

@/creantzy's fyolai comic made me think of brainwashing of some sort. definitely works with how terrified he is by it

i think a spicy take would be. that he was just a normal guy. just kind of Off, brain wise. so the monotony of a normal life drove him insane. or maybe his parents(/some other guardian bc everyone in bsd is an orphan fr) had great expectations of him that he failed to meet, and he felt metaphorically chained by that. maybe they were very protective of him and didn't let him out or do things he wants, so he felt caged by that

actually the more i think about it the more i like this idea, of a very grounded, realistic, common trauma for this character that's anything but normal in a series where everyone has these tragic larger than life sob stories. it can be a very nice subversion of expectations and imo make him even more interesting - because a backstory like that is so common even for us real life people, if he became That, there must be something wrong with him. and i think that's really poggers

[p2ii]

I had the very sudden realization that you have no idea about my One Piece / Homestuck AU (affectionately called “SBOAT”)

ooh do tell 👀

[whoredmode]

A DUBIOUSLY ACCURATE HISTORY OF STILWATER (& STEELPORT)

So if it’s not obvious by the obnoxiously long post I’ve made talking about the musical history of Stilwater, I’m fascinated by the worldbuilding of Saints Row. And in my quest of learning more about the setting of the series, I’ve pieced together my own headcanons on the general history of the city…and its cousin, Steelport. I’ve spent the last several days going over canonical histories of both cities, primarily Stilwater as it was my original goal, and put together my own ideas of how I think the cities developed prior to the start of the games in 2006. Some of this is based on actual canon evidence, other stuff is just my own conclusions. 

CANON TIMELINE

1783

Knight Plaza is founded, predating the founding of Stilwater itself

1787

Pennsylvania becomes a state

Unspecified year in the 1800s

Stilwater founded

1827

Steelport founded

1837

Michigan becomes a state

1940

Stilwater builds a new sewer system

Post-1940: An earthquake strikes Stilwater

1947

Sunset Park is built in Steelport

1970s

Vice Kings VS Los Carnales. Assumedly mid-to-late 70s into early 80s

1977: Stilwater is voted the most family-friendly city

MAPPING THINGS OUT

So it’s never exactly stated where Stilwater and Steelport are located comparatively. We know they’re in the Rust Belt, and Stilwater is expressly stated to be in Michigan. I’m inclined to say the cities are fairly close to each other (Stilwater in Michigan while Steelport is probably closer to Pennsylvania), probably several hours by car, if only because of similarities in industry, aesthetics, and even a few moments in-game. It can be fairly easily implied that the cities are within several hours driving distance of each other (my guesstimate is 7-8 hours away by car); especially given that in the beginning of SRTT they are able to land in Steelport so quickly despite assumedly not even being in the plane for more than an hour before they blow it up. 

TIMING THINGS OUT

The Stilwater Church is a gothic style church, assumedly a product of the gothic revival in the mid-1800s. Given that Steelport was founded in 1827, I’d say Stilwater was founded around this time as well, potentially ~1830. It was an unused territory for several years and did not get further development until after Michigan’s statehood was granted in 1837. 

I believe, given the architecture of Old Stilwater and the architecture of older buildings in Steelport, that both cities had a huge economic boom starting in the 1920s and had a period of growth and expansion. I’d say things were looking up for Stilwater going into the 1940s and 50s, but the earthquake sent the city into a really bad place economically. Worth noting that Steelport did not seem to be affected by the earthquake or tremors, which allowed it to continue to prosper while Stilwater tried to pick up its broken pieces.

Let’s go back a little into the 1800s, after Stilwater’s founding. I believe some time in the late 1830s/early 1840s, private railways were laid nearby to Stilwater, but the area itself would not get connected to the mainland of Michigan by rails until around the 1850s. Initially it was being used as a place for manufacturing, but wealthy people with railroad money saw the potential for a resort area. We’ll get into that in a moment.

Stilwater clearly had some manufacturing business as evidenced by the factories and boatyards, but I don’t think it ever reached the level of industry as Steelport did. Steelport also had the advantage of being founded a few years earlier. We know canonically that Stilwater has a steel factory and an oil refinery. I believe the steel factory is a minimill specifically, given its small size and the junkyard nearby; this means it uses scrap metal in its steel production. I’d date the mill around the 1890s but with several updates through the years until it was ultimately shut down. The oil refinery was probably built around the 1950s or 60s given its look, though it still appears to be somewhat operational? You can still see plumes coming out of the towers.

I know the Carnales own it, but I don't think they're necessarily refining oil or even using it as a cover for something; I think they’re getting profits from it and protecting it. From what I can tell the oil refinery may be the only factory still in actual operation, as the steel mill is just being used for the Carnales’ arms dealing. 

So where does that leave Old Stilwater’s actual primary industry? If it’s not steel factories like Steelport, and the oil refinery didn’t come into being until around the mid-20th century, what did the city do? All throughout Stilwater there’s old, decommissioned railway tracks.

Parts of them were obviously meant for more general transportation of products, as evidenced by the tracks near the factories, but others follow the slightly newer, raised tracks of the transit system. This implies that at one point, Stilwater had a need for moving people into and out of the city. Given that the tracks also led to a nice hotel at one point (the hotel underground in SR2), there was clearly a market for people getting around to some sort of entertainment and/or hospitality.

Which leads me to my theory/headcanon/whatever that Stilwater, starting in the late 1800s and into the early 20th century, had a nice trolley park and was known mostly for its entertainment. This became its primary source of revenue. 

For starters, all throughout SR2, there is talk about returning Stilwater to former glory, and tourism is obviously its most booming industry at that point in the series, so this seems to imply that it was known for tourism at one point. Stilwater itself has such a heavy emphasis on pleasure in the first two games, so it feels as if that’s always been a part of itself. Even just the fact that a record label was able to start and flourish there says that there is an entertainment scene in Stilwater and it’s a core part of its identity. Not to mention it being voted a family-friendly city in the late 70s, a point where it looked as if it might’ve started to recover from its post-earthquake troubles, further implies that there was a family-friendly image it kinda had. I think the idea of it being a trolley park in the late 1800s and into the 1900s makes a lot of sense. Stilwater itself is quite picturesque, and trolley parks began because of the rise in popularity of picnics. Families and friends went out to the nice waterside area of Stilwater, and suddenly there’s a need for more direct lines into and out of the area; next thing you know there’s new entertainment being constructed so more and more people want to come in. This all follows a pretty clear line in terms of what’s in Stilwater.

Trolley parks went out of fashion with the rise of amusement parks in the 1920s, and though Stilwater doesn’t have an amusement park, I believe Stilwater went in the direction of building venues for things like cabaret, bars, and brothels. It ended up leaning more heavily on adult entertainment, which makes sense given how it looks at the start of the series. Stilwater became synonymous with pleasure, even if it was starting to shy away from the more all-ages entertainment it had in the 19th century.  

So by the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, Stilwater was an extremely popular destination. It had great entertainment, beautiful hotels, and easy access to sex, drugs, and alcohol. All of this caught the attention of the Carnales, probably around the late 40s, and by the 1950s they began to have a hand in many of the institutions of Stilwater. 

One thing that caught my attention was a radio ad in SR1 in which Hughes says that his parents moved to Stilwater 50 years ago (so around 1956) and that, at the time, Stilwater was still a lively place. If we’re to assume the earthquake was the beginning of the end of Stilwater, we can easily guess that the earthquake either happened later that same year, or a year afterwards. With that in mind, around 1956-57, a huge earthquake hits Stilwater, razing most of the city. The place is in shambles, both physically and economically. That said, the Carnales are still expecting things like payments for their business, but now many people are unable to comply, having lost their means of income. In turn, the Carnales became a much larger, even more intimidating presence in Stilwater all throughout the rest of the 50s and 60s. 

Presumably at some point in the 1960s, a cult begins to form. People were seeking guidance and safety in the wake of such a huge natural disaster, and thus Philosotology began to take form. It stays relatively in the background for most of its life, but throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s more and more people join, especially those in places of power. I won’t get too into the development of Philosotology, as this is about the more general history of Stilwater, but I would be remiss to not mention it. The point being, by the 80s and 90s, they’re running things from behind the scenes, to the point they’re just a staple of Stilwater come modern day.

As we move through the 20th century, the progression of the canon story takes form. In the 70s, Julius Little and Benjamin King—sick of the Carnales presence in Stilwater—decide to take back the city. So throughout the 70s, the Vice Kings and the Carnales fight, with the Vice Kings ultimately coming out on top. In the late 70s and early 80s, it seems as if Stilwater might return to former glory, as the birth of Kingdom Come Records helped revitalize the arts and music scene of the city. 

However, the economy of Stilwater does not recover. Generations of Stilwaterians have been hurt by decades of poverty, of negligence by those in power, and it is not the thriving coastal city it was in the early-to-mid 20th century. Obviously, these factors (and many more) contribute to how the events of the first game begin. 

A QUICK TANGENT ABOUT STEELPORT

So where does Steelport fit into all of this? I mentioned it at the start, so surely I must have something to say. 

Steelport was founded in 1827 in Pennsylvania. It was an industrial city, full of steel factories, and it stayed that way for many years. The city steadily grew over several decades, and around the turn of the century, a large number of people from Europe moved to Steelport for work. And it was around this time that the organized crime syndicates of Europe were beginning to take hold in Steelport. 

Fast forward to the 1970s. Phillipe Loren, a high-ranking member of the Syndicate in Belgium, had ties to several of the gangs that were now in Steelport, so he goes to the city himself to see if it’s worth a US expansion. Seemingly pleased, Loren uses his status to begin doing more work with the gangs in Steelport. By the late 80s, Loren had become head of the Syndicate.

It was also around this time in the 70s that I believe Steelport began to essentially fill the hole that was left after Stilwater was destroyed by the earthquake. There was a need for places like hotels, brothels, and casinos in this area of the Rust Belt—and Steelport, being flush with cash, was able to fill that demand. In Steelport’s later years, it became more of an icon of sin and pleasure, perhaps even more than Stilwater was. It was bigger and flashier. But despite its hedonistic charm, Steelport was not exactly heading in a great direction by the 90s. 

Similarly to Stilwater, it fell on hard times economically, with many areas falling into disrepair. Many of these areas are still like this even into the modern day as poverty is still a very large issue within Steelport, though as usual is not a topic of concern for those in charge. Thus, the Syndicate very easily continues to spread its control. By the 2000s, Loren and the Syndicate are running the city. 

Getting a little ahead of my timeline, but worth talking about real quick: in 2011, Loren gets into contact with Maero about arms deals and potential expansion into Stilwater. At this point, Loren was already in bed with Ultor so to speak, but this was his first contact with one of the other gangs. Obviously this deal is hurt by the Saints, but that will only come back to bite them in a few years. 

CONCLUSION

I wanted to write some grand conclusion about all this, but to be honest my eyes are starting to glaze over from hours of running around in the first two games, reading documents on my computer, and scribbling four pages of written notes. I read some official Michigan documents on the history of the railway system in the state. I’ve never even been. What am I going to do with this knowledge now.

Stilwater is interesting and was worth a deep dive into the potential history of the area. I used to be the teaching assistant for a class on worldbuilding in college, so this type of shit is just super fascinating to me. And Stilwater has so many bits of scattered information that I really wanted to try to piece everything together in a mostly coherent way. It’s just a setting I really love for some personal reasons, and I just thought I’d give writing its history a shot. Perhaps in some ways like a love letter to the fictional city, or maybe just as a way to fill my long weekend. Who knows.

[beetled-juice]

Toonjuice, But Make It Horror

I love the animated beetlejuice cartoon so much! but I keep getting hit with ideas of how to translate it from a show for kids into something more along the lines of rated R horror. It would go much further than the musical in terms of the visuals (since it’s still cartoon-esque logic), but I also think it would still be hilarious to keep things like he can’t eat beetles on screen. So these are a bunch of unrelated ideas thrown together for how I would build on the established canon!

Should be kinda obvious, but this is a warning that I'll be discussing horror in its different forms. While I don't think I've described anything that needs specific warnings, I would imagine a general body horror / gore warning could apply, along with emetophobia for a very brief mention of vomiting. If there's anything that y'all think should be tagged please let me know!

Summoning:

To keep in line with how horror movies present demon summoning, I think to summon Beetlejuice you would need to do more than simply say his name. So based on the little ritual and chant Lydia does in the cartoon, I’ve created my own form of a summoning ritual!

To summon him you need to be in front of a mirror or reflective surface, and the summoning must be done in the dark. You’d also need a bowl of water, three candles, and three drops of blood.

In my mind, the summoning would go something like this:

You keep the set up in your bathroom - this gives you easy access to water and a mirror. The bowl you use is made of carved black stone, something spooky you picked up at an estate sale years prior. You use whatever candles you can get your hands on - sometimes it’s birthday candles from Walmart, other times it’s the nice beeswax ones you can get at the farmers market. You also keep matches and a small knife.

To start the summoning, you fill the bowl with the hottest water your faucet can provide and place it on the counter in front of the mirror. You place the candles in a triangle encompassing the bowl and light them. You then pick up the knife before closing the door and turning out the light. In the flickering lights of the candle, you prick your finger and bleed three drops into the water. As you watch the small ripples break across the surface, you begin the incantation.

Though I know I should be wary,

Still I venture someplace scary.

Ghostly haunting I turn loose,

Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse!

With the summoning complete, you look to the mirror for your ghostly friend to appear in. Sometimes he comes right away, other times it takes him a bit to find the right mirror (”got held up in traffic like you wouldn’t believe babes, took me forever to get to ya!”). When he shows up, it’s always sudden and jarring - one moment you’re seeing your own reflection in the dim light, the next you have his glowing eyes and too-large-to-be-human grin staring back at you. He’ll then slowly climb out of the mirror, sometimes oozing out like a snake and other times using the mirror’s frame to haul himself out.

Now obviously you can’t have all of these items with you at all times! If you need to summon him right away, you could just say his name three times. This method, however, comes with a catch - what you summoned is still your Beetlejuice, but it’s not the stripey version we all know and love. You can’t explain what it is he looks like, because this version of him was not meant to be seen by the living. Your brain is simply unable to comprehend what it’s seeing, and the longer you look at him, the more serious the effects. With your first glance comes a pounding headache and ringing in the ears, then comes the bleeding from the eyes and nose, then vomiting, and eventually you’ll either pass out or it kills you.

If you have to summon him this way, keeping your eyes closed may not be enough to save you - his voice, while not quite as deadly, will still cause a lot of damage if he’s not careful. He has to make a concerted effort to speak in human language, and if he loses focus he can easily shift back into a demonic tongue that will make your vision white and your chest hurt. He also has to keep his volume in check, lest he accidentally explode the nearest windows and your ear drums (or worse: your head).

It may seem odd that knowing his name isn’t enough to summon him, but there’s a very good reason for that. Appearing in his true form when his name is spoken thrice acts like a defensive measure - to know his name is to innately hold power over him, because you now have the ability to dictate his summoning and banishing at your will. Summoning a demon is supposed to be difficult, not something you just do at a whim. He hates the idea that his freedom is subject to someone else’s will, so making the summoning as difficult as possible helps prevent most people from ever attempting it in the first place! And that worked well for him until he met a couple of breathers that he actually likes to be around. Luckily, he’s got a work-around for that (loopholes, you know he loves ‘em).

This work-around would allow you to use his name (three times in a row, spoken, unbroken) without the potentially deadly side effect of seeing him in his true form. Unfortunately, this option requires a deal - a contract, to be precise. No, you don’t have to sell your soul - it’s more of an outline of when and how it’s acceptable to summon him. For you and Lydia it’s entirely a formality, with the contract taken down to the bare bones before signing, but for some random stranger it would be approximately a mile long with lots of confusing language to essentially guarantee his continued freedom. He is a sleazy con artist at heart, and he knows how to offer a deal that only benefits him in the long run, so the fact that the contracts for his two favorite breathers are less than a page long and simply grant blanket permission to summon him whenever is a very big sign of his trust in the two of you.

Other Characters:

Now the toonjuice universe isn’t all about Beej (though he may argue otherwise) - it’s also about the colorful cast of dead people who make the neitherworld their home! I’ve included some bare bones concepts for each of them:

Poopsie:

Poopsie would be this absolute terrifying monster of a dog. He’s massive, your head only coming up to his shoulder. He has thick matted fur that looks like the colors of an oil slick, and there are definitely parts of him you shouldn't touch because chunks of fur, skin, and muscle will come off in your hands (it doesn't hurt him by any means, but it's definitely gross and a little traumatizing for you). Whenever he barks or growls it's like a sonic boom that rattles your body and knocks the wind out of you, and after the first few times Poopsie learns not to do that around you and Lydia anymore. Unfortunately Poopsie can't give you any kissies because his saliva is like an acid, so while it wouldn't hurt a dead person it would absolutely burn a breather. His breath is also noxious, and it kinda stings if he's panting too close to your skin. 

Even though this Poopsie is the embodiment of a hellhound, he's still an absolute sweetheart to you and Lydia, and he loves when the two of you play with him or give him your attention! He and Beej still have their stupid rivalry, and Doomie still tries to chase him and run him over whenever he sees him, but instead of being this tiny little furball he’s now as big as a truck. I’m also now thinking about how the episode where they have to rescue him from the pound is even funnier with this version of Poopsie, because now you have this monster dog trailing along behind the three of you in the sewers trying to escape the mean dog catcher who maybe reaches up to poopsie's chest

The Monster Across the Street:

I think he's just impossible to look at directly? His form is constantly shifting and you can't quite get a lock on what it is he looks like, like liquid shadow or the way light reflects off water. It's almost like trying to describe the center of a black hole when you can only see the event horizon. When you ask Beej about it he tells you that TMATS is supposed to take on whatever form will allow him to scare someone the easiest - not like shape-shifting, but something more primal that harks back to humanity's fear of what lies in the dark. 

He's still very annoyed with Beej, and at first he’s ready to go after his breather pals for simply hanging around the ghoul, but once he sees that Poopsie likes you and Lydia he immediately becomes very friendly and polite. He loves having the two of you over for snacks and to talk about art (preferably with Beej somewhere else), and he greatly admires how the two of you maintain your calm in and amongst the horrors of the neitherworld.

Most importantly, he still has the southern accent and the cowboy hat and boots.

I think Ginger, Prince Vince, and Jacques wouldn't need to change much - you’d just have to make them a lot less cartoon-y and really lean into the horror of how they’re Almost (but Not Quite) Normal.

Jacques:

A real skeleton with a sharpie-d on mustache is very funny but would also be very unnerving. You can obviously see space between the bones, and without the connections of things like tendons he should just be a pile on the floor. So it's not like how we use wire to string up a skeleton - you can see that parts of him are free floating, like the cracks of light visible between his vertebrae or that his fingers seem to hang in space.

I think adding in things like details about obvious areas of healed scars from broken bones could be cool, like where he broke his arm as a kid. Adding to his backstory we could say that maybe the reason he’s a skeleton in the afterlife instead of a normal ghost is because he died from massive hemorrhaging after so many of his bones were crushed in an accident. Now for the rest of eternity he’ll only be able to see the cracks and the scars; the blood stains and the unhealed calluses; the areas where the bones still don’t fit together quite right. He is truly terrifying to look at at first, but that really makes him sad - he’s an absolute sweetheart, and he hates that his appearance scares people so badly.

You’d also experience the horrific noise of bones shifting and cracking whenever he moves, and the fact that his voice seems to reverberate in the air around you instead of seeming to come from him since he obviously doesn't have lungs or vocal cords. 

Ginger:

I think Ginger can just be a spider, nothing to change with that one

She has very obvious "I'm venomous and will kill you" markings like most animals would have in the wild, but turned up to a 10. I think it would be interesting if her markings seem to change every time you see her, or if they shift and change when she dances!

I can’t tell if it’s creepier if she's the size of a Prius or if she's the size of an actual spider and can just rapidly climb up your body to sit on your shoulder to talk to you? Or, like her markings can change, maybe her shape can change too?

Prince Vince:

Honestly I think Prince Vince is hilarious as he is and I wouldn't really change much about him. He's not meant to be scary, he's pathetic and sad and I love him for that. 

I think the fact that when he's sad it rains could definitely be turned up in terms of the danger factor, like it summons lightning storms and flooding and all that

Having said that, the idea of a prince of hell who's just emo is VERY funny in the midst of this horror world. Like welcome to hell where everything is horrifying and it would probably drive you mad to stay there too long, oh and also the prince of hell is just a moody emo teenager who cries all the time. He looks exactly like what you'd expect of an emo / goth teenage boy and that's why he's perfect

[irritablepoe]

i wish i could play the cello bc i have such cool bsd (especially doa/fyodor) related ideas for performances that i could do with other people that play the violin or other instruments like i could sit in the middle of the stage, spotlight on me, dressed in white, and then start to play a composition that's like very epic and when i get to a certain part, four other musicans start playing, carrying the piece. my brain does wonderful things sometimes but i don't think i can play the violin anymore, it's been too long :(

[moonrecalled]

figuring out how to bring rei back for threads without ruining the theme of pq... this is just me brainstorming atm, but!

i do like the concept of like... okay so rei learnt that her life had meaning because she managed to change people's lives (implied for the better), even if only a little bit, right? but there are likely a lot of people who feel that all they managed to accomplish in the world was making it worse. that perception they hold is probably not actually true, but it would be interesting if the collective souls/wishes of people like that managed to bring rei back into the world in order to like... fulfill their desire to change the world for the better through her??? almost like she's helping them ease their regrets through living for them.

idk if that makes any sense. or if it's healthy or fair. but like... it might be workable. idk why it'd be HER specifically who came back, unless it's something to do with her connection with chronos that allowed it to happen, or maybe she's a cognitive "copy" of rei instead and not actually the original?? or something.

i still feel a little unsatisfied with like... how she accepts her death and that her life had meaning as it was by the end of PQ, only for me to be like "just kidding she's alive now!!" but.

[epicaandk0]

If the Bishops were to switch domains for example if they could switch their crowns and wear them and rule over those domains which which domain do you think each Bishop is best suited for

Nice Icon

This ask took me a while cause it got my brain a going. I like the bishops and their domains as they are rn and I think most of them would agree (minus maybe Narinder). But I was thinking if they were to swap crowns what would that look like?

So here's what I did: Narinder -> Knowledge (Purple Crown) Leshy -> Pestilence (Blue Crown) Shamura -> Death (Red Crown) Kallamar -> Famine (Yellow Crown) Heket -> Choas (Green)

Explanation under read more:

Kallamar - Famine. While pestilence fits the cowardly squid amazingly I liked the yellow crown for him because... well... sushi. Plus disease can be a scary thing, feast and hunger are, in some ways, less frightening purely because its easier to understand. Thus having Kallamar be famine works imo.

Heket - Chaos. This one is a little strange but hear me out. We know Heket takes on more of a big sister roll in the family despite being the 2nd youngest canonically. Heket def seems like the kind of person to pull pranks on her siblings but also be fiercely defensive should you fuck with her kin. That's why I think she fits chaos. "No one fucks with my family but me, heretic!"

Shamura - Death. Ohohohoho I adore the idea of Shamura being god of death. Life and death comes before all, death being a guardian of the afterlife, the creepy but loving big sibling. It works so well. Also with Shamura being death the resurrection ritual would be a hell of a no-go.

Leshy - Pestilence. Does Leshy work better as Chaos? Yes. Do I fully believe disease would be a little shit who fucks shit up on purpose? Also yes. Don't like blue crown Leshy? That's fine. He'll just give you non stop hiccups for a month.

Narinder - Knowledge. Again Narinder with the knowledge/wisdom/war domain works really well in my mind. Unlike Shamura Narinder would dive head first into dangerous/forbidden knowledge, consequences be damned. Could also be interesting if he was still the bishop betrayed, accidentally fucked around too much and found out.