I HAVE AO3
I'm gonna post some stuff there :3 including itac AND perhaps some one shots
https://archiveofourown.org/users/Day_Brayker/pseuds/Day_Brayker

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@day-brayker
I HAVE AO3
I'm gonna post some stuff there :3 including itac AND perhaps some one shots
https://archiveofourown.org/users/Day_Brayker/pseuds/Day_Brayker

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Is This a Cult? Chapter two (TW: CHILD ABUSE)
Catie immediately felt as though they had made a mistake. A huge mistake. Mother took a sip of water and cleared her throat.
"Ahem… anyways… has anybody seen Sister Harmony? Catie has not met her yet…". Catie was glad that Mother drew the attention away from their question. Brother Od-Dog spoke.
"Yeah… she's probably just having difficulty gathering today…" He said as he turned to the window. Catie tilted their head. There was a WHOLE other person they hadn't met yet? How mamy people lived here?
"Yes… Catie? Is there anywhere you must be at the moment?" Asked Mother. Catie thought for a moment… though this place freaked them out a little, it surely was better than their home life.
"…nope!" They said confidently. Something about this place drew them in… they felt as though they should leave, but they just couldn't.
"Lovely! Well then, you children make Catie feel welcome before it's hymn time." Mother said, leaving the room. Catie heard the front door open and close. She's probably going to find that girl Catie thought. The other children stood up and left the room. Brother Od-Dog took Catie by the wrist.
"Don't just sit there! Come on!" Brother Od-Dog said eagerly. He pulled Catie out of their seat and led them to another room of the house. When Elliot took Catie upstairs, they hadn't really looked around at everything, and so it was a shock to really see how the house seemed to make them look miniature.
Every step through the halls hurt, as their shoes were still a problem. But they tried to ignore the pain. The other children were already there. This place seemed to be a living room, though it had a lack of just about anything… only one chair with a table next to it, and on that table was a radio. Sister Foxtrot was sitting on the chair, listening to the radio, though it was hardly audible through the laughter of the other children running around and playing. That was a pleasant sight to see for Catie, and they had to resist the urge to join in. Instead they chose to sit near Brother Empathetic, who was on the floor reading a book.
"Could you all please be a little quieter? I can not hear the radio!" Sister Foxtrot reprimanded. Though it seemed the other children didn't hear. So Sister Foxtrot simply turned up the radio louder.
It seemed everything in this house was old and outdated, the furniture, the apliances, and the way these people spoke. The song that played on the radio was old as well, there was an undertone of static as the song played. Catie looked over at Brother Empathetic, who was still sitting on the floor reading, when Brother Od-Dog began walking up to them, a grin on his face.
"Wanna run around?" He asked, pointing to the other children who were running around. Catie noted that Brother Funky hadn't joined them either… It looked like the others were having so much fun… so they shrugged and stood up.
"Sure!" They said. Brother Od-Dog tapped their shoulder.
"Tag, you're it!" He yelled before running off to the other children. Catie grinned.
"Not fair!" They laughed as they ran after him. The other children ran in different directions. Catie ran after Sister Shy.
"Ahhhh!!!" She yelled as she ran away. Catie turned around, Brother Posh's guard was down. They ran over to him and tapped his shoulder.
"Tag!" They yelled before running away.
"Aww, come on!" Brother Posh said as he looked around for someone to tag. Catie had never had this much fun before… they found themselves actually smiling. Catie looked at Brother Empathetic, who was still sitting in the floor glumly. They had almost completely forgotten what he said to them.
"Come on, Brother Empathetic! Join in!" They said as they pulled him off the floor.
"What? No! I-" but Elliot didn't have a chance to speak before Brother Posh tagged him.
"Tag! Bye!" Brother Posh ran away, and so did Catie. Brother Empathetic groaned as he went to chase after somebody. Catie was laughing, laughing hard. Was this what it was like to be around people who cared? These people that they'd met barely half an hour ago were nicer to them than anybody in Hoaxville had been for their whole life…
A sudden pain snapped them out of their thoughts. They were so caught up in the action they hadn't remembered that their shoes were not the most comfortable to run in. Then sat on the floor to rest. Brother Od-Dog noticed and walked up to them.
"Are you alright?" He asked. The pain only got worse. Catie looked up at him.
"Yeah… these… shoes are just… a little too small…" they said in pain. Brother Od-Dog simply nodded and walked away. It was strange… Just then, Mother walked into the room, a yellow rabbit girl was standing right next to her.
"Alright children, settle down. We mist introduce Catie to Sister Harmony, then we will have our praying time." Mother said, the rabbit girl moved forward and helped Catie up off the ground. Catie noticed a soft ringing sound that was only heard whenever the girl walked.
"Hello" she said softly. Her voice was as soothing as the rain to always seemed to pour outside… she did the same hand gesture the other children had and nodded. "I am Sister Harmony" she said politely. Catie noticed a bell around her neck. Must be where that jingling noise came from… Catie thought.
"Nice to meet you" Catie responded, shaking her hand. "I'm Catie" said Catie. (Absolute cinema line) Sister Harmony smiled at them before turning back to Mother.
"Alright, everyone, follow me." Mother stated as she began walking back out into the hallway. The other children followed close behind Mother, Catie was scared they might get lost in this house if they didn't keep up with the rest of the group. This has was SO much larger than they had imagined… Hallways that turned, random rooms that bad nothing in them, it was all so confusing. But finally, they made it to a door at the end of a hallway that went to the back of the house. Mother opened the door to reveal a staircase, leading up to the third floor.
Great… stairs… Catie thought. Just walking was hurting them, stairs might kill them. Somehow, they made it up the spilling stairs. The third floor was much more lavish than the rest of the house, similar to the dining room. It looked like a church, with a podium that stood at the very front of the room and benches facing towards it. A huge circular window framed the podium, and around said window were banisters that hung from the ceiling. Depicting a valley, with children running to the top of a mountain, hands were coming through the clouds and reaching out, meanwhile, dark hands reached from the bottom of the illustration towards the children.
"Woah…" Catie whispered in awe. They heard Sister Foxtrot laugh a little bit.
"Quite impressive, isn't it?" She said. Just like the dining table, everyone seemed to know where to sit, all except for Catie. Mother patted the empty spot next to here.
"Come along, Catie. You can sit here for now." Said Mother. Catie did so, relieved to finally be sitting down. Catie was never that interested in religion, it just seemed like a waste of time in their eyes. But they'd never want to disrespect other people's religion, so even though they weren't very interested in this, they stayed. Sister Harmony walked up to the front of the room, standing behind the podium and flipping to the middle of a book.
"Alright everyone… today we-" Sister Harmony was cut off by Mother.
"Oh, Sister Harmony, could you perhaps start with the first hymn? Catie here would be very confused…" Mother asked. Sister Harmony nodded and flipped to the first page.
"Ahem… Brother Empathetic?" Sister Harmony said. Brother Empathetic stood up and went over to a piano in the corner of the room that Catie hadn't even noticed when they first entered. Sister Harmony took a deep breath, and began to sing.
"There was once a land… Between the fields, but not far beyond the valley…" Sister Harmony started, soon the other members joined in. Though Sister Harmony's rose above the others, just like her speaking voice her singing was like an ear massage.
"Children who knew no better ran… and too close were the nightmares who'd lead them to the world of the uncanny…" everyone continued. Catie couldn't help but feel out of place, as they knew none of the words.
"Upon a hill… The Waking spoke… The children climbed, some had to die, and when they reached the top, they renounced…". Catie furrowed their brow at the "some had to die" part. It always confused them why religious stories seemed to always be somewhat casually terrifying.
"Oh Lord, put my feet on solid ground… show me how to repel the night… Lead me to the gardens of hope, let me take in your light…". Brother Empathetic's piano playing somehow made the hymn more frightening than it should have been. The piano he was playing was clearly out of tune. But the hymn continued.
"The gardens of the ones who know were formed… And there all of the Waking Gods children will stay. For all of eternity…" the "eternity" part was held for a long while, seemingly until everyone ran out of breath to hold the note.
"That hymn was called Valley of Saints, it tells of how the founding of the Gardens of the Ones Who Know… the ground we stand on right now. How well will remain on the land that Ver, Escuchar, and Habla have blessed us with. In the name of the Waking Gods, Baa-al" the other children repeated.
"Baa-al". Catie assumed it was their version of an expression like "amen". And with that, everyone rose from their seats and made their way to the door that led back downstairs.
"Okay children, you've got some free time before your next prayer!" Mother announced. Catie looked outside, the run was going down. How long had they even been here? Catie went up to Mother, pulling on her dress to her her attention.
"Excuse me?" They said.
"Yes? What is it, Catie?" Mother asked.
"The suns going down… I think I should go now". Mother grinned and nodded, petting Catie.
"Of course you can go, child. However… return tomorrow, we'll have a special gift for you." Mother said. Catie tilted their head.
"A gift?" They asked.
"Oh yes, a gift. So come tomorrow… it seems the other children enjoyed your presence as well!" Mother said as she walked Catie all the way downstairs to the front door.
"Are you leaving, Catie?" Sister Foxtrot asked.
"Uh, yeah. My parents would be pretty pissed-" Catie stopped themselves mid sentence. They knew how religious people usually were about cussing. And they were correct, as Mother covered their mouth.
"Please do not use such fowl language" Mother said simply. Catie nodded.
"Right, right, I'm so so sorry for that…" Catie apologized. "Well… my parents would be very mad if I don't get home." Catie finally finished. The whole time, they looked at Brother Empathetic. They weren't just going to come back for whatever "special gift" they were being offered. They were coming back tomorrow for answers.
But with that, everyone waved goodbye and Carie walked out the door.
"Remember, return tomorrow" Mother said. Carie nodded, and Mother closed the door. Catie couldn't help but smile, the people were so kind… and for once they felt connected. Connected to people their age, connected to somebody who seemed like they had the best intention for them. But still, it lingered in the back of their mind what Brother Empathetic said…
They'd have plenty of time to ponder on that tomorrow though, so they picked up their bike and began back to their house. Only then did they remember what had happened that made them enter the house to begin with…
"Shoot… I don't have the milk" they said to themselves. They couldn't go to the store now, it was probably closed already. And so they'd just have to arrive home, empty handed.
(â ï¸TW: Depictions of Child Abuse. Viewer discretion is advisedâ ï¸)
Arriving home, their mom was still laying on the couch. She immediately stood up and marched over to them.
"Catie! Where the hell have you been?!". Catie took a deep breath, familiar with the routine yelling.
"I fell off my bike when getting the milk" Catie said as calmly as they could. They showed their bandaged arm as proof. "See? I-" they were cut off by their mom grabbing their arm to examine it. A stinging pain shot up Catie's arm and to their spine. "Ow! Don't touch it!" Catie yelled as they pulled their arm away.
"I was just looking at it! Gah… can't trust you doing anything! Falling off your bike… what are you, three years old?!" Their mom yelled at them.
"Do you not care that I got hurt?!" Catie Shouted back.
"Course I do! That's why I'm telling you, can't let you out no where anymore cause you're gonna do some stupid shit like that!" Their mom yelled at them. Catie felt increasing frustration. To Go from the gentle, yet slightly eerie house to their own home, it made them realize how broken their home life was.
"A random woman helped me up! I bet you would've just yelled at me! No, you DID just yell at me after I showed you that I got hurt!" Catie said, their voice increasing in volume.
"Are you calling me a bad mother?!" Their mom screamed at them.
"You know what? Yes! You're a horrible mom!" Catie said. They'd been waiting to say those words for too long. But then, they were reminded why they never spoke up. Their mom's fist raised, and they felt a bang to the side of their face, then to their shoulder. "Ow! Mom, stop!" They yelled, covering their face. But she didn't stop. Punching and kicking Catie until they were on the floor. Their mom looked down at them on the floor for a few seconds, seeing the damage she had done.
"…Catie…. I-" they didn't let her speak a word. They got up and ran to the bathroom. Shutting and locking the door. They heard their mom start after them. "Catie?! Catie, come out dear, I'm… I lost my temper there! Come out, please?" She spoke from the other side of the door. Catie looked in the mirror. The spots their mom had hit were turning red beneath their fur, and there was a huge bump forming on their forehead. They couldn't believe it, she had actually hit them.
"No!" Catie screamed, desperately trying to sooth the hits they had taken.
"Catie! Honey, you know I'm sorry! I didn't mean it…" their mom tried pleading. She began to speak with increasing anger. "Catie?! Catie! Catherine Christensen, open this godamn door!" She screamed, banging and pulling at the doorknob. Catie looked in the mirror. It was normally only ever screaming fights which led to them going to their room and waiting till their mom was okay in the morning. But now… now they were actually hurt. Their quickly wiped tears that they hadn't even realized were forming in their eyes. It seemed their mom felt the same way. "Catie? Please? Come out there? I'm… I lost my temper! Please?" She spoke with tears in her voice. Catie sighed, choking on their own tears.
Their mom wouldn't leave, she cried at the bathroom door for what seemed like forever. Catie closed their eyes and remembered their ninth birthday… that gift she had gotten them… all her love in one simply thing… So, for a reason Catie couldn't understand, they opened the door. Their mom opened her arms and gave an awkward embrace.
"Catie… I feel so terrible… I didn't mean to hit you… I… you know I care about you, right? I just don't want you getting hurt like that…" their mom said. Though, she said it almost like she was reading a script. If Catie were to be honest, they didn't forgive her. But because it was their mom, they simply said.
"Okay… I'm sorry…" before their mom let them go. They ran to their room, closing the door behind them. They leaped to their bed and screamed into their pillow. "I hate this house… I hate this house…" they repeated, like a mantra that could make them grow wings and fly above it all… They didn't even bother getting changed, they layed down, and let their eyes get tired from their tears. They head and chest still throbbed in agonizing pain as they slept. They knew now, they were no longer safe in this house.
The next morning, the throbbing pain all over their body had slightly faded, but was replaced by an unbearable headache. They stood up, thinking about the events from last night. Opening their door, they saw that their mom was no where to be found, and so, they dashed out the door as quick as they could. They couldn't handle another second in that house. They grabbed their bike and began pedaling, with only one destination in mind.
"Oh! Greetings, Catie! You've returned as I told you to- oh my goodness… what happened to you?!" Mother said, opening the door and seeing Catue standing on the front steps.
"I… fell over in the way here…" Catie lied, not wanting to get their family problems involved. Mother out her hands on her hips.
"Catie, don't lie to me. I know when a child is lying. You know, it is a sin to lie. Tell me, child, what really happened?" Mother asked, kneeling down to their level. Catue turned away, still not wanting to open up. "Well when you feel ready, you can tell me. But for now… we must hand you your gift" Mother said. Catie's eyes lit up. Theys completely forgotten about their gift!
Mother led them to another room, every single member of the community was there. They all had smiles on their faces, staring at Catie as Mother sat them down.
"Close your eyes!" Brother Od-Dog Shouted out. Carie covered their eyes. Their heart began to race at what they could possibly be given. They waited a few seconds.
"Okay, open your eyes!" Mother said. She held a box, offering it to Catie. It was wrapped in a pale yellow ribbon. Carie slowly pulled at the neat bow that the ribbon had been tied into, and they lifted the box. They were left speechless. Inside the box was a pair of green saddle shoes, but this time, they were clearly in their size. They looked new, not in the usual way shoes were new, they looked as though they'd been made yesterday.
"I… how? They stopped making these kinds of shoes years ago…" they said, gently taking them out the box.
"We heard hoe uncomfortable your current pair were, and we decided to make you a new pair… for being such a wonderful guest yesterday. Catie looked up at everyone, they had no words. They felt a tear in their eye, quickly wiping it away, not wanting to look stupid crying over a pair of shoes. Suddenly, every child came towards them, wrapping them in an embrace. Catie had never felt anything like this before, especially after what happened last night. They couldn't hold back their emotions anymore.
"Wow… I just… can't believe you all thought of me like this…" they wiped the tears.
"It's because we care for you, Carie!" Sister Foxtrot said.
"My goodness… what happened to you? You didn't fall again did you?" Asked Brother Od-Dog. Catie ignored his question, leaving the room to try them on.
For once, each step didn't hurt. It felt as though they were walking in heaven, each step soft and light. They walked back into the room, showing their new gift, all the while having a huge grin on their face.
"You look amazing" commented Sister Shy. They still couldn't wrap their head around people actually caring about them! But in that moment, they remembered the other reason why they came back, because Brother Empathetic was still just looking at them, cold, emotionless. They needed to find out more.
huge shoutout to @luckiihare for letting me use their original character Harmony! She’ll be a character in the story from now on :D (also sorry about any grammar mistakes)
pride post 🫶
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE
In celebration here is the mlm flag color picked from Funky Monkey and Mighty Mule 🫶
(Let's also not forget our nonbinary icon Catie 💛🤍💜🖤)
I hope yall have a great pride month, be proud of who yall are (Just so yall know in not straight)
Actually I made like a whole batch of characters and never shared them, oops! Anyways we’ve got Empathetic Elephant, Funky Monkey, Mighty Mule, Posh Pine, and even Mother!
posting this here too!

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Which one did you like more?
Version 1
Version 2
Now that the versions havr been out for a while, I'm gonna have a vote on which one yall like more!
Is This a Cult? Version 2
Gray clouds covered the sky like a blanket, as if this town couldn't be more depressing. A town like Hoaxville County, where buildings were sparse, and the ones that were there collapsed in on themselves frequently. Nobody ever left Hoaxville, as nobody had any reason to, and nobody ever entered Hoaxville, because why woild you want to? Everyday, people earned just enough money to live and pay, as well as pay the stupidly low rent. But that was about it. In the midst of this depressing sinkhole was Catie Christensen, and their home life was just as depressing as the town.
"Catie? Catie where the hell are you?" Their mom yelled out. They ran to the living room as fast as they could, the smell of ciggerete smoke and dried up alcohol on the green carpet filled their eyes with tears, a cough dared to escape them.
"Yes, mom?" They asked. Mrs Christiensen was a vile woman, she did about everything wrong. She stole, punched, smoked, and drank. No redeeming qualities anymore. Catie couldn't never pin point when their mom got this way. She used to care… used to. Catie missed the times of "used to".
"Catie, go to the store, we need milk" Mrs Christensen pointed to the door, barely even peeking at them. Catie sighed and nodded, taking the money that was left on the table and walking right out the door. The smell of wet soil during the rain was a pleasant change in scent after the putrid smell of the Christensen household.
"Okay… here we go" Catie whispered to themselves as they got on their bike, peddling downtown. Hoaxville County was as depressing as ever, children sat on the front porch steps, waiting for the rain to stop, older folk sat inside, glaring out the windows, pondering nothing.
Catie winced everytime they pedaled, this was because their shoes were about three sizes too small. Every single garment of clothes Catie owned were from the local thrift shop in downtown Hoaxville, it was the only place to buy clothes. Catie had gotten them for their ninth birthday, back when their mother still cared about them. Mrs Christensen had scrapped together as much money as she could, and bought Catie a pair of green saddle shoes that were made around the 1950's. The white parts of the shoes were yellowed, and the green had faded very dark, but they were still Catie's favorite. They had to be, because it was the only pair they had.
Catie was now thirteen, and those saddle shoes weren't as comfortable as they used to be. But they had no choice. Arriving at the grocery store, they turned the corner to park their bike behind the brick structure, in Hoaxville, anything left out in the open was free. They walked inside, the broken fluorescent lights humming was a welcoming sound in a usually quiet town.
Okay… get the milk, then leave Catie thought to themself as they walked towards the dairy isles. The cold breeze of the refrigerators sent a chill up Catie's spine. They looked for the cheapest gallon, they barely had any money. They saw a gallon that was five dollars, it was all the money they had to spend.
"Bingo" They said to themselves as they reacher out to grab it. When suddenly, they noticed something…
Their sleeve had lifted up when grabbing the milk, which revealed something they had never noticed before. A boney, thin arm was hidden under the sleeve of their white collered shirt. They lifted their sleeve further, revealing even more of their arm. They hadn't even realized how thin they had gotten in the past couple months. Mainly because there was hardly ever anything to eat at home, sometimes they'd go days without eating. They lifted their vest and shirt to look at their stomach.
Their stomach was nearly going inward, and there was a prominent outline of where their ribs were.
"Eww…" they whispered to themself. It grossed them out how thin they were, they knew it wasn't healthy. But just like most everything else in Hoaxville, they had no choice.
They tried to ignore their body and went to pay for the milk. The cashier looked as miserable as everyone else, not saying a word as Catie payed.
"Have a great day" the cashier said, his voice had no interest whatsoever. Catie ignored him and walked out the door. The rain had stopped, but the clouds remained looming over the town. They went to the back of the store, received to see that their bike was still there. They put the milk in the bike's basket before hopping back on and starting back home. But that was the last place they wanted to be.
Home life was hell, about every sense was disturbed in Catie's home life. Watching their parents slap and punch eachother, smelling the alcohol and cigarettes on their parents breath, hearing their parents yell in the middle of the night, feeling the wallpaper peel apart in their room. It was a nightmare.
So they decided they wouldn't go home just yet, it's not like their parents cared when they got home anyway. Usually they'd hang around the town library, but they'd been warned from loitering there by the town sheriff. Catie never understood the purpose of the town sherif, officer Nick Mathers, he never did his job right anyway.
One child loitering at the library meant threatening to ban them, yet the dwindling population of Hoaxville due to murders and kidnappings went under the radar? It made no sense. So Catie would have to find another place to go. Pedaling down the road, they looked around for a spot they could hang around for a bit before they went home.
They looked everywhere, taking roads they had never gone down before. And before they knew it, they began turning Connell Street, what was known as "poor town". If Hoaxville in its entirety was a dump, then Connell street was a shit hole. Criminals who could hardly find work always moved to Connell street, as it had dirt cheap rent. Each "house" on Connell street was really just a trailer with barely two rooms, maybe three if you got lucky. Catie kept an eye out the entire time they rode down.
Off at the very end of the road was a sight that caught their eye… An old, abandoned looking house that stood tall, and wide amongst the other houses on Connell street. The house was three floors tall, standing on the roof would let you touch the clouds. It looked to be built around a more regal time period, and looked incredibly run down. The perfect place to linger. Catie slowed down their peddling, cranking their neck to look up at the house as it got closer and closer. They were not paying attention to the bumpy, wet road leading up to the house, and from under them their bike slipped.
"Shit!" They yelled as they fell right to their side, scraping their arm against the jagged ground and rolling down the uneven road, right to the front steps. They winced in pain as they pushed themselves up. "Ow… ow… ow…" they said as they looked at their arm. They must've hit a pointy rock, seeing as there was a tear in their sleeve, their shirt and vest stained with the brown dirt, as well as blood from a deep cut that ran across their whole forearm.
Turning to their bike, the milk jug had exploded all over the ground. The wheels still turned slowly as they watched the soil and milk mix together.
"Shit…" they whispered. They sighed deeply as they tried to pull themselves up, but something caught their attention before the could.
"Are you okay? I saw what- Oh my gosh… your arm!" Somebody said from above. Looking up, they saw somebody standing at the door. It was a boy, he looked about Catie's age, and he was a dog. His fur was a light blonde color, with his ears and a spot around his eye being a darker tan. He had freckles strewn about his cheeks, though they were odd colors such as green, red, blue, and yellow… He wore a deep crimson red robe that dragged along the floor. He stepped out of the house and kneeled beside Catie.
"I saw you fall, you should be more careful" He said. His voice was unlike anything Catie had ever heard before. Cheerie, bubbly, high pitched, caring in a way. He had emotion, and that weirded Catie out.
"Yeah… I know…" Catie said as they tried to lift themselves up again, but the dog boy stopped them.
"No no no, we need to assess your injuries first. Oooh… thats a deep cut on your arm, tore right through your shirt… Wait here, I'm gonna go get someone." And with that, the boy stood up and ran back inside, Catie sat there on the muddy floor, looking up at the door, feeling so many emotions they couldn't begun to describe. Who was that? Why was he helping them? Who was he getting? Why did he live in this seemingly abandoned house? Catie couldn't cone up with an answer before the boy came back out, joined by someone this time.
"Oh my… you poor poor child… here, come inside, we need to get you bandaged…". These words were spoken by a woman, a tall woman. Taller than anyone Catie had ever seen. She wore a long white dress with a matching sun hat. Her black hair went down to her legs, and her eyes were in constant shadow, her skin the color of paper. She kneeled down to help Catie up. "Don't fear child, we'll help you." The woman said, helping Catie into the house. The actual interior was dim, and Catie couldn't make anything out inside. "Dear child, sit here" the woman said as she pointed to a chair that was sitting in the middle of a seemingly empty foyer. Catie sat down, rubbing their injured arm.
"Od-Dog, wait here while I go find something to patch this poor child up." The woman said as she walked off into the darkness. Od-Dog nodded.
"Yes, Mother!", and Catie looked at him skeptically.
"You're name is Odd Dog?" Catie asked looking at him. Od-Dog nodded.
"Yup! O-D dash D-O-G, Od-Dog!" He said proudly.
"I thought odd was spelt with two d's… and a dash?" Catie said, tilting their head. Od-Dog simply nodded. Something about him was so… off to them. He acted so sweet, so sweet it was rotting their teeth. Nobody in Hoaxville, especially on Connell street acted this kind. The tall woman, or "Mother" came back with a spool of bandages.
"Hold out your arm, dear" Mother said as she unrolled the bandage. Catie did so, holding their arm out. Mother lifted up their sleeve and gasped gently. "My goodness… you're skin and bone" Mother said as she ran her fingers over Catie's arm.
"Yeah… why do you care so much?" Catie asked. Mother simply gave them a smile and began wrapping their arm up.
"There, don't move it too much" Mother said, pulling Catie's sleeve back down.
"Thanks Miss… and… you" Catie said, turning to Od-Dog. Od-Dog grinned.
"Please, child, you can call me Mother", she said, again giving that overly sweet smile. Catie simply smiled back, not knowing how to respond.
"Okay… thanks" they said as they got up to leave. Od-Dog grabbed their shoulder.
"Hold on, you should stay" Od-Dog said.
"Hm? Why?" Catie responded. Mother lifted Catie's sleeve again.
"Well I've just made dinner for the rest of my children, I'm sure there is room at the table for one more. You clearly need food… my goodness what horrible parent would allow their child to get so thin?" Mother said, almost frustrated. Catie looked at her confused. What right did this woman have to talk about Catie's parents like that? But then again… she wasn't entirely wrong. The whole reason Catie was here was because they didn't want to go home yet. So they sighed, and nodded.
"Okay… fine, I'll stay over" Catie said reluctantly. Od-Dog clapped excitedly.
"Amazing! We need to introduce you to everyone!" He said, grabbing them by their good hand and dragging them down a dark hall, a set of doors lay at the end.
"Woah, woah! Where are we-" they couldn't finish their sentence before Od-Dog opened one if the large doors, light spilled out into the dark hallway, a stark contrast from what Catie had seen so far, almost like a different world. There was a table in the middle, narrow and long. On each side there were four seats, and there were already people occupying those seats. At the very end of the table was a larger chair, presumably where Mother sat.
The people there where varying in age range, but they were in no way adults. Some looked about the same age as Catie, but they never looked beyond the age of fifteen, and each of them wore varying colors of robes. They all stared at Catie, silent, watching. When suddenly, they all stood up, putting one hand under where their heart was, and cupping the other hand over it. It almost looked like the shape of an eye.
"Hello" they all said in unison. Od-Dog and Mother greeted them in the same, strange manor. Catie was feeling very strange now. So without knowing what to do, they did the same hand motion to the children.
"U-uhm… hello! Everyone!" Catie said awkwardly. The children looked at them for a second before letting out a gentle laugh.
I wasn't trying to be funny… why are they laughing? Catie asked themselves. On the inside they felt a sense on unease and panic, but outside they were perfectly fine.
"Now now children, don't be rude. Let's greet out guest. Tell them your name, child" Mother said to Catie. Catie looked at the children for a few seconds before responding.
"Uhm… I'm…. Catie" they mumbled. The other children smiled and bowed, before they began introducing themselves. A pink fox girl rose from her seat first, bowing to Catie before speaking. She looked to be the oldest there.
"Hello, Catie. I am Sister Foxtrot" she sat back down. A red elephant stood up next, bowing down in the same manor.
"Greetings, Catie. I am Brother Empathetic" He sat back down. Catie immediately noticed something different about him… Catie noticed that when all the other children were laughing at them, it took him a second to realize that everyone else was laughing, before laughing himself. It was like he was the only one who worked individually.
A small mouse girl rose next, simply bowing her head. Mother knelt down to Catie's level.
"She does not talk, but she greets you with kindness. Her name is Sister Missy." she said. Catie simply smiled, it's all they could do in a situation like this. A blue Mule boy rose next, bowing down.
"Greetings, Catie, I am Brother Mighty" He said before sitting back down, following the same routine. The rest of the children greeted themselves, which included Sister Shy, Bother Funky, and Brother Posh. Od-Dog went in front of Catie and did his own greeting.
"And you already met me, but I'm Brother Od-Dog!" He shook their uninjured hand violently. Mother signaled Od-Dog to sit down before going in front of Catie herself.
"And I am Mother. Welcome to The Backwards House, Catie! Have a seat anywhere you'd like, we're happy to have you." Mother said before leaving the room, presumably to get whatever they were eating.
"Right! Okay… thank you all for having me" Catie said as politely as they could. Sister Foxtrot pulled up a chair right next to Brother Empathetic. Catie sat down cautiously, not wanting to draw more attention to themselves.
The children began talking amongst themselves, and Catie couldn't help but feel like an alien. Where they were sitting, it threw off the ballance of four chairs on either side of the table. Looking around, they noticed more and more details that made them even more freaked out. Every child sitting at the table had something… off about them. Looking at Brother Od-Dog, Catie noticed an odd marking on his forehead. It looked like an eye, with two arrows on either side curving around it.
Looking at the other children, Catie noticed they all had that marking. Brother Mighty had a tag hanging from his ear with that symbol. Sister Foxtrot had it on her forehead, just like Od-Dog. All the children had the marking somewhere. Things were getting weird now… and slowly Catie began to feel a deep sense of dread within them. But all that thought was interrupted once Mother came back in the room.
"Seeing as we have a guest joining our community today, we shall celebrate with an extra large feast!" Mother said as she layed platters of food on the table. Catie couldn't believe their eyes.
There was not one spot on the table where there wasn't food. Not the terrible food that Hoaxville usually had to offer, actual food that Catie had only ever dreamed about. Varying meats, side dishes that seemed infinite, and a pitcher of water that must've been the size of Catie's head. It was overwhelming. The other children acted as though this were tradition, but Catie felt like they had just walked into heaven.
"How… how did you get…" Catie was trying to find words to say, but Mother simply filled a plate with food and handed it to them.
"We have our ways, now don't be silly and eat! You desperately need it" Mother said, taking her spot at the end of the table. Catie looked down at their plate. It didn't just look amazing, it smelt amazing too. A deep, low growl came from Catie's stomach, reminding them that they haven't eaten anything all day, and all of yesterday. They couldn't wait any longer, they dug in. They ate everything on their plate in record time. Mother looked amused, and the other children watched in astonishment. But Catie didn't care, this was the best food they had ever eaten, and once they finished, they chugged their entire glass of water.
"My my" Mother said, amused. "Poor child… you really where starved" Mother said, her voice laced with an undertone of genuine concern.
The other children nodded I'm agreement. Suddenly, Catie felt a little embarrassed at all the sudden attention. Sister Foxtrot stood up.
"Please, feel free to have more" she said, immediately taking Catie's plate and refiling it with more food.
"O-oh! Well, I appreciate it but I-" Amything Catie was about to say was forgotten the moment they saw that plate of food. Ah, what the hell? they said as they dug in once again. And once again, they finished the entire plate. This moment right here made them realize just how truly malnourished they were….
"What horrible parents would allow their child to go hungry like that…?" Catie heard Sister Foxtrot whisper to Mother. Mother shrugged and gave a gentle sigh.
"Some parents just don't seem to love their children enough…" she responded. Catie heard the whole thing, and it made them feel strange. How come these people kept on insisting that their parents where terrible? Even worse, why were they right? The other children were only now barely finishing their meals, talking about things Catie wasn't paying much attention to. They stood up and dusted themselves off, not knowing what else to do. Somebody tapped on their shoulder, turning their head, they saw it was that red elephant boy. Brother Empathetic. He turned to Mother and spoke in that same, overly polite tone
"Mother, may I show Catie around the house a little bit before they have to leave?". Mother nodded.
"That's very kind of you, Empathetic Elephant, go show them around, perhaps it'd make them consider joining our community!" This was followed by a laugh, and every other child laughed in unison. It took Brother Empathetic a second to laugh along, but as soon as they were out of the dining room, his face went straight. He led Catie upstairs to an unmarked room. There was a shadow casted over Brother Empathetic's face, and his voice was fast, panicked.
"Listen, I don't know who you are, or where you come from, but please, be careful. This place isn't what you think it is. It's too late for me now… it's too late for all of them. The wool has already been pulled over their eyes, and I can feel it being pulled over mine now too… You have to help us, help us escape" Brother Empathetic said in one breath.
"What are you talking about?" Catie asked, feeling freaked out. Brother Empathetic looked at them for a second before speaking.
"What is your name? Your full name?" Brother Empathetic asked. Catie tilted their head in confusion. What where these questions?
"Why do you want to know?" They asked.
"Look just… never forget it, write it down, keep it on you, but just please whatever you do DO NOT forget it." Brother Empathetic said, turning his head to the dark hall behind them, it was well into the twilight hour by now. "I can't speak much more right now, but I promise I'll explain more when I can" Brother Empathetic whispered as he turned and walked back down the stairs. Catie was left standing there, feeling confused, and a little worried.
What is he talking about? They asked. What's his problem? No matter how far they searched, they could not find an answer. All they knew is jt sounded urgent, very urgent, it felt wrong to not follow his instruction. So in their head, they repeated over and over again.
Catie Christensen…. My name is Catie Christensen… They whispered to themself. They decided to follow Brother Empathetic downstairs, they noticed he was waiting outside the dining room. They walked up to him
"What are you doing?" Catie asked.
"Waiting a little before reentering, it'd look suspicious if we came back so soon…" Brother Empathetic said. Smart… Catie thought while grinning. They stood awkwardly outside the dining room for about thirty minutes before they walked back inside, and Brother Empathetic had that same, overly sweet smile that possessed everyone in the house.
"Welcome back!" Mother said. Brother Empathetic sat back down at his seat, and so did Catie. Catie felt strange now… everything about this house was strange… the people, the way they acted, the way they looked… it didn't sit right with Catie. Then something hit them. A thought, a concept. The school in Hoaxville was useless, but wasn't useless was the library. Catie sometimes went there to learn about things like history and other things, maybe if they learned enough they could get themselves out of this dump. They remember reading a book about religion one time, the many different types of religion. Specifically a type of religious group that were often frowned upon. Seen as barbaric, terrifying. Was the possibly the case? The people seemed kind enough… not exactly what Catie expected when reading about it. But even then, they inhaled and turned to Mother.
"Mother?" Catie asked, feeling like they might sweat into a puddle.
"Yes, child?" Mother responded. She took a sip of water. Catie inhaled, blurting out the words in a much worse way then they anticipated it to be. But the question was eating away at them from the inside.
"Is this a cult?". The room went dead silent.
(here’s version two!)
Is This a Cult? Version 1
Quiet, dark lonely quiet. That was how the town of Hoaxville could be described. During the night, there was no other sound than the crickets who were unaware of the atmosphere.
Hoaxville was the type of town where nobody ever left, and nobody ever came in.
Because they had no reason to. Why would somebody ever come to a town where the buildings were sparse, and the buildings that were there collapsed in on themselves, and the sky always seemed to be gray. Despite that, the cold days always dropped to below zero and the hot days meant stepping outside felt like standing at hells front door. Hoaxville was one of the many small towns that the government ignored, it was not popular or important enough to earn any funding.
And in the midst of this dump, there was Catie Christensen, sitting on the couch. Catie was looking at their TV, it was the one luxury they had. And even then it was quite old, just like everything else in Hoaxville, it could only tune in to a few channels. The room smelt of old alcohol that was spilt onto the carpet long ago. Ciggerete smoke had blackened the wallpaper around, making a shadow that loomed over Catie as they sat there peacefully.
"Nothing interesting…" Catie said to themselves. They often found themselves bored, there really was nothing fun to do in Hoaxville. However, thankfully for Catie, there was one thing that always brought them joy. Picking up the remote, the switched the channel. The public access channel. Whenever Catie was bored, they went to this channel, since it was publicly accessible, anybody could air anything on this channel. Which lead to strange movies Catie had never heard of before, as well as episodes of shows that seemed to exist on a whole other plain of reality. Catie had never been on the network at this hour,, if the programs where weird in the morning, they should be flat out bizarre at this hour. And they were right.
Upon switching the channel, they were greeted by a poorly animated show. They turned up the volume one notch to hear, still fearing that they'd wake up their parents if they turned the TV up too loud. Not after what happened last time… The show intro was sloppy, the animation and music sounding very homemade, and it all ended with a title card that read, "The Backwards House, a guide to children's faith". Catie sat up straight.
The show opened on an old house that stood tall amongst other smaller buildings, a "title card", which really was just text is a basic font on the screen that read "Be willing to give" popped up on the screen before fading. The shot zoomed in to the front door, and a pale woman wearing all white with long black hair opened the door.
"Hello, friends! And welcome back to The Backeards House, come on in!", she woman said. The animation looked very unfinished, and the woman's voice sounded like an echo. The shot sloppily cut to inside there house, where there were about eight children playing about. Something about this show made Catie's stomach feel like it was in a constant state of falling… Buy out of sheer curiosity, they kept watching.
"Welcome to the house! Or… welcome back!" One of the children said in a high, overly excited voice. He was a dog, his fur was blonde while his ears and a spot around his eye was a darker tan. The other children lined up beside him, the camera panned past them all as the introduced themselves.
"I'm Brother Od-Dog!" The dog boy said. "I'm Sister Foxtrot" a pink fox girl said simply, almost miserably. "I'm Brother Mighty…" a blue Mule boy said. Catie laughed at his English accent. "I'm Brother Funky" a green monkey boy said. He wore sunglasses, and for no reason Catie felt… uneasy seeing those sunglasses. "I'm… Sister… Shy…." a Shark girl said next, looking down at the floor nervously. "I'm Brother Posh…" a squirrel (I actually have no idea was Posh Pine is I THINK he's a squirrel?) Said, sounding rather annoyed.
Everything up until now had been strange, yes, but nothing that was alien to a public access channel. But then, the final child was introduced.
"I'm Brother Empathetic" a red elephant boy said in a flat, monotone voice. Catie sat up straight, looking at the screen in shock. This must be a dream… there was no way this was possible. But it seemed all too real. They knew this boy.
Elliot Engel, that's who they saw on the screen, at least, that's who they thought they saw. This character looked exactly like him, even sounded like him. Elliot was a fellow neighborhood kid in Hoaxville, Catie would see him wandering around randomly, almost as if he didn't know what to do with himself. Elliot was one of the children unfortunate enough to be born on Connell Street, otherwise known as "poor town" by the kids of Hoaxville.
The rest of Hoaxville looked like Beverly Hills compared to Connell Street. Connell Street was where convicted criminals lived, where the most crime happened, where people often died due to being unable to afford food or water. The houses on Connell street were one or two bedrooms, and could barely fit a family of three. No running water, no bathrooms. Connell Street was the last level of the Inferno that was Hoaxville.
Back when their mom cared about them, she told them to never even step foot on Connell Street, as you never knew who you'd meet. And now seeing a representation of Elliot on screen… it was bizarre to say the least.
The tall woman introduced herself last, standing behind the children and introduced herself.
"And you may call me, Mother, welcome, the The Backwards House." Catie no longer felt odd, they felt utter dread as they watched. What was this? Who made this show?
The episode went on like the intro had, awkward dialouge, poor animation, and more apperences from Elliot… As they watched, Catie picked up on what this show was truly about… There were frequent mentions of a God, a God that had no name, but was simply referred to as, "our lord". The religion sounded a lot like Catholic or Christian… could this perhaps be one of those low quality Christian shows thay parents forced their kids to watch? It couldn't be… there were no signs of crosses or and other religious symbol relating to that, though that didn't mean there was a lack of symbols…
Catie noticed something about the character designs, each of the characters had one symbol worked into their design somehow. The symbol resembled an eye with two arrows twisting around it. The blue Mule boy had it on a tag hanging from his ear, but most had it on their forehead and the back of their hand. This couldn't be a show about Cahtlosism or Christianity…
There was one segment that was titled "Faith and sacrifice". Mother appeared on screen, and in her uncomfortably quiet voice began to speak.
"Within the Backwards House, we show faith in our lord, and faith means you are willing to give anything if your lord is to ask. Brother Funky?". The green monkey boy walked into frame.
"Hello, I'm Brother Funky. You may have noticed my sunglasses! Well, let me tell you the story of a boy. A boy who had been hurt deeply in the past, but after he had faith in his lord, he was healed". Brother Funky spoke in such a strange way… the same way that that Mother character spoke… Catie wanted to turn the TV off, wanted to just go to bed. But everything about it drew them in deeper, they had to see how this ended.
A storybook was shown, with pictures of only slightly lower quality than the actual animation. It depicted a green figure standing next to a pink figure. And Brother Funky began speaking over it.
"There once was a boy named Freddie. Freddie had a very sad sad life. No faith in anyone or anything. One day, the only one that was there for Freddie was killed, his mother. She was killed by heretics, those who had no faith." Brother Funky went on, his voice lacking any genuine emotion.
"Freddie ran away, unable to forget what he'd seen, and he felt lost. However, he came across a house, and once Freddie stepped inside, he was taken in by a kind community who believed in the lord.".
Catie was frozen in fear now, something was wrong. Dead wrong.
"One night, the house was attacked by the nightmares, but luckily, the community knew what to do. Laying Freddie down on a table, they asked what had caused him pain. He responded, 'The things I've seen, Mother, the things I've seen!'. And so, Freddie was sedated. His other brother and sisters gave a prayer before heating a spoon over a lit candle. The spoon was layed over each of Freddie's eyes, burning them. But it was all in the same of protecting the house, the images Freddie's eyes had given him had brought negative energy to the house. That was hoebthe nightmares attacked." There was a crude drawing of that green figure laying on a table, a pink figure laying a spoon over one of his eyes. Catie felt their stomach sink at the description of the events.
"When Freddie awoke, no matter how far he opened his eyes, he could not see anything. But according to Mother, it was all worth it. As the Nightmares had retreated the moment his second d eye was burned. In honor of Freddie's sacrifice, he was given sunglasses, and a new name. Funky Monkey".
Catie couldn't handle anymore. Reaching for the remote they turned off the TV and leaned back on the couch. They stared up at the ceiling, stained yellow from ciggeretes smoked by their father.
"What… did I just watch?". They said outloud. They had no answer. "What was that all about?" They said, once again outloud. They had no answer. The shivered before laying down on the couch, they suddenly felt the late hour overwhelm them with exhaustion. And although they tried to sleep, whenever their eyelids met, they could see the images that had been shown… the crude animation… the low quality voices began ringing in their ears like a bell. But somehow, the fell asleep.
The next morning, Catie woke up to the usual sounds of their house, which included their parents arguing, and the loud coughing of their father, followed by the smell of smoke. Neighter of them acknowledged Catie was right there.
Catie payed no attention to wgat they were nagging about this time, all they knew is they wanted out. Standing up, they walked down the hallway back to their room in order to get dressed. Once they were dressed, they went back down the hall to get their shoes on and leave. But their father called them, and they froze.
"Catie? Catie where you going?" Their father asked angrily.
"Outside…" Catie responded quietly.
"Don't you give me that fuckin' tone Catie. Just get out already" He responded. Carie could never understand their parents. Did they want them to leave or want them to stay? Catie didn't ponder on it, they quickly slipped on their shoes and practically shot out the door. But the scene outside wasn't much less depressing than the one inside. But it was different. Catie grabbed their bike from the side of their house and they began down the street.
There really was nothing to do other than hang out in random areas of town until the sun went down. Catie often found themselves playing games by themselves to pass the time. Games of pretend where they were someone that was much greater than them. A spy, an astronaut, an explorer, anything that was the polar opposite of Catie Christensen. They usually liked playing around the old water tower, it made for a good moon or unchartered tower from an ancient civilization depending on who Catie wanted to be that day. Pulling up to the water tower, they parked their bike right next to the water tower and began to think.
"Okay… what do I wanna do?" They said outloud. They often found themselves saying things outloud. The moment they were about to become a warrior with a mighty stick in their hands, they began remembering last night… the story… that show… They suddenly felt a cold shiver run up their spine. A sudden feeling of curiosity washed over them. Perhaps instead of pretending to adventure today… they could go on an ACTUAL adventure. And so, they got on their bike once again and began pedaling with one place in mind. Connell Street.
The street was just as they suspected, littered with trash, hardly any buildings, and feeling the need to look over their shoulder every second to make sure no one was coming from behind. Elliot's picture was embedded in their mind as they rode around, though they found it a little difficult to remember him as they hadn't seen him in forever. But they kept pushing onward, it felt like Connell Street went on forever. Though with every pedal it felt as though they were getting closer to uncovering the truth… And they did.
After what felt like a decade, they finally made it to the end of Connell Street. And what they saw made them freeze in place. A house. A house that stood tall amongst the others. A house that bared a striking resemblance to the one seen on that TV show. There was absolutely no way this could be a coincidence now.
"Oh my…" Catie said, looking up and down at the house, at a conplete loss for words. They found their heart beating faster and faster with every second they stared at it. They were trapped between wanting to go inside, or turn back. But just like the night before, their curiosity got the best of them and they slowly began to pedal closer. Every single inch closer to the house they got it felt as though the atmosphere grew thicker, more dreadful. They weren't even paying attention to anything else, only the house, standing like a eldritch giant in front of them. And before they knew it they were at the front door.
"Okay… just go up to the house… peek inside… and leave…" that's all they swore they'd do. Even though they knew they'd probably come back some other day to actually go inside. Catie got off their bike and slowly made their way to the house, the front steps creaked and shook with every step they took. The door was large, worn down dark wood that they had never seen before. Trees like that didn't grow around here, in fact, hardly any trees grew around Hoaxville. Feeling brave, they layed a hand on the doorknob, gripping it tightly before slowly twisting it. Click, the had opened. They felt their heart beating faster with every second that passed, taking one more deep breath they pushed the door.
They kept their eyes shut as they stuck their head inside. They slowly cracked open their eyes, only to be met with darkness. The house was empty, at least… it seemed empty. They opened the door wider, letting the sunlight into the house, revealing the floor. There was an old looking circular red carpet that covered the center of the room. Surrounding the carpet were two sets of stairs that led to the second floor. In between the stairs there was another double door. Catie opened the door all the way.
"Oh my gosh… this place is huge…" Catie said as they looked around. They saw two hallways next to the sets of stairs, though they could hardly see anything in them. They then tilted their head up at the balcony over looking this foyer. Standing on the balcony was a figure. It had been watching Catie this whole time. They gasped.
"Shit shit shit! I-I'm so sorry for coming into your home! I-I'll leave now I'm so sorry I thought this place was abandoned!" They yelled as they ran, leaping off the steps amd stumbling to their bike.
"Wait! Who are you? Come back!" The figure called. Carie began to ride back down the street, pedaling like death was chasing them. Looking back, they saw the figure stand in the doorway. Their heart sank. It was a dog boy, he looked around Catie's age. He wore a deep blood red robe that dragged behind him. He had light beige fur, with his ears and a spot around his eye being a darker tan… He looked exactly like that Brother Od-Dog character from the show. He stood at the door as Catie pedaled away as fast as they could.
Brother Od-Dog stood at the door for a few seconds, watching this new person pedal away. He sighed. I didn't mean to scare them… I didn't mean to I didn't mean to… he repeated in his mind as he shut the door gently. When he turned around, he saw Mother standing right in front of him.
"My child… what has you so worked up?" She asked, kneeling down to his level.
"I… saw somebody come in, Mother. They could've been a potential new member, but… I scared them away… I'm really sorry… I didn't mean it…" Brother Od-Dog said sadly. Mother simply smiled and patted his shoulder.
"No need to worry, child. What did this person look like?" Mother asked, intrigued.
"Well… they looked about my age… they were a cat, a black cat. They wore a white shirt with a yellow knitted vest over it and green pants… I honestly couldn't tell if they were a boy or a girl… they really looked like neither somehow…" Brother Od-Dog said. Mother nodded and stood up.
"Perhaps tonight we shall pray to the Waking Gods that they come back, maybe then we can come vjnce them to join our community of faith. Perhaps save them from any sin they may commit… Now come along, dinner's ready." Mother said as she turned to the double doors across the red carpet. Brother Od-Dog nodded and followed Mother to the dining room.
Sitting at the table, Brother Od-Dog ate slowly, very much different from how he usually was. Sister Foxtrot noticed and turned to him.
"Brother Od-Dog, what's the matter?" She asked.
"…Somebody wandered into the house today… somebody who looked our age…" Brother Od-Dog began explaining. Everything from their appearance, to the way they ran out the house. Sister Foxtrot grinned and patted his head.
"Do not go hard on yourself, Brother Od-Dog. In fact… I'd say that you might very gained us a new member. That television show Mother broadcasts can only intrigue so much… curioustiy brings those who allow it to closer to true faith and happiness" Foxtrot quoted. It was a quote from the Scripture of Dreams, the text that told of everything that important to the community, such as what was a sin, hoe to live life closest to the Waking Gods, even down to who to allow into the community. Brother Od-Dog smiled.
"Thank you, Sister Foxtrot" He said, feeling much better. Sister Foxtrot was always right, and her streak of wisdom would continue…
Once again it was a late, sleepless night. Catie sat on the couch, flipping through the limited channels, trying to forget the events of that day. But no matter what channel they let drone on in the background, they couldn't sleep. Terrified. So they sat back up and decided that if they weren't gonna sleep tonight, then they might as well find out more. So they picked up the remote, and flipped to the public access channel once again. And just like before, they saw that cheap animation and poor sound quality.
This time, the episode was about a book called the Scripture of Dreams, Catie assumed it was like this strange religions version of the Bible or the Quran. Mother read a few passages from the book before another story segment played. Catie was hardly paying attention, all they picked up from it was that is was about a girl who was left on a front door step at birth and was taken in by a woman. But that was it. Catie was waiting for the credits, they wanted to see exactly who was behind this. But when the episode came to an end, the children simply sang a song and then it just ended, just like that. No end credits, no final shot, no end card, just an abrupt cut to the next show. Catie leaned back on the couch, thinking out loud.
"No cast… no crew… no animators or voice actors… who are these people? Who made this show?" They asked as they looked out the window at the dark streets. They could feel that overwhelming feeling again… the need to know more. Curioustiy. And so, they decided that they would have to go back to the house. They cursed their curiosity, it’d gotten them hurt in the past. And it very well could get them hurt now.
Brother Mighty sat at the window. It was those long hours between praying hour and lunch that made Brother Mighty bored. He looked out at the grass, tbe other houses. For a split second, he imagined running around and playing with the other members of the community in that same grass. He quickly corrected his thinking, knowing it wasn't holy to go against what your Caretaker told you. And Mother had told them to not go outside whatsoever unless absolutely necessary.
"Good evening, Brother Mighty" He heard somebody say from behind him. Turning around he saw Brother Posh, standing on the stairs.
"Good Evening, Brother Posh" Brother Mighty responded. Brother Posh walked closer and sat down with him.
"What are you doing?" Brother Posh asked him, raising an eyebrow. Brother Mighty looked back out the window and sighed.
"I'm just looking out the window." Brother Mighty replied, sounding bored.
"You aren't planning on going outside without Mother's permission, are you?". Brother Posh asked. Brother Mighty shook his head.
"Oh, no no no! Of course not!" Brother Mighty said defensively. Brother Posh simply nodded and looked out the window as well. Brother Posh squinted his eyes, looking at something in the distance.
"Do you see that…?" Brother Posh asked as he tapped on the glass. Brother Mighty squinted in the same direction. He saw something coming closer…
"What is that?" Brother Mighty asked.
"No, who Is that?" Brother Posh corrected. The person in the distance kept coming closer and closer, now Brother Mighty and Brother Posh could see that they were on a bicycle.
"What's going on?" Somebody asked. Turning around Brother Mighty saw Brother Od-Dog.
"Somebody is approaching the house… look" Brother Mighty said, stepping aside so Brother Od-Dog could see. Upon looking out the window, Brother Od-Dog's eyes widened.
"I… I need to get Mother!" He shouted as he quickly ran away. "You two! Hide! Make sure you aren't seen!" Brother Od-Dog called before going to look for Mother. Brother Posh and Brother Mighty shrugged as they moved away from the window. The person riding down the street stopped right at the front steps, cautiously stepping off and walking up them.
"Is that a boy or a girl?" Whispered Brother Posh.
"I'm… unsure, they look like neither to be honest…" Brother Mighty replied. The door slowly opened. Both Brother Posh and Brother Mighty could hear that the person was afraid, as their breathing was slow and heavy. They watched from behind the stairs as they slowly opened the door, Brother Mighty took note of how foreign their clothes were to him… Before either of them could say anything, Mother walked in along with Brother Od-Dog from looping around a hall that led to the other side of the room, that way they could sneak up from behind. And without the stranger seeing, Mother shut the door behind them.
Catie jumped as they heard the door shut behind them. That's when they noticed the tall woman and the boy from yesterday standing right there. Catie yelled and fell backwards, crawling away as fast as they could.
"Oh my- I'm sorry for coming back! I-" Catie was interrupted.
"It's alright, child, it is completely alright. We are not hostile. Do not be afraid" the tall woman said, her voice was deep, almost like an echo in a valley. Catie recognized her from the TV show. Catie now noticed Brother Mighty and Brother Posh hiding behind the stairs. Brother Od-Dog ran up to Catie and held out his hand. Cautiously, Catie took his hand and got up.
"Greetings! What's your name? I… apologize for scaring you yesterday" Brother Od-Dog said guiltily. Catie took a second to respond.
"Oh it's… completely fine! Don't… worry about it." They said awkwardly.
"Children? You may come out" Mother called out. Brother Mighty and Brother Posh came out from behind the stairs. Several others came from the double doors across the carpet. Catie immediately took note of Elliot, or Brother Empathetic. Catie looked at all of them, it seemed that they all looked at them with the same stare, the same eyes. In person, Catie could much better tell their ages. All of them looked to be around Catie's age, except for Sister Foxtrot, she seemed older than all of them.
"U-uhm… it's… nice to meet all of you" Catie said, barely able to move. The children all got into a line, just like they did in the show. They all bowed their heads and said in unison.
"Greetings, Catie, welcome to the Backwards House". They held hands, staring, waiting for a response. Catie bowed back, unknowing what to do. They took note of the eye symbols. In person they could see that the symbols didn't look like paint or any other type of marking… rather it looked like a scar.
A scar from a deep cut that hadn't been made too long ago. Suddenly, Catie wished they were home.
(here’s version one!)
Last info card before it releases btw, again I’ll release two versions and y’all will get to decide which one you like better
ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
in honor of chapter 10 (and how horrifying it was) I’ve decided what to do with both drafts of ITAC? I’m gonna release both versions, and then I’ll have a vote on which version y’all like the most, and I’ll continue that version!

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need opinions!
so the first chapter of ITAC is actually finished already but I’m unsure about it. There are some things that I could change, and certain concepts that I think would make the story more eerie
should I just release it how it is or rewrite it completely to include these things? Let me know
another very important character (got a little dark there at the end huh) I also hope my hand writing it readable 💔
Art of @day-brayker’s Sister Foxtrot design!
Ooo spooky- I think it’s really cool and I am quite interested in where they will take this concept in the future :3
posting her by herself because let’s just say she’s very important to the au 🤫 speaking of which I’m working on the first chapter of “Is This a Cult?” Just having it beta read rn, sorta like a pilot episode to see what people think of it!
(I accidentally posted this to the community twice pls ignore that) but Tomodachi life posting! I changed their eyes so they can blink! Comment who I should make next, it’s either Empathetic Elephant or Foxtrot (side note but Od-Dog temporarily had a crush on Dogday)

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kinda rushed these ngl but I’m too obsessed with this idea. Tried to give both of them a more “ominous” presence. Idk why I started with Od-Dog and Mighty, guess I just chose the character I draw most and the character I draw least? Hope my handwriting isn’t too bad either lmao
new au alert!!!! I came up with this au fairly recently. I’ll post more info when I actually draw it, but here’s the “Is This a Cult?” Au!