[spkyscry]

        "All it needs is a little something and it'll be PERFECT."

Welcome to SPKYSCRY (remade NOV '23, originally established OCT '20), your home for the macabre and amusing alike! I'm the mun, Mirth (they/them, 30s) and I'll be your host for this evening.

Please be aware that this blog, since it features characters from a plethora of horror and "spooky"-themed media, is not for the faint of heart. Triggers will be applied when appropriate, but please bear in mind that your mileage may vary if dark themes are not your cup of tea.

Status: MINI-HIATUS DUE TO HORRORS

Inbox Starter tag here!

( header/icon graphic credit: @rgtag )

(this pinned post is still a W.I.P., as is this blog. This will be updated later to further work on it.)

Important update:

Icon Sources under the cut

Vannabelle: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ,

[miscellainous]

"I hated those parents' groups. First they have a problem with Chica because she's all about eating pizza and they say she's "promoting obesity," then we redesign Chica and now she's inappropriate for kids because she's "too sexy." First of all, Chica was always sexy...."

[spkyscry]

"That's what I've been saying!"

[spkyscry]

Sorry I've been so quiet over here, I've been busy setting up and writing on my general multi. So that's where my attention has been lately. I also need to update the muse list here for the scant few that got moved over there.

[mirthicons]

1,063 icons of Kit Bodega from the animated pilot for Gameoverse! Done for personal use Likes/Reblogs/Credit are appreciated but not necessary. Download: here!

[spkyscry]

...I might write Kit, I'm a simple woman who loves Mega Man/Ratchet & Clank and women... and furries--

[spkyscry]

Get you an age gap that surpasses the concept of reality itself, let alone time.

[spkyscry]

oh ew????????

[0fsteel]

While it wasn't necessarily surprising to hear that the people in town were expecting him, knowing his name and possibly even his face were already known to all the strangers here does manage to briefly pull his smile into a slight frown. He never did enjoy being in the spotlight.

Still, he's quick to recover for the sake of not souring a first encounter; letting out an awkward laugh and waving off her own faux pas.

"Oh, don't worry about it... so little happens back home that reckless driving ends up as front page news, so I can understand." He assured, clearly accustomed to the nosiness that can come with the boredom of a small town. "It's swell to meet you, Stella- and you, too, Gretchen."

The little lady had certainly done a fine job in alleviating any of the accompanying awkwardness of the situation. Dogs were good at that.

"I'm staying with Tabitha up at the estate. Have a whole week here, at least, so I figured it was a good idea to check out the town."

[spkyscry]

"Yeah, sorry. I thought it would be best if you knew ahead of time. We only really get new faces once in a blue moon, so even if they don't know what you look like, well..." Stella replied, patting her jacket in bashful awkwardness before she herself moved past the scenario they found themselves in. At the mention of Tabitha especially, Stella seemed to perk right up.

"How is Tabby doing, by the way? Holding up okay?"

It's said with a vested interest in the topic, as Stella idly ran her hand along the top of Gretchen's head, who seemed to chuff at the mention of Tabitha with a whine of discomfort over something.

"Either way, if you need a tour guide for the Holler, you're not going to meet a better person! Know it like the back of my hand."

[0fsteel]

Whatever had briefly possessed him and stolen the last portion of his walk to town from him, it was fully pushed to the back of his mind by the presence of an adorable little dog in front of him... almost failing to notice the owner's rapid approach, if not for the name being called.

Bright blue eyes lifting up from the dog to the woman rounding the corner, putting his instinct to pick the dog up himself aside.

"Ah, yeah, small towns... I must stick out like a sore thumb, huh?" He answers with a small laugh, fighting the slight tug at the corners of his smile for immediately being called out for it. "No need to apologize! I've got a rebellious dog of my own back home, so she's no bother."

Polite as he is, he can't quite help the urge to reach a hand out and give the dog a petting, even with his attention firmly on the woman.

"I'm Clark Kent... erm, Scarlet...? Tabitha's cousin."

[spkyscry]

"Would you believe that, uh, I already knew that one, too?" Stella said, voice tinged with a bit of sympathy even as she held Gretchen out for better petting coverage as the pug cheerily pressed into the attention given to her.

"Small towns." The echoed words are met with further sympathy as she glanced toward what appeared to be a diner not far from where the two stopped on the sidewalk. "Sorry to spoil the surprise but, ah, you'll have trouble finding someone that doesn't know who you are already. The funeral is the most exciting thing that's happened around here in awhile."

There's a beat, before the wordage made her grimace somewhat as she sunk her head somewhat into raised shoulders.

"Not that it's a good thing, though, uh... Ah, lookit me, I got so caught up in the excitement of meeting a new person I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Stella. Stella Richmond, though please, just Stella."

[spkyscry]

Now for all the tags.

[0fsteel]

It was an awe-inspiring sight to lay my eyes upon, the Scarlet Estate. Built in the 1860s, it was considered the crown jewel of the entire region prior to the construction of the Biltmore Estate in 1895. Even while bearing the great weight of it's long life, it can't be understated how much the artistry of it's original construction still shines through the haze of it's age. To know I share blood with the man who made it, it's a strange thing...

It was as good of a start as Clark could put together so far; he never thought he'd have an opportunity to write about his own life, and unsurprisingly was struggling now that 'his' life was finally interesting enough for it. Clearly, he was going to need to adjust.

Thankfully, he'd have plenty of time for that with the whole week he was planning to spend in Scarlet Hollow. Considering he'd started writing nearly as soon as his cousin had left, it was fine enough start.

Plentiful reasons enough for him to take a break- packing his laptop safely away in his bag, enjoying a reheated slice of his mother's apple pie, and eventually closing front door behind him as he left for town.

The path through the woods was a peaceful experience, him having grown so used to the bustle of Metropolis that he'd almost forgotten how nice a quiet walk through nature could be....

... though, the longer he walked, the more acutely aware he became of just how quiet it was- the sounds of animals seeming so distant and sparse for an area like this, blanketed in trees, that he couldn't help but focus in on it. Legs continuing to walk on their own as he listened to the area, scanned through the trees, smelled the air...

An odd, additional feeling rumbling beneath the others as he did, a daze starting to come over him as he heard & smelt... something...

Until jolted from it all at once by the sound of barks, blue eyes blinking back into the reality in front of him; audibly sputtering at the realization that he'd actually made it to town in what had felt like no time at all.

Clark doesn't have time to let himself worry about that, though, as his attention is quickly caught by a sight that makes his eyes glimmer.

"Well hello to you, too, little lady!" He can't help but exclaim at the sight of the pug rushing to be the first to welcome him to town.

// A private starter for @spkyscry. //

[spkyscry]

As the macabre machinations underlying the small town's claws were wrenched free from beneath Clark's skin, he would be met by the pug eagerly yapping at his feet as she started up at him with wide, curious eyes. The collar and harness on the dog showing it, at the very least, was not a stray. Only furthered by the sound of rushing footfalls in the distance growing louder.

"Gretchen!" Called the voice, as a woman rounded the corner of the block and slowed at the sight of the stranger before her. "C'mon, girl don't be bothering strangers!"

"Hey there, haven't seen you around here before. Don't get many new faces around here."

The woman mused, looking flustered as she scooped up the pug from Clark's feet and tucked her snugly in the crook of her arm to avoid any more escape attempts by the old girl. A hand rubbed the back of her head, an embarrassed chuckle slipping past as she caught her breath.

"Sorry about Gretchen here, she can be slippery when she really wants to be. Hope she didn't startle you."

[spkyscry]

Also so sorry I've not been using Rhok'zan too much around here lately, she's unfortunately getting flagged a lot when I use a lot of the icons I have of her

which

frankly fair.

but it makes it hard to write when she's constantly being smited down by the wrath of god.

[spkyscry]

The fact that em dashes have been taken over by AI infuriates me on an intrinsic level because I adore using them in speech. Because speech can often be very freeflow where someone may deviate to an entirely different topic and a semicolon doesn't really work for those.

It even works well in the narrative, of course, but now I always have to fret someone will think I'm using AI because I use a simple tool of writing. It's exhausting.

[0fsteel]

Seeing the estate for the first time made the seemingly simpler of the two cousins stare up at it's striking silhouette with his mouth agape... clearly, nothing either the internet or even his mother had told him preparing him for what the mansion would look like in-person.

Even just from outside as the pulled in, he could already the toll time and disrepair had on the undoubtedly once grand piece of architecture- half the building being crushed by it's own weight as it was dragged towards the cliff's edge; a fact that reminded just how high up the place was. He was so used to Kansas, where the land was flatter than a pancake, he couldn't fathom building somewhere like this.

These thoughts and more are kept to himself as best he can, though, following Tabitha out of the truck with only his personal bag in tow.

"Jeez Louise... I don't think I've ever seen a house this big. Not back home, anyhow." He exclaimed as he followed her towards the porch, neck craning to stare up at the building now looming over him. "I've done papers on places like the Sauer Castle and the Lebold Mansion, but neither of those really compare up so close..."

Clark tried his best to let his words sound like compliments, and not betray his genuine confusion at why any family would ever need a house this big, as he followed her inside the estate.

His entrance very loudly signaled as the floorboards made it abundantly clear how little they cared for his weight being atop of them.

[spkyscry]

Tabitha seemed to actually look, perhaps, a touch guilty, or perhaps uncomfortable, of all things when Clark brought up these other historic buildings. It wouldn't be hard to guess why, though, when most see Clark and know he came from a farm, it was easy to fall into stereotypes. Something she seemed to visibly re-evaluate as she let out a soft hum.

"Color me marginally impressed. I hadn't pegged you for cultured," she began, gesturing vaguely at the estate around them. "Believe it or not, this estate predates those by roughly two decades— it used to be the crown jewel of this very region, in fact. Times change, though, and the attention of the masses are ever fickle."

Still, after conceded she had clearly been thinking lesser of Clark, she looked at him with a mixture of trepidation and apprehension.

"Follow me. Carefully."

She began to lead him down a long, dusty hallway, occasionally looking back to ensure her steps are being traced as she maneuvered around the wounds of the Scarlet Estate.

[windsofcobalt]

⠀⠀⠀The hedgehog's fur stood on end at the chill that had entered his closest friend's lab, the air becoming sickeningly stagnant - as if the hands of time itself had fallen to an arthritic crawl. Cobalt quills stiffened for a moment, an unease wiping over Sonic's entire body, doubling in intensity at the sudden sound of a booming voice.

⠀⠀⠀The cobalt hedgehog nearly doubled over, stumbling onto the ground as the being suddenly appeared. No flash of light, no grand portal ripping reality open, nothing. She was merely not present one moment, he blinked, and then she was present. Sonic's brow furrowed as he listened, steadily getting back onto his feet, neck arched upwards at the significantly taller being.

⠀⠀⠀Rather than the fear she expected to instil in his entire being, Sonic simply... Smiled. The hedgehog wasn't recoiling in fear. He was smiling. A warm, friendly smile, as if greeting an old friend. The air seemed to finally being to move once more, time's hands finally finding their strength and passing once more. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀"Yo." The word filled the silence that had grown once she'd stopped speaking, a gloved hand extending outwards towards the unknowable being. "Stick around. I'm sure you'll see somethin' that piques your interest."

⠀⠀⠀He chuckled. Not an ounce of fear to be seen from the cobalt hedgehog, his warm smile not budging a single inch.

⠀⠀⠀"I'm Sonic, by the way. Sonic the Hedgehog." ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀The hedgehog's head tilted ever so slightly to the side, as if the sight of the towering goddess was just another unusual quirk of the world he already knew. As if she wasn't some awful, world-ending creature, who was capable of horrors quite literally beyond his imagination.

⠀⠀⠀"So you're another one a' them gods, huh? Weird that you're all kinda hot..." That last sentence came out as more of a mutter than anything, the hero seemingly finally showing some sort of decorum-- even if what he was saying would still be considered quite disrespectful. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

[spkyscry]

To say that the cosmic being was surprised would be a lie. Rather, the contempt that burned in that celestial body housed in her dark void of a 'face' was palpable. Even as the atmosphere seemed to soften by the hedgehog's mere presence, it didn't seem to particularly phase the feline herself. Any further emotion was masked by the general indifference that seemed to radiate off of the goddess even after hearing that muttered 'compliment', if it could be called that.

"I would hope so, I made this form myself," she mused, waving a hand, "I digress.."

"A 'god' is what must suffice, for it is the closest thing any of you mortals can grasp to what I truly am." The towering figure spoke, even as that towersome form meant she had to lean all the lower to properly scowl with that burning eye of hers.

"If you must address me, rodent, it shall only be as 'Nyanlathotep'. The Crawling Chaos. The unending void."

"You, however, I know plenty about. I would not be here if not. You and I need to have a... discussion."

The final word held enough malice that it almost seemed to literally make the hedgehog's skin crawl, as if reality itself flinched away from the Crawling Chaos's distaste.

[0fsteel]

Eyes lifted back up to her at the response, having sensed the actual feeling behind those words... the resentment in them.

His gaze quickly averts once again, the unsaid addition not lost on him as he slightly slumped in his seat, propping his chin in his hand as he thought of it himself, tapping a finger against his face anxiously as the encounter came back to his own mind... he'd never seen his mother act like she did when he'd brought it up to her.

As long as he'd had her in his life, ma had been the warmest person he'd ever known, but when he'd brought up the name 'Scarlet'... it was like her flame had been blown out, how cold the room got.

The closest reaction he could remember was when he confronted her and pa about the spaceship. And it feeling worse told him a lot.

"... I could tell that much, yeah." He affirmed with a sigh, watching the passing trees out his window. "I'm not gonna lie to you, she didn't really 'let me' come out here... she really, really didn't want me to."

As unfortunate as that probably was to hear, he already knew Tabitha had no delusions about his mother's feelings towards her family. There wasn't any point in saying white lies on ma's behalf, and the least his long lost cousin deserved was some honesty.

"But, I'm an adult, I can make decisions for myself now. That's what she told me when I talked it over with her... so, here I am." A pleasant way to put it, considering how heated that 'talk' got. But, it wasn't important.

His gaze turns back to Tabitha, mouth briefly agape as he deliberated, so many questions on his mind... but, he decided against it. For now.

Falling silent for the remainder of the car ride.

[spkyscry]

The words Clark gave only elicit a polite hum of acknowledgement from Tabitha as they continue the rest of the drive in silence. Even with Clark's keen senses, she was shockingly difficult to glean most information from, though his previous perceptive nature would at least clue the Kansan on how her cold demeanor wasn't all that it appeared to be at first glance.

Still, as they arrived at the Scarlet Estate, it wasn't anything like one might have imagined, or even what Ma Kent would have described it as. Half the estate looked ready to give way at any moment, whatever warmth and grandeur it once had lost to time and the elements to the point where it would make the barn at the Kent Farm look glamorous in comparison. The wind this high up singing an eerie tune through the many cracks and gapes in the once picturesque estate.

"Come along, you can bring your bags after you know where you're going. The last thing we need is you dropping something where you'll never get it again." Tabitha said, waving him along as she made her way to the front porch, allowing them inside.

Somehow, the damages there were even worse, though perhaps that was due to seeing them so up close. How the floor itself tipped and yawned like a ravenous maw waiting to swallow up any who took a wrong step in the estate.

[0fsteel]

There response brings a brief pause to his demeanor, him blinking over at her for a moment... giving her just a little bit of unseen focus.

Clark knew what hostility & spite felt like in a person, better than most more normal people should, and he wasn't getting anything like that from her. Nothing about her suggested he'd struck some nerve and she was striking back, and any stress wasn't necessarily because of him. From what it sounded like, those were just... words.

A slow, quiet realization that makes the Kansan relax in his seat, blue eyes looking between her and the forests that surrounded them.

"... I don't have much when it comes to family back home, aside from my parents. I'm an only child, and pa is the last of his siblings, so I never had aunts or uncles." He starts, scratching his chin. "That's why I was so excited to hear from you- I didn't know I had any cousins."

A pause, eyes falling to the side as a frown forms on his face.

"I'm sorry it took a funeral for me to learn I did."

[spkyscry]

Tabitha's gaze, however brief, flickered over to Clark at this, though her attention was firmly on the road as she spoke next; a vague hand gesture gesticulating with her words.

"Well, you can blame your mother for that, I suppose. Once she got out of Scarlet Hollow, she probably didn't want to have a thing to do with the Scarlets ever again. I'm surprised she even had a change of heart enough to let you come."

It was the first bit of slight animosity from Tabitha as she relayed this, fingers drumming against the wheel briefly as the 'instead of her' hung unspoken between them. Still, her shoulders relaxed again, as she deigned to speak further on the matter.

"Our parents didn't like each other much."