#they look really really nice and I trust it when people say the lore and storytelling is on next level

[canisalbus]

very random question and don’t feel obligated to reply but your style reminds me of dark souls/pathologic/those types of games in general. that might just be due to the historical context but i’m curious, are you a fan of games like that?

If I had to guess it could be just the vaguely historical setting, religious overtones and occasional darker themes? My knowledge on Dark Souls et al. is sparse at best, people have been telling me to give them a try but I haven't gotten around to it.

[impossible-rat-babies]

really feeling a way about eyrie being a healer tonight

[supernovafics]

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄

"i'll be there for you" universe masterlist

pairing: bestfriend!roommate!steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 3.2k words

warnings: explicit language, some mentions of alcohol, parent drama (both reader’s and steve’s parents suck)

summary: in which your parents and steve’s come over for dinner 

author's note: this has absolutely nothing to do with the harry styles song but the title of it is just very fitting so yeah<33 i’ve been rewatching a lot of gilmore girls this fall season so i feel like that's helped me get the hang of writing awkward/tense dinners with family lol so this needed to be done

general note: everything in this universe/series can be read as standalone oneshots but to understand the full “lore” it would prob be best to read the other stuff too<333

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

Fall 1985

When your and Steve’s parents first suggested this “early Thanksgiving dinner,” you thought that it wouldn’t actually happen. 

The initial idea sounded pretty funny to you— your parents and Steve’s parents would have a full on dinner at your apartment a week before the actual holiday. Yeah, right.

It sounded like the kind of idea that parents that really cared about spending time with their children would have, and that wasn’t how you’d necessarily describe yours or Steve’s. 

A month ago, when they told you about the ski trip the four of them were going on during the entire week of Thanksgiving, you expected to just not see them probably until Christmas— and that felt like a bit of relief to you because spending time with your parents wasn’t your favorite hobby.  

But then you remembered how, only during the holidays, your parents always had a need to show, or maybe more so “prove” to themselves, that they actually cared about you. So, of course, they wouldn’t let this stupid holiday go, and instead they thought that it would be best if you all did something early and together. 

And sadly, none of the immediate excuses that you and Steve came up with worked because your moms had solutions for everything.

When you told yours that the kitchen in the apartment was too small to cook for this kind of elaborate dinner, she simply told you that they’d buy and bring all of the food and you and Steve wouldn’t have to cook at all. She also not-so-jokingly mentioned that she would’ve never trusted either of you two cooking anyway.

And when Steve told his mom that the current dining table you two had was way too small to fit all six of you, she promptly had one ordered and delivered to your door in just a week. It was an expensive dark wood set that could comfortably fit six people, and you and Steve spent hours struggling to build it the day it showed up at your front door. It took up an obscene amount of space, but it did actually look kind of nice.

Now it was weeks later and the dreaded night was finally here, but you still tried to come up with any way to avoid it from happening. 

“And we’re sure that we really can’t get out of doing this tonight?” You asked Steve as you folded the blanket that was lying half-hazardly on the couch. “I could call my mom and say that we’ve somehow fallen tragically ill in the last hour?”

“I’m ninety-five percent sure that they’re all already on their way.”

“Shit.”

“It’ll be fine,” Steve said, and then he considered his words. “Actually, it will probably suck, but overall, we will be fine.” 

You let out a sigh and placed the now folded blanket back on the couch and then started cleaning off the coffee table, stacking the random magazines in a neat pile and then adjusting Harold’s cage so that it was nicely in the center. Your and Steve’s shared pet hamster was currently nibbling on the food that you had put in his bowl only moments ago. 

An abrupt feeling of worry shot through you as you looked around the apartment. The place was clean— probably the cleanest it had ever been— since you and Steve had spent the day doing everything to avoid either of your parents saying anything bad about the place. However, in the grand scheme of things, you knew that it didn’t matter because they’d still hate the apartment. They would hate how you two decided to furnish and decorate it, and they would passive aggressively make fun of the place for however long this dinner would have to be.

“Let’s try not to think about how bad this night is gonna be and just be glad that we’re not gonna have to suffer alone, like usual,” Steve said, practically reading your mind and the look on your face, as he started setting plates out on the new table. 

He was completely right. This was the first time that a collective Thanksgiving was happening among all of you. Usually, it was just you alone with your parents in Chicago visiting family members that you never talked to, and Steve was doing the same exact thing except he was in Indianapolis. You’d always end up calling each other at the end of the night from the hotel or family house you were staying at, and you’d tell each other stories about whatever weird family members you encountered or how boring it all was. 

It did make things feel a bit better that, for once, you didn’t have to go through this alone and neither did Steve.

“You’re right,” You said with a nod and then smiled. “We’ll be going through this shitshow together.”

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and since Steve was closer he went to answer it. You took one brief and final look around the apartment before heading toward the door too, so Steve didn’t have to be by himself in this greeting.

“Hi,” He said when he opened the door and saw all of your parents standing there. There was a bright smile on his face and he effortlessly turned on that “Steve Harrington charm” that people had adored in high school— you hadn’t even gone to the same high school as him, but you still heard so many of the stories.

A chorus of Hi’s and Hello’s were heard as your moms entered the apartment first since they were carrying all of the food and your dads followed in right behind them.

“I still hate that you moved into a place that doesn’t have a front doorman, or, at least, a buzzer system,” Were your dad’s first words to you; deciding against saying the simple “How are you?” that you had expected. “You two should get a better lock on your door.”

You laughed a bit. “We live in Hawkins, not New York, Dad. I don’t think anyone is really itching to rob us anytime soon.” 

“Anything can happen,” He responded, looking at you seriously. “I’ll bring you a new one when we get back from Colorado.”

You only nodded at his words instead of saying anything to rebut them; you knew that he overall meant well. “Okay.”

Your attention turned to your mom and she pulled you into a hug that felt way too forced before pulling away and giving you a quick onceover. “Oh… Is that what you’re wearing?”

You thought that your outfit was fine; a V-neck navy blue knit sweater that was a bit cropped and a simple pair of black jeans. But, your mom always managed to find something wrong with everything, so this reaction to your current outfit didn’t necessarily surprise you; it did still annoy you all the same, though.

“Oh, um, no I was just about to change,” You told her and forced a small smile.

She nodded at that. “Okay, that’s good, that’s good. You go change while Christine and I get the table set up.”

You started heading toward your room but looked back at Steve first. He was in a conversation with his parents that looked like they were doing much more of the talking than him. As if sensing your gaze on him, his eyes met yours and he gave you a hopeful look and that was enough to make you feel a little better.

It didn’t take long for you to change. You kept your sweater on but traded your jeans for the long black silk skirt that your mom had always liked on you. You hoped this slightly different outfit would be enough to satisfy her, and if not, you were willing to suffer through her inevitable look of disappointment. 

You lingered in your room, tidying up your desk for no particular reason and then deciding to remake your bed. It was clear that you were stalling, avoiding having to face your parents again, and as much as you wanted to continue doing that, you also didn’t want to leave Steve to fend for himself. You were supposed to be suffering together, after all. 

You immediately noticed the dining table when you walked out of your bedroom. The food was now nicely set out and there were even brown placemats sitting underneath the plates that Steve had already set out. It was all set up in a way that would’ve felt nice and wholesome if either of your families had ever remotely felt like the ones portrayed in most TV shows or movies. But, they weren’t anywhere close to being like that, so this all just felt weirdly forced.

Of course, you didn’t say that, though.

Instead, you sat down with everyone at the table and desperately hoped that the next few hours of your life would breeze by. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“From the brochure, the pictures of the cabin look really great. We hope it actually looks that way in person,” Steve’s mom, Christine, said. 

You took another bite of the mac and cheese on your plate as you continued to listen to your parents talk about their ski trip that was happening next week, which they had been doing for the last twenty minutes and you fully didn’t mind it. Since the conversation wasn’t centered on either you or Steve, things actually didn’t feel tense or nervewracking. If you could just make your parents talk about themselves during the entire dinner, you would probably end the night with a smile on your face. 

“Oh, and there are a lot of bedrooms too,” Your mom chimed in before taking another sip from the wine glass in her hand. “Maybe you two could take a trip up there soon and invite your friends to go too.” 

“Yeah, that would be nice,” You said with a small nod.

“Enough talking about the trip, though, that’s probably so boring for your kids to hear about,” Your dad said, and you internally sighed because you knew the exact direction the conversation was about to go in. You felt him look at you. “How’s school been going? The semester is almost over.”

“It’s been good,” You answered, keeping your response short and sweet. You decided not to mention that you really couldn’t care less about the majority of your classes because none of what you were doing in any of them felt like it really mattered. 

“Okay, and your grades and everything are fine, right?”

You only nodded in response to his question, hoping that your lack of actual words would signal to him that you wanted to bring an end to this topic of conversation. Of course, that was only wishful thinking.

“That’s good,” Your mom said. “You have to make sure your grades stay like how they were in high school, or even better, for when you transfer to the University of Chicago. We don’t want to have any reason for them not to accept you again.” 

You suddenly felt like you were right back in middle school and high school, where your conversations with your parents solely revolved around school; what your grades were, if you were doing your homework and completing assignments on time, and studying for tests. It always annoyed you that the only times they would bother to pay attention to you was when it came to that stuff. Other than that, you were always seemingly an afterthought, never a bigger priority than their jobs. 

In a way, this entire conversation should’ve been expected; it was always inevitable. Pretty much anytime you talked to your parents in recent months, the discussion always seemed to circle its way back to that school and you going there in two years instead of right now, like they had wanted you to.

“I’m still so surprised that you decided to not go to the University of Chicago now,” Christine said and you turned your attention to her. It was starting to feel a bit painful to you that the subject still hadn’t changed yet. “When Steve told me that you were going to go to the community college close by, I couldn’t believe it, honestly.”

You noticed your parents share a look upon hearing her words. The mix of disappointment and annoyance toward you that was shared between them in that moment felt palpable. 

“I didn’t think it was time to leave Indiana just yet. I’ll be going soon, though,” You said, keeping your voice light and plastering on a fake smile, even though all you wanted to do in that moment was leave the table and hideout in your bathroom for the rest of the night. 

You saw your dad smile a little and then you also noticed the look of relief wash over your mom’s face. For some stupid reason, you still felt the need to make them feel pleased with you. And somehow that made you feel even more upset with yourself than anything they had said to you so far tonight. 

The only thing that managed to make things feel remotely tolerable right then was Steve sitting across from you, giving you a look that said, “Everything will be okay.” For the time being, you chose to believe him and you simply took another bite of your food. 

You were about to say something about how good the turkey was so your moms would start talking about the restaurant they got all of the food from and why they chose it— you were sure that there was some story behind it all— and that would finally bring an end to the college conversation. But, before a word could leave your mouth, Steve’s dad began speaking. 

“Well, at least, you’re in college. We can’t say the same for Steve here.” He then looked at his son. “Do you really want to work at a video store for the rest of your life?”

 Christine let out a sigh. “Jeff.”

“What?” He shrugged as if his previous question wasn’t completely condescending. “I’m just asking a question.”

“I’m actually starting at the community college next semester,” Steve told his parents and you tried to hide your immediate confusion. “I found out I got in a few days ago.”

“Well, that’s great,” Christine said happily, and Jeff smiled approvingly as well. 

You had no idea Steve had gotten in or even applied, and you wondered if he was lying right then to just get his parents off his back, but you couldn’t tell. Something about the way he said it honestly felt pretty real. The only part that didn’t feel real was that you were finding out during this dumb dinner instead of at any other time. 

“So, I was wondering,” Your mom began and you braced yourself for the impact of whatever she was going to say. “Why did you two decide to get a hamster? I feel like it makes things smell a bit funny in here…”

A part of you was glad that the conversation finally shifted away from college. But you didn’t think that the passive aggressive comments toward the apartment would begin with Harold. 

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

“Well, this night was fucking brutal.”

You let out a sigh. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Steve was doing the dishes as you put what was left of the food into tupperwares and then put them in the fridge. Surprisingly, it was a lot of stuff leftover; your moms definitely went overboard with the amount they had ordered. You and Steve already made plans to invite Robin and Eddie over tomorrow to have some of these leftovers.

“I’m actually glad that the dessert tasted bad since it made them want to leave early.”

“It was honestly a bit bittersweet because I was kind of excited for that pie,” You said as you placed the final tupperware of food into the fridge and then went over to Steve. “Oh, and also,” You punched his arm and ignored his immediate “ouch.” “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that the stars have finally managed to align and we’ll finally be going to the same school for the first time ever?”

He smiled a little at your dramatics. “I didn’t wanna make a big deal out of it just in case I somehow didn’t end up getting in. I swear I was gonna tell you tomorrow.”

“So, you did all of that annoying application stuff by yourself?”

“Robin helped me with it.”

“I would’ve been happy to help you,” You told him, and maybe you were being a bit overdramatic, but you actually felt slightly offended that he hadn’t wanted to come to you about this. 

The possibility of you two going to the same middle or high school was a far out idea that never happened because you lived in different towns. But, it was still something that was adamantly and wistfully talked about by you and him; how much more fun both of your school lives could be if they intersected in that way like the other parts of your lives did. 

Of course, going to the same college would’ve been the most obvious way for it to finally happen, but Steve never seemed that interested in going to college, and up until the last possible second you were being pushed toward Chicago by your parents. 

But now things were finally different.

“I know that you would’ve, but I didn’t want to talk about it to anyone, honestly. Robin saw me working on the application one day and decided to help,” He explained and you only gave him a small nod in response. “I didn’t even think I’d tell my parents about it, but when I heard my dad’s dumb comment about Family Video I felt like I had to say it so he wouldn’t keep looking at me like a disappointment.” He sighed. “And it’s kinda fucked up… I really don’t wanna care what my parents think about me and what I’m doing with my life, but I think there will always be a part of me that does.”

You thought back to your dad’s approving smile and your mom’s relieved look when you reassured them that you still planned to go to the University of Chicago; how much you still wanted to make them feel at least a little proud of you even though you knew you shouldn’t.

“Me too,” You said softly. 

“I’m glad we probably won’t have to see them again until Christmas.”

You sighed. “Apparently, my dad is gonna bring us a new lock for the door when they get back from their trip.”

“Oh,” Steve said and then smiled at you when it looked like he thought of something. “Okay, what are the odds that he’ll just send someone to put the new lock on the door instead of coming himself?”

You thought about it for a second. “Honestly, I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that would happen. He’ll probably be too busy with work after the trip to actually come and do it himself.”

“Okay, let’s hope for that,” He said as he finished washing the last plate and placed it on the drying rack. “So, since the dessert was a bust tonight, do you wanna go to the diner? I’m sure Mary would never fuck up her apple pie. And then when we get back, we can finish that bottle of wine that our moms left.”

You smiled at his suggestion. “You have a brilliant mind, Harrington.”

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

let me know ur thoughts<333

(requests are open for stuff you wanna see in the universe/series!🫶🏾)

[justanotherblogger]

Random Rambles And Theories About Alastor Go!

Ok, so right now I am on a high with all the recent Alastor lore we've been blessed with in Hazbin Hotel, and this little murderer has been occupying my mind 24/7. I really need to get all my theories and rambles out that I don't see a lot of people talking about.

(BTW, before my ramble, I have seen many places say he was mixed race as a human, but if I am wrong, please let me know, because this delves deep into that with his human life.)

(Also be warned for a bit of gore/violence and that this thing is kind of long)

Now let's begin!

I'll start with the most talked about theory with Alastor: his connections with Lilith and why he reacted the way he did with Lucifer

The show has given us what many people think are hints to this with both of them gone for 7 years, the slight eye twitch in the pilot when he looked at liliths portrait, Alastor showing up right after Charlie finished voicmailing her mom also in the pilot, how he knew about Charlie's Daddy Issues before she seemed to have told anyone, the leash comment from Husker, and how Alastor reacted to Lucifer.

Now, all of these could be chalked up to Alastor having some sort of nice relations to Lilith, but some of these are a bit too far stretched to just be because he has interacted nicely with Lilith in my eyes.

I have seen many people talk about how Alastor must have gotten a bad impression of Lucifer because either him and Lilith are besties and talk crap about him after the split, or he listened to her complaints about him and got an impression off of that to dislike him this much right off the bat in episode 5.

But I don't think that's it. We see how badly Alastor reacted to the leash comment by Husker, which definitely isn't a good sign that he would even trust the words of whoever is holding that 'leash' against him. He seemed pushed over the edge, vulnerable enough to lash out, which is unlike himself. Whatever deal he made for his soul, was most likely under threat, a life or death choice.

This is why I think he despises (most likely) Lilith or whoever has that 'leash' on him. He lashes out, sensitive about the subject. After gaining so much power over the overlords, he suddenly gets toppled over again by someone of (most likely) higher status, being forced into an unwilling contract, now just another pawn that this demon(?) can use for their own desires, and he doesn't want to be that, he needs to make his own decisions. But he doesn't have any say in the matter.

So I think why he was mocking and teasing Lucifer so much was because of his connection with Lilith. Everyone knew how deeply in love they were (before they split) and how they are both the most powerful demons in hell. I think Alastor took a chance to use his pent up anger on Lucifer, trying to get him to hurt as much as he can because of what Lilith did, all the while Lucifer cant do anything too serious leat he upset Charlie. We know he is extremely petty, after all. (we can also see him (most likely) letting off some steam when devouring the loan sharks, with him getting unnecessarily big and just letting loose on a couple of low-tier goons)

I saw another person talk about how Alastor has no power over Lucifer/Lilith, no political power, and he can't beat them in games of wits either. But the one thing that he does have the upper hand on, is their daughter, and I completely agree with that.

Alastor has been there since the beginning, has helped Charlie out and talked with her more than her own Parents had in the last couple of years probably. He's seen how attached the parents are to Charlie, and decided to use that info in full force. Just look at the Lucifer/Alastor duet.

Now that we have my theories of the life and death contract with Lilith, let's go deep into what I think is Alastors character right now:

Alastor, a mixed child in the early 1900's most likely had it really rough. With being treated as less than from both sides for being to dark/light to the violence that he most likely had to endure during his childhood.

This could have been where his anger/obsessive resentment started to simmer up in sporadic bursts over the years and years of belittlement, abuse, and racism.

Like I said before, he was probably treated as less than human for his mixed skin, and Alastor most likely started to hate it. His skin, the people, everything seemed so wrong. Why should the people who beat him and his mother see them so vulnerable and weak. He decided he didn't like that anymore.

So the radio show started. I got this idea from when he said his face was only made for radio. Over the radio, no one ever knew what you looked like. Just your voice would be broadcasted, and no one would ever see who was really behind the microphone unless they stepped out. This seemed like a barrier to Alastor. Letting himself go with no worries about letting people see him vulnerable behind his broadcast. (Maybe that's why he hates TV and modern tech so much; people can see everything about you)

And when his radio show became a hit and people wanted pictures and news? What would protect him then? Simple: his unwavering smile. Reactions are what people want when they crush others. They want to see them wallow and beg cry from what they have done. But Alastor won't let anyone do that to him ever again.

He stands his guard, not letting any comments get to him, keeping charming smile and unwavering voice all throughout his career as a radio host. Keep the smile up, dont have your voice crack, never show weakness. If you stop, those that wait will sink their teeth in and never let go of you. That's what I think a part of his mentality is and is maybe a part of why his smile is stitched on in his demonic form.

Now onto why I think he's a serial killer/cannibal. Remember when I said he had lots of unchecked anger and obsessive resentment? All this now simmering even more while being pushed down by his persona?

This is when he'll break loose.

He usually goes for the ones with the least amount of defense: drunkards/ bar frequenters. I though of this when Mimzy said he used to always come to the bar she was performing at and how he could drink like a sailor.

He might've drank with people to let their guard down in addition to his non-threatening charm, and he probably built a tolerance to be at least a bit sober when the others are full out drunk so he can easily transport and kill them.

He probably enjoys killing/eating his victims because a) it shows how he has power now. How he isn't a helpless victim anymore and he's finally in control of his life or b) where he likes seeing privileged people beaten and bruised for once, the gratification of seeing someone taste their own medicine by his own hand, like revenge, even if that person hadn't been necessarily bad towards him.

His death ro me is the same that everyone else thinks, where he's burying some victims body and gets mistaken for a deer, then shot straight between the eyes. What I do think a bit differently is that he was chased by hunting dogs first, which alerted the hunter for him to get shot, which then led to his fear of dogs.

Then he was finally free to do anything. Hell had no limits, he didn't have to hide his carnage anymore. But now that smile he wore was engraved into his face, almost making it impossible to frown. But that didn't matter. Not right now. Alastor has so many emotions bubbling up that he just wanted blood to be on his hands.

And then he slaughtered the overlords and took their souls within weeks ( maybe months, idk how quick he killed them, but ima go with weeks), broadcasting it over the radio to show everyone what he's been up to.

Alastor had kept this routine for a couple of decades, occasionally getting a guest star on his broadcast by those who he seems fit.

But maybe he had become too cocky with this power high, as he had been attacked by holy weaponry right before the extermination he dealth with most of them, but a shot did make it into his shoulder, causing him to collapse in pain, unable to move. (a bit simple, but I imagine him getting badly hurt by angels/angelic weaponry to lethal levels and Lilith decides to save him)

He fought hard when the angels arrived, of course, but he could only go so far in being this injured. So when he was about to get stabbed in the chest by a holy spear, he was already tired and almost accepted his fate, before being pulled somewhere by Lilith herself.

This is where Lilith offers a beat and broken Alastor a one time deal: become her servant or she'll throw him back to the exterminators herself. And in a situation like this, there's usually only one option you can really take.

And so he was a ghost, leaving everything he had behind. His power, his respect, his freedom...

Now Alastor had become a pawn again. A tool useful for the right situations, and just a toy to be played with by Lilith. This is exactly what he didn't want from his human life. The humility, the disregard, treating him as some sort of street animal, no matter what he did.

And now she orders him to guard her daughters hotel, giving him back a piece of his power to protect the hotel.

Alastor had hated Charlie for how she misused her amazing power for something like redemption.

Alastor hated Lucifer, for having all that power, being the strongest demon in hell, yet taking it for granted while mocking him about his choices.

And Alastor hated Lilith, for trapping him again, and renewing his endless cycle of suffering.

So those are my thoughts about Alastor. I think you can tell he's my favorite. I just love his powers and lore.

[ghostedcas]

hello :3

i saw that you really loved fluff fics AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH ASWELL! so i was wondering if you could write something for dad!simon riley x mom!reader and they have somewhat of a big family like two teen kids and two younger kids and all of them go on a much needed vacation together🥹 like it could be anywhere you want it to be maybe a road trip to the mountains, beach, or just going out of state!

i would love to see what you do with this :3 im a sucker for fluff

have an amazing day/night :DD

gods absolutely yes, dad!simon 💳💥💳💥💥💳🥺 

i'm the biggest sucker for  family fics y’all you don't understand!!

i apologize if this is a lil shitty, i'm stoned writing this lmao

simon "ghost" riley x reader

warnings: none, lots and lots of tooth rotting fluff. reader is afab and referred to as mrs. riley once mom, mother, and with other fem terms but no specific pronouns are used and identifying gender isn't specified :)

word count: 655

a/n: simon and reader have 4 kids, twin son and daughter (4), a nonbinary teen (15) and a son (17), none of them are referred to with actual names except for the nonbinary child whose name is 'bug' (there is lore behind this i came up with while writing this if anyone wants a little fic extending on how bug chose their name), simon and the reader have been together for 18 years. i actually have no idea how old ghost is even supposed to be, i just headcanon him in his mid 30's but for this specific au he'll be 40 on the dot, reader is meant to be 38-40.

--------

"are we there yet?" you hear the whine of your four year old son come from his car seat behind you. it wasn't hard to tell the poor guy was getting restless and impatient,

"just 20 more minutes bud, keep watching bluey with your sister." your husband, simon responds to the squirrely child before you can speak up. you flash him a sweet smile and look over your shoulder to glimpse back at your children.

you were currently on a roadtrip up to scotland to visit one of simon's military friends and vacation at the beach with your family. you found it a little funny that on his break from work simon was so happy and eager about going to see one of his coworkers, but it warmed your heart to know he had such close friends especially in people he had to work with, people who he literally trusted with his life.

"how're you all holding up?" you ask the four with a sweet smile.

"good." your eldest son mumbles, not moving his attention from his phone, texting his friends.

"how about you my little bug?" you turn your attention to your 15 year old.

"i'm good mama, just playing a word search game." they replied, turning their phone to show you the progress of their game.

"nice, you're doing great. i didn't even realize that fritz was a real word."

it was just under another 20 minutes when you pulled into the driveway of simon's friend's, johnny, house. it was s beautiful, quaint thing, the ocean a few hundred feet away behind the home. as you unbuckled your seatbelt you saw the man appear from his home, holding his arms out with a loud chuckle for simon as your husband stepped out of the vehicle.

you smiled to yourself as you got out of the car, watching your husband embrace his friend gruffly as you removed your four year old daughter from her car seat. "hello darling, we're here now." you say gently to the child, who is just awakening from the nap she decided to take in the car.

bug removed your four your old son from his seat for you, holding the boy in their arms as you thank them and give their head a pat with your free hand.

you and the four children approach your husband and his friend, offering the scott a sweet smile. "it's good to see you again johnny."

"you to mrs. riley, kiddos."

"hi uncle johnny." the kids replied.

"why don't the four of you go and play on the beach? it's a private beach and there's not too many others out on it today." soap suggests to the kids with a smile, thumbing over his shoulder to point towards the beach.

it was a couple hours later, you were sat on a beach chair under an umbrella watching simon in the water with your daughter, hearing the four year old's loud and excited giggling made your heart swell. your eldest son and 15 year old playing water volleyball against johnny as your youngest son rested in your arms, tired of playing in the water and just wanting to be cuddled by his mother.

your heart felt full as you watched the scene in front of you, this vacation was well needed for everyone, your two older kids having worked incredibly hard on their schooling and grades, simon having worked hard at work as he always does. and being four is harder than it may seem, the twins needed this break just as much as everyone else.

and of course yourself, you had worked hard at home, taking care of the kids, the housework, and so much more. with and without simon, you worked hard and deserved the break too. it was nice to finally get the time to do something fun like this together as a family. you wouldn't trade it for the world.

[mellorphic]

In Defence of c!Niki - a Four Part Analysis of Every Arc

People who didn’t watch C!Niki see, in the fandom, a big sister type character with girlboss energy who wants to kill a child. Niki isn’t that. She has a well-written narrative which focusses a lot on her relationships with others. Here is me breaking it down!

PART ONE: c!Niki’s Early Days (you are here)

PART TWO: c!Niki’s Rebellion

PART THREE: c!Niki’s Disillusionment

PART FOUR: c!Niki’s Healing

Niki joined the server a little while after the L’Manberg War for Independence and she immediately joined the nation as Wilbur invited her to it. Of course, Niki was close with Wilbur from the beginning and quickly she got close to Tommy and Fundy too. But a relationship that I find interesting was her bond with Eret.

From the get go, Niki is told by L’Manberg (read: Tommy and Wilbur) that Eret was a traitor and wasn’t trustworthy, and while she understood their apprehension, she remained friendly with Eret as they were nice to her. She had no real reason to dislike him because she had not been there during the war and therefore wasn’t betrayed by her.

Wilbur ends up talking to her about this.

N: you know I’m loyal to you, Wil! You know I’m loyal to you.

W: I don’t- I want you to be loyal to L’Manberg.

N: and to L’Manberg! I am!

W: […] just stick with L’Manberg! That’s all I’m looking for- that’s all I look for in- in a woman- <laughs>

N: I promise, I promise I will

W: okay..okay, I’ll trust you..

N: I mean, y’know, that is why I joined! I joined to join the independent nation, didn’t I?

W: you did.. you did. You did. And just not their independent nation.

N: no. Our independent nation.

I think this is the first really important bit of Niki’s character - she is loyal. But she won’t take what people tell her and trust it blindly. She wants to form her own opinions on things and on people rather than listening to what others tell her about them. And yet, even when she ends up disagreeing with someone on something it doesn’t affect their relationship. Niki quickly begins to trust Eret a lot and Wilbur doesn’t trust him at all. Despite this Niki remains loyal to Wilbur and assured him she’s loyal to L’Manberg too.

That’s another thing - she promised Wilbur she was loyal to L’Manberg. And she kept this promise for as long as she could. Throughout this analysis I’m going to reference this promise a lot because while it’s a mostly forgotten piece of lore I think it has a lot of potential to be bigger and to be talked about a lot more often.

Additionally, I think this shows that Niki is pretty good at reading people - she obviously knows Wilbur very well and can read him because of this, even starting to say ‘and to L’Manberg’ before Wilbur had even finished saying he wanted her to be loyal to it. At the same time, she’s able to figure out from Eret’s behaviour that he’s trustworthy. Analysing motives and behaviour is how Niki figures out who to trust and it’s important to remember this for the Manberg era when suddenly the behaviour and motives of people around her didn’t match up.

Niki showed her loyalty by making the nation’s flag, by telling Wilbur her fox Fungi was the mascot of L’Manberg, by creating her bakery, and by giving everyone lots of gifts. I’ve said it before that she was the soul of L’Manberg. She loved that nation and she lived and breathed its ideals. C!Niki was an idealist. I truly think she would’ve been happy to remain in L’Manberg forever, if it hadn’t changed. Unfortunately, though, change is inevitable and attachment is a main theme on the Dream SMP, and there were many people attached to L’Manberg. It wasn’t ever going to remain the same.

The first pet war was the first time we really saw how strong of a moral code c!Niki had, and it’s something a lot of people think she only developed later on. While she was initially angry at Sapnap, Niki only wanted an apology (but she refused to beg for one). She never wanted revenge like Tommy and Fundy did.

Early Niki is often regarded as naive, but I genuinely don’t think that was ever the case. She was kind and compassionate but she was never a pushover and she’s always been headstrong.

Niki joined Coconut2020 in the elections as Fundy had told her they could bring peace to the Nation and make it better. It’s important to note that she was extremely upset when she learned he had committed voter fraud. Niki cheered despite coming in last place and this made it clear she’d be happy regardless of whether or not she won, as long as the people were happy.

[monstercampus]

Ellie help I have werewolf brain rot and Kirk has been living in my mind rent free the past few nights 😩 please tell me more about him, does he have a secret soft side or is being mean his love language and you know he cares about you if he's giving you a hard time? Why does he live in a dorm by himself? Where is he on the possessive scale? Honestly just tell me everything you know about him so I can simp to the best of my ability 🥺😫🙏

And actually while I'm here, anything about Elliott or Julian would also be tasty 👀👀👀 forgive me for the werewolf team fic altered my brain chemistry and I may never be the same

absolutely !! !!!!! i am at your mercy uwu <33 (this is mostly stream of consciousness so if u want more i am READY)

(cws: kirk being a sap + lore)

Kirk is very much that way--giving you a hard time is generally how he shows he cares about you. He's only truly mean to those he doesn't care about, and trust that there is a difference even when you get frustrated over his attitude in the beginning. He didn't grow up with a lot of love in his household so it's really not his area of expertise, he never really learned how to show it and only started experiencing affection when he joined the pack and made friends with all the other werewolves. Being snuggled, having his hair stroked instead of pulled, listening to his friends talk about him being handsome and smart even if he's got a shitty attitude.....it's weird to him. He doesn't hate it deep down, but he hates how it makes him feel vulnerable when he doesn't want to be.

'Vulnerable' is barely even in his vocabulary, which is why he comes at you with so much heat at first. He'd been hoping and praying that you two could boink, have a good time, and then you would pretend like it never happened so he wouldn't have to face any of those feelings he has when he looks at you. But when you don't, and when you're just so sweet, Kirk can't handle it and has to revert to what he knows: being a dick. Not nearly to the extent of how he is with other people, but just enough to keep you at arm's length in his constant fear that you're gonna end up making him feel like he isn't totally worthless. Because what would he do then? He's accepted the role of being an irredeemable, raging douchebag for pretty much all his life. He's got an attitude, his temper is awful, he doesn't consider himself that good-looking, he's got some of the worst grades out of the whole pack, he fixates on things and lets them consume all his thoughts, and he hasn't even got any palate to boot and will eat just about anything, even if it's on the verge of spoiling. He's total garbage and he's friends with a pack of people that couldn't be more perfect; Julian is incredibly charming, Portia's practically a genius, Nick is insanely handsome, Elliott is so gentle and really funny, Priam is a total sweetheart and Athos is the pinnacle of cool in his eyes. How could he even think of measuring up to all that, much less stick out among the rest and prove he's worth even a little bit of your love?

That may be the most frustrating part about Kirk--he can be the prickliest guy you know and he would die before he ever says those things out loud, but he seriously admires his friends and you yet he has little to no belief in himself. Granted, growing up he would've gotten his ass beat for showing that kind of weakness, so it's still deeply ingrained in him as an adult--especially since the pack are pretty much the first friends he's ever made on his own. And at his core, he's jealous. Jealous of them and their nice families, jealous of how well they all turned out despite going through their own struggles, jealous of how easy it is for them to be open when he's terrified of people finding out he's bi, jealous of you for being so brave and so beautiful in equal measure....so that's why the best thing he can do--in his own opinion of course--is to be your collective guard dog.

After all, Kirk isn't afraid to bite. His instincts are hard to control in his human form, could you even imagine how feral he can get when he's full wolf, or even just close to the full moon? If anything it's what he's good at; hunting, beating ass, and taking a punch. If he can't be as good as you and the others deserve, the least he can do is make sure that sweetness and the goodness of your souls isn't ever dominated by someone else. He'll spill blood, he doesn't care. He would even get suspended if it came to that, expelled, arrested, whatever it takes and he'll let the chips fall where they may. You'll know his love for you is real when he starts acting protective over you, not only when other people try to bother you but as far as your daily needs as well. Have you eaten properly? Are you thirsty? Do you need to sleep? When's the last time you stretched? He acts like it's a favour he's doing for you, like you're a little wolf that needs caring after, but in truth it settles his own self-doubts and makes him happier knowing that he's doing something for you--that he's taking care of you like a mate would, and when you smile at him or thank him for his help he just melts. He would do anything to keep hold of that smile.

.....Which is why he's got a plan in his head for after graduation. He and Nick are the oldest and thus are going to graduate first of all of you, so once that's over and done with he's got plans to start building a place for you all to properly call 'home'. It's nothing crazy--just a cabin in the woods--but if there's one thing he can confidently say he's good at it's woodworking, and he's sketched out the designs to make it everything you could ever want.

Personal rooms for you, him, and Portia who has trouble falling asleep when it's noisy. A big living room with enough sofas to fit you all. Polished oak walls like Julian grew up with and always wanted to see again. A bathtub big enough to fit Nicky's giant, muscly legs without spilling over. Tables and chairs to fit everyone and more, to fit all the family gatherings and maybe even the pups you might have one day. A garden out back where he'll plant those ugly little flowers Elliott loves. Trees and greenery around where they can run and hunt and play during the full moon, totally obscured by the rest of the world. A big fucking chandelier in the dining room to intimidate any friends you bring over that think they're hot enough shit to snatch you. It's gonna be perfect, it's gonna be the one thing he can say he's proud of in practically his whole life. It'll be a gift to all of you for putting up with his assholery for so damn long, for sticking with him even when he couldn't find a single reason why you should.

That's the kind of love Kirk shows. Words don't mean much to him--actions and acts of service are how he expresses his affections, because it's much simpler for him to put work into something he can touch and measure and paint rather than throw some flimsy words around and call it love. Plus, one of the reasons why he lives in his own dorm is because his downtime is incredibly important to him. Usually he would request a private one-bedroom apartment, but this year he was assigned roommates that he very quickly drove away with his annoying habits almost entirely on purpose. If he's not comfortable with someone, then like hell is he going to share an intimate living space with them--and after a long day he just needs time to be completely alone. He has to think, work on his projects, exercise, chew on something, and have no prying eyes around that will impede his progress in trying to figure out how the hell he can try to make himself worthy of being loved by you. A dumb, violent wolf reaching to grab the very moon from the sky.

[thefirstknife]

Important words from Robert Brookes (again):

Bungie commented on the confusion in a recent roundtable Q&A that I attended. Naturally, the studio's representatives didn't offer any actual answers, but they did at least show that they're aware of the confusion and contradictions. "Welcome to the problem that all Bible scholars have trying to figure out—what may or may not have happened and lining that up to actual historical events," says senior narrative designer Robert Brookes. "Unveiling is a parable. It is effectively a religious text. And how much of that is propaganda, how much of that is myth, how much of that is fact is deeply unclear in the nature of the text." Brookes notes that, when Unveiling first dropped, players did take it as the literal gospel truth. "Players believed it to be 100% fact: there was a literal garden, there was a literal Gardener, there was a literal Winnower. And now it's starting to become clear that those may not actually be just concrete ideas, but metaphors or things that are far less concrete and clear. And as we get closer into The Final Shape, more answers on that will start coming up. And The Final Shape, of course, will have a lot of answers about the nature of those conflicts." Brookes refused to offer any more hints on how this will all resolve. Except for this: "The contradictory nature has always kind of been intentional. Whatever the Witness says, maybe don't trust it."

The relevant bits! I'm not sure if this really needed full clarification, but to have it is nice either way. Unveiling is metaphorical. As it says itself. The fact that it's confusing and contradictory is 100% intended. The writers didn't forget about it and didn't make a mistake. The whole point of Unveiling is that it's an allegory, a story, propaganda and everything that comes with it.

This doesn't really say all of it is entirely wrong, so we might still be looking at some general hints about the origin of everything, but it's not a scientific or historical document and never has been. It literally starts with telling us it's just a story:

Once upon a time,* a gardener and a winnower lived** together in a garden.*** * It was once before a time, because time had not yet begun. ** We did not live. We existed as principles of ontological dynamics that emerged from mathematical structures, as bodiless and inevitable as the primes. *** It was the field of possibility that prefigured existence.

I believe this only confirms that the Witness did indeed write it. This was always a possibility, just not something we could really either confirm or deny. The change in tone can now be attributed to the fact that it's 100% deliberately propaganda so it's selling itself in a way to be relatable (or possibly one of the billions of people that the Witness consists of is what wrote the Unveiling to sound like this). But there's a lot more to learn here and we will learn more in TFS. Desperately in need of some Traveler's POV on this whole thing and on the Witness.

So, did anything from Unveiling really happen? Well, no. Sort of. It never did, because it "happened" before existence. Is there some truth to certain details? Maybe, but it's wrapped in a religious propaganda piece so ultimately it's just not a good source for anything and these details will only make sense when we find a more reliable storyteller.

Super excited for all lore going forward.

[kirantalks]

Entry number ??? A sign that I'm still watching qsmp tubbo :')))

RIP my sleep schedule, I woke up at 12 am to see British streamer in qsmp purgatory and had work at 8 am (damn you, timezone). This once VOD watcher had ascends to stressed and sleepy live watcher. And I blame Tubbo's streak thingy bc I got interested in that. And yes; I'm very biased in qsmp blue team. My pocoyo profile pic should tell you that. I may like many others like qPhilza, qJaiden, qFit, qBagi but I don't really like qsmp red team for their toxicity and stay on my qsmp blue team lane. (I'm barely awake enough to even send hateful stuff, and I'm not really someone who likes to argue with people (tap that block or mute button if you don't like to keep seeing them people!)

In that D1 Purgatory; they were divided into three groups. Red, Blue, and Green. If I'm correct the order of the team announcement was Blue first, then Red, and Green at last.

Red team spawned in a Tundra, if I'm correct, which is not bad, or not good either. They had problems with water since the beginning (and half of them are literally not online). And Green team spawned in a Bamboo forest, and had access to water, very much directly, making them the most profitable spawn of the three.

Now, blue team spawn was literally in Ice biome, which the place that supposed to be the utmost bad in Dante's inferno, and most of them can be categorised as such without doubt. Their team literally filled with people who hated eo before this purgatory arc, unlike other team, sounds like a cursed team requirements don't you think so?

First row of cubitos we seen on the blue team announcement literally said that. There was qTubbo with his whole scheme ready to fight & not to mention the distrust people had for him. qPierre, which from what I gather had a bit of operation with Cucurucho. qTina, which is a demon who disguise as a cat(?). qPac, freshly from the nether before the event started. qBBH which was literally kidnapped a fed worker.

The second row was qLuzu, which had connection with Arin & codes (?), sadly for qLenay, qNiki, and qRivers I haven't seen a stream of them, but both came from the ice prison. qPol was the one directed the ads for federation, and probably a traitor or so. I remember that people use to analyse the video or so. qMariana, though was literally chucked to lore by codeflippa, and qMissa is our sopping wet cat dad that clutch us up, and is apparently a grim reaper too, like qBBH.

The problem in this team is not only just spawn point, but also unlike the other two teams who look at eo and say "yep, in these two weeks I'm gonna be with this guy & I need to made friendship", their first thinking was just resources and individuality first. They were all the people who didn't trust too much. And insanely smart and tactical about it too. They were cautious, can fade to the background when needed, and bunch of geniuses who can be threatening when they want to be.

It all proved when they were asked to choose a leader, and they all first wanted themselves on it. They all got swayed with qTubbo being the leader though, because he's the Youngest (JK, I'm sure they think it was the best choice to have him leading them). Then the blue name problem; SoulFire team. I'm not sure who suggested it first, but maybe qLenay? Or qMissa suggested that, I need to check other vod first. (Update : It was qBadboyhalo with the soul vulture lore, cuties. Really,.)

qTubbo really made the team worked well, and in a sense of distributing leadership to other people and such. You can literally see it working together nicely, and I genuinely admire qTina for being the best co-leader. When qTubbo(?) ask her where everyone go in day 1 or 3(?) She knew where they are. She's a queen & singlehandedly revolutionise food in this purgatory. Ms. Teanakitten is one of the best of the best, ladies. Write that one down in the history.

And qBadboyhalo and qPierre! They immediately dropped down the vendetta, working together to win! What a turnaround this is. And they worked well together too! when qPac is back, its getting good and good too! Not to mention, the rest of the SoulFire team too! qPol, qMissa, qNiki, qLenay, qLuzu, qRivers. You're all amazing, and the admins knew that you're all be unbeatable.

I fear I'm writing too much but this is nowhere near my thoughts of how the gameplay work, but fuck it, I'm gonna make so many post and drink water to keep the sleepiness away woo!

P.S qsmp admins, you guys are the best

P.S.S Yeah, people needs to appreciate team SoulFire more, and I want to make a post about it too!

[schrijverr]

Interview with Eddie Munson about Recent Resurgence of Corroded Coffin and Appearance in A Collection of Queer Photography

Title speaks for itself. Interview with Eddie after the book is released, which caused a new interest in Corroded Coffin.

On AO3.

Ship: Steddie

Warnings: mentions of the AIDS crisis, mentions of homophobia, mentions of police violence, mentions of stopping with smoking, self identifying use of d-slur and f-slur

~~~~~~~~~

Today I go over to the house of Corroded Coffin front man Eddie Munson to talk to him about the renewed popularity of the band after Jonathan Byers published his work from 1986-1994. The book of photography is about growing up queer and the found family that Eddie also was a part of, giving insight into the private life of the group.

When I get to the address, I am greeted with the sight of a big house resting on a plot of land with a driveway that splits into two. Around the house is not a neat lawn like many other houses in the neighborhood have, instead it is full of wild flowers and grasses, a few trees and what looks to be a vegetable garden in the back. I have to check I have the right front door, before ringing the bell.

Soon Eddie Munson himself is opening the door and greeting me warmly and leading me to the living room I recognize from the end of the book.

Dressed in black sweatpants and a fraying Dio shirt, hair in a bun, he looks comfortable and a bit like a king in his castle as he sits down on one of the couches, gesturing me to take the other one. Though, not before giving me something to drink.

It’s afternoon, since he wanted the kids that he and his husband, Steve, are fostering to be out of the house, so they wouldn’t come under scrutiny. The two women he shares the house with, Robin and Rose, are of to work. It’s peaceful, but not quiet, metal music playing softly in the background.

I jump right in, asking him if he saw the recent success of the band coming. He laughs and shakes his head:

“No, man, not at all. We were all just hyped for Jon’s and Nance’s project to be taking off, you know. We knew some Corroded stuff was in there and that a few fans were excited about it, but we’re an old band, past our prime. And then that tweet about me on the phone to Stevie went viral and suddenly our numbers were going up and we were getting tagged in stuff. Some people made art, it’s really cool to see.”

He looks genuinely excited as he talks, loose grin on his face. I ask whether the fan interactions are different now than in the 90s.

“Totally, but not bad different. It’s a lot more connected today with social media and everything, which is really cool, since you get to know what people are thinking outside from a quick meet and greet or random encounter. Don’t get me wrong, I loved meeting fans back then, but this has its charm and we all get to hear from old fans now who didn’t have the money or ability to come see us back then. That’s definitely a bonus.”

Curious I ask: Have you noticed a difference between new fans and older fans?

“There is always generational differences. Trust me, I’m very glad that people have changed so much in how they think, but sometimes you’ll hear a kid say something and you’ve gotta turn your head in surprise, because it was unthinkable back then. But there are a lot of good kids out there. Mostly the difference is knowing lore. It’s hard to get to know things about a band that was big back then when you weren’t a part of it, but a lot of older fans are talking about it. It’s great to see that we built such a nice community out here.”

I tell him that a lot of people are wondering if the band is planning on releasing anything new now that they’re back in the spotlight, but Eddie shakes his head to that.

“No, no, sorry. I know people want us to, but we’re done. I still write music, even produce here and there. Jeff has his own record label and the other two are enjoying retirement. We get together to play for fun, but none of us want to do the tours and the press and the whole circus again. That shit is fun when you’re twenty something. We’re old now and I already missed enough time with my baby, I don’t have time for it, I don’t want to be away from home. Plus, we always got kids coming in and out, I’m gonna be there for them, because they need me more. It’s really sweet that people are enjoying our work, but done is done.”

He doesn’t want to comment on the kids, beyond that they’re great, since they haven’t ask to be anywhere close to public scrutiny by being in foster care. He says it sucks enough on its own and that he knows, he’s been in it.

So, I let the topic be and instead ask about Steve, who he mentioned. At the name, he lights up in a way that reminds me of romance novels.

“Steve is the best, he truly is. When we were big in the 90s, we had to hide, so I never could dedicate songs to him, tell the world how much I love him and say what songs are about him. It’s nice that I get to do that now and that people are noticing him with the book that came out. The most important person in my life.

Like, people underestimate how fundamental Steve has been in the success of Corroded Coffin. It wasn’t easy to do senior year for the fourth time, I nearly dropped out a thousand times, but Stevie kept me in school, which meant I got to have an okay job when we moved to Boston, so we could even live there as Robs studied, you know. And he kept working as Corroded Coffin tried to make it, he literally made sure I could follow my dreams and I have never been more thankful to him for that.

He was also our biggest fan all throughout. At the start he’d help us make merch and sell it when we played bars, but as we got bigger he couldn't come to our shows often anymore. He’s had a lot of knocks to the head, so too many loud noises are a no. I nearly gave the whole thing up a few times when we were on tour for months and I couldn't see him, but he always knew what to say to make me feel better and keep going.

Stevie has been my rock. He has done so much for him and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make him as happy as possible, because I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

The passionate rant is filled with love and it’s a little painful to cut him off, but we have limited time, so I move on to the book that launched him and the rest of the band back into the public eye. It is a view into his private life as well and I ask if that has caused any issues.

“I mean, you’re always going to have a few people who try to make it weird or think they know you now and have a say over you, but that is with everything, not just this book. Overall, it has been mostly positive, you know. I got to talk about things without having to make it a weird public announcement thing. It’s not like I want to give a press conference about the pride of back then and Nance does a way better job of talking about it and I feel like Jon’s photographs say a lot more than me talking about it.”

The photographs are very powerful at points, I have to agree, but I am still curious about what he thinks of the book and his life on display in a way it hasn’t been before. So, I ask if he has a favorite part. He laughs at that, a little sheepishly and jokes:

“That’s like forcing a parent to chose a kid, I think. They’ve done a great job in showing us in everything we did.”

Then he gets a little more serious as he says:

“I do appreciate them putting in my uncle Wayne. Nancy asked everyone what parts we wanted in the book and what parts we didn’t, I told her I’d love it if Wayne got a shout out and she did more than that. She worked with me to make those two pages, to make sure he was there properly.

Uncle Wayne did as much for me as Stevie did, you know. He was my rock and I wanted him to be remembered right. He never was a man of many words or anything, but he was always there. He took care of me and Steve when we got kicked out and he worked hard to put me through school and he made sure I felt normal. That it was okay to be a gay kid in Indiana and that I wasn’t going to die before reaching twenty-five. It might seem insane to think now, but that was just the way it was back then. If you were queer, you weren’t getting old. But Wayne did.”

He wipes away moisture in his eyes and I pretend not to see it. A grin is back on his face in no time and he lightens the mood by saying:

“Though I think I’m required to say my wedding is my favorite part. I love the real wedding we did in 2015, but that first fake one was special. It wasn’t big or anything, but everyone we cared about was there and it made us feel connected, like it was truly permanent. Like we could have that in a time where it seemed the world would rather see us gone. It felt like a powerful fuck you and I’ve always loved that.”

I smile at that, a powerful fuck you seems to be very fitting for the man in front of me. Even in casual clothes, he looks like he could fight you and win, yet also comfort you when you need it.

This has given me the opportunity to ask about one of the wedding photos that has intrigued me ever since reading the book. It is called “I Knew They Would Get Along” and is of the couple with Dustin, one of their friends, now professor at Stanford.

“Oh yeah, that’s a funny story,” Eddie tells me with delight. “Me and Stevie ran in very different circles back in school. Despite sharing a senior year, we never really talked until after. He babysat Dustin and the other twerps, I ran the DnD club they all joined when they got there. Dustin pestered us for months to just try and see if we would get along. We both refused. It wasn’t until spring break ‘86 that we actually talked and it was sparks from the start.”

Seeing how he talks about his husband it is almost impossible to imagine him being anything other than 100% infatuated, but he looks to be truthful.

With the mention of that spring break, I can’t help but ask after the allegations that he was proven to be innocent of and the injuries he sustained during it in the earthquake that hit the town after. He has been private about it in the past, so I know I’m pushing my luck.

Indeed he closes off and just says he doesn’t want to talk about it and his tone indicates that he means it and I will be cut short if I ask further. So, instead I ask about other parts of the book, namely Corroded Coffin’s start in Boston.

“Boston was great. It wasn’t Detroit, Cleveland or LA, but it was better than the small bar we used to play at in front of the local drunks that’s for sure. We already knew we were going to Boston in the 80s, most of the guys studied there for a bit, before dropping out. I knew Robs was hoping to get into a program there and where Robbie goes, Steve goes and where Steve goes, I go. If we wanted Corroded Coffin to continue, we’d go with them to whatever big city they ended up in.”

The book also showed to the close friendship between Eddie’s husband, Steve, and Robin Munson, a linguist. Even now, the rockstar shares a house with Steve’s practical other half and her wife, Rose. I ask him if that was ever hard or cause friction between them.

“No are you kidding?” Eddie practically laughs in my face, not out of malice, but out of disbelief. “I already knew the two were a package deal when I started dating Steve. Besides, Robin is a blast too. She’s fucking hilarious and has great taste in music. In fact, it has always been comforting to know I wasn’t leaving Stevie by himself when I was out touring. I mean, I was best man at their wedding, it was never a thing between us.”

I ask if it isn’t weird to not have the house alone, but share it with another couple.

“Nah, man. Like I said, I love Robs and Rose is amazing too. The two are family. I would let everyone of my family live with me as long as they want. They’re my people and I love having them around. It’s nice to have more people in the house, I wouldn’t know what to do if it was quiet and empty all the time. We often host DnD one shots or movie nights here, it’s great.”

The game is mentioned quite a bit in the book and is well known now, but they never spoke about playing it in their heyday and I ask whether they’ve gotten reactions to it with their new popularity.

“Yeah, it’s nice. A lot of people are excited that we seem to play, it’s cool to see how much more popular it has become and how many people find the same excitement in it as we do. Playing DnD was different back then. When we started it was in the height of the Satanic Panic and we were branded as freaks for it, so I guess that stuck with us. We didn’t want to loose cool points and reveal we played games on the tour bus, though our manager did tell a few people about it. I think Gar convinced a few paps we were obsessed with Ludo for a little bit. That was hilarious.”

At that I ask if there was a lot they had to hide that they don’t now. There is of course Eddie’s sexuality and that of Gareth, which Eddie comments on:

“Hiding is part of being a celebrity, if you don’t want people judging your every move or shunning you for inane shit then you have to keep some shit to yourself. It can also make you go off the rails to have nothing to yourself, but never talking about our sexuality was hard, you know.

For me it was something I wanted to share. I wanted to tell the world about my baby and how happy he made me, but I never could. I couldn’t tell them I didn’t sleep with that model and no, Robin wasn’t my secret wife. Or that I didn’t like the way girls would flirt with me, because I was happily taken and that I didn’t know what to do with the bras people threw at me or the panties they made me sign or how they’d offer themselves up for a one night stand.

Management would’ve killed me if I breathed a word of that and it was constricting at points. It’s what I hated the most about being famous, always having to be careful about being watched when I was with Steve outside. I already didn’t have every day with him and I couldn't even cling to him 24/7 without being scared.

I think it’s really cool how we have openly queer celebrities now. I know it seems silly to younger audiences, but that wasn’t a thing. Not really. I only came out in 2001 and it didn’t go over well with many, many people. The closest thing I got is all the songs I wrote about Steve that were either subtle or had switched pronouns.”

In response to that, I ask him if he has anything to say about what it was like being queer when he was young. The book shows a great deal, but I am curious what Eddie himself has to say about the experience.

“As a kid it was mostly scary. Like I said, Satanic Panic was happening, not to mention AIDS. It was terrifying. I count my blessings every day that I didn’t have to loose anyone close to me to it, but it was just horrible how the scene seemingly got smaller and smaller as more people dropped like flies. It just made me so frustrated and angry that the government wasn’t doing anything. A lot of people were mad.

I really love the photos Jon took back then. He has this way of capturing moments, people as they drop pretenses or show who they are. He has an eye for it and that makes his photography so powerful or intimate. They show that those prides were protests. We had to be proud of who we were and stand together, because it would all go to shit otherwise.

Community is so important. I have always found great solace in being surrounded by others like me. I think that you can see it in all my show clothes how much of my inspiration came from the leather scene I’m a part of. A lot of metal style has roots in the leather scene. People often don’t realize because it turned homophobic later on, but metal has always been very queer.”

This seems like the best moment to bring up the arrest photos. The book gives a little context about it, but I ask Eddie what happened anyway.

“Robs was being totally metal and part of the tits out dyke crew, they were the best, but definitely a risk. When she was at risk Steve decided to be a diversion to make sure she could get out. He figured her scholarship and future were more important than his job right now.

Nancy saw Steve getting arrested first and went to argue with the police, but they weren’t listening to her. Sexist pigs honestly. I threw my argument in as well, but I was just another crazy fag in leather with long hair that they didn’t like the look off. And I never go without a fight, I stopped running in 1986 and I haven’t looked back. In this country that means getting a few punches to the face, Nancy joined the fight, got hit too and arrested. At this point, I consider us lucky to have come out of that encounter alive.”

The story is humbling to me and I sit in silence for a second. Eddie seems to notice that I don’t know where to go from here, so he just grins:

“Don’t worry. Just don’t talk to cops and demand a lawyer, cooperate enough to be safe and memorize the phone number of someone you trust and don’t bring your own cell with you. I’m not likely to get arrested again and for it to go bad. Times have changed, different groups are now a target than me. I guess that makes me lucky, but it just all sucks. Tell your readers to keep voting and keep being vocal.”

I promise him I’ll put it in there and then stiltedly change the topic to ask about the addiction he kicked. Corroded Coffin spoke about it at the time that they were trying to quit smoking, but never went beyond that. The book shows a little bit more.

“Quitting is fucking hard. I haven’t smoked a cigarette in twenty-three years and I still sometimes think about it. But I don’t regret stopping for a second. My lungs will never be the same, but I saw uncle Wayne die a slow death to lung cancer, I don’t ever want to put my family through seeing me like that.

Like, if anyone out there smokes or vapes, cut that shit out. It’s not worth it, I promise. In the long run, it’s not going to make you happy and it can only be bad for you. Trust me, you don’t want to go through that. Find people who support your quitting and buckle in for months of hell.”

He looks very intense, but quickly shifts back into a charismatic face when he is done with his spiel. It’s wild how easily he moves between faces, while being totally genuine. Eddie Munson is a fluid and fascinating entity and I understand how he captured the interest of many when he first rose to stardom.

There is only enough time for one last question, so I ask him what is in the future for him right now. It gets me a big smile as Eddie answers:

“Right now, I’m going to wave you goodbye in a few minutes, then wake Stevie up from his nap. We’ve been re-reading the Lord of the Rings together, so we’ll cozy up on the couch. Then, before the kids get here, we’ll make them some snacks, listen to how their days have been. If needed I’ll try to help them with homework, even though I’m useless at it. Robs and Rose will be home soon after, we’ll make dinner together, I’m sure Robin will complain about her coworker again and then tonight I am going to call the little shits. It’s Tuesdays, we always try to call on Tuesday.

I’m living a slow domestic life, man, and I am content. In my future are hopefully many more slow days.”

I thank him for his time and shake his hand. He gets up and shakes mine, thanking me in turn for not minding to come out here and tells me I was a pleasure to have over. Then he does as promised and waves me goodbye.

As I walk over the driveway, I mull over the conversation we’ve just had. Eddie Munson is not what I expected him to be like, but in a good way. I am very curious to see where his newfound visibility in the public eye will lead. Something tells me, we haven’t seen the last of this rockstar, even in his newfound domesticity.

~~

A/N:

This whole work is finding a balance between Eddie being a supportive friend and trying not to sound too egotistical/arrogant about my own work lmao (and like shoving my own opinions down everyone’s throat, sorry xp)

[stikiduk]

I have made a decision to share my BLU Spy headcanons with you all

First off, BLU Spy’s personality is a little easier to build on than most, because he was heavily featured in Meet The Spy. I’ll go through his personality from what I picked up there.

He’s very sophisticated like the RED Spy, but he’s less mean spirited. He puts on a professional and ‘cool’ persona, but in reality he’s terrified of a lot of the people he works with, especially his enemies. He is skilled at his job, however, and brave when it comes to facing others.

If you know anything about tf2’s lore, you would know that the Spy is the Scout’s father. In the comics, it shows that the RED Spy is the RED Scout’s father. However, in Meet the Spy, RED Spy is photographed being intimate with BLU Scout’s mom. Could this just be a plot hole? Yes. It probably is. But I have a hypothesis: BLU Spy is the one who took those photos.

In my interpretation, BLU Spy and BLU Scout’s mom (I’ll call her Ma) were in a close relationship for years. After some time, Ma and Spy had a child, and Spy was ecstatic to finally have a son of his own. That all changed, however, when Spy caught Ma having an affair with the RED Spy out of his office window. He quickly captured it so when he confronted Ma, he would have evidence to prove what she did. After a long fight, Spy left Ma and Scout on their own, quite possibly to never be seen again. He showed them to who he thought was Scout in Meet the Spy to drive home the point of how horrible RED Spy is.

BLU Spy is considerably less wealthy than RED Spy, so he doesn’t have the same ego. He spent almost all of his life off the grid, using a very early version of his disguise kit to get around. He was quickly hired by BLU after seeing the potential his technology had. He met and befriended Engineer and Medic there. They were able to improve on Spy’s original designs, which is how we got the Spy’s current set of tools.

I have an idea that everyone in the RED team doesn’t entirely trust their Spy. This is due to his rather unpleasant personality, and his profession. BLU Spy is almost the complete opposite, in that he doesn’t fully trust anyone he works with. He has this fear that they’re all just being nice to them so they can get close to him, and they all plan on sabotaging him in one way or another. As such, he is always on edge in BLU’s meetings, but does a good job hiding it.

The only real exception to this is Scout, mostly because he feels horrible for leaving him. He is constantly trying to help him in any way he can, even when Scout doesn’t entirely need it. The only reason he’s still working for BLU at all is so he can support his son and help him succeed. Scout himself has grown to look up to Spy because of how well he does his job, even if he doesn’t really want to do it.

Spy has become somewhat of a hopeless romantic over time. He falls in love very easily, but is afraid that if he got into a relationship, it would end up like the last one did. A good example of this is his feelings towards the RED Sniper.

RED Sniper and BLU Spy (I’ll just say Sniper and Spy for convenience) is a very popular ship in this community, so of course I’d have to put my own spin on it. In my eyes, the relationship starts one-sided, almost tragically so. Spy had first gotten a look at Sniper during his first mission, and almost froze when he saw him. Sniper was acting very… calm in the situation they were in, which was almost astonishing to him. But it didn’t inspire envy or hate in him, it inspired awe. This was almost immediately followed by Spy getting shot in the head and having to start from the beginning. Sniper thought Spy was acting ridiculous in this situation, just standing around like an idiot in the middle of battle.

Spy constantly tries to get close to Sniper, most commonly disguising himself as a RED Spy. This almost never works, and Sniper immediately kills Spy after telling him how horrible of a job he’s doing. Sniper genuinely believes Spy is just trying to sabotage and kill him, and he’s doing a horrible job because he’s just a coward. This is one of those situations that could be resolved if they had a conversation, but since Sniper never hesitates to shoot Spy on sight, it’s not easy.

If Sniper and Spy were able to actually hold a conversation, they would get along quite well. This is mostly due to their shared professionalism when it comes to their work, and their shared distrust for most others. They would usually only talk and spend time together in private, however, since they know what happened when Demo and Soldier were discovered to be friends.

And that’s all I’ve got. I hope we can all collectively dunk on RED Spy for ruining at least 3 people’s lives.

[red-balloon12]

A more put together rant/review for Murder Drones EP: 6

(Spoilers Below)

Okay…so now that I’m more calmed down about the recent murder drones episode, I can express my thoughts a bit more….calmly.

So first off: Tessa and J-

I really thought the main group was gonna fight Tessa and J but I was surprised when they didn’t. I don’t have that many thoughts for J but seeing N and V reunite with J was pretty sweet (if only Uzi shut up about killing J for once. That would have been nice) but as for Tessa, Tessa was pretty badass, the whole thing worth the raptors not being able to handle the sight of actual blood was interesting. And that kinda adds to the whole thing about the humans trying to wipe out the drones asap. Despite Tessa helping the group, I don’t fully trust her and I feel like N and Uzi (mostly N) is/are gonna have to fight her at some point.

The “New Bots”, Moose Head and Cowboy Egg Baby-

I mildly enjoyed these too. They kinda remind me of those characters you see in a zombie apocalypse that’s been there for a while and had gotten the hang of how things worked. Moose Head obviously knows Uzi’s mom and it seems like the show is setting up a SU like resolution where Uzi’s mom as actually kinda bad and did some horrible stuff both on her own and under the influence of the Absolute Solver. Moose Head also knew how to deal with the disassembly drones. Putting magnets on their heads. I don’t think anyone said anything about the magnets yet so I’m gonna. I wonder if the magnets are gonna come back. That was a very interesting piece lore that literally no one’s talking about.

As for the egg boi….I don’t have a lot to say about him except….baby. Precious baby.

And now for the part you’re probably waiting for…

Nuzi and V’s death-

I know I’m in the minority when I say this…and I know this isn’t what the NUzi shippers need right now but I need to say it so that I can have clarity.

I can’t or will never be able to ship/support Nuzi as long as V is dead.

I know this is petty of me but please let me explain my reasoning.

The fact that Nuzi’s first sign of mutual attraction came in the SAME episode as V’s death rubs me the wrong way for several reasons. First of all, N’s feelings for Uzi legit came out of no where. Before episode 6 it was clear that Uzi had a thing for N but nothing in the past episodes gave me an indication that N liked Uzi back in that way. We know that N deeply cares for Uzi, yes but his way of caring for her gave me “big bro” vibes rather than “I’m in love with you” vibes.

N’s mutual attraction to Uzi doesn’t feel earned to me. It just feels shoe horned in so we can finally say that N and Uzi do like each other. And I don’t need N to be like “yeah! I love Uzi!” But they could have given us N longingly glancing at Uzi while she’s fighting or when she isn’t looking. SOMETHING to indicate N did like her back. My dude didn’t even blush once at Uzi before episode 6.

And then we have V’s death. V’s death ALSO doesn’t feel earned because like I said in my pre post about this, V’s been sidelined for the majority of this show. I know for a fact that there’s people in the fandom that didn’t give a damn about her death/celebrating her death and as malevolent as that is, I can’t fully blame them because V’s role in the show didn’t have much impact in the grand scheme of things. Her time with N and Uzi consisted of her terrorizing Uzi, keeping things from N and even temporarily killing him and needing to be rescued by the both of them. And through out the episodes, this formula mostly doesn’t change.

Sure there’s the scenes where she’s looking at how N and Uzi interact and she’s probably feeling left out and less sure about her chances with N, but there wasn’t a time where N or Uzi (especially Uzi) had a real heart to heart with V that would warrant the audience feeling bad for V/caring about her death. There’s a reason why the majority of people pissed about her death and also eNVy shippers.

And then when V finally gets that big amount of growth for her character, she dies. It just feels so cheap. Like I’ve been cheated out of what could have been V finally accepting N not liking her back anymore and her supporting N and Uzi while still helping them. Or even that and her staring to be better and that revives N’s love for V as well.

V didn’t have to die for NUzi to happen. She didn’t have to die period. She SHOULDN’T have to die. Her death (as well as the feelings the scene is trying to provoke) feels unearned and unnecessary. Until I get confirmation that this isn’t what the writers were trying to do, I’m blaming V’s death on NUzi and that’s why can’t ship NUzi. If the show just TRIED harder to utilize V more, I’m convinced we could have had both NUzi AND eNVy but instead, NUzi is canon and V’s dead.

[residentmara]

a little context for smth, the Astral Express Crew is this train of ppl, not really many ppl keep that in mind (ha, mind), that travels on the path of The Hunt, but the path they travel on isn't important, but they are following in the path of this Aeon (basically like, gods in the game but they're also not gods ?) who had died (I personally believe that the Aeon of The Trailblaze, the one they're following the path of didn't die, because there is nobody who knows how they died, it's unknown if it was at the hands of another Aeon even tho thats a popular theory in game, or if it was killed by a human or what) and they're just following in that guy's path and stopping at worlds when they can't pass, usually bc of a stellaron (cancer of all worlds) on the planets, and they help those planets and continue on their path

Mind (March and Dan Heng)

Mind would be March because of more like her backstory, she was found floating through space in a block of six-phased ice (I believe it was that or it was some 'eternal ice' but I am p sure it was six-phased) which Welt spent ages to get her out of, and I did get my facts a little wrong when I was being autism in dms earlier, her name is March 7th because that's the day the Astral Express Crew (which at the time I believe consisted of Himeko, Welt, and pom-pom (? for Pom-pom)) freed her from the ice, and she didn't even know who she was, so they took to calling her March 7th since that was the date, she canonically puts out this happy, bubbly, personality to cover up this like anxiety and sadness I believe is what Himeko says when you ask about March, but she puts on that personality and smile to cover up those feelings

and Dan Heng because he's smart.. and he also has things in his past that he's running from, he's generally a mysterious kinda guy (HELP IM REACHING DISCORD LIMIT ALR,, THE PRICE OF TYPING THIS ORIGINALL ON DISCORD WTF) theres not many lore rooted reasons that I'm saying Dan Heng for, though he does live in the file room (I think it was called.. words aren't wording but it is like 8:34 at night) and keeps things nice and filed n stuff for the express, he knows a lot about it, he also joined it because he was running from people from his past life / past (I say past life because even though he normally looks human, he's from this dragon looking species I can't spell the name of for the life of me who goes through this rebirth process) and he refuses to really talk to anyone about it, and if you in game ask Himeko about him she doesn't give you much information

Heart (Kafka)

I won't go deep into lore because I don't think we know much of Kafka's lore or she doesn't have too much to go into ig, but Kafka is one of these Stellaron hunters who's goal (you'll never guess it) is to get stellarons, Kafka can appear as this nice person but really she's kinda violent and slightly manipulative (though it is kind of for the 'greater good' in some sense depending on where your morals lie when it comes to lore of the entire game) also she uses a gun canonically when you use her ultimate.. enough proof there /silly

Soul as Himeko or the Trailblazer

tbh I'd mainly say Himeko, we don't really know too much about Himeko, only what you can get from asking Welt, but she found the express when she was a kid blah blah that's not imporant to why Soul would be her, she was there from the start, she knows like everything about everyone on the express, at least all there really is to know, she's the real owner of it, but she is generally who keeps things kinda calm on the express, she's who you trust (which when you put hms as pathos, logos, and ethos, we know who is what, Heart is Pathos, Mind is Logos, and Soul would be Ethos, and if you were to characterize Himeko as one of those, she'd be Ethos because you know you can trust her) + she has red hair

I'd say Soul as the Trailblazer (the Main Character) because that is also the only character you can be 100% sure of in the whole story, also I can kind of draw a connection from the Stellaron that is inside of the Trailblazer (they are generally supposed to just be a storage for it, we don't know why yet because that lore isn't rlly out yet) to the void seen on Soul in like the videos, they both have something that can like 'take over' them in some sense

and Whole as Welt

Welt is someone who also knows a lot about people on the express (not as much as Himeko though) but he generally is like this character that is like the 'dad' of the express, at least in my eyes (that I totally have shh I'm not a Heart fictive what) this is smth you can argue that Welt would be Soul for but he is in and out of the Astral Express this like peace keeper, there is a lot more of lore to Welt because he is a reoccuring in like another Honkai game (I think there is only one other ? but if not he's in the two others, but I cannot remember how mant there is) and I remember seeing something about a comic, but basically if you were to put a face on the express it'd probably be Welt or Himeko, Himeko because she is the actual owner but Welt because he is this powerful figure that has this cohesive story if any of my reasoning for Whole as Welt makes sense

Boom autism explosion pt 2, now I’m very sleeby so goodnight !! -💕

this is unironically the direct reason i got into honkai: star rail

[queen-diamond-serenity]

The irony of this is

Dutch haters are far more toxic than Micah fan base in fact I in all honesty have not come across one microfan that I have actually dislike. And I hate Micah I cannot stand him as a character and nothing will ever change that. I do love his voice actor and there is one picture of Micah I like. Other than that the fact that Dutch haters are more toxic than Micah fan base really does say a lot about you. A majority of RDR fan base is toxic as hell and you're the main ones who cause trouble in Mayhem and then try to make it look like we're the ones being Troublemaker Just because we're Dutch apologist. I never thought that I would say this I would rather be around a Micah fan at this point than to be around the rest of you. So when y'all say we deserve to get blocked or blocked us I don't give a fuqk. What am I missing out on? Most of y'all have crap content most of y'all come up with shit scenarios and lore and theories regarding the entire rdr. Y'all don't have a creative bone in your body's half of you steal from other content creators and then think that we've lost something by you threatening to block us are thinking it's wholesome to block us we don't give a fuck and I think I've made a post like this before not caring. I haven't posted anything in weeks and when I come back here a fellow friend of mine's is dealing with toxic Dutch haters. Y'all can say what you want to about Dutch but we're not the one causing trouble or bring it all the toxicity in the community y'all are. But go off.

What is our crimes other than being a fan of Dutch?

I have set back for years and kept quiet and have watched on every platform you can think of concerning RDR fan base and see where all the problems are stemming from and coming from.

block me I don't care cuz you can't fuck with me no way. I don't want to be on your shitty side of social media. I am a living nightmare for a lot of you because I don't take the bullshit that everybody else do. LOL I'm from up North we are feisty out here lol. Stay in your lane because we not coming in yours you blocking a bunch of us who don't want to deal with you any damn ways. Y'all are a damn joke. To all you Dutch and Micah fans continue to stay to yourselves create good content and enjoy life. Have your fun have your ships have at it and continue to stick up your middle fingers to the rest. They got a majority of the fan base on the other side and they're still not happy. That already right there should tell you something. They just a bunch of miserable people in real life in general. Y'all should take an example from somebody who hates Micah I cannot stand him like I said before. But I don't give his fan base hell especially when they aren't coming at me. The only time I'll say something to somebody come at me sideways other than that I'm not bothered by them being a fan of his. Because that's what maturity looks like. You should try it sometimes and grow the fuck up. Other people in this Phantom will be nice about it not me I'm a proud azzhole.😁

Understand something about the woman I am I come from a very huge family so I'm never lonely I'm surrounded by a lot of love. And let's just face it a lot of you people on social media are lonely miserable people looking for love and most of you have found it in all the wrong places. So I don't care about being blocked. I got people who give a shit about me in real life. Trust me I will not lose sleep over wondering over a complete stranger who blocked me that I don't even know ever existed.

Everybody else give y'all this polite and light? But me? Oh I'm going to call out the elephant in a room and best believe I'm going to do it with a little bit of hot sauce.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Hello!! This is kind of a stupid question but do you understand who the Moonshadow assassins kill and why? At first I assumed it was just human rulers/generals from all kingdoms but when Viren was talking about how they were a threat in season 2 the other rulers didn’t seem to think it was as big of an emergency and I was a little confused. I hope you have a great day!!

I actually love questions like this! There's some nuance in the answer, and also some uncertainty, but I'll share my take for ya:

The Moonshadow assassins don't seem to pick their own targets, they accept assignments from the Dragon Throne. The full nature of that relationship hasn't been explained in any detail, so it's a tricky, complicated area of lore for the moment.

Basically, we don't have any information on how the Dragon Throne chooses the targets it passes on to the Moonshadow assassins for taking, aside from the one that happened just before the show's plot began, with Zubeia sending Runaan and his team to kill Harrow and Ezran. All we know is that these targets are supposed to be so threatening to Xadia that the world would be better off if they were no longer in it.

It's not impossible to imagine Avizandum telling his assassins to take out someone who didn't actually deserve it. It's relatively easy actually, knowing how he liked to stomp on humans, and how long he lived. It's probably happened. The only question is: how often? (angst)

I would guess - because again, we don't really know this for sure yet - that Avizandum generally chose actual threats, or people who could easily become threats in a war. But when you're a long-lived dragon, maybe you see different patterns in the mortal lives and cultures of humans. And Runaan and all the assassins before him wouldn't live long enough to recognize those patterns themselves, so they probably had to accept their targets out of either trust or duty. (more angst)

Some of them would definitely be military type targets: generals; shining young hero types with a chip on their shoulder; stealthy human assassins; dark mages if they dared risk it; and etc.

But a dragon might see strange harmless patterns beginning to form and decide to nip them in the bud before they led to anything truly threatening: a craftsman who just had a design breakthrough with a prototype ballista; a baker who just invented hardtack that could keep an army on the move for weeks; an armorer who just made a much safer design; a clever miner who found a rare and valuable source of iron.

People like that aren't dangerous on their own. But the knowledge they might share among the humans during a long drawn-out war with Xadia could be devastating in a decade or five. A dragon who already doesn't like humans would probably have no trouble sending his best assassin to snipe unsuspecting ordinary people like that.

We're still not sure if assassins must take an assignment, or if it's just dishonorable or something not to take it. But Runaan's a pretty regimented guy, and he's not fond of humans either. Between his trust issues and his protective instincts, I don't think he'd look too hard at his assignments these days even if he had a choice - he'd believe he was doing the right thing for his people, and then he'd stop thinking and go shoot someone.

I think sometimes Runaan definitely was doing the right thing by killing someone. But it's impossible to say which missions were and which weren't the right thing. Life is way too complicated for clear-cut answers like that.

Okay, onward!

The other part of this answer is about the Pentarchy itself. I think their hesitance to commit right away, and the reason Aanya got so much time to smack Viren with her sass, happened partly because Viren lives in a border realm like she does, and the other three rulers have a nice safe buffer between them and the brunt of the war efforts.

Basically, Del Bar, Neolandia, and Evenere don't have any skin in the border game.

They don't have big standing armies, and the only threats they deal with are small incursions - either assassins from other human realms or occasionally Moonshadow assassins.

Which is the topic at hand! But when Viren tries to convince Harrow to do the switching spell in S1, he claims that Moonshadow elves are an unstoppable force. Almost a force of nature, kind of vibe. If they come for you, you're just gonna die about it. Harrow even agrees with him! It's common knowledge how deadly the Moonshadow assassins are. And that's what happened despite all of Viren's plans - he still lost his king because Moonshadow assassins are scary good at their job.

So it's plausible that the other rulers didn't see any point in committing resources to an unsolvable issue - if Moonshadow assassins were coming for them, then they'd die. Why risk anyone else? Anyone in the assassins' way would die too. (Which they did in Katolis)

Another option is that Viren has been wrong before, and the other royals did commit resources to deal with the threat he claimed was coming, only to have time and money and forces wasted. If Viren had brought them costly mistakes, they could've been hedging their bets this time around.

There's a funnier possibility though: maybe they just didn't like Viren. People in power sometimes say polite things to an underling or a petitioner, and then have no intention of ever following through with it. They might've all been blowing smoke here, telling Viren "oh yeah sure if we're all in, let's totally do war, bro" and absolutely never meaning it even a little bit because they simply did not like the messenger.

Which is mean. But: royals.

tldr:

there's a few things affecting the Pentarchy scene all at once. We don't know all the factors involved yet, and the Pentarchy probably doesn't either. But at the end of the day the Pentarchy chose to hesitate, and that left Viren on his own.

[dykevanny]

haz i know absolutely nothign about zeno rpg but ur zeno au has intrigued me and im curious about it,,, i saw smth abt like. meomory loss and being handcuffed together and ik they eat ppl but thats it 😭 explain the au if u want ig bc im interested and i think thye look so silly. also bc u put vanny n will in my brain and they wont leave im shooing them with a boom and they are not moving

OK LET ME GET THE INFODUMP<3

So ummm Zeno au<3 I’m really normal. Allow me to give a brief explanation of what Zeno is first You see, Zeno is a fictional disease sort of thing that makes people cannibals. Specifically an oneset is caused by traumatic events/extreme cases of unrequited love(specifically mostly familial) and the only cure is eating the flesh of someone else with Zeno.(not widely known.) It’s also transmittable through biting like zombies. there’s one specific facility with scientists dedicated to getting to the bottom of how to cure zeno, also housing ‘patients’ (or, people with zeno being used as lab rats). Now onto character lore.

So william and henry were good friends right. Yeah. Considering that they even have a small diner together. Well one day will got zeno (oh no!) and started slowly picking off kids going to the diner. He even accidentally attacked Charlie, who escaped in one piece luckily. Charlie went to the afton household to see if he was doing okay (because will’s like an uncle to her and all! And also what if everyone else got hurt?) only to find will ate them all oops. And yeah same happened to her, but since he transmitted zeno to Charlie he was cured! How convenient! The people in charge of the labs ended up roping him and henry into being scientists for them through shady shady means and well the two aren’t on good terms and avoid each other like the plague. Henry’s still sore over the ‘you ate my fucking daughter’ thing. Luckily he has his assistant/the archivist (tape girl) to keep him company. So Vanessa right! Crazzy I know. Nessa as we know comes from a broken family. In this specific au I’m mixing her backstory with the character who’s place she’s taking (hi kuro) so basically her parents. Neglect her. In favor of her younger sibling because she was born from her mom’s affair and blablabla… she grows up basically taking care of herself. Eventually she develops zeno and starts you know. Killing and eating random girls as you do. When one night she comes home and is confronted by her parents about this!! And well you can guess. What happens to them lol. She gets captured and taken to the zeno facility where she’s specifically studied/talked to by William! They’re funny bc nessa hasn’t had anyone willingly spend so much time around her and be so nice to her. Will … well she’s a specimen to him lol. Since being cured himself zeno has been a subject of interest to him, he’s thrown himself completely into his work (under the guise of feeling soooo guilty for his actions which henry can see right through) and well. He’s realized the consumption of human flesh has something to do with it, since eating Charlie cured him. So he’s been …. Robbing the morgue/killing people when needed to feed vanessa every time they meet. Which, she’s more docile when she’s not hungry so it kind of works but she’s not like cured you know. It has the side affect of her being hungry when it’s time for someone to chat with her though which was funny the one time henry had to go in will’s stead cause he offered her a granola bar and she was like 😐 ew.?? Anyways will has gotten her total trust because he also plays board games with her yay!! He’s the only one not enforcing the whole straightjacket-dog muzzle combo also so she’s like woah !! He sees me as another human unlike these other guys :DD (needless to say zeno patients are not treated very humanely.lol) there was also one time tape girl had to be a substitute for william but nothing of note happened they just kinda chilled and ness threatened her in a backhanded and mildly gay sort of way.as you do.

Anyway yeah so basically Henry’s been experimenting with treatment through amnesia and totally surely unrelated note at the actual start of the story, Will and Nessa wake up in a strange room with no clue who they are or how they got here, and have to navigate the now bloody and corpse-strewn facility while handcuffed together with nothing to guide them except each other and the only clue to their pasts is tampered resumes which effectively switch their backstories!! Nessa is under the impression that she’s the scientist (the whole cannibalism part was left out) and she thinks William is the serial murderer/cannibal. Which was funny cause she read her own resume like wow… I’m kind of a big deal huh :) and then read Will’s like ERM.OKAY… Will didn’t read either of the resumes. Also tape girl gave everyone code names and said code names were swapped on the resumes also! So ‘bonnie’(nessa) and ‘vanny’(will) are just kind of cluelessly walking around like damn this place is really… corpsey:) until henry starts showing up and trying to kill them (he contracted zeno big surprise) and also tape girl (assumed dead) shows up sometimes just to see how things are going. Lots of shenanigans and also murder ensue.

The game also has multiple endings so. sometimes nessa ends up killing william lol. Intestine jumprope…. … ……… Also side note.will found out it’s specifically zeno infected humans that need to be fed to patients to cure them but kinda. Didn’t cure nessa on purpose<3 because she’s sort of entirely dependent on him in this way and she’s kind of his only friend.the same way he’s her only friend……wacky wild!

Tape girl is having a fucking.day. Because henry mentioned he was going to do something but likeee. She didn’t expect to be caught in the crossfires of a HUGE MASS MURDER CANNIBAL EVENT.AS LIKE ONE OF THE 4 PEOPLE STILL ALIVE IN HERE,.. once he chilled out henry explained himself and she agreed to help out (she also decided to distribute some of her recorded notes.just for fun…after the two get separated for the first time ‘vanny’ listens to them and is like woah… i was a patient here⁉️ And bon was my unethical doctor⁉️⁉️ which is funny) but like. She is the only one NOT infected in here and would like to keep it that way so she’s having quite the time. Seeing vanessa walking around unrestrained keeps jumpscaring her LOL. Once ness’s zeno symptoms start returning well ofc will as the only one she’d encountered here who she cares about is the first target but tape girl nearly gets chomped too lol.

Zeno has an interesting affect on the subjects mood which is funny. Basically when an oneset happens and the person with zeno is running around eating people they’re in a crazed manic state which. Is really fun.will and nessa are wandering around handcufffed and he’s like uhh bonnie you okay cause her facial expressions.well they went from the example on the left to the one on the right.

It’s funny bc. The memory erasure actually technically did work… her symptoms only started returning bc she got bit LOL

Pre-the amnesia incident the other three’s interactions with vanessa were pretty.limited. Considering she’s theeee most dangerous patient. Will talks to her for like an hour daily but Henry only really knows her as ‘william’s mutt’ (he was especially not a fan when he found out will had been FEEDING HER HUMAN FLESH.) and tape girl is afraid of her but also. Kind of endeared from their two in person interactions. The second one in which vanessa tried to convince her to let her cannibalize her but hey she was very polite about it..!! Henry and tape girl are both shocked and stunned that she’s actually pretty chill when she’s not insane and eating people.

TL;DR

^these fuckheads are almost all cannibals and beating each other up forever