#haunted basement is making a return appearance

[mckinlily]

WIP/Kill your darlings time

Working on the foster care au again, and I've come to the sad conclusion that this scene probably just breaks up the flow too much. But I still really like it, so enjoy some domestic foster siblings:

Shiro returned home a few hours later. He retrieved Hunk and Lance from the basement--

(“Did you get lost? Did you get held captive by a ghost? Seriously, please do not to piss off the dead, we have enough issues without the paranormal.”)

dragged Keith in from the fire escape--

(“What were you even doing out there?!”)

and took away an illicit chemistry set from Pidge--

(“But, Shiro! I need to prove the basement isn’t haunted!”

“Not by bringing toxic chemicals in here, you’re not.”).

He also brought home three boxes of cheap, greasy pizza. They sat in a circle on the living room floor, eating straight from the box, the air filled with snickers and well-meaning bickering. Once the last slice was fought over and consumed (won by Pidge in a complicated and violent game of rock-paper-scissors), Shiro picked up the empty pizza boxes, grabbed his keys, and turned to Allura.

“You good to go home?”

For a moment, Allura had forgotten the apartment wasn’t home. It was tiny and cramped and excessively loud. But it also felt alive. Alive in a way she could now admit she hadn’t felt in a long time.

It wasn’t hers though. And Keith was giving her a look that suggested she was reaching the end of her welcome.

Besides, she was looking forward to a shower and wearing her own clothes. So she collected her things and waved goodbye to Keith and Lance, who were wrestling over use of the “good controller” and Pidge and Hunk, who were slyly (Hunk) and maliciously (Pidge) egging them on.

“Please don’t kill anything,” said Shiro in a long-suffering voice that was largely ignored. He shook his head and guided Allura out, locking the door behind them.

"You're joking about that, right?"

"Hm?"

"You don't think they'll actually kill anything."

Shiro's eyes took on a thousand yard stare. "Yeah," he said, voice bland and entirely unconvincing. "Sure. Let's go with that."

Allura chose to take that at face value. For her own sanity.

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

Ectoberhaunt 2023. Day 5. Hunt and Haunt.

~Well, here we go again, good old Ghost Hunger AU~

Description: The Ghost Zone is inherently a violent place. You can hunt or be hunted, there is no other options. However, for some reason the Halfa does not understand what is happening. And no one rushes to explain it. NB! ghost cannibalism is mentioned.

Prompt after memes

Suppose there’s a conventional division among ghosts. Some of them are potential predators capable of hunting their own kind, while others are only able to absorb the surrounding energy and therefore build up power more slowly than hunters.

So, predation is used as a method of survival in poor ectoplasm areas of the Ghost Zone, less often as a means of gaining power. Even less often hunters are created.

It is obvious that the appearance of a hunter who is the son of human ghost hunters in a haunting place without stable sources of ectolasm has caused panic in the society of the dead ones. For the newly formed ghost to have ectoblasts, fangs or ghost sense is a rarity and great luck. So the newcomer had everything and more to be a serious threat. An awful danger for the surrounding spirits…Right?

But Danny doesn’t know the specifics of his new biology ectology!

Even though he’s a hunter, he’s never had a ghost hunger. Probably because thanks to his parents he has an amazing ectoplasm concentrator in the basement. Soon everyone understands that the boy does not attack first. Those who return through the portal never report any losses at all. He does not bite or attempt to capture cores of other spirits. At first, the ghosts think it's a trap. Smart enough for a beginner. Not everyone has the tenacity to pretend to be an idiot to get close to them. But the Phantom never feeds on them. He’s…safe?

What’s more, Danny seems to think they’re a threat to the city. Which is fun and weird. Normally, there is no competition for feeding using human emotion. But the owner of the lair did not like the smell of fear in the air. Is this ghost broken?

When the ghosts who visit Amity realize that the halfa does not know that he can hunt them, rather than just guard his territory...Well, it explains a lot. Everyone agrees not to explain the situation to the boy so that the city behind the portal remains a relatively safe haven during the during a "hunting season" and other troubles in the Infinite Realms.

~~~~~

The problem arises when Phantom begins exploring the Ghost Zone. What if the other hunters make the boy stop being a freak?

In addition, more experienced ghosts may well attack the careless halfa. And Amity Park under the control of a more predatory spirit would be a terrible outcome. Most dead ones near the portal are used to the fact that the area before Wisconsin is open to travel and migration without the threat of being eaten.

All rational ghosts try to avoid the territory of hunters. If you can’t defend yourself, there’s too much risk of being a free meal. It’s much safer to settle down with spirits with similar energy levels at door clusters. If the hunter does not purposefully show up at your lair, you will have a much better chance of keeping the afterlife.

Those of the Ancients who have won their position and those of them who were created for it have become accustomed to isolation. Although all the Ancients have lost the need to eat 'cause they have absorbed enough energy, legends about their past are still be nightmares for all spirits. Just because they don’t need to eat other ones doesn’t mean they won’t. It is clear that a weaker hunter can also be hunted. No reason to risk.

Therefore, how freely and fearlessly Phantom communicates with Frostbite, Clockwork or Pandora is puzzling. Does he feel threatened at all? The Ancients find this experience refreshing. Lil communication without fear makes them feel sympathy for this youngling. Danny is always glad of their company. And the boy is not afraid to express his opinion. It is strange but...pleasant?

Their minions from time to time complain that they teach a potential enemy but it is very difficult to see a possible rival in Phantom. Danny is always in trouble. The youngster is silly and careless. Like a wet kitten that can’t even make a threatening hiss. So Ancients, to their own surprise, don't mind helping him. Why isn’t his naivety annoying?

For example, Frostbite’s trying to teach Danny hunting and tracking techniques because he thinks the little cub doesn’t know how to be what he supposed to be. Meanwhile Danny sees his attempts as a course of self-defense that he can use against ghosts who try to infiltrate his city.

~~~~~Bonus~~~~~

Some insufficiently powerful ghosts mimic predators to scare away dangerous spirits and protect themselves. Skulker is quite pleased that he managed to deceive halfa:

[poeticjustice1010]

Haunted by secrets Chapter 2

𖣗𖦆⊹🕷 Haunted by secrets

 ❙❘❙❚❙❘❙❙❚❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘❙❙❚❙❘❙❙❙❚

Summary: A girl influenced by her best friend to explore an abandoned house with an unexpected outcome.

Word Count

2222

Warning

Minors Dn

Smut, Ghost, death, some dubcon, and angst.

Tag if you want to be tagged

Haunted by secrets

Characters - Hyunjin x oc, Lara Raj, Fatou, Seulgi.

Summary - A girl influenced by her best friend to explore an abandoned house with an unexpected outcome.

Word Count - 2222

Warnings - Fluff, Smut, Angst,etc.

“Genesis,” I hear my name as I regain consciousness. I wake up in my room, dumbfounded. " Who called my name?”  I think to myself  “Was it just a dream? I say out loud,

“No,” the voice answered calmly. I slowly turned around to see the figure sitting beside me, smiling at me. It turned out to be Hyunjin, but he appeared less transparent this time than last time. 

I began to hyperventilate. “Shhh,” he told me, grabbing my hand softly and looking into my eyes. He comforted me.   

“Who killed you?” I ask in a soft tone and shaky voice. He looked at me again, but this time with a sad expression. The room goes silent for a solid minute, and my heart begins to beat abnormally.

 “My friends.”

I wake up again in my room, but I observe the room frantically this time. Questions run through my mind: “What did he mean?” “Did his friends kill him?” “Who were his friends?” Why did they kill him?” The last question was 

“Was it just a dream?” 

..

…

….

“WHAT?” Seulgi looks at me, her expression a mix of surprise and disbelief. “Yeah,” I say in a soft tone. “HOW?” Seulgi asks, her face still dumbfounded.

I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “I saw him again". Hyunjin. He told me that his friends killed him.”

Seulgi’s eyes widened. “That’s insane. How are we supposed to figure this out?”

I looked at her, determination growing within me. “We start by finding out who his friends were. They might still be alive or have left some clues behind.”

“We go back to the house to find answers,” Seulgi replies.

I thought momentarily, then remembered the paintings we saw in the house. “The paintings. There might be something we missed.”

Seulgi nodded, her resolve hardening. “Alright, but we’re not going alone this time. We’ll need Fatou and Lara with us.”

“Agreed,” I said, feeling a surge of confidence. “We’ll go back together and find out the truth. Hyunjin deserves justice.

The plan was set: We would return to the abandoned house, uncover its secrets, and piece together the mystery of Hyunjin’s death. A strange sense of calm washed over me as I lay back in bed. 

“Ready?” I asked, looking at Seulgi, Fatou, and Lara. They all nodded, determination in their eyes.

Seulgi comforts me by hand. “ We will get to the bottom of this Genesis.”

…. 

We made it inside the house, but something felt different. The house was much colder than before, and it was much creepier. “I have a bad feeling about this,” I thought to myself. Before my nerves took over, I began to remember what Hyun-jin had told me: “I will always be watching over you.”

“Ready?” I ask the three girls standing beside me

“Yes”. 

Our flashlights shined against every corner. As we navigated the house, we couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The floorboards creaked under the weight of our every step. We made our way to the basement, where this all had started. 

The silence was much more noticeable and pronounced.  My heart beats out of my chest we explore the area frantically.    

As we pored over the journal, everything began to make more sense. Hyunjin’s friends had been jealous of his talent and jealous of his success. Their Jealousy led to this mess. They covered it up, fearing the consequences of their actions.

“But who were they?” Fatou asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I flipped to the last page of the journal, where the names of Hyunjin’s friends were listed. My heart skipped a beat, and my breath got caught in my throat. I recognized the names. They were the parents of my own friends: ” Bakshi Raj,”” Faatima Adebayo,”” Kyung Soo, and Hwan Kang.”

Our hearts dropped to our stomachs. We all stared at the journal in shock. Millions of questions flooded our minds. “What?” Seulgi said with a hurt expression on her face.

“I don't believe this,” Lara said in shock. Fatou was in disbelief. I glanced at each of the girls; my mind went blank, thinking about the possible outcomes of the situation. 

Once we had finished, tears filled my eyes. I kept trying to convince myself this wasn't real. Those were my friend's parents in that journal. “How do we know if this is true or not?” Fatou says barely above a whisper, slightly angry.

Once again, everything felt so surreal at this moment.

“What do we now?” Fatou says in a shaky voice, holding tears. 

“We confront them”

........

@nicoleparadas @stanskzot8

A/N " Make as many theories as you want! " Happy reading :D

[sirenjose]

Joseph Theories

(Sorry for the repost, but I wanted to write this up a bit more nicely, and add a few other ideas to it)

TLDR:

Main Story connection

Related to someone else like Mary Kreiburg for Mary

5th birthday portraits

The “hunter” mentioned by Alice?

Joseph wanting to bring back Claude parallels the Orpheus myth

Connections to Count Barriere?

1. Main Story connection

Both Joseph and Orpheus lived happy lives until, while still young, it was taken away due to a bloody tragedy that led to the death of someone(s) close to them, as well as the loss of their home (for a time at least).

They are destroyed by this loss and begin carrying out experiments due to their inability to move past their grief and sorrow, experiments whose intent seems to involve the tragedy or somehow changing the source of their grief.

For Joseph, this is his desire to bring Claude back as well as prevent people from dying.

For Orpheus, this may be to change his or Alice’s memories of the tragedy, maybe to forget, maybe to change a certain part of it, but we still aren’t completely sure what his end goal is.

Both Joseph and Orpheus have a large manor (with other workers) they invite people to for their experiments that end up going missing, which causes rumors to spread. Joseph’s deadly invitation is also very reminiscent of the invitations Orpheus sends out.

And then there’s the mention of the “darkroom in the basement” Joseph spends much of his time in, which could connect to the basement (which is very dark) we visit in Oletus Manor where Orpheus keeps his drugs.

Eventually, something happens that ends their experiments.

For Joseph, it was due to a mob attacking his manor, though they never find him as he has already disappeared.

For Orpheus, it was due to a fire starting during the final game, after which he loses all his memories.

Not to mention how both Joseph and Orpheus are driven by memories.

For Joseph, we see this very well with his 1st letter. All he can think about is Claude, his fear of forgetting, and his desire to keep people (including Joseph) from dying like Claude (“Someone must remember”).

Orpheus we know is haunted by the tragedy, and feels immense guilt for Alice’s parents’ deaths (we know from Bonbon's deduction 4 that he helped them to some degree by taking some "valuable items" cuz of their greed. We know from Alice’s letter to Orpheus in the 2nd anniversary pack that their deaths (and his desire to save Alice) is his driving force. We even know how important memory is to him considering 2 of his drugs involve making people forget or “reconstructing” memories.

Both had someone that attempted, but failed, to convince them to stop or to change their minds.

For Joseph, this was Elliot, who tried to talk to Joseph about “the meaning of life and time”, the things Joseph sought to escape from.

For Orpheus, this was Alice, who tried to get Orpheus to stop his experiments and to “please don’t blame yourself for father and mother’s death”. Both Elliot and Alice are ignored, with Elliot potentially trapped in Joseph’s “eternal kingdom” (camera world). Alice is potentially trapped in a similar way based on her letter to Orpheus in the 2nd anniversary package, where she tells him “I’ll find a way to escape from the prison that locks me in and find my only remaining family member in this world”.

Considering Yidhra’s connection to Darkwoods/The Forest of No Return, where the final game took place, not to mention Alice’s potential connection to Miss Nightingale, who has only ever appeared in Orpheus’ dreams (or in the Illusion Hall, which is likely still a dream), could mean Alice, as well as others that disappeared at the manor, at least the others that were involved in the final game, may be trapped in Yidhra’s dreamlands.

And speaking of Alice, it’s also interesting that both her and Joseph are the only ones who use cameras. Joseph traps people souls in photos when he takes a picture, while with Alice we see an apparition of young Orpheus when she takes a picture.

2. Related to someone else

Joseph and Mary’s stories (backstories/deductions) are closely connected.

Mary we know ended up being involved through Mary Kreiburg, who Frederick is tied to and thus why Alice imagined him as Mary.

With Joseph’s connections to the main story and Orpheus, as well as to Mary herself, it feels like there’s a good chance something similar will happen to him.

Meaning, we may not see literal Joseph as a character in the main story, but we will see someone likened to or similar to him that will be in the story. And considering Joseph is actually very old, it is possible whoever he ends up being tied to could be an older character.

3. 5th birthday portraits

Another theory is that the character portraits (furniture) we get from a character’s 5th birthday could’ve been taken by Joseph himself.

We know he had a wall of portraits in his manor with many “lifelike” people that the mob saw as the ran into his manor based on his backstory. We also know Joseph’s goal involved saving people from death or, in Claude’s case, bringing them back to life. By taking a photo, he can trap a soul in that photo, their body seemingly going missing, which may have been what he did to himself before the mob could reach him.

We also know that no one else, or any bodies, were ever found besides Orpheus after the final game. We know Orpheus wouldn’t have had time to make any bodies disappear during the final game, so at least those should’ve been somewhere, but they weren’t. And there were Burke, Bane, and Bonbon, who worked for Orpheus, who weren’t found either. So it seems possible something strange might’ve happened.

Though Orpheus should also get a portrait for his 5th birthday too, and we know he isn’t trapped in a photo in the present. Unless something happened as he was traveling to the manor, or while he was there.

And you’d think if there was a fire, that might’ve burned any portraits in the manor, though we can see in the present there’s still a lot in the manor that looks in fair condition, so that could imply the portraits would be fine too.

4. The “hunter” referenced by Alice in the 2nd anniversary package

In the 2nd anniversary package, Alice mentions potentially using “death” or “that ‘hunter’”. Joseph is a hunter who is connected to “death” as well as a way to avoid actually dying via his camera.

If he is connected to the main story and potentially appears in it at all like Mary did, maybe he could end up helping Alice somehow.

There are other options, including Yidhra who is connected to Darkwoods, as well as Fool's Gold and Hunter Melly, who were there in the final game with her, especially if Alice ends up working with Norton and Melly to deal with Orpheus, but Joseph could make sense too.

5. Joseph parallels the Orpheus myth

It’s interesting how Joseph's desire to bring Claude back parallels Orpheus in the original Greek myth and his desire to bring Eurydice back from the dead by leading her out of the underworld.

For Joseph, instead of the underworld, he’s using his “eternal kingdom”/camera world experiments to try to bring Claude back. Orpheus fails when he turns around to look at her, causing him to lose Eurydice forever. Joseph we know via his 4th letter that he hasn’t been completely successful. Orpheus we know was “looking back” because he feared he was (depending on the version you read), either afraid he was being tricked, that she wasn’t following him, or was so elated at being able to see her again that he couldn’t resist looking back. Joseph we know is messing with life/time trying to stop death, not to mention Joseph doesn’t want to move forward, either with his life, in time, or away from his memories of Claude.

6. Joseph’s manor = Oletus Manor?

This is a simple theory. What if the manor Joseph lived in, during his deductions, the one he carried his experiments out in, was Oletus Manor?

We know from the original backstory for Oletus manor that it was already infamous and had gained a not great reputation even before the DeRoss couple bought it.

What if that infamy came from Joseph?

Joseph had rumors spread about him and his manor due to his experiments that caused people to disappear, and the rumors he was able to trap souls in photos.

Rumors that panicked people enough to cause them to try to attack him and his manor.

In his last deduction, after Joseph’s disappearance, they even say “Workers and maids claim that the mansion was cursed by the missing old man”. This could also explain other details in Oletus Manor’s backstory, that mention it having no neighbors, and why it might have been in bad enough condition to require the DeRoss couple to renovate.

In Burke’s backstory, the manor was described as “desolate” and “run down”. After people called Joseph’s manor cursed, that could explain why all of the neighbors fled/left, and if they went as a mob to his manor, especially if they thought it cursed after he vanished, they could’ve been behind the manor’s bad state when the DeRoss couple bought it.

(And there's the parallel how the DeRoss couple died due to what's described as a "mob", like Joseph's, in Burke's deductions)

7. Connections to Count Barriere?

His ties to Count Barriere are similar to his connections to Orpheus. There’s both him and Joseph being counts, Barriere being a name of French origin and Joseph himself being French, Barriere’s ties to Oletus Manor (he owns the land it's on) while Joseph owns a manor too (which could be Oletus), Barriere being an old, wealthy family while Joseph himself is from a noble family, not to mention DM and the Melodis family in Truth & Inference is stated to also be an “old, wealthy family”, and a number of other things.

That as well as Barriere seems to be even more a mystery than Orpheus, and there’s a chance there’s someone manipulating even Orpheus. With how Barriere seems to appear almost anywhere, and is tied to even Dennis of all people as well as the manor, there’s a good chance could be someone behind even Orpheus. Similar to how DM seems to be behind everything in T&I.

(And with Joseph in reality being an old man, and with how old Count Barriere likely is, their ages would potentially fit/be similar enough for it to work.)

We unfortunately don’t know much about Count Barriere, much less his motivations or goals, besides him letting Lily get the money to an IOU and him being tied to Dennis DeRoss and the Mediterranean to some degree. So unfortunately, we can’t compare him to Joseph in this way. Though it’s possible something later could be revealed that’d either increase the parallels between him and Joseph, or do the opposite to separate them.

(This is all I have at the moment. Let me know if I missed anything or if you have any other theories!)

[themournwatcher]

SESSION ONE: WELCOME TO BAROVIA

This is the re-cap/write-up of our first session in CURSE OF STRAHD: HUNTED, a campaign run by our dungeon-master ONYX and played by a total of six people around the table. In this session the party first arrives in the plane of Barovia and meets each other, before heading toward the nearest village (also Barovia).

As a note, the character known as Luca does not show up in subsequent sessions as the player bowed out of the campaign and we brought in someone else to take their place in session 2.

View the cast HERE.

For now, though, here is the start of the STORY SO FAR. / (MOBILE LINK)

The session opens with everyone centering in on a clearing, in the woods just south of Barovia.

Melchior and Giselle had met earlier in the day; Melchior introduced himself to her as a werewolf hunter, and seeing that Giselle was lost, agreed to take her to the village of Barovia so that she could start to get her bearings. It's late, and they've just set camp. Suddenly, an elf bursts into the clearing--Lune--and only pauses for a moment to tell them to "run" before they move along, faster than anyone the other two have ever seen before.

Before Melchior and Giselle have a chance to decide what to do, there is another interruption. Falling from the sky is Crafine, the kenku, followed quickly by Vayagol, a cleric who lands on top of them. As the group struggles to get their bearings, with Melchior offering healing word to Crafine, they realize that Giselle has already run off after Lune.

Eventually, the party catches up and gathers together underneath a tree. Up in the branches, Lune is helping Luca (bloodhunter) and an injured hunter, Bernor, down from the tree. Luca is covered in blood down the front of his shirt, and Bernor is limping along with his crossbow.

Crafine's sense power ability reveals a mass of undead encroaching upon the group from every direction except to the north, so everyone heads north. The mists, which seem to be chasing them, funnels them over the bridge and into the village of Barovia. Although to outsiders, the edge of the town is dilapidated, with abandoned houses and shuttered windows, those native to the plane state that it is always in such a state. The party takes note of a mansion nearby, welcoming with warm lights in the windows, though Melchior is disinterested in seeking help there.

Luca goes to seek help in the inn (Blood of the Vine), but the locals are frightened by the encroaching mists and so no help comes. Despite Melchior's warnings, Giselle makes a run for the mansion and prompts the party to follow. They find themselves trapped within Durst Manor, as the fog closes in and gives them nowhere else to turn. Melchior and Luca hint that this might be by design, alluding to a mysterious baron, and the party goes inside to investigate what might be going on within the manor.

Just inside, in the foyer, the party encounters two children: Rose & Thorn. The two children inform the party that their parents are gone (but insist that they will return), and that a monster "lives in the basement, but is haunting them through the walls". Despite Melchior's reticence, the party agrees to help them out. They decide to leave the children with Bernor guarding them, armed with a crossbow in the foyer, while everyone else explores the lower level of the house.

A short rest is taken, and then exploration begins. It appears as though life has frozen in place: the kitchen appears to have been freshly used, a mess with food and dishware scattered everywhere, and there is a hot feast out and waiting in the dining room. No one partakes of any food, though there is some theft of the silverware after Melchior reveals that he is a werewolf hunter, and that werewolves are a threat in Barovia. He says that a table setting is unlikely to do much damage to one of the beasts, but thefts occur regardless.

Upon not finding much on the first floor, save a bungled attempt to open a locked cupboard and an aside that Vayagol might not hear from her god here, the party decides to head up into the second floor. Melchior recognizes the people in the painted portrait at the top of the stairs, and correctly identifies the face of Gustav Durst, the former master of the Durst Manor and whose family used to rule Barovia. He recognizes Elizabeth Durst, his wife, who is scowling down at the baby cradled in Gustav's arms. The two children in front of them, who he states seem to be Rose & Thorn Durst, are smiling unawares.

In the library, Lune discovers a secret passageway; within, they find runic books on the shelves (which neither Melchior nor Crafine had the time to try and translate). Also within the passageway was a skeleton, that had clearly been killed by acidic darts, clutching a letter. The letter reads as follows:

My most pathetic servant, I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones who brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth. You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the bosom of another woman, and sired a stillborn son. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are. Your dread lord and master, Strahd Von Zarovich

Lune opens up the chest on which the skeleton was propped up, and retrieves several items: three identified scrolls (bless, protection from poison, spiritual weapon) and three more scrolls that have yet to be identified. In the study portion of the library, Melchior reads through the first page of an open journal that was left out near the fireplace, and locates a silver key within the desk emblazoned with the symbol of a windmill; he recognizes this windmill from his travels.

Across the hall in the music room, Luca effortlessly serenades Giselle with enchanting piano music while she dances along. Crafine and Melchior enter the music room to investigate, so Giselle steps outside to talk to Vayagol. While this is happening, Lune travels upstairs to the third level of the manor alone, triggering an attack on the party by animated armors that suddenly spring to life.

In the ensuing combat, much is revealed, such as: Giselle is capable of casting magic, despite her previous claims that she is unable to do much more than to cook or paint. Melchior spies Luca drawing his own blood in combat, and his eyes turning a bright electric blue. Crafine almost falls unconscious, but Vayagol dashes over to him to heal his injuries before he is lost.

the party calls for a long rest.

in the library, Luca reveals to Crafine the truth that he is a dhampir, and that his blood is electrified(?) He alludes to some fonder familiarity between himself and Bernor. the pair of them play cards with the children, teaching Rose & Thorn how to gamble.

in the servants quarters, Melchior is carefully embroidering red thread into a large sheaf of spare black cloth. he tells Vayagol that his mother taught him how to do, and gestures to the red flowers embroidered onto his shirt. he implies that the flowers are of traditional significance, and promises to teach her the art of embroidery at a later time.

in the hallway, Lune speaks to Giselle, who is sticking close to them out of fear from the recent attack and feeling safer with them. Lune learns that Giselle was not lying to the party, but she has only recently come into her powers. Lune ponders over the amulet around their neck before taking their meditative rest.

end long rest.

after the long rest, Crafine and Luca realize that Bernor and the children are missing. Alarmed, the rest of the party is quickly roused, and everyone agrees to ascend to the third level of the house. (Luca and Giselle first investigate the third floor, but Melchior writes them off and convinces everyone else to keep going). The third story is unlike the first two: it is decrepit and aged, walls peeling, cobwebs strung along corners and dusty furniture. Crafine locates a hidden stairwell hidden in the far wall. the party splits at this point.

Melchior, Luca, Crafine, and Vayagol enter the northern room. In this room, they find another dead body--a man, but no one knows whom. They tear this room apart with perception checks: Crafine locates a safe in the nearby wall, and Melchior locates the key locket hidden within the bed. Within the safe is a jewelry box with an expensive looking pendant and three non-magical rings; Luca takes the pendant, and Crafine tricks Melchior into handing over the rings. Vayagol reminds them that they are supposed to be looking for Bernor and the children.

Melchior notices that Crafine is additionally wearing a wedding ring.

In the southern room, Lune and Giselle open the door and are set upon by a specter who does not want to permit them entry into the room. Both of them attempt to calm the spirit enough to enter the room, but fail. They do get the specter to indicate that the missing children are another floor up, on the fourth floor, accessible only by the recently discovered secret passage.

On the fourth floor, the party locates the bedroom of Rose & Thorn Durst. It is discovered that the children they previously met on the first floor were not the real spirits, but an entity mimicking them. Through questioning the children, it is inferred that Strahd likely killed their parents at a dinner banquet, and the children were left to starve alone upstairs.

During this discussion, Melchior becomes visibly distressed and leaves the room; although he occasionally interjects with questions, he is mostly pale and sick-looking for a time.

The dollhouse in their room reveals that passages to the basement are missing that should have been there. The house is sentient, and was hiding the basement access from the party (either to protect us or to protect itself). Crafine wraps up the bones of the children to properly bury them; additionally, he and Giselle both allow themselves to be possessed by Rose & Thorn. Lune takes the dolls of the children at Melchior's behest.

Before they descend to the basement, Crafine and Melchior have an argument at the top of the stairwell. Melchior insists that attempting to fight the creature within the manor is futile, as everything within Barovia is subject to the will of Strahd Von Zarovich: their best attempt would be to flee and chance with the mist. Crafine argues that it is the coward's way out, and that there is no other way but to the basement. Despite his reservations, Melchior makes no attempt to leave the group.

During this argument, Melchior bares his teeth at Crafine, revealing sharp canines; Luca notices this and asks Melchior if he is also a dhampir, something which Melchior affirms. Luca shows off his ability to spider climb on the ceiling.

As they descend, Crafine moves slowly, allowing for some to get a chance to converse. Melchior and Luca discuss dhampirism (with a few interjections from Crafine), in which Melchior agrees that they are strange kindred, but does not reveal what he hungers for (Luca is revealed to be a classic bloodsucker). additionally, it comes out that Crafine is in his 40s, with two children between the ages of 20-23. Luca is revealed to be physically 24, but due to his dhampirism, he is also up into his 40s. Melchior is simply 24, Giselle is 18, and Vayagol is 19. Lune does not offer their age.

Melchior keeps getting tripped by Something as they continue to head down the stairs. Crafine is using his sense powers skill repeatedly, fretting over a consecrated presence that has repeatedly occurred. As it keeps showing up from behind, he begins to shuffle the party members in front of him on the stairs so that he can narrow down from whom it is coming. Surprisingly, the cleric, Vayagol, is not the source of this consecrated energy. It is narrowed down to either Giselle or Lune, before Melchior, now at the front of the group, is violently shoved down the stairs.

As he recovers and gets his bearings, the rest of the party catches up to him. Melchior accuses Luca, who had been behind him, of being the one to push him. Luca denies this and the two bicker until Crafine puts an end to it, saying they need to keep moving.

Melchior indicates the group should go to their right, and lead them to a crypt. Underneath the Durst Manor is the Durst Family Crypt, which Melchior notes with no small amount of alarm seems suspiciously empty. As they head south, they find the four empty tombs of the immediate durst family: Gustav, Elizabeth, Rosevalda, and Thornboldt.

Crafine puts the bones of the children into their respective tombs (and Lune lays their dolls to rest with them), and the spirits pass on. Crafine and Giselle are no longer considered possessed.

As they head further into the crypt, Melchior is attacked by a hidden creature referred to as a grick. Thankfully, it is quickly disposed of, with Lune making the killing blow.

END OF SESSION ONE.

[lohstandfound]

because i cannot stop thinking about sbg,,, a school bus graveyard au

they never really cross paths with each other

jeremy and michael float at the edges, blending into the background

christine is completely and utterly absorbed within the theatre department, she doesn't have time for anything else

jenna floats from group to group, not really finding a place to fit. there is one group she keeps finding herself going back to for reasons she can't comprehend

and that group consists of jake, chloe, brooke, and rich. the four rule the school and are stuck in their own little bubble

the one class they all happen to crossover in is history, where their teacher decides to group them together for the upcoming presentation project

reluctantly, they settle on some sort of occult history. seemed interesting enough. (christine was the one to make the decision, jenna was quick to agree. eventually everyone else agreed, no one was really invested in a group project)

after an overnight trip to the next town over, a tour through a haunted house without a tour guide (the tour guide left them to their own devices), and a strange experience in the basement (a horrifying creature appeared in the shadows. leathery skin, far too tall for a regular human, an ever present smile with razor teeth, long sharp talons. it reached out for christine, christine could have sworn that it touched her, she could have sworn that its claws scratched her arm. god it hurt, she could have sworn she could see the gashes but once the creature vanished, there was nothing. jake claims it was some stupid special effects) they leave for food and make it back to the hotel and that night, they go to bed.

until they wake up at midnight. and something seems off. its too quiet. theres a red glow outside.

christine gets out of the bed she's sharing with brooke and walks towards the window to see whats going on. an arm reaches out from behind the curtain but brooke is quick to pull her away from the window, away from the arm. that terrifying face appears from behind the curtain. they hear a scream that makes brooke's blood run cold and she sprints from the room, tugging christine with her

the girls regroup and leave their rooms. the situation isn't any better outside. theres more of them, so much more, and once they notice them, they start coming. the girls start running.

they run, quite literally, into jake and rich. they've made some makeshift weapons, and jake seems to be enjoying this situation a little too much. he swings a bat at the head of the thing climbing the railings.

the door behind them opens and michael and jeremy call out to them. with not better ideas, they join the two in their room. michael snaps at jake and rich to help him move furnature in front of the door.

once they're barricaded in, they sag.

christine notices her arm is bleeding again

with no clue whats going on, and it not being safe to leave, they agree to stay together. sleep in shifts

they wake up in their own beds

for the rest of the trip, they never speak about their shared nightmare that seemed all too real

that is

until the next night. when the clock hits 12am and they wake up in the nightmare world again. this time, on their own

michael and jake seem to have similar ideas. safety in numbers. michael with his apocolypse prepping and jake with a general disregard for safety set out to find each other and the rest of the group

this happens night after night after night. but they've figured out that whenever they return to the nightmare world, they pick up where they've left off.

they need to figure out how to survive, and how to end this cycle

(and why does it feel like they're slowly turning into these phantoms?)

[crimsonlyinglilly]

Familiar Faces - Admissions, dealing and confrontations. Part 2

Summary: Elijah Gilbert has been haunted by dreams of other lives as long as he remembers, but now with the appearance of the Salvatore brother he may finally get some answers.

Sorry, it's been a while and each chapter is getting longer.

Also flash backs always trip me up.

-----

Damon grimaced as he looked at the bodies around him.

“Please try not to kill them.” Elijah had asked.

He looked at the collection of dead Junkies around him, request failed, at least he had only told Elijah he’d try but clearly all the blame for this was on Stefan.

Who had locked him away to stave.

To miss out of Elijah’s life.

Who had lied about Elijah’s death.

Who had killed Elijah in the first place.

And then went to Damon to get him to turn.

Elijah had been dead before he had taken his first taste of human blood and damned himself, although he couldn't stay angry about that now as it gave him a chance to help Elijah in a way he hadn’t during their life.

Fixing his episodes, getting to watch him grow healthy, to get to live a life without waiting for his illness to finally take him.

Still before he could get to that he had a mess to clear up then he could returned to the boarding house, where he’d likely be facing two judgemental little brothers but that was fine since they were alive to be angry at him.

The fire light reflected off his hand reminded him, he called Stefan.

Hello? Stef’s voice greeted him as he picked up

“I want my ring.” He told him still a little angry after the discovery that he had killed Elijah to bother with the niceties.

“Where are you?” 

“I'm at the sizzler. I had the buffet.” he explained, moving his torch to light more of the bodies “Where's my ring?”

 I don't have it. Where are you? What have you done?

“Noo,” he drawled “what have you done? You're the one that locked me in the basement and starved me, so whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry is on you, buddy.”

Even after Elijah asked.

“Thought it was better than feeding from him,” he replied, "unlike someone.” He was pleased to hear a choked sound of guilt or pain either way it was a reaction however Stefan smothered it too soon and returned to lecturing him.

“You're being careless. How many more animal attacks is this town gonna believe, huh?

“I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan.” he snapped back, annoyed, “Where's my ring?”

I'll get it back, but I need time.

“What, did you FedEx it to Rome?! Where is it? I want my ring, Stefan, or I’ll get Elijah to make me a new one”

"Leave him out of this."

“He offered, like the good little brother he is” he taunted, “I could even visit Elena after.”

“I already want you dead. Don't give me another reason to make it happen.” Stefan’s could almost be serious. 

“Don't give me another reason to rip you apart.”

Yeah? Is that gonna be before or after you get your ring back?

“Just get it.” he ended the call before he heard anymore of his brother’s voice. He didn’t really want to get Elijah to make him one, Elijah hadn’t sounded particularly happy while talking about his magic earlier and besides it was his ring.

He was almost finished pouring the alcohol over the last corpse when it coughed, he stared until he recognized the girl. 

Vicki Donovan.

She passed out again quickly afterwards.

"You're going to have to be more careful." he told the unconscious girl, "Pretty sure Elijah would be pissed at me if you died."

There were pictures of Elijah and Elena with the Donovan boy in the Gilbert living room, Elijah was closer to the age Damon remembered him as in it, the age he died at, that had to mean they were somewhat close to older Donovan.

Vicki Donavan’s luck must suck to place her in his path twice.

Well at least it gave him someone to keep him occupied until Stefan returned his ring, Damon’s pretty sure looking though Elijah’s past lives in his current mood wouldn’t do his self control any good and he was meant to be trying for Elijah.

—-

Stefan stared at his phone, Damon was going to end up back at the house where Zach was alone, he should go back but there was a risk that Damon would keep his threat and come here once he found out Elijah had left.

So he stayed outside the Gilbert house.

He had watched as Elena helped his-their-her- Elijah from the car into the house and was surprised to hear them climb the stairs together when he knew Elijah’s room was on the ground floor.

Then he was reminded of the times in the aftermath of Eli’s Episodes when his nightmares would be worse and Damon had snuck Elijah into one of their rooms despite their father’s anger. 

So he understood as he watched Elena place Elijah on the bed and cross the room to climb into the other side and cover them, watched as she stared at his sleeping face the way he remembered doing memorising for the time he was sure he would lose him.

Her text arranging a meeting at a café for the next day that had come moments later before she fell asleep was still sitting on his phone screen, behind the notification of the ended call.

As much as he wanted to keep her safe from the knowledge and horrors that came with it she would be safer if she knew more and with whatever was the cause of Elijah’s episodes and memories, likely supernatural she was already involved.

He sent a reply agreeing to her meeting and settled in to watch until sunrise.

By then his brother would be trapped for the day and he’d have the day to plan of what he was going to do.

—-

He finished quickly after that and brought Vicki home with him to find a lack of living teenage brother, he could smell their was only one human in the house, so he dropped the girl on the couch and went to find ‘Uncle Zach’

“Where’s Elijah?” he asked after he found Zach back in the library still going through the papers, he looked exhausted.

“He’s gone home.” the man replied without looking up.

“I thought he was staying.” He said settling against the arch, he was very sure that Elijah had arranged it with his aunt.

“His sister arrived, she found out.” Zach shrugged, still refusing to look up, and Damon realised he was copying parts of Elijah’s notes from one of the older lives.

“Found out?” he asked, eyeing the collection of paper; notes, journals and old photos spread out across the table. “About you-” Zach said finally looking up, the man somehow looked more tired than he had when Damon had left “Vampires and Elijah’s dreams.”

“Huh,” he let out before asking, “didn’t take it well?”

“Well enough, considering,” Zach shrugged, “Elijah agreed to explain to her and they left.”

“And you returned to being the busy little bee.” he mocked, Damon was torn between missing the underlying tension of fear Zach always carried around him or relieved someone was able to deal with Elijah’s past thoughtfully, all Damon saw was the lives Elijah had lived and suffered through while Damon and Stefan were out living their lives.

“We have nothing but Elijah’s notes on this side of the table.” he explained, Damon had to agree with the that, Salvatore side despite its few empty places looked filled compared to the other.   

“So look up through the Gilbert records.” he shrugged

“I have, and the Sommers.” The human shook his head, right because Zach had been aware something was wrong with Elijah Gilbert for years. “Miranda wasn’t pregnant.” he added.

He blinked at the news.

“The twins are adopted.” He said as he put the picture together, before asking “So what's your plan?”

For all he wasn’t going to work with Zach, he might as well keep track of what the other was doing, the more information would be useful when Damon found a witch he could trust with this and Elijah.

“I’m going out in the morning to search for more information using some of the names and things EJ managed to write down.” the man explained before wincing as he noticed his slip up.

“Great, I got the house to myself.” he mockingly cheered, Zach looked up with confusion before his eyes moved to Damon’s hands.

“Because your ring.”

“Guessing you don’t know where that brother of mine hid it, do you?” he asked, smiling.

“No-” Zach started,

“And you wouldn’t tell me if you did.” he finished for him as he left the library, he had to hide Miss Vicki so Zach wouldn’t see her and they could party until Stefan returned with his ring.

—

Elena was doing this for Caroline and Vicki who had been hurt, for the people who had died, for Elijah who wouldn’t tell her everything in trying to protect her, for herself because she needed to know so she could protect the people she loved.

Still even knowing what Stefan was, she trusted him, believed him when he said he didn’t want to hurt her, so she left Elijah sleeping in her bed.

Proof he had pushed himself too soon after a episode, otherwise he would have woken up while she was getting ready and left to meet Stefan at the Grill.

She had explained to Jeremy before she left, trusting their little brother would be able to keep Elijah at home and from doing anything too much for him.

“You said you would explain everything. That's why I asked you to meet me here. When you Google "vampire" you get a world of fiction. What's the reality?” She starts facing Stefan in a well lit public place. She might trust him despite herself but she wasn’t a complete fool.

she‘d get information on vampires and then Elijah’s problems.

“I can tell you whatever you wanna know.” he replies, it’s a start.

—

“Elena...Give me today. I will answer any questions that you have, and when it's over, you can decide for yourself what you wanna do with what you know. It'll be your choice.” Stefan had said and she had followed him off alone.

Maybe she wasn’t being as safe as she should be a voice that sounded a lot like her twin sighed at her from her mind.

—-

“What’s up with your hand?” Liz asked as she noticed the bandage wrapped around Logan’s hand, it was a nice distraction from the likely mess she was going to see when she uncovered the bodies.

“Gilbert’s hell beast.” he told her as he held his hand up, pulling the sleeve down to reveal more bandages around his arm

“What?” She asked flatly, however understanding slowly dawned on her.

While the Gilbert children had stayed with her after Grayson and Miranda’s deaths, Elijah had gone back to the house repeatedly to check and feed his cats.

When she had asked why he hadn’t brought them with him, Jeremy and Caroline had laughed, which had been a relief as it was the first laugh she had seen from the youngest, while Elena and apologised that they couldn’t do that to her or her house.

Caroline had later explained that one of Elijah's cats was half feral to anyone that wasn’t Elijah.

“While I was searching the house for the watch, I opened one of the downstairs rooms and this black and white beast attached itself to me.” he explained,

“You didn’t hurt it.” She asked, she remember Miranda telling her that the cats had become a help to Elijah during his episodes; the last thing he needed was losing one of them so soon after his parents.

“No.” he snapped, apparently annoyed by her concern, “it let go as soon as I started to take it out of the room and I shut the door. Thankfully the watch wasn’t in that room.”

“You got it.” she asked.

“Yes” he told her and she felt herself calm slightly.

“Good.” she said hopefully they could track down the monster and deal with it before anymore people got hurt. She missed Grayson, he had more experience with these things.

—-

Elijah is woken up by a knock at the door, it takes him a moment of disorientation as he sat up to find himself in his sister’s room instead of his own, before his mind catches up with everything that had happened since he had left for the Salvatore boarding house the day before.

The fact he was waking up alone in Elena’s room with the sun already up hit him.

“Where’s-” he blinked at a concerned look on Jeremy’s face as he stood hoovering in the doorway, his mug in his hands. “Are you okay, Jeremy?”

He’d worry about Elena later, he knows she would understand putting Jeremy first.

Jeremy snorted but took the question as permission to enter and hand him the mug.

The tea is a little too pale for his taste but given both his siblings and aunt prefer coffee he’d take any attempt.

“You always do that, push yourself then worry over us instead of taking care of yourself.” he complained as he sat heavily on the bed, leaning against Elijah’s legs.

“One day I'll learn my lesson.” he joked, it failed to lift the frown from brother’s face, “what’s the time?” he sighed.

“Just after noon.”

“And no one woke me.”

“Why, you got a meeting?” Jeremey shot back, “the fact you slept this late clearly means you needed it.”

He bit back a comment about it being his health to worry about since that never worked, instead turned it back to Jeremy.

“So what’s bothering you enough to bring me tea?” he asked,

“Can’t I just be worried over my idiot brother?” his brother shot back with a speck of guilt that likely would have been missed if he was any else but his siblings.

“Not with tea you can’t.” he told him, with a reassuring smile, after several moment of silence he added ”So are you going to tell me what’s bothering you? and where’s Vicki th-” he started since she had mostly been at Jeremy’s side since he had woken up from the episode.

“Have you touched dad’s watch?” The unexpected question interrupted him.

“No, last I saw it you had it.” he had agreed with Elena at giving it to Jeremy over a pointless show at the Lockwood's, it was theirs and he wanted Jeremy to have it, Dad had always planned on passing it to Jeremy, Elijah had had enough talks about it trying to reassure dad he understood “Have you lost it?”

“No i-” Jeremy cut himself off with an angry look. “No i left it in my room.”

“Then who's been in your room?” he asked

“Vicki.” Jeremy sighed before adding more slightly hesitantly “and Aunt Jenna’s guy”

“The slimeball- er Logan right?” he corrected himself before adding with slightly more concern “Why was he in your room?”

That at least managed to put a smile on his brother’s face which Elijah would take as a win, even if he wasn’t sure why.

“He wasn’t. I don’t know,” Jeremy replied shrugging “I found him walking around up here last night. After he accidently walked into your room.” Jeremy explained, 

“My room?” he blinked, suddenly worried he would find it a mess.

“Luci left marks.” Jeremy smirked, Luci had gotten used to Aunt Jenna quickly compared to everyone else but there was a reason he had to stay in Elijah room when he wasn't home, he attacked everyone other than family otherwise and he only listened to Elijah.

Jeremy spoke again before Elijah could ask “I checked on him, he’s alright.” he might be a large beast happy to use teeth and claws but he was still a cat and he forgot that made him the smaller fighter. 

The smirk vanished when Jeremy suddenly asked 

“You don’t think Vicki would have taken it.”

“No.” he shook his head, he refused the thought they had known her since they were kids, she wouldn’t steal something that important from them and he’s sure her feelings for Jeremy were real.

Another part of him knew how desperate someone could get for a fix, but Vicki wasn’t that far gone, she still had other ways to get her supply.

Vicki still saw beyond the drugs, Elijah remembered getting to the point where all he cared about was his next fix, to escape the nightmares and the real world.

Remembered where that had ended.

That wasn’t Vicki.

But Logan Fell, a member of the foundering families, who had already been oddly interested in the watch.

Mrs Lockwood should have left it as soon as Elena apologised for not finding it but instead she had asked Elijah at the party itself, had called to follow up on it afterwards when there wasn’t a need for it. The founding Council had to know the watch belonged to the firstborn sons of the Gilbert family, it wouldn’t be a stretch for them to think he had kept it back.

And it was just poor luck that Jeremy’s room, both had the watch and didn’t have a fearsome beast protecting it.

Elijah frowned the watch coming to his mind clearly, why were they so persistent, he wondered if Zach knew but for all the Salvatore were a founding family, he remembered being there for it, Zach wasn’t part of the current council. 

Why?

Great, a mystery that didn’t involve him, he could solve it without the risk of facing existential dread.

---

He had managed to get down stairs without Jeremy hovering, after downing the lukewarm tea and released Luci and Kit to feed them smiling at their loud complaints a at being unjustly confined, Luci had apparently cleaned himself of any evidence of the suspected mauling.

He left them to feed, while he went through his dad’s phone book to find Zach’s mobile number something he hadn’t thought to get yesterday too excited by the chance of solving his- everything, of speaking to all out loud and being believed, they were right he had to admit he had pushed himself to far, but he hadn’t done it on purpose he had truly forgotten it, in the rush of being believed.

He found the number and quickly added it into his phone, under Brother- Zach, before calling he had something he needed to ask, another thing beside his health he had forgotten in the rush of being believed.

He wanted to keep the details of his life before EJ hidden, he didn’t didn’t really want the details of that life and what he had done as Elias, he wanted others to know even less.

----

Zach is ignoring his instincts screaming at him for leaving Damon unwatched since he had returned last night, Damon should have been enraged at them for locking him up to starve, for taking his ring and yet he had been polite for Damon, strangely so. It wasn’t until after he had left the night before that Zach had noticed they had a conversation with any threat in it at all.

It seemed Damon meant his word when he promised Elijah not to harm him, it was strange to think that he could be trusted at all when the only thing Zach had known of Damon is entire life was that he brought death and dread in his wake, but he had seen the photos the way Damon had looked at his brothers in the few of them, the way tiny Sickly Elijah leaned into him like he was the sun in them.

He’s not thinking about how things could have changed if Damon had visited in his childhood before EJ had been sent away, maybe he could have helped Elijah before he was locked away.

None of that mattered now, EJ killed himself to escape the hospital Zach had left him in and now somehow Elijah was remembered and didn’t hate him.

So he ignored his instincts to watch his vampiric ancestor and decided to also take part in the unspoken truce. 

Damon was Stefan’s issue to deal with, Zach was going to work on helping his own cousin-brother-former brother, EJ.

He paused slightly as his phone rang suddenly, taking in the unknown number before he answered, sending an apologetic look towards the people around him that had jumped at the sudden noise.

“Zach?” Came a hesitant voice.

“Elijah.” he answered and smothered the memory of the first time Elijah had called him from the hospital back when he was a child that still wondered when he could come home, before Elijah had re-made himself EJ, bright, carefree and confident.

“Where are you?” Elijah asked

“At the public library, i was checking some thing i noticed from one of you older- lives” he answered, confused, if Elijah was at the house Damon would have told him unless Elijah didn’t trust Damon which would make Zach slightly more comfortable, but he didn’t think that was true given the way the pair had looked at each other.

“What do you mean?”

“You mentioned Bulgarian, Irish and Italian immigrants,” he explained looking back at his notes “i’m looking to find any places many of them could be found matching the dates we worked out.”

“Found anything?”

“A few places.” he replied but it was only the basics he didn’t want to get Elijah hopes up until he was sure they led to anything, “Why did you call?

Elijah hesitated, Zach could almost hear him biting his lip, unlike the many times before the hesitation wasn’t accompanied by the sound of EJ fiddling with the patient uniform. No doubt because his current clothes are aren’t the cheap hospital clothes. He remembered Elijah’s joy at the oversized jumpers he used to give him on his last few birthdays and Christmases.

“EJ” he called softly with a sigh,

“Can you hide my life before EJ?” 

“Why?” he asked, talking over the lump in his throat, what was bad enough for him to ask that. He had read the earliest memories from the Elijah’s notes, unconnected massacres and bloodbath, yet the life before EJ he wanted to keep hidden Elijah’s own words ‘it was too much as a kid’ and ‘Tortured to death by a vampire with a grudge.’ said completely without the horror it should have had.

I don’t want to think about it and i don’t want anyone to read it and see-

“If we don’t then how can we see if it helps.” he hated saying the words, even more when he heard the angry hiss as Elijah let out his breath. He couldn’t deny he also wanted to know why the little boy that used to follow him around the house as a child was apparently doomed before he was born, as much as he was going to regret it he wanted to know if there truly was nothing he could have done.

There was also the fact that if the vampire that had tortured him to death knew his first life-

“Just you.” Elijah voice pulled him out of his thought before they could go too far “You deserve a right to it as it affected you- your life with a mentally unstable-

“Elijah. It wasn’t your fault.” he told him, cutting the boy off before blamed himself anymore.

Nothing he’d read so far could be blamed on Elijah, just circumstances pushing him, like the orderly in the hospital. Elijah was always going to be the little boy that reached for his hand and insisted in sharing his presents, who had mistaken Mason Lockwood for a girl when they were introduced during the few founding family Elijah had gone to. 

“Maybe you can say that after you read what i was like in that life. Sorry i-

“I’ll lock it away once I get back, so no one else can read it and no matter what I read, it won't be your fault, none of this is.” he explained and ignored how much the final words echoed the ones he once told a shocked traumatised pre-teen EJ, after he realised what he had done to the orderly.

 It hadn’t helped then either.

[spectacled-renegade-writes]

An Early Start - Chapter 9 - Danny Phantom

Ao3: Here | Masterpost: Here

Ao3 Description: The accident that turns Danny half-ghost happens when he is four years old and leaves him trapped in the Ghost Zone. Clockwork finds him and takes him in to raise. But what happens when Clockwork sends Danny back to the human-world ten years later when a permanent portal appears?

Chapter 9:

The kettle sat abandoned on the counter. Jack was fuming and Maddie was on the verge of tears. “How… how dare you,” she quivered. “Our son… our son is…”

Jack stood up. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Danny quickly made a grab for the paper and began to scribble. He shoved it at his father. Its contents made the color drain from Jack’s face.

“What?” Maddie asked. Danny looked back and forth between them. “What does it say?” Numbly, Jack handed her the paper.

I went downstairs when I wasn’t supposed to. I left my stuffed astronaut at the top of the stairs. I was hungry because Jazz woke up late that day and didn’t have time to make me lunch before she left for school.

Maddie paled too, she turned to face her son. “Danny?” She whispered. No one else could possibly know those things. Danny nodded. He didn’t get another moment to breathe before he was engulfed in her warm embrace. “My son!” She sobbed. “My baby boy!”

Danny relished the hug. It has been so long since he’s felt true, physical warmth. But it was short lived. “Maddie,” Jack said, pulling her away from him. “How can we know for sure? What if he’s a-“

“He’s not a ghost, Jack.” Maddie insisted. But she turned back to Danny and sighed. “However, you’re right. But, it’s not something a little DNA test can’t clear right up. Come on, Danny. We have the supplies in the lab.”

Maddie got to the very top of the stairs before stopping. “Or… you stay here and I’ll go get what we need.”

It took Danny a moment but he figured out what made her change her tune. He went back to the table to have a surface to write on. I’m not four anymore. I’ll be careful. We both will.

He could see the conflict in her face. When he looked over at his father he saw the same, as well as this long, haunted look too. Danny placed a hand on both of their arms and smiled. It seemed to reassure them. The three of them descended the stairs and made their way to the basement.

Despite being here the least in his early life, it is the place he has the most memory of. Still, it looked different. New equipment, objects shifted around, but the biggest difference of all, the giant hole in the wall home to the very portal Clockwork spoke of. Danny stared at it.

“Glorious, isn’t it?” Jack said, coming up behind him. “After you… well, it was a long time before we picked up that project again.” He looked down at Danny. “If you are who you say you are, I have so many questions!”

“Not now, Jack.” Maddie said. “Now here, both of you swab a q-tip in your mouths.” Danny took the item and stared down at it. It was a small piece of cotton attached to a long stick. That’s it? Maddie must’ve understood his expression because she said, “It’s as simple as that.”

It’s as simple as that. Danny did as he was told.

All three of them did the swab test. The only thing they had to do now was wait. Danny sat on a stool in the corner, his knee bobbing up and down. What was next? When they find out that he is indeed their son, a fact he knows they already subconsciously knew, then what? More emotional reunions? They’re scientists, would they want to run tests? Danny realized he really didn’t know what he was doing. As he sat in that chair, waiting for those results, it occurred to him that this mission might never have an end; will there not always be humans that need protecting from the malevolent ghosts that cross over to this realm? This is not a trip nor an adventure. This is his new life, and may very well be his new life forever. His new old life. His new old home. He thought that in all likelihood he would not be returning to Clockwork. A tear slipped down his face, then another. He didn’t want to cry, so he reached up and desperately wiped at his face with his sleeve, trying to hide himself at the same time.

The machine dinged. His parents looked at the results together. Danny looked at them. They looked at him. He could see the moment it clicked for them. The moment they realized their son was alive. “Where,” Maddie whispered. “Where have you been all this time?”

The next twenty minutes were emotional, heart-wrenching, difficult and in a way, healing. Just a little. At some point Danny’s piece of paper in his hand was replaced with a small notebook.

“Where have you been all this time?”

I don’t know. Lie.

“Why can’t you speak?”

I don’t know. Lie.

“Were you with anyone?”

I don’t know. Even more lies.

“What do you remember?”

This time when Danny teared up, they were tears of frustration. He didn’t want to be asked these questions. He knew they would be coming but that didn’t make them any less easier. He missed his tower. He missed the Ghost Zone.

I remember Jazz.

“Jazz,” Jack said, then sat up straighter. “Jazzypants! We need to get her!”

Maddie was already dialing her cell phone. “She drove to school today.” Danny watched as his mother paced back and forth with her phone raised to her ear. He didn’t know phones looked like that now. “Yes, hello? This is Maddie Fenton. Could you call my daughter, Jasmine, to the office and tell her to come home early? There is a family emergency and we need her here.” She paused as someone on the other line spoke. “Yes, home. She drove herself to school today.”

As Maddie hung up the phone, Danny could feel his nerves begin to crawl with anticipation. He remembered how much he missed his sister, the longing to see her again. She used to be the only person in the whole world he could count on. Danny had people in the Ghost Zone he could on now too but Jazz… Jazz was the only human he could still count on. At least, he hoped, after all this time later. Danny followed his parents back up the stairs and back into the kitchen. In the meantime, his mother began to make him a real lunch, commenting on how skinny he is. Danny, for his part, honestly couldn’t remember the last time he ate. He spent most of his time as a ghost and normal human things like eating and breathing were going to be a learning curve to remember to do again.

It wasn’t long before Jazz arrived home. Maddie had since finished the sandwich she made for Danny but Danny only really picked at it. He didn’t have much of an appetite and the anticipation of seeing his sister again clouded much of anything else. Danny sat up straight when he heard the front door open. Moments later he watched his sister, all grown up, just like him too he supposed, run into the kitchen and frantically ask, “What's going on? What’s the emergency?” But the moment the words left her mouth her eyes found Danny and she froze. A hand reached to cover her mouth. Unlike his parents, who had no idea who he was, Jazz recognized him instantly. The very moment her eyes fell onto his, she knew exactly who he was. She whispered, “It’s not possible.”

Danny felt his legs moving without him thinking and he stood up, crossed the kitchen halfway, but stilled a few feet away from her, skin crawling with nerves. In that moment the memories from his early life, which became muddled and foggy over the years, became crystal clear in that very instant. He remembered how she woke him up every morning and read him to sleep at night. How she set out his clothes and prepared every meal for him. The way she’d hug him when he was upset, or the games they played in the backyard. He reached up, held out a hand, and quietly retracted it. Could he hug her? Would she let him? Jazz crossed the threshold and scooped him up in the tightest, most loving hug Danny could remember. She still smelled the same, after all this time. Like vanilla and coconut. Like home. Jazz began to cry and so did Danny. His sobs were small, quiet. Hers were loud, uncontrollable, and wracked her body. She cried so hard she couldn’t even speak, so she didn’t. It was a moment that for Danny, was a long time coming but for Jazz, a moment she never thought she’d have.

Danny didn’t know how long they stood there for but he didn’t care. Reuniting with his sister made coming back to the human world completely worth it. But, no moment lasts forever, and when Jazz calmed down enough to speak, she let go of him. “Let me look at you,” she said, placing her hands on his face and turning his head side to side. “You look healthy, if not a little too skinny, and a little short for your age.” Danny wondered if he should be offended by that. He realized he wasn’t. “All this time I thought you were… where were you?”

Where was he? For some reason Jazz asking this question didn't bug him the way it did when his parents asked it.

“Jazz,” Maddie said gently. “Danny he... he can’t speak.”

Jazz looked back down to her baby brother but Danny left her grasp to grab that little notebook. I missed you too, Jazz. He wrote. He watched her face as she read it. He could see the way she teared up again, the confusion and grief in her eyes.

“Who hurt you?” She demanded.

Danny shook his head. No one. I just can’t. He could see the cogs reeling in her mind. The conflict she wore.

“I have so many questions,” Jazz said. Danny steeled himself. “But, you just came home. I’m sure you don’t want that right now. Let me… let’s go to your room. It needs to be dusted and aired out, and your bed needs fresh sheets, but besides that it’s exactly the same.” Danny relaxed, and left his parents behind as he followed his sister up the stairs.

Silence fell between the two of them as they walked, something unspoken in the air. They reached the second floor and Danny looked around as they went. Everything, all of it, it all felt so familiar. He found it odd in so many ways. It was all so uncanny. They made it to the end of the hall, to his room. As Jazz reached for the doorknob, Danny saw the layer of dust on top of it and wondered how long it’s been left abandoned for. He noticed the pink, chipped nail polish on her fingers. He remembered when each nail used to be painted a different color. Jazz opened the door, stepped inside, and turned on the light before moving aside for Danny. Danny walked in, too. The room, much like the rest of his home, felt smaller than he remembered. But, it still looked exactly the same.

Sat against one wall was the twin bed he used to sleep in and next to it, the nightstand with his old rocket ship lamp. Next to the door stood his old dresser and across the room, his closet with the empty desk next to it. The entire room smelled of dust and mildew but besides the layer of dust covering everything, it was impeccably clean. “After you… disappeared, I spent a lot of time in here.” Jazz said. “I was still in denial, still thought you’d come home any day, so I cleaned it every day, and made sure it was spotless. Until one day…”

Danny reached forward and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze and smiling when she looked back at him. She managed to smile back. “I added those, too.” She said, pointing toward the ceiling. “You always loved the stars so I thought, well, maybe they’d guide you back.” On the ceiling were little plastic glow-in-the-dark stars that covered the entire surface. Danny was sure they no longer worked but seeing them up there, it made him smile.

He pulled out his notebook and wrote: I still love the stars.

Jazz couldn’t help but pull her brother in for another hug. It would take a while to accept the fact that he was here, he was back… he was alive.

-

The siblings spent the afternoon cleaning. Jazz tossed open the curtains and threw open the windows to let in the fresh air. Danny wiped down the dusty surfaces while she vacuumed, then changed the bed sheets and threw the old ones in the wash. After the room was clean, and smelling fresh, the two of them sat on the floor and went through all his old clothes. Obviously none of them fit him anymore but they still went through each garment anyway, reminiscing on memories. “I remember this cape!” Jazz said, holding up a little blue cape from a Halloween costume. “You didn’t take this thing off for three months! You thought it gave you superpowers and who was I to stand in your way?” Yeah… superpowers. Danny watched as Jazz carefully folded it but rather than put it in the donation bag with the rest of the clothes, she set it aside to be put away. She looked back at him and sized him up. “Do you have any other clothes besides the ones you’re wearing?”

Danny looked down at his outfit. He wondered if Jazz too thought they looked tattered, she probably did. He shook his head.

“Well, that will not stand,” she said. She stood up and held out her hand to help Danny up, too. “Let’s go donate these clothes then we can go to the mall to get you some new ones.”

Danny accepted the offered hand and stood up. Before they left, Jazz told their parents where they were going.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Maddie asked.

Jazz and Danny glanced at each other then Jazz said, “Uh, we’re fine, mom. We’re taking my car and you know how small it is.”

Despite not taking the hint, Maddie accepted this answer anyway. “Okay, well, be safe.”

“We will.” Jazz promised. Jazz took Danny's hand and led him outside, a little more forcefully than he expected. He didn’t notice it at first, but now Danny could see the way Jazz tensed up every time she talked to their parents. He decided to file it for later.

The town was the one thing Danny did not really recognize. He hadn’t left the house much as a child so his whole world was the house he lived in, and the backyard attached. He stuck his hand out the window as Jazz drove, and couldn’t help but stare at the sky. It was still so surreal, so beautiful, he couldn't wait to see the stars. It wasn’t long before Jazz pulled in to a parking lot of a secondhand thrift store. “Wait here,” she said. “I’ll just be a second.” Danny nodded and watched her exit the vehicle. He took the time to examine his surroundings.

The town felt small, tiny even, compared to the wide open expanse of the Ghost Zone. He thought of it not as a town, but instead as one of the smaller lairs the Ghost Zone had to offer. Logically, he was aware this place was bigger, but it all still felt very closed in. He looked ahead through the windshield, through the window of the store, and watched Jazz speak to an employee inside the shop. They were having some sort of conversation as the employee accepted the bag of clothes from Jazz. In line behind her, Danny saw two other people who also seemed to be dropping off. Some guy with a red hat and glasses, and an angry looking girl in all black holding a mesh sack entirely full of pink clothes, they seemed to be in a heated discussion. Danny’s eyes moved on.

Just like the store, the parking lot was mostly empty. Most of the buildings surrounding the thrift shop had a for sale sign in the window, save for one store at the end, which was some kind of store for hunting equipment. Jazz finally exited the shop.

“Now that that’s taken care of,” she said as she buckled her seatbelt. “Let’s go shopping.”

-

Danny decided he did not like the mall. It was too crowded and closed in, and the whole experience was very uncomfortable. But Jazz seemed eager, so he persevered.

“Where did you get your clothes before?” Jazz asked, then paused, and seemed to revaluate her question. “Or… when was the last time you got new clothes at all?”

Danny looked down at himself. He still didn’t see what was wrong with what he was wearing but he was starting to understand. The clothes the people wore around him seemed new, pristine… taken care of. The clothes Danny wore were lost items he found in the Ghost Zone. Well, save for what he wore in Ghost Form. When he realized early on that the clothes he wore as a ghost changed from the clothes he wore as a human, he put little effort in fixing that fact. When he was a ghost, he styled his clothes much similar to Clockwork, stolen articles from his stash with a large hood and a pocket watch. Danny didn’t know how to answer Jazz’s question so he shrugged. This answer seemed to upset her and he didn’t quite understand why.

“Well,” she said. “You get new clothes now. Come on, you can pick out whatever you like.”

Danny took her extended hand and let her drag him along.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ao3 Notes: The siblings finally got to reunite! The poor boy thought the next time he'd see her was upon her death, not fully alive and certainly not back in the human world. As always, thank you so much for reading and have a spectacular day/night!

[askhighpriestred]

Welcome to the new and improved blog of Ask High Priest Red! This is an ask blog featuring the cast of my Pokémon fanfics, Hunter, Haunted and its sequel, The Bringer. Note that there are major spoilers for the first story. If you’d like to read the fic before engaging with this blog, you can find the story here: https://forums.thousandroads.net/threads/hunter-haunted.371/

Be aware that this blog will include content with violence (including against women and minors), gore and cannibalism. Visual material should, at its worst, be 16+. There will be no explicit sexual content.

With that out of the way, let’s meet the characters! From right to left in the image, they are:

Red: Eighteen-year-old high school dropout neck deep in the cult of Helixism. Has sacrificed eight women to HELIX by now. Believes the world is divided into mareep and houndoom, and that he is among the latter. Suffered through the Twitch six years ago, but doesn’t consider that relevant anymore. Currently searching for candidates to be the Bringer, who is the one HELIX will promote to godhood in order to bring back the Helixian Kingdom.

Helix (in Red’s arms): A vessel to part of HELIX’s spirit, yet unaware of the true nature of that god. Happy-go-lucky child who loves his adoptive fathers Red and the nidoking Fonz. Has been resurrected twice.

Michi: A twelve-year-old orphan with aura sensitivity and a pocket knife. Friend of Joanna. Red killed her once, but somehow, she’s returned. Loves exploring the outdoors and hanging out with her ghost friends.

Samson: A thirty-something Arcean priest with a big heart. Has a wife and two children, one of which is an adopted houndoom son. Unaware of Red’s crimes, viewing him as just a kid with depression and anger issues. Ghosts’ rights activist.

Andre: A 23-year-old aura-sensitive Galarish painter from a rich family. Sociable, charming, well-read. Unbeknownst to all but Red, he is also a vigilante who seduces abusers in order to murder them. Red’s number one candidate for Bringerhood, even if Andre thinks the whole Helixism thing is nonsense.

Kohath: The first Helixian king, roughly forty years old, displaced in time by 4,000 years. This slave-turned-warlord’s likes are HELIX, violence, a nice meaty stew, sex with the bros and his dear Aavan houndoom Tsayedet. He is surprised by his sudden ability to understand and speak Tohjoan, but dealing with HELIX has exposed him to wilder things. Admired greatly by Red.

Joanna: A 21-year-old college student - or she was one before her death at Red’s hand. She reincarnated as a yamask, prompting Red to come after her once again. After managing to torment Red for an extended amount of time, she was sadly killed by an exorcism performed by Samson, who was unaware of the situation. She is, however, now back for a second time.

The Beast: A monstrous manifestation of Red’s aggression and bloodlust. While he is quite dim, he is no less dangerous. Loves killing things, eating flesh and belly rubs. Listens to none but HELIX.

HELIX (not pictured): A primordial god. Cold and calculative. HIS goal is to use the body of his Bringer to claim ownership of reality. Currently lives in a fossil hidden away Red’s basement.

That’s all of them! For now, anyway. More characters may appear if some posts call for it.

I will most likely make an ask suggestion post at some point, in which case I will link to it from this post. You are, however, free to ask questions already! I will try to get to them in a timely manner.

Thanks,

Canis

[glacierruler]

Beginning Card and Page 1

Rules and Information

This game is NOT created by me, I am just playing a game I own with all of you! It's made by Prospero Hall based on the book by R. A. Montgomery

Content Warnings as of now for this game: Violence, weapons, injuries, death, monsters. This game might trigger those of you who deal with unreality.

Taglist: @greymillieattheball

Your Psychic Scale is at 1. Your Danger level is at 3.

You start with a bottle of water (Discard to reduce danger level by up to 3, minimum of 3 danger level) and a pocketknife (+1 to fighting)

Chapter One: The Grounds

It's a Tuesday morning in late June, and you wake up in a cold sweat. The nightmares came again last night. Even though you are an aspiring detective and psychic investigator, you haven't been able to make sense of the haunting dreams you've had these past few weeks. In your dreams you keep seeing the same spooky house. You're still shivering under the covers when you hear the phone ring downstairs in your basement, where you have your combination office and research laboratory. you dash down to the lab to answer it.

"I need... I need...," a weak voice says when you pick up the receiver. "I need your hel-l-l-lp." You hear a loud click and the line goes dead.

But you were prepared: while the caller was talking, you activated your high-speed telephone tracking device. It instantly displays the caller's number: 555-7259.

You call back the number right away, but there's no answer. After consulting the tall stack of reverse phone books behind your desk, you are disappointed to learn the number is unlisted.

You sense that the phone call is somehow related to your nightmares.

Later, while at the Hedge Brook Police Station to return a night scope you borrowed for a recent stakeout, you describe the mysterious phone call and your recurring dreams to your friend, Sergeant Morrison.

"That call does sound strange," he says. "We'll look into it."

"And about that house in your dreams," a voice says from the hallway. "I wonder if you're dreaming about the Marsden house out on Hedge Brook Road." Detective Murphy sticks his mustached face in the room.

"Modern house, ornate gate... That sounds like the Marsden place, all right," says Sergeant Morrison. "Strange things are reported to happen out there."

Detective Murphy takes a puff on his pipe. "That place is haunted," he says. "I know it sounds unprofessional, but I've had a file on the Marsden house for years, and I'm sure of it." He waves a folder in front of your eyes, and a phone number written on the front jumps out at you. It matches the one from your mysterious phone call.

So the call is related to your night-mares - your psychic sense was right!

Draw Clue 26: It reads: Chapter 1 Goal: Get Inside The Marsden House.

Back at home, you grab a bottle of water and a pocketknife, preparing for a new investigation. Half an hour later, you stand before the Marsden residence, which appears exactly as it did in your nightmares. The house's futuristic look is a strange contrast to the antiquated appearance of the stone wall and the wrought iron gate, which is locked shut and wrapped in steel chains.

Even though the air is balmy, a chill travels down your spine. The gathering clouds on the horizon hint at a brewing summer thunderstorm.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you search the wall for a way in?

Do you climb the gate to get in?

Vote for your choice in the kofi poll

[lukasgivergalaxy]

Certainly! Here’s the game concept in English:

### **Story:**

- **Introduction:**

- The game begins with scenes showing the everyday life of the two children. They are happy, but then tragedy strikes: the girl is crushed by a plane on the beach, and the boy is hit by a bus. These scenes are presented in a striking manner, focusing on the emotional impact and the shock of these moments.

- **Awakening in Purgatory:**

- The children wake up confused in a toy house inside a large, terrifying mansion. They realize they are not in their world and discover that the house is inhabited by demons that patrol the dark areas.

### **Gameplay Mechanics:**

- **Exploration:**

- Players must explore the toy house and eventually the haunted mansion to collect tools. The mansion has different rooms, each with its own environment and challenges, such as rooms that transform, illusions, or areas where time flows differently.

- **Stealth and Spirit Form:**

- To avoid demons, the children can temporarily become spirits, allowing them to pass through walls and doors. However, while in spirit form, they must move silently and avoid making noise, as demons may detect and capture or destroy them.

- **Puzzles and Crosswords:**

- Each level of the game includes a challenge or puzzle that must be solved to advance. The final crossword is a key element, composed of words found throughout their adventure, connecting them with clues about their death and the nature of purgatory.

### **Character Development:**

- **Relationship Between the Children:**

- As they progress, the children develop a deeper relationship. They start as strangers but, throughout the game, they support each other and share their fears, memories, and hopes.

### **Environments and Levels:**

- **The Haunted Mansion:**

- The mansion has multiple levels, each with its own theme and dangers. Some levels could include:

- **The Dark Basement:** Filled with shadows and echoes of lamentations, where demons are more active.

- **The Forgotten Garden:** A place shrouded in fog where the plants are alive and twisted.

- **The Toy Room:** Filled with broken toys and dolls that seem to move when not observed.

- **The Spiritual Lake:**

- The final level is a mystical lake within the mansion. Here, the children must complete the final crossword under the pressure of a large guardian demon’s presence. This is the climax of the game.

### **Ending:**

- **Escape or Redemption:**

- If they complete the crossword correctly, the children return to their lives. However, they are now aware that they were in purgatory, which profoundly marks them. The ending could leave room for reflection on life, death, and destiny.

This outline can serve as a foundation. If you’d like, we can delve deeper into any part, or add more details about characters, settings, or gameplay mechanics. What do you think?Certainly! Here’s the concept in English:

### **Reactive Audio Mechanics:**

- **Microphone Interaction:**

- The game uses the player's microphone to listen to real-world sounds. When the player speaks or there is noise around, these sounds trigger events in the game, such as whispering voices, knocks, or moving objects in the kitchen or other parts of the house.

- **Demon Response:**

- Demons within the game become more aggressive or move closer when they detect noise. This forces the player to play in silence or employ strategies to avoid making noise in their real environment.

### **Random Events:**

- **Paranormal Activity in the Kitchen:**

- At key moments, sounds or voices generated by the player can trigger events like flickering lights, falling knives, or the brief appearance of shadows in the kitchen. This not only heightens the tension but also makes the player feel vulnerable and watched at all times.

### **Gameplay Effects:**

- **Difficulty Adjustment:**

- If the player talks too much or makes excessive noise, the game could increase in difficulty, with more demons patrolling or puzzles becoming more complex. This reactive audio component could be crucial for enhancing immersion and fear.

This feature makes the experience unique and much more terrifying, as the player has to be aware of their surroundings both in the game and in real life. Would you like to explore this idea further or add any other elements?Certainly! Here’s the concept in English:

### **Shelter Mechanics:**

- **Returning to the Toy House:**

- When players hear disturbing noises, such as voices or knocks coming from the kitchen (or any other part of the haunted house), they must quickly return to the toy house. This toy house acts as a temporary refuge where demons cannot enter.

- **Closing the Doors:**

- Once inside the toy house, players must manually close the doors. This not only keeps them safe but also gives them time to plan their next move. Closing the doors is not automatic, adding tension, especially if demons are nearby.

### **Risk and Reward:**

- **Waiting Time:**

- After closing the doors, players need to wait to ensure that the demons have passed by. However, staying in the toy house for too long could have consequences, such as objects disappearing from the main house or demons becoming more perceptive.

- **Quick Decision-Making:**

- If players take too long to return to the refuge when they hear noises, demons might find them outside the toy house, which could result in losing progress or even a "game over." This mechanic creates constant tension, forcing players to evaluate when it is safe to continue exploring and when it is better to seek refuge.

### **Paranormal Events:**

- **Changes in the Toy House:**

- As the game progresses, the toy house might change, reflecting the influence of the demons. For example, players might notice walls cracking, lights flickering, or strange objects appearing within the refuge.

This combination of strategic and horror elements ensures that players are always on edge, with the constant feeling that danger is lurking. What do you think of this development? Is there any other aspect you’d like to explore or add?

[haveyoureadthispoll]

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. Margaret is not most people. Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

[etrangersvoyageant]

Rewire, day 1

I went back to Rewire festival again. Read more after the drop. Also, because I had no time to post about Bandcamp Friday yesterday, all links refer to the artists’ albums I’d recommend.

The evening started early with a queue. The festival is sold out, so you might as well come early, right? After zoning in and out before getting my wristband, I headed to Carl Gari & Abdullah Miniawy. This collaboration is 10 years old now and it’s their second appearance at the festival.

There’s no change in the set-up. The guys of Carl Gari are a little in the back while Miniaway stands center stage with 2 microphones. One to sing into and the other to occasionally plays his trumpet. The music is dark, at times brooding, Miniaway sings, chants and works the crowd. A good example of the latter is he final track where he makes them shout along, creating an atmosphere of disciplinary order. So, a solid set to start with.

I’m in no rush, so I wait for those guys to show their faces in the lobby. In the meantime, I grab a couple of songs of Julia Holter. First, I chat with one of the Jonas’s, then later with Abdullah. I had spoken him and the Gari guys at the festival 2 years ago. Anyway, we catch up a bit and talk about the performance – I tell Abdullah there wasn’t enough trumpet, he laughs and agrees, explaining it was their first gig of the year and they had to get reacquainted – among other things.

Next, I take a 10-minute walk to get to Mizu. She’s a cellist whose album Distant Intervals surprised me last year. And live she doesn’t disappoint either. Next to playing the cello, the performance is enriched with interpretative dance and light. Especially the second appears to really sets the mood. When the room turns green, thunder is heard, followed by dark blue to accompany rain. White and yellow light are for rebirth and Mizu rises back to her feet as the room turns red and an array of beats crash down. All in all, it was an amazing performance, making Friday a success.

After her performance, I took a breather and got the chance to have a chat with her. We talked about her work and some life things (like the importance of change and being able to adapt). Absolute lovely person. Finally, I wished her a safe trip back home and headed outside again.

Aisha Devi was next on the list, but it was still early. So instead, I checked out Tadleeh for a bit. I mostly witnessed her building up her soundscape… Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay longer, because I really wanted to see Devi.

Like Gari & Miniaway, Devi is also a returning performer. The first time was epic, as she tore up the basement of a techno haunt. This time she got a bigger venue. Flanked by waving flags (courtesy of multiple fans), Devi played last year’s Death Is Home album plus some oldies I think. It was amazing, it was loud and it was danceable. Devi is a conjuror of sonic spirits, perhaps even an exorcist, as she swayed behind her laptop, setting the crowd in motion. Often she left the table and went to the edge of the stage to sing or say something. Maybe (read: it’s clear) I was too close to the speakers, but I missed out on most of her words. Some of the howls did pull through, if only because I could imagine them joining the beats.

After, I wandered a bit. 33EMBW’s room was full and I think the same went for Maxime Denuc (people were standing outside). I doubted too long and only caught a snippet of Anni Nöps & Casimir Geelhoed, who had turned their room into pandemonium by the sound of it. So, I called it a night.

[backintheblackparade]

I love Charmed (1998) as a cosmic horror story.

You are a powerful witch destined for Good. You are descended from the one Actual Witch killed by the Salem Witch Trials. You live in a house, an ancestral home of a century or so, where her descendants eventually fled to escape persecution. It sits on a powerful Nexus of magic power, which hides from plain sight in the basement. It draws evil like moths to a flame. These evils have haunted you, literally, since your earliest childhood memories. They can appear suddenly in your home at all hours, on any day, and attempt to slaughter you all without warning.

You have a book. It is written by the hands that came before you. Written in their blood, in their sufferings, in their death. Tips and tricks, potions and spells, marking out methods to defeat each of the almost innumerable horrors that stalk you and yours. For they cannot be truly killed. Only banished, for months or decades, before they come again. Come again to invade your home and take your power. To eliminate you to the last.

This book is considered the greatest of its kind in the world. Witches of other lines covet it. But do they know what it cost? The suffering that begets its necessity? This book is magical, and it’s essence it tied inextricably to yours: if it is stolen, corrupted, so are you. It is also tied to the house. It cannot be taken from the premises by any means not by your hands. You can sense if it’s gone. It is part of you, your blood, and your line. Just as the house is. Just as the Nexus you defend is.

It is your family’s duty to protect them from falling into the wrong hands. You stay. Generation after generation stay, write new entries in the book, and raise their families inside the walls of The Manor. The power of the Nexus seeps into their blood, your blood, each generation gaining more and more power. Power to face the evils that come to take it. They come with poison and knives, crossbows and fire, all intent on murdering a suburban San Francisco family in their home. They invade, plot, scheme, work their evil magics on your bodies and minds. You fight and fight and fight for your lives. You live and you learn. You die and you learn. You suffer and you learn. But in the end, you are powerless against them. They are too numerous, hour after hour, day after day, year after year, decade after decade.

The evils came, and they killed your ancestors. But they did not get what they came for, so they tried again. And again. They killed your mother. They killed your grandmother. They killed your sister. They killed your memories, your childhood, your friends, your lovers, your guardian angels, your spouse, your children. They killed you. Over and over. But they do not win what they seek. At least not permanently. So each time, the power of the Nexus, steeped in blood and in your blood in return, drags you back. It bends the laws of dimension and time, forcing you through endless sufferings only you and yours remember, and it brings you right back to where you started: living in your ancestral home, fighting for the power, set in place as sentinels to shield it from Evil.

Sometimes, one or more of you will move out, try to make a life away from magic, the book, The Manor, and the Nexus beneath it. Sometimes, a child of your line is given up for adoption the day they are born. Sometimes, your memories of magic are erased and you scatter to the winds to live mundane lives. Sometimes, you move across the world to be with the one you love. It never works. None of it ever sticks. You always return. Like moths to a flame. Drawn in by death, the collapse of a relationship, by attacks or spells or magic gone awry or signs that appear to be from the very Universe Itself. Every Warren Witch ends up returned to sender. Always, a Halliwell must remain in the Manor. So you stay, and you protect it. (The House always wins.)

There is a Final Battle. Everyone you love is dead. You are dead. The house lies in ruins. Until it doesn’t. And everything returns to the way it was. You think it is over. That Good has won, once and for all. That the Evil has been defeated, the Nexus destroyed. But your children have power. The Nexus is in their blood. So the Evil will come. Like moths to a flame. And someday, you, and they, will die. Your unending string of death and resurrection will cease. You become another generation sacrificed to feed the great beast that waits below. And another generation destined for Good will in turn rise to protect it. And someday they too will die. But the line, book, the house, and the power will continue. And so too will the sacrifice.

That is the story of Charmed.

[yuzuyuzz]

[A Thread about Koryuu Kagemitsu & Tsuyuri Hiiragi]

I haven't introduced my oc /yumeoc yet, she's Tsuyuri Hiiragi (It's written with Kanji "五月七日" - 7th May and Holy/Holy Osmanthus "柊") , She known as RIN (her previous nickname as assasin in Hojo Ujinao troops) and Nagao Akinaga Adopted Daughter. (I will tell you later why she become her adopted by Nagao)

Tsuyuri isn't a ordinary Tsukumogami, yes, she's Touken Jooshi (beside i want to make a something different from Saniwa oc). She's Uchigatana with 60 nagamasa, she has a brooch which drawn her Kamon (symbol) on there.

Both of Tsuyuri and Koryuu never has a special relationship nor connected in their past life as Sword. Their bond appears after Koryuu chooses to be An Emergency Squad Rescued to Edo-Shirokanedai which Tsuyuri located.

Tsuyuri got abducted by Jikanshoukogun and become their Experimental Object, Jikanshoukogun carried out various tortures and even made her a means of satisfying their lust in a hidden basecamp which Seifu or Honmaru had not found its location until now.

Tsuyuri escape from their basement thanks to an accidentally experiment they did back then, after the base camp was exploded, Tsuyuri run away with Jikanshoukogun Portal Dimension.

Tsuyuri escape with Jikanshoukogun portal Dimension tools, she steal it and also take back her time travel clock. She wondering around in every timeline to escape from Jikanshoukogun which is start to haunting her until 1 year.

Tsuyu and Koryuu start to grow their bonds when Koryuu find out Tsuyuri in Shirokanedai. At first time, Koryuu thinking it's just an ordinary mission, he carries an obligation to rescues Tsuyu nothing else.

But it's seems Koryuu's Feeling change after he meet Tsuyuri in Shirokanedai

When he found out a young girl with skinny body, covered by bandage and muds and there's a lot of Bloodstaines in her clothes, also a chain which still the chains still shackled to her feet, Koryuu was overcome with horror, there was a feeling of tightness in his chest , the horror turned into sadness when Tsuyuri responded to Koryuu's hand and touched it

Koryuu's expression changed, the atmosphere around him changed as well. and this change is known by Namazuo Toushiro. their rescue mission does not go smoothly because the Jikanshoukogun blocks them from taking Tsuyuri. Of course the Toudans didn't stay silent, even though it was a bit of a hassle for them to destroy the Jikanshoukogun at the last point in Shirokanedai.

The rescue team finally returned to Honmaru and completed their mission. after this, the beginning of Koryuu and Tsuyuri's relationship will grow. not only Koryuu, but also to the other Touken Danshi and Saniwa

Note : you could say that Tsuyuri and Koryuu's relationship has the dynamics of the Moon and the Sun. but there are times when they become the Tsundere and Dere-dere.

So far, Tsuyuri has experienced a change in attitude since being shackled by Jikanshoukogun, even so her true nature is starting to return little by little even though there is a side of Tsundere growing inside of her

-Fin-

[freckleslikestars]

For the asks: 9, 12, and 16! :DDDD

9. Do you believe in ghosts? This isn’t about writing I just wanna know

Okay this is a really loaded question because I was raised by two people who both believed in ghosts but in very different ways, which I don't really wanna go into for reasons^tm and so I grew up being like 'uh ghosts don't exist that's so fucking stupid hashtag science.' but the house I grew up in was haunted - like footsteps across the landing, things going missing and then being returned, shadows moving and stuff. And, sure, fine, as an adult I kinda just brushed that off as my young mind dealing with a not-great household and living situation. And then I started working in my current workplace.

hoo boy.

So, I work in a basement of a building that was built in 1865 and is definitely haunted. Like, we all see the people wandering about down there when there are no customers in. There's a little white terrier that runs in front of the bar. There's a young lady who likes to say our names. And like...most of the ghosts are friendly - they turn lights off for us when we forget, they keep us company, they're all right. But there are three times when things haven't felt right, and I'll list them chronologically.

the first time was when my manager was working in the office cashing up on his own. He'd locked the doors and windows, there was definitely nobody in there, and when he was just about done, the lights all flicked off and a young girls voice screamed 'help me, please, stop them.' I've seen the CCTV footage of him sitting calmly, then all of a sudden the lights going out and him bolting out of there.

The second time was over the first lockdown. Nobody had been in in a week, and my manager gets a call from the security company saying all the motion alarms had been triggered, and someone needed to go check. So he goes in and nothings been touched. The doors are all locked, the lights are all off. So he goes into the office and rewinds the CCTV and in the bottom corner of each camera screen a green dot appears when there's motion in frame, and you can track, from the front door, all the way to the office, the motion alarms triggering, one by one, at the speed of someone casually walking through, but nothing moves on the screen. It's fucking spooky.

the third time was about a month or so ago. We're closing down, and it's just my manager, myself and the other bartender, and we're on the second to last batch of glasses in the washer when my manager and I both see something move down the back corridor. Now, I made sure the door was locked when I let the last customer out, but we have to check because we can hardly have people wandering around. So my manager goes out to check. And we're being jovial and joking until he comes sprinting back and with the most nonchalant expression is just like 'uhhhh so I'm not going back in there, but there's a guy sat in the armchair in the far corner of the dance room' and like he looks pale and spooked and we kinda laugh it off, but also if there really is a guy we have to get him out for obvious reasons. So we decide to go through, all of us together. And yeah, he's right, over in the far corner, in the shadow, is a guy sat in the armchair. And the room feels oppressive and heavy but I'm like...no it's just a trick of the light. I made it half way across the room before the temperature dropped so much that I could see my breath, and I had sudden, shooting chestpains. At which point I turned on my heels and dragged the other two out. That was when we called my dad and stood outside waiting for him to pick us up rather than waiting inside in the warm.

So, long story short...yeah i believe in ghosts.

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules.

Never having writer's block

always being able to think of and spell the word that's just on the tip of my tongue

always being able to come up with a good title and a quick, pithy summary.

16. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

I don't use actual bookmarks, so I guess everything I use is a little weird. Also, in unimportant books (read: books that haven't cost me a fortune and aren't special editions) and books that are mine and not borrowed, I tend to dogear because I lose bookmarks constantly (hello adhd) like...I'll put a bookmark down whilst I'm reading and then forget where I put it and have to find something else to use. It's really bad. ummm...I use playing cards a lot. old photos. receipts. bus tickets used to be a common one. scraps of fabric. I once used the flattened box of a toothpaste tube. teabag wrapper. I used a condom as a bookmark once (still in it's foil). pocketbook of matches. Okay actually some of those are quite weird, yeah.