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samethyst01 · 2 years ago

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A Mother's Love: Chapter Four

“We’ll be back with more on our top story, right after our commercial break. Tired of mould clogging up your drains and getting all over your carpet? You need—”

Coraline began to awaken from her stupor as the driver of her ride fiddled with the radio. She grunted softly and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Everything was a blur. When did she fall asleep? She wasn’t exactly sure. All she could remember, with any sort of certainty, was the night sky. Now, glancing outside the window, she could see the grey and misty surroundings that indicated how much time had passed. Several hours at least.

“Mornin’, ma’am.”

The driver, a middle-aged man named Wesley, looked into the rear view mirror and nodded at her. Coraline nodded back and groaned softly, before stretching and yawning. She pawed around the backseat for her phone, finding it after a moment and checking the time. It was just after 11am, which was about what she had expected. She sighed and laid back in her seat, before catching Wesley’s glance in the mirror. He had been staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably and fished around for her headphones.

It hadn’t been easy to book a last-minute flight, but with what little savings she had left, sequestered away in an emergency funds account, she had managed it. She had almost certainly forgotten to pack something important, though it wouldn’t be until she arrived at the house and unpacked that she’d realise what it was. All the while, on the short train ride from Pontiac to Detroit, and as she waited in the airport, and as she watched the world shrink below her on the plane, and on the ride from the airport in Eugene to the moment she fell asleep, her mind had been racing with fearful anticipation.

The thought of coming back to Ashland hadn’t fully processed, her mind still trying to cope with the fact that Wybie was laid up in the hospital with a severe injury. When she spoke to her father, she’d called the Pink Palace ‘home’. It wasn’t her home. Despite that, she felt it would be easier on her parents not to make a fuss. After all, they had found no reason to leave the place in thirteen years. Whatever she and Wybie had seen apparently stayed far, far away from her parents.

As she turned up the music on her phone, she sat back in her seat and watched as nothing but mist passed her by. It was impenetrable. As the car made its way down the empty road, Coraline wondered of what she might find, back in that place. Her parents lived there, of course, and Mrs Lovat’s house might still be standing, if it wasn’t decrepit. And what of the other residents of the Pink Palace? Was Bobinsky still training his mouse circus, Spink and Forcible still acting out the last days of their superlative careers? What was she to expect?

All of a sudden, Coraline became aware of eyes fixed upon her. She looked in the rear view mirror and saw that Wesley had been looking at her again. She decided to take out one of her earphones, presuming he had tried to speak to her.

“What’s your deal, ma’am?”

His tone suggested he was having to repeat the question.

“I’m sorry?”

Coraline didn’t exactly understand what he meant. Something about him didn’t feel right.

“I’m just curious, is all. You visitin’ friends, family?”

“Family.”

She adjusted her jacket slightly and made sure the door was unlocked. It was.

“Never had to drive someone to Ashland before. Only ever been there once, passin’ through a couple years ago. Tried not to stick around for long.”

Subtly, Coraline looked at the man and his frame, as well as seeing if she could spot anything suspicious on or around his person. He was about average height and build, wearing a black and white flannel shirt and blue jeans, a tattoo of a scorpion on his right forearm. She noticed that, every so often, he would scratch at something on the right side of his face, just under his jaw. It almost looked like a burn, but an old one, as it had contoured into a white scar that ran the length of his jawline from his chin.

“Ma’am?”

At his words she jolted slightly, realising she’d ignored another of his questions. Not purposefully; she was just focused intently on making sure he didn’t pull a gun or knife on her.

“Sorry, I’m just a little… tired. What did you say?”

She chuckled sheepishly.

“I was saying, you know this area well?”

He turned slightly in his seat to meet her gaze, which made her uncomfortable in two senses, both as a matter of personal space and a matter of road safety. It may have been quiet, but it was also misty, and she didn’t want to die on the outskirts before she even had a chance to see her parents again. She cleared her throat awkwardly and Wesley turned back to the road.

“Yes, actually, I do. I lived here when I was eleven, and I moved back to Pontiac when I was eighteen.”

“Really? Long way to go for a young girl.”

Once again, his tone made her fidget. She laughed softly, uncomfortably, and opened up the call function on her phone, dialling 911 just in case. Service was shoddy but it was a precaution.

“Well, I learned to grow up pretty early in life.”

He chuckled at that, taking a left turn before scratching at his scar again. Coraline’s thumb hovered above the green call button.

“When was it you moved here? Just outta curiosity.”

The specificity of the questions was getting rather strange. Coraline supposed it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to engage the man in conversation, maybe strike up something like trust between them. Was it just paranoia? No, not really. It was kind of just how her life went.

“2009.”

“Wow… thirteen years since you first moved. Must be weird comin’ back here. I mean, only been six years since you left, but… nostalgia, right?”

Wesley flashed her a crooked smile and she shivered. Plastering on a smile herself, she nodded and replaced the earphone, but kept her music turned off. If he thought she couldn’t hear him, he was more likely to let his guard slip. It was a very awkward, sterile journey from that moment on. But it damn well wasn’t her fault.

The silence persisted for another twenty minutes until it was broken by a whistle from Wesley. This stirred Coraline from her tired stupor, and she glanced out the window. The mist had begun to part, and her eyes widened as she beheld before her the town – not the town she had left six years ago but the one she had arrived in thirteen years ago, wreathed in mist as spots of rain drizzled from above, the people like vague shadows as they floated between ominous buildings.

Surrounding all was a thick, dense forest that blocked out the light and seemed to emit a vast amount of dreadful darkness, a darkness which spilled out into the town in the form of the mist. Coraline drank it all in, taking out her earphones and focusing on one thing at a time. Wesley took the route straight into town, and one of the first things Coraline noticed was the clothing store she and her mother had visited to get her school uniform.

Its banners had long since faded, the glass tinted with condensation, and for a moment she thought she saw a horrifying shape in the reflection. It was gone as soon as she blinked, though. Her hands throbbed with the feeling of those gloves encompassing them. She still had them somewhere, in a box under her bed. Though she’d outgrown them, years ago, it felt like a crime to get rid of them. They were a reminder, not just of what she had gone through, but of the work she’d done to move on with her life. They made her feel strong.

“What a weird place…” Wesley chuckled softly, taking glances around the misty corners. Coraline decided to focus on what she had come there to do in the first place, and she sent her father a message to tell him she was in town. The signal was a little patchy but it went through, causing her to sigh in relief. If she couldn’t contact him, or anyone, that one last remnant of safety would be gone. A danger from the normal world had come with her to the strange one, and in reality, she wasn’t sure which one might get her first if she wasn’t careful and didn’t watch her back.

Though they had entered the town, the house was still a couple miles out. It was closer to the forest than anything else, which made it all the more ominous. It felt, at times, like the sentinel of the woods, watching over it and keeping guard. That was a great irony, considering the monster it contained. Who was it protecting? Was it about keeping things out, or in? It was another mystery, one to add to the growing pile Coraline had kept in the back of her mind. She’d probably never run out of them, at this rate.

After about ten minutes of driving, Wesley came to a stop in front of a massive wall of mist. His expression was one of confusion, and it seemed even he was intimidated by the strangeness of the town. He muttered something under his breath, just loud enough for Coraline to hear.

“About half a mile out… can’t be too far.”

He put the car in neutral and adjusted the handbrake, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door. As he stepped out and a little into the mist, Coraline made sure once again that her door was unlocked, and once again, it was. Was this her stop? She had a fair few bags on her and walking didn’t seem easy given the terrain, the weather and the amount of things on her. Wesley returned to the car.

“Not sure it’d be wise to try and drive through that. You’re not too far from the house, think you can walk from here?”

Coraline considered it for a moment, before realising that it wasn’t really being framed as a question. Wesley wasn’t willing to drive any further, so the ride stopped here. She’d have to make the rest of the journey by herself. On foot. She gave him a polite smile.

“I can walk.”

He smiled in return before dialling up her bill. She paid it with her phone and got out, shoving her loose things into her backpack. She took a moment to breathe deeply, the Ashland air filling her lungs. One thing she did miss was how fresh it was out in the countryside, and how quiet things were. Well, sometimes the quiet was nice, other times it was notably unsettling. In that moment, it had no connotations, and it was simply part of the environment. Still, silent, and solitary.

Wesley opened the trunk for her and helped get her bags out. After she moved them out of the way, he closed it again and stepped back into the car.

“Well, good luck Ms Jones. Hope you find what you came here for.”

He tipped his imaginary hat at her. Coraline gave him a slightly tired smile in return and watched as he drove back the way he came, disappearing into the town, whereupon he would travel back home. No reason to stay any longer. Up ahead, the wall of mist swirled slightly, almost like the breath of some vast, ancient entity from the stars, making its way to Earth in order to feed on the inhabitants. It was like a dream all over again, full to the brim with horrors.

With a huff, Coraline took a hold of her things and began to walk into the mist. She knew the path relatively well. Slowly, inexorably, she felt the ground beneath her grow familiar, the spectre of old memories lurking around every corner. They were benign things, really, just flashes of the past left to rot in the open air, calcifying into these pieces of her old life. Ultimately, she was a shining light for them and all their dark materials. They’d bring the nightmares with them eventually.

As she began to wonder just how much further she’d have to go, her legs and back already getting tired, Coraline almost tripped over something. She stopped and looked down at what it was – a dead deer. She immediately backed up and swallowed in disgust and pity. The animal had clearly been dead for a few days, its fur grey and its spilled blood dried to a dark stain. Its mouth was slightly agape, eyes wide and twisted into something like terror. It hadn’t simply fallen over and died, no… it was killed by something. Coraline dreaded to think of the possibilities.

All of a sudden, she felt eyes watching her. This kind of feeling wasn’t unfamiliar to her, in her perpetual paranoia, but more often than not she was simply overthinking everything. Not this time. In that moment, she knew there was someone or something looking at her. Her gaze darted around the cage of mist, scanning for some kind of monstrosity conjured from the dreaded other place. What abomination could she expect? What phobia would it take the form of?

Then she saw it.

Or rather, her. It was a woman, an elderly woman, standing naked in the mist facing away from her. Coraline gasped in bewilderment at the sight. What the hell was she doing out here, completely naked and alone? She assumed the woman was confused, disoriented, or suffering from an extreme form of Alzheimer’s or dementia. If that were the case, she had to help the woman, even though she herself was struggling with all her luggage. In a moment of impulsivity, she called out to the distant figure.

“Are you alright?”

There were several moments of agonising tension, but after those moments subsided, the woman began to slowly turn around. Coraline’s confusion morphed into horror as she realised she recognised her, the dread figure in the mist. It was Mrs Lovat, Wybie’s grandmother, his protector and the reason he never fell victim to the Pink Palace. Her sister was one of the ghost children, taken by the Beldam when the two were young girls. From then on the wise, shrewd woman knew exactly what the Pink Palace was: the epicentre of chaos.

Words choked in her throat, Coraline reached out a hand to Mrs Lovat. The woman’s grey hair fell about her person messily, her eyes glassy and grey, signifying blindness. She mirrored Coraline’s gesture, outstretching her withered arm in the younger woman’s direction, her finger pointed directly at her. Her nails were long and sharp, and she more resembled a haggard witch than the kind but stern grandmother Wybie loved all his life.

Then, Mrs Lovat opened her mouth, black smoke streaming out of her throat, and spoke raspy words that filled the air like poisonous raindrops.

“Come home, dragonfly…”

Coraline dashed away from the spectre, or as fast as she possibly could with all her luggage. She had no real goal in mind, just to escape from the nightmare she’d wandered into. Surely there was a way out, an exit, or else she’d be trapped in the mist forever, forced to look upon the perversion of her mentor. She almost tripped a dozen times, her feet unsteady on the frozen ground, but before she knew it, the mist cleared instantly and she beheld a new nightmare.

Standing ahead of her, tall as a giant, was the Pink Palace. She was just outside the porch, looking up at its door as it stared down at her. It was a foreboding, dark thing, a callous and unfeeling presence that had lurked in the back of her mind for six years, ever since she left Ashland for her new life. It had never gone away, try as she had to banish it. But she should’ve known – you can’t banish an idea. They are immortal, and the Pink Palace existed independently of her, of her memories, and stood tall as a testament to the other place and all its frights.

Before she could utter a silent greeting to her old, unwelcome friend, the front door opened and two figures stepped out. Once again, she could barely believe what she was seeing. There they were, dressed in the exact same clothes as six years ago, the same anxious, sad smiles staring back at her… the exhaustion in their eyes. They were crystals in the dark, comforting reflections of the monstrous buttons. Coraline knew they were real, instinctively. Her parents.

She said nothing, dropping her bags and embracing them both on the porch. Their touch was instantly warming, affirming, and she felt safe in their company. In turn, they too were silent, and they understood exactly why she had come. It was time for closure, for the mystery of thirteen years ago to unravel in front of them. Coraline stepped out of the hug after a moment and turned back to the mist, her eyes fixed on nothing. Charlie and Mel Jones looked at each other for a moment in confusion.

“What do you see?”

Her father’s words seemed distant. All Coraline could think about was how Mrs Lovat had died four years ago.

“Nobody…”

#horror #coraline #fanfic #creative writing

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cryptid-killjoy · 1 year ago

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Valerie did feel like she were the Annabelle Lee and Thomas might as well have been Poe himself. She felt iconic, like they were something legends were made of when they walked side-by-side all dressed up in their best in atmosphere's such as this. He made her feel like every person she touched would recall the good in her, or the laughter, or the fun goof that was inside that critical brood and not the disaster that cursed a city wide radius around her. She felt like a rock star again without being on stage.

Stage? Shit. Fuck stages. She was basically riding an Ent up a mountain with Thomas and he was talking about Isengard. What was life even right now? Damn, she loved it. "More spectacular? That's a tough prediction. But, coming from you? I think I just might believe it."

Dale paid attention when GoGo mentioned her work uniform. The disappointment was clear when he heard about her vow even though he sort of figured that to be true from his time living with her. He still wished it had changed. It was just too easy to poke fun at. Dale confirmed. It wasn't kawaii. "Hot. For sure." Just in case she thought they were teasing. He had to reaffirm.

"I like my crop top." Dale defended with a laugh all in good humor.

Then the moment came everyone on the bus looked around and realized Figaro was the only one who read the book. Every single person shrugged clueless. "The more ya know." Said Chip. "Something about his not talking."

Scout sniggered at the comment knowing how Chip came off to the public. He might have been a talker to the family, but not anyone else. Dale might have more Wybie hair, but Chip pulled off the lack of speech. Regular Wybie was a whole different story.

She whispered the concept to GoGo only as a private thought to her friend after they were far off because as much as the siblings did poke fun at each other to their faces, sometimes they were nice enough to spare each other every little thought. With their sight they were often intrusive enough with each other's privacy.

All the joking and teasing was full blast and fun on the bus as the wheels went round and round for this drive. No one was spared. This group needed it. Not a person missed Koda's reaction to his round from Ellie. Everyone seemed to take their own mental note on that one. Grins and giggles all around.

This dress was well worth the wait. Thomas would be thinking the same thing, even if he had to wait until his death day to see his Valerie in it. He couldn’t wait to spend the night with his arms around that beautiful waist of hers, feeling the fabric, feeling her. Appreciating everything that the dress did to emphasize her - much like she thought of him, she could wear anything. Something like this - it could make someone faceless. Someone would just remember the gown and not the person wearing it, but not Valerie. Not his wife. He’d never forget the way that the fabrics made her skin appear even softer, the colors complimenting her, the shape that it gave her, oh boy, like she was sewn into it. Her face - the most stunning of all, of course. He was going to be looking into her eyes all night as he swung her around the ballroom. Of course he was going to be dancing with her. There was no chance that he wasn’t. Socials always took second place after romance.

Nothing felt more appropriate than Poe tonight. It was a Halloween ball, gothic style, in a dark and mysterious castle. Did it get more spine-chilling than that?

“I know, I always feel the same,” Thomas chuckled, holding tight to Treebeard as they were brought up the mountain in their own special way. Some people had to take the stairs, some people took the bus - these two were special enough to get their own special escort. “I’d say we’re going to end up somewhere far more spectacular than Isengard.”

He checked his pocket again. He wasn’t coming empty handed, no. He was still determined - maybe foolishly since it hadn’t worked yet - to get Frank talking about something. After all, their ladies were friends. It only seemed right. He was bringing along a tin of fine Irish tobacco, since Frank was known for smoking. Might be just the thing to get him through thte door.

Iorek was just living his best life right now. He still mainly lived in the zoo, where it was nice and cold but he could leave his enclosure. He knew how to work the doors and it was never locked. He was getting a sugar high from the coke, so he kept wriggling his back in the seat, almost in a dance, just because his body was feeling the urge to move. Being a creature that had been in a zoo all of it’s life, it was used to stares so the gaggle of women who kept looking over at him was hardly a bother. He’d sniff them as they came on but wasn’t threatening.

GoGo wasn’t expecting much attention tonight with her attire, especially with everyone else being so dressed up. All the other ladies, Chip’s wives, it was like a fashion show. But she also couldn’t say that she wasn’t a bit pleased that the effort she put in was noticed, even if she wasn’t really the dress up type. At least not until she met Scout, who had rubbed off on her a bit.

“It was either this or my work uniform, and I made a vow to myself not to ever wear that after working hours,” Go-Go chuckled. Despite being in school almost full time, she still kept up her job at the stupid cafe. Dale had been right. She made some pretty good money there, as humiliating as it was. Besides, not like she had very much shame. If she brought some to the family name … good. “Hot is better than kawaii, I’ll take it.”

She let out a little snort of a laugh. “Independence, it helped.” After bunking with him at Elsa’s, she had moved into her own apartment and had been there since August, while he had gone off to Peru to do whatever Dale does. She never really asked questions. “Quite the crop top, Dale.”

Offended by being called Spindly? Hardly. “All the better to move faster.”

“Fun fact,” Figaro called from the front of the bus. “They put Wybie in the movie to make it LESS creepy. The book doesn’t have him, and it’s balls to the wall isolation.”

Because leave it to them to know.

But as for Ellie, all that time alone with just Babyface for company has really gotten rid of her filter, so joking and teasing, it had become a real big thing. It’s how she showed love, now more than ever. Not that she had a say in her aunt’s relationship, but that little quip was her way of letting Koda know that she approved. Anyone who could influence her aunt into wearing THAT and not something frumpy was well worth accepting.

Ellie’s grin only grew bigger when she heard Babyface stand up for her. She put an arm around his shoulder and looked at Koda. “Yeah, take that, Koda!”

Laughter was all over the bus, even Elsa smiling as she leaned into Koda to hear his compliment. “Thank you,” She said, taking the compliment without ever attempting to fish for more. “Though I do feel different tonight.”

#valeriexthomas #dalexelsa #dalexellie #chipxfigaro #dalexgogo #part 1 reply from the bus #this might be able to be an end or taper off after this since the part 2 has some of the same muses after they get to the castle

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wybienova · 2 years ago

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4 + fern. what would you unleash him upon.

re: this post

hmmm. put that beast in blaseball maybe . his whole deal always makes me think of the wyatts so maybe they could help him come to terms with it more

also i kinda think he might enjoy it. bloodsport would be enrichment for him

#asks #at #this was one question i didn’t really have a good answer for fjskfjfj #but this answer does still stand #wybie moment

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spamtonbigshot-inactive · 4 years ago

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i think the most infuriating part isn’t even the fact that the norm exists. a bunch of dumb norms exist. it’s just that i feel alone in thinking it’s absolutely re-goddamn-diculous

#normally my family’ll be like ‘yes we know it makes no sense mar just go with it’#but rn they have no clue what i’m talking about #sorry for the 3 posts i’m still on this #wybie still having a moment

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bistaxx · 1 year ago

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I'm gonna ramble about it a bit before I have to get ready for work: It would basically just be the movie Coraline (I've read the book I'm just more familiar with the movie) with characters swapped with qsmp characters- so far in my mind I have

Tallulah, Missa, and Phil would be Coraline, the dad, and the mom naturally- and the other mother being EK!Phil specifically with a crow and nest theming instead of a spider and web one- and other!Missa would play guitar instead of piano- and maybe he'd be a painter instead of a gardener. initially I thought about having Chay in Wybie's role but it doesn't really make sense esp. with the role Wybie's family plays in the overall story so for now in my mind he's still here just away at an some sort of event or camp or visiting friends, shown in a photo the same way Coraline's friends in the movie are- I want to include him more but that's just where I have landed him for now.

Deciding Wybie was harder cuz I wasn't sure which egg best suited that role and even though it doesn't fit super well I went with Em since Talsy and Em had a relationship that started off rocky but got better over time- Also, and my main reason for picking her, is that having Bagi and Cellbit as Wybie's grandmother and her dead twin sister just worked too well to pass up on- Sorry Cellbit you are long dead in this au king but at least you get to be a cool ghost! I’d prolly also keep Bagi as being Em’s mom as opposed to grandmother. This one also could change too though tbh I’m going back and forth between if I want the ghost kids to be dead eggs or not- if so I might have the dead sister be either like Flippa or Tilin and Wybie as Pepito or Sunny but I like having Em in the role for now. Though I am also considering Richas since he fits Wybie’s personality better. My main issue with having the dead twin be an egg instead is that I don’t know how to make it make sense with the timeline of Coraline + characterwise at the moment.

The other ghost kids would be Maxo and Jaiden- I wanted to go with dead members for them-particularly the ones who were fucked over by the feds in some way. As I said above though I might change then to be the dead eggs instead. Which tbh would make more sense the more I think on it, but I’d feel weird having the ghosts be two dead eggs and kid Cell lol

Roier as Mr. B is what inspired this au to begin with because I thought about how cool it'd be to the Rat scene with Doied (who'd be the Other!Roier) and Mr. B and Roier have a similar sort of chaotic energetic vibe to them so I think it works well!

I kept on going back and forth on who'd be the cat- at one point I even conisdered Quackity but as a duck lol- but I think rn I'm between having it be straight up crow Brian with his robotic ttv voice and all or Rose in the form of some sort of animal.

Ms. Spink and Miss. Forcible are the ones I'm most stuck on atm- I can't go with Spiderbit cuz I don't want to change Roier from being Bobinsky and Cellbit's busy being dead in this au- Can't go with Bagina cuz Bagi already has a role in this- Fitpac doesn't really match their vibes- Rn it's kinda an oddball pick but I'm considering having them be Bags and Quack lol- Mostly cuz they have a similar motif with ducks- AND both of them have a 'twin' of sorts. Bags with her dead experiment 'twin' and Q with Elq which could work well with the Other seleves. They don't have the closest dynamic on qsmp but when they do interact it's a treat- I think they could match the Spink and Foricble bickering energy- but idk I might change them into other characters.

Anyway I have less then 10 minutes to get ready for my job now BYEEEEEEEEEEEEE-

I have so many qsmp au's in my mind just rattling about- most of them are just really small beat-by-beat retelling of stories I like with qsmp characters but like... maybe someday I'll post about them- rn I'm particularly into the idea of a Death Family Coraline au with Talsy as Coraline and EK!Phil as the other mother (would you believe me if I said this idea came from me imaginig Doied as the Other!Mr. B because well... I MEAN IT'S JUST TOO PERFECT- THE RATS!)

#I don't think I'll ever draw this out (at least not any time soon) but I'm really into this idea rn lol

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iamblue15 · 2 years ago

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Neil: Whoa! You look so scary Norman! A-an awesome scary! With those spooky eyes and shocky hair.

Raz: It's giving you a lich vibe. It's almost like you've become undead yourself.

Calamity Norman: I think I'm actually a lot more undead than meets the eye.

Dipper: How so?

Calamity Norman: Well, other than the looks, there are times when one of my- my ah, ah, ah Achooooo!

(One of his eyes pop out of it's socket the moment he sneezed, rolling along the floor)

Everyone: (Screams)

Coraline: Oh my god!

Dipper: It's moving! He can still see with it!

Wybie: That ain't right!

Mabel: That is way too freaky!

Calamity Norman: It's not THAT FREAKY!!!

(Norman lashes out with him bursting with yellow-green lighting for a second, Complete silence follows)

Calamity Norman: S-sorry, didn’t mean to lash out like that. Having this much power can be dangerous when your emotions get high.

Raz: Don’t worry about it. it’s the same thing with psychics when were overwhelmed.

Coraline: It was a bit of a shocker, no pun intended.

Mabel: Sorry I said the F Word. I know how you’re sensitive about that.

Wybie: Here’s your eye by the way, it’s slippery so... (Holding his eye using a napkin)

Calamity Norman: Thanks guys. (Pops it back in)

Dipper: So, when one of your hands get detached, can you control it too and make it walk like Thing Addams?

Calamity Norman: I haven't really-

Coraline: Ok, I think that’s enough curiosity about Norman’s zombie abilities for one day!

Dipper: But i’m-

Coraline: I said that’s enough.

#Mystery Kids #calamity powers #Paranorman #norman babcock

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samcat0925 · 3 years ago

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TOH Goldric AU Idea

So, I was watching a certain Tim Burtin movie recently and got a great Goldric Au idea for The Owl House!

A Coraline Au:

The Jones family -> Wittebane Family (aka Philip, Caleb, and Hunter who move into The Cardinal Castle[The Pink Palace].)

Hunter -> Coraline, Caleb -> Mr. Jones, Philip -> Mrs. Jones (but in this au, he’s Hunter’s uncle who has been living with him and his father since his mother passed. After Hunter’s mother passing, Caleb has been overworking himself to help pay for the bills as well as a way to cope with the death of his wife, but he still cares for Hunter even though he doesn’t have as much time for him as he used to. Philip is a bit cold and distant towards Hunter during the start of the move due to the stress from the move and work but he’s a pretty decent guardian towards Hunter than he is in the canon universe. Although his decency level is depended on how you view Coraline’s mother.)

Hunter’s old friends before the move are Willow Parks and Gus (who he misses a lot but is unable to talk to at the moment due to the house’s phone service being down for a while.)

Edric Blight -> Wybie Lovat (a prankster as well as a troublemaker but is pretty harmless. He lives with his parents who both work a lot so it’s usually up to his sisters to keep him out of trouble. Hunter will find him a bit annoying at first due to Edric scaring him after accidently mistaking him for his younger sister, Amity who he calls Mittens. After a while, Hunter will warm up to him and eventually tell Edric about The Other World and The Other Uncle which will freak out Edric but will help Hunter after seeing how freaked out Hunter is while explaining everything.)

The cat -> Flapjack (a red cardinal that Edric feeds. He follows Ed and Hunter around, seemingly to keep an eye on them and also helps Hunter and guides him when he’s in The Other World. Other Uncle hates Flapjack for some unknown reason.)

Miss Spink and Miss Forcible -> Eda and Lilith (They used to be a world-famous traveler until they retired. The Other Eda and Lillith are the same as they are in canon. They bring Hunter along with them on their adventures. The dog(s) are replaced with owls that turn into ravens when things take a sudden turn.)

Mister Bobinsky -> Raine Whispers (A great violinist but due to their stage fright, they perform by themself but they dream of one day being able to play in front of a crowd while The Other Raine doesn’t have this problem so Hunter will get to see them playing when he visits them in the Other World with the Other Edric who is muted.)

The Ghost Children that tell Hunter about Belos and he helps set free -> Luz, Vee and Mattholomule(Matt).

The Plot:

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Hunter, feeling like he’s being a bother to his two overworked guardians, goes around exploring when he gets scared by Edric Blight who accidently mistakes Hunter for his younger sister, Amity, but quickly takes an interest in the new kid and so does a red cardinal that Ed feds, much to Hunter’s dismay. After Ed’s sisters calls for him to get home, Hunter returns home to later he receives a button-eyes doll that look very similar to him from Ed as an apology for scaring him which Hunter, though a little creeped out by how similar looking the doll is to him, accepts the doll and even starts to call it Mini-Hunter or mini-me.

Afterwards he goes to his dad to ask if there is anything that he could do, hoping that there is something around the house that he could help with as a way to be useful but instead his father tells him to explore the house to see if there is anything exciting which Hunter begrudgingly does. While exploring, he finds a small, sealed-off door and that night, he gets woken up by a weird noise of someone calling his name that leads him to the same door but, instead of being sealed off, there’s a long, dark corridor. Curious, Hunter goes through it where he gets taken into the Other World where he meets the Other Uncle and the Other Father. Hunter, while in the Other World, believes that it’s all just some dream that he made up at first which only gets strengthens when he wakes up back in his normal home the next morning.

After he eats, he decides to walk around the neighborhood where he bumps into Edric, much to Hunter’s dismay, who ask Hunter all kinds of questions about him and what his life was like before coming to The Cardinal Castle to which Hunter does answer all of them honestly but shortly(Although he avoids the question about if he had any friends before moving). Hunter ends up asking Ed if there had been any other kids that lived in The Cardinal Castle before Hunter to which Edric tells him that ever since the disappearance of a couple of kids, one being a girl named Luz that his grandmother used to know, there hasn’t been any kids that have been living there until Hunter which sends an unknown chill down Hunter’s spine.

Afterwards Hunter goes to meet his neighbors, Raine Whispers and the Clawthorne sisters, Eda and Lilith, who warn him that there is something dangerous after him which worries Hunter but tries to reason that they were probably just trying to scare him, so it doesn’t stop him from going into the Other World to see if it was all just a dream.

On his second trip, he meets with the muted Other Edric who accompanies him while he is being entertained by the Other World’s doppelgangers of his neighbors and meets the red cardinal that calls itself Flapjack, who has the ability to go between the real world and the Other World as well as the ability to talk in the Other World. On his third visit, the Other Uncle tells him that he could stay in the Other World permanently, in exchanged for sewing buttons over his eyes. This horrifies Hunter and causes him to try to escape to the real world however the Other Uncle stops him from being able to and traps him in a room that’s behind a mirror where Hunter meets three ghost children. A girl with spotted freckles on her cheeks named Vee, A small boy named Mattholomule and another girl named Luz who was the missing girl that Ed was talking. They were all victims of the Other Uncle or who they all call Belos. They tell Hunter that Belos used the doll, that changed to look like each of the victims, to spy on them and to help being them into the Other World. After they accepted Belos’s offer to having buttons be sew into their eyes so they can stay there forever, he stole them of their souls to which they tell Hunter that the only way that they can be freed is if he can retrieve their souls, which Belos had hidden each one throughout the Other World. After Hunter promises them that he’ll help free them by getting the souls, he is saved by the Other Edric who helps as well as sacrifices himself to get Hunter safely home before Belos could get him.

Once Hunter gets back, he goes to look for his uncle and father to only find that they’re not in the house. Hunter, getting a bad feeling, goes to his father’s room where he finds out that Belos had kidnapped his guardians after he finds a doll that has his father’s likeness on one side while his uncle’s likeness in on the other side. Terrified and feeling the spidery string of panic, Hunter starts having a panic attack. Luckly Ed finds him and helps him calm down as well as makes sure that Hunter’s breathing is back to normal. After Hunter is able to calm down, he ends up telling Ed everything about what happened, the Other World, Belos, the ghost children, and about how his uncle and father were both missing. Ed, despite being freaked out and in a bit of disbelief by what Hunter just told him, stays with Hunter to comfort him and ends up offering Hunter to stay at his place for the night, stating that Hunter must be tired after all that he’s been through. Hunter, although secretly appreciates the offer, declines knowing that he can’t run from Belos if he wants his real uncle and father back.

Accompanied by Flapjack, Hunter returns to the Other World where he proposes a game to Belos: if he can find his guardians and the souls of the ghost children, Belos will have to let them all go free but if he can’t find them all in time, then he’s let Belos sew buttons into his eyes. Belos agrees and Hunter starts searching for the ghost’s souls during which he finds of what remains of the Other Edric who Belos had disposed of for his defiance. As Hunter find each of the souls with Flapjack’s help, the Other World starts becoming lifeless that leaves the entire dimension, except for the living room, disintegrating. After retrieving one of the souls, one of the ghosts tells Hunter that even if he wins the game, Belos won’t keep his side of the deal. Hunter ends up going back to the living room which he finds Belos in his true terrifying form. Using the advice that he was given, Hunter tricks Belos into opening the door to the real world by telling him that his guardians are behind it. Afterwards Flapjack distracts Belos so he can rescue his uncle and father who are trapped in a snow globe that was his mother’s. He was barely able to escape but not without severing Belos’s hand with the door in the process.

Once Hunter gets back home, he is reunited with his uncle and father who have both forgotten about their capture. That night while Hunter is asleep, the ghosts appear in his dream to not only thank him for saving them but to also warn him that Belos is still after him so it can get the key to open the door. Hunter wakes up and goes to an old well near the house to drop the key down it but gets attacked by Belos’s severed hand. Luckly Edric soon arrives and, after a bit of a struggle, manages to help Hunter destroy the hand by dropping a large rock on it. After the two tossed the key and the remains of Belos’s hand before sealing it off, Hunter asks Edric how he knew that he was in trouble to which Ed replies that he was worried about him after he saw him having a panic attack, so he was walking to his house to check on him to see if he was alright when Flapjack, who seemed in distressed led to the old well where he heard Hunter yelling and found him being attacked by a weird severed hand. Hunter, touched by Ed’s words, thanks him for his help and tells Ed that he may be a bit of trouble but he’s not a bad person to have around which Ed smiles and blushes at.

A week after, Hunter and his family host a small party for their neighbors, including Ed’s family where Edric interduces Hunter to his sisters who make a teasing comment saying that Ed talks about him a lot ever since he moved in which makes the two boys blush red.

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And that’s what I got so far!

Please let me know what you think. And if there any headcanons/questions for these or Owl House movie au ideas that you all come up with, please let me know! I’d love to read them!

45 notes · View notes

wil-is-done · 3 years ago

Text

When You’re A Mystery Kid - Chapter 22B: I Am Danny Phantom - Part 2

Summary: The Mystery Kids meets the half-ghost hero of Amity Park.

Word Count: 10.956

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a repost.

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters featured here.

By the time they arrived, everything was in chaos.

People running and screaming in terror. Cars crashed and overturned. Street vendor stands demolished, their wares scattered on the asphalt road. Roadside buildings wrecked, their windows shattered and some even missing chunks of their walls. It was all a shocking sight to take in for Norman. However, the most shocking sight of all was of the seeming culprits behind the chaos.

Ghosts.

They had to be ghosts. Norman had no doubts about it. About two dozen of them, all floating, all wreathed in an otherworldly, green glow. They tossed objects about with reckless abandon and fired strange blasts of energy from their hands in random directions, all seemingly with the intent of causing as much destruction as possible. The violence they engaged in left Norman at a loss for words. He had never seen ghosts indulge themselves in such mindless destruction before in his life. Although, Norman noted with suspicion that the ghosts all seemed to posses blank, glowing red eyes. That cannot be a coincidence.

Norman glanced about at his friends, who looked just as appalled by the destruction as he was. He gritted his teeth; how would they be able to face off against enemies they couldn’t even see?

“Flying, red-eyed green men, huh? That’s new.”

Norman whipped his head towards Raz, who had stated that so casually. “You can see them?!”

Raz gave him an incredulous look. “Of course we can. Why wouldn’t- wait…” Realization slowly dawned upon Raz’s face. “No way…”

“They’re ghosts.” Norman said grimly. “No doubt about it. They’re all ghosts.”

The Mystery Kids looked at each other for a moment, looking appropriately surprised and confused. Norman spotted Neil vigorously rubbing his eyes before looking back at the direction where the ghosts were.

“Uh, right, since when was that a thing we can do?” Wybie asked.

“Well, as far as I know, when a ghost is powerful enough, they can choose to make themselves be seen.” Norman explained. “Like Aggie. Everyone can see Aggie.”

Coraline breathed out a long sigh. “So, what you’re saying is, we’re going up against two dozen ghosts who might be as powerful as Aggie?”

“No. I mean, hopefully not?” Norman shrugged sheepishly.

Mabel, who had so far kept her eye on the ghosts with her head cocked to the side, turned to look at him. “Welp, you’re the master of all things ghostly. What do we do?”

Norman turned his gaze towards the still-rampaging ghosts, considering the question. “I’ll try to talk to them. You guys stay back for now.” He eventually replied. “Ghosts don’t get this… destructive for no reason. I need to at least find out why.”

Judging from the frowns on their faces, his friends seemed to have doubts about Norman’s plan, but eventually they all nodded, agreeing with him, even if reluctantly. “Be careful, Norman.” Neil said, which Norman replied with a reassuring smile.

Taking a deep breath, Norman stepped forward into the chaos. He scanned the area, quickly spotting a pair of ghosts nearest to him. One was lanky and gaunt-faced, while the other one was relatively bulkier and more muscular, and they were both occupied with reducing an overturned car into nothing but scrap metal. Norman was careful in approaching them, making sure none of the other ghost would notice him talking to them. Deciding he was close enough, Norman drew in another deep breath, before he called out to them.

“Hey! Hi! Excuse me!”

They both paused, giving each other a look, before they slowly turned to face Norman. Their blank, red-eyed glares made Norman stumble over his words for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure again.

“Listen, I don’t know what happened to you and your friends, or what the city did to you that led you to start destroying it, but all of this?” Norman gestured to the chaos around him. “This won’t make anything better. I know it feels good, right now. It even feels right, to do all of this. But it’s not going to help. If you keep doing this, you’re just going to feel worse!”

The ghosts’ expression stayed neutral. They simply glanced at each other again, but otherwise they appeared to be listening in. That prompted Norman to continue with increased gusto.

“If you guys really want to make things right, make yourselves really feel better, my friends and I can help. Whatever it is, I promise you, we will help you get through it. If you can just talk to your other friends and get them to calm down and listen, then we can-”

Norman was cut off when the lanky ghost suddenly ripped out one of the tires of the overturned car and tossed it at him. Before he could react, he suddenly felt his legs leaving the ground as he floated back by several feet, the tire striking the spot where he once stood. Once he regained his footing, he looked over his shoulder, spotting Raz with an arm outstretched pulsing with psychic energy.

Norman was about to thank him when a voice rang clear through the chaos.

“Trying to appeal to their sense of humanity, child? How charming.”

The source of the voice, stepping into the center of all the chaos, revealed itself to be nothing more than a man. His most striking feature, Norman noticed, was his extremely pale white skin, almost like the color of chalk, as well as his decidedly sinister red eyes. He was bald, Norman could tell, covered up somewhat by a small, black bowler hat. He wore a flowing, dark gray coat that was rather intricately designed, but it also with obvious signs of wear and tear. A prim and proper bowtie circled his neck, and his black boots appeared to be polished to perfection. The man watched Norman, as well the rest of the Mystery Kids, with apparent amusement.

“They lost any shred of humanity they had when they passed.”

Norman backed away from the man, rejoining the gathering of his friends. Whoever the man was, he was definitely the leader of this group of ghosts. As for how, Norman still had no idea.

Raz was the first of them to bite back. “You don’t look very human yourself. Who are you supposed to be, Nosferatu?”

The man simply grinned. He snapped his fingers, and almost immediately, every ghost in the vicinity stopped their rampage, all of them falling in line behind the man.

“My name is Frederich Isak Showenhower.”

He lifted his bowler hat and performed a deep, practiced bow.

“But you may know me as Freakshow.”

Norman’s heard of that name from somewhere, though he has trouble recalling from where exactly. Judging from how both Raz and Dipper’s eyes lit up, they definitely knew more about the man than Norman did.

“Nope.” Raz shrugged with deliberate nonchalance. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

To Norman’s surprise, the amused smile on Freakshow’s face gave way to an annoyed frown. “Seriously? Ringmaster of the infamous Circus Gothica? Ever heard of it?”

“Nope.”

“We’re banned from twenty different states!”

“Nuh uh.”

Freakshow let out a long, suffering sigh. “Well, you don’t look like the type I cater to anyway.” He suddenly pointed over to Coraline, the smile back on his face. “Now, you! You surely must have heard of me?”

“Uh, no? Why the hell would I?” Norman had no idea if Coraline was being genuine or if she was just helping Raz in trying to annoy the man. Either way, it seemed to be working. “What’s it even supposed to be, anyway? Some sort of… satanic cult?”

Freakshow stomped a foot down indignantly. “It’s a circus! It’s in the name, you little-!” he sighed, his shoulders slumping, before he quickly regained his composure. “I shouldn’t even bother with people like you. Run along and cower, like the rest of the pathetic masses.” He turned his gaze upwards, looking strangely expectant. “My prize shall be here shortly.”

Raz took a step forward, hands pulsing with psychic energy. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly normal ourselves, and we’re not going anywhere, baldy.”

Lili stepped forward as well. “For committing acts of wanton destruction, you and your accomplices are hereby under arrest. We can do this the easy way, or the I-burn-your-ass-off way.” She smiled. “Please choose the latter.”

Freakshow laughed out loud. “Arrest me? Who do you think you are?” he sneered.

“The Mystery Kids.” Coraline joined Raz and Lili, placing herself between the two. She held her new psychic baton in her hand.

Freakshow rolled his eyes. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“No.” Coraline pressed the button on the baton. The six-inch long rod immediately extended to about twenty five inches, ending on a rounded tip pulsing with purple, psychic energy. She held the weapon at the ready. “But it’s about to be.”

Freakshow’s eyes narrowed. “Cute.”

He snapped his fingers, and immediately a pair of ghosts broke off from the group behind Freakshow. They flew over to a nearby ruined food cart, together lifting them into the air before launching it towards the Mystery Kids. Coraline took a step back while Raz and Lili both extended a hand outwards, a barrier starting to form around the group. However, before the cart could impact the barrier, there was a flash of green, and the cart was suddenly blasted to the side.

“No one told me the circus is back in town!”

Norman had to suppress a gasp. He had only heard that voice once before, on a news broadcast, but he recognized it all the same.

A figure landed in front of the Mystery Kids, putting itself between them and Freakshow and his ghosts. Norman’s jaw dropped. Even just from looking at the figure from behind, the white hair and the black bodysuit meant that the figure could only be one person and one person only.

“Danny Phantom!” Freakshow grinned. “Apologies for not calling ahead. I thought you might like the surprise.”

“Surprised, yes. Like, not really.” Danny retorted. “I especially don’t like how you’re not in prison.”

Freakshow waved a hand dismissively. “Prison life didn’t suit me. Terrible crowd, as well. Had to move on.”

“Well, the warden just called. The inmates want an encore.”

“Tell him I’m booked. I’ve got a show to do, right here, right now.”

“His schedule’s flexible. In fact, once we’re done here, I can probably give you a ride there.”

“Oh, this show won’t end the way you’d expect.”

Lili covered her face with a hand, wheezing out a low, “Oh my god.”

“Hey!” Coraline shouted, drawing all attention to her. “You guys seriously gonna talk all day?”

Freakshow responded by shooting a glare at Coraline, while Danny looked surprisingly embarrassed by the situation. “Er, right.” Danny cleared his throat, looking over his shoulder to address the Mystery Kids. “You guys should clear the area. You do not want to get caught in the crossfire.”

Both Coraline and Lili narrowed their eyes at him, but Raz was quick to speak up with a friendly smile. “Danny, if it’s all the same to you, we’re here to help you kick baldy’s ass.” Raz’s words prompted Danny to turn around, dumbfounded. “Big fan, by the way.” Raz quickly added.

It took a few moments for Danny to find his voice. “Alright, thanks, but I got this. I appreciate the offer to help, but I can’t afford to worry about you guys while fighting them at the same time. No offense.”

Raz was about to say something in reply before Coraline cut him off. “Hero, in case you didn’t notice, I’m carrying around this fancy power stick.” She gestured to the baton in her hand. “And then there’s goggles over here with his magic glowing hands.” She used the baton to point to Raz, specifically to his hands that pulsed with psychic energy. “Trust me when I say that we can handle ourselves.”

Danny’s eyes darted towards Coraline’s baton, then to Raz’s hands, then his eyes scanned the entire group, seemingly taking in their appearances for the first time. “Okay… I have to admit, those are pretty weird. You guys are pretty weird.” he stated. “But, still, you won’t be much help. Freakshow’s got ghosts. Only a ghost can harm another ghost.”

“You know, y’all should listen to him!” A foreign voice suddenly called out. Norman, along with the rest of his friends, turned their heads towards the source of the voice, quickly spotting a pair of teenagers peeking out of some nearby wreckage. One was male, with dark skin, and sporting glasses and a hat that he wore backwards, and the other was a female, dark-haired, with a clothing ensemble that was almost all black. It became clear the one that spoke up was the male. “He really knows his stuff!” He called out again.

Now it was Coraline’s turn to look dumbfounded. “And who are you supposed to be?” she called back.

“They’re my friends.” Danny replied. “Follow them. They’ll take you somewhere safe.”

Raz spoke with concern. “Danny, we’re not going to leave you to fight twenty of them on your own. You’re worried for us, but we’re worried for you too!”

“I’ve been through worse. Trust me.” Danny actually placed a reassuring hand on Raz’s shoulder. “I’m Danny goddamn Phantom.”

Raz took a second to gaze on Danny’s hand upon his shoulder in disbelief, before he looked up in awe to meet Danny’s gaze. Norman looked on quietly from the back, almost jealous of the fact that Danny Phantom himself touched Raz. However, the moment was broken when Raz suddenly shouted out, “Behind you!”

Danny spun in place, arm raised to create a green barrier in front of him. The green ray of energy that sped towards him struck the barrier, dispersing harmlessly against it. Across from where Danny and the Mystery Kids stood, a ghost had stepped forward with an arm outstretched, while Freakshow looked visibly irritated by the current circumstance.

“Finished?” He hissed through gritted teeth. “You know, I planned on saving this for the big finale, but since you so rudely decided to ignore me…”

Putting on a wicked grin, Freakshow slowly reached into the insides of his coat. With that same deliberate manner, he pulled out what appeared to be some sort of staff, colored red and tipped with a bat-shaped effigy, studded with a pair of green gems that acted as the bat’s eyes. Resting above the bat effigy was a crystal ball that displayed a constant swirl of crimson-colored energy.

“Remember this?” He practically purred at Danny. “You’re quite enamored with this, if I recall correctly.”

Just seeing the object for what it was, Norman could tell that it was a rather powerful supernatural artifact, and the fact that it was held in the hands of Freakshow already put him on edge. However, to see Danny Phantom suddenly physically reel back and raise his arms to shield his now-panicked face, Norman’s level of alarm rose significantly.

“How did you get that back?!” Danny cried out.

Freakshow let out a low chuckle. “A good performer never reveals the secret to his act. That’s the magic of the circus, you see. Keeps you guessing.”

Out of the corner of Norman’s eye, he spotted Danny’s two friends rushing out of cover to stand by Danny’s side. The boy seemed to be helping Danny shield his face, while the girl put herself between Danny and Freakshow.

Coraline eyed Danny’s demeanor warily. “Gonna guess that magic staff is bad news?” She asked

“Very.” The dark-haired girl replied, shooting Coraline a grim look.

Freakshow took a few steps forward, his ghostly entourage following closely behind him.

“Come now, Danny. You made for such a useful addition to my collection of oddities two years ago, imagine how useful you would be to me now.”

Freakshow licked his lips, a manic grin on his face. A chill ran down Norman’s spine.

“Come on. Show your true colors once again. Cross over to the dark side.”

With his face still shielded, Danny yelled out a reply. “Never again, you shriveled marshmallow!”

“Oh, you will. You will.” Freakshow stated. “Minions,” he pointed at Danny with his staff, “bring him to me.”

All at once, Freakshow’s minions surged forward past him. Some of them had their hands glowing with some sort of green energy, while others picked up whatever debris they could and brandished them as weapons. With the encroaching ghosts only moments away from being upon them, Coraline and Raz looked at each other, and without saying a word, both of them came to a grim realization; there’s only one option left for them to take.

“Fall back!”

“Retreat!”

Norman was among the last to turn tail and run. He wanted another chance to at least try to talk to the ghosts, but a panicking Neil running back to him to tug him and yell in his ear finally convinced him to join the others in escaping. A rain of green energy rays and debris soon consumed the spot where he once stood.

Raz, Lili, and Danny stayed at the back of the group, with Raz and Lili summoning a psychic barrier to shield them while Danny blindly shot green energy rays behind him to at least try to slow down the ghosts. Norman grimly noted that, while the psychic barrier held up just fine against the debris, the green energy rays went past the barrier like it wasn’t even there, nearly striking the Mystery Kids as they fled. Another grim observation Norman made was that, as Raz and Lili fired a few quick psi-blasts at the ghosts, all of their shots simply passed through harmlessly.

Danny was right; among them, he really is the only one that could face the ghosts.

Although, Norman had to wonder… could his lightning affect the ghosts?

Norman quickly shook off that thought. There’s something off about those ghosts, and he wasn’t going to subject them to the lightning without knowing more first.

Both Raz and Lili seemed to be quick to catch on that psi-blasting the ghosts would be a waste of effort. In the rush of the chase, Norman heard Raz bark out an order of, “Lil, time to vanish!”

Raz and Lili dropped their barriers at the same time, swiftly following up by summoning a dome of psychic energy that surrounded both the Mystery Kids and Danny and his friends. The advance of the ghosts came to an abrupt halt, all of them looking around in confusion. Far behind the ghosts, even Freakshow’s eyes went wide in surprise. Norman and the rest of the Mystery Kids, familiar with this particular psychic ability, kept their voices down and slowed to a stop, while silently signaling Danny and his friends to do the same.

Coraline made her way to the front of the group and pointed to a nearby alleyway between two buildings. “In there. Hurry.” She whispered.

The group dived into the alleyway as fast as they could while being as silent as possible. Behind them, Norman could hear the voice of Freakshow shouting out, “Find him! Bring my prize to me!”

A few tense seconds passed of them hearing ghosts zipping out in different directions before they all collectively allowed themselves to breathe out a sigh of relief. The dome around them dissipated a moment later, accompanied by the sound of Raz and Lili panting in exertion. Beads of sweat were already forming on their foreheads.

“Okay, first things first,” Coraline started, putting herself at the center of attention, “what exactly is the deal with tall, pale, and crazy back there?”

Raz was the first to answer. “I heard some stuff about him and his ‘circus’. All of them are bad. Gets involved in lots of shady stuff.”

Dipper’s answer came next. “He’s obsessed with ghosts and anything involving them. He even wrote a book about them.” He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “I’m… pretty sure I own a copy.”

“Good to know you’re supporting your local supervillain.” Lili retorted, which prompted Dipper to avert his gaze.

Coraline’s eyes turned towards Danny and his friends, the three of them currently leaning against the wall. “Danny, from what I heard back there, you had beef with that guy before?” She asked.

“I did.” Danny nodded. “Two times. Both of them are pretty close calls.”

Raz joined in with a question. “Anything you can tell us about him?”

“Besides the fact that he’s evil and a creep, there’s not much to tell about him. What’s important here is that staff.” Danny leaned forward. “It allows him to control ghosts to do whatever he wants them to do.” He put a hand on his chest. “That includes me. You can see the problem here.”

Norman blinked. “You mean those ghosts are being forced into doing this?”

Danny replied with a nod. Norman felt his hands clench into fists before he could control himself, that familiar spark of energy already threatening to leak out. He drew in a deep breath, the energy subsiding, for now. If the lightning had to come out today, at least now he knew who to use on.

“Except, that staff was supposed to be destroyed!” One of Danny’s friends, the dark-haired girl, exclaimed. “Shattered into a million pieces! It’s literally impossible for him to get his hands on it again.”

Danny scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, that’s the big question mark.”

Coraline and Raz shared a look, before Coraline asked, “Anything else?”

“Nothing that I know of. Without that staff, he’s just a regular guy.”

“Hold up, sorry to interrupt this, but,” Danny’s other friend, the boy with the glasses, cut in, “who are you guys exactly?”

Raz offered him a friendly smile. “We’re friends.”

“Allies.” Coraline was quick to say. “Let’s start with allies.”

Raz paused for a moment to shoot Coraline a sour look, before he continued on. “Bottom line is, we want to kick Freakshow’s ass just as much as you do.”

“If you’ll let us, we can do it together.” Coraline finished.

A few seconds passed in silence as Danny considered the suggestion. He looked to his friends; first, to the boy with the glasses, who simply offered a shrug, then to the dark-haired girl, who gave him a hesitant nod. Finally, Danny looked at Coraline and Raz, and said, “Alright. For this one time, let’s see how it goes.”

Raz clapped his hands together. “Nice!” he announced with a grin. “Okay, quick rundown, I’m Raz, and this is Coraline.”

“Not Caroline. Coraline.”

“She’s Lili, and there’s Wybie, Dipper, Mabel, Neil, and that’s Norman.”

As Danny’s gaze landed on him, Norman could only muster an awkward, sheepish little wave as a reply. Danny raised an eyebrow at that for a moment, before his attention returned to Coraline and Raz.

“Pleased to meet you all. I’m… well, you already know I am. These two are my friends. Sam,” Danny first gestured to the dark-haired girl, “and Tucker.” He then gestured to the boy with the glasses. “They don’t have powers, but they are very capable. You can take my word for it.”

Tucker took this opportunity to speak. “Y’know, if you want us to work together, you better have a good plan. This many people in the playing field? It could get messy.”

Raz looked towards Coraline for an answer, and Coraline in turn spent the next few seconds gazing at the entrance of the alley, at the chaos still occurring beyond it, the gears visibly turning in her head. While still focusing on the alley’s entrance, she finally asked, “Danny, how do you feel about being bait?”

Danny gave her a nervous look. “Generally? Not cool with it. What do you have in mind?”

“You’re the only one that can do anything to those ghosts.” As she turned towards Danny, a smile had started to form on her face. “At the same time, Freakshow only cares about you. He doesn’t give a damn about the rest of us. We can use that.”

“If you can draw all those ghosts away, the rest of us can sneak over to him and take his staff. Kick his pasty ass too while we’re at it.” Coraline explained. “Of course, if those ghosts overwhelm you and Freakshow gets to you, then it’s game over. So, we need to make sure you don’t get too much attention.” She shifted her gaze towards Raz and Lili. “You two lovebirds up for that?”

Raz crossed his arms in rather smug manner. “Be Danny’s bodyguard for the day? Hell yeah.” Lili didn’t say anything, but she did put on quite a confident smile.

Coraline opened her mouth to continue, only to be interrupted by the sound of a rather loud scream, which was accompanied by the distinctive sounds made by those green energy rays. It caught everyone’s attention, and the alley settled into silence for a few moments.

Wybie was the first to speak again. “Jonesy, I don’t think everyone made it out in time.”

Coraline closed her eyes for only half a second, quickly regaining her composure. “Mabel and Neil, you’re on evacuation duty.”

Mabel brandished her grappling hook with a grin, while Neil performed a salute. “Consider those people saved, captain!” He announced.

“Now, for the two of you,” Coraline pointed at both Sam and Tucker, “which one of you is good with people?”

Tucker raised his hand. “That would be me.”

“Relatively speaking.” Sam added with a smirk.

“Tucker, you help out Mabel and Neil.” Coraline had to fight back a chuckle. “Good luck.”

Both Mabel and Neil were at Tucker’s side in an instant. “Nice to meet you! I hope we can work together well!” Neil said as he enthusiastically shook Tucker’s hand.

“Love the backwards hat, by the way.” Mabel pointed at Tucker’s hat with her grappling hook, which made him flinch slightly. “Very nineties.”

“Everyone else, you’re with me. We sneak around, catch Freakshow off-guard, and make him pay for all of this.” Coraline accentuated the sentence with a swing of her baton. “Sam, you live here, so can I count on you to lead the way?” She asked.

Sam nodded, though somewhat hesitantly. “I think I can manage.”

“Alright.” Coraline took one last look at the group around her, all wearing expressions of confidence and determination. “You all have your part to play in this.” Her lips quirked into a determined smile. “Let’s save the day. The hunt…”

“… is on!”

Danny, Sam, and Tucker looked appropriately surprised by the Mystery Kids suddenly shouting that out, and Norman couldn’t blame them.

The surprise didn’t last long. “Come on, we can come out at the other side of this alley.” Sam was already running deeper into the alley, motioning for the others to follow her. “Hopefully Freakshow or his minions won’t see us.”

Coraline, Wybie, and Dipper quickly ran after Sam. Norman was about to join them, when he suddenly felt a firm hand grip his shoulder, stopping him. He looked over his shoulder to see Raz, who had taken his goggles off for the moment, staring at him dead in the eye with a look of hardened, yet faltering resolve.

“Norman…” Raz began, but Norman could tell he was at a loss for words, “Listen, I know you’d rather not do… your thing, and I would never force you, but-”

It wasn’t hard to figure out what Raz was trying to say. “I know.” Norman cut in. He smiled, and he hoped that was enough to comfort Raz. “If it comes down to it, I won’t hesitate.”

Raz’s face brightened significantly, much to Norman’s relief. Raz patted his shoulder and gave him a determined smile, which Norman reciprocated in kind, before the two broke off to join their respective groups. Before he turned the corner, Norman sneaked in one last look at the group at the alley’s entrance. Raz chatted excitedly with Danny as soon as he joined them.

“So, not to sound incapable or anything, but do you got anything up your sleeve that might help us help you?” Raz asked.

Danny seemed to appreciate Raz’s enthusiasm. “A few.” He replied with a coy smile. He then shut his eyes tight, his body surrounded by a green glow, before there was a sudden flash of light, and out from thin air, four exact duplicates of Danny came into existence.

Raz’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit!”

Norman had to agree. Holy shit, indeed.

Danny and his duplicates wasted no time to fly out of the alley. A quick nudge from Lili knocked Raz out of his shock, the two of them swiftly summoning spheres of psychic energy under their legs and hurrying after Danny. Mabel, Neil, and Tucker were the last to leave, darting out of the alley with their heads ducked.

The sound of Dipper calling out his name made Norman realize just how far he had gotten from his own group, and he sprinted after them.

The street at the other end of the alley was not as damaged as the street they were on, but some parts still made Norman cringe. Just as Sam hoped, only a few of Freakshow’s ghosts lingered here, and even those few quickly left as Norman heard Freakshow bellowing out an order to ‘bring my prize’ to him. So far, the plan seemed to be going according to plan. Coraline signaled everyone to just start sprinting once the last ghost left. It took them less than a minute to get from the alley to the end of the street. Sam stopped before the corner of the street and pressed herself against the wall, everyone behind her following her example. She cautiously peeked around the corner.

“Freakshow’s at the end of the next street, in the middle of the intersection.” Sam stated. “Looks like the distraction’s working.”

Coraline stepped forward to join Sam in peeking around the corner. Dipper also stepped forward, but Norman put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Dipper turned to give him a questioning look, which Norman replied with a shake of his head. Norman had known Dipper long enough to know that he couldn’t bear to be out of the loop, but for this one time, satisfying Dipper’s curiosity wasn’t worth the risk of being discovered. Dipper, to Norman’s relief, seemed to understand, reluctantly stepping back to where he was.

A few seconds passed before Coraline signaled them to join her.

“See that diner?” She pointed towards a rather ruined diner, situated about two thirds of the way down the street. “We can hunker down in there. Move out, cover to cover, two at a time. Dipper, Norman, you go first.”

Norman was caught off-guard when Dipper suddenly wrapped his hand around Norman’s own. His heart started beating faster, and it’s not just from the anticipation of having to sneak forward.

“Wait for it…” Coraline held up a hand, keeping a close eye on the next street. “Go.”

Norman and Dipper darted out into the street, going from cover to cover just like Coraline said. Luckily, there was an abundant amount of them, most of them being ruined cars and chunks of destroyed buildings. They didn’t stop at each cover for very long, only a few seconds at a time, mostly because Dipper would impatiently tug them forward before long. A battle must surely be brewing just up ahead, judging from the sounds of energy blasts and of Freakshow bellowing out orders. What little that Norman could spot in the rush - most of it being flashes of light and vague figures zipping around in the sky - pretty much confirmed it. Eventually, even with Dipper rather recklessly leading the way, they managed to slip into the diner undetected.

The inside of the diner was devoid of people - thank god for that - and just as ruined as the outside. Shards of glass and plates scattered on the ground mixed with bits of food, some of the booths have scorch marks on them, and the jukebox even had a chair jammed into it. Dipper hastily cleared up a section of the floor from the debris, before taking off his backpack and setting it against the counter. Norman looked back to the corner where they came from, spotting Wybie and Sam had started making their way over, with Coraline staying back presumably to watch over them. Norman shifted his attention to the other end of the street, getting his first good look of the battle.

Freakshow was indeed standing in the middle of the street, surrounded by three of his ghost minions, all of whom held a car door in their hands as some sort of makeshift shield. Those shields were put to good use to protect Freakshow from blasts of psychic energy, courtesy of Raz and Lili. The psychic duo ran circles around Freakshow, never staying in one place for too long thanks to the psychic sphere under their feet, taking shots at every opportunity. Three more ghosts hounded after Raz and Lili, peppering green energy rays in their direction. Raz opted to dodge the blasts coming his way, while Lili chose to levitate pieces of rubble around her to block the blasts. Freakshow glared at the two psychics, before turning his attention to the sky. Norman followed his gaze upwards.

Up in the sky, Danny and his duplicates were engaged in an all-out battle against the rest of Freakshow’s minions. Norman spotted Danny - or possibly one of his duplicates - getting caught in a hold from behind by one of the ghosts, while another ghost prepared an energy ray to unleash on him. However, that ghost was interrupted when another Danny swooped in to deliver an uppercut, followed by a green energy ray at point blank to blast the ghost away. The Danny caught in a hold managed to break free, spinning around to deliver a roundhouse kick to the ghost behind him. Not even a second later, that Danny was suddenly struck by an energy ray from a different ghost minion. Back and forth the aerial battle went, with either side not gaining a significant advantage over the other. Norman had to admit, Danny seemed to be faring quite well, despite the fact that he was outnumbered.

As exciting as it was to see the hero fight live, Norman tore his eyes away from the spectacle to look for his other friends. He smiled in relief upon spotting them. At the back of the battlefield, Mabel beckoned a group of people out of a ruined shop, directing them to away from the chaos. Nearby, Neil and Tucker worked together to help a couple crawl out of their overturned car, ushering them to safety. With all of Freakshow’s minions preoccupied with fighting against Danny, Raz, and Lili, their task could be done without much trouble.

“Is there five of him?” Hearing Coraline’s voice next to him nearly startled Norman. Looking around, it seemed that Wybie, Sam, and now Coraline managed to sneak across without a problem. Coraline had joined him in observing the battle without him realizing it, currently looking up at the sky.

Norman nodded. “Yeah.”

Coraline chuckled in disbelief. “Okay, that’s actually pretty cool.”

“What now, Jonesy?” Wybie asked. “I mean, I’m guessing walking over to him and beating him over with you magic stick is out of the question, with that shield trio he’s got around him.”

“I’ve got it covered.”

Dipper’s simple statement made him the center of attention. He sat on the floor, one of the journals open before him, and was in the process of taking out several vials filled with strange-looking powders and liquids out of his backpack.

“You setting up a science lab?” Sam asked, incredulous.

“Kind of.” Dipper lifted the journal, showing off the number ‘2’ on the cover. “Remember this?” He set the journal on the ground again, continuing to take items out of his backpack as he talked. “Each journal has a… theme, almost. Each one focuses on different subjects. The third one was more about creatures and occurrences. This one focuses on spells, runes, and items.” He paused to look up at the others. “Dangerous ones. Ones that you can use to harm people.”

“So, obviously, this is the one that Gideon managed to get his hands on.” Dipper chuckled dryly. “At least we can be grateful that he wasn’t smart enough to figure out even a third of what this journal has in store.”

Coraline eyed him rather warily. “And you did?”

“A bit.” Dipper shrugged. “I only really started when this whole protect-the-world thing began, so I still don’t know a whole lot. But, what I managed to figure out is already pretty nasty. Like what I’m about to make right now.”

“Before you ask,” Dipper flipped through the pages of the journal, stopping at a particular page titled ‘Weaver’s Wrap’, “it’s a snare. A magic snare. With the right ingredients, the proper patterns, and the magic words, this thing can wrap around and squeeze until there’s nothing left.”

Norman’s eyes widened at that revelation. Coraline, Wybie, and Sam had pretty much the same reaction.

“That’s- isn’t that a little extreme?” Wybie asked.

Dipper waved an arm dismissively. “Ah, it takes half a second for me to dispel it. My plan is to use this to immobilize him so we can restrain him in some other way. Like… with Mabel’s grappling hook, probably. Yeah, the grappling hook would do.” He fished out a scrap of white fabric and set it down on the floor before him, before looking up expectantly. “A little help would be nice.”

Coraline eventually shrugged. “Fine. We’re going with Dipper’s evil snare of death. Norman, Wybie.” Coraline gestured towards Dipper.

Norman sat down next to Dipper. Wybie joined them, the apprehension clear in his eyes. Together, they followed Dipper’s orders, even though it soon became clear that Dipper was doing most of the heavy work. Coraline and Sam returned to the window to keep watch outside, though Norman noticed Sam’s eyes flitting between the outside and Dipper’s work, her eyes alight with interest.

Dipper first poured out three pinches of dark-red powder onto the scrap of white fabric, muttering something under his breath that Norman couldn’t make out with each pinch. He then carefully arranged the powder into the shape of a circle with a horizontal line across it. Next, he picked up a vial of blue liquid as well as a pipette, using the pipette to let out a drop of liquid at eight different points around the circle, once again muttering something under his breath with each drop. After that, he held up a vial filled with some sort of gel-like black substance, and smeared the substance on the tip of his pinky finger. Dipper used the black substance to connect the circle to the drops until, Norman realized, the shape on the fabric roughly looked like the shape of a spider. Dipper leaned in towards the fabric, cupping his hand around his mouth, and whispered something loud enough that Norman could make it out this time.

“Rachni tenaci mortis peterparkrus Frederich Isak Showenhower mirabile serket.”

Dipper leaned back as all the ingredients seemed to seep into the fabric, leaving behind a purple-colored spider symbol on it. Dipper gingerly picked it up between his fingers.

He grinned. “It’s ready.”

Wybie eyed the scrap of fabric nervously, and with good reason. At this point, Norman had to admit, the symbol did give off an aura that, at best, made him feel uncomfortable.

“Still doesn’t explain how we’re gonna get past the shield trio, though.”

Dipper’s lips quirked into a knowing smile. “Those ghosts won’t be an issue. Trust me.”

Dipper hastily shoved his journal and all of the vials back into his backpack, slinging the bag onto his back as he rose to his feet. “I need to find Mabel. This plan won’t work without her grappling hook.” Dipper was already making his way to the diner’s exit. He paused at the doorway to look at Coraline. “Unless…”

“We are not killing him.” Coraline stated with a glare.

Dipper shrugged. “Your call.” Without another word, Dipper darted out into the street. He took his time, going from cover to cover, but Norman still watched with bated breath as Dipper got dangerously close with the battle still brewing in the middle of the intersection. Thankfully, so far neither Freakshow nor his minions seemed to have noticed Dipper’s approach.

Dipper was just about to round the corner to the right, when Norman heard Coraline grimly state, “I think that ghost saw him.”

She pointed at one of the ghosts that’s been chasing after Raz and Lili, who had come to a sudden stop, his line of sight seemingly corresponding with Dipper’s position. Her suspicion was confirmed when that ghost prepared an energy ray and aimed it at Dipper’s direction. Dipper, completely oblivious to the ghost, darted out of cover once again, and at the same time, the ghost released his energy ray. At that moment, it took every ounce of self-restraint in Norman’s body to not scream out Dipper’s name.

A pulse of orange psychic energy suddenly exploded behind Dipper, blasting him forwards by a few feet, the energy ray striking the ground where Dipper once was. His landing was rough, nearly face-first, and he skidded to a stop a few feet later.

Raz stood nearby, a hand outstretched in Dipper’s direction. “Sorry about that!” He yelled out, before a volley of energy rays forced him to keep moving again. “Start running, Dipper!”

Dipper recovered from the tumble quickly enough. However, instead of rising to his feet and running the other way, Dipper scrambled to his knees, his head frantically whipping back and forth. Only upon noticing that a ghost was approaching did he get his feet under him to sprint out of Norman’s line of sight.

Dipper’s odd behavior confused Norman, until he came to a realization. “I think Dipper dropped the snare.”

Coraline must have noticed it too. “Dipper, you goddamn-!” She let out a wordless growl, quickly addressing everyone else. “We need to get that snare. Wybes, Norman, sneak in and find it. Sam and I’ll cover you.”

Norman nodded. “Got it.”

“Can do, Jonesy.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?”

Coraline twirled the psychic baton in her hand. “Ever played baseball?”

“Like… once?” Sam replied rather hesitantly.

Norman could tell Coraline had to hold back from rolling her eyes. “Just follow my lead.” Taking Sam by the hand, the two made their way out of the diner, pausing for a moment in the doorway to address Norman and Wybie. “When I give you the signal, run like hell.”

The two were out the door before either Norman or Wybie could properly reply. Norman watched them as they took cover behind a smoking wreck of what used to be a car. Sam picked up a brick from among the debris, while Coraline peeked her head out over the wreck. She then took a few steps back, settled into a stance while brandishing her baton with both hands, before giving Sam a nod. Sam threw the brick into the air, and Coraline swung her baton with all her might. The brick sailed through the air towards Freakshow. It actually managed to slip past the ghosts shielding Freakshow, and he had to physically dodge it after noticing at the last second. Coraline and Sam didn’t waste any time, two more bricks already streaking towards Freakshow, though this time both were able to be blocked.

Freakshow glared down at Coraline and Sam, pointing his staff in their direction. Immediately, one of the ghosts that had been pursuing Raz and Lili changed course, now flying towards Coraline and Sam. Coraline had time to send a nod at Norman and Wybie - the signal - before both her and Sam bolted in the other direction, the ghost in hot pursuit.

Norman and Wybie practically scrambled out of the diner’s exit. They stuck to going from cover to cover when they could, but it was an otherwise mad dash to get to where Dipper dropped the snare as fast as they could. Norman considered it a miracle when, as far as he knew, they reached the spot undetected. He had to pause for a moment - the dash left him quite winded - but Wybie was already tossing over bits of debris left and right in an effort to find it.

“God, how are we supposed to find that thing?!” Wybie exclaimed as his eyes scanned the ground. “It’s so tiny!”

Norman looked around the debris-strewn field. Wybie was right; finding that scrap of fabric in the middle of this chaos just with their eyesight was borderline impossible. They needed something more.

“It felt weird.” Norman pointed out after a moment of thought. “Right? It felt… off.”

Norman clenched his eyes shut, focusing hard. With his world gone dark, he felt his presence grew. He didn’t have a lot of practice with this particular ability of his, so it felt unstable and took longer than he would’ve liked, but eventually he spotted that uncomfortable aura again. His eyes snapped open, his head whipping to his left. Wybie followed his gaze. Nearby - roughly twenty-thirty feet away from them - slightly wedged under a pile of rubble, was the scrap of fabric they were looking for. Wybie immediately sprinted towards it.

“Get out of the way!”

That shout came from Lili, rolling towards them on her psychic sphere, a pair of metal sheets levitating behind her, shielding her from a barrage of energy rays that came from a pursuing ghost. Wybie doubled the speed of his sprint, while Norman quickly dived into cover. Wybie rejoined him behind the cover a moment later, just as Lili sped by, some of the stray energy rays whizzing past above their heads.

Norman gave Wybie a frantic, expectant look. Wybie looked down at his clenched fist, before he slowly opened it, revealing the scrap of fabric inside. Norman sighed in relief.

“Alright, how do we use this?” Wybie asked, and Norman’s relief dissipated instantly. “Do we just… throw it? What if we throw it and nothing happens?”

Norman looked around at his surroundings desperately. “We need Dipper.”

Not a moment later, he felt Wybie rapidly tapping his shoulder, before he pointed over to a pile of rubble quite a ways away from the battlefield. Timidly peeking over that pile of rubble were a pair of heads that Norman instantly recognized as Mabel and Dipper. They appeared to be desperately searching the field themselves. Norman waved at them, while Wybie lifted the fabric in his hands just enough so that the twins could see it. Dipper spotted them first, his eyes lighting up. Mabel sent them a thumbs up when she did the same a moment later.

How do we use this? Norman mouthed.

Norman was initially worried he didn’t mouth it clear enough, but Dipper looked like he understood it well enough. He rose out of his cover, both hands cupped around his mouth. There was a moment of hesitation, but Dipper quickly shook his head, before he shouted out loud.

“Etavitca!”

Dipper’s voice rang clear across the street. The dark purple spider symbol on the fabric began to glow. Norman and Wybie shared a look for half a second.

“Throw it now!”

Wybie did, but it was a panicked throw, more out of him not wanting to hold the fabric for any longer. In Norman’s humble opinion, Wybie could have done better.

However, the strength of the throw didn’t seem to matter, as the scrap of fabric came to a sudden dead stop in midair. The glow of the symbol intensified until it consumed the entirety of the piece of fabric. The fabric then unfurled to become a sizable spread of netting that emitted a dark purple glow, before it sped off towards Freakshow at an incredible speed. One of the ghosts shielding Freakshow put himself in the path of the snare, but the snare simply passed through both the makeshift shield he held and the ghost himself like they were nothing. Freakshow was absolutely not prepared, the snare wrapping itself around him extremely tight, leaving his arms trapped against his chest. Peculiarly, the snare somehow completely missed the staff, leaving it untangled from the mess of dark purple netting that encircled Freakshow, though the villain still had an iron grip on it. Freakshow’s expression immediately contorted into one of intense pain, his mouth gaping open in a silent scream.

“Yes!” Came Dipper’s incredibly ecstatic shout, his voice even cracking slightly. “Get the staff! Somebody get the staff!”

Lili was quick to respond. A pink-ish glow surrounded the staff, and Norman could see Freakshow visibly struggling to maintain his grip on it. The ghosts that once shielded Freakshow have now begun an attempt - a rather futile one - to free the villain from the snare. He only managed to hold on to the staff for a few more seconds before it slipped out of his grasp. However, right at that very moment, a ghost shot an energy ray straight at Lili. Acting out of pure reflex, Lili tossed the staff into the air, before rolling out of the way of the ray.

Freakshow’s eyes darted upwards. “Minions!” He managed to choke out. “My staff! Bring back my staff!”

The ghosts who had been trying to free Freakshow immediately chased after the staff. Likewise, up in the sky, the ghosts who had been battling Danny all initiated a nose dive straight towards the staff. Danny was quick to catch on, him and all of his duplicates diving after the ghosts. It was a close race, but the numbers that the ghosts had gave them an advantage, as most of them did everything they could to slow down Danny and his duplicates, leaving the others free to pursue the staff. At the last possible second, just as one of the ghosts was only a moment way from catching the staff, one Danny fired off a desperate green energy ray. The ray found its mark, sending the staff plummeting back towards the ground.

Norman’s eyes widened once he realized where the staff was headed.

He rose to his feet, climbed on top of the cover he once hid behind, and raised his hand, his palm open. The staff landed perfectly in his hand.

Every ghost in the vicinity immediately ceased whatever activities they were doing. They stared ahead blankly; arms limp at their sides, almost as if they entered a dormant state. Freakshow managed to send a glare at Norman, even through the pain he must be experiencing. Norman climbed down from the cover, walking at a steady pace towards Freakshow.

Somewhere from behind Norman, Dipper uttered out the word, “Etavitcaed.”

The snare that entangled Freakshow lost its purple glow, and with it, its tight hold on the villain. Freakshow dropped to his knees, coughing and drawing in ragged, desperate breaths. The sight almost made Norman pity him. Almost.

Amazingly, Freakshow forced himself to rise to his feet, before limping towards Norman with a glare. “That staff… is mine.” He growled.

Norman spotted the distinctive claw of Mabel’s grappling hook sailing above his head to nail Freakshow right between his eyes. As he stumbled back from the impact, the claw became enveloped in an orange glow, before it proceeded to circle the villain a few times, leaving him entangled once again, this time by the trailing cable of the grappling hook. Losing his balance, Freakshow fell on his back, letting out a groan in pain.

Norman walked up to the villain, his gaze meeting Freakshow’s.

“You think that ghosts are not human. That they’re less than human.”

He let that familiar energy flow, all the way to his fingertips.

“I don’t know what made you think that way, but you’re wrong. They’re just as human as the rest of us.”

Freakshow gave him an expression of defiance.

“You naïve child. They are nothing but monsters.”

Norman’s grip on the staff tightened.

“Monster?”

Sparks flowed freely out of the hand that held the staff. The defiant look on Freakshow’s face was gone.

“They were not the ones that abused the confused and distressed souls of people who passed away. If there’s any monster here, it’s you.”

Electric lines danced up and down the staff; it started with one, but then it became a dozen, then three dozen, then five dozen, until the staff was enveloped by it. The handle started to splinter. Cracks formed on the crystal ball. Freakshow’s eyes went wide with fear.

“You’re the fucking monster.”

With one last surge of energy, the staff was shattered into pieces. The crack of thunder could be heard from miles away.

Norman took a few steps back. He breathed in and out deeply, the energy receding from his hands. Freakshow still stared at him with wide eyes.

Within the next minute, Norman managed to reassure all the ghosts, who had broken free of the staff’s control, that Freakshow would pay for everything that he had done. They all dispersed, going off on their own without much fanfare. The Mystery Kids, along with the addition of Danny, Sam, and Tucker, all reconvened, forming a circle around Freakshow. The subdued villain, at this point, had shaken out of his fear-induced paralysis, and now looked up at the gathered group rather sheepishly.

“I… surrender?”

Lili landed a kick on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The next kick was aimed at his head, and that knocked him out cold.

“I know you said it’s not a habit, but it’s really becoming a habit, Lil.” Raz remarked.

“Oh, like you wouldn’t do it.” Lili bit back.

Raz chuckled lightly, before he turned his attention to Danny. “You okay, Danny?”

For the most part, Danny looked relieved, though Norman didn’t miss the fact that, ever since they had gathered here, Danny had stolen wary glances at Norman whenever he thought Norman wasn’t looking. “Oh, yeah, I’m good.” He answered. “Thanks for the assist. That fight would’ve been a lot harder on my own.”

“Oh, it was nothing, really.” Raz shrugged dismissively. “All in a day’s work for us heroes.”

“Right.” Danny looked around at every member of the Mystery Kids. A rather awkward silence settled for a moment. “So… I guess this is where we part ways?”

Coraline was quick to chime in. “Not exactly.”

“See, Danny, kicking this guy’s ass was fun and all, but it’s not the main reason why we’re here.” Raz explained. “We’re mainly here to talk to you.”

Danny looked surprised for a moment, and then he looked curious. “You know what, after seeing what you guys can do… I’m intrigued.” He said. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

“Well…” Raz glanced around at their surroundings. In what was only seconds ago an empty battlefield, a crowd had begun to gather around them. Some people even had their phones out already.

“First things first, let’s go to someplace more private, yeah?”

“Oh. Yeah, sure. Do you wanna head to my place, or-?”

“Just follow us.”

The next ten minutes they spent convincing the local police department that, yes, they have the authority to arrest Freakshow - Raz got to flash the new badge around after all, much to his delight - and that the containment facility the Psychonauts had would be far more secure than anything the local police had in their disposal.

“No offense.” Raz added hastily at the end of his explanation.

With a bound and unconscious criminal in tow, they spent the next twenty minutes walking back to where the Mystery Kids had parked their jet. The walk was rather awkward. It was mostly silent, with Danny, Tucker, and Sam - especially Sam - occasionally asking a question. Raz’s answer was always for them to just wait, looking far too pleased to be acting so cryptic. Coraline did approach Norman at one point during the walk.

“Damn, Norman, you were fucking pissed back there. What’s up with that?” She asked.

“I think it’s okay to be angry for the right reason.” Norman replied simply.

When they arrived, the Mystery Kids let Danny, Sam, and Tucker - especially Tucker - to have five minutes to freak out over the fact that they owned a jet. They also used that time to secure Freakshow with some proper restraints, as well as order Agent Danvers to keep a very close eye on him while they have a chat with Danny. They all then sat in a loose circle just outside of the jet, where Raz and Coraline spent the next ten minutes giving Danny and his friends a rough idea of who they were and what they do.

Tucker listened with rapt attention, visibly reacting with awe in some parts. Sam’s reaction was more guarded, but Norman could tell she was warily intrigued. Danny listened in closely as well, though he still stole glances at Norman once in a while. Once Raz and Coraline finished their explanation, a minute passed by in silence, as the three processed the information.

“So…” Danny began, “you guys are like… the Power Rangers?”

Coraline nearly visibly cringed at the comparison. “More like the Avengers.”

“Actually, if we’re going with comparisons, our closest counterpart would be the Teen Titans.” Wybie quickly pointed out. “Just saying.”

“And… you call yourselves the… Mystery Kids?”

Raz smiled proudly. “That’s the name.”

Danny nodded, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Sorry, but, that name is… really generic.”

“Hey, speak for yourself.” Coraline retorted. “Your superhero name is only a few letters off from your real name. It’s honestly a miracle no one managed to figure it out.”

“Excuse me; we’re talking about the coolness of the name here.” Tucker spoke up. “The name ‘Danny Phantom’ is inherently cool.”

Raz shrugged quite awkwardly. “Coraline, to be fair, we didn’t exactly put a lot of effort into the name. It was, like, the third name we came up with.”

“And you’re backed by the government?” Sam asked, her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed.

“Not the government. The Psychonauts is an international organization that doesn’t belong to a single country.” Raz explained. “And we’re not ‘backed’ by them. We’re more like… partners.”

Norman could tell Sam had the most suspicions out of the three of them. “Sorry, let me tell you what’s happening from our perspective.” She said. “You guys showed up out of nowhere, you say that you are ‘partners’ with a secret organization of spies that doesn’t abide to any country, and you seriously expect Danny to just join up with you?”

Raz sucked in a breath through his teeth. ��Alright, I admit, this whole thing looks a little bit shady, but I promise you, we are nothing like that. We just want to save people and solve mysteries.”

“Danny, come on, you’ve felt firsthand how easy it was to take down Freakshow when we’re all working together.” Raz gestured to everyone with a friendly smile. “Imagine that, but for every fight from now on.”

Danny looked to his left at Tucker, who simply offered him a small shrug, and then to his right at Sam, who gave him a slow head shake. He turned his attention back to Raz. “I’ve already got my own team, right here. We’ve been doing well enough on our own.”

Raz opened his mouth to respond, but Coraline beat him to it. “It won’t be enough.” She said. “Not for long.”

“Are you threatening us?” Sam retorted after a moment.

“I’m warning you.” Coraline met Danny’s gaze. “If you think the Disasteroid is as big as it’s gonna get, think again. Supernatural events are on the rise, and it’s not stopping. Hell, the eight of us have already stopped something bigger than the Disasteroid. Something that you don’t even know about.”

Danny’s brows furrowed in confusion. Both Sam and Tucker looked at each other, bewilderment clear on their expressions. Coraline continued on. “Trust us. We’re better off united than we are separated.”

Raz looked at Coraline with wide eyes, before he scratched his head nervously. “That’s a grim way to put it, but she’s not wrong.” He cleared his throat for a moment. “Of course, if you really don’t want to join, then we’re not going to force you into it.”

“We’re just telling you upfront that not joining is a very, very bad idea. For everyone involved.” Coraline added.

Danny let out a dry, humorless chuckle. “Raz, it really sounds like you’re threatening us.”

Norman decided now to speak up. “We’re not. We’re just desperate.” He stated simply. Looking around at the other members of the Mystery Kids, they all shifted in place nervously. “Sure, we’ve been chosen by this big, powerful organization to protect the planet, but we’re still just eight kids.”

After a moment of consideration, Norman decided it’s in everyone’s best interest for him to say the unspoken truth, as much it pained him to say it.

“We are… kind of scared.”

A minutes passed by in silence. Coraline spent that time absentmindedly tugging at her hair. Raz stared down at the ground, his fingers fiddling with the creases of his gloves. Danny and Tucker seemed slightly put off by the sudden shift, but they appeared sympathetic. Sam tried to put on a show of indifference, but Norman didn’t miss the glint of concern in her eyes.

“That’s why we want you to join us.” Norman spoke, breaking the silence. “You’re Danny Phantom. We need you.”

Danny sighed deeply. “Listen, I… if it means leaving my friends behind, I’m not joining any other team. Sorry.”

“Oh my god, why didn’t you lead with that?” Coraline suddenly snapped. “Fine. They’re in.”

Danny blinked. “What?”

“What?” Raz parroted.

Coraline turned towards Raz. “You saw it; they handled themselves pretty well back there. We are looking for new members anyway, so why not?” She shifted her attention to Danny. “Will you join us now?”

“I… uh…” Danny quickly glanced at Sam and Tucker, who looked just as surprised as he was. “Um… see, my sister is kinda part of the team too, so-”

“Great. She’s in.”

Sam chimed in. “Wait, just like that?”

“If his sister is part of your team, then I doubt she can’t handle herself.” Coraline pointed out.

“I, uh… I also have a… cousin.”

Coraline shrugged. “Your cousin’s in.”

“And… um, there’s this other girl, she-”

“Danny, let me save you the trouble.” Coraline cut in. “Everyone that’s a part of your team? Consider them a part of ours.”

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be elite?” Tucker asked, no doubt incredulous of the sudden invitation.

“‘Elite’ sure is a word that Raz used to describe us.” Coraline stared pointedly at Raz. “But, just like what Norman said, we really are kind of desperate.”

Danny spent the next few seconds massaging the side of his head. “God, I… if my entire team can join, that’s good, but I’m gonna have to talk this out with the others. I can’t make this decision on my own.”

“Hey, man, if you need more time to figure this out, we can give you that.” The friendly smile has returned to Raz’s face. “You don’t have to have an answer right this second.”

“Just soon. Preferably.” Coraline quickly added.

The circle soon dispersed after that. Raz approached Danny by himself and gave him a phone number to call whenever he and his friends have reached a decision. With a final salute, Raz jogged back to the jet. The rest of the Mystery Kids, one by one, boarded the jet. Norman was the last one to board, and as he walked up the steps, he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder.

Norman looked back to find himself face to face with Danny.

“Hey, uh, Norman, right?” Danny smiled, and it was an awkward one. To Danny’s credit, there was an effort to make it not look awkward. For anyone else, it might’ve worked, but not to Norman.

“So, I just wanted to say, great work with Freakshow back there. What you did was… it was interesting, very interesting. Just, all around, such a-”

“I noticed, you know. You stealing looks at me when you think I’m not looking.”

Danny froze, his mouth still gaping open. Norman continued calmly.

“Whatever you’re worried about, you can save yourself the stress. No matter what happens, we’re still on the same side.”

Norman continued his climb to the top of the stairs. Before the door closed, he managed to utter out a farewell.

“Until next time, Danny.”

In hindsight, I’m glad I split this into two parts, because fuck me this chapter is long.

A lot of things happening in this two-parter. We get a look of the world at large. Obviously, the meeting between the MK and Danny is the main attraction here. We also get Coraline’s new weapon, Dipper dabbling in some actual magic, and last but certainly not least, a glimpse of the state of Norman’s powers post-Weirdmageddon.

Now, some things to clarify regarding the canon of Danny Phantom; Danny and Sam aren’t in a relationship yet, Dani was adopted by the Fentons, Tucker is not the mayor of Amity Park, and Vlad was not swept away by the Disasteroid. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Thank you so much for reading this incredibly long chapter all the way to the end, and I hope you have a good day today!

#mystery kids #paranorman #danny phantom #psychonauts #gravity falls #coraline #norman babcock #danny fenton #neil downe #sam manson #tucker foley #razputin aquato #lili zanotto #dipper pines #mabel pines #coraline jones #wybie lovat #When You're A Mystery Kid

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golden--doodler · 2 years ago

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Ahhhhhhh thank you so much for tagging me in this, Babs! <Cracks knuckles> This is going to be fun:

20 Questions for Fic Writers Tag Game

How many works do you have on ao3? 8 on AO3 as of this moment :D

What's your total word count? For AO3, my official word count is 43,622!

What fandoms do you write for? Bob's Burgers is my main one! I've also written for many other fandoms such as Marvel, South Park, Gravity Falls (though that one isn't published yet), and The Cuphead Show!, just to name a few.

Top 5 fics by kudos: A Cold Winter's Night, Finding Joy Amidst Turmoil, Parents and Problems, Nothing Makes Me Happier (these two are tied with the amount of kudos they have), and Chives and Conversations.

Do you respond to comments? Absolutely! I adore reading people's sweet, sweet comments. If someone took the time to comment on my fic, I usually want to respond to them. Comments give me so much serotonin, you don't understand. I can't get enough of them.

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Not really sure, actually. Angst hurts my heart. There have definitely been angsty moments in some of my fics, but I'm not sure about an ending. I guess you can count the first chapter of Fallen on Deaf Ears because Linda loses her hearing aids because of Grover? She gets new ones from Mr. Fischoeder, but it's still pretty dramatic.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably Nothing Makes Me Happier, that fic is basically fluff the entire way through, and the ending is borderline tooth-rotting sweetness. Probably the happiest oneshot I've written thus far. It definitely has a special place in my heart.

Do you get hate on fics? Not yet, actually! :D

Do you write smut? Yes 😏 (well, once)

Do you write crossovers? Not as of yet! A long time ago I had one planned, but it was scrapped (if you want to know, it was a crossover between Gravity Falls and Solar Opposites).

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Nope, at least not that I know of. Hopefully it stays that way.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Not as of this moment, but that would be so cool.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Sort of, yes! I've been co-writing a Mission Impossible and Ghostbusters fic with my best friend, both of which are unfinished right now but will hopefully become finished eventually. Oh yes, and we're technically cowriting a Gravity Falls fic too. I probably can't list all of the things we've collaborated on.

What's your all-time favorite ship? 🥰🥰🥰 Boblin 🥰🥰🥰 Some of my other all-time favorite ships include (but are not limited to): Tina and Josh, whatever their ship name is, from Bob's Burgers, Tinimmy from Bob's Burgers, Roudise (AKA Louwheeze) from Bob's Burgers, probably Louigan (I just love enemies to lovers) from Bob's Burgers, my OC, Alexis, and Gene (imma call them Living La Vega Belcher as their ship name) from Bob's Burgers (is it narcissistic to list a ship you created??), Bunny from South Park, Kyman from South Park, my OCs Maggie and Sydney (I still can't think of a good ship name for them, but I called them Mydney once) from Gravity Falls (is it still narcissistic to list a ship you created??), to make it fair I'll list my best friend's OC, Kay, and Ford from Gravity Falls, Dipcifica from Gravity Falls, Reddie from It (2017), Torvo from Solar Opposites, Stage Dorks from Be More Chill, Kleinsen from Dear Evan Hansen, Adam and Barbara, whatever their ship name is, from Beetlejuice, Lumity from The Owl House, M&M from Helluva Boss, probably Wildehopps from Zootopia (I'm still not sure if I completely ship them, but their chemistry is so *chef's kiss* 🤌🏼) Hector and Imelda from Coco, Coraline and Wybie from Coraline, Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Rapunzel and Eugene from Tangled (actually made me believe in love), and I should probably cut myself off there. There are so many more ships I could've listed! This just goes to show how many fandoms I'm in and how much of a multishipper I am.

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will? I have this WIP that's an AU of if Bob and Linda met as children which I never finished and kind of stopped, at least for now. It kind of delved into Bob's relationship with his parents as well, and would've also delved into Linda's relationship with her parents too. I want to finish it, but that's unfortunately unlikely as of this moment ): It's a really cute idea, though, I think. I also have a WIP of a fic about Evan and Jared from Dear Evan Hansen (specifically their movie counterparts because I wanted to make some positive content for the movie because I didn't enjoy it) from the perspective of their daughter, Paige. I don't think I'll be able to finish that one, but it was fun to write.

What are your writing strengths? Comedy, dialogue, which is probably my biggest strength (especially banter), tooth-rotting fluff (I just love wholesome little things, okay??), and kiss scenes. I've been told by my best friend I write excellent kiss scenes, so I had to add this. Not sure if I'm excellent at them, but I think I can write a decent one.

What are your writing weaknesses? Description, angst, just people being mean to each other in general because it makes me sad, and probably fight scenes/action scenes? After writing my Marvel fic I've realized how tedious writing them is.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language? Do a lot of research and get someone who speaks that language to help.

First fandom you wrote for? I can't remember exactly. It might've either been Disney or Warriors Cats (yeah, I know).

Favorite fic you've ever written? As of right now, it's probably either my Gravity Falls fic or Fallen on Deaf Ears. It was such a random and specific idea that actually ended up working incredibly well.

20 Questions for Fic Writers Tag Game

How many works do you have on ao3? 39

What's your total word count? 244,555

What fandoms do you write for? Bob's Burgers

Top 5 fics by kudos: Ketchup & Fries (but said to the tune of Shut Up and Drive), Already Medjool Dating, Maybe in Thyme, The Baby-Bitters Club, and Turn Down Corn-Nut

Do you respond to comments? If I don't respond to a comment within a week, you can assume I'm dead. I'm extrinsically motivated, and if I like comments then I need to respect and appreciate my readers by telling them that

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? It's My Party (and I'll fry if I want to) it’s the angstiest fic all around, but the ending is more so unresolved-ish, like the reader can decide what Louise does

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Just a Coup-ful of Sugar, and I’m hoping fluffy equates to happy. Closely followed by but it’s (yukon) golden!

Do you get hate on fics? Yes

Do you write smut? Yes 😏

Do you write crossovers? They’re not for me

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of?

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nah, but that would be neat!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, and I probably wouldn’t be able to handle giving someone else the reins 😔

What's your all-time favorite ship? 🥰🥰🥰 louigan 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will? Drunken Sailor (what will brie do with)

What are your writing strengths? Natural sounding dialogue, titles, and writing comedy

What are your writing weaknesses? Scene setting, describing what people are wearing, sentence structure variation, sincerity, and whump fic

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language? Be respectful and consult a native speaker of that language

First fandom you wrote for? Total Drama Island

Favorite fic you've ever written? Today? It's Stacy's Cardamom!

Nobody tagged me, but it looked like fun 😭 plus it’s a good reminder to go back and see what all you HAVE done instead of dwelling on the hypothetical fics you haven’t.

Tagging writers I can think of who I haven’t seen make a 20 questions post (sorry if you’ve already been tagged and also of course feel free to ignore and also also sorry I probably missed someone!): @sailoreuterpe @bimbobarbieusa @marauder23 @big-wet-rose @jimmyjrsmusoems @jimmypesto @jc7005 @cosmicriff @casually-concerned @tully-blue @waytoomanyhobbies @https-hunter @holdingontolou @keepyourhornson-spyro @theangrypomeranian @avatraang @eroticfriendfictions @ironicsopsychotic @golden--doodler @lovelyxxxsymone @thestarstho @secretsofthemourning @smol-lydia

#20 questions #i wanted to use this as an opportunity to list most of the ships i've loved/still love #now y'all can see how many fandoms i'm in #this blog is probably gonna just stay mostly bob's burgers tho #hopefully y'all enjoy reading my rambling about writing because i have a LOT of thoughts #i love writing i've been doing it for so long but i also want to draw more so i can practice that more #because i definitely have not been practicing drawing for as long

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writingabouteverything · 4 years ago

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A Blink of an Eye

a/n I WENT TO MY HSLOT SHOW IT WAS EVERYTHING YOU GUYS !! BEST NIGHT EVER! this isn’t like born from that exactly but it is a being at a HSLOT tour show vibes lol

if this is bad im sorry,, it just got so long so fast and ahhh it’s here

summary: y/n is a college student that has basically become a celebrity over night after being casted in a live action Coraline adaptation, and her first real outing post-blowing up is a Harry Styles concert she bought pit tickets for a year ago. Things are more hectic than y/n imagined them being, but they’re not unenjoyable...and then the Harry Styles’s narcissistic side has to come out after realizing that he’s not the only center of attention at his own show. And that changes a lot more than just the outcome of a concert.

a/n part 2 lol: i can see making this a series or like a mini blurb series where harry like introduces the reader to the celebrity world and helps her through it and thats like what draws them into a relationship?? idk?

also could see myself making a fake social media post for this!!

------

It’s 2021...technology has advanced far too much for me to still get blindsided by stupid mistakes like forgetting to set the right alarm. How dumb can one person be? Now that my schedule is as tight as it is, I can’t afford to do things like this.

I was supposed to finish a math assignment due tonight at midnight in the morning, because my mid-morning and early-afternoon are taken up by classes. When I finish that, I have my first video interview since the...whole getting casted in the upcoming live action Coraline and then blowing up on twitter because of a series of youtube videos that had less than a hundred views before the world found out that I’ll be playing Coraline and Timothee Chalamet will be playing Wybie. Okay, it’s kind of my first real interview ever.

The only acting credits I have except for a couple of indie movies are a two-episode arch on Criminal Minds when I was eleven and a rarely recurring character on ABC’s comedy, Superstore. I didn’t know if I wanted to keep acting in college..but then my old agent reached out with something secretive and highly competitive and...wow. Things really can change in a blink of an eye.

“It feels like I’m speed walking with a celebrity.”

My best friend’s voice distracts me from my thoughts. I turn towards Blythe, sarcastically glaring at her as she hides a smug grin by taking a sip of her pumpkin cold brew. There are a few...onlookers...and two camera men were excited about my appearance at the only Starbucks within walking distance of my campus, but it’s not like people are gawking. It’s not like I’m some megastar now. People only care about me because they know that soon I’ll be filming with Timothee.

That’s why people are watching me. Some are even hoping for some romance on set because someone found a clip of youtube video in which I said that Timothee Chalamet was exactly my time. As soon as they realize that I’m the most awkward person on the planet, and that even though Timothee was extremely nice about my lack of major project experience, he won’t be seduced by my excitement over this project’s every development.

“I am not a celebrity.” I adjust my grip on my drink. “People found out that the girl who’s going to be in a movie with Timothee Chalamet has a failing vlog channel that she only updates when she’s bored. The three people that notice me in public are going to forget about me in two minutes.”

Blythe raises an eyebrow, which is fair considering that we both know I’ve gotten more than attention from three people. My social media stats went off the charts the moment the live action cast for Coraline was announced.

“You’re starring in a movie with Timothee Chalamet,” Blythe corrects, “You’re literally playing Coraline in a live action Coraline--you’re going to be film twitter’s new obsession, I know it.”

Rolling my eyes with a slight laugh, I ignore the odd warmth in my chest. That’d be...it’d be unbelievable. I’m doing all I can to not let this chance go to my head. It’s one project--one amazing, coveted project, but I can’t just assume that my life is made now. Besides...playing such an iconic character is so much more pressure than playing someone unknown. What if people hate how I portray Coraline? Live adaptations keep getting hate, what if this is like that and I ruin a story so many people love?

Blythe blinks at me, waiting for an answer, but these aren’t the kinds of insecurities you just blurt out. “If you’re right, you’ll be my date to the premiere.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Excuse me, I was always going to be your date, and then I was going to leave you for Timothee Chalamet--who you have to introduce me to at some point, or you’ll no longer be considered a good roommate.”

I let out a small laugh. “I’ve talked to him like three times, give me a chance to get to know him before I start carting him around.”

Blythe sighs. “I guess, but when Harry Styles invites you back stage tonight you have to take me.”

This time when I laugh, it’s completely genuine. “You’re delusional.”

“What? It could happen, you’re like a celebrity now--”

“I am at most a social media trend, and Harry Styles isn’t exactly known for being up to date on social media trends.” I take another sip of coffee. “And I probably won’t even be recognized.”

Blythe presses her lips together, amusement leaving her. “Are you sure you’re--are you sure it’s okay for you to be in such a public space? I mean Starbucks was awkward, but in a pit full of people--”

“No one’s going to look at me twice. It’ll be dark and the odds of one of the three people that care about who I am being there and near us are low, and they’ll be distracted by Harry Styles.” We stop in front of our campus’s library. “Now stop worrying about that, and start worrying about the math homework you said you’d help me with. You know I need to be done by 3:00.”

------

The evening comes faster than I expected it too, but I’m not mad about it. I’ve been looking forward to this concert for more than a year and now it’s only a few hours away.

Blythe insists on us taking a selfie before we can head out the door. I consider doing the same for my Instagram story, but decide against it. Knowing that people are actually monitoring my social media activity makes it feel weird to post. I’ve never been one to post everything online, but on the occasional night out in which I like all parts of my outfit, I don’t mind posting to Instagram or my Snapchat story. Now I don’t know if that’s sending some kind of message. Especially because I didn’t tell my agent about the concert and she said to run things by her until I officially find a manager.

I should have mentioned it to Fiona, but a tiny part of me worried she thought the exposure would be too much right now and I wouldn’t be able to go to the concert. No one expected me to get as much attention as I’m getting right now this quickly.

“Ready?”

Whatever. It’s not like this is a bad thing that’s happening. It’s good--it’s what I’ve worked for, I just wish I knew what I was doing. And i don’t have to think of it tonight. “Yeah.”

------

The atmosphere is everything I wanted it to be. Blythe and i should have gotten to the venue earlier, but schoolwork made it impossible. We shuffle in behind a group of fabulously dressed girls and join a small line before getting wristbands put on us.

“Excuse me?” I turn my head, expecting for an employee to ask to see my ticket or vaccine card again. Instead, I see a girl who can’t be older than maybe fifteen. When I nod, her eyes widen, “Can I get a picture with you?”

“You want a picture with me?”

That strange flutter in my stomach returns. I’ve been asked to take pictures with strangers multiple times over these last few days, but I didn’t expect this here. Okay, one girl--one picture. I guess it’s cool to know that there’s at least one case of overlapping between people that now care about me and Harry Styles fans.

“Yes! You’re y/n l/n, right?” I nod. “I’m so excited for your movie! I watched all of your youtube videos last night and you seem like the nicest person ever and I can’t believe you’re going to be working with Timothee Chalamet.”

“Me either.”

Blythe spares me a side glance. “I can take the picture, if you want.”

The girl grins, handing Blythe her phone. After a few pictures are taken, I compliment the girl’s outfit and she thanks me before running off to catch up with her friends.

“MIss celebrity--”

“Shut up, it was one pict--” Turning, the rest of the word dies in my throat.

That interaction was noticed...a small crowd of people are now watching me, some standing with the cameras of their phone open as if they’re waiting for something. A few snap pictures of me as I stand there, but others start to approach me. There’s nothing chaotic about it at first, the people that want to meet me form a line. I don’t mind i, everyone is nice and encouraging, claiming that they can see me portraying Coraline well and that they understood why I got cast.I thought I’d have more time to talk to Blythe, but she doesn’t seem to mind the flock of people.

By the time Jenny Lewis comes on stage, I’m done with the people that want a picture with me. Towards the end of her set, new people start to take notice of my presence. No one approaches me, but I can see the way I’m being monitored. Some people record me for their snapchat stories or take quick pictures. Eventually, a group of friends walk up to me to tell that they love my videos and that they’re looking forward to my movie. I’m quick to thank them, hoping to become unnoticeable the second the reason we’re all here takes the stage.

When the introduction video begins, I am glad to be forgotten. Golden is so amazing live I almost lose it. Blythe feels the same way, she grabs my hand as Harry begins another song. I’m so lost in the music, the stares and not-so-subtly angled cameras seem to disappear into the background.

Until Harry pauses between songs to introduce himself. A teenage boy gasps, steps towards me, and asks me about TImothee Chalamet. I keep my reply brief but polite, but I’m cut off by a middle aged woman telling me her daughter has always been a fan of my videos and is so happy to see my success and that she’d love a picture. How could I say no to that? The girl hugs me so tightly I can’t breathe, and the mom snaps a photo. At that, a group of girls the same age as me start talking to me about how much they love the original Coraline. A few more people become more blatant about their ‘secret’ pictures and more people approach me with commentary. It gets to the point where I’m struggling to be able to pay attention to Harry Styles.

“Hey!” The loudest voice of the night. Everyone pauses, their eyes snapping to the stage. “This is my show, eyes on me...not on her.” The audience laughs, a nervous giggle escapes me as the screen that projects the concert shifts to project me to the audience. Harry steps forward, approaching me. “What’s your name?”

Blythe has to nudge me in order for me tor register the fact that he’s speaking to me. Oh my god, I’m talking to Harry Styles. “Y/n.”

“Well, everyone, this is y/n.” He steps even further towards the side of the stage that I’m on. “She’s cute, right?” Did he just call me cute in front of an entire arena of people? “Okay--now you’ve seen her and you can all focus on me, because, y/n, you’re hurting the narcissist in me.”

Everyone laughs, including me. Is being called out by him right now even more surreal than how many people have recognized me here? Yes--but at least he doesn’t actually seem mad. I feel comfortable enough to call out a genuine, “Sorry!”

He steps forward, moving around a chord. “At least she’s sorry for doing whatever it is she did to get all the attention off of me.” Harry’s still joking, that much is clear from his slight laugh. “Which was--how’d you do that?”

I press my lips together, unsure of what to say. I’m a celebrity now, but because I’ve only been one for two minutes, people are really excited about it. Yeah, that won’t work. “She’s going to be in a movie!”

I could kill Blythe.

“A movie! How exciting.” My face has never bene this hot in my entire life. “What’s it’s name?”

A tiny part of me doesn’t want to reply. It’s not like I can ignore him, but something about me always feels awkward about telling people about acting jobs. I don’t need anyone thinking I’m self obsessed. “Coraline!”

He pauses, expression twisting in partial confusion. “Isn’t that the claymation one?”

I nod exuberantly to make up for my mask and our distance. “They’re making a live action one.”

Harry makes a show of playfully grimacing. “That’s the scary one, right?” He doesn’t wait for me to react. “Accidentally showed it to a little girl once, her daddy almost had my head.” The audience laughs. I join in, still feeling insanely awkward and like I’m in some parallel universe. He pauses, something behind his gaze shifting...perhaps the disappearance of his humor. “You don’t seem scary, though.” The words are said softer than anything I’ve heard all night, the gentleness of them making me wonder if those words were meant for the entire stadium or just me. Harry begins to pace away, “Right!” He exclaims, letting the strange (and one-sided) tension disappear. “Stop stealing my show or I’ll show up to your premiere and steal that.”

The audience laughs. I’m frozen until Blythe touches my arm. That pulls me back into this realm of reality...and that’s how I become aware of the fact that what just happened wasn’t in my head. I turn to Blythe, too aware of the people around me to react the way I really want to.

The moment we’re alone we’re doing that weird, girly, jumpy-squealing thing. “Told you, you were famous. Harry Styles knows you!”

“Does not! He saw a bunch of people taking pictures with me, that’s all.”

Blythe rolls her eyes, moving to grab my hand so that she can excitedly jump around to the next song. I force the odd interaction out of my mind as the intro to Canyon Moon begins. At least after Harry’s warning, people think twice about invading my space. Until he temporarily disappears, a few girls take their chances, the bolder ones calling my name so that I’ll look at their cameras. I know that more attention than ever is on me, and that Fiona will definitely be asking why I didn’t run such a public outing by her. But that’s tomorrow morning’s problem. Okay--probably later tonight’s problem.

By the time Kiwi begins, the last song of the night, I’ve basically shaken myself free of all my weird feelings. Things are good. Harry wasn’t mad...and he talked to me, which is something I never thought would happen. And yes, I’d rather not have had people taking pictures of and with me throughout the entire concert, but they’re being nice to me. No one has expressed any negative opinions, and I really didn’t see that coming.

I haven’t always been the most comfortable in my body. Everyone thought it’d pass with the teenage years, but here I am...almost twenty-one and still overly aware of how my body compares to beauty standards. So aware that I’m not always as good to my body as I should be.

At least things are good right now. Really good. Because Kiwi is an absolute banger, and even though I know I’m not as anonymous as I’d like to be, I can’t help but give that song my all. Blythe and I did come here with the intention of losing our voices, after all.

Harry says his goodbyes, blowing kisses to the audience. The moment he disappears, leaving the fans on a high, I find myself feeling like I’m in a pool of piranhas. Most of the people around me already got their pictures, but after the attention Harry brought onto me, I can already see people further in the pit preparing to cue around me. If they didn’t know I was going to be in the live action Coraline before, they do now...

Blythe latches onto my hand, as both a way to hold onto me and a way to say we’re in for a long night. A tap of my shoulder is all it takes for me to turn. I put on the smile I’ve been using more and more lately, prepared to greet the person that’s prepared to start what could be chaos.

I expect to see some kind of teenager: a girl a few years younger than me, more curious about asking me about Timothee Chalamet than anything else. That’s not what I get...

The man who just tapped me on the shoulder introduces himself, “Hello, I’m Jeff, I work for Harry, and if you’d like to go back stage to avoid the attention he accidentally put on you, I can take you.” My eyes fall to the VIP passes in his hand. “Your friend can come, too.”

Backstage escort at the Harry Styles concert? The meek part of me wants to say no. He did call me out for taking some of the attention from him at his show...but he was joking, right? Besides, my life isn’t random backstage opportunities. My life also isn’t almost getting mobbed in the pit of a concert.

“That sounds great, we really appreciate it.” Blythe answers before I can form a response.

I’ll scold her for that later. “Yes, I’d really appreciate it. Only if it’s not any trouble, though, I didn’t mean to cause any commotion--”

“No trouble at all,” he says, handing me the passes, “and you didn’t cause any commotion--it’s good for him, to realize he’s not the only star in the world.”

The implication of me being a star...let alone a star in the same universe as Harry Styles, is enough to force me to be silent. Jeff leads Blythe and I pass what remains of the crowd. A tiny part of me feels like I can breathe better when we disappear behind a door that promises the anonymity I’m more accustomed to. I’ve always loved acting, and this is the kind of success I’ve always dreamed of...but it happened so suddenly. No one was prepared for that, and it feels like I keep doing the wrong thing. Fiona keeps saying that things will be easier when I finally have a manager, but there’s no guarantee I’m good at this.

We’re led to a comfortably set up backroom. People I don’t know mill about, Jeff is called over by someone almost immediately. He politely excuses himself and leaves Blythe and I.

“This is the most excited I’ve ever been about anything,” Blythe almost squeals.

I smile. “I know, but act calm, please--I don’t need another zoom incident.”

“I only wanted to say hi to Timothee--”

“Which would have been fine if you hadn’t tried to take my spot in front of my laptop while we were trying to read through some scenes.”

She half sighs, knowing that I’m right. “That was an ambush--I had gotten back from class and I had no warning. And it was online, you can play anything off over zoom. It’s not like I’m going to shove you out of the way right now.”

“What does ‘right now’ have to do with anything?”

Her eyes widen slightly, “Don’t freak, but Harry Styles is walking over here...’right now’.”

I turn my head, prepared to tell her that her joke’s so funny, but the words die in my throat the second my gaze has settled on the person crossing the room. Harry Styles is walking towards me.

“Hi.”

“Hey.” Really? ‘Hey’?

After a moment. of silence, he continues, “I’m Harry.”

“Y/n.”

He nods once politely, “Y/n, I need to apologize about the amount of attention I drew to you. I didn’t realize who you were...and then--”

“You’re fine, you had no way of knowing and it’s not like I got mobbed or anything. I really do appreciate you getting me backstage before people could notice me, though.” He nods once politely. “The show was amazing.”

He takes the praise well, smiling slightly. “Appreciate it, though it was almost stolen.”

The teasing coaxes a genuine smile from me. “Key word is ‘almost’, you beat me.” Harry lets out a slight laugh. “In all seriousness, though, I am sorry about any--”

“Oh, don’t apologize to the narcissist in me,” he waves my words off, “it’s good for him to be on his toes.”

“I imagine that’s rare.” The comment earns me another partial laugh.

“Not an unfair assumption.”

He holds my gaze after that, maybe for a little too long. I drop my eyes after a minute, my gaze landing on Blythe’s feet. She’s been uncharacteristically quiet. “Oh, this is Blythe, my best friend.”

Harry smiles, greeting her. This is the most awkward I’ve ever seen Blythe, a part of me finds it funny. Her nerves usually make her more outgoing, but she’s truly starstruck, struggling to manage bare minimum politeness. Harry probably thinks she’s just shy, which is the funniest development ever.

“The show was great,” Blythe says, “And it was really nice to meet you.”

“You as well.” Harry’s attention returns to me. “I also enjoyed meeting you, y/n.”

“Me too.”

I expect that to end our interaction. He will disappear to talk to more important people, and I will be free to go home and freak out over everything that’s happened to night. “I’ll see you at the movies, I guess. You must be a great actress to get cast in something so scary.”

I laugh freely. “Coraline’s not a horror movie.” Though the version I’m in is meant to be even darker than the original.

“I won’t feel that way in theaters, might need someone to hold my hand.” The humor behind his eyes evaporates the same way it seemed to on stage.

“I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

The up-tilt of his lips almost drops. “If not, you can always talk me through the jump scares.”

My face feels warm again. Just polite banter. “I promise I’ll warn you about anything you want to know about.”

He grins. “I’ll hold you to it.” I smile, waiting for him to excuse himself. He’s talked to me way longer than he needs to, and there’s no way that he’s not in demand. “I’ve got to talk to some people, but if you’re staying I could come find you in a few minutes.”

He wants to talk to me more? He wants to talk to me more! I’m hallucinating, and I’m about to have to ruin everything. “I’d love to, but my ride has an 8AM tomorrow.”

I gesture towards Blythe, who might kill me for putting her sleep schedule over talking to Harry Styles.

“If your friend doesn’t mind me stealing you, I can make sure you get back.”

The offer floats there for a long moment. “I don’t mind at all.”

Great--now I have no excuse to not think about what I want. I don’t want to impose, but it’s not like he had to invite me to stay out of politeness, right? And it’s not like I’ll make Fiona more angry. “As long as it’s no imposition.”

“Not at all.”

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