#VHS Radio AU

[vermillion-merlot]

Im supposed to be doing science rn but oh well 😁

[imagionary]

Randomized Fusion between Dave and Cathal! Title is either Deceiver or Payola ^v^

Other concepts under cut:

(Atari head and portable VCR possibilities I ping ponged in my brain)

[piecanl]

I have a fun qTubbo backstory idea but idk how well it would tie into pre-existing lore so bare with me.

So you guys know how the French arrived by a plane (crash)? And how Tubbo has a Special Interest in aviation? And how he's good with the create mode + has asked for the create extension which adds planes?

What if he was hired as a plane engineer for the company that had the French's plane as a part of their fleet (example: if the plane belonged to AirFrance, he'd be an AirFrance engineer).

He was a one of a kind, akin to a child prodigy, a miracle for his age (at the time maybe around 17-18), a genius. However he was the one responsible for the quality checks of the navigation tools on that specific flight. Unfortunately for him, he had missed something.

As the chicken appeared on the navigation screen, there were no verbal call outs by the system, leading to the pilot's writing it off as a stray cloud instead of an object creating a collision coarse.

This lead to one of the engines, the left engine, to collide with the chicken and cause a rapid descent. The pilots, suffering from fatigue, could not react fast enough. They made many wrong inputs, and in the end when they tried to land on a flat field, they crashed with the wall of Quesadilla island. All but 5 passengers perished in the crash.

Tubbo, after being discovered as the engineer behind the system's quality check-up, was arrested and thrown into prison, as we know it: the Ice bunker. It was a very shady prison, more akin to a testing ground/a laboratory full of lab rats than an actual prison.

The treatment of the inmates was brutal and inhumane, until they all for unknown reasons were frozen over, either as a cover-up or because they had served their purpose, it was unknown.

And with that, there lied the story of Tubbo. A previous child prodigy with a bright future to a prison inmate in a questionable prison.

(I want to mention, I know at one point the Qsmp members took on an expedition to retrieve the black box of the plane, however I cannot find a clip of that so I do not know what exactly happened in the planes cockpit. If someone has a clip or can recall what it said that would be appreciated, thank you!)

[honey-minded-hivemind]

🔦Rewind AU Snippet:

• It's cloudy outside, when they come in. They can already see the older TV and electronics along the backwall, as well as the rows and rows of old and used games and tapes. And for now, it's just them and their co-worker.

• Reader groans a little as they carry a box of old VHS tapes, feeling their back pop a little. Their co-worker is already grabbing the box from them and setting inside before they can blink. Huh. Must be a morning person. Reader walks back to the beat-up car, checking the trunk... and finds one more box. They're careful, lifting it up and bringing it inside. Their co-worker takes one look at the titles, and are eagerly grabbing one of the tapes.

• "Hey! Careful!" Reader grumbles, setting the box down on the counter as their co-worker pops in the tape. But they don't seem to hear Reader, too engrossed in whatever they're doing. "Reader, I can't believe you have all of these! You must have been quite the fan!" they chatter, and Reader turns to stare at them, unsure of what they're saying. "Fan of what?" Their co-worker grins, pressing the rewind button, watching the static on the glass screen. "The X-Men, duh. You have all of their tapes!" Reader feels a headache coming on. Did they take their medicine? "Oh, those were uhm, X-Men tapes...? Must have been from awhile back..."

• Their co-worker finally gets the tape at the beginning, then press the play button. Soon the theme song can be heard, and the episode plays in the background as the two of them sort through the various tapes and CDs and cassettes. The store doesn't open for the next few hours (thankfully) so they have some time to set up the new items. Reader can hear the faint buzz of the static play as they work, sorting through the box of old tapes as their co-worker moves some records to the back of the store. They find themself humming along for a moment, their head drifting into a peace they haven't felt in a while... But then they hear something, a clatter, and look up-

• Just to see the characters on the screen staring straight ahead... almost as though they're watching them... "Reader!" Reader's gaze breaks, then they're hurrying to the back to help their co-worker catch a radio that almost fell as they'd been restocking. It didn't take much time to set it back up, checking the antenna and dials, and when Reader found nothing broken or cracked, they wandered back towards the front of the store, then went back to sorting through the old tapes. Each one seemed in good condition, save for a bit of smudged marker or dust... But still... As Reader worked, they couldn't shake the feeling of something watching them.

• Their co-worker came back up about an hour later, panting and laughing a little, which was when Reader decided to ask them if they felt the same thing. "Like something's watching you... Hmmm... Nope! What? Are you not used to watching TV?" Reader blushed a little at that remark, frowning. "Um... no..." Their co-worker gasps, soon patting their shoulder. Reader jumps at the foreign touch, pulling back. "What?! No wonder you're so grouchy all the time! No one has ever shown you the joys of... animation!" You snort, earning a look. "That won't do! That's it! We're watching all of these tapes! Pop in another one when this one's done playing! I'll see you, once you've realized how awesome it is!" They playfully stuck their tongue out at you, and you snickered, just a small one. You sighed, turning back around once they left...

• And saw the screen seemed to be paused. Yet it couldn't be, because the music was still playing... You take a step closer, eyes squinting behind your glasses. The music is soft in the background, as is the cracked of quiet static. The screen isn't broken or cracked or glitching. But the characters stare for a minute, as though shocked or surprised to see something. With a worried shrug, you go back to what you were doing. Soon after, the video seems to play correctly again, because you can hear a conversation going on between the characters. As the minutes fly by, you're discovered that there were a few extra tapes, about an additional season or two's worth, and tucked those away. You can investigate those another day...

• It's almost a relief when the store opens, letting in the stray teens or tired adults or confused older folk, all of whom for reason or another have stopped at ReelTheatre to find something old ready to be used again. It's nice, every now and again, to see someone's eyes light up in happiness when they find something they've been looking for for quite some time... You're quiet, checking people out at the counter and bagging games and the occasional keyboard. It's almost nice, not being so busy or loud...

• "Hey, Reader, is the screen broken? I think your old VHS tape is stuck," your co-worker tells you near the end if your shift. They look puzzled, but not worried. You glance back at the screen- and see the characters staring out, but talking about something- then turn back to your co-worker. "Um... I'll look at it tonight. Let me grab it," you mutter, then approach the TV. You don't know why, but when you open the tape player and see the screen cut out.. for a second, the characters seemed pleased, even mentioning a visit... You're ready to go when it reaches 9:00pm, taking the tape home with you and a few others. It's quiet at night, walking home, but you carry your keys tightly in one hand, while your bag is carried over your shoulder. You feel a bit safer, just a little, with the added weight to the bag and the cold metal in your hand (it felt like you had weight between you and danger). Seeing the door to your home, you rush across the lawn to it, releasing a breath sigh.

• Opening the door and settling in, you start to feel better. Simply washing off, drying your hair, and relaxing into the couch felt good after that uneasy feeling all day. You huffed a little, thinking about it. Why were you worried? What could put you so on edge? You tried to think of the answer as you checked over the tapes, rewinding them and making sure the film didn't break or tear. Was it the fact it was getting colder? Or that it was darker earlier? You just- it seemed stupid now, bit you still weren't sure why you'd felt that way. You pop in one of tapes, letting it start while you prepare dinner from whatever you have in the pantry or refrigerator...

• And hear an odd conversation cominh from the screen-

• "I haven't seen 'em in a while, but I sure do miss 'em..." "It's okay; I'm sure we'll be seeing them soon!" "Of course; I hear they're coming back quite soon, in fact." "Well, that just means we'll be ready for them. Right, team?" "Got it, boss! Wonder what they're up to now~!" "Well, mehybe dinner is a good idea, eh? Gambit's cookin' somethin', an' it's almost done!"

• You hum a little, scooping out some buttered rice, then mixing in the sausage, sauce, shrimp and herbs of jambalaya... It smells warm, like warm rooms and nice people and bright smiles and heavenly spice... You go to sit down on the couch, blowing on a spoonful of your dinner... and see the X-Men eating some, too, on the screen. For a minute you feel that sense of unease again-

• But you push it down, breathing in deep amd eating your food. The spicy yet hearty taste is warm and flavorful on your tongue, and you can't help but smile a little...

• "Well... ain't it nice ta have dinner together, as a family~?♡"

• That night, you find it easy to fall asleep...

• And in the morning, you take the tapes back to work with you, ready to start another day...

• And so the adventure begins~

( @thewickedweiner @sugar-soda @danni1323 @vivid-bun @weebwholovesuchihasasuke @crowwithguns @roxanndrummond @opossumdaydreamz I hope this feeds the imagination for a bit~ I'm liking this AU, and depending on how dark you want it, Cube Anon, this can get pretty dark... How dark do you want to go?)

[beomcoups]

Now that’s 90′s- A Seventeen Collab

Hosted by @beomcoups​ and @mingsolo​​

Drive in theaters... mall hopping on the weekends... confessing your watching TRL and Daria on MTV. The 90s were all about being fresh, nostalgic and keeping it real. Who better to star in this 90′s collab other than SVT?  Below are the authors that are going to be taking us through the decade, one Seventeen boy at a time. 

S. Coups

→ Cry-Baby by @duhnova

→ pairing: biker!choi seungcheol x fem!reader

→ genre: fluff, angst, opposites attract, drama, kind of college au, smut

→ summary: decked out in leather and riding a harley davidson like he’s got business with the devil, choi seungcheol was the talk of your small town. everyone looked down on him and when you come home for the first time since starting uni you find it hard to believe that the pouty lipped kid you tossed off the merry-go-round when you were six was some slick haired delinquent. → rating: 18+

Jeonghan

→ [he Emperor and I] by @flurrys-creativity

→ pairing: emperor!Jeonghan x Reader

→ genre:  the king and I au, royal au, teacher au, strangers to ? au

→ summary: Taking on a job as a teacher in a different country already had its own problems, but becoming the teacher of the emperor himself seemed to have a whole lot of extra struggles.

→ rating: pg-13

Joshua

→ [Stop, Kiss] by @hobeemin

→ pairing: joshua hong x poc!(f) reader

→ genre: romance, angst, drama, fluff, college au, 90s au (based on Can’t Hardly Wait)

→ summary: joshua wasn’t what you called popular back in high school, in fact, he was practically invisible. what happens when he runs into his childhood crush in college after growing into his looks? awhole lot of shenanigans ensue.

→ rating: 18+

Jun

→ Ugh! As If!  by @ wongyuseokie ​ → pairing: College Student Junhui x Female Reader

→ genre: established relationship, pwp, fluff, smut

→ summary: Your boyfriend decided to take you into a drive-in movie for date night, only problem? He looks scrumptious, and now your task is to make sure he knows just how good he looks, without the others knowing.

→ rating: 18+ 

Hoshi

→ [Caller #17] by @beomcoups​​

→ pairing: jock!Hoshi x college radio dj!reader (femme)

→ genre: 90’s au. strangers to lovers au, fluff, angst,

→ summary: You could name 10 things that you hate about him easily. But when you bond together over music, those things slowly turn into love instead.

→ rating: 18+

Wonwoo

→ [PAUSE + PLAY] by @mingsolo​​

→ pairing: wonwoo x gn!reader

→ genre: 90s au, fluff, humor

→ summary: Your new job at the VHS store starts to get interesting when a handsome young man comes to the counter with a bunch of interesting picks.

→ rating: nc17

Woozi

→ You Drive Me Crazy (But It Feels Alright) by @wooahaeproductions​

→ pairing: Lee Jihoon x Female Reader

→ genre: angst, fluff, smut

→ summary: You and your neighbor, Jihoon used to be best friends as kids. As time passed, unfortunate events and the cliques of junior high tore the two of you apart. Several years later, you find yourselves in the same college but the two of you actively avoid each other and some people would even say you were enemies. As fate would have it, breakups lead you both to wonder if there's ever a chance to rekindle the friendship.

→ rating: 18+ read here

DK

→ 60 Billion by @onlyseokmins pt. 1 pt. 2​

→ pairing: Lee Seokmin x Female Reader

→ genre: smut, action!au, apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic!au, space western!au, enemies to comrades to lovers!au, angst, fluff

→ summary:  How did a legendary bounty promised for turning in the wasteland's most infamous outlaw transform into a sick, little inside betting joke amongst your traveling companions? Though you have no idea why they're doing it… you sure as hell don't want that very same gunslinger comrade worth sixty billion double dollars to know anything about it either — but oops — looks like he already does! Damn you and your temper, some unhelpful lip-loosening alcohol, and one no-good, sorry excuse of a preacher you sometimes think of as a friend.

→ rating: 18+

Mingyu

→ Hot Wheels by @milfgyuu​

→ pairing: Kim Mingyu x Fem!Reader

→ genre: 90's AU, Fluff, Humor, Smut

→ summary: There has been something brewing between you and your part-time co-worker (full-time hottie), Kim Mingyu. Endlessly flirting on the clock at Wheelies, making out in the back of the movie theater, rolling around in the sand with a mighty good man...no other 90's dreamboat could ever compare. 

→ rating: 18+

Minghao

→ BREAK AND RETURN by @cheolism

→ pairing: brother's-bandmate!minghao x f!reader

→ genre: 90s au, smut, fwb/fucking your brother's friend 

→ summary: last week minghao did what he thought was best and put an end to your fling. he sees you again before band practice and can't help but give in to his desires.

→ rating: 18+

Seungkwan

→ once upon a summer by @the-boy-meets-evil​

→ pairing: Seungkwan x fem!reader

→ genre: 90s!au, summer love | fluff and some angst

→ summary: Every summer kind of goes the same. The population of your usually sleepy beach town doubles and you bust your ass to make enough money to last through the slow season. But a new face blows into town like a whirlwind and he’s determined to catch your eye. Only one problem: he’s here for the summer and you’re married to this town. 

→ rating:18+

Vernon

→ Natsukashii by @flurrys-creativity​

→ pairing: Vernon x Reader (probably fem)

→ genre: Jurassic Park AU, 90s AU, acquaintances to lovers/distant friends to lovers, Fluff, Angst

→ summary: It should have been a fun weekend trip but after the boat got caught by a storm and crashed on one of the dinosaur islands, you got separated from the group. You nearly despaired until Vernon found you.

→ rating: sfw and 15+

Dino

→ Four Page Letter by @shuadotcom​​

→ pairing: Lee Chan x Fem!Reader

→ genre: Fluff, smut, mild angst

→ summary:  Chan has always been just one of your step-brother’s best friends. He’s also been in love with you for as long as everyone remembers, but you never paid him much mind - that is until you decide to return home after many years away and you see the man he’s become. He goes from being your little brother’s best friend to being the perfect man for you in a matter of months. Now the questions are who wants who more and will either of you do anything about your feelings?

→ rating: 18+

[thesmallestdeerbab]

Hazbin Agere AU

Hazbabs!!

Who is who! Part 1!

I don’t have any ideas for the plot just yet but I have been thinking of what the characters fall under!

Charlie!

Our rainbow and sunshine! She is a Age regressor and Caretaker! Around 5-7 when regressed, she is the oldest!

She loves taking care of all the younger ones no matter what mindset she is in! It is in her blood to care for everyone around her!

Vaggie!

The one of a kind angel herself! She is a Caretaker! She is the main caretaker of the hotel and is more than happy to take charge when needed.

She loves to make cute lunches and snacks for the littles and get them themed items for comfort! She has a lot of experience with taking care of Charlie so she can handle anything!.. Right?

Angel Dust!

The adorable little Spider boy is a Age regressor! One of the younger more verbal little of the hotel!

He loves to be around his fluffy kitty caretaker. He can babble at him about absolutely nothing for hours and hours. He can find anything to babble about! A bug on the floor? Babble to Husk about it! The TV is too quiet? Babble to husk about it! He tends to babble so much that it replaces speech when he’s little.

Husk

Our cuddly kitten is a middle regressor and Caretaker! He is mostly moody and angsty when regressed but not matter WHAT will always be willing to watch over Angel!

He doesn’t voluntarily regress like the others mentioned so far.. It just happens when he’s stressed out or overwhelmed with things to do.. He doesn’t regress often but when he does.. It isn’t exactly easy to handle..

Alastor

Our cute radio star is a!- *Drum roll* Age regressor! Probably the youngest out of all the hazbabs! He regresses around 0-2. Most of the time it is involuntary but if needed he will get himself to regress (reluctantly).

It’s like a complete personality flip when he’s regressed! Little Al loves all the colors of the rainbow and watching silly cartoons (Only ones put on DVD or VHS)! He tends to disassociate while regressed so when he’s big you may have to explain to him what happened.

[quitealotofsodapop]

MK loves to dance, and is good at it to boot. His younger siblings love dancing with him because he swings them around like they're on a roller coaster.

MK def loves dancing, theres a reason why a huge facet of his personality is dedicated to "Porty"ing. Canon or Au, this boy be dancing. He dont care if he's good or not, he vibin'

In the TMKATI Au he def gained a lot of love from watching Macaque and the other theatre workers practicing their choreography. Wukong def has a video recording of baby MK sneaking onto stage mid-show so he can dance with his Bama. Imagine the tiniest little guy running up to a line of dancers, putting his all into the moves despite being so small and clumsy.

The parents def encourage it. MK thinks sports are boring, and its an easy way to get in some exercise. Plus Shadowpeach and Freenoodles only have themselves to blame; both couples are the type to slow dance when a sappy song comes on the radio.

Pigsy also def let MK and Mei get into his old rock albums when they were toddlers, only to return to see them headbanging, jumping on the beds, and playing air-guitars to the heavy beats. He started that fire for sure.

And you know how little kids love being swung and tossed around? MK (au and canon) 100% clears an area so him and his little siblings can go hogwild with some music blasting from the tv. (Me and my siblings did this all the time with a Gloria Estafan vhs) Be careful walking into the room at these times, or you might get a giggling baby monkey to the face.

Red is offerred to dance for the first time, expecting an awkward slow high-school-like waltz, only for MK to pull them into a firey jazz swing. Red is left breathless, on fire, and a little more in love.

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

TMC Home Sweet Home AU: Encounter

Dave Lee stays behind at MandelaTECH to finish clearing out unwanted tech, unable to brush away the feeling that he isn't alone.

TW: blood, injury, body horror

Notes: This is around 5'000 words long, being the shortest HSH fic so far, but. Trust me. it's important. Anyway here it is!!! Hope you enjoy :)

July 29th, 1992. 11:35 PM

Another slow business day.

MandelaTECH had closed a few hours prior, but the emptiness seemed nearly the same as when it was open. Faint music played through a cassette player that rested on one of the metal shelves, said shelf being strangely empty for a store meant to be selling tech. Adding to the strange emptiness was the fact that the entire store was nearly completely silent aside from the stereo playing random songs, along with the sound of the AC blaring from the vents. However, rustling and thumping was heard from behind one of the doors leading to the back storage area. Faint whistling was heard before the door was shoved open by the one person in the store; the founder, Dave Lee.

He was a shorter, stouter man wearing a green shirt with MandelaTECH’s logo plastered on it in white text, partially covered by his nametag. He wore an unbuttoned, red-plaid flannel shirt over his arms, rolled up to his elbows. He had a bushy mustache on his top lip, and was wearing aviator sunglasses over his eyes, concealing them. Also partially covering his face was his black, very curly hair, which was messily covering a small part of his forehead. He held a large analog TV in his hands as he closed the door behind him with his foot, all before walking through the store, placing the Television onto one of the tables, all while he quietly sung to himself to break the silence.

“There she stood in the doorway,” Dave quietly sung as he placed the TV next to the ever growing stack of broken tech on the floor and table. “I heard the mission bell, and I was thinking to myself ‘this could be Heaven or this could be Hell.’”

He took a breath before rubbing his forehead with his hand, all before glancing at his watch, taking a deep sigh when he was reminded of how he should’ve gone home nearly an hour ago. However, the sudden news that he had to throw out most of his tech meant working overtime was an inevitability.

He took a moment to stare at the tech in front of him; radios, Televisions, boxes of VHS tapes, and even more were resting in front of him, doomed to be thrown into a dump in at latest a month. Dave’s brows furrowed, feeling a deep sadness in his chest as he realized that old tech was becoming obsolete, despite his best efforts. However, he then shook his head, realizing he’d rather throw out barely working tech then end up in jail.

He raised his hands to pick up one of the Televisions, pausing before glancing towards one of the back rooms. He then glanced back at the TV, along with a box of tapes before grasping the TV he just brought out and walking back. He opened the small storage room’s door, all before gently placing the TV on the ground and carefully pushing it against the wall. He left the room, coming back after a few moments before placing the box of tapes next to it, all before covering both with a black blanket and closing the door behind him.

“—And still those voices are calling from faaar away,” Dave sung quietly once again as he walked towards the rest of the tech, pushing back his urge to hide all of them somewhere instead of throwing them out like garbage. He picked up one of the smaller Televisions, all before turning back towards where the back door was, failing to notice the cord of the TV was dangling beside his feet. “Wake you up in the middle of the night, just to hear them say—”

Dave’s foot planted on the cord, causing him to trip forward slightly, luckily regaining his balance after a second, though his Television wasn’t as lucky. It fell out of his hands, smashing against the linoleum floor with a loud crash. Dave stumbled forward, staring at the shattered glass underneath the TV’s body, all while he held his hands up to his face in shock. “O-Oh…Oh no….” He muttered, trying to resist the urge to cry. He was going to throw it out anyway, so why did it hurt to see it break? He crouched down, carefully grabbing the metal casing of the TV, all while trying his hardest not to cut himself on the shards of glass underneath it.

He held it up, wincing as he looked into where the screen used to be, only to see the bare electronics and wires. He took in a deep breath, all before he shifted the TV to get a decent grasp on it before stepping over the shards of glass, realizing he was going to have to clean it up later. He continued to walk until he found himself at one of the back exits, pushing the door open with his shoulder before walking outside.

He looked around, seeing the dumpster in front of him, resting in front of the tree line near the back of the building. He turned to his left and right, seeing nothing down the alley within the light above the door, along with the streetlights nearby. He needed to get more lights installed back there, he thought. He hated the idea of not being able to see something back there. He felt the cool air hit him as he quickly walked towards the empty dumpster, hesitantly throwing the TV into it, hearing the loud BANG as it hit the inside of it. The sound made Dave flinch, all before he turned back and walked quickly towards the back door, opening it and slamming it shut behind him. He let out his breath, suddenly remembering how much he hated taking out the trash at night.

Dave swept the shards of glass on the screen into a dustpan as he listened to the faint sound of music coming from the boombox nearby, thinking to himself as he cleaned up the mess. Something in his gut felt especially…sour; a deep feeling of dread that he couldn’t place. It could’ve been anything, ranging from his exhaustion, to his fear of having to close his store for good. He grasped a box of old VHS tapes, holding onto it tight as he walked back towards the back door, pushing it open with his back and walking back into the cool night air. He took in a deep breath, walking towards the dumpster and tossing the entire box into it. Finally done, deciding to throw everything else out in the morning as he turned and walked back towards the door—

“It’s a beautiful, cozy evening in Mandela County tonight; clouds are rolling back, and the sun is set to shine tomorrow morning.”

A radio?

The signal changed, like a car radio flipping stations from songs, to the weather reports, to even a few old TV channels, or the audio of them at least. Dave stared towards the side of MandelaTECH, seeing nothing but darkness past the lights, the tint of his glasses making the dark parts nearly pitch black.

“Welcome to the Hotel California,” The static voice sung, pausing awkwardly before continuing. “Such a lovely place. Such a lovely—I just got a 10-15, heading to the place now. What did you…get a similar call?”

Dave stared into the darkness, slowly raising his hand towards his face, lightly grasping his sunglasses. He paused, listening to the unstable radio signals as he slowly removed them, his eyes squinting slightly from the light above him. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw more and more, seeing nothing until he looked towards the corner of the store, freezing solid.

Eyes.

Reflecting the light; staring back at Dave from the darkness.

Dave stared back, hearing a garbled version of Amazing Grace coming from where the eyes were, Dave beginning to feel his heart sink as he barely made out the outline of a tall humanoid in the dark, seeing glistening teeth and a pale face. Dave and the thing in front of him had a silent staring contest as Dave stepped back a foot. The being remained unmoving, standing as still as a statue, all until it abruptly became silent. Dave stared at it in horror, dropping his glasses, hearing them clatter against the pavement beside his foot. The thing flinched, its gaze looking towards the glasses, then back at Dave, staring at him with its wide, dark eyes. Silence fell, all before it dropped down, pressing its barely visible, bony hands on the ground. Dave felt his heart drop to his feet when it began rapidly crawling towards him.

Dave turned around, sprinting towards the door as he heard it charging close behind, Dave swinging the door open before shutting it behind him. A loud bang emitted from it as the thing behind it slammed against it, the sound making Dave let out a surprised yelp as he fell to the ground. He could hear scratching and banging coming from the door, it shaking with every impact. Dave heard the sound of distorted radio frequencies, and with the realization that the thing was going to discover that the door wasn’t locked eventually came the realization that he needed to hide.

Dave scrambled to his feet, entering the main store, his eyes stinging from the fluorescent lights now that his glasses were gone. He looked around, continuing to hear the sound of the thing banging on the door becoming heavier sounding and more rapid. Dave ducked behind the customer service counter, reaching for the cell phone on top of it, missing grabbing it a few times before finally feeling it in his hand, pulling it down towards him. “Please…God damn it, please…” He whimpered as he dialed 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I-I…th-there’s something outside.” Dave whispered, glancing around his hiding place towards the back door, which was barely visible behind the store shelves between him and it. “I don’t know what it is; I don’t know what to do—”

“Sir, please try and remain calm,” The person on the other side of the phone line stated. “Are you hiding?”

“Y...yes, I am.” Dave flinched when he heard another loud crash against the door.

“Did you see what it looked like?”

“I-I don’t…I don’t know it was…tall and…pale?” Dave grasped his hair with his free hand as he tried to suppress the urge to panic. “I…I don’t think it’s human.”

Silence; for a tad too long for comfort.

“Don’t worry sir, help is on the way, where is your location?”

“Mandela Tech, on—”

“Officers have been sent to your location.” The operator stated, their voice strangely…quiet. “Remain silent and hidden. Do not instigate.”

“I w—” A loud crash made Dave choke on his words, hearing the door slam against the wall beside it. Dave’s blood ran cold as he covered his mouth with his hand, scared to look back at the now wide open door as he lowered the phone to his side. Past the music of the boombox, he heard the sound of bare feet walking across the linoleum floors in erratic patterns, along with heavy yet quick breathing. Dave could hear it moving around the store, brushing against shelves and knocking things off of them. He shut his eyes, swallowing hard as he shakily held up the phone towards his ear, barely audible as he whispered into it. “…It’s in the store.”

No response. The operator had already hung up.

The thing behind him continued to search around, mimicking the songs playing on the boombox as it did. Dave took a deep breath in as he carefully turned towards the edge of the counter, peeking out from behind it as he tried to catch a glimpse of the creature he heard walking around. He couldn’t see anything for a little while, instead only hearing the sound of tech parts falling off of shelves and distorted radio signals. However, after seeing it appear from behind a few shelves, Dave felt his heart skip a beat, seeing what he was dealing with for the first time in proper lighting.

It was tall; way too fucking tall, over seven feet at least. Its skin was a dull, pale grey, its veins visible from under its thin, sickly skin. It wore nothing other than a pair of raggedy blue jeans, which were full of holes and stained with what Dave hoped was reddish dirt. Its legs seemed short compared to the rest of its body, and its arms were eerily long, their musculature being odd and strange looking, as if it had more muscles than a regular human did. It held its hands down towards its knees, Dave seeing that they were large, with three short fingers, with the ring finger and pinkie being much longer, with long jagged nails at the end of them like claws. Dave looked up to try and see its face, though something told him it was best that he couldn’t see it. At the very least, it looking away from him gave him at least some comfort.

It roamed around, its movements jerky and erratic, as if it was stumbling over its own feet. Dave pressed his back against the counter as he looked at the phone in his hand, turning to his left, seeing the front doors were decently close to him, albeit in the open. He took in a shaky breath, carefully and quietly shifting onto his knees and soon into a crouching position as he looked towards his right. He wasn’t sure where the thing was, only knowing it was still somewhere on the other side of his hiding place, deciding to take the chance as he threw his phone as hard as he could towards the other part of the store.

It clattered against the ground, metal parts of it breaking off from the impact as it slid a few feet. Dave heard the thing stop, growing silent abruptly as Dave waited, seeing if it would take the bait. Luckily, it did, Dave being able to hear it drop down and crawl towards it, Dave looking to the right to see it huddled over the broken phone. It held itself with three of its limbs, picking up the phone with its one free hand as it stared at it, Dave only barely able to see its all-too-wide smile from where he was hiding. Dave looked back towards the front doors, able to see his car in the dark parking lot through the glass; salvation within his view. He only hoped that the phone would keep its attention long enou—

“911, what’s your emergency?”

The sound of the things radio frequencies made Dave freeze.

“Please…you gotta help me,” the distorted sound of a man’s voice begged. “There’s someone in my house…I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know how it got inside, I’ve had my doors and windows locked for months—”

Dave turned around, seeing the things wide, crazed eyes staring at him, its long face pointed downwards, making it finally look vaguely human instead of an animal with a snout.

“I-I…th-there’s something outside.” The thing spoke. “I don’t know what it is; I don’t know what to do—”

Dave heard his own voice echoed back at him from its mouth, it’s far too wide, toothy smile not once fading as its saliva dripped from its maw. Dave couldn’t think of anything more in that moment than his own conscious yelling that he needed to run.

Dave hurried to his feet, already sprinting towards the door before the thing behind him let out inhuman, garbled laughter and screaming. He glanced back only once as he rushed for the doors, turning back the second he saw the thing also scrambling to its feet and running around the counters towards him. Dave ran through the automatic doors, looking up to see his car across the parking lot besides the trees, suddenly wishing that he had the habit of parking closer to the building. He flinched when he heard a loud crash behind him, glancing back only once to see that the entity had lunged through the window beside the doors, landing on the shards of glass though seemingly unaffected by the shards of glass in its hands and feet. Dave simply turned back, deciding to not look back even once, not wanting to see its face again.

As he ran, his breathing harsh and rapid, he heard the thing behind him, its garbled radio signals becoming far too close for comfort. Dave finally made it to his car, grasping the handle only to find that the door was locked, and when he looked towards the creature chasing him, seeing that it wasn’t slowing down, Dave decided he didn’t have time to try and unlock it. He let go of the handle, beginning to sprint away as the thing behind him lunged at him, swiping at his back with its claws, narrowly missing it. Dave tried to suppress his urge to sob, feeling adrenaline rushing through his veins as he could all but feel the things breath on the back of his neck. He ran for the road, his lungs burning and his body sore, all as the creature grew ever closer, all before it dropped down, and swiped at Dave once again with its jagged claws.

Dave felt it tear the flesh of the back of his left knee. He let out a loud yell as he fell onto the cold asphalt, slamming against it, feeling his breath be forced out of him. A pulsing pain radiated from the large gash in the back of his leg as he quickly turned onto his back, looking at the twisted knee in horror before he looked up, seeing the alternate’s glistening teeth above him. Dave crawled back, his leg crying out in agony with every kick of his foot, barely able to get a few feet away from the alternate in front of him before it slashed at him once again. Dave held his arm up to protect his face, the creature’s claws scratching his skin, leaving two jagged, bloody lines in his forearm as Dave screamed. He held his bloody arm with his other hand, looking back up just in time for the other arm of the thing to slash at his face.

He felt warm blood run down the right side of his face from the two new, deep gashes across his skin. He turned away, supporting his body with one shaking arm as he held up his other over the new wound. He couldn’t see his own hand in front of him through his right eye, instead only seeing a reddish black; blind.

He looked back up at the creature, seeing it was stumbling closer to him; this was it. Dave was dead, and he didn’t even know it yet. That thing only knew slaughter, and Dave could see it in its crazed, bloodshot eyes. It looked down at him, echoing things it’s heard before, both familiar and alien to Dave. Dave covered the bloody wound that used to be where his right eye was with his hand, closing his other as he awaited the death he felt was inevitable. However, when he took one last glance at it, he noticed it wasn’t even looking at him anymore. It was looking towards the edge of the parking lot, and as Dave heard the sound of tires on asphalt, Dave began to wonder just how lucky he was.

Headlights hit the thing’s form, it backing away slightly as it covered its eyes from the light, though it refused to turn away from the car as it stopped nearby. Dave was blinded by the bright lights obscuring his already blurry vision, only able to see a dark silhouette exit the vehicle. The alternate was staring at the person, completely still and making no noise, as if it froze solid. It tilted its head slightly as it felt a strange sense of familiarity. The figure raised their arm, and a series of loud shots rang from the gun in their hand, Dave barely able to process anything aside from the thing stumbling back and screaming with stolen voices. It turned away, crawling away like spooked wild animal as its thick, dark blood oozed out of its new wounds. Dave watched as the figure blotted out the headlights, standing in front of him with their gun by their side. Dave could only hear their heavy breathing before they spoke.

“Shit…you alright?”

 “N…I don’t…n-no.” Dave stammered over his words, his mind going faster than his tongue.

“Jesus, you need a fucking hospital, come on.” The man said, his voice soft yet urgent as he held out his hand for Dave to grab. “Can you walk?”

“…I don’t…I don’t know, it…it—” Dave was suddenly reminded of the sharp, borderline unbearable pain in his leg.

“Give me your hand, we’re gonna get you some help.”

Dave obliged, grasping the figures thin hand as he helped Dave stand up, Dave wincing with every movement. The figure was far taller than him, making it hard for Dave to wrap his arm around his shoulders for support, but soon enough he was being led to the car nonetheless. Dave glanced up at the figures head, only being able to see pale bangs concealing his face. He seemed decently thin, and was wearing a leather jacket. Dave couldn’t make much out through the darkness, unable to even begin to state how grateful he truly was before he was ushered into the back seat of the car. Dave felt himself growing tired with every minute, unclear if it was from the blood loss or the pain. He tried not to think of what would have happened if the man didn’t make it there just in time; something told him he didn’t want to know.

He was too focused on the throbbing pain in his head and leg to pay attention to the what-ifs anyway.

July 30th, 7:10 AM

Dave awoke on a hospital bed the following morning, soreness rushing over his body as soon as he regained consciousness. He heard the sound of the heart monitor beside his bed, along with faint talking outside of his room, and when he opened his eyes, the fluorescent lights in his room stung his eyes, making him wish he had his sunglasses back. He had two long slashes on his face, held together by stitching that was partially covered up by the bandages concealing his right eye. He looked down to see that he had bandages on his arm as well, lightly stained with red, though it seemed like the bleeding had stopped or at least slowed. It didn’t stop Dave from feeling sick and woozy however.

He glanced around the unfamiliar room, seeing the pale brown and white walls along with the medical equipment nearby. He then took in a deep sigh, wincing slightly as he leaned back and closed his eye, feeling the exhaustion creeping up on him despite just waking up. However, before he could drift off to sleep once again, he heard the door open to his right. He turned slightly, at least enough to be able to see who it was, able to see that it was a nurse standing near the doorway.

“Mr. Lee, you’re awake.” He stated. “You have a visitor from the police department; he wishes to speak with you privately.”

Dave stared blankly at the nurse for a second. “Yeah…yeah that’s…fine.” Dave said weakly, his voice hoarse and his throat sore as he spoke. He rested his head against the pillow once again, preparing to answer a bunch of questions despite being half asleep. The nurse turned towards the partially open door before pushing it open, gesturing into the room before leaving, all before another person walked into the room.

“Mr. Lee?”

A familiar voice; gruff yet not too deep. Dave turned towards the man, finally able to see the person who saved him in proper light. He was a tall, decently thin man wearing a lazily put on white dress shirt, along with blue jeans. He had bleached long hair, held back with a lazy bun except for his long bangs. It had a scruffy beard, and tired green eyes that stared back at Dave with disguised concern. It had its hands in its pockets as it sat down in a chair next to Dave’s bed, all before Dave smiled softly.

“Y…It’s you.” Dave said.

“I was just stopping by to check in.” The man stated. “Making sure you’re doing alright after…everything.”

“Heh…yeah.” Dave grew quiet for a second before looking back at the man beside him. “Who…are you anyway?”

“Oh yeah, right…” The man cleared his throat. “I’m lieutenant Thatcher Davis, I work for the MCPD.”

“So you’re the one they sent?” Dave asked. “Cutting…it a bit close, don’t you think?” Dave chuckled nervously slightly, trying to lighten the mood despite not really feeling in the mood for jokes.

Thatcher stared at him blankly before looking away. “Hm.”

Silence fell between the two for a moment, at least until Thatcher continued.

“How do you feel?” Thatcher asked.

“As…good as I can be right now.” Dave said. “They…couldn’t save my eye, judging by what I’ve heard.”

Thatcher sighed deeply. “I’m…sorry to hear that.”

“…Don’t be.” Dave said. “I mean…it’s…better than it could’ve been. You win some, you lose some, y’know? Just…happy to be…alive I guess.”

“You’re…certainly more positive than…I could ever be.” Thatcher said quietly.

“Sometimes you have to be.”

Silence fell, and with it, the light attitude in the air began to dissipate.

“Lee, do you know…exactly what attacked you?” Thatcher asked.

Dave looked away from the lieutenant as he thought to himself. “Uh...it…It had to have been one of those…alternates, right?” Dave paused again. “Though…I don’t know; the way you posed that question…” Dave let out another nervous, not quite genuine chuckle.

The tense silence felt more uncomfortable that time.

“Did…you get it?” Dave questioned hesitantly. “Were you guys able to…find that thing, and…stop it from hurting anyone else?”

Thatcher looked at Dave, its stare dark yet sad at the same time.

“They’re going to list it as an animal attack, Dave.” Thatcher said quietly.

Dave didn’t understand the statement at first, taking a few moments to process it. “…Do…do they not…know—?”

“They do.” Thatcher stated, glancing away for a second.

“I-I don’t understand, are they just…you’re just going to cover it up?” Dave questioned with a tinge of anger to his voice. Thatcher didn’t respond, not making eye contact as Dave continued. “What the hell do you mean, you…I don’t understand—”

“Dave.” Thatcher stated quietly. “Look…I…I hate this as much as you do.”

“Then why don’t you just…tell them it was an alternate?” Dave asked. “Why are you allowing them to cover it up?”

“Listen…I wasn’t sent by the police last night, I was off duty.” Thatcher responded, feeling guilt creeping up inside of him. “I went Mandela Tech because I overheard the call on the police scanner in my car.”

“What?”

“I was going out to drive because I couldn’t sleep.” Thatcher continued. “…If I didn’t do that, Lee…you’d be dead.”

Dave remained in silence as he listened.

“They weren’t…going to send anyone, Dave.” Thatcher stated with a slightly wavering voice. “…They didn’t think…you were going to survive.”

Dave had no clue how to process how he felt, only being able to look away with furrowed brows and a confused and scared look in his eyes.

“Y…I d…I don’t…understand.” Dave muttered.

“It’s…protocol.” Thatcher stated. “And trust me; I hate it as much as you do. If I could, I’d leave that god forsaken police station but…at the moment…I can’t. I have a job I need to do before I can.”

Dave remained in stunned silence as Thatcher fetched a small notepad, writing something down in it before ripping out the paper. “Look, if anything happens again, you call me, alright?” Thatcher handed Dave the slip of paper, Dave able to see it was a phone number. “I’ll be there. I wish I could…do more to help but I’m afraid right now I can’t—”

“No…n…no you’re fine.”

Thatcher looked at Dave who was staring at him with a tinge of sadness. “Look…y…you saved my life last night.” Dave continued. “If anything…I should be the one repaying you.”

“Dave, that’s not necessary—”

“Thatcher.” Dave paused for a second as he thought to himself. “Thank you.”

Thatcher didn’t maintain eye contact. “You don’t…need to thank me. It’s just my job.”

“Yeah, but…you were off duty.”

Thatcher sighed quietly as it fidgeted with its hands. “…That…thing.” It muttered to itself. “…I saw it before.”

“…what?”

“It didn’t look…like that, it looked more…like an imitation of…m…fuck.” Thatcher shook his head as he stood up. “Forget it. Call me if you need anything, but…hopefully this is the last time we see each other.” Thatcher approached the door, grasping the handle before looking back at Dave through the corner of his eye one last time. “Good luck, Dave. Wish you…a quick recovery.”

With that, it left, Dave left wondering how to process how he felt as he looked down at the phone number in his hand. He sighed slightly as he thought to himself. He laid back in his bed, the pain in his body a bit more tolerable as he shut his eye. He was exhausted, and despite the looming dread of knowing he was left to die by the people meant to protect him, along with the strange feeling he got from Thatcher’s sudden leave, he decided to sleep, or at the very least try to. He wasn’t sure how well he would rest, knowing the things he now knew.

Either way, at least he knew there was a friend he could count on.

[creativecuteness]

Memories of an Angel’s Past

Summary: Christmas used to be an exciting time for Macy Graywhinder, now those days were nothing but a far-off memory; she couldn’t look at the holidays without feeling gloomy and depressed. But that didn't mean she was going to spend it sulking on her own, not when her friends are enjoying the holidays themselves.

Or after breaking free of her prison Macy struggles to prosses the truth and suffers a mental breakdown while watching a movie. However, an unlikely duo is there to take care of her.

Minor trigger warning for mental breakdowns and panic attacks; along with minor depictions of violence it's nothing too graphic I think but viewer discursion is advised.

(Emily Jones Paranormal Investigator Extraordinaire AU)

Auther Notes: This is an AU I've been wanting to write about for a long time, and I mean a long long time. Emily Jones Paranormal Investigation Extraordinaire is a YouTube Channel concept that have been circulating in my mind for years it wasn't until 2021 that I finally finalized the idea however it heavily relays on artwork and well, my art game wasn't even close to being ready to create the channel at the time also moving during that time and not having a good enough recording set up didn't help either but now I think I'm ready to start fully plaining it out. So don't expect too many lore heavy fanfictions since I want to create the story in its original intention so expect a lot of art and hopefully animation one day. Sighs hopefully one day.

Alright time for the context, I'm sure most already know what Harmony and Horror is and who Macy is, and yes in this AU somewhere in the timeline Macy is freed and is able to think for herself again. You'll see what I mean once we get into the story, as for her friend I recently got introduced to the Morgue Files by David Near and oh boy once I get some experience under my belt expect a Morgue Files video and arc on her channel. David's versions of Jeff the Killer, Homicidal Liu/Sully, and even Ticci Toby are soo good and I didn't even grow up with these characters. Never really went through a creepypasta phase as a kid but man the Morgue files is so good you've got to check it out. Also give me your theories and opinions on this AU because your encouragements will give me the courage and motivation to make it happen with that said on with the story.

Christmas used to be an exciting time for Macy Graywhinder, the smell of gingerbread wafting through the kitchen; her parents dancing to holiday music on the radio while she and her brother played; Ava’s laughter as she reached for the hanging toys in her bouncer seat, Banzo barking and running around as he ripped open the wrapping paper containing a squeaky toy her dad brought and or made. Her uncle Arthur coming over, bringing gifts to put under the tree in a Santa sack; watching her dad work on toys for the H&A Harmony toy drive as if he himself was Santa. In fact, he even dressed up as Sant Nick one year. The laughs and cheers during Christmas dinner, staying up late hoping to see Santa and his reindeer only to fall asleep and reawaken in the morning to see multicolored gifts under the tree and excitedly rush back upstairs to wake up her parents and older brother.

Now those days were nothing but a far-off memory; Macy couldn’t look at the holidays without feeling gloomy and depressed. What she wouldn’t give to enjoy one more night with her family before it all went wrong, but even then she knew it wouldn’t be the same. After being released from her plastic prison and her demonic father’s control, she discovered the truth surrounding the family massacre pretty quickly, and let’s just say she wished she hadn’t.

Macy would be lying if she said she wasn’t struggling to process the information contained in those VHS tapes. The contents made her skin crawl, but that wasn’t the only thing that made her sick to her stomach. The fact that Martin might not be her actual father, and it broke her heart in more ways than one.

The young angel knew her father was a horrible person, but it never used to be this way. Her father used to care so, so much; he wanted nothing more than to have kids with her mother, Gloria, and they did: three children who loved them unconditionally. However, it seemed to come at a price, the price being Martin’s infidelity and Gloria likely going behind her husband’s back and having kids with their uncle and tried to pass them off as their miracle children.

Macy didn’t know if this was the whole story or if it was all lies fabricated by the devil her parental figure made a deal with. However, the young girl didn’t have the stomach to get the truth from its source. Despite her mother’s ghost currently residing in S.P.I.E Headquarters and has offered to tell her the truth, she declined. Macy wasn’t ready, and the truth is she was scared. She already blamed her parents for her and her sibling’s fate along with Banzo and Arthur’s death and possession. To learn her mother might’ve had an affair with her uncle just wasn’t something she could mentally handle right now.

Yeah, Macy was going through it; the innocent child who loved to sing and dance was gone, and in her place was a girl with a hardened heart and partial cursed angel status. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t at least try to enjoy the holidays; after all, there was someone else who was trying to reclaim part of his stolen childhood too.

Liu Mason was someone Macy recently became acquainted with; he was a young man in his early twenties. He had short brown hair, wore black rimmed glasses, and an ugly Christmas sweater Dakota’s friend Mabel knit for him. It was white with little gingerbread men, green trees, and other details that you’d see on holiday knit sweaters.

From his kind eyes and gentle smile, you’d assume he was as normal as can be. Certainly, one of the more normal squad members in Emily’s team, but Liu himself had a dark past, a past the gang was still trying to unravel.

The youngest Mason sibling suffered from dissociative identity disorder, which was undiagnosed for most of his life until two months ago at his first therapy session with Dr. Amy Jones, Emily’s older sister. Since then, he has been working with her to understand his trauma and create a better system between himself and his alters, one that wouldn’t lead to their self-destruction. While Liu was theorized to be less dangerous compared to his brother. The last couple of years have been a tremendous blur thanks to his mind repressing the traumatic memories and his alter Sully fronting for longer periods of time. But even he was trying to work towards a better future, and we mean heavy emphasis on trying.

But today was a festive one at S.P.I.E Headquarters. The Superior Paranormal Investigators Extraordinaire were tasked with decorating the building to prepare for Christmas. Emily was currently decorating the Christmas Tree with Spencer, Dakota, Liu’s older brother Jeffrey, and Toby; all of which were apart of Emily’s team in one way or another. Meanwhile Macy was dragging her friend down the hall so they could watch a movie. It was Liu’s idea; he figured watching an old childhood animated film could lift Macy’s spirits and take her mind off her missing family members and she agreed.

Liu popped the cassette tape into the player and sat down, clutching his stuffed rabbit, Sully, named after his deceased pet bunny, whose death became the primary trigger for his alter’s creation. Neither knew if his primary protector named himself after the stuffed toy, the rabbit, or was a representation of the anger Liu felt at seeing his beloved pet’s dead body along with being too young to process said emotions. However, considering there were three Sully’s in the Mason household, they had to be careful to specify whenever referring to the alter, the rabbit, or the stuffed toy. Which, thankfully, hasn’t given them any trouble so far.

The two sat around a bowl of popcorn as Macy cuddled with her Singing Sofia Marionette doll, the toy that hid the remains of her body and soul after Martin killed her and still houses a piece of her soul, which allows her to give the doll partial control by tapping into the darkness within it or full control by possessing it. Which comes in handy depending on the situation. However, Macy didn’t want to think about that as she and her friend focused on the TV and happily munched on the popcorn.

Thirty minutes into the special, Liu ended up falling asleep, to which the angel covered him with a blanket and continued watching the movie while making sure he didn’t roll off the couch. If Macy was being honest with herself, she was having a great time; somehow, reliving positive things from her childhood healed her in a way; she really did need this. She swayed in her seat when a dainty tone came on and soon froze when she realized it was the song “My Two Front Teeth.” She tried to focus on the character singing, but memories from a horrific recurring nightmare invaded her mind. The dream made it seem she and her family were in an old cartoon, but she didn’t care; they were a family again. The first few days leading up to Christmas were filled with joy and warmth, but one by one they began to go missing until she was the last one left.

She closed her eyes shut as she recalled the pain she felt, her jaw being ripped open, her little sister being dead in a present, and worst of all, her waking up screaming and thrashing around on an operating table. she still didn’t know why she was bound there nor how she got there. Macy found herself unable to breathe as she attempted to choke back sobs, but she was trapped in her memories and soon forgot where she was as she cried.

Sometimes, she wondered what life would’ve been like if she was never born. would Martin have thought twice before selling his soul and killing all those poor innocent people or would it only minimize the damage? At least her, Banzo, Thomas, and Ava would’ve been spared. Hopefully Uncle Arthur and Gloria would’ve been too. No matter how many deep breaths she took she couldn’t calm down the slew of intrusive thoughts.

However, it was those cries that ended up waking Liu as he rubbed his eyes with a sigh and put on a white bracelet. He walked around the crying girl and grabbed a bucket in case she became so overwhelmed to the point of vomiting. Placing the bucket in reach, he positioned himself behind the angel and wrapped his arms loosely but gently around her.

“Shhhhh, shhhhh.” He shushed robbing her back and rocking her back and forth, “Don’t cry; I’m here. wherever you think you are you’re not there anymore.”

Macy’s cries died down a smidge as she looked at her friend with tearful eyes. Feelings of guilt mixing with her pain knowing she woke him up. “L-Liu?”

The man shook his head, showcasing the bracelet with the name Sully spelled out in beads. “I’ve been watching you for a while.” He spoke in a raspy tone almost like he was possessed by a demon, “Liu didn’t notice, but I’ve been in the forefront of his mind, aware enough to listen. I was planning to co-front and watch along with you but the movie you chose was so childish I couldn’t be bothered so I distanced myself a bit until he fell asleep.

“I-Is he?”

Sully shook his head, knowing exactly what Macy was referring to. “No, Liu’s still sleeping. I made sure not wake him when I fronted, I figured it’d be easier this way.”

Macy nodded at that information. to be fair she didn’t know much about DID, she got a minor crash course from Amy when her and Liu began getting to know each and even more reading material when she decided to become his guardian angel, but she’s been so busy trying to hunt down the remaining members of her family and her father she hasn’t had time to dive deeper. Plus keeping Sully and the rest of the system in lane was a full-time job in itself. The Last thing Liu needed was more emotional damage, she had a lot to learn, and Sully wasn’t exactly an expert in this field either he was a protector not a psychologist. As much as he hated relying on others, he’ll leave that level of research to Dr. Willson and Amy.

However, there were more pressing matters at hand as he tried to comfort the angel who was still crying in his arms, “Why does it have to be me?” He wondered with a scowl; Sully wasn’t very good at comforting people, let alone Liu and the other alters. Unlike the primary host, who wore his heart on his sleeve, Sully didn’t and hated being babied; it reminded him too much of their overbearing mother and how her constant worrying and mollycoddling disrupted Liu and Jeffery’s emotional development, among other things. The protector wasn’t one for vulnerability; being vulnerable showcases weakness, and Sully wasn’t weak, unlike Liu. Well, more like he wasn’t as weak as Liu. However, Macy opened up to him during their first proper conversation and told him a lot about her family history; it only seems right to continue being that shoulder to cry on.

“What’s troubling you, Macy? it’s not like you to get this worked up. What happened?”

“Sully? What’s going on? is that Macy I hear crying?” Liu questioned in his mind, great just what he needed at a time like this, “Ship, I fall asleep for thirty minutes and this happens!”

“Shut up, Liu.” His alter growled, making Macy jump in his arms, “We both know your panicking will only make this worse. Just stay out of this; I’ll take care of her.”

“A-Are you sure? We both know you’re not one for comforting people.”

“Don’t you think I know that?!” He yelled this time in his mind; not all their conversations needed to be heard. “Look Macy has opened up to me about her past before and I have a feeling she’ll do it again, if she talks to you first, she’ll withhold information and dodge the topics. We…” He paused with a sigh, “Speak from experience, just let me handle this. You can talk to her once she’s calmed down.”

Liu went quiet for a few moments until Sully heard him sigh, going deeper into his headspace to give the two some privacy. However, he was still lurking in case they needed to tag team this. Macy’s trauma went deeper than theirs, and while they had a decent understanding of what the young girl went through and the aftermath of it, They weren’t professionals despite being victims of various traumas; sad to say, they couldn’t relate to being skinned and stuffed into a tiny toy brought to life by a satanist in a demonic retiral. Thankfully, that’s one trauma they didn’t have but if push comes to shove and this situation becomes too big for even them Emily was down the hall, and they had Amy on speed dial for situations like these.

“Sorry about that; you know how Liu can get. He has a habit of worrying when those he cares for are hurting; he gets that from our mother.” Sully spoke with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Macy giggled a little bit; even though her cheeks were wet with tears, her tiny smile put both men at ease as Sully made relaxing motions on her cheek with his thumb.

“Macy, I know you’re not a fan of worrying us with problems regarding your family. But I’ve never seen you break down like that over a movie before. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Macy sniffled, trying to get her breathing under control. “I don’t w-want to-to talk a-a-about it.”

“You must.” He insisted, as much as he hated being forceful with her, Amy used this tactic a few times during the sessions. Liu needed a push to confront a particularly painful memory that he was purposefully avoiding. Sully wasn’t going to beat around the bush Macy was bottling her feelings up and it was negatively impacting her mental health. He needed to know what was troubling her so he could help. But if she didn’t want to talk to him, he’d make her talk to Amy. He didn’t know how angel hierarchy worked these days. But if she felt more comfortable talking to a fellow cursed angel, so be it.

“Macy, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you’re bottling your feelings up. I understand your life ended in tragedy and you’re discovering things about yourself that are upsetting to you, but you don’t need to hide your pain behind a brave face. Facing this burden alone is only going to lead to bigger consequences in the future; look at me, Liu, and Jeff. We underestimated how important mental health truly is and refused the ones who could’ve helped us improve it; we were so insistent that we didn’t need anyone that it cost us everything. Jeffery gave in to his inner demons and fell into the depths of insanity; he went on a killing spree; he killed our parents and so many innocent people. As for me and Liu…” Sully paused, trying to put his thoughts into words so Macy wouldn’t use them to change the subject. “Let’s just say our hands aren’t clean either. Look, what I’m trying to say is, we’ve all got mental demons we’re fighting and things we wished we either did differently or ended differently. Liu and I aren’t made of glass; we may be facing our own problems, but we’re facing them together and with guidance. Whether you like it or not, you’re a part of that support system; we can’t dump all our problems onto you if you won’t be open about your own. And if you won’t talk to me, I’m getting Amy; perhaps speaking to a fellow angel will make you feel more comfortable.”

Sully pulled apart from his angel and went to the door to show he was serious; he slipped into the hallway and lingered. He wanted to give her at least a chance to decide for herself.

“Sully, wait.” She spoke, holding her hand out,

A moment later he popped his head in, “Yes.”

Macy stood up, looking towards the ground; at this point, she was able to regain her composure, but she still felt she could burst into tears again in a moment's notice. But she trusted Liu, and Sully; she trusted Amy too but just wasn’t ready to truly open up to her fellow angel yet. Taking a deep breath, she spoke her mind.

“I had a nightmare.”

Sully’s face softened, while he had a feeling that wasn’t the whole reason. It was a start, “Come here.” He said, pulling Macy into a hug and directing her back to the couch. He wrapped a blanket around her and replaced Singing Sofia with his stuffed rabbit, thinking something softer would be a better stress reliever. Once satisfied with Macy’s placement, he sat next to her, slinging his arm around the back of the sofa as an open invitation to cuddle if she needed it. Macy smiled; she knew Sully wasn’t one for physical affection and hated it when people touched him without him consenting to it or being the one to initiate it. She was one of the only exceptions to that rule, and it made her feel special. Well, she was special, being his angel and all, but that was beside the point.

Macy knew Sully wasn’t a bad person; he was just like her—broken. He was angry at the world and the ones who wronged him and Liu, and what’s worse is he never learned how to process these emotions in a healthy manner nor got proper treatment until recently. She didn’t blame him for being so misunderstood, but under all that hatred and rage was still a person who deserved as much love and respect as anyone else.

“So, start at the beginning. what was your nightmare about?”

Macy didn’t need to think too hard on it; she remembered it clear as day. “It was Christmas time, about five days before it. I was with my family again in a log cabin. But Thomas and I were Sofia and Henry in my dream, in fact aside from Uncle Arthur none of us looked the same as we did before. But I didn’t care I was just so happy; Arthur gave me a piece of paper and I wrote my Christmas list to Santa while singing “My Two Front Teeth. And when I was done Dad took it to the mailbox outside.”

“That song.” Sully realized he briefly heard it playing on the TV shortly before Macy broke down, “So, that’s what happened; that song must’ve been the trigger.”

“Please continue, Macy.”

The girl nodded, taking another deep breath. “I had diner with my family shortly after and ended up eating way too much. I got a stomachache shortly after and Mom told me to sleep it off and I did. I remember seeing snowmen and a scary demon in my dream too, the next morning dad wasn’t there, and I saw Mom standing in the hallway, but she didn’t say anything to me, so I told her I was going to see Uncle Arthur and left her be. Arthur told us Dad wasn’t feeling well so we made some gingerbread cookies to give to him later. One of them was burnt, in fact I think it was meant to represent Mom who was the next to go missing. I ate too much again and went to bed with another stomachache. But somehow even as I slept, I could tell there was someone there watching me, at first, I thought it was Mom, but it wasn’t. It was a demon impersonating her Sully.”

The alter pulled Macy into his embrace as she blinked back tears. “The next morning Thomas and I couldn’t find Uncle Aruther, so we split up to search for him, we came up empty handed and went to bed. Finally on Christmas Eve, I heard Ava crying and went looking for her. I followed her cries into a dark room and saw my mom, but I soon realized it wasn’t her. The door closed behind me, and I became locked in and saw my family had become monsters; they surrounded me. I was trapped, I couldn’t move due to a paralyzing fear and…” Tears began to fill Macy’s eyes as she struggled to relay the last of her nightmare. “And they captured me, they…they…they tortured me, they broke my jaw and ripped my mouth open, so that way I…I can eat more of my mother’s cooking.” She fully broke down again, throwing herself into the younger man’s body and Sully held her tight, rubbing her back as he spoke comforting words to her.

He dreaded the question he was about to ask, but curiosity was eating away at him: “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your sister?”

Macy looked at him with teary eyes, and the answer she gave him broke his and Liu’s hearts: “She was dead; in fact, I think she’s been dead for days. Her body was wrapped up in a box Dad wanted me to have for Christmas. Arthur gave it to me the morning we made gingerbread cookies, and I had no idea she was even missing.”

Sully had never wanted to strangle anyone more than Martin Graywhinder. It almost rivaled his hatred for Jeffery and their parents, but even they weren’t that bad. Martin killed, skinned, and weaponized his kids just to make the perfect toy and because he believed Gloria was cheating on him; he made a deal with the devil that backfired and now was forced to live the rest of his days as a servant to Satan. Sure, Jeff was a danger to everyone, including himself, and their father was somewhat neglectful and didn’t take their cries for help seriously until Jeff nearly lost his life. By then it was already too late, and to Sully, it served their parents right, even if Liu would fight tooth and nail on that opinion. But Martin was a monster by every definition: he kidnapped children and forced them to undergo the same terrifying transformation as the rest of his family. And is still at large to this day.

“Macy, I promise Liu and I will do everything we can to help you stop your father and release you all from this pain. I swear once I get my hands on him, I’ll make him wish he never destroyed your lives for his unachievable goal that is a promise.”

“You—you don’t need to do that.” Macy insisted, while she was touched that her friends would go above and beyond to help her. This was still her battle to fight; Emily and her friends had already dived too deep, and it nearly cost them their lives. She couldn’t risk anyone else falling victim to her dad’s madness just to set the remainder of her family free.

“You’re right, we don’t need to, but we will. Macy, you wanted to know me and Liu because you related to us; we’ve been through experiences we wouldn’t wish on anyone. Martin’s goal consumed him, and you all had to suffer for it. If you ask me, he didn’t deserve you; even if Arthur is your real father, he certainly cared a hell of a lot more about Thomas, Ava, you, and Gloria than her own husband did. And if that’s not what a father is, I don’t know what is; he’s certainly better than ours.”

Macy couldn’t keep the smile off her face; she really didn’t know what to say, so Sully kept talking.

“We’re a team now, Mace. where you go, we will follow. Because…because.” Sully closed his eyes, feeling Liu wanting to switch and complied,

“Because you’re not alone anymore; you’re one of us now, Macy, and I couldn’t have asked for a better emotional support buddy. You’ve become a sister to me, and I know that sounds weird since you’re our angel and all, but you’ve done so much for us, and I’m forever grateful that I got to meet you. I never want you feeling like a burden if you need to talk about your problems with me or another one of my alters. According to Sully, they speak quite highly of you and want to help too. And when the time comes, and you want to talk to Gloria about everything, I’ll be right next to you holding your hand.” He giggled, scratching his head, “If you want me to, that is.”

Macy was at a loss for words; Liu was truly a sweetheart. it was hard to believe he was related to a psychopathic killer. But that was beside the point, what mattered was she was loved, wanted, cared for, and had some of the greatest friends in the world. For a time, it seemed like she’d never be able to break through the darkness that trapped and warped her sense of reality. She’d almost forgotten what her life was like before the massacre and who she used to be, if it wasn’t for Emily looking into the case and meeting Glenda on that fateful evening. Macy never would’ve returned to her senses to warn him about the danger the angel and her friends were in when they went to Harmony Arcadia for more clues. The aftermath leading the former cursed child regaining her freewill and becoming an angel. She never would’ve regained her humanity if it wasn’t for them.

“Liu, thank you, and you too, Sully. I really appreciate you being here.”

Liu smiled, happy he and his alter were able to bring the young angel’s smile back. “Anything, for you, Macy. Is there anything else we can do? do you want to talk to the others about this?”

The ginger shook her head, “No, I’m not ready to speak to them about this yet. But Liu, can-can I just stay here and cry for a little longer?”

“Of course, Macy You don’t need permission to cry. We’re always here when you need us; just let me know if you start feeling sick, okay?”

Macy nodded and cuddled into her friend and started crying again. She and Liu stayed there for hours until she cried herself to sleep. Liu gently lifted her off his chest and carried her to the cot Emily slept on when she needed to stay the night. Bon already made the bed with fresh blankets, pillows, and a few plushies. Liu smiled as he laid her down; he walked back to the couch to grab Sully the Rabbit, Singing Sofa, and tucked himself in alongside her. Sleep took its hold pretty quickly, and Liu was once again sound asleep, cuddled up to a cursed plastic marionette puppet, a worn but loved stuffed rabbit, and a very kind, loving, and special guardian angel. He smiled, wondering what more could he ask for.

Gloria Graywhinder cried hearing about the torment Macy was going through; she tried to talk some sense into Martin before things got further out of hand. But he pushed her away; it seems that’s all that’s been happening lately. For years she blamed her husband for the deaths of the kids, Banzo and Arthur, but in the end it truly was her fault. She only wanted to see Martin happy; she too wanted kids just as much as he did, but she never should’ve gone behind his back about this; there were other ways to solve their problem; she didn’t need to seek Arthur’s help. At the time she didn’t see it as an affair but suragency; Arthur was the one who suggested it. They didn’t even have sex; the sperm was delivered through different means. Or… at least that’s how she remembered it going. But that wasn’t an excuse; she still lied and hid the truth; she was a fool for thinking Martin would automatically be okay with this. They should have talked it out beforehand; maybe they could have come to an agreement. She should have known something was wrong when he was taken into the station on account of child abuse. He was hurting Thomas; he killed their dog and his brother for goodness sake. Why didn’t she notice something was off sooner? There must be a way to fix this; she couldn’t let them suffer in silence anymore.

“You have to tell her, Gloria.” Emily stated sternly, “You can’t keep avoiding this anymore; Macy needs to know. I know it’ll be hard, and I know you want her to come to you. But at this point you’re prolonging the inevitable. If she doesn’t get the truth from you, she’ll get it from a VHS tape, and who knows how she’ll react to that? It’s either get it from the source or from a third-hand account. pick your poison Gloria!” She snapped when her phone binged, “Give me a moment.”

Emily dug her phone out of her coat and saw Amy replied to her text.

“Hey, Amy, I don’t know when you’ll get this but Macy’s having a mental breakdown. Sully’s taking care of her, but can you come over?”

Sent 12:45

“Hey, sorry, I just got your text. I was busy with another patient; how’s Macy?”

Sent 2:03

“She cried herself to sleep ten minutes ago; Liu’s asleep with her, but her mental health is getting worse. She doesn’t want to open up to us, but carrying all this inside isn’t healthy. I don’t know what to do, Amy, but she needs help.”

Sent 2:05

“First of all, we can’t force her to open up when she’s not ready to. Many trauma victims are the same; the fact she’s comfortable enough to open up to Sully of all people shows a deep level of trust. All we can do for now is keep an eye on her; however, I’ll keep my schedule open in case an emergency session is needed. I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”

Sent 2:10

Emily sighed. “I sure hope you’re right.” She texted and slipped her phone back into her pocket, returning her focus to the distraught mother who was peeking into the room, where Liu and Macy still slept. “Look, Gloria, I know you thought you were doing the right thing; I get it; I really do. However, you can’t hide the truth from them forever. Sooner or later, they will find out, and if they’re still cursed when they do, it could lead to unforeseen consequences. You don’t need to tell Macy now, or in the days leading up to Christmas. But promise me you’ll tell her before the year ends so we can start healing her from the aftermath. Just please think about it.” Emily pleaded unable to stand by when a trauma victim was hurting.

Gloria stayed silent as she watched her daughter sleep somewhat soundly. Emily was right, of course she was. She must’ve delt with this a thousand times before she retired after becoming a Cursed Heartless Angel. She turned to her and nodded, “Okay, Emily if she doesn’t come to me by the end of the holiday season. Then I’ll come to her.”

Emily nodded as well, satisfied with the ghost’s answer as her cyborg sidekick entered the hall. “Emily, I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but we need some help in the kitchen. Spencer and Jonhson are having some trouble wrangling the turkey for dinner.”

The cursed angel raised a confused eyebrow. “What’s wrong with the turkey?”

“It’s a little ha, undercooked.” She chuckled, rubbing the back of her head, “Spencer accidentally spawned a real one.”

“Oh, say no more. Come on, Gloria, you can help too.” She ushered, walking alongside Cyborg Noodle,

Gloria spared one last glance at the figures of her sleeping daughter and assigned human. She knew she had to tell Macy the truth eventually; it’ll hurt, and it may split them apart forever, but it needed to be done. She just hoped when the talk does happen, she’ll continue to have the support of Liu and his system, Emily and her friends, Glenda and her family, and Cyn and the rest of the Actor Drones. As long as Macy has a support group to fall back on, then Gloria would be happy. This was the wish of a sorrowful, foolish, and ignorant mother, a wish she prayed more than anything would come true.

Yes, I did some research on DID for the terms and I believe I used them right along with the depiction of it however I'm not a system and I still have a lot to learn when it comes to the condision. Please let me know if I got anything wrong. Liu and Sully are still pretty underdeveloped since Jeff was the primary focus in episode two. We'll just have to wait until Liu's episode for us to hopefully see the inner workings of his system and his mental state. Whether he becomes a sort of anti-hero who tries to help or if him and Sully will make the same mistakes and fellow in Jeff's footsteps regardless, I have my own head canons as to where Liu has been for Emily's AU, but you'll have to wait for that. (Might be a good long while actually.)

Also, yes H&H's Christmas Special My Two Front Teeth was all a dream Macy had, Battinton confirmed it in a community post. I don't know what compelled me to pair these two up together maybe it's because Liu and Macy have suffered a lot in their lives also Macy needed someone to watch over, but just know I have no intention to ship these two for obvious reasons. The reasons being age gap and the fact one of them is dead (Even though this wouldn't be the first time I've shipped an angel with a human, but I digress.) For this month only I'm taking requests and opening my ask box for anyone who wants to submit fic ideas you want to see in this au. Granted I won't be doing anything that spoils any major lure bits but I'm sure I can make a couple of loopholes and exceptions. So don't be afraid to ask. Anyway it's late this chapter took me a good few days I'll see you all next time.

[potatoesandsunshine]

HI ANNA<3 here i am with more asks. 1 again :), 5, 12, 18, 22, 30 ?

HI ABBY <3 :D thank you for the questions!!

the last sentence you wrote

Instead she purchases two hundred gold pieces worth of ruby dust, still the apprentice she has always, always been.

this is actually from a little story about my wizard jane :) she's in this thing right now where her dead mentor is alive again (kinda) and is communicating with her/puppeting her in her sleep through that eye she stole. has she figured out that that eye maybe needs to come out? well, if that happened, she could someday be alone, so no.

5. first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP (sifting through 1000000000000 WIPs)

The radio crackles, promising favorites of yesterday and today, and Pike knows that fucking guitar intro—of all the songs—I love you like organ failure / It’s never, ever gonna get better.

this document is called 'yeah screw it pike pov' because maybe nobody cared about the last au but god damn i had a great time with it so there will be more

12. a trope you’re really into right now

i've been nonstop every night for the last week reading 'reborn as a villainess' stories. so you could say i'm into it. it may have taken over my life a bit - i kinda wish it was more of a thing in the fic spaces i'm in! i like 'OC/Self-Insert dropped into the world' a lot but i think it would be very fun to do this 'ooooooh what if fate has already doomed me' that all of these stories explore

18. if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

i don't usually keep them! i know it's something a lot of people do, and i'm sure i have a few in a paper notebook somewhere, but if something in a fic isn't working i just say goodbye and delete it

22. do you ever worry about public reaction to what you’re writing? how do you get past that?

oh constantly. not in a 'will this be popular' way (i write my own ideas and i never think they're going to gain a lot of traction, since i tend to write for things that are a few years old/have really established Big Fics already) but i do have that little voice in my head that says 'if you get one single detail wrong... someone will comment about it and you will Die.' but that has happened before - the one that comes to mind is d20 fans talking about me mixing up the names of the side schools - and guess what? i did not die. the more old and established something is, the less afraid of this i actually am (star wars is old enough that so much stupid shit has happened in it who cares if i let them use paper. i'm not taking your fucking star wars vocab quiz i'm writing about these people wanting to fuck so bad it makes the galaxy look stupid) but in the past it has lead to me talking myself out of writing things, which is pretty sad!

i just try to remind myself that this is For Fun, and that i have never actually been exploded for getting details wrong in a fanfiction that, again, i do for free in my spare time that maybe forty people will read. it's a mixed bag.

30. share a fic you’re especially proud of

you may think i'm going to talk about small jobs for the millionth time because it is my beloved my shining star my castle in the air but in this case! i would like to give a little extra love to and stand by with the champagne which is. undeniably. about barbie princess and the pauper. it's fun!! it was UNBELIEVABLY fun to write. it's silly and a little bit emotional and references the songs of a movie i played until the vhs wore out, i wrote it on a whim last summer, and i hold it in my heart <3

[vermillion-merlot]

//TW for Adam Murray and Jonah Marshall IRLS/Fictives

//Cw: Mentioned dead and literal brain rot, dark themes overall.

This lore will likely be revised I’m tired and running on monster

[hersweetrevenge]

3 movies, 3 books and 3 songs that changed my life (or that i love)

@slutforstabbings keeps giving me the impossible task of self-reflection lol. i tried to do a similar eras system (child, teen, young adult), but it's not perfect. watch me defend my choices below the cut ✌

i will pass the torch, without any pressure, to my beloved @solivagant-muse 💗 (and anyone else who feels like doing it, of course !!)

films

scooby doo and the witches ghost (1999): one of the movies i had on vhs as a kid. the first appearance of the hex girls? of course it changed the trajectory of my life. every single day i think about how cute it was that luna's dad ( a dentist) made fang implants for the hex girls to wear.

natural born killers (1994): i was an edgy teenager. i love the cinematography and the editing and how meta it is and the fucked up romance. and it was one of the films that made me want to study film, so i guess i should send my university bill to oliver stone?

halloween ends (2022): is anyone surprised? anyone at all? i've had other films i've loved in adulthood (looking at you, house of wax), but i've never become to instantly obsessed as i did with ends. i've never developed so many hcs and aus and possibilities for one thing. do i really have to defend this one? just look at my blog lol.

books

withering tights (the misadventures of tallulah casey) by louise rennison: there were so many books i loved as a kid, but this is one i come back to even now. it's about friendship, finding your passions, having a silly teenage romance. i'm glad my tweenie self read this book.

the secret history by donna tartt: another teenage cliché. i was actually recommended this book by my own classics teacher in college. i've re-read this book at least 5 times i think? i love it, it's passionate and dark and funny. you fall exactly into the trap that richard does in romanticising these dysfunctional people. no one can change my mind.

the wasp factory by iain banks: do you wanna read something fucked up? then read the wasp factory. i think about this book a lot, just because some of the images were just so weird and disturbing and visceral. it's blunt and brash and has no frills at all. it'll make you feel weird and i heavily advise reading some content warnings beforehand, but it is an experience.

songs:

the tide is high by blondie: the first song i ever remember liking. when i was a kid my dad would drive me to school and ask what i wanted to listen to on the radio and i would ask for this song (and surprisingly it actually was on the radio a lot in the early 00s?).

maya the psychic by gerard way: this song reminds me of a bright grey day in march with a cold breeze and a new found will to live.

respite on the spitalfields by ghost: my favourite song from the first ghost album i ever listen to (recommended by a friend). respite (the final track) literally makes me feel like my heart is going to explode, and the way the last riff merges back into imperium (the first track)? obsessed. i fell asleep to this album so many times at university, so respite was really the soundtrack to my slumber.

[through-the-trees-rpg]

ambiance & inspirations.

Through The Trees | Ici, vous plongerez dans la petite ville ensommeillée de Boring, Oregon, dont les mauvaises langues diront qu'elle porte bien son nom. Pour imaginer la vie dans cette bourgade, aux parfums de feux de cheminée et de pétrichor, nous vous proposons un petit aperçu des inspirations et esthétiques qui ont accompagné sa création.

keywords: dark forests ; bigfoot ; vhs tapes ; camping ; old newspapers ; flannel shirts ; backpacks ; velvet curtains ; abandoned railway ; short horror stories ; night at the diner ; fog ; strange footprints ; campfires ; rural exodus ; broken neons ; moss and mushrooms ; hiking trails : sawmills ; flying saucers.

☄️  Un forum 'slice of life' dans les 90s D'abord, et avant tout, Through The Trees se veut un forum tranche de vie, où l'on explorera les vies quotidiennes des habitant·e·s, leurs relations, leurs émotions. Ici, faites la part belle aux dramas ordinaires, aux retrouvailles et aux déchirements. Car, à Boring, tout le monde se connaît ; et les secrets ne le restent jamais bien longtemps. Pour retranscrire cela, vos personnages pourront rejoindre une, ou plusieurs, communauté(s) de votre choix. La petite ville, qui a connu son heure de gloire dans le passé, se trouve désormais au ralenti, comme figée par le brouillard qui règne en maître sur les lieux. Par ailleurs, le forum se situe en 1992, et nous ne pouvons que vous encourager à vous plonger entièrement dans cette ambiance de fin de vingtième siècle, avant que la photographie argentique, les radios amateures et les cabines téléphoniques ne sombrent dans l'oubli. A noter : le forum n'a pas vocation à être un rpg tourné vers les gangs ou la mafia. Si l'on y trouvera une communauté de bikers, ainsi qu'un speakeasy, le contexte n'en reste pas moins tourné vers la simplicité, propre à la vie de la petite ville qu'est Boring.

☄️  Une esthétique ancrée dans la nature environnante Nous souhaitons inscrire Through The Trees dans le genre du nature writing, qui désigne une littérature profondément ancrée dans les grands espaces, notamment américains, où les personnages évoluent dans un cadre naturel particulièrement scénique, prépondérant dans les récits. Nous plongerons ici dans le pacific northwest, qui comprend généralement les états de washington, de l'idaho et de l'oregon aux états-unis, et la colombie-britannique au canada. L'imaginaire y est tourné vers les immenses forêts de conifères (on parle d'evergreen), qui recèlent de nombreux mystères. Si le forum n'est pas à proprement parler surnaturel, cette ambiance planante, nappée de brume et de fantasmagories, infusera à travers lui.

☄️  Folklore local & phénomènes paranormaux Vous l'aurez compris, dans un endroit comme Boring, les légendes locales ont toute leur place : observations de soucoupes volantes, apparitions de bigfoot, disparitions mystérieuses dans les bois... Au village, on raconte beaucoup d'histoires, et que l'on y croie ou non, elles imprègnent profondément la culture de celles et ceux qui vivent ici. En terme d'esthétique, on parle de cryptidcore, qui peut désigner la quête romantisée de créatures et de phénomènes surnaturels, une passion qui habite certain·e·s de ceux qui vivent ici, voire qui se rendent à Boring à cette fin. Là encore, rien ne prouve leur existence (mais rien n'indique le contraire...) et dans cette petite bourgade, tout le monde a un avis sur la question.

inspirations: twin peaks ; life is strange ; stranger things ; indian creek...

[jezatalks]

Je réfléchissais (encore) à mon autisme et au fait que ce trouble est potentiellement héréditaire.

Je pense pas que ça vienne directement de mes parents parce qu'ils sont avenants/assez extrovertis mais avec le combo hypersensible pour ma mère (mais pas autant que moi) et ils adorent aller en concert. Donc j'ai été fouiller dans ma mémoire. Côté maternel, je vois pas grand chose malgré la 50aine de personne qui compose ma famille. Mes grands parents maternels sont décédés il y a 10 ans maintenant et j'en ai pas trop trop se souvenirs. Mais ils aimaient quand il y avait toujours du monde chez eux. Je pense pas que ce soit ça.

Par contre côté paternel, il y a mon grand père, et avec le recul je me dis : peut être queeeee.

Il a un caractère particulier, mon copain le compare à Obi-Wan Kenobi car il veut souvent apporter un dernier mot sage/conclusion à quais toutes les discussions alors que souvent il n'y participe pas.

Il possède une étagère dans son bureau intégralement remplie de sa collection d'insectes. Toutes les étagères à livres de la maison, excepté 3 ont ses livres de sciences/nature/animaux (il était prof de science en collège et lycée)

Il a une pièce qui s'appelle "la pièce aux animaux" aka un cabinet de curiosité avec au milieu de sa collection d'hameçons préhistorique, pierre précieuses et d'animaux empaillés, on a un crâne humain unique par un micro détail, une dent de mammouth, une moulure de poumon de lièvre ou encore un poisson séché/empaillé.

Outre ces passions/collections il a sa propre pièce pour développer ses photos.

Il est extrêmement énervé qu'on touche à ses affaires sans demander.

Il ne supporte pas qu'on mette de la musique, alors que ma grand-mère adore ses CDs et que son bureau est à l'exacte opposé du post radio. Les seules fois où il a toléré la musique, c'est quand on faisait des trajets de minimum 5h de voiture pour les vacances (et pas plus de 1 CD par 1h30/2h)

Il voit facilement les détails. Ce qui lui permet toujours de repérer grenouilles, champignons, particularité sur une feuille ou arbre en forêt et champs.

Comme moi il n'aime pas les carottes.

Il a "son couteau" pour manger. Qu'il aiguise et nettoie lui même.

Il pourrait porter les mêmes vêtements des semaines d'affiler et sa garde robe comporte énormément d'articles similaires.

Quand on était petites, il enregistrait films sur films sur vhs. Il numerottait les vhs, et reportait les noms des films dans un répertoire (ordre alphabétique donc) avec le numéro de la cassette pour qu'on puisse trouver la vhs plus facilement. Avant qu'ils ne jettent tout, il y en avaient au moins 60 consacrées aux films jeunesse, et au moins 50 de plus pour des films +14 ans et plus.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Honor in Crisis

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, NTT, Titans, JLI, Arrowfam, Flashfam, GL Corps, Infinity Inc

Summary: Every chapter will focus on one character specifically and then I'll update their statuses in order.

This is a no powers au/fix-it fic for Heroes in Crisis. I wanted to focus on the characters and their healing. I decided that'd be easier to put some of these characters in a fic like this and work on it more from a real-world perspective. I DO want to say that I do not believe healing is linear so don't plan on a clear-cut happy ending. I'd say (and idk for sure) we're gonna eventually get a bittersweet ending for certain characters but nothing tragic.

Chapters: 6/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne, Kole Weathers, Lilith Clay, Eddie Bloomberg, Michael Carter, Michelle Carter, Rani Carter, Charley Parker, Grant Emerson, Roy Harper, Grant Wilson, Joseph Wilson, Thaddeus Thawne, Bart Allen, Helen Claiborne, President Thawne, Todd Rice, Alan Scott (DCU), Damon Matthews

Relationship(s): Damon Matthews/Todd Rice

Additional Tags: No Powers AU, Canon Divergent AU, Fix-It Fic, Angst

Chapter Six: Cleaning Tapes (Grant Emerson's POV)

Grant lay in the grass, his eyes closed in quiet contemplation. He struggled with the contemplation part. He'd sat and watched everyone have their visits that week, and he couldn't help but feel jealous. Or maybe lonely. But, maybe those feelings were the same thing. Grant knew he was wrong for what he did and that he messed up a huge opportunity that he'd been allotted, but he wished someone would come and see him. A shadow cast over him. "You're blocking my sun, and if you're here because Roy asked you to come—."

"Actually, he's running late," Roy replied. Grant opened his eyes and grinned. He'd been secretly looking forward to Roy's visit for weeks, but Roy's schedule rarely allowed him time to come by. "What's going on, kiddo?" "Reflecting," Grant answered, "I thought you were out of the country on business. What are you doing here?" Roy shoved his hands in his pockets and chuckled. "I don't have to have a reason to come visit you. Ready to go?" Roy asked. Grant sat up, and Roy offered him a hand. He helped him up, and they walked inside. "Go? Like leave?" Grant asked. Roy had talked to him about it before, but he never thought Roy was serious. Grant followed Roy to the desk and excitedly watched as Roy signed him out. "You're serious?" "Just for the weekend like we talked about, but yeah. That okay?" Roy asked. Grant nodded. He knew he messed up, even after Roy tried to help him, and he thought Roy had just about given up. He was happy to know that wasn't the case. Roy messed up his hair, and the receptionist gave them the okay to leave. As soon as they got in the car, Grant started messing around with the radio. He didn't want to say anything stupid, so he didn't say anything at all. Roy turned the music down and tapped the steering wheel. "There's a horror movie marathon on all weekend... Bunch of slashers," Roy whispered, "And I made dinner... Real dinner, not that frozen junk." Grant's smile faded, and he looked at Roy. "You made dinner? For me?" Grant asked. Roy nodded. "Roy, I know I don't say this much, but thanks for everything. I know I let you down, but—."

"Wait a minute, now. You've never once disappointed me," Roy replied, "Actually, I'm proud of you. You're working at getting better, and that's not easy. I know it's not. I'm just happy that you're still struggling. Struggling isn't a bad thing. It just means that you're trying." Grant cracked a smile and looked out the window. The ride to Roy's place was a quiet one. Roy let him in and let him settle in before making their plates and microwaving them. "Roy, where's Lian?" Grant asked. "She's with her mom for the weekend. Besides, I picked up a few of your favorite movies, and they're not really to her taste," Roy joked as he held up a few VHS tapes. Grant laughed.

"You're the only person I know who still owns a VCR," Grant teased. "Are you about to give me some shitty news?" "No, I just want you to have a good weekend while you're at home," Roy replied, "Come on, let's eat on the couch and put one of these movies in." Grant set his plate down and opened the fridge to get a soda. After he popped in the tape, he dug into his food and watched the trailers for movies that had long since come out. Grant was more focused on the taste of the dinner. He hadn't realized how good Roy's cooking was until that moment. He scarfed down his food before the movie started. "Hey, slow down. There's more where this came from," Roy reassured him. Grant awkwardly chuckled as he wiped his mouth. "Before the movie starts, I just wanted to talk to you about what we're gonna do when you get out." Grant set his fork down and frowned. He expected the worst. "Roy, you've done all you could for me, and I appreciate—." "Wait a minute. You're way off," Roy interrupted him. Grant let out a sigh of relief. "I know you've still got a year or two left in school and that you've been with me for a little while now... I guess what I'm trying to say is... That I wanna make it official if you're comfortable with that." "Like... You wanna adopt me?" Grant asked. He hadn't thought about it before. Roy was older than him but in an older brother way. He couldn't help but smile. Roy was tough on him most of the time, but Grant knew he cared, or at least he seemed like he did more than anybody else. "Why?" "Because you're part of the family, and my health insurance isn't terrible... And well, uh, we—. We care about you here, Grant," Roy confessed. Grant stood up and walked away from the living room for a moment. He couldn't help but cry, but he didn't want Roy to see him crying. It was embarrassing. Roy followed him to the corner of the room. "You don't have to say anything right now. I just wanted you to think about it," Roy whispered. Grant turned around and embraced him. "I'm sorry," Grant mumbled. Roy hugged him back. "There's no shame in crying," Roy reassured him, "Do you need a minute?" Grant shook his head. "Can I say yes before you change your mind?" Grant asked. Roy laughed and nodded. Even if Roy wasn't Grant's biological parent, he was good to him. He kept him out of trouble even when he was at his worst. He even vouched for him when he got in trouble recently. Things were quiet for a while after that, and amid the excitement, Grant fell asleep. Roy covered Grant with a blanket. Grant took in a sharp breath of air and opened his eyes. "Shhh, you're okay. Go get ready for bed," Roy whispered. Grant nodded. He showered and brushed his teeth, lingering in the living room. He was worried he'd wake up back there if he went to sleep. "What do you want for breakfast?" Grant smiled. "Can I make breakfast?" Grant asked. Roy nodded. "I hope you're a good cook. Get some sleep, okay?" Roy smiled. Grant nodded, but he still didn't move. "You can sleep in your room or on the couch... It doesn't matter." "Are you going to bed?" Grant asked. Roy nodded. "But if you need anything, I'm a pretty light sleeper. Just knock if you need me, and I'll be up," Roy reassured him. He nodded and walked to his bedroom, and climbed into bed. It wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep.

[eamjournal]

Lettre 59

Mardi 4 Avril 2023

Cher Hugo,

Cette journée, mon anniversaire, a débuté dans les larmes et le tracas. A minuit, j'ai reçu ton message : « Joyeux anniversaire ! J'espère que tu vas bien et te souhaite sincèrement le meilleur, passe une heureuse journée ». Les larmes me sont montées si rapidement. Lucas m'appelait, je devais te répondre en même temps. Je ne pensais qu'à toi et à la peine que ton contact m'infligeait. J'ai pleuré de longues minutes sans m'arrêter, réalisant que tu n'étais pas là pour ce jour si spécial, que tu étais loin d'ici et loin de mon coeur. J'avais mal au fond de moi et j'aurais aimé de tout mon coeur que tu sois là. Ces larmes en ce début de journée, seul Liam en aura eu vent, personne ne saura que j'ai pleuré les premiers instants de mon anniversaire.

Je me suis levée vers 9h, la tête fatiguée et les yeux enflés. J'etais épuisée. Cependant le moral est vite remonté quand les story de mes amis ont commencé à devaler l'écran de mon téléphone. Ils avaient mis des photos et des videos, j'avais des tas de messages et même de la part de personnes auxquelles je n'avais pas pensé. C'était touchant quand même. Thibault a été la 3e personne à me le souhaiter, il n'avait pas oublier. Cette marque d'attention m'a surpris. Je repostais toutes les story de mes amis quand l'heure du rendez-vous avec le médecin a sonné.

Depuis 4 jours maintenant, j'ai mal au pied droit lors de sa flexion. C'est vraiment très douloureux donc j'ai décidé de prendre un rdv en visio pour ne pas attendre. Le médecin n'a pas eu de réponse précise quant au possible problème que je rencontre actuellement. Cependant, il m'a prescrit des anti douleurs et une radio du pied pour vérifier qu'il n'y a pas de problèmes plus important. Cela tombe bien car je voulais le lui demander. Par ailleurs trouver un rdv pour une radio dans la ville du Havre et ses alentours est un vrai casse-tête. Je n'ai pas eu de proposition plus alléchante que celle du 20 avril. Autant te dire que j'ai cherché des rdv sur Nantes, car le 20 je serai déjà rentrée chez moi. Ainsi ma radio s'effectuera le 17 avril. Je te dirai dans ma lettre ce que nous auront découvert le moment venu.

Ainsi je me suis rendue à mon seul devoir de la journée : le controle qcm de civilisation espagnole. J'ai révisé le long du chemin entre deux repost de story et j'ai même appris la suite du cours dans les couloirs de la fac. Dans l'ensemble ce controle s'est bien passé, je pense avoir une meilleure note qu'au précédent (j'avais eu 12 ahah). Petit moment drôle cependant car pendant le controle, la prof nous informe que les premières questions concernent une video que nous étions censés avoir regardé mais personne ne l'a fait ahah.

Après cette légère activité finit au bout de 30 minutes, Nathanael m'a demandé d'attendre la prof d'espagnol écrit avec lui parce qu'il a envisagé d'aller à son dernier cours. J'ai accepté et savouré un délicieux chocolat chaud oreo car j'en revais depuis un moment. Quand la prof est arrivée je l'ai informé que je resterai pas en prétextant ma radio du pied mais en réalité, comme les 3/4 de la classe, je n'avais pas envie de la voir. Elle m'a fait remplir une feuille anonyme bilan de mon appréciation de cette année d'espagnol. J'en ai profité pour lui dire qu'il serait judicieux de varier les thèmes aborder qui sont trop similaires à ce que l'on voit au lycée. Les étudiants en ont assez marre des indigènes, de la condition des femmes et de l'environnement. Je lui ai donc proposé l'inquisition que j'adore et de l'histoire.

Je suis rentrée tranquillement chez moi après avoir laissé Nathanael et Lea en cours (oui ils n'etaient que deux). A la maison je me suis posée, j'ai apprécié les joyeux anniversaires des amis et continué de discuter avec Thibault. Une fois installée, j'ai eu l'heureuse idée de regarder Microcosmos. Un film documentaire sur les insectes que mes grands-parents me montraient quand j'étais toute petite, nous l'avions carrément en cassette vhs. Cela m'a fait tout drôle de revoir ce film, les sons et les images m'évoquent tant de souvenirs lointains. J'adore ce sentiment. Et pour continuer sur cette lancée j'ai regardé un bout de Fourmiz que nous avions aussi en cassette chez eux. Je pense que c'était le jour pour se remémorer des souvenirs d'enfance. J'ai adoré ce moment.

Plus tard dans la soirée, Lucas, Lays, Albane et Lili m'ont invité à les rejoindre au McDo pour me payer un menu. Lili m'a offert 4 kit kat pour la blague du 4 avril (4x4). C'était un moment drôle, ils étaient tous euphoriques de l'anniversaire, contents de me voir car je ne les avais pas vu aujourd'hui. Nous avons énormément rigolé, a tel point que nous sommes restés au Mcdo jusqu'à 23h30. C'était la première fois que je faisais ca ahah. Nous avons abordé beaucoup de sujets que j'ai oublié mais j'ai particulièrement aimé la folie de la fin de soirée où nous faisons des blagues d'humour noir. Du grand n'importe quoi ! Ahah

Au final je suis rentrée chez moi juste après. Je me suis d'ailleurs rapidement endormie et la journée s'était alors mieux passée qu'elle n'avait commencé. J'ai quand même eu de larges pensées pour toi Hugo. Ta présence aurait été le plus beau des cadeaux, j'ai d'ailleurs vu que tu as regardé chacune de mes story en cette journée. Tu voulais peut-être te manifester et me dire que tu etais la, que ca allait. Ou alors c'est toi qui aurais aimé être ici. Dans tous les cas, sache que je t'aime fort et que tu me manques. Bonne nuit Hugo et je te remercie de ta présence en story pour cette journée. Mille mercis

M.