DragonFate Writing

Something that stood out to me for this update was, of course, what was happening to Wally. I think a big part of this update was giving us more context for the show and characters. What was the show like and what was the relationship between all the characters?

Then there was all the stuff revolving around Wally which is quite illuminating. We still don’t know what happened exactly but we are getting peaks behind the curtain. So what is up with Wally? We still can’t be one hundred percent sure but there is one thing we can figure out.

The bug videos of Wally. These videos are, at face value, pretty straight forward. We see Wally disassociating and going into a bit of a subspace. He is aware of his surroundings but he is more of an audience member than an active participant.

I am not going to act like I am an expert on this but a lot of people have pointed out this along with Wally’s other mannerisms, pointing to him being on the spectrum. Possibly Autism but again I am no expert, others can verify yes or no on that point. This I do agree with. I do think Wally is on the spectrum. That being said, I do think there is a force out there that is infecting and taking control of the show and characters to an extent.

I was thinking about these videos when I suddenly realized they reminded me of something. Specifically they reminded me of Lovecraft’s call of cthulhu. Hear me out. In Call of Cthulhu, the main character interviews a variety of people and comes to a conclusion regarding one group. Those who were creatively driven, the story specifically calling out artists, were falling asleep and dreaming about horrors beyond their comprehension.

How does this connect to welcome home and Wally? Well in lovecraft’s story, artists were a big part, they would fall asleep, receive visions and knowledge they shouldn’t about creatures that could end them without a thought and then would paint these horrors. They would do this almost against their will and were driven mad because of it.

It sounds a little familiar right? I think what is happening to Wally is similar to the story. Not exact but it does have some parallels. Wally is an artist who receives knowledge about a world outside of his own. A world inhabited by creatures (aka us) that could end him and everything he knows without a single thought. There is of course one big difference between this story and the cthulhu one.

Wally can’t dream. He can’t sleep, he is a puppet. Night doesn’t exist in welcome home and we are not even sure if the other puppets sleep or just go into a dormant state until the next episode. I think this is the reason why Wally’s dissociation is getting worse. He receives knowledge outside of his world and his mind having no way to protect him just goes into this state of disconnect. He is able to reconnect to his world when one of the others calls his name but until then he is stuck in this subspace. 

When Wally enters this state, it’s the closest he can get to ‘sleeping’. When that happens, it’s possible that something is reaching out to him and trying to communicate but Wally can’t answer. It’s also possible that whatever it is contacting Wally is seeing using Wally’s eyes. In other words, we are seeing from Wally’s pov but it’s not just Wally’s pov.

Of course that is all speculation. I do think there is an outside force, (all the black substance in the staff only section) and it is responsible for some of Wally’s mannerisms. But I don’t think it’s taking control of Wally the entire time, it might not even be taking control of him completely and is instead making his already existing conditions worse.

The last bug video we see is the one where Barnaby is talking to Home and it reveals that all of Wally’s dissociation episodes happened in one day. This means Wally is going into this subspace an alarming amount of times. Again I am no expert but I don’t think that is very healthy. 

This is not to take away what Wally is however. I do think he is on the spectrum and I do think his monotone, not understanding figures of speech, his sometimes awkward social skills, is all natural. That is just who Wally is and there is nothing wrong with that. The problem comes when he is being forced into this space from something outside of his control. When he is forced to face a reality that he shouldn’t have to. A reality that makes him question everything around him and causes him to shut down for certain periods of time.

Of course this is all speculation about what happened during the show’s run but if this theory is even remotely true then it makes the present events all the more interesting. You see in Call of Cthulhu the characters are ultimately doomed to failure, they can’t fight against these creatures beyond their understanding. You either join them like the story of innsmouth or you perish or you go insane. 

However in the present timeline Wally has seemingly flipped the script. He was once the one receiving dark knowledge against his will but now he is the one giving the knowledge. He is the one who is in part responsible for what is happening to the restoration team. He knows things that we don’t and he is even entering people’s dreams in an attempt to impart this knowledge. 

This doesn’t make Wally evil or anything. I believe he isn’t doing this to drive others insane. He is doing it out of desperation. He wants us to understand what happened to him and his show. He is just as much of a victim as anyone else is in this situation, he was just the unfortunate first one. He was the artist cursed with visions (he has more eyes now) and knowledge that would lead to his world ending. He was also on the spectrum during a time where an understanding of what that is was limited or non existing.

He isn’t creepy or evil. He is simply a victim of some force beyond his control that he didn’t even know existed. A force that is most likely still around. 

Summary: Wally is most likely autistic or at least on the spectrum. A force outside of his control is trying to impart knowledge on him, forcing him to disassociate several times a day until he is snapped out of it by someone calling his name. Something could also be possibly controlling him and making his autistic traits worse or more noticeable to others around him. In the present timeline he has flipped the script and is now trying to communicate with someone in order to make them understand what he went through during the show.

Alright. Does this theory explain everything? No I don’t think it does. There is also a chance that all the love craft connections are coincidence but I think it is interesting to bring up. I also didn’t want to dismiss Wally’s potential autism (I say potential because I am not an authority and thus can’t say if it is autism for sure) and his normal traits and behavior. 

Wally being monotone and not understanding certain concepts doesn’t automatically indict anything sinister after all. I instead believe that these traits are just being emphasized during certain scenes but in a way to show that something is happening to Wally. It’s important to be respectful and to watch how we are talking about Wally after all. If I have said anything disrespectful please let me know and I will take down and edit this post.

    It was a peaceful day in the great city of Unnamed city. The birds were singing - this included officer Peeps who truly showed that great singing was in fact not a biological thing among all avian - the sun had shown them mercy and decided not to crash into the planet on this day.

The plush bird was patrolling the area on claw-foot, a cup of coffee in his hand-wing and watching all the good citizens and families go about their day. Peeps knew in his fluffy body that today was going to be the perfect day and he was going to savor it to the fullest. This thought came to him as he was passing by a bank and once the thought had finished the short distance across his brain, an alarm rang out. 

The building literally came to life giving small hops in place as an alarm blared within it. Peeps and everyone around the building came to a halt as they stared in surprise. The doors to the bank were flung open and a figure shot out of it, running on all fours with a bag in its mouth. The master burglar Yipper raced past officer Peeps purposefully hitting the bird, causing him to spin and his drink flung into the air.

Yipper raced down the sidewalk, laughing to himself as he made off with his haul. Meanwhile officer Peeps managed to recover from his spinning just in time to have his coffee fall on top of his fluffy head. There was a single moment of silence as the coffee soaked into his uniform and plush body. The officer began to turn red in seething anger, a fire lit up in his eyes and he zeroed in on the retreating form of Yipper. 

The officer jumped yelling in anger, steam coming off of him, evaporating the coffee before he gave chase. A dust cloud formed behind him as the citizens watched him disappear and give chase to the dastardly criminal.

The great chase was on!

Yipper couldn’t help chuckling to himself. He had just pulled off another successful heist, stealing just enough to finish that money sculpture of himself. It was going to be his best work of art yet, something that had even him in awe. On top of all that he had even sent that annoying cop on a spin trip, Yipper would not forget the look on that annoying bird brain’s face. Today was looking perfect for the dastardly burglar. 

Suddenly Yipper’s ears picked up a strange sound. He lifted one of his ears up and tilted his head to hear it better. The sound was getting louder and louder, Yipper swore it sounded like a steam train coming right at him. The alien dog looked behind him in confusion only to be met with a very angry officer Peeps barreling down the road towards him. The officer was bright red and clearly not in a good mood. He was holding a baton in his wing-hand and blowing a whistle that sounded like the whistle of a train, it was even blowing out steam. 

In short the officer looked like he was going to kill Yipper.

The officer caught sight of the dog and Yipper could feel his one eye bulge out of his socket as the officer’s claw-feet turned into train wheels and he began running even faster. Yipper, knowing danger when he saw it, decided to high-tail it. He had seen the cop angry before but he must have really yanked the chain hard this time. 

The officer and burglar barreled down the sidewalk, citizens moving out of their way as the two paid them no mind, focused on getting away or catching the other. One citizen, an elderly cat lady, was having trouble crossing the street. Cars were speeding down the road and the light would change for only a second before the cars would start again. The cat lady looked around in distress, if only there was an upstanding young person who could help her this time. 

It was at that moment that Peeps and Yipper were making their chase down the sidewalk. The cat lady spotted them and oblivious to their situation, cheered up. Ah, there was an upstanding young person, surely they would help her in her blight. The cat lady lifted a hand-paw and began waving to the dangerous duo, running right towards her. Yipper, who was in the lead, raced past the cat lady bumping into her at a speed which caused her to start spinning. Peeps in hot pursuit and completely focused on the burglar, accidentally kicked the lady and flung her into the air. Thankfully a cat always lands on their feet-paws and the cat lady landed right across the street. 

She got up and waved to the oblivious duo, simply happy to have made it across the street. However before she resumed her walk, she noticed that her purse was missing. That was odd, she could have swore she had it before she crossed the street. 

Yipper, now with a small purse around his neck, decided he could try and lose the officer in the park. The park was filled with people on this perfect day who suddenly had to get out of the way as a certain officer and thief made their war path. The burglar spotted a playground and gave a sly smile, the officer could not hope to keep up with him there. The alien dog ran to the playset and up the slide, bumping several children out of the way. Peeps shortly following behind and attempting to run up the slide, only to slip and fall on his face. 

Yipper couldn’t help but to look back and laugh at the dumb officer. This only enraged Peeps further and with his new found anger, he got up and slammed his claw-foot into the slide puncturing it. He proceeded to make his way up the slide at a frankly terrifying pace. Yipper once again felt his eye bulge and decided it was best to resume running. 

Yipper turned and ran, noticing a rope bridge and making his way across it with Peeps following after finally reaching the top of the slide. However when Peeps attempted to run across the rope bridge, the poor frail ropes couldn’t take it anymore and broke under the weight of the fluffy cop. Peeps was sent plunging three whole feet down. Yipper snickered as he slide down another slide, having witnessed the dumb cop take a fall, now he couldn’t catch him. 

That thought abruptly ended when Yipper made it to the end of the slide and was face to face with an angry officer who had simply gotten up and walked around the playset. Yipper gave a short nervous wave to Peeps - who was lightly tapping his baton into his wing-hand - before running back up the slide, he had just gone down. 

This continued on for some time with the two making their way around the playground, climbing on the rock wall, swinging across the monkey bars, playing a rousing game of chess before Peeps flipped the board. Several children watched as the two rushed around the playground in a huge dust cloud before the poor playset couldn’t handle it anymore and collapsed under their weight with a groan. 

As the soul of the poor playground equipment went up to the great park in the sky, Yipper managed to crawl his way out and began running once again. Peeps suddenly sprang from the rubble and the chase resumed, ignoring the crying of several children. 

A skeleton man with a cool pair of shades glanced in the direction of all the noise and swore he heard the sounds of crying and the death of playground equipment. Eh, the skeleton shrugged, nothing he hadn’t heard on a Tuesday before. Bones, who was leaning against a swing set, turned to look at his roommate Johnny and wondered if he should say something. 

He once again gave a shrug, too much work and besides Johnny was busy pushing Pompom on the swings. The little clown kept insisting on going higher and Johnny was trying his best but was also worried about hurting the clown as well. 

It was a peaceful scene and one that would have remained as such if it wasn’t for that loud noise getting suspiciously closer and closer. Bones once again lifted his sunglasses and noticed the tornado that was officer Peeps and Yipper heading right towards them. However before the lazy bones could even think to warn his friend about the incoming storm, it was already on top of them. 

The disaster duo sped right past them, knocking Johnny back and bumping right into the swing that Pompom was on, sending it into a spiral that rocked the entire swing set. The swing went faster and faster until eventually Pompom - who was having a great time by the way - was sent flying into the stratosphere.

The cop and burglar continued on their destructive way, taking no notice of Johnny who was staring at the sky in frozen horror as his clown son was sent into space. Bones casually walked over to Johnny and began to laugh as the humor of the situation set into his bones. Before Johnny could smack the skeleton’s head clean off, the swingset gave one final groan and fell over landing directly on Bones, breaking the skeleton. Johnny could do nothing but sigh and maybe laugh a little at his roommate's karma. 

(Pompom would later return home after an exciting adventure, crashing into a UFO and almost being dissected by aliens who found Pompom much too terrifying to understand. Johnny would breathe a sigh of relief when Pompom was dropped through the roof of their house, landing on his lap by said UFO.  Bones, while happy to see Johnny in better sprites, couldn’t help wishing the aliens had kept Pompom just a day longer.) 

Yipper turned and looked back at the officer still hot on his heels, he really really must have yanked the chain hard if the bird brain was still keeping up with him. The thief turned his head back around just in time to notice the ice cream cart he was about to crash into. Running on an instinct that only a seasoned alien dog burglar could possess, he jumped onto the ice cream cart and used the momentum to ride the cart.

Freezy could only watch as her beloved ice cream cart was hijacked by a weird dog riding on top of it. She had been making a killing on the sales too and still had a line of people in front of her, waiting for ice cream. Peeps soon followed, pausing to shyly tip his hat to Freezy with a blush on his face before he resumed chasing Yipper. 

Freezy just looked at the retreating couple before turning back to the long line of disappointed ice cream fans who could no longer purchase the frozen treat. Freezy wondering if there was anything she could do, notice a single scoop of chocolate ice cream on the ground. She held up her finger in a one second gesture to the crowd before disappearing with the ice cream.

Freezy later returned with a giant ice cream monster, brought to life by the dark arts. She took payments for folks to jump on and devour her monster ice cream to their heart’s content. It was a massive success until everyone began to transform into ice cream zombies but that is a story for another time. 

Yipper was happily licking up ice cream as the cart sped out of the park, he turned to see if he finally lost the cop. Much to his surprise Peeps was actually keeping up, he wasn’t as close as before but it was still annoying to have him on his tail, he needed to get to his hideout after all. That was when the dastardly hound got an idea. 

He threw the ice cream he was holding, hoping to trip the stupid cop up. Instead of slipping up however the officer began using the ice cream as a roller skate to catch up with the speeding thief. Yipper’s one eye bulged out of his socket again and he slapped a hand to his forehead in annoyance, he swore this officer was shortening his already small doggy life span. 

Yipper, now more annoyed than ever, continued to throw ice cream at Peeps. Peeps to his credit, managed to dodge several scoops even managing to get another ice cream roller skate, that still didn’t stop him from taking a few to the face however. While Peeps was either eating the ice cream or having it melt under his angry determination to catch Yipper, the pair passed a particular alleyway. 

Leaving ice cream in their path, the duo failed to notice several cat creatures poking their heads out of trash cans. The cat monsters noticed the delicious ice cream and came out in a hoard to lap it all up. Eventually many of the cats, including a particularly round one, figured out there must be a source for the ice cream. The round cat gave a meow and like a call to action, all the cats in the vicinity banded together to chase down the runaway ice cream cart. Before any of the citizen’s knew it, a storm of monster cats had joined the chase.

The cart was out of control as it sped up and down hills, running over anyone and anything in its way. The thief seemed unaware of this, too focused on trying to slip up a certain officer, he wasn't aware of the cart racing towards a particular restaurant. 

Chef Budge was just putting the finishing touches on his latest masterpiece, a seafood mushroom truffle cake. He made it after weeks of searching and killing for the perfect ingredients, it was gonna be a big hit in his restaurant and he would be damned if anyone ruined this for him. He had been so focused he didn’t notice the screams and citizens running outside the restaurant but he did hear the sudden crashing noise. 

He gave an angry growl and rushed to the front of the restaurant, slamming open the double doors to confront the fool ruining his moment. Suddenly what looked to be an ice cream cart with a dog on top of it, slammed into the poor chef, running him over and entering the kitchen. Before the chef could get up, a cop on ice cream roller skates rolled over him, covering him in a trial of ice cream. 

(Chef recognized the flavor as raspberry tangerine, his least favorite ice cream flavor.)

The two of them rushed around the kitchen, grabbing pans and smacking the other with it, Yipper managed to grab some sausage links and wrapped it around himself wanting to snack on them later. The two rushed around the countertop, the same countertop that had the chef’s truffle cake on it.  Budge quickly got up and ran over in an attempt to save his creation. 

He was able to dodge the pair of idiots, wreaking havoc in his kitchen and was just about to grab the cake when a rogue pan went flying and smacked the back of the chef’s head. He dropped the cake back onto the countertop, miraculously the cake was fine but the same could not be said for the chef’s anger.

Finally unable to take it anymore, he turned to the oblivious idiots and let out a terrifying yell that could be heard from miles around. Yipper and Peeps stopped their chase, both frozen in mid air with Yipper posed to throw more ice cream and Peeps about to whack him with a pan.  The cart itself seemed scared and showing wisdom that neither Peeps or Yipper possessed, gave a squeak before turning around and rolling out of the restaurant as fast as its wheels could manage. 

Before leaving however, Yipper threw the ice cream at Peeps who ducked out of the way. The ice cream found a home right on top of the truffle cake.

Peeps sensing the danger he was in quickly gave a nervous tip of the hat and rushed out to again give chase to the dog burglar. The chef stared at his creation thoughtfully giving it a quick taste test, he found it to be delicious, the ice cream turned out to be exactly what it needed. He smiled and fist bumped the air but his victory was short lived as he felt an odd rumbling. 

It shook the restaurant and before the chef could figure out what it was, hundreds of monster cats suddenly swarmed the restaurant, having followed the ice cream trail. Chef was suddenly covered in a sea of furry monstrosities, licking him and drowning him. The cats eventually continued on their way, taking the poor chef with them as he was swept along. Pixel, also riding the wave, grabbed the cake and held it up in victory as the cats moved out of the restaurant.

Both Peeps and Yipper were bruised, covered in ice cream, and both were tired but they were also too stubborn and in some people’s opinion too stupid to stop now. Yipper still had the bag of money, the purse, and the sausage links from chef Budge’s restaurant. He was not giving up with the haul he had on him even if it would kill him, which was a real possibility with the next obstacle coming up. 

It was gonna be a glorious day, a day that would go down in history as Skidd Mccrash would finally complete the ultimate dare devil challenge. The obstacle course was insane, thought up by a fellow daredevil who was going mad with stunts, it had never been attempted before. It had jumps, loops, rings of fire, spinning blades and chainsaws. as well as a quiz game that tested basic knowledge. It will be the raddest, most hardcore specticle that this city will ever have the fortunate to bear witness to. A crowd had formed waiting to see if this ended in victory or carnage, either way they would get their afternoon’s worth of entertainment. 

Circuit and his two coworkers were already on the scene with Circuit reporting and his blue coworker handling the camera. The red reptile was taking notes and would occasionally get bored and eat the pages of said notebook, apparently each page had its own unique flavor. Circuit had already interviewed Mccrash and now everyone was just waiting for the signal that Mccrash could go as he revved up his motorcycle ready to make history. 

The countdown had just begun with the crowd joining in chanting ten…nine…eight…

Circuit was practically humming with excitement as the countdown continued, nobody seemed to notice a runaway car and officer heading in their direction. Just as the countdown finished and Mccrash was about to hit the gas, an ice cream cart carrying an alien dog burglar sped past him along with an officer.

Yipper had just turned around to see where exactly the cart was going just in time to see a massive and deadly looking obstacle course. This time he swore his eye did leave his socket as it bulged out at the massive structure that he was currently heading towards. Well he thought, now is a good time to get started on that will. He pulled out a piece of paper and pen from the purse and began writing.  

Everyone watched in disbelief and morbid curiosity as what looked to be a weird dog and officer Peeps sped through the obstacle course. They raced around loops, jumped through rings of fire though just barely as Yipper wiped the sweat off his brow only to realize that his ears were on fire. Peeps meanwhile had to put out his hat to mixed success as his wing caught on fire as well. Thankfully the water gun section put out the fire even if they both ended up very wet.

Circuit gestured to keep the cameras rolling as the duo went through the spinning blades and chainsaws. Yipper nearly gets completely shaved and officer Peeps comes out with a spiffy new haircut. They had just reached the end of the quiz game - Peeps getting hung up on the basic math portion and Yipper’s answer to everything was just steal it, the cart passed with flying colors - and were coming up to the final jump. The jump was the biggest one yet and in order to make it, one had to leap over thirty buses all stacked on top of each other. 

(The buses were thinking of unionizing after this stunt was done.)

Everyone watched as Peeps still on ice cream roller skates seemed to get a second wind and was catching up to the cart. Peeps reached his wing-hand out and finally managed to grab the cart. A feat he was very proud of until they were launched into space. 

Both Yipper and Peeps felt weightless as they hung in the air for a concerning amount of time, it wasn’t until a satellite passed them did they think to look down. I think that is the Earth was the thought that crossed both of their tiny minds before they looked back up at each other. Gravity suddenly woke up and remembered what it was supposed to do just in time for Yipper and Peeps to hug each other as they hurtled back down to Earth. 

The crowd and Circuit meanwhile were watching the sky to see if they could catch sight of the duo. Finally someone yelled and pointed at the sky, everyone squinted as they saw a square figure hurtling towards the planet. The ice cream cart from before was coming down at a frankly concerning speed and many wondered if they should start running when they suddenly felt a rumbling. 

Finally tearing their eyes away from the ice cream cart meteorite - a tough feat to be fair - everyone turned to see an absolutely terrifying storm of monster cats heading right for them. Everyone turned to run with the exception of Circuit who could not believe his luck as he got to witness these wonderful creatures all at once.  Both his coworkers tried to get his attention before finally shrugging to each and running for their lives. Circuit would be fine, the guy certainly seemed happy enough.

One of the cats pointed to the sky where their ice cream deity was falling back down to Earth for them. Pixel gave a meow and nodded, the cats knowing what must be done overran the obstacle course, destroying everything in their path as they formed a pillar to reach the cart. Using the course to their advantage they created a huge tower of cats under the cart, it was a beautiful and yet horrifying sight to behold.

The cart landed right on top of the tower, the cats sagged under the weight of the ice cream carrier but the cats were stubborn and soon the cart finally came to a stop.

They let out a triumphant meow as they finally had their prize and the tower slowly came down as the creatures ransacked the cart. Circuit watching in awe, he was in heaven as cats surrounded him, he wished he had more arms so he could pet them all. He eventually spotted his own cat Pixel who was still carrying the truffle cake. Circuit overjoyed extended his arms, picked up his pet and began burying his face in their fur, cake still in their fluffy paws.

Circuit eventually snapped out of his euphoria as he heard a groan at his feet, looking down he saw that it was none other than his boyfriend chef Budge.  Budge did not look like he was having a good time, his clothes were ripped and wet with cat saliva, he had lost his hat and he didn’t have a chance to try out his latest masterpiece.

Circuit looked down at the poor chef, happy to see him but also very concerned. It was then he noticed the cake in Pixel’s paws, he snapped his fingers as he got an idea. Using his mouth, he removed one of his gloves, revealing his sharp robot claws and with a quick precise swipe, Circuit cut the cake. He grabbed one of the pieces and leaned down, setting Pixel on the ground, who proceeded to walk off to share the cake with his fellow cat brethren. 

Circuit helped the chef into a sitting position and handed him the slice of cake, Budge proceeded to eat the slice still in a bit of a daze. He finally snapped out of it and saw the smiling face of his boyfriend who waved at him. Budge looked around, still a bit confused as to why he was in the middle of what looked to be a huge disaster with monster cats all around him. Circuit just patted him on the shoulder and helped him get back on his feet. Budge watched as his cake was being devoured and just sighed.

He had a long day and at least someone was appreciating his masterpiece even if it was a bunch of cats. 

He watched as Circuit was surrounded by a hoard of cats, most of them seemed familiar with the reporter who looked like he was in heaven as they purred and rubbed up against him. He tried his best to cuddle as many as he could and as scary as they looked it was a kinda adorable sight. The chef couldn’t remember the last time he saw his boyfriend this happy. Seeing him overjoyed was a nice consolation prize the chef thought to himself finishing his cake.

Meanwhile the duo that had started this whole mess were currently hurtling back down to Earth. Both of them really didn’t like that this was going to be the way they died but so be it. As they got closer to the planet, they both closed their eyes - one eye in Yipper’s case - and said their final prayers as they both crashed and landed right in the police department. 

Both of them saw stars as they slowly got up from their adventure, Yipper no longer had the bag of money, purse or sausage links.

(All of them had fallen back down to their respective owners, the cat lady got her purse back in time to finish her shopping. The bag of money landed right in the bank owner’s arms as they were talking to the other officers. Budge meanwhile had some sausage links land right on his head as he was watching Circuit. The cats proceeded to swarm him and it took Circuit’s help to get him out with minor scratches.)

Eventually both the thief and officer snapped out of their daze and realized both of them had landed in a jail cell. Peeps gave a triumphant cry and jumped in the air, he had finally caught the burglar after such a long chase. The dog growled, not at all happy to lose his stolen goods and landed in a cell with Peeps of all creatures. 

He jumped on the cop, determined to wipe that smug smile off that bird brain’s face and a scuffle started in the cell. A scuffle that soon came to an end as they both heard a familiar clearing of the throat, both stopped and turned to face the chief of police.

Peeps knocked the alien dog off of him and saluted his boss, all the while giving a cocky smile to Yipper. Now his boss was surely going to release him from this cell and congratulate him on a job well done. Instead the boss just looked at Peeps with a tired, disappointed look on his face, which worried the naive officer.

The chief snapped his fingers and several officers wheeled out a t.v. and set it in front of the cell. The chief turned it on and the news immediately started blaring with a very concerning headline.

“Terror struck Unnamed city today as disaster in the form of two idiots demolished the city. Perfect day ruined.”

It showed a quick picture of Yipper and Peeps before cutting back to Circuit who was the one reporting  the disaster. He wasn't particularly sad especially with a dozen or so cats hanging off of him but it did create a more unnerving sight as the camera panned around to show the destruction of the obstacle course from before. It was on fire and people were running away from the inferno, Budge was seen trying to pull a cat off his face and other cats were using the fire to roast marshmallows.

The camera cut to what looked to be a huge car crash in the downtown area where ice cream littered the streets. Dr. Goop was on the scene attending to several poor victims, the doctor looked both ecstatic to have so many new patients to attend to but also concerned for the damages. Annette could be seen in the background sweeping away the debris, this was just a normal day for her.

The camera cut again to show the park destroyed and children crying, a huge ice cream monster rampaging in the background and Johnny wheelbarrowing his skeleton roommate away. The news showed almost the entire city in some form of distress and Peeps brain working in overdrive put two and two together. He gave a nervous smile to the chief who glared at the pair, his officer in particular.

A day later, Peeps and Yipper could be seen in prison uniforms, helping to clear the damages from their high speed chase. Several officers and Annette were assisting in their community service of beautifying the city and any time the two of them were seen fighting, they were hit over the head with several mallets.

Moominmama was in the kitchen stirring a pot of warm soup while Snorkmaiden set up the kitchen table. Thunder sounded outside and Snorkmaiden took a worried glance out the window. Moomin had suddenly left with little explanation and it had worried Snorkmaiden greatly.

She had also felt left out and a bit hurt, Moomin and her had known each other their entire lives. She thought they were close enough that Moomin could talk to her. They were dating after all and Snorkmaiden hoped to be his wife someday.

Snorkmaiden sighed, she had wanted to go after Moomin but Mama had told her that Moomin just needed some fresh air. She found it strange but she listened to Mama. Mama was wise and patient, she was many things that Snorkmaiden admired. She could only hope to be as patient and kind as her one day.

A bang suddenly sounded in the Moomin household, Snorkmaiden jumped nearly dropping the bowls in her hand. Mama dropped her spoon and rushed to the front of the house to see what was the matter. Lightning struck from outside, casting shadows as Moomin stood in the doorway, breathing heavily, his eyes big and bulging, he looked utterly terrified.

“Moomin!” Snorkmaiden gasped out.

“Moomintroll what on earth is the matter?” Moominmama asked completely worried.

Moomin quickly closed the door and leaned against it, too tired to speak. Moominmama rushed over to him, she quickly began to guide him to the kitchen table. Snorkmaiden finally shaking off her shock, pulled a chair out for Moomin.

If Snorkmaiden had been worried before, she was now almost sick with it. So many questions buzzed in her head and she wanted so badly to ask but held her tongue. Instead she went to the kitchen and poured water into the kettle. Moomin would no doubt be in need of tea, after being out in the cold and coming home like...that.

Snorkmaiden could hear the sounds of Moomin breathing heavily in and out with the occasional cough. Mama was gently talking to him, telling him to breathe slowly. By the time Snorkmaiden got the tea and set it down in front of Moomin, he had begun to breathe a lot easier.

“There my dear, make sure to drink it up, I am sure it will make you nice and warm.” Mama continued to soothe.

Moomin took long sips from his tea, the tension from earlier was slowly disappearing. The only sounds that could be heard in the house was the wind, rain, and thunder from the outside and Snorkmaiden could hear the bubbling of soup in the kitchen. One might have been tempted to call the scene peaceful if it wasn’t for the question left still hanging in the air.

What had happened to Moomintroll?

As soon as the tea was gone and color had returned to Moomin’s face, Mama gently held one of his paws.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to Moomintroll but I think it would ease your mind if you told us what happened.”

Moomin froze whatever color and warmth that had returned to him was suddenly gone. The thunder let out another deafening boom, it was closer than before. The wind gave a frightful howl that shook the windows and Snorkmaiden felt another shiver run up her spine. 

Moomin looked so utterly frightened and he quickly shook his head. Mama gave him a hug and gently rubbed his back, calming him back down.

“Alright my dear, why don’t you go to bed, we can talk in the morning.”

Moomin nodded and got up from his chair, slowly walking towards the stairs that lead to his room. Snorkmaiden wanted to protest, she wanted to grab Moomin and yell at him, anything to get him to tell them what had happened. But she didn’t. She watched as he quietly went up the stairs and disappeared.

Mama went back to her cooking and Snorkmaiden resumed setting up the table, putting away the bowl and silverware meant for Moomin.

“Where is Moominpapa? I thought he would be down here after all that noise.” Snorkmaiden asked Mama.

“Oh he is in his study, he must be quite absorbed in his work, I imagine the thunder makes it hard to hear as well.”

“Oh.” Snorkmaiden was secretly glad, Moominpapa wasn’t a bad father but he was not very good with sensitive subjects. He believed a firm hand was necessary when the situation instead called for warm reassurance. 

Snorkmaiden could only hope Moomin will be okay.

Moomin’s bedroom was dark with the sound of the wind rattling his windows, his rope ladder banged against the house and the boom of thunder. The once comfortable room now just felt cold and threatening, lightning flashed making shadows and strange shapes appear on the walls. Moomin swore he saw eyes in those shadows.

He wanted to run back downstairs, he could always tell Snorkmaiden and Mama that he had just been startled by an animal. Moomin couldn’t bring himself to go back down though, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep and forget everything that had happened.

He stumbled into bed, the blankets and pillow was soft and warm but it didn’t stop the shivers running through his body. Moomin closed his eyes, he tried not to think about it, but he had always been curious and right now his mind was alive with questions.

Who or what killed those creatures? Why would they do that? Why hide them in a bush? Is whatever killed them still in the forest?

Was it watching Moomin?

Every creak in the house suddenly felt loud and echoing as Moomin cowered under the covers of his warm bed. The night was long and Moomin couldn’t move from his bed, a bed he knew could offer little protection but was warm and comfortable all the same. Moomin eventually fell into a restless dream filled sleep, as the shadows continued to watch.

Moomin was back in the forest...at least he thought he was. The sky was a bright almost a blinding shade of yellow. The sun (Moomin knew it was a sun because that’s how dreams worked) was a dark void like black. It appeared to be melting, staining the bright yellow sky in an all consuming darkness.

Trees encircled Moomin, they were black and jagged, tall and sharp. Moomin feared if he walked too close to them, he would be impaled on their branches.

In fact it looked like they had already impaled something and it was dripping blood.

Moomin didn’t want to look up, he didn’t want to know why. But this was a nightmare and against his will, he slowly looked up, his eyes widening in horror. Impaled on the branches were the heads of those creatures Moomin saw in the woods.

They looked different, their fur had turned black but was still stained with dried blood. Their mouths were hanging open but their teeth were much longer, sharper and stained red. The teeth looked much too big for their own mouths and their gums were ripped open as a result.

Then there were the eyes.

Those horrible, pleading, fearful eyes had been transformed into something much worse. They were bigger, much too big and were a dark hideous red. They stared down at Moomin, not with fear but with pity.

There were no sounds in this forest, no animals talked to each other, and no wind could be felt. It was an eerie stillness that felt horribly out of place. It was shattered when a loud ear piercing crunching sound rang out. Moomin recognized the sound when he had accidentally broke one of his arms, it was coming from above him.

Moomin stared in horror as the heads began to move all at once, their jaws going up and down, ripping their gums further and dripping fresh blood down the trees. They began to speak all at once, their voices distorted and low like they were whispering. Moomin could hear them as if they were screaming into his very soul. Their terrible words sent chills down Moomin’s spine.

Once we were one but now we are dead.

Killed by a Mumrik, we are now red.

Let our heads be a warning to you

Trust in a Mumrik and you are through.

His voice and his music may allure

But rest assured, he will make you impure.

He played us for laughs, he played us for fools.

Oh that Mumrik he is most cruel.

Be warned of his heart so black

Or you may find a knife in your back.

The words were repeated over and over again, each time more violent than the last. Moomin tried to cover his ears but to no avail, the words were burned into his mind, piercing his brain like a thousand knives.

He swore his ears were bleeding.

It just wouldn’t stop.

He wasn’t sure when he started screaming.

Was that another voice?

What was it saying?

Was it saying anything?

Moomin wasn’t sure anymore.

He just wanted it to stop.

He wanted to…

“Moomin, wake up!”

Moomin’s eyes shot open and he bolted into a sitting position, his throat was sore and he felt he couldn’t breath. His eyes began to water and before he could control it, he began to cry. The rain and wind had stopped, the shadows were no longer watching and the house was still. Moomin sobbed as warm arms held him, as a soft voice whispered that everything was going to be okay.

Mama had heard her son’s screaming and ran to his room as soon as she could. It breaks her heart to see her son in such a state, so she held him. She held him for a long time and would continue to hold him as long as he needed her.

Moomin eventually began to calm down and she laid him back down on the bed, pulled the covers back up and spoke to him softly.

“Don’t worry my precious one, go back to sleep I will be right here.”

Moominmama kept a warm hand on Moomin’s head and right before he drifted off to sleep, he couldn’t help but wonder.

What is a Mumrik?

Author’s note:

I forgot to mention this but my family actually owns and uses tarot cards. We only use them sometimes and just to see our futures but if you were wondering why I was specific on the position of the cards that is why.

In readings the cards being upside down or right side up is important because it gives the cards new meaning. If a card is pulled and it's reversed then that usually means something bad but not always. I actually encourage to look up the cards meanings as it can be rather fascinating.

Teety woo giggled and snickered to himself as he watched the dumb troll run out of the forest like it was on fire. He hadn’t expected it to find the heads his master had hidden, he didn’t think someone could be so dumb to stick their head in a bush that smells like death. It had been quite entertaining to watch though and Teety Woo decided to head back to his master, he hoped he would be amused as well.

Teety Woo quietly slinked through the forest, barely making a sound. All the animals avoided the creep, they could see the madness in his dark red eyes and the smell of blood that lingered on his fur. Teety Woo continued to giggle to himself, he laughed about the troll, and the foolish creatures in the forest, they were all so dumb not like his wise master.

Teety Woo made it back to the campsite of his master, a young Mumrik dressed in a green smock, green pointed hat, and a yellow scarf. His eyes were hidden under the large hat and he was shuffling a deck of tarot cards.

The wind and rain had died down for now and the Mumrik decided to continue his ritual. He knew a violent storm was on the way and had only set up his tent, forgoing a fire. The trees and wind had told him about the storm and how bad it was going to be a great time for a dark ritual, if you didn’t get caught in it.

Nobody ever listened to the trees, rocks, or plants anymore. Most creatures have lost the gift. Consumed by their own pettiness and obsessions. Mumriks are one of the only creatures left that can still hear nature’s voice, the only ones who remember and listen. Snufkin wasn’t raised by a Mumrik, having been found in a box, but nature still whispered to him and it was nature that had raised him.

Nature knew no good or evil, simply freedom and the will to live the way it wants to regardless of other creatures. Snufkin had seen nature at its most helpful, giving homes and food to many creatures. He had also seen it at its most cruel when it punished those so arrogant to believe that nature could be controlled.

It was when nature was at its most cruel that Snufkin saw the true beauty of it. A beauty that Snufkin brought with him everywhere he went, like an infection it stained villages and valleys in bright reds and yellows. Mumriks being the closest creatures to nature knew no good or evil, merely freedom and mischief.

Snufkin finished shuffling the tarot cards and placed them on the ground where he had a small cloth set up. Snufkin placed one hand on the deck and closed his eyes, he called out to the spirits his guides to show him his near future. An eerie wind suddenly blew around Snufkin, it whispered to him, not once disturbing his cards. The blood he spilled and the creatures he had returned to nature had been accepted, the spirits were watching and were pleased.

This was a ritual Snufkin performed when he traveled to a new place. He would offer the spirits payment in blood and they would in turn guide and protect him. Killing wasn’t something the Mumrik batted an eye at, indeed he even took sadistic pleasure in it.

Unraveling a creature, seeing how they tick and using their possessions and obsessions against them, it was something that even Snufkin could fail to describe. Teety Woo watched him silently, he didn’t dare interrupt his master, he had done that once before and paid for it in blood

The wind died down and Snufkin opened his eyes, he fanned the cards out and picked three at random. The three cards were facedown in front of him, Snufkin turned the first one over, using his left hand, this card was to represent his past.

The card was the ten of swords in the upright position, this card was not surprising at all, considering his past and the actions he had taken, this card was the one he probably pulled the most.

The second card was his present, Snufkin turned it over to reveal the hermit in an upright position. This card was also very common for Snufkin. Snufkin chose to be alone, he liked being alone but he was not lonely. Introspection had given him wisdom that many creatures envied and he would never give that up.

The third and last card however was the truly head scratching one, this one indicated his future and he had pulled the lovers card in the upright position. This was..odd. Snufkin frowned while looking at the card. The lovers card usually meant relationships and finding a partner, two things Snufkin avoided at all cost.

Snufkin’s frown deepened and he briefly wondered if he messed up the ritual or the spirits were playing a trick on him. But ever since Snufkin started these rituals his predictions always held to some sort of truth. Snufkin hasn’t always interpreted them correctly but he wouldn’t just pull a false card in the wrong position. How else was he supposed to interpret the lover card other than a relationship though?

Snufkin eventually just shook his head and placed the cards back into the tarot deck. He was still confused but it wouldn’t help to overthink it either, he decided he would leave it up to his guides and deal with it when it comes up.

The wind and thunder returned as if sensing the completion of the reading, Teety Woo cautiously slinked closer to Snufkin. He had seen his master perform several readings and he was almost always satisfied with them but this one, this one had caused such a strange reaction. Teety Woo wondered what Snufkin had seen but chose not to ask, traveling with Snufkin he had learned there was a time and place for questions and talking.

Snufkin glanced at Teety Woo and gave a small nod, this was the signal that Teety Woo could talk. Snufkin was a peculiar sort of person, he preferred not to even know the name of the location they were staying at. If he were to recount his tales, he could speak of mountains and fields but could not tell you what they were called. Teety Woo never bothered to tell him either, instead Teety Woo would spy on others, park keepers and anyone that Snufkin would like to mess with.

They were usually fillyjonks and hemulens that were in some way destroying or tainting nature. Other times they were creatures used in dark sacrifice, this time however Teety Woo spoke of another creature. This one pure white, round, curious, and in Teety Woo’s opinion rather stupid. Snufkin listened, he was good at listening, the story amused Snufkin and he made a note of the creature. Snufkin wouldn’t seek it out but if he was so easy to scare then he might be fun if Snufkin were to run into him.

Teety Woo had another laugh at the dumb, white thing before moving on to the usual. A fillyjonk who had a garden with some miserable children, a park keeper whom Snufkin would surely visit, and a police station that was small and miserable. Snufkin nodded, he would have his fun in this valley before moving on.

“Are you quite done Teety Woo?” Snufkin asked, his voice both deep and light. A voice that was easily carried on the wind but held such weight to be heard.

“Yes, this valley is so wonderfully cheerful but I have heard their lies, seen their obsessions and greed. This one that we have captured, the small smell one for instance is quite pitiful, wouldn’t you say master?”

Snufkin looked at the creature Teety Woo was referring to. To call this creature a thing would be accurate but would also not give the full picture. It had coarse, greasy, black fur, at least Snufkin assumed it was fur, all over its body. The thing had clearly never washed a day in its life and smelled like garbage that had sat out in the sun too long.

Snufkin had found the thing rifling through his supplies when he had left to get sacrifices, the thing tried to run but that was another thing Mumriks were good at catching prey. Snufkin had half a mind to drown the disgusting thing, he had bound and gagged. Its struggling was beginning to annoy him.

Instead Snufkin pulled out a knife, it was a simply looking knife with a golden handle, it still had the blood of the creatures he killed earlier on it. The thing watched the knife with poorly concealed horror and Snufkin took great pleasure in that fear. He knew a few knife tricks and flipped the knife around as he talked to Teety Woo.

“What should we do with our uninvited guest?”

“Perhaps we should stab him and use his blood as a sacrifice?” The deranged Teety Woo suggested. He hated this strange stinky thief and would love to watch him die.

“No, I think the spirits would curse us if we used his blood, perhaps we should hang him and leave him to rot?”

The thing was trembling now and looked to be on the verge of crying, Snufkin had no doubt it would be begging for it’s life if he hadn’t gagged it. It filled Snufkin with anticipation, he loved watching things struggle before they die. It was a reminder that life was fleeting and should be cherished.

“Wonderful thinking master. Let him return to the dirt where he belongs.”

Snufkin stopped twirling his knife, got up and slowly began to walk to the creature, watching the fear in its eyes. Snufkin raised his knife, the wind picked up blowing harshly, the thing closed its eyes and a knife flashed as a boom of thunder rang out across the valley.

Author’s note:

Fun fact this was suppose to be part of a longer chapter. Basically this is only a piece of what I have written up and as I was going back over it, I realized something. If I included the next bit it would have been very jarring. Like the next chapter begins with Moominmama making soup. So I decided to split this. Sorry if this part is lacking because of that. I realize I kept people waiting for over a week and again I apologize.

Still I hope you like and I will have the next part up soon.

Now another quick thing, this chapter uses a headcannon that both me and the fandom kinda had. The being Mumriks or rather Snufkin and the Joxter are creatures close or directly connected to nature. This is not exactly a new line of thought and I am not the first to use it certainly. There are many fics with Snufkin being a spring deity in some form.

I decided to go with this because not only is it a cool idea but I also wanted it to help explain Snufkin a little. I don't go into full details here but I got plans on how to use this aspect of Snufkin. I also hope I wrote Snufkin well in this chapter and kept most of the traits he has in the black sun au.

Also if your wondering why Snufkin is described as having green clothes instead of black like the au, don't worry I hope to address that later.

It was a dark, cloudy day, a dramatic soul such as Moominpapa would even go so far as to call it foreboding. The air was heavy with moisture and the clouds were dark, threatening to rain. It was the only time Moominvalley grew dark and silent. The only sound that could be heard for miles was the wind blowing, creating soft whispers that sounded like voices. The trees had strange shadows that resembled hands, reaching out to capture anyone wandering the forest.

Moomin wasn’t afraid. He loved the silence, it gave him time to think. He thought about things he would normally never dare to in the Moomin household. He thought about the smell of rain, and wondered if it would thunder. He then imagined Sniff all alone in his home, cowering from the storm.

It made Moomin laugh. Sniff had always been such a fearful creature. Moominpapa had once told him that it was fear that helped keep Sniff safe.

Moomin just thought it made Sniff sad.

Moomin continued to walk with no destination or purpose in mind. His thoughts drifted away from Sniff and the Moomin household and instead he thought about adventure, danger, and the unknown. Moomin liked the thought of danger but so rarely did he get to experience it. Moomin wished he could feel that sense of danger that would make his fur stand on end and his ears and tail would tingle in excitement.

But it was wishful thinking at best. Nothing exciting ever happened in Moominvalley, in fact the most exciting thing that Moomin could think of was...was...that rather odd smell just now.

Moomin stopped and sniffed the air in confusion. Nothing much had changed, the air was still heavy with rain and the trees and sky were still dark. There was now just this odd metallic scent hanging in the air. Moomin thought it was familiar but couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

Curiosity was a dangerous thing, Moominpapa would say. It just led you down dark paths left untrodden. Moomin was curious though, and perhaps his papa’s advice was sound, but a young troll must learn the hard way sometimes.

The sky turned even darker and the wind grew stronger, the shadows of the trees grew and continued to reach out with their long dark fingers. The troll noticed none of this however and continued his curious journey. All the animals were hiding and silent, there was nobody there to warn the foolish Moomin about what he might find.

The smell grew stronger, it filled Moomin’s nose and made his eye’s water, not even the wind could blow it away. The smell took on a rotten stench, it reminded Moomin of the time his family found a dead rat in the cellar, only stronger and with a metallic scent. Moomin, for a moment, thought about turning back, he thought about forgetting the scent and whatever it was. But Moomin was bored and curious, a dangerous mixture, Moomin decided to keep going.

Eventually Moomin’s nose led him to a bush. There was nothing special about this bush. It contained no thorns or poisonous berries of any kind. Moomin looked around some more but was always led back to this bush.

“How odd. Why would this bush have such a strange smell?” Moomin pondered to himself.

Many would have turned back by now and left this strange bush, with it’s horrible smell alone, especially if they found it on such a dark and foreboding night. However Moomin decided that turning back now would be anti climatic and taking a look couldn’t hurt.

Moomin couldn’t hear the whispers of the trees or the warnings on the wind, curiosity is not a bad thing but it can be blinding. Moomin pushed aside the many branches and leaves of the bush, at first he couldn’t find anything and decided to go deeper. He stuck his head in the bush, desperate for any sign of an adventure, a few seconds later he gave a cry in surprise.

The wind died down and the forest grew eerily quiet at the troll’s outcry.

The creature, hidden within the bush looked surprised as well but Moomin figured he would be surprised as well if he no longer had a body. The head of the creature was twisted amongst the branches and leaves, still dripping bright red blood. It’s fur was stained and matted, mouth hanging open as if attempting to scream in fear. It’s grotesque tongue was hanging out, looking much too big for the poor creature’s own mouth. It was staring right up at Moomintroll with it’s dark, glassy eyes.

Moomin could feel his breath coming to a halt, his throat closing up, too shocked to scream or move. It was at that moment, he noticed the creature wasn’t alone. Trailing his eyes down, he saw at least a dozen more tiny heads hidden among the branches and leaves. All of them were stained with blood, mouths open, tongues hanging out. But most terrifying of all, they were staring right up at Moomintroll.

All of them were staring in frozen, pleading, agony with their dark, dead eyes. Moomin could only imagine what they saw right before they died.

The wind returned, stronger, more harsh than before, thunder now rang out in the valley. The crawling fear and panic that Moomin felt began to overwhelm him. He had never seen anything like this in the valley, had never heard or even read about something so cruel. Moomin yanked himself out of the bush, unconcerned if he hurt himself, and ran.

He ran and ran as the wind blew stronger and the shadows once again reached out for him. He could still see those horrible, pleading eyes in the darkness of the forest, an image that had burned itself into his memory. He could still smell that rotten stench of death and decay, a scent he now recognized but had never faced so brazenly.

Moomin ran and ran, he wasn’t even sure if this was the correct way to Moomin house but he didn’t care, something inside him was screaming to get away. That something was here, that it had killed those creatures, the forest was dangerous, nobody would know he had died here. Nobody would care if he died here.

He ran and ran for what seemed like hours until finally he broke through the trees, he could finally see Moomin house and despite all the pain he felt from running, he didn’t stop. He ran fueled by fear and panic, he ran all the way back to his home.

Moomin found a stranger in the woods.

Moomin had been feeling bored again. This wasn’t so strange for the troll, Moominvalley had always been so...peaceful. Conflict rarely existed and adventures and curiosity was considered dangerous and childish.

Moomin absolutely hated it.

He would never say so knowing it would upset his mama and earn him a lecture from his papa on gratefulness.

How could they possibly understand?

Everything around Moomin felt so empty.

That’s why, on that one fateful day, Moomin fled into the forest. The forest was wild and dangerous, everything that the Moomin household banned. In the forest you could die and nobody would know till later.

Moomin loved it.

He could be himself, let out a part of himself that felt caged around his family members. He could do almost anything and nobody would know.

Elder Kettle was sitting in his favorite armchair, listening to his favorite record on the gramophone. Cuphead and Mugman had left not too long ago in search of the Devil's run away debtors. Those rambunctious boys had certainly gotten themselves into a pickle. Elder Kettle had warned them about the Devil and his casino but some lessons had to be learned the hard way he supposed.

He was of course worried about his children but this was their mess to sort out. He gave them all the tools they would need and he was forming a plan to deal with the Devil. If he knew the Devil as well as he thought he did, he knew the Devil would take their souls regardless of their progress. As the kettle was getting lost in his thoughts, a loud violent knocking came at his door.

The loud knocking interrupted Elder Kettle's thoughts. He briefly wondered who it could be before realizing it could only be one person.

"Come in." The kettle told the person at the door. His door was always unlocked.

The door opened revealing King Dice whom without a word stepped aside to allow another person inside the house.

Elder Kettle knew there were a lot rumors surrounding the Devil. A lot of frightful things such as him being a remorseless monster whom would take your soul at the drop of a hat. A demon who lurks in the dark to scare and snatch children away from their homes. Some of these rumors were true and some were just exaggerations meant to keep the good children away from the casino.

Elder Kettle never believed in telling lies or stories. In his opinion the truth was often scarier than fairy tales.

The Devil strode into Elder Kettle's home. He was as tall as he could comfortable be in the small house, dwarfing the Elder Kettle's height. Elder Kettle knew this was more for intimidation with the Devil's ability to shapeshift.

Nobody was taller than the Devil. Nobody was allowed to be.

"Surprised to see me old man?" The Devil asked in a deep mocking tone. The kettle took no offense, this was the way the Devil had always been. Confidence and pride had always been part of his charm and tricks.

"Not entirely, no. When my boys came running to me about the Devil and their debt I knew I would see you again." The Elder Kettle admitted to the Devil, a worn smile on his face.

"Why don't you take a seat. I have just made a most delightful tea and biscuits. I find them to be most relaxing on a quiet afternoon." The kettle invited gesturing to the small tea set on the table next to an empty armchair.

"No thanks. I prefer a hard whiskey and cigar myself." The Devil said taking a seat.

The Elder Kettle nodded before offering Kind Dice some as well whom also declined the invitation. Elder Kettle poured himself a cup of hot tea. The kettle wasn't against alcohol and a smoke himself, he just never kept them inside the house. He was afraid the cups would get into them. Cuphead more than Mugman, Cuphead always had a reckless streak.

"As much as I enjoy tea and a quiet afternoon." The Devil started sarcastically.

"I didn't come here for pleasantries."

Elder Kettle took a sip of his tea before responding.

"I know. You've never been much for visiting before. You came to warn me about getting in your way." The kettle said in a calm light hearted way as if he was discussing the weather.

"Those cups knew the consequences and their souls are mine. Once I have their souls along with the rest of my debtors, they will work for me for the rest of eternity." The Devil told Elder Kettle. His tone was neither boastful nor mocking. He spoke simply like he was stating a fact.

The Elder Kettle took a sip of his tea choosing his next words very carefully.

"I tried to teach those young ones about you. How tricky and cunning you were. I warned them to stay away from your casino entirely. Those boys always had been curious though. I'm not as young and as snappy as I used to be."

The Elder Kettle took a moment to glance at the sword he kept on his wall. The Devil also glanced at it holding back a small shudder as he remembered his first meeting of the much younger Elder Kettle. It also brought back memories of a long scar on his chest that nobody has ever seen due to his fur covering it.

"Still I do have to thank you for not taking their souls right away. I know you don't extend that courtesy to everyone." Elder Kettle continued bringing their focus back on the conversation.

"I have so many that come into my casino, it's hard to keep track sometimes. I needed someone to rein them in so to speak. Normally I let Dice handle it but it doesn't hurt to call in some extra help especially when it's free." The Devil replied brushing away the thanks.

"Besides a few extra hours won't hurt especially since it gives you time to say goodbye before I take their souls. I'm merciful enough to give you that at least."

This was the first verbal sign that the Devil held any respect or sympathy towards the kettle. Kind Dice whom had remained motionless by the door had been surprised when the Devil wanted to make this visit personally. The Devil rarely left his casino and usually let his employees (King Dice in particular) handle things. However after hearing how this conversation was going, King Dice began to understand.

The Devil doesn't have friends.

The Devil doesn't trust anybody.

The Devil never respects anybody.

Somehow though it seems the old worn kettle had earned just that, respect and from the Devil of all people. King Dice began to see the older kettle in a new light.

"I appreciate your honesty. However I love my little cups more than anything and I intend to spend more than a few hours with them." Elder Kettle told the Devil his voice steady as he looked at him.

King Dice felt himself stiffen at bit, afraid at the Devil's reaction. Surprisingly the Devil merely chuckled with a grin spreading across his face.

"I'm always up for a good challenge and I imagine you and your cups will make this most interesting for me. Still a deal's a deal, I have all my cards on the table, we will just have to see how your cards turn out." The Devil got up from his chair but before leaving, he turned to Elder Kettle.

"I won't waver or grant any favors to those cups anymore than I have already. I have come here merely to warn you, let me handle my business or face the consequences." The Devil turned to leave with King Dice opening the door.

"May I ask just one more question." Elder Kettle's voice stopped them. The Devil turned back to face the kettle whom had gotten out of his chair. He was staring at the Devil with a hard look in his eyes. A look that he held when he was a much younger kettle, holding a sword and facing a strong opponent.

"I'm a very busy man, but I suppose you may before I go." The Devil said recognizing the look in Elder Kettle's eyes.

"Did you cheat when my boys played your game?"

King Dice once again felt fear as he watched the Devil and kettle.

Nobody had ever accused the Devil of cheating.

Nobody was sane enough to even attempt it.

It was usually assumed he did so but the person was usually so consumed with fear that accusing him directly never crossed their minds. King Dice began to wonder if Elder Kettle was a very brave man or a very foolish one.

A few seconds passed in silence as the Devil and Elder Kettle stared down each other, the fire never leaving Elder Kettle's eyes. After some silence the Devil spoke.

"You know what happens when you walk into my casino. Those cups fates were sealed the moment they walked through those doors. They would have gambled again and again until they had nothing left. Does it really matter if I cheated on that one game or not?"

Once again the house fell into silence as Elder Kettle took in the Devil's answer. Finally with a sigh the Elder Kettle answered.

"No I suppose in the end it doesn't. The damage has been done."

The fire in Elder Kettle's eyes dimmed and with it the years of burden and age seemed to wash over him. The old worn kettle was now just that an old kettle with years catching up on him. The Devil with a nod of acknowledgement turned back to the door.

"Come Dice we have been away from the casino long enough." The Devil left the small home. King Dice before he followed his boss, turned back to look at Elder Kettle. The elder was once again in his armchair with his eyes closed as the weight of the situation came back to him.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way." King Dice said quietly before closing the door behind him.

Elder Kettle looked at the door and smiled. He was old and not as snappy as he used to be but he heard what King Dice said.

"Not to worry, I know my sons will be okay." Elder Kettle said to himself in the quiet home. A quiet home that now seemed so lonely without the sounds of laughter and mischief. A home that his sons will hopefully come back to so they may continue to brighten it with their youth and cheer.

"Henry, do you think I am worthless?"

Henry who had been hunched over his desk drawing, turned to face Bendy. Bendy was currently looking at the floor with his left hand over his right arm. He looked...sad with ink dripping from his face.

This was quite a surprise for Henry. Bendy was normally so happy and energetic. The trickster would be running around pulling pranks just to try and get people to laugh. Bendy rarely ever looked sad, it just wasn't in his character.

It wasn't what Joey wanted him to be.

Which was probably why Bendy had come to Henry and not Joey. Joey could be rather strict with his cartoon characters. He wanted them to be perfect. Henry however saw cartoons differently and didn't mind when they acted out of character.

"Come here Bendy." Henry said in a calm voice.

Bendy hesitated for a moment before walking over to Henry. Bendy's ink was still dripping, a sure sign of his distress. When Bendy was right in front of Henry he stopped and Henry picked him up and placed him on his lap, not minding the ink.

"Now tell me where did you get the idea that you are worthless?"

Bendy looked down at his hands, he wanted to tell Henry but at the same time wasn't he the dancing demon?

Wasn't he supposed to be smiling?

Wasn't he supposed to be happy?

Why wasn't he smiling?

Why wasn't he happy?

"Bendy." Again Henry's soft voice broke Bendy from his thoughts.

The ink from Bendy's body was now pouring down heavily, almost covering his eyes. Henry carefully began to pet Bendy's head. The petting managed to calm Bendy down and stopped the ink from flowing so heavily. After the ink went back to simply dripping like before Henry could now clear some away from Bendy's face, revealing his eyes once again. After Bendy's face was clear enough of ink for him to see again, Henry began to talk.

"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to Bendy."

Bendy looked up at Henry seeing him smile gently at him. He really wanted to tell him, he was just afraid. Afraid that Henry would hate him and he would leave him. Just before these thoughts could once again consume Bendy, Henry once again talked.

"Bendy no matter what anybody says you're a beautiful and unique creation. You inspire and make people laugh in their darkest days. Yes you're a demon and yes you're a trickster but you're also a performer, comedian, and a star to many. No matter what anybody says especially Joey, you will never be worthless."

Bendy sat motionless through Henry's speech. Nobody had ever appreciated him as much as Henry had. He always tried his best to give a good performance but it never seemed enough.

Joey never seemed to think it was enough.

However Henry who was an animator seemed to know exactly what Bendy needed to hear. Bendy overwhelmed with all these emotions that he could never show began to cry inky tears. He hugged Henry pushing his face into his chest and letting out all his sadness, frustration, and stress.

Henry sweet, caring Henry hugged Bendy back not caring about his messed up clothes.

"I-I just want t-to be enough! Why am I-I never enough!" Bendy practically screamed his voice muffled by Henry's shirt.

"You are enough Bendy. You are enough."

Bendy always remembered this moment. Even after Henry left, even after Joey went insane, even after the studio fell apart. Years after everything came crashing down around them Bendy simply wanted to ask Henry one last question.

"If I was enough then why did you leave me?"

Author's notes:

Hoped you guys liked it. I am so excited for chapter 4 and I really hope we get to see Bendy again and have some things answered regarding him. Now about this fanfiction, it's somewhat based around those comics you see with Bendy and the rest of the crew interacting together before Joey presumably went kill crazy.

I don't actually think this happened in the game but it is fun to imagine it. I also have a few headcanons regarding Bendy's creation. My idea is both Henry and Joey are responsible for Bendy's creation to a certain degree.

For instance Henry in his secret voice recording says that Joey was more the idea guy rather than actually taking action. Joey may have come up with the idea for Bendy and even his name but Henry was the one that gave him his image. This explains why Bendy is after Henry, none of the other characters go after Henry except Bendy and his lackeys. Bendy or Joey needs Henry to be complete since Henry had a hand in creating Bendy.

This is also the reason why Alice Angel is incomplete. Susie may have been apart of Alice but she wasn't Alice completely, she needed Allison since Allison had also been a voice for Alice. She was apart of Alice whether Susie liked it or not. But that's just an idea I had, it doesn't explain everything but I thought it was interesting.