Been thinking a lot about CCRP and what the rest of the departments may look like. From that was born my beloved Rosencrantz and Guildenstern stand-ins because I decided the idea of some random guys off screen being the reason the meteor fell off course and into Hatchetfield was incredibly fucking funny. I am now trying to imagine how those two could accidentally be involved in the other HF shows' disasters.
So, I don't know if the aims of CCRP as a corporation have been canonically labelled, other than the fact that it's international and we as the audience know it's the home base for a bunch of secret, shady projects. Rn I'm thinking that to the layperson, it's "officially" a research-based biotech company. If you ask a spokesperson from CCRP you'll get the same bullshit, buzzword-filled blurb along the lines of, "a company largely focused on refining production processes and innovating green tech in the name of public health" or something lmao.
There's a couple of floors below-ground, one of them being the MSAT department. It's a mix of Bioengineers, data scientists, tech writers, so on. Despite all its money, CCRP still likes to cut corners, so there's a lot of crossovers with each job positions' requirements.
Charles Coven keeps in contact with this floor when he has BIG plans underway. Ones like tracking the movement of large objects bordering the earth's stratosphere that, with CCRP technology, are identified as containing inhuman substances with the same properties as the ones discovered in Hatchetfield. This tech that lets them "safely" collect extraterrestrial samples, and as of rn I imagine the inciting incident as some vague malfunction of said tech overlooked, courtesy of Bud. This one that he fucked up is the same one (successfully) used to create Otho in Yellow Jacket. I did not get good grades in science or math in my academic career which despite my frantic googling I'm sure is very evident to those smarter than me as I figure this lore out lmao
I've spent an exorbitant amount of time thinking of this concept and have more cohesive storyline for The Day Of The Crash from the basement crew's perspective but since it's all just My Guys idk that that would hold much interest for literally anyone other than me bc I am my own target audience
Enjoy this mock-up of a CCRP logo i made instead of actually finishing my other creative projects. Insert "graphic design is my passion" image here
If you're familiar with this story, you might remember how @tea-potato-gt responded to the ask. That the children and Briar probably wouldn't have become friends if the apocalypse hadn't happened. And I respect the author's opinion. But I thought. Hey, what if we put them in a different circumstance? So I wrote an alternate universe or something. I hope I didn't go too far beyond the character's personality...
I was interested in making the Monroe family different. What if they all moved from place to place together because their father/husband was in the military? I did a little research to understand the differences between 'regular' families and military families. And I realized it depends more on the individual than the profession. Of course, when you work in a specific job, you inevitably bring some things home (like discipline).
Children of military personnel, who often relocate, can be very sociable and become 'social chameleons,' or they might be very withdrawn due to anxiety (a lack of long-term and stable social connections). I also like the idea that Briar might have been more daring when he was younger, so I've allowed myself to make him a bit more so. He's still as cautious and thoughtful as ever, though.
I wanted to write this story much longer, but I didn't. So it might seem to you that they become friends in a short period of time... But I just decided to focus more on comfort.
So, I'll leave most of my reasoning at the end of the post!
...
No apocalypse au
Word count: ~3,7k
TW: swearing, sick mother (just in case)
Now…
Layla softly knocked on the wall and called out, "Briar."
The echo was supposed to spread the sound within the walls. A few minutes passed, but nothing happened. So she knocked a little harder, "Briar. Come out, please."
She waited for a little longer, lying on the floor of her room. And finally the old socket faceplate shifted, revealing a hole in the wall. Panting, the older borrower clambered out, leaving his escape route open.
He put his bag down and rested his hands on his hips. It wasn't out of anger. It was just that he already missed her, even though they had talked this morning, before she and Jace went to school. But he was too embarrassed to admit it openly, so he didn't want to touch her right away.
“What’s happened? I was busy with the tunnel in the living room, so I didn't hear you calling me at first.”
It's not that he wanted to tell any Bean such information, but Layla usually forgot half of what Briar told her because it was 'boring'.
“Could you help me?” the girl asked, shifting herself up to sit on the floor. Even so, she was still much above Briar's level. His neck wouldn't thank him for it, but he wasn't about to make a kid lie on the floor just for his comfort.
Layla placed one of her old but thankfully washed socks in front of him.
"Did it tear?” the borrower asked, sounding confused, “Do you want me to teach you how to sew?"”
"No. I-" She began to whisper, as if about to confess something in secret, "Mom's birthday is coming soon."
Briar hummed and scratched his chin, “Sorry, but I don’t see how your sock is related.”
“You know what theatre is?”
“Yeah. I even saw a rehearsal of one of the plays.”
He thinks it was called ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, but he can’t be sure, it was so long ago.
“But the next day was the premiere, so I got out of there. My ears couldn't have taken it.”
Layla tilted her head to the side, “What was that about?”
He didn’t want to talk about a human deceitful nature. The borrower thought about what he could say to the 8-year-old child, “It was about… love.”
“Ew, gross," the girl grimaced. “Do you like that?”
Briar chuckled, “No, not at all. But most of it was fun, so I didn’t regret being stuck there.”
And before Layla could ask him about this story, he said, "So why did you mention the theater?"
“Oh, right! We're going to make a puppet theater! Jace changed mom's bedtime story. She'll like it! I'm super-duper sure!”
"I see. But what do you need my help for? You know I can't show myself to a Bean."
“But you still show up to me and Jace,” the girl pouted.
“That’s true, but I should have left a long time ago,” he said, pretending to turn toward the hole in the wall.
“No! Don't go, Briar!” Layla said, almost whining, putting her hands in his way. But not touching.
He reached for her thumb and stroked it soothingly. “I was just kidding, sweet girl," the older borrower admitted with a chuckle.
“Really?” she carefully placed the rest of her fingers on his back, giving some kind of a hug.
“Really, really.”
He was the first to step back and then walk towards their current victim, the sock.
“So, what are we doing?”
“I'm not very good with glue..."
"Hmm, I can do that. But," he looked inside the box of materials for making puppets, "I'll take the rest. Maybe I could make something useful out of this."
“Yes! The ‘pretty’ duo is back!” the girl parodied some line from the cartoon, but the borrowers didn’t watch TV, because it’s just a waste of time.
Layla began to arrange all the necessary materials in a way that was convenient for both of them.
The borrower found a piece of cloth and wrapped it around the lower part of his face. This would help him avoid passing out due to the smell of the glue.
He would have to speak much louder to be heard, but he didn't worry about attracting unwanted attention.
The mother of the family was ill and bedridden. Her room was located in the opposite part of the house, and she spent most of her time sleeping.
Huh… It seems like almost 2 years ago.
How quickly time passes.
…
2 years ago…
Briar heard a noise, as if a bunch of beans suddenly broke into the house. Although he had been living here for about 3 weeks, he was certain that this wasn't normal. Something was happening.
As he moved through the only safe tunnel, he could hear loud voices getting farther away. Someone was hurt? It wasn't that he cared, but there were children in this house.
“Jason, look after your sister! Close the door and don’t let anyone in!”, the head of the family said.
The borrower vaguely remembered the boy complaining that his father was spending less time at home. It seems that he arrived this morning while Briar was exploring a new route within the walls.
After a while, the older borrower looked out of a hole above a kitchen cabinet. He didn't see any beans nearby, but he could hear the children talking somewhere in the house.
“Okay, stupid-head!”
Someone slammed the door loudly. Briar startled.
He climbed to the top of the kitchen cabinet and looked far down.
It seems that the girl was hungry and decided to find food on her own, but the fridge door was stuck too tightly, and she couldn't open it. She whimpered in frustration and started scanning the surroundings.
In the middle of the table was an open package of sliced bread, and behind it was a knife. It looked like the girl didn't notice it from her angle and started pulling the tablecloth towards her.
The borrower's heart sank.
“Stop!” he shouted, but immediately hid back.
Layla stopped and looked behind her.
There was no one there.
So she reached for the tablecloth again.
“Stop it right now, child!” the voice rang out again.
This time she looked up and gasped to see the tiny man.
“Why are you so short? Are you magical?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m short. And no, I’m not.”
“But you’re small!”
“I can say the same about you, girl,” the man chuckled. He needed to distract her from himself, “Are you hungry?”
The girl nodded and looked back at the table, “Can I have some bread?”
Briar blinked. She was asking his permission?
“Why isn’t your brother with you?” The borrower began to climb down onto the countertop, as it was safe enough.
As expected, Layla came closer, and only by standing on tiptoe could she see where Briar was standing. In another situation, he might have been amused, but right now he was focused on making sure those ‘little’ hands didn’t grab him.
“It was noisy. I didn't understand what it was. Jace told me to leave him!”
A tired sigh. “Then I’ll help you, but you have to do what I say. Okay?” he tried to sound authoritative and serious, but his growing smile made it a little difficult.
“Okay!” the girl replied, stepping back because she was tired of standing on tiptoe.
“I think you have a step stool in the bathroom. Can you bring it here?”
Layla nodded, even though she couldn’t see the borrower from here.
That way she could climb onto the chair safely. Which is what he suggested when she returned.
The borrower remembers her whining to Jace about how she didn't like climbing on the high chairs in the kitchen. Or maybe she liked being lifted. Briar didn't share her enthusiasm for the matter.
“I can literally see what you’re thinking, girl,” the borrower said more sternly, “Don’t try to get to me, or I’ll leave.”
“No, don’t go! I just wanted to see…” pouting a little, she leaned the step stool against the chair and climbed on top of it.
“Oh, I shouldn’t touch that.”
"Right, can you move it to the middle of the table? Don't touch the sharp part."
So, the knife was no longer a problem. Now he had to figure out how to feed the giant kid. Maybe just bread wasn't enough.
They needed to find something that could act as a lever.
There was an unfinished cup of coffee on the table, which the father had left in a hurry.
Oh, he noticed the spoon. Perfect.
Thanks to Briar's instructions, the girl managed to open the fridge and reach the jam jar.
She turned to look at Briar and he gave her a thumbs up.
After a while, Jace came into the kitchen rubbing his red eyes and exclaimed, “Layla! What a mess!”
The tablecloth was stained with strawberry jam in places where his little sister had been able to reach. He sighed wearily, “It looks like a crime scene.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have left her alone, boy.”
“Who said that?!” Jace asked, shielding Layla with his back. He wasn’t sure where the unfamiliar male voice was coming from.
“We made jam sandwiches!”
Jace ignored his sister's words and tried to figure out where the voice was coming from.
What he definitely didn't expect was for the voice to address him.
“Are you all right, boy?”
…
Jace was annoyed that the borrower trusted his little sister more than he did. She even knew his real name! He tried to find out, but Layla got angry and tattled on him to the borrower. The man wasn't thrilled either and refused to talk to him. It could also be because Jace was trying to track his voice to find their mysterious friend within the walls.
Jace was used to getting information in every possible way, but it seemed to be working against him this time. Usually, asking directly caused a negative reaction, and he didn't want to irritate or anger anyone. He was tired of guessing the reaction of the faceless voice from the walls. He needed clues to increase his chances of not messing up. But it seemed like he had already...
Recently, Layla told him they just needed to talk. Could it really be that simple?
His hand hovered over the doorknob. Why did he feel like his father was about to scold him?
He specifically asked his sister what time the borrower came to chat with her.
Jace finally opened the door and caught a glimpse of something dark slipping towards the socket where Layla was lying, drawing on the floor.
“Wait!” The boy came closer and also lay down on the floor, “I just wanted to say I’m sorry!”
Layla sighed in annoyance, “Did you forget to knock first?”
But her brother just stared at the same place.
“Meet me in the kitchen,” the voice finally said, “And no funny business, boy.”
Jace wanted to follow the order respond to the request immediately, but the socket’s faceplate suddenly shifted and returned to its place.
They remained in the kitchen in silence for a while. The boy leaned against the counter, with a cabinet above him, from which the voice usually came.
“It seems that an apology isn’t the only thing you had to say to me.”
Jace straightened, looking straight ahead, but not up, “Yes, sir.”
“Don’t call me that,” the voice grumbled.
“But you didn’t tell me your name,” Jace complained quietly.
The borrower changed the subject, “I’m listening, boy.”
“Yes. Again, I'm sorry for my actions,” he paused to carefully consider what he was about to say next, “I would never hurt you and… I just wanted to know what you look like.”
“Why?”
He should have just made a joke and not brought it up again. With each passing second, Jace began to regret starting this conversation. What if he said something wrong? Should he say what the borrower wanted to hear or tell the truth?
“I like you.”
Silence.
Apparently, this confused the borrower. So the boy took this as a sign that he could continue speaking.
“I like the way you tell stories to Layla, since our mom can’t. You’re smart, honest, funny, and…I respect you.”
Jace really did, although he hadn’t said much out loud.
The man snorted, “You’re a flatterer, kid.”
“That’s not flattery!”, Jace’s voice rose slightly, but he cut himself off by covering his mouth with his hands.
He lowered himself to the floor, saying, “I’m sorry.” No one liked being yelled at or shouted at, Jace knew that from experience.
And the borrower was the last person who deserved to be treated this way. He really helped Jace out a lot. Despite all the sarcasm, this voice always spoke honestly and without judgment. Even when the young man's thoughts were confused or the attitudes instilled by his father were preventing him from making the right decisions.
The boy was used to keeping his true thoughts to himself, but now he could say what was on his mind. Jace had some information that he had managed to get which the borrower had allowed him to know.
“The life you were talking about is similar to what happened to us not long ago. Well, before mom got sick.”
He wasn’t sure if the borrower was still there, but he continued speaking anyway.
“Although it’s not the same, I understand what it’s like to move to a new place over and over again. And it was difficult for me to part with my friends due to the relocation. That’s why my father advised me not to get attached to people and not to make real friends…”
“Bullshit,” the voice interrupted, sounding a little closer, but still somewhere above, “Is that a reason not to make friends? The memories of them will stay with you, even if you never see them again.”
“I…I hadn’t thought about it that way,” Jace admitted. “But I guess every time we moved, I was just…” he couldn’t say the word out loud. His father always said it was not appropriate for a man to be-
“Scared?”
“Yes,” the boy said with relief, but still feeling those phantom anxieties.
“Hmm, I thought you said that you moved to different countries. Was it harder to get used to and make friends there?
“Well, yes and no. We lived in a military town where we had everything we needed. I went to a special school with the children of the military just like me, where everyone spoke the same language, although some of my friends knew several languages. The boy smiled as he remembered, “They taught me a few things.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Swearing.”
Laughter rang out above his head, but he still remained in place. No need to raise his head unless ordered to.
“Makes sense, boy.”
Jace paused for a moment, reminiscing about all the mischief he had done with his old friends, and then his smile fell.
“The place we lived in changed, but the rules and routines didn’t. The people around me changed, but the ‘home’…”
He clutched the fabric of his pants and pulled his knees closer to his chest. “At least it was better with mom, she insisted that we needed to go out and explore the local culture. I still don't understand how she managed to convince him every time."
"Well, it seems that even your asshole father knows how to love," the borrower paused for a second, realizing what he had just said. He quickly added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say-"
But Jace laughed.
The boy rubbed his eyes a bit, "No, it's okay. He really acts like an asshole sometimes,” he mumbled, “Maybe even more than sometimes.”
“Don’t get me wrong, but it’s better if you think about what’s bothering you yourself. I think you’d come up with better ideas than he would.”
“And you called me a flatterer?”
“You still have room to grow.”
Briar is confident that nothing is lost for this young man, but…
“By the way, I saw your experiment with the toaster.”
Jace shrugged automatically, "Nothing burned, so it's a win-win situation.”
“Seriously, boy! That’s a waste of food!”
“Whatever you say, boss.”
“What did you just call me?”
Jace sighed, “I don’t know how to address you.”
He was already getting used to the slight pauses that occurred while the borrower considered his words.
“Okay. Sit down near the table and don’t move until I tell you to. Please.”
It's strange how just one word can turn an order into a request.
He heard some quiet rustling, and all he had to do was get up and...
But no, he waited patiently, not trying to peek.
“Try to guess my name. The first letter is B.”
“Bruno?”
“Mmm, nice try,” the man said with amusement. Then his voice trembled slightly, “Y-you can look up.”
Jace slowly raised his gaze.
A quiet pause.
He looked at the older borrower, who was sitting almost on the edge of the counter, with one leg dangling over the side.
Jace smiled mischievously, “You look tougher than I imagined, boss.”
The man snorted, but then said quietly, “It’s Briar. You can call me by name.”
“Thank you, Briar.”
…
Now…
They decided to set up a puppet show in front of their mother's bed so she wouldn't have to get up. Jace helped set up the wide cardboard walls so that the ‘actors’ could hide halfway while they controlled the puppets in the center. Layla arranged the most beautiful towels to mimic a curtain on the sides of the walls. Briar was hiding nearby. Only the children could see him, and he silently supported them by raising his thumbs up.
They giggled, then glanced at their mom.
She waved at them, smiling softly.
Jace and Layla nodded to each other. It was time to start.
The original story was about a spirit who looked after the house and secretly helped the family. He usually didn't show himself to humans, but when the family moved, they would invite him to go with them to their new home. So no matter where the family moved, they would feel at home.
But in this version, the children accidentally caught the spirit and became friends with it. He continued to help the family, giving them advice and making sarcastic jokes, but it was mostly a kind spirit, even if it was mischievous.
And when it was time to take a bow, the kids realized they only had 4 arms, and there were 5 puppets. Briar slapped his forehead and quickly ran under the set to avoid being seen. He ducked into the last sock puppet and prayed to anyone listening that their mother didn’t notice. Now all the dolls were holding hands and taking a bow.
Amanda started clapping, though not as much as she wanted to. She cleared her throat a bit before speaking, “I like it! I like this version even more than the original.” She opened her arms for a hug, “Come here, my star lights.”
At that moment, the borrower slipped back to the walls, but he didn't leave.
He saw Jace reach for a gift that he had hidden nearby.
“Here! I thought this would be more useful than some trinket.”
Firstly, he had doubts about the idea, and he was genuinely surprised when Briar suggested it. However, based on his mom's reaction, he realized that the borrower was right.
Amanda looked at the high-quality sports water bottle, then at her son, “Where did you get the money?”
Ernest was strict about pocket money, so she wasn’t sure about it...That he would have been able to save up the amount.
“I earned most of it at school.” He realized that sounded ambiguous, so he clarified, “I sold test answers to my classmates.”
“Oh, Jace. You shouldn’t have-”
“Mom.”
She fell silent, and her son took her hands in his. Had they grown so much in the last two years?
“You can’t overexert yourself, and it's a useful thing. Lays has tested how easy it's to lift and open this bottle with just one hand.”
“Yeah!”
The woman sniffed and pulled them into another hug, “I have such good kids. You're the best kids in the world.”
Jace and Layla giggled, hugging their mom back.
Amanda pulled back a little to look at her son’s face, “But how did you know?”
“Well, I have my sources,” the boy said mysteriously but proudly.
Mom gently ran her hand through his red hair, “Since when are you so business-like?”
"Everyone has their own little secret," he winked at his younger sister, and she giggled.
They removed their 'props' and left their mom's room because she needed to rest. Briar was still peeking out from his hiding place.
He knew what it was like to lose strength in his arms and legs due to illness. He had even had to take care of his younger siblings when they were unable to hold small objects or even get out of bed.
It was unusual to see that even Beans could be weak and helpless when they were ill. So he felt a little sorry for her when Amanda spilled the glass of water that had been left for. The children were at school, and the husband was at work. There was no one around to help her.
His observational skills helped the children choose a small gift, although it was insignificant. But it was still nice thing.
Now she could put the bottle next to her so she didn't have to reach for the nightstand. Lately, even that took all her energy. The sports bottle was designed to prevent spilling even when opened, and the latch could be easily opened with a single finger.
When Briar was about to leave, he heard the woman's quiet voice, “I think we also have a spirit that protects our family.”
The borrower tensed, but it looked like she was just muttering to herself, “Thank you, whoever you are.”
Amanda settled back and placed the water bottle not far from her.
Briar just stood there for a while. His smile slowly grew and he nodded, even though no one would see it.
He returned to his tunnels in high spirits.
…
That's it, the end!
You can see the obvious hints that this story was meant to be much sadder. But then I wouldn't be able to fit everything in one post.
Briar stayed close to beans in this story because he didn't want to lose sight of how much danger they posed. Especially since there has been a breakthrough in technology. Now borrowers should pay attention to devices that can take pictures, record videos, and broadcast live. Well, that's not the only reason. He just prefers to keep his friends close and his enemies even closer. It wasn't that he hated them, but he still despised people for all the bad things they could do just at will.
I don't know if you noticed the coincidence, but... I accidentally chose the title of a play that Briar saw a rehearsal of in his youth. I watched the film (2002). It was funny and suited the story. The borrower could still condemn humans in his mind, but at the same time, explain the main idea to the child. And for the last part, I needed to remember the parents' names. Oh, I laughed so hard! Their father's name is Ernest! It's very ironic. But Briar didn't get it, because he, like me, didn't care about the name of this bean."
In the beginning, Jace tried to be like his father, copying his model of behavior. But obviously nothing good came of it. Briar made that clear. The boy was meant to be more manipulative, which is why he couldn't gain the borrower's trust for a long time. But after realizing it, their friendship should have gradually improved.…I also like that Briar trusted Lays first.
After their mother got sick, he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, because they wouldn't be moving anytime soon. And their father couldn't be at home all the time. It didn't help that their father had high expectations for his son. You know how a disappointed father can be worse than a belt? Similar situation.
Layla, on the other hand, was starving for the attention of an adult figure. Her mother couldn't give her the attention she needed, and her father was difficult to impress. All he could say after work in the evening was, “Good job”. Possibly without even looking at what his daughter was showing him. So she desperately needed Briar, who praised her for everything. (And he's just such a girl dad that he can't deny her xD)
Amanda was bedridden and felt like a burden to her family. Surprisingly, her husband showed unconditional love for her despite his bad temper. She couldn't know about her children's problems because they didn't tell her anything. They didn't want to bother her, or she was so ill that she was unconscious most of the time. Now, her son was taking on the household responsibilities.
[Since they moved around a lot, I figured that the grandmother wouldn't be able to handle it because of her age. So, she stayed in her own house and doesn't have the opportunity to see her family often. I didn't want to kill her, so that's her fate!]
The children were practically left on their own. It was supposed to be Jace lashing out at Briar because of the accumulated stress. But the borrower still stayed around, he couldn't leave them alone in such a difficult situation...
Although I didn't add any new characters, there's something special about the bedtime story. Yep, it's from my people's mythology, but Jace made very strong references/hints to Briar.
I like the idea that Jace knows swear words in multiple languages and accidentally says one in front of his little sister. I just imagined him hitting something and shouting, “Blyat'!” Layla just tried to repeat it, but she said a shorter and softer version, “Blya?” xD
So my headcanon is that he knows Russian, Spanish, and Japanese swearing.
I think I said everything I was going to say, but I feel like I forgot something…
