horrorbxby

[horrorbxby]

zero  listened  attentively  as  eisa  shared  her  thoughts,  feeling  a  mix  of  empathy  and  curiosity.  they  could  sense  the  weight  of  guilt  and  responsibility  in  her  words,  and  it  reminded  them  of  their  own  struggles,  in  a  way.  they  couldn't  help  but  feel  a  pang  of  admiration  for  eisa's  resilience  and  determination  to  make  sense  of  things.  she  didn’t  deserve  to  have  gone  through  what  she’d  been  through,  and  zero  would  always  make  sure  to  tell  her  that.  " yeah,  i  know  what  that’s  like.  to  dwell  on  the  past  and  wonder  'what  if', "  zero  admitted,  her  voice  tinged  with  a  hint  of  vulnerability.  she  took  a  moment  to  gather  her  thoughts  before  continuing.  " but  sometimes,  no  matter  how  much  we  wish  we  could  change  things,  we  can't.  it's  a  tough  lesson  to  learn,  but…  even  when  we  aren’t  guilty,  it's  important  to  forgive  ourselves  for  not  knowing  what  we  know  now. "

as  eisa  remarked  on  her  need  to  let  herself  feel  things,  zero  chuckled  softly,  appreciating  the  lighthearted  comment.  they  were  used  to  being  the  one  who  offered  support  and  listened  to  others,  so  it  was  a  pleasant  surprise  to  have  eisa  show  a  glimpse  of  curiosity  about  their  own  emotions.  listening  to  eisa,  zero  found  herself  growing  even  more  intrigued  by  her.  her  description  of  herself  as  someone  who  talked  about  dragons  and  had  a  house  full  of  dried  flowers  and  crystals  made  her  smile.  there  was  something  endearing  about  her  uniqueness.  " yeah…  when  you’re  different,  it’s  even  harder  to  let  people  in.  society  is  still  kind  of  weird,  huh ?  if  you’re  not  normal  then  you’re  an  other.  but  i  think  people  embracing  their  quirks  and  passions  is  what  makes  them  special.  dragons  and  fairies  sound  pretty  cool  to  me,  by  the  way, "  they  added  with  a  playful  tone.

" maybe  you're  onto  something, "  they  continued,  their  voice  growing  softer.  " allowing  myself  to  feel  the  little  moments  of  joy  and  finding  solace  in  simple  pleasures  can  be  a  good  starting  point.  trying  to  be  kind  to  myself  and  finding  the  beauty  in  the  small  things.  i’m  not  always  terrible  at  that,  but  since  halloween  i  haven’t  exactly  been  feeling  myself  entirely.  so  i'll  give  it  a  try. "  they  concluded,  feeling  a  sense  of  comfort  in  eisa's  words.  zero's  gaze  met  eisa's,  a  subtle  hint  of  admiration  in  their  eyes. 

Eisa cast her eyes down, feeling guilty for the way she had reacted. This was supposed to be a fun distraction and yet she felt like her thoughts were still solely focused on that day. She had replayed everything over and over in her head, until it had all seemed like a blur, rather than becoming clearer. Maybe it was time to accept that some things just couldn't be explained, but she had never felt such a strong responsibility before. Maybe running wouldn't have worked, but it had been her idea to hide in The Black Cat. What if she had let someone else decide? Would Calista still be alive?

"I suppose my mind has been occupied with other things," She admitted, though there had never been much thought about romance in the first place. It wasn't something she focused on, not even when she was younger. Maybe she had been too busy wanting to be independent to crave company like that. Or maybe she associated love with hurt - she had seen how much her parents suffered and never wanted to be in that position. "I know I can't change the past. I know. But I keep thinking about what I could have done and if-" She hesitated and looked down at her hands as she shuffled the deck. "I guess, if I had said something else, I could have changed how things ended." The blonde then finally admitted.

When Zero drew their card, Eisa managed a small smile. "You? Needing to let yourself feel things?" She quietly joked. It dawned on her that even though they had been working together for quite a while now, she still didn't exactly know much about the core of who Zero was as a person. While curious by nature, Eisa never really asked personal questions. She was the type to observe - nothing like her silly attempt to take the lead and make decisions for a group of people in danger. But what else could she have done? Stood there and be useless?

"You know, I understand. Letting people in is hard," She started, hoping that none of this would sound assuming or offensive. "I have never been with anyone, most people think I'm odd. I'm that girl who talks about dragons and fairies, with a house full of dried flowers and crystals, you know?" She chuckled softly. Those crystals had done nothing to protect her lately. "But it's not something you can force, you know? Letting people in or even letting your own feelings in. Maybe you're just not ready and that's okay. Or you could start off with allowing yourself to feel good things. Like... the sun on your face or... trying to dance along to a good song? Cooking your favorite meal and letting yourself enjoy it. Things like that?"

[horrorbxby]

continued from HERE ;; @survibers

zero  chuckled  at  alma's  comment  -  it  wasn’t  exactly  funny,  but  they  had  a  dark  sense  of  humor  and  still  found  the  thought  amusing,  despite  it  being  a  very  real  possibility.  “ yeah,  you’re  right.  dying  on  a  bus  would  be  a  pretty  depressing  way  to  go.  i  guess  if  we're  gonna  meet  our  demise  by  the  hands  of  some  fucking  freaks,  we  might  as  well  go  out  with  a  bang,  right ? ”  they  let  out  a  sigh,  the  weight  of  recent  events  lingering  in  their  thoughts.  if  her  mind  went  too  far,  her  skin  would  crawl  with  the  memory  of  being  trapped  by  the  hunter. 

as  alma  mentioned  making  dinner  and  taking  charge,  zero  raised  an  eyebrow,  surprised  but  intrigued.  “ oh,  really ?  that's…  an  incredibly  generous  offer.  running  on  fumes  sounds  about  right, ”  they  admitted  with  a  tired  chuckle.  the  thought  of  a  warm  meal  and  some  company  lifted  their  spirits.  zero  could  feel  she  was  close  to  crashing,  which  was  a  part  of  her  normal  routine  of  working  herself  to  complete  exhaustion  and  then  crashing  hard.  however,  alma's  last  question  made  zero  chuckle  nervously.  “ honestly,  my  fridge  is  pretty  empty.  i've  been  neglecting  my  grocery  list.  but  hey,  i've  got  some  snacks  and  instant  noodles  if  that's  up  your  alley, ”  they  offered,  a  hint  of  sheepishness  in  their  voice.  it  wasn't  the  most  glamorous  meal,  but  they  were  willing  to  make  do  with  what  they  had.

[horrorbxby]

as  reed  led  them  towards  the  build-your-own  radio  kits,  zero  nodded  along,  “ that’s  exactly  what  i  thought,  you  know.  my  family  are  a  bunch  of  privileged  little  shits  who  don’t  know  how  to  do  anything  for  themselves.  so  i  want  the  kids  to  actually  learn  some  valuable  skills  and  have  fun  with  it  at  the  same  time  –  you  know ? ”  they  asked,  looking  over  the  different  coloured  models.  “ i  think  i'll  go  with  the  purple  one,  it  feels  like  it’s  not  a  conventional  colour, ”  they  decided,  holding  it  up. zero  couldn't  help  but  feel  a  wave  of  surprise  wash  over  them  at  the  mention  of  chokehold  on  love.  it  wasn't  as  if  the  band  was  unheard  of,  or  super  underground,  but  zero  was  so  often  consumed  in  so  many  different  projects  that  they  were  surprised  at  any  kind  of  recognition.  “ oh,  yeah,  that's  me, ”  she  replied.  she  was  proud  of  chokehold  and  their  achievements,  and  considered  the  band  one  of  her  great  loves.  “ thanks  for  coming  out  to  see  us  play,  it  means  a  lot.  the  crowds  always  have  good  vibes  and  the  show  is  nothing  without  that, ”  she  added,  a  hint  of  a  smile  on  her  lips. as  reed  introduced  himself  and  mentioned  being  a  friend  of  hedwig's,  zero  felt  a  sense  of  relief  wash  over  them.  it  was  always  easier  to  talk  to  people  when  there  was  some  sort  of  mutual  connection.  “ oh,  so  that’s  where  i’ve  seen  you !  hedwig  is  great,  i’m  always  dropping  demos  off  at  the  station  for  them  to  sneakily  play  while  no-one  is  really  paying  attention, ”  she  laughed,  though  she  felt  a  little  guilty  that  she’d  never  gone  out  of  her  way  to  introduce  herself.  zero  was  so  often  preoccupied  with  something  in  particular  that  she  didn’t  pay  too  much  attention  to  those  around  her.  “ nice  to  finally  meet  you  properly. ”

It took Reed only a few seconds of hearing them speaking to recognize them as one of the members of Chokehold On Love, one of his favorite local bands, and one he'd seen in live shows on several occasions. He smiled and shook his head when they apologized for seeming out of place. "No, you're alright, don't worry," he chuckled. "We've got some of those. This way," he said, walking around the display and leading them towards one of the farther aisles of the store. "Those build-your-own types of presents are the best. That's what got me into really learnin' how to take a radio apart an' put it back together again. An' that sort of spread to other stuff, too. I can fix pretty much anything now," he mused, finally stopping in front of the shelf where there were a couple of models in different colors. "And here we are."

He paused for a moment, debating whether or not he wanted to just mind his own business. But he was friends with Hedwig, and hadn't ever really had a chance to meet Zero in person. "You're Zero, right?" he asked. "Sorry, not to be like... weird or anything. I just know you from Chokehold. I've seen some of y'all's shows, and I'm a friend of Hedwig's," he sad. "And co-worker at the station. Name's Reed. Big fan of your work," he said with a smile.

[horrorbxby]

continued from HERE ;; @highfears

marzipan  tried  her  best  to  appear  calm  and  collected,  despite  the  fear  that  gnawed  at  her  gut.  she  was  well  aware  that  almost  everyone  in  the  little  town  of  shrike  was  worried  about  the  killers  –  if  they  weren’t,  there  had  to  be  something  not  quite  right  with  their  brain  chemistry.  she  herself  had  trouble  sleeping  at  night,  constantly  checking  and  double-checking  the  locks  on  her  apartment  door.  but  she  didn't  want  scott  to  see  her  fear  -  he  had  enough  to  deal  with  as  it  was.  the  redhead  forced  a  smile  as  she  tapped  her  manicured  nails  on  the  bug  zine  that  she’d  given  him,  trying  to  distract  him  from  his  thoughts.  “ don't  worry  about  it,  scott.  it's  just  a  zine,  nothing  to  really  be  afraid  of. ”  but  even  as  she  spoke  the  words,  she  couldn't  help  the  sinking  feeling  in  her  chest.  what  if  they  were  related ?  what  if  the  killer  was  someone  they  knew,  someone  who  came  into  the  store  every  day  and  discussed  the  latest  comic  releases  with  them ?  the  idea  was  terrifying,  and  she  couldn't  deny  the  possibility.  she  took  a  deep  breath,  trying  to  steady  her  heartbeat.  “ besides,  i  think  it  would  be  wrong  to  jump  to  conclusions.  we  have  to  stay  rational,  and  not  let  our  emotions  cloud  our  judgment.  if  we  notice  anything  suspicious,  we'll  report  it  to  the  police,  or  at  the  very  least,  to  each  other.  but  for  now,  let's  just  focus  on  getting  through  it,  okay ? ”  she  hoped  her  words  would  ease  his  fears,  but  truthfully,  she  was  probably  just  as  anxious  as  he  was.

[horrorbxby]

it  wasn't  the  first  time  that  loki  had  found  dead  rodents  on  her  doorstep.  at  first,  she’d  been  a  little  superstitious,  thinking  that  perhaps  someone  had  it  out  for  her  and  it  was  a  warning  of  sorts.  that  was  until  she  saw  the  orange  cat  dropping  something  at  her  door  –  and  it  all  had  started  to  make  sense.  “ is  this  a  normal  thing  for  cats ? ”  she  asked  her,  raising  a  brow.  she’d  never  had  a  pet,  and  knew  next  to  nothing  about  them.  she  wasn’t  afraid,  but  uneasy.  the  doctor  understood  humans,  body  language,  facial  expressions,  tone,  all  of  which  she  learned  in  no  time  through  books  and  study,  not  because  it  came  naturally  to  her.  so  something  as  simple  as  a  housecat  was  unknown  to  her.  “ if  i  want  to  be  your  friend  should  i  start  putting  dead  animals  outside  your  door ? ” 

@horrorbxby

It's embarrassing, honestly, to get caught holding both a cat and a dead mouse by anyone, in any context, Jo thinks to herself. It's more embarrassing, however, when it's by your neighbor, who you see on the regular, and even more so when you're standing on their front step with the aforementioned cat and mouse. Add on to the fact that she's scolding the cat (Leonard, as in Nimoy, who is large, orange, and very disgruntled looking) when the door opens, and the other fact that this has happened before, and it's practically embarrassment soup.

"I am really so, so sorry.." She says, trying her best to seem composed. "He brought you, um, a present of sorts, I figured you wouldn't want it." Obviously.. "I do keep telling him this isn't how to make friends, but.."

[horrorbxby]

briar  listened  intently,  nodding  along  with  alma's  words.  she  could  relate  to  the  feeling  of  being  weighed  down  with  family  issues  and  the  pressure  of  keeping  it  all  together  -  her  mother  in  particular  had  been  difficult  to  get  along  with  for  most  of  her  life, and despite their relationship having gotten better in recent years, thinking about the past still stung.  “ i  understand  how  you  feel, ”  briar  said  softly.  “ sometimes,  talking  about  shit  does  make  it  worse.  that’s  something  therapists  don’t  tell  you  because  they  want  your  money.  but  just  know  that  i'm  here  for  you  anyway.  any  time. ”  briar  took  a  deep  breath  before  continuing.  “ i’m  actually  pretty  good  at  pep  talks,  believe  it  or  not.  i’m  better  at  talking  than  listening,  most  days. ”

@survibers

"it's not that, it's just i don't know if i feel like talking about it. it might just make me more exhausted," alma admitted the more briar encouraged them. "my family, namely my mom is just...really stressing me out right now and i'm finding it hard to have my shit together." it was mostly the truth minus the part about her father but alma didn't want to get into that now, she didn't think she could without falling apart. and they wanted to get at least through one shift today without feeling like a total piece of shit. "i bet people are the fucking worst," they lamented, pushing their hands through their hair before dragging it over their face. "okay, are your pep talks as good as your listening because i think i need that more than anything right now."

[horrorbxby]

cordelia  was  not  unfamiliar  with  the  feeling  of  eyes  on  her.  the  only  time  she  had  ever  welcomed  it  was  when  she  was  on  the  field  with  a  ball  in  her  hand,  ready  to  pitch.  since  she’d  had  no  choice  but  to  quit,  she’d  gone  back  to  feeling  anxious  whenever  someone  stared.  it  had  started  after  the  accident,  and  it  happened  more  often  then  when  the  wounds  were  fresh.  she’d  taken  good  care  of  herself  for  her  scars  to  heal  nicely,  but  they  were  still  noticeable  all  over  her  body.  when  she’d  caught  the  blonde  staring  at  her,  she’d  assumed  she  was  either  staring  at  the  scars,  or  staring  at  her  because  she  had  a  dog  in  the  mall.  ( many  people  were  unaware  it  was  perfectly  legal  for  her  to  do  so. )  when  the  blue-eyed  girl  looked  up,  cordelia  refused  to  look  away,  knowing  it  was  likely  to  make  her  feel  uncomfortable. “ didn’t  anybody  tell  you  it  isn’t  polite  to  stare ? ”

~~~~~~~~~~

This starter is open for everyone! (tags: @shrikestart) Location: Food Court, Double Shot Café Ft. Character: Danielle 'Dani' Michaels

~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~

To Dani, one of the most pleasant ways to wrap up another dull weekend was by cruising around Shrike. Clarice typically left at the break of day for the real estate offices, so her secret little excursions were some of the only times Dani could freely get around without her mother chaperoning. Today, she indulged in the familiarity of the mall. She sluggishly made her way to the food court, fixed on Double Shot’s bright electric sign which promised some much needed energy. She wasn’t distinctly big on coffee, but part of working around Clarice’s schedule meant being awake far earlier than she was accustomed to. She ordered her usual flat white and headed for the closest seating area to wait. A hint of excitement sparking in her tired, half-lidded eyes; Dani reached for the table’s centerpiece, swiping a napkin. Her hand raised to her cheek, fingers brushing curtains of blonde hair aside to reveal a pen tucked securely behind her ear. Even fatigued, her hands burned to record whatever nearby inspiration most entertained her attention. This was an exhibition of Dani’s peculiar habit, leaving small snippets of art around town for anyone to stumble upon. She never signed these works or left them anywhere well hidden; it was simply a silent gift to whoever found the piece.

As of then the plan was to do a little window shopping, maybe pick up a few new studying records at Tracks if there was time to spare. That was until a peculiar newcomer arrived at the food court, stealing Dani from the midst of her drawing. They were beautiful to her, though most faces were, unconventionally so or not. Dani was often seized by people’s defining features; the attributes which made them unique. She quickly began with the outline of their shape beside her previous sketches. Preoccupied with their own undertakings, Dani went relatively unnoticed as her head shifted side to side, sneakily catching their various angles. She chewed her lip, nervous any one movement might be too obvious- yet she pushed on, determined to get their portrait just right.

One fine detail she hadn’t noticed was her muse eventually catching onto her periodic stares. Dani’s gaze flicked up once more to reference the shape of their eyes, not anticipating to find them staring straight back at her this time.

~~~~~~~~~~

[horrorbxby]

delphine  was  taking  a  break  from  the  leafwell  market  stall  -  her  main  purpose  there  was  take  over  for  leaf  or  orwell  when  the  two  of  them  needed  a  break.  between  then,  she  spent  her  time  checking  out  the  other  stalls  and  keeping  her  friends  company  -  especially  honey.  more  often  than  not  delphine  was  with  honey,  and  if  she  wasn’t,  she  was  looking  for  her.  delphine  was  most  comfortable  and  most  herself  around  the  wozniak  siblings.  “ i  think  the  fig  is  good, ”  delphine  recommended  to  the  customer  who  had  approached  the  table,  “ it’s  nice  to  have  a  taste  of  fruit  that  isn’t  in  season  -  and  it’s  very  good  with…  uh…  fromage  frais,  you  know  -  the  cheese  that  is  very  soft, ”  she  clicked  her  fingers  and  hoped  that  they  understood  what  she  meant  -  cream  was  the  word  she  was  missing,  “ honey,  you  know…  the  cheese  you  spread  on  things.  very  good. ” 

open starter for @shrikestart from honey wozniak. takes place in town square, early sunday morning. please use beta editor!

honey finally snaps out of her daze when she notices someone nearing the small market stall that she's hosting this sunday market, one of many occupied by commune members, amongst others. despite her mind previously being consumed by her concern over being so close to the bloody scene reported in the news recently, she shakes it off quickly and she readjusts a few of the jam jars in front of her while engaging with the other. "good morning!" she greets them. "enjoying the market so far? do you care to try any of our jams?" she asks them as she ensures all of the handmade labels are facing forward, presenting them with all of the different fruit options.

[horrorbxby]

[horrorbxby]

@inthefear

COURTNEY EATON AND SOPHIE NÉLISSE ‘Yellowjackets’ Cast Tests Skills By Acting Out Emojis

[horrorbxby]

• open  starter  ;  ft.  briar sun. • location  ;  up to player. • @shrikestart ‣ beta editor.

“ whatever  it  is  that’s  plaguing  you,  i  promise  i  can  handle  it, ”  briar  told  them  sympathetically  between  sips  of  sweet  iced  coffee  that  she’d  gotten  from  double  shot.  she  was  prying,  prodding,  even.  but  she  did  genuinely  want  to  hear  what  was  bothering  them.  what  esle  was  she  supposed  to  do  with  her  spare  time  in  a  town  rampant  with  serial  killers ?  safety  in  numbers  or  whatever,  she  thought  to  herself.  “ at  come  what  may  you  have  to  have  thick  skin  to  make  it  out  of  a  single  shift.  you’d  be  surprised  at  how  many  people  think  the  store  is  an  open  invitation  to  be  a  total  fucking  creepozoid. ”  

[horrorbxby]

📷 Stephanie Hsu by Daniel Kim

[horrorbxby]

the  doctor  couldn’t  remember  a  time  in  her  life  in  which  she’d  actually  thought  marriage  was  romantic,  or  anything  desirable  at  all.  even  when  her  father  was  still  himself,  and  there  was  more  warmth  in  their  household.  part  of  her  thought  maybe  it  was  because  she  had  to  witness  her  mother  become  an  even  worse  person  as  her  father  faded  into  a  shadow  of  himself.  but  even  then,  she  didn’t  think  she  could  ever  really  understand  love,  or  why  people  did  what  they  did  for  each  other.  “ i  couldn’t  agree  more, ”  she  said.  most  people  within  the  mall  ended  up  starting  conversations  over  one  thing  or  another,  so  she  was  used  to  being  dragged  into  human  interaction  spontaneously.  “ i’ve  never  seen  a  truly  happily  married  couple.  i  think…  whatever  love  is,  it  sucks  the  life  out  of  people.  like  a  parasite.  it  makes  people  tired.  and  they  feel  obliged  to  stick  with  it  because  it’s  what  they’ve  known  for  so  long. ” oftentimes  she  wondered  if  love  even  existed  the  way  that  other  people  seemed  to  believe  it  did.  how  were  they  so  sure  that  it  wasn’t  just  a  conditioning  of  society?  loki  had  never  been  a  romantic,  she  had  never  been  a  dreamer.  she  might  have  been  built  different,  but  her  ego  wanted  nothing  more  than  to  believe  that  she  was  the  one  who  was  right,  over  everyone  else.  “ humans  are  weird.  that’s  why  i  studied  their  insides,  and  not  the  thoughts  in  their  brains.  i’ll  never  know  why  people  choose  to  get  married,  or  even  why  they  think  they’re  in  love  with  one  another  –  but  i  can  understand  why  someone’s  blood  pressure  is  low.  you  don’t  have  to  buy  me  anything,  i think i’m  okay. ”

Location: Julio's Bar or the Food Court

Tagging: @shrikestart

"God, marriage is so overrated. I mean at first I thought it was slightly romantic but now that I see the type of people who buy expensive engagement rings? Consider me anti-marriage." She let out a sigh as she took a seat across from someone without even checking to see if she knew them. She was a professional at starting up conversations with anyone and everyone. It was usually a 50/50 chance of whether they got up and left or not but she had met a lot of people that way. It was what made her broadcasting job worthwhile in the long run. It also made for less time being in her own head which was always a touch and go option.

"Like I kid you not, at least three guys came in today looking like they were the most miserable guys in the world buying engagement rings. I mean imagine thinking you've found the love of your life and the thought of marrying you makes them actually look like they're sick? I would rather be alone forever. The only redeeming moment is when the most gorgeous older woman you've ever seen comes in and buys herself jewelry. Or nervous teens with crumpled up dollars buying something for their new crush. That's sweet. But marriage? Sounds like it sucks. Anyway, thank you for letting me talk your ear off. Can I buy you something to make up for having to listen to my rant? I really just needed to let that out."

[horrorbxby]

loki  hadn’t  planned  on  actually  speaking  to  the  man.  in  fact,  she  wasn’t  usually  the  type  to  speak  to  many  men  at  all  if  she  could  manage  to  avoid  it.  ( though her job made that particularly difficult. ) but  what  paulie  says  is  exactly  what  loki  was  thinking  to  herself. it slightly irks her that the man had assumed that she was even slightly interested in his safety.  “ it’s  none  of  my  business, ”  she  puts  her  hands  up  in  front  of  her  a  little  defensively,  “ if  you  stay  out  late  and  get  hurt  it  doesn’t  affect  me.  except  perhaps  you’ll  be  seeing  me  later  when  you’re  in  need  of  stitches  or  worse  –  surgery. ”  it  isn’t  a  warning  –  just  a  statement  based  on  many  experiences  the  doctor  has  had  over  the  past  year  and  a  half  or  so.  “ what  are  you  doing  out  so  late  anyway ?  with  a  guitar…  for  what  –  self-defence ? ” 

open starter for @shrikestart from paulie vincent. takes place in downtown shrike heights, late at night. please use beta editor!

paulie stops in his tracks as he spots another person and notices that their gaze is on him. he isn't the kind of person who normally initiates conversation, but just because he's a quiet person, that doesn't mean that he's incapable of being social. he sighs before he speaks; just because he can start conversation that doesn't mean he necessarily wants to. "i know it's late, i know i should be getting home, that's where i'm headed." he readjusts the guitar case strapped to his back. he's had one too many resident of the town tell him that it's unsafe out at night; funnily enough, if they hadn't all stopped him, he'd already be safe at home. he doesn't know if this person was even going to warn him, too, but he feels the need to get ahead of them, just in case.

[horrorbxby]

soren  sipped  a  little  obnoxiously  on  the  soda  that  she’d  just  purchased  at  the  counter,  waiting  impatiently  for  the  line to move.  when  tj  addressed  them,  they  couldn’t  help  but  give  him  a  polite  smile.  despite  being  older  than  her,  he  was  a  familiar  face  –  only  because  soren  had  been  given  the  task  of  fetching  items  for  her  brother  from  dick’s  sporting  goods.  he  seemed  like  the  kind  of  person  who  might  even  be  friends  with  her  brother  –  but  she  wouldn’t  be  the  type  to  pry  such  a  thing  out  of  him.  she  almost  felt  bad  for  anyone  her  brother  had  been  friends  with.  he  must  have  made  himself  out  to  be  a  much  better  person  than  he  actually  was  in  order  to  befriend  such  decent  people.  “ yeah,  i  wouldn’t  miss  it  for  almost anything.  winona  ryder  is  so  cool  –  did  you  see  beetlejuice ?  showtime  got  a  hold  of  a  few  copies  not  too  long  ago.  she  was  great  in  that  one, ”  soren  was  lucky  enough  to  have  rented  one  of  the  last  copies  at  the  time  when  it  had  come  out.  their  family  was  not  impressed  with  the  film,  but  soren  had  felt  like  the  aesthetics  and  the  theme  were  not  dissimilar  to  her  own  art.  “ christian  slater  is  cool  too.  i  read  in  a  magazine  that  his  character  is  a  bit  of  a  bad  boy.  is  that  your  kind  of  vibe ? ”   

open to: all location: sunrise theatre date & time: march 31, 1989 at 7:30pm

TJ stepped out of his car in the drive-in lot of the Sunrise Theatre, his bright smile beaming out from under his baseball cap. He was dressed in his favorite pastel pink polo shirt, tucked into a pair of jeans. As he made his way to the concessions stand, he greeted a few of the familiar faces he passed, stopping to make small talk. He ordered his go-to – large popcorn, extra butter, and a cherry Coke – before fishing out a wad of bills from his pocket, counting out the exact change and flashing a grin when the cashier handed him his snacks.

He turned around, munching on a handful of popcorn, and grinned when he saw the person behind him in line. "Fancy seein' you here," TJ beamed. "You here for Heathers, too? I heard it's supposed to be a pretty wild ride. I mean, Christian Slater, right? He's such a badass. Can't wait to see what he does in this one." TJ took a swig of his soda, feeling a little buzz of excitement in his chest. He loved movies, loved the whole experience of it. He hoped his conversation partner was just as amped up as he was.

[horrorbxby]

withncmercy​:

“i don’t think that’s you acting anything other than completely right. understandable, justified.” blue shrugs their shoulders as they think about it a little more. art is something everyone should have access to, both to enjoy and to create themselves, but there’s a limit to everything, there are boundaries that should be put in place, in specific spaces at least, and blue has no issues with marzipan having her own opinions on the matter, especially not when it involves her workplace. “there’s a time and a place, right?” these terrible people can host their art elsewhere, out of harms way. the second the zine is opened up to the random page, and the words are unveiled for them to read, blue feels an extreme level of unease wash over them. blue hasn’t personally been attacked by the killers, he’s never seen them in person, not once, but it’s still enough to evoke discomfort. “that’s not cool.” they shake their head, and they know marzipan already knows this. “definitely, that’s sick, i can’t believe someone would do this.” though they say this, if they thought about it further, they’d realize that it’s actually quite easy to believe people would be cruel; people have always been cruel, everywhere blue has ever been, it’s not exclusive to shrike heights.

marzipan  knew  very  well  that  art  could  be  used  to  harm  other  people,  and  it  was  very  obvious  that  was  the  intention  of  this  particular  zines  author.  she  was  thankful  that  it  was  her  who  had  found  it  and  not  someone  who  was  a  little  more  sensitive  to  the  subject.  she  was  thankful  she  was  strong  enough  to  handle it.  “ i  think  the  best  i  can  do  is  monitor  it, ”  she  gave  a  deep  sigh  and  gripped  the  stapled  book  by  the  edge,  tearing  it  into  long  strips  to  be  recycled  later.  “ if  the  owner  of  the  store  were  to  find  out  about  this  they’d  probably  be  against  the  idea  of  people  leaving  their  zines  here  altogether,  just  for  the  sake  of  the  customers.  but  the  community  of  artists  here  are  worth  more  than  that.  i  like  flipping  through  all  the  genuine  ones, ”  she  slid  the  other  zines  towards  them,  “ just  look  at  how  much  thought  and  attention  to  detail  go  into  them.  wouldn’t  it  be  a  waste  not  to  get  to  display  them  somewhere ? ”  

[horrorbxby]

takemecn​:

there was a dull ache in nel’s stomach that grew stronger throughout the interaction, at no fault of marzipan’s. the killers no longer had their hands on nel, but they still had such a tight grip over her life, over every aspect of it. she couldn’t even stand inside of the comic book store and look at illustrations of bugs without feeling that pit inside of her grow more and more intense. the mourning cloak butterfly. mourning was a feeling that hadn’t left nel since the carnival. “that’s fucking stupid.” it was clear that nel was truly pissed off, though she wasn’t overly expressive with her frustration or her anger. “wouldn’t it be easy to just target who deserves it? we all know who’s responsible for this all.” the killers, obviously, but she meant the mayor, and the authorities who let more and more people get attacked every time the killers came out from their unknown hiding spots to inflict more pain. “the rest of the town has been through enough.”

“ i  know, ”  marzipan  said  sympathetically,  leaning  on  the  counter.  she  mindlessly  flipped  through  the  rest  of  the  pages  of  the  bug  zine,  colourful  bugs  standing  out  upon  each  page.  she  was  truly  impressed  by  it.  “ some  people  are  too  afraid  to  say  it.  and  some  are  too  stupid  to  realise  it.  but  even  so,  those  who  don’t  see  who’s  really  at  fault  don’t  deserve  this.  i  think  so  many  people  here  want  to  believe  they’re  in  the  right  hands. ”  she  supposed  a  lot  of  people  didn’t  have  much  of  a  choice.  after  all,  what  could  anyone  do  about  it ?  they  could  vote  mayor  sweeney  out  during  the  local  election,  but  his  opposition  didn’t  seem  like  they’d  be  any  better  for  them.  marzipan  had  begun  to  realise  that  no  authority  could  truly  be  trusted  when  it  came  to  solving  the  issue  of  the  killers.  “ i  think  this  town  is  sick  enough  for  there  to  be  at  least  one  person  who  thinks  we  all  deserve  what  we  get.  but  i  have  a  very  strong  feeling  they’re  not  someone  who  works  within  the  mall.  if  they  were,  they  might  be  a  little  more  sympathetic  of  the  situation. ”