theblackwhitengrey

[theblackwhitengrey]

Were there any specific things that inspired this au? Like other fics, or songs or something?

That is actually a really good question because.... it's not a simple answer. Pre-warning, this is going to be a long answer. To be honest, this whole thing started from a rp with me and my co-writer, a Tinkoffski rp to be exact. It then spiralled into this after a lot of AU worldbuilding. One quote stands out, “Nought may endure but mutability”. In layman terms this means “the only thing we can rely on is that things will not stay the same.” Because we both are busy people, we decided that if we were writing a story, it’s something we’d sincerely want to tell and dedicate our time to. A story of change is our answer. It’s long, it’s pretty ambitious, but we both are taking it slowly.

We really just wanted to explore the powers of the LiB in particular. All that mention of Touch of Gift, Gifteds, the existence of ppl like Miss Holloway or Wilbur Cross, made us really think about how certain powers worked. As well as the established fact that there’s infinite timelines in Hatchetfield, so we just thought, why not think about how it all leads to one timeline breaking out of its shackles of fate?

So our two stories are just the beginning. School Dayz in particular was simply the result of listening to a lot of songs in that time period, and really digging into that “backstreet boy” inspiration Tinky’s teen outfit was said to resemble XD

We actually are inspired by a variety, that we nearly don’t know where to start describing. But songs are our main driver in the writing of our fics.

Just for ease, one for PoA is Lana Del Rey’s Dark Paradise. The one for School Dayz is The Neighbourhood’s Sweater Weather. Very hard to pick one song that inspired the fics, it’s a whole collection of mixed genres at best. Different songs for different moods.

So yeah, there ya have it for inspiration. Just a great collection of many things. (Thunder can’t remember what else the inspiration is coming from, but I hope that this answers the question.)

[theblackwhitengrey]

How many years is School Dayz going to go over?

Two years, summer of 2000 to summer of 2002... OwO

[theblackwhitengrey]

Oh Chapter 9, a start to a new year, for Ted and for … Summers.

Who said that’s Tinky? There is no Tinky

But yes, Chapter 9 has finally come! Jump into the new year of 2001 with Ted and let’s see how shall his adventures of the peculiar kind continue! Heheheheh XD

As always, don’t forget to comment and leave a kudos, and any questions? Just hit the ask box and send in your questions!

~Thunder

Director's Cut - School Dayz - Chapter 9 - MonstrousAffections, ThunderBird00 - Hatchetfield Series - Team StarKid [Archive of Our Own]

[theblackwhitengrey]

It's a really great feeling when some of the tarot cards give you confirmation of certain headcannons you have. OwO

[theblackwhitengrey]

Don't know if this is the sort of ask you guys want, but there's this song that really reminds me of how you write TedxTinky in School Dayz, and I've been listening to it a heap whilst reading it. It's Collared by SAROS - really good also.

We have listened to it. And Yes, Definitely, Absolutely. It fits so much.

[theblackwhitengrey]

School Dayz Chapter 8 has been added. Though it may be 7 months to Christmas, Christmas has come early so enjoy your read heheheh.

Director's Cut - School Dayz - Chapter 8 - MonstrousAffections, ThunderBird00 - Hatchetfield Series - Team StarKid [Archive of Our Own]

[theblackwhitengrey]

FINALLY FINISHED SOMETHING! A new director? What? That's crazy. Pokey I can't believe you'd let someone do that. Wait, you're only doing this to make him suffer. Oh. Carry on then. @theblackwhitengrey

[theblackwhitengrey]

So octopuses can taste (and smell) with their tentacles, right?

And Wiggly is a massive cephalopod-thing, right?

I present the idea: Wiggly in a human form touching things with his hands and then complaining about how it tastes. Wiggly touching someone's skin and thoughtlessly taking note of the flavor. Wiggly leaning against something and then immediately recoiling away from it because it tastes absolutely awful.

[theblackwhitengrey]

Do we get more information on what's going on with Wiley and Wiggly?

Yep, there will definitely be more revealed about them in due time ; )

For now, they are just minding their own business and vibing as a bunch ol' Eldritch things. Regular Tuesday for Lord Wiggly, and a very nice and interesting winter vacation time for Wiley. (Pokey's timeline, Pokey's plans. No one understands his exact plans however, he gave up explaining to Wiggly some timelines back)

[theblackwhitengrey]

Is there a reason for Tinky being called Summer in School Dayz? Why'd he choose that name, and why'd you guys choose that name?

There’s a few reasons in there, and well, we’ll start with the simple reason, and then some.

He did make contact with Ted during the summer. Therefore, Summers.

2. Yellow, especially that garish yellow Tinky has, we’d associate with hot summer sun. Also playing up with how we’d notice in media that when those school drama movies talk about summer, you’d have beaches, and beaches usually having golden sand and a lot of sun, the usual settings of a “summer break”. Our Ted here had his hopes and dreams, and the colour yellow (at the time), would ironically have him recall stuff like, “Summers” claiming he’s from Los Angeles. And what’s near Los Angeles? Actual beaches at the seaside, something Ted would not see in Hatchetfield (because it’s a freshwater lake). Beaches = Summer location, therefore, Summers.

3. Tinky here is more impulsive. He’s actually rushed in without a real plan, so he also is winging his human alias with the most “nature-sounding” name on the block, by considering the season XD, so Summers it is.

And of course…

4. The likelihood that Pokey was being a spiteful younger brother, may have factored into the name he’s willingly tacked onto his “idiot brother that has caused problems in his own plans”. After all, Tinky has inserted himself into Ted’s life as “Ted’s summer love” and introduced a new factor Pokey was not prepared to deal with for his (umpteenth) Apotheosis, so Pokey was just simply spiteful enough to take a mile with that inch he was given. And hence and therefore, Summers XD.

Oh Tinky … this is why plans are everything before picking out your own “random bullshit go” name.

[theblackwhitengrey]

Brief explanation of the AU’s “rules” / worldbuild lore tidbit

(I mean I hope it’s brief but yes)

The Black, White and Grey is an AU that originally was centred on “the CCRP blorbos have their own Touch of Gift/ Gift”.

At least, our main focus was them, until we spun out OCs and may have casted our gaze towards a certain group of Hatchetfield High teens, and other people, that we will try our best to explain the idea, just to get a picture of what we hope to write about.

If you remember in Nightmare Time how they try to explain when the Gift/ ToG “expires” at adulthood, and that the Hatchetmen over generations since Willabella’s death in around 1830s, had planted many of the Gifted/ ToG that grew into the Witchwood, our AU works on that the Hatchetmen can only locate that many ToG/ Gifteds at a time to “plant” to “strengthen the barrier that keeps Willabella’s soul trapped”.

This means, (for AU) besides the likes of Hannah, Lex, Daniel (Stopwatch), Sophia (Spitfire), and even the unnamed Boy with Broken Nose,

there exists plenty of adults who happened to escape the Hatchetmen’s clutches by virtue of having “aged out” of their ToG/ Gift before Hatchetmen could get to them.

Some of which still have “auras” strong enough to attract attention from magical entities. And if Webby being able to reactivate Lex’s power or John even managing to understand how to have Lex dig deep to access her ToG, says anything, it does mean that an adult whose ToG/ Gift has been silenced, can be “awakened” with the help of someone that is actively practicing magic, be it Webby, LiBs, or someone like John himself.

Now John MacNamara for this AU is something, I may have to create a separate post for this guy. I can only give a lil tidbit that for this AU, he knows Wiggly more closely than he actually says so. And he is one of the rare adults that continued to have his ToG remain active because he’s been working on mastering his magic by himself.

And that for this one, his hometown was Hatchetfield.

[theblackwhitengrey]

I love that with what words we could come up with to describe Paul’s outfit (a very complicated vision I must say), you have kept his wings small, hehehe. Paul can never hope to fly with them, because

A. They are purely decorative B. They are not alive like his ribbons are (shhh totally not acting like cat tails shhh)

Symbolically however, those lifeless wings are about as good as clipped wings on a bird.

I’m so glad that you’re enjoying your read so far! It really makes me happy seeing how you’re visualising the scenes as you go. And yes, poor Paul in all honesty, this goo man is toying with him way too long. Guess we’d gotta see how things unfold after Paul gets blasted full face with School Dayz alongside everybody else, “oh dear…” is all I have to say for now heheh.

~Thunder

A lot more gay than usual. I fear Tumblr has eaten the quality. Or something along the way to posting it has. And another tag to the wondrous blog -- @theblackwhitengrey Text Under Cut

Words top left: "He looks so sad and pathetic here." Words bottom middle: "He really don't like musicals now" Words bottom left: "Pokey this is NOT helping him"

[theblackwhitengrey]

ok, as for the qns that we accidentally deleted about “who is performing in School Dayz” and if Ted was actually part of the ensemble.

Performers can vary, so long as they can fit the specifications, but just know… the “guest” director, who is technically part of the captive audience, is none other than Ted himself.

Ted… is just barely aware of the horrors that had transpired, that is, he has some level of understanding that the Apotheosis happened and he is drifting in and out of the stupor of song and dance for a very AU-specific reason. Something about incompatibility to the Infected’s Hivemind I would say for now. He is not the only one for this AU who suffers from bad connection (looks to Paul as prime example).

At the moment, since Director’s Cut is by Ted’s perspective, it is made ambiguous as to whether Ted is on a stage himself, or actually just reliving his memories without being able to stop. Our Ted here is someone who cannot stop reminiscing on the good times, and what better to relearn about Ted’s “want” than to make Ted activate his own tendencies to reflect on the past, both good and bad.

And Pokey is using that very well against Ted, just as his older brother has done countless times over in that neverending, repetitive test.

[theblackwhitengrey]

I wish to ask two questions :D Do we get to meet Dill properly/know what the heck's going on with him? He is fascinating to me. How are Pokey and Paul watching "School Dayz"? Like, are they seeing everything through the characters eyes? Are they an outside viewer?

Thank you for the questions OwO Yes, Dill will be introduced properly later down the line, and he will become very, very important too. He’s a … unique case so to say. For some folk who realise he’s not Blinky, well done. ; ) Pokey and Paul are actually watching School Dayz as a Musical. They're in the audience at the Starlight Theatre, a private seating box above the rest of the Hive if you will. Pokey's making an example out of Ted by making him relive his entire teenage experience on stage. Essentially, it’s to search again for Ted’s wants to use as a new link point to the Hivemind, as well as serving as mental and emotional torture to the said man himself (if you keep up with Persephone of Apotheosis all the way to Chapter 5).

And also torture to Paul too, XD, who hates musicals in many ways. lmao. Oopsies even.

[theblackwhitengrey]

Director's Cut - School Dayz - Chapter 7 - MonstrousAffections, ThunderBird00 - Hatchetfield Series - Team StarKid [Archive of Our Own]

Chapter Seven is up OwO

[theblackwhitengrey]

Hear me out but I think Dill is probs one our most frightening characters, and he's not even properly introduced yet at all lmao

[theblackwhitengrey]

Worldbuilding pt. 2

Since most of the story is in some parts, related to the Black, I'd give a rundown of the Black. You can expect most of it being a dark forest, cold like mentioned beforehand. It is an evernight-type situation with the sky, except one area. Else, most of these creatures down here, do not always see proper "sunlight" (however thing they may interpret as sunlight).

Sniggleville, Drowsy Town

Now, you've heard of the Sniggles living in Drowsy Town. For this particular AU however, they now live in a particular area of Drowsy Town. Sniggles gotta get a break or two away from their masters, ye see. You'd see a rather bustling "night life" down in Sniggleville, for they hardly sleep themselves... ok they do sleep, but they do like themselves a little banter and kick-backs after serving their Lords thanklessly. "In exchange for safety!", that's what they'll tell you. Like mice, this town of theirs is rather "underground". The buildings there appear to be clay-based, and because it’s very far down, they illuminate their dark surrounding with quite the many lights. It’s improved quite a bit, thanks to the LiB helping with constructing and establishing Sniggleville with the knowledge they’ve gained from other places, be it humans or other Eldritch folk. Perhaps you might find Snigglette and Snigglots and other Sniggles reside here on the days they get to pay a visit back to their community in Sniggleville.

Hatchetfield, Drowsy Town

Now this place always appears to observe day/night cycles, and this is where human souls (mainly, whoever came into contact with the LiB, whether intentional or accidental) come to make a home out of what they've got, thanks to the Lords in Black. These spirits seem to live their days in a (really realistically impossible) world where they do not need to truly work or suffer all that much from lack of money. It’s a strange place. See, they can operate very simply, like selling each other some stuffs and the like. But also, the supply of such things seems to, spring out of nowhere. Almost. If these human souls happen to suffer horrible injuries or even get mangled (what happened there I wonder), these souls are just pieced back together like a puzzle, and given some time to gel themselves back into the proper shape. Which afterwards, with no scars to show, they can just living their life as if nothing terrible just happened to them.

“It’s perfection!” A very peculiar someone might say.

“It’s simply paradise! There’s no suffering, no agony, no death, all you just have to do is just live your life the way you want it! We all ought to give thanks to our Lords for this new life! Don’t be silly, everyone knows that this fate befell upon them.”

The Black Castle

The residence of the Lords in Black, and some of their close (eldritch) allies. It is located right next to Hatchetfield, Drowsy Town, for ease of access to the human souls that they now govern over. True-born Eldritch beings of the Black could tell you how this castle simply, grew over the years since its initial creation. Perhaps it had to do with its owner’s desires becoming greater, perhaps it itself is still a pet project to satisfy one Lord’s fickle mind. How many more rooms until he is pleased with his work? Who knows.