#she's allowed to be spooky

[junebug-the]

A Living Night Mare

Edited: 4/8

Manehattan was awful in the rain.

No matter what Nightshade did, it was awful. She adjusted her umbrella; tightened her jacket; raised a leathery wing up to block a spray from a passing cab, but the bat pony was still soaked to the bone, and the winds chilled her core. Her outfit clung to her damp, dark fur, and pale purple locks stuck to her face. Her tail was filthy, long as it was, acting like a sponge for runoff and grime alike.

Nightshade was miserable.

A long walk laid ahead of her, glimpsed by teal eyes every few moments as she looked up to make sure she didn't run into anybody. Not that there was anybody walking that night. Lucky her that the streetlamps were on, even if they were dimmed by the rain.

She stopped at an intersection, automatically slamming a fist on the crossing button she needed. Better safe than sorry, after all. A moment passed, and even with empty streets, the signals stayed as they were.

Nightshade glared, as if it would change anything. She glared at the stubborn signals, at the darkened facades of the surrounding buildings, and she glared at her own two hooves, for deciding to go on her little trip regardless of the weather.

Nightshade slammed the button again.

Her ears shifted as a door opened behind her, followed soon after by a deep voice. "You alright, Miss?"

Nightshade looked over her shoulder to find the source. A older, pale green unicorn had opened his door, safe from the rain under an awning, with the bright glow of the building's lights framing him in a halo. The storefront itself was nothing to note, just another template with its shutters drawn for the night covered in a large, dimmed neon sign.

Eyes as silver as his mane looked her over, and a brow raised at her damp state as the unicorn took her in. "Get caught in the rain?"

"Thought I could get some errands done before the downpour," Nightshade called back. She shook her wings, casting a small spray of water onto the damp sidewalk. "Lucky me."

Concern bloomed over the unicorn's face, only to be smoothed over a moment later by a warm smile. "If you're not in too much of a hurry, you can rest here for a bit. I've got an enchanted heater, get your stuff dried out." He eyed the mess that was her tail. "Maybe wash up, too?"

Nightshade hesitated. It would be nice, yes. Dry and out of the damned rain, freshened up for whenever the rain stopped. On the other hand, she didn't know who in any hell the man was. Equestria or not, she had every right to be on edge, especially with the news, as of late.

Her discomfort with the rain won out.

"Yeah, alright." Nightshade turned away from the crossing and stepped over to the awning, resignation clear as day in her features. She pulled her umbrella closed as she did, pointing it handle first at the man as she stepped into safety. "Hold this? I'm gonna wring out my tail, don't wanna trail this gunk all over the place."

The unicorn nodded as he took the umbrella, still giving her that warm smile. "I'll leave it in the rack, just inside the door for when you leave."

Nightshade barely nodded as she set to work.

Jade tried not to slam the umbrella into the rack.

Another one of those things was on his doorstep. As if enough of those rats with hooves weren't plaguing Manehattan.

Those monstrous eyes were there when he looked back, and the beast as a whole lightly shook in an effort to get any loose water off of its hide.

He took no small amount of pleasure in watching it flinch at the lights as it came in. Still, Jade kept the warm smile on his face.

"Shower's just up the stairs, second room on the right." The winged demon nodded its thanks as it followed his directions.

It took every ounce of his will not to growl when it took a proper look at his shop. If he had to guess, it was picking which gemstone would be best to steal or feast upon.

Jade waited until he heard the sound of the door to the living are open. Then he lit his horn, covering his hooves in the glow of a silencing spell.

He supposed he had to consider himself lucky.

The others took time. Learning patterns, knowing their routines. Plans to put down the beasts.

This thing walked right up to his doorstep.

Jade glanced down at the umbrella. Oh, what delicious irony it would be.

The umbrella came free from the rack without a fuss. Jade's steps were utterly silent as he followed the monster into his home.

A small nudge pushed his front door out of the way, just as the door to the bathroom opened and the thing crept inside.

Jade slunk down the hall, still careful despite the carpet and his spell.

The bathroom door was slightly open, had been halfheartedly pushed closed by the thing he had let in. Through the gap in the wood, he could see it peeling off its jacket.

He had to move. Now.

Jade shoved with his shoulder, slamming the door open to its fullest.

The beast turned, just in time for the handle of its umbrella to meet her temple with a snap of wood. The poor handle almost shattered under the force.

Jade didn't let the damned creature recover as it staggered against the wall. His horn lit, and with an angry growl, he lit his horn and pulled it off the tiles.

With a noise closer to a roar, he slammed the beast back down.

Its head met the tiles first with a satisfying crack. The rest of its body followed after, and a dull crunch announced the shattering of its neck.

The corpse collapsed on its back, eyes staring lifelessly into the ceiling. Trickles of blood seeped onto the tiles from both wounds, staining the pure white a vibrant red.

Jade grinned to himself. Sure, he'd have to move it, patch up the wounds if only to contain a bigger mess, maybe replace the tiles.

But another demon off the streets made him happier than anything.

"Back to hell with you," he muttered, pride seeping from his tone. Another injustice cleansed at his hands.

The tension slowly left Jade's body as he turned to leave. The sooner he got rid of the body, the sooner he could go to sleep and bathe in his accomplishment.

Jade paused as he stepped through the doorway.

His fur stood on end as everything suddenly felt wrong. The air felt thick. The lights seemed to dim. Even the rain seemed to quiet in the presence.

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run and never look back.

Jade looked.

The corpse was still there, same as it was a moment ago. Jacket still half on, form still soaked from the rain, eyes still—

Those slitted pits of teal were looking at him.

Jade didn't jump. He didn't.

He squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head, and faced forward again.

He took a step—

—something squelched.

Jade looked down.

Flowing from the bathroom was a stream of black ichor, dotted with little spots of white. Strands of pale purple and teal flowed through it, like a liquid nebula.

Jade looked back again.

The corpse was still there. The eyes were still looking at him.

The wounds flowed black.

Jade felt the color drain from his face. He saw the color fade from the flesh and hair of the corpse, turning a lifeless gray as the ichor flowed.

A voice emanated from the remains, deep as night and smooth as silk. "You know, I really thought you would have let me have the shower."

The jaw flexed and moved with the voice, spilling out more of the inky black.

Jade tried to step back. The ichor clung to his hooves, rooting him in place.

"But, I suppose, you just can't help yourself, can you?"

Jade tried to speak around the thick air. Nothing but a rasp escaped him, carrying what little rage he could muster.

Those teal eyes still burned into him.

"We'd better fix that."

The corpse grinned. Teeth upon teeth stared back at Jade, sharp and eager.

Finally, he spoke. "We?"

A claw dug into his leg.

Jade hissed in pain as his attention was stolen. A moment later, so was his breath.

A hand had emerged from the ichor. Pale blue fur covered the limb that dug in deep and heaved.

A face came up next. The first. A female thing that he had picked off between its shifts at a nearby bar. He'd dumped its body in a trash compactor, and still its bones stuck out of its skin.

The glare and sneer roiled with rage, eager to return the favor.

Teal eyes glowed up at him.

"You've heard the phrase 'face your demons', yes?"

A second claw emerged, bright yellow, reaching far to claw his sides—one that was playing the part of a school teacher, marred by deep burns.

A third, as gray as the corpse across from Jade, stuck into his other leg. Once a crossing guard, now missing half of its face.

A faded orange and a deep green reached for his arms, siblings in the university, missing their wings.

Jade knew each and every one of his kills.

All five of them pulled at him. All five of them bore teal, seething eyes.

They'd barely gotten their upper halves out of the ichor before they sank again.

The claws in his flesh brought Jade down with them.

"No! No, you freaks won't have me!" He swung the umbrella hard at the blue thing.

He could only watch as it glanced off, and the green hands digging into his left arm pulled harder.

Jade's knees sank into the ichor as he lit his horn for the third time. A bolt of unfocused magic loosed at the yellow male behind him. "Get the hell off of me!"

The bolt dissipated around it and faded into the pool around Jade as his hips vanished into the black.

Jade had enough. If he was going, he'd still get a few hits in, go far from quiet.

He swung the umbrella again at one of the sinking heads.

It jolted his arm as it struck hard against the tile under the ichor. When his hand slipped under the glossy film, it fell over with a simple clatter.

With only his head still above the black, Jade roared, thrashing against the claws.

Ichor filled the open space as his jaw sank beneath it.

The scream was muffled as the rest sank beneath. Jade was reduced to a silvery mane and a pair of ears, lost in a liquid star field.

And then, he was gone.

The ichor receded. Back onto the tiles. Back into the wounds.

The corpse regained its colors as the last drops returned. The wounds stitched themselves together again, leaving no trace of the injury.

The claws moved, gripping the wall to pull the form up, sitting alone on the tile floor. Another round of dull cracking reverberated around the bathroom as the vertebrae in its neck repaired and realigned themselves.

Nightshade rolled her neck to get everything back into the normal flow. So much for a long walk, good riddance.

The dark mare returned to her plan for her stop. Her clothes were peeled away and left in the rack of the dryer. A quick wash pulled the grime and rainwater away from her fur and hair.

Nightshade stepped out of the shower fresh and revitalized. A quick stop in the warmth of the dryer left her coat feeling fuzzy as the dampness left and she redressed.

She spared a glance at the umbrella.

Ironic, she supposed, that her small friend for the night brought her down for a moment. Still, she picked up the poor tool and ran a thumb along the cracks in the handle. They glowed a muted teal as they were mended, almost good as new by the time she was done.

Nightshade stepped out of the bathroom and set to turning out the lights in the building. It wouldn't do to waste power, after all, not when the previous tenant wouldn't be returning.

Oh, those five had jumped at the opportunity to help. So eager to pay back what Jade had given them.

A low laugh, closer to a cackle, followed the bat pony down the stairs as she made her way out.

And then, a dark shop behind her, she stood under the awning again. The rain was still pouring, showing no sign of letting up.

It didn't matter. Nightshade dissolved where she stood, umbrella and all, collapsing into a mass of smoky shadow.

Swirls of purple and teal and pinpricks of light dotted it as drifted on the wind, leaving Manehattan far behind it.

#Junebug Writes #fanfiction #original character #oc: Nightshade #mlp #horror #anthro #writing #body horror cw #enjoy the night mare! #everybody loves a demon horse #right? #need to remind myself she's a demon more #she's allowed to be spooky #as a treat #violence cw #death cw

[randomeggart]

A hat under waters: Subcon seas!

Planning to edit snatcher's design in the future because I'm not that proud of it & already have something in mind, but have this for now :) (...aaand I now realize that most of the text might be hard to read! whoops I'll make it clearer on the next one, apologies)

#a hat in time #ahit #yart #a hat under waters #ahuw #ahit snatcher #ahit vanessa #look. snatcher's in game size can be like 5 times hat kid's height in his hunched posture #It'd just be a missed opportunity if I didn't make him a leviathan #if he's gonna be monsterous and spooky he should commit to it!! make that dude the terrifying cryptid he is #Also vanessa! She deserves a cooler more horrifying form <3 #oh and actually the drawing in the vanessa picture has an error! Hat kid and bow kid can only ride the umbrella #when using the sprint hat; and no hat abilities allowed in the manor. so that was a oops #anyways yea! basically the “deep sea” chapter. quite the spooky place I imagine.

[willyhoos]

cdi zelda when link pays attention to something that isn't her for 5 seconds (he's not allowed to do that)

(still beneath cut)

#cdi zelda #loz #link loz #zelda loz #zelink #i am so obsessed with how i interpret the cdi #zelda goes by cat rules: youre not allowed to look at her but youre also not allowed to ignore her #my nyart #i have sooo many alts for this #one is very spookie #so i toned it down to this #for the unaware: my cdi zelda is a mad queen who for example straight up ate someones heart (hektan) and her link is oblivious to this #he may also be fated to execute her one day who knows who knows ! (not really its a misunderstanding but its enough to freak them BOTH out) #something something why did lady alma have link trapped in her mirror? i made it a plot point because im an idiot. #(hint: the answer is she is Also Completely insane) #not everything is sad tho . impa chaperones link and zelda to wendys for example. zelda and link also run a dumb podcast where they do dare #these are just jokes but since i dont have to stick to canon i get to do whatever i want with these #anyway time for tw tags #gif #facial horror #face horror #eye horror #mouth horror #uncanny #horror #unsettling #body horror #scopophobia #its 618 am :) i have been awake for a while #zelda cdi

[iminaworldofpureimagination]

maybe its cause im in my 30s but peoples reactions to that ian ousley kid .. Kinda.. Creep me out tbh..

#ian ousley #theres being upset about if he lied and then being weirdand i just think people are weird about that kid #he was what 18/19 when he auditioned and im 100 percent sure got death threats thanks to a twitter user #im nto saying theres no legit to he lied but the wah people go about it creep me out #atla fandom problems #did he spraytan? maybe so.. #i rem some users saying Kia was white when she is def not #Kia looked just like Katara when i watched BEANS #that girl is BROWN in normal lighting and people insist she looks super pale there is no pleasing this fandom #scary angry fandom that is spooky and scary #me allowing reblogs oh hell nah atla fandom is scary #atla netflix

[whysamwhy123]

Julia really misted Daniel, huh...

...Well. Shit. I guess I have to write that Dead Dove fic now... 😬

#What is wrong with you Sam you should not be allowed to write #I know I've vagueposted about that fic idea for almost a year at this point #But...the inciting incident of the whole fic is Julia misting Daniel... #It gets waaaaaay worse after that but that's literally how it starts!! #So when that happened I was just like ''...you gotta be fucking kidding me??!!'' #Did Julia somehow get inside my head and learn of my terrible fic ideas?? #On a more serious note I'm glad TK finally remembered that Julia can mist people #Instead of just having her weakly slap dudes and then act all afraid of them like she suddenly isn't a wrestler who can defend herself #She's a spooky bitch!! LET HER DO MORE SPOOKY BITCH THINGS!! TO MEN!!! #For example in my maybe-fic - after misting him Julia *REDACTED* Daniel and then he has a week-long complete mental breakdown as a result 😀 #So if you need more ideas to rip from my fucked-up mind there you go AEW! That one's on the house LOL

[kate-bishops-waifu]

Just caught up with the rainbow 6 animatics and I'm so scared for Cavy.🥺

Do NoT 😡

#that's my spooky wife! #you're not allowed NEAR her #she is a perfect bean and I won't allow it!!! #r6s caveira #rainbow 6 #rainbow 6 siege #r6 #r6s

[meridianbarony]

One of my fave things about being a blerd (black nerd) is wearing the occasional graphic tee at [REDACTED] and having the kiddos lose their fucking minds about the cognitive dissonance they’ve already built up, especially when they usually see me and I’m in essentially casual, chic or cozy goth 

“You have on a baby yoda/Spiderman/etc shirt??!?!” 

“I do, because I like (whatever thing that is).” 

:O!!!!!!!!!

ad infinitum

#REDACTED stories #shout out to the one little girl who asked her mom if I knew Halloween was over and mom made her repeat it to me #I told her I like spooky stuff and you're allowed to like spooky stuff all the time #and she was delighted and demanded to see all my spooky stuff on hand #m rambles

[redstonerross]

Ross how and why are you on Tumblr?

I asked The Sun and she said that "Everyone uses this, you can get more friends definitely."

I wonder if they lied cus I've never heard of this app until now... :Y

#apparently i am #“not allowed to upload anywhere else” #or else I will apparently be stuck in whatever a #“dog heaven squirrel hell” is... #sounds too spooky #ross answers #she took my camera again because of the nail thing... :(

[lindensea]

The Hollow Boy was so very entertaining all around! JStroud really hit his stride with this one

#a good spooky season read #i had fun! #lockwood & co #idk why peope hate on lucy in this one..she was allowed to have faults and learn from them in a realistic way and i love her for it #now back to work

[not-the-cheese]

one sentence summaries of every TMA episode

(1-60 i'll add more soon)

part 2 up!

world's most effective anti-smoking PSA

man DOES NOT open coffin. everyone claps.

woman is judgemental towards neighbor even though she has hobbies that are just as weird.

book makes multiple people fall off chair.

man finds bag of teeth and decides he absolutely needs to fuck around and find out.

worm sti.

there was a SCARY MAN in the WAR.

fuck this tree

well at least ted bundy was a great father :)

i'm like 55% sure vampires are real and i'm willing to take those odds

bitches be dying. you're next.

we kill this man because he made the soda too warm.

sorry ur husband's dead. maybe get some help.

Unbox with me ! (GONE WRONG)

hah i'm safe from this one because i have decided to Never Go Into a Cave Ever.

man is so annoying about this spider that even his cat can't be bothered

man's bully finds a book about a Bone Turner and subsequently begins turning people's bones.

this guy sucks at DIY home improvement

aw maybe this priest didn't do anything THAT bad!

oh fuck nevermind

THE SKY ATE MY SON.

the worms stole my identity. i haven't left the house in days.

man beats german children at game of bravery and wins a coin (he later loses this coin)

my ex boyfriend gets casted in the muppets and dies

sorry mom, i've abandoned jesus for a new religion : jesus in the dark.

tall squiggly and HANDsome

old man arm wrestles demon through door knob

the buzzfeed unsolved guys finally catch a ghost but it's their sound tech

immortality but at what cost

working at the big meat factory was so traumatizing it made me vegetarian

i go to america and get almost killed by a furry

well if you love that wasp nest so much why don't you MARRY it (and then she did)

antisocial boat crew bands together to exclude one guy from a midnight party. he dies from the rejection.

bone apple teeth

remember when that norwegian guy threw a tantrum about us not digging a hole? turns out we were right to not dig that hole.

babe come over my parents have taken ill and passed away

man fucks around and it costs him everything

HOMOPHOBIC CHINESE VASE

oh god oh fuck the worms are here

thank you for participating in worms! please rate your wormsperience from 1 to 10.

the wormsperience has left me deeply scarred. i'm going to get lost in a tunnel about it.

🎸music makes me loose control🎸

spooky stories to tell at the next police slumber party

child threatens to run away and join the circus one too many times, and now the circus has come to cash in.

these mosquitoes are mad sus

man frequents local barnes and noble and then dies(?) after liking a book too much.

realtor gets eaten by the backrooms twice. it's a terrible shame.

both me and this weird goth dude have an unsatisfying italy vacation

guy who turns people's bones gets a new job where he continues to turn people's bones.

man who should never be allowed to build prisons builds a prison.

Something Big Is In The Water.

what if u heard me about 15 feet behind you fumbling around and calling out ur name 😳 (and we were both prison guards)

i'm going to be honest i didn't retain anything from this episode except that this guy has the silliest old man voice ever

everybody hates the tax man, including these creepy taxidermy animals

hmmgh. ant house.

so turns out being only 55% sure that vampires are real in my career as a vampire hunter has had some consequences.

the only thing keeping you company in space is your abandonment issues

🎶 the snack that smiles back 🎶 (my husband!)

maybe the real treasure was the house siblings we encased in spider web along the way.

your dead brother wrote books about ancient myths and WHAT

Part 2

#i hope this convinces you to listen to tma #podcast #the magnus archives #martin blackwood #tma #jon sims #sasha james #podcasts #gay podcasts #tim stoker #elias bouchard #peter lukas

[understandableparadox]

a comprehensive list of everything wrong with hazbin hotel.

quick note before i lose myself in madness, my standards for helluvaboss are non existent because its a free show on youtube. also i kinda like helluvaboss and i will indulge in any bias i damn well please.

oh and spoilers. i guess.

the greater narrative of the entire season is "White lady civilize inner city hoodlum". ex: The blind side. rich girl, affluent family yadda yadda.

the story is set up to be like amphibia, owl house, svtfoe, steven universe, that being starting as something episodic then transforming into story driven narrative. why? because we know the benefits and drawbacks, episodic starts allows us to wander the world, it allows us to understand the dynamics, we are not forced to reckon with anything because there is no deadline. characters are allowed to bloom and shine and the audience can actually get attached.

the source material is Vary Clearly formed from remnants of something out of a middle school edgelord narrative. the usage of transformation, the big spooky grins, the "and then i smile as my eyes glow and-"-isms which in most cases i don't mind because in some instances but in a vary Particular case its astoundingly annoying and that annoyance is like a mold, shit spreads quick.

the color Red. as a lover of homestuck cherubs and karkat and aradia, as someone who fucking loves the color red, it is so painful to say but holy shit tone it the fuck down, i know its hell but their are so many other colors that you can use, its everywhere, the streets, the air, the windows, the screens, the characters, i know the pride ring is represented with red but change up the palates every so often for backgrounds

the rush, this ties into the second point made but i think the story itself is rushed. we know everything way to early. i know way to much and it makes it hard to care about anything because im still trying to digest the last chunk of info. "oh ok, so they clear out hell once a year. oh hell has a heaven embassy? ok. oh that adam the angel, i though he wou- oh its every 6 months now. wait the exterminators die a lot? then why is everyone sca- people in hell already have weapons that can kill angels? w- oh we are in heaven now, ok ma- no one in heaven except for the elites know the exterminations occur? how do-" and its that, just this incessant rush to explain everything to you. notably that's just the god damn spark notes, we need to know everything about the characters now, every single bit of their story, their insecurities, what charlie needs to fix, how she can fix them, the major bad guys, everything. you are never allowed to dwell on a character because we need to rush towards something else. it almost feels like this should have been like... season three, it would have been a fantastic season three if you dropped the introductions honestly.

the concept of redemption. for a story of redemption to work you need to look at three things. What is there crime, Do they want to change, What is preventing them from changeing? there is only one single character that has a notable path of redemption, angel dust, but if you look through their story it feels off. What Exactly is he guilty of? he has sex, does drugs and drinks. his apparent nymphomania is tied to his sad backstory as someone forced into the sex industry so how is that their fault? then if you think about it you start to spiral and notice "hey why are most of these people in hell?" like sure some of them may deserve punishment but then you see the fucking dichotomy and its like "I was a inventor in england and died of the fucking plague, i may have made evil little contraption hoohoohoo" vs "I was a cannibal, a full on cannibal, i fucking killed people and ate them and then someone shot me". ONE OF THESE THINGS ARE A LITTLE MORE FUCKING EXTREME. i'm going to go fucking nuts, the thing they went to heaven with when presenting a case to angels on the idea that redemption and becoming a better person is actually real was angel dust not drinking at a party and not having sex with consenting adults and i want to go fucking insane. WHAT IS THE CRIME, WHO IS THROWING THE BOOK, WHAT DOES THE BOOK INTEL, ARE WE ON GOOD PLACE RULES?! half the cast dont Need redemption they need fucking help, and the other half of the cast do need redemption but they do not seek it making the point moot. sir pentious acts like he has the brain of a hyper intelligent toddler tossing about toys, its almost like he did his one bad thing of spying and then got caught, sank his little diddy about forgiveness and second chances and become a null point through out the rest of the series, sure their was Some weight to him sacrificing himself, he was a decently funny character and he had good moments but him popping up in heaven felt like a fore gone conclusion, he didn't deserve to be in hell so why do i care that he is suddenly in heaven? because its working on the concept the good place already made. no one actually deserves eternal punishment they just need help processing what makes them a dick, but instead of looking at all the parts of the afterlife that make it bad, inefficient and then creating and trying ideas to see if it work instead over a few seasons, we crash dick first into all the major plot points in regards to that and say "tada, we fixed it.".

having a sub-plot about sexual assault and its victims then having multiple sexual assault related gag ruins your point.

don't make a bunch of stereotypically jewish characters into cannibals, that was a big thing, really shouldn't have to say it.

if you are going to make a character black, make them black, you can say alastor was black but sweet seren-fucking-dippity that's not a black man.

pot meet kettle but yeah the cursing could be a little less liberal. maybe just blue hair or the pronouns, not both.

there is a very distinctive art deco/jazz aesthetic which normally i love but i feel as though it is not used to its full extent and in some cases really hurts the character design in and of itself.

this is a vary obvious bit but the story is a million times more interested in gay men then it is of lesbians, which culminates in this insane thing where the writers clearly have more talent or perhaps it would be more abt to say practice writing male gay pining then they are with lesbian pining. which i personally think is hilarious because i did not know you could min max fujoshi-ism that hard.

this next section is more to do with each character on a fundamental level, for the sake of brevity whatever there is left, i'm just doing ones with speaking roles.

13. Charlie:

(see what i mean about that red thing?)

as originally stated charlie fits rather comfortably into every white saviour narrative, though that seems to be part of her joke. though i'm not entirely sure how much of a joke it can be when its rewarded and expected to advance the plot.

her character design says nothing, it has the motif of old puppets or dolls, she wears something vaguely similar to service suits, her demonic form is just some extra horns.not to say every character needs to have their life on a clothes rack but some more snake and goat imagery would be nice

its not the chol design of charlie with snake hair, not an actual problem but its a problem to me, damn you @cholvoq for ruining my ability to look at any of the characters without wishing i was seeing your designs instead.

character wise aside from the white savoir bit, i'm having a bit of trouble understanding what the arc of the character is. she is shown to be naive, someone who doesn't understand how the world works but everytime she says something its something astoundingly clear like "people can actually get better". and its treated like someone demanded faygo in every water fountain. is the joke that the world around her to cynical or is so to naive? please pick one or the other.

now if you know me, you know i fucking hate overpowered characters with a blinding passion, one that would set alit the god damn abyss but in this one special instance, i feel like its warranted, she's the direct descendant of fucking God, she can swing her weight around a little, i mean god damn. she in so many instances looks like shes cowering so often, why would the daughter of lucifer get backed down by some rando pimp? why wasn't she the one to fight adam? sure you can say she is young but how young? her parents were there since pre-abrahamic times, most of the characters showed up in hell in the 1900s, some of them showed up in the 1600s, how old is charlie??? how long does it take for her to learn how to be strong? The story does not suffer if charlie is strong and knows she is strong. it can easily be a case of "i don't believe in violence to a weird degree". fit it into her apparent naivety about the world to believe that violence is never the answer even when dealing with a being that is unilaterally horrible and abusive and monstrous.

she ga- no im kidding, i do think her romance was waysided a bit, it would have been fine to have more scenes of them togather and in love you know?

14. Vaggie

why did you name the lesbian vaggie...? Don't do that maybe?

I like how her design is almost moth like but again i feel as though you could have amped that up.

she feels as though someone tried to combine undyne and pearl from steven universe, same story beats and design elements. it makes it hard to really distinguish her as a character.

i honestly dont have much to say about her. she is fine.

christ kill me, lets just get the big one out of the way

15. Alastor.

God Damn

where to start.

"alastor is mixed race" mixed with fucking what? concrete? there is not a single black feature on that creature, now im not saying you have to make him a png of louie armstrong but it wouldn't hurt to add a curl to the hair maybe? make it a tiny bit more wavy? Something? a crumb i beg of thee?

his symbolism is all over the god damn place, native american monsters (you know the one), voodoo, radio, puppets, stitches, circuses??? and Tentacles i guess. two of those are from closed religions so if you dumped those you would actually get a more concise character focused on the concept of vox populi as a means of societal control and influence as we see in his first song. but again that gets drowned out repeatedly by all the other random toy box bits shoved into him.

tumblr sexy man bait

he serves no purpose in the story. he does spooky stuff, pretends to do things and then goes back to sitting around looking spooky. i understand that his motif is supposed to be aloof mastermind but maybe have him do more mastermindy things? if you remove most of alastors scenes, bar the songs, it doesn't change all to much. husk and nifity can still be at the hotel, they could be looking for outs in their contracts the same as angel dust. hell it even helps with the one scene where he dose some spooky shit, asking charlie for a favor in exchange for his help in the fight with the angels instead of asking him about angel weapons which should have remained a strictly vaggie scene.

his presence in a way delegitimize the story, as I noted in in the section regarding redemption, the three parts are "what is the crime, do they want to change, what is stopping them?" and alastor kinda just spits in the face of that. he is a serial killer cannibal that has no qualms about how evil he is and apparently must continue being evil due to being under the control under someone legitimately called the Root Of All Evil. show him take a slight interest in the idea that maybe shit for him could be better, make him Want Change at the bare fucking minimum or dont have him at the hotel.

his stupid little fucking horns, big shot the troll liker wants characters to have big fucking horns, make them noticeable or dont have them.

he looks more like a dog boy, which could have been an interesting thing with the collar motif but fuck me i guess.

personal pet peeve but i fucking hate characters that have a million plus powers, stick to a set number, be creative.

im getting more petty as i go on so last point: he could have been in less episodes, he didn't need to be in dad beat dad, that should have been just a lucifer and charlie episode. inverse the red and black and i think he would be fucking great color wise, his body type is the same as ten different characters, he isnt radio enough, aside from the voice and and staff if you told me he was the fucking Cat Demon i would have been just as convinced.

16. Angel Dust

what the fuck, gay spider? its hard to actully articulate all the thoughts i have on angel dust, not in the sense that he is a deeply thought provoking character but in the fact that there is not much meat on the bones.

all around i think angel dust is kinda middling. he has a decent enough romance with husk, he has a decent enough story line that revolves around battling addiction and removing yourself from an abuser (which the story tries to brand as "Redemption???")

I dont like that most of his jokes would qualify as sexual harassment, i don't mind him being sexual as a character but continuing on when clearly someone doesn't like the jokes hurts the character.

not a critique but he is pink, which honestly ill fucking take at point, as long as its not more fucking red.

i think his design is an improvement over some of the old vivzie designs but it feels like it could have done with going a few more rounds of design changes.

same thing with alastor, charlie and vaggie, there is not enough of the animal that they are supposed to be. You could have told me angel dust was a fucking bee or something and i would have had to believe you. nothing about angel dust initially says spider, hell he dosent even have enough limps to be a fucking spider.

17. Carmilla carmine

are... are you supposed to be a rabbit...?

Big Yoai Hands

ballet fighting style, could have been cool, wish she fought more like sanji or chun li.

A single mom that works to hard, who loves her kids and never stops-

her song was decent, not great, decent. it feels as though the actress has experience singing but not in the way they tried to make her sing during her two songs. they have a obvious mexican influence, honestly just let her sing in spanish in the english dub. go listen to the spanish dub, "out for love" sounds great in spanish.

i wish i had more thoughts on them, fucking rip.

18. cherri bomb

that's not a punk aesthetic that's 2010s alt

decent character, they showed up once or twice i guess, no real thoughts.

19. egg boiz

absolutely perfect, i have not notes on them, these are perfect creatures.

20. Emily

im so fucking happy to see a singular blue character

does the naive dreamer bit better then charlie

We really shouldnt have seen her until the end of season two or middle of three.

good contrast with the other angels on screen.

Wait she is supposed to be black??? Where???

21. Husk

keith david you absolute delight, Why on gods green earth did they only give you one singing part?

one of the few charecters where its clear husk is a cat, i do like the kinda... marquee design, he is a magic cat, thats neat. i still think you can toss the wings and eyebrows and still have just as good of a charecter.

has a deeply intresting story of someone who died as a nobody, became the fat cat of hell and then was forced back to the bottom by their own vices, not used at fucking all.

huge potential, little pay off.

22. lillith

I know nothing about her except she ditched her kid and husband to vacation in heaven and i think thats kinda funny.

alot of werid things floating around her, again she shouldnt have been shown in the show at all until next season.

23. lucifer morningstar

no notes, funniest charecter, did a song based on friend like me.

few notes: i do like the idea that the immortal symbol of pride is a constant emotional wreckage constantly seeking approval through grand showmanship and manic energy that threatens to take over anything they touch.

would have liked more snake stuff on him, maybe some more goat things like horns.

that is such a stupid fucking staff lmao.

24. Adam.

alex brightman you absolute fucking delight, you should have had more songs.

I wish his design was more focused on the idea of him being a glam rock wash up

I fucking hate his mask

We shouldn't have met him until the end of the season.

25. Niffty

again she is supposed to be a bug or cockroach but nothing about her points to that.

token straight

keeps rocketing back and fourth between sexulization and infantilization

you had kimiko glenn but didnt give her a single fucking song?

26. Sir Pentious

the secret season one redeemed.

the pilot version of him felt more like someone that could do a season one redemption arc, a megalomaniac constantly attempting territory grabs, there is something you can work with, actual character flaws to work through.

essentially a child after the first episode.

actually a snake which i appreciate.

no where near steampunky enough.

27. the villians of the show dont make much sense, each one feels like they should be season long deals on their own instead of a bunch of team rocket esque idiots that show up on occasion, do a bad thing and then leave.

28. Valentino

gOD THERE IS SO MUCH RED

only a moth some of the time.

sucks as a villain, maybe they need more screen time to show why they suck in a more substantial way aside from being told that he sucks.

it is interesting that angel dust is only under his magical control when in the studio, it shows that angel dust has to make a conscious choice to return, which in turn can be made to show how abusers can draw back their victims. I do not think it was done well in this circumstance as it shows him to be cartoonishly evil, constantly flying back and fourth between sweet and utter psycho, there is no actual reason for angel dust to ever actually go back to the studio, he just does so every so often.

29. Vox

legit who cares? the only thing about him that is in any way substantial is all the dope ass fan art we get.

propaganda machine angle that is not explored at all, just hinted at. no actual barring on the story whatsoever.

why didn't he try to do the same shit as alastor by the way? he knows its bad if alastor gets in good with charlie so shouldn't it be a ass kissing race?

same body shape as literally every other male character.

tumblr sexy man version of pyrocynicals fursona.

30. Valvette

the actual poster child of the shows huge problem of "Show me, don't tell me".

apparently the glue that holds the villains together. never shown.

apparently the one that makes the love potions that valentino is famous for. had to learn about that in the fuckin wiki trivias

we know so much about her from things outside of the show.

was there to call carmilla a coward, that's her plot contribution. she shows up every now and again but its never anything substantial and serves to more around take up run time for people We Don't Need To Know Yet.

im not trying to be mean, animation is animation, we need smaller studios to have success in the industry so that other indie studios can have that success, felling a tree makes it easier for others to follow. showing that its possible to number brain rot exacs helps all animators.

but this show has so much bullshit attached to it, it has so much fucking potential that it fries my brain with unyielding frustration.

this took a bit to write, im tired, thanks for reading.

#hazbin hotel

[bluerosefox]

Invites

"OMA, kill meeeee" Ellie, aka Wrath complained as she allowed her head to 'thunk' on the cafeteria table in the Watchtower she phased into in order to sit in next to a boy dressed in red, yellow, and green.

"Aren't you already halfway there?" Came Robin's response as he took a drink of his water, eyeing his teammate with a raised eyebrow, though it was difficult to tell with his mask in place.

"OMA?" Asked Superboy on the other side of the boy.

"Shush you." She said towards Robin before answering Superboy "Oh my Ancients, it's like OMG but like for us ghosties."

"Tt" "Oh!" Came both their responses.

"So..." began Superboy after a few minutes of silence between them as he looked at Ellie like a confused puppy "Why?"

Ellie groaned and just stayed slumped on the table as she said "Da's dumb Observants council is hosting another dumb ball to try to get him or me hitched again, and like always I'm forced to attend because I'm Da's heir. We both hate it with a passion, most are just stuck up, power hungry, social climbers trying to get into our pants for the royal titles... Espcially if they become our Forevermores."

"Tt, why not just get rid of them? Or simply have your Father dismiss the ball." Robin said, his eye twitching in annoyance just at the thought of it. A ball sounded even more annoying than the gala parties he is made to go to.

"Sounds stressful... Also Forevermores?" Superboy asked, he was always curious of Ellie and her ghost culture but never knew what could be asked or not, he had been warned to never ask how a ghost died after all and that question is normally asked in every ghost hunter video on the internet.

"Forevermores is our term for the ONE. The one and only we will ever be with. Till our final end takes us we are always to be with them only. We are core creatures and bonding on that level is like sacred, we don't rush into bonding like that though. But everyone in the Realms hopes to be either become mine or Da's. And the ball is their best chance at meeting us on neutral grounds." Ellie explained as best as she could for Jon, it was hard trying to explain the type of level a Forevermore was "And to answer you Robin, Da can't. The Observants, despite how annoying they can get with their dumb demands, are part of the system council for the Realms, they're sadly needed to keep things in check hence their name. Da and his friends are still trying to find a loophole to get rid of them though. They were only created when they put Tyrant King to sleep and they still sadly have some backings from other powerful ghosts in the Realms, even an Ancient or two and in order to fully dismiss them we need all Ancients on board. And the ball keeps a lot of ghosts, especially the more powerful ones, errr I guess happy? Most just use it to gossip on neutral grounds, others just like to dance, network, or other junk like that. Basically, when it's not about them trying to get mine or Da's hand in ghost marriage, it's fun so Da can't dismiss it, it'll ruffle to many feathers."

"Wow..." "Tt." Were the response from her teammates.

"Yeah. Da really isn't happy because someone suggested inviting powerful people from a few Mortal Realms this time. Somehow it got approved. So... here." She said as she reached into her own chest, phasing her hand in, and pulled out two green envelopes and placed them on the table in front of them. Both boys stared in surprise to see their names written in dark purple ink and the stylized DP on it.

"CW let me invite you guys personally. Everyone else should be getting theirs in about a few minutes complete with a blaze of green fire and spooky vibes." Ellie said with a strained smile, both happy to invite them but also dreading the questions she'll no doubt have to answer once the invites were sent.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #crossover #dp x dc #blue rambles #danny phantom dc #writing ideas #random idea #dpxdc #dani phantom #danielle phantom #ghost king danny #princess dani #Ellie is Wrath in DC world #she joined Jon and Damian's team #everyone knows she the heir to the Infinite Realms #she is dreading the upcoming ball #she groans in annoyance when those around Danny's age take one look at him and decide to flirt #thats her Da stop flirting with him #is Danny a young adult like Jason's age or like Bruce's age idk? #either age frame works tbh #fyi this isnt my shenanigans idea it just spawned and woundnt let go

[evilminji]

Broadway :3c

And I hear ya. (Insert spooky joke here) There is a sprawling WEB of central hubs, for The Arts. For trade. For getting drunk and having a good time. The Zone is large and it is endless. You'll NEVER reach the far end. It can never reach you.

All things, in gentle sweeping waves, across eternity.

So when folks want to have "a market" or "a movie theater" or "the waterpark"? You gotta PICK a point on the endless map. Figure if you are close or far enough away for others like it, to make it worth the effort to build.

You might even be the first to do it for GALAXIES in any direction! People might fly for WEEKS to come to your place! Move their Lairs to be closer too it. Like dust gathered by gravity, slowly creating planets and stars. A mega Lair. A CITY.

They rise, they fall, the Zone shifts all the while.

But!

Does the dead starlet stop singing? Does getting gunned down, stop the show?? I think NOT! Where is her STAGE? What musicals? What dramas? What operas and tragedies and forms unknown to human kind??! Ballet dancers who CAN defy gravity! Singers who have no NEED for air! The haunting blend of instruments, that could never in life have met! From empires long turned to ASH!

The greatest show in DEATH!

Ember was a world wide hit. Yes, her voice was hypnotic. But that could be FOUGHT. It was SKILL that carried the game. And she was hardly "I was Literally The Greatest My Planet Ever Produced" skilled. She was good, great even. Not "I was Born For Greatness" Excellence.

And like?

.....eventually? Danny's gonna ask after "cultural-y" Culture stuff. Clothes and food. Music and the arts. To help his parents get used to the whole "our son is half-dead" thing. To show he's not some mindless monster now.

And? Ghostwriter? Probably an absolute legend. Does he know where you can find some CULTURE? Oh THANK ZONE! He thought you'd NEVER ask! You unsophisticated-! *fist fight in a library* Still a dick, though. Always and forever.

And just? Imagine Broadway stretched out into a floating city. That never sleeps. Never stops. Shows ever changing. Some on a cycle, some only once. Dream-like. Beautiful. Eye catching.

And yeah, Danny didn't think he LIKED musicals. It was more of a Jazz thing. But? This was important! Gotta get the whole family in the Speeder. We're going to see a play, guys! We'll pick when we get there! Family road trip! Educational! We can make notes!

His parents are trying to be supportive. Big, fixed, strained grins. Trying to pretend to be excited. But they... DO seem reluctantly intrigued? And Jazz is all but vibrating in her seat. It's basically her "before you go away to college" present. And she is THRILLED.

The longer she excitedly speculates? The more into it she gets their folks. This IS gonna be new! Exciting! Never before seen Ghost Culture! Music! As a FAMILY! Think we could find souvenirs? Ooooh, wonder if they sell CDs??!

Then? They GET there. And it's... it's like seeing the Las Vegas strip for the first time, except multiplied into a city. Made of even MORE styles and eras. At angles gravity would never allow.

The air filled with laughter and excitement, people rushing to shows or humming bits of tunes. Street stalls. Fountains. Flowers growing everywhere.

They could stay for months and not even reach a fraction of these buildings. His parents are taking countless photos. His sister squeeling with joy as she races for an information kiosk like they just arrived at Disneyland. He, at least, remembers to lock up the Speeder. Grab their day bags.

When did HE become the responsible one?

The argue over shows. Obviously. Wouldn't be Fenton's otherwise. HE wants to see the alien one. It's from mars! But it's his sister's trip, as his dad points out, so she gets to choose. She picks a musical set during the Fall of Krpton. He's... reluctantly kinda interested. I mean, EVERYBODY likes Superman, right?

It's... it's amazing. Terrible, but amazing. I mean? A coming of age story cut tragically short? Oof. Hello, massively projecting then getting FEELS about it! Yeah, sure, rip my heart out why don't you? He's fine. No, really! Just drowning in his own emotions over here. The refrain of "A Life Well Lived"? *gargling dying whale noises* he's FINE. Not grappling with anything! Go on without him!

Thankfully?

They DO sell CDs.

He... he may end up, kinda, getting a bit of a collection. Going on the weekends, hoping show to show. Wandering to whichever catches his eye in the moment. Buying the CDs for one's he likes. Which? Honestly is a lot of them. Even though there's all sorts of genres and languages. Cause it... it RESONATES you know?

The grief. The anger. The "I have died but I wasn't FINISHED. It isn't FAIR.". And? Something about ghost speak flows so BEAUTIFULLY in song? It's hard to explain. But he... he needs them.

A pair of headphones, a CD, and a clear night sky? Nothing touches it. It's like a trance made of light. Like he can just drift.

The problem? Is the CDs are kinda... Zone made? They're radioactive, for one. Nothing a Fenton CD player can't handle. But... they? Also? Kinda fuckin GLOW? Like... very, very noticeably. And not in a "ha ha, cool glow in the dark paint!" Sorta way.

.........but like FUCK is he leaving his music behind when he goes to college. Gotham will have to deal. It's already a burning shit-nado, it can handle this. Probably. He'll put um in a lead lined box. Actually, speaking OF.... he needs to get a few more of those... *goes back to packing*

Which? Is how? The Bats are treated to some of the most HAUNTING music they've ever heard, belted and crooned from Some Guy's speakers, out an open window, on the "stop for a mid-patrol drink of water and a snack" building. It's one of the intersections of their patrol routes. And THAT? That is some dude listening to a Romani ballad about death and the circus. Now it's a musical about the trenches of an obscure war.

Okay, that was DEFINITELY Kryptonian. Like... coherent Krypto- *Bruce gets a call from Clark on his "work" number DEMANDING to know where that is coming from. Who is that voice Bruce?!* huh.... Well Then.

@hdgnj @hypewinter @nerdpoe @lolottes @babbling-babull @spidori @mutable-manifestation @the-witchhunter

#dpxdc #dp x dc #dc x dp #dc x dp prompt #danny phantom #minji's writing #broadway of the Zone au #Danny's music au

[thehmn]

I’m currently listening to Maren Uthaug’s book 11% about a world where most men have died. I should probably wait until I’ve finished the book but I’m so fascinated by the world building.

As of now it’s still unclear why the men died but when the story takes place there’s a mix of older women who fucking hates men and young women who have only met drugged up men at “breeding centers” and imagine “males” as violent boogeymen but otherwise don’t really care and just want to live in the new seemingly perfect society their grandmothers fought for. The only people who still fight for men’s rights are witches who believe masculine energies are as natural and Of Nature as feminine energies, but even they sound more like animal rights activists, standing outside breeding centers with signs every Friday. Their most provocative sign is a picture of a man with Human written on it.

Christianity has been completely transformed and is now run by priests (they don’t call themselves priestess) who can only hold ceremonies when they have their periods and snakes are their most sacred symbol because they gave knowledge to Eva and God is called The Mother.

Trans men exist but are referred to as Man Women and they all seem to be sex workers who have functional silicone penises, though I’m not far enough into the story to know if they have other jobs. They generally also still have breasts because working as a wet nurse is another source of income for them. Testosterone treatments is not an option because it would make them too masculine and dangerous to be allowed into society but they all have male names and everyone use male pronouns for them.

A really fascinating aspect of the world is how people want to get rid of the old “patriarchal architecture” of straight lines and boxes but refuse to tear it down with machines, instead insisting on letting Mother Nature reclaim it. Only Rat Girls are actively trying to destroy the old buildings by releasing hoards of rats into them and planting bamboo to break up the concrete. New buildings have round shapes and are build in ways that make them blend in with cultivated nature and inside they’re painting in beautiful colors with no hard edges. They sound a lot like colorful hobbit homes. Also, locks are considered uncivilized and of a time when violent men roamed the earth and made life unsafe so nothing, from front doors to bathrooms, have locks. For a while after most men died women would go for Night Walks to relish in the fact that they no longer had to be afraid, though they liked to visit the witches at night because it felt a little spooky, which the witches thought was good fun.

The story is naturally about a middle aged witch who is hiding a young boy illegally and gets milk from one of the trans men in the red district while also sleeping with a Christian priest who struggles with her sacred job because her periods are irregular.

I’ll come back with follow up thoughts once I’ve finished it. Unlike what you might think, Maren Uthau isn’t a scary man hater. I’ve listened to most of her other books and this isn’t a recurring trope so clearly she has something to say specifically with this story and it’s rated pretty highly by both male and female readers. I think I’m in for quite the ride.

#humontalks #books and reading #Maren Uthaug

[saiharajimmeofficial]

el gatito

#her name is spooky #unfortunately she is not my cat but one of my irl's #shes very polite though and she allowed me to take this photo of her while i played pokemon monopoly among my companions #cat #kitty meow meow #little meow meow #kitty #pet #cats

[trashcanplant]

The Harvest

Mob Au to @//clownsuu

Penny to @cherrythepuppet

Vince to @cloudy-dreams

TW: Spooky scary scarecrows send shivers down your spine! Rotting meat.

Grover sat at the bar, keeling over a hearty glass of rye whiskey like there was no tomorrow. He felt miserable, grabbing at his chest and struggling to breathe. His mind spaced out, and when he came back to reality, Penny was sitting beside him.

“Ugh… what do you want.” He groaned, slamming back another cup. Grover let Howdy finish pouring him a new one before he turned back to Penny.

With the changing of the seasons in full swing and clumps of leaves layering the ground, she had now taken a poofy feather boa oon her bare shoulders. The little lady raised her eyebrows at him as a snarky grin graced her lips.

“Hi.” She said quickly, turning to Howdy and raising her finger. He nodded silently and started to prepare a Shirley Temple.

“Doesn’t answer my question.” Grover grumbled worthlessly, sinking into the bar stool like his roots were planting into the ground.

“Well, Scarycrow—“ Penny began before a cough from Grover interrupted her.

“Not my name.” He growled. Penny rolled her eye.

“Yeah, anyway, Boss told me to tell you ‘Feed him’ So. Feed him. Whatever that means. Has he started talking in third person?” She questioned, looking down at the pear bracelets over her opera gloves. Grover perked up. He looked out the window, downed his drink, and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Penny asked, reaching for her drink that Howdy had just finished shaking and topping with whipped cream and cherries. Her eye followed Grover as he grabbed a coat.

“Out.” He said. This piqued Penny’s curiosity. She’d heard from Antoni that Grover wasn’t allowed ‘out’ without permission. She hopped from her barstool, chasing Grover into the night.

“You’re not allowed out! Boss said-“

“Boss told me that I need to go when he gives the word. Where the fuck are those birds..” He growls, eyes on the skies as he listens for a distant cawing. His eye spots two birds, barely visible behind the night sky as they cry from their branch. Grover huffs, turning to Penny.

“You’re helping me make a delivery.” He said sharply, practically dragging her by the arm to one of the cars.

“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” She shouts, struggling against his grasp.

“Help me make the delivery and I get you whatever treat you want.” Grover replies, getting her in the car. It’s not the usual continental that he’d drive. It’s a pickup truck, back covered with a tarp. Penny sits in the passenger seat, holding her arm nervously.

“Fine.”

And they drive off into the night. Penny watched as the lights from the city began to dim. The truck passed by the warehouse that marked the edge of town and drove farther than that and parked at the tree line. Grover got out of the truck and took the cover off the truck bed.

It was a cacophony of flies, buzzing over the top half of a deer. It had been ripped in half, and smelled like it had been a long time since it had died. Its guts had stained the bed red and maggots had begun to creep through the deers skin and pelt. Grover looked down on it, grabbing it and easing it out of the truck. It hit the ground with a somehow wet squelch. Something leaked from the deer.

“Help me.” Grover said, and when Penny got around the truck she screamed. It alerted the crows which dotted the trees, and Grover slapped a still wet glove against her mouth.

“Shut the fuck up. Vince don’t like noise.” He commanded. Penny stared at him with a wide eye, shivering in her unfit-for-weather dress.

“Grab the back.” Grover said, looking over his shoulder into the tree line. Penny squirmed, reaching down to try and carry her half of the weight. It was unfair, Grover had to lean all the way down and walk backwards into the trees with Penny trying to direct him in the dim light. He was pricked by several brambles and stabbed with sticks.

When the pair passed the tree line and entered the clearing, it was like walking into the world’s most terrifying sculpture park. The figures were all in the midst of fleeing. To the untrained eye it would look like wood carvings, but the way that the flies landed on them and how new branches grew from they eye sockets and mouths of these people made it obvious that it wasn’t just sculpture.

Grover and Penny carried the deer, sticks crunching under their shoes. The two approached the center of the field and Grover dropped the deer. He looked around at the stillness, searching for something in the trees. Penny felt uncomfortable, her head on a swivel as she looked through the field. She could have sworn she saw one of the bodies still breathing.

Grover whistled, taking a step away from the dearly departed deer.

“Watch em feast.” He said with a little grin on his face. The crows flooded from tree line, swooping at the carcass. Grover laughed, and Penny turned over her shoulder to see a hunched over figure with dark eyes and an elongated mouth. She screamed, grabbing onto Grover who looked down at her.

When his eyes landed on Vince in the darkness, reaching out to grab Penny, Grover swatted his hand away.

“No, Vince. I get’cher real hungry to have someone new join ya but not her. She’s family.” Grover said, staring at Vince as the cut noose swayed around his neck. They held eye contact. Vince opened his mouth and murmured something in a low, unfamiliar tone that sent chill down Penny’s spine.

“Look, how bout next time I bring one here fer ya I’ll letcha do yer tree thing an’ all that. I like them screams too, gotta admit..” Grover said with a low chuckle. Vince had a raspy laugh, not saying a word but staring at Penny. Grover looked down at her again.

“Her names Penny. I needed an extra set a hands pullin’ the deer. I know ya like a bit of a scaredy-cat, but I got reprimanded by Wally when I had brought Poppy out here. You ‘member her, Vince? Real tall bird broad?” Grover said. Penny had a look of horror plastered on her face as she kept a grip on Grover’s pants. Vince did not respond, reaching out a finger to graze against Penny’s skin. The taller of the scarecrows grabbed at the other, holding his gloved hand tightly.

“I’ll see what I can fix up fer ya. But not her. Not her.” Grover said protectively. The crows behind him cawed as they finished their feast and flew back into the trees. The plot was silent again, save for Vince’s ragged breathing. Penny stared up at Grover, then at Vince.

“D’ya need help spreading the bones across the field?” Grover asked. He gave Penny a little pat, a nonverbal way of telling her to head back to the truck. As she began to walk away, Vince turned his head with an audible creak. Grover kept his attention, talking to him calmly.

It took over an hour for Grover to return to the pickup truck. Penny was asleep, her head against the window. Grover glanced out the driver side window at Vince who stood just beyond the tree line. He waved goodbye, then turned around on the road to drive home.

From just under Penny’s opera glove, a small leaf began to sprout.

#welcome home oc #grover haymaker #penny peaches #vince vineyard #mob au #welcome home au #welcome home mob au #mob grover haymaker #mob penny peaches #mob Vince vineyard #planty stories