p a r a n o i d.

✦ BRANDON HARRIS the TWENTY NINE year old has been in Hidehill for ENTIRE LIFE and was a FAMILY FRIEND to Carter Thompson, one of the shadows. Whispers on the streets are that the CASHIER who lives in HADLEY PARK are said to be LOYAL and PARANOID but I guess we’ll find out for ourselves.

[thebrandxnharris]

        ɪɴᴛʀᴏᴅᴜᴄɪɴɢ...

                       ＢＲＡＮＤＯＮ　Ｍ．　ＨＡＲＲＩＳ

𝓅𝑒𝓃𝓃𝑒𝒹 𝒷𝓎 𝓉

ʙᴜʟʟᴇᴛ ɪɴᴛʀᴏ ʙᴇʟᴏᴡ!

brandon was born and raised in hidehill. his mother was a teacher at the school until about six months ago when she died. his father, a cop, tried to keep it together for his family but the loss of the love of his life took over and he shot himself two months ago.

brandon’s aspiration in life is to be a writer but his family have never really had any money so its never been something that has felt achievable for him.

he works at the local gas station, but also offers 1-to-1 tutoring in english for local kids.

he’s a very socially awkward dude and struggles to really identify with people. he’s often in his head due to his anxiety.

likewise, he’s a very paranoid person, and at the moment with the disappearance of his friend its not a fun or good time for him.

he has his dad’s investigation skills, and one of his hobbies is researching cold cases and unsolved mysteries and finding answers for them. but, its a catch-22 because they 99.9% of the time make his paranoia and anxiety worse but are also the only way he knows how to deal with it all.

brandon can be hot-headed, and gets flustered easily. he hates confrontation but when he snaps he snaps.

he can often be found hanging out at the lake or anywhere where there’s water. he finds it peaceful.

connection ideas:

childhood best friends from school. - heather, OPEN

true crime squad - a small group of nerdier characters that brandon is a part of that used to have sleepovers to watch crime documentaries and spent way too much time on conspiracy youtube during after-school clubs

because of his general personality, he doesn’t exactly have a bunch of exes or anything, but one or two failed relationships are still about town

the ‘will they won’t they’ friend - probably brandon’s closest friend but one where they both love each other but probably won’t ever tell each other, but will always be there no matter way.

the childhood bully - the person/people who used to pick on brandon at school and either still do or now feel bad and now try and befriend him out of guilt. - jordan rude as hell

family friends - anyone with connections to the school or police that were friends with his parents and now look out for him since his mom died and dad is ill.

colleagues / regular customers

fellow lake chillers

[thebrandxnharris]

OPEN STARTER | @hidehillstart

Brandon sat in the pews of the Shul trying to convince himself that all of this was still worth it. The trouble was, he wasn't sure exactly what he was asking the powers that be for. Redemption? For something he wasn't sure he actually did? Mercy? For all of the shit that had happened to him in the past 12 months? Answers? For all of the questions that plagued his mind day and night? Hope? For the safe return of Lucas? He sighed as he tried to focus his mind on prayers, closing his eyes, a gentle muttering under his breath as he recited them to himself. Surely, surely, this had to be good for something?

His eyes softly opened as he felt someone sit down next to him, but he didn't look across to whoever it was, just kept them forward for a moment before dropping his gaze to his lap. "You, um, you ever t-think maybe this is, er, t-this is all..." Brandon sighed, not wishing to finish the sentence with pointless or worthless or made up out of respect. "S-Sorry... I shouldn't ask that here..."

[laurelfms-deactivated20231101]

@hidehillstart

LOCATION: any bar

𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐍 this spiral coming from a mile away and yet -- with the discovery of lucas' ear, it felt as if she had been hit by a truck. engaging in any kind of routine felt wrong now. no matter how much his shame for being with her had ripped her apart, she couldn't help but care. it was a trait that she both adored about herself and despised. it left her hurt more often than not, leaving her detached and alone. no matter how much she drank, no matter how much her throat burned, his face still sat in the front of her memory. smiling at her. telling her how much he loved her. that one day, their love would see the sun. and now, he never may again.

❝ his ear, they found his fucking ear... ❞ the blonde mumbled in a time that was shockingly coherent for her drunken state. ❝ what the fuck is happening.. ❞

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon couldn't shake the feeling that the text message and the image had given him. Since he opened that picture of the cut off ear, he had felt this nausea like he was constantly on some small boat in rough seas. That felt like quite an accurate analogy for everyone right now - barely floating, fighting for their lives to make sure they didn't go under and drown. He hated it. He hated how there was so much pain in this town. He could feel all of it. It radiated off even those who put on a smile and pretended it was all okay.

"I--" He swallowed. "I don't know, Laurel..." Brandon was usually quite good at rationalizing things. But this? There didn't seem to be a sane explanation. "I-I just... I-I can't sh-shake this feeling... That, um, that this is just t-the start of something, you know?"

[gaelfms]

@hidehillstart / text to 📩 anyone

gael: hey... just checking in. gael: you okay?

[thebrandxnharris]

brandon: i've been better brandon: but im doing ok brandon: are you ok?

[gcldenhecrts]

Danny smiles at Brandon, glad to see he's looking well considering all the shit thats going down with Lucas. He thinks everyone is on edge and is sure Brandon is no different ‘‘ Hey B, you good? ’’ Danny says, taking a sip from the bottle of water lying on the grass next to him. ‘‘ somewhere cheap and cheerful - that’s my only requirement. ’’

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon nodded weakly when Danny asked if he was okay. It was a weird question to answer right now, because nobody was okay, but nobody wanted to admit it either. Nobody wanted to make this whole thing about them, because it wasn't, it was about Lucas, about finding him and making sure he was okay. Brandon had a bit of a complicated past with the golden boy, but in recent years he had grown to quite like him and he didn't want any harm to come to him. But... Something about this just felt so dark. Like the start of a violent storm. One none of them could run from. "I, um... Yeah," he swallowed. "Yeah, I'm alright..." A clear lie, but anyone who wasn't lying when they said that right now was either insane or suspect as fuck. "Let's go t-to Parkers, I'm pretty s-sure it's happy hour there right now.."

[mixahrexlm]

The beach truly was one of the only places in the world, where Realm could really be found without a pen in his hand. He wasn't sure why. In retrospect, it seemed the perfect place for writing. Especially on the days it was quiet? Or if you found that perfect spot, somewhere along the edge, where tourists weren't as likely to flock. But instead of using it for his creative muse, Realm let it be one of the few places he let himself feel present. He'd breathe with the waves as they rolled in, and combined with the company of one of his favorite people? He couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the afternoon. Which was why, instead of rushing for an answer he let himself ponder Brandon's question. Sat with the fact that his friend was clearly losing a part of himself that perhaps at one time must have seemed significant. "To be honest I'm not totally sure. I've felt pretty detached from spirituality for a long time. But to believe nothing else is out there also feels ignorant. I kind of think that humans missed the mark on what we choose to believe in you know?"

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon let out a heavy sigh as he nodded to Realm's response. He used to be really religious, used to love sitting and listening to the Sunday teachings, the wise words of his Rabbi... But now that's all they felt like - words. Designed to make the naive feel better about the world. They were good to those who weren't actually experiencing the pain, a way to justify and empathize with the things that happened to others... But Brandon wasn't sure what he ever did to deserve trials like he had been given this year. And that came with an intense guilt in the pit of his stomach, as if his questions of why were a direct betrayal of the Torah.

"What do you, um, what do you t-think we s-should have believed in then?" He asked softly as he mindlessly played with the sand beneath him. "I, um... T-There's just so much pain, you know? All the time..."

[giovannixdeluca]

Taking a long drink from the glass in front of her, Kami watched Brandon over carefully. He was someone that she cared for deeply, to see the stress that this was causing on him and everyone in town brought a sadness to her heart. "I can't imagine Lucas wanting to run away from here, though. He had like the perfect life or whatever." She did her best to hide the eyeroll she wanted to give over everything the missing guy had gotten that she didn't. "But who knows, maybe he had an even better secret life somewhere else."

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon chewed the inside of his lip a little as he sat with her words. Did he have the perfect life here? He supposed it depended, as most things do, on perspective. "He, um, he might have had what looks like i-it on the s-surface..." He mused. "Y'know, if we're, um, if we're t-taking 'perfect' from Hollywood films, then s-sure... But," Brandon shrugged. "Maybe he didn't want all t-that limelight?" It was all speculation at this point. Nobody knew what was going through Lucas' mind when he went missing, whether it was intentional or not. "Here's to hopin' he lets s-someone know he's alright s-soon..."

[thebrandxnharris]

"I-I know the feeling," Brandon sighed softly. Truthfully, he hadn't cried for months now, not since his Dad's funeral. Everything that had happened to him this year had made him numb inside. But, checking his phone? Now that was something he could relate to. In the space of a week, he'd gone from someone that barely even remembered to charge the damn thing to never being without it - just in case. "I, um, I was going t-to go get a coffee. You want t-to join?"

[daringonesarchive]

sophie hoped she'd never have to know loss like brandon did. her heart ached for the other and the fact that he lost both of his parents within a year. she wasn't close with either of her parents, they pretty much pretended she didn't exist, only having eyes for jason. still. if anyone in her family died, it'd hurt. blue hues meet his and she merely gives a soft nod of her head, acknowledging that she KNEW that he knew the feeling, reaching her hand out to give his hand a soft squeeze before dropping it. "coffee sounds good. i've been living off of only that." she chewed upon her bottom lip, "you know i'm always here for you, right? if you ever wanna talk. anytime. just say the word."

[thebrandxnharris]

Obviously, the worst part of the year was all the loss he had gone through since the start of it, that was a given, but honestly, the thing that kept on his mind more than anything else was how fucking annoying it was that everyone now looked at him with those doey, sympathy ridden eyes. Like he was broken. Fragile. The way people spoke around him had changed too, so much so that he actually preferred the company of his old high school bullies to his friends right now because at least they didn't give a fuck about him and were consistent about it. Of course, Brandon being Brandon he didn't say a word of this to anyone. Feelings were meant to be felt, not spoken, right?

"Maybe I'll get ya a s-sandwich while we're t-there too then, um, you, er, you need to be eating, Soph," Brandon said softly, hands tucking into his jacket pockets. He nodded when she said she was here for him. He knew she was. He knew lots of people were, but he also knew that there was nothing anyone else could do. He wasn't sure he'd accept the help even if someone could do something about this. "You, um, you keeping okay, t-though? With, y'know, Lucas and stuff..."

[daringonesarchive]

"i can't keep crying and obsessively checking my phone. you wanna do something? i desperately need to get my mind off of everything. if even just for a few hours."

@hidehillstart

[thebrandxnharris]

"I-I know the feeling," Brandon sighed softly. Truthfully, he hadn't cried for months now, not since his Dad's funeral. Everything that had happened to him this year had made him numb inside. But, checking his phone? Now that was something he could relate to. In the space of a week, he'd gone from someone that barely even remembered to charge the damn thing to never being without it - just in case. "I, um, I was going t-to go get a coffee. You want t-to join?"

[natashadunn]

There many not have been many people she'd let get close to her, but Brandon was different. Since they were children, the bond between the two of them was unbelievably tight. Sure, him spending nights in her bed as of late probably helped that bond become even tighter, but she loved and cared about him regardless. The intimacy definitely helped the two of them understand one another in ways they probably hadn't previously considered. He now seemed more hyper aware of the smallest things that bothered her. Though she tried to act as if she was perfectly fine, the reality was that she was worried..

"I'm... I'm doing alright..." she briefly closed her eyes, allowing the build up of tears to run down her caramel tanned cheeks before looking away to avoid him seeing her face. "But uh... how are you doing?"

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon let out a sigh as he heard the words come from the other. Sasha was the one person in this town that he would do absolutely anything for. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he would quite literally lay down his own life for her. He wouldn't say that out loud though for fear of sounding like some cliche character in yet another stupid rom-com novel. But he would. And a connection like that meant that he knew when she wasn't quite telling the truth. He didn't blame her though. Speaking about all of this made everything real, and the more real it felt the more it felt like Lucas was never coming back, that whoever this shadow person was was trying to restart the horror stories they'd all told each other over campfires as kids.

Turning to her, he gave a gently sympathetic look. "You know you don't have t-to hide anything from me, S-Sash?" He said softly. "It, um, it's okay if you're, y'know, if you're not okay..." Brandon wanted her to know that, no matter what, he was there. He always would be. "I'm s-still hoping he's just playing a s-stupid prank... That it's going to be okay, that he'll be back soon..."

[thebrandxnharris]

@mixahrexlm

"Do you-- do you, um, believe in anything?" Brandon asked as he sat on the beach with Realm, breaking the silence that had come over them as the waves gently rolled in, gradually approaching. That was what life felt like at the moment, except it wasn't water coming for them, it was a dark black fucking cloud, and it wasn't going to softly roll in like the tide, it was building up like a hurricane and preparing to take them all out entirely. "S-Spiritually, I mean..." He clarified, realizing that his statement was a little too vague. "Like... I, um, I used t-to think there was s-something out there, y'know, looking after everything but... Now I'm... Now I'm not so sure.."

[gaelfms]

@hidehillstart

LOCATION: sorry mom

𝐆𝐀𝐄𝐋 𝐂𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅 his game, following everything that had occurred. lucas may have been one dumb son of a bitch in his eyes, a narcissist, it didn't make his disappearance any less jarring. he cared about people who actually gave a shit about the guy and suddenly -- he had vanished out of thin air. gael knew the feeling of loss all too well, the anticipation as you waited for the other shoe to drop, the knowledge that someone was just out there, and no one in town could help him. that all in itself was terrifying, no matter how you felt about the victim.

arms crossed over his chest, his eyes scanned over his shop like an overlord scanning over his country -- making sure that everything was in working order. he had let his employees know that if they needed time, he would give it to them. that they were all in this together. it's after a moments pause that he notices someone standing at the front desk -- the receptionist nowhere to be found.

❝ hey there. ❞ he says with a gruff voice, but a professional smile. he needs to shake this shit off, no matter what it took. ❝ how can i help ya ? ❞

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon wasn't really sure what to do with himself anymore. He liked to take himself off to sit by the lake and watch the water come in and out, match his breathing to it and try and let go of all the shit bouncing around in his head, if only for a few hours or so, but after everything... Nowhere like that felt safe anymore. Part of him wanted to go searching for Lucas, but a bigger part was too scared of what he might find if he did. Part of him wanted company, the other wanted isolation. The only thing he was certain of was that he was tired of feeling so torn, so broken, so damaged... This year could go to fucking hell, honestly.

The cashier settled on wanting some company, and he new Gael would be down at the shop so he wandered down to him, glancing up as the bell rang as he entered - something that always took him by surprise even though he had been here more times than anyone could count. He wasn't a tattoo man himself, he just had one on his left thigh - a passage from his favorite book, but he always enjoyed the vibes of Sorry Mom, and Gael had become like an older brother to him over the years. "Hey, um, I just, er-- I just wanted t-to hang out, if that's okay?" He asked shyly.

[thebrandxnharris]

@sashakang

Brandon couldn't remember the last time he had felt a moment of quiet or peace in recent months, the death of his mother at the start of the year seemed to have kick-started a series of events that were trying to outdo the one that came before it. And now these texts? Lucas missing? There was something in his gut saying that this wasn't even the finale, that this was just the end of the start. He remembered the stories that would be passed around the campfires when they were all kids - the shadow, a sick and twisted serial killer back in the 80s... Back then, that's all they felt like - stories. Now? Now it made him feel a bit sick inside to think they used to use that shit to scare each other while they stuffed their faces with smores.

And, as with most things, Brandon was more concerned with the people around him than anything else. He was worried about how Sasha was handling all of this. He knew she was strong, one of the strongest people he knew actually, but he also knew this would shake her up. So, of course, he made sure he was there. For her. "You, um, you want t-to talk about everything?"

[giovannixdeluca]

@hidehillstart parkers bar & grill

"Do you think it could just be some kind of sick joke?" The question leaving her lips before she even registered that she was speaking out loud now instead of in her head. "With Lucas, I mean." Committing fully to the conversation she had started with the person sat beside her at the bar. "It just seems like something he would get himself mixed up in, thinking it was funny or whatever." She had never been close with the guy and she was never his biggest fan, but something about the whole thing just hadn't been sitting right with her since the news broke.

[thebrandxnharris]

"It could be, yeah..." Brandon breathed out, not realizing quite how shaky the breath would be until it happened. Everything that was going on was shaking him up all over again. It was like he felt like he was just getting to a point where he felt like he wasn't about to completely break after losing both his parents in the space of 3 months and then the universe slapped him around the face to keep him down. What was the point? No, he couldn't think like that. "I-- I mean, people, um, people run away all t-the time, right?" He tried to find reason where there seemingly was none.

[gcldenhecrts]

Status: open ( @hidehillstart )

Location: reign park

As soon as the football club Danny heads is over and the children have all been picked up, the blonde finds himself pulling his shirt off and practically throwing himself on the ground. He hasn’t stopped over the last few days, the knot in his stomach getting tighter when he thinks of Lucas and the time that ticks by painfully slow since his disappearance. He’s terrified, truthfully. He’s terrified for his friends, he’s terrified for his siblings. He worries that now they no longer need to worry about the devils that reside within their own home, but the ones outside as well.

He lays there for a few moments, letting the exhaustion from the football training wash over him. It’s only when approaching footsteps catch his attention that he pulls himself up on his elbows, squinting slightly from the sun. ‘‘ hey ’’ he mumbles to the familiar face. ‘‘ wanna grab a drink? ’’

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon had come with one of the soccer Moms to pick up their son, happy to offer a bit of protection to a single woman in a time like this - not that, if it actually came down to it, he'd be any good at the protection side of things. But his presence was more of a deterrent than anything else. But when he caught a glimpse of Danny practically passing out of the ground as he was about to get in the van to leave, he decided to let her go home with her kid and redirected his attention to the blonde. Walking over, he offered a kind smile when the other mumbled a greeting. "Hey Danny," Brandon said as his hands found his pants pockets. "Um, s-sure, where do you want t-to go?"

[stlinskim]

It was your nerves and uptight nature that just ruined everything.

[louisafms]

orla hadn't been one to get involved in people's business, mostly because she didn't want people in hers. her relationship had broken down, that made the other woman sell her share to orla, cadillac lounge was supposed to be their little project... the children had no contact with her anymore and she'd previously been arrested after turning up at the house in a state. the last thing she wanted was people sniffing around. she shrugged her shoulders and then nodded. "they do that, don't they? men? people his age? fuck it, anyone can." brandon's next words peaked the woman's interest. "he didn't? do you know something i don't, brandon? like to share with the class, would you?"

[thebrandxnharris]

Brandon really hoped that he'd be found and that everything would just go back to normal. But he couldn't shake off this feeling in the pit of his stomach that there was a really dark fucking cloud over Hidehill, and worse yet that this storm was only just getting started. He'd always been a pessimist though, a glass-half-empty kind of guy. It was strange, considering his upbringing - a loving home, a stable life, never really going without... Goes to show just what childhood bullying can really do, doesn't it? "Yeah... Yeah, I-I mean, it, um, it's not uncommon, and I-- he did have a, a lot of pressure, y'know, t-to always be the golden boy and s-stuff..." Brandon tried to explain himself around his own thoughts, each word trying to sound more convincing than the last and failing miserably. When Orla asked the question he took a few beats to think about the answer. "You, um, you get t-to know people in a s-special way when you go t-through your whole life with them..." He said, eyes drifting to the back of the bar, casting over the labels of the top shelf delicacies. "He felt t-that pressure you know... T-To be the starboy... From, um, from all the adults and teachers and all his peers too... K-Kind of made him a bit of a dick during the last few years of high s-school honestly... I-I think he calmed down with it over recent years but," Brandon shrugged. "That kind of stuff st-sticks with you, Orla..."