Little thing I wanted to share but Hatchetrune Ted constantly calls Emma the wrong name. Whether this is on purpose or because he genuinely doesn't remember her name is unknown.
Only reason I'm saying this is because I just came up with the idea that he calls her Elphaba at least once and it catches Emma off like. "Like from Wicked? You know Wicked???" And Ted refuses to elaborate.
Hi, I've got a bunch of doodles for my Hatchetrune AU. These designs aren't super set in stone, but I've got a general idea for all of them. Also I just wanna post them so that they're out there
@lollipencil I thought you might wanna see these :]
Firstly! The main three! With this background
Ted's the one I'm most confident with, although the buttons I'm probably just gonna change to normal circles. Emma's weapon is ass, let's be honest. I was trying to go for a thick claymore (I want her to have a weapon that, in the Lightword, is an eraser instead of Kris's pencil)
Paul's design is most subject to change here. I feel like. He doesn't really look like Paul, so I think I'll have to like. Elongate his face a lil and change his outfit and weapon
Here's the Lightner's Lightworld Colors, just for reference
Now! Doodles!!! I'll have to make an rb for more, bc frankly, there's a lot.
This part got done so much quicker than I was expecting (at this rate, I might even finish this fic before the end of the week).
Enjoy and be gentle
---
With full pockets and negotiated armor (honestly Paul was happy to part with the Riggletail, the thing freaked him out), Webby parted a small section of webbing to reveal a path.
"The Fountain lies just beyond," she said gravely.
"Thank you, Webby," Pat replied sincerely as they all walked one by one down the path which she sealed up behind them.
It was almost alarming just how close the Fountain really was from their little safe space. To see that geyser emerging from the massive cathedral mere minutes away.
"Geez, no wonder she was struggling," Theo muttered as they approached.
A sheet of paper had been tacked onto the rounded door.
"Dear friendy-wends," Pat read aloud, "We are so glad you could join us for our birthday party. Please leave your prezzies in the main hall, and enjoy the games and refreshments provided."
The inside was just as expected: black pews sat towards the front, any crosses replaced by an inverted pentagram with an extended point, and stained glass windows in those same five colours lined the walls. Party decorations hung from the rafters, while the altar had been converted into a snack table.
Although, none of the snacks looked particularly appetizing.
A large door sat at the back the room, an indent made into its surface seperated into five sections.
"Yep," Perky noted after inspecting it, "Looks like they've planned a scavenger hunt." Theo groaned while Pat and Paul stood there with identical expressions of dread.
"Any idea where to start?" Paul asked after a bone deep sigh.
"That seems to be a safe bet," Pat pointed at a bright blue door to their left.
Behind the door was more blue. Blue floor, blue walls, more of that blue ooze, and blue t-shirt wearing winged creatures standing still and silent with wide grins.
In the centre of the room was a large pool of the goo, ontop bobbed several stone ducks.
"Okay," Paul breathed in and out, "Hook a duck. That's, better than I was expecting."
"Who's going first?" Perky looked briefly at the prize board. The part they needed was on duck number 18.
"Guess I'll give it a shot," Theo picked up the fishing rod and cast the line. He managed to snag a duck and reeled it in quick. 25 was stamped on the bottom. And a sudden buzzing fulled the room. "Oh shit-!"
---
In the end it took seven attempts, four fights against the Blue Busibees, two against the other creatures (apparently called Sniggles), and one stone mask before finally pulling out number 18. Shard of blue crystal in hand, they finally left the blue room.
The next couple of rooms were similar stories.
The purple room had a test-your-strength machine, and resulted in Paul chugging Darker Coffees as he cast Starsurge after Starsurge while Theo got steaming mad. The yellow room had Perky despairing at yet another labyrinth ("The next maze I see is going up in flames!"), while everyone staggered from the pink room with a new fear of windup chattering teeth. And the less said about the green room, the better.
But, finally, they were back in the main hall.
"How are we doing for items?" Pat rasped as Paul and Theo sat down for a moment.
"Urh," Perky opened her inventory, "We've got two Darker Coffees, three Darkburgers, a Spin Cake, some Revive Dust, and a Tension Gem."
"Okay, okay," Pat nodded as he took this in, "That's... not terrible."
"Yeah," Theo added, "We've dealt with worse." He shoved himself to his hooves, "Let's get this over with." The coloured crystals slotted into place with a click, and the four of them walked through the door.
Hyperfixations so crazy, I'm cooking up a Hatchetfield/Deltarune AU in my mind...
Here's some of the roles below the cut. I have words on some of these and. Nothing on others. Honestly, I just wanna get this out there
Kris -> Emma
So I struggled with Kris's counterpart at first but then I remembered Jane and it sorta wrote itself to me.
I've also decided that she's being raised by Nighthawk Monsters. I am not confident in my ability to draw birds but the concept is just too perfect to me
In the Darkworld, she still takes on a knightly appearance (although I did give her a sorta hooded shawl, bc in my design she wears a hoodie in the Lightworld), and she still has a sword, but I think she'd probably be green instead of Kris's blue. I dunno, I just see her as green lol.
Where Kris has the piano, I think Emma has acting, or maybe just singing. She was probably in a couple of plays (such as, of course, Brigadoon) before Jane left and before her parents divorce and hasn't acted or sang since, especially when you bring her to the karaoke mic in Miss Retro's.
Susie -> Ted
Yeah... sorry women and lesbians, it's the sleazeball. Although, I'm sure you can make this yuri as well /silly /hj
So Ted, predictably, is a Goat Monster. Wherever he goes, he's seen as the annoying asshole who never takes anything seriously, especially not school. Of course, in the Darkworld, he learns to be better – he's still not great, but he's better – and more confident in his own abilities
In the Lightworld, his fur and outfits are simple browns and greens. In the Darkworld, his fur, obviously, turns yellow, with his clothes taking on orange-ish hues and some darker colors for like. Contrast or smth. I
like the idea of his weapon being a double-pointed spear, designed to look like the hands of a clock, with his Special Attack (the one used in Main Boss Fights, like Susie's Red Buster) splitting the spear into two and using the two hands to perform a sort of double-attack. They'll probably be called, like, "Bastard Buster" or smth. Idk, I want his attacks to have "Bastard" in the titles lol.
Ralsei -> Paul
Yes, Ralsei is Paul and not related to Jane... mostly. He's a bird monster, similarly to Emma's family, but he's a bit too... blue to be a Checkered-Tail Nighthawk. Yes, he is very blue.
I don't have much else to say on him. Unlike Ralsei, I think it'd be funny if, during big fights, Paul had a Special Magic Attack... which are bombs. Paul throws fucking Grenades at the enemy.
Now... Paul might still sing, but more... unwillingly. Just something he can do so of course he does it, it's helpful in battle, but he doesn't like to do it
Also! The "Okay" bit. I'm sorry, it's just so fitting :]
Noelle -> Charlotte
Again... I'm sorry lesbians /silly
Char is... honestly mostly the same as Noelle. I don't want her to have Ice Magic like Noelle, but idk what she would use bc there's still not a lot about her. Maybe something to do with... I dunno, Emotion? Lotte is tricky, okay?
I want to include Sam in this too, maybe as a sorta asshole boyfriend or maybe an ex? Who even know
Now Dess is tricky. Maybe Sam takes her place? Maybe Melissa? Whoooo knows? I certainly don't
Okay, back to Charlotte. Cat Monster. 100%, she's a certified Cat Lady, now literally. Lightworld, her color palette consists of pinks and purples, much like her show version, but in the Darkworld... okay, I'm not too sure. Maybe blue? A bit of yellow undertones or smth? I love her, but as I've said, Charlotte. Is. Tricky.
Berdly -> Bill
He's not nearly as annoying as the fuckass Bird Man (that medal goes to Teddy) but he's still a MAJOR Teacher's Pet. Him and Charlotte are top of their class, just like Berdly and Noelle in DR, but Bill nostly takes the spotlight bc he believes Charlotte hates being the center of attention (she does, but it's not as bad as he thinks it is). He's sweet, just. Overbearing, just as he is as a parent in the shows.
........ Eyeball monster. Only one eye, so more like a Cyclops Monster, but he definitely doesn't look human like the common depiction of said Monster.
... I also hate to say he basically has Susie's color palettes in my mind, both Light and Darkworlds. That's the best way I can put it. Bill ourple.
Lancer -> Peter
I... struggled on this one. I wanted to match someone to Lancer by personality and dynamics like I did with the others... but there aren't a lot that fit. At first, I thought of Jenny, bc she was Ted's best friend... but she was also a love interest, which does Not work with what I want here. I once even considered to make Lancer one of Linda's "Beautiful Blonde Boys," but that was quickly dashed because. I didn't like it.
Now, Peter is still "The Bad Guy", still eager to be a good Bad Guy, and still silly, but he's got more of a nervous and weird nerdy vibe to him, just eager to please
The Man Behind The Tree -> Wilbur Cross
Not much to say about this except this means that the Eggs are replaced with Apples
Gerson -> General MacNamara
Old men who know. Way too much and help kids tap into their true potential. Also the "[Weapon] of [Ideal]" titles. C'mon, it's all RIGHT THERE!!!
I want MacNamara to Dual Wield knives, bc it would be a good parallel to Ted's Attack thing.
Aaaaand that's about it. I've got a couple other ideas for characters (Jevil -> Sherman, Queen -> Linda, Spamton -> Gary Goldstein, Titans -> LiB) but those are based on vibes and I have nothing else on them
I don't have much to say about this first one. What they looking at???
WOOOOO CHAPTER FOUR!!!! WE LOVE CHAPTER FOUR!!!!
Various Bonks. I need to draw Ted head butting Paul and Peter :]
Idk how to feel about these, but here's some concepts of Sherman and Wilbur
Hehehe, concept of instead of saying that she's been talking a lot, Charlotte notices Emma's been talking less :] Ignore how Lottie looks, I don't like it
Uehehehee, I have written a thing >:] For Hatchetrune >:D
It's mostly the same dialogue tweaked to fit the characters better (and also more swearing), but I still like it.
I also wrote all of it in one go, like just now, so if there's any mistakes or if it reads weird, that's why lol.
And, so it's seen by the other person obsessing over it like me @lollipencil
Anyways, with all that out of the way, I present to you...
THE LAST PROPHECY
After sealing the fountain within the Titan in Black, the Lightners land in the library where it once stood.
"We…" Ted huffs for breath, "We did it…"
Emma huffs out a laugh as she pushes herself up, "Hell yeah, we did." Ted laughs along with her as Emma helps her friend stand up.
The goat monster gives her a thoughtful look. "Hey, Emma… what's the deal with that… blue… heart shit? … Is it really… your…"
The two heroes are silent for a moment… and then Ted jolts back. "W-wait! Shit, the old man!"
He makes his way to the doorway ahead of them, "C'mon!!! We… we still gotta talk to him!"
Ted's already gone before Emma can say anything. Alone, she clutches the heart at the front of her hooded shawl with an unreadable expression.
"Emma!" Emma's hand drops to her side as she turns to the source of the voice – Paul, frantically running into the room – and she can't help but smile despite it all.
The blue Darkner skids his claws to a halt in front of her and grabs her shoulders in excitement. "Emma! Emma, you're okay! I- I can't believe-" he sputters, so caught up in the euphoria of the battle that his words are struggling to come out, "You did it! You and Ted-! We- We made it! We defeated a Titan!"
He pulls her into a hug. She tenses up for a moment, still unused to the physical contact, then wraps her arms around the bird. His feathers are soft on her skin. It reminds her of…
Paul pulls away, his hands still on her shoulders, and with the biggest smile Emma's ever seen on him, and she imagines that hers is matching. "If we can do that then…"
He looks around for a moment… and his smile fades, the hope in his eyes giving way to pure dread. "Emma… where's Ted?"
Emma just looks at the doorway to the next room.
And that's all Paul needs to start dashing to follow.
"TED! TED, WAIT!!!"
"PAUL!?" Emma dashes after him, almost tripping on the broken floorboards.
In the next room… there is another prophecy. One she and Ted have seen before.
"THE LAST PROPHECY.
THE STORY'S END."
"No…" Paul gasps, then keeps running, pure fear lacing his voice, "TED, STOP!!!"
Emma keeps following, almost running right past the next panes.
"AND THEN, WHEN ALL HOPE IS LOST FOR THIS TALE
THE FINAL TRAGEDY UNVEILS.
TO SAVE THE WORLDS, THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY."
Paul is standing in front of the penultimate panel, causing Emma to skid to stop.
"TED, DON'T LOOK—"
CRASH!!!
Paul and Emma run over to Ted, whose face is blank, and his fist is leaking red.
Paul starts shaking his friend's shoulder, desperate and pleading, "Ted, I'm sorry- I- I'm so sorry, I'm sorry- I-"
"Shut the fuck up, Paul," Ted hisses out, pulling his shoulder away from Paul's shaking feathers…
And laughs. It takes both Paul and Emma off guard.
"The hell you apologizing for?" He gestures his good hand at where the offending prophecy once stood, "You're seriously worried about THAT shit!? C'MON!!!"
He lowers his head, and crushes some glass beneath his hoof, almost offended it dared to stay in front of him. "… this stupid bullshit?"
Laughing again, he stomps, scattering the shards. "Like THAT'D ever happen!"
Ted's grin turns into more of a scowl, "Like hell I'd let that happen," He gestures at Emma with his hand, although he doesn't turn to look at her or Paul yet, "Emma wouldn't let that happen," his hand falls to his side again with a smack, "... and obviously you wouldn't let that fucking happen, Paul."
"So…" Finally, finally, he turns, facing Paul, who looks down and away from Ted and the glass. Ted's still smiling, as always, as if it's just a big joke, "How could you NOT laugh? It's just too fucking stupid."
Reaching out, Ted places his hand on Paul's face. "So quit crying already, ya baby! Everything'll be okay, man."
With a pat, Ted walks away with his hands behind his head. "Heh. C'mon, Em. Let's go seal the fountain!"
For a moment, Emma just stands there, unable to move, unable to talk… so she thinks. Thinks about Paul and how he's had to keep all of this to himself for so long, remembering his barren room with nothing but a window to look upon the fountain with, with his whole existence being dedicated to guiding her and Ted. She thinks about Ted, who despite everything, is still smiling, still laughing… she wonders how he does it. She wonders if one day, she can believe just as much as he does that everything will be alright.
Without her say, she moves. Walking up to Paul, she says, "… Paul?"
She can't see his face as he talks. "Ted… he's…"
"… he's so much nicer than he gives himself credit for, Emma," His shoulders rise as he chokes up. "How can he be so kind? … How?"
Neither of them have an answer. Ted is a mystery of his own.
Paul sighs. "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm sorry I didn't say the whole prophecy at first. I just," he gently bumps his fists together repeatedly, "I thought that… if I said something different… if we did something different, if we were just… nice enough, maybe by the time we got here… that it would be different too."
His nervous movement starts going faster for a moment, then he stops, and just clasps his hands instead, "But… heh, no matter what we do…"
He turns to Emma, "Our fate…" and then looks up at her with a smile, his cheek stained with Ted's blood, and tears forming in his eyes, "… it's inevitable."
Paul isn't able to keep face as he collapses to the floor sobbing, "S-sorry, don't- don't look at me… I don't- I don't wanna… always make everything all about me, I just… I'm sorry, I…"
He rubs his eyes and looks up at Emma, still smiling even with tears streaming down his face. "Everything's okay, Emma! Look, I-" He forces his smile wider, looking truly pathetic. "I'm smiling!"
Emma looks down at him, at her friend, and wants to cry herself.
Instead she kneels down and whispers, "It's okay to… not be okay, man," then wraps her arms around him, pulling Paul into a tight hug.
Paul's face grows warm as he's buried into her shoulder, "Emma… Emma, you…"
Emma feels his head move, his beak burrowing deeper into her hood as he reaches around to hug her back. He lets out the most pitiful and wet laugh as he continues to cry.
"I'm… I'm scared, Emma," his hands pull at her shawl, "It's getting harder and harder to just… stand there smiling all the time, to pretend I'm not terrified of… of the implications. But I…"
He sniffles, and Emma tried not to cringe at the sound of snot coming from it. She's never really been good at the whole comforting thing, but with Paul she's sure as hell gonna try.
"Being with you two…" Paul tightens his hold, pulling the fabric with his hands in the process. "The more I hang around you two, I realize… Friendship… isn't just being happy all the time. It's more than that… it's more than I could have ever imagined…
"… I," The resolve starts to return in his voice as he raises his head from Emma's shoulder, "I want to… believe again. I wanna believe it can change! That there isn't just one ending!"
Paul squeezes the cloth between his feathers. "Ted's hope… his stubborn hope…" he chuckles and turns his head to Emma. "It's infectious… isn't it, Emma?"
Emma, urging her face not to flush, nods. Because he's right. Ted has a way of making someone care. He's still an asshole most of the time, but he's their asshole. Thinking more about it, she chuckles back at Paul, "Yeah… it is."
Paul nods back, "... Until we see the end with our own eyes," he squeezes Emma again, and she squeezes back twice as hard, "… Let's believe, too."
As he pulls away – much to Emma's disappointment – his smile is clearer now, and much more genuine, "… You can go to the fountain now, Emma. I doubt Ted will wait for you much longer."
Emma smiles and nods back, heading towards the Dark Fountain. But…
"Hey, uh… Emma?" Paul speaks up again, a bit more nervous this time, causing Emma to turn her head back at him.
"You um…" he clears his throat as his cheek feathers fluff up slightly, "You were uh… pretty good with the choir puzzle earlier!"
Emma feels her cheeks heat up as she smiles at Paul, then turns away and walks down the hall.
She only glances at the last prophecy, walking right by it to reach her friend.
I wanna talk about some Secret Bosses in Hatchetrune.
Enjoy! @lollipencil
Sherman -> Jevil
So, I'm stuck between Jester and just. A plush toy. Because in Black Friday, he was seemingly a pretty... prominent figure in the Wiggly cult? I think? I mean, he gave a fucking speech about how and why he got there to announce Linda's presence. But also... he's literally THE toy guy. Honestly I'm tempted to combine the two ideas and make him a weird Jester Plushie of an unidentifiable animal. Is he a teddy bear? A dog? Some weird squid thing? Idk but he's sure fucking creepy as hell
Some design details I'm sure on is his glasses and him having patches of fur missing to represent his human counterpart's balding
I imagine his armor would either be his glasses or a weird fuzzy tentacle tail. Honestly leaning towards the tail bc I feel like Ted would refuse to wear those fucking bigass nerd glasses. Maybe it could be like... Riggletail??? A fuzzy wormlike tail. Sometimes it squirms on its own.
His weapon would be Plushknife, a double ended scythe that squeaks upon devastating impact.
Also, I'm stuck between Sheila or Frank being Seam. They both have strong connections to Sherman in most timelines, and Sheila is definitely more fitting in the Magician's department, but Frank's the owner of ToyZone... maybe I should just have them both be Seam, with Frank handling the buying and selling business, and Sheila handling the conversation and other such sketchy business (ShadowCrystals)
Also I want to call the Serman and Seala or smth. For the bit. But looking at it now... yeah "Seala" looks wrong... but Serman... pronounced "Sherman".... that's fun, I like it :]
Wilbur Cross -> Spamton G. Spamton
Yeah, fuck it, he's Spamton now. Sorry man behind the tree, you will forever be unknown.
He's still a puppet. There's no changing that. It's too fitting for Wilbur. He's nothing but a puppet to Wiggly's bidding.
As for his armor. The denim jacket, obviously. YES I KNOW THAT IN CANON THE JACKET'S A FUCKING TROPHEY TO HIM FOR KILLING HOLLOWAY, BUT THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN HERE. He just has a denim jacket and that is his armor. Maybe it could be like... Denim Deals? The dashing complete to a Canadian Tuxedo or smth.
His weapon would probably still be puppet string related... maybe PuppetRope? A necklace made of strange strings and jewels. For those that abandon the light. Or something idk man
Now... I have nothing on ERAM or Ramb, the true secret boss imo, BUT here's...
??? -> The Roaring Knight
Idk if I wanna change TRK's name in this, but most of their deal is the same, except for a minor change in their appearance...
I want them to look like a wolf, as opposed to TRK's deer-like appearance. Large pointed ears to replace the antlers and a wooshing tail... they still look mostly the same other than that tho.
General MacNamara -> Gerson Boom
He's not as eccentric as The Old Man, taking on a slightly stricter demeaner than his counterpart. But he's still an odd old man, with or without the military training laced in his every movement and action.
He still acts as a mentor to Ted, teaching him to be braver and to follow his own Truth as opposed to the forced truth of the prophecy, and eventually passing down the Spear of Truth to the young hero
His son is still a pastor at church, but his son is actually, in tgwdlm, Joey's Soldier Character, the one that Joey and Jeff headcanon calls MacNamara Dad. Bc I think it's funny
Is PEIP still a thing here? Maybe, but it's not exactly relevant, aside from MacNamara's possible insight on the Darkworlds. Listen, he's retired, his son left soon after and they have since settled down in this small town.
Now... I still want Wilbur and John to have... a connection. Whether that means Wilbur was an insider for John while still in PEIP, or if they'd met after PEIP when MacNamara decided to become an author, or maybe a secret third thing, I haven't decided. But they know each other! They have a history, and probably a complicated one at that!
I still... don't know what monster I want MacNamara to be... A dog was my first thought, but... I already have Charlotte and her family as dog monsters. I had the idea of changing her to a mouse, but I'm already so attached to Dog Charlotte... maybe an owl could work? Idk, lemme know if yall have ideas
Have fun, because I'm not the happiest with the start of this. But... my guys :]
@lollipencil
Enjoy! This one's a longun!
-----
It Starts… In The Dark… As Many Things Do.
Hello? Are You There?
Are We Connected?
…
Ah.
Excellent.
Now We May Begin.
Let Us Start
With Your Vessel.
Select The Form You Wish To Wear.
[*BASEBALL CAP]
[*BRAIDED HAIR]
[*FLANNEL SHIRT]
[*JEANS]
Is This The Form You Desire?
…
Good Choice! Now To Intwine Its Mind As Yours…
What Is Its Favorite Food?
[*SWEET]
*SOFT
*SOUR
*SALTY
*PAIN
*COLD
Your Favorite Blood Type?
*A
*AB
[*B]
*C
*D
What Color Does It Like Most?
*PINK
*BLUE
[*YELLOW]
*GREEN
*PURPLE
Please Give It A Gift
*KINDNESS
[*MIND]
*AMBITION
*BRAVERY
*VOICE
How Do You Feel About Your Creation? (It Will Not Hear.)
*LOVE
[*HOPE]
*DISGUST
*FEAR
Have You Answered Honestly?
[*YES]
*NO
You Acknowledge The Possibility Of Pain, Seizure, And/Or Death?
[*YES]
*NO
Understood.
Name Your Vessel
*HANNAH
And It Was Named "HANNAH"...
And Its Creator?
…
Ah, I See… Very Well.
I shall call you… the "AUDIENCE", then.
Fitting, is it not?
Thank You For Your Time.
Your Answers.
Your Wonderful Creation
WILL NOW BE THROWN AWAY.
YOU CANNOT CHOOSE WHO YOU ARE IN THIS WORLD.
YOU R NA ME I S
"EMMA!"
A lanky bird monster – a Checkered-Tail Nighthawk, to be precise – flicks on the light, waking up the human girl from her slumber with a groan.
"Emma, if you do not wake up, we will be late for school," The Nighthawk opens the window, letting in natural light, before approaching the starkly decorated side of the room and gently pats the lump under the sheets. "I will wait outside for you. Take care to hurry."
With that, Ezekiel Perkins takes his leave, and Emma Perkins perks up and out of bed to follow. She quickly gets ready, slipping on her blueand magenta striped hoodie over gray sweatpants and brushing her teeth monotonously (not before flushing the toilet a couple of times. For good luck), and meets her father outside.
"Ah, Emma, there you are." Ezekiel unlocks the door and enters the driver's side, Emma following into the passenger's seat while the car starts up. "We might still be able to make it."
"Emma, it's a beautiful day today, isn't it?" The human's father backs out of the driveway and onto the street. "I hope it stays like this when Jane comes by next week."
Emma only responds with a hum, looking out the window. Driving down the road lined with trees, her dad continues to ponder. "But I wonder… after the excitement of college… Will she still enjoy coming home to this little town?"
Driving through said town, they're waved at by several of their neighbors, and go largely ignored by several other Hatchetfield citizens. They pass Miss Retro's Diner, Mr. Keane's office, and the Librarby (some kids thought it would be funny).
Finally, they reach the school, quickly parking and leaving the car and entering the schoolhouse. With first period just about to start and only a few stragglers roaming the halls, Mr. Perkins pats his daughter's head and shares a quick goodbye, before rushing to his class. Emma, however, takes her time heading to her homeroom class.
"Alright, does everyone ha-" Mr. Davidson, the ghost monster, is interrupted by Emma opening the door and entering class, thus directing all attention unto the human girl. "Ah, Emma! We thought you wouldn't come in today! But I'm glad you showed up anyways," His glasses lift from his face and he gives a wink, then flips through some pages on his clipboard. "Well, now that you are here, how about you choose your partner for the group project?"
With a stiff nod, Emma beelines for the smoggy-fire monster in the back. They reek of weed, but everyone is used to it by now, Emma especially.
"Yooooo, Emma!" Ziggs waves at the human lazily, "What took you so long? Man, you should've gotten here sooner! Now I have to partner up with Mark Chastity," They sigh, releasing more smoke into the air. Thank the angel Davidson keeps the windows open. " I mean, he's fine – I won't get a bad grade, right? – I just wish he'd chill out a little, ya know? I already get enough preaching from my Mom, I don't need him trying to convert me, hahah!"
Emma, following the row of desks, approaches Mark Chasity, the sheep monster, who looks up from his copy of the Bible, "Ah, Emma! I'm so sorry, but I already have a partner for this project; Ziggy just behind me. But may the Angel help you find one!"
Emma slowly backed away and moved onto the next classmate… and the next… and the one after that. She even asks Davidson, but they all give essentially the same answer.
Bill, the cyclopean snake monster looks up from his textbook as Emma taps his desk. "Oh! Hi Emma. Um, you know me and Charlotte always work together – it's just what works, ya know?" His eye looks away. "And… you know you have a bit of a… track record with your grades, ya know? I-I can't let you drag Charlotte down like that! We both know she can't handle that kind of stress right now…" He sighs, turning back to his book, "I'm sorry, but you'll just have to find a partner somewhere else."
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Emma moves on to Charlotte's desk. The dog monster looks up from her notebook with a kind, albeit anxious smile. "Oh, hi Emma! Did you need an eraser again?" She rummages through her pencil case, "Would you like the black cat or the calico one this time?"
Emma shakes her head and mutters something about partners and projects. Charlotte has the decency to look guilty, "Oh, Emma, I'm sorry, but I'm already partnered up with Bill… as always," Glancing at Bill, the dog gives a nervous smile, "… but maybe we could ask if we could have a three-person group?"
Emma agrees, so Charlotte raises her hand, "Pardon me? Mr. Davidson? Could we possibly form a group of-?"
"WHAT?" Bill all but shouts, then leans over to his project partner and whisper yells at her, "Charlotte, you can't be serious! We can't work with Emma! You didn't even ask me!"
Wide-eyed, Charlotte stutters out, "But- but she doesn't have-"
"What was that, Charlotte?" Mr. Davidson looks up from his board. If Emma remembers correctly, a picture of his wife was hidden in there. He mostly just stares at that while everyone's working on an assignment, or the framed photo he keeps on his desk.
"Oh, she was just saying how we're FINE working alone!" Bill grits out, giving the dog monster a pointed glare.
"Well, no, I just wanted to know-"
"Miss Sweetly," the teacher locks onto his student with an empathetic look, "please speak up. I can hardly-"
Suddenly, the door kicks open, revealing a tall, grinning goat monster. The room goes uncomfortably quiet as he leans against the door frame, scratching at his mustache fur.
"What's up, fuckers?" He spits out, his grin growing at everyone's unease. "What'd I miss?"
"… Spankoffski," Mr. Davidson addresses the student, sweating slightly, "we were just, um… choosing partners for the next project! Emma," in contrast, the ghost looks the human in the eye, only nervously glancing at the goat in the doorway, "you and Ted will be working together."
"…" Ted looks Emma up and down, judging, "… Heh, alright. Thanks, teach." He winks at Mr. Davidson and he doesn't make any point to go to his seat, just keeps leaning against the door as he looks around the room. Neither does Emma, but that's besides the point.
Davidson clears his throat even though he doesn't breathe. "Well then, now that everyone's here, let's start!"
Turning to the chalkboard, he floats to the sill… only to pause. He lets out a sigh, "Alright, where's the chalk? This is the third time it has gone missing, and… and you all know I can't start the lesson without it!"
Silence.
The teacher's looks around with an anxious smile. "Okay, how about this? If no one comes forward now, everyone is punished for this!"
A cricket monster chirps as Mr. Davidson starts sweating profusely. "… Anyone?"
"Um, I think there might be an extra box in the supply closet," Charlotte nervously raises her paw, and Emma can see her tail swishing behind her, "Mr. Davidson, how about Ted and I-?"
"Excellent idea, Miss Sweetly!" The ghost monster interrupts, swooshing as he turns, "Ted, since you were the last student to show up, how about you get it for me?"
Ted shifts his stance to stare at the teacher for a moment, his ear flicking once. "… Pfft, whatever," And with that, he makes his leave, slamming the door shut behind him.
The classroom is silent before Mr. Davidson sighs again. "Emma, could you please make sure he stays out of trouble?" he turns back to his clipboard, "and actually gets the chalk?"
As the class fills with whispers and tension, Emma nods and walks out of the classroom…
… to see Ted leaning over the hallway desk, snorting chalk.
As Emma shuts the door, he quickly stands up straight, wiping the powder away from his nose.
"… Hey," he coughs up a cloud of chalk, "… didn't see you there."
Ted glances around, then looks back at the human with a sharp smile. "You didn't see anything… right?"
Emma stays silent even as Ted's grin twitches.
"Got nothing to say, huh?" He taps the desk, then starts to approach Emma. Even while she tries to evade him, clearly unnerved, he continues. When her back hits the lockers, Ted rests a hooved hand on her shoulder. "Hey, sweetheart… wanna know a secret?"
Suddenly, the hand on her shoulder lifts and punches the locker, inches away from her face and denting the metal. Ted leans close, close enough Emma can feel his hot breath and fur tickling her skin. His yellowed teeth are bared as he snarls, "Quiet people piss me off."
Emma stares at Ted, tense and as still as she can be. This seems to make him laugh, "Oh-hoh, yeah! Do you really think I don't know exactly what you wanna say?" He leans back and puts on a silly, high pitched voice, mocking Emma. "'OH, I've got 'im now! I caught ol' Teddy snorting all the chalk! Now he's sure to be expelled!' Fuckin' FINALLY, right?"
He laughs in Emma's face, flecks of spit making her flinch in disgust. "C'mooon, don't even try to deny it! Everyone's waiting for it! Everybody wants it! So good job! Ya got me!" Raising his hands, Ted dramatically waves them beside his face.
Then he drops his hands and his smile, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Although… it does feel like a waste to get sacked just for a little fix, doesn't it? I mean that flaming fuckhead smokes weed in the unisex bathrooms every-fuckin'-day, and I can't have a bit o' chalk?" He grins once more. "So how 'bout I cause some real carnage, eh?"
A hand grips Emma's shoulder once again, more violently this time and sure to bruise. "Erica, was it?" Despite everything, the human opens her mouth to correct the asshole, but he doesn't let her.
"How do you feel…" Ted grabs her hood and lifts her up against the locker and leans forward, his jaw in line with her throat, "about losing your fucking head?"
Slowly, he opens his mouth, his jaw seeming to unhinge as he places it around the girl's neck. Emma can feel his yellowed teeth press against her throat, can feel the canines threaten to break skin and the power behind his molars. She breaks a sweat as the possibility of decapitation is clear and real…
He suddenly backs off, dropping her on the floor with a thud, and walking away.
"Nah…" he sticks his hands into his pant pockets, "you'd probably be into that shit. And besides," leaning his head back, he stares at Emma through his bangs. She hasn't made any move to get up, but stares back at him, "you've got a good dad. It'd be pretty douchey of me to make him bury his own daughter."
The two teenagers stare at each other for a long moment, both too stubborn to look away, until Ted chuckles and shrugs, stepping further away. "C'mon, let's get that stupid chalk, and when we get back? I ain't doing shit on this project. Got it, Ella?"
Once again, Emma tries to growl out a response to correct him, but the goat monster waves his hand back at her, "Yeah, yeah, I don't fucking care. In case you haven't picked it up by now," He snarls at her, "No one gives a shit what you think."
Silence fills the hall once more as Ted walks down the hall. "Get up. We haven't got all day, freak."
Emma rubs at her neck for moment, feeling the indents made by Ted's threat. She pulls her hood closer around her throat and pushes herself up, forcing out a "Fucking creep," as she does so.
"Fuck was that?" Ted calls out from down the hall.
Emma can't bring herself to say much more than a hum as she rounds the corner.
"… Yeah, that's what I thought, bitch." Ted turns again. "Now come on. You don't need me to hold your hand, do you?"
Rolling her eyes as the other mocks her, she follows him as they approach the supply closet.
"Well, here it is. Too bad," Ted smirks at Emma, who just grimaces back, as he walks up to the doors, "we were just startin' to have fun."
As he nudges it open… an unending darkness pours out of it, seeming to pulse in the light and simultaneously making everything darker. Dark yet darker…
Ted slowly backs away. "… Hey, uh, Girl? Is it just me or…" he turns to Emma, who's just staring at the puddle of blackened darkness at the foot of the door, "is it really fucking dark in there?"
"No shit, Sherlock," Emma whispers out, still staring at the closet doors.
"Well, al-fucking-right then, Watson," Ted snarks back, clearly sweating bullets, "Since you seem to know everything, why don't you go on ahead?"
She backs away, hands up and shaking her head.
"Oh, fucking pussy! Fine, then I'll…" He looks back at the doors and shivers, then turns back to Emma and grabs her arm. "We'll go in together!!"
Emma lets out an indignant squawk, one to rival her father's, as she's all but dragged into the closet. Once they're in, Emma yanks her arm out of the goat monster's hooved grasp, rubbing at it as they both look around at the dark room.
Well, "look" is being generous, as there isn't much to see in the dark aside from some papers on the floor and the pure blackness surrounding them.
"See? What were you such a wuss about?" He kicks some of the papers. "Nothin' in here to be scared about… unless you're scared of the dark and some scrap sheets of paper." He laughs at his own joke, and starts walking further in. "Let's try to find a switch, yeah?"
While Emma wants nothing more than to get the fuck out of here and ditch Ted, she follows him deeper into the depths of the closet, watching him pat the wall to his left for the lightswitch.
"… this closet's fucking huge," He starts patting down the right wall, "Like, shouldn't we have reached the end by now? Or at least… ya know, found a light?"
They keep going down the lightless closet. Eventually Ted gives up looking for a lightswitch and just starts walking faster, his shoulders tense as he just tries to find the end.
"… Okay, fuck this," Ted turns around to face Emma, allowing her to see him grit his teeth and look around. Earlier he was like a predator to the halls, preying on whoever was wimpy or stupid enough not to fight back. Now though, he was truly prey to the dark, trapped by the close quarters with no end. Emma would take a jab at him if she could. "This closet's fucking broken. Let's just go back, Davidson can just get the chalk himself."
As if on command, Emma turns around and jogs back where they came from, Ted close on her heels as they tread the literal paper trail to the entrance once more…
And the doors close right in front of them. Right on time.
"What the-" Ted pushes past Emma, shoving her into the dark wall as he rushes to the door and starts pounding. "HEY!!! This- this isn't fucking funny! OPEN THE DOOR!!! OPEN…"
Suddenly, the ground starts shaking beneath their feet. Ted backs away from the door as the papers fall way, until with a shout from the goat, the two teenagers fall with them. Down, down and further down, they fall into the unknown.
