#sinclair lore

[vaguely-concerned]

playing a souls game means that I am watching a lot of long form youtube vids on the side once more, and it has allowed me to remember in full force that sinclair lore is one of the best -- perhaps the very best -- channels on youtube. come for the excellent fromsoftware game analysis*, stay for the deep dives into some of THE weirdest corners of pop culture that you didn't even dream existed but will carry in your heart and mind forever now. I am currently working my way through their playlist about niche and frequently bizarre 80s/90s anime, and I was laughing so hard it almost made me fuck up the last two hits in my final triumphant fight with the dancer of the boreal valley.

basically this channel is the epitome of the sentiment of 'it makes no sense. compels me, though' as a celebration of strange and uncategorizable (and perhaps initially off-putting) art everywhere, and I think that generosity and genuine curiosity of gaze is needed in our media landscape now more than ever. whenever sophie goes 'it's just so fucking weird!!' in tones of glee and intense fascination an angel gets its wings. sin's undaunted dedication to the art she likes and disinteres in what she doesn't, regardless of how it's popularly received, inspirational. the youtube algorithm is not kind to them because it sucks ass, but!! if you want some quality Soulsborne lore that can break out the lens of queer theory when it's called for, videos about cryptids to fall asleep to, the only postmortem of Madam Web you'll ever need and didn't know you wanted (you do tho), 3 hour breakdowns of comparative cosmology of the fromsoft games that rock actually, honest engagement with and appreciation for dark souls 2 (my beLOVED), horror game let's plays and recaps, the oddest anime you ever saw discussed in great depth and with passion, the history of bloodborne -- I won't even say fandom, I think this qualifies as scholarship frankly, GORGEOUS pixel art backgrounds to rest your weary gaze upon, elden ring stuff? they gots elden ring stuff for ya, and to laugh like a dumbass every step of the way... look no futher. join the snack covenant 2day. some specific video recs based on what your interest might be under the cut!

*shoutout to them and TBSkyen (whose 'Boss Designs Of [Soulsbornering]' series is also absolutely excellent, second rec on the rec post! Here's the Bloodborne installment of the series, and my personal fave is predictably the Dark Souls 2 one) for being part of the few channels who actually explicitly use the tools of literary and art analysis to look at those games. I love a lot of the lore community but for god's sake will someone actually look into the actual overarching themes and ideas at work instead of trying to forensically break down the order in which events happened like it's a real world crime scene or site of archeology, not a deliberatly constructed story made with human hands or go source: it's a berserk reference and move on. and these champs go 'yeah we got you. let's talk about aldia's whole deal in depth' and I for one am so grateful

If you're into bloodborne, may I suggest: Laurence, the Worst Vicar. your one stop shop for understanding just how badly this guy sucked, as well as a lot of the Themes ticking away in the background of the game.

I have literally never thought about Warhammer 40K a day in my life before and I'm not about to start now, but this conversation about how oops as a franchise you were so mysogynistic back in the 80s it looped all the way around and now space marines may all be kind of trans actually?? is one of the best things I've watched in ages!

I know nothing about the anime they are discussing here but this whole vid had me rolling with laughter. they just don't make dubs like this anymore folks. the fuck counter triumphant

[unnounblr]

"It's like some science fiction story where a computer doesn't understand what love is and explodes, but instead it's like it doesn't understand what being a pissbaby is and explodes"

[breckstonevailskier]

Frederick Sinclair's true colors were shown during the TV series

Among the other named business oligarchs we see in attendance at the Vault-Tec meeting in the final episode of season 1, besides Robert House, is Frederick Sinclair. He's representing Big Mountain.

Those who played the Dead Money DLC for Fallout: New Vegas will recognize Sinclair, as he's the guy who constructed the Sierra Madre Resort & Casino at which the DLC's events take place.

However, some fans have felt that there's a discrepancy between how Sinclair is depicted here vs. the image of him we are given from reading terminal entries and looking at murals around the Sierra Madre.

For instance, Dead Money and Old World Blues have it stated that Sinclair is just a client of Big MT, whereas the TV series has him serving as Big MT's representative at this meeting.

Another point of contention is how Sinclair's physical appearance and personality in the TV show is very different from how it is depicted in Dead Money. In Dead Money, Sinclair is portrayed as a suave man of average weight with brown hair and a mustache (albeit only on pre-War murals), and has a much more youthful and regretful personality. But the TV series makes him older, portly, and very crass.

We have remarks made by Dead Money's project director Chris Avellone where he felt that Sinclair's physical appearance on-screen "didn't really mesh with his appearance in the Sierra Madre."

However, I'd argue that we're not seeing any retcons at all, and nothing about Sinclair's presence at the meeting contradicts what we learn about him from Dead Money. In fact, if anything, his presence in the show informs a lot of the backstory we learned in Dead Money.

Sinclair's foreknowledge:

One thing that is clearly noted from reading terminal entries and a few journal entries, is that Sinclair clearly believed that a nuclear war was imminent:

Now that we know he was at this meeting to collaborate with Vault-Tec, we understand why he felt this way: much like Mr. House, he had foreknowledge. That's why he built the Casino like a fortress. That's why he invested in technology like the Vending Machines, the holograms, and the Auto Docs.

Sinclair and the Cloud:

Sinclair almost went broke in the process of procuring the Vending Machines and the holograms for the Sierra Madre. To compensate, he permitted Big MT to conduct some experiments in the Villa. One of the experiments that Big MT did at the Villa was put an airborne toxin in the Villa's shoddy ventilation system, and then pump it out to see what would happen. This put several construction workers out of commission due to the effects it had on them, and is ultimately the source of the Cloud. To deal with the problem, Sinclair negotiated with Big MT to procure hazmat suits for the workers to go in and try and find where the Cloud had originated from. Unbeknownst to Sinclair, the hazmat suits were intentionally designed poorly, such that the users were exposed to the Cloud and also found themselves getting trapped in the suits (and could only be freed by having someone else cut them out with a Cosmic knife). These two experiments combined are what led to the construction crew becoming the Ghost People who inhabit the Villa.

While terminal entries in Old World Blues suggest that Sinclair didn't know about the Cloud being a Big MT experiment, the TV show makes me think that actually, he DID know. When the executives begin tossing out ideas for vault experiments, listen to the second idea that Sinclair pitches: he proposes a vault where psychotropic drugs are pumped into the air supply (which was ultimately implemented in Vault 106 out in the Capital Wasteland). That's an experiment that's very similar to the Cloud experiment, which involved an airborne toxin being pumped out of a ventilation system. Perhaps Sinclair knew exactly what the Cloud was, and its true origins, and this discovery was still fresh in his mind at the time of the meeting with Vault-Tec.

Sinclair's relationship with Vera Keyes:

Sinclair's depiction as an old and crass businessman does change the nature of his relationship to Vera Keyes. If the Sierra Madre murals of Sinclair are taken at face value...

...he comes off like a middle aged man in love with someone close to him in age, who was very heartbroken by finding out she was an unwitting accomplice to Dean Domino's plans to rob from him.

But with his depiction in the show, his relationship with Vera looks a lot different. Instead of being this middle aged man pining for a woman close to him in age, he's an old man who's obsessed with a young starlet at least 40 years his junior (information on Vera suggests she was in her late 20s when the Gala Event took place, and Sinclair looks to be in his late 60s/early 70s).

Him being an old man also makes a lot of sense when one considers his relationship to Dean Domino. Dean Domino was probably in his early to mid-60s in 2077 (going off Barry Dennen's age at the time that Dead Money was being developed), so close in age to Sinclair. It makes it more believable that Sinclair would've readily trusted Dean regarding Vera and the Villa construction, and thus be blinded to the truth that Vera was Dean's accomplice in the scheme to rob the vault, and also not be aware that Dean was profiting from Mr. Yesterday's scheme to cheat Sinclair by intentionally constructing the Villa with subpar building materials.

There's also these lines from Dean's dialogue regarding Sinclair and Vera that make a lot more sense when you know Sinclair is an old man:

"Ghost in name and image. Still a looker, though. Got to hand it to Sinclair, sure can pick 'em. Well, or get picked. Whichever."

"Vera was a big star, back before the Bomb. Not the best actress, but… well, she had other talents. Nice voice, nice legs. For some reason, Sinclair... he built this place... she caught his eye. Once he was hooked, that was it, had to have her. So made the introductions, and guess what? He builds this place for her, like some kind of Cleopatra obsession. Wasn't always a deathtrap."

And:

Courier: "Why did you need [Vera]?"

Dean: "Because she could get closer to Sinclair than I ever could. Sinclair was already puppy-eyed, so all I had to do was the introductions. She smiled, fluttered her eyes, showed a little leg ...and he built this whole place for her. Made her the key to his vault, like a joke, cause of her name. Her fake Hollywood name. Except Sinclair didn't know I'd been there first. I could twist her whatever direction I wanted."

With that age gap in mind, coupled with his foreknowledge of Vault-Tec's plans, it also makes a lot of sense why Sinclair would build the Casino like a fortress, as he came to value Vera more than anything else in his life. He probably viewed her as the one thing he didn't want to lose when the Great War broke out. It's also understandable why he'd be so devastated to learn about Vera's betrayal and turn the vault into a death trap for her and Dean, though eventually came to regret this (and ultimately died trying to undo the trap).

Additional thoughts:

Regarding the discrepancy in Sinclair's involvement with Big Mountain, I think it's safe to say that he might've actually invested a lot of money into buying a controlling stake in Big MT in order to get them to install the Vending Machines, the holograms, the Auto Docs, and all the other technologies that went into the Sierra Madre. That's my explanation at least for why he'd be the person sent to represent Big MT when Vault-Tec reached out seeking to collaborate with them on the vault experiments.

My opinion as to why the murals depict Sinclair as a young man is because he's rather vain. He was pretty suave way back when, but whereas House has largely retained his good looks up until 2077, Sinclair is now old, balding and fat.

It's worth noting that Cooper Howard has an indirect connection to Sinclair and Dean Domino, as he once starred in a movie with Vera.

...and considering a number of Season 2 set leaks have established that we'll be seeing flashbacks of Las Vegas before the Great War, I think there's a strong chance we'll get to see Cooper interact with Vera and Dean. Dean was very much present in Las Vegas at the time, as evidenced by some of his dialogue and the pre-War posters of him that can be found on loading screens and at a few locations on the Strip in the main game. So maybe Cooper will get to interact with the two of them as they were before Vera died and Dean became a ghoul.

And if they canonize Dean surviving Dead Money (which happens if you didn't bruise his ego while recruiting him), maybe Lucy and Cooper will get to interact with him when they get to New Vegas as his ending slides suggest that that's where he goes after he leaves the Sierra Madre.

I think that Vault-Tec invited Big MT to the table because they also wanted access to the same technologies Sinclair was installing in the Sierra Madre. The Vending Machines and the Auto Docs are pieces of technology that would definitely be useful to have in a Vault, especially when the Vaults are supposed to be self-sustaining.

[the13thh0ur]

POV: How our parents went to school.

[evorathesylvurr]

Sinners as programs:

Yi Sang – Cortana/Siri/similar “AI”-that-follows-specific-rules programs. I don’t think poetry generators exist.

Faust – Any calculator game. Look. I love girlfail Faust as much as the next person, but she would be a calculator.

Don Quixote – Shimeji. Ok that’s the post.

Ryoshu – Either comedic malware like Reisenware, actual malware, or mspaint.

Meursault – Windows explorer/non-windows equivalent. He is your file explorer.

Hong Lu – Any digital pet, OR he is a collection of PNGs kept solely on your second monitor for a digital pet rock. I don’t know how to explain this one.

Heathcliff – It’d be far too easy (and a misinterpretation) to go with the malware route. Heathcliff has game engine energy and I am specifically referring to Ren’Py. he’s a Visual Novel engine.

Ishmael – Ishmael is specifically placid plastic duck simulator. No, but actually, Ishmael is any casual game like stardew valley or minecraft. she is never subnautica.

Rodya – Rodya is one of those email websites that boomers adore ❤️ /pos

Sinclair – Sinclair is a book library, like a kindle fire type thing.

Dante – Too easy to say a clock. Dante is an emulator.

Outis – Too easy to say a Trojan virus. She’s honestly a scheduling app.

Gregor – Again, far too easy to say malware (because bugs, get it? I’ll see myself out). He’s notepad.

Bonus:

Charon – An email that glitched out and was sent in like 1786 or whatever the earliest year a computer can claim

Vergilius – Far too easy to say tasque task manager. He’s an antivirus. Scares the viruses into not doing that shit.

Erlking(?) Heathcliff – Yeah he’s malware. He infects your computer, and spreads to other computers.

[rhonissancee]

Close ups >< I'll be making a master list for them soon !

[lorelaiblair]

my sweet girl

[sinclair-enterprises]

Lieutenant Helga Sinclair Comprehensive Combat Studies/Timeline

It’s difficult to say when Helga began professional combat training. It is documented that at some point during her youth she was encouraged to learn the art of combat by her father, U.S. Army Major Alexander Sinclair, as well as her five brothers after Helga declined her mother’s suggestion to pursue dance. At the age of 17 (approx. 1894) she met Commander Lyle Rourke while stationed in Maryland. After time spent at Yongsan (1894-1897) and Aberdeen Proving Ground (1897-1901), Helga traveled to Fort Dix sometime between 1901-1902 with the support of her father. It was at this time that she began to learn both the use of firearms as well as military tactics under Commander Rourke’s instruction. Rourke was impressed with Helga’s skills (& her potential to become a covert agent/spy), and he therefore took her with him on tour as a training assistant between late 1902-early 1903. Later in 1903 Helga accompanied Rourke on an expedition to Egypt as an intelligence officer, parting ways with him in August of that year to continue her training (possibly at Fort Dix or elsewhere). In 1904 Helga appears to have left on an unspecified expedition this time to San Domingo, but thereafter she made her way to the Philippines. During her stay in the then-U.S. colony she underwent the most substantial part of her close quarters combat training by studying under the founder of aikido, Moreihei Ueshiba, from 1904-1907. By the time Helga entered the employ of Preston B. Whitmore on December 5, 1911 as a personal bodyguard & chauffer, she was a proficient master in the art of several combat styles & techniques, encompassing close range to longer distance forms of fighting.

Tutelage under Moreihei Ueshiba:

During the period 1904-1907 Helga trained extensively in aikido as a student of Ōsensei Moreihei Ueshiba. Ueshiba himself served in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and was only discharged in 1907. This is where history & Atlantis’s lore diverge as historically Ueshiba traveled to Hokkaido after he left the army, staying there until 1919-while Helga already made her journey to the Philippines in 1904. We can thus assume that in Atlantis’s timeline he instead began to develop his style somewhat before and alongside his move to the Philippines instead in 1904, where he presumably opened a school and began to teach students in the ways of his new martial art. As Helga studied with Ueshiba in the early years of aikido she would have had access to a curriculum more focused on lethal strikes to vital points, as well as a greater emphasis on the use of weapons. It was only later that her teacher would come to develop aikido into an art less focused on martial techniques and more on spiritual self-improvement, and more practically the ability to subdue an opponent in ways that used that attacker’s strength/momentum against them.

Helga reached the rank of Yudansha-Yodan, or “4th Dan Black Belt,” by the end of her studies (Yudansha signifying the holder of a Dan grade [black belt], and Yodan indicating the 4th Dan level). By 1907 she had mastered several disciplines under the aikido umbrella, most prominently Henka Waza, Tanto Dori, and Tachi Dori.

Henka Waza:

Henka Waza (shift technique) is considered to be a more advanced skill focusing on switching between techniques in the middle of your move. This can be done as an adaptation to circumstances or simply if your opponent resists your initial technique. It is in all cases of its use intended to be a motivated shift.

Tanto Dori:

Tanto Dori (knife defense) is a technique which placed emphasis on defense against an opponent wielding a knife. The key point of this skill is to minimize the amount of harm done to the defender in the midst of both deflecting and controlling a knife attack. Body movement and leverage are often employed to redirect the opponent’s knife, as opposed to gripping or directly blocking it.

Tachi Dori:

Tachi Dori (sword taking) is a skill in which its practitioner is intended to disarm an opponent wielding a sword. This is again intended to be done with the bare hands as in Tanto Dori. This is a difficult technique, given that the uke, or sword holder, uses a two-handed grip which can be very firm and hard to dislodge.

Weapons:

As a result of her training between the 1890s to the early 1900s Helga mastered a wide array of close quarters weapons across multiple fighting disciplines including: the Colt throwing knife, bo staff, kama, field tanto, and the katana. It is also known that Helga was taught savage, tactical combat knife fighting somewhere in this same timeframe.

At the conclusion of her tutelage in the Philippines in 1907, Helga returned to the United States. It can be reasonably inferred that she continued to improve and build upon her skills in the period leading up to her employment by Whitmore Industries at the age of 34. One of Helga’s greatest achievements in physical combat is recorded in her file, in which she is stated to have bested Commander Lyle Rourke in unarmed combat-only one of three people to have ever done so. The circumstances surrounding this contest are unknown and so it is tough to make any clear analysis of her performance and application of the disciplines she had learned. Regardless, this fight between Lieutenant Sinclair and Commander Rourke remains clear evidence that the former had by that point become a formidable fighter in her own right. By the time the Atlantis Expedition got underway in 1914 Helga had over two decades of combat training and practical experience under her belt-proficient in multiple styles, techniques, and the use of an impressive assortment of both western and eastern weapons. She was a deadly, capable operative molded into exactly the kind of enforcer Commander Rourke needed her to be. Her abilities would end up being put to the ultimate test when Rourke betrayed her at the end of the Atlantean expedition where Helga was forced to engage him in a desperate fight to the death.

Unfortunately, her mentor revealed himself to still be far more capable than his student in a death match, and despite a spirited effort by the Lieutenant he ultimately defeated her, leading to her fiery demise.

Given that Helga was continually improving her skill set throughout the entirety of her life it’s possible she could potentially have at least achieved parity with Rourke in this kind of fight had she survived the expedition and into older age. This remains speculation, but what we can say is this: Helga Sinclair distinguished herself as a remarkable martial artist through the length and breadth of her career, and her mastery of such an assortment of fighting techniques speaks volumes to the discipline and dedication she carried herself with in life. Though her physical prowess was utilized in the service of less than savory causes, it was almost always used in the defense of those she cared about/those under her command until given no other choice. If Moreihei Ueshiba could have seen what became of his pupil, I think he at least would have taken solace in that.

[wenclairfamily]

Literary Essay: The Evolution of Wednesday Addams

Many would like to believe that the famous Wednesday Friday Addams (yes, Friday is her official middle name) simply leaped onto the TV screen fully formed one day as the dark goth icon that she is... but the path to get there is a little longer than one would believe.

Wednesday Addams was created by New Yorker artist: Charles Addams. It's hard to say with absolute certainty where exactly Charles Addams got his inspiration for Wednesday. It certainly didn't come from anyone in his family, as the famous Addams Family creator had no siblings. However many individuals that have done extensive research on Charles Addams' life (including myself) would like to believe that the Addams Family characters were inspired the dark imaginings he had while walking by creepy houses in his home neighborhood of Westfield, New Jersey; along with the local cemetery he spent a great deal of time at alone as well. Preserved local police records also report that young Charles Addams had a few minor rough encounters with the law growing up, so his own anti-establishment nature obviously influenced his characters as well.

A June 1940 drawing of Charles Addams would feature an early proto-Wednesday image of a young girl full of woe trying to having a seemingly normal childhood in a dark gloomy world. Four years later though: the Wednesday Addams we all know would first appear in the New Yorker as the daughter of Morticia, and the sister/partner in crime of Pugsley.

In her earliest appearances: Wednesday was typically never seen doing anything outside her home alone. If she wasn't receiving wonderful affection from her father, she was often out having play time with her brother Pugsley (albeit, their version of play time involved torturing and harming others in their community). Like Charles Addams himself at a young age, Pugsley clearly had a very mischievous side in his early appearances (with Pugsley himself predating Wednesday's first proper appearance). Although upon looking at their early appearances together, one must wonder... did Charles Addams initially create Wednesday just to be a play mate for Pugsley? Or rather... could it be that Wednesday Addams represented the sister/ friend/ partner in crime Charles Addams always wished he had as a boy growing up? It's something we may never truly know for sure.

Originally none of the Addams Family characters were well defined individuals. They were just creepy and cooky recurring characters that Charles Addams drew for the New Yorker. However when it came time to turn his characters into a TV show, Charles Addams wrote up a definitive bible for the Addams Family. It was here that Wednesday's name was finally confirmed, and also that she was more of a solemn quiet girl. She was also described as being imaginative and poetic... although it would take us a few decades to truly see that side of her. However Charles Addams did claim that Wednesday had six toes on one foot; something that hasn't been shown on screen in any modern Addams Family media... yet...

When the 1964 Addams Family TV series premiered, Wednesday Addams was played in live action for the first time by actress Lisa Loring. In this early incarnation, Wednesday was portrayed as a very happy and polite girl who just so happened to ejoy dark macabre activities (such as chopping her dolls heads off, playing with spiders, and seemingly being familiar with seances). Despite the series reportedly not having the bite that Charles Addams had intended (mostly due to how much dark material 1960's TV censors would allow), Wednesday Addams immediately became a recognized pop culture figure.

Despite a decline in Addams Family media in the following two decades after the original TV series ended, everything changed with the 1991 Addams Family film. This time: Wednesday would be portrayed by Christina Ricci, who would give us a unique once in a generation performance. Whether it was to differentiate Wednesday from her typically upbeat family, or it was to give us an unusual goth girl going through the moodiness brought on by puberty: Christina Ricci's Wednesday gave us the iconic goth girl who was cold, deadly, direct, and the definitive outsider who could accomplish any dark task she set her mind to; all the while always refusing to conform to societal norms. It was a performance that not just moody grunge/goth teens of the 1990's could gravitate to... it was a performance that anyone of any generation who has ever felt like an outsider could relate to.

What made Christina Ricci's performance more fascinating though wasn't that she was just a one note gloomy girl. It was the moments where she would show small amounts of emotion (or the very few moments where she displayed great emotion) that informed of us what really made her mind tick. It's a type of balance very few actors of any age can master. After portraying Wednesday in just two films, other actresses would portray Wednesday in future live action projects and additional movies. Meanwhile, more teenage girls than we could ever count would eventually play Wednesday Addams on stage, when an Addams Family musical (that had previously been a Broadway play in the 2000's) would become the most performed musical in American high schools across the USA in the 2010's. Despite many passionate and well meaning portrayals though; there had yet to be one actress that could top the definitive performance Christina Ricci has given us... until 2022 came...

Enter Jenna Ortega. It's hard to give unique praise for this epic once in existence performance at this point. Whether it was the writing, or legendary director Tim Burton's direction, or it was just all thanks to this actress; Jenna Ortega's portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the super hit: Wednesday TV series, has now become the ultimate definitive portrayal of Wednesday Addams. Jenna Ortega literally did everything that Christina Ricci did right in her portrayal years ago, and somehow pushed that perfection even farther. The deadpan expressions, and the subtle ways Jenna Ortega displays Wednesday's limited and almost conflicting emotions is a fascinating portrayal for the ages. Wednesday Addams is supposed to be an emotionless girl who fails to connect with others... and yet there is so much you see in Jenna Ortega's portrayal of Wednesday every second she is on screen.

If anything, all of the best parts of what made Wednesday Addams who she is over the decades have been finally distilled into her character in the current streaming series. Her solemn and poetic side Charles Addams first wrote of in the Addams Family character bible is finally fully realized in this show. Wednesday's dark hobbies from the 1960's series are still very much part of her character and back story. Meanwhile the extremely dark gothic style Christina Ricci introduced to the character in the 90's is also built upon and expanded in the new show.

Even Wednesday's relationship with new fan favorite character: Enid Sinclair may have ties to Wednesday Addams' early beginnings. As was said near the beginning of this essay: Wednesday Addams may have been inspired by the imaginary sister or friend that a lonely Charles Addams wished he had while growing up; someone that would always be there by his side as he got up to all kinds of crazy schemes. Fast forward to all these years later: similar to how Charles Addams gave his inner Pugsley the companion he always wished he had, the new Wednesday TV series has provided viewers Enid: the kind of loving companion that so many of us would secretly admit that our inner Wednesday would give anything to have. So in many ways, the new ideas and passion surrounding Wednesday Addams now are not so different than the ideas and passion that brought her into existence in the first place.

[vaguely-concerned]

further sinclair lore channel video rec (if you've got the kind of itch of the soul an hbomberguy vid can scratch, this is probably going to be right up your alley): this video is an odyssey. every single fact, revelation and detail that arises feels like being slapped in the face from a brand new direction, in the very best of ways. number of sentences never spoken in the english language before or since: uncountable. made me laugh so hard I almost spilled my coffee at several points. opened my eyes once more to the deep and splendorous oddness of this our shared world, for those with the hearts and eyes to love it. never kill yourself you don't know when you'll stumble onto something so bizarre it evokes something like religious awe. if you feel like diving deep into something incredibly weird and inconsequential for an hour and a half look no further you have found your destination

[lizaelbhrt]

DOOMED TO BURN — a Wenclair fic (AO3)

i promise it’s romantic. they just have brain damage and unresolved trauma. and claws.

⸻

ENID: babe you can’t keep lying to me

WEDNESDAY: I’m not lying

ENID: you passed out in a puddle of blue glitter and bile

WEDNESDAY: I said I’m FINE

THING: [sends a .jpg of a bloodstained sink]

⸻

⸻

Wednesday: “I can handle this.”

Also Wednesday: [feral scribbling in a journal about .4ml dose schedules while actively wearing her werewolf girlfriend’s scent like a threat]

⸻

me every time enid growls in public: YES MA’AM

⸻

Summary if you’re normal (I’m not):

Wednesday is spiraling. Enid is growling.

The mate bond is waking up.

And Yoko keeps interrupting right before the smut hits.

• potion addiction? yes.

• protective Enid? also yes.

• self-harming goth with a spreadsheet? we wrote her.

• unholy gay tension? constantly.

⸻

Read here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/65464876/chapters/168494389 by acideedulcore

aka the enabler of both soft cuddles and emotional breakdowns.

[psychotic-nonsense]

Steve Harrington doesn't expect today to be anything special.

His kid, Dustin, is out in the garage hanging out with his friend Lucas. It's a calm spring evening, and there isn't a single call coming from the phone asking for his services. The former handy man turned jack of all trades has a day off, and he's taking the chance to catch up on the fantasy book Dustin picked up for him on his last trip to the library.

He's older than he once thought he could be, he's alive, and he's happy.

He's mid sip of his sweet tea - recipe courtesy of the Byers family - when someone suddenly comes in through the front door. Mr. Harrington jumps, closes the book with a dog-eared page ("Terrible habits, sir, terrible terrible habits," says a voice from the past in his head). But then Dustin walks into view, and while he's not entirely calmed, he's less startled.

"Hey there, big guy," his starts calmly, but his mood quickly sombers when he gets a full look at his son. "Everything okay?"

Something's off. Dustin's coming in through the front door, not the back door that's easier to get to from the garage. Lucas isn't with him, and Mr. Harrington's old acoustic guitar is in his hands ("Be careful, love, you might end up as our backup," says the voice with a wink he can still see). But most importantly, Dustin looks nervous. Sad, even, and Mr. Harrington never lets that kind of face linger long in this household.

"Yeah, I'm okay, dad..." Dustin mumbles, pausing in the front hall, staring down at the guitar. His eyes look far away. "I was just wondering, um... you know that band group that I'm friends with?" Dustin looks up, directing all of that pain right at his father, stabbing at his heart.

"Yeah, your buddies on that forum, right?" Mr. Harrington says cautiously. He's leaning forward on his knees now, book discarded to a side table to give Dustin his full attention. "Were they telling you something? Is Lucas okay?"

"No, yeah, Lucas is fine, his mom called," Dustin quickly mutters, briefly distracting the nervous tension in his face with a shaking head. He takes a deep breath, releasing it in one big huff as he holds the guitar tighter. "So, you remember how I told you we were all helping each other? You know, learning how to write songs?"

"Yeah?" Mr. Harrington affirms, gently encouraging him to go on.

"Well, um..." Dustin looks away again, down at his feet shuffling in the carpet. "The- the lead singer of that band? Said he wanted some feedback on one, so uh..." His eyes glance at the guitar in his arms before meeting his father's eyes again.

Mr. Harrington huffs a small sigh of relief, a smile overtaking him. Nothing's wrong, it's just Dustin wanting to share a song with his dad, and he's nervous. Mr. Harrington has nothing to worry about ("A one man crowd? Gotta make this really memorable then," says the voice, teasing words but a soft, scared, nervous tone). "Yeah yeah, of course, kid, I'd be honored."

But then why is Dustin still so tense when he nods? Why are his eyes still so sad when he sits on the couch opposite Mr. Harrington, while he tunes the guitar? Why does he keep looking at the empty space beside him, growing more anxious each time?

"Take your time buddy, it's okay," Mr. Harrington tries to reassure, but Dustin doesn't look up.

Instead he sits there, breathing deeply a few times. Looks over at the other end of the couch, blinks a few times before nodding to himself, turning back. His left hand runs over the frets a few times, other hand coming up to rub at his eyes-

Oh god, he's crying. And his dad is just sitting there, helpless and useless. Mr. Harrington's heart is impaled once again and he reaches up, wanting to try and fix this, to help.

But then Dustin's hands are settling on the guitar, determination joining the mix of sadness and anxiety, and Mr. Harrington is forced to sit back and watch.

Because Dustin starts playing.

He's heard the music from outside the garage walls. He's bought plenty of guitars for Dustin to play over the years, heard many types of genres coming from under the secrecy of that roof. It's Dustin's thing, his hidden passion outside of science and fantasy, so Mr. Harrington has let him have the privacy, keeping his pride tamed for his son's sake.

So to finally see Dustin playing is like pride tenfold, longing grasping his heart tight when he sees how Dustin leans into the music ("We're the few good ones left, dear... We just feel it differently from others, you know?" bemoans the voice in his head). How his eyes close, the tension in his body loosening as music echoes from the guitar's.

And it's a beautiful melody. Simple, like all good things are, but melancholic. Longing incarnate. Nothing he was expecting from this, but he never wants it to end. It feels like lost love, regrets...

But then the singing starts.

"First things first

We start the scene in reverse

All of the lines rehearsed

Disappear from my mind"

Faint and echoing. Barely audible at first, but steadily growing in sound as Dustin plays. Ethereal, Mr. Harrington remembers from the book. That describes it.

It's not Dustin, he's too focused on the guitar. And his voice cracks on words this quiet, his tone off no matter what genre he's singing along to. Gets it from his dad.

It's almost familiar. Sounds like home.

"When things got loud

One of us running out

I should have turned around

But I had too much pride"

Suddenly, something shifts in the air. It feels cold, like soft wind in a breath, then going tingly. The light pattering of winter's first snow.

There's a window behind Dustin, the evening light shining through the blinds and curtains lighting everything in a warm glow. If he wasn't watching Dustin, he wouldn't have seen it. The beams being cast on the couch beside Dustin are slightly bright... and are swiftly getting brighter.

"No time for goodbyes

Didn't get to apologize

Pieces of a clock that lies broken"

Before his eyes, the sunlight starts moving, swirling and disconnecting into little beads of light. It shifts colors, a gradient of orange and reds, purple and blue, a hazy cloud slowly materializing on the couch.

It's shaping into something, moving into specific sections to the music and words. Changing color all the while, blacks and reds appearing deeper, a figure coming through the shape. The voice keeps getting louder, screaming familiarity at Mr. Harrington-

Then in a flash, it solidifies, and everything else fades away. No room, no weather, no sense.

Just music and singing and... and him.

"If I could take us back

If I could just do that

I'd write in every empty space

The words 'I love you' in replace

And every time would not erase me"

He's sitting on the couch next to Dustin, almost laying down. Leaning back against the arm rest, knees bunched up on the cushion but shoes hanging off the side. His clothes look aged compared to nowadays, but it's the same flannel and black ripped jeans and chains as the faithful day they lost each other.

Oh god, his voice has the same gorgeous vibrato, words flowing from his lips like poetry. His hair has the same soft curly bounce, product keeping it infinitely safe. His face, his hands, his presence remains unchanged.

He's not looking up, doesn't have to for those deep amber doe eyes to be so visible. He's messing with his rings while he sings, watching the silver glint in the light that created him. Doesn't hide how sad, how longing and lonely he looks and sounds here in this place.

A hand is coming up to Mr. Harrington's chest, tears blotting his vision and he's not ashamed of blinking them into reality, can't let himself look away from this.

It's him, it's him, dear god, the man he thought he lost over 30 years ago, the man he thought left behind their love by choice while he had never let it go, who's voice and presence never left his mind, who he thought would come back but never did and couldn't have, he's ghostly and gone, he's gone but it's him, his love, Steve's love, finally here after so long...

"If you could only know

I never let you go

And the words I most regret

Are the ones I never meant to leave..."

His voice starts cracking, that sweet pretty voice breaking. His face crumbles, hands trembling and it breaks Steve in two and he wants to reach out and help, he wants but he can't-

Then he finally looks up. Their eyes meet and there's relief and longing and pain and sorrow in both of their eyes because they're seeing each other, finally finally finally, after so long...

"Unsaid Emily..."

Sung in a whisper to the strumming of his son.

Munson.

Eddie Munson.

Steve's sweet, dear Eddie Munson.

He came back...

He finally came home...

[wenclexa4ever]

Honestly, sometimes I’m not really sure if I can call myself a writer. But then last night happens… and yeah, I get it.

I, for some reason, stayed up over 5 hours after I went to bed, writing something that was only supposed to take a few minutes. I just wanted to write out a small little conversation and some lore that I thought up for a fic I’m working on.

I then spent more than 5 hours writing a conversation that decided to grow to an entire fanfic chapter length for a future chapter that I’m nowhere near ready to write.

So, I idk, writing I guess.

[thestobingirlie]

scoops troop pt. 3 <3

[imactuallyreallycool]

(I’m not a writer so I apologise for spelling mistakes and poorly written dialogue 😭😭😭)