the old waylon place,

𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓.   hello!  i’m bard (she/her), and this is a roleplay and character study multi-muse blog featuring muses from starkid's hatchetfield universe.  this blog will contain sensitive topics including, but not limited to: body horror, gore, and death.  i will tag any triggering topics with ‘tw ___’ but please don’t hesitate to let me know if i miss anything.

est. 07/30/2025

duke’s already told wilbur ten times,  “even if i knew where she was, there’s no way in hell i’d tell you.”

duke’s not a fighter.  he went into social work so he could help kids who need it.  all of this other stuff is miss holloway’s expertise, and up until a few hours ago, duke thought that “all of this other stuff” was more so smoke and mirrors instead of facts.  he’s not ready to know that something evil lurks in hatchetfield or that witchcraft is real or that there are multiple versions of him, all existing simultaneously in other dimensions.  the only thing he feels sure about right now are his feelings for miss holloway, even if she’s tied up in all of this.  even if she’s something a little bit more than an average human.  even standing face to face with a gun, he’s terrified at the thought of confessing his feelings for her.  not that it matters much.  it doesn’t seem like he’s going to get the chance.

wilbur smiles a wicked smile.  he slowly squeezes the trigger.

duke turns and digs his foot into the ground to run, and everything suddenly seems to move at a breakneck pace.  he hears the gun fire just as he sees a flash of red hair and feels a pair of arms fly around his neck.  another bang cracks through the quiet air.  the arms around his neck tug, and duke instinctively wraps his arms around holloway’s waist as she slumps against him.  as she falls, her weight pulls him, too.  he keeps his arms around her, refusing to let her fall.  he gently lowers her to the ground.

wilbur cackles.  duke glances up, and wilbur is gone.

“hey… hey!”  duke turns his attention back to the woman in his arms.  he’s already pieced it together.  she shielded him.  he feels sick.  “miss holloway?”  he cradles her against him, brushing feathered bangs out of her face.  his hand smears blood on her forehead, and he knows it isn’t his.  it’s hers.

“no no no… no!”  his chest tightens as dread floods it, stinging and icy.  “why did you–”  he trails off, catching himself before he raises his trembling voice at her.  he exhales. “you’re okay, you’re okay.  i’ve got you.  please be okay.”

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he's rolling his eyes. ❝ hey. i'm a real good fuckin' speller. ask lex. she'll tell you. ❞

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ziggy doesn't say a word, but they lean back and hold out a pair of finger guns. they grin, eyes half-lidded. ❝ fuck yeah. ❞

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❝ can't what? ❞ linda narrows her eyes and holds her chin up. ❝ can't speak to me because you're trash? oh, look! you and i actually agree on something! ❞

❝ put that down so we can talk... ❞ and ❝ you don't want to do that. ❞

truthfully, he has no idea what he's dealing with. wilbur looks like any average guy. maybe a little taller than most, but other than that? totally normal. he has no explanation for the way that looking directly into wilbur's eyes makes the hair on the back of his neck stand on end and makes him feel like he needs to either fight or run for his life. all he knows is that he found miss holloway unconscious and found this asshole holding a knife that, thank god, looks unused.

wilbur looks at duke, amusement written all over his face. he raises the blade over his head, over miss holloway, and duke doesn't think. he just acts.

❝ no! ❞

duke lunges and tackles wilbur with all of the weight he can muster. they land with a thud, a few feet away from miss holloway. duke's confident that wilbur didn't see this coming, but as quickly as he brings him down, he feels a sharp pain tear into his side. he pushes away from the denim-clad man and rolls onto his back so he can get a look at his side. blood has already soaked a small patch through his shirt and onto his jacket. shit. that's not good. he presses his hands over the wound, as hard as he can bear.

❝ miss holloway... ❞ he calls her name, trying to rouse her. he failed to protect her. now, all he can do is try to wake her up so she can protect herself. ❝ miss holloway? please. ❞

linda is an excellent liar.  growing up as roman murray’s daughter, she had to be.  she knows how to put on a show.  a convincing one.

the hand on his chest wraps around his tie, and she reels him in.  she plants a kiss on him that’s almost too intimate for a hatchetfield boating society gala.  almost.  she wears a coy grin as she breaks the kiss, glancing around at the friends who’d been poking fun at ted moments ago.

❝ oh, girls… ❞  she straightens ted’s tie and winks at her friends, hooking her arm through his.  ❝ i have my reasons. ❞