#please let travis be a werewolf

[kitzuukts]

a round of MCD headcanons for my eventual rewrite project:

Laurance never regains his sight. His face is mauled with void burns from Ungrth tearing the boundary of the Nether and the Overworld. In fact, he can only see when in shadow knight form :)

Garroth x Laurance x Aphmau frfr

Werewolves actually don't exist. They are replaced with Lu'pines, the wolffolk, who cannot turn people and morph between a teue wolf and wolf-ish human (think mystreet werewolves, leona, etc).

I lied. There are werewolves. But they are not the lu'pine. They were led by the Ultima, a cursed man, but were all slaughtered by decree of the High Priest of O'khasis.

Only two survived. The red-eyed ultima and a lu'pine-werewolf who follows him whispering that their cause is just and that they are the perfect lifeform and the ultima should turn or slaughter everyone in their path. The ultima is not pleased.

Witches and warlocks are not a weird seperate species of people. It's a profession, some have immense talent, but it's not a birthright.

Aphmau, Garroth, Lucinda, Laurance, Travis, and Aaron are reincarnations of Irene, Esmund, Menphia, Kul'zak, Enki, and Shad. Aphmau is NOT Irene.

The Irene Dimension is actually limbo. That constant chiming is actually to keep those inside from losing themselves in the nothingness.

Aphamu's total love interests are Garroth, Laurance, Zoey, and Aaron. No one else.

Garroth and Laurance treat Dante like a son. He's only a couple years younger than the two and HATES this.

The process of becoming a shadow knight is essentially being maimed, killed, and injected with shadow knight blood. Once ressurected, the knight is essentially undead, bloodlusted, drawn to the Nether and Void, and briefly physically weak. During that period of weakness, initiates are often abused and beaten in any way the others see fit to "break them in."

Zenix and Vylad were taken prisoner by the shadow knights to transform. They were frnding off the knights to save a small village and let them escape. Vylad sacrificed himself as a chance for Zenix to get away, and he ended up tripping and getting captured anyway.

It tooks years for Katelyn to get over Jeffery's death. She went into the Irene dimension to protect Abby and was horrified to learn that Abby had to geow up without her. It haunts her to this day.

Hyria knew the moment Lucinda was born that she was Menphia's reincarnation. She taught Lucinda magic against her father's wishes because of this.

Laurance is a meif'wa. It's funny.

Laurance can speak wyvern. After Ungrth's passing, he speaks with Raven for a long time about the event. Raven joins the trio's cuddle pile that night.

Zoey loved Aphmau. Aphmau might have loved Zoey, too. But after she was trapped in the Irene dimension for so long, Zoey realized that her love had not only weakened her but was futile, she had maybe three years left to live. She gave up, dying of a broken heart a mere year after Aphmau returned.

One day is eight in the Nether. One day in the Irene dimension is one year in the Overworld.

Levin and Malachi are about ten at the beginning of season one, and around 14-15 at the end of it. The gang is trapped for 7 years this time.

The gang trapped is Aphmau, Garroth, Laurance, Zane, Katelyn, Travis, Lucinda

Zane might have actually loved Kiki if he stayed long enough. They had sex, it wasn't a weird pendant that made Kiki pregnant :/

Alina is Aphmau and Garroth's daughter. Lillith Garnet is hers and Laurance's. It shatters Shad Aaron that Irene Aphmau chose them over him. He succumbs to the latent destruction of his nature.

The Divine Warrior's poweful magical prowess has also cursed each of them. Shad became a werewolf, the Ultima. Irene would always lose her emotions, in each lifetime she lived. Esmund would be last to die, alone and hated, unable to keep his family safe. Enki would lose his sanity to the demon Micheal he had sealed away in his mind. Menphia would suffer the same curse as Shad for defending him, as the first vampire. Kul'zak would be blinded to the knowledge he thirsted for, each and every time.

In modern MyStreet, "werewolf" is synonymous with lu'pine. The Ultima is a myth. Something of note is that there are also rumors that a Maxima meif'wa would exist, with eyes of silver-blue.

Sasha claims shadow knights don't feel, but she lies. She still loves Kenmur. She still looks up to Candenza. She still sees Laurance as a goofy older brother. She pretends she doesn't.

Gene did do all those horrible things. He probably kissed Laurance at some point too.

Much more species diversity, lore and overall explaining. Currently, we've seen humans, lu'pines, meif'wa, wyverns, vampires, ghosts, and elves in the series proper.

Her name is Nana Ashida.

[utilitycaster]

You've mentioned a few times about Matt making this the Moon Plot Campaign and the cast not realizing it was the Moon Plot Campaign and how the characters aren't necessarily the best for a Moon Plot Campaign and I'm just curious: if you could pick what type of character build the cast played to best fit a Moon Plot how might that look?

Oh man I think I've answered this before but I will always answer it again because my answer is evolving.

The first two things are just general advice:

In retrospect I think Matt should have treated this campaign as sort of a semi-module format. If you will be playing a module (eg: Curse of Strahd, Call of the Netherdeep, etc), your DM should tell you this and essentially say "you can have your own character struggles - in fact you should - but they should be largely internal/things that can be addressed without you going on an extended quest." For example, you can (and should) play a character in Curse of Strahd who is struggling with self-esteem, or religious faith, or cowardice; but you can't have a character who, to address these things, must confront their father, because they're going to be in Barovia and he's not going to be there. I recommend checking out the rivals in Call of the Netherdeep, because their throughlines are great examples - they' develop and engage with the story, but it's very much driven by the plot of the story and not a delving into their backstory. So essentially, have simpler backstories or backstories that inherently tie into the quest, and let the players come up with that by giving them the most spoiler free outline. I think Matt tried to do all that tying up himself, and at times it made things a little too pat; or those characters who had elements that couldn't be woven in as gracefully (Chetney and the Gorgynei; Laudna with Delilah; some of Ashton's stuff) got very brief arcs so we could get back to the main moon plot.

Do not dump intelligence. DO NOT DUMP INTELLIGENCE. Have at least one PC in your party who is not just intelligent but like, educated. Percy, Beau, and Caleb all fit this. Chetney's pretty smart but not terribly educated so he's great at investigation but he's not going to do very well on religion checks. This party should have had a fucking wizard or artificer or cobalt soul monk or knowledge cleric, but also every party should unless you're going full murder hobo. I think it's valid to be into actual play (or d&d itself) for the character moments and the romance but you know what makes that possible? FIGURING OUT WHAT'S FUCKING HAPPENING INSTEAD OF DICKING AROUND CLUELESSLY. My one true house rule for myself as a DM is that one person in the party has to have high intelligence (or like, be a bard or rogue with decent intelligence but expertise/jack of all trades in everything). Play a high int character for the sake of your DM, PLEASE.

On a more specific note:

would have been good to have more Marquesian characters, but also someone from the Empire would have added a significant dimension. I do love Chetney, and I think Travis is the player who pivoted fastest to fit better within this campaign and has a good understanding of what it could have been with a bit more commitment, but yeah I think if Matt had told them a bit more of what was going on he'd have made like, a more serious werewolf member of the Gorgynei who had noticed lycanthropes becoming susceptible to Ruidus and decided to investigate, for example.

I think having more divinely aligned characters would have just made for much more fun interactions. The issue with the god debates wasn't that they were having them, for all I think that anyone who wants to kill the gods is a fucking idiot. It was that none of them knew jack shit about what they were talking about so it turned into an unending Emperor's Nose discussion. Having either someone who was actually trained (a la Braius, who is a welcome addition for this reason, among others) or again just. a person with religion proficiency and a decent INT score would have made it an actual compelling argument of different perspectives, and not a bunch of idiots yelling out nonsense.

It honestly wouldn't have looked much different. In fact, I think you could have kept the bottom table mostly as is with just tiny alterations, and done the following:

Make Chetney a Marquesian member of the Gorgynei with a mission tied to investigating what's going on with Ruidus. He could still be a weird woodworker.

Entirely rework Laudna's premise. You could have kept her creepy and undead, even, but get rid of Delilah and make her a wizard instead. Make her tied to the Grim Verity or an archaeologist who got kicked off the Tishtan site. You could even keep her aligned with Imogen although I'd have made it a more recent meet up of her being on the run and having gone through Gelvaan in trying to avoid the Grey Assassins

I like what happened with FCG ultimately but I think a different subclass would have still helped; make them a knowledge cleric and more intelligent.

Make Imogen and Ashton much more aware of the Apex War and Otohan's history from the get go. Also give Laura a heads up that her character's going to be super central and she will be in the hot seat for much of the campaign.

[maladaptivejen]

Picspam!

Under the cut are some specific looks I had in mind while writing Immortals (Don't take love off the table yet) (aka the vampire/werewolf AU). I might add more for more characters as they become prominent in the story.

Keep in mind this might contain spoilers, so only look at this if you're up to date with the chapters.

Pete Wentz, Regent vampire with so many secrets even he doesn't know them 💜

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Patrick Stump, a werewolf who has never even heard of anger issues, what are you talking about?

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William Beckett, resident sunshine vampire in charge of naming everything

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Travie McCoy, intelligence man and all-round hottie who has very colorful opinions about his boss's love life

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Gabe Saporta, he just wishes Mikey would sleep with him too lol

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Pete's very normal and fashion-oriented clan 💜

(okay, last picture is tiny, but let's be honest, this mv is THE vibe for this clan lol)

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The werewolf-side of the clan, Joe and Andy

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They Way clan: Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Ray Toro and the color black

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Frank Iero, hottest werewolf on the east coast

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Mike Carden, former Alpha of the Chicago pack and all-around good guy. I mean, who doesn't love Mike Carden? The answer might surprise you... (in a later chapter lol)

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Sisky and Butcher, the dynamic duo of the pack, try and separate them if you feel lucky. Ignore the microphones, please.

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Tom Conrad - Tomrad, Regent vampire of the Missouri district and William's sire. Obviously too cool for school.

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Vicky, witch extraordinaire and head of the triad assigned to assist the Wentz clan. The triad is completed by Dani and Keaton (pictured below looking a little upset because they don't get much screen time - sorry girls!)

~

more to come, stay tuned...

[anonym-potato]

Nein Again - 2x01 "Curious Beginnings"

I started a rewatch of C2 on my own a few months ago but life got in the way and I didn't even meet the Gentleman, so I've decided to double back for this lovely project. I'm not much of a live blogger so it's all going in a giant list. I know some people are using this as a chance to watch C2 for the first time so if you are one of those folks spoilers ahoy!

Laura: "Some people haven't finished last campaign so no spoilers." Sam: "I don't remember it." Sounds about right.

Bless Marisha for holding up all those signs.  Here we see the beginnings of her pokemon evolution into behind the scenes boss. (Or a stage of it? I joined the fandom after they left G&S so I don't really know what she did there).

Matt's opening monologue is still great - was that ADR for the date always there? I haven't noticed it before.

Liam. You do not get to describe your character as dirty three times before his name is coaxed out of you and then get all shocked Pikachu face when Laura says he's smelly.

The way this conversation is going I can see why Werewolf Caleb Theory caught steam.

"Maybe it's a little Halfling person, or something." And then Matt explicitly calls out Felderwin.

Laura really had that accent settled from Day 1. In life, things come and go but Jester Lavorre is eternal.

Oh no this is going to become the story of 'Potato Relives All Her Widojest Emotions' isn't it. I have very much come around on both Fjorester and Shadowgast over the years but it will always be dear to me.

If you, like me, enjoy the fact Beau knows Halfling, read A Thousand Words For Snow by Schistosity on AO3, it's one of my favorite Nein fics.

We're all joking about how Caleb's accent grows exponentially episode by episode, but Yasha with an American accent is so cursed and also entirely changes her vibe.

Molly is such an ass. He feels like he's going to email me about an exciting business opportunity.

As soon as Caleb casts his first spell Liam takes off his jacket to reveal the Verbal Somatic Material shirt. He's so excited to be a Wizard.

I love how Beau immediately hypes Jester up after she opens all the windows with Thaumaturgy.

Lots of angsty forshadowing is happening in this conversation.

Jester and Nott immediately bonding over a card game, both cheating at the game, and Nott then getting violent over the outcome of said game is very appropriate.

"Yeah, I'm sticking with this fucking accent for the next two years." He would not, in fact, stick with this fucking accent for the next two years.

Marisha immediately starts rubbing her face and giving him the side eye when Matt mentions the Library of the Cobalt Soul in Zadash.

The carnival has impeccable vibes right off the bat.

These motherfuckers are so paranoid and so shady right off the bat. Haggling with Yasha to try and keep their weapons during the show. Let's Insight Check all the employees. Can I join the carnival just to keep my sharp objects please? Nobody here has anxiety I swear.

"Let me see this limp of yours. Purely for my entertainment." Yeah she's obviously lying but Mollymauk you are not an easy person to like.

They're right falchion is a delightful word to say.

Oh the Moon and the Shadow...he's trying to see if she also follows the Moonweaver right? That's one Molly thread I'm sad we never got to explore.

Beau is so extremely horny for Yasha from the start.

Lots of angsty foreshadowing is also happening in this circus performance.

Which is also wonderful, to be clear.

The first fight also contains the first NEIN. Also I love how excited they get over teeny tiney damage numbers. How far they'll go...

I get the joke of Nott's terrible singing but with hindsight it feels so bizarre.

The first fight also contains the first POP-POP!

Travis absolutely loses his mind whenever Ashley would like to Rage. I'm so glad she never got around to workshopping her own thing because it's always sweet.

I love that Beau immediately goes into detective mode after the fight ends.

To be perfectly fair to these Crownsguard they're dealing with these chucklefucks.

The Cerberus Assembly is too busy with about 70 different conspiracy theories to care about Trostenwald.

In hindsight, the Nein first coming together because they've been arrested and wrongfully accused of the causing the disaster they just solved is extremely appropriate and also inevitable. How else could you convince all these wet cats of PCs to collaborate.

In conclusion: I stand by my historical thesis that the Mighty Nein are the most Autistic D&D party yet assembled.

[pamsimmerstories]

Juniper is back home

previous || next

[juniper]: mom... dad...

[juniper]: i’m back

[juniper]: *smiles sheepishly* say something

[skye]: juniper... what...?

[juniper]: i’m sorry i didn’t listen to you, mom

[skye]: i’m going to kill him

[juniper]: mom, calm down, please. i don’t want him near us... i fought really hard this time, maybe he’ll let me go

*howls*

[jasper]: june, you didn’t have to fight hard. you should come to us... you’re not alone

[juniper]: this wouldn’t have happened if i listened to you guys

[jasper]: it’s not your fault that he’s not a good guy, june. your mom and i we were worried, but you asked us to stay away, because you were fine

[juniper]: that message... that was travis.

[skye]: i should’ve said you wouldn’t leave, june. we’re your parents, we should’ve protected you.

[skye]: i knew something was wrong with him and... i’m so sorry, june.

[juniper]: things got a little worse after i found my mate

[skye]: you have? who’s it?

[juniper]: i don’t know... i saw him once in granite falls and this is when it happened, but he didn’t see me... we’ve only seen each other in our dreams now

[jasper]: do you want us to help you find him?

[juniper]: not really. i still don’t know what travis is going to do with me... or if he’ll try go after him. i rather stay away and keep him safe

[skye]: you’re always so sweet, june. but if you two are together here, we all could be a big pack and protect each other

[juniper]: he’s a human, mom. like dad was. and he seems happy with his life from what i’ve seen... i don’t want him going through the struggles of becoming a werewolf... i saw what dad went through

[jasper]: but i’m happy that i chose this. he should know, june. if it’s hard for you to stay away from him, it’s hard for him, too. and i bet he doesn’t even know what’s going on.

[juniper]: i’ll think about it, okay?

[skye]: i’m glad you’re alive and here with us, june.

[juniper]: i’m happy to be here

[t4tdanvis]

AND HERE I AM AGAIN. I ALWAYS COME BACK! Okay so I may be reaching here but-

So before we start this TW for mentions of  Garte and of emotional child abuse and child expirementation and possession and slight Ivy neg? okay now we have that cleared let’s go-

Okay so on the topic of mystreet and dairies Garroth, let’s talk about The depersonalisation or dehumanisation of Garroth. I am not sure if that’s the right term, depersonalisation is about lack of own identity, dehumanisation is stripping someone away from their positive human traits. But I don’t mean either of that, I mean just treating someone as not human?  Garroth is often either extremely over idealised in pdh or seen as a moron in mystreet.

First off his father over glorified him, him being the golden child and all. Being the golden child actually sucks. You have all the pressures, and the feeling of being a fraud as he was praised for stuff he didn’t do. We see Garte canonically praising him for stuff he hasn’t done. And this causes feelings of being a fraud and a fear of being exposed.

Then we have all his fangirls in highschool, obsessing over him and over glorifying him yet again. He isn’t recognised for him as a whole with his flaws, he isn’t recognised as just a human. And on top of that, I noticed a trend of the better people know Garroth the more distant more people seem to get from him. This probably increases the feelings of being a fraud. 

He is the comedic relief now, to the point some fans don’t recognise him of having any serious sad feelings at all because he is the comedic relief. Now everyone just sees Garroth as an idiot, too dumb to be seen as a person.

And you have the fact he was experimented on, a very dehumanising experience probably. They also refer to them in code names[those being numbers]  making it more dehumanising, in a scene in starlight you see a photo of Garroth as a toddler with 01 under it, katelyn being 02 and Travis 03. This hints he was the first to get experimented on.  that's irrelevant really but I just wanted to mention it because it makes Garte look even worse.

Not to mention his possession being one of the most depersonalising and dehumanising ones of all. As unlike all the others, he doesn’t say anything except a few words during it and doesn’t show off much if any emotion at all. The screen also goes over to Garroth when Michael says “And your little toys are mine” basically referring to Garroth as a toy. Garroth during the possession is also almost like a robot, or a puppet, he attacks Nana being in the way but doesn’t continue because he directly switches targets when ordered to. Seeing yourself act like that and someone in your friend’s body boss you around like that is sure to mess you up you know. And then you have him becoming a werewolf, making him “less human” too.

Despite being basic he isn't really like his peers in a way. Oh also his basicness in itself is also kinda depersonalising, ‘Golden children’ often end up having to perform to please their parent. Due to this act to keep their status they often lack individuality and creativity. Perfectly in line with Garroth’s basicness and lack of an interesting taste and so forth. A lack of an personal identity. this is soo interesting with it being implies Elizabeth made the Ro'meave's forget about Garte in the mystreet season 6 finale. That's an identity crisis waiting to happened.

He also turns his own feelings into jokes in a way. Making his fear of Ivy and her blackmailing him to be with her in pdh season 2 aswell as constantly making him uncomfortable and just making it all about her getting his name wrong. As if he doesn't recognise his own feelings so he searches for a superficial reason to explain the feelings he is feeling. And how he after that forces himself to get over it without a real apology for it from Ivy, I think? I only remember her apologising to Aphmau and explaining her lisp to Garroth. And we have in the good cop bad cop sidestory thing where in a conversation it was revealed his bad cop joke was actually backed up by him actually distrusting Gene. But after a conversation with Laurance he gets Gene a house a few episodes later. He undervalues his own feelings in a way. Like how Garte undervalues Garroth's reluctance to inheret the company and still makes him do so.

AUGHHHHHHHH THIS IS SO FUCKING GOOD THANK YOU ANON i am furiously writing this all down to use in my rewrite i love this so so much

[larsisfrommars]

My Predictions for Campaign 3 Characters

Travis Willingham

Class: Cleric (Domain of War, Nature or Forge) OR Druid (probably Circle of The Shepherd) bonus if he finally gets his wish and is a werewolf! I could see him picking up a martial class again (probably Monk or Fighter) but I’d honestly be disappointed. We already have seen him play a martial class and a couple light spell casters and I honestly wanna see him play a high Wisdom character, we already saw what he could do with a high Charisma character! I wanna see the other side of that social/mental stat coin!

Race: I could see him playing a Human again, or maybe a Dwarf! It’s kinda hard to tell what his race preferences are other than Big & Strong sooo maybe one of the Monster races from Volo’s guide? Bugbear maybe? I also REALLY hope somebody plays a Warforged this campaign and a Warforged Forge Domain Cleric could be REALLY cool and On Brand for Travis I think.

Marisha Ray

Class: Marisha is SO freaking smart and kicked so much ass as both a monk and a druid, I want her to be able to play a character that really highlights her irl intelligence again so maybe a Wizard or Artificer? I don’t know Artificer subclasses aside from Armorer BUT School of Divination or a good-aligned Necromancer could be really cool! Battlemaster Fighter might also be a good choice for her!

Race: Something tells me she’s never going to fully abandon that Avatar The Last Airbender aesthetic she has going on so maybe an Fire or Earth Genasi (to keep the cycle going since Kiki had Airbender aesthetics and Beau had Water Tribe vibes) a Fire Genasi Necromancer would be metal AF. Speaking of metal, she’s also a good candidate for my Oh My God Someone PLEASE Play A Warforged self-indulgent desire lol.

Liam O’Brien

Class: Monk (if he’s not already playing one in EXU which I feel like he is) if he does it’d probably be Way of Shadow or Kensei, mostly because he’s already done the fire aesthetic thing (so no way of the four elements or sun soul) and we’ve already gotten Cobalt Soul from Beau. If not a Monk then a Bard, in true Tragic Character Obessed Fashion we know and love it’s gonna be College of Whispers or Glamor. Plus, knowing he’s a Shakespeare nerd I could see him leaning really hard into that for a Bard. He might surprise us and play something cheerier this time who knows?!

Race: Don’t ask me why I say this, it’s not even like I want anyone to play a Gnoll, but something tells me if ANYONE was gonna be a Gnoll it’d be Liam, there is a crackhead in the corner of my brain insisting it’ll be so. The RATIONAL side of my brain is thinking Elf or Tabaxi because Liam has shown us He Likes Cats A Normal Amount. I don’t know if he likes playing animals quite enough to endure playing a druid long term but I could see him embracing one of the anthro D&D races with no hesitation.

Sam Riegel

Class: I know Liam picked for Sam but my bet is, for maximum chaos, and because how much everyone enjoyed it in Aeor and Sam is alllll about inviting chaos to the table at all times so I’m willing to bet he’s going to play a Wild Magic Sorcerer, or maybe another subclass of Sorcerer like Divine Soul. I also think he’d have a lot of fun with a martial class like Way of The Drunken Master Monk or a Fighter of some variety.

Race: there’s literally just one non-home brew small race Sam hasn’t played let’s be real, I have no doubt in my mind Sam will be playing a Kobald.

Laura Bailey

Class: Laura is the hardest to pin down, she’s so versatile and brilliant but the best I can think of are the two classes her twin and her husband beat her to, Rogue or Warlock. I think she’d make an excellent pirate so I could definitely see her playing a Swashbuckler Rogue, it’d be a charming homage to both Liam & Travis’s previous characters but I feel like she’d make a point to be not at all like either of them personality wise. Regarding Warlock, anything not Pact of The Archfey (too close to Artagan) but no matter what DEFINETLY gift of the chain ‘cause we know how much Laura loves her creature companions.

Race: Again I’m not sure, I definitely don’t think she’d go for elf or Genasi or tiefling. I think she’d make an adorable Halfling or Gnome, Yuan-ti or Tabaxi could be fun and sexy. OH! She loved Kiri so much I think she could have a TON of fun roleplay wise with a Kenku!

Ashley Johnson

Class: Ashley has waaaay too much fun playing martial classes so my money is on Paladin or Fighter. So far as oath if she picks Paladin maybe Vengeance or even Conquest, something dark and dramatic that she can sink her roleplay teeth into now that she has time to play a campaign without getting whisked away for shooting. I could definitely see her going with Champion or Eldritch Knight! Just HITTING THINGS kind of fighter for sure.

Race: I could see her having a bit of an affinity for the more monstrous races, something big and scary maybe a Goliath (like her buddy Grog)? Or maybe a full blooded Orc or Hobgoblin, even a Drow (or half-drow)? If not one of the traditionally “evil” races I could see her going for Dwarf or Dragonborn for sure.

Taliesin Jaffe

Class: Again another insanely versatile and brilliant player where I have almost no idea where he’ll take a turn next. Idk what would be a sharp left turn from Cleric that he hasn’t already played (fighter, rogue, bloodhunter). I’d say druid but I feel like that’s too similar to Caduceus. Some people think he’s gonna play Kingsley but I highly doubt it, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he went for Bloodhunter again because he missed the opportunity to play it at higher levels because of how Campaign 2 went. It could be fun seeing him go for a charisma based class since we’ve already seen him go for high intelligence and high wisdom, maybe a Bard or Paladin? I know he played a dragonborn Paladin a long time ago in the home game and he didn’t seem to vibe with it, so maybe Bard then, I can’t imagine him picking anything other than College of Whispers lol. Sidenote: could totally see anyone Tal plays as being a Vampire, that’d be cool.

Race: Again, he’s done strange and fantastic combinations in the past but I like the potential of a Kenku Bard (functionally a jukebox!) plus Taliesin is great at realistic crow sounds so he’d have an opportunity to do that more which would be funny. Elf would feed into the pretentious stereotype that Taliesin is fantastic at playing into. I could also see him going for Changeling (if Matt allows it) or Tabaxi. He too is on my Please Somebody Anybody Play Warforged Please God, self indulgent wishlist.

[biggestxsimps]

could you do the quarry guys reacting to reader getting attacked by werewolves? can you also make it angsty, thank u!

A/N: ofc, thanks for the request! I tried to make it angsty, idk if I did it right though. Also I know it’s been a while since we’ve posted, we’ve both been caught up with our lives. After this, I hope to be able to post a little more frequently. Thank you for your patience!

Please be aware this fic contains: Mentions of blood, gore, violence and spoilers. 

~~~~~~~

Ryan Erzahler:

He shouldn’t have let you come with him and Laura, you weren’t already infected like she was and neither had the desire to save Chris.

But no matter how he felt you persisted that you go with him.

You wanted to make sure he wouldn’t get harmed.

That brings us to now, Ryan’s been infected and you were on the hunt for Chris.

The three of you walked into a dark room, you stopping near the door with Ryan “How are you feeling?” You hold him up.

“I’ve been better.” He muttered.

Laura moved into the middle of the room “I think we found Chris.” she looked into the darkness.

You and Ryan follow Laura, seeing a werewolf Chris tied up to a pole.

Ryan was about to speak when Chris charged at us, breaking through the floor.

Chris was on top of you trying to maul you while Laura had just begun to transform.

Ryan ducked for the table, quickly grabbing the gun.

Laura jumped towards Travis, attempting to attack him.

Ryan looked over to the now werewolf Laura until he heard a blood-curdling scream. He whipped his head over to you, watching as your organs were ripped out of your torso.

He yelled as he lifted the gun, shooting Chris.

He watched as his manager dropped to the ground.

Laura had turned back and begun to thank Travis for sparing her while Ryan just dropped.

He held his now-dead lover in his shaking arms.

“I’m so sorry..” He muttered through broken sobs. “I shouldn’t have let you come.”

~~~~~~~

Dylan Lenivy:

Ryan and Laura had just left for the Hackett house and Kaitlyn, Dylan, Abi and I had gone out to check if we could leave with the van.

The four of us made it to the van and Kaitlyn decided that Abi should hide in the bunker.

As she was walking down, the rest of us walked towards the van.

“I don’t know if it’s just me, but the van looks like it’s moving?” Dylan points out.

“You’re right.” Kaitlyn lifts the gun “Open the door.” she nudges you.

You cautiously walk over to the van, ghosting your hand over the handle, you look towards Kaitlyn as she nods your way.

You start to push down the handle when the door aggressively opens from the inside, throwing you far into the dirt.

You rush back to try and get behind Kaitlyn as the werewolf jumps towards you. You turn around, face to face with the werewolf as you yell for Kaitlyn.

“SHOOT IT!” Dylan yells.

Kaitlyn shakes as she tries to fix her aim onto the werewolf.

You cry out as its sharp teeth tear into you, ripping through your limbs.

“SHOOT IT KAITLYN!” Dylan screams before it tears into your torso, clawing out your organs.

Kaitlyn shoots the werewolf, a shivering screech being heard before it jumps and runs off into the woods.

Dylan can’t help but stare at your now lifeless and dismembered body. His heart dropping and his eyes watering at the sight.

He mutters a mantra of ‘No’ and ‘Please’ as he drops down beside your mutilated corpse.

~~~~~~~

Jacob Custos:

(Maybe a bit too inspired by his interaction with Emma but that's alright)

You were walking around an unfamiliar part of the forest you had run into trying to shake off the werewolf on your tail.

You look around hoping to find someone or something to help you find somewhere safe to camp the night out.

It took a while but you eventually found a figure that looked human.

You ran to the figure, noticing it was Jacob upon getting closer.

He turns your way as you call out his name, remaining still as you hold onto him.

“You’re alive!” You exclaim, pulling away to look at him. Your hand resting on his cold cheek.

“No, I’m not?” He responds dryly. He pulls away, “I’m- I’m nothing..”

“What do you-” “Stop it!”

You take a step back as Jacob starts hysterically cry-laughing, words becoming incoherent.

His voice lowers and words start sounding more inhuman. 

You watch in horror as your boyfriend’s body bursts into blood, the familiar look of a werewolf now charging your way.

You scream as your body’s mauled by the man you loved. All noise stops as the sharp teeth rip into your neck, throwing your head off to the side. 

The sun rises and waking back up in his own body, Jacob sees the bleeding head of his lover, glancing at the torn corpse beside it.

He falls down beside you, moving to rest his head on your chest, tears falling down his cheeks as he whispers apologies to your deaf ears.

~~~~~~~

Nick Furcillo:

You and Emma never got along but you never thought she would stoop this low.

Everyone knew that you and Nick had something going on, even if the two of you never outwardly said it.

You shake your head, maybe you were overreacting a bit.

You lift your gaze, cursing as you realize you have no idea where you are.

You turn around, trying to retrace your steps before you hear a faint voice calling out your name.

You smile as you recognize the Aussie’s unmistakable voice.

“Over here!” You call back. 

He pants as he stops in front of you.

“Sorry, got a little too serious for me.” You look off to the sky.

“Yeah, I understand.” He shoots a half smile, moving closer to you.

You look his way at the sound of the steps.

Your faces now inches apart and eyes locked together.

You both move closer before-

“HGGRRR”

Your heads turn, now being faced with a terrifying humanoid figure. 

��RUN!” You hear Nick yell before sprinting in the opposite direction of the beast.

You stand for a second before your legs find the strength to run.

You start turning and twisting through trees to try and trick it, somehow catching it off guard a couple times.

You drop down behind a rock, trying to hold your breath as you hear the ragged breathing and scratchy growls approach. 

Your head feels airy and your lungs feel like they’re going to explode, you can’t hold it any longer.

Tears start falling down your cheeks as you attempt to silently let your breath out, failing as you choke on the collected saliva in your mouth.

You hear a screech before it starts crawling towards you. 

You stumble on your feet before eventually pulling yourself up and running towards Nick.

You were so close.

Your body hits the ground as it jumps on your back, it’s clawed hands slamming your head into the dirt. 

“Y/N!” Nick screams, running towards you as the beast rips into your body.

The beast leaps onto him biting a chunk out of his leg before the sound of a gunshot echoed into his ears. 

He watched as it ran away, quickly glancing at your unmoving body before pushing himself backwards and wobbly running to the campfire.

Tears flowing as he collapses in front of the other counselors.

“Nick?! What hap-” “Y/N!” He frantically bawls. “I- He’s- Help him!” His choked out sobs becoming incoherent.

~~~~~~~

A/N: Sorry if the pacing is weird or if it doesn't flow that well, I wrote these half-asleep. 

Masterlist

- Written by Owner 1

[freuleinanna]

tracked down

Characters: Travis Hackett, reader Chosen ending: The were!Hacketts are dead, the counselors gang might as well have lived Short summary: You were the extra counselor that summer, so you participated in the fun campy werewolf activities, and not without consequences. Silly something that jumped to my mind bc who wouldn't want Travis to track them down Words count: 1081

Tags: @sadclowncat (I'm SO sorry for mistag earlier!!), @sera-wonderland, @b33barlowsstuff, @imperfectjam (also, tagging those who wanted something w/ our man Travis or Travis x reader, all future stuff will be at (# anna writes the quarry))

(the gif is just to show the character, it's not this exact scene, but the message seems right tho)

You took one look at the badge – and bolted. Within a split of a second some regret managed to sink through. You should’ve made a goddamn poker face, but now it was too late for that. Now you just had to run.

The cop reacted like any good cop should, by starting the chase. Unlike any good cop, he didn’t shout any warnings, he just straight-up sprinted behind you. Like a Terminator. Unsurprisingly, being the 1st film Sarah Connor sucked ass. Only she lived to see a second film, and then some. You might not have this luxury.

The cop tackled you near the window while you were trying to jerk it open.

‘Going somewhere, haunts&curses2573?’

Your whole body froze for a moment. He knew. His voice wasn’t smug, though, just edgy. Tired, even. The cop held you face down on the floor but seemed to try not to hurt you. You held your head up as best you could.

‘Who the fuck are you?’ ‘Are you gonna run if I let you go?’ ‘What the fuck do you want?’ ‘Are you?!’ ‘I know my rights, okay?!’ now you were really panicking. ‘I know my fucking rights!’ ‘DO YOU WANNA TALK LIKE ADULTS OR DO I CUFF YOU TO A RADIATOR?!’ ‘GET THE FUCK OFF ME!’

You heard a grunt, then some cursing under the breath.

‘Cuffs it is, then.’

You felt the metal on your skin, and next thing you knew, you were facing the room, with the cuff link gleefully clanking against the radiator pipe and the cop carefully moved to a safe, unkickable distance. That’s the first time you saw him properly. Not exactly young, with a shade of stubble on the cheeks and chin. Slightly tilting his head to the side. He squatted, keeping his eyes on your level. Something about his whole figure was just… unnerving.

‘Please,’ your throat was suddenly parched and the voice came out harsh, ‘please … I don’t know what you want from me, okay?’

A slight annoyed eye-roll followed.

‘Yeah, that’s why you ran. Uh-huh.’ ‘I… I…’ ‘Quit the damn tune, Y/L/N’ he cut you off, slightly pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘I’ve had an awful coupl’a months chasing you down, but unlike you, I can do my job right.’

You yanked the cuff slightly, not actually hoping for anything. And nothing happened. What a surprise. You yanked some more just out of spite.

‘Happy now?’ cold, calm voice didn’t match the appearance one bit, but perfectly matched the prying eyes. ‘Wanna do some more running?’

You shook your head, drawing your legs closer to yourself.

‘Good, ‘cause you’re gonna SIT YOUR ASS DOWN AND LISTEN!’ you jerked and the sudden rise of the voice. The cop… really, he looked irritated. And irritated cops are never a good story. Terminator 2 covered that as well. ‘Am I clear?’

You nodded. He sighed sympathetically.

‘Look, kid. My name is Travis Hackett,’ a meaningful pause. ‘Like the Hackett’s Quarry.’

And then it came together. Of course. Of-fucking-course. He was studying you, as if making sure you won’t suddenly decide to chew your arm off and run. You had half a heart to do just that.

‘…shit,’ that was all you could say. Not very eloquent, but very true. ‘Exactly,’ the cop nodded generously. ‘You’ve fucked up big time.’ ‘I didn’t do any-’ ‘Ah,’ he stopped you with a motion of his hand. ‘I suggest you shut up and really don’t piss me off now, because I really don’t wanna take out my gun. Especially, since it’s loaded with silver.’

Bastard knew it right away, from your eyes. Read your face like a note on the fridge. The uneasy tug pulled in your stomach. You were fucked. Absolutely fucked in a totally non-unfuckable goddamn way, but the stupid kid inside you still tried to wiggle their way out.

‘W-what does silver hav--’ ‘Did I not just say to NOT PISS ME OFF?!’

That’s what, a third strike? Thoughts ran around your brain in a sort of dancing fever. There was no way out for you. The only way was through, and it could just be that on the other side of the tunnel you’d be met by a silver bullet. Not on the full moon, but still… The Hackett cop seemed to have calmed down a notch. His brother, you remembered. His brother and the kids. They died that night. It’s a wonder the silver bullet didn’t come first. You suddenly felt really cold.

‘What do you want?’ you asked flatly. Trevor Hackett, or whatever his name was, was kind of staring you down. Full-on drama. ‘You figured it out, didn’t you, Y/N? When the moon came and you turned, you figured it out,’ he gave you a moment to chime in, and when you didn’t, finished darkly with a disapproving shake of the head. ‘The White Wolf is still alive. So you went and sent all those trinkets you found out there to that goddamn podcast, didn’t you? What were you hoping for? A crowd of werewolf-hunters who’d put him down for you?’

He was surprisingly accurate, that Trampy-whatever. Travis, it struck you, the name was Travis. Probably should remember that for later, if that later ever comes. It didn’t really seem like it, though.

‘That… was the plan, yeah,’ you mumbled awkwardly. ‘Well, congrats, mastermind. You created a fucking pilgrim path for every dumbass who ever wanted to snoop around and smell werewolf shit.’

His voice was dripping with sarcasm. A bit more, and the floor beneath would be a goner, burnt right down to the basement. That would’ve been fucking hilarious, only it wasn’t anywhere near funny.

‘Do you want to see the body count? Maybe the local town reports on rabid dogs? Hmm?’ ‘Alright, I get it, I fucked up,’ you snarked, not being able to take the blame-pushing anymore. ‘So what, you dragged your ass out here to shoot me? Cover for your fucked-up family once again? What the fuck do you want?’

The cop’s face changed. You didn’t understand how, exactly. It took you a few moments to catch up, but you got it just as he finished saying that next words. Then it beamed on you. He didn’t look angry anymore. He seemed regretful. As if he was sorry for something he was about to do.

‘Full moon’s in 10 days. I’m sorry, kid. I’m really sorry, but I’m gonna need your help to end this.’

[confoundedluna]

Travis Hackett x Laura Kearney shippers dni <3

y'all please even if the age gap wasn't that bad - 18-20 and 56 is Gross - he drugged her, held her and her boyfriend hostage for two months, made her watch her boyfriend transform into a werewolf in which he attacked her violently, and forced her to risk her life to help him fix his family's mistake

she also can drug or shoot him, and can kill several members of his family, attacks him, and he can kill her??? where are y'all seeing the romance?????

(editing this to say that i'm not asking for justification in any way, that is not the intended interpretation, I do not want to hear why y'all are shipping them - already heard stuff about 'chemistry', this is very much rhetorical, thank you)

let her and max be the only healthy relationship this game has in Peace y'all

[lilibethdrawsreylo]

Silas? Silas!

A theory about / analysis of Silas’ movements because the idea that he’s been sitting in one place for six years peeves me greatly. 

So, first things first, he hasn’t been. Travis calls him a nomad and mentions sightings of him at one point. He also has a map in his office that looks like this:

I don’t know much about reading maps, so I can’t tell how vast of a territory that is, but it should cover the entirety of the Hackett Woods, at least, seeing as that’s where the hunt takes place. That’s a lot of land according to the game (the ByB end credits podcast, to be specific). 

It’s clear that Silas doesn’t just hang out around one summer camp. He’s moving around the territory but probably has established routes - “nomad” kind of implies that. 

And based on that, I would guess that the Hacketts also haven’t been hunting him in their back yard for six years. They’ve probably been following those sightings / their general idea of Silas’ paths, although, yeah, they haven’t been leaving their forest. Kaylee says so in her letter to Constance:

“...I wanna know what’s outside the forest...”      

When the events of the game take place, Silas likely happens to be back in the area closest to the camp. 

Another thing that, in my opinion, implies that Silas doesn’t stay in one place is Eliza’s dialogue from her death scene:

She repeats that she’ll wait for him several times. She is the one pinned to the land close to the camp (literally, if you fail her QTE), not Silas. Also please take a close look at the screenshot above. With this image in mind, let’s move to my second theory [a gaaame theory!] related to Silas. 

Silas’ lair =/= the place where the fire took place. How so?

(Besides the obvious, as in, Travis having no idea there’s a place in the woods filled with stuff from Harum Scarum. Like, duh, of course it’s not the same spot where a huge fire started by his family members took place. Come on.)

In Eliza’s scene, we can see that the traveling show is set up in an open area. The lair, when it’s found by Laura in the prologue, is described as engulfed by the forest - but that’s too much forest to have grown around it in merely six years.

The screenshot is a bit dark but there’s a huge tree to the right of the lair and a log behind it. The cage isn’t near such trees in the flashback. Besides, there aren’t any other burnt structures around the lair, just the forest. 

So what is this place? Well, Silas probably made it for himself after the fire. He’s only a werewolf for one night a month. Most of the time, he’s just a man. He’d need shelter for when he’s around and in his human form. Sure, he’s “feral” but he’d still be capable of dragging stuff around and arranging it as he sees fit. 

It’s probably not very far from the original place (as indicated by a partially burnt Harum Scarum poster Laura sees pinned to a tree) but it’s deep enouth in the thicket to have remained hidden until Laura happens upon it.

Another detail to speak for this theory, imo, is the trunk Laura finds.

How and why would it get there on its own? It’s found in a small ravine - that’s nowhere near where its original owner, a perforemer, would’ve placed it.

Which leads to my final thoughts about Silas - and they’re sad. He took what remained of Harum Scarum into the woods with him. He placed those things around his lair - because that was his idea of a safe place. A cage surrounded by a traveling show’s inventory. That’s... so tragic, to be honest. Safest in the cage, not knowing any other life. It does paint a heartbreaking picture. I can see why Laura would hesitate to make the final shot at the sight of it.

And as for the Hacketts, three men (one old, another not all there mentally) have been hunting one in a vast, old forest for six years. They failed. Were they bad hunters or just unlucky? Was there magic involved? Or were they sabotaging their hunt on purpose? The world might never know. 

But anyways, here are my thoughts on these parts of the story - hopefully they’re logical enough or at least entertaining. Thanks for reading. :)  

[prurientpuddlejumper]

So no matter what ending you get, there are GOING to be charges filed, arrests made, possibly murder trials after The Quarry. Which means Laura and Travis are going to see each other.

And Laura's parents are going to be there.

Please imagine Laura saying hi to Travis in the lobby of some courthouse or police station. They stop and chat for awhile and Travis is on his best, least creepy behavior because HER PARENTS ARE THERE. So it's all handshakes and, "Sheriff Hackett, nice to meet you, ma'am" act normal act normal act normal

Then he leaves and her folks are like, "wow what a creep. Honey, we do NOT want you talking with that redneck, he's CLEARLY guilty"

"Shut the fuck up, dad!"

Then going and finding him somewhere they can speak privately because they already had a little romance sparking, but Travis is just like, "Nope. No way. Anything we had, that's over. It was never going to work."

"Why? What’s wrong??"

"I AM OLDER THAN YOUR MOTHER"

"buuuuut you're the same age as my dad.....? :D"

"Goddammit, Laura"

Also, what story are they going to tell the police? There are going to be a bunch of counselors giving varied reports about hunters, werewolves, bears... Given that there are multiple bodies on Hackett property and Travis is the SHERIFF, he's going to fall under heavy suspicion -- "You're telling me you didn't know the body of a lost hiker was tied up at the bottom of your FAMILY'S lake, sheriff?"

Let's say Laura vouches for him. But where the fuck was Laura all summer? If she wants to help Travis she can't exactly say she was abducted, but she can't pretend she was at camp either since the other counselors know she wasn't. So what was she doingn there? Then again, the other counselors will also say she had a pirate eyepatch & a werewolf bite, soooo not exactly reliable witnesses as far as the court is concerned.

She could claim she was helping Travis investigate a serial killer known as "Silas the dog boy" who had a grudge against the Hackett family since his circus burned down six years ago.

Pining everything on Silas makes the most sense, if they take the time to wipe Laura and Ryan's prints from the shotgun and put it in Silas's hands. Silas ran rampant around the camp, killed most of the Hackett family, then Laura and Travis tracked him down and killed him... in... self-defense? By shooting him in the back? With.... his own shotgun I guess?

It's still a pretty fishy story that doesn't add up forensically... but probably fishy enough that no one can get a conviction. There is so much reasonable doubt -- we honestly have no idea wtf happened! Everyone's story is different and many versions involve werewolves!

OK, which character do you think is gonna be the fool who tries to be honest with the police, says "werewolves did it," and ends up in a padded cell?

[dngrs-untld-hrshps-unnmbrd]

Werewolf Bites and Hot Summer Nights

An AU in which Laura and Max can’t find Hackett Quarry and end up at the Harbinger Motel, before becoming camp counsellors for the summer. Max is moody and secretive and Laura keeps bumping into the grumpiest sheriff with the cutest puppy dog eyes, and when he gives her his number ‘just in case’ a girl can’t help but drunk dial him one night. Cue overprotective and jealous Travis. And shouldn’t the officer get a birthday kiss?

Banter | Enemies to Lovers | Battle Couple | Smut

Start with Chapter One

Chapter Nine

Travis put his hands around Laura’s wrists as he stared down into her bewildered face. She was still clinging desperately to his shirt with both hands, Max’s blood coating her neck and shoulder.

He was going to have to tell her the truth.

About everything.

Travis closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He’d tried this once before, with the journalist that Chris bit. His name was Remy and Travis had kept him down here for five weeks, telling the man everything he knew about the curse, asking the man to try and understand why he had to be patient. They needed to kill Silas, and then Travis would let him go.

The journalist thought he was out of his goddamn mind and didn’t believe that he was a werewolf until Travis had shown him a video of himself changing. He became very quiet after that, but not for long. If he was only dangerous on the full moon, he reasoned he shouldn’t be kept prisoner like this.

But Travis didn't dare let that journalist go, not when he had the potential to go blabbing about the curse to everyone and getting Travis’ whole family killed. He had to protect his family no matter what. 

That’s when Travis had made the mistake of asking his father for advice. Before Travis knew what was happening, Dad had sent Bobby down to the station with a shotgun, and that was the end of the journalist.

After Travis kicked up a stink that it wasn't right, Ma agreed and said no more blood on their hands, but Travis would never make that mistake again. He’d deal with Max on his own. His family could never know Laura that knew their secret, either.

He felt sick at the thought of his family realizing that Laura knew their secret. Or rather, that she was about to.

"I don't understand what the hell is going on."

"Just watch," he told her. 

Laura would be like the journalist, not believing in the curse until she saw it for herself. Hell, anyone would be crazy to simply take his word for it.

The cuts on Max's neck were closing up. It wouldn't be long now. 

“Please,” Laura whimpered. “You have to let him out. This isn’t you, Travis.”

Barbed wire wrapped around his heart and tightened. He could take her anger. He was used to being on the receiving end of someone’s fury. He could even endure it if she hit him.

But her pleading? The tears in her eyes? 

“We just have to wait,” he repeated. She could interpret that to mean whatever she liked. He only had to stall her for a few minutes before it became very obvious why he couldn’t unlock the cell.

Over her shoulder, Max groaned and sat up. He was still human but there was something distinctly unnatural the way he’d rolled up, chest first and then shoulders and head last. Laura hadn’t noticed, but Travis turned her around and pointed out what was happening.

“Look. He’s not dying.”

Laura went over the cell and wrapped her hands around the bars. Travis had to suppress an almost overwhelming desire to drag her back.

He moved up behind her, ready to pull her out of harm’s reach the second Max showed signs of changing.

“Max? How are you feeling?” Laura called.

Max was frowning, pressing his hand to his throat and then examining his palm. Doing it over and over. “Whose blood am I covered in?”

“Yours. You were attacked by something in the woods. Don’t you remember?”

Max stared at his hand. “Yeah, I thought so too, but…” He got up and moved towards them. “I can’t feel any cuts. Can you see anything, Laura?”

Laura examined him closely and then breathed, “I can't see any. What the fuck?” She turned around and stared at Travis. “He was bleeding. Five minutes ago he was bleeding so much I thought he was going to die.”

Travis merely nodded, and then side-stepped out of reach as Laura went for the keys on his gun belt again.

“But he’s fine!” she protested. "Let him out."

“I told you. Wait.”

Max gave him a seething look, one that contained a shade more anger than it should considering he didn’t understand what was happening. “You locked me in here, asshole?”

Travis clenched his teeth. Here we go.

The change affected everyone differently, but the first time was always the worst, especially when the person didn’t understand why their heart was racing, their bones were filled with stabbing pains and rage was suddenly boiling under their skin.

Chris had described the change to him once, and it sounded like torture.

Max started walking up and down, breathing harshly, a wild expression in his normally calm eyes.

Laura looked from Max to Travis. “What’s happening to him? How is he not injured anymore?”

“He healed.”

“That’s not possible.”

“It is if you’re cursed.”

Laura whipped her head around and looked at him. “What do you mean, cursed? There are no such thing as curses.”

Travis grimaced. Tell that to his family.

Max pushed his fingers through his hair and growled, a distinctly animal sound, and then shook himself liked a stressed-out dog.

Travis reached for Laura’s hand and curled his fingers around hers, tugging her toward him and away from the bars. “Just step back a bit.”

He only meant to hold onto her hand for a moment and then let go of her, but Max zeroed in on what he’d done with preternatural speed.

He strode right up to the bars. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing touching her, creep?”

Travis folded his arms and glowered at the boy.

Max’s eyes were shining golden. The veins in his face were starting to turn black. “Nothing to say? Huh? Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you've been staring at my girlfriend whenever you're at camp."

“She’s not your girlfriend.” The words tumbled from Travis' lips before he could help himself. 

Max was trapped in there. Travis was out here with Laura. It was a shitty, shitty situation, but part of him was so fucking relieved that it was Max who got bit and not Laura.

Anger roared in Max’s expression. “How the fuck do you know anything about that?”

When Travis wouldn’t reply, Max turned to Laura, who was gazing at Max in bewilderment.

“Laura? What the fuck is going on?”

“Max, will you please take a breath? I don't understand why you're getting so worked up when we've got other problems right now."

Max slammed his fist against the bars, his expression turning feral. “I asked you a fucking question! What’s going on with you and this asshole? You think I don’t notice things, but I do. Abi says you went for a walk the night of the regatta. Did you fuck this guy? Did you screw this creepy old dude?”

Laura stared at him, hurt and confusion filling her eyes.

“Max,” Travis warned loudly. “Take a breath before you say anything else.” To Laura he added, “He’s not himself. This isn’t his fault. I’ll be able to explain properly in a minute.”

The fact that she hadn’t denied having sex with Travis sent Max into a frenzied tailspin. “Tell me the truth! Is my girlfriend a fucking whore?”

Travis slammed the bar with his fist, right by Max’s head. “Hey. Get a grip. This is Laura you’re talking to.”

Max turned his attention to Travis. “You sad, pathetic old bastard. Is this what you do every summer? Sniff around the camp for fresh meat?”

Travis stepped back half a pace, hoping that it would calm Max down. Max could call him all the names under the sun. Travis had been called a lot worse before.

“Max, please stop. I think you’re unwell,” Laura pleaded with him.

“He’s the one who fucking sick!” Max snarled.

“Max,” Laura said sharply.

“It doesn’t matter, Laura,” Travis muttered.

“STOP FUCKING CALLING HER LAURA. YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT.” All the veins were standing out on Max's face.

“I don’t have the right?” Travis muttered under his breath. His arms were folded tightly and his fingers started tapping on his bicep. “I don’t have the right.” He laughed without mirth and shook his head. Speaking softly, but not soft enough that Max couldn’t hear every word, Travis said, “The man who’s been ignoring Laura all summer says that I don’t have the right to call her by her name.”

“Travis,” Laura said, a warning in her voice. She widened her eyes meaningfully in a now is not the time manner. “Max, don’t lash out at Sheriff Hackett. That…thing, whatever it was, would have dragged you away and eaten you if he hadn’t shot it. He saved your life.”

“Yeah, because he’s trying to fuck you,” Max said through clenched teeth, glaring at Travis.

“That doesn’t even make sense!” Laura exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Max reached through the bars and tried to grab Travis, but he stepped out of Max’s reach. “I'll fucking kill you if you touch her. Don't even think about breathing in her direction, do you hear me?”

Travis didn’t mean to do it.

It wasn’t the time.

It wasn’t the place.

He didn’t get to make that decision for Laura.

And he wouldn’t dream of saying anything to make this harder for her.

He wouldn’t say anything.

But he couldn’t help how he felt about Laura or the fact that a small, petty part of him was enjoying her being out here with him while Max was in there.

Travis had never been the man who got the girl, but right now he had the girl, in a fucked up kind of way, and it was so fucking delicious and unusual that triumph burned through him like a wildfire.

He looked right at Max.

And he smirked.

Just a little bit, but that smirk was filled with gloating. Filled with goading.

Full of I fucked your girlfriend and she loved it energy.

Then it was gone within a second. Within a fraction of a second.

But Max caught it.

He stared at Travis, more animal than human, nostrils flaring, golden eyes filled with rage.  

Max threw himself at the bars, screaming his head off, reaching through the bar and trying to rip his face off with his bare hands. “I’LL KILL YOU. I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU, ASSHOLE.”

Travis grabbed hold of Laura and pulled her back.

“What’s happened to his face? What’s wrong with his eyes?”

“It’s the curse,” Travis told her. “He’s been bit, and he’s about to change into a werewolf.”

Max suddenly bent double, moaning in pain. Then howling in pain.

He started to shake, and Laura clutched Travis’ arm in panic. “He’s about to change into a what?”

Max roared, and then he reared up, throwing his arms out.

Blood exploded everywhere.

Laura flung her arm across her face to protect herself, and when she lowered it, where her kind-of-boyfriend had been a moment ago stood a seven-foot tall figure partway between a human and a wolf.

Travis wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her back, as the thing’s—Max’s���talons swiped on empty air.

Laura stared open-mouthed at the creature. Then up at Travis. Then back at wolf-Max.  

“Come on," Travis said grimly. "He’ll be safe here until morning. We need to talk.”

“What the fuck? What the fucking fuck?” Laura was pacing up and down the main area of the police station while Travis sat atop one of the empty desks.

“Silas was the first werewolf in North Kill, and he bit my nephew Caleb—”

“It was a rhetorical question, Travis!” Laura had already heard his explanation. She snatched up the paper that he’d given her with the bizarre, ye olde poem about werewolves and read it again.

When full the moon above shines first

The beast inside shall outward burst

One by one, lead lambs to slaughter

It stalks your breath but shuns clear water

And should yourself be cursed

Armed with silver, end the first

When full moon is full before its wane

Rend the beast that cursed you slain

No longer shall you face your blight

Or fear the dread if the full moon's light

And if it's with a bite you're faced

Cleave limb from torso with great haste

Perchance you'll save your cursed soul

Before infection takes its toll.

Full moon. Silver. Slaughter. This was the stuff of ghost stories, not real life, and yet right this moment, she could hear Max howling and snarling from in the holding cells.

She wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.

Which was probably why Travis had done it the way he had. She wouldn’t have let him lock Max up if he'd tried to explain it first. It was too goddamn unbelievable. 

Laura turned to Travis, despair in her heart. “Max is really going to be like this forever? Unless we shoot him with a silver bullet or kill the werewolf that bit him?”

Travis still had his arms folded and he looked tired beneath all the blood. “Yes and no. We can kill the werewolf that bit the werewolf that bit him and it will have the same effect.”

“Okay, but who actually bit him? I’m kind of in a hurry to cure Max of this curse. His family is going to freak out if he comes home from camp as a werewolf.”

Travis just stared at her, saying nothing. A strong emotion filled his brown eyes. An emotion like…

Pain?

He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m so sorry, Laura. You should be far away by now and this should never have happened.”

“Was it Silas?” Maybe Silas was another brother and that’s why Travis looked so heartbroken. 

He shook his head. “I think it was my niece or nephew. I could tell which one in the dark, but I shot one of them. They won’t remember, and they won’t die, but…” He trailed off into miserable silence.

“Wait, your family are werewolves?”

“Some of them. If I’d made it to camp before the sun set I could have got you all onto the island where it’s safe, but I got caught up.”

“With what?”

“Chris transformed in the goddamn living room. It took Dad, Bobby, and I an hour to get him securely locked up.”

“Chris Hackett is a werewolf?” she exclaimed. A niece and nephew, maybe. His mom? She was a bitch already. But Chris Hackett had just been Chris all summer. So normal.

Travis nodded. “We’re always careful. No hunting when there are campers, but tonight, all the campers and counsellors were meant to be long gone."

“How long have they been werewolves?”

“Six years.”

Six years.

Six years of dealing with creatures like the one Max had turned into. No wonder Travis always seemed so exhausted and on edge all the time.

No wonder he was—

She remembered his arms had silvery marks when she'd seen them in the sunshine. Tentatively, Laura stepped forward and reached for one of Travis’ sleeves, unbuttoning the cuffs and rolling the back.

“What are you—no, don’t.”

Travis tried to fend her off, but Laura wouldn’t be stopped. She pushed his sleeves back to his elbows and ran her fingers down the marks.

“Oh, Travis,” she whispered in dismay.

But Laura wasn’t done.

She reached for his narrow black tie and unknotted it, and undid the first three buttons on his shirt. There, among the hairs on his chest, mostly black with a few silver ones sprinkled in, were scars. Dozens and dozens of scars.

Laura met his gaze. “I didn’t notice these in the boathouse. It was too dark, and then in the morning we were…we got so caught up in…”

Each other.

“I was so hungry for you that I forgot you might see these,” he murmured. “It was so wonderful not to remember they were there.”

Laura was standing between his knees. She stroked him again, the silver scars and the muscles of his chest. He wasn’t ripped, he was just nicely built. Naturally strong and solid. “They’re kind of sexy, actually.”

“I guess it’s not the what that bothers me. It’s the why.”

The fact that his family did this to him, Laura guessed. What a sad thought. “How many times have you been hurt by one of these things?”

“They don’t know they’re doing it,” Travis said. “You saw Max. He couldn’t control himself. No one can in that state.”

Still trying to protect them, even though they were monsters.

“Okay,” she said, buttoning his shirt up again. “How do we fix this? How do we stop this?”

“I shoot the werewolf that bit Caleb.”

“Silas the Dog Boy?” Laura guessed, and Travis nodded. “Okay, let’s go get him. We know he’s somewhere around, right? We heard him when we were in your car last full moon."

Travis was doing up his cuffs. “We are not doing anything. You are staying here.”

Laura raised an eyebrow at him. “Excuse you. I’m coming with you. I’m part of this now whether you like it or not.”

Travis shook his head, taking her shoulders in his hands and pushing her back as he stood up. “You’re not going anywhere with god knows how many werewolves on the loose."

“How many are out there?”

“Definitely two. Caleb and Kaylee. Chris is chained in the attic. There’s a third roaming around if Silas is here this full moon, but there could be more by now.”

“Oh? Who else?”

“The counsellors.”

“Oh, shit,” Laura whispered, her eyes going wide. “If they’ve been bitten then they could all be transforming by now. Hunting each other.”

Two broken down cars could be causing a camp carnage. She felt worse than ever about draining the SUV battery. And Chris had just driven off and left them. 

“Exactly, which is why you need to stay here while I get anyone who isn’t bit onto the island, and then go hunt Silas.” Travis sighed. “It’s going to be a long goddamn night.”

“But I can—”

“Don't argue with me, Laura.”

He was scrubbing his hand over his face when she did it. He felt a tug on his gun belt, and his hand snatched at empty air.

When he looked up, Laura was pointing the gun right at him, a determined expression in her eyes. “You’re not going to leave me here like I’m some kind of damsel in distress, Travis.”

He gazed at the gun, and then at Laura, covered in blood with her chin held high. He’d never seen anyone look less like a damsel in distress in his life.

“Either we go together, or I’m leaving right now with this gun, and you can’t stop me. So, what’s it going to be?”

I’m so sorry Max!!! You’re a good person and I love you. But as someone commented a few chapters ago, we’re here for Travis/Laura and so…yeah sorry lol.

I feel so sorry for Nick in-game when he changes because he has no idea what’s happening to him or what to do with his sudden inexplicable rage and frustration. None of the other counsellors become such assholes when they turn, but all of them have some understanding of what’s happening to them. It doesn’t make them better people than Nick that they managed to somewhat keep it together. Only better informed.

Poor Max has no idea what’s happening to him here and why, and deep down he’s known something’s suss with Laura and Travis all summer. Hence major meltdown. He’s still a good person though as it’s not his fault.

One thing that makes me laugh my ass off is that Laura doesn’t get angry when she feels the turn coming. She gets super bratty and starts fucking with Ryan.

“Can you smell that? Never mind ;))))”

*lands on top of Ryan and smiles at him like he’s food* “I could go a big juicy burger.”

Ahh, I love her. Travis, you have your hands full with this girl. 🎵 Good luuuuck 🎵

CHAPTER TEN

[tumbleassbitch]

another lost soul (letting my instinct take control) | The Quarry | TravisxLaura

Characters: Laura Kearney, Travis Hackett, The Hackett family Summary: Max dies in the cellar. This changes everything. Chapter 13/? | Chapter 12 | Chapter 1

It’s a werewolf.

Just like Travis said, its mottled skin gleams with a wet sheen. Long, crooked teeth jut out from its maw like shards of glass. Shrouded in dark, its eyes only appear with tapetum lucidum, but her mind fills in the blanks with ease.

It’s hard to piece together the splintered nightmare that was her first night in North Kill, but those eyes have always stuck with her. So pale, so empty. 

The gaze was that of a creature completely bereft of life, and even now, her body itches with wrong, wrong, wrong—

It tilts its head with a quick jerk, almost as if to size them up. Before her brain can form a coherent thought, it drops from the roof with uncanny grace.

Those dead eyes, now lit up by the headlights, focus in on her. 

“I thought you said the blood repels it?!” she asks shakily. 

The werewolf takes one gnarled, clawed step towards her on all fours, and Travis blocks its path. 

“Get in the car,” he commands sharply.

Even while crouched, its head almost comes up to Travis’ shoulders. He can’t seriously think he’ll hold up against that thing mano a mano. It’s like the skeletal structure of the host was laid out on a taffy puller. The thing has to be seven, no, eight feet tall.

“Travis,” she hisses.

It takes another step, and Travis mirrors its movements, dropping her bag.

“Laura, move,” he says again, keeping his eyes trained on the beast. 

It leans into his space with a deep, open mouth sniff, and its pale eyes roll back into its shrink-wrapped skull. The sclera are as dark as rot. 

“Why the fuck are you waiting for?!” she shouts. “Shoot!”

“For the love of god, woman!” he yells, not sparing her a look. “Move your ass!”

The strange peace that held the werewolf in place snaps, and it brushes past Travis with ease. Instinct directs her steps backwards. Even he seems to flounder for a moment, eyeing the placid walk of the werewolf with wide eyes, before raising the gun.

The first shot rings out like a thunder clap. The monster lets out an unholy screech that makes the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, but its gaze does not flinch from her. It rises like a marionette, gathering itself up on two spindly legs. 

Her back hits the solid frame of the car. She reaches out blindly until her fingers latch onto the door handle, yanking it open and plunging to the floor of the backseat. Laura scrambles for the shotgun tucked neatly beneath the driver's seat, but it won’t budge.

“Shit,” she whispers under her breath. The fucking thing is stuck.

Another shot now cracks through the air, but she doesn’t have time to look as the werewolf screeches again. She tucks deeper into the car to get a firm grip on the shotgun, and It’s still not moving. Somewhere along their drive, it must’ve gotten knocked loose and is now wedged underneath the seat at an angle.

“Goddammit!” Travis yells. Another shot, another shriek. He’s unloading freely now.

She wiggles it desperately against the door and center console. Please. Inch by painful inch, the shotgun is finally freed and she rises at the ready, sliding the pump, only to freeze.

The glint of teeth looms in the car door. The werewolf’s head blocks out the light of the moon. Beneath the drying blood, its skin is mottled with pinpricks of darker spots. Like freckles.

It’s so close that they share the same breath. The scent of blood, of rust and something more pungent, is overwhelming. But beyond that—

It’s intoxicating. Shooting this creature feels wrong. 

She shouldn’t even be holding a shotgun. An image comes to mind, then. It’s how she imagines her mother would’ve looked in her final moments, doe eyed and tear-stained. 

I really need you to come home.

And then something insane happens: Travis launches himself onto its back. His pale, panic-stricken face looks almost cartoonish from under the werewolf’s arm.

“Go, Laura! Drive!”

The werewolf tosses him off like he weighs nothing more than a ragdoll, and his body hits the gravel with a heavy thud. Dimly, over the rush of blood through her ears, she can hear him grunt.

It feels like a bucket of ice is dropped on her. Sorry, mom.

Laura shoots. It’s a miracle that it was loaded. The werewolf staggers back in a burst of red spray, painting her and the interior of the car with blood.

“No!” Travis screams.

Laura slides the pump to shoot again, but there’s no need. With one last show of fury, the monster throws its head back in a guttural scream and bounds off, slipping into the night.

Gingerly, Laura crawls out of the car and peers around, taking in the scene. They haven’t been here for longer than a few minutes, and yet the ground is splattered with blood.

Travis breathes loudly from where he’s still sprawled on the ground, propped up on his elbows. She quickly crouches down beside him.

“Are you hurt?” Laura asks urgently. 

“It… wasn’t loaded with silver,” he breathes out with a far-off look.

She touches the back of his head to check for blood, careful not to press too hard, and Travis finally looks at her, then.

His expression borders on feral. “What the fuck were you thinking?!” he shouts angrily, shoving her hands off of him. 

She backs off, raising her eyebrows. “Travis, you need to calm down.”

“That’s rich, coming from you,” he replies nastily.

Any concern she held for him immediately shrivels up and dies. “I’m letting that slide because you probably caved your skull in,” Laura retorts with a scowl. “I just saved your life, you asshat!”

“You didn’t. You put both of us at risk by blindly shooting out of a car—”

She huffs a laugh. “After you waited till it was drooling in my face. What the fuck took you so long?!”

“I was assessing the situation,” Travis declares. As if he isn’t spewing literal bullshit.

She shakes her head, looking around the driveway to double-check that it isn’t covered with his brain matter. 

It’s not, which is a pity. It means he’s being a dumbass of his own volition.

“That’s a nice way to describe taking for fucking ever to pull the trigger,” she says heatedly, but then thinks better of it. He’s still lying on the gravel.

Stay calm. We need to get inside. 

“Look, just say it. You froze,” Laura says, relenting in her anger. “So did I! It wasn’t until it threw you that—”

“They’re still people, Laura!” There's a wild look in his eyes, something akin to fear. It makes her blood run cold.

He didn’t have to say it like that. Of course they’re still people.

Laura stands up. “I know that.” Her voice comes out faint.

Travis’ face turns pleading. “If it isn’t Silas, shooting has to be a last resort.” 

But isn’t Silas a person, too? a little voice whispers. She refuses to entertain that line of thought right now.

“That was our last resort,” Laura says. “Don’t tell me it wasn’t.”

She doesn’t shoot people. That’s not who she is.

“If it wanted to kill us, it could’ve done so in a heartbeat.” He looks off into the dark woods. “It must’ve been curious.”

“You said they wouldn’t come near us.”

“I said they wouldn’t hunt us,” Travis says quietly. 

He watches her with a cautious edge. Maybe it’s still the adrenaline from earlier. Maybe it’s something else.

“...It came right up to me," Laura insists. She hates the way her voice hitches at the end.

“I know,” he says, not unkindly. 

“Then stop looking at me like I’m a fucking murderer!” she snaps bitterly. The shotgun sits in her hand like an anchor. He raises his hands in surrender, but it only makes her angrier.

"God, you know what? I'm sick of this. Of all of this— this back and forth! I'm trying so hard, Travis, but it’s like nothing I do is ever worth the full story!”

He blanches, and something within her lights up viciously at this. “Working with you is like pulling nails out of a plank of wood. First it's locking me up without telling me anything, then it's locking me up when you're telling me things, and now it's the fucking werewolf blood!”

“I’m sorry,” Travis blurts. Gravel scrapes loudly beneath his shoes as he stands. He sounds as solemn and earnest as if delivering a eulogy. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Laura. I didn’t think about it, and I should’ve.” 

When he steps within arm’s reach, she doesn’t give into the urge to retreat. This side of Travis never fails to make her weak. Even in her fury, she can’t help but drink in these vulnerable moments like they’re ambrosia. 

“I’m sorry for all of it,” Travis avows. 

The full moon looms over them as a stark reminder for everything between them. Everything they stand to risk, should they fail. 

Laura swallows roughly. Any remaining spark she had left to fight burns out as quickly as it burst to life. 

She holds out the shotgun. “Take it. You’ll need it tonight.”

It’s the best and only peace offering that she knows how to give. Still, Travis receives it as if it’s something precious.

When she keeps her palm open, obnoxiously wiggling her fingers, the sincerity of his face morphs into bafflement. The moment it clicks, he graces her with a long-suffering sigh, reaching into his pocket.

“The guest bedroom is on the second floor, first door on the left. If you need more pillows, there are some in the closet.”

She plucks the house key from his hand. Compared to the chill of the night, the metal holds a trace of warmth. It’s all from him.

“I’ll find it,” she says, swiping her bag from the gravel and moving onwards to the dark steps. “Don’t die tonight.”

Laura unlocks the door before he has a chance to say anything in turn. The house is dark, but she opts for her phone rather than fumble for the light switch. 

She glides through the main floor like a ship in a cove, passing silhouettes of furniture and the faceless photos that will undoubtedly go under inspection at a later time. Not tonight.

Just as he said, the guest room is clean and relatively impersonal, and Laura doesn’t bother turning on the light before dropping her bag on the floor and making her way over to the grand window overlooking the road beyond. 

It’s to keep an eye out for any stray shadows lurking outside, of course. And if her eyes track the set of headlights that vanish between the trees, well. 

That’s just for her to know.

.

.

July 24th, 2022

“You sure you’re alright, boy?”

Jedediah Hackett is the spitting image of his father before him: piercing blue eyes, a strong square jaw. Hackett traits. 

Travis inherited neither.

“Yes, Pa. You know how it is. There ain’t nothing to be worried about.”

His father’s glower fills him with boyish dread, but graciously, he lets the question lie. “Come by sometime soon. Your ma’s likely been itching a storm to speak with you ‘bout yesterday.”

The last thing he wants to do is drop by the family home and get a tongue lashing in person, especially after yesterday’s phone call, but if he waits too long, she’s bound to blow her lid.

Constance Grady Hackett has the incessant need to be involved in every person’s life. It’s to the degree that if she doesn’t know what you ate that morning, you were likely sucking in the giggle smoke with the loose part of town and didn’t want word to get around.

His best chance at having this blow over is to come by tomorrow, at the very latest. It gives himself a chance to freshen up, and hopefully, the worst of her mood will have left by then. Ma is fickle like that— peace and wrath come in like waves, but his first duty in life was to know how to outlast them. This latest fit is no different.

Travis nods brusquely. “Course.”

“Don’t you worry ‘bout the boy, we’ll be giving Caleb a talking to. Lord knows when that rat drags himself back home, he’s in for a world of trouble.”

Jedediah takes his leave without another word. Despite being in his eighties, the man still walks with his back straight and chin held high, and some of the pressure in Travis’ chest releases now that those faded eyes aren’t leering at him. 

Bobby waves from beside their dad’s ancient Jeep, and Travis returns it mutedly. It’s a miracle that neither of them noticed the spatter of werewolf blood on the cruiser. 

Just like their father, his brother barely spoke a word to him all night. Aside from lamenting that Caleb snuck out for the second time in a year, the entire hunt was stalked by loaded glances and smothered silence.

Travis couldn’t acknowledge it. Doubling down on a lie without being asked would just raise more suspicion, and casual conversation was off the table, so silence it was. After the past few days he’s had, the dead air felt unnatural. It still does.

Travis disappears inside the precinct and makes the slog over to the janitor’s closet, plucking out a dry cloth and bucket. It’s time to clean up his nephew’s mess. 

The bucket is unceremoniously emptied on blood splatter, and some of it spills over his hands. It’s freezing to the touch, but he feels the cold as if he’s only reading about it, like he’s not really there. Somewhere along the past several hours, he’s stopped feeling much of anything.

Seventy-two full moons. It’s been seventy-two full moons of skulking in the dark with a pocket full of shotgun shells, and last night was the one that almost ruined everything.

He promised to keep her safe.

They’ve never been tracked under the cover of blood. Ever. And last night, Caleb acted like he barely noticed anything other than the flash of gold hair. It's like the werewolf was hypnotized by her.

And the worst part, the part that Travis will take to his very grave, is that this was the second time he’s seen that reaction.

When Laura Kearney burst into his life under a shower of blood, Travis didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. There wasn’t time to wonder why the thing that became his brother hadn’t eviscerated her before he made it down the stairs. 

It’s not like his family hasn’t claimed more than one meal in a night: Caleb and the two hikers from Albany, Kaylee and that family of three from Saratoga Springs.

No, he figured it was by sheer luck, and the fact that her boyfriend had just been made a meal, that the poor girl was still in one piece. And like a fool, it hasn’t crossed his mind since. 

Not until last night.

“Fuck it all to hell,” Travis mumbles, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn fleck.

When he carried her small frame back up those cellar steps, it was with an oath that his family’s carnage would end there. The idea had always been that she'd be kept safe and squared away at the station. It was never meant to come to this, face to face with goddamn Caleb of all monsters.

But this turn of events had always been inevitable, hadn’t it? That's always been the story for Travis Hackett. With a woman like her, it was bound to get bathed with blood yet again. 

That’s just who Laura is. She’s voracious. There’s a hunger in those eyes that no amount of pretty smiles or hair twirling can soften. 

He’s seen it before in the eyes of his family moments before they turn. It’s the appetite of a predator on the verge of peeling back skin, sharpening her claws to poke and prod at the gore that lies beneath. 

It’s in those moments that he’s reminded of who she is. After all, she’s attached to one of the worst household names in upstate New York: Scott Brandt.

The disgraced army sniper who played target practice with civilians for years before he was discovered. A deranged psychopath who viewed human life as nothing more than points to score in his cruel game. 

And somehow, his only daughter made her way over to North Kill.

Nothing goes past her. And if she finds out he lied about the blood, then it’s only a matter of time—

Travis wrings out the rag, sprinkling the ground with tainted water. She'll never know. 

She doesn't need to. The truth would do nothing but destroy the fragile chance they have at ending his family’s purgatory, and it’s not like it’s far from the truth. It was Silas who started all of this. 

Why should it matter which werewolf took her boyfriend’s life when it all stems from one person? And in any case, why should the hunt matter if they can finally end this without any more blood on their hands?

He dumps the rest of the bucket and stuffs it with the rag in the trunk to wash later at home. Travis slump into the driver’s seat. He’s going to drive back to the cabin, crawl into bed with a bottle of bourbon, and block out the world until it comes knocking on his door. 

Except, his fingers refuse to turn the key. He can’t. 

He can’t tell her the truth. It’s too late. And, he can’t help but think, it would hurt her. She’s already been put through enough. She’s good people, and the last thing he wants to do is add onto the pile of shit any more than he already has.

Where’d you learn to shoot?

It doesn’t matter.

Travis turns the ignition on. Nothing good is coming from just sitting here like a fuckwit. He needs to get back home and do something. 

That’s the problem, isn’t it? If he’d just done more, used his brain for things other than cover-ups, then maybe none of this would be an issue and Kearney never would’ve been tied into this mess.

Hell, they just found proof of a cure carved in stone, right there, under his nose for years. All this time, they’ve been searching for a wisp of air when the answer to their problems was in his old college town of all places. 

He’s a fucking moron. Hopeless.

You deserve better.

“Stop,” Travis commands in the empty space. The faintest trace of her body wash lingers in the air. 

He blasts the radio while he drives, switching the channel from classic rock to something that's more neutral ground. It’s still early by the general public standards when he gets home, barely six o’clock, which means Laura is likely still asleep.

Exhaustedly, he sprays down the driveway till the leftover blood from last night’s shootout is long washed away. Travis digs out the spare key from the patch of dirt that used to double as a garden, back when he had the time and will to maintain it, and braces for whatever lies on the other side of the door.

The house is quiet. He crosses the threshold, careful to avoid the creaky floorboard in the entrance, and tries to imagine what someone else might see at first glance.

It’s not dirty, though perhaps it could be better. The dust-coated beer steins on the cabinets haven’t been cleaned since their inaugural placement. The faded checkered towels hanging in the kitchen have outlasted two washing machines.

Definitely outdated, he muses, eyeing the dark couch and loveseat. At least those match, having been bought as part of a larger set back in the day. Amelia helped him pick them out.

All of this has Amelia’s touch. The entire downstairs, which she insisted needed to look welcoming for all of the guests he’d never have, is a time capsule back to when his sister-in-law still walked this earth.

What would Amelia say if she knew what happened to her kids? 

Travis physically pulls himself out of that train of thought by dragging himself up the stairs, mindlessly going through the steps of his post-full moon routine. It isn’t until he’s brushing his wet hair back with one hand, the other poised to open the bedroom door, that it fully hits him.

There’s a woman sleeping in his house.

Not a woman, but Laura, he automatically corrects. Honing in on the fact that she’s a woman implies something else, which is fucking asinine. The most important part of that sentence is that she’s Laura. 

Besides, the fact that she’s sleeping two doors down is not nearly as substantial as sharing a room together. Which they did, twice. Not to mention that he’s seen her—

“Shit,” he hisses, rubbing his shoulder after slamming it against the door frame. The sooner he gets in bed, the quicker he can shut off his brain.

Though, can he fall asleep right away? While he just pulled an all-nighter, it’s not like Kearney suffered the same fate. With her track record, she’ll be slipping her grubby fingers into every nook and cranny of his home the moment he passes out.

Travis looks forlornly at his bed. And yet, the thought of someone as stubborn and obnoxious as her having free reign of his personal space is mildly terrifying. 

She’s likely already snooped, knowing her. But if he stays up, he can ideally prolong anything further until they can get this sorted out. The precinct is still an option; the better option, really. 

He’s under no illusion about its habitability, but with a little bit of time, he could find some things to make the space more comfortable. Like he should’ve done in the beginning.

He hangs his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. Great. If he’s going to stay up, then he might as well spend it making his life more bearable.

Travis ditches his bathrobe for a loose pair of jeans and practical button-up, making his way to the kitchen. The search in his cabinets is ridiculously high effort, but under the ancient stack of cookie cutters and a waffle iron, he finds it.

For the first time in years, it’s time to break out the casserole dish.

Honestly, he deserves some actual food after the shitshow that last night was, and besides; it’s going to be at least an hour till Kearney wakes up, following their typical routine.

The eggs are from the family down the road, and the block of cheddar in the dairy drawer is probably not too old. Now, is it two cups of flour, or pieces of old bread for the base…?

Years ago, before he ever left for college, Ma used to make this for Christmas morning. She’d use the red glazed dish that was reserved for special events, and let it settle in the fridge overnight. 

But when he got his college acceptance letter, she made it for Saturday breakfast to celebrate and he can still taste the comforting spice of the sausage and cheeses mixed with the egg. 

It was sheer bliss. That’s what he wants to eat today, and by god, he’ll figure it out.

Travis whips together the foundational pieces as much as he can, and though it won’t have time to sit like it’s supposed to, it’s bound to taste good enough. Satisfied, he grabs the morning paper and settles in.

It’s when he’s in the middle of pouring his second cup of coffee, splash of bourbon purely optional, when a car door slams outside.

For a brief, selfish moment, he considers ignoring it to hoard this moment for himself. But a look around the room of faded decor, of memories and plans left behind, leaves no choice. It’s not the reminder he wants, but it’s the reminder he needs. 

Travis opens the door to a mildly stunned Kaylee. Her fist is raised in a frozen knock, and sheepishly, she tucks it in her sweatshirt.

The night after a transformation is akin to a hangover, apparently, and she looks like she just got back from a night on the Vegas strip. The redness around her eyes and nose suggest there’s a bit more to that than magical bullshit, however.

“I didn’t really think you’d be awake,” she says meekly. 

Travis rolls his eyes. “What are you doing here?” 

It comes out sharper than he intended, judging by her wince. “I’m really sorry I didn’t call you back.”

“It’s fine, Kay,” he says meaningfully, though that’s not the reason she came. He knows where this is going.

Kaylee fidgets on his porch. “Um, I came here because… I need to talk to you about something.”

Typically, this is where he’d offer for her to come inside. But with a certain blonde on the premises, he can only nod in what’s hopefully an encouraging gesture.

“So, with camp ending and the new round not starting ‘till tomorrow, Caleb stayed outta the cage last night,” she says quickly. 

“Really,” he deadpans.

“I know he shouldn’t have done it and I told him as much, but you know how he is! I swear I didn’t know till I was already shut in.” 

Her eyes begin to water. “He’s been wanting a night to roam for months now, despite all of our mess. But when he got back to the house this morning, he said it felt like— like he’d been shot.”

Kaylee gasps out a sob, and out of reflex, he reaches out. She doesn’t seem to notice through her panic.

“I’m really freaked out, T! What if he got someone else last night? Or what if it was a hunter? Maybe someone finally figured it out, and they’re after us and everything is ruined, and it’s my fault because I destroyed our lives—!”

Travis pulls her in and she crumples against his chest, sobbing silently. He wraps an arm around her shaking shoulders, gently holding her there, and thinks.

After the worst of her shaking subsides, he quietly murmurs over her head, “Does anyone else know?”

Kaylee rocks her head back and forth against his chest. “No. I didn’t even tell him I was coming to you. I’m so sorry.” 

“I don’t blame you,” for this, “but let’s keep it between us. Hell, there might’ve been nothing. All of you have been telling me for years now how hard the transformation is.”

“It’s ain’t nice, but I didn’t wake up feeling like I was shot,” her muffled voice sounds unconvinced.

“Maybe a night out had its own negative effects,” he offers easily. “Maybe he took a fall somewhere in the night and is still feeling the aftereffects.”

She pulls back, and he allows her a moment to compose herself. “Look, Kaylee. There’s no use in telling the others.”

“But what about the state ecological services?” she asks miserably. “Isn’t Jess looking for signs of bears?”

“I’ll look into it and keep you updated with what I find, but if you go off and tell your dad, we’ll have a witch hunt on our hands.”

Given the resigned look in her eyes, Kaylee understands all too well. Chris will panic, sending everyone into a frenzy, and Travis will be sentenced to wandering this hellscape until he finds some unlucky bastard in camo who only wanted a new set of antlers.

No one wins.

But if they play their cards right, this too will blow over and he and Kearney can get back to finding his family’s redemption.

“Okay,” his niece says finally, but any uncertainty in her voice is overshadowed by the pure faith in her eyes.

Kaylee trusts him to do the right thing. Maybe she doesn’t know the full truth, but if she did, she’d know that their family has never been in better hands.

And Travis’ faith rests in those hands, too.

.

.

The last time Laura’s seen this brand of shampoo, it was in her mom’s closet a good decade ago, at least.

Travis’ guest bathroom is coated in a light layer of dust and curiously outdated bath supplies, which is perhaps the only thing she could’ve guessed right. It’s a comfort. She’s not sure what she’d do if it turned out Travis had a thriving social life.

The hot water is grounding, and Laura soaks up the comforting sensation as much as she can to ignore the fact that she’s floundering. The situation didn’t quite hit her in lieu of fending off an actual werewolf, but faced with the aftermath this morning, it feels like she’s been hit by a train.

Travis Hackett’s house is nice.

Sure, it’s outdated, but it’s larger than what she grew up with in terms of sheer space. Her childhood bedroom was half the size of this barely-furnished guest room, and judging by the space of kitchen and living room downstairs, the master bedroom has to be pretty sizable.

There’s an obvious rustic choice in decor, though something tells her it’s not so much intentional as it is the age of things. Still, all of it meshes together to create an atmosphere that’s warm and endearing.

Which brings last night into such a dire contrast. Who was that werewolf, and why weren’t they locked up? If the Hacketts host the few that they know are bitten, then could this be proof that Silas has been near the area recently?

It could’ve happened last month, she muses while drying off. Realistically, they might not have even known they were infected till last night, which means they’re probably waking up feeling like they had the worst blackout.

If those shotgun shells had been full of silver, they’d be dead. Their last moments would’ve been spent in confusion and agony.

She’s not sure how she feels about that. What she should feel, more like. Travis’ scream plays through her mind on repeat, and he can still clearly see the look on his face. Shock, uncertainty. Fear.

She can almost feel dread take root in her stomach. Laura swore that no one would ever look at her that way, that she’d never give them a reason to. But obviously, things have changed.

It’s not as big of a deal as either of them are making it. What was she supposed to do, let them be eaten? Firing a gun, a shotgun, was honestly their only option and though it won’t be her first choice, she’d absolutely do it again if it came down to it.

Especially with Silas.

The faint sound of a kitchen timer rings up the stairs, and Laura pauses, listening for footsteps. There’s no movement, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. She slips on her sleep shirt to sneak back to the guest bedroom, but there it is again. Beep beep.

Alarm spikes in the back of her brain. What if it isn’t a kitchen timer? What if Travis was somehow injured during the hunt and he’s trying to get her attention?

With a fucking stove timer? the rational part of her mind pushes back, but it’s too late. Laura creeps down the stairs, halfway expecting to find his bloodied handprints on the wooden railing like a scene from a horror movie, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary.

In fact, there appears to be no one. 

The timer rings again, and she quickly patters over to the kitchen with bare feet and shuts it off. Travis… baked something?

Cracking the oven door open releases a diving plume of cheese and meat; it’s the kind of breakfast that leaves regret in its wake, but is still totally worth it. Laura gives the kitchen a once-over for something to pull the dish out, feeling more than ever like a fish on the highway, till she finally just uses the old hand towels and turns the oven off. 

Breakfast is served, but where’s the cook?

A full mug of coffee is out on the counter, still steaming. She takes a hesitant whiff of it and yup, that’s his. Bourbon always seems to be close at hand for him.

She cautiously walks into the living room and takes it all in— the checkered blanket folded neatly in a basket by the modest TV, a stack of expired sports magazines on the ottoman, a wooden bear figurine on the mantle. 

A small framed photo on the side table catches her eye. It’s Travis, a good twenty years younger, with a few faces she doesn’t recognize. The man standing beside him has to be one of his brothers. Chris, she assumes, given the heavily-pregnant woman on his arm and the little boy beside their legs.

If Kaylee’s mom died during her childbirth, then this must be one of the last happy photos of them all together. The photo next to it is smaller, wrapped in a gaudy gold frame like it's meant to make up for it. This one looks more like an oil painting of an old, angry man; actually, it is. 

Okay, weird, she thinks, but a muted pair of voices outside beckons her over to the door. She’s not tall enough to see through the upper glazing, but if she gets on the stairwell… 

Laura’s halfway up the stairs, peering over the banister, when the front door swings open without ceremony. 

Kaylee, of all the people to be on the other side of the door, is in the middle of walking away when she does a double-take.

"Take it easy," Travis says over his shoulder, then turns and immediately locks onto Laura.

Two sets of wide eyes peer up at her. For a moment, no one speaks. She manages to squeak out a shocked, “Uh,” before Travis slips through the crack and slams the door behind him.

Kaylee's muffled shriek of, "Oh my god!" floats between them like the sad lone feather of a plucked chicken.

"Where the fuck are your pants?!" he furiously whispers with an accusatory point.

“When the fuck were you going to tell me Kaylee was here?” she hisses back. 

They both ignore the frantic knocking at the door. 

“You were—!” Travis looks like he’s about to have an aneurism. “Go. Go upstairs and get dressed, would you please.” 

Laura tugs on the hem, despite her sleep shirt being far longer than some of her dresses. As if he’s just now hearing himself, he quickly turns his back as she scampers up the stairs, shoving her back against the bedroom door when it shuts.

Shitshitshit— Laura covers her face, trying to process what just happened. Kaylee’s here. She’s here and she definitely saw her in Travis’ house. In the morning.

Like the morning after, she thinks hysterically, except this is the I Shot a Paranormal Creature-kind of morning after.

What are they going to do?

Numbly, Laura slips on a pair of pants and bra and makes her way downstairs, feeling all too much like she’s doing the walk of shame. She’s barely left the last step when Kaylee engulfs her in a hug. The touch practically makes her melt, and it ends sooner than she’d like for it to.

“Hi!” The heady flush of Kaylee’s skin makes her eyes seem lighter. “Sorry, just, it’s been a while and things felt kinda weird. If I'd known about you guys…”

Laura’s eyes dart over to where Travis has taken camp near the fireplace, idly massaging his temples. His brows raise as if to say, This is on you.

“We’re sorry for keeping it a secret,” Laura says stiltedly, still not quite believing the route this is going. “Uh, but I’m glad you stopped by. I missed having you around.”

“Apparently not too much,” Kaylee says with a snort. 

Travis lets out a soft grunt in disapproval, looking away. “Listen, would you—?”

“Keep it a secret, yeah. I wouldn’t dream of it,” she says, donning an impish grin. “If I told anyone, they’d never leave me alone. It definitely explains why you wanted to keep Jess all to yourself.”

"Kaylee," Travis protests weakly.

"You could've told me,” Kaylee insists. "’Sides, I think it's really sweet! I think my eighth grade science teacher was married to a guy who was a decade younger than her."

"Thank you… for your support," Laura says lamely, but she can't help feeling like everything's going to be fine. God, she didn't realize how much she missed Kaylee, but now that the other girl is nearby, the embarrassment of the whole situation starts to fade.

Honestly, this is probably for the best.

Travis seems to clue in on her relatively satisfied demeanor, because he shoots her a particularly ugly look.

"I’ll see you tomorrow at the precinct,” he says to Kaylee.

“Totally,” she says with a cheeky smile. “And I get that this is your way of kicking me out, now, so I’m going to go home before dad puts me to work in getting camp ready for the next batch of campers and—”

“Kaylee,” Travis practically begs.

Kaylee raises her hands in surrender, amusement playing on her face. “I’m going, I’m going!” She practically skips to the door, blurting out, “Have fun!” before leaving.

It’s like the aftermath of a hurricane. 

Travis sighs, looking around the room with an unreadable expression before wearily stepping into the kitchen. Wordlessly, he studies the breakfast casserole before sticking a fork in it.

“Breakfast is served,” he announces lacklusterly.

She joins him at the counter as he produces a half-full bottle of bourbon and pours a shot in his mug. For a moment, he considers her.

“Coffee?” He raises the bottle.

“Definitely,” she says.

[tiburion]

Werewolf Hackearney AU [Part 2]

(Second half of this super self indulgent AU, if you haven’t read the first part better do it or this will be a hot mess)

@lovesomehate Damn, this scenario got a bit out of hand, I hoped to do a shorter post for this second part. Boy I was wrong...

Gonna also put this under cut cause I’m basically writing an essay for how long my mind wandered.

Once free, Laura and Max, run away, and like canon events Max will wait at the tree house on the island while Laura will kill Chris.

Meanwhile back at the police station Travis is furious, those damn kids escaped and the fucking ginger brat even shoot him! Locked in the cell, he uses the radio to contact his family so that one of them could come and and let him out of his prison. He has to catch those two idiots before things go really wrong and the night comes. 

Jebediah responds, but he cuts off saying something along the lines of “You would have to lock yourself up in that same cell in a few hours anyway, so stay where you are, son” and hangs up. He tries again and again but silence is the only answer he recives.

The sheriff is livid. The approaching full moon doesn’t help his mood. Why, WHY does he have to be a good boy for his parents and brothers and keep up with their requests and needs but when it’s him asking they turn the other way?! ‘Ma has eyes only for Chris and his children, he has always been the black sheep of the family, the failure, nothing more to her eyes and his ‘pa is just a puppet in her hands doing as she please! 

(from what we saw with the councelrols and their 180° change of character right before transforming ex. Jacob becoming insecure of himself, Max becoming a jerk ecc. I can’t help but see Travis, who’s usually condescending and submissime to his family and their will, going totally ballistic, nothing to keep his bottled up emotions inside anymore).

He spends minutes pacing around the cell like a caged animal trying to calm down but it doesn’t work. 

The bullet wound stopped bleeding but it still damn hurts, and most important: he can’t get Laura’s taste from earlier out of his mouth, her scent unable to leave his mind. He was going crazy.

He needed more. He wanted more.

Travis remembered a time when, as a deputy, Hank told him about how sturdy the station’s cell doors were and yet, like everythig ,even those bars of steel have a weak point. Not that a normal human would ever be able to tear it down with bare hands, but still.

Luckly for him it has been six years since he has not been a normal human anymore, and today he felt particularly frenzy.

He almost broke his shoulder, but after a few attempts of slamming against it the door’s hinges broke. He didn’t need a mirror to see his eyes reduced to a pair of unnatural golden irises. The hot blood pumping in his veins and his ragged breath were enough. He better hurry.

Travis first thought is to look for Laura at the storm shelter under the lodge, where Chris goes to spend these nights and where she and Max were assaulted in first place. She’ll certainly go there.

Just when he was about to arrive at the camp, his radio intercepts a communication between Chris and their parents, his borther quickly explains that there has been a problem: the counselors were still at the camp and he was heanding home as fast as possible.

Travis stops. Going to the camp would be of no use now with the kids still there, even Laura would not dare to storm in shotgun in hand with all those people present, at least he hoped. Maybe this night could still be saved, he’ll try to fix this mess tomorrow as soon as he comes back to his senses. Knowing Laura she’ll wander all night seeking for her monster, he’ll be sure she won’t find it.

He turns back the car and goes to Hacketts house.

The sun was almost setted when Chirs arrived at the family home. On the verge of his nerves, he started to explain to the rest of his family what happened when Travis stepped through the door. He looks like an half mess, and everyone is surprised to see him there, he was supposed to be at the station, like every full moon.

Constance soon loses that little patience she has. The time is almost up and no one is ready, puls now they have a bunch of stupid kids going around. She orders to her husband and Bobby to get out, meanwhile Travis tries to convince his bother into going back to the police station with him. He totally avoids talking about the fact that there might be a fully armed blonde going after werewolves during the night. 

The thought of the young woman is like a punch to his brain. He can feel his concentration slipping more and more every minute. It’s a strange sensation. He never experienced anything like this before turning in the last six years.

He just wants to take his little brother and leave. He points out Chris has no place to be and going with him is the best solution, since Caleb and Kaylee will occupy the cages in the basement. 

Chris, on his part, was even going to accept the offer, but an angry Constance interrupted them. She silenced and admonished her oldest son telling him Chris was going to remain at the house.

She proceeds to spit venom at Travis, telling him to go hide like he always does. Since Travis bit his brother and nephews, he never went out to help the hunt while tranformed, the fear of doing it again to another member of the family, or worse, too much for him to bear. The Hacketts matriarch, on the other hand, saw in the sheriff the cause of all their problems: it was his fault her nephews were cursed, and it was his fucking duty to help solve the problem, not hiding away like the spineless bastard he was.

Travis silently accepts his mother’s coercion. He tries, at least. His horrible pre shifting moods swings came back at full force. In the back of his mind there is a vocie screaming at him to leash out at the woman in front of him, to make her pay. 

He has to get out immediately, before he’ll do something he’ll regrets. 

Chris and the children will be safe in the house, there is no way Laura will get in. He has no reason to stay any longer. 

Just when he was taking the way of the door, Constance made a last jab at Travis, informing him Kaylee and Caleb will be out to help Jebediah and Bobby with the hunt: they are good children, not like someone else!

There is a snap.

In a matter of seconds all the Hacketts, except the eldest woman, are on Travis, seizing him.

The policeman is a restless mix of growls and snarls. The "match" didn't last long, and soon Bobby was the only one who managed to keep a hold on Travis. His older brother's ire found in him the new target, even Bobby gets knocked half unconscious on the ground. 

The room is filled by the cop's heavy breathing. 

He marched to stand over the other younger Hackett's prone form on the floor but stopped himself before doing any furter damages. His eyes don't change back to their usual black color, but a spark of recognition could be seen in them. The last one for this day.

The whole family watch as Travis runs as fast as he can out of the house.

Night comes, the moon high in the sky.

Laura has been searching the woods around the camp for hours, she saw tracks and blood but it's only when she heard the screams she found the werewolf.

  Travis was right, it wasn't easy to hit them, but she had a duty to fulfill. A shot reaches the target, not enough to kill tho, so the creature runs away. She follows it until the wolf jumps behind some bushes.

Laura waits, she's ready. The moment something comes out it'll be dead. Being too focused on the foliage she didn't hear the steps approaching from behind until it was too late. When she turns the creature is only a few meters away: growling and sniffing the air, but it doesn't come closer. Glowing yellow eyes bore into hers.

It was her chance.

When she rose up the shotgun to aim, something didn't look right. Was the wolf she had been chasing so black and big?

Her attention is brought back by a soft tinkling sound, signaling the beast was moving.

Laura fired. The wolf left out a howl, blood gushing out from the hole on it's shoulder. Before she could fire a second time a clawed hand knocked her away. She quickly collected her gun and started running before the creature managed to jump on her with a roar. A chase began and only when she got near the pool house the wolf loses her tracks.

From this point on the events remains more or less the same as the game: Laura kills Kaylee in the pool, she gets bit by Max, she reunites with the other counselors explaining what happened and sets out with Ryan for house Hackett.

When the duo is outside of the fence looking for a way in, the same black wolf that chased Laura through the woods is back. Ryan rushes behind the woman, that  misses when firing.

This time the creature in upon them but before biting Laura's head off it stops. Laura felt the monster's breath right on her face, it gave her a couple of sniffs, it’s loud howling the last thing she heard before the gorund under their feet gave up and both Ryan and herself were falling down.

With the werewolf venom now in her veins which amplifies her senses she was able to catch a smell. A smell that her brain unconsciously already knows, coming from her wolf stalker... This time, however, curse or not curse she had been able to grasp a good look at what seemed to be the remains of a torn uniform around the animalistic body, the golden star hanging off what once was a breastpocket leaving her no doubts.

She was relieved Travis didn’t die in the cell, but if he’d comes at her again during the night she won’t hesitate to shoot.

Laura and Ryan’s adventure inside the house ends up with Constance dead, Ryan bitten by Laura but eventually cured since they manage to kill Chris.

That’s it for Laura. She did her job, the curse was lifted and the dawn would break soon, so why, when she gets out instead of taking Max and the others still alive to flee from this damn place, she feels a urge to go back into the woods to look for a black werewolf? 

Before she notices, her feet dragged her toward Shady Glade. She finds him there, curled under a big tree with what she supposes are the remains of a dead boar beside him, pitch black skin marred with dryed blood.

She shouldn’t be there, it’s dangerous, yet a part of her felt it was the right place to be. 

The scent she smelled earlier is back. How? She wasn’t cursed anymore, how cold she still feel it?

As the first rays of sunlight started creeping between the thick foliage, a voice in the back of her mind wrapped around her brain like a hand: go to your mate.

In a explosion of blood the black beast disappeared, leaving back a human Travis.

YEEEE GONNA STOP HERE. 

A LITTLE THIRD PART MAYBE?

ps. sorry for my grammar as always

[mapleandgingeroatmeal]

The Chetney Playlist Analysis

A.K.A Orbit spends many hours of her precious fleeting life reading way too into the sings in Travis's playlist because someone had to do it!!

Love to @captainofthetidesbreathetidesbreath for hyping this playlist enough to light a fire under my ass; please if you read this reblog and give me your thoughts!

My analysis will be structured thus: 

1), a disclaimer about wolf imagery in popular media and in this playlist

2), everything we know about Chetney, and about Ch(U)tney, who I’m treating as a separate, but still important for context, character. 

3), a breakdown of each song, pointing out any lyrics that I find particularly significant 

4), Wild speculation about the conclusions that can be drawn by combining parts 2 and 3

5), in which I summarize all of the above and, to the best of my ability, predict the sad life’s story of Chetney Pock O’Pea.

1) A Disclaimer About Werewolves.

These songs all have to do with werewolves; that’s the gimmick of the playlist, that’s the distraction tactic Travis is using to gaslight you into ignoring his own narrative genius. But Chetney’s only been a werewolf for a few months out of his very long life! This means that many of the songs that still involve wolf theming/lyrics probably don’t actually have much to do with that part of him. Wolves are also very popular animals that’ve been used as metaphors in many songs for many purposes over the years. This means it is very possible to pick and choose which wolf-y songs you use to construct a specific narrative. 

2) Ch(E)tney Facts, Ch(U)tney Facts, and the Venn Diagram Between Them

Ch(U)tney was the oldest Elf still working in Santa’s workshop. He’s famous for his actions at the very end of the One-Shot, but he was actually making his anti-santa stance pretty clear from the jump! Remember that whole bit where he tries to convince the crew to abandon Santa, then roles a nat 20 strength check to lift the gift sack and declares a “new world order?” Note that Chutney isn’t just expressing displeasure, but actively trying to convince others to side with him.

Now what do we know about Ch(E)tney? He was also a toymaker, originally from Uthodurn. He, like Ch(U)tney, prefers the old-fashioned way of toy making with wood. He worked for someone named Oltgar, and had to flee the city after a disagreement in which he messed up his boss “something fierce”, as he puts it. Stabbed with a wooden chisel, mayhaps? Those are the biographical details. In terms of personality, Chetney is intelligent, experienced, and considers himself the leadership type (“respect the alpha” and all that). He’s jumpy and blunt, but also observant, emotionally intelligent, and very capable of expressing real sympathy and concern for his teammates. For skillset, besides the obvious wolf stuff, he’s very stealthy and good at using that chisel to do crime. 

So with all that set up, let’s look at the songs!

3) Songs About Fighting (and wolves)

As the title of this section hints, the throughline of most of these songs is how so many of them concern battles; ones in progress, ones lost, and ones about to begin. Speaking of beginning:

Werewolf by The Frantics

No lyrics on this bad boy, only music and howling! Perhaps the only one of these songs that is exactly as simple as Travis sells it. 

Lifeline by Bad Wolves

This one is for sure a cry for help, with lines like “Reaching out, I need a lifeline/I don’t know if I can carry this on my own” reflecting a singer with a burden that’s becoming too much for them. Also important are the lines “It's a dwelling, call it deep insight/When the best no longer tries to fight/The sweetest sugar swoon/The darkest side of moons”

We Will Rock You (feat. Maria Brink, Lzzy Hale and Taylor Momsen) by In this Moment

Chetney’s attitude and life are written all over this song! The verses follow someone from a boy playing on the street, to a young man with big plans, to a poor old man. The middle verse is the most important here, with lines like “fighting in the street, gonna take on the world someday” and “waving your banner all over the place”

Wolf Totem (feat. Jacoby Shaddix) by The Hu

This is definitely about some kind of fight, either one in progress or one that the singer is asserting their willingness to have. Note the lines “We got your back, we all been low, lets all rise to the brethren code.”

Wolves by Selena Gomez & Marshmello

I agree with @Captainofthetidesbreath that this is about a character we haven’t met yet; almost definitely a lost love of some sort, most likely pre-werewolf but sticking with the theme for the sake of the bit.

Fire Inside by Pop Evil

This one’s about staying determined in a fight that you’ve been preparing for. It’s very much in thematic conversation with Wolf Totem and Rock You, with lyrics like “Time to write my story, make history”, and “After all these battles, yeah, I'm ready for war”.

Kidnap The Sandy Claws by The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack

As surface-level obvious as this one’s meaning is, I think it's actually one of the songs that has the biggest hints towards Chetney’s story! This is more fight/battle theming, but more specific than in any song so far. It’s about an organized and collaborated effort to kidnap and harm a specific powerful person. (Yes it is, stop laughing!!)

Seven Nation Army by SKÁLD

Never looked at all the lyrics to this song before! They’re actually a lot more cynical and defeated sounding than you’d think, with lines like “And I'm talking to myself at night/Because I can't forget”, and “I'm going to Wichita/Far from this opera forevermore”. Googling around, the song is about leaving a town where your community has become toxic and turned against you. 

Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf) by AWOLNATION

This song is the first one that I think truly is about being a werewolf. The line “Imma make a deal with the bad wolf, so the bad wolf don’t bite no more” just screams “accepting lycanthropy”. There’s these lines that also read as important to me: “My enemy is a friend of mine in a friendly place to be seen/You know I'll run away for a couple years just to prove I've never been free.” 

Animals by Architects

If there’s like a low point/darkest hour to this story, it’s in this song. The lyrics are desperate and defeatist. The most interesting lyrics for our purposes are: “I dug my heels, I thought that I could stop the rot/The ground gave way, now I've lost the plot”.

Howlin’ for You by The Black Keys

I think this song lives in the same house as the Silena Gomez song does; very romantic, directed towards a character we don’t know about yet.

Thriller by Michael Jackson

Everyone knows whats up with this song. It’s spooky scary! It’s about a person getting attacked and corrupted by monsters late at night, which is exactly what happened to Our Boy Cheyney. 

Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon

A song about a more refined and controlled, but still very dangerous, monster. Maybe a sexy flirty werewolf instead of a terrifying out of control one.

Christmas With The Devil by Spinal Tap

Ok this is the other one that’s pretty surface-level still. Santa but he’s bad and evil and associated with cool badass demon stuff (like werewolves??)

4) Wild (or not so wild) Speculation 

If you’ve been paying attention, there are a few recurring things to tease out. One is fighting; many songs (lifeline, animals, fire inside, wolf totem, and we will rock you) are centered around battles won, lost, and anticipated. Two is organization and teamwork! References to “The Brethren code”, “waving your banner”, and generally battles which are fought with many people. Third is Lycanthropy and how it’s used and related to. Thriller,  Werewolves of London, animals, and hollow moon all fall into this category. 

Now let’s put everything together. Ch(E)tney has a long past with a company that (assuming from Chutney) does not appreciate his work appropriately. Ch(U)tney had a history of convincing people to give up on Santa, and Chetney’s playlist contains many songs about organized groups and violence. We know Chetney is the leadership type. He has strong convictions, violence in his soul, and the ability to be both smart and extremely empathetic and charming when need be. “But Orbit”, you say, “Chetney is a toymaker, which is a traditionally peaceful profession! Who would he be fighting?” The answer to that of course, is Santa Clause! Or Otgar in this case. For a while it was vague speculation, but now I am fully convinced that Chetney was the leader of some kind of violent worker’s uprising in Uthodurn. He’s got all the perfect qualities needed in a union rep, especially a rep who’s maybe willing to start an entire revolt for the cause. A revolt that cumulates in the kidnap and mutilation of his boss, Otgar.

5) Putting It Together: The Ballad(s) of Chetney Pock O’Pea.

I’m going to organize this part by rearranging the songs into what I’d consider “chronological” order, and the story as I’m predicting it will form around the songs. This is very speculative obviously, and I’m painting in very broad strokes because I don’t want to go very far beyond what I can glean from the information we already have.

We Will Rock You goes first because it describes a boy, the youngest Chetney we see, and goes all the way up until Chetney is already an old man. This is the point at which the story Travis is telling seems to start. The song fast forwards through childhood and most of adulthood, into Chetney’s old age. Any sort of worker’s rebellion he started didn’t occur until this point. One day there’s a breaking point, when he realizes that his job will never appreciate him despite years of service, and he decides to do something about it in Seven Nation Army. This choice leads to Wolf Totem, a song with lyrics that call people who’ve been laid low to fight, to answer the call of a code. That sure sounds like a worker’s union rallying cry to me! So Chetney’s been calling unhappy workers to action against Otgar, and then we have a song about whatever riots actually occur in Fire Inside. This is also where I’m going to place the two sings that (credit to @captainofthetidesbreath for this idea) I am convinced relate to an important player in Chetney’s story that we haven’t met yet, probably a romantic figure of some kind. Howlin’ For You and Wolves both fit here, in that order. 

So we have this worker’s revolt, and maybe its not going well orhas reached a stalemate. How do you escalate things and ensure someone hears your demands? Simple! You Kidnap The Sandy Clause! Chetney’s rouge skills have gotta come in handy somewhere in this backstory! After the kidnapping comes Christmas With The Devil, and presumably whatever kind of negotiation/torture Chetney puts his boss through. However that plays out, we know it doesn’t end well. The revolution fails, and Chetney is kicked out of the city by the glass blades with his boss injured badly but alive.

So here’s where things get wolfy! We’ve been told this part, at least loosely. In Thriller, Cheyney is alone at night, attacked by something horrific. He fights for his life, but he can’t resist the thriller (i.e the lycanthropy curse) once it hits him. The next morning he has to sit an take stock of what’s happened to him, in Hollow Moon. He decides in that moment that this is a power he can “make a deal” with, that can be a friend in helping him get tey revenge he wants in a few years. So Chetney spends a few months with the wolf, which proves to be a bigger struggle then he imagined. He’s drowning, he’s lost the plot, he’s got the attitude in Animals. This leads to admitting to himself that he needs help, and Lifeline sees him finally seeking out The Bells in what becomes the sweetest song in the playlist with that context. Finally, Werewolves of London is a fun song that’s caught up with Chetney as he is now. Dangerous, fun, getting used to his powers and living it up flirting with big women in the city.

Wow that was a lot! Please argue with me in the reblogs, I want to talk to people about this small angry man so badly that I wrote 2,000 words about it.