I’m having some things to take care of and it’ll probably leave me a bit too drained to write for the next week, so I’m taking a semi-hiatus. I might reply to things as usual and dash and everything else (It’s actually a great distraction), but just in case I’m too tired to do it I’ve decided to take a semi-hiatus until the 22.
Sorry to everyone I’m writing or have plots with, I should definitely be back next week at the latest and know that I’m excited for each and every single plot or convo we’re having <3
I’m not sure I ever have and I’d like to keep it that way if the bar is set somewhere that sounds like it’s below MRE’s.
Sure, you can eat to survive but you could also eat to nourish yourself and enjoy your food at the same time.. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t take that option but I appear to be in the minority in this town. I much prefer the the “teach a man to fish” philosophy. Much less continued effort on my part and much less reliance on me on yours.
So what I’m hearing is that you’re willing to teach me. Awesome, it’s a deal, consider your driveway snow-free! When can I come over for my lessons? Can you teach me to make pies? Apparently there’s a huge pie business in this town, can you believe there’s people selling them for 50 bucks a piece? I could definitely use that kind of cash. I’d even be willing to share my profits with you.
[User blinks a lot at the wall of text wondering if its important and why people talk so much]
Bearson sounds great. I’m sure that couple thought it was hilarious.
No, I’m exposing the library as being a public institution that came face to face with a ghost and lied about it, while privately admitting they are aware of their existence. They are keeping the truth from the public.
The Bearon is a dangerous monster and those two were so rude are lucky to be alive.
Oh. That sounds... I mean, I’m conflicted. I’ve always loved the library (do you have any idea how many students go there to freak out about their thesis? That’s like an all-you-can-eat buff but I’m also against witholding the truth of any kind. Especially about things like ghosts: you can’t trust the internet on that, so you’d assume books would be reliable, right?
[pm] That’s more than fair, but even if you’re not sure of what plan you’d like, it’s probably not a bad idea to write down at least the one you’re leaning towards the most. You’re a mortuary science major, so I don’t need to tell you this but–you never know when you or Tiffany or Jessica might need it. That’s so cool, though. What got you into it? I’ve got to ask because honestly, it’s not a really popular field of study for some reason. Do you like it so far? How many corpses have you
Thankfully I don’t have anything to do with anyone’s will readings but I’ve heard some pretty horrific stories that are pretty in line with your hypothetical. It’s gotten pretty damn tense too between the decedent’s spouse and their mister/mistress. Not once in school did they prepare me for having to be a bouncer at someone’s funeral but that’s definitely a thing. Oh, I’ve got so many stories, kid. There’s a whole lot of good and bad working at a funeral home in a town this size, with a death rate this size. I see a lot of familiar faces, unfortunately. But with the high death rate comes a lot of weird, sometimes violent deaths, so the reconstructions I get to work on are super fun and challenging. I have a whole portfolio of the more gross labor intensive ones, if you ever want to check them out?
[pm] You’re right, it’s one of those “better safe than sorry” situations, I’ll definitely write it down properly soon. Hey, maybe I could appoint you as my funeral director of choi Keep it in your coffin, Rivera. Well, it was either mortician or movie director. Horror movies, to be specific. But I also like most people, so I figured a job that’d let me help, feed and be in contact with them would be great. And just between you and I? Reconstructions are way cooler than movie make up and special effects. Granted, we’re just working on basic embalming and makeup, but I’m excited to see some of the more advanced techniques.
I would love to check out your portfolio, it must be incredible! I don’t mean to sound like some raging fanboy, but I watch the news. Just this month there’s been like two different animal maimings. Which is terrible, and I feel awful for being excited about it, of course, and I would never want to disrespect the families. But at the same time working on hard cases like those must be so stimulating! Granted, you probably weren’t in charge of those specific cases because you’re closed and are the rumors true? Please I need to kno I’m just saying, in this town? I bet I could learn so much from someone that works here. Please teach m
Magic, huh? Never heard of it put like that before, but I can’t say I mind. Just say the word when, okay?
I’m not even sure if you can, with the whole dead thing. I haven’t done any research, but a lot of magic has no effect on me anymore. But, I’ve never seen a giant bear, or any kind of bear, so probably thrilled with fear first. And, hey, fear is primal. I don’t think you’ll ever really lose your touch. You scared Jeryn pretty well. It really was just bad luck with me. Between how many dead animals I’ve seen with my girlfriend and the stuff I eat (brains are the protein and veggies, organs and stuff are the chips and chocolate, especially eyeballs), I was just really pre-disposed to find that kind of image…pretty normal.
You’re right, that really is beautiful.
[user is cackling idle]
Oh, stars. Well now that I know that, I definitely need to look into how to engineer that kind of chemical transformation like that. No need to disrespect or dishonor the forests like that. They belong together anyway. But a beautiful immortal tree that’s maybe kind of cursed is not the kind of right on the nose inspiration I expected. Thank you for that, Gabe.
.
[pm] Call me old fashioned, but I’m not in the habit of just inviting myself over to someone else’s place, you tell me when it’ll be more convenient for you and your girlfriend, I definitely wanna meet your girlf. Especially because, huh, you’re the one that’s gonna have to decompose a little bit, the least I could do is adapt my schedule to yours, right? Huh, unless you need me to invite myself over to prove that I’m not a vampire.
So you do eat brains! But are they human brai You know what? I don’t really want to know. Alright, serious question. Gigantic bear versus zombie, who would win? Huh, not that I would want to fight you, but it’s just one of those things I love to do. Like Saruman vs Voldemort, Freddy vs Jason,... You get the picture.
If you want I could help you with making the tree look super extra haunted. I told you, I’m on good terms with a few ghosts, plus illusions. It’d be good practice, really, and a good meal. You know, as long as that’s something you’d like, I wouldn’t want to disrespect your memorial tree.
[pm] Uhh, I don’t know many bird species, but I do really like owls. Do you think we could get an owl to show up?
All things considered, I think Gae is a cute name. I actually knew a lady named Gay once, she worked with my mom on some stuff. Alright, I can do that! We can be Gae and Bex, the three-letter name squad. Has a certain ring to it, don’t you think? Actually, the closest thing I’ve ever played to a video game was a virtual pinball machine at a hotel once. Sorry. You sure you still wanna be my friend?
[pm] Don’t owls eat small animals? Maybe we could just hang some dead mice around and hope to draw crows and owls. That would be so cool. Way better than any old boring birdhouse, right?
Of course I wanna be your friend! Three-letter name squad, remember? Leave no one behind, that’s a squad rule. Not even if the killer’s already hooked you twice and you’re standing right in front of the exit: even then you always come back for your buddy, or you die trying. That’s a game reference, you probably don’t get it now, but trust me, stick with me long enough and you will. You sure you still wanna be my friend?
Pepperoni pizza never needed honey. Ever. Just use the honey when you cook. Put it on some toast or something. But fucking hell don’t ruin the honey and the pizza in the same bite. Disgusting. There’s no way cafeteria food is worse than pizza with honey. Or ramen and peanut butter and jelly. Putain de merde.
Hey I never offered to feed you. I’m not a charity. How have you survived this long without knowing how to take care of yourself? Cooking is a basic fucking skill, why do so few of you have it?
You obviously haven’t had cafeteria food in a while.
And hey, I don’t need to cook the food to get by. As long as whatever I eat is edible I will survive, right? Cooking only makes it better. Which is why I asked you, an expert, to feed me. But I wouldn’t want you to do it for free, mami taught me better than that. I could, huh, clear your driveway from the snow, or paint your fence or something like that.
Yeah, a good number of years. Six now, maybe? So, new-ish means what? A few weeks? A month? What brought you here?
College. It’s close enough to home that I could go and visit my family every weekend, and it has a great mortuary science program. Also I’m at that stage in my life where I just want to have a fresh sta spread my wings and fly on my own, and what better place for that than a town that looks like it’s been penned by Stephen King himself? Seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised to stumble across White Crest’s very own pet sematary. What brought you here?
Ah, I see. Makes it easier. Is that what you’re studying too? Number 3? What’s the rest? Yeah, something about the sunsets at the park uh, gets people uh It’s a very romantic setting. We just try to leave people to have their time. No, I don’t know
It’s not that much. Just some. I’ve been there about three years, and I still don’t think I’ve had enough time to consider myself an expert. There’s always weird shit in hikes as long as you don’t find bodies you can deal Do you mean the park have you seen the “beavers” yet or the town in general? I’m sure you’ve noticed this town is pretty odd.
.
No, I’m studying Mortuary Science. Nature is just a hobby, and not one where I excel. My knowledge about it only goes as far as “this sparks joy, this does not spark joy”. You wanna know my list of first dates plans? Aren’t you a bit ol Huh, ok.
5. Study date. It’s awful, because it’s studying, but it would keep me from being incredibly awkward, with all the stuttering and the fidgeting that I’d probably do during a first date. Plus, I’m passionate about my field of study, and I don’t want people to be freaked out by it later and leave m like to think that would be endearing to some, right? Plenty of fascinating anecdotes to be shared.
4. Movie and dinner. Specifically in that order: So we can talk about the movie during dinner. Again, avoiding awkward silences is paramount.
3. The park. It’s nice, it’s romantic, it’s big enough that we can just go our separate ways without it looking weird if we decide we don’t click. And even if there’s no spark we could still have an adventure, I’ve heard there’s lots of weird things to be found.
2. Quarter. I know, I know, lame, but I like what I like, and I won’t apologize for that. It’s also the one place where I feel confident about my skills and would get to show off a little bit. Well, not the one place, there’s actually another one, which brings us to number...
1. Bored to Death. There’s no better way to break the ice than to play games together. You know how in movies they say you don’t really know someone until you’ve fought them? Same principle, but instead of a fist fight it’s Settlers of Catan. Which, in my experience, can be just as cutthroat.
And hey, three years sound like a lot. I’ve only been here since the beginning of school and I’ve already seen a zombie and heard so many rumors. I’m gonna limit my “have u heard any cool legends?” to the park only, but that’s just because it sounds like that would be your area of expertise. Would you like to be on my podca Sooo... Coolest rumor about the park you’ve ever heard, go!
I don’t think it was a window or glass door or anything… but honestly maybe you’re right. Ugh, that’s embarrassing. I was pretty tired when I went out to the store so maybe I just dozed off on my feet or something and didn’t even realize. I don’t normally just run into glass like that.
Hey, if it makes you feel better, I run into glass all the time. Well, not all the time, but often enough that I don’t find it surprising when it does happen. Then again, I’m also the sort of person that pulls when it says push, so I admit being better than me is not that reassuring.
Still, being that tired is a little unusual. At the cost of sounding like a middle-aged mom, are you eating well? Getting enough sleep? Staying hydrated? I only ask because usually when I doze off like that it’s because I probably have the instinct to hibern spent the previous night up trying that randonautica app. Great for impromptu adventures, not so good for my GPA.
Description: Just two guys chasing an urban legend. Because that's always wise.
Gabriel waited at the campus entrance, excitedly fidgeting with the clasps of his backpack. He'd checked his supplies three times already, but he figured going through it all a fourth time would be wise: while normally he faced these mystery adventures with nothing but a lot of optimism and the knowledge that push comes to shove he could just turn into a bear, this time he had something to prove. After all, he didn't want to look bad in front of Rio; the guy had sounded so knowledgeable online, and genuinely nice, definitely the sort of person Gabe would love to have as a friend, he needed this little trip to go well. Flashlight? Check. Spare batteries? Check. Beef jerky snacks? Double check. Matches, pocketknife, water? Che- Crap, he forgot the water. He thought about making a run for the closest vending machine, but as he turned he spotted a figure. Gabriel squinted, adjusting his glasses. “Rio!” he called out as soon as he recognized the guy from his profile picture. With an excited wave, he quickly approached him and held up the old Polaroid camera hanging from his neck. Click. The machine buzzed as it printed a picture of Rio, which Gabriel promptly grabbed and started to wave around, waiting for it to develop. “Ah, huh, sorry about that. It's just... You're the first one that actually agreed to come with me on one of these adventures and I want to record everything. Which I now realize is the perfect premise for a Blair Witch Project situation, so maybe not the best idea... Oh, well.” Gabriel dismissed the thought with a shrug and offered Rio the picture he'd just taken. “You can keep it, if you want. Also, huh, I'm Gabe. Nice to meet you in person!”
Admittedly, Orion was very intent on finding nothing tonight. There were enough horror stories in Rio’s life that he absolutely did not need to add some terrifying urban legend to the mix. Despite how much he didn’t want to go out into a cornfield with the sole intention of running into trouble, he also really enjoyed talking to Gabe. And he would have to compromise if it meant making friends. He just hoped that compromising didn’t involve getting mauled to death by something tonight. The urban legend was most likely just that. Unfortunately, Rio was all too familiar that there were way more things that went bump in the night that the two should be afraid of. As soon as Rio pulled into a parking spot and hopped out, the guy who Rio assumed was Gabe called out his name and ran over to him, lifting a camera in the process. Rio rushed to try to smile nervously, raising an awkward hand into a thumbs up. “No! You’re good. I love the enthusiasm” He laughed, happy to meet someone knew with such a positive experience. “Great. I find that talking about horror movies where everyone dies really helps build my confidence.” Sarcastic humor had never really been Rio’s forte. He had always been far too awkward for that. But how could he not have picked some of it up after being friends with Blanche and Nell this long? He was trying to get better at socializing anyways. “No you’re good. If I die you can use it to remember me by. It’s nice to meet you too!” Rio held a hand out as a formal introduction. “So a few minutes outside the campus is where a lot of the cornfields are. I figure we can drive there and start looking around? It should be getting dark before too long.”
Gabriel inhaled deeply, immediately feeling reinvigorated. He felt a little guilty about it, but he couldn't help it. Rio was exactly the sort of person that could keep him well fed for a week: he was wrapped in nervousness and apprehension, which made him feel like a delicious burrito to Gabriel. He shook his head, pushing the thought aside: no feeding on potential friends, that was the rule. “If it makes you feel better, there's some debate still going on about the movie's ending, so... Maybe they're not really dead?” Gabriel shook Rio's hand with enthusiasm and offered him his most reassuring smile. “Sounds like a plan as long as you drive.” The sunlight, along with the reflection of it on the snow, made it harder for Gabe to see, and he was not an irresponsible idiot: he may go monster hunting for fun, but he would not put himself at the wheel of a death machine in those conditions. “And hey, don't worry. If we get chased by something I'll probably trip and get caught before you, so you're most definitely gonna make it. Also I'm genre savvy, I know all the rules.” He kept chatting as they made their way to the car, and on the drive to the cornfields. “First of all, we can't, under any circumstances, split up. If this were a movie I'd be the comic relief, and you'd be the smart guy that could piece the whole mystery together if only he had one more scene, so our chances of survival would be slim at best. But as long as we stick together, we have decent odds.” As he spoke, Gabriel kept his eyes to the side of the road. Buildings and sidewalks slowly turned to bare fields and the occasional snow sculpture. More than once Gabe held his breath, thinking they'd just drove past a scarecrow only to realize the figure in question was only a snowman, or a particularly resilient sapling. “And, huh, rest of the rules really depends on what sort of creature we're facing. So go on, give me the deets!”
“I’m trying to figure out if I’d rather disappear or just end up dead in the Blair Witch universe.” Orion may not be a horror movie fanatic, but had always found the world building of horror movies fascinating. He usually only watched horror movies if his sister wanted to growing up. But he had gone down more than one rabbit hole reading about the fictional world of the Blair Witch mythology. He absolutely did not want to end up one of those victims. “I’m pretty sure I’d rather just die and get it over with.” Despite the anxiety that Rio felt as he climbed into the car and willingly drove to a cornfield in White Crest, he couldn’t deny that he wasn’t enjoying his time. Gabe’s attitude was light hearted and friendly, one that Rio wished he had a bit more of. That free spirit and willingness to indulge in a fantasy or fictional world was something Rio had always done internally but never really had much of an outlet to share the world with. At least until last year. He was still figuring out how to break out of that shell. But he wasn’t completely blind to the fact that this was a pretty guy being nice to him and he was still able to make conversation. That in itself was a huge step up from how Rio had previously stumbled and mumbled through conversations with Ricky or Adam before Rio started dating Winston.
“Right. The rules. Very important in any horror movie.” Or at least Orion had read about that trope. Admittedly, the rules of a fake horror movie didn’t seem to apply to White Crest. He listened intently to the rules, allowing himself to entertain the idea that they were tropes in a horror movie with seemingly slim chances to live. “Gay people totally die in horror movies don’t they? Oh my god, I’m totally going to die.” Rio’s sigh was dramatized but sincere. He kept reminding himself that they were completely safe and exploring an urban legend. “No splitting up. Got it.” He gave a thumbs up toward Gabe while driving and tried to think of any other useful information. “Not a lot is known, honestly. Usually when people talk about the thing they always say that they knew a friend who had a mom who’s cousin's boyfriend’s teacher disappeared after going out looking for it or something. Sometimes they call it Stingy Jack, depending on what version of the story it is.” Rio snapped his fingers as a random thought came to mind, “Oh! He apparently likes to stitch skin and other body parts onto himself. So that’s gross.”
“Ah, the age old dilemma. Am I better off dead?” Gabriel had pondered over that question many times, it was inevitable when most of your hobbies -not to mention your diet- revolved around the macabre and the terrifying. “Personally I think I'd rather disappear. If I did, I'd always have a chance of reappearing, right? And sometimes a chance is all you need.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, and turned again to stare at the landscape changing. “Ah, sorry. Didn't mean to get all philosophical.” Gabriel perked up when Rio mentioned being gay: it meant he was comfortable enough around him to bring up what to most people was a private, sometimes difficult topic (One that Gabe himself had never really thought about too hard), and if nothing else Gabriel was appreciative of that. “Cheer up, buddy, that trope's slowly becoming less and less common in modern media, thank God.” He gave Rio a quick pat on the shoulder, doing his best to be supportive and encouraging.
Gabriel listened carefully, brows furrowed as his mind tried to piece together all the fact into a narrative that made sense. “Stingy Jack, you said he used to be a salesman... Stitches body parts onto himself, huh? Maybe his wares cost an arm and a leg,” Gabe looked far too pleased with himself for that pun, he even laughed at his own joke. “...and people weren't willing to pay.” He rummaged through the backpack he put between his knees, pulling out his wallet after a few moments. He checked inside, and sighed. “Only a few quarters. Great for the arcade, not so much for bribing a shark. You don't happen to be rich, do you? Because I'm thinking throwing money at this dude might be a solution.” Gabriel carefully put the wallet back and stood straighter on his seat now that they'd finally reached the snow covered cornfields. “Even if it's not money, maybe just making an offering, or at least sounding appreciative of his wares might put us on his good si-- Pull over!!” Those last words were practically shouted. Gabriel frantically pointed at a spot not too far from them, where a slim shadow towered over cobs and stalks, a dark silhouette that stood out in the field of white. “There, you see? No snow! Which means it's moved recently!” Gabe knew he shouldn't be this excited about facing a potentially deadly urban legend, but this was the first time one of his myth-hunting adventures had gotten him so close to something more than just a bored ghost or a regular house just in need of some repairs. To him that slim figure might as well be the round, jolly outline of Santa.
Orion thought deeper on Gabe's defense. Sure, he could reappear. The question was, did he actually have any desire to? “Sure, but what if I come back to something way worse?” Rio questioned, tapping fingers against his chin inquisitively. “I don’t really want a Captain America situation. I can barely keep it together now, the last thing I need is the culture shock of the future.” Rio found himself grinning when Gabe encouraged him and patted him on the shoulder. The simple gesture from someone had been enough to make Rio cringe away months ago. But things were different now. Or they were starting to be at least. “I’m totally going to hold you to that. If I die I’m haunting you.”
A mix between a laugh and a sigh escaped Orion’s mouth at Gabe’s pun. If nothing else, at least the guy had a sense of humor. Maybe he didn’t believe in the supernatural enough to actually be scared that there was a slim chance this could actually be real. Or maybe he was just really good at keeping his cool in spite of possible danger. Either way, Rio could appreciate it as something he wasn’t able to bring to the table himself. “Hah. No. Not rich.” Not anymore at least. Rio hadn’t quite figured out his parent’s finances post murder yet, and he hadn’t decided if he wanted their money at all. Pressing on the brakes and using the grass along the side of the road as his own personal parking spot, Rio stared at the spot that Gabe had pointed it. It definitely could be a coincidence, but it was a good observation. Rio slipped out of the car but stuck next to it, glancing back and forth between the scarecrow and Gabe. His childlike wonder was a fantastic juxtaposition from Rio’s own wide eyed apprehension. “Great. I hate this already and the sun hasn’t even gone down. Don’t get too close to that scarecrow.”
Gabriel had to admit, there was some truth to what Rio was saying: the chance to come back to something worse was very real. Not to mention, the trauma of going through whatever the Blair Witch characters went through, thinking about it was enough to give him nightmares, and he fed on fear. Yet Gabe also knew that death was... Final. Unless you turned into a ghost, of course. Or a zombie. Or a vampire, maybe... But honestly, how common could that be? As far as he knew, in the majority of cases death was The End. He'd seen a few corpses in embalming class, and no matter how peaceful they were made to look, to Gabe they always appeared... Empty. Not something he wished for himself, or any of his friends, so when Rio joked about his death Gabriel vehemently shook his head. “Dude! Never mention dying, that's another rule. It's like saying 'it could be worse',” That last part was said in a particularly annoying high-pitched voice. “It's just asking for trouble. So no talks of death. Besides, you strike me as a nice guy. You know, the kind that'd spend his eternal spectral existence folding people's clothes. I know because that's what I'd do. And that's not haunting, that's house-keeping.”
Honestly, Gabriel wasn't really expecting to find anything: urban legends were legends because it took a lot more than a 5 minute drive to find some proof, but Rio's anxiousness (Which he could still feel and made it oh so hard not to just feast on the guy) was making the whole experience so much better, it was easy to buy into the fantasy of it all. As he took a few steps toward the scarecrow, camera in hand, Gabe actually held his breath, feeling a cold shiver that was equal parts excitement and nerves. Once he got a few feet away from the figure, he let out a disappointed groan. “Nevermind, it's just a regular scarecrow.” he called out to Rio, snapping a quick picture. He didn't even wait for it to develop before returning to the car; if he had, maybe he might have noticed the slight twitch of those long, bony twig fingers. “C'mon, the sun is almost down, and even I am not dumb enough to go looking for demonic salesmen in the middle of the night. I'd say we have time for one more field, and then it's back to the dorms with popcorn and Nat Geo, mh?” Once he was back in the car, Gabriel finally studied the picture he'd just taken, chuckling to himself before showing it to Orion. “You gotta admit, though, that sack on his head looks creepy. Almost mummified. And the football jersey? That's a nice touch! Think he stole it from someone at campus?”
“I can’t talk about death even though we are searching for a guy that kills people? That seems ironic.” Orion laughed, hovering by the car as Gabe inspected the scarecrow. He found himself shying away from staring at the thing for too long. Maybe he was too afraid that it was going to jump at Gabe and attack him or something. Rio had always fallen way too easily for jump cares. “An eternity of folding clothes? I always assumed I was going to hell…” As if his parents didn’t discuss the idea enough. By the time he was in high school, Rio almost preferred the idea if he had a guarantee it would keep him as far away from his parent’s as humanly possible. Though he wasn’t really religious anymore, he had connected the dots that his deceased parents were not in any version of heaven that he was familiar with. He felt a small amount of relief when Gabe assured him that it was just a regular scarecrow, though his fears hadn’t completely diminished. The getup seemed wrong. Probably nothing more than a joke or quick jab at the college located not far away. But still, he couldn’t help but think about the number of college kids that went missing every semester. “Yeah. I couldn’t agree with you more. Let’s check out one more cornfield and then head back and do the safe college kid activity.” He was already opening the car door and sliding in while yelling to Gabe through the open window.
“Allegedly kills people.” Gabriel corrected with a smile. “We don't know if he kills them or just tortures them and then leaves them for dea-” He closed his eyes and shook his head, abruptly stopping himself. As delicious as a good scare always was, he had decided that he did not want to freak Rio out, because Rio had been one of the first people who'd actually accepted to follow him on one of his crazy explorations. He hadn't been enthusiastic about it, but he was there with Gabe, and to Gabriel that meant more than he could put into words. So he fought his very own nature and decided to spare Rio another long rant about the gruesome possibilities. “Nevermind. Hey, you know what? This whole Stingy Jack thing is losing its appeal, to be honest. He's no Spring Heeled Jack, or Jack the Ripper. He's more like Jack the Rip off, am I right?” Gabriel looked down at the picture with a sigh. Another time, Jack, he promised to himself as Rio started the car. “I think we can call it a day. Mostly because I'm fairly sure whatever snacks you have won't last another cornfield.” Gabriel fastened his seat belt before turning to face Rio, suddenly a serious expression. “Hey, Rio... Thanks for today. Meant a lot to me.” That last part was mumbled under his breath, not because Gabriel was ashamed of it, but because while he had no qualms with freaking people out by talking extensively about gore and creepypastas and corpses, he definitely didn't want to make Rio uncomfortable or saddle him with the weight of being one of the very first friends he'd made in town. He chuckled and clumsily punched Rio's shoulder again, the way he'd seen jocks do after a game. “It's people like you that make the college experience much more fun than high school.”
Orion rolled his eyes and laughed at Gabe’s ‘alleged’ comments. All of those things were basically the same to Rio, but he supposed there was something to be said for the idea of not immediately being murdered. Rio was starting up the car and ready to pull off and towards the cornfield down the road when Gabe started talking again, making another cheesy joke about the urban legend which pulled another exasperated laugh from Rio. “You sure?” Rio asked, unsure why Gabe was suddenly changing his mind after being so gungho about the idea a few days ago. But he didn’t think too long on it before Gabe was looking at Rio with a serious look that he wasn’t even sure Gabe had been capable of. Rio could tell that only half of the sentence was meant for him, Rio’s own hunter hearing lending to him hearing the rest. A grin broke out across Rio’s face, but he didn’t say anything. “Yeah sure. I’ll even compromise. We cut things off early, you get to choose any horror movie of your choosing for us to watch.” He would take that over being murdered by a scarecrow any day. “Oh god, I don’t think anyone has ever accused me of being part of the fun college experience. But I’ll take the L and accept the compliment. Let’s head back.”
Stingy Jack's eyes glinted with villainous malice as they followed the two kids' car. He'd heard their words, mocking and cruel. He'd seen their expressions, young and naive. And he'd cursed their luck: just one step closer and that young boy would have been within grasp. A chase was out of the question, not with the sun still blocking his movements, not with their cursed vehicle so close to them. But Stingy Jack had heard enough: they spoke of dorms and college, words he'd heard before from his last victim, whose jacket he was currently wearing. He knew where he could find them. And find them he would, in time, when they'd least expect it. When they'd have no sun to protect them, no car to take them away. It'd be just them against him. Stingy Jack liked those odds.
I’m aware how funerals work. You live here long enough, you attend frequent funerals. I don’t really care what happens to my body when I’m not in it anymore. Let the bugs have it or burn it, I’ve no preference for either.
Are you new to the town? It’s pretty obvious why, considering the death rate. You see enough of it, it kind of ruins the ominosity of it all. Not that it isn’t terrible news to hear about the death of a person. It’s good you dig it, otherwise it wouldn’t be so great to live here.
I’m new-ish, and I wanna make it absolutely clear, I don’t dig the death, I dig how open people are about it. Back in Bangor most of these anonymous questions were FMKs, not death questions. And I think it’s nice that people here are not so afraid of it that they feel the visceral need to act like it doesn’t exist. Not to mention I wouldn’t be able to answer an FMK to save my life, so I’ll take morbid questions over those any day.
With that said, it’s always sad to lose someone, and I would never wish that on anyone. Did you lose someone? You’re awfully touchy on the subj Have you lived here long?
I’ll be sure to make the bear extra scary. And extra ripping off your head. To remind you of that moment when you’re going to run. Why not help your cause. Or something.
Mist? How often have you see this bear? What does this bear look like? Do you think that the library has lied to you about ghosts at any point?
I can’t wait! if I ever have a business card that is the picture I’m gonna use as my logo Yeah, as terrifying as you can. Like I said, people need to know the truth.
I’ve met him in person a bunch of ti no, that’s sus once. Honestly my memory is a bit hazy, I think he can mess with people’s minds. Or maybe that’s just my brain’s defense mechanism. I just know that wherever he went, mist seemed to follow, it looked very Silent Hill. He was drooling and there was smoke coming out of his nostrils. I saw him going after a couple of students, and it was so weird because like... They were running as fast as they could, but the bear just walked slowly, like he knew they had nowhere to run and he could take his sweet bear time. It was very killer in a slasher movie. Except the killer in question had red, glowing eyes and I’m pretty sure smoke came from his nostrils. Eventually the two had their back to a wall and the bear reached them and then he just... Stared. And that must have been absolutely devastating because they both dropped to the ground. Dead? Fainted? We just don’t know. I didn’t have the guts to go down and check. The bear just turned around and it was in that moment that he saw me. Our eyes met, and my blood froze and I’m not ashamed to admit that I cried wow no wonder my reputation is so bad, maybe I’m taking this a little too fa and spent the rest of the night hidden under my blankets. It was then that I knew I had a duty. I needed to make sure people know that he’s around, always lurking, always hunting. He already knows I know about him, so I’m already a target, might as well go out with a bang, warn the whole world.
That depends, have you looked into a specific ghost, or ghosts in general? Because I’m pretty sure that makes a huge difference. I’ve never used the library for ghosts, I mostly use the internet for that but Morgan told me that’s not very reliable but I would imagine the library would be good with, like, account of historical figures that have become ghosts, less so with ghosts as a general topic. Why, are you researching ghosts for another painting?
[pm] Well, that works for me! I’ve never actually made a birdhouse before, so I’m sure i’tll be a lot of trial and error for us. But it’ll be fun to learn!
It sounds pretty pretentious. Plus my parents picked it out for me instead of letting me I mean I was only like 7… But thanks for saying that. I think it does, too. I dunno why. Guess I’ve never really felt different from Oh man, I can only imagine how much the other guys would’ve tried to laugh at you for that.
[pm] I already told you I’m hoping for a raven, what kinda bird would you like? So we can look for the perfect food.
The secret is to pretend like it doesn’t bother you. Yeah, they laughed, but I laughed harder when they kept losing because I made it look like all the machines were bleedi just kept signing all my high scores as Gae and they lost interest. In fact, if you ever get the chance feel free to call me Gae in public, it’ll only make them even more annoyed. Also I think they were ashamed that no matter how hard they tried they just couldn’t beat me. I know it’s dangerously close to toxic machism but man it feels good to be on top for once. Huh, not that I hold many records at the arcade, just the Splatterhouse one, and that’s probably just because it’s an old game and not many people play it. Do you play games?
That’s a good cemetery. I like going there. Never seen another bear there. You believe in ghosts? How often do you go to the library?
Thanks! I wanna hang it in my roo use that for the posters. I’m a big fan of your aesthetic sense and I think using your painting as inspiration might help me with designing just the perfect poster for my awareness campaign. People on campus are not taking this bear threat seriously, so I wanna educate them, make sure they know the risks.
I told you, the Bearon is cunning, he probably hid. I think he might even be able to turn into mist, like Dracula. Maybe it’s a common trait of monsters with a title. And yeah, I believe in ghosts, they’re nice. According to rumors, Jericho Hill is one of their favorite spots, too. Maybe they’re the Bearon’s frie minions. And, huh, I go to the library pretty often. I am a college student, you know? And for some things you just can’t rely on the internet. But alas, the library doesn’t have much info on bugbea the bear either, so if you were asking to do some pre-painting research I’m afraid that’s a no go.
Oh, you’re here for school. It’s good that you take time to visit places like the park. Don’t think I’ve ever met anyone with a pet snake, but they gotta be interesting to care for.
Uh, don’t know if I can be…what’s the word, too articulate. Shit, I work in one of the most beautiful places in the country. My office is one of those pretty desktop wallpapers come to life. Can’t really explain the energy you get in some of those trails. Magic stuff. Can really take your breath away. It’s got it’s ups and downs, but it’s never boring. It’s pretty fucking cliche, but every day is an adventure
I learn a lot. We got a lot of experts in different fields. Real nerds, doing investigation to make sure we continue to protect the land.
They pay me to go hiking, which I already do in my spare time.
And I know I complained about people, but people can be pretty good too. Y’know, when you find the kind who’s really been dreaming to visit and wants to dive into the experience. Or teaching kids, that feels nice.
Somehow I don’t feel as nervous around visitors or when I have to talk to them
It makes me feel like I’m not myself, like I’m a normal person for once.
.
They’re not the easiest pets in the world, but mami’s a vet, so she knows what she’s doing. And of course I take time to visit the park, the park is great! All the animals, the people, and the fact I can just chill in bear form and wait for a solitary hiker to get a quick sna nature... I mean, you said it yourself. It’s basically magic. The park is Number 3 on my Top 5 First Date ideas list. I haven’t needed it yet because I don’t have enough game to make it so far down the list, but you know... It’s the thought that counts.
And you know so much about it! I’ve only been a few times, but I mostly stick to the trails, I’m sure you know all sorts of secret spots, or odd curious facts. Have you ever found anything really weird in your hikes? Are there any local legends? Would you maybe want to talk about it on a podcast should I ever decide to actually make on In any case, I’m glad you have so many things you like about your job.
