TheAmishPirate

Monster Hearts: Sleepshy Rise

I thought about having Timmy react with a bit more dialogue here, but this really feels like the opener to a Conversation, so I figured I'd let the gut reaction play out before moving forward with more specific examples of, "what the heck, Elodie?"

Plus. Y'know. Never a bad idea to give emotional teenagers an open-ended question to try and answer. :D

Monster Hearts: Sleepshy Rise

SECOND PLACE
WEREWOLF MAGNET

“Don’t you listen, Timmy!” To say that Elodie bursts forth from the closet would be putting far too much weight on that poor verb. Explodes might do a better job. Her face is flushed and she is not letting a single one of her thoughts do the talking for her. She’s figured out what’s going on.

“Youuuuu, Masque,” she says, with a stab of her finger, “are well overdue for a trip to the underworld! You can either get out of Timmy’s hair or I’ll see if my Dad has room on the next wagon to Tartarus!” It’s dangerous flaunting her position in front of Timmy like this, but what else is she supposed to do? Scream and faint and beg for somebody, anybody, to help? No. No, this must be handled decisively.

“As for you, you poor dear,” she says, hauling Timmy up to his feet and hooking his arm with her elbow possessively, “you are under the effects of magic! I’m pretty sure it’s Analee cheating, just because she got to have you first!”

Oh, boy. Oh boy. Elodie, no. Ellie. Ellie please. Don’t air that out right in front of young Crompton. Don’t let him know that everybody knows.

“So what we are going to do is get you uncursed. We may have to get physical! But that’s why I’m bringing my strong knight in shining armor,” she says, grabbing his hand and dragging him over to the door. The danger’s passed, and there’s a much more pressing danger now! “Don’t you believe anything she says, and remember, we can’t let her go until she uncurses you, the jealous little witch!”

@Tatterdemalion

JEALOUS

It was like getting hauled out of the local swimming hole by a passing train.

One moment, Timothy was drowning in himself. The next, the voices had stopped - no, they'd been utterly trampled, and he was up, Elodie dragging him along by the arm. (Wait, Elodie?) A flood of words whipped past his ears (Just because she what?!) as he gazed upon his impossibly pink savior (Cursed?) in a daze (Knight?!) as she (oh hey her neck's bleeding how diiiiiidNO) dragged (no no no no) him to (Who's jealous? Why jealous?!) the door and (no no no no no no)

"I beg your pardon!"

Timothy shook his hand free of her, glaring hurt and furious.

"Just what the devil are you on about, Elodie?!"

So. Uh. Elodie? You know how sometimes, when ghosts get reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally cranky, and they reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally don't want to move on, and sometimes they turn into meaner, nastier spooks? You know how your Dad was telling you that one time that you need to treat cranky ghosts super super carefully, because if you, I don't know, grab them by the hand and try to yank them through the portal, that might make everything worse? True, it's a cranky boy instead of a cranky ghost, but. Uh.

...maybe you ought to have listened to some of those thoughts you were having a moment ago, because it looks like the same principles might well apply.

[Rolling to Shut Elodie Down with Mixed Messages: 5 + 2 + 2 = 9. Elodie loses a String on Timmy for her poor life choices.]

Monster Hearts: Sleepshy Rise

Juicy prompt, Amish! I’d appreciate a quick vision from the Abyss before RIGHTEOUS VENGEANCE FALLS UPON THAT GHOST

@Tatterdemalion

Thank you! When I was writing that, I knew I had to put at least one thing that would classify as Instant Red Alert for Elodie.

I figured a vicious denouncement of kisses would do the trick. :P

Monster Hearts: Sleepshy Rise

JEALOUS

”You could’ve run.”

“I wanted to, believe me. Do you think I wanted to stay?!”

”But you did stay.”

“Well...yes, but…”

”You stayed. You watched. You saw. You saw it all.”

Couldn’t tear your eyes away! Who knew you had the taste for that sort of fun?

“It was...an a-accident…”

”You stayed until you were chased away, Crompton old boy.”

“I didn’t mean to-”

Gobbled up the sight like that wolf was gobbling dear Elly-belly! You can still hear her, can’t you? The way she ravished your name?

”You’d like more, wouldn’t you?”

“N-no…”

”Shhhhhh. Listen to your heart race. You can feel it in your blood, can’t you?”

Thump-thump! Thump-thump! And you can’t stop it, can you?~

“I don’t want it. I don’t want it!”

”You had fun. You enjoyed it. You’re enjoying it right now.”

“It’s improper! It’s indecent!”

”Sick little Crompton. Poor, sick little Crompton.”

How easily you fall astray! How thin a thread your heart dangles over wickedness! Who knew? Who knew?

“I-I’m not going back. I’m never doing that again.”

How wise! How wise! It’s dangerous out there, you know! So many beasts, ready to gobble. You. Up. And you’d let them, you would!

“Th-they can keep their kisses to themselves. I don’t want them.”

Stay away from the beasts, little boy. Keep your head down, and never let them get close.

“I don’t want them. I don’t want any of them...”

Stay alone, Timothy Oglevee Crompton.

Stay m i n e

************************************************************************************

Elodie, you can hear two Timmy’s.

And before your imagination runs too far with that one, you can also hear that one of the Timmys is being a real meanie to the other. And that’s weird, right? It’s super weird. Your Timmy would never be so cruel.

A peek out of the closet confirms it; your Timmy wouldn’t be so cruel, because that’s not your Timmy at all! It’s that ghost-Masque again! They’ve taken on Timmy’s face and voice, all the better to whisper cruel nothings right into his ear. And they’re sticking their gross ghostly claws right into his noggin to keep his thoughts all a-scramble! And poor Timmy’s such a normal, sweet boy, he doesn’t seem to realize the terrible, terrible trick that’s being played on him. He’s helpless! Defenseless! At their mercy! Oh no!

This may be your most critical ghost mission yet. What do you do!?

Monster Hearts: Sleepshy Rise

Pokes thus issued to Elanorin and Amish.

@Thanqol

Roger roger. I have the post in mind, but Monday/Tuesday are my busy days, and these past few weeks have been rough. I should have something up tomorrow.

Masks: Resurrection Roundabout

I went ahead and added the immediate context for my opening scene as a spoiler at the top of my post. If you forgot what was happening just before everything exploded and we started drifting across space, time, and the internet, there you go. Does feel good to be writing for this game again

@Phoe

Now that I've read the full context, a clarification:

Euna status: Very Good

Heart status: Very Ouch

Masks: Resurrection Roundabout

Euna status: Very Good

Monster Hearts: Sleepshy Rise

Ready and able to make bad decisions!

That being said, I think that now feels like a good time for nasty, accusing voices to whisper into Timmy's ear. And boy, wouldn't it be bad if the voice was his? Good think there's no possible way that can happen!