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omgrenhasfriends · 1 year

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i'm imagining all these yandere friends living in the same house which got me wondering.. what would their rooms look like? and does their MC live with them too

Ezra: The ever so edgy brat has an all black bedroom. His bed has a full canopy with black-out curtains and like 70 pillows. He has a drafting table and a huge bookshelf full of partially made miniatures for Eliana. Very tidy! Ezra would adore it if Sugar lived with them <3

Krow: Art. Art everywhere. It'd look more like a studio than a proper bedroom. Easels, paintings, tables with all kinds of art supplies, some work in progress sculpture being done. It may come as a surprise but he keeps it pretty tidy and organized. He would decorate it with whatever Dove decides to give him, his bed is pretty modest. But if Dove and him are in a relationship he would see to upgrade to a queen at least. :3

Ren: Constantly has the lights off and the AC going in his room, but it's purely for cooling down his laptop, 4 monitors, PC console and twin computer servers. And despite the amount of tech everywhere, his cable management is impeccable. Ren has a few horror/slasher movie posters on his wall, along with a large bed covered with a few 'Attack on Giant' plushies. If Angel wanted to live with him instead, he'd be more than willing take it all down and let them choose what decorations they'd like! ^^;

River lots of band posters and vinyl covers on the wall, random drumsticks laying about, and a bunch of workout equipment stored in a corner. River might be the messiest out of the bunch, but that's only because he forgets to make his bed every morning and bring out his empty sports drinks. he'd pass away on the spot if Bunny wanted to live with him, but he'd definitely rearrange his entire room so that it's more convenient for them and their preferences.

Eddie: A minimalistic room where the color theme is dark and basic, and everything is extremely spotless. Neat and ironed black bedsheets with grey and white fluffed pillows, dark wood and marble furnitures polished. The only personality this room has is pictures of his family on the wall and tables. It’s also extremely cold. MC would have to be in a relationship with him to move in with him and he wouldn’t mind letting them bring some stuff to personalize the room but only a corner until they can prove they’ll help clean their area.

Diva: Never has her actual light on so her room is always lit with led lights and neon signs. A huge magenta pink star shaped bed in the middle with pink ad black animal print sheets and star pillows to match (decorated with a ton of Sanrio and aquatic animal plushies)She has a gaming setup with 3 monitors and a classic pink gaming chair with the expensive gaming keyboard and mouse. Her room is usually a little messy with clothes strewn around the room and posters/photos around the walls. Diva would be ecstatic if MC wanted to live with her! But uh,,, there’s not much space for them to decorate ^^

Fone: probably something very cutesy, lots of animal plushies and fairy lights in his room so he always have his lights off. his bed is in the corner cause he's afraid of ghost and the room is big enough so that mallow has enough space for himself in the corner along with his electric guitar. he has a small table next to him that is brimmed with snacks and drinks and a shelf on top of said table filled with felt dolls he had made of his friends. it should gives you a comfy vibe... if it weren't for the 24/7 ac and mountain and mountain of unwashed clothes at the end corner of his bed smh

Illow: while they know ren can afford the ridiculous high amount of rent, they're still a very power-saving kind of person so based on the lights on their room alone you should know what they're doing. they're more goth-like with their true selves so their room is very dark, not all black like ezra but a more aesthetic pastel-muted type (think of asexual flag colors), they even have a giant kuromi plush right besides their bed. Have a few posters up on their wall, they're more for aesthetic purposes so if you asked them which potter house they belong to they won't know what you're talking about, they also have a lot of game consoles lying around, all of which are new models cause they're a collector.

Theo: His room looks… normal, pretty much. Other than, of course, his closet filled with pictures of his love… his decorations consist of movie and band posters and framed pictures of him and his friends. If his love lived with him… well, that’d be a dream come true, wouldn’t it? He’d constantly try and keep his room clean, just in case his love decided to poke their head in.

#💔 - Restart Heart #🔪 - About Ezra #🐁 - About Fone #🧸 - About Illow #14 Days With You #Ren #unsent memories #River #The Krow's Nest #Krow #Bared Teeth #character: theo #Honey Hotline #Your Comfort Pillow #Hot Killer Babes #Eddie #Diva #Queue

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seiunzzz · 5 months

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XDINARY HEROES AS AESTHETICS.

🌐 seya : before we dive into an amazing world of web-aesthetics, there are few things that i’d like to point out. first of all, i chose aesthetic for each member based solely on my associations with their vibe. meaning: i associate the vibe of aesthetic with them, rather than the history behind it. secondly, some of the information was gathered from such sites as:

https://cari.institute/aesthetics.

https://www.are.na.

https://eyeondesign.aiga.org.

now that we got that out of the way — enjoy!

𝐠𝐨𝐨 𝐠𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐥 : 𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐒𝐂𝐇

“baby boomer & silent generation revival of various 1940s-1950s cultural iconography, design, and kitsch associated with diner, drive-in's and malt shop culture. jukeboxes, poodle skirts, 1950s advertising kitsch, neon, chromed-out automobiles, metallic paneling, 'american graffiti'-style fonts.” — ©️ cari institute.

diner kitsch – aesthetic familiar to everyone, yet not that many people know it’s actual name (or that it is, in fact, an aesthetic!). checkered floors and walls, milkshakes, burgers, neon signs and, of course, waitresses on roller skates — these things define diner kitsch. originating from 1950s, when diners were seen as a place, where you could enjoy a hearty comfort food and have a good time with your family or friends it was finally revived in our years through media that depicts mainly high schoolers or travelers of any sorts, going out for a dinner.

🌐 seya : i chose diner kitsch for gunil because he is literally the embodiment of a nerdy boy who would definetely hang out with his group of friends in a place like that. doing homework, reading comics, getting cookies on the house because of how often they visit a diner… 🥤🍔 yum!

𝐤𝐢𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐮 : 𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐍 𝐍𝐎𝐈𝐑

“the term neon-noir is a film genre, but it can also represent an aesthetic. this aesthetic includes a brooding, mysterious, cyberpunk, and dangerous atmosphere. the neon-noir aesthetic can be related somewhat to the sibling-genre neo-noir (without the “n”), including avant-garde fashion, femme fatale style, dark clothing, technology, and neon lights.” — ©️ wendy zhou (from her blog wendyzhou.se)

neon-noir (also known as future-, cyber-, tech-noir) was born in the film industry around 1980s, when sci-fi was blooming yet again. not so popular in web, it is still quite known in gamer community, thanks to such games like “cyberpunk 2077”, “anno mutationem”, “blade runner” etc. this aesthetic is mixing old-school noir with futuristic elements, giving it a whole new look. neon signs, robots, androids, futuristic technology are going hand in hand with good old detective genre, accented shadows, rain and fog.

🌐 seya : i find this aesthetic to be the most suiting to jungsu. i can imagine him in this type of setting so well and i’d actually like to read or even write something, where he is portrayed as a detective in a mysterious and futuristic setting!

𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐤 𝐣𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐨𝐤 : 𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐗

“rule-bending, medium-blending "instagram grunge". full of horror vacui, chrome type, oddball textures and self-referentialism.” — ©️ cari institute.

originated in the 1990s and revived in 2010s, acidgrafix (also known as: acid graphics and acid design) aesthetic is mainly seen nowadays on the covers of music albums. bright colors (usually red, orange and neon green, neon yellow, neon purple), wireframes, distorted images, liquid metal forms – all of these are key elements of acidgrafix. the term acid, as you might’ve already guessed, came from the acid house and rave culture. it first appeared on flyers, used to promote and to invite people to raves. smiley faces (of course, resembling nothing else but the actual drug), op-art-esque patterns, sci-fi futurism – all of these were such an eye candy for party-goers, that soon enough this style overtook the music industry. after being long forgotten in the 00s, acidgrafix finally found it’s new home in instagram, where musicians would design their insta-stories and albums with all of the key details of this aesthetic.

🌐 seya : aaand this is the part that i was worried about the most. this aesthetic took it’s origins not from the best culture, but i still find it’s style being quite suiting for gaon. it’s bright, innovative and bold – just like he is!

𝐨𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐢𝐧 : 𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐊

"the millennial and gen-z iteration of edgy grunge aesthetics, associated closely with "pop punk" and the store hot topic." — ©️ cari institute.

*puts a cd in the drive, "girlfriend" by avril lavigne starts playing* now that we're in the mood, let us find out what the hell is a teen punk. the dirty, the angry, the free and THE wild – this aesthetic conveys the whole essence of the rebellious period that every teenager eventually goes through. you can usually see this movement being expressed through clothes, style, make up and, most importantly, music, rather then the way you could draw something or edit a photo. mainly seem in early 00s, teen punk found it's new home in hearts of people through nostalgia that overtook us all as soon as pandemic started. this aesthetic combines different colors like foggy green and blue, obviously black, red and pink (yes, the tricolor of emo aesthetic is very important here). essential details of teen punk are denim jackets, torn jeans, big ass t-shirts with logos of musical groups, fishnets and those humongous military boots that everyone used to wear. the pioneers of this movement are mainly musical artists, like the infamous avril lavigne, all-time favorites my chemical romance, green day, paramore etc.

🌐 seya : now i need you to look me dead in the eyes and say that THIS isn't his aesthetic. bro literally dresses as if hot topic was more grunge and still managed to survive.

𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐮𝐧 : 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐓𝐈 𝐏𝐎𝐏

"first wave of corporate appropriation of graffiti culture. typically includes urban streetscapes & iconography contemporary to the time period (eg. trash cans, brick walls, chain link fencing, street lamps, sidewalks, industrial elements, general 'urban decay'). it's also associated with that eras' portrayal of street, hip hop, & punk culture." — ©️ cari institute.

disclaimer: this part is mostly retelling of an article from this site: https://www.grafftergallery.com/2023/08/graffiti-pop-art-vivid-intersection-of.html | i really don't think that i would be able to express myself better than they already did, so let me give the credit to the rightful authors!

this aesthetic is a firm proof of the dynamic between street culture and the world of art that was born in early 80s and was especially popular till the 00s. bright colors, bold splashes of different patterns, provocative slogans, popular singers, models, tv personalities – it screams fight for the freedom of self expression. this movement is first and foremost was heavily affected by socio-political issues, causing street artists to voice their concerns through art. graffiti itself is a rebellious act (you're literally damaging private property) and when you mix this with media icons and pop culture that was thriving, you're guaranteed to have all the attention that you need.

🌐 seya : i feel like this aesthetic really suits jun han because in my eyes he is one of the most brave idols in terms of expressing himself through his style and art.

𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐧 : 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐌

"let's take a look at what is included in such aesthetics as retro-surrealism (also known as airbrush surrealism and included in the subgenres of retro-futurism), shall we?"

retro is an imitation or conscious derivative of a lifestyle, trend, or art form from history, included in music, fashion, or looks. the retro art movement always invariably revives and in one way or another refers to everything that happened in the past. surrealism is an art direction that always strives to revolutionize human experience. it balances a rational vision of life with one that asserts the power of the unconscious and dreams. combining these two trends of media art, we get abstract paintings made in the style of sci-fi comics from the 70s-90s. very often they feature elements such as musical instruments, outer space and electronic objects such as telephones, radios, televisions, etc. usually such paintings are airbrushed, which gives them a slightly hazy, matte effect, typical for surrealism (promotes immersion into the unconscious me thinks!).

🌐 seya : i love, love, LOVE this one so much, i just had to give it to my favorite boy jooyeon! i feel like this one suits jooyeon just because he looks like that one dude obsessed with weird ass comic books, always going around with his old mp3 player and vibing to daft punk bangers. sorry not sorry, no one is getting this image out of my head.

#xdinary heroes #goo gunil #kim jungsu #kwak jiseok #oh seungmin #han hyeongjun #lee jooyeon #jun han #o.de #xh #🌐 : seya talks.

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iceprincessviviane · 11 months

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Chapter 2 - The arrival.

Heritage series.

Paring: poly!BTS (demons) x Female!Shy!Skinny!Chosen!reader

Type: dark romance, horror au, soulmate au, poly relationship, slowburn, yandere.

Warnings: Horror themes, some religion themes (mostly demonic), gore, blood, manipulation, witchcraft, magic themes, death (side characters), mentionings of forced marriage, mentioning about past, loss, yandere, obsessive, possessive, swearing, low self-esteem,dealing with grief, sugestive content and silly jokes created by me. (If there is more to add let me know.)

Previous chapter. Next chapter.

Summary: Arriving in new, unknown place can be scary or anxious. Thanks God that welcoming is suprisingly warm and nice.

Author's note: please note that the whole place even if idea was based on Canadian town, is pure imagination. Also it's fiction so the same goes for all court and some procedures. Again if you are struggling to imagine a mansion, please search for Croft Manor from Tomb Raider games - Legend and Underworld mostly. A lot of its changed (we don't need this big pool and training area) but still I will try to describe and elaborate everything. English isn't my first language so sorry for any mistakes. Taglist will be in the end of chapter.

MINORS DNI

In the less than week Y/N was ready for a trip. Whole thing was discussed in details with officials. She'll arrive around 11 a.m local time and will be picked up by someone, then they'll drive to Grand Hillsam, this can be long drive around two or three hours. She searched the information about the town - it's not big, around 10.000 people is living there between mountains and forest, lake was nearby. In the area there are couple of really old wood cabins which were hunting/vacation houses for rich people from big city around one hour before - Welland where population was way more bigger, around 150.000 people and it had big car fabric and some high tech instances. Grand Hillsam was first a small village, but the rich people didn't want to live among common people or wanted to be closer to the nature so they started to build houses and mansions there. Y/N looked at the photos, yes the view was stunning, but leaving deep in the forest? Now it was easier with phones and Internet but then? Her distant family had to be crazy.

Her research told that indeed aunt Elizabeth, like she liked to say about late, last family member was part of old lineage, which was very powerful in that area their good luck ended unexpected around three hundred years ago and then they didn't come back to their greatness and before the IIWW family left the city. By the information given by the court, her aunt was living in London since the beginning and till the end of her days.

Y/N closed her notebook with little sigh, the plane was just about to land, so she put everything down, waiting for the end of a fly. Everything later went smooth, passengers were transported into airport from deck, than all the controls and taking bags. Someone was meant to wait for her, but honestly how they'll find each other. When she left the depart rooms, a lot of people were leaving with her and small crowd formed. There were persons holding signs with names and Y/N found herself looking at them in search of her's. Almost in the end of a crowd she found it, a tall man with black hair tie into manbun, leather black jacket and black jeans. A simple paper with Y/N written in the middle. He smiled, when she stopped and approached him carefuly.

"You have to be Y/N." He smiled and they shook hands gently.

"Yes it's me, nice to meet you." She smiled a little flustered.

"Welcome, I'm Jeon Jungkook."

"Y/N L/N."

He was tall and well built, but had cute face with sweet bunny smile. He screamed handsome and she felt little uncomfortable when a warm feeling spread in her chest, then on her cheeks.

"Let's go, the trip will take a little." He said and reached for her bags." And let me take those."

"Thank you."

Looking closer Y/N noticed the pierced lip and tattoos peaking out of sleeves. He walked confidently and her things didn't seem to be heavy for him.

"How was the flight?" Jungkook asked when they were leaving the airport and went into parking.

"Peaceful. I slept a little and read some documents send to me." She responded honestly.

"Actually my condolences." He smiled bitterly.

"Thank you, but I didn't know aunt Lizzie." Y/N shrugged a little.

The officials informed her that person which is going to pick her up will know why she is there to avoid any mistakes or being lost in foreign country. It was a good point. They reached a big, black pick up and he put her lungage in the back then opened door like a real gentelman. She thanked in small nod. Inside car strangely was smell of chocolate, when Jungkook got inside, he adjusted her seat and helped with belt.

"If you wish to sleep again it's okay." He showed his bunny smile. "But later road can get rough. I don't also mind a comfortable silence."

"We'll see." Y/N smiled plesantly shying away from his gaze.

Jungkook nodded and turned on engine which came back to life with a loud roar. He was driving smoothly and confidently, Y/N found herself glancing on hid hands and arm from time to time, but the view was getting prettier. When they left the airport town they drove into mixed forest.

"Sometimes during evenings or night it can be colder, especially with thick clouds and rain."

"Is it common here?"

"Well it can happen two or three days in a row. Sometimes there is a big storm and none is actually going outside, we had it last year."

"Thanks God I packed variety of clothes." Y/N giggled a little. "View is stunning."

"Wait till we reach the hills or mansion." He smiled cutely.

"You know where it is?"

"Yea... it's kinda hard to miss it, even that far and in that small town. I sometimes go for trips into wild and mansion is a little away from the main town. It's on the hill."

The drive went peacefuly, sometimes Y/N was asking questions about the town. It turned out Jungkook is local traveller and has known this place since birth. He's enjoyed all trips into forest and mountains.

"Would you like to stop by to eat something?" He asked glancing at her .

"Yes, it would be nice."

"We'll stop in Welland outskirts, I want to avoid car traffics and I know a good place here."

"Very well then."

As he promised they've stopped in bar which was near the road. Y/N ordered nuggies and some fries when Jungkook took whole ass two sets - burger with fries and chicken leg with fries. Well he was a big, built man probably he needed that much food. After eating he drove through back roads in Welland, as he said earlier to avoid car traffics. When they left town for good, she again started to admire the view. Road suddenly went up and seemed w bit challenging, but he was a skilled driver.

"Are there any wild animals?" She asked looking at thick, mixed forest.

"Shit I should warn you. Yea there are wolfes and bears along with deers and mooses. But don't worry I didn't see them that close to town. Your mansion is on the hill and surrounded by high wall with a gate. Nothing should come inside. If you would want to go deeper in the forest which is around manison - because actually it's the farest point in town, you can meet maybe something. Especially if you will go down to the lake." He said with a little frown.

"The town and area around must be very beautiful." Y/N said and smilled a little.

"It is." Jungkook replied glancing at her for a second.

Unwanted blush crept on her cheeks, so she turned head to again look at the forest. The drive was filled usually with silence, sometimes she was asking some casual questions, but didn't want to distract him, when road seemed a little difficult. Y/N played a little with a necklace, well the reason of the trip wasn't very plesant but she enjoyed it anyway. She didn't noticed how Jungkook's eyes traced the necklace and it's chain. He bit his lip and tried to focus on a road again.

Around the 4 p.m the have arrived in town, which was indeed was smaller and placed deep in the forest and mountains. It was stunning and Y/N could spent there a lot of time if circumstanced were different. He stopped on central square, which was surrounded with some shops, restaurants, big supermarket and town hall, in front of which Jungkook stopped.

"I believe mayor will have all the info you need. I'll wait here." He said putting on sunglasses, because the sun started to be a problem.

"Thank you." She flashed him beaming smile and got out of the car.

In her backpack were all the files she needed so, she entered the building. In reception she got to know, that mayor will be aviable in five minutes or so. She felt little anxious of her case, but after all assistant asked her to come in. Inside the room, behind the desk was older man maybe around his sixties, he got up and shook her hand firmly.

"Good morning miss L/N, how was the flight and drive? Mr Jeon didn't bother you too much?"

"No, he was very nice and helpful."

They both sat down and she took out the docs and her ID. He checked everything once again then lean on chair.

"So... the case is kinda important and complicated." Man sighed. "According to law, you'll inherit the mansion, but there is a lof of buts."

"Actually I didn't know that I had distant family." She sighed unsure.

"Mrs Elizabeth Balfour didn't know too. She only got to know, when she was working on her last will. Around year ago she got diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, she wanted to clear things before passing away. She meant to make an mansion a museum, actually she gave away most her things with historical records, rest went for charity." He said looking at his files.

"So why I have been called to court if she wanted mansion to become museum?"

"Well... it's about the general Balfour lineage will. Mansion is always passed to last family member, that will is above Mrs Elizabeth's will. It's going to become a museum only if it's proven that last family memebr can't afford to take care of mansion." He explained slowly.

"Well, it's kinda obvious. I don't know how rich the aunt was, but by the search and files I can tell that she was richer than me." Y/N smiled nervously.

"Yea, I understand that." Mayor nodded.

"So... now I need to give up on mansion officialy? It'll become museum and it's all?"

"I wish it would be that easy." He giggled. "Now the mansion need to be inspect and everything inside need to be write down and cataloged, unfortunately you have to be present during the whole process."

"Oh..." Y/N's eyes widened at the news.

"Don't worry, actualy Mrs Balfour cared about the mansion, it had general redo three years ago, the sweres, electricity and heating system was modernised. Also we have Internet here and good signal finally. The rooms aren't damaged or something. Mrs ordered to clear one of master bedrooms, when she decided to make it museum, so you can stay in the mansion not in motel." Mayor stated with encouraging smile.

"Sir are you sure? I won't destroy anything?"

"Well, it'll be difficult with those old, wooden furnitures. And you don't seem like some clumsy person." He joked a little.

"Well, I'm sometimes clumsy, but actually I love history and old staff like those." She admitted little nervously.

"Oh perfect, maybe staying in the mansion wouldn't be that bad? Actually I know it's kinda troubling, you are probably working but I can arrange some official files to prevent you being fired."

"It's all right I have already talked with my boss, I can do homeoffice. If Internet is good here, I can work."

"That's nice to hear actually. I hope we will make it work..." he sighed. "Another issue is that we need a specialist, which goverment must find and send here, only he or she can start cataloged things in the mansion."

"So now we have tied up hands?" Y/N asked with sigh.

"A little. We have old list of historical heritage, but the specialist need to describe their state and what it exactly is. We as common folks can only point that 'this' thing is in the mansion."

"How much is there?"

"A lot." Mayor frowned. "The list include all books, statues, paints, furnitures etc."

"Books?"

"Yes, there is a huge librrary."

"Oh my." Y/N huffed. "It looks like tough work, but I think, I can help."

"Thank you Miss L/N. I'll tell higher ups tomorrow about everything and I'll send you the list too. You need time to rest and accomodate yourself in the mansion."

"Thank you Sir." She smiled a little.

They both stood up and he lead her to exit, outside Jungkook was waiting in the hall, sitting in armchair. Mayor smiled at him.

"Can you take miss L/N to the mansion young man?"

"Yes, that's why I'm waiting." He also stood up.

"Great." Older man took off a two sets of keys from his pocket. There were more than fourty keys in total. "Those with red ribbon are keys for garden and cellars, blue is everything in mansion. A black key decorated with a rose is a main garden, silver key decorated with a crescent moon is the key for mansion and a golden key decorated with sunrays is for main gate."

Y/N took them looking at sets with little surprise, she touched the necklace. "What a coincidence..." she muttered.

"Let's go." Jungkook encouraged.

She nodded and they went outside, then into a car. He drove to the north, soon the view has been covered by trees once again. Road was still going up, after around fifteen minutes the mansion emerged from the corner, really the wall around was maybe six or eight meters high. There was some space in front of the gate but behind was a proper parking. They stopped and Y/N took the golden key and opened the gate slowly with Jungkook's help. It creaked just like in the movies, once they entered inside, green but a little neglect grass welcomed them. Right under the wall were parking places, on left side the stone road was leading to a mysterious garden with high hedge on right side was a nice space with big, spacious tree and old swing. The middle stone road was leading to mansion and probably once in time was decorated with flowers. A lonely nightingale was sitting on a tree, whole scenery was stunning, just like from an old tale.

"It's beautiful." Y/N whispered with shining eyes.

"Let me take the suitcase." Jungkook ofered with bunny smile and he went for that.

Mansion was big, probably had two floors except ground level and it went all the way back. The windows seemed to have all glass untouched and actually it didn't look as neglected as she thought it'll be. Jungkook came back with her bags. Actually she found it amusing how he was looking like total bad boy, but seemed to soft inside. The smile which mayor gave him in the office was genuine and he had to help in town a lot.

"Thank you." She said sincerely.

"Come on I'm lifting way more heavy things."

She lead the way inside and with silver key opened the mansion doors. Strangely the lock was very heavy to flip. Inside greeted them smell of old things and a lot of dust.

"I'll come if you want and oil all the locks in the mansion." He offered putting down the suitcases.

"If it won't be a problem. This on main door was a little challenge. I don't want to break the key."

"Do you have that much of strength little one?" Jungkook teased.

Y/N bit the lip and looked away. Currently they were in a little vestibule, on left were solid, heavy doors probably leading to cellars or working areas, on right decorated, wooden doors. In front of, separated by old, classic columns was a very big space, reaching the high of the main roof with fire place, coffee table and two couches. Some painting was above the fire. In the wall in front of them were two door on right and left side. In the middle on left wall were stairs, parting on left and right and those lead to first floor, which was also separated by railings and agains columns, but it had only four doors on both sides and next stairs leading to the second floor. So there was in count eight rooms on left on both floors and eight rooms on right. Through big window there was view on the garden, the closed part.

"That's a big space." Y/N turned around and looked at first floor.

"Yes I agree... that's bigger that I"ve ever imagined." Jungkook also looked around.

"One of the bedrooms should be usable." She went carefuly up by the stairs, which sometimes were creaking too.

Y/N opened the first door, he followed her but the bags were left down below. It come out that it was a nice little office with huge desk, big bookshelves and couch with coffee table, everything in old style and wooden pretty furnitures.

"Well it looks like place to work." Jungkook summed up.

"Yeah, I might end up using this."

They enetered the next room which came out as cleaned master bedroom. It also was giving the old mood. There was another desk, couch with coffee table, on left smaller room serving as old wardrobe, kingsize bed on little platform with canopy, on the right entrance to spacious bathroom, which was remade for sure not long ago.

"All right we found it." Jungkook smiled widely.

Y/N nodded looking around, she really liked how the mansion looked, the old vibe, a little mystery that it was kinda hidding.

"Well the rest of the mansion probably needs big vaccuming... I also need to figure out if everything is working and where are certain rooms." She said with little sigh." Not gonna lie, I am excited a little."

"Do you need any more help?" He asked honestly.

"Oh no, no please I took too much of your time."

"Well, for now I don't have too much to do, I might just help." Jungkook offered scratching his nape.

"I think, this oil will be fine." Y/N giggled nervously.

"Let me take the suitcases."

When he left the room, she looked closer at furnitures, well it could use some clearing. There was still some dust and wiping. He came back fast.

"Can I get your number if something would happen?" He asked a little awkwardly. "Also we don't usualy have a guests here, so I might be helpful with navigate through the city."

"It's good idea." They exchanged the numbers. "Also maybe you'll know then if I can rent a car?"

"Oh yes, I think I know someone who can rent a car."

"It'll be a difficulty to go to the town by feet..."

"Good, I'll talk to them, we'll see maybe tomorrow it'll be done." Jungkook nodded in excitment.

Y/N smiled at his energy and cute behaviour. He really was a good boy with bad boy looks for now.

"Won't you be scared to stay here alone?" He asked concerned.

"Now when you asked I might be." She looked around nervously. "I can lock the door here and when we saw the dust I can assume none was there in long time."

"Yea, I mean who would climb up the wall?"

"Yeah..." Y/N giggled nervously.

"See you tomorrow and remember to check the door and gate later." Jungkoom said and high fived her.

She walked him to the doors, he left waving to her. When door closed, silence started to ring in her ears. She decided to open all doors in sight and it came out that those on first level near the entrance - solid ones were leading to small storage probably once for servants and further to cellar. Decorated were leading into old fancy dining room with long table, big window and chandlier, also there was door to the kitchen, which was also modernised and working, after turning on fridge it started to get colder. Opposite doors in main hall were leading to big library - on left and ballroom on right. She decided to explore it later. It came out the rest of the rooms are bedrooms except the first one of the each floor - those were offices. Y/N came back to her room and started to unpack, the called her friends and boss. Signal was strong and net was working pretty fast.

When she ended the things in the room, her stomach get itself known and the night has fallen upon the city. The mansion was plesantly silent, it seemed like she got used to it pretty fast. Luckily Y/N packed some sandwiches and decided to eat them as supper, but deffinitely she was going to go on shopping tomorrow. She grabbed the small fleshlight in case and went to close the gate, in the main hall she kept smaller lighting on wall, but didn't use fake big chandlier on the roof and some fancy lightning on railings. The whole mansion didn't need to be lit up for now, so in some corners were dark spots and shadows. Y/N didn't seem to noticed when sometimes they would fade out when she was closer and darkened when she was far away. For sure she didn't noticed some shadows shifting. The gate closed with the same creak, she checked also all rooms, but they were closed and came back to master bedroom and started her night routine. Sleeping in such big building will be strange for sure and probably will include some small lamp being turned on the whole time, but nobody was going to know. When she entered the shower the shadow shifted outside the mansion, Jimin jumped out straight from it and landed quietly on stone path. He turned back looking at buliding, smirked and jumped again, turning into nightingale, then felw out into the dark night.

DOWN BELOW LIL SILLY PIC OF MANSION ROOMS PLACEMENT (you are allowed to laugh only three times at this so be carefuly with those.)

Taglist:

@hadesnewpersephone @lalavione1309

#bts x reader #bts soulmate au #poly bts #supernatural #mystery #dark romance #yandere bts #yandere x you #horror #demons #bts jin #bts namjoon #bts yoongi #bts hoseok #bts jimin #bts taehyung #bts jungkook #bts ff #yandere bts x reader

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theriverbeyond · 1 year

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if you don’t mind, could you please elaborate on your ideas for a tlt stage musical? i too am musical theatre scum and this idea totally took me by surprise- your ideas for it are so fun and creative 😭 i am dying to know more about how you would arrange gideon as a musical (songs, motifs, just general tidbits of any kind) for entirely selfish reasons- it feeds the little worm in the back of my mind that wants to imagine everything as a musical.

thank you!! i did theater lighting for like, 6 years (and regular theater tech for a few more years before that) so i am just envisioning it... it could be so cool especially if they lean into the more rock musical visual style. there was this one specific local community theater production of next to normal I saw once in a theater that could seat maybe 100 people, that just went balls to the ball with ridiculous atmospheric lighting and just.. visceral acting/singing etc and I have been thinking about it ever since. hugely influential on my personal tastes. the broadway next 2 normal wishes it could capture even one shred of the intimate intensity and i have been chasing that specific high ever since.

for a gtn stage musical i have a few scattered ideas, in no particular order:

a "getting ready for canaan house"/gideon's rapier training montage & group song -- specifically, this would feature all the house heirs and specifically the real dulcinea. she would, of course, be played by a different actress for the whole rest of the play, but the audience wouldn't know because after that scene her face is never clearly shown. OR, in the first "getting ready" montage, you only see her back. regardless, the show would pull the ol' switcheroo. also this would be a fun scene where we get a glimpse of all the cav/necro pairs. there would be colored lighting corresponding to house colors

i think act 1 ending with the pool scene would be cool thematically (a shift in the gideon and harrow relationship) and leave the opportunity for an act 1 closing ballad (whose tune is then of course repeated when gideon dies). i don't think there is quite enough post-pool scene material for the acts to then be totally balanced, but, luckily this musical exists in the brain only and therefore i can do whatever i want forever <3 also the big battle scenes could be enough to fill the meat of the 2nd act

I think all the duels should be songs or at least done to music. Specifically i think the marta v. cam duel should be cam & marta dueling in the middle while palamades and judith stand to the side each lit with toplight in their corresponding colors (blue-gray and red). they would sing dueling verses of an "i am" song that reveal their own relationships with their cavalier and personal motives etc. maybe naberius gets his own pompous little verse

The fight against the lab 2 construct should be a song monologue thing and after harrow and gideon win, the tune changes to some kind of little victory thing etc but when they stumble across abigail & mangus' bodies the music just. stops.

I think it would be cool if the musical really leaned into the horror of things that are unseen. Like, gideon (and the audience by proxy) being frozen on stage while palamades confronts camilla. the explosion is either silhouetted on the scrim or done entirely offstage.

Ianthe only ever gets directly lit after she has become a lyctor. She still doesn't really get a song-- she tries to monologue it, but the music doesnt get going for her.

The avulsion trial would be a song sung by Dulcinea, that sounds sweet on first pass and is absolutely sinister when looking back. i am not a songwriter which means I can simply imagine it being awesome

the final gideon and harrow scene would be like. yelling and shouting. great big puppets used as the construct. gideon falls on a rail and then everything goes totally black. silence, or maybe crying. harrow screams gideon’s name. then lights up on gideon standing behind harrow, holding the sword together, under a narrow beam light. they fight cytherea together and say the wedding vows and everyone in the audience bursts into tears. gideon slowly exists the stage and by the end of the fight harrow is standing alone

gideon and harrow should have complimentary instrumental themes. after gideon sacrifices herself, the themes combine into one theme. this could be cool if this theoretical musical had a theoretical htn sequel, bc the same instrumental theme could come back *minus* the gideon part

there should be visually symbolic rails or other sorts of death flags for gideon the entire show.

camilla does a backflip

fog machine

"dulcie's theme" will be a sweet & soft instrumental track that plays when she's on stage that goes to a minor key and becomes dramatic and sinister when cytherea's identity is revealed

lighting would play a big role in symbolizing soul siphoning. I am personally envisioning this musical as having like highly saturated and emotional lighting (bc that is the kinda stuff that was fun for me when i did it lmao)or w/e SO that when soul siphoning happens everything can gray out and desaturate. it would look so cool. also, there should be a "the river" or something theme instrumental that plays whenever siphoning occurs, especially at the end when silas siphons colum vs ianthe.

the gideon v. coronabeth scene (right before everything goes to shit) would be a reprise of the song that happens when gideon duels naberius, and also, it would NOT be included on the official soundtrack

also for a theoretical sequel htn musical, the mattias nonius v. wake battle would start out with just ortus and then harrow takes over and then abigail adds to it, overlapping, and then mattias and wake have like an dueling chorus like the argument in le mis.

when gideon comes back, the harrow actress and gideon actress are both on stage at the same time. the harrow actress does all the body things that gideon-in-harrow does, wheras the gideon body is the one talking/singing. the music in the river bubble is all minor key or otherwise symbolized as wrong. mercymorn gets her own song of course. in the AU river scenes, gideon is there but we never see her face. the gideon actress could play The Body (with a costume change of course), so there is ambiguity on what is going on and who the body is just as in the books. idk i havent thought as much about post-gtn musical ideas but i think it would be very weird and experimental

would absolutely love to hear other people's ideas on this also!!

#ask #anon #tlt musical #i need a tag for that now lkdsjfls #long post #also i havent rlly paid attention to the musical scene since exiting it in 2018 but. it will always b in my heart #tlt thoughts

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scrappedtogether · 1 year

Text

#Fred Jones #Velma Dinkley #this moment tho 😩👌#the bestie-ness of it all #how ABSOLUTELY smug Fred looks and the proud way Velma puts a hand on his shoulder like ‘great work Fred’ 😂😭#WNSD #What’s New Scooby Doo #ep is high tech house of horrors

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mrhyde-mrseek · 16 days

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(ED MENTION!)

Been rewatching Scooby Doo Mystery Inc. and hyperfixating on small town gothic mystery aesthetics, so here’s my version of the gang if I were to write my own adaptation:

Fred

19, engineering major

6’2”

Autistic

His special interest is traps

Asexual and biromantic, he/him

In a pre-established relationship with Daphne, they’re a ride-or-die couple and can sometimes be sappy to the point that they gross the others out

The heart of the group, brought everyone together, is usually the one to cool down arguments

Decent at cooking but REALLY good at baking

Gets ascots from Daphne every year for his birthday

Knew Velma a little in high school, mainly from physics and math but never got to actually know her until college

Got the Mystery Machine from a sketchy car dealer when he turned 16 and loves the old rust bucket to death

Velma:

18, forensics science major, minor in history

4’11”

Also autistic, self-diagnosed because it’s really hard to get a diagnosis

Lesbian and genderqueer, she/they

Had a crush on Daphne a few years ago, but when Daphne and Fred got together she forced herself to ignore it until it eventually went away

LOVES true crime podcasts, kinda wants to start their own one day

Super blunt and sarcastic, can sometimes come off as rude to the people who don’t know them that well

Struggled with an eating disorder for a while, Shaggy helped her recover and now they’re best friends

Tech wiz

Daphne:

19, fashion design major

5’6”

Pan, she/her

Grew up in a wealthy family with four older sisters, was always pressured by her parents to fit their image of perfection, so she eventually started deliberately doing things to piss them off

Starting a relationship with Fred was the breaking point and now she doesn’t talk to them (she still keeps in touch with her sisters, though)

Natural blonde, dyes her hair

The most athletic out of all of them, used to do gymnastics and dance throughout middle school and high school

Quit when she realized how much it was negatively affecting her body image

Hates when people assume she’s ditzy just because she’s hyperfeminine

Looks mean at first, is actually super sweet

Fascinated with ghosts and cryptids

Loves ‘80s and ‘90s Heathers-inspired fashion

Shaggy:

20, culinary arts major but was undecided for a while

5’9”

Aroace, he/him

Mix of hippie and grunge aesthetic

Definitely smokes weed

Loves ‘70s and ‘80s music

Has a panic disorder, ADHD, and dyslexia

Has seen every classic horror movie to ever exist despite being terrified of them

Everyone assumes the Mystery Machine belongs to him until someone in the Mystery Gang corrects them

Will eat basically any type of food you put in front of him

Shitty relationship with his parents since they have unreachable expectations for him and constantly compare him to his classmates and cousins

Scooby:

Shaggy’s psychiatric service “dog”

Not actually a dog—in reality he’s an alien who crash-landed near Shaggy’s house and took the form of a Great Dane, the Rogers got him trained as a service dog for Shaggy’s panic disorder, and the rest is history

Shaggy still has no idea (although he and the gang do think it’s weird that Scoob can talk)

Despite being a bit of a coward he’d do anything to protect the gang, especially Shaggy

Likes horror movies just as much as Shaggy

Will eat literal garbage if hungry enough (which is all the time)

Started developing doglike traits over the years (barks at people walking by, hates the vacuum, developed a taste for dog treats, etc.)

Also here’s the full body photos i drew:

#i’m very out of practice with drawing dogs if you can’t tell #i’ve also been listening to the podcast heart starts pounding while drawing these and the vibes have been immaculate #scooby doo #scooby gang #scooby doo au #college au #scooby doo adaptation #shaggy rogers #shaggy and scooby #fred jones #velma dinkley #daphne blake #scooby doo redesign #cw ed mention

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highlycorrosive · 2 years

Note

hi shay i think youve already done this on your main but i feel like that was a long time ago and i couldnt find it and also this blog is more appropriate, but could you PLEASE tell us some of your favorite horror movies or ones youve been meaning to watch!!! im makin a list for halloween and you like the same stuff i do so itd be a lot of help!!!! thank u u3u

HIIII!!! I have soooo many favourites! But here's some of my recommendations for Halloween!

CENSOR [BLOOD/SEXUAL HARASSMENT/UNREALITY/CHILD ENDANGERMENT] A woman on the British film censorship board is put on a new case load, reviewing an infamously controversial director. And is torn into mania as she begins to realise that these gore fest horror movies are documenting her childhood.

GLORIOUS [NSFW/GORE/BLOOD/BODY HORROR/UNREALITY/EXISTENTIALISM] Glorious is a dark comedy/horror about a man locked inside of a gas station bathroom with a strange companion. Speaking through a glory hole in the bathroom stall, an ancient god asks him a favour. It's a high energy more light hearted horror flick! (Also the elder god is voice acted by J.K Simmons.)

HOUSE OF WAX (1953) [ABLEISM/BLOOD] Starring Vincent Price as the Wax Museum curator! Featuring a small American township dwindling in numbers just as the neighbouring wax museum begins to make more and more money depicting true crime scenes and hyper-realistic models.

SAW [BLOOD/GORE/UNSANITARY] An obvious classic. Everyone knows this one. Two dudes are chained to opposite walls in the same dingy bathroom with no exit in sight. One of them has a promise bubbling below the surface- the knowledge that he will be freed if he kills his cell mate. FANTASTIC if you've never seen it before - its kinda trashy but like. GOOD trashy imo ^3^

DEATH BECOMES HER [BLOOD] More of a thriller/comedy but oh my godddd its so GOOD. A local celebrity and her husband, a seasoned mortician, faces the true consequences of guaranteed immortality. (Also Meryl Streep is in it and she's hot)

some stuff I haven't seen yet but would like to:

YOU WON'T BE ALONE Set in a small 19th century village, the village witch begins to live inside of the skin of a girl she accidentally killed. And finds herself craving more lives, more experiences, new skin.

POSSESSOR An elite assassin uses a specialised neural tech to possess others and puppet the bodies of the people close to the target to carry out her jobs. After her new assignment her most recent link has gotten into her head and refuses to leave until it ruins her.

you can look at my Letterboxd if you want to see more of the stuff I've watched or stuff in my Watchlist! ^^ (YES. i DO want to see Tusk. dont ask about it)

#acid asks #anon #movies #horror movies #blood #gore #unreality #body horror #soz no trigger tags on the watchlist ones but. yknow. i cant know whats in them yet :')

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complex-pdf · 9 months

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Hey y’all name’s Complex and I’m a fat black enby here to write stuff. Def gonna make this page look better later but for now this is the masterlist for rules and fandoms under the cut.

(click on the fandom links to see who I write for each of them bc some of them I only write certain characters)

requests are closed

rules + questions I answered abt the rules

fandoms:

•Steven Universe/ SU:F

•The Owl House

•Deadpool

•Glitch Techs

•Kill La Kill

•Rottmnt

•Panty and Stocking with Garterbet

•Girl from Nowhere

•Horror Movies/Slashers

•Total Drama

•Kakegurui

•Monster High

•Ever After High

•Inside Job

•I Am Not Okay With This

•Misc

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a-christmas-carol-from-hr · 7 months

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Lying awake, intently tuning in on you If I was young, it didn't stop you coming through [Marley's Ghost]

TW: tw: body horror, freaky tech stuff

A/N: We can't rewind, we've gone too far/Pictures came and broke your heart/Put the blame on VCR...

AKA the entirety of the Marley's Ghost scene from my project, a_christmas_carol.exe! Happy Halloween!

The rain only increased as Scrooge made her way home from the office. This Christmas Eve had dawned gray and seemed determined to end black. The wind blew with all the fury of a cyclone. The rain lashed at her face, as sharp as glass. More than once Scrooge had to stop to clear her glasses, and the chill that set in from lack of motion was enough to chill even her blood. Smoke hissed out of potholes as she passed, adding an uneasy fog to the night air that whispered and shifted with each drop, cold meeting hot with an unholy hiss.

The doors to Scrooge’s apartment building were remarkably high-tech. Sealed shut from any trespassers, any tenants had to have the door unlocked via face recognition software. For a particularly unsociable woman, it suited Scrooge well. But it was notoriously finicky, and this cold evening Scrooge had no desire to be locked out. She pulled the hood of her rain jacket down, glowering into the camera.

“Good evening!” Came the automated response. “Please look into the camera!”

“I am.” Scrooge responded, although she knew it’d have no effect.

“I’m sorry! I can’t seem to get a clear image of your face. Could you please try again.”

“It’s I, you damned thing. Let me in!”

The computer gave no response. The camera focused on her, and she heard an audible click. And then, in that chipper tone, it spoke:

“Good evening, Mr. Marley! We’ve not seen you these past two-thousand, five-hundred and fifty-five days! We’ve not seen you these past five-five-five-five-five-five-.”

Scrooge jolted back, mouth agape. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

“Good evening, Ms. Scrooge! Welcome back!”

The doors unlocked.

For a moment she simply stared at the monitor. She blinked, and adjusted her glasses. And then:

“Nonsense.”

She pushed her way through the door. Scrooge told herself the hairs on the back of her neck were only standing up from the cold.

It wasn’t in Scrooge’s nature to drink. Drunkenness led to foolishness, and Scrooge was not a fool. At most she would have a glass of the cheapest vintage offered when pressed by a business associate. Even then, she drank only because social mores required it of her, not from any pleasure.

But the incident at the door had rattled her nerves more than she’d admit to herself. As she slipped off her jacket and slipped on her house-shoes, the desire for a stiff drink to calm herself came over her.

The apartment Scrooge lived in had once belonged to her partner. Her partner had been more inclined to drink than she was, for what little that was. Marley had a taste for vodka. The cheap stuff, of course, but the bottles that remained in her apartment would serve well enough. She found one of the bottles under the television stand. She’d never redecorated after she moved in. Marley’s furniture suited her needs fine, and anything of his that was not useful was either shoved into a closet or into boxes. Not that he had many things that weren’t of use. The two, Marley and Scrooge, were birds of a feather.

The burn of the cheap vodka made her wrinkle her nose in distaste, but she poured it into a chipped glass. Scrooge moved through the apartment, one hand holding the glass while the other unbuttoned the first few buttons on her blouse. She sat down on her couch, idly reaching for her laptop while she raised the glass to her mouth. She took a single sip and then spat it back out into the glass.

“God damn you, Jacob Marley,” She gasped.The vodka tasted of blood. “What the fuck kind of shit did you buy!?”

Her laptop let out a strange noise before the screen turned an electric blue. Scrooge groaned. “Fabulous. Just what I need.” She held down the start button, putting aside the vodka in disgust.

The computer turned off and then after a moment turned off again. She didn’t think she’d pressed the start button, but she supposed she must have. The login screen loaded, and Ellen quickly typed her credentials.

ACCESS DENIED, The screen blared.

“What!?” Ellen growled. She entered the information again. Still, she was locked out.

ACCESS DENIED. SYSTEM IN USE BY ADMIN JMARLEY.

The hairs on the back of Scrooge’s neck stood up. Suddenly, the apartment seemed very quiet indeed.

She stared at it for a moment before slamming the screen shut. “Stupid fucking thing.” She muttered. It was broken, clearly. It had to be.

As she put aside the laptop, she must have pressed the television remote. She had to have. Because it suddenly lit up, shocking Scrooge enough to make her jolt.

“The BBC reports that hunger, poverty, and wealth inequality is at a level high this Christmas-.” A clipped voice rang out.

“Bullshit.”

Scrooge jabbed the remote. The screen went dark. She gave a jerking nod, satisfied. That would put an end to this. Ellen leaned against the couch and closed her eyes. After a moment she allowed herself to lean over, curling up on the uncomfortable cushions. Despite inheriting many pieces of furniture from her late partner, Ellen Scrooge always slept on the couch. Taking up the whole bed was a waste. Besides, she didn’t feel she’d particularly earned a good night’s sleep. Not with the fuss of today.

Silence hung in the room like a garland. Darkness stood conquering like a warhero, and Scrooge began to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

The soft sound of static shivered through the room, stirring her just enough to awaken. Scrooge opened her eyes as the room was filled with light. She jolted.

The television had turned on. A newscaster, dressed in the most garish of suits, grinned at Scrooge with a rictus smile.

“Some say that the end is nigh? Is it truly?” The host asked, smiling all the while. The image flickered, but the smile stayed bright.

“The end is nigh?” He repeated. The screen glitched. Scrooge leaned forward.

“What the…?”

The screen went bright white. The image vanished. Scrooge jolted back, eyes screwed up from the brightness. Through slitted eyes, she saw the outline of a body on the screen. There was a horrible sound, like liquid squelching through the mud.

And then, reader, the first of four miracles happened.

A hand appeared on the inside of the glass, pressed up against the screen. And then it pushed it’s way through, literally bursting through the television set like a bug bursting from a membrane. Scrooge screamed, falling into her couch and scrambling to escape. Another hand burst through, reaching out to pull itself forward. A head and torso emerged behind it, and then legs, and then…

Then wires.

The thing floated above the television set. It was a sinewy figure, the angles of its once-well cut suit jutting starkly against its thin flesh. The darkness of its clothing was contrasted by the palor of its face. It seemed like a creature that existed only in black and white, like some Universal Movie monster. It was bound in electrical wires, some buried into its flesh, some simply wrapped around its frame, but they held the figure tight. Some trailed off into the air, but others remained tethered to the television set. As if the creature was bound to it.

It moved through the air, lowering itself to hover just in front of her. Its face faced her own, but its expression was totally blank.

“Who are you?” Scrooge whispered. It gave no reply.

“What are you?”

The TV flashed, and the creature shrieked. The wires sparked, shocking the thing’s entire form. The thing’s eyes opened, as if electricity had powered it up. It wailed, and Scrooge nearly screamed in turn. This thing was in agony, and she could almost feel it. Its eyes stared out in undisguised misery. They stared into her own, and as Scrooge watched in horror, they began to weep. Liquid like the RGB feed from a television dripped from its eyes. It poured down their face, dripping off and vanishing into the air like static.

It tilted its head at Scrooge, looking at her with those awful, awful eyes. When it spoke, its voice sounded as if it were coming through the television set, like some half-garbled recording of a long forgotten program. “Ask me who I was.”

The creature’s voice was warped by pain and static, but Scrooge knew it. She knew it as well as she knew her own, even though she’d not heard it these seven years.

Jacob Marley had been her partner. She’d known him for ages, had known him as she knew herself. He’d not been inclined to numbers as she was, so he handled the advertising. The technology. The man was a worshiper of television. He had no greater god than what could be sold in a few soundbites. There’d been no man alive who understood the art of technology in their business.

“Impossible…” She murmured even as she pulled herself to her feet. Impossible, but she saw it now. Marley was warped by his terrible form, but she could see him under it. The cut of the suit, the frame of the body and face. Marley stared at her, eyes filled with purpose even through his tears. Indeed he seemed to pay the dripping of his eyes no attention as he glided forward, drawing ever closer to her.

Impossible, but there was nobody else it could be. Even after seven years, even after death, she could see traces of the man that was in this thing. The line of a jaw, the set of a mouth.

Jacob Marley. Dead these past seven years. Dead of a stroke that killed him in their offices. As dead as a doornail.

But here all the same.

“…Can you sit down?” Stupid. She wasn’t even sure why she said that. But what else did you say when your dead partner crawled out of your TV set. Marley didn’t seem offended in any case. Though he gave no response, Marley pulled one of the cords around his shoulder and tossed it. The force moved him forward and he glided towards the armchair. For a second Scrooge fancied he might collapse right through it, but the spirit fell heavily into the seat. It seemed to relish the relief. Electricity sparked along its wrists, digging painfully into the flesh, but he didn’t seem to notice.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. An eternity of words went unsaid, unfelt. For a moment Scrooge felt something. But she quickly stifled it, shoving it down into the locked chest she kept her memories of Marley.

“This isn’t happening.” She said flatly.

Marley didn’t look surprised as she rose to her feet and turned away. “This isn’t happening.” She repeated. “This is a dream. A hallucination. This…this is not happening to me.”

“You don’t believe in me.” Marley replied. His voice was like a radio stuck between stations. She heard echoes of other words, other voices, but they were too faint to make out.

“Fuck no.”

“Why not?”

“…I don’t know.” She admitted.

“Then why doubt at all?” He asked. A thread of electric current ran along his forehead, throbbing like a vein might have in life.

“Because this could be anything. I’ve not checked my carbon monoxide detector in…ever.” As she listed explanations, Scrooge’s bravery grew. “Yes. Yes. The alcohol. All bottled after Chernobyl. This could be a cocktail of monoxide and radiation. Yes. Yes.” She leaned forward, fairly spitting her words at Marley. “Yes. Yes! That’s what you are! All a trick of the mind! All style, no substance!”

Marley rose up, the electricity along his wires flashing with a fury. He dug his fingers into his face, clawing at his cheek as he howled in anguish. His spectral nails drew more of his technicolor blood, the magenta and cyan of his grief sharp against his skin. His shriek seemed to bring with it the grief of ten-thousand lives, his blood the pain of ten-thousand bodies. Marley wailed and bled, and Scrooge felt her very soul falter.

“Stop it! Stop it!”

“DO YOU BELIEVE IN ME OR NOT!” Marley shrieked.

“I do! I do! Stop it!” She begged.

With one final howl Marley ceased to scream, but the gashes from his nails continued to bleed, mixing with his ever-flowing tears. Scrooge could not remember ever seeing Marley cry, but it seemed in death he could not help but weep. Something wet dripped down her own face, and she wiped it away.

“Jacob,” A name reserved for moments of something that had barely existed. “Marley.” She corrected. “Why are you here? Why are you like this?”

“Because I earned it.” Marley replied, voice dripping with pain and regret. A line of current twitched over his heart.

“All mankind is asked to do in life is to help. To go among our fellow man, and do what little we can do. I did nothing. My spirit never went beyond in life, so I go in death.” Marley let out a small wail, a noise half-static and half-misery.

“How could I have been so blind! So STUPID!” He roared. The wires flashed again and he screamed again, this time in pure agony. Scrooge pressed herself further against the couch.

“You are bound in wires, why!?”

“I earned these wires, ounce by ounce and yard by yard. I earned this damnation every day of my life.” Marley took one in hand, and thrust it towards her. “Do you know it, Ellen Scrooge? Yours were as long as mine seven christmas eves ago. Oh, you are an industrious soul, Ellen Scrooge. You have worked on yours.”

“No more, no more. You…" Scrooge began weakly. "You cannot be- Damned? Why should you be damned? You were a good man- of business."

"BUSINESS!?"

The television set blasted to life, the light blinding in its fury. Marley rose again, and the scream he let out was worse than the first. He howled at her, his wordless expression of rage cutting her to her soul. She tried to jump up, tried to flee, but suddenly his hands were in her shirt and he was pulling her to face him.

His eyes, her partner's eyes, saw her and they hated.

"MANKIND WAS MY BUSINESS. THE COMMON WELL-FARE WAS MY BUSINESS. MERCY. CHARITY. KINDNESS. ALL MY BUSINESS." His voice grew more warped by static as he screamed, to the point she could barely understand him. Ellen managed to pull herself free, the burning sensation of static still lingering in her skin. She scampered over the other side of the couch, desperate to put as much space between Marley and her as she could. This was not her Marley. This was not her Marley.

For a moment, the ghost seemed to reach for her again. Scrooge flinched away, raising an arm in defense. He stared at her, and then looked at its hands. While the fury was still there, it was fading into something else. Something like regret. I’m afraid of him, she realizes with a shudder. I’m afraid of him. How can I be afraid of him?

"Do you have any idea what this is like, Elle?" He asked. For a moment, it sounded like his own voice. His living voice. “Do you have any idea how much this hurts, Elle? Have you any idea of the length of your own chain? It was as long as this seven Christmas Eves ago, when you burned me all alone, Elle."

His words struck her to the core. She’d have preferred he go back to yelling rather than say that. “I…it was the best choice. The economical choice.” She said weakly, trying to defend something she did not believe herself. “I thought it’d be what you wanted…”

“I was all alone, Elle.” He said. His voice had always been what she admired most about Marley. He had been gifted with a gilded tongue. The man could sell ice water in the Arctic with his tenor. And now it was so small. So pathetic. “I was all alone. You left me, all alone. You put me in there, all alone. Why did you do that?”

His sincerity struck her like a knife in her back. She forced herself to rally. “I will not be judged. You’re the one who went and died. Not me. Have you any idea the chaos you left behind?” She moved forward, stepping towards the ghost with all the rage she could muster. It did not flinch back. “You died, in the middle of the last Quarter, in our fucking OFFICE. There was an inquiry, Marley! The police had eyes all over the building. It was weeks before anything could be done. You left, and you have the nerve to yell about things not done?! You wanted attention!? Goddamn your attention! You ruined everything! Be thankful I didn’t throw you in the Thames!”

The venom she spat her last words with surprised even Ellen. It certainly seemed to surprise Marley. His expression flickered, something like grief passing through his face. But she was in no mood to coddle a roaming spirit. She turned furiously, looking out the window. Her arms crossed over her chest, a habit she had while thinking. “What do you want?”

The spirit stayed where she left it. “I have obtained for you a deal. A chance at avoiding my fate.”

“How touching. Would I get my own wires too, or shall we share?” She laughs humorlessly. “But, thank you, Jacob.” She spat his name scornfully. “You always did have an eye for a bargain.”

“The price paid for redemption is not a cheap one.”

“Naturally, if you arranged it. What’s the cut for you, hm?” She said turning around.

“Nothing.” He replied.

“You get the whole price?”

“I get nothing,” He said with all the finality of the grave. “It is too late for me, Ellen.”

Despite her rage, despite her disbelief, and despite her coldness, something in his tone of simple, grieved acceptance chilled her to the bone.

“You have three more appointments for tonight,” He said. “I suggest you prepare yourself.”

“Oh, with who? Let me guess. A psychologist who shall ask me all the ways my father was cruel to me? A lawyer who will read me my rights as I walk into hell?”

“You will be visited,” Marley said. “By three ghosts.”

“…Ghosts?” Ellen asked.

“Yes.”

“And is that the chance of salvation?”

“It is.”

“…Keep it. I’ve had enough of ghosts.”

She turned her back on him again. But this time, Marley was not so daunted. The second he was out of sight, she felt his presence at her back. With an electric hiss, a wire snaked over her chest. She gasped in pain as it fell with a weight on her body, on her heart, on her soul. Heavy. So heavy.

Another sought to bind her. And then another. And then another. And then-.

“Stop it!” She begged, ducking under his arm.

Marley looked as if he was about to chase after her. But he stopped. His head tilted as he seemed to listen to something. Ellen couldn’t hear anything but the whine of electricity.

“What is it?” She asked, unable to hide the fear in her voice.

“I can hear it.” He said.

“Hear what?”

“Everything.” He whispered. “Everything. Every bit of misery on television. Every piece of horror broadcasted on the air. Watching. Always watching. All we ever do is watch, Elle. We see, but we are blind. We hear, but we are deaf. All we do is consume.”

Marley shuddered. His appearance seemed jagged around the edges, like a fading image on a television screen.

“I don’t hear anything.” Scrooge said.

Marley looked at her. He glared behind his tears.

“Then listen.”

The air was suddenly alive with grief.

Ellen Scrooge fell to her knees, hands clasped over her ears, as the sound of countless souls filled the room. She could not see them, but their voices rang out in misery. She could not make out a single word, but somehow she knew exactly what was being said. It was the voices of the damned. It was the voices of those who, like Marley could have done something, but never did.

Marley’s hand buried in her shirt and he pulled her up. The light of the television set flickered behind him like the light of God.

“T H E N L I S T E N!” He wailed. Marley was angry. Marley was furious. Marley was afraid.

The television set seemed to let out a terrible shriek of pain. Every light in her apartment turned on at once, blinding her with their glow. The wails of the dead increased into one horrible din.

And then every light went out. Ellen fell on her face. The room was as silent as the tomb.

Marley was gone.

#jacob marley #ebenezer scrooge #a christmas carol #christmas carol #the christmas carol retelling thing

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