KA-BLAM!

“Not to rain of your UFO parade but I would take any and all UFO sightings with at least some hesitation, especially if the sighting occurred in the united states. There have always been sightings and experiences that fall within the UFO range but scientists have actually been able to trace back to the moment Americans became obsessed with UFO’s. October 30th 1938. Before that we had maybe two occurrences of note?  1896 to 1897 there were multiple reports of UFO’s and even attempted abductions and then April 17th 1897 there is a story of a UFO crashing and it’s alien pilot being buried in a local cemetery. Obviously both points of interest but still barely anything compared to now, right? Do you know what happened on October 30th 1938?”

The universe was his hyper fixation and with an exploration of the universe came a deep dive into subcultures such as conspiracy theories surrounding UFO’s. With that research came some patterns and one very obvious origin. “A young 23 year old man but the name of Orson Welles acted in and produced a radio play of the H.G Wells novel The War of the Worlds. He thought he was being inventive by rewriting the novel as a series of radio news bulletins which he could have acted out live on air. What he didn’t take into consideration is that people who hadn’t been listening from the start or hadn’t known it was going to happen would actually believe America was being invaded by aliens. People panicked, real panic. It caused nation wide hysteria and never really stopped even after it was revealed to have just been a radio play. After that moment UFO sightings and reported contact with aliens in the US grew at an immeasurable rate. I’m not saying there’s no such thing as UFO’s as to say such a thing would be to laugh in the face of my work. What i’m saying is pop culture influences peoples way of thinking and Orson Welles changed the way an entire generation of people looked at the sky with one broadcast.”

Watching Darrin take in the information he had given him about Proxima Centauri was interesting especially as he processed it in a way that allowed him to ask the right questions. “Correct. Like as we know it wouldn’t be able to survive but there’s so much we don’t know about life. There could be life forms where their base is a much denser element meaning they’re more durable and able to endure harsh conditions. Life is often both fragile and resilient at the same time. What we deem the sweet spot for life development is only based on factors that it was necessary for our own life to flourish. We know from beings like tardigrades that life can exist in the harshest conditions.” 

Marcus always appreciated people who had a genuine interest in the universe, even if it simply boiled down to if there were aliens or not. “There are so many variables and possibilities. It’s why there are specific lines of thinking. If we take the speed of light into consideration it’s possible they’re seeing us at a time hundreds of years in the past and think we’re not ready for contact yet. Maybe there are certain levels of understanding we have to meet before we’re considered ready. Once we have contact with an outside species we need to think about interplanetary relations and given that our planet is in a constant state of war and has no real international governing body…”

Darrin gave something of a privately disappointed sigh, despite his best efforts to look analytical and nonplussed. Cocking his head to one side, though, he gave a nod and offered a hum. “I mean, sure, sure! Yeah. It’s important to be...skeptical, I guess. That’s fair. Americans are sort of self-centered like that, huh? Like, we always assume that if aliens land, it’s gonna be in our backyard and not somewhere else. But, I’m sure you know, the notion of life on other planets goes back a long time. Like, uh, Meroz in the Book of Judges. I know, I know, science and religion and all. But the Talmud suggests it refers to a celestial body, and it does mention a curse on both it and its inhabitants.” He wrinkled up his nose, flashing a conspiratorial smile. Maybe it was a city, sure, or referred to some sort of heavenly layer. But the forbidden planet was more interesting. “Aurora, Texas. I’ve been there actually. I used to travel all over with my...friends. For a long time.” He and his sire (which is what he had almost said before stopping himself) had spent much of their fifteen years on the road, moving from place to place in search of new experiences and faces. “Did you know a mysterious tombstone sort of just appeared there? And then it disappeared. But, uh, yeah, sure! The War of the Worlds.”

Listening along, he nodded, making noises affirmation as Marcus continued. “Yeah! And some guy tried to take down the water tower.” He shook his head. Darrin had attended the lecture in search of concrete knowledge on the cosmos, sure, but was becoming increasingly evident, he had done most of his learning in the world of pop culture. Still, he listened to Marcus with abject fascination, speaking up only when he was through. “That makes sense. I mean, listen to me. I’ll buy anything about a little green man.” He sighed but still managed a laugh. “And it all happened again in Chile and Ecuador in the 40s. And then, not aliens, but in the 90s, there was Ghostwatch. Over 30,000 people called the BBC to complain, I heard.” He grimaced. “And then The Blair Witch Project. Humans are a pretty gullible species, huh?” That remark made Darrin feel oddly. For the moment, he had spent more time as a human than a vampire, although the number was closing in. Maybe he ought to stop counting himself among them.

He nodded very seriously. “Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. What about silicon? Could there be silicon-based life?” His eyes widened, but this again seemed to be his mind working its way through some movie or TV show about such creatures. Still, he gave a more studious nod. “I get it. I hate to keep bringing up religion, but we tried to, you know, practice and all when I was a kid. Sometimes. Helps me vocalize it. So, like, as an example, intelligence has to do with free will, right? Well, free will, in theology requires following or not following the rules. And those rules are so tied to our planet. So whatever’s out there would have to be intelligent in some way completely different from how we define it in our world. Because they couldn’t have those rules. I’m not really religious, but you’re kind of blowing my mind that they sort of work together.” 

He smiled. “And even then, we might not be ready now, huh?” His features sobered as Marcus continued. “You’re right about that. And if there really was alien tech, it’d totally be a race to make the best weapons. Not the best...I don’t know. Whatever else.” He shrugged his shoulders gently. “Maybe they think we’d disrupt the galactic peace.” While this did seem to genuinely dishearten him, he managed to offer brighter thanks. “Well, I appreciate your explanation, Doctor. And thank you for humoring me. I know I’m sort of all over the place. But who knows? Maybe one day reality’ll be stranger than fiction after all, huh? Oh, I’m rude. Darrin Levine. I own the comic shop in town. He says surprising no one.” 

“And which one do you think it is this time?” Kade smirked. Rumors after all, each had a thread of truth to them–or so Kade generally thought to be true. “My money’s on government conspiracy.” He teased. Before he was able to put it back, the clerk motioned toward the comic in his hand and began to ramble on about it. Though he normally found people’s ramblings to be somewhat annoying, he found his rather endearing. Maybe it was because Kade secretly had always loved comic books more than he’d been allowed to. Now as an adult, he could actually partake in his interests without his parents lording over him constantly––although they of course still tried. 

“So you’d recommend it then?” He asked, genuinely curious. “Any other good ones?”

Darrin gave a short laugh; it rang somewhat forced, a remnant of still pulsing nerves. But he tried vehemently to at least give the impression of ease. And so, speaking up, he cleared his throat and tried to joke. “Personally, I’d go for the chain email. You know, little ghost girl, glowing red eyes, forward her to ten people or else. This whole thing is the else.” He shrugged, running a hand through his hair as he prattled on. “I mean, sure. Yeah! I try real hard not to be one of those nerd snobs. We carry everything here. Superheroes. Horror. Sci-fi. New Wave girl band with magic holograms.” He smiled through pressed lips, refusing to show his teeth, as if genuinely afraid he might accidentally unsheathe his fangs. “There’s...uh, there’s a limited series called Spider-Men. Peter Parker and Miles Morales meet, and it’s sorta cool. If you wanted something different, though, Scooby Apocalypse is...well, it’s Scooby-Doo. But there’s an Apocalypse. That’s kind of a trip.”

If there was one thing that Marcus enjoyed just as much as his work with Astrophysics it was teaching it. Imparting wisdom on willing individuals helped with his desires to info dump. When he saw the seemingly younger man step up to him to ask more questions Marcus smiled a little to himself. People always ended up asking about aliens and while his field was more blackholes every astrophysicist, hell every physicist, wondered about it too. 

“Well, that depends on whether you believe other civilisations have reached higher levels of function than us and whether or not they even headed in our direction if they did branch out. The closest star system to us is Alpha Centauri. It currently stands at 4.37 lightyears away or 1.34 parsecs. It’s a three star system making the parameters slightly more chaotic than ours. Currently we know of only two planets that are confirmed though there are theories there are more, if that’s true we’ll have to see. These two don’t orbit the binary stars but actually the much smaller and fainter red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. The only planet out of the two that exists withing the habitable zone is Proxima Centauri b. The planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of more than 2,000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar wind and the habitability of Proxima Centauri b has not yet been definitively established.”

Marcus leaned against his desk. “So Alpha Centauri is off the table for the time being and honestly a lot of other systems are too. In order to achieve galactic space travel like you’re suggesting it’s likely that the civilisation is at the very least a type one civilisation on the Kardashev scale. Bare in mind that we’re only currently a 0.73 on that scale having only risen up 0.03 between 1970 and 2018. That’s even with the technological revolution we’re currently living in. We have to potentially consider that we’re ahead in the game when it comes to development or alien life that has surpassed us either looked in the opposite direction of us or doesn’t exist within our own galaxy. Perhaps Andromeda holds the answer.”

As Marcus began to explain, Darrin nodded along with some genuine excitement, evidently doing his best to listen intently while still losing the plot along the way. “I mean, they’d have to be pretty advanced, I’d think. Back in the 50s and 60s, there were all those Project Blue Book UFO sightings and everything, you know? Like, full-on flying spacecraft. I know a lot of them were explained away as, like, balloons and things. But there were over 12,000 reports.” Darrin’s approach to the topic was evidently more rooted in government conspiracies than actual science. Still, he flashed a bright smile.

“Right. Right. Parsecs,” he repeated very seriously. “Uh, but yeah, I know Alpha Centauri. In Sub-Mariner, the Alpha Centaurians evolved on land and then migrated to the sea. So, like, the opposite of us, I guess. But I guess that’s just fiction. I’m sorry. I digress.” He shook his head. “But, uh, what you’re saying, Doctor, is that it would be hard for life, as we know it, to exist  Proxima Centauri b. Because of the solar wind?”

He wrinkled up his nose as if deep in thought. “That’s disappointing. But just because...you know, we haven’t been able to establish it, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, right? It could? Lots of things probably exist we can’t even begin to imagine.” There was something knowing about this remark. He scratched at a stray strand of hair near his ear. “I mean, sure, but if an extraterrestrial society were really so advanced, to achieve galactic travel anyway, it might not look like any sort of civilization we could grasp on a man-made scale. It would be so beyond anything we could even conceptualize that we wouldn’t even be able to define how it would behave.” He knit his brow. “They looked in the other direction, huh? Like, if they’re really so great, we’re just...ants by comparison. So why pay attention?” This seemed to deflate him, but he perked right back up. “Andromeda. I know that one. That’s where the Symbiotes are from. You know...like Venom?” He gave an embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry. I’m still wrapping my head around the...uh, you know, the research and all. This was sort of new territory for me. Most of my run-ins with space have been in the pop culture Zeitgeist.” 

The hunter watched carefully as the other rambled, head tilted. The man seemed nervous as he spoke, even gave an awkward smile. He worked at a comic book shop, maybe he was just the nervous type? Kade came into the shop on a whim, hoping to find something to bring home to read. “Rumor mill?” He smirked as he flipped through an issue of Spiderman. “What’s that churning out these days? I’ve been a bit out of the loop recently.” 

“Oh, you know, the usual. Secret mob hit. Government conspiracy. Didn’t forward a chain email. That kind of thing.” Saying this, Darrin managed a small nod, but in truth, he was largely making up possibilities on the fly. “That’s a good one, though,” he added at last, shifting focus to the comic book through which Kade was looking. He extended a hand to tap at the open page. “Introduces the Green Goblin. This is a reprint, but an original in good condition can go for thousands if you ever find one.” He gave another small simper.

“Like I told everyone else, I really don’t know what happened at the party. I was a little… preoccupied.”

@mysticstart​

“Oh, uh, I wasn’t even there, to be honest. I was just making small talk when I brought it up. Not that that’s, like, small talk, you know? But it’s like the weather. Everyone knows about it.” Darrin offered a somewhat awkward smile, lips pursed as if only to avoid having to show his teeth. Even if his fangs were tucked away, however, he had been in town long enough to at least be tangentially aware of the Wessons. And as a rule, Hunters made him nervous; it manifested in the way he was now twirling the pen in his hand. “I was busy that night. So I don’t really know what happened either. But...uh, I guess, the rumor mill isn’t helping.” 

Still, this little discussion had mostly gone over his head. As the room cleared out, he fidgeted a little, flipping through the handful of notes he had managed to jot down. Did any of them make sense? He grimaced. Gathering his belongings, however, he managed a polite smile at the lecturer; it certainly wasn’t his fault Darrin had an easier time wrapping his mind around the X-Files than the actual cosmos.

“So, uh, Doc, if the universe is really so big and all, how long before we make real contact with intelligent life?” The question came out half-joking. But well, Darrin had time to wait. What was fifty years? A hundred? “Or are they just not telling us about it?”

@marcus-darring​

P.D. wasn’t one people would expect to be in a comic book shop. But, funny enough, he was a big fan of cheesy sci-fi because it seemed to be the only thing that didn’t actually exist. It was the only part of pop culture that was fantasy for him. So, as he stepped in and saw some of the memorabilia that he was looking for, he heard his buddy at the front talking on the phone. But, before he could get sucked up in a new comic that was about space aliens, he heard the other calling him Moon. Laughing softly, he turned and walked over to him with the comic in hand.

“Wait, what? Since when!” He asked with absolute surprise, looking over the comic that his friend mentioned and rolled his eyes. “Oh fuck…” He laughed and snorted a couple of times, placing the comic he wanted onto the counter and started to flip through it. “People are stealing my likeness when they come into Harvest Moon! They should pay me to be in this, give me some extra cash so I can finally afford that outdoor theatre setup for my pack.” He said, knowing there weren’t humans in the room. He couldn’t smell nor hear them, so it was safe.

“Yeah, I honestly don’t get where they find this information. I sometimes think it’s a conspiracy to throw us off, to make us think they don’t know we exist. Like, this is obviously wrong, but only to us. So, it’s like a message.” He said, shaking his head a bit before laughing as he continued to flip through the comic Darrin was showing him. “Start the petition. It might catch on with our community. But thanks. I’ll give it a read later.” Gesturing to the one he put down, he started to pull out his wallet to pay for it.

But, the other’s question had him smiling a bit. Not many asked how he was. “Well, I’m alright. It’s coming up the anniversary of when I first arrived in Hazelgrove, might have a barbecue to celebrate. Did you want to come by and have a beer? I’ve got a great IPA that’s almost ready for bottling you can give a try.”

“I think you ought to watch out for spies. And maybe call one of those TV law firms to protect your likeness, man. Or that weird witch with the teeth. You really do deserve a cut of the profits. And I think you’ve got a case.” Darrin laughed heartily, watching him flip through the book. He balanced his chin in his hand. “Outdoor theatre, huh? That sounds fun. Let me know if you ever need screening suggestions. I’ve got an eternity ahead of me, so I see every movie ever to pass the time.” He sighed with some phony glumness, but there was some truth in this. 

“So, it’s like reverse psychology? They get everything backwards, so that we let our guards down? And then they strike?” Darrin laughed some more, shaking his head. “You and me, we have to take down the nefarious comic book industry. But not too much; I have to keep the lights on around here.” He rolled his shoulders, furrowing up his brow as if deep in thought. “I say that now, but I dunno. I kind of like living in obscurity. Can you imagine the headlines if I sent a certified letter signed ‘the vampires and the werewolves?’ The world’s not ready.” Darrin rolled his eyes as he joked, and earnestly, he was among those vying for the glamour’s restoration. He brought up a hand. “Absolutely not. Now put that away, young man. Really. On the house.”

He laughed. “Aww, that’s great, dude! I’ll be there. I’ve just got to try and get my hands on a new daylight ring. Mine’s gone missing. But I’ll stock up on sunscreen,” he replied. Thankfully, the shop itself was in a basement, and so, he could avoid direct rays so long as he planned his day properly. Nevertheless, he offered a short nod. “Sure, I’d love to give it a try, but I’m afraid I’m not going to be much help with nailing down your favor profile, man. Super tongue, you know? Pleasantly bitter is, like, oh my god, for me. I’ll skew your data.” Heightened senses had their perks, but since turning, Darrin, in particular, had struggled with really enjoying certain foods. “But I will absolutely try the latest Parker Damien original.” 

Having arrived at his friend’s comic book shop, Robin eyed some of the items on the walls and thought of specifically the ones that resembled his realm. It always gave him some comfort being here, not just because of what he’d get. But, it was most definitely a big part of it. So, when Darrin guided him to the back like usual, Robin let his glamour fade from his appearance to reveal the scars but leaving his rather human facial features since he didn’t want the other to see him in his truly fae form. It was too much for some, since he did look otherworldly.

As he saw the claw machine filled with sweets, Robin’s eyes flashed their fae color as he nipped his bottom lip. Oh that taffy looked appealing. “I’ll use the machine. To make it fair. But I’ll do it in a minute.” Robin told him, smiling over to the vampire before moving over to the couch. “Work? It was busy like usual. Ever since the ball, I’ve been getting quite a bit of business.” He said, taking off his coat, he placed it over the back of the couch and sat down next to him. “A sword? That sounds lovely. I don’t know what ‘Willow’, I’m still catching up on human stories and pop culture.”

Thinking of his realm and his family, he remembered watching his brothers play with wooden swords and shields for fun while he helped his father by the fire. “I’ve never been one for weapons. I spent my time learning to bake while my brothers played pirates and knights.” He said, smiling fondly at the memory as he turned a bit in his spot so he could look at Darrin. “I did have a crystal dagger back home, but I…” He sighed and smiled to Darrin as he didn’t want to bring down their session. “Tell me about Willow. What is it about?”

Darrin did not speak up about it, but the removal of the glamour always gave him pause. Something about the scars, perhaps the awareness that a few of them were his. After all, this private agreement they shared, it demanded more of Robin than it did of him, he knew. And so, he allowed his features to spread into a soft, almost apologetic half-smile. The vampire had already grown out of that initial bloodlust; he could control his impulses. And a willing donor was certainly better than pouncing on some poor fool to in the dark. Nevertheless, even now, the mere promise of fae blood had his fangs unsheathing themselves, growing down to take their comfortable place in his mouth. He seemed to suck in his lips, trying to keep the thirst at bay.

“Oh, don’t worry about being fair. Do it for the fun if you wanna do it,” Darrin laughed genuinely, catching the slightest flash in his friend’s eye. “Oh, really? That’s so great, man! I’m so glad it was a good thing for you. I didn’t actually get to go, but...well, I heard everyone was talking about the desserts.” Of course, everyone was actually talking about the murder. Darrin felt oddly about it himself, like maybe someone or something was creeping in the shadows waiting to strike. But what was one body among monsters? Didn’t you tear that hunter to shreds? And how many others?  He shook away this unpleasant thought. "It’s a movie. Maybe we could watch it sometime? If you wanted to.”

He felt like that was maybe a lame offer, but he tried not to let it show. Because he really did enjoy spending time with Robin, beyond all this. And as pleasant as all this was, he found he wanted the fae to like spending time with him as well. Ugh. Don’t make this weird, Darrin. “Well, that really worked out for you, huh? You’re the town’s star confectioner, it sounds like. You’re just...you know, great. I was one of the weird pirate and knight kids, though,” he admitted with a laugh. “A crystal dagger, though? That sounds pretty awesome. Do you still have it?” he asked, nodding along. “Uh, well, there’s this evil queen. And there’s a special baby who’s the only one who can end her reign. And Willow is a farmer, but he wants to be a sorcerer. And he sort of...becomes the hero and saves the baby and the day and all that. There’s a Fairy Queen too. Cherlindrea. I don’t know if that’s like me watching Twilight or something.” He gave an awkward simper. 

He paused for a moment when he caught sight of the customer, taking in his massive amounts of coverage when it came to his clothing. Atlas had been working inside since they had opened that morning, so he wasn’t aware of the current weather; but he knew it wasn’t cold outside. A brow raised as the other started speaking, wondering for a split second if some horribly misguided human was going to try to actually rob him. But then he heard daylight ring and understanding dawned on his face, causing a small smirk to appear on his lips. “Go on through to that room there and I’ll grab what you need,” he said, indicating a door across the room. Not only would that be a room with no windows to cut out sunlight, but it would also ensure the man was in fact a supernatural creature and not just a hunter in disguise. Gesturing for the man to go to the room, Atlas would busy himself with digging up a daylight ring from where they were safely stashed.

Returning the smirk with a softer smile, Darrin offered an appreciative nod. “Thanks. I, uh, I really appreciate it. You have no idea.” He grimaced, but it was true enough. Before moving to Hazelgrove, he had kept more nocturnal hours. However, business needs now typically had him trucking about during the day, and he really could stand to be able to run errands without looking like the paparazzi were coming. Turning on his heels, he hurried for the door, pulling it open and staring into the windowless room within. He paused, however, swallowing hard as thoughts turned to the recent ball and the murder that had been hanging heavily on the town. Didn’t it happen somewhere like this? Am I next? Eyes widening, he glanced over his shoulder, but taking a steadying breath, he stepped easily through without fanfare, giving up on the dramatics. Sighing gratefully, he took the opportunity of the new darkness to roll up his sleeves. 

Seir had been wandering through the racks and shelves of Verbatim Comics, enjoying the different but still familiar atmosphere of the place. It was a little like Lovecraft’s Books, but brighter and more…pop culture-y. Not a word, but it fit his needs none-the-less. Though as he heard Darrin starting to go off on a rant about something, he made his way closer to the counter to see what was making the vampire so huffy. Taking a glance at the page the other was showing, he snorted out a laugh of amusement as he shook his head.

“Look at him, man. Does he look like the sort who takes baths? That’s probably the real reason those kids are so scared looking,” he said, gesturing to the teens in the forest. “It’s not the scary blood sucker coming after them; it’s his stench,” he said with a grin, laughing as he shrugged and gestured back towards where he had been wandering around. “I got bored and decided to come by and bug you, so I was looking around a bit.”

Scrunching up his features, Darrin regarded the drawing very seriously. “I guess you’re right. He doesn’t exactly look like a shampoo and conditioner kind of guy, huh? He’s bald.” He laughed, breaking into a bit of a giggle at the ridiculousness of it all. Self-conscious, though, he regained his composure, giving a small shake of his head. “He’s not that scary. Maybe they should get to know him. I blame those young adult novels, you know? People expect vampires to smell like body spray.” He sighed very deeply, rolling his eyes. And with that, he leaned forward on the counter. “Hey, take your time. I don’t mind the company. We’ve been pretty slow today,” he mused. “I’ve been meaning to come by Lovecraft’s myself, actually. I’m looking for a book on pulp art or something. I’m starting to think I should have something more mature on my coffee table. Someone said something about the little robot action figure. They were incorrect, but they said it.” 

Raine was just looking around, trying to occupy his time until he had to open his bar. So, why not walk around a comic book shop that had some interesting things in it. Though, as he heard someone speaking, Raine looked over with a raised brow and snickered. “Most pop culture is wrong about a lot of things, so I’m not surprised that they made this mistake.” Laughing softly, he picked it up gently with his hands and flipped a page of the comic book. Hearing the man’s question, he shook his head with a smirk at him. “Oh, no. I was just looking around. My bar’s not that far away and I figured I’d pass time by looking at what you’ve got here. I’m always looking for something to give as gifts to my brothers as a bribe so they’ll shut the fuck up for five fucking seconds.”

Darrin flashed a small, polite smile, offering a short snorting laugh. “I guess at the end of the day it’s just fiction, huh?” He shook his head. “It’s not even that good of a story, though. It’s really just a bunch of references to other stuff. Which is all well and good, but I feel like you really ought to try to do something new. Like, oh no, the monster goes to some big city and has to deal with big city things. Hello, Jason Takes Manhattan.” He shrugged his shoulders, allowing Raine to flip through the book. Leaning on the counter, he quirked his brow. “Well, feel free. Let me know if I can help,” he hummed. “Oh, yeah? Which place? I’m afraid I don’t really live for the night-life, so....” This was the funniest joke that had ever been told. He laughed. “How old are they? We’ve got games, toys, action figures. I mean, everything you could need.” He was evidently under the impression the Princes of Hell were seven or eight, tops.