#came back wrong

[ukrainian-groove-metal]

I love the "came back wrong" trope but from the opposite side.

Imagine you are dead. And then you are RIPPED from the embrace of decay into the world of the living again. Your memories are hazy and you don't recognize any of these people, but they act like they're close to you? Like they love you? So you try to get your memories back, to act like you belong here, but everybody tries to forget you died. And you can't. It is omnipresent. And just trying to grapple with that fact pushes the people who "love" you away, and they're incapable of understanding, and they're so confused, what's wrong N̶̄̀O̶͛͗T̷̉́ ̷͋͝Y̴̎̌Ȍ̴̈U̸̓R NÄM̴̃͑E̵̾̇? And you just need them to understand, you aren't that person! You aren't! You don't know who that person is! You don't know why any of this is happening, but they're unwilling to bend, they keep insisting you are that person, your memories will come back, everything will be normal again, and you want to scream and cry and claw yourself open to show them you're different. Your existence as a being wholly separate from whoever you "used to be" is a sin unto itself. All you can do is scrabble for life and to them, you're killing whoever they loved to do it.

just. lots of fun in that concept, you know?

[jadedanddark]

I died but I came back exactly the same. You though, I came back and you were wrong. Did the fact of my dying really damage you that much? Was bringing me back worth what it cost you? Would it have been better to just leave me?

[c-is-for-circinate]

Came back wrong? How about came back right, except that the world you came back to is wrong. Came back just like waking up from a long nap only to find that the people who love you broke themselves into shards and bloody bargains to get you back.

There are new stains that nobody will explain, hidden beneath the rug in the upstairs hallway. Your mother's left eye is clouded and strange. The cat no longer goes near your brother. There's a sharp-edged shadow now, under your lover's smile.

Everybody says you must be remembering wrong, but your sense of smell is just as good as ever. The closet that used to smell like cedar and cinnamon smells like sulfur, now, and nobody will tell you why.

[bytedykes]

ok fine maybe i DID come back wrong. what are you going to do about it. kill me? put me back in the ground? after all this effort? all this pain and suffering only to find out bringing me back wasn't worth it after all? you worked so hard. are you going to waste all of that just because im not what you wanted? just because i belong only to myself? are you going to let me pick out my own coffin

[faestorian]

"came back wrong" you could not come back wrong even if you tried. you've changed, beyond recognition, but while my eyes may not know you, my heart still does. i love you.

[kayleerowena]

horror barbies legally distinct pink-themed horror dolls available now from your local t-shirt store!

[ftl-faster-than-life]

Characters who die and are brought back, and have reverse survivor's guilt. Intellectually they know there was nothing they could have done to prevent their own death, and it isn't their fault that they weren't there for the other characters, but that doesn't stop them from feeling anguish for not being there when they were needed.

[arrowheadedbitch]

The whole thing with Jason was that he died and came back angry.

I bet if tim died a similar way, he wouldn't come back angry, he'd come back less caring, if that makes sense.

Like, he'd care less about what the bats think and so his more dastardly tendencies that he'd pushed down before dying ephod come to the surface.

I don't know if I explained this right, but I hope you get what I mean.

[wesleyscreaming]

its always ”b-b-but arent you DEAD??” and never ”was it fun getting buried it looked fun?” never ”was it difficult to claw your way through the soft earth?” they NEVER ask if the first breath of air after fighting myself out of my coffin was refreshing and tasted like sorrow and relief. it did. by the way. not that anyone CARES >:(

[writingwithfolklore]

Surviving Death

                I am a sucker for revival after character death—as long as it’s done well. Maybe in the future we’ll do a separate post on killing characters, but what I’ll say about it now is that revival can be a fantastic plot twist or narrative turn as long as both it and the death has proper meaning.

                While you may want to revive a character for a happy ending--they wake up and not only is the world saved but everyone made it out alive! This can also sometimes feel a bit cheap. What was the point of suffering the death if they were just to get to come back easy-peasy? Consider, would End Game have been as revered if Tony got to survive his sacrifice?

                So here’s some ways to bring a character back to life without losing the meaning of their death:

They are forever changed from the experience

A classic “came back wrong”, one of my favourite things in fiction. You get to choose to the extent they are wrong. Maybe the ‘wrong’ isn’t some supernatural influence, but rather just a result of the experience of dying.

                They saw something about the afterlife, they’ve lost memories, they’ve gained new memories about a past or a future or alternate timeline, they realize how much they mean to certain people, they discover just how little they meant to others, etc. etc.

                Their death (and subsequent revival) should quite literally change the course of their life. That’s not something one could go through lightly. Whether it gives them trauma, new perspectives, or a complete shift in personality/morals, they definitely didn’t come back how they left.

2. Sacrifice for a Sacrifice

Also a pretty common trope—you don’t get to gain something unless you lose something. To bring them back, someone else has to take their place, or something important is lost. Maybe to trade for their companion back, the main character loses the greatest asset to their quest. Maybe they have to choose between two people, and the two who live have to live with that fact.

                I read a book once where the main character had to choose between his love interest and his brother in a Saw-like trap. He chooses his brother, and the villain kills him anyway. Now he must continue his quest with his love interest, who knows he didn’t choose her. It was tragic, and completely changed their dynamic.

3. They’re only half back

They come back, but only some of the way. Maybe they are cursed to die again in a year. They’re tied to one place and will disappear if they leave it. They’re a ghost, or otherwise not fully present. They exist only in relation to certain objects or people. Their communication is lost, or certain other abilities they used to have.

                They came back, but only some of them—the rest is lost to the beyond.

Most importantly to reviving characters is the permanent consequences. Death is no easy thing to overcome, and whatever the circumstances are--it should remain with them forever.

                What are some other ways to revive characters?

[snickerpuffs]

"you came back wrong" the fact that i'm back at all is good enough for me. i'm thriving over here. if anything about that is 'wrong' then blame the guy who dredged me up.

[chaoscomeswithin]

Came back wrong as something you choose. Being so traumatized by the coldness of death. The pain of the wounds. The loneliness of the tomb. Taking your fear and weaponizing it against those who were with you, those who should've laid at the ground with you. Swearing to destroy everything so that they'll feel the emptiness you felt at the grave. Make them pay for leaving.

Coming back just to take someone else with you.

[bytedykes]

maybe i didnt come back wrong maybe i was just a weird freak when i was alive but i hid it and acted so normal and after i died i decided to stop pretending. maybe being resurrected was the perfect opportunity for me to be myself because i knew you would chalk it up to the horror of me coming back wrong. but the horror was always inside me. did u think about that

[cartoonscientist]

I’m Bringing Sexy Back Wrong

[kayleerowena]

🥀 this barbie won't stay buried! 🥀

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[steddieas-shegoes]

hide away

for @steddieholidaydrabbles prompt 'came back wrong' rated: m wc: 810 cw: mentions of blood, canon-typical violence tags: vampire eddie munson (kinda, it's a little unclear if that's exactly what he is), emotional reunion, soul bond type thing

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The bumps against his window became more frequent as the days passed and Steve was starting to think he was going crazy.

After the second night, he'd gone on his roof to check if anything could possibly be brushing against his window.

Nothing.

The third night, he sat up in his bed and watched, despite all of the fear in his mind telling him to get under the covers and at least pretend to be asleep.

But the little that he did sleep, he had nightmare after nightmare of Eddie bleeding out in Dustin's arms, in his arms.

He watched Eddie get eaten alive by demobats over and over again, unable to interfere, unable to even yell for him to let him know he wasn't alone.

The dark circles under his eyes were just a new accessory, and he carried it with the same exhaustion they all had, even a month after everything happened.

As he folded himself into his bed, curling his comforter around him for safety, not warmth, he turned to the window.

There's someone out there.

The thought crossed his mind before his eyes processed the shadow of a person standing just outside the window.

He refused to get up, but he could tell the person outside didn't need him to.

His window opened.

His heart raced.

One breath.

Two.

"Steve."

Eddie.

"How?" Steve squeaked out, his voice so high pitched he wasn't even sure Eddie heard him.

"I think...the bats?" his voice sounded deeper, not as light.

"But...we checked your pulse. You weren't breathing." Steve sat up, pushing the blanket off of him. "You were dead. You were dead."

The sob was loud enough to cause his whole body to shiver.

"I know. I know. I was."

"So, what? You're alive again? Are you a ghost? A demon? A vampire?"

Eddie shrugged as he fell to his knees by Steve's bed, probably afraid to get his sheets dirty with the grime of the Upside Down covering his clothes, dried blood staining his skin.

"Vampire is the closest I can get to. I um," Eddie gulped. "I haven't tried to drink blood yet, though."

"Do you need to?" Steve asked, worried that Eddie would die again because he didn't have what he needed.

"I think I just have to drink your blood."

The room closed in around Steve as his pulse quickened.

"I know it sounds crazy. I'm sorry for even suggesting it. I just...it's something I just know. I can't explain it."

"How?"

"It's like my chest has a spot carved out just for you and the only way to make you fit is to have a piece of you and your blood is the piece. I don't know what's wrong with me," Eddie sounded terrified.

"Hey," Steve reached down, touched Eddie's mess of curly hair, felt a shock of something. "Eds, you're here. We can figure it out. You wanna try?"

"Try what?"

"Drinking my blood."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I might not stop."

"You will."

Steve knew it. He didn't know how he knew it, he just did.

And Eddie must have known it deep down, too, because the next thing Steve knew, Eddie's hand was in his hair, gently tugging his head back to expose his throat.

His breath was hot, but his lips were cold.

Eddie let out a small laugh.

"Maybe you were born with these moles as a user manual," Eddie joked.

Steve rolled his eyes, but smiled. Eddie making a joke like that was a good sign, the best sign.

The moment Eddie's teeth sunk into his neck, Steve relaxed.

The feeling Eddie had described earlier, the empty place made just for him, he felt it being filled in both of them.

He should have panicked, should have immediately pulled away, but Eddie's hands held him close, held him steady.

Eddie's mouth felt like it belonged on him.

Eddie felt like his.

When he finally pulled away, they smiled at each other.

"Taste a little salty. Might wanna consider some fruit in your diet, Stevie," Eddie teased.

"I'll consider it," Steve rolled his eyes.

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Eddie stayed with Steve for three days before they finally came up with a plan for telling everyone.

He had to stay hidden, not just because they weren't sure what he was, but because if he was seen by anyone, he could be arrested.

They didn't know much, but they knew they couldn't let that happen.

So he fed from Steve every night.

Not much, just enough to take away the hollow feeling that started to present itself after nearly 24 hours without.

They always kissed after, always spent the night curled up in Steve's bed together, tracing patterns in each other's naked skin.

And when everyone found out, it was only because they walked in on Steve and Eddie making out in the kitchen.